The Berejiklian government has decided against building a train station at Rydalmere, east of Parramatta, as part of its ambitious $20 billion-plus metro line along Sydney's spine, but left open the possibility of constructing one at Pyrmont in the inner city.

The environmental impact statement for Sydney Metro West, a mostly underground train line stretching from Westmead to the CBD, will be released on Thursday.

Under earlier plans, Rydalmere and Pyrmont were dubbed as sites for "optional stations".

Transport Minister Andrew Constance. Credit:Rhett Wyman

But sources close to the project have told the Herald further investigations are understood to have led the government to ditch Rydalmere because it would have required the line to veer away from its main alignment, and cross Parramatta River, adding to the cost and extra time for passengers travelling to Sydney's CBD.
Omar Rodriguez organizes bodies in the Gerard J. Neufeld funeral home in Elmhurst on April 22. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Over the last few weeks, the country has managed to stabilize the spread of the coronavirus sufficiently enough to begin debating when and in what ways to reopen, and to normalize, against all moral logic, the horrifying and ongoing death toll  thousands of Americans dying each day, in multiples of 9/11 every week now with the virus seemingly under control. The death rate is no longer accelerating, but holding steady, which is apparently the point at which an onrushing terror can begin fading into background noise. Meanwhile, the disease itself appears to be shape-shifting before our eyes.

In an acute column published April 13, the New York Times Charlie Warzel listed 48 basic questions that remain unanswered about the coronavirus and what must be done to protect ourselves against it, from how deadly it is to how many people caught it and shrugged it off to how long immunity to the disease lasts after infection (if any time at all). Despite the relentless, heroic work of doctors and scientists around the world, he wrote, theres so much we dont know. The 48 questions he listed, he was careful to point out, did not represent a comprehensive list. And those are just the coronaviruss known unknowns.

In the two weeks since, weve gotten some clarifying information on at least a handful of Warzels queries. In early trials, more patients taking the Trump-hyped hydroxychloroquine died than those who didnt, and the FDA has now issued a statement warning coronavirus patients and their doctors from using the drug. The World Health Organization got so worried about the much-touted antiviral remdesivir, which received a jolt of publicity (and stock appreciation) a few weeks ago on rumors of positive results, the organization leaked an unpublished, preliminary survey showing no benefit to COVID-19 patients. Globally, studies have consistently found exposure levels to the virus in most populations in the low single digits  meaning dozens of times more people have gotten the coronavirus than have been diagnosed with it, though still just a tiny fraction of the number needed to achieve herd immunity. In particular hot spots, the exposure has been significantly more widespread  one survey in New York City found that 21 percent of residents may have COVID-19 antibodies already, making the city not just the deadliest community in the deadliest country in a world during the deadliest pandemic since AIDS, but also the most infected (and, by corollary, the farthest along to herd immunity). A study in Chelsea, Massachusetts, found an even higher and therefore more encouraging figure: 32 percent of those tested were found to have antibodies, which would mean, at least in that area, the disease was only a fraction as severe as it mightve seemed at first glance, and that the community as a whole could be as much as halfway along to herd immunity. In most of the rest of the country, the picture of exposure we now have is much more dire, with much more infection almost inevitably to come.

But there is one big question that didnt even make it onto Warzels list that has only gotten more mysterious in the weeks since: How is COVID-19 actually killing us?

We are now almost six months into this pandemic, which began in November in Wuhan, with 50,000 Americans dead and 200,000 more around the world. If each of those deaths is a data point, together they represent a quite large body of evidence from which to form a clear picture of the pandemic threat. Early in the epidemic, the coronavirus was seen as a variant of a familiar family of disease, not a mysterious ailment, however infectious and concerning. But while uncertainties at the population level confuse and frustrate public-health officials, unsure when and in what form to shift gears out of lockdowns, the disease has proved just as mercurial at the clinical level, with doctors revising their understanding of COVID-19s basic pattern and weaponry  indeed often revising that understanding in different directions at once. The clinical shape of the disease, long presumed to be a relatively predictable respiratory infection, is getting less clear by the week. Lately, it seems, by the day. As Carl Zimmer, probably the countrys most respected science journalist, asked virologists in a tweet last week, is there any other virus out there that is this weird in terms of its range of symptoms?

You probably have a sense of the range of common symptoms, and a sense that the range isnt that weird: fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath have been, since the beginning of the outbreak, the familiar, oft-repeated group of tell-tale signs. But while the CDC does list fever as the top symptom of COVID-19, so confidently that for weeks patients were turned away from testing sites if they didnt have an elevated temperature, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 70 percent of patients sick enough to be admitted to New York States largest hospital system did not have a fever.

Over the past few months, Bostons Brigham and Womens Hospital has been compiling and revising, in real time, treatment guidelines for COVID-19 which have become a trusted clearinghouse of best-practices information for doctors throughout the country. According to those guidelines, as few as 44 percent of coronavirus patients presented with a fever (though, in their meta-analysis, the uncertainty is quite high, with a range of 44 to 94 percent). Cough is more common, according to Brigham and Womens, with between 68 percent and 83 percent of patients presenting with some cough  though that means as many as three in ten sick enough to be hospitalized wont be coughing. As for shortness of breath, the Brigham and Womens estimate runs as low as 11 percent. The high end is only 40 percent, which would still mean that more patients hospitalized for COVID-19 do not have shortness of breath than do. At the low end of that range, shortness of breath would be roughly as common among COVID-19 patients as confusion (9 percent), headache (8 to 14 percent), and nausea and diarrhea (3 to 17 percent). That the ranges are so wide themselves tells you that the disease is presenting in very different ways in different hospitals and different populations of different patients  leading, for instance, some doctors and scientists to theorize the virus might be attacking the immune system like HIV does, with many others finding the disease is triggering something like the opposite response, an overwhelming overreaction of the immune system called a cytokine storm.

The most bedeviling confusion has arisen around the relationship of the disease to breathing, lung function, and oxygenation levels in the blood  typically, for a respiratory illness, a quite predictable relationship. But for weeks now, front-line doctors have been expressing confusion that so many coronavirus patients were registering lethally low blood-oxygenation levels while still appearing, by almost any vernacular measure, pretty okay. Its one reason theyve begun rethinking the initial clinical focus on ventilators, which are generally recommended when patients oxygenation falls below a certain level, but seemed, after a few weeks, of unclear benefit to COVID-19 patients, who may have done better, doctors began to suggest, on lesser or different forms of oxygen support. For a while, ventilators were seen so much as the essential tool in treating life-threatening coronavirus that shortages (and the presidents unwillingness to invoke the Defense Production Act to manufacture them quickly) became a scandal. But by one measure 88 percent of New York patients put on ventilators, for whom an outcome as known, had died. In China, the figure was 86 percent.

On April 20 in the New York Times, an ER doctor named Richard Levitan who had been volunteering at Bellevue proposed that the phenomenon of seemingly stable patients registering lethally low oxygen levels might be explained by silent hypoxia  the air sacs in the lung collapsing, not getting stiff or heavy with fluid, as is the case with the pneumonias doctors had been using as models in their treatment of COVID-19. But whether this explanation is universal, limited to the patients at Bellevue, or somewhere in between is not yet entirely clear. A couple of days later, in a pre-print paper others questioned, scientists reported finding that the ability of the disease to mutate has been vastly underestimated  investigating the disease as it appeared in just 11 patients, they said they found 30 mutations. The most aggressive strains could generate 270 times as much viral load as the weakest type, the South China Morning-Post reported. These strains also killed the cells the fastest.

That same day, the Washington Post reported on another theory gaining traction among American doctors treating the disease  that one key could be the way COVID-19 affects the blood of patients, producing much more clotting. Autopsies have shown that some peoples lungs are filled with hundreds of microclots, the Post reported. Errant blood clots of a larger size can break off and travel to the brain or heart, causing a stroke or a heart attack.

But the bigger-picture perspective the newspaper offered is perhaps more eye-opening and to the point:

One month ago, as the country went into lockdown to prepare for the first wave of coronavirus cases, many doctors felt confident that they knew what they were dealing with. Based on early reports, covid-19 appeared to be a standard variety respiratory virus, albeit a very contagious and lethal one with no vaccine and no treatment. But theyve since become increasingly convinced that covid-19 attacks not only the lungs, but also the kidneys, heart, intestines, liver and brain.

That is a dizzying list. But it is not even comprehensive. In a fantastic survey published April 17 (How does coronavirus kill? Clinicians trace a ferocious rampage through the body, from brain to toes, by Meredith Wadman, Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, Jocelyn Kaiser, and Catherine Matacic), Science magazine took a thorough, detailed tour of the ever-evolving state of understanding of the disease. Despite the more than 1,000 papers now spilling into journals and onto preprint servers every week, Science concluded, a clear picture is elusive, as the virus acts like no pathogen humanity has ever seen.

In a single illuminating chart, Science lists the following organs as being vulnerable to COVID-19: brain, eyes, nose, lungs, heart, blood vessels, livers, kidneys, intestines. That is to say, nearly every organ:

The invader's impact... SARS-CoV-2 lands in the lungs and can do deep damage there. But the virus, or the bodys response to it, can injure many other organs. #COVID19 https://t.co/3K96LiJrRP pic.twitter.com/PoR71YjaX8  Frits Franssen (@fritsfranssen) April 21, 2020

And the disparate impacts were significant ones: Heart damage was discovered in 20 percent of patients hospitalized in Wuhan, where 44 percent of those in ICU exhibited arrhythmias; 38 percent of Dutch ICU patients had irregular blood clotting; 27 percent of Wuhan patients had kidney failure, with many more showing signs of kidney damage; half of Chinese patients showed signs of liver damage; and, depending on the study, between 20 percent and 50 percent of patients had diarrhea.

On April 15, the Washington Post reported that, in New York and Wuhan, between 14 and 30 percent of ICU patients had lost kidney function, requiring dialysis. New York hospitals were treating so much kidney failure they need more personnel who can perform dialysis and have issued an urgent call for volunteers from other parts of the country. They also are running dangerously short of the sterile fluids used to deliver that therapy. The result, the Post said, was rationed care: patients needing 24-hour support getting considerably less. On Saturday, the paper reported that [y]oung and middle-aged people, barely sick with COVID-19, are dying from strokes. Many of the patients described didnt even know they were sick:

The patients chart appeared unremarkable at first glance. He took no medications and had no history of chronic conditions. He had been feeling fine, hanging out at home during the lockdown like the rest of the country, when suddenly, he had trouble talking and moving the right side of his body. Imaging showed a large blockage on the left side of his head. Oxley gasped when he got to the patients age and covid-19 status: 44, positive.

The man was among several recent stroke patients in their 30s to 40s who were all infected with the coronavirus. The median age for that type of severe stroke is 74.

But the patients age wasnt the only abnormality of the case:

As Oxley, an interventional neurologist, began the procedure to remove the clot, he observed something he had never seen before. On the monitors, the brain typically shows up as a tangle of black squiggles  like a can of spaghetti, he said  that provide a map of blood vessels. A clot shows up as a blank spot. As he used a needlelike device to pull out the clot, he saw new clots forming in real-time around it.

This is crazy, he remembers telling his boss.

These strokes, several doctors who spoke to the Post theorized, could explain the high number of patients dying at home  four times the usual rate in New York, many or most of them, perhaps, dying quite suddenly. According to the Brigham and Womens guidelines, only 53 percent of COVID-19 patients have died from respiratory failure alone.

Its not unheard of, of course, for a disease to express itself in complicated or hard-to-parse ways, attacking or undermining the functioning of a variety of organs. And its common, as researchers and doctors scramble to map the shape of a new disease, for their understanding to evolve quite quickly. But the degree to which doctors and scientists are, still, feeling their way, as though blindfolded, toward a true picture of the disease cautions against any sense that things have stabilized, given that our knowledge of the disease hasnt even stabilized. Perhaps more importantly, its a reminder that the coronavirus pandemic is not just a public-health crisis but a scientific one as well. And that as deep as it may feel we are into the coronavirus, with tens of thousands dead and literally billions in precautionary lockdown, we are still in the very early stages, when each new finding seems as likely to cloud or complicate our understanding of the coronavirus as it is to clarify it. Instead, confidence gives way to uncertainty.

In the space of a few months, weve gone from thinking there was no asymptomatic transmission to believing it accounts for perhaps half or more of all cases, from thinking the young were invulnerable to thinking they were just somewhat less vulnerable, from believing masks were unnecessary to requiring their use at all times outside the house, from panicking about ventilator shortages to deploying pregnancy massage pillows instead. Six months since patient zero, we still have no drugs proven to even help treat the disease. Almost certainly, we are past the Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals stage of this pandemic. But how far past?
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the countrys oil output could fall by up to 15% this year, Interfax news agency reported, representing its first annual decline since 2008.



Novak cited this months deal between OPEC and other large oil producers to cut their combined oil output by almost 10 million bpd in May and June to combat slumping prices in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.



Russian oil output C-RU-OUT will decline to between 480 million and 500 million tonnes (9.6 million bpd to 10 million bpd), from 2019s post-Soviet high of 560 million tonnes, he said.



Novak also said that both foreign-operated and domestic oil projects will reduce output as part of the global supply pact.



International oil majors, such as ExxonMobil and Shell, are involved in several oil and gas projects in Russia under production-sharing agreements signed in the 1990s.



Novak said that Russian companies will cut their production by 19% from February levels as part of the OPEC-led deal, Interfax reported
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba has opened officially Ukraine's chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, delivering a speech at its first online session.

Ukraine will hold the chairmanship in tumultuous times when Russian aggression continues against our country and the world faces the coronavirus pandemic. This is a time of great challenges, but we will continue seeking opportunities and constructive responses to these challenges, the Minister said addressing the representatives of Forums participating countries and partners, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

Kuleba stressed that the OSCE remained a key platform for cooperation and dialogue and that the Forum for Security Co-operation, which focuses on the military-political dimension of security, was still a cornerstone of the organization.

The Ukrainian minister stressed that steps needed to be taken to restore confidence and stability in the OSCE region as the ongoing gross violations of the organizations principles cannot be merely observed.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also praised the important role of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission which has been working in Donbas for six years. He mentioned separately American paramedic, OSCE SMM member Joseph Stone who died in Donbas in 2017, and expressed condolences to his family and friends.

In his speech, minister Kuleba outlined the priorities of the Ukrainian chairmanship, including strengthening the role of OSCE in promoting the peace process between Ukraine and Russia and resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine; observing the security situation in the Black Sea-Sea of Azov region and its militarization; countering hybrid warfare; countering covert and unlawful use of private military companies in conflict zones; responding challenges related to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in the armed forces; combating arms trafficking, conventional munitions stockpile management; conducting mine action and demining of territories affected by conflicts and wars; building confidence and security in the military; implementing of the UN Security Council resolution 1540 against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security; holding a dialogue to implement the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.

As reported, Ukraine took over the Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation from Turkey on April 20. Ukraine will be the first to chair the Forum online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Benchmark indices ended in the green for the third day in a row on April 29 with Sensex closing the session with a gain of 606 points and Nifty settling 172 points higher at 9,553.35.

"Expectations of lockdown measures easing and company-specific news about restarting operations, gave support to the markets," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services.

"Nifty is expected to test 9,900-10,000 levels in the next few weeks. Broader participation is increasing which is a positive sign. On the downside, trend support is seen only at 8,900. We expect the broader market to remain positive over the next few weeks. Traders can consider buying on dips," said Sahaj Agrawal, Head of Research- Derivatives at Kotak Securities.

We have collated 14 data points to help you spot profitable trades:

Note: The open interest (OI) and volume data of stocks given in this story are the aggregates of three-months data and not of the current month only.

According to pivot charts, the key support level for Nifty is placed at 9,430.52, followed by 9,307.68. If the index continues moving up, key resistance levels to watch out for are 9,638.02 and 9,722.68.

The Nifty Bank closed 2.03 percent up at 21,090.20. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 20,539.87, followed by 19,989.53. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 21,494.37 and 21,898.53.

Maximum call OI of 24.64 lakh contracts was seen at the 10,000 strike. It will act as crucial resistance in the April series.

This is followed by 9,500, which holds 17.43 lakh contracts, and 9,600 strikes, which has accumulated 14.95 lakh contracts.

Call writing was seen at the 10,000 strike, which added 3.23 lakh contracts, followed by 9,600 strike that added 2.04 lakh contracts.

Call unwinding was witnessed at 9,500, which shed 8.76 lakh contracts, followed by 9,400 strikes, which shed 7.98 lakh contracts.

Maximum put OI of 21.5 lakh contracts was seen at 9,500 strike, which will act as crucial support in the April series.

This is followed by 9,400, which holds 16.92 lakh contracts, and 9,300 strikes, which has accumulated 16.78 lakh contracts.

Significant put writing was seen at 9,500, which added 13.38 lakh contracts, followed by 9,400 strikes, which added 8.08 lakh contracts.

Put unwinding was seen at 9,200, which shed 3.69 lakh contracts, followed by 9,300 strikes that shed 3.35 lakh contracts.

A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks.

Based on the OI future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen.

Based on the OI future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen.

An increase in OI, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on the OI future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen.

A decrease in OI, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on the OI future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen.

Bulk deals

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Board meetings

Just Dial: The board will meet on April 30 to consider and approve the buyback of shares.

Blue Star: The board will meet on April 30 for general purposes.

Deccan Gold Mines: The board will meet on April 30 for general purposes.

PNB Gilts: The board will meet on April 30 for general purposes.

Sundaram - Clayton: The board will meet on April 30 for general purposes.

Stocks in the news

Results: Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Tech Mahindra, Apollo Tricoat Tubes, Aditya Birla Money, Laurus Labs, Ecom Infotech and Security and Intelligence Services are among the companies that will release their quarterly numbers on April 30.

Wipro: Company and Nutanix to launch digital database services (DDS) powered by Nutanix Era and Nutanix HCI software.

Polycab India: Board on May 2 to consider the proposal for investment/acquisition of shares.

Sintex Industries: Alpha Leon Enterprises LLP bought 35,27,564 shares of the company at Rs 0.95 per share.

RBL Bank: BNP Paribas Arbitrage purchased 29,79,801 shares of the company at Rs 125.42 per share.

Cyient: Amansa Holdings Pvt Ltd acquired 21,11,780 shares in the company at Rs 205 per share.

GP Petroleums: Company resumed operations at Vasai plant.

Fund flow

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth Rs 722.08 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), too, bought shares worth Rs 78.67 crore in the Indian equity market on April 29, provisional data available on the NSE showed.
If you know the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes," by Hans Christian Andersen, you understand the meaning of propaganda: a mass campaign of deception meant to cause people to act in certain ways. (Read it if you haven't.) As the story goes, the people were afraid to speak the truth in spite of an obvious fact because they were led to believe the truth is less important than the perception of a lie. The propaganda campaign in the story convinced the townspeople that if they dared to point out the truth of the naked emperor, they were stupid and incompetent fools. One day, a young boy blurted out, "The emperor has no clothes!" At that moment, the propaganda scheme was exposed. Truth set the people free. The story is a perfect allegory of mob psychology and how effective it is. Sadly, most people don't want to be the lone voice in the wilderness shouting out the truth. They are afraid to speak up.

Fast-forward to 1948. The era of the Cold War begins, and the United States Congress along with the State Department sets up Voice of America to send radio messages to the rest of the world. The messages could be biased information or disinformation, more commonly known as propaganda. At the same time, in order to protect the American people from their own government, Congress passed the Smith-Mundt Act, which prohibited our government from using our departments, agencies, and tax dollars to propagandize the American public. Our media outlets were intended to be a "free press" as stated in the 1st Amendment. Smith-Mundt was designed to protect that right from our government. Without that protection, all manner of media can be usurped by political operatives within our government.

Fast-forward again, this time to 2012. Under the Obama administration, Congress reversed the Smith-Mundt protections. Lawmakers buried the "Smith-Mundt Modernization Act" in the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed and was signed by Obama in 2013. "Modernization" meant they dropped the propaganda protections and allowed government agencies and bureaucrats to create media "news" and opinion to feed to the American public. It is written in typical convoluted legalese, but it nonetheless creates a huge loophole for the State Department and the Board of Broadcast Governors to create and disseminate all the propaganda they want toward Americans using taxpayer funding.

Fast-forward once more to today. In the age of too much information, how is it that the mainstream news outlets are parroting the same exact talking points verbatim at the same times? You can't help but see it and hear it. It's coordinated. So much news doesn't match the reality on the ground. And so much news is now opinion rather than facts. Have the news agencies become the media arm of the government? Looks like it. Is this mob psychology an operation that you dare not question? Looks like it.

Too many examples to cite, but probably the most glaring example of this propaganda machine would be the "global warming" hype. When that didn't become reality, they changed it to "climate change." Within that idiocy, CO2 has been declared a threat to the planet, when in fact it is a trace gas and without it there would be zero plant life. We do exhale CO2, by the way. If I didn't know better, I'd think some purveyors of this propaganda have a personal agenda to kill the population. Ahem...

Today, we have the media "yelling fire in a crowded theater," causing panic and promoting the shutdown of our livelihoods and normal activities due to a virus. Hospitals were told to focus entirely on this coronavirus and close all other health-related activities, including serious surgeries that people need. Hospitals are empty and furloughing medical personnel due to this "focus on this one virus" panic. If I didn't know better, I'd think some purveyors of this information have a personal agenda to wreck the U.S. economy and completely co-opt our health care decisions.

This time, we have most definitely been had by a mass propaganda scheme gleefully delivered by the mainstream media. The tell is the reality on the ground.

There are around 10,500,000 people in North Carolina. We have been told there are 314 deaths due to COVID-19. That's 0.00299% of the population. Yet, our state has been under an arbitrary shutdown of supposed non-essential businesses and activities. Our hospitals are nearly empty, with medical personnel being furloughed. Use your eyes and ears and brains! Yes, I'm yelling that this emperor has no clothes.

The utterance from the boy in Andersen's story needs to be said here and now in America. "The propaganda is exposed!" Repeal the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act!

Cheryl Pass is a writer of opinion essays reflecting her passionate defense of liberty, published in local newspapers. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and artist whose work you can see at www.http://paintedplums.blogspot.com.
'Charmed' Alum Holly Marie Combs is heartbroken. Her grandfather was diagnosed positive of coronavirus and died. Losing her grandpa naturally devastated her and, at the same time, made her truly mad at the US President.

The "Pretty Little Liars" actress blasted President Donald Trump as a liar and a "disgrace to the human race." She's majorly blaming him for what happened to her grandpa, who contracted the dreaded coronavirus and died on April 27.

In an emotional Twitter post, the actress, 46, reposted a tweet from the President dated April 25, where he denied he ever called the virus a hoax. Combs claimed that her grandfather is proof that Trump truly did make that grave error.

Trump has been captured on video dating February 28 for saying to a huge crowd that the virus is being used as a political tool by his opponents. "The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus," he told the crowd rallying at North Charleston, SC. He added that when it came to the COVID-19 pandemic, "This is their new hoax."

A few weeks later, the virus has forced sectors and economies around the world to shut down, and it is no longer right to claim the virus is a hoax, joking or otherwise. But Trump refuses to owe up and admit that he did say the virus is nothing to be worried about.

He knows doing so is akin to admitting that he made a colossal mistake that has contributed to the crisis today. Combs is refusing to overlook what he did, though, because she feels that it is one of the reasons why her grandpa passed away due to the nasty virus, more so when he is an avid supporter.

"My grandfather died today. He voted for you. He believed you when you said this virus was no worse than the flu. He believed every lie you muttered and sputtered. He died today from Covid-19, one day after his 66th wedding anniversary. You're a disgrace to the human race," Holly wrote, retweeting Trump's staunch denial that he said the pandemic is a hoax.

"I never said the pandemic was a Hoax! Who would say such a thing? I said that the Do-Nothing Democrats, together with their Mainstream Media partners, are the Hoax," Trump said, regardless of the video that could act as strong evidence against this.

Naturally, with her strong comment against the President, supporters like her grandpa attacked her despite the grief that she's feeling. One wrote she should not blame Trump, and it is she who is rather displaying a 'despicable" behavior. Some called for her to blame China more than Trump. But the actress is long far gone. She tweeted that she has no tolerance left for "Trumpers" or Trump supporters. She called for them to be on others' timelines and not hers. "Not today, Satan," she even wrote.

Zero tolerance for Trumpers. Zero. Take it to someone else's timeline. Not today Satan.  Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) April 28, 2020

Her emotions, apart from grief, can be explained by the fact that even before this family tragedy, Trump was already rubbing her the wrong way. She retweeted several ignorant comments made by the President in the past. She was particularly annoyed by Trump's suggestion to inject disinfectant chemicals into the human body in the bid to kill the coronavirus. On several occassions, she expressed incredulity with Donald Trump's ideas and opinions.

READ MORE: Felicity Huffman College Admissions Scandal: Daughter Shames Her With This?
Bayview, Hunters Point

Scenes from an art reception at Guerrero Gallery in the Bayview District | Photo: Facebook

Guerrero Gallery announced the closure of their brick-and-mortar location in Bayview at 1465 Custer Ave. today, via a post on the gallery's Instagram account.

The gallery, tucked away in the industrial part of the neighborhood and isolated from other businesses, was well-known for hosting a wide variety of art exhibitions featuring some of California's most renowned artists. Their events drew art lovers from all over the Bay Area.

A crowd gathered in the gallery for a reception in January 2018 | Photo: Guerrero Gallery/Facebook



Owner and artist Andres Guerrero has a long history in San Francisco. As the previous co-owner of White Walls Gallery at 886 Geary St., Guerrero branched off to open his gallery in March 2010 in the Mission. In 2013, a rent increase caused the organization to become nomadic. It was not until 2016 that Guerrero was able to land physical space on Custer Ave. in Bayview.

Owner Andres Guerrero | Photo: Alan Gonzalez Luman

While fellow artists and fans of the gallery expressed their disappointment about the closure in the comments of the Instagram post, Guerrero indicated that this is not the last stop for Guerrero Gallery, just a temporary change.

Scenes from a reception at Guerrero Gallery in January | Photo: Guerrero Gallery/Facebook

"In no way does this mean that we'll cease activity as a gallery that has sought to show innovative work and advance the careers of so many incredibly talented individuals," the post read. "Instead, we're excited by the challenges and possibilities of what art-viewing looks like in a post-COVID world, and the ways in which we can continue to be an indispensable part of our local art community in a way that is less dependent on square footage."

Hoodline will keep you posted on the next steps for Guerrero Gallery. In the meantime, visit their website for more information.
During the first week she had covid-19, Morgan Blue felt weak, with a severe backache and a fever. The symptoms did not alarm doctors at her local emergency department, however. They sent her home after she showed up at the hospital.

But on Day 8, she abruptly felt like she was choking.

"That day, I suddenly couldn't breathe," said the 26-year-old customer service representative from Flint, Michigan. An ambulance took her to the hospital, where she spent eight days, four of them in intensive care, before she recovered and was able to go home.

For people who suffer the most severe reactions to the novel coronavirus - and their caregivers - the second week of the disease can become a time of sudden peril and heightened concern, when some of those who seem stable or mending can suddenly become critically ill.

There is little consensus among doctors and experts about why days five through 10, or thereabouts, seem to be so dangerous for some people with covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. But everyone from critical care specialists to EMTs is aware of this frightening aspect of the disease.

"This second-week crash has certainly been well described, but 2 1/2 months in, why it happens we're still not entirely sure," said Ebbing Lautenbach, chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.

Learning on the fly as they confront the new virus, clinicians interviewed by The Washington Post speculated about the influence of an individual's genes, the virus's effect on lung tissue, overactive immune responses, blood clotting and even the impact of the ventilators used to save patients' lives.

There is little, if any, current research to guide them.

"I've been thinking about this a lot," said Naftali Kaminski, chief of pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, who studies the genomics of lung disease. "There's an early stage of infection and the virus sits somewhere. You can almost look at the virus as a fifth column coming in, securing its stronghold and then slowly inducing more cells to let it in.

"Because of this lurking nature, your genetic makeup and preexisting conditions will affect presentation of the disease," he said.

Doctors say the overwhelming majority of covid-19 cases do not require hospitalization. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized at a rate of 29.2 per 100,000 people, or just under 10% of the 1 million known cases so far. Of those, only a small percentage require intensive care or ventilators, and only some will experience a rapid downturn in their health.

But people with the coronavirus can crash before or after they are hospitalized. Doctors report seeing patients who wait too long to seek care, including those who do not feel the symptoms of plummeting oxygen levels, such as shortness of breath, until they are in crisis. No one is sure why. Many people's lungs remain flexible for a while, allowing carbon dioxide out and forestalling the sensation they aren't getting enough oxygen.

"The people who actually crash, they've actually been sick a while," said Merceditas Villanueva, an associate professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. "They've underestimated how sick they are, or they've just waited."

The virus may be killing the cells that line the air sacs of the lungs, which keep them open and allow for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, said Russell G. Buhr, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California.

At some point, the body simply can't regenerate those cells as quickly as they die, he said, and a stable situation turns life-threatening. That may also help explain why covid-19 patients can linger on ventilators for up to four weeks, much longer than in other respiratory diseases, he said.

"Some of that may be direct lung toxicity effect," Buhr said. "You need more time to regenerate those cells."

Another line of thought focuses on the virus's possible effect on the cardiovascular system. Researchers have suggested that some crashes are caused by events such as heart attacks, strokes and clots related to blood complications.

Eytan Raz, a neurointerventional radiologist at NYU Langone Health, said one theory is that some of the blood clotting complications may be due to an over-reactive immune response that comes after the virus has settled in, multiplied and triggered a defensive army of antibodies to fight back.

An April 17 paper in the medical journal, The Lancet, said that covid-19 appears to have the ability to attack the lining of blood vessels anywhere in the body. Frank Ruschitzka, a researcher from University Hospital Zurich, and his co-authors wrote that this may be why so many organs, including the lungs, kidneys and intestines, are affected in patients with severe illness.

It also could explain why people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, as well as smokers, are more likely to have severe illness.

Michael Bell, chief of critical care at Children's National Hospital, speculated that this is why the second week crash and covid-19 itself, are rarely seen in children.

"We've had several dozen kids on our medical floor and have been on pins and needles that they were going to have a big collapse after week one. We haven't seen any of that," he said. "My best explanation is children in general have pretty healthy blood vessels."

Ventilators themselves also may contribute to the crash, Buhr said, especially in overwhelmed hospitals where doctors cannot spend enough time fine-tuning the devices that force oxygen into the lungs. Too much pressure on inflamed lungs can produce more of the inflammatory response to the coronavirus, worsening the clogging of air sacs called alveoli.

"We don't like to talk about that one as much, but treatment of critically ill people is very complicated," Buhr said. "Ventilators don't work like meds. Adjusting the ventilator requires a lot of hands-on effort. And, in particular when hospitals are under stress, it's much more difficult to provide that level of care."

Within the field, a debate has broken out about whether physicians are turning to ventilators too often and too early, driven by the traditional response to remarkably low blood oxygen levels in some patients who show none of the symptoms of oxygen deprivation. Some doctors have advocated a more conservative initial response that would spare more patients the sedation, intubation and side effects of mechanical ventilation.

Aware of the hazards of the second week of the disease, hospitals have employed a number of tactics. Some are putting patients on oxygen earlier and using blood thinners prophylactically to prevent clots. At UCLA, caregivers more aggressively monitor ventilator pressure and use proning - placing patients on their stomachs - as much as 16 hours a day, Buhr said. The technique has been shown to increase the amount of oxygen getting into the lungs of patients with acute respiratory distress sSyndrome, a hallmark of severe covid-19.

Many of these specialists expect to continue adjusting their approach to the disease and to the unpredictability of its second week.

"There's a lot that we don't know," Villanueva said.

Blue, the woman from Flint, has been out of the hospital for nearly a month but still gets short of breath and suffers heart palpitations and anxiety. She said she knows of 10 people in her community who have died of covid-19.

Last week, she ventured out to the grocery store for the first time since mid-March and saw people without masks. She said she felt such distress that she left the store without buying most of what was on her list.

"There are still people who aren't taking this seriously, which is mind-blowing to me," she said.
There are major efforts being made to dismantle  anything that benefits the population. Efforts against the U.S. Postal Service are particularly surreal.

 Noam Chomsky, American linguist

Hello Downriver,

One of the best scenes in the original Miracle on 34th Street is when the lawyer for Kris Kringle recounts the ability of the U.S. Postal Service (just the Post Office then) to deliver vast quantities of mail.

Fred Gailey starts by giving a brief history of the Post Office:

The Post Office Department was created by the Second Continental Congress on July 26, 1776. The first postmaster general was Benjamin Franklin. The Post Office is one of the worlds largest business concerns.

Last year, he says  referring no doubt to 1946, the year before the movie was made  under Robert Hannigan, it did a gross business of $1,112,877,174.

Then he closes with its an efficiently run organization.

You know the rest: The dead letter office delivers tons of holiday letters to the bench and Kris Kringle is declared the one and only Santa Claus.

OK, many may not agree with that last statement about being efficiently run, but gross figures for 2019 were $71.1 billion  or 64 times the revenue of 73 years ago.

The problem is that the USPS has lost more than $69 billion over the past 11 fiscal years (not including 2019).

And making matters worse, in large part because of the worldwide pandemic, the USPS is anticipating a loss of $13 billion in revenue this fiscal year.

Yet, while private businesses across the country have been offered grants to keep their workers on the payroll during the virus-induced economic meltdown  and 10 years ago, Wall Street banks were bailed out  President Trump rejected the same deal for the independent agency.

One with about 600,000 workers.

Why?

Because Donald Trump hates Jeff Bezos.

Its that simple.

And that petty: Amazon made a deal with the USPS to deliver many of its packages that it doesnt deliver itself  to remote locations  and the president thinks thats unfair.

So, last week, Mr. Trump said he would not approve an emergency loan for the USPS until it raised its package delivery prices.

The Post Office is a joke, the president told reporters.

The fact is that the USPS bread and butter isnt package delivery; its first-class mail and marketing mail (marriage mail to printers; junk mail to you and me).

But if theres one thing you should have noticed over the last month it is that youre not getting as much mail of any kind  except for bills.

And for good reason: No one is advertising their business, because theyve been closed.

No business, no fliers, circulars or junk mail.

Yet the president argued that if the USPS would just raise its rates on Amazon and other package delivery services it wouldnt need an infusion of money  ignoring the business model at work at the USPS.

In fact, the president threatened to veto the original $2 trillion pandemic relief bill earlier this month  the legislation that put money in the hands of everyday people  if it included money for the USPS.

We told (lawmakers) very clearly that the president was not going to sign the bill if (money for the Postal Service) was in it, one Trump administration official was quoted as saying.

Fortunately, our own U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D) and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) added a last-minute $10 billion Treasury Department loan to the legislation to keep the agency on firmer ground through the spring.

Its not a panacea, but at least youll still be getting your mail.

And think about that for a moment; about something we simply take for granted  and often rely on.

Sure, digital media have supplanted some of the core roles of the post office: who mails letters anymore? is a common refrain.

But explain that to those who still mail Christmas cards  and save them.

Or to soldiers who may enjoy FaceTime with a loved one, but cherish a handwritten note from home.

Or to seniors who dont have a digital relationship with their banks and wait nervously for a monthly Social Security check.

Or people like us, who still love getting our favorite magazines in print, preferring to hold them, rather than a small screen, in our hands.

No, the USPS has its issues, but tell me about any other company or organization that daily  DAILY  visits every home and business in the country.

You cant.

And therein lies the magic of the post office: For nearly 244 years, it has literally delivered.

So, it needs some help?

So do we all.

Heres what U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell had to say about the situation facing the USPS  right now: The next relief package must include funding for other areas of society that have been impacted by COVID-19, including the United States Postal Service.

Revenue is down so significantly that the USPS is at risk of a full shut-down if the government doesnt act.

The USPS is the backbone of our society. Rural communities rely on the Postal Service to keep them connected.

Millions more rely on postal workers to deliver veterans benefits, Social Security benefits, and now, stimulus checks.

Come fall, many states will be looking to the USPS to help voters cast their ballots safely by mail.

Thats right: Given the national situation, and the very real probability of a second wave of the COVID-19 virus this fall, we could be looking at an unprecedented use of absentee ballots in the presidential election.

All delivered by the USPS.

So, yes, the post office has its issues, but it also has a constitutional role that no other private business has; it cant just delete addresses from its routes, nor take steps that any private business might consider.

It didnt close or even skip much of a beat during the state-by-state shelter-in-place orders; our own postal workers showed up every day at our mailbox.

And last week, one of them walked up to my porch to hand-deliver a package from Florida.

(She waved, put it on my porch and backed away as I opened our front door to grab it. And, yes, I thanked her and asked her to stay safe. She wished me the same.)

So while our president and Congress are handing out money to businesses across the country to weather this viral story  giving them money to pay workers who arent working  is it too much to ask that we set aside some funds to help pay essential postal workers who are working?

I didnt think so.

*

Has the pandemic hit home for you and your family?

I know were all supposed to be sheltering in place, and limiting our excursions to the grocery store, but beyond the boredom and inconvenience, has the pandemic truly hit home?

Has someone you know lost their job  even temporarily?

Is anyone in your family sick?

Has someone died?

Well, we have had some family members lose their jobs during this pandemic (in this state and elsewhere).

And we have several family members who work in essential health services.

But what really drove it home was hearing that my nephew has COVID-19 and has been quarantined in his house.

Hes young  mid-40s  and strong and it looks like hes recovering, but its enough to give anyone pause.

*

Which brings me to Gov. Whitmers order extending the shelter-in-place order for another two weeks, with some expansion of business types able to open.

Some think she still hasnt gone far enough to reopen the state, but even if she had lifted the entire order and opened everything, how much would have changed?

How many of us were going to rush out and try to regain our old sense of normalcy?

Thats right: Its not there anymore.

And no lifting of prohibitions was  or is  going to change the fact that our world is forever different.

Which means our economy is going to continue to crawl along, no matter how many types of businesses eventually get the OK to reopen.

Why?

Because, contrary to conservative belief, ours is not a supply-side economy; never was, never will be.

Ours is a demand-side economy, driven by consumers.

So you can open all the doors you want, but unless someone walks through those doors, it doesnt matter.

Craig Farrand is a former managing editor of The News-Herald Newspapers. He can be reached at cfarrandudm@yahoo.com.
State makes changes to SNAP benefits

Indiana families with children who receive free or reduced lunch at school can get extra benefits from the states Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Those who already receive SNAP benefits will automatically get the extra money on their EBT card. Those who dont receive SNAP benefits but have children who qualify for free or reduced lunch will get an EBT card in the mail with benefits already included.

The extra benefits will last for the duration of the public health emergency.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration also announced a permanent service for elderly Hoosiers or those in high-risk categories to use their SNAP benefits for grocery delivery. That will begin in mid-May.

Indiana Humanities helping nonprofits

Indiana Humanities will administer funding totaling over $500,000, provided from the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Nonprofit organizations that provide public humanities programming can apply for funding relief with grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the organizations budget. The funds can be used only for general operating support.

Humanities organizations are vital cultural organizations at the heart of our communities, said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. We are grateful to the U.S. Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities for providing us with this opportunity to support these essential community anchors or institutions during this time of need. Our goal is to get these funds out across the state quickly and equitably, just as intended.

A webinar with additional information will be available on April 29. For more information and to register for the webinar, visit www.IndianaHumanities.org/CARES. Questions can be sent to George Hanlin, director of grants, at ghanlin@indianahumanities.org.

The deadline for the Indiana Humanities CARES Grant application is May 8, and recipients will be notified on May 22.

Schools get $1.5 million for e-learning

The Indianapolis E-Learning Fund sent $1.5 million to Marion County districts and charter schools to address gaps in devices and internet access for at-home education.

Funds will be allocated to districts and schools based on the size of their student population and state data showing how many students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Allocations will be distributed to districts directly. Charter school allocations will be administered by The Mind Trust.

County educators who completed a survey said more than 25% of students dont have access to the high-speed internet necessary to do e-learning.

Many students also dont have laptops, tablets or mobile hotspots.

Indianapolis Public Schools had shipped 750 mobile hotspots and 3,400 Chromebooks to students as of April 24.

Central Indiana Senior Fund awards nine grants

The Central Indiana Senior Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), approved nine grants totaling $394,000 to support organizations serving senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We reached out to organizations to determine how we could best help them during this health crisis, said James Leich, advisory board chair of the Central Indiana Senior Fund. The fund is  and always will be  committed to ensuring seniors have access to food, necessary transportation and contact from someone who cares.

Among the recipients are Johnson County Senior Services, Meals on Wheels, Morgan County Connect and Westminster Neighborhood Services.

Along with grantmaking, the Central Indiana Senior Fund is supporting and leading endeavors to identify the needs of the aging population in Central Indiana. The fund is partnered with The Polis Center at IUPUI to develop a State of Aging in Central Indiana report.

New food pantry

Faith, Hope and Love Community will open a food pantry at the former Starbucks drive-thru at 82nd and Craig streets.

The target date to open the food pantry is May 9. It will include healthy food options and personal hygiene products.

Faith, Hope and Love Community is asking for help raising money and getting specific items for the food pantry.

Items include six stainless steel shelving units (four with wheels), a large refrigerator, a large deep freezer, six six-foot tables, eight folding chairs and six rubber floor mats, along with cleaning supplies, volunteers and masks and gloves.

Cash donations can be made online.

News In Brief
Consumer loan financierHome Credit India on Wednesday said it will provide dry ration kits to 20,000 needy people, specially homeless and labourers, in Gurugram to help them tide over the challenges being faced during the lockdown.

It said the company has joined hands with Don Bosco Society for this initiative.

The relief effort is aimed at reaching out to vulnerable communities like stranded labourers, migrant workers and homeless people who have been hit hard by the pandemic, Home Credit said in a release.

Each dry ration kit per family contains 5 kg rice, 5 kg wheat flour/atta, 2 kg dal, 1 kg sugar, 1 litre mustard oil, 1 kg salt and 3 pieces of soap.

The national lockdown has been unfavourable to millions of people, particularly daily wagers. Given the magnitude of the health crisis, Home Credit endeavours to support the community and the authorities in every possible way, it said.

Social distancing, a key step in controlling the spread of coronavirus, will be strictly followed by the distribution team.

Ondrej Kubik, CEO, Home Credit India said;Weat Home Credit stand committed to support the community during the pandemic and have therefore collaborated with Don Bosco Society to reach out to the vulnerable sections of the society by offering assistance in the form of dry ration to ease their burden."



Don Bosco Society is providing aid and assistance by reaching out to various sections of the society daily, Home Credit said, adding the Society has been empanelled with the government and mobilizing relief measures across the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As California prisons reported 194 coronavirus cases among inmates and 132 among staff Wednesday, prison officials said they are implementing a plan to house inmates held in dormitories in groups of eight, each separated from the nearest group by at least 6 feet.

State officials told a federal judge in Oakland that the plan, approved by the court-appointed monitor of prison health care in California, is the best available approach toward social distancing in a prison setting and would help protect inmates and prison employees from COVID-19. They also announced a plan to house newly paroled inmates in hotels if they have nowhere else to live.

But inmate advocates said prisoners would be separated only in their bunks and would still be sharing benches, tables at mealtimes, sinks, toilets and showers, and standing together in lines awaiting medication. For prisoners held in cells, advocates said some with symptoms of the disease have been placed in cells with healthy inmates, at least one of whom later tested positive for the coronavirus.

People in these dorms are isolated when they are sleeping and mix with others who are potentially contagious when theyre awake, said Donald Specter, executive director of the nonprofit Prison Law Office. This doesnt make any sense and is contrary to established public health principles.

Specters organization has asked federal courts to order early releases of substantial numbers of inmates during the pandemic, warning that crowded prisons are likely settings for outbreaks of the coronavirus and that more than 2,100 cases had been reported in a single state prison in Marion, Ohio.

California has released 3,500 inmates who had 60 days or less to serve on their sentences, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has halted transfers of inmates from county jails to state prisons, lowering the prison population by an additional 3,000 per month. Federal courts have declined to order additional releases so far. California prisons have about 110,000 inmates, a court-ordered reduction of more than 20,000 from their level a decade ago but still about 30% above their designed capacity.

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.

Of the 194 cases reported by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, nearly all were in two prisons in Southern California: 99 in the California Institution for Men in Chino (San Bernardino County), and 87 at the California State Prison, Los Angeles County, an institution for male inmates located in Lancaster. An inmate who had been held at the prison in Chino died in a hospital April 19, the only reported death in the prison system.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
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SAN FRANCISCO -- Iowa State University Library and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) today announced a three-year Open Access agreement that allows researchers to publish in PLOS' suite of journals without incurring Article Processing Charges (APCs). This partnership brings together two organizations that believe researchers should be able to access content freely and make their work available publicly, regardless of their access to grant funds.

"We are thrilled to continue our support for Open Access publishing with PLOS under this new agreement," said Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Communications and Collections at Iowa State University. "Preserving and growing the diversity of scholarly publishers has never been more important, and this agreement reaffirms our commitment to seeing that pure Open Access publishers like PLOS thrive."

Under the agreement, which will be implemented in July, Iowa State University Library will be charged an annual fixed flat rate over the three-year term, which will be based on prior years' publication levels. Iowa State researchers will have unlimited opportunity to publish in PLOS journals over these three years and will not be charged any APCs. This agreement will further PLOS' mission of making Open Access publishing available to all while ensuring that its journals include research from authors representing a diverse array of disciplines, career stages, and geographies.

"The agreement with Iowa State University Library is yet another step in our goal of empowering authors who want to participate in Open Access publishing, and it continues the momentum following our recent agreement with the University of California," said Sara Rouhi, Director of Strategic Partnerships for PLOS. "Both agreements demonstrate our effort to build a truly 'open to read, open to publish' environment for authors as well as our commitment to experimentation with our library partners."

###

About the Public Library of Science

PLOS is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. Since our founding in 2001, PLOS journals have helped break boundaries in research communication to provide more opportunities, choice, and context for researchers and readers. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org. About Iowa State University

The Iowa State University Library is a signatory of the Open Access 2020 Initiative and is active in national and international efforts to advance open access. As part of a land-grant university with a mission to create, share, and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place, the University Library works to ensure the free dissemination and preservation of the university's research and scholarly outputs.
By Trend

In accordance with the decision of the Board of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) dated April 28, 2020, the licenses of Azerbaijans AtaBank OJSC and Amrahbank OJSC were canceled on April 28, Trend reports referring to the CBA.

The financial condition of the mentioned banks has been on the decline for some time. AtaBank for a long time could not fulfill its obligations to return the clients' deposits. The share of these two banks having problems in the sectors assets is 2.1 percent while in the loan portfolio - three percent.

The CBA conducted the inspections in both banks after the liquidation of the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FIMSA) and the transfer of the relevant powers, defined upon the law, to the CBA, and revealed that both banks suffered big financial losses, completely lost their capital and went bankrupt.

The shareholders of the banks were informed about the results of the inspections. The proposal was made for them to additionally capitalize the banks, but they did not use this opportunity.

Taking into account the need to resolve the situation with commercial banks having the problems with financial stability, as well as in a manner coordinated with the relevant state agencies and the Deposit Insurance Fund, the detailed discussions were held in the Financial Stability Board and the Boards recommendations on the decisions made by the CBA were taken into account.

The licenses of AtaBank and Amrahbank were canceled after both banks filed lawsuits to the court about the liquidation by bankruptcy.

AtaBank and Amrahbank are member-banks of the Deposit Insurance Fund and the savings of the population which are stored in these banks will be fully paid by the Fund.

In case of shortage of the Funds money, the CBA will issue a loan for the missing amount in accordance with the legislation, which will be repaid from the proceeds obtained from the sale of bank assets closed by the Fund and the calendar payment which is made by existing banks.

Other obligations of AtaBank and Amrahbank in accordance with the legislation will be settled by the liquidator, which will be determined by the court.

Two other banks - AG Bank OJSC and NBC Bank OJSC had temporary administrators appointed to them. The issue of withdrawing their licenses has not been discussed yet.

The CBA stressed that the country's banking system as a whole is stable, but reiterated that there are "pinpoint" problems in the system.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
KOLKATA: The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government will on Wednesday decide on extending the coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown in West Bengal beyond May 3. According to Zee Media sources, the decision to this effect will be taken during a cabinet meeting which will be held around 3 PM at the state secretariat 'Nabanna'.

The Chief Minister had on Tuesday said that the restrictions enforced in West Bengal to fight Covid-19 will continue till May 21 with curbs on normal life varying in intensity based on the extent of spread of the viral infection in a particular area.

"We want the restrictions to continue till May 21. We have to be careful till that time," Banerjee told media persons at the state secretariat 'Nabanna'.

The Chief Minister, however, clarified that she was not announcing any extension on lockdown, as that decision will be taken by the central government.

"I am talking of restrictions, which is different from the lockdown," she added.

Banerjee said while the restrictions would be strictly implemented in every red zone (areas with large number of corona positive cases), the impact will be less severe in orange zones (areas with a limited number of cases in the past and with no surge in positive cases recently, where restricted activities would be allowed).

Districts with no coronavirus positive cases are included in green zones.

"If an area which is now an orange zone, shows an increase in the prevalence of the disease and enters the red zone, the restrictions will be made stiffer, and vice versa. There will be more relaxations given in the green zones, but the areas will be placed under stiffer restrictions if more positive cases are detected putting them under orange or red zone categories," she said.

The Chief Minister announced the formation of a cabinet committee on Covid-19 management, chaired by Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra. Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim and Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya will be part of the committee. Mitra and Chatterjee will work from home.

The Chief Secretary, the Health Secretary, and the Home Secretary will be among the committee members. Banerjee said her government was discussing on resuming more activities in rural areas that come under the green zone.

She announced that home delivery companies, which were so long allowed to ferry only essential goods, would now be permitted to reach non-essential items also. She said though relaxations have been given on 100 days' job guarantee scheme, the problem was in getting labourers.

The Chief Minister appealed to the Centre to ensure international borders were closed, and not allow domestic and international flights, and train services till the situation normalises. Inter-state bus services or travel also should not be allowed, except for emergencies.

It may be recalled that Chief Ministers of at least six states on Monday pitched for the nationwide lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus to be extended beyond May 3 as they took part in a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the prevailing situation.

While Mamata Banerjee said that the lockdown should at least be extended till May 21, the other five CMs  Jaganmohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh, Pramod Sawant of Goa, Jai Ram Thakur of Himachal Pradesh, Zoramthanga of Mizoram and Conrad Sangma of Meghalaya  supported an extension without giving any set timeline.
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More people may be dying of coronavirus in care homes than in hospitals already, according to a University of Cambridge statistician.

Sir David Spiegelhalter made the shocking claim yesterday after the Office for National Statistics released its weekly data showing thousands of people are dying out of hospital and not being counted until weeks later.

The professor, a highly regarded statistics expert and an OBE recipient, said he believes the numbers of care home deaths are still climbing as Government statistics show hospital fatalities are trailing off. He spoke of a 'massive, unprecedented spikes' in the number of people dying in nursing homes.

The number of residents dying of any cause has almost tripled in a month, from around 2,500 per week in March to 7,300 in a single week in April - more than 2,000 of the latter were confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports suggest care homes are now seeing around 400 coronavirus deaths each day, on average - a number on par with hospitals in England.

Government ministers, pressured on claims they didn't do enough to help care homes, insist they were 'not overlooked' during a scramble to protect the NHS. Environment Secretary George Eustice said this morning 'we have always recognised there was more vulnerability there'. He denied that more testing would have saved lives.

While deaths in hospitals have been steadily decreasing - 586 were announced yesterday, down from 980 at the outbreak's peak - nursing homes could still be in the depths of their crises. The way data is backdated means that the true picture is unclear because we currently only have statistics from two weeks ago.

In Scotland, deaths in hospitals now only account for half of the total. National Records of Scotland today revealed 2,272 people had died of COVID-19 by April 26. 1,188 of those people died in hospital, 886 died in care homes and 198 died at home or elsewhere. If the same ratio applies to the entire UK, the real death toll could already be more than 41,600 when non-hospital fatalities are included.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night promised that the Department of Health would count and publish care home deaths for the UK on a daily basis starting from today. Professor John Newton, the Government's testing chief, said the public should expect a 'substantial' number of deaths.

Analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics shows that, as the number of hospital deaths being reported has declined (blue bar), the number of fatalities being recorded outside of hospitals - mainly in care homes - has risen (red bar). The data used has been backdated and counted by actual date of death, making it appear more stable than the erratic numbers announced each day by the Department of Health, which are counted by the date they are registered

The true scale of the crisis in care homes has also been masked by a lack of routine testing, meaning thousands of elderly residents may have died without ever being diagnosed. Professor Newton yesterday said officials had been working on the assumption that if one person tested positive for COVID-19 in a home then anyone else who developed symptoms probably also had it and didn't need testing.

Professor Carl Heneghan, an University of Oxford medicine expert who has been studying Government statistics, believes at least a third of care homes have suffered outbreaks.

Families were for weeks left devastated by restrictions preventing them from visiting unwell and dying relatives, until rules were relaxed recently to allow people to say goodbye to their loved ones. One carer in Peterborough, Laura Dunn-Green, filmed the 'very emotional' moment she read out a goodbye letter to an 86-year-old resident after it was sent in by her granddaughter, who was unable to visit her because of the coronavirus lockdown.

Government ministers are now having to fend off accusations that they left the 400,000 people living in care homes in the lurch in the early stages of Britain's epidemic when they focused their efforts on NHS hospitals.

Chief government scientist Sir Patrick Vallance admitted this week that Whitehall was told 'very early on' - believed to be late January or early February - that care homes would be a danger zone. The Government has been accused of 'shambolic' and haphazard' attempts to support the sector since then and the first death wasn't announced until March 31.

The number of people dying with the coronavirus in England and Wales is around 55 per cent higher when non-hospital deaths are included, according to the Office for National Statistics

The CQC said a total of 4,343 people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 died in care homes between April 10 and April 24 alone.

ONS statistics published yesterday show that more than a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths are happening outside of hospitals - by April 17 there had been 4,316 non-hospital deaths out of a total 19,112.

HOSPITAL DEATHS ONLY MAKE UP HALF OF TOTAL IN SCOTLAND People dying in hospitals only make up half of the coronavirus death toll in Scotland, data has revealed. National Records of Scotland statistics show that, by April 26, 2,272 people were confirmed to have died with COVID-19 Some 1,188 of these (52 per cent) were hospital patients, while 886 (39 per cent) died in care homes. A further 198 (9 per cent) died at home or elsewhere. The Department of Health's tally for the UK has so far only included hospital deaths and has recorded 21,678 of them. If the same ratio applies to the entire UK, the real death toll could already be more than 41,600 when non-hospital fatalities are included. Advertisement

Almost three-quarters of people living in care homes have dementia, making them extremely vulnerable, and many have other serious health problems.

The coronavirus is known to be more deadly for the elderly - people in their 80s account for 38 per cent of all deaths related to the coronavirus.

Of the 22,351 people who had died by April 17, 8,514 were aged between 80 and 89. A further 3,998 (18 per cent) were 90 or older, and 3,232 (14.5 per cent) were between 79 and 75.

The number of people dying of all causes in nursing homes almost tripled between March 13 and April 17, from approximately 2,500 to 7,300. Only 2,050 of the latter were known to have had coronavirus but the numbers are thought to be underestimated.

Professor Spiegelhalter said: 'While COVID deaths in hospitals have been steadily declining since April 8 and now number around 400-450 a day, new Care Quality Commission data show that last week there were around 350-400 COVID deaths in English care-homes each day.

'When we add in deaths at home, this suggests there are now about as many COVID deaths out of hospital as in hospital. And while hospital deaths are steadily decreasing, there is no sign yet that we are past the peak in care homes.'

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 yesterday, he added, 'slightly sticking my neck out' that there were actually more happening outside of hospitals.

As more detail has emerged showing how hard nursing homes have been hit by the virus, the Government is facing growing pressure to explain its actions and apparent lack of support.

Although care homes are not run by the Government and many are owned by private, profit-making companies, they house hundreds of thousands of the country's most vulnerable people and have close links to local councils, which fund some residents' fees, and NHS services.

Data from the National Records of Scotland today showed that the COVID-19 death toll is almost twice as high when deaths that happen outside of hospitals are included - some 48 per cent of fatalities have happened in care homes or private residences

Politicians have hit back against claims the care sector was overlooked.

Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC Radio 4 today: 'I don't accept it was overlooked, but obviously there was a real focus on our NHS because there were concerns that it might be overwhelmed and we wanted to make sure they had absolutely everything they needed.

'But in the case of care homes, we have always recognised that there was more vulnerability there.'

Asked if tests not being available earlier for care home workers had cost lives, Mr Eustice told BBC Breakfast: 'I don't think it is in that we've been working very very closely with the care sector and they have had very clear protocols in place.

'Because those staff are dealing with obviously very vulnerable cohort, the elderly, sometimes people with other conditions, if they are showing any symptoms at all then they must not be at work.

'Obviously testing does help and we're now able to roll that testing out.'

Until recently, testing chief Professor Newton has explained, a small number of tests would be carried out at a care home if there was a suspected outbreak. If a resident or staff member tested positive, the outbreak would be acknowledged and anyone else who became ill would be presumed to be infected but not tested.

This has now changed and anyone living or working in a home, whether they have symptoms or not, will be able to get a free swab test to find out if they have the disease.

However, Professor Newton said a 'substantial' number of people have already died.

He said on LBC: 'We have always known that a proportion of cases have been in care homes. Sadly coronavirus affects older people a lot more... there will be a substantial number (of deaths).'

If Office for National Statistics data is a reliable indication of what is to come, the country's total death toll could spike by up to 55 per cent.

As of Tuesday, the official coronavirus death toll in the UK stood at 21,678 in Britain after England, Scotland and Wales announced a further 586 deaths in hospitals.

But an ONS report revealed that the true scale of the outbreak may be 54.6 per cent higher because the Department of Health's stats don't include people dying outside of hospitals.

'VERY EMOTIONAL' MOMENT CARER READS FAMILY'S LETTER TO DYING RESIDENT A care home worker in Peterborough has recalled the 'very emotional' moment she read a family letter to an 86-year-old woman who was dying of coronavirus. Laura Dunn-Green, who works at Philia Lodge Care Home, read the letter to resident Peggy Grainger, whose family couldn't be with her as she died on April 13 because of coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Ms Grainger's granddaughter had written the letter telling her grandmother how much the family loved her, and Ms Dunn-Green, who was filmed reading it aloud to her patient said she was 'honoured' to have done so. The experience was 'very emotional', she told ITV News, and had come in one of the 'hardest weeks of my life'. Ms Dunn-Green has chosen to move into the home where she works after residents were banned from visiting their relatives. Laura Dunn-Green was filmed reading a family letter to one of the dying residents in the care home where she works She said: 'I moved in after our first resident tested positive for the coronavirus so I could be there for the residents that would lose their lives, because we knew they would. 'We weren't expecting some people to survive it but I wanted to be there so that they weren't alone.' Ms Dunn-Green's story reveals a moving insight into the crucial role care workers are playing in managing the coronavirus outbreak, by both caring for some of the country's most vulnerable people and by giving them human company at a time when they are not allowed visitors. Care home bosses say the Government help offered to these staff has been 'shambolic' and they have not been given adequate amounts of protective clothing to stop them spreading the virus. Politicians have also been accused of under-estimating the scale of the outbreak in care homes, with Matt Hancock recently saying he was 'confident' around 15 per cent of homes had had outbreaks, while one boss in the sector put the figure at closer to 66 per cent. Advertisement

The statistics body found that, by April 17, England and Wales had recorded 22,351 coronavirus fatalities - a significant rise on the 14,451 counted by health chiefs. If the same increase - 54.6 per cent - were applied to the current UK death toll (21,678) it could mean the real number of victims is in the region of 33,500.

ONS data, which is released each week and offers the only true picture on how many people have died outside of hospitals, recorded 3,096 COVID-19 care home deaths by April 17.

This was almost triple the 1,043 total announced the week before, with 2,000 new fatalities in the space of a week.

Many of those who die outside of hospitals are not tested for the coronavirus while alive, meaning this data shows Britain's outbreak is much larger than it appears because those people are unlikely to have been counted in testing figures. Some are never officially diagnosed and are only suspected to have had the illness.

So many people are being killed by the virus that the week from April 11 to 17 was the deadliest for England and Wales since records began in 1993 and had a death toll (22,351) more than double the yearly average (10,497). Four out of every 10 people who died in that week were infected with coronavirus.

Mr Hancock said at yesterday's public briefing: 'From tomorrow we will be publishing not just the number of deaths in hospital each day, but the number of deaths in care homes and the community too.'

'This will supplement the ONS and CQC weekly publication and all add to our understanding of how this virus is spreading day by day, and it will help inform the judgments that we make as we work to keep people safe,' he said.

The new data is being collected by Public Health England from the ONS and the CQC and will date back to the beginning of March. Only test-confirmed cases will be included.

The ONS will continue to be the most accurate source of data because it counts everyone who has COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificate, whether they were tested or not. The CQC, which regulates care homes and hospitals, also includes suspected deaths in a bid to make sure people are not missed out because tests weren't available.

This means both records use a wider net than the NHS - they may include some wrong diagnoses but also encompass those who would never normally have been tested.

The downside to the ONS data, however, is that it is backdated and takes a long time to record, meaning it's 10 days out of date by the time it gets published.

It also does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland, which have their own records.

A graph presented by the Government at yesterday's briefing showed that increasing numbers of people are dying outside of hospitals and, in the week up to April 17, care home victims accounted for around a quarter of the total

County Durham has so far had the highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in care homes with 84, followed by Sheffield (79), Birmingham (71) and Liverpool (67), yesterday's ONS data showed.

And of the 22,351 people who had died by April 17, 8,514 were aged between 80 and 89. A further 3,998 (18 per cent) were 90 or older, and 3,232 (14.5 per cent) were between 79 and 75.

Deaths decline on a sliding scale through the younger age groups, with only 38 people in their 20s (0.17 per cent) succumbing to the disease, along with nine children and teenagers (0.04 per cent).

The Alzheimer's Society said 70 per cent of all people living in care homes have dementia, making them especially vulnerable.

Director of policy at the charity, Sally Copley, said: 'While we are not in the least surprised we are still devastated to hear nearly a quarter of confirmed coronavirus deaths in England are now confirmed as coming from care homes, and still rising every week, exposing the true growing scale of the crisis that is happening in our nations care homes.

WEEKLY CARE HOME DEATH COUNT TRIPLES IN A MONTH AMID THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS The number of people dying each week in care homes has tripled in a month, according to a shock report. ONS data shows 7,316 fatalities were recorded in homes across England and Wales in the week that ended April 17 - including 2,050 involving COVID-19. In comparison, just 2,471 deaths of any cause were registered in care homes in the week that ended March 13 - before the crisis began to spiral in Britain. But the rate has risen in line with the coronavirus outbreak, jumping to 3,769 in Week 14 (March 27-April 3) and 4,927 in Week 15 (April 3-10). It means the official care home death toll from COVID-19 - registered up until April 17 - in England and Wales stands at 3,096. But the true figure is likely to be much higher because it does not take into account a registration lag. For example, separate figures show the number of care home deaths that occurred in England up until April 17 but registered by April 25 was 3,936. Meanwhile, England's care regulator - the CQC - says the number of COVID-19 fatalities in homes is at least 4,300. This tally includes both suspected and confirmed cases. County Durham has so far had the highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in care homes with 84, followed by Sheffield (79), Birmingham (71) and Liverpool (67) Advertisement

'With 70 per cent of people in care homes living with dementia this pandemic is taking a dreadful toll on the families we work with. The Government must make sure that every single death is examined and counted.

'We know that this is a terrifying time for those with loved ones with dementia in care homes.

'People are dying, alone, because its clear that care homes are just not receiving the testing and protective equipment they were promised by the Government.'

The sharpened focus on the care sector comes after Britain's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, revealed that he and other senior scientists warned politicians 'very early on' about the risk COVID-19 posed to care homes.

Sir Patrick, who chairs the group along with Professor Chris Whitty , said they had 'flagged' the risk of care home and hospital outbreaks at the start of the epidemic.

While warnings about hospitals sparked a 'protect the NHS ' mantra and a scramble to buy ventilators and free up beds, nursing homes saw no such efforts.

The Government has been slated for its lack of support to nursing homes, with no routine testing available, no up-to-date records of the number of people infected or dead, and 'paltry' attempts to deliver adequate protective clothing for staff.

Care home staff and residents say they feel 'forgotten' and bosses accused officials of a 'shambolic' attempt to help nursing homes fend off the disease, which is lethal for elderly people in particular.

Explaining how SAGE works in a briefing on Monday, Sir Patrick Vallance said: 'Very early on we looked at a number of topics, we looked at nosocomial infection very early on, that's the spread in hospitals, and we flagged that as something that the NHS needed to think about.

'We flagged the fact that we thought care homes would be an important area to look at, and we flagged things like vaccine development and so on. So we try to take a longer term view of things as well as dealing with the urgent and immediate areas.'

The SAGE committee, which draws in leading researchers from around the UK and rifles through scientific evidence about COVID-19, was activated on January 3 when Sir Patrick became concerned about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

It met for the first time on January 22, suggesting 'very early on' in its discussions was likely the end of January or the beginning of February.

The first care home death in England and Wales was not officially recorded until March 31.

Dementia UK's director of clinical services, Paul Edwards, said: 'The fact that we are only now being made aware of just how significant this pandemic has affected people working and living in care homes is testament to how social care is viewed  nowhere near held in the same regard as healthcare.

'More PPE equipment, access to testing and funding for example would benefit not just care homes but wider society too; from ensuring care home residents are safeguarded, to preventing avoidable hospital admissions to improving the mental health of families who may be worried that their relatives in care do not have the support they need. Its time we see social care as part of healthcare and vice versa.'
The UK's death toll from the novel coronavirus on Wednesday registered a jump of thousands and reached 26,097 as the government began counting the COVID-19 related fatalities across the country's hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab cautioned at the daily Downing Street briefing that the figure includes data going back to early March and should not be seen as a particular spike in deaths from the deadly virus in recent days.

The overall hike in death toll over the previous figure is 3,811, with the daily increase from Tuesday's figures at 765 deaths.

"We must never lose sight of the human lives behind the statistics," said Raab, who was back standing in for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who remains with fiancee Carrie Symonds who gave birth to their baby boy earlier on Wednesday.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel. But we need to be patient and careful as we come through the phase of maximum risk," said Raab, as he stressed that it is too early to look at easing the lockdown measures in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The minister said that as the UK was "still coming through the peak", it is now undergoing what is the most "delicate and dangerous moment".

He pointed to Germany's experience as a cautionary tale, where there is a move towards a second lockdown due to a rise in infections after social distancing measures had been lifted recently.

"We mustn't gamble the sacrifice and progress we have made. We must continue to take the right decisions at the right time," he said.

Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director of Public Health England, added at the briefing that the latest COVID-19 data were more "comprehensive" and shows a continued downward trend in the number of hospitalisations with the coronavirus, as she reiterated the need for lockdown measures to be kept in place.

"Most people are making huge efforts to stay at home, so please, do continue to stay at home," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fruit flies, like many animals, engage in a variety of courtship and fighting behaviors. Now, Salk scientists have uncovered the molecular mechanisms by which two sex-determining genes affect fruit fly behavior. The male flies' courtship and aggression behaviors, they showed, are mediated by two distinct genetic programs. The findings, both published in eLife on April 21, 2020, demonstrate the complexity of the link between sex and behavior.

Courtship and aggression seem to be controlled somewhat separately by these two genes. Having behaviors controlled by different genetic mechanisms can have some benefits in terms of evolution." Kenta Asahina, assistant professor in Salk's Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory and senior author of the two papers

In other words, he explains, a fly population that is under evolutionary pressure to compete more--perhaps due to limited resources--can evolve aggressive behaviors without affecting courtship.

Male fruit flies' aggression is primarily toward other males, while their courtship behaviors--which involve a series of movements and songs--are toward female flies. Both behaviors are reinforced by evolution over time, because the ability of male flies to compete with other males and attract females directly affects their ability to mate and pass on their genes.

Researchers already knew which neurons in the brain are important for controlling aggression and courtship. In general, studies had suggested that specialized brain cells called P1/pC1 neurons, promote both courtship and aggression while Tk-GAL4FruM neurons promote aggression specifically. They also knew that the two sex-determining genes fruitless (fru) and doublesex (dsx) played key roles in this behavior. But the connection between the genes and the behaviors hadn't been clear.

In the new study, Asahina and his colleagues raised Drosophila fruit flies that contained light-activatable versions of the courtship and aggression neurons. The team could turn the neurons on at any time by shining a light on the flies. The researchers next altered the fru or dsx genes in some of these male flies. They then developed an automated system using machine-learning to analyze videos of the flies and count how often they carried out aggressive or courtship behaviors.

"We made a computer system to capture aggressive behaviors and courtship behaviors to more quickly and accurately count actions," says Salk postdoctoral fellow Kenichi Ishii, co-first author of both of the new papers. "Getting the program to work was actually difficult and time-consuming but in the end, it made it easier for us to get good data."

The team found that dsx was required for the formation of courtship-inducing neurons: when the fruit flies had the female version of dsx, the courtship neurons were no longer present. On the other hand, fru played a different role--without this gene, flies could still be coaxed to perform courtship behaviors by activating courtship neurons but the courtship was directed at both males and females, suggesting that fru was required for flies to differentiate between the sexes. For aggression, however, the findings were the opposite: fru but not dsx was required for the activation of aggression neurons to cause fighting in male flies.

"This is an important example of the neurobiological differences between sexes and what kind of approaches we can use to study sexually-linked behaviors," says Asahina, who holds the Helen McLoraine Developmental Chair in Neurobiology.

"I think the interesting part of this is understanding that sex is really not a binary thing," says UC San Diego doctoral student Margot Wohl, co-first author of both of the new papers. "A lot of factors come together to control behaviors that differ between the sexes."

Since sex determination in flies is very different than in humans--fruit flies don't have sex hormones, for instance--the new findings don't carry over to how biological sex may impact behavior in people. But Asahina says his approach--the combination of optogenetics and sex-linked gene manipulation--may be useful in understanding behaviors that vary by sex in other animals.

Andre DeSouza of Salk was also an author on one of the two papers.
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday blocked President Jair Bolsonaros pick to run the federal police, after an opposition party argued that the appointment of a family friend would allow Bolsonaro inappropriate influence over law enforcement.

The decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes came after the top court authorised an investigation into allegations by Bolsonaros former justice minister that the president had abused his power by swapping the police chief.

Bolsonaros appointee, Alexandre Ramagem, and the presidential press office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Moraes wrote that he granted the injunction, which can still be appealed, because there were relevant signs that Ramagem, who was set to take office on Wednesday afternoon, could be compromised by his close relationship with Bolsonaros family.

Ramagem, who joined the federal police in 2005 and has run Brazils intelligence agency since July, has the fewest years of service of any officer tapped to lead the force.

He took charge of Bolsonaros security in 2018 after a stabbing on the campaign trail and grew close to the presidents sons, who have been accused of taking part in embezzlement and disinformation schemes, which they deny.

Bolsonaros shakeup of the federal police has spurred a political crisis in Brazil distracting from the battle against an accelerating coronavirus outbreak in the country, where the official death toll climbed past 5,000 on Tuesday, surpassing the death toll in China.
Pull Quote If Legislative Republicans want to be involved in the states response to this pandemic, they should stop sitting on the sidelines and start working to find solutions to help farmers, small businesses, and workers.

Gov. Tony Evers today announced that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and Wisconsin Department of Justice filed a response to the Legislative Republicans lawsuit that endangers lives by blocking Safer at Home. The Evers Administration has asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to toss the lawsuit.

Safer at Home is working. It is saving lives, said Gov. Evers. This lawsuit puts peoples lives at risk by trying to take away Safer at Home, the best and most effective tool we have to save lives and prevent our hospitals from being overrun.

Wisconsins pandemic laws give DHS broad powers to close schools and forbid public gatherings and issue orders for guarding against the introduction of any communicable disease and authorize and implement all emergency measures necessary to control communicable disease.

Every other state has similar laws, which were passed in response to frequent outbreaks of communicable disease in the early 20th century. Wisconsin is one of at least 42 states that has used these laws to quickly combat and contain COVID-19 with Safer at Home measures.

Instead of having Wisconsin quickly respond to the pandemic and save lives, the Republican lawsuit asks the Wisconsin Supreme Court to block Safer at Home and have DHS go through a lengthy administrative rule-making process. The lawsuit asks the Court to give DHS six days to promulgate a rule, even though Wisconsin law requires at least 20 days to promulgate an emergency rule due to review by multiple entities, publication in the Administrative Register, legislative hearings, and comment periods.

Before Safer at Home, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 doubled every 3.4 days, similar to rates seen in Italy and Spain. With Safer at Home, the number of people with COVID-19 is doubling every 12.4 days.

Deadly viruses dont wait around while bureaucrats and politicians jump through procedural hoops. An effective response requires swift action by public health experts, which is why state law gives DHS the power to act quickly to stop the pandemic and save lives, Evers said. If Legislative Republicans want to be involved in the states response to this pandemic, they should stop sitting on the sidelines and start working to find solutions to help farmers, small businesses, and workers.

More than 55,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Legislative Republicans have yet to offer any plan to combat COVID-19 or replace Safer at Home. The Legislature met once, on April 17, to pass limited legislation in response to COVID-19, almost four weeks after Gov. Evers submitted a comprehensive legislative proposal to combat the pandemic, help small businesses, support first responders and critical workers, and assist farmers. There have been no legislative hearings on COVID-19. The Assembly Health Committee has not met since February 17.

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services has not met since March 11. Gov. Evers declared a public health emergency on March 12.

A copy of DHSs brief can be found here.

A copy of a supporting affidavit filed by Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases, is available here.

A copy of a supporting affidavit filed by Julie Willems Van Dijk, DHS Deputy Secretary, is available here.
Members of the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, U.S. Marshalls Service, and Chattanooga Police Department attempted to apprehend Clarence (Cobey) Leon Smith, age 28, by conducting a traffic stop at Jersey Pike and Bonny Oaks Drive on Wednesday morning.

Smith failed to stop and fled driving a black four-door Mercedes sedan. The pursuit was terminated when Smith crashed his sedan into a U.S.

Mail Carrier vehicle in the 3500 Block of Bonny Oaks Drive. He was immediately taken into custody and is being booked at the Hamilton County Jail.

There were no reported injuries in the crash. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is conducting the investigation into the crash.

Smiths outstanding warrants are as follows:

 Two counts of attempted criminal homicide

 Felony reckless endangerment

 Unlawful possession of a firearm

 Possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony

Smith will be facing additional charges arising from the fleeing law enforcement officers.

Chief Deputy Austin Garrett said, Hamilton County Sheriffs Office in conjunction with our local law enforcement partnerships continue to be actively engaged in stopping and preventing violent crime in Hamilton County. Daily, deputies and officers place themselves in great danger protecting their community. The HCSO wants to ensure the public there is no tolerance for violent crime in our community and your sheriffs office continues working to keep your family and community safe.
"Venom" star Riz Ahmed has revealed he has lost two family members to COVID-19.

"I have lost two family members to Covid. I just want to believe their deaths and all the others aren't for nothing. We gotta step up to re-imagine a better future," Ahmed, who was born in London to a British Pakistani family, told GQ Hype, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"I'm seeing reports of India, where the government is calling it 'corona-jihad' and they're trying to blame it on the spread of Muslims and they are segregating hospitals between Muslims and non-Muslims," the 37-year-old added.

"Trump is using it as an excuse to try to ban immigration and the Hungarian government is centralising power off the back of this. I'm looking at the fact it's hitting African-Americans twice as hard; I'm looking at the fact that 50 percent of NHS frontline workers - is it 50 percent? - are ethnic minorities."

People from black, Asian, or ethnic minority backgrounds make up 44 percent of NHS medical staff according to the most recent figures, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"Who are the people who, for every moment of crisis in this country, have kept this country together? It's the people at the bottom of the barrel; the people being hit hardest by this pandemic," he said.

"We say we love the NHS more than the royal family, more than the Army, but do we love the people who keep the NHS alive? Because every time we tell people to f*** off back to where they came from, that's not what we're saying. So I really hope that this revelation, this awakening, opens our minds to that reality, to the stupidity of our prejudice. Coronavirus is on some level an alien invasion, isn't it? It's bringing humanity together against the common enemy," he further said.

Ahmed then continued, "So there is this potential for this momentous, unique-in-the-history-of-our-species moment, of us all going through this crazy challenge together and only being able to get through this together. And yet, in the midst of that, insofar as any crisis is a mirror, reflecting your priorities and patterns, this crisis is reflecting and revealing the faultlines in our society, the broken records that are stuck in our head, the f***eries and the power plays that are still dominating how we are running our planet, the rising intolerance."

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England's Chief Medical Officer has become an artist's muse after people took to sculpting and drawing him and posting their masterpieces online.

Professor Chris Whitty has been a household name ever since the coronavirus outbreak took its hold on Britain last month.

Appearing almost daily at the Government's Downing Street press conferences, his 'calm and reassuring' nature has been a hit with viewers.

But after Cornish artist Penny Lally decided to sculpt his face out of clay and share it on social media, he has also become a star of the art world.

Public Health England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (left) has become an unlikely artist's muse after Cornish artist Penny Lally sculpted his face out of clay

A bust of Professor Whitty by the Hackney artist Wilfrid Wood

She told The Telegraph: 'He's become very popular. I think because he seems to be a very nice, calm man.

'I was watching the press briefings every day. He had an air of calm and intense knowledge. I was drawn to that. And he has an interesting face.'

Since then, sketches, papier-mache creations and collages have appeared online from across the country.

Most recently comedian Joe Lycett painted a picture of him in a televised art class hosted by Turner Prize-winning Grayson Perry.

Most recently comedian Joe Lycett painted a picture of him in a televised art class hosted by Turner Prize-winning Grayson Perry

BBC journalist Siobhan Harrison uploaded a picture of a wearable giant Chris Whitty head, which she claims was made by her 82-year-old mother

A birthday card for Professor Whitty by Twitter user @egg_socks, whose creativity may be more notable than her spelling

The painting reads: 'Wash your filthy pig hands,' in a nod to the Government's virus hygiene advice.

Staff at University College London Hospitals, where Professor Whitty practiced himself, marked the expert's recent 54th birthday on April 21 by hanging up bunting of his face.

BBC journalist Siobhan Harrison uploaded a picture of a wearable giant Chris Whitty head, which she claims was made by her 82-year-old mother.

A 'Chris Whitty Appreciation Society has also sprung up online with his devoted 'fans' able to buy mugs and T-shirts with his face on them.

Curator of the National Portrait Gallery in London Alison Smith says the amateur works could be displayed there once Britain comes out of lockdown.

She told the Telegraph gallery bosses are 'thinking about' immortalizing him there.

Pen and ink: Professor Chris Whitty as imagined by artist Andrew Woollard

Doctors on the acute medical unit at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) where Professor Whitty worked himself cut out bunting of his face to mark his recent 54th birthday

Ms Smith added: 'He has become symbolic. 'He also has distinctive features. This allows people, amateurs, a chance to try their hand at creating a likeness.'

Professor Whitty was struck down by the virus himself after Boris Johnson revealed he had tested positive for the virus.

The epidemiologist self-isolated at home, in line with his own guidance, but was able to work from home having only suffered mild symptoms.

Professor Whitty was born the youngest of four boys in Limpsfield, 11 miles south of Croydon.

He spent much of his childhood in northern Nigeria as his father Kenneth worked for the British Council.

Professor Chris Whitty (pictured walking into Downing Street yesterday) has been a household name ever since the coronavirus outbreak took its hold on Britain last month

Tragically in 1984 when Whitty was just a teenager his father was shot three times in the head as he drove through Athens, Greece.

He studied medicine at Pembroke College Oxford and following in his fathers footsteps, worked in Africa during the 1990s.

Eventually he returned to Britain as a consultant physician and lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He became chief scientific advisor to the Department for International Development in 2009, moving to the same role at the Department of Health seven years later.

He was made a Companion of the Order of Bath in 2015 and appointed as Chief Medical Officer last year.

He only took on the role of Chief Medical Officer for Public Health England in October last year, when Dame Sally Davies stepped down.

Until then he had not done any broadcast interviews or held press conferences.

His knowledge of coronavirus, which has impressed Whitehall officials and the broader public, is built on a long history of research into deadly diseases including ebola and malaria.
Black, Hispanic and people of Asian descent have disproportionately contracted the coronavirus in South Dakota.

People of color comprise 20% of South Dakotas population but account for at least 54% of the states coronavirus cases, according to state and July 2019 Census data.

The statistics are indicative of where weve seen the most cases, Kim Malsam-Rysdon, Secretary of the Department of Health, said during a Tuesday news conference.

The discrepancies exist probably because of the diversity down at the plant, union leader BJ Motley said of the Smithfield pork plant in Sioux Falls.

Nearly 90% of South Dakotas positive cases are from Minnehaha and Lincoln counties and about half are tied to Smithfield Foods, where nearly 80% of workers are people of color, Motley said.

There are 2,313 positive coronavirus cases in South Dakota as of April 28, according to the DOH's coronavirus website. 1,939 are from Minnehaha County while 133 are from Lincoln County. 853 Smithfield workers and 245 of their close contacts have tested positive, State Epidemiologist Josh Clayton said at a Tuesday news conference.

Race-based data was first released on Monday after Malsam-Rysdon said earlier this month that South Dakota is "not seeing a large racial disparity" in COVID-19 cases.

Other states are also seeing racial discrepancies in who is contracting and dying from the virus. Black people have been particularly hard hit in some states while Native Americans are greatly impacted in New Mexico and Arizona.

The data

2.4% of South Dakotans are black but comprise 20% of COVID-19 cases while 4.1% of the state is Hispanic but account for 18% of cases. 1.7% of the population is of Asian descent and that group comprises 12% of the states cases.

84.8% of South Dakotans are white but comprise 32% of COVID-19 cases. Native Americans are also underrepresented in coronavirus cases. 9% of South Dakotans are Native American but account for 4% of people with the virus. Native American governments, organizations and citizens are taking strict measures to prevent and prepare for COVID-19, the Journal previously reported.

The DOH says 14% of people with coronavirus are other which includes people of races not listed or if race was not reported, said spokesman Derrick Haskins.

The Census allows people to identify as Native Pacific Islander and multi-racial  categories not listed in the South Dakota data. Neither the state nor Census has a category for people who identify as Middle Eastern.

Motley  president of UFCW Local 304A which Smithfield is a member of  said the company provided him with a racial breakdown of the plants 3,689 workers on March 5. He said the demographics shouldnt have changed much since then.

The plants workers are 47% black, 20% white, 16% Hispanic, 15% of Asian descent, 1% Native American, and less than half a percent Native Pacific Islander or multi-racial, according to data he shared with the Journal.

Motley said a majority of the workers live in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. He also said that a majority  including the white workers  are migrants or refugees from all over the world who speak more than 80 languages and dialects.

Smithfield plant management says staff speak about 40 languages, the top 10 being English, Spanish, Kunama, Swahili, Nepali, Tigrinya, Amharic, French, Oromo and Vietnamese, according to a CDC report. Kunama, Tigrinya, Amharic and Oromo are most commonly spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea, while Swahili is mostly spoken in east-central Africa.

Fear of backlash

Motley said some workers are afraid that others from their communities will be targeted by people who think their entire culture is responsible for the virus. He also said that some workers felt hurt and singled out by comments made by Gov. Noem on Fox News.

I think the state is trying to say its a community thing and it doesnt come from the plant, Motley said. But it actually started out in the plant and after that if it spread among the community  it spread.

Motley said he knows the outbreak first originated and spread within Smithfield based on speaking with the first worker who contracted the virus.

During an April 13 appearance on Fox News, Noem responded to a question about the danger of COVID-19 spreading into food produced at Smithfield by explaining how theres no evidence the virus travels that way.

Noem also said: We believe that 99 percent of whats going on today wasnt happening inside the facility, it was more at home, where these employees were going home and spreading some of the virus because a lot of these folks that work at the plant live in the same community, the same building, sometimes in the same apartment.

Maggie Seidel, senior adviser and policy director to Noem, told the Journal that Noem made the comment in the context of the plant already being closed and cases now being tied to community spread.

However the statistic does not appear to be based on any actual source, and people can begin to develop systems and test positive days after being infected. The Argus Leader also reported that some cleaning and processing crews worked at the plant through the 14th.

Noems comments came to attention after BuzzFeed News reported that two Smithfield spokespeople pointed to her Fox news appearance. The article said a Smithfield spokeswoman also said it's hard to know what could have been done differently to prevent the outbreak given the plants large immigrant population and that living circumstances in certain cultures are different than they are with your traditional American family.

BuzzFeed did not say whether the spokeswoman explained what she meant by a traditional American family and how living circumstances may differ for Smithfield workers.

Labor and community leaders told South Dakota Public Broadcasting on April 16 that workers were always aware of the personal steps they could take to prevent contracting and spreading the virus to others. One worker even slept in her car to prevent passing it along to her family.

 Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Democrat Kweisi Mfume defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in a special election to succeed Rep. Elijah Cummings for Maryland's 7th congressional district on Tuesday, per AP.

Why it matters: The seat was left vacant in October by the death of Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and one of the most prominent faces of the House Democratic caucus.

Tuesday's vote was largely conducted by mail due to the coronavirus, though three in-person voting centers were permitted to open.

The big picture: Mfume was widely expected to defeat Klacik, given that Democrats have a 4-1 voter registration advantage in the Baltimore-encompassing district.
The government should make the use of face masks compulsory in public areas, an MP of the conservative Jobbik party said after a meeting of parliaments welfare committee.

The government should also ensure a distribution of the protective masks, Gyorgy Laszlo Lukacs, a member of the committee, told an online press conference.



He cited government reports according to which Hungary has 86 million face masks in stock.



He warned against relaxing restrictions too soon, arguing that it could cost lives or the health of many people.
A local vagrant threatened to assault a U.S. Border Patrol agent with a glass bottle, according to an arrest affidavit.

Edgar Marc Suggs, 57, forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and interfered with a Border Patrol agent during the performance of official duties, and in the course of the commission of said acts, used a deadly or dangerous weapon, a glass bottle.

At about 11:25 a.m. April 23, Agent Tina Renee Botts and Glenn Lane were traveling west on their marked unit near the 500 block of Mann Road. As agents approached Interstate 35, a man threw a glass bottle at the unit and broke its windshield.

Lane made a U-turn and pulled over into the parking lot. Lane contacted Border Patrol leadership and Laredo police while Botts approached the man, who was later identified as Suggs.

Suggs acted belligerent and shouted obscenities as Potts approached him. Botts commanded Suggs to get down. Agent Marcos Farias happened to be driving by when he observed Suggs following Botts in an aggressive manner.

While attempting to take out her handcuffs, Botts noticed that Suggs was approaching her with another bottle in his hand. At this point, Botts pulled out and extended her baton and warned Suggs to drop the bottle and get on the ground. Suggs threw the bottle at Botts but (missed) Botts and continued to approach very aggressively. Botts then saw Farias come up behind Suggs. Botts told Farias to take him down, states the affidavit.

Farias then detained Suggs. The Federal Bureau of Investigation attempted to interview Suggs. He would not identify himself and claimed to be Elvis Presley, according to court documents. He further stated that he was an alcoholic, a drug user and a schizophrenic, states the affidavit.

During questioning, Suggs stated he had drunk $2,000 dollars worth of scotch, earlier in the day, according to court documents.
They are always on the go, moving between countries and states on a near daily basis.

But with quarantine pausing this way of life, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are finding the enforced time at home together hard.

'Kanye is really getting on Kims nerves,' a source told Us Weekly, adding that the couple 'have been arguing a lot during the quarantine'.

Quarantine strife: Kim Kardashian, seen in a recent Instagram post, and Kanye West have been 'arguing a lot' as he leaves her to care for their four kids

Family time: 'Kanye is really getting on Kims nerves,' a source told Us Weekly, adding that the couple 'have been arguing a lot during the quarantine'

While Kanye keeps busy 'creating', Kim is being mostly left to take charge of their four children.

Indeed she is said to feel that 'all the parenting duties are falling on her'.

While the couple usually has plenty of paid help - nannies, maids and personal chefs - it is not known if they have been forced to reduce their staffing amid California's Shelter At Home order.

DailyMail.com reached out to a representative of the couple for comment.

Mom's the word: While Kanye keeps busy 'creating', Kim is being mostly left to take charge of their four children; she is seen with Saint on Tuesday

Lazy life: Kim posted the images saying 'most days we don't get out of our pajamas'

Making the most of the situation, Kim has been sharing snapshots of her family time with fans during quarantine.

'Most days we dont get out of our pajamas,' said the Keeping Up with The Kardashians veteran on Tuesday, as she snuggled with son Saint while fully made up.

Over the weekend the star wrote in a caption of a photo with North: 'What's your favorite thing about quarantine? Mine is hanging with my babies 247.'

Along with North, six, and Saint, four, the couple have daughter Chicago, two, and baby son Psalm, who turns one next month.

Kim has shared pictures and video of the elaborate dens the four have created inside the family mansion, which features a huge playroom, home theatre, luxury pool, expansive landscaped grounds and multiple rooms.

Cameo: The KKW Beauty mogul, 39, was in the middle of showing fans how to recreate her at-home look when daughter North, six, wandered in and interrupted earlier this month

Earlier this month Kanye , 42, whisked their youngsters on a three-day trip to Wyoming, so Kim could have a break.

'They have been taking turns caring for the kids,' a source told People on Thursday, adding: 'It's a huge chaos with all the kids at home. Kanye normally escapes to his office for work breaks.'

Kim, 39, has been vocal over the perils of homeschooling and struggling to keep her brood entertained under quarantine, even admitting the enforced time together has ended any plans for a fifth child.

'[The theater room] is the place that has gotten the most use lately,' Calabasas socialite said in the June/July edition of Vogue.

'The whole family has spent the last few nights in there after the kids made it into a fort, with, like, different beds all over the floor. My daughter [North] is the fort police. If you move out of your bed that she designated for you, it's a problem.'

'Hanging with my babies': Kim has enjoyed some parts of the enforced family time

Earlier this month, she seemed overwhelmed by her kids, as she attempted to film a 'Quarantine glam' makeup routine.

After shooing North out of the room, the mother-of-four said: 'I'm hiding in the guest room because my kids will not leave me alone.'

On Friday, Forbes Magazine revealed that Kanye has reached billionaire status.

Despite the massive achievement, the article notes that West was left unhappy with their research and findings - stating that he believes his net worth to be around $3.3 billion, rather than the $1.26 billion they have estimated.

'It's not a billion,' West allegedly texted the publication Thursday night. 'It's $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.'
LUBBOCK, Texas  A suspected neo-Nazi has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a gun charge in West Texas.

Aiden Bruce-Umbaugh, 23, could have received up to 10 years in prison at his Tuesday sentencing in Lubbock, Texas, for firearms possession by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Federal prosecutors said the charge resulted from a November traffic stop in Post, Texas. Officers found three assault-style rifles, a pistol, assorted ammunition, a small canister of marijuana and a vial of THC oil in the 23-year-olds car.

Prosecutors said Bruce-Umbaugh declared himself a Nazi affiliated with the AtomWaffen Division, a neo-Nazi hate group, during monitored jailhouse telephone conversations.

Videos entered in evidence show members of the AtomWaffen Division at self-described hate camps practicing hand-to-hand combat, shooting firearms, employing hateful rhetoric against Jews and calling for race war now!
Home  Just In  Three more coronavirus positive cases in Nepal; tally hits 57

Birgunj, April 29

Nepals health officials have confirmed three more coronavirus positive cases in Nepal, leading the countrys Covid-19 tally to hit 57.

The newly identified cases belong to Bara and Parsa districts of Province 2. Two persons of Bara and one of Parsa had recently returned from a Muslim function in New Delhi of India. All of them are men, aged between 30 and 50.

Earlier, one person from Birgunj of Parsa district, who had attended the function, had also tested positive. The new cases had been discovered during contract tracing of the Covid-19 patient.

Of 57 Covid-19 patients in Nepal, 16 have already achieved recovery.
The official number of confirmed coronavirus Covid-19 infections has passed the 20,000 mark on a day when it was confirmed that a further 31 have died after contracting the virus in Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has announced on Wednesday, April 29 that a further 376 people have tested positive for the illness.

Two months after the first case was confirmed on February 29, the up to date national figures for Wednesday, revealed that there have now been 20,253 people in Ireland who have tested positive.

The latest fatalities bring to 1,190 the total death toll from the virus.

About 70% of people who have contracted the virus have recovered. This is in line with international rates. The hospitalisation rate has fallen to 13.8%.

Of the first 19,000 notified more than 12,000 recovered without being hospitalised.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, said that while 'great progress', the situation is still not a point where restrictions can be eased. He said testing is not the key issue in deciding to lift restrictions.

"I don't see a set of circumstances today where I can see a lifting of the restrictions," he said.

He said the country has avoided having 10,000 of day making introducing restrictions.

He said he did not anticipate a significant change in the situation to change in the situation in the coming days. He said he did not anticipate the National Public Health Emergency Team to change its advice to Government when it meets on Friday.

He said there are still too many people in hospitals and there was still a challenge in nursing homes.

Dr Holohan also revealed that a second person aged between 15 and 24 had died after contracting the virus.

Dr Kathleen MacLellan, Assistant Secretary Department of Health and Chair of NPHET Vulnerable People Subgroup, said: Ireland remains one of the few countries globally who has collected and officially reported data from long term residential care settings from the start of the pandemic.

From the end of March, we have seen an increase in deaths in this sector that can be attributed to COVID-19.

As we continue to collect and report mortality data coming from this sector we will have a greater understanding of the behaviour of the disease in this setting and it will help us to inform public health actions and clinical care, she said.

Dr. Siobhan Ni Bhriain, HSE National Lead for Integrated Care, said; We have put significant effort into developing clinical guidance for the residential care sector. This has driven the operational response and has been supported by education for all staff in this sector.

This work is crucial in making sure our most vulnerable people get the best possible care in what is a very challenging time.

Todays data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Monday 27th April (19,723 cases), reveals:

 58% are female and 42% are male

 the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years

 2,669 cases (13%) have been hospitalised

 Of those hospitalised, 355 cases have been admitted to ICU

 5,568 cases are associated with healthcare workers

 Dublin has the highest number of cases at 9,751 (49% of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,162 cases (6%) and then Cork with 1,136 cases (6%)

 Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 63%, close contact accounts for 34%, travel abroad accounts for 3%
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has been considering amendments to the published IFRS 17 accounting standard for insurance contracts.

An exposure draft was published by the IASB in June 2019 which acted to re-open the standard. The IASB has reached a series of important decisions, including amendments to the May 2017 document, ahead of the publication of a revised standard scheduled to take place by 30 June 2020.

In its new Best's Commentary, "IFRS 17: IASB Decisions Impact Insurers and Users of Accounting Data", AM Best has reviewed some of the IASB's recent decisions to consider how they will affect (re)insurers' reporting under IFRS 17 and their implications for users of (re)insurers' financial reporting.

The commentary looks in particular at the following decisions:

Effective date 2023 considerations that led the IASB's to change the standard's effective date from the proposal in the exposure draft;

Deferred acquisition costs their reappearance in the balance sheet accounting of insurance contracts under IFRS 17;

Annual cohort records confirmation that they will be required for all participating business;

Loss-making policies changes to the definition of policies treated as loss making; and

Contractual service margin some significant mismatches between assets and liabilities, arising from whether or not the contractual service margin is used, have been eliminated.

Tony Silverman, associate director, AM Best Europe Rating Services, said, "In general, these decisions will affect the data AM Best expects to receive from (re)insurers. AM Best will be evolving its collection and assessment of accounting data in line with its use of the data as a means of targeting the underlying economics of (re)insurers. Consequently AM Best does not expect any near-term impact from IFRS 17 on credit ratings."

To access a complimentary copy of this commentary, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=296643.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright 2020 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005084/en/

Contacts:

Tony Silverman

Associate Director, Analytics

+44 20 7397 0264

anthony.silverman@ambest.com



Richard Banks

Director, Industry Research EMEA

+44 20 7397 0322

richard.banks@ambest.com



Edem Kuenyehia

Director, Market Development Communications

+44 20 7397 0280

edem.kuenyehia@ambest.com
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
Students at Pennsylvanias 14 state universities can count on tuition remaining the same next year, but just what their fall semester looks like is uncertain.

And Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, worries that a post-pandemic world will only further exacerbate inequalities between better-resourced colleges and poorer ones and the students they serve: Universities could be competing for masks, swabs, and other resources that would allow them to safely open. The state system has been strapped for cash for years with enrollment declining by about 20% since 2010.

This is a Darwinian model thats being introduced here at the federal and state levels across the country, where, basically were saying, industries, organizations that can figure out how to make their customers and employees feel safe are going to thrive in the new economy, and the rest will go by the wayside, Greenstein said in an interview before the board of governors voted Wednesday to freeze tuition. What really disturbs me is that those who have the means can compete better than those who dont. And those who do not have the means also enroll in enormous disproportion low-income students, students of color, and rural students.

Greenstein shared his concerns with the board, which voted to freeze tuition and the technology fee for next year  and tentatively plan for a 1% increase in 2021-22  to help struggling families. In-state students, who make up nearly 90% of the systems students, will pay $7,716 in tuition and $478 in fees. Its the second consecutive year of a tuition freeze and follows announcements by Temple, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers, and Delaware Valley that they planned to freeze tuition, too.

 READ MORE: Pa. state universities freeze tuition for first time in more than 20 years

Greenstein also told the board the system anticipates a $52 million hole in revenue through the summer, due to the virus. Initial projections called for a $100 million shortfall, but the systems universities are receiving nearly $80 million in federal stimulus dollars, about half of which can be used to offset losses, such as student refunds in room and board.

Greenstein said the system already was focused on saving money through shared services and educational programming  about $250 million over five years  and will have to accelerate that plan.

We will have to figure out how to do in two or three what we were going to do in five, he said.

 READ MORE: Area universities move to freeze 2020-21 tuition, given impact of the coronavirus

Much remains unknown about the fall, including how many students will enroll and whether campuses could reopen for in-person classes or if students will feel safe staying in dorms. It could be good news for system schools: More students may opt for state universities with lower tuition and those that are closer to their homes. he said.

You cant predict human behaviors, he said.

Universities will have to consider whether to allow certain groups of students to return, such as graduating seniors or those taking labs or those serving internships and which faculty to bring back on campus and how to structure dorm living, he said.

Very little is off the table, he said in terms of options.

Decisions about the fall likely will be made by each campus, rather than across the system, because the 14 universities are spread across the state, from rural areas to cities, and face different circumstances. They are Bloomsburg, Clarion, Cheyney, California, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Mansfield, Millersville, Lock Haven, Slippery Rock, Shippensburg, and West Chester.

He expects decisions to be made in the next four or five weeks.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

Many of the universities in the system are struggling as a result of the virus, with nine anticipating they will have to dip into their reserves to cover $146 million in operating costs through 2023-24. The board on Wednesday approved up to a $6 million loan to Mansfield from the system, similar to loans that Cheyney has received in the past. Mansfield must provide an updated sustainability plan by June 19 to receive the money.

Greenstein questioned whether universities should be making their decisions or setting certain standards collectively, by region or as part of a group of states, similar to governors in contiguous states are working together to reopen.

Colleges will face enormous political and economic pressures about whether to open, especially considering schools are a major employer in many communities, he said.

I would hate to be in a situation where through our competition we see decisions that are made that have serious deleterious impacts on the health or economic productivity of the community, he said. And in a Darwinian model, and we appear to be in one, theres a significant risk of that.
In 2020, 10 billion cubic meters of gas out of 31 billion cubic meters will be available for pumping

Open source

Ukraine is ready to provide the Russian Gazprom with its underground storage facilities for gas as RBK reported citing Executive Director of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine Serhiy Makohon.

According to Makohon, in 2020, 10 billion cubic meters of gas out of 31 billion cubic meters will be available for pumping. Gazprom also may store gas at the Ukrainian underground storage facilities.

We just have to sign a standard contract of storage; the tariffs are determined by independent regulator and they are the same for all customers (about $10 for a storage cycle fro 1,000 cubic meters of gas), he said.

Besides, Makohon underlined that Ukrainian storages are three-five times cheaper than European and it causes demand and economic viability.

Moreover, he noted that Gazprom has an obvious business-case for the usage of the Ukrainian underground storage facilities.

Already now, the company does not use the paid capacities on transit not entirely  out of 178 million cubic meters, averagely 150 million of cubic meters used daily. In other words, 28 million cubic meters are paid but not used. That is why, it is reasonable to consider the viability of usage of the whole paid capacity of importation of gas to Ukraine; some parts of the volume might be transited and the rest will be storage. In winter, when the demand of the EU will grow, it is possible to extract gas from the storages and send to the EU within paid capacities or buy extra capacities, he added.

Makohon supposed that the situation may grow worse until the autumn when the European storages will be full and Gazprom will need to reduce the transit and pay it in the full volume.

That is why the temporary storage in Ukraine may become mutually beneficial resolution. We are open for talks, he underlined.

Earlier, Serhiy Makohon stated that Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities may interest Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary.
The number of people in Japan who have been fired or otherwise had their employment terminated due to the coronavirus outbreak has surged to over 3,000.

Japan's labor ministry says 3,391 people nationwide lost their jobs, or were expected to, from the end of January through Monday. More than 2,000 did so in the past month.

As many as 12,395 companies have fired or laid off workers, or are considering taking such measures. Many are tourism and hotel businesses, which have been hit hard by decreasing numbers of foreign and domestic travelers.

Another 249 companies fired more than 30 employees from January to March for financial reasons, for a total of 9,620 lost jobs.

The firms include 113 manufacturers, 54 wholesalers and retailers, 16 hotels and restaurants and 15 medical care and welfare service firms.
Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences on Wednesday reported potentially encouraging results from a trial for a drug that's being tested as a treatment for the coronavirus.

Gilead said that the antiviral drug remdesivir produced "similar improvement" in patients over a 10-day treatment plan compared with a five-day treatment plan  and that it recorded "no new safety" issues among hospitalized patients who "well-tolerated" the treatment in the study.

The study demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir," said Merdad Parsey, chief medical officer of Gilead Sciences, in a statement. "This is particularly important in the setting of a pandemic, to help hospitals and healthcare workers treat more patients in urgent need of care."

Gilead's stock rose 9% in premarket trading.

The initial results released Wednesday come after a report two weeks ago by the medical site STAT suggested potentially positive results in one of its remdesivir trials.

What is remdesivir?: Gilead Sciences drug reportedly shows promise treating coronavirus

In this March 2020 photo provided by Gilead Sciences, rubber stoppers are placed onto filled vials of the investigational drug remdesivir at a Gilead manufacturing site in the United States.

Remdesivir is one of numerous drugs under development to treat or prevent the coronavirus. Clinical trials are conducted to ensure safety and efficacy, and there's no guarantee Gilead's initial results will lead to a commercially available treatment. But medical professionals have had high hopes for remdesivir since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Gilead emphasized that remdesivir "is not yet licensed or approved anywhere globally and has not yet been demonstrated to be safe or effective for the treatment of COVID-19."

This particular study involved patients suffering from pneumonia and reduced oxygen levels who did not require ventilation when the study began.

Gilead reported that it took 10 days for 50% of the patients in the five-day treatment group to show clinical improvement, compared with 11 days for patients in the 10-day treatment group.

Story continues

More than half of patients in both groups were discharged from the hospital after two weeks.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gilead Sciences' remdesivir shows positive results as coronavirus drug
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor is not keeping well and has been admitted to a city hospital here, his elder brother Randhir Kapoor said.

The 67-year-old actor was taken to H N Reliance hospital by his family on Wednesday morning.

"He is in the hospital. He is suffering from cancer and he has some breathing problem, so he has been admitted to the hospital. He is stable now," Randhir told PTI.

The actor returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year.

In February, Kapoor was hospitalised twice due to his health issues.

He was first admitted to a hospital in Delhi where he was attending a family function. At the time, Kapoor had said that he was suffering from an "infection".

After his return to Mumbai, he was again admitted to a hospital with viral fever. He was discharged soon after.

Kapoor, who has been quite active on social media, hasn't posted anything on his Twitter account since April 2.

The actor recently announced his next project, a remake of Hollywood film "The Intern", also featuring Deepika Padukone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Peter Sankoff was inching closer to his goal of placing 100 interns with his fellow lawyers and academics across the country this summer when he suffered a brain hemorrhage last week.

Though still in pain in hospital, and with weeks of recovery ahead of him, Sankoff is determined to push forward with his 100-interns project, to help the many law students across Canada who suddenly saw summer job prospects at law firms dry up due to COVID-19.

This didnt sit well with me  you dont start with cutting from the bottom, Sankoff told the Star in an interview this week from the hospital.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the University of Alberta law professors project had enough funding  including through donations from the legal community  to cover almost 80 positions. So far, close to 75 interns have been placed across the country.

Sankoff tweeted that the project still needs about $25,000 to fund the remaining positions and get to 100. He said hes received hundreds of internship applications, many of which communicated a sense of desperation and this real loss of hope.

With courts largely closed across the country, many law firms, particularly those focusing on criminal law, have seen their workloads shrink. Firms that would typically welcome law students for summer jobs simply dont have the work or money for them this year.

A placement with the 100-interns project provides an intern with 60 hours of work at $20 an hour. If the firm itself is paying for the intern, that person can work on any file, but interns who have been funded through donations can only work on a pro bono or legal-aid file, as a condition of the project is that lawyers cannot benefit financially from donations.

Sankoff said it does not appear that stress caused his brain hemorrhage, and he said his prospects of recovery are good.

But why insist on getting to 100 after being hospitalized?

I dont like to quit, he said. So why shouldnt I finish the project? The students still need me ... Im going for 100. Were going to make this happen.

Toronto criminal defence lawyer Daniel Browns firm will be getting one of the interns, whom the firm itself will be paying. Browns associates also got together to fund an intern who will be placed with another firm.

It may not make up for missing out on a months-long summer placement, but the internship will still give students some meaningful work and exposure to the legal profession, Brown said.

This is about how the legal profession can give back to students who are looking for meaningful opportunities, Brown said. Its about paying it forward, because most of us had great summer opportunities during law school.

The student who will be placed with Browns firm, law student Chelsey Buggie, will be working virtually for the firm from home in New Brunswick.

The first in her family to go to university, she said she doesnt think she would have had the opportunity to work for a top Toronto criminal defence law firm if not for Sankoffs project.

Its going to be a great learning experience, she said.
(Newser)  When the official in charge of the government's coronavirus testing was asked about a report that to reopen the economy, the US would need to test 5 million people a day by early June and 20 million a day by late July, his response was unambiguous. "There is absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even five million tests a day," Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, told Time. He called the Harvard University "Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience" an "Ivory Tower, unreasonable benchmark" and said the US is on course to test 8 million people in May. So far, around 5.5 million Americans have been tested.

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President Trump, however, told reporters who asked about the 5 million figure later Tuesday that the US would be there "very soon," CNBC reports. "Well increase it, and it'll increase it by much more than that in the very near future," he said. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany later released a statement saying the US has "done double the number of tests of any country in the world." When asked about the Giroir interview, the White House replied with the same statement. On Wednesday, Trump noted that he "never said" 5 million. "Somebody came out with a study of 5 million people. Do I think we will? I think we will, but I never said it." (Read more coronavirus stories.)
South Carolina restaurants could return to full service within three weeks if S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster accepts the recommendations of industry leaders on the states COVID-19 economic recovery advisory team.

Under a S.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association plan presented Wednesday afternoon, restaurants would be permitted to open their outdoor dining areas May 4. Assuming the foray into on-premise service is successful, indoor dining areas would get the green light as early as May 11, but no later than May 18.

This would be a great first step, Explore Charleston CEO Helen Hill, a member of the advisory team, said in support of the proposal. It would really give us an opportunity to get going in a safe way.

In addition to putting forth dates, SCRLA issued a set of guidelines to safely open back up and build the trust of our customers in this unique and trying time in our history.

Limiting customers to eight at one table, eliminating self-service buffets and monitoring employee health are among the protocols endorsed by the trade group. During the first of three envisioned phases, SCRLA suggests workers should also wear masks and gloves not just for the safety of our guests, but also for their psychological sense of safety.

The guidelines also cover cleanliness, urging restaurateurs to sanitize tables, chairs, check presenters, condiments and doorknobs between use, as well as continuing to adhere to the states health codes.

Sanitation is a big part of the restaurant industry, said SCRLA chairman Bobby Williams Jr., CEO of Lizards Thicket. We were doing the right things before, and we will do them after.

McMaster asked Williams to explain why the group had settled on such a late date for reopening indoor dining rooms:

Why not the 11th? The 10th is Mothers Day: Everybody ought to take their mama or wife out to brunch or dinner or something.

Looking around the room, he continued, Im getting Amens. 

But not from those involved in the restaurant industry, who pointed out that Mothers Day is one of the biggest days on the calendar for restaurants.

Were not proposing Mothers Day, Williams clarified. It could get out of hand.

Williams offered that if his mother were still living, he would not bring her to a restaurant on May 10. According to Williams, restaurants need at least 10 days to rehire and retrain employees, restock inventory and acquire any new equipment needed to comply with the proposed guidelines.

Greg Thompson, who owns restaurants in Sumter, added that his hometown witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases after Easter Sunday.

So while I would love to see them open earlier, it may be prudent to let Mothers Day pass because it could be a challenge trying to manage large families, he said.

Another concern for McMaster involved restricting the first stage of reopening to restaurants with patios.

How many restaurants are set up for outdoor dining? he asked.

Many, Williams assured him.

People in South Carolina love to sit outside and eat, he said to Hills hearty agreement.

Charleston restaurant owners with prominent and popular patios say theyre eager to restart service once its allowed.

If we feel like we can do it safely, then we will certainly reopen those areas, said Brooks Reitz of the Neighbourhood restaurant group, which recently created a new outdoor dining area at Melfis and covered the patio at Leons.

Keith Benjamin of Uptown Social said his team would love the opportunity to reopen our roof deck, and plan on doing so once we are legally able to.

Referring to the variance in local, state and federal directives related to coronavirus containment, Scott Shor of Edmund's Oast noted that South Carolina might not have the final say in downtown Charleston restaurant operations.

"We will await guidance from City of Charleston to gain fuller understanding and clarity on a local level," he said in a statement. "The May 4th option does not strike me as something we are likely to utilize, rather keeping to our current curbside-only model."

Uptown Social is looking to reopen with the menu of burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and bar pies that the restaurant this Thursday is planning to roll out as a takeout option, rather than serving the selection of appetizers; salads and sandwiches which was available prior to the mandated closure of dining rooms on March 18.

Its easier for the kitchen to execute and requires minimal prep, Benjamin says.

Williams told McMaster that most restaurant owners are likely to return with a similarly scaled-down approach.

We wont be back in business the way we closed, he said.

That didnt appear to daunt McMaster, who reiterated that a lot of South Carolinians want to see restaurants reopen.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was so floored Tuesday night by a report of a large funeral gathering in Brooklyn during the coronavirus pandemic that he said he had to see it for himself.

When the Democratic mayor arrived in the Williamsburg neighborhood, he did indeed see hundreds of Orthodox Jewish mourners flooding the sidewalks and intersection of Bedford Avenue and Rutledge Street, honoring the memory of a rabbi who recently died of the novel coronavirus.

The sounds of police sirens blaring through the streets and cops ordering people to go home did little to disperse the crowd, who defied social distancing orders. The mourners, dressed in traditional black garments and hats and forced to yell over the piercing sirens, stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, some with, others without masks in a city with almost 158,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 12,000 deaths.

De Blasio was furious. While denouncing the "absolutely unacceptable" large gathering, he said that he had instructed police to institute a "zero tolerance" standard on such gatherings, stressing that people could be subject to arrest as part of the effort to prevent the disease from spreading even more through big groups.

"When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus," he tweeted late Tuesday.

He added in a follow-up tweet, "My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period."

The mayor's warnings elicited a torrent of criticism. How come, some asked, he had not objected earlier in the day when crowds gathered across the city to watch the military flyover to honor essential workers? Much like the funeral scene in Brooklyn, photos and videos on social media of those watching the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds showed people standing close to each other with many not wearing masks. Critics wondered: Was this not hypocritical?

De Blasio, who was shown watching the flyover in photos and videos and not following his own social distancing orders, was also criticized by local and national leaders for specifically calling out Jewish people when other groups are doing the same thing without the condemning tweets.

"This has to be a joke," tweeted New York City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, a Brooklyn Democrat who is an Orthodox Jew. He added, "Every neighborhood has people who are being noncompliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, it's stereotyping, and it's inviting anti-Semitism. I'm truly stunned."

The councilman chided de Blasio for coming down hard on the funeral crowd just two days after he was seen walking around Brooklyn's Prospect Park with his wife, Chirlane McCray.

"Has he been to a park lately? (What am I saying - of course he has!)" Deutsch tweeted.

The message was echoed by Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, who said de Blasio's sentiment "erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever."

"The few who don't social distance should be called out - but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews," Greenblatt noted.

The New York Police Department and a spokesperson for de Blasio's office did not return messages late Tuesday. An NYPD spokeswoman told the New York Daily News that no one was arrested or issued a summons for attending the funeral.

The Yeshiva World reported that the funeral was held for Rabbi Chaim Mertz, 73, who recently died of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. At its peak, there were about 2,500 people at the funeral, which ran from about 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Daily News.

In a video shared by the Williamsburg News, men with the Shomrim, the Orthodox community's neighborhood watch, are shown instructing their colleagues to let everyone in attendance know that they had to wear a mask.

"Everybody must have a mask," said one representative with the group. "Most important thing: Everyone should have a mask."

The images and videos posted to social media, however, indicate that not everyone was wearing a mask during the funeral. Footage captured by WABC showed a stream of mourners parading down Bedford Avenue, many trying to cover their face. At one point, hundreds of people filled the sidewalks and stoops as police attempted to break up the crowd.

The crowded funeral in Williamsburg is the latest of several large Orthodox events that have been broken up because of the pandemic this month.

Earlier this month, police in Brooklyn broke up a funeral for a rabbi in the Borough Park neighborhood, as attendees were ignoring social distancing.

In Lakewood, New Jersey, police broke up another funeral for a rabbi, this one at a synagogue, and ended up charging 15 men for violating the state's executive order banning large gatherings. As The Washington Post's Meagan Flynn reported, police in the New Jersey city have broken up several traditional Orthodox Jewish events because of the large gathering ban, including weddings and bat and bar mitzvahs, and even shuttered a yeshiva that resisted school closure orders.

Conflicts between religious groups of all faiths and public officials trying to enforce coronavirus rules have been a continuing source of stress since the pandemic hit the United States.

New York has been no exception. On Tuesday, de Blasio reiterated that while he empathized with people who want to remember their loved ones, now was not the time for any large gatherings, such as funerals.

"We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn," de Blasio tweeted. "But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning. We will not allow this."

The chaotic funeral procession got the attention of political consultant Menashe Shapiro, who posted an overhead video of the scene. He wondered what more crowds like this could mean for the city moving forward.

"Scenes like this can set the process of reopening back weeks," he said. "Worse off, it risks more funerals."
Surprising findings might be less positive than they initially seem

TROY, N.Y. -- Women are underrepresented in leadership positions throughout the information technology industry. While more and more women are earning degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math -- or STEM -- fields, they don't necessarily pursue careers in IT, because they don't see opportunities for growth.

New research from the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute published in Information Systems Research examines how gender affects the likelihood of promotions in the context of the IT industry.

Using a five-year dataset of the promotions, demographics, performance, and training records of more than 7,000 employees at a leading IT services firm in India, Nishtha Langer, an assistant professor of business analytics at Rensselaer, determined that gender is a strong predictor of promotion.

"Contrary to our theoretical expectations, we find that women were more likely to be promoted," Langer said.

Learn more about Langer's research in this video.

Little prior research has examined archival data to understand the interplay of gender, performance, and training affects promotions in the IT industry to this extent. Even as IT firms embrace fairer organizational policies and egalitarian work environments, the study finds that that subtle discrimination against women in IT continues to exist. However, the study also points out effective strategies women in IT can use to forge ahead in their chosen career paths.

Langer conjectures that women are likely promoted more often because they are considered more helpful and trustworthy compared to men, and because -- as a result of disparities in pay -- they are often a lower-cost option.

However, when it comes to promotions based solely on performance improvements, Langer said her findings were less encouraging for women.

"Beyond all this good news for women in IT, men continue to show a higher likelihood of promotion from performance improvements," Langer said. "So, to me, that speaks to a more subtle form of discrimination compared to more overt forms of discrimination."

A more effective tool for women to signal their preparedness for promotion, Langer said, is to take training courses. They are more likely to be promoted than men who take the same training. According to the research, women may be more opportunistic when it comes to enrolling for courses that ensure faster promotions. They may also be more adept at translating knowledge gains into promotability.

Although Langer's study focuses on IT labor markets, she said her findings are generalizable to women in other male-dominated industries, particularly those in STEM areas.

###

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is America's first technological research university. Rensselaer encompasses five schools, 32 research centers, more than 145 academic programs, and a dynamic community made up of more than 7,900 students and over 100,000 living alumni. Rensselaer faculty and alumni include more than 145 National Academy members, six members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, six National Medal of Technology winners, five National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With nearly 200 years of experience advancing scientific and technological knowledge, Rensselaer remains focused on addressing global challenges with a spirit of ingenuity and collaboration. To learn more, please visit http://www.rpi.edu.

Contact:

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Director of Media Relations

518-833-4277

hamilr5@rpi.edu

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MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that it is temporarily shifting manufacturing operations at two chemical manufacturing facilities to produce and donate hand sanitizer to government agencies in response to shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company's sites in Muskegon, Michigan, and Seelze, Germany, will produce hand sanitizer over the next two months for government agencies, which will then distribute the product to institutions in need. Both sites are part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT) business group.

The Muskegon plant manufactures high-purity solvents and blends with more than 1,500 products used in high-end applications such as DNA and RNA synthesis, environmental analysis, precision cleaning, pharmaceutical testing and various other laboratory applications. The plant has begun production of hand sanitizer that it will donate to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Seelze plant produces more than 500 products, including high-purity solutions for laboratory research and testing applications, inorganic fine chemicals for agriculture and automotive industries, electronic chemicals used in semiconductors, and microchips and authentication technologies used in high security and brand protection applications. This also includes personal protection equipment authentication. The plant has already fulfilled and delivered an emergency donation of industrial hand sanitizer to the Saxony Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality. The plant plans to ramp up production to enable Honeywell to donate additional hand sanitizer. The Saxony Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality intends to distribute this product to local hospitals and factories.

"As global citizens, we are honored to be able to answer the call for help in hopes of minimizing the spread of this pandemic," said Rajeev Gautam, president and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies. "When called upon to help, our team rushed to transform production lines to produce hand sanitizer for areas where it is most urgently needed. I am proud to work with such innovative and dedicated employees who not only care enough to make a difference but have the spirit to make it happen."

Honeywell is proud to support the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Honeywell announced manufacturing investments that will enable the production of more than 20 million N95 disposable masks monthly from new production lines in Smithfield, R.I., and Phoenix, Ariz.

In addition, Honeywell PMT is supporting response efforts in multiple ways, including prioritizing resources in the following areas:

Providing industrial facilities around the world with advanced remote operations capabilities to support maintenance of critical operations  like manufacturing, and facilitating life sciences-focused commercial production of medical therapies -- while keeping workers safe throughout the pandemic;

Supporting scientists around the world in their research, development and production of COVID-19 test kits, therapies and vaccines by prioritizing and ramping up production of high-quality analytical products, including reagents, solvents and analytical chemicals that meet their application needs.

Offering expedited support services to our pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical customers to help facilitate faster healthcare packaging decisions for COVID-19 oral solid medicine.

About Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT)

PMT develops process technologies, automation solutions, advanced materials and industrial software that are transforming industries around the world. PMT's Advanced Materials businesses manufacture a wide variety of high-performance products including environmentally preferable materials used for the production of refrigerants, blowing agents, aerosols and solvents, pharmaceutical packaging, fine chemicals, additives and high strength-fiber for military, law enforcement and industrial use. Technologies developed by Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com), a leading provider in the oil and gas sector, form the foundation for most of the world's refiners, efficiently producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, petrochemicals and renewable fuels. Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com) is a pioneering provider of automation control, safety systems, field instrumentation, fuel delivery and burners, connected plant offerings, cybersecurity, tissue and packaging materials control systems, connected utility and metering solutions, and services for a wide range of industries.

About Honeywell

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Honeywell

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Hey Bank of Dad. I know coronavirus has impacted everything. But Im frustrated with my childs preschool. Some parents are talking about preschools during regular online gatherings, sending families materials with accompanying lessons, and online extracurricular sessions (music, etc.). But my preschool is doing next-to-nothing except sending out lots of emails about school finances. Im basically paying them to remind me to pay them. This is harsh and I know times are tough. But do I have to pay them?  Stephen R., via email

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Stephen, I get it. Its bad enough that preschoolers all over the country arent learning in a structured environment right now  and that parents are being subjected to far more Daniel Tiger viewing than any adult should. In many cases, families are still being charged for an education their children arent receiving. Its a tricky situation, particularly if your childs preschool isnt leaning hard into virtual learning, which seems to be the case.

Lets talk about this in a legal sense first. If youre still receiving a bill from your kids school, you may or may not have a legal requirement to send in a check. Ultimately, it comes down to whether you signed a contract when you enrolled your son or daughter and what language it contains, says Tyler Smith, an attorney in Kennebunk, Maine. It may be time to pull the document out of your file drawer and give it a close read.

In cases where theres specific language requiring you to pay during a public health emergency, then youre probably on the hook. But you could find just the opposite to be the case. For example, some contracts include a clause known as a force majeure, which mitigates the risk to one party or the other when, according to Blacks Law Dictionary, theres an event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled. The exact wording of that clause, if there is one, could absolve you of your financial obligation.

Story continues

No doubt, a lot of parents will find themselves is a more nebulous middle ground, with contractual language that simply isnt very clear  obviously not a lot of administrators were predicting the worst pandemic in a century  or no formal agreement at all. If thats the case, then it becomes a matter for the courts to decide, should one of the parties pursue litigation.

If the agreement is silent on the matter, Smith says a judge would likely take into account how the school handled previous closures, including those due to inclement weather. But predicting how courts would rule is no mean feat; the prospect of a months-long hiatus is one we just havent seen before. The ultimate question in situations where there is ambiguity in a contract is the intent of the parties, says Smith.

In some cases, the contract may allow you to pull your child from the school, as long as they provide the required amount of notice. But if you were planning to enroll your son or daughter next year, theres always the question of what happens to their spot. Unless youre protected by iron-clad wording in the contract, you cant exactly count on shooting to the top of the list when school re-opens.

Parents who find themselves in a gray area might want to contact the preschool and negotiate a solution, out of court. Ask if theyre willing to accept fewer payments this year, or a reduced amount; this is an especially good tact if theyre providing some instruction in a virtual setting. In turn, they may be willing to hold your childs spot when the health crisis finally subsides. As with all legal matters, its important to get any agreement in writing and signed by both parties.

Of course, the legal question is only part of the equation in decisions like this. As with so many other small businesses, a lot of preschools tend to operate on razor-thin budgets. So parents are right to ask what the long-term effect would be, both for their child and other kids in the community, if theirs couldnt survive the onslaught of COVID-19.

Whether its doors are open or closed, your kids school is almost certainly incurring certain expenses. Smith says that, in general, theres no legal requirement for a preschool to continue paying teacher salaries during a health crisis. Regardless, the owners may have to dish out money for rent, salaries for administrators and a host of other expenses. Most still need income right now.

Im lucky. I have two daughters enrolled in a preschool that isnt asking us for another penny this year. Presumably theyre on solid ground for the time being. Not every schoolor daycare, for that matteris in the same boat. So to the extent that you can support them financially, its something you might want to consider.

The fact is, everyone was blind-sided by this coronavirus, including those who run private schools. That means a lot of parents wont have clear legal language that tells them what to do in a situation like this. If you can find a solution where both parties shoulder some of the financial pain, and both remain above water, you might want to go for it. If not, you may want to look for a good attorney who can help you navigate the murky waters in which youre now swimming.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

Some 80 people have died from with the coronavirus (COVID 19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Kiyanush Jahanpur, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to Jahanpur, as many as 1,073 people got infected with the coronavirus over the past day.

Jahanpur added that the condition of 2,965 people is critical.

So far, more than 453,000 tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.

Iran continues to apply measures to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 infection. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 93,600 people have been infected, 5,957 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 73,700 have reportedly recovered from the disease.

Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.

The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.
Drinkscraft expands off-trade presence for its Mexican craft beers

Drinkscraft, the UK importer and distributor of Mexican craft beer, has launched a home delivery website to coincide with Mexicos annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

The range includes beers from Loba, which was named North America Brewery of the Year at the International Beer Challenge in 2019.

With free next day delivery, the move will enable fans to order and receive their Mexican beer in time to have it chilled for May 5, which is a commemorative feast day in the Latin American country.



Dave Bridge-Collyns, founder of Drinkscraft, said: Although our primary distribution channels through the on-trade have been temporarily suspended in the current restrictions, we wanted to make sure that people are able to grab bottles of Loba and Propaganda beer as easily as possible.

We decided to expand our off-trade presence with the launch of a new home delivery website and the timing is particularly important as Cinco de Mayo, one of Mexicos most revered celebrations, is marked on 5th May. The delivery service will enable people across the country to join in at home with an authentic Mexican craft beer and then continue to enjoy the beers all year round.



He added: Our range of Loba and Propaganda beers symbolise a commitment to excellence in taste and quality, so drinkers know what to expect.

We import unpasteurised beer and invest in chilled containers to keep the beer at 5C all the way from Mexico to the UK, making sure maximum freshness is retained. This attention to detail was recognised when Loba was named North America Brewery of the Year at the International Beer Challenge in 2019 and Im excited that both Loba and Propaganda beers can now be enjoyed by more people who are currently unable to leave their home.



All seven of the Mexican beers currently stocked by Drinkscraft are available to order at www.drinkscraft.com with a free, next day delivery service. The range of Loba and Propaganda beers have already proved popular in independent Mexican restaurants and craft beer bars as well as being listed with Wholefoods Market, but the website provides another sales channel that will remain active even after on trade premises are able to reopen.



Bridge-Collyns said: Cinco de Mayo, the Spanish translation of the fifth of May, is observed to commemorate the Mexican Armys victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 and is of huge cultural significance. As well as launching the website so that people can enjoy a Loba or Propaganda beer, Drinkscraft is hosting an @lobabeer Instagram LIVE tasting and brewery tour from Mexico with the founder of Loba Brewery this Saturday, 2nd May at 7pm, when people can hear more about the beer, its styles and characteristics.

Following the celebrations around Cinco de Mayo, we have some more exciting activity and events planned for later in the year, so the new website will provide an additional platform for craft beer fans to link up with us beyond 5th May and the lockdown period, however long that may be.



Loba and Propaganda beer is available, currently in packs of 24 x 35.5cl bottles, to order at www.drinkscraft.com. Next day delivery is free of charge

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Photo: The Canadian Press Red Cross volunteer Karen Wyonzek (left) registers displaced person Shanna Skinner at an evacuee registration centre at an ice arena in the Thickwood Heights neighbourhood of Fort McMurray on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Officials in Fort McMurray are keeping a close eye on river levels after a 25-kilometre ice jam caused major flooding and forced about 12,000 people from their homes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Halinda

Joseph Enverga kept hoping the flooding would slow down or even stop as his apartment lights flickered on and off.

The 35-year old was prepared for an evacuation of downtown Fort McMurray, Alta., on Sunday afternoon. By dawn on Monday, he looked out his window and saw the reflection of his building in the parking lot that was covered in water.

He decided it was time to go.

"In my vehicle, I had my clothes ready, I had my documents ready," he says. "On top of that, I had my slack line ready, I had my bag of my favourite board games ready.

"I was telling myself: this is going to be the best evacuation ever."

Like many Fort McMurray residents, Enverga is no stranger to evacuation orders. He was forced out of his home during a raging wildfire in May 2016 that led to the evacuation of the entire city and destroyed 2,400 homes and buildings.

On Tuesday, municipal and provincial officials were keeping a close eye on river levels after a 25-kilometre ice jam caused major flooding and forced nearly 13,000 people from their homes in the downtown.

Colleen Walford, a river forecaster with Alberta Environment, said a monitoring flight just before noon Tuesday determined that the ice jam had shortened by about one kilometre and was melting.

"We have nice sunny conditions up in Fort McMurray today. We hope that continues tomorrow and it will continue to deteriorate the ice jam."

But officials with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said it remains a critical situation.

"We are not in the home stretch yet," Scott Davis, director of emergency management, told reporters.

Data shows the Clearwater River was still rising and the Athabasca River had only dropped by about four centimetres.

Mayor Don Scott said it has caused the worst flooding in the region in recent memory.

"This is a one-in-100-year flood," he said. "This is something that we haven't seen in this generation.

"And it's actually happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a dual combination of issues."

A second state of local emergency is in effect on top of one declared last month because of the pandemic.

Officials said evacuees are being put up in hotels and work camps where they can have their own space.

"We've gone to individual accommodations," said Shane Schreiber, director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

More than 6,000 people have registered at two evacuation centres and the municipality said that number is expected to grow.

Officials also said crews had to rescue more than 220 residents.

Enverga, who didn't get an evacuation order, said he ended up getting a ride with a rescue boat after he realized his van wasn't going to make it through the water.

"I was sad that I couldn't take my van," he said. "I couldn't take my slack line, I couldn't take my board games."

Enverga said he was taken to an evacuation centre then went to stay with friends in another Fort McMurray neighbourhood.

Others, including Coun. Jeff Peddle and former provincial politician Brian Jean, said they had to leave their flooded homes. Jean, who lost a home in the 2016 wildfire, said his almost-finished new house was under three metres of water.

"I'm very sad. I'm sad for the people. It started with the wildfires then it went to the economy ... then it went to COVID-19, which was an even bigger economy hit, and now the flood," he said.

"How much can a person take?"

Premier Jason Kenney and Environment Minister Jason Nixon took a flight over the city Monday.

"It really is ... devastating to see much of central Fort McMurray flooded just four years after the terrible fires of 2016," Kenney said during a media briefing Tuesday.

"To imagine people who have just rebuilt their homes now struggling with those homes being flooded and the adversity of that community after four years of economic trials is just heartbreaking."

Kenney said another 450 people have been affected by ice jams in the Fort Vermilion area.

"We will be ensuring provincial financial support," he added.

Earlier in the day, Nixon said the government will work with Wood Buffalo to request Ottawa's support if it's needed.

"At this point, we are satisfied that both the province and the municipality have the situation under control," he said.

The federal government said earlier Tuesday that it is monitoring the situation in Fort McMurray.

"While no formal requests have been made, our government is ready to help when called upon," said an emailed statement from federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.
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An NHS nurse whose hair fell out through the stress of working on the coronavirus frontline has said she 'feels like a new woman' after taking a 35 supplement which left her hairline restored in just eight weeks.

Roberta Woodford, 24, from south London, said she struggled for years with hair loss, which would become worse at times of stress.

The children's nurse, who works at a central London NHS hospital, said her locks became 'painfully thin' across the top of her scalp as fears of a coronavirus pandmeic in the UK started to grow in late January.

But after her hairdresser recommended she started taking 35 supplement Hair Gain, Roberta found her hairline thickened 'almost immediately' and within two months her locks, and her confidence, were transformed.

Roberta Woodford, 24, from south London, revealed how her hair was 'painfully thin' across the top of her scalp

BEFORE: Roberta's hairline before taking supplement (left). AFTER: Roberta after eight weeks of taking Hair Gain (right)

Roberta's hair problems started during puberty at 14 when her body underwent hormonal changes which lead to thinning noticeably.

She believes it was linked to her suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition which causes the ovaries to become enlarged, releasing high levels of androgen (a 'male' hormone) into the body.

Roberta said her mild hair thinning did not cause her major problems until she graduated from her nursing degree at the University of Southampton four years ago.

She said her stress levels rocketed when she started working as a children's nurse at an NHS hospital.

The children's nurse revealed how she now 'feels like a new woman' after taking the supplement

Roberta said her mild hair thinning did not cause her major problems until she graduated from her nursing degree at the University of Southampton four years ago (pictured)

She said: 'I was working in a hospital without the mentor you have at university to fall back on. I found adjusting very stressful and my hair loss accelerated.

'I would have bald patches at the side of my scalp and would constantly be looking at new ways to disguise my hair loss.

Roberta's hairline starting to thicken while taking the supplements

Roberta added: 'I would develop dry patches of skin on my scalp where the hair had fallen out, making it even more difficult for it to grow back.'

And she struggled with her hair loss for the next four years with constant support from her hairdresser.

She said: 'My hair was styled in a way which would cover up my baldness and I would comb it back to cover up the thinnest areas.'

She had also tried various expensive products which promised to restore hair but none had worked in the long-term.

Roberta said her hair was at its thinnest at the start of the year, just as the coronavirus was about to hit the UK, and frontline workers such as Roberta faced risking their lives to cope with casualties.

She said: 'It was painfully thin right across my scalp in January and it affected my body confidence.

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'It was thinner than I had ever been before. It really does hit you hard and you are always wondering if other people are talking about your hair loss.'

But after her hairdresser had attended a hair loss conference in London a few weeks earlier and came back with a month's supply of Hair Gain.

Hair Gain contains powerful phytonutrients which can deliver fuller, thicker hair in just one month for women suffering hair loss for a number of reasons - stress, childbirth, nutritional deficiencies, changes in metabolism and over-styling.

Roberta started taking it and over the next two months her hair grew back and is now thicker than it has been for years.

Roberta said her stress levels rocketed when she started working as a children's nurse at an NHS hospital (pictured, at work)

She said: 'It started to make a difference almost immediately and I was so impressed that I started pictures every few weeks from the same angle so that I could properly appreciate how it was growing back.

'Every week it was a little thicker and, as I looked at the pictures, I could feel my body confidence surging.

'Within eight weeks, my hair was pretty much fully grown back. It was thicker than it had been for years and I felt so much happier and good about myself.'

Roberta started taking the supplements, which promise fuller and thicker hair, upon the recommendation of her hairdresser

She continued: 'It was so nice to go to work and not feel self-conscious about my hair.

'I have always suffered badly from acne and this cleared up as well. I used to get quite angry spots on my chin but Hair Gain contains zinc which is good for the skin and my skin is clearer than it has ever been.'

Hair loss in women Losing your hair as a woman, especially if you're young or at a vulnerable time in your life, can badly affect your confidence. Jackie Tomlinson, Alopecia UK spokesperson and a dermatology specialist nurse at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, says society considers hair to be an important part of how you look: 'For women, there's a social stigma attached to going bald,' she says. 'Hair loss can affect your sensuality and how you perceive yourself. There are usually emotional trials and tribulations when it happens. 'Some women question whether their partner will still love them. I've known others become socially reclusive and give up enjoyable activities like swimming and going to the gym, because they can't bear using the communal changing rooms for fear of their hair loss being discovered.' Hair loss, known medically as alopecia, is common. It's estimated, for instance, that around 70% of women over the age of 70 experience female-pattern baldness  the most common type of hair loss, which is thought to be inherited. Different types of hair loss There are lots of different types of hair loss. It can take the form of "thinning" or involve a total loss of hair. It can be gradual or sudden; it can affect the old and the young. Hair loss can be genetic, or as a result of extreme stress, a medical condition or treatment. Advertisement

Now, Roberta is busier than ever working in the children's ward and intends to continue taking the supplement to ensure her hair loss doesn't happen again.

She said: 'I just feel very grateful to still be working. Millions of people have lost their jobs through this crisis and I feel lucky to still be at work and be able to make a difference.'

Roberta revealed how her long-term boyfriend has been a constant support throughout her hair journey.

She said: 'He said he loved the way I looked even when my hair was thin and has been brilliant at boosting my confidence.

'But he said he could really notice the difference and that my hair is looking so much better.'

Around four in ten women are expected to suffer hair loss at some point in their lives including the menopause, post-partum or stress.

Lucy Palmer created Hair Gain after suffering hair loss following the birth of her daughter with a number of trichologists have recommend it to their clients.

She said: 'It was amazing to see such a huge difference in Roberta's hair.

'Not only is she working on the NHS frontline but she is also battling the added stress of chronic hair loss which can really sap a woman's confidence.

'I am so pleased that Hair Gain has completely restored her hair and really boosted her self-esteem.'

Roberta revealed how she is looking forward to a well-deserved holiday when the coronavirus crisis is finally over.

She said: 'I will be busy for a long-time yet but it will be nice to get away when the time is right.

'It will be great to be able to relax with my hair looking at its best.'
Rush-hour traffic on the 110 Freeway through downtown Los Angeles in 2014. (Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Columnist Nicholas Goldberg's assertion that traffic will come back after the pandemic is partially true, but I would assert not at nearly the same levels.

Plenty of businesses were married to an old-school notion that working from home was incompatible with the company's culture. For those of us lucky enough to still be employed, we've found that notion simply isn't true.

Where I am employed, we went to 100% work from home in early March. While it's looking likely that some form of social distancing will remain with us for a while, once some rules are relaxed, I for one plan to continue working from home unless I'm absolutely needed in person.

Long gone is my desire to have a face-to-face or a mask-to-mask meeting when I can video conference, save time on my commute (normally 90 minutes per day) and save money on gas.

Wendy Winter, Altadena

..

To the editor: Goldberg takes a negative view of L.A.'s prospects for reduced traffic after the pandemic.

We have learned much from people having to work at home. We should build on that and encourage a new, permanent way of working that will cut freeway congestion and promote cleaner air. I challenge local leaders to work with businesses to encourage companies to formally adopt remote working or flexible schedules.

Suppose that major businesses were to announce that they "proudly support cleaner air and reduced traffic by working remotely on Wednesdays." Imagine if our colleges and universities no longer offered Friday classes and also asked their administrators to work at home that day.

What if more organizations were to adopt similar plans or stagger their start schedules for employees?

Marianne Haver Hill, Altadena

..

To the editor: We need to do three things to permanently reduce traffic.

First, stop building expensive rail lines, and start adding bus service. Second, institute congestion pricing. As Goldberg notes, we have some of it now, and it works. One can say that it is unfair, as the rich get another great perk, except you use the revenue to do what's next on my list.

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Finally, make make public transportation free  not a dollar, not 50 cents, but free. You save on all the infrastructure and staffing required to charge and accept fees.

Increased advertising, cost savings and money from congestion pricing can make free mass transit a reality. Only then will Angelenos truly have transportation options.

Mitchell Schwartz, Los Angeles
Market Overview The total number of flower growers increased from 5,913 in 2015 to 6,386 in 2018, the United States remains a net importer, with 81% of the total amount of flowers imported from Colombia and Ecuador.

New York, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "United States Floriculture Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865892/?utm_source=GNW

The most imported flowers include roses, Gerbera, carnations, orchids, tulips, and lilies. An increase in the production lies in the specialty cut flower sector, as the growers can produce varieties of with longer life, such as sunflower, lisianthus, and dahlia. According to the Agriculture Statistics Board, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), lilies and tulips accounted for 17% and 15% of the total cut flower market, respectively, in 2015, followed by gerbera, gladioli, snapdragons, roses, and others. By plant variety type, cactus and echeveria together constitute 26% of the total indoor plant market in the United States. The demand for these varieties is being driven by a wave of interior sketching with houseplants. Many regional companies, such as Costa Farms, the Sill, Zolfo Springs, etc., are venturing into this, considering the competitive advantage of changing consumer preferences for houseplants. In addition, an online auction of flowers has been gaining traction with the emerging online delivery retailers attracting consumers with the ease of accessibility, such as ProFlowers, The Bouqs Company, UrbanStems Inc., and 1-800-Flowers, among others.



Scope of the Report

The scope of the report extends to cut flowers and plants prevalent in the floriculture market in the United States. Cut flowers are flowers or flower buds cut from plants for decorative purposes, while live plants, potted flowering plants, foliage plants for indoor or patio, and herbaceous perennials, have been included under the scope of the report. The market is segmented based on types of cut flowers prevalent in the country, such as tulips, gerbera, lilies, gladioli, snapdragons, roses, chrysanthemums, carnations, orchids, and other cut flowers. Plants have been segmented into cactus, crassula ovata, echeveria, and other plants. The report encompasses a comprehensive analysis of flower farms in the country with an insight into the area under cultivation and cultivation facilities. A detailed analysis of the floriculture supply chain, the marketing channel, consumer preference, and market trends has also been included.



Key Market Trends

Booming Cultural Preference For Gifting Flowers



In the United States, flowers are purchased for a variety of reasons, ranging from expressions of love or sympathy to satisfying environmental and beautification goals. The expenditure choice of purchase is closely tied to the demographic and occasions or periods. Here consumers believe in gifting flowers on special occasions to communicate the deepest feelings in the most elegant manner. For instance, in 2018, flowers accounted for 69% of all the gifts on Mothers Day. According to a survey by the Society of American Florists, 65% of the customers in the United States like to receive flowers and 60% of the customers believe a gift containing flowers offer a special meaning, unlike any other gift. Cut flowers, such as tulips, lilies, pansies, and roses, are some of the most preferred flowers by the consumers. Thus, the growing preference of the consumers for flowers as the gifting choice and the rapid innovation, in terms of packaging and customization from the florists to cater to the consumers interest are the factors expected to drive the growth of the US floriculture market.



Transition from Traditional Purchase To Online Growers and Services



There is a growing demand for fresh cut flowers, potted flowering plants, and bedding plants in the United States. The country, apart from its domestic production, imports 80% of the cut flowers from other countries. In order to meet this demand superior quality flowers are required both at the distribution and consumer level. This factor drives the popularity of the online growing auctions in the country. There is a growing popularity for the online growers in the US, as it connects the growers and consumers through an online auction, where the consumers can get flowers at affordable prices with good quality. There is a boom for online flower delivery services across the country, as they deliver flowers on a punctual basis (even on last-minute occasions) without the customers needing to visit the local florist shops and also E com florists offer flower related gift items at affordable prices. There is also a new trend of DIY (Do It Yourself) from is affecting the floral industry, online retailers are offering this option too, to meet the consumer demands. Thus, the rise in the number of online retailers and the various marketing strategies adopted by the major retail chain outlets are expected to drive the growth of the floriculture market in the country.



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RACINE  The City of Racine has launched a new social media campaign called #StaySafeRacine, which is intended to flatten the curse, slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep people safe, no matter where they are.

The campaigns announcement was made in a City of Racine news release issued early Wednesday morning. We need our communities safe and our front line workers healthy and strong, the release said. The message is simple. Stay safe. Save lives.

While we cant be together physically, we wanted to find a way to virtually support one another and encourage our friends and neighbors to stay safe as work together to flatten the curve, Racine Mayor Cory Mason said. Every morning, I meet with our public health officials to get updates on how COVID-19 is spreading through the community. We have not peaked, and the number of confirmed cases continues to grow. Its hard, but we have to double down on our efforts around staying home and social distancing. This campaign is designed to show our residents that we are all in this together.

The #StaySafeRacine campaign includes tools for residents to share how they are staying safe and encourage other to do the same.

The campaign toolkit is available at www.StaySafeRacine.org, and includes:

Examples of social media posts in English and Spanish;

Key messages to be shared via social media in English and Spanish

Social media graphics in English and Spanish

15-second and 30-second public service announcements in English and Spanish

Stay Home Save Lives artwork for graphic designers

Digital billboards

#StaySafeRacine means that it is the responsibility of all Racine stakeholders residents, business operators, and workers to do their part to limit the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the impact on the most vulnerable in our communities, the release stated.

So as part of the campaign, the City is asking everyone to show their support for stopping the spread of COVID-19 by visiting www.StaySafeRacine.org or the citys Facebook page and taking a pledge to use the #StaySafeRacine hashtag, messages and graphics on their social media pages, and encouraging their circles to do the same.

The best practice is still to remain home whenever possible. But if you must venture out, please continue to follow the latest safety guidelines, including limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people, keeping a safe distance of at least six feet from others, wearing a face mask and other forms of personal protective equipment (including gloves), coughing into your elbows, frequently washing your hands, and avoiding touching your face when outside your home, the release stated.

City points to health department data

Racine City Public Health Department data reported the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 174 as of Tuesday afternoon, with 44 probable cases.

In addition, the Central Racine County Health Department has reported 139 confirmed, plus 46 probable cases, as of Tuesday afternoon. That brings the countys total to 313 confirmed cases and 100 probable. There have also been 12 COVID-19 related deaths in the county as of Tuesday.

The infection rate continues to climb, the release said.

The release stated, the curve of the virus has not been flattened in the city or the state.

The data suggests clearly that residents around the state need to continue their efforts to stay home and social distancing, the release said.

There is light at the end of this tunnel, and well reach it faster if we do our part and spread the word so that we slow the spread of COVID-19. Our first responders and other essential workers, including our neighbors performing medical, food, and other important service work, are counting on us, Mason said. They risk their lives every day by going to work so that we have our basic needs met. We owe it to them to do our part to help flatten the curve.

Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A Canadian military helicopter serving with a NATO naval task force has gone missing in the Ionian Sea while participating in a mission in international waters off Greece.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the news in a tweet Wednesday evening. Trudeau said a search and rescue operation was underway and that other updates would be provided "as soon as possible."

Local media reports, quoting the Greek defence ministry, said the aircraft, with as many as six people aboard, had crashed into the sea.

A source with the Greek government told CBC News that one body had been recovered. Separately, local media in Greece also reported that wreckage had been spotted.

No one in the Canadian government would confirm the reports, nor offer comment. Officials contacted by CBC News late Wednesday said they expected that the prime minister would address the nation Thursday morning.

Little comment from NATO

A tweet from Canadian Armed Forces operations earlier Wednesday would only officially confirm there was an incident involving one of the air force's new CH-148 Cyclone helicopters.

"Contact was lost with the aircraft as it was participating in Allied exercises off the coast of Greece," the military said on Twitter and Facebook. "Search and rescue efforts are currently underway."

But in a tweet late Wednesday, the Canadian Armed Forces said it has contacted all primary family members of those who were on board the helicopter.

A spokesperson for NATO provided little in the way of comment.

"I confirm there has been an incident involving a helicopter from a ship under NATO command," said Col. Juanita Chang, chief of public affairs at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium.

"There is currently a search and rescue operation being conducted and national notifications taking place."

The Canadian Press

Separately, a NATO source told CBC News that contact with the helicopter was lost early in the evening on Wednesday, around 8:15 p.m., local time. The flight was briefed as a routine flight operation while the task force was at sea, according to the official, who asked that their name be kept confidential because of the sensitivity of the subject.

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NATO's Operation Reassurance

HMCS Fredericton is part of the standing NATO naval group currently in the area. It has been on deployment since January.

CBC News

The Greek state television channel ERT reported that the helicopter had come from the Canadian frigate, which is taking part in the alliance's Operation Reassurance meant to deter Russian aggression throughout Eastern Europe.

The crash reportedly happened late Wednesday in the Ionian Sea about 80 kilometres off the Greek resort island of Cephalonia.

HMCS Fredericton was reported to be part of the search operation, along with an Italian frigate and a Turkish frigate.

WATCH | Canadian military helicopter missing near Greece:

The Cyclone is a militarized version of the Sikorsky S-92 utility helicopter.

It replaced the air force's five-decade-old CH-124 Sea Kings, which were gradually retired from service over the last few years. The crash of a Cyclone would represent a major blow given how long the military had to wait for the aircraft to be developed.

5 overseas missions to date

Originally ordered in 2004, the program faced delays and cost escalations to the point where former auditor general Sheila Fraser slammed the federal government's handling of the project in 2010.

The Cyclone routinely flies with a crew of four: two pilots, a tactical operator and a sensor operator. There is, however, room for several passengers. The helicopter's primary mission is hunting submarines, but it has a sophisticated surveillance suite and is also outfitted for search and rescue.

facebook.com/NATOMaritimeCommand

Since coming into service, the Cyclone has been deployed on five overseas missions with the navy, including previous NATO stints.

The air force repeatedly has praised the aircraft's capabilities  although it was involved in at least one shipboard accident while serving with HMCS Regina and the resupply ship MV Asterix in the Pacific Ocean last year.

A Cyclone suffered what defence officials described at the time as a "hard landing" aboard the Asterix on Feb. 18, 2019.
Universities are reinventing themselves with a new series of short courses to help retrain people who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, University of NSW, Western Sydney University, the University of Wollongong, Australian Catholic University and the Australian National University are among institutions introducing the courses that include higher education certificates for displaced workers.

Macquarie University is among universities offering a new range of short courses to help displaced workers get new skills. Credit:Virginia Star

A Macquarie University spokeswoman said it was finalising a range of Higher Education Certificate courses in areas including engineering, IT, biotechnology, environment, health and science at sub-bachelor, bachelor and postgraduate levels.

"Upon finishing their short course, students will be able to enrol in either a sub-bachelor diploma, bachelor degree, postgraduate diploma or masters degree depending on the certificate they completed," she said.
Rene Zahnd has been the CEO of Swiss Prime Site AG (VTX:SPSN) since 2016. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

Check out our latest analysis for Swiss Prime Site

How Does Rene Zahnd's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, Swiss Prime Site AG has a market capitalization of CHF7.0b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth CHF1.8m over the year to December 2019. That's a fairly small increase of 1.9% on year before. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at CHF900k. As part of our analysis we looked at companies in the same jurisdiction, with market capitalizations of CHF3.9b to CHF12b. The median total CEO compensation was CHF2.2m.

Next, let's break down remuneration compositions to understand how the industry and company compare with each other. On a sector level, around 50% of total compensation represents salary and 50% is other remuneration. Our data reveals that Swiss Prime Site allocates salary in line with the wider market.

That means Rene Zahnd receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a company that size. While this data point isn't particularly informative alone, it gains more meaning when considered with business performance. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Swiss Prime Site has changed from year to year.

SWX:SPSN CEO Compensation April 29th 2020

Is Swiss Prime Site AG Growing?

Swiss Prime Site AG has seen earnings per share (EPS) move positively by an average of 22% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 3.8% over last year.

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This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently. A good result. It's good to see a bit of revenue growth, as this suggests the business is able to grow sustainably. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.

Has Swiss Prime Site AG Been A Good Investment?

With a total shareholder return of 19% over three years, Swiss Prime Site AG shareholders would, in general, be reasonably content. But they probably wouldn't be so happy as to think the CEO should be paid more than is normal, for companies around this size.

In Summary...

Rene Zahnd is paid around what is normal for the leaders of comparable size companies.

Shareholder returns could be better but shareholders would be pleased with the positive EPS growth. So upon reflection one could argue that the CEO pay is quite reasonable. Taking a breather from CEO compensation, we've spotted 6 warning signs for Swiss Prime Site (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock.

Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China will accelerate the construction of new infrastructure such as the information networks, and promote industrial and consumption upgrading, according to an executive meeting of the State Council held Tuesday.

The meeting, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, noted that the country will guide related parties to build the industrial internet, meet the needs of digital consumption, and deepen international cooperation in relevant areas.

As new infrastructure is conducive to advancing the industrial upgrading, nurturing new growth drivers and promoting employment and entrepreneurship, efforts should be made to accelerate the construction of new infrastructure in light of the development needs, said a statement released after the meeting.

Innovation should be enhanced on investment pattern and financial services, the statement said, calling on the government to provide convenience for the construction and investment.

China should tap its huge market potential and actively develop application scenarios for new infrastructure, the statement said.

Joint efforts are needed to build the industrial internet with an aim to achieve industrial upgrade and the development of smart manufacturing.

The meeting called for promoting applications such as online working, distance learning, remote medical treatment, the internet of vehicles, and smart city.

It also urged efforts to boost bilateral opening up and cooperation between the communication industry and related sectors while ensuring individual privacy as well as network and data security.

Besides, the meeting stressed moves to deepen international cooperation and opening up in related areas in a bid to seek win-win results.

The meeting also heard a report on suggestions from deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and proposals from members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

In 2019, ministries of the State Council led the handling of 7,162 items of suggestions put forward by NPC deputies, as well as 3,281 proposals by CPPCC National Committee members, accounting for 87.8 percent and 85 percent of the total amounts respectively, the statement said.

Over 1,500 policies and measures were released based on the suggestions, playing a significant part in the battle against poverty, improving innovation capacity, the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and other causes.

The work on handling the suggestions and proposals should be further combined with the government's own functions, so as to further convert the NPC deputies' and CPPCC National Committee members' knowledge and thinking into policies and measures in epidemic control and social and economic development, according to the statement.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey's car exports to Turkmenistan grew by 61.7 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, exceeding $6.5 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend on April 29.

The export of cars from Turkey to Turkmenistan in March 2020 also increased by 55.6 percent compared to March 2019, making up $2.1 million.

The export of cars from Turkey to the world markets from January through March 2020 decreased by 10 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and reached $6.9 billion.

The export of cars from Turkey makes up 16.3 percent of the country's total export of goods from January through March 2020.

Turkey exported the cars worth $2.06 billion in March 2020 which is by 28.5 percent less than in March 2019.

The export of cars from Turkey in March 2020 accounted for 15.4 percent of Turkey's total export.

Turkey's export of cars from March 2019 through March 2020 amounted to $29.8 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Scheuring and Kennedy, along with OPRF classmates Sarah Katz, Veronica Brooks and Simran Chambers, qualified for the national competition after the five swept the regional science and humanities competition in March. The results make it the first time in the history of JSHS that all five finalists in a regional competition have come from one school, officials said.
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said states have been highly appreciative of Aarogya Setu app, and a similar solution for feature phones is in the works and will be launched shortly. The minister on Tuesday interacted with state IT ministers through video-conferencing to discuss COVID-19 challenges, tech innovations and road map for the IT and electronics sector.

"Every state highly appreciated the #AarogyaSetu app and shared their thoughts on it. I have assured them that a similar solution for feature phones is being developed and will be launched very soon," the minister said in a tweet. The government's mobile application Aarogya Setu, developed for tracking coronavirus patients, has recorded 75 million (7.5 crore) downloads, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said on April 24.

Aarogya Setu app alerts people if any known or person in their vicinity has tested positive. The district administration has been asking all educational institutions and departments to push downloading of the app. The current version of Aarogya Setu app is primarily compatible for smartphones. Asked about the new solution in the making, sources in the IT ministry said it will work on JioPhone, which supports KaiOS operating system.

"Also, 1921 is an IVRS where whatever self test is being done on the app, can be done on phone too. The response will be captured and will go to the health system," the source said. According to some estimates, India has more than 400 million feature phones.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: COVID-19 deaths cross 1,000-mark, 31,332 cases; lockdown 3 or phased exit?

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: Aarogya Setu app can help in contact tracing but privacy issues need to be addressed
Kylie Jenner looks to be turning to former friend Tammy Hembrow for inspiration.

The billionaire makeup mogul, 22, appeared to recreate the 26-year-old leading Australian influencer's most famous pose in a racy Instagram photo shoot on Tuesday.

She turned to point her famous derriere at the camera in a skimpy bikini, which is Gold Coast-based beauty Tammy's go-to signature pose.

Twinning: Kylie Jenner (left) looked to be turning to former friend Tammy Hembrow (right) for inspiration as she recreated her most famous Instagram pose on Tuesday

Kylie's entire poolside photo shoot at her new USD $36.5million (AUD $56.1million) mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles was reminiscent of Tammy's own shoots.

In another picture, Kylie is seen perched on the tiles around her swimming pool. Tammy previously shared a similar selfie around her pool in January 2019.

A third photograph of Kylie highlighting her curves by raising a leg is similar to a picture shared by Tammy last year, promoting a fitness supplement.

Seeing double! Kylie's entire poolside photo shoot at her new USD $36.5million (AUD $56.1million) mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, appeared reminiscent of Tammy's own shoots

Same but different! A third photograph of Kylie highlighting her curves by raising a leg is similar to a picture shared by Tammy last year, promoting a fitness supplement

Former friends Kylie and Tammy have a turbulent history.

Tammy first found fame in the mainstream media in August 2018, after she was stretchered out of Kylie's 21st birthday party in West Hollywood.

The dramatic incident, which Tammy said occurred because she was exhausted and jet-lagged while partying, overshadowed the milestone celebration.

A star is born! Tammy first found fame in the mainstream media in August 2018, after she was stretchered out of Kylie's 21st birthday party in LA. Pictured: Tammy on Studio 10 last year

Awkward: In February 2019, Kylie unfollowed Tammy on Instagram, weeks after the blonde 'had a fling' with her rapper ex-boyfriend Tyga. Pictured: Kylie and Tyga in February 2017

In February 2019, Kylie unfollowed Tammy on Instagram, weeks after the blonde 'had a fling' with her rapper ex-boyfriend Tyga as he toured Australia.

Tyga later penned a rap about 'wet wipes' inspired by his memories of Tammy, which featured in a a remix of Ambjaay's track, Uno ft. Lil Pump.

He rapped in the song: 'Go Tammy, keep dancing, you nasty, no panties. Get a wet wipe, that'll come in handy. And that p***y hit, b***h, you deserve a Grammy.'

Tammy later clarified that she had approved Tyga's verse before it was released.

'Keep dancing, you nasty': Tyga later penned a rap about 'wet wipes' inspired by his memories of Tammy, which featured in a a remix of Ambjaay's track, Uno ft. Lil Pump
B oris Johnson is a modernising, socially liberal Prime Minister.

He is expected to leave this until later in the year when the coronavirus epidemic which has torn across Britain may be more under control.

Having returned to work at No10 on Monday after his close brush with death from Covid-19, he now has to make some of the most challenging decisions faced by any modern-day premier.

For a Prime Minister in full health and with a settled family life such a task would be daunting enough - hundreds if not thousands of lives are at stake.

Boris Johnson returned to work on Monday after a three-week break while he was treated for Covid-19 / Jeremy Selwyn

But Mr Johnson, 55, has had two life-changing events in just three weeks - a new family today so soon after requiring intensive care at St Thomas Hospital, Westminster, to survive the killer infection.

One of the advantages of being Prime Minister is working from home in Downing Street so Mr Johnson will be able to pop upstairs, to the spacious flat above No11, to see Ms Symonds, their new child and Dilyn, their Jack Russell cross terrier.

However, the pressure on the Prime Minister will be ferociously intense, having to try to balance a family life with leading the war against Covid.

He will also have to weigh up how much he is being swayed in his decision-making by his near-death experience from coronavirus, from which Ms Symonds, 32, has also recovered.

Mr Johnson pictured with Carrie Symonds following his keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in October / Getty Images

Being ultra cautious on easing the lockdown, given that he has experienced the true horror of Covid, would be totally understandable.

However, delaying risks increasing the devastating economic impact on Britain of the pandemic and further health problems, including deaths, for millions trapped for most of the day in their homes and a significant numbers of people not accessing NHS care.

But blundering over lifting restrictions too early could allow the virus to run rampant again, with a second peak claiming thousands of lives.

If coronavirus can be defeated, then there is still the small matter of Brexit, which was the biggest earthquake shock to Britain for generations , before the pandemic.

Matt Hancock welcomes 'good news' as Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds announce birth of baby boy

Mr Johnson and David Cameron fell out over Brexit.

Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha welcomed daughter Florence Rose Endellion Cameron, their fourth child, into the world in 2010.

Politically, this was also a time of change, with the Coalition government with the Liberal Democrats having been formed three months prior to her being born.

David Cameron, Britain's Prime Minister at the time, left, arrives at his hotel with his wife Samantha and their few week old baby daughter Florence in 2010 / AP

Florence was delivered by Caesarean section at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro while the Camerons were on their summer holiday, near the village of Endellion.

While promoting his memoirs, For The Record, last year, Mr Cameron said Florence, who was only five when the family left Downing Street in 2016, was hazy about his time in power.

He told the Cheltenham Literature Festival that his daughter had asked him: Daddy, is it true, were you actually the Prime Minister?

Cherie Blair gave birth to Leo three years after Labours 1997 landslide general election win.

Boris Johnsons fiancee Carrie Symonds gives birth to boy

In her memoirs, Speaking For Myself, the QC revealed Leo was conceived during a visit to Balmoral, the Queens residence in Scotland.

Before Mr Blair, it was Lord John Russell and wife Lady Russell who produced the last child to be born to the office holder of First Lord of the Treasury - the Prime Ministers official title.

Lady Russell gave birth to two sons, George and Francis, during her husbands first stint in office between 1846 and 1852.

Tony Blair watched by his wife Cherie, kisses his baby son Leo outside 10 Downing Street in 2001 / AP

Mr Johnson, though, remains popular despite all his political and private turmoils and the joy of a newborn arriving is likely to fuel goodwill towards him.

The Conservatives are way ahead of Labour in the polls, even reaching 50 per cent in some.
European Researchers' Night - Tunisian project selected Green Night involves several partners

(ANSAmed) - TUNISI, 29 APR - The project ''Tunisian Researchers' and Citizens' Green Deal'' [Green Night] has been selected as part of the initiative European Researchers' Night, which has been promoted by the European Commission since 2005.



It involves each year thousands of researchers and research institutions to promote scientific culture and professions in all European countries. The announcement was made by the page of Horizon 2020 Tunisia, explaining that the process was extremely selective. The realization of the project was coordinated by the Tunisian ministry for higher education and scientific research - Management unit of the European program R&I Horizon 2020. The associated partners are: the National agency for the promotion of scientific research (Anpr), Research in Action (React), the Association for scientific innovation and computer research, the Association Jeunes Sciences and the Association of scientific research in computer sciences (Arsii), the City of sciences in Tunis (Cst), the Palace of sciences in Monastir (Psm) and the Village of sciences in Tataouine (Vst). All partners worked with dedication and professionalism, the statement said. The research and innovation program HORIZON 2020 is coordinated by the management unit responsible for the European program at the ministry for higher education and scientific research. It is an opportunity to fund scientific research and innovation which promotes strategic evolution on an international scale. Tunisia has the status of ''associated partner'' of HORIZON 2020 since December 2015. It is the European Union's largest program for research and innovation for a value of 80 billion dollars. (ANSAmed)
The Clippers have released a limited-edition collection of two T-shirts and a hooded sweatshirt to benefit the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles for coronavirus relief. (Los Angeles Clippers)

In the past, Los Angeles artist Mister Cartoon designed his work in the hopes it would be shown in public.

First known for his graffiti writing in the early 1990s, Cartoon has created brightly colored lowriders that have been displayed at art festivals. Celebrities covet his tattoos. A uniform worn this season by the Clippers was inspired by his work.

Now, with much of California staying at home amid the coronavirus outbreak, hes not sure when hell see his newest design on the streets. And thats fine by him.

The artist and the Clippers on Wednesday released a limited-edition collection of two T-shirts and a hooded sweatshirt featuring Cartoons distinctive Old English font and black-and-white color palette, with all proceeds benefiting the Mayors Fund for Los Angeles for coronavirus relief, the team said. Cartoon said he hopes customers will show off his work like usual  just on social media for the time being. He supports Mayor Eric Garcettis recommendations to stay at home as much as possible to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The collection was designed by Los Angeles artist Mister Cartoon. (Los Angeles Clippers)

On a Friday night, iron it, throw on some kicks, walk around your living room, Cartoon said.

Earlier this month, the Clippers joined other local franchises including the Lakers, Kings, Galaxy and Sparks in selling team merchandise to benefit the Mayors Fund. Money raised from Cartoons T-shirts and sweatshirt will support child care, meals, counseling for healthcare workers, healthcare equipment and services for the citys homeless community, the team said.

It's such a sad time with people's families affected and people's finances affected, Cartoon said. This is our way of being able to give back and make some cool collectible stuff instead of hey, just send us money. It's like, let's make something and let people be part of it.

The pandemic disrupted Cartoons plans for this spring. He was supposed to attend Art Basel in Hong Kong in March, where a car featuring his design was to be displayed, until the spread of the coronavirus canceled the event. A documentary featuring Cartoon, LA Originals, had been accepted at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. That, too, was canceled.

Story continues

Mister Cartoon, left, is a local artist known for his tattoos, graffiti and more. (Tasia Wells / Getty Images for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

He has stayed busy nonetheless by promoting the documentary, which was directed by one of Cartoons longtime collaborators, Estevan Oriol, and has since debuted on Netflix.

Cartoon hopes the reception for the documentary and the apparel benefiting the Mayors Fund comes close to that of his first collaboration with the Clippers. The uniform, which debuted in November during a Clippers game against Houston, was part of the teams City Edition collection.

It actually did better than we thought, he said. Sports fans are like no other fans, man. They are religious with it. I wanted to do something that definitely represented the core of L.A. and I wanted it to be clean but I still wanted that edge on there, that tattooed edge, that lowrider edge.
Chances, amounts of weekend snow still up in the air


Norwich School makes face masks for NHS Norwich School makes face masks for NHS

Teachers from Norwich School have responded to NHS concerns about personal protective equipment by manufacturing their own.

In response to the rise in patients being treated for coronavirus, art and design teachers from Norwich School have given up their time to make protective visors for healthcare staff and key workers.



Staff from Norwich School volunteered over the Easter holidays to help and currently approximately 4,000 face shields have been produced.



These have been delivered to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, to nursing homes, hospices and GP surgeries around Norfolk and beyond. Norwich School has also been sharing our design with other schools around the country so they can make their own.



The deliveries included around 100 pairs of goggles and 30 boxes of gloves donated from the schools science department.



Ed Cann, the teacher who initiated the effort, said: We have had numerous requests from the local medical community for the schools support.



Following prototyping on Sunday, we managed to produce 138 on Monday using the materials we had in stock.



The visors are being constructed with the schools laser cutter, with available materials suggesting they can produce at least 150 face shields each day.



Headteacher Steffan Griffiths said: Norwich School has remained open to supervise the children of key workers and is now pleased to be able to use its resources to support the NHS in another way.



I am grateful to my colleagues for giving their time and using their expertise to make equipment which enables health workers to assist those in need.



It is important that everyone plays their part in helping the community respond to the coronavirus outbreak and we will continue to explore ways in which we can be useful to these wider efforts.

Factfile
Our task force has only met once, we had one phone call for an hour  45 minutes of that hour was spent with President Trump boasting on how great the testing was going in this country, how we had conducted more testing than any other country and that other countries were calling us (and) asking us to give them tests, said Duckworth, a frequent Trump critic.
VIENNA, April 29 (Reuters) - Part or all of the former imperial palace in central Vienna that houses Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen's office has been evacuated after a bomb threat, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

The threat was made by email against the palace, a sprawling complex that includes reception rooms, the headquarters of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and temporarily the debate chamber of Austria's lower house of parliament, the spokesman said.

Television footage showed the square between the president's office and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's office, which is not in the palace, being cleared. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Toby Chopra)
By Akbar Mammadov

Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani community Tural Ganjaliyev has said that the regions Armenian community is ready for peaceful coexistence with Azerbaijanis despite the pressure from Yerevan.

In a Facebbok post on 28 April 20, Ganjaliyev said that many Armenian citizens from Nagorno-Karabakh are following the Communitys activities and some of them have even contacted him.

Despite the repressive actions of the so-called regime illegally set up by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, residents who are members of the Armenian community have contacted the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and expressed their support and readiness to peacefully coexist with the Azerbaijani community within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan", Ganjaliyev said.

Ganjaliyev reminded that the illegal elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh recently despite the COVID-19 threats, are an example of Yerevans condensending attitude towards Karabakhs Armeniana community.

He further said that Armenia uses the occupation of Azerbaijani territories as a means to distract the attention of citizens from domestic problems and instead of solving the problems takes provocative steps and statements.

Facts show that the Armenian community are aware that they are a victim in all these games and have become an instrument in Armenias aggression Azerbaijan.

Ganjaliyev said that among the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan there are many people who understand the importance of the coexistence of the two communities within the internationally recognized territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, adding that the number of such people is increasing.

"The numerous messages sent recently by the representatives of the Armenian community to both official pages of the Azerbaijani community, and to my personal accounts in social media, give grounds to say this", the chairman noted.

He said that the anonymity of people who send appeals to the Community, will be fully protected for the sake of their security until final peace is achieved.

"The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is constantly making efforts to restore peace in the region, and appreciates the support of all members of the Armenian community in this process", Ganjaliyev said.

"As an MP from Khankendi city, I would like to assure once again that I am striving to solve all concerns and problems of both Armenian and Azerbaijani residents of the city. Despite pressure from the occupying Armenia, any resident of Khankendi of Armenian origin can send us their complaints and suggestions via social media and e-mail, despite pressure from the occupying Armenians just like Azerbaijani residents do."

Furthermore, Ganjaliyev said that Nagorno-Karabakh's Azerbaijani community is ready for "a broader inter-communal dialogue for peace" with the region's Armenian community and that such dialogue will be organized soon.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Britons leaving education could face the kind of difficult job market last seen in the 1980s as they enter the workforce for the first time.

People starting their careers in the midst of an economic downturn suffer negative effects as many as eight years later, according to Laura Gardiner, research director at the Resolution Foundation. Analysis of previous crises by the think tank found that they are more likely work in lower paid occupations and be stuck with depressed real wages, even when they had higher levels of education.

The current restrictions on activity likely wont be the last, according to a separate report by the Institute of Economic Affairs published Wednesday. The coronavirus pandemic could last for two years, coming in a series of waves of which the second could cause most damage, it said. The impact will include a significant economic contraction, a debt crisis and retreat from globalization.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

UK unemployment peaked at almost 12% under Margaret Thatcher in 1984, a rate that is set to be rivaled this year if the lockdown to stop of the spread of virus drags on, economists say. Some of the largest employers have canceled or delayed recruitment programs, as companies across the nation are forced to furlough or fire the staff they already have.

For young job seekers, the damage could prove worse than during the financial crisis just over a decade ago, when many firms chose to cut pay rather than jobs. By contrast, low-skilled and entry-level roles are now being destroyed by measures to tackle the pandemic, Gardiner told a webinar organized by the Confederation of British Industry Tuesday.

We thought wed got rid of huge unemployment increases after the last recession but we could be going back to the eighties, particularly when we consider the jobs young people tend to start their careers in are exactly those not available at all at the moment, she said.

For some of those affected, the most rational solution would be to try to remain in education longer and ride out the storm, Gardiner said. However, the costs of doing so mean that option will only be more open to those from affluent backgrounds and risk exacerbating inequalities.

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European countries want our labor migrants to work for them. It is difficult to understand why Ukraine artificially restrains labor migration because people simply do not have work for decent pay in our country

Open source

Ukraine might appear at the epicenter of a new international scandal. And the reason is our labor migrants. Estonian Ambassador to Kyiv Kaimo Kuusk said that the Ukrainian government has banned Ukrainians from leaving the country in order to find a job. At the same time, European countries want our labor migrants to work for them. It is difficult to understand why Ukraine artificially restrains labor migration because people simply do not have work for decent pay in our country.

Europe is ready to spend money on charters for Ukrainian labor migrants

Returning to Ukraine before the closure of the borders, labor migrants became trapped: they do not have an opportunity to return back, although they are very much waited by the foreign employers.

On the eve of the spring harvest, Finland planned to allow 14,000 people from Ukraine to come for seasonal works. Despite the fact that officially the borders of Finland are closed, the Finnish government allowed coming seasonal workers, including ones from Ukraine. To do this, a person must have permission to get a job, which is issued at the Embassy of Finland in Kyiv. Permits can be obtained by workers who are invited by specific Finnish employers.

Poland is also waiting for the return of labor migrants from Ukraine. On the Polish television channel TVP, the president of the Industrial Personnel Service, Krzysztof Inglot, said that Poland is experiencing an acute shortage of people to work in agriculture. Farmers will not be able to harvest without seasonal workers, who usually came from Ukraine. Inglot said that Poland was planning to organize charter flights for Ukrainians so that they would go to work in the country even during the quarantine. We want to transport the first 200 people from Ukraine to factories in Wroclaw, Inglot said.

German farmers have already brought seasonal workers from Romania. Polish farmers complain that soon it will be necessary to collect asparagus, strawberries will ripen, and there were no working hands either. Polish labor market experts in the local media are increasingly saying that nothing prevents the organization of charter flights for agricultural workers. Charters for workers are not cheap, but the alternative to losing crops is much worse. But there will be many willing Ukrainians to go to work, Polish economists say.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Poland is considering options on how to interest seasonal workers to come and find jobs in Polish farms, Polish Minister of Agriculture Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski said in an interview with the RAR news agency. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is analyzing ways to create opportunities for workers to come, in particular, it is considering the possibility of changing the rules of the mandatory 14-day quarantine so that people with social isolation can do the work and get paid for their work from the first day farms in which they came.

Speaking about the Polish labor market, Ukrainians could get jobs not only in the field of agriculture: the construction season has begun, and some Polish firms are even forced to close due to a lack of employees, said Vitaliy Makhinko, head of the Labor Solidarity trade union (the union protects the rights of labor migrants in Poland, where the Ukrainians who work the most have left for work). Makhinko noted that in reality, not so many labor migrants returned to Ukraine.

Scandal is emerging

Since the beginning of quarantine, from 10 to 15% of labor migrants from Poland, or about 150,000 people, returned to Ukraine (whereas, according to various estimates, the number of Ukrainians working in Poland reaches 1 million), Vasyl Voskoboynyk, the head of the All-Ukrainian Association of International Employment Companies, says. According to him, Ukrainians returned to their home country due to the expiration of their stay on a biometric passport, the expiration of a work visa or the quarantine of the company they worked for. A small part of the citizens went home because they were afraid to remain cut off from their families in Ukraine for a long time because of quarantine, he said.

At the same time, for those Ukrainians who remained in Poland, the local authorities automatically extended their stay. On April 17, a new law came into force (Ustawa o szczegolnych instrumentach wsparcia w zwiazku z rozprzestrzenianiem sie wirusa SARS-CoV-2), which allows foreigners to stay legally for 30 days after the end of the epidemic without having to apply for a temporary residence permit.

Mainly those workers who were employed in the industry and the service sector stayed in Poland. But seasonal agricultural workers usually came to Poland in the spring. And now they cant do it.

Now the main obstacle for the Ukrainians who want to return to work abroad is transportation. Unlike Finland, the borders of Poland are not closed: they can be crossed by road. Ground checkpoints were also opened in Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia. Its another matter that in the absence of railway and bus connections, people get expensive, Makhinko said: Now labor migrants were traveling from Mariupol to the checkpoint in Krakovets, where they were met by the representative of the employer by car. They paid 10 thousand UAH for the road.

An attempt to organize the export of Ukrainians by charter flights, in particular to Finland, turned into a scandal. On April 23, Ukraines International Airlines commissioned an Estonian private company (which pays for them) on a charter flight, which delivered about 200 Ukrainian citizens to participate in seasonal work on Finnish farms. The company announced its intention to perform at least two more such flights, including to other European countries. It was reported that, perhaps, later labor migrants will be able to fly to Germany and England. However, after the first 200 people were delivered to Helsinki, the Ukrainian government suspended further charter flights, and seasonal workers are no longer allowed to go abroad, said Estonian Ambassador to Kyiv Kaimo Kuusk. According to him, the Cabinet of Ministers temporarily prohibited Ukrainians from traveling abroad in order to work, while retaining the opportunity to leave the country through land checkpoints only for visiting relatives living in the countries of the European Union.

Take a loan and stay at home

But the experts are sure that the authorities create deliberate obstacles for the people to earn money. At the same time, the meaning of such a policy is difficult to understand, because in Ukraine these people are corny no work. And in the context of the economic crisis, unemployment in the country will only grow.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, responding to question 112.ua during an online briefing, said that they are aware of the current situation of labor migrants who cannot go to work. But, he said, the authorities, they say, are concerned about the health of citizens and do not want to put them at risk of contracting a coronavirus. Against this background, the organization of mass charters for the export of Ukrainians to countries where the pandemic is also continuing is illogical. But we are constructive, we understand the employees, and we will be ready to reconsider the situation in the context of pandemic, Kuleba said.

Our sources in aviation circles say that the authorities, actually, do not express a great desire to resume the air traffic stopped on March 17, and Ukraine remains a blank spot on the Fly Radar map. Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krykliy in an interview with Liga.net said that starting May 12, the first question will be about the restoration of suburban and intercity communications, in particular bus and rail transport. Then, the next turn is internal air traffic. Prime Minister Denys Shmygal also spoke about the fact that air traffic will resume last, after local and interregional land transport.

We already know about two cases in Europe when employers, namely farmers, organized charters to transport labor to other countries. But our border is actually closed. We want to try to leave people in Ukraine and make every effort to do this, said Shmygal, emphasizing that these are the political and moral approaches, therefore negotiations on taking people to work somewhere are not conducted either at the official or unofficial level.

PM noted that about 2 million Ukrainian citizens (almost all experts question this figure) who returned to Ukraine are identified as extremely skilled, trained in Europe workforce that has high productivity, technological and vocational training, so these are people which "would certainly be very useful for the development of the economy within the country, and they obviously need to be saved."

It is very likely that the Cabinet is trying to find some tools to actually prohibit Ukrainians from going abroad to work and then announce the creation of 500,000 new jobs with a minimum wage, says Vasyl Voskoboynyk. According to him, Ukraine in the near future will not be able to reduce the economic gap from its neighbors in the EU and the economic situation in the country will deteriorate more than in other countries.

Earlier, President Zelensky said that Ukrainians should come back home. The government even developed a program of cheap loans for returning wage earners. The next stage is the New Money program. Actually, for those people who have returned from earnings; who want to keep jobs - for the existing business. It will also be a program of soft loans, as the president said, a 3% rate, Shmygal said.

Economists do not particularly believe in the success of this initiative. GROWFORD Institute expert Oleksiy Kushch wonders: would labor migrants take these programs?

Artificial retention of people in the country is a losing strategy, experts emphasize. No one will agree to work for a piece of bread in the country if there is a chance to earn much more abroad. And if the authorities continue to be inactive and no real economic incentives are created in Ukraine in order not to leave, the Ukrainians will find a way to escape from the country.
EAST HAVEN  The East Haven Public School system is aiming for connection, not perfection amid school closures and distance learning, and will be offering students and their families a flexible grading system as part of that, the Board of Education was told this week.

As part of what Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Murrihy described as a hybrid of a traditional grading model with additional flexibility, in some cases the school system will offer students the option of taking classes on a pass-fail basis or taking an incomplete for a course, Murrihy told the board in a Zoom meeting Tuesday.

Administrators also are working on a plan to establish a summer academy for current K-12 students, although it remains unclear exactly what shape that will take as local school districts await additional guidance from the state and local health department, she told the board.

We want students connected as much as possible, Murrihy said in a subsequent interview Wednesday. We want parents to contact us if there are challenges.

Above all, educators want students to keep thinking, keep learning, keep reading, keep solving problems, Murrihy said.

Earlier in the meeting, Board of Education Chairwoman Michele DeLucia and Superintendent of Schools Erica Forte praised town teachers for all the work theyve done to prepare and refine lesson plans to make distance learning as effective as possible.

Id like to thank all our staff and teachers for going above and beyond what was ever expected of them this school year and really doing a great job on an entirely new platform of teaching, said DeLucia.

Ill echo Micheles sentiments about our staff and thank them for all of their hard work and dedication, said Forti. Its been challenging but theyve really risen to the occasion and its been an amazing experience.

Meanwhile, every day, as new hurdles come our way, we flex ourselves around those and make our way even forward in enhancing the distance learning and responding to the supports and resources that both staff and parents and students need, Forti said.

The school administration sent a memo in both English and Spanish to the families of students Wednesday, describing how we will be recording grades and sharing information about academic progress, said Murrihy.

Students and parents are encouraged to reach out to their teachers if they have any issues and need help working out whats best for them, Murrihy said. We want to encourage engagement in distance learning and stress ... connection, not perfection.

We realize that there are so many factors that we have to help and support our students with, whether it is ... family members with an illness or challenge, or just the feeling of grief and loss of our missed routines, she said. So were being very cognizant of that.

Murrihy said Wednesday, I think our emphasis in East Haven is doing everything possible to make sure our students are keeping proficient; the reading and writing ... and were looking daily at the percentage of our kids who are not engaged  and we find the face-to-face connections via online platforms can really help.

Whatever we can do to provide kids with a sense of structure and routine is really good, Murrihy said. This is a major challenge, but its also an opportunity.

But were trying to look at everything that we can do, she said. In whatever way we can provide support, we are making sure we are doing so.

Whether the family of a student facing other issues chooses to traditional grading or pass-fail, or takes an incomplete, At the end of the day, students will demonstrate competency and proficiency, and that doesnt change, Murrihy said.

Our model is really a hybrid. Were continue to provide a system of grading and assessment, where students are being graded on their proficiency, she said. But as long as students are engaged in distance learning, theyre able to maintain or raise their course averages.

In some cases, a student might want, or a teacher might recommend ... a pass-fail option, Murrihy said. But if youre passing the course, youre demostrating competency in the course.

For some kids, taking the grade off the table so they can just focus on the feedback that theyre getting is a very beneficial thing, she said.

Teaching is an art, and theres a lot behind the scenes  under the hood, so to speak, Murrihy said. Every family is facing unique situations and I think the more that we can provide flexibility the better.

With regard to the summer academy, curent students will be able to take courses to help them get ahead, catch up or engage in some enrichment activities, Murrihy said.

We are still reviewing guidance from the Office of Early Childhood and East Shore Health about options for on-site programming, but we will be allowing for distance learning if that is what the health department and the state guidance requires, she said.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
Papua New Guinea Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 8, No deaths reported in country as on 29-Apr-2020

In Papua New Guinea total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 8, there is no death so far due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

India, 29-April-2020: Coronavirus hotspots in India decreased from 170 to 129 in a fortnight.

Andhra Pradesh (India), 29-April-2020: An 11-baby among 73 new cases in Andhra Pradesh. In past 24 hours 73 new cases of Covid-19 reported from Andhra Pradesh raising the total Covid-19 patient count to 1,332 in the state.

France, 29-April-2020: Total fatalities due to Covid-19 infection surpasses 23,000 mark in France.

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Papua New Guinea:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 24-Apr-2020 8 0 0 0 2. 25-Apr-2020 8 0 0 0 3. 26-Apr-2020 8 0 0 0 4. 27-Apr-2020 8 0 0 0 5. 28-Apr-2020 8 0 0 0 6. 29-Apr-2020 8 0 0 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (126,569)

2. North America (64,412)

3. USA (59,266)

4. Italy (27,359)

5. Spain (23,822)

6. France (23,660)

7. UK (21,678)

8. Asia (17,966)

9. South America (7,590)

10. Belgium (7,331)

Total Deaths Worldwide (218,187)

Globally till now over 218,187 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). Authorities in the Papua New Guinea and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 126,569 deaths and 1,329,524 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
Expands and strengthens neurology portfolio with three marketed CNS products and late-stage pipeline

Diversifies revenue and operating cash flow base with 2019 net sales of approximately $150 million and operating earnings of $45 million

Enhances long term growth with potential launch of late-stage product candidate in 2021.

Upfront cash payment of $300 million, plus cash milestone payments up to $230 million

Conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET April 29, 2020, to discuss the transaction

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SUPN), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced that the Company entered into a definitive agreement under which Supernus will acquire the CNS portfolio of US WorldMeds, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company. With the acquisition, Supernus adds three established and marketed products in the U.S. market with a product candidate in late-stage development:

APOKYN  (apomorphine hydrochloride) injection is used, as needed, to provide rapid, reliable, and robust control of body movements in people with Parkinsons disease (PD) when they experience an off episode. An off episode, also called hypomobility, may include symptoms such as muscle stiffness, slow movements, and difficulty starting movements.

MYOBLOC  (rimabotulinumtoxinB) injection is the first and only approved botulinum toxin Type B injectable indicated for the treatment of cervical dystonia to reduce the severity of abnormal head position and neck pain associated with cervical dystonia in adults, and the treatment of chronic sialorrhea in adults.

XADAGO  (safinamide) tablets is a monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitor indicated as a daily adjunctive treatment to levodopa/carbidopa in patients with PD experiencing off episodes.

Apomorphine Infusion Pump is a product candidate for the continuous treatment of motor fluctuations (onoff episodes) in PD patients whose motor control is unsatisfactory with oral levodopa and at least one other noninvasive PD therapy. New Drug Application (NDA) submission is expected in the second half of 2020 with potential launch, if approved by the FDA, in the second half of 2021.

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This acquisition aligns extremely well with our strategy of expanding and enhancing our commercial and late-stage assets and is a significant step in strengthening our leadership position in CNS, said Jack Khattar, President and CEO of Supernus. We expect this transaction to provide Supernus with enhanced operating cash flow, financial flexibility to execute on our strategy, and a continued strong balance sheet. In addition, the transaction provides increased revenue scale and adds new commercial capabilities that are important for orphan drugs and specialty pharmacy products.

Mr. Khattar added, In addition to expanding and strengthening our commercial capabilities in CNS, this acquisition brings new research and development platforms to Supernus in biologics and medical devices. We look forward to building on the success that US WorldMeds had in establishing this portfolio of unique products.

The core values of Supernus align very well with US WorldMeds. We expect a seamless transition with even more patients benefiting from these products under Supernus stewardship. This transaction will allow US WorldMeds to focus on growing our other exciting business units, commented Paul Breckinridge "Breck" Jones, Sr., Chief Executive Officer of US WorldMeds.

Strategic Rationale

The acquisition is well aligned with Supernus corporate development strategy of adding commercial and late-stage CNS assets. The addition of the three marketed products and product candidate diversifies Supernus product portfolio into PD and other movement disorders and expands Supernus revenue, operating cash flow base and earnings growth profile.

US WorldMeds CNS portfolio consists of three marketed products with 2019 net sales of approximately $150 million. With the product portfolio comes an experienced team including a proven salesforce and a medical organization with expertise and focus on serving movement disorder specialists in the U.S.

The acquisition expands Supernus commercial platform to include sales and marketing capabilities for orphan drug and specialty pharmacy products

The potential launch of Apomorphine Infusion Pump, if approved by the FDA, significantly enhances long-term growth with estimated potential peak annual revenue of $100 - $175 million.

The acquisition also expands Supernus research and development capabilities into biologics and medical devices.

Parkinsons Disease (PD)

PD is the second most common chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting 1-2% of individuals 65 years and older1. The number of U.S. PD patients in 2020 is estimated at 1 million with an annual growth rate of approximately 2.5%2.

PD occurs when cells in the brain, which produce dopamine become impaired or die resulting in significant mobility and motor impairment with symptoms such as tremor, slowness, dystonia, balance issues, and/or stiffness. Everyday life for PD patients becomes adversely affected with many activities that we typically take for granted such as eating, writing, getting dressed, walking, and others becoming impaired. The mainstay therapy is levodopa which is very effective, particularly in the early stages. As PD advances, treatment becomes less effective resulting in what are termed OFF periods. According to a patient survey conducted by the MJ Fox Foundation3, up to 70-90% of PD patients have at least one OFF episode per day and 65% of patients were OFF for > 2 hours per day. In addition, more than 50% of patients who experience an OFF episode indicated that it causes them to avoid activities.

Currently there are several acute treatments for OFF, such as APOKYN (apomorphine hydrochloride) injection. Continuous treatment could offer advantages to many such patients, but current options are limited and can be complicated, significantly impairing daily activities. Some require Continuous Infusion of levodopa through a gastric tube or even surgical intervention such as Deep Brain Stimulation. The acquired Apomorphine Infusion Pump product candidate, if approved by the FDA, would offer patients a much less invasive and more convenient option in the form of a continuous subcutaneous infusion of apomorphine.

1. Saxton JM. Exercise and Chronic Disease: an Evidence-Based Approach. London, Routledge, 2011.

2. Parkinsons Disease: Epidemiology Forecast to 2026, GlobalData, 2018.

3. Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research. Executive summary: survey of Parkinsons patients and their off time experience. Available on request from researchpartnerships@michaeljfox.org

Terms and Financing

Total consideration of $530 million consists of an upfront cash payment of $300 million plus regulatory and commercial milestone cash payments up to $230 million. All cash consideration will be funded through existing balance sheet cash.

Approvals and Timing of Closing

The transaction is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2020, subject to certain conditions, including the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, and other customary conditions.

2020 Guidance

Supernus will provide appropriate updates to its full year 2020 financial guidance after the closing of the transaction.

Advisors

Jefferies is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to Supernus. Piper Sandler is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to US WorldMeds. Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr is serving as legal counsel and Grant Thornton is providing due diligence services to Supernus, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is serving as legal counsel to US WorldMeds.

Conference Call and Webcast Tomorrow, April 29 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time

A conference call and a live webcast will be hosted tomorrow, April 29, at 8:30 a.m. ET, to discuss this transaction. Presentation slides will be available via this webcast link approximately 15 minutes prior to the call. A question and answer session with the Supernus management team will follow the companys remarks.

Please refer to the information below for conference call dial-in information and webcast registration. Callers should dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.

Conference dial-in: (877) 288-1043 International dial-in: (970) 315-0267 Conference ID 2757729 Conference Call Name Supernus Pharmaceuticals Investor Call



Following the live call, a replay will be available on the Company's website, www.supernus.com , under Investor Relations.

About Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The Company currently markets Trokendi XR (extended-release topiramate) for the prophylaxis of migraine and the treatment of epilepsy, and Oxtellar XR (extended-release oxcarbazepine) for the treatment of epilepsy. The Company is also developing several product candidates to address large market opportunities in the CNS market.

About US WorldMeds

US WorldMeds is a specialty pharmaceutical company whose products are making a difference in the lives of the patients and communities it serves. US WorldMeds takes an agile and personal approach to pharmaceuticals  pioneering research and product development in therapeutic areas that desperately need new solutions. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, US WorldMeds has global presence and nearly 20 years of experience in the development, licensure, and commercialization of unique products. For more information about US WorldMeds, visit www.usworldmeds.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements do not convey historical information, but relate to predicted or potential future events that are based upon management's current expectations. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. In addition to the factors mentioned in this press release, such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Companys ability to successfully incorporate and integrate the acquired products and product candidate, technologies, sales force and medical organization into its current infrastructure, the Companys ability to achieve the anticipated revenues and benefits from the acquired products; the Companys ability to sustain and increase its profitability; the Companys ability to raise sufficient capital to fully implement its corporate strategy; the implementation of the Companys corporate strategy; the Companys future financial performance and projected expenditures; the Companys ability to increase the number of prescriptions written for each of its products; the Companys ability to increase its net revenue; the Companys ability to enter into future collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions or to obtain funding from government agencies; the Companys product research and development activities, including the timing and progress of the Companys clinical trials, and projected expenditures; the Companys ability to receive, and the timing of any receipt of, regulatory approvals to develop and commercialize the Companys product candidates; the Companys ability to protect its intellectual property and operate its business without infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others; the Companys expectations regarding federal, state and foreign regulatory requirements; the therapeutic benefits, effectiveness and safety of the Companys product candidates; the accuracy of the Companys estimates of the size and characteristics of the markets that may be addressed by its product candidates; the Companys ability to increase its manufacturing capabilities for its products and product candidates; the Companys projected markets and growth in markets; the Companys product formulations and patient needs and potential funding sources; the Companys staffing needs; and other risk factors set forth from time to time in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

About APOKYN (apomorphine hydrochloride) injection:

APOKYN is used by injection, as needed, to treat loss of control of body movements in people with advanced Parkinsons disease (PD). This condition is also called hypomobility or off episodes. An off episode may include symptoms such as muscle stiffness, slow movements, and difficulty starting movements. APOKYN may improve your ability to control your movements when it is used during an off episode.

The most common side effects seen in clinical studies with APOKYN were yawning; sleepiness; dyskinesias; dizziness; runny nose; nausea and/or vomiting; hallucinations/confusion; and swelling of hands, arms, legs, and feet.



Some patients may notice soreness, redness, bruising, or itching at the injection site. Change the site with each injection.



See full Prescribing Information and Pen Instructions for Use / Patient Information at www.apokyn.com .

About MYOBLOC (rimabotulinumtoxinB) injection:

MYOBLOC is a prescription medicine that is:

injected into neck muscles and used to treat the abnormal head position and neck pain that happens with cervical dystonia in adults.

injected into the salivary glands (parotid and submandibular glands) and used to treat chronic sialorrhea in adults.

WARNING: DISTANT SPREAD OF TOXIN EFFECT

See full prescribing information for complete boxed WARNING.

The effects of MYOBLOC and all botulinum toxin products may spread from the area of injection to produce symptoms consistent with botulinum toxin effects. These symptoms have been reported hours to weeks after injection. Swallowing and breathing difficulties can be life threatening and there have been reports of death. The risk of symptoms is probably greatest in children treated for spasticity but symptoms can also occur in adults, particularly in those patients who have an underlying condition that would predispose them to these symptoms.

The most common side effects of MYOBLOC include:

Cervical Dystonia: dry mouth, trouble swallowing, injection site discomfort or pain, headache

Sialorrhea: dry mouth, trouble swallowing

See full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING, and Medication Guide at www.myobloc.com .

About XADAGO (safinamide) tablets:

XADAGO is a monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitor. XADAGO is used with levodopa/carbidopa to treat adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) who are having off episodes.

The most common side effects seen with XADAGO are uncontrolled movements (dyskinesia), falls, nausea, and insomnia.



See full Prescribing Information and Patient Information at www.xadago.com .



APOKYN Pen and apomorphine infusion pump product candidate are under a license from Britannia Pharmaceuticals Limited

XADAGO is under a license from Zambon S.p.A

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

CONTACTS:

Jack A. Khattar, President and CEO

Gregory S. Patrick, Senior Vice President and CFO

Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Tel: (301) 838-2591

or

INVESTOR CONTACT:

Peter Vozzo

Westwicke, an ICR Company

Office: (443) 213-0505

Mobile: (443) 377-4767

Email: peter.vozzo@westwicke.com
One of Orsted's offshore wind farms, located off the coast of north-west England.

Orsted reported Wednesday that its operating profit for the first quarter rose 33% compared to the same period in 2019, adding that it has "no indication" the coronavirus will significantly impact its earnings this year.

The Danish energy firm said in its financial report that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) hit 6.8 billion Danish kroner (DKK, around $990 million) in the first quarter, up from DKK 5.13 billion in the same period last year.

Earnings from operational onshore and offshore wind farms increased by 25% to DKK 5.2 billion. Orsted said this was driven by the ramping-up of generation at three wind farms  Hornsea 1, Lockett, and Sage Draw  as well as high wind speeds in Europe during the first quarter.

Referencing the current coronavirus pandemic, the Fredericia-headquartered company said that, "at this point in time, we have no indication that the COVID-19 situation will significantly impact our earnings for the year."

As such, it reiterated its most recent EBITDA guidance of DKK 16-17 billion for 2020.

Despite this, the company's CEO, Henrik Poulsen, still acknowledged that Covid-19 was having an impact in some areas.

"Our construction projects all remain on track. However, across our projects, we see an increased risk of component and service delays from suppliers impacted by COVID-19," he said.



"Based on our current outlook, we believe the COVID-19 related impact on our construction projects will be limited both in terms of timing and economics."

The coronavirus pandemic was also cited as a contributing factor to delays in several offshore wind projects in the U.S.

The release of Orsted's interim report comes a day after the firm announced that its Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm had sent its first power to the Dutch grid. Situated 22 kilometers off the coast of Zeeland, in the south west of the Netherlands, construction work on the facility began in January this year.

When fully up and running, Borssele 1 & 2 will use 94 eight-megawatt turbines from Siemens Gamesa and is expected to be the biggest offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.
With just three days to go before hospitals, medical offices and dental clinics can start seeing patients again for nonurgent care, many in the health care industry are celebrating after suffering deep financial losses from the coronavirus shutdown.

Gov. Kate Brown has given them her permission to reopen for everything from knee surgeries to fertility treatments starting Friday.

But the ramp-up also comes with confusion and apprehension.

Patients and providers alike worry about how exactly it should be done and if it can be done safely as the novel coronavirus continues to spread with an average of about 56 new Oregonians testing positive each day over the past week.

What precise personal protective equipment should health care workers wear?

How many patients should be allowed in waiting rooms at a time? Should patients be required to undergo a COVID-19 test before showing up for treatment?

And which health businesses are included in the reopening? Some offering beauty treatments such as Botox injections and hair removal say theyre among those who have received permission to reopen.

The Oregonian/OregonLive asked the governors administration for more details on how this will work. Heres what weve found out so far.

So, what did the governor say exactly?

Brown said effective May 1, shes lifting her March 23 ban on elective and nonurgent procedures that required PPE, such as masks, isolation gowns and gloves.

But restarting elective procedures isnt mandatory. Individual hospitals and clinics will have to determine that on their own, based on some broad guidelines Brown and the Oregon Health Authority have set forth.

Hospitals and surgery centers can restart only if they have at least 30 days of PPE in stock. Smaller clinics and dental offices must have 14 days worth.

Hospitals and surgery centers must start slowly, reaching no more than 50% of their prior patient volumes at first.

The governor and the Oregon Health Authority also have recommended but not required that incoming patients undergo COVID-19 tests at hospitals and surgery centers, and at some point in the future for smaller clinics and dental offices when testing becomes more available.

The guidelines dont offer many nuts-and-bolts details, such as whether patients must wear masks or whether more than one patient should be allowed at a time in smaller spaces, such as a dental office.

Why now?

The governor stressed the need to allow the health care industry -- particularly the segment that provides crucial care in rural Oregon -- to make money so it can stay solvent.

Browns decision drew immediate thanks from the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and the Oregon Dental Association.

The governor said shes heard from many residents who have felt physical and emotional pain from putting their health care on hold.

She and her team offered examples of the types of procedures that will be available again: knee surgeries, sinus surgeries, hip replacements, fertility treatments and cancer biopsies.

Many Oregonians have been hoping for this news, Brown said. Because it means we can start to think about scheduling that much needed dental work. ... I personally can say that I am very excited to schedule a dental cleaning appointment very, very soon.

Which medical offices can reopen May 1?

Dentist offices and the surgery departments at large hospitals -- which have been allowed to handle urgent matters during the shutdown -- are a given.

While Brown didnt offer a specific list, other common medical offices like physical therapy clinics, optometry clinics and acupuncture clinics are among those that likely can reopen, too.

Less clear is whether the governor intended businesses that offer beauty treatments -- such as wrinkle reduction or cellulite abatement  to restart.

Asked to clarify whether the governor is allowing businesses offering Botox and other beauty treatments to reopen, her office said the governors announcement applied to all health care providers.

Spokeswoman Liz Merah declined to offer a definition of what that encompasses, and instead referred the question to the Oregon Health Authority on Monday, which hadnt yet provided The Oregonian/OregonLive an answer Tuesday.

But Oregon law defines health care providers and specifically lists some professions, such as medical doctors, physical therapists and acupuncturists. It also offers a general definition of any provider that furnishes health care, which is further defined as care, services or supplies related to the health of an individual.

Even though the law defines licensed massage therapists as health care providers, the Oregon chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association told The Oregonian/Oregonlive that Browns lifting of her previous order doesnt affect massage therapy and that non-medical massages wont restart Friday.

What precautions will health care providers exercise?

Large hospital systems, including Legacy Health and Providence Health & Services, have worked out a set of their own specific protocols. Those include mandatory testing of every patient for COVID-19 before theyre eligible to undergo elective surgeries.

Hospital systems, which had been in discussions with state officials, had been expecting the governor to lift her order. Legacy plans to restart elective procedures Friday and Providence on Monday.

But Browns announcement caught many smaller clinics, especially dental offices, by surprise. Some had given away their PPE to frontline hospital workers at the governors direction in March and said they wont open immediately because they need time to seek out new supplies and work out protocols for reopening during the pandemic.

The Oregon Dental Association promised its members late last week that it would offer recommendations within days, saying that the states initial announcement was broad and may be confusing.

Distinctive Dentistry in Clackamas was one of the offices scrambling to acquire PPE and lay out protocols, with a plan for opening next week. Those procedures include pre-appointment screening questions about COVID-19 symptoms, eliminating the waiting room experience altogether, meeting patients at the back door for temperature checks, whisking patients inside directly to the exam chair and asking patients to use hand sanitizer.

There is an immense amount of preparation going into our plans to reopen, read an email from the dental office. We are doing our best to monitor and respond immediately to this ever-changing regulatory landscape.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

PPE has been in short supply  where are clinics going to get more?

Brown said she was confident that the supply chain for personal protective equipment is in much better shape than it was more than a month ago when she froze non-urgent procedures.

She said she believes dental and medical clinics will now be able to get the PPE they need.

But Brown didnt offer specifics on how many days worth of N95 masks, isolation gowns and other gear the hospitals have on hand. Thats known as the burn rate  how long it will take for the supplies to run out. This information would tell Oregonians if the statewide supply is truly robust or the need for more remains dire.

The governors office didnt answer questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive about how many days worth of supplies are on hand throughout the state and instead referred questions to the Oregon Health Authority.

Spokeswoman Bobbi Doan, who was answering questions for the health authority, couldnt pin down an answer.

Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, it is challenging to determine (the) statewide burn rate, Doan wrote in an email.

Will employees who believe they cant safely return to their jobs be eligible for unemployment benefits?

Brown didnt answer this question from a reporter at her news conference last week. Liz Merah, the governors spokeswoman, later referred The Oregonian/OregonLive to a frequently-asked-questions page of the Oregon Employment Department.

That page said the employees could still receive payments if their employers werent following the governors social distancing order calling for 6 feet of space between people.

But the governors announcement allows for patients and their providers to get within 6 feet of each other. Doing so is almost always a necessary part of treatment.

When asked for further clarity about unemployment payments Friday and Monday, Merah said she would need more time to get an answer.

Dental hygienists have been among the most vocal workers with concerns about going back to work. What are they saying?

Theyre especially worried about dental procedures that can send the virus into the air in aerosolized form. Some didnt want to use their names because they said they fear retaliation for speaking out publicly.

Hard to believe it is not safe to walk on the beach yet we can spew saliva, bacteria, viruses, biofilm and blood all day long without a concern? wrote one hygienist to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

She expressed doubts about her offices ability to acquire N95 masks and gowns that should be used only once for each patient as well as special air suction devices and ventilation systems that might prevent aerosols from lingering in the air from one patient to the next.

Wrote another hygienist: Patients will not have PPE, so what protects them from the aerosols that were generated from the previous patient? This is not ok and needs to be addressed!

Part of the worry is that even if patients pass temperature checks and screening questions about symptoms, they still could have the virus.

Some researchers have said 25% to 50% of people infected with the novel coronavirus might not show symptoms, and a study published in the journal Nature Medicine this month estimated 44% of people with COVID-19 might have caught it from people before they showed symptoms.

Where do hygienists go from here?

Ilya Babiy, a dental hygienist who teaches at Mt. Hood Community College and runs a mobile dental hygiene practice part time, said theres a debate in the dental community about what should happen now.

Dental offices and their employees have suffered tremendous losses.

I dont know how long they can go, Babiy said. ... If I was a full-time hygienist, Id be in dire straits if I depended on my job to pay my mortgage and feed my family.

On top of that, patients health can suffer by delaying routine procedures for months.

Babiy said the dental profession is highly trained in infection control practices and he has confidence that the offices that move forward will take necessary precautions.

Were very well educated in what we should or shouldnt do, Babiy said.

On the other hand, the concerns about the coronavirus hovering in the air for long spells is valid, he said.

Dental offices need science-based protocols from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Health Authority or the American Dental Association on best practices, he said.

For example, he asked: Should N95 masks and face shields be worn for treatment with all patients? Before COVID-19, most dental staff typically wore rectangular- shaped Level 3 exam masks, which dont offer as much protection as N95s, and no face shields.

I think there are a lot of people waiting for guidance, Babiy said.

During her news conference, Brown said the state will closely monitor the spread of the coronavirus as medical and dental procedures restart.

The state will adjust or pull back as necessary.

We still need to proceed with this step very carefully, Brown said.

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:00:34|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit stressed on Wednesday that the political solution is "the only way to settle the Libyan crisis."

In a statement, Aboul-Gheit voiced worries regarding "the escalation that Libya has been experiencing at the military and political levels."

He reaffirmed the pan-Arab body's rejection to any military actions for bringing peace and stability to the war-torn country.

He condemned the ongoing military operations across Libya, especially around the capital Tripoli and the western areas of the country.

Aboul-Gheit renewed his calls for the two warring parties, the UN-backed Libyan government and the eastern-based Libyan National Army, to abide by a humanitarian truce especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

"The Libyan leaders should realize that there is no place for ending the current struggle in Libya without a political solution," the statement added.

It noted that the political solution should be "based on reaching a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire, dismantling the armed militia that threatens the stability and security of Libya and unifying national efforts for combating terrorism."

The AL chief further slammed all foreign military intervention violating the international laws, adding that "it is the source for feeding the conflicts."

Libya has been engaged in a civil war since the ouster and killing of the former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the rival UN-backed government.

On Monday, Khalifa Haftar, commander of the eastern-based army of Libya, announced cancelling the UN-sponsored political agreement reached between the rival sides in 2015, claiming that it's "people's authorization" for him to run the country. Enditem
The benefits of a brief "social belonging" exercise completed by black students in their first year of college followed them into adulthood, with participants reporting greater career satisfaction, well-being and community involvement almost a decade later.

The long-term results of that social-belonging intervention, published in the journal Science Advances, show how important it is for colleges to help students from marginalized groups to understand that worries about belonging and experiences of social adversity are common in the transition to college, regardless of one's background, said Wake Forest psychologist and study author Shannon Brady.

"Belonging is a fundamental human need. Constantly feeling unsure of whether you belong can undermine your ability to perform up to your potential," Brady said. "The question of social belonging can consume more time and mental bandwidth for people who face negative stereotypes or discrimination because of their race.

"Students from racial-minority backgrounds enter college aware that their group is underrepresented in higher education and that how people treat them can be shaped by negative stereotypes and discrimination. This reasonably leads students to worry about whether they belong--worries that can be exacerbated when they experience social adversities, like a bad grade on a test or getting left out of a social outing."

The research team also included Drs. Geoffrey Cohen and Gregory Walton of Stanford University, who devised the social-belonging intervention; and Shoshana Jarvis of the University of California, Berkeley.

During their first year of college, black and white students were invited to participate in a one-hour, in-person intensive exercise during which they heard stories from students of various backgrounds about the difficulties they experienced in their own transition to college. The goal was to help students understand that everyday social difficulties like getting a bad grade are common and often lessen over time, especially when you reach out to professors and friends for support. The study was a randomized experiment so students completed either the social-belonging intervention version of the exercise or a control exercise, also about the transition to college, but lacking the psychological message.

Past research by Walton and Cohen had shown that black students who participated in the social-belonging intervention were more likely to email professors and consult them during office hours. At the end of college, they had better grades and were happier and healthier than the students in the control group. There was no benefit of the intervention for white students.

The researchers for the current study wondered if the benefits for black participants might persist even after they left college. So they followed up with them 7-11 years later.

"This intervention understands and addresses the nature of worries about social belonging among students in an underrepresented group," said Brady. "Those worries could affect not only college experience but also life beyond college."

In Brady's study, conducted when participants were 27 years old on average, black participants who had completed the social-belonging intervention treatment in college reported:

Greater life satisfaction. In fact, on several different measures of well-being, black adults reported better outcomes in the treatment group than in the control group.

More community involvement and leadership. Sixty-eight percent of black adults in the treatment group, but only 35 percent in the control group, reported having held at least one leadership position outside of work.

Greater satisfaction and success in their careers.

Despite its positive effects, students generally didn't remember the intervention from college or didn't attribute much of their success to it. Brady says this is appropriate. Although the intervention served as a catalyst for better life outcomes, participants themselves are the ones who took the needed actions to reach out and cultivate mentor relationships. They are the ones contributing to their jobs and volunteering in their community.

The career and well-being gains were concentrated among black participants who reported developing mentor relationships in college, an outcome that the intervention increased. Brady, a project researcher with the College Transition Collaborative, suggested that a takeaway from this study for colleges is to examine whether their campus environment fosters mentor relationships and does so equally for students from different backgrounds. Colleges might find that they need to clear away structural barriers for students to find mentors, such as prioritizing and making sure faculty have enough time to connect with students and identifying people in the residence halls, religious life and academic departments who can connect with students. But it may also mean that colleges need to understand what psychological barriers hold students back from accessing the resources that exist.

"Our research shows that the intervention is not merely about the transfer of information," she said. "It's about clearing a psychological hurdle so that student feel comfortable building relationships with professors and other mentors."

###

The research was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

An online version of the social-belonging intervention is available for free to colleges and universities through the College Transition Collaborative and the Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS). It has been implemented at more than 200 institutions. Versions of it also have been used in middle and high schools.
Kim Jong Un's disappearance from public view suggests that he cannot stand up or walk by himself, a North Korean defector has said.

Thae Yong-ho told CNN that Kim's 'abnormal' absence from a ruling party showpiece on April 15 signalled that the dictator must be physically impaired.

'I'm not quite sure whether he really had some surgery or whatever, but one thing is clear... he cannot stand up by himself or walk properly,' said Thae, a former North Korean diplomat who was elected to the South's parliament earlier this month.

Seoul and Washington have played down rumours that Kim is gravely ill or dead, but Thae said only the supreme leader's family and closest aides would know the truth.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un - pictured sitting at a concert with his wife Ri Jol-su in January this year - could be unable to stand or walk, a defector has said

North Korean defector and former diplomat Thae Yong-ho (left), who was elected to South Korea's parliament earlier this month, said Kim's absence was 'abnormal'

Kim was last seen in public on April 11, when he presided over a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang.

On April 15, he inexplicably missed a Day of the Sun celebration honouring his grandfather Kim Il-Sung, the founder of North Korea.

His unprecedented absence sparked a wave of speculation about his health, and he has not been seen in public since.

'Kim Jong Un is not only the leader of North Korea, but he is the grandson of Kim Il Sung ... to North Korean eyes it is really abnormal,' said Thae.

Reports have claimed that Kim had heart surgery and is now seriously ill or even dead, but these claims are impossible to verify.

Seoul and Washington have both played down the rumours, indicating that they know Kim's whereabouts without explaining further.

Still, experts say it is strange that North Korea would not release a picture of a healthy-looking Kim if there was no truth to the rumours.

Official media has not provided any concrete proof of life since April 11, beyond reports of messages sent in Kim's name.

Thae warned that only a small handful of people including Kim's wife Ri Jol-su and his sister Kim Yo-jong would know the full story.

He also cautioned that clues about Kim's whereabouts - such as an apparent sighting of his personal train in the city of Wonsan - could be deliberate diversion tactics.

Pyongyang officials know that the train can be seen from satellites and have previously sent it around the country to confuse outsiders, Thae said.

The sighting of the train was followed today by further satellite images from Wonsan showing boats often used by Kim and his entourage.

Kim Jong-un was last seen in public on April 11 at a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party (pictured). His absence has prompted rumours about his health

Senior party and government officials celebrate the 108th anniversary of founder Kim Il-Sung's birth in Pyongyang on April 15 - a ceremony which Kim Jong-un inexplicably missed

The South's minister for North Korean affairs said yesterday that Kim may be out of sight because he is trying to avoid coronavirus and not because he is gravely ill.

Kim Yeon-chul told lawmakers that 'the government is aware of Kim Jong Un's location,' without providing further detail.

'It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sungs birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns,' he said.

He said there were at least two instances since mid-January where Kim Jong Un was out of sight for nearly 20 days.

North Korea claims it has no coronavirus cases, but has cancelled some large events and imposed quarantine measures to head off an outbreak.

If Kim is hiding from the virus, it would 'puncture a hole in the state media narrative of how this crisis has been perfectly managed', said Chad O'Carroll of monitoring group Korea Risk Group.

'If he is merely trying to avoid infection, it should theoretically be very easy to release photos or videos of a healthy-looking Kim,' he said.

According to the Washington Post, the rumours over Kim's health have sparked panic buying in Pyongyang.

People have stocked up on rice, liquor, cigarettes, canned fish and electronics while helicopters have been flying low over the city, it is reported.

Speculation over Kim's health has become so stark that the US is scrambling five spy planes to monitor movements in North Korea, reports in the South say.

South Korea has also deployed a spy aircraft over its northern neighbour, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, despite Seoul's insistence that Kim is alive and well.

A 250-metre-long train belonging to the dictator has been spotted near to his Wonsan holiday compound as recently as Thursday in satellite photos

Satellite images of Wonsan Elite railway station show the leader's train arriving after April 15, and was still at the station on April 23

A source familiar with US intelligence reporting said it was entirely possible Kim had disappeared from public view to avoid exposure to avoid Covid-19.

The sighting of his presidential train in the coastal resort area of Wonsan could suggest he may be there or have been there recently.

Kim's seaside compound in Wonsan, on the country's east coast, is dotted with guest villas and serviced by a private beach, basketball court, and private train station, according to experts and satellite imagery.

An airstrip was bulldozed last year to build a horse riding track, while a boathouse nearby shelters Kim's Princess 95 luxury yacht, valued at around $7million in 2013.

'It's one of his favourite houses,' said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the U.S.-based Stimson Center, who has compared Kim's affinity for Wonsan to U.S. President Donald Trump's favoured resort, Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Madden said Kim is believed to have about 13 significant compounds around the country, though he appears to only regularly use about half of them.

North Korea has never announced who would succeed Kim Jong Un in the event he is incapacitated, and with no details known about his young children, it has been suggested that his sister Kim Yo Jong (right) could be in line to take over

Kim Jong-un sent a personal letter to workers on a project in the city of Wonsan (where he is pictured in April 2019), according to a state newspaper

The intelligence source said that US agencies were also still considering the possibility Kim might be ill, even seriously.

While North Korean state media outlets have not reported on Kim's whereabouts since April 11, they have carried near-daily reports of him sending letters and diplomatic messages.

That suggests that he is still carrying out his duties, the South Korean minister said, although some experts say they are not necessarily conclusive.

The letters apparently sent in his name include a message of gratitude to workers in a tourist zone and a letter to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

'I agree with the South Korean government's assessment that there is no reason to think Kim Jong Un is not performing his duties,' said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a former North Korea intelligence analyst for the US government.

'That said, I would not read too much into letters signed by Kim Jong Un. I would guess that most of them are not written by him anyway.'

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he has a good idea how Kim Jong Un is doing and hopes he is fine, but would not elaborate.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said he was aware of reports on Kim's health and he was was paying close attention to developments.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) (the "Company" or "Aires") is pleased to announce a series of sales and marketing initiatives in an effort to increase sales of its consumer products that reduce the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation on people and pets.

Aires has begun to gradually increase its ad campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, Bing, Google as well as targeted media buying. Additionally, Aires is now beginning to see a thriving influencer experience that is rapidly expanding and yielding increased sales. All these efforts are intended to increase traffic directly to the Aires website, educate the consumer while driving sales higher and increasing the cart value of the Aires customer.

Aires has also initiated the implementation of a multi-channel marketplace, digital marketing and fulfillment strategy. This effort will reinforce Aires' e-commerce presence in North America by implementing multiple on-line platforms like amazon.com, ebay.com,sears.com, walmart.com, walmart.ca, newegg.com and rakuten.com. It is expected that Aires' presence on these on-line platforms will increase brand awareness, educate consumers on the benefits of Aires' technology, and ultimately increase product sales.

Aires will also be connecting with exclusive influencers in the industry to scale direct-to-consumer strategy and increase Aires' sales and brand awareness. It is expected that this will produce fresh leads, and also potentially increase product sales.

"With our new e-commerce platform now built and operational, we have begun to increase our sales and marketing efforts to drive product sales higher. This effort has commenced and we soon look to report increased sales figures to our shareholders", commented Dimitry Serov, President and CEO. "I am also pleased to report that with the high level of automation built into the new e-commerce platform, these sales will be fulfilled at reduced cost providing for higher gross margins as previously reported."

The Company's current principal products are the Shield Pro, Aires Defender Pro and Aires Guardian. For more product information, visit www.airestech.com.

About American Aires Inc.

American Aires is an Ontario based technology company that is focused on the research, development and implementation of innovative technology solutions to allow consumers to safely engage with electronic products of the 21st century. The Company is currently engaged in the business of production, distribution and sales of products intended to protect persons from the harmful effects of electromagnetic emissions, which is produced from electronic devices such as cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, tablets and electric cars to name a few. The Company has developed a technology that restructures and transforms electromagnetic field haze into a more biologically-compatible form to reduce the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation. The Company's current principal products are the Shield Pro, Aires Defender Pro and Aires Guardian.

For more information, please visit: www.airestech.com or contact:

Dimitry Serov, President & Chief Executive Officer

Email: dimitry@airestech.com

Phone: (905) 482-4667

Investor Relations:

Samina Deen, Head of Partnerships

Email: samina@airestech.com

Phone: (416) 320-1634

wifi@airestech.com

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements may be discussed in this news release and the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis filed at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The Shares have not been, nor will they be, 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 or for the account or benefit of any person in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any common shares in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. We seek safe harbour.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Not intended for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of United States Securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55071
Lets Learn From This Crisis and Be Prepared for the Next One

Commentary



It seems that in many places were starting to stagger out of the quarantine, survey the damage, and start cleaning up. And wed better be quick about it because the damage is extensive and makes us vulnerable. Including to another pandemic.

Oh no, you cry. Not now. Theres a famous story of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War presiding over a stormy cabinet meeting about British naval policy at which the president finally had to tell his angry colleagues, Gentlemen, one war at a time. (I have not managed to verify the specifics of the anecdote but it certainly was his policy and it has the Lincoln tone.) And yes, between the parlous state of the private economy and of government finances, we really cant afford to fight on another front.

Unfortunately, the fact that its not a good time doesnt mean something cant happen. When the U.S. Navy released footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena my National Post editor tweeted NOT NOW ALIENS. And I agree. But we must be prepared for whatever fate throws at us and not assume it wont be bad because we dont want it to be.

Just for starters, there will certainly be a second major wave of SARS-CoV-2 when we are already weak. Now let me add another nightmare scenario. What if were already looking at widespread government insolvency, deficits approaching 30 percent of GDP, record bankruptcies and unemployment, and then a different pandemic more lethal than SARS-CoV-2 comes along?

Well, we cant do much about the latter. Life being what it is, you dont have to ask for trouble to have it come calling. Even if China was not run by communists as inept as they are devious, and its economy riddled with corruption including in the enforcement of sanitation rules, the modern world is a petri dish and humans are the medium.

Fortunately, we can do something about the former. A number of things, in fact. In Canada, as elsewhere, we need to get the government out of the way of the private sector except in imposing sensible public health rules on everything from hair salons to jazz festivals. As I wrote recently in the National Post, given the staggering impact the quarantine already put on firms big and especially small and the crushing burden of taxes and borrowing to service suddenly swollen public sector debt, we must remove pointless regulatory burdens, discriminatory taxes, and other impediments to the creation of the wealth we all count on, including in our public health system.

Speaking of which, the second vital task especially in Canada is to let some air into our stifling health system. We wrongly think ourselves a model for the world. But every other OECD country except the United States has a comprehensive public system, every one of them allows parallel private care, and none are considering adopting our crushingly restrictive and unfair laws.

We need private clinics and hospitals and insurance to add capacity and flexibility to the system. Even if we get a break and nothing else bad comes along, our public health system was already stretched past capacity before the pandemic, with long and growing waiting lists for over 30 years that have gotten much worse during it. We chuckle at the proverb that insanity is indeed doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Lets not have the laugh, or demented cackle, be on us.

Third, we need to focus on epidemic preparedness. One of Aprils many double-take stories was the federal government trashing millions of gloves and masks in 2019, to which when queried, the Health Minister stammered excuses about everybody doing it. (Alas, she had a point; the Ontario government stockpiled supplies after the 2003 SARS epidemic then systematically destroyed them for having weak elastic bands etc.)

Clearly, we need PPE in hand. And possibly manufacturing capacity though given the private sectors amazingly rapid conversion to making the stuff, we might primarily need plans for which firms to approach and what gear to commission. But if were going to trash deteriorated items, lets think about, you know, replacing them. Just as we should all make sure theres some tinned soup and clean water in the pantry.

We also need to take a hard look at nursing homes. By which I dont mean nationalizing them so the elderly and unwell can experience the compassion and efficiency of government in their final months and years. I mean understanding that people who are old and sick are not young and healthy and will die in disproportionate numbers in a pandemic or indeed without one, but we could certainly do a better job of infection control. As we could in hospitals, where its already becoming a priority due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well of course as viruses.

Finally, the Chinese government and WHO are liable to perform as badly and dishonestly next time as this time. And if we dont start treating the factual claims coming from the former and the advice from the latter with a great deal of skepticism, we will deserve whatever we get.

All these things are necessary as we clear away the damage of COVID-19 and the quarantine and fix things up. As will be a thorough vetting of how various public authorities performed, less to pin the tail on some readily available donkey as to improve the protocols. Because this one wont be the last.

In an earlier column I asked whether it was the proverbial big one weve all been waiting for. And honestly it was not. Unlike the Spanish flu, it did not target the young and healthy. By years end it is not clear that there will be a significant number of excess deaths. (In New Zealand, computers predicted 14,000 deaths; so far theyve had 19.) But just because it wasnt lethal doesnt mean the next one wont be, including possibly a mutated version of this one.

This pandemic was in many ways a dry run. And a good thing too given all the missteps. We cant afford such missteps again, especially given how much harm was inflicted, or self-inflicted, this time.

Suppose you knew a major new disease would hit in September. What would you do, in health care and in economic policy? I say do it anyway. Because you never know. But sometimes you can make an intelligent guess, which sure beats making a complacent dumb one.

John Robson is a documentary filmmaker, National Post columnist, contributing editor to the Dorchester Review, and executive director of the Climate Discussion Nexus. His most recent documentary is The Environment: A True Story.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un. Yonhap



Fear of the coronavirus could have been keeping North Korean leader Kim Jong Un out of public sight, a South Korean minister and U.S. sources said on Tuesday, following intense speculation and concern as to his whereabouts and health.



Under Kim's rule since 2011, North Korea has expanded its arsenal of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and with no obvious successor, any change in leadership in the secretive, authoritarian state would raise concerns about instability that could impact other North Asian countries and the United States.



Speculation about Kim's health erupted after his unprecedented absence from April 15 celebrations to mark the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung.



South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with North Korea, said it was plausible Kim that decided against attending due to the coronavirus, given stringent steps his government has taken to head off an outbreak.



"He had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung's birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns," the minister told a parliamentary hearing.



"I don't think that's particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation," the minister said, although North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus.



An authoritative source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said credible reports to the U.S government suggested the reason Kim's presidential train had been spotted near a presidential retreat at the resort of Wonsan last week was that Kim had been staying there to avoid catching the virus.



U.S. government experts lacked categorical evidence to prove this, but were for the most part dismissing media reports suggesting that Kim had contracted some kind of serious illness, the source said.



Kim Yeon-chul described reports that Kim had undergone a heart procedure, and that a Chinese medical team had travelled to North Korea, as "fake news."



A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington's view was largely in line with the South Korean minister's assessment.



U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he has a good idea of how Kim Jong Un is doing and hopes he is fine, but would not elaborate.



On Tuesday, Trump was asked by a reporter about these comments and whether he thought Kim was still in control of North Korea and replied: "I don't want to comment on it. I just wish him well."



Trump has met Kim three times in an attempt to persuade him to give up a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States as well as its Asian neighbours. While talks have stalled, Trump has continued to hail Kim as a friend.



TRAIN AND BOAT WATCHING



The South Korean minister noted that there had been at least two instances since mid-January when Kim Jong Un had not been seen in public for nearly 20 days.



The last time official media in North Korea reported on Kim's whereabouts was when he presided over a meeting on April 11, but there have been near-daily reports of him sending letters and diplomatic messages.



South Korean officials have said they have detected no unusual movements in North Korea and have cautioned against reports that Kim may be ill.



Washington-based North Korea monitoring project 38 North said on Saturday satellite images from last week showed a special train that was probably Kim's at Wonsan, lending weight to reports he had been spending time in the resort area.



On Tuesday, the website NK News said leisure boats often used by Kim off the coast of Wonsan had been active throughout this month, indicating his likely continued presence in the area.



Reuters reported on Saturday that China had dispatched a team to North Korea, including medical experts to advise on Kim Jong Un, though it was unclear what the trip signalled in terms of his health.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was paying close attention to developments.



North Korea has responded to the global coronavirus pandemic by cancelling some large events and imposing a border lockdown and quarantine measures.



If Kim Jong Un is hiding out due to fears surrounding COVID-19, it would "puncture a hole in the state media narrative of how this crisis has been perfectly managed", said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of Korea Risk Group, which monitors North Korea.



"If he is merely trying to avoid infection, it should theoretically be very easy to release photos or videos of a healthy looking Kim," he said. (Reuters)


There is a growing public divide over how to address the health and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic as the Government prepares to announce an extension of the nationwide lockdown.

The debate came into sharp focus at a Cabinet meeting yesterday where Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was warned by ministers about the devastating effect the virus is having on business and urged to lift social-distancing restrictions.

The warnings from some of his closest ministers, including Paschal Donohoe, Richard Bruton and Michael Ring, come as Mr Varadkar prepares to announce an extension of the nationwide lockdown on Friday.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the impact of the restrictions on jobs and older people weighs heavily on him as he announced another 59 people have died from the virus.

Difficult

"It is a really difficult measure. We understand that people are being put out of work or losing their jobs - all of these are part of our consideration as we make recommendations," he said.

However, it also emerged that a third of all private sector employers are now relying on the Government's wage subsidy scheme to pay their staff, while almost 600,000 people yesterday received their 350 weekly pandemic unemployment payment.

The Cabinet also heard that the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Business will have spent their entire annual budgets by June.

This might require a Dail vote on revised estimates for both departments.

On Friday, there is expected to be a slight easing of restrictions based on the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), but ministers are insisting that the Taoiseach consider the economic impact of closing businesses for another two weeks.

"We are all for public health and safety but there are lot of companies who, if they don't get a decision between now and June or August, they'll be closing their doors and won't be opening them again," one minister said.

Another minister added: "We need a strong government with a mandate to make decisions so it doesn't all fall back on an unelected health committee."

The Taoiseach asked his ministers for their views on the easing of restrictions after the bank holiday weekend.

He and Health Minister Simon Harris did not give their colleagues any indication of their exit strategy.

"It was all very depressing and neither of them gave us much hope," one minister said.

However, it is understood Business Minister Heather Humphreys is working on 'return to work guidelines', which will be issued later this week to allow people to plan for when restrictions are lifted.

Mr Donohoe was among those at the Cabinet meeting who said social-distancing rules should be eased, especially for those over 70, and suggested schools should reopen.

He is believed to have said a strong government is needed to make tough public health and economic decisions.

Close

Mr Ring warned that small businesses in rural Ireland will close permanently if they are not given a clear plan for how social-distancing rules will be eased in the coming weeks.

Mr Bruton said the crisis was now more than just a health issue and the economic side also needed to be addressed.

Disability Minister Finian McGrath said restrictions should be eased for older people and suggested some construction workers be allowed to return to work.

On the other side of the debate, Transport Minister Shane Ross, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Defence Minister Paul Kehoe urged caution on lifting restrictions.

Mr Kehoe also urged the Taoiseach to explore the possibility of allowing some non-contact sports, such as horse racing, to return so people could watch it on television during the lockdown.
Gig and self-employed workers in New Jersey who have been waiting for weeks to receive unemployment benefits during the the coronavirus crisis will be notified Wednesday about their eligibility and begin receiving payments next week, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday.

Those workers, which also includes freelancers, are not eligible for traditional unemployment benefits from the state, though they may qualify for a new federal assistance program

For weeks the state Labor Department said they were waiting for guidance from the federal government.

Those workers should now go onto the states coronavirus website  Covid19.nj.gov  and type self-employed into the search bar, Murphy said during his daily press briefing in Trenton.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The Department has worked hard over the past month to get this program up and running despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, and it is now available, state Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement. While it will take time to determine eligibility for everyone who seeks PUA benefits, the process has begun to get billions of additional dollars into the wallets of eligible self-employed workers.

Hundreds of thousands of workers have become unemployed, furloughed, or had their hours reduced have filed for unemployment benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic hit New Jersey in mid-March. Despite the rapid influx of claims, New Jersey has dispersed more than $1 billion in unemployment benefits to more than 550,000 people.

The federal CARES Act that became law last month expanded benefits for gig workers workers in the U.S., making most eligible for unemployment for 39 weeks  the regular 26 weeks plus an extra 13 weeks, plus an extra weekly $600 benefit that is retroactive to the week ending April 4 and ends the week of July 25.

New Jersey officials previously said the state was waiting for more federal guidance about these benefits, known as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA.

That guidance came last week, but the state still had to work to make sure its system could process these kinds of claims.

Also waiting for guidance are those who have already exhausted their regular unemployment benefits. The expanded federal benefits are supposed to provide an additional 13 weeks of benefits and the extra $600 weekly payments to those workers.

Murphy did not have an update Wednesday on what happens to them, but the Labor Department later clarified to say those who will soon exhaust benefits dont need to do anything. If your benefits have already run out, the Labor Department said it will notify workers when they are eligible for extensions.

New Jersey has the second-most COVID-19 cases and deaths among American states. The virus has also seriously hurt its economy, with more than 850,000 residents having filed for unemployment since aggressive social distancing began.

Countless New Jerseyans are seeing their bank accounts dwindle to nothing. People have been struggling to put food on the table and to pay rent and other bills. And many complain theyve struggled to get through the states phone and online unemployment system under pressure from a record number of people seeking benefits.

The Labor Department told NJ Advance Media on Monday that more than 550,000 workers who are unemployed, furloughed or had their hours reduced are receiving state unemployment benefits and the additional federal $600 weekly supplement.

But that leaves well over 250,000 people still waiting for answers on their applications.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at bamboozled@njadvancemedia.com.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
Alderon Iron Ore Inc. has run out of options to repay a $14-million loan, and says it has been told its creditor will seize Labrador's Kami project and all related assets.

In a press release, Alderon announced a spate of resignations, including its CEO, CFO, four members of the board of directors, along with its "remaining officers."

The implosion of Alderon throws into doubt the future of a potential project and economic driver for Labrador West.

"It's going to have a long-term effect on the growth of our community, for sure," Labrador City Mayor Fabian Benoit told CBC News.

Benoit said the project could have created 300 to 400 jobs in the region.

"Hopefully, the economy will pick back up and there will be a great need for the resources, and somebody else will come in and take over where Alderon unfortunately had to leave off," Benoit said.

Alderon had closed the deal to borrow $14 million from Sprott Resource Lending in the summer of 2018.

Early last year, Alderon officials were sounding an optimistic note, saying work was underway to make the $1-billion Kami project a reality. CEO Tayfun Eldem expressed hope that construction would start "sometime early in 2020."

Alderon was supposed to repay the $14-million loan by the end of 2019. But that didn't happen. The deadline got extended until March 31.

In February, Alderon found a potential lifeline, announcing it had inked a letter of intent with Beijing-based Tunghsu Group Co. Ltd. to give up a big chunk of the project in exchange for enough cash to repay the loan.

But that plan fell apart in late March.

Alderon

In a press release at the time, Alderon said Tungshu terminated the transaction, citing the volatility and uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic  both in global financial markets and the iron ore market.

On Tuesday, Alderon said it couldn't find an alternative solution, and Sprott was moving in to seize the project and its assets.

Story continues

Sprott Resource Lending did not immediately return a CBC News message Wednesday afternoon about its plans for what comes next.

According to its website, it has financed mining endeavours from Canada to Burkina Faso to Brazil to Australia.

Alderon owned 75 per cent of the Kami project, with the other 25 per cent controlled by HBIS Group Co. Ltd. of China.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
[April 29, 2020] DNK INVESTOR ALERT - Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC Notifies Phoenix Tree Holdings Limited Shareholders of Class Action and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Phoenix Tree Holdings Limited ("Phoenix" or the "Company") (NYSE: DNK) and certain of its officers, on behalf of shareholders who purchased Phoenix American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") pursuant and/or traceable to prospectuses and registration statements, as amended (together, "Offering Materials"), issued in connection with the Company's January 22, 2020 initial public offering ("IPO"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/dnk. This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933. The complaint alleges that the Offering Materials issued connected to the Company's IPO were materially false and/or misleading and/or omitted or misrepresented the following facts: (1) Phoenix received complaints and negative press concerning its questionable business conduct before the IPO, including its practice of persuading renters to procure loans whose proceeds financed the Company's business and operations; (2) copetition in the residential rental market in China had dropped due to coronavirus at the time of the IPO, specifically in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, where Phoenix primarily operated; (3) Phoenix's technological capabilities were unable to enable the Company to overcome the complications and erosion of business resulting from the spread of the coronavirus throughout China at the time of the IPO; (4) Phoenix was competing with extremely adverse developments in China at the time of the IPO due to the coronavirus that presented events, risks and uncertainties that were reasonably likely to materially affect Phoenix's business, operations and financial condition, including a material increase in renter complaints and negative press and the prospect that renters could not continue to pay rent and service fees under conditions then existing as of the IPO; (5) consequently, Phoenix was positioned no differently than its competitors in managing the fallout from customer complaints or adverse implications stemming from the coronavirus in China; and (6) as a result, Phoenix's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.



If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/dnk or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Phoenix you have until June 26, 2020 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005044/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Disney closed Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. And the big question looming on every Disney park fans mind has been -- when will their beloved parks reopen?

The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force met early on Tuesday to discuss the initial guidelines for reopening industries, including hotels, bars, restaurants, and Orlandos theme parks, according to WDW News Today. There was a distinction set up between smaller theme parks (Gatorland, for example) and larger parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

Jerry Demings, mayor of Orange County, has also noted that a June reopening would be more realistic than a May reopening due to ongoing supply chain issues.

The mayors perception of a June opening of Walt Disney World lines up with one financial analyst from JPMorgan, but is in total disagreement with another analyst from UBS  an multinational financial company  as reported in April on PennLive.

Initial Reopening Guidelines (abbreviated):

Of note: All the safety implements set in motion everywhere the last two months should be followed throughout Disneys property. In addition to touch-less hand sanitizer at all entry points and on every restaurant table, all sanitation and cleaning should be increased; all employees will be required to wear face masks, with temperature checks prior to their shifts; all doors must be wiped down regularly, and front desks should utilize sneeze guards.

Guidelines for Hotels and Resorts:

During Phase 1, housekeeping services should be limited; room service should follow new contactless delivery protocols (leaving items at guests doors); service items in guest rooms should be removed (i.e. glassware, coffee cups, mini bars, coffee makers); self-parking, and mobile check-in. The latter Disney has already implemented into the My Disney Experience app for upcoming Walt Disney World Resort hotel reservations.

Guidelines for Restaurants:

Only paper/disposable menus should be used; takeout and/or online orders encouraged; bartenders must sanitize their hands after each drink order, and tables must be set up 6-feet apart. During Phase 1, restaurant and bar capacity will be limited to 50%. During Phase 2, restaurant and bar capacity will be limited to 75%.

Guidelines for Retail:

Within checkout lines, there should be markers to ensure people are 6-feet apart, and all counter-tops, railings and door surfaces must be regularly wiped down.

Guidelines for Larger Theme Parks (overall):

There should be tape markings of 6-feet in ride queues; staff must wipe down surfaces regularly. During Phase 1, parks may reopen at 50% capacity. Phase 2 will expand capacity to 75%. Of note: Seniors ages 65 or older are still encouraged to stay home through Phase 2 reopenings.

The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force indicates that these are just initial guidelines that will be continuously revised during future task force meetings. These guidelines follow the Opening Up America Again three-part phased plan issued by the White House, where Phase 1 is considered the earliest possible reopening time; Phase 2 marks a continued decrease in COVID-19 cases, and Phase 3 would be generally considered a return to normal.

Read more on these guideline details on WDWNT.com in reference to Disney and non-Disney businesses.

View Tuesdays full Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force meeting:

What about Disneyland Resort?

The news in Florida brings up the question: When can visitors expect Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, to reopen? According to WDWNT in another report, Disneyland Resort reopening is still months away under Stage 4 of Californias COVID-19 roadmap.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, in conjunction with California Department of Public Health director Dr. Sonia Angell, seems set on adhering to strict guidelines and requirements.

In short, the four-stage plan, that was announced during a livestream Tuesday, established phases in which each business sector could reopen, starting with Stage 1 or where we are now; moving to Stage 2, that includes lower-risk workplaces; followed by Stage 3, covering higher-risk workplaces, and Stage 4 or the end of the stay-at-home order.

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.

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Oakland

Photo: Jon Evans/Flickr

Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Oakland.

Coronavirus: Complaints rise over lack of social distancing around Oakland's Lake Merritt

The warmer it gets and the later it gets into the afternoon hours, the more crowded the area around Oakland's Lake Merritt becomes, despite social distancing guidelines during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story on ABC7 News.

Attempted murder charge filed in mans try to push woman in front of Oakland BART train

An ex-convict suspected of trying to deliberately push a woman in front of a BART train Saturday at the Lake Merritt Station has been charged with attempted murder, according to authorities and court records.

Read the full story on East Bay Times.

Woman killed in Oakland traffic collision is identified

A woman killed Sunday morning in a two-vehicle collision in East Oakland that badly injured two other women was identified by the coroners office Tuesday as 29-year-old Waynette Hunter.

Read the full story on East Bay Times.

Oakland parents, teachers call on mayor, district to guarantee internet access for all students

A coalition of parents, community members and more than 340 teachers represented by the Oakland Education Association union called on Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to guarantee internet access to all students in the district.

Read the full story on CBS San Francisco.

Drive-by shooting in Oakland leaves man wounded

A 39-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting Monday night in East Oakland, authorities said.

Read the full story on East Bay Times.

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.
Eminem is auctioning off a rare pair of sneakers for coronavirus relief.

The 47-year-old rapper - whose real name is Marshall Mathers III - has donated a pair of his highly coveted Jordan 4 Retro 'Carhartt x Eminem' sneakers to shoe auction site StockX, with the money raised going to provide relief amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The footwear is one of only a handful of pairs in existence, and the auction comes after Eminem first debuted the shoe back in 2015 when he made just 10 pairs available for bidding on eBay, where proceeds went to his Marshall Mathers Foundation.

A step in the right direction: Eminem is auctioning off a rare pair of sneakers for coronavirus relief

Ever since the first auction five years ago, only a few pairs have made it to Eminem's family and friends, and any pairs that have made it to resale in the past have been sold for more than $20,000.

The lucky bidder of Eminem's latest auction will also receive a vintage 'Detroit Slim' shirt.

Revealing the news on Twitter, the Real Slim Shady hitmaker wrote: 'Cleanin' out my closet... donating extra pair of my @Jumpman23 @Carhartt 4's along with a vintage T to @stockx. Proceeds go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. http://shady.sr/StockX (sic)'

Each ticket for the auction costs $10, and hopeful bidders can buy as many tickets as they want to increase their chances of winning.

Doing good: The rapper, pictured 2018, has donated a pair of his highly coveted Jordan 4 Retro 'Carhartt x Eminem' sneakers to shoe auction site StockX, with the money raised going to provide relief amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic

Meanwhile, Eminem recently showed his charitable side when he donated pots of 'Mom's Spaghetti' to healthcare workers at the Henry Ford Health System Hospital in Detroit.

A post on the medical facility's Instagram account read: 'Our #HealthcareHeroes 'lost themselves' in the delicious Mom's Spaghetti donated by Detroit's very own, @eminem. Thank you for providing a special meal for our team members!(sic)'

The spaghetti pots featured Shady logos at the bottom and were labelled with the words 'Thank you Frontline Caregivers.'

Hitting a high note: The lucky bidder of Eminem's latest auction will also receive a vintage 'Detroit Slim' shirt (pictured 2020)

The name 'Mom's Spaghetti' comes from the lyrics to Eminem's 2002 track 'Lose Yourself', in which he sings: 'His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / there's vomit on his sweater already - mom's spaghetti.'

Workers at the Detroit Medical Center also posted to social media, tweeting that they, too, had gotten free supplies of the pasta dish.

The tweet read: 'Thank you Union Joints for the generous donation of meals to support our staff. They served one of their specialties, also a favorite of Eminem, titled Moms Spaghetti. We offer our heartfelt thanks and are grateful for the support.'

Union Joints is a Michigan-based independent restaurant group and back in 2017 it provided the catering for Eminem's December 2017 'Mom's Spaghetti' pop-up at Detroit club The Shelter promoting his album Revival.
This is the time of year when, in the normal course of 21st-century events, an army of stylists, makeup artists, florists, designers and celebrities would be about to descend on the Carlyle and Mark hotels in New York, clogging the elevators with garment bags bearing the hautest names: Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Versace.

It is the time when paparazzi would be checking their equipment, and best and worst dressed lists would start proliferating.

Its the week before the first Monday in May  which is to say, the week before the Met Gala, the most watched fashion-celebrity-society event of the year, and the party that heralds the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts annual blockbuster fashion show. But this year, because of the novel coronavirus, the exhibition, About Time: Fashion and Duration, has been postponed and the party delayed indefinitely.

At least in real life. In a parallel universe known as High Fashion Twitter or hft (Twitter likes to lowercase itself, lest it be seen as shouting), its another story.
When Harvard decided to digitize its entire collection of U.S. case law in 2013, it couldnt just scan the 40 million pages it had amassed in its Law School library and put them up onlineit had to undertake an expensive and time-consuming process of redacting notes, annotations, and anything else surrounding the actual case law that might not be in the public domain and could therefore trigger a copyright lawsuit.

That same year, Carl Malamud, the founder of nonprofit organization Public.Resource.Org, decided to do something similar with Georgia state laws. However, he took a different route. He purchased a hard copy of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated for more than $1,200 from LexisNexis, scanned it, and sent USB drives with two copies of the entire state code to several Georgia legislators. He also posted it online, prompting the state of Georgia to sue him for copyright infringement in a lawsuit that memorably accused Malamud of terrorism, stating, Consistent with its strategy of terrorism, Defendant freely admits to the copying and distribution of massive numbers of Plaintiffs Copyrighted Annotations on at least its https://yeswescan.org website.

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On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Malamud, saying that Georgia state laws and their official annotations, like all other works authored by judges or legislators, are not copyrightable. The decision came down to a 54 split between the courts youngest five justices (John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh) and its four oldest members (Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg).

It may be a little surprising that in 2020, state laws were not already clearly in the public domain, especially because U.S. copyright law explicitly designates work and statutes produced by the federal government as not being protected by copyright. That exemption doesnt apply to state governments, though. And the Official Code of Georgia Annotated is not just comprised of state laws. The annotations on those laws are provided by a company called Matthew Bender & Co. Inc., which is part of the legal research and database firm LexisNexis Group. According to the Supreme Court, those annotations often include editors notes that provide information about the origins of the statutory text, such as whether it derives from a particular judicial decision or resembles an older provision that has been construed by Georgia courts.

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The process of assembling the entire OCGA is overseen by Georgias Code Revision Commission, a 15-person group of which the majority must be members of the Georgia state Legislature. That commission contracted with LexisNexis to write the annotations and also supervises that work and specifies what the annotations must include in exacting detail, according to the majority ruling. Lexis received the exclusive right to publish, distribute, and sell the OCGA, and in exchange, the company agreed to limit the price it may charge for the OCGA and to make an unannotated version of the statutory text available to the public online for free. With annotations, a hard copy of the OCGA costs $412 for Georgia state residents, though Malamud, who is not a Georgia resident, posted a receipt showing a price of $1,010 for the hard copy, plus $97.36 for shipping and handling, to obtain the OCGA complete with annotations.

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But those annotations are not just the equivalent of the DVD commentary on a movie.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that they have practical significance for understanding the state laws. As one example, he notes that a Georgia citizen who

reads the [free] economy-class version of the Georgia Code available online  will see laws requiring political candidates to pay hefty qualification fees (with no indigency exception), criminalizing broad categories of consensual sexual conduct, and exempting certain key evidence in criminal trials from standard evidentiary limitationswith no hint that important aspects of those laws have been held unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court.

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By comparison, he writes, first-class readers with access to the annotations will be assured that these laws are, in crucial respects, unenforceable relics that the legislature has not bothered to narrow or repeal.

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More importantly, from a copyright perspective, the majority of the court found that the involvement of the state commission in overseeing the annotation process means that those notes can be considered a product of the legislative process and, in some sense, to be authored by legislators. Although Lexis expends considerable effort preparing the annotations, for purposes of copyright that labor redounds to the Commission as the statutory author, Roberts wrote. He concluded that whatever work [a] judge or legislator produces in the course of his judicial or legislative duties is not copyrightable.

Its an important ruling not just for Malamud and Public.Resource.Org, but also for others interested in moving more government-issued documents online where they can be read and used by the public. For instance, lawyers for the Caselaw Access Project at Harvardthe initiative that scanned 40 million pages of U.S. case lawfiled an amicus brief in the case describing its own extensive redaction process and the challenges of trying to make legal materials publicly accessible when there is so much ambiguity around what is and is not in the public domain when it comes to things like annotations.

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Kendra Albert, a lecturer at Harvard Law School and one of the lawyers for the Caselaw Access Project who filed the amicus brief, highlighted the importance of the courts ruling in providing clarity to people trying to make government materials more accessible to the public.

It does seem surprising, but there was significant uncertainty before this around the copyright of legislative documents, Albert said. The court drew a sharp line saying that if something is the work of the legislature in its legislative business then its not copyrightableI hope that this will discourage governments from trying to limit the publication of law via copyright.

The Supreme Courts ruling, like the Caselaw Access Project, is hugely encouraging for people who care about access to laws and government documents. But its also a stark reminder of how much work there is left to do to disentangle our public records from revenue-generating paywalls and systems. Even if the work products of judges and legislators do automatically enter the public domain, there are still significant hurdles to people being able to access those documents in many casessystems like PACER that require people to pay by the page to read court documents, or companies like Lexis standing guard over legislative records and charging hundreds of dollars to read them in their full form. Stripping these documents of copyright protections doesnt change the fact that many people still may not be able to access them, but it does mean that when individuals like Malamud or institutions like Harvard Law School can afford to purchase those records they are at least able to share them online with the rest of the world without fear of being sued, much less accused of terrorism.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
By Associated Press

MADRID: With 325 new confirmed deaths from coronavirus, Spain on Wednesday witnessed a slight rebound in fatalities for a total of 24,275 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Infections stand over 212,000, although the Health Ministry's figure only includes the cases confirmed by the most reliable laboratory tests that are not being conducted massively.

Authorities want to come out from a near-total freeze of social and economic life in stages and at different speeds depending on how its provinces and islands respond to the health crisis.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday announced his plan and called it a road to a new normal, but one without a GPS system.

Individual exercise will be allowed from Saturday, as well as haircuts and other personalized services with an appointment.

In most places, some shops will open on May 11, and socializing will be permitted in outdoor cafes, bars, as well as services in churches and mosques at one-third of their capacity.

Territories that by that point keep the epidemic at bay will be granted further relaxation of restrictions in restaurants, cinemas, theatres and museums by the end of May.

Preschools will reopen then but only for parents who need to work, since in-classroom education won't resume until the new school year in September.

Barring any worsening of the outbreak, capacity in venues will be increased toward mid-June and beaches will open before gradually settling into a new normal that will allow domestic travel.

International travel still needs to be sorted out by the European Union, Spain says.
It wasnt easy, but self-employed people who had the patience and perseverance to deal with the California Employment Development Departments overloaded website Tuesday were finally able to apply for federally funded unemployment benefits.

Late Monday, EDD tweeted that it will be able to take applications for PUA benefits at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program provides up to 39 weeks of benefits to self-employed and other workers who dont qualify for regular state benefits and lost work as a direct result of the coronavirus.

Many people who logged into the departments UI Online site before 10 a.m. were able to apply.

Jennifer Bader started applying at 7:22 a.m.

First it would take me in a circle, she said. Bader could enter her email and check I am not a robot, but when I would go to log in, it wouldnt take me to the page where I would put in my password. Then all of a sudden that page came up.

Completing the application took about an hour. There were tears. This whole thing has been so frustrating, she said.

Bader owns Bohemian Hair in Clovis, a Fresno suburb. In late February, she curled Jill Bidens hair when the former second lady was in town ahead of Super Tuesday. About three weeks later, the salon closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Bader had previously applied for regular state unemployment benefits. EDD allowed and even encouraged this, presumably because workers who are employees under state law are eligible for regular state benefits, even if theyre being paid like independent contractors. Truly self-employed people, including business owners, cannot get state unemployment.

Like many self-employed workers who applied for regular state benefits, Bader got a notice saying her benefit amount was zero. So on Tuesday she wasnt sure whether to reopen the old claim or start a new one and couldnt find answers. Unable to open the old claim, she finally started a new one, but was confused by differences she noticed. The old application asked for her gross income, the new one asked for net income. I was worried about screwing myself up, she said.

Others who had previously applied for regular benefits  and got none  werent sure what to answer when the questionnaire asked whether they had previously applied for benefits.

Many people attempting to apply for the new pandemic benefits were stumped when they couldnt find a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance application on EDDs website. Thats because there isnt one.

On Monday, the California Labor and Workforce Agency published on its website a list of frequently asked questions. No. 14 explained that UI Online is the EDDs application portal for both regular (unemployment insurance) and PUA claims. All applicants start off with the same basic questions, and based on their responses, the EDD will determine if your claim is processed as a regular UI claim or a PUA claim.

That was not obvious on the EDD website most of Tuesday.

Its weird EDD buried the COVID-19 process (for pandemic benefits) within the application, said Lee Heidhues, a self-employed paralegal in San Francisco.

Heidus said he had to reload many pages and a couple of times it kicked me out and I had to go back to the beginning. I was afraid I would have lost everything but I was able to log in and go back to where I was. The process took 30 to 45 minutes, which I guess isnt too bad in the scheme of things, he said.

Working in law, Heidhues said he is used to doing research and dealing with state agencies.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Other people who arent used to this would probably give up, he said.

On social media, many applicants said the process took hours. In an email, one reader said it was like trying to scale a wall lathered in grease. You make progress, then slip back down to ground.

Heres a time-saving tip from an applicant who discovered this through trial and error: When you enter your income, dont use a dollar sign, comma or decimal.

Tuesday afternoon, EDD announced it is launching a new Guide to applying for unemployment benefits in California page. The guide consolidates basic information about the process and takes customers to the UI Online system customers currently use for applying for regular UI. It also published the labor agencys new FAQs on the EDD site.

People who receive regular state benefits should note the last FAQ. It explains that while pandemic benefits are retroactive to the date you became unemployed, regular benefits are not usually retroactive; they begin when you file a claim. However, If you apply for regular UI benefits, you will need to contact the EDD to request that the effective date for your claim be changed to the week when you became unemployed.

Asked about problems with the EDD website at his news conference Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said its not surprising the first few hours weve got to figure this out. Since March 15, EDD has sent out $5.3 billion in unemployment benefits, including $926 million on Sunday alone.

Our expectation is, not only when the site is more stable today and tomorrow, the next few days, there will be 24- to 48-hour turnaround in terms of those checks being distributed, he said. Benefits actually come electronically, loaded on debit cards.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
India on Tuesday slammed the US government's body United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for its "biased and tendentious" comment against New Delhi in his annual report and called it an "organisation of particular concern".

In the 2020 edition of its annual report on International Religious Freedom, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) alleged that religious freedom in India witnessed a drastic downward turn. It also alleged that the religious minorities were under increasing assault in India.

'Its misinterpretation has reached new levels'

In a statement hours after the launch of the report, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava, said the commission "misrepresentation" has reached new levels. "We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly," the statement said.

The USCIRF asked the State Department to designate 14 nations, including India, as "countries of particular concern", alleging that religious minorities are under increasing assault in these nations.

This is the first time since 2004 that USCIRF recommends #India as a Country of Particular Concern #USCIRFAnnualReport2020  USCIRF (@USCIRF) April 28, 2020

These include nine countries that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2019 - Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - as well as five others - India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam, the USCIRF said.

READ | West Bengal Guv slams CM Mamata's stance in dealing with Covid crisis, gives suggestion

In its report, the watchdog alleged that in 2019, the national government in India used its strengthened parliamentary majority to institute national-level policies violating religious freedom across the country, especially for Muslims. "Most notably, it enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan already residing in India," it alleged.

READ | Siddaramaiah urges Karnataka govt to announce special package for EWS

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act in #India potentially exposes millions of Muslims to detention, deportation, and statelessness when the government completes its planned nationwide National Register of Citizens USCIRF Vice Chair @nadinemaenza #USCIRFAnnualReport2020  USCIRF (@USCIRF) April 28, 2020

READ | Niti Aayog senior officer tests positive for Coronavirus; building to be sealed for 2 days

READ | Global garment-making hub Bangladesh opens factories amid Covid battle; weighs costs

(With agency inputs)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 00:10:49|Editor: huaxia

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Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the closing meeting of the 17th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Wednesday adopted a revised law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste.

President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to promulgate the law.

The 17th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), which concluded on Wednesday, also adopted a decision to appoint Tang Yijun as the justice minister, replacing Fu Zhenghua, and appoint Huang Runqiu as the minister of ecology and environment, replacing Li Ganjie.

Xi signed another presidential order to appoint and remove the ministers based on the decision.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the closing meeting, which was attended by 123 committee members in person and 46 others via video link.

At the meeting, Li asked the lawmakers to earnestly study the instructions of Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on strengthening legal safeguards for public health and fully implement the instructions in the legislative work.

He asked the lawmakers to fully grasp the importance and urgency of strengthening legal safeguards for public health and push for high-quality and effective legislative work to prevent and defuse major public health risks and protect people's life and health.

The lawmakers passed a decision to authorize the State Council to temporarily adjust relevant laws and regulations in the Hainan pilot free trade zone.

They approved a decision on opening the third session of the 13th NPC on May 22.

They ratified a treaty on the transfer of sentenced persons between China and Pakistan.

The lawmakers also adopted other items on the session's agenda, including deputies' qualifications and personnel appointments.

After the meeting, Li Zhanshu presided over a lecture. Enditem
New Delhi: Indian cinema lost one of its finest performers on April 29, 2020. Irrfan Khan breathed his last on Wednesday morning after he has rushed to Mumbai's Kokilaben hospital a day before due to colon infection. The actor par excellence not only is hailed as a brilliant actor on the Indian soil but displayed his acting chops in Hollywood as well.

He worked in several global projects and became a known face in the West, representing the country with pride.

In 2001, he was seen in 'The Warrior', then came Mira Nair's critically-acclaimed 'The Namesake' in 2006. It was written by Sooni Taraporevala and was based on Jhumpa Lahiri's novel 'The Namesake. Starring Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kal Penn and Sahira Nair, the film received all the love from the fans and the audience.

Irrfan was also seen in 2007 release 'The Darjeeling Limited'.

In 2008, he was seen in the Academy Award-winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire', where he played a police inspector. In 2009, he went to star in 'New York, I Love You'.

It was in 2012 Hollywood biggie 'The Amazing Spider-Man' that Irrfan's presence in global cinema was witnessed at the world stage. The same year Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi' released and yet again it was evident that Irrfan has managed to explore his horizons out in the West too.

In 2015 came yet another Hollywood blockbuster 'Jurassic World', followed by Tom Hanks starrer 'Inferno' in 2016 which gave an immense boost to Irrfan's already shining career.

Irrfan was seen as Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World. And in 'Inferno', he played Harry 'The Provost' Sims, head of The Consortium, helping Zobrist in his mission.

With all this and much more, a talent par excellence - Irrfan, you will be missed!

May his soul rest in peace!
Nebraskas poll workers are getting trained on how to be safe on May 12 as they help voters do their civic duty in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Polls workers will have masks, gloves and plenty of hand sanitizer, but if they have their way, theyll have a very quiet primary Election Day, the U.S. Postal Service doing the bulk of the work.

In fact, we might very well have the best recorded primary voter participation (you cant really call it turnout) on both at the state level and locally.

Last week, thered been 390,000 mail ballot requests across Nebraska, eclipsing the 313,000 of the 2016 primary. And in Lancaster County, almost 64,500 and been sent out, just under 6,700 short of the 2010 election carrying the Pinnacle Bank Arena bond issue.

May 1  two days from now  is the deadline to request a mail ballot from your county election official via email, mail or fax. If you havent requested a mail-in ballot, theres still time.
Reinstating Captain Crozier could be a remarkable reversal to a story that has seized the attention of the Navy, the military and even a nation struggling with the coronavirus. Instead, it is unclear who will be at the helm of the nuclear-powered carrier as its 4,800-member crew prepares to leave its weekslong quarantine in Guam to resume operations in the western Pacific.

A two-paragraph statement by Mr. McPherson, formerly the Navys top military lawyer, made no mention of Captain Croziers fate. A spokeswoman for Mr. McPherson said that Capt. Carlos Sardiello, a former commanding officer of the Roosevelt who was summoned back after Captain Crozier was dismissed, would remain in charge for now.

Navy officials said the broader investigation would be conducted by an admiral outside the Pacific region and would most likely take about 30 days.

Senior lawmakers reacted with some skepticism to the Navys latest decision.

Its perfectly legitimate to extend the investigation about everything that happened with the Roosevelt, Representative Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat who heads the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters on a conference call.

But, Mr. Smith added, I personally think that Captain Crozier should be reinstated.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, This investigation should be thorough and expeditious. He added, The removal of Captain Crozier was highly unorthodox and the recommendations of the military leadership on his reinstatement should be heavily weighed.

From the moment his letter pleading for assistance from top Navy officials became public, Captain Crozier has assumed the role of an unlikely hero, willing to sacrifice a three-decade career for the sake of his sailors.

After Captain Crozier was fired by the acting Navy secretary at the time, his personal setback took on momentum as a larger cause. Videos of hundreds of sailors cheering their skipper as he walked off the ships gangway went viral on social media.
The medals of a World War Two airman who was shot down and killed in front of his brother at Dunkirk have sold for over 4,000.

Flying Officer Peter Dixon took on three Luftwaffe fighter planes while thousands of Allied soldiers cheered him on from the packed beaches below.

One of those men was Major John Dixon, who at the time did not realise it was his brother in the Hurricane.

War medals belonging to Flying Officer Peter Dixon were sold at auction for over 4,000

The overall figure paid by the successful bidder was 4,300 - five times the 800 pre-sale estimate

During the dogfight the RAF aircraft was badly hit, forcing F/Off Dixon to bail out only for his parachute to catch fire.

He was recovered from the sea and taken by ambulance to the end of the breakwater where the troops, including Maj Dixon, waited to be evacuated.

The pilot died from his injuries two days later on June 3 1940, aged 25.

When Maj Dixon returned home weeks later he read the dreaded telegram his parents had received stating his brother was missing 'as a result of air operations on 1st June 1940.'

Later research revealed the pilot he had seen drop from the skies was his brother.

The medals of F/Off Dixon were auctioned off with London-based Spink & Son.

They achieved a hammer price of 3,500, with extra fees taking the overall figure paid by the successful bidder to 4,300 - five times the 800 pre-sale estimate.

Dixon (left) was shot down during a dogfight with three Luftwaffe fighter planes at Dunkirk

Marcus Budgen, head of the medal department at Spink & Son, said: 'The awards of Flying Officer Peter Dixon are perhaps the most poignant and moving that I have ever had the privilege to offer.

'The family story of loss is simply so heartbreaking for his brother watched the scene unfold.

'We are very pleased with the outcome of the sale.'

F/Off Dixon, a Cambridge University graduate, joined the Auxiliary Air Force in 1936.

He was commissioned with No. 607 Squadron, initially flying Gladiators over the North Sea, before joining the Advanced Air Striking Force in France and converting to Hurricanes.

In May 1940, he claimed five kills in as many days, gaining ace status.

Later that month he made an emergency landing in northern France when he ran out of fuel after trailing and taking out a Heinkel plane.

His brother, Major John Dixon (left - seen here inspecting training nurses with gas masks on), was watching on the beaches below as his brother fell from the skies

He set off in search of fuel but by the time he returned the Germans had destroyed his Hurricane.

He joined a column of refugees and hitched a lift with a Belgian army officer to Brussels from where he flew home.

With No 607 Squadron sustaining such heavy losses, F/Off Dixon was transferred to No 145 Squadron at RAF Tangmere in West Sussex.

During Operation Dynamo - the Dunkirk evacuation - he made several flights to fend off the Luftwaffe from dive-bombing the 400,000 troops on the beaches.

On June 1, he was acting as a 'weaver' for a large attack when he was shot down.

He is buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Dunkirk.

F/Off Dixon's medal group consists of a 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star and War Medal 1939-45.
Reynaldo Lopez was released from New York City's Rikers Island jail last month after spending two months behind bars on a parole violation. The 50-year-old was greeted with a home-cooked meal  fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans and cornbread  but he couldn't hug his wife, Millicent, when she welcomed him back to their home in the Bronx, out of fear that he could expose her to the coronavirus.

"I didn't want to spread the virus to my family," Lopez told CBS News.

Jails and prisons, where social distancing is nearly impossible, have emerged as potent breeding grounds for the new coronavirus. More than 1,300 people in the New York City jail system have tested positive for the virus, according to the city's Department of Corrections. Three inmates have died, along with 10 staffers. Raymond Rivera, one of the inmates who died, was also being held on a parole violation at Rikers, by far the city's largest jail complex.

As the pandemic began to ravage New York last month, the city started releasing inmates who were held on technical parole violations or awaiting trial on minor crimes from Rikers and other facilities. More than 2,200 people have been set free across the city since March 16, according to the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. But former inmates, health care workers and advocates say the release process is overwhelmed, offering little guidance for some inmates who are suddenly thrust back into society, many of whom may have been exposed to the virus themselves.

Lopez, a former social worker who was on parole for a 2004 conviction for armed burglary, is one of 210 people who were released with the help of the Legal Aid Society, which provides legal representation for those who can't afford it. After he was released on March 31, he spent the next 14 days self-isolating away from his family, huddled in a bedroom with his essentials: books, weights, and his cellphone, with no clear cut plan for his future.

Story continues

"The whole world is out of work, but I'm happy to be home, I'm grateful," Lopez said.

At Rikers, Lopez was housed in a dorm with other men his age who were also there for parole violations. He said they all developed a bad cough along with shortness of breath. Lopez was frustrated at the release process, calling it "total chaos." He said his final medical screening was rushed and he didn't have a re-entry plan for his life post-incarceration. "I was never given no type of release plan or an opportunity to see a psychiatrist if I needed it because of what was going on inside. There was no follow-up plan."

Another man who was recently released from Rikers earlier this month also claimed his final screening was rushed, saying he never had his temperature taken and was not given a face mask or gloves before his release.

Two employees with Correctional Health Services (CHS), the city agency that oversees inmate care, confirmed that many inmates at Rikers can't get the help they need due to the sheer volume of people being released. The employees, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said many health care workers have called out sick or now work remotely, adding further strain to an already stressed system.

"You have a mass amount of guys getting released when no one is there. So, there's no way for us to plan for them getting out, and there's also no way for us to ensure that their service is in place," one CHS employee said.

The city has prioritized releasing inmates who were being held for violating parole, serving a jail sentence of less than one year or awaiting trial on current charges. Most inmates technically remain in the custody of the city Department of Corrections but are allowed to serve the remainder of their sentence at home.

A CHS spokesperson said people entering and leaving the jail undergo medical and mental health screenings. Prior to an inmate's release, health care workers screen and identify anyone who may have COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and advise them to self-isolate. Anyone who needs to self-isolate but requires special accommodations are referred to hotels and other supportive services, the CHS spokesperson said.

Shelters are also overwhelmed, the employees said, and some inmates will ultimately end up on the streets. "We're releasing them to shelters or programs with no resources," a CHS employee said. "We're not helping them in that way at all right now, so that's just upsetting."

"Sometimes it feels like sending people to their deaths," one of the CHS employees said.

The pandemic has forced the caseworkers tasked with implementing re-entry programs to the sidelines. These programs are meant to help inmates transition back into the community by lining up housing, health care, job training and more. Caseworkers typically work with inmates to develop a personalized plan inside the jail prior to release.

But many caseworkers have been working from home, making it difficult if not impossible for some patients to get support before they are released. Non-profit organizations that can provide support have set up hotlines, distributing numbers throughout jails, but have found that identifying clients from the outside can be hit-or-miss.

"That lack of easy communication and connection makes discharge planning, in a systematic and comprehensive way, very challenging," said Susan Gottesfeld, executive vice president and chief program officer at the Osborne Association, a re-entry organization that now provides all of its services virtually, including case management, job training, substance abuse treatment and health care.

Gottesfeld said those services are still available once someone gets out, but "it's better when we work with them pre-release so we can make sure there's a plan for them. There are a lot of pieces that need to be coordinated when people are leaving."

"[The pandemic] really shines a light on our willingness to lock up more people than we really need to be and it's testing the way our criminal and legal system makes decisions about who is taken into custody and who can be released in less restrictive supervision in the community."

For those who show symptoms after they're released, Gottesfeld said they may be moved to a hotel for symptomatic people if necessary, where they'll receive medical care.

New York City operates 11 jails, eight of which are on Rikers Island. It's unclear how many confirmed virus cases are within the complex, but as of Tuesday, there were 1,384 people sickened by the virus in city-run jails, including 1,005 Department of Corrections staffers and 379 inmates. "People are very aggravated. We're scared of dying here," one Rikers inmate said.

Rikers Island Coronavirus Outbreak COVID-19

This 2014 photo shows the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City. Seth Wenig / AP

The man who was released from Rikers earlier this month said it was a relief to be back home with his family members, who are over 60 years old. "I didn't want them to go out getting groceries, so now I can go and do those things, looking out for them and making sure the house is clean," he said. "This is no joke. My dad just lost his uncle, he was 83. My brother got it. He's feeling better and better. But there's people close to me who are getting it. We're just trying to stay clean and safe here by not going out much and just riding it out like everybody else is."

Lopez, two inmates currently inside and another person who was recently released, said tensions at Rikers are at an all-time high. Several said blaring alarms that signal fights could be heard at nearly all hours of the day and night. They all independently claimed it was difficult to get medical attention unless you had a fever and displayed several symptoms of COVID-19.

"There was a sense of dread  that everyone was going to die," Lopez said.

A current inmate blamed the fights on the lack of recreation since most dormitories are under quarantine. Several said they watched officers sweep up sick inmates in the middle of the night and discard all of their belongings.

"I sit in my cell, I write music, I do sudoku puzzles. I study my case. But when I come out and observe, it's a lot, seeing it on people's faces  the energy," said the inmate. "People knowing their lives are in jeopardy, knowing that somebody just died."

Back home, Lopez said his wife began giving him turmeric, red onions, ginger and sea moss twice a day, which he attributes to helping clear up congestion in his lungs. Last week, he left his home for the first time to buy groceries, what he considered a small, but significant milestone. He said without the support of his wife, who maintained contact with his lawyer and produced reference letters for the judge, his release would have been "impossible."

At his former job, Lopez helped former inmates adjust to life after prison. He said he is enjoying time with his family and hopes to go back to school to earn a master's degree in social work. "People need help. A lot of people who have been to prison made bad choices, and some people got hurt, but thankfully, these people are gonna come back to the community  whether we like it or not."

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The Chamber of Deputies of Parliament voted for the law on autonomy of Szeckey Krai

Szeklerland Open source

The Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament voted for the law on autonomy of the Szeckey Krai, where the Hungarian national minority lives compactly, as local agency Digi 24 reports.

According to the adopted document, an autonomous region with legal standing is to be created in Romania. It should include Covasna and Harghita counties as well as part of Mures county, where the majority of inhabitants are Hungarian ethnics.

It is planned that autonomy will have a president with a term of office of four years. The Hungarian language will become official and will be used in public institutions by citizens living in this region.

The document proposes free use of symbols of the Hungarian nation. Autonomous status is to be granted to the region after such law is approved and confirmed at a local referendum. The abolition of autonomy must also be approved by referendum.

Over 600,000 Hungarian ethnics live in the Covasna, Harghita, and Mures counties, according to the results of the 2011 census. In Harghita and Covasna, they represent the majority. After the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, the ethnic Hungarians in this region have made several attempts to get more autonomy through legislative initiatives promoted by Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). However, the Romanian Parliament has rejected all the bills in this sense.

The bill was initiated by deputies of the UDMR, who say that it reflects the historical identity of the region and will provide equal opportunities for citizens and protection of the Hungarian identity.

The rights of 1.2 million ethnic Hungarians in Romania, and about 700 thousand Szekelys in eastern Transylvania, have been at the center of a political feud between the two countries for decades.
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.
Turkeys Defence Ministry blamed the Kurdish YPG militia for the explosion, which the latter deny. The attack took place near government buildings, in a city market crowded with shoppers stocking up for the Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fasting.

Damascus (AsiaNews/Agencies)  At least 40 civilians, including 11 children, and six Syrian Arab fighters allied to Turkey were killed in an attack on Tuesday in Afrin, north-eastern Syria, an area long disputed between Kurds and Turks, currently under Turkish control.

The Turkish Defence Ministry blamed the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG) militia, which it considers affiliated with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), an organisation it labelled as terrorist. However, there is no conclusive evidence about who the authors of the attack are.

In a statement, Turkey said the blast occurred in a crowded area in Afrin. A video shared by the Defence Ministry shows black smoke billowing in the air whilst ambulance and police sirens wail in the background.

The governor of the neighbouring Turkish border province of Hatay said that a fuel tanker rigged with a hand grenade exploded at an open-air market in the central Souk Ali area of Afrin, close to local government's offices.

At the time, the market was full of shoppers stocking up for the Iftar, the meal with which Muslims break their fast during Ramadan.

In March 2018, the Turkish military seized Afrin and much of north-eastern Syria from Kurdish control in order to create a strategic buffer zone on the border. Since then the area has been run by the Turkish army and its Syrian allies.

The conflict has triggered violence that has also affected Christians, who have been the victims, like the Kurds, of "soft ethnic cleansing.

Yesterdays attack is among the regions bloodiest. As usual, Turkey blamed it on Kurdish separatists. For its part, the YPG said that it never targets civilians.
Are store-bought toys losing their luster after long weeks of you staying at home? Its time to roll up your sleeves and get creative. Build a gravity-fueled soapbox racer, assemble a model airplane or maybe even a floatable boat.

Think those handmade playthings are beyond your skillset? Naw, says Ross Kellogg, a custom furniture maker and a shop master of CraterWorks MakerSpace in Central Point.

Anything you can make for yourself is satisfying, says Kellogg, a digital fabrication specialist whos called a project imagine-er by the maker spaces executive director Taneea Browning.

The state-of-the-art facility with specialized workstations is only offering distance learning while schools are closed. But typically, instructors teach students and members of the community how to design, prototype and manufacture almost anything.

From making picture frames to repairing metal on a truck, creating a 3D-printed part to a piece of furniture, Kellogg says most people use the facility for enjoyment.

Making something is fun and practical. Its also satisfying to not have to buy an item or pay someone else to fix it, says Kellogg.

He says venerable publications like Fine Woodworking are a great source for high-end woodworking projects that require navigating complex joints.

But he directs most of his students to websites such as Instructables for inspiration. Makers post photos of their projects, from a cardboard keyboard to a cedar raised planter box, along with a detailed material list, which is very important, Kellogg says. All the ideas have step-by-step instructions, some include videos.

You can also buy kits to make airplane models, toy boats and other hobbies for all ages.

Ross Kellogg is a custom furniture maker and the shop master of CraterWorks MakerSpace in Central Point, which is temporarily closed during the coronavirus pandemic.Molly Bermea

5 Steps to Making Something

Ross Kellogg, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design from the respected Rhode Island School of Design, offers this advice:

Have a plan: A drawing, mockup or rough model will help you communicate the idea. If you have time during stay-at-home orders, learn CAD (computer-aided design) software like Fusion 360, which is free to hobbyists. Once you have the idea sketched out, think through the best way to execute it. You want to find the simplest way to get from A to Z, says Kellogg.

Assemble materials: Make a materials list and a process list. Tool libraries, such as the ones in Northeast Portland, North Portland and Southeast Portland, have tools to lend while maker spaces like ^H PDX Hackerspace in North Portland, DIYcave in Bend, Eugene MakerSpace and Craterworks have equipment to use on site when they are not temporarily closed due to the coronavirus.

Kellogg suggests investing in quality tools if you plan to use them several times. Harbor Freight Tools and home improvement centers such as Home Depot and Lowes sell inexpensive tools that might not do the job as well and have a tendency to break. You get what you pay for, he says.

Take it slow: Youre doing this for enjoyment. Its not about production. Its definitely good to not rush, says Kellogg, who jokes that he has to physically remove himself from being near a project when glue has to dry, otherwise hes tempted to touch it too soon. Having something else to do while you are waiting for glue or paint to dry is helpful, he adds. Super glues accelerents dry instantly. Wear gloves to keep it off your skin.

Accept mistakes: An important part of being a craftsman is learning to work with mistakes. It helps to be flexible with your plan. If you cut a board too short, make the whole project that much smaller. There is usually a way forward, says Kellogg. If youre frustrated, set the project aside, go for a walk and think of a solution.

Start a new project: Stretch your skills while youre homebound and beyond. Kellogg suggests building a boat in the living room. The Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, Washington, offered an online course with no experience required. Students purchased the ultralight plywood Portage Pram kit and watched live-streamed instructions.

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids has already cut $13 million in spending from its upcoming 2020-2021 budget, and may have to slash some $10 million more.

No layoffs or furloughs are currently built into the draft budget to compensate, but those remain options.

A hiring freeze, elimination of some city projects and other cost-cutting proposals are part of city officials attempt to plug the $23 million reduction in revenues.

Following the initial $13 million in revenue reductions, the additional $5 to $10 million in revenue shortfalls was caused by the latest extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-at-home order from April 30 to May 15. The stay-at-home order is designed as a way to help slow the spread of coronavirus in Michigan.

(Layoffs and furloughs) still remain on the table as we consider how to close this gap; We just need to be careful about how we move forward, City Manager Mark Washington said. Those are some of the things were going to wrestle with over the next few weeks.

The citys 2020-2021 budget that Washington and his team are currently crafting needs to be approved by city commission next month. The citys fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30.

City officials went into the budgeting process earlier this year expecting to increase spending over the current years $553 million in expenditures. That was before the coronavirus pandemic and resulting partial economic shutdown to slow the spread.

Due to projected losses in the citys income tax and revenue sharing from the states sales and gas taxes, city expenditures in 2020-2021 were slashed to $540 million. The latest projections show expenditures may need to be cut again down to $530 million.

Washingtons proposed 2020 budget offset the initial $13 million hit, in part, with a freeze on new hires and filling vacancies, as well as delaying some capital expenditures.

Under the current adjustments, about 40 permanent and 12 temporary, nonessential positions are frozen. Police and fire and other critical city positions are exempt from the freeze, which went into effect April 17.

While Washington was not able to immediately provide a full list of delayed or paused capital expenditures, he said some streets and water department projects were hit.

There were a significant number of capital projects that were paused, he said.

Those measures, as well as some others, like a renegotiated healthcare contract saving $5 million in expenditures, were enough to shore up the $13 million revenue shortfall.

Even so, city staff estimate nearly $5 million to $6 million in general fund deficits every year from 2021 through 2025 due to slower growth of income tax over years prior. The deficits would not be enough to wipe out the citys rainy day fund.

The rainy day fund would be $40.35 million in fiscal year 2021, and then dip down to $16.32 million by fiscal year 2025, according to current city estimates.

But the estimates could change.

Washingtons latest budget has yet to include the effect of Whitmers extended stay-at-home order from April 30 to May 15.

The order, in place since March 23, forbids most nonessential travel outside the home.

Washington said the extension will gut an estimated $5 to $10 million in additional revenue that hell need to account for, which could come from layoffs or dipping into the rainy day fund, among other measures.

Any moves to offset the additional shortfall, Washington said, would be intentional and measured. Not all shortfall estimates will be put in the budget plan. Instead, they may come as adjustments later on as estimates firm up.

Im confident well be able to make the right decisions that will have the minimal impact on the kind of services that our residents receive," Washington said.

Washington called the current situation an economic disaster, like one hes never seen in his career.

Though he wasnt here at the time, Washington said hes more than aware of the cuts that happened in the city during the Great Recession. The citys workforce still remains at staffing levels below what they were in 2008.

During the Great Recession, the city underwent a major reorganization at the start of 2010 to fill at the time what was a $3.5 million shortfall in the 2009-10 budget and a $7.5 million hole in the following years budget.

The citys reorganization slashed 137 jobs on Jan. 1, 2010, and laid off 45 city workers.

The current budget plan additionally includes about $3.75 million in economic stimulus funds to help the city recover from the partial economic shutdown.

We will marshal every available resource and focus them on investments that re-energize community life and stimulate business recovery, Washington said.

Adjusted preliminary budget plans will be presented to city commission at workshops on May 5, 12 and 19.

A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for the citys commission May 19 meeting. A final vote will take place May 21.

All work sessions and meetings will be streamed live on the citys Facebook and YouTube pages and broadcast live on Comcast Channel 26. The livestreams are available in Spanish here.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Carry hand sanitizer with you and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

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Irrfan Khan was buried in the presence of wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Aayan and Babil at 3 pm on Wednesday. The actor passed away after a long and spirited battle against neuroendocrine tumours. The funeral was small due to the restrictions in place due to coronavirus pandemic.

The actors representatives released a statement that read:

Irrfan was buried at the Versova kabrastan in Mumbai at 3pm this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. In presence were his family, close relatives and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. We pray for his peace and we hope hes in a better place today. He was strong in his fight, and we all have to be strong too in this loss.

Earlier, his friends arrived at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital to pay final tributes to the actor.Everyone was seen wearing masks and protective gear to keep safe from the coronavirus outbreak.

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia was also seen at the hospital in a mask. He said, I knew him and became friends since National School of Drama (NSD) days, was two years senior to me (1986). This has happened at such a time of coronavirus to such a big actor. I am sad how small his janaza (funeral) will be, else it would have been a hujoom (mammoth turnout)I am feeling so sad and living in Mumbai I cant be a part of it.

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Irrfan Khans wife Sutapa Sikdar Khan at Kokilaben hospital.

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia at Kokilaben hospital.

Irrfan Khan son Babil Khan at Kokilaben hospital, Andheri.

Tigmanshu directed Irrfan in Saheb Biwi Gangster Return, Paan Singh Tomar, Charas, Haasil, Fursat Main, Bharon Ni Khilaya Phool, Ek Shaam Ki Mulakat, and Naya Daur.

Irrfan was under observation for an infected colon at the hospital. The actor in 2018 had announced that hed been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.

Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him, his publicist said in a statement.

In an interview with the Mumbai Mirror newspaper in March 2020, he described life after the diagnosis as a roller-coaster ride, a memorable one. Happy moments were underlined because of the inherent uncertainty. We cried a little and laughed a lot, he said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
By Akbar Mammadov

The total value of Azerbaijan's road freight transportation increased by 15.4 percent year-on-year in the period of January-March, amounting to approximately $1.8 billion, the State Customs Committee has said in its report.

During the given period, the net weight of freight transported by road amounted 879,543 tons, which is nearly 6,5 percent more than that of the same period of last year.

State Customs Committee reported that while the net weight of exported freight by road transportation was 288,056 tons, with a decrease of 7.4 percent, the value of the freight in money amounted to $304.4 million, growing by 15.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the net weight of imported freight by road transportation amounted to about 591,500 tons, with an increase of 14.8 percent, from January to March in 2020. In the case of monetary value, imports via road freight transportation amounted $1.5 billion, increasing by 15.38 percent compared to the same period of 2019.

It should be noted that Azerbaijans trade turnover amounted to $6.8 billion in the first quarter of 2020, with exports amounted to $4.2 billion, and import were over $2.6 billion.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Victoria's coronavirus infection rate is so low that a prisoner's plea to be released from jail because of the risk of COVID-19 is "very weak", the state's Solicitor-General says.

Kristen Walker, QC, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that expert advice indicated the average daily risk of a Victorian contracting coronavirus was between 0.0002 per cent and 0.0005 per cent.

"We're dealing with very low numbers in the community," Ms Walker said.

Lawyers have argued the impracticality of physical distancing in prisons creates a risk of coronavirus transmission among prisoners and prison staff. Credit:Jason South

"The risk of the virus entering the [Port Phillip] prison is so remote."
The Maharashtra government is in



talks with chief ministers of other states over facilitating return of migrant workers to their native places in a planned manner, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday.

Thousands of workers from other states are stranded in Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai, due to the coronavirus- enforced lockdown and they have been demanding that transport arrangements be made for them to go back to their hometowns.

Deshmukh said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will announce a decision on sending back migrant workers after the discussion with his counterparts from other states.

Deshmukh did not name the other states, but workers hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, among others, form a sizeable chunk of migrant labourers living in Maharashtra.

Migrant workers are living in Maharashtra in big numbers, particularly in Mumbai. Discussions are on with the chief ministers of other states on how the migrant workers can be sent back to their respective native states by buses or trains in a planned manner.

The chief minister (Thackeray) will announce the decision in this connection after detailed discussion, Deshmukh told reporters here.

The NCP minister reiterated that the state government will not tolerate attacks on policemen, doctors and nurses who are working at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19.

"Strictest action will be taken against those attacking police, doctors and nurses who are working round the clock," he warned.

Earlier, Deshmukh held parleys with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope and Agriculture Minister Dada Bhuse on containing the spread of COVID-19 in Malegaon town, which has emerged as a hotspot of the disease in Nashik district.

Deshmukh said the government will deploy adequate number of policemen and doctors to contain the spread of the disease in Malegaon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kenya's economy could shrink by as much as 1% should disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic last for about three months, according to the World Bank.

That's even worse than in 2008, when a cocktail of post-election violence that killed more than a thousand people, drought and the global financial crisis curtailed output in East Africa's biggest economy.

Covid-19 has slashed demand for Kenyan agricultural exports, decimated tourism and is expected to squeeze remittance inflows. In a scenario where economic activity is disrupted for two months and investor confidence restored quickly, the World Bank sees growth at 1.5% this year, according to a report released Wednesday.

"Kenya is only at the beginning of a very uncertain path as the covid-19 shock is expected to significantly reduce growth," according to the report.

Sub-Saharan Africa's output will not fare any better this year and could shrink by between 2.1% and 5.1%, the first recession in a quarter of a century, after expanding 2.4% in 2019, according to the World Bank.

While it has only 374 confirmed cases, Kenya has a national night-time curfew and has restricted entry and exit into several counties, including its capital. It's also revised laws to lower tax rates to cushion businesses and households.

Kenya's economic performance was already on a downward trend even before the pandemic following poor agricultural output and limited private-sector credit. Growth slowed to 5.4% last year, from 6.3% in 2018, missing government estimates. This could decelerate further to between 1.8% and 2.5% this year, according to Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani.

The pandemic will delay attempts at fiscal consolidation with the budget deficit now seen widening to 8% of gross domestic product in 2019-20, from a previous target of 6.3%, according to the report.

"This is understandable in the short run, because the additional fiscal stimulus is critical to avoid massive lay-offs, bankruptcies and to support vulnerable households," the World Bank said.

Kenya's public debt has ballooned to about 6.4 trillion shillings ($59.6 billion) this fiscal year, or 63.1% of GDP, from 5 trillion shillings four years ago, when it was equivalent to 53.8% of GDP, the World Bank estimates.
Hyderabad, April 29 : A Telangana couple, which is fighting legal battle for 'no religion, no caste' columns in application forms to secure birth certificate and other documents, believes such an option could help bring a change in the present environment.

The couple hopes that it will change the thinking of people. "Today you find so much hatred, discrimination and killings in the name of religion and caste. We can bring a change by choosing no religion, no caste," David Ajjapagu told IANS on Wednesday.

David, a research fellow at Osmania University and his wife Sandepagu Swaroopa, a journalist, approached the Telangana High Court after municipal authorities did not accept their request to include 'no-caste no-religion' column in birth certificate for their son.

The High Court on Tuesday directed the Central and state governments to file their responses to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking introduction of 'no religion, no caste' columns in application forms to secure birth certificates and other documents.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan directed the Registrar General and Census Commissioner and Municipal Administration department of Telangana to file counter-affidavits in four weeks.

Hailing from Wanaparthy district of Telangana, the couple belong to different religions and castes but decided to do away with any such beliefs. They entered the wedlock in 2011 through a joint public announcement to live together.

Their son was born on March 23, 2019 and they named him as S. D. Ivan Rudey, after a renowned novelist. However, when they approached the Kothakota municipality office to apply for his birth certificate, they were asked to fill in the religion and caste column.

"We found no provision for a no-religion non-caste column in the application form. We approached the District Collector and higher-ups but our demand was not accepted. Hence, we decided to knock the court's door," said David.

He expects a positive judgment from the court and hopes that it would give relief to all those people who don't want to be identified with any religion or caste. "In the past some individuals moved the court and got relief but it was only specific to their cases or for admission to an institution. We have requested that all the online and manual application forms for birth certificates and other documents should carry the column no religion, no caste," he said.

David feels that there is a strong case for introducing such a column as more than 20 lakh people in the previous Census registered themselves as those who do not belong to any religion or caste.

"There are many people who want such a column in their birth certificates and there is no reason why it can't be provided in a secular country like ours," he said.
Pharm-Olam, a leading mid-sized clinical research organization (CRO) serving the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, won multiple recognitions in Life Science Leader magazine's 2020 CRO Leadership Awards.

This year marks the second consecutive year in which Pharm-Olam won CRO Leadership Awards. In 2019, the clinical research organization received awards in Compatibility, Reliability, and Quality. Building on that operational success, Pharm-Olam received awards in five of the six categories recognized by Life Science Leader.

Pharm-Olam won a 2020 CRO Leadership Award in the following categories:

Capabilities (Overall, Small Pharma)

Compatibility (Overall, Small Pharma)

Expertise (Overall, Small Pharma)

Quality (Overall, Small Pharma)

Reliability (Overall, Small Pharma)

Of the awards listed above, the clinical research organization also won a Champion designation in two core areas. Pharm-Olam scored as a 2020 CRO Leadership Award Champion in the following:

Compatibility (Overall)

Reliability (Overall)

The 2020 CRO Leadership Award Champion category is meant to recognize top-performing companies that scored an entire standard deviation or more above the weighted average in each category. CRO Leadership Award Champions excel amongst the best clinical research organizations.

Rob Davie, Chief Executive Officer, Pharm-Olam, stated: "Our team works incredibly hard for our sponsors, sites and patients. We are delighted to see their effort is appreciated and recognized by the Sponsors we support for the research we conduct."

Life Science Leader magazine and Clinical Leader leverage data collected by Industry Standard Research (ISR) to rate CROs based on performance ratings provided by the Sponsors that use their services. Respondents must have worked with the CRO on a project within the past 18 months. Over 60 CROs were identified and these companies were ranked on different performance metrics. There are more than 20 key markers used to score those organizations. To receive an award, CROs must score highly and receive a minimum number of Sponsor responses. Impartial and unbiased, this experiential research helps identify truly top-performing companies in the sector. For more about the methods used, please visit isrreports.com.

ABOUT PHARM-OLAM

Pharm-Olam is a global clinical research organization (CRO) that delivers comprehensive trial services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, government, and public health organizations developing small molecule, biologics, and vaccines. The CRO specializes in oncology-hematology, rare disease, allergy, autoimmune, infectious disease, and vaccines while supporting Phase I-IV studies. Founded in 1994 and currently working in 60 countries, their global team is positioned to help create a healthier world by researching new therapies and vaccines for patients in need. For more information, visit www.pharm-olam.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005127/en/

Contacts:

John Colby

Exec. Director, Global Marketing Communications

713-559-5952

john.colbyiii@pharm-olam.com
If your social media feeds are flooded with advice on how to kill or contain the novel coronavirus, it can start to become difficult to separate fact from fiction: Can you really catch COVID-19 from your beloved family pet? Should you microwave your mail to kill the virus? (Spoiler alert: "Mail is not food, and you can't cook it.")

If you're feeling as overwhelmed as we are by all the noise out there, don't despair: We spoke with experts to shed light on several common coronavirus myths and help clarify what we can do to truly help flatten the curveand what advice is just hogwash.

1. Myth: My dog or cat can give me COVID-19

Can pets give you coronavirus? andriano_cz/Getty Images

For a while, there wasn't strong evidence that household pets could get the virus, says Dr. Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer for UW Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But after a pug in North Carolina and two house cats in New York tested positive, the Centers for Disease Control issued guidelines with similar restrictions for pets as for humans, including maintaining 6 feet of distance from other people and animals, keeping cats indoors, and avoiding dog parks.

Social distancing applies for your pets, too, Pothof says. Even though its fun to play with other peoples pets, its best if we socially distance with them, too, just for the transmission aspect.

That also means keeping pets away from people in your home who have the viruseven if your pet doesn't get sick, a beloved animal could potentially transmit illness to humans if it comes into contact with an infected person and carries the virus on its fur.

That said, the chance of transmission from your furry friend is likely low: For now, health officials say there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted from pets to humans.

2. Myth: Its OK to have friends over if it's just a small group

These are challenging times, and many of us are starved for social interaction. But social distancing is the most effective way to slow the spread of the virus, says Dr. Brian Poustinchian, medical director of hospital medicine at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital.

That means avoiding any unnecessary contact with people outside of your household, even in small groupsso no intimate dinner parties or backyard bonfires.

I would avoid any indoor gatherings with others until we can get through this difficult time, he says. I dont think anyone should be gathering outside either. The safest thing to do is staying at home and avoiding other areas where you could be potentially around other people.

3. Myth: My air purifier will eliminate the virus

A household air purifier isnt able to trap the virus, which moves through droplets that are generally too large to get picked up by a residential purifier.

The droplet is big enough where its going to fall to the ground, Pothof says. Its not going to be there long enough for your air purifier to catch it.

4. Myth: I should keep my windows closed to keep the virus out

Go on and let some air in... LucaLorenzelli/Getty Images

Good news: Its completely safe to let in a little bit of fresh air while youre isolating at home.

There are some people that have this idea that the virus is just floating out in the air waiting to get you, and thats just not true, Pothof says. Its perfectly safe to open the windows if its a nice day.

5. Myth: If I live in a warm climate, I dont need to worry about the coronavirus

The jury is still out on whether climate affects the spread of COVID-19. But either way, plenty of cases have popped up in warm-climate countrieswhich means youre not immune if you live in a balmy locale.

Even though youre in a warmer climate, that doesnt mean you cant contract the virus, Poustinchian says. Some viruses prefer a cold, drier environment similar to influenza, but I dont think we know what conditions are ideal for transmitting the COVID-19 virus.

6. Myth: I should microwave my mail to kill the virus

Studies have shown that the coronavirus can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard, but transmission through mail, like papers or cardboard boxes, is going to be relatively low, Pothof says.

Resist the urge to microwave your mail, which is a serious fire hazard and has no positive benefits whatsoever. If you want to play it safe, let your packages and mail sit for 24 hours before you open them. (Remember to wash your hands after handling any mail or deliveries.)

7. Myth: I could get the virus from my groceries or takeout food

Could you have gotten a side of COVID-19 with your to-go burger?

Were not aware of someone who has gotten the virus by eating food, Pothof says. If it goes in your stomach, the acid in your stomach would deactivate it. Take the same precaution with takeout containers [as with your packages], but the food itself is probably pretty safe.

When it comes to groceries, its unlikely that youll transfer the virus from a bag to your counter and then to yourself. To be safe, you can use disinfecting wipes on the outside of milk containers, juice bottles, and other plastic containers that could potentially transfer the virus, and remember to thoroughly wash produce with water before eating it.

8. Myth: Packages from overseas are more likely to carry the virus

Whether your delivery came from down the block or across the globe, it doesnt carry any more (or less) risk of spreading the virus, Pothof says.

Its just not that hardy of a virus, he says. Something that comes from overseas is going to take at least 30 days to get here, so anything inside that package is completely safe, even if it were contaminated before it left its location. The virus is no longer active by the time it gets to your house.

9. Myth: I shouldnt share a washing machine with someone who has the virus

If youre at home with someone with COVID-19 symptoms, its OK to use the same washing machineand even to mix your laundry with theirsas long as you take a few extra precautions.

Put laundry on a high heat cycle with any type of detergent, Pothof says. The virus just doesnt survive that.

If you move or handle a sick persons laundry, be sure to wash or sanitize your hands afterward.

10. Myth: Hand sanitizing is better than hand-washing (or vice versa)

Both are totally effective as long as youre doing it right, Pothof says.

That means washing your hands thoroughly and getting between the fingers for 20 seconds, or using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

11. Myth: I can use household items like vinegar or vodka to kill the virus

These won't disinfect, but you CAN drink them... Panpetch Petchphloy/Getty Images

Vinegar is great for making your windows shine, but not for killing the virus, Pothof says. As for vodka, its far more useful in a cocktail than as a disinfectant.

One household disinfectant that does work is bleach, Pothof says. Create a mild solution by combining one-third cup bleach and a gallon of water.

12. Myth: I must constantly sanitize every surface in my home in order to stay safe

A little extra caution right now wont hurt, but you dont need to go overboard.

Its impossible to have a sterile environment in your home, Poustinchian says.

Instead of painstakingly sanitizing every square inch of your home, make sure youre doing the basics, like not wearing outside shoes in the house and sanitizing high-touch surfaces, including door handles, light switches, cellphones, and remote controls.

Focusing on the kitchen and eating areas is always a good idea, since thats where youre more hands-on and potentially putting something from your face to mouth. Also the bathrooms, Poustinchian says.

When in doubt, check facts on official websites

With so many coronavirus myths in circulation, these are just a handful of the common ones. If you read advice that seems dubious, look for reliable information from your state health department or the CDCand remember to think twice before sharing a potential myth.

The post 12 Household Coronavirus Myths You Should Stop Believing Immediately appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
MONTREAL, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier (TSX: BBD.B) will publish its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 on Thursday, May 7, 2020.



On May 7 at 8:00 a.m., EDT, Eric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer; John Di Bert, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Patrick Ghoche, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, will hold a webcast/conference call intended for investors and financial analysts to review the company's financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

A live webcast of the call and relevant financial charts will be available at www.bombardier.com

Stakeholders wishing to listen to the presentation and question and answer period by telephone may dial one of the following conference call numbers:

In English: 514-392-9079, passcode: 6454160# or

1-877-405-9213, passcode: 6454160# (toll-free in North America),

+800 4222 8835, passcode: 6454160# (overseas calls) In French:

(with translation)

1-830-221-9728, passcode: 5785496 or

1-833-528-0623, passcode: 5785496 (toll-free North America)

1-830-221-9728, passcode: 5785496 (overseas calls)

The replay of this call will be available on Bombardier's website shortly after the end of the webcast.

About Bombardier

With over 60,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchangeor follow us on Twitter @Bombardier .

Bombardier is a trademark of Bombardier Inc.

For Information
Dubai Police have confirmed that a prominent businessman from Kerala committed suicide last week, Gulf-based media outlets reported on Wednesday.

Brigadier Abdullah Khadim Bin Sorour, director of Bur Dubai police station, told Khaleej Times that businessman Joy Aarakkal committed suicide by jumping from the 14th floor of a building on April 23.

Arakkal was the managing director of Dubai-headquartered Innova Group of Companies. He is survived by his wife Celine and children Arun and Ashly.
Boston Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy shared some good news on Wednesday: He can continue his ongoing cancer treatments.

Remy, speaking to NESNs Tom Caron on the TC & Jerry Podcast, said the coronavirus pandemic prevented him from continuing his treatment briefly, but he should be able to pick back up again this week.

I start on Friday," Remy said. "Thats terrific, because they were canceled for a couple of sessions because of whats going on, obviously. So now, theyre thinking the hospital is safe enough to go into, they moved the location to a different location in the hospital, so Ill be able to get my treatment on Friday, which Im blessed. I only missed two, thats not too bad. I was expecting to miss more.

Remy has survived four bouts with cancer, most recently defeating the disease in 2018. He is considered high-risk for COVID-19 due to his history with the disease.

The first responders, the nurses, the doctors, anybody that comes in contact with anybody who has this is just in tremendous danger, Remy told the Boston Heralds Steve Hewitt earlier this month. These people have taken care of me my entire life and Im thinking a lot about them because its a horrible situation. Its worldwide, we havent even peaked yet. Its crazy and its scary. Its probably the scariest thing that Ive ever been through in my life.

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PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 19:46:24

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Pac Roots Cannabis Corp. (formerly Mountain Lake Minerals Inc.) (CSE:MLK) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases dated March 15, 2018, June 8, 2018, July 12, 2018, July 18, 2018, January 18, 2019, April 5, 2019, April 11, 2019, June 7, 2019, August 15, 2019, the Company has completed its previously announced acquisition of an application for a license under the Cannabis Act (Canada), indirectly through the acquisition of 1157630 B.C. Ltd.. (the "Acquisition") as well as the licensing arrangement with Phenome One Corp. ("Phenome"), a private held full service live genetic cannabis company. The Company has also changed its name from Mountain Lake Minerals Inc. to "Pac Roots Cannabis Corp." . The Company expects to commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") on May 4, 2020 under the symbol "PACR".AcquisitionAs previously announced, under the provisions of the Acquisition, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding securities of 1157630 B.C. Ltd. (the "Target") in consideration of the issuance of 40,000,000 common shares of the Company (the "Payment Shares"). The Target is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. All of the Payment Shares are subject to escrow pursuant to the policies of the CSE and will be released from escrow based on the passage of time, such that 10% of the securities were released on closing and the balance will be released in six equal tranches of 15% every six months thereafter. An additional, 3,383,333 common shares were issued to a historical owner of the Target's wholly owned subsidiary, Go Green Medicinal Marijuana Ltd. ("Go Green"), which common shares are subject to resale restrictions expiring on August 29, 2020.Go Green holds an application for a license under the Cannabis Act (Canada) which has successfully advanced through the review and security clearance stages of the license application process and expects to complete the pre-licensing and approval process following the submission of its security and video evidence package in Q2 2020, following which Go Green expects it would be issued its license. Go Green has a 12,000 square foot indoor growing facility in Lake Country, British Columbia. Go Green has nearly completed an expansion on the facility which will increase its size to 22,000 square feet.Upon the completion of the closing of the Acquisition, the Company issued 200,000 common shares to Matthew McGill pursuant to a finder's fee agreement dated June 6, 2018 (the "Finder's Fee Agreement") entered into in association with the Acquisition. These shares are subject to a hold period under securities laws ending on August 29, 2020 and are also held in escrow on the same terms as the Payment Shares. Mr. McGill is a director of the Company and thus a related party to the Company. At the time the Finder's Fee Agreement was executed however, Mr. McGill was not associated with the Issuer and as a result the Finder's Fee Agreement and the issuance of the common shares thereunder does not constitute a related party transaction' pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions.Phenome One LicenseThe Company has entered into a genetic licensing royalty agreement dated April 8, 2019, as amended (the "Licensing Agreement") with Phenome. The Licensing Agreement provides the Company with full access to Phenome's entire library of cultivars as well as access to Phenome's farming intellectual property ("IP"). The Company will also be granted unlimited access to Norstar Nutrients' ("Norstar") proprietary nutrient IP and catalogue.In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the Licensing Agreement, the Company will pay an aggregate of $250,000 in cash and issue an aggregate of 10,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company to Phenome over a 30-month period, of which 2,500,000 common shares were issued upon closing.The Company will also make non-refundable, non-creditable royalty payments to Phenome equal to five percent (5%) of gross sales of products. The Company will acquire a 50% interest in all hybrid cultivars generated from the extensive selective breeding program at the Lake Country facility.Private PlacementIn connection with the closing of Acquisition and License, the Company completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") generating aggregate gross proceeds of $1,650,000 through the issuance of 5,500,004 units at a price of $0.30 per unit (each a "Unit").Each Unit comprised one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant entitling the holder to acquire one additional common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.50 per share until April 28, 2022.Finder's fees of $63,906.49 were paid to registrants along with the issuance of 213,022 finder's warrants on the same terms as the warrants forming part of the Units.All of the securities issued in the Placement are subject to resale restrictions expiring on August 29, 2020.Two directors of the Company participated directly and indirectly in the Placement acquiring an aggregate of 378,850 Units on the same basis as other subscribers. The participation in the placement by insiders of the Company constitutes a "related party transaction" as such term is defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61-101. The Company relied on Section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement and Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the Placement in so far as the Placement involved interested parties did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.CapitalizationFollowing completion of the Acquisition, the Company now has 63,832,966 issued and outstanding common shares.The Company also advises that it has extended the terms of 6,914,333 currently existing warrants exercisable at $0.50 per share expiring on dates ranging from March 29, 2020 to August 16, 2020 to April 28, 2021.Following the completion of the Placement, the Company has an aggregate of 12,627,355 warran
Through the years, listening to her husbands yarns, Vi would often smile and gently chide him when he over-gilded the facts. While Horace was the mayor of every room he walked into  a gregarious chap for whom all life was a performance  Violet, in her quiet, gracious style, kept him in his place, kept him grounded, Greenberg recalled. If he was holding forth and got carried away, Vi, pleasantly exasperated, might roll her eyes.
285 South video 1/4 (the rest of the live and their Heatwave-rewatch can be found under source below).





Short summary of their lives thus far (they're planning to do more).



They had just starting dating when they filmed "Heatwave".

starting

Brendans mom was on set for that episode (Heatwave), it made Majandra very nervous.



His mom was very distraught over Majandras sweeping abilities -or lack there of.

distraught over Majandras sweeping abilities -or lack there of.

She went to him to rehearse their first kiss. They barely knew each other and hated each other at the time.



She said she needed to see what he kissed like to prepare herself for the actual scene.

like

She thought he looked like a sloopy kisser.

thought he looked like a sloopy kisser.

He thought it was very weird but agreed to do it, she left the trailer a changed person.



The hardest scenes to film during the show were the scenes when Maria and Michael got along and they were fighting IRL.



They have a weekly Zoom-meeting with Jason Behr (Max) och Nick Wechsler (Kyle).



Majandra apparently always thought Brendan had a hearing condintion because he always speaks so loud.



She just found out a few weeks ago that he doesn't, he just speaks loud lol.

that he doesn't, he just speaks loud

When their characters got pulled over by the police in "285 South", Majandra thought they got pulled over for real.



"285 South" is their favourite episode.



Brendan struggled alot with his wi-fi connection when they rewatched 285 South.

struggled

Neither of them has seen the new show.



Their project Baron and Toluca is still active and they have a another trailer ready to be released.



Jason Behr popped by in the chat (during the live stream) and left some hilarious comments.





Sources:

Their live while watching "285 South": Their live while watching "285 South": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjFfo5eaLW8BI_10HlrkSxgCYHuEmDAq1

Their live while watching "Heatwave": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2F2719737DF5A5D6

Majandra Delfino and Brendan Fehr reunited on Instagram live yesterday and rewatched the episode "285 South" of Roswell season 1 a.k.a the episode that started the relationship between their characters Maria DeLuca and Michael Guerin. They previously rewatched the episode "Heatwave" (and was very embarrassed when watching their scenes). They spilled some tea about their on-and-off relationship when filming the show and also discussed their (still going) project Baron and Toluca.
CAIT said India is one of the largest consumer markets of the world and up-gradation and modernisation of existing retail trade of India has always been the mission of CAIT.

New Delhi: CAIT, a traders' body that represents millions of local kirana stores, on Wednesday backed Indian e-commerce companies that help digitise local grocery stores as well as comply with Indian rules and regulations.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which had in the past bitterly opposed foreign e-tailers such as Amazon, accusing them of killing small businesses with deep discounts, said it has never opposed e-commerce and had only propagated adoption of e-commerce by traders as an additional business avenue.

The statement comes days after Facebook invested Rs 43,574 crore ($5.7 billion) in Reliance Industries' Jio Platforms Ltd. The investment would lead to Reliance teaming up with the US giant to accelerate the launch of its JioMart e-commerce platform on Facebook''s WhatsApp application.

"India''s e-commerce is a vast market having a large potential for digitalisation and as such entry of any entity including Reliance of having the vision to remain fairly competitive, complying with laws, rules, and regulations, not burning cash to capture the market and empowering small traders with digital technology, keeping data within the country" are welcome, CAIT said.

The body, which claims to represent 7 crore traders in the country, in an e-mailed response to questions sent by PTI on its stand on Facebook-Reliance deal, said there is enough scope for any entity which follows these standards.

JioMart, an e-commerce venture of Reliance Retail, has already started interacting with customers on WhatsApp for grocery orders in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan on a trial basis. The customer initiates the interaction on WhatsApp, checks out the grocery order on the JioMart webpage, gets connected with a retail store on WhatsApp, and then the customer picks up the order from kirana store.

"CAIT is committed to removing greatly vitiated business model of e-commerce in the country," its national secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said.

CAIT 'expressed its happiness that some Indian entities are entering into India's e-commerce landscape with a vision of inclusion and empowerment of millions of small merchants and Kirana shops through their technology platforms, the statement said.

Commitment to work towards enabling the consumers to access the nearest kirana shop who can provide products and services to their homes by transacting through e-commerce portals will be a game-changer which will not only keep the small kirana shops relevant but increase their sales and enable them to effectively compete with e-commerce giants, it said.

CAIT, he said, has never opposed e-commerce but always propagated adoption of e-commerce by traders as an additional avenue for their business besides physical stores.

"However, the CAIT strongly stands against malpractices being adopted by e-tailers and flouting rules and regulations in order to kill the small businesses of India," he said adding the traders' body stands for digitisation, up-gradation and modernisation of local grocery stores and anyone who can help do that is welcome.

CAIT said India is one of the largest consumer markets of the world and up-gradation and modernisation of existing retail trade of India has always been the mission of CAIT.

For the same, CAIT is all set to launch its "national e-commerce portal very soon which will be of the traders, by the traders, and for the traders."

"In its pursuit of 'Bhartiyakaran' (Indianisation) of Indian e-commerce business with a vision of focusing on India's 7 crore micro, small and medium businesses, 12 crore farmers, 3 crore small merchants and millions of small and medium enterprises, 1 crore transporters in the informal sector, CAIT welcomes every e-tailer in the country," the statement said.

CAIT said it has always held the view that data of India captured by anyone should remain onshore and there should not be any compromise with data sharing.

Reliance's billionaire owner Mukesh Ambani too has in past favoured data being stored locally.

"Fair competition has always been the essence of any business and obtaining the best products at competitive prices is the right of every consumer in the country. Enabling the traders particularly small merchants, kirana stores, micro-businesses, farmers and logistic chain is always welcome," CAIT said.
The United States on Tuesday recorded its one-millionth coronavirus case as countries including Spain, Russia and Nigeria took hard steps back towards normal life by preparing to reopen some businesses.

Excitement over partial easing of the lockdowns affecting more than half of humanity has been tempered by fear of new outbreaks and growing evidence of the economic devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US -- where millions of jobs have gone -- reached another grim milestone as it registered 58,351 deaths, a larger loss of life than recorded by the US military in the Vietnam War.

The overall US case load rose to 1,011,877 in a public health disaster that could threaten President Donald Trump's re-election chances.

But some countries have reported falling infection numbers, and governments have begun to chart their way out of the shutdowns.

France said Tuesday that shops, markets and selected schools could reopen next month, with face masks required on public transport and work-from-home orders staying in place for several more weeks.

World toll of coronavirus infections and deaths as of April 28 at 1900 GMT. By Jonathan WALTER (AFP)

Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe admitted even a gradual return to normal life was "risky."

Spain said restrictions would be slowly lifted over the next two months, while Italians will be able to exercise outdoors and visit relatives from next week -- but only if they wear masks and refrain from hugs and handshakes.

Italy, Spain and France have been the worst affected countries in Europe, with each reporting more than 23,000 deaths.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin warned that the peak of coronavirus infections still lay ahead, saying "the situation remains very difficult."

But he nonetheless said lockdown measures could be eased from next month.

Data on infection rates has shown mixed results in Germany, which is being closely watched after allowing some shops to reopen last week.

"We all need to take care that we don't end up with more infections," said Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute for disease control.

'The cries of the people'

Experts have warned of a second wave of contagion if restrictions are lifted too hastily, and the World Health Organization has said reinfection may be possible even among recovered patients.

Children in Spain have been allowed out of their homes for the first time in weeks, but strict sanitary measures are in place. By Gabriel BOUYS (AFP)

In Nigeria's largest city Lagos, bus driver Taju Olonade told AFP a decision to ease the lockdown showed that authorities had finally listened "to the cries of the people."

"For almost one month I have not earned a penny," he said. "I hope life will soon return to normal."

The new coronavirus has killed at least 214,451 people since the outbreak first emerged in China in December, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

More than three million cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories, although the official tally is widely thought to lag far behind the actual figures.

The United States, which on Tuesday recorded a further 2,207 deaths in 24 hours, has seen by far the highest number of fatalities.

Trump has increasingly sought to blame China, but China pushed back fiercely on Tuesday, accusing US politicians of "barefaced lies."

Russia said it would look at gradually easing quaratine measures. By OLGA MALTSEVA (AFP)

"They have only one objective: shirk their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and control measures," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters.

Beijing and Washington have clashed repeatedly over the outbreak.

It seems to be under control in China with no new deaths reported for 13 straight days and the death toll standing at 4,633 -- although much doubt has been cast on whether the numbers are accurate.

Shattered economies

Anger at the global economic paralysis has intensified in recent weeks, and anti-government protesters took to the streets in Lebanon on Tuesday in defiance of a lockdown.

Protesters took to the streets of Lebanon in defiance of a coronavirus lockdown. By ANWAR AMRO (AFP)

"I came down to raise my voice against hunger, poverty and rising prices," Khaled, 41, told AFP, saying he had lost his job selling motorcycle parts and could no longer support his three children.

In the latest sign of big business woes, British Airways is set to slash up to 12,000 jobs, its parent company said. The carrier, which has approximately 45,000 employees, has already furloughed nearly 23,000 staff.

Despite other European countries moving towards reopening schools and shops, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was too early for the UK to follow suit.

That was in contrast to New Zealand, where people enjoyed fast food and coffee shop treats for the first time in five weeks after the country lifted its strict lockdown.

"We see the difference in other countries and I don't envy them, that's for sure," said Wellington resident Cheryl Robertson, who planned to celebrate her newfound freedom with a curry.

US military planes fly over New York in a salute to health care workers. By Angela Weiss (AFP)

In Australia, hundreds of surfers and swimmers rushed back to the waves at Bondi Beach in Sydney, five weeks after police closed the area because of large crowds flouting social distancing rules.

"I've been excited for like a week," Diane Delaurens told AFP, dripping after an early-morning surf.

However, there is not yet a vaccine for the disease and Britain issued a warning of coronavirus-related syndrome emerging in children -- including abdominal pain and inflammation around the heart.

"What I would also stress is that it is rare. Although it is very significant for those children who do get it, the number of cases is small," said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

In Tokyo, organizers said that the postponed 2020 Olympics will have to be canceled next year if the pandemic isn't brought under control.

In Latin America, Brazil emerged as a new hotspot with 5,000 deaths so far -- more than China's -- while nine inmates were killed when rioting broke out at a prison in Lima, Peru after two inmates died from COVID-19.

burs-bgs/it
Days after Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai announced a 30-day total lockdown in the state, the Kaduna state government has relaxed ...





A schedule of exemptions has also been attached to the Quarantine Orders as follows: Restriction of movement in Kaduna State is relaxed from 8am to 6pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.A schedule of exemptions has also been attached to the Quarantine Orders as follows: pic.twitter.com/p50buMxSW5 April 29, 2020

The announcement was made via state government official Twitter handle.According to El-Rufai, the restriction of movement in the state will be relaxed from 8am to 6pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting from today April 29.Residents wearing face masks will be allowed go to pharmacies, shops and markets selling foods, so as to restock.The traders must also wear face masks, and their customers are expected to observe social distancing.All markets will be closed after Wednesday to be replaced by temporary neighbourhood markets which will commence operations this Saturday.Sellers of food and medicines will be allocated spaces in public schools facilities so that they can serve specific neighbourhoods.Kaduna state has 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state governor, Nasir El-Rufai tested positive for the novel virus but has since recovered.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Brasilia, Brazil  Wed, April 29, 2020 10:33 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4e20e6 2 World Brazil,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-death-toll,pandemic,health Free

Brazil, the South American country worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has registered more than 5,000 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry announced Tuesday, pushing the toll above that of China.

A record 474 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, with the number of infections rising to 71,886, the ministry said.

China, where the virus first emerged before spreading across the world, has recorded about 4,600 deaths.

The ministry said Brazil's toll could be higher than Tuesday's official figure of 5,107, as the cause of 1,156 further deaths are under investigation.

Experts believe the overall number of COVID-19 cases could be 12 to 15 times higher, due to a large number of undetected cases given the lack of testing availability across the country's 210 million population.

Deaths among vulnerable indigenous communities rose by 15 on Monday, a jump of 50 percent in the past five days, according to the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil.

President Jair Bolsonaro regularly expresses his impatience with restrictions imposed by the state governors to slow the disease's spread and has pushed hard for economic activity to restart.

Asked about the rising death count, Bolsonaro responded, "And what? I am sorry about it. What do you want me to do?"

"I am Messias," he said, referring to his middle name, which means Messiah, "but I don't do miracles."

Health Minister Nelson Teich, who took office earlier this month after the controversial firing of his predecessor, said last week as the death toll hit 3,000 that it was premature to attribute the rise in fatalities to a surge in COVID-19 infections.

He suggested it could instead be the result of an increase in testing.

Sao Paulo, the hardest-hit state with a third of the country's cases, plans to gradually resume economic activity -- sector by sector -- from May 11.

Rio de Janeiro and southeastern Minas Gerais states are preparing similar measures, while the federal district of Brasilia and southern Santa Catarina state have already resumed certain activities.
Police are investigating the death of a 44-year-old Butte, Montana, woman who was highly agitated inside an apartment Sunday morning and threatened officers with a knife.

Policed used a taser on the woman and after she was taken to the hospital, still in an agitated state, she became unresponsive and attempts to revive her by hospital staff were unsuccessful and she died, Sheriff Ed Lester said in a news release late Tuesday morning.

The womans identity was not released pending notification of family members and an autopsy is scheduled at the Montana State Crime Lab, Lester said. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the Butte-Silver Bow Coroners Office are assisting the investigation.

According to Lester, police responded to a residence in the 200 block of South Jackson Street shortly before 9 a.m. on Sunday. A highly agitated woman was yelling and damaging the interior of the apartment.

Officers made contact with the woman from the outside of the apartment by speaking to her from windows she had already broken out. She was armed with a knife.

The woman made threats to harm the officers with the knife. At one point, she put the knife down and an officer attempted enter the apartment to restrain her. But she picked up the knife and came toward the officer.

She was ordered to drop the knife but she continued toward the officer and he deployed his Taser. The woman was then restrained and transported to the hospital for medical clearance prior to being transported to the detention center.

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April 29 : Dance is happiness to the soul. Today on International Dance Day 2020, the cute Bollywood actress of Swedish origin, Elli Avram, took to social media to show her love for dance. The Malang actress shared a lovely throwback video wherein she was enjoying some time with co  dancers. During this lockdown, she has been entertaining her fans from time to time with delightful videos, and also flaunted her silky red hair days. Take a look at how she goes about grooving like a jellyfish! You too can try doing this at home.

Elli Avram wore this lovely black casual attire and flaunted her moves aesthetically. She wore a short crop top along with loose pants, black, and sneakers for this practice session. She mentioned in her post that this her first dance practice and she loved the way, she was taught well by her dance masters.

She had posted this video to remind fans about the value of dance in ones life. Every year, a grand event will take place on April 29, all over the world. This day was created by International Theatre Institute to mark the birth anniversary of the creator of modern ballet dance - Jean-Georges Noverre.

Previous to that, Elli shared her video of another belly dancing session. She jokingly commented on her post that this was the way  her food got digested. But to tell the truth, we have to admire that these moves do need a lot of practice, passion, and, good health. In times of lockdown, when we have plenty of time, we could all do this sort of dances, and trim down our waistline in ease.
A total of 26,097 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus, Public Health England has said.

New Government figures incorporating care home and community deaths were released for the first time on Wednesday.

The new death toll, as of 5pm on Tuesday, is a jump from yesterday's figure of 21,678 - which only included hospital deaths.

The figure was announced after the Government pledged to include deaths in the community in its daily death toll figures.

It previously faced criticism over the fact the daily number of Covid-19 deaths provided by the Department of Health had only included hospital fatalities.

In the first statement since changing the way figures are produced, Public Health England said the total number of deaths was around 17 per cent higher than previous data showed.

The body said it was reporting an additional 3,811 deaths since the start of the outbreak.

The death toll in the UK has passed 26,000 / Getty Images

A PHE spokesman said: Of these, around 70 per cent were outside hospital settings and around 30 per cent were in hospital.

"The additional hospital deaths have been identified through PHEs laboratory system and were not reported to NHSE.

The latest figures have been revised retrospectively by PHE since the first coronavirus-related death to include additional data sources, reaching a total number of deaths in the UK of 26,097.

These include 765 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 5pm on Tuesday which was announced by Dominic Raab during the daily Downing Street press briefing.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab / PA

Before Wednesday, figures for deaths in care homes and in the community have been released weekly by the Office for National Statistics.

The latest figures from the Government came after the Care Quality Commission revealed on Tuesday that 4,343 Covid-19 deaths occurred in care homes between April 10 to the 24.

On Wednesday, the number of Covid-19 deaths in hospital passed the grim milestone of 22,000.

A further 445 deaths were reported by NHS England, taking the total to 19,740.

A total of 73 new deaths in Wales brought the total there to 886. The toll in Scotland rose to 1,415 after 83 new deaths were announced.

The 601 new deaths brings the total across those three NHS bodies to 22,041.

The figures from Northern Ireland have not yet been released.

The statistics are from individual NHS bodies across the countries and are recorded differently to the UK-wide figure announced each day by the Department of Health.
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Samera Al-Huri's fellow activists were disappearing, one by one. When she asked their families, each gave the same cryptic reply: ``She's traveling.'' A few of the women re-emerged. But they seemed broken and refused to say where they had been for months.

Al-Huri soon found out.

A dozen officers from the Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen snatched her from her home in the capital, Sanaa, at dawn.

They took her to the basement of a converted school, its filthy cells filled with female detainees. Interrogators beat her bloody, gave her electrical shocks and, as psychological torture, scheduled her execution only to call it off last-minute.

Women who dare dissent, or even enter the public sphere, have become targets in an escalating crackdown by the Houthis.

Activists and former detainees described to The Associated Press a network of secret detention facilities where they are tortured and sometimes raped. Taiz Street, a main avenue in Sanaa, is dotted with several of them, hidden inside private villas and the school where al-Huri was held.

``Many had it worse than me,'' said al-Huri, 33, who survived three months in detention until she confessed on camera to fabricated prostitution charges, a grave insult in conservative Yemen.

Long-held traditions and tribal protections once guarded women from detention and abuse, but those taboos are succumbing to the pressures of war.

As men die in battle or languish in jail in a conflict now dragging into its sixth year, Yemeni women have increasingly taken political roles. In many cases, women are organizing protests, leading movements, working for international organizations or advocating peace initiatives _ all acts the Houthis increasingly view as a threat.

``This is the darkest age for Yemeni women,'' said Rasha Jarhum, founder of the Peace Track Initiative, which lobbies for women's inclusion in peace talks between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government.

``It used to be shameful for even traffic police to stop a woman.''

"I'd fallen off the earth"

Systematic arrests and prisons rife with torture have been central to war efforts by both sides, the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition trying to oust them, the AP has found.

Yet the intimidation campaign against women, observers say, is unique to rebel-held areas.

Estimates of women currently detained range from 200 to 350 in the governorate of Sanaa alone, according to multiple rights groups. The Yemeni Organization for Combating Human Trafficking says that's likely an undercount.

Other provinces are more difficult to pin down. Noura al-Jarwi, head of the Women for Peace in Yemen Coalition, estimates that over 100 women are detained in Dhamar province south of the capital, a major crossing point from government-controlled areas into Houthi-run territory.

Al-Jarwi, who runs an informal support group in Cairo for women released from Houthi detention, has documented 33 cases of rape and eight instances of women debilitated by torture.

The AP met with six former detainees who managed to flee to Cairo before the coronavirus pandemic grounded flights and closed borders. Their accounts are supported by a recent report from a U.N. panel of experts, which said sexual violations may amount to war crimes.

One woman, a former history teacher who asked not to be identified to protect family in Yemen, was swept up in a crackdown on protests in December 2017.

She was taken to a villa somewhere on Sanaa's outskirts, though she didn't know where. At night, all she could hear was barking dogs, not even the call to prayer.

``I was so far away, like I'd fallen off the earth,'' she said.

Around 40 women were captives in the villa, she said. Interrogators tortured her, one time tearing her toenails out. In more than one case, three masked officers told her to pray and said they would purify her from sin. They took turns raping her. Female guards held her down.

The Houthis' human rights minister denied the torture allegations and the existence of clandestine women's prisons.

``If this is found, we will tackle this problem,'' Radia Abdullah, one of two female Houthi ministers, said in an interview.

She acknowledged many women had been arrested in a recent anti-prostitution sweep of cafes, apartments and women's gatherings. They were accused of ``aiming to corrupt society and serving the enemy,'' she said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition.

A parliamentary committee created last fall to probe reports of illegal detention discovered and released dozens of male detainees in its first weeks of work.

It planned to pursue the issue of women as well. But a Feb. 16 internal memo obtained by the AP complains that the Interior Ministry pressured the committee to end its investigation.

A widening crackdown

The first major round-up of women came in late 2017, after the Houthis killed their one-time ally in the war, former ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh. The rebels detained scores of women who thronged public squares, chanting for the return of Saleh's body.

The scope has expanded since, said al-Jarwi. ``First they came for opposition leaders, then protesters, now it's any woman who speaks against them.''

One woman told the AP she was dragged from her taxi at a protest spot, beaten and detained. A peace advocate for a London-based humanitarian group was locked in a Sanaa police station for weeks.

A computer teacher, 48, recalled how 18 armed men broke into her home and beat everyone inside, stomping on her face and screaming sexual insults at her. She had no connection to politics but had posted a video on Facebook complaining that government salaries had not been paid for months. She and her children fled to Egypt soon after.

Al-Huri said when she rejected a Houthi official's request to snitch on other activists, she was abducted in July 2019 by a dozen masked officers with Kalashnikovs, ``as though I was Osama bin Laden.''

She was imprisoned in Dar al-Hilal, an abandoned school on Taiz Street. A fellow detainee, Bardis Assayaghi, a prominent poet who circulated verses about Houthi repression, counted around 120 women held there, ``schoolteachers, human rights activists, teenagers.'' She said officers banged her head against a table so hard that she needed eye surgery to see properly when released months later.

The head of the Sanaa criminal investigation division, Sultan Zabin, conducted interrogations in the school, al-Huri and Assayaghi said. Some nights, they said, Zabin took the ``young, pretty girls'' out of the school to rape them.

The U.N. panel of experts identified Zabin as running an undisclosed detention site where women have been raped and tortured.

At least two villas on Taiz Street have been used to detain women, along with other sites around the capital, including apartments confiscated from exiled politicians, two hospitals and five schools, al-Jarwi and the ex-detainees said.

"Get us out"

When the history teacher was released in March 2018, her limp body was dumped under an overpass. Her family refused to see her because of the shame.

In their eyes, ``I had gone out to protest, so I deserved what happened,`` she said.

Female ex-detainees say the Houthis aim to humiliate them with rapes and allegations of prostitution.

``It's intimidation to the core,'' said Fatima Abo Alasrar, a non-resident scholar at the Washington-based Middle East Institute. In Yemen's patriarchal society, survivors of sexual assault are often ostracized, sometimes even killed by relatives to preserve family ``honor.''

Women are set free only after pledging to stop protesting or posting on social media, and after they videotape confessions to prostitution and espionage.

``They told me: If you leave Sanaa, we will kill you, if you spread information, we will kill you, if you speak against us, we will kill you,'' said Assayaghi.

In Cairo, the women help each other cope and move forward.

Over home-cooked dinners, they gather with their children and recall their city before the war, when they performed poetry and smoked water pipes in bustling cafes, many of which the Houthis have shut down to keep men and women from mingling.

Many still receive threats from the Houthis. None can see their families in Sanaa again.

Al-Huri struggles with insomnia. She knows the Houthis will release her confession soon. But she's convinced that telling her story is worth the risk.

``There are girls still in prison,'' she said. ``When I try to sleep, I hear their voices. I hear them pleading, `Samera, get us out.'''

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Armenian law-enforcement bodies made at least 15 arrests on Wednesday after an angry mob stormed a provincial hospital guarded by police and tried to kill its patients hospitalized as a result of a shootout that left two people dead and several others wounded.

They also beefed up security in Gavar, the administrative center of Armenias eastern Gegharkunik province and the scene of the gun battle that broke out on Tuesday evening for still unclear reasons.

The deadly clash reportedly involved two groups of armed men living in Gavar and the nearby village of Noratus. Two of them were shot dead while six others seriously wounded and rushed to a Gavar hospital.

Three hours later, the hospital was attacked by several hundred friends and relatives of the two murdered men, local officials said. The attackers, most of them reported to be Noratus residents, broke through a police cordon and burst into the building, smashing its doors, windows and even an inner wall.

According to Armenias Investigative Committee, they stabbed two of the wounded individuals and another man who they believed were responsible for the killings.

A senior hospital doctor, Aram Avetisian, told RFE/RLs Armenian service that the attackers linked to one of the rival sides left the medical facility after finding the persons they were looking for. The latter suffered severe stab wounds and were taken to Yerevan in a critical condition, said Avetisian.

In a statement, the Investigative Committee said that 15 persons were arrested on suspicion of participating in the mass disturbances. It said law-enforcement authorities are now trying to identify more participants of the violent incidents in Gavar.

The Gegharkunik governor, Gnel Sanosian, spoke of quite a large number arrests already made by investigators but gave no numbers. The process is continuing, he said, noting that the attack was caught on the local hospitals security cameras.

Sanosian said that the Armenian police have sent reinforcements to Gavar and Noratus to prevent fresh violence there. The police fully control the situation in the town, around the hospital and, of course, in Noratus, he told RFE/RLs Armenian service.

Critics of the Armenian government pounced on the fact that the hospital was seized by the mob despite being guarded by armed police officers and the arrival in Gavar of the national police chief, Arman Sargsian. They portrayed this as a gross security failure highlighting Armenias rising crime rate. Some of them also demanded Sargsians resignation.

Sanosian dismissed the criticism, saying that the policemen deployed in the hospital were greatly outnumbered by the attackers. The provincial governor estimated the number of the attackers at around 500.

There were several hundred of them, Avetisian, the hospital doctor, said for his part.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 19:20 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd50ebdb 4 City COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,Jakarta-governor,anies-baswedan,PSBB,large-scale-social-restrictions,social-restriction,pembatasan-sosial-berskala-besar Free

The implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) by the Jakarta administration since April 10 has started to show results Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has claimed, citing central government data that show there has been a rapid and significant slowdown in new cases.

While acknowledging that authorities were still recording new cases every day, Anies said the rate of increase in new patients under surveillance (PDP) had begun flattening thanks to the social restrictions.

"We need to acknowledge that the PSBB measures have shown results, as Jakarta residents have stayed home since mid-March  even before the city officially imposed the restrictions, Anies said on Wednesday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Sixty percent of Jakartans are remaining within 200 meters of their homes and we have started to feel the effects.

Read also: Greater Jakarta to expand restrictions as existing measures deemed ineffective

Jakarta, the countrys epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, imposed a 14 day period of PSSB measures on April 10. The administration recently decided to extend the restrictions until May 22.

The governor, however, urged residents to remain vigilant, saying the fight against COVID-19 was still far from over.

Health authorities recorded 133 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a day after the government claimed the rate of infection was slowing in the capital.

"Don't assume that we have reached the peak [of the outbreak] and it will be over soon. We need to be careful. Singapore, for example, experienced a huge spike in new cases after they thought the curve had flattened, said Anies.

The governor added that he did not know whether the slowing trend in new cases would continue and urged all parties to take all necessary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 across the city.

Jakarta had recorded 4,092 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, almost half of the nationwide total of 9,511 cases. (nal)
Western Bulldogs AFL captain Easton Wood has issued an emotional public appeal after his premiership medal and other precious items belonging to his wife were stolen during a burglary at his Melbourne home.

Victoria Police are investigating following the robbery at Wood's Albert Park home sometime between 12am April 14 and 5.30pm April 26.

His premiership medal from the Bulldogs' drought-breaking 2016 grand final win against the Sydney Swans was among the sentimental items stolen, along with a premiership watch and a drone.

A World War I service identification tag and jewellery belonging to Wood's wife Tiffany were also stolen.

A devastated Easton Wood and his wife Tiffany (pictured holding their baby daughter Matilda) issued an emotional appeal for the stolen sentimental items to be returned

Wood had been self-isolating with his wife and their baby daughter Matilda in his hometown in rural Victoria for five weeks before they returned to their ransacked home.

'On Sunday night my wife, daughter and I returned home from isolating at my mother's property in the country to discover we had been robbed,' a shattered Wood posted on Instagram on Wednesday.

He pleaded for the sentimental items to be returned.

'We're heartbroken and devastated to have lost our precious items that have immense sentimental value to us,' Wood wrote.

'Not to mention the sick feeling of having someone invade your home and go through all your personal items.'

'If you have any info or have seen anything please get in contact with police and hopefully we can get our precious items back.'

Wood (right) wearing his beloved premiership medal after the Bulldogs' 2016 grand final win

A heartbroken Wood and his young family joined police in a public appeal for the stolen items, which he described as irreplaceable.

'It's pretty awful,' he told reporters.

Wood is particularly distraught about the theft of his premiership medal

'It is a medal that is a symbol of everything of all my hard work over a career and what we achieved as a team in 2016,' Wood said.

'Its awful to have that symbol gone, I was hoping to that be passed down to Matilda and her kids, it is really upsetting.

'The feeling of someone going through your things, the huge sentimental value, the irreplaceable nature of it. It was really heartbreaking.'

The Western Bulldogs skipper couldn't hide his distress during Wednesday's police appeal

The stolen World War 1 service identification tag belonged to Tiffany's great-grandfather

The stolen silver World War 1 service identification tag is engraved with 'Sayers SA 1830' on the front and 'Nugget' on the back.

It originally belonged to Ms Wood's great-grandfather, who served at Gallipoli.

'It's deeply sentimental and personal,' she told reporters.

'To me it is so important. It is a horrible feeling, I don't think anyone wants to know there has been a random going through your house.'

Her husband's Tissot 1853 Chronographic Automatic watch, still inside its box, is engraved with 'AFL 2016 Premiers' on the back.

Tiffany and Easton Wood (pictured with their baby) returned to a ransacked home on Sunday

Wood captained the Bulldogs to their first premiership in 52 years in 2016.

Police don't believe the burglary was targeted.

They said thieves spent considerable time ransacking the property and may have left the home carrying the stolen items in a washing basket.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The "European Genomic Biomarker Market 2019-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The European genomics biomarker market is estimated to grow significantly at a CAGR of more than 14% during the forecast period. Factors that are contributing significantly to the market growth include the presence of a well-developed healthcare sector and considerably high healthcare expenditure and infrastructure in its economies such as Germany, UK, France, and others. Other factors contributing to the European genomics biomarker market include the rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and arthritis. Unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking, consumption of drugs and alcohol in European countries are the major factors for increasing cancer incidences among men and women. Government initiatives, programs, and funding related to increasing awareness of cancer are also contributing to the growth of the market in the region.

The European genomic biomarker market is segmented on the basis of application and end-user. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into oncology, cardiology, neurology, and others. There is a huge scope for the market in the oncology segment due to the increasing prevalence of cancer. On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented into hospitals and diagnostic. Further, the report covers the country-level analysis of the genomics biomarker market in Europe.

The major economies covered in the report include UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and the Rest of Europe. The rest of Europe is estimated to hold a significant share in the market owing to the increasing healthcare spending in countries such as the Netherlands and Poland. As a result, it is primarily contributing to the adoption of advanced biomarkers for screening and detection of disease and thereby enabling the demand for genomic biomarkers. Moreover, Germany, UK, and Spain are estimated to grow at a considerable CAGR during the forecast period. The significant prevalence of CVD and cancer is expected to propel the adoption of the genomic biomarker in these countries.

Some of the major players in the European genomic biomarker market include F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Evotec AG, Becton Dickinson and Co., Qiagen NV, Novartis AG, and others. These companies are launching innovative products in the market, in order to meet the increasing demand for an effective diagnostic biomarker for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the market players are adopting various strategies, in order to sustain in the competitive market, which includes partnership and collaboration, investments in R&D, and merger and acquisition. For instance, in April 2018, BioMrieux S.A. completed its acquisition of Astute Medical for around $90 million. Under this agreement, the company was given access to promising biomarkers in the product pipeline of Astute Medical.

The Report Covers

Comprehensive research methodology of the European Genomic Biomarker Market.

This report also includes a detailed and extensive market overview with key analyst insights.

An exhaustive analysis of macro and micro factors influencing the market guided by key recommendations.

Analysis of regional regulations and other government policies impacting the European Genomic Biomarker Market.

Insights about market determinants which are stimulating the European Genomic Biomarker Market.

Detailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues.

Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players.



Key Topics Covered:

1. Report Summary

1.1. Research Methods and Tools

1.2. Market Breakdown

1.2.1. By Segments

1.2.2. By Geography

2. Market Overview and Insights

2.1. Scope of the Report

2.2. Analyst Insight Current Market Trends

2.2.1. Key Findings

2.2.2. Recommendations

2.2.3. Conclusion

2.3. Rules Regulations

3. Competitive Landscape

3.1. Company Share Analysis

3.2. Key Strategy Analysis

3.3. Key Company Analysis

3.3.1. Overview

3.3.2. Financial Analysis

3.3.3. SWOT Analysis

3.3.4. Recent Developments

4. Market Determinants

4.1. Motivators

4.2. Restraints

4.3. Opportunities

5. Market Segmentation

5.1. European Genomic Biomarker Market by Application

5.1.1. Oncology

5.1.2. Cardiology

5.1.3. Neurology

5.1.4. Others

5.2. European Genomic Biomarker Market by End-User

5.2.1. Hospitals

5.2.2. Diagnostic Research Laboratories

6. Regional Analysis

6.1. UK

6.2. Germany

6.3. Italy

6.4. Spain

6.5. France

6.6. Rest of Europe

7. Company Profiles

7.1. Abcodia Ltd.

7.2. Acobiom SAS

7.3. Agendia N.V.

7.4. Agilent Technologies, Inc.

7.5. Avacta Group Plc

7.6. Bayer AG

7.7. BioMrieux S.A.

7.8. BioPorto Diagnostics A/S

7.9. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

7.10. DestiNA Genomics Ltd.

7.11. DNAVision SA

7.12. Eagle Genomics Ltd.

7.13. Epigenomics AG

7.14. Epistem Ltd

7.15. Eurofins Scientific SE

7.16. Evotec AG

7.17. F-Hoffman-La Roche Ltd.

7.18. IntegraGen SA

7.19. Merck KGaA

7.20. Novartis AG

7.21. Qiagen N.V.

7.22. Valirx PLC

7.23. The Almac Group

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c4jfs7

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005351/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

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The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man with a face mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks in front of Miraitowa and Someity, mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics at a park in Tokyo Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expanded a state of emergency to all of Japan from just Tokyo and other urban areas as the virus continues to spread. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

TOP OF THE HOUR:

 India touts gains in curbing virus with lockdown, may relax some rules

 South Korea reports four new coronavirus cases, lowest in about two months

 NYPD called after overwhelmed funeral home stores bodies on ice in rented trucks

 Nevada governor extends stay-at-home order to May 15, eases some restrictions

 Germany experts say vaccine, herd immunity vital.

 US to let federal social distancing guidelines expire.

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FILE - This Tuesday, April 7, 2020 file photo shows a bottle of hydroxychloroquine tablets in Texas City, Texas. On Friday, April 24, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned doctors against prescribing the malaria drug to treat COVID-19 outside of hospitals or research settings. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

NEW DELHI  India says it has achieved tremendous gains and improvement in curbing the coronavirus infections through a stringent lockdown imposed across the country five weeks ago.

A Home Ministry statement late Wednesday said the government would give considerable relaxations in many districts as the lockdown comes for a review on Sunday.

India has so far reported more than 33,050 positive coronavirus cases with 1,074 deaths.

The government on Wednesday allowed migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places in the country to resume their journeys by road. The decision will provide relief to hundreds of thousands of workers who want to return to their villages from Indian cities and towns after they lost jobs following the imposition of a country-wide lockdown on March 25.

The government recently allowed reopening of neighbourhood shops in cities and towns and resumption of manufacturing and farming activity in rural India to help millions of poor people who lost work.

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SEOUL, South Korea __ South Korea has reported four more cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the first time that its daily jump has marked below five in about two months.

The Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Thursday that the additional figures took the countrys total to 10,765 with 247 deaths. It says 9,059 of them have recovered and been released from quarantine.

It says the four new cases are all imported ones and that there were no newly reported cases of local infections.

Local media said its the first time for South Korea to have no daily increase of local infections since Feb. 15.

A man walks past closed shops in a commercial hub during lockdown in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. India last week eased the lockdown by allowing shops to reopen and manufacturing and farming activities to resume in rural areas to help millions of poor, daily-wage earners. But the economic costs of the nationwide lockdown continue to mount in a country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

South Koreas caseload has been slowing in recent weeks after it recorded hundreds of new cases every day between late February and early March.

South Korea has subsequently relaxed some of its social distancing guidelines. It expected to ease up on more restrictions in coming days if its caseload maintains a downward trend.

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MALE, Maldives  Maldives has reported its first death to the new coronavirus with the total number of positive cases standing at 280.

Health Minister Abdulla Ameen said Thursday that the victim was an 83-year-old woman from the capital Male.

First cases of COVID-19 were reported at tourist resorts in this Indian Ocean archipelago state and authorities for sometime kept it from spilling over into the community. However, there is now a sudden spike in the number of patients in the capital island as well as far off islands with no traceable source of infection.

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NEW YORK -- Police were called to a Brooklyn neighbourhood Wednesday after a funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks, and a passerby complained about the smell, officials said.

Investigators who responded to a 911 call found that the home had rented four trucks to hold about 50 corpses, according to a law enforcement official. No criminal charges were brought and the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Home was cited for failing to control the odours. The home was able to obtain a larger, refrigerated truck later in the day, the official said.

A waiter wearing a face mask to protect from the new coronavirus delivers food at a market Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 23, 2020. A month-long state of emergency remain enforced in Thailand to allow its government to impose stricter measures to control the coronavirus that has infected hundreds of people in the Southeast Asian country. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

New York City funeral homes have struggled as at least 18,000 people have died in the city since late March.

The NYPD notified the state Department of Health, which oversees funeral homes, about the situation at the Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Home. It did not respond to an email seeking comment.

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LAS VEGAS -- Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is extending his directive asking people to stay at home to limit the spread of coronavirus until May 15. But he will ease restrictions on other outdoor activities and some businesses starting Friday.

Sisolaks office said Wednesday night that he would allow starting May 1 retail businesses and marijuana dispensaries to offer curbside pickup, as restaurants have been doing. He will also allow drive-in church and other religious services, as long participants stay in their cars and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from those outside their household.

The governor said he was also once again allowing golf courses, pickleball and tennis courts to open Friday, as long as they can do so safely.

The updates Wednesday night came hours after the governor teased the announcements in an interview with ABC News.

Sisolak said in the interview that Nevadas cases and deaths from COVID-19 have reached a plateau, but he wants to see declines before lifting his directive that people stay home outside of essential trips. He said the opening of Las Vegas casinos likely wont happen until the third or fourth phase of his gradual reopening plan, but he has has not released any more details or timeline.

The governors office said Wednesday night that if the numbers continues in a positive direction then he may ease more restrictions after May 15.

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A man walks his dogs past a closed bar in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Official statistics show that Spain's unemployment rate rose to 14.4% in the first quarter of 2020, reflecting only the partial impact of the new coronavirus pandemic in Spain's job market. Spain's left-wing coalition government is poised to announce Tuesday further steps to ease the 7-week lockdown, one of the world's strictest. (AP Photo/Paul White)

LOS ANGELES  The city of Los Angeles will offer free coronavirus testing to all residents, whether or not they have symptoms.

Until now tests were reserved for those with symptoms and frontline employees like healthcare and grocery store workers. Mayor Eric Garcetti says LA will be the first major U.S. city to offer widescale testing to all its residents.

People can sign up online for appointments starting immediately. Priority will still be given to people with symptoms, such as a fever, cough and shortness of breath.

People will be able to go back for tests several times: there is no limit.

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BEIJING  China on Thursday reported no new deaths from coronavirus and four new cases, all brought from outside the country.

The National Health Commission said 619 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 and just over 1,000 were being monitored for possibly having the illness or for testing positive for the virus but showing no symptoms. China has reported a total of 4,633 deaths from the virus among 82,862 cases.

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OLYMPIA, Wash.  Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the state has to see more progress in several areas, including the daily number of new coronavirus cases and deaths, before social distancing restrictions can safely be lifted.

He says the states stay-at-home order that was enacted March 23 would remain in place beyond May 4 and said he would have more details Friday on a phased-in approach to open the states economy.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting about the coronavirus with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, left, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 29, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Washington state in January had the countrys first confirmed coronavirus case, the first deadly cluster in a Seattle-area nursing home and was among the first places to institute sweeping directives designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

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LOS ANGELES -- A coalition of marijuana companies, churches and advocacy groups is asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom for a temporary cut in the states hefty pot taxes.

The group that includes the California State Conference of the NAACP, Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches and the industry group Southern California Coalition warned in a letter to the governor that the coronavirus crisis and a crashing economy will take an especially heavy toll on businesses run by minorities who were disproportionately targeted during the decades-long drug war.

If action is not taken now many of our business colleagues and friends may be pushed into the gray, or worse, back into the illicit market, said the letter, dated April 23.

At a time where unemployment is at a record high, the legal industry is seeing its customers flock to lower priced cannabis products in the illegal market regardless of quality or safety, the group said.

As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact communities of colour, our social equity businesses and our customers will be impacted even more, the group warned.

California kicked off broad legal sales in 2018. But the states legal marijuana industry has long blamed tax rates that can approach 50% in some areas for driving business into the illicit market. According to some estimates, consumers are spending roughly $3 in the states underground pot economy for every $1 in the legal one.

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PHOENIX  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has extended his stay-at-home order through May 15, but he is partially ending his order closing non-essential businesses.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg talks via video link with Professor of Environmental Science Johan Rockstrom in Germany, during a live chat on International Earth Day where they discussed the coronavirus pandemic and the environment, at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. (Jessica Gow/TT News Agency via AP)

The Republican governor says the spread of the coronavirus appears to have slowed in the state, but theres no clear sign deaths and new cases are trending down.

Hes allowing some retail businesses to open next Monday, with more openings by the end of next week. Hes expecting restaurants to be allowed to partially reopen in about two weeks, but hasnt yet made that official.

The governor praised the public and business community for adhering to his stay-home and closure orders, saying they saved lives.

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CHEYENNE, Wyo.  Gov. Mark Gordon says Wyoming will ease some of its coronavirus restrictions on Friday, with barbershops, gyms, nail salons and child care centres among the businesses that will be allowed limited re-openings.

The changes replace health orders that are set to expire Thursday. They are the first steps in the Republican governors plan to restart the state economy.

Gordon also says Wyoming residents would be allowed to camp at state parks starting May 15.

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WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- Residents on the Navajo Nation will be under another lockdown this weekend as the tribe seeks to keep the coronavirus from spreading even further into communities.

The lockdown is the fourth the tribe has implemented. It comes around the first of the month when tribal members often travel to towns bordering the reservation to shop for food and other supplies.

In this Saturday, April 25, 2020, photo, crowds pack the beach in Pismo Beach, Calif., on the state's Central Coast. Many were not using proper social distance, but a few were wearing masks. California may be only a few weeks away from making "meaningful changes" to its stay-at-home order, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday, but he warned progress will be jeopardized if people do things like crowd beaches, which occurred over the warm spring weekend. (Laura Dickinson/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo) via AP)

Tribal officials say they are working with businesses on the reservation to create safeguards for Navajo elders, such as extending shopping hours exclusively for them and others who are at high risk for contracting the coronavirus.

Anyone who doesnt need to leave their homes for food, medicine or in the case of an emergency is being told to stay home.

As of Tuesday, the tribes health officials reported 1,873 positive cases of COVID-19 and 60 deaths. The 27,000 square-mile (70,000 square-kilometre) reservation stretches into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

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LOS ANGELES  More than half the inmates at a federal prison in Los Angeles have tested positive for the coronavirus and two of them have died, officials said.

As of Wednesday, 570 of the 1,055 inmates at Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island had the virus, as did 10 staff members, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Two inmates have died of complications related to COVID-19, the agency said.

Many of the inmates are asymptomatic, said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. Prison officials began testing inmates for the virus on April 23 at the facility in Los Angeles Harbor, she said.

To the north in Santa Barbara County, 36 inmates and 10 staff have tested positive at Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc, according to the prisons bureau. At nearby U.S. Penitentiary, Lompoc, 83 inmates and 15 staff have the virus and one inmate has died, the agency said.

The Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice must act immediately to reduce the incarcerated population and to protect those in BOP custody  as well as correctional officers and staff  from this deadly virus, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris said in a statement.

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A worker sanitizes a restaurant, in Rome, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. After seven weeks in lockdown to contain one of the worlds worst outbreaks of COVID-19, Italians are regaining some freedoms, starting on May 4, public parks and gardens will re-open and people will be able to visit relatives who live in the same region. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump says he is planning to travel to Arizona next week and is looking forward to resuming campaign rallies after spending more than a month mostly cooped up at the White House because of the coronavirus.

Trump says he is looking forward to his Arizona trip next week and also hopes to visit Ohio soon despite the fact that much of the nation remains on some sort of lockdown as the virus continues to spread.

He says: Were going to start to move around and hopefully in the not-too-distant future, well have some massive rallies and people will be sitting next to each other.

Trump wouldnt say exactly when he expects to be able to resume his rallies, but said it will depend, in part, on the state.

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UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations humanitarian chief says 44 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths have been announced in Syria.

Mark Lowcock tells the U.N. Security Council that a health care system decimated by nine years of war cant be expected to cope with a crisis that is challenging even the wealthiest nations.

Lowcock says 43 confirmed cases and three deaths have been announced by Syrian authorities in Damascus and its surroundings, and a first case and death has been confirmed in Syrias northeast.

He says testing capacity remains very limited, efforts are being made to set up isolation areas in camps, and measures aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 are already hurting the most vulnerable.

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Jack McQuade, center, the owner of The Swiss Restaurant and Pub in Tacoma, Wash., walks past his bar and through a dining area of the business, Wednesday, April 29, 2020, while helping pack up food for the "Hero Meals" project of the Downtown Tacoma Partnership, which collects donations from the public to purchase meals from restaurants that are then given to healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers in the city during the coronavirus outbreak. The Swiss, which recently marked it's 27th anniversary under McQuade's ownership, is currently open to the public for takeout meals only. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

MOSCOW  Russian officials say more than 1,000 coronavirus cases have been found among workers building a liquefied natural gas facility in the far northern Murmansk region.

The Interfax news agency cited regional officials as saying 80 cases were found Wednesday at the Belokamenka work site, bringing the total there to 1002  more than 1% of all the cases reported in Russia.

The infections were found in a camp housing about 4,500 construction workers working for a project contractor.

There also are concerns about a similar outbreak among workers at a gas field under construction in the far-northeast Sakha region. The regional governor, Aisen Nikolayev, said this week that all the workers had been tested and the number of infections was significant, although he did not give figures.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Gov. Ron DeSantis says Floridas restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to reopen Monday at 25% capacity, if the local government allows it.

The governor specifically excluded hard-hit, heavily populated Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, saying their businesses will begin phase one when it is safer.

The governor also will allow hospitals and surgical centres to restart nonessential, elective procedures  but only if they have sufficient medical supplies and agree to help nursing homes and assisted living facilities prevent and respond to coronavirus outbreaks. Parks, golf courses and other outdoor recreation areas already began reopening in some counties Wednesday.

DeSantis, a Republican, is being more cautious than the neighbouring state of Georgia, as well as the task force DeSantis formed last week to study how to get people back to work.

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Workers move bodies to a refrigerated truck from the Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Home in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Police responded to a report of human bodies in vehicles, which they determined were connected to the nearby funeral home. The New York Police Department notified the state Department of Health, which oversees funeral homes. The coronavirus pandemic has overrun most funeral homes and morgues in New York City. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

UNITED NATIONS  Climate activist Greta Thunberg is launching a campaign with a Danish foundation to help finance the U.N. childrens agencys emergency program to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Thunberg said in a statement that like the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is a child-rights crisis that will affect youngsters now and in the long-term, especially the most vulnerable.

She urged people everywhere to step up and join me in support of UNICEFs vital work to save childrens lives, to protect health and continue education.

The campaign is being launched with $100,000 from the Greta Thunberg Foundation and $100,000 from Denmarks Human Act Foundation.

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GENEVA  A top World Health Organization official says the U.N. health agency is looking into whether grandparents can safely hug their grandchildren without risk of contracting the coronavirus.

The comments from Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of WHOs emergencies program, come after a top Swiss health official this week suggested that grandparents could hold young grandchildren  under age 10  close without risk of contracting COVID-19 disease.

Most statistics show the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions have been the overwhelming majority of victims who have died from the pandemic.

At a WHO news conference, Van Kerkhove acknowledged that many grandparents are dying to hug their children, grandchildren and said the issue was one of the living reviews conducted by WHO.

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WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump says the federal government will not be extending its social distancing guidelines when they expire Thursday at the end of the month.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the coronavirus guidelines will be fading out because of work that governors are doing in their states.

Vice-President Mike Pence said the guidelines issued 45 days ago have been incorporated into guidance provided to the states on how they can begin the process of gradually reopening their economies.

The guidelines  which were originally supposed to last 15 days and were then extended another 30 - included encouraging Americans to work from home and avoid restaurants and discretionary travel as well as telling older Americans and those with serious underlying health conditions to isolate themselves.

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LONDON  Britains official death toll from the coronavirus has jumped to more than 26,000, after deaths in nursing homes were added to the daily total for the first time.

The government says 3,811 more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus than had been previously reported.

The death toll now stands at 26,097, up from the 21,678 announced Tuesday.

Until now, hospital deaths have been reported daily, while deaths in nursing homes and other settings were reported separately on a weekly basis.

The new total is the second-highest official toll in Europe after Italy, although countries do not use exactly the same measures.

It is still likely is an underestimate because testing has not been routinely carried out in nursing homes until recently.

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BERLIN  Four leading scientific research organizations in Germany say some measures imposed to curb the rate of coronavirus infections will need to remain in place until a vaccine is found or herd immunity is achieved.

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They say in a joint statement that their mathematical models independently show the reproduction rate of the outbreak has been below 1 in Germany since the end of March. This means every person confirmed with COVID-19 infected fewer than one other person over the past month.

The Fraunhofer Society, the Helmholtz Association, the Leibniz Association and the Max Planck Society say the drop in new cases in Germany was thanks to restrictions and behaviour changes. But they warned the situation is not stable, even a small increase in the reproduction rate would lead us back into a phase of exponential growth.

They say striving for herd immunity, where so many people acquire immunity that the virus is effectively stopped from spreading through the population, would require several years and some restrictions would need to be maintained. Experts say a vaccine likely wont be available until next year.

The institutions urged a focus on three areas: continued hygiene measures; expanded testing and tracing capacity; and adjusted contact restrictions.

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Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
The booklist for the new academic session, released by private schools in the state capital, is putting a strain on the parents wallet.

Parents of school-going children alleged the school managements were compelling them to buy a good quantity of books of private publishers along with stationaries from the school counters or shops, which could be easily done away with.

Sailesh Kumar, whose daughter studies in Class 8, claimed that he had to buy books and stationaries worth Rs 4,800 of which around Rs 1200 was spent on stationary only. The school counter is offering books along with notebooks and few stationary items. They are not giving us option to buy books separately, said Kumar.

Another parent Neetu Jaiswal, whose daughter studies in class 7, said, The school has increased number of books to mint money. They prescribe multiple books for each subject, which are expensive and seldom taught in classrooms.

Sunil Verma, father of a class 9 student, complained that the school management is forcing parents to buy reference books along with NCERT books. Reference books are costlier. All NCERT books of class 9 can be purchased in Rs. 1000 to 1500, but reference books cost around Rs 3000 to Rs 4000, said Verma.

Rekha Shrivastava said, We have no option but to buy stationaries from schools as they have pre-printed school logos on stationary items which is compulsory item and unavailable in market.

On the other hand, general manager of a private school, who wished not to be identified, said, We provide books and stationary kit to parents for their convenience. The kit consists stationary items, which are essential for project works and competitions which take place regularly.

C B Singh, president of Association of Independent Schools, said, Parents are free to buy books from anywhere as per prescribed books list. If any book store or school counter is offering them combined kit, they can refuse and ask for selective items.

Earlier in February, divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal had also issued instructions for all the private schools to upload their fee structure and book list price on their official website by March 31. However, most of the schools have not adhered to his order yet.

On Tuesday, the regional deputy director of education Surendra Kumar Sinha, said, It is violation of Bihar Private School (Fee Regulation) Act 2019, if parents are forced to buy books and stationaries from the school. The parents can lodge complaint through email at rdde.patna@gmail.com. The department will take action against the schools after probing matter.

Sinha added that he had received complaints against several schools and the department was going to serve show-cause notice soon.
One of the effects of emergency measures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has been a resurgence in an ages-old problem exacerbated by physical distancing and lockdown measures. It is domestic violence.

Since the start of the pandemic, countries across the world have seen increases in reports of domestic violence cases.

Likewise, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women Dubravka Simonovic warned early on that lockdown measures could increase the vulnerability of many women. For many women [] the home can be a place of fear and abuse. This situation worsens considerably in isolation cases, she said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned this unforeseen effect of the lockdown will have far-reaching consequences.

The impacts of COVID-19 confinement measures on women may not be immediately visible, but they may not be immediately visible, but they could set back the cause of gender equality for years to come, she said in a recent statement.

South America has not escaped the increase in gender-based violence reports due to the quarantine. In the region alone, there was an average of twelve women murdered daily as a result of gender violence and one in three women was a victim of domestic or sexual violence. Reports from around the region show an increase in cases of gender-based violence since quarantine measures were put in place. In Brazil, the Rio de Janeiro Public Defender for Womens Rights indicated that the number of cases had increased by 50 percent. In the Buenos Aires province, Argentina, calls to the GBV hotline have reportedly increased by 60 percent. In Chile, telephone complaints of domestic violence rose by 70 percent.

Since 2018, the UN Human Rights Regional Office for South America has provided workshops, teaching judges about the role of the judiciary in addressing negative gender stereotypes. Drawing on work already being done on gender-based violence, the trainings have helped provide a human-rights based grounding for those who hand out justice on the issue.

It is essential to support women victims of violence especially in crisis situations such as the one we are currently experiencing guaranteeing equality and justice. However, gender stereotypes are a common and harmful barrier to justice, especially for women victims and survivors of violence, "said Rocio Garcia Sevillano, human rights officer.

Since then, more than 150 judges from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay have taken part in the workshops and have used the material to better handle gender-based violence cases.

Juan Jose Martinez, advisor to the Supreme Court of Paraguay and a participant in one of the workshops, said, gender stereotypes are manifested when women are considered to have a lower role than men, which allows men to abuse of her without the situation being condemned.

The workshops helped usher in guides for the judiciary and prosecutors on gender stereotypes and international standards on the rights of women, which came out in March 2020 in Uruguay. These guides are intended to be the tool to train legal operators across the country on international standards for women's rights. They are also guidelines for the officials of the judicial system to carry out their work analysing the various situations from a gender perspective.

"The Judiciary has a key role in promoting equality and justice throughout society, which is the basis of the human rights of all," said Garcia Sevillano.

The trainings like those in place in South America are among the recommendations made by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to fight against the surge in domestic violence cases. Others include scaling up public awareness campaigns, and creating better online services and civil society organizations.

The UN Human Rights Office has published guidance COVID-19 on the rights of women and girls including recommendations to policy makers.

Guterres urged all governments to make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plans for COVID-19, and outlined several actions that can be taken to improve the situation.

Together, concluded the UN Secretary-General, we can and must prevent violence everywhere, from war zones to peoples homes, as we work to beat COVID-19.

29 April 2020
[April 29, 2020]

McClatchy CEO Craig Forman Urges National Advertisers to Think Differently About News, While Asserting That Local Journalism Is More Important Than Ever

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that "local journalism is needed more than ever," McClatchy CEO Craig Forman said yesterday in remarks delivered during the Kindred livestream panel, "Can Brands Save Local News?" In his 20-minute conversation with Ian Schafer, Kindred's CEO and advertising industry veteran, Forman urged national advertisers to think differently about advertising with news brands, especially local ones.

"News isn't monolithic," Forman said as he went on to explain the advantages of advertisers using local news brands to promote their products and messages. "We have to dispel the notion that news is this vast bucket and it's all the sameWe have a powerful platform that allows national advertisers to connect with local audiences."

Forman, citing his leadership of both big branded-media companies and Silicon Valley digital platform companies, stressed the important role that dvertisers play in using their marketing dollars to helping maintain a more informed society. He pointed out that local news outlets, with the support of advertisers, are an essential 'lifeline service' for their communities and help establish a profound connection to their audiences -- bringing additional vitality to these cities and towns.







Schafer closed the interview by asking Forman for a final thought. "This crisis has shown us that where we live is an essential part of who we are," said Forman. Addressing national advertisers, Forman continued, "If you're a national advertiser, let's think about how you can use local news...let's partner together to come out of this [crisis] stronger."

Following Forman's question-and-answer session, Ian Schafer interviewed Kerry Flynn, media reporter, CNN ; Karen Rundlet, director, Knight Foundation ; and Matt Rivitz, founder, Sleeping Giants . Kindred is a New York-based startup in the event space that aids companies with socially conscious practices.

McClatchy operates 30 media companies in 14 states, providing each of its communities with strong independent local journalism in the public interest and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy publishes iconic local brands including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif. #ReadLocal

Kindred 's mission is to accelerate the growth of sustainable, purpose-led business by developing, connecting, and empowering a network of responsible leaders. For more information about Kindred's content series, visit http://content.kindred.live, and for more on Kindred's events, visit http://kindred.live .

McClatchy

Jeanne Segal

[email protected]

1+202-271-8880

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcclatchy-ceo-craig-forman-urges-national-advertisers-to-think-differently-about-news-while-asserting-that-local-journalism-is-more-important-than-ever-301049746.html

SOURCE McClatchy
A survey has found 75 percent of companies in Vietnam planning pay cuts if the Covid-19 pandemic continued to hurt businesses.

Only 25 percent said they would not cut staffs wages despite the business situation deteriorating.

The survey of 172 enterprises in Vietnam conducted by jobs company Talentnet from late March to early April found that businesses in each industry planning different levels of wage cuts.

The consumer goods sector would cut wages of their staff by less than 10 percent while the manufacturing and hi-tech sectors plan cuts of 20 to 30 percent.

For employees that are temporarily out of work due to the Covid-19 crisis, 54 percent of surveyed firms said they chose to pay salaries based on mutual agreements but would be not lower than the regional minimum wage level.

The survey also found 52 percent of surveyed firms forecast their revenues would fall sharpy this year due to the impacts of the Covid-19 crisis while 27 percent said they have yet to draw their estimates.

The Covid-19 pandemic has cost nearly five million Vietnamese workers their jobs as of mid-April, bringing Q1 employment figures to a 10-year low, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Vietnam recorded a GDP growth of 3.82 percent in Q1, its lowest in a decade. As many as 18,600 companies temporarily suspended business in Q1, up 26 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, a report by the International Labor Organization said up to 10.3 million workers in the country could be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, losing jobs or seeing their incomes decline in Q2.
BEIJING  China delivered its strongest statement of confidence yet that it has tamed the countrys coronavirus epidemic, announcing on Wednesday it would hold a much-delayed top political gathering late next month and ease quarantine restrictions in the capital.

The most important event on Chinas political calendar, the annual session of the National Peoples Congress will provide the Communist Party with a platform intended to inspire national pride and reassert its primacy. The gathering of top officials from across China will also allow the party to demonstrate unity at a time when many in North America, Europe, Africa and Australia are highly critical of Chinas initial efforts to conceal the severity of the outbreak.

The narrative is that the Chinese way of doing things, the China model, is better than other countries in controlling the virus, said Willy Lam, a specialist in Beijing politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This is a symbolic event, showing China has won the war.

The congress is largely ceremonial, with delegates gathering every year to rubber-stamp major decisions. But the decision in February to delay this years session came as a shock to many in China, and sent a global signal of the seriousness of the epidemic. Even during the SARS outbreak in 2003, the annual legislative session went ahead as scheduled.
A leaked document alleges that health specialists from Cuba sent to South Africa will cost the country R440 million, while many local health professionals are unemployed.

This week 217 Cuban doctors from various disciplines arrived in South Africa to help with the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

The deployment of the Cuban specialists came after a request by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said South Africa stands to benefit from the arrival of the Cuban medical brigade.

Mkhize said the Cuban doctors have a particular strength in the case of community medicine, which is helpful in approaching the outbreak of COVID-19.

He said the doctors have been allocated to various provinces on the basis of the weight of the outbreak, where they will work alongside South African medical professionals.

Mkhize stressed that the Cuban doctors are not here to fill vacancies, but are in the country to help contain the outbreak.

R440-million price tag  Reports

Business Day and The Citizen reported that the doctors and health specialists which arrived from Cuba come with a R440-million price tag.

It should be noted that the health department would not confirm or deny the information contained in the leaked document which was used for these reports.

According to the document, the cost associated with the Cuban health professionals include:

R9.9 million for a chartered flight to bring the Cuban medics to South Africa.

R294.5 million in salaries for 12 months.

R12 million set to be spent on accommodation and meals.

R734,000 for registering the doctors with the SA Health Professions Council.

Criticism from South African Medical Association

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has raised concerns about the arrival of the 217 health specialists from Cuba.

While we are not averse to the Cuban brigade assisting us, we feel strongly that the principle of not engaging with SAMA is flawed and wrong, said SAMA chairperson Angelique Coetzee.

Coetzee said the money spent on bringing the Cuban specialists to South Africa would have been better spent on first employing local doctors.

She added that many local health professionals have the necessary skills and experience to drive this process, especially in rural areas.

There are many unemployed doctors in South Africa and many community service medical officers have still not been placed, Coetzee said.

She highlighted that many private practitioners have also indicated their willingness to assist with the COVID-19 fight.

South Africa has many public and private health specialists, family physicians, and epidemiologists who would have heeded the presidents call for assistance, she said.

Retired doctors can be brought back into the service delivery system  even for a short time.

Only when we have exhausted all our internal human resources should a consultative process been initiated to bring the Cuban specialists to South Africa, said Coetzee.
PANDEMICS bring out the best and the worst in people. Our personal inclinations, particularly in times when we are requested to be social distancing, are ironically more public than ever.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

PANDEMICS bring out the best and the worst in people. Our personal inclinations, particularly in times when we are requested to be social distancing, are ironically more public than ever.

To that point, publicity, one form of which is the Winnipeg Free Press, is shining a light on our attitudes to human freedom and civil disobedience  two ideas which we hold very dear in democratic societies. Often unrecognized is that, like most ideals, we are in a position of making choices about how we understand and act out our competing notions of freedom.

In the Western world, our ideas of freedom come from the Greeks and the Romans. Although on one level, that of individual discretion and choice, they are similar, they could not be more dissimilar when it comes to our notion of our place in civic life. Although the distinctions are not as stark as I present them here, they are critical for our understanding and can be instructive for understanding whats happening during this pandemic in Canada and the United States.

The Romans cultivated an idea of freedom that privileged individual rights of Roman citizens and did not extend them to non-Romans. Ironically, they demanded a strict loyalty to the state, and their education system indoctrinated them on how to be good Romans, punishing severely those people who did not adhere to its conditions. It was a kind of entitlement within rigid rules and customs.

The Greeks cultivated an idea of freedom that privileged a slightly different loyalty to the state, one based more on collective responsibility for the well-being of society than personal privilege. Indeed, the greatest privilege of citizenship was being able to participate in the governance of their city states, the main one being Athens. Their education system taught boys the obligations and skills of entering the polis when they reached adulthood. Like the Romans, they also did not extend this privilege to non-citizens  mostly foreign captives and slaves  and, usually, women.

Canadian and American politics are attempts to capture the essence of both these somewhat contradictory ideas of freedom at the same time. At times of crisis, these competing ideas come into open conflict, and one of these tends to rise to the surface  and their differences become stark for a time  as we are currently witnessing. Both countries have bills of rights and freedoms, attempts to find a fine balance between individual and collective rights, but our approaches are so different.

In the U.S., where the Roman concept of individual freedom is currently prevailing, we have witnessed the extreme of individual freedom and entitlement with gun-toting protesters shouting hatred and obscenities, and being praised as loyal liberators by the president. Similarly, we have seen church-goers defying stay-at-home orders and physical distancing and claiming it as an exercise of religious freedom.

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In my view, both are uncivil disobedience, way beyond the pale, and a challenge to any recognition of the freedom of others.

In Canada, on the other hand, the Greek ideal is currently prevailing. Most people are voluntarily staying at home and observing physical distancing in the interest of their neighbours, their society and their country. Our "liberators" are the health-care and frontline workers, public servants willing to accept risk and make personal sacrifices for the welfare of others.

Our mosques, synagogues and churches are closed, with regret, but not subject to fanatical protest. The closest we come to civil disobedience is disagreeing with each other about how to help, and how much to help those less able to help themselves. As an aside, nobodys getting cheques with our prime ministers signature on them.

We could also teach others about what civil disobedience looks like. While we may have differing opinions, the Wetsuweten pipeline protest and the Idle No More movement are classic examples of civil disobedience, non-compliant ways to bring attention to injustice and past wrongs currently not being addressed by our governments. They demonstrated opposition but did so in a non-threatening, civil way which allowed for compromise and collective action.

Freedom is a complex gift and ideal, and a critical claim on what makes us human. Civil disobedience is one of our peaceful ways to participate in making our world a better, more inclusive and freer place, in the Greek sense. Both are to be treasured  they are fragile, at risk and easily lost in times of crisis. At the moment, I feel even more privileged to be a Canadian.

John R. Wiens is dean emeritus at the faculty of education, University of Manitoba. A lifelong educator, he has served as a teacher, counsellor, work education co-ordinator, principal, school superintendent and university professor.
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Twelve more pilgrims of Hazur Sahib had tested positive for Covid-19 in Punjab. Seven novel coronavirus disease came from Ludhiana, three from Hoshiarpur on Wednesday, while two pilgrims tested positive in Faridkot late on Tuesday.

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Four students, who had arrived from Kota on Sunday and Monday also tested positive for the infection in Ludhiana.

Around 50 results are still awaited. Senior medical officer Mother And Child Hospital Dr Amita Jain said the samples of all returnees were collected on Tuesday and sent for testing.

CoronavirusThe samples of high-risk persons, including 22 students and 18 pilgrims were sent for testing at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC&H), while the remaining samples have been sent to Patiala.
(Natural News) It is difficult to understand how a man whose vaccine initiatives have injured and killed untold thousands of innocent children all around the world is now being given a platform to push for mandatory Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination as a condition for ending the lockdowns.

Bill Gates, in case you had not yet figured out the character in question, is pushing not just for mandatory vaccination for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), but also for digital certificates that prove vaccination status. This is the only way people will be allowed to return to work, assuming Gates gets his way.

But have people forgotten that Gates has spent billions of dollars over the years vaccinating children for other things, all the while inflicting them with permanent injury and even death? A single vaccine campaign that Gates launched in India for polio ended up causing non-polio acute flaccid paralysis (NPAFP), or permanent paralyzation, in nearly half a million children between the years of 2000 and 2017.

After the Indian government demanded that Gates and his cronies leave India following this epidemic of permanent injury, rates of NPAFP dropped precipitously. But this has not stopped Gates from inflicting similar damage elsewhere, with injury and death tolls that more than likely are in the tens of millions, at this point.

An outspoken eugenicist and elite supremacist, Gates lives to vaccinate. After conveniently ditching the board of Microsoft right as the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic started to come into full swing, Gates has been doing nothing other than advocating for mass vaccination and indefinite lockdowns until everyone on the planet is jabbed.

Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, explains why the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is 56 to 100 times more deadly than seasonal influenza:

The WHO is complicit in Bill Gates eugenics-based vaccine scheme

What many people are failing to recognize is that Gates has a long track record of deception when it comes to his so-called medicines. His vaccines for polio were even outed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as containing the predominant strain of polio, or NPAFP as it is often disguised, that has caused immense harm not just in India, but also in the Congo, Afghanistan, and the Philippines.

The WHO did not actually come right out and blame Gates, of course, as the WHO and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are organizational pals. The WHO did, however, admit that Gates vaccines were probably responsible for all of that disease spread, which is why about 70 percent of all global polio cases as of 2018 are linked to the vaccine strain of the virus.

All of this is to say that it would be utterly foolish for any government agency to take Gates seriously when it comes to pushing for a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. Chances are the vaccine will cause substantially more harm than any virus, leaving people permanently injured or dead in the name of fighting a pandemic.

Keep in mind that Gates uses his foundation to control global health bodies like the WHO, as well as UNICEF, GAVI, PATH, and many others. Gates also owns and funds a private pharmaceutical company that he uses to manufacture his vaccines, not to mention the $50 million he recently threw at 12 other pharmaceutical companies to speed up development of a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Gates appears confident that the Covid-19 crisis will now give him the opportunity to force his dictatorial vaccine programs on all American children  and adults, warns TruthToPowerNews.com.

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TruthToPowerNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control, the PM assigned chair people of Peoples Committees of provinces and cities to ease restrictions on a number of business and services sectors to boost business and production.

Local authorities can promote tourism for the National Reunification Day holiday on April 30 but the gathering of large number of people should continue to be banned, he said, stressing that people must still wear face masks outdoor.

The PM also asked localities to take measures to ensure students are safe when they return to school.

He also asked that sectors severely affected by the pandemic such as tourism, services, and aviation be given assistance.

The Government leader urged localities to address negative phenomena and corruption in medical equipment purchasing, saying that such acts must be taken to investigation agencies.

PM Phuc said that with 270 cases in a population of 100 million people, Vietnam counts among the countries with the lowest infection rate in the world.

He applauded agencies and localities, especially Hanoi and HCM City, for their observance of instructions, saying that this is a success for the Party, the State, and the people in the fight against the pandemic.

PM Phuc also called for continued vigilance against the epidemic and urged medical workers, especially those on the frontlines, to stay alert.

The Steering Committee and relevant agencies, he went on, need to continue implementing the strategies adopted to combat COVID-19, stressing that pandemic prevention work must continue at full capacity.

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported to the meeting that Vietnam has now gone 12 straight days with no new COVID-19 cases, with 270 infections as at 11am on April 28, 230 of whom have recovered.

The relapse of five patients, however, reflects the viruss complex transmission mechanism, the Committee said, stressing that preventive measures are still needed to contain its spread.
STAMFORD  Residents along coastal Connecticut enjoyed a free air show as the U.S. Navys Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Forces Thunderbirds soared over Stamford on Tuesday afternoon to salute the work of first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.

The elite military flight teams took to the sky for a 40-minute race over New York City, Newark, Trenton and White Plains to honor the workers in metro New York.
LONDON, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GSL), a containership charter owner, announced today that it will hold a conference call to discuss the Companys results for the first quarter 2020 on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The Company will issue financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 before the open of market trading.



What: First Quarter 2020 Conference Call and Webcast When: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time Where: There are two ways to access the conference call: Dial-in: (877) 445-2556 or (908) 982-4670; Passcode: 9988266

Please dial in at least 10 minutes prior to 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time to ensure a prompt start to the call. Live Internet webcast and slide presentation:

http://www.globalshiplease.com

If you are unable to participate at this time, a replay of the call will be available through Saturday, May 28, 2020 at (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406. Enter the code 9988266 to access the audio replay. The webcast will also be archived on the Companys website: http://www.globalshiplease.com

About Global Ship Lease

Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies.

Global Ship Lease owns 45 ships, ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, of which nine are fuel-efficient new-design wide-beam, with a total capacity of 248,968 TEU and an average age, weighted by TEU capacity, of 13.1 years as at March 31, 2020.

Adjusted to include all charters agreed up to April 28, 2020, the average remaining term of the Companys charters at March 31, 2020, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Companys control, was 2.3 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $695 million. Contracted revenue was $777 million, including options under charterers control and with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 2.6 years.

Investor and Media Contact:

The IGB Group

Bryan Degnan

646-673-9701

or

Leon Berman

212-477-8438




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ST. PETERSBURG, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / MMJ International Holdings, the premier medical cannabis research company, announced that it has received conditional approval from the Institutional Review Board for its FDA Huntington's Disease study.What is an IRB and why is this significant?Under FDA regulations, an IRB is an independent group of professionals that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. In accordance with FDA regulations, an IRB has the authority to approve required protocols and monitor the clinical trial to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research activities being conducted by MMJ.MMJ's CEO, Duane Boise stated, MMJ's IRB conditional approval is a significant accomplishment as it establishes credibility to MMJ's scientific approach to marijuana drug development. We continue to set industry standards by following FDA and DEA guidance in our development of plant-derived cannabinoid therapeutics." Dr. Elio Mariani, MMJ International Holdings director of drug development and experienced pharmaceutical veteran stated that "We firmly believe that our MMJ natural whole plant derived molecules with a unique combination of pharmacological properties will be FDA approved as a safe and effective prescription drug that can be of great benefit in treating patients with MS and HD diseases,"MMJ International Holdings has several academic institutions preparing to study cannabis in Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington's disease. The MMJ clinical trials will provide the necessary data to the FDA to prove that cannabis can treat essential tremors, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary shaking.Eager to initiate its FDA clinical trials, MMJ International Holdings recently made history by being the first cannabis company to import highly concentrated medical marijuana extracts into the United States for clinical trial use. Health Canada and the US Drug Enforcement Agency approved MMJ to ship the compounds for its clinical trials.For continued quality supply of its marijuana plant products, MMJ International Holdings has negotiated a deal with MMJ BioPharma Cultivation,Inc who has applied for the much coveted DEA federal marijuana growers license. Under the terms of the deal, MMJ BioPharma Cultivation will be supplying pharmaceutical grade marijuana for MMJ International Holdings for its future pharmaceutical drug development needs.Tim Moynahan the company's chair stated "We are pleased with the DEA 's cooperation and support to facilitate our company's scientific mission to develop these medications to provide relief to patients suffering from these chronic diseases." Contact:Michael Sharp561-627-9455SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings
MBABANE  At least 49 people were isolated following the mass screening that took place at different roadblocks across the country since Monday.



This is according to the Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, who made this revelation during a briefing at the Cabinet Offices yesterday. She said most of the 49 suspected cases were from the Manzini Region. The minister stated that some of them had their swabs taken at the different roadblocks for testing. She explained that they were all taken for isolation while awaiting their results.



The results are going to come out tomorrow (today), she said.

Nkosi stated that there were others who were screened at different homesteads on Monday. The mass screening came after there were increasing numbers of positive cases in the Manzini Region. As of yesterday, there were 48 cases from Manzini alone from the total of 71 confirmed cases in the country.



Roadblocks



The screening is done by police officers at the different roadblocks.

The minister stated that police officers were trained from late February and early March on how to go about doing the tests and identifying individuals with high temperatures.

It was stated that when the police officers screened and found people with high temperatures, they were instructed to call health workers to take the patients for testing.



Normally, the screening procedure in the roadblocks, according to the minister, is that a person is screened, and once the person is found with a high temperature, they are asked to park on the side for a few minutes. This is because the high temperature could be caused by the heaters in vehicles. After a moment, that individual gets tested again and if the readings do not decrease, that individual is then taken for testing.



The average generally acceptable body temperature is 37.5C.

However, body temperatures can have a wide range, from 36.1C to 37.2C. A temperature over 38C most often means one has a fever caused by an infection or illness.



We urge people to cooperate with the officers on the ground when asked to step aside for re-screening as that is for their own safety and the people who live with them, added Nkosi.



She further urged those who were found to have high temperatures during screening if not, to indicate if they did not have alternative isolation rooms at their homesteads and government would isolate them. When asked what determined the region from which one was said to be from when they tested positive, Nkosi said it was their place of residence. She said they wanted a place of residence as that helped them conduct the contact tracing of people whom a positive case might have been in contact with.



Its not based on where your national identity card says you are from but where you reside on a daily basis, she said.



Infected



She further noted that most of the people who were infected were in the age groups of 20-49 years. When asked about that, she said it was because this age group moved a lot, some socialising and others being the working class.



We established that some are partying, and share items such as bottles or glasses, among other things, she said. Nkosi then encouraged those who were isolated at home and those with flu to use the masks at all times to protect others. As for the recoveries, the minister said they got to understand that the virus was individualistic. Explaining further, she said they had not changed their pattern in terms of treatment for all the patients admitted to the Lubombo Referral Hospital, further stating that it all depended on an individuals immune system and how they responded to the medication. She said they also did a whole body check-up to see if people had other conditions like diabetes to give them treatment accordingly. Nkosi emphasised that they were continuously doing the tests to identify other people across the country.
An Alaska school board voted last week to remove five books, including classic American works like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and The Great Gatsby, from its curriculum for high school English electives because of sexual references, graphic language and other concerns.

A list of books deemed too controversial to be taught in electives including poetry, journalism, creative writing and American literature was presented at a Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District board meeting on April 22. The list cited sexually explicit material and anti-white messaging in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelous seminal memoir, and raised concerns about language and sexual references in The Great Gatsby, the landmark 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The other books on the list  Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien  were judged to be inappropriate because they contained mentions of rape, incest, racial slurs, profanity and misogyny.

The district, which is based in Palmer, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage, has an enrollment of more than 19,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade and is the second-largest school district in Alaska.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge feel it's their 'responsibility' to step in and 'comfort people' during the coronavirus pandemic, a royal expert has said.

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, told The Sun that Kate Middleton, 38 and Prince William, 37, are determined to use their influence to benefit the royal family during the health crisis.

As the couple celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary today, she also said that mother-of-three Kate seems to be the driving force between the couple, and 'wears the trousers' in the relationship.

Since the start of the nationwide lockdown on 23rd March, the The Duke and Duchess have held multiple Zoom calls with frontline workers, joined the weekly Clap For Carers, and William proved himself a good sport by joining in a comedy sketch for the BBC's Big Night In.

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, told The Sun that Kate Middleton, 38 and Prince William, 37, were using their influence in order to benefit the royal family during the health crisis. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four and Prince Louis, two, take part in the BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief's 'Big Night In' an clap for the NHS from their home of Amner Hall on April 23)

They have also launched a mental health initiative, Our Frontline, to help keyworkers coping with the stress of the pandemic.

Ingrid Seward, which has years of experience commenting on royal affairs, said: 'They feel almost wholly responsible as they are the only influential ones young enough to be out there at the moment, apart from Sophie and Edward and The Princess Royal.

'They have the highest profile and want to use it to the benefit of the monarchy, which has to be seen as being a comfort to people at this time.'

Before retreating to their home of Anmer Hall, near Sandringham in order to isolate with their children, William and Kate visited the London Ambulance Service 111 control room in Croydon and thanked the staff for their service.

On April 8, William and Kate surprised staff and pupils at Casterton Primary Academy in Burnley, where children of keyworkers were still attending classes with a video call (pictured)

On 8th April, they video called with staff, teachers and pupils from Casterton Primary Academy in Burnley, which has remained open to teach children of key workers and other vulnerable youngsters.

Last week, they also launched Our Frontline, a mental health initiative aiming to help keyworkers during the pandemic.

As a family unit, the Cambridges have also thrown their support behind the NHS, releasing two clips showing them taking part in the weekyl Clap For Carers with their three children, Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 2.

William and Kate also talked to the BBC about mental health and home-schooling during lockdown on April 17 (pictured)

Before they headed to Anmer Hall to isolate with their children, Kate and William launched the Our Frontline initiative, which aims to support frontline workers coping with poor mental health during the pandemic (pictured talking with staff during a visit to the London Ambulance Service 111 control room in Croydon on March 19)

Speaking of the power dynamic between the two spouses, who wed on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey, Seward said Kate Middleton is a driving force who often takes the lead during engagements.

She added that Kate takes the reins in their home life so that William can be free to do his own thing, and that the couple have a supportive relationship.

But despite believing that Kate 'wears the trousers', she said that she's discreet about it so as to not overshadow the second in line to the throne.

William, meanwhile, is happy to take a step-back and have his other half take control, she said.
As they do their job our staff exposes themselves and their families to serious health risks too and that is what makes their commitment to helping their neighbors all the more inspiring, Zuccarelli wrote in a recent message to Thornton Township residents.
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the $3.4 billion requested by the Nigerian government for em...





The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the $3.4 billion requested by the Nigerian government for emergency support.





The board met on Tuesday to discuss Nigerias request for emergency support under the rapid financing instrument.





The amount represents the total special drawing right (SDR) Nigeria holds with the international lender.





The disbursement is also the highest to be approved for any African nation so far.

A statement released by the IMF announcing the approval said the financial support will help limit the decline in international reserves and provide financing to the budget for targeted and temporary spending increases aimed at containing and mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and of the sharp fall in international oil prices.





Mitsuhiro Furusawa, deputy managing director and acting chair of the IMF executive board, commended the immediate action taken by the federal government to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.





The short-term focus on fiscal accommodation would allow for higher health spending and help alleviate the impact of the crisis on households and businesses, he said.





Steps taken toward a more unified and flexible exchange rate are also important and unification of the exchange rate should be expedited.





Once the COVID-19 crisis passes, the focus should remain on medium-term macroeconomic stability, with revenue-based fiscal consolidation essential to keep Nigerias debt sustainable and create fiscal space for priority spending.





Implementation of the reform priorities under the economic recovery and growth plan, particularly on power and governance, remains crucial to boost growth over the medium term.





Furusawa said the emergency funding will provide the liquidity needed to respond to urgent balance of payments needs.





Additional assistance from development partners will be required to support the governments efforts and close the large financing gap. The implementation of proper governance arrangementsincluding through the publication and independent audit of crisis-mitigating spending and procurement processesis crucial to ensure emergency funds are used for their intended purposes.





The IMF said it stands ready to provide policy advice and further support as needed.




Connecticut residents have been staying home a little less than they were a month ago.

According to Google data, as of May 2, people in the state is staying home 10 percent more often than they normally would in a non-pandemic situation. This number is down from 15 percent in Google's April report.

The estimate comes from Google's Community Mobility Reports that track Google users' movement over time across the country. Google has been analyzing how often people are visiting places like retail shops, offices and residential areas.

The reports compare the most recent available data (May 2) to a "baseline" median value that was taken from the period of January 3 through February 6, before coronavirus cases started to significantly spike. The data is based on Google users who have opted-in to the location history setting.

The decrease in people staying home likely has to do with the warm weather. Mobility to parks is up to a whopping 180 percent increase from the "baseline" (which makes sense as the baseline is January - February). Parks were only up by 76 percent from the baseline last month.

>> Click through the slideshow to see where in Connecticut Google reports decreases in visitors. Keep clicking for a county-by-county breakdown.

What we can see in Connecticut's data is that transportation hubs, such as Metro-North train stations, are still seeing the biggest decrease in visitors  negative 39 percent. As most jobs have moved to remote work policies, Metro North reported a 95 percent decrease in ridership as of April 8. Movement to "retail and recreational" places still sees the second biggest decrease as only essential businesses remain open until May 20.
- KRA commissioner Kevin Safari has been sent on compulsory leave over alleged abuse of office.

- This unfolded barely 24 hours after Water Harvesting Authority acting CEO was fired over a KSh 231 million scandal.

- They add to a growing list of top high-ranking officials swept aside by Kenyattas anti-graft broom

President Uhuru Kenyattas war on graft has claimed more casualties after two high-ranking officials suffered heavy blows in a span of 24 hours.

Kevin Safari, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) commissioner for Customs and Border Control (C&BC) was on Wednesday, April 29, sent on compulsory leave over alleged abuse of office.

READ ALSO: Nakuru police officer enforcing curfew found dead along Mau-Narok road

President Uhuru Kenyatta has successfully cracked the whip on top corrupt civil servant since he declared war on corruption in 2018. Photo: State House.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: 17 relatives of Siaya COVID-19 victim released from quarantine after testing negative 4 times

This came barely a day after Water Harvesting Authority acting CEO Geoffrey Sang was fired for his alleged involvement in the KSh 231 million Nakuetum Peace Dam scandal.

Sangs sacking was communicated after a Zoom meeting overseen by board chairman Erick Okeyo, who stated that the authoritys board had made a unanimous decision to revoke the CEOs appointment.

Sang, who is facing corruption charges, was last week arrested by Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) detectives.

On his part, Safari was in February charged with abuse of office alongside former Kenya Ports Authority managing director Daniel Manduku.

They were released after DPP Noordin Haji declined to approve the charges against them.

Manduku resigned in unclear circumstances in March, becoming the agencys shortest-serving head.

Kenneth Tarus

Also a former Kenya Power MD, Tarus, who succeeded Chumo, was arrested, suspended and charged with the loss of over half a billion Kenya shillings at the company. He was finally fired.

The three add to a swelling list of top officials swept aside by Kenyattas anti-corruption broom in recent years. Others include:

Henry Rotich

The former Treasury Cabinet Secretary is the highest-ranking public official fired as a result of Kenyattas war on graft.

Rotich, a longtime ally of the president, was in July 2019 arrested and arraigned in court alongside Principal Secretary, Kamau Thugge and dozens of other government officials, all facing corruption charges in relation to the multibillion-shilling Kimwarer and Arror dams in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Rotich and Thugge were later dropped from Government.

Ferdinand Waititu

The former Kiambu Governor is another giant casualty. He was arrested and charged with the irregular awarding of tenders worth KSh588 million. Waititu, previously Kenyattas close ally, spent days in remand prison and was barred from accessing his office over the graft case before he was impeached by the Senate.

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and Samburus Moses Kasaine are the other Governors barred from accessing their offices over graft cases.

Ben Chumo

The former Kenya Power Managing Director was among 16 of the parastatals officials facing charges of committing economic crimes, leading to the loss of KSh 408 million and was held in police custody for over three days. Chumo was disqualified from applying for the Salaries and Remuneration Commissions top job as a result.

Kenneth Tarus

Also a former Kenya Power MD, Tarus, who succeeded Chumo, was arrested, suspended and charged with the loss of over half a billion Kenya shillings at the company. He was finally fired.

Lillian Omolloh

The former PS, State Department of Youth Omollo lost her job after she was charged over the alleged loss of KSh 468 million at the National Youth Service (NYS). The case is ongoing.

Richard Ndubai

The former NYS Director General spent a month in remand prison after he and 46 others were charged with the theft of KSh 468 million at the NYS. Ndubai lost his job as a result.

Charles Ongwae

The former Kenya Bureau of Standards MD was in 2018 charged with attempted murder over the importation of sub-standard goods into the country as well as conspiracy to swindle the state of KSh 882 million. Ongwae later lost his job.

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.

How Kenyan workers at JKIA were fired and forced to spend the night in the cold | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Bravo fans couped up in their cabins during quarantine are aching for the fresh and funny observations from best friends and comedians Julie Goldman and Brandy Howard from The Peoples Couch.

The hilarious show was like watching Bravo with your bestie, which has fans craving a return as they are feeling a little lonely and disconnected during the pandemic. Even though the show is no longer on Bravo, fans dont need to look far for Goldman and Howards hysterical brand of humor.

Brandy Howard and Julie Goldman|Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The duo hosts the engaging and downright witty podcast, Dumb Gay Politics with Julie & Brandy. They cover politics but also pop culture, which is often woven together in a delicious package.

Brittany Cartwright could help unseat Mitch McConnell?

Goldman and Howard do a deep (and funny) dive into politics, viewing the Trump White House as the juiciest reality show on the air. In the podcast, we talk about it like were talking about reality TV, Howard told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. We dont have any control over it. So we do have to pretend its just one big Housewives show that were criticizing casting and the fake scripting. Goldman pipes up in the background, The way they look and the hair extensions. And who has my back.

With the election only months away, Howard and Goldman are watching the race closely. Howard says the country may end up with Trump. And if thats the case, she and Goldman think perhaps enlisting Brittany Cartwright from Vanderpump Rules to help unseat Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell might be a good way to balance the scales.

Before the pandemic hit, Howard mused about asking Cartwright and her mother to meet them at a Kentucky mall to rock the vote against McConnell. We did the [Vanderpump Rules] After Show the first year Brittany was on and she was so nice, Howard recalls. Jax [Taylor] is always our favorite too. So we were going to drag Brittany and her mom out to Kentucky, out to the mall. And be like, B*tch, surprise! Were all going to campaign against Mitch McConnell now. We dont know what her politics are, but we figured shed be like, Ok, whatever.'

But they want to hear both sides

Howard and Goldman want to hear both sides on their podcast, similar to political comedians like Bill Mahr. Theyve hosted former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci, comedian Sarah Silverman, Dorinda Medley from The Real Housewives of New York City, and Lea Black from The Real Housewives of Miami. But theyd also love to banter with someone from the other side of the aisle too.

Wed love to have Candace Owens on, Howard said. When Kanye [West] went off the rails on TMZ, SNL, off his meds, he was quoting this woman, Candace Owens. Polarizing woman and as Republican as it gets.

Goldman adds, Shes a young, black woman, conservative Republican who hates liberal Democrats. We tried to get her on and she said shed come on, but she just flaked. Goldman and Howard still hope Owens would consider a lively debate with them.

At least she was willing to come on, Howard says. Anthony Scaramucci has been on twice. He was a Trump supporter the first time. Then against Trump the second time. But Anthony Scaramucci was great because he wasnt scared and he wasnt ashamed. Adding, she doesnt understand how some Trump supporters shy away from debating their position with someone who holds a differing viewpoint.

They both agree about what it was like to work for Larry David

Another comedian who used Trumps platform for fodder is Larry David, who both Howard and Goldman have worked for in the past. David used a MAGA hat to deter unwanted company in the first episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm this season. Goldman didnt hold back when it came to describing what a pleasure it was to work for David.

Goldman appeared in Curbs victorious return season to HBO. She played Jeff Garlins hairstylist and David becomes entangled in her wedding plans. In true Curb form, David ultimately ruins Goldmans characters wedding leaving David to say (of course), No good?

Goldman says the no script environment David is famous for was a dream come true and makes the show even funnier. Larry David was warm and fun and laughing, Goldman recalls from her experience. And open and willing to try things. He was respectful to everyone and professional. And he wasnt thirstbucketing around. He just has his confidence even though hes not confident. Howard echoed Goldmans experience as she too worked with David on an Apple commercial. Hes just a nice, humble guy, Howard adds.
A 33-year-old Brazilian national who was accused of making fake green cards has been sentenced to time served.

Cristiano Ribeiro De Moura, who previously lived in Framingham, pleaded guilty in January to producing a false identification document, aiding and abetting and Social Security card fraud. He has been sentenced to time served, roughly eight months in prison, and one year of supervised release, federal officials said Wednesday.

Ribeiro De Moura sold four counterfeit Lawful Permanent Resident cards, or green cards, and four counterfeit Social Security cards in July and August 2019, according to the office of United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Ribeiro De Moura charged $350 for a set of fake documents and buyers provided their name and date of birth. Then Ribeiro De Moura provided the Social Security number, Lellings office wrote in a news release.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Benjamin Miller, who is part of the agencys Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, said that in June, Ribeiro De Moura communicated with confidential informants on WhatsApp when offering to create and sell them the counterfeit cards.

The informants are not in the United States legally but were both placed in deferred action because of their cooperation, federal court records said. Ribeiro De Moura told the informants he needed a digital photograph and biological information to make the documents.

Agents had the informants arrange to buy two sets of the counterfeit documents. The exchange was secretly videotaped and records, authorities said.

Then on July 31, Ribeiro De Moura told the confidential informants he could sell them the computer software he uses to make the fake identifications. His price was $2,500 for the software, investigators said.

Ribeiro De Moura told the informants they would need an older model laptop that ran Windows 7. He promised to show them how to create the documents, provide sample paper stock and show them what type of printer was needed, records said.

In August, the informants were given a laptop, with Windows 7, and met with Ribeiro De Moura, the special agent wrote.

Federal records show Ribeiro De Moura was arrested on Sept. 6. He was brought to federal court in Boston the same day.

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Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 17:29 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd505a0f 1 World COVID-19,mudik-ban,Idul-Fitri,repatriation,Indonesian-diaspora,travel-ban Free

Twenty-eight-year-old Miftahul Huda has worked and lived in Tsu city in Mie prefecture, Japan  a city around 400 kilometers from Tokyo  for the past three years.

The native of Malang, East Java, is one of a number of Indonesians who work as jisshuusei (technical interns) in Japan. Huda was supposed to return to Indonesia after finishing his internship this week, but he has been forced to stay a little longer as the flight scheduled to fly him to his hometown was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Indonesian government announced the ban on domestic flights last week, along with inter-provincial bus routes and inter-island sea transportation, following the ban on the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus)  despite maintaining international flights.

On Sunday morning, Huda and his fellow interns from a fish processing company in Japan arrived at Kansai International Airport in Osaka. They had already checked in when the airline, Garuda Indonesia, announced that the Indonesian government had ordered a halt to all domestic flights.

Garuda told us that it had canceled its Jakarta-Yogyakarta flight. Therefore, we decided to cancel our flight [from Japan to Indonesia] because we did not want to take the risk of not being able to go home after arriving in Jakarta, Huda told The Jakarta Post via text message on Tuesday.

Huda said he was saddened because he was looking forward to meeting his 3-year-old son for the first time. My wife was in her fourth month of pregnancy [when I left Indonesia], he said.

Huda is just one of many Indonesians overseas unable to return home ahead of Idul Fitri. Although they can still fly to Jakarta or Denpasar, Bali  two of the most popular destinations for international flights  they will not be able to continue their travels to their home regions due to the governments mudik ban.

Read also: Indonesians stranded abroad return home amid mudik ban

Achdiar Redy Setiawan, a 40-year-old doctoral student in Malaysia, faces a similar predicament.

He was forced to cancel his plans to return home to Sumenep, East Java, and has been confined to his university dormitory due to Malaysia's restrictions on movement. He said he decided to take advantage of his isolation to finish his dissertation.

Were bored, definitely, as we have limited space. We can only move around our dormitory and campus cafeteria. We only use WhatsApp to boost each others spirits, he told the Post.

Despite his isolation, Achdiar said that international students on his campus were coping, as the University of Science, Malaysia (USM), provided students with coupons that could be redeemed for food in the cafeteria.

For Huda, however, extending his stay in Japan has been quite a challenge, especially as his visa is about to expire. It will expire this Wednesday, he said. We have made an application to the Japanese government to get a temporary extension.

Even so, Huda said the company he worked for was willing to reemploy him. Huda said many employers were facing a shortage of workers due to the pandemic.

Despite the ban on domestic travel, hundreds of Indonesians overseas have been repatriated on special flights arranged by diplomatic missions over the past week. However, it is still unclear whether they will be permitted to continue their journeys to their hometowns.

The government has not issued a statement on the matter.
A teen charged in the 2018 Kentucky school shooting that killed two students has pleaded guilty to murder.

Gabriel Ross Parker was 15 when he fired a handgun into a crowd of students before classes started at Marshall County High School on Jan. 23, 2018. Parker was arrested at the school and charged with murder. He later was charged as an adult.

Marshall County Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Foust said the plea deal gives Parker a life sentence. Along with the murder convictions, he also pleaded guilty to 14 counts of assault.

Parker, now 18, appeared by teleconference on Tuesday before Marshall Circuit Judge James Jameson.

Foust said the coronavirus pandemic played a role in moving toward a plea agreement for Parker. The trial was scheduled to open June 1.

Foust, the lead prosecutor in the case, said the trial would likely have been pushed back to January at the earliest, and because of restrictions, he was having trouble lining up witnesses and medical experts.

So at that point at some people are saying maybe its time to get some closure, Foust said by phone Tuesday.

Killed in the shootings were Bailey Holt and Preston Cope, both 15. Foust spoke with Holt and Copes parents about the plea deal before moving forward.

It just made more sense to do this, Foust said. Parker would be eligible for parole in 2038, he said.

WPSD-TV in Paducah first reported the plea agreement on Tuesday. Parker will be sentenced by a judge on June 12.
Image: Facebook/@khan.zafarul

Delhi minority commission chairman Zafarul-Islam Khan raked up controversy as he thanked Arab nations for their support to Indian Muslims when Hindutva bigots calculated that Muslim and Arab world would not care about the persecution of Muslims in India.

In a social media post on April 28, Khan said, Thank you Kuwait for standing with the Indian Muslims! The Hindutva bigots calculated that given the huge economic stakes involved the Muslim and Arab world will not care about the persecution of Muslims in India.

He further said that the bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage.

The DMC chairman also counted names like Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, Iqbal, Abul Hasan Nadwi, Wahiduddin Khan and Zakir Naik, who - according to him - are respected household names in the Arab and Muslim world.

He further warned that Indian Muslims were not complaining to the Arab and Muslim world about the hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. However, the day they will be pushed to do that, it will follow an avalanche for people who he termed as bigots.

Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche, Khan added to the post.
Around one in seven Americans would not seek medical if they developed a fever or dry cough because of concerns over costs, a new poll has found.

It suggests that almost 35 million people might avoid seeing a doctor for the symptoms, which are known manifestations of Covid-19.

The new poll was conducted by Gallup and non-profit organisation West Health and published on Tuesday. It further found that 9 per cent of people would avoid healthcare even when the question was framed explicitly as believing [they] have been infected by the novel coronavirus.

However, in an analysis document Gallup said that confusion might also play a part in the figures. It said: Mentioning coronavirus by name reduces the percentage of people who would not seek treatment by roughly one-third, suggesting that lack of clarity regarding the common symptoms of Covid-19 could be a factor in not pursuing it, beyond household economics or basic access.

Another 6 per cent of people  or the equivalent of 15 million residents  reported cases in which they or a family member had denied medical care for non-coronavirus health issues due to the volume of patients flooding hospitals.

Healthcare is likely to be a major point of debate in Novembers presidential election following calls by Democrats to make it more affordable and more widely available.

West Health is conducting a series of studies on US public opinion of the cost of staying well.

Young adults, people from ethnic minority groups and those with a high-school education or less  as well as households with incomes lower than $40,000 (32,273) per year  were the groups most likely to avoid care, Gallup analysts said.

Millions of Americans, even in the face of a disease that has brought a country to its knees, would forgo care due to the potential expense and still others may not be clear on the common symptoms of Covid-19, said Tim Lash, chief strategy officer for West Health, in a press release.

While physicians and healthcare workers are doing courageous and lifesaving work, the pandemic magnifies the longstanding perils and flaws of a high-cost healthcare system in need of reform.

One million people in the US have now contracted coronavirus and more than 58,000 have died.

John Auerbach, head of the non-partisan Trust for Americas Health group, warned on Tuesday that West Healths report held a lesson for politicians.

I hope that policy makers take note, said Auerbach. Without widespread testing, it will be problematic to lift the restrictions.

On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump suggested that for the US to re-open its economy, some 5 million coronavirus tests would need to be conducted each day by June.

The West Health and Gallup report was compiled using a nationally representative survey of 1,017 US adults.
Not only does this episode finally reveal the mechanics of the musical component of this program, but its also revealed that there are prizes: a writing and recording session with a noted musical producer and a tour together. First of all, theres absolutely no reason to believe that anyone is there for the right reasons now, and second of all, who is going to see a tour of any of these people? Especially now. Where are they touring? Not this United States, thats for sure.

And then theres the whole judging criteria  CHEMISTRY?!?! Theyre going to force literal pop icon Kesha and Mr. A-Z himself, Jason Mraz, to sit up there and say things like Theres love in your eyes. Your eyes  not so much.

You might get tired of me saying as a performer in these recaps, but  AS A PERFORMER, the things that make a good performance are sometimes in complete opposition to what demonstrates chemistry. Bri got criticized for facing the audience? Are you fucking kidding me? In what universe is you played to your audience a bad critique for a performer? Okay, so thats ONE.

TWO: Considering the filming schedule for these types of shows, the songtestants (Im gonna go with it) have known each other for probably five days. Thats the generous estimate. So were judging the sexual and romantic chemistry of people who have known each other about as long as the other couple who shares the table with you on a cruise. These are strangers, and were supposed to decipher if their banging would be good. I dont think I had ever heard Danny speak before, but Im supposed to know his love language.

And THREE: You can fake chemistry. Its called acting, and most musicians learn how to project emotion during performance. Just look at Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. We all lost our minds watching them, and according to both of their publicists, they were just acting. Cmon. This is something that any savvy person could figure out. Plus, all the examples of chemistry were just eye contact! Everyone should take the note and just make prolonged eye contact until Kesha praises them.

This isnt about the whole weird chemistry thing, but I 100 percent need Kesha to be more involved in this show. She should be handing out the final roses or something. Shes got a great vibe for this show and cant keep it off her face when shes utterly disgusted by a performance.

We can really speed through most of the beginning of the episode because its mostly nonsensical. Chris Harrison shows up to inform everyone that its about the music, but love comes first. And everything will change. There will be no more new arrivals, but there will be a series of new rules and challenges. First challenge, everyone has to decide if theyre here for the right reasons and really committed to love. Wait  what? This is usually the last thing that happens in the Bachelor Cinematic Universe. You cant just rearrange the tropes and expect everything to be coherent.

The only real drama in the house at this point is the love polygon between Brandon, Savannah, and Julia. Julia is really holding on to the fact that Brandon said they could work things out between them if they both stayed in the house. This is the single thing that will completely and utterly destroy Julia and her sanity. First, she informs Savannah that Brandon is interested in her too, and Savannah should just be prepared for Brandon to dump her. Gabe takes this opportunity to appear for the first time on-camera and tell Savannah his feelings. This ends poorly, and both Gabe and Ruby go home.

The footage of a woman wailing on a balcony while production follows her is just from Savannah experiencing a mildly uncomfortable social situation. Shes bereft, and were eight minutes into the episode. Brandon comes up to calm Savannah down, and he is just way too fucking casual about this whole thing. So things are not so good right now? Brandon asks for her forgiveness and if she wants to give their relationship a try, or if she wants to go home and cry. If youre a woman in America, those are your romantic options.

Julia is PISSED, and this creates the narrative for her that Brandon and Savannah arent there for the right reasons because they were able to work through nonexistent drama in their relationship and come out the other side making out.

Everyone is assigned their song and decides to turn the song, regardless of genre or style, into a weepy folk-pop ballad. Brandon and Savannah decide to turn I Want You to Want Me, famous power-pop song about having a crush on someone, into a maudlin Shawn Mendesesque ballad.

Then theres also  a date card? OKAY. SURE. Danny and Bekah get it, and they only go on it to set up their inevitable departure from the episode. They go on a date during which they select one top for Bekah to wear at the final performance and make out in a pool with celebrity stylist Rebecca Mink. Also, at some point, Natascha and Ryan head out on a date to watch alleged country star and former-Bachelor-fiancee husband Chris Lane perform at the House of Blues. He comments that Ryan looks like Shawn Mendes. The specter of Shawn Mendes hangs over every moment of this damn television program. Natascha and Ryan sing background vocals while a video of Lauren Bushnell appears onstage behind her husband.

Meanwhile, Julia is back at the house positively seething and decides to sit down with Savannah to tell her that Savannah is a bitch who is totally fake and expects this all to go well. Savannah says that Julia has no business sticking her nose in her relationship, and Savannah is 100 percent right. If Julia had led with Maybe Brandon is manipulating you because of how fast he went from me to you, maybe she would have gotten somewhere, but NOPE.

All right, time for the final performances, and all I have to say is THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THAT ENCLOSED SPACE. There are a few narratives going into this final performance. Rudi is nervous. Jamie is having a panic attack in the grass. Bri and Chris are very confident in their relationship. Julia wants to show exactly how into Sheridan she is by genuinely performing chemistry. No one knows who Bekah and Danny are.

Everything plays out exactly how youd imagine and, really, JoJo and Jordan gave pretty good critiques for two house-flippers. The only bizarre twist is Natascha and Ryan turning Stay, by Rihanna, into a white-guy reggae song. The judges get to deliberate, and we get none of that footage. I want nothing more than to see Kesha and Jason Mraz debate the merits of Bekah and Dannys, or Brandon and Savannahs, relationship.

Time for the rose ceremony. Everyone gets a rose except Bekah and Danny, and they are sent home in twin SUVs. Julia is secure in what she has with Sheridan, but shes completely ready to destroy it if Brandon looks at her in any way.
Of the 171 Mumbai scribes tested on April 15, 53 tested positive on April 20. Of the 53 tested positive, 31 were treated and discharged on April 26.

A large number of positive cases and later a quick recovery within less than a week have baffled many.

Amritha Pillay reports.

IMAGE: A healthcare worker takes a swab of a journalist in Mumbai to test him for coronavirus. Photograph: ANI Photo

On April 20, Jayesh Mhatre was a relieved man. Mhatre was one of the 171 Mumbai journalists tested for coronavirus disease on April 15. His friends had heard from the authorities. So he called to check up on his results. I was told I had tested negative, he adds.

As part of a special drive, Mumbais municipal authority tested 171 journalists for Covid-19 who were on the field. Of the 171 tested, 53 journalists were told they tested positive on April 20.

The four-day wait has been grueling for most. For some like Joshi, the wait was long enough to falsely assume his reports were negative. We were told we would be contacted only if the reports are positive. Since we did not hear from them, we thought we were okay. The call came as a shock, he adds.

According to tweets put out by the Press Information Bureau in Maharashtra, of the 171 tested on April 15, 53 tested positive on April 20. Of the 53 tested positive, the tweet said 31 have been treated and discharged on April 26.

A large number of positive cases and later a quick recovery within less than a week have baffled many. Joshi adds almost everyone he saw at the testing centre with him turned out positive in the first test.

Tests can turn negative in seven-eight days. They were all asymptomatic, which means less viral load. Why will the test be faulty or be not done in the right way? These are high standard tests and there is no need to doubt, said Daksha Shah, deputy director-health department for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, to a query whether there were any concerns related to testing.

The concern is not unfounded. Last Tuesday, amid complaints of faulty rapid test kits, the Indian Council of Medical Research advised states not to use them for the next two days, saying it will issue an advisory after its teams carry out field validation of this equipment.

Bhushan Koyande is another photojournalist who tested negative the second time. Koyande was put up at Goregaons The Fern Hotel and is not sure of the testing.

Maybe they were faulty we had no symptoms and we were not given any medicines after the first test results, except some vitamins two days before the second test, said Koyande, who tested negative the second time.

Apprehensions aside, what these 171 journalists walked into paints an interesting picture of the city and its dwellers.

Kunal Patil, a photographer with a news wire service and one who tested negative for the second time, returned to a warm welcome at his Mumbai residence. He speaks fondly of his brief stay at Seven Hills, which was equipped with WiFi, a smart television, and other amenities. Koyande is now in home quarantine until May 9 at his Currey Road residence.

A large part of South Mumbais old residences consist of buildings with shared walkways, balconies and in some places even washrooms. He says his neighbours raised some issues when he returned, but there are no concerns now.

Ajinkya Sawant, another photojournalist who tested negative the second time, did not face a similar fate. Sawant is forced to continue his home quarantine at a hotel in Dadar with his mother. We live in a chawl with shared washrooms, he adds.

A local member of the legislative assembly has arranged for his stay. Local MLAs have also stepped up to the occasion to ensure food and essentials are supplied to buildings which have been quarantined.

For others like Joshi, the wait is longer. He has tested positive the second time. To be sure, he has checked that his second test was done at a lab different from the first one.

Given I am asymptomatic, I am not worried. I worry about my aged parents, he adds. His parents have not been tested yet.

* Some names have been changed on request
[April 29, 2020] Kiadis Pharma announces two abstracts accepted for poster presentations at the ASGCT 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting

Kiadis Pharma announces two abstracts accepted for poster presentations at the ASGCT 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 29, 2020  Kiadis Pharma N.V. (Kiadis Pharma or the Company) (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today announces that two abstracts related to the Companys NK-cell therapy program have been accepted for poster presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Virtual Meeting taking place May 12  15, 2020 . The following abstracts have been accepted for poster presentation: Abstract #427 showcases data that helps establish the feasibility of large-scale production of highly functional K-NK cells expanded with PM21. Abstract Details

Title: Bridging NK cell expansion methods towards a feeder-cell free scalable GMP production of hyperfunctional NK cells

First author: Jeremiah Oyer

Session title: Cell Therapies Abstract #765 describes a novel mode of NK cell stimulation through Fc engagement of CD16 during expansion with FC21 cells which improves NK cell phenotype and function, particularly in exerting antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). Abstract Details

Title: NK cell Expansion and Phenotype Shaping using CD16-targeted CSTX002-Fc feeder cells

First author: Jeremiah Oyer

Session title: Cancer  Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines Both abstracts are now available on the ASGCT meeting website at: https://annualmeeting.asgct.org/am20/abstracts. Kiadis Pharma Contact

Maryann Cimino, Sr. Manager, Corporate Affairs

Tel: +1 (617) 710-7305

[email protected]



About Kiadis Pharmas K-NK-Cell Therapies

Kiadis Pharmas NK-cell programs consist of off-the-shelf and haplo donor cell therapy products for the treatment of liquid and solid tumors as adjunctive and stand-alone therapies. The Companys NK-cell PM21 particle technology enables improved ex vivo expansion and activation of anti-cancer cytotoxic NK-cells supporting multiple high-dose infusions. Kiadis Pharmas proprietary off-the-shelf NK-cell platform is based on NK-cells from unique universal donors. The Kiadis Pharma off-the-shelf K-NK platform can make NK-cell therapy product rapidly and economically available for a broad patient population across a potentially wide range of indications.

Kiadis Pharma is clinically developing K-NK003 for the treatment of relapse/refractory acute myeloid leukemia. The Company is also developing K-NK002, which is administered as an adjunctive immunotherapeutic on top of HSCT and provides functional, mature and potent NK-cells from a haploidentical family member. In addition, the Company has pre-clinical programs evaluating NK-cell therapy for the treatment of solid tumors. About Kiadis Pharma

Founded in 1997, Kiadis Pharma is building a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative therapies for patients with life-threatening diseases. With headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and offices and activities across the United States, Kiadis Pharma is reimagining medicine by leveraging the natural strengths of humanity and our collective immune system to source the best cells for life. Kiadis Pharma is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels since July 2, 2015, under the symbol KDS. Learn more at www.kiadis.com. Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect Kiadis Pharmas or, as appropriate, Kiadis Pharmas officers current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results, performance, achievements or events to differ materially from those expressed, anticipated or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, regulation, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance, achievements or results to differ significantly from any anticipated or implied development. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, Kiadis Pharma expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or projections, or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither Kiadis Pharma nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such persons officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the anticipated or implied developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

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- John Lloyd Cruz talked to Bea Alonzo through video call that aired on Instagram

- They exchange cheesy lines that immediately caught the attention of many netizens

- However, one of the highlights of their conversation was when the actor introduced his son

- Bea could not help but feel excited and happy after seeing baby Elias Modesto

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John Lloyd Cruz decided to introduce to Bea Alonzo and their followers his charming son with Ellen Adarna.

KAMI learned that the much-talked-about moment happened during the live video call of the two prominent celebrities on Instagram.

After they exchanged cheesy lines and several realizations in life, the adorable son of the actor knocked on the door and entered his dads room.

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Bea got really happy and excited upon hearing her on-screen partner talk to Elias Modesto.

John Lloyd then carried his son and showed his face to the actress. He told him to greet the gorgeous showbiz personality.

He then said goodbye to Bea because he needed to take care of Elias as he was about to go to sleep.

Come here, Elias. Say hi, John Lloyd told his child.

Kailangan ko nang patulugin to. See you when I see you, he told Bea.

Watch the video below (Proceed to 29:37):

In a previous article by , Bea suddenly teased John Lloyd about his great love Sarah Geronimo.

John Lloyd Cruz is one of the most acclaimed film and television actors in the Philippines. He is currently on showbiz hiatus because he wants to focus on raising his child with Ellen Adarna.

POPULAR: Read more news about John Lloyd Cruz!

Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts!

A Filipino found his own way to help frontliners amid pandemic. They had to walk an hour, an hour and a half to get to work. I mean, coming from an 8-hour shift sa hospital, tapos palalakarin mo pa yung nurse o kahit security guard. Parang hindi makatarungan, diba?  on HumanMeter!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 16:37 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd5006b6 1 Business #PostScript,mudik-ban,COVID-19,transportation-ministry,Airlines,public-transportation,Idul-Fitri,Ramadan-2020,coronavirus,explainer Free

The Transportation Ministry has temporarily restricted passenger travel during the period of April 24 until May 31 in an effort to prevent an Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) as the country struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19 across the archipelago.

The mudik ban, which is based on Transportation Ministry Regulation No. 25/2020 signed by acting minister Luhut Pandjaitan on April 23, applies to all types of mass transportation as well as to private vehicles and is seen as crucial to prevent the coronavirus from spreading from the epicenter of Jakarta and West Java to other regions of the country. The mudik is an important annual tradition for most people in the Muslim-majority country to celebrate Ramadan and Idul Fitri, which falls in late May this year.

Read also: Jasa Marga to close Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road following mudik ban

Last year, around 18 million people traveled using public transportation during the seven days before and after Idul Fitri. As many as 5.41 million people traveled by air, 2.85 million by land transportation, 1.17 million by sea transportation, 6.20 million by rail and 2.51 million by ferries.

However, the ban has caused some confusion among would-be passengers, operators and transportation companies, as the regulation was made public a day after the announcement while at the same time the ministrys officials made several changes in their statements.

The Jakarta Post summarizes key takeaways from the regulation to help clear up any confusion.

Mudik ban coverage area

The ban applies to the use of private cars and motorcycles, public busses, trains, ships, ferries and chartered and scheduled flights entering and leaving areas that have imposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), red zone areas and agglomeration areas.

An agglomeration area is a group of closely connected neighboring areas with one or several of them having implemented the PSBB or been declared a red zone. An example of this is Greater Jakarta, which consists of Jakarta and its satellite cities Tangerang in Banten as well as Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java.

Read also: COVID-19: 'Mudik' ban catches travelers flat-footed

Greater Bandung, which consists of Bandung city, Bandung regency and Cimahi city in West Java, is also categorized as an agglomeration area.

As of April 27, as many as two provinces and 22 regencies/cities have implemented the PSBB, which include Greater Jakarta, Greater Bandung, Tegal in Central Java, Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Gresik in East Java and Makassar in South Sulawesi. COVID-19 cases have been found in all 34 provinces of Indonesia and in 249 of 514 regencies/cities.

International travel

The mudik ban applies to domestic travel only and does not affect international travel.

Civil Aviation Director General Novie Riyanto said on April 24 that people were still allowed to travel overseas since the regulation on the mudik was only applicable to domestic passenger travel.

Read also: Mudik ban adds misery to already hurting airlines, bus companies

Yes, [international travel] is allowed as long as the destination countries are still accepting passengers from Indonesia, he said.

Novie also said that all Indonesians overseas who wanted to return to Indonesia were allowed to fly in.

Passengers line up at Senen Train Station in Jakarta on Thursday to request refunds for their purchased tickets. The Transportation Ministry will restrict all passenger travel starting on Friday. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

Ticket refunds

The regulation requires all airlines and transportation operators and companies to refund in full any tickets issued for travel within the period of the ban. The refund can be in form of cash, credit points, ticket vouchers or other forms agreed by the companies and passengers.

The passengers also have the option to reschedule or reroute their cancelled tickets free of charge.

Exemptions from the ban

The mudik ban comes with several exceptions for certain vehicles and conditions. In land transportation, operational vehicles and trains for logistics, goods, medicines and medical equipment transportation as well as firefighter vehicles, ambulance and hearses are still allowed to move freely.

High-ranking officials, the COVID-19 task force officers, government operational officers, the Indonesian Army, the National Police as well as toll road officials may still travel on duty.

Land and railway transportation operating within an agglomeration area, such as Greater Jakarta, can continue operations with strict implementation of physical distancing rules.

Read also: I prefer it in cash: Passengers, travel agents upset over airline refund policy

Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) head Polana B. Pramesti said people were allowed to travel within Greater Jakarta using private vehicles and public transportation.

The operation of public transportation within Greater Jakarta is allowed, she stated.

In air transportation, flights for high-ranking officials, state guests and representatives of international organizations and foreign consulates and embassies in Indonesia as well as repatriation, law enforcement and emergency services flights are exempted from the ban.

Airport operations, however, remain normal to serve cargo flights and a few passenger flights that enter and leave areas outside PSBB, red zones and agglomeration areas.

At sea, the regulation exempts passenger ships for repatriation, logistics, state and medical services as well as regular ships that travel within agglomeration areas.

Law enforcement

To oversee the implementation of the ban, the Transportation Ministry, along with the National Police Traffic Corps, have established checkpoints at certain locations, such as toll gates, passenger bus terminals, seaports and airports, to prevent any illegal travel.

Police officers monitor vehicles in the checkpoint of Jakarta-Cikampek toll road KM 31 in Bekasi regency, West Java on Friday, April 24, 2020. (kompas.com/Kristianto Purnomo)

The officials will instruct car drivers trying to leave a PSBB, red zone or agglomeration area during the period of April 24 to May 7 to return to their point of departure. Starting on May 8, drivers of such cars will get additional sanctions in accordance with the prevailing law.

Ships operators and airlines that violate the ban will be charged with sanctions that range from written reprimand to a revocation of licenses.
A Czech official has alleged a Russian plot to 'liquidate' him and two other politicians including the mayor of Prague, who is feared to be under threat from a ricin attack.

Ondrej Kolar, the leader of Prague's District 6, revealed last night that he was under police protection - a day after mayor Zdenek Hrib said he was also being guarded.

The two men - along with the third alleged target, city official Pavel Novotny - have clashed with Moscow over the removal of a controversial Soviet statue in Prague.

A Czech magazine has claimed that a Russian hitman entered the country armed with ricin, a toxic chemical, but the Kremlin has dismissed the claims.

Ondrej Kolar (pictured), the leader of Prague's District 6, revealed last night that he was under police protection from an alleged Russian hitman

Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib (pictured left) in February, with the daughter of Boris Nemtsov - a murdered Russian opposition leader after whom a Prague square was renamed

Kolar told Czech media last night that he was being kept at an undisclosed location after going under protection.

'All I can tell you is that I've been granted police protection,' he told the Czech Prima TV station.

'It was assigned to me because there's a Russian here who has been given the task of liquidating me,' he said.

'Not only me, but also Zdenek Hrib and Pavel Novotny,' he added, referring to the mayor and another official.

Hrib had said on Monday that he was under police protection, but stopped short of confirming the reports of a Russian plot.

The Czech weekly news magazine Respekt claimed that a Russian national using a diplomatic passport had recently arrived in Prague carrying ricin.

A statue of Soviet general Ivan Konev is removed from its pedestal in Prague earlier this month, a move which angered Moscow

Hrib and Kolar clashed with Moscow earlier this month after they spearheaded the removal of a controversial Cold War-era statue of Soviet general Ivan Konev.

Konev was regarded as a hero in the USSR, but many Czechs see him as a symbol of Soviet-era oppression.

Russian diplomats said the removal of the statue was an 'unfriendly' act of 'vandalism by unhinged municipal representatives'.

Separately, Hlib was also the mayor responsible for renaming a square in Prague after a murdered Russian opposition leader.

The square, where Russia's embassy is situated, was renamed Boris Nemtsov Square in February after the Putin critic who was shot dead in 2015.

Putin condemned the killing and the Kremlin denied any involvement, but the shooting is still clouded by doubts.

Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, pictured in 2012, was shot dead as he walked across a bridge in Moscow in 2015. A Prague square was named after him in February 2020

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to reporters in Moscow on Monday, said the claims made in the Respekt report were 'misinformation'.

Novotny, the mayor of Prague's southwestern Reporyje district, confirmed on Monday that he had also received police protection, without elaborating.

He also clashed with the Kremlin in November 2019 after proposing a memorial to Russian troops who broke ranks with the Soviet Union during World War II.

Czech prime minister Andrej Babis said yesterday that his country would not allow 'any world power to influence our political affairs in any manner'.

The Czech foreign ministry has raised the possibility of sending the Konev statue to Russia, according to Czech media reports.
[April 29, 2020] Basilea announces appointment of new Head of Global Quality Management

Basel, Switzerland, April 29, 2020 Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) reported today that Ms. Savitha Ram Moorthi will be appointed Head of Global Quality Management and a member of the Extended Management Committee of Basilea as of June 1, 2020. Ms. Ram Moorthi joined Basilea from Novo Nordisk Health Care, Zurich, Switzerland, on February 1, 2020, as Head of Quality Compliance Systems & Safety. She holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and a Masters in Pharmacy from Nagpur University, India. At Novo Nordisk, Ms. Ram Moorthi served as Director Clinical Quality and Pharmacovigilance responsible for the oversight of Quality Management Reviews, clinical quality and pharmacovigilance for International Operations. Prior to this, she worked as Director Clinical Operations for Region Europe. David Veitch, Chief Executive Officer, commented: We are very pleased that Ms. Ram Moorthi will assume the role of Head of Global Quality Management at Basilea. She has extensive experience in the fields of quality management, clinical operations, regulatory and pharmacovigilance, demonstrating both leadership and project oversight. We wish her continued success in her new role. Ms. Ram Moorthi will succeed Dr. Anne Stehlin, who has been Head of Global Quality Management since October 2018 and will be leaving the company to pursue another opportunity. David Veitch added: We thank Dr. Stehlin for her valuable contribution to Basileas progress over the last 18 months and wish her all the best in her future career. About Basilea Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development of products that address the medical challenges in the therapeutic areas of oncology and infectious diseases. With two commercialized drugs, the company is committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products to meet the medical needs of patients with serious and life-threatening conditions. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Additional information can be found at Basilea's website www.basilea.com . Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For furtherinformation, please contact:



Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail [email protected]

[email protected] This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com .

Attachments Press release (PDF)

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Last year, the 18th International Congress of Myriapodology brought together 92 of the world's top experts on the curious, yet still largely unknown multi-legged centipedes, millipedes, pauropods, symphylans (collectively referred to as myriapods) and velvet worms (onychophorans).

Held between 25th and 31st August 2019 at the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest and co-organised by the Hungarian Biological Society, the biennial event saw the announcement of the latest findings related to the diversity, distribution and biology of these creatures. Now, the public gets the chance to learn about a good part of the research presented there on the pages of the open-access scholarly journal ZooKeys.

The special issue in ZooKeys, "Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Myriapodology (25-31 August 2019, Budapest, Hungary)", features a total of 11 research articles reporting on species new to science, updates on the distribution and conservation of already known myriapods and discoveries about the biology, ecology and evolution of individual species. Together, the publications reveal new insights into the myriapod life on four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Amongst the published research outputs worth mentioning is the comparison between regional and global Red Listings of Threatened Species that worryingly identifies a missing overlap between the myriapod species included in the global IUCN Red List and the regional ones. This first-of-its-kind overview of the current conservation statuses of myriapods from around the world highlights the lack of dedicated funding for the conservation of hundreds of threatened myriapods. As a result, the scientists behind the study urge for the establishment of a Myriapoda Specialist Group in the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN.

Meanwhile, to give us a hint about how many millipedes are out there unbeknownst to the world and any conservation authorities, at the congress, three research teams revealed a total of seven new to science species: three giant pill-millipedes from Vietnam, another three from the biodiversity hotspot Madagascar and a spirostreptid millipede inhabiting Sao Tome and Principe.

Amongst the rest of the papers is the curious discovery of two Tasmanian species of flat-backed millipedes of the genus Tasmaniosoma whose neighbouring populations have seemingly come to their own terms to keep distance between each other, save for a little stretch of land, for no obvious reason. Not a single site where both species occur together was found by Dr Bob Mesibov, the millipede expert behind the study. How is the parapatric boundary maintained? How, when and where did the parapatry originate? These are the big mysteries that the already retired Australian scientist leaves for his successors to resolve.

###

All articles published in the "Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Myriapodology (25-31 August 2019, Budapest, Hungary" special issue, edited by Dr. Zoltan Korsos (now University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest) and Dr. Laszlo Danyi (Hungarian Natural History Museum), are publicly available in the online, open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal ZooKeys.

Contacts:

Dr. Zoltan Korsos

Email: zkorsos@gmail.com

Dr. Laszlo Danyi

Email: laszlodanyi@gmail.com
EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumni Marie Gipson and Benjamin Scamihorn are among the educators across the country are facing the inability to connect with students face-to-face and transitioning hands-on learning assignments to virtual classrooms.

I spend so much time with my students and genuinely care about every one of them. Having all of that ripped away so suddenly is a feeling that is hard to describe, said Scamihorn, a biology and environmental science teacher at Sedona Red Rock High School in Sedona, Ariz. I naturally refer to them as my kids, and now that Im not with my kids, I worry about and miss them every day.

Scamihorn earned a bachelors in biology in 2018, with secondary education licensure, and a masters in biology in 2019, both from SIUE. He said he aims for balance and equity as he facilitates learning online.

The majority of learning in my class is through hands-on work, analyzing and discussing data, and problem-solving in groups, he said. It has been challenging trying to find the balance of what my students are able to accomplish without my and each others help. As teachers, we must also be aware of the challenges that our students could be experiencing at home and make sure we have equity at the forefront of our minds when planning our lessons. I try to plan work that challenges my students, but is also manageable and doesnt greatly increase their stress during this already stressful time.

Gipson, a high school teacher in Guthrie Center, Iowa, has amplified her presence on Instagram to maintain connections with students.

Before the shift to online learning, I used my teachergram to document what students were doing in my classroom and to share ideas with colleagues, said Gipson, who earned a bachelors in chemistry, with secondary education licensure, from SIUE in 2018. Now, I am using it as a way to stay connected with students by posting simple questions and sharing STEM challenges to keep them thinking about science. Overall, students have been interacting with it and love being able to connect in a way that is relevant to them.

Instagram is a great opportunity, if handled appropriately, Scamihorn added. I use it to respond to questions my students may have, and to let them know that I am here and still thinking of them. I also provide some optional educational challenges for my students. At the beginning of every class, I do a Good Things session where students can share something positive that is happening in their life. Ive been doing this virtually every day and sharing my students Good Things on my Instagram story.

Both Scamihorn and Gipson participated in the Noyce Scholar Community at SIUE, an opportunity they say built their confidence and inspired their career path. The program provides up to two years of funding for qualified math and science majors to seek secondary education licensure in their junior and senior years. Details are available at SIUENoyce.org.

When I say the Noyce program changed my life, I am not being dramatic, Scamihorn added. The Noyce summer internship was one of the best experiences of my life and made me realize that I wanted to pursue teaching as a career. The teaching program at SIUE provided a broad set of tools to be successful in different educational settings, while also providing the specific experiences to prepare me for teaching science at the high school level.

Despite the current difficulties, Gipson calls this time an opportunity to remember what is important.

For me, that has been keeping student relationships and continuing to make learning a positive experience, even if that means totally changing the way I teach, she said. What a great time to channel your creativity and network with other educators. I have learned so much from other educators during this time.
Prosecutors say Stephan Ernst had a right-wing extremist hatred of refugees when he killed Walter Luebcke at his home.

German prosecutors have charged a known neo-Nazi with the June 2019 murder of a pro-refugee politician.

Federal investigators said 45-year-old Stephan Ernst drove to Walter Luebckes house in Wolfhagen, central Germany, on the evening of June 1, 2019.

He crept up under cover of darkness to the terrace where Luebcke sat before shooting him in the head with a revolver.

Ernsts racism and xenophobia founded on an ethnic-nationalist attitude were decisive in the act, prosecutors said in a statement on Wednesday, adding he possessed a right-wing extremist hatred of refugees.

The suspect and his fellow accused, identified only as Markus H., had attended a political meeting in October 2015 where Luebcke argued in favour of accommodating refugees in the town of Lohfelden.

Ernst from the time of the meeting increasingly projected his xenophobia onto Dr Walter Luebcke, a regional politician from Chancellor Angela Merkels centre-right CDU party, prosecutors said.

Following reports of sexual assaults by refugees and migrants against women in Cologne on New Years Eve 2015 and a July 2016 attack in the French city, Nice, Ernst began spying on Luebcke in preparation for the murder, travelling repeatedly to the politicians house to make his plans.

Ernst allegedly decided to kill Luebcke to send a publicly noticeable signal against the current state order, which he rejected, according to prosecutors.

An honour guard made of police and Federal Armed Force officers stands next to the coffin of the Kassel District President, Walter Luebcke, during his funeral at the St Martin Church in Kassel, Germany, on June 13, 2019 [Swen Pfoertner/Pool via Reuters]

Meanwhile, fellow defendant Markus H., who is charged with complicity in the murder, helped Ernst train with firearms in forests and at gun clubs between 2016 and 2018, including with the murder weapon.

Ernst had already inflicted serious wounds to the chest and spine of an Iraqi asylum seeker living in Lohfelden in a January 2016 knife attack that left the victim in intensive care.

At the time of his June 2019 arrest, Ernst held several firearms and ammunition that he had acquired illegally, prosecutors said, including three revolvers, two automatic pistols, two rifles, 1,400 rounds of ammunition and a submachine gun.

Arrested soon afterwards, H. was found to be in possession of a deactivated submachine gun.

After the arrests, Ernst confessed to Luebckes murder, but in January this year he retracted the admission and said H. had shot the politician.

But prosecutors remain convinced that while H. accepted and supported the danger Ernst posed, he was not familiar with the actual plans for the attack.

The killing was followed by an October attack on a synagogue in eastern city Halle that left two dead, while a gunman killed nine people with migrant backgrounds in the central town Hanau in February.

Perpetrators in both attacks posted racist screeds online, and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has since declared far-right extremism the biggest security threat facing Germany, promising a beefed-up security response.
Vingroup has announced it has completed the design and is preparing to introduce to the market two invasive ventilator models which adhere strictly to international standards.

A Vsmart VFS-410 ventilator model (Photo courtesy Vingroup)

It took just three weeks for Vingroup engineers (Vinfast and Vinsmart) to complete manufacturing of the two models  VFS-410 and VFS-510  with the strong support of relevant ministries, domestic and foreign health experts and Medtronic as Vingroups US-based partner.

Despite being developed based on the original community-shared design by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Vsmart VFS-410 is a made in Vietnam product which is manufactured and completed entirely by the Vingroup ecosystem.

Vingroup's engineering team designed the entire operating principle for VFS-410 ventilator and produced its circuit boards, mechanical components besides software and design development to enable it to have features comparable to high-end portable invasive ventilators on the market.

Due to the global scarcity of materials for ventilator production, Vingroup has actively researched to address the situation by self-producing or localising up to 70 percent of its ventilator components including extremely important and modern components such as blower, boards (PCBA controller, power), keyboard, display, battery and case.

These ventilators will continue to be tested by leading hospitals and experts in Vietnam and will be evaluated by the Medical Council of all levels to ensure compliance with pre-circulation regulations to support COVID-19 prevention and control.

It is expected that the first batch of ventilators will be available on the market on May 15./.

Vietnam continues ventilator purchases despite Covid-19-free week Although Vietnam reported no new Covid-19 infection cases for a seventh consecutive day as of Thursday morning, the Ministry of Health is still proposing to buy more ventilators for prevention.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A local contractor is expected to plead guilty to paying hundreds of dollars a city of Cleveland official in exchange for favorable treatment during inspections.

Paul Eadeh, the owner of Broadway Wrecking in Cleveland, was charged in federal court Tuesday with three counts of honest services mail fraud. Eadeh paid $600 to Rufus Taylor, then the citys demolition bureau chief, between September 2016 and September 2017, charging documents say.

Eadeh, 51, bribed Taylor so he would give the contractor favorable treatment and provide quick inspections of his companys work, which allowed him to obtain a permit and get paid more quickly.

He is the fourth person charged, including Taylor, in what has become a years-long probe into bribes paid to the former city official by myriad contractors.

The contractor, who lives in Parma Heights, was charged via a criminal information, which is usually a sign that a plea agreement is forthcoming. His attorney Denise Demmitt confirmed that her client would plead guilty but also said he had paid the bribes as a result of the continuous pressure from Taylor.

Taylor pleaded guilty in September 2018 to extortion and bribery in a federally funded program, admitting to taking thousands of dollars in bribes from two contractors and gave them preferential treatment for government-funded demolition and abatement projects.

He worked for the city for 30 years and retired in January 2018. He has not been sentenced.

In September 2016, Eadehs company received a contract to demolish a building on East 71st Street, the information states. Taylor conducted a clean-hole bulkhead inspection and told Eadeh he passed. On Oct. 3, 2016, the pair met up, and Eadeh paid Taylor $100 in cash, according to prosecutors.

Two days later, Taylor conducted a final compliance inspection at the property and told Eadeh he passed. On Oct. 6, 2016, Eadeh paid Taylor another $100, according to prosecutors.

Eadeh also paid Taylor $100 on Oct. 28, 2016, the day Taylor inspected a to-be-demolished property on East 147th Street, and gave him the OK. He did the same on Nov. 26, 2016 for a job on Otokar Street, the information says.

In November 2016, Eadehs company won a bid for a Cuyahoga County Land Bank demolition project on Raymond Avenue. On Dec. 3, 2016, Taylor inspected the property and told Eadeh he passed. Eadeh paid him $50 in cash, according to prosecutors.

The bribes continued into 2017. Eadeh paid Taylor $50 for favorable treatment during an inspection for a property on Harvard Avenue in July 2017, and $100 the next month for a Land Bank job on East 53rd Street, the information states.

Demmitt said Taylor solicited all the bribes through veiled intimidation and veiled threats with regard to his ongoing business and noted that he did it with other people. She said her client has historically been an honest businessman.

Eadeh is the third contractor federal prosecutors charged as part of its probe. North Royalton contractor Martin Fano pleaded guilty to honest services mail and wire fraud and admitted to paying Taylor $460 in bribes and giving him free meals. Senior U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko in September ordered Fano to pay a $4,000 fine.

Warrensville Heights resident Eric Witherspoon, who ran Aricks Environmental Services and Aricks Services, pleaded guilty in September to bribery concerning a federally funded program. He admitted to giving Taylor a $3,000 bribe in 2013 for help in getting on the citys bid list for a demolition job, as well as for a quick inspection.

The city awarded Witherspoon the $147,000 contract. Boyko has not yet sentenced Witherspoon.

Read more:

North Royalton contractor fined $4,000 for bribing Cleveland demolition bureau chief

Warrensville Heights contractor pleads guilty to giving bribes to former Cleveland demolition bureau chief

North Royalton contractor admits he bribed Cleveland demolition official

Former Cleveland demolition bureau chief pleads guilty to extorting, accepting bribes from contractors
Beaumont police are searching for three persons of interest after a fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man at an apartment complex on Elmira Street Wednesday morning. The incident is the citys sixth homicide in the past four weeks.

Officers responded to a call of a shooting just after midnight at the Starcrest Apartments. When police arrived, they found two gunshot victims, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.
[April 29, 2020] Analysis on Impact of Covid-19- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023 | Use of Industrial IoT to Boost Growth | Technavio

Technavio has been monitoring the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry and it is poised to grow by USD 7.22 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of about 31% 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/20200429005020/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Amazon Web Services Inc., FANUC Corp., General Electric Co., Google (News - Alert) LLC, H2O.AI Inc., IBM Corp., KUKA Aktiengesellschaft, Microsoft Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., and SAP SE are some of the major market participants. The use of industrial IoT will offer immense growth opportunities. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Use of industrial IoT has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023: Segmentation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry is segmented as below: Application Predictive Maintenance and Machine Inspection Production Planning Quality Control Others

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR32119 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-023: Scope



Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry report covers the following areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry: Size

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry: Trends

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry: Industry Analysis This study identifies increasing human-robot collaboration as one of the prime reasons driving the artificial intelligence (AI) market growth in the manufacturing industry during the next few years.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry, including some of the vendors such as Amazon Web Services Inc., FANUC Corp., General Electric Co., Google LLC, H2O.AI Inc., IBM Corp., KUKA Aktiengesellschaft, Microsoft (News - Alert) Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., and SAP SE. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry 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 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist artificial intelligence (AI) market growth in manufacturing industry during the next five years

Estimation of the artificial intelligence (AI) market size in manufacturing industry and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth the vendors in the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Market segmentation by application

Comparison by application

Predictive maintenance and machine inspection - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Production planning - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Quality control - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

North America - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Europe - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

MEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers

Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Advancements in AI related to intelligent business process

Increasing human-robot collaboration

Growing demand for generative designs PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Amazon Web Services (News - Alert), Inc.

FANUC Corp.

General Electric Co.

Google LLC

H2O.AI Inc.

IBM Corp.

KUKA (News - Alert) Aktiengesellschaft

Microsoft Corp.

Rockwell Automation Inc.

SAP SE PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology

List of abbreviations

Definition of market positioning of vendors PART 14: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO 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/20200429005020/en/

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Two prisoners of the Sabarmati



Central Jail in Ahmedabad have tested positive for coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday.

Both of them recently arrived at the jail and as a precaution, they were kept at the prison's isolation ward, which is away from the main campus where nearly 2,400 prisoners are lodged, Sabarmati jail's deputy superintendent of police D V Rana said.

While the two prisoners were lodged at the jail's isolation ward, their samples were sent for testing which came out positive in the last three days and they were subsequently admitted to hospital, he said.

One of them is a murder convict who returned after completing his parole on April 25, while the other is a rape case accused who was brought to the jail by police on April 26, Rana said.

"As per the protocol to curb the spread of COVID-19, when the murder convict returned on April 25, we kept him in the jail's isolation ward and sent his samples for test. After the test came out positive for coronavirus, he was sent to the civil hospital the next day directly from the isolation facility," the official said.

Later, on April 26, an undertrial in a rape case was brought to the jail by Isanpur police.

"The undertrial later tested positive for coronavirus, following which he was also shifted to the civil hospital on April 27 from the isolation ward," Rana said.

He said all prisoners inside the jail are screened twice a week by doctors to check for any COVID-19 symptoms.

The Gujarat government recently suggested some safety measures following the fear of spread of the disease in jails that are overcrowded with inmates.

Some prisoners involved in less serious offences have been released on parole from various jails across the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
James Jordan has revealed his father has been sent home from hospital after contracting coronavirus whilst recovering from a stroke.

The former Strictly star, 42, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news, telling fans he is doing 'much better' and has been discharged as doctors think he will recover quicker at home.

James posted the update alongside a sweet throwback picture of Alan cradling his daughter Ella, aged just two days old.

Good news: James Jordan has revealed his father has been sent home from hospital after contracting coronavirus while recovering from a stroke (pictured with wife Ola and Ella)

James wrote: 'Finally some good news for my family.

'Last night my dad was sent home as the doctors feel at this stage he will recover quicker in familiar surroundings.

'He's doing so much better and he's feeling very positive. I wanted to say a massive thank you to Ali, Kayleigh, Isabelle and Luke who my dad said not only looked after him but went above and beyond their job.

'He said they were so lovely to him. I THANK YOU FOR THAT xxx.

We'll meet again: James posted the update alongside a sweet picture of Alan cradling his daughter Ella aged just two days old

Great: The former Strictly star, 42, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news, telling fans he is doing 'much better' and that doctors think he will recover quicker at home

That's my girl: Just days ago Ola Jordan proved things are going swimmingly as she shared a touching snap of her husband and their daughter to mark his 42nd birthday

'Lastly, this picture was taken before his first stroke when my baby Ella was just 2 days old. CANT WAIT TO SEE HIM AND MY MUM HOLD MY BABY AGAIN.'

Two weeks ago, James revealed his father had contracted coronavirus whilst in hospital recovering from a second stroke.

The Dancing On Ice winner's dad Alan was admitted to hospital last month after suffering a stroke, mere weeks after James welcomed his first child with wife Ola.

Whilst Alan was able to leave hospital for a brief period, he was readmitted this month with an infection in his arm, and has now tested positive for COVID-19.

Awful: Whilst Alan was able to leave hospital for a brief period, he was readmitted this month with an infection in his arm, and then tested positive for COVID-19

Taking to Twitter, James penned: 'Just when you think things couldnt get any worse! After being in hospital for nearly 2 weeks after his stroke my dad has now tested positive to coronavirus.

'He is also fighting an infection he recently got in his arm (Cellulitis) God, please give my dad a break #StayAtHome.'

He added: 'My dad has always been my hero. When I spoke to him he was more worried about my mum, sister & family. He kept saying  Dont worry about me, Ive got this.

'The sad thing is today he was supposed to be transferred to another hospital where he would have a TV. He was so excited'.

Last month, James confessed he was struggling to cope during what had been the 'most stressful time of my life'.

He tweeted: 'Trying to juggle a new born with wife who is still recovering, my dad in hospital and the coronavirus.

'I would like to think I'm a strong person but I'm going to admit it's the most stressful time of my life. I'm still thinking of all of you! We must all stay safe AND #BeKind'.
A suicide bombing in Kabul Province close to the Afghan capital killed three people and wounded 15 on April 29, the Interior Ministry said.

"A suicide bomber detonated his explosives among civilians in the Reshkhor area of Char Asiab district of Kabul on Wednesday morning," ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a statement.

Chabar Asiab is located some 11 kilometers from Kabul.

The attack reportedly occurred near a special operations facility belonging to the Afghan security forces.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the blast, which came during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militant group was investigating whether its fighters were behind the bombing.

The latest attack came as the coronavirus pandemic and U.S.-led efforts to broker peace talks between Taliban militants and the Afghan government have prompted calls for a cease-fire and reduction in violence.

With reporting by Reuters and TOLOnews.com
Representational picture

Public criticism of the governments handling of the COVID-19 outbreak has landed many in trouble in Manipur. Official records show that police has invoked sections of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) to press charges against them, reported The Indian Express.

More than 10 cases, including three relating to sedition, were filed in Imphal West alone. Manipur Police invoked DMA against Yumnam Devjit, who allegedly sent out a voice message requesting people to defy Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for lights-out. Subsequently, Devajits father and Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar was stripped of all portfolios.

K. Meghachandra, Imphal West Superintendent of Police, said a case was filed against Devjit "for spreading false information."

We do not object to criticism but if the comments and opinion have the potential to incite communal hatred or mislead the masses, that is not a good sign. We are very selective while dealing with such cases. The police department does not pick people randomly, Meghachandra said, adding that in Imphal West, there are over 10 cases under the DMA and at least three cases have sections of sedition.

Two activists of the Youths Forum for Protection of Human Rights were charged under sections of the DMA and the IPC after the organisation issued a press note questioning the location of a proposed quarantine facility by the Manipur government. The two activists were released on bonds later.

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

Similarly, Jotin Meitei Wakambam, a 27-year-old private school teacher, and five others were arrested and booked for sedition, among other charges, after Wakambam, in a Facebook post, said he could not remember the name of his local MLA. They were released on bail after two days.

At least two more persons were questioned for their Facebook posts on the governments handling of the Covid-19 situation. Both said they apologised and deleted their posts.

These arrests add to the previous list of such instances in Manipur.

In April last year, Kishorchandra Wangkhem (39), walked free after being detained for four-and-a-half months under the National Security Act (NSA) for alleged derogatory comments against the Manipur government and the Chief Minister.

Last December, a woman, who used to upload videos with political comments on her Facebook blog page, was also arrested for posting comments against the state government and the CM.
Washington, April 29 : The Amoeba record store, a place of pilgrimage for music lovers, has said goodbye to its iconic headquarters on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Amoeba's move was planned, but the farewell to his huge store has been expedited due to the global coronavirus crisis, which keeps all non-essential businesses in the Californian city closed, Efe news reported.

"The massive impact from the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure of our iconic Hollywood location at 6400 Sunset Blvd," Amoeba said in a statement Monday.

"With no reasonably foreseeable opportunity to re-open in our current location, we are instead focusing on hopefully opening in the fall in our previously announced new home at 6200 Hollywood Blvd. This situation has been forced on all of us, and we feel this decision is the most responsible and practical one," it added.

Considered the largest independent record store in the world, with more than 2,200 square meters across two floors, Amoeba became an essential hub for music lovers both for its enormous catalog and for its programs of intimate concerts, and meetings with artists and record companies.

The store's small stage has hosted everything from upcoming musicians trying to make their way in the industry to established stars such as Paul McCartney, Patti Smith and Elvis Costello.

"This is heartbreaking for us. We never envisioned not being able to give the store the send-off it deserves, to give you all a chance to say goodbye. We had so many events planned to celebrate our history at 6400 Sunset! But we are facing too many mitigating circumstances that simply won't allow for it," Amoeba said.

Although its LA headquarters is the most famous, Amoeba started as a Berkeley store in 1990, near the University of California Berkeley, and seven years later opened a San Francisco headquarters in the heart of the neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury.

It did not arrive in Los Angeles until 2001, but since then has become an icon of the city.

Amoeba sold its headquarters on Sunset Boulevard in 2015 and since then paid rent on the store.

An outstanding survivor of the technological transformations of the music industry, which affected record stores at the arrival of the 21st century, on April 20 Amoeba launched a collective microfinance plan to raise funds to guarantee its future and its workers, now unemployed due to the pandemic.
Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced the extension of curfew in the state by two weeks after May 3, while unveiling steps for limited lifting of the lockdown restrictions, from Thursday, in the non-containment and non-red zones, with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Based on the report of the expert committee set up to formulate the states exit strategy, and the inputs received from various sections of society, Capt Amarinder Singh said it was necessary to continue with the lockdown restrictions for some more time.

The curfew in the state will now remain in force in Punjab till May 17, though limited easing of restrictions will be in place from 7am to 11am every day, starting Thursday.

The containment and red zones will, however, continue to remain under total and strict lockdown.

In an address to the people of the state, the chief minister said that the situation will be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations will be announced thereafter if the pandemic remains in control.

DCs TO WORK OUT ROTATIONAL SCHEDULE

According to the limited relief announced by the chief minister, certain shops will be allowed to remain open in some areas by rotation, for four hours every morning, with 50% staff strength. The deputy commissioners have been directed to work out the rotational schedule for the shops that are allowed to be opened in line with the chief ministers directives, which have come four days after the new home ministry guidelines came into effect.

The curfew will remain in place after 11 am, as usual, said the chief minister, appealing to people to be back in their homes by that time, and continue to maintain social distancing.

All those stepping out during the relaxation period would have to wear masks and maintain a 2-metre distance from others, he said, adding that the relief has been provided only for the convenience of the people and should not be used for interactions with friends etc.

SALOONS, BARBER SHOPS TO STAY SHUT

In urban areas, all stand-alone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are allowed to be open during this period, as per the new directives, which make it clear, however, that establishments dealing in services such as saloons, barber shops etc. would continue to remain closed.

Further, e-commerce companies will continue to be permitted to deal in essential goods only during this period.

THOSE RETURNING TO STATE TO BE QUARANTINED

Expressing his governments keenness to open up the industry, the chief minister urged all those who could accommodate the workers or had workers staying in the vicinity to start opening up, to help revive the states battered economy.

Referring to the large number of Punjabis stranded in other states due to the lockdown, Capt Amarinder Singh said it was his governments duty to bring them back but they would have to be quarantined for 21 days. The state had made arrangements for their quarantine in all districts, he said, adding that the problem had aggravated in Punjab due to the large number of NRIs who came home, followed by the attendees of the Nizamuddin event. The state, he said, could not afford to let those coming from outside again let things spiral out of control. The quarantine for those coming home from other states was essential for the protection of the people, he said.

IN FOR A LONG-DRAWN BATTLE

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far infected 330 people in the state.

While experts are coming out with different opinions, there seems to be an indication that the coronavirus crisis could continue till July/August, or even September, said Captain Amarinder, terming it a long-drawn battle.

Pointing out that no country had escaped coronavirus, he observed that the disease had claimed lots of lives across the world, with nearly 50,000 people dying in the US, which had reported 10 lakh cases so far. He cited the examples of the UK, Germany and Canada, to underscore the need for continued caution.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 22:09:38|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The High Court of Hong Kong on Wednesday rejected the appeals of three men jailed for participating in a riot four years ago over their jail terms.

The Court of Appeal of the High Court of Hong Kong ruled against Leung Tin-kei, Lo Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui, who, along with hundreds of rioters, clashed with the police in Mong Kok in February 2016, leaving more than 100 people injured, most of whom were police officers.

In June 2018, Leung was sentenced to six years in prison, and Lo was given a seven-year sentence. Wong was sentenced to three years and a half in jail.

The court said the judge guided the jury correctly and quoted the appropriate sentencing principle and the jail terms were not manifestly excessive given the severity of the offense.

Chief Judge of the High Court Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor said rioting is a very serious offense and Leung's personal belief of so-called protecting local culture cannot be a mitigating factor. Enditem
(CNN)  The Scottish government has advised people to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces, in a break from the UK-wide approach to tackling the spread of coronavirus.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, said it could be beneficial for people to wear non-medical coverings in places where social distancing was difficult, such as on public transport and in shops.

But the measure would not be compulsory, Sturgeon said, in part because there was no conclusive evidence that wearing face coverings can substantially stop the spread of coronavirus in the community.

"The evidence on the use of face coverings is limited, but there may be some benefit in wearing a facial covering when you leave the house and enter enclosed spaces," Sturgeon said on Tuesday, at a daily Scottish government briefing in Edinburgh.

The UK government appeared to be taken by surprise by Sturgeon's move. Downing Street said on Tuesday that it was yet to make a decision on face coverings for residents in England. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) have submitted evidence to ministers, and the government would announce a decision as soon as it was made, the Prime Minister's official spokesperson said, according to the PA Media news agency.

At the UK government's daily briefing later, Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser Angela McLean said SAGE had concluded there was "weak evidence of a small effect" in which face masks could prevent an infected person passing coronavirus on to someone else.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the government planned to increase domestic production of face coverings. "I can confirm Lord Agnew, the joint Cabinet Office and Treasury minister, has launched a domestic effort to ensure we produce just such masks," Gove told the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Sturgeon said she was not advising that people wear medical-grade masks. Instead, a Scottish government statement said that people could wear coverings "made of cloth or other textiles and through which you can breathe, for example a scarf." Sturgeon also stressed that social distancing rules continued to apply and said people wearing masks were not "invincible."

The four UK nations  England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland  have largely taken a coordinated approach to tackling coronavirus. But Scotland, which has its own legal system and has more devolved powers than the other nations, has diverged from the UK approach at some stages. Gatherings over 500 people were banned in Scotland on 12 March, more than a week before restrictions were imposed in the rest of the UK.

The Downing Street spokesperson acknowledged Sturgeon's different approach."There have been points in the response so far where announcements have been made at ever so slightly different times. By and large we have moved forward with a single four-nations approach. I think the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all said they hope that continues to be the case and we would agree with that."

But Sturgeon is not alone in carving out a different path. First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford told The Guardian that the Welsh Assembly could lift the country's lockdown earlier than the rest of the UK if needed. "We have the power to do it, definitely. I'd rather we did it together," he said.

"The Coronavirus Act does respect devolution. It puts the solution in our own hands and we have already done things differently in a range of different matters where that's been right for us."

This story was first published on CNN.com "Scotland recommends face coverings as cracks emerge in UK-wide approach to coronavirus"
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The former Surgeon General of the US has said that most states are still not in a position to start reopening their economies during the coronavirus pandemic, despite plans in a number states to begin easing restrictions.

In an interview on ABC News, Dr Vivek Murthy, who served as the 19th Surgeon General, was asked whether he believed states were ready to start easing their restrictions.

I think in most states in the country, we are still not at the point where we are able to open safely, Dr Murthy replied.

Let's just admit that everybody wants to open, were all struggling and hurting in various ways. Weve got to open up quickly but weve got to make sure that a few things are happening before we do that.

The doctor stipulated that a number of criteria need to be met before the majority of states could start to consider easing coronavirus restrictions.

He said it necessary that the number of new cases is declining significantly and for a prolonged period of time and that we also have the testing, contact tracing and hospital surge capacity so that we can identify infections and treat them if they develop further."

When questioned whether the US was currently doing enough in terms of the number of tests needed to be carried out each daily to help manage the virus Dr Murthy said that testing was only meeting a fraction of the demand.

Right now we are doing just a fraction of the tests that need to be doing each day. We need to be closer to a million tests a day, he said.

If we dont have that then its essentially like flying blind, we are going to be opening up without the ability to effectively detect where infection may be surfacing. We cant detect it, we cant contain it, which means it will spread more quickly.

Dr Murthy was dismissed from his role as Surgeon General in 2017 by the Trump administration.

The conversation comes as a number of states across the country plan to start relaxing stay-at-home orders and allowing non-essential businesses to re-open.

By April, 12 states had not issued statewide stay-at-home orders, and 12 states have not closed so-called nonessential businesses.

Earlier this month President Donald Trump outlined guidelines for governors to use when planning to reopen their states one careful step at a time.

Americans want to be open ... A national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution ... Its going to be up to the governors," Mr Trump said.
Georgia state health officials on Wednesday said there have been 1,095 people in the state who have died from the coronavirus, 60 more since Tuesday.

The confirmed cases are now at 25,634, up by 822 in the last 24 hours.

Hospitalizations are at 5,072, up 206 since Tuesday.

Whitfield County now has 79 cases, up four from Tuesday, and remains at four deaths.



Walker County has two more cases, for a total of 60, and no deaths. Dade County is still reporting 14 cases and remains at one death.

Catoosa County remains at 46, and Chattooga County has 16 cases, two more since Tuesday, and an additional death for a total of two. The new death from Chattooga was a 65-year-old man with chronic conditions.

Bartow County south of Chattanooga at Cartersville now has 308 cases, 10 more than Tuesday. They remain at 30 deaths from the virus.

Floyd County (Rome) has five more cases for a total of 139, and 11 deaths.

Gordon County (Calhoun) has 89 cases, four more than Tuesday, but no more deaths, for a total of 12.

The cases remain centered around the Atlanta area, with Fulton County with 2,766. There have been 114 coronavirus deaths in Fulton County. Cobb County has 1,568 cases and 87 deaths. There are now 1,965 cases in Dekalb County (Decatur) with 46 deaths. Gwinnett County has increased to 1,720 cases and 55 deaths.

Dougherty County (Albany) now has 1,497 cases and 119 deaths.
HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, announces the Nokia 9 PureView is the latest smartphone to join the Android 10 roll out in India. This now means that 13 Nokia smartphones have received the latest Android OS since its official launch in the country.

Nokia smartphones maintain their position as leaders in fast OS updates and are once again at the forefront of the latest Android 10 deployment. HMD Global consolidates its commitment to Nokia phones getting better over time. The Nokia 9 PureView launched with a promise of three years worth of guaranteed monthly security updates and two years of OS upgrades. According to research from Counterpoint, Nokia phones were the fastest brand in issuing the latest software updates, covering 94% of its portfolio, demonstrating its commitment to consistent software updates, including entry level devices.

As of today, Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 8.1, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.2, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 4.2, Nokia 3.2, Nokia 2.3 and Nokia 2.2 are all upgraded to Android 10.

Fans will get to experience a whole host of new features with Android 10, including:
To tap into the potential of the life science industry in China, international pharmaceutical companies clustered in a life science innovation campus based on Sino-foreign cooperation in the city of Wuxi in east China.

The 300,000-square-meter industrial park ICampus, known as Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Campus, was jointly established by the Wuxi municipal government, Wuxi National High-Tech District, and the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in September last year.



AstraZeneca China Vice President Tina Xu said that, amid the outbreak, life science is in the spotlight worldwide, and the new normal of dealing with the virus made medical innovation, digital medicine, and global cooperation important tasks around the world. The pandemic is highlighting the importance of the global coordination, she said.

On April 27, 10 companies from countries and regions such as Japan and India, officially set up operations here, bringing the total number of registered companies on the campus to 17.

According to Tina, the platform constructed based on Sino-foreign cooperation will not only help to ratchet up health science innovation and commercialization in the country, but also tap into the potential of attracting overseas players to co-build an industrial ecosystem.

"The friendly incubation environment of ICampus and favorable policies of the Wuxi municipal government will empower the successful launch of our programs in China market," said David O'Dell, vice president of Tricog China, an Indian healthcare artificial intelligence company among the 10.

Xu Yi, general manager of Teddy Clinical Research Laboratory, also shared why her company chose the east China platform. She said that, with the help of ICampus, her company will be able to achieve high-speed development.

Xu explained that the local government has provided an open and inspiring business environment for innovative companies, and the platform co-builder AstraZeneca is also sharing its global resources and offering commercial support, which made her feel very confident in the future.

She added that her company specialized in medicine and healthcare can bring services of complementary nature to the ecosystem, while enjoying the benefits of operating here.

To attract companies on the platform, the local government has not only offered favorable policies and subsidies involving research and development, taxation, and so on, but also established a green channel that helps to accelerate the application and approval process for resident companies to bring new products to the Chinese market.

Tina said that AstraZeneca has had firsthand experience of China's continuously improving environment for innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the increasingly higher vitality in the market over recent years before the outbreak. Having been rooted in the Chinese market for 27 years, the multinational's Chinese establishments headquartered in Shanghai have set up a research and development center in the municipality, and production bases in Wuxi, and Jiangsu's Taizhou. Now, the U.K.-based transnational corporation has become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in China.

"The 'go digital' trend and new technologies brought changes to the industry and offered opportunities for companies to develop," she said, adding that ICampus will strive to accelerate healthcare innovation in China by bringing together innovative drug, device, diagnosis, and digital companies, government, and medical and academic institutions via its open collaboration platform. As planned, the hub aims to bring in over 50 innovative firms in three years and 100 within five years.

Looking into the future, Tina said she is full of confidence in the Chinese market.

"Despite short-term impacts of the outbreak, the Chinese economy showed its great resilience, and the whole industry has a bright future," she said.

Zhu Xiaohong, deputy head of the managing committee of Wuxi National Hi-tech District, shared similar expectations, adding that the life science industry now develops at a high speed and is a very promising industry with a great potential.

In 2016, China outlined a new long-term public health initiative called "Healthy China 2030." In September 2017, a whitepaper on the development of China's public health was released, estimating that the monetary value of the health service industry in the country would be over 8 trillion yuan by 2020 and 16 trillion yuan by 2030.

Last year, China's State Council issued a guideline for implementing the country's "Healthy China" initiative and promote people's health, proposing 15 special health campaigns. An action plan for 2019-2030 was also rolled out, specifying objectives and tasks of each campaign, as well as responsibilities of different actors in the campaign.

"The new round of scientific and technological revolution and business model transformation of the medical and health industry are well underway globally, also creating opportunities for Chinese medical and health market to make breakthroughs in its development," Tina said, adding that the trend has been accelerated by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has extended the repayment period of loans to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), announced under Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) special liquidity scheme, to one year from the 90-day period earlier.

This is a significant development as microlenders felt the earlier repayment rules were stringent considering the present operating environment. Due to COVID-19 induced lockdown, operations of these firms have come to a halt. Most MFIs and NBFCs felt that they wwill not have enough time to make repayments to SIDBI in just 90 days.

MFIs are companies that typically lend to low-income borrowers, who are mostly daily-wage earners or run microbusinesses. These loans are given for 18-24 months at a rate of 21-23 percent. The average loan ticket size is around Rs 30,000.

Under the special liquidity measures announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to fight Covid-19, the central bank had given Rs 15,000 crore to SIDBI. Subsequently, SIDBI had announced a scheme for these companies. While SIDBI has now relaxed the repayment timeframe, the rating requirement stays.

Coronavirus pandemic | SIDBI launches liquidity support scheme for MSMEs

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

On April 17, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had announced refinancing support to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore to NBFCs and MFIs through all India financial institutions such as NABARD, SIDBI and NHB.

The central bank said NABARD will be given Rs 25,000 crore for refinancing regional rural banks (RRBs), SIDBI will be given Rs 15,000 crore and Rs 10,000 crore will be given to NHB for supporting housing finance companies (HFCs). Advances under this facility will be charged at the RBI's policy repo rate at the time of availing the funds, the RBI said.

Sadhan, microfinance firms industry body, has also requested to ease the rating requirement to BB to enable more institutions to be made eligible for the scheme. Sa-Dhan had cited that non-NBFC-MFI consider only MFI grading as most of them do not get themselves rated due to the costs involved.

Out of the 215 members of Sadhan, only 30 MFIs have even BBB- rating. There are 66 NBFC-MFIs under Sadhan. If the rating stipulation can be up to BB, many of these companies will benefit since very few have BBB-.

MFIs have also requested Sebi to delay the ratings on microlenders, whose operations have been disrupted by COVID-19. Rating agencies typically revise ratings of microlenders after 12 months. MFIs want this period to be extended to 15 months.

MFIs feel that rating reviews during the lockdown will not reflect the correct state of their financials in ratings. Ratings are important for companies as lenders consider this as a key parameter while deciding the credit worthiness of a borrower.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
Reports of casualties after riot at Pademba Road Prison in Freetown, where a COVID-19 case was earlier confirmed.

A riot has broken out at the central prison in Sierra Leones capital, Freetown, with smoke billowing from the facility after the confirmation of a coronavirus case there.

Inmates at Pademba Road Prison had earlier on Wednesday set some buildings on fire in a protest that police and security forces were subsequently able to quell, Information Minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray told reporters.

There are casualties but these are early days. When the dust settles we will be able to give you a more comprehensive account, Swaray said in a video streamed online.

Cecil Cole Showers, a spokesperson for Freetowns Pademba Road Prison, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency that a guard had been killed and dozens of inmates and guards were wounded.

A resident near the prison also told AFP that gunshots had been fired during the incident.

Security forces were later deployed around the prison and residents in the area were ordered to stay indoors.

The government had said on Monday that a recently arrived inmate had fallen ill with the coronavirus. The patient has been transferred out of the facility for treatment.

The Pademba Road Prison was built in 1914 with a capacity of some 300 inmates but now houses over a thousand [Cooper inveen/Reuters]

Sierra Leone has recorded 104 cases of the coronavirus, with four fatalities.

There are fears that the country is ill-equipped to handle a large outbreak because of its fragile healthcare system.

Pademba prison, which is designed to hold 324 inmates but now houses more than 1,000, was rocked by a series of riots in the 2000s due to overcrowding and poor conditions. Its numbers have risen in recent days with the transfer of inmates from a reintegration centre back to the prison, due to the pandemic.

Sierra Leones prisons are chronically overcrowded and unsanitary, and local non-governmental organisations had earlier urged the government to release prisoners with minor convictions to ease the risk of infection.

In the statement on Monday, the government said that it was suspending criminal courts for a month to stem prison contamination.
Prince Charles' goddaughter has shared a glimpse at her son's 17th birthday in lockdown at their sprawling family home in the Bahamas.

India Hicks, 51, who was a bridesmaid at the Prince's wedding to Diana and is 678th in line to the throne, celebrated her son's birthday this week by baking him a corona-themed cake, along with delicious donuts.

The aristocrat was born in Lambeth, London, but moved to the Caribbean 23 years ago with long term partner David Flint Wood in 1996, before they welcomed their first child a year later.

The couple share the sprawling white-washed villa - which boasts a pool and sea views - with their sons Felix, 21, Amory, 19, Conrad, 17, and daughter Domino, 11, and Wesley, 22, who she adopted when he was 15, after his mother - a Bahamian waitress- sadly died.

India Hicks shared a touching throwback photo of Conrad as a toddler, and wrote: 'One moment to the next...SWIPE. - Happy 17th birthday to our most gentle giant. How we love you. @conradflintwood'

She then posted a picture of her and Conrad embracing in the exact same pose, almost two decades later

And making sure the family still made his day special, India revealed they had booked a 'Corona cake'

India shared a touching throwback photo of Conrad as a toddler, and wrote: 'One moment to the next...SWIPE. - Happy 17th birthday to our most gentle giant. How we love you. @conradflintwood'.

She then posted a picture of her and Conrad embracing in the exact same pose, almost two decades later.

And making sure the family still made his day special, India revealed they had booked a 'Corona cake', writing: 'I made Conrad a Corona cake. I thought it was a remarkable likeness to him- until Domino said Is that a girl?

'And who knew marshmallows were the main ingredient in icing? Seriously.'

India Hicks, 51, who was a bridesmaid at the Prince's wedding to Diana and is 678th in line to the throne, celebrated her son's birthday this week by baking him a corona-themed cake, along with delicious donuts

She later shared an instagram story as she baked donuts from scratch with daughter Domino, before they went around distributing them to the family

'Donuts versus Latin', she asked, before adding: 'I think we have a strong case for quitting school', with a picture of the finished results

The cake, in the form of a shape, featured a blue mask in a nod to the current pandemic.

She later shared an instagram story as she baked donuts from scratch with daughter Domino, before they went around distributing them to the family.

'Donuts versus Latin', she asked, before adding: 'I think we have a strong case for quitting school', with a picture of the finished results.

Following the island's four-day-a-week lockdown, India has shared their glamorous life of al fresco meals cooked by her children, painting and homeschooling in their airy library room, beach walks and family games by the beach.

The cake, in the form of a shape, featured a blue mask in a nod to the current pandemic

Following the island's four-day-a-week lockdown, India has shared their glamorous life of al fresco meals cooked by her children, painting and homeschooling in their airy library room, beach walks and family games by the beach

In a 2016 interview with Business Insider, India cited her grandmother - the last Vicereine of India Edwina Mountbatten- as her professional inspiration.

Despite being extremely wealthy, India has been labelled 'unusual' as one of the few British heiresses to earn their own income.

In 2015 she launched India Hicks Style, an e-commerce business which sells jewellery, accessories, make-up and homeware, with products ranging between 15 to 400 - but announced over the summer that it would be closing down.

India, daughter of the late interior designer, David Hicks, and Lady Pamela Hicks, daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten, frequently shares pictures of her porch and pool, as well as the exotic harvested fruits from her grounds.

Her sitting room contains a copy of Walter de la Mare's Desert Islands, illustrated by the artist Rex Whistler, who painted panels for the boudoir of her grandmother, Edwina Mountbatten, in London, along with a shark's jaw from her travels in Kenya.

The former Ralph Lauren model, who is the second cousin to the Prince Of Wales, also shares her house with two dogs, two cats and a tortoise, along with three-legged dachshund Banger, who was run over by a drunk tourist and had to have one of his back paws amputated.
The rebound of the stock market has served as a painful reminder that for the rich, the crisis is yet another shopping opportunity, a chance to buy things on sale. But its wild oscillations from one day to another  and even one hour to the next  also mirror our collective, pent-up emotionality and uncertainty. It is volatile, and so are we.

Keith McCurdy, 34, a star tattoo artist known as Bang Bang, who owns a shop in SoHo and first became well known after he inked Rihanna, felt his blood begin to boil after reading about the $10 million small business loan Danny Meyer and Shake Shack received. The money came through the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal governments $2 billion coronavirus aid attempt for small businesses.

Theyre a public company! Mr. McCurdy said, going on to distinguish the difference between Shake Shack (which has more than 200 locations) and his (which has two). Im paying my taxes and doing things on the up-and-up in an industry that usually runs like drug dealing at a bar. When hospitals said they needed more protective gear, we sent them all the masks and gloves we had. When they asked for more, we got them from our supplier. Once again, Mr. McCurdy added, its the wealthiest who get bailouts.

(Shake Shack later said it would return the loan.)

Mr. McCurdy blames the federal leadership for that, but the delayed response of the state to shut down schools and to impose self-quarantine makes him nearly as angry.

He cant figure out why liquor stores, coffee shops and ice cream parlors are being allowed to remain open as essential businesses. His rage extends to New Yorks governor, Andrew Cuomo, and New York Citys mayor, Bill de Blasio.

We paint rainbows on our windows and clap for hospital workers, but shouldnt we also be screaming at our leaders here as well as in Washington? Mr. McCurdy said. I want to have this tingly feeling, I like Governor Cuomo, but enough with the bromance with Chris. I watch the daily briefings, and Ive barely heard anything new about what were really going to do to reopen or what his plans are for actual small businesses. Everything feels like wait and see. Well, my landlords not waiting to see. My mental health is suffering like everybody elses.
GURNEE, Ill., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightStar Care, a national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with over 300 locations, is always looking for new ways to honor their hardworking and trustworthy staff. Nurse-led care has been the differentiator for the brand and celebrating nurses as they go above and beyond to keep their clients safe during this pandemic prompted BrightStar Care to do something special to truly show their appreciation. This year, the independently owned and operated agencies will be honoring their team of over 3,500 hardworking and dedicated nursing staff during National Nurses Week (May 6-12) with Starbucks gift cards to help them get through the late nights and early mornings.

"Our nurses are the heart of what we do at BrightStar Care, and we wouldn't be where we are without the support and commitment each nurse displays every single day," said Shelly Sun, CEO and Founder of BrightStar Care. "Their courage to serve with immense passion is something we all strive for. They are the reason our most vulnerable clients can stay at home safely during this difficult time, and we are grateful for all they do."

BrightStar Care agencies' nurses and caregivers are front-line heroes against COVID-19 as they continue to provide in-home care to ensure the most vulnerable population can remain safe at home and out of hospitals. BrightStar Care is doing what they can to protect the nation's elderly demographic and the nurses and caregivers who care for them. Earlier this month, BrightStar Care announced that they created a centralized fulfillment center for their franchisees to equip all independently owned and operated BrightStar Care agencies and their staff with necessary personal protective equipment to be able to ensure the safety of staff and caregivers as they continue to deliver the highest standard of care.

At BrightStar Care, healthcare is not simply a career, it is a calling. As a result of providing the highest quality of care, BrightStar Care has earned the Enterprise Champion for Quality designation from The Joint Commission, the same organization that accredits the nation's best hospitals, seven straight years.

For more information on BrightStar Care please visit www.brightstarcare.com.

ABOUT BRIGHTSTAR CARE

Based in Chicago, BrightStar Care is a national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with over 300 locations which provide medical and non-medical services to clients within their homes, as well as supplemental care staff to corporate clients. BrightStar Care franchise locations across the country employ over 20,000 caregivers and over 3,500 nurses who play a unique role in overseeing the care for each individual client. In addition, BrightStar Care is the only national home care franchise to receive The Joint Commission's Enterprise Champion for Quality award every year since the award's inception. For more information on BrightStar Care please visit www.brightstarcare.com.

Media Contact:

Robin LaConde

213.225.4422

[email protected]

www.konnectagency.com

SOURCE BrightStar Care
In an incident that required some quick thinking, the Central Railway managed to help a heart patient from Chiplun in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district to get the much-required medicines shipped from Mumbai, amid the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. The Parcel Office of the Central Railway collected the medicine parcel from Vikhroli and booked it on the Okha-Ernakulam Parcel Train.

Interestingly, the train did not have a scheduled halt at Chiplun but the staff coordinated with Konkan Railway authorities and requested a brief halt to drop the parcel, which was then handed over the Chiplun Station Master.

In yet another similar incident, Central Railway had helped transport camel milk from Falna in Rajasthan to Secunderabad, which was much required for a child under special treatment.

Amidst nation wide lockdown, when passenger services have remained suspended, the parcel and freight trains have moved across the country transporting food grains, perishable food items, medicines, etc.

Central Railway alone has transported 283 tonnes of medical items during the lockdown. It has already run 180 timetabled parcel trains and 40 more are scheduled. Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Bhusaval, and Nagpur divisions have worked relentlessly during Indias battle against coronavirus.

Other units of Central Railway have also pitched in with their own contribution. The Parel and Matunga Railway Workshops have manufactured over 13,000 masks and 1,600 litres of sanitizers for use of the railway staff and other frontline workers. More than a century old Kalyan Railway School joined in voluntarily preparing masks and sanitizers.
Canberra's first ambassador to Beijing says Australia is engaging in a reflexive blame game against China over the COVID-19 pandemic which undermines the chances of constructive engagement and damages our national interest.

Dr Stephen FitzGerald, who was posted to Beijing in 1973, said the way the federal government had led calls for an inquiry into the pandemic was clumsy, and "seems to be for no other reason than to do a kind of 'gotcha' on China."

Dr Stephen FitzGerald says Australia must adopt a diplomatic response to China. Credit:Louie Douvis

"There is a very, very strong anti-China push coming from certain agencies in Canberra  and it is simply ideological," he said.

"In my view it's mindless in terms of our overall interests. You have got to calculate how we come out of this  I have seen absolutely no evidence there was a quiet reaching out to China in advance, if necessary through an intermediary, to say 'look, we are all in this together, and let's do a combined collaborative look at how this developed, because we need to prepare for when this happens again and we need to understand it without recriminations'."
A COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine is months or years away, but anti-immunization groups are already taking aim at what could be humanitys best chance to defeat the virus, the Associated Press reports.

Recent unsubstantiated claims by vaccine opponents include allegations that cures are being blocked to enrich vaccine makers and that trials will be dangerously rushed, the report said. Groups have also spread false rumors that Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is funding vaccine research, wants to inject the population with microchips using a coronavirus vaccine.

The long-established U.S. anti-vaccine movement recently began aligning itself with groups protesting stay home orders aimed at stemming the spread of the virus, the report said.

Doubt and mistrust related to a COVID-19 vaccine could have dire consequences if it leads people to out opt, according to health professionals.

"Only a coronavirus vaccine can truly protect us from future outbreaks," Dr. Scott Ratzan, a physician and medical misinformation expert at the City University of New York and Columbia University, told the AP. "But what if the effort succeeds and large numbers of people decide not to vaccinate themselves or their children?"

On Monday, vaccine skeptics were criticized by the World Health Organization for spreading misinformation, the report said.

Myths and misinformation about vaccines are adding fuel to the fire, said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during remarks recognizing World Immunization Week.

Michigan has 39,262 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, and 3,567 related deaths, as of Tuesday, April 28. The United States eclipsed 1 million cases on Tuesday.

RELATED: As United States hits 1 million coronavirus cases, Michigan nears 40,000

Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE:

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Wednesday, April 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
New Delhi: Actor Irrfan Khans death has shocked Bollywood and the entire nations. Posts remembering Irrfan have been shared in plenty by stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Dulquer Salmaan, R Madhavan, Raveena Tandon and many others. Irrfan died at the age of 53 in Mumbai on Wednesday. He was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital due to colon infection. The actor par excellence battled neuroendocrine tumour for nearly two years. He was being treated in London. Irrfan returned to Mumbai some months ago.

Amitabh Bachchan remembered Irrfan with a post that read, "Just getting news of the passing of Irrfan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum .. Prayers and duas."

Shah Rukh remembered his friend with an old photo of them together and wrote, "My friend...inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai...will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives."

My friend...inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai...will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives.

 Love u pic.twitter.com/yOVoCete4A  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 29, 2020

"Big loss to the film industry, his fans, all of us and especially his family. My heart goes out to his family. May God give them strength. Rest in peace, brother, you shall always be missed and be in all our hearts," tweeted Salman.

Big loss to the film industry, his fans, all of us n specially his family. My heart goes out to his family. May God give them strength.

Rest in peace brother u shall always be missed n be in all our hearts.. pic.twitter.com/KFQ1RoC1H8  Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) April 29, 2020

Kareena, who co-starred with Irrfan in his last release 'Angrezi Medium', wrote that it was honour to work with him.

"Rest in peace Irrfan sir. You have no idea what your kindness and encouragement meant to me at my lowest. My condolences to your family and loved ones," posted Sonam.

Anushka wrote, "With a heavy heart I post this tweet. A phenomenal actor, such an inspiration his performances have been for me. He battled for his life but sadly leaves us today. RIP Irrfan Khan. OM Shanti."

With a heavy heart I post this tweet . A phenomenal actor , such an inspiration his performances have been for me . He battled for his life but sadly leaves us today . RIP Irrfan Khan . OM Shanti  Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) April 29, 2020

Varun and Arjun posted photos with him to remember the actor.

So heartbroken on the demise of Irrfan Khan sir. We are shocked & just sad. My condolences to the family. You will live on forever in our hearts sir. Thank you for entertaining us and giving us such powerful performances. You were an institution & an inspirational force. RIP, tweeted Bhumi.

Taapsee Pannu wrote, When we thought nothing could make us feel worse, this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way forever. You ARE the best we have.

When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) April 29, 2020

Madhavan said, This is such a tragedy and heart. RIP Irfan sir. The industry has lost an exceptional artist and human. You will be so so missed. Spread happiness in Heaven.

Meanwhile, Raveena shared an old photo with Irrfan and mourned his death. A fantastic costar, an actor par excellence, and a beautiful human being, you are irreplaceable Irrfan Khan. We lost you too soon! Unbelievable. Om Shanti, she wrote.

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who directed Irrfan in 'Piku', was the first Bollywood celeb to post the condolence message. He tweeted, My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om Shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.  Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

His team shared the news with the statement, 'I trust, I have surrendered'.These were some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it'."
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 13:00:53

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM)(OTC PINK:GAYMF) (the "Company" or "Galway") is pleased to report significant new drill results from 2 holes at its George Murphy Zone (GMZ) at the Clarence Stream Gold Project in SW New Brunswick. An additional ~5,000m of drilling in the GMZ and Richard Zones have assays pending.6.5 g/t Au over 14.05m, 9.7 g/t Au over 2.0m, 1.2 g/t Au over 11.0m, 4.9 g/t Au over 2.35m, and 1.3 g/t Au over 3.95m in hole 88 at the GMZ - extending the zone by 230m to the west (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4)The intersection of 6.5 g/t Au over 14.05m is a 192m stepout below and to the west (137m vertically) from the deepest previous intersection in the vein11.4 g/t Au over 2.0m, and 1.1 g/t Au over 3.8m in hole 58 at the GMZ - represents new discoveries of 2 new veins at the GMZ, located 75 metres and 150 metres north of the northern-most structure of the GMZ (Figure 2)"Galway is rapidly expanding the George Murphy Zone in both vertical and horizontal dimensions. The new discovery to the north contains strong quartz veining, which typically carries the gold. The new drilling to the west has shrunk what was an 800m gap between the Richard and GMZ which Galway believes are part of the same system. The 6.5 g/t over 14m is the deepest intersection to date at 335m in any of the 3 zones along this trend - the Jubilee, Richard and George Murphy Zones, which cover 2.5 km of strike length. These 3 zones are not included in the existing Clarence Stream resource, as two of them, the GMZ and Richard, were discovered by Galway after the last resource estimate was released in September 2017. These results, and those that precede them, demonstrate that Clarence Stream is an emerging new gold district in North America," cites Robert Hinchcliffe, President and CEO of Galway Metals.Assay HighlightsCL20-88: 6.5 grams per tonne (g/t) Au over 14.05 metres (m), including 66.7 g/t Au over 0.9m, and 18.8 g/t Au over 0.5m, plus 9.7 g/t Au over 2.0m, including 24.0 g/t Au over 0.5m, plus 1.2 g/t Au over 11.0m, including 5.6 g/t Au over 0.5m, 4.1 g/t Au over 0.5m, 2.7 g/t Au over 0.5m and 2.6 g/t Au over 0.5m, plus 4.9 g/t Au over 2.35m, including 15.8 g/t Au over 0.65m, plus 1.3 g/t Au over 3.95m, including 4.8 g/t Au over 0.5m, plus 3.4 g/t Au over 0.85m at vertical depths of 321m, 143m, 239m, 335m, 256m, and 262m below surface, respectively; andCL20-58: 11.4 g/t Au over 2.0m, including 43.5 g/t Au over 0.5m, plus 1.1 g/t Au over 3.8m, plus 1.3 g/t Au over 18.75m, including 8.2 g/t Au over 1.0m, plus 1.6 g/t Au over 7.25m, including 7.5 g/t Au over 0.5m, and 6.7 g/t Au over 0.5m at vertical depths of 137m, 202m, 6.5m, and 26.3m below surface, respectivelyThe three areas of visible gold in hole GWM20BL-88, located up to 230 metres west of the previous known limit of the GMZ, returned individual assays of 14.0 g/t Au over 0.5m plus 24.0 g/t Au over 0.5m in the first zone, 2.7 g/t Au plus 2.6 g/t Au plus 5.6 g/t Au - over 0.5m each in the second zone, and 66.7 g/t Au over 0.9m plus 18.8 g/t Au over 0.5m in the deepest zone. In total, hole 88 intersected 6 mineralized structures. (Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4).Two new structures have also been discovered 75 metres and 150 metres north of the George Murphy Zone. Hole GWM20CL-58 intersected 15-30% remobilized quartz veining with 1% arsenopyrite and 5% pyrite in one of the new discoveries, and 10-15% quartz veining with 1% arsenopyrite in the other. Several more zones with strong quartz returned weak assays. (Figure 2).Hole 58 targeted the previously northern-most structure in the GMZ to intersect it at surface, 75 metres above recently released hole 37 that returned 6.3 g/t Au over 30.0m, including 20.3 g/t Au over 6.0m, and 43.3 g/t Au over 1.0m. Drilling was undertaken in order to see if this structure, which had only been intersected at depth, could also be intersected towards surface where it might more likely be included in a pit-constrained resource estimate. The intersection in this zone returned 1.6 g/t Au over 7.25m, including 7.5 g/t Au over 0.5m, and 6.7 g/t Au over 0.5m (which had V.G.). Hole 58 intersected another structure that returned 1.3 g/t Au over 18.75m, including 8.2 g/t Au over 1.0m. As such, hole 58 intersected 4 mineralized structures that returned the assays reported and several more structures that had strong veining but only anomalous assays.Galway's George Murphy Zone discovery was initially reported in December 2017, but drilling stopped a year later in mid-November 2018, following the discovery of the Richard Zone, which was first reported in January 2019. Drilling at the GMZ resumed a year later in mid-November 2019. The plunge of all zones to date in the Jubilee, Richard, and GMZ are thought to be to the west (further suggesting that all 3 are part of the same 2.5 km long system).The GMZ is now 730m long, with multiple structures over 310m horizontal thickness, and with all zones open in every direction. The gap between the GMZ and Richard Zones is now 650 metres, down from 1.0km originally. Galway plans to drill this gap when it's safe for the resumption of drilling following the current COVID-19 pandemic.Table 1. Assay ResultsHole IDFrom(m)To(m)Intercept(m)Aug/tGWM20CL-8870.3570.850.51.1201.5203.52.09.7incl.201.5202.00.514.0 VGincl.203.0203.50.524.0 VG210.9211.50.60.4214.15214.850.70.4225.5226.00.50.6268.2%
Over 100 callers experiencing pressure in their marriage and relationships due to social restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have reached out to Accord.

Accords new and confidential Relationships Support Phone Line is a free counselling service for people

The main problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 restrictions being reported to Accord are:

effects on children,

family tensions,

domestic finances,

mental health,

difficulty living in a confined space,

inability to grieve properly when a loved one dies,

pressure on work and study at home.

The callers made contact using the three Accord numbers which serve the island of Ireland: Accord CLG  01 531 3331; Accord Dublin  01 905 9555; Accord NI  028 9568 0151 or 00353 1 531 3331

Calls to Accord counsellors typically last 45 to 60 minutes in duration and are charged at a local rate. The following problems have been highlighted by callers to Accord counsellors.

Causes of conflict include pressure and stress caused by uncertainty around security of employment; the effect on domestic finances; mental health; living in a confined environment; clashes with other family members due to poor communication; regret at being unable to grieve properly following the death of a loved one; pressure on students arising from changes in exam timetables; challenges associated with having home life converted to an office and a school; emotional impact of constant negative news reporting; and, frustration at the inability to socialise outside.

Accord counsellors have noted that people under stress at home can feel that they are living in a pressure cooker environment. This situation can induce a regression in their behaviour and human interaction suffers. They can overreact to situations which in turn can cause the domestic atmosphere to deteriorate. This type of behaviour can present as either uncomfortable silences and/or very loud, explosive and noisy verbal exchanges.

Young people and children exposed to aggressive behaviour - whether once off or on an ongoing basis - experience fear and distress which in turn affects their personal behaviour and relationships with others. Physical isolation at home can compound trauma.

Couples whose relationships had been under pressure prior to imposition of the COVID-19 restrictions are particularly at risk as their confinement exacerbates existing unresolved relationship issues. Being compelled to remain at home all the time, together, save for essential journeys, is magnifying existing tensions and problems.

Accord counsellors offer the following key tips to people at home at this time:

* For individuals living in fear at home, Accord counsellors are trained in identify and handling domestic abuse. In such situations the priority is the safety of the fearful person and their children. Accord can support an individual to develop a safety plan and can advise them of specialist crisis support contact numbers.

* In general, try and keep the lines of communication open with your spouse/partner

* Be conscious of how you raise issues with your partner. There are productive ways and unproductive ways of raising issues.

* Talk from your own feelings first and express what is difficult for you and what you feel you need rather than blaming and being critical of your partner. Criticism usually begets defensive, stonewalling or disproportionate responses.

* Be willing to look at yourself and your behaviour in addition to your partners shortcomings. What is it like to be in relationship and to live with me? is a good question to ask ourselves.

* Self-management is a very good skill to hone in these pressurised and worrying times. It might be better to raise an issue at another time so that your partner can hear the cause of concern in a calmer context and to avoid an experience of perceived criticism or attack.

Insofar as issues such as bereavement or serious illness impact the couple relationship, callers can discuss these issues with a counsellor on the Support Line. If the issue is about a specific personal bereavement and/or health issue, then referral to a specialist may be required.

If the issue relates to how the household finances are being managed or mismanaged that may be discussed by the caller. However, Accord does not offer financial advice so counsellors offer relevant details of national support services which address personal finance problems.

Accord provides resources on its website www.accord.ie, on its Facebook page and on its Twitter account based on feedback from counsellors who have dealt with relationship and family difficulties experienced during these confined times.
It seems like only yesterday Carrie Symonds and Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced they were engaged and expecting a baby.

And today, following a life-threatening bout of Covid-19 for her PM fiance, 32-year-old Symonds has become a mother for the first time, to a "healthy baby bSince her relationship with Johnson became official in 2019, the PR guru has evolved her look from Conservative business chic to something more approachable; and in so doing used her public appearances to champion affordable, and often eco-friendly, fashion.

Carrie quit her role as the Conservative Partys Head of Communications in 2018 to take a job working as a senior adviser at non-profit ocean conservation organisation Oceana. Part of her remit is to work on communications related to Oceanas "Save the Oceans, Feed the World" Initiative and the charitys campaign to reduce the use globally of plastics. Its perhaps not surprising then that the 32-year-old has often been seen championing sustainable designers.

The Ghost dress worn by Carrie Symonds sold out within hours / Getty Images

It all began with her first outing as First Girlfriend at Downing Street back in July, when Symonds stood outside No.10 wearing a bright fuchsia  though otherwise seemingly unassuming  120 floral puff sleeve midi from British high street brand Ghost. While not widely reported at the time, the dress (which within hours of Carrie's appearance the dress had sold out online) was made from viscose, a fabric constructed from renewable wood pulp - a hint, perhaps, at sustainable sartorial statements to come.

For her first solo speech following her move into No.10 last summer, Symonds took to the stage at Birdfair  described as the birdwatchers Glastonbury- to warn politicians of the gigantic responsibility they had over the climate crisis, wearing a ditsy floral midi dress from sustainable designer Justine Tabak. The Liberty of London cotton fabric used by Tabak for the 225 dress was produced under the Better Cotton Initiative and Oeko-Tex certified (meaning its production is chemical free).

Carrie Symonds wearing the Justine Tabak dress at Birdfair / Getty Images

And then, at the Commonwealth Day service in March, Symonds looked elegant in a steel blue coat from up-and-coming London-based fashion label Isabelle Fox, who design and manufacture all their clothing ethically in the UK, paired with a fabulous navy floral headband and navy silk midi dress. It was the second time she had worn the coat (the first was to attend the Conservative party conference last year), which is made from British wool, meaning it doesnt contain ocean-damaging microplastics.

While conservation and sustainability are evidently at the forefront of her style agenda, Symonds  an expert in PR and branding  has ensured her public appearances are a showcase for affordable, relatable fashion.

Following the pink Ghost dress, Symonds opted for a similar fuchsia dress from & Other Stories ahead of the Prime Minister's keynote speech in October 2019, and a 100 tartan dress from Mango for the Queens speech at the State Opening of Parliament in the same month, which she accessorised with another statement headband. In her first public appearance following the announcement of her engagement to Johnson in February of this year, Symonds opted for another of her favourite long-sleeved, floaty midi dresses, this time from high street label Anthropologie.

Carrie Symonds wearing an Isabelle Fox coat / Getty Images

From her array of M&S coats to her much loved, and ultra-flattering, midi dress and headband combo, Symonds has succeeded in nailing a First Fiancee style that is at once elegant and approachable.
My three children, now grown, all settled near me in Dallas and work full time. We have five grandchildren under 5, all of whom live within two miles of me. Before Covid-19, I used to see them daily, taking one or two (sometimes more) of them for breakfast or dinner.

Since I went into isolation when the news first hit  and before it was mandated  Ive done FaceTime with the grandbabies every morning and evening. One daughter lives just four blocks away and takes her children on family walks almost daily. With a cue from a text message, I leave brown paper lunch sacks with the kids names on them by a flowerpot on my porch, each sack with a little treat. Usually slices of clementines and apples. Sometimes stickers or little toys I have around the house.

I peer out from my post to watch my grandchildren clamber up the front steps. I revel in their delight at the surprises inside. The giggles grow louder as, with sacks in hand, they search for me through the double-pane glass to show me their treasures. Even though they recognize the toys, they love them.

My arms ache to hold them close and feel their breath on my face. Meanwhile, in the bathroom by the bedroom, my kids old faded plastic waterwheel waits motionless in the tub. I wont be giving my grandchildren baths here. Not today. Not tomorrow. Nobody knows when it will be safe for folks like me with immunodeficiency to venture out.

What am I supposed to do with the yearning to be close to my grandbabies? Thats a luxury I wont indulge. Cancer taught me to focus on hope that helps.
The ceremony will take place on 13 May, anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady in Fatima. Each prelate will lead the service in his own cathedral. The president of the Bishops conference calls it a wonderful initiative". So far, almost 8,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the Philippines with 530 deaths.

Manila (AsiaNews/CBCP)  The bishops of the dioceses and archdioceses of the Philippines have decided to consecrate the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The prelates will lead the consecration ceremony in their respective cathedrals on 13 May, the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, thus celebrating the event in a special way.

In a letter sent to all the dioceses of the country, Archbishop Romulo Valles, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines CBCP), calls this a "wonderful initiative".

This consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary will reaffirm the bishops previous consecrations of the Philippines to Mary, like in 2013, the Year of Faith.

In Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo will lead the consecration prayer in the cathedral, marking the 103rd anniversary of the first apparition in Fatima.

The mayors and officials of the five cities  Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Makati and San Juan  covered by the archdiocese will join the prayer.

It will be beautiful when all the people of God, led by their civil and religious leaders, put themselves under the protection of the Blessed Virgin, Pabillo said.

We do this to implore the protection of the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother in this difficult time, especially as we move to the transition to a new way of life after the quarantine, he added.

To this end, We need strength from above, and we have a powerful intercessor in Mama Mary to get that heavenly help, he also said.

On Sunday, Pope Francis released a letter encouraging the faithful to pray the rosary during the whole month of May.

Contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother will make us even more united as a spiritual family and will help us overcome this time of trial, the pontiff said.

So far, almost 8,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the Philippines with 530 confirmed deaths.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Sadraddin Agjayev - Trend:

In accordance with a report prepared by the US CB Insights platform, financing of private companies in Asia will slow down amid a global pandemic, Enterprise Azerbaijan website manager Oruj Dursunzade said, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication.

Despite the joint efforts of the governments, communities and organizations worldwide to prevent the spread of the pandemic, COVID-19 also damaged the startup ecosystem, Dursunzade added,

Even such huge startups as Airbnb also suffered losses, the manager said. This rental housing startup worth $31 billion suspended staff recruitment and froze an $800 million marketing package.

As a result of applying the quarantine measures and self-isolation rules worldwide, almost all start-ups related to the offering of products and services suffer great economic damage," Dursunzade said.

"Many young technology companies create their own financing tools in the US, the manager added. Over the past 10 years, the startup movement has attracted huge investments. However, investors have recently refused to invest in this movement."

"While observing the activity of startups, CB Insights emphasizes that in the first quarter of 2020, startup financing is experiencing the second biggest rate of decline over the last 10 years," Dursunzade added.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: agdzhaev
A Northern Ireland biotech firm is to raise 3m to help it expand its work to include Covid-19 treatment.

Fusion Antibodies in Belfast, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), said the share placing would enable it to expand its antibody library to include Covid-19.

It will also fund its other work in the treatment of cancer, and will be used for general working capital.

Chief executive Paul Kerr said: "In these currently extremely challenging times, we now have the resources to undertake the additional proof-of-concept work on the Mammalian Antibody Library Discovery Platform in respect of Covid-19, as well as for our existing oncology targets, whilst continuing to support our clients in their vital role.

"We remain confident that our products and services can help to accelerate finding a solution to this global health crisis."

Fusion Antibodies has also announced it's now part of an antibody development alliance, set up to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The company specialises in pre-clinical antibody discovery, engineering and supply.

In a company note, market analyst Allenby said Fusion Antibodies' work was "gamechanging". It stated: "While markets clearly remain volatile, these new opportunities help demonstrate the continuing high relevance and versatility of antibodies in developing healthcare solutions."

The company announced earlier this month that it would be working with Queen's University as part of the Coronavirus Antibody Development Alliance. It's now working with Professor Ultan Power, of the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute of Experimental Medicine; Professor Chris Scott, in The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research; and Dr Fuquan Lui, in the School of Biological Sciences, to prepare antibodies that will potentially neutralise the virus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:41:20|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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BEIJING -- The Chinese capital will lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the top level to the second level starting April 30, the latest sign of social order restoration as the epidemic conditions have been eased.

The decision was made after the city had seen no new confirmed local or imported COVID-19 cases for 13 consecutive days, said Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, at a press conference on Wednesday.

On Jan. 24, Beijing activated the highest level of public health emergency response to contain the outbreak of the epidemic.

- - - -

WARSAW -- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Wednesday that his government will lift additional restrictions next Monday which were put in place to contain the COVID-19 epidemic.

Starting from Monday, malls will be allowed to function again, with cinemas and gyms as exceptions. Businesses are, however, required to follow strict sanitary and distancing rules. The same goes for cultural institutions, including libraries and museums, which are allowed to open to the public from Monday.

Hotels and hostels are also included in the businesses which are allowed to operate in what is the second stage of gradual opening of the Polish economy and society. The first stage, which went in effect on April 20, saw parks open for the public again, as well as increases in the number of customers retailers could allow on their premises at one time.

The Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that 12,415 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far in Poland, of whom 606 patients died.

- - - -

BANGKOK -- Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed on Wednesday the re-opening of several sectors of the services industry as the COVID-19 curve is on a downturn.

The National Infectious Disease Committee has on Wednesday enlisted the reopening of some businesses set for May 4.

Thailand on Wednesday reported single-digit confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the third straight day with 9 new cases only and no fatalities. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 2,947 and death toll at 54. Enditem

- - - -

BANGKOK -- Phuket, a tourist island province in southern Thailand, has extended a temporary shutdown of its airport for another 15 days.

Phuket Provincial Governor Phatkhapong Thaviphat confirmed on Wednesday the provincial authorities in charge of the COVID-19 situation have decided to extend the shutdown of Phuket airport from Thursday until May 15.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry on Wednesday evening said one new death due to the COVID-19 and 455 new positive cases were reported since the morning across the country, taking the number of deaths to 1,008 and total cases to 31,787.

According to ministry officials, so far 7,797 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

- - - -

KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait's Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 300 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one more death, bringing the total coronavirus infections to 3,740 and the death toll to 24.

Currently, 2,327 patients are receiving treatment, including 66 in ICU, it said in a statement.

Minister of Health Bassel Al-Sabah meanwhile announced the recovery of 213 patients from the coronavirus, raising the total number of recoveries to 1,389.

- - - -

DOHA -- Qatar's health ministry on Wednesday announced 643 new infections of the novel coronavirus, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 12,564, of which 11,311 are under treatment.

"One-hundred and nine people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,243, while the virus fatalities remain at 10," the official Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a ministry statement.

A total of 91,415 people received lab tests for COVID-19 so far in the country.

- - - -

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia's state of emergency law was signed by Acting Head of State Samdech Say Chhum on Wednesday, going into effect immediately, according to a royal decree.

Cambodia made the law after the country has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases earlier this month. The Southeast Asian nation has so far recorded a total of 122 confirmed cases of the COVID-19, with 119 patients recovered.

Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said that under the law, a state of emergency will be declared in the country when the nation faces dangers such as war or foreign invasion, public health concerns caused by pandemics, serious chaos to national security and public order, and severe calamity.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- U.S. economic activity in the first quarter contracted at an annual rate of 4.8 percent amid COVID-19 impact, the biggest decline since the Great Recession, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Enditem
With in-person classes suspended for the rest of the academic year, one of the biggest hurdles to long-distance learning thousands of students across South Carolina face is access to a strong, reliable internet connection.

State Superintendent Molly Spearman estimated that less than a quarter of the states 81 school districts have been able to transition entirely online, while nearly 40 percent rely solely on paper-and-pencil instruction.

The digital divide in South Carolina has become very apparent, Spearman said last week after announcing that all in-person classes would be suspended through the end of the school year.

A quarter of the Palmetto State's homes and businesses lack internet speeds deemed adequate by federal standards, a fact that has only amplified legislators' calls for better internet service in the state's rural areas.

While some service providers have stepped up to help, many students still remain without a connection. Experts say it's still too early to know the full extent of the academic repercussions that extended school closures might have for these students, but many worry that a lack of reliable Wi-Fi will widen the achievement gap some rural students already face.

As schools across the Lowcountry gear up for six more weeks of long-distance learning, Summerville High School teacher Charly Adkinson worried about what the extended closure means for her students, especially for those who dont have ready access to an internet connection or a computer.

While Im so happy Im able to transition my classes online, all Im doing is furthering the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The ones who cant access it vs. those who cant, Adkinson said.

In Dorchester District 2, where Adkinson teaches, students were not issued school-owned technology devices. Instead, teachers worked to create instructional learning packets that outline students at-home assignments, usually distributed in two-week intervals. Still, many teachers opted to put materials and lessons online. But reliable access to the internet is a luxury that some students are not afforded.

There are pockets in upper Berkeley County, in rural areas such as Ridgeville, where some students dont have access, she said. She knows some students who have opted to complete assignments via their cellphones.

"Its a double-edged sword," she said. "Its frustrating to me as an educator."

Thousands without reliable access

In the Charleston County School District, officials have estimated that as many as 4,000 households do not have steady or reliable access to the internet.

Centrea Harper Fenley is one of them. Her home on Edisto Island does have access to satellite internet, but her connection is subpar. Sometimes Fenley sends her daughter over to a family member's house to use their Wi-Fi, although it isnt much better, she said.

I have internet, but it is nowhere near what it needs to be for her to learn effectively, Fenley said.

Shes been trying for years to get broadband connection in her area, but to no avail.

Sometimes her family takes advantage of the Wi-Fi-equipped school bus stationed at a nearby elementary school. The S.C. Department of Education has deployed around 400 of these buses to areas across the state to help mitigate students' lack of access.

In addition to the buses, some local school districts, including Charleston County, have opted to boost the Wi-Fi signal inside school buildings with the hope that the connection might be strong enough for students to log on while standing outside.

But just finding transportation to a Wi-Fi source is another hurdle for many students.

Samantha Blake, a fifth-grade advanced studies teacher at E.B. Ellington Elementary in Ravenel, said some of her students initially struggled to find transportation to a Wi-Fi bus. At one point, the closest Wi-Fi bus was more than 20 miles away.

Any kid in Ravenel thats trying to get access would have to drive all the way out to Edisto to get that access, Blake said.

The district has since updated its Wi-Fi bus locations, but Blake still worries about other students who might be struggling to keep up with assignments from home.

Personally, it's sad for me because I know, especially my group of students, which are the more advanced learners, they crave education, they crave learning, and for them not to be able to have access to Wi-Fi, that is devastating, she said.

In Dorchester District 4, Superintendent Kelvin Wymbs said around 33 percent of the district's 2,300 or so students do not have access to Wi-Fi.

Most students were issued Chromebooks, Wymbs said, but without regular access to the internet, some remain unused. For those students, the district has distributed and collected paper-and-pencil learning packets in two-week intervals. He's optimistic about the results so far, estimating that around 98 percent of students completing physical assignments have turned them in.

"It definitely makes learning harder when you dont have easy access to broadband," he said. "Thats just a part of being rural."

Additional barriers

Access to the internet isn't the only obstacle to education that rural students face. In addition to the so-called digital divide, school and district officials have also highlighted some of the deep-seated, socioeconomic disparities that some students face as they adjust to learning from home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequities that already existed, such as access to three meals a day or a parent that's willing and able to dedicate time to students' learning.

"This sort of divide between the haves and have-nots creates a host of conditions that have an impact on the learning process. We can mitigate those inequities to a degree when school is in session," said CCSD Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait.

While the district can't level the playing field entirely, public schools often play a huge role in helping to offset those inequities via after-school programs, two hot meals a day and social-emotional support.

In order to help fill in some of those gaps, some rural community members have offered to step in and help in any way they can.

Many students on Edisto Island relied on school meals before the pandemic. But for many families who depend on the beach's tourism economy for their livelihoods, making ends meet has become even harder.

After Gov. Henry McMaster closed schools statewide in March, Fenley, the Edisto resident, and her sister Anietra Harper snapped into action.

Charleston County School District offers students five breakfasts and five lunches via "grab-and-go" meal-distribution sites. To help feed students who might be hungry on the weekend, Harper and Fenley teamed up with restaurant owners Brandon and Katherine Rushing to distribute meals every Friday afternoon since school has been out to nearly 100 students in need.

"We understand the need is different here," Harper said. "You have to go so far to get things, because we're the farthest point in Charleston County."

The district announced this week that it will alter its meal distribution plan to include breakfast and lunch meals to last through the entire weekend, starting Friday.

In addition to the weekend meals, the sisters team up to distribute meals during the week to students who don't have transportation to the meal pickup sites.

"It is just to help lift the burden a little bit during this time," Harper said.

School officials have been quick to point out that teachers are still connecting with students during the closures, even if they're not completing work online. Still, despite the best efforts of school districts and community volunteers to keep students engaged, many worry about those who might unknowingly slip through the cracks.
Michigans construction industry is expected to reopen next week after more than a month of being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plans to sign an executive order Friday, May 1, that would green-light the construction industry, as first reported by insider political newsletter MIRS News. A spokesperson from the governors office confirmed the report to MLive on Wednesday, April 29.

Much of the states non-essential construction work has been on pause since March 23 when Whitmer signed her first stay-at-home executive order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Some work, deemed essential, has continued.

The reporting in MIRS is accurate," said Zack Pohl, communications director for the governors office, in a prepared statement. "No one should be surprised that the governor would open a lower risk field like she has said at previous press conferences.

Related: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says construction, other outdoor industries could resume work soon, if coronavirus cases continue to fall

A spokesperson declined to answer further questions from MLive regarding the upcoming executive order.

During a Wednesday morning interview on the New York Times podcast The Daily, Gov. Whitmer said construction could be a lower-risk industry allowed to return to work soon with proper safety protocols in place. Her examples included requiring workers to wear face masks and providing Plexiglas separators between workers where six feet of distance isnt practical.

As the state looks at which industries are a lower risk for spreading COVID-19, Whitmer said officials are also keeping an eye on rolling averages on hospitalizations, the ability to ramp up testing and the ability to build out contact tracing.

Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said the governors focus on public health, infused with thoughtful input from business, will yield better health and economic outcomes.

The continued pragmatic and safe measures to get Michigan back to work that Gov. Whitmer is taking, such as opening up the construction sector on May 7, aligns with the Chambers point of view for reactivating the economy in phases, Baruah said in a prepared statement.

A recent Chamber poll showed the majority of workers, 61%, felt safe returning to work, and 60% reported they trusted their employer to keep them safe.

Members of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan say they have implemented updated safety measures and best practices to prevent their job sites from spreading the virus. That includes social distancing, holding meetings by telephone, eliminating the use of tools by multiple workers and reducing the number of workers needed on-site.

As of Tuesday, April 28, Michigan has reported 39,262 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,567 deaths associated with the virus.

The state by itself has more confirmed positive cases than countries like India, Peru, Mexico, Poland, Ireland and Japan and has more deaths than countries like Canada, Russia and Turkey.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

Read more on MLive:

Protest over Michigans state of emergency to go on, despite Facebook removing 2 events

Whitmer seeks 28-day extension of Michigans coronavirus state of emergency

U.P.s painful dilemma: Almost no coronavirus now, but at what cost?

Wednesday, April 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
A 35-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to drug dealing after a Houston police officer said he paid her $10 to buy a rock of crack cocaine has had her conviction overturned.

The recent court action marks the latest time local judges have reversed convictions won on the testimony of former officer Gerald Goines, the veteran Houston Police Department narcotics officer now facing charges after investigators accused him of lying to obtain a warrant used in a deadly drug raid last year.

In the months since the Jan. 28, 2019 raid that claimed the lives of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, Goines came under local and federal scrutiny and was charged with murder and violating the rights of the slain couple. Goines maintains his innocence.

Prosecutors also said that Goines testimony and casework would be presumed false and identified about 70 defendants whose convictions were solely based on Goines casework.

Two brothers  Otis and Steven Mallet  charged in 2008 saw their convictions overturned earlier this year.

Then District Attorney Kim Ogg said defendants convicted from 2008 to 2019 in cases in which Goines played a substantial role would be entitled to a presumption that the former narcotics officer lied to secure their convictions.

WRONG DOOR: Botched Houston drug raid not the first

Rachel Scotts case was the third to fall into that category, said Josh Reiss, post-conviction division chief at the district attorney's office.

We anticipate that there will be numerous similar cases and resolutions in the months ahead, he said.

Goines defense attorney, Nicole DeBorde, has lambasted Ogg over the post-conviction review, and accused prosecutors of trying to influence jurors in pending trials.

The consistent thread on all these cases is they don't have a shred of independent evidence anything Goines said in these previous cases was incorrect, she said. The district attorney is using this in an effort to bolster their claims in the ongoing allegations against him.

Court records show that in March 2017, Goines approached Scott -- a homeless woman with a history of mental illness and a lengthy record of petty crimes -- and asked her to help him buy $10 of crack cocaine.

She agreed, and he drove her to a friends house, court records show. When that effort proved fruitless, the drug cop drove her to a second house, where Goines alleged she bought a rock of crack cocaine - about .2 grams of the drug -- and then asked Goines to buy her a beer.

Documents show he gave her $5 and then dropped her off at a corner store, where other Houston police officers arrested her. She pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance about a month later and received a two-year deferred adjudication probation, court records show.

LOW LEVEL CASES: Key Houston police narcotics officers at center of fatal Harding Street drug raid tallied few arrests, low-level busts

The case mirrors many others that Goines handled over his career on HPDs street-level drug squads. A Houston Chronicle investigation last year found nearly 60 percent of the charges in which Goines was the primary officer were for possessing or selling less than a gram of drugs. More than 70 percent were misdemeanors or state jail felonies, the lowest-level felony in the Texas criminal code, which typically involves well under $100 worth of drugs.

In a writ seeking to overturn the conviction, Scott defense attorney Celeste Blackburn wrote the presumed false testimony was necessary to win a conviction against her client and violated her rights to due process.

Court records show Scott had a history of convictions dating back to 2006, for crimes including prostitution, trespassing and assault.

After her arrest, she ended up back in court twice more  a probation violation led a judge to extend her probation by a year, and she picked up an assault charge earlier this year.

Blackburn said the case raised serious questions about HPDs crime-fighting strategy and amounted to easy pickings.

Someone on the level of an undercover narcotics officer should be investigating high-level, large-scale, violent drug offenses, Blackburn said. Instead we have one driving around to homeless individuals and asking them to buy him a rock of crack. In exchange for a beer.
Using a 3-D printer, they produced 100 copies of a part thats needed in ventilator systems. Some of those have gone to CHI Health St. Francis. The rest will be distributed to other CHI facilities.

Mack said he didnt have to put much effort into it. He used a SolidWorks software program to sketch what was needed. After he made a sample piece, he got confirmation from CHI St. Francis that it would work.

Then Mack just hit print on the printer and it printed 50 of them overnight, he said.

The important service is provided by health care workers.

Theyre doing the heavy lifting, Mack said. He did some work. But it pales in comparison to what theyre doing.

Mack did most of the work on the ventilator system piece.

Schmitt is producing headgear for a plastic face shield. The company is creating a batch of those each week.

The ventilator piece and headgear are both produced on a Stratasys 3-D printer at Hornady. Theyre crafted out of ABS plastic, which is a thermoplastic and polymer.
Be happy: Even if its the last thing you want to do, give a smile in case someone needs it. Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP

An employee sprays disinfectant in a BTS commuter train carriage as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19 in Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)

Dr Matt O Faolain, Dr Philip Dowling, HSE CEO Paul Reid, Minister for Health Simon Harris TD, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD, and Sarah Totney RGN at the COVID-19 Community Assessment Hub in DCU Collins Avenue. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA Wire

Independent.ie reporters keeping you up to date with the latest coronavirus news in Ireland and across the world.

22.25 29/04/2020

Dublin restaurants and cafes join forces in an effort to win their own battle with Covid-19 lockdown

Expand Close Quiet: Grafton Street in Dublin is deserted as the lockdown continues. Photo: Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie / Facebook

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Whatsapp Quiet: Grafton Street in Dublin is deserted as the lockdown continues. Photo: Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie

A wide collection of Dublin restaurants, cafes and shops have joined forces to launch a new website designed to highlight how they adapted their business offerings to stay operating during the Covid-19 shutdown.

co:dublin (codublin.co) is a 100pc volunteer-based project, set up as more and more local businesses struggle to stay operating and keep staff, with the directory listing businesses that are able to adapt online and service their customers throughout the lockdown by switching to a delivery or takeout service, offering gift vouchers, or streaming online classes.

The site already lists 36 local businesses including cafes like 3fe, who are now re-opening within social distancing parameters as well as restaurants like BuJo Burger and Fallon & Byrne who are delivering meals and drinks while everyone stays at home.

Read More

Nine Covid-19 deaths recorded at Cork care facility in the last month

Nine elderly patients have died of Covid-19 at a long-term care facility in West Cork where there has been an outbreak of coronavirus, the HSE confirmed this evening.

Officials at the Clonakilty Community Hospital in West Cork confirmed the deaths took place between April 1 and 28.

The families of the deceased were given the opportunity to say goodbye in person, albeit while observing social distancing and wearing protective gear, a hospital spokeswoman told Independent.ie

It is with great sadness that we can confirm that nine residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital passed away with Covid-19 to date this month. We wish to express our sincere sympathies to the families and friends of residents who have passed away.

Read More





21.27 29/04/2020

Varadkar faces calls to ease coronavirus restrictions from Opposition leaders

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has faced calls to lift social-distancing restrictions from Opposition leaders as the country prepares for the next phase of the lockdown.

During a teleconference call, Mr Varadkar was urged to ease rules around funerals and allow some construction workers to get back to work.

He was also asked to lift the restrictions in counties where Covid-19 infection and death rates are low.

Political leaders attending the meeting said Mr Varadkar kept his cards close to his chest and did not give details of the lockdown measures he is expected to announce before the bank holiday weekend.

Read More





20:43 29/04/2020

Daily briefing by the National Public Health Emergency Team:

The rate of recovery is 70pc

Out of 3,244 deaths reported in nursing homes in January-April 2020, 586 of these were Covid-related

Dr Tony Holohan said that it is not correct to say that capacity to test rapidly isn't there.

He added that testing is not the key to lifting restrictions but containing the disease itself

He said that there has been a "significant slowing of deaths in the course of the pandemic"

He doesn't anticipate that the advice will change on Friday in regards to lifting restrictions

There are 129 people in ICU currently





20.39 29/04/2020

Todays data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Monday 27th April (19,723 cases), reveals:

 58pc are female and 42pc are male

 the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years

 2,669 cases (13pc) have been hospitalised

 Of those hospitalised, 355 cases have been admitted to ICU

 5,568 cases are associated with healthcare workers

 Dublin has the highest number of cases at 9,751 (49pc of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,162 cases (6pc) and then Cork with 1,136 cases (6pc)

 Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 63pc, close contact accounts for 34pc, travel abroad accounts for 3pc





20.15 29/04/2020

A further 31 number of deaths associated with the coronavirus have been confirmed this evening. This brings the death toll to 1,190 in Ireland.

Another 376 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 have also been announced, bringing the total number of cases to 20,253 in Ireland.





19:00 29/04/2020

Covid-19 research projects will get 5 million injection

Some 26 new Covid-19 research and innovation projects will receive a 5 million cash injection, the government has confirmed.

The projects will address key areas such as frontline healthcare, diagnostics, infection control, contact tracing, mental health and potential treatments.

It will also address the management of the mitigation measures related to social distancing and isolation.

Dr Darrin Morrissey, chief executive of the Health Research Board (HRB), said that the projects will help to better understand Covid-19 and how it affects people in different ways.

Minister for Business Heather Humphreys said that this a first tranche of funding under the rapid response research and innovation call.

Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland

Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, Dr Morrissey said: We know Covid-19 knows no boundaries.

These projects aim to recognise and put in place solutions for vulnerable groups like older people, people living with intellectual disability, people living with life-limiting illnesses, and people that with autism.

They aim tackle social and behavioral challenges, including the challenges around social distancing and sustainable social distancing.

Ms Humphreys added: The initiative is a collaboration between five government agencies.

We asked them to come together to design a fund to support our best and brightest ideas in the context of the pandemic.

As a small nation with limited resources, we must work together to maximise opportunities and thats exactly what were doing here.

Were lucky in this country to have a world class researchers in our higher education institutes working in a diverse range of innovative companies, both indigenous and multinational, that can quickly pivot to deliver projects, treatments and interventions as needed.

All of the proposals have been internationally peer-reviewed and experts have worked remotely to provide the feedback and ensure that we select the best projects.

This work continues and there are plenty more projects in the pipeline, many of which will involve Irish companies, both homegrown and foreign owned.

Professor Mark Ferguson, director general of Science Foundation Ireland, said that the research will be relevant to the various phases of the Covid-19 crisis.

You will know that we will soon face challenges with reopening our economy and that will be addressed in future applications, he added.

We are not alone, governments around the world are addressing this and we are connected to the global research system.





18.44 29/04/2020

427 further deaths in France bring tally over 24,000

The number of people who have died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 427 to 24,087 on Wednesday, while hospitalisations for the disease and people in ICU units continued to decline, the health ministry said in a statement.

The death toll has increased 1.8pc compared with Tuesday, a slightly higher rate of increase than over the previous 24 hours.

The number of people in hospital with the COVID-19 infection fell further to 26,834 from 27,484 on Tuesday, and the number of people in intensive care fell to 4,207 from 4,387. Both numbers have been on a downward trend for more than two weeks.

Reuters: Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten





18.08 29/04/2020

Irish Government backs airlines in battle over customer refunds

IRELAND is one of 12 countries that have put their names to a letter calling on the European Commission to change the rules on refunds for cancelled airline flights.

It comes after both Ryanair and Aer Lingus refused to comment last week when asked if they were lobbying the Government to have the rules changed.

The joint letter, which is also signed by the governments in France and the Netherlands, points out that European Commission Regulation 261/2004 and its obligation to reimburse cancelled tickets in cash, if the passenger so decides, places airlines in a difficult situation where they are facing a serious cash flow challenge.

The letter calls for the rules to be changed temporarily to allow airlines to issue vouchers instead of refunds.

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Inside story of how coronavirus ravaged the country's largest nursing home

Expand Close Working for hope: Dr Chei Wei Fan, who has been helping staff at St Marys, has been in the Mater since contracting Covid-19 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Working for hope: Dr Chei Wei Fan, who has been helping staff at St Marys, has been in the Mater since contracting Covid-19

For the 150-plus residents who call it home, daily life in St Mary's in the Phoenix Park is jam-packed and joyous.

The programme of activities at the facility includes regular Mass services, bingo, art classes and therapeutic massage.

Hairdressers come to wash and set, newspapers are read aloud for those who can't read them, and parties are routine.

Staff at the care setting in Dublin, the country's largest public care facility for older people, are renowned for their dedication to residents and in particular, their personalised approach to care.

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15.23 29/04/2020

No special paid leave for workers with childcare issues - HSE

FRONTLINE healthcare workers who have childcare issues will not get special paid leave, according to a HSE circular issued today.

But they may be permitted to work from home if all other avenues including different rostering arrangements or weekend working have been exhausted.

A circular from the HSE national director of human resources, Anne Marie Hoey, sent to managers said all forms of flexible working must be considered.

However, she said employees who cannot work from outside the home could be assigned work outside their current core duties and potentially a new role.

Junior Cycle students will not have to sit exams in the autumn - Joe McHugh

Junior Cycle students will not have to sit exams in the autumn, Education Minister Joe McHugh confirmed today.

The only exception are adults who have returned to education to study a subject or subjects at Junior Cycle level, for whom specific arrangements will be made to sit exams early into the next academic year.

Schools are now free to run their own end of year assessments for third year pupils in the coming weeks.

About 65,000 students have entered for the Junior Cycle exams.

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WATCH: Girl puts a clever coronavirus twist on Taylor Swift's Shake It Off

A 10-year-old girl from Co Cavan is reminding the public to 'Stay at Home' with a clever and catchy twist on Taylor Swift chart topper 'Shake It Off'.

Ciara Parge, from Kingscourt, Co Cavan, was tasked with creating a song about Covid-19 by her stage school, Born to Perform .

The school is setting daily challenges for it's pupils through Community Games, an organisation that aims to encourage young people to keep active.

Ciara's lyrics tells listeners to stay at home while frontline staff work to keep the public safe to the tune of Swift's 'Shake It Off'.

14:00 29/04/2020

High number of Covid-19 cases in Cavan and Monaghan not linked to border

Business Minister Heather Humphreys has said high rates of Covid-19 in Co Cavan and Co Monaghan are not linked to people crossing the border.

A report covering data up until last Friday shows Co Cavan has an incidence of 753.5 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 of population compared with 684.6 in Dublin.

There is a similar pattern in other border counties, with Monaghan at 570.2 on Friday, while Co Louth rose to 463.2.

Ms Humphreys, a TD for Cavan and Monaghan, told Virgin Media News: The level of infection in Cavan and Monaghan has nothing to do with people coming from across the border.

In fact, there were four residential nursing homes that had outbreaks plus there were also outbreaks among the staff in Cavan General Hospital.

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11:50 29/04/2020

Dublin Pride Parade 2020 cancelled

Dublin's Pride Parade has been cancelled due to concerns linked to the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement, organisers said the event "would place unnecessary pressure on essential frontline services."

However, a virtual parade will instead be held in June.

"It is with great regret that Dublin LGBTQ Pride has decided to cancel our annual Pride Parade for 2020. Although we had initially postponed the Parade until September, we feel the scale of one of the largest events in the country would place unnecessary pressure on essential frontline services and resources that will have been at full stretch for many months," the statement said.

"Dublin Pride is the largest fundraising event of the year for many LGBTI+ community organisations and charities in Ireland. Even though we won't be together on O'Connell Street we know that won't stop us all coming together to support our community and the vital services they provide, often to our most vulnerable members.

"So, we're still going to see you in June, and you'll definitely see us, as we host the first Digital Dublin Pride Festival with a fully interactive virtual Pride Parade and a Pride Concert. Buildings will still light up for Pride, flags will be flying high across the city and our community will still be there to support each other."

11:50 29/04/2020

Varadkar says wearing a face mask would not be compulsory if introduced

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the wearing of face masks in public would not be compulsory if it was introduced.

The use of masks in public is being considered as part of efforts to tackle coronavirus in Ireland, Leo Varadkar said.

His comments came as the Scottish government issued guidance for people to shield their faces in places such as shops and on public transport.

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11:20 29/04/2020

652m paid to employers under wage subsidy scheme

Expand Close Liz Canavan, assistant secretary to the Department of An Taoiseach. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins / Facebook

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Whatsapp Liz Canavan, assistant secretary to the Department of An Taoiseach. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A sum of 652m has been paid to employers under the wage subsidy scheme, senior Government official Liz Canavan has said.

Speaking at a briefing this morning, Ms Canavan said 50,400 employers are now registered with revenue for the temporary wage subsidy scheme.

Almost 400,000 employees have now received at least one payment under the scheme, not including additional employees who may receive a subsidy.

Further payments of of 52.2 will be paid to the majority of employers tomorrow.

8:30 29/04/2020

Woodie's DIY owner taking appropriate actions to manage costs, 9,000 staff on job retention schemes

Woodie's DIY owner Grafton Group said it is availing of job retention scheme arrangements for almost 9,000 staff in the UK and Ireland in a bid to manage costs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The company employs around 11,000 in the two countries.

In a trading update this morning Grafton said the majority of its UK distribution branches and manufacturing plants were closed on 24 March and the distribution business in Ireland was significantly scaled down on 28 March.

In addition, since then trading in the Woodie's DIY business was suspended except for on-line transactions.

The companys UK distribution business is currently trading at about 10pc of normal volumes from the provision of materials for emergency supplies and essential projects.

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7:30 29/04/2020

Coronavirus cases pass million mark in US as states begin lifting restrictions

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States has passed a million, accounting for nearly a third of the total cases worldwide.

The figures, from tracking at Johns Hopkins University, show a worldwide death toll of more than 210,000, though the real numbers are likely to be higher owing to limited testing and differences in counting deaths.

States are beginning to lift their restrictions as the death toll from Covid-19 in the US surpasses the 58,220 service personnel killed in Vietnam.

Expand Close Hopes have emerged that as some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions life in places like New York will return to some kind of normal (John Minchillo/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Hopes have emerged that as some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions life in places like New York will return to some kind of normal (John Minchillo/AP)

Similarly, countries in Europe are beginning to loosen their lockdown restrictions, and France, Spain and Greece are among the latest to put forward roadmaps for restarting their economies.

But uncertainty about what people should do to protect their health after they emerge from lockdown remains.

In the US, this was highlighted in Georgia after businesses such as barber shops and tattoo parlours were given the go-ahead to reopen.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said people could find the changes perplexing, adding: In reality were under a stay-at-home order until April 30.

Yet you can go get your nails done, you can go get a tattoo, you can go to movie theatres, you can go to bowling alleys. Its those kinds of things that leave people confused.

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7:20 29/04/2020

Aer Lingus owner warns of 'several years' to regain passenger levels

Aer Lingus owner IAG has warned that it will have to implement "group-wide restructuring measures" after predicting that a return to 2019 passenger levels will take "several years" following the coronavirus pandemic.

And it said that 12,000 staff at British Airways (BA) are likely to be made redundant. BA employed 45,000 people before the crisis hit. Aer Lingus, meanwhile, employs more than 4,000 people.

Releasing first quarter results this afternoon, IAG said that it incurred a 1.3bn exceptional charge in the period due to the "ineffectiveness" of its fuel and foreign currency hedges for the remainder of 2020. Those hedges would have been made based on normal operating conditions.

IAG, which is headed by chief executive Willie Walsh, also owns British Airways, Iberia, Level and Barcelona-based budget carrier Vueling.

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07:00 29/04/2020

Face mask use for public being considered  Holohan

The use of face masks in public is being considered as part of efforts to tackle coronavirus in Ireland, the chief medical officer has said.

Dr Tony Holohans comments came as the Scottish government issued guidance for people to shield their faces in places such as shops and on public transport.

The powersharing executive in Northern Ireland is also due to consider a similar proposal.

Dr Holohan said the wearing of face masks was one of the measures we are giving consideration to.

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Protestors gathered in The Hague on Tuesday afternoon, April 28, to call for an end to lockdown measures in the Netherlands, local media reported.

The demonstration attracted between 100 and 200 protestors, according to police. Officers led protestors away from the square shortly after the event began, deeming the demonstration unlawful but not handing out any fines.

As of April 29, the Netherlands had reported 38,245 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,518 deaths. Credit: Bart Chaabane via Storyful
Despite Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapakses claims that the pandemic is under control and conditions are emerging to reopen the economy, Sri Lanka is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections. A total of 598 cases were reported yesterday.

The government is deliberately carrying out a small number of tests so as to produce lower infection rates and downplay the risk posed by the pandemic. Sri Lankan medical experts, citing the World Health Organisations (WHO) call for mass testing, have insisted the government should increase the number of daily tests to 5,000 at least. Only on Monday the Director of Health, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, boasted of having carried out 1,500 tests that day.

In the war-torn Northern Province, as in other parts of Sri Lanka, tests are carried out inadequately while quarantine centers are being maintained in dangerous conditions. As a result of the utterly insufficient number of tests, currently only 18 people have been identified to have COVID-19; more than 300 are being observed in quarantine centers.

During the 30 year bloody communal war waged in the north and east against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by successive Sri Lankan governments, these regions rudimentary health infrastructure was almost destroyed. Since the end of war in May 2009, some hospitals have been improvised, including the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, the premier hospital in Jaffna district.

Consultant Community Physician Dr. Murali Vallipuranathan, the officer in charge of COVID-19 prevention in Jaffna, posted a note on Facebook on April 15 confirming the unsuitable conditions in quarantine centers with some photos.

The post, titled Inaction of Medical Professional Bodies to intervene in the dormitory type of isolation centers leads to cross-infections of coronavirus, reported that improper conditions in quarantine centers have led to the spread of the virus in the north.

It describes an incident involving twenty individuals who participated in a service near Jaffna conducted by a Swiss pastor who later tested positive for the virus. Vallipuranathan confirmed that when the group was tested upon admission to the quarantine centers on April 1 and 2, only six tested positive; they were transferred to Colombo. Another eight from that group tested positive two weeks later, on April 14.

He argues that the incident confirms that the later eight were infected while in quarantine, where conditions did not allow them to avoid contact with the others who were initially infected. Later he wrote a letter to the Sri Lanka Medical Association complaining that there are no proper staff with knowledge of public health and infection control in quarantine centers. The letter called for taking immediate steps to control the situation, pointing to the danger of spreading the virus in these centers.

Vallipuranathans legitimate concerns immediately provoked an angry response from bureaucrats of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), the main trade union for doctors in government service. GMOA general secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge accused the Jaffna Community physician of having a racist history and expressing views detrimental to the health department and Sri Lanka Army and requested an investigation. This is nothing but a call for a Sinhala racist witch-hunt against a doctor for questioning the inadequacies of health facilities run by henchmen of Rajapakse.

As the head of the National Operational Center for the Prevention of COVID-19, Army Commander Shavendra Silva also expressed his anger at Vallipuranathan for pointing out shortcomings of the governments program. He said, Since these centers are under the direct control of the military, we expected this type of allegation.

The military occupation of the north and east of Sri Lanka has continued since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009. These provinces are under de facto military rule. President Rajapakse, who is exploiting the pandemic to build a military dictatorship, has appointed military officers arbitrarily to positions that should have been held by medical and health experts. Similarly, all quarantine centers in the north are also maintained by the armed forces. Medical personnel have not been given priority to intervene.

After the Swiss pastor conducted the service, the director of the Northern Provincial Health Service called a press conference with another group of doctors and said that the participants of that event should be tested as the pastor is suspected of having COVID-19. After most Tamil newspapers reported that media briefing, the chief police inspector of Jaffna telephoned the health inspector and threatened to arrest him, alleging that he had spread fear among the public based on false information.

GMOA branch leaders only raised the issue of the insufficiency of tests and risk of spreading the pandemic within the province because they were forced to do so by the doctors and other health workers who denounced their poor working conditions.

Speaking to Ceylon Today on April 23, Dr. T. Kandeepan, the GMOAs Northern Provincial Coordinator, expressed concern regarding the governments inability to increase the number of tests carried out in the district. He said that following the recent spread of COVID-19, where 18 patients tested positive and over 300 were sent for quarantine, there was still a dire need to increase the number of tests.

Kandeepan said, Currently, only 20 tests are being done per day [in Jaffna district] and stressed the necessity of expanding tests in the north. We have tested 360 people in Jaffna. Based on that we cant say there is no community transmission. It is not acceptable in the opinion of medical authorities to say only those affiliated with the Swiss pastor are infected with virus. Testing should be increased by 3 to 4 times, he said.

As the epidemic grows, provincial health workers are concerned about the shortage of resources in hospitals. Speaking to the World Socialist Web Site on April 24, a nurse from Jaffna Teaching Hospital said: Face masks and protective clothing are provided only to medical staff working at that ward. Medical personnel working in other units are wearing only face masks. Although COVID-19 patients havent been admitted yet to the hospital, the personal protection provided will not be adequate in a situation where the outbreak could take place.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to Microsoft Founder Bill Gates and discussed the latest developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, his office said on Wednesday.

Pakistan's coronavirus cases have climbed to 15,348 while the death toll from the pandemic has reached 335.

During the telephonic conversation on Tuesday, Khan said that Pakistan was "making all efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic with a robust and coordinated response".

He emphasized that Pakistan was facing a dual challenge of overcoming the pandemic and saving people, particularly the most vulnerable segments of the population, from hunger due to lockdown.

"Steps taken by the government have helped in containing the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan, he said, highlighting the lockdown and economic package announced by his government.

Gates, who is also co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Khan also discussed the important role that Pakistan's polio staff and infrastructure are playing in the fight against COVID-19.

The polio teams are supporting the training of frontline polio health workers on COVID-19, and using contact tracing, testing and communications methods to curb transmission.

Khan also appreciated the support provided by the Gates Foundation and other international partners during this unprecedented crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ford Motor Co on Tuesday posted a $2 billion first-quarter loss due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and said it expected its loss in the second quarter to more than double as it weathers a shutdown of its North American plants. "We believe the company's cash is sufficient to take us through the end of the year, even with no additional vehicle wholesales or financing actions," Chief Financial Officer Tim Stone said in a statement. According to Stone, "today's economic environment remains too ambiguous" for the No. 2 US automaker to give a ...
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When I first heard that my state is planning to reopen soon, I was shocked. I was busily seeing patients that day when I received an alert on my phone. Perplexed and stunned, I couldnt help but to stop what I was doing, reached for some hand sanitizer, so that I could actually pick up and use my phone, and then I re-read the message.

As a physician, I personally have been risking my life and potential livelihood with other health care workers and support staff every day to take care of patients with COVID-19. I have been wondering and worrying that at any moment I could be infected and could unknowingly spread it to my patients, friends, or family. I could even get sick and become a burden to my own family. For now, I have been risking my safety to offer what support I can to patients who cant physically see or touch their family members. I lend my personal phone so that patients can FaceTime and at least see the loved ones that they have been separated from during their prolonged hospitalizations. We as health care workers have now become their family and support system.

The federal government and leading medical organizations like the American College of Physicians have previously established metrics that recommend when it might be safe to open states like mine during a pandemic like this. They identify core benchmarks like a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period, a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing, enough PPE for all healthcare workers, the ability to trace contacts of COVID-19 positive results and a sufficient healthcare workforce and health system capacity to treat patients with the virus if such a dramatic surge in need occurs.

We currently do not meet any of these benchmarks.

Georgia is still on an uptick with an increasing number of new cases of COVID-19 announced daily by our health department. Reopening is a gamble. There is a lag time between when people are infected and their subsequent need for hospitalization.

We know that one of the main ways to mitigate the spread of this virus is social distancing. So how can our patients social distance in communal spaces like the barbershop, bowling alley, or tattoo parlor? Social distancing, air ventilation, the ability to screen patrons before entering a business are just a few of the many challenges businesses must address before being safely able to reopen.

Daily when I leave the hospital, I have to change out of my scrubs before I can enter my vehicle and drive home, and I do not engage with my family until I have fully decontaminated myself.

What was the purpose of all of this to simply reopen before any metrics have been safely met?

I support a strong economy, but in order to have a strong, healthy economy, we need strong, healthy communities. Reopening makes this harder, if not impossibleby increasing risks to our citizens and health care workers. In fact, reopening now is like not finishing your antibiotics because you are finally starting to feel better.

I understand that our leaders have to make a great deal of difficult calls. As physicians, we understand that well, but reopening our state is not one of them.

Tracey L. Henry is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
With no visitors, fears about picking up Covid-19 and midwives swathed in PPE, as Boris Johnsons partner Carrie Symonds will have discovered, giving birth during a pandemic is certainly a unforgettable experience  if not for the right reasons. Here, six mothers share their very different stories of having corona babies . . .

My parents have missed out on precious moments

Eleanor Mason, 34, gave birth to a baby girl, still unnamed, on Sunday, weighing 9lb 12oz. She owns a rainwater harvesting company and lives in Newark, Nottinghamshire, with her husband and their older daughter, two. She says:

If I could have one wish granted right now, it would be for my parents and in-laws to have those precious first cuddles with their new granddaughter.

By the time they get to do that shell have changed so much. Of course, theyve seen her over video calls, but its not the same. And it will be a long time before Ill be able to socialise with other new mums at things like baby classes, which were such a support when I had my older daughter.

British mothers who've given birth during the covid-19 pandemic, shared their experiences. Pictured: Eleanor Mason, 34, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, who gave birth on Sunday

Pre-coronavirus, my husband and I had hoped to have a calm water birth in hospital to match our first birth experience. When a pandemic was declared, our first choice became a home water birth. We were told it would be possible, but only if there were enough midwives working.

Although the birthing pool arrived at our house, last week we were told a home birth wouldnt be possible due to a shortage of midwives and reduced ambulance service if I needed to be rushed to hospital.

I went into labour naturally last weekend, one week overdue, and when we arrived at hospital in Lincoln I was taken to a non-labour ward to have a test because a scan a few days earlier had shown that my baby was large.

My husband wasnt allowed in with me, which was scary because I was having quite strong contractions, but the staff were fantastic. Two and a half hours later, when the results came back fine, I was reunited with him in the labour ward.

The midwives were wearing full PPE, which I was glad about, and were very caring. I gave birth at 2.56pm and went home at 7.30pm. It has definitely been more stressful than my first birth, but Im just glad that our baby is here.

Georgina Chambi, 34, (pictured) who lives in Merseyside, went through pregnancy with her sister Alisha Chambi, 30, but were not around each other for their births

My sister and i gave birth. . . and our dad nearly died

Georgina Chambi, 34, lives in Merseyside with partner Melvyn, 38, an electrical supervisor. Their son Isaac was born on April 1 weighing 7lb at Whiston Hospital. Three days earlier, Georginas sister Alisha Chambi, 30, gave birth to daughter Mya, 6lb 5oz, at Liverpool Womens Hospital. Georgina says:

Alisha and I went through pregnancy together, so its heartbreaking to give birth and not be around one another.

When I was told Id need a C-section because the baby was breech, Melvyn was allowed to come into the theatre but he was fully dressed in PPE and had to sit on the other side of the room. My sister had to go in on her own to the hospital to be induced and her partner was only allowed to be with her a couple of hours before her baby arrived.

The drama didnt end there either  about a week later, my 63-year-old father got the virus. He was put on a ventilator for four days  we thought we were going to lose him. Hes recovering now and says wanting to be there for his new grandchildren stopped him giving up.

Alisha Chambi, 30, (pictured) gave birth at Liverpool Womens Hospital, three days before her sister had her son Isaac

Two midwives carried albie out of hospital

Emily Shenton, 41, is a recruitment consultant. She lives in Salford with her partner Clark, 37, who works in construction and her ten-year-old son Oscar from a previous relationship. Emily gave birth to second son Albie on March 31 at Bolton Royal Hospital, weighing 8lb 2oz. She says:

Id hoped to give birth at a newly built midwife-led birthing centre but it had been shut because of the crisis. Id been very nervous about being exposed to the virus in a hospital  but as it turned out, it was the best place I could have been.

Because of my age I was told if the baby was late Id have to be induced. So when March 31 arrived, with no sign of the baby, I was very anxious. But by the time I was examined I was already in labour. Id only felt slight twinges!

Then at one point in the afternoon, they realised his breathing was dropping. When the doctor felt my bump, she said the baby was facing the wrong way and Id need an emergency caesarean.

Emily Shenton, 41, (pictured) from Salford, revealed her partner Clark, 37, wasn't allowed to come in to the hospital to collect their baby

Its not the birth I expected but at least I was awake and Clark was with me. Baby Albie was born at 6pm. I was allowed to go home the next day, but by then the rules had changed and Clark wasnt even allowed to come in to the hospital to collect the baby. Two midwives helped carry him to the car while I followed behind  I couldnt carry him because Id just had a c-section. The midwives and staff were wonderful, though at that stage no one was wearing masks.

Albies a month old tomorrow and the only downside is that his grandparents havent seen him yet. My mum is in her 80s and doesnt even have a smartphone so Im sending her postcards of him every other day.

Visits behind glass, like being in a zoo

Jessie Stewart, 28, works in insurance and lives near Milton Keynes with her husband Matthew, 27, a data science consultant. Jessie had their baby boy, Blair, on April 9, weighing 7lb 8oz. She says:

Jessie Stewart, 28, who lives near Milton Keynes, was rushed to hospital for an emergency c-section, because of complications during her planned home water birth. Pictured: Jessie with Matthew and baby Blair

After complications with my babys position during our planned home water birth, I was rushed to hospital in Milton Keynes for an emergency c-section. Matthew and I were masked up for surgery and the anaesthetist wore what looked like a full hazmat suit.

Blair and I had an infection, so had to stay in hospital for five days. It wouldve been lovely to have our parents here, as Blair is the first grandchild on both sides. Matt visited for 90 minutes a day and his family stood outside the window to take photos. I felt like a zoo animal!

The irony is my mums a health visitor, still visiting newborns, but we dont know when shell be able to cuddle Blair.

Jessie said she felt like a zoo animal, as Matthew's family stood outside the window to take photos. Pictured: Jessie with baby Blair

Mums desperate to hold her first granddaughter

Rebecca Gevelaar is 35 and lives in Hull with husband Anthony, 36, an electrician, and their son Sebastian, five. Rebecca, a dental practice manager, gave birth to daughter Darcie, 8lb 5oz at the Women and Childrens Hospital in Hull on April 6. She says:

Anthony and I self isolated for three weeks beforehand and on the day I went in for my caesarean, it was the first day PPE had been made mandatory in the wards so everyone was wearing masks.

I think Darcie was the first baby born at the hospital after the rule was made. It was strange but morale seemed high. We were apprehensive but the nurses were so reassuring.

Rebecca Gevelaar, 35, (pictured) from Hull, who gave birth on on April 6, said everyone was wearing masks in the hospital ward

Anthony was at the birth and I was out the very next day.

Relatives have been to the house to look at her through the window, including my parents. Darcie is the first girl born in our family in 35 years so my mum is desperate to cuddle her first granddaughter.

The neighbours clapped for our new arrival  it was incredibly moving

Layla Pipe, 31, a bridal consultant, lives in Wargrave, Berkshire, with her husband John, 30, a firefighter. Layla gave birth to daughter Fallon, weighing 8lb 9oz, on March 29. They also have two other children, aged five and three. She says:

Fallon was four days old when the nation stopped for the first time on a Thursday evening to clap for the NHS.

As I stepped outside our front door to join in, all our neighbours applauded us and shouted congratulations, which was incredibly moving.

Im enormously lucky to live in a small village because it means I havent lost the social aspect that you often do during maternity leave, let alone in the midst of a pandemic.

Layla Pipe, 31, (pictured) who lives in Wargrave, Berkshire, admits her greatest sadness is that her parents and John's aren't able to visit their granddaughter

On Wednesdays I join in with a village Zoom baby group, which is a lifeline. Neighbours have been so generous, leaving food supplies for us on the doorstep. One day Ill make sure they get cuddles with Fallon to say thank you.

Before I had her, I was incredibly worried about the virus. I was eventually induced at 40 weeks but John wasnt allowed to accompany me until I was on the labour ward. When the midwife saw I was getting upset she asked a healthcare assistant to hold my hand. She kept me calm. Thankfully, as I was transferred to the labour suite, John was at my side. And although I was given the choice of going home when Id had Fallon later that day, I actually opted for an extra night in hospital to recover a bit rather than dashing home to two very excited children!

I do wonder whether Fallon feeds so well and has been sleeping for six hours a night because shes had a gentler welcome to the world, without the overstimulation of visitors.

My greatest sadness is that my parents and Johns are really struggling with not seeing their granddaughter in the flesh.

Every now and then I have a wobble thinking that shes now a month old and they still havent had a cuddle. Meanwhile, my grandmas 93 and lives alone in Liverpool, minus any technology, so I had some photos of Fallon printed online and delivered to her so that she could see her great-granddaughter.

Weve got to remember that by enduring separation from loved ones now it will hopefully mean everyone remains healthy enough to enjoy endless joyful cuddles in the future.
Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., is seen on the House steps of the Capitol before the House passed a $2 trillion coronavirus aid package by voice vote on Friday, March 27, 2020.

Michigan Rep. Justin Amash may be an outspoken conservative from a Republican-leaning district, but the launch of his exploratory committee seeking a presidential run was met with swift backlash from supporters of apparent Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Critics say a third-party bid by Amash, an independent who endeared himself to many Democrats by quitting the Republican Party and voting to impeach President Donald Trump, would likely siphon votes away from Biden in the 2020 election.

"I like Justin. I love democracy. But I do think a 3rd party run increases the chances of Trump's re-election," tweeted Andrew Yang, a former Democratic presidential primary candidate who has endorsed Biden.

YANG TWEET

Trump appeared to agree.

"I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate," Trump said in a derisive tweet Wednesday, "especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat."

"He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway. I like him even more than Jill Stein!" Trump added, referring to the former Green Party nominee who won about 1% of the popular vote in the 2016 election, mainly from liberal states.

Trump TWEET

Amash, who would run on the Libertarian Party ticket, denied that his entree in the race would necessarily take votes away from Biden.

"We don't know who people will vote for. It's impossible to say whether more people will vote for Biden or Trump if I'm in the race or not in the race," Amash said Wednesday morning on MSNBC. "So I think there's a big factual issue there."

Amash also pushed back on the notion that Americans have to vote in lockstep with their political parties.

"The way we got Donald Trump is because every Republican who didn't like Donald Trump was told ... you have to vote for the Republican. Similarly, people are being told today on the Democratic side, you have to vote for Joe Biden and Republicans are being told you have to vote for Donald Trump again," Amash said. "That's not the way the system is supposed to work."

Amash TWEET

But even some of Amash's self-professed fans call his move "perplexing."

Joe Walsh, a former Illinois congressman who had mounted a now-defunct Republican primary challenge against Trump, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that Amash running for president on a Libertarian ticket is "a terrible idea."

"Amash can't win. But he can siphon enough votes from the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, to hand the election to Trump," Walsh wrote.

George Conway, a conservative Trump critic and husband of White House advisor Kellyanne Conway, tweeted: "Needless to say, my views align more closely with Amash's than Biden's. But the only real effect Amash could have in this campaign is to enhance Trump's chances. This is a terrible idea."

George Conway TWEET

Amash tweeted later Wednesday that "the visceral outrage" that followed his announcement "speaks volumes about the ugly, hyperpartisan nature of politics today."

AMASH TWEET

Michigan-based GOP consultant Saul Anuzis told CNBC that Trump's opponents may be more hostile to Amash because of the type of campaign Biden is mounting.

"If you're running an anti-Trump campaign, you're trying to rally all the forces," making it problematic when a potentially viable protest vote emerges, Anuzis said.

"When the Republican who walks into the polls says, 'I really don't like Trump, but I hate to see what Biden would do instead,' they can still cast their protest vote for Amash," Anuzis said. "That's why Democrats are more fearful."

The 40-year-old congressman, now on his fifth term in the House  and his first since leaving the GOP in July 2019  has voted with Trump more than 63% of the time, according to stat blog FiveThirtyEight.

His votes against key Democratic bills such as the Affordable Care Act, and his more recent opposition to funding packages providing economic relief amid the coronavirus crisis, have won him few liberal fans.

But Amash drew national media attention and waves of praise from Democrats last year, when he forcefully argued that former special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election meddling showed that Trump had "engaged in impeachable conduct."

Amash was still a Republican at the time.

The special counsel had investigated Russian election interference, as well as possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin and possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Mueller said his probe did not uncover evidence of coordination between Russia and the campaign but highlighted multiple instances of possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

In December, Amash voted to impeach Trump on articles of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, related to the president's efforts to have Ukraine announce investigations into his Democratic rivals, including Biden.

"President Donald J. Trump has abused and violated the public trust by using his high office to solicit the aid of a foreign power, not for the benefit of the United States of America but instead for his personal and political gain," Amash said before casting his vote.

The Democrat-led House passed those articles of impeachment along nearly partisan lines. The GOP-majority Senate voted to acquit Trump on both charges.

Amash is facing a tough reelection fight in his Michigan district, which in 2016 had voted for Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by nearly 10 percentage points.

His new political affiliation and his frequent attacks against Trump have soured his reputation among establishment Republicans and the groups that typically back GOP candidates. Organizations such as the conservative Club for Growth, one of Amash's largest backers in past elections, have said they would not support his reelection bid.

Amash told Reason that he believed he would win his House race, but "I just think this is too important."

He faces both Republican and Democratic challengers in the 3rd District's primary but he has a fundraising advantage despite losing some backers.

Even so, Anuzis told CNBC that the congressional race "absolutely" played a role in Amash's decision to explore a White House bid.

"He has a very good chance of losing" in the district, Anuzis said. "If he's going to go down, he might as well go down running for president."
Bhopal: Looking for alternatives to help coronavirus patients recover, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has now suggested use of yoga, chants and music for treatment of the infection. This comes a day after the BJP government in the state announced its plan to distribute one crore packets of a kadha (herbal decoction), which it claimed boosts immunity and helps the body keep Covid-19 away.

"Many diseases are cured with love but when it comes to infections like Covid-19 even the mother can't touch her son. So, along with the prevailing system of treatment, elemental practices in Indian traditions can be tried," Chouhan was quoted as saying by the Indian Express after holding a video conference with religious leaders.

Chouhan asked the leaders to send in their suggestions for alternative treatments. "Maybe we will come out with a module for treatment. It could even reduce the death rate," he said, suggesting songs, bhajans and shlokas to boost the morale of Covid-19 patients.

The video interaction came a day after the CM launched 'Jeevan Amrit Yojana', under which 50 gram packets of kadha powder are being distributed. "Our sages and vaidyas (ayurveda doctors of the past) have created medicines which increase immunity and we remain healthy. The special trikuta churna-kadha prepared by our AYUSH department is very effective in increasing immunity," he had said.

As the deadly virus continues to claim lives, people not just in India but outside too, are looking for additional methods, especially in connection with age-old traditions, to help fight the pandemic.

In southern France, a monastery of Benedictine nuns living in seclusion opened its doors to allow recordings of its Gregorian chants to be made available to the outside world.

According to Guardian, the chants are presented together with their simple scores, Latin texts and translations, allowing subscribers to sing together with the nuns.

Recently in Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa met famous Ayurveda doctor Giridhara Kaje at his house to discuss the possibility of experimenting with the ancient Indian medicine to serve as a potential cure against coronavirus.

"Initially we are planning to administer Ayurveda tablets to 10 patients at a designated coronavirus hospital. Depending on the results, we can take a call on the next stage," said Dr Kaje.

The Gujarat government too decided to administer Ayurvedic medicines to 75 asymptomatic Covid-19 patients in hotspot Ahmedabad to see the "time duration of their recovery" as a part of a AYUSH treatment study.

"We have distributed Ukala Amrutpey to over 1.26 crore people using the network of 568 Ayurvedic centres and 38 hospitals. This particular medicine was suggested by a group of 22 experts, and we started its distribution as a preventive medicine on March 6 when no coronavirus case was reported in the state," said AYUSH department Director Bhavna Patel.
BALTIMORE, MD -- Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have begun testing the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a therapy to prevent infection and symptoms in individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19-positive individuals. The trial is significant because it focuses on preventing COVID-19 and does not involve individuals who are ill with infection but rather healthy individuals who have been exposed.

The research is part of a national study being conducted across the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, an initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Wellcome, and Mastercard, with funding from an array of public and philanthropic donors, to speed up the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by funding the identification, assessment, development and scale up of treatments.

Principal investigators for the COVID-19 Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) trial - which is being conducted remotely among volunteers throughout the Baltimore-Washington area - are Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor in Vaccinology, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), and Miriam Laufer, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director of the CVD's Malaria Research Program.

Both Dr. Neuzil and Dr. Laufer are infectious disease specialists, with extensive experience in vaccine and infectious disease research. Dr. Laufer, is a hydroxychloroquine expert, having spent years researching the therapy's effectiveness in children, pregnant women and people living with HIV, as well as the epidemiology of drug-resistant malaria.

"We know that many COVID-19-positive individuals have mild or no symptoms but are still very contagious. If we can prevent infection or symptoms in individuals who have been exposed to them, we can significantly alter the course of this pandemic," said Dr. Neuzil.

"Our goal is to reach adult family and household members who live with someone who has recently been diagnosed with COVID-19," said Dr. Laufer. "To be able to really see how to best protect these exposed individuals, we need to enroll as many people as we can into this study. We want to work with testing sites, public health facilities, medical practices, long-term care facilities and hospitals to identify anyone who might be eligible. Most COVID-19 infection is transmitted within households, so we are working to protect the health of the individuals in the family and limit the broader spread of COVID-19 infection. This could serve as a critical preventative treatment."

The research is critical as more than three quarters of COVID-19 transmissions occur through close contact within households. The study is being conducted remotely through online video calls and by answering questions via email. Individuals who qualify for the randomized study will take either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo daily for 14 days. Volunteers who participate in the study will be asked to take the medication, complete an online survey to assess their symptoms, and collect a sample by swabbing the inside of their nose every day for 14 days. On Day 28 a final swab will be collected and a survey completed.

"This research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine is critically important in understanding how we can prevent serious illness from COVID-19. Importantly, a preventative therapy would protect first responders and frontline workers in health facilities and elsewhere. If we can prevent COVID-19 infection, we can help reduce infection and mortality among our most vulnerable individuals," said Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

This research is part of a larger national study led by the University of Washington. This study is a randomized, multi-center study, enrolling nationwide up to 2,000 men and women who meet the eligibility criteria. For more information visit http://www.covid19pepstudy.org.

"Our goal is to stop transmission of COVID-19 in the community," said the multi-site study's principal investigator Ruanne Barnabas, MBChB, DPhil, Associate Professor of Global Health, University of Washington, "We currently don't know if hydroxychloroquine works, but through this study we will learn in as short a timeframe as possible whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent transmission in people exposed to the virus."

###

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu.

About the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health

For over 40 years, researchers in the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health have worked domestically and internationally to develop, test, and deploy vaccines to aid the world's underserved populations. CVD is an academic enterprise engaged in the full range of infectious disease intervention from basic laboratory research through vaccine development, pre-clinical and clinical evaluation, large-scale pre-licensure field studies, and post-licensure assessments. CVD has worked to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. CVD has created and tested vaccines against cholera, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, non-typhoidal Salmonella disease, shigellosis (bacillary dysentery), Escherichia coli diarrhea, nosocomial pathogens, tularemia, influenza, malaria and other infectious diseases. CVD's research covers the broader goal of improving global health by conducting innovative, leading research in Baltimore and around the world. CVD researchers are developing new and improved ways to diagnose, prevent, treat, control, and eliminate diseases of global impact. Currently, these diseases include typhoid, Shigella, E. coli diarrhea, malaria, and other vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. CVD researchers have been involved in critical vaccine development for emerging pathogens such as Ebola and Zika. In addition, CVD's work focuses on the ever-growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to spend up to $12 million for an expected uptick in requests for mail-in ballots in the July primary runoff and November general election from voters concerned about contracting the novel coronavirus at polling places.

The three Democrats on the five-member court voted to give County Clerk Diane Trautman enough to send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter in the county over the objections of the two Republican members who said the clerk failed to justify the expense.

Trautman said her office is planning for any outcome in a lawsuit filed by Democrats and voting rights advocates seeking to force the Texas secretary of state to allow any resident to request a mail ballot.

No matter what the courts and the state decide for the July and November elections, we must be prepared for an increase in mail ballots, which we are already seeing, Trautman said.

Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this month said fear of the coronavirus is not an acceptable excuse to vote by mail, though a state district judge in Travis County ruled otherwise. The state almost certainly will appeal the case, which may not be resolved for months. A similar Texas case is pending in federal court.

Under Texas election law, mail-in ballots are available only to voters 65 and older, who are away from their county of residence on election day or who have a disability.

Trautman said her office cant turn on a dime and must begin preparing to accommodate more mail ballots, which are more expensive to process than votes cast at electronic voting machines because they would require more equipment and staff, as well as the cost of postage.

She outlined the costs of an expanded mail voting program: about $3 million for 700,000 ballots; $8 million for 1.2 million ballots; and $12 million for all 2.4 million ballots. The Democratic majority  County Judge Lina Hidalgo and commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia  opted for the full sum, noting the county clerk may end up spending only a portion of the funds.

We want to make sure, with the possibility of a record turnout, were giving the support they need, Ellis said. I want us to do what we can to improve the percentage of people who vote in this county, because its embarrassing.

Hidalgo urged Trautman to keep the court and the county health department apprised of her plans to ensure upcoming balloting is safe for voters.

The two Republican court members said they were concerned Trautmans proposal was not more detailed and were irked the clerk at one point said the county should provide the money now while pledging a more thorough plan later.

Im not going to vote for something to find out what it is, Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said.

Cagle noted that primary runoff elections often draw less than 100,000 voters and high-turnout November general elections can draw more than 1.2 million. He and Precinct 3s Steve Radack questioned why the county would ask for enough money for 2.4 million ballots  enough for the entire voter roll  and more than 1 million more votes than have been cast in any Harris County election.

About 117,000 Harris County voters used mail ballots in 2018, about 9 percent of the total cast.

Elections Administrator Michael Winn said the county must gird for the possibility, however remote, that a coronavirus resurgence in the fall severely limits in-person voting.

We have to prepare for the chance that we have millions of voters who may want a ballot by mail in November, Winn said.

The Texas Election Code does not address how a pandemic may affect voting. The Secretary of States Office, however, on April 3 informed county clerks that voters could claim a disability, an acceptable reason to request a mail ballot, if they feared voting in person during the pandemic could endanger their health.

Trautman on April 13 said her office would not challenge any voters request for a mail ballot, effectively opening the accommodation to anyone.

Her office has consulted with the county Republican and Democratic parties, Brennan Center for Justice, U.S. Elections Assistance Commissions and community groups about expanding mail-in voting, Trautman said.

Harris County Democratic Party Chairwoman Lillie Schecter said Texas should expand mail voting to avoid a situation like that in Wisconsin, which held an election April 7 despite a statewide stay-at-home order intended to limit the spread of the virus. Milwaukee health officials later traced seven cases in that city to in-person voting.

No one should have to choose between their health and democracy, Schecter said. To avoid the same fate here, Texas Democrats preemptively sued Greg Abbott. While we are thrilled with the Travis County judges ruling, we are waiting to see what the appeal looks like.

Alan Vera, chairman of the Harris County Republican Partys ballot security committee, warned that expanding mail voting would be a logistical nightmare that would render the county clerk unable to count all votes on election night.

Vera said Harris County should instead adopt an in-person voting system similar to South Korea, which held a national election in mid-April. Election workers in that nation sanitized polling stations and took the temperature of each voter. Residents with confirmed coronavirus cases still could vote by mail.

Trautman said her office already has ordered sanitation supplies for poll workers, including masks, gloves and face shields.

Budget Officer Bill Jackson said some of the added expenses may be reimbursable through $426 million Harris County received from the federal government to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

zach.despart@chron.com
HALIFAXWhether its the auctioning of police light bars or the availability of official RCMP decals, people familiar with the public trade in police gear say its time to crack down on the potentially dangerous practice.

Their comments come after the RCMP revealed further details this week about how a Nova Scotia man acquired four former police vehicles at auctions, then used one of them in a murderous rampage across the province.

The killer had carefully painted and added flashing lights to one of the vehicles, which helped him escape the rural community of Portapique on April 18 after taking the lives of his first 13 victims.

After evading police and avoiding interception, Gabriel Wortman, 51, went on to kill nine more people the next day before officers shot and killed him.

David Giles, vice-president of All EV Canada, an electric-vehicle service and sales company, says during his 30-year career as an auto technician hes often seen used police gear and decals for sale at auctions.

Giles, a frequent Crown expert witness on automotive issues, says police should end the practice of selling the gear to the highest bidders.

I think those items should be restricted. They shouldnt fall into the general publics hands, he said in an interview.

Giles provided internet links to light bars from decommissioned police vehicles being sold at recent public auctions in the Halifax area.

He also sent a link to a federal government procurement site, where the specifications for how to manufacture RCMP decals are available for the general public to view  a practice he said should be kept more confidential.

A review of recently sold items showed prices for decommissioned police cars ranged from $1,150 for a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria to $31,200 for a five-speed 2018 Dodge Charger.

While these sales are permitted, it is explicitly illegal under the federal Criminal Code for anyone to use them to impersonate a police officer.

However, provincial legislation doesnt always explicitly prohibit ordinary citizens from owning items such as the distinctive light bars of police vehicles, with their flashing red lights.

For example, in Nova Scotia, Section 179 of the Motor Vehicle Act prohibits people from moving on a highway with the flashing lights  but doesnt explicitly prohibit owning the light bars.

Police unions and associations say its time to tighten up those rules in light of the potential dangers that the Nova Scotia gunmans actions demonstrated.

Theres a lot of merit in having some very good, robust provincial regulations around the sale and possession and use of police equipment, Tom Stamatakis, the president of the Canadian Police Association, said in an interview.

Stamatakis said the original intent of provincial regulations was simply to prohibit the public ownership of items such as light bars.

Unfortunately there have been many people who have argued that non-law enforcement personnel should have access to equipment, he said.

The definitions of some of those regulations have been extended unnecessarily.

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said Wednesday he is sure that recommendations on the resale of police items will emerge as a result of the police investigation into the killings.

Not only here in Nova Scotia but Im sure nationally theyll be looking at how do we address the issue of surplus equipment from law enforcement agencies across the country, he said.

Dean Goodine, a film property manager in Summerland, B.C., said in an interview that police vehicles used in movies are tightly regulated.

The replica vehicles are approved by police lawyers, and after completion the painted vehicles are returned to the RCMP and the graphics are destroyed, said Goodine.

He said production teams can purchase items from special prop stores, but those arent open to the general public.

However, its astonishing to me whats available at public auction, he added.

In addition, he noted the painting of the vehicle wouldnt be overly difficult.

Its quite easy now for anybody who had money and access to printers. You could go online and find every conceivable thing you need to do this, Goodine said.

Police in Ontario are investigating two incidents of officer impersonation in recent weeks.

Provincial police are looking for a suspect after a woman in Lakeshore was pulled over by a vehicle with red and blue flashing lights and approached by a man wearing what appeared to be a police uniform last Thursday.

In Wellington County, Ont., a 25-year-old man was charged with impersonating a peace officer last week in relation to an incident on April 17  the day before Wortman began his rampage in Nova Scotia.

Investigators say a family was riding their bikes in Puslinch, about 80 kilometres southwest of Toronto, when they were stopped by what appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle.

Police say the SUV was equipped with a push bumper and flashing lights, and the driver could be heard yelling over a public address system.

 With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax.

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In the northwest (Rakhine state) fighting between the AA (Arakan Army) rebels and the army has been a regular occurrence for over a year because army efforts to suppress the tribal resistance have not only failed, but the fighting has spread to most of the state. So far this year over 100,000 civilians have been driven from their homes by the violence. In the last week at least 30 civilians were casualties, giving others all the incentive needed to flee. The rebels suffer few casualties while most of the dead and wounded are civilians in villages that the army attacks with artillery to deal with rebels who are usually not present.

Soldiers have been fighting the AA rebels in the area since mid-2019 and periods of active combat have been more common in the last few months. Not a lot of casualties but enough armed men shooting at each other to make life miserable and the economy weaker. The AA rebels have become an unexpected problem for the military because these rebels are more mobile and less interested in controlling territory in the traditional sense. Many tribal rebels seek to maintain long-term control over towns and villages and even build military bases and headquarters. These become targets for the army artillery and armed helicopters. The AA dispenses with all that and emphasizes remaining mobile and forcing the more road-bound and inflexible army units to spend a lot of time just moving to new areas that require army attention.

As a result of the new tactics, AA has been able to block commercial traffic on some key roads for extended periods. This has made it difficult to get food and other essential items to some northern areas, like China state. Burmese politicians are nearly unanimous in calling for the AA insurrection to be eliminated.

April 27, 2020: In the northwest (Rakhine state) 3,200 Burmese have returned from China via the Lweje Town crossing during the last ten days. Returnees are checked for covid19 and about fifteen percent are held in quarantine 14 days just to be sure. So far there have been 150 confirmed cases of covid19 in Burma, with five deaths. Thats three cases per million people and 0.09 deaths. Most of the known cases have come from China. In neighboring Bangladesh, there have been 39 cases per million and 0.9 deaths per million. India has had 23 cases per million and 0.7 deaths. Thailand has 42 cases per million and 0.8 deaths. China, where the virus began, stopped releasing covid19 cases and deaths data as part of a government program to try and blame the U.S. for the virus. Few (Chinese or foreigners) believe that and it is taken for granted by neighbors of China that the Wuham Virus, as it was first known, indeed came from China. By now it has also become known that covid19 is not much more dangerous than one of the deadlier annual influenza epidemics. The flu is taken for granted and it is unclear if covid19, which is genetically almost identical to the 2013 SARS virus, another Chinese corona (trans-species) virus, will be an annual event or disappear like SARS and similar diseases. Covid19 is unique in that it attacks the lungs and is often mistaken for pneumonia. As such it is particularly dangerous to the elderly or anyone with a weakened immune system or other illnesses. Most healthy adults and children do not notice covid19 at all even if exposed to it.

April 25, 2020: In the northwest (Sagaing Region, west of Kachin State) two NCSN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland) based in Kachin state crossed the border and were arrested by an Indian army patrol. Indian and Burmese Naga rebels continue to maintain bases on the Burmese side of the border. The Sagaing region has long been used as a refuge for Indian rebels but since early 2019 Indian and Burmese forces have been coordinating efforts to shut down the border camps for good, or at least for a long time. Indian and Burmese troops swept both sides of the border for weeks but later discovered that, while this hurt the Naga rebels it did not destroy the rebel groups, who returned to the border area once the troops had ceased their activity. In response Burmese troops began to patrol the area for several months, or as long as it took for India to certify that the Naga rebels have suffered serious and long-term damage. Indian troops were also active on their side of the border to ensure that the Naga rebels, both the Indian and Burmese ones, have nowhere to go and that situation will last so long (several months) that many rebels will desert and return to their villages. Other rebel groups will be cornered by Indian or Burmese troops and destroyed. It did not work exactly as expected and the NSCN members are still active.

Most of the Naga people are Indian but some live in the Burmese far north Sagaing Region and belong to the NSCN which wants to form an independent Nagaland including Indian and Burmese territory and Naga people from both countries. Many of the camps being sought in Sagaing belong to the NSCN-K faction of the NSCN. At the start of 2019, there were believed to be about 5,000 active rebels in NSCN with about ten percent of them Burmese Naga. Operation since then sought to reduce the size of NSCN by a significant amount. These operations are not just going after the NSCN but also smaller groups like the Ulfa-I, NDFB and Manipur rebels.

The Naga are actually about two million people from a collection of tribes that share many ethnic (Burma-Tibetan) characteristics and traditions. About ten percent of the Naga live in Burma but most of the rebel violence occurs in Indian Nagaland. For years the Naga rebels have used bases in Burma to train and rest before returning to fight in India. After much diplomatic pressure, the Burmese army finally went after the Naga rebel camps and have now shut most of them down or at least made them very difficult to maintain. The Naga rebels do not fight the Burmese soldiers but always retreat. For this new operation, Burmese soldiers have orders to pursue and capture or kill any rebels they encounter. If the rebels head for India the Indian Army is alerted and moves troops into position to confront any rebels crossing the border to escape Burmese troops.

April 24, 2020: In the northwest (Rakhine state), across the border in Bangladesh the Burmese Rohingya refugees have overstayed their involuntary presence in Bangladesh. While the refugees were welcomes when they arrived in large numbers during 2017, after about a year the presence of nearly a million displaced Rohingya in an already crowded country became a problem. Most of the Rohingya refugees are in an area called Coxs Bazaar and their presence tripled the local population. At first, the locals were eager to help fellow Moslems, for a few months at least. But that expected short visit has gone on for three years and there is no end in sight. The appearance of the covid19 virus has made the situation worse because the refugee villages are more crowded and disorganized than the nearby Bangladeshi towns and villages.

These situations are increasingly common worldwide. First, there is a strain on local resources in an already overpopulated area. The locals grow resentful and then angry. This is accelerated by the loss of jobs to refugees who are willing to work, illegally, for less. The refugees have food and medical aid which is more than many of the locals have, especially those who lost their jobs to refugees, who are forbidden to take jobs, and got them anyway. Complaints to local police often become another opportunity for the police to enrich themselves with another bribe.

Many of the idle refugees seek solace in drugs, usually cheap Burmese methamphetamine pills. Production of this stuff is a major regional problem that is worth billions of dollars a year to the northern Burmese tribes and that is a tremendous incentive for tribal drug gangs and corrupt Burmese government officials to help keep it going, The meth (usually in pill form) is called yaba locally and is the most popular drug in Southeast Asia and China. Most (nearly half) of yaba goes to China, followed by Thailand. The Burmese meth has become hugely popular in China, which is pressuring the Burmese government to do more about the problem and that has resulted in more police activity up there, but not enough to put a dent in the drug business and the United Wa State militia, which dominates meth production, is basically untouchable. Bangladesh is seen as a new market opportunity and entrepreneurs among the refugees organized meth smuggling operations. Refugees are hired to smuggle the yaba in and distribute it to refugees and locals. Police efforts to curb the yaba trade leads to gun battles, arrests and more reasons to want the refugees gone. The refugees have nowhere to go and situations like this rarely end well.

April 20, 2020: In the northwest (Rakhine state) a foreign aid worker was killed and another wounded when they came under fire from soldiers who demanded they stop and not try to drive through the checkpoint with their UN vehicle. The two victims were in the area to collecting covid19 test swabs and taking them to be analyzed.

March 15, 2020: The Bangladesh coast guard found and rescued a people smuggling ship that ran out of fuel and food while trying to reach Malaysia with over 400 Rohingya refugees. The ship had been at sea for two months and 32 passengers had died. The ship was turned away from several ports because of fear it was carrying covid19 victims.

March 10, 2020: In the south (Chumphon Province) the Thai army completed mine clearing operations in a portion of the Thai/Burma border that had once been the scene of fighting by Burmese Karen tribal rebels against Burmese, and sometimes Thai troops. That fighting had been, at times intense and extensive in some border areas. This left thousands of landmines and unexploded munitions (dud shells as well as grenades), usually concentrated in a few border areas. The army mine-clearing troops recently completed clearing 200 old mines and over a hundred other unexploded items from 3.5 square kilometer border area. These clearance operations make border areas safe once more the locals as well as Thai and foreign tourists.
Leaders say the community has been hit particularly hard due to living conditions, informal jobs, high rate of diabetes.

New York City  Osman Chowdhury has not worked in more than a month. In the weeks since then, the taxi driver has attempted to get unemployment benefits, but New York Citys unemployment filing system has kept him swinging like a pendulum, he said.

He told Al Jazeera that he feels the city is pulling wool over his eyes, stalling him with questions and using loopholes in the system.

After he filed for unemployment, authorities called him to interview him, he said, to ask him if he has found a new job or is willing to do so.

In this situation, under this lockdown, who will give us a job? he said, exasperated. After the questioning, he was told he had to file again for pandemic unemployment assistance.

Theyve kept us in this uncertainty, like running us through a mill, through the loopholes of the system, he said.

Chowdhury is not alone. Other workers, such as taxi driver Obaidul H Majumder, did not want to risk possible exposure to the novel coronavirus. He lives at his Brooklyn home with his two children, his wife and his parents, who live on a rotational basis between him and his other siblings.

As workers who depend on weekly earnings, they have struggled with expenses such as rent or groceries. Majumder says he is never late on rent payments, but is having to negotiate with his landlord for the first time. Chowdhury currently relies on his niece to send him groceries.

A New York City taxicab drives through Times Square [File: Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

The two taxi drivers are part of the Bangladeshi community, which according to the 2010 census, is one of the fastest-growing South Asian populations in New York City. It also is a community that has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 162,000 people and killed at least 12,000 across New York City.

The citys Bangladeshi community is spread across primarily three boroughs: Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. These areas have some of the highest numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases, according to government data.

Many in the Bangladeshi community know someone or of someone who has died from COVID-19. More than 210 Bangladeshis in the US have died, with about 190 in New York alone, according to Md Taher, a community health worker in Brooklyn.

About 7 percent of the citys coronavirus deaths are known to be Asians, according to government data of cases with known race or ethnicity. While it is far lower than other racial and ethnic groups, it is unclear what percentage of the Bangladeshi community has been infected with or died from the virus, and advocates say the group has been hit particularly hard due to high levels of poverty, close living quarters, many working in the informal labour market and high rates of diabetes.

Overall, its the working-class community that is affected, said Kazi Fouzia, a community leader and organiser, adding that the danger of the virus is for any of us who cant afford full quarantine, who live in shared apartments which has affected other South Asian communities as well.

Underlying conditions, other factors

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a number of underlying health conditions, including lung disease, heart conditions and diabetes, make individuals more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19.

South Asian immigrants are more likely to have type 2 diabetes than the general population in the US.

What we do know is that South Asians  and Bangladeshis  have elevated risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and we know that those are risk factors for both contracting COVID and for developing COVID complications, said Dr Nadia Islam, an associate professor at New York University School of Medicine Department of Population Health.

Islam works with a centre that addresses health disparities in Asian American communities, with a primary focus on the health of the Bangladeshi community.

From that perspective, its not surprising to me that there may be a large number of deaths in the Bangladeshi community, she told Al Jazeera. Because research weve done at the city level [shows] between 25-30 percent of the Bangladeshi community has type-2 diabetes. So it may make sense from a scientific perspective.

Some organisers attribute lifestyle and living status to the high rate of diabetes.

Sanjana Khan, co-founder and executive director of Laal, a non-profit that works with Bangladeshi women in the Bronx, says they focus on wellness for the community.

She said that a lot of our women come from a lot of shame around their body, for a lot of high rates of diabetes and hypertension. There isnt a lot of physical activity because theres not a lot of safe spaces to be physically active.

For the men, the issue can be different. Bangladeshi men make up the highest number of taxi drivers in New York City. Mamnun Haq, a community leader in Brooklyns Kensington neighbourhood, says for many Bangladeshi drivers, diabetes is an underlying condition, exacerbated by long hours of work and a sedentary lifestyle.

Lack of specific data

Compounding the problem is the lack of data on the number of deaths for specific ethnic and race groups. New York City currently breaks down the data into five race/ethnic categories: Black/African American; Hispanic/Latino; White; Asian; or other.

When data is aggregated across Asian Americans, it really masks any type of variation across these groups, said Islam, of NYU, who currently relies on information from ethnic media and community leaders such as Haq and Taher, to determine the number of deaths in the community.

A Bangladeshi woman crosses the street in Manhattan, New York [File: Anik Rahman/Reuters]

Shah Ahmed, editor in chief of Awaazbd, an online Bengali media outlet in New York, says they began recording the data from the early days of the quarantine. Ahmed lost his grandmother to coronavirus recently. He echoed the fears expressed by organisers that many are dying at home undetected.

Ahmed says for every five people they are counting dead, there is an estimated one or two counted deaths that are undiagnosed. He says for the 211 people counted in the death toll, they have counted about 60 people who died without a diagnosis, but who were suspected of having the virus.

Fouzia, who also is the director of organising at Desis Rising Up and Moving, told Al Jazeera that she is aware of at least 20 families who are sick with symptoms, and have stayed at home and are taking the matter into their own hands.

Many fear that if they are hospitalised, they will not be allowed to communicate with family members, would be taken off the ventilators or would be lost in the statistics.

Mohammed Ahmed, who works as a food vendor at a gas station, said when he fell sick last month, he was worried about catching the virus. He doubted whether emergency services would show up for him, or worried that it would take seven hours to get a test or he would have to wait at the hospital while being potentially exposed.

Fouzia said she knows of at least two women who have died in their homes after they refused to go to the hospital fearing similar circumstances.

How will we recover?

The community, meanwhile, is especially feeling the effects of the coronavirus as they begin the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

One of the challenges were seeing in the Bangladeshi community is food insecurity that could potentially be exacerbated during Ramadan, said Islam, so I know many of the mosques and social services are doing a lot around food delivery distribution and connection to food banks.

Haq added that cultural beliefs and stigma often discourage many from accepting help directly from individuals, and many prefer accepting assistance from government agencies or community organisations.

Workers such as Majumder and Chowdhury remain in limbo. Eight of Chowdhurys friends have died, and he said there are at least eight others who are sick.

Even after the city reopens, say in one to two months, where will we go for work? Where will we find passengers? he said. The whole world has collapsed. How will we recover?
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Local health-care workers could soon score a free ride courtesy of Uber.

On Wednesday, the worlds leading e-hail company announced that it would donate 5,000 free rides to Staten Island health-care workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak through a partnership with State Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn).

Our health-care workers are on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. Many of them face long work hours and have difficulties getting to and from their jobs. These Uber rides will help workers get to and from work with less worry. I thank Uber for their support of our health-care workers and hope that many take advantage of this program, Savino said.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Uber has provided $25 round-trip ride codes to Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) and other organizations that represent doctors, nurses and health-care professionals to distribute to workers based on greatest need.

On behalf of everyone at Richmond University Medical Center I want to thank Uber and Senator Savino for supporting our heroes on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, said RUMC president and chief executive officer, Dr. Daniel J. Messina. Many of them are working well into the night, the early morning and beyond their normal shifts. This offer of a free ride, as simple as it may sound, means more than you can know.

The donation was part of a much larger commitment by Uber to provide 10 million free rides and meals to health-care workers, seniors and people in need.

Our healthcare workers are heroes and we all have a role to play in supporting their incredible efforts. Were honored to partner with Senator Savino to give back to the brave men and women on Staten Island who are on the frontlines of this crisis, said Hayley Prim, Manager for Public Policy at Uber.

UBERS OTHER EFFORTS

In addition to the 10 million free rides and meals, Uber has announced a host of other ongoing initiatives to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The company has rolled out new in-app messaging that reminds riders to only travel when absolutely necessary and to take precautionary steps to protect themselves.

Uber Pool, which provides shared rides at lower costs, has been temporarily suspended in all markets to support social distancing.

Health-care workers in some European and Latin American countries are receiving free rides to their respective homes and hospitals, with the company working to expand the initiative to more countries.

Discounted rides are being offered in Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to help connect low-income, vulnerable communities with food sources.

Additionally, any driver or delivery person who is diagnosed with COVID-19, or is asked to self-quarantine to prevent spread of the virus, is eligible for up to 14 days of financial assistance through the company.

Uber is also working with its business partners to provide necessary cleaning supplies to its frontline employees.

UBER EATS

Uber Eats has waived the delivery fee for over 100,000 independent restaurants across the United States and Canada, with daily, targeted marketing campaigns -- in-app and via email -- to promote deliveries from local restaurants.

The company has also introduced a new feature that will allow restaurants to opt-in to daily payments on all Uber Eats orders, as opposed to the standard weekly billing cycle, granting restaurants immediate access to their delivery revenue.

To ensure safety and limit the spread of germs during the outbreak, customers are being encouraged to request their delivery orders be left on their doorstep, with restaurants receiving guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure all food is sealed in tamper-evident packaging.

Uber Eats, in cooperation with local and state governments, has also committed 300,000 free meals to first responders and healthcare workers in the U.S. and Canada in the coming weeks.
Richard Drew/AP

The New York Foundation for the Arts have announced a new emergency-relief program for non-salaried workers in the visual arts, allowing for one-time, unrestricted grants of $2,000 for those hit hard from lack of income or opportunity as a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis.

The grants will be co-administered with the The Willem de Kooning Foundation, which initiated the program and coordinated with three other foundations -- the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Teiger Foundation and the Cy Twombly Foundation -- in establishing funds totaling $1,250,000.
By Express News Service

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will premiere on Disney Plus two months ahead of schedule on May 4, popularly referred to as Star Wars Day by fans. Disney has been releasing several films ahead of schedule on the streaming platform ever since the Covid-19 lockdown started. Some other films that arrived early on Disney Plus include Frozen 2 and Pixar film Onward. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, a documentary series, will also release on the platform on May 4.

Helmed by JJ Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Daisy Ridley among others. With the new addition, all nine films in George Lucass Skywalker saga will be available to stream on Disney Plus. The film was released worldwide on December 20 last year.
Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenian-backed army said on Wednesday that Azerbaijani forces have fired mortars on its frontline positions for the first time in almost a year.

In a statement, the Defense Army said that the shelling did not hurt any of its soldiers and stopped after its troops returned fire. It did not specify whether they also used mortars in response.

It has to be noted that this is the first instance of the Azerbaijani armys use of mortars against Armenian positions since June 2019, the statement said, adding that the situation on the frontline is calm at the moment.

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the claim. It said earlier in the day that Armenian troops continued to violate the ceasefire along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Karabakh line of contact with small arms in the past 24 hours.

The Karabakh Armenian army claimed to have shot down an Azerbaijani military drone just hours before the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers as well as international mediators held a video conference April 21. In a joint statement, Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov pledged to continue looking for ways to resolve the Karabakh conflict despite the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the statement, during the conference the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the Minsk Group renewed their calls for the conflicting parties to strictly observe the ceasefire and avoid provocative actions in the current environment.

Truce violations in the conflict zone have decreased significantly since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met for the first time in September 2018. The two leaders and their foreign ministers have held regular talks since then.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 21 that the two sides have been actively discussing a peace plan which he presented to Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov at a trilateral meeting held in Moscow a year ago. Lavrov said the plan calls for a phased settlement that would start with Armenian withdrawal from several districts around Karabakh.

Mnatsakanian implicitly denied this. He said that for the last two years Baku and Yerevan have only exchanged views on some elements of a possible peace deal.

By contrast, Mammadyarov echoed Lavrovs claims when he spoke to journalists in Baku on Tuesday.
A group of app companies has launched the App Coalition, a trade group that will begin its lobbying efforts with a push to make it easier for app developers to qualify for loans under coronavirus relief programs.

Why it matters: Many small and independent tech firms need access to fresh capital as the pandemic blows holes in the global economy. Existing tech trade groups like the Internet Association represent companies of all sizes, but tech giants' interests are increasingly at odds with those of their smaller counterparts on issues like competition.

Details: The charter members of the group are:

Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak, OpenTable and RentalCars.com, all subsidiaries of online travel conglomerate Booking Holdings;

Blix, maker of email app BlueMail;

Fritzy, an Amsterdam company that's about to launch an app to help travelers find restaurants, bars and clubs that are popular with locals; and

Perry Street Software, maker of LGBTQ dating apps Scruff and Jackd.

The group is in talks with "at least two dozen" additional companies about joining and will hold a summit in June  either virtually or in person  to bring together current and prospective member companies, said Perry Street CEO and coalition board member Eric Silverberg.

"By now, most lawmakers understand that the internet is not a series of tubes, but I think the way they think of the world is still through the lens of browsers and desktops," Silverberg told Axios. "The app economy has unique considerations and concerns and needs. We felt it was necessary to create a space to discuss these issues."

What's next: The coalition's first priority will be lobbying lawmakers and the Trump administration on revising the Small Business Administration's "affiliation rules."
Photo credit: David Crotty - Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

Amber Portwood of Teen Mom OG says shes met a man online named Dimitri.

Dimitri will be flying from Belgium to the United States to meet Amber for the first time.

Sure, the quarantine may have put a temporary halt on single people meeting up with each other IRL, but it looks like Amber Portwood has approximately zero f*cks to give about that. Why? Well, because she has met the man of her dreams online (and is finally moving on from her ex Andrew Glennon as a result).

On last nights episode of Teen Mom OG, Amber revealed that a dating service set her up with a fetching man named Dimitri. It was super chill, she told a producer on the show. Hes a very nice person. Chemistry matters a lot to me. He was the only one who never brought up dick pics and stuff like that.

Amber and Dimitris conversations have been going so well that theyve decided he should come see her in the States soon. I started opening up to him and we decided we should meet since we like each other this much, she added.

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Later on in the episode, Amber and Dimitri had a video phone call that showed them discussing their travel plans. Dimitri shared that he will be flying out from Belgium to stay with Amber in Indiana for three months, and get thisits his first time coming to the United States!

Although it may seem like Amber is moving just a tad bit fast here, dont worryshes still making it a huge point to prioritize her family above all else. Everyone in my life right now understands whats numero uno and thats [her children] James and Leah, and if I want a happy relationship, they have to understand that, she explained.

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Music photographer Ruth Medjber, has been a vocal proponent of Irish art and culture over the years under her Ruthless Imagery banner, no more so than in her day job, which has seen her criss-cross Ireland and the world while documenting live music, capturing a wide variety of musicians and their fans in the raw.

When Covid-19 first made an impact on Irish society a little over two months ago, the ramifications of event cancellations and the loss of other work, on her and other photographers/videographers, were immediate, but an impulse to document humanity as it is came to fruition in the unique circumstances in which we find ourselves for Dublin-based Medjber.
"When the dust settles, its a safe bet people will remember which brands chose to take seemingly genuine action during a time of crisis."

With approximately half of all content posted in social media since March 15 related to COVID-19, today brand marketing and reputation management firm Elasticity  which in Q3 2019 opened operations in Denver  unveiled an analysis of the most engaging brands, organizations and non-profits in the metro Denver region during the pandemic.

The Elastic Insights analysis, which examined more than 100 leading metro Denver businesses, found the most effective social media content highlighted authentic acts of support for frontline workers during the pandemic.

While there was a trickle of COVID-19 related content leading up to March 10, Governor Polis state of emergency declaration opened a flood of content from Denver-area businesses, each trying to raise awareness and communicate how they were responding to the emerging crisis, according to Elasticity Partner Andrew Barnett, who led the research and analysis effort.

METHODOLOGY



Companies, organizations and non-profits were chosen based on community involvement, revenue, consumer reach and other factors related to audience engagement through Facebook during the pandemic.

A balanced engagement measure was created to account for differences in organizational scale and social media community sizes, examining common content themes and how audiences engaged with content through post reactions, comments and shares.

The data was gathered leveraging Facebooks API, pulling Facebook post data into the proprietary Elastic Insights measurement system.

Machine learning insights from IBM Watsons Natural Language Understanding platform were then used by Elasticity to examine common themes across social media posts.

What became clear was consumers are rooting for brands and organizations that are openly working to help all of us move forward during this pandemic, said Barnett. Outside of the political realm, everyday people were crossing party lines to help unify against an invisible force. When the dust settles, its a safe bet people will remember which brands chose to take seemingly genuine action during a time of crisis.

KEY INSIGHTS

The analysis found the most engaging COVID-19-related content focused on themes of saluting frontline workers, particularly healthcare workers. Interestingly, this proved to be more engaging than brands who highlighted their donations.

MOST ENGAGING CONTENT

Some of the most impactful, highly engaged posts from metro Denver businesses included:



The Denver Museum of Nature & Sciences post about donating 90,000 Nitrile gloves, masks, Tyvek suits, booties and cleaning supplies to Kaiser Permanente Thrive.

Molson-Coors posts about pledging $1 million to the United States Bartenders Guild, donating 50,000 cans of water to the Salvation Army Intermountain Division, and manufacturing hand sanitizer.

PCL Constructions post about donating and delivering more than 800 N95 masks to Alberta Health Services.

Denver Health's post thanking health care workers on the front lines by lighting up the main hospital each night.

LEADING BRANDS

The 10 most engaging metro Denver brands and organizations included:

1. Denver Health

2. Molson-Coors

3. Chipotle

4. City and County of Denver Government

5. DaVita Kidney Care

6. Childrens Hospital Colorado

7. Denver Museum of Nature & Science

8. The University of Colorado Denver

9. The Everett Clinic

10. PCL Construction

For more about Elasticitys proprietary Elasticity Insights measurement system or the methodology behind the firms analysis of the most engaging metro Denver brands, organizations and non-profits during the COVID-19 pandemic, contact Andrew Barnett at andrew@goelstic.com.
Australians are getting through the coronavirus lockdown with food delivery services and online gambling, an economic tracker has shown.

New data published by leading credit bureau, Illion, and economists at AlphaBeta, has revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Australians' spending habits.

Over the last six weeks, Aussies have been urged to stay inside and socially-distance in a bid to contain the coronavirus - resulting in a steep drop in consumer spending in usually-thriving sectors.

As Australians are forced to stay home, many are turning to food delivery services for their meals. Pictured: Food delivery riders in Sydney's CBD on April 15

Data published by leading credit bureau, Illion , and economists at AlphaBeta, shows spending on food delivery has increased by 192 per cent

Australians have also turned to online gambling after being urged to stay indoors for the past six weeks (stock image)

From the week of April 13 to 19, total spending per person dropped 14 per cent below normal levels, according the latest figures.

Gyms, public transport, travel and cafes have been the hardest hit following the government's strict isolation measures last month.

But the lockdown has boosted spending in other areas, such as food delivery, subscription TV, alcohol and tobacco and home improvement, as cooped-up Australians have turned to them to cope.

Food delivery is listed as the number one spending category within the time frame, seeing an increase of 192 per cent.

From the week of April 13 to 19, total spending per person dropped 14 per cent below normal levels, however the government's stimulus plan has arrested the decline of discretionary spending

Coming in second is online gambling, which increased by 71 per cent, followed by furniture and office with 57 per cent.

Spending on essentials have see-sawed, seeing a nine per cent spike in early March - during the first week of the crisis when shoppers were scrambling to stock up on groceries and other supplies.

The economic tracker has also revealed the positive effects of the government's stimulus package, which arrested the decline of discretionary spending.
African Americans still facing higher COVID-19 Related Death Rate

Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti interested in forming a Taskforce prioritizing Underserved communities.

Monday, April 27. The City of Los Angeles heard from Mayor Eric Garcetti. He shared the latest news surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak in L.A. and the surrounding areas. Mayor Garcetti addressed many concerns, such as the time expectancy Los Angeles will re-open the economy and o the higher death rate found in African American Communities.

Mayor Garcetti reviewed the updated data surrounding COVID-19, he reiterated the significance of testing and how they guide the course of his decisions. Eric Garcetti provided principles that align with the county departments Benchmarks, the mayor shared that Angeleno lives are of upmost priority.

The Los Angeles City Mayor shared the latest update behind the COVID-19 outbreak in L.A. The elected Official shared as of April 27. there were 29 additional deaths, 25 of these individuals were between the ages of 65 and over, 18 of them with underlining health conditions. 3 people were between the ages of 41-65, with one of them having preexisting health concerns. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 942.

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The significant rise in death rates within the African Community is a pressing matter, Eric Garcetti addressed it by noting the largest test site in the county is the Crenshaw Christian Center, which is located in a high-density living area for African Americans. Mayor Garcetti stated, This virus doesnt discriminate in terms of who can get infected, it does discriminate in terms of the outcome. When asked if there is room on the agenda for a proactive task force and opportunity for activists and experts to represent underserved communities, that can join him in these briefings he responded, I love the idea of a taskforceI think it should focus on the disproportionate impacts among our poor, homeless, among people who are part of ethnic groups that are disproportionately dying or being affected Mayor Eric Garcetti Agreed to having experts come in, that are prioritizing underserved communities.

Other concerns were of employment and serving housebound elderly Angelenos. People that are between the ages of 65 and over with underlining health conditions, are part of the most at-risk groups to have a fatal outcome from contracting coronavirus. Their best defense is to stay at home, which creates the issue of food supply and access to needed provisions. Mayor Garcetti announced a contract between L.A. and Serving Our Community, that feeds the citys elderly. Serving Our Community is an institution launched by Hospitality and Training. This initiative converts industrial sized kitchens and laid-off hospitality employees into fully staffed facilities that deliver food and provide cleaning services. Hospitality and Training (HTA) was granted a regional master service contract by the state of California. 75% of the funding for the service comes from FEMA.

Last week, the Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti reiterated the most efficient fight against COVID-19 is within testing aggressively. Last week there were 30 active testing sites available, as of April 27 there is 35 testing locations. 120,000 people have been tested for COVID-19. There is a testing capacity that is prepared for 12,000 people a day across the L.A. County. Eric Garcetti specified the best defense and most efficient way to recovery is to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Regarding the Safer at Home Order being lifted, everything will not re-open by May 15. Mayor Garcetti expressed the recovery plan is being developed in Snapshots, The most sufficient action is to open the economy in  baby steps aligning with the California State Governor, the most likely notion will be to open each business in sanctions and manage the outbreak as it fluctuates.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has named the seven Democrats who will sit on the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis that will oversee the government's roll out of trillions of dollars in aid to states, small businesses, and health care workers.

They are:

Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who will chair the committee

Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters of California

Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York

Small Business Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez of New York

Bill Foster of Illinois, the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's sub-panel on investigations and oversight

Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the chairman of the Oversight Committee's sub-panel on civil rights and civil liberties

Andy Kim of New Jersey, the chairman of the Small Business Committee's sub-panel on economic growth, tax, and capital access

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is expected to appoint five Republicans to the committee later this week. Democrats established the oversight panel on a party-line vote last week.

Ms Pelosi has said her top priority for the more than $2.7trn Congress has spent to help the US health system and economy through the crisis is to ensure it is administered equitably.

"We must be sure that the money we put forth goes to those who need it most, in a way that addresses disparities in access to health care and credit," Ms Pelosi said in a Wednesday "Dear Colleague" letter to all House Democrats.

"We also owe it to the American people to prevent waste, fraud and abuse and to protect against price-gouging and profiteering," the speaker said.

In an introductory press conference on Wednesday, Mr Clyburn defended his record as a non-partisan investigator before he came to Congress and insisted he does not plan to turn the new panel into a partisan sniper's nest.

Ms Pelosi has sought to assure Mr McCarthy and Republicans that the select committee will not focus its resources on probing the Trump administration's preparedness and early response to the crisis, even though it has that broad authority. Such politically touchy subject matter can wait for an "after-action review," Ms Pelosi has said.

"Of course we're going to act in a non-partisan way on this," the speaker said on Wednesday. "This is about the here and now, and how we go forward."

Mr McCarthy, who was reportedly given Ms Pelosi's list of Democratic panel members last week, does not appear impressed, calling the committee "impeachment 2.0," Fox News reported. He has previously panned the select committee as "pure politics."

Mr McCarthy has said the panel is redundant since the House's dozens of other committees all have oversight and subpoena powers.

But Ms Pelosi countered on Wednesday that it is important to have a singular "bright light shining on the implementation" of trillions of tax dollars to fight the coronavirus.

"This is not in any way a substitute for what the committees do," Ms Pelosi. "They all have an oversight responsibility," she said, but noted that they have other issues to focus on aside from coronavirus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 07:36:58|Editor: huaxia

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Alphabet Inc. , Google's parent company, on Tuesday reported its first quarter revenue of nearly 41.2 billion U.S. dollars, up 13 percent as against the same period last year, beating analysts' expectation of 40.3 billion dollars.

The company announced financial results for the first quarter with net income of 6.84 billion U.S. dollars, or 9.87 dollars per share, compared with 6.66 billion dollars, or 9.50 dollars a share, in the same period of 2019.

"Our business, led by Search, YouTube, and Cloud, drove Alphabet revenues to 41.2 billion dollars, up 13 percent versus last year, or 15 percent on a constant currency basis," said Ruth Porat, Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet and Google.

Among the entire quarterly revenue of 41.16 billion US dollars, a total of 33.76 billion dollars came from advertising, according to the company's financial report.

The report also showed that the sales from Google Cloud and YouTube continued to increase. YouTube ad revenue increased 33 percent to 4.04 billion dollars from last year's 3.03 billion dollars, while Google Cloud sales grew 52 percent to 2.78 billion dollars from 1.83 billion dollars.

"Performance was strong during the first two months of the quarter, but then in March we experienced a significant slowdown in ad revenues," said Porat.

"We are sharpening our focus on executing more efficiently while continuing to invest in our long-term opportunities," she added. Enditem
Calls for literary organizations and individuals flush with money to support individuals suffering lost jobs and income from the coronavirus crisis are growing. A new one is a Change.org petition which has garnered nearly 1,500 signatures asking the Poetry Foundation to dip into its deep pocketsit holds in excess of $250 million in assetsto support poets and independent publishers who are struggling economically because of the pandemic.

"With their uniquely deep pockets, it would be amazing to see the Foundation step up with innovative initiatives to support at risk writers in this difficult time," says the petition. It notes, "The Foundation has already signal boosted Pen America's Writer's Relief Fund. We'd like to see them go further."

The Poetry Foundation was established after a 2002 windfall when Ruth Lilly, an heir to a fortune built by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, donated $200 million to Poetry magazine. The Foundation's guidelines mandates that the organization never spend more than 5% annually of the total market value of the endowment in a given year.

With the recent stock market crash, the Foundation's capital is likely to have shrunk somewhat. Nevertheless, the petition is asking the Foundation to spend $5 million, which it says "could meaningfully support the livelihoods of hundreds of writers and literary workers who need it most."

As of Wednesday morning, the petition had nearly reached its goal of 1,500 signatures.
State stimulus checks would flow to certain immigrant taxpayers who are ineligible for similar payments through a federal program, under bills recently filed in the Massachusetts House and Senate.

Filed by Sen. Jamie Eldridge and Rep. Christine Barber, the bills would direct the state Department of Revenue to issue stimulus checks -- $1,200 for an individual, plus more for dependent children and subject to reductions over set income thresholds -- to people who paid Massachusetts taxes in 2019 using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, and were ineligible for similar federal rebates under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security relief package.

The Internal Revenue Service assigns Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) to people who are required to pay taxes but are not eligible for Social Security numbers, including some who do not have lawful immigration status in the U.S.Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, said towns he represents like Marlborough, Hudson and Maynard have large immigrant communities, and that hed heard from undocumented constituents who have lost work during the COVID-19 pandemic but arent eligible for unemployment or public benefits and did not receive federal stimulus payments.He called the legislation really an issue of fairness."

Theres always discussion around undocumented constituents and are they paying taxes," Eldridge told the News Service. They all pay the taxes that consumers do, but in particular, these individuals, they would have had to file with an ITIN number, a number they can request from the IRS if they dont have a Social Security number. Most do not have legal immigration status, but theyve been paying taxes for years in hopes of immigration reform.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center pegged the cost of providing cash benefits to ITIN filers, in an amount equal to the federal stimulus theyd receive if eligible, at $58 million. An estimated 57,000 Massachusetts residents live in households with an ITIN filer, according to the center.

Barber, in a recent Somerville Media Center interview, said she filed the bill to help that group of immigrants who have been working, who have paid into the system, but havent been able to get the assistance that they really need as well.

She said California created a similar program to provide payments for immigrants ineligible for the federal stimulus.

The way we can find them and connect with them, similar to the stimulus payment, is through their ITIN number, because they have paid taxes so we have a record of them in the tax system, she said. It would be just a subset of immigrants but it is people who are paying taxes and who are in our community.

Eldridge said the legislation would also benefit mixed status families, where one spouse is a U.S. citizen but the other does not have a Social Security number.

I talk regularly to food pantries in the district, and theyre definitely seeing an increased need, and some of that need is coming from immigrant families that have often had non-traditional jobs because of their legal status, he said. Its a particular crisis within a lot of immigrant communities, but its kind of a silent crisis.

Eldridges bill (S 2659) also includes language requiring the Executive Office of Administration and Finance to distribute $10 million to organizations serving immigrants within 90 days. His bill is now before the Joint Committee on Revenue for review.Barbers bill (HD 5036), which has 41 cosponsors, was referred to the House Rules Committee on April 27.

Since Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10 and social distancing became the norm, the House and Senate have been meeting in only informal sessions, where bills need the consent of all lawmakers present to advance. The House plans to begin holding remote formal sessions later this week if it is able to finalize rules permitting members to call in rather than being physically present in the chamber.

Immigrant advocates have been pressing legislators this session to take action on their priority bills, including proposals that would make drivers licenses available to undocumented immigrants and that would restrict state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Despite the advocacy, Democratic legislative leaders have not brought the bills to the floor for a vote in either branch.

Eldridge is the Senate sponsor of the immigration enforcement bill, which supporters refer to as the Safe Communities Act. The lead House sponsors of that bill, Reps. Ruth Balser and Liz Miranda, were the first of 25 lawmakers to sign on to Eldridges stimulus bill.

In February, when legislative committees faced a deadline to report out most bills, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee gave itself until May 1 -- this Friday -- to make a decision on the immigration enforcement bill.

With pandemic-related matters now taking up most of the Legislatures attention, some committees have been filing additional extension orders to give themselves more time on already-extended bills.

Clearly sort of bigger policy issues on every front are not happening now, whether its climate change or reproductive rights or immigration policy, Eldridge said. I would like us to start taking up those bills as well, but obviously right now, with passing bills in informal session, sometimes it can limit what we can pass.

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Cairo: Saudi Arabia's cabinet has urged Yemen's main separatist group, which has declared self-rule in the south, to abide by an agreement to end a previous standoff with the Saudi-backed government.

The declaration by the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Sunday, which included emergency rule in southern regions, threatens to renew conflict with the government.

They are both part of a military alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to battle Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

"Any step that is contrary to the Riyadh agreement should be cancelled," the Saudi cabinet said in a statement issued late on Tuesday, referring to a power-sharing deal agreed in November.

The virtual cabinet meeting was chaired by King Salman. State news agency SPA posted images of the monarch and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, taking part at separate locations.

The Saudi-led coalition on Monday described the STC's announcement of emergency rule in the south, including the interim seat of government Aden, as an "escalatory action" at a time when all parties should focus on confronting the novel coronavirus.

The cabinet also lauded the coalition for extending by one month a nationwide ceasefire due to the coronavirus, which Riyadh said would also help alleviate the suffering of Yemenis during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Friday, and support UN peace efforts.

The United States welcomed the coalition ceasefire announcement, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported on Wednesday, citing US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the coalition intervened in March 2015 against the Houthis, who control Sanaa and most big urban centres. They have not accepted the truce.

The war has killed more than 100,000 people and pushed millions to the verge of famine.
In support of Nigeria in the fight against COVID-19, Germany has granted Nigeria a debt relief worth 22.4 million (N8.9bn).

Recall that it was reported on Tuesday that the European nation donated additional 5.5million to Nigeria.

Also Read: BREAKING: Germany Donates Additional 5.5m To Nigeria

In a further development, in a statement on Tuesday, Germany, which has Europes largest economy, said the debt relief comes in addition to its support of the pandemic response globally.

In 2020, the German treasury relieves Nigeria of debt repayments amounting to 22.4 million (N8.9bn), the statement said.

Germany also noted it has pledged a total of 12 million (N4.8bn) in additional support to the West Africa Health Organisation, the regional health institution of the ECOWAS.
But despite a handful of calls for rent strikes, data show the vast majority of tenants paid rent in April.

Among those living in professionally managed apartments, 91.5% of tenants had paid at least some rent by April 26, according to a survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council. Thats only slightly lower than in April 2019, although the data show a much sharper drop-off in the share of tenants who paid rent during the first week.

In Wisconsin, Mokler said WAA surveys indicate most landlords collected at least 80% of rent due in April.

While that sounds good, it really is not as that does not always cover all the expenses and loan payments, Mokler said, adding that landlords may also face losses because they are unable to lease vacant apartments.

Hearing scheduled

Doug Bibby, president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, said its encouraging that tenants are still trying to meet their obligations but warned many are using savings or going into debt to do so. The organization is calling on Congress to enact a renter assistance program.
: All the 14 migrant workers,



including a woman, hailing from Yanam, who were stranded in other states during the ongoing lockdown, returned to the enclave of Puducherry on Wednesday following Union Home Ministry's nod for their return.

Regional administrator of Yanam Shivraj Meena told PTI that the migrant workers were eking out their livelihood in Hyderabad, Telangana, Odisha and Karnataka.

They were stranded in these states following the COVID-19 lockdown.

When the residents reached the border in Yanam on April 26 they could not enter their native region as it was sealed and they were consequently prevented from reaching home, as per the then guidelines of the Home Ministry.

The latest guidelinesreceived from the Centre on Tuesday, however, facilitated the migrant workers' return to Yanam.

The regional Administrator said as it was mandatory the samples of the migrant workers were tested for COVID-19 and as they all tested negative, and were permitted to return. However, they would remain in quarantine in their homes.

Puducherry Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao had charged the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi with standing in the way of the return of the workers and he resorted to a dharna on Assembly premises on Wednesday.

He withdrewthe stir after the Home Ministry sent its order enabling the migrant workers to return to Yanam, sources close to the Minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Philippines is buying four Japanese FPS-3 air search radars for $103 million. One will be mobile and mounted on trucks. FPS-3 is a modern AESA (Active Electronic Scanned Array) type radar with a search and detection range of over 400 kilometers. It can track multiple contacts by indicating the direction, range and altitude of each contact. FPS-3 is used extensively by the Japanese air defense system. AESA radar is a 1960s development that, over the decades, got cheaper and more compact. It is now becoming the standard. AESA has better range and resolution than older designs. AESA uses a fixed plate of radar elements with radar beams directed electronically across the sky, rather than a constantly moving radar dish with lots of mechanical parts that are prone to break down. Japan has become a major source of AESA radars and other military technology that the Philippines needs to defend itself from China.

For example, in early 2016 Japan agreed to lease the Philippines five TC-90 aircraft for under a million dollars a year. Not only was this inexpensive but of great military value to the Philippines. The TC-90 doubles the range of Filipino coastal surveillance from 300 to 600 kilometers. Until quite recently it was illegal for Japan to do this sort of thing. Japan changed its laws in 2014 to allow for the export of military equipment (under certain conditions) and has supplied the Philippines with a lot more low-cost help like the TC-90s. For that reason, China protested this Japanese support for the Philippines because the expanding Chinese navy now has more eyes on it.

The TC-90 is one of many military versions of the popular King Air twin-engine civilian transport. Many are used for military purposes like training, transport, electronic warfare and surveillance. Japan has been using them since the 1970s. In fact, one of the most common military air transports is the King Air, with nearly 300 still in American military service. Its not surprising that most people think of the King Air as a civilian aircraft because most of the 6,000 built since the 1960s have been for commercial use. Yet one of the first customers in the 1960s was the U.S. Army. Since then more than a thousand King Airs have been bought, often second-hand, by the military because the price was right and the King Air could get the job done.

The Philippines also purchased twelve South Korean FA-50 armed trainers for $49 million each. All were delivered by 2017. The single-engine, two-seat jet aircraft is intended to restore combat aircraft capability in the Philippines Air Force. The FA-50 is the combat version of the South Korean designed and manufactured T-50 jet trainer. This aircraft was developed in the 1990s and entered service in 2005. The 13 ton aircraft is actually a light fighter and can fly at supersonic speeds. With some added equipment (radars and fire control) the T-50 becomes the FA-50, a combat aircraft. This version carries a 20mm auto-cannon and up to 4.5 tons of smart bombs and missiles. The T-50 can stay in the air about four hours per sortie and has a service life of 8,000 flight hours.

Since 2005, when the Philippines removed from service its eight F-5 fighters, there were no fighter aircraft in the Filipino air force. These 1960s era aircraft were not much of a match for more recent warplanes and were expensive to maintain. In the meantime, the Philippines used armed turboprop trainer aircraft for strikes against Moslem and communist rebels.

The FPS-3 radars and FA-50 aircraft restore Filipino ability to better protect its air space than any time in the past. While these new systems are no competition for the airpower China can deploy in the South China Sea it does force the Chinese to be careful in how they use their coast guard and navy warships to intimidate Filipino fishing boats being forced out of waters that are legally Filipino but now claimed by China. It takes the impunity out of these Chinese efforts. The Chinese are not unprepared for this. The new Chinese aircraft carriers enable China to up the ante when it comes to intimidation. But to do that it exposes these carriers to retaliation by Filipino allies as well as the Philippines itself as the Philippines is also shopping for anti-ship missiles large, fast and scary enough to intimidate a Chinese carrier task force. The Philippines also has backups in any confrontation with China. Not just American carriers but also Japanese submarines. These subs are superior to anything China has and pose a very real threat to any Chinese carriers operating in the South China Sea.

The Philippines may not be as heavily armed as China, but preparations have been made to deal with any Chinese use of force, or intimidation.




The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday approved the sum of $3.4 billion as requested by the Nigerian government for emergency support.

The approval was granted after a meeting of the IMF executive board where it discussed Nigerias request for emergency support under the rapid financing instrument.

The amount is expected to be used in mitigating the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant sharp fall in international oil prices.

The figure approved for Nigeria is the total special drawing right (SDR) Nigeria holds with the IMF and is also the highest to be approved for any African nation so far.

A statement released by the IMF said the financial support will help limit the decline in international reserves and provide financing to the budget for targeted and temporary spending increases aimed at containing and mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and of the sharp fall in international oil prices.

Mitsuhiro Furusawa, deputy managing director and acting chair of the IMF executive board, said: The short-term focus on fiscal accommodation would allow for higher health spending and help alleviate the impact of the crisis on households and businesses.

Steps taken toward a more unified and flexible exchange rate are also important and unification of the exchange rate should be expedited.

Once the COVID-19 crisis passes, the focus should remain on medium-term macroeconomic stability, with revenue-based fiscal consolidation essential to keep Nigerias debt sustainable and create fiscal space for priority spending.

Implementation of the reform priorities under the economic recovery and growth plan, particularly on power and governance, remains crucial to boost growth over the medium term.

Additional assistance from development partners will be required to support the governments efforts and close the large financing gap. The implementation of proper governance arrangementsincluding through the publication and independent audit of crisis-mitigating spending and procurement processesis crucial to ensure emergency funds are used for their intended purposes.

The IMF said it stands ready to provide policy advice and further support as needed.

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L abour leader Sir Keir Starmer will hold virtual meetings with members of the public over Zoom as he tries to resuscitate the party after its historic electoral defeat.

Dubbed Call Keir, he will hold the first hour-long discussion in the marginal Conservative area of Bury on Thursday before talking to residents in Tees Valley.

The meetings will be open to all members of the public in all regions, not just Labour voters, and are aimed at learning the lessons of the Labour Partys collapse in the December general election.

Sir Keir will also use the sessions to find out more about how people are coping with the coronavirus crisis and to scrutinise the Governments response.

Sir Keir hopes to find out how people are coping with the coronavirus outbreak / REUTERS

Coronavirus is the biggest crisis our country has faced in a generation, he said.

That is why I want to hear directly from people about their experiences, how they are coping and what more they want to see done to help keep people safe and well.

It is also important that Labour listens and learns from our election defeats. I want an open and frank conversation with the British people about what we need to do to restore peoples trust in the Labour Party.

Sir Keir took over from Jeremy Corbyn at the beginning of the month / PA

The choice of location for the first meeting is significant as a sign of intent as Bury North is the seat in which the Tories have their smallest majority in England with just 105 votes, while Bury South is third in that list.

So far, Sir Keir has been seen as having had a good run as leader after taking over at the beginning of the month from Jeremy Corbyn, who led the party to its worst such defeat since 1935.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

Sir Keir won praise from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, whereas his predecessor received unprecedented criticism from the Jewish leader during the election campaign.

But Sir Keir faces a challenge over a leaked anti-Semitism dossier which suggested factional opposition towards Mr Corbyn hindered efforts to tackle the crisis.
A 19-year-old fisherman reeled in a huge surprise when he caught a bizarre-looking creature on a fishing trip off the coast of Norway.

Oscar Lundahl was working as a fishing guide for Nordic Sea Angling in the fall of 2019. On a sea fishing expedition near the island of Andoya in northern Norway, Lundahl was in search of blue halibut, but one fish he reeled in was a rarely caught chimeric creature instead.

Lundahl reeled in a ratfish, or chimaeras monstrosa, a fish whose Latin name derives from a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent.

We were looking for blue halibut which is a rare species about five miles off shore, Lundahl told The Sun. I had four hooks on one line and felt something quite big on the end of it.

Lundahl explained that it took him 30 minutes to retrieve the fish from a depth of around 2,600 feet. He reeled in two halibut on two of the hooks, but the third fish took Lundahl completely by surprise. It was the young fishermans colleague who identified the marine creature as a ratfish.

It was pretty amazing, Lundahl recalled. I have never seen anything like it before. It just looked weird, a bit dinosaur-like.

Ratfish are sometimes referred to informally as ghost sharks, and the name is no misnomer. According to Science Daily, the ratfish is indeed a relative of the shark. Unlike sharks, however, ratfish lack the iconic predators rows of razor-sharp, replaceable teeth, instead possessing three pairs of large, permanent grinding plates.

The unusual-looking deep water fish has large bulbous eyes and a comparatively small body. According to FishBase, the ratfish resides almost exclusively in deep water regions and is rarely caught by fishermen.

Fish from the chimaeridae family are largely characterized by short rounded snouts and long tapering tails. Most chimaeras prefer to inhabit depths below 660 feet and can grow up to 4.92 feet in length. They feed mainly on seabed-dwelling invertebrates.

Some short-nosed chimaeras also have a venomous gland on their dorsal spine, potent enough to cause injury to a human being. Fish experts refer to the species as sluggish, however.

Hoping to spare the bizarre-looking fish its life, Lundahl took a few photos for posterity and attempted to release the ratfish back into the water. Unfortunately, the fish had already suffered owing to the sudden change in pressure and died shortly thereafter. The industrious fisherman, not wishing for the fish to go to waste, took it home to pan-fry in butter. He later reported that the cooked fish had tasted delicious.

Despite its ugly appearance it was really tasty, Lundahl told The Sun. It is a bit like cod, but tastier.

The catch was a first for Lundahl, but the ratfish is in fact a very ancient breed. Fossil records indicate that the fish existed in the Lower Jurassic period, approximately 200 million years ago.

In January 2020, another unsuspecting fisherman reeled in an odd-looking catch near Coney Island in New York City. A short video of the catch writhing on the dock with the fishing line still in its mouth was shared on the social media platform TikTok.

As reported by Fox News, the people who caught the sea-dwelling creature had no idea what it was they had caught. The video was viewed more than 15 million times, and viewers guesses ranged from a snake devouring a squirrel to a type of stingray.

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The serviceman was hit with fragments of a shell; the wound proved lethal

Open source

Ukrainian military Oleksiy Lysin was killed in Donbas as a result of the enemy shelling. This is reported by the 93rd Mechanized Brigade.

The soldier died on April 28, as a shell fragment hit him.

He was born on March 30, 1990. Almost the same age as the state, for which he died ... He joined our team last year when we defended the Avdiivka direction in Donetsk region, the message said.

Before the army service, a man worked as a trucker in Dnipro city. After the war, he dreamed of returning home and rebuilding his parental home, in which his mother and father were killed in a fire.

The deceased left his grandmother, younger brother, older sister, bride and daughter from his first marriage.

As we reported before, the list of highly-ranked persons involved in the MH17 disaster has apparently expanded. Bellingcat, the independent investigation bureau managed to identify the officer of Russia's FSB who was responsible for supervision of "the movement of weapons from Russia to Ukraine, and thus would have had to authorize the transfer of the Russian Buk missile launcher that shot the Malaysian airliner after crossing the border.
Salman Khan Extends Financial Help To Jr. Shah Rukh Khan And Lookalikes Of Other Superstars
A court has today blocked a Home Office bid to deport a HIV-positive Zimbabwean man with a lengthy criminal record, including drugs and weapons offences, because it would breach his human rights.

Supreme Court judges accepted the man, who has not been named, would be denied access to life-saving HIV treatment if sent back to Zimbabwe - because the medication he is taking is not available there.

Home Office chiefs first made a bid to deport the 33-year-old, identified only as 'AM', more than 14 years ago.

As reported in The Guardian, AM originally came to the UK in 2000 and was granted indefinite leave to remain four years later.

Judge as the Supreme Court (pictured) accepted the man, who has not been named, would be denied access to life-saving HIV treatment if sent back to Zimbabwe - because the medication he is taking is not available there

AM, who is married and has a son, was later convicted of a number of criminal offences, including assault and possession of a blade, leading Home Office chiefs to make an order to deport him in 2006.

Lawyers challenged the order in 2012, after AM was jailed for nine years in 2009 for the dealing heroin and possession of a firearm.

The Supreme Court ruled that deporting AM would breach his human rights. Pictured: Lord Wilson, who gave the judgment

AM, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2003, but had not become seriously ill until later, initially appealed against deportation claiming it would breach his right to a family life - under the European Convention on Human Rights.

But the case was switched to a new section of the convention, which protects people from inhuman or degrading treatment, such as torture.

It followed a ruling at the European Court of Human Rights, which establishes that those with serious illness cannot be deported if it is likely to substantially reduce that person's life expectancy.

In AM's case, the Supreme Court heard he would not be able to access to antiretroviral drug Eviplera if deported to Zimbabwe.

As reported in the Guardian, delivering judgment, Lord Wilson said: 'The reaction of many British citizens is likely to be: 'We don't want this man here.'

This is not one of those highly exceptional situations in which we should decline to follow a decision of the European Court of Human Rights.'

The case will now be taken to an immigration tribunal.

MailOnline has contacted the Home Office for a comment.
New Delhi: Actor Irrfan Khan, who battled neuroendocrine tumour, died at the age of 53 on Wednesday in Mumbai. He was admitted in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Hospital on Tuesday afternoon due to colon infection. Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who directed Irrfan in 'Piku', was the first one to mourn his death on Twitter. He posted a heart-wrenching tweet that read, My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om Shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.  Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

Irrfan's team also shared the news with the statement, 'I trust, I have surrendered'. These were some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it'."

Irrfan is survived by his wife Sutapa and two sons.

He was born on January 7, 1967, in Jaipur to a Muslim Pashtun family. Irrfan's mother late Saeda Begum (who died a few days ago) belonged to the Tonk Hakim family while his father Yaseen Ali Khan was from the Khajuriya village near Rajasthan's Tonk district.

Irrfan studied at the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in 1984. He made his Bollywood debut with 'Salaam Bombay!' in 1988, and the film was also nominated for the Academy Awards that year. He has films such as 'Haasil' and 'Maqbool', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Haider', 'Gunday', 'Piku', 'Talvar' and 'Hindi Medium' to his credit.

Irrfan has been awarded the most prestigious National Film Award, Filmfare amongst many others. In 2011, Irrfan was given the Padma Shri, country's fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts. 'Paan Singh Tomar' won him the National Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

In Hollywood, he starred in film such as 'The Warrior', 'The Namesake', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'New York, I Love You', 'The Amazing Spider-Man', 'Life of Pi', 'Jurassic World' and 'Inferno' to name a few.

Irrfan was last seen in the March release 'Angrezi Medium'.
As the coronavirus pandemic has upended lives around the world, office professionals who've been sent to work from home for the foreseeable future have adjusted to a new way of living and working. For many, coworkers offer support and connection when it's never been more crucial to make sense of stressful times. If there's a positive side to how the pandemic could change the workplace, it's that being vulnerable with colleagues during tough times could lead to stronger relationships and a better work experience overall. CNBC Make It spoke with workplace experts to examine how that could unfold.

'We're all the BBC dad now': Coworkers could become closer, better workers

Colleagues who've moved interactions to video have essentially fast-tracked their ability to build trust, says Nadjia Yousif, managing director and partner of Boston Consulting Group's London office. When you're able to pick up on non-verbal cues, or you're invited into a colleague's personal space, you form a deeper sense of intimacy much faster than you would in a traditional working environment, Yousif says. "This creates the space for psychological safety to happen more quickly." "People are doing virtual home tours, people's kids are popping into webcam conversations  we're all the BBC dad now," says organizational psychologist, Wharton professor and "Originals" author Adam Grant. Indeed, even those embarrassing moments with technology can help humanize colleagues and bring them closer together. Because of that, people may relax the boundaries they normally create around their home and their work lives, Grant adds, "and they can have really great connections with colleagues." When coworkers trust each other, they're more vocal, contribute more ideas, work collaboratively and can reach better solutions.

In-person interactions will take on new meaning

While videos have temporarily filled the social void, they've also highlighted that the nuances of relationship-building can get lost in virtual spaces. "In general, there's much more 'forced fun' going on these days," Yousif says of activities like virtual happy hours that have become the default way to socialize. "It is all scheduled and predetermined." The downside to not having everyone in one office is that you miss out on random connections and chance meetings, she adds. "You can do many virtual coffees, but it doesn't replace the real water cooler."

"For a long time, we've probably taken for granted the ability to see our coworkers every day and maybe didn't realize how valuable that was," says Lakshmi Rengarajan, a workplace connection consultant formerly of WeWork and Match.com. "I think teams will be a lot closer when they're able to move back into the workplace." Grant expects when coworkers return to the office following the pandemic, they'll ditch previous messaging habits and actually get up, walk around and visit with each other in-person. "There will probably be fewer sad desk lunches," he adds.

Work will come home, and vice versa

People may also be willing to bring their work lives home, in a social sense. "Americans are pretty bad at workplace friendships compared to many countries around world," Grant says, referring to surveys about how colleagues interact outside the workplace in three different countries. According to the research, 32% of American workers reported inviting their closest colleagues to their homes, compared with 66% in Poland and 71% in India. Just 6% of Americans reported vacationing with colleagues, versus 25% of Polish and 45% of Indian workers. "A lot of people feel the need to check their personal life at office door and be completely professional and productive and efficient in the office," Grant says. This could make it harder to form strong relationships at the office, even though research suggests people are happier with their jobs when they have a friend at work. Following the pandemic, "I think that will change," Grant continues, "in part because people are craving more connection. And also because the doors are open a little bit more now."

But some relationships could be harder to build
Irrfan Khan Opted Out Of These Projects After His Cancer Diagnosis; Included A Film With Deepika Padukone
 Flash

BRICS countries Tuesday evening agreed to enhance collaboration in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.



The consensus was reached during the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Extraordinary Conference on COVID-19 via video link, which was chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and gathered Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor.

Wang, who is also a state councilor, called on BRICS countries to "make the right call and do the right thing," as COVID-19 has put lives and health of people around the world under grave threat.

"We need to champion multilateralism and the approach of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits in governance," Wang said.

He encouraged countries to enhance coordination on macro economic policies and sustain coordination to keep up secure and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains.

Going forward, China is ready to step up the sharing of information and experience with BRICS countries and conduct joint research and development of drugs and vaccines on the basis of respecting each other's sovereignty and national conditions, said Wang.

The BRICS countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, must support UN bodies in playing their due roles in fighting COVID-19, he stressed.

He also voiced China's support in Russia's chairmanship and its initiative to formulate a Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025.

During the meeting, the foreign ministers had an in-depth exchange of views on safeguarding multilateralism, fighting against COVID-19, and advancing BRICS cooperation. They agreed to intensify information and experience sharing, push ahead collaboration in research of drugs and vaccines, contribute to global public health security, and minimize negative effects of the pandemic.
Irrfan Khan's demise has been condoled in both India and abroad. Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, actor Riz Ahmed, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and others took to their social media profiles to express their grief. Irrfan, over the years, had been a part of several high-profile Hollywood releases, including Jurassic World, Inferno, Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire and more.

Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, sharing his condolences, tweeted, "Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember 'the wonderful aspects of our existence' in the darkest of days. Here he is, laughing." He also shared a picture of the actor laughing from the sets of his recent release Angrezi Medium.

Irrfan passed away at the age of 53, in the presence of his family, after suffering from colon infection. The actor had battled cancer for two years since 2018. After being treated in London for cancer, Irrfan returned home, completed the shooting for what turned out to be his last film, Angrezi Medium.

Irrfan's international fame came with 2001 release, The Warrior. The film's director Asif Kapadia, also took to Twitter to share a picture of the actor from the film and wrote: "Love you Irrfan bhai."

Actor Riz Ahmed called him one of the greatest actors of current times and said he was a guiding light for so many in the industry. "Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan. I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others. His work was consistently transcendent, he was a guiding light for so many of us. If you've not seen his work, watch The Lunchbox or The Warrior. A true artist who spanned Bollywood and Hollywood and was acclaimed in both. His words in a letter to a newspaper about his illness are a reminder of his beautiful mind and of life's fragility. His work will live on."

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay also shared a black-and-white picture of Irrfan and said he will live on through his films. "A grateful fan of #IrrfanKhan here. Gone too soon. When he is on screen, you can't take your eyes off of him. He lives on in his films."

Irrfan Khan Will Be Missed: 6 Times The Actor Shook The Audience With His Iconic Performance

ALSO READ: Irrfan Khan's Last Rites Takes Place In Mumbai; Family Mourns The Loss Of His Passing Away


Given his profession and experience, Rubba is the ideal customer, but hes confident that home cooks can handle learning to shuck. The best part about what were going through right now compared to past historical events is that YouTube exists, he said. Many oyster farmers and sellers are also demonstrating shucking on Instagram. Budden posted a five-minute tutorial to Orchard Points Instagram at the end of March. Dylans Oyster Cellar in Baltimore, which is selling oysters from Johnson Bay Oyster Co. for pickup, hosted Shuck School on April 10.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

It's a classic good news, bad news, good news story.

In early April, many people needing help paying their mortgage because of financial woes caused by the coronavirus crisis were heartened to learn that they could hold off payments for a year without any late fees or extra charges, thanks to the recently passed $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

But when they contacted their mortgage companies to avail themselves of the provision, they were told about a big catch: Theyd have to make up any skipped payments, in full, as soon as the forbearance period was up.

Many wrote to Consumer Reports to express their outrage and fear.

How would I suddenly have three months' worth of payments stockpiled to pay back in full by then? wrote Alison Byrne of Wall Township, N.J., after agreeing to repay her servicer, a company called Mr. Cooper, in full after 90 days. "What a racket! It's not helpful in the least. How dare they?

If one had that money, there would be no need for any kind of relief, Denise Pawlukiewicz of Bay Village, Ohio, wrote of her servicers balloon-freighted four-month forbearance offer. Give with one hand, take away with the other.

Its just kicking the can down the road, adding to an already stressful time, wrote Maryland healthcare worker Antonio Calderon after being told that hed have to come up with $4,000 in three months, even though his work hours had been slashed and his wife, a nurse, was on the front lines of the COVID crisis.

But the message these consumers were hearingthat theyd owe a lump-sum payment at the end of the forbearance periodwas incorrect. The vast majority of homeowners who accept a COVID-related forbearance will be offered less painful ways to get current on their home loans.

Mangled Messaging

As early as April 8, Fannie Mae and Freddie Macwhich combined own the majority of U.S. mortgages and therefore determine how servicers wind down most forbearanceshad issued guidance to servicers listing a range of workout options for consumers to catch up on missed payments.

Story continues

Yet as was made clear by the dozens of consumers who wrote to CR after that date, many were still being misinformed about their options. And a new report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, based on an April 17 study of websites of the 30 top servicers, found that several servicers gave the impression that lump-sum payments would be required at the end of the forbearance period.

Finally, on April 27, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac directly addressed the confusion. We want every homeowner who is struggling because of this pandemic to know they have mortgage options. We do not require a homeowner to repay missed payments all at once at the end of the forbearance plan, unless they choose to do so, wrote Fannie Mae CEO Hugh Frater in a press release. Freddie Mac issued a similar statement.

We may never know why so many consumers wereand perhaps still arebeing misinformed. Lisa Sitkin, senior staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project, suspects a combination of factors, including differing federal and investor guidelines, poor internal communication by the servicing companies, and a longstanding tendency for those companies to discourage forbearance. (Servicers, after all, are on the hook to pay mortgage investors even if the borrowers dont make their payments.)

But the fact that so many consumers were given the wrong information about repayment options could itself cause financial problems for them. If people who needed forbearances declined to take them because they were told the wrong terms, they may still miss payments, meaning they could be headed toward foreclosure, Sitkin says. The poor communication undercut a key purpose of providing these forbearance plans in the first place, she adds: Reducing people's stress and anxiety at a difficult time.

What Are Your Options?

Again, to be clear, most homeowners who accept forbearance will ultimately be offered an alternative repayment plan that does not require a large lump-sum payment. Per Fannie and Freddie guidance, servicers of federally backed mortgages are instructed to contact borrowers around 30 days before their forbearance ends to determine an appropriate workout option.

Depending on the borrowers financial situation, such options will likely include simply adding the missed payments to the end of the mortgage, which many consumer advocates believe to be the best option for many consumers who can afford to restart their monthly payment. Its the simplest, cleanest way to do it, for everyone involved, Sitkin says.

Others will be asked to catch up to the original payment schedule by resuming their full monthly payments and making modest extra payments over a period of, say, one or two years.

Borrowers who are unable to resume full payments, meanwhile, could be required to go through a formal loan modification process, where their payments are lowered and the term extended further into the future.

Those unable to pay anything going forward, unfortunately, may lose their homes to foreclosure.

Keep in mind that these guidelines, like the forbearance provisions of the CARES Act, apply only to federally backed mortgages. (If you arent sure if that includes your mortgage, read our article How to Get Help With Your Mortgage During the Coronavirus Pandemic or call your servicer.)

And it remains true that if you dont anticipate a substantial loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should probably pay your mortgage as usual.

On the positive side, some servicers seem to have done a better job of communicating with borrowers all along.

We dont want you up to your ears. Thats what Danny Chisholm, a self-employed personal trainer and massage therapist in Chicago, says he was told when he called his servicer, Flagstar Bank, in mid-March.

He was sent to a dedicated website, where he agreed to a three-month forbearance and was immediately informed that hed have several ways to get current afterwardsincluding adding the missed payments to the end of his 15-year mortgage.

I was like, Thank God, he says. Id heard stories of people waiting eight hours on the phone. But after five minutes there was nothing left to be done.





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.
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With the coronavirus crisis threatening to choke state budgets and force massive, economically damaging spending cuts, Republicans have responded in their time-honored fashion, by telling New York and the rest of blue America to politely drop dead.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set the tone last week when he said that any aid to state governments would amount to a blue state bailout. He suggested that instead of handing governors money, which would supposedly allow them to paper over years of financial mismanagement, Congress should just let states declare bankruptcy. On Tuesday, meanwhile, Donald Trump signaled that he might be willing to discuss aid with Democrats in Congress, but only if states bend the knee on immigration policy.

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The problem with the states is that were not looking to recover 25 years of bad management, and to give them the money that they lost. Thats unfair to other states, Trump said. Now if its COVID-related, I guess we can talk about it. But wed want certain things also, including sanctuary city adjustments, because we have so many people in sanctuary cities.

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Whats a bit odd about all of this is that GOP leaders are acting as if they have an upper hand on this issue, because only Democratic strongholds like New York and Illinois are in trouble. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Red states are also fiscally screwed thanks to the coronavirus, and in many cases may be in worse shape than supposedly irresponsible blue states.

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Its unclear why, exactly, some Republicans appear convinced that only political entities that happen to be run by Democrats are about to experience a financial rout. Perhaps its because the biggest coronavirus hot spots have tended to be in places like New York, New Jersey, and Michigan. But economic activity has frozen all over the country as governors try to slow the pandemic, and even if Georgia or Texas attempt to reopen a bit early, that wont save them from the shockwaves of a deep national recession. Some Republicans, like McConnell, have seemingly suggested that states like Illinois are in financial trouble now because of their long-standing public pension problems. Insofar as that makes any sense, its because some states with pension issues (Illinois, Pennsylvania) havent been able to build large rainy day funds or other reserves that would help tide them through this crisis. But that list of offenders also includes McConnells own home state of Kentucky, which has one of the worst-managed pensions in the country.

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And heres the thing: States that have put money in reserve are going to get bowled over, too. Even well-prepared states are going to be totally outmatched by the size of the downturns were about to see, Dan White, director of government consulting and fiscal policy research at Moodys Analytics, told me.

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Earlier this month, White and his colleagues published a forecast showing that, due to the coronavirus crisis, the vast majority of states are likely to face serious budget shortfalls over the next year that will more than devour their entire rainy day fundsand that some of the worst emergencies are likely to be in swing states and in deep Trump country. Sure, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois are in trouble. But so are Florida, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Arizona, Mississippi, West Virginia, and plenty of others, including, yes, Kentucky.

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And worst off of all? That would be Louisiana, which as far as I can glean basically doesnt have an economy anymore. (Take away oil, restaurants, and tourism, and the Big Easy is in big trouble.) It could be facing a budget hole equal to 34 percent of its 2019 revenues. Without aid from the federal government, they could have to cut 30 or 40 percent of their budget, White said. Thats not just furloughing some people or laying people off. Thats changing the way you deliver basic services.

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The fact that Louisiana is currently facing a dark pit of fiscal despair (presumably one filled with oil that nobody wants to buy) might have something to do with why one of its Republican senators, Bill Cassidy, has bucked his party and endorsed a bipartisan proposal to provide $500 billion in aid to states. But other Republicans sincerely seem to have no idea whats in store for their constituents back home. Take Floridas Rick Scott. Its not fair to the taxpayers of Florida, he complained to reporters the other day. We sit here, we live within our means, and then New York, Illinois, California, and other states dont. And were supposed to go bail them out? Thats not right. Back in reality, his state is facing an almost 20 percent budget shortfall, the fifth worst in the country. California, on the other hand, is among the best prepared, becausecontra its reputation as a fiscal basket casethe state spent years fixing its budget and building up a rainy day fund. Its looking at a 3.4 percent shortfall.1

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These projections could also be understating the severity of what states are now facing. Many arent actually allowed to draw down their entire rainy day funds in one year, and the recession could also be longer and more severe than the baseline scenario Moodys estimates. If joblessness peaks at 17 percent and lockdowns last past the second quarter, even states like Texas could start to run through their reserves and face shortfalls.

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But dont let those details obscure the simple bottom line: Few if any states are going to be spared in this economic crisis. Everybody is going to need some aid. Its possible that Republicans like McConnell do actually understand this, and that theyve just been posturing for the past week to set themselves up for negotiations, as my colleague Jim Newell wrote last week. But if so, everyone should realize that, for all the bluster, the GOP is in a very weak bargaining position here. Unless Republicans are willing to leave their own states gasping for help, they cant credibly threaten to withhold it from Illinois or New York.

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Would they do that? I doubt it. This isnt 2011, when Republicans used austerity to undercut a sitting Democratic president. Trump is fighting to keep the White House. McConnell wants to keep the Senate. If the country enters a depression, and states and cities have to lay off thousands of teachers and firefighters, voters are going to blame the party in power.

All of which means that if McConnell and Trump keep yammering about bankruptcy and sanctuary cities, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer should offer their own simple response: Drop dead.
Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29) Veteran actor Christopher de Leon has joined the list of COVID-19 survivors who have donated their blood plasma in a bid to help fellow infected patients.

De Leon donated his plasma at the St. Luke's Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon, his wife Sandy shared on her Instagram page.

"Done. Hubby donated his plasma this afternoon. Thank you to all the doctors and staff of St. Lukes Global for your help and assistance. All honor and glory to GOD," she wrote on her social media page.

De Leon disclosed his diagnosis for the infectious disease on March 17, adding that he had no recent travel history abroad and had no contact with known coronavirus patients. He was discharged from the hospital a week after.

Experts contend the blood of patients who have survived the viral disease contain antibodies that could help others fight the infection.

Other personalities who have donated their blood plasma for the procedure include Senators Sonny Angara and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

FAST FACTS: Donating blood plasma for COVID-19 patients

The Philippines has recorded 7,958 cases of COVID-19, including 530 fatalities and 975 recoveries.
State and local officials are calling for an immediate investigation into how a Chester County nursing home for veterans has responded to the coronavirus pandemic after nearly 30 people have died there.

State Sen. Katie Muth, a Democrat representing Chester County, and the countys coroner, Christina Vandepol, issued a statement Tuesday condemning the state-run Southeastern Veterans Center (SEVC) and its management.

They were joined by State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who called on the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and state Department of Health to release more information about the number of coronavirus cases and deaths at SEVC and the five other state-run veterans homes.

The sheer number of deaths at the Veterans Center in such a short period of time warrants an immediate investigation, Vandepol said. We have no idea what is going on there or how this outbreak is being handled.

Since the beginning of April, at least 26 people have died from COVID-19 at the facility, located in East Vincent Township  13 who tested positive for the virus and 13 listed as presumed positive, the coroner said.

Families of residents complain they havent been told by staff how extensively the coronavirus has spread through SEVC, with several saying they first learned that residents had died there from an Inquirer report this month, that first revealed at least nine deaths from COVID-19. Since then, the death toll has tripled.

The only source of information on the deaths has been what the facility directly has reported to Vandepol, and an internal DMVA report obtained by The Inquirer.

Vandepol said Tuesday that conflicting information was provided to her office about whether all 26 people who died in the facility were tested for COVID-19. The lack of information has led to discrepancies in reporting both positive cases and death counts.

Muth, in her statement Tuesday, said multiple employees at the facility reached out to her office after the recent Inquirer story about the spike in COVID-related deaths at the facility.

Muth said SEVC staff members have provided her office with disturbing details about the care at the 283-bed facility, including cases of residents with roommates waiting hours for the body of a veteran who died to be removed from the room, improper quarantining of infected residents, and supervisors instructing staff to change or edit medical charts and records.

Hearing their stories and struggles brought me to tears," Muth said. "This isnt just a lack of supplies or staffing shortages, this is healthcare providers crying out for help because they feel their patients are at extreme risk because of a failing protocol.

Rohan Blackwood, the commandant leading the facility, has not responded to requests for comment. Joan Nissley, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs communications director, has not responded over the past five days to numerous emails and phone calls.

DePasquale, the state auditor general, said he plans to follow up on a 2016 audit of the six DMVA homes that found problems with admission procedures and how homes handled complaints. He said Tuesday he wants DMVA to create a system for families to register their concerns about the care given to their relatives in the state homes.

Our veterans and their families deserve to have a full and complete picture of whats happening inside Pennsylvanias veterans homes, DePasquale said.

Nadine Bean, the daughter-in-law of a 95-year-old World War II veteran who lives at SEVC, said the residents are like sitting ducks.

Theyve given everything," Bean said of her father-in-law and other veterans, and to think its spreading through there and they are dying alone, that makes me utterly mad. Its inhumane. And theyre withholding information about how dire it is.

By Vinny Vella, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

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California governor: Schools may reopen as soon as July

Happening today at noon, Governor Newsom is set to provide the latest updates on the state's coronavirus response. At his briefing Tuesday, the governor unveiled plans for what the state's reopening could look like. He announced a four-part plan to changes in the stay at home order. Click Here to watch it live at noon.

PG&E to host wildfire safety webinars

PG&E will be holding a webinar today on the community wildfire safety program - this will be for customers in Butte, Plumas, and Lassen counties. The event is to share information about PG&E's plans to prevent wildfires and reduce the impacts of public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events. Click Here to sign up.

Butte County pushes for mail-in only ballots for November election

Butte County supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter to the governor supporting mail-in only ballots statewide in the upcoming November general election. The letter says many election poll volunteers and staff members have indicated they would not serve in November because of the virus. Tehama County has proposed a similar plan.

Several airline industries say passengers must wear masks while flying

The airline industry is adapting to travel in the age of coronavirus. Jet Blue airways say beginning May 4, all passengers must wear a mask. From check-in through disembarking. Both United and American Airlines are following suit - United reps say masks will be available for passengers - wearing them is encouraged but not mandatory.

US Health Officials warn public of scammers

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is warning that scammers are targeting Medicare recipients. Offering virus tests in exchange for personal information. HHS Representatives say be cautious of any unsolicited requests for your Medicare or Medicaid numbers, and be suspicious of unexpected calls or visitors offering tests of supplies.

Trump to sign order keeping meat processing plants open

President Trump is using the defense production act to order meat and poultry plants hit hard by the coronavirus to stay open. More than a dozen plants have closed because of COVID-19 among their workers. The president's order provides more protective gear - but workers fear it's not enough. They want daily testing. One union says 20 employees have died.

Federal Reserve to announce policy update this afternoon

The Federal Reserve wraps up its two-day meeting today. Experts say the fed could provide more details on the moves it made to help the economy and financial markets since the coronavirus pandemic. The fed could also provide clarity on exactly how much damage the virus has done to the economy. Fed chair Jerome Powell is set to hold a virtual press conference this afternoon.
While some politicians of the Trump Administration are busy spreading conspiracy theory that COVID-19 originated from a lab in Wuhan, U.S. scientists are joining hands with their Chinese counterparts to hunt for the origins of the novel coronavirus.

Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, is partnering with a team of Chinese researchers led by Lu Jiahai, a professor at the Public Health School of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, to find out whether the virus emerged in other parts of China before it was first discovered in Wuhan in December, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

Lipkin, known as one of the world's leading "virus hunters," said the study relies on help from the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The China CDC is interested in learning as much as it can about the origins [of] these types of viruses  We share whatever we learn with the entire scientific community," the virologist was quoted as saying.

"We are working across regions and departments to trace the origin of the virus," Professor Lu said, adding that the study started in February and will produce results later this year.

He said China CDC has helped connect them with hospitals and local CDCs across the country, enabling the team to access nationwide blood bank samples taken from pneumonia patients in December and even earlier.

This is a critical part of their work, through which they are studying whether the coronavirus had been present in the population before it was detected in Wuhan, according to him.

Ian Lipkin, known as one of the world's leading "virus hunters", speaks with CGTN in an earlier interview. /CGTN screenshot

The China-U.S. research team is also studying blood samples of various wild animals that they thought might be the origin of the virus, and try to understand how animal-to-human transmission happened, Professor Lu said.

Lipkin was a part of a multinational team that published a paper on the origin of the virus in the Nature Medicine in March, which concluded that coronavirus carried by the illegally imported Malayan pangolin was similar to the SARS-CoV-2. But they believed that neither pangolins nor bats were the "direct progenitor" of the new coronavirus.

"Obtaining related viral sequences from animal sources would be the most definitive way of revealing viral origins," the paper noted, adding that it would be "highly informative" to sequence the virus from "very early cases."

Previously, Ian Lipkin has been engaged in SARS research in 2003 and MERS in 2012, helping develop rapid testing for SARS in China in 2003.

Earlier this year, he also traveled to China and developed strategies with Chinese scientists and experts for enhancing the basic science needed to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the demand for oil has plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic, one industry giant has turned part of its industrial might toward producing something in high demand these days  hand sanitizer.

ExxonMobil retooled a plant in Louisiana to produce medical-grade hand sanitizer and plans to pump out 160,000 gallons of the stuff.

Its being donated to coronavirus response efforts in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas and one of the shipments arrived this week in Gloucester County, which is home to an ExxonMobil plant.

The county Office of Emergency Management and Rowan University accepted a donation of 480 gallons on Monday, county officials confirmed.

Two pallets containing 96 five-gallon tubs will be distributed to local hospitals, health care providers, emergency responders and Rowan.

Hand sanitizer has become one of many in-demand products that are in short supply these days.

Other businesses, including liquor distilleries, craft brewers and companies that normally make beauty products are cranking out sanitizer to meet the demand.

ExxonMobil operates a lube plant in Paulsboro and Gloucester County Freeholder Heather Simmons credited the donation to strong ties between the county and its business community.

This donation just shows how strong Gloucester Countys relationship is with our small and big businesses across the county, she said in a statement. ExxonMobils donation will aid so many people while they do their best to combat COVID-19. Were all focused on keeping our people and communities safe while supporting frontline responders.

Gloucester County has reported 1,173 COVID-19 cases and 38 deaths so far, while the statewide death toll stands at 6,442.

Gloucester County Freeholder Director Bob Damminger expressed the countys gratitude for the sanitizer shipment.

This donation is crucial in the fight against COVID-19, he said. The demand for hand sanitizer is high and its been difficult for everyone to get their hands on enough to keep themselves, their co-workers and, in some cases, COVID-19 patients safe. This donation is fulling a necessary need for everyone and we are extremely thankful.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
Sandra Hoare, 21, had finished a night shift working alone in the geriatric ward of Walgett Hospital when she was abducted and killed by Vester and Brendan Fernando on December 9, 1994. Ms Hoare is pictured

The mother of a woman brutally raped and murdered by a ruthless predator who later became one of Australia's most notorious inmates has been forced to relive her nightmare 25 years later.

Vester Fernando kidnapped, raped and killed 21-year-old nurse Sandra Hoare in rural New South Wales with his cousin Brendan Fernando in 1994 - and five years later stabbed Brendan to death in jail.

The 50-year-old, who is already serving life without the possibility of parole, is now accused of stabbing a 26-year-old inmate in the neck, chest and back at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre near Kempsey on April 8.

Horrific memories came flooding back for Sandra's mother, Pauline, when footage of the jailhouse attack emerged, allegedly showing Fernando attempting to become a three-time killer.

'It really takes you back 25 years ago when the trauma first happened,' Ms Hoare told Nine News, speaking of the gruesome footage.

'I know for as long as I live I will never forgive him.

'You become angry not only with the murderer but also the jail officials, what are they doing that doesn't stop these multi-murderers from offending inside the jail?

'If every mother had a daughter like mine, what a beautiful world it would be.'

Vester Fernando (pictured) kidnapped, raped and murdered nurse Sandra Hoare at Walgett in NSW's north west with his cousin Brendan Fernando in 1994. Five years later Vester stabbed Brendan to death in jail

Pauline Hoare (pictured) said the news of her daughter's killer allegedly stabbing another inmate brought back memories of her brutal death

Footage shows the frenzied stabbing under a common area stairway.

Other inmates are seen walking by doing nothing to interfere as the wounded prisoner bleeds out on the floor.

The vision allegedly captures Fernando slowly walk away from the victim after allegedly trying to kill him, tracking blood on his shoes.

Fernando appears to slide a weapon towards approaching prison officers, before he calmly raises his hands in the air and lies down in surrender.

More than a dozen officers swarm the common area as other inmates nonchalantly walk by the crime scene, some barely looking twice as the victim stops moving.

Most of the officers move to surround Fernando, while two go to the aid of the injured inmate with a towel.

Emergency services were called to the prison about 3.15pm and the stabbed inmate was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

Footage allegedly shows double killer Vester Allan Fernando stabbing another inmate at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre near Kempsey in New South Wales

The vision allegedly shows Fernando walk away from the stabbed prisoner as he writhes on the ground. Fernando then appears to slide a weapon across the floor to approaching officers

Footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the stabbing unfold under a stairway, as other inmates mill around and the wounded prisoner bleeds out on the floor

Fernando has been charged with attempted murder, while 28-year-old inmate Atin Munro has been charged with aid and abet attempted murder.

Vester Allan Fernando, who has bulked up during his decades in custody, is one of the state's most notorious and difficult inmates who was convicted in 2005 of assaulting a prison officer.

He has been moved to the Supermax facility at Goulburn where he has previously been incarcerated, while Munro remains in segregation in the jail where the stabbing occurred.

Vester and his cousin Brendan kidnapped, raped and murdered Sandra Hoare after she finished a night shift working alone in the geriatric ward of Walgett Base Hospital on December 9, 1994.

The NSW Supreme Court would hear the cousins forced Ms Hoare to endure more than an hour of fear and extreme trauma.

Brendan Fernando (pictured) was killed in prison by his cousin Vester. The pair had raped and murdered nurse Sandra Hoare. Vester blamed Brendan for his conviction and life sentence

The vision allegedly captures Fernando walk away from the victim, tracking what appears to be blood on his shoes

After the attack Fernando calmly raises his hands in the air as prison officers approach him then lies on the floor

The cousins abducted Ms Hoare from the hospital in the state's north west and took her to a nearby oval where Brendan held the nurse down while Vester raped her.

They then forced Ms Hoare to walk 400m to a paddock where they murdered her with a machete. Ms Hoare's body was found with her head almost severed and her underwear missing.

Vester was 27 and Brendan 26 when they were sentenced to life in prison in 1997.

Vester Allan Fernando (pictured) is one of the state's most notorious and difficult inmates

The older cousin had denied having anything to do with Ms Hoare's murder and blamed Brendan for his conviction and life term.

The cousins were initially kept in separate prisons but later reunited. In September 1999 Vester murdered Brendan in Lithgow jail.

He used the blade from a pair of scissors to stab Brendan in the face and chest, piercing his heart, during a music lesson in the prison' auditorium.

In 2001 Vester was jailed for a further 30 years over Brendan's murder with a minimum term of 22 years.

Justice Rod Howie said sentencing Vester for the murder of Brendan was 'academic' considering he was never to be released for murdering Ms Hoare.

Fernando and Munro were refused bail to appear at Port Macquarie Local Court via audio-visual link on April 9.

Daily Mail Australia understands the wounded inmate, who had only recently come into custody and did not have a lengthy criminal history, was back in prison and recovering well.

The Mid North Coast Correctional Centre is a maximum, medium and minimum security centre for men and women at Aldavilla, 455km north of Sydney and 14km west of Kempsey.
Working together with leading domestic solar companies, the University of Washington and its Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Toledo have formed the U.S. Manufacturing of Advanced Perovskites Consortium, or US-MAP. This research and development coalition aims to accelerate the domestic commercialization of perovskite technologies.

Perovskites are an emerging class of materials that can be inexpensively made from abundant elements and engineered to convert light to electricity at high efficiencies -- ideal for solar energy. The universities and National Renewable Energy Laboratory will offer the participating companies access to, and support in, their complementary cleantech fabrication, characterization and testing facilities. In turn, representatives from each of the member companies will form an industry advisory board that will guide the efforts performed at the research institutions.

"US-MAP harnesses the power of the best perovskite researchers and resources in the nation to help U.S. solar companies continue to innovate and bring this exciting technology to market," said J. Devin MacKenzie, UW materials science & engineering and mechanical engineering associate professor and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds technical director. "Indeed, UW's Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, an open-access facility for developing and testing energy devices and systems, has been working with solar startups and we're eager to help other U.S. companies tap into our staff scientists' expertise and utilize our best-in-class instruments, including our multi-stage roll-to-roll printer for flexible electronics."

US-MAP founding member companies include: BlueDot Photonics, Energy Materials Corporation, First Solar, Hunt Perovskites Technologies, Swift Solar and Tandem PV. As members of the industry advisory board, company representatives will shape R&D directions and priorities and will be engaged actively in selecting and evaluating projects. The founding organizers -- the University of Washington, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Toledo -- will serve on the executive board and oversee delivery of projects.

BlueDot Photonics is a Seattle-based startup building next-generation solar panels and other photonic devices.

"US-MAP will help startups like ours access critical expertise required to prove manufacturability and product reliability, while maintaining ownership of intellectual property," said BlueDot Photonics CEO Jared Silvia. "This network and its facilities will assist us in de-risking key hurdles to commercialization that will benefit all perovskite-based technologies. This will allow companies like ours to shorten the development cycle for products to satisfy customers and our investors."

In addition to solar energy, perovskites have shown tremendous promise in a range of other technologies, including solid-state lighting, advanced radiation detection, dynamic sensing and actuation, photo-catalysis and quantum information science. Early investments by the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office and its Office of Science into perovskite research at the founding organizations have enabled the U.S. to engage at the forefront of many of these technology areas and fostered a vibrant community of industrial leaders.

"Washington state has long been a leader in clean energy innovation and institutions like UW continue to play a critical role in moving our nation's vital energy research needs forward," said U.S. Senator Patty Murray, D-WA, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I am encouraged by the work of UW's Washington Clean Energy Testbeds and its potential for scaling up clean energy adoption -- and perovskite technologies, in general -- and will continue fighting in the Senate for strengthened investments in these research and technology developments that will help families and communities thrive."

"UW has played an incredible role in renewable energy and is now bringing together some of the best researchers and innovators in the country to develop this next-generation technology to expand the use of solar to more homes and businesses across the country," said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA.

"This coalition represents what America does best: partnership for innovation and societal benefit," said U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, whose district includes the UW. "The United States should and can lead in solar manufacturing, water power and wind energy -- and I know Washington can play a role in getting us there through our outstanding public research institutions like the University of Washington and our promising startups."

Researchers and companies looking to access resources, capabilities, and expertise within the US-MAP Consortium should visit http://www.nrel.gov/research/us-map.html.

###

For more information, contact Suzanne Offen with the UW's Clean Energy Institute at soffen@uw.edu.

Images available for download here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ar38er6uyuo5huo/AAAgzHEkhcHhdh3Vwm0DhNh0a?dl=0
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Ha Won expressed his pain to In-Wook by letting him now that through his silence, he suffered a lot. He had been searching for the reason of his mother's passing that he lost track of his life.

Ha Won left Ji Soo's letter that contains her earnest feelings to In-Wook. She was in pain because In-Wook lived with regrets. Ji Soo stayed for her husband to be his strength, but In-Wook took it for granted.

Seo Woo felt sad knowing that Ha Won's unrequited love for Ji Soo took him a long time to realize. She felt sad all along that Ha Won spent his time and energy on Ji Soo, yet he wasn't the one she fought for.

Min Jung chose to live near the sea and find a job to start over again. Eun Joo and Jin-Soo bid farewell and told her she could visit and eat good food with them in the future. Min Jung lost her only daughter with an illness. She works hard and seldom visits her to save for their future. It was too late for her to regret things and fall into depression.

Going back to Eun-Joo's place and reliving her life and her feelings during her younger years (the 20s) creates new courage and reborn herself again. Over a short period, she begins to smile and get along with other people.

Seo Woo now felt torn between Ha Won and Ji Soo. She wanted to get rid of the Ji Soo device, but guilt takes her heart into pieces. She wanted to tell Ha Won, yet it may hurt him for losing Ji Soo once again.

In-Wook had the last time to express his feelings about Ji Soo. Ji Soo device allowed him to create and respond to its own emotions. She requested to listen to In-Wook's voice. She asked Seo Woo to get rid of her and thanked her for all the help.

Seo Woo is more confused about what to do with Ji Soo's device and Ha Won's feelings. She asked Ha Won to give her time to be on her own and think about what she wanted to do.Ha Won agreed to her decision and only reminded Seo Woo to call him right away.

In-Wook's April recital performance was a success. Soon Ho came back to the studio and wished to work with In-Wook in his future projects. She studied acoustics and learned to manipulate the computers for her future work. In-Wook felt happy to see her again.

Min Jung was surprised to see and hear an AI box that sounds like Seo Woo. When she double-checked it, the way it responds and thinks all resonates with Seo Woo. The company made it successful by making more AI devices.

Seo Woo endured to take away her feelings of uncertainty and fear towards Ha Won and was thinking about Ji Soo. Eun Joo took care of her and comforted her as time went by.

Ha Won went back to Oslo and visited his mother's grave and Ji Soo. The fear of seeing the place where all good memories happened brings a smile to his face. Ha Won has recovered and overcame his painful past. He is now ready to start a new chapter in his life.

Seo Woo, on the other hand, returned and stayed at Ha Won's house. She called Ha Won and shared that she is now at peace with herself and the things around her. Ha Won was happy to hear Seo Woo's voice.

Ha Won returned to Korea and met Seo Woo at his house. She, who has been waiting for him, was pleased to see that he is back.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to be cleared by an internal review into allegations that she bullied civil servants in the Home Office and other government departments she led, according to a UK media report.

While the official status of the inquiry remains as "ongoing", Patel's allies have claimed that officials had reviewed all the information and found no evidence against the senior Indian-origin Cabinet minister.

The Daily Telegraph' on Wednesday said, the report by Sir Mark Sedwill, the Cabinet Secretary, was completed within the last week and presented to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his return to 10 Downing Street on Monday after his recovery from coronavirus.

I was categoric in the inquiry that there was no allegation against her, nor was she investigated at the time, former minister Ian Duncan Smith, who worked with Patel in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when she was employment minister, told the newspaper.

The internal investigation was ordered by Johnson under the UK's ministerial code of conduct as a scandal erupted around the senior-most Home Office civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam, who dramatically resigned pointing the finger of blame at Patel.

He has since launched separate legal proceedings against the minister and the Home Office for unfair constructive dismissal.

As it emerged that the internal Cabinet Office review found nothing to support allegations that Patel bullied staff at the Home Office, DWP or Department for International Trade or that she breached the ministerial code by doing so, the Opposition demanded that the findings be made public.

The Labour Party's shadow ministers Nick Thomas-Symonds and Rachel Reeves have written to the UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove to update Parliament about the progress of the inquiry at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the First Division Association (FDA), the union for senior civil servants which is supporting Rutnam's legal action through an employment tribunal, demanded an "independent investigation" that is "free from political influence".

In his statement at the time of his resignation at the end of February, Rutnam had alleged that he had received complaints against Patel's conduct, which included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, behaviour that created fear and needed some bravery to call out.

Patel has not publicly spoken out in reference to the allegations, but it was made clear that she denies all the claims.

In an email to Home Office staff in the aftermath of the row with the former head of her department, the minister said she regretted Rutnam's exit and that she "deeply cared" about the "wellbeing" of her civil servants and valued their professionalism.

Johnson had repeatedly offered Patel his full support at the time, describing her as a fantastic Home Secretary doing one of the toughest jobs in his top team.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a 'healthy baby boy', delivered at a government-run hospital in London on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds had announced their engagement at the end of February, when it was also revealed that they were expecting their first baby in the summer. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The birth is believed to be slightly premature but both mother and baby are said to be doing very well.

"The prime minister and Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning," a spokesperson for the couple said on Wednesday.

"Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Symonds would like to thank the fantastic National Health Service maternity team," the spokesperson said.

The news comes days after Johnson, 55, returned to 10 Downing Street on Monday after his hospitalisation for complications from COVID-19. He had been recuperating at his Chequers countryside retreat in Buckinghamshire, where he was joined by his pregnant fiancee.

Symonds had taken to Twitter earlier this month to express her relief at Johnson's discharge from hospital with a series of clapping hands emoticons alongside a picture of a rainbow, which has emerged as the symbol of support for the country's NHS through the course of the pandemic fightback.

The 32-year-old herself had been previously self-isolating with the couple's dog Dilyn after she developed symptoms of coronavirus but later revealed she was 'on the mend'.

The couple had announced their engagement at the end of February, when it was also revealed that they were expecting their first baby in the summer.

The last child born to a sitting UK prime minister belonged to David and Samantha Cameron, who welcomed Florence Rose Endellion into their family in August 2010.

Symonds, who works for an ocean conservation charity, met Johnson during her time as the communications chief for the Conservative Party.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the United States reported more than 1,500 incidents of racism and discrimination related to COVID-19 in the past month, officials said Wednesday.

The Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center found that an estimated 40% of the incidents, roughly 600, took place in California and close to half of those incidents were in the Bay Area. Officials who coordinated the project documenting discrimination against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic say the results are likely just a small portion of the total incidents.

The incidents are being motivated by a level of hate and a level of anger thats very palpable, thats pretty horrific and pretty traumatizing, said Professor Russell Jeung, who compiled data on the incidents and is chairman of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University.

Were concerned that when we get out of shelter in place, that these incidents are going to rise.

The data come more than four weeks after a coalition of Asian American groups in California launched the reporting center, a web page for victims of virus-related hate incidents. AAPI stands for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, an acronym used frequently to describe these groups.

The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action and San Francisco State Universitys Asian American Studies Department launched the initiative on March 19.

Asian Americans across the country reported an uptick in racist and xenophobic incidents after the first cases of coronavirus were reported in the U.S. Many Asian business owners also saw a drastic drop in clientele.

Amid the pandemic, which is believed to have started in Wuhan, China, some have referred to the new coronavirus as the Chinese virus. President Trump has used the term during news briefings and in tweets, despite evidence it has led to bigotry against Asian Americans and has been discouraged by the World Health Organization.

The coalition said it received reports from 45 states and Washington, D.C.

New York residents submitted the second-most reports of discrimination, with nearly 17% of cases, while an estimated 4% came from Illinois. Some people did not report their state of residence, Jeung said.

Verbal harassment accounted for about 70% of the reported incidents, physical assaults made up an estimated 10% and civil rights violations  such as workplace discrimination and being barred from businesses or transportation  tallied 8%, the group said. Another 6% of participants said they were spat or coughed upon.

Women were harassed two times more than men, the data showed.

Jeung said the most recent incidents occurred at private businesses as well as grocery stores, pharmacies and large retailers, given the current shelter-in-place orders.

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.

More than 18% of the California incidents took place in San Francisco, the report found.

San Francisco resident Yuanyuan Zhu said she was walking to her gym on March 9 when a man shouted an expletive about China in her direction.

Zhu said she tried to keep her distance, but they both came to a stop at a crosswalk when the traffic light turned red. The man allegedly spat on her as they waited.

I was panicked, Zhu said during a news conference Wednesday. At that time the traffic light turned (green). I walked faster and got into my gym.

The coalition says it plans to work with state and local agencies to establish policies that would protect Asian Americans from discrimination.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
Somrita Ghosh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The COVID-19 curve has shown no signs of flattening in Delhi, with the most worrying trend being an increasing number of doctors and healthcare staff getting infected.

More than 250 healthcare workers, including doctors, in Delhi, are reported to have tested positive and about 25 hospitals, both private and government, have reported their healthcare workers getting infected.

A majority of these hospitals are not designated for COVID-19 treatment.

Expressing concern over the situation, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association of India had written to Delhis Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday seeking a separate treatment facility for healthcare providers.

Many doctors have tested positive for COVID-19 at multiple hospitals recently and the list is ever-growing. Soon the situation might get out of control and it will be very difficult to maintain the healthcare services...designate a separate hospital for COVID-19 positive doctors and other staff on an urgent basis, the federation wrote. It is yet to get a response.

Lack of availability of proper PPE kits and masks remains a major concern. Many hospitals assumed that COVID-19 cases will be coming only to the designated ones and therefore no kits were provided to healthcare staff. It is obvious that any virus carrier with symptoms may not always go to the designated hospital and instead visit the nearest one. The administrations should have been prepared for such situations, noted a senior doctor from one of the COVID-19-affected hospitals.

Another doctor said even in designated hospitals, PPE kits were initially provided only to those involved in the treatment of Covid patients.

Rest of us continued to function in a normal manner. Another problem is that many patients are asymptomatic. And this becomes a cycle  patients infecting doctors and doctors infecting other patients, the doctor said.

On Monday, Max Hospital in Patparganj said 33 of its staffs had tested positive.

The highest number of cases has been reported from Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, a non-designated facility in Jahangirpuri, where 75 people have tested positive so far.

Delhi State Cancer Institute, another State-run and non-designated hospital, was among the first ones to report doctors and staff testing positive.

Cases in Designated COVID-19 hospitals

Among designated hospitals, cases of health workers testing positive have been reported at Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, LNJP and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
A for-profit subsidiary of the Portland environmental nonprofit Ecotrust will pay Oregon $4.4 million to resolve a state investigation of the firms handling of two tax credit deals, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced on Wednesday.

The states case against the Ecotrust subsidiary focused on discrepancies between the project costs listed on its applications for Oregon tax credits and the actual project costs. Prosecutors were pursuing claims against the company based on Oregons False Claims Act, according to the Department of Justice.

Through an affiliate company, Ecotrust secured millions of dollars in state and federal taxpayer subsidies intended to fuel job creation in low-income communities. As The Oregonian/OregonLive reported in March 2018, a state new market tax credit project application submitted by Ecotrust for the re-opening of the Rough & Ready sawmill in Cave Junction inflated the cost of that plan by claiming it would spend $4 million to purchase the land and mill that the business already owned.

The settlement unveiled Wednesday covers the Rough & Ready project as well another Ecotrust initiative: the purchase of the Desolation Creek forest property in Grant County from Hood River Countys government. Adam Lane, Ecotrusts chief financial officer at the time, signed off on an April 2014 state tax credit application that listed the land acquisition cost as $6.6 million. However, Ecotrust had already agreed to pay $5.7 million for the Desolation Creek forestland in December 2013, the Hood River News reported at the time.

Ecotrust charged roughly $1 million to arrange the Desolation Creek and Rough & Ready deals, documents show, although the company returned a portion of the Rough & Ready fees after state investigators questioned the accuracy of its application for that deal.

Taxpayers were overcharged approximately $1.8 million due to the inflated costs, according to the Oregon Department of Justice. The higher settlement amount achieved two goals, said DOJ spokeswoman Kristina Edmunson: It fully compensates the state for money lost and it sets an example to deter other users of tax credit programs from making the same mistake.

Oregons economic development agency, Business Oregon, signed off on the taxpayer subsidy to retool and reopen Rough & Ready despite red flags, such as a simplistic hand-written budget that included the purchase cost for the mill and land the company already owned. But after the mill was sold for use as a garden products distribution center in summer 2017, Business Oregon staffers began to look into why the project failed. They concluded that Ecotrusts spending was out of line and shared their findings with the Department of Justice. Prosecutors were not initially interested: In March 2018, Edmunson said they looked into the deal but decided not to investigate further.

Meanwhile in February 2018, as The Oregonian/OregonLive was asking questions about the transactions, Department of Revenue director Nia Ray concluded that Ecotrust had mischaracterized its Rough & Ready project plans and must repay the state $1.2 million or invest $2.9 million in another project. Ecotrust ultimately held onto that tax credit by investing $3.6 million in another qualified deal, which promised to create five $31,000-a-year warehouse jobs in Tualatin. The Rough & Ready reopening was supposed to create 70 jobs, but those existed only briefly before the mill shut down.

The (Oregon New Market Tax Credit) program was not supposed to be used to pad the coffers of investors using the tax credits to buy property," Rosenblum said in a statement. "But thats what happened. After more than two years of painstaking review of every financial record, my office has achieved a very good result for the state.

Ecotrust also issued a statement on the settlement Wednesday. We strongly deny we had any intention to improperly obtain tax credit from the state, the company said. We have chosen a no-fault settlement so that we can return our full attention to urgent priorities  food-system resiliency, healthy ecosystems and jobs, and many other critical initiatives.

The company said its insurance policy will cover the settlement and philanthropic or investor funds" will be protected.

On Ecotrusts behalf, Lane signed assurances about the Rough & Ready sawmill subsidies, despite signs the plan to retool the mothballed mill was likely doomed to fail, The Oregonian/OregonLive found in its 2018 investigation. Sure enough, even with the expensive taxpayer-provided upgrades, the reopened Rough & Ready mill operated for less than 20 months before shutting down for good.

As part of the settlement, Ecotrust and its subsidiaries agreed to hire a different outside lawyer to advise it on tax credit matters and to make "leadership changes" to bring in executives with different qualifications and create more separation of duties for them.

Lane was among those replaced, the settlement suggests. However, Lane had already secured a new job nearly a year ago. In May 2019, Portlands economic development agency Prosper Portland hired Lane as its chief financial officer. There was no implication that he himself did anything incorrect or wrong, agency spokesman Shawn Uhlman said at the time.

On Wednesday, Lane declined to comment on Ecotrusts settlement with the state. Although corporate paperwork filed with the state in October still identified Adam Lane as the chief financial officer of Ecotrusts new market tax credit entity, Lane said hed stepped down from all management and corporate officer roles before taking his new city job and did not know why he was listed on Ecotrusts paperwork. An Ecotrust spokeswoman was also unable to explain the situation Wednesday afternoon.

In an October 2019 deposition related to the state False Claims Act investigation, Lane, who signed off on the companies' applications for hundreds of millions in taxpayer subsidies, said he didn't "exhaustively" familiarize himself with the state laws and federal regulations governing the tax credit programs. Lane also said that he, as the sole Ecotrust official besides founder and former president Spencer Beebe with the authority to sign off on the lumber mill tax credit application, educated himself "very little" about the deal apart from learning the "broad brush strokes."

The deposition also shows how challenging it was for the state to pry information about the deals from Lane and Ecotrust. It shows Lanes lawyer, the prominent defense attorney Janet Hoffman who represented former Gov. John Kitzhaber in an ethics investigation, repeatedly batting down questions from Senior Assistant Attorney General Brian A. de Haan about Lanes role in the Desolution Creek deal. De Haan also got few answers when he asked about Ecotrusts constellation of affiliates, various companies used for the tax credit transactions.

Ecotrust was especially closely involved with the Desolation Creek deal: Unlike Rough & Ready sawmill, the company at the center of the deal  Desolation Creek LLC  was a subsidiary of Ecotrusts for-profit forest management company and forestland investment vehicle Ecotrust Forest II LLC. That fund was supposed to yield returns for investors while improving ecological and social outcomes for communities, via sustainable resource management of forestland resources, according to a state tax credit application.

The states settlement document lists actions Ecotrust appears to have taken voluntarily in the wake of the investigations, including adopting a more rigorous internal review process for federal new market tax credit projects. The agreement allows the Department of Justice to pursue enforcement if Ecotrust does not stay in compliance. Ecotrust Forest Managements chief executive Bettina von Hagen, who was highly involved in the deals and invested in the Ecotrust Forest II fund, remains in her job. The company added Chief Operating Officer Chris Sweeney to its executive roster in 2018, spokeswoman Doe Hatfield wrote in an email.

-- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
On March 23, U.S. stock markets closed the day after a multi-week plunge of nearly 30%. This drop coincided with a wave of lockdowns across the country, as well as similar moves throughout Europe, Latin America and South Asia. Since then, the U.S. economy has been in free-fall, with more than 26 million people filing for unemployment, waves of retail stores on the edge of bankruptcy, energy and oil companies teetering on the brink, travel grounded, and the GDP was down 4.8% in the first quarter and this quarter is likely to be much worse. The stock market? Overall, stocks are up across all indices more than 30% from that low point in late March.

What is going on? How can it be that stocks are soaring when the economy is crashing? Market movements are often head-scratching, but in this case, the answer may be relatively simple: because of moves by the Federal Reserve, financial markets are awash in money, vast, water-hose supplies of money. Since March, the Fed has committed to lend or buy trillions of dollars of financial assets, which by some estimates might end up exceeding $8 trillion dollars by the time all is said and done. No one knows how high that figure will climb. By way of comparison, during the last financial crisis in 2008-2009, the Fed ended up adding about $3 trillion over the course of several years.

And its not just the Fed. Congress has allocated almost $3 trillion in economic aid; the Bank of Japan is doing much the same as the Fed for the worlds third largest economy; the European Central Bank is not far behind, and multiple governments around the world are following suit.

The result is that even as real-world economies freeze and implode in the short-term, financial markets are buoyed by a tsunami of liquidity.

That troubles many investors, who see either sharp spikes of inflation or dire reckoning ahead for stocks and bonds. Respected investor Jeffery Gundlach, one of the most influential bond managers, warned this week that markets will soon head south fast and the people should be more wary of panaceas. Analysts at Bank America posit that the recent market strength is simply a dead-cat bounce like what happened in 2008 before a more intense crash later that year. Others believe that all the liquidity in the world cannot compensate for the collapse of real-world economic activity and these moves by the Fed and governments are the equivalent of flooding a drought stricken area with water for a few days. It feels like a relief, but if there is no rain in the months after, it does little good.

Story continues

And yet, there is something else going on that should give pause to the belief that market strength is a head fake. If it were only about a sea of money floating everything, then you would think that stocks across the board would be going up. That is not the case.

In fact, there is a dramatic difference in how individual companies are faring that reflects a cold-eyed assessments of how they will do in a pandemic world. Companies that are seen as especially vulnerable, such as retail stores spread across malls, are seeing stock declines of 50% and have only recovered marginally since March 23. The Gap, Macys, Michael Kors, all face daunting prospects, and no amount of liquidity in financial markets will paper that over. Energy companies, with plunging demand for oil and high debt loads, are in some cases on the verge of bankruptcy, and even the survivors like oil service giant Schlumberger (based in Houston) has seen its stock more than halved since March. The same is true for airlines and hotels. Yes, JetBlues planes will eventually fly and have passengers, but there is no guarantee that they will be operated by a company called JetBlue two years from now.

On the flip side, clear beneficiaries of the current upheaval are doing well. Five mega-tech companies  Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google  alone make up $5 trillion of market cap, and Amazon in particular has seen its stock go up more than 30% since mid-March. Costco and Clorox have seen booming business along with Walmart, as has the video conference company Zoom.

So while markets are not moving on real-time economic fundamentals, they are moving on reasonable judgements of fundamentals going forward and distinguishing between industries that look to be hardest hits from those that might even benefit from the dramatic economic dislocations that COVID-19 responses are creating. If everything were going up indiscriminately, that would indicate markets were fully detached. There are not.

And for those who  understandably  might see all of this as yet further proof that once again, the financial world will get saved at the expense of tens of millions of real people and millions of small companies will get sacrificed, this time it is different. The Fed, for instance, is committed to purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars of municipal bonds at favorable rates, which will mean that cash-strapped state governments should be able to retain teachers and policemen and programs even if Congress proves negligent as Mitch McConnell seems to be pushing for. That will mean that pensions for public servants remain intact. The Fed also is about to lend another $500 billion to Main Street businesses, which is coming too late to avoid the pain of the last month but will still matter greatly to the ability of companies to move forward and eventually rehire. The most visible effect of the money in motion now is the stock market, but that will be not the sole beneficiary as more Fed money flows to states and Main Street.

So while it appears crazy that markets are doing relatively well as the world economy burns down, there is a method to the madness that reflects some potentially positive realities of an otherwise dire time. That may be small comfort just now, but it is a clear reminder that as bad as things are just now, they actually could be considerably worse.

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During the last 24 hours, there have been 85,530 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 across the globe, bringing the cumulative total to more than 2.8 million, and more than 200,000 deaths from the novel respiratory virus that is a pandemic.

There is no vaccination against COVID-19, but there is against other diseases and during a week annually designated to promote getting vaccinated the World Health Organization is urging countries to step up efforts to immunize.

Dr. Daniel Skiest, an infectious disease specialist at Baystate Medical Center, is one to put his voice behind such efforts. His medical specialty around viruses and bacteria and the innate and adaptive ability of the immune system to fight them off comes with an interest in history. Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus in this country he had been giving talks in the Greater Springfield Area on Polio: History, Vaccine and Near Eradication."

It has been estimated that polio once crippled 35,000 people a year in the United States, before an effective vaccine was introduced in 1955.

We are lucky to have vaccines that can prevent many serious illnesses, Skiest said.

If people look back in history they will see life in the pre-vaccine era was very scary. Its good to think on this when its time for them or their children to get vaccinated.

Skiest said it is likely that it will be months before a vaccine for COVID-19 is ready to launch across a diversity of populations.

You need time to develop an immune response that shows the vaccine is effective and safe, Skiest said.

He said it is unclear, too, from lack of data whether having had the disease refers any lasting immunity.

We know people develop antibodies to COVID-19 and this tells us whether or not that they have been exposed to the disease, Skiest said.

But we dont know if certain levels of antibodies correlates with immunity.

He added the absence of a vaccine for COVID-19 has meant reliance on non-pharmaceutical interventions that date back decades to an early pandemic of a respiratory illness caused by a different virus but one with similarities in terms of spread in close proximity.

Social distancing was done during the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, Skiest said.

Communities that closed schools and parks fared much better than those that didnt.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 50 million people worldwide died during the 1918 influenza pandemic, with about 675,000 of those deaths occurring in the United States.

Skiest noted that Edward Jenner is generally credited with making the first vaccine in the Western World in 1796. He used cowpox to create immunity to smallpox.

The Chinese developed a similar inoculation to smallpox a few centuries before Jenner, Skiest said.

Jenner had recognized that milkmaids who had cowpox were not getting smallpox and his work showed that humans, if inoculated with cowpox, would have immunity against smallpox. His was a relatively crude vaccine - he would prick someones finger several times to get a response going - but it was the only vaccine for quite awhile."

A disfiguring disease known since ancient times and one that war and colonization once spread globally to kill millions, smallpox, thanks to improved vaccines, campaigns to immunize against it and contact tracing of the infected, has been considered eradicated since 1980.

Skiest said major advances in vaccine development in the 20th century help give immunity against such life-threatening diseases as diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles and mumps.

During the 1900s a lot more vaccines were developed based on laboratory techniques and we learned a lot more about the immune system, he said.

SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that is the cause of the current pandemic, has been speculated to be a recombinant virus that originated from bats in China.

Skiest said viruses that jump species could have occurred often over the centuries but the fact that people did not travel far from their place of birth helped keep such viruses and any spread of them through human transmission local until they eventually petered out.

Travel in earlier eras was much less significant, Skiest said.

The way the world travels today it is not a question of avoiding a novel virus but one of how are we going to respond quickly and effectively when we recognize it. This coronavirus has a very high infectivity rate of two to two and a half people.

Skiest worries that peoples reluctance to seek medical care for fear of exposure to COVID-19 is preventing them or their children from staying current with needed immunizations.

Herd immunity, that is, immunity among a population to a certain virus so that there are no longer enough susceptible hosts to sustain it, is key to stopping transmission of infectious diseases.

He added, The coronavirus pandemic is definitely highlighting the importance of vaccines."

If the virus is around next winter, people could get sick with it as well as with the flu," Skiest said.

"However, we have a vaccine to help protect against the flu. You dont want to get worn down by flu and become more susceptible to getting COVID-19 as a result. We can prevent the flu with vaccination and there is no downside to this.
100 Years Ago  1920: Gov. William C. Sproul was adopted by Penn Forest, No. 21, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, last night in a distinguished class of saplings, including many prominent Masons of Delaware County, before an assemblage that packed Odd Fellows Temple from pit to dome. Many were unable to gain admittance to the main auditorium. The $500,000 Masonic Temple of this city is a certainty. Governor Sproul and other leading Masons pledged their full support to the building committee and a very substantial sum was realized from among the Cedars for the Masonic Building Association

75 Years Ago  1945: There are 37 ships under construction and scheduled for launching at Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company during the remaining eight months of 1945, John G. Pew, president, reported on Sunday. The U.S. Maritime Commission is pressing for the delivery of 34 of the vessels, and the other three are freighters for the Dutch government. Workers who are voluntarily leaving their jobs at the yard are keeping pace with the cut-backs in Maritime orders, so that no enforced layoffs have been necessary, the shipbuilder said.

50 Years Ago  1970: Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new West Branch YMCA in Chester are set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Seventh and Yarnall streets. The $1,484,000 building will replace the present Y building at Seventh and Flower streets, which will be demolished. The site has been acquired by the Delaware River Port Authority for approaches to the new Chester-Bridgeport Bridge, now in the early stages of construction.

25 Years Ago  1995: City council has asked the Chester Police Department for an accounting of all drug forfeiture money  cash that until now have been handled solely by the police department. Councilman Charles McLaughlin raised the issue after learning from the Justice Department that forfeiture monies could be used to put towards the citys matching share of a federal $675,000 COPS on the Beat Grant the city received to hire police officers, which had to be turned down because it could not afford the matching funds.

10 Years Ago  2010: From the police blotter: A 40-year-old homeless man who allegedly walked out of a Drexel Hill drug store with an Easter Seals donation jar earmarked for disabled children on Easter Sunday waived a preliminary hearing in district court; A 19-year-old Wilmington, Del., woman is behind bars, charged with stealing $1,103 in Victorias Secret gift bags, body lotion and perfume in the Granite Run Mall. The woman ran and tried to hide the merchandise at the nearby Wet Seal store.

 COLIN AINSWORTH
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 18:09:16|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a decree to adopt the digital economy and e-government services in all sectors of the country's life, Uzbek authorities said Wednesday.

The document instructs the government to speed up the formation of the digital economy by doubling its share in the country by 2023, to modernize the infrastructure and capability of telecommunication services, and ensure high-speed internet access across the country, the ministry said.

The decree envisages further development of the e-government system and the goal to raise the share of electronic public services to 60 percent by 2022.

Under the document, the Uzbek government plans to develop "digital entrepreneurship" through the production of software products, tripling its volume of services and increasing the export of such services up to 100 million U.S. dollars by 2023. Enditem
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New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has instructed police to arrest mourners at funerals and anyone gathering in large groups in a new 'zero tolerance' approach to stop the spread of coronavirus - after he drove across New York City to witness hundreds gathered in Brooklyn.

The mayor showed up at an Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg Tuesday night and threatened mourners with arrest for ignoring social distancing rules.

De Blasio traveled to personally shut down the gathering after images surfaced on social media of a massive funeral for a rabbi who died from coronavirus.

Shocking photos revealed hundreds of people gathered in the streets to pay their respects to Rabbi Chaim Mertz.

Hundreds of people gathered in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for a massive funeral Tuesday evening

Brooklyn, NY: The funeral was held for Rabbi Chaim Mertz who died from coronavirus

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio showed up at the Orthodox Jewish funeral and threatened mourners with arrest for ignoring social distancing rules

Shocking photos revealed hundreds of people gathered in the streets to pay their respects to Rabbi Chaim Mertz

The mourners were seen crammed in together much closer than the six feet recommended under social distancing guidelines and many people were not wearing face masks.

The mass gathering is also a violation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive order banning non-essential gatherings.

De Blasio slammed the mourners on Twitter calling their actions 'absolutely unacceptable'.

'Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,' he wrote.

The mourners were seen crammed in together much closer than the six feet recommended under social distancing guidelines

Many people were not wearing face masks at the funeral Tuesday night in Brooklyn

The mass gathering is also a violation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive order banning non-essential gatherings

Scenes like this can set the process of reopening back weeks. Worse off, it risks more funerals. @NYPDnews is gonna have to camp out of every corner as long as people refuse to listen... pic.twitter.com/09kAk8pY64  Menashe Shapiro (@menasheshapiro) April 29, 2020

'When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.'

The mayor went on to send a stark warning to the community that the police will issue summons and even arrest people flouting social distancing guidelines.

'My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,' he wrote on Twitter.

De Blasio slammed the Jewish community in a Twitter rant Tuesday night after he had broken up the gathering with the NYPD

'I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.'

De Blasio's response faced a backlash from some members of the Jewish community who said he was 'singling out' the group.

'This has to be a joke.Did the Mayor of NYC really just single out one specific ethnic community (a community that has been the target of increasing hate crimes in HIS city) as being noncompliant??' wrote Chaim Deutsch, a City Council member who represents a large Orthodox Jewish population, in a Twitter post.

De Blasio slammed the mourners on Twitter calling their actions 'absolutely unacceptable'

The mayor went on to send a stark warning to the community that the police will issue summons and even arrest people flouting social distancing guidelines

'My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,' de Blasio wrote on Twitter

Young children were also seen gathered at the funeral - some of them wearing masks

'Has he been to a park lately? (What am I saying - of course he has!)'

'But singling out one community is ridiculous,' he added in another post. 'Every neighborhood has people who are being non-compliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, it's stereotyping, and it's inviting antisemitism. I'm truly stunned.'

The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council also Tweeted anger at the mayor's response.

'People failed to social distance at a funeral the same day that thousands of New Yorkers failed to distance for 45 minutes to watch a flyover,' the council Tweeted, in reference to the thousands of people who flocked to the banks of the Hudson Tuesday to watch the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels fly across the city's skies in honor of health care workers battling the pandemic.

An NYPD officer wearing a mask arrives to try to disperse the crowds Tuesday

A spokesperson for the NYPD said officers did not ticket or arrest anybody at Tuesday's funeral

De Blasio's comments faced a backlash from some members of the Jewish community who said he was 'singling out' the group

The NYPD has been called to break up several funerals and gatherings across the city amid the pandemic.

A spokesperson for the NYPD told the New York Post officers did not ticket or arrest anybody at Tuesday's funeral.

This comes the same day that Cuomo revealed his 12-step plan to reopening the state and told New Yorkers it would take a 'miracle' for New York City to reach the requirements needed to be able to relax lockdown in the next few weeks.

Cuomo's lockdown officially ends on May 15 but he said on Monday he would extend it for some regions of the state where the data suggests there is still a problem.

In upstate New York, the infection rate is believed to be as low as three percent whereas in New York City, it is nearly 25 percent, according to an antibody study the state is carrying out.

Chaim Deutsch, a City Council member who represents a large Orthodox Jewish population, blasted De Blasio for 'singling out' the Jewish community in a Twitter post

The first step of the plan is to ensure that the region being reopened has seen declining coronavirus cases for 14 days.

New York City is a long way from that benchmark and it continues to make up the vast majority of all COVID-19 deaths and cases in the state.

As of Tuesday night, New York City recorded 11,820 deaths and 157,713 infections.

Across the state, there have been 17,638 deaths and 295,106 confirmed cases of the deadly virus.
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China on Tuesday delivered an assortment of medical supplies to Uganda to help the east African country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zheng Zhuqiang, Chinese ambassador to Uganda, handed over the medical supplies to Ruth Aceng, Uganda's minister of health.

Zheng said the medical supplies donated include 10,000 surgical mask, 2,000 N95 medical mask, 2,000 disposable protective clothing, 500 infrared thermometer, 2,000 medical protective goggles, 10,000 pairs of surgical gloves and 10,000 pairs of medical isolation shoe cover.

He said the second batch would soon be donated to Uganda.

Zheng said China will cooperate with Uganda to jointly fight the pandemic.

"One of the important experiences China has obtained from its fight against the COVID-19 is that no matter how vicious the virus is, solidarity stands as the key to our victory against it," he said.

Minister Aceng hailed China for its continued support to Uganda especially in the fight against COVID-19.

She said Uganda is in great need of testing kits as it carries out a nationwide rapid assessment survey of the prevalence of COVID-19 in communities.

Uganda currently has 79 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of 47 patients already discharged after recovery.

The country fears that the disease may spread further after some of the positive cases interacted with the public.

The country has instituted a series of measures to stop the spread of the virus among which include a lockdown, banning public gatherings and closing of schools.
According to the latest statistics available yesterday from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria, 165 health workers in that state have tested positive for COVID-19, ranging across at least seven hospitals and one radiology clinic, out of total infections in the state of 1,349.

One frontline health worker, disability nurse Sumith Pramachandra, aged 55, died in Melbournes suburban Dandenong Hospital.

Melbourne, the state capital, has several officially reported coronavirus clusters in medical facilities around the city. This makes its health system one of the worst-affected in Australia, but there is evidence that the state Labor Party government is hiding the true impact from the public.

State authorities kept secret for a month the latest outbreak of 15 cases at the citys Albert Road private psychiatric clinic, including five staff members. This cluster raises serious concerns about standards of care in mental health facilities across the country.

At the clinic, an 80-bed facility run by Ramsay Health, a psychiatrist tested positive to COVID-19 on March 24, but many health workers were not informed until April 7. The cluster was not publicly revealed till April 24.

Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese Van Diemen defended the governments position, claiming: The fact that the Victorian public found out about these [then] doesnt mean that nothing has been happening since the 24th of March. Its not the same thing.

A psychiatrist, however, told the media he would not have referred his patient to the clinic if he had been told about the case on March 24. It seems strange that the hospital was open to admissions for a month with a positive COVID-19 case there, and referring and admitting doctors werent informed so they could use that information in their clinical decision-making, he said.

Such official stonewalling enables Premier Daniel Andrewss government to sidestep any examination of the conditions that health workers face in their workplace, in which personal protective equipment (PPE) is often inadequate.

The sites of infection for only about 30 of the 165 affected workers have been publicly revealed.

At Werribee Mercy Hospital, four doctors were infected. At the Alfred Hospital in Prahran, 10 staff in haematology and oncology wards have tested positive, and two patients have died. At Eastern Health, six staff tested positive, mostly at Box Hill Hospital. Six infections were registered at the I-Med Radiology Clinic in Frankston, and one each at Assisi Aged Care in Rosanna, Rathdowne Place Aged Care in Carlton (a visiting doctor) and Monash Health (an ICU nurse.) Outside Melbourne, Swan Hill District Health, in the states north, had one reported infection.

When the cluster occurred at the Alfred Hospital, a major teaching hospital, 100 staff had to isolate. Brendan Crabb, the CEO of the Burnet Institute, a medical research facility located in the Alfred, said the tragic deaths and staff infections were a big warning sign.

Crabb told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio: They are really in the literal firing line. Its a very dangerous place for health workers to be. If their services get overwhelmed were going to see a lot of damage done to our health workers, not just to the broader community. And of course that has a snowballing effect.

Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria president Associate Professor Julian Rait told the media: Im very concerned by these numbers, because although healthcare workers comprise about 3 percent of the population, this means they are accounting for about 12 percent of the infections.

We know internationally that infections acquired in hospitals and clinics are a significant problem if proper procedures are not followed. Not only does protective equipment need to be sufficient, but the procedures to fit and remove the personal protective equipment need to be rigorous, Rait said.

At Eastern Health, a major hospital network, leaked minutes from a recent meeting between senior medical management and doctors revealed shortages of medical scrubs and protective masks, while some newly-sourced masks were found to be defective.

One doctor at Eastern Health said: Our hospital network is refusing to provide doctors and nurses with hospital-laundered scrubs to use. We dont want to bring COVID home to our families.

The state health department refuses to reveal the number of workers who have tested positive per hospital, citing privacy reasons. Nor would it release a breakdown of the source of the infections.

That is because the authorities want to maintain that health workers have not contracted the virus in their workplace. A health department spokeswoman claimed that the overwhelming majority of healthcare workers contracted the virus outside their workplace, either through international travel or close contact with an infected person.

This also serves to cover up government indifference and inaction, including the limiting of testing so that asymptomatic carriers remain undetected.

In lockstep, the unions covering health workersthe Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), Health Workers Union (HWU), Health Services Union (HSU) and Health and Community Services Union (HACSU)have remained silent about the sites of infection, and about the shortages of PPE.

Health workers told the WSWS of their concerns. One infection control officer said: We just dont know what we will be dealing with. There may be a wave to come.

A hospital doctor likened his experience to a pre-war situation. He added: They are not providing the slaves with essential PPE. We have to take matters in our own hands. Nobody can stop us from trying to self-protect.

On April 5 the Labor government announced a Hotels for Heroes program to accommodate up to 8,000 healthcare workers if they become infected. The state government will pay the bill to self-isolate in hotels.

A community health nurse commented: Well thanks for the free hotel room, but I just dont think that should be a substitute for the lack of PPE. Instead of offering me a free hotel room, Id rather not get positive and have PPE.

We are re-using PPE. We are putting them in a paper bag and coming back to them hours later. I know that for the staff, the level of anxiety is very high. Its natural, because we dont have enough PPE. I have to face 150 people a day without adequate PPE.

The Victorian situation is part of a wider pattern, in Australia and internationally. Health workers everywhere have been on the front line of the pandemic, often falling victim to it because of the lack of PPE and other basic resources.

In Australia, there have been major outbreaks among health workers, patients and their families in Burnie, Tasmania and in two aged care facilities in SydneyNewmarch House and Dorothy Henderson Lodge. These cases show how rapidly infection can spread in health facilities and underline the danger involved in the premature lifting of community restrictions as part of the back-to-work drive by governments and the corporate elite.
After repeated failures, the Cambodian National Police has increased traffic fines by up to five times starting May 1 in an attempt to force motorists to obey and comply with the Traffic Law.



The announcement was made on April 28 by the National Police and increased fines on people driving without a helmet from $4 to $15. Drunk driving in vehicles will carry a $1,000 fine, up from $200 previously. Whereas, drivers of smaller passenger vehicles will be fined $500, up from $100, if caught drunk driving.



The forces will implement this responsibly, equally, firmly, ethically and transparently with a polite and dignitary attitude, said the police statement.



Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday asked people to respect the traffic law, such as using a drivers license.

National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun said the tough measures were meant to force people to respect the traffic law. He said the government has attempted to reduce road deaths after it reached a new record last year, registering 2,000 road deaths in 2019.

The increasing fine is not for money, he told VOA Khmer on Wednesday. It doesnt affect peoples living. If they respect the law, it is fine, he added.

Kong Ratanak, director of the Institute for Road Safety, said the measure should not be implemented now since people were worried about COVID-19 and having financial constraints.



It can be another burden for them with the new fine, he said.



He said it was equally important the police effectively implement the law and have transparency when fining motorists.

A National Police report showed that there was an increase in the number of people killed in road accidents in 2019, with the authorities recording 1,981 deaths last year.

In November, Interior Minister Sar Kheng seemed almost hopeless at the ministrys efforts to curb road accidents and deaths, making a call for any stakeholders to provide new solutions for the issue.

Government forecasts made in 2011 pegged traffic accidents to increase to 3,200 deaths in 2020, if additional measures are not taken to curb the rise in fatalities. However, the government, at the time, hoped to enforce interventions that would limit road deaths to around 1,600 this year.
ONE of the killers of Limerick man Jason Corbett has failed in his bid to secure temporary release from prison during the Covid-19 crisis.

Former FBI agent Thomas Martens, 70, and his daughter Molly, were found guilty, in 2017, of the second-degree murder of Mr Corbett in 2015.

They were both sentenced to serve at least 20 years in prison.

At a court hearing in North Carolina this Monday, Thomas Martens' lawyers argued that he should be released from prison because he is at an elevated risk of contracting a serious case of Covid-19 due to his age.

The court was told Mr Martens, who has appealed his conviction, is not a flight risk and that he was willing to lodge a $200,000 bond and abide by a condition that he live at his sons home.

Rejecting the application, Judge Mark Klass said he was not satisfied there was adequate reason to order Mr Martens' release.

Opposing the application, Alan Martin, Davidson County Assistant District Attorney submitted there were no guarantees that Mr Martens would avoid ill-health if released.

"He's at risk at home, just as he is in prison," he said.

In February, Molly Martens and Thomas Martens won an appeal against their convictions and a retrial was ordered.
Beijing, April 29 : Chine smartphone market underwent its highest decline in the January-March period due to the impact of coronavirus pandemic and Huawei was the only smartphone player that achieved positive growth (year-on-year), a new report said on Wednesday.

Smartphone sales in China fell by 22 per cent (YoY) and 24 per cent (quarter-on-quarter) in Q1 2020, according to Counterpoint's Market Pulse-Monthly Smartphone Sales Tracking service.

The top five -- Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi and Apple - accounted for a record 93 per cent of the market, up by six percentage points compared to last year.

The market share of Huawei rose to near 40 per cent during the COVID-19 crisis.

"The drastic fall in Q1 China market was primarily dragged down by the dismal sales of smartphones in February (negative 35 per cent), when the country was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and commerce activities were minimal,' said Flora Tang, a research analyst at Counterpoint.

However, during the lockdown period in China, local e-Commerce giants such as Alibaba and JD.com managed to sustain efficient business operations and delivery services in major Chinese cities outside of Hubei province.

"For the strong support from these e-Commerce players, China's smartphone sales appeared less negative than our original expectation. We also estimate that the online share of smartphone sales in China surged to over 50 per cent during Q1 from about 30 per cent in 2019," she added.

The online share is likely to drop in Q2 after the pandemic is largely contained.

Within six months after commercialisation of 5G in China, the penetration of 5G smartphone sales jumped to over 15 per cent in Q1 2020.

"Sales units of 5G smartphones grew by nearly 120 per cent (QoQ). The dominance of Huawei in China's 5G smartphone market was more evident as it contributed to over half of the total 5G phone sales in Q1, followed by Vivo, OPPO, and Xiaomi," explained research analyst Mengmeng Zheng.

Apple and Huawei managed to increase market share from the same period last year, clearly out-performing the overall market in Q1 2020.

"Consumers continued to purchase iPhones from e-commerce platforms despite the shutdown of Apple stores across China during February. As for the Huawei group, it continued to lead and gained share with a complete product portfolio covering the entry-level to premium segments," said Ethan Qi, senior analyst.
The Crown is urging a judge to sentence a 15-year-old-boy to the maximum term for a violent robbery that shook the city, sending one woman to hospital and sparking increased security at Liquor Marts.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Crown is urging a judge to sentence a 15-year-old-boy to the maximum term for a violent robbery that "shook the city," sending one woman to hospital and sparking increased security at Liquor Marts.

The offence was committed at a time "when liquor store robberies and thefts were a daily occurrence," Crown attorney David Burland told provincial court Judge Dale Schille.

"This wasnt a shoplifting gone bad it was a planned robbery from the start," he said.

Police dusts for prints as they investigate a robbery at a Liquor Mart on Keewatin in Winnipeg on November 20, 2019. An employee was injured in the robbery. (John Woods / Canadian Press files)

Burland is urging Schille to sentence the boy to three years custody and community supervision, the maximum term allowed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The 15-year-old boy, who has no prior criminal record, was arrested Nov. 20 after he and two co-accused robbed the Tyndall Market mall Liquor Mart. After fleeing the liquor store, the boy threatened and injured several more people inside and outside the mall before he was finally taken to the ground by a man who held him until police arrived.

"This offence and offences like it are why everyone who wants to stop at the liquor store now has to wait between the doors for their identification to be scanned," Burland said.

Last month, the boy pleaded guilty to five counts of robbery, three counts of assault, and one count each of mischief and uttering threats.

"There is no question that but for his lack of a record, the Crown would be seeking an adult sentence," Burland said.

An adult co-accused, Nucian Kennedy, who was unarmed and did not assault anyone, was previously sentenced to nine months in jail.

If the youth accused in court Tuesday was an adult, he would likely be facing a sentence of 10 years or more in prison, Burland said.

The three year recommended sentence "doesnt come close to what an adult would receive," he said. Schille has reserved his decision.

Court heard the accused, Kennedy and another accused youth wearing a mask and armed with a knife stormed into the liquor store shortly before 4 p.m. and started scooping up bottles of liquor, yelling at staff not to look at their faces.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRES Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries installed secure entrances in its liquor stores in response to increased thefts and robberies at retail locations. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Security video captured the accused approaching a female staff member at a cash register and punching her in the face. The woman retreated to an office as the boy turned his attention to another staff member, Randi-Lee Chase, standing behind a service counter.

"Without provocation," the boy "wound up and punched Chase in the face," knocking her unconscious, Burland said.

Security footage of the robbery played for the court showed Chase on the floor as she suffered a prolonged seizure. She was taken to hospital in critical condition and had a fractured jaw.

Chase, who participated in the sentencing hearing via teleconference, said she continues to suffer from depression and overwhelming feelings of fear following the attack.

"I am constantly afraid in terms of my security and am unable to take public transit due to fear," she said. "I am afraid of what life will look like when he is released."

Manitoba liquor store employee Randi Chase, who was assaulted during a robbery, speaks to media in Winnipeg on Wednesday November 27, 2019. (John Woods / Canadian Press files)

After assaulting Chase, the boy grappled with a male staff member before escaping the liquor store and fleeing through the mall.

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Separated from his two co-accused, the boy threatened to stab two women at a travel store and demanded money. The teen assaulted one of the women and broke her glasses before running out of the mall and threatening a teen who was sitting in his mothers Chevy Silverado. After failing to gain entry into the vehicle, he tried to rob two women of their purses before a man tackled him to the ground and held him for police.

Defence lawyer Matthew Munce said the boy was so intoxicated by alcohol and pills he had no memory of the liquor mart robbery and its aftermath.

Munce, who at a bail hearing in December told a judge the boy had no addiction issues, told Schille on Tuesday the boys "history of substance abuse" should be considered as a mitigating factor in support of a sentence no longer than 18 months.

Munce said the boy had a "relatively uneventful upbringing" at Little Saskatchewan First Nation, but "started associating with negative peers" after moving to Winnipeg in 2016.

Schille will sentence the boy May 11.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
During this pandemic, weve all become more conscious of our immunity and resilience. Although, one seriously senior citizen has got us all beat.

New Yorks Angelina Friedman survived cancer, miscarriages, internal bleeding, sepsis and now not one, but two pandemics.

This is Angelina Friedman



She's 101-years old.



During her life, she has survived cancer, multiple miscarriages, internal bleeding, sepsis and as an infant, she survived the Spanish flu.



She just beat coronavirus.#Hope pic.twitter.com/NVP7Sfhn37  Goodable (@Goodable) April 28, 2020

More than 100 years after living through the 1918 influenza pandemic, the 101-year-old woman just beat Coronavirus.

Speaking to CNN, Friedmans nursing home administrator Amy Elba said, It also just goes to show how much the world needs the hope that you can beat this at 101, highlighting how the century-old woman has returned to her usual, excited self as if nothing ever happened.

 North Westchester Restorative Therapy & Nursing Center

In 1918, Angelina Sciales (now Friedman) was born on a ship that was transporting immigrants from Italy to New York City. It was in the midst of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. One of the most deadly in history, it infected over 500 million people (1/3rd of the worlds population back then) and killed anywhere between 17 to 50+ million individuals. It's not believed that the baby contracted the disease.



 Wikimedia

Her mother died giving birth, and her two sisters helped her survive until they could reunite with their father in New York, where they lived in Brooklyn, Friedmans daughter Joanne Merola said to WPIX.



Over 100 years later, Friedman tested positive for Coronavirus when visiting a hospital for a medical procedure.

Merola told CNN that her mother was isolated in her room and ran a fever on and off for several weeks as she battled the Coronavirus until April 20, when she tested negative.

Happy in recovery, Friedman has returned to her usual active self - eating her usual food and picking up her knitting needles, which shes routinely used to craft all sorts of woolly gifts for nursing home visitors - and where she aims to win the prom queen title a second year running.

 CNN

Messages of support and surprise came in from all around the world once her amazing story got out.



This is Angelina Friedman



She's 101-years old.



During her life, she has survived cancer, multiple miscarriages, internal bleeding, sepsis and as an infant, she survived the Spanish flu.



She just beat coronavirus.#Hope pic.twitter.com/NVP7Sfhn37  Goodable (@Goodable) April 28, 2020

This is Angelina Friedman



She's 101-years old.



During her life, she has survived cancer, multiple miscarriages, internal bleeding, sepsis and as an infant, she survived the Spanish flu.



She just beat coronavirus.#Hope pic.twitter.com/NVP7Sfhn37  Goodable (@Goodable) April 28, 2020

This is Angelina Friedman



She's 101-years old.



During her life, she has survived cancer, multiple miscarriages, internal bleeding, sepsis and as an infant, she survived the Spanish flu.



She just beat coronavirus.#Hope pic.twitter.com/NVP7Sfhn37  Goodable (@Goodable) April 28, 2020

"She's super active. You couldn't believe it for her age," Elba said. "Still doing her leisure activities probably that she's done forever."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 07:41:21|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Tuesday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's current presumptive presidential nominee.

"This is a moment where we need a leader, a president, like Joe Biden," Clinton said during a virtual town hall.

"I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president," the former secretary of state said, describing Biden as a "friend" and a figure who has been "preparing for this moment his entire life."

Biden called Clinton a "friend" and thanked her for the "wonderful personal endorsement."

One day earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also endorsed Biden, calling him a "voice of reason and resilience" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden already has the formal support of former President Barack Obama, progressive leaders Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and the party's two previous presidential nominees John Kerry and Al Gore. Enditem
Cherie Blair wished Carrie Symonds 'all the best' after she gave birth to a healthy baby boy with Boris Johnson this morning.

Mrs Blair delivered her fourth child, Leo, three years after Labours 1997 general election win, making him the first baby to be born to a serving Prime Minister in over 150 years.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, the QC, 65, told host Lorraine Kelly there is 'additional strain' when you're a new mother living your life in the public eye.

However, she assured that Carrie will receive 'the best' care there is while living in Downing Street.

Cherie Blair (pictured) wished Carrie Symonds 'all the best' after she give birth to a healthy baby boy with Boris Johnson this morning - Mrs Blair gave birth to fourth child Leo in 1997 while living in Downing Street

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds, pictured together on March 9, have today had their first child - a son born in a London NHS hospital

Kelly asked Cherie whether she had any advice for Carrie.

'I mean obviously she is much younger than I was', said Cherie.

'I was 45, she's in her early 30s. It's her first, baby Leo was my fourth.

Referencing the global pandemic, she said: 'I think for everyone pregnant at this time, there are restraints on how people can support you.'

'I'm sure she will absolutely get the best care and doing it in the public eye is an additional strain, but I wish her all the best.'

Boris, 55, was said to be at Carrie's side throughout the labour at an NHS hospital in London today, as she gave birth weeks earlier than anticipated.

History: Leo Blair was the first baby to be born to a serving Prime Minister for more than 150 years when he arrived in 1997 (Pictured Tony and Cherie Blair showing off their new baby in 1997)

The QC told Good Morning Britain today that while there is less support during the coronavirus crisis for new mothers, she is sure Carrie will receive 'the best' care there is

Carrie and Boris are pictured at the England v Wales rugby match at Twickenham on March 7, just before Mr Johnson contracted coronavirus

The safe arrival of their child, Carrie's first and Boris' sixth, has come as a shock because Carrie was expected to give birth later in the summer, although a due date was never confirmed by the couple.

They announced the pregnancy on February 29, days after the PM's divorce from Marina Wheeler was confirmed, and got engaged while holidaying on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique over the new year.

Announcing the birth of their son, who has not been named yet, his spokesperson said: 'The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.'

Carrie has been back living with Boris in Downing Street after previously been self-isolating in Camberwell, South London, with the couple's dog Dilyn. The couple are pictured following Boris' election

No 10 have not revealed the hospital they went to - although St Thomas', where Boris was in intensive care this month, is the closest to Downing Street.

It was reported that Carrie sent Boris scans of the baby while he was ill with coronavirus earlier this month to raise his spirits.

The spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning.

'Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.'

How many children does the PM have? Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, have four children together: Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20. He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Ms Macintyre's daughter is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair. The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009 - but also mentioned the possibility of a second baby. It is not known if the Prime Minister has any more children - but his baby boy with Carrie Symonds is officially his sixth. Advertisement

Carrie has been back living with Boris after she had previously been self-isolating in Camberwell, South London, with the couple's dog Dilyn, after suffering from symptoms of coronavirus.

Earlier this month Carrie revealed that she was 'reassured' after reading guidance for pregnant woman, who are still placed in the vulnerable group.

She posted on Twitter saying: 'I've spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus. I haven't needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I'm on the mend.

'Being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously worrying. To other pregnant women, please do read and follow the most up to date guidance which I found to be v reassuring.'

In early March that he is likely to take his two-week paternity leave when their child is born - but it is not known if he will take a fortnight off now at a time of national emergency.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) major Zoho Corporation has said that it has cancelled bonuses for its employees and may go for a pay cut if required in future, but will not at any cost lay off staff.

The company's CEO Sridhar Vembu said the SaaS industry will see some much-expected consolidation with the Covid-19 crisis, adding that economic recovery would be slower going forward. While the United States, which accounts to about 45 per cent of the company's business, has seen a 30 per cent drop in GDP owing to the pandemic, some of the larger organisations seeking savings at ...
US Wednesday said it is going to bring monetary support to Algeria in its efforts to curb the novel covid-19 disease, which has so far infected 3,848 people.

US ambassador, John Desrocher made the pledge Monday to the North African countrys health minister, Abderrahmane Benbouzid in a phone talk on the situation in Algeria.

The US diplomat said in a tweet that he discussed with the Algerian official Washingtons commitment to provide financial support to the efforts of the Algerian government.

The pledge comes as the gas-rich North African country grapples with increase in the number of contaminations. The North African country confirmed 3,848 cases and 444 death caused by the disease.

The US is the second country to have promised to help Algeria after Qatar.

China has supplied several equipment while the European Union allocated 75 million euro to support the health ministry to meet various needs.
ALBANY  Mayor Kathy Sheehan is asking people to reconsider plans to attend a rally Friday to protest the states coronavirus quarantine orders.

She's also warning city residents to avoid the area around the state Capitol.

Conservative groups are planning the second rally in as many weeks for Friday afternoon in the city, hoping to pressure Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lighten the restrictions placed on many commercial and social activities. Cuomo announced earlier this week that a drop in coronavirus cases should allow some upstate businesses to reopen by mid-May

Some city residents were caught off-guard by last weeks protest. Sheehan says she wants to minimize the inconvenience for people who live in the city.

We dont want anyone to get hurt and we dont want anyone to catch the coronavirus, she said. I respect their Constitutional right to protest and I empathize with their frustrations.

Earlier: Hundreds gather at the Capitol to protest state shutdown

In barely two months, the coronavirus has killed more people in America than the war in Vietnam. More than a third of the 58,348 deaths have occurred in New York. But the protesters say the mandatory shutdown of many businesses is a draconian response that's gravely harmed the economy and upended lives.

Sheehan said that while the police department is experience in handling protests around the Capitol, a protest without a permit like the one planned for Friday makes it difficult to coordinate. The city is asking protesters to stay in their cars and follow police commands if given.

Additionally, the city is working with the Capital District Transportation Authority to re-route some buses away from the area during the protest.

The previous rally, nicknamed Operation Gridlock, was designed to cause a traffic jam around the Capitol building. Hundreds of people attended, some in cars, others standing along Washington Avenue protesting. The protest tied up traffic in the area for hours.

As with the previous rally, there are rallies planned for cities across the state on Friday, including Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester and New York City.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

A flier for the rally reminds protesters to stay at least six feet apart, in line with social distancing guidelines. At last weeks protest, most protestors stayed in their cars or stood by themselves. Others ignored that recommendations and gathered in groups.

Gathering in large groups increases the likelihood for coronavirus infections, Sheehan said.

Im the mayor of a city thats trying its best to comply with New York Pause so we can reduce the number of infections so that we can re-open our businesses, she said.
Boston EMS was already working on trying to make the use of telehealth part of its routine when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.

As the respiratory illness started to fan across Massachusetts, EMS companies started to change the way they operate, donning protective gear and working with caution, never knowing which patients could be positive for the highly contagious COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus.

Technology has proved to be a valuable tool amid the pandemic. Telehealth techniques are now being utilized by dispatchers, paramedics and EMTs, helping to connect patients with the best resources for their condition and helping to keep emergency rooms from being overwhelmed.

For Boston EMS, telehealth services just started rolling out in response to the pandemic and are being used at dispatch and on the ground by EMTs and paramedics.

If someone calls 911 and describes symptoms, they can be connected through the push of a button with physicians based at Boston Medical Center, explained James Hooley, the chief of Boston EMS. From there, physicians can consult with the patient and suggest care options, like going to a local clinic, or advise to send an ambulance.

It could be for other more minor complaints like a dental emergency or maybe some anxiety or in some cases, somebody with some very minor respiratory or other problems or aches, who are looking for a place to get tested and again, an emergency room is not the best place for that," Hooley said.

Up to 45 times last week, a caller opted in for the telehealth physician consultation, according to Hooley.

If you had not been exposed [to coronavirus] maybe even just bringing someone to the emergency room has the potential of doing that," Hooley said, so you want to weigh that.

In the field, paramedics and EMTs are donning protective gear, communicating with the patient and determining if theyre a good fit for telehealth consultation. In those cases, theyre using phone calls and some video conferencing to connect patients with doctors.

Hooley stressed that telehealth is not a substitute for someone who is really sick and needs immediate medical attention. And, patients can always say theyre not interested in the telehealth option.

Worcester Emergency Medicine Services paramedic Rob Tusino gives UMass Memorial CEO Eric Dickson a firsthand look at the new Mobile COVID-19 Testing and Transport van. Courtesy of UMass Memorial Health Care.

In Worcester, paramedics using telehealth earlier this month found it especially helpful in keeping hospital beds clear as the predicted mid-April surge period approached, said Mike Hunter, the Deputy Chief of Worcester EMS.

Worcester EMS worked with medical directors and IT services from UMass Memorial Medical Center, which owns and operates the EMS service, to organize paramedics using iPhone apps to connect with physicians. The method is being used from patients homes, as well as with a van Worcester EMS has been using to assist members of the citys homeless population.

If we do have patients that have flu-like symptoms but maybe dont necessarily need to go to the emergency room  we can talk to them about maybe you want to just stay at home. Maybe you dont want to go to the emergency room, you can always call us back," Hunter explained.

After video-chatting with a physician, paramedics can give a patient a swab test for coronavirus if thats the best option.

Helping to limit potential exposure to the virus, telehealth has worked to everyones benefit, Hunter said.

Its a sad time but everyones stretching their legs a little bit and theyre getting to try some new stuff, to try to do better for the population, Hunter said. Were really thinking a little bit outside of the box here.

Hunter said he feels Worcester EMS will keep using telehealth methods after the pandemic.

When things eventually return to normal, Hooley hopes to pitch bringing telehealth methods into Boston EMS daily routine. From using telemedicine through the pandemic, Hooley said he believes Boston EMS will be able to present a well-documented demonstration of how efficiently the method works.

The measure could be a big help in the future, during snowstorms, for example, Hooley said.

Hooley wanted to remind residents that they should still call 911 if they have a life-threatening emergency. EMS companies and hospital emergency rooms have reported seeing fewer patients coming in than usual during the pandemic. It appears that some people have been staying at home trying to recover from injuries out of fear of going to the hospital. That delay has lead to amputations and patients facing permanent damage after ignoring the first signs of a stroke in some cases, health officials said last week.

Hooley said Boston EMS understands the anxiety but reiterated that the ambulances are cleaned between every patient.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying two men sought for questioning in connection to an assault in Tompkinsville.

The incident, which took place on March 27, 2020 at approximately 10:45 p.m. in front of 35 Victory Blvd., began when a 32-year-old male victim became involved in a verbal dispute with two unidentified males, according to a written statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner for Public Information (DCPI).

The dispute escalated into a physical confrontation, according to the statement, and one of the unidentified males pulled out a sharp instrument and stabbed the victim in the leg.

The two unidentified men then fled westbound on Victory Boulevard, the statement said.

The victim was transported to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze in stable condition, according to police.

The NYPD provided surveillance photos taken from the vicinity of the incident following the alleged assault.

Anyone with information in regard to the identities of the males is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
A huge blaze has broken out at a block of flats in north London.

Firefighters were scrambled to the scene in Acacia Road, Wood Green, just before 10pm on Wednesday night.

Dramatic images showed flames ripping through the roof of the building and rising into the night sky as terrified neighbours watched on.

Witnesses told of their shock as they took to social media to share footage of the enormous fire.

About 20 people were evacuated by fire crews using breathing apparatus. Three of them were treated by paramedics at the scene.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) were called at 9.58pm to reports of a blaze at a four-storey maisonette block.

The brigade said all of the second and third floor of the four-storey building was alight, as well as part of the roof.

Some 70 firefighters were at the scene, along with 10 engines, a spokeswoman for the brigade said.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

In its latest statement LFB said: "Firefighters are currently tackling a fire within a four storey building of maisonettes, all of the second and third floor are alight and part of the roof."

"Around 20 people were evacuated by fire crews using breathing apparatus, three people were treated by London Ambulance Service at the scene."

The brigade added: "Fire crews from Tottenham, Hornsey, Edmonton, Holloway, Stoke Newington and Southgate fire stations are at the scene."
[April 29, 2020] UNIQORN Signs Post COVID-19 Joint-Venture Agreement with Canada's Zadar Ventures

SARLAT-LA-CANEDA, France, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- France's largest rural startup incubator-accelerator, UNIQORN, today announced the finalization of a project based joint-venture agreement with Canada's Zadar Ventures, in the field of augmented (AR), virtual (VR) and mixed reality (MR), collectively known as extended reality (ER). As demonstrated during the periods of Covid-19 confinement, when applying cutting-edge AR, VR, and MR technologies to current business models, all industries can increase efficiency metrics, gain a better understanding of customers and cut costs. XR (extended reality) is a term referring to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables, where the 'X' represents a variable for any current or future spatial computing technologies. It includes representative forms such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) and the areas interpolated among them. The levels of virtuality range from partially sensory inputs to immersive virtuality, also called VR. In recent weeks, UNIQORN announced that it had added XRApplied, a leading developer of XR technologies, to its roster of hand-picked startups it incubates and accelerates out of its location in southern France.



Mark Tommasi, Zadar Ventures' Chairman stated: "The joint-venture with UNIQORN will allow us to accelerate on the previously-announced path of identifying and evaluating the most promising opportunities in the AR/VR space, especially as it applied to a post Covid-19 world in which XR technologies are likely to explode as a result of travel restrictions and other business constraints." Jean Vignon, UNIQORN'S co-founder and CFO, issued the following statement: "We look forward to having Zadar as a long-term strategic partner. Their management team truly recognizes the fact that our world will never be the same post Covid-19 and that new problems require innovative solutions, such as the ones brought about by extended reality."

UNIQORN recently made headlines for its innovative incubation and acceleration programs, which put a heavy emphasis on post-PoC (proof-of-concept) business acceleration strategies that leverage a unique customer acquisition platform called "Mobcast" along with more traditional, tried and trusted public relations and investor relations initiatives. About UNIQORN UNIQORN is the largest rural incubator-accelerator of its kind in the world. Located in southwestern France (Sarlat-la-Caneda), its mission is to give entrepreneurs and their families their lives back while helping them build game-changing technology startups. Startups are provided with a complete ecosystem for success, with direct access to proven funding sources, top-notch legal and accounting representation, access to the world's most generous business incentives and, most importantly, a dedicated sales and marketing accelerator that will put a startup's product or service on the fast track to success. About XRApplied XRApplied is a leading startup operating in the emerging AR, MR, & VR industry. The company's mission is to apply cutting edge XR technologies to current business models, enabling industries to increase efficiency metrics, gain a better understanding of their customers and cut costs. The company has built a groundbreaking SDK that makes it affordable for any company to create an XR application. CONTACT UNIQORN SAS

Jean Vignon

Phone: +33 6 07 70 54 40

[email protected]

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uniqorn-signs-post-covid-19-joint-venture-agreement-with-canadas-zadar-ventures-301049144.html SOURCE UNIQORN SAS

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A carer was moved to tears as she read a heartbreaking goodbye letter from a granddaughter to her dying nan.

Peggy Grainger, who was suffering from coronavirus symptoms and also had dementia, died earlier this month at Philia Lodge Care Home in Peterborough, where she had lived for four years.

Her loved ones were unable to visit the 86-year-old in her final moments as a result of the lockdown restrictions and so penned an emotional message which was then read to her by a staff member, ITV News reported.

In the letter, Ms Grainger's granddaughter Gemma Gunter, 37, said how sorry she was for not being able to be there with her for her 'final breaths'.

'For now Grandma, this is goodbye, but I know that you will always be with us in our hearts that you have helped make so full of love and happy memories for us to treasure forever,' she wrote.

'We are all there next to you in spirit, and will be always and forever.'

She also asked her grandmother to send love from relatives to their late grandfather, but joked: 'We know he's been waiting for you, but don't let him start ordering you around - it's your turn for him to wait on you.'

Peggy Grainger, pictured, died at Philia Lodge Rest Home in Peterborough having suffered coronavirus symptoms

The voice of carer Laura Dunn-Green, dressed in full personal protective equipment, starts to crack as she reads out the touching note, which she described being asked to do as 'an honour'.

She then broke down in tears as she told the broadcaster: 'Being here won't be the same without her.

'I'm glad she's at rest now and in peace. I will miss her every day. Being here won't be the same without her.'

Mother-of-two Gemma, from Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said: 'It was very hard seeing my grandma's carer reading out the letter to her.

'My grandma was a very, very special lady - and her carers went above and beyond to try and support us when we weren't allowed to go and see her.

'The carers thought very highly of her. She was an amazing lady.'

Laura Dunn-Green, pictured, reads out a heartbreaking message to the 86-year-old from her granddaughter Gemma

Gemma, who is one of Peggy's five grandchildren, added: 'I decided to write the letter after realising that I was potentially not going to be able to say goodbye to my grandma.

'We had had lots of talks with her over the last few years about 'the end', because of her dementia.

'In the end, it was exactly how everybody wanted it to be. The carers did everything they could for her, and for us.'

Gemma said the last time she got to see Peggy was in February - about a month before lockdown started and she was no longer allowed to go and see her grandmother.

She added that she also took her two sons, aged seven and five, to see their great-grandmother 'as often as I felt was necessary'.

She said: 'I took them to see her as much as possible - but we could never be quite sure how she would react to them, because of her dementia.

'But I always took her a drawing from the boys when I went to see her.'

Peggy left behind five grandchildren and seven great-grandsons.

The carer, pictured, becomes emotional as she reads the heartbreaking words penned by the family

And her daughter, Rhona White, also from Sleaford, said: 'Mum loved children, she always has done. She loved seeing the boys when she could.

'She was such a lovely person. She had a heart of gold, and always put herself last and everybody else first.'

Rhona said that it was 'very emotional' seeing Laura read out the letter that Gemma had written for Peggy.

She said: 'My brother and I wrote letters to her, too, but ours were shorter. Gemma's was more emotional.

'She did the same thing when my dad, her granddad, died. She wrote him a letter to be put in his coffin.

'She wanted to do the same for my mum, and thought it would just be put in her coffin.

'But the carers there genuinely are very caring, and they thought it would be nice to read the letter out to Mum.

'It obviously touched Laura, too. They think of the residents there as like family - they're very close to them.'

Rhona last saw Peggy a couple of weeks before lockdown began - but said that she and her brother would go and visit at least once a week before that.

She said: 'I had a phone call a couple of weeks before Mum passed away to say that she had stopped eating or drinking, and had a temperature.

'But then the week after that, they said she had started eating again and her temperature had gone down.

Laura, pictured, broke down as she said she will miss Peggy's presence at the home 'every day'

'Then on the Saturday [April 11], they told me she had taken a turn for the worse and was coughing, and her breathing wasn't good.

'She died on the Monday, two days later. We don't know for sure that it was coronavirus, because she didn't have a test. But she did have the symptoms..'

It comes as a University of Cambridge statistician claimed yesterday more people may be dying of coronavirus in care homes than in hospitals already.

Sir David Spiegelhalter made the shocking claim after the Office for National Statistics released its weekly data showing thousands of people are dying out of hospital and not being counted until weeks later.

The professor, a highly regarded statistics expert and an OBE recipient, said he believes the numbers of care home deaths are still climbing as Government statistics show hospital fatalities are trailing off.

New figures compiled by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) show care homes and hospitals in England are now reporting around 400 Covid-19-linked deaths a day.

While deaths in hospitals have been steadily decreasing - 586 were announced yesterday, down from 980 at the outbreak's peak - nursing homes could still be in the depths of their crisis. The way data is backdated means that the true picture is unclear because we currently only have statistics from two weeks ago.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, however, last night promised that the Department of Health would publish care home deaths on a daily basis starting from today, meaning the situation could become clear within days.

The true scale of the crisis in care homes has also been masked by a lack of routine testing, meaning thousands of elderly residents may have died without ever being diagnosed.

Professor John Newton, the Government's testing chief, yesterday said officials had been working on the assumption that if one person tested positive for Covid-19 in a home then anyone else who developed symptoms probably also had it and didn't need testing.
Meat plant workers are reportedly predicting that employees wont show up to work after Donald Trump announced an executive order to compel the factories to remain open amidst the coronavirus.

On Tuesday the president announced he intends to sign an executive order to force the industry to stay open under the Defence Production Act.

All I know is, this is crazy to me, because I cant see all these people going back into work, Donald, a worker at Tysons Waterloo, Iowa facility told CNN.

I dont think people are going to go back in there, he told the outlet.

Signing the executive order under the Defence Production Act means plants will be listed as critical infrastructure to the country and will be compelled to continue production.

CNN Business reported that they had spoken to employees in several Tyson plants who do not want to be named for fear of losing their jobs.

All in all, it can be a good thing if done right, one worker at Tysons Waterloo, Iowa, facility person told the broadcaster. But my faith in this administration has never been strong and is nonexistent currently. I wanna know what these added liability protections are going to be.

Mr Trump said on announcement of the order that it would also provide liability protections to employers if an employee was to get sick from Covid-19, ABC News reported. However, it was said to be unclear what these may include.

I just dont know how theyre going to do it when there are people dying and getting really sick, an employee of Tysons Independence, Iowa, plant said. Whos to say people are even gonna show up to work?

Donald, who is reportedly currently recovering after testing positive for the virus is one of the many hundreds of workers in meat plants to have contracted the disease.

Protection for plant employees has been a huge concern across the US, at least 20 meatpacking and processing workers who contracted the disease have died so far according to an estimate by The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union on Tuesday.

The order came after Tyson foods, the second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork in the world, expressed fear they would need to continue to shut a large proportion of their facilities amidst the pandemic.

A number of other meat production companies across the country announced closures of plants due to the pandemic, possibly severely jeopardising meat supplies across the country.

Recommended Trump to force meatpacking plants to stay open

The food supply chain is breaking, Tyson chairman John Tyson wrote in a full-page advertisement addressing plant closures across the US.

Employees in the industry are thought to be at high risk of catching and spreading the virus due to close proximity and hazardous working conditions in plants.

Im still trying to figure out: What is he going to do, force them to stay open? Force people to go to work? Donald asked CNN.

The novel coronavirus has infected over 1,000,000 people across the united states and led to more than 59,0000 deaths, according to statistics from the Johns Hopkins University.
Dominic Cummings arrives in Downing Street this morning

Dominic Cummings played 'more than a bystander's role' at a meeting of the government's scientific experts and pushed for lockdown to be imposed sooner, it was claimed today.

The Prime Minister's top aide has been at the centre of a political storm after it emerged last week he had attended meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies which provides the government with advice on which decisions are then made.

Downing Street confirmed Mr Cummings had listened in on meetings and 'occasionally' asked questions.

But it was alleged today that Mr Cummings 'clearly wasnt an observer' during coronavirus meetings and that he had played a role in shaping the discussion of the government's advisers.

However, Number 10 has hit back at the claims and said it is 'completely wrong to imply' that scientists' advice 'is in any way not impartial'.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis the government has insisted all of its decisions have been based on the independent advice provided by SAGE.

But Mr Cummings' involvement in the group's meetings has been seized on by critics who are now questioning how independent and impartial the advice given to ministers is.

Bloomberg today reported Mr Cummings had played 'more than a bystander's role' at a meeting of SAGE On March 18 when social distancing measures were being discussed.

It was claimed today that the PM's top aide 'wasn't an observer' at a meeting of the government's scientific experts

Two separate sources familiar with the meeting said Mr Cummings had pressed for lockdown measures to be introduced more quickly.

He allegedly asked scientists why lockdown was not being imposed sooner and steered the discussion in favour of faster action.

He also reportedly made clear he believed pubs and restaurants should close - something which did then happen.

The two people spoken to by Bloomberg said Mr Cummings' actions went beyond just asking questions, with one adding: 'He clearly wasnt an observer.'

Number 10 rejected the suggestion that Mr Cummings had influenced the advice given by SAGE.

The PM's official spokesman said: 'SAGE provide independent scientific advice to government. No political advisers influence this advice.

'The scientists who contribute to SAGE are among the most eminent in their fields. It is completely wrong to imply their advice is in any way not impartial.'

Mr Cummings' alleged push for a swifter lockdown is in direct contrast to a claim reported in March that he had initially argued against strict measures.

His alleged view was summarised at the time as 'if that means some pensioners die, too bad' but Downing Street hit back hard and rejected that claim as a 'highly defamatory fabrication'.

The Guardian revealed on Friday that Mr Cummings had attended SAGE meetings.

But a Number 10 spokesman said at the time 'it is not true' to say Mr Cummings was 'on' or a member of the group.

Number 10 said he attended some Sage meetings to listen to proceedings in order to 'understand better the scientific debate concerning this emergency'.

Some experts have suggested Mr Cummings' role in the meetings could taint the advice SAGE has given to ministers so far.

But others have rubbished such suggestions, insisting scientists would not be influenced by political advisers.

The government is under growing pressure to make the running of SAGE more transparent.

Currently the membership of the group is kept secret, minutes of recent meetings have not been published and neither has the latest evidence on which recommendations have been made.
If one were to suggest that members of the U.S. House of Representatives dont know whether they are coming or going, such a statement could easily be taken as a political pronouncement. And while it could clearly be just that, it could also be meant quite literally.

On Monday, House leadership announced that the legislative body would be back in session next week. Less than 24 hours later, they did an about-face because of the dangers presented by the coronavirus pandemic. Travel is ill-advised. So too are large gatherings. Given the current crisis, it ought to be pretty difficult to argue with that.

But for one thing: The standing rules dictate that lawmakers cannot vote on legislation unless they are present.

For our federal lawmakers, working from home can go only so far.

In Massachusetts, though lawmakers have been working from home and meeting remotely, even managing to pass some crucial coronavirus-related bills by unanimous consent, the state legislature, too, has run up against some hurdles as it seeks to adapt to the new, social-distancing world order.

Rules governing lawmaking on both Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill -- and in other statehouses across the land -- will need to be brought up to date so that legislatures can function fully and stay safe.

Though some might quickly note that the federal government has no provisions in place to allow vote-from-home lawmaking, such quickly falls apart when one considers that both houses of Congress were in session at the end of March when Congress overwhelmingly passed the $2 trillion stimulus act. Would it have been wildly unreasonable at that moment to add to that legislation a provision, even one with a sunset clause, to allow senators and representatives to vote remotely? Of course not.

But they didn't.

And now the Republican-led Senate is planning to come back to Washington and get back to work on Monday. The average age of a U.S. senator is nearly 63 years old, and fully 25 members of the upper chamber are 70 or older. (The House is only slightly younger, with an average age of not quite 58.)

When either house is back in session, members should take up a rules change to allow for remote voting -- and then go home. It would be safe, wise, and would set a good example.
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) today announced five new research investments through its Diagnostics Accelerator (DxA) initiative, including the first for digital biomarker research to Cogstate Ltd., to develop a technology-based approach for early detection of memory impairment and decline, which can be a sign of Alzheimer's disease. The ADDF also announced a new partnership with Sage Bionetworks to establish an online repository for open data sharing among digital biomarker researchers who receive Diagnostics Accelerator awards.

The up to $1.3 million award to Cogstate Ltd. supports development of a mobile app for early detection of memory problems. Researcher Chris Edgar, Ph.D. is leading a team that is adapting a well-established memory test, called the International Shopping List test, for use on smartphones and tablets. This will make the test accessible to people in their homes and will allow for regular repeat testing to track changes in memory. Cogstate is validating the app to ensure it is effective for use among diverse populations.

Sage is developing a custom Digital Biomarker Development Platform to store data from funded research and facilitate benchmarking, analysis and sharing among the Diagnostics Accelerator community. Sage's team of data curators, data engineers and analysts will provide awardees with training and support and will maintain the data, making it available to support independent research programs. Data sharing via this platform will also facilitate objective evaluation of ongoing digital biomarker research projects and development of algorithms that support them. Sage will also aim to develop metadata standards and API (Application Program Interface) documentation to facilitate interoperability and integration with other datasets and data platforms in the future.

"Technology advances are giving us new opportunities to develop digital biomarkers  wearable and other personal devices collect data directly from patients, and their caregivers and families, and cloud computing can collect, collate and analyze this data like never before," said Howard Fillit, M.D., Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. "That's why we are so enthusiastic about today's announcements and are looking forward to announcing more digital biomarker awards in the near future."

Supported by leading philanthropists, the Diagnostics Accelerator has mobilized commitments totaling $50 million from ADDF co-founder Leonard A. Lauder, Bill Gates, and additional partners including Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos, the Dolby family, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, and others to address the lack of biomarkers, which are critical toward the ultimate goal: development of effective drugs to prevent and treat Alzheimer's.

Additional investments announced today expand DxA's peripheral biomarker research

The additional investments announced today support development of non-invasive blood tests that can diagnose Alzheimer's earlier than ever before. With the latest investments, the Diagnostics Accelerator has awarded nearly $14 million to 15 investigators around the world who are developing and testing biomarkers for easier, more accurate and earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's and related dementias.

These research awards, made to researchers working in academia, private enterprise and a government-private partnership working on three continents are:

Sidney Strickland , Ph.D., Erin H. Norris , Ph.D., and colleagues at The Rockefeller University in New York City (up to $320,000 award) are developing a blood test that detects changes in a protein called high molecular weight kininogen  a biomarker that identifies patients with vascular and inflammatory abnormalities that can contribute to the pathology of Alzheimer's. This biomarker test would also help identify patients for clinical trials.

, Ph.D., , Ph.D., and colleagues at in (up to award) are developing a blood test that detects changes in a protein called high molecular weight kininogen  a biomarker that identifies patients with vascular and inflammatory abnormalities that can contribute to the pathology of Alzheimer's. This biomarker test would also help identify patients for clinical trials. Bruno Steinkraus , Ph.D. and colleagues at Hummingbird Diagnostics in Germany (up to $708,382 award) are developing a blood test that detects bloodborne microRNAs, molecules that help maintain the integrity of neurons in the brain and are surrogate markers of the immune system. Levels of microRNAs in the blood appear to be a reliable biomarker showing progression of Alzheimer's.

, Ph.D. and colleagues at Hummingbird Diagnostics in (up to award) are developing a blood test that detects bloodborne microRNAs, molecules that help maintain the integrity of neurons in the brain and are surrogate markers of the immune system. Levels of microRNAs in the blood appear to be a reliable biomarker showing progression of Alzheimer's. Yuval Dor, Ph.D. and colleagues at Hebrew University in Israel (up to $500,000 award) are refining a test they developed to detect levels of a brain-specific DNA in the blood. This DNA is only released into the blood when brain cells die. Dor and team have documented much higher levels of this DNA in the blood of people with Alzheimer's, even if they are symptom free, compared to people without Alzheimer's. The next step is to assess the blood test in a larger pool of early Alzheimer's patients to validate it for widespread use.

in (up to award) are refining a test they developed to detect levels of a brain-specific DNA in the blood. This DNA is only released into the blood when brain cells die. Dor and team have documented much higher levels of this DNA in the blood of people with Alzheimer's, even if they are symptom free, compared to people without Alzheimer's. The next step is to assess the blood test in a larger pool of early Alzheimer's patients to validate it for widespread use. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health's Biomarkers Consortium project Plasma Abeta as a Predictor of Amyloid Positivity in Alzheimer's Disease (up to $402,000 award) is assessing the performance of six top performing blood tests that measure amyloid levels in plasma. Amyloid is the protein that clumps into plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The current gold standard for detecting these plaques is either expensive PET imaging or invasive spinal fluid taps. A minimally invasive, high-quality blood test would be easier for patients and could speed up the process of enrolling patients in appropriate Alzheimer's disease clinical trials.

About the Diagnostics Accelerator

Launched in 2018, the Diagnostics Accelerator research initiative is dedicated to accelerating the development of affordable and accessible biomarkers to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and advance the clinical development of more targeted treatments. Through translational research awards and access to consulting support from industry experts, this program will challenge, assist and fund the research community in both academia and industry to develop novel peripheral and digital biomarkers.

Proposals addressing areas of neuroinflammation, synaptic integrity, proteostasis, and vascular injury are of particular interest at this time and applications for both digital and peripheral biomarkers are being accepted on an ongoing basis.

About the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease. The ADDF is the only public charity solely focused on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer's, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotech industry. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has granted more than $150 million to fund over 626 programs for Alzheimer's and related dementias in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 19 countries. To learn more, visit: http://www.alzdiscovery.org/.

SOURCE Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation

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https://www.alzdiscovery.org


A six-year-old girl died of hypothermia with her fingers 'twisted from cold' after getting lost in 3C temperatures in Ukraine.

Milena Sheveleva was found dead after losing her glasses and getting soaked through with rain near the village of Sosnivka on Sunday.

Police say she was out for a walk with her cousin, but the children argued and the boy ran home - leaving Milena alone.

The six-year-old is thought to have walked off in the wrong direction and got lost as darkness fell and heavy rain started to pour.

Milena Sheveleva (pictured) was found dead after getting lost near the village of Sosnivka in the eastern Kharkiv region on Sunday

A police source said to local media: 'It quickly got dark and Milena apparently got lost.

'We think she saw the lights of the neighbouring village of Goptovka and went towards them.

'As darkness fell, it turned cold and very windy. The temperature dropped to three degrees elsius (37F) and heavy rain started.

'The child was dressed in a thin jacket and got wet through.'

Milena's relatives reported her missing at around 7pm after failing to find her and local authorities immediately launched a large-scale search.

About a thousand people, including police, rescuers, military cadets, local residents and volunteers from neighbouring villages started combing fields and forests in the area.

Hundreds of people including police and local residents joined in a search for the six-year-old after she went missing on Sunday

Dogs were brought in to aid the search for the six-year-old who died of hypothermia after getting lost as darkness fell

Volunteer Sergey Ponomarenko said: 'We were looking for the girl all night. The weather was extremely cold.'

Milena's body was found the following day one mile from the Goptovka village.

Valeriy Sokurenko, the head of the Kharkiv Region Police Department said: 'The child walked 8km [five miles]. We think she got totally exhausted and lost consciousness.

'She was found lying face down on the ground near a pond one mile from Goptovka. Her arms were wrapped around her body with fingers twisted from cold.'

He added: 'The girl's clothes were wet through. Experts discovered no marks of violence on her body.

'Examinations showed she froze through the night and died of hypothermia.'

Police did not find Milena's glasses near her body. They said the girl might have fallen over and lost them.

Yesterday the girl's body was cremated, local media says.
Growing up in a small working family on the outskirts of the International District in Albuquerque, I remember what moments of uncertainty and crisis felt like  especially when it came to my dads small business and how it impacted our financial stability as a family. I also remember how my family united and worked hard to overcome the challenges we faced.

Moments of crisis demand we re-center, renew and strengthen our social contract. The last few weeks have clearly demonstrated New Mexicans are compassionate, resilient and self-determinant as weve responded to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Community members like you and I have jumped into action to support health care workers, our families and neighbors in ways weve always known were possible. State and local governments have quickly coordinated to create the frameworks for policies to scaffold our health care infrastructure and will be foundational to our recovery. Weve done all of this by resisting the insidious rhetoric of xenophobia, racism and nationalism. We should be proud.

But now, we have the unique opportunity to demonstrate that, in Bernalillo County, we believe that no matter who you are, what you look like, where you live, who you love, no matter whats in your wallet, were all human. This moment demands that we pull together to ensure everyone can access the care and resources they need without going broke. We will only get through this together, united against those who hope to divide us.

This public health emergency is teaching us some incredible lessons, not least of which is that were dependent on each other and we can rely on local and state government to guide us through crises. When we invest in locally generated and responsive solutions, we invest in ourselves. When we push ourselves to leverage significant collective resources, we can create a fair system that treats us all equitably and ensures our well-being.

Its critical that, in this time of crisis, our leaders think creatively and expansively about whats possible and what is required of us. I am that kind of leader, and I hope to bring my extensive experience to the Bernalillo County Commission representing District 3. Im a queer kid from a working-class family who was born and raised in District 3, a public health organizer and a statewide nonprofit executive. Ive dedicated my life to making our community a more fair place, and I know how policymaking at the federal, state and local levels should work.

Thats why Ive released a roadmap to resilience and recovery for Bernalillo County in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. My plan includes: strategies to support workers, immigrants, those without shelter and their families; tools to stabilize small and local businesses; strategies to increase safety using legal and justice system interventions; and measures to increase public input and transparency in the way decisions are made during this critical time.

Im running for County Commission because I believe in the power of local government to make a lasting, positive impact on peoples lives. Lets continue to build upon the recent work weve all been doing together by taking action  now  to solidify protections for those who need it most. This is a time to take care of all of us, not a select few of us. The choices we make now will make or break our ability to determine our future together. Now is a time to unite and take action to help our communities begin to thrive.

Please visit my website at www.adriancarver.com to take a deeper dive into my plan to promote interdependence, solidarity, shared purpose and collective action for Bernalillo County.
One of the versatile and talented actor, Irrfan Khan on Wednesday morning passed away at the age of 54. French envoy Emmanuel Lenain expressing grief over his death and tweeted. Check the post here.

Calling Irrfan Khan a beloved international face of Indian cinema, French ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain, mourned the untimely demise of the acclaimed Bollywood star, who breathed his last on Wednesday morning in Mumbai.

Deeply saddened at the untimely demise of actor par excellence #IrrfanKhan A beloved international face of Indian cinema, the acclaimed actor stood out in every role he essayed, incl. the memorable Lunchbox, the first official co-production between India and France shown at Cannes, the French envoy tweeted.

Khan, 53, who passed away at Mumbais Kokilaben Hospital a few hours ago while battling a rare cancer was laid to rest later in the day. He was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday for a colon infection. He was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018.

Deeply saddened at untimely demise of actor par excellence #IrrfanKhan

A beloved international face of Indian cinema, the acclaimed actor stood out in every role he essayed, incl. the memorable Lunchbox, the first official co-production between India and France shown at Cannes pic.twitter.com/fy5dw0MJGe  Emmanuel Lenain (@FranceinIndia) April 29, 2020

Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it, an official statement from the actors representative read.

I trust, I have surrendered; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer, the statement read.

The actor was last seen on screen in Angrezi Medium. However, he was not a part of the films promotions owing to his illness.

He was regarded as a fine actor by fans and critics alike have given critically acclaimed films like The Lunchbox and Paan Singh Tomar.

For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App
The cost of Brisbane City Councils signature Brisbane Metro mega-bus project - which once had a budget of $944 million - has blown out by $200 million.

The councils other signature project  turning Kingsford Smith Drive into a six-lane entry to the city  is now almost a year overdue, with plenty of work unfinished.

The four-year Kingsford Smith Drive project is now almost a year overdue and there is a lot of work to be completed by "the second half of 2020." Credit:Tony Moore

Brisbane Metro has quietly added another $100 million to its costs since February 2020 to allow buses from West End and South Brisbane to access the underground station.

Previously, in November 2019, an extra $100 million was added to the cost to finance the electric buses chosen for the mega-bus project.
Paul Hollywood Eats Japan, in which the Great British Bake Off judge explores Japanese cuisine, has been branded racist, cringeworthy and xenophobic by disappointed viewers.

The Channel 4 show, broadcast last night (29 April), saw Hollywood venture to Japan to indulge in local delicacies, and express a number of unusual preconceived notions about the countrys food culture.

Hollywood expressed surprise that the Japanese eat bread, despite once previously turning down an offer to be a bakers apprentice in the country, and was seen giving a world-famous, Michelin-starred ramen chef a Pot Noodle.

The celebrity baker also struggled to use chopsticks and confessed he assumed the Japanese only ate rice and noodles.

Viewers expressed their horror on Twitter.

Cant watch anymore of this, wrote one person. The worst programme Ive seen in decades on Japan and Japanese food. Insulting to Japan, near racist jokes and treating the audience like idiots. Poor quality research, appalling presenting.

Another added: Just wasted the last hour watching Paul Hollywoods cringey, xenophobic visit to Japan.

Another asked: Why is Paul Hollywood presenting a program called Paul Hollywood Eats Japan if he cant use chopsticks, knows no Japanese etiquette and says things like Japan makes me nervous coz its all rice and noodles isnt it??

One viewer summed up the show succinctly.

Watched that Paul Hollywood Eats Japan thing to remind me of happier times! they tweeted. Only thing I took away from it is hes a narrow minded f***wit.

Two more episodes of Paul Hollywood Eats Japan are due to air, with future instalments seeing the chef continuing his culinary tour and learning about Hiroshima.
HOUSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Simon Bolivar Foundation Inc. ( Simon Bolivar Foundation ), the non-profit, private foundation of CITGO Petroleum Corporation, is awarding up to $200,000 to five non-profit organizations working in health-focused initiatives for vulnerable Venezuelans as part of its COVID-19 Small Grants Program.

The organizations include Chamos in Aid of the Children of Venezuela, Friends of the Children of Venezuela, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, I Love Venezuela Foundation (Ven Da Tu Mano) and American Venezuelan Engagement Foundation Inc. and were selected from a pool of 14 early applicants through a competitive review process administered by an experienced advisory committee.

Mariela Poleo, President of the Simon Bolivar Foundation, stated that the number of applicants "is a testament of all the hard work and goodwill of the non-profit community in Venezuela as well as of the charitable organizations established by the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States, Europe and the rest of Latin America that are focused on helping with Venezuela's complex humanitarian emergency."

The projects receiving grants will help mitigate the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela by providing hygiene and water purification supplies to nutritional centers feeding vulnerable populations, delivering personal protection equipment and medicines to hospitals in the main cities, developing a telemedicine initiative SOS Telemedicina, and donating food provisions to meal programs for children throughout the country.

Together, these donations will translate into immediate and much-needed help for more than 100,000 people, 184 soup kitchens and community centers, and 9 hospitals in 15 states in Venezuela.

Maria Cecilia Sanchez Silva, President of Ven da tu Mano said, "The most exciting part of being an awardee is the opportunity to act and work for our people in Venezuela" after finding out her organization's project had been selected.

The Simon Bolivar Foundation recently modified its mission and goals to focus on providing access to funding, capacity building, and empowering nonprofits that expand access to medicine, nutrition and wellbeing to vulnerable individuals in and from Venezuela.

The special round of its Small Grants Program dedicated to alleviating the damaging effects of the coronavirus crisis in Venezuela was announced last month. The Simon Bolivar Foundation advisory committee continues to evaluate initiatives submitted for review during the regular application period and will announce more COVID-19 Small Grants in early May.

Final awards for the grantees are contingent on full due diligence and execution of the grant agreement.

About the Simon Bolivar Foundation

The Simon Bolivar Foundation is the 501(c)(3) non-profit, private foundation of CITGO Petroleum Corporation. The Foundation supports initiatives, leverages existing resources and invests in organizations to meet the immediate and long-term health needs of the most vulnerable individuals particularly in and from Venezuela with a special focus on the health and well-being of children and their mothers.

About CITGO

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 48 terminals, nine pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 769,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO is ranked as the fifth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products and supplies a network of approximately 4,700 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com .

SOURCE CITGO Corporation

Related Links

www.citgo.com


Coronavirus left pastors wife unconscious for weeks but he prayed until she woke up

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The day Pastor Leonard Himes rushed his 63-year-old wife, Claudette, to a local hospital in mid-March, she was feverish, confused and she thought she had the flu.

Nevertheless, Himes, an associate pastor at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, told Fox 5: I prayed with her and I said I loved her, and I said were going to trust in the Lord and Savior to heal you."

Little did Himes know that Claudette would end up testing positive for the new coronavirus and would be hospitalized for the next three weeks with a breathing machine in Emory St. Josephs intensive care unit.

"He tells me the stories of how bad it was, what I went through. It was mind-blowing," Claudette, who has no memory of the battle she fought, said. I just thought that I had the flu."

Claudette spent 12 and half days on a ventilator at the hospital and her husband was unable to see her in person for 18 days.

The pastor, who has been married to Claudette for eight years, recalled how challenging it was.

In a normal circumstance, you can be by the side of your loved one and care for them and pray with them, and be there to at least know whats going on. But through this pandemic, the severity of it, we had to be totally separate, he said.

Things looked grim after 11 days when Claudette remained in the ICU with no obvious signs of improvement. Pastor Himes said he asked the hospital chaplain to install a baby monitor in his wifes room so he could talk to her even though she was unconscious. He sensed though that Claudette could still hear his voice and he just kept speaking to her in faith.

"I was able to read to her, and pray for her, and just let her know it was going to be OK," Himes said. "The nurse and the chaplain that were in the room attending to her turned the camera back at them and they were just sobbing, with tears running down their face.

The morning following that moment, Himes would get a call that his wife finally woke up.

Claudette was sitting up in bed, extubated, and breathing on her own," he recalled his sister telling him.

Himes believes his wifes revival was Gods answer to his prayer.

What I do know is God is real and He answers prayer. And He answered this one, he said.

And Gods blessing came just days before Claudette would celebrate her birthday.

"Can you imagine having a birthday and someone telling you that you might not have made it?" she said. "And to breathe Gods air? Oh, my God, Im just blessed."
S ocial distancing will be expected "in every single work area" when the UK comes out of lockdown, according to Priti Patel.

Appearing in front of the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday, the Home Secretary answered MP's questions about her department's plans for the Government's exit strategy.

Ms Patel said the country will see "new norms" as social distancing continues to dominate everyday life.

It comes as the Government faces ongoing pressure to reveal its exit strategy with Labour leader Keir Starmer warning that the UK could fall behind other countries in its recovery from the pandemic.

On Wednesday, Ms Patel said: "The fact of the matter is we will not go back to how we were in early March."

She told the committee's MPs: "There is a lot of work that is taking place and there are lots of assessments.

Home Secretary Priti Patel answers questions from members of the Commons Home Affairs Committee during a virtual hearing / PA

"I'm not at liberty to go into the detail of some of the discussions that are taking place. But I think the fact that testing is dramatically upscaling... clearly that will have an impact now in terms of giving hopefully greater public confidence to eventually going back to work.

"Even before people go back to work there is a job to do yet in terms of securing workplaces.

The UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus / PA

"The fact of the matter is we will not go back to how we were in early March. There'll be new norms that will inevitably come off in the way in which social distancing is now dominating our lives and is affecting society.

"Social distancing even in my own place of work right now is taking place.

An ambulance passes an NHS tribute painted on a window in Glasgow / PA

"We would expect social distancing in every single work area, whether it is an office or a construction site, social distancing on public transport going forward, these are all active things that rightly so we have to test, we have to put through consideration."

It was only the second time Ms Patel has appeared before the committee since she was appointed Home Secretary in July last year, and her first since the general election. Her last appearance before the committee was on October 23.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

Earlier this month, she was accused of avoiding scrutiny during a time of national emergency as it emerged committee chairman Yvette Cooper had written six times over the past three months in an effort to set a date for the Home Secretary to give evidence, as other ministers have done.

Last week former Home Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam formally launched legal action against Ms Patel, claiming constructive dismissal.

He quit his post in February amid allegations of bullying behaviour by her.

A Cabinet Office inquiry launched after claims that the minister clashed with senior officials and belittled colleagues is understood to be ongoing.

During Wednesday's committee session, Ms Patel was not questioned on the subject.
FRANKFURT: German carmaker Daimler warned Wednesday that it would likely make an operating loss in the `second quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

"For the second quarter, we see the full impact of the lockdown" imposed in many countries to slow the virus' spread, finance director Harald Wilhelm told reporters in a telephone conference.

That would mean "lower sales volumes and significantly reduced production volume".

Last year, Daimler fell into the red in the second quarter as it had to set aside large provisions to deal with fallout from the widening "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal.

If Daimler's Q2 outlook is confirmed, it would only be the second time the Mercedes-Benz maker has posted a quarterly operating loss since the financial crisis in 2009.

In January-March, Daimler reported a 92 percent slump in net profit, to 168 million euros, as unit sales shrank 17 percent and revenue six percent.

Over the coming three months, "we're expecting a tough quarter, not only in Europe, but also in North America," chief executive Ola Kallenius said.

Meanwhile "a certain amount of normality" has returned to the Chinese market, with "demand and production on the way back," Kallenius added.

Daimler plans to reduce its investments "below 2019's level", rather than upholding the same amount of spending as previously announced.

But new technologies like electrification and digitalisation remain "non-negotiable elements of future", CEO Kallenius said.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi rose to 3,314 on Tuesday, even as 201 coronavirus patients recovered from the disease, the highest so far in a day with no fatalities, authorities said. No death was reported for the third consecutive day in the national capital. Among the 3,314 cases includes a Delhi Police constable attached to the crime branch.

The constable had visited the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in Nizamuddin, which had last month become the epicentre of the COVID-19 spread. Fifteen members of the crime branch team, who came in touch with the constable, have been advised home quarantine.

So far, 1,078 COVID-19 patients have recovered and there are 2,182 active cases in Delhi. The number of containment zones in the city reached 100. To curb the COVID-19 spread, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed all district magistrates to implement a "micro-containment zone strategy" in their respective areas.

Under this plan, small clusters reporting cases of the deadly virus will be identified and declared containment zones instead of big ones, officials said. The move comes after several COVID-19 cases were reported in some containment zones, including in Jahangirpuri, where people were seen moving around and meeting each other on the streets despite the lockdown.

At present, authorities block the entry and exit points of an area where COVID-19 cases emerge and people are not allowed to step out of their houses. Essential items are delivered at their doorsteps. "It was observed that people in some containment zones are roaming on streets and meeting each other.

"DMs have been directed to implement 'micro-containment zone strategy', under which small clusters will be formed and declared containment zones so that there is strictly no movement of people," the official told PTI. Earlier this month, 31 members of an extended family in north Delhi's Jahangirpuri contracted the disease despite the area being declared a containment zone.

Delhi has already announced implementation of the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines of easing the lockdown. This includes opening of standalone neighbourhood shops, permitting services provided by self-employed people like electrician, IT repairs, plumbers and carpenters and water-purifier service men.

The Union Health Ministry said the plasma therapy for treatment of coronavirus patients is at an experimental stage and it has the potential to cause life-threatening complications, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday, warning against its use. The plasma therapy was being used by the Delhi government on an experimental basis.

There was no immediate reaction by the Delhi government on the Health Ministry's comments against the use of plasma therapy. Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said the ministry's statement is "inaccurate".

"No Evidence To Support Plasma Therapy As COVID-19 Treatment": Government - this is a very inaccurate statement given the amount of global data that is available on its efficacy It is saving lives. Pls don't stop this," she tweeted. This tweet was, however, retweeted by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

In an online briefing last week, Kejriwal had said, "The initial results are every encouraging and good. It gives a ray of hope to save people's lives from coronavirus." Meanwhile, the Delhi government told the Centre that it is not feasible to conduct class 10 and 12 board exams, which are pending due to the lockdown imposed to curb the COVID-19 spread.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia made the recommendations during a meeting of state education ministers chaired by Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'.

"Due to the need of social distancing, it will not be feasible to conduct remaining exams for class 10 and 12 students even in May-June. Having exam thereafter will delay the next academic cycle heavily. Other states have their own state boards but Delhi has CBSE as its board. Most students of CBSE come from Delhi," Sisodia said.

"I appealed to the HRD minister that CBSE be asked to take a similar route for promoting students as it proposed for class 9 and 11. In these uncertain times, I don't know if we would be able to conduct examinations again, so on the basis of same formula like internal assessments and papers already conducted, students of class 10 and 12 too should be evaluated.

"This will help us not waste our students' time and not push their academic cycles further and get their studies hampered," he added. Sisodia, who is also Delhi's education minister, suggested that "the curriculum for the next academic session should reduced by 30 per cent and competitive exams like JEE, NEET be conducted on the basis of reduced syllabus".

Meanwhile, the prices of vegetables like lady finger, cucumber and bottle gourd might increase in the city as their supply from Sonipat to Azadpur Mandi is likely get affected by up to 30 per cent, following sealing of Haryana's border with Delhi. Haryana's borders with Delhi have been "sealed" with essential services allowed but stricter restrictions imposed on those coming in from the national capital, state Home Minister Anil Vij said on Tuesday.

Also read: BT Buzz: What's ailing coronavirus rapid test kit imports

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: COVID-19 deaths cross 1,000-mark, 31,332 cases; lockdown 3 or phased exit?
A man goes to see his dying grandfather in China, the first stop in a two-month holiday. He makes it just in time  at the hospital, nervous doctors ask him to leave and not come back; soon after, China starts shutting down. He heads to the airport in Beijing to fly to Hong Kong to visit friends, only to find out at the airport his flight is cancelled. But hes lucky: he can get to his next destination, Singapore. He lands and once again, the country is headed into lockdown. Fortunately, he already has a flight booked to Germany  and arrives just before COVID-19 does.

It was like that every place I went to, Ethan Lou recalls in phone conversation from Bayreuth, Germany, where he has now been holed up in a friends apartment for more than a month. His friends not there; he got stuck in Finland and couldnt return. When I arrived there, things were normal.

Until they werent.

That rather surreal experience, Lou says, was like some perverted Groundhog Day.

It sounds like the plot for a novel but, for the journalist, former Bitcoin entrepreneur and now author, it unexpectedly became the beginning of his second book of non-fiction. Hed originally planned the trip  he expected to be away for two months or so  as a break between finishing his first book, Once a Bitcoin Miner, out from ECW Press, and launching a publicity tour in the fall. He was an early investor in Bitcoin and paused a career in journalism, including stints at the Star and at Reuters, to found a blockchain startup and then to write a book about the experience.

Instead of relaxing, he found himself staying one step ahead of a pandemic that finally stalled him in the small Bavarian town of Bayreuth, whose claim to fame is that its the site of Richard Wagners opera house.

Lous trip reflects his personal history: now 29, he was born in China; spent ages one to six in Germany; went to school in Singapore, where he did his mandatory military service; and now calls Canada home. If theres a metaphor about the international nature of the way we live, its embodied in him.

He wrote about the Chinese leg of his trip for Macleans magazine. When he left Toronto, Wuhans province hadnt been sealed off. That was a really dramatic escalation of events, perhaps while I was in the air, Lou says. He landed on Jan. 23.

He managed to get in a couple of visits with his grandfather at the hospital before doctors told Lou to leave and not return. His plans to visit Hong Kong fell apart and suddenly he was stuck in Beijing  one of the lucky ones, as it turns out.

He wrote to the Star: The runway was thick with snow, and it continued to grow thicker. I had to transit in the northern Chinese city of Dalian to get to Hong Kong, and in Beijing, the plane I was on was (stationary) for a good hour. Then we had to change planes, for the cold had broken the aircraft.

Those delays left him on the ground in Beijing when Air China cancelled all flights from the mainland to Hong Kong, which turned out to be fortunate. Otherwise, I would have found that out only at the Dalian airport, finding myself stuck in some random Chinese city to which Ive never been, and about which I know nothing.

Lou made it to Singapore and then Germany on March 7, when Italy  the first European country to be ravaged by the virus  hadnt even been sealed off yet. There were no lockdowns; people were carrying on life as normal.

Until they werent.

During this time he was talking with his agent about another project. But the Macleans article morphed into a book proposal and now its been signed to Signal.

It was Lous personal approach to the tale that caught Signal publisher Doug Peppers eye.

First and foremost it was his personal story and how unique it is but also how he captured the fear and panic and suspicion in China and Europe. That feels timeless to me, something were all grappling with. And he writes so well, Pepper said in an email.

Some authors have rushed to get spurious books about the pandemic out; but theres a hunger, Pepper thinks, for strong journalism and real thought, adding that Lo has a lot to say about what he thinks the future for us all may look like once we return to some sense of normalcy. We all want to know that.

With obvious time on his hands, (I had to cancel a lot of plans, he quips, including trips to Ireland and Spain) Lous writing the second book: Field Notes from a Pandemic: A Journey Through a World Suspended. It, too, is set to come out in the fall. Itll be part travelogue, part pandemic guide, looking at the societal effects of the crisis. It will chronicle Lous real-time experience at the centre of the pandemic, along with the race to find a solution and the economic and other implications.

The world we live in right now has been shaped from the ashes of the Second World War, he says. Everything we know now, the small l liberal world order, the international bodies and the western democracies (have) happened out of a cataclysmic event. And I think the coronavirus pandemic is another one of those things.

If you look, for example, at the world order, the U.S. has withdrawn funding from the WHO (World Health Organization). China said it would give more money to (it) now. China has been doing that for a long time, filling in the voids on the world stage left by a retreating United States. That is a trend that will continue and probably escalate with this crisis.

Overcoming new national rules and airlines flight suspension, Lou has a ticket to Toronto booked, finally, for May 4. Once he gets back hell be going straight into two-week lockdown.

Im definitely not looking forward to that, he says. Here, I go out every day to run.

Hell draw the personal narrative in the second book in part from his digital trail  revisiting text and email chats and retracing his movements via Google Maps.

Once a Bitcoin Miner is drawn from the Before and Field Notes from a Pandemic from the After, as many have starkly divided the COVID-19 era. Are there connections that the author sees between the books?

One interesting thing Ive seen in crypto people is that theyre usually more libertarian. Theyre always for smaller government. And amid this pandemic there has been almost a shift in sentiment within the crypto community where people are favouring individual sacrifice for the collective good.

They say there are no atheists in foxholes and I think there are no libertarians in pandemics, Lou says.

Read more about:
Kim Schwarcz, a private professional fiduciary in Corte Madera, was infuriated when she received two stimulus checks made out to two clients who died last year.

The $1,200 checks were made out to the clients names followed by DECD, short for deceased, so the Internal Revenue Service knew or should have known they were dead.

They dont need the money, and Im upset there is no oversight, said Schwarcz. An email list she subscribes to is full of comments from other fiduciaries receiving checks for dead clients, she added.

Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service began depositing economic impact payments into the bank accounts of people who were deceased but had a 2018 or 2019 tax return with direct deposit information.

The IRS and Treasury Department are aware of the issue but havent said how many payments went out to dead people.

In an emailed statement, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, Youre not supposed to keep that payment. Were checking the databases, but there could be a scenario where we missed something, and yes, the heirs should be returning that money.

Experts are not sure they legally have to.

Its not clear whether making a payment to the deceased person is erroneous under the law, said Nina Olson, former IRS national taxpayer advocate and is now executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights. And even if it is, getting that money back would be no easy task.

Saying heirs should be returning that money is not legal guidance. It is not the legal position of the IRS, Olson said.

On Wednesday morning, a Treasury spokeswoman said the department will be issuing guidance on this issue shortly.

Nothing in the Cares Act prevented deceased people from receiving a payment if they filed a tax return in 2018 or 2019, or had one filed on their behalf, and they met the income requirements and had a valid Social Security number, Olson said.

The payment is technically a credit on your 2020 tax return. But since those wont be filed until next year, Congress agreed to pay them this year based on your 2019 tax return or, if it hasnt been filed, your 2018 return. If youre not eligible for the full payment based on your 2019 or 2018 tax return  perhaps because you exceeded the income limit  but are eligible this year, you can claim it on your 2020 return, but you must reduce the credit by any amount you got this year. However, this amount cannot go below zero.

That implies that if you are not entitled to a credit based on your 2020 return, but got a payment this year based on your 2019 or 2018 return, you would not have to give it back. The Senate Finance Committee said as much in a FAQ: If the credit amount you qualify (for) based on 2020 income is less than what you qualify for based on your 2019 tax return, it does not have to be paid back.

It didnt say: except for dead people.

Tax administration specialists and law professors Ive spoken with all agree there doesnt appear to be a mechanism for the IRS to claw back the funds under the CARES Act, Olson said in an email. The law doesnt prohibit payments to deceased individuals; it does prohibit payments to trusts and estates, but that is because trusts and estates file Form 1041, not Form 1040, so it is basically saying you cant issue a stimulus payment based on Form 1041. In many cases, there is no Form 1041 estate tax return filed for deceased people.

Some banks have been telling customers who have authority to cash checks made out to dead people they can cash the stimulus checks.

We are following our standard procedures for handling checks payable to someone who is deceased. A customer or personal representative can deposit a check payable to a deceased individual with the proper documentation that verifies the payees death and shows the customer or personal representative is the legal successor to the payee, Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido said in an email.

Chase is recommending customers call the IRS directly for instructions on what to do with the check, bank spokesman Erich Timmerman said in an email.

The IRS is not staffing customer service lines. Its website for stimulus payments says, Do not call.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

At Bank of Marin, where Schwarcz banks, If a check is made out to an estate and it is properly endorsed by the trustee or executor, we would accept this deposit, bank spokeswoman Beth Drummey said in an email.

Even so, Schwarcz said shes going to hold onto her deceased clients checks for a while.

I dont want to distribute them and then have to give the money back, she said.

Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, said the Treasury might try to argue that the Cares Act states that the credit and payments are to go to individuals, and a deceased person is no longer an individual. It also states that estates and trusts are not entitled to the credit and payments, and they could argue that a payment to a deceased individual is in essence a payment to his or her estate, he said in an email.

The Cares Act also states that the credit and payment to joint filers are considered to be one half to each spouse, so this language could give them a basis for seeking to recover one half of the payment to a joint account.

However, he is surprised that the Treasury is taking this action, since it will likely be a burden to try to recover this money. They will probably try to address it through the credit on the 2020 tax return, but there they face the language that you can keep a payment that exceeds the credit. Also, deceased persons may not be required to file a 2020 tax return, so the IRS may have to recover that money through collections, an expensive process for some relatively small amounts.

Steve Hartnett, director of education with the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, said he thinks heirs should return the payment, even if they dont legally have to. The secretary of Treasury is saying that is the appropriate thing to do, and most clients do not want to get into a fight with Treasury, especially over just $1,200.

Olson summed it up this way: What a mess!

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
Former Republican representative Justin Amash (I, Mich.,) said Tuesday night that he would launch an exploratory committee for president in a bid to make a third-party run as a Libertarian against President Trump.

Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together, Amash wrote in announcing the move on Twitter. Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.

Built around the slogan were ready, Amashs website outlines his ideology, including a government that fulfills its purpose and recognizes its limits . . . practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people and an honest, principled president who will defend the Constitution and put individuals first.

Amash drew increased speculation that a run was in the cards earlier this month, saying on Twitter that he was closely examining the possibility. Amash, who is up for reelection, has until May 8 to file for his House seat, but has repeatedly declined to publicly rule out a 2020 run.

Last June, he became the first and only GOP member to say that the president should be impeached over the Mueller Reports findings, a move which led him to leave the party. The Libertarian Partys convention is set to nominate a candidate on May 25 in Austin, but so far has not attracted a recognizable ticket.

Libertarian/conservative advocacy groups Club for Growth  Amashs biggest past campaign donor  and FreedomWorks, which awarded him a FreedomFighter award for all of his first eight years in Congress, both said earlier this year that they would not support his House reelection efforts.

More from National Review
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  After months of speculation, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, I-Cascade Township, has made it official: hes launching an exploratory committee for a third-party presidential bid.

Amash, a former Republican turned independent and fierce critic of President Donald Trump, is well known in West Michigan and political circles. Now, as a potential presidential candidate, even more eyes, from West Michigan and beyond, will be on him.

The launch of his exploratory committee is another big moment for Amash, who landed in the national spotlight in May 2019 when he became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against Trump. He drew headlines again in July, when he announced that Americas two-party system was broken, and that he was leaving the Republican party.

Here are a few things you need to know to understand the fifth-term congressman, who represents Michigans 3rd Congressional District.

Independent-minded libertarian

Amash, who was elected to Congress in 2010 amid the tea party wave, describes himself as a constitutional conservative and a libertarian. He won his House seat after serving one term in the Michigan House of Representatives, where he established himself as a hard worker who voted against any bill he didnt have time to read or that expanded the role of the government.

When hes spoken about his political heroes, its not conservative icons such as Ronald Reagan that get first mention. Instead, he points to obscure economic theorists such as Frederic Bastiat and Friedrich Hayek as his biggest political inspirations.

Amash is a strong proponent of limited government, the free market and civil liberties.

He has crossed party lines to advance those principles. In 2013, he partnered with late U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, on a bill to curtail government surveillance programs. One Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes, called him Al Qaedas best friend in the Congress.

Amash graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School, and went on to attend the University of Michigan, where he earned a bachelors degree in economics and a law degree. It was at U-M where he was introduced to economic theories that rejected the prevailing Keynesian views that government spending could stimulate the economies.

Those lessons and theories helped shape his conservative views, such as his opposition to President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act as well as targeted government subsidies and targeted tax breaks for employers. He once equated the latter to cronyism and corporate welfare.

The child of immigrants

Amash was born in 1980, the middle child of three sons, to Attallah and Mimi Amash, an immigrant couple who grew wealthy in West Michigan despite humble origins.

Attallah Amash moved to Muskegon from Palestine in 1956, at the age of 16, with his parents and six siblings. The family had been living in refugee camps after being thrown out of their home near Bethlehem by a young Israeli nation trying to re-establish itself in the Middle East.

Related: Profile of 3rd Congressional district candidate Justin Amash

An entrepreneur, Attallah Amash went on to start a small wholesale business supplying hardware stores with imported items. That business eventually grew into Amash Imports Inc. The Grand Rapids-area business was best known for importing hand tools sold through hardware stores, lumberyards, automotive centers and farm supply stores.

In school, Justin Amash excelled in mathematics.

He also had a passion for art, developed a love of trees, and parodied an advice column for the high school newspaper. In 1998, while a senior at Grand Rapids Christian High School, he told a Grand Rapids Press reporter that Dr. Spock was his favorite Star Trek character, and that he planned to pursue a degree in economics and law.

Math is my favorite subject and the logic thats used in math can be applied to everyday life, he said. Law is a place where logic is needed.

Hes a maverick

Amash doesnt shy away from going it alone.

During the decade hes spent in Congress, hes done plenty to upset lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Its earned him a reputation as principled, but also  in some peoples eyes  uncompromising.

Hes refused to support GOP budget bills because they dont do enough to rein in federal spending and reduce the national debt. Hes voted for Republican legislation to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, earning him the wrath of Democrats in his district.

Even legislation targeting his home state doesnt get a free pass.

He was the lone member of the Michigan Congressional Delegation to vote against reauthorizing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The bill, which passed the House with bipartisan support in February, would increase funding for the Great Lakes from $300 million in 2021 to reach $475 million by 2026. An Amash spokesperson said the congressman supports the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. But the relevant committee didnt justify the increase, especially at a time when the country is $23 trillion in debt, he said.

Amash has had an independent streak from the start.

After being elected to the state House in 2008, he established himself as maverick who cast the state Legislatures only no vote on 60 occasions. He also voted against bills that he didnt have time to read or expanded the role of the government.

Such an approach has earned Amash a legion of fans  and many critics.

U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, has compared Amashs approach to the motto, Its my way or the highway.

Effectively legislating requires compromise, and as we have seen recently there are vocal minorities on both sides of the aisle in Congress that decry and vote against legislation with broad bipartisan support if they do not get 100 percent of what they demand, Mitchell wrote in a 2019 op-ed for The Hill, a Washington D.C.-based news website.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers told Politico in 2014 that Amash is completely out of line with the people who live in his district.

He votes more with the Democrats than with the Republicans, and thats not out of principle, thats out of him branding himself as something different," he told the news website.

Amash has lost the support of prominent members of the West Michigan business community.

Last year, the DeVos family  a high-profile player in Republican politics for decades announced they were no longer financially backing him.

In 2013, several Grand Rapids-area businessmen who once threw their support and money behind Amash jumped ship and united behind his then primary challenger, local businessman Brian Ellis. At the time, Amash had drawn flak for voting against reopening the federal government amid a shutdown.

In a fundraising plea for Ellis, the business leaders  including former Amash donors businessman J.C. Huzienga, former Perrigo CEO Mike Jandernoa and Bissell Inc.'s Mark Bissell  wrote that Amash and others have effectively nullified the Republican majority in the U.S. House.

Their actions gave the GOP a black eye while simultaneously re-energizing the Obama administration, the letter stated.

Amash, who went on to defeat Ellis in the August 2014 primary, has defended his style.

When I got elected, as part of the tea party movement, people cared about limited government, Amash said in the Washington Post. Under this government, spending has skyrocketed. But I havent changed. Im who I said I was. Im a principled, constitutional conservative.

Prolific on social media

In the hours or days after his votes, Amash can be seen on social media spelling out, often in great detail, why he came out for or against a bill.

He did so in late February and early March, after he joined three Republicans and voted against legislation that would make lynching a federal hate crime. In more than two dozen tweets, Amash critiqued the content of the bill  it bans activities that are already illegal under federal law  and took aim at the medias coverage of the matter.

Hes done the same throughout his career, on matters big and small.

In 2012, Amash posted his 1,000th consecutive vote explanation to Facebook, according to his office. The topic at hand: A house bill to rename a U.S. Post Office in East Rockaway, New York.

Amash voted yes.

When I first came to Congress, other Representatives told me it would be impossible to explain every vote I take. Amash said, in a statement issued at the time. Explaining my actions in Congress is an essential part of this job. If I can do it, so can other Representatives and Senators.

Amash doesnt limit his voice to social media. Over the years, hes spoken directly to constituents at town hall meetings throughout his district.

The meetings have occasionally turned tense. In June 2017, after voting for Republican legislation to overhaul President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, Amash was grilled by progressives and Democrats who feared rising medical costs and reduced benefits.

Hes also received a heros welcome.

During a May 2019 town hall, his first public appearance after calling for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, he was greeted by several standing ovations, and several attendees thanked him for his courage.

But even amid the fanfare, he was confronted by several angry constituents, who accused him of attacking the president and behaving as if he were a Democrat. Amash didnt wither amid the criticism. While some of his supporters scoffed at the remarks, he urged the crowd to be respectful and listen to those who disagree with him.

Read more on MLive.com:

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- Public Health Minister Antonio Deuna confirmed the development via state television on April 29

- The west African nation imposed dusk to dawn curfew between 7pm to 5am in order to control further spread

- So far, a total of 18 recoveries and one death out of 75 positive cases were reported on Tuesday, April 28

The number of coronavirus cases in Guinea-Bissau moved to 75 after new infections were reported on Tuesday, April 28.

Among the latest patients were the nation's prime minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam and three Cabinet ministers who tested positive for the novel global COVID-19.

READ ALSO: Nairobi criminals narrate how they use charms to evade arrests, police bullets

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The country's Public Health Minister Antonio Deuna confirmed the development via state television, CGTN Africa reported on Wednesday, April 29.

With the confirmation, Nabiam became the first high ranking government official to contract the deadly virus.

READ ALSO: Afisa wa polisi apatikana ameaga dunia kando ya barabara ya Mau-Narok

Nabiam became the first high ranking government official to contract the deadly virus.Prime Minister Nuno G Nabiam.

Source: Facebook

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They were quarantined in a hotel in the capital Bissau.

The west African nation imposed a dusk to dawn curfew between 7pm to 5am in order to control further spread.

Other restrictive measures included closure of borders entry points, restaurants, bars, places of worships and schools, and banning gathering of people.

So far, a total of 18 recoveries and one death has occured in the country.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans come through for elderly couple kicked out by landlady over rent arrears | Tuko TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Real Housewives Of New Jersey star Joe Giudice was handed a crushing blow on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old reality TV star was denied his appeal to not be deported, according to The Blast which viewed court documents.

That means the estranged husband of Teresa Giudice will not be able to come back to the United States to co-parent his four daughters Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11.

Not going home: Real Housewives Of New Jersey star Joe Giudice was handed a crushing blow on Wednesday. The 47-year-old reality TV star was denied his appeal to not be deported, according to The Blast which viewed court documents

The end: That means the estranged husband of Teresa Giudice will not be able to come back to the United States

The site shared the news on Wednesday after sharing a look at the court documents.

The order reads, 'This cause came to be considered on a petition for review from the Board of Immigration Appeals and was submitted on November 21, 2019.

'On consideration whereof, it is now hereby ORDERED and ADJUDGED by this Court that the petition for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals entered on April 11, 2019, is DENIED.

Away from his kids: The construction worker had hoped to co-parent his four daughters Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11. Seen with Teresa and Teresa's late father

'All of the above in accordance with the opinion of this Court.'

Joe had been in ICE containment while waiting for a ruling on his deportation.

But he had said the conditions were so bad that he preferred to live in Italy with his family. And the star has remained there ever since.

He had been hoping to return to the United States to be with his children but with his appeal denied, there is no immediate chance of that.

Done: Giudice split from his wife Teresa in mid December following a 20-year marriage that began in 1999. Seen in 2014

Giudice split from his wife Teresa in mid December following a 20-year marriage that began in 1999.

Joe was sent to prison for 41 months in connection with his 2014 guilty plea to mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud charges.

Because Joe was not a U.S. citizen - the reality star was born in Saronno, Italy and brought to the United States when he was a year old, never applying for citizenship - federal authorities ordered him deported due to legal statutes related to 'a crime of moral turpitude' or 'aggravated felony.'

Joe concluded his sentence at Fort Dix, New Jersey's Federal Correctional Institution in March, and was held in ICE custody until he was deported to Italy October 11 amid an appeal in the case.

His new home: The star has been living in a home in Sala Consilina, Italy after exiting ICE detention in the United States

His old life: Joe used to call this mansion in New Jersey his dwelling

Teresa spent most of 2015 in custody in her 11-month sentence in her related conviction, while Joe in March of 2016 started serving his 41-month sentence.

Joe has taken to social media frequently to share his new life in Italy.

On Wednesday Joe gave his 406K Instagram followers a look at his home in Italy after he painted it.

'It was a real pain in the butt but that is what painting is isn't it? But you know something? It looks good when yyou're done,' he said in a thick Jersey accent.

He told fans to stay safe and wash their hands and take care. 'Everybody stay safe, stay busy and paint a room and wash your hands, have a good Wednesday,' he ended.

Earlier this month Giudice revealed that he felt 'overwhelmed with emotions' after he was unable to reunite with his four daughters over the weekend.

He shared memories with his girls on Instagram, since their Easter reunion was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The patriarch posted a throwback with Milania, who leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled.

Lonely: Joe revealed that he felt 'overwhelmed with emotions' after he was unable to reunite with his four daughters for Easter

'Goodnight,' he captioned the Instagram shot with the hashtag #missyougirls and a kiss face emoji.

In addition to the since-deleted posted, which sparked concerns about his health due to his trimmer appearance, Joe shared two more photos of his girls on his Instagram Story, including one from a FaceTime chat with Milania.

'Miss you buddy,' the teenager wrote, while they both beamed in the screenshot from a recent conversation.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum, who resides in Italy, shared some sweet memories of his girls after their Easter reunion was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic

Joe also shared another snap of one of his girls, whose face was covered by a filter of neon green glasses and purple hearts, as she appeared to be cooking.

While her eyes were covered, it looked like his 11-year-old Audriana standing in the kitchen and smiling.

'Special occasions are the hardest without them it feels emptier and less joyful. I felt overwhelmed with emotions,' he wrote on Saturday after spending Easter weekend without his kids.

Little chef: Joe also shared another snap of one of his girls, whose face was covered by a sticker of neon green glasses and purple hearts, as she appeared to be cooking

Last month, he reflected on how his past mistakes, which forced him to serve a 41-month sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud.

'My mistake has caused me literally not to touch my daughters everyday and you again,' he captioned a somber Instagram picture of his father Francesco's grave site. 'This terrible feeling continues as tears stream down my face knowing I can't see you.

'My promise to you dad and my girls I will never make the same mistake again. I must accept my flaws and forgive myself to go forward.'
Egyptian security forces arbitrarily arrested and forcibly disappeared two women, according to Human Rights Watch, which called for their immediate release.

The New York-based group urged authorities today to disclose the whereabouts of two professional translators who disappeared last week, 27-year-old Marwa Arafa and 35-year-old Kholoud Said.

According to Human Rights Watch, Egyptian security forces arrested Arafa and Said at their homes, and charged Said with joining a terrorist group and spreading fake news. A friend said prosecutors focused their interrogation on Saids recent Facebook posts, which contained links to articles criticizing the Egyptian government.

No warrants, no explanations  this is the behavior of a security establishment run amok, said Amr Magdi, a Middle East and North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Egypt's security forces under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have made hundreds disappear in an effort to suppress dissent and punish perceived supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, international rights groups say.

An undisclosed number of political activists, including Noha Kamal and Aya Kamal Hussein, as well as human rights lawyer Mohsen Bahnasy, have been arrested for criticizing the governments handling of the coronavirus, Human Rights Watch said.

The Egyptian Health Ministry has confirmed a death toll of 380 and 5,268 infections. Last month, authorities released some political prisoners amid concerns from civil society associations and rights groups that COVID-19 could easily spread through Egypts overcrowded prison systems.

On Monday, Egypt extended its state of emergency by three months to help authorities deal with both the threat of the coronavirus and insurgent activity in the Sinai region. Renewed every three months, the state of emergency grants Egyptian security forces the power to make sweeping arrests and search homes without a warrant.

Arafas husband, Tamer Mowafy, said he felt helpless without information on her whereabouts.

This is the 9th day of Marwas forcible disappearance. The 9th day of asking with no answer, of waiting for her to turn out in front of the prosecutors, with no avail. The 9th day of helpless furious worrying and pain, he wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
Vladimir Putins ability to stay in power since 1999 has been because of his sociopathic ruthlessness and because of oils meteoric rise in price to over $100 a barrel and the black golds price was staying over $60 barrel for several years. Its collapse in price will lead to the starvation of the Russian people and Putins demise.

President Trump is fascinated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hes the strong man Trump most wants to emulate in large part because of his reputation as an astute tactician, his steely decision-making and ability to decimate his political enemies.

However, anyone paying attention to him since he first became president will tell you his power has come mainly from the sheer luck of being in power as oil climbed to record price levels. Then keeping oil price levels tolerable the last 18+ years allowed him first to boost the living standard of the Russian people and keep that living standard within a tolerant range after he invades the Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.

The flow of oil revenues has allowed him to spend hundreds of billions annually re-building the Russian military, developing hypersonic missiles, and maintaining support for the reprehensible regimes in Iran and Syria. But the flow of the hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars has suddenly dried up as Brent Crude Oil has fallen from $60 a barrel to just over $20.



Putin knows hes in enormous danger and has recently admitted that Russia is now facing a more significant economic crisis than it did during the 2009 global recession.

The IMF forecasts Russian gross domestic product could contract by 5.5% this year. Economists from Moscows liberal Gaidar Institute estimate the decline could be as much as a 12% decline that would lead to a budget deficit far higher than the 6% Russias central bank has predicted.















The $150bn in oil revenues Russia has been funneling into a rainy-day National Wealth Fund will help cover some of the budget shortfalls. But it could end up being spent much more quickly than expected because the economic nose-dive is going to continue for quite some time. Because of the expenses, the country is now incurring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Russian governments pandemic support package demonstrates the countrys financial weakness. At this point, they have allocated less than 3% of its GDP, a fraction of those in most developed economies. The Russian Covid-19 package also is skewed towards large companies rather than small businesses and families and much comes from tax holidays and loan guarantees, not direct aid. In other words, the Russian people are going to go through an economic depression.

Alexei Kudrin, the ex- Russian Finance Minister, has forecast 8 million Russians could lose their jobs. Since two-thirds of citizens have no savings, real suffering may well return to worse than it was in 1991 when the country descended into poverty, with hundreds of thousands of former Russian soldiers hopelessly wandering the countryside in rags in search of food and employment. Eight million unemployed in Russia by comparison and weighted by population equals an equivalent of 16 million unemployed here in the United States.

The Russian people have already lived through several years of falling real incomes, and Putin dictating that retirement age raised in 2018. The loss in living standards has hammered his approval ratings. Now the collapse in the price of oil and the wildfire of a pandemic spreading throughout the country is exposing chronic underfunding of the health system, just as the Russian people desperately need it to be reliable.

Putin had planned to meet Russians thirst for better living standards, schools, and healthcare, through high-spending national projects. But the economic collapse taking place is likely to cut GNP by much more than the decline of 6% to 12% being predicted by different Russian economists.

According to the Financial Times Tens of thousands of

Russians held virtual protests last week, tagging angry comments to government buildings on a mapping app; in Vladikavkaz, in the south, residents took to the streets to protest over job losses. The likelihood, even now, that such opposition will escalate so that it threatens Mr. Putins future is slim; Russians have shown an extraordinary capacity to withstand hardship. Yet the presidents move to change rules so he could stand for re-election in 2024 aimed in part to suppress maneuverings among the elites who keep him in power. The oligarchs and securocrats who look to him as their guarantor will be watching for signs his authority is waning. Even if he is unlikely to want to make peace in Ukraine, his flagship foreign policy project of recent years and domestic troubles may ensure Mr. Putin will not be launching any further expansionist ventures for the foreseeable future.

No Russian observer will argue over the existence of the great patience of the Russian people, but there is a limit. Putins mismanagement of Russias responses to first the March collapse in the oil market and his mismanagement of coronavirus pandemic just as he attempts to make himself the President of Russia for life could prove to backfire spectacularly.

The Financial Times pointed out two days ago

Now, as social media users are sharing videos of ambulances lined up for miles waiting to deposit patients in overcrowded Moscow hospitals, its no longer possible to claim that all is under control. The Russian healthcare system was already struggling with a number of chronic health conditions (tuberculosis, heart disease, alcoholism, etc.), and many public health experts worry that the pandemic might bring matters to a breaking point.

Russia is also one of the rare countries that are simultaneously coping with low life expectancy and a graying population, making it particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Putins tendency to delegate decisions on pandemic policy to regional governors might help insulate him from political fallout in the near term. Still, it is unlikely to lead to a well-managed policy over the longer term.

Testing throughout February and most of March was handled by a single lab in Siberia, meaning that most COVID-19 cases across Russias 11 time zones were wrongly classified as pneumonia, bronchitis, flu, etc. It didnt help that authorities criminalized the spread of false information or that they arrested a prominent doctor for challenging official statistics as she tried to deliver masks to an impoverished rural hospital.

Though Russia still has a foreign currency reserve of about US$430 billion, budgetary support for struggling businesses is likely to reduce that to less than US$150 billion. The Russian government's continued mandate could further reduce that amount paid leave for workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Without providing the necessary financial support to struggling companies, forcing many to resort to dubious tactics to force workers off their payrolls or drastically reduce wages. This means that Russia is facing the prospect of an unemployment rate as high as 20%, 25% even 30%, and a nationwide surge in bankruptcies.

Many Russian experts are warning that Putins missteps in the oil market and the inability to manage the coronavirus properly jeopardizes his plan to change the constitution. The revision of the Russian Constitution was to allow him to serve two more terms as president, which would let him stay in power until 2036 when he turns 84.

Even before the pandemic broke out in Russia, a Levada Center poll showed support for the changes to allow him to run for President twice more at just 48%. While the Russian parliament had already rubber-stamped the changes, Putin had also intended to put them to a referendum; initially scheduled for April 22 but now postponed indefinitely. A referendum on the Constitutional amendments Putin wants would likely now fail. A poll released this week reveals that citizens trust in Putin has fallen to a 14-year low.

What happens next? Most Russia and Putin watchers will bet that he survives even if, like Stalin, he has to kill a few million Russians to do it. Im not so sure. I think his regime is filled with Oligarchs, Generals, and politically savvy men. They are capable of an assignation and reporting that he had a car accident, heart attack, or stroke.

Keep in mind the wealthiest person in Russia is Vladimir Putin. He has stolen over US$1 Trillion from the Russian people.

The end of the Putin regime would allow the next government in Moscow to back down from its aggression in Ukraine. Also, withdraw its support of the Iranian and Syrian puppets and make cuts to its insane weapons race with the west and position itself towards building the commercial free-market economy it needs to feed and shelter its population.





Coronavirus Russia: Putin extends lockdown as cases surge | DW News




The monarch sent the Prime Minister a private message of good wishes and will also speak on the phone on Wednesday during their weekly audience.

The call is still scheduled to go ahead despite being due to take place just hours after the arrival of Mr Johnsons baby boy.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson, who is currently grappling with the coronavirus crisis, would take a short period of paternity leave later this year.

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have had a baby boy / Getty Images

Mr Johnsons audiences with the 94-year-old Queen, who is staying at Windsor Castle, have been taking place weekly by telephone during lockdown.

They were put on hold while Mr Johnson was battling Covid-19 in intensive care earlier this month.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab  who deputised for the PM  was not asked to step in to brief the Queen on his behalf.

The Queen sent a message to Mr Johnsons fiancee Ms Symonds and his family while he was being treated in hospital, wishing him a full and speedy recovery.

Mr Johnson is the 14th prime minister of the Queens reign.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 15:05:15|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, April 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's passenger car export posted a double-digit fall in the first quarter, customs office data showed Wednesday.

Outbound shipment for passenger vehicles amounted to 8.37 billion U.S. dollars in the January-March quarter, down 10.1 percent from a year earlier, according to Korea Customs Service.

It came as the COVID-19 outbreak across the world weakened the global sedan demand.

Passenger car exports to Russia, Germany and Britain tumbled in double figures in the March quarter.

Import of passenger vehicles inched down 1.3 percent over the year to 2.36 billion dollars in the first quarter.

Sedan import from Germany and the United States jumped 48.1 percent and 31.7 percent each in the quarter, but import from Japan plunged 44.2 percent amid the continued campaign here to boycott Japanese products.

The boycott campaign was sparked by a trade dispute between Seoul and Tokyo that lasted since July last year. Enditem
New Delhi: The union home ministry on Wednesday said fresh guidelines to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country that will give considerable relaxations to many districts from May 4 will be released soon.

The ministry spokesperson said on Twitter that the lockdown guidelines currently imposed should be strictly followed till May 3 and details of the new measures will be communicated in the days to come.

"MHA held a comprehensive review meeting on the lockdown situation today. There've been tremendous gains and improvement in the situation due to lockdown till now. To ensure that these gains are not squandered away, the lockdown guidelines should be strictly observed till 3rd May," the ministry spokesperson said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in a meeting with chief ministers on Monday indicated that the coronavirus lockdown would continue beyond May 3 only in hotspots or red zones, while other districts would get relaxations in order to revive economic activity.

The first lockdown was announced by Modi on March 24 in a bid to combat the coronavirus endemic. It was later extended till May 3 for a total lockdown of 40 days.

But the government has gradually lifted restrictions over the last two weeks, starting with permission for agricultural activities and industries to open in rural areas. Last week the government also allowed shops selling non-essential goods to reopen in non-hotspot and non-containment zones.

Earlier in the day, the home ministry announced plans to allow lakhs of migrant workers and students stranded at various places for over a month due to the nationwide lockdown to return home.

Official sources have said that the lockdown will only be partially lifted as while the restrictions have slowed the trajectory of cases, the infection curve has still not flattened.

The union health ministry, in its evening update, said the number of Covid-19 infections has climbed to 31,787, and the total deaths has risen to 1,008, with a record jump of 71 in the last 24 hours.

The number of districts designated hotspots or "red zones" has come down to 129 from 170 a fortnight ago, but in the same period the number of green zones" (infection-free districts) has also come down from 325 to 307.

During this time, the number of non-hotspot districts, also known as "orange zones", increased from 207 to 297, officials said.
Its painful to envision what those cold numbers could mean in human terms. Besides the loss of jobs and savings, personal frustration and depression, could it translate to more malnutrition? And will this in turn lead to crime and unrest? The big task for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will be to avoid the worst consequences.

Already, many of the countrys working poor are struggling to get through the day, let alone the year. Juan Antonio Olivares, 38, sells orange juice at a stand in my neighborhood in Mexico City. He is still allowed to work, but if the government halts the informal economy, it could push people like him over the edge. While he used to make up to 2,500 pesos, or about $104 a week, his earnings have plummeted to less than 600 pesos, or $25, per week.

Now he is barely able to feed his wife and three children back in his village outside the capital. We are enduring with little, what is necessary to eat: rice, beans and tortillas, he said. At least he has some income, unlike a lot of workers  including many valets, waiters, bellboys, shop assistants  who have been furloughed without any compensation.

Before too long, some could turn to extreme measures to get by, Mr. Olivares says. If people are desperate then they are going to have to look for a way to eat, in a bad way, going robbing, he said. This could get out of hand.

A rise in antisocial crime is a big fear of the middle class here. Last month, criminals set up groups on Facebook and WhatsApp to organize Covid-19 looting in the poorer suburbs of the capital. People accused of being the ringleaders were arrested and Facebook took down the pages. But if looting occurs, it could threaten the food supply for all of us here.
Warren and Washington counties are not planning to add an army of tracers as Gov. Andrew Cuomo described in his reopening plan.

He wants 30 tracers for every 100,000 people. That would be about 20 tracers in each county. The idea is to be able to quickly find and quarantine every person who had close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. The people who find them are called tracers because they are tracing all possible sources of new infections.

That way, in theory, the state could reopen without a huge increase in infections.

But for cash-strapped small counties, it is much easier said than done.

Thats bigger than my entire public health department now, said Washington County Attorney Roger Wickes.

Washington County added three nurses when the pandemic began. The department has a total of 18 people, including secretaries and other who support the nurses.

While Wickes would like to transfer workers from other departments to help out, he predicted there would be few people available.

The backlog of getting things back going again will require everyone, he said, noting that courts, Department of Motor Vehicles and other important services have a backlog of more than a month now. Its not like people will have time on their hands.

In Warren County, Public Health Services Director Ginelle Jones said she does not plan to hire anyone, either.

The county is going to do what were able to do, she said. If it exceeds what were able to do, my understanding is we reach out the states regional office and the state will help us.

The tentative plan is for each region to hire a group of tracers as shock absorbers if any county gets overwhelmed, she said, noting that nothing has been finalized yet.

Still, she doesnt expect the county to need help or more in-house tracers because her office has managed to trace all of the contacts for local residents who test positive.

Right now, were able to handle what we have, she said. So far, we have done everyone (using personnel) within our own office.

That has been hundreds of people  145 people who tested positive, many more who were diagnosed based on symptoms and everyone they had been in close contact with. The office has been swamped with that job for more than a month.

You can reach Kathleen Moore at 742-3247 or kmoore@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ByKathleenMoore or at her blog on www.poststar.com.

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BORD na Mona staff who have been laid off are planning to turn up for work tomorrow (Thursday, April 30) morning anyway as the dispute at the energy company continues.

Up to 230 workers are being temporarily released from employment by Bord na Mona but union representatives are opposing the move.

The first lay-offs are due to take effect tomorrow but Bord na Mona's group of unions (GOU) has said affected employees will go along to work as they normally would.

The GOU said it is expected that workers will continue to receive normal earnings going forward.

In a letter to the company, Willie Noone, GOU secretary said: In the event that any member should suffer loss of earnings, we will respond in an appropriate measure to the dispute that your actions will have caused.

The Tullamore Tribune understands the company told the unions on Monday, April 27, that unless they had been notified of a reassignment role, permanent employees impacted by the lay-offs should not attend work.

They were told they will only be paid 100% of their current basic wage on a flat 39 hour week.

Employees will receive a letter explaining their payment under the wage subsidy scheme in advance of their first payment on May 8 in line with their normal weekly payroll.

Pay levels for permanent employees were seen as critical by union representatives because top-ups have seen some workers traditionally earning far more than their basic wage.

The payments are being made through the wage subsidy scheme which was introduced by the Government in an effort to help companies retain employees during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The GOU continues to insist that use of the scheme is not appropriate for Bord na Mona, saying the trading difficulties predate the coronavirus.

It is understood the company told union representatives on Monday that it is liaising with Revenue on the scheme and will ensure it complies with Revenue guidelines.

The workers being laid off support supply operations to three power stations, West Offaly Power in Shannonbridge and Lough Ree Power in Lanesborough which are owned by the ESB, and Bord na Mona's own generating station, Edenderry Power.

Both West Offaly Power and Lough Ree Power are offline at present and demand for electricity from Edenderry Power, which burns a mixture of peat and biomass, has declined.

The GOU has argued that peat harvesting has ceased because planning permission has not been granted and Lough Ree Power is switched off because of thermal plume in the Shannon, which also occurred last year.

The company has told union representatives that some staff will be reassigned within the peat works affected.

These are Blackwater, Derrygreenagh and Mountdillon. Reassignment will be on the basis of skillset and seniority.

These roles will provide some employees with the opportunity to maintain their full earnings potential, the company told the GOU.

GOU spokesman Willie Noone said the unions are now in dispute with the company, hence his request to members to turn up for work tomorrow.

You will have a semi-state company locking people out of work who are trying to work, he said.

We're telling our members to come into work on Thursday and see what [the company] are going to do... because we know that possibly in another 10 days' time there's going to be another 200 people laid off.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Madrid, Spain  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:12 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4d96a4 2 World Spain,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-lockdown,COVID-19-quarantine,pandemic,reopening Free

Spain's coronavirus lockdown is to be gradually eased in a four-step procedure which should be completed by the end of June, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

Approved by Spain's cabinet, the so-called transition plan has no fixed dates, and each phase will last at least two weeks in line with the incubation period of the virus.

Here is an outline of how the different phases will work:

Starting out

The preparatory phase began on April 26 when Spain permitted children to go out for an hour a day with one parent, within a one-kilometer radius of home.

On May 2, the rest of the population will be allowed out for walks or individual exercise.

Government offices will be opened to those with prior appointments and restaurants will be able to prepare take-out orders.

Professional sportsmen will be able to resume individual training, and all public locations will be cleaned and readied for phase one.

Phase 1

Expected to start on May 11.

Bars and restaurants will be able to reopen their terraces while restricting occupancy to a third of their normal capacity. Hotels and tourist accommodation will open while keeping communal areas shut and must respect capacity restrictions.

Small shops may open, but not big shopping areas and all commercial activity must include hours giving priority to the over-65s.

Places of worship can open but with only a third of normal capacity.

Phase 2

Bars and restaurants will be able to receive customers for table service only, restricting occupancy to a third of normal capacity.

Schools will open to children under six whose parents are unable to work from home.

Places of worship will be able to expand their occupancy to 50 percent of their normal capacity.

Cultural events will resume with events limited to 50 percent occupancy, or 400 people if it is outdoors and people are seated.

Phase 3

The last step before Spain enters "the new normal".

All shops to open, while respecting a 50 percent capacity with customers observing social distancing norms.

Restaurant capacities to be eased while ensuring a strict separation between customers.

Although restrictions on movement will be further eased, no movement will be permitted between regions until both have completed phase three, while the use of face masks outside of the home will be "strong recommended", particularly while using public transport.
BERLINThe German government recently said the Chinese Communist Party tried to make German officials publicly applaud its effort in containing the CCP virus.

Prompted by a media report, a member of Parliament wrote to the German Interior Ministry to find out.

The German government is aware of individual contacts made by Chinese diplomats with the aim of effecting positive public statements on the coronavirus management by the Peoples Republic of China. The federal government has not complied with these requests, from a letter the ministry sent to Margarete Baus, a member of the Green Party. The letter was shown to NTD.

Germany has not formally protested the influence campaign. So far, it has also shied away from directly criticizing the CCP. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that transparency from China, including into the origin of the virus, is crucial for combating the pandemic.

The Chinese Embassy in Germany denied that this influence campaign ever happened. It called the media reports untrue and irresponsible and did not acknowledge the letter from the German interior ministry confirming the campaign.

More and more governments are criticizing the CCPs handling of the outbreak. They point to how the CCPs coverup, intimidation of whistleblowers, and destruction of virus samples allowed the virus to spread around the world.

Recently, European Union officials softened their criticism of the Chinese regime in a report on virus disinformation after receiving pressure from the CCP.

Some countries, like the United States and Australia, want to initiate an independent investigation into the virus and its origin. At least one German opposition party, the Green Party, is now joining this call.
Technavio has been monitoring the automotive air lift jack market and it is poised to grow by USD 5 billion during 2019-2023. 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/20200429005023/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive Air Lift Jack Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will decelerate during the forecast period. Astro Pneumatic Tool Co., ATD Tools Inc., Emerson Manufacturing Corp., Gray Manufacturing Co. Inc., Jack Sealey Ltd., JET Equipment Tools Ltd., Norco Industries Inc., Shinn Fu Company of America Inc., Sunex Tools Inc., and Tire Service International are some of the major market participants. The demand for air bottle jacks will offer immense growth opportunities. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Demand for air bottle jacks has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Automotive Air Lift Jack Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Automotive Air Lift Jack Market is segmented as below:

End-user Individual Customers Professional Customers

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR32137

Automotive Air Lift Jack 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 automotive air lift jack market report covers the following areas:

Automotive Air Lift Jack Market Size

Automotive Air Lift Jack Market Trends

Automotive Air Lift Jack Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies the rising demand for portable air lift jacks as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive air lift jack market growth during the next few years.

Automotive Air Lift Jack Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the automotive air lift jack market, including some of the vendors such as Astro Pneumatic Tool Co., ATD Tools Inc., Emerson Manufacturing Corp., Gray Manufacturing Co. Inc., Jack Sealey Ltd., JET Equipment Tools Ltd., Norco Industries Inc., Shinn Fu Company of America Inc., Sunex Tools Inc., and Tire Service International. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the automotive air lift jack market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Automotive Air Lift Jack Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive air lift jack market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the automotive air lift jack market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the automotive air lift jack market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive air lift jack market vendors

Table Of Contents:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER

Market segmentation by end-user

Comparison by end-user

Individual customers Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Professional customers Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by end-user

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Development of aluminum air lift jacks

Growing demand for portable air lift jacks

Growing online purchase of automotive air lift jacks

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Astro Pneumatic Tool Co.

ATD Tools, Inc.

Emerson Manufacturing Corp.

Gray Manufacturing Co. Inc.

Jack Sealey Ltd.

JET Equipment Tools Ltd.

Norco Industries Inc.

Shinn Fu Company of America Inc.

Sunex Tools, Inc.

Tire Service International

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

Definition of market positioning of vendors

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

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.

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Irrfan Khan was everyone's actor. Paan Singh Tomar, Lunchbox, Haider, Maqbool, Piku, Haasil, Salaam Bombay!, Talvar, Life of Pi - he wasn't the "Khan" Bollywood boasted about but the "Khan" fans loved watching the most. His versatility knew no bounds, his face spoke a thousand words, his roles equally compelling.

Khan was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, and had been under medical attention for the same. It was around this time, the Bollywood actor had quoted poet Rainer Maria Rilke in one of his social media posts which also happened to be his last Instagram update.

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,

then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,

go to the limits of your longing.

Embody me.

Flare up like a flame

and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.

Just keep going. No feeling is final.

Dont let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.

You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.

Dated March 20, 2018, Khan shared the poem along with his silhouette.

On Tuesday, the tragic news of Khan's demise hit social media. The 54-year-old actor was admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital due to a colon infection.

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.  Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

Shocked at the death of one of the most celebrated actors in the industry, fans and peers expressed grief online and extended their wishes to surviving members of Khan's family.

It was then Khan's fans headed to his Instagram account to bid goodbye to him. Notably, the said post was, in fact, his second-last on the platform, his final being a repost of 2018's American drama movie Puzzle in which the actor played a leading role.

May God bless you sir, you will deeply be missed. RIP

Forever in our hearts

RIP Legend, i hope you get to know that we all love you.

Can't belive the news. One of the best actors cum humans. Strength to the family. Nation's prayers are with you

Subsequently, a heartfelt note penned by Khan after receiving treatment in the USA went viral on Twitter.

Maybe somewhere in the pursuit of winning, we forget how much it means to be loved. In our vulnerability, we are reminded. As I leave my foootprints onto these steps of my life, I want to pause to be grateful for receiving your immense love and support, it soothed me in my process of healing. So I travel back to you, thanking you from the bottom of my heart, the actor wrote in April last year.
A bold decision by a federal appeals court recognizing a right under the U.S. Constitution to a basic minimum education, in the form of access to literacy, has cheered education-equity advocates and may be felt far beyond the substandard Detroit schools that are the subject of the underlying lawsuit.

This was a real breakthrough, Michael A. Rebell, a professor and the director of the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, said in reference to the April 23 ruling by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, that revived a lawsuit brought by a handful of Detroit schoolchildren against the state of Michigan alleging horrendous conditions in the citys schools.

This is the first indication [in more than four decades] that there may really be an opening for some kind of broad-based federal right to education, said Rebell, who filed a friend-of-the-court brief on the side of the Detroit children and is also spearheading a similar suit in Rhode Island.

The earlier ruling Rebell referred to was San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez , a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1973 which rejected a 14th Amendment equal-protection clause challenge to Texas school funding system by residents of a small, property-poor school district, the Edgewood Independent School District, which covers part of San Antonio.

The nearly half-century-old decision was long considered to have foreclosed efforts to use the federal courts for broad-based equity or adequacy lawsuits.

But in recent years, scholars and litigators have advanced a range of new arguments for recognizing education as a right, to some degree or another, under the U.S. Constitution or under federal statutory law.

Its quite remarkable that in 2020, there are multiple cases in federal courts that are alleging a federal right to education, said Kimberly Jenkins Robinson, a University of Virginia law professor and the editor of a new book of scholarly essays on the topic, appropriately titled A Federal Right to Education: Fundamental Questions for Our Democracy.

She said that the Supreme Courts Rodriguez ruling had pushed litigants toward the state courts to seek broad improvements over the last 40 or more years, with only modest success.

Despite decades of litigation, the state courts have not effectively been able to hold the states accountable for providing an adequate and equitable education, Robinson said.

An Open Question

In the most recent decision, the 6th Circuit panel ruled 2-1 in Gary B. v. Whitmer to revive a lawsuit seeking an as-yet unspecified remedy from the state of Michigan for deficient conditions in the Detroit schools, which the state government had control over from the 1990s until recently.

A Federal Right? Several recent lawsuits in the federal courts have advanced theories of a federal right to education under the U.S. Constitution or under federal statutes. Gary B. v. Whitmer

A federal lawsuit alleges that conditions in the Detroit public schools are so poor that they deny students a federal right of access to literacy, which is necessary for effective political participation. On April 23, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, recognized a 14th Amendment due process right to a minimum basic education, or access to literacy. It is unclear whether the state plans to appeal. Cook v. Raimondo

This suit filed on behalf of 14 students in Rhode Island alleges that state officials have failed to provide the states students with a meaningful opportunity to obtain an adequate education to prepare them to be capable citizens. A federal district court heard arguments in December on the states motion to dismiss and a decision is pending. Williams v. Reeves

In this suit, a group African-American women whose children attend poor schools in Mississippi assert that the removal of a school uniformity clause from an earlier state constitution has caused significant disparities in the educational resources, opportunities, and outcomes for students based on their race. In April, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, revived the suit and backed the contention that the removal of the uniformity clause violated the 1870 federal law that readmitted Mississippi to the Union after the Civil War. Martinez v. Malloy

A federal suit in Connecticut alleged that various state laws and policies kept inner-city students from receiving a minimally adequate education. In 2018, a federal district court dismissed the suit, holding that there was no fundamental right under the U.S. Constitution to a minimally adequate education. Source: Education Week

The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff childrens schools are five of the lowest-performing in the state, and that conditions in those schools are so baddue to the absence of qualified teachers, crumbling facilities, and insufficient materialsthat the schools fail to provide access to literacy. The suit has vivid descriptions mentioning mice, cockroaches, and other vermin in classrooms, unsuitable drinking water, outdated learning materials, and insufficient learning outcomes.

The degrading of the Detroit schools started in the 1990s, under state control, said Mark D. Rosenbaum, the legal director of Public Counsel, a Los Angeles-based public interest law firm that is spearheading the Detroit suit.

A federal district court had dismissed the suit. In the 6th Circuit, the plaintiffs drew widespread support in friend-of-the-court briefs from the Detroit public school system, from scholars, and others.

The 6th Circuit panel rejected two of the theories advanced by lawyers for the plaintiffs, one based on the 14th Amendments equal-protection clause and one based on compulsory attendance requirements.

But the majority recognized the right to a basic minimum education and access to literacy as part of the 14th Amendments guarantee of substantive due process, which is how the Supreme Court has recognized rights beyond procedural due process that arent mentioned in the Constitution, such as the right to privacy and bodily integrity.

Plaintiffs contend that access to literary, as opposed to other educational achievements, is a gateway milestone, one that unlocks the basic exercise of other fundamental rights, including the possibility of political participation, said the majority opinion by Judge Eric L. Clay. While the [U.S.] Supreme Court has repeatedly discussed this issue, it has never decided it, and the question of whether such a right exists remains open today.

The majority marshaled much support for the idea that the Supreme Court has not completely foreclosed the recognition of some form of basic education as a federal right by starting with the Rodriguez decision itselfthe same decision that held there was no broad, fundamental U.S. constitutional right to education.

A Justice With Education Experience

The author of the Rodriguez opinion was Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., who had just joined the high court months before the Texas case was heard. He had been a member of the Richmond, Va., school board through most of the 1950s, and on the Virginia state board of education, including a period as its chairman, in the 1960s.

This case is more troublesome for me than it otherwise would be because of my long association with public education, Powell wrote to one of his law clerks in October 1972, the same month the case was argued.

Powell embraced the assignment he received to write the opinion for the court holding that there was no fundamental right to education and that the Texas school finance system, which included wide disparities in funding because of its reliance on property taxes, did not violate the equal-protection clause.

Speaking for the 5-4 majority, Powell rejected the Texas plaintiffs claim that education was a fundamental personal right because it was essential to the effective exercise of First Amendment freedoms of expression and to the intelligent use of the right to vote.

Even if it were conceded that some identifiable quantum of education is a constitutionally protected prerequisite to the meaningful exercise of either right, we have no indication that the present levels of educational expenditures in Texas provide an education that falls short, Powell wrote.

However, Powell suggested that the Constitution might be violated if a states financing system occasioned an absolute denial of educational opportunities to any of its children, or if the state failed to provide each child with an opportunity to acquire the basic minimal skills necessary for the enjoyment of the rights of speech and of full participation in the political process.

This was a sort of keystone for the 6th Circuit majority in the recent Detroit case. Thus, the [Supreme] Court never ruled on the right to such a basic minimum education, and as shown more explicitly in its later cases, saved the question for another day, the appeals court said.

Those later cases where the 6th Circuit found further evidence that the right to a minimum education was still left open were Plyler v. Doe , the 1982 decision that struck down efforts by Texas to keep undocumented immigrant students out of its public schools; Papasan v. Allain , a 1986 decision about claims by some Mississippi students that they were denied the economic benefits of U.S.-granted school lands; and Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools , a 1988 ruling upholding a fee North Dakota schools charged for riding the bus.

In Plyler, the court noted the conclusion in Rodriguez that education was not a fundamental constitutional right, but it spoke at length about education providing the basic tools by which individuals might lead economically productive lives to the benefit of us all and how education has a fundamental role in maintaining the fabric of our society.

With Papasan, the 6th Circuit seized on that decisions characterization of how the Supreme Court had left open the question of a minimal right to education.

As Rodriguez and Plyler indicate, this court has not yet definitively settled the [question of] whether a minimally adequate education is a fundamental right, the high court said in Papasan.

Finally, in Kadrmas, the 6th Circuit court looked to a characterization by Justice Thurgood Marshall, in a dissent in that case, that the Supreme Court has explicitly left open the question of whether a state constitutionally could deny a child access to a minimally adequate education.

Robinson, who also edited a book about the legacy of the Rodriguez case, said the Supreme Court left the door open to recognizing a right to a basic minimum education and has acknowledged that the door was left open.

Martha Minow, a professor and former dean at Harvard Law School, observed that the 6th Circuit court also found support for its decision in other cases, including the Supreme Courts 1954 landmark desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

This decision says there is a denial of a federal right and its not just a denial of equal opportunity, said Minow, who is a scholar of the Brown decision and filed a brief in the Detroit case supporting the plaintiffs. I think the direct through-line to Brown is there.

Federal Schools Standards?

The dissenter on the 6th Circuit panel, Judge Eric E. Murphy, interpreted those four Supreme Court precedents differently. In each, he said, the court stated or repeated that education is not a fundamental right.

And he pointed to language in another case for support. In Ambach v. Norwick, a 1979 decision upholding a New York state law that barred permanent certification for teachers who were not U.S. citizens, or seeking citizenship, there is a footnote that says: As [Rodriguez] recognized, there is no inconsistency between our recognition of the vital significance of public education and our holding that access to education is not guaranteed by the Constitution.

The author of that opinion, including that footnote, was Justice Powell.

Murphy wondered in his dissent whether the majoritys recognition of a basic minimum right will immerse federal courts in a host of education disputes far outside our constitutionally assigned role to interpret legal texts.

Will courts compel states to raise their taxes to generate the needed funds? Murphy said. Or order states to give parents vouchers so that they may choose different schools? How old may textbooks be before they become constitutionally outdated? What minimum amount of training must teachers receive? Which HVAC systems must public schools use?

Federal judges have no special insights into such questions of educational policy, he said.

Jonathan H. Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, echoed the dissenting judge, saying the majoritys opinion is an outlier that is likely to be overturned.

Its hard not to root for the students, he said. What the case describes is awful. But as pure doctrinal matter, this is a substantial departure from where the law has been.

As for the next steps in the Detroit case, its a little unclear. The original lead defendant, Republican Gov. Richard B. Snyder, has been replaced in the litigation by current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

Whitmers office gave a cautious reaction when the opinion came out, saying the governor of course supported access to literacy and improving the Detroit schools.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat who took office in 2019, tried unsuccessfully to file a brief in the case for herself in support of the plaintiffs, even though her office was defending against the lawsuit. (The 6th Circuit did not accept her brief for filing.)

The state legally has the right to seek review by the full 6th Circuit or the Supreme Court. And the full 6th Circuit could decide to rehear the case on its own even if the state does not appeal.

So, as the case returns to the trial court, several observers suggested that a settlement is a distinct possibility.

Its time for this case to go from the courtroom to the classroom, said Rosenbaum, the lead lawyer for the students, adding that he wasnt concerned about the case reaching the Supreme Court and potentially setting a national precedent.

You dont file suits to make law, he said. You file suits to make change.
By Laila Kearney

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices surged more than 10% on Wednesday after U.S. crude stockpiles grew less than expected and gasoline posted a surprise draw, feeding optimism that fuel consumption will recover as some European countries and U.S. state ease coronavirus lockdowns.

Crude prices crashed earlier this month, with global fuel tanking roughly 30% due to efforts to slow the spread of the virus. To ease the growing glut, major oil producing-nations agreed in mid-April to cut output by nearly 10 million barrels per day. Shale producers and oil majors are also reducing production.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude <CLc1> futures settled at $15.06 a barrel, jumping $2.72, or 22%. Brent crude futures <LCOc1> settled at $22.54 a barrel, up $2.08, or 10.2%.

U.S. crude oil inventories swelled by 9 million barrels last week to 527.6 million barrels, about 7 million barrels below their record high, the Energy Information Administration said. The build was slightly less than the 10.6 million-barrel rise analysts had expected in a Reuters poll. [EIA/S]

"The crude oil number is a big number at the end of the day, but it's not as big of a number that we had for the last three weeks," said Bob Yawger, director of futures at Mizuho in New York. The slowing build has delayed U.S. crude storage from filling to the brim, Yawger said, a scenario that would likely send prices plunging into negative territory again.

"The time to total crisis mode has been kicked down the road a little bit," he said.

The data included a notable drawdown in U.S. gasoline stockpiles of 3.7 million barrels from record highs last week as a modest pickup in fuel demand offset a rebound in refinery output.

Gasoline demand over the past four weeks remained down 44% from a year earlier, but the drawdown suggested consumption declines may be leveling off. Overall fuel demand has dropped by 28% in the last four weeks.

Story continues

While U.S. storage is rapidly filling, crude production cuts by U.S. shale producers - estimated by consultants Rystad Energy at 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) for May and June - should slow flows into tanks.

Regulators in Texas, the biggest U.S. oil producing state, will vote on May 5 whether to enact output cuts. Officials in North Dakota and Oklahoma are also examining possible cuts.

That would add to production curbs of almost 10 million bpd agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other large producers including Russia.

Prices also got a boost from hopes for a demand recovery as European countries including France and Spain, along with several U.S. states planned to lift some lockdown restrictions soon.

"As long as we see openings in the economy, we will not see plunges like we saw a week ago," said Gene McGillian, vice president of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. "But markets heading back up to pre-crisis days are going to be tough to come by."

(Additional reporting by Laura Sanicola in New York, Ahmad Ghaddar in London, Sunali Paul in Melbourne and Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
Mumbai: As many as 35 personnel of Kasa police station in Palghar district in Maharashtra were on Tuesday transferred in connection with the mob lynching of two sadhus and their car driver on April 16.

The three victims, from Kandivali in Mumbai, were on their way to attend a funeral in Surat in Gujarat amid the lockdown when they were attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village in the presence of a police.
Just when I thought this show couldnt speak more to me personally, it throws in a hilariously realistic Model U.N. story line that gets correct one of the dorkiest high-school activities there is. All of the details  from the outfits to the hotel setting to the secret meetings to thwarted attempts to rebel to the intense setting of the Security Council to the checked-out teacher chaperone who desperately wants to be cool  indicate that this was absolutely written by someone with an intimate knowledge of Model U.N., and the authenticity makes it all the funnier.

The Model U.N. overnight trip also provides the perfect setting for Devi to be confronted by the escalation of her lies. What started as a blatant but somewhat small-scale lie when her friends assumed she hooked up with Paxton and she never corrected them blooms into a schoolwide drama as swiftly as the Model U.N. Security Council devolves into World War III (this is also hyperrealistic).

The best part of this episode of Never Have I Ever is that Devi is the worst part of it. She acts selfishly and foolishly, and it makes for a compelling story, exposing the characters biggest flaws. Her nemesis, Ben Gross  who is at first appalled that she, at the last minute, joins the Model U.N. group (its a blatant violation of the pact they made in sixth grade to split up all extracurriculars)  actually extends an olive branch in the episode, and she pretty much lights it on fire. Perhaps fueled a bit by alcohol, which Devi and Ben secure for an illicit hotel-room party with the other students after an initially botched heist with the Russian delegate, Ben proposes an alliance. He mostly means just in the context of his Model U.N. resolution, but theres the slightest suggestion that this moment between them means a little more  like maybe theyre starting to understand each other a bit beyond their years-long rivalry. They critique each others personalities  Ben is annoyingly braggy about his dad, and Devi is quick to anger  but they do so not with malice but rather an acknowledgment that they are indeed both very flawed.

But when word gets out that Devi is sleeping with Paxton  which she isnt  Devi makes the choice to keep the lie going, basking in the sudden adoration from her fellow U.N. nerds who give her special treatment now that they think shes of a higher social status. And then when word finally gets back to Paxton, Devi diverts her guilt onto Ben. She has only herself to blame for this lie, and yet she decides to blame Ben. Because thats easier, right? Devi is a wonderfully complex character, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan really brings the layers of the character to life. (Reminder: This is her debut role!) That complexity means there are plenty of things to dislike about Devi, too. She likes to take emotional shortcuts. She likes to blame others for her own mistakes. She likes to deny and avoid and deflect. She is deeply human. She has all the shortsightedness of a teen.

Because even when confronted by Paxton, who is rightfully angry about her using him, she tries to defend herself and downplay everything she has done. She cant even take responsibility when faced by him. And then when her very best friends try to talk to her, she has one of her typical Devi outbursts. But this one is particularly nasty. She yells at them that her problems are bigger than theirs. And when Nalini tells her shes finally ungrounded, she doesnt want to go spend time with her friends, isolating herself.

Little does Devi know that her friends have been going through some serious shit all episode. She doesnt even give them the opportunity to tell her, instantly assuming her world is more important than theirs. In actuality, Eleanor and Fabiola both have very strong, very serious side plots in this episode that deepen them as characters and expand Never Have I Evers story. Fab continues to struggle with coming out to her parents, sitting them down for a family meeting that includes her college-aged frat-boy brother FaceTiming in. But shes ultimately unable to get past the words I am and say that one little three-letter word that she sees as seismic to her life. Instead, she tells them she switched from French to Latin in school, and they humorously reply in the way parents might to a kid coming out. Its funny, but its also sad  a space Never Have I Ever occupies frequently.

Things go much better when Fab comes out to Eleanor, who swiftly embraces her and tells her not to apologize for not telling her before, but also takes it in the way a theater teen might, celebrating the fact that she finally has a gay friend to support her brand. Its sweet, and then they immediately want to tell Devi, too. But of course, Devi doesnt answer.

Eleanor has a tumultuous emotional experience of her own, one that digs into a different kind of grief and loss regarding a parent than Devis arc does. Eleanor has long believed that her mother has been off pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress; she left when Eleanor was just 7 years old and communicates through postcards supposedly sent from the Weight Watchers cruise ship where shes in a traveling production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Eleanor, who loves drama and spectacle (she announces very matter-of-factly in this episode that she has started doing all of her homework with a quill pen), misses her mom but also delights in the magical dreaminess of it all. But Paxton shatters that dream when he offhandedly remarks that he had Eleanors mom as a server at a Mexican restaurant on the other side of town.

Like Devi, Eleanor goes through a period of denial, but what Paxton said works its way into her, and she and Fab make the journey to the restaurant to find the truth. They find her mother. Not only did she lie, but she has been living just 20 minutes away. The reveal is a gut-punch, and even though Eleanor didnt lose a parent in the same way Devi did, theres definitely a thematic and emotional through line here. Between Devi and Eleanor, Never Have I Ever is poised to tell two deep and meaningful stories about losing a parent.

On that note, nestled in the episode is also another flashback to the night that Mohan died. It pops in unexpectedly, triggered by Devi hearing sirens, and works so well to situate viewers in her head. These flashbacks are persistent and unpredictable for Devi, likely worsened by her tendency to suppress them. Never Have I Ever allows so much room for Devis many facets. She is indeed an asshole in this episode, and shes also still grieving and hurt, and all those things can be true at once.
US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals.

Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it. He has also indicated that the US may be looking at "a lot more money" in damages from China than the USD 140 billion being sought by Germany from Beijing for the pandemic.

Leaders of the US, the UK and Germany believe that the deaths and the destruction of the global economy could have been avoided, had China shared the information about the virus in its early phases.

"It's in 184 countries, as you hear me say often. It's hard to believe. It's inconceivable," Trump told reporters at White House Tuesday. "It should have been stopped at the source, which was China. It should have been stopped very much at the source, but it wasn't. And now we have 184 countries going through hell."

The virus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in mid-November, has killed more than two lakh people and infected over three million globally. The largest number of them are in the US: nearly 59,000 deaths and over one million infections.

The massive outbreak in the US has put Trump under increasing pressure from American lawmakers to decrease US dependence on Beijing and they have also sought compensation from China.

Senator Ted Cruz and his colleagues have urged Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to support the development of a fully domestic supply chain of rare earths and other minerals that are critical for manufacturing defence technologies and supporting national security.

"It is clear that our dependence on China for vital rare earths threatens our US manufacturing and defence-industrial base. As the October 2018 Defence Industrial Base Report states: 'China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials deemed strategic and critical to US national security.' [...] Ensuring a US supply of domestically sourced rare earths will reduce our vulnerability to supply disruptions that poses a grave risk to our military readiness," the Senators wrote.

The US is 100 per cent import-dependent for rare earths as well as 13 other metals and minerals on the US Government Critical Minerals List and more than 75 percent import reliant for an additional 10 minerals.

Congressman Brian Mast on Tuesday introduced a legislation to hold China accountable for its "coronavirus deception". The resolution would empower the US to withhold payments on debts owed to China equal to the costs incurred by the US in response to COVID-19.

"China's total lack of transparency and mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak has cost tens of thousands of lives, millions of jobs and left untold economic destruction. Congress must hold China accountable for their cover-up and force them to pay back the taxpayer dollars that have been spent as a result," Mast said.

Cruz, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced his intention to introduce a legislation to cut off Hollywood studios from assistance they receive from the Department of Defence if those studios censor their films for screening in China.

This legislation is part of Sen. Cruz's comprehensive push to combat China's growing influence over what Americans see and hear, which includes legislation targeting information warfare from the Chinese Communist Party across higher education, sports, films, radio broadcasts, and more.

Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera and Congressman Ted S. Yoho, both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will lead a bipartisan virtual Special Order to highlight the importance of US global leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If we abdicate our place as a leader in global health, there is another country eager to take the reins. China has not been subtle in asserting itself on global health issues, and often not for the benefit of other nations. China's recent coronavirus debacle should be evidence enough that their communist regime cannot be trusted to lead with accountability, transparency, or pragmatism, traits that are essential when fighting widespread disease," Yoho said.

"As for how China would fare as a global health leader, look no further than the disastrous initial response by the WHO to coronavirus, one that was clearly influenced by Beijing. Information was slow-walked, warnings from nations like Taiwan were ignored at crucial turning points, and cooperation with outside health experts was spurned until it was too late. And it has resulted in the largest public health disaster the world has seen in over a century," he said.

In an interview to Fox News, Senator Marco Rubio alleged that if China had acted when those warnings were being made, instead of silencing the people that were talking about it, they could have limited the spread.

"So there was no doubt that that was a deliberate decision made on their part. The one way to hold them accountable is to do what we should be doing anyway. That is moving the means of production to become less and less dependent upon them. What you're going to see after this pandemic is that more and more countries are going to prioritize their healthcare manufacturing capabilities and other industries," he said.
Classes that Click is a series spotlighting how Emory is adapting undergraduate courses to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each column will showcase one course, with insights and tips from both the professor and students. View more Classes that Click stories.

Although studying from home was not how Michelle Mugo envisioned completing her senior year, her takeaways include lessons in adapting to change that will help carry her through life. History professor Clifton Crais also learned valuable lessons  supported by his belief that the pandemic is helping us become better teachers, students and citizens.

As the semester drew to a close, Crais wrapped up their time together in a special way for Mugo and her fellow seniors.

At the end of our last full class I put on my academic gown, played Pomp and Circumstance and had all the seniors stand, he says. We all then clapped and said congratulations. And I think a few of us shed some tears. I know I did.

Classes that Click is a series showcasing how Emorys commitment to stellar education continues during the COVID-19 pandemic and how many lessons learned will further enhance life at the university when everyone returns to classrooms together.

Crais, professor of history and director of the Institute of African Studies, is joined by his teaching assistant, Georgia Brunner, and students Bronwen Boyd and Michelle Mugo from his Making of Modern South Africa class.

The course: Making of Modern South Africa (History/African Studies 367)

Making of Modern South Africa (HIST 367) introduces students to the history of South Africa from a society based on the principle of systematic racial segregation to a multiracial democracy. Topics include the origins of racial segregation and apartheid, nationalist struggles and the challenges of post-apartheid democracy.

Moving toward remote learning

How did you prepare for this phase of remote learning?

Crais: I feel like I had a slight advantage. Just as the virus was spreading through China, we were discussing the 1918 influenza pandemic and its impact in South Africa. The more I read the news the more concerned I became. So, I strongly encouraged my students to take all their materials when they left for spring break. This meant that the majority of the class had their notes, books, etc., when we transitioned to remote teaching.

Brunner: Dr. Crais and I rewrote the syllabus and changed the midterm and final exam.

Boyd: It was difficult to figure out where I wanted to do my synchronous courses because I am living in a house with two educators who also need a quiet environment and strong internet connection. Because my dads work requires him to be on video calls most of the day, my mom and I had to share upstairs spaces.

Mugo: I reorganized my room to create some study space. I prepared an Excel spreadsheet calendar to help me track the assignments, Zoom calls and other activities related to learning.

What was one of your primary challenges in shifting to a remote format and how did you meet it?

Crais: Everyone is naturally very anxious, and people deal with this in quite different ways. I have found it critically important to think about each and every student and to work with them individually. A student living in a large house is much different than a student in a small apartment caring for nieces while their aunt is working in the hospital. I have adopted a hybrid model of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. I tape my lectures so students can listen to them whenever they want. We also have two class periods of discussion, plus office hours. I also used Canvas very intensively, sending students messages almost daily, posting materials and staying connected.

Ultimately, an overarching challenge is to teach effectively and to communicate why education  and why an Emory education  really matters in this state of emergency. This may be an especially important challenge to humanities and social sciences. I have tried to show how history matters and how we can make history  even if we are stuck in our living rooms.

Boyd: Working in the same environment where I was meant to be resting had pretty adverse effects on my mental health, especially in the first few weeks. It felt like even when I wasnt working, I had the anxieties of classwork and work for my job (which also moved online) weighing on me. After a while, I found a better balance by setting up a schedule with time allocated for each of these activities.

Mugo: The main challenge was adjusting to studying at home again as I have not done that since high school. I like to study at the library or other environments and rarely stay in the same place for too long. Thus, being confined indoors was not ideal for studying. Changing locations around the house helped improve my concentration. An equally challenging factor was navigating study spaces in the house as my mum and brother are also studying and my dad is working from home. We had to make sure that two people were not in the same room having Zoom calls at the same time.

Putting remote learning into practice

What has been a pleasant surprise about remote learning?

Crais: I am just amazed  and so proud  of how committed the students have been. They come to class prepared, have submitted some wonderful responses to the assigned reading and we have had some really great class discussions. Zoom has worked extremely well. The vast majority of students have been able to focus really well even as our minds are elsewhere.

Boyd: Im surprised by how much more time I have for myself now that I dont have to go to classes physically. This has left me with far more time to take care of myself and do things that make me happy.

Mugo: The work-life balance has been better than expected. I am putting more effort into prioritizing my mental health in order to cope with all that is happening around us and to do well with my studies. Remote learning has given me more flexibility with my schedule.

How are you staying engaged with your students or classmates and professors?

Crais: My wonderful teaching assistant, Georgia Brunner, also has been reaching out to students, meeting with them online and just demonstrating the importance of human decency. We also take attendance. If someone misses a class, we follow up.

Brunner: Having regular class time I know is a challenge for students in other time zones but I do think that it helps keep up engagement.

Boyd: I try to text and FaceTime my classmates outside of class, and Ive been periodically emailing my professors to try to stay on top of my work for class.

Mugo: I attend Zoom class sessions as well as office hours so I can interact with my professors and classmates. My classmates arrange Zoom calls to talk about the material and help each other understand the concepts. We check up on each other and bond over the shared experience we are going through as we are still trying to come to terms with the reality of the situation.

Lessons to be carried forward

Whats one lesson youve learned during this transition, and how will you use it later?

Crais: The importance of human contact and our common humanity, beginning with the simple act of looking into another persons eyes. I will renew my effort to develop a unique relationship with each and every student, no matter how large the class. Paradoxically, online teaching has taught me the importance of a residential college experience. We are learning new things about the world and about each other. We are going to come out of this crisis better teachers and better students  and citizens.

Brunner: Face time is key to engagement. I think encouraging students to come to office hours earlier in the semester will ensure that students have one-on-one contact, which really helps the student and instructor engage better.

Boyd: Unless you set aside time for each of your tasks, it is difficult for your brain to separate work from rest. Ive also learned that it is important to exercise as often as you feel able. I think Ill be much better about getting my work done earlier in the day and leaving the evenings for myself as often as possible.

Mugo: I have always been motivated and hardworking, but my self-discipline was tested during this transition. It was important to take breaks and allow myself to process and express my frustrations without letting it hinder my goals. It is okay for my routine to change and to adapt to the changes. While it is important to constantly improve, it is equally important to congratulate myself for every achievement, whether big or small. I am redefining what success looks like for me.

In addition to focusing on the universitys educational mission, Emory experts are on the front lines of the pandemic  caring for patients, researching possible treatments and vaccines and sharing knowledge to help inform and prepare the public. Visit Emorys COVID-19 page for the latest updates.
How Books and Buckets program in Long Beach aims to keep kids away from gang violence
In an effort to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and support frontline workers, Mary Kay Inc. has contributed nearly $10 million in monetary donations, product donations, and distribution support in the countries where it operates and communities in critical need around the world.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005893/en/

David Holl, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Kay Inc. (Photo: Mary Kay Inc.)

"The wide-ranging impact of this pandemic on our economies, populace and the world at large may not be truly known for some time," said David Holl, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mary Kay Inc. "But here's what we're sure of right now: people are suffering, and an unprecedented crisis requires everyone's support. It's our responsibility to help those affected by this virus-either directly, like our frontline workers, or indirectly, like women and children impacted by the alarming uptick in domestic violence cases."

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Mary Kay Inc., its subsidiaries around the world, and along with its four company-sponsored Foundations in Canada, Brazil, China and the United States, have taken the following actions targeted at supporting global and national relief efforts:

Supporting the Frontlines:

Refocused global manufacturing efforts on the production and donation of essential items only, including personal care and hygiene products, as well as hand sanitizer that was donated to nearly 20 healthcare systems, 1,000 hospitals and 1.5 million combined frontline responders, physicians, and staff around the world.

In an effort to support the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), Mary Kay has made a donation of hand sanitizer to the Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). The donation will support countries of the Americas in the response to COVID-19.

Donated hand sanitizer to CARE (an international humanitarian agency) to support its critically needed COVID-19 response efforts in 63 developing countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East regions combating the crisis with scarce resources.

Joined the World Economic Forum's new COVID Action Platform created with the support of the World Health Organization. The global platform, the first of its kind, aims to convene the business community for collective action, protect people's livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform will support mechanisms for donation of hand sanitizer to the public health response in regions throughout the world where much-needed essential supplies are not readily accessible.

Coordinated with the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and Feeding America to donate hand sanitizer to organizations in need.

Donated hand sanitizer to healthcare systems and hospitals in the top ten hardest hit cities in the United States.

Local support for areas surrounding Mary Kay's global headquarters and manufacturing facility: Near Mary Kay Inc.'s global headquarters (Dallas, Texas), supplied hand sanitizer and other supplies to Dallas County First Responders, Addison Police Department, Tenet Healthcare, Baylor Scott White Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Steward Health Care, HCA Hospital Network, Christus Health, Medical City Dallas, Parkland Health and Hospital, and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Pop-Up Hospital. In Lewisville, Texas, home of the company's global manufacturing facility, Mary Kay Inc. supplied hand sanitizer to the Lewisville Police Department and First Responders. Mary Kay Inc. supplied hand sanitizer to neighboring Tarrant County First Responders and public health needs.



Supporting Domestic Violence Prevention and Response Needs:

The Mary Kay Foundation? (United States) announced the opening of COVID-19 grant relief applications, offering unrestricted monetary grants for domestic violence shelters in need. Three local domestic violence shelters in or around Dallas (Denton County Friends of the Family, The Family Place and Hope's Door New Beginning Center) received $25,000 each to support their emergency shelter services and impact programs. The Foundation also donated $75,000 to Genesis Women's Shelter Support and its Conference on Crimes Against Women efforts (CCAW) in collaboration with the Dallas Police Department, supporting the mission of ending all violence against women.

The Mary Kay Foundation? (United States), Independent Mary Kay National Sales Directors and Independent Mary Kay National Sales Directors Emeriti donated hand sanitizer to nearly 500 domestic violence shelters across the United States to ensure a healthy and safe environment for women and children seeking refuge from shelter-in-place orders that trap them in abusive situations. The nearly 500 domestic violence shelters support over 1.5 million women and children annually in the United States.

donated hand sanitizer to nearly 500 domestic violence shelters across the United States to ensure a healthy and safe environment for women and children seeking refuge from shelter-in-place orders that trap them in abusive situations. The nearly 500 domestic violence shelters support over 1.5 million women and children annually in the United States. Earlier this year, The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation (Canada) issued $100,000 in domestic violence grants to ten domestic violence shelters. To continue relief efforts, the Charitable Foundation will issue smaller donations to nearly 40 more shelters and supply the almost 50 shelters in total with hand sanitizer.

Instituto Mary Kay (Brazil) donated to the NGO Fala Mulher so the organization could buy the necessary prevention equipment (such as hand sanitizer, gloves and masks) to ensure the continuity of care for survivors of domestic violence.

Supporting Additional Efforts:

The Mary Kay China Charity Fund donated to the Amity Foundation (an independent Chinese social organization dedicated to public health, social welfare, disaster relief and other philanthropic undertakings), and made early contributions to COVID-19 relief efforts in Wuhan, China. Mary Kay China also donated nutrition, skincare and hand care products to frontline female health workers and volunteers.

Mary Kay Brazil and Instituto Mary Kay donated to the FIOCRUZ Oswaldo Cruz Foundation to help produce 5,000 modern COVID-19 tests for public hospitals; donated to Sao Paulo State Fund to support efforts to purchase ventilators; and donated to the State Health Department to support special protection aprons for ICU workers in public hospitals.

Mary Kay Mexico will donate hand sanitizer units to support lower economic communities: Bancos de Alimentos de Mexico (Mexico's Foodbank Network), Unidas Contigo Monterrey (breast cancer awareness) and Fondo Semillas Mexico (domestic violence prevention).

Mary Kay Russia donated hygiene products to the frontline workers at The N.V. Sklifosovsky Scientific Research Institute of First Aid and the A.S.Puchkov ER of the Moscow Health Department.

There are many more efforts happening around the world in countries where Mary Kay operates to support local COVID-19 relief efforts.

Quotes from Partners/Supporting the Frontlines:

Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Director of PAHO Health Emergencies

"We are thankful for Mary Kay's generous donation of hand sanitizer to the Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). This donation will support the Organization's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping the countries of the Americas in slowing the virus' spread in healthcare settings and protecting health workers who are at the forefront of the response to this pandemic."

Michelle Nunn, CARE President and CEO

"CARE is working every day in vulnerable communities across the globe where healthcare systems are the most fragile. In times of pandemics, life becomes even more perilous in these communities. Hand sanitizers are an important resource in stopping the spread of COVID-19, particularly in places with limited access to water and sanitation, and where social distancing is a challenge to survival. That's why we are grateful for Mary Kay's generous donation to help keep communities safe."

Pat Drury, WHO Manager, Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)

"The mission of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), acting in collaboration with WHO, is to provide international public health resources to control outbreaks and public health emergencies across the globe. The network is connecting partner institutions for better health outcomes and networking international public health resources to support communities, and save lives in times of major outbreaks and public health emergencies. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our mission resonates now, more than ever. On behalf of those who will benefit most from this generosity, we are thankful to Mary Kay for its donation."

Zara Ingilizian, Head of Consumer Industries and the Future of Consumption Platform, World Economic Forum

"The World Economic Forum, in partnership with the World Health Organization, is mobilizing all stakeholders to protect lives and livelihoods through its COVID-19 Action Platform. The spread of this disease demands global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community. Consumer Industries companies, such as Mary Kay, and their donations of life-saving sanitation products are playing a vital role in protecting the health and wellbeing of workers, healthcare professionals and consumers."

Quotes from Partners/Supporting Domestic Violence Prevention and Response Needs:

Michelle Nunn, CARE President and CEO

"When combined in countries experiencing war, poverty, and instability, COVID-19 creates a perfect storm of factors that will exacerbate existing challenges many women and girls in these settings experience, including gender-based violence (GBV). We need to ensure that the emergency response to COVID-19 doesn't forget society's most marginalized and vulnerable people. The Mary Kay Foundation's generous donation will help to keep women and girls safe from GBV and other threats during this time of crisis."

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty company more than 56 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, and fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Mary Kay Ash's original vision continues to shine-one lipstick at a time. Learn more at MaryKay.com.

About The Mary Kay Foundation

Guided by Mary Kay Ash's dream to enrich the lives of women everywhere, The Mary Kay Foundation? raises and distributes funds to invest in breakthrough cancer research to find a cure for women-related cancers and ending domestic violence against women. Since 1996, The Mary Kay Foundation? has contributed more than $80 million to organizations aligned with its two-fold mission. In addition, the Foundation supports awareness initiatives, community outreach programs, and advocates for legislation to ensure women are healthy and safe. Together, we can make the world better for women. To learn more about how to educate, advocate, volunteer and donate, and join life-saving work to support and empower women, visit marykayfoundation.org, find us on Facebook and Instagram, or follow us on Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005893/en/

Contacts:

Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications

marykay.com/newsroom

972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com
Rufus Gifford, a top Democratic fundraiser who worked on President Barack Obamas campaigns and ran for Congress in Massachusetts in 2018, is taking a leadership role in former Vice President Joe Bidens White House bid.

Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee to face President Donald Trump in November, hired Gifford as deputy campaign manager with a focus on finance, external outreach and coalition building, a source told The Washington Post. He will also occasionally serve the campaign as a spokesperson.

Gifford was the finance director for the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011 and served as Obamas finance director from 2011 to 2012. He later served as U.S. Ambassador to Denmark from 2013 to 2017, according to his State Department biography.

Gifford, 45, lives in Concord and announced in 2017 a bid for the 3rd District House seat eventually won by U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan.

His hiring comes amid record-breaking fundraising by Trump and the Republican National Party, and after a crowded Democratic primary that often saw Biden lagging behind other contenders, particularly Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

But March marked a turnaround for Biden, despite coronavirus shutting down retail politics and forcing campaigns across the country to connect with voters virtually. Biden raised $46.7 million last month, the most of any month during his year-long campaign.

Biden and the DNC combined for $79.4 million in donations last month, besting the $63 million raised by Trump and the GOP, Bloomberg reported. But the GOP has about $240 million in cash on hand compared to Bidens and the DNCs $62 million.

Never been more fired up for a new job, Gifford tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Never been more fired up for a new job.  @JoeBiden https://t.co/50PwuuD82l  Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) April 29, 2020

Last week, Bidens campaign worked out a new deal with the DNC to establish new administrative leadership and expand fundraising as the former vice president focuses on the general election, The Washington Post reported.

After effectively securing the Democratic nomination following a string of primary victories earlier this year, Biden picked up a host of endorsements, including from primary rivals Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Obama endorsed his two-term White House ally on April 14, and on Tuesday, 2016 Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her support for Biden.

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Lehigh University College of Education researcher Tom Hammond will help lead efforts in implementing hands-on, socio-environmental investigations for high school students in three regions of the United States

The National Science Foundation has awarded $2.85 million to Lehigh University's College of Education and two other universities to further develop programs to enhance high school students' geospatial skills, boost their literacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to better prepare them for STEM careers.

Tom Hammond, associate professor of instructional technology and teacher education in Lehigh's College of Education, will be the principal investigator on the project, "Collaborative Research: Expanding Socio-Environmental Science Investigations with Geospatial Technologies in High Schools." STEM educator Kate Popejoy of Popejoy STEM, LLC will be principal co-investigator. Hammond and Popejoy will collaborate with Judy Morrison and Jonah Firestone of Washington State University Tri-Cities, and Curby Alexander and Molly Weinburgh of Texas Christian University in establishing research-practice partnerships to enhance learning in geospatial technologies. The four-year project is scheduled to begin June 1, 2020.

As part of the project, the educators will collaborate with high school teachers in three regions of the United States: urban areas in Delaware and Pennsylvania; a rural/suburban area in the state of Washington and an urban area of Texas. In each region, the project leaders will work with teachers at two high schools to co-design, develop and implement hands-on, socio-environmental science investigations that students will conduct as part of their studies.

Potential topics that students will explore include the effects of urban heat islands on their communities, the civic and environmental impacts of planting trees in urban areas and the carbon costs of differing transportation systems. Students will collect, map and analyze data, combining their findings with data from local governments, federal agencies and researchers. Ultimately, the students will propose changes to improve their communities, whether to re-allocate urban greenspace, expand bike trails or provide pedestrian access to local parks and businesses.

"Geospatial tools are incredibly important for understanding complex issues, whether global issues like pandemics or climate change or local issues like the transportation system or the urban heat island effect," Hammond says. "When students study these issues with geospatial tools, they simultaneously learn about the topic, learn about geospatial tools, and can propose and communicate changes that benefit their community. Yes, the goal is to prepare students for the geospatial workforce and to enhance their spatial thinking and reasoning skills. We also want to prepare citizens and leaders, regardless of their future career paths."

The work will build on the success of a previous NSF-funded project, in which a team of Lehigh educators developed an innovative geospatial curriculum for high school students at Building 21 in the Allentown (Pa.) School District. Hammond and Popejoy were part of the Lehigh team that collaborated with science and social studies teachers to design, implement and test a year-long sequence of investigations and projects that students conducted as part of their curriculum.

The newly funded work will expand the program to more students in rural, suburban and urban areas who are underrepresented in STEM-related fields, diversify the universities that are participating in the collaboration to implement geospatial activities and projects, and expand and diversify the school settings in which the activities are taking place.

The Lehigh team will work specifically with teachers and students at the Lankenau Environmental Science Magnet High School, which is part of the Philadelphia School District, and the Alexis I. duPont High School, which is part of the Red Clay Consolidated School District in Wilmington, Del. Researchers and teachers will co-develop new investigations or adapt 10 investigations previously tested at Building 21, Hammond says.

For example, in an Ecology Scavenger Hunt, students will identify natural and artificial objects around their school, using apps and online analysis tools to visualize and analyze their data. In a Trees and Ecological Services probe, students will investigate the area around their schools to identify different types of trees, explore the environmental and societal benefits that trees provide in their cities, and investigate the relationship among trees and crime in their area.

"Spatial thinking is incredibly important across all STEM fields, and there isn't really a traditional part of the K-12 curriculum that prepares you for that," Hammond says. "You're going to have a class in, say, geometry. Geometry clearly involves spatial thinking, but it's not something that's explicitly taught. And spatial thinking isn't just a geometry class thing. It's something that you're going to use when you think about statistics. You're going to use it when you think about chemistry and physics. You're going to use it when you think about social studies."

The projects are designed to prepare students not only for college but also for a variety of careers.

As a recent guest speaker in a real estate class at Lehigh, Hammond drove that point home by demonstrating the value of data sets and a community analyst tool in the real estate field. He says, for example, geospatial data work can help those who pursue a career in real estate to understand trends and make good financial decisions. "Geospatial tools are growing," he says. "Every single organization of any size has either an employee, or they contract out for services, to handle the [organization's] geodata."

In addition to Hammond and Popejoy, other members of the Lehigh team include Alec Bodzin, a professor in the Teaching, Learning and Technology program and the Environmental Initiative; Qiong Fu, professor of practice; Jeremy Mack, a GIS developer; and Douglas Leeson, doctoral student in Teaching, Learning, and Technology.

###
GHA Pays its Respects to Fallen Colleagues on Workers Memorial Day

Globally, each year on April 28th, people gather to mark International Workers Memorial Day. On this day we remember those who have lost their lives at work, or as a result of work-related injury and disease.

In remembering those who have died, we reaffirm our commitment to prevent more deaths, injuries and disease as a result of work. The Government of Gibraltar officially recognises Workers Memorial Day.

This year, 28 April 2020, International Workers Memorial Day, was different, as the Government of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Health Authority remembered those healthcare staff and all other key workers who have tragically lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Coronavirus was the International Workers Memorial Day theme.

The Minister for Health and Care, the Honourable Paul Balban, said: We take time on Workers Memorial Day to pay tribute to the sacrifice made by so many workers during this pandemic and to remember those who have sadly lost their lives. We also wish to thank all those who continue to do vital work at great risk to themselves. This tribute is extended to all workers whose lives have been lost, and today we also remember their families. The minute's silence allows us all to pay tribute to the sacrifice made of so many workers during the pandemic. As we come together in remembering those who have lost their lives, we also reach out in support of those who are experiencing grief.

Mrs Sandra Gracia, Director of Nursing Services, said: We dedicate this day to healthcare workers. The coronavirus pandemic affects every worker, regardless of the sector in which they work or their workplace; it affects us all. Globally, there are tens of thousands of workers who have died. Many more have fallen ill and many are continuing to go to work each day risking their lives for others. Mrs Gracia added: I am grateful and humbled by those staff at the Gibraltar Health Authority and Care Agency who attend to their duties and have the needs of patients and those they offer care and support to, at the centre of all that they do. The silence, in sharp contrast to the applauding roars of the 8pm tributes made to essential workers from homes and balconies each evening, is a respectful silence, a touching reminder of the risks that essential workers run as they keep us safe. This simple demonstration of respect is in response to those who have paid the very highest price, our nation salutes them in our gratitude.

Professor Ian Peate, Head of the School of Health Studies, added: We also pay tribute today to those health and social care students across the world who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will never forget the contribution and efforts that these students made as they worked and studied with the determined aim of making a difference.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  The city government of Taguig has opened its doors to a second drive-through COVID-19 testing facility in its business district.

But Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano on Wednesday clarified that the drive-through testing will not be available to all residents.

"'Yung mga nasa suspect list ng aming city epidemiology and surveillance unit, sila ho 'yung tinatawagan namin, at nag-seset kami ng appointment," Cayetano pointed out.

[Translation: We are only reaching out to  and setting an appointment with  those who are included in the suspect list of our city epidemiology and surveillance unit.]

He stressed that only a small percentage of the city population will be tested in the meantime.

"Ang i-tetest lang natin, base sa best practice, it only ranges from one to three percent of the population," Cayetano said.

[Translation: We will only test about one to three percent of the population, based on best practice.]

Taguig citizens who are possibly infected will have to call the designated COVID-19 hotline for an initial consultation with the medical professionals of the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CEDSU). The online assessment system is yet to be fixed, according to the city government.

If the local health workers come to a conclusion that they have to be tested, they will be provided with a control number, which they will use for the drive-thru testing. Results will be released within three to five days.

The city's testing capabilities will be adjusted once employees from other cities report back to work, the local administration added.

The new testing area is located at the Northeast Parking Area in Bonifacio Global City, Barangay Fort Bonifacio.

Taguig City launched its drive-thru testing initiative in another facility in Lakeshore Hall in Barangay Lower Bicutan on April 22. It also rolled out its barangay-based testing in 31 health centers and three "super health centers" on the same day.

Earlier, Taguig City said its testing centers will only be open for about two hours a day. The facility in BGC will be accessible on Wednesdays, while the one in LakeShore Hall will be open on Fridays. Both drive-through testing sites are using the World Health Organization and Department of Health-approved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, it said.

Taguig City has existing laboratory partnership agreements with St. Luke's Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City, the Philippine Red Cross, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the Department of Health.

CNN Philippines' Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report.
Motor insurers have been accused of "insulting" their policyholders by offering small rebates.

Motorists insured with Liberty Ireland are to get back 15pc of their premium for two months, subject to a minimum of 10.

This means that if a driver is paying 700-a-year they will get back less than 20.

The company said it would issue what it called "cash-equivalent vouchers".

Reluctant

This is likely to be in the form of a voucher for a petrol station.

The approach is being looked at as it is too expensive to issue cheques and some customers are reluctant to share bank details.

Customers can opt to have the refund paid to a charity that supports front-line workers.

Axa plans to give a rebate to customers that is expected to be up to 30 for each motor policy, and likely to be paid as a cheque.

It is understood AIG is to lower its premiums rather than offering rebates, a move that would discourage shopping around.

Chairman of the Consumers' Association Michael Kilcoyne accused the industry of giving back too little.

"It is an insult to offer so little back to drivers, given that the risks for insurance companies have reduced. The insurers always win," he said.

He questioned the usefulness of an insurer offering to lower renewal premiums, which he said would discourage drivers seeking out better value across the insurance market.

Liberty said its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to a huge drop in traffic volumes, will cost it 5m.

A number of insurers have committed to refunding motorists and lowering premiums after pressure from Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.

It comes after similar moves in the US and from one of the leading insurers in Britain.

Liberty Ireland said its policyholders could claim a "cash-equivalent voucher", or they can donate the money to a charity working with front-line workers battling the virus.

Chief Executive of Liberty Insurance Tom McIlduff said: "We recognise that these are exceptional circumstances and now is a challenging time for many of our customers.

"We also recognise that risks on Irish roads are reduced in light of current restrictions."
Australian scientists say a vaccine could be ready for production by September after tests on mice yielded promising results - but not available for widespread use until early next year.

Scientists from the University of Queensland said the fast-tracked timeline was 'incredibly ambitious' but reflected overwhelming success in pre-clinical trials.

Project leader Trent Munro said the September goal was a realistic possibility, but that there were many more hurdles their drug had to jump through before it was available to the Australian public.

Professor Munro said testing on humans could begin as early as July - but warned the vaccine would not be available for wide-scale use until early 2021 of those trials proved effective.

Australian researchers from the University of Queensland have said their pioneering vaccine could be ready for production by September

Scientists could start trialling the vaccine on humans after the final results from the pre-clinical tests set to arrive in July

Project co-leader Keith Chappell said the vaccine was already generating higher levels of immunity to the virus in mice than in recovered human COVID-19 patients.

It comes as about 100 groups of researchers globally race to develop a vaccine to neutralise SARS-CoV2 - the novel virus strain which causes the coronavirus.

In April, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said only a vaccine would allow Australians to permanently return to normal life.

Until then, he urged Australians to buckle down for restrictive social distancing measures - a time period which he said could be as long as six months.

The UQ scientists are using its molecular clamp technology to develop a vaccine - a pioneering process which involves stabilising 'spike' proteins and allowing the body to recognise and then eliminate the coronavirus.

'Thats the goal we have been working to but, yes, I think that is a possibility if everything went to plan,' Professor Munro told The Australian.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk pictured with the researchers' program leader Professor Trent Munro

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND'S PIONEERING 'MOLECULAR CLAMP' TECHNOLOGY FIGHTING COVID-19 The university received a request from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to use its newly patented DNA-based molecular clamp technology to fast-track the vaccine after the virus hit Australia's shores in January. Dr Chappell and his team of 20 researchers have spent the last 15 months preparing for a 'rapid response'. The technology uses the DNA sequence of the coronavirus released by China to produce a protein that's the same as the one on the surface of the actual virus. That protein will be the essence of the vaccine, capable of generating immune system responses that protect people. The vaccine was developed using molecular clamp technology that locks the spike protein into a shape Advertisement

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'That [vaccine] may not be fully tested, it may not be ready for distribution, so I am not trying to give you caveats, I am just trying to be realistic. But our goal was really to demonstrate at-scale manufacturing in that type of time-frame.'

He said it could be the first half of 2021 at the earliest before the vaccine is ready for mass distribution.

The university's project co-leader Professor Paul Young on Wednesday said the pre-clinical results from growing the virus in cell cultures also indicated the vaccine's development is going to plan.

Professor Kanta Subbarao of the Doherty Institute, which is working with UQ, tested the vaccine samples in the laboratory.

'This is a very important finding because similar immune responses with SARS vaccines in animal models were shown to lead to protection from infection,' Prof Subbarao said.

Dutch company Viroclinics Xplore is also collaborating on the vaccine tests and finalising pre-clinical work in the Netherlands.

Queensland University researchers have used rapid response technology to develop a vaccine, which took three weeks to produce.

The latest fatalities take Australia's death toll to 88, while 6,729 people have been infected and at least 5,624 have recovered

China's coronavirus vaccine candidate is 'effective and safe' on animals, study claims A potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese researchers has been proven effective and safe after conducting clinical trials on animals, a study from China has said. A research group from the country published the study on Sunday after successfully testing the vaccine candidate on macaques and mice. The medical report also indicated that the inactivated vaccine, known as PiCoVacc, can trigger an immune response in animals to protect them against the virus strain. A potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese researchers has been proven effective and safe after conducting clinical trials on animals, a study has said. The picture shows microbiologist with a tube of biological sample labelled as COVID-19 The new study comes as scientists around the world have been racing to find a cure to the deadly disease. Chinese researchers have launched human trials on three vaccine candidates. According to the report, researchers injected groups of mice and macaques with different doses of the potential vaccine. The vaccine was proven safe and efficient after neither infection enhancement or adverse effects were observed in the study. The scientists also noted that the study provided extensive evidence for the clinical development of potential COVID-19 vaccines, but further vaccine experiments on animals are needed. Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist at Wuhan University, told Chinese media that the results from the study are convincing as macaques are more closely related to humans. Advertisement

The university received a request from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to use its newly patented DNA-based molecular clamp technology to fast-track the vaccine after the virus hit Australia's shores in January.

Dr Chappell and his team of 20 researchers have spent the last 15 months preparing for a 'rapid response'.

The technology uses the DNA sequence of the coronavirus released by China to produce a protein that's the same as the one on the surface of the actual virus.

That protein will be the essence of the vaccine, capable of generating immune system responses that protect people.
New Zealanders clogged the drive thru lines of fast food restaurants Tuesday as they began venturing outside at the end of a strict coronavirus lockdown period.

An estimated 400,000 people were expected to leave their homes to go back to their offices or resume recreational pursuits like golfing, surfing, fishing and hunting as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern eased the lockdown, one of the strictest imposed anywhere in the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Tuesday, Wellington reported two new cases in the country, raising the total number of infections to 1,124 with 19 deaths among its 5 million citizens.


Mumbai: Maharashtra, which tops the list of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive cases and fatalities in the country, crossed 400 deaths related to the pandemic on Tuesday. The last 100 Covid-19 related deaths in the state were reported over the past four days, including 31 on Tuesday alone.

Maharashtra took 33 days to report 100 deaths on April 10 after the first Covid-19 positive case was recorded in the state on March 9. On April 17, the states death toll breached the 200-mark, and it topped 300 on April 24.

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Maharashtra is also inching towards recording 10,000 Covid-19 positive cases, as Tuesdays tally stood at 9,318. The state health department authorities have gone on an overdrive to ensure containment and aggressive contact tracing and testing in a bid to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease.

Though Mumbai recorded its single-day highest toll at 25 on Tuesday, the authorities maintained that this was a cumulative count over the past eight days and was not reported earlier, pending verification.

The state government is worried over the high mortality rate, which was also raised by the two inter-ministerial central teams (ICMTs) that visited Maharashtra last week. The states Covid-19 related mortality rate stands at 4.29, as compared to the corresponding national figure of 3.17, as on Tuesday.

Maharashtra has brought down the fatality rate from 7% in early and mid-April. The officials attributed the dip to early detection and treatment. Only 1% of the total Covid-19 active cases in Maharashtra fall in the critical category, they added.

On Tuesday, Mumbai reported 393 new Covid-19 positive cases and the citys overall count stands at 6,169. Mumbai has reported 1,000 cases over the past three days.

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Maharashtra has tested 1,29,931 samples, of which 1,20,136 proved negative, to date, the officials said.

On Monday, four housekeeping staff at Mantralaya, the state secretariat, tested Covid-19 positive. This has led the state government to disinfect Mantralaya at Nariman Point and the new administrative building, situated next to it, on Wednesday and Thursday. Both the buildings and all the government offices there will remain closed for these two days, the authorities said.

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The federal government delivered $395 million to shore up Oregons struggling healthcare sector in the last 18 days.

To this, the states hospital trade group has a concise reply: Its not enough.

Oregons health clinics and hospitals have taken a financial drubbing since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. The ban on non-essential medical services put some of the largest health clinics in the state on the edge of failure.

Oregon hospitals figure they collectively lost $13 million a day in March alone, a total of $403 million. And the new funds are being divvied up among hospitals, health clinics and other providers.

The federal money wont be enough to see our members through this crisis, said Becky Hultberg, president of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.

Hospitals had publicly asked Gov. Kate Brown for $200 million in financial assistance. The governor rejected that idea and said she would wait and see what the aid the feds may offer before coming up with her own proposal.

Brown said her office will continue to look for a way to put together an aid package beyond the federal money already received. Brown spokesman Charles Boyle said the governor and her staff will continue to explore federal and state-level solutions to provide a bridge until hospitals begin realizing revenue from resuming non-urgent procedures.

The hospitals got into the current financial jam after Brown ordered hospitals and clinics to end all elective surgeries and non-essential services in anticipation of an expected surge of COVID-19 patients. The surge never materialized, at least not in the overwhelming volume initially predicted.

But plenty of damage had been done.

Last week, Oregon Health & Science University revealed it would cut salaries of about 4,500 of its employees, some as much as 40 percent, to deal with its deteriorating financial condition.

Rural hospitals, some of which were already struggling, were pushed closer to the financial brink.

Big or small, hospitals and clinics are desperate for the elective surgery ban to expire on May 1. They hope pent-up demand will result in a rush of new patients, Hultberg said.

But there are two factors working against hospitals and clinics: Their customer base has been wracked by unemployment, loss of insurance, and recession. Plus, some patients are scared to set foot inside a hospital for fear of contracting the coronavirus.

The $395 million in federal aid came as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress approved last month. The money came in two installments. The second tranche of $103 million arrived late last week and will be distributed among 141 health care providers across the state.

Sen. Jeff Merkley thanked Oregon health care workers, citing their countless sacrifices to save lives and protect our communities.

Merkley added: Just like we are counting on them for their expertise and heroism, they are counting on us for the support they need to safely and effectively do their jobs.

While the economic shutdown has led to some street demonstrations, few in the health care sector are questioning the governors decision to shut down most non-essential services. Based on what we knew at the time, the governor made the right decisions, Hultberg said. Were also very happy shes made the decision to allow us to restart. Were ready to get back to work to help those patients who have put off those procedures.

Jeff Manning

971-263-5164

jmanning@oregonian.com
An Indian doctor in the UAE was moved to tears after her car was stopped during curfew hours and a policeman, instead of checking her documents, gave a salute, acknowledging her service during the coronavirus pandemic, according to media reports.

Ayesha Sultana, who is from Hyderabad, was returning home on Tuesday night after completing her shift at the Al Ahli Screening centre in Dubai when she was stopped by a policeman at the Dubai-Sharjah highway, the Khaleej Times reported.

Sultana said that she did panic initially but was focused on showing her work permit and other documents to prove that she was a doctor.

According to a report in the Gulf News, Sultana said she was pulling her ID and papers to show to the policeman but "he saluted me, saying I don't need to show him anything."



"I was speechless and cried. Despite (the fact that) I was tired (after) work but this salute was my reward and waived my tiredness," she said.

I was full of emotions at that moment and didn't know what to do. I wish I knew his name or face as he was wearing (a) mask. I just want to thank him," she was quoted as saying in the Gulf report.

The doctor later tweeted: "As a UAE resident, this is the biggest day of my life THANKYOU."



"Had tears in my eyes. I'm blessed to be in the UAE and serve the people here," she tweeted.

Sultana, who was born and brought up in the UAE, said she did not expect she would be dealing with a pandemic when she passed out of the Dubai Medical College in February, the Khaleej Times reported.

"This is my home and I want to do my best in helping UAE fight the pandemic. We see around 200 to 300 people every day - both with and without symptoms. It is very rewarding and I am all the more committed to continue doing my job," she said.

According to the Johns Hopkins University data, the UAE has over 11,000 COVID-19 cases with 89 deaths.

UAE had been under an overnight curfew since March 26 to stem the spread of the deadly disease. Dubai had on April 4 imposed a two-week lockdown to contain the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
B rits are being urged to commemorate VE Day during the coronavirus lockdown by placing a specially designed figure of a WWII soldier in their window.

Strict social distancing measures have led to the cancellation of original plans to mark the 75th anniversary of victory in Europe on May 8, including a veterans procession and street parties.

The Queen is instead set to lead Britain's commemorations with a televised address to the nation.

But now the armed forces charity Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) has also launched its "Tommy in the window" campaign as a way for Brits to individually mark the milestone anniversary.

Huge crowds gather at Trafalgar Square celebrate VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe / PA

The Perspex soldier figures have been made by injured veterans in the RBLI's social enterprise factory.

And more than 2,000 of the 25cm high models have already been purchased so far.

All money raised from the campaign will go towards the charity's work to provide employment, training and support to veterans and their families.

Injured veteran Tim Brown with some of the 25cm high Perspex figures which were made by injured veterans in the RBLI's social enterprise factory / PA

It has received the backing of the former head of the British Army General Lord Richard Dannatt, who said the Covid-19 crisis should not stop people marking the anniversary of the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

"Public mood is low, but we owe it to ourselves as a nation to recognise those who gave their lives in the Second World War, and also those who endured so much at home, to win us our freedom," he said.

"I would hope that the country could draw a lot of strength from remembering the generations and all our relatives who pulled together at that time."

VE (Victory in Europe) Day celebrations in the East End of London, marking the end of the war in Europe / PA

General Lord Dannatt, who served as chief of the general staff from 2006 to 2009, said the there was a lot younger generations could learn from those who lived through the Second World War.

"There was huge commitment and service and a determination to see things through, to see the job done," he said.

"And I think we can learn from that spirit. And we can apply that spirit to what's going on fighting this awful coronavirus at the present moment.

"I think we see that spirit on the front line in the NHS, the present moment, we see the spirit in communities up and down the country."

Princess Elizabeth at the wheel of an army vehicle while serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War / PA

He encouraged the public to support the Tommy initiative in the days leading up to May 8, comparing it to the national weekly applause for NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added: "One will reflect on.... the commitment of the previous generation by glancing at those Tommys on May 8 and thinking, 'yes, they did a good job all those years ago'."

A team of injured veterans and people with disabilities working in the RBLI's social enterprise, Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC) in Aylesford, Kent, have produced the VE Day 75 Tommy figures and window stickers.

Many in the factory's workforce have been deemed essential workers during the coronavirus crisis and have been producing pallets to support the transport of food, pharmaceuticals and ventilators, as well as signage for national infrastructure projects.

The RBLI's Aylesford Village also provides homes to more than 300 veterans and their families, many of whom have suffered from physical and mental conditions as a result of their military service.
UCSF and Stanford University will launch two studies in May that are among the nations first large-scale, long-term coronavirus research projects. They will follow participants over several months, retest them regularly and report real-time data to health officials  potentially shaping Californias phased reopening of the economy.

The studies, to be announced Wednesday, will together test 7,500 Bay Area residents who previously tested negative for the coronavirus. One study will follow 4,000 members of the general population, and the other 3,500 health care workers.

The nine-month general-population study seeks to provide a clearer picture of how widespread COVID-19 is in the Bay Area, how prevalent disease transmission is from people without symptoms, and how those may change as shelter-in-place restrictions evolve or ease.

The goal of the three-month health care worker study is to learn the rate at which people with frequent and prolonged exposure to sick patients acquire COVID-19 and develop antibodies. Another question the researchers hope to answer has been one of the biggest coronavirus mysteries of all: whether the presence of antibodies prevents reinfection.

Other studies have tested people in one county, town or neighborhood at a single point in time. These studies offer important but limited insight into how COVID-19 spreads over time, and under what circumstances. The UCSF-Stanford studies will cover a larger geographic region over a longer period of time, which could help identify trends in infection over time. Another large study announced by UC Berkeley this month will test and follow 5,000 East Bay residents for eight months, beginning in May. It also aims to track the spread of the virus and inform public health strategies to end the pandemic.

The philanthropic Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, backed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, has committed $13.6 million to fund the UCSF and Stanford research.

The goal of this study is to answer, How do we reopen a community safely? Chan said.

Both studies will recruit residents from the six Bay Area counties that enacted the nations first shelter-in-place order: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. And both will rely on diagnostic testing, as well as antibody testing.

Diagnostic tests show whether someone currently has the virus, by studying nasal or throat specimens. Antibody tests examine the blood for the presence of antibodies, proteins produced by the immune system in response to infection. If present, that person has had COVID-19.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

The general-population study will follow people who recently sought medical care for COVID-19-like symptoms at Bay Area hospitals but who tested negative in a diagnostic test. Each person will be tested once a month for nine months, using both kinds of tests.

The first 1,000 people will be patients of Stanford, UCSF and the San Francisco Health Network, which includes Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and affiliated medical clinics. The remaining 3,000 will be from the other Bay Area counties. Researchers will select candidates from patient lists provided by local hospitals, and will request their consent to participate in the study.

This is more of a public policy project, so we will make interim results available to local health departments (and) state health departments ... so people know whats going on, said UCSFs Dr. George Rutherford, who is co-leading the study with Stanfords Dr. Yvonne Maldonado.

For instance, if researchers were to find a new cluster of cases among participants from one ZIP code, they would inform county health officials, who could then consider setting up a testing site there to do broader community screening, or trace the contacts of the participants who tested positive.

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 second study will follow 3,500 health care workers who also previously tested negative, and test them once a week for at least three months, also with both tests. Researchers will use a Stanford-developed antibody test they say is more accurate than other antibody tests, but is also more involved because it requires a full blood draw as opposed to a finger prick, Maldonado said.

Now Playing: San Francisco Chronicle's photojournalists share what precautions they are taking and how they are feeling about working through the coronavirus pandemic. Video: Manjula Varghese / The Chronicle

The researchers want to study people who have tested negative so they can examine first-time infections  if they occur.

That way we start clean from a brand new population and look for changes happening in real time in communities, Maldonado said.

This approach, known as a cohort study  following people over time to see if they develop a disease  is not uncommon in medical research. But it has been difficult to do with the coronavirus because tracking people over long periods of time is costly, and studies can take weeks to be reviewed and get funding from federal agencies, Rutherford said.

If compiled quickly and accurately, data from the two studies could help inform public health policy statewide, and potentially for future pandemics, he said.

Itll give you a real window into what happens in transmission rates X weeks after shelter-in-place orders go out, Rutherford said. So 100 years from now, when this goes down again, people will pull the literature we developed and say, This is what happens.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Uddhav Thackeray has less than a month to save his job

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: The fate of Uddhav Thackeray hangs in the balance, with the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari remaining non-committal on his nomination as a member of the legislative council.

A delegation met with the Governor urging him to nominate Thackeray to the council. With the Governor remaining non-committal the coalition in the state will now approach the Election Commission of India for early polls to the council.

Constitutional crisis looms large in Maharashtra: Can Uddhav Thackeray hold on to CMs seat?

As per the schedule, the polls were to be held on April 24. However, the EC postponed the elections in view of the COVID-19 situation.

Thackeray will have to get elected, either as an MLA or MLC before 24. He took oath as the Chief Minister on November 28. While the Election Commission has already postponed the Rajya Sabha polls, civic body elections and by-polls, Article 164 (4) of the Constitution says that Thackeray would have to be elected to either of the state legislature houses before May 24.

The Maharashtra Cabinet recently had passed a resolution urging the Governor to nominate Thackeray to the Legislative Council, which has two vacancies. However Section 151A of the Representation of People Act, 1951 says that election or nomination to the post cannot be done if the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is less than one year. In the case of Maharashtra, the terms of the two vacancies in the council end on June 6.

The two posts in question fell vacant after NCP leaders, Rama Wadkute and Rahul Narvekar resigned. They had joined the BJP in October 2019 ahead of the assembly polls in the state. Out of the 78 council members, the Governor nominates 12 of them and their six year term this time ends on June 6.

Moreover, these nominations are reserved for persons having special knowledge or practical experience in matters such as cooperative movement, social service, literature, science or art. However even if the Governor decided to make a political appointment in this category, there is no provision for the courts to interfere with the same.

Crisis within a crisis: The dilemmas before the Maharashtra Chief Minister

It may be recalled that in 2001, Jayalalithaa had resigned as the Tamil Nadu chief minister despite winning a massive mandate. She resigned due to legal troubles. Since she had been convicted in a corruption case, she was not allowed to contest the elections. She was however elected as the party leader and became the CM. Before her six month window was about to expire, the Supreme Court held that her appointment was unconstitutional. She appointed O Paneerselvam as the CM for five months. She, however, contested the elections and won after the Madras High Court acquitted her of all charges in 2002.
A recent Vice documentary on YouTube has revealed there are dozens of people stuck at a festival on a beach in Panama.

Two days before Tribal Festival was due to finish, Health Minister Rosario Turner declared a state of emergency. Some festival goers managed to leave, but there are still about 40 people trapped, surrounded by border police.

Luu Carretero Sierr, the artist manager at the festival, has said staff are staying at the festival to help with security and dealing with the Ministry of Health. She told Vice:

The Panamanian government is not providing any assistance, theyve just left us here to linger. But weve experienced massive solidarity from the locals at this crazy time. Were hoping the food truck will last over a week.

The documantary has gotten 1.5 million views, and thousands of likes. But a lot of the comments seem to be talking to the irony of all of this, with one comment saying "Hippies before festival: there are no borders, the world is one Hippies after festival: Take me back I'm British."

Watch the 11 minute doco above, and the Rumble lads having a chat about it below.
Minister for Agriculture and the Environment Edwin Poots has said the Executive has discussed reducing lockdown restrictions and he believes it is time to move toward a "graduated response" in measures.

He also warned 10,000 jobs could be lost in the agri-food sector if more support is not provided for the farming industry, at Wednesday's daily Executive press conference.

It comes as a further nine deaths were recorded in Northern Ireland on Wednesday. The daily figure relates mainly to hospital fatalities and brings the death toll in the region to 338.

Mr Poots said the public could feel hope amid moves to reopen cemeteries, public waste facilities and pedestrian access to forest parks in efforts to boost mental wellbeing.

He said garden centres could allow for social distancing given their size and the alternative for not opening them over the next few weeks was for the Executive to offer a support package for such businesses.

Mr Poots said easing some restrictions would make it easier for people to stay at home.

"The purpose of these actions is to help people cope and stay at home longer. Small steps like this do not mean we drop our guard, it is not business as usual," he said.

"We see the number of admissions to our hospital fall and we hope to see the number of deaths fall on a consistent basis," he said.

Deirdre Hargey said the relaxing of restrictions will be reviewed at the start of next week, depending on medical and scientific advice

She also revealed a discretionary support service for vulnerable people on low incomes received 10,500 calls in one day this week, double the normal call volume.

Mr Poots said the death of his father had brought into sharp focus for him the impact of the virus.

He said it had "robbed us of the things that we love", such as visiting loved ones and holding normal funeral services.

"The battle is far from over, but we can already feel hope. Triumph over despair. Our actions are making a difference," he said.

"We must not risk undoing all the great work and risking another wave."

An additional 55 Covid-19 positive cases were also confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases to 3,463 since the outbreak began.

From April 27 to April 28, 1,447 tests were carried out. A total of 24,359 tests have now been carried out in Northern Ireland.

Coronavirus has also affected 69 care homes in NI.

Read More

Check out our live blog below to see how Wednesday's developments unfolded.
A giant fanged mammal that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, has been discovered by archaeologists in Madagascar - and they've named it 'Crazy Beast'.

The two foot long seven pound creature had three huge curved front fangs, an unusual short, stubby tail and holes in its face - it lived 66 million years ago.

Researchers from Stony Brook University say the badger-like mammal - named Adalatherium - lived among meat-eating theropod dinosaurs and giant crocodiles.

While it looks like a badger on the outside its similarity is only skin deep, say researchers, adding that it 'breaks some of the known rules of evolution'.

This is in part due to the incredibly sensitive whiskers, unusually large fangs and the fact it is larger than would be expected for a mammal at that time.

Scroll down for video

Life-like reconstruction of Adalatherium from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. It is a giant fanged mammal that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, has been discovered by archaeologists in Madagascar - and they've named it 'Crazy Beast'.

Adalatherium could shed light on how mammals survived - and went on to rule the planet, according to the researchers, who say it was killed in a landslide.

This meant it was buried under layers of mud and so its remains were preserved - it's the first full fossil found from Gondwana - the southern half of Pangaea.

This was shortly before a city sized space rock wiped out the biggest land creatures ever to roam the Earth - the dinosaurs.

Lead author Professor David Krause said it's hard to imagine how a mammal like Adalatherium could have evolved amongst so many meat-eating creatures.

He said 'it bends and even breaks a lot of rules' known about evolution - the remote location explains Adalatherium's size compared to other rodents.

To put it in perspective, a modern brown rat tips the scales at seven ounces - and measures less than 12 inches - Adalatherium was 2ft and 7lbs.

Exposed to fewer predators, small animals like rodents get bigger - a phenomenon dubbed 'island gigantism'.

Adalatherium is the first almost complete fossil of a mammal from Gondwana - the southern half of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea.

The rodent like mammal lived around 70 million years ago - roughly 20 million years after Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent and the Seychelles.

This provided 'ample time to develop its many ludicrous features,' said Prof Krause.

Adalatherium, described in Nature, might have looked like a run-of-the-mill badger but its skeleton is 'outlandish', he said.

It had holes in its face that served as passageways for nerves and blood vessels - supplying a very sensitive snout covered with whiskers.

One at the top is very large for which there is no parallel in any other known mammal - living or extinct.

Its backbone had more vertebrae than any mammal of the time and one of its leg bones was strangely curved.

Most mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs were much smaller - mouse-sized on average - as it was easier to escape the giant beasts.

Adalatherium was very different to other mammals and even 'breaks some of the rules' of evolution Adalatherium breaks some of the known rules of evolution, say experts. On the surface it is similar to a modern badger - but this changes when you look below the skin. Below the surface, its skeleton is nothing short of 'outlandish.' It has primitive features in its snout region that hadn't been seen for a hundred million years in the lineage leading to modern mammals. Adalatherium had more holes on its face than any known mammal. The holes served as passageways for nerves and blood vessels supplying a very sensitive snout that was covered with whiskers. There is one very large hole on the top of its snout for which there is just no parallel in any known mammal. The teeth of Adalatherium are vastly different in construction than any known mammal. Its backbone had more vertebrae than any Mesozoic mammal and one of its leg bones was strangely curved. About the size of a Virginia opossum, Adalatherium was also unusual in that it was very large for its day. The complete fossil found in Madagascar was 2ft and 7lbs. Advertisement

Krause, a palaeontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado, said: 'The front teeth - two at the top and one at the bottom - were very large and had enamel on only one side.

'We believe they were used for gnawing and the back teeth for slicing up vegetation of some kind - in other words, Adalatherium was likely a plant-eater.

'Based on its big skull we think it was probably a digger - and it possibly made burrows.

'This is indicated by some badger-like features  powerful hind limbs and a short, stubby tail.'

It lived in harsh times - with long dry seasons interspersed with monsoons that caused landslides and buried everything in sight.

'This resulted in the burial of the skeleton of Adalatherium soon after it had died or perhaps even while still alive - as indicated by the tight articulation and exquisite preservation of the skeleton,' said Krause.

Adalatherium belonged to a group known as the Gondwanatheria and until now only isolated jaws, teeth and a single skull had been found.

'It represents a new species named Adalatherium hui - Adala is a Malagasy word meaning 'crazy' and therium is Greek for 'beast',' said Krause.

The 'astoundingly well preserved' skeleton belonged to a juvenile. It includes a large number of trunk vertebrae, including its rib bones, and a short, broad tail.

Prof Krause added: 'It was over 20 inches long and had a body mass of 6.8 lbs. But it was a sub-adult. It would have been longer and heavier when fully grown.'

'This may reflect gigantism as a result of the species' evolution in isolation.'

View of plaster jacket containing skeleton of Adalatherium being carried from excavation site to road. Author David Krause at left front. The 'astoundingly well preserved' skeleton belonged to a juvenile. It includes a large number of trunk vertebrae, including its rib bones, and a short, broad tail

An analysis of evolutionary relationships with other species placed the new species close to an extinct group called multituberculates.

These were rodent-like mammals that survived the event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

They were plant eaters that resemble a beaver - and are largely known from the northern continents.

Co-author Simone Hoffmann, of the New York Institute of Technology, said this newly discovered mammal 'is the oddest of oddballs'.

'Trying to figure out how it moved is nearly impossible because, for instance, its front end is telling us a different story than its back end,' Hoffmann said.

Madagascar is filled with animals - and plants - found nowhere else on the planet.

These include including hissing cockroaches, giraffe weevils, tomato frogs, Satanic leaf-tailed geckos, panther chameleons and streaked tenrecs to name a few.

There is also the signature group of mammals - lemurs - made famous in the animated 'Madagascar' movies.

Only a few thousand years ago, the bizarre fauna also included 1,400-pound elephant birds, gorilla-sized lemurs and pygmy hippopotamuses.

Adalatherium is a 'missing link' in mammal evolution. The fossil record from Laurasia - the northern continent of Pangaea - is much richer than that from Gondwana.

Prof Krause said: 'We know precious little about the evolution of early mammals in the southern hemisphere. Now we have this complete skeleton.'
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GP Solutions, Inc. (OTC:GWPD), developer of GrowPods, said its unique transportable micro farms can help provide fresh food where it is needed during the coronavirus pandemic.

The New York Times reported, "The coronavirus has begun affecting the nation's food supply chains."

TIME Magazine said, "The nation's food supply chain is breaking."

The USDA has been criticized for letting tens of millions of pounds of food rot, while food banks struggle to keep up with sky-rocketing demand and millions of newly jobless Americans struggle to feed their families.

Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary during the Obama administration, told Politico: "It's not a lack of food, it's that the food is in one place and the demand is somewhere else."

The food industry relies on more than 200,000 guest workers each year. About 90 percent of the H-2A temporary visas these workers need are issued in Mexico, where American consulates have shut down.

Plus, there was a shortage of big-rig truck drivers even before the coronavirus hit, according to Marketplace. Now the situation is even worse.

It's time to rethink our nation's farming and food distribution systems.

GrowPods, by GP Solutions, can help ease this problem by placing food production where it is needed, instead of thousands of miles away. These transportable, controlled environment micro farms can grow a wide variety of greens, fruits and vegetables with faster harvest times than conventional agriculture.

Additionally, GrowPods feature a specially filtered environment that can eliminate contaminants. In fact, GrowPods produce such high quality food, iGrow News says it is "better than organic."

Food banks, community groups, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and those interested in helping feed America, can get more information by calling: (855) 247-8054 or visiting: www.growpodsolutions.com .

Connect:

Website: www.growpodsolutions.com

Facebook: facebook.com/GrowPodTechnology

Twitter: @GrowPodSolution

Media:

[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes predictions or information that might be considered "forward-looking" within securities laws. These statements represent Company's current judgments, but are subject to uncertainties that could cause results to differ. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on these statements, which reflect management's opinions only as of the date of this release. The Company is not obligated to revise any statements in light of new information or events.

SOURCE GP Solutions

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FELTON, California, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Personal Care Packaging Market size is expected to value at USD 37.25 billion by 2022. The market is subject to witness a substantial growth due to the soaring need for environment friendly and sustainable packaging solutions for cosmetics and personal care products. Robust growth in the personal care & cosmetic industry is attributed to growing awareness about individual health and safety, increasing personal disposable income and improved lifestyle mainly in developed economies.

Shift in customer preference towards organic cosmetics alongside large-scale consummation of sustainable products are expanding the market reach of the personal care packaging in near future. Globally, the personal care packaging industry is predicted to grow at higher CAGR in the forecast period, providing numerous opportunities for market players to invest for research and development in the packaging industry.

The recent technological advancement in the personal care & cosmetics industry coupled with development of advanced packaging solution are anticipated to boost market growth over the forecast period. In addition, growing manufacturing sector in South East Asian economies such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia is projected to escalate the growth of personal care packaging market in upcoming years. Rigid plastic packaging currently holds a higher market share in the personal care packaging.

Increasing adoption of the rigid plastic packaging materials is credited to their lightweight and eco-friendly nature, thus rocketing the demand of rigid plastic packaging in personal care packaging industry, in the recent years. Additionally, metal, glass and paper can be easily recycled for multiple use due to their flexibility. These factors are responsible for enlarged demands of rigid plastic in the market of personal care packaging. Other factors such as ease of use, simple operation and cost-effectiveness are complementing the market demand, in recent years.

Get Sample PDF and read more details about the "Personal Care Packaging Market" Report 2022.

Paper and glass packaging solutions are gaining traction in personal care packaging market due to their biodegradable properties. Paper and glass packaging is ideal substitute for plastics in packaging & manufacturing of personal care products. These factors are largely influencing the market growth, thus creating lucrative opportunities for industry players during this period. Furthermore, increasing consumer awareness about environmental hazards with excessive use of plastic and complete ban on the use of the lightweight plastic materials in few countries are expected to amplify the growth of glass and paper packaging over the forecast period.

The personal care packaging industry is broadly categorized into four major segments based on the product type such as skin care, hair care, bath & shower and fragrances. The skin care is considered as one of the fastest growing segment in the market of personal care packaging with substantial revenue generation in the last few years. Growing popularity of the skin care segment is attributed to the growing consumer awareness and high-end demand from for skin care products from Asia-Pacific region. The bath & shower segment has also witnessed substantial growth owing to the growing awareness about health and hygiene among consumers.

The personal care packaging market is divided by region as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. North America has shown major growth in recent years owing to the rise in the implementation of latest technologies in packaging sector, increase in the demand for body washes, shower gels, bar and liquid soaps, and existence of well-established industrial infrastructure in the region.

Asia-Pacific region is predicted to hold major market share in the personal care packaging industry with massive growth in forecast period. Countries such as India, China and Singapore are leading the Asia-Pacific market with growing demand for personal care products with lightweight packing, improved living standards, increasing disposable income, and significant investment by leading industry players considering potential growth opportunities in the region.

The key players in the personal care packaging market are Amcor Ltd., Bemis Company, Inc., Mondi plc, Sonoco Products Company, Albea Group AG, Ardagh Group S.A., Ampac Holding and Crown Holdings, Inc., ITC Ltd., and WestRock Co.

Browse 126 page research report with TOC on "Global Personal Care Packaging Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/personal-care-packaging-market

Market Segment:

Global Personal Care Packaging Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

Flexible



Rigid plastics



Paper



Metal



Glass

Global Personal Care Packaging Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

Bottles



Jars



Cans



Cartons



Tubes



Pouches



Others

Global Personal Care Packaging Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

Skin care



Hair care



Bath & shower



Fragrances



Others

Global Personal Care Packaging Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

North America



U.S.



Europe



Germany



Asia Pacific



China





India



Latin America



Brazil



MEA

Browse reports of similar category available with Million Insights:

Rigid Packaging Market

Flexible Packaging Market

Green Packaging Market

Protective Packaging Market

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As the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus surpassed three million worldwide, there has been concern over which countries could soon become emerging hotspots for the disease.

While initial hotspots like Italy and Spain are starting to see a significant drop in daily confirmed cases, two countries are quickly heading in the other direction.

Russia has now reported more than 93,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, surpassing China, where the disease was first detected and Iran, which saw a huge surge in infections before the global pandemic was declared.

A courier of the Yandex.Eda food delivery service riding a bicycle in Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge during the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Source: Getty Images

On Tuesday, Russia reported an increase of 6,411 new infections, which is the highest number of confirmed cases the country has seen in a single day so far, according to the Moscow Times.

Russia has now reported 867 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data, however, there has been speculation the case numbers and the death toll may be much higher.

While the Moscow Times notes that a majority of the cases in Russia are in Moscow, there have been confirmed cases in every one of Russias 85 regions.

President Vladimir Putin declared a lockdown on March 30, which has now been extended to May 11.

There have been clusters among health care workers in both Moscow and St Petersburg, 11 doctors and five nurses have died of COVID-19, while at least 200 health care workers have tested positive.

However, Semyon Galperin, head of the Doctors Defence League told the Associated Press that number may be much higher, as hospital officials often hide infections among staff.

I know of cases of hospital administrations not reporting medics getting infected because it may lead to sealing off the facility for quarantine and halting its operations, Mr Galperin said.

Putin recently admitted frontline workers are not adequately equipped with PPE, although he did say Russia was producing a lot more than what was being produce prior to the pandemic.

A nurse at an intensive care unit of the COVID-19 treatment facility in Russia, where confirmed and suspected cases are treated. Source: Getty

Brazil tipped to be next virus hotspot

Brazils president Jair Bolsonaro has insisted the coronavirus is merely a little flu and a fantasy and initially refused to implement restrictions to stop the spread of the outbreak.

Story continues

On April 28, Brazil reported an increase of more than 6,300 cases in a single day.

There are more than 75,000 confirmed cases in Latin Americas most populous country, however with a population of 211 million, some virus experts have speculated that more than one million people are probably already infected.

So far 5,083 have reportedly died of COVID-19 in Brazil, although the president previously didnt seem overly concerned about people dying of COVID-19.

Im sorry, some people will die, they will die, thats life, he said.

Pictured is Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's president, who has continued to downplay the severity of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Source: Bloomberg

Hospitals are being pushed to the limit and people are dying at home in Brazil, the Associated Press reported.

We have all the conditions here for the pandemic to become much more serious, said Paulo Brandao, a virologist at the University of Sao Paulo.

In March, Mr Bolsonaro dismissed concerns for his own health, due to his history as an athlete.

If I were infected by the virus, I wouldnt need to worry, he said.

I wouldnt feel anything or, if very affected, it would be like a little flu or little cold.

The Brazilian president fired his health minister on April 17, after the two disagreed on how to contain the novel coronavirus in the country.

Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandettas response to the pandemic was praised by many as he advocated for broad isolation measures enacted by state governors.

Navy soldiers are seen after carrying out a disinfection operation against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 at Tom Jobim Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Source: AFP

Mr Bolsanaro has often been referred to as Brazils answer to Donald Trump, while Mr Mandetta has been compared to Trumps own virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci.

Around the time Mr Mandetta was fired, 80 per cent of ICU beds in public hospitals were full in Sao Paulo and 88 per cent were full in Rio de Janeiro, according to Foreign Policy.

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.
HOUSTON - Two guards at an immigration detention centre in Louisiana have died after contracting the coronavirus, raising new questions about whether the U.S. government is adequately protecting 30,000 immigrants in custody and the staff guarding them.

Relatives of both Carl Lenard, 62, and Stanton Johnson, 51, said the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, had at one point prevented them from wearing masks as the virus spread through the facility.

Lenard died early Saturday, according to his family. He tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, though his cause of death is still undetermined. His widow, Margarette Lenard, said she now has COVID-19 as well and several relatives have symptoms of the virus.

Johnson died Tuesday, according to his mother, Joyce Johnson, who also said that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Both families believe the men contracted the virus working at Richwood, which has 45 detainees confirmed to have COVID-19. There are 425 confirmed cases among detainees nationwide in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, a figure that has steadily risen in recent weeks. No detainee deaths from COVID-19 have been reported at Richwood or other ICE facilities.

ICE has about 30,000 people detained and tested just 705 detainees, according to its publicly released figures. The agency recently said it would receive 2,000 tests a month from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ramp up testing of detainees.

LaSalle Corrections, the private prison company that operates Richwood, did not immediately respond to a question for comment about the guards. It also did not say how many guards at its immigration facilities are sick. ICE referred questions about the jail guards to LaSalle.

As an employer, if you employ a person, you have a mandate to protect them, said Margarette Lenard, the widow of Carl Lenard. She added that she also blamed the national shortages of protective equipment and the re-use of masks and other gear.

On April 21, prison officials at Richwood told employees they would be required to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week due to staff shortages caused by a high number of positive COVID 19 staff cases. The memo was provided to the Associated Press by an employee who was not authorized to speak publicly. LaSalle did not respond to a question about the memo.

Another Richwood employee who also spoke on condition of anonymity said in early April that guards were being told not to wear their own masks or gloves to avoid spreading panic among detainees, as many have pleaded for their release to avoid contracting the virus and more than 20 lawsuits have been filed against ICE.

Two days after the AP asked LaSalle Corrections about its personal protective equipment policy, the jail staff was told on April 8 they could start to wear masks and other equipment, according to the Richwood employee. LaSalle executive Scott Sutterfield told the AP that protective equipment is provided as necessary and employees can bring and wear masks.

In the meantime, detainees were being brought in from other facilities in Texas and Louisiana to Richwood, the employee said. Some of them were suspected of having the coronavirus.

One detainee, Salomon Diego Alonzo, was hospitalized shortly after being required to dial into an immigration court hearing where he struggled to speak, according to his attorney, Veronica Semino. A guard standing near Alonzo told the judge during the hearing that the 26-year-old from Guatemala does not have the lung capacity.

Margarette Lenard confirmed that her husband was concerned about being around detainees without the necessary protective equipment. She eventually obtained three cloth masks for him to wear.

Carl Lenard died unexpectedly in his home about 2 a.m. Saturday, she said. He started having a fever Monday, six days before his death, she said. She gave him Tylenol and called a medical clinic, which had him come in Wednesday for a coronavirus test. His fever eventually broke, though he had a small cough.

He woke at about 1 a.m. Saturday and was talking to his wife and grandchildren. About 1:45, according to his widow, he started praying. Shortly afterward, he gave a single cough, then stopped breathing, she said.

Margarette Lenard, who is a nurse practitioner, tried to resuscitate him until the paramedics arrived but was unsuccessful.

Joyce Johnson, the mother of Stanton Johnson, said he died Tuesday. He initially started to have a fever and other symptoms last week, she said.

Both men had diabetes, their families said. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

On Tuesday, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and Southern Poverty Law Center called on ICE to improve conditions at Richwood.

The ballooning number of positive COVID-19 cases at Richwood, and the reports of poor medical care that accompany this outbreak, demand your immediate attention to the conditions in that facility, the lawyers said.

___

Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
New York, April 29 : Many Americans in India who had signed up for airlifts back to the US are now deciding to stay back and "ride it out" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the State Department's top consular official.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ian Brownlee said on Tuesday that many who had enlisted for repatriation from India were not responding to offers of seats on the planes arranged by the department to take them home.

The number of recorded COVID-19 cases in the US reached 1 million on Tuesday, with 58,348 deaths, while India had only 31,368 officially recorded cases with 1,008 fatalities, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

Brownlee said: "Two weeks ago, we had a list of folks and we were pretty sure if we called (the) folks they'd show up at the airport and say, 'Yes, please.' We're now getting to the point on that list, we're having to make multiple calls for individual seats because people are deciding 'No,' they'd just as soon ride it out where they are." Last week he said that 4,000 Americans had been brought back to the US and 6,000 were waiting for airlifts.

India has cancelled passenger flights and rail transportation during the strict lockdown imposed on March 25.

Brownlee had spoken earlier of the massive logistics effort required to bring Americans from around the vast country to Mumbai and New Delhi, the departure points for the chartered flights.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A passerby has found a man dead in a driveway in a suburban street.

Police officers were called to a Curlew Crescent address in Eagleby, Queensland on Wednesday at around 12pm.

The passerby saw the man unresponsive in the driveway.

The man was declared deceased by emergency services and a crime scene has been declared by officers.

Police officers were called to a Curlew Crescent address in Eagleby, Queensland on Wednesday at around 12pm. The passerby saw the man unresponsive in the driveway and he was later declared deceased

An investigation has begun into the circumstances surrounding the man's death.

Queensland police said there are no further details at this stage.

They urge anyone who may information regarding the man's death to come forward.
Its been over six years since Michael Muhney played the complicated role of Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless and its a time that Muhney will never forget. Muhneys tackled few other projects since his 2014 departure. But, in a previously posted tweet, the actor got candid about how being fired from Y&R affected him  and not for the better.

Muhney was fired from The Young and the Restless

Sharon Case, Michael Muhney and Tracey E. Bregman | Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Former actor, Chris Engen, played the role of Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless until May 2009. He reportedly left due to disagreements about the characters storyline. Two months later, Muhney signed a contract and debuted in his place.

Four years later, Muhney renewed his contract through 2015. However, by December 2015, hed been abruptly fired from the daytime soap. Muhneys Twitter announcement marked the first time the soap had trended on the platform, causing a firestorm among unhappy fans.

I was told Were going to be letting you go. Everyone knows I always have something to say. Im a chatterbox, laugh all you want, but I was rendered speechless for about five minutes. I didnt utter a word, Muhney previously told Huffington Post about receiving the news.

There was truly a moment when I thought I was having a very vivid, surreal dream and I couldnt wake up so I could tell people I was having an awful dream about Y&R letting me go. So, unless this is a really long nap Im taking, its not a dream and its really happening.

He explained that the news came around the time he discovered his aunts breast cancer diagnosis, helping him keep perspective. Still, the burn of losing his steady gig took its toll.

Part of me feels this is because Ive always been outspoken, and sometimes Ive been too outspoken. Sometimes Ive walked around with a big backpack full of hubris. That is entirely on me. CBS, Sony, and Jill Phelps are not to blame for that, he said.

It was explained to me that CBS and Sony want to give Adam a break for 3-6 months and then theyll bring him back with a different actor. Maybe he does need a break. Adam has been on screen a lot. Hes not being killed off.

Could scandal be to blame for Muhneys firing?

After Muhneys firing, gossip tabloid, TMZ, reported that it was related to an alleged sexual harassment incident involving Y&R costar, Hunter King. However, in an interview on The Peloton Brief Podcast: Real Talent with Phil Gaimon, Muhney refuted those claims saying TMZ started the rumor.

He went on to add that he hired a private investigator to get to the bottom of things and found that TMZs information was sourced from a Florida blogger and made up entirely.

Muhney revealed the real reason Y&R showrunners let him go was due to his ego and an ultimatum he gave.

I am gonna leave or you have to push me out the door or something has to change, Muhney said in the podcast. After six months they finally said fine, you are leaving.

He later regretted that decision and asked for his job back but too much had happened  including a strained relationship with co-star, Eric Braeden. In the end, they replaced Muhney with This Is Us star, Justin Hartley. That choice affected Muhney in profound ways.

Why leaving the soap drama made Muhney want to end it all

Five years after leaving Y&R, Muhney took to Twitter to post a memorial to his mother-in-law who died by suicide 14 years prior. He also explained that the loss of his Y&R job caused him to contemplate taking his own life.

Over the past five years, during several of my many bike rides around Los Angeles, with inescapable pain and frustration and tears in my eyes, my mind would wander, he wrote.

Id think about my life insurance policy for my wife & kids. Id imagine drifting across that double-yellow line into oncoming traffic and ending it all. All over a grotesque internet rumor and a lie.

The tweet sparked a lot of responses, namely because Muhney tagged King. Some called Muhney a victim-shamer, many defended Kings silence on the subject, and others supported and uplifted the actor.

Thank you for your candor. So many people suffer with depression & fight suicidal thoughts. The struggle is real. These feelings can be overcome & life is worth winning, this fan said.

Thank you for sharing that, I have struggled with depression on and off for the last few years, but Ive kept it to myself. I now know there is help out there from friends family and many others, another added.

How Muhney got through that dark time

Muhney shared that he was able to overcome those dark times with the love and support of his wife, Jaime, and his mother. He didnt want to put them through what Jaime had already gone through with the loss of her mother.

We all need help sometimes. We all need someone to talk to, he said in the tweet.

While the post triggered waves of conversations surrounding mental health, some dedicated fans wondered if Muhney could ever return to the soap set.

My people are trying to talk to the right people, Muhney said. I want to go back to Y&R, he said in 2017.

In the world of daytime dramas, stranger things have happened.

The Young and the Restless airs on weekdays at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
OTTAWA  Manitoba businesses joined a Monday rush to access the new federal wage subsidy, but the program has come too late for some of the provinces employers.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitoba businesses joined a Monday rush to access the new federal wage subsidy, but the program has come too late for some of the provinces employers.

"Its like a tsunami that just came out of right field," said Ken Walford, head of WR Display & Packaging, a Winnipeg-based firm with operations across Canada.

The company has endured downturns and recessions since the 1940s, but none compare to the COVID-19 shutdown.

"This is impossible to muscle through," said Walford.

WR is among at least 30,000 businesses that applied for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) on Monday, the day applications opened.

CEWS covers 75 per cent of an employees wages, up to $847 per week, for businesses that can prove a sharp decline in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The program is retroactive to mid-March, but funds only start to flow May 7.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ken Walford of WR Display & Packaging hopes the funding can support his 41 employees, 30 of whom work out of Manitoba.

Estimated at $73 billion, its the largest chunk of Ottawas spending to keep the economy on life support during the COVID-19 slowdown.

Walford hopes the funding can support his 41 employees, 30 of whom work out of Manitoba. Currently, only 17 are on the payroll, with business down by roughly 60 per cent.

Applying for all those employees took Walford five hours, and the CEWS forms estimated he could get $84,000 for the period between March 15 and April 13. During that period, he gradually laid off employees and cut hours.

"This is critical to keeping my company going," said Walford, who plans to bring back employees on a part-time basis.

Instead of making signs, his firm has shifted largely into packaging and labels, as entrepreneurs try to keep above water by delivering goods directly to customers.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Diner chain Salisbury House hopes the wage subsidy will bring back employees, along with an uptick in "heat-and-eat" meals.

Others want crowd-control posts, acrylic cashier barriers and floor stickers asking people to stand back. That business doesnt make up for the costs of rent, internet and wages.

Diner chain Salisbury House hopes the wage subsidy will bring back employees, along with an uptick in "heat-and-eat" meals.

Company controller Renan Pires spent an hour and 45 minutes on the phone Monday with the Canada Revenue Agency, over issues with the online forms.

But rather than getting frustrated or despondent, Pires felt positive.

"That is the least of our problems," Pires said. "These are unprecedented times."

Before COVID-19, Sals had about 400 employees, which dropped to 382 by late March, and 53 as of the last payroll.

Of its 13 locations, six are active, while the Steinbach branch is set reopen soon.

"This 75 per cent wage subsidy from the government was a great lifeline they threw us. The rent subsidy was the last thing we really needed," said company CEO Brad Kramble.

In a poll this past weekend, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) found a quarter of 350 surveyed Manitoba small businesses wont apply for the CEWS, of whom 27 per cent said they dont qualify and one-fifth said its too late to bring back laid-off workers.

The poll found 70 per cent of Manitoba businesses had seen a drop in revenues of 30 per cent or more since the start of the outbreak  the main criteria for qualifying for CEWS  while one-tenth made no sales at all.

In Osborne Village, the owner of Rooster Shoes and Silver Lotus said shes hoping to get five of her 13 employees onto the wage subsidy. Judy Coy said that includes her three daughters, who are collecting the emergency benefit and working without a salary.

Customers are buying gift cards, as well as small gifts, jewelry and fresh flowers. Coys landlord has put off rent payments until the end of the year.

"We havent shut the doors, and were feeling positive  so far," Coy said.

"The government is doing a pretty good job; it is panic mode."

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Across the road, the owner of East Asian gift store Unique Bunny, Fiona Zhao, says she is waiting for her bookkeeper to determine whether she qualifies for the wage subsidy.

She fears falling into a crack between having too much business to qualify, but not enough to be long-term sustainable, particularly rent.

"Nobody is going out and nobodys having a birthday," said Zhao, whos had a huge increase in Asian-snack purchases online that help make up for a near collapse in skincare and stationery sales.

"Were trying to hang in here by ourselves."

 with files from Martin Cash

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Bidzina Ivanishvili named worlds most generous donor in fight against Covid-19 - GeorgianJournal
Syracuse, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today 35 Upstate counties including Onondaga are eligible to resume elective outpatient surgery.

The state ordered hospitals last month to cancel the surgeries to make more beds available for coronavirus patients. Most Upstate hospitals were not flooded with infected patients like hospitals in New York City. The loss of the profitable elective surgeries prompted St. Josephs, Crouse, Oswego and many other Upstate hospitals to furlough workers and cut some employees pay.

St. Josephs Health expects to begin doing elective surgeries next week. Crouse Hospital plans to start May 15. Upstate University Hospital did not provide a firm date.

In order to restart elective surgeries, Cuomo said counties must keep at least 30% of their beds, including intensive care unit beds, open for coronavirus patients. Thats a change from last week when the state said hospitals had to keep 25% of their beds available.

Cuomo provided a chart today that said counties cannot resume elective surgeries if they see a statistically significant increase in coronavirus hospitalizations.

An executive order signed by Cuomo is more specific. It says in order to resume elective surgery the total change in the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the county between April 17 and April 27 must be less than 10. Onondaga County coronavirus hospitalizations declined by seven during that 11-day period.

This requirement is less stringent than a rule the state issued last week that said counties could not resume elective surgery unless they had 10 or fewer new coronavirus hospitalizations in the last 10 days. By that measure, Onondaga County would not have been able to restart elective surgeries yet because hospitals here admitted 38 new coronavirus patients during the 10-day period of April 17 through April 26.

Dr. Joseph Spinale, chief medical officer of St. Josephs, originally said it would likely be mid-May before the number of new coronavirus hospitalizations here is low enough to allow Syracuse hospitals to restart elective outpatient procedures. But after reviewing additional county data Tuesday and Cuomos requirements, Spinale said St. Joes will probably resume outpatient procedures next week.

When outpatient elective surgery resumes, patients will have to test negative for coronavirus before undergoing any procedure.

Cuomos announcement only applies to hospitals.

The state has not yet given free-standing ambulatory surgery centers permission to reopen.

Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists, a big private medical practice that operates its own outpatient surgery center, is awaiting guidance from the state health department, said Nicole Chidsey, marketing manager for the practice.

She said SOS doctors tentatively plan to begin doing some elective surgeries May 15 at Crouse and St. Joes. They will be considered outpatient procedures because the patients will be in the hospitals less than 24 hours.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
Nima Hassan Abdi is a Somali journalist who has worked in the media sector for 16 years, mainly in the electronic media, where she had both professional and leadership roles. She is also the organising secretary of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). In the last four years, she has worked with the union in the struggle for free and independent media and free unionism from oppression and persecution. She has led the fight against gender inequality and discrimination against women journalists.

1. What is your biggest concern for press freedom in your country?

"The biggest concern is oppression. Authorities in Somalia tend to arrest journalists arbitrarily with unsubstantiated charges, laxity in the existing laws while some of them are obsolete, and impunity which shields culprits. Journalists are killed in different parts of the country. Another concern is the threat from Al Shabab extremists who seek to rule through violence and cruelty. Journalists have been terrorized to the extent that they cannot talk or report about the atrocities committed by the militants".

2. What are your daily challenges as a journalist?

"The main difficulty is reporting from highly hostile areas where suicide attacks are common. Journalists are caught in the middle of cross fire between militants and security forces. They are also targeted in booby trapped car attacks while there are restrictions of movements in the main cities. Access to information from relevant authorities does not exist. Very often political sides release fake information disguised as real news".

3. What are the most important stories to cover right now?

"Covid-19 and how it has affected Somalia economically and socially. We need to report on how well we are prepared for the pandemic and how best we can contain it. However, journalists do not have personal protective equipment. Rape cases are on the rise in my country even though the government has proposed anti sexual offences bill, which is being blocked in Parliament. We need more protection and awareness programmes on sexual offences, as a key priority to curb the menace".
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

This is a confusing and unsure time for California high school seniors. The coronavirus pandemic has upended plans for many hoping to start college this fall. Many students are reconsidering where they'll live and study next year, as more than 200 colleges and universities across the country are extending the enrollment deposit deadline past May. One in six students who'd hoped to attend four-year colleges full-time reportedly no longer plan to do so.

This week the Chronicle of Higher Education posted a list, that is being updated daily, of over 90 colleges and the plans for the upcoming academic year.

Here's a rundown of the California schools' plans, for the full nationwide list refer to the Chronicle of Higher Education's story.

California Baptist University  are planning to resume on-ground classes for the fall semester, per a statement from the college.

California State University at Fullerton  Our goal is face-to-face, on-campus instruction, but faculty are being asked to prepare to start the fall semester teaching online," per a college virtual town hall.

Chapman University  are "optimistically planning for a safe return in the fall with social distancing and safety constraints in place," per a statement from the university.

Claremont Colleges  are committed to in-person fall classes, but no final decision expected till July 1, per the university newspaper.

San Jose State University  are planning to offer online and hybrid courses, per the Mercury News.

Stanford University  expects to make a decision in May, but might delay fall quarter till winter, per The Stanford Daily.

University of California at Berkeley  Some or all classes will be delivered via remote instruction, per a university FAQ.

University of California at San Diego  intends to offer a combination of in-person and remote instruction, per a university statement.

Andrew Chamings is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings
Early in Dr. Sue Sisleys medical career, military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder told her that smoking marijuana prevented nightmares and helped them sleep. Sisley, a primary care physician and psychiatrist in Scottsdale, Arizona, who has treated vets for two decades, said she was initially skeptical of her patients claims, but their families vouched that pot was helping with their symptoms.

Even though I was dubious, they never really gave up, Sisley said of the patients. They were so relentless.

About a decade ago, Sisley decided to study pots psychiatric effects to see if she could prove what her patients were experiencing. But, because of marijuanas federal status as an illegal drug, this turned out to be far from a simple task.

Image: Dr. Sue Sisley. (Courtesy of Scottsdale Research Institute)

Since then, Sisley has been fired from her job at the University of Arizona; lost a study partner at another university; and had the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs block her attempts to recruit patients for research. By 2016, her scientific study was underway through the Scottsdale Research Institute, and she finally had federally approved cannabis in hand to provide to 76 military vets.

But she was not happy with the weed she received.

The marijuana was a powdery mishmash of stems, sticks and leaves, Sisley said. The level of tetrahydrocannabinol  or THC, the chemical that gets people high  was around 8 percent, far lower than the smokable products at pot dispensaries that often surpass 20 percent. The research weed also tested positive for yeast and mold, she said.

Im astonished by that, Sisley said. As a physician, how do I hand out moldy weed to study subjects?

Sisley couldnt shop around, though, because since 1968, the Drug Enforcement Administration has required scientists who want to study cannabiss effects to use only marijuana from a 12-acre farm at the University of Mississippi. While the director of the farm disputes Sisleys characterization of the cannabis supplied, Sisley and other scientists argue that government rules forcing them to use only the Mississippi weed have stifled research because it doesnt match what people are actually using.

Story continues

We haven't done any research on the stuff that people are buying and consuming today  thats the problem, said Cindy Kiel, executive associate vice chancellor for research administration at the University of California, Davis.

The DEA promised a few years ago it would let more people grow marijuana for research purposes, but it wasnt until late last month  as the country hunkered down under stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic  that the agency unveiled a plan for how it would do that. Under the DEAs newly proposed rules, the agency would allow more scientists and companies to grow marijuana for research, but they would have to turn it over to the DEA, which would then dole it out to scientists.

Sisley saw this as another way to slow-walk marijuana research. So she sued the government, demanding it reveal its legal justification. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice unveiled a secret 2018 memo that blocked the DEA from approving additional cultivators like Sisley, in the absence of stricter rules. The memo also raised questions about the existing arrangement with the University of Mississippi, and whether it must change to comply with an international treaty.

Sisley never envisioned that her attempt to study marijuanas potential benefits would become a decade-long quest involving fights with universities and the federal government, and attempts to uncover a confidential legal document. Yet this is the complicated maze scientists studying cannabis have been navigating for years.

Now, Sisley and others hope the DEA will finally expand the kind of marijuana available for research  even if the government adds onerous requirements for those who want to grow it  which could ultimately determine its benefits and potential harms, and whether it will ever be legalized federally.

Were trying to make sure the public is aware of what we believe is an injustice, a suppression of scientific freedom, Sisley said, and to understand the myriad ways that the government has ensured that cannabis drug development research will never proceed.

Jeff Sessions pumps the brakes

Legal pot is already a bigger industry than organic produce in the United States, and the demand for products with cannabidiol  a nonpsychoactive component often referred to as CBD that has therapeutic properties  is projected to top $23 billion within three years. A majority of the country now has medical marijuana programs on the books, and 11 states have legalized weed for adult recreational use.

However, the DEA still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug  a restrictive category reserved for substances believed to have no medical value and be susceptible to abuse. The DEA has repeatedly said it wont support reclassifying marijuana because there arent well-controlled studies or scientific evidence approved by the Food and Drug Administration to show medical benefits. Yet scientists say that if evidence of those benefits is ever going to exist, they need to put real-world weed  not whats made available from the University of Mississippi  through these studies.

This sets up a paradox, in which practically no one can show through an FDA-approved clinical trial that the cannabis products on the market are safe or beneficial because researchers cant legally study them.

Effectively 200 million Americans can access cannabis right now, but a doctor or scientist cant, said George Hodgin, founder of the Biopharmaceutical Research Company, a marijuana analytical firm. It is at best irresponsible, and, at worst, its dangerous.

Cannabis research is so tightly controlled that the DEA denied a request by UC Davis faculty two years ago to buy CBD products for pets from a nearby dispensary to study their effects on animals, said Kiel, the research administrator at the university. The DEA shot down the study because the scientists werent going to use cannabis grown by the University of Mississippi operation, Kiel said.

In 2016, following requests from scientists, the DEA announced that it would allow more facilities to cultivate cannabis for research. Sisley, Hodgin and UC Davis were among at least 33 applicants that lined up for a license, hopeful that this was the beginning of a renaissance in marijuana research.

Then Jeff Sessions became attorney general.

A former senior DEA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal agency deliberations, told NBC News that Sessions was adamantly opposed to expanding the options to study marijuana, and in 2017 he halted the governments plans to allow more growers. When members of Congress later pressed Sessions on the pending applications, he suggested that allowing more than one producer could put the country at risk of violating the U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, a 1961 international treaty.

Frustrated, Sisley said she essentially went on a nationwide tour to speak to every Bobs Burger Barn or American Legion post, anyone who would have me, to talk about the governments stonewalling of cannabis research. Thats how she met Texas-based attorneys Matt Zorn and Shane Pennington, who took on Sisleys case pro bono last year.

Together, they sued the DEA for not processing Sisleys application, and in July 2019, a court ordered the agency to explain itself. Just before a court deadline last August, the DEA said it planned to issue new regulations for how it would permit additional growers.

The new rules proposed by the DEA last month were the result of an opinion written by lawyers in the DOJs Office of Legal Counsel in June 2018, while Sessions was still attorney general. The opinion concluded that the Single Convention treaty required the DEA to monopolize the exchange of all legal marijuana for research. The existing set-up  letting the University of Mississippi grow and ship marijuana  didnt satisfy the Single Convention treaty, the memo concluded, and the DEA needed a new framework in which the agency takes control of the cannabis before distributing it to scientists.

That opinion was kept secret until Sisley and her legal team filed a lawsuit in March against the department, which settled this week with the release of the document.

Pennington said the memo reveals that the limitations under the treaty were not based on who is growing the marijuana. Its about whos possessing it, purchasing it, and doing wholesale trade in it, so its been a myth that weve had to have this University of Mississippi weed this whole time, he said.

A spokesman for the DEA defended the agencys handling of marijuana for research.

DEA must operate within the bounds of law, regulations, and international treaties, the spokesman said in an email. DEA must ensure the Schedule I substance is procured from a lawful source, and therefore requires the researcher identify the controlled substance, source, and amount involved. Because many state dispensaries comport only with state law and not federal law, a Schedule I substance from a state dispensary cannot be used for research.

The proposed regulations, the spokesman added, could permit a greater range of product available for scientific research.

The Mississippi farm defends its weed

The grow operation on the University of Mississippis Oxford campus has heavy security, with dozens of cameras, guards on duty, motion-activated sensors and multiple security gates equipped with vibration detectors. Its a far cry from 40 years ago, when undergraduates once tried to cast fishing rods over a fence to snag a marijuana plant. The farm is set up through a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which decides what kind of marijuana should be grown and is involved in the lengthy approval process for researchers who want to study it.

Mahmoud ElSohly, the longtime director of the Marijuana Project at Ole Miss, bristles at the criticisms of his products, including that it has tested positive for mold and has lower THC levels than advertised. He says these complaints are untrue and part of propaganda to push an agenda that's mainly going toward legalization.

Image; Indoor cultivation of marijuana at the University of Mississippi. (University of Mississippi)

I welcome the opportunity for other growers to get involved, ElSohly said, so people can't complain about that anymore. He notes that studies showing benefits of cannabis are coming from the material we produce. So its not that bad after all.

ElSohly, a professor who also researches cannabis, said that on top of ensuring their material is clear of salmonella and E. coli, the project now tests for yeast and mold.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse said all marijuana provided to scientists for studies is safe, and theres never been any known health consequences from contaminants.

A typical growing season at the University of Mississippi yields over 1,100 pounds of plant material, which is dried and prepared to researchers requests, like being rolled into joints. ElSohly acknowledged that he cant match the many marijuana products on the market, but he said he offers a range of potency levels, which is what he believes should matter most to scientists.

If we match one, what about all the others? he said. Are we supposed to match all of the growers that a dispensary has? It makes no sense.

But Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery program at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, said the menu from the Ole Miss farm  which is largely confined to smokeable flower and THC extract  excludes high-potency products like edibles, shatter or wax.

Its not as if we can get gummies with a standardized amount, Gruber said. Thats inherently limited.

Sisley said this is the result of having only one supplier of marijuana for research.

Im a lifelong Republican, and as a conservative I think monopolies are inherently problematic because they promote apathy, Sisley said. The University of Mississippi has enjoyed a government-enforced monopoly for over 50 years. Theyve had no competition, no need, no drive to be responsive to the public, to scientists needs.

ElSohly scoffed at the idea of a monopoly, noting that the University of Mississippi submits a bid for the government contract every few years, and anyone who has the capabilities the infrastructure is welcome to compete.

How professors get creative to study cannabis

Its difficult to find someone who publicly opposes expanding marijuana research. Members of Congress who oppose legalizing pot have called for more research. Major scientific groups want it. Even the National Institute on Drug Abuse would like to have more competition, because only having one grow operation at Ole Miss slows the development of cannabis-based medications, the agencys director, Nora Volkow, testified to Congress this year.

Dr. Kevin Sabet, former drug policy adviser in the Obama administration, said more research is needed so that lawmakers can understand the effects of high-potency marijuana.

For the vast majority of products, we don't have the long-term research to establish their safety at all, said Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a nonprofit opposed to legalizing recreational pot.

Image: Marijuana buds grown indoors at the University of Mississippi, left, and buds received through the DEA after confiscation. (University of Mississippi)

Under the current restrictions, scientists have had to get creative to study weed.

Washington State University researchers are conducting a study in which they ask participants to buy cannabis at a legal dispensary, go home and smoke it, and then take an Uber or Lyft to the lab to give a blood sample. Michael McDonell, a psychology professor at the university, acknowledges that the system isnt perfect, but it circumvents prohibitions on university staff possessing marijuana.

Id like to be able to go buy one strain of cannabis, send it to a lab to know what's in it, know what's exactly the dose that's in it, and then study that, McDonell said.

Scientists are cautiously optimistic about the direction things are heading for marijuana research. Attorney General William Barr has promised to expand the number of marijuana growers approved by the DEA.

But while the public comment period on the proposed regulations ends on May 22, theres no deadline after that for next steps by the DEA. And some are concerned the expansion of growers isnt enough. Kiel, of UC Davis, said the DEA hasnt clarified whether newly approved growers will have to use marijuana seeds from the only approved source  the University of Mississippi farm.

Which isn't going to solve the research problem, Kiel said. It just wont.

Sisleys study with Arizona veterans wrapped up last year, and she expects it will be published in the coming weeks. She said it took her awhile to shake her medical school training that marijuana is dangerous and addictive, but shes come to believe it is so much more benign than the prescriptions I write for patients every day.

People recognize this plant has significant medical properties, Sisley said. We just don't know how to harness them specifically to treat various illnesses. Thats why people are still skeptical. We still don't know what varieties to use to treat different illnesses because the research has been systemically impeded by our federal government.
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. - Joseph Enverga kept hoping the flooding would slow down or even stop as his apartment lights flickered on and off.

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FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. - Joseph Enverga kept hoping the flooding would slow down or even stop as his apartment lights flickered on and off.

The 35-year old was prepared for an evacuation of downtown Fort McMurray, Alta., on Sunday afternoon. By dawn on Monday, he looked out his window and saw the reflection of his building in the parking lot that was covered in water.

He decided it was time to go.

"In my vehicle, I had my clothes ready, I had my documents ready," he says. "On top of that, I had my slack line ready, I had my bag of my favourite board games ready.

"I was telling myself: this is going to be the best evacuation ever."

Like many Fort McMurray residents, Enverga is no stranger to evacuation orders. He was forced out of his home during a raging wildfire in May 2016 that led to the evacuation of the entire city and destroyed 2,400 homes and buildings.

On Tuesday, municipal and provincial officials were keeping a close eye on river levels after a 25-kilometre ice jam caused major flooding and forced nearly 13,000 people from their homes in the downtown.

Colleen Walford, a river forecaster with Alberta Environment, said a monitoring flight just before noon Tuesday determined that the ice jam had shortened by about one kilometre and was melting.

"We have nice sunny conditions up in Fort McMurray today. We hope that continues tomorrow and it will continue to deteriorate the ice jam."

But officials with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said it remains a critical situation.

"We are not in the home stretch yet," Scott Davis, director of emergency management, told reporters.

Flood water advances toward the Ptarmigan trailer court in the Waterways neighbourhood in Fort McMurray, Alta. on Sunday, April 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Halinda

Data shows the Clearwater River was still rising and the Athabasca River had only dropped by about four centimetres.

Mayor Don Scott said it has caused the worst flooding in the region in recent memory.

"This is a one-in-100-year flood," he said. "This is something that we haven't seen in this generation.

"And it's actually happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a dual combination of issues."

A second state of local emergency is in effect on top of one declared last month because of the pandemic.

Officials said evacuees are being put up in hotels and work camps where they can have their own space.

"We've gone to individual accommodations," said Shane Schreiber, director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

More than 6,000 people have registered at two evacuation centres and the municipality said that number is expected to grow.

Officials also said crews had to rescue more than 220 residents.

Enverga, who didn't get an evacuation order, said he ended up getting a ride with a rescue boat after he realized his van wasn't going to make it through the water.

"I was sad that I couldn't take my van," he said. "I couldn't take my slack line, I couldn't take my board games."

Enverga said he was taken to an evacuation centre then went to stay with friends in another Fort McMurray neighbourhood.

Red Cross volunteer Karen Wyonzek (left) registers displaced person Shanna Skinner at an evacuee registration centre at an ice arena in the Thickwood Heights neighbourhood of Fort McMurray on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Officials in Fort McMurray are keeping a close eye on river levels after a 25-kilometre ice jam caused major flooding and forced about 12,000 people from their homes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Halinda

Others, including Coun. Jeff Peddle and former provincial politician Brian Jean, said they had to leave their flooded homes. Jean, who lost a home in the 2016 wildfire, said his almost-finished new house was under three metres of water.

"I'm very sad. I'm sad for the people. It started with the wildfires then it went to the economy ... then it went to COVID-19, which was an even bigger economy hit, and now the flood," he said.

"How much can a person take?"

Premier Jason Kenney and Environment Minister Jason Nixon took a flight over the city Monday.

"It really is ... devastating to see much of central Fort McMurray flooded just four years after the terrible fires of 2016," Kenney said during a media briefing Tuesday.

"To imagine people who have just rebuilt their homes now struggling with those homes being flooded and the adversity of that community after four years of economic trials is just heartbreaking."

Kenney said another 450 people have been affected by ice jams in the Fort Vermilion area.

"We will be ensuring provincial financial support," he added.

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Earlier in the day, Nixon said the government will work with Wood Buffalo to request Ottawa's support if it's needed.

"At this point, we are satisfied that both the province and the municipality have the situation under control," he said.

The federal government said earlier Tuesday that it is monitoring the situation in Fort McMurray.

"While no formal requests have been made, our government is ready to help when called upon," said an emailed statement from federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.

 By Colette Derworiz in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:03:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese army announced on Wednesday that 81 soldiers were injured during clashes with protesters on Tuesday night in different areas of the country, the National News Agency reported.

Protests turned violent between people and the Lebanese army all over the country as protesters resorted to setting banks on fire and throwing stones at soldiers.

Lebanon's nationwide protests have resumed again after pausing in the past two months due to COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

People protest on a daily basis against the unofficial capital control imposed by banks preventing them from withdrawing their money in addition to unemployment and poverty which have reached unprecedented levels in Lebanon. Enditem
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The race for acquiring a majority stake in Larsen & Toubros (L&T) mutual fund business is headed for a bidding tussle between a clutch of bulge bracket private equity funds and strategic investors, sources told Moneycontrol. The engineering to software conglomerate, which houses L&T Mutual Fund under listed arm L&T Finance, had put the mutual fund business on the block earlier in a renewed attempt to find a suitable buyer.

Moneycontrol was the first to report in January 31 that L&T had revived plans to sell its mutual fund business and had appointed JP Morgan to advise on the transaction.

IIFL Wealth backed by private equity firm General Atlantic, HDFC AMC, Blackstone and veteran investment banker Hemendra Kothari-backed DSP Group are among the bidders who are believed to be keen on this asset, a source said.

A second source said this is a control deal and part of L&Ts non-core asset monetisation drive. The initial bids are likely to be in the Rs 4,000-5,000 crore range. This is an equity-oriented asset, which makes it attractive.

IIFL Wealth has had General Atlantic as an investor since 2015 and the combine is keen to expand in the mutual fund space and they can extract substantial synergies from this deal, a third source said.

All the three people Moneycontrol spoke to did not want to be named.

HDFC AMC can derive significant cost synergies as well while Blackstone has been on the lookout for control deals, said the third source, elaborating on the deal rationale for the suitors. The fourth suitor DSP Group is present in the segment with its arm DSP Mutual Fund (earlier called DSP Blackrock Mutual Fund).

Buzz on the deal street also pointed to Wipro founder Azim Premjis investment arm PremjiInvest and India focused private equity major ChrysCapital as two other potential suitors for the transaction. Moneycontrol couldn't immediately contact PremjiInvest and Chrys Capital for a response.

Recently, the mutual fund industry was rocked by the Franklin Templeton fiasco, which saw the leading mutual fund house shutting six of its debt schemes due to a liquidity crunch amid the global outbreak of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. This prompted the RBI to open a special liquidity window worth Rs 50,000 crore for mutual fund institutions. The current environment may impact the pace of negotiations of the L&T MF deal, the third source said.

Also read: Franklin Templeton crisis: When do investors get their money back?

In response to email queries from Moneycontrol, L&T Finance, JP Morgan, General Atlantic and IIFL Group and Blackstone declined to comment. Moneycontrol is awaiting responses from DSP Group and HDFC AMC and will update this article as soon as it hears from them.

L&T Mutual Fund is ranked 12th in the sector in terms of assets under management (AUM) and has a market share of around 2.7 percent, according to the latest data available with ICRA as of September 2019. Its AUM was around Rs 70,000 crore as of March 2019.

The top five players have cornered 58.5 percent of the market. In Q2 FY20, the QAAUM (quarterly average AUM) of the MF industry increased by Rs 0.18 lakh crore as against the preceding quarter to touch Rs 25.7 lakh crore. Contribution from systematic investment plans (SIPs) in the quarter under review stood at Rs 24,818 crore compared with Rs 24,543 crore in Q1. Net inflows surged to Rs 37,836 crore in Q2 compared to Rs 17,635 crore in Q1 FY20.

Two years after entering the mutual fund business in 2010, L&T Finance edged out rivals and announced the acquisition of Fidelity's mutual fund business in India. The May 2012 deal was an aggressive move to boost growth in a highly competitive market. The deal value was pegged between Rs 550 crore and Rs 600 crore.

L&T Mutual Fund competes with the likes of UTI Mutual Fund, SBI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund, and Axis Mutual Fund. HDFC Asset Management Company and Nippon Life India Asset Management are the two key listed players in the domestic mutual fund market.

General Atlantic holds around 21 percent in IIFL Wealth Management, which has AUM of around Rs 23,000 crore as of Q2 FY20 and debuted on the bourses in September 2019. HDFC AMC is among the top three mutual fund houses in India with an AUM of around Rs 3.79 lakh crore. SBI Mutual Fund and ICICI Prudential AMC round up the top three club.

The DSP Group had signed an agreement in May 2018 to buy out BlackRocks 40 percent stake in their joint venture DSP BlackRock Investment Managers Pvt. Earlier, DSP Group was the majority partner and owned 60 percent while BlackRock owned 40 percent. It has an AUM of around Rs 80,000 crore, according to the latest data.

AUM of the Indian mutual funds industry hit at a record high of Rs 27.86 lakh crore in January. Over the past decade, AUM of the Indian mutual fund Industry has seen a three-and-a-half fold growth from Rs 7.59 lakh crore in January 2010.
Area families and organizations will be receiving some help with distance learning thanks to a generous gift from Nebraskas first lady.

The Community and Family Partnership (CFP) has received a gift of more than 80 refurbished laptop computers from a company called Motherboard, with help from Nebraska first lady Susanne Shore. The computers will be distributed throughout the area to various community agencies, like Centro Hispano, the Platte Valley Literacy Association and the Cargill Community Learning Center, as well as area families working with the partnership.

Sarah Papa, the coordinator of CFP, said that the new partnership provides opportunities for students and families who may not have access to computers during the COVID-19 crisis. She noted that the computers will be much needed to those who may have ordinarily used a library, school, or other public place in order to get their computer needs met.

This is reaching a wide variety of people that have never had access to a device before, Papa said. This is giving them the tools to be able to continue the vital education that they are receiving. That education can fall anywhere in the realm of GED classes or English as a Second Language or citizenship, and this is giving people the opportunity to not halt their education.

The agencies involved in the partnership began distributing the computers last week to families across the area in both Colfax and Platte counties and will continue to distribute the computers over the next two weeks. For the families involved, Papa said that they were thankful to receive the computers, as it would provide a way for them to get involved in various activities in an easier way than it would be without one.

They are learning a whole new way of life, potentially, Papa said. They can access resources that mainstream society can regularly access.

Motherboard allows people on the autism spectrum the ability to refurbish and recycle old technology for use in the future.

Stephen Toller, the owner of Motherboard, said that though its nice to have people on the spectrum receive an opportunity to get paid for their work, not as charity. Hes a big believer in what they have to offer to the people of Nebraska.

We picked up that model from (a recycler) in Colorado, Toller said. They came down two years ago and helped us with the way we work so that we can get good productivity out of employees that are often unemployed.

Motherboard was enlisted by Shore and her husband, Gov. Pete Ricketts, in order to provide the computers for the project. Those computers would be sent to groups like CFP in order to give families without access to computers an opportunity to participate in the distance learning that has become necessary during the current era.

Tolller said that providing these computers helps to meet their mission of providing technology to low-income households across the state.

Less than half of low-income households have working computers, Toller said. How can you do school work? How can you apply for a job without a computer? (Were hoping) to bridge the digital divide. Thats what were about, long-term.

Shore said in a statement that with these computers being sent out to areas across the state, students would have a greater chance of succeeding in their studies despite the circumstances.

This emergency caused by COVID-19 has been a curse and a blessing, Shore said. With the help of Motherboard and companies around the state, we can help all our children as they study from home. We are so lucky to live in such a great place.

Papa said that she's grateful to the agencies that provided funding for the computers, from the Nebraska Impact COVID-19 Fund, the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and the Sherwood Foundation, not to mention the help of Shore. Without them, CFP couldnt provide the services that they need and the agencies who need them couldnt provide to the people who need them most during this time.

We would not have been able to do this specific program without assistance from the first lady and those other funding sources, Papa said. We are just grateful.

Zach Roth is a reporter for the Schuyler Sun. Reach him via email at zachary.roth@lee.net.

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While President Donald Trump suggests tying local and state aid to how closely they align with his stance on immigration, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said the financial assistance should be based on who was hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic  not sanctuary status.

The $2 trillion stimulus package known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act set aside $150 billion for state, local and tribal governments. About $2.6 billion was allocated to Massachusetts.

But the $484 billion coronavirus assistance package that was signed into law last week does not include the hundreds of billions of dollars Democrats requested to help keep state and local governments afloat, USA Today reported.

Trump has since said that he would want to tie bailouts for states and municipalities to their immigration policies.

Baker, a Republican, said Wednesday afternoon that the language in the bills suggests that state aid is supposed to be driven by the impact of COVID-19, not their immigration policies.

In theory, you end up seeing a scenario where New York would obviously do better than most because COVID-19 has hit New York a heck of a lot harder than its hit a lot of other people, he said. I would hope that that kind of approach or an approach thats driven by the quality of the applications that are submitted by states, with respect to testing and treatments, will drive the process.

Baker told CBS News Face the Nation earlier this month that states would need assistance if the federal government wants them to reopen their economies. He did not go into specifics as far as the financial strain on Massachusetts, but he said states are trying to cover mounting costs to public health, safety, transportation and other needs while their revenues shrink.

If the feds are interested in sort of reopening the economy, and theyve certainly talked a lot about the importance of stimulating the economy going forward, for states to be able to support that initiative ... its important for the feds to support our efforts to fund the stuff we do, Baker said.

Trump, who ran on the promise to crackdown on illegal immigration, said he wouldnt want to bail out states and cities that have struggled with finances long before the coronavirus pandemic but that he would also want to review how they enforce immigration policies.

The problem with the states is were not looking to recover 25 years of bad management and give them the money that they lost. Its unfair to other states, he said. If its COVID-related I guess we can talk about it, but wed want certain things also, including sanctuary city adjustments, because we have so many people in sanctuary cities.

Trump went on to say that sanctuary cities arent favored "even by radical left folks because a lot of bad things are happening with sanctuary cities.

A study published in the Urban Affairs Review in 2017 suggests that there is no statistically significant difference in crime rates between sanctuary cities and similarly sized nonsanctuary cities. Nor did sanctuary cities see a statistically significant rise in crime after adopting immigrant-friendly policies, according to the study.

In Massachusetts, Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates have spent years pushing for bills that would protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. The Safe Communities Act, which was not advanced out of committee this session, proposes limiting how local and state police interact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Another bill that would extend driving privileges to undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts advanced out of the Joint Committee on Transportation earlier this year.

Critics of these bills argue the proposals, especially the Safe Communities Act, would make Massachusetts a sanctuary state and violate national immigration laws.

Democrats pushed to extend those driving privileges in 2016 when the state passed a REAL ID law as part of the state budget bill, but Baker returned the budget back with language preventing immigrants without legal status from being able to obtain a drivers license. He signed the bill after the amendment was approved.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, state leaders have worked with organizations that serve undocumented immigrants and others who would not qualify for unemployment benefits and other relief.

The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, launched by First Lady Lauren Baker, is raising money to send to organizations that work with homeless people, people with disabilities and immigrants, regardless of legal status. The fund has raised more than $23 million since it was created earlier this month.

The House and Senate are reviewing bills that would offer stimulus checks to immigrants who do not qualify for unemployment benefits but pay taxes through Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs).

When asked about Trumps comments on Wednesday, Baker said sanctuary status is not relevant to how COVID-19 has affected a state, local or tribal government.

I will make clear to people that I think thats the wrong way to do this, he said, adding that the presidents suggestion was inconsistent with the language in the proposal.

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The race for Ohios 14th District U.S. Congressional race is set after incumbent Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, defeated his primary challenger Mark Pitrone, receiving more than 83 percent of the vote, according to unofficial final results from the Ohio Secretary of States Office.

Joyce will face off against Painesville Township Democrat Hillary OConnor Mueri in the Nov. 3 general election. Mueri, an attorney and former naval flight officer, ran unopposed in her partys primary.

In the Republican primary Joyce received 41,903 votes to Pirtones 8,402 votes, according to the preliminary results.

The winner in November will serve a two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joyce has served as the 14th Districts representative since 2013. He previously served as Geauga County Prosecutor.

Ohios 14th U.S. Congressional District is composed of all of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, plus portions of Cuyahoga, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the unique circumstances of this primary election could lend itself to a higher than usual number of properly postmarked ballots arriving after April 28. This could mean that results for some races and issues could change in the official count. Ballots returned by mail containing a postmark on or before April 27 must be received by boards of election by May 8 in order to be counted.
China is pushing back against the growing chorus of voices around the world calling for the country to pay compensation for the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Politicians in the United States are lying through their teeth, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Geng Shuang, said at a news briefing on Tuesday.

The spokesmans comments came one day after President Trump suggested that the United States would seek substantial compensation for Beijings handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Richard McGregor, a China analyst with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said the dispute reflects Chinas refusal to accept criticism at a time when its rival, the United States, seems weak and continues to struggle with the virus, political division and mass unemployment.
Protests against growing economic hardship erupted again in Tripoli and spread to other Lebanese cities early on Wednesday with banks set ablaze and violence boiling over into a second night.

Protesters in the northern city of Tripoli set banks on fire and smashed their facades, prompting the army to fire rubber-coated bullets and tear gas. Demonstrators on Tuesday night piled into the main square while on side streets some threw stones at security forces.

At least one person died in the violence on Tuesday night.

Banks have been a target of people angered by being frozen out of their deposits.

Protesters in the southern city of Sidon chanting revolution hurled petrol bombs at a central bank building and set its exterior on fire before smashing the fronts of banks.

In Beirut, dozens marched across the city, some wearing medical masks while chanting against the financial system and shouting for more Lebanese to join. Later, crowds hurled stones towards security forces positioned in front of the central bank.

The growing unrest threatens to tip Lebanon into a more serious conflict even as Beirut looks to pass an economic rescue plan and enter into negotiations with foreign creditors after defaulting on its hefty debt obligations last month.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab urged Lebanese to refrain from violence and said malicious intentions behind the scenes were shaking stability.
Private schools have hit back at a federal deadline to bring forward $3.25 billion in spending for schools that resume classroom teaching, warning the sudden plan puts new strain on teachers and parents.

Independent Schools Victoria said the federal government offer put principals in a difficult and unfair position because they would have to decide by Friday whether to return to the classroom by June 1.

Education Minister Dan Tehan wants private schools to reopen to students within weeks. Credit:AAP

Other school groups said the offer was less persuasive than it looked because it would only bring forward federal funding that was due to be paid in July, which meant it would help with cash flow but would not provide a significant funding boost.

Education Minister Dan Tehan made the offer to independent and Catholic school groups on Tuesday night and told radio station 3AW on Wednesday morning he wanted students back in all classrooms by the end of May.
FILE photo - Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesBy CHEYENNE HASLETT and LAURA ROMERO, ABC News



(NEW YORK) -- When Muscogee Creek Nation, the nation's fourth-largest tribe, closed its casinos six weeks ago, that suddenly halted a revenue stream that provided school clothes for children, support for the elderly and health care for thousands.



"We're losing about $5 million a month. It's a tremendous hit," said Jason Salsman, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and the tribe's communications director.



Nearly 1,000 casinos across the country have closed since coronavirus hit the U.S., according to the American Gaming Association. More than half of those are on Native American land, where the facilities supplement chronically underfunded health and education programs.



Now, many tribes are cutting into their own reserves to keep casinos, often their economic lifeblood, above water, while also keeping thousands employed and with health care.



Initially, payroll deficits suffered by tribal casinos were expected to be repaid by the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program, a loan for small businesses to help cover payroll and utilities that could be forgiven after eight weeks. But, unexpectedly, Indian gaming operations were left out of the first round of PPP.



Tribal leaders described it as a "doubly whammy" and a "massive hit."



"We're not business casinos, we're community casinos," Salsman told ABC News. "Although I feel bad for the industry, when a casino goes down in Las Vegas, it's different. Tribal casinos are taking those casino revenues and putting them right back into the community.



"This is a loss of real services, and real human services, to our people. It's not only a money issue, it's a humanitarian issue, and it really hurts."



Meanwhile, in many states, the virus has disproportionately hit Native Americans. With comparatively higher rates of diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure, tribal members who become infected are more at risk for a serious case. Meanwhile, poverty and close living quarters on reservations can allow COVID-19 to spread more quickly.



And though some Native American communities received good news on Friday, when they were told casinos with fewer than 500 employees could apply to the second round of PPP, the win was bittersweet: Those 125 casinos found themselves at the back of the line.



"The fear, which was never clearly answered here, is that we're behind a queue of applications that are already in backlog," said Dante Desiderio, a tribal member of the Sappony and executive director the Native American Finance Officers Association. "So yeah, it's great that the guidance was changed. But it's also disappointing that it was ever in doubt in the first place."



Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who's led the paycheck relief program run by the Small Business Association, has said it's his goal for the money to be distributed quickly and for the program to come to a halt -- presumably with the millions requiring assistance on their way to financial recovery.



But for tribes, that means this round of PPP might be their only shot to keep casinos -- and the vital programs they support -- afloat.



Gaming funds 'the programs the government doesn't'



In Niobrara, a small town in the northeastern corner of Nebraska, the Ohiya Casino and Resort employs 104 people.



But these days, no one is playing any of the 400 gaming machines.



The Santee Sioux Nation opened the casino in 2013 to tamp down high unemployment on the reservation, but since mid-March, no one's received a paycheck.



"It was heartbreaking to have to close and lay off a great number of employees," Roger Trudell, chairman of the Santee Sioux Nation, told ABC News. "We fought the United States government and the State of Nebraska for many years just to employ people to enable them to create a life for themselves."



For many tribes like the Santee Sioux, revenue from gaming operations is their only source of income, and they urgently need federal assistance.



"We have to fight tooth and nail for everything, from health care to education," he said.



Although tribes can now apply for PPP, Trudell said he doubts tribes will see any of that money "because of how many other businesses applied first."



In neighboring Idaho, the Nez Perce Tribe lost funding for schools, law enforcement and community programs with the closure of the Clearwater River Casino.



"The gaming industry is important for tribes because it is what funds our community and the programs the government doesn't," said Kermit Mankiller, tribal enterprises executive officer of the Nez Perce.



The tribe's casino closed March 18 but kept employees on the payroll.



"Our priority is our people and their wellbeing above anything else," Mankiller said, "but at this point, I'm not sure how long we can keep paying our employees."



For many tribes, casino employees aren't just tribal members but members of surrounding communities. The closure of the three Choctaw Nation casinos, for example, has hit nearby parts of Oklahoma just as hard.



"We give to 87 public school districts, which are not just Choctaw," said Chief Gary Batton of Choctaw Nation.



Those revenues also pay for law enforcement and higher education programs outside the tribe.



"We have never experienced anything like this," Batton said. "We are struggling with basic necessities."



With the door to PPP open for casinos, how much is left?



When the news came on Friday that small casinos could apply for PPP, tribes had just three days to submit applications before the second round of funding opened up for the last time.



Some tribes had applications ready to go, having prepared them during weeks of lobbying Congress to let them apply for PPP. But for a program that's "first come, first served," the odds don't favor latecomers, said Michael Burcham, a professor at Vanderbilt's Owen School of Management.



"If it's phased-priority consideration, on a first-come, first-served basis, what's left? Not much," Burcham said. "Unless that changes, latecomers to this party are in a precarious spot to get funding in this second wave. When you think of a million [applications] sitting in the queue, if you're not in there, it would be a very tough thing to imagine getting funding."



Still, to Republican Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, who for the past month has pushed for tribal casino PPP eligibility, having three days ahead of the second release of funding was a win, a senior aide told ABC News. Scrambling to apply was better than not being allowed to apply, but it remains a concern that casinos are toward the end of the funding queue.



Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, echoed the concern that tribal casinos, because of the delay, wouldn't all receive enough funding.



"I am relieved that the SBA is correcting its harmful initial guidance, which unfairly excluded a significant number of Tribally owned businesses from the Paycheck Protection Program," Udall said in a statement to ABC News. "Unfortunately, the delay in reversing SBA's erroneous guidance has already put Tribal businesses at a disadvantage at a time of immense need."



Udall, who said he personally urged Mnuchin to allow tribal casinos into PPP, asked the Trump administration to "make a greater effort" to listen and include tribes in the ongoing coronavirus response.



But there is a glimmer of hope, Desiderio said, from some of the adjustments the government has made ahead of the second round of PPP funding, one of which specifically could benefit casinos.



The government has set aside $60 billion, 20% of the total pot of PPP money, for smaller banks that lend to minority-owned small businesses and businesses in more rural communities -- a group that includes tribal casinos.



"It's really helpful for us to be able to go through that route, rather than getting in the same queue at the larger, top banks, so that that is a bit of good news that Congress has considered that," Desiderio said. "It seems from conversations with SBA that they want to be able to include as many of the minority, disadvantaged communities, or the underserved, in their applicant pool.



"I believe that's going to be saving a lot of these applicants trying to get through the process."



We have persevered'



For many tribal leaders, being left out of a key part of the stimulus package wasn't the first time they'd felt neglected by the federal government, which over centuries has broken treaties and left many other promises unfulfilled.



"Indian Country's been through a lot in our history, and we have persevered. We're going to get through this," said Ernie Stevens Jr., chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association. "But in order for this American economy and for our economy to get through this, we need this administration, and we need the United States Congress, to understand and appreciate what we are and to be able to assist us going forward."



In 2019, tribal gaming was a $40 billion industry, the 11th-largest employer in the U.S. with more than 780,000 direct and non-direct jobs. Among approximately 300,000 employees at tribal casinos, about half are Native Americans.



In other words, tribes aren't the only ones affected by closing casinos. Hundreds of thousands of employees, native and non-native, rely on tribal casinos for paychecks, not to mention the uptick in revenue seen by surrounding businesses.



"Those people are America's people, and those people keep the economic engines roaring in America," Stevens said. "A whole bunch of them are tribal government gaming employees, and all of them are our tribal government gaming family. So, we're all in this together."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
But the scenes captured by those hovering drone cameras are not extraordinary. The deeper shock of the Hart Island videos may be the realization that they reveal a workaday event. A mass burial on Hart Island is business as usual, a thing that happens all the time, every week. The city says that it has hired contract laborers to do this work during the coronavirus outbreak, but the job is normally performed by inmates from the prison on nearby Rikers Island, who are paid $1 an hour. Hart Island is the domain of the dispossessed, where the poorest and most marginalized citizens are laid to rest in unmarked graves by a work force drawn from the countrys second-largest jail system.

Now more New Yorkers, more Americans, are compelled to notice these margins  to confront the possibility that the great gaping chasm separating the fortunate from the wretched may open wide enough to swallow many, many more of us. We have learned that Covid-19 is not a great leveler, that it disproportionately impacts the most socially precarious. But a pandemic has the power to upend anyones world, to upset what many may subconsciously regard as the rightful order of things. We know the coronavirus can be the cause of unimaginable loneliness. We isolate ourselves to avoid infection. If we are infected, we must further self-isolate. And if things worsen, we may face the prospect of a solitary death, in a room with no loved ones present.

Then there is the ultimate tragic fate, which has befallen those Covid-19 victims whose remains have been shipped to an outpost in Long Island Sound. In his 1899 dispatch, Charles Wilbur de Lyon Nichols wrote, What brings persons here, to lie in borrowed graves commingled with the ashes of convicts, prostitutes and the vilest human clay of darkest New York? The question is crudely phrased, in the harsh language of a Victorian world whose brutalities we like to think we have left behind. But it distills a fear that hangs over New York, and the world at large, in 2020. Hart Island has always been there. The privilege to ignore its existence is another prerogative to which the current crisis is laying waste.
Care workers are the invisible workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. They are cleaners, nannies, and caregivers. Their work is critical and yet they are unseen, underpaid, and undervalued. Through Caring Through Coronavirus  our partnership with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the nations leading organization for the respect and dignity of domestic workers  we are looking at life in the coronavirus pandemic for real domestic workers today. Ai-jen Poo, the director of the Alliance, will be interviewing the workers.

Name: Ingrid Vaca

Occupation: House cleaner

Age: 57

Gender Identity: Woman

Location: Washington, D.C.

How has coronavirus affected your work situation?

I have no work now. At first, I wasnt really worried what would happen to my work. But then, one of my clients called to say, Please dont come to clean my home, I dont want anybody in my house because Im very scared about the coronavirus. I thought maybe some people would be worried, but I didnt think it would change everything. That was on a Friday. Then on Monday, I had another cancellation, and that continued until now where I dont have any work.

One of my most difficult experiences was the cancellation of one client whose home I have cleaned for 15 years. His son called me and left a message saying they didnt have money to pay me anymore. Ive worked with his father for 15 years, and I took care of him as though he was my father, and then one day Im just gone with a message on my phone. Now I have no clients left, and I have to pay rent and bills and buy food, but I dont know how.

How does being undocumented impact you in the face of coronavirus?

I came here in 2000 from Bolivia with my two sons and a suitcase full of dreams, and I have been working as a domestic worker, house cleaner, and nanny to raise my sons, who are both adults now.

I dont have documentation, so Im treated like I am nobody. I have worked hard for every family I have worked for, and many times have become part of the family, but when there is a crisis it is as though you dont exist. Everyone is talking about the stimulus checks, but I dont have any access to government assistance because I dont have a Social Security Number, even though I pay taxes.

Story continues

Ive worked with his father for 15 years, and I took care of him as though he was my father, and then one day Im just gone with a message on my phone.

What has been your experience trying to access assistance?

Ive been told my situation is not very serious, like other peoples circumstances. I called a number that I was given, looking to get rental assistance from the government, and the person I was talking to asked if I had kids under 18. When I said no, he said my situation is not dangerous; its not bad like other families. But I wont have a place to live if I cant pay my rent. I dont even know if they are still considering my application or not.

I live with my son and we havent had any income for a month. Even though my son has DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], we dont have the protections citizens do. He doesnt have any health insurance because he only just started working a new job, and I am afraid of him going to work each day. They dont give them masks where he works, but he has to go because I dont have any work now. Our rent is $1,600 a month.

What is hardest about this for you?

Being treated like Im disposable. As an undocumented worker, you are already vulnerable. Once I was working for a woman who took advantage of undocumented Latinas by employing us to clean multiple houses for just $40 each day. She knew that we didnt have other options and had to feed our children, so she exploited our situation. I worked with her for eight months until I was able to find something else. Ive had an employer tell me he would give me the job if I kissed him, as though I dont have any rights, because he knows Im undocumented.

Im tired of being treated like an animal. Im feeling really depressed and Im trying to keep going, but its really, really hard.

What else would you like people to know?

I want people to know we are human beings, too. We are people, and we really need respect and dignity  our humanity  because we are the people who take care of kids and who clean houses so others can go to work.

My mom and grandparents were always fighters and fought against any injustice in the community. They taught me to have a big heart and look out for everyone else. I hope that people remember people like me and call Congress and take other action to urge them to include people like me in any future relief, and show support for me the way I have shown support for others.

If you would like to support domestic workers, you can donate to the Coronavirus Care Fund, which is providing domestic workers who apply with $400 in emergency assistance.

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Shoppers walk out of a shopping mall in Berlin in April. Face masks have been made mandatory in shops all over Germany. (John MacDougall / AFP/Getty Images)

Strolling through Berlins sprawling Tiergarten, window-shopping along stylish Kurfuerstendamm boulevard, getting stuck in traffic again: After a winter of vigilance, Germans are venturing out, masked and properly socially distanced, to enjoy the first warm days of spring.

These scenes of normality  albeit laden with precautions  are gradually returning, as Germany appears to have avoided the worst of a pandemic that has devastated its neighbors and reminded those old enough of a world war that shook the continent.

Europes richest and most populous country  with a trained scientist at the helm, a generally rule-following public and an enviable healthcare system  is becoming a case study in how to deal with a public-health crisis.

Its approach to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 227,000 people worldwide is not as daring as Sweden's "herd immunity" strategy, but it is far more systematic than the disarray unfolding in the United States.

Germany  which over the last century has been looked upon by the rest of Europe with both envy and fear  has by no means escaped the contagion. There have been more than 161,000 confirmed cases, the worlds sixth-highest known tally, and officials warned of a short-lived uptick in transmission as people resumed some regular activities after weeks of lockdown.

More than 6,400 people in Germany had died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, as of Wednesday. But the death rate hovers at about 4%, lower by orders of magnitude than that in Spain, Italy, France, Britain or the United States.

No single element accounts for Germanys success in managing its outbreak. Analysts point to a variety of social, cultural and political factors  plus a measure of luck and chance.

As the virus has swept the globe, Germanys built-in advantages came quickly into play: extensive testing capabilities, a well-funded public healthcare system, universal health insurance coverage and a high per-capita number of critical care beds. The countrys fairly comprehensive shutdown of public life also came relatively early, in mid-March.

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Other factors are less tangible but equally crucial: a high level of public confidence in the state and its leaders, cooperation across the political spectrum, and a system of government, crafted after World War II, in which federal, state and local officials share carefully calibrated authority.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, a symbol of stability throughout her nearly 15 years in power, is confronted with this crisis as her political career is winding down. The 65-year-old leader, on track to retire late next year, has had her share of missteps over the years, but there is a broad sense that this is the kind of moment in which her strengths can shine.

This month, Merkel, who has a doctorate in quantum chemistry, was captured on video giving a crisp, precise 98-second explanation of coronavirus transmission rates  a clip that, fittingly for the times, went viral. Even as a child, Merkel was meticulous and measured: She once deliberated for 45 minutes before jumping off a diving board.

Merkel has emerged as an excellent crisis leader, said Joern Leonhard, a history professor and author at the University of Freiburg. She truly does think and analyze things as you would expect from a natural scientist  she listens, weighs the evidence, and then moves forward, in very small, incremental and rational steps.

That abundance of caution sometimes garners criticism, but is perceived now as reassuring and steadying, he said.

People know: its never a show with her, Leonhard said. And thats all been extremely helpful during this crisis.

In recent weeks, Merkels popularity has reached record highs, according to opinion polls. A DeutschlandTrend survey for ARD television in early April said nearly two-thirds of Germans pronounced themselves either satisfied or extremely so with her performance. More than 90% supported the tight lockdown measures she ordered.

Its a strange time, said Oliver Bischof, a physiotherapist in Berlin, noting the conflicting pressures of public health and economic well-being. But it seems like Merkel and the government are doing all the right things. Its a difficult balancing act."

Germany's pandemic response, like nearly all momentous modern-day events, bears the weight of history. The tradition of rule-following found its darkest expression in the days of the Third Reich, when many ordinary Germans turned a blind eye to Nazi atrocities.

Now, however, analysts say a far more benign version of that impulse helps the country's leaders retain public support, even when citizens are temporarily deprived of their basic liberties through lockdowns and other restrictions.

The tendency to do what the government tells them during times of crisis is part of the German DNA, Leonhard said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel embarked on this crisis as her political career was winding down."Merkel has emerged as an excellent crisis leader," said Joern Leonhard, a history professor and author at the University of Freiburg. (Michael Kappeler / European Pressphoto Agency)

Germany's political system is a legacy of postwar reforms, a form of federalism created as one of myriad checks on any resurgence of inflammatory Nazi-style populism. That arrangement is now proving an asset in confronting the coronavirus.

Germany has 16 states, and despite a briefly choppy start in mid-March, they and the federal government have largely moved in concert in matters such as school closings, social-distancing rules, lockdowns  and now gradual and tentative reopening of parts of the economy.

Even though the virus has hit some states harder than others, all 16 have essentially agreed to the same general rules, with only minor regional variations. The states and federal government are also cooperating closely in obtaining and allocating supplies such as ventilators and personal protection equipment for healthcare workers.

The whole political system in Germany is built upon compromise, said Stefan Kornelius, a senior editor at the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Munich. Germans, he said, learned their lesson after being exposed to a totalitarian system.

A public-health crisis, almost by definition, is also an economic one  but again, Germany has softened the blow, thanks in part to elements that might seem burdensome in normal times, such as an exacting bureaucracy and a high tax rate.

The government has funneled billions of euros into a payment system known as Kurzarbeitergeld, which provides up to two-thirds of workers wages so companies can avoid layoffs. As a result, an unemployment rate of 3.2% is forecast to increase, but has not yet risen substantially  unlike in the United States, where the jobless rate swiftly soared to Depression-level heights and is still climbing.

Symbolic measures build public confidence, too. While the U.S. and British governments struggled to repatriate nationals stranded abroad by the pandemic, the German government swiftly spent about $55 million and chartered hundreds of aircraft to fly home more than 240,000 German tourists traveling in dozens of foreign countries when the outbreak hit. It is in the process of sweeping up several hundred more who were caught out in particularly remote locales.

As a gradual reopening begins, the challenge is far from over. Germany has largely succeeded in flattening the curve, with the number of new infections falling off sharply from a peak in late March. Virus transmission rates briefly crept up before subsiding again, according to new data released Wednesday.

The reclaiming of daily life, then, is a tentative process. Restaurants, cafes and large stores are still closed by government order, but the streets of Berlin are springing back to life. Squares are no longer eerily empty. Even snarled traffic, that perpetual urban aggravation, is somehow a welcome sight now.

Amid the continuing crisis, many ordinary Germans are heartened by a sense of national solidarity.

Its been a really positive surprise for me to see how pretty much everyone is pulling together and working constructively to get through this, said Manuela Milbradt, who is staying home from her job on an airline ground crew at Berlins Tegel airport, but with her income and position protected.

Milbradt said she was never much of a Merkel fan  but acknowledged that the government seemed to be doing its job.

The average German doesnt have to worry about anything, she said. The state has stepped in to support companies and workers and small businesses, and its stepped in to make sure the healthcare system is working the way it should.

She didnt envy her U.S. counterparts, Milbradt said.

You just cant compare the situation to America, she said. In Germany, no one feels like theyre being left alone to deal with this crisis.

Special correspondent Kirschbaum reported from Berlin and Times staff writer King from Washington.
Boeing Reports First-Quarter Results

CHICAGO, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Financial results significantly impacted by COVID-19 and the 737 MAX grounding

Revenue of $16.9 billion , GAAP loss per share of ($1.11) and core (non-GAAP)* loss per share of ($1.70)

Operating cash flow of ( $4.3 ) billion; cash and marketable securities of $15.5 billion

Total backlog of $439 billion , including over 5,000 commercial airplanes

Table 1. Summary Financial Results First Quarter (Dollars in Millions, except per share data) 2020 2019 Change Revenues $16,908 $22,917 (26)% GAAP (Loss)/Earnings From Operations ($1,353) $2,350 NM Operating Margin (8.0)% 10.3% NM Net (Loss)/Earnings (641) $2,149 NM (Loss)/Earnings Per Share ($1.11) $3.75 NM Operating Cash Flow ($4,302) $2,788 NM Non-GAAP* Core Operating (Loss)/Earnings ($1,700) $1,986 NM Core Operating Margin (10.1)% 8.7% NM Core (Loss)/Earnings Per Share ($1.70) $3.16 NM *Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing's non-GAAP measures are on page 6, "Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures."

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] reported first-quarter revenue of $16.9 billion, GAAP loss per share of ($1.11) and core loss per share (non-GAAP)* of ($1.70), primarily reflecting the impacts of COVID-19 and the 737 MAX grounding (Table 1). Boeing recorded operating cash flow of ($4.3) billion.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every aspect of our business, including airline customer demand, production continuity and supply chain stability," said Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun. "Our primary focus is the health and safety of our people and communities while we take tough but necessary action to navigate this unprecedented health crisis and adapt for a changed marketplace."

As the pandemic continues to reduce airline passenger traffic, Boeing sees significant impact on the demand for new commercial airplanes and services, with airlines delaying purchases for new jets, slowing delivery schedules and deferring elective maintenance. To align the business for the new market reality, Boeing is taking several actions that include reducing commercial airplane production rates. The company also announced a leadership and organizational restructuring to streamline roles and responsibilities, and plans to reduce overall staffing levels with a voluntary layoff program and additional workforce actions as necessary.

Boeing has also taken action to manage near-term liquidity, as it has drawn on a term loan facility; reduced operating costs and discretionary spending; extended the existing pause on share repurchases and suspended dividends until further notice; reduced or deferred research and development and capital expenditures; and eliminated CEO and Chairman pay for the year. Access to additional liquidity will be critical for Boeing and the aerospace manufacturing sector to bridge to recovery, and the company is actively exploring all of the available options. Boeing believes it will be able to obtain sufficient liquidity to fund its operations.

"While COVID-19 is adding unprecedented pressure to our business, we remain confident in our long term future," said Calhoun. "We continue to support our defense customers in their critical national security missions. We are progressing toward the safe return to service of the 737 MAX, and we are driving safety, quality and operational excellence into all that we do every day. Air travel has always been resilient, our portfolio of products and technology is well positioned, and we are confident we will emerge from the crisis and thrive again as a leader of our industry."

Table 2. Cash Flow First Quarter (Millions) 2020 2019 Operating Cash Flow ($4,302) $2,788 Less Additions to Property, Plant & Equipment ($428) ($501) Free Cash Flow* ($4,730) $2,287 *Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing's non-GAAP measures are on page 6, "Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures."

Operating cash flow was ($4.3) billion in the quarter, primarily reflecting the impact of the 737 MAX grounding and COVID-19, as well as timing of receipts and expenditures (Table 2).

Table 3. Cash, Marketable Securities and Debt Balances Quarter-End (Billions) Q1 20 Q4 19 Cash $15.0 $9.5 Marketable Securities1 $0.5 $0.5 Total $15.5 $10.0 Debt Balances: The Boeing Company, net of intercompany loans to BCC $36.9 $25.3 Boeing Capital, including intercompany loans $2.0 $2.0 Total Consolidated Debt $38.9 $27.3 1Marketable securities consists primarily of time deposits due within one year classified as "short-term investments."

Cash and investments in marketable securities increased to $15.5 billion, compared to $10.0 billion at the beginning of the quarter, primarily due to increased debt balance (Table 3). Debt was $38.9 billion, up from $27.3 billion at the beginning of the quarter primarily due to the draw down of a term loan facility, partially offset by debt repayments.

Total company backlog at quarter-end was $439 billion.

Segment Results

Commercial Airplanes

Table 4. Commercial Airplanes First Quarter (Dollars in Millions) 2020 2019 Change Commercial Airplanes Deliveries 50 149 (66)% Revenues $6,205 $11,822 (48)% (Loss)/Earnings from Operations ($2,068) $1,173 NM Operating Margin (33.3)% 9.9% NM

Commercial Airplanes first-quarter revenue was $6.2 billion reflecting lower deliveries driven by the 737 MAX grounding as well as impacts of COVID-19 (Table 4). First-quarter operating margin decreased to (33.3) percent due to lower delivery volume, $797 million of abnormal production costs from the temporary suspension of 737 MAX production, a $336 million charge related to 737 Next Generation frame fitting component (pickle fork) repair costs, lower 787 margins primarily due to COVID-19, and $137 million of abnormal production costs from the temporary suspension of Puget Sound operations in response to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has adversely impacted the 737 program due to a slower than previously planned production rate ramp-up driven by commercial airline industry uncertainty. To reflect COVID-19 impacts on the demand environment, 737 MAX aircraft production will resume at low rates in 2020 as timing and conditions of return to service are better understood and gradually increase to 31 per month during 2021, with further gradual increases to correspond with market demand. The estimated abnormal production costs from the temporary suspension of 737 MAX production have increased by approximately $1 billion due to updated production rate assumptions, bringing the estimated total to approximately $5 billion. There was no material change to estimated potential concessions and other considerations to customers related to the 737 MAX grounding.

Commercial Airplanes has updated its production rate assumptions to reflect impacts from COVID-19 on its operations and demand outlook, and will continue to assess them on an ongoing basis. The 787 production rate will be reduced from 14 per month to 10 per month in 2020, and gradually reduced to 7 per month by 2022. The 777/777X combined production rate will be reduced to 3 per month in 2021. At this time, production rate assumptions have not changed on the 767 and 747 programs.

Commercial Airplanes delivered 50 airplanes during the quarter, including 29 787s. Commercial Airplanes captured an order for 12 787 aircraft for All Nippon Airways, and produced the 1000th 787 at Boeing South Carolina. Commercial Airplanes backlog included over 5,000 airplanes valued at $352 billion.

Defense, Space & Security

Table 5. Defense, Space & Security First Quarter (Dollars in Millions) 2020 2019 Change Revenues $6,042 $6,587 (8)% Earnings from Operations ($191) $852 NM Operating Margin (3.2)% 12.9% NM

Defense, Space & Security first-quarter revenue decreased to $6.0 billion primarily driven by a charge on the KC-46A Tanker (Table 5). First-quarter operating margin decreased to (3.2) percent primarily due to a pre-tax charge of $827 million for the KC-46A Tanker, of which $551 million was driven by costs associated with the agreement signed in April with the U.S. Air Force to develop and integrate a new Remote Vision System, while the remaining costs reflect productivity inefficiencies and COVID-19 related factory disruption. A number of other programs were also impacted by COVID-19, further reducing margin in the quarter.

During the quarter, Defense, Space & Security received an award for 18 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, as well as a contract to develop a SB>1 DEFIANT prototype for the U.S. Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program. Defense, Space & Security also completed the System Design Review for MQ-25.

Backlog at Defense, Space & Security was $64 billion, of which 28 percent represents orders from customers outside the U.S.

Global Services

Table 6. Global Services First Quarter (Dollars in Millions) 2020 2019 Change Revenues $4,628 $4,619 - Earnings from Operations $708 $653 8% Operating Margin 15.3% 14.1% 1.2 Pts

Global Services first-quarter revenue was $4.6 billion, reflecting higher government services volume, largely offset by lower commercial services volume due to COVID-19. (Table 6). First-quarter operating margin increased to 15.3 percent primarily due to favorable government services performance.

During the quarter, Global Services was awarded a P-8A integrated logistics services and site activation support contract modification from the U.S. Navy and the government of Australia and secured a logistics, components and services contract for the U.S. Army AH-64 Apache fleet. At the Singapore Airshow, Global Services announced several consumable and expendable services agreements as well as digital solutions agreements with multiple Asia-Pacific airlines.

Additional Financial Information

Table 7. Additional Financial Information First Quarter (Dollars in Millions) 2020 2019 Revenues Boeing Capital $65 $66 Unallocated items, eliminations and other ($32) ($177) Earnings from Operations Boeing Capital $24 $20 FAS/CAS service cost adjustment $347 $364 Other unallocated items and eliminations ($173) ($712) Other income, net $112 $106 Interest and debt expense ($262) ($123) Effective tax rate 57.4% 7.9%

At quarter-end, Boeing Capital's net portfolio balance was $2.2 billion. Revenue from other unallocated items and eliminations increased primarily due to the timing of eliminations for intercompany aircraft deliveries. The change in earnings from other unallocated items and eliminations is primarily due to lower deferred compensation expense and a customer financing impairment charge taken in the first quarter of 2019. Interest and debt expense increased due to higher debt balances. The first quarter effective tax rate reflects tax benefits related to the 5 year net operating loss carryback provision in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act as well as the impact of pre-tax losses.

Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures

We supplement the reporting of our financial information determined under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (GAAP) with certain non-GAAP financial information. The non-GAAP financial information presented excludes certain significant items that may not be indicative of, or are unrelated to, results from our ongoing business operations. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide investors with additional insight into the company's ongoing business performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures, and other companies may define such measures differently. We encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. The following definitions are provided:

Core Operating (Loss)/Earnings, Core Operating Margin and Core (Loss)/Earnings Per Share

Core operating (loss)/earnings is defined as GAAP (loss)/earnings from operations excluding the FAS/CAS service cost adjustment. The FAS/CAS service cost adjustment represents the difference between the FAS pension and postretirement service costs calculated under GAAP and costs allocated to the business segments. Core operating margin is defined as core operating (loss)/earnings expressed as a percentage of revenue. Core (loss)/earnings per share is defined as GAAP diluted (loss)/earnings per share excluding the net (loss)/earnings per share impact of the FAS/CAS service cost adjustment and Non-operating pension and postretirement expenses. Non-operating pension and postretirement expenses represent the components of net periodic benefit costs other than service cost. Pension costs, comprising service and prior service costs computed in accordance with GAAP are allocated to Commercial Airplanes and BGS businesses supporting commercial customers. Pension costs allocated to BDS and BGS businesses supporting government customers are computed in accordance with U.S. Government Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), which employ different actuarial assumptions and accounting conventions than GAAP. CAS costs are allocable to government contracts. Other postretirement benefit costs are allocated to all business segments based on CAS, which is generally based on benefits paid. Management uses core operating (loss)/earnings, core operating margin and core (loss)/earnings per share for purposes of evaluating and forecasting underlying business performance. Management believes these core (loss)/earnings measures provide investors additional insights into operational performance as they exclude non-service pension and post-retirement costs, which primarily represent costs driven by market factors and costs not allocable to government contracts. A reconciliation between the GAAP and non-GAAP measures is provided on page 13.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is GAAP operating cash flow reduced by capital expenditures for property, plant and equipment. Management believes free cash flow provides investors with an important perspective on the cash available for shareholders, debt repayment, and acquisitions after making the capital investments required to support ongoing business operations and long term value creation. Free cash flow does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures as it excludes certain mandatory expenditures such as repayment of maturing debt. Management uses free cash flow as a measure to assess both business performance and overall liquidity. Table 2 provides a reconciliation of free cash flow to GAAP operating cash flow.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "should," "expects," "intends," "projects," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "targets," "anticipates," and similar expressions generally identify these forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements relating to our future financial condition and operating results, as well as any other statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable when made, but that may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are risks related to: (1) the COVID-19 pandemic and related government actions, including with respect to our operations, our liquidity and access to funding, the health of our customers and suppliers, and future demand for our products and services; (2) the 737 MAX, including the timing and conditions of 737 MAX regulatory approvals, delays in the resumption of production, lower than planned production rates and/or delivery rates, and increased considerations to customers and suppliers, (3) general conditions in the economy and our industry, including those due to regulatory changes; (4) our reliance on our commercial airline customers; (5) the overall health of our aircraft production system, planned commercial aircraft production rate changes, our commercial development and derivative aircraft programs, and our aircraft being subject to stringent performance and reliability standards; (6) changing budget and appropriation levels and acquisition priorities of the U.S. government; (7) our dependence on U.S. government contracts; (8) our reliance on fixed-price contracts; (9) our reliance on cost-type contracts; (10) uncertainties concerning contracts that include in-orbit incentive payments; (11) our dependence on our subcontractors and suppliers, as well as the availability of raw materials; (12) changes in accounting estimates; (13) changes in the competitive landscape in our markets; (14) our non-U.S. operations, including sales to non-U.S. customers; (15) threats to the security of our or our customers' information; (16) potential adverse developments in new or pending litigation and/or government investigations; (17) customer and aircraft concentration in our customer financing portfolio; (18) changes in our ability to obtain debt on commercially reasonable terms and at competitive rates; (19) realizing the anticipated benefits of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures/strategic alliances or divestitures; (20) the adequacy of our insurance coverage to cover significant risk exposures; (21) potential business disruptions, including those related to physical security threats, information technology or cyber-attacks, epidemics, sanctions or natural disasters; (22) work stoppages or other labor disruptions; (23) substantial pension and other postretirement benefit obligations; and (24) potential environmental liabilities.

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact: Investor Relations: Maurita Sutedja or Keely Moos (312) 544-2140 Communications: Michael Friedman media@boeing.com

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) Three months ended

March 31 (Dollars in millions, except per share data) 2020 2019 Sales of products $14,191 $20,225 Sales of services 2,717 2,692 Total revenues 16,908 22,917 Cost of products (14,713) (16,238) Cost of services (2,043) (2,389) Boeing Capital interest expense (12) (18) Total costs and expenses (16,768) (18,645) 140 4,272 (Loss)/income from operating investments, net (2) 20 General and administrative expense (873) (1,184) Research and development expense, net (672) (866) Gain on dispositions, net 54 108 (Loss)/earnings from operations (1,353) 2,350 Other income, net 112 106 Interest and debt expense (262) (123) (Loss)/earnings before income taxes (1,503) 2,333 Income tax benefit/(expense) 862 (184) Net (loss)/earnings ($641) $2,149 Less: net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest ($13) Net (loss)/earnings attributable to Boeing Shareholders ($628) $2,149 Basic (loss)/earnings per share ($1.11) $3.79 Diluted (loss)/earnings per share ($1.11) $3.75 Weighted average diluted shares (millions) 565.9 572.4

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (Unaudited) (Dollars in millions, except per share data) March 31

2020 December 31

2019 Assets Cash and cash equivalents $15,039 $9,485 Short-term and other investments 488 545 Accounts receivable, net 3,211 3,266 Unbilled receivables, net 9,365 9,043 Current portion of customer financing, net 149 162 Inventories 80,020 76,622 Other current assets, net 2,739 3,106 Total current assets 111,011 102,229 Customer financing, net 2,116 2,136 Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $19,591 and $19,342 12,405 12,502 Goodwill 8,057 8,060 Acquired intangible assets, net 3,256 3,338 Deferred income taxes 678 683 Investments 1,124 1,092 Other assets, net of accumulated amortization of $611 and $580 4,428 3,585 Total assets $143,075 $133,625 Liabilities and equity Accounts payable $14,963 $15,553 Accrued liabilities 21,483 22,868 Advances and progress billings 52,883 51,551 Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt 5,173 7,340 Total current liabilities 94,502 97,312 Deferred income taxes 336 413 Accrued retiree health care 4,483 4,540 Accrued pension plan liability, net 15,962 16,276 Other long-term liabilities 3,398 3,422 Long-term debt 33,754 19,962 Shareholders' equity: Common stock, par value $5.00 - 1,200,000,000 shares authorized; 1,012,261,159 shares issued 5,061 5,061 Additional paid-in capital 6,595 6,745 Treasury stock, at cost - 447,947,807 and 449,352,405 shares (54,842) (54,914) Retained earnings 49,854 50,644 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (16,333) (16,153) Total shareholders' equity (9,665) (8,617) Noncontrolling interests 305 317 Total equity (9,360) (8,300) Total liabilities and equity $143,075 $133,625

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) Three months ended

March 31 (Dollars in millions) 2020 2019 Cash flows - operating activities: Net (loss)/earnings ($641) $2,149 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: Non-cash items - Share-based plans expense 55 47 Depreciation and amortization 556 521 Investment/asset impairment charges, net 26 34 Customer financing valuation adjustments 249 Gain on dispositions, net (54) (108) Other charges and credits, net 97 74 Changes in assets and liabilities - Accounts receivable (54) 206 Unbilled receivables (402) (183) Advances and progress billings 1,337 1,857 Inventories (2,973) (2,725) Other current assets 328 164 Accounts payable (1,030) 1,624 Accrued liabilities (583) (919) Income taxes receivable, payable and deferred (892) 116 Other long-term liabilities (69) (281) Pension and other postretirement plans (179) (188) Customer financing, net 23 152 Other 153 (1) Net cash (used)/provided by operating activities (4,302) 2,788 Cash flows - investing activities: Property, plant and equipment additions (428) (501) Property, plant and equipment reductions 58 110 Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (276) Contributions to investments (244) (457) Proceeds from investments 227 366 Other 8 (9) Net cash used by investing activities (379) (767) Cash flows - financing activities: New borrowings 17,433 5,237 Debt repayments (5,854) (4,374) Contributions from noncontrolling interests 7 Stock options exercised 21 42 Employee taxes on certain share-based payment arrangements (162) (233) Common shares repurchased (2,341) Dividends paid (1,158) (1,161) Net cash provided/(used) by financing activities 10,280 (2,823) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents, including restricted (47) 1 Net increase/(decrease) in cash & cash equivalents, including restricted 5,552 (801) Cash & cash equivalents, including restricted, at beginning of year 9,571 7,813 Cash & cash equivalents, including restricted, at end of period 15,123 7,012 Less restricted cash & cash equivalents, included in Investments 84 176 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $15,039 $6,836

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Summary of Business Segment Data

(Unaudited)

Effective at the beginning of 2020, certain programs were realigned between our Defense, Space & Security segment and Unallocated items, eliminations and other. Business segment data for 2019 has been adjusted to reflect the realignment.

Three months ended

March 31 (Dollars in millions) 2020 2019 Revenues: Commercial Airplanes $6,205 $11,822 Defense, Space & Security 6,042 6,587 Global Services 4,628 4,619 Boeing Capital 65 66 Unallocated items, eliminations and other (32) (177) Total revenues $16,908 $22,917 (Loss)/earnings from operations: Commercial Airplanes ($2,068) $1,173 Defense, Space & Security (191) 852 Global Services 708 653 Boeing Capital 24 20 Segment operating (loss)/profit (1,527) 2,698 Unallocated items, eliminations and other (173) (712) FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 347 364 (Loss)/earnings from operations (1,353) 2,350 Other income, net 112 106 Interest and debt expense (262) (123) (Loss)/earnings before income taxes (1,503) 2,333 Income tax benefit/(expense) 862 (184) Net (loss)/earnings ($641) $2,149 Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest (13) Net (loss)/earnings attributable to Boeing Shareholders (628) 2,149 Research and development expense, net: Commercial Airplanes $425 $564 Defense, Space & Security 163 184 Global Services 30 40 Other 54 78 Total research and development expense, net $672 $866 Unallocated items, eliminations and other: Share-based plans ($18) ($14) Deferred compensation 193 (102) Amortization of previously capitalized interest (23) (24) Customer financing impairment (250) Research and development expense, net (54) (78) Eliminations and other unallocated items (271) (244) Sub-total (included in core operating earnings) (173) (712) Pension FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 255 274 Postretirement FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 92 90 FAS/CAS service cost adjustment 347 364 Total $174 ($348)

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries Operating and Financial Data (Unaudited) Deliveries Three months ended

March 31 Commercial Airplanes 2020 2019 737 5 89 747 - 2 767 10 12 777 6 10 (1) 787 29 36 Total 50 149 Note: Aircraft accounted for as revenues by BCA and as operating leases in consolidation identified by parentheses Defense, Space & Security AH-64 Apache (New) 2 6 AH-64 Apache (Remanufactured) 14 22 C-17 Globemaster III - - C-40A - - CH-47 Chinook (New) 9 7 CH-47 Chinook (Renewed) 1 4 F-15 Models - 4 F/A-18 Models 5 7 KC-46 Tanker 5 7 P-8 Models 3 3 Commercial and Civil Satellites - - Military Satellites - - Total backlog(Dollars in millions) March 31

2020 December 31

2019 Commercial Airplanes $351,778 $376,593 Defense, Space & Security 63,578 63,691 Global Services 22,747 22,902 Unallocated items, eliminations and other 491 217 Total backlog $438,594 $463,403 Contractual backlog $414,165 $436,473 Unobligated backlog 24,429 26,930 Total backlog $438,594 $463,403

The Boeing Company and Subsidiaries

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

(Unaudited)

The tables provided below reconcile the non-GAAP financial measures core operating (loss)/earnings, core operating margin, and core (loss)/earnings per share with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, (loss)/earnings from operations, operating margin, and diluted (loss)/earnings per share. See page 6 of this release for additional information on the use of these non-GAAP financial measures.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  After the most chaotic primary in recent memory, former Vice President Joe Biden won Ohios Democratic presidential contest Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

That outcome has been known for weeks with Biden the lone remaining candidate after Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the race in early April, with the AP calling the race for Biden around 8:10 p.m. Biden will take the vast majority of the states 136 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August.

The Biden campaign declined to comment.

The foregone conclusion of Bidens victory rendered the presidential primary mostly moot in the state. Though the dynamics of the coronavirus pandemic have made Ohio a more intriguing battleground prospect between Biden and Republican President Donald Trump than most thought even a month ago.

As President Trump continues to keep his promises and deliver results for the American people, Ohio Democrats have officially embraced socialism by throwing their support behind Joe Biden," said Dan Lusheck, spokesman for Trumps Ohio campaign. "Come November, Ohioans will make their voices heard loud and clear when they say yes to four more years and reelect President Trump.

Results were still trickling in when the AP called the race for Biden. By 11:30 p.m., Biden still led comfortably with around 74% of the vote and nearly 65% of the states precincts reporting. Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties, the three largest in the state, did not have results reported by that time.

Biden was already trending toward victory in the states March 17 primary before the coronavirus pandemic worsened. Both Biden and Sanders had rallies scheduled for March 10 in Cleveland, a sign that Ohio was shaping up to be a potential battleground.

But just one day prior to those scheduled rallies, the state confirmed its first case of coronavirus and Gov. Mike DeWine suggested both candidates should consider canceling their events just hours before they were set to begin, to which both complied.

By weeks end, campaigning in the state ground to a halt with limitations on mass gatherings, severely hampering Sanders main campaign tool and dampening his prospects of a Midwestern rebound.

On March 16, less than 24 hours before in-person voting was scheduled to start, DeWines health director, Dr. Amy Acton, ordered voting suspended due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. Lawmakers rescheduled the election for April 28 and switched the primary to nearly all vote-by-mail.

Sanders suspended his campaign on April 8, clearing the way for a Biden victory. Democratic National Committee rules only award statewide at-large delegates to candidates with active campaigns, meaning Biden started the day with 47 delegates from Ohio before vote totals were even made public.

Sanders and the 8 candidates who remained on the ballot can still win a portion of delegates awarded based on congressional districts, though they must reach at least 15% of the vote.

Regardless, the race has already shifted to the general election where Biden and the Democrats are hoping to topple Republican President Donald Trump. With job losses and unemployment at historic levels, Democrats may be able to regain their footing in the Midwest, including Ohio.

Ohio appeared firmly in Trumps control as late as March of this year, but the coronavirus pandemic mixed with a worsening economy has put the race in a state of flux. Trump won the state in 2016 over Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 8 percentage points.

A poll from Baldwin Wallace University, Oakland University and Ohio Northern University released Monday showed Biden with a narrow lead over Trump by less than 1 percentage point.

Tom Sutton, political science professor and director of Baldwin Wallace Universitys Community Research Center, said trends from a similar poll in March showed softening support for Trump among his base. Disaffected and unenthusiastic Republicans may opt to sit the election out, boding well for Biden.

It may rather be those votes stay home, Sutton said. That was Clintons problem in 2016.

But Biden faces his own challenges in uniting a divided Democratic Party and bridging an enthusiasm gap with the more liberal wing of the party. Elected Democrats have mostly rallied around Biden -- including Sanders, who endorsed Biden shortly after ending his bid -- but intense differences persist among the grassroots.

The core of Sanders volunteer effort in Ohio released a statement Monday night refusing to endorse Biden, citing his more moderate views on health care and sexual assault allegations against Biden from the 1990s when he was a senator from Delaware.

We cannot in good conscience endorse or even advocate for Ohio voters to vote for Joe Biden, in spite of Donald Trump, the most dangerous President in our history, the group said in a statement posted on Twitter. We encourage voters to still vote for many of the progressive candidates that will be on the ballot in November. We encourage Ohio voters to donate and volunteer to Senate candidates in races that will help us stop Trump by using the powers of the legislative branch.

Read more cleveland.com politics coverage:

Ohio judge rejects lawsuit seeking electronic signatures for state ballot issue petitions

Voters casting in-person ballots around Ohio on final day of mostly vote-by-mail primary election

With the coronavirus now in all 88 Ohio counties, why was Vinton County the last?

Gov. Mike DeWine faced pressure to rapidly scale back coronavirus restrictions. He didnt cave.
(Corrects name of one city Delta wants to suspend service to from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo in paragraph four)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways Corp and Spirit Airlines on Tuesday asked the U.S. Transportation Department for approval to suspend flights to more than two dozen U.S. airports.

U.S. travel demand has fallen by more than 95% because of the coronavirus pandemic and airports are trying to cut costs to stay in business.

JetBlue wants to halt flights to 16 U.S. airports, including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit through Sept. 30.

Delta wants to suspend flights to nine airports including Lansing, Flint and Kalamazoo in Michigan, and Worcester, Massachusetts, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Pocatello, Idaho, Brunswick, Georgia and Melbourne, Florida. Delta argues passengers can other use nearby airports.

Delta says between April 1-April 22, just 1 to 14 passengers daily flew on the airline's planes each way from those 9 airports.

Spirit Airlines Inc asked the department for approval to suspend flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Portland and Phoenix, arguing requiring the flights "during a period of almost zero demand is against the public interest as it wastes scarce financial resources while adding virtually nothing."

The airlines must maintain minimum service levels in exchange for getting cash grants from the U.S. Treasury to assist in payroll costs unless the department issues a waiver.

JetBlue said it "fully intends to gradually resume service to the levels prescribed (by the Transportation Department) at each of these airports as soon as it is both safe to do so and when even the slightest customer demand re-emerges."

Earlier this month, the department rejected most of Spirit's requests to halt flights and said Spirit had to resume flights to the New York City area and to other tri-state airports after it suspended service to all New York, New Jersey and Connecticut airports it serves.

Story continues

The department earlier also required JetBlue to keep flying to nine destinations, including Portland, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis.

On Monday, the department said it rejected most requests by United Airlines and Frontier Airlines to suspend some flights.

United had sought to suspend flights to more than a dozen airports including Santa Fe, New Mexico, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Frontier asked approval to suspend service to 33 U.S. airports through June 10 and the department approved just three requests for service to Detroit, Charlotte and the Boston area.

United and Frontier declined to comment. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler)
National Security Minister Stuart Young is under fire from the Barbados Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Barbados ministry says it is deeply disturbed by Youngs comment that Caricom nations should not allow their offices to be used by persons intent on compromising Trinidad and Tobagos border policy.
The opposition NDC struggles with self complex problems- they give up easily, National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) Sammi Awuku reacted to the largest opposition questioning of Akufo-Addos 88 hospitals to be built in various districts.



He stressed: the difference between us and the NDC is that we dont give up easily the ruling party Organizer told host Kweku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa Morning Show.



Some elements of the opposition NDC, are questioning President Akufo-Addos big plan of securing some 88 hospitals in various districts without health facilities and another six in the newly created regions.



President Akufo-Addo during his 8th address to the nation on measures taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country, said he has on his radar the construction of these facilities in the districts as the global plague has exposed the unequal distribution of health facilities in the country



We must do something urgently about this. That is why Government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure, the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing eighty-eight (88) hospitals in the districts without hospitals.



It will mean ten (10) in Ashanti, nine (9) in Volta, nine (9) in Central, eight (8) in Eastern, seven (7) in Greater Accra, seven (7) in Upper East, five (5) in Northern, five (5) in Oti, five (5) in Upper West, five (5) in Bono, four (4) in Western North, four (4) in Western, three (3) in Ahafo, three (3) in Savannah, two (2) in Bono East, and two (2) in North East Regions, he added.



But NDC MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Casiel Ato Forson questioned the plan and wondered, how government was going to fund the project.



In a reaction to the disbelief exhibited by their opponents, Sammi Awuku said hes not surprised about this, as the NDC had variously discounted very viable projects and programmes of the Akufo-Addo administration.



The NDC ridiculing the 88 new district hospitals and six regional hospitals does not come to me as a surprise at all because they give up easily- they gave up on galamsey. they gave up on free SHS when there were challenges, but we never gave up, we solved them. Again when you look at Dumsor, in 2015,2016 we were virtually in darkness, and they completely gave up in the fight against dumsor. When we took over the reins of power we made sure we fix Dumsor.



The NDC gave up on the economy, we never did and now we have a strong and resilient economy. That is why after coming out of the IMF conditionalities, we still received support from the IMF following the civid-19 crisis because they know were better managers of the economy and so getting their monies back wont be difficult.





Source: kasapafmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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ALBANY  More than a dozen major car insurance carriers are moving to lower their rates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Yorkers could see savings of 10 to 25 percent in their next bills, assuming the state bureaucracy and insurance companies can alter the bills in time.

Simple math says that if youre driving less  or not driving at all  liability will be reduced, Hudson Valley Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Cahill said.

If you are not driving your car there is less risk associated with it, he said. The idea is to put money back into the pockets of people who need it right now.

Cahill, who chairs the Assembly insurance committee along with fellow Democrat, Capital Region Sen. Neil Breslin, chair of the senate insurance committee, and with Long Island GOP Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino, this week urged the state Department of Financial Services to expedite approval of the requested rate reductions.

Breslin said insurance companies have been saving large amounts by having fewer claims to pay since the state went on lockdown.

While insurance companies need DFS approval for rate increases, they also need permission to lower their rates.

Several New York insurers have been waiting for a significant period of time for permission to return funds to their customers, said Cahill.

He did add that DFS has been working overtime to deal with health insurance questions and issues that have arisen from the pandemic. But now they should turn to auto rates as well, since auto insurance companies started asking for permission to lower rates earlier in the month.

DFS officials say they should have the approvals ready this week.

DFS has worked expeditiously to place the New York State-regulated insurers in a position to obtain accelerated filing approvals and has now begun approving the corrected filings, the agency said in a prepared statement.

We anticipate that any uncorrected current filings could be approved this week.

More for you Car insurance rates up in the Capital Region over the last year

Statistics appear to back up the idea that, with so many people home, auto accidents are down.

State Police reported 30 percent fewer crashes in March 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Associated Press.

And the Consumer Federation of America estimates that traffic across New York is down 65 percent due to the pandemic. That number rises to an estimated 85 percent in New York City, added Doug Heller, who follows insurance issues for the Federation.

Garbarino noted that auto rates went up on Long Island following Superstorm Sandy since the cost was based on the areas overall experience, known as community rating.

Now, with cars in garages, the Long Island Expressway nearly empty, our businesses reduced to a trickle and everyone who can is staying home, it is time to recognize this experience and reduce the rates, he said.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

State Farm, Progressive, Nationwide, USAA, Allstate, Geico, and Liberty Mutual are among the companies looking to lower rates.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, companies are instituting about $10.5 billion in reductions nationwide. All of the Top 15 insurers have agreed to reductions, said Heller. The reductions can come in the form of rebates, or lower premiums in coming months.

There may be a bit of enlightened self-interest in the reductions as well.

A 2019 report by the J.D. Power survey company found that fewer people are entering the auto insurance market and those with insurance are increasingly shopping around for the best price.

Insurers have only one option when it comes to growing their business: taking market share from competitors, the survey concluded. They found that the rate at which customers switched companies rose from 31% to 35% in 2019. Of those who were shopping around, 64 percent cited the price.

Last year, New York had the 10th highest auto insurance rate in the nation, with a statewide annual average rate of $1,688, although that included New York Citys cost of $2,392, according to The Zebra, a price comparison website. That was up 22 percent since 2014.

The Consumer Federation in a 2015 survey had New York with the second highest rates overall, behind New Jersey.

Heller noted that New York is among a handful of states that allow insurers to raise or lower rates about 5 percent without prior approval. The ability to keep instituting those modest raises can cause the rates to rise steadily over time.

He said California mandated that auto insurance carriers provide rebates or discounts. To not do so, Heller said, insurance companies would be reaping a "coronavirus windfall."

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 RickKarlin@TU
Researchers proposed a new approach to improve the efficiency of mathematical modeling of the processes in materials at the nanoscale.

Researchers from Higher School of Theoretical Mechanics of Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and Tel Aviv University proposed a new approach to improve the efficiency of mathematical modeling of the processes in materials at the nanoscale. It is essential for the further development of nanotechnology. The results are presented in an article published in the Q1 journal Mechanics Research Communications.

The scientists investigated single-layer molybdenum disulfide (SLMoS2). This is a two-dimensional material with a large number of promising applications, such as miniature sensors, nanodevices, etc. Usually, methods of computational mechanics are used to design engineering devices. However, on a nanoscale, such methods are either not valid or too time-consuming. Researchers proposed to combine the atoms of SLMoS2 into the imaginary rigid grains.

"The laws of interaction between the grains were fitted to fulfill the elastic properties of the original crystal lattice. The number of bonds between the grains is much smaller than those between the atoms of the same part of a crystal lattice. As a result, the calculations with grains are much faster than with atoms, " said the alumni of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Dr. Igor Berinskii, senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Artem Panchenko, postdoctoral researcher at TAU.

Dr. Ekaterina Podolskaya, associate professor at the Higher School of Theoretical Mechanics SPbPU, adds: "With our method, the calculations became simpler, which gives a possibility to predict the mechanical response to tension and to study its failure mechanism. This is important for further applications of this material in nanoengineering".

In the next series of computational experiments, the scientific group plans to introduce the deformable grains. It will help to calculate correctly not only small but also large deformations in the material. According to researchers, the proposed approach can be further used for other laws of atomic interaction and different types of grains.

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Many people just dont believe the number of coronavirus deaths is accurate. They just dont believe the state or the federal government really knows how many people have contracted COVID-19 or how many people have died from it.

Thats what many PennLives readers told Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick and York Coroner Pamela Gay during Mondays PennLives Coronavirus Q & A on Facebook Live. And the coroners agreed.

Some coroners in Pennsylvania have questions about how the state is counting coronavirus deaths. They believe coroners should determine the cause of death in coronavirus cases and report it to authorities, rather than the other way around. Many also are concerned the count of coronavirus deaths may be inaccurate. Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick and York Coroner Pamela Gay join the Coronavirus Q & A today to discuss the role coroners are playing in the coronavirus crisis and the controversy over how the state is determining the cause of death when the virus strikes. Get you questions ready. Posted by PennLive.com on Monday, April 27, 2020

Hetrick and Gay are not sure how the Pennsylvania State Department of Health is determining whos died of the coronavirus, and theyre confused about discrepancies in their stats and those coming from the state. The numbers dont jibe, and thats raising suspicions about whether state officials have a firm grasp on the toll this virus has taken in the state and how to determine when it is actually on the wane.

The key issue involves transparency  the same issue business leaders have brought up; and the same issue PennLive s readers are echoing on a number of fronts -- from business opening waivers to the coronavirus death count.

Just how are state officials arriving at their conclusions about when the virus might be on the decline, and when we can start reopening? Regarding the death toll, are state officials consulting people who might provide valuable guidance and expertise  like coroners?

The Dauphin County forensic center and offices of county Coroner Graham Hetrick. November 12, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Gay is concerned about one key issue that directly impacts the death count. The states numbers include presumes -- people they suspect died of the coronavirus, but they havent done the testing to corroborate the presumptions.

So, what happens when the test comes back negative, Gay asked? Are they going to go back and take it out?

Pam Gay has been coroner in York County since 2013.

Well, the fact is, the state has revised death statistics several times, including in York, she said. And that would be ok, if state officials explained why they revised the number of dead. PennLive has invited state officials to answer questions directly from readers on our Coronavirus Q & A discussions on Facebook Live, but they have declined so far. And they havent answered questions from the coroners, despite their repeated entreaties for a sit down to work through the issues.

There have been promises to meet, but thats about it, Gay said. And thats not good. Coroners should be at the table involved in the discussion about determining whos died from the coronavirus. Figuring out the cause of death is what coroners do best. It would make sense to consult them and have them in the room when guidelines are being established. That would go a long way to answer questions like these from our readers:

Jeff Oswald: Its very suspicious that this many deaths are due to the virus . . . I find it tough to believe.

Yes, some people still believe this is much ado about nothing. Whatever the state has done so far hasnt reached the doubters and naysayers, who are still disputing the fact that COVID-19 can kill.

Arla Woodling: What about the doctors, and other medical personnel, who are saying they are told to classify the death as Covid, because the hospital is paid 3X what they'd be paid for other death causes?

Without the right voices around the table, people become suspicious and all kinds of conspiracy theories take hold, including hospitals are being paid to classify deaths as due to the coronavirus.

Ross Bowman: COVID deaths are underreported!

Gretchen Snyder-Kyle: Yes! It's definitely too low! No or very few tests .

Sherry Wright: Figures lie; Liars figure Thank you to these Coroners.

The last comments are closer to what the coroners believe. They believe the death count is actually too low because many deaths, including in homes, are not being classified correctly. Better processes need to be put into place to make sure even home deaths are being investigated during this pandemic.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine discusses the coronavirus at a press conference. (PA Post).

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine needs to work with coroners to establish sound procedures for determining cause of death and being able to document it for historical records. Coroners have a lot of expertise to help develop the right procedures. And their concerns are valid about the importance of their understanding the processes so they can respond to an increasingly skeptical public on both side of the political spectrum.

To be clear, neither Hetrick nor Gay is disputing the seriousness of COVID-19. They know the virus has killed thousands of people and likely will kill thousands more.

This is a deadly, deadly virus, Gay said. People should take it seriously.

What they are saying is they need more transparency from state officials, and they think their considerable experience could help address concerns that state statistics just arent reliable or accurate during this unprecedented time in the nations history.

Kathy Parson, a PennLive reader, summed it up best: The true cause needs to be on death certificate . . .(the) family deserves that.

And the coroners can help ensure a more accurate death count that the public just might believe.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Restricted freedom of expression, a gagged press or disempowered constitutional courts - as a rule, these are characteristics of autocracies. But the Bertelsmann Stiftung's latest Transformation Index shows that the rule of law and political freedoms are also being eroded in an increasing number of democracies. The main causes are abuse of power and cronyism, which increase economic inequality and contribute to social cleavages. The effects of the corona pandemic threaten to intensify these developments.

Gutersloh (Germany), 29 April 2020 . The number of people who are governed poorly and less democratically is increasing worldwide. For the sixth time in a row, the ratings of Bertelsmann Stiftung's international Transformation Index (BTI) for the quality of democracy, market economy and governance have dropped, now to their lowest level since the BTI survey began. Since 2004, the index has assessed political and economic developments in developing and transition countries every two years. Of the 137 countries currently examined, the BTI classifies 74 as democracies and 63 as autocracies.

Weak democracies, repressive autocracies

The current share of democracies in the countries examined is 54 percent. This is not a major step backwards compared to the BTI 2010 (57 percent). The declining global average scores for democracy are essentially the result of weaker democracies and more repressive autocracies. For example, the separation of powers has been significantly eroded in 60 states over the past decade. In 58 countries, demonstration rights and freedom of organization have been restricted. Freedom of opinion and freedom of the press have even been reduced in half of all the countries examined. This negative trend continues almost unabated in the current BTI. In about one-fifth of the developing and transition countries studied, the quality of democracy has declined or the level of repression has risen again. The Hungarian emergency legislation with its indefinite suspension of the separation of powers exemplifies the fact that the fight against COVID-19 will further promote the trend towards a strong executive branch and will be instrumentalized by some heads of state to consolidate authoritarian structures.

According to the authors, the dismantling of the rule of law and civil liberties in once-stable democracies is striking. Examples of this are Hindu nationalism in India, right-wing populism in Brazil or the authoritarian course of EU member Hungary. The developments in these countries are representative of the increasing political polarization that is also shaking consolidated democracies. This is often accompanied by the suppression of opposition and ethnic or religious minorities. This is also the case in Turkey, which the authors classify as an autocracy for the first time due to massive restrictions on the freedom of the press, gross disregard for civil rights and the undermining of the separation of powers.

"Nationalism and nepotism are not new, but they have become acceptable worldwide. Even former democratic frontrunners who, like Poland or Hungary, are located in the heart of Europe are now showing alarming setbacks when it comes to the rule of law and the quality of democracy," says Brigitte Mohn, member of Bertelsmann Stiftungs Executive Board.

Lack of responses to political and socioeconomic challenges

Causes for the destabilization of established political orders are the inability of political actors to solve problems, clientelism and a lack of willingness to compromise. The majority of governments fail to find answers to the problem of economic and social exclusion of broad sections of the population. Poverty and inequality are widespread in 76 of 137 countries, including 46 of 50 African countries. In view of rudimentary health systems and precarious living conditions, the weakest members of these societies are particularly vulnerable to the devastating effects of the current pandemic.

These chronic deficiencies are often the consequences of a concentration of power and nepotism. A small elite operates these at the expense of the majority of the population and undermines confidence in democracy and the market economy. The BTI 2020 has recorded distorted political and economic competition in a growing number of countries, now numbering over 100. This applies not only to the 63 autocracies, but also to numerous democracies with a weak separation of powers, such as Hungary and Serbia, or with inadequate competition policies, such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Accordingly, the quality of governance in many developing and transition countries is declining. People in autocratically governed countries are particularly affected by poor governance. Of the 42 very well and well-governed countries, only one is autocratic: Singapore. In contrast, of the 46 countries with poor or failed governance, only five are democracies: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Lesotho, Lebanon and Nigeria. Overall, in this decade alone, governance quality fell significantly in 42 countries. These include populous countries with large economies such as Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Turkey. The consensus-building elements of governance, in particular, have deteriorated. Existing ethnic, religious or regional cleavages are often exploited and deepened.A lack of public confidence and inadequate political leadership are poor prerequisites for successful crisis management and the containment of COVID-19.

Glimmers of hope against the authoritarian trend

More repression in autocracies, more deficiencies in democracies: this trend is not irreversible. In Ecuador, an increasingly authoritarian regime was overcome, and democratization processes began in unexpected places such as Armenia and Malaysia. There were also rays of hope against the authoritarian trend in Ethiopia and  after the end of the BTI assessment period  also in Algeria or Sudan. There, prolonged protests have led to changes in government and hope for political change. The results of the BTI 2020 underline that positive impulses for transformation currently come far less frequently from governments than from critical civil societies that are resisting the dismantling of democratic standards.

Additional information

Since 2004, the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) has regularly analyzed and evaluated the quality of democracy, market economy and governance in currently 137 developing and transition countries. The assessment is based on over 5,000 pages of detailed country reports produced in cooperation with over 280 experts from leading universities and think tanks in more than 120 countries. The BTI is the only international comparative index that measures the quality of governance with self-assessed data and offers a comprehensive analysis of political management in transformation processes.
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

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Austrian Chancellor confirms plan for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in February
By Ron Herndon, Tony Hopson, Sr. and Kali Thorne Ladd

Herndon is director of Albina Head Start. Hopson is president and chief executive of Self Enhancement, Inc. Thorne Ladd is executive director of KairosPDX.

Not so long ago, there was a flood that decimated the black community and left residents homeless, jobless and without the roots and norms that anchored them. Portland was aware of the possibility of a flood wiping out this community but did little to prepare residents or prevent the catastrophic aftermath.

Fast forward a few decades and we see a similar tragedy heading for our community; a historic pandemic racing through the United States with Oregon being one of the early hotspots. It was clear within two weeks of the outbreak that certain demographic groups are being eviscerated. In cities throughout the U.S, black COVID-19 patients are dying at rates 2 to 3 times higher than their population. It is a tragic retelling of a story that has become all too familiar.

The recognition of such ill-preparedness fetched from the annals of history should be enough to raise a clarion call to action. Once more, the notorious history of an ostensibly liberal/progressive people callously disregarding the black community should weigh heavily on the conscience of its government leaders and compel them to act.

And yet, over a month into this long course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a community afflicted with the trauma of little protection in the past, finds itself here again.

Despite the data sounding alarm bells from the state to the county to the city, theres no strategic plan of action to specifically address prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery for black children, families and community. This is not to say the overarching plan to support residents of an entire city is not needed; or that emergency protections for the masses is not warranted. But when data shouts loudly that certain populations are more vulnerable to death than others and certain populations are more vulnerable to virus contraction than others, a rapid and immediate course of action is required. Strategic and offensive approaches are warranted. For a city that clings to the tenets of equity and opportunity for all, this foreshadows the egregious missteps of the past. If the potential cost were not peoples lives, perhaps it wouldnt seem so grave.

And so here we find ourselves, again.

But , this time we see the danger before the floodwaters have blown through the dike. Can Oregon and Portland right this ship? Or will we bear witness to another carnage left by a community for whom black people are an afterthought?

Joe McFerrin, president and chief executive of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center, and Rukaiyah Adams, chair of Albina Vision Trust, also co-authored this piece.
Anti-CAA protesters, who were served recovery notices to the tune of over Rs 1.41 crore for allegedly damaging government properties here, can breathe easy for a while as the order has been put "on hold" in view of the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) broke out in the Uttar Pradesh capital on December 19 last year and government properties were damaged in Khadra, Parivartan Chowk, Thakurganj and Kaiserbagh areas. There was brick-batting and several vehicles were also vandalised.

Taking strong note of this, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had asked officials to analyse the damages and realise penalty from those involved in the acts.

"The process to recover damages and of attaching properties of those involved in the state capital is on hold as only essential activities are going on. Once, the lockdown is over, action will certainly be taken," Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash told PTI.

The administration had served notices to 53 persons on the basis of police reports and the deadline for recovery was first week of April, after which the process of attachment of properties was to start.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a nationwide lockdown was imposed for 21 days from March 25 to prevent the spread of the disease. It was extended to May 3 by the central government.

As per details, in the Khadra area 13 protesters were identified and loss of property was estimated at Rs 21,76,000, while in Parivartan Chowk, 24 persons were identified and loss was estimated at Rs 69,65,000.

In the Thakurganj area, 10 persons were identified and the loss was Rs 47,85,800, while in Kaiserbagh six protesters were identified and the loss there was Rs 1,75,000.

All these 53 persons were served recovery notices by the administration and were asked to deposit the amount or face further action.

The administration had put up several hoardings across Lucknow identifying those accused of violence during the protests.

The Allahabad High Court, however, ordered the removal of posters put up by the Uttar Pradesh government in Lucknow which have information and photographs of alleged 'vandals' and directed the district magistrate and divisional commissioner to get the posters and hoardings removed.

It had observed that putting up the posters was "unwarranted interference in privacy of people".

TheSupreme Courttoo had questioned the powers of theUttar Pradeshgovernment to put up roadside posters of those accused of vandalism, and refused to interfere with the high court's order to take them down.

The apex court had told the state government that there was no law as of now to let it put up hoardings of those accused of vandalism.

The top court was hearing an appeal filed by the Uttar Pradesh government challenging the March 9 order of theAllahabad High Court that directed the state administration to remove the posters.

The hoardings can still be seen on the streets of the city making the intentions of the government clear that it will stand by it's decision of recovery.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We now know what to call the helicopter that will become the first craft to ply the skies of an alien world.

The little chopper that will launch to the Red Planet this summer with NASA's Mars 2020 rover Perseverance finally has a name: Ingenuity, agency officials announced today (April 29).

The moniker was submitted by Alabama 11th grader Vaneeza Rupani, as part of NASA's "Name the Rover" contest for Mars 2020. "Perseverance" won that competition , of course, but agency officials dipped back into the submission pool to hang a name on the solar-powered Mars helicopter. (Its name was just "Mars Helicopter" until today.)

Video: How the Mars helicopter Ingenuity will fly the Martian skies

Related: NASA's Mars 2020 rover Perseverance in pictures

Vaneeza Rupani (inset), a junior at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama, came up with the name Ingenuity for NASA's Mars Helicopter (an artist's impression of which is seen here) and the motivation behind it during NASA's "Name the Rover" essay contest. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/NIA/Rupani Family)

Naming "Ingenuity" (Image credit: Courtesy Rupani Family via NASA/JPL-Caltech) Find out how Alabama 11th grader Vanessa Rupani came up with the Mars helicopter's name "Ingenuity" in this NASA Q & A.

"Ingenuity encapsulates the values that our helicopter tech demo will showcase for everyone when it takes off next year as the first aircraft on another planet's surface," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who selected the name, said in a statement .

"It took a lot of hard and ingenious work to get the helicopter ready and then placed on the rover, and there's a lot more going to be required," Bridenstine added. "I was happy we had another great name from the naming contest finalists from which I was able to select something so representative of this exciting part of our next mission to Mars."

Perseverance is set to lift off this summer, with Ingenuity attached to its belly, during a three-week window that opens on July 17. The rover will touch down inside the Red Planet's Jezero Crater in February 2021 on a mission whose main tasks involve hunting for signs of ancient Mars life and collecting and caching samples for future return to Earth.

As Bridenstine mentioned, Ingenuity is a NASA tech demo; it carries no science instruments. After deploying from Perseverance on the Martian surface, the 4-lb. (1.8 kilograms) helicopter will make a series of short flights over a month-long test campaign. Ingenuity's success could pave the way for extensive aerial exploration of Mars by future rotorcraft, NASA officials have said.

The Mars 2020 naming contest kicked off last year and drew 28,000 essay submissions from K-12 students from every U.S. state and territory. This initial pool was whittled down to 155 semifinalists, which were further culled to nine finalists in January. NASA announced in early March that Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the agency's Science Mission Directorate, had picked Perseverance  a name submitted by Virginia seventh grader Alexander Mather  from this final group for the rover.

But Rupani's essay stood out as well, NASA officials said.

"The ingenuity and brilliance of people working hard to overcome the challenges of interplanetary travel are what allow us all to experience the wonders of space exploration," Rupani, who attends Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, Alabama, wrote in her essay submission. "Ingenuity is what allows people to accomplish amazing things, and it allows us to expand our horizons to the edges of the universe."

Mike Wall is the author of " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
Even as it indicated that restrictions will be eased in many districts, after May 3, when the extended national lockdown is scheduled to end, the Union government, on Wednesday, issued guidelines to enable the return of migrants to their home states by buses  a move welcomed by many states.

Both suggest that the Centre is now looking at relaxing the lockdown, in a phased manner.

In a tweet late on Wednesday night, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said, New guidelines to fight #COVID19 will come into effect from 4th May, which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts. Details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come.

A person familiar with the development said that the ministry had a comprehensive meeting on the lockdown, assessed that there had been tremendous gains due to the lockdown so far, full strictness shall be observed till May 3; and that there will be new guidelines with relaxations which will he communicated soon. While no specifics were offered, in the backdrop of statements that the government is focusing on resuming normal economic activity in green zones  which are currently unaffected by the coronavirus disease  it is likely that restriction will be eased in these regions.

The centres announcement  the first such official indication of what to expect after May 3  came hours after the government relaxed the norms for migrant movement. The decision on migrants came on the 36th day of the national lockdown, amid hundreds of thousands of migrant workers stranded away from their home or returning home on foot, and demands by states seeking policy clarity.

The MHA, in an order, said that migrant workers, students, tourists, pilgrims and other persons stranded in other states, should be allowed to move, and issued a protocol on how this should be done.

All states, the order said, should appoint nodal authorities who should register stranded individuals in their states. The sending and receiving states should then consult and agree with each other about movement by road. Those who wished to travel had to undergo screening, and only those who were asymptomatic could proceed. The order said that buses shall be used for enabling movement  and these should be sanitised and social distancing maintained in their seating arrangements. The states and union territories on the way shall allow the movement of such buses.

On Wednesday, Hindustan Times reported that Uttar Pradesh was planning to embark on an exercise to transport a million of its residents, all migrant workers, stuck outside the state back.

Emphasising the protocol to be followed once the stranded individuals get home, the order said, On arrival at their destination, such person(s) would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires the person(s) to be kept in institutional quarantine. The order stipulated periodic health check ups, and encouraging all such individuals to download the Aarogya Setu app.

The move comes just days after chief ministers in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the plight of migrant workers and difficulties they were facing. This was also a concern voiced by state chief secretaries in a meeting with the cabinet secretary, Rajiv Gauba, over the weekend. Close to five million workers would have to be brought back to their respective states, as per the data collected by the state governments till Tuesday afternoon.

There have been reports of thousands of migrants walking hundreds of kilometres to get home; in other instances, there have also been reports of disquiet and anger building up among migrant workers, and even spilling over on to the streets, as happened in Surat, where workers clashed with security personnel.

An official involved in the discussions in framing the guidelines pointed out that such a federal framework was necessary to ensure smooth transit through different states and setting a standard protocol for such operations. The guideline will be useful for states that were grappling to find ways to bring back its workers or students stranded outside. Some states had, in consultation with each other, began the process of getting back their residents  while others, such as Bihar, had wanted the Centre to frame guidelines.

Officials also pointed out that while the Centre had imposed a federal ban citing provisions under The Disaster Management Act (NDMA), 2005, the same law also stipulates Centres role in evacuation, rescue, temporary shelter or other immediate relief the one which has been used to erect temporary shelters across the states for migrant workers. According to a second official, the government also looked into a 1979 law, the inter-state migrant workmen act, while trying to find solutions to the migrant worker crisis. The law also gives the Centre sweeping powers to give directions to the states.

Commenting on the fresh guidelines for migrants, Yamini Aiyar, president and chief executive of the Centre for Policy Research, said, The MHA guidelines to facilitate inter-state travel for migrant labour to go home, if they choose to do so, is significant step in the direction of restoring the rights and dignity of hundreds of thousands of Indians who have suffered deeply since the lockdown was imposed. The next crucial measure, Aiyar said, that needed to be implemented on a war footing was the universalisation of food distribution and building a portable social security architecture. This will ensure that the crisis India has witnessed this last month is never repeated.

The move was welcomed by the states. Bihars chief minister Nitish Kumar said that the decision of the Centre was in keeping with states request. The Centre has taken a positive decision on our request. This will help a great deal in bringing back the interested migrant population stranded in different states. Following the Centres guidelines is in the interest of everyone. Bihar government has always followed the directions issued under the disaster management act, he added.

Others also pointed to the challenge involved in the exercise. Jharkhand chief secretary Sukhdev Singh said it would be a huge task as over 900,000 people, including workers and students, from the state were stranded and willing to come back. I have seen the notification. Its big number. We need to deliberate on their safe transit and post-transit measures as per covid-19 protocols, he said.

Earlier in the day, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren spoke to railway minister Piyush Goyal requesting him to provide train service to bring back students and migrant workers stuck in other states. But the Centres guidelines have clearly specified that movement has to happen through road, using buses, and thus has ruled out the possibility of resumption of immediate rail services.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 61F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy late. Low 41F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Throwing curfew norms to the wind, over 200 residents gathered in Dugri Phase 2 (ward number 44) in Ludhiana when administration officials reached the area to distribute ration on Wednesday.

The team was carrying 500 kits and had distributed around 250 kits in the CRPF colony taking full precautions.

The situation went out of control when the team went to distribute the kits in Dugri Phase 2 (near the overhead water reservoir). The residents gathered at the spot following which the officials took the vehicle to Dugri police station and the kits were distributed with the help of police.

As per the information, on Saturday, members of Sikh Danga Peedit Action Society had threatened to sit on a hunger strike if the administration failed to provide ration to the needy families.

Society president Surjit Singh, said, The needy families were raising hue and cry for many days over the failure of councillors to distribute ration. Finally, the administration has paid heed to the problem.

Singh said, The residents had not received ration for many days, so they gathered in large numbers. However, the ration was distributed with the help of police and residents were told to follow social distancing norms.

Dugri station house officer (SHO) inspector Surinder Singh said, The police managed to pacify the residents and the ration was then distributed at their doorsteps. We appeal to the residents to obey social distancing norms.

OVER 1 LAKH CALLS ON RATION HELPLINE NUMBER

The administration officials said that they received over one lakh calls at the ration helpline number (1905) in the last week, even though 12,000 ration kits are being distributed in the city on a daily basis. Further, the officials said that teams have been formed and all efforts are being made to distribute the ration among the needy.
The defensive, not-our-fault reaction has pretty much dried up.

And gone with the denial is the pattern of old practices that  in a moment's time  turned lower downtown Davenport into Mississippi backwater.

Davenport's flood-fighting system had performed effectively for years. The Flood of '19, however, uncovered its weaknesses.

I had driven to Buffalo early last April 30 to see how the sandbaggers were holding up. We'd heard the little bank there had to move its money to high ground because the river had made its way into town.

Cold and damp, volunteers huddled around piles of sand that Tuesday morning, rubbing their hands together for warmth.

When I got back to Davenport, I parked downtown and walked to the levee along River Drive to see how the HESCO barriers were holding.

The floodwaters appeared angry, pounding at the sand-filled cages with their brown waves. Two hours later, I was writing at my desk when I heard voices on the police scanner talking about a breach. A collection of reporters and photographers instantly dashed out of the newsroom, heading for the river on foot.

In doing the reporting necessary to write about what has changed since the river clobbered us that day, I looked at photos I'd taken, along with those shot by our and other photographers.

Nicole Gleason, Davenport's director of public works, did me the kindness of a quick, thorough response to questions about what specifically has changed in the city's flood plan to reduce the likelihood of another levee failure. One question I'd asked was whether those stationed along it now are required to wear life jackets.

The fact some were not wearing the protection was particularly shocking and worrisome, especially after seeing the city worker running for his life on the April 30 levee-breach video that came from a nearby surveillance camera.

"Yes, safety equipment has always been in our plan and made available to crews upon installation of the temporary flood wall," Gleason replied.

Photos taken that day told another story, though. In some photos, workers without life jackets stood atop the HESCO cages while tossing on sandbags to attempt to raise the level of protection, taking two risks. Topping the barriers with sandbags, we later learned, may have contributed to the levee failure.

One month after the breach, I took a photo of a worker stationed directly against the HESCO barriers who still was not wearing a life jacket, even though the river was right at 20 feet.

Rewatching the breach video from Roam, a new-at-the-time restaurant that never came back, reminds how relatively lucky we were. The losses were property and livelihoods, but not lives.

When it was over, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigated the failure and supplied the city with its findings and a set of recommendations for putting together a safer, more efficient flood plan. Though city officials initially attempted to minimize their role in the failure, they ultimately recognized the wisdom in taking the Corps' advice.

Simply put: The levee wasn't tall enough or strong enough to protect the lower downtown from the long-sustained rising of the river. The force and height of the floodwaters were too great, and the sand-filled baskets were pushed over, setting the raging floodwaters free. It is more apt to say the city failed the HESCOs than the HESCOs failed the city.

But that was then.

Gleason and her team at Public Works, along with other city departments that are involved in increasingly frequent flood fights, are better equipped to be successful.

For starters, a single row of HESCO barriers is not sufficient. A backup row should be put into place, so it can be quickly filled with sand if the flood forecast rises. When the water gets two-thirds of the way up the first row, another layer should be stacked on top.

When the river came up last month, the barriers were installed as instructed.

The city also removed some of the concrete planters that were built several years ago in the middle of River Drive. This gave workers the space they needed to maneuver equipment when setting up the barriers. Though a considerable waste of money, putting them in and tearing them out, it had to be done.

Gleason said the road surface in the area also was "roughed up" to create greater friction and help prevent the baskets from slipping and sliding against the pressure of floodwater.

The city also has acknowledged its error in failing to respond last year to attempts by the Corps to offer its expertise. From here on out, the Corps will inspect the flood barriers each time they're set up.

A communications system for downtown business owners, workers and residents now will help convey flood information, including emergency news.

City workers also got more training, which the Corps specifically advised.

Also new: Workers who monitor the flood barriers are required to wear life jackets when the river reaches 20 feet. That's five feet above flood stage, which seems like an unnecessarily high bar, but it's a start.

The city also is taking the Corps' advice and keeping the plastic sheeting off parts of the barriers, so the workers can properly monitor them. Last year, some of the barriers had lost up to nine inches of sand, which put them at risk, but the workers evidently didn't notice because of the plastic coverings.

As much as the catastrophic failure of the levee system one year ago irretrievably harmed people and property, it also delivered lessons that will serve the city for many floods to come. Only the next record flood will reveal whether the improvements are sufficient.

Outside of attempting to build a highly controversial, enormously expensive and potentially non-permissible permanent floodwall, the new-and-improved plan is what Davenport has to work with.

In other words, the downtown be damned  this time, in the best possible sense.

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By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the spike in Covid-19 positive cases in Kottayam and Idukki, the government has decided to have a thorough look into the state of affairs, especially the lockdown scenario. Briefing the media on Tuesday Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that, after the evaluation, the state government might have to go for new decisions.

At the same time, seven new places were added to the hotspot list. Four new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the state on Tuesday. The cases were from Kannur (three) and Kasaragod (one). Meanwhile, four persons recovered on Tuesday (two each from Kannur and Kasaragod).

Of the four positive cases, three were from the 3,101 samples collected on Monday. The samples are being tested at 14 labs. Of the collected samples, 2,682 turned negative whereas the results of 391 are pending. 25 samples were also sent for re-examination, the chief minister said. He said, of the 875 samples collected from the priority group consisting of health workers, migrants and those who are having constant social contact, the results of 801 turned negative.

At the same time, confusion prevailed over the status of the three cases from Idukki which were declared positive by the district administration on Tuesday morning. Trying to address the confusion, the CM said that the cases in Idukki were not included in the state-wide list because more confirmation was needed.

The CM said seven places have been included in the hotspot lists. They are Karunapuram, Munnar and Edavatty grama panchayats of Idukki, Melukavu panchayat and Changanassery municipality of Kottayam, Kaladi of Malappuram and Alathoor panchayat in Palakkad.

CM appreciates TNIE initiative

TPuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lauded The New Indian Express initiative of distributing face masks along with the newspaper. The New Indian Express had distributed masks along with the paper across the state. Its indeed a commendable action from the part of a media house, he said during his regular press briefing on Tuesday. It was on Sunday that TNIE, in association with Medical Trust Hospital Ernakulam and Maxshield Rubber Products Pvt Ltd, distributed masks along with the paper.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 17:17:26|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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BISSAU -- Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Na Biam tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Public Health Minister Antonio Deuna announced on Tuesday night on national television.

The prime minister's infection is a community transmission case, said Deuna.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Museums in Beijing will reopen on May 1, the first day of the upcoming five-day May Day holiday, said the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage Wednesday.

The public can learn about the reservation method, the real-name booking system, the limited visiting hours and the limited number of visitors allowed each day through the museums' official channels, said the administration.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry Wednesday morning said 70 new deaths due to COVID-19 and an additional 1,358 positive cases were reported since Tuesday evening across the country, taking the number of deaths to 1,007 and total cases to 31,332.

"As on 8:00 a.m. (local time), today 1,007 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads the information released by the ministry.

- - - -

BEIJING -- The 13th National People's Congress (NPC) will open its third annual session in Beijing on May 22.

The decision was adopted Wednesday at the 17th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee held from April 26 to 29.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and through the hard work of the whole country and the people, the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control situation in China is improving steadily and the normal economic and social life is gradually resuming, according to a statement issued by the NPC Standing Committee.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The number of sailors testing positive for COVID-19 aboard U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Kidd, rose to 64 as the warship on Tuesday afternoon docked at a naval base in San Diego, California, local media have reported.

The Everett-based vessel has a crew of around 300, and by Tuesday afternoon, 63 percent of the crew had been tested, according to a report from the Daily Herald, one of the leading news sources in Everett and Snohomish County in western state of Washington.

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korea reported nine more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,761.

The daily caseload hovered around 10 for the 11th straight day. Of the new cases, five were imported from overseas, lifting the combined number to 1,061.

Two more deaths were confirmed, raising the death toll to 246. The total fatality rate came in at 2.29 percent. Enditem
A congressman who quit the Republican Party over his frustration with partisanship and disdain for Donald Trump has launched an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Partys nomination for president.

Justin Amash, who represents Michigans third district, left his party last summer over his disdain for the hyper-partisan politics that he said had turned Congress into little more than a formality. In a Washington Post column announcing his move, he wrote: Preserving liberty means telling the Republican Party and the Democratic Party that well no longer let them play their partisan game at our expense.

On hearing the news of Mr Amashs departure, Mr Trump called him one of the dumbest & most disloyal men in Congress and a total loser!

Mr Amash announced his campaign on Twitter, and sounded confident. Lets do this, he wrote.

Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNational s nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people.

Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our constitution and bring people together. Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.

Mr Amash has been talked about as a potential third-party candidate ever since he left the GOP, though hardly as a sure bet to win the presidency. The reaction to his announcement from other anti-Trump Republicans and conservatives was swift and negative.

Republican strategist John Weaver compared him to the Green Partys Jill Stein, whom some credit with pulling vital votes away from Hillary Clinton in 2016. George Conway, one of the presidents harshest critics and the husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, said that while he admired Mr Amashs integrity, the only real effect Amash could have in this campaign is to enhance Trumps chances. This is a terrible idea.

The Libertarian Party has not seen much success at the presidential level since it first stood a candidate in 1972. Only twice has it captured more than 1 per cent of the vote, first in 1980 and then in 2016, when it managed a record 3.29 per cent.
The Joint Unions of Tertiary Institutions of Kaduna State (JUTIKS) has rejected the deduction of 25 per cent of workers salaries by the state government.

The union in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Noah Danlami and the Secretary, Mr Jibril Makama in Kaduna on Wednesday, rejected the decision, describing it as an illegal imposed levy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had on April 26 announced its decision to embark on the monthly deduction of 25 per cent of workers salaries pending when the coronavirus pandemic will end.

The government particularly said that career public servants earning a net pay of N67,000 and above after tax deductions, would donate 25 per cent of their salaries monthly whilst the lockdown lasted.

The union recalled that labour unions in the state had offered five per cent of workers salaries as their contribution, a move that was rejected by the government, which made a u-turn and imposed a 25 per cent deduction of workers wages.

The group added that providing palliatives to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on citizens was the responsibility of the government that should not be shifted to workers, who have already been overburdened by responsibilities.

The union argued that while some states were considering an upward review of workers salaries as part of efforts to provide palliatives to the people, the Kaduna state government was imposing a levy on workers.

It said that Kaduna state-owned tertiary institutions were still being paid 80 per cent of the obsolete CONTISS salary structure, as against the CONPCASS/CONTEDISS structure introduced 11 years ago.

This made workers of Kaduna state tertiary institutions the least paid in the country, while still shouldering the responsibilities of not only their immediate and extended families but their neighbours as well.

The government said that no public servant will have less than N50,000 monthly to manage in this emergency period. But this is not true as majority of workers are currently servicing different loans.

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The government is also aware that so many workers have acquired loans to purchase non-essential government houses.

Such category of workers will be plunged into deep financial crisis as a result of the multiple deductions which are further complicated by the forceful deductions, it said.

It appealed to the state government to immediately stop further implementation of the illegal levy, stressing that financial burden on members was already unbearable.

The union advised the government to explore other sources of funding instead of deducting from the meagre salaries of helpless civil servants of the state.

It added that rather than make deductions from workers salaries, the government should re-channel the funds being spent on ongoing road projects to fighting COVID-19.

NAN reports that the state government had explained that political appointees and public servants must contribute financially toward enabling the almost 10 million persons living in the state to survive the emergency period.

The government had directed all its senior appointees, including commissioners, permanent secretaries, special advisers, and heads of agencies to each donate N500,000 in April 2020 and subsequently, donate 50 per cent of their salaries monthly until the quarantine ended.

Other categories of political appointees are equally expected to be making monthly donations to support the provision of relief to the low income, poor and vulnerable residents of the state. (NAN)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said it has approved a USD 346 million (around Rs 2,616 crore) loan to Indian government to provide reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India, and about half of the state's labour force is engaged in agriculture and related activities in the rural areas, ADB said in a release.

Agriculture output, however, has been impacted by lack of irrigation, less-than-efficient use of electricity and water, as well as inadequate storage and connectivity to markets.

The loan will support the state government's high voltage distribution system (HVDS) program for new grid-connected rural agricultural customers across the state, said the Manila-headquartered multi-lateral funding agency.

Providing efficient, reliable, and good quality power to rural agriculture customers in Maharashtra will improve agricultural productivity and efficiency in the electricity value chain, said ADB Senior Energy Specialist Len George.

Wider adoption of HVDS with metering and usage-based tariffs sets the stage for investments in energy efficient pumps, drip irrigation and could support improvements in subsidy management.

The loan will be under ADB's results-based lending (RBL) modality, where fund disbursements are linked to the achievement of agreed programme results rather than to upfront expenditures, as is the case with traditional investment lending, ADB said.

This first ADB-financed RBL program in South Asia's energy sector will help in the early construction and installation of metered HVDS through the installation of about 46,800 kilometers of 11 kilovolt (kV) grid extension lines, construction and upgrading of 121 33/11 kV distribution substations.

The programme will also build institutional capacity in the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) on HVDS, it added.

The Maharashtra government and MSEDCL will arrange for counterpart funding of USD 357.1 million equivalent toward the USD 703.1 million total cost of the project.

The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra Energy Department and MSEDCL.

ADB said this loan supports the first phase of the state's HVDS programme.

This program complements ADB's Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project and Maharashtra Agribusiness Network Project to promote economic growth and private sector development in rural Maharashtra.

This loan will be accompanied by a USD 1 million technical assistance from ADB to demonstrate energy and water conservation efforts, the funding agency said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The police has earned praise for carrying out the last rites of an elderly COVID-19 positive woman,who died here on Tuesday, as her family members could not be present to bury her amid the countrywide lockdown.

The 80-year-old woman, who was diabetic and hypertensive, was laid to rest at a graveyard in Rainawari area of the city by police personnel as per the World Health Organisation protocol.

The funeral prayers were also performed by the police as the woman's close relatives were placed in administrative quarantine after she had tested positive for the disease.

Social media was abuzz with appreciation for the police officials for going beyond their call of duty to give a dignified burial to the woman.

"Cops beyond the call of duty: SHO of Rainawariburried the deceased lady from Rainawari who died of COVID-19. Her relatives could not turn for funeral but the officer did," a senior police officer tweeted.

Another Twitter user, Waseem Khan, wrote, "May Allah reward them all for this noble cause, they're serving the people in all aspects. They really care for the people of J&K".

However,the inability of the victim's close relatives to bid her goodbye also caused some to express sympathies for her and her kin on social media.

"This pandemic has snatched the very humane touch we all long for. Not being able to say good bye is worse than the death itself, " Saleem Sofi, a Facebook user, wrote.

Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, who is heading the COVID-19 hospital at Dalgate,also took to social media to express his views.

"Painfull to see the family members, near n dear ones not able to perform the last rites," Shah tweeted.

He said the woman neither hada travel history nor was a primary contact of any coronavirus patient.

"This is what can happen if we DONT follow advisories.ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH COMORBIDITIES are most susceptible, " he warned.

Meanwhile, the Doctors Association of Kashmir hassaid there is no risk of catching infection from the bodies of persons who die from the novel coronavirus.

"Cadavers do not transmit disease," saidDAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.

"There is no evidence of a person being infected from exposure to a corpse of a person who died of coronavirus," he said.

Dr Nisar said the main driver of transmission of COVID-19 is through respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

"There is no chance of spread of infection from a dead person. The dead person won't cough or sneeze.The virus doesn't survive in the human body after death," he added.

Dr Nisar said health care workers and family members should be sensitized that dead people cannot spread the novel coronavirus and there is no reason to worry as long as standard precautions are followed.

"For health care workers, mortuary staff and others handling bodies, these standard precautions involve wearing PPE," he said



"For family members, they involve not touching the body, wearing basic protective gear and not gathering in groups to pray," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the Taneco refinery complex, which is part of Russia's oil producer Tatneft group of companies, in Nizhnekamsk, Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian oil producer Tatneft <TATN.MM> said on Tuesday it would move investments into oil refining and slow down development of high viscosity oil projects as it adjusts to low oil prices and output cuts amid the coronavirus epidemic.

Tatneft will stop production at its less efficient oil wells to cut output, said Rustam Khalimov, Tatneft's first deputy general director for oil and gas exploration, adding that he does not expect any difficulties in getting the wells up and running again.

(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova and Vladimir Soldatkin; writing by Alexander Marrow; editing by Jason Neely)
Photograph: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

As coronavirus tore through jails and prisons across the United States, California reduced bail for most low-level offenses to $0, allowing thousands of defendants to wait out their court dates at home instead of in custody.

The response across the criminal justice system in the state has been disparate, echoing longstanding tensions about reform. Prosecutors in Tulare county have worked around the clock to oppose the early release of more than 1,000 defendants, according to the district attorney there. In Los Angeles, leaked emails showed the district attorneys office instructing prosecutors to seek a loophole in the new bail schedule for some cases. And police unions in cities across California have argued the emergency schedule will lead to an uptick in crime.

Hanging over the bail schedule debate is a referendum in November, when Californians will get to decide whether the state should eliminate its bail system moving forward. The success or failure of the emergency guideline, beyond the infection rate of the states inmate population, has the very real possibility of becoming a talking point in all future debates for bail reform for years to come, criminal justice reform advocates say.

I hope when this is said and done, we can all look back and radically rethink the criminal justice policies that exacerbated this public health crisis, said Lydia Kives, a staff attorney with the Bail Project, a not-for-profit that provides free bail assistance for thousands of low-income individuals each year. We should never have had this many people at risk in jail just because they could not afford bail.

Outdated, unsafe, unfair

The emergency bail schedule issued on 6 April by the states judicial council, the policymaking body for Californias courts, works in two parts: those held on bail pre-trial will be released from jail and any people arrested during the course of the pandemic for most misdemeanors and low-level felonies will be held on $0 bail, and thereby released.

Story continues

Serious and violent felonies such as murder, rape, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping are excluded from the emergency schedule, as well as domestic abuse, violating a protective order and driving under the influence. Judges also retain discretion to keep inmates detained before their trial for good cause, or to put conditions on their release, said Blaine Corren, the public affairs analyst with the judicial council.

Jails and prisons across the country have reported alarming clusters of infections among inmates. Photograph: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

Behind the rollout was a sense of panicked urgency as jails and prisons across the country reported alarming clusters of infections among inmates. The top doctor at Rikers Island warned at the start of April that the notorious New York jail was a public health disaster unfolding before our own eyes. The Cook county jail in Chicago reported hundreds of infections among its inmates.

But they also followed years of debate around Americas money bail system, which advocates say has created a two-tier justice system that fuels mass incarceration. In California, more than 63% of inmates in the county jail system have not been convicted or pleaded guilty, meaning that the majority of the states jail population is incarcerated while awaiting trial. While some may remain in custody due to the severity of the crime that they have been accused of, more remain simply because they cannot afford to pay the bail needed to guarantee their freedom.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who chairs the judicial council, previously called the money bail system outdated, unsafe, and unfair.

Its not our intent to let people off the hook

The response to the emergency guidelines has followed the fault lines that have long formed that debate: public defenders cheered it, police unions raised alarms about it. Some prosecutors and courts streamlined the process while others questioned certain releases, creating delays.

What were seeing in this Covid pandemic is an attempt to see people truly as people and get them out of jail so that they dont get sick, and not let their poverty be a reason why they stay in and risk infection and possibly death, said Ricardo Garcia, the Los Angeles county public defender. Under this crisis, it is no longer only people of means who are able to get out of the potentially dangerous environment of jail. Now everyone, including the poor, have the same opportunity.

Police unions, on the other hand, argue the state is sitting upon a powder keg that is about to ignite. Were going to have a lot more victims, said Paul Kelly, the president of the San Jose Police Officers Association.

Since 5 April, an estimated 3,174 inmates have been released from county jails across California for issues related to Covid, according to the Board of State and Community Corrections. The statewide adult inmate population has dropped from 72,437 in late February to 54,561 in mid April. Bookings into custody dropped from 17,140 to 6,880 during that same time period.

But not all jurisdictions have followed the emergency schedule equally. In San Francisco, where the district attorney, Chesa Boudin, already had a policy in place since January that instructed his prosecutors to not ask for bail, the jail population fell from 1,097 in early March to 701 in mid April. Under $0 bail, Boudin said only in very rare cases  for example, if a defendant had a history of reoffending or if the crime was very serious  would his prosecutors seek a way to keep the person in custody.

Every level of government is saying we must reduce the prison population, and we must do it quickly and we must do it properly, Boudin said. Its unacceptable for any local jurisdiction to choose not to follow the law when that insubordination puts the health and wellbeing of everyone at risk.

In Tulare county, a rural region in the heart of the Central Valley, Tim Ward, the district attorney, called the $0 bail reckless and a disservice to victims of crime, business owners, and the community as a whole. In a statement, his office said prosecutors worked around the clock filing motions opposing the early release of more than 1,000 defendants.

In Los Angeles county, where the courts instituted a reduced bail weeks before the statewide order, the jail population has been reduced from 17,076 to 11,883, but its unclear how many of those inmates were released because of bail and how many were released through other population thinning efforts.

Jackie Lacey, the Los Angeles district attorney, came under fire earlier when emails leaked showing her office instructing prosecutors to essentially seek a loophole in the new bail schedule. Gina Satriano, a director in Laceys office, wrote that if a defendant is cited and released, but law enforcement brings in for a warrant, that prosecutors should use the old bail schedule that lists a dollar amount, otherwise no one would get arrested on that warrant.

Keep in mind, Satriano wrote, the court may still lower bail to zero.

The emails, said Kate Chatfield, a senior policy adviser for the Justice Collaborative, a criminal justice advocacy group, were not honoring the intention of the emergency regulations.

Lacey told the Guardian that the email identified a small loophole, but only for very limited cases. She pointed at a public integrity case that was nearing the end of the statute of limitations. Even though were not doing those kind of cases right now and the case will probably be heard some time after 1 June, it still needed to be filed, she said. If were filing for a warrant, we have to have some dollar amount. You cant have a zero bail warrant.

But California prosecutors only have to file a complaint to ensure that they do not violate the statute of limitations on a case, and a Los Angeles county prosecutor, who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation, said its not necessary to file a dollar amount on an arrest warrant to file a complaint.

Right now, with the coronavirus, there are a limited amount of people who are trying to get out of their criminal cases, Lacey said. Were letting people out and putting cases over, but its not our intent to let people off the hook for criminal behavior that should be addressed.

Frustrated officers

Since the start of the pandemic, overall crime and calls for services have gone down across California. The states police unions have attributed the decline to the stay-at-home order  with more people indoors, there are fewer potential victims  and think its only a matter of time before crime will pick back up, in part because of the $0 bail schedule.

Some law enforcement departments have publicly aired their frustration with the new bail. Don Joseph was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle and released from custody per the statewide $0 bail order, said the Chino Hills police department. Released on court order zero bail  37 mins later he walked to Dublin (Bart station) and carjacked victim, tweeted the Alameda county sheriffs department.

Overall crime and calls for services have gone down across California since the start of the pandemic. Photograph: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

People are incarcerated because they did bad actions, said Craig Lally, the president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the LA police union. People who are in jail are most likely in jail because they did it more than once, he added, though many defendants held in jails have not yet been convicted, and are there because they cant afford bail.

Police officers right now are frustrated, Lally said.

Theyre trying to do their job, theyre trying to protect people the best they can, and when they get the criminal elements, and they get the person theyve arrested before, who have been doing it pretty much their whole lives, youre never going to reform that person, Lally said. Thats the lifestyle that they chose probably since they were 16 years old. Theyre never going to change and the only thing you can do is warehouse them.

John Raphling, a senior researcher with the Human Rights Watch said that while Americas standard approach to criminal justice may be incarceration, the country should rethink its procedures amid a pandemic. People are getting sick. People are dying. Its going to stay in the jail and spread in the jail and get sent back outside, he said.

Raphling pointed out that making the jails safer from an outbreak went beyond reducing the numbers of detainees. Los Angeles county made huge strides in reducing its population from 17,076 to 11,883, but the facility was rated at capacity at 12,000. The county got the population down to just below what the jail was supposed to have at capacity, meaning there would be little room to create physical distancing and isolation and quarantine quarters.

It shouldnt take a global pandemic

From the response hes seen so far to the emergency bail schedule, Raphling feels a cautious sense of optimism about the future of bail reform in California.

There are a lot of things about this disease that have exposed the problems with our society, and mass incarceration, the jailing of people for fairly harmless behavior, thats a huge problem in this country and hopefully people are seeing that, he said.

People are getting sick. People are dying. Its going to stay in the jail and spread in the jail and get sent back outside John Raphling

Law enforcement was adamant that whatever occurs under the $0 bail schedule cannot be used in future bail reform discussions. Its dishonest, said Kelly, the head of the San Jose police union. These misguided judges and the professional apologists for criminals saw an opportunity to utilize Covid-19 to advance their dangerous views on incarceration.

But Kives, the staff attorney with The Bail Project, emphasized the importance of collecting data right now. I hope those who question the need for bail reform will look at this dire situation, where cash bail is literally trapping people in overcrowded jails as this deadly virus spreads, and reconsider their position. Its a matter of justice and public health, and Im confident that the data on the impact of these emergency measures will be on the side of meaningful reform, she said.

The fact is that we shouldnt have so many people held in jails awaiting trial or court hearings, Kives continued. It shouldnt take a global pandemic to highlight the public health argument for decarceration, but thats where we are, and I hope its a wake-up call.
China continues to pose a threat to peace by hiding information about the origin of the coronavirus, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News.

The Chinese Communist Party is responsible for telling the world how this pandemic came out of China and spread throughout the world, he said noting that America must hold them accountable.

Pompeo said that China knows that a viral outbreak has occurred in this country, and uses classic communist misinformation to shift the focus.

According to him, he is glad that Australia and other countries are joining the US and are demanding an investigation.
China on Tuesday went on the offensive against international criticism over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, accusing US politicians of "barefaced lies".

The new virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year before spreading across the world, and countries including the United States and Australia have called for an investigation into how the disease transformed into a global pandemic.

But Beijing came out swinging on Tuesday in response to foreign criticism, saying the US was attacking China to divert attention from its own handling of the outbreak.

China also defended its ambassador to Australia who has warned that Chinese people could boycott imported goods in retaliation to the demands for a virus inquiry.

"American politicians have repeatedly ignored the truth and have been telling barefaced lies," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a press briefing.

"They have only one objective: shirk their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and control measures, and divert public attention," he added.

Geng said US politicians should "reflect on their own problems and find ways to contain the outbreak as quickly as possible".

US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he might seek damages from China over the outbreak, saying there were many options to "hold them accountable".

"We are not happy with China," Trump said at a White House briefing. "We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source." Beijing also faces pressure Down Under after the head of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Frances Adamson, asked the Chinese ambassador to explain his boycott comments.

In a thinly veiled threat, Cheng Jingye had warned the push for an independent inquest into the origins of the outbreak was "dangerous", and might prompt Chinese people not to buy Australian food or attend Australian universities.

But Beijing defended the diplomat in strident comments Tuesday.

"The remarks by the Chinese ambassador are in response to the recent erroneous remarks made by the Australian side, which have aroused the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people and a possible impact on bilateral relations," said Geng.

"What's wrong with that?"

Beijing and Washington have clashed repeatedly over the outbreak as tensions soar between the world's two biggest economic powers.

There have been nearly a million infections with more than 56,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States and the pandemic has shut down swathes of the economy.

In China, the outbreak seems to be under control with no new deaths reported for 13 straight days and the toll standing at 4,633 -- although several countries have cast doubt on whether the numbers are accurate.

Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo angered Beijing last month by repeatedly referring to "the Chinese virus" when discussing the COVID-19 outbreak -- although they later appeared to drop the term.

A foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing later suggested it may have been the US military which brought the virus to Wuhan -- prompting angry claims from Trump that China was spreading misinformation.

Since then the US president has repeatedly attacked China's lack of transparency and the alleged slowness of its initial response to the outbreak.

Claims from the US that the virus actually originated at a virology institute in Wuhan with a high-security biosafety laboratory have also been angrily refuted in China, which has repeatedly responded to criticism by calling for countries to work together.

"(We) hope that other countries can work with China to do more things that are conducive to international cooperation and mutual trust, rather than just saying one thing and doing another," Geng said Tuesday.
SIOUX CITY -- The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way Sioux City boards, committees and commissions meet. And, in some cases, put meetings on hold.

"Advisory committees have definitely been canceling," said Deputy City Clerk Heidi Farrens. "I think, a lot of times, when they meet or have to meet, it's because they have to vote on something that's an action item, where they have to get that piece done."

Farrens said the Planning and Zoning Commission, Airport Board of Trustees and Transit System Advisory Board have been meeting regularly, with the latter two boards utilizing Zoom, a video conferencing technology.

Jeff Hanson, community development operations manager for the city, said the Planning and Zoning Commission met on March 24 and April 14, but canceled its April 28 meeting. He said the items on that meeting's agenda will be taken up during the board's May 12 meeting.

"The two meetings that we have continued on with, we held them in the exact same fashion that the City Council is holding Monday council meetings. It's been working pretty well," he said. "We've also allowed commission members to call in to the meeting in effort to reduce the amount of people in the council chambers."

The move to electronic meetings came on the heels of a health emergency declaration issued last month by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds that provides additional regulatory relief to Iowans who have been impacted by the pandemic, including allowing government at all levels to hold public meetings via electronic means. The declaration follows an order Reynolds issued March 17, prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people.

The City Council held its first electronic meeting March 23. Members of the public are able to watch meetings live on Sparklight Cable Community Channel 56 or YouTube and express concerns by calling a telephone conference number. Other city boards, commissions and committees have followed suit. Farrens said it's possible for all of a board or commission's members to participate in a meeting via Zoom, while a single city staff member and a limited number of residents attend the meeting in person.

"They would still have to limit it to the 10-person rule and follow the social distancing guidelines," she said.

Farrens also noted that the Civil Service Commission and Library Board of Trustees met this month. She said many of those meetings have been very short, as boards and commissions seek to accomplish only the things that they absolutely have to.

She said most meetings of the Senior Advisory Committee, Events Facilities and Tourism Advisory Board, Environmental Advisory Board, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board have been canceled because those boards and committees don't have to vote on anything.

"For example, I take the minutes for the Parking and Skywalk Board of Trustees meetings. We didn't meet last month," Farrens said. "More than likely, we will have to meet this month, because one of the things they vote on is for costs and things like that, being able to bill who we need to bill."

Hanson said the Planning and Zoning Commission votes on development-related items, including the rezoning of property and the approval of site plans, which impact a project's timeline.

"We have not seen any projects stop because of the pandemic," he said. "We still have property owners and developers requesting action through the Planning and Zoning Commission, so it is important for us that we continue our meetings to allow those projects to progress forward."

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Jordan Casteels exhibition Within Reach is currently hanging on the second floor of the temporarily shuttered New Museum. The situation is somewhat paradoxical, given that the shows most prominent theme is closeness  something thats been severely disrupted by the coronavirus crisis. Yet that also makes it a good time to look at Ms. Casteels work however we can  in a digital walk-through and in the catalog  and think about the vision of community it offers.

This is the artists first solo museum show in New York and it includes works from her noted series Visible Man (2013-14) and Nights in Harlem (2017). In large, expressive portraits, Ms. Casteel celebrates the people around her, black and brown folk who have historically been excluded from art institutions. Her subjects present themselves to her, and to us, posing as they want to be seen in a way that brings to mind Malians in the 1950s sitting for the photographer Seydou Keita. They invite us into their worlds, offering the audience a privileged view.

Back when you could still see it, the exhibition created a distinct sense of being let in on a casual but celebratory gathering, like a potluck or a block party. Its harder to feel that spirit online, but browsing images on the artists website and on her gallery page gives the closest sense of it. The New Museums video walk-through is more helpful as an introduction to her practice.
Two weeks into Europes first-quarter earnings season, more companies are cutting jobs and throwing up their hands over future guidance.

Volkswagen forecast a severe drop in earnings this year and IAG will slash the workforce at British Airways by almost 30% as the corporate fallout from the coronavirus pandemic worsens. Airbus SE burned through 8bn of cash last quarter, while advertiser WPP said revenue fell as much as 30% in some regions.
Key Highlights

MSME traders and manufacturers cry foul over levying of charges by shipping lines and CFSs despite government order

Commissioner of Customs in Chennai has also asked CFSs to consider waiver of ground rents, penalties and demurrage charges during the lockdown period

Traders complain that levying of charges are adding to the stress when business is already at an all-time low

Federation of Indian Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME) has taken up the issue with government

Small manufacturers and traders are crying foul over shipping lines and container freight stations (CFSs) levying detention charges and ground rent despite government advisory to waive them for the lockdown period.

"Shipping companies are levying detention charges and CFS is charging for the ground rent invariably. This is happening despite government issuing advisories to not levy these charges during the lockdown period," said Neeraj Kedia, chairman of fertiliser company Chakradhar Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.

In a letter to all chairpersons of major ports, Shipping Ministry had on March 31 asked to ensure no penalties, demurrage, charges, fee, rentals are levied by them on any port users (traders, shipping Lines, concessionaires, licensees etc.) for any delay in berthing, loading/unloading operations or evacuation/arrival of cargo caused by lockdown.

But despite the advisory, many exporters and importers complained of charges being levied by the shipping lines and CFSs. They raised the issue with the concerned authorities claiming shipping lines and CFSs were defying the government order. Subsequently, Commissioner of Customs in Chennai asked CFSs to consider waiver of ground rents, penalties and demurrage charges during the lockdown.

Sudha Koka, Commissioner of Customs (Chennai-IV), reminded the CFSs that they are an extended arm of the port, and function as the dock, citing a previous Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) circular.

This, however, seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the shipment handlers as traders continue to complain about levying of various charges.

Container Freight Stations Association of India (CFSAI) has maintained that a blanket waiver would be counter-productive and encouraged traders not to risk and come forward to take deliveries of imports. This could choke CFSs in no time.

The association noted that importers and custom house agents (CHAs) were probably not disclosing that they are already enjoying huge concessions from them not only on the ground rent but also on the tariff.

But importers and traders are not convinced by the argument and consider levying of ground rent and detention charges as violation of government order.

Gyan Chand, who runs a small-scale chemicals and plastic company Manya International said that shipping lines and CFSs are flouting government order and that too when SMEs are under huge stress.

"We had imported chemicals and polymers and had about 80-90 containers which we have now taken. We paid Rs 12-13 lakh in various charges for the shipments. During the first phase of the lockdown, shipping line did not charge for the delay but now they are charging. CFSs have been charging all along. They are defying the government order," said Gyan Chand.

The MSMEs have taken up the issue with shipping ministry and has appealed for necessary action. Referring to the charges levied by shipping lines and CFSs, Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General of Federation of Indian Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME) said that the instance shows concerned agencies are not in sync in their functioning.

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Punjab extends lockdown by 2 weeks; country's death toll-1,007; cases-31,332

Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Many SpiceJet pilots will not get April, May salaries
Mumbai, April 29 : The Disaster Cell of Congress' Maharashtra unit has directly reached out to over 3.50 mn people in the state and provided them with food, aid and other help during the lockdown, state Working President Nitin Raut said here on Wednesday.

While 1.83 million have been given rations and essential supplies, another 1.66 million were provided with medicines, sanitisers, masks, etc, besides Congress workers feeding more than 60,000 people daily across the state, said Raut, who is also the state Power Minister.

"We have also helped over 110,000 migrants from different states stranded in Maharashtra due to the lockdown with whatever assistance they needed," he said in an online press conference.

Additionally, the party has distributed 5,000 PPE kits to doctors, police personnel and other frontline workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic and launched mobile health clinics in Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Kolhapur and Sangli, he added.

Over 20,000 Congress activists donated blood at various camps and collected more than 14,000 bags of blood needed for the patients in the pandemic.

Raut said that the state government's decision to reduce electricity rates last month would boost business and industry besides helping domestic consumers in these difficult times.

The move was taken in coordination with the main electric suppliers - MahaVitaran, Adani, Tata and BEST, who agreed to reduce their rates.

In a significant move last month, the government slashed electricity rates by average 7 percent which came to 5 percent for domestic users, and 10-15 percent for industrial and commercial consumers in the state, besides waiving off the fixed charges for the next month.

The state did not hike the charges for agricultural users or rooftop solar power users while waiving off solar grid support charges.
(Natural News) Americas meat production capacity is plummeting thanks to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

At least 10 different meatpacking facilities have reportedly shuttered in recent days due to alleged Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks, which threatens to create meat shortages at Americas supermarkets and butcher shops.

One of the latest conglomerates to announce production plant shutdowns is Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc., owned by Hormel Foods Corporation, which indicated that it will temporarily pause operations at its Willmar Avenue and its Benson Avenue facilities, both located in Willmar, Minn.

The company stated that there has been a supposed rise in the community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the area, and that the most prudent response was to shut down its meatpacking plants as a preemptive measure.

Based on information about the community spread of COVID-19 in the area, the company decided it was the right decision to pause operations to undergo a facility-wide cleaning that will enhance already robust safety and sanitization protocols, the announcement further states.

Under its pay program, all Jennie-O Turkey Store employees will continue to receive 100 percent of their base pay and benefits during the pause in production. Jennie-O Turkey Store is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation.

Even though mass food shortages could result, leaving potentially millions of families with nothing to put on the dinner table, Jennie-O Turkey Store head Steve Lykken told the media that it still makes more sense to halt production until the invisible enemy is no longer a threat.

The health, well-being and safety of our team members is our top priority, Lykken is quoted as saying. Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to take a pause in operations.

Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how the antibody tests for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are producing a high number of false positives:

Dominos are falling for meat production, warns Zero Hedge

Hormel and Jennie-O are just the latest in a long line of meatpacking plants that have similarly shut down in recent weeks, including another Hormel location in Rochelle, Illinois. This is why Zero Hedge has described the situation in terms of dominos falling, and warned that food shortages could arrive as soon as May.

Pork shortages, the media outlet warns, will likely start hitting households during the first week of May, as major hog processors like Tyson Foods Inc. also shutter their facilities in response to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Beef shortages are also expected as a major cattle processing facility in Pasco, Washington, likewise shut down its operations due to alleged cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Were working with local health officials to bring the plant back to full operation as soon as we believe it to be safe, stated Tyson Fresh Meats head Steve Stouffer about his companys plant closures.

Unfortunately, the closure will mean reduced food supplies and presents problems to farmers who have no place to take their livestock. Its a complicated situation across the supply chain.

There have thus far been at least 10 meat processing plants shut down as of this writing, all because of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). And many of them have not yet indicated when they might reopen, which could pose supply problems at grocery stores in the coming days and weeks.

What is wrong with this picture? asks one Zero Hedge commenter. 80-85% have no or mild symptoms  very, very few of the remainder actually die. So, starve everyone instead?

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
Northern Ireland needs Brexit clarity from a UK Government consumed by the coronavirus emergency, the Belfast civil servant in charge of the countrys preparations said.

Two scenarios have been drawn up at Stormont depending on whether or not Britain secures a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU.

Without one, the border protocol surrounding compliance with aspects of the Irish Republics system is expected to apply, senior official Andrew McCormick said.

He said: Time is tight but what is needed from London is clarity on these issues.

Civil servants are assuming neither the UK nor Europe will request an extension of the one-year transition agreement due to run out at the end of the year.

The director general of international relations for the devolved administration gave evidence to a Stormont committee of Assembly members on Wednesday.

He acknowledged the focus had been on combating the coronavirus infection.

He said: The UK Government has also been consumed by, the bandwidth for activity has been dominated by the virus.

NI Executive Brexit Sub-committee (as per NDNA) is no more  replaced by arrangement where NI Executive holds single agenda item meetings focused on Brexit issues  being discussed now @NIAEOCttee #Brexit  NI Assembly Post-Brexit Brief (@NIAEUMatters) April 29, 2020

The chair of the group charged with consulting with the devolved regions is Michael Gove, who has also had to devote his time to the virus crisis.

Mr McCormick said: This is a very, very challenging situation, and in that we all do what we possibly can to contribute positively to resolving and moving these issues on.

Story continues

There is no lack of pressure from us at official level and then engagements at ministerial level pushing the UK Government for more clarity and resolution of the issues that matter to us.

The Prime Ministers spokesman has said the Government had no plan to change course on the trade agreement negotiations.

Following the first meeting of the EU-UK joint committee in March, the European Commission said the two sides had agreed on the importance for the UK to set out its plans over the coming months regarding the implementation of the Irish protocol to prevent a hard border.

A statement released said the parties agreed on the importance for the UK to setting out its plans over the coming months on implementation of the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

It said there was an urgent need to prepare for introduction of customs procedures for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain and ensuring all necessary sanitary and agricultural disease controls as well as other regulatory checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from outside the EU.

Meanwhile, the first meeting of a special committee of officials charged with enforcing the Northern Ireland/Ireland protocol is due to be held on Thursday.

The European Commission has pressed the case for opening a technical office in Belfast to maintain a presence on the ground.

The British Government argues that is not necessary.

Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry said the UK Government was not delivering on commitments in the EU Withdrawal Agreement regarding the ongoing presence in Northern Ireland.

He added: The UKs dispute over an EU office in Belfast is petty and at odds with the Withdrawal Agreement.

This gamesmanship from the UK government is reflective of their wider approach of not taking preparations for the implementation of the protocol seriously.
Several people have been injured after a double-decker bus crashed into a bridge in Greater Manchester.

Transport authorities confirmed a bus had crashed into a bridge near Richard Street, Rochdale, on Wednesday afternoon.

Five people were taken to hospital with one in a serious condition, paramedics told The Independent.

Images from the scene showed the roof of the bus had been shorn off as it passed under the bridge.

Several ambulances were on site and paramedics could be seen tending to the wounded.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called to Station Road at 2.11pm.

Weve attended with three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and an advanced paramedic.

There are nine patients involved altogether.

Its a collision involving a bus and a bridge.

Five patients were taken to hospital.

One of the injured had a significant leg injury.

Richard Street and Station Street have been temporarily closed.

An investigation into the crash has been launched.

A spokesperson for Diamond Bus told the Manchester Evening News: Diamond Bus can confirm one of our vehicles operating service 471 between Bolton and Rochdale has been involved in an incident with a bridge, which has resulted in a number of passengers sustaining injuries.

Weve immediately launched a full internal investigation to establish the circumstances that has led to this collision and are assisting Greater Manchester police with their enquiries.

Everyone at Diamond Bus North West is shocked by this incident and our thoughts are with the injured passengers.

All injured parties have been taken to hospital but we have no updates as yet.
A man was booked on Wednesday for hiding travel history and was subsequently put under administrative quarantine in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

The man, a resident of Panjtilla, had returned from Delhi to his home onboard a truck carrying essential commodities and had not disclosed his travel history to authorities, a police official said.

Police traced him to his house and immediately shifted him to a quarantine centre at Ghagwal with the assistance of the health department, the official said.

A case was registered against him for violating the lockdown, hiding his travel history and crossing various red zones, thereby putting the lives of others at risk, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some of Houston's top alcohol sellers in the suburbs saw sales drop by as much as 50 percent in March compared to February, according to data provided by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

With this data, Chron.com ranked the No. 1 alcohol seller in each Houston suburb during the month of March. This month marks when many restaurants were forced to close their doors and layoff workers due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, leading to significantly decreased sales. Most restaurants moved to curbside, pick-up and delivery services to try and salvage operations during the shutdown while others were forced to close indefinitely.
The number of coronavirus cases in the country is on the rise. In Uttar Pradesh, the tally has breached the 2,000-mark. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has indicated to start some activities in the districts that arent under the grip of Covid-19 or are less affected due to the infection.

The chief minister has directed for an action plan to be prepared for the relaxation activities in the green zone, HTs Hindi Language publication Live Hindustan reported. On Tuesday, CM Adityanath held a Covid-19 review meeting with the officials of Team 11. He said that an action plan should be prepared for how to start industrial units after May 3.

As of now, 15 districts in the state are in the green zone where not a single case of coronavirus infection has been reported. These districts include Ambedkarnagar, Amethi, Ballia, Deoria, Chitrakoot, Farrukhabad, Kanpur Dehat, Siddharthnagar, Kushinagar, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Hamirpur Fatehpur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra.

Coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh stood at 2053 on Wednesday. 462 patients in the state have recovered from the disease or have been discharged while 34 have lost their lives to the deadly contagion.

The Covid-19 tally in the country breached the 31000-mark on Wednesday. India reported a total of 31332 coronavirus cases, Ministry of Health stated. The figure includes 22629 active cases, 7695 patients who have been cured or discharged and over 1000 fatalities. The extended phase of coronavirus lockdown in the country will come to an end on May 3 if not further extended.
On a day when Punjab government announced a four-hour relaxation in curfew, the state on Wednesday saw the steepest rise in coronavirus cases with 33 more persons contacting infection, taking the total count to COVID-19 case in the state to 375.

A total of 19 persons have lost their lives till date to coronavirus infection in the state while 104 have been cured of it, the state's daily heath bulletin revealed on Wednesday.

Among fresh cases, bulk of them were pilgrims who recently returned from Hazur Sahib in Nanded in Maharashtra and some students who came back from Kota in Rajasthan, officials said.

Eleven cases were reported in Ludhiana, followed by eight in Mohali, three each in Hoshiarpur and Faridkot, two each in SBS Nagar, Patiala and Bathinda and one each in Jalandhar and Sangrur, as per the medical bulletin.

In Ludhiana, seven were Nanded pilgrims and four were Kota students who tested positive for coronavirus, said a health official.

Seven belong to pilgrims of Takhat Sri Nanded Sahib and four Kota students. All are asymptomatic, said Ludhiana civil surgeon Rajesh Bagga.

Out of eight cases in Mohali, five were sikh pilgrims. Pilgrims reported positive include those from Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Sangrur and Bathinda as well.

Bathinda reported coronavirus patients for the first time.

Around 4,000 pilgrims from Punjab, who had gone to pay obeisance at the Gurdwara Hazur Sahib in Nanded, were stuck there because of the coronavirus lockdown. Now, they are being brought to Punjab after the intervention of the Union Home Ministry.

Besides, 3,000 migrant workers from Jaisalmer and 152 students from Kota in Rajasthan were also being brought to the state.

In the past one week, the number of total cases rose from 257 on April 22 to 375 on April 29.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced a four- hour relaxation in curfew everyday from Thursday, besides extending curfew-cum-lockdown for another two weeks.

Jalandhar district had the maximum number of COVID-19 cases in the state with 86 followed by seventy three in Mohali, as per the bulletin.

Of 375 cases, 63 were reported in Patiala so far, 29 in Ludhiana, 25 in Pathankot, 22 in SBS Nagar, 14 in Amritsar, 13 in Mansa, 11 in Hoshiarpur, seven in Tarn Taran, six each in Kapurthala and Faridkot, four each in Moga and Sangrur, three in Rupnagar, two each in Fatehgarh Sahib, Bathinda and Barnala, and one each in Muktsar, Gurdsapur and Ferozepur.

Of the total cases, 19 have died while 104 patients have fully cured of the infection, as per the bulletin.

A total of 18,670 samples have been taken so far in the state, of which 15,690 samples were found negative and reports of 2,605 others are still awaited.

There are 252 active cases in the state, as per bulletin.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following the latest update on the COVID-19 cases by the NCDC On Tuesday night and plans to relax the lockdown from May 4th, Nigerians have taken turns to speak against to relax the lockdown.

The NCDC, last night, announced 195 new cases in Nigeria, with Lagos topping the list with 80 cases.

Reacting, Nigerians took to Twitter in a new trend  #ExtendTheLockdown to ask the Federal Government to extend the lockdown after May 4.

READ ALSO  Why Buhari Eased Lockdown In Lagos, Abuja, Ogun: Boss Mustapha

Here Are Some Tweets
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday refuted Australia's accusation of so-called "economic coercion", adding that politicians should not make political maneuvers over the origin of the novel coronavirus.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne made such an accusation after Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye said Monday that the idea of an independent inquiry into the origins of the virus called for by Australia is ill-received among the Chinese public. Cheng said what Australia is doing may make the Chinese public think twice about traveling or studying in Australia, or purchasing Australian goods.

China has always insisted on developing friendly and cooperative relations with other countries on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, said spokesman Geng Shuang told a press briefing, adding that Cheng expressed his concern that certain wrong actions by Australia lately have aroused the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people.

Identifying the origin of the novel coronavirus is a scientific matter that should be the subject of study for scientists and professionals, he said. "Politicians should not make arbitrary remarks on this issue, nor should they make political maneuvers over the matter."

Geng said as the COVID-19 pandemic has had a comprehensive impact on the world economy, China is ready to strengthen cooperation with other countries and provide help to contribute to the health and well-being of all mankind.

"We also hope that other countries will work with China to do more for enhancing international cooperation and mutual trust, instead of saying one thing and doing another," he added.
El presidente @MartinVizcarraC informa sobre la situacion del Estado de Emergencia en el #Dia45 y las acciones que realiza el Gobierno para contener la propagacion del COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/32pFT8NcEH https://t.co/42kaxUnd5K
Drew Barrymore is one of millions of people out there trying to cope with life as a parent in quarantine and for the star, so far so good.

The 45-year-old actress spoke about how well her grade school aged girls are doing, all things considered, as they adjust to their new normal in an interview with People Magazine on Wednesday.

Along with chatting about her home life, Drew also plugged her amazing new charitable partnership with Baby2Baby, 'a non-profit that provides children living in poverty with diapers, clothing and all the basic necessities that every child deserves.'

Life at home: Drew Barrymore says she is 'grateful' for how well her two daughters, Frankie and Olive, are adjusting to life in quarantine during an interview with People Magazine on Wednesday

Drew is currently self-isolating at her California home with daughters Olive, seven, and Frankie, who just turned six.

'They're doing really well and my thing is if they're okay, then I have no right to be anything but okay,' she told People.

She added: 'Things affect them in strange ways.'

'They're doing really well and my thing is if they're okay, then I have no right to be anything but okay,' she told People. 'Things affect them in strange ways.'

'It's the not being able to see other kids and playdates  those are more difficult conversations than some of the larger-picture pieces that I feel humble and amazed and grateful they're handling so well.'

The Flower by Drew entrepreneur shared that for her youngest's recent birthday, the girls tried to organize a digital Zoom celebration but Frankie was 'terrified.'

'That was a lot of dialogue and conversation over weeks: "Can I have a birthday party at some point?"' the mother of two recalled.

'It's the not being able to see other kids and playdates  those are more difficult conversations than some of the larger-picture pieces that I feel humble and amazed and grateful they're handling so well.'

Doing her part: Recently, Drew launched a new initiative with Baby2Baby, a charitable organization she's been involved with for the last seven years and Shutterfly to help struggling moms

Recently, Drew launched a new initiative with Baby2Baby, a charitable organization she's been involved with for the last seven years and Shutterfly to help struggling moms.

'With Mothers Day around the corner I want to partner with @baby2baby to help moms who are struggling to provide the most basic essentials for their children,' the star wrote on Instagram announcing the program.

So far during the pandemic, the charity has distributed over 9 million items like diapers and baby food to families across the U.S.

'Im so grateful to @shutterfly for stepping up and donating over $200,000 that will go such a long way to support Baby2Baby.'

'With Mothers Day around the corner i want to partner with @baby2baby to help moms who are struggling to provide the most basic essentials for their children,' the star wrote on Instagram announcing the program

When speaking with People, Drew said that despite being just one person, she hopes that many good deed will accumulate and make a big difference.

'But, I also think that one thing makes a difference,' she added.

Drew shares her daughters with ex-husband Will Kopelman, whom she married in 2012 and later divorced in 2016. She was previously married to film producer Jeremy Thomas and MTV comedian Tom Green.
The first coronavirus victim in the US died of a "ruptured heart" as her body fought the spread of Covid-19 throughout her heart, lungs, trachea and intestines, according to an autopsy report.

California woman Patricia Dowd, 57, died on 6 February of an apparent heart attack while suffering from flu-like symptoms. Officials later confirmed she had coronavirus, making her the country's first known Covid-19 fatality and suggesting the virus was circulating weeks earlier than previously thought.

"The immune system was attacking the virus and in attacking the virus it damaged the heart and then the heart basically burst," said Dr Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy report for The Mercury News.

Melinek said Ms Dowd's body struggled so hard against the virus but her heart muscle was infected, causing a valve to rupture.

Santa Clara County medical examiner Dr Patricia Cabello wrote in the official autopsy that the Sars-CoV-2 infection was detected in the heart, trachea, lung and intestines.

"Cause of death: Acute hemopericardium due to rupture of left ventricle due to transmural myocardial ischemia (infarction) with minor component of myocarditis due to Covid-19 infection," she wrote in the autopsy, first reported by The San Francisco Chronicle.

Ms Dowd, a manager for a semiconductor company, appeared to have recovered from her flu-like symptoms before dying suddenly of what was first believed to be a heart attack.

When health officials confirmed the death of Ms Dowd on 6 February was due to Covid-19, it moved-forward the timeline of when the virus was widely circulating in the country -- as early as mid- to late-January based on average times between infection and death.

The first case of community transmission was announced on 28 February, while the first death was previously considered to be in Seattle, Washington in late February.

The Bay Area didn't begin issuing stay at home orders until 17 March, nearly six weeks after Ms Dowd's death.

"If we had understood then that people were already dying... we probably would have acted earlier than we did," said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr Sara Cody at a press briefing last week.




Since debuting on the scene in 2018, Joel Someone has been on a high. He made a name for himself at the Say Uncle network, soon branching out to a variety of studios to showcase his unique personaone that blends an unapologetic piggy nature with a fun-loving personality. That winning combination netted him a Best Newcomer nomination at this years GayVN Awards, along with nods in three more categoriesall of them as part of a group scene. (See? We told you he was a pig.)

But when spring rolled around, his momentum suddenly slowed.

I was really riding a high after the GayVN Awards," Someone says. "I was traveling to L.A. quite a bit because I was landing better and better filming gigs. I had just worked on a group project with Chi Chi (LaRue) and had spent about two weeks in L.A. when everything in New York City hit hard. My boyfriend Marco (Napoli) lives in Los Angeles, and I decided to ride out the worst of it with him. I still have an apartment in NYC, and I am trying to figure out what the next step with all this corona stuff. I, like everyone else, have everything on hold.

And unfortunately for Someone, that wasnt the only problem he suddenly found himself with. Around the same time, his growing Twitter following was suddenly wiped out. Its a fear that every adult performer has, but for Someone it was all the more frustrating given that it came at a time when performers need that presence more than ever.

I honestly couldnt tell you what happened," he says. "I was flying home to New York City for a weekend to do a photoshoot for an indie horror movie. When I got off the plane, my Twitter wasnt working and I have been unable to get any answers from Twitter since. It fucking sucks; its really made things difficult in contacting everyone I know. It was really a wake-up call about the way I was putting out my content. I honestly felt like an artist putting up full cum(shot) videos and really great content for free. I wont lieit made me kinda bitter with social media for a bit. Ive been struggling to get back into it.

"Its humbling. I was really riding such a high after all the positive feedback I received from the GayVN Awards and how popular some of my viral videos were.

He started a new Twitter account in March (@JoelSomeone1), but it hasnt added followers as quickly as he had hoped (Its challenging, because your followers dont realize right away that anything has changed). He then decided to take a leap into the clip platforms that he had previously resisted.

I was offering up lots of incredible free content on my Twitter before I was suspended, and I really appreciated all the videos that went viral," Someone explains. "When my Twitter was suspended and all of that content was all but erased, I decided that people who really like my content would rather see my work curated and placed in its entirety. I already have a focus on the intimate details like closeups of penetration and eye contact with the viewer. I also try and show ejaculation as much as possible.

And hes talented on both sides of the camerain addition to performing, Someone has also honed his skills behind the lens by shooting for CutlersDen.com.

I figured I would set a very fair price for these great videos. I also know that people who really like me wouldnt mind helping me out by following my JustFor.Fans or OnlyFans accounts. I really have noticed an amazing outpouring of support from people who like what I do. Until then, I truly felt like my work was valueless," he adds.

But the evolution was an easy transition in many ways, as the performer had already crafted so much homemade content that he showed on Twitter.

I honestly like the people who have excelled on these platforms, many of whom promote body and gender positivity," Someone continues. "I like that it opens up the possibilities of what is considered beautiful or sexual. I meet lots of people who want to start having an adult career, and I always point them in this direction, because its a way of sharpening your skills and helping you avoid being afraid of the camera. I also note that many people with very professional porn careers have opened up and worked with newcomers on these platforms, which is a great way to network with people in the industry you are interested in.

He is currently going through all of his content, finding the videos that went viral on his Twitter feed and then putting it together into an actual storyline from what happened as best as I can. People had been asking for the complete versions of many of these clips, and finally Im offering up all of the videos in their entirety.

One of the first glimpses fans got of Someones new content was a throat training video with Darron Bluu, who he has previously shot with at Missionary Boys.

I just know what I like to see personally," he says. "A huge part of my sexual fetish is showcasing the sex Im having on cameraknowing that people are masturbating to my sex is a powerful feeling. In pieces I created specifically for these sites, Im hoping to be able to still capture a sense of connection between me and whomever Im having sex with. Darron is a brilliant young performer, and I love him like a son. I also know on a personal level what limits I can stretch him to. The incest undertone of that video is truly the fact that he looks up to me like a parent, and I can get really perverted with him in that headspace.

The clip was notable not only for its high technical qualities, but also for the connection the two performers had with each otherand the audience. Its a responsibility Someone takes seriously.

I am very verbal. I love telling people what I think is beautiful about what we are doing, or what about them Im focusing on. Im very into connected sex; I feel like Im verbalizing things that my head is thinking in the moment. I like allowing people into my thoughtsIm a sexual creature. If you arent game, we dont need to have sex. Im honest enough to know when its not a match and not be upset about it; we can do something else. But if you do like the way Im verbal, hold on for a wild ride! the performer says.

And luckily, he has a large collection of footage in his library to surface.

I absolutely get off on filming my sexits something I tell all my sex partners. I see it as personalizing our sexual experience and a way of looking back about the first time Ive met many of my friends. We are animals watching one another fuck; being able to capture something as beautiful and primitive as sex is kind of amazing. Im not ashamed of what I do.

Which makes it all the more frustrating that, for now (and like all performers), hes limited with the kind of new material he can shoot.

During this time, Ive really struggled with knowing what direction to push my content, and this is paired with the fact that I would never want to hurt someone with something I might have been exposed to, he says.

For now, hes trying to be creative and steady, posting something every week.

I am a perfectionist, but I try to not get bogged down with details I cannot control. I am lucky with the tools I have at my disposal. I like all the videos Im releasing because they were before I decided to create these accounts. Hopefully they showcase good raw sex! Since Im starting to create more content specifically for these sites, I know that my quality of videos is hopefully going to get better and better.

And if nothing else, he can always shoot during quarantine with Napolithat is, if he can find the energy after eating all that wonderful food.

I am very luckyhe is such a wonderful and steady human," Someone tells GayVN. "He returned to working as a pharmacist, and we have been playing house here in Los Angeles. It interesting to be with another Italian boyour families are both very pleased. Marco is an amateur baker and he is constantly making carb-laced poison from things he has seen on The Great British Bake Off.

See? We told you he was a pig.
Everyone from grade school students to proud pet owners quotes the statistic that one dog year equals seven human years. It's considered axiomatic. But, as it turns out, that's not accurate. Really, experts say, it's more accurate to compare the first year of a dog's life to 15 years of a human's life, the second year to nine human years, and every year after that to five human years.

The math gets still more complicated when the size of the dog is factored in: Bigger dogs start to age faster than small dogs around 6 years old and the gap increases by year eight. This relationship between body mass and age expectancy baffles scientists. Normally, the larger the mammal, the longer it lives. Yet for every 4.4 pounds of body mass, a dogs life expectancy is reduced by about a month. Theories why abound, from age-related illnesses affecting big dogs sooner to a higher likelihood of abnormal cell growth and death from cancer because of the sped-up growth of large dogs.
" " Freezing your child's credit early on is one way to help prevent fraud, and a lot of headaches down the road. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

Credit fraud is unfortunately a serious problem. In 2017, hackers accessed Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies. That left 143 million American consumers' sensitive information, including their Social Security numbers, compromised.

And that wasn't an isolated incident. Major retailers, restaurants and hotels like Macy's, Marriott, Adidas, Saks Fifth Avenue and Planet Hollywood have also had major data breaches, exposing their customers' information.

But adult consumers agree to take a certain amount of risk with their personal information. They sign up for  and use  credit cards. They give their Social Security number for bank loans and car loans. But what about a child? They do none of these things. So as a parent, you could be caught completely off guard if your child graduates from high school and you discover they've already purchased a car or rented an apartment. Or, at least, someone else did using your child's name and Social Security number.

We're talking about financial fraud against minors. Opening new bank and credit card accounts are the most common forms. They're so common they can go undetected for years, according to Forbes.

Identity thieves can use a child's Social Security number to apply for credit, apply for government benefits, rent apartments and set up utilities. The consequences get more and more complicated over the years. By the time your child is approaching adulthood and needs to apply for jobs, first credit cards, or car and school loans, they may already have a lengthy credit report full of fraudulent activity that needs to be cleaned up.

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How to Prevent Credit Fraud Against Children

So what's a parent to do? For one you can consider freezing your child's credit as soon as possible. A credit freeze won't entirely prevent this form of identity fraud, but it's the most effective form of prevention available, and it can save your family from tons of hassle involved with reporting and cleaning it up.

If you've heard the term "freezing a Social Security number," this is the same as freezing credit, according to Syed Ejaz, assistant policy analyst at Consumer Reports.

"There are no drawbacks to freezing your child's credit," Ejaz says via email. "Consumers who have frozen their credit will need to temporarily unfreeze it when applying for new credit accounts. Parents should keep this in mind when helping their child apply for student loans and other credit products."

A credit freeze works by preventing the three credit bureaus  Equifax, Experian and TransUnion  from disclosing an individual's credit score to third parties. In effect, this prevents new loans or lines of credit from being opened. Children age 16 or older are permitted to request a credit freeze for themselves, but a legal representative must make the request on behalf of children under 16.

Credit freezes became free thanks to legislation that took effect in September 2018, and the law mandated that the freeze be available to children, as well. That's an important distinction, since children are most vulnerable to identity theft.

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Other Ways to Protect Your Child's Credit

There are other possible steps you can take to help protect your child's credit, as well. If you don't want to freeze your child's credit, you can consider a credit lock.

Consumer Reports notes that, while a credit freeze is free, the credit bureaus all offer a credit lock, though it's not always free. That said, credit locks may be more convenient than credit freezes, because a freeze is intended to be a long-term solution (protecting credit for a child's entire adolescence, for example) while credit locks can be quickly and easily turned off and on, some via an app.

A credit freeze also comes with legal protection under federal law that the credit locks can't provide. And if for some reason, the freeze fails or is still bypassed by a criminal, your child will be protected from financial liability related to the credit fraud.

Beyond credit freezes and credit locks, though, you should be careful how and where you share your child's personal information throughout their adolescence. To some extent, you can't avoid giving it to their schools, doctors or financial institutions. But do the extra legwork to ensure these organizations are only using the information as necessary. That means reading all privacy notices they provide, keeping all related information in a safe location and shredding copies of documents you don't need anymore.

If your child's school, doctor's office or other organization notifies you of a data breach, check your child's credit reports and notify the Federal Trade Commission of any unusual activity.

As your child approaches his or her 16th birthday, run a credit check. This will let you know if there are any fraudulent accounts or errors, and give you time to clean up the record, which often requires a lot of paperwork. Again, a credit freeze isn't foolproof, but it's likely the easiest and most efficient way to help your child's credit record stay clean.

Now That's Interesting As Forbes notes, if your child is old enough, this is a good opportunity to explain how credit works and why it is important. If your child is too young for this conversation, you can help him or her lift the freeze when it comes time to apply for loans or a credit card.
Reuters

Newly released FBI documents have revealed communications between Donald Trump ally Roger Stone and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In one Twitter message between Mr Stone and Mr Assange, the presidents ally vowed to "bring down the entire house of cards if prosecutors came after him, according to FBI documents.

Mr Assange runs the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and is known for publishing Democrat emails to and from Hillary Clinton at the time she was Secretary of State while she was running in the 2016 presidential election.

The FBI affidavits, which were submitted with information so the group could obtain search warrants against Mr Stone, were released to the public on Tuesday after a court case put forth by the Associated Press and other publications.

They were made public as Mr Stone, convicted last year in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, awaits a date to surrender to a federal prison system that has grappled with outbreaks of the coronavirus.

Previously, Mr Stone confessed he had communicated with the WikiLeaks founder on multiple instances.

I actually have communicated with Assange. I believe the next tranche of his documents pertain to the Clinton Foundation, but theres no telling what the October surprise may be, he said during a 2016 speech.

But the FBI documents prove just how extensive communications were as the presidents ally worked to find evidence against the Clinton campaign.

On 4 October, 2016, Mr Stone tweeted: Payload coming. #Lockthemup. Three days later, WikiLeaks began to release emails that had been hacked from (Hillary Clinton campaign manager) John Podestas personal email account, the FBI said.

Other messages between the pair also included WikiLeaks directly messaging Mr Stone Happy? one day after the presidential election. This was followed by a second message that read: We are now more free to communicate.

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In a June 2017 Twitter direct message cited in the records, Mr Stone reassured Mr Assange that the issue was still nonsense and said as a journalist it doesnt matter where you get information only that it is accurate and authentic.

He cited as an example the 1971 Supreme Court ruling that facilitated the publishing by newspapers of the Pentagon Papers, classified government documents about the Vietnam War.

If the US government moves on you I will bring down the entire house of cards, Mr Stone wrote, according to a transcript of the message cited in the search warrant affidavit. With the trumped-up sexual assault charges dropped I dont know of any crime you need to be pardoned for - best regards. R.

Mr Stone was likely referring to a sexual assault investigation dropped by Swedish authorities. Mr Assange, who at the time was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, was charged last year with a series of crimes by the US Justice Department, including Espionage Act violations for allegedly directing former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in one of the largest compromises of classified information in US history.

Currently, Mr Assange is imprisoned in London and is fighting his extradition back to the US while reportedly in ill health.

In a statement Tuesday, Stone acknowledged that the search warrant affidavits contain private communication, but insisted that they prove no crimes.

I have no trepidation about their release as they confirm there was no illegal activity and certainly no Russian collusion by me during the 2016 Election, he said. There is, to this day, no evidence that I had or knew about the source or content of the Wikileaks disclosures prior to their public release.

Mr Stone was among one of six associates of Mr Trump who was charged during Robert Muellers investigation. In February, the political ally was sentenced to 40 months in prison.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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The passing away of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan sent shockwaves across the country and beyond the borders. Khan was an unparalleled artist who received the countrys fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri in the year 2011.

Besides people from the film fraternity, both Bollywood and Hollywood, scores of ministers and politicians expressed their sadness and condoled Khans demise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre.

Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace, the prime minister tweeted.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi described Khan as a versatile and talented actor and said he was Indias popular brand ambassador on the global stage of cinema and television. He will be greatly missed, Rahul Gandhi tweeted out.

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief, Gandhis tweet read.

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2020

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the world of cinema has lost a powerhouse of versatility and talent.

Deeply saddened by the passing of actor #IrrfanKhan. An artist par excellence, the face of #ResurgentRajasthan - today the World of Cinema has lost a powerhouse of versatility and talent. He will be missed.



My sincere condolences to the family.  Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) April 29, 2020

Deeply saddened by the passing of actor #IrrfanKhan. An artist par excellence, the face of #ResurgentRajasthan - today the World of Cinema has lost a powerhouse of versatility and talent. He will be missed, Raje tweeted out.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said India lost one of the most exceptional actors of our time.

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace, Kejriwal tweeted out.

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Shashi Tharoor said Khan gladdened his heart although both had never met.

Saddened beyond measure by the passing of a human being I had never met, but who gladdened my heart and the hearts of millions with his incandescent talent. RIP @irrfank, gone when he had so much more to give https://t.co/4qscNrSfQv  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 29, 2020

Saddened beyond measure by the passing of a human being I had never met, but who gladdened my heart and the hearts of millions with his incandescent talent. RIP @irrfank, gone when he had so much more to give, Tharoor expressed in a tweet.

No stereotypical looks, no six-pack, no fancy dance steps, no dynastic claim to a place in Bollywood. It was just talent & a breathtaking screen presence. #IrrfanKhan your courage to speak up when others chose silence was your biggest asset & will be missed the most. God speed.  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 29, 2020

It is difficult to find another example of IrrfanKhans unmatched performance, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in a tweet.

His acting broke the boundaries of languages, nations and religions, creating an accent of acting that united all humanity through art and compassion, she posted.

Saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan.



One of Indias most versatile actors and a true gem of a person, my thoughts are with his family and friends in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 29, 2020

Khan, 53, breathed his last on Wednesday at Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. The actor was being treated for colon infection at the hospital.

The actor was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare form of cancer, in the year 2018. He left for London for treatment and returned last year to shoot for Homi Adajanias Angrezi Medium which released last month. The actor returned to London and came back last year in September after his treatment.
Results from a first-of-its-kind study of a multicancer blood test in more than 9,900 women with no evidence or history of cancer showed the liquid biopsy test safely detected 26 undiagnosed cancers, enabling potentially curative treatment.

Overall, 26 cancers were detected by the blood test while an additional 24 cancers were detected by standard screening such as mammography or colonoscopy. Together, screen-detected cancers (those detected by either blood testing or standard screening), accounted for more than half of the 96 cancers detected during the study period. Cancers detected by the blood test were most often localized by diagnostic PET-CT. Twelve of the cancers detected by the blood test were able to be surgically removed.

Researchers at the Ludwig Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, who developed the blood test, say the study, called DETECT-A (Detecting cancers Earlier Through Elective mutation-based blood Collection and Testing) represents the first time any liquid biopsy blood test was used clinically to screen for cancer in a population without previously detected cancer for the purpose of diagnosis and intervention -- specifically treatment with the intent to cure cancer.

A report on the work will be published April 28 in Science and presented the same day at the virtual annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. "This study suggests that a multicancer blood test can be complementary and additive to standard of care screening and may be a good strategy for increasing early detection of cancer," says Anne Marie Lennon, M.B.B.Ch., Ph.D., professor of medicine, interim director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and lead author of the published report.

The multicancer blood test detects the presence of cancer gene mutations in circulating DNA and blood levels of specific cancer proteins. This test, called the DETECT-A blood test, was originally designed in 2016 by the research team. A more advanced version of the test, called CancerSEEK, was first reported in Science in January 2018. Improvements continue to be made to the test, such as those reported in the March 3 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The DETECT-A study was initiated before these advances were made, says Lennon.

"The DETECT-A study incorporated PET-CT imaging to provide independent confirmation of the existence of a cancer and to precisely localize its site," says Nickolas Papadopoulos, Ph.D., senior author and professor of oncology and pathology. "For example, we could detect a lung cancer, tell in which lobe of which lung the cancer was located, the size of the cancer and if there were metastatic lesions present. Blood tests alone are not able to provide this type of precise information."

In the DETECT-A study, the blood test followed by PET-CT imaging was 99.6% specific for cancer. The researchers also confirmed that the genetic mutations picked up by the blood test that led to a positive test were present in the cancer 100% of the time.

"Our primary goal was to demonstrate reliability and safety -- to show the blood test could lead to the diagnosis of cancers and get patients to treatment aimed at curing them," says Kenneth Kinzler, Ph.D., professor of oncology and co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins.

A secondary goal was to show that blood testing could be integrated with conventional screening methods for detecting breast, colon and lung tumors.

Papadopoulos says it was encouraging that the DETECT study found combining standard of care screening with the blood test augmented the benefit of standard of care screening for these three cancer types, improving sensitivity from 47% to 71%. Blood testing also allowed the detection of seven other cancer types (lymphoma, appendix, uterine, thyroid, kidney, ovary and cancers arising from an unknown primary site) that cannot be screened now, with a sensitivity of 31%. "This underscores the value of blood-based multicancer screening as both complementary and additive to standard of care screening," he explains.

Only women were chosen for the DETECT study because ovarian cancer -- one of the cancers the test detects -- occurs only in women, and the investigators wanted to have consistent comparisons.

Of the 10,006 female patients initially enrolled between September 2017 and May 2019, 9,911 completed the study. Of the 95 people excluded from the study, 73 voluntarily withdrew, 12 were found to have a history of cancer and 10 did not complete the necessary clinical workup.

Because study participants were all members of a managed health care system, all had access to standard of care cancer screening guidance, including recommendations for mammography to detect breast cancer and colonoscopy to detect colon cancer.

The blood tests were performed and results were generated in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-approved lab operated by Thrive Earlier Detection. (CLIA establish quality standards for clinical laboratory testing.) Cancers initially detected by the blood test included cancers in 10 different organs: lymphomas (2), colorectal (2), appendix (1), uterine (2), thyroid (1), kidney (1), lung (9), breast (1), ovary (6) and unknown primary (1).

Importantly, 17 cancers (65%) first detected by the blood test were diagnosed at an early stage, when the cancer was still localized or regional to the area it originated. Twelve surgeries were performed with intent to cure. Of the 26 patients first detected by blood testing, 12 remain in remission and eight remain in treatment or have stable disease approximately nine months past diagnosis.

The investigators plan to continue to follow all 9,911 participants, including those with positive and negative test results, for five years. It is likely that other cancers that were too small to be detected by imaging or were not detected by the blood test will arise in these individuals.

Surveys conducted after the study showed that blood testing did not discourage participants from engaging in standard screening. Moreover, these surveys showed high satisfaction with the study. Specifically, among 6,874 participants who completed a survey 12 months post-enrollment, only 0.3% reported feeling they made the wrong decision by participating in the study. Similar responses were obtained from participants who received true positive and true negative test results and from those who received false positive or false negative results. Only 1% of respondents said they would be unwilling to join a similar subsequent study.

The investigators say additional studies reflecting an optimized version of the blood test are in planning. "We believe that more than two-thirds of cancers that occur in the U.S. can eventually be screen-detected, either by blood testing or standard screening, before they cause symptoms of disease. Such earlier detection has the capacity to substantially reduce suffering and death from many cancer types," says Bert Vogelstein, M.D., Clayton Professor of Oncology, co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. The test remains in research and is not currently available to the general public.

###

In addition to Papadopoulos, Lennon, Kinzler and Vogelstein, other researchers include Adam Buchanan, Isaac Kinde, Andrew Warren, Ashley Honushefsky, Ariella Cohain, David Ledbetter, Fred Sanfillipo, Kathleen Sheridan, Dillenia Rosica, Christian Adonizio, Hee Jung Hwang, Kamel Lahouel, Joshua Cohen, Christopher Douville, Aalpen Patel, Leonardo Hagmann, David Rolston, Nirav Malani, Shibin Zhou, Chetan Bettegowda, David Diehl, Bobbi Urban, Christopher Still, Lisa Kann, Julie Woods, Zachary Salvati, Joseph Vadakara, Rosemary Leeming, Prianka Bhattacharya, Carroll Walter, Alex Parker, Christoph Lengauer, Alison Klein, Cristian Tomasetti, Elliot Fishman and Ralph Hruban.

The research was funded by the Marcus Foundation, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research, the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Susan Wojcicki and Dennis Troper, the Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, the Conrad R. Hilton Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists, and National Institutes of Health grants CA06973, U01-CA152753, U01-CA230691, P50-CA62924, R44CA203350, R37CA230400, T32-GM007309 and HHSN261201600034C.

Bert Vogelstein, Kenneth Kinzler, Nickolas Papadopoulos, Isaac Kinde and Christoph Lengauer are founders of and hold equity in Thrive Earlier Detection. Kenneth Kinzler, Nicholas Papadopoulos, and Christoph Lengauer are consultants to and are on the board of directors of Thrive Earlier Detection. Christoph Lengauer is an officer of Thrive Earlier Detection. Bert Vogelstein, Kenneth Kinzler, Nickolas Papadopoulos and Shibin Zhou are founders, hold equity in, and serve as consultants to Personal Genome Diagnostics. Shibin Zhou holds equity in Thrive Earlier Detection and has a research agreement with BioMed Valley Discoveries, Inc. Kenneth Kinzler and Bert Vogelstein are consultants to Sysmex, Eisai and CAGE Pharma and hold equity in CAGE Pharma. Bert Vogelstein is also a consultant to Nexus, and Kenneth Kinzler, Bert Vogelstein, Shibin Zhou and Nickolas Papdopoulos are consultants to and hold equity in NeoPhore. Nickolas Papadopoulos is a consultant to and hold equity in CAGE. Chetan Bettegowda is a consultant to Depuy-Synthes and Bionaut Pharmaceuticals. FS is a consultant to the Marcus Foundation. David Ledbetter is a consultant to Clear Genetics, Inc. (now InVitae, Inc., Natera, Inc. and X-Therma, Inc. The companies named above, as well as other companies, have licensed previously described technologies related to the work described in this paper from The Johns Hopkins University. Joshua Cohen, Cristian Tomasetti, Chris Douville, Chetan Bettegowda, Bert Vogelstein, Kenneth Kinzler, Isaac Kinde, Shibin Zhou, Ralph Hruban, Anne Marie Lennon and Nickolas Papadopoulos are inventors of some of these technologies. Relevant filings include PCT/US2018/045669 and US9476095B2. Licenses to these technologies are or will be associated with equity or royalty payments to the inventors and to The Johns Hopkins University. Patent applications on the work described in this paper have or may be filed by The Johns Hopkins University. The terms of these arrangements are managed by The Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. Chris Douville and Andrew Warren hold equity in and are consultants to Thrive Earlier Detection. Andrew Warren hold equity in Glympse Bio. Ariella Cohain, Bobbi Urban, Hee Jung Hwang, Leonardo Hagmann, Lisa Kann, Alex Parker and Nirav Malani hold equity and/or stock options in Thrive Earlier Detection. Nirav Milani is employed by Genosity.
A renewal levy that affects four Lake County school districts was passed by voters, according to unofficial finals results April 28.

The Lake County School Financing District levy was approved by voters 7,724 to 5,544, according to the Lake and Geauga county elections boards.

The Lake County School Financing District is comprised of Painesville, Perry, Madison and Riverside schools. Together the four districts created a 4.9-mill renewal levy in 1990 to share Perry Nuclear Power Plant tax revenue.

The money generated helps funding for personnel, materials and supplies, transportation, and more critical services.

The five-year renewal levy is expected to generate $5,750,648 annually and cost a homeowner $69.79 a year per $100,000 in property valuation, according to the Lake County Auditors Office.

The levy had been successfully renewed several times, but voters narrowly rejected the levy in the November 2019 general election.

It surprised us, Riverside Treasurer Gary Platko previously told the News-Herald. Its been renewed for the past 30 years. This is the first time the renewal failed.

The failure of the levy in November did not impact the districts as the current levy runs through the end of 2020. Following the failure, the districts put the levy in front of voters again in the 2020 primary election.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the unique circumstances of this primary election could lend itself to a higher than usual number of properly postmarked ballots arriving after April 28. This could mean that results for some races and issues could change in the official count. Ballots returned by mail containing a postmark on or before April 27 must be received by boards of election by May 8 in order to be counted.
Toyota remains convinced hybrids represent the "best solution" for drivers wishing to move away from petrol and diesel cars.

That is the powerful message coming from top management figures in the company I interviewed recently to mark the launch of the new Yaris Cross small SUV (reported online last Thursday).

In response to a question about plans for a plug-in or a full-electric version for the new car, I was told: "We believe right now that the best solution is hybrid and the volume of our sales in many markets (accounting in some for up to 80pc of brand purchases) underlines that."

They claim that scale of hybrid sales worldwide is "reducing emissions significantly".

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However, they acknowledged there will be a need at some point for more plug-ins and battery-powered models. But they don't need them "at the moment".

The lack of a plug-in is relevant for Irish buyers since the Budget hit normal hybrids hard in favour of PHEVs. Globally, the Toyota experts told us that, as a marque, they don't really need PHEVs to get down overall emissions.

Pointedly, they say their competitors - many of whom heavily criticise Toyota for their "self-charging" claim - do need to lower their global emissions in advance of new thresholds.

Those limits will punish manufacturers whose average is above 95g/km.

On the new Yaris Cross, they said biggest improvements come via the hybrid system. Significant increases in battery capacity deliver and capture more energy, according to their hybrid expert Morisaka-san.

Basically the same software logic applies to the Cross as it does for the new Yaris hatch but it has been slightly tweaked for different weight and size etc.

The 1.5 hybrid system develops a total of 116hp.

The 3cyl 1.5 Atkinson-cycle petrol engine is strong on pulling power (torque) and fuel efficiency, they claim. The Cross is due in the second half of 2021.

Asked if provisional 135g/km emissions for AWD versions and 120g/km for front-wheel drive models were disappointing they claim they are "competitive" against rivals.

The new car is a mix of SUV and urban hatch. Toyota expect Yaris-badged models to eventually account for a third of its European sales.

It has the same 2,560mm wheelbase as the new hatch but is 24mm longer (4,180mm).

Around 60mm has been added to the front overhang and 180mm to the rear to create extra interior space. Ground clearance is up 30mm while the car is 90mm taller and 20mm wider than the hatch.

The boot has 390 litres of space (depending on model) but the 40:20:40 rear seats fold to give more if needed.
He's the former AFL player-turned-radio star who is a doting dad to four children.

And on Wednesday, Brendan Fevola shared footage of his daughter Mia as she weighed in on his footy past in a video shared to her TikTok account.

In the video, the 20-year-old is seen miming to a hilarious Today show interview with teenage surfer Sabre Norris, while standing in front of a classic photo of her dad.

'At least I know my daughter loves me': On Wednesday, Brendan Fevola shared footage of his daughter Mia, 20, as she weighed in on his footy past in a video shared to her TikTok account

In the original clip, Sabre tells host Karl Stefanovic that her father used to be an athlete, but now he's pretty fat.

Mia mimed the audio to perfection, and when she arrived at the punchline, another image of her famous dad flashed behind her where he sported a bit of a tummy.

Brendan captioned the video: 'At least I know my daughter loves me,' and added the hashtag #stitchup with several crying face emojis.

Mia's video has already clocked up over 11,500 views on TikTok.

Funny: In the TikTok video, Mia was seen miming the words: 'Yeah my dad was an athlete but now he's pretty fat'

It comes after Brendan recently revealed that he's finally deleted the Uber Eats app, after splashing out more than $35,000 on the food delivery service.

Speaking on his show Fifi, Fev & Byron, the former AFL star said that his partner Alex is now in control over what he orders online.

The 39-year-old former Carlton player was apparently in the top 0.02 per cent of Uber Eats users in Australia.

Change! It comes after Brendan recently revealed that he's finally deleted the Uber Eats app, after splashing out more than $35,000 on the food delivery service (Pictured with partner Alex and daughter Mia)

Brendan revealed that he ordered Uber Eats up to four times a day.

'We get home at a certain time and I get hungry and you just eat and you eat,' Brendan said.

'I was ordering Uber Eats, this is no word of a lie, a minimum of twice a day, sometimes up to four times because you order it to work.'
Boeing said it will slash staff and production after posting a massive first-quarter loss. Demand for air travel has evaporated during the CCP virus outbreak, and the aerospace company continues to reel from the 737 Max grounding.

The company announced it would cut 10 percent of its jobs, about 16,000 positions, through a combination of buyouts, natural attrition, and involuntary layoffs. The cuts will be deepest in Boeings commercial airplane unitwhich will lose about 15 percent of jobs. And Boeing said it would drastically scale back production of the two widebody passenger jets, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777.

Visitors look at Boeing 787 and 777 model displays at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore on Feb. 12, 2020. (Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images)

The demand for commercial airline travel has fallen off a cliff, said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun. The pandemic is also delivering a body blow to our business.

The company lost $1.7 billion from its core operations, a bit worse than Wall Street had expected. Boeing was hit by both by the 737 Max crisis as well as airlines canceling and delaying orders for new planes because of the pandemic. A temporary shutdown of its factories in Washington state due to health concerns cost the company $137 million.

Nearly two-thirds of aircraft around the world are now parked, according to tracking firm Cirium, as airlines slash their flight schedules. Passenger demand is down about 90 percent.

Tuesday Southwest Airlines, one of Boeings best customers, disclosed it had delayed delivery of at least 55 percent of the 107 planes it had previously scheduled for delivery from Boeing this year or next.

Widebody jets, Boeings strongest sector, could also be hurt because of their use on long-range international flights. At Boeings annual meeting Monday, CEO Dave Calhoun said the expectation is that the demand for international travel will take even longer to rebound than the demand for domestic travel.

Boeing will cut production of the 787 Dreamliner to seven a month from 12. The 777, of which it is about to debut a new version, will be cut to three a month. The 747 and 767, which Boeing is building primarily only as freighters for cargo use, will maintain their current production levels.

Boeing suspended production of its bestselling jet, the 737 Max, in January, ahead of the pandemics impact on most air travel. The halt was due to its prolonged grounding in March last year following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

A Boeing 737 MAX airplane is seen parked at a Boeing facility in Renton, Washington, on Aug. 13, 2019. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

While it recently resumed production of its other jets, the 737 Max line remains shut for now. Boeing said it will build only 31 of the jets each month when it does resume, and said it will only gradually build to that level. It had been building 52 planes a month at the time of the grounding.

Boeing rival Airbus has also been hit by a sharp drop in demand for jets because of canceled orders and postponed deliveries. It has cut production rates by about one-third, and on Monday it furloughed about 6,000 employees. Wednesday it reported a net loss of 481 million ($521 million), as CEO Guillaume Faury warned, We are still at an early stage of this crisis.

Shares of Dow component Boeing moved nearly 5 percent higher.

The CNN Wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
The antibody therapy is now being tested as a way to prevent acute respiratory distress in COVID-19 patients

An anti-inflammatory drug developed at Scripps Research 25 years ago is now being tested as a way to prevent acute respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The drug, a monoclonal antibody now owned by the pharmaceutical company Implicit Bioscience, is planned to be used in a small clinical trial taking place at four sites in Italy, Spain, Australia and Singapore.

The trial will assess whether the drug, known as IC14, can temper the immune system's response to coronavirus infection of the lungs, thus preventing dangerous levels of inflammation seen in patients with severe cases of the disease.

"Patients with severe COVID-19 often progress to acute respiratory distress, where inflammation results in lung damage and subsequent multiple organ failure," says Richard Ulevitch, PhD, a professor and former chairman of Immunology at Scripps Research, who originally developed the drug. "By dampening the innate immune system's response to the infection, IC14 may prevent patients from spiraling out of control and improve their chances for recovery."

The drug targets an immune system protein called CD14, that Ulevitch and Scripps Research colleagues first linked to innate immunity and inflammation in work started in the mid-1980s.

CD14 is a protein that helps immune cells recognize pathogens including bacteria, viruses or substances released from injured or dying cells that alarm the immune system to danger. CD14 has the unusual property of existing both on the surface of white blood cells and floating free in the blood and lung fluids. This dual existence allows CD14 to amplify the body's inflammatory responses in a variety of sites. While these immune responses can help fight infections, they also carry the risk of a dangerous overreaction, sometimes referred to as a "cytokine storm."

In patients with COVID-19, this out-of-control inflammation creates a vicious cycle in which the immune system floods the body with excessive levels of cytokines, which can lead to tissue damage and in severe cases, multiple organ failure.

Ulevitch and colleagues developed the IC14 antibody to block the inflammatory signals that CD14 sends to immune system cells. In preclinical studies, the antibody showed promise in sepsis and the often-associated excessive inflammation leading to shock and multi-organ failure.

The drug was tested by a pharmaceutical company in a phase 1 clinical trial in 2004 and determined to be safe in patients. Collaborations with others, including Thomas Martin, MD, emeritus professor of Medicine at University of Washington, extended the work to clinical studies in humans with acute respiratory distress. While no follow up sepsis trials were conducted, IC14 was acquired by Implicit Bioscience in 2009 as a potential therapy to blunt the inflammation caused by the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Implicit is currently conducting a phase 2 trial to evaluate the drug in patients with rapidly advancing ALS.

Soon after COVID-19 began spreading around the world earlier this year, Ulevitch contacted Martin, his former collaborator. They realized they were both thinking the very same thing: IC14, the monoclonal antibody they'd developed decades ago, might be effective at blocking the extreme inflammatory responses seen in COVID-19 patients. In fact, the same day Ulevitch contacted him, Martin had already reached out to Implicit to float the idea.

"It was really remarkable," Martin says. "We had both seen the reports about cytokine storms and knew that IC14 was a good candidate. It could potentially offer protection to the lungs, the most proximate danger of COVID-19, but also address the systemic response causing multiple organ failure."

Garry Redlich, CEO of Implicit Bioscience, informed Martin and Ulevitch that the company had several hundred doses of IC14 that could be used for a clinical trial in COVID-19. "We thought, 'here's this dreadful condition with no approved drug, and here we are with this outstanding data that says we can turn down all of the inflammatory parameters,'" says Redlich. "While we are committed to pursuing IC14 as an ALS therapy, deploying our inventory of the drug candidate to potentially help mitigate the COVID-19 crisis was clearly what needed to happen."

Working with Ulevitch and Martin, Implicit arranged for medical clinics in hard-hit areas of Italy to receive samples of the drugs for testing. Implicit is now collaborating with the clinics in Europe, Asia and Australia to test the drug in a dozen patients diagnosed with COVID-19 but have not yet progressed to severe respiratory symptoms that require ventilation.

The trial will test whether IC14 is safe in COVID-19 patients and whether it reduces the need for artificial ventilation and the risk of dying from the disease. If the results in initial trials are promising, Redlich says, Implicit will run additional trials to more rigorously test IC14 as a COVID-19 therapeutic.

Ulevitch is hopeful, yet he cautions that it's still not known if IC14 will help COVID-19 patients. What is crystal clear, however, is the value of having a bank of strong basic science during unpredictable times.

"This is a great example of how fundamental research done years ago at Scripps Research and extended by countless other scientists over the past three decades can lay the foundation for applications that you can't envision until a new situation arises," he says.

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A drug that lowers levels of the male hormone testosterone in the body reduces the risk of men with pedophilic disorder sexually abusing children, a study from Karolinska Institutet published today in the journal JAMA Psychiatry shows.

About one in ten girls and one in twenty boys are sexually abused, primarily at the hands of men with pedophilic disorder. Despite law enforcement, technical and political initiatives, the rate of child sexual abuse continues to rise, above all that committed online. There is therefore a pressing need for effective and scientifically proven treatments for people at risk of committing sexual offence.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Gothenburg University in Sweden have now evaluated the effect of a drug called degarelix, which is approved for the treatment of prostate cancer. The drug acts by switching off the production of testosterone, reducing within a matter of hours the levels of the hormone in the body, and is administered by injection every three months.

The double-blinded study included 52 men with pedophilic disorder in Sweden, who were randomly assigned to a degarelix or a placebo group. Treatment with degarelix was shown to dampen two critical risk factors for committing abuse: high sexual desire and sexual attraction to children. The effects were noticeable within two weeks.

"It's important to be able to offer a relatively fast-acting treatment, and the patients' own experiences of the drug were overall positive," says study leader Christoffer Rahm, chief psychiatrist at Psykiatri Sodra Stockholm and researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.

Above all, the men described positive effects on their sexuality. Many reported that they felt an inner calm, that thoughts of sex were no longer dominant and that they lost their sexual interest in children. A majority wanted to continue on the drug after the study was over.

"This study is an important step towards an evidence-based treatment for pedophilic disorder," says Dr Rahm. "We're now planning a new study to assay the longer term effects of the drug and to compare them with psychotherapy."

All participation was voluntary and the men were recruited via Preventell, a national helpline initiated by ANOVA, an andrology, sexual medicine and transmedicine clinic at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. The helpline was set up to prevent sexual abuse and violence by fast-tracking people with dangerous or undesired sexuality into specialised treatment.

While some of the participants in the degarelix group developed hot flashes and reactions at the injection site, conclusions about any mental side-effects were hard to draw since many of the participants were already in a depressive state even before the study started. See the scientific article for a full list of effects and adverse reactions.

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The study was financed by the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Soderstrom-Konigska Foundation, the Fredrik and Ingrid Thuring Foundation, the Centre for Psychiatric Research at Karolinska Institutet (Department of Clinical Neuroscience), the Gothenburg Society of Medicine, Skaraborg Hospital research unit, Region Stockholm (ALF funding), and the Swedish Society for Medical Research. Knowledge partner ECPAT Sweden.

Publication (open access): "Effect of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist on Risk of Committing Child Sexual Abuse in Men With Pedophilic Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial". Valdemar Landgren, Kinda Malki, Matteo Bottai, Stefan Arver, Christoffer Rahm. JAMA Psychiatry, online 29 April 2020, doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.0440.
The new coronavirus is likely to keep spreading for at least another 18 months to two yearsuntil 60% to 70% of the population has been infected, a team of longstanding pandemic experts predicted in a report released Thursday.

They recommended that the US prepare for a worst-case scenario that includes a second big wave of coronavirus infections in the fall and winter. Even in a best-case scenario, people will continue to die from the virus, they predicted.

'This thing's not going to stop until it infects 60 to 70 percent of people,' Mike Osterholm, who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, told CNN.

'The idea that this is going to be done soon defies microbiology.'

Osterholm has been writing about the risk of pandemics for 20 years and has advised several presidents. He wrote the report along with Harvard School of Public Health epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch, who is also a top expert on pandemics; Dr. Kristine Moore, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist who is now medical director for CIDRAP; and historian John Barry, who wrote the 2004 book 'The Great Influenza' about the 1918 flu pandemic.

Waiting for herd immunity

Because Covid-19 is new, no one has any immunity, they said. 'The length of the pandemic will likely be 18 to 24 months, as herd immunity gradually develops in the human population,' they wrote.

Their predictions are different from models presented by groups such as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington or the models produced by Imperial College London, whose report predicting millions of deaths in the US and UK helped galvanize responses by both governments.

The CIDRAP-led team used those reports, historical data on past pandemics, and published reports about the medical details of Covid-19 to put together their forecast.

'I have said for a long time that when you are trying to understand how infectious disease is going to unfold, you should rely on history as well as models,' Lipsitch told CNN. For instance, pandemic infections don't tend to die down in the summer, like seasonal flu does., he said.

Covid-19 is most comparable to a pandemic strain of influenza, they said.

'Because of a longer incubation period, more asymptomatic spread, and a higher R0, COVID-19 appears to spread more easily than flu,' they wrote in the report. R0 is the average number of other people infected by each patient.

'A higher R0 means more people will need to get infected and become immune before the pandemic can end,' they add. 'Based on the most recent flu pandemics, this outbreak will likely last 18 to 24 months.'

Preparing for the worst

They said government officials should stop telling people the pandemic could be ending and instead prepare citizens for a long haul.

Three scenarios are possible, they said:

Scenario 1: The first wave of Covid-19 in spring 2020 is followed by a series of repetitive smaller waves that occur through the summer and then consistently over a one- to two-year period, gradually diminishing sometime in 2021

Scenario 2: The first wave of Covid-19 is followed by a larger wave in the fall or winter and one or more smaller waves in 2021. 'This pattern will require the reinstitution of mitigation measures in the fall in an attempt to drive down spread of infection and prevent healthcare systems from being overwhelmed,' they wrote. 'This pattern is similar to what was seen with the 1918-19 pandemic.'

Scenario 3: A 'slow burn' of ongoing transmission. 'This third scenario likely would not require the reinstitution of mitigation measures, although cases and deaths will continue to occur.'

States and territories should plan for scenario 2, the worst-case scenario, they recommended.

'Government officials should develop concrete plans, including triggers for reinstituting mitigation measures, for dealing with disease peaks when they occur,' they advised.

Lipsitch and Osterholm both said they are surprised by the decisions many states are making to lift restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the virus.

'I think it's an experiment. It's an experiment that likely will cost lives, especially in places that do it without careful controls to try to figure out when to try to slow things down again,' Lipsitch said.

Plus, he said, some states are choosing to lift restrictions when they have more new infections than they had when they decided to impose the restrictions.

'It is hard to even understand the rationale,' Lipsitch said.

A vaccine could help, the report said, but not quickly. 'The course of the pandemic also could be influenced by a vaccine; however, a vaccine will likely not be available until at least sometime in 2021,' they wrote.

'And we don't know what kinds of challenges could arise during vaccine development that could delay the timeline.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 04:52:42|Editor: huaxia

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LJUBLJANA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian government on Tuesday announced further relaxations of restriction measures imposed to contain the coronavirus epidemic.

Museums, galleries and libraries and real estate agents will be allowed to resume business from April 29. As of May 4, bars and restaurants will also be able to reopen, but serving guests only at outdoor facilities, according to a government statement.

Small businesses such as shoe repair shops, key cutters, clothing shops, photocopy services, watchmaker shops and jewelers will also reopen from May 4.

People older than 65 as well as other vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and the disabled will be able to do their shopping also outside the dedicated hours between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. The elderly will also no longer have to present a document to prove their age.

DIY shops, shops selling cars and bicycles, dry cleaners and some repair shops had already been allowed to reopen from April 20 after being shut down for five weeks.

To date, Slovenia has a total of 1,408 coronavirus cases, with 86 deaths, according to the latest government data. Enditem
A man being questioned over the suspected double murder of a couple is believed to have been involved in the elaborate clean-up after the deaths.

Willie Maughan (34) and his Latvian girlfriend, Ana Varslavane (21), are believed to have been abducted and murdered by gangsters after they went missing on April 14, 2015, in Gormanston, Co Meath.

The gang, led by Cornelius Price (38), who remains based in the UK, have always been the only suspects in the shocking murder case.

The suspect has lived at Price's fortified compound in Gormanston for many years. He is originally from the Rochdale area of England and is the first person to be arrested in the five-year investigation into the couple's murder. Their bodies have never been found.

His arrest was welcomed last night by Willie Maughan's father, Joe, who said: "I pray to God that man will tell gardai everything he knows and that he tells the truth to clear his conscience.

"Tomorrow is the 12th anniversary of the death of William's brother Michael and news of a criminal charge being got in the case on the anniversary would be a day of great joy for our family.

"We were very happy to get the news from gardai yesterday morning that there had been an arrest because it shows that the case is still very much active and there is still hope that justice can be done for my son and Ana."

Yesterday's dawn arrest in Co Meath is the biggest development yet in the long-standing double murder probe.

"This lad is no criminal mastermind at all - he is essentially a gopher for the smarter and more serious criminals in Price's organisation," a source said.

In April 2017 gardai failed to find any evidence of the couple when they carried out a dig near Monasterboice, Co Louth.

Days before this dig, they raided Price's compound as part of the double-murder probe.

It is understood that the 57-year-old who was arrested yesterday was present on that occasion but not arrested.

The man who was being held at Ashbourne garda station last night is also being questioned about the discovery of firearms near the compound on January 15, which happened as part of the wider Keane Mulready-Woods investigation.

Price's arch-enemies - who included slain criminal Robbie Lawlor - had planned to dump body parts of the murdered teenager at the compound.

The man is also being questioned about what gardai described as "the discovery of a large quantity of ammunition".

This was found in a Gormanston field just days before Price had completed a three-year jail sentence for the reckless endangerment of a garda at Balbriggan garda station in 2014.

Price's gang, which is involved in the Drogheda feud because of its close links to the Owen Maguire faction, is also suspected in the murder of Benny Whitehouse.

Mr Whitehouse was shot dead at Clonard Street, Balbriggan, on September 25, 2014, in front of his partner as part of a separate feud.

The same gang is being investigated for a pipe-bomb attack at the home of Willie Maughan's sister in Rathfarnham in October 2015.

And it is suspected in an incident last August when the grave of Willie Maughan's brother was dug up at Bohernabreena Cemetery in Tallaght, Dublin.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 00:09:06|Editor: huaxia

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PARIS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A genetic study conducted by scientists from France's Pasteur Institute suggests that the spread of the coronavirus epidemic in France is very little linked to cases imported from China or Italy, but to a locally circulating strain whose origin is unknown yet, reported French daily Les Echos on Wednesday.

In the study supervised by Sylvie van der Werf, director of the National Reference Center for Respiratory Viruses at the Pasteur Institute, and Etienne Simon-Loriere, virologist at the same institute, researchers discovered that the main strain of the coronavirus present in France was linked to a genetic group, or a clade, which had no link with China or Italy.

This study "has shaken up what we thought of the origins of this epidemic in France" and "illustrates the difficulty of containing it," commented Les Echos.

In this non-peer reviewed paper released on bioRxiv.org last week, researchers said they sequenced 97 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes from samples collected between Jan. 24 and March 24 from infected patients in France.

The first European cases sampled on Jan. 24 from the Ile-de-France region were directly imported ones from Hubei, China and the genomes fall accordingly near the base of the tree, within clade V, according to GISAID (a global database on influenza) nomenclature.

"Phylogenetic analysis identified several early independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions without local transmission, highlighting the efficacy of the measures taken to prevent virus spread from symptomatic cases," said the paper.

"In parallel, our genomic data reveals the later predominant circulation of a major clade in many French regions, and implies local circulation of the virus in undocumented infections prior to the wave of COVID-19 cases," it added.

All other sequences from Northern France fall in clade G, and this includes sequences captured during the steep increase of reported cases in many strongly affected regions, according to the paper.

"While a more thorough sampling will be needed to confirm this observation, it suggests that, unlike what is observed for many other European countries, the French outbreak has been mainly seeded by one or several variants of this clade," said the researchers.

Several genomes correspond to patients with recent history of travel in Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Madagascar or Egypt, and might represent additional introductions of the same clade.

"As the earliest representative of clade G had no history of travel or contact with returning travelers, we can infer that the virus was silently circulating in France in February, a scenario compatible with the large proportion of mild or asymptomatic diseases, and observations in other European countries," the paper added.

Unable to say where this strain comes from and how long it has been circulating in France without having been detected, the researchers believe that their work is sounding the alarm about the need to better monitor asymptomatic patients.

"This study emphasizes the importance continuous and geographically broad genomic sequencing and calls for further efforts with inclusion of asymptomatic infections," said the paper. Enditem
Connecticut State Police

DERBY  The disposition hearing of the Newtown man accused of sending explicit images of his ex-girlfriend has been rescheduled from May 21 to July 2.

Paul Carpenter, 57, of Parmalee Hill Road, was arrested in February by state police after several women said he texted them sexually explicit videos and images of his ex-girlfriend.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 17:27:26|Editor: huaxia

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People wait to receive bread provided by a charity bakery in Sanaa, Yemen, April 27, 2020. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

SANAA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Everyday, hundreds of Yemeni families stand in long queues in front of charity bakeries in the capital Sanaa amid fears of the COVID-19 spread as the continuing civil war in the country has pushed over 20 million Yemenis to the brink of starvation.

"Since I left my job following the stop of salary payment, I come to here everyday to get 10 loaves of bread ... and sometimes I get nothing," Ahmed Hizam, resident of Sanaa, told Xinhua at the door of a charity bakery in Noqom neighbourhood.

The 62-year-old father of eight is one of millions of Yemenis living on charity since the civil war erupted five years ago.

Amer Al-Qahm, owner of the charity bakery, hopes to continue the aid to the needy families.

"We distribute 12,000 loaves of bread everyday for about 700 families ... and we will continue," he said.

Although Yemen has so far recorded only one laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19 on April 10 in Hadramaut province, the shattered health system puts millions vulnerable to the pandemic.

"Since the first confirmed COVID-19 case, we have warned that the virus is now in Yemen and may quickly spread," UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande said.

"There's no time to lose ... the factors are all here with low levels of general immunity, high levels of acute vulnerability and a fragile, overwhelmed health system," she said in a statement this week.

The Yemeni war erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed Sanaa and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee.

The five-year war has shattered the country's economy, caused the collapse of local currency and triggered the stop of paying salaries to millions of the civil servants in the northern cities under the control of the Houthi group.

UN aid agencies have estimated that nearly 80 percent of the Yemeni population requires some form of humanitarian assistance and protection, while 10 million people are just a step away from famine.

The war in Yemen has damaged more than half of its health system, where the fragile health institutions have been struggling to contain increasing infections of deadly epidemics, including cholera, malaria and dengue fever.

The cholera in Yemen has infected over than 1 million and killed more than 2,000 others since 2017, in what UN aid agencies describe as the world's worst humanitarian crisis in the modern history.

In March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Yemeni warring parties to "immediately cease hostilities, and do everything possible to counter a potential outbreak of COVID-19."

However, the fighting has been escalating on multiple frontlines.

The civil war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

The UN Security Council has called on the Yemeni government and the Houthi group to immediately abide by the call of Guterres for engaging in a nationwide cease-fire, resuming peace talks and preparing for combating possible spread of COVID-19.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has urged the Yemeni warring parties to quickly response to the call of peace, take the chance to halt the war and sit on the table of negotiations to avoid Yemen's possible new humanitarian crisis.

Like many residents of Sanaa whose life has been affected by the ongoing civil war, Khaled Mohamed demand all Yemeni warring parties to head for peace.

"We hope that all sides to immediately stop this brutal war ... that has destroyed our homeland and killed our children." Enditem
Image credit: Pixabay

The New Development Bank of the BRICS grouping will set aside USD 15 billion to help its members tide over the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced after a meeting of the five-nation bloc.

The impact of the pandemic on trade and investment among the member nations of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) was discussed at a video-conference of foreign ministers of the five countries.

"We decided to allocate up to USD 15 billion...We believe that it should become a very good reinforcement for our countries' economies when they're coming out of the crisis and resume economic operations," Lavrov said after the meeting.

The BRICS represents over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world population and has a combined GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.

In his address, External Affairs Minster S Jaishankar conveyed to the BRICS that it is important to provide support to businesses to tide over the crisis and ensure that livelihoods are not lost.

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 the influential grouping has an important role to play in shaping the global economic and political architecture.

Jaishankar noted that the pandemic and the subsequent challenge highlighted the need for reform of the multilateral systems.

All the BRICS member nations are reeling under the pandemic.

Jaishankar emphasised that the pandemic is not only posing a great risk to the health and well being of humanity but is also severely impacting global economy and output by disruption of global trade and supply chains, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

"Economic activity across sectors has been negatively impacted leading to loss of jobs and livelihoods. He emphasised that we need to provide support to businesses, especially MSMEs, to tide over the crisis and ensure livelihoods are not lost," the MEA said in a release.

It said the minister pointed out that the efficacy of traditional medicine systems to strengthen immunity should be recognised and that BRICS should support these efforts.

This video conference was convened in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the discussions primarily focused on ways to deal with the crisis, its impact and the possible response by the grouping.

The conference also discussed the activities to be undertaken under Russian BRICS Chairmanship in 2020.

It was chaired by Lavrov. Besides Jaishankar, the conference was attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo and South Africa's Minister for International Cooperation Grace Naledi Pandor.

The MEA said Jaishankar emphasised that the "current challenge underlines all the more the need for reform of multilateral systems and that reformed multilateralism was the way forward. He referred to the centrality of development and growth in the global agenda."

He also highlighted the initiatives and various "decisive steps" taken early by India in the wake of the pandemic including through Aarogya Setu Citizen App and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, according to the MEA.

The Aarogya Setu app, developed by government-run National Informatics Centre, users know if they have come in contact with any positive coronavirus patient and ways to avoid the infection.

"He highlighted that much before the outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO, India instituted measures to check coronavirus," the MEA said.

Jaishankar apprised the BRICS foreign ministers about India's initiative to coordinate efforts to contain COVID-19 in South Asia, and creation of COVID-19 emergency response fund by the SAARC countries.

"India is providing pharma assistance to nearly 85 nations, including many countries in Africa, on a grant basis, to support their response to the pandemic. This has been widely welcomed," the MEA said.
Gilead Sciences experimental coronavirus drug remdesivir has shown promising results in two key trials, boosting hopes of an effective treatment after published results from another study in China proved disappointing.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal governments top infectious-disease expert, said Wednesday that remdesivir has shown it can shorten the time COVID-19 patients take to recover by a few days, citing early results from a major trial sponsored by the organization he leads, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He called it quite good news.

Fauci said in remarks at the White House that data from the international trial involving more than 1,000 hospitalized patients has found that the antiviral drug has a clear-cut, significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery. His comments came after the Foster City drugmaker said that it was aware of positive data emerging from the federal remdesivir study that had met its primary endpoint.

The median recovery time was 11 days for patients who received remdesivir compared to 15 days for those who did not, according to the institute. While its not a knock-out hundred percent, Fauci called the emerging results a very important proof of concept.

What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus, Fauci said, while emphasizing that the data still needs to be analyzed further. President Trump said it was a very positive event, according to a White House pool report.

The federal trials preliminary results have also indicated improved survival chances for patients who receive remdesivir, with a mortality rate of 8% for the group that took the drug compared to 11.6% for the placebo group, according to a statement from Faucis institute. The New York Times reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to announce an emergency-use authorization for remdesivir. The drug is currently available on a patient-by-patient basis under the FDAs compassionate use program; a designation for emergency use would broaden access.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UCSF infectious-disease specialist involved in the trial, said remdesivir doesnt appear to cause a lot of side effects and seems to be broadly well-tolerated by patients. He does not think it will be the only treatment needed for COVID-19.

This is just the beginning of investigations, Chin-Hong said. The other part of the picture is treating the inflammation and organ injury. I think thats going to be the next phase in the studies.

Additionally, Gilead said one of its own clinical trials showed that patients who received remdesivir within 10 days of their symptoms starting fared better than those who got the drug later. That study of 397 patients with severe cases of COVID-19 also found that those who received remdesivir over 10 days of treatment had similar improvement compared to those who received the drug over five days.

Those results were intriguing, Chin-Hong said, because they suggest that doctors might be able to treat many more people with the same stock of remdesivir.

Gilead shares closed Wednesday up 5.7% at $83.14. The broader stock market rallied on the drugmakers reports as well.

Originally developed as a treatment for Ebola, remdesivir has emerged as a leading candidate to treat COVID-19 patients, hopefully by getting in the way of how the new coronavirus replicates.

But the drugs results have not been uniformly positive: a clinical trial in China found that it did not speed up the recovery of patients infected by the virus. Results from that study, which was terminated early because it did not enroll enough patients, were published Wednesday in the journal the Lancet, though a summary had previously leaked.

The China study of 237 patients found that the median time for those who received remdesivir to show clinical improvement was 21 days, compared to 23 days in a control group  a difference that researchers said was statistically insignificant. Gilead said when the results were leaked that the data still suggested a possible benefit.

Gileads latest remdesivir research involved a randomized trial of patients with severe cases of COVID-19. By day 14 of the study, 62% of patients who were treated early were able to be sent home from the hospital, compared to 42% of patients who were treated later, Gilead 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.

Dr. Aruna Subramanian of the Stanford University School of Medicine, one of the lead investigators in the Gilead study, was encouraged by the datas indication that patients treated for fewer days improved similarly as those on longer treatments.

While additional data are still needed, these results help to bring a clearer understanding of how treatment with remdesivir may be optimized, if proven safe and effective, Subramanian said in a statement released by Gilead.

The company said its drug was generally well-tolerated in the five-day and 10-day treatment groups. Some patients experienced nausea and some still suffered from acute respiratory failure, while 3% stopped taking remdesivir because of elevated liver tests, according to Gilead.

The company recently added an expansion phase to the study and plans to enroll 5,600 more patients, including people on ventilators. The study is being conducted at 180 sites in various countries, including the United States.

Its kind of a great psychological development to ... talk about an anti-virus drug for a virus rather than talking about worm drugs or malaria drugs or disinfectant, said Chin-Hong, the UCSF physician.

Another Gilead trial will evaluate remdesivirs safety and efficacy in five-day and 10-day doses given to coronavirus patients with moderate symptoms. The company expects results from the first 600 patients in late May.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
Atlanta, Ga.  Two people in Georgia drank liquid cleaning products over the weekend in misguided attempts to ward off COVID-19, according to the Georgia Poison Center. Both men had histories of psychiatric problems and are expected to recover.

The poison centers director, Gaylord Lopez, said he did not know if the men guzzled the chemicals because they heard about President Donald Trumps statements during a Thursday White House briefing, when the president wondered aloud if coronavirus could be treated by injecting a disinfectant into the human body. Since the pandemic began, at least two other Georgians have fallen ill from similar attempts to clean their inner organs with household chemicals, even before Trumps remarks.

So far, though, the state's biggest spike in poisonings from cleaning products has been caused by home-bound Georgians mixing products together to furiously scrub surfaces, then falling ill from inhaling fumes. Last year, the poison center handled 49 product-mixing calls in March and April. This year, since March 1 the center has had 115 calls, Lopez said.

"When you mix bleach with certain types of chemicals, you produce a reaction that can cause release of noxious and toxic gases, and if you inhale enough of this stuff, you can induce a chemical pneumonia," Lopez said.

The same trend has played out across the country with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending disinfecting high-touch surfaces, and panicked shoppers clearing store shelves of such products as Clorox, Lysol and hand sanitizer.

In the first three months of the year, calls to poison centers about exposures to household cleaners and disinfectants rose 20%. There appears to be a clear temporal association with increased use of these products, the CDC noted in a report last week.

Georgia has also seen a rise in cases of children ingesting chemicals because their parents, distracted while working from home, left them unattended around unsecured bottles of fluid and medicines, Lopez said. Overall, poison calls have risen 9% this year.

On Thursday, Bill Bryan, head of the Department of Homeland Securitys science and technology division, had just presented research indicating coronavirus cant survive for long in direct sunlight or in warm, humid conditions. Trump first floated the idea of blasting the human body with ultraviolet light, then he asked about disinfectant.

And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, Trump said. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So, that, youre going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds interesting to me.

A White House press secretary later said Trumps comments had been taken out of context by the news media, and Trump himself later said he was only being sarcastic.

Lopez noted that living through a pandemic can be especially difficult for the mentally ill.

On Saturday, he said, a man in his 50s living southwest of Atlanta was hospitalized after drinking several ounces of bleach "to prevent COVID." He was moved to a psychiatric ward before being discharged.

On Sunday, a man in his 30s who lives in the Atlanta area ingested a mixture of Pine-Sol, mouthwash, beer and pain medications. He also has since been discharged.

Lopez said he could not release further details about the cases because of patient confidentiality concerns. The Georgia Poison Center learned of both cases after receiving calls from hospitals.

Because of the increase in calls during the pandemic, U.S. Health and Human Services has awarded nearly $5 million to poison centers nationwide to improve response capabilities.

By Johnny Edwards, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

More:

Will schools reopen to students in the fall? This may not be the answer parents want to hear

Fetterman: COVID-19 is infecting, delaying Pa.s pardons and commutation process

Lysol, Clorox wipes might be hard to find until August, professor says
Photo: Henry Desro/Unsplash

Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Denver.

Coronavirus cancels 18th annual Denver Chalk Art Festival

The coronavirus pandemic has sidelined another Denver favorite festival this summer. The Larimer Arts Association has decided to cancel this years Denver Chalk Art Festival.

Read the full story on CBS Denver.

Pair of newborn lion cubs bond with mother at Denver Zoo

The zoo's African lion pride recently grew by two adorable cubs born on April 23.

Read the full story on 9NEWS.

Denver's stay-at-home order enforcement teams aren't letting up, with 23 businesses cited so far

There's been zero citation for people, though park rangers have issued their own citations.

Read the full story on Denverite.

Annual Furry Scurry goes virtual, organizers hope animal lovers donate

This Saturday, May 2, is Furry Scurry, the largest fundraiser for the Denver Dumb Friends League (DDFL).

Read the full story on CBS Denver.

Food coalition gives out 100,000 meals, hopes to keep feeding Coloradans

Denver Metro Emergency Food Network launched six weeks ago in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story on CBS Denver.

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.
While New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is busy making national television appearances to tap dance around speculation that shes on the short list to be named Joe Bidens running mate, she has yet to produce a plan, viable or otherwise, for the economic recovery of our state. The governors inaction does nothing to provide hope to the nearly 125,000 New Mexicans who have filed for unemployment since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

It has been nearly six weeks since Lujan Grisham closed thousands of businesses she deemed non-essential. Now, instead of offering solutions, opening businesses and getting New Mexicans back to work, the governor has chosen to use the crisis to advance her own national ambitions and further her radical agenda. New Mexico was one of only five states to force gun stores to close in a blatant attempt to restrict our Second Amendment rights. Meanwhile, the governor allowed abortion clinics to remain open despite a shortage of medical supplies and personal protective equipment that is needed to combat the spread of the virus and treat those already infected. 

Clearly, the only businesses that are essential are those that promote the governors agenda. And that, apparently, does not include our places of worship. On the eve of Easter, the governor extended her executive order banning mass gatherings to include churches and other houses of worship, which inhibits many of them from even conducting online services.

If that werent enough, the governor attempted to use the crisis to modify New Mexicos election laws to allow for unsecure mail balloting. In a brief filed with the state Supreme Court this month, the Governors Office told the court it had the ability to modify the election process outside of the will of our elected state Legislature. Fortunately, our state Supreme Court rejected (that). In the words of Chief Justice Judith Nakamura, I am very concerned whether one branch of government can say to the other one take the powers reserved to us in the Constitution.'

New Mexicos congressional delegation has also failed to provide any road map for economic recovery. In fact, while the CARES Act, which provided emergency relief to businesses and citizens alike, was making its way through Congress, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisting several components of the Green New Deal be incorporated into the House version of the bill. Lujan showed he was willing to allow Americans to suffer to further his agenda by promoting legislation that would only further devastate the economy.

New Mexicans deserve more than Lujan Grishams agenda-first leadership, which has landed New Mexico on the lowest rungs of most positive economic indicators like employment, GDP and economic growth. At a time when leaders should  focus on the getting the best outcome for a state and its residents, our leaders are letting us down, again.

I encourage leaders of both parties, in the Roundhouse and in Washington, to let this national crisis be a time where we can finally start leaving political agendas at the door and start putting New Mexico first.
In the worldwide race to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Oxford University laboratory seems to be on the best possible path.

According to reports, Six macaque monkeys that were given a trial vaccine from the University of Oxford are now coronavirus-free 28 days after sustained exposure to the virus.

Source/nc3rs.org.uk

The rhesus macaque monkeys were inoculated with the vaccine candidate at the National Institutes of Healths Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana last month, according to The New York Times.

"The animals were then exposed to heavy quantities of the virus that is causing the pandemic  exposure that had consistently sickened other monkeys in the lab. But more than 28 days later all six were healthy," said Vincent Munster, the researcher who conducted the test told the New York Times.

"The rhesus macaque is pretty much the closest thing we have to humans," Vincent Munster, the head of the Virus Ecology Unit at the laboratory, told the Times.

The Jenner Institute, working as part of the Oxford Vaccine, is leading the global race for the vaccine. The Oxford scientists now say that with an emergency approval from regulators, the first few million doses of their vaccine could be available by September. The vaccine given to the macaques is called hAdOx1 nCoV-19.

It's a fact that Humans and macaques share 93% of the same DNA, but that does not mean that the vaccine will have the same effects on humans as it does for the monkeys. 'The monkey results are the latest indication that Oxfords accelerated venture is emerging as a bellwether,' reports the Times.





Sinovac Biotec, a Beijing-based company is also hunting for a vaccine to the coronavirus. It found last week that its vaccine was also effective in macaques. Human trials have now begun.

The Serum Institute of India, the worlds largest maker of vaccines by volume, said that it plans this year to produce up to 60 million doses of a potential vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, which is under clinical trial in Britain.



While the vaccine candidate, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is yet to be proven to work against Covid-19, Serum decided to start manufacturing it as it had shown success in animal trials and had progressed to tests on humans, Serum Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said.



Reuters

They are a bunch of very qualified, great scientists [at Oxford]  Thats why we said we will go with this and thats why we are confident, Poonawalla told Reuters in a phone interview.

Poonawalla said he hoped trials of the Oxford vaccine, due to finish in about September, would be successful. Oxford scientists said last week the main focus of initial tests was to ascertain not only whether the vaccine worked but that it induced good immune responses and no unacceptable side effects.

Serum, owned by the Indian billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, plans to make the vaccine at its two manufacturing plants in the western city of Pune, aiming to produce up to 400 million doses next year if all goes well, Poonawalla said.

All Inputs: Reuters/New York Times
By Koustav Samanta

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian gasoil markets will continue to face headwinds over the next few months even as refineries cut processing rates further and economies gradually start picking up as the coronavirus pandemic becomes contained, analysts said.

Sluggish industrial activity and travel restrictions due to extended lockdowns, alongside disruptions to global supply chains, could cut gasoil demand by more than 4 million barrels per day in the second quarter from the same period in 2019, depressing refiners' margins, they said.

Refining margins, also known as cracks, for gasoil with a sulphur content of 10 parts per million (ppm) slid to a record low of $2.83 a barrel over Dubai crude this week.

The gasoil crack, which until last month showed resilience when the downward spiral engulfed jet fuel and gasoline, is currently one of two oil products that yield positive margins in the refining complex.

Gasoil margins in Singapore fall to record lows https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/bdwvkrdlapm/GasoilMarginsApril2020.png

However, it has shed over 67% in the last one month, prompting refiners and traders to worry that the worst might be yet to come. Gasoil and jet fuel, or middle distillates, account for about 40% of refiners' output.

"Weakening cracks, plus worries over the availability of off-takers, is prompting more Asian refineries to consider additional run cuts," said Sri Paravaikkarasu, director for Asia oil at consultancy FGE.

"Even with this, Asian gasoil length should be some 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) higher y-o-y over May. Consequently, Singapore 10-ppm gasoil cracks should face more headwinds in the near term, before stabilizing in late-June/July."

An ongoing shift in refinery yields away from the beleaguered products such as jet fuel and gasoline partially offsets the reduction in gasoil output from ongoing refinery run cuts, analysts said.

Rystad Energy expects COVID-19 to remove nearly 4 million bpd of road diesel demand worldwide in the second quarter, and diesel demand in other sectors to drop by another 1.2 million bpd.

Story continues

Subdued demand in major domestic markets including India and China would likely force these countries to export more fuel into the region, which is already grappling with supplies, trade sources said.

"The lockdown in India is expected to negatively impact diesel cracks in the region as the drop in domestic consumption will free more diesel for exports," said Rystad senior oil market analyst Paola Rodriguez-Masiu.

"The progressive recovery of China will offer some support to diesel cracks, but weakness is expected to persist until the end of third quarter 2020."

(Reporting by Koustav Samanta; Editing by Florence Tan and Nick Macfie)
SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Simfoni Limited, a global innovator in Spend Analytics and Spend Automation, announced the appointment of Jason Stern to Chief Executive Officer of Simfoni Analytics, and the opening (soon) of an additional office and moving of US Headquarters to San Francisco, the heart of technology innovation.

Simfoni

"Last quarter Simfoni announced a strategic Investment to further ramp our growth and meet the increasing demand for our innovative real Artificial Intelligence (AI) Spend Analytics SaaS application. Today I am proud to announce we are executing extremely well on our strategy, even moreso in these uncertain times when supply chain risk and cost visibility are paramount concerns. We have hired a proven leader, started the year off with the two strategic multiyear competitive wins; a leading global payment processor and a well-known private equity firm for their portfolio companies. Plus, once again, Simfoni Analytics was listed as a top-ranked, best-of-breed spend analytics solution in the Spend Matters Solution Map," said Chirag Shah, Executive Chairman Simfoni.

Jason Stern has held a number of CEO roles including at Selectica during its time as a public company and recognized a leader in Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM). Under Stern's leadership CLM revenue grew over 500%, the company was cashflow positive for the first time in its 10-year history and the stock rose from $0.25 to over $10. Mr. Stern has also held leadership positions at Jelli, an iHeartMedia company (Ihrt), Model N (Modn), and Oracle (Orcl).

"I believe Simfoni has developed a truly differentiated solution for spend intelligence. The use of AI and the ability of the product to not only look backward at spend, but look forward to provide direction on where to manage risk and how to improve procurement effectiveness," said Mr. Stern. "Simfoni customers are well-positioned to answer tough decisions in the coming months, I have already spoken to many that feel using Simfoni has put them in control because they have the insights to make the right decisions."

The new US headquarters will be located in San Francisco's vibrant SoMa district once we are all back to work. Simfoni will continue to operate globally through regional headquarters in Chicago, London, Dubai and Melbourne.

About Simfoni: Simfoni.com provides spend analytics and spend automation products to leading global enterprises. Products employ machine learning and artificial intelligence to accelerate and automate key aspects of the procurement process, providing rapid time to value, saving customers both time and money in the process. Based in the USA, Europe and Middle East, Simfoni works "in harmony" with its customers and their vendor community.

Media Contact:

Greg Hogan

CMO, Simfoni Analytics

[email protected]

(415) 990-8697

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Right to access internet is not a fundamental right and the state can curtail the freedom of speech and the right to trade through internet, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has told the Supreme Court while opposing restoration of 4G services in the union territory.

The administration told the apex court that a very reasonable quantum of restrictions have been imposed by reducing the speed of internet to protect the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country.

"It is submitted that the right to access internet is not a fundamental right and thus the type and breadth of access for exercising the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) and/or to carry on any trade or business under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India through the medium of internet can be curtailed," an affidavit filed by the Jammu and Kashmir administration said.

The submissions were made in response to a plea filed by Foundation for Media Professionals seeking restoration of 4G internet services in the union territory in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

The administration told the apex court that contentions raised by the petitioners in respect of an alleged deprivation of access to education, healthcare facilities and to justice itself with 2G internet speed are incorrect and it is taking all possible steps to ensure that minimum impact of COVID-19 situation is felt.

The increase in internet speed is verily apprehended to lead to swift uploading and posting of provocative videos and other heavy data files, the affidavit said.

"High speed internet services (4G) decrease the time of circulation of various photographs, videos, propaganda audios, and hence enable the associated content to go viral, with the reaction time of law enforcement agencies to such situations decreasing.

"Various Pakistan-based terror outfits are leaving no stone unturned to exploit the present situation as seen by recent infiltration attempts in handling of which many personnel of security forces have lost their lives," it said.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is taking all possible steps to ensure that minimum inconvenience is caused to citizens while keeping the vital issues of national security and internal security as a paramount consideration, it said.

The misuse of data services, applications like WhatsApp and Facebook for mobilising crowds by anti-national elements has the potential to cause large-scale violence, disturb public order and indeed threaten the security of the country.

"It is submitted that the administrative authorities concerned are the best suited to assess and handle the situation depending upon the peculiar needs and facts brought within their special knowledge," the affidavit said.

The administration said that restoration of 4G mobile data services will substantially increase the use of social media and other online platforms in uploading or downloading of videos and other propaganda material and their fast circulation, with resultant deterioration in law and order situation in the Kashmir Valley.

It added that miscreants were using different VPNs, but because of low-speed mobile data services, they were not able to upload files of heavy data containing incriminating and other objectionable videos.

"Pakistan-based terrorism handlers like TRF and TMI, instigating youth to join terrorism, are using messaging applications to communicate as also to raise the morale of terrorists; however, 2G mobile data services considerably restrict the use of such applications," the affidavit added.

The administration further submitted in the court that restoration of 4G mobile data services will substantially increase the use of social media and other online platforms in uploading/downloading of videos and other propaganda material and their fast circulation, with resultant deterioration in the law and order situation in the Kashmir Valley.

Internet is being used to support fallacious proxy wars by raising money, recruiting and spreading propaganda/ideologies and prevalence of internet provides an easy inroad to young impressionable minds, the Jammu and Kashmir administration said.

Giving details, it said that till April 25, 108 terrorism-related incidents took place with 99 incidents being reported from Kashmir province, while nine others from Jammu province.

"Thirty civilians lost their lives, while 114 civilians were injured in terrorist-related incidents. Twenty Security forces personnel were martyred and 54 SF personnel were injured. Seventy-six terrorists were killed apart from arrest of 132 terrorists/ suspects," it said.

The administration also said the right to access internet is not a fundamental right in itself but an enabler of the right to free speech and carry out trade and business.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Mumbai, April 29 : German Ambassador to India Walter J. Lindner took to social media to express his condolence at the demise of Irrfan Khan on Wednesday.

"Very sad news: world-known Bollywood (Slum Dog Millionaire) and Hollywood (Jurassic World) actor #IrrfanKhan died today! An incredible talent and prolific cinema-contributor. Many scenes of Slum Dog Millionaire authentically filmed at Mumbai's Dharavi. Went there recently,"Linder tweeted.

Earlier, Indian politicians including President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also shared condolence on social media over the loss of the Padma Shri and National Award-winning actor's family.

"Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Irrfan Khan. A rare talent and a brilliant actor, his diverse roles and remarkable performances will remain etched in our memories. A big loss to the world of cinema and millions of film lovers. Condolences to his family & admirers," President Kovind tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote: "Irrfan Khan's demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace."
A human being can survive four minutes without air, four days without water, and four weeks without food. Air, water, food: that's our life support system. Let's consider food.

Approximately 98 percent of our food is produced on farms by farmers. So, farms and farmers maintain our life support system.

Now, here's the part that doesn't make sense: More than 350 American farms go out of business every week. We all eat, but our nation's farms are failing. In this time of crisis, the reasons why, and the way to stop the bleeding become clearer.

Three key factors have been driving agriculture into the ground for the past 50 years: pressure to scale up; specialization; and corporate commodification. In short, the industrialization of food production.

During the Nixon and Ford administrations, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz reduced the cost of food by encouraging farmers to scale up: "Get big or get out;" to specialize in commodity crops and to ramp up production: "Plant hedgerow to hedgerow." Simultaneously, he began disassembling the financial safety net that had protected farmers from disaster since the Great Depression and he supported easing federal antitrust laws, putting control of the food supply in the hands of a few multinational corporations. He made food cheap but, in the process, destabilized the system that produces it.

Butz's policies are still with us. Last October, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue told a Wisconsin audience that, "In America, the big get bigger, the small go out." Tom Philpott, of Grist, pointed out that advocates of small-scale agriculture condemned the current Farm Bill as a give-away to corporations.

No part of agriculture better exemplifies the catastrophe of industrialization than dairy. Since 1970, the number of dairy farms in America has dropped by 93 percent and the farmers' share of the milk dollar has shrunk to less than 50 cents. Dairy operators have been forced to scale-up drastically: average herd sizes have risen from less than 50 to more than 1,000 head in many states. Today, just a handful of corporations control nearly all the milk production in America.

In New York, a dairy state, we feel the pain more personally. A generation ago, in our town of Knox, 20 miles west of Albany, more than a dozen families made a living milking cows. Today, just two dairies remain. A generation ago, there were 11 dairies on Route 10 in Sharon Springs. Today, there is one.

Dairy is not alone. Once diverse, smallholder operations in the Midwest have been forced to scale up in size and scale down in product diversity. They are being smothered by debt  from mortgages on the huge acreages of commodity crops they cultivate, to loans for the massive machinery required to farm those acreages. They lack resilience. Tariff wars, floods and now COVID-19 are devastating. Third-generation smallholder farmer, Wes Swancey, opined, "Farming 10,000 acres: they don't want to be doing that. ... If a man can't make a living off a couple of hundred acres of good land, the system's broke."

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Multinational corporations have concentrated meat packing into a few locations, almost guaranteeing catastrophe in a crisis. When 230 COVID-19 cases forced the closing of a single Smithfield Foods packing plant, we lost five percent of America's pork supply. Other packing plants are already contaminated further destabilizing the food system.

Diversified, smallholder farming offers an alternative. Farmers who diversify production and marketing are discovering they have the same benefits as investors who diversify their financial portfolios  when one investment tanks, others improve. Diversity creates resilience. Although COVID-19 has forced Capital Region restaurants to close, local consumers have ramped up their buying. Farmers who sell to diverse markets are quite busy right now.

Food security will increase if we create a diverse web of small farms and processing operations across the national landscape. Diversified, smallholder farming will not cure the coronavirus, but it can light the way through future crises, whether global pandemics or global warming.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday rejected US arguments for fielding low-yield nuclear warheads, warning that an attempt to use such weapons against Russia would trigger an all-out nuclear retaliation.

The US State Department argued in a paper released last week that fitting the low-yield nuclear warheads to submarine-launched ballistic missiles would help counter potential new threats from Russia and China.

It charged that Moscow in particular was pondering the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons as a way of coercion in a limited conflict an assertion that Russia has repeatedly denied.

The State Department noted that the new supplemental warhead reduces the risk of nuclear war by reinforcing extended deterrence and assurance. The Russian Foreign Ministry sees it otherwise.

The ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, commented on the State Department's paper at a briefing on Wednesday, emphasizing that the U.S. shouldn't view its new low-yield warheads as a flexible tool that could help avert an all-out nuclear conflict with Russia.

"Any attack involving a US submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), regardless of its weapon specifications, would be perceived as a nuclear aggression, Zakharova said.

Those who like to theorize about the flexibility of American nuclear potential must understand that in line with the Russian military doctrine such actions are seen as warranting retaliatory use of nuclear weapons by Russia.

Zakharova cast the US deployment of low-yield warheads as a destabilizing move that would result in lowering the nuclear threshold.

US-Russian differences on nuclear arms issues come as relations between Moscow and Washington are at post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis and the accusations of Russian meddling in the US 2016 presidential election. Last year, both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The only U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control agreement still standing is the New START treaty, which was signed in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The pact limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify the compliance.

Russia has offered to extend the New START that expires in February 2021, while the Trump administration has pushed for a new arms control pact that would also include China. Moscow has described that idea as unfeasible, pointing at Beijing's refusal to negotiate any deal that would reduce its much smaller nuclear arsenal.

In a statement Wednesday marking the 10th anniversary of signing the New START, the Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the treaty as an instrument that helps ensure predictability in the nuclear sphere and reaffirmed Moscow's offer to extend it without any preconditions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2020/PRNewswire/ -- The global lancets market size is expected to reach USD 5.1 Billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 5.6% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is primarily driven by increasing incidence of infectious diseases, coupled with advancement in the field of diagnostic testing. Furthermore, increasing awareness about self-monitoring of blood glucose, coupled with improved accuracy in self diagnostic among patients, is adding to the market growth.

Key suggestions from the report:

North America accounted for the largest share in 2019 owing to high adoption rate, frequent new product launch, presence of key market players, and advanced healthcare service industry

 Asia Pacific is expected to witness robust growth during the forecast period owing to rising awareness about self-monitoring of blood glucose

By product, the safety lancets segment dominated the market in 2019 owing to the low cost and advanced features of the products

By application, blood glucose testing accounted for the largest share in 2019 due to presence of a large diabetes population

By end use, the homecare settings segment is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period due to low cost and increasing need for diagnostic testing

The lancets market is highly fragmented due to presence of a number of players

The leading players in the industry include B. Braun Melsungen, Medline Industries, Roche Diagnostics, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Ypsomed, HTL-Strefa S.A, Terumo Corporation, Owen Mumford , Arkray, AgaMatrix, Abbott, Nipro Medical Corporation, and Ypsomed.

Read 110 page research report with ToC on "Lancets Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Safety Lancets, Standard Lancets, Specialty Lancets), By Application, By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027' at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lancets-market

Rapidly changing lifestyle such as unhealthy food, consumption of alcohol, and lack of physical activities is increasing the incidence of lifestyle associated chronic diseases. Rising government expenditure and technological advancement in the field of diabetes management are expected to drive the market. Furthermore, increasing preference for home care settings and growing trend of using advanced lancet devices, including automatic versions, are some of the factors expected to drive the market during forecast period.

Availability of lancets in different sizes and specifications is expected to increase the usage of these devices by geriatric patients. Growth of the geriatric population across the globe is also opening new avenues for the market. Aged people are more prone to infectious diseases, thereby significantly contributing to the market growth. According to the WHO, the proportion of people over 60 years is expected to reach 22% by 2050 from 12% in 2015.

Grand View Research has segmented the global lancets market based on product, application, end use, and region:

Lancets Product Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Safety



Standard



Specialty

L ancets Application Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Blood Glucose Testing



Hemoglobin Testing



Cholesterol Testing



Coagulation Testing



Other Application

Lancets End-Use Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Hospitals and Clinics



Homecare Settings



Others

Lancets Regional Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



Germany





U.K.





France





Italy





Spain





Russia





Czech Republic





Switzerland





Turkey





Poland



Asia Pacific



China





Japan





India





Australia





South Korea





Thailand





Vietnam





Hong Kong





Philippines





Malaysia



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina





Columbia





Chile



Middle East & Africa

&

South Africa





Saudi Arabia





UAE





Oman





Egypt

Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research:

Coagulation Analyzer Market - The global coagulation analyzer market size was valued at USD 3.3 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% over the forecast period.

The global coagulation analyzer market size was valued at in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% over the forecast period. Blood Processing Devices And Consumables Market - Global blood processing devices & consumables market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2015 to 2022.

Global blood processing devices & consumables market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2015 to 2022. Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market - The global blood glucose monitoring devices market size was valued at USD 10.4 billion in 2018 and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

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Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

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I live in France and one of my best friends sent me a message recently: she is scared, she wrote, her husbands colleague from work is in intensive care because of the coronavirus. A youngish guy, early 50s, no underlying conditions. His wife is hospitalized, too, but faring better. They both respected the French rules of the lockdown to the T. Over the last weeks the only place they went to was the grocery store. And yet.

Other friends of mine fought the virus at home. My neighbours have it, too, several of them. Im lucky, though, that no one around me has succumbed to the disease. But the fears are very real. France is already past the peak of the pandemic, with my region beginning slow recovery, yet the mortality numbers are still high  thats how the peak works, unfortunately. Hospitalizations drop first, beds in intensive care start emptying, while fatality numbers stay elevated much, much longer.

On May 11, the French will be released out of lockdown, and after eight long weeks Ill be finally allowed to go for a walk further than one kilometre from my house. Anticipation is in the air, but psychologists warn that after the worst of the pandemic is over, many of us may suffer serious psychological distress.

Research on the SARS outbreak in 2003 shows its certainly possible. Among Canadians quarantined for SARS, close to a third had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, even though their lockdown lasted on average a mere 10 days. A recent study out of China showed that 27 per cent of medical staff caring for COVID-19 patients had PTSD, too.

Yet there may be unexpected benefits coming out of all this misery, something that psychologists call post-traumatic growth. Its been found in Israeli veterans of Yom Kippur War, refugees from Sarajevo, breast cancer patients  as well as SARS survivors in Hong Kong, who claimed that beating the virus boosted their appreciation of life.

Decades of research have shown that post-traumatic growth can mean increased spirituality, setting of new priorities, a new-found sense of personal strength and of closeness with others. Its not to say that trauma is good, of course  but if something positive could come out of it, we should certainly try to encourage it.

The encouraging part is key here. Studies show that not everyone comes out of trauma feeling stronger. For one, we need to express our emotions, preferably to the people closest to us. Yes, its difficult when we are to socially distance ourselves, but its still doable.

On March 15, Poland, my home country, closed its borders with the rest of Europe, practically locking me away from my family. I panicked  at first  but now I have to admit the results were not all bad. Ive never done so much video-calling before in my life, and it helps. Maybe some growth will follow? For those more artistic than me, painting or music can also be great ways to disclose your feelings about the pandemic, potentially fostering post-traumatic growth.

Another thing you can do to encourage beneficial change post-pandemic is to use a technique psychologists call reappraisal  looking at whats happening from a different, more positive angle. Im certainly trying (doesnt mean always succeeding).

Struggling while home-schooling my daughter? I can see her from a new perspective, learn what she goes through in her school life. Not permitted to leave my tiny village for months on end? I can try to have fun at home, embracing simplicity.

In general, research on post-traumatic growth suggests that deliberate rumination, thinking about the many ways the pandemic affects us, is the way to go. Not dwelling, mind you, but purposeful consideration.

Encouraging gratitude could help, too. A study of police officers working in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina showed that those with higher levels of gratitude also had higher levels of post-traumatic growth.

One way in which we foster gratitude in France is through 8 p.m. clapping and cheering for nurses and doctors who fight the virus war for us. In my village weve been doing this for six weeks now, day after day. Some people honk, others bang pots and pans, someone even plays a trumpet.

The idea is to make health-care workers feel appreciated, but in reality, we also cheer for ourselves. It helps us feel heard and connected, united in our common experience. If we keep cheering, and, after the pandemic is over, if we remember to nurture our community, we may all end up growing stronger.

Marta Zaraska is a Canadian-Polish science journalist. Her new book, Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100, will be published in June.

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The woman was attacked as she attempted to leave the pizzeria: (Tuscon Police Department Facebook)

A man hit a 77-year-old woman on the head with a metal pipe, before stealing one of her pizzas.

In a video, released by the Tucson police Department, a woman carrying two pizzas attempted to leave Peter Piper Pizza, in Arizona.

A man, who was waiting outside and holding a metal pipe, opened the door and confronted her as she attempted to leave.

He hit her on the head with the pipe and fled the scene with one of the pizzas, while the woman ran back inside the pizzeria.

According to the police department, the incident occurred at around 3:45pm on 21 April.

On Tuesday, the Tucson Police Department released the video and a statement, where they asked for help from members of the public.

The suspect was described as a dark-complected Hispanic male, in short stature. 56 or shorter. He was also reported to have a wrinkly face, the statement read.

We know the video isnt very clear, but if you frequent this area and have seen someone matching this description, please call so we can get this guy off the streets.

The department said that anyone who witnessed the attack, or the man fleeing the scene, should call 911. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call 88-CRIME.

Read more

6.5m worth of cocaine and heroin seized from lorry transporting pizza
Almost half of Canadian renters may not be able to make May 1 rent, according to a new survey that comes as the federal and provincial governments look to each other to fund residential rent relief.

A survey of almost 1,100 ACORN Canada members by the community organization published Wednesday revealed possible gaps in current government supports.

While nearly 70 per cent of people surveyed said the pandemic has impacted their financial situation, 42 per cent said they didnt qualify for other COVID-19 government relief or employment insurance programs (almost 33 per cent said they did qualify and 20 per cent said they didnt know).

When asked if they were short on rent for May 1, 34 per cent said they were and almost 21 per cent said they may be.

ACORN is now calling for immediate rent relief among other measures, with virtual rallies planned across the country.

The purpose of the report and rallies is to show how dire the situation is, and to remind Mr. Trudeau that more needs to be done to help the people who are being left behind, ACORN president Marva Burnett said in a press release.

The Ontario government has also been pressuring Ottawa to step in with a specific program to help residential tenants make rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark wrote to the federal government last week asking for it to partner with Queens Park on a program for residential rent relief.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that it was up to the provinces to fund that kind of relief.

We recognize that Canadians need money for an awful lot of things  particularly when they no longer have a pay cheque coming in  whether its rent, whether its groceries, whether its supporting the family members, said Trudeau, adding that was why the federal government created the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and wage subsidy programs, which can be used towards rent.

If provinces in whom the relationship between renters and landlords is their jurisdiction want to move forward with more help for residential rent, they can, of course, do that, he said.

Asked about the rent assistance program for commercial tenants announced by the federal government in partnership with provinces like Ontario, Trudeau said small businesses needed extra support.

In a statement to the Star on Tuesday, Clarks office pushed back, saying it appreciated the support for the commercial rent assistance program, but there is more work to be done to support the people of Ontario through these challenging times.

Thats why we are calling on the federal government to provide additional support for residential landlords and renters, given its national magnitude and importance, the statement from spokesperson Julie ODriscoll said.

This support is greatly needed and, just as they did with the commercial rent program, were calling on the federal government to work with us on a program to support residential tenants and landlords.

The federal government did not respond to questions from the Star on Wednesday about why residential tenants arent being considered for extra support.

The federal and provincial governments are already partnering on the more than $900 million Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (OCECRA), according to a press release. The program asks those eligible landlords and tenants to each cover 25 per cent of before-profit costs with the governments covering the other 50 per cent.

Advocates say a similar partnership is needed for those tenants.

Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12 Toronto-St. Pauls), who has been pushing for government intervention since before April rent was due, said current federal benefits leave some tenants choosing between rent and groceries.

For both landlords and tenants it doesnt matter which level of government addresses their crisis, its that their crisis needs to be addressed, he said. Every single day, whether it be the federal or provincial government, we hear announcement after announcement from our governments about providing relief to various groups in our society who arent able to make ends meet. Renters and landlords are waiting for their announcement and they dont care who makes it.

On Thursday, Mayor John Tory joined the call for the federal government to work with Ontario to provide some kind of rent relief. Tory has repeatedly asked for landlords and tenants to work together to find ways to defer, but not necessarily forgive, rent payments.

I know there are tenants out there who need the federal government to work with the provinces, including the province of Ontario, to do more, he said.

Daryl Chong, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association, which represents landlords, agreed a relief program for residential tenants and property owners is needed now.

These are really unprecedented times and all governments need to work together on some direct residential rent assistance, he said.

He also pointed to the commercial rent assistance program as successful partnership.

We just hope that something similar like that is going to be available to residential landlords, he said.

Chong said some landlords have reported normal levels of on-time rent payment, while others have reported only 60 per cent payment, which is unusual.

The B.C. government is offering a rent relief program, with up to $500 a month available for qualifying tenants paid directly to landlords in April, May and June  a model Chong said could work in Ontario.
Social media is in a frenzy as people react to the recent announcement by Gov. Greg Abbott to reopen Texas beginning May 1.

On Monday, Gov. Abbott announced the stay-at-home order would expire as planned on Thursday allowing some businesses such as retail stores, movie theaters and restaurants to open at a 25 percent capacity.


WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Shares of Volkswagen Group (VKW.L, VLKAF.PK, VOW.BE) were gaining around 3 percent in German trading after the automaker said it expects a profit in fiscal 2020, despite being severely hit by Covid-19 pandemic. The company's first-quarter results were substantially lower from the prior year as demand plunged amid the coronavirus-related lockdowns across the world.



CFO Frank Witter said, 'We've taken numerous countermeasures to cut costs and ensure liquidity and we continue to be robustly positioned financially. The gradual restart, also of our factories outside of China, has begun.... In Germany, the dealers have reopened since last week. We have thus taken initial steps together to get the business up and running again.'



Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand resumed vehicle production at its Wolfsburg plant early this week at 10 to 15 percent of capacity. The company plans to increase production to around 40 percent the following week.



For the year, Volkswagen expects operating profit to be sharply lower than last year. Sales revenue and deliveries to customers are also expected to be significantly below the prior year.



Along with the Covid-19 impact, the company expects the annual results will reflect various challenges including increasing intensity of competition, volatile commodity and foreign exchange markets and more stringent emissions-related requirements.



For the first quarter, earnings before tax plunged to 0.7 billion euros from 4.1 billion euros, previous year. There were no special items in the first quarter of 2020, while prior year results included 1 billion euros of special items as a result of the diesel crisis.



Operating profit before special items decreased significantly by 81.4 percent from last year to 0.9 billion euros. The operating return on sales was 1.6 percent.



First-quarter sales revenue declined 8.3 percent to 55.1 billion euros from prior year's 60.0 billion euros. Deliveries to customers decreased 23 percent to 2.0 million vehicles, especially in Asia-Pacific and Europe.



The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand's sales revenue fell 11.9 percent to 19.0 billion euros as deliveries declined 16 percent to 765,000 vehicles.



Unit sales by the Audi brand fell to 268,000 vehicles from last year's 305,000 vehicles. The Chinese joint venture FAW-Volkswagen sold a further 97,000 Audi vehicles, lower than last year.



The Bentley brand unit sales, however, grew to 3,302 vehicles from prior year's 2,584 vehicles.



In Germany, Volkswagen shares were trading at 130.50 euros, up 3.34 percent.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
India's Oyo Hotels and Homes, backed by SoftBank Group, plans to offload more properties around the world, three sources familiar with the matter said, as the coronavirus pandemic prompts it to speed up a retreat from a rapid global expansion. The hospitality sector has been one of the worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with global and domestic travel coming to a near-halt. While Oyo does not plan to completely exit any market, it will either terminate or not renew contracts with loss-making hotels, two of the sources said. A fourth source aware of the plans added ...
Mumbai, April 29 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the past two days, official sources said here on Wednesday.

On Monday, Thackeray spoke with Shah amd followed up with a call to PM on Tuesday.

Though officials are tightlipped about the details, it's believed the CM may have discussed the issue of his nomination to the Legislative Council from the Governor's quota.

The Maharashtra Cabinet presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has twice passed resolutions this month, urging Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to nominate Thackeray from his quota of two council seats.

Thackeray, who took over as CM on November 28 last year, must get elected to either house of state legislature by May 28 to avert a constitutional crisis in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Horizon National Corp. ("First Horizon") (FHN) today announced that Ellen A. Taylor will join the Company as Executive Vice President and Head of Investor Relations in June of 2020. She will report to William C. (BJ) Losch, III, Chief Financial Officer. Aarti Bowman, who has managed investor relations for the past 11 years, will now report to Taylor.



Taylor will be responsible for cultivating and expanding First Horizons relationship with the investment community. She will lead the Companys financial communications while working closely with the executive team to enhance further the focus on maximizing shareholder value.

We are incredibly pleased to welcome Ellen to the team, said BJ Losch, First Horizons Chief Financial Officer. She brings over three decades of experience in financial services, capital markets and investor relations. As a well-respected, strategic leader with a deep understanding of investor strategy, outreach and communications, Ellen will be an invaluable resource to our investors, management team and the board as we work to ensure a seamless integration with IBERIABANK Corporation and create a leading southern financial services firm. Given the investment communitys strong recognition of Ellen and Aartis efforts, I am confident that First Horizon will have an unparalleled investor relations platform as we enter this next phase of our history.

I am thrilled to join First Horizon at such a transformational time, said Taylor. I look forward to partnering with the leadership team to help communicate First Horizons strategic value proposition and drive enhanced value for the firm while working to deliver a best-in-class experience for the Companys key stakeholders.

About Ellen A. Taylor

Taylor has more than 30 years of financial services, capital markets and investor relations experience. She joins First Horizon from Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a regional bank headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, with $177 billion in assets. At Citizens Financial, Taylor was responsible for building out the equity and fixed income investor relations platform and helping execute the largest U.S. retail bank IPO in history while partnering with senior management around corporate strategy, M&A, financial information and relative-value analysis.

Story continues

Prior to joining Citizens Financial in 2014, Taylor held several executive roles, including Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations at BlackRock, Inc., Principal at the McIver Taylor Group, an investor relations consultancy firm, and Director of Investor Relations at Wells Fargo & Company. Taylor holds a bachelors degree from Salem College and a master of business administration degree from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Forward Looking Statements

This communication contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21 E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the "Exchange Act") with respect to First Horizon's and IBERIABANK's beliefs, plans, goals, expectations, and estimates. Forward-looking statements are not a representation of historical information, but instead pertain to future operations, strategies, financial results or other developments. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "should," "is likely," "will," "going forward" and other expressions that indicate future events and trends identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to significant business, operational, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of First Horizon and IBERIABANK, and many of which, with respect to future business decisions and actions, are subject to change and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements or historical performance. Examples of uncertainties and contingencies include factors previously disclosed in First Horizon's and IBERIABANK's respective reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), as well as the following factors, among others: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate the definitive merger agreement between First Horizon and IBERIABANK; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against First Horizon or IBERIABANK; the possibility that the proposed transaction will not close when expected or at all because required regulatory, shareholder or other approvals are not received or other conditions to the closing are not satisfied on a timely basis or at all, or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed combination could have adverse effects on the market price of the common stock of either or both parties to the combination; the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the transaction will not be realized when expected or at all, including as a result of the impact of, or problems arising from, the integration of the two companies or as a result of the strength of the economy and competitive factors in the areas where First Horizon and IBERIABANK do business; certain restrictions during the pendency of the merger that may impact the parties' ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; the possibility that the transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; diversion of management's attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the transaction; First Horizon and IBERIABANK success in executing their respective business plans and strategies and managing the risks involved in the foregoing; the dilution caused by First Horizon's issuance of additional shares of its capital stock in connection with the proposed transaction; the potential impacts on First Horizons and IBERIABANKs businesses of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, including negative impacts from quarantines, market declines and volatility, and changes in customer behavior related to COVID-19; and other factors that may affect future results of First Horizon and IBERIABANK.

We caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements can be found in First Horizon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC and available in the "Investor Relations" section of First Horizon's website, www.FirstHorizon.com , under the heading "SEC Filings" and in other documents First Horizon files with the SEC, including its registration statement on Form S-4 (reg. no. 333-235757) and filings related to that registration statement, and in IBERIABANK's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 with the SEC and available in the "Investor Relations" section of IBERIABANK's website, www.IBERIABANK.com , under the heading "Financials & Filings" and in other documents IBERIABANK files with the SEC.

Important Other Information

In connection with the proposed transaction, First Horizon has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 (reg. no. 333-235757) to register the shares of First Horizon's capital stock to be issued in connection with the proposed transaction. The registration statement includes a joint proxy statement of First Horizon and IBERIABANK, dated March 19, 2020, addressed to the shareholders of First Horizon and IBERIABANK seeking their approval of the proposed transaction. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF FIRST HORIZON AND IBERIABANK ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4, THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS INCLUDED WITHIN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FIRST HORIZON, IBERIABANK AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.

Investors and shareholders are able to obtain a free copy of the registration statement, including the joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other relevant documents filed with the SEC containing information about First Horizon and IBERIABANK, without charge, at the SEC's website ( http://www.sec.gov ). Copies of the registration statement, including the joint proxy statement/prospectus, and the filings with the SEC that will be incorporated by reference in the joint proxy statement/prospectus can also be obtained, without charge, by directing a request to Clyde A. Billings Jr., First Horizon, 165 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103, telephone (901) 523-5679, or Jefferson G. Parker, IBERIABANK, 200 West Congress Street, Lafayette, LA 70501, telephone (504) 310-7314.

About First Horizon

First Horizon National Corp. (FHN) provides financial services through First Horizon Bank, First Horizon Advisors, and FHN Financial businesses. The banking subsidiary was founded in 1864 and has the largest deposit market share in Tennessee. The company operates approximately 270 bank locations across the Southeast U.S. and 29 FHN Financial offices across the entire U.S. First Horizon Advisors wealth management group has more than 300 financial professionals and about $4.8 billion in assets under management. FHN Financial is a capital markets industry leader in fixed income sales, trading and strategies for institutional customers in the U.S. and abroad. The company is recognized as one of the nations best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. bank. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com .

FHN-G

Contact: First Horizon Media Relations, Silvia Alvarez, (901) 523-4465

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/038d1356-05c8-4901-bfde-d91ad6a348d4
DUBLIN, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ResearchAndMarkets.com published a new article on the healthcare industry, "Remote Health Monitors Witness a Surge in Demand amid Coronavirus Pandemic"

The highly contagious nature of COVID-19 poses a danger to other patients as well as medical personnel. For this reason, technologies that allow doctors to monitor a patient with COVID-19 without coming into close contact are experiencing extremely high demand. Some patients with milder symptoms have been asked to quarantine in their homes where they can be monitored remotely rather than in a hospital setting where they could risk infecting other vulnerable people.



Tele-health companies like Twistle, Xealth, Spry Health and LifeSignals are all delivering health monitoring solutions to allow patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19 to be treated remotely. This reduces the risk of exposure to the virus for healthcare staff and will free-up hospital beds for those who need immediate, critical care.



To see the full article and a list of related reports on the market, visit "Remote Health Monitors Witness a Surge in Demand amid Coronavirus Pandemic"

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Sana Shakil By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Four days before the lockdown 2.0 is supposed to end, the government on Wednesday allowed migrant workers, tourists, students and other people stranded in different parts of the country to move to their states, fulfilling the long-pending demand of lakhs of distressed people.

Announcing the relaxation with certain conditions, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed the states and union territories to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for sending and receiving such persons. In an order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said buses shall be used for transport of such groups of stranded people and these vehicles will be sanitised and will have to follow safe social distancing norms in seating.

Due to lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move, Bhalla said. The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded persons within their states and union territories, the order stated. It further said, In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one state/UT and another state/UT, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road. However, MHA did not specify whether a person or a family can travel in a private vehicle, and if allowed, under what conditions.

The decision of the central government will be a big relief to several lakh migrant workers, students, tourists and other people who are stranded in different parts of the country. While the number of students and tourists stranded in the country is not known, earlier this month, MHA had told the Supreme Court that over 10.3 lakh migrant workers are housed in relief camps run by state governments or NGOs. As per the labour ministry sources, there are at least 20 lakh migrant workers stranded away from their native places and this, when the labour ministry is yet to receive responses from some states on migrant workers.

FOLLOW COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES HERE

Reportedly, at least 25 migrant workers have died while walking to their homes during the shutdown. The latest tragic incident is from Madhya Pradeshs Ujjain where three elderly migrant workers who returned from Jaisalmer on Tuesday, were crushed to death in their sleep by a truck, barely a kilometre from their village in Ujjain district.

While announcing the lockdown on March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made it clear that people should remain wherever they are. With businesses suspended and establishments shut down, vast numbers of daily wage labourers, many of whom lived where they worked, were suddenly left without any means of sustenance and shelter in large cities. In the initial days of the lockdown, thousands of the migrant workers started moving by foot from cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to their respective places, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

There have been at least three protests by migrant workers in Surat in Gujarat in recent weeks as they have been demanding passage to their home states. About a fortnight ago, hundreds gathered in Mumbais Bandra after there were rumours of trains resuming operations to North India. Maharashtra and Gujarat are the two worst coronavirus affected states. The desperation of the migrant workers was such that the police found a group of migrant labourers, who were travelling from Telangana to Rajasthan, inside a container truck in Maharashtra.

According to MHA, persons willing to move will be screened and only those having no symptoms will be allowed to move. Both the sending and receiving states will have to coordinate on the movement, and the states that fall in the route will allow the transit of such buses. On arrival at the destination, the persons will be again screened and they will be kept in home quarantine if found asymptomatic. They may also be kept in institutional quarantine, if required after health check-up. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-up, the order said.

All those people who avail the opportunity may be encouraged to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked, according to the order. The union home secretary issued the order in his capacity as the chairperson of the National Executive Committee under the Disaster Management Act. MHA, which is monitoring the nationwide shutdown, also said the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on home quarantine should be followed by the authorities concerned.

Several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, have brought back thousands of their students and tourists stuck in different parts of the country by bus. However, most of the migrant workers, tourists and other people continue to stuck in their places of work or shelter homes.

However, the Bihar government has been seeking the strict implementation of the lockdown, saying that people should remain wherever they are during the entire period of the lockdown. While transporting students, pilgrims and other people, the states have used buses and other vehicles.
Many of us have used the current lockdown as an opportunity to learn new skills, such as knitting, a foreign language or DIY.

But for a privileged portion of the super-rich society used to having an army of staff to help out with basic tasks and chores, this period of social isolation has required a crash course in keeping up their living quarters.

London and Berkshire-based Lucy Challenger, 36, CEO of Polo and Tweed, a Mayfair recruitment agency that supplies staff including butlers and chefs to the wealthy, told how clients at a loss with housework have reached out to her for help.

From advice on how to do the laundry to cooking for their family and looking after their children, those without live-in staff are desperate for domestic support.

'People are wanting to know  literally  how to do the laundry,' Lucy told The Times.

London and Berkshire-based Lucy Challenger, 36, pictured, CEO of Polo and Tweed, a Mayfair recruitment agency that supplies staff including butlers and chefs to the wealthy, told how clients at a loss with housework have reached out to her for help

'They've never used a washing machine before. We explain how to understand the settings, how to separate the items.

'To you and me, maybe this is common sense, but if you've never had to do it before, it's a bizarre new world of skills.'

One client from Chelsea, south west London, she claimed, had been on the phone to ask how to change her loo roll.

Another who has had staff all her life and was never taught how to do anything around the home by her parents is currently 'drowning in laundry' while having to look after her four children - without the aid of a nanny.

Lucy conceded: 'If you've never had to multifunction at a skill like laundry and entertaining children, it's tough.'

Lucy, pictured with Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, told how one client from Chelsea, south west London, had been on the phone to ask how to change her loo roll

She previously told The Telegraph that her agency is receiving regular calls from property owners asking for advice on how to change the bed and iron and fold the sheets, having never done it before.

When it comes to cleaning, Lucy said a number of panicked clients had been in touch reporting disastrous consequences.

She told how one had tried to scrub their antique mahogany dining table, while another used a Brillo pad to clean their prized enamel bath.

Lucy revealed another client, based at a huge 35,000 sq ft mansion worth 140million in Henley, is now struggling without his 10 full-time housekeepers, chefs, groundsmen and estate managers.

She added: 'We had one client say, "I really wish I hadn't bought such a big house".'

Lucy (pictured in an Instagram post) revealed another client, based at a huge 35,000 sq ft mansion worth 140million in Henley, is now struggling without his 10 full-time housekeepers, chefs, groundsmen and estate managers

Lucy reported a flurry of activity at her agency prior to lockdown, with people eager to hire live-in staff, but she can no longer supply workers as it's not considered essential within government guidelines.

Some of her clients are taking the opportunity to send their furloughed staff on training courses - focusing on the positive as opposed to the lack of help.

She added that having to take on many of the tasks their housekeepers would normally do for them is making them more empathetic and appreciative of their work.

Polo and Tweed offers online training courses and its website provides tips on what to consider when hiring a house manager or housekeeper.

Visit poloandtweed.com for more information, or call 020 3858 0233 to book an online tutorial.
Bhopal, April 30 : The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is activating the party apparatus to monitor the schemes to ensure facilities reach the intended beneficiaries during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

The government will constitute "Deendayal committees" (named after Bharatiya Jana Sangh co-founder Deen Dayal Upadhyay) at the ward and panchayat level.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday conveyed this to the BJP's district presidents, mandal chiefs and party MLAs through the audio bridge system.

"It is our responsibility to ensure the government's efforts help the people. I have talked to the (Party's) president and organisation general secretary. We have decided to constitute the Deendayal committees soon at every panchayat level in the rural areas and ward level in the urban areas," Chouhan told the party leaders.

Chouhan said these committees will engage in the monitoring of schemes to ensure that the government facilities reaching to the people.

The help of these committees in the distribution work (any kind of government's assistance) will also be taken, he said.

Chouhan also informed the party leaders and MLAs about the government decisions taken in view of COVID-19 spread including the distribution of packets of powdered decoction of herbs to boost up the immunity of the people to fight against the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the state BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal said the chief minister has been continuously seeking feedback from party workers about the ground realities. The effort will help the BJP engage party workers to connect with people and gain crucial political mileage before the upcoming by-elections to state assembly.

In an unprecedented situation, the state will witness by-elections for 24 assembly seats due to the resignations of Congress MLAs and ministers who helped the BJP to come to power in March.

"The Chief Minister has been regularly talking to the ground workers and seeking feedback about the government assistance reaching the people. He also told all the leaders to share the feedback about the arrangements in the time of COVID-19 lockdown," Agrawal said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other political leaders across the country on Wednesday mourned the demise of actor Irrfan Khan, calling him a "rare talent" who will be greatly missed.

The 54-year-old actor lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was buried at the Versova graveyard in the afternoon.

President Kovind called Irrfan a "brilliant actor" and said that his remarkable performances will forever be remembered by the audiences.

"Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Irrfan Khan. A rare talent and a brilliant actor, his diverse roles and remarkable performances will remain etched in our memories.

"A big loss to the world of cinema and millions of film lovers. Condolences to his family & admirers," the president said on Twitter.

PM Modi said that Irrfan's death is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre.

"He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," the prime minister said in a tweet.

Home Minister Amit Shah said the country has lost an "exceptional actor and a kind soul".

"Anguished over the sad of Irfan Khan's demise. He was a versatile actor, who's art had earned global fame and recognition. Irfan was an asset to our film industry. In him, the nation has lost an exceptional actor and a kind soul. My condolences to his family and followers," Shah tweeted.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed Irrfan was an actor "par excellence" and he is "deeply pained" by the of his demise.

"He was an epitome of artistic brilliance and versatility. He enthralled audiences with outstanding performances in films like 'Lunch Box'. His contribution to films will be remembered for long. Deeply pained by his untimely demise," Singh posted.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also mourned the death of the actor.

"I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief," Rahul said.

Another Congress lead, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, tweeted, "His acting broke the boundaries of languages, nations and religions, creating an accent of acting that united all humanity through art and compassion."



Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also condoled Irrfan's death, saying he was a hard-working and multi-faceted artiste whose journey from the Indian cinema to Hollywood was an inspiration to budding actors.

"He has been snatched away despite putting up a valiant fight against the rare form of cancer," he said, adding that Irrfan accepted the reality of his diagnosis and faced the treatment bravely.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he is "saddened and shocked" by the of the death of the actor, who hailed from the state.

"My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace," he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace."



Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Indian cinema has suffered a "great loss" in Irrfan's demise.

"It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of actor Irrfan Khan. He was an actor par excellence and his untimely demise is a great loss to the Indian film community. We convey to his family and to every one who enjoys the works of the actor our deepest sympathy," he tweeted.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee said Irrfan's vast body of work will be his "legacy for generations".

"Saddened at the passing away of the critically acclaimed film actor Irrfan Khan. He leaves behind a large body of work which will be his legacy for generations. I fondly recall him calling on me in Kolkata a few years ago. My condolences to his family, colleagues, fans & admirers," she tweeted.

BJP president JP Nadda said, "The passing away of versatile actor Irrfan Khan is an irreparable loss to the world of art and cinema. Artists always lives in our memories with their work. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and fans."



Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav shared his photo with the actor on Twitter.

"Saddening to hear about the demise of one of the most versatile actors of Indian Cinema, Irrfan Khan! Met with Irrfan when he came calling at Patna residence! A multi faceted man, a great human being! My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans," he tweeted.

Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader, said Irrfan's contribution to cinema will always be remembered.

"My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and fans. May his soul find eternal peace," he added.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said, "No stereotypical looks, no six-pack, no fancy dance steps, no dynastic claim to a place in Bollywood. It was just talent & a breathtaking screen presence. #IrrfanKhan your courage to speak up when others chose silence was your biggest asset & will be missed the most. God speed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Patu Keswani, the Chairman of Lemon Tree Hotels, recently decided not to take salary for three months. Other senior members of Keswanis A-team (such as vice presidents and managers) also took pay cuts of between 50 per cent and 65 per cent. When Business Today spoke to Keswani, his rationale was an eye opener. Just about 15 per cent staff in his hotel chain accounts for half the wage bill. "The key decision at the moment for managements is to take pay cuts instead of firing employees, and look for ways to cut fixed costs. Hotel chains can bring down their wage bill by 30-40 per cent without touching 85 per cent of the staff," he says.

In the large universe of the travel and tourism sector, Lemon Tree is among the bigger names that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. As per industry body FAITH (Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality), the travel and tourism sector is staring at losses of nearly Rs 5 lakh crore, apart from five crore lay-offs, as a result of coronavirus, though these projections keep changing as the situation evolves.

Most large players are devising strategies - almost on a daily basis - to tide over the crisis. However, the way the crisis is unfolding is so unpredictable that even the best strategies can fail. According to the promoter of a leading hotel chain, it's estimated that nearly 20 per cent travel and tourism companies, mostly in the informal sector, will not survive for more than a year.

So far, travel and tourism companies have resisted laying off employees. Most have announced salary cuts (or furlough in some cases like SpiceJet and GoAir). But the question is: how long can they continue to hang fire, especially since revenues have been badly hit due to global travel bans? Will airlines, hotel companies and travel agencies - the last two being highly unorganised - have to resort to firing employees in case the lockdown is extended repeatedly? Or is there a middle path?

The Balancing Act

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on April 14 in which he asked employers to avoid cutting jobs, there have been no instances of lay-offs so far except retrenchment of some expat pilots by Nusli Wadia-owned GoAir. Though airlines have started feeling the heat after Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asked them to discontinue bookings till further notice. There are speculations that domestic bookings may restart in June. This means a long waiting period for airlines.

Meanwhile, the impact of coronavirus has started to unfold on global carriers. For instance, Virgin Australia recently entered bankruptcy proceedings whereas cash-strapped Norwegian Air laid off 4,700 employees. British Airways has suspended its 30,000-strong workforce with 80 per cent salary cuts. The distress is spreading.

Back home, troubles are coming at a faster pace. GoAir asked its employees to take leave without pay in the third week of April. SpiceJet, too, sent some engineering staff on furlough. Prior to this, these airlines, along with IndiGo, Vistara and Air India, had announced salary cuts for some of their staff which were as high as 50 per cent in some cases. While salary cuts are almost inevitable, there's a clear consensus in the industry that layoffs should be avoided at all costs, especially at mid and junior levels. Why?

One, these people don't add much to the wage bill. Also, it's going to be difficult to find trained people after the situation normalises. Mark Martin, founder of aviation consultancy Martin Consulting, says GoAir should not have laid off expat pilots as there's shortage of senior pilots. "It's a penny-wise, pound-foolish decision. Once business starts, it's going to be employees' market. These pilots are not missionaries. They know the demand-supply situation. They are likely to ask for 30 per cent salary hikes after this is over," he says. In India, the acute shortage of commanders has led to a significant rise in the hiring of expat pilots in recent years. For instance, the number of foreign pilots in domestic airlines rose from 323 in 2018 to about 900 in 2019. About 50 per cent are reportedly employed by IndiGo. "The shortage of pilots is a structural problem which will take years to resolve. Till then, the airlines will be dependent on expat pilots," says Martin.

The trick is to look at each cost item aggressively and go on a minimal mode. Take, for instance, Lemon Tree, which renovates about 1/6th of its hotels every year. It spends some Rs 35 crore a year on this. It plans to push the renovation to next year and avoid discretionary expenses like stationary, flowers, linen, etc. "The target is to bring operating costs at revenue level. Any hotel chain should have enough cash to survive the worst-case scenario," says Keswani.

"Understanding how different businesses are working to skim through this lockdown without major losses, we fear that small travel agents and companies are facing maximum pressure in keeping things together at their end. Measures such as cost cutting, cash conservation, holding off marketing campaigns can help the businesses to survive this period," says Dhruv Shringi, co-founder and CEO at Yatra.com.

The Long and Winding Road

The problem with the current crisis is that no one knows when it will end. The worst-case scenario that Keswani is talking about is two years. It's likely that most companies don't have the resources to last that long. However, it's apparent that once the lockdown ends, there will be a sudden jump in travel demand, as a lot of stranded people will move to their safe zones. This phase will be followed by another blip, and then another spurt of what's now called "revenge tourism" - frequent travellers who couldn't travel during lockdown will plan shorter holidays, avoiding public transport. So, while hotels may get some bookings during the "revenge tourism" phase, occupancy of flights will likely be muted. As such, airlines plan to reduce capacities once operations resume. In a recent webinar organised by the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), IndiGo's Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer Sanjay Kumar said the airline plans to restart operations with just 25 per cent capacity. Earlier, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta had said the airline would fill just 50 per cent seats post lockdown. So, if IndiGo was flying 261 aircraft prior to the lockdown, just 130-odd planes would be in service for some months. "It's clear that nobody knows when the recovery will happen but it's likely that domestic flights will take three-six months, and international 9-12 months, especially the long-haul ones," said Kumar.

Not just planes. Even hotels are going to be done up differently so that social distancing takes precedence over everything else. Cleanliness and hygiene will be top priorities for travellers checking out hotels on review websites such as TripAdvisor. Nakul Anand, Executive Director at ITC, says people rubbing shoulders with each other at popular restaurants like Bukhara (at ITC Maurya, New Delhi) is going to be a thing of the past. "Are we going to see banquets of 1,000 people again? Unlikely. It's not just attitudes or opinions that will change. This crisis is going to change values. When values change, it causes nothing less than a seismic shift. We will have to remove tables between tables so that people can have social distancing," he says.

George Ettiyil, Senior Director (Sales), South Asia, at Lufthansa Group Airlines said in a webinar that a fully recovery in the aviation sector is still years away (by 2023). "Even 9/11 is not comparable to the current crisis. We are facing existential questions with regards to the industry and the airline. Airlines are worst affected because of low margins in the business. We don't expect flights to start at least till July-September. Even then, we will not come back with the kind of capacity we had before. We will start with three flights to some of the gateways in India," he says. Lufthansa is reportedly losing Euro 1 billion every month. In India, the travel and tourism market is highly unorganised. Though the sector contributes about 10 per cent to GDP (about $250 billion), it has about eight lakh unorganised agents as compared to just 53,000 organised players. "The biggest challenge is survival of smaller agents and the bulk of the industry which is highly unorganised. We are looking for government support to pay employees' salaries. Otherwise, there will be huge unemployment in the industry," says Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, a large travel agents' body with over 2,700 members, including OTAs (online travel aggregators) like MakeMyTrip and Yatra.

The sector has already made several presentations to different ministries asking for relief in the form of tax waivers (statutory, municipality). Yet, there have been no announcements yet, which has dampened the mood for the time being. "It should not be a case of too little, too late," says Akshay Kumar, Vice Chairman, FAITH.

Domestic to the Rescue

Nevertheless, experts say India is in a much better position than other countries because of low dependence on outbound and inbound segments. Indian tourism is largely driven by domestic demand. For instance, India's total foreign tourist arrivals were 10.59 million in 2018, growth of just 2 per cent over the previous year. In comparison, domestic tourist arrivals were 1,854.9 million, 11.9 per cent more than the previous years, as per CARE Ratings.

ITC's Anand says India is better off due to a large domestic market. "There are two opportunities for us. The first is to promote the domestic market. Our outbound travel is about 25 million [a year]. How can we stop these people from travelling outside? A large proportion of outbound tourism is under MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] and wedding categories. Can we incentivise corporates through tax concessions to hold their conferences in India? We will revive fast once the vaccine is out," says Anand.

Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President (Operations), South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group, says business-driven domestic markets will be the first to bounce back after the impact of coronavirus reduces. "We have stayed focused on expanding the domestic footprint with as much as 50 per cent of our business originating from Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Since international travel is expected to have a slow recovery, domestic demand in leisure destinations such as Goa, Kerala, Shimla and Manali will flourish once this is behind us," he says.

Then, the product offering will have to change. For instance, if hotel supply crashes, room rates are likely to come down, and that too for a long period. Why? Unlike aviation where capacity can be ramped up quickly to manage fares, hotel development takes time (seven-eight years). Hotels will have to focus more on bundled products so that the actual room rates can be disguised.

"The companies will need to focus on some low-hanging fruits like pulling foreign destination weddings back to India. There could be new opportunities in areas like yoga, ayurveda and wellness tourism," says ITC's Anand.

The New Normal

Recently, Emirates Airlines grabbed headlines for becoming the first airline to conduct on-site coronavirus tests for passengers boarding a Dubai-Tunisia flight. It's now believed that many foreign carriers will have to follow suit to gain confidence of travellers. But all this is going to come at a cost.

Companies with consumer interface will have to incur additional costs in reducing physical touch points (automated room deliveries, self check-ins) with consumers. This is going to spawn new streams of tech-enabled businesses. "There will be additional costs of somewhere between 10 per cent and 30 per cent if a company gets stringent about new safety protocols, which is going to be the need of the hour," says a tourism consultant.

"Hotels will have to see how they can minimise high contact areas for customers; social distancing during breakfast rush, no-contact check-in; and information on room sanitisation records...," Megha Tuli, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Hotelivate, said in a recent note.

Significant changes are also expected at airports, including the boarding process. IndiGo's Kumar says after every landing, the airline will need 20 more minutes to disinfect its planes. The aircraft turnaround time is expected to double across airlines with new safety procedures. "The number of flights in an airport will go down by as much as 30 per cent just to include new procedures. The entire process of a person travelling from one place to another will change. People will be expected to report at airports much earlier. Airports will have to gear up with new infrastructure. The slot management will become more complex as airports will have to space out flights so that these new procedures can be followed. Not that airlines will have capabilities to fly that many slots," says Murali Ramachandran, CEO of Turkish ground handling firm Celebi Aviation Holding.

In tackling the crisis, every country seems to have taken its own approach. Even within countries, states have been following different standards, which are likely to cause a big headache for travel companies once the business restarts. Hence, there's going to be a need for global standards (in areas like social distancing, health check-ups, travel and medical records) that can be followed by airline and hotel companies across geographies. "There's going to be a new value chain in international travel," says an executive of a large airline.

After the destruction of demand for the next six months, the tourism sector does see light at the end of the tunnel. With the three-point strategy of survive, revive and thrive, defined through specific timelines (see element The Guide to Fighting Coronavirus), players in the sector are preparing to fight back. Though winning this battle will be easier said than done.

@manukaushik
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that the India should step up communication after the ICMR found defects in the COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits supplied to India by two Chinese firms

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that India should step up communication after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found defects in the COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits supplied to by two Chinese firms.

The ICMR had asked states and Union Territories to stop using the test kits procured from the Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics due to inconsistencies in their accuracy. When asked if an investigation will be held into the issue, Geng said that India and China are closely coordinating and cooperating with each other since the coronavirus outbreak surfaced and should deal properly with the matter.

The two Chinese companies already issued statements. They both stressed that their COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits have the certification from the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA), meet the quality standards, and have also been validated and approved by ICMR through National Institute of Virology (NIV), he added.

India procured around five lakh rapid antibody test kits from the two Chinese firms.

Geng also refuted claims of economic coercion made by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, after Chinas ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye said that the Chinese public might avoid Australian beef, wine, tourism and universities as a response to its demand for an independent inquiry into the source and spread of coronavirus.

Geng denied the ambassadors comments amounted to economic coercion. What he said was about the concerns that the Australian side's erroneous words and deeds recently have upset the Chinese people and that they may impact bilateral relations, he told reporters.

China accounts for 26 percent of Australias total trade, worth around $150 billion in 2018-19, and is the biggest single market for Australian exports such as coal, iron ore, wine, beef, tourism and education.

On being asked by a journalist about why China is opposed to an independent inquiry into the pandemics source, Geng said that the issue should be studied by scientific professions and not commented on by politicians. He also cast doubts on Australias intention behind seeking the inquiry.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson accused US politicians of speaking barefaced lies, adding that Washington was attacking China to divert attention from its own handling of the outbreak. "By smearing China to shirk responsibilities, the US politicians cannot erase the progress China has made in the fight against the virus or in any way help to contain COVID-19 in the US," Geng added.

US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he might seek damages from China over the outbreak, saying there were many options to "hold them accountable". "We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source," he said.
Amash, who turned 40 this month, was elected in the 2010 tea party wave and grew increasingly distant from Republicans as the decade went on, fending off a primary challenge from a business-backed conservative in 2014. He was deeply critical of Trumps 2016 campaign and even more critical of what the GOP did with control of the legislative and executive branches.
Kyrgyzstan reported 21 new COVID-19 cases as of April 29 morning, bringing the total number to 729, head of the public health department of the Health Ministry Ainura Akmatova told Wednesday, Trend reports citing Kabar.

She said that among the newly infected 6 are medical workers.

In total, 191 medical workers have contracted the novel coronavirus infection.

Currently, 281 patients are in hospitals in Kyrgyzstan with coronavirus infection.

Akmatova said that 10 patients are in serious condition in hospitals, 4 of them are in intensive care.

She also noted that 21 patients with a previously confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were discharged from hospitals per day.

In total 437 have been discharged from hospitals throughout the country. Eight have passed away.
By Marwa Rashad and Davide Barbuscia

RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's central bank foreign reserves fell in March at their fastest rate in at least 20 years and to their lowest since 2011, while the kingdom slipped into a $9 billion budget deficit in the first quarter as oil revenues collapsed.

The world's largest oil exporter is suffering from historic price lows, while at the same time measures to fight the new coronavirus are likely to curb the pace and scale of economic reforms launched by Crown Price Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority said late on Tuesday its net foreign assets, which include securities such as U.S Treasuries and foreign deposits, fell in March to $464 billion, their lowest in 19 years.

The nearly $27 billion decline - the biggest monthly drop in at least two decades - signals the kingdom's urgent need to tap into reserves to offset economic damage from oil prices and a severe coronavirus-driven slowdown of non-oil sectors.

"We believe that the magnitude of the drop ... reflected both higher government funding to cover the budget deficit and the support packages announced in March to help counterbalance the impact of COVID-19," said Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB).

Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said last week the kingdom would limit its draw down to a maximum of $32 billion from reserves this year to fill a widening deficit which it plans to cover instead by increasing borrowing to nearly $60 billion.

Early on Wednesday the finance ministry reported a first quarter budget deficit of $9 billion, mostly because of a drop in oil revenues that reversed a first quarter surplus of around $7.4 billion in 2019.

Oil revenues in the first three months of the year posted a 24% annual decline to $34 billion and pushed total revenues down 22% year on year.

Saudi Arabia, which had registered more than 20,000 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday with 152 deaths, had originally projected a $50 billion deficit this year, or 6.4% of gross domestic product (GDP), widening from around $35 billion last year.

Jadaan has said the deficit could now widen to up to 9% of GDP this year, but some analysts have predicted 22% with oil prices at $30 a barrel.

Story continues

PRICE PLUNGE

International oil prices have shed around two thirds value since the start of this year and are trading around $21.

"If Finance Minister al-Jadaan's plans are for merely $32 billion of reserves drawdown then, following a $27 billion reduction in March alone, that means almost all the remainder will be covered by new sovereign debt issuance, assuming there are no further privatisations, because of market conditions," said Hasnain Malik, head of equity strategy at Tellimer.

Saudi Arabia and other large producers recently agreed to cut output by almost 10 million barrels per day (bpd), in May-June, in an attempt to balance the market, but demand kept falling nonetheless due to the global slowdown.

Jadaan said last week he expects the pandemic to cause a slump in activity in the non-oil private sector too this year and that the government could take more actions on top of $32 billion in emergency stimulus measures announced last month.

Private sector loan growth, however, was solid in March, central bank data showed, "potentially reflecting the higher borrowing requirements of corporates with COVID-19 impacting cash flows," said ADCB's Malik.

Non-oil revenues in the first quarter fell 17% compared to the same period one year earlier, with revenues from taxes on goods and services plunging, in a sign of overall slowdown.

Saudi Arabia has already cut its 2020 budget by nearly 5% and further spending curbs are likely.

In Q1, however, capex spending declined only 4%, the finance ministry said.

Riyadh last month raised its debt ceiling to 50% of GDP from 30%. It has already borrowed $12 billion in international bonds this year.

(Reporting By Marwa Rashad and Davide Barbuscia; Additional reporting by Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Shri Navaratnam, Barbara Lewis and Andrew Cawthorne)
Masked and keeping their distance, French auto workers are returning to factory floors at Toyota and Renault in a cautious move toward reviving the virus-battered economy.

Renault restarted assembly lines Tuesday for its Zoe electric cars at a plant in Flins outside Paris, though only a quarter of staff is allowed in so far.

The company - which is negotiating with the French government for billions of euros in potential bailout funds - has resumed some activity at plants in China, Spain, Portugal, Russia and Romania, but work remains halted in India, Latin America and most facilities in its home country of France.

In the northern town of Onnaing near Valenciennes, Toyota workers came back to work this week at a plant that used to churn out more than 1,000 Yaris cars a day.

They are having their temperatures checked and given masks, and new social distancing rules are in place on the factory floor and cafeteria and other common spaces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares in Fever-Tree lost some of their fizz after co-founder and deputy chairman Charles Rolls announced he would bow out in June.

Over the last 17 years he and his business partner, chief executive Tim Warrillow, have transformed the market for tonic waters. They launched in time to enjoy the full force of the 'gin-aissance' boom  and created a stock market darling.

It's been an outlandish success story for two virtual strangers who went into business together after having an hour-long coffee because Warrillow wanted to pick Rolls's brain about the industry.

Fever-tree co founders Tim Warrillow, (left) and Charles Rolls, (right). Rolls has announced he is to step down as chairman in June

It's also been a roaring success for the Rolls bank account  the 62-year-old pocketed 242million from several stake sales in 2017 and 2018 and still has a 7 per cent share worth around 140million.

He has pledged to remain a 'significant shareholder'.

He said: 'Fever-Tree deals in a world of best-before dates and I am happy to be stepping down before I reach mine.' But the AIM-listed group's backers were less convinced.

Shares fell 5.3 per cent, or 95.5p, to 1706p, as it battles a short-term slump in sales because of widespread pub closures.

While its status as a stock market darling has gone somewhat flat, junior market-listed biotechnology group Novacyt is still very much on the up.

Stock Watch - Omega Diagnostics Biotechnology group Omega Diagnostics lost ground after star Baillie Gifford fund manager Richard Sneller sold a chunk of his holding. He took his stake down from 20.3 per cent to 17.7 per cent  but is still its biggest investor. The AIM-listed firm's shares have rocketed 650 per cent in a month after inking a partnership to work on a Covid-19 antibody test. It fell by as much as 14 per cent but closed 3.5 per cent lower, down 2p, at 55p.

Shares climbed 0.5 per cent, or 2p, to 428p after it racked up orders worth 90million for its Covid-19 tests, which it is selling to more than 100 countries.

Chief executive Graham Mullis said the order book is 'transformational' for the company, whose Primerdesign unit in Southampton designed and developed the testing kits.

Optimism about countries' ability to deal with the outbreak helped push the FTSE 100 higher, meaning it has risen every day so far this week.

It broke the 6000 mark after rising 2.63 per cent, or 156.75 points, to 6115.25 while the FTSE 250 rallied 3.34 per cent, or 543.76 points, to 16,835.34.

Housebuilder Persimmon reassured investors that interest from customers has remained at 'good levels' throughout lockdown, with average sales prices slightly above last year.

It restarted work on its construction sites this week and has not furloughed any workers.

Even though forward sales are down 11 per cent compared with a year ago, shares edged 2.8 per cent higher, up 62p, to 2272p.

Other firms, such as Trainline  up 4.4 per cent, or 15.6p, to 373.6p  and Hiscox, which fell 3.6 per cent, or 26.6p, to 706p, were mulling their finances.

Trainline and its lenders have reached an agreement that means it can still access an important loan even if it builds up debt, while insurer Hiscox is considering several options about what to do next  and could tap the market for cash.

Elsewhere, an Edinburgh court has given Premier Oil permission to buy 660million of North Sea fields and to restructure its debt.

Shares rose 17 per cent, or 4.43p, to 30.48p, though it still needs to raise at least 282million through a fundraising, and its largest investor wants to appeal against the court's decision.

The cash call might be difficult when oil prices are so low, though they rallied yesterday after the amount of crude in US stockpiles was less than analysts had expected.

Brent crude jumped 12 per cent to $23 a barrel while US oil, trading at below $0 a barrel last week, rose 26 per cent to $16.

This lifted shares in BP 3.5 per cent, or 11.4p, to 333.5p, and Royal Dutch Shell by 3.4 per cent, or 47p, to 1451.49p. Shell today reveals if it is keeping its prize dividend after the recent price slump.
To grasp the achievement of one of Ireland's finest poets, Eavan Boland, who died this week, one needs to understand not just the universal acclaim in which her work is held across the world, but also the misogyny of the Ireland where she published her debut collection, 'New Territory', in 1967.

In a churlish, mean-spirited appraisal of her debut in the Dublin magazine 'The Lace Curtain', a James Hogan sneered at her "inky, sensible fingers", writing: "She is loveable only for her, one supposes in the absence of Technicolour, blue eyes on the cover of her first and awful collection of poems Instead of dipping into Shakespeare and the like - my pardon to the former - she might dip into herself for a change. Might find something interesting there: possibly a woman?"

It is hard today to imagine a male critic feeling entitled to comment on the colour of someone's eyes. Yet against that hostile backdrop, Eavan Boland spent a half-century gloriously opening up new, humane and democratic poetic territory, allowing her undiluted voice and voice of other women to be acknowledged and respected.

As the poet Thomas McCarthy noted: "She was a vital pioneering presence in Irish women's poetry, mowing the grass in front of many other women who walked in her path and in her light. The vanity of male poets amused her, their injustice against women enraged her; and her love for (her husband) Kevin and their children sustained her through thick and thin. She will be missed all over Ireland where her constant encouragement of women's political action became a vital part of the modernisation of Irish society."

A younger generation may think they only encountered her through her poems studied for the Leaving Cert. But her influence in Irish life ran deep.

The daughter of a respected diplomat, Boland understood the realpolitik of how radical ideas seep into the changing dynamics of society.

She held prestigious academic positions in American universities, yet still found time to be a writer in residence at Holles Street maternity hospital and was a great encourager of poets who came after her.

Typical of her generosity was a night in 1980 when, despite having young daughters, she found time to visit Finglas to address an arts group I had established there. It was the least-glamorous, worst-paid reading she ever did, but she recognised that young writers needed engagement.

I suspect she criss-crossed Ireland in a like way. In her inaugural speech as Ireland's first female president, Mary Robinson said: "As a woman I want the women who have felt themselves outside history to be written back into history, in the words of Eavan Boland, 'finding a voice where they found a vision'."

Boland was engaged in a political sense with Irish society, but not in a simplistic, male way of seeing politics as being about slogans. If democracy means anything, it means having the experience of all citizens equally valued.

Starting at a time when few single women could apply for a mortgage without a male guarantor, Boland carved out a democratic space in poetry, insisting on female domestic experiences being given equal weight with the traditional themes that previously dominated poetry.

If she had adopted a bohemian persona she might have been more accepted into the essentially male club of Irish poetry 50 years ago, where a woman's role was to be a mystic or a muse, a passive object to be stared at for inspiration or desire, something to be possessed.

Instead, with steely intelligence and integrity, Boland delved deep into her experience of motherhood and celebrated the rituals of domestic life in books like 'Night Feed'.

Perhaps her starkest collection was 'In her Own Image', published in Dublin by Arlen House, the country's first feminist press she helped to found. Here, she presented womanhood, not as fetishised by male poets, but in its stark reality, beauty and contradictions. These poems talk frankly about menstruation, masturbation and anorexia.

Here, Boland created confrontational anti-lyrics stripped "from this trash/and gimmickry/of sex". This is the voice of a woman talking as a woman, complemented by drawings of naked women by Constance Short, stripped of any male-orientated eroticism: women portrayed in their own image, as they see themselves. This collection was so honest about womanhood that it received the ultimate compliment: one bookshop refused to stock it.

Boland continued producing major collections, such as 'Domestic Violence' (2007) and critical works such as 'A Journey with Two Maps: Becoming a Woman Poet' (2011). She had just finished a new book before she was unexpectedly taken from those she loved this week.

I cannot begin to imagine the loss felt by her husband, the novelist Kevin Casey, and her daughters.

Public grief pales into insignificance compared to private grief. But everyone who loves poetry will feel an intense sorrow at losing such a humane yet intellectually rigorous voice; a poet who celebrated the ordinary and rendered it extraordinary; a young woman who entered a hostile literary world that had no room for her and yet brilliantly carved a path for herself and the glorious explosion of female voices now following in her wake.
She welcomed her first child, daughter Tullulah, with her AFL star husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin in February.

And on Thursday, Australian beauty Jesinta Franklin revealed she will be spending her first Mother's Day as a doting new mum, with her own mother, Valerie.

Speaking to WHO Magazine, Jesinta, 28, said: 'I'm looking forward to Buddy, Tullulah and I spending Mother's Day with my mum, who will be celebrating it for the first as a grandmother.'

Joy: On Thursday, Jesinta Franklin (pictured) told WHO magazine she will be celebrating her first Mother's Day as a doting new mum, with her own mother, Valerie

The Australian model went on to tell the publication that since welcoming Tullulah, she has been keeping a low-key profile while she focused on self-healing.

'I have been enjoying the newborn bubble. I have placed a lot of importance on my healing and taking care of myself since giving birth,' she said.

With everything going on at the moment in the world, it's made it easy for us to hang out at home'.

This comes after Jesinta faced one of the many perils of being a new mother.

Family ties: Speaking to WHO Magazine, Jesinta, 28, said: 'I'm looking forward to Buddy, Tullulah and I spending Mother's Day with my mum, who will be celebrating it for the first as a grandmother'. Pictured with her mother in May 2014

On Wednesday, she shared a video of her neighbours using a loud whipper snipper and a chainsaw while Tullulah was having a nap.

'And just as you put the baby down for a nap, the neighbours bring out the whipper snipper,' she captioned the post.

She also shared a video of herself with an unimpressed look on her face and wrote: 'I swear they have a f**king chainsaw out now.'

Challenge: On Wednesday, Jesinta shared a video of herself with an unimpressed look on her face and wrote: 'I swear they have a f**king chainsaw out now'

Bundle of joy! Jesinta's sweet mother and daughter video comes after her husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin (pictured) shared his first photo with Tullulah in March on Instagram

Jesinta's sweet mother and daughter video comes after her husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin shared his first photo with Tullulah in March on Instagram.

The AFL glamour couple welcomed their baby girl on February 25th.

A spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Jesinta and Lance are thrilled to announce the arrival of their beautiful baby daughter Tullulah Franklin. They are both absolutely besotted with her.'
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 24, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Confirmed cases of covid-19 in the United States rose above 1 million Tuesday, representing about a third of known cases worldwide, as President Donald Trump continued to defend his administration's record on providing tests the country will need to reopen safely.

The grim milestone was expected, even as some states move to lift restrictions meant to slow the spread of the disease.

The 1 million mark and a U.S. death toll of more than 57,000 so far suggest that closures of schools, businesses and public spaces in many parts of the country over the past two months have helped. Some public health models had projected about 100 million cases in the United States by May and an eventual U.S. death toll above 2 million if no measures were taken to prevent the disease's spread.

"It will go down to zero, ultimately," Trump said when asked about the caseload Tuesday, and about his prediction in February that U.S. cases would quickly dwindle to zero.

The United States has the world's highest number of confirmed cases, but Trump suggested Tuesday that the figure is misleading because "we're doing much, much more testing than anybody else in the world."

The number of covid-19 tests performed per 1,000 people in the United States is below the average of the 36 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to figures released Tuesday by the international body.

The United States had conducted 16.4 tests per 1,000 people, compared to Iceland, at the top of the list, which had tested 135 people per 1,000.

Expand Close Protestors demonstrate against new safer-at-home orders during the End the Lockdown Now rally at the Colorado Capital in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/Agence France-Presse/AFP via Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Protestors demonstrate against new safer-at-home orders during the End the Lockdown Now rally at the Colorado Capital in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/Agence France-Presse/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States was behind the OECD average of 23.1, and behind Spain, the country with the second-highest number of confirmed cases. U.S. testing per capita was roughly half that of Italy's, the OECD found. Italy has the third-highest number of confirmed cases after the United States and Spain.

Trump also ordered meat production plants to remain open to head off a food supply shortage, despite mounting reports of plant worker deaths due to covid-19.

Governors of Texas, Ohio, Michigan and several other states laid out plans to begin relaxing coronavirus restrictions and allowing some businesses to reopen. But stay-at-home orders are being extended in other parts of the country, including the San Francisco area and hard-hit Louisiana.

Americans overwhelmingly support state-imposed restrictions on businesses and the size of public gatherings to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

Americans also back a temporary halt to immigration, as ordered by the president, to deal with the crisis, the survey found.

The poll finds that Americans' concerns about becoming seriously ill from the virus have not eased in the past week. It also shows that they continue to give their governors significantly higher ratings than they offer Trump, who still draws mostly negative reviews for his handling of the crisis.

Around the world, New Zealand's month-long lockdown ended Tuesday, after officials said they had almost entirely eradicated the coronavirus, while Russia extended its non-working period until May 11 and announced a record 6,411 new cases.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered the government to come up with a package of new measures to soften the economic impact. The pandemic is testing Putin's leadership as he plans to remain in office for another 16 years. He has postponed a constitutional referendum that would lend legitimacy to his plan to dispense with a presidential two-term limit.

"Of course, I would like forced inconveniences to end sooner. I will reiterate that it would be careless and even dangerous to believe that the threat has declined and will definitely not affect us now," Putin said, warning that Russia has not yet reached the peak of the crisis.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a tentative plan to lift what would be a two-month coronavirus lockdown starting in May.

"Never has the country been confined as it is today," he said. "And, obviously, this cannot be sustainable."

In the United States, Vice President Mike Pence received a covid-19 treatment update at the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota, where he was photographed meeting with staff and a patient while not wearing a protective mask. Doctors and others giving the vice president a tour were all wearing masks. In a since-deleted tweet, the clinic said Pence had been informed ahead of time about the facility's policy of wearing masks.

Trump has said that despite the recommendation of his top health experts, he himself did not plan to wear a face mask. Neither he nor Cabinet officials and experts who have briefed the press in recent weeks have worn masks while doing so.

Leaders of the Democratic-controlled House abandoned plans to return to Washington next week, less than 24 hours after members were told to prepare to meet, while the Republican-led Senate reiterated plans to return.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md., said the change was made in light of advice from the congressional attending physician and as the coronavirus continues to spread in Washington and its suburbs.

"The numbers in the District of Columbia are going up, not down," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had announced Monday that his chamber would return next week to "conduct critical business in person." In a tweet Tuesday, a spokesman said, "the Leader's statement from yesterday stands."

A coalition representing the nation's hospitals, health insurers and businesses called on Congress on Tuesday to provide additional financial help for the growing number of Americans during the coronavirus pandemic who are losing health coverage as they lose jobs.

More than 30 organizations - largely trade groups from across the health-care industry, providers of care and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - sent a letter to the four top congressional leaders, proposing several ways to increase access to health insurance during the crisis.

The groups are hoping to influence another relief package being debated on Capitol Hill. The options, which industry leaders call a "menu," include new subsidies to employers to help them preserve health benefits during the pandemic, as well as helping more Americans afford to buy health plans through Affordable Care Act marketplaces by subsidizing premiums up to a higher income threshold.

Trump, an opponent of the ACA, has resisted that idea.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Tuesday that the Trump administration is "studying very carefully" the possibility of another round of stimulus checks beyond the one-time $1,200 payments sent to many Americans.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Hassett raised the possibility that additional payments could be included in the next round of legislation responding to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think that that's something we're studying very carefully that I know that people in the House are as well," he said. "I expect that it's very likely there will be a phase four deal, and we're going to be speaking with the president throughout the week about what he thinks should be in there."

Recipients of federal stimulus money began receiving letters summarizing the transactions this week, and some were surprised or dismayed to see that the communications were signed by Trump.

The rush to get money to tens of millions of people has resulted in payment errors, including several detailed by Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary on Tuesday.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act, signed into law March 27, provides a $1,200 refundable tax credit for individuals and $2,400 for joint taxpayers. The Treasury Department and the IRS reported last week that an initial 88.1 million payments worth nearly $158 billion had been issued.

The law says a letter listing the payment amount and method, among other details, should be mailed to a taxpayer's last known address 15 days after a stimulus payment is sent. It didn't read like a standard letter from the IRS.

"Just as we have before, America will triumph yet again - and rise to new heights of greatness," Trump wrote.

He introduced individual information about the stimulus payment by writing, "I am pleased to notify you . . ."

While the envelope says it comes from the Treasury Department and the IRS, once it has been opened, the letterhead says, "The White House."

The Treasury didn't immediately respond to questions about complaints that the letter was inappropriate.

For a fourth day in a row, Trump did not lead a coronavirus task force briefing. As he did Monday, Trump instead appeared at economic-themed White House events.

Trump and his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump invited a group of small-business owners and employees who have participated in the Paycheck Protection Program, which Trump claimed has saved thousands of jobs and is now processing a second round of loans.

A handful of publicly traded companies say they aren't planning to return loans received from the small-business rescue program, despite pressure from the Trump administration to repay the funds.

Companies in the hotel, cruise ship and medical device sectors said they are qualified to receive the money under the Paycheck Protection Program and need the funds to stay in business. Their resistance comes days after the Small Business Administration suggested dozens of publicly held companies with "substantial market value" were not the intended recipients of the funds.

 Washington Post
Migrant workers, tourists, students and other people stranded in different parts of the country due to the ongoing lockdown were on Wednesday allowed to move to their respective destinations with certain conditions, giving a big relief to the distressed people.

The Union Home Ministry also said it has reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the country and found that tremendous gains were achieved during the lockdown and new guidelines will be issued soon, giving considerable relaxations to many districts from May 4.

In an order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said on Wednesday that buses shall be used for transport of such groups of stranded people and these vehicles will be sanitised and will have to follow safe social distancing norms in seating.

The order, however, did not specify whether a person or a family can travel in a private vehicle, and if allowed, under what conditions.

New guidelines to fight #COVID19 will come into effect from 4th May, which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts. Details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come.#Corona Update#StayHomeStaySafe @PMOIndia @HMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA  Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) April 29, 2020

Due to lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move, he said in an order issued to all states and union territories.

The order comes into immediate effect.

Listing the conditions, the ministry said all states and union territories should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons.

The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded persons within their states and union territories, it said.

In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one state and union territory and another state and union territory, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road.

The moving persons would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed, according to the Home Ministry.

The states and union territories falling on the bus transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving states and union territories, it said.

On arrival at their destination, they would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping them in institutional quarantine, the order said.

They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups, it said.

All those people who avail the opportunity will be encouraged to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked.

The home secretary issued the order in his capacity as the chairperson of the National Executive Committee under the Disaster Management Act.

The Home Ministry also said the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on home quarantine should be followed by the authorities concerned.

Separately, the Ministry announced that the new guidelines to fight Covid-19 will be issued effective May 4, which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts and the details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come.

MHA held a comprehensive review meeting on the #lockdown situation today. Thereve been tremendous gains & improvement in the situation due to lockdown till now. To ensure that these gains are not squandered away, the lockdown guidelines should be strictly observed till 3rd May, the Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted.

The decision of the central government to allow movement of migrant workers, tourists, students and other stranded people will be a big relief to several lakh people who are stranded in different parts of the country.

Several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, have brought back thousands of their students and tourists stuck in different parts of the country by bus. However, most of the migrant workers, tourists and other people continue to stuck in their places of work or shelter homes.

While Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Assam, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh brought back their stranded students fron Kota in Rajasthan, Punjab has brought back stranded pilgrims from Maharashtra, besides students from Kota.

A group of around 360 stranded people of Rajasthan is also being brought back from Assam. While transporting these students, pilgrims and other people, the states have used buses and other vehicles.

There have been at least three protests by migrant workers in Surat in Gujarat in recent weeks as they have been demanding passage to their home states. A few hundred people had also gathered about a fortnight ago in Bandra in Mumbai after being influenced by rumours that trains would ply to North India.

However, the Bihar government has been seeking the strict implementation of the lockdown, saying that people should remain wherever they are during the entire period of the lockdown.

While announcing the lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said people should remain wherever they are.

In the beginning of the first phase of the lockdown, thousands of the migrant workers had started moving by foot from cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to their respective places, creating a humanitarian crisis.

This led to the Home Ministry directing the state governments not to allow the migrants to move, arrange shelter homes for them and provide them food.

The government has already allowed industrial activities in rural areas with conditions. Similarly, apart from the shops for the essential commodities, standalone business establishments of non-essential goods were also allowed to open during the lockdown.
Press Release

April 29, 2020 Gatchalian urges OWWA to provide decent quarantine shelters for returning OFWs Senator Win Gatchalian is urging on the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to provide more decent quarantine homes for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to ensure their health and safety during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatchalian deplored the condition of repatriated migrant workers who share a cramped room in an OWWA shelter house in the Philippines, as shared by a male OFW through the social media. The male voice behind the video, who sounded disappointed, said they were taken care of in a quarantine facility in Kuwait and made sure that they observed social distancing but their dire situation at the OWWA quarantine shelter back here at home shows total disregard for stringent quarantine measures. They were even asked to join OFWs from Dubai and South Korea in the said quarantine area. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has issued a directive that all OFWs arriving in the Philippines are required to undergo a 14-day facility-based quarantine. They are also required to undergo rapid testing for the novel coronavirus. Gatchalian said there are also many OFWs who take their rants to social media about the poor sanitation and concerns on health protocols in some makeshift quarantine sites put up by the government. If this will not be addressed soon, Gatchalian fears the country might face a similar consequence like that in Singapore which is now being battered by a second wave of infections after its government overlooked the conditions in some congested areas where many migrant workers live. "We are placing all OFWs arriving under quarantine in government-sponsored facilities in order to prevent the possibility of wider coronavirus infection in the country. But cramping all of them in a small room is a recipe for disaster. It's like we are incubating time bombs with devastating consequences," said Gatchalian. The senator said that OWWA can tap into its P19.4 billion trust fund of its members to provide them with decent quarantine homes and other needs during their 14-day quarantine period. Even if OWWA's trust fund is not primarily intended for repatriation purposes, Gatchalian said the government agency should focus all its efforts and resources for the emergency repatriation of OFWs, especially during crucial times like these. OWWA can also tap the help of the hotel sector in providing temporary quarantine areas, according to Gatchalian. "Kapag nagpatumpik-tumpik tayo at naging maluwag sa protocol, mababalewala ang mga pinaghihirapan natin. Kung hindi natin inaalagaan ang ating mga OFW alinsunod sa mga alituntunin para maiwasan ang pagkalat ng virus, tiyak babalik din sa gobyerno at sa ating lahat ang problema, kaya dapat siguraduhin natin na nasusunod ang lahat ng mga hakbang kontra COVID-19," said Gatchalian.
A new theory has emerged about the health and whereabouts of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

State media in the country haven't reported on his whereabouts since he presided over a meeting on April 11.

And he was absent from public ceremonies on April 15 to mark the anniversary of the birth of his grandfather and founder of the country, Kim Il Sung - an absence which has been described as unprecedented.

But on Tuesday (April 28), South Korea's minister for North Korean affairs, Kim Yeon-chul, said Kim Jong Un may have stayed out of the public eye to protect himself from coronavirus.

(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREA'S UNIFICATION MINISTER, KIM YEON-CHUL, SAYING:

"It is true that (he) didn't attend (the anniversary) for the first time since he took power. However, regarding this year's birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, many anniversary events including celebrations, banquets and national meetings had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns."

Kim Yeon-chul also said there have been at least two instances since mid-January where Kim Jong Un wasn't seen for nearly 20 days.

South Korean officials have emphasized that they've detected no unusual movements in North Korea and have cautioned against reports that Kim may be unwell.

North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The country has taken stringent steps to head off an outbreak, imposing a border lockdown and cancelling some large events.

An authoritative source familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting said on Monday (April 27) that it was entirely possible Kim Jong Un had disappeared from public view to avoid exposure to COVID-19.

The source added that the sighting of his presidential train in the coastal resort area of Wonsan did suggest he may be there or have been there recently.
A dvertising giant WPP said a rapid recovery in China hinted at a possible snapback in UK activity on Wednesday as it reported a slump in first-quarter sales.

With new coronavirus cases starting to fall, attention in business circles has shifted to the shape of the economic recovery, with debate whether the West will see V-shaped or U-shaped recovery.

WPP said signs from China, the epicentre of the crisis, were encouraging as the country was emerging through the other side with more activity.

Around 90% of WPPs 9000 China staff are back in the office now after nearly all were sent home to work in January when the outbreak emerged.

WPP chief Mark Read said Chinas experience was encouraging for the UK, although the situation would remain tough in the months ahead.

Its too early to say how things will develop but were reassured by how China came back, he said. We do see a gradual easing of the lockdown which may mitigate some of the economic impacts.

While the long-term outlook may be brighter, the immediate hit to WPP has been stark.

The owner of Wunderman Thompson and Finsbury said first quarter net sales to the end of March fell by 3.3% to 2.4 billion, with sales in March down 8% alone.
Revered actor Irrfan Khan's passing caused a storm on social media on April 29. Khan lost his life early on Wednesday morning in Mumbai, much to the grief and distress of thousands of fans. As news of his demise after fighting a prolonged battle with a colon infection, microblogging site Twitter was filled with condolences and expressions of grief, shock and anger at losing Khan, who was both loved by the masses as well as critics alike.

While the Padma Shri-winning actor's popularity requires no evidence, Khan's fandom which is usually silent on Twitter came out in large numbers to mourn. Within minutes of the confirmation of his death, #IrrfanKhan became the most tweeted hashtag on Twitter. So much so that at one point during the day, the top ten trends of Twitter in India were related to Khan.

Not just the top ten, eight of the next ten up till 20 were also trends related to the actor and his films. The trend continued well into the evening. At 7 pm IST, eight of the top ten trends were related to Khan including the top four.

On Twitter where trends change every ten minutes, capturing the entire feed for almost a day is a tough feat, even for popular actors, politicians, and celebrities. And this amid the coronavirus pandemic which for over two months has dominated news cycles and social media trends and searches.

The phenomenon did not go unnoticed by Twitterati who pointed out that that this was proof of the place Khan had made in the hearts of Indians. A journalist and Twitter user commented on the same, stating that seeing so many people celebrate the work of the artist "filled her heart".

Yet another Twitter user wrote, "Cant remember the last time I saw such widespread outpouring of genuine affection for a person. It is as if everyone knew him personally. Perhaps we all did. His smile and his gaze probably spoke to us personally".

It fills my heart to see so many people celebrating #IrrfanKhan's work today. What more would an artist wish for? His death is as personal and as real as every character he brought to life on screen.  Himanshi Dahiya (@himansshhi) April 29, 2020

Cant remember the last time I saw such widespread outpouring of genuine affection for a person. It is as if everyone knew him personally. Perhaps we all did. His smile and his gaze probably spoke to us personally. #IrrfanKhan  Ankur Bhardwaj (@Bhayankur) April 29, 2020

The charm of legend irrfan khan can be seen at twitter trends...all spots occupied along with our hearts. saddened by the untimely demise of finest gem of Bollywood. Rest in peace #IrrfanKhan #legend #RIPIrrfanKhan #RestInPeace #Bollywood #madbrosocial #missyou pic.twitter.com/0GJTrbUK2U  MadBro (@officialmadbro) April 29, 2020

All are feeling a personal loss today. That is how #IrrfanKhan was connected with people. I think he made all realise that in last talent gets valued. A normal person from Tonk can make people believe in their dreams. Hard work pays. Art connects. Sad day.  Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) April 29, 2020

9 of the top 10 trends on @Twitter in India are of fans and every others remembering @irrfank. THAT is the power of the art that he commanded. Irrfan Khan is one of the first actors who moved from character acting to taking pivotal roles and he nurtured craft. Om Shanti. Numb.  Suketh Kumar Chinchela (@schinchela) April 29, 2020

Coming at a time when Indian Twitter is deeply divided upon communal lines, many pointed out that Khan's demise swept all the discord under the carpet, at least for a day.
Zoho announced its Swadeshi Sankalp: Made in India. Made for India. initiative. Designed to help those in the education and government sectors cope with disruption caused by the pandemic, this initiative empowers workers with the software they need, built right here in India and run on Indian data centres. By using Zohos secure Indian data centres, education and government institutions will inherit the companys top-tier privacy and security practices across all products.

We are currently living through extraordinary times and experiencing extraordinary challenges. Beyond those on the front line, there are industries and communities that are struggling. We have altered our business priorities during this current climate to focus on ways to best serve our community, our country, and the rest of the world, however we can. The Swadeshi Sankalp initiative is one way in which we can be of service to our country, by providing relief to the education and government sectors that are in need of a secure solution, said Sridhar Vembu, CEO and co-founder of Zoho Corp.

After Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, Zoho launched Zoho Remotely a remote work toolkit, and offered it for free to all businesses until July 1. Currently, around 15,000 businesses around the world are using Remotely, 18% of which are in India. Zoho also launched its Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Programme, which has benefited around 10,000 businesses, 12% of which are in India. To ensure that people have access to the latest data about the coronavirus, Zoho created Covid dashboards.

Zoho, which has over 7,000 of its 8,000+ employees based in India, adopted a work-from-home policy in the first week of March. The company has, however, kept the kitchens in its offices in Chennai, Tenkasi, and Renigunta functional in order to distribute food to the local communities. This food distribution programme currently provides 5,000 meals a day to those in need.

In further endeavours to serve society, and under the first phase of Swadeshi Sankalp initiative, Zoho is offering its technology and expertise to the following verticals:

EDUCATION

Zoho Classes

Zoho Classes, available for early access, is a new mobile app that enables schools and colleges to connect with their students online. It replaces the need for educators to deploy multiple, disintegrated apps including video conferencing tools that were originally meant for business users and are, in some cases, unsecure to use. With Zoho Classes, teachers can upload courses, broadcast live classes, share assignments under set deadlines, and collect responses on one interface. Students can view videos based on their convenience, and connect with teachers directly to clarify any doubts. This allows them to study at their own pace. The educational institutes can collect fees and sell merchandise such as school supplies.

Zoho Classes is built with several layers of security ensuring the privacy and safety of the users:

In Zoho Classes, teachers and students log in to the same application, which means that anything being sent or received can be centrally monitored by the school principal or an administrator.

Students can only join a group after an invitation is sent directly from their school.

Zoho Classes, as with all Zoho products, runs on the companys own data centres that adhere to the highest global security standards.

To support the Government of Indias #BharatPadheOnline programme, Zoho is offering Classes completely free to all government schools in India. For all other schools, its free for up to a 100 students. Schools can pay 250 per student, per year for additional students.

Zoho ShowTime

For individualized learning environments including classroom breakouts or professional training, Zoho ShowTime facilitates virtual collaborative learning and interactive events. One-click access to ShowTime within Zoho Classes will be available in the coming weeks. Zoho is offering all premium engagement features of ShowTime, from the Basic plan onwards, at no additional cost to users. Through this initiative, Zoho aims to help independent trainers and educators all around the world move their programmes to a virtual model with relative ease so that students and professionals can continue their education.

GOVERNMENT

Zoho Meeting for secure online meetings

Zoho is offering its online meetings and webinar app, Zoho Meeting free for three months to government bodies, in order to help them work efficiently and securely. Meeting has introduced multi-party video that allows users to conduct group video calls for up to 25 participants, while other attendees can join via audio. This is currently supported for up to a 100 participants. The host can also record the meeting. Zoho Meeting protects user privacy by giving them the complete control over sharing audio and video during a meeting, and with in-session features like lock meeting, remove participants and participants entry/exit notification.

Zoho Creator Covid-19 App Programme

This programme helps non-profits, government bodies, and communities that are working on various initiatives like patient monitoring or food distribution to execute their mission more efficiently with the help of apps. These organizations can place a request, and Zoho will build an app for free using Zoho Creator, a low-code application development platform. The programme has received over 70 requests and delivered 10+ apps. This includes the Citizen Communication App and Medical Staff Management App for local government bodies in India.

We wanted a solution that would enable doctors treating Covid-19 positive patients to gather data on their mobiles. As they were not allowed to carry paper, the doctors first made the rounds, sanitised, and then filled out the sheets in their office. This made their work more difficult, and left the possibility of human error. We approached the Zoho team after hearing about their app programme. They were quick to respond, and built us a mobile app that automates the entire workflow starting from registering patients, tracking their daily regimen and progress, capture ongoing testing to their discharge once cured. For the doctors, this app is mission critical. Zoho has a wonderful team, a powerful platform, an incredible engineering talent and an attitude to serve. We are planning to take this solution to other state governments, and expand the scope to include telemedicine. In addition, we are working on other apps and technology that bolster societys defences against the scourge of Covid-19, said Srinath Raman, ex MD of Religare Capital and co-founder of DefeatCovid, which was formed as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It assists government and healthcare institutions, and leverages innovative digital solutions to combat the disease.

Zoho Desk for Coronavirus Helpline

The Jammu and Kashmir administration recently launched the union territorys first Covid response call centre in Srinagar. ClearWire Technologies, which runs the call centre, uses Zoho Desk, a customer support software. Zoho is now extending free licences of Zoho Desk to all the other state governments for enabling them to help citizens. Zoho Desk was built in Tenkasi, which is located in rural parts of Tamil Nadu.

Zoho Forms for Health Surveys

In Goa, around 7,000 government employees conducted door-to-door health survey of nearly 4.5 lakh houses spread across 12 taluks, 574 sub divisions and 4,000+ municipal wards to identify nearly 5,000 people who were to be tested for Covid-19. The survey was created by Vacation Labs using Zoho Forms, an online form builder. The surveyors used the Forms mobile app to collect the data. In remote areas that had limited internet access, the surveyors could capture the data in the offline mode, which could then be synced when the internet connection was available. Zoho has extended Forms for free to state governments who need a similar solution to deal with the pandemic.
The U.K. Booksellers Association has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in an attempt to draw the government's attention to the challenges facing booksellers during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as the need for support when lockdown restrictions are eased. The letter is signed by BA head of policy & public affairs Laura McCormack.

According to a statement from the BA: "Many booksellers have seen their turnover fall by over 80% since lockdown began. While some have been able to come to short-term arrangements with individual landlords, this approach is not sufficient long term for the sector. The Booksellers Association joins the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in calling for a Government scheme allowing retail spaces to be furloughed, as seen in other European countries. This would operate on a sliding basis, providing support to those hardest hit by drops in turnover, not just in terms of bookshops but extending to all areas of the sector, including warehouses and distribution centres, to ensure the industry's survival.

"Supply is as key to the bookselling industry as ever and the Booksellers Association are calling on the government to ensure that the book trade supply chain remains operational throughout this crisis. This would include guidance and assistance from Government around access to health and safety advice and PPE.

"While the re-opening on bookshops will undoubtedly be a great support for local communities, the Booksellers Association has requested that booksellers are given adequate notice by the government of their ability to re-open. This would allow bookshops to prepare, both in terms of stock and the safety measures that will need to be implemented as lockdown is eased.

"Following the easing of lockdown restrictions, consumer confidence will take time to grow, and footfall in bookshops may not return to normal levels for some time. The Booksellers Association calls on the Government to ensure that help under the Job Retention Scheme is not withdrawn prematurely, and to consider the possibility of 'part-furloughing' so that booksellers can have staff members return to work on reduced hours while demand increases.

"As lockdown is lifted, bookshops will face new challenges around their physical spaces, bearing in mind the restricted space available to many bookshops and the physical nature of browsing. The Booksellers Association requests that detailed guidance on PPE and safety messages is provided to retailers to ensure they are kept safe, and that a public campaign is launched by the Government to ensure that consumers are aware of distancing measures being implemented by retailers."



What the BA is Doing

The BA has also outlined what steps it has been taking during the pandemic. "The Booksellers Association has continued its support for booksellers during the COVID-19 crisis, encouraging bookshops to promote their ongoing work using the #ChooseBookshops hashtag, offering members help via regular update bulletins with trade and government advice, through their free Business Support Helpline, the free Retail Trust Wellbeing and Counselling service, a range of online events and gatherings, such as Facebook Live sessions and Zoom bookseller coffee mornings, as well as their BAseline benchmarking programme, a member subscription rebate, vigorous advocacy for bookselling within the trade, to government and in the media, as well as pledging 30,000 to The Book Trade Charity's Booksellers Hardship Fund."

A version of this story first appeared in BookBrunch.
Luxembourg's chief medical officer Dr Jean-Claude Schmit talked to our colleagues at RTL radio this Wednesday morning.

The head of Luxembourg's public health sector showed himself cautiously optimistic about the recent coronavirus developments.

The country records fewer than 20 new infections per day, increasing numbers of patients are recovering and there are fewer hospitalisations. The veteran doctor nevertheless warned that a second wave of infections is possible.

It remains challenging to determine where new patients contracted the virus. It is likely that new infections occurred at the workplace or within families. On a more positive note, the doctor explained that Luxembourg has resumed contact tracing due to the low numbers of new infections. The contact tracing procedures are fairly straightforward and involve voluntary phone interviews.

Dr Schmit explained that a tracing app could be helpful as patients often do not remember each of the people they have been in contact with before testing positive. Privacy protection remains a key issue. The traditional form of contact tracing is possible if the daily rate of new infections does not exceed 100, the doctor said.

People who were in contact with a patient that tests positive for the virus are now quarantined for seven days instead of 14 days. A test is carried on the fifth day of quarantine. If the test results comes back negative, the person in question is no longer required to remain in self-isolation

Luxembourg is planning on carrying out extensive testing for the entire population and cross-border workers. According to Dr Schmit, large-scale testing will provide health officials with important information that can be used to devise future strategies.

The doctor advised caution regarding antibody tests. He stressed that technical flaws persist and that the timing was not right yet. Luxembourg has nevertheless already ordered antibody tests that will be used at a later stage.

When asked about the effectiveness of homemade masks, Dr Schmit explained that it largely depends on the quality of the material used. When in doubt, surgical masks may be the better alternative, he said. It is important to wear them correctly, with the coloured side facing outwards.

Full interview in Luxembourgish:
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.
Earlier this month, I wrote a column asking what Democrats should do about sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden, the party's presumptive nominee for president. My answer? Not much. The accusation made by Tara Reade, a former Biden staffer from his days in the Senate during the early 1990s, didn't strike me as especially convincing, so Democrats, I suggested, could move forward without much concern. Though toward the end of the column I included two caveats: If Reade offered further corroboration of her claims or if evidence emerged of a larger pattern of abusive actions toward women on Biden's part, that could well change my views of the matter.

Just two weeks later, both of my conditions have been met.

Last week we learned that Reade's mother called into the Larry King Show in 1993 to talk about how her daughter had quit working for a "prominent senator" after unspecified "problems" as a staffer. Then earlier this week Business Insider reported that a former neighbor of Reade's (a self-described "strong Democrat") recalls a conversation with her in 1995 or 1996 in which Reade tearfully described being sexually assaulted by Biden. Together, those two stories help to corroborate Reade's specific claim about herself.

Finally, on Tuesday, a 2008 essay by the late Alexander Cockburn surfaced in which the journalist reported that Biden had made "unwelcome and unwanted" sexual advances against a woman in 1972 or 1973. That establishes a possible longstanding pattern of Biden's behavior that further validates Reade's accusation (and potentially opens the door to others).

In light of these revelations, the time has come for a two new questions: Can Biden survive the gathering storm around Tara Reade's allegations? And if so, will that fact be good or bad for the Democratic Party in November?

The first question is the easier one to answer: Biden's presumptive nomination is quite likely to survive the corroboration of Reade's claims. That's because members of Biden's electoral base in the Democratic Party  older, culturally moderate white working-class voters in the Midwest and older, culturally moderate African Americans  are unlikely to be turned against him by one corroborated allegation of sexual assault from nearly three decades in the past. If anything, rank-and-file Democrats have expressed regret that some #MeToo allegations have taken down popular members of the party (former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken is the example cited most frequently)  and they're also irritated that Democrats are expected to adhere to standards their opponents openly flout.

Story continues

The factions of the party most likely to turn on Biden because of a sexual-assault scandal are those who've been least wedded to his candidacy from the start  those firmly on the left, who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders; and white urban progressives, who tended to favor Sen. Elizabeth Warren's candidacy. Neither group possesses the numbers or influence in the party to get it to overrule the preferences of the other two electorally crucial factions  and obviously their opinions will also carry little weight with the candidate himself. This means that, so long as no additional corroborated accusations materialize, Biden will most likely get to hold onto the nomination if he wants to.

That might turn out to be a very bad thing for the party come November.

But how could this be? How could a sexual assault allegation place Biden at a disadvantage in the general election against President Trump, a man who has openly bragged on tape of sexual assault and has himself been accused of rape on multiple occasions?

On substance, Trump will have zero moral ground to stand on. But he won't be taking a stand in the name of treating women with respect. Neither will he be accusing Biden of being a sexual predator. Instead, he and the entire Republican noise machine will constantly, relentlessly hammer Biden, leading Democrats, and the media for flagrant hypocrisy and double standards. The moral content of the issue won't matter one bit. What will matter is that Biden has set himself up as a moral arbiter on issues of sexual harassment and violence, insisting we must "believe all women," and that in the fall of 2018 he and many other members of his party sought to destroy the reputation of Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for allegations of sexual assault that were less convincingly corroborated than those Reade has lodged against Biden.

The Democratic nominee for president and his party are ruthless political operators who seek above all else to destroy their enemies and help themselves, all the while setting themselves up as impartial moral authorities. This will be the message, driven home over and over again: that claims of purity and impartiality are pretense, transparent fakes. Democrats might posture like they're better than Republicans, including the president, but they aren't. They're every bit as bad. They're just more dishonest about it.

The Biden campaign's effort to portray itself as a moral reset from the debasement of the Trump years will run into this counter-message like a power sander. The Trump campaign will strip it away with a barrage of paid ads, prime-time cable news diatribes, and a hailstorm of tweets  all of it repeating the message (illustrated with clips from and about the Kavanaugh hearings) that Biden and his fellow Democrats are every bit the BS artists that Trump is, only they won't admit it. They'll lie about it, right to your face.

To Democrats this prediction may sound implausible. There's no way that Trump, a man whose mendaciousness is well established and total, can possibly succeed in portraying Biden as more dishonest than he is. But he won't have to show that Biden is worse, just that he's no better.

That's Trump's (perhaps only) winning move  to bring the playing field down to his level, to lower Biden's favorability rating, to make him seem less admirable, less likable, less morally upstanding, less  superior than Trump. He did the same thing against Hillary Clinton in 2016, using the FBI investigation of her email practices while secretary of state as a cudgel. Last summer, the strategy was to impugn Biden's son, making them both look like corrupt wheeler dealers in Ukraine. That didn't work out, but now Reade's allegations have made it possible for Trump and his party to do what they love most of all, which is to accuse Democrats and the media of smarmy double standards instead.

Of course this won't work with most Democratic voters, but that won't be its aim. The aim will be to ensure maximal turnout and Trump loyalty among Republicans  and the destruction of Biden's reputation among independents in crucial swing states.

Will it succeed? Trump will be facing re-election while presiding over a deadly pandemic and the early stages of an economic depression, so who knows. What I do know is that the behavior Tara Reade has plausibly alleged about the presumptive Democratic nominee is going to be a major liability for him as we head toward Election Day.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article mischaracterized a quote by Alexander Cockburn. It has been corrected. We regret the error.

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KYODO NEWS - Apr 29, 2020 - 14:55 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The Japanese government plans to offer a smartphone application from early May that will warn users if they have been in contact with someone diagnosed with the new coronavirus, raising concerns about user privacy.

The system, based on a contact-tracing app developed by the Singaporean government, will detect and record nearby phones that have the app installed. When one of the users is diagnosed as infected with the coronavirus, an alert message will be sent to those who have been in close contact.

"It is an extremely effective way" to prevent the spread of the disease," information technology policy minister Naokazu Takemoto told a recent press conference, adding steps are needed to ensure that user privacy is protected and public health centers are involved.

"It will only be meaningful if everyone uses the app, so we will make efforts to promote it," Takemoto said. The government has worked with nonprofit organization Code for Japan to develop the app.

The software will maintain an encrypted record of the time, date, distance and duration of any close contact with other app users but will not keep track their geolocation data due to privacy concerns.

Users who have been in close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, will be alerted but will not be notified of when and where they were in close proximity or the identity of the infected person.

To prevent misuse, only public officials will be allowed to release the information that a user has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Code for Japan said the app will provide prompt warnings as current tracing surveys based on interviews with infected people, which are conducted by public health center officials, are time consuming and some individuals do not wish to divulge or are unable to remember locations visited.

The NPO said the app would help a person notified of the possibility of infection to take steps to prevent infecting others.

Singapore launched its app in late March and Australia introduced similar software on Sunday. Britain and Germany are also considering following suit.

In a rare tie-up between the rival technology giants, Apple Inc. and Google LLC said April 10 they will cooperate in developing decentralized tracing using Bluetooth technology to alert smartphone users who have been in proximity to infected people.

According to U.S. media, the total number of users of Apple's iPhones and smartphones operating on Google's Android system is about 3 billion, more than a third of the world's population.

George Shishido, a University of Tokyo professor well-versed in privacy protection, said a third-party organization is needed to check the operation of tracing apps to make sure personal data is protected.

"The trust of users is a requisite to create a society that utilizes data effectively. This case will be a litmus test," Shishido said.

Related coverage:

Australia launches contact tracing app in bid to slow coronavirus

FOCUS: Pandemic problems creating novel labor fixes for farm, hotel sectors

Japan to offer anti-flu Avigan to 38 countries as early as this week
[April 29, 2020] Resolutions at the Annual General Meeting 2020

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Annual General Meeting of ASSA ABLOY AB was held on Wednesday 29 April 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden. Adoption of income statements and balance sheets and discharge from liability The Annual General Meeting adopted the parent company's and the Group's income statements and balance sheets. The members of the Board of Directors and the CEO were discharged from liability for the financial year 2019. Dividend The Annual General Meeting approved the dividend of SEK 2.00 per share proposed by the Board of Directors. The record date for the dividend was set to Monday 4 May 2020 and the dividend is expected to be distributed by Euroclear Sweden AB starting on Thursday 7 May 2020. Election of the Board of Directors and auditor The Annual General Meeting re-elected Lars Renstrom, Carl Douglas, Eva Karlsson, Birgitta Klasen, Lena Olving, Sofia Schorling Hogberg and Jan Svensson as members of the Board of Directors, and elected Joakim Weidemanis as new member of the Board of Directors. Lars Renstrom was re-elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Carl Douglas was re-elected as Vice Chairman. The Annual General Meeting elected the registered audit firm Ernst & Young AB as new auditor for the time period until the end of the Annual General Meeting 2021. Remuneration to the Board of Directors and the auditor The remuneration to the Board of Directors remains unchanged and will totally amount to SEK 7,360,000 (excluding remuneration for committee work). Auditor fees shall be paid according to contract. Resolution regarding establishment of guidelines for remuneration to senior executives The Annual General Meeting resolved, in accordance with the Board of Directors' previously published proposal, to adopt guidelines for remuneration to senior executives. Resolution regarding authorization to repurchase and transfer Series B shares in the company The Annual General Meeting resolved, in accordance with the Board of Directors' previously published proposal, to authorize the Board of Directors to, on one or more occasions, repurchase Series B shares in the company for the period up until the Annual General Meeting 2021. The repurchase shall maximum comprise so many Series B shares that the company's holding does not at any time exceed 10 per cent of the total number of shares in the company. Resolution regarding a long-term incentive program The Annual General Meeting resolved, in accordance with the Board of Directors' previously published proposal, to implement a long-term incentive program for senior executives and key employees within the ASSA ABLOY Group ("LTI 2020"). Resolution regarding change of the Articles of Association The Annual General Meeting resolved, in accordance with the Board of Directors' previously published proposal, on formal changes of the Articles of Association. Full details on the proposals adopted by the Annual General Meeting are available at www.assaabloy.com. About ASSA ABLOY The ASSA ABLOY Group is the global leader in access solutions. The Group operates worldwide with 49,000 employees and sales of SEK 94 billion. The Group has leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. ASSA ABLOY's innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places. Every day, we help billions of people experience a more open world. For more information, please contact: Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, tel. no: +46-8-506-485-82

Erik Pieder, CFO and Executive Vice President, tel. no: +46-8-506-485-72

Bjorn Tibell, Head of Investor Relations, tel. no: +46-70-275-67-68 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/resolutions-at-the-annual-general-meeting-2020,c3100620 The following files are available for download:







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Hours after Gov. Charlie Baker extended his ban preventing non-essential businesses from operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said that reopening the city would likely be in phases.

Baker earlier Tuesday extended the states ban on non-essential businesses and limits on group sizes, keeping restrictions in place until May 18. For Worcester, Augustus envisions a phased rollout of services when its time to reopen.

The needs of opening bill collection in city hall are different than the needs of reopening the senior center that feeds hundreds of people a day or reopening the library that circulates tens of thousands of pieces of material on a given day," Augustus said Tuesday at the citys daily press briefing.

Augustus said he was participating in a group organized by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, allowing town managers and mayors from across the state to, through virtual meetings, discuss what needs to be put into reopening orders and guidelines.

The manager said services in Worcester will not all reopen at the same time, but that residents should know the city is planning how to reopen while keeping everyone safe.

Augustus also said he is anxious to receive uniform guidelines from the state, so that towns and cities can open under the same set of rules.

Dr. Michael Hirsh, the medical director of Worcesters public health department, noted that federal guidelines have indicated 14 days of consecutive decreasing number of cases and deaths is a good signal that it is time to start reopening.

Unfortunately, we havent experienced that yet in Massachusetts, he said.

State health officials on Tuesday afternoon announced an additional 150 coronavirus deaths, bringing the statewide total to 3,153. At least 58,302 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. To date, officials have performed 254,500 tests.

Here in Massachusetts, although I think we want to do more testing, the testing that we have tells us that were not at that point yet, Hirsh said.

Augustus on Tuesday announced 106 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the citys total to 1,910 cases. On Monday, he announced 55 new cases, on Sunday, 53 new cases and on Saturday, 79 new cases.

The city manager said he has noticed consistency over the last few weeks: the number of cases over the weekend stays in the same range, and then the case count increases on Tuesday. Augustus said he believes this is because fewer people are being tested over the weekend, as well as a lag time with data entry on new cases.

Since the beginning of the month, the city has been averaging 64 new cases per day. Of the citys total cases, 94% have occurred since April 1, Augustus said.

Hirsh said that according to Dr. Richard Ellison, the epidemiologist for UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, We are truly in the teeth of the surge right now.

As of Tuesday, the occupancy in the intensive care unit, the hospital in general, and the number of patients on ventilators is the highest it has been, Hirsh said. But, Hirsh stressed that the hospital is still able to manage the high number of patients its seeing.

They know that the numbers are here and I think that were going to see sustained high numbers all through this week, Hirsh said.

Between Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester and the entire UMass Memorial Health Care system, as of Tuesday there are 266 inpatients with coronavirus, an increase of seven since Monday. Of those patients, 103 are in the intensive care unit, five more than Monday, Augustus said.

The two systems combined have had 95 patients die from illness related to COVID-19, and a total of 160 employees have tested positive for the virus.

In towns around Worcester, there are 161 new cases in Shrewsbury, 40 in Holden, 48 in Grafton, 80 in Leicester and 144 in Millbury.

At the field hospital at the DCU Center, there are 17 patients at the location as of Tuesday, an increase of two from Monday, Augustus said. At the homeless shelter at the DCU Center, there are 35 coronavirus-positive individuals, the manager said, a decrease of eight from the day prior.

At the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center, a nursing facility turned into a coronavirus center, there are 67 patients as of Tuesday, with two admissions and seven discharges during the day, Augustus said.

Related Content:
By David Morgan and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives will not return to Washington next week as planned, due to the continuing risk of coronavirus infection, Democratic leaders said on Tuesday, in a reversal of plans outlined only a day earlier. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the decision to keep the chamber on an extended recess after discussing the situation with the official House physician, as well as House members

By David Morgan and Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives will not return to Washington next week as planned, due to the continuing risk of coronavirus infection, Democratic leaders said on Tuesday, in a reversal of plans outlined only a day earlier.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the decision to keep the chamber on an extended recess after discussing the situation with the official House physician, as well as House members.

"The numbers (of coronavirus cases) in the District of Columbia are still going up," Hoyer told reporters. "The House physician's view was that there was a risk to members that was one he would not recommend taking."

On Monday, Hoyer's office said on Twitter that lawmakers would return on May 4. But some House Democrats expressed unhappiness with the decision during a conference call.

The Republican-run Senate is still returning next week, a spokesman for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Congress has not met in regular session since last month, though it has passed major coronavirus relief bills worth nearly $3 trillion, partly by using rules allowing bills to pass with just a small number of lawmakers present. Last week the full House met one day to approve the most recent, $484 billion coronavirus package.

Hoyer said the House still intends to return soon to complete a new coronavirus response bill that Democrats have vowed to use as a vehicle for funneling hundreds of billions of dollars in assistance to state and local governments. He said he hoped House committees would be able to work remotely while the chamber is out.

In a separate call with reporters, Pelosi said it appeared $500 billion would be needed for states, and possibly "a very big figure also for counties and municipalities. Lawmakers have already provided $150 billion to state and local governments in previous coronavirus legislation.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned that state and local governments would see "massive" layoffs without more aid from Congress to keep police, firefighters, ambulance crews and other frontline workers on the job.

But McConnell has shown no enthusiasm for more aid to states and cities. He also told Republican senators Tuesday that he will not support spending on infrastructure in the next coronavirus relief bill, Axios reported. President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, has called for $2 trillion in infrastructure spending.

Trump said Tuesday said he was open to aid to states, but not to those guilty of "mismanagement."

"I think there's a big difference with a state that's lost money because of COVID and a state that's been run very badly for 25 years," Trump said at the White House.

With the Republican-run Senate due to return on Monday, House Democrats rejected the idea that the chamber they operate is idling.

We do not see ourselves at a disadvantage. We are constantly working. We are preparing our legislation, Pelosi said.

Hoyer said it appeared the Senate was returning to confirm judges and executive appointments. "Now whether they are going to do any substantive legislation is another question," he said.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Susan Cornwell and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Jonathan Oatis and Richard Chang)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Title changed, details added (first version posted on 20:43)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 28

Trend:

The Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh is interested in peaceful coexistence with the Azerbaijani community within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, Trend reports on April 28 referring to Chairman of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Tural Ganjaliyev.

Among those who closely monitor the activity of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, there are also many citizens from the Armenian community of this region, the chairman said.

Despite the repressive actions of the regime created and managed by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, residents - members of the Armenian community contacted the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, expressed support for its activity and said they are ready to live with the Azerbaijani community in peace within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, Ganjaliyev added.

"There are facts (the holding of the so-called "election" show during the pandemic) aimed at humiliating the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan by Armenia, and such cases are underway, the chairman said. However, Armenia uses the occupation of some territories of Azerbaijan to distract the attention of ordinary citizens from internal problems. Instead of solving internal problems in Armenia, it continues to take illegal actions in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, constantly takes steps and voices provocative statements.

The facts show that the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan realizes that it is a victim in this game and has become an instrument of aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan, Ganjaliyev added.

There is a positive fact that among the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan there are many people who understand that the only way to resolve the conflict to achieve the just and lasting peace in the region is the peaceful coexistence of both communities within the internationally recognized territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and the number of such people is constantly growing, the chairman said.

The numerous messages sent recently by the representatives of the Armenian community both to me personally and to the official pages of the Azerbaijani community in social networks testify to this, Ganjaliyev added.

Being the elected representative of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, I would like to inform the Armenian community that the anonymity of the people who sent the appeals for the sake of their safety will be observed until peace is achieved, the chairman said. The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is constantly making efforts to restore peace in the region and appreciates the support of all representatives of the Armenian community in this process.

As the MP from Khankendi city, I would like to assure once again that I am making every effort to solve the problems and concerns of both Armenian and Azerbaijani residents of the city, Ganjaliyev said. Any resident of Khankendi city of Armenian origin, as well as Azerbaijani origin, contrary to Armenias pressure, may send their complaints and suggestions to us through social networks and email.

Once again, I would like to inform the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan that we are ready for a wider intercommunity dialogue for the sake of peace and will soon organize it, the chairman said. Of course, Azerbaijans territorial integrity will be restored soon and all the rights and freedoms of both communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan will be protected equally at a high level in accordance with the Constitution of Azerbaijan."
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has blasted MPs for allocating themselves a total of 10bn Ugandan shillings ($2.6m; 2m) to enable each of them to raise awareness about coronavirus.



The president said it was "morally reprehensible" to allocate funding to themselves instead of district committees created for that purpose.



Each MP is getting more than $5,000.



"When I met with the speaker, I told her they should get out of that trap and the best way to do it is by not spending this money on themselves. I agreed with the speaker to donate that money to the district task forces," he said.



President Museveni said he would ask the auditor general to investigate MPs who had already spent the money to buy relief items for their constituents.



He had earlier banned individuals from distributing relief items and urged those who wished to do so to give the items to the district committees to avoid the gathering of crowds.



Opposition MP Francis Zaake was arrested last week for distributing food to his constituents, contrary to those guidelines.



The president says the rule should apply to all MPs not just those in opposition.



Uganda has so far confirmed 79 cases of coronavirus. The country is in lockdown, with restrictions ending next Tuesday.

Source: BBC









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Having worked for Ron Paul for over twenty years, first as legislative director in his congressional office, then as president of his Campaign for Liberty, I may be biased, but I think one of the most forward-thinking books of the last decade is Dr. Paul's 2010 End the Fed. In that book, Dr. Paul lays out the economic, constitutional, and moral case against the central bank and for a free market. Unfortunately, even though the economy was already on the verge of another Fed-created recession before the coronavirus shutdown, Congress is giving more power to the Federal Reserve.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act appropriated $454 billion for the Treasury to support the Federal Reserve's lending programs to struggling businesses and make sure their employees continued receiving paychecks during the shutdown. Not surprisingly, the program is not working out as planned. Kathryn Judge wrote in Forbes on April 20, 2020, "[U]nfortunately, the last few weeks make it clear that the Fed is ill-suited to provide the direct capital support these companies need."

One of the big problems with the new programs is a lack of transparency. According to Salon, the CARES Act allows the Federal Reserve to convene secret meetings on corporate bailouts. Such secrecy is standard operating procedure for the Fed. Months before the pandemic hit, the Fed was pumping trillions in overnight loans to prop up banks and keeping the identities of those banks secret. Federal law actually prohibits Congress and the public from learning the truth about monetary policy. This is why the Campaign for Liberty has made passing Audit the Fed (H.R. 24) a priority. Audit the Fed is currently sponsored in the Senate by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and in the House by Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

Despite the Federal Reserve's history of failure, there are those in Congress who want to expand the Fed's role in our economy. Michigan Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib recently put forth a proposal called the Automatic BOOST to the Communities Act that would provide a preloaded $2,000 government-issued debit card and replenish the card with $1,000 every month. A similar idea of government-issued digital money is being tried now in communist China. According to the Wall Street Journal, "China's central bank has introduced a homegrown digital currency across four cities as part of a pilot program, marking a milestone on the path toward the first electronic payment system by a major central bank."

In China, paper cash and digital transactions run through private banks are not under the control and monitoring of government, therefore government wants to "encourage" people to move away from cash and existing digital currencies to currencies that can easily be monitored by government. The Chinese digital currency is also an attempt to weaken cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin that are free of any government interference because they are conducted by peer-to-peer digital transactions.

Like the Chinese digital currency, Representative Tlaib's bill will enable the Federal Reserve to monitor every financial transaction used with the digital dollar, taking away what little financial privacy we have left. Federal Reserve digital currencies will dilute the value of private cryptocurrencies that many are turning to as an alternative to rapidly depreciating Federal Reserve notes.

The government's hysterical response to the coronavirus is leading to the biggest expansion of government power since at least the New Deal and World War II. With few exceptions, most members of Congress are not even paying attention to how much the various relief and bailouts are expanding the national debt. Even worse, few are expressing any concern over the massive new powers being granted to the Fed, much less calling for immediate passage of the Audit bill. The growing number of Americans who understand the truth about the Federal Reserve must put pressure on Congress to Audit, then End the Fed.
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

Soon after World War II began, some of Tadashi Tsufuras friends in Parlier, Calif., turned against him. He was 11 when one classmate mocked him for his Japanese heritage.

Hey, youre a Jap, youre an enemy, and I knocked a kid down, Mr. Tsufura told Tessaku, an oral history project about Japanese-Americans, in 2017. The principal came and knocked me down.

Less than a year later, on his 12th birthday  he, his parents and two older brothers were forced by the United States to move to one of the two Gila River internment camps in a desert valley in Arizona, one family among about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry interned during the war.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Amid concerns over the docking in the country of a coronavirus-hit cruise ship from Australia, the Department of Health said all Filipinos earlier evacuated from the vessel are virus-free and under quarantine.

Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that 379 Filipinos from the Ruby Princess cruise ship tested negative for COVID-19 before they arrived in the country last week. They are now in different quarantine facilities.

"There are no signs and symptoms that have been observed in these 379 crew members who are all quarantined. It is their fifth day now for their quarantine," Vergeire said.

She said the same strict measures will be implemented as 100 more Filipino crew members of the Ruby Princess are set to arrive in the country. They remained on board to operate the vessel.

"The Bureau of Quarantine officers will be the one managing the evacuees since they are coming from a high-risk area, they are coming from a high-risk ship," Vergeire said.

She added, however, that the DOH has not received official information on the matter, including when the Ruby Princess will arrive.

Australian media earlier reported that the ship, linked to 21 coronavirus deaths and some 600 infections, sailed out of the Oceania country on April 24. It was quarantined at Port Kembla, south of Sydney, since April 6.

Operators of the Ruby Princess are facing two "high-profile investigations", Taylor Auerbach, reporter of Seven News Australia, said in a separate interview with CNN Philippines. Officials are looking into possible "criminal negligence" when the management and agencies allowed passengers to disembark in Sydney, despite the fact that others on board showed COVID-19 symptoms.

"This is one of the biggest health disasters in the history of Australia. There's no doubt about that," Auerbach said.

The Philippine Coast Guard assured strict implementation of protocols, noting that a total of 21 ships were scheduled to arrive in Manila in April alone, and more are expected next month. PCG spokesperson commodore Armand Balilo said all cruise ships with Filipino crew members will be allowed to dock or anchor in the country.

The entire Luzon is under enhanced community quarantine, restricting people's movement, but overseas Filipino workers are allowed to return as long as they complete a 14-day quarantine before going back to their homes. The lockdown will be partially eased beginning May 1, except for Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and other so-called high-risk areas which will remain under quarantine until May 15.

The Philippines now has 8,212 COVID-19 cases with 558 deaths and 1,023 recoveries.
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has joined others in mourning the death of one of its most distinguished Chief Economists, Owodunni Teriba, who was buried on Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois in the United States of America.

In a statement by its Communications Section on Tuesday, the United Nations agency lauded Mr Teribas contribution to the economic development and growth of the African continent.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 82-year old, who died on Friday in Chicago, was a distinguished Professor of Economics and an accomplished scholar who worked at the ECA in various capacities for 18 years.

He retired in February 1998, after serving as Chief Economist of the Commission and Director of the then Socio-Economic Research and Policy Division (SERPD) under the late Adebayo Adedeji.

Mr Teriba led the development and implementation of several initiatives in support of accelerating Africas development, including the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programmes for socio-economic recovery and transformation (AAF-SAP).

Executive Secretary of ECA, Vera Songwe, said the work Mr Teriba did for the continent of Africa during his time at the ECA will never be forgotten.

NAN also reports that Mr Teriba first came to the ECA in 1980/81 while he was on sabbatical from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and later in 1985 as the Senior Regional Adviser to Member States of the Commission on economic surveys, research and planning.

He rose to become the ECAs Chief Economist under Mr Adedeji, the then Executive Secretary of ECA.

Ms Songwe recalled that Mr Teriba contributed immensely to the Lagos Plan of Action (LPA) and the Final Act of Lagos (FAL) that were adopted by the African Heads of State and Governments in 1980.

He also contributed to Africas Priority Programme for Economic Recovery (APPER) that formed the basis of the UN Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development (UN-PAAERD) that was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1986.

Teriba also played a leading role in the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa, 1991 (UN-NADAF), and the AAF-SAP that was adopted at various levels in 1989 beginning with the ECAs Conference of African Ministers of Finance and Economic Planning, the African Heads of State and Government and the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Colleagues at the ECA hailed him as a humble person with an in-depth and exceptional knowledge of development economics who made outstanding contributions both at national, regional and international levels to economic policy, she said

Mr Teriba had a PhD and an MA in Economics from the University of Manchester in England. His first degree was a B.Sc.(Hons) Economics from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

He is survived by his wife Yetunde, a former Head of Gender Coordination and Outreach Division in the Women, Gender and Development Directorate of the African Union Commission, five children and seven grandchildren.

(NAN)
Susquehanna Township police are trying to find a missing woman who was last seen on Sunday.

Leigh Wever, age not provided, has been missing for about three days. Police said she may have traveled outside the Harrisburg area.

Police did not provide a description of what she was wearing or any information on where she was last seen.

Anyone with information on Wevers whereabouts is asked to contact Susquehanna Township police at 717-558-6900.

Read more on PennLive:
Breakaway Ariz. UMC congregation leaves church property after losing lawsuit to denomination

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An Arizona congregation that was once affiliated with the United Methodist Church has finalized its departure from a church property that a court determined belonged to the national denomination and not the local congregation.

Camp Verde Community Church, which opted to leave the UMC in 2017, moved out of their church property months after a judge ruled that the UMC Desert Southwest Conference owned the building.

Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata of Desert Southwest told United Methodist News Service in an interview published earlier this month that the whole case brought a sense of deep sadness.

We tried for a considerable amount of time  which is why this has taken so long  to come to a resolution both before and after the legal proceedings were begun, said Hoshibata.

We tried to have conversations with the pastor and members of the church. We agreed to professional mediation. None of it was met with any success.

Hoshibata confirmed in a letter to the conference dated April 15 of this year that the Camp Verde property had fully returned to the possession of the UMC.

The issue between the conference and the congregation, according to Hoshibata, was a difference of opinion on the debate over whether to change the UMCs stance on LGBT issues.

Adhering to the Bible, the UMC's Book of Discipline explains that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and prohibits the blessing of same-sex marriages or the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals.

While the Desert Southwest regional body supports changing the denomination's position on homosexuality, Camp Verde supported the biblical position on sexual ethics.

[Camp Verde] was upset because of the way the annual conference was moving in terms of being open and accepting, claimed the bishop, as reported by UMNS.

The Christian Post reached out to the Conference and Camp Verde. A conference spokesperson directed CP to the UMNS story, while Camp Verde did not return comment by press time.

Last November, after conference had filed a lawsuit against Camp Verde to keep control of the property, the conference announced that they were closing the building down.

In consultation with former and current members of CVUMC and the cabinet, the bishop has discerned that we will not be able to restart a Camp Verde United Methodist congregation at this time, Desert Southwest said at the time.

Closure of Camp Verde UMC will be presented for confirmation at the Annual Conference in June 2020 where the years of faithful service will be honored and celebrated.

On Dec. 26 of last year, Arizona Superior Court Judge Krista Carman ruled in favor of the conference, arguing that the UMC had control of the property due to a trust clause.
Mr. Weissmann will co-chair Jenner & Block's Investigations, Compliance and Defense Practice, with a focus on counseling companies at the highest levels in both domestic and global investigations and litigation. He is a leading trial lawyer and investigator with deep experience in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) issues and compliance matters. As the head of the Fraud Section from 2013-2017, he oversaw more than 125 white-collar prosecutors in three units: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Securities and Financial Fraud, and Health Care Fraud.

Mr. Weissmann also devised and implemented a series of major corporate policies that remain in place today. He crafted and launched the FCPA Pilot Program, now known as the FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy, which defines and gives credit for corporate cooperation, voluntary disclosure of wrongdoing and effective corporate compliance programs. The policy is also the basis for the National Security Division's policy for corporate sanctions cases and for how the Antitrust Division evaluates compliance programs. He also devised a series of other measures that the DOJ's Fraud Section applies to companies, including compliance metrics for evaluating corporate programs; a monitor training program to ensure effective oversight of both companies and monitors to reduce the problem of mission creep by corporate monitors; a policy to avoid duplicative corporate fines by promulgating guidelines to reduce the "piling on" problem of overlapping regulators; and the creation of the Health Care corporate unit to focus on large-scale institutional fraudulent practices. While heading the Fraud Section, Mr. Weissmann also worked closely with numerous international law enforcement partners in overseeing DOJ's largest fraud matters, including the LIBOR, FX, Oderbrecht and Volkswagen investigations.

"I am thrilled to welcome back my friend and colleague," said Katya Jestin, Jenner & Block's co-managing partner, who previously worked closely with Mr. Weissmann at Jenner & Block and at the US Attorney's Office in the EDNY. "I know of no more skilled trial lawyer or tenacious investigator. His creative thinking and unparalleled experience in corporate compliance and in FCPA investigations will prove invaluable to our clients."

"Andrew did groundbreaking work in the field of corporate compliance, both here and while leading the Fraud Section. His experience will help our clients mitigate the risks associated with government investigations. Andrew is also a top-flight trial lawyer, who notched many civil litigation victories during his prior tenure at Jenner & Block. Our corporate clients are delighted that he is returning to private practice," added Randy Mehrberg, Jenner & Block's co-managing partner with Ms. Jestin.

Mr. Weissmann has had an illustrious career that has included serving as a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller's Special Counsel's Office, as special counsel to then-FBI Director Mueller, as general counsel for the FBI, and as a federal prosecutor for more than two decades. From 2002 to 2005, he was deputy and then director of the Enron Task Force in Washington, DC, where he supervised the prosecution of more than 30 individuals in connection with the company's collapse. Before that, he was the chief of the Criminal Division in the EDNY, supervising all of the office's criminal matters and prosecuting numerous members of the Colombo, Gambino and Genovese families, including the bosses of the Colombo and Genovese families.

Mr. Weissmann has tried more than 25 cases to juries, judges and arbitrators  both as a federal prosecutor and defense counsel. During his previous tenure at Jenner & Block, he represented domestic and international corporations and executives in connection with criminal and civil investigations and compliance matters, including representations before the DOJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and state authorities. He won several civil fraud arbitrations, one of which was at the time the largest Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration award in history  approximately $430 million.

"When I first joined Jenner & Block, I was drawn to the firm's combination of dedication to excellence, commitment to pro bono service by every firm lawyer, and the teamwork and collegiality demanded of its lawyers  from first-year associates to senior partners. I could not ask for a better environment in which to practice law," said Mr. Weissmann. "I am excited to come back home and look forward to helping clients and mentoring the next generation of Jenner & Block leaders."

Mr. Weissmann joins a long tradition of Jenner & Block lawyers who have moved between public service and private practice, including firm Chair Thomas P. Perrelli (former Associate Attorney General of the United States), Thomas P. Sullivan (former US Attorney), Anton R. Valukas (former US Attorney), Ian Heath Gershengorn (former Acting US Solicitor General), Neil M. Barofsky (former Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Recovery Program), David Bitkower (former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Criminal Division), Emily M. Loeb (former Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel), Kali Bracey (former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Torts Branch of the DOJ's Civil Division), Suedeen G. Kelly (former Commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and former federal prosecutors Reid J. Schar (Northern District of Illinois), Gayle E. Littleton (Northern District of Illinois and Northern District of Florida), Anthony S. Barkow (Southern District of New York, District of Columbia and Main Justice) and many others.

Mr. Weissmann teaches criminal procedure and national security law at New York University School of Law. He holds a JD from Columbia Law School and a BA from Princeton University and attended the University of Geneva on a Fulbright Fellowship.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK'S INVESTIGATIONS, COMPLIANCE AND DEFENSE PRACTICE

For more than 60 years, Jenner & Block has represented corporations and individuals in complex internal investigations, criminal prosecutions, grand jury investigations, extradition proceedings and civil enforcement actions brought by government agencies, including the US Department of Justice, US Securities Exchange Commission, the UK Financial Conduct Authority and Serious Fraud Office. Known for handling some of the largest internal investigations in history, Jenner & Block's lawyers are called upon by companies, boards of directors, and audit and special committees to conduct investigations and provide counsel in the most demanding and complex government, regulatory and investigatory matters. The practice also has significant experience in advising clients on compliance with relevant laws and regulations, ranging from advising on establishing appropriate anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs, to advising on ensuring an entity is not involved in the facilitation of tax evasion or in breach of regulations concerning modern slavery.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK

Jenner & Block LLP is a law firm with global reach, with offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC. The firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated and high-profile corporate transactions. Firm clients include Fortune 100 companies, large privately held corporations, financial services institutions, emerging companies and venture capital and private equity investors. In 2019, The American Lawyer recognized the firm as the #1 pro bono firm in the United States for the ninth time in 12 years; the firm has been ranked among the top 10 in this category every year since 1990. In 2019, the publication also recognized the firm as the #3 international pro bono firm, and in 2018, named the firm as its first "Pro Bono Champion."

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Staff at Johannesburgs Charlotte Maxeke hospital were swamped last month when hundreds of panicked locals rushed in for testing after South Africa reported its first coronavirus case.

A handful of infections had snowballed to dozens in three days, catching hospitals off guard and exposing a glaring lack of preparedness.

Coronavirus has steadily spread across South Africa over the past two months, with 4,793 cases  the highest in the continent  and 90 deaths.

Almost five weeks of strict lockdown have slowed the increase, buying precious time for hospitals to prepare for an expected surge in infections.

The lockdown has given us a chance to stock up on PPE (personal protective equipment), organise our wards and make sure our staff has been trained, said Dr Feroza Motara, emergency department head at Charlotte Maxeke.

Epidemiologists say imposing the lockdown when cases were relatively few helped to temporarily flatten the curve.

They however warn of an exponential increase once restrictions are lifted  a move scheduled to begin gradually from May 1.

We needed a bit of time to get prepared, said the governments chief COVID-19 advisor Salim Abdool Karim. The key is going to be the extent to which we can prepare hospitals.

At Charlotte Maxeke, a public facility, suspected patients are now swiftly directed to green tents put up outside and swabbed on the spot by nurses.

 System might not cope 

Karim predicted a peak of infections in July and feared the health system might not cope.

South Africas Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said at least 87,000 beds had been freed up for coronavirus patients at public institutions.

Field hospitals are being set up as triage facilities to avoid overburdening emergency rooms.

This week, the minister told parliament that 288 quarantine sites with 23,604 beds would be opened across the country.

If people are not sick at the same time we can actually go quite a long way with those numbers (of beds), Mkhize said.

Quarantine sites will mainly host mild or asymptomatic patients who cannot self-isolate  an issue for many dwellers living crammed in townships.

We have quite a number who are in hospital not really because they are sick but simply because they cannot self-isolate at home due to social conditions, said Nosipho Dlamini, who manages Charlotte Maxekes emergency nursing staff.

 80% without health insurance 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced an additional 20 billion rand ($106 million) to adequately equip hospitals.

(Coronavirus) can overwhelm even the best-resourced health system within a matter of weeks, Ramaphosa said. It is precisely what we have gone to great lengths to prevent.

Over 80 percent of South Africas 57 million inhabitants have no health insurance and rely on public hospitals.

Public facilities had less than 18 beds per 10,000 insured patients last year, said a report by the South African non-profit Health Systems Trust.

We had to extend the casualty to the tents outside, said nurse Dlamini, adding that both the pediatrics and gynaecology casualties had been moved.

Meanwhile, private healthcare providers have also been gearing up.

Anchen Laubscher, director of private hospital chain Netcare, told AFP the group had invested $8 million to enhance the readiness of its 1,200 ICUs and $16 million on protective equipment.

 Protecting medics 

Staff at Charlotte Maxeke have relied on a mix of public funding, company and community donations to pull together a decent stock of PPE.

There have been shortages of PPE around the entire world, said ICU specialist Abdullah Laher. It is always a concern for us.

Keeping staff healthy will be key in South Africa, where hospitals were understaffed even before the pandemic.

Motaras big worry was whether her colleagues would be safe, exhausted or suffer emotional trauma.

Then of course there is the bigger picture, she added. Are we going to have enough PPE? Medication? Ventilators?

Health expert Mosa Moshabela warned that some hospital workers were not being adequately prepared for the challenge ahead.

What is really important is that health workers themselves learn to behave differently, said Moshabela, public health dean at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

We have not taken enough time to teach them the extra skills and practices that will help them prevent infection.

Nurse Dlamini took matters into her own hands and started weekly training sessions after some staff panicked and stopped coming to work.

Emergency specialist Jana du Plessis is also training and preparing.

I think we are all worried at this point, she said, adding: But we have a job to do. This is what we signed up for.

SOURCE: AFP
Legislation teed up for a vote in the state House of Representatives as soon as Wednesday that would put mixed drinks to-go on the menu of taverns, restaurants and hotel bars hard hit by the business closure order that was part of Gov. Tom Wolfs COVID-19 response.

The House on Tuesday added a provision into a liquor bill that would allow certain hotel and restaurant liquor licensees to sell up to a 64-ounce sealed container of mixed drinks per transaction for off-premise consumption. It passed by a bipartisan 193-9 vote.

This provision, currently not allowed in state law, would only apply to those establishments that lost at least a quarter of their average monthly sales due to the COVID-19-response restrictions placed on their business. The ability to sell mixed drinks to go would be limited through the duration of the pandemic disaster and during the mitigation period until the restaurant or hotels operation exceed 60% of its capacity.

Rep. Kurt Masser, R-Northumberland County, called this proposal he offered a lifeline to help the restaurant industry through this crisis.

The industry has been one of the hardest hit and I dont see it coming back to where it was for a very long time, said Masser, who owns several restaurants. Just by the very nature of the business, its anyones guess on the future.

According to a National Restaurant Association survey, Pennsylvania restaurants and food service industry anticipates losing more than $1.8 billion in sales in April based on the trends it saw in the early part of the month. That survey also indicated 1%, or 265, of the states 26,500 restaurants had decided to permanently close with another 500 or so anticipating to shutter their establishments for good within the next 30 days.

These business people are our neighbors. These business people are the ones who are donating to whatever charity that asks. But the current normal isnt sustainable. And the new normal may be a long way off for the industry, Masser said.

Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, said this provision would make it a little easier for local taverns to survive.

Melissa Bova, vice president of governmental affairs for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, was encouraged by the strong bipartisan support for Massers amendment. She said she is hopeful that the legislation will move quickly through the Senate and reach the governors desk where all signs point to him signing it based on the vote count.

The amendment was added to a bill that clarifies that local referendum to allow the sale of liquor in a municipality must appear on a primary or general election ballot and not on a ballot of a special election.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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.
Children walk with their parents at promenade of Las Canteras beach after restrictions were partially lifted for children for the first time in six weeks, following the CCP virus (COVID-19) outbreak on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on April 26, 2020. (Borja Suarez/Reuters)

Rare Inflammatory Syndrome Seen in US Children With COVID-19

A rare inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 has been detected in children in the United States, according to doctors.

National Health Service (NHS) England sent an alert to doctors over the weekend before the Paediatric Intensive Care Society posted the notice on Twitter. It warned about an increase in cases of ill children with common overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease with blood parameters, and some of them tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The alert was issued to doctors in north London that it has been reported that over the last three weeks there has been an apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also in other regions of the UK.

But now, a team at Stanford Childrens Hospital in California reported a case of the syndrome, saying a 6-month-old girl was sent to the hospital with Kawasaki disease before she was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Dr. Brad Segal, who worked on the case, told CNN that in hindsight, looking at it, its not entirely shocking that this association was possible.

Kawasaki disease itself is often preceded by a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness, Segal, who works in Child Neurology at Stanford Childrens Hospital, told the outlet. This has been known about Kawasaki disease for quite some time. No one completely understands it, but the model suggests its triggered by an infection in a sort of immune dysregulation.

Meanwhile, a specialist treating patients at Columbia University Medical Center in New York said three children with COVID-19 are being treated for a rare inflammatory syndrome.

Symptoms of Kawasaki disease, including a strawberry tongue and edema in the hands (Dong Soo Kim via the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)

Right now, were at the very beginning of trying to understand what that represents, Columbias Dr. Mark Gorelik told Reuters, adding that he doesnt believe it is Kawasaki disease but something similar. This has very similar features, he said.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most CCP virus cases in children have been mild, while less than 2 percent of all cases in the United States were children as of early April.

Dr. Nazima Pathan, a consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care in Cambridge, told the BBC earlier this week that health officials in Spain and Italy have reported similar cases among children.

Some of the children have presented with a septic shock type illness and rashesthe kind of presentation we would expect to see in toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease (which affects blood vessels and the heart), the news outlet quoted Pathan as saying.

She added, Overall, children seem to be more resilient to serious lung infection following exposure to coronavirus, and the numbers admitted to intensive care units are relatively low.

Photo credit: Dong Soo Kim via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Additional reporting by Geoff Percival

As many as 12,000 staff at British Airways may be laid off permanently and the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis will take several years, the IAG conglomerate that also owns Aer Lingus has warned.

The proposed job losses account for over a quarter of all the staff at BA.

IAG also includes Spains Iberia and Vueling airlines. Like all passenger carriers, it has been hit by the industrys worst-ever crisis amid global lockdowns that have shut world tourism and business travel.

Most of the huge financial hit taken in the first three months of the year was due to BA, followed by Iberia and Aer Lingus, while Vueling experienced a modest increase in operating loss, said IAG. It did not elaborate on any effects for Aer Lingus, Iberia, or Vueling.

Recovery in demand is expected to take several years, necessitating group-wide restructuring measures.

Other European airlines are teetering as well, including Lufthansa, which is in talks with the German government, and Air France-KLM, which plans to tap billions of bailout aid from the French and Dutch governments.

In financials, S&P Global Ratings last night downgraded the outlook for AIB, Bank of Ireland, and Permanent TSB amid the deepening risks of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, one of the main Irish retail groups is considering legal action against insurers over alleged their refusals to pay out to struggling shop owners on Covid-19 business claims.

Retail Excellence Ireland said almost 70% of its 2,000 retailers have business disruption policies but that insurers wont pay out if Covid-19 was not specifically listed on the policy.
Deborah Borda shares a moment with Gustavo Dudamel during a farewell tribute to her in May 2017 at Disney Hall. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

Three years ago, Deborah Borda left the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which she had run for 17 years, to take on the problems of the troubled New York Philharmonic. The countrys oldest major orchestra was financially shaky, had appointed a new music director in Jaap van Zweden who had yet to generate enthusiasm from the press and public, had bungled one proposed concert hall renovation after another for years, and had struggled to maintain relevance in New York cultural life.

She'd had similar problems at the L.A. Phil and handled them in such a way that it became arguably the worlds most admired orchestra. Turning around the New York Philharmonic would then be the capstone of her career. But little could Borda have known that, while having made remarkable strides in less than three New York seasons, her role would suddenly be to save the New York Philharmonic, and possibly by her example help to save other American orchestras.

What a tragedy for us is that the thing that we do, which is live concerts and reaching people, we cant do, Borda said last week in a video conversation from her New York apartment, as the novel coronavirus poses a novel existential threat to orchestra life.

This is like the Nazis about to invade England, she said. Were overwhelmed because we dont know what to do. We dont have the information we need to make the right kinds of decisions to look at the way forward. But were putting it together. Weve got to do the best we can to help people out.

Characteristically, Borda has been leading the charge. She felt very uneasy at the New York Philharmonic's March 10 concert, so she called off the next morning's rehearsal and got in touch with leaders at the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, convincing them that it was no longer safe for any of them to remain open.

Though rebuffed by a City Hall under pressure from commercial interests to keep Broadways lights on, she coordinated with her colleagues to announce at 12:45 p.m. on March 12 that they were canceling all events for two weeks. Shortly afterward, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed all theaters.

Story continues

Eleven days later, Borda again led the way for American orchestras by canceling the remainder of the New York Philharmonic season, thus making it easier for others to take the inevitable step.

Theres no playbook, Borda confessed, but she also realized what she needed to do in New York was the same kind of cooperation between institutions she had developed in L.A.

In L.A., we all worked together," she explained. "We were all friends.

"I knew Michael [Govan, head of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art] really well and Annie [Philbin, head of the Hammer Museum] and Stephen Rountree [then-president of the Music Center]. I have to say its not been that way so much here. But now were all talking together.

She said she is in regular contact with Chad Smith, her former No. 2 at the L.A. Phil and now its president and chief executive, as well as with artistic and music director Gustavo Dudamel, Walt Disney Concert Hall architect Frank Gehry and conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen (who is isolating in Finland). She also stays in close touch with orchestra managers around the county, many of whom she has mentored.

Even so, Borda is the first to admit that she doesnt have answers about how or when concerts can begin again. She has no crystal ball about what life will be like in the wake of the coronavirus. She also knows that it is imperative to be honest about the situation.

"The next couple of months," she confessed, "are very unknown. But times of this kind of catastrophe are times for really reimagining what you can do and bringing people along to dare to make those choices."

Borda conceded at the moment she doesnt dare to go outside, but beyond that she recounted how she dared when she came to L.A. in 2000. The L.A. Phil had a deficit in the neighborhood of $16 million and barely no endowment, meaning its finances were even more precarious than the New York Philharmonic's in 2017.

Her philosophy, however, is that the way to raise money is by investing in the future, so that you have something people really want to support. Disney Hall was under construction. She sensed that Salonens progressive vision, though still controversial, would pave the way for the L.A. Phil to become the orchestra of the future.

When asked about this, Borda described a dinner she had with the philanthropist Richard Colburn.

I had only been in L.A. a couple of weeks when he offered to give me a very large, multimillion-dollar donation for the endowment, but he said he wouldnt give anything for the hall," Borda said. "He thought the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was already great.

I said, Well, Richard, you can keep your money. We need to build the hall, because thats the only path forward for the orchestra.' He said, No.' But in the end he gave to the hall and loved going. He had those front-row seats, and he was there something like four times a week.

In the same way, Borda insisted that the renovation of the New York Philharmonics long unloved David Geffen Hall must continue despite the $200 million still be raised for the $550 million project.

What we need to think about in the midst of whatever the smoke and ashes are around us, she said, there will be a future, but only if we can invent that and what its going to look like. For me, the renovation of the hall is critical, because its the future.

Its going to be a massive construction site, and just think of all the jobs it will create. After its open, there are going to be restaurants and welcome centers. All the artistic stuff aside, it makes economic sense.

Borda does not see a way for programs to be given anywhere this summer, although many, such as those at the Hollywood Bowl, have not yet been officially canceled.

The big decision is what happens after the summer," she said. "I dont have an answer. The first thing is going to be the safety of the orchestra, staff and public. The second is economics, which is also stunning.

As all orchestras must, Borda has made different models for how things could turn out, but the losses will inevitably reach tens of millions of dollars.

For her, public events are out of the question until testing can protect the orchestra onstage and the ushers interacting with the public. Social distancing is impossible onstage or in the audience, so patrons must be certain that it is safe to return. When they do, Borda said, it will be special.

She, of course, knows something about the meaning of momentous concerts, having engineered the triumphant opening of Disney Hall in 2003 and Dudamels first concert there as music director in 2009. Both played an incalculable part in making the L.A. Phil the enormous success it is today, and the culture of Los Angeles being what it is.

I say to the orchestra," Borda avowed, her eyes lighting up enough that the effect registered even on screen, "just imagine the day when we all come together again, the first moment youre onstage and the staff and everyone is there and you start to play, and then we have a concert.

That will be magic. That will be something we will never forget for the rest of our lives. Weve got to keep that in our minds eye. Well get there. We dont know when, but I think about it all the time and how Ill cry and get all choked up.

It will happen. It will happen.
(Natural News) More than 2,000 residents and workers from at least 255 nursing homes in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia have been infected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). According to data provided by officials, the number of cases across the region has nearly doubled since April 11.

At the 92-bed Regency Care Center of Silver Spring, Maryland, 57 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and nine have died, according to a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Health Department. On top of this, 28 staff members have also been infected with the virus.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, 29 long-term care facilities have confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, in Prince George County, 308 residents and employees at 18 nursing homes have been infected with the virus and 34 have died.

In D.C., 13 nursing homes have reported that 199 have tested positive for the virus and 15 have died.

We are beginning to see some of the cases cluster around our long-term care facilities and our immediate-care facilities, stated D.C. Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt.

Nursing homes still not sharing data with relatives

Across the region, officials have promised to ramps up testing at facilities and take every possible precaution. In the meantime, many relatives of residents have stated that they remain in the dark about coronavirus cases in facilities where their loved ones live.

Last week, D.C. began publishing information about infections at nursing homes. Maryland and Virginia, however, continue to refuse to do so, citing privacy concerns. Officials in the two states have instead chosen to defer to local health departments and individual facilities, which may or may not inform relatives of patients about outbreaks.

According to patients families, the lack of comprehensive information has made it difficult to decide how to care for loved ones and can compound their grief when a relative passes away. Meanwhile, advocates have warned that a lack of transparency has allowed outbreaks to go undetected and protected facilities that have responded poorly to the crisis.

It is frustrating. Theres no other word to describe it, said Montgomery County, Maryland, Councilmember Evan Glass.

Its a delicate balancing act, he continued, referring to privacy concerns. Were in a health crisis and need to figure out how to share information in a timely way.

Former Maryland state delegate Herman Taylor said he was told April 15 that his sister, a resident of Regency Care of Silver Spring, had tested positive for the virus. As of Thursday, he had not yet received any updates on her condition.

Taylor states that all of his calls to the facility have gone unanswered, and Regency employees refuse to tell him how many of their residents have been infected or if any have died.

Its the worst thing you can imagine, he said.

Theyve mistreated patients and their families for a long time, and the governments done nothing, Taylor continued. Nows their chance.

Reporting to be required for nursing homes

Earlier this month, the federal government issued guidelines requiring nursing homes to regularly update patients families on coronavirus cases. However, details on how these guidelines will be enforced have not been revealed.

Though Maryland and Virginia say that they wont start publishing lists of facilities with coronavirus cases, a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which regulates care facilities, said that the agency would soon release weekly data that will include the names of nursing homes with known outbreaks.

In a recent memo, the CMS stated that nursing homes must report positive cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in addition to local and state authorities. These facilities must also inform residents and their representatives within 12 hours of initial confirmation of the coronavirus and then continue to update them once a week or each time another resident or staff member tests positive for the virus.

Now more than ever, nursing home residents and their families have a right to know whats happening in their facilities, CMS administrator Seema Verma said at a press briefing. Verma also said that facilities that fail to report COVID-19 cases within 12 hours will face fines of $1,000 a week.

Verma also said that nursing home data will provide valuable infection data to health officials, as they consider whether and when to begin reopening their local economies.

Nursing homes have been ground zero for the outbreak, Verma said. We recognize that in communities across the county, thats where we see the first indication of spread.

Sources include:

StamfordAdvocate.com

BostonGlobe.com
CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's cabinet has urged Yemen's main separatist group, which has declared self-rule in the south, to abide by an agreement to end a previous standoff with the Saudi-backed government.

The declaration by the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Sunday, which included emergency rule in southern regions, threatens to renew conflict with the government.

They are both part of a military alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to battle Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

"Any step that is contrary to the Riyadh agreement should be cancelled," the Saudi cabinet said in a statement issued late on Tuesday, referring to a power-sharing deal agreed in November.

The virtual cabinet meeting was chaired by King Salman. State news agency SPA posted images of the monarch and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, taking part at separate locations.

The Saudi-led coalition on Monday described the STC's announcement of emergency rule in the south, including the interim seat of government Aden, as an "escalatory action" at a time when all parties should focus on confronting the novel coronavirus.

The cabinet also lauded the coalition for extending by one month a nationwide ceasefire due to the coronavirus, which Riyadh said would also help alleviate the suffering of Yemenis during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Friday, and support U.N. peace efforts.

The United States welcomed the coalition ceasefire announcement, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the coalition intervened in March 2015 against the Houthis, who control Sanaa and most big urban centres. They have not accepted the truce.

The war has killed more than 100,000 people and pushed millions to the verge of famine.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Omar Fahmy; Editing by Chris Reese, Robert Birsel)
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types market worldwide is projected to grow by US$20.1 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 39.1%. Backup & Recovery, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 37.3%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$7.9 Billion by the year 2025, Backup & Recovery will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798406/?utm_source=PRN







- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 43.6% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$566.3 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$920.1 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Backup & Recovery will reach a market size of US$589.4 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 37.4% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$3.3 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. 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,

Acxiom Corporation

Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Axcient

CA Technologies, Inc.

CenturyLink, Inc.

Datto, Inc.

Equifax, Inc.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company LP

IBM Corporation

iland Internet Solutions

Microsoft Corporation

Rackspace

Verizon Communications, Inc.

Vmware, Inc.

Windstream Communications









Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798406/?utm_source=PRN



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



Product Overview

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS): A Prelude

Global Competitor Market Shares

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Competitor Market

Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



Organizations Need for Data Backup Drives the Market for DRaaS

Choosing the Right DRaaS: Organizations Key Challenge

Innovations & Advancements

Infographics





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Global

Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by

Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Market

Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2019 VS 2025

Table 3: Backup & Recovery (Segment) World Market by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 4: Backup & Recovery (Segment) Market Share Breakdown of

Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 5: Real-Time Replication (Segment) Potential Growth

Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 6: Real-Time Replication (Segment) Market Sales Breakdown

by Region/Country in Percentage: 2019 VS 2025

Table 7: Data Protection (Segment) Geographic Market Spread

Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 8: Data Protection (Segment) Market Share Distribution in

Percentage by Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 9: Professional Services (Segment) World Market Estimates

and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 10: Professional Services (Segment) Market Share

Breakdown by Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Market Share (in %)

by Company: 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 11: United States Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 12: United States Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Share Breakdown by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 13: Canadian Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018

to 2025

Table 14: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Market

in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Segment for

2019 and 2025

JAPAN

Table 15: Japanese Market for Disaster Recovery as a Service

(DRaaS) Types: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$

Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 16: Japanese Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Share Analysis by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

Table 17: Chinese Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 18: Chinese Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market by Segment: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2019 and

2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Market:

Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 19: European Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country:

2018-2025

Table 20: European Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 21: European Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment:

2018-2025

Table 22: European Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Share Breakdown by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 23: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Market

in France by Segment: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million

for the Period 2018-2025

Table 24: French Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Share Analysis by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

GERMANY

Table 25: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Market

in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 26: German Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Share Breakdown by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 27: Italian Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 28: Italian Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types

Market by Segment: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2019 and

2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 29: United Kingdom Market for Disaster Recovery as a

Service (DRaaS) Types: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections

in US$ Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 30: United Kingdom Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Share Analysis by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 31: Rest of Europe Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment:

2018-2025

Table 32: Rest of Europe Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Share Breakdown by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 33: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Market

in Asia-Pacific by Segment: Estimates and Projections in US$

Million for the Period 2018-2025

Table 34: Asia-Pacific Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Share Analysis by Segment: 2019 VS 2025

REST OF WORLD

Table 35: Rest of World Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Types Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment:

2018 to 2025

Table 36: Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) Types Market

in Rest of World: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by

Segment for 2019 and 2025





IV. COMPETITION



ACXIOM CORPORATION

AMAZON WEB SERVICES

AXCIENT

CA TECHNOLOGIES

CENTURYLINK

DATTO

EQUIFAX

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

IBM CORPORATION

MICROSOFT CORPORATION

RACKSPACE

VMWARE

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS

WINDSTREAM COMMUNICATIONS

ILAND INTERNET SOLUTIONS

ACRONIS INTERNATIONAL GMBH

ARCSERVE

BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.

BROADCOM INC.

CARBONITE

CISCO SYSTEMS, INC.

CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.

COMMVAULT SYSTEMS, INC.

COMPUTER GENERATED SOLUTIONS, INC. (CGS)

CONNECTRIA CORPORATION

CTRLS DATACENTERS

DELL TECHNOLOGIES

DRUVA INC.

DXC TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

ESDS SOFTWARE SOLUTION PVT. LTD.

EVOLVE IP, LLC.

FLEXENTIAL CORPORATION

GEMINARE INCORPORATED

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP (HPE)

HP, INC.

INFRASCALE

INTERNAP CORPORATION

INTERVISION

NEC CORPORATION

NETMAGIC SOLUTIONS PVT.

NXTGEN DATACENTER & CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED

PC CONNECTION, INC.

QUORUMLABS

SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC

SOLARWINDS WORLDWIDE LLC

SUNGARD AVAILABILITY SERVICES LP ("SUNGARD AS")

TIERPOINT

UNITRENDS

VEEAM SOFTWARE AG

VERITAS TECHNOLOGIES LLC

VERIZON ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS

WEB WERKS INDIA PVT.

WIPRO LTD.

ZERTO

GLOBALSIGN, INC.

V. CURATED RESEARCH

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An ancient Egyptian 17th-Dynasty anthropoid coffin along with a mud-brick offering chapel and a pile of mixed materials from funerary equipment were unearthed at the Draa Abul-Naga Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile this week by a Spanish-Egyptian archaeological mission during excavations in the area in front of the courtyard of the Tomb of Djehuty (TT 11).

Director of the mission Jose Galan explained that the coffin was carefully placed on the ground horizontally. It measures 1.75x0.33m and was carved in wood cut from a single trunk of a sycamore tree and then coated with whitewash and the sides painted in red.

Inside the coffin lay a mummy of a 15- or 16-year-old girl resting on her right side. The mummy is in bad condition, but the girl is wearing two earrings in one of her ears, both of a spiral shape and coated with a layer of metal that may be copper. She also has two rings, one made of bone and the other with a blue glass bead set on a metal base and tied with a string. Four necklaces are tied together by a faience clip surrounding the chest.

One necklace is 70cm long and made of faience rounded beads, alternating in dark and light blue. The second one is 62cm long and made of green faience and glass beads. The most beautiful is the third necklace, Galan said, adding that it measures 61cm long and consists of 74 pieces, combining beads of amethyst, cornelian, amber, blue glass and quartz. It also has two scarabs, one of them depicting the falcon god Horus, and five faience amulets.

The fourth necklace is made of several strings of faience beads tied together at both ends by a ring combining all the strings.

At the opposite side of the mud-brick chapel, a small coffin made of mud was also found. It is still closed and tied together by string. Inside, a wooden ushabti figurine was found wrapped in four linen bandages. The ushabti figurine and one of the linen bandages are labelled in hieratic text identifying its owner as Djehuty, who lived during the 17th Dynasty (ca 1600 BC).

In the same area, but inside a funerary shaft, a pair of leather sandals was found, together with a pair of leather balls tied together by string, dating to the 17th Dynasty. The sandals are in a good state of preservation, despite being 3,600 years old, Galan said. He added that they are dyed in a vivid red colour and engraved with various motifs showing the god Bes, the goddess Taweret, a pair of cats, an ibex, and a rosette.

The sandals probably belonged to a woman, and the balls would have been used by women as a sport or as part of choreography, according to depictions of everyday life found in the Beni Hassan tombs of the 12th Dynasty.

Also this week, a new archaeological discovery of an ancient cave decorated with distinguished engravings depicting scenes of animals was made at the Wadi Al-Zulma in North Sinai.

According to Ayman Ashmawi, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, the cave is the first of its kind to be discovered in the area. He said that the scenes inside the cave were very different from those found in South Sinai, as they have a special artistic style that resembles raised reliefs. Studies are underway to determine their date.

Hisham Hussein, the head of the mission, said that most of the scenes were carved along the caves inner walls and depict animals including camels, deer, mules, mountain goats, and donkeys.

The remains of circular stone buildings were also discovered around 200m southwest of the cave. These likely constitute the remains of an ancient settlement.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under headline: United we stand

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UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link

Coronavirus crisis: Is home isolation a good idea?

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Apr 29: The Union Health Ministry on Monday released a new set of guidelines for the management of suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19.

In the guidelines, the Health Ministry said that those with very mild symptoms, or who are asymptomatic can now be in home isolation, instead of being admitted in a hospital.

15 places including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad identified as high coronavirus case load places

However, this is contingent on a set of conditions.

a. There should be a 24 hours caregiver to the suspected patient.

b. There should be communication between the caregiver and a hospital.

c. The suspected patient should download the Aarogya Setu app and keep it active.

d. The patient should regularly provide updates to the district surveillance officer

e. If severe symptoms develop, the suspected patient must seek immediate medical attention

f. The period of home isolation will end only after the suspected patient is tested negative and a medical officer provides a certificate.

184 nations 'going through hell as COVID-19 wasnt stopped at source: Trump

However, this decision by the central government can be seen welcoming to the people. Also, it is clear that a large number of infected individuals have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. Home isolation also helps when there is a surge of cases and India would not have the requisite infrastructure to cope with it.

Coronavirus may keep coming back every year, say experts

However, implementing this would be a real challenge to people. Taking India's population into consideration, a large section of people live in cramped homes, sharing a room with several other people and do not have the space to exercise this option. For those who can avail this option, the obstacle will be in monitoring.

Also, it should be noted that there is often a rapid decline, where patients with no symptoms end up developing severe symptoms, at which point, the chances of survival is crucial. This means, there must not be any delay in hospital admissions with respect to suspected COVID-19 patients. But, if these drawbacks are highlighted, the Health Ministry's home isolation guideline can be a good move by the Centre.
By PTI

CHENNAI: With the four-day Intensified Lockdown coming to an end in three municipal corporations - Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai on Wednesday, the State government has announced that the routine lockdown would continue in these corporations till May 3 as per the earlier restrictions-i.e., grocery and vegetable shops can function between 6 am and 1 pm daily.

However, on Friday alone, these shops will be allowed to open between 6 a.m. and 5 pm.

In an official release, the State government appealed to the people not to rush to the shops in a hurry to buy essential commodities.

"People should show patience and maintain social distancing while at shops. They should wear masks since the Coronavirus is easily and speedily spreads from one person to another, the government added.

Amidst rising COVID-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on April 24 announced a complete shutdown from Sunday (April 26) in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for four days, disallowing grocery shops as well and fully curtailing the movement of the public.

The shutdown in the corporation limits of Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, scheduled to end by Wednesday night, will revert to the pre-April 26 conditions, an official release here said.

The government urged the people to strictly follow social distancing while buying the essential items.

"People are directed to wear masks," while visiting the shops, it said cautioning them against the contagion.

Incidentally, people had given a go-by to all social distancing norms on Saturday, a day before the total lockdown kicked-in in the said cities and resorted to panic buying by swarming markets in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai to purchase essential commodities.

(With PTI Inputs)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 22:50:45|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied decided Wednesday to extend the state of emergency imposed throughout the country since November 2015, for an additional month.

"President Saied decided to extend the state of emergency in the entire territory of the republic for a period of 30 days, starting from April 30, 2020," said a presidency statement without giving further details.

The extension of the state of emergency in Tunisia coincided with the government announcement of the national targeted lockdown strategy, which will start on May 4.

The state of emergency in Tunisia was first declared on Nov. 24, 2015, following a bloody bomb attack on a bus of the presidential guards, killing 12 agents.

Tunisian emergency law allows the authorities' exceptional powers, including carrying out home arrests, banning official meetings, imposing curfews, monitoring media and press, prohibiting assemblies, and media censorship without permission from the judiciary. Enditem
The state may be taking small steps to reopen, but the impact on Alabamas largest higher education system could be long-lasting.

The University of Alabama system  UA, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University of Alabama in Huntsville  is suffering millions of dollars in losses despite initial cuts. System Chancellor Finis E. St. John IV said he expects more cuts to come for the systems campuses.

We hope not to impose layoffs and furloughs, but I do expect that there may be some of that," he said in an interview with AL.com on Wednesday. We are considering reducing some benefits for some employees. We are considering whether we need to reduce salaries. All of those things are under consideration.

The chancellor said he expects the University of Alabama at Birmingham to make announcements regarding financial changes soon. Such cuts would come after the Birmingham-based UAB medical system announced losses amounting to $70 million a month because of the suspension of elective surgeries.

University of Alabama planning to reopen for fall: We fully expect to have on-campus instruction

The losses to date at each of the campuses vary, but the losses are real," St. John said. Its upwards of $40-50 million at UA, close to that at UAB and less than that at UAH."

The CARES Act, while a very helpful appropriation from Congress, doesnt come close to meeting those losses, St. John said. Money allotted to the countrys higher education institutions are to be split between assisting students who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and the institutions to help offset expenditures.

How to administer that has been less clear, the chancellor said. We are waiting for specific guidance on how to do that. The biggest question is whether we can do it across the board or if we have to consider each students circumstances on a case-by-case basis. We want to do whats right.

Rough numbers: The University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, for example, received approximately $20 million from the CARES Act, St. John said. After allocating the money intended for students, the institution will receive $10 million, he said.

If they are losing $40 or $50 million before the end of the summer, the CARES Act is very helpful but it does not fill the holes, he said.

As for how long these campuses will be struggling with decreased funds, that depends on enrollment, he said.

Dr. Tonjanita Johnson, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the system, told AL.com on Tuesday that the initial enrollment numbers for incoming first-year students are encouraging. Fall numbers are holding up to their normal standards, she said, and the campuses are experiencing a minor downturn in undergraduate transfers.

Johnson believes this is because of admissions staff ramping up their efforts to get in touch with any students who are struggling to make their decisions based on the COVID-19 situation.

Its a little less clear and a little more difficult to know how many upperclassmen will return or choose not to return, St. John said. So much of that depends on what happens between now and August. We know that every family has been impacted. It would be unrealistic to think that there wasnt going to be an impact, but to understand what the impact will be is just going to take time.

And time will tell a lot. In addition to implementing a freeze on hiring and a rework of operations, the three campuses have pumped the breaks on expansion. Parking lot projects, recreational development and work on art facilities are just a few of the endeavors that were deemed non-essential and paused for the foreseeable future, St. John said.

The wisest thing to do is wait and see how this turns out, St. John said. If enrollment stays the same, a lot of those things can return. If enrollment decreases significantly, then we will have to reconsider what is essential and what is not.
CALGARYA First Nation says it has ended its opposition to a proposed reservoir that would protect Calgary during flooding because it secured a $32-million grant from the Alberta government.

The money is to be used for flood mitigation, restoration and prevention.

The Tsuutina Nations chief and council said in a statement posted to its Facebook page this week that concerns about the $432-million Springbank Off-stream Reservoir remain on the record.

We have not given up on our inherent treaty rights and we have not given up our rights to water, they said.

The First Nations leadership planned to discuss the matter with community members, but a meeting could not be held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project would help protect the city of Calgary from a repeat of destructive 2013 floods by diverting water from the Elbow River to a reservoir that could hold the equivalent of 28,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The water would be channelled back into the river when a flood subsided.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the project, which is waiting for a regulatory green light, is essential.

Ill say to the province of Alberta, Thank you for doing everything you can to clear whatever barriers remain in the way to get that built, he said Tuesday.

Ill say to the government of Canada, I know youre very busy, but man, oh man, that environmental assessment is very late. We need that approval and we need it quickly.

The reservoir has faced stiff opposition from some landowners, who would prefer another site further upstream so as not to affect their properties.

The Alberta government said in September it had acquired about 20 per cent of the land it needed to build the dam.

The Tsuutina statement notes its grant does not depend on environmental approval for the project.

The First Nation wrote to provincial and federal regulators earlier this month to say it was withdrawing its objections and would no longer take part in the environmental review.

Gord Olsen, a spokesman for the Tsuutina Nation, said concerns the community shared with other stakeholders will still be dealt with.

There are, as I understand it, a number of issues that are still before that (review) panel that will need to be reviewed and reported upon in the course of their work.

A spokeswoman for the Alberta Ministry of Transportation said the provincial government is pleased it reached an agreement.

We will continue to consult with our First Nations partners and impacted communities to address their concerns.

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Pandemic Is Canadas Moment of Reckoning on China Relations, Says Taiwan Expert

The COVID-19 pandemic should serve as a moment of reckoning for Canada and other democracies that continue to pander to the Chinese regime, says J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa.

I hope that the whole COVID-19 outbreak serves as a moment of reckoning among democracies that we need real leadership, Cole said in an interview with The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program.

We need real candidates with real ideas, and maybe people who are a bit more willing to challenge the status quo that the Chinese [regime] has imposed on us in recent years.

Ottawa needs to take stock and think seriously about who its real friends are, adds Cole, and align with countries that truly reflect the values and morals that define us as Canadians.

Cole is a senior fellow with the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington, D.C., the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Canada, and the Taiwan Studies Programme at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. He is also a former analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Ottawa.

J. Michael Cole, a senior fellow with the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, at his home in Taipei. (The Epoch Times)

Whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist at the Wuhan Central Hospital, was among the first to publicize information about the outbreak in Wuhan. He and other medical professionals were silenced by the regime, and Li later died of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly called the novel coronavirus.

As reported previously by The Epoch Times, the Wuhan Health Commission originally stated that the first patient exhibited symptoms in early December, but only revealed the outbreak to the public on Dec. 31, 2019. The authorities also initially denied that the disease could be transmitted between humans, although Taiwan officials said they warned the WHO of human-to-human transmission as early as Dec. 31 based on their own investigations.

As evidence mounts that the regimes coverup and mishandling of the outbreak allowed the CCP virus to spread around the world, several Western countries such as the United States and Australia have openly criticized the regime and called for investigations into its handling of the outbreak.

But as Canadas COVID-19 cases edge toward 50,000 with over 2,700 deaths, Canadian officials have largely remained silent on Beijings role in sparking the global pandemic, with some even praising the regimes efforts.

CCPs Influence at UN Agencies

Calls for an investigation into the Chinese regimes influence at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the organizations initial failure to warn other countries of early evidence of the outbreak in Wuhan have cast light on Beijings sway over the WHO and other top U.N. agencies.

There are a number of specialized U.N. agencies that are currently either headed by Chinese nationalsoftentimes who were elected due to pressure behind closed doors by the Chineseor individuals who are not Chinese nationals but for some reason, possibly co-optation, are also acting at the behest of the CCP, Cole said.

Questions have been raised about WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesuss background, including the controversy surrounding his involvement in denying cholera outbreaks when he was working as a top official in Ethiopias authoritarian government. The Ethiopian government also has close ties to China, and Tedros was a member of the Marxist/Maoist Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front, a political party that has been listed as a perpetrator in the Global Terrorism Database.

Cole said Tedros was the CCPs favoured candidate for WHO director.

[Beijing] seems to have used their large influence at the General Assembly, United Nations, and particularly African votes, to make sure that its preferred candidate, Mr. Tedros, was elected, he said.

From the outset, he had made it clear that he would respect Beijings so-called One-China principle, that he would not be open to ways by which Taiwan could play a role within the organization, if only as an observer.

Taiwans example in deftly dealing with the pandemic has served to highlight the WHOs lack of effectiveness and transparency. The WHO doesnt recognize Taiwan as independent from China, so Taiwan is one of the only nations in the world that isnt an official member of the organization. Yet despite its proximity to and business ties with mainland China, Taiwan has ranked among the best in the world in controlling the spread of COVID-19, with only 429 confirmed cases and six deaths.

The key to Taiwans strategy was officials ongoing suspicion of Beijing, which sparked the decision to conduct independent investigations into the outbreak early on, ban flights from Chinas affected areas, and track travellers between the two countries.

The fact that a country that isnt a WHO member has fared so well in dealing with COVID-19 raises a bunch of questions about the utility of the WHO and the amount of money it receives, says Cole, adding that he doesnt support permanent defunding of the WHO at this stage.

Ottawa has followed the WHOs recommendations since the pandemic began and has largely remained firm in its support of the organization. However, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said on April 28 that Canada remains open to reviewing the WHOs actions in response to the pandemic. This comment came amid mounting criticism of the handling of the outbreak by both the Chinese regime and the WHO.

The Trudeau administration has faced a fair amount of criticism over its seemingly pro-Beijing signalling throughout the crisis, said Cole, They have been very, very careful to not alienate Beijing, and that policy precedes COVID-19 as well.

Rethinking China Strategy



As the world has watched Taiwans success in combating COVID-19, some countries such as the United States, Japan, Italy, and France are now consulting with Taiwan directly to see what can be learned from its approach.

Canada should also learn from Taiwan, said Cole, and partner with countries that represent Canadian values when seeking strategies to combat COVID-19, instead of aligning with Beijing.

I dont think any country can completely decouple from Chinabut certainly find alternatives so that our entire policies are not held hostage, he said.

There are alternatives out there. But were so deflated as democracies right now that the easiest way is just to give in to China, remain silent on a few issues, and then were going to get the masks and then were going to get this and get that.

As China seeks to deflect blame for the pandemic, it has tried to boost its image by exporting medical equipment to other countries. The effort has backfired somewhat, however, as the equipment has often turned out to be faulty.

Last week, approximately one million face masks that arrived in Canada from China could not be used because they did not meet Health Canada standards. Canada continues to purchase from China much of the protective medical equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Taiwan has ramped up its production of surgical masks to 15 million per day and has been shipping masks around the world for free in efforts to demonstrate the island nations value to the international community.

Now is the time for Ottawa to rethink its China strategy, said Cole, and leverage our natural and technological resources to push back against intimidation.

The problem is that, especially countries like Canada, weve never tested the waters. The moment Beijing threatens something or expresses displeasure, we back off and Beijing gets what it wants.

But leaders often forget, especially countries like Canada: China needs our natural resources. China wants access to certain technologies that its own people still cannot produce. So it needs us at least as much as we need it, he said.

So that should give us the ability to push back on fundamentals and values that are dear to us.  In that kind of response, ultimately, I think were going to be stronger as a society.
Stuck at home? You can now explore the cosmos from the comfort of your living room.

NASA has taken to social media to engage and educate people across the world with a new initiative called NASA at Home . This is a free online resource for people of all ages looking to learn and get excited about science and space while staying at home.

NASA at Home has activities and resources for people of all ages and is designed to be a helpful tool for families and students. It's an online platform made up of a wealth of videos, podcasts, e-books, instructions for at-home projects and features virtual tours of incredible technology like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. The initiative also includes access to formal lesson plans and amazing images and stories about space and science. The platform even includes an app that allows you to virtually pilot a NASA aircraft!



Visit the NASA at Home website for daily space activities!

More details:

NASA has launched their "NASA at Home" initiative to provide free online resources for people of all ages. (Image credit: NASA)

"We know people everywhere, especially students, are looking for ways to get out of the house without leaving their house," Bettina Inclan, the associate administrator for NASA's Office of Communications, said in a NASA statement . "NASA has a way for them to look to the skies and see themselves in space with their feet planted safely on the ground, but their imaginations are free to explore everywhere we go. We've put that information at their fingertips. We hope everyone takes a few moments to explore NASA at Home."

For older students or adults looking to get involved, the initiative includes citizen scientist opportunities that allow you to contribute to real, ongoing research. You can search for everything from alien planets to signs of life out in the solar system.

NASA at Home also includes videos that will air on NASA Television every weekday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT (1400 to 2000 GMT). The initiative will also run videos on Instagram live. Every weekday starting at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT), record-breaking NASA astronaut Christina Koch reads children's books on Instagram live.

To keep up with all that NASA at Home has to offer, you can check-in at their website here or always search the hashtag #NASAatHome.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
T he chief executive of Airbus on Wednesday said the plane maker is in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known, just a day after job cuts plans at British Airways were announced.

Guillaume Faurys comments follow a turbulent period for the group since the coronavirus outbreak.

In a recent letter he told the firms 135,000 staff to brace for potentially deeper job cuts and the company later said it would furlough 3,200 employees at its north Wales site.

Airbus made a 481 million net loss for the first quarter compared with net income of 40 million a year earlier.

Revenues decreased to 10.6 billion from  12.5 billion, reflecting the difficult market environment impacting the commercial aircraft business, with 40 less deliveries than a year earlier.

Plane makers, airports and airlines have all been impacted by Covid-19 travel restrictions.

International Airlines Group yesterday said its British Airways division was notifying trade unions about a proposed restructuring and redundancy programme.
Ben Crawford became the CEO of CentralNic Group Plc (LON:CNIC) in 2009. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

Check out our latest analysis for CentralNic Group

How Does Ben Crawford's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

At the time of writing, our data says that CentralNic Group Plc has a market cap of UK173m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK538k for the year to December 2018. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at UK230k. When we examined a selection of companies with market caps ranging from UK80m to UK322m, we found the median CEO total compensation was UK585k.

Now let's take a look at the pay mix on an industry and company level to gain a better understanding of where CentralNic Group stands. Talking in terms of the sector, salary represented approximately 64% of total compensation out of all the companies we analysed, while other remuneration made up 36% of the pie. CentralNic Group sets aside a smaller share of compensation for salary, in comparison to the overall industry.

That means Ben Crawford 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. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at CentralNic Group has changed from year to year.

AIM:CNIC CEO Compensation April 29th 2020

Is CentralNic Group Plc Growing?

Over the last three years CentralNic Group Plc has shrunk its earnings per share by an average of 110% per year (measured with a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 101% over last year.

Story continues

The reduction in earnings per share, over three years, is arguably concerning. But on the other hand, revenue growth is strong, suggesting a brighter future. These two metric are moving in different directions, so while it's hard to be confident judging performance, we think the stock is worth watching. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

Has CentralNic Group Plc Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with CentralNic Group Plc for providing a total return of 106% over three years. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

In Summary...

Ben Crawford is paid around the same as most CEOs of similar size companies.

While we would like to see improved growth metrics, there is no doubt that the total returns have been great, over the last three years. So considering most shareholders would be happy, we'd say the CEO pay is appropriate. CEO compensation is an important area to keep your eyes on, but we've also identified 4 warning signs for CentralNic Group (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Important note: CentralNic 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.
[April 29, 2020] Interfaith Leaders Come Together on Vennly, New Platform to Offer Guidance, Perspective as Americans Face Uncertain Times

Vennly, Inc., a spiritual health platform providing exclusive, non-denominational short-form audio content from a diverse and highly curated network of top spiritual and community leaders, announced today that its groundbreaking app is now available as a free download in the App Store for iOS and Google (News - Alert) Play for Android users. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005152/en/ Vennly, the nation's first interfaith spirituality-focused podcast platform, brings together leaders across all faiths to offer life perspectives and practical guidance, including stress, relationships, identity, grief, and living in a world affected by COVID-19. Available now for free download on iOS and Android (News - Alert) platforms with a free trial period at $4.99/month with unlimited access to its streaming audio content. (Graphic: Business Wire) Vennly was developed as the first service of its kind to help address the significant and growing desire for spiritual comfort, support, and guidance among all Americans. Vennly's virtual offering of personal and intimate advice and counsel is even more relevant today as the coronavirus pandemic generates a tidal wave of loneliness, social isolation, doubt and spiritual dislocation. Vennly's original short-form audio content provides timely commentary on current events as well as practical, spiritually grounded everyday guidance. Vennly's exclusive content helps listeners better understand and navigate deeply felt life experiences, including marriage, parenting, relationships, faith, the workplace, and conflict resoltion - advice that is designed to appeal and resonate across all faith traditions and denominations. Content is aggregated and is searchable and sortable for easy, accessible navigation.



"Vennly is proud to launch with exclusive, compelling content for the tens of millions of Americans in search of spiritual guidance and advice in a safe and personal, judgment-free environment," said Vennly Cofounder and CEO Brian Landau. "In the age of coronavirus and the curtailment of mass gatherings, the need for virtual spiritual support has never been greater. Vennly offers timely and thought-provoking original short-form audio content for easy consumption and is a new vehicle to help communities of faith address the spiritual dislocation that so many of us are feeling." As a recent Pew (News - Alert) study found, religious affiliation - particularly among younger Americans - is declining as more individuals look to redefine faith and spirituality in what they deem a more immediate, accessible, and intimate way. At the same time, growing numbers of Americans identify themselves as spiritual but not necessarily religious, and are searching for comfort and pastoral care. Vennly's contributors also report an increased demand in spiritual care among their congregants.

Landau continued, "Many of us, young families in particular, don't always have the time or resources to participate in and take full advantage of congregational life. Vennly is dedicated to making spiritual advice more accessible and amplifying the voices of a diverse group of spiritual leaders that have critical insights to share, particularly in today's climate." "Vennly is designed to provide the perspective, guidance, and advice we need to work through challenges big or small, whether it's trying to navigate the current pandemic, working through relationship struggles or coping with the loss of a loved one," said Vennly Cofounder and Chief Marketing Officer Dan Densen. Vennly polling has confirmed numerous studies which show that most of us struggle to find support and guidance when faced with hardship or a big life decision. Complicating matters is the fact that many of us do not feel comfortable discussing personal challenges with others. More on Vennly and its Content Provider Network All Vennly content is exclusive to the platform and co-developed and curated to meet the inclusive principles and editorial standards of the Vennly community. Vennly users may search by topic area or keyword and follow specific leaders. To enhance the user experience, content with a topical or timely news hook will also be tagged and readily identifiable. The Vennly app is available in the U.S. for $4.99/month with a 30-day free trial, and group packages for institutions including universities, corporations and health networks are also available. Royalties are distributed to contributors. Included in the free trial is coronavirus-focused content intended to help us all navigate the current pandemic and all of the associated social, emotional and spiritual challenges that we now face together. Quotes from Vennly Contributors Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, a pastor and ordained minister who previously served from 2014 to 2019 as the Senior Minister at The Riverside Church in New York City and was the first female senior minister in the church's history added, "I'm so honored and excited to be part of Vennly. It's a unique and valuable resource for wisdom and inspiration. Engaging conversations about spirituality is critical, especially in these moments, and Vennly invites us all to explore and learn." Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, a leading educator, writer, activist, and scholar commented on Vennly, "In a media culture where everyone has hot takes, people are starting to look for wisdom that is both grounding and enriching. Vennly's model is diverse, pragmatic, and carefully attuned to how we consume media today." Both Rev. Dr. Butler and Dr. Singh serve on Vennly's advisory committee which provides counsel, feedback and stewardship. For more information on Vennly, please visit www.joinvennly.com About Vennly Vennly, Inc. (www.joinvennly.com) is a subscription-based audio service and proprietary platform providing short-form audio content on everyday life topics from a diverse and highly curated network of top spiritual and community leaders. Vennly's contributor Perspectives offer spiritual support and practical guidance designed to appeal across faith traditions. Vennly is available on iOS and Google Play. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005152/en/

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Presiding Coroner Mrs Justice Keegan said the world had changed beyond recognition due to the coronavirus pandemic (Brian Lawless/PA)

The process of hearing dozens of fresh inquests into deaths from Northern Irelands troubled past will likely be delayed due to coronavirus, the Presiding Coroner has said.

Mrs Justice Keegan had been considering sequencing of cases based on states of readiness, and was due to announce year two of the process.

But the world has changed beyond recognition due to the coronavirus pandemic, she said in a statement on Wednesday.

Expand Close Shuttered stores and police patrols on Ann Street, in Belfast, as the UK continues its lockdown (Justin Kernoghan/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Shuttered stores and police patrols on Ann Street, in Belfast, as the UK continues its lockdown (Justin Kernoghan/PA)

All non-urgent court business, including legacy inquests, have been adjourned amid the lockdown.

And with no date for the end of the lockdown, nor available detail about how the transition out of it will look, Mrs Justice Keegan said it was obvious there would be delays.

Further detail will be announced in June around which cases may be heard during the second year of the 55 million plan to deal with 52 legacy inquests, involving 93 deaths between the 1970s and 2000.

I will keep the feasibility of sequencing a second tranche of inquests under review and I will make a further statement on the position in June 2020 Mrs Justice Keegan

I appreciate that this is disappointing for those involved, particularly the families of the deceased, the Presiding Coroner said in a statement.

However, given that the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the planned year one inquests cannot yet be ascertained, I have decided that it is better to postpone the year two announcement to see how the situation develops.

I will keep the feasibility of sequencing a second tranche of inquests under review and I will make a further statement on the position in June 2020.

The Presiding Coroner urged continued forbearance and patience.

By way of general update, I can confirm that all year one inquests have been allocated to a coroner or judge, the statement continued.

Expand Close The scene following an IRA attack on Loughgall RUC station, County Armagh, in May 1987 (PA) PA / Facebook

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I have to say that the work that can be done is limited at present due to the impact of Covid-19 on Legacy Inquest Unit staff and disclosure providers and given the age profile of many witnesses.

We will keep our working arrangements under review in order to maintain momentum in these inquests insofar as possible.

As part of this evolving situation we will consider the feasibility of alternative practices, such as dealing with directions by way of written submissions and remote working.

Meanwhile, Mrs Justice Keegan announced that the Lord Chief Justice had allocated Mr Justice OHara to case manage the Stalker and Sampson inquests and Mr Justice McAlinden to the inquests into the shooting of eight IRA men and a civilian by soldiers at Loughgall, Co Armagh, in 1987.

Of course, given the restrictions in place, all interested parties should understand that progress will not be immediate and, once commenced, the task of case management will undoubtedly be difficult and take an appreciable period of time, Mrs Justice Keegan added.
Mondays investigation by BBCs Panorama, Has the Government Failed the NHS? was a staggering indictment of the Conservative governments failure to provide health workers with personal protective equipment (PPE).

The documentary, with reporting by Richard Bilton, details the criminal lack of preparation for the pandemic reported by workers in the National Health Service (NHS) and public health experts. It exposes the Conservative governments attempt to cover up its failings, which continue to put the lives of more doctors and nurses at risk.

Using documents from within the NHS supply chain, the investigation rips apart ministers claims to have provided 1 billion items of PPE in the last two months. More than half of these items are surgical gloves, with each individual glove counted as a separate piece of PPE in most cases. The second largest stock of items is for plastic aprons, described by one Accident and Emergency doctor as, What youd expect a dinner lady to wear  it does nothing. Items like cleaning equipment, waste bags, detergent and paper towels are also counted as PPE in the official figures.

Panorama's Has the Government Failed the NHS

According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on PPE, staff caring for COVID-19 patients should wear a full protective gown, gloves, face mask and eye protection.

Panorama cited the case of an NHS nurse in his fourth week on a ventilator, who fell ill with COVID-19 while working in Southend hospital. Its investigation found that the whole Mid and South Essex NHS trust, which runs several community hospitals and three major hospitals including Southend, received just 360 protective medical gowns in the five weeks before the nurse was hospitalised. This is less than 10 a day. An anonymous health manager explains, The supply chain is erratic, unpredictable and incompetent. We might ask for 10,000 gowns and instead be sent 5,000 aprons.

A video taken by a nurse shows boxes of out-of-date masks he and his colleagues are expected to use, some of which expired in 2016. The sticker that theyve covered up the out of date sticker with is out of date.

Health workers in General Practice surgeries are told they only need plastic aprons and basic surgical masks.

The toll taken on the workforce is disastrous. The programme notes that nearly 100 NHS workers have died after falling ill with the coronavirus. Nursing Notes reports that, as of Tuesday morning, 140 health and social care workers are believed to have died of COVID-19. Referring to the governments hypocritical praise for health workers, one intensive care nurse told Panorama, calling us heroes just makes it okay when we die.

Inadequate personal protective equipment donated to NHS staff

With a contempt for the value of health workers lives, the government announced on the day of the Panorama broadcast that they would pay just 60,000 to the families of NHS and social care workers killed by COVID-19. This filthy blood money barely amounts to two years wages for households which have lost, in many cases, decades of life of their loved ones. It will inevitably be used to undermine any future legal cases, which might be brought against government ministers for their endangering of workers lives.

As Panorama documents, the possibility existed to prepare a safe response to the pandemic. Irial Eno, a doctor, told the programme, [The government] keep saying this is completely unprecedented. It is unprecedented. But it wasnt unexpected. Bilton explains, For almost a decade, [a pandemic has] been designated the greatest threat to Britain. No action whatsoever was taken to address this threat.

The governments 2009 pandemic guidance states that full protective gowns, the best type of facemask and eye protection are standard requirements for health care workers, who might be in contact with a virus during a pandemic. In the next 10 years, however, the government didnt buy any hospital gowns at all. Even when government advisers warned gowns would be needed in the stockpile, none were bought. Nor was a single visor, swab or body bag. Over 20 million respirator masks are unaccounted for. There are 33 million on the original stockpile list, but only 12 million have been handed out. Bilton reports, The government refuses to explain where the other life-saving masks might have gone.

European Centre for Disease Control advise on the stockpiling of respirator masks, eye protection, gowns and gloves

The refusal to stockpile basic items required by health workers was part of the multi-billion pounds cuts programme of the 201015 Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition. Between 2013 and 2016, as they enforced savage austerity to pay for the 200809 bailout of the bankers, the value of the national PPE stockpile was slashed by 40 percent.

Even at this stage, the investigation insists, the UK still had time to prepare its response when COVID-19 first appeared. At the start of February this year, the European Centre for Disease Control issued a warning on the coronavirus and advised the stockpiling of respirator masks, eye protection, gowns and gloves. Under its guidelines, the most serious cases of COVID-19 would require 20 full sets of PPE per patient per day.

The government failed to set supply chains in motion to provide these resources. Panorama shows a factory in Bolton which produces the protective material used to make gowns. They offered their services to the government and to Public Health England (PHE) but had heard nothing back in the 10 days that had passed when Panorama visited the site. By the time the investigation was broadcast, the factory was producing for the NHS via a private supplier, but the unused weeks meant the loss of a potential 300,000 gowns that were sold to the US. The NHS needs hundreds of thousands per day, but the government has made just over 1.3 million gowns available during the crisis.

A massive propaganda campaign was launched to keep these shortages concealed. Heads of Procurement at several NHS trusts spoke to Panorama anonymously. One said, Weve been told not to talk about the shortages outside of meetings. They dont want people to know how bad it is.

When the government realised the scale of the catastrophe they had prepared could not be kept under wraps, they moved to create a get-out clause. In January, COVID-19 was given the designation of a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID). The UKs Health and Safety Executive states that all health care staff dealing with a HCID should be given respirator masks, full-face visors and gowns, meaning the government has a legal obligation to meet these criteria.

PPE gloves were counted as individual gloves rather than pairs by the government

Six weeks ago, Panorama reports, the government downgraded its designation of COVID-19. The UK now formally considers the COVID-19 coronavirus of less consequence than SARS, MERS and H1N1. At the same time, PPE guidelines were moved away from the WHOs advice to the lower standard of gloves and less-protective aprons and surgical masks in all but the most dangerous situations.

Bilton reports, It seems clear that the rules have been changed because of the shortages. Sources in the scientific committee that made the decision to downgrade the classification told Panorama, [I]t had to be a pragmatic decision based on the availability of PPE.

Public health expert John Ashton explains, COVID-19 is the biggest infectious disease to hit this country in the last hundred years. Why on earth shouldnt it be in the most serious category?

On the governments response to the crisis, he says: They failed to get a grip. They took advice from too narrow a range of people. And when things continued to escalate out of control, they started to spin the story to make out thatactuallytheyd been following the science and everything that they did made perfect sense. I think its disgraceful.

The tragedy unfolding in the NHS is repeated in care homes across the country. Millions of key workers in transport, food shops and logistics are suffering the same fate. Operation Cygnus, carried out in 2016 to model the effects of pandemic, predicted up to 750,000 dead.

The morning after Panorama was broadcast, Britains national newspapers carried headlines endorsing a rapid return to work, including Turning the Tide, Hope in sight: talks this week of easing the lockdown and Time to fire up the engines, says PM. The damning investigation barely received a mention. Meanwhile, the Labour Party and trade unions continue to work constructively with the government, demanding it map out an exit strategy from the lockdown.
A new study warns mobile phones could be acting as 'Trojan horses' for coronavirus and urges billions of users worldwide to decontaminate their devices daily.

The research, led by Associate Professor Lotti Tajouri of Bond University, reviewed 56 studies from 24 countries and found phones host a staggering cocktail of live germs.

While all the studies predate the current pandemic, the authors say the virus responsible for COVID-19 -- SARS-CoV-2 -- is probably present on mobile phones and other touch-screen devices of coronavirus sufferers.

"Our recommendation is that phones should be decontaminated daily and regularly with either 70 per cent isopropyl or by sanitising with (ultraviolet) devices like PhoneSoap," the study says.

The systematic review found golden staph and E. Coli microbes were among the most common bugs on phones.

Dr Tajouri, a biomedical scientist, said mobile devices were 'five-star hotels with premium heated spas, free buffet for microbes to thrive on'.

"They have temperature control, we keep them in our pockets, we are addicted to them," he said.

"We talk into them and deposit droplets that can be full of viruses, bacteria -- you name it.

"We eat with them, so we give nutrients to micro-organisms.

"And nobody -- absolutely nobody - washes or decontaminates their phone."

He said people travelled with their phones "and no border officers check them. It surely causes a biosecurity concern.

"That's why mobile phones are Trojan horses. We don't know that we are carrying the enemy."

Dr Tajouri said phone super-users touched their devices up to 5000 times a day and even the average user handled them an average of three hours a day.

"We know from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that 80 per cent of all infections are associated with our hands.

"You can wash your hands as many times as you like -- and you should -- but if you then touch a contaminated phone you are contaminating yourself all over again.

Think of your phone as your third hand."

Community transmission could occur when an infected person touched their phone and then a pole on a bus which was grasped by an elderly person, he said.

"The extraordinarily fast contagion that has scientists puzzled might reside within these mobile phones spreading COVID-19 everywhere at ultra-speed," Dr Tajouri said.

"After all, they're everywhere, travelling the world in planes, cruise ships and trains.

"Let's take that hypothesis seriously. If we clean our phones daily and this makes a difference then we might with this little action curve down the COVID-19 epidemic and save lives."

But Dr Tajouri said more research was needed to determine the role contaminated phones were playing in the coronavirus pandemic.

###

The research was conducted by Bond University, Biosecurity staff at Murdoch University, the Dubai Police and the Dubai Police Scientists Council.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 30, 2020 - 07:49 | All, World

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he has no information on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's health, but added the United States will push for Pyongyang's denuclearization regardless of any change in leadership. Kim has stayed out of public sight for about two weeks, fueling speculation about the state of his health and increasing concern as to what would happen with the nuclear-armed country in the case of the sudden demise of the third-generation hereditary leader. "I don't have anything to add to the status of Chairman Kim," Pompeo said at a press conference at the State Department. But noting that he had met Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong, who is drawing attention as a possible successor, during past trips, Pompeo said, "Our mission is the same regardless of what transpires inside of North Korea with respect to their leadership...And that's the fully verified denuclearization of North Korea." In an interview with Fox News the same day, Pompeo said that the United States is "watching closely" what is going on in North Korea, not only in regard to the country's leader but also on such matters as the new coronavirus and the possibility of a famine.

"We're watching each of those things closely, as they have a real impact on our mission set, which is to ultimately denuclearize North Korea," he said.

The U.S.-based website 38 North, which monitors North Korea, said commercial satellite imagery from Wednesday showed a train at a station in the coastal city of Wonsan that is reserved for the exclusive use of the Kim family.

A train was observed at the same station on April 21 and again on Thursday. The website said it cannot be determined whether the train has remained at the station since then, but it does not appear to be prepared for departure.

It also said it cannot tell whether it is Kim Jong Un's train or whether he was on it when it arrived, but that the presence of the train lends "weight to the multiple reports that Kim has been staying in the Wonsan area."

April 12 was the most recent date at which a public appearance by Kim Jong Un was reported by state-run media. The Korean Central News Agency said he had presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, held the day before.

He missed the celebration of the birth of his late grandfather and the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, on April 15, one of the most important holidays in the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has boasted about his "good relationship" with Kim Jong Un after meeting him three times, denied last week a U.S. media report that said Washington was monitoring intelligence about Kim being in grave danger after surgery.

At the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in June 2018 in Singapore, Trump promised to provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in return for "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

But talks have since brought little progress, with the two countries at odds over issues such as the level of sanctions relief that should be extended to Pyongyang in return for denuclearization steps. In the meantime, North Korea has continued testing weapons.
Photo: DJ Johnson/Unsplash



Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Cleveland. Constantino's Uptown market closes Read the full story on Cleveland Scene. Mayor has no immediate plans to open rec centers, pools, festivals Read the full story on WKYC. Parts of I-77 North to close this weekend Read the full story on WKYC. Teen pleads guilty in death of girl hit during police chase Read the full story on Houston Chronicle. 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.

Constantino's, the local, independent grocer, has closed its Uptown location in University Circle.

The mayor says health concerns trump summer fun during the pandemic.

Interstate 77 north between I-480 and Broadway Avenue will be shut down from 8 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, with drivers asked to instead take State Route 176 to I-490 east.
DALLAS  April 29, 2020  Strategies that treat households in the broad vicinity of a recent malaria case with anti-malarial drugs, insecticides, or both could significantly reduce malaria in low-transmission settings, a challenge with approaches currently in use, a study led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests. The findings, published in the April 25, 2020, The Lancet, could bring efforts to eradicate malaria worldwide closer to fruition.

Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that annually infects more than 200 million people and kills nearly 400,000, used to exist in almost every inhabited location on Earth. However, explains Michelle S. Hsiang, M.D., a Horchow Family Scholar in Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, tremendous strides have been made in efforts to eliminate malaria in countries and worldwide, which accelerated in the early 2000s with the aid of more intensive efforts and new tools such as drugs and insecticide-treated bed nets.

Although many countries are very close to completely eradicating malaria, it continues to linger at low levels in some locations, emerging as outbreaks with the rainy season every year. The strategies that have been successful at decreasing malaria in high-transmission settings dont work as well in these low-transmission ones, says Hsiang, assistant professor of pediatrics.

These countries are left with the challenge of, do we keep doing business as usual, or do we do something different to interrupt transmission and potentially eliminate this disease? she says. That requires a different and more aggressive approach.

Some countries have approached this challenge using a strategy called reactive case detection (RACD), in which people in the immediate vicinity of a positive case are also screened and treated with anti-malarial drugs. However, says Hsiang, because the sensitivity of malaria tests is low, this strategy hasnt proved effective. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the World Health Organization recommends mass drug administration (MDA), treating all individuals in an endemic area with anti-malarial medications. But this strategy is expensive and can be difficult for large populations to accept.

Seeking a compromise between these two approaches, Hsiang and her colleagues from University of Namibia; University of California, San Francisco; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Wits University tested strategies in which those in close vicinity to a positive malaria case  500 meters from the positive household  received anti-malarial efforts: either medication (a strategy known as reactive focal mass drug administration, or rfMDA), insecticide spraying (a strategy known as reactive focal vector control, or RAVC), or both. The administered drug was artemether-lumefantrine, a drug with a long history of safe use. The insecticide was a new organophosphate known as pirimiphos-methyl, which can be effective for up to a year when sprayed on the walls and ceilings of affected homes.

The researchers chose the Zambezi Region of Namibia in Africa, a low malarial transmission setting, to study these interventions from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017. They randomized 56 areas within this region to receive either RACD, rfMDA, RAVC, or a combination of rfMDA and RAVC. As soon as anyone in these areas tested positive, a mobile response team was dispatched to these locations to administer the assigned intervention. By the end of the study, 1,150 of these index cases triggered 342 interventions that covered 8,948 individuals. The researchers then followed the malarial caseload in these areas over the next few weeks and months.

Their results showed that rfMDA and RAVC cut the rate of new cases by 50 percent in each area where they had been administered compared with areas that received RACD. When the researchers administered rfMDA and RAVC in combination, the effect was additive, decreasing new cases by 75 percent.

Residents in each area found these interventions acceptable, Hsiang says, with few refusing to participate. In addition, the interventions appeared safe, causing no serious adverse events. Together, Hsiang says, these findings suggest that rfMDA and RAVC, separately or together, could offer hope to significantly reduce or potentially eliminate malaria in low-transmission settings and facilitate worldwide eradication.

A child dies from malaria every two minutes, mostly in poor countries, Hsiang says. We have the tools to get rid of this disease for good. We just need to learn how to wield them effectively.

###

Researchers from UTSW who contributed to this study include Brooke Whittemore and Patrick McCreesh.

This study was supported by the Novartis Foundation (A122666), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1160129), and the UTSW Department of Pediatrics Horchow Family Scholarship (5300375400).

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institutions faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,500 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 105,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 370,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year.
Palace is the latest streetwear label to use its clothing drop model to support the fight against Covid-19.

The British skatewear brand is launching an NHS TRI-TO HELP capsule, consisting of a white T-shirt, long-sleeved crew neck and a hoodie printed with a version of the brands triangular logo in NHS blue, featuring the words National Health Service, printed on the front and back of each piece.

The drop follows the news last week that Supreme was releasing a Covid-19 relief tee featuring a floral logo designed by artist Murakami with profits going to Help USA, and an announcement at the weekend from fellow American streetwear brand Noah that it was releasing a Thank You Core Logo Tee to benefit Direct Relief.

The Palace hoodie and tee will be available exclusively on the brands website only from 11am on Friday May 1, and all profits will go to NHS Charities Together, the umbrella organisation for the NHS' official charities in the UK supporting key workers on the frontline.
South Korea says it can't corroborate reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is gravely ill, with an official in the presidential office saying Seoul believes he is with officials traveling outside the capital, Pyongyang.

The official said that "no unusual signs supporting reports about his health conditions have been detected." They also cast doubt on a report by a South Korean-based newspaper that Kim was recovering from surgery in the Mount Myohyang area, saying the leader was not believed to be in that part of the country.

Earlier, a US official with direct knowledge told CNN that Washington was monitoring intelligence which suggested Kim was in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery. A second source familiar with the intelligence told CNN that the US has been closely monitoring reports on Kim's health.

Kim recently missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday on April 15, which raised speculation about his well-being. He had been seen four days before that at a government meeting.

Another US official told CNN Monday that concerns about Kim's health were credible -- but the severity is hard to assess.

Unconfirmed rumors

The most extensive reports on Kim's alleged surgery and poor health came from Daily NK, an online publication based in South Korea staffed in part by defectors from the north. It has a mixed reputation among North Korea watchers, and has published stories about the country which have later been debunked.

According to Daily NK, Kim reportedly received a cardiovascular system procedure on April 12 because of "excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork," and is now receiving treatment in a villa in Hyangsan County following his procedure.

Daily NK reported that after assessing Kim's condition had improved, most of the medical team treating him returned to Pyongyang on April 19 and only part of them remained to oversee his recovery. CNN is unable to independently confirm the report.

A South Korean source told CNN Monday that the country's top leaders are aware of reports about Kim's health status but cannot independently verify details published by Daily NK. The source acknowledged that Kim's issues related to weight and smoking are well known but made clear they are waiting for more information.

South Korea's presidential Blue House said in a media statement that it had nothing to confirm on reports about Kim's health and "no unusual signs" had been detected inside North Korea.

South Korea's Unification Ministry and Defense Ministry declined to comment on speculations about Kim's health.

The National Security Council and Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment when contacted by CNN on Monday. CNN has also reached out to the CIA and the State Department for comment.

Succession uncertainty

Speculation over Kim's health has raised concerns over the succession plan in North Korea and possible instability should the country's young leader die.

US officials have been reaching out to North Korean experts -- particularly those who have studied the Kim regime -- to talk about contingency planning, a source familiar with the communications told CNN.

Still, the situation remains murky as gathering intelligence out of North Korea is notoriously difficult -- one of the most challenging targets for US intelligence.

North Korea tightly controls any information surrounding its leader, who is treated almost like a deity within the country. His absences from official state media often spark speculation and rumors about his health.

North Korea has no free press and is often a black hole when it comes to the country's leadership. Analysts are heavily reliant on scanning state media dispatches and watching propaganda videos for clues.

Kim last appeared in North Korean state media on April 11. The country's most important holiday, the Day of the Sun, on April 15 -- the anniversary of the birth of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung -- came and went without any official mention of Kim Jong Un's movements.

Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected and made history last week after being elected to South Korea's parliament, said it was unprecedented for Kim not to attend.

"We will have to calmly monitor this issue and the South Korean government needs to monitor situations closely and better be in full preparation for any possible emergency situations in the North," he added.

Experts are unsure of what to make of Kim's absence from any festivities celebrating his grandfather. When North Korean leaders have not shown up to these important celebrations in the past, it has portended major developments. But it has also turned out to be nothing.

"There have been a number of recent rumors about Kim's health. If Kim is hospitalized, it would explain why he wasn't present on the important April 15th celebrations," said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former CIA deputy division chief for North Korea. "But, over the years, there have been a number of false health rumors about Kim Jong-un or his father. We'll have to wait and see."

Kim Jong Il's absence from a parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary in 2008 was followed by rumblings that he was in poor health. It was later revealed he had a stroke, after which his health continued to decline until his death in 2011.

Thae said news of Kim Jong Il's death took more than 51 hours to become public. "On that day, at the foreign affairs department in North Korea, it was business as usual until we were told at 11 a.m. to gather at a hall by noon," he said.

The late leader's son also disappeared from the public eye for more than a month in 2014, which prompted speculation about the younger Kim's health. Kim Jong Un returned sporting a cane, and days later South Korean intelligence said that he had a cyst removed from his ankle.

"It's easy to be wrong on this one," said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul.
European countries are working to find a balance in how far to ease coronavirus lockdowns, with Germany enforcing mandatory masks in all shops from Wednesday, as the crushing global economic cost of the pandemic becomes clearer.

Excitement over moves towards normality is being tempered by fear of fresh outbreaks of a disease that has already killed 214,000 people worldwide.

Even a gradual return to everyday activity is "risky", warned French Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe, despite a downward trend in virus deaths in hard-hit European countries.

From Wednesday in Germany, masks will be needed to enter shops, which began to open last week after the government declared the outbreak under control.

Nose and mouth coverings are already compulsory on buses, trains and trams.

People wearing face masks visit a hair salon in Tokyo. By CHARLY TRIBALLEAU (AFP)

"We all need to take care that we don't end up with more infections," said Lothar Wieler, president of Berlin's Robert Koch Institute.

Forecasts warn of the worst global recession in a century, with demand for goods gutted, and travel and tourism hammered.

British Airways became the latest airline to sound the alarm, saying it may have to cut its workforce by a third, while big banks are reporting deep falls in quarterly profit.

In Lebanon there were more immediate signs of economic crisis, with protesters confronting soldiers in defiance of a nationwide lockdown, complaining they could no longer feed their families.

Lebanese demonstrators walk through the streets of the capital Beirut as anger over a spiralling economic crisis re-energised a months-old anti-government movement. By ANWAR AMRO (AFP)

And with warnings mounting of a meat shortage in the US, the White House said President Donald Trump would sign an executive order compelling meat-packing plants to stay open, despite a string of coronavirus deaths in the industry.

'Cries of the people'

The United States has reported its millionth coronavirus case, and at over 58,000 the country's COVID-19 death toll is by far the world's highest -- surpassing the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam war.

Health workers help a woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, at Bagcilar in Istanbul. By Bulent Kilic (AFP)

Italy, Spain and France have been the worst affected European countries, with each reporting more than 23,000 deaths.

Nations from Russia to Nigeria also plan to ease lockdown measures, despite warnings from experts of a second wave of contagion if restrictions are lifted too hastily.

In Nigeria's largest city Lagos, bus driver Taju Olonade told AFP the decision showed authorities had finally listened "to the cries of the people".

A man wearing a face mask and his child observe a California Sea Lion at Berlin's Zoo as it partially reopens for the public. By Tobias SCHWARZ (AFP)

"For almost one month I have not earned a penny," he said. "I hope life will soon return to normal."

More than three million people worldwide are known to have caught the respiratory disease that first emerged in China in December.

Inmates from Villa Devoto prison take part in a riot demanding measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, after a case was reported inside the detention center, in Buenos Aires. By JUAN MABROMATA (AFP)

China's outbreak appears to be under control with no new deaths reported for two weeks straight and confirmed fatalities at around 4,600 -- although much doubt has been cast on these figures' accuracy.

Chinese state media said Wednesday that the top legislature will next month hold its annual meeting, which had been postponed for the first time in decades due to the virus.

The rescheduled session on May 22 is a signal from the leadership that China has largely brought its outbreak under control, said Hong Kong-based analyst Willy Lam.

A homeless man in Moscow gets a meal at s has a meal at the "Rescue Hangar" during the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown. By Dimitar DILKOFF (AFP)

"It's a sign that China is back on its feet, and the economic machinery keeps humming, and a big reassurance to the people that the epidemic is over," he told AFP.

Sunseekers

Scientists are scrambling to develop treatments and a vaccine, with myriad studies under way -- including one from the US Department of Homeland Security into how ultraviolet radiation destroys the virus.

Workers build 700 graves at the MezquitAn Pantheon cemetery in preparation for possible victims of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus in Guadalajara, Mexico. By ULISES RUIZ (AFP)

Trump raised eyebrows last week when he asked whether light could become a medical treatment.

While that research has not yet been published, people in Indonesia are soaking up rays in the hope that the tropical country's plentiful sunshine will ward off the disease.

A man dressed as 'Yamraj', the Hindu mythical angel of death, campaigns to raise awareness on the importance to stay home and maintain social distancing during an event organised by Delhi police. By SAJJAD HUSSAIN (AFP)

"I always avoided the sun before because I didn't want to get tanned," said Theresia Rikke Astria, a 27-year-old housewife in Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta.

"But I'm hoping this will strengthen my immune system," she added.

Hundreds of New Yorkers were able to access walk-in virus and antibody tests for the first time on Tuesday, even without serious symptoms or underlying health issues.

Ariel Krupnik, 32, was among those willing to wait two hours for a $300 blood test.

Although the results are not 100 percent reliable -- and even if it is not proven that antibodies confer total immunity -- Krupnik said a positive result would mean feeling less compelled to stay inside all the time.

"I can go help out other people that are having it," Krupnik said, as it would mean he might be able to donate blood for experimental plasma therapies.

Snapshots of scenarios worldwide as some governments announce plans to relax strict coronavirus restrictions. By Gal ROMA (AFP)

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After Gov. Greg Abbott announced malls could reopen at 25 percent occupancy, Houstons Galleria, Houston Premium Outlets and Katy Mills are opening this Friday.

Simon Properties Group, the largest mall owner in the country, will open these malls Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
Puro Politics is a weekly podcast hosted by columnist Gilbert Garcia, covering the drama and nuance of local government issues.

Produced by Joy-Marie Scott.

Listen and subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher TuneIn & RSS All Episodes

Texas is taking tentative steps this week toward reopening an economy shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that retailers, restaurants, movie theaters and malls will be allowed to open, beginning Friday, as long as they do not exceed 25 percent capacity occupancy.

Abbotts decision has met with some concern from Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who says the governor is taking a risk by abandoning stay-at-home policies before the data indicates that infection rates are consistently dropping in Texas.

It also flies in the face of a University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll last week, which found that 77 percent of Texans approve of requiring individuals to stay at home except for essential activities.

The states move to greater economic activity was a major topic on this weeks edition of the Express-News Puro Politics podcast.

Greg Jefferson, the Express-News business editor, pointed out that most of us  including public officials  have no idea how to balance our competing public health and economic concerns, because were in an unprecedented situation.

Abbotts move already has raised questions as to whether it will be a cost-effective scenario for small, locally owned restaurants to open up dine-in service to no more than 25 percent of the total listed occupancy of the establishment. There is also the question of how many people will feel comfortable eating in restaurants or shopping in stores at a time when the virus continues to spread.

My guess is that we go into the reporting, were going to find a very muted response, Jefferson said, in reference to Abbotts efforts to reopen the economy. Just because you open a store doesnt mean the fear goes away.

Hear this and other topics discussed on this weeks episode of Puro Politics.

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Nargiz Ismayilova  Trend:

Azerbaijan hosted an online seminar with the participation of representatives of the countrys Ministry of Energy, Energy Regulatory Agency and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Trend reports referring to the ministry.

According to the ministry, discussions were held with the support of IFC in connection with the preparation of a Roadmap for the development of offshore wind energy in Azerbaijan.

As noted Zaur Mammadov, head of the Ministrys Office, the goal of preparing the roadmap is to identify potentially effective areas for wind energy, their economic viability, network connectivity, possible onshore and offshore environmental impact.

"The parties expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between IFC and the Ministry of Energy in securing a phased transition to market relations in the energy sector and the development of renewable energy. A presentation was made by the World Bank Group, representing the worlds wind energy markets, experience of its use, forecasts up to 2030 and support for the development of this sphere," the report said.

The process of developing the roadmap will cover geographical mapping, identifying zones, conducting analysis in economic, financial, environmental and social aspects, impact assessment, issuing permissions and approvals, creating the regulatory framework, the updating of the transmission system, the study of the supply chain.

The offshore wind energy use will help create new jobs, as well as further opportunities for the development of the country's economy. Its planned to start work on the project in June 2020, to complete the mission to Azerbaijan in December of the year and to finalize the roadmap in February of 2021.

"The roadmap, which will be prepared jointly with the International Finance Corporation, will contribute to expanding the use of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan and fulfilling obligations under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030," added the ministry.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis
SALEM, Ore.  Apparently relenting to growing pressure from business owners and lawmakers, Governor Kate Brown has directed the Oregon Department of Revenue to scale back the requirements for a new corporate activity tax (CAT) that was supposed to go into effect this year.

The tax was a major component of the Student Success Act passed last year, an effort to raise $2 billion for Oregon schools. The bill and its accompanying tax prompted a walk-out by Senate Republicans.

Because of the major economic impacts of coronavirus, the CAT has since become a major battleground again between opponents and supporters  with the former arguing that Oregon businesses cannot take the strain of the new tax, and the latter saying that schools in the state need the influx of funding now more than ever due to the expected plummeting of revenue sources.

Under the more relaxed rules announced Wednesday, the threshold for businesses covered by the tax changes for this first year. Instead of an annual tax liability of $5,000, the ceiling has gone up to $10,000  meaning businesses owning less than $10,000 are not required to make quarterly estimated tax payments this year.

Businesses that don't have the financial ability to pay also will not be penalized if they underestimate their quarterly payments or cannot make a payment.

"If businesses know theyll owe $10,000 or more in annual Corporate Activity Tax in 2020 and can pay, they should make estimated quarterly payments and comply with the law to the fullest extent possible," the Department of Revenue said.

Businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 and are finding it difficult to calculate or pay an estimated quarterly payment should keep documentation showing:

Their inability to pay a quarterly payment because of insufficient funds due to COVID-19.

Their inability to reasonably calculate a quarterly payment or annual tax liability due to their business being impacted by COVID-19.

That the taxpayer is unclear at this time whether the business will owe Corporate Activity Tax in April 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts, after taking into consideration exclusions and subtractions in the law.

"Businesses uncertain about their economic future due to the COVID-19 crisis, or those that have been closed during this crisis and have no ability to determine that they will owe a tax this year, wont be penalized," Revenue said.
More than 40 percent of coronavirus-related deaths in Texas have been linked to nursing homes and assisted-living centers  a spike from just 30 percent two weeks ago, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

The review found that 33 percent of deaths related to COVID-19 as of Tuesday were connected to nursing homes, with an additional 9 percent linked to assisted-living facilities.

Nationally, the death rate for the 23 states that report long-term care fatalities is 27 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Gov. Greg Abbott this week directed the states health and human services agency to develop additional guidance for nursing homes. Despite loosening some restrictions on nonessential businesses, Abbott said Monday he would maintain protections on the most vulnerable people, including those at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

We will also redouble our efforts to protect seniors in nursing homes, and other senior living facilities, Abbott said. That includes things like better infectious disease protocols at senior living centers. The bottom line is this: The more we do to protect our vulnerable senior population, the faster we can safely open business in Texas.

Although Abbott has not followed the lead of Marylands governor in creating strike teams to respond to nursing home outbreaks, officials in Galveston and Harris counties have announced new initiatives, from increased testing in Galveston County to a strike team in Harris County.

More testing needed

As of Monday, at least 231 coronavirus-related deaths were in nursing facilities, according to the Texas Health & Human Services Commission. At least 59 deaths were in assisted living facilities. There were a total of 688 deaths statewide linked to the new coronavirus as of that date, according to state data and Chronicle reporting. Two weeks ago, there were a total of 94 deaths at such facilities.

In anticipation of Abbotts phased reopening of the states economy, Houston-area health agencies on Monday detailed plans to ramp up coronavirus testing at nursing homes and in at-risk communities with large numbers of minorities, which have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

Experts say the state needs to be similarly aggressive in testing staffers and residents at long-term care facilities.

Statewide, our HHSC survey teams are on site in nursing facilities and actively investigating and monitoring them to assess compliance with all applicable health and safety rules, said Kelli Weldon, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Commission, in a written statement.

Amanda Fredriksen, associate state director for advocacy and outreach at AARP Texas, said this protocol is too reactive, particularly as many people infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic carriers. She said nursing homes should be testing staff on a weekly basis and ensuring that any employees that have regular direct contact with residents are wearing sufficient personal protective equipment.

The emphasis on testing is good, but the frustration still is that the trigger point (for investigation) is a positive case in the facility, Fredriksen said. It just seems like at that point, the damage has already been done.

On the recommendation of federal officials, Abbott banned most visitors more than a month ago from nursing homes in an attempt to protect residents from infection. Later, the prohibition was extended to assisted living centers.

Nursing homes typically take the temperatures of employees, but experts concede those screenings wont reveal someone not showing any symptoms of COVID-19. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its criteria to guide testing to include asymptomatic people in long-term care facilities as priorities.

Patty Ducayet, the states long-term care ombudsman, said the poor quality of certain nursing homes throughout the state, even before the coronavirus outbreak, could be skewing the overall numbers.

Pandemics are something we should have been preparing for, and we know facilities will probably learn an incredible number of lessons from this experience, Ducayet said, adding that shed like to see a statewide measure barring nursing home employees from working at more than one facility.

Officials have said such cross-pollination likely contributed to an outbreak at a Texas City nursing home where more than 80 residents and staff tested positive and at least one resident died.

Now Playing: 'COVID-19 in 60': Houston coronavirus news in a minute Video: Houston Chronicle

Localities increase tests

Brian Lee, executive director of the Austin-based watchdog group Families For Better Care, said Texass nursing home quality has been bottom of the barrel in the nation for years. For three straight years, Texas has ranked last in the nation in the organizations annual report card that analyzes nursing home quality.

To curb the spread, Lee said, the state needs to increase transparency and release names of facilities with outbreaks, not just data on infections and deaths, as well as mandate testing of all residents and staff when there is a confirmed case in a facility.

The state needs to take more of a leadership role than they have been, Lee said. Because the nursing homes are not slowing the curve, stopping the spread. All were doing is were seeing an escalation in outbreaks and deaths, and they need help.

In Texas, a total of 282 nursing facilities were reporting coronavirus cases as of Monday  representing 23 percent of all licensed facilities across the state. A total of 85 assisted living facilities had cases  representing 4 percent of facilities across the state.

The state has not disclosed the number of deaths by county in nursing homes and assisted living centers.

On Wednesday, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas in a letter called on state and local officials to release that data.

Accurate information about the spread of coronavirus is essential for Texans as they strive to understand the seriousness and scope of this pandemic, said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the FOI Foundation. Knowing which nursing homes are impacted is important as we try to protect the health of our families and our communities. It also contributes to effective public oversight of our governments operations.

New federal rules require nursing homes to report coronavirus cases to the CDC to help the federal government better track outbreaks and work to prevent them. The facilities were already required to report that data to state and local health officials.

Assisted living centers wont be subject to those rules, however, because unlike nursing homes, theyre not federally regulated and instead are overseen by the states.

Local officials are stepping up testing efforts in the absence of a more defined state role.

Beginning Tuesday, Harris County Public Health will deploy a strike team to test for COVID-19 at nursing homes and other community living settings. For now, epidemiologists, social workers and clinicians will only able to visit one nursing home per day until more resources become available.

Harris Countys efforts mirror initiatives already underway in Galveston County to test more nursing-home residents and workers.

Philip Keiser, the countys local health authority, said four different nursing homes have now reported outbreaks, with 21 of the countys 24 deaths coming from those facilities. The health district has retested many nursing home residents after two weeks  the point at which patients should recover from the disease, per the CDC  and found that many were still infected.

What Im concerned is going on, Keiser said, is that these people are still potentially infectious, and then youve got people crowded together in a nursing home, and even though everyones doing the best they can to (isolate) it, it still might not be enough.

nick.powell@chron.com

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
KENYA- While watching police patrolling the streets from their balcony alongside his mother and siblings, a stray bullet shot straight to the stomach of 13-year-old Yassin Hussein Moyo making him the country's first casualty of coronavirus-related curfew.

Watching the news at a nearby friend's place, the father of the victim Hussein Moyo Molte heard gunshots, and moments after, he received a call from his daughter who delivered the bad news.

According to CNN, she stated that Yassin's been shot while they were on the balcony, the police had a torch on them and then fired shots.

After hearing the incident, Moyo rushed home as the neighborhood is already engulfed in tear gas.

Despite the efforts of Yassin's neighbors in bringing him to a hospital in Nairobi, he later died from his injuries.

Yassin's father believes that the neighborhood police officers are to blame for the incident on March 30 and he shared that his child was shot on the balcony at home and he was not even on the street.

He also added that he is very supportive about the curfew but he emphasized that the way the policeman handled it was very wrong.

Unnecessary use of excessive force

Kenya imposed the nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew on March 27 as part of their safety and precautionary measures in fighting against COVID-19, which already killed 14 patients in the country.



On the other hand, since the start of the curfew, human rights group Amnesty International shared that they have documented 16 deaths where police officers are primary suspects.

Kenya director of Amnesty International, Irungu Houghton emphasized that excessive use of force further terrorizes a public that is already anxious and fearful.

After the first day of curfew, disturbing videos circulated on local media showing how the police are violently beating and forcing people to lie in tight groups in the city of Mombasa.

Read also: NY Doctor Commits Suicide After Witnessing Traumatic Scenes Brought by COVID-19

The humans rights group director Houghton believes that the violent enforcement of the curfew destroys public trust in the police and it could hurt the efforts in stopping the spread of coronavirus.

Houghton also added that people will not voluntarily submit themselves to be tested if they feel their dignity and safety cannot be guaranteed.

In a televised address, Kenya's inspector general of police vowed to investigate the death of Yassin and even Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta issued a public apology for the excessive use of force by the country's police.

Kenya national police's spokesman, Charles Owino confirmed that Yassin by a stray bullet but the investigation and ballistic report is still ongoing and when asked about the allegations of excessive use of force, Owino refused to respond to the questions.

An apology is not enough

A month after the incident, Yassin's family is still traumatized and they emphasized that an apology will not bring back their son.

Yassin's mother, Hadija Abdullahi Hussein shared that even everyone is home no one is talking, as Yassin used to be the one who brought all the life in their house.

She also confessed that the sight of police patrolling the streets left her and other 3-year-old son terrified, asking the question of whether the police will shoot him too.

Related article: More Than 700 Killed in Iran for Fake Coronavirus Cure

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[April 29, 2020] Beacon Healthcare Systems Names Manish Nautiyal Senior Vice President of IT Development and Infrastructure

Beacon Healthcare Systems announced today the appointment of Manish Nautiyal as its new senior vice president of IT development and infrastructure. Beacon is home to the healthcare industry's leading compliance and risk management technologies. In his new role, Nautiyal will oversee software development and infrastructure operations for existing and new products with the goal of enriching the product experience for each of Beacon's health plan clients nationwide. He brings to this assignment more than 17 years of experience in information technology and software engineering with focused expertise in the healthcare services sector. "Throughout his career, Manish has demonstrated a unique capacity to create a strong foundation for IT development services and operations within an organization," said Beacon CEO Ken Stockman. "At Beacon we will be looking to Manish to help streamline our processes, scale our technology strategies and lead in the development of new custom applications so as to meet the ever-changing needs of our growingclient base."



A graduate of India's Agra University with a degree in engineering (computer science), Nautiyal most recently served as a technology director for claims and data management operations at Evolent Health. There he was responsible for providing services to claims, providers and utilization management clinical business teams within the company. Immediately prior, Nautiyal worked for 10 years at Molina Healthcare, including serving as associate vice president/director of IT operations and maintenance. In that capacity Nautiyal oversaw the technology development and operations teams responsible for managing applications related to claims, eligibility, providers, clinical systems and portals. Beacon Healthcare Systems is home to the healthcare industry's leading compliance and risk management technologies, providing health plans of all sizes and sponsorships with customizable and scalable SaaS (News - Alert) (Service as a Software) solutions that ensure accountability, accuracy and operational efficiency. With a focus on appeals, grievances, compliance and analytics, Beacon HCS is the first place health plans turn to when they are looking for a trusted, experienced partner who can help them reduce costs, grow revenue and achieve their strategic goals. Founded in 2011, Beacon HCS is a privately held California-based company with a technology center located in Austin, Texas. beaconhcs.com

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Myanmar & COVID-19 Doctor-Turned-COVID-19 Patient Sheds Light on Myanmar Health Care Workers' Struggle

Anesthesiologist Dr. Myint Myint Sein is seen at Pyay General Hospital. / Facebook

YANGONKnowing she would likely be infected with the deadly virus, 58-year-old anesthesiologist Dr. Myint Myint Sein removed her eye shield without hesitation in order to intubate a COVID-19 patient who was in critical condition and in need of breathing support. The patient later died, and Dr. Myint Myint Sein became the first doctor to be infected with the coronavirus in Myanmar.

There was no video laryngoscope and the protective gear was adding to the poor visibility. So, I removed the eye shield to intubate [insert a tube into] the patient, the anesthesiologist explained to State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in a videoconference on Tuesday.

Since April 1, the State Counselor has held regular videoconferences with people involved in the fight against COVID-19 in Myanmars states and regions. On Tuesday, she held talks with Dr. Myint Myint Sein, who joined the conference from her room at Yangons Waibargi Hospital, where she is being treated for COVID-19, and two other recovering patients, one from Chin State and another from Mandalay Region.

During the videoconference, the doctor shared an account of her small teams struggle to manage COVID-19 patients at Pyay General Hospital in Bago Region and her suggestions for the countrys fight against the pandemic. Both her recollections and her suggestions shed light on the difficulties Myanmars health-care workers are currently facing in their attempts to save COVID-19 patients lives.

Dr. Myint Myint Sein said she worried that her colleagues on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight in other states and regions would also fall sick due to the lack of essential medical supplies.

We need video laryngoscopes to handle COVID-19 patients. Without that, its like going into battle without a weapon, the doctor told the State Counselor.

Despite being one of biggest hospitals in Bago Region, Pyay 500-Bed General Hospital has just two anesthesiologistsDr. Myint Myint Sein and her assistant. The hospital also lacks properly trained staff to run its intensive care unit, so her small team comprising a few nurses and her assistant struggled to handle the COVID-19 patients.

During the meeting, the visibly ailing anesthesiologist also stressed the importance of training healthcare workers in the proper use of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment, saying they could be dangerous if not used properly. Her explanations were punctuated by occasional coughs.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi acknowledged the insufficient medical supplies and staff at hospitals across the country. She said the government would try to train and recruit more medical professionals and upgrade hospitals in the long term. For now, she added, they were doing the best that the countrys limited resources would allow.

Dr. Myint Myint Sein said that despite the lack of medical supplies and staff, she was moved to carry on the struggle by her admiration for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her inspiring words, telling herself she had to do her best while the countrys de facto leader was taking such a heavy load on her shoulders.

But the anesthesiologist, who is known and highly respected among her colleagues for her outspokenness and professionalism, didnt hesitate to criticize the centralized government system.

She said she had been pushing the relevant health authorities to prepare the ICU for critical COVID-19 patients at Pyay General Hospital since February. However, the doctor said, the poorly equipped unit was prepared in a hurry shortly before the first patients arrived in early April. She added that health authorities directives for dealing with COVID-19 patients were unrealistic from the perspective of those providing treatment on the ground.

There are delays in implementation on the ground because of the centralization of administrative functions, and the same goes for medical treatment, she said, adding that the countrys top-down clinical management system was more about senior-worship than respect. The result, she said, was that health-care workers felt unable to voice their opinions and use their own judgment when it came to treating patients.

The anesthesiologist said she was experiencing a number of symptoms of COVID-19, with the exception of difficulty breathing. She said she was still testing positive for the coronavirus after three weeks in hospital, and was unable to stand without assistance. She told Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that despite her illness, she did her best to keep her spirits high by adopting positive thinking, singing and doing yoga exercises.

What gives me strength is thinking of the patients I have treated And with that strength, I am sure I will beat this disease, she said.

You may also like these stories:

Corporate Responsibility Is an Integral Part of Korean Investment in Myanmar

Myanmar Launches Sweeping COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan
B ollywood star Irrfan Khan has died at the age of 53, it has been confirmed.

The actor, who also starred in Slumdog Millionaire and Jurassic World, died in a hospital in Mumbai "surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about", his PR agency told media outlets in India.

They added: "A man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen.

"It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away.

"We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it'."

Irrfan Khan - In pictures 1 /9 Irrfan Khan - In pictures Victoria Will/Invision/AP The Warrior (2002) PUBLICITY PICTURE Irrfan Khan, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Anil Kapoor hold their awards after winning for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture "Slumdog Millionaire" at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 2009 REUTERS Life of Pi (2012) Alamy The Lunchbox (2013) Irrfan Khan poses for a portrait at The Collective and Gibson Lounge Powered by CEG, during the Sundance Film Festival 2014 Victoria Will/Invision/AP Inferno (2016)

Khan had been hospitalised while fighting a colon infection.

The sad news came just hours after his representative told fans he was still fighting the illness following premature reports of his death.

Khan was best-known for his extensive work in Hindi films and he also landed roles in a series of Hollywood movies during his decades-spanning career.

Having won a scholarship to study drama in the mid 1980s, he appeared in a number of Indian TV series.

He was then offered theatre roles and made his Bollywood film debut in the late 1980s, landing his first lead film role in the 2005 movie Rog.

In 2008, he landed a part in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire.

SAG Awards: Khan with his Slumdog Millionaire co-stars / REUTERS

Khan previously suffered a period of ill-health in 2018 when he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.

Referencing this in their statement on his death, his family said: "After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it."
It would make sense for the OPEC+ coalition of oil producers to begin monitoring the groups market share to measure how effective the OPEC+ actions are, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told news agency Interfax in an interview published on Wednesday.

Asked to comment on an idea of Gazprom Nefts chief executive Alexander Dyukov that OPEC+ should switch its gauge for effectiveness of the deal by looking into the market shares of the countries part of the coalition, Novak said:

Generally, it will be necessary to track indicators such as inventories, supply, and demand, but then it also makes sense to switch to targeting market share which belongs to OPEC+ considering the rise in global demand.

Oil executives in Russia, including Igor Sechin, the boss of the biggest oil producer Rosneft, have often criticized the OPEC+ pact, which began its efforts to fix the market and prop up prices in January 2017. Russian firms have argued that the OPEC+ cuts only serve to prop up U.S. shale production with higher oil prices, giving America more share on the global market at the expense of Russia and its OPEC allies in the OPEC+ deal. Many analysts saw Moscows refusal in early March to back a collective 1.5-million-bpd cut from all OPEC+ members as the end of the Russian patience in propping up U.S. shale.

The month-long spat between Russia and OPECs leader and largest producer, Saudi Arabia, combined with the crashing global demand in the pandemic to force oil prices so low that not a single U.S. oil producer is comfortable with current prices. The U.S. shale patch is slashing capex and production to cope with the very low prices.

But oil prices and demand at these levels arent comfortable for neither Russia nor the Saudis, either. This made Russia and its now-friend-again Saudi Arabia sit down and hammer out a new OPEC+ deal to cut 9.7 million bpd production in May and June.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
New Delhi, April 29 : The Delhi Police on Wednesday invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar Sharjeel Imam who was arrested for allegedly giving a seditious speech and abetting violence at Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019.

"UAPA has been invoked against Sharjeel Imam," Delhi Police Additional PRO Anil Mittal said.

Imam's lawyer, however asserted that it is a mere tactic adopted by the police to delay his release.

Imam was arrested on January 28 from his home town Jahanabad in Bihar by Delhi Police for allegedly making the controversial "cut off Assam" statement, leading to sedition charges.

He haas also been booked in connection with the violence which erupted in Jamia Millia Islamia during the anti-CAA protests on December 15 last year.
Punjab Lockdown Extension News, Coronavirus India lockdown extension news today: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh recently announced the extension of lockdown for two more weeks to control the spread of coronavirus in the state.

Punjab Lockdown Extension News: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced to extend the curfew for two more weeks to check the spread of coronavirus in the State. Though the curfew has been extended by two more weeks, there will be relaxation from 7 am to 11 am every day. During this time, people can come out of their houses. Shops will also be allowed to open, said Chief Minister Singh in a video address to the States people.

The nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which was to end on April 14. It is now slated to end on May 3. However, during a recent video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several state Chief Ministers have requested to extend the lockdown period.

As per the latest data shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 31,332, of which 7,696 have recovered/discharged and 1,007 people have succumbed to the disease.

Also Read: SC orders Centre to make available PPEs to non-COVID doctors, other healthcare workers to treat patients

Taking the state-wise tally, Maharashtra remains the worst-hit state with a maximum number of cases up to 9318 with 1388 recovered from the virus after fighting the battle against coronavirus and 400 deaths, followed by Gujarat which has recorded total 3744 cases with 181 deaths, Delhi with 3314 positive cases and 54 deaths, Madhya Pradesh reports 2387 cases with 120 deaths and Rajasthan with 2364 cases and 51 deaths.

Globally, 3.1 million people are suffering from coronavirus cases with 216,000 deaths reported worldwide. The United States remains the worst affected country as it has recorded the highest number of cases which has reached 1,012,399.

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Some residents of Assisi and Rieti, in Italy, took to Facebook to express their sadness and gratitude for a Tanzanian religious sister, Anastasia Cristian Malisa. She succumbed to COVID-19 over the weekend.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City

Today, at 16.30, our Sister Anastasia, returned to Jesus, her spouse and only source of joy, after a terrible month of suffering from the coronavirus, wrote one of the Poor Clares based in Rieti, last Saturday. The Poor Clares (Suore Clarisse Apostoliche) is the religious congregation to which Sr. Anastasia belonged. Sr. Anna, 60, as she was fondly known was laid to rest in Rieti, Monday.

Santa Lucia home for the elderly in Rieti

Sr Anastasia worked at Rietis Santa Lucia nursing home for the elderly. When several senior citizens at the old age home contracted the coronavirus disease, all residents and staff were tested for the disease. Sr. Anastasias COVID-19 test came out positive. Hardly a day after, she became seriously ill and was admitted to Rietis hospital, San Camillo De Lellis. On the evening of 29 March, her condition took a turn for the worst and she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It was to be a month-long, excruciating fight for her life. Last Saturday, on 25 April, she succumbed to her illness and died.

A joyful life of simplicity

A Sister who came from Africa, simple, kind, fully-fulfilled in her vocation as a religious sister and dedicated to the service of the little ones and our dear elderly. May the Lord, in His goodness, welcome her into his Kingdom of joy, reserved for his chosen ones, was how her fellow Poor Clares described Sr. Anastasia.

The African nun with a warm smile

Eight years ago, Sr. Anastasia arrived in Rieti from the Italian city of Assisi. This week, several of those who knew her in Assisi where she first lived and worked as well as those of Rieti took to Facebook to express their affection and sentiments for the African nun with a warm smile. Others wrote, We shall forever remember your joy and readiness to always give testimony to your calling. #Lavocedelsilenzio wrote, Rest your limbs now returned to mother earth in colours glistening as a scarf made of silk Some recalled her love and nostalgia for Africa. It was not possible for us to bid you farewell, but we know that where we could not be, our prayers arrived. There were many other tributes.

Arrived from Moshi, Tanzania

Sr. Anastasia came to Italy from Tanzania at the age of 34. She was from Tanzanias Moshi District which lies on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. As a Poor Clare, she first worked with children in the nursery schools and then eventually in the care home for the aged, the Casa di Riposo Santa Lucia of Rieti. In all, she lived in Italy for 26 years.

COVID-19 among women religious and priests

As of 28 April, the national tally according to the Italian Catholic newspaper, Avvenire, was 118 priests who have died of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy.

COVID-19 has also been devastating the ranks of female Catholic congregations worldwide. In Italy alone, the numbers of religious sisters who have died of COVID-19 surpasses those of priests by far. It has been difficult and challenging to reconstruct the exact figures of the women religious deceased. Female religious are more vulnerable because many of them work in hospitals; run nursing and retirement homes, and live closely together in communities.

The death of Kenyas Bishop Silas Njiru in Italy

Meanwhile, Catholics in Kenya have also been paying tribute and mourning the demise of Bishop Emeritus Silas Njiru. Bishop Njiru was the second Bishop of Kenyas Meru Diocese. According to a representative of the Consolata Missionaries in Italy, Fr. Pedro Jose da Silva Luoro, after his retirement, Bishop Njiru lived as a resident of the Blessed Joseph Allamano House for the elderly in Alpignano, Turin Italy. He passed away on Tuesday, 28 April due to COVID-19. He was 92 years.
POSCO, Adani Group ink pact to explore opportunities for greenfield steel project in Gujarat, other businesses by investing up to USD 5 bn.
Tripoli: Protests against growing economic hardship have erupted in Tripoli and spread to other Lebanese cities, with banks set ablaze and violence boiling over into a second night.

A protester wearing a protective face shield at an anti-government demonstration outside the headquarters of the Lebanese central bank in Beirut, Lebanon. Credit:Bloomberg

One demonstrator was killed in riots on Monday, according to security and medical sources, as a collapse in the currency, soaring inflation and spiralling unemployment convulse Lebanon, a country in deep financial crisis since October.

A shutdown to fight the new coronavirus has made matters worse for the economy.

Protesters in the northern city of Tripoli on Tuesday set banks on fire and smashed their facades, prompting the army to fire rubber bullets and tear gas.
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Market Overview

Frozen Food has emerged as a key part of the consumer products market in recent years due to the growing focus on the convenience of food products to the increasingly busy urban users. Frozen food can be prepared days, even months, after packaging, and retains its freshness and nutritive value, which makes it highly attractive for consumers in developed, industrialized urban centres. Urban users are increasingly finding it difficult to make time for preparing food as per traditional preferences, as their hectic lifestyle has forced them to find alternatives that allow for easy and quick consumption and preparation. The frozen food market has benefitted majorly from these trends and likely to exhibit a strong growth trajectory over the coming years as a result.

Market Research Future (MRFR) has announced a new report on the global frozen food market. The report analyses the market from the perspective of its product segmentation and regional segmentation and delivers forecasts till 2023. According to the report, the global frozen food market is likely to grow at a CAGR of 4.21% from 2017 to 2023.

Major Key Players

The report examines the strategies of key Frozen Food Market Trend players such as Aryzta AG, Kraft Foods Group Inc., Cargill Inc., General Mills and Nestle S.A.

Segmental Analysis

Based on product type, the Global Frozen Food Market has been segmented into ready to eat products, vegetables and fruits, potatoes, meat and poultry, sea food, soups, and others. Of these, ready to eat foods emerged as the largest segment of the global frozen food market in 2017 and are likely to dominate the market scenario till 2023 due to their growing demand from urban users. Ready to eat foods lighten the time-consuming task of preparing food, thus making meals easy for busy urban users.

The sea food segment is expected to exhibit a high growth rate in the global frozen food market in the coming years due to the growing demand for sea food from inland regions. While sea food has always been a popular food choice in coastal regions, modern refrigeration techniques have allowed for smooth transportation of frozen sea food from the seashore to inland regions, allowing for a smooth rise in demand. The frozen food market is likely to benefit from the growing popularity of sea food in regions such as India, where sea food has not been a traditional part of the cuisine but is now rising in popularity.

Get More Professional and Technical Industry Insights @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/frozen-food-market-1948

Regional Analysis

Based on region, Europe is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. Europe has been an early consumer of Frozen Foods and is also home to many urban consumers, who prefer frozen food to raw foods. This is expected to ensure Europes continued dominance in the global frozen food market in the coming years. The advanced transport infrastructure in North America and Europe is also likely to benefit the frozen food market.

However, emerging regions such as APAC and Latin America present significant scope for the global Frozen Food Market. The frozen food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.81% in Asia Pacific over the 2017-2023 forecast period on the back of the rapid urbanization in countries such as China, India, Japan, and other ASEAN countries. The growing consumption of processed food in these developing economies is likely to strengthen the prospects of the frozen food market in the coming years.

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NOTE: Our Team of Researchers is Studying Covid19 and its Impact on Various Industry Verticals and wherever required we will be considering Covid19 Footprints for Better Analysis of Market and Industries. Cordially get in Touch for More Details.
Dozens of the 110 service members who were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following Irans Jan. 8 ballistic missile attack on an Iraqi base are expected to receive Purple Hearts, CNN reports.

Why it matters: The attacks were in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January. At the time, President Trump dismissed the injuries as "headaches" and "not very serious," prompting backlash from some veterans groups. It's not yet clear how many service members will receive the honor.
A riot broke out in Peru's Lima city prison where nine inmates have reportedly been killed and scores of guards have been injured. According to reports, the riot broke out on April 27 at Lima's Castro Castro prison after two inmates died from coronavirus. Authorities in Peru had earlier said that three inmates were killed due to the riot but gradually revised the toll upwards to nine.

Read: Italy: Seven Inmates Die As Measures To Contain Coronavirus Trigger Prison Riots

The National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) in a statement said that the situation has been brought under control and informed that five prison guards, including two inmates were left injured in the incident. The prisoners had been demanding protection from COVID-19 for which they had been staging a protest inside the jail premises for weeks now, but the situation went out of control on Monday and a riot broke out killing nine inmates and injuring several others.

Read: COVID-19: US Vice President Mike Pence Spotted At A Crowded Hospital Without Face Mask

According to reports, at least 15 inmates have contracted coronavirus in the overcrowded Castro prison, which is also the country's largest prison located north of Lima. Over 600 inmates have been infected by the virus so far, of which two died over the weekend. The prisoners staged a protest on April 28, which ended after the warden signed an agreement concerning medical attention inside the jail.

Read: UNICEF Warns Against Other Health Crisis Amid Suspension Of Vaccination Programs

Prison riots over COVID-19

Prison riots have become a common sight in many countries ever since the coronavirus lockdown has begun. Last month, seven inmates died at a prison in Italy, and guards were taken hostage at another jail demanding better protection from coronavirus in crowded prisons in the country. Italy was the worst affected country for weeks before the United States surpassed it in mid-March. Prison riots broke out in the Indian state of West Bengal last week over the lack of personal protective equipment for inmates.

Read: Pope Francis Urges People To Obey Rules As Leaders Begin To Ease Coronavirus Lockdowns

(Image Credit: AP)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 06:43:07|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- As many as 82 residents living at an aging veterans home in eastern U.S. state Massachusetts have died, including 70 having tested positive for coronavirus, the state's Executive Office of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

The death toll at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home would continue to climb, according to local media reports, calling it the already deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the country,

"It's horrific," said Edward Lapointe, whose father-in-law lives at the veterans home, "These guys never had a chance."

Among another 12 death cases, 11 tested negative and one remained unknown, said the executive office.

Meanwhile, an additional 80 residents and 81 employees have tested positive, while 55 residents have tested negative, and 9 have pending tests, according to a report from the Western Massachusetts News website. Only 106 residents remained at the veterans home as of Wednesday.

With limited staff, workers were forced to routinely travel to other units in order to provide help, which caused the virus to spread at an extremely high rate, local media quoted Joan Miller, a nurse at the home, as saying.

Some workers were without proper personal protective equipment, the Boston Globe reported.

There were nearly 230 residents living at the home in late March and before the outbreak, about one-third of residents were 90 or older and needed round-the-clock care, the paper reported.

Federal officials are looking into whether residents were denied proper medical care, according to local media reports. Enditem
EDITORS NOTE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that 125,000 undocumented workers have been laid off. The NJPP report is being clarified to reflect their analysis is that 125,000 undocumented service workers are at-risk of being laid off by the pandemic.

New Jerseys undocumented workers are being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus crisis, as the industries that lean on immigrants are among the hardest hit, according to a new analysis.

More than 125,000 undocumented workers in New Jersey working on the frontlines of the service industry are most at risk of being economically impacted through layoffs due to the pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the New Jersey Policy Perspective and Rutgers Center for Innovation in Worker Organization.

None of these workers would see any government relief, as they are left out of the federal CARES Act, which includes the $1,200 stimulus check, and are unable to collect unemployment benefits if they lose their jobs, the report states.

In many ways, immigrant workers make up the backbone of New Jerseys economy, said Brandon McKoy, co-author of the report and president of NJPP, a progressive advocacy group. Immigrant workers, who often perform the dangerous work that allows many of us to comfortably practice social distancing, will be hit the hardest by the economic fallout of COVID-19."

The service sector  ranging from restaurant workers to bus drivers to childcare workers to retail workers  represents nearly a quarter of the states private-sector with 800,000 jobs, and will be the most hurt by social distancing and guidelines to continue slowing the spread of COVID-19, according to the report.

Most of these jobs are low-wage, and have become a key source of employment for low-income workers and immigrants due to decades of discrimination and inequities, the report continued.

About 858,000 people have filed for unemployment in the five weeks since the state effectively went into a shutdown to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. Experts say the number, which eclipses all previous records, is likely much higher as it does not include workers who are ineligible for those benefits. NJPP did not have an estimate of how many undocumented workers have been laid off.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Undocumented immigrants, who make up less than 10% of the states population, account for nearly 16% of the workforce in the service industries.

We are relying on a labor force that is so incredibly exploited, said Janice R. Fine, co-author of the study and Director of Research and Strategy at the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization. Part of what this crisis makes us do is see people we didnt see before that, and its up to us to do something about that.

Typically, undocumented workers are more likely to put up with bad workplace conditions -- like not following social distancing or not being provided PPE -- because they are more fearful of the consequences, she said.

Fine warned that leaving the immigrant workforce behind could have negative implications for the industries that depend on them. Some undocumented workers could move to other areas that are cheaper, be forced to find new source of income, and those who are fearful of seeking medical treatment could die.

The lack of low-wage workers would lead to gaps in the economy, Fine added, noting there have always been unjust exploitive workplace conditions, historically for African American workers and women.

If employers cant rely on this workforce, theyll take a hit. If the labor force cant find work, theres pressure on the local government, theres pressure on local hospitals and local infrastructure, because people are relying more on emergency services, she said, describing the domino effect.

Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday he is considering a $600-per-week check to those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and are ineligible for unemployment benefits, but would not commit to it.

Im open-minded to the $600 a week under the theory, as Ive already mentioned, quite clearly, were running out of money, he said during the April 23 press briefing.

California and at least 12 other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Minneapolis, have created funds for excluded workers and immigrants.

The governors comments came after Make the Road New Jersey, a Latino advocacy group, also released a report detailing the deep financial insecurity immigrants are facing amid the coronavirus pandemic. About 75% of the 220 respondents said they have no health insurance and more than 90% fear they cant pay their bills.

Murphy urged those without health insurance who are being turned away to contact his office through the states COVID-19 website.

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WESTFIELD  City health officials have confirmed 38 COVID-19-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, with 347 residents battling the deadly virus.

Public Health Director Joseph Rouse said said cases of the respiratory illness, as well as deaths, are appearing in clusters among nursing and assisted living facilities.

Wednesday was the first time since the start of the pandemic that Westfield has released mortality data, which officials said will become a weekly occurrence.

Across Hampden County, 358 people have died of COVID-19, according to the latest Department of Public Health data. Statewide the death toll is 3,405 as of Wednesday afternoon.

Rouse said during a press conference that the number of COVID-19 deaths will appear on the Health Departments webpage along with the number of confirmed cases of the illness, a reversal from a policy that had only revealed the number of those who had tested positive for the virus.

We were reluctant to release the number before, Rouse said. But were going to get that death tally once a week now.

He also said that infections are still on the rise, and people should continue to be diligent in wearing masks and gloves and remaining at home as much as possible.

Our numbers are not going down right now, Rouse said. The surge is still there. Its not plateauing. A lot of that has to do with assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Those numbers (of confirmed deaths) will remain in the double digits. This is not the time when anyone should let their guard down. Were still in the thick of it and need to take all the precautions weve talked about.

Those precautions include wearing masks and gloves in public, washing hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds, staying home and practicing social distancing.

People should be wearing masks, Rouse said. I encourage the use of that. But the final fact is that social distancing is the No. 1 thing preventing the spread of the disease from person to person. We want to continue doing that. My advice to everyone is to stay home.

Rouse said there is also the possibility for another spike in cases if people do let down their guard.

Were looking at a potential resurgence if we do not remain diligent, and it could be worse.

Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. echoed Rouses concerns that the number of those suffering from the virus is still greater than what officials would like to see. He reiterated the advice to continue wearing masks and gloves, especially in stores.

I get concerned when I see people in stores without masks, he said.

Fire and police chiefs reported during the telephone conference that they are both nearly fully staffed as officers and firefighters who had contracted the virus are now recovered and back to work.

Were down one officer, and hes coming back tomorrow, Police Chief Lawrence Valliere said.

Fire Chief Patrick Egloff said his department is also well staffed, with one person still recuperating from COVID-19. He also said the departments call volume remains high, with an increase in calls from nursing homes.

Like Rouse and Humason, Egloff advised people to continue taking all precautions and remain vigilant.

Residents who have taken the pandemic seriously and stayed home should keep doing what theyre doing, Egloff said. It will help to prevent a surge in our community.

Related Content:
Construction continues to take place inside the new Patient Pavilion for the University of Pennsylvania Health System on Friday, April 3, 2020. The new inpatient facility, which was not slated to open until February 2021, sped up construction to create 120 new beds to serve noncoronavirus patients. Some construction projects have reopened amid the pandemic. Read more

Six weeks ago, construction sites across the state went silent. Now, the day that Pennsylvanias construction industry has been waiting for is near. May 1, when construction resumes, is also International Workers Day. At a time when workers safety could not be more critical, this coincidence could not be more meaningful.

The COVID-19 pandemic will go down in history as one of the most trying times on a national and global scale. However, it is in times like this of unprecedented suffering when workers rights advance. Similar to Labor Day that we celebrate in September, International Workers Day honors workers who fought for the rights we have today, like weekends and paid overtime, and recognizes the contributions of all workers. While there has been no shortage of gratitude for workers, that gratitude must be met with protection. For that reason, health and safety rights have understandably drawn close attention during this pandemic.

The Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) puts the well-being of our members above everything else. It has been difficult to see thousands of our 25,000 LIUNA members across Pennsylvania out of work, and difficult to ask them to return to work in a crisis. Through LIUNAs partnership with the Philadelphia Building Trades, we shared ideas with Gov. Tom Wolf on how to safely move forward. I commend him for incorporating many of those ideas in a balanced solution that allows our members to work again with increased safety precautions before the phased reopening of the state starts next week.

 READ MORE: Pa. construction sites can reopen May 1. What will that look like?

As of May 1, construction sites must enforce new safety measures like sanitizing tools and social distancing while taking some specific measures depending on the type of project. LIUNA projects mainly fall under commercial or public construction. Public projects must receive additional approval from the appropriate state or local oversight entity to resume work. Commercial construction tends to have more open space for distancing, but the total number of workers on-site is limited to the square footage. A Pandemic Safety Officer will be on every site  and LIUNA adds an extra layer of protection by making frequent job site visits on its own to monitor safety and investigate any potential concerns.

Though current policies emphasize physical protection, financial protection cannot be overlooked. Pennsylvania is the state with the second-highest number of unemployment claims, over 180,000 of those claims in construction. The construction industry contributed over $34 billion to Pennsylvanias GDP in 2019, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. For an industry so important to our state and local economies, workers must receive the full economic benefit of their efforts by earning a good wage. Public officials can ensure that happens by joining unions like LIUNA in strongly supporting the enforcement of wage and hour laws.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus quiets the boom of Philly construction

Another measure that will contribute to both the physical and financial protection of construction workers is the Pennsylvania Construction Industry Employee Verification Act. This law requires all construction contractors working in the state to screen their new hires through the web-based E-Verify system to make sure they are eligible to work in this country. Employers hire undocumented workers for cheap labor and make them work under just as cheap conditions. Employers who know they have access to an undocumented workforce willing to work for less only push wages lower and eliminate job opportunities for eligible workers.

Out of the darkness of COVID-19 has come some light: a renewed appreciation for workers and a dedication to their safety, unlike anything many of us have seen in our lifetime. Virus or no virus, this is how workers deserve to be treated. Through the evolution of Workers International Day, from first fighting for an eight-hour workday to now fighting for protections against COVID-19, the day has always been about improving the workplace for today and tomorrows workforce. Philadelphias laborers are optimistic about rebuilding Pennsylvania in the way that we know best: building.

Ryan N. Boyer is the business manager of the Philadelphia and Vicinity Laborers District Council, an affiliate of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA).
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that only 3 out of 529 media professionals, who have been screened for Covid-19 recently, have tested positive for the virus.

The chief minister wished a speedy recovery to the ones suffering from Covid-19. He said that the work of media is very important, especially during a pandemic.

Am so happy to share only 3 out of 529 media persons tested have been detected positive. My best wishes to all of you. Your work is very important esp during a pandemic. Those who have been detected positive, I am praying for your speedy recovery, Kejriwal tweeted out.

Last week, the Delhi administration started screening media professionals for coronavirus after reports of media persons contracting coronavirus surfaced from across the country.

Am so happy to share only 3 out of 529 media persons tested have been detected positive. My best wishes to all of you. Your work is very important esp during a pandemic. Those who have been detected positive, I am praying for your speedy recovery  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Dear friends from the media, Testing of media persons has started at a covid test centre. I wish u all very good health, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted out.

Last week, Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced that the administration will set up a special Covid-19 centre to test media professionals who have been reporting from the field during the lockdown. The Karnataka government also issued a similar order.

The central government also issued an advisory for media professionals working in the print and electronic sector of the industry. According to the release by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, media personnel have been advised to take health and related precautions while performing their duties during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dear friends from media,



Testing of media persons has started at a covid test centre. I wish u all very good health pic.twitter.com/ZRz1BOYFJW  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 22, 2020

Management of media houses is requested to take necessary care of their field staff as well as their office staff, the advisory read.

Scores of media personnel in certain parts of the country have been reported to have contracted Covid-19.

It has come to the notice of the Ministry that a large number of media persons have recently contracted with Covid-19 while covering the happening in certain parts of the country, the statement read.
The Union government has done well to dismiss the conclusions of the USCIRF, given the track record of the United States in treating its own minorities

The United States Committee on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has downgraded Indias status on the basis of metrics related to tolerance, from Tier 2, which includes countries on a Special Watch List, to the category of Countries of Particular Concern, alongside neighbours China and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and 10 other countries.

The proximate provocation according to them, is the culture of impunity for nationwide campaigns of hate and violence against religious minorities created by the new citizenship law, the National Register of Citizens and the Ayodhya judgment, among other things.

The Ministry of External Affairs has rejected these observations, saying, We regard it (USCIRF) as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly. The Union government has done well to dismiss the conclusions of the committee, given the track record of the United States in treating its own minorities, especially with the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, often encouraging far-right, white-supremacist groups with his racist, spray-gun rhetoric, and the fact that since 11 September 2001, US foreign policy has been based implicitly on one form of Islamophobia or another.

Studies have shown and are continuing to show that African-Americans and Latin Americans have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Data from a recent study conducted in New York under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control, showed that while the death rates were 92.3 and 74.3 of every 100,000 among the African-American and Hispanic communities, it was 45.2 among White people.

It has also been seen that neighbourhoods in which these disadvantaged communities live have been disproportionately affected. These are places, moreover, which typically have much more restricted access to health care. You dont have to be a sociologist or economist to figure out that this differential outcome is the result of both greater poverty amongst these communities as well as skewed investment, whether private or public, in health (and other social) infrastructure.

This discrimination obviously didnt just happen. It happened because the political and administrative systems in the US have built-in biases. It is against these systemic biases that we should see US President Donald Trumps repeated incitements to racist violence. After assuming office, he said four US Congresswomen of colour should go back to their country of origin, regardless of the fact that three of them were born in the US and one grew up in the country.

During and before his campaign, he has repeatedly insulted African-Americans and Latin Americans. The most egregious of these being the instance in which he called immigrants from Mexico rapists. Trump has frequently insulted Islam and Muslims and has pursued immigration bans against people specifically from Muslim countries from the early days of his presidency.

It has been seen, too, in the United Kingdom that ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies are showing that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups have suffered more. A study from early this month shows that in a sample of 2,000 people affected by the coronavirus, 35 percent were from BAME backgrounds, though that group comprises only 13 per cent of UKs population. The reasons for these are obviously not biological or genetic, but social, economic and political.

It is against this background that we must again see the persistent baiting of minorities and migrants, especially of colour, that the ruling Conservatives have both engaged in and encouraged. It is only now, with the National Health Service of the point of collapse, that the Conservative and other right-wing leaders are singing hosannas to the huge contingent of migrants that has kept the health services functional.

This is not meant to be a blanket criticism of the US and the UK, or other countries that have found that just as crises can build bridges, they can also drive wedges into existing fissures. Large swathes of continental Europe, Canada and Australia are also witnessing similar phenomena and are dealing with them.

India, too, has been dealing with irresponsible rumour-mongering, hate speech and hate crimes. Across the political spectrum, these have been noted. It is to be hoped that suitable actions erring, if at all, on the side of stringency will be taken to contain these, along with the virus. In some places, action has already been taken.

The cliche that we are as only strong as the weakest amongst us has been repeated ad nauseam ever since the pandemic started spreading, possibly because it is so obviously true. Alongside this, we need to remember that transmissibility is not determined by factors like religion, language, region and race, so, potentially were all at risk, differentially, only because our material circumstances vary.

But this is as much about the immediate and short terms, as it is about the long haul, because when we eventually see the end of the pandemic, we should not emerge as a dystopian or dysfunctional society. We must, thus, believe, with Martin Luther King, that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.
All central government employees were on Wednesday asked to immediately download the 'Aarogya Setu' mobile application and to come to office when the application shows "safe" status for commuting, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

"Before starting for office, they must review their status on 'Aarogya Setu' and commute only when the app shows 'safe' or 'low risk' status," it said.

The officers and staff are advised that in case the app shows a message that he/she has a 'moderate' or 'high risk' calculated on the basis of Bluetooth proximity ("recent contact with infected person"), he/she should not come to office and self isolate for 14 days or till the status becomes 'safe' or 'low risk', the Personnel Ministry said.

In a communiqu issued to all departments, it said all the officers, staff (including outsourced staff) working in central government should download 'Aarogya Setu' application on their mobile phones, immediately.

The Aarogya Setu application developed by the government helps people to assess themselves on the risk of their catching the coronavirus infection.

A senior officer -- Joint Secretary (administration) -- in all the departments would ensure strict compliance of the instructions, the order said.

"Ministries/departments may issue similar instructions to all autonomous, statutory bodies, PSUs etc attached to them," it added.

Officers of the level of deputy secretary and above have already joined the offices following the government's instructions.

All central government departments have been asked to call only one-third of the staff below deputy secretary level on rotation basis to the offices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As a young Birmingham girl remains in ICU after being shot, a 20-year-old suspect is now behind bars.

Birmingham police on Tuesday night announced formal warrants against Larry Jackson Jr. He is charged with attempted murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. He was arrested Tuesday and will be held in the Jefferson County Jail on bonds totaling $90,000.

The shooting happened just after 5 p.m. Sunday, wounding 1-year-old Liberty Hall. The girls mother, Kathraine Hall, said she had gone to a friends house to pick up money and was driving home when gunfire erupted.

Gunshots just started popping off in the area, Hall said. I was scared. I didnt know what to do.

Hall said Liberty was in her car seat in the backseat when the shooting happened. Evidence markers at the scene indicated dozens  as many as 60  shots were fired.

Liberty, her mother said, let out a small cry. Hall turned to see what was wrong and spotted blood on her daughters shirt. I immediately tried to get my child out of there, she said. I rushed her home.

Hall went to her apartment building in the 1200 block of 12th Street where she called for help. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service transported Liberty to Childrens of Alabama. Though she is expected to be OK, she was seriously injured.

Hall said a bullet went through her daughters back and exited through her stomach. She underwent surgery to help repair the damage.

Liberty is sedated but responsive. Shes healing, Hall said. I just want her to get better and shes getting better every day.

That makes me happy, she said, but I just hate my child is going through this.

Birmingham police on Tuesday said the preliminary investigation suggests the gunfire happened at 1134 Fourth Place North. Investigators on Monday descended upon the home there, which they said was vacant at the time they carried out the search warrant.

More than a dozen investigators searched the home, and a wrecker was brought to the location.

Though an arrest has been made, Sgt. Rod Mauldin said the investigation is ongoing and detectives are seeking information on other individuals involved in the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-54-7777.
Ten persons, including seven



CRPF jawans, from Assam have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Delhi, which is a matter of concern for the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.

A CRPF Sub-Inspector Ikram Hussain, hailing from Assam's Barpeta district, had died of the disease on Tuesday in New Delhi.

"These developments are a matter of concern for us as the return of people, who are now outside, to the state may lead to a second wave of infection", Sarma said at a press conference here.

Many people from different parts of the country are "reaching out to us to bring them back to the state but we will have to take tentative and cautious steps in this regard", the minister said.

Among the 10 who have tested positive in Delhi, two are cancer patients from the state who had gone for treatment to the capital and seven are CRPF jawans, he said.

Sarma said that public hygiene and social distancing was of utmost importance to ensure that the spread of the disease was contained.

The minister said a 16-year old testing positive for coronavirus on Tuesday in Bongaigaon, the first case of the district, was also causing concern as "she had tested positive 36 days after she came into contact with her COVID-19 positive grandfather, a Tablighi Jamaat attendee from Dhubri".

The girl is the first positive case of home quarantine in the state and "it is possible that she came into contact with another positive person who is yet to traced".

"The Bongaigaon Deputy Commissioner has been asked to examine the matter minutely and I will go there tomorrow to review the situation", he said.

Another 61-year old male from Goalpara had also tested positive on Tuesday, taking the total cases to 37 in the state.

These two cases were reported five days after a person from Dhubri tested positive on April 16.

Meanwhile, two persons, hailing from Dhubri and Goalpara, were discharged from hospital here on Wednesday after four repeated tests were found negative.

Of the total 37 COVID-19 cases, seven are active cases, one person has died and 29 have been released so far.

The minister said that Nalbari and Golaghat may be excluded from the list of five Red Zone districts in the next few days along with the lifting of the containment zone restrictions from the high-end apartment here where the solo non-Tablighi related person in the state tested positive.

Besides Golaghat and Nalbari, the other three districts in the Red Zone are Dhubri, Goalpara and Morigaon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Less than a year after being tapped for prime minister, the head of the Palestinian government, Mohammad Shtayyeh, who was sworn into office on April 13, 2019, was confronted along with the rest of the globe with an unprecedented crisis. Early evaluation gives Shtayyeh and his team high marks for their performance. The praise has been so overwhelming that it has led some to predict that he can potentially fill the shoes of President Mahmoud Abbas once the current 84-year-old Palestinian leader moves out of the political stage.

As soon as coronavirus cases in Bethlehem were confirmed on March 5, Shtayyeh acted with authority, discipline and care. The French television station France24 called the Palestinian prime minister the star of the virus crisis, detailing his actions and quoting praise from international experts. They took action very rapidly and really took the crisis management function to the highest level, Gerald Rockenschaub, head of the World Health Organization's Palestinian office, said in referring to what Shtayyeh did in response to the pandemic, according to France24.

Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki told Al-Monitor that the Palestinian government and its head have gained in popularity, but added, This doesnt mean, however, that his ability to compete for the presidency has necessarily improved.

Shikaki, the director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, notes that the Palestinian public differentiates between managing daily issues and political leadership. He said, In terms of political leadership, Prime Minister Shtayyeh has yet to be tested; therefore, it is too early to determine if his performance in dealing with the effects of the pandemic can be translated to better chances for the presidency.

Much more can depend on the economic situation after COVID-19 and how the prime minister will handle it, Shikaki added.

Walid Batrawi, a well-respected Palestinian journalist and former project director of a major media project at BBC and Palestine TV, told Al-Monitor that Shtayyeh has indeed done a very good job in confronting the health emergency. I believe he has laid a strong foundation in his short term as prime minister so that if his name as a successor to President Abbas is suggested now, it will be well received because he has become popular, said Batrawi.

Batrawi thinks that in addition to Shtayyeh's professional and disciplined way that he addressed the coronavirus pandemic, many see other reasons for his popularity. Some see him in a positive way because he is an economist and has a good sense of what is needed economically. Others see his power in that he belongs to the Fatah movement and is backed by President Abbas. But there are those who think he is merely clever at public relations and that in the end, the internal struggle within Fatah is what will decide who will replace President Abbas, he said.

Ali Jarbawi, a political science professor at Birzeit University, told Al-Monitor that there are many obstacles facing Shtayyeh. For one thing, there is an absence of a mechanism to choose the president. The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has been dissolved while the Basic Law stipulates that once the president is no longer around, the speaker of the PLC runs things for 60 days until there are elections.

Jarbawi added that the division between the West Bank and Gaza also hurts Shtayyehs possible ambition. With Gaza out of reach, you are talking mostly about being the president of the PA which the Fatah movement is the ruling party. This means that he needs the support of the Fatah Central Committee first before even thinking of vying for the position of president, said Jarbawi.

Jarbawi concedes that it is possible that the top three contenders for power could share some of the positions that the current president and late Yasser Arafat controls. He added, Sure someone can be head of Fatah, another prime minister, and another president. But it is clear that all want to be president, which is the most coveted position at present especially with the Palestinian legislature dissolved while the president controls the security, the money and the passing of laws by means of presidential decrees.

Ofer Zalzberg, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, told Al-Monitor that Shtayyeh has shown his competence and professionalism during the pandemic, and Palestinians are noticing. But the crisis is not over. Negative economic consequences are already palpable, as is public criticism by some envious Fatah leaders  if things change for the worse, he still risks falling on his face.

Zalzberg said that while Shtayyeh's star is rising as a competent manager, this does little to mitigate overall skepticism among Palestinians regarding the Palestinian Authority's strategy and quotidian conduct with which he remains identified.

With Palestinian politics dominated by those from the era of Arafat in the 1990s, at 62, Shtayyeh is among the youngest senior officials. He speaks fluent English, unlike Abbas, and  having earned a doctorate in development in the United Kingdom  has a strong grasp of the international aid system.

There is no doubt that at the present time the office of the prime minister is important, and if there is a vacancy in the office of the president, whoever is prime minister will have the inside lane to the presidency. The bigger problem, though, is whether there is so much merit at being president of the Palestinian entity, which has receded in power and importance in the past few years.
A planeload of Turkish medical supplies arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for distribution to U.S. health care workers.

The military plane departed Ankara, Turkey and arrived in the U.S. carrying N95 masks, face shields, hazmat suits, and goggles.

"We hope that this aid will help alleviate the enormous burden shouldered by the devoted health care workers in the United States, who work day and night to save lives of others at the expense of risking their own lives," said Serdar Kilic, Turkey's ambassador to the United States.

Kilic met the plane at Joint Base Andrews, outside of Washington along with Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Philip Reeker.

"As we face the invisible enemy of the coronavirus, it's clear that the cooperation with our like-minded partners and allies, including Turkey, is as critical as ever," Reeker said.

A top official said Turkey was sending 500,000 surgical masks, 4,000 overalls, 2,000 liters (528 gallons) of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks and 500 face shields.

Turkey has sent similar medical equipment aid to a total of 55 countries _ including Britain, Italy and Spain _ in an apparent attempt to improve its global standing by position itself as a provider of humanitarian aid at times of crisis.
Filipinas emerged on top of the 2019 Philippine bar exams, which was released today by the countrys Supreme Court.

Mae Diane Azores of University of Santo Tomas Legazpi (UST-Legazpi), a school in Albay province formerly known as Aquinas University, emerged as the years top notcher with an overall rating of 91.0490%.

Azores is one of the seven women who topped the bar, which was mostly dominated by schools outside of Metro Manila. Graduates of the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila typically do very well in the exam, but none of their graduates appear in this years list of top notchers.

This years other top notchers were:

Second place: Princess Fatima Parahiman of the University of the East with a score of 89.5230%

Third place: Myra Baranda, also of UST-Legazpi, with a score of 88.8250%

Fourth place: Dawna Fya Bandiola of San Beda College Alabang with a score of 88.3360%

Fifth place: Jocelyn Fabello of Palawan State University with a score of 88.2630%

Sixth place: Kenneth Glenn Manuel of University of Santo Tomas with a score of 88.1730%

Seventh place: Rhowee Buergo of Jose Rizal University with a score of 87.8710%

Eighth place: Anton Luis Avila of Saint Louis University with a score of 87.5820%

Ninth place: Jun Dexter Rojas of Polytechnic University of the Philippines with a score of 87.5765%

Tenth place: Bebelan Madera of University of St. La Salle with a score of 87.3795%

Read: A Product of Boredom? Lawyer asks Supreme Court to compel Duterte to release health records

A total of 2,103 people passed the bar or 27.36% of the 7,685 examinees who took the test in November, Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe told GMA News. The exam covers topics such as civil law, criminal law, labor law, legal ethics, practical exercises, mercantile law, political law, and remedial law.

The release of the bar exams results is always met with much fanfare in the Philippines, where lawyers are held in such high esteem. Students and parents even camp out outside the Supreme Court building in Ermita, Manila to wait for the exam results. Those who pass are sometimes welcomed by their parents with giant banners hanging outside their homes.

However, this years release of results is more somber, because of the enhanced community quarantine that was implemented in Metro Manila and other areas to curb the spread of COVID-19. The list of passers was uploaded online since examinees are not allowed to visit the Court.

This article, Who Run the World? Women top 2019 Philippine bar exams, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!
Even as Canada has crossed 50,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection, the Government has released new guidelines for gradual easing of restrictions across the country.

The Government also published new projections for the toll the pandemic is having. The new short-term modelling forecasts that by May 5, the country will record between 53,191 and 66,835 cases and between 3,277 and 3,883 deaths.

Those numbers on Tuesday night were at 50,015 and 2,859, respectively. At the same time, public health authorities pointed out to a pattern of slowing of coronavirus-related caseload, with the doubling rate now at 16 days against three days earlier.

However, officials warned that the country could be beset by a second wave of infections if people were careless about safety precautions like social distancing going ahead. During his daily media briefing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, The measures we have taken so far are working. In fact, in many parts of the country, the curve has flattened. But we are not out of the woods yet.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

The Federal Government has worked out guidelines with provincial and territorial administrations about the path ahead. According to a statement from the PMO, they agreed to a set of common principles for restarting the Canadian economy, based on shared understanding and appreciation of what science and experts are telling us. It also acknowledged the importance of restarting the economy through a gradual approach that protects the health of Canadians while ensuring public health capacity for future waves of the virus.

Different jurisdictions will take different routes and time frames for this process, in order to ease restrictions, reflecting the specific circumstances of each province or territory. Our priority is keeping all Canadians safe, while getting back to normal as much as we can, Trudeau noted. Among the main principles for the criteria and measures required before easing is undertaken is that Covid-19 transmission is controlled, so new cases are contained at a level that our health care system can manage.
Tesla said it will reduce the price of its standard range Model 3 vehicle in China to meet the government's new eligibility requirements for subsidies.

This marks the second time this year that the automaker has reduced the price. Several months ago, the base version of China-made Model 3 was lowered by 9%.

Tesla has to cut the price of the vehicle to continue to qualify for government rebates on electric vehicles. The Chinese government instituted new regulations that require prices below 300,000 yuan for electric vehicles to qualify for subsidies.

The base price of the standard range Model 3 made in China is 323,800 yuan, or $45,754 before subsidies.

The price reduction will go into effect tomorrow in China, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a earnings call Wednesday. Musk, who didn't provide a specific figure, said he is confident the vehicle will deliver a gross margin despite the reduction in price.

Tesla chief financial officer Zachary Kirkhorn added that the cost of vehicles produced at its Shanghai factory in the first quarter is already lower than the cost to produce the Model 3 in the United States. That margin should improve as the company improves its local supply chain in China. Tesla still ships some parts from the U.S. to build cars at its Shanghai factory.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on the occasion of the holy month of Ramzan and discussed with her the COVID-19 situation and how the two neighbours can collaborate in the fight against the deadly virus.

"Spoke to PM Sheikh Hasina to greet her and the people of Bangladesh on the holy month of Ramzan. We discussed COVID-19 situation and ways India and Bangladesh can collaborate in the fight against it," Modi tweeted.

"Our relationship with Bangladesh will continue to be one of our highest priorities," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Ayya Lmhammad

The volume of Azerbaijan non-oil exports increased by 3.3 percent year-on-year in the period between January and March, amounting to $429 million, local media reported, citing the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications.

According to the Center, tomatoes accounted for $43.9 million (+72.1 percent), raw cotton - $42.8 million (+14.4 percent), gold - $36.3 million (+11.7 percent) and peeled hazelnuts - $36.3 million (- 5.5percent), polypropylene - $21.1 million (- 10.2 percent), electricity - $17.8 million (- 53.6 percent), persimmon - $14.1 million (- 22 percent), polyethylene - $12.7 million (- 43.3 percent), computing machines and parts to their units - $11.5 million (+ 115 times).

During the reporting period, main importers of Azerbaijani non-oil products were: Russia - $ 134.4 million, Turkey - $104.4 million, Georgia - $42.9 million, Switzerland - $ 40.8 million and China - $ 12.2 million.

Thus, 31.3% of non-oil exports came from Russia.

The volume of non-oil exports to Russia increased by 16.5% year-on-year, Turkey - 5.2 percent, Switzerland - 21.1 percent, China - 18.4 percent. The volume of non-oil exports to Georgia decreased by 14.5 percent.

In March, the value of non-oil exports amounted to $133 million.

In 2019, Azerbaijan's non-oil exports amounted to $1 billion 954 million.

The Ministry of Economy estimates that Azerbaijan's non-oil exports will exceed $3 billion by 2024.

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Mrs. Faith Obinna, a 31-year-old nurse, has accused doctors at the St. Raphael Divine Mercy Hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos State, of stealing her baby, just moments after delivery.

In an interview with NewTelegraph, the new mum said she used the Catholic hospital for her pre-natal care and that during her many doctors appointment, three scans were conducted and it was recorded that she had a set of twins. She said it was shocking to her that when she had her baby on March 6, and only one of her babies was presented to her by the doctors.

She claims her baby was stolen in the labour room of the hospital before she could recover from anaesthesia.

On the first day I registered at the hospital, one doctor Ade that attended to me, asked me to go for a scan. The scan showed twins. The pregnancy was then four months. The second scan was to determine the se.x of the babies. One was a boy, but the technician couldnt tell the se.x of the other baby because its leg covered the organ part. I was later handed over to doctor Uzoma, who took care of me until delivery. On the day of the delivery, they tried to send my husband away, but he refused to go home. He went out to wait. After the operation, they called my husband and told him that it was only one baby inside my womb. Even though I was feeling groggy, I only heard the cries of one baby. I asked my husband, where is the other baby, the staff asked me to calm down. Four days later, my husband and I decided to raise the alarm. The chief medical doctor of the hospital asked me to accept just one baby, I refused. she said

Speaking further, she said

When I was about to be discharged, I asked for my scan results, they refused to give them to me. Rather, they hid my file. When we wanted to leave, they locked the gate against us.

When the couple was eventually allowed to go, they narrated the incident to friends and family members who persuaded them to return to the hospital to demand the whereabouts of their baby. Obinna said when she went back to the hospital, a reverend father and a reverend sister were invited to the meeting where the hospital staff claimed there was an error on the scan results.

We asked for the scan result. They said that if they released the results, they wouldnt like to see it on social media that it could affect the medical doctor and the hospital could be shut down. He said that what happened was scan error. I told them it was impossible. I know that scan error could occur in se.x, but not where twins detention is concerned. I saw the babies with my two eyes. I know they are with one of my babies. The reverend asked us to have mercy. He promised to refund all money we had spent since I registered with the hospital. We refused. Obinna said

When interviewed, the consultant gynaecologist in the hospitl, Dr Uzodinma, said he took delivery of Faith, along with six other doctors.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States was considering having passengers on international flights from coronavirus hot spots be tested for the virus, Reuters reports.

Were looking at doing it on the international flights coming out of areas that are heavily infected, Trump said at a White House event. He said his administration was working with airlines on the plan, which could happen in the very near future.

He said Brazil was one of the countries getting to that category of being a hot spot.

Earlier this year, passengers from China were screened at U.S. airports after landing in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Only a handful of passengers were quarantined.

I did it with China, I did it with Europe  thats a very big thing to do. Its certainly a very big thing to do to Florida, because you have so much business from South America, Trump said.
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Linkedin Asip Hasani (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya, East Java  Wed, April 29, 2020 13:46 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4f62ff 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,East-Java,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,Magetan,Temboro-village,Pesantren,santri,Islamic-boarding-schools,Malaysia,Malaysian-national Free

The Magetan regency administration in East Java suspended the repatriation of 38 Malaysian students of Al Fatah pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Temboro village after they had tested positive for COVID-19.

The regencys COVID-19 task force spokesperson, Saif Muchlissun, said 29 santri (students of an Islamic boarding school) tested positive during rapid testing on Monday, while the other nine tested positive during earlier polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

"The 29 Malaysian students have to stay here in the village because they have to wait for the PCR test results, Saif told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He added that the other nine Malaysian students confirmed for COVID-19 had to undergo medical treatment for 14 days at a nearby hospital.

Rapid testing for COVID-19 is faster and more affordable compared to the PCR, although it is less accurate as it only detects antibodies against the coronavirus in blood samples.

Read also: 'Severe red zone': East Java scrambles to contain COVID-19 spread at Islamic boarding school

Early last week, the task force traced santri who had been in contact with 43 students who had tested positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia upon returning from the Al-Fatah pesantren. Malaysian health authorities declared them a new COVID-19 cluster in the country on April 19.

The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta had planned to repatriate more than 150 Malaysian students who initially wanted to stay and spend Ramadan in the village.

"Only 124 can leave Temboro as the others have tested positive for the disease, Saif said, adding they had flown home from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya on Monday evening.

Apart from the Malaysians, a student from Thailand also tested positive for COVID-19.

Read also: Nearly 100 Malaysians who recently returned from Indonesia test positive for COVID-19

As of Monday, Magetan recorded 33 confirmed cases in the regency, 24 of which were linked to the Temboro pesantren. The East Java COVID-19 task force has declared the boarding school a severe red zone and put the village under quarantine last week.

Al Fatah pesantren houses more than 22,000 students, 2,000 of whom are foreigners, mostly from Southeast Asian countries.

The boarding school is also a base for an Islamic group known as Jamaah Tabligh, which has held events in Malaysia, India and South Sulawesi that have been linked to several COVID-19 cases in the respective regions. (kuk)
Expert Perspectives

College Transfer Initiative Drives Higher Degree Completion Across Illinois

Higher education remains crucial for long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. With more occupations requiring advanced skills and critical thinking, a college degree is largely viewed as a must-have for success in today's workforce.

However, not every student has the financial means, career certainty or other capability to immediately attend a four-year institution. Where community colleges used to have a reputation for being the only option for young adults who couldnt cut it at a four-year school, these valuable institutions are now being seen as a smart and strategic option for many students at all stages of their transformational education journey.

Tracking Transfer Trends

It is not surprising that students switch between two-year and four-year schools for a variety of academic and financial reasons. This kind of academic swirl means that students have collected credits from multiple schools before matriculation to the institution that will ultimately confer the students credential. Degree attainment has become less linear, and the transfer of credits among institutions needs to be just as fluid.

Here in Illinois, we have addressed the issues surrounding collegiate student transfers with innovative legislation, technology and initiatives designed to ease the transfer process and ultimately help more students attain their degrees.

Illinois has a rich and diverse environment of higher education institutions. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Illinois public institutions include 12 four-year and 48 two-year schools, and there are more than 80 private non-profit four-year colleges and universities.

Streamlining General Education Credit Transfer

Illinois driving initiative around student transfer is the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). IAI was originally launched in the 1990s as a voluntary program among the participating institutions. In recent years, IAI was protected by enacting legislation to secure ongoing participation (IL Public Act 099-0636). The IAI was created as a model state system that includes 110 participating public and private institutions, and serves 45,000 to 50,000 transfer students annually. Specifically, it assists students who may not have a major in mind at the outset of their studies by ensuring that courses meeting a general education core curriculum (GECC) are fully transferable  as well as applicable  for full credit across all state institutions. While it is common for students in other states across the country to discover that certain courses only apply as elective credit at their new institution, our streamlined approach to not just the transferability but applicability of GECC courses has been pivotal in helping students reliably earn foundational credits across various institutions statewide, regardless of where they end up transferring for degree completion.

Illinois has passed other important legislation in support of transfer students, including the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, effective 2016, which was recently reviewed for progress toward its goals. The STAR Act ensures that students who transfer with an associates degree from a community college do not have to complete more than 60 additional hours to complete a related bachelors degree.

The state also invests in technology to help students determine course articulation, beyond and including IAI coursework, along with information on inter-institutional agreements. We designed MyCreditsTransfer as a statewide initiative to facilitate the use of an online transfer advising tool, which is free to students. Illinois maintains a statewide license for use of the software tool, Transferology by CollegeSource. Students use Transferology to find and confirm the courses that transfer credit between institutions, degree requirements their courses satisfy and different majors that institutions offer. Transferology also helps returning veterans determine how their military experience translates into course credit.
As governors across the U.S. consider whether to relax stay at home orders, many are pitting the words politics and economics against the word science. California Governor Gavin Newsom, for example, told the Los Angeles Times.We are going to do the right thing, not judge by politics, not judge by protests, but by science.

And as Governor Brian Kemp opened up Georgia, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms urged people to Follow the data, look at the science, listen to the health care professionals and use your common sense.

Similar calls to believe in science or listen to science are all over policy debates and social media fights. But what does it mean to believe in science? And does science have a unified answer to questions like who gets a ventilator, or whether your child should go to summer camp?

We should be cautious when suggesting that science can speak in such a unified voice, says Sy Garte, a biochemist who has taught at New York University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Rutgers University.

The idea that science sayssuggesting that it's easy to come up with a consensus, a uniform, finished version of what is truethat's a problem because that's very rarely the case, said Garte, who is also the editor in chief of God and Nature, a magazine from the American Scientific Affiliation. One of the things you find out if you're a working scientist is that almost every answer brings up new questions. So we never actually finish learning anything in any field of science. We are continually trying to get deeper and learn more.

Garte joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss the historic distrust between Christians and science, what science can and cannot answer, and how Christians should engage in conversations with neighbors who are suspicious of science.

What is Quick to Listen? Read more

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Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen

Learn more about Sy Gartes Book: The Work of His Hands

Read Sys testimony

Read CTs coverage of the BioLogos Francis Collins event

Music by Sweeps

Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder

The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Highlights from Quick to Listen: Episode #210

Before we get to the questions about science and what it can tell us, lets talk about your testimony, which was in the March issue of Christianity Today. In it, you shared that science didn't quite hold the keys to unlocking all the mysteries. What were some of the questions that you were frustrated that science couldn't answer?

Sy Garte: I already knew that science is not made to answer questions that are not part of how we understand the natural world. Science is not built to probe into questions of morality or romance, or why some music appeals to meall these questions of human nature and human characteristics. We can guess at them, but we can't address them scientifically.

I was even told by my father, who was a very strict atheist his whole life and a scientist, that there are only a few questions that science can answer. So don't expect it to answer everything. But I still thought that the methods of science would answer all the questions of the natural world.

And in fact, what I discoveredand this was very disturbing to meis that science was giving me answers that were basically new questions. They were not giving the real answers to the question of how reality works. And so that kind of threw me off because I thought at least the scientific method would tell us everything we need to know about the natural world.

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Was there a particular question that you came up against?

Sy Garte: There were several, but one that was important was the uncertainty Principle. It says that there are things where we cannot know. We just can't know. And it's not a question that we don't have the method yet, or we don't have the tools to know these things, but that there are things that we must remain uncertain about.

I had thought that we could learn everything, it was just a matter of time and we would have all questions answered and have all knowledge. And no, science itself tells us that that is not possible.

What would be your characterization of evangelical Christians relationship with science? What are some of the forces bringing Christians and science together, and what are some of the things that are pulling those things apart?

Sy Garte: Well, I think historically, we could go back to the end of the 19th century when there were two developments that were both very powerful and I would say somewhat destructive.

One was the origin of the young earth, six-day literal interpretation of Genesis, which came originally, as far as I understand it, from Seventh-Day Adventists, and then eventually resulted in its absorption into the Southern Baptist Convention.

The other event that happened around the same time was the publication of a couple of books that were both titled something like The War Between Science and Religion, which was a very revolutionary development because, before that time, almost every scientist was Christian. All of these scientists of the 19th century, they were all Christians and they assumed that they were studying science to learn how God's creation worked. Then all of a sudden, these books are saying that you can't have both science and religion. And that was a disaster. And it's sparked, along with other things, of course, a rise in atheism.

Now in response to all of this, the religious community reacted by saying, Well, the science is not going to tell us how we should live, so why are we listening? We need the Bible or Yeah, science is right and true, and it gives us facts, but it doesn't contradict the Bible in a way that we have to choose one or the other. We have to interpret both.

There's been a very divisive split within the culture on both sides. We have some evangelicals who don't want to hear anything scientific, and then on the other side, we have atheists who mock and scorn the whole idea of religion or even spirituality, that only scientific facts are real and nothing else was important.

And that's a philosophical view that most scientists don't have, but it has spread from the atheist community into the popular public consciousness. I think that a lot of folks in the Christian community tend to think of the opposition as being not just atheists, but they lump in the entire scientific community. And that's a mistake because the scientific community is not at all a monolithic group.

Can anyone ever say the science says or is there always an additional context that is needed?

Sy Garte: There almost always is additional context needed. Now, if we say that science says that gravity is a force of nature, that's fine. There isn't any argument about that except for people who are frankly nutcases. But in many areas, saying science says is premature.

This especially applies to many issues of biology. It applies to, for example, evolution. We do have a lot of information about evolution and we do understand how it works, but there's also a lot of controversy, even within the field of evolutionary biology.

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So the idea that science sayssuggesting that it's easy to come up with a consensus, a uniform, finished version of what is truethat's a problem because that's very rarely the case. One of the things you find out if you're a working scientist is that almost every answer brings up new questions. So we never actually finish learning anything in any field of science. We are continually trying to get deeper and learn more.

How do we as non-experts know when there's real debate in a field versus when someone is just being a gadfly or an outlier? What are some of the tools we can use to tell those apart?

Sy Garte: First of all, scientists are not drawn to come up with a consensus. If anything, if you want to become famous in science, the best way to do it quickly is to come up with a counter view to the consensus and show that it's right. So there's no particular pressure to be in the consensus if you can come up with some alternative and have evidence for it.

Now, how do you tell when that's real or it's just somebody who's a little off? One tool that can be helpful, is if you hear someone say, I have it all figured out, heres what the answer is, and it explains everything you want to know and that's it. We're done. He or she is wrong. That never happens in reality.

What about the flip side, where you have someone attempting to muddy the waters and say that the science isn't settled in an area where it is? Are there any clues that you would recommend looking at help discern those situations?

Sy Garte: If somebody is claiming that the general scientific consensus is wrong or not completely correct, that's fine. That's not a problem in itself. The problem is when you have economic or political interests that are pulling in any direction, that's not part of the scientific enterprise. And history has told us over and over and over again, that mixing politics, economics, even religion into the practice of science never works.

Economics and science both have something to say about human life and thriving. Do you believe they are in conflict or are they in dialogue? How do we make sure we're asking the right questions with the right disciplines?

Sy Garte: Well, this goes back to what we were talking about earlier about whether all decisions are science-based. And the answer is no. And most scientists don't want to be the people who make the decisions. They want to give you the information. And it's the scientific information.

So there's no question that, for example, that this pandemic is very dangerous and very frightening. And medically, we still have a lot of questions that need to be answered, but there's no question that it's a very bad disease. It's also true that the economy is suffering. And those two facts are not in conflict with each other, but they both are things that leaders have to take into account to decide what to do.

And science doesnt trump economics. It's not a question of which is more important. We need to know what we need to do scientifically to contain this illness and to do the best we can to come out of it. And the same is true for history, we need to know historical facts to make decisions. And the historical facts, economic facts, and the scientific facts are all things that should go into a carefully considered response.

For someone who wants to responsibly understand what's going on right now with the COVID-19 situation, but also doesn't have time to spend an hour each day reading through studies that are coming out, how might you recommend that they engage? How can they tell who they can trust?

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Sy Garte: First of all, let me just say that the internet, of course, is a great thing, but it also has a lot of misinformationthere's no control over it. The way science works is involved in peer review. And the NIH comes up with fact sheets or pages that tell you what's the scientific consensus on any issue, and that's available to the public. So if you want to know what's going onand it doesn't have to be just with COVID-19take a look at the NIH and just search for your question and that will give you the best scientific answer that we have at the moment because its culled from all of the separate different studies. And if there's controversy, it will say that.

The problem that we're having is that the major institution that people don't trust is the U.S. government, and many of the websites with the best information are all government websites. But the people who work at the NIH or the CDC are not part of the government that most people don't like. They arent elected officials and politicians. Even though you may not like the government, that should not stop you from trusting the governmental science outlets.

There is this idea that evangelical Christians have been trained over the last hundred years to be skeptical of scientific claims. Whats the bridge that youre trying to build between the Christian and scientific community?

Sy Garte: My answer is to trust in Jesus Christ.

We're in a very difficult and scary time, and not just with the COVID-19 virus, but this whole idea of the divisions and the actual hatred and anger that you see coming out from people. And when I see that that's when I pray. That's when I go to Christ and I say, Lord, take this burden from us.

There are many organizations working to build bridges. And that's an image that Francis Collins often uses. We need to build bridges within the Christian community to show them, or to at least try to convince them, that a bridge is better than a huge gap or that a bridge is better than a wall.

Obviously, it takes a huge amount of work. It takes a lot of listening. But if we can all dialogue with each otherwe don't have to agree on every point of theology, but that doesn't mean that we can't commune together, worship together, pray together, and know that the truth is with Jesus Christ.

And I think if we hold that close to our hearts, and love God and love your neighbor, we'll be okay in the end.

At the beginning of this podcast, we talked about kind of the futility of saying something like, science says this, or science proves this, would you have any other advice about how to dialogue or showcase findings in a way that is not going to be received as hostile or harsh?

Sy Garte: I've listened to a scientist who was working in the South named Amanda Glaze. She gave some very good talks about how you do that. Her key thing is to listen. Listen to what people think and what they believe, and your ideas of what's true and what's not true may differ, but if you listen to each other carefully, you can treat each other with respect.

And there are many examples of people with completely opposite views who have managed to come together and work for a common goal. I think respectful listening and understanding that all of our disputes, all of our disagreements, fade to nothing when we consider Jesus on the cross. That and his resurrection showed us, and continue to show us, that some things are more important. And what's important is love, is redemption, is salvation.
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.




A police officer patrols in West Baltimore on April 17. The Maryland city has considered about $11 million in total reductions that could affect first responders. Read more

In Michigan, some unstaffed highway rest stops are shuttered. In Santa Barbara, California, local librarians are out of a job. Dayton, Ohio, has ordered furloughs at nearly every agency, and in Arlington, Texas, police officers and firefighters may soon see painful cuts.

Facing an urgent financial crisis, these and other cities and states nationwide are eyeing dramatic reductions to their workforces, threatening critical public-sector employees and first responders at a time when many Americans may need their local governments' help the most.

Even as President Donald Trump and top Republicans contend that only big-spending, liberal-leaning states are to blame for their mounting budget woes, a Washington Post review found that the economic havoc wrought by the coronavirus is far more widespread  saddling Democratic and Republican mayors and governors alike with souring finances and major revenue gaps. Some local governments have already started laying off or furloughing thousands of their workers, and the numbers are likely to grow markedly in the absence of federal aid.

Among municipalities, the new budget cuts could be profound: Between 300,000 and 1 million public-sector workers could soon be out of a job or sent home without pay, according to a new estimate from the National League of Cities. The steep reductions in staffing levels could affect education, sanitation, safety and health, local leaders warn, potentially leaving critical public services in utter disarray.

For governors, mayors and other top local officials, their economic troubles stem from the precipitous drops in revenue that have come as a result of shuttered businesses and sharp decreases in shopping and travel. The extent of the disruptions are poised to reach a level not seen since the Great Recession more than a decade ago, a reality that has prompted many city and state leaders to plead with Washington for help.

But their public quest for federal cash has been met with staunch political resistance from Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who at one point suggested that states should have the option of falling into bankruptcy. Top Trump administration officials have echoed that skepticism and signaled that any aid would come with conditions: On Tuesday, for example, the president said he would only approve money if states cracked down on immigration policies in "sanctuary cities."

The recalcitrance on Capitol Hill and at the White House has sparked a lobbying blitz on the part of local governments, which have had no choice but to make painful cuts as they await action in Washington.

In Dayton, for example, Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley said the city has already furloughed 470 of its 1,900 employees, about a 25% reduction in staff that has affected public services including the city's water department. Whaley said officials may have to institute an additional 18% across-the-board reduction in the next fiscal year if they don't see federal support soon  a move she said would affect police officers and threaten residents with "slow response time."

"It will fundamentally change how we do business long term," Whaley said.

For many cities and states, their public push for federal aid reflects the urgency of their need: Many have argued that Washington's intransigence threatens to exacerbate the deadly coronavirus, which has already killed more than 58,000 Americans nationwide. That's because tax revenue typically helps fund first responders, and there's only so much governments can do amid the downturn to shield public safety from withering cuts.

In doing so, many mayors and governors have sought to argue that they are economic engines in their own right, employing more than 19 million municipal employees in the United States, or about one-tenth of the country's workforce, according to federal data from March. Local leaders say they are just as deserving of federal support as major businesses, which have captured the lion's share of coronavirus aid dollars authorized by Congress in March and April.

"They understand and know this would be a disaster if they didn't get the kind of aid from the federal government they need," said Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, whose union represents public-sector employees. "They need to be a priority just as the corporations and small businesses were."

Last month, Congress extended $150 billion to cities and states as part of the $2 trillion coronavirus aid package signed by Trump. Quickly, though, local leaders discovered that the funds came with significant caveats. Only large cities, for example, received direct payments under the legislation, known as the Cares Act. The money also was limited to coronavirus-related expenses that governments did not anticipate in their most recent budgets, according to the Treasury Department, narrowing its use considerably.

In practice, cities and states could not tap their federal allotments to close revenue gaps, even though some of their shortfalls are the result of the coronavirus pandemic. The limitations greatly frustrated officials in states such as New Jersey, where Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday wagered that he might have no choice but to return some of the money.

Democratic and Republican governors say they realistically need $500 billion to help close the enormous budget holes they face  or else they risk debilitating cuts. Already, the bleak financial picture has led Pennsylvania to furlough thousands of state workers. Ohio has implemented a hiring freeze. Scores of additional states are anticipating revenue gaps that may leave them no choice but to reduce their labor forces, either temporarily or for longer.

Michigan this month laid off 2,900 municipal employees, a giant, early cut that reflects the dangers of its looming $7 billion shortfall. More than half of its Department of State, which handles driver and vehicle transactions, is out of work for at least the next two weeks, though local officials insist the staff reductions wont affect operations.

The National League of Cities, meanwhile, has sought $250 billion on behalf of municipalities around the country, nearly all of which anticipate slashing spending and staff to deal with unexpected shortfalls. The NLC came to its dour prediction  perhaps 1 million layoffs or furloughs in cities and towns nationwide  in part by extrapolating data from jurisdictions that have announced major reductions in their workforces.

Los Angeles has eyed furloughing 15,000 workers, according to NLC, and Tulsa has sent home 1,000 people without pay, representing a third of the city's labor force. Other cities including Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Boulder, Colorado, are starting with cuts to temporary or seasonal employees, joining many communities that have targeted staff at parks and other public staples closed because of stay-at-home orders.

Some of the cuts directly threaten police officers and firefighters. Baltimore has considered about $11 million in total reductions that could affect first responders, which could result in wage freezes or furloughs. The idea has sparked concern among labor unions, which fear it would harm response times.

Oklahoma City anticipates its broader austerity measures won't be enough to spare public safety agencies in the end, either. "We'll do the best we can to limit the impact on services we provide as we prepare for a new economic reality," the city's budget director said in a statement last week.

In Arlington, Texas, one of the states largest metropolitan areas, Republican Mayor Jeff Williams said it is bracing for budget trouble, too. In a normal year, professional sports, local amusement parks and an influx of college students help round out the citys finances, infusing much needed revenue derived from shopping and tourism. But such spending has ground to a halt, imperiling the citys balance sheet  and potentially its workforce.

Arlington's leaders already have asked local government agencies to plan for reductions in spending between 10 to 25%, according to Williams, who described the potential for layoffs or furloughs as a worst-case scenario that residents would feel immediately.

"That would reduce our trash pickup less than what it is," he said. "We would have to reduce the maintenance and reconstruction of some of our streets." And public safety wouldn't be spared, either. "We couldn't help but affect our police and firefighters because of the deep cuts," he said.

This month, Williams joined about 100 Texas mayors from both parties to issue a public plea to Congress, urging lawmakers to adopt "direct and flexible fiscal assistance" in their next coronavirus aid bill. Some officials have found a receptive ear among Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, who joined union leaders on a call Tuesday pledging they would work aggressively to secure such federal aid.

"Congress should not abandon any workers, especially public service workers," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

Republicans, however, have countered that Washington shouldn't fund cities and states with finances that soured long before the pandemic reached the United States. Trump has echoed those complaints, at one point charging that the states in greatest need tend to lean Democratic, even as he has expressed openness to a new local aid package.

"The federal government is not bailing out anyone," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement, adding that the White House would take "bold, aggressive action to help those most impacted by this unforeseen enemy so that we emerge from this challenge stronger and with a prosperous and growing economy."

In fact, the calls for federal aid have been bipartisan, And many states entered the latest economic downturn in a far better financial position than they did the 2008 recession, thanks in part to healthier cash reserves. The data has not assuaged Republicans, including McConnell, who told Politico in an interview that the Senate would not "finance mistakes they've made unrelated to the coronavirus." His office declined to comment for this story.

Other Republicans led by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., similarly have mobilized in opposition to open-ended aid to struggling city and state governments, breaking with local officials even in the states they represent. "We believe additional money sent to the states for 'lost revenue' or without appropriate safeguards will be used to bail out unfunded pensions, reward decades of state mismanagement, and incentivize states to become more reliant on federal taxpayers," Scott wrote in a draft letter to the president, which he has circulated among his colleagues for signatures. His office confirmed the letter, which attacks New York and Illinois for their financial decisions.

The political gamesmanship has left some city and state leaders anticipating significant delays before federal officials pay them a dime, if it ever comes through at all, leaving many municipal workers out of a job or without pay, while harming their families and those their governments serve.

This is not about bailing out local governments that have done something wrong, because weve not, weve stepped up, said Clarence Anthony, the leader of the National League of Cities. He added, Playing with the lives of people over a narrative that is not accurate is just not right.
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Lara Green-Kazlauskas / For Hearst Connecticut Media /

TORRINGTON  Based on concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, city officials have canceled the Memorial Day parade, scheduled for May 25.

We are disappointed. This is a long-standing tradition that honors our veterans and brings our families and friends together in celebration and commemoration of the many Americans who have given theirlives in defense of our country, said Mayor Elinor Carbone. However, in the true spirit of continuing this time-honored tradition, our plan is to develop a virtual parade and veterans recognition ceremony to be shared through the city webpage and social media.
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ugh i feel for her so much. what she said about her mom is so beautiful and bittersweet.

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That last line about her mother helping her is beautiful and so sad.

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this made me cry when i read it last night

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I teared up reading this.

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Oh man didnt know her mom passed :(

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it's sad but it's quite beautiful

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Fuck Biden and everyone protecting him.



As a survivor, you can't explain to people how HARD this is...just to tell one person and hope they believe you. These women are stronger than I ever could have been or even be today.



This breaks my heart so much to see her go through this and after all the MeToo that maybe gave us a hint of hope.



Victims/survivors only matter IF it's in their interests.

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this is the sweetest thing ever and Im about to cry.

totally relate to freaking out at my mom for getting involved in something I told her not to but then realizing it was for the best (or at the very least bc she loves me) ages later.

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oh no why am i crying

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omg that last line. wowowowowow

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fuck her. just. fuck you. you do not give a shit about survivors you only care about your goddamn self.

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what a fucking mess :s

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Burke saying people speaking up for Tara have no real regard for victims while tweeting all that nonsense and not actually supporting her is just insane. And Alyssa can choke on her sudden acknowledgement of Tara as a real victim after saying it was a hit job on Biden. I'm just sick of this.

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That's definitely not what Tarana said. She was speaking to opportunists exploiting Tara's pain for personal gain. For example, she's now doing daily exclusives with the Daily Caller. The Daily Caller and none of it's readers give a shit about her or her trauma.

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Were living in hell :(

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She's such a fucking ghoul, fuck her and every single person who tries to downplay this.

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Alyssa is an awful person. She's been showing her ass for years. And yikes at Tarana's response wtf :((

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fr idk why her voice has always been propped up meanwhile we make fun of charles in charge and antonio sabato jr. for their bullshit

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cynicism and social climbing has made mainstream feminism repulsive to me personally



Edited at 2020-04-28 10:50 pm (UTC) i'm ready to leave the #metoo grifters behindcynicism and social climbing has made mainstream feminism repulsive to me personally

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A lot of these "activists" just want fame, money, and praise. Maybe they started out with good intentions but then it gets warped by their own greed.

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high-profile activism in the US is basically just a way to get access to the liberal political elite and to celebrities. it's utter disgusting.

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I totally agree

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i'm so done with modern feminism. we left behind the liberation of women a long time ago. its so depressing

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Joe Biden can be accountable for assault but still electable.



yeah well i guess everything is possible in trump and post trump america

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I don't even know what to do. It's rapist v. rapist, but I have more confidence in one rapist's ability to do an acceptable job? Everything is awful.

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I hate Joe Biden, and I have for decades, He makes my skin crawl and bile creep up the back of my throat. This isnt the first time hes done something even just a little suspect towards females, but it is the biggest instance of sexual assault. I didnt want him to be the nominee, I really didnt think he would be. It sickens me.



Having said all of that, I feel that not voting for him, voting for anyone else, for a third part as I have done in the past, is akin to turning away from the atrocity of a Trump presidency unimpeded by his re-electability. I have to look back at everything he has done in three and a half years  concentration camps, allowing increased pollution, being anti environmental protection, talking down to female reporters like the true abuser he is, stripping titles and lands from indigenous peoples, his entire foreign policy where He s Putin and Kim, to the point of detriment to the people hes meant to protect especially during this pandemic, which is, in large part his fault, he allowed MBS to just straight up murder and dismember an American with no recourse while still shaking his hand and kissing his ass, hes attempted to displace naturalized citizens under suspicion that they somehow lied, the abject racism and white supremacy hes inflicted upon everyone, and thus encouraged extremist Nazis to literally try to take over while threatening our very well being, especially in the south, the fact that he has made us a world wide laughing stock, and so many other things  and I have to say, I cant. I cant let that happen anymore. I cant be a part of turning away and saying its fine, well survive it.



He thinks the way Xi just named himself perpetual leader of China, and got the politicians to agree, and how Putin just did the same damn thing, is wonderful. Normally Id say, hey, no worries, our government has protections in place! No way our Congress would allow that! But look back at the last three and a half years and what they have allowed, that we never thought would happen, and here we are. I cant stomach Joe Biden as a human being, but I even more so cant stomach the idea of Supreme Leader Donald Trump.



My only hope now is that the DNC picks an appropriate VP choice (my fingers are crossed so hard for Abrams), and that theyll take over in short time. But coming from a predominantly Republican state where a contentious race for Governor came down to hundreds of votes, and the Democrat won (thank GOD), I definitely know every vote counts, now more than ever. Hillary lost by the slimmest margins in some states, and if half of the third party voters had just bitten the bullet, we might be in a different situation.



I cant tell anyone to vote against their conscience. Of course if you feel like youd rather vote 3rd party, or not at all, all I can say is, please do it for the down ballot races. Those are just as, if not more, important, as the presidency. Just abstain, or write something in, but I hope youll at least still vote.

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When I see some use the phrase I see you and I hear you, I automatically disqualify anything the person has to say. Fuck her and fuck times up and fuck Biden.

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"I'm glad we're having this conversation."

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"our thoughts and prayers"

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It really is the height of condescension eh I cant stand it

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people who say that dont see shit and are deafer than i am

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Especially when she already called that same woman's rape a ~smear campaign.

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This feaux feminist utilitarianism is ridiculous and needs to be called out -I can't imagine being assaulted and having your claim be ignored and dismissed because it's 'best for America', my heart really breaks for Tara. Seeing so many women choosing not to come out saying they believe and support Tara on the grounds that they don't want Trump to be re-elected is something else. Since it took off, #MeToo has always conditional on the political agendas it serves.This feaux feminist utilitarianism is ridiculous and needs to be called out -I can't imagine being assaulted and having your claim be ignored and dismissed because it's 'best for America', my heart really breaks for Tara.

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Feminism is only holding Republican men accountable, never the Democrat men like Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, or even Howard Stern. So many people exposing themselves as hypocrites and only caring about themselves. Great job on that #MeToo movement. I'm sure the lack of support for Tara Reade by Tarana Burke and Alyssa Milano will encourage more women to come forward Feminism is only holding Republican men accountable, never the Democrat men like Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, or even Howard Stern.

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Feminism is only holding Republican men accountable

and using faux-progressiveness to thwart progressive movements. let's remember how ~feminism~ was used against Sander in the last 2 election campaigns.

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It makes me so fucking mad how many Warren supporters said voting for Bernie was the unfeminist choice. And now theyre almost all silent if not overtly dismissive of Reade. It really makes me sick.



Remember how believing women was used re: the whether he believed a woman could be president conversation? Lmao

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Oh yeah I hate how they also accuse us of not caring about Clinton. Like I promise you the same crowd that cares about this is the crowd saying Clinton can eat shit and die for what hes done.

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ITA about everything, especially your last part. You can't say you believe women only when it advances your political agenda.

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As a survivor, I can literally check off almost everything on this list that I've had to deal with when talking about what happened to me.



When I originally thought "no one will believe me"... I couldn't have been more right then and years later.

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I think this all the time. People say they want survivors to come forward and justice and blah blah but reality says I was right to never try to prosecute.

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The American political establishment has managed to come up with a more messed up presidential race than 2016. It's impressive.

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I remember when Bernie Sanders said Planned Parenthood was endorsing Clinton instead of him because their leadership was part of the establishment considering his reproduction rights policies went much further than hers. Ppl acted stupid, as if what he was saying was the most absurd thing ever. Guess what? it was true. And Planned Parenthood is more coherent and cohesive than 99% of those organizations liberals love.



(And Alyssa Milano is, like pretty much every single other "We support rape victims and the marginalized UNLESS they go against the interests of the Dem establishment, which turns out is pretty often" - #MeToo movement; Emily's LIST and the majority of non-governmental associations in the USA (GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, etc).I remember when Bernie Sanders said Planned Parenthood was endorsing Clinton instead of him because their leadership was part of the establishment considering his reproduction rights policies went much further than hers. Ppl acted stupid, as if what he was saying was the most absurd thing ever. Guess what? it was true. And Planned Parenthood is more coherent and cohesive than 99% of those organizations liberals love.(And Alyssa Milano is, like pretty much every single other #RESISTANCE celeb, a grifter. Their advocacy is solely out of their own interests and ego. The second any of them -- Milano, Debra Messing, Mark Hammill, Chelsea Handler, Amber Tamblyn and pretty much any other Hollywood type who tweets often about politics -- needs to actually put their mouth where their money is, they'll chose the oppressor's side. I mean, Harvey Weinstein was a fucking liberal hero too loll).

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I mean no, that was strategically absurd (no matter how he felt about them, he knows that they are mainstream enough to be a target which is not the same things as mainstream accepted and that the people who need their services would not view that definition as "part of the establishment"), and strategically questionable when he knew full-well it was less "they are establishment" and more "they didn't think he'd win, and they know full well clinton will put funding for them on the chopping block with ~negotiating~ with republicans and they didn't want her to have a vendetta in addition"

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The 13th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, will open its third annual session in Beijing on May 22.

The decision was adopted Wednesday at the 17th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee held from April 26 to 29.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and through the hard work of the whole country and the people, the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control situation in China is improving steadily and the normal economic and social life is gradually resuming, according to a statement issued by the NPC Standing Committee.

With various factors taken into consideration, the conditions for convening the NPC annual session at an appropriate time are ready, said the statement.

The 15th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee in December 2019 made the decision to convene the annual session of the 13th NPC on March 5 and made recommendations for the agenda. The NPC Standing Committee has since made a series of preparations for holding the annual legislative session in accordance with the decision.

In light of the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the 16th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee in February 2020 made the decision to postpone the annual session of the 13th NPC in order to implement the major decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee on coordinating the epidemic response with economic and social development, to continue the containment efforts and to protect people's lives, health and safety.
[April 29, 2020] Leading Biotech Companies Kedrion Biopharma of Italy and Kamada Ltd. of Israel Announce Global Collaboration to Speed New Anti-COVID Plasma-Based Treatment

CASTELVECCHIO PASCOLI, Italy, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two innovative bio-pharma companies specialized in plasma-derived therapeutics - Kedrion Biopharma of Italy and Kamada Ltd. of Israel - have announced that they are joining forces for the development, manufacturing and clinical distribution of a plasma-derived Anti-SARS-CoV-2 product. The two companies, each known for its cutting-edge biopharma technology capabilities, hope to obtain approval for the clinical treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients. The initial primary focus of the collaboration will be in Italy, Israel and the U.S. with plans to subsequently expand development and distribution efforts to additional markets. Under the newly announced agreement Kedrion will provide plasma collected at its KEDPLASMA centers from donors in both Europe and the U.S. who have recovered from the virus. KEDPLASMA USA, with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has already begun collecting COVID-19 convalescent plasma in three collection centers, two in the Atlanta, Georgia metroplex and one in Mobile, Alabama. Under the terms of the agreement, Kamada is responsible for product development, manufacturing, clinical development (with Kedrion's support) and regulatory submissions. Kedrion is responsible for collection and supply of plasma from convalescent COVID-19 patients and futuredistribution of the therapeutic product in the U.S., Europe, Australia and South Korea. Kamada will distribute in all other territories, while marketing rights for the product in China will be shared by both companies.



Paolo Marcucci, Chairman and CEO of Kedrion, said: "Our top priority is getting this therapy to patients as quickly as possible, while of course demonstrating adequate safety and efficacy." "We are excited to once again collaborate with Kamada, our partner for KEDRAB [Rabies Immune Globulin (Human)]. Based on our collective expertise in plasma-derived protein therapeutics, Kedrion and Kamada are uniquely positioned to develop, manufacture and supply, in a relatively short period of time, this Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin treatment," Marcucci explained.

The Kedrion CEO said the company is already in contact with the Italian health authorities while Kamada is in touch with the Israeli authorities. The companies are also planning to contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency in order to seek an accelerated regulatory path. Amir London, CEO of Kamada Ltd. said: "Our successful collaboration with Kedrion around our joint KEDRAB program is indicative of the unique capabilities of both companies, and we look forward to another successful partnership leveraging our strong working relationship and the core strengths of both companies." Both Kamada and Kedrion pride themselves on being cautious and transparent, so they were careful to note that while they have high hopes for the new product "there can be no assurance that the planned development and manufacturing of an Anti-SARs-COV-2 product will be available in a timely manner and result in a safe, effective and approvable therapy for COVID-19." Kedrion is the world's fifth biggest plasma company and is described by analysts as being both nimble and agile, meaning that its efforts to create an effective therapy for COVID-19 patients may move quite rapidly. The new partnership between the Italian and Israeli biotech companies could therefore become one of the first that is able to make this product available to patients in need. Alessandro Gringeri, Chief Medical and R&D Officer of Kedrion Biopharma, explained that "in layman's terms what we will do is to first collect plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, which include antibodies to the novel Coronavirus. We will then develop a pharmaceutical product which contains a defined dosage of these antibodies that can be administrated through either intravenous or intramuscular means, to patients who are suffering from COVID-19. We hope that the product may also be used in future as pre-emptive treatment for health care workers, to provide temporary passive immunization."

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COLUMBIA, S.C., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of South Carolina announced it will award grants up to $1,500 to local community partners through its Community Connections Resource Grant (CCRG) process to help support those affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The goal of the grant process is to identify local, community-based organizations that are creating innovative solutions to address social service barriers affecting vulnerable populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WellCare has long been committed to partnering with community organizations to help improve health outcomes. The recent COVID-19 pandemic  combined with funding cuts to social service programs in an already fragile social safety net  have resulted in great need for resources throughout South Carolina. In response, WellCare is awarding grants from $500 to $1,500 to help with financial assistance, housing, transportation and more.

"Too many of our most vulnerable members and local communities are struggling to pay their rent, feed their families, or access needed care as a result of the COVID-19 crisis," said LaKisha Bowman, Supervisor of Community Engagement. "WellCare grants will help support programs to address COVID-19 relief efforts in our local communities."

"WellCare is here to serve our community and meet the varying needs resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency," said Urcel Fields WellCare's state president in South Carolina. "A crisis of this magnitude impacts our community in unprecedented ways, and we hope these grants will provide some relief under these unique circumstances."

Local nonprofits and community-based organizations with a 501(c)(3) status in South Carolina are strongly encouraged to apply. To qualify, an organization must address the following social service areas:

Food access

Financial assistance

Transportation

Medication assistance

Homelessness/housing

The application process is currently open and runs through May 5 2020. Awardees will be notified within 15 days following the application closing date. To apply, please email Carlton Boyd at [email protected].

About WellCare of South Carolina

WellCare of South Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans across the state. WellCare is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information, please visit www.wellcare.com/southcarolina.

SOURCE WellCare of South Carolina

Related Links

http://www.wellcare.com/southcarolina


The family has been critical of some of the care Green had received at the Kahl Home and was considering putting their mother in another nursing home. Boldman noted that her own disapproval was more with the administration and management, and to an extent, the state of Iowa.

I can think of at least one of the nurse aids who I know my mother really appreciated, Boldman said. I dont want to condemn them all. I feel very left out by the management, the administration.

It was clear she is also perplexed by the state and how it is handling releasing COVID-19 facts about nursing homes.

I live here in Ohio and am aware of how the public is being informed, she said. It can be a single positive case. And all this information is disclosed on state of Ohio Public Health Department (website)."

Shes had trouble finding Scott County nursing home totals. The state does not consider the facility as having an outbreak until there are three confirmed cases.

"I realize Iowa has a similar dashboard but ..., " she said. I can't understand why the state of Iowa is not acknowledging ... even if its a single case.
KRAKOW, Poland, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Selvita S.A. (WSE: SLV) - one of the largest preclinical contract research organizations in Europe, has published its development strategy for 2020-2023.

The announcement of the new development strategy comes shortly after the completed corporate split of Selvita and Ryvu Therapeutics, and constitutes a new opening and an indication as to how the CRO (Contract Research Organization) company plans to develop in the coming years.

The strategy assumes further development based on an organic growth accelerated with targeted acquisitions. In 2020-2023, the company intends to execute investments worth up to EUR 75 -90 million.

-90 million. For the execution of the strategy Selvita plans to raise approx. EUR 21 million by issuing up to 15% of the share capital in a Follow-On offering directed to qualified investors. Approximately 80% of the proceeds will be allocated for acquisitions.

million by issuing up to 15% of the share capital in a Follow-On offering directed to qualified investors. Approximately 80% of the proceeds will be allocated for acquisitions. The new development strategy assumes achieving over EUR 70 million in revenues, with a stable EBITDA margin and at least EUR 230 million market cap at the end of 2023.

in revenues, with a stable EBITDA margin and at least market cap at the end of 2023. Meanwhile, the company continues the dynamic growth of its business scale, increasing revenues by 41%, up to EUR 7.2 million in the first quarter of 2020 (preliminary results) and presenting a solid backlog of EUR 19.6 million , i.e. 44% higher than same time, last year.

The development plan is based on two pillars: organic growth and acquisitions. In line with the assumptions of the strategy, Selvita's main investment expenditures in 2020-2023 will focus around acquisitions of European preclinical CRO companies, as well as establishment of Selvita Research Center. Execution of these plans will enable Selvita to significantly increase the scale of the business and expand services offering, allowing for a three-fold increase in revenues in 2023. Selvita's Management Board expects that execution of the new strategy will also allow for an increase in the Company market cap to over EUR 230 million. Moreover, thanks to planned investment expenditures, Management hopes that Selvita will be able to strengthen its position on the market and as a result achieve in the mid-term, the position among TOP10 global preclinical CROs.

The increase in revenues and financial results, which we've been achieving initially as Services segment of the hybrid Selvita, and now as an independent entity, constitute accomplishment of the goals we have set ourselves in the strategy published in 2017, as well as communicated later on, aiming at an average 30% annual increase in revenues and double digit profitability.

Over the 12 years of our activity, we have become a highly recognizable and reputable company in the most important research outsourcing markets. We have foundations, as well as the abilities to set ourselves further ambitious goals - comments Bogusaw Sieczkowski, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Selvita.

In order to reach goals set forth by the Company in the Strategy, it has to implement investment plan the value of which will amount of up to EUR 90 million by 2023. Approx. EUR 21 million will be secured from the share issue, whereas the remaining amount will be covered by Company's own funds, bank loans, as well as already received and future non-dilutive grants.

One of the major assumptions for further Selvita growth, are the acquisitions of selected preclinical CRO companies which will either complement the current Company offering, or will allow for the expansion of its operation scale. The selection criteria for an acquisition target, favors entities with standalone revenues in the range of EUR 2-20 million and 30 -150 employees. The Company plans to allocate EUR 35-50 million to the acquisitions over the next three years. Acquisitions will be also the area for which majority of the resources from the Follow-On offering (up to 2.38 million shares) will be allocated to. The share issue is subject to the approval of the Shareholders Meeting convened for May 26, 2020.

The next stage of Selvita's development assumes continuation of the dynamic growth. Organic growth will be supported with the acquisition program. Our ambitious development plans require a quick access to investment capital thus the decision to conduct a share issue. Proceeds from the offering will be allocated mainly to finance the acquisitions, which will allow us to expand our scale of business and be even more competitive on the global market  adds the CEO.

Another key factor which will influence the Company's development will be the creation of Selvita Research Center with a research area of 4000 m2, planned to be ready in 2022/2023. Own laboratory space is an important competitive advantage for CRO companies. With the completion of the new Center, Selvita will have 10,000 m2 of research space available. As a consequence, the Company is planning to increase employment from current 500 to 700 employees by the end of 2023. Own laboratories and strengthening of the scientific staff, will allow Selvita to increase its scale of business, expand its services offer and launch innovative new services. The Company has already signed a preliminary contract for a plot of land in the neighborhood of its current laboratories. The initiation of the investment is planned for 2021. The total value of the investment will amount to approx. EUR 30 million and will be financed mainly from the bank loan, grant financing and own resources.

For the years 2020-2023, the Company also intends to spend approx. EUR 10 million for organic development and replacement investments.

We want to continue building our competitive position on the global market. Investment in our own research space has a double justification. On the one hand, we have exhausted the possibilities of further expansion of our rented research space in Krakow and we have to secure the space for further growth. On the other hand, we are currently in such a position and phase of corporate development that in order to further build our competitive position we need to own a part of the research space on which we operate. It offers stability which our customers ask for, and in addition, the mix of rented and owned space is considered as a golden standard among reputable global CROs. Additional research space, state-of-the-art equipment and innovative technologies, will allow us to significantly expand our offer and increase competitiveness. At the same time, acquisitions will enable us to increase the scale of business, as well as complement our competences. Until the end of 2023, we're planning to execute three acquisitions, with the first one taking place this year. We have analyzed over 170 companies, out of which we have selected 20 entities which drew our attention. With several of them we're in close contact  explains Boguslaw Sieczkowski.

Preliminary consolidated financial results for Q1 2020

The dynamic development of the Company is once again confirmed by the achieved financial results. The value of Services segment revenues in the Q1 2020 amounted to EUR 5.8 million, indicating a 45% increase in comparison to the same period last year. The Company's EBITDA profit for Q1 2020 reached EUR 1.7 million and was 52% higher than in Q1 2019. According to the company's preliminary results, the net result for Q1 2020 has increased by 95% compared to Q1 2019, up to EUR 0.9 million. At the end of March 2020, Selvita had EUR 3.8 million in cash. The company has also updated its backlog for this year - as of April 28, 2020, the value of the contracted portfolio of orders and grants, amounts to EUR 19.6 million* and is 44% higher than a year ago**.

* Backlog understood as the value of the contracted portfolio of orders arising from trade contracts and grant agreements signed as on April 28,2020.

** As on April 15, 2019

About Selvita

Selvita is a CRO (Contract Research Organization) Company providing multidisciplinary support in resolving the unique challenges of research within area of drug discovery, regulatory studies, as well as research and development.

The company was established in 2007 and currently employs ca. 500 professionals, of which over 1/3 hold PhD title. Selvita is headquartered in Krakow, Poland, with a second research site in Poznan, Poland and foreign offices located in Cambridge, MA and South San Francisco, in the U.S., as well as in Cambridge, UK. The company has a proven track record of successfully completed projects and customers in 40 countries. Majority of Company revenues come from pharma, biotech, chemical and agrochemical companies from the US and Europe. Selvita is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE:SLV).

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements regarding the guidance from management and financial results. Selvita cautions the reader that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which might cause the actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Selvita, or industry results, to be materially different from any historic or future results, financial conditions, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, even if Selvita's results, performance, financial conditions, and the development of the industry in which it operates are consistent with such forward-looking statements, they may not be predictive of results or developments in future periods. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. Selvita expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, unless specifically required by law or regulation.

Contact details:

Investor Relations contact:

[email protected]

Media contact:

Natalia Baranowska

[email protected]

+48 784-069-418

SOURCE Selvita
ROANOKE, Va., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RGC Resources, Inc. (RGCO) will host its quarterly conference call and webcast to review the results of its fiscal second quarter on Friday, May 8 at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. Related presentation materials will be available before the call on the Company website on the Investor & Financial Information page at https://www.rgcresources.com/investor-financial-information/.



Interested parties may access the conference call by dialing toll-free 1-800-261-3225 and entering conference identification number 7773810. An archive of the webcast will be available for one year on the website at https://www.rgcresources.com/investor-financial-information/.

RGC Resources, Inc. provides energy and related products and services to customers in Virginia through its operating subsidiaries Roanoke Gas Company and RGC Midstream, LLC.

From time to time, the Company may publish forward-looking statements relating to such matters as anticipated financial performance, business prospects, technological developments, new products, research and development activities and similar matters. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, the Company notes that a variety of factors could cause the Companys actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the Companys forward-looking statements. Past performance is not necessarily a predictor of future results.
[April 29, 2020] Transplace Announces Second Quarter 2020 Logistics Market Quarterly Update Spotlighting COVID-19 Global Supply Chain Disruptions

Transplace, the premier provider of logistics technology and services, today announced the release of its Logistics Market Quarterly Update, Second Quarter 2020. The report spotlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global supply chain. Using proprietary analytics from Transplace's over $9 billion in freight-under-management, the quarterly report provides shippers and carriers with unprecedented access to the transportation market, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and international ocean logistics. Supply chain, transportation, and logistics professionals can use the report to streamline their operations and prepare for what's ahead in the second half of 2020. Key findings from the Second Quarter 2020 Logistics Market Update include: U.S. - Full Truckload Pre-March conditions softening

Mid-March hoarding created temporary capacity shortages in essential markets

April over-capacity situation takes over across all industries and geographies U.S. - Less than Truckload Volumes down

Shipment densities in flux due to recalibration of customer and business strategies

Carriers with high operating ratios should be monitored closely as the situation develops U.S. - Intermodal West Coast container imbalances stabilizing

Abundant dray capacity

Competition with soft truckload market becoming more fierce

Opportunities for cost savings and higher service levels are abundant U.S. - Flatbed Continued significant rate volatility

Some airlines requesting forwarders to pre-pay for blocked space

Reports of passenger space being used for critical cargo as PPE and other mission-critical products are increasing tonnage U.S. - Bulk Capacity remains strong

Partnerships are more critical givenscarcity of specialized equipment and soft conditions

Tale of two markets - essential and non-essential product flows creating uncertainty in Tier 1 Supply Chains



Mexico - Truckload Significant influence of government policy with restrictions on labor and wages

Automotive to ramp up in coming weeks

Oil and travel sectors, which are key economic drivers in Mexico, are under pressure

Foreign exchange rate holding at ~24 Pesos/USD Canada - Truckload/LTL

A reduction in southbound moves into U.S. is straining backhauls into U.S.

Drivers becoming more reticent to accept layovers; concerns about U.S. are affecting load acceptance

Some LTL carriers are beginning to limit rural activities International Ocean Blank sailings continue as a means to balance supply-demand

11 Carriers currently at High Risk in Altman Z-Scores bankruptcy index

Warehousing constraints exist for key non-essential supply chains The Logistics Market Quarterly Update includes comprehensive data analytics and KPIs from the Transplace Transportation Management System. The quarterly report also contains logistics intelligence from the Transplace Control Tower. The control tower proactively tracks shipments and manages exception issues from freight visibility solutions, carrier check calls, and predictive analytics with relevant information from the web, including weather alerts. Connect with a Transplace expert to receive the full report of the Second Quarter 2020 Logistics Market Quarterly Update and sign up to receive future reports. Learn more about the benefits of Transplace's Transportation Management Services by visiting transplace.com/transplace-contact. About Transplace Transplace partners with global shippers to run their logistics business more intelligently through its advanced logistics technology platform, proprietary transportation management software, data insights, expert engineering, and execution services. As a result, Transplace has become the premier provider of logistics technology and services. The Company also excels at strategic over-the-road capacity services, with intermodal and truck brokerage capability, and border management services, including cross-border customs and logistics services. With over 1,000 customers and $9 billion of Freight Under Management (FUM) in North America alone, and a growing client base in Europe, Transplace continues to deliver the intelligent solutions that grow and differentiate its customers' businesses through more intelligent and efficient supply chains.To learn more visit www.transplace.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Follow the company on Twitter, Facebook (News - Alert) and the Transplace Industry Blog:

https://twitter.com/transplace

https://www.facebook.com/transplace/

https://blog.transplace.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005560/en/

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It was the latest example of Mr. Pences refusal to don a face mask even as he travels the country representing the administration. This month, he was photographed arriving in Colorado Springs and being greeted by the Democratic governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, who wore a face mask emblazoned with images from his state flag. Mr. Pence tapped elbows, but kept his face bare.

Mr. Pence later defended his maskless appearance at the Mayo Clinic to reporters.

As vice president of the United States, Im tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus, he said. He added that he was following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicate that a face mask is effective in preventing the spread of the virus by those who have it.

His aides in the past have said the guidelines were meant to protect people from asymptomatic spread. Because Mr. Pence is tested regularly, they said, he is not asymptomatic. Mr. Pence did not explain why he chose not to honor the Mayo Clinics own guidelines for its facility.

But public health experts dismissed his argument for skipping a face mask as faulty.

Even in coronavirus patients who show symptoms, diagnostic tests may detect the virus only 75 percent of the time, said Dr. Mark Loeb, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and it is unclear how sensitive the tests are in asymptomatic cases.

Mr. Pence was immediately rebuked by the administrations critics.

American Bridge, a progressive group, called for Mr. Pence to be removed from the coronavirus task force, which he oversees. He just didnt care enough about the health and safety of doctors, nurses, and patients to follow their guidance, said Kyle Morse, a spokesman for the group. Pence, like Donald Trump, thinks the rules dont apply to him.
BEIJING, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PetroChina Company Limited ("PetroChina", SEHK stock code 0857; NYSE symbol PTR; SSE stock code 601857) announced today that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which includes its audited financial statements.

PetroChina's 2019 annual report on Form 20-F can be accessed through SEC's website - www.sec.gov, as well as the official website of PetroChina: www.petrochina.com.cn. A soft copy of PetroChina's annual report on Form 20-F (in pdf format) is available for download through its website.

PetroChina will deliver within a reasonable time a hard copy of its 2019 annual report on Form 20-F, including its complete audited financial statements, free of charge, to any shareholder upon request.

To request a hard copy of the annual report, please contact:

BNY Mellon Shareowner Services

P.O. BOX 505000

Louisville, KY 40233-5000

UNITED STATES

Overnight correspondence should be sent to:

BNY Mellon Shareowner Services

462 South 4th Street Suite 1600

Louisville, KY 40202

UNITED STATES

Calling from within the US and Canada (toll-free): 1 888 269 2377

International call: 1-201-680-6825

Email: [email protected]

Additional information on PetroChina is available at the Company's website:

http://www.petrochina.com.cn





For further information, please contact:

PetroChina Company Limited Hong Kong representative office

Xing Chong



Fax: (852) 2899 2390

Tel: (852) 2899 2010

E-mail: [email protected]



PR Agency (Overseas media):

Hill+Knowlton Strategies Asia Fax: (852) 2576 1990 Joanne Lam Tel: (852) 2894 6211

E-mail: [email protected]



PR Agency (Domestic media):

EverBloom Investment Consulting Lt. Co. Fax: (8610) 8562 3181 Shen Di Tel: (8610) 5166 3828

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE PetroChina Company Limited
The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday approved a fund of Rs 2.48 crore to acquire ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines to boost the immunity of Covid-19 warriors, a senior minister said.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in Dehradun.

Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said the money will be used to buy various Ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines for the Covid warriors.

Kaushik said, Government will buy homeopathic medicine named Arsenic Album-30 and Ayurveda items like Giloi, Ashwagandha, Tulsi and others to be given to Covid warriors including policemen, doctors, sanitary workers and others.

He also informed about the inauguration of telemedicine and e-hospital in the state.

Under the new facility started in Doon Government Hospital, patients will be able to consult doctors over the phone. Apart from this, Srinagar Medical College has also given permission for Covid-19 tests. Permission for the same had also been sought for Almora medical college and Haridwar hospital, he said.

Uttarakhand currently has three testing facilities for Covid-19 at Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haldwani. The state has recorded 54 cases of Covid-19 out of which 33 have recovered.

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The images of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) taken on April 20 and 23, 2020 by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope yielded new evidence about the breakup of the fragile comet.

Hubble identified about 30 fragments of the comet on April 20, and 25 pieces on April 23. All these fragments of comet ATLAS are enveloped in a sunlight-swept tail of cometary dust. "Their appearance changes substantially between the two days, so much so that it's quite difficult to connect the dots. I don't know whether this is because the individual pieces are flashing on and off as they reflect sunlight, acting like twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, or because different fragments appear on different days," said David Jewitt, professor of planetary science and astronomy at UCLA, Los Angeles. Jewitt is also the leader of one of two teams that photographed ATLAS comet with Hubble.

New @NASAHubble images show comet ATLAS disintegrating, yielding new evidence that breakups are fairly common: https://t.co/MfdIAf5upv pic.twitter.com/cRsmzd2ylI  NASA (@NASA) April 29, 2020

"This is really exciting  both because such events are super cool to watch and because they do not happen very often. Most comets that fragment are too dim to see. Events at such scale only happen once or twice a decade," said the leader of a second Hubble observing team, Quanzhi Ye, of the University of Maryland, College Park.

The researchers remarked that the images captured by Hubble make it clear that comet fragmentation is a common thing. The crisp images captured by Hubble may yield new clues to the breakup as NASA's telescope distinguishes pieces as small as the size of a house.

The researchers believe that the original nucleus spun itself into pieces because of the jet action of outgassing from sublimating ices and since such venting is probably not evenly dispersed across the comet, it enhances the breakup. "Further analysis of the Hubble data might be able to show whether or not this mechanism is responsible," said Jewitt. "Regardless, it's quite special to get a look with Hubble at this dying comet."

Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) was discovered on December 29, 2019, by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) robotic astronomical survey system based in Hawaii.
The U.S. government's top infectious-disease expert said that early results of a closely watched clinical trial offered "quite good news" regarding a potential covid-19 therapy made by the biotechnology company Gilead Sciences.

Anthony Fauci, the head of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is conducting the study, said at a White House meeting with President Donald Trump and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards that the trial showed a significant positive effect in treating the virus.

Early Wednesday morning, Gilead issued a news release saying it had become aware of results from the NIAID trial showing its experimental drug remdesivir helped patients recover more quickly than standard care, suggesting it could become the first effective treatment for an illness that has turned modern life inside-out.

NIAID's trial enrolled more than 1,000 patients internationally and compared remdesivir treatment alongside supportive care with a placebo. Patients who got the drug recovered in an average of 11 days, while those who get a placebo recovered in 15 days, Fauci said.

The results were "highly significant if you look at the time to recovery," Fauci said. The Food and Drug Administration indicated it is in talks with Gilead to make the medicine available quickly.

Finding a treatment for covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, could move the world closer to easing lockdown measures put in place to help slow its spread. News of the positive results helped send the U.S. stock market soaring Wednesday despite data showing a deep contraction in the economy in the first quarter of the year.

Gilead shares jumped as much as 8.1% Wednesday after the company's statement.

The broader stock market and Gilead itself have been churned in recent weeks by a series of early looks and leaks of trial data on the drug, called remdesivir. Last week, the market swooned after apparently discouraging results from a Chinese trial that was halted early after researchers struggled to enroll patients were accidentally posted on a World Health Organization web page.

Data confirming those more downbeat results were published in the U.K. medical journal The Lancet on Wednesday. Fauci said at the White House Wednesday that that trial was "not an adequate study."

Originally developed to treat other novel viruses, remdesivir has placed Gilead at the head of the race to develop a treatment for covid-19. The drug, which has also been tested on Ebola, isn't approved for use anywhere in the world.

A separate study of 397 patients released by Gilead Wednesday found remdesivir appears equally effective when given for half as long as the 10 days used in the NIAID and other studies, and that some patients may fare even better when given less medication. The potential ability to treat patients for less time would help ease strain on stretched health systems that must infuse the medicine, and make supplies of the drug last longer.

Two weeks after treatment, 65% of those who got the five-day dose had recovered, compared with just 54% of those who received the infusion for 10 days. The death rate showed a similar trend, with 8% of patients getting less drug dying, compared with 11% in the 10-day group. The difference wasn't statistically significant, which means it could have happened by chance.

The five-day regimen "could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir," said Merdad Parsey, Gilead's chief medical officer.

Taken together, Gilead's study and the NIAID trial could signal a profound shift in the race to get the novel coronavirus under control. The availability of a treatment could allow the world to start reopening economies, as well as offer psychological relief to billions of people who have been self-isolating to hide from the virus.

In the most severe cases, covid-19 can lead to respiratory failure and death. More than 1 million cases have been confirmed in the U.S., and over 200,000 people have died around the globe from the illness.

Multiple trials of the drug are still underway. The NIAID trial measured how quickly patients taking it were able to be removed from supplemental oxygen therapy or were discharged from the hospital. The agency plans to publish the findings in a medical journal in the near future, Fauci said.

The trial, run by the National Institutes of Health, aimed to sign up about 800 patients to test the drug and give a definitive answer as to whether it can help treat the illness.

An NIAID representative said in an email that the agency is planning an announcement Wednesday, with the most likely venue the White House task-force briefing.

Remdesivir will likely be approved for use in certain settings on the basis of the positive result, said Jefferies health-care strategist Jared Holz, at least until better alternatives are available.

"There is a massive bias to look at the data with half-glass-full approach," he said, adding that it's "totally fair given the current predicament."

The FDA "has been engaged in sustained and ongoing discussions with Gilead Sciences regarding making remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible, as appropriate," said Michael Felberbaum, an agency spokesman, in an email.

The results from the Chinese study in the Lancet have been long-anticipated. The trial was originally meant to enroll 761 patients in Wuhan, the early center of the country's outbreak, but researchers couldn't find enough people after its epidemic ebbed in early March.

Still, the results from 237 adults in the randomized trials, in which neither investigators nor patients knew who was taking the real drug and who was taking a placebo, are a setback for the drug.

Last week, the WHO prematurely and accidentally published results of the China trial but retracted it soon after. The WHO post showed that the drug didn't show benefit for these patients in terms of preventing death and reducing virus load.

About 100 clinics around the world worked together on the NIAID study, with a central goal of seeing whether remdesivir could help more patients recover more quickly after 29 days of followup.

Unlike the Chinese trial, which was running even as strict containment measures were clamping down on the numbers of infected people, NIAID's study had the benefit of casting a net for patients just as their numbers were exploding. After initially expecting to enroll 572 patients, researchers later said the total sample size could be more than 800 people.
Family crisis workers have urged schools to avoid judging vulnerable parents who are not essential workers for sending their children to school, saying teachers were often unaware of the dire circumstances those families were facing.

Attendance rose across the state's public schools for the first day of term one, but most parents heeded government requests to continue lessons at home until children were told when they could return to class by their principal.

Linda Gu drops her daughter off at school on her first day back on Wednesday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

At the end of last term, about 94 per cent of students stayed home from school. On Wednesday, that number dropped to 87 per cent, a difference of about 60,000 students among a total population of 800,000.

Even though parents have been asked to keep children home until a staged return begins on May 11, public schools remain open for families that need them and the Premier has repeatedly said no child will be turned away. However, some schools have been telling parents that only children of essential workers may attend.
[April 29, 2020] ChildFund Releases COVID-19 Response Plan as Pandemic Causes Far-reaching and Long-lasting Harm to World's Most Vulnerable Children

ChildFund is launching a $56 million-dollar plan to reach 6.3 million children and family members in 61 countries to ensure that they remain healthy, educated and safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The ambitious plan focuses on children's immediate needs, including health, food, safety and stability. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide health crisis that is causing catastrophic economic hardships that will trigger additional crises, especially for children and families living in fragile economies like those in ChildFund's program countries," says Anne Lynam Goddard, ChildFund International President and CEO. "Two major threats to children-hunger and violence-form the heart of our COVID-19 response." As families lose their income sources due to illness or collapsed livelihoods, the inability to afford food and other basic needs means that children's health and development suffer. As stressors brought about by the virus increase, the risks of abuse and domestic violence rise, causing great harm to children's development. Further, with schools closed, interruptions to education will make it harder for children to return to the classroom, and child labor or early marriage may keep them from ever resuming their education at all. The COVID-19 pandemic and its extensive collateral damage stand to multiply these risks to children, with long-lasting impacts. ChildFund's COVID-19 Response Plan aims to stop the spread of the virus and mitigate its potential harms to vulnerable children. ChildFund's plan identifies four priorities during this crisis: Stop COVID-19 from infecting children and families.

Ensure that children get the food they need.

Keep children safe from violence-physically and emotionally.

Help children to continue learning. To help children and families protect themselves, ChildFund is installing community handwashing stands; educating communities about syptoms, hygiene measures and locations for testing and treatment; distributing essentials such as soap, gloves and masks; and creating child-friendly spaces. To make sure children get food and other essentials, ChildFund is providing cash for families most in need and, where possible, distributing food and basic household items directly, while carefully abiding by COVID-19 protection measures.



ChildFund is also supporting community-based child protection systems; providing virtual, online psychological first aid and counseling; and supporting temporary shelters for children who live on the street as part of its work to keep children safe from violence during these unprecedented times. We also are arranging safe and appropriate care for children separated from caregivers. In addition, to ensure that children can continue with their education, ChildFund is supporting children's learning through activities and tutoring sessions online or by radio, and we are vigilant in addressing the increased risk of online sexual abuse that accompanies greater exposure to the internet. We are also distributing home learning kits for students where internet access is unavailable or unreliable.

"Even in times when we must maintain physical distance, there are ways to come together and show collective strength," says ChildFund Alliance Secretary General Meg Gardinier. "With 80 years of experience and operations in 61 countries across 11 members, ChildFund is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the world's most vulnerable children both during and after this pandemic." For the next nine months, through December 2020, ChildFund is allocating $30 million of our own program funds and all of our operational capacity toward the COVID-19 emergency response. In the plan, ChildFund also calls on governments, corporations, institutional foundations, peer organizations and individuals to play their part in ensuring that COVID-19 does not deny any child the right to be healthy, educated and safe. You can read or download the plan here (pdf) and learn how you can help by visiting ChildFund's online COVID-19 emergency response site. About ChildFund Founded in 1938, ChildFund is a child-focused global development organization that helps nearly 16 million children and family members in more than 60 countries. We work to end violence and exploitation against children and to overcome poverty and the underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work in partnership with children and their communities to create lasting change, and the participation of children themselves is a key component of our approach. Our commitment, resources, innovation, knowledge and expertise serve as a powerful force to transform the lives of children. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005709/en/

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While WA restaurant and pub owners WAtoday spoke to were supportive of the new COVID-19 hygiene training, hundreds of the state's sporting, social and recreational clubs across the vast state were less enthused. While I support this online course, the last thing we want is to add more red tape to already struggling businesses. Opposition tourism spokesperson Alyssa Hayden Clubs WA chief executive Karen Giles said her organisation, which represented almost 1000 licenced clubs such as sporting, social, yachting, cultural and RSL venues, was well established with more than 400,000 members but heavily reliant on volunteers, a significant proportion of whom had difficulty accessing and using online training. "In addition, many of our clubs are unable to utilise the government's COVID-19 incentives due to our volunteer model, she told WAtoday on Wednesday. "The club industry may be part of the hospitality sector yet we go beyond this  providing services to members and the local community. Our industry has different needs.

"We expect the government will now consult us regarding the dynamics of COVID-19 training for the club industry and look forward to working with them on this." The state government told Ms Giles on Thursday morning the new training initiative would also be available free in hard copy format. "Clubs WA is pleased this is the case as we had been previously informed from his office that only online training was available," Ms Giles told WAtoday late on Thursday afternoon. "Having hard copy distribution of the free training sent in a timely fashion to clubs that require it, by the training provider, will be of great assistance and we await further details." Mr McGowan on Wednesday said no other state to his knowledge had implemented such an initiative, with WA well ahead of most other states in curbing the COVID-19 spread.

AHA WA CEO Bradley Woods said the course was proposed to the WA government two weeks ago, with content drawn from the World Health Organisation, state health authorities and other reputed scientific and health sources. "This is a training commitment by the hospitality industry to reopening in the best possible hygiene environment  its not just training in food hygiene, its handling, sanitation and best practice in social distancing, he said. "The mandated required for on-premise activity is this course, so its probably wise to start now and get ready. This is not a hygiene course, this is a COVID-19 hygiene course." Mr Woods said his members would love to open as soon as possible "but we also want to be open responsibly and when its the safest time to do that". Its been a terrible time for our industry over the past two months; weve seen tens and tens of thousands of jobs disappear but they will come back and well be a more resilient industry," he said.

The great opportunity for us if weve got nearly two million West Australians who would love to holiday and they'll be able to once we see more and more venues able to open. "The aim should be that every job thats lost is recovered in time  but we need to recognise that our tourism will be coming from our locals. WA government washing its hands of helping smaller players Opposition tourism and small business spokesperson Alyssa Hayden said the training was good but illustrated the government had again washed its hands of really helping small business. "The state government still needs to explain how small and family-run businesses and tourism operators are expected to stay afloat during this difficult time, Ms Hayden said.

"Its devastating to think that they have fallen through yet another crack left open by the government." Ms Hayden said the government should provide financial support to hospitality and tourism businesses during the crisis by cutting taxes, fees and charges to keep them afloat so they could make it to the other side and have doors to reopen. Its all well and good for the state government to spend $1.8m on a refresher course on hand washing, but many of these businesses have either been forced to close, or are hanging on by a thread and they need more than that, she said. While I support this online course, the last thing we want is to add more red tape to already struggling businesses. A government spokesperson said on Thursday it had cut severals fees and charges already.

United Workers Union state secretary Carolyn Smith said the training came at a welcome time for an industry hit hard by job losses during the crisis. Hospitality workers have had their jobs and hours vanish overnight with many not eligible for JobKeeper support given the high levels of casual and visa workers in the sector, she said. These workers want to get back to work, but they want to get it right to keep themselves and the public safe. Western Australians should be really proud that we are even having this discussion when we look around the world. The Court hotel owner Bree Maddox says she has already taken the new COVID course. The COVID-19 Hygiene Course would help the sector reduce risks associated with COVID-19 in respect to hygiene, cleaning and social distancing measures and cover the following modules:

Understanding COVID-19 and venue restrictions

Reporting personal health issues

Maintaining personal and work environment hygiene practices, specific to COVID-19

Reducing cross-contamination through procedures, specific to COVID-19

Effective cleaning and sanitising practices, specific to COVID-19 All staff will be required to complete the basic training, while a second more detailed hygiene officer course will be required for managers and supervisors, Mr Woods said. When re-opening occurs, each venue must have one hygiene officer on duty at all times to ensure venue compliance. Here's what two of WA's most experienced hospitality operators said of the new COVID-19 training: Bree Maddox, The Court: "The hospitality industry has already demonstrated how responsive and responsible it is in regards to directives and challenges. The industry is appreciative of the initiatives so far but the government needs to do more to support the industry now and in the future to ensure the future economic and cultural contribution of the industry to the state is protected. If restaurants are able to open soon it stands to reason that taverns would also be able to open, given that larger venues are in a better position to provide for social distancing.
The storage period for eggs, sperm and embryos has been extended due to the coronavirus (Getty Images)

Those who have chosen to freeze their eggs, sperm and embryos now have the option to extend their storage for an additional two years.

New government guidelines state that people now have 12 - rather than 10 - years to decide whether they would like to use them for fertility treatment or have them destroyed.

The move is intended to help women, who had frozen their eggs and were coming towards the end of the storage limit, whose plans to start a family have been delayed due to the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, fertility treatment was halted across the NHS and private sector due to the pandemic.

Read more: Freezing your eggs - cost, process and everything else you need to know

A statement from the Department of Health and Social Care said: Anyone who has frozen their eggs, sperm and embryos will be able to extend their storage for an additional two years under new government plans to support those going through fertility treatment during the global coronavirus pandemic.

To support wider changes to the health service in responding to the pandemic, fertility treatment in the UK across the NHS and private sector was temporarily paused earlier this month.

In recognition of the potential impact this may have on those wishing to start a family, the government has confirmed that the current 10-year storage limit for embryos and gametes will be extended by two years to enable sufficient time for fertility treatment to resume.

Currently the storage period for embryos and gametes is limited to a maximum of 10 years, after which people must choose whether to undergo fertility treatment or have their frozen eggs, sperm and embryos destroyed.

Read more: Half of women aged 18 to 24 would consider freezing their eggs

Sally Cheshire, chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), said: We have been working together to ensure those patients who have stored sperm, eggs or embryos that are reaching the 10-year storage limit are not penalised by the current suspension of fertility treatment due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Story continues

We know this is a difficult and distressing time for all patients, so this decision brings good news for those who are reaching the 10-year storage limit.

It provides them with some much-needed reassurance and most importantly gives more time to try for their much longed for family.

The latest data shows that 1,463 women froze their eggs in 2017, a significant increase from 410 who did so in 2012.

Read more: Nurse gives birth after funding IVF with share of a 1million family lottery win

Of those who choose to freeze their eggs, two-thirds of women are over 35.

While egg freezing is becoming more popular, it is not a surefire way of having a child.

Women who underwent IVF with their own frozen eggs in 2016, less than one in five successfully conceived.

A select few are eligible for egg freezing on the NHS - such as cancer patients about to start chemotherapy.

For those who go private, the process can cost between 7,000 and 8,000, with no guarantee it will end in pregnancy.
The global snus market is expected to grow by USD 780 million as per Technavio. This marks a significant market slowdown compared to the 2019 growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. However, steady growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period, and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 11%. Request free sample pages

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005583/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Snus Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Snus Market Analysis Report by Product (Portion snus and loose snus) and Geography (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and MEA), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024".

https://www.technavio.com/report/global-snus-market-industry-analysis

The market is driven by the availability of flavored snus. In addition, the increasing number of smoking bans across the world are anticipated to boost the growth of the snus market.

In the last five years, the global snus market has seen a surge in the launch of new products with innovative flavors. For instance, Swedish Match AB (Swedish Match) offers branding and quality measures through different product lines. The company (Swedish Match) offers the XRANGE series of attractively priced, premium snus. Also, Swedish Match offers slim, dry, all-white portion snus through its other brand Omni, which has an appealing taste and is produced using patented technology. Similarly, Altria Group Inc. operates a product line under its subsidiary USSTC, with its well-known moist snuff range, Skoal. The product gained immense popularity instantly among adult consumers when it was launched in 2015 and managed to acquire a 5% market share in the US snus market in 2016. Skoal snus is offered in flavors like Cinnamon, Mint, Long Cut, Berry Blend, and Citrus Blend. Therefore, the availability of snus in different flavors is likely to propel the growth of the market in focus globally 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.

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Major Five Snus Companies:

Altria Group Inc.

Altria Group Inc. has business operations under various segments, such as smokeable products, smokeless products, wine, and others. Key products offered by the company include Marlboro Strong Original Portion and Marlboro Strong White Portion.

Arnold Andre GmbH Co. KG

Arnold Andre GmbH Co. KG operates its business through various segments, such as short filler, long filler, pipe tobacco, fine cut, and chewing tobacco. Key products offered by the company include Sirius Ice Cold snus and Sirius Ice Cold Slim snus.

British American Tobacco Plc

British American Tobacco Plc has business operations under various segments, such as US, APME, AMSSA, and ENA. Key products offered by the company include Camel Large Frost Snus and Camel Mellow Snus.

Dholakia Tobacco Pvt. Ltd.

Dholakia Tobacco Pvt. Ltd. operates its business through two segments, such as tobacco products, and non-tobacco products. The company's key offerings in the snus market include Herbal Original snus and Indian Rose snus.

GN Tobacco Sweden AB

GN Tobacco Sweden AB has business operations under various segments, such as chewing tobacco, snus, and filter tubes. The company's key offerings in the market include Oden's snus and Siberia snus.

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Snus Market Product Outlook (Revenue, USD million, 2020-2024)

Portion snus

Loose snus

Snus Market Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD million, 2020-2024)

Europe

North America

APAC

South America

MEA

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With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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"Unke liye, cinema jo hai, usko woh neechi nazar se dekhte the. Unko lagta tha ki naachne-gaane walon ka kaam hai".

This is what Irrfan Khan had said about Aap Ki Adalat. The star lied to his parents about his decision to study at the prestigious National School of Drama.



Twitter

"Ek toh meri maa ko jhooth bola. Maine kaha ki main actor banne nahi jaa raha hoon. Main acting seekhne jaa raha hoon, seekh ke main Jaipur University mein aaunga aur teacher ban jaunga."



Not only that, he also lied to NSD staff.

Twitter

Aur phir NSD walon ko maine jhooth bola ki maine 10 naatak kiye hai aur cinema se mera koi lena dena nahi hai. Main naatak seekhunga aur phir naatak hi karunga bas. Yeh mere jhooth the. Lekin mere liye zaroori tha."



In 1986, director Mira Nair had paid visit to NSD to look for actors to cast in her film Salaam Bombay. She picked the 20-year-old Irrfan for a small role.

Twitter

Not only did NSD helped Irrfan make a career in the world of movies, but it also played a crucial roles in his love story with his wife Sutapa Sikdar.

manoramaonline.com

Sutapa, who is a writer, was Irrfan's college-mate. The two fell in love during their college days and later tied the knot in 1995.

After Irrfan Khan's tragic demise, his alma Mater NSD paid tribute to him.



Twiiter

On the behalf of NSD family, Director-In-Charge Suresh Sharma tweeted, "The news of the demise of noted actor (alumnus NSD) Mr. Irrfan Khan is highly shocking. The NSD family pays a heartfelt tribute. Irrfan Bhai had contributed a lot to theatre. God bless the departed soul."



Vani Tripathi Tikoo, former BJP national secretary, who knew Irrfan Khan from his days at the NSD, also paid him a heartfelt tribute.

May his soul rest in peace  Rajat Abhinav (@abhinavrajat) April 29, 2020

"I am totally inundated with memories, which go back to the late '90s. I remember the first time I had gone to Mumbai to perform in a German play at the Prithvi theatre. Irrfan came to watch the play with some more batchmates and they waited for me to finish backstage and come out. I was so taken aback because even at the NSD we were completely mesmerized by the persona of Irrfan. Not just as a senior theatre person, we looked up to him as an actor who taught us so much," she was quoted as saying by News 18.







"I have also had the privilege of working with him in a TV series when I moved to Mumbai. There's so much he taught me. Between speaking dialogues and having normal conversations with me, it was all so natural. Whether the camera was on or off, Irrfan was Irrfan. And I think that defines the great talent of Irrfan Khan, that you could not disassociate the natural quality. Whatever role he did, he became those people," she added.



Indeed, it's a great loss for the industry.


Wednesday, 29 April 2020 22:51:17 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Latin America-focused steelmaker Ternium said this week it expects a slow recovery for its businesses in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. Ternium, which released weaker Q1 results this week, said it expects EBITDA in Q2 to decline, with a significant decrease in steel sales volumes at its main markets.

The company also said it expects moderately lower EBITDA margins compared to the first quarter of the year.

In Mexico, with steel prices declining since March 2020 and increasing mobility restrictions, steel shipments have been weakening. Currently, the automotive industry is mostly closed and it is expected to re-open during May, Ternium forecasted.

Other industrial customers in Mexico, including white goods and electric motors, are also expected to operate below normal rates in Q2. Ternium said steel sales volumes for the Mexican civil construction segment in Q2 should also decline, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In Brazil, where the company owns slab producer Ternium Brazil, it plans to partially compensate a weaker domestic demand for slab by increased sales of the product to third parties in other markets.

However, slab sales to Terniums other facilities in Mexico should to sequentially decrease due to lower rates of production.

In Argentina, after a minimum level of shipments month to date in April 2020, Ternium expects a gradual volume increase over the rest of Q2, as the lockdown of operations in the country is very slowly subsiding, the company noted.
However, it is also important that patients receive their treatments on time and visit their doctors regularly.

A study has shown that cancer patients are more likely to get infected and die due to Coronavirus. Which, consequently has them afraid to visit hospitals as they could contract the infection. This trend has left doctors worried as it could have detrimental effects if they do not receive their treatments on time.

Dr Bhawna Sirohi, Director of Medical Oncology at Max Healthcare told PTI, I feel patients, scared because of COVID-19, are not coming to hospitals and that is pushing them from early cancer too late stages."

The study looked at patients from 14 hospitals in Wuhan, China but the authors are situated all over the world in the US, China, and Singapore. They looked at 105 patients who are suffering from cancer and are infected with Coronavirus and compared them to 356 patients, of the same age as the first group but did not have cancer and were infected with the virus.

They found that patients who have blood cancer, lung cancer, or those who are in the last stage or metastatic cancer (stage IV) are three times more likely to die if infected with the virus. The type of cancer, along with the age of the person, the stage of cancer they are at, and the treatment they are undergoing, play an important factor as well.

A report from The Washington Post states, "Cancer patients also were more likely to experience 'severe events,' such as being admitted to intensive care units and needing mechanical ventilation, than people without cancer."

The study was released at the American Association for Cancer Researchs virtual annual meeting and published in the organizations peer-reviewed journal, Cancer Discovery.

An abstract from the study states that "Patients who received surgery had higher risks of having severe events, while patients with the only radiotherapy did not demonstrate significant differences in severe events when compared to patients without cancer."

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery leave patients vulnerable as it lowers the body's immune system which in turn makes them more likely to fall prey to infections. Even those patients that have had surgery in the past and have completed their treatments have a higher possibility of experiencing 'sever events' than those patients that haven't.

Dr Niranjan Naik, Director, Surgical Oncology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon told PTI, "COVID-19 crisis is posing a challenge as patients with low immunity are at a higher risk of contracting the virus."

However, this does not mean that cancer patients do no visit their doctors or receive their treatments, regularly, as it does help save their lives.

"The key aspect while making decisions is the cancer doubling time which is different for different cancers, with blood cancer being very aggressive as compared with breast cancer," Naik added.

Coronavirus is here to stay for the foreseeable future but that does not mean that cancer patients should stop their treatments. They just need to be more cautious.

Stage 1 and 2 (of cancer) can become 3 and 4, it can become incurable, if you dont act upon it, Sirohi said.
Dowling recovering at home after long hospital stay

State Rep. Matthew Dowling has returned home after suffering a one-vehicle crash in October. Dowling represents parts of Somerset County.
Sysco has furloughed and laid off more workers  including employees at its corporate office in Houston  in response to the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Houston company, the nations largest food service distributor with more than 69,000 employees globally, did not disclose the number of additional employees who were furloughed and laid off.

Social distancing measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many of Syscos customers to either temporarily close or experience significantly decreased consumer traffic, and thus Syscos business has also been impacted significantly, Sysco spokeswoman Shannon Mutschler said in an email. As a result, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce the size of our workforce, including a mix of permanent terminations and temporary/furlough actions that affect associates in our corporate office in Houston.

LAYOFFS: Houston-based Sysco lays off, furloughs workers in response to coronavirus fallout

Sysco, which provides food to restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels and office cafeterias, last month said the pandemic has caused a dramatic reduction in its business as customers followed stay-at-home orders across the country to slow the spread of the virus. Schools and offices have been closed for more than a month, and restaurants still operating takeout services have seen a steep drop in customer traffic.

As a result, the company on March 27 said it furloughed and laid off an undisclosed number of sales, warehouse, transportation and support employees worldwide. At the time, Sysco said it would continue to pay benefits to its nonunion employees who were furloughed. The company also entered into a partnership with Cincinnati-based Kroger, the nations largest grocery chain, to offer temporary work for furloughed Sysco workers at some Kroger distribution centers.

Sysco last month also reduced hours for some of its employees, cut capital investment to noncritical projects and began pivoting its business to new markets, such as retail grocery. The company, which said it is not seeking a government bailout, has opened some of its warehouses to retail customers shopping for food during the pandemic.

This months layoffs are the latest to hit Sysco employees in recent years.

SYSCO 50TH: Houston food service giant Sysco marks 50th anniversary as challenges mount

The company a few years ago outsourced information technology work to India, and last year laid off nearly 300 finance and accounting staff at its shared services center in Cypress.

In addition, Sysco consolidated its French and hospitality subsidiaries and closed some facilities in Canada and Europe, laying off an undisclosed number of workers.

Earlier this year, Sysco outsourced all of its U.S. customer service functions, laying off at least 30 employees in the Houston area and others nationally. The food distributor partnered with Cognizant, a New Jersey outsourcing firm, to manage its customer service as part of a new centralized customer care model that would allow for extended hours and a single point of contact for its customers.

paul.takahashi@chron.com

twitter.com/paultakahashi
Fans of Sally Rooneys novel Normal People can let out a big sigh of relief. The television version hasnt mucked it up.

Judging by the reaction on Twitter to the first two episodes of the 12-part adaptation, shown back-to-back on BBC1 on Monday and RTE1 last night, readers who love the novel with a passion as intense as that between the two young lead characters, love the TV series every bit as much.

Speaking as someone who hasnt read the book, I also thought the opening episodes, which I reviewed yesterday, were excellent, and I will certainly be sticking with the series to the end.

Its easy to see why literary adaptations appeal to TV producers. Books come with a built-in audience, which, in theory, should migrate from page to screen.

Expand Close A still from the TV adaptation of Normal People / Facebook

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But trying to turn a popular book, and especially one thats been elevated almost to the level of a sacred text, into a popular television series is never anything other than walking into a minefield.

When theyre done well, of course, they make for riveting viewing. The BBCs most recent versions of War and Peace and Les Miserables  a novel which had become almost umbilically linked to that damned musical  were superb.

Both were brought to the screen by Andrew Davies, the undisputed king of literary adaptations, whose long list of credits includes Pride and Prejudice, Tipping the Velvet, and the original House of Cards and its sequels.

Yet, even expert Davies came badly unstuck last year with his adaptation of Jane Austen unfinished novel Sanditon.

Austen left enough material to fill just half an hour-long episode; the remaining seven instalments came entirely from Davies imagination. Austen purists were horrified by an early scene featuring a woman manually pleasuring a man in a forest. It went downhill after that, bringing the viewing figures with it.

But even when the source material is rock solid, the results can still be disastrous. Back in 1993, an adaptation of Peter Mayles funny, colourful memoir A Year in Provence seemed like a bulletproof project for the BBC. The book had been a huge best seller, the cast was led by John Thaw  then the most popular actor on British TV  and Lindsay Duncan, and the series was shot on location in a beautiful region of southern France.

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It turned out to be a stinker  dull, bland and, as one critic at the time called it, a smugathon. In 2006, it earned the unwanted distinction of being the only drama series to make it into the top 10 of the Radio Times list of the 50 worst television shows ever made.

An updated list would undoubtedly include two other BBC series that fouled up our screens shortly before Christmas last year.

Expectations were sky high for the three-part adaptation of The War of the Worlds, the first one to be set, like HG Wells novel, in the Edwardian period. And then we got to see it.

It was beyond awful, a Christmas turkey that arrived a month early. Drab, lifeless and blighted by mediocre special effects, it turned the Martian invasion into a barely-glimpsed backdrop to the relationship problems of a dreary, anachronistically woke couple.

Just as terrible was Steven Peaky Blinders Knights three-part A Christmas Carol. An adult take on the Dickens classic (ie., a bit of sex and a few F-bombs), it was ceaselessly grim, even robbing the story of its joyous final redemption.

But if I had to pick a personal least-favourite literary adaptation, it would be the two-part BBC version of Sebastian Faulks Birdsong, a magnificent tale of war, romance and tragedy.

Aside from an insipid lead performance by Eddie Redmayne (a mannequin in a WWI uniform would have been more effective), it failed to capture the scope and depth of the book, and somehow managed to omit the element of the novel that explains the title.

Normal People continues on BBC One on Mondays and RTE One on Tuesdays.
Theres been a dual benefit of some of the programs that we put into place well before the pandemic, said R. Clarke Cooper, the assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs. Were really getting the maximum out of it. It is a win-win, not just on security cooperation, but also bolstering capacities for some of these partners.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Gov. Gretchen Whitmers executive orders  including a stay-at-home directive - violate constitutional rights and threaten to bankrupt businesses and destroy the states economy, a lawsuit says.

A group of small-business owners contend that Whitmer has also withheld information that she used to justify what it calls the countrys harshest restrictions in the COVID-19 crisis.

Governor Whitmers executive orders are unprecedented, Detroit attorney Daniel McCarthy of Butzel Long wrote.

For the first time in our States history -- indeed, in our nations history -- the State government is mass quarantining healthy people instead of the sick. As a free people, we have the unalienable right to pursue happiness, which includes the freedom to make our own choices about our safety and welfare without unconstitutional interference.

He said his clients, who have businesses on the east side of the state, want to reopen so that workers can support themselves and their families.

McCarty filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids on behalf of Signature Sothebys International Realty Inc., in Birmingham, Michigan; Executive Property Maintenance of Ann Arbor; Intraco Corporation of Troy; Casite Intraco LLC of Troy; and Hillsdale Jewelers.

They are suing Whitmer and Robert Gordon, the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Whitmers office declined to comment on pending legal matters.

She has defended the use of executive orders to prevent the spread of the highly contagious respiratory illness. At one point, Michigan, with the 10th largest population in the country, had the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases.

"I know that what we have done, the vast majority of people in Michigan agree with and (we) have done the right thing, Whitmer said, in a recent interview on ABCs This Week with George Stephanopolous.

She said that large number of deaths were projected. Through Wednesday, April 29, there have been 3,670 deaths in Michigan and 40,399 COVID-19 cases. Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties accounted for 81.5 percent of the states deaths.

We have flattened that curve because people are doing the right thing and people recognize the value of the order that Ive issued, Whitmer said in the ABC interview.

In a recent news briefing, she said: I have multiple, distinct, independent authorities of constitutional and statutory power to keep people safe as the governor of the state of Michigan.

Whitmer last week extended a stay-at-home order to May 15 but also loosened restrictions. Some think she isnt doing it fast enough. Earlier this month, protesters caused a traffic jam  Operation Gridlock  in downtown Lansing. Some Republican lawmakers have also criticized the stay-at-home order that shuts down many businesses.

McCarthy wrote in the lawsuit: The number of deaths caused by COVID-19, while unquestionably tragic, is not unprecedented, as routinely claimed. What is unprecedented is Governor Whitmers response to it.

He said that business owners are forced to risk criminal prosecution by exercising constitutional rights.

Governor Whitmer has issued executive orders that have shuttered civil society, placed 10 million people under house arrest, and taken jobs away from nearly 1.2 million people, all without due process of law, he wrote.

He said that Michigan has been able to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases but restrictions continue that deprive his clients of their liberty and property interests without due process.

In the face of the coronavirus, it means the freedom to choose whether to stay at home, or to keep calm and carry on with the things that make life worth living.

McCarthy said that the lawsuit is intended to define the states policing powers. There are limits, in time of peace, war or pandemic, he said.

Whatever its limits, this legal term of art is not some shibboleth that unlocks absolute executive power and casts our Constitution to the wind. The issues raised in this Complaint are novel, and they will not be rendered moot if the executive order is lifted before the Court issues judgment.

His clients hired Anderson Economic Group, a Michigan research and consulting company, to issue a report on coronavirus in Michigan and the economic cost of the governors executive orders.

It showed that the growth rate of infections in Michigan is in decline but the stay-at-home order continues to strangle Michigans economy, McCarthy wrote.

Read more:

Michigan sees 100 more coronavirus deaths, 1,100 new confirmed cases

Whitmer seeks 28-day extension of Michigans coronavirus state of emergency

Facebook deletes event for stay-at-home protest in Michigan

Masks now required, motorboating is back and AirBnb rentals are banned: Heres what changed in Michigans latest stay-home order
For home cooks, widespread techniques for judging doneness of chicken may not ensure that pathogens are reduced to safe levels. Solveig Langsrud of the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on April 29, 2020.

Chicken can harbor the bacterial pathogens Salmonella and Campylobacter. High temperatures can kill these microbes, but enough may survive to cause illness if meat is undercooked. Recommendations for monitoring doneness vary widely, and the prevalence and safety of methods commonly used by home cooks have been unclear.

To help clarify consumers' chicken cooking practices, Lansgrud and colleagues surveyed 3,969 private households across five European countries (France, Norway, Portugal, Romania, and the U.K.) on their personal chicken cooking practices. They also interviewed and observed chicken cooking practices in 75 additional households in the same countries.

The analysis indicated that checking the inner color of chicken meat is a popular way to judge doneness, used by half of households. Other common methods include examining meat texture or juice color. However, the researchers also conducted laboratory experiments to test various techniques for judging doneness, and these demonstrated that color and texture are not reliable indicators of safety on their own: for example, the inner color of chicken changes at a temperature too low to sufficiently inactivate pathogens.

Food safety messages often recommend use of thermometers to judge doneness, but the researchers found that the surface of chicken meat may still harbor live pathogens after the inside is cooked sufficiently. Furthermore, thermometers are not widely used; only one of the 75 observed households employed one.

These findings suggest a need for updated recommendations that guarantee safety while accounting for consumers' habits and desire to avoid overcooked chicken. For now, the researchers recommend focusing on the color and texture of the thickest part of the meat, as well as ensuring that all surfaces reach sufficient temperatures.

"Consumers are often advised to use a food thermometer or check that the juices run clear to make sure that the chicken is cooked safely--we were surprised to find that these recommendations are not safe, not based on scientific evidence and rarely used by consumers," adds Dr Langsrud. "Primarily, consumers should check that all surfaces of the meat are cooked, as most bacteria are present on the surface. Secondly, they should check the core. When the core meat is fibrous and not glossy, it has reached a safe temperature."

###

Citation: Langsrud S, Srheim O, Skuland SE, Almli VL, Jensen MR, Grvlen MS, et al. (2020) Cooking chicken at home: Common or recommended approaches to judge doneness may not assure sufficient inactivation of pathogens. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0230928. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230928

Funding: This work is supported by the European Commission through a grant, as part of the H2020 research project: Safeconsume (Grant Agreement No. 727580). SL, OS, VLA, MRJ, MSG, OU, and TM are employed by and recieve salary from Nofima AS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: SL, OS, VLA, MRJ, MSG, OU, and TM are employed by and recieve salary from Nofima AS. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230928
Up to 12,000 British Airways staff will be made redundant after its owner IAG racked up losses of 466million in the first quarter.

Coronavirus has wiped out demand and IAG believes it will take several years for air travel to recover to 2019 levels.

It has cut 94 per cent of its flights in April and May compared to last year.

Grounded: Up to 12,000 British Airways staff will be made redundant after its owner IAG racked up losses of 466m in the first quarter

IAG, which is also the parent company of Ireland's Aer Lingus and Spain's Iberia, said revenues fell 13 per cent to 4billion between January to March.

It made a profit of 118million in the first quarter of 2019.

The company is starting formal talks with unions about the cuts at British Airways, which employs 42,000 people and has furloughed almost 23,000 staff in April.

Brian Strutton, of pilots' union Balpa, said: 'This is a bolt out of the blue from an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the Covid storm.

'Balpa does not accept a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one.'

IAG expects second-quarter losses to be 'significantly worse'.
Shoppers are increasingly paying in ways that don't involve touching cash, or handing over a credit card, because of fears of the coronavirus, according to Mastercard.

The credit-card giant reported a 40% jump in contactless payments  including tap-to-pay and mobile pay  during the first quarter as the global pandemic worsened.

Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga said the trend was being driven by consumers "looking for a quick way to get in and out of stores without exchanging cash, touching terminals, or anything else."

"We are seeing an increase in the use of contactless transactions, and we think this trend will continue after the pandemic," Banga said Wednesday on Mastercard's first-quarter earnings call with analysts.

The World Health Organization has denied reports that the agency warned against using cash amid the outbreak. But regardless of whether there's a proven risk, the psychological factor of people thinking of cash as "unclean" appears to be changing how people choose to pay.

Before the virus outbreak, mobile payments in the U.S. were consistently below global adoption rates at roughly 10%, according to according to management consultancy Bain. Experts cite a deeply embedded legacy system and rewards cards as reasons Americans historically don't tap their phones to pay. In China, by contrast, more than 80% of consumers used mobile payments last year.

Mastercard also reported a "dramatic" increase in online payments thanks to shutdowns of major cities caused by the outbreak. So-called "card not present" transactions jumped 40% year over year in the first quarter. Banga, who announced he would step down at the start of next year, said he expects the shift to digital to persist after the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in-person, or "card present" transactions saw a sharp decline. Banga said the slowdown in consumer spending "was currently in the stabilization phase in most markets" giving Wall Street hope that the slowdown was starting to reach a bottom. Shares of Mastercard jumped 7% after the earnings call.

The payment companys profit fell in the first quarter, but its $4.01 billion in revenue and $1.68 earnings per share were better than Wall Street's projections.

"While it is not possible to dismiss the risk that the virus will resurface and lead spending declines to reaccelerate, the weekly spending data in MA's slide deck suggests the spending decreases may have bottomed in mid-April," Bill Carcache, analyst at Nomura Instinet, said in a note to clients Wednesday.
Nursing home residents, who are often elderly and have underlying ailments, are exceptionally vulnerable to covid-19. Many of the facilities where they live are understaffed and unprepared to manage severe viral outbreaks. A recent analysis by The Washington Post found that at least 40 percent of nursing homes with known outbreaks in the country have been cited more than once by inspectors in recent years for violating federal standards meant to control the spread of infections.
SHANGHAI, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to support African medical institutions in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fosun Pharma (Stock Code: 600196.SH, 02196.HK), partnering with Shanghai Fosun Foundation, Fosun Medical and Tridem Pharma, People's Daily Health platform and the Health Times, held an "eCME on COVID-19 Case Management" at 19:00 Beijing time, 28 April. Professor Lu Hongzhou, CPC Committee Secretary of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre and an infectious disease expert, together with other 3 renowned national and international experts, interacted online with health officials and healthcare professionals from over 10 African countries; sharing their experiences in fighting COVID-19 and introducing updates on clinical research. This webinar was focused on the management of COVID-19 in African medical facilities with limited resources.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Fosun Pharma, an international pharmaceutical company, has taken an active part in the battle. It has joined hands with many organizations to aid the global fight against COVID-19. This workshop was Fosun's third in a series of international webinars which began with the 6 April webinar of Chinese, European and American experts, and then the eCME of global pediatric specialists held in cooperation with Children's Hospital of Fudan University on 16 April. Mr. Wu Yifang, President and CEO of Fosun Pharma, said, "Fosun Pharma has been operating in Africa for over decade and has nearly 1,000 employees there. We are doing what we can to provide support in all forms to African countries and are very pleased to be a co-organizer of this meeting. Only through solidarity and cooperation can we win this fight! "

"As by 27 April, there were 299 COVID-19 confirmed cases in Tanzania. We are striving to control the spread of the epidemic by strengthening various case management measures." Dr Leonard M. Subi, Directorate. of Preventive Services of Tanzanian Ministry of Health introduced the COVID-19 situation in Tanzania and the prevention strategy in Tanzania and said that more knowledge of prevention and protection is needed in practice.

Professor Lu Hongzhou, CPC Committee Secretary of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre, is a member of the China Medical Treatment Expert Group for COVID-19 and a support team member of China's overseas anti-epidemic medical expert group. He joined a China medical aid team to West Africa in 2014 to engage in the local fight against the Ebola epidemic.

For several consecutive months, Prof. Lu Hongzhou has been saving patients while conducting considerable clinical researches. In his lecture, Prof. Lu gave a systematic review on COVID-19 research updates from the aetiology, virology, pathology and therapeutic angles of the disease, and shared Shanghai's prevention and treatment experiences. "Shanghai's high cure rate of COVID-19 could not have been possible without great experience of its expert group members, advanced equipment, and most importantly, a strong medical team composed of experts from many domestic general hospitals," said Dr. Lu. Besides, the percentage of critically ill cases in Shanghai has remained low compared to many other Chinese regions due to the timely and effective early warning and intervention mechanism. The expert group will work out a specific diagnosis and treatment plan after consultation for every severe and critical patient.

Nearly 400 healthcare professionals from Africa joined the meeting. The scientists and experts thought highly of the address of Prof. Lu Hongzhou and many African doctors proactively left messages and gave feedback online, hoping Professor Lu to share more with them.

Prof. Marcus Schultz, a consultant critical care physician at the Department of Intensive Care of Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, is currently in the front line of the battle against COVID-19 in Europe. Prof. Schultz shared Europe's experiences in the management of severe COVID-19 patients and offered treatment advice for low- and middle income countries. One of his statements was that patients with COVID-19 can have very low oxygen saturations in their blood without this causing much distress. These patients can most of the time be treated with just supplemental oxygen, and can benefit from being nursed on their front. They often don't need mechanical ventilation. "We see that the whole world is rushing to buy ventilators. The availability of sufficient oxygen, the right tubing and non-rebreathing masks to provide supplemental oxygen is at least as important, especially for regions with limited resources."

The speakers also stressed the importance of setting up a "Fortification against hospital-acquired infections". Prof. Jia Xiaomin, Chief Physician of Department of Respiratory Medicine of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, shared the experiences of Wuhan Jihe Hospital, a "zero hospital-acquired infection" example, in prevention and control of in-hospital infections and protecting its medical staff. He emphasised the importance of strictly complying with hospital-acquired management standards and applying adequate protection. Professor Jia led a medical aid team from Fosun Healthcare Group to Wuhan, Hubei Province shortly after the outbreak of the epidemic. After over three months' round-the-clock efforts of the team, Wuhan Jihe Hospital cured and discharged 515 patients, and had no death and no medical workers being infected.

That evening, Professor Arjen Dondorp, Deputy Director of the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Thailand and a world recognized malaria scientist, commented on speakers' remarks. He said, "It is very important for countries around the world to unite in the fight against COVID-19. Exchange of experiences is crucial. Countries where the pandemic has just started to hit, like in Africa, can learn from countries that have already experienced the wave of COVID-19 patients overwhelming their health systems. Moreover, in Sub-Saharan African countries it is important that other important diseases such as malaria, can still be managed properly when the COVID-19 pandemic arrives. Sufficient testing capacity for both diseases will be important to ensure. "

On 25 April, World Malaria Day 2020, Fosun Pharma joined forces with its Africa business unit Tridem Pharma to donate through Shanghai Fosun Foundation around USD200,000 worth of anti-epidemic materials to eight African countries through their Ministry of Health, including Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The materials are intended to be used by front-line healthcare workers in these countries to protect themselves. Fosun Pharma hopes that these materials will help alleviate the burden on local health systems, facilitating the countries to reach their malaria prevention and control targets.

SOURCE Fosun Pharma
US nurses and other medical workers beg protesters to stay home and abide by coronavirus social distancing guidelines.

Yetta Timothy says it was heartbreaking to watch people rallying outside Pennsylvanias capitol building earlier this month to try to pressure the governor to lift a shelter-in-place order meant to stem the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

But the registered nursing assistant from Harrisburg, the state capital, stood there anyway, urging the protesters to go home. I was heartbroken standing there watching and hearing all those cars honking and then holding up their signs, said Timothy, who held a poster during the protest that read: My life is on the line. Go home!

Its not that were going to be shut down forever, people; its just that we need to be shut down for just a little longer until this [pandemic] passes. Allow it to pass.

About 2,000 people joined the rally to reopen Pennsylvania on April 20, local media reported. It was one of several protests organised across the United States to urge state leaders to lift shelter-in-place directives and get people back to work.

Nurses now fighting back against anti-lockdown in Harrisburg, PA. I love all the nurses standing up for public health across the country. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/PgZEaTG4JE  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) April 20, 2020

While these rallies are often sparsely attended, many people have raised concerns about how coronavirus-related restrictions are affecting them financially, and some are struggling to pay their rent or mortgages, buy groceries and otherwise support their families.

About 26.5 million US citizens filed for unemployment in the five weeks to April 18 and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett warned on Sunday that the national unemployment rate could eventually hit 16 percent.

Some US states, such as Georgia, have started to allow certain businesses to reopen in an attempt to jumpstart their economies. But political leaders, public health experts and front-line healthcare workers like Timothy have urged people to be patient and remain at home to prevent COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, from spreading.

Its not time to reopen the state of Pennsylvania. Its not time, said Timothy, who works at a nursing home. I know theres other states that have already reopened and I feel like thats just a disaster waiting to happen.

Economic concerns

US President Donald Trump in mid-April unveiled his Opening Up America Again plan to stimulate the economy. Before they can reopen, states are advised to meet certain criteria, such as robust coronavirus testing capacity and a downward arc of COVID-19 cases.

The US government also approved a plan to send stimulus cheques to qualifying citizens to help people make ends meet during the pandemic. But while the one-time payment of up to $1,200 is welcome, it is not enough to meet most peoples needs.

Matthew Bellis, a member of the group ReOpen PA (Pennsylvania), which organised the rally in Harrisburg, said people were struggling under the shelter-in-place orders.

The government needs to understand that we as individuals are being responsible, we are trying to take measures to be safe, but we cant hamper the economy any more because the economy is directly tied to not only peoples livelihoods, but their life, Bellis told local KDKA-Radio host Wendy Bell on April 16.

Were not treated as free citizens. Were treated as subordinates, subjects and were not going to allow that any more.

That message has popped up at rallies across several US states.

People gather near the North Carolina Legislative Building to protest the current stay-at-home orders issued by Governor Roy Cooper amid the current coronavirus outbreak in Raleigh, North Carolina [Gerry Broome/AP Photo]

On April 15, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear held a news conference while protesters rallied outside the capitol building in Frankfort demanding that he reopen local businesses. Gov Beshear I can protect myself thank you, read a sign. Our rights dont end where your fear begins! read another.

But Beshear told reporters that reopening the state immediately would absolutely kill people. My job isnt to make the popular decision, but the right decision and the decision that saves peoples lives, he said.

Many of the movements to reopen US states also quickly veer into right-wing and often conspiratorial talking points.

The ReOpen Ohio Facebook groups discussion board, for example, features a series of posts that question the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, criticise the Left and US media outlets and compare public health officials to fascists.

We havent reached the ground

While the protests have drawn thousands, most Americans appear to be abiding by stay-at-home orders and many fear they may be lifted too soon.

Seventy-one percent of US citizens are worried about lifting shelter-in-place restrictions too quickly, compared with 29 percent who are more worried about doing it too slowly, according to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll released on April 20.

Only seven percent of people  one in 14 Americans  said communities should reopen immediately, the same poll found.

Healthcare workers stand in the street in a counterprotest against hundreds of people who gathered at the State Capitol to demand the stay-at-home order be lifted in Denver, Colorado [Alyson McClaran/Reuters]

Health workers like Timothy are increasingly coming out  though following social distancing guidelines and wearing PPE  to protest against the anti-lockdown demonstrators.

At least a dozen healthcare workers wearing masks stood across from anti-lockdown protesters in North Carolina on Tuesday, according to US media. They held signs that read: Stay at home for me and I cant believe I have to show up here too. Similar actions have taken place in Virginia and Colorado.

Maureen Casey, a registered nurse who works at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania, said she understood peoples frustrations and economic anxieties at this difficult time. But she said that opening communities up before it is safe would be detrimental to everyone.

To say that, Im willing to risk my health, I want to go back to work, great. But youre not risking your own health, youre risking other peoples health, she told Al Jazeera.

A demonstrator tries to block the sign of counter-protester Dr Erich Bruhn during a protest against lockdown measures put into place because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Richmond, [Leah Millis/Reuters]

Casey said she believed many of the protesters demanding states reopen immediately did not understand just how infectious and dangerous COVID-19 is  or perhaps did not have family members or loved ones who have fallen ill with the virus.

If there were a way to have some of these people come in  and hold the iPad for the patient while they say goodbye to their loved ones because theyre about to be intubated, I think then they would understand, she said.

Opening everything up would be like saying, Oh this parachute has slowed my descent enough, I think I can take it off now, before youve actually reached the ground, Casey added. We havent reached the ground yet.
Cancer isn't a word one associates with comedy and many of the passages in this novel are harrowing, presenting a protagonist with ovarian cancer.

But then, assisted suicide is not exactly a hoot either - even though Jojo Moyes' character Lou Clarke gave us many laughs in Me Before You and its sequels. Stella Sweeney's travails in Marian Keyes' The Woman Who Stole My Life gave us lots to guffaw about, despite Stella being paralyzed from Guillain-Barre syndrome.

India Knight's Mutton kicked the humiliations of ageing out of the park, with Clara Hutt facing one extremely funny midlife crisis after another.

There are glimpses of all three of these authors in Sylvia Sbaraini's second novel and that's no bad thing. A supporting cast of lunatics helps enormously, but Gina is not exactly a rock of sense herself.

After a somewhat slow start, the story settles. Gina is a freelance writer, almost 50, living somewhere on the London commuter belt. She writes for a soft-porn magazine called Eurotica and contributes regular articles about feline wellbeing to a cat lover's periodical, although she doesn't own a cat.

She's young to have a grandchild, Chrissie, who is seven and whom she adores, but then she was young to be a mother, falling pregnant at just 15 with her daughter Susan (formerly Skylark). Remember Lorelai and Rory in the Gilmore Girls? OK, forget them.

Gina and Susan hate each other. And since Gina refuses to discourage her granddaughter's fixation with turds, Susan/Skylark eventually stops Gina from seeing Chrissie altogether.

And then there's Olly, Gina's ex-husband. A daily hash smoker and accidentally famous artist, Olly still calls around regularly. He and Gina usually end up in bed together, though Gina has no idea why.

The ghost of Gina's mother throws a shadow over her life, too. She's 15 years dead, but her straight-laced and straight-faced ways are, Gina thinks, the reason why she herself is more of an unconventional free spirit - although not as free-spirited as Lara, her friend and neighbour who hosts a seance and calls Gina's mother to the proceedings. She's also not as free with her food consumption as her 20-stone, lifelong friend Joy, happily married but unhappily huge.

There's Dougie Spokes, her first date at 13 years of age. He now lives with his anarchic family on a local council estate and causes trouble for Gina's next-door-neighbour and one-time therapist, Leon, an Irishman who has lost his accent and embraces everything British until he's had a few drinks and starts singing rebel songs and longing for his mother's barmbrack.

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Her older friend Moya, a motorbiking, decidedly-butch lesbian, has just been ditched by her longtime lover Jocasta and is quietly heartbroken.

A routine medical check-up reveals that Gina has cancer, requiring a hysterectomy and aggressive chemotherapy.

While her friends urge her to tell her daughter about her illness, Gina is reluctant to do so, anticipating an "I told you so" attitude, what with her unwise lifestyle choices. But with her health only improving in fits and starts, it becomes imperative that Susan be told. And it also becomes imperative that she speak to her neighbour, Leon - fast becoming a significant player in her life.

How she handles her illness is one thing, but how her surrounding circle of maniacs handle it is the meat and potatoes of this chaotic 'death where is thy sting' story.

Deadly serious but also great fun.
Young doing very well: US President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

US President Donald Trump says states should "seriously consider" reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens have already said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or autumn.

Mr Trump made the comments in a call with governors discussing how to reopen their economies, among other topics.

"Some of you might start thinking about school openings, because a lot of people are wanting to have the school openings. It's not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we've all gone through," he said. While addressing Vice President Mike Pence, Mr Trump added that it's something "they can seriously consider, and maybe get going on".

None of the governors on the call responded to the suggestion, according to a recording obtained by The Associated Press.

Mr Trump made the comments as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked to finalise guidelines for reopening the US economy. For schools, that included putting students' desks six feet (1.8 meters) apart, serving meals in the classroom instead of the cafeteria and closing playgrounds.

Reopening schools is considered key to getting the US economy moving again. Without a safe place for kids, many parents would have difficulty returning to work.

But some education officials say opening schools quickly would bring major risk and little reward, especially since the end of the school year is approaching."Are they going to reopen for two weeks? Three weeks?" said Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. "It's not the right thing to do. Particularly when we're involving the safety and welfare of our students," he added.

At a White House news conference, Mr Trump acknowledged that there's little time left in the school year, even as he said many states were thinking about getting kids back into the classroom.

"I think you'll see a lot of schools open up, even if it's for a very short period of time," he said. "In terms of what this vicious virus goes after, young people seem to do very well, so I know that there are some governors that aren't necessarily ready to open up states, but they may be ready to open up the school systems."

Schools across the US have closed during the coronavirus pandemic, and dozens of states have ordered their schools to remain closed through the rest of this academic year. Only a few have publicly discussed earlier openings, including Montana, which says school districts can resume classroom instruction on May 7.

In many districts, officials have said it's still unclear whether students will be able to return to the classroom by autumn. And even if they do, many are planning for social-distancing measures that could make school look radically different from the past.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN that it's "way too early" to reopen his city's schools, adding that "you don't get a lot of credit for moving too quickly to reopen".

Responding to Mr Trump's comments, one of the nation's largest teachers' unions said there's still much work to be done before schools can open safely.

The American Federation of Teachers said there needs to be better testing and tracking for the virus, and schools must have access to personal protective equipment.

"It's good the president understands that reopening society and the economy hinges on successfully and safely reopening schools," said Randi Weingarten, the union's president. "But the question should not be whether we open schools, but how we do it safely. Covid-19 is a terrible virus that has already taken too many lives, and, in the absence of a vaccine, there is no magic wand or magic elixir as the president would have us believe."

If schools reopen too quickly and end up spreading the coronavirus, schools could be held legally liable, said Francisco Negron, chief legal officer for the National School Boards Association.

In the CDC's draft guidelines for schools, the agency suggested a three-phase reopening process for schools in communities with "low levels of Covid-19 spread and those with confidence that the incidence of infection is genuinely low."
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Linkedin Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Washington, United States  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:51 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4e00c2 2 World US,election,trump,Republican,independent Free

Representative Justin Amash, the Republican-turned-independent from Michigan, announced Tuesday night that he would explore running for president as a Libertarian, the strongest sign yet that he will run as a third-party candidate.

Amash's long-shot bid comes as the presidential campaign has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic

Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNationals nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people, Amash tweeted.

Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNationals nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people.  Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 29, 2020

Amash, a 40-year-old conservative lawmaker who has been a member of Congress since 2011 and had helped found the House Freedom Caucus, left the Republican Party last July after his criticisms of President Donald Trump alienated him from his former allies.

He joined with Democrats to vote to impeach Trump, but on most policy issues still votes as a straight-line Republican.

Topics : US election trump Republican independent
Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium - Tracking the genetics of the COVID-19 virus in Ireland

The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, contains genetic information that can change over time. If we can read those changes, we will have a better map of how the virus spreads across regions. Being able to determine the genetic makeup of the viruses circulating in Ireland will also support efforts to respond to clusters of infections as they arise, and minimise the spread of the virus.

Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium - Tracking the genetics of the COVID-19 virus in Ireland

Lead Researcher: Professor Paul Cotter, Teagasc and APC Microbiome Ireland

Science Foundation Ireland funding 378,716

Summary

The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, contains genetic information that can change over time. If we can read those changes, we will have a better map of how the virus spreads across regions. Being able to determine the genetic makeup of the viruses circulating in Ireland will also support efforts to respond to clusters of infections as they arise, and minimise the spread of the virus. Collecting the sequences of the viruses in Ireland will also mean we can pick up on important new changes that could affect the ability of the virus to cause disease or to evade treatments or vaccines.

SFI is to fund a National Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium that will read and analyse the genetic makeup of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in patient samples in Ireland. The data about the genetic sequences of the viruses will be freely available, allowing epidemiologists to monitor trends in Ireland and internationally, and to watch for for changes in the virus that could have an impact the development and delivery of treatments and vaccines.

What is the issue?

The virus that causes COVID-19 contains RNA that can change slightly over time. Unless we track those changes comprehensively in Ireland, we wont have a clear picture of how strains of the virus are spreading, nor will we be able to spot changes in the virus that could affect how it causes disease, or how we could develop treatments of vaccines against it.

What will the research project do?

SFI will fund a consortium led by the Teagasc/APC Microbiome Ireland Sequencing Centre at Moorepark with partners University College Cork, Cork University Hospital, the National Virus Reference Laboratory, University College Dublin, Beaumont hospital, Genomics Medicine Ireland, Trinity College Dublin/St Jamess Hospital, University of Limerick (UL)/University Hospital Limerick, the National University of Ireland, Galway and Maynooth University. This consortium will read the RNA sequence of viruses isolated from samples of patients who have lab-confirmed infections of COVID-19 and make the sequence information freely available for analysis.

What will the impact be?

We will know more about the genetic makeup of COVID-19 viruses circulating in Ireland

The information generated by the project will allow experts to monitor genetic changes in the virus and quickly spot developments that could affect human health and treatment or vaccination against COVID-19

Researcher comment:

Professor Paul Cotter, a Principal Investigator with APC Microbiome Ireland and VistaMilk, SFI Research Centres at Teagasc, says:

The Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium has been made possible due to the remarkable enthusiasm and commitment from very many clinicians and researchers across the country. By continuing to work together, we can provide key insights into viral spread and how it is evolving over time. Id like to in particular thank my colleague, Dr Fiona Crispie, for her key role in establishing this Consortium

The full list of COVID 19: Rapid Response Research Case Studies announced on 29 April 2020 by the Department of the Taoiseach are available here

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/8d2282-covid-19-rapid-response-research-case-studies/#irish-coronavirus-sequencing-consortium-tracking-the-genetics-of-the-covid-19-virus-in-ireland
Farmers harvest rice in the southern province of Soc Trang on March 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Nhi.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the lifting of restrictions on rice exports, imposed for a month to ensure food security.

From May 1 the grain could be exported normally though the Ministry of Finance still needs to buy enough rice for the national reserve, he said on Tuesday.

"Amid the pandemic and unusual weather phenomena, we need to ensure the nations food security and protect rice farmers benefits. Raising prices for speculating must not be allowed," Phuc said.

He instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to report back if there are signs that exports could affect food security.

The ministry said 6.5-6.7 million tons could be exported this year. Last year the country had shipped 6.37 million tons.

On April 10 the government had capped April exports at 400,000 tons.

Many companies complained that customs began accepting declaration forms at midnight on April 11 without prior notice, and as a result many of them with large quantities of rice stuck at ports were unable to submit their forms before the 400,000-ton threshold was reached.

Phuc has ordered the Government Inspectorate to look into possible violations in this regard.

Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter after India and Thailand. Last year its exports were worth $2.81 billion, with the top markets being the Philippines, Ivory Coast, China, and Malaysia.
About an hour before she was to marry her fiance in the middle of the street Saturday, Amanda Mason, 33, walked out of her house on Walter Street Southeast in a white lace jumpsuit and peach tulle skirt to find big hearts drawn in chalk all down the sidewalks.

Mason noticed house plants placed outside that created an alter where her fiance, Aaron Meyers, 34, and she would hold their wedding ceremony. There also were more than 100 paper flowers tied around a tree, handmade out of coffee filters and papier-mache, and the neighborhood kids made her a small bouquet of pink dogwood flowers and lavender. A full account of the special event can be found on washingtonpost.com.

This @lisabonos story is making my day 



A street wedding in the Stars Hollow of Washington D.C.: https://t.co/OYItAQBlOB  Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11) April 28, 2020

A few days earlier, Colette Marchesini, Walter Streets unofficial mayor, gave out poster board for neighbors to make signs to place in front of their houses. Happy Wedding Day! was written on one. And, Its a DC I Do! exclaimed another.

Marchesini strapped her signs to a neighbors blue Honda Fit parked at one end of the one-block, one-way street, declaring the street closed from 6:30 to 7 p.m.While most people are confined to their homes to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, neighbors are relying on one another more than usual. Some offer to pick up groceries, socialize from a stoops distance and some are meeting for the first time.

But for Walter Street on Capitol Hill, asking a neighbor for help or bonding over a front porch happy hour is not pandemic behavior. Its what they do all the time. So when Mason and Meyers told Marchesini they had to reschedule their April 25 wedding to Nov. 7, Marchesini was quick to suggest the couple keep the ceremony on the day they had planned  and do it out on the street.

Over Zoom, they would patch in their 50-some guests, including Meyerss father, who would officiate from his home in Northwest Washington, and neighbors would don masks and gather to help celebrate in person. Meyers reminded everyone to maintain at least six feet from each other.

It was phenomenal, Mason said of how everyone pitched in to make their ceremony full of joy.

Of course, every wedding has little blips along the way and this event was no exception. After the vows, upon beginning their first dance to Louis Armstrongs A Kiss to Build a Dream On, the song cut off abruptly because of technical difficulties.

When they began dancing again, Masons long tulle skirt got in the way. But the Washington Post explains, that by now, the bride was skilled in improv  so she tossed her skirt and belt to the curb, leaving just her jumpsuit  drawing cheers from the neighbors.

Marchesini reports that the Walter Street residents had so much fun, that theyre considering putting on another event next month: a socially distant prom.

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The Bishops of Canada and the United States join in prayer on 1 May to reconsecrate their respective nations to the Virgin Mary.

By Vatican News

On Friday, May 1, the bishops of Canada and the United States reconsecrated their respective nations to the care and protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Both Bishops Conferences have announced that their countries were reconsecrated to our Lady under the title Mary, Mother of the Church.



Each year, during the month of May, the Church seeks the special intercession of the Mother of God. The Pope highlighted this in a letter that he sent to all the faithful last Friday, calling for renewed Marian devotion.



In a letter to his brother Bishops, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, wrote that this year, we seek the assistance of Our Lady all the more earnestly as we face together the effects of the global pandemic.

Based on discussion with the leadership of the Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Executive Committee of the USCCB met and affirmed the fitness of May 1, 2020, as an opportunity for the bishops of the United States to reconsecrate our nation to Our Lady and to do so under the title, Mary, Mother of the Church, Archbishop Gomez said, adding that they would be doing so on the same day that our brother bishops to the north consecrate Canada under the same title.

This will give the Church the occasion to pray for Our Ladys continued protection of the vulnerable, healing of the unwell, and wisdom for those who work to cure this terrible virus, said Archbishop Gomez.

The title Mary, Mother of the Church was given to the Blessed Mother by Pope St. Paul VI at the Second Vatican Council. In 2018, Pope Francis added the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church to the Churchs liturgical calendar, with the rank of a memorial.

Shortly after this announcement, the bishops of Italy announced that they would also be reconsecrating their country to the protection of the Virgin Mary, after having received over 300 letters asking them to do so.
A Virginia reader, who agreed to have his comments published on the condition of anonymity because he is an out-of-work contractor and doesnt want to risk his chances of getting work again, wrote in an email, Having worked in the political direct mail field for over four years I immediately recognized it for what it was  a campaign letter, the reader emailed. As I read it I got sick to my stomach. My tax dollars paid for this sham.
The Trump administration on Wednesday placed five foreign domains of Amazon, including the one in India, to its "notorious markets" list, accusing the global e-commerce giant of engaging in substantial trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy.

The Seattle-based company strongly objected to the decision by the US Trade Representatives (USTR), dismissing it as a purely "political act" and "personal vendetta" against Amazon.

"We strongly disagree with the characterisation of Amazon in this USTR report. This purely political act is another example of the Administration using the US government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon," an Amazon spokesperson said.

Placing the five foreign domains Canada, Germany, France, India and United Kingdom in its list of 38 global online markets that are reported to be engaged in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy, USTR said that submissions by right holders have expressed concerns regarding the challenges related to combating counterfeits with respect to e-commerce platforms around the world.

One submission specifically highlighted example of the challenges right holders face with alleged high levels of counterfeit goods on the e-commerce platforms amazon.ca in Canada, amazon.de in Germany, amazon.fr in France, amazon.in in India, and amazon.co.uk in the United Kingdom, it said.

The right holders expressed concern that the seller information displayed by Amazon is often misleading such that it is difficult for consumers and right holders alike to determine who is selling the goods and that anyone can become a seller on Amazon with too much ease because Amazon does not sufficiently vet sellers on its platforms, the USTR report said.

"They also commented that Amazon's counterfeit removal processes can be lengthy and burdensome, even for right holders that enroll in Amazon's brand protection programs," it added.

In addition, as the scale and sophistication of the counterfeiters have continued to grow and evolve over the years, these right holders indicate that Amazon should commit the resources necessary to make their brand protection programs scalable, transparent, and most importantly, effective, the report noted.

"More specifically, they ask that Amazon take additional actions to address their concerns, including by collecting sufficient information from sellers to prevent repeat infringers from creating multiple storefronts on the platforms, making detailed information about the real seller of a product obvious to consumers and right holders, being more responsive to complaints," the USTR said.

It said that in its Federal Register Notice, the USTR did not request submissions on US based e-commerce platforms and online third-party marketplaces, such as Amazon.com.

However, the administration has been looking further at their role following the issuance in April 2019 of a Presidential Memorandum addressing trafficking in counterfeit and pirated goods, it said.

Strongly disagreeing with the report, an Amazon spokesperson said that the company makes significant investments in proactive technologies and processes to detect and stop bad actors and potentially counterfeit products from being sold in its stores.

"In 2019 alone, we invested over USD 500 million and have more than 8,000 employees protecting our store from fraud and abuse. We also stopped over 2.5 million suspected bad actors from opening Amazon selling accounts before they published a single listing for sale, blocking more than 6 billion suspected bad listings before they were published to our stores," the spokesperson said.

"We have developed industry-leading programmes like Project Zero, Transparency, and Brand Registry for brands to partner with us and together, drive counterfeits to zero," the spokesperson said.

More than 99.9 per cent of pages viewed by customers on Amazon have never had a report of counterfeit, and this is a testament to the company's continued innovation, collaboration, and commitment to fighting counterfeit, the spokesperson claimed.

"We also work closely with law enforcement agencies and are reporting all confirmed counterfeiters to help them build stronger criminal cases. We are an active, engaged stakeholder in the fight against counterfeit, and we call on lawmakers to increase funding and resources for law enforcement agencies so we can hold the real criminals accountable the current ramifications for tricking consumers are too weak," the spokesperson said.

Referring to a recent report of the Department of Homeland Security, the USTR said that although the e-commerce has supported the launch of thousands of legitimate businesses, e-commerce platforms, third-party marketplaces, and their supporting intermediaries have also served as powerful stimulants for the trafficking of counterfeit and pirated goods.

Selling counterfeit and pirated goods through e-commerce platforms and related online third-party marketplaces can be a highly profitable venture, USTR observed.

"Moreover, when sellers of illicit goods are in another country, they are exposed to relatively little risk of criminal prosecution or civil liability under current law enforcement and regulatory practices," the report said.

In light of these concerns, USTR believes e-commerce platforms need to take additional actions to combat trafficking in counterfeit and pirated goods and reduce the availability of such goods on their platforms, the report noted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A sight that may look very different next year. Photo: Arturo Holmes/ABC via Getty Images

Like all of Hollywood, the coronavirus quarantine has thrown the Oscars into tumult. For years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has seen itself as the defender of the theatrical experience, and has been loath to give up its rule mandating that films must play for a week in a Los Angeles theater if they want to be eligible for a nomination. But now all the theaters are closed, and California governor Gavin Newsom says it will be months before they reopen. Whats an awards body to do?

On Tuesday, we got our answer, as the Oscars decided to put aside its qualms and open this years field to movies that debuted on a streaming platform or on demand. After emphasizing for years the primacy of theatrical releases, the Academy had its hand forced by the uncertain length of the shutdown: Either change the rules to accommodate digital releases, or risk an Oscars where only two and a half months of films were eligible. As much as I would have loved to hear the words Best Picture Nominee Birds of Prey, the former was the better option.

However, the Oscars being Thee Oscars, not every streaming project will be eligible. To be nominated, movies would still need to have had a scheduled theatrical release before the world turned upside down. So no The Last Dance and no Bad Education (despite the fact that it played last years TIFF). But films that previously hovered in a zone of uncertainty, like Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Promising Young Woman, have now received confirmation that they will indeed be able to compete. Justin Timberlake can breathe easy, too, as Trolls World Tours VOD release has not prevented The Other Side from becoming the early front-runner for Best Original Song.

Its as good a compromise as any, though some kinks remain. At the moment, the Academy is working off a previously published list of planned 2020 theatrical releases, but what about the movies that hadnt officially announced a release date yet? In a post-announcement call with Vulture on Tuesday, leadership explained that they could look at production contracts to determine whether a film was intended for theatrical release at the time it was made. But a plan for how to adjudicate eligibility claims is TBD. We will be supportive of artists and filmmakers, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said. If there are exceptional circumstances  

The temporary abandonment of the theatrical mandate was the big headline, but the Academy also made a handful of smaller adjustments too, most of which shared the goal of eliminating gatekeeping bylaws that had outlived their usefulness. (Unlike the eligibility decision, these are expected to be permanent.) When movie theaters do come back, a film wont have to play in L.A. to be eligible; New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Miami will be able to host qualifying runs, too. As a nod to the Academys increasingly global membership, voting on the Best International Film short list will now be open to any member who watches enough of the films, instead of the select committee that was previously in control. And in Original Score, the standards have been clarified to help out that branchs voters. Instead of the nebulous guideline that music had to be predominantly new material, there are now concrete benchmarks: a score has to be 60 percent original, or 80 percent in the case of franchise films.

Even the long-rumored move to consolidate Sound Mixing and Sound Editing into a single award can be read as an attempt at greater accessibility. This revision was inspired by feedback from the sound branch itself: The mixing and editing teams work so closely together, Oscar-winning mixer Paul Massey told me when I interviewed him last year, that it doesnt necessarily make sense to split the trophies up anymore. But a side effect of the merger is to make life a tiny bit easier for those Academy members who have never grokked the difference between the two categories, too.

Tuesdays announcement might not be the end to the changes for the 2021 ceremony. If a vaccine isnt ready by next year, would it really be safe to cram thousands of people from around the globe into one room together, no matter how well theyre dressed? Rumors have swirled about the Academy possibly pushing the awards back from their planned February 27 date, or even stealing an idea from Oscar history and having a mega-ceremony in 2022 that covers the previous two years of movies. Or what about the prospect of a virtual ceremony? On that front, all leadership will say is that its very early, and when its time for a decision to be made, theyll make it in concert with ABC and the appropriate health authorities. Every day we have a decision map, says Academy president David Rubin. And every day is like a year. Our rules are fluid. The only thing is to be nimble and responsive. Those are not two words you would have always applied to the Academy, but this week, they were the right ones.
Mastercard Inc.s MA first-quarter 2020 earnings of $1.83 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.4% and also grew 6% year over year.

Better-than-expected results were primarily driven by higher switched transactions, increase in gross dollar volume and gains from acquisitions.

Rises in rebates and incentives, and a decrease in cross-border volume were partial dampeners/downsides/negatives. Following strong results, shares of the company were up 5.04% in pre-market trading.

Mastercards revenues of $4 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.9% and also rose 5% year over year. This upside was driven by an increase in gross dollar volume, switched transactions and other revenues, partly offset by higher rebates and incentives and a decline in cross-border business.

Mastercard Incorporated Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Mastercard Incorporated Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Mastercard Incorporated price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Mastercard Incorporated Quote

Total adjusted operating expenses rose 8% to $1.8 billion due to higher general and administrative expenses.

Adjusted operating margin of 55.3% was down 140 basis points year over year.

.

Gross dollar volume increased 8% to $1.6 trillion but cross-border volumes slipped 1% on a local-currency basis.

As of Mar 31, 2020, the companys customers had issued 2.6 billion Mastercard and Maestro-branded cards.

Share Repurchase and Dividend Payout

During the reported quarter, Mastercard bought back shares worth $1.4 billion and paid out $403 million in dividends.

The company for the time being discontinued its share buyback plans as the plaguing impact of COVID-19-related uncertainty persists.

Strong Balance Sheet Position

The companys long-term debt as of Mar 31, 2020 was $12.5 billion, up 46% because a sum of worth $4-billion long-term debt was issued in March. However, its liquid cash of $10.7 billion along with $6 billion in credit facility is enough to service its debt. The company has significant capacity to take on additional debt, given a strong investment grade ratings of A1 from Moodys and A+ from S&P ratings.

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Our Take

Despite the COVID-19-led business disruption, which ate into the companys cross-border revenues, overall earnings gained from expansion in gross dollar volumes.

The companys strategy to invest in organic and inorganic growth opportunities bodes well. Its strong brand name, vast business network, global presence, investment in technology, several partnerships, tie-ups and acquisitions should help it easily tide over the current economic difficulties that dented its earnings.

Some other companies in the same space that already released their first-quarter earnings are American Express Co. AXP, which beat on earnings by 17.2% and Discover Financial Services DFS, missing on the same by 118.4%. Further, Visa Inc. V is scheduled to release second-quarter fiscal 2020 earnings on Apr 30.

Mastercard carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29) - A Vietnamese business tycoon and philanthropist shows support for the government's fight against COVID-19.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) received over 750,000 face masks and 16,500 personal protective suits from Chairman and Founder of Vietnam-based IMEX Pan Pacific Group (IPPG), Johnathan Hanh Nguyen.

The donation was turned over to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. by Nguyens son and IPPG-Philippines President, Henry Serrano Nguyen on Wednesday.

Vietnamese officials Nguyen Hong Hanh, Charge dAffaires, and Vu Anh Son, First Secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam were also present at the turnover ceremony.

Locsin expressed his gratitude for Nguyens donation, which is essential to the ongoing efforts of the DFA to bring home thousands of overseas Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation was brought to the Philippines through a chartered flight arranged by Nguyen with the assistance of the DFA, Department of Finance and Bureau of Customs.

Locsin also said that Vietnam may serve as a good model, given how effectively they have dealt with the global health crisis.

"We look at Vietnam to see how they are proceeding, they are doing very well in an unquarantined society and we're gonna watch Vietnam on how they are doing it," Locsin said.

The Southeast Asian country with a population of over 95 million people has 268 COVID-19 cases since reporting the first infection in January.

CNN Philippines' correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.
By Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Wednesday it expected profit to decline in the current quarter due to a coronavirus-related slump in sales of smartphones and TVs, although the chip business would remain solid.

The South Korean conglomerate joined other tech giants such as SK Hynix and Intel in declining to provide annual forecasts because of the uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic.

It said that while work-from-home orders and the related growth in online learning would underpin demand for memory chips, the outlook for smartphones and TVs was bleak as consumers put off discretionary spending.

"Even as such uncertainties persist, overall conditions in the memory industry are likely to be favorable due to server and PC demand," Han Jin-man, senior vice president at Samsung's chip business, said during a conference call.

In contrast, Samsung said it expected its mobile and TV profits to "decline significantly" in the second quarter as consumers reined in spending on non-essentials and stores and factories are closed due to the outbreak.

The world's top maker of memory chips and smartphones reported operating profit rose 3% to 6.4 trillion won ($5.2 billion) in the first quarter, fueled by solid chip demand and reduced marketing spending on phones.

Samsung Electronics shares fell 0.3% after the results on Wednesday, while the wider market was up 0.6%.

"Earnings will deteriorate in earnest for mobile phones, home appliances and TVs, which are weighing on stocks," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment and Securities.

Other chipmakers SK Hynix and Intel last week posted forecast-beating first-quarter earnings, but did not provide full-year forecasts.

Samsung's chip business posted first-quarter operating profit of 3.99 trillion won, down 3% from a year earlier.

Some customers were also restocking chips because of concerns about supply disruptions due to the pandemic, boosting chip earnings, it said.

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The mobile division posted operating profit 2.65 trillion won, up 17% from a year earlier.

Samsung said that while mobile shipments fell from the previous quarter, profitability improved with 5G and other premium models making up a greater portion of sales.

Its display business nearly halved its loss to 290 billion won from a year earlier despite slumping phone sales in China, thanks to a rebound in TV panel prices due to supply disruptions.

In March Samsung said it would end production of mainstay LCD panels in China and Korea by the end of 2020, due to oversupply stemming from expansion by Chinese companies.

Samsung is a diversified tech giant, making phones, TVs and home appliances, and components like chips and displays used in consumer electronics. Samsung counts Apple Inc and Huawei as both competitors and customers.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Stephen Coates)
As Socialist Democrats move us closer to socialism and many Americans are out of work, U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is silent and stays at home and continues to collect a paycheck. Why is she not traveling throughout the district and pressuring the governor to help New Mexicans get back to work? In return for her silence and votes, she has received over $3 million, including large campaign contributions from lobbyists and out-of-state billionaires who want to take away our freedoms and change America from the Land of the Free to America, land of socialism and the deep state.

Today, we see more and more irrational behavior by many Socialist Democrats, driven by their thirst for power and control. The following examples are unbelievable:

1. Church members in Greenville, Mississippi, who held a parking lot service in their cars were cited and fined by the mayor, while next door at the same time, a fast-food restaurant was full of people getting out of their cars to pick up food.

2. Here in New Mexico you can buy pot or liquor but you are not allowed to go to a gun store.

3. At Elephant Butte Lake, the governor wont allow anglers to fish by themselves.

The coronavirus pandemic is a very serious situation, and we need to show caution and protect our citizens, but it is time for our governor to show common sense and let our rural counties begin reopening businesses in a safe and prudent manner. We must also never forget our faith in God and disregard New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo when he said, The number is down because we brought the number down, and God did not do that. Faith did not do that.

As a soldier in the United States Army, I traveled in regions governed by socialists. There was no incentive to work, and poverty and attacks on churches were rampant. The government confiscated guns, and citizens spied on their neighbors and lived in constant fear. Socialists want to suppress our love for God and control us with a big, over-reaching government. I stand with President Donald Trump. I will never allow America to become a socialist country.
Because an unprecedented number of borrowers will need help at essentially the same time, the letters recommend moving the missed payments to the back of the loan term to allow immediate relief for homeowners and limit the strain on the mortgage-servicing industry.

This pandemic calls for a new way of thinking across a broad spectrum of industries and arenas, and the housing market is no exception, Nessel said. These federal agencies have helped homeowners by making it easier for them to delay payments on their mortgages, which certainly brings with it a sense of security and peace of mind during such uncertain times. But more can be done by not charging these homeowners a massive bill all at once, which may not be a practical or affordable option for many people. Thats why my colleagues and I are urging the FHFA and HUD to follow through on these commonsense changes to make sure people can keep their homes.
Laura Archibald and fiancee Charlie had their insurance claim turned down by Debenhams. Photo: Laura Archibald

Engaged couples stand to lose tens of thousands of pounds on cancelled weddings, as insurers refuse to pay out over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weddings across the country have been rearranged or cancelled due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus and subsequent lockdown. The UK wedding market is estimated to be worth around 10bn ($12.5bn) annually and many couples hope to recoup money spent on ceremonies through insurance.

However, many insurers in this corner of the market are refusing to payout on claims. Yahoo Finance UK has spoken to a dozen would-be brides and grooms who have been left angry and frustrated by UK General, a Leeds-based insurer that is refusing to pay out on policies. Yahoo Finance UK is aware of other providers also refusing payouts.

Debenhams the worst for sure

Laura Archibald, 27, from Rochdale is among those to have a claim rejected. She bought coverage from Debenhams, which acts as an introducer (a firm which introduces a person to a financial promotion) for UK General. Her ceremony was meant to be held on 21 March but the government said all venues, restaurants and bars must close just a day before the wedding.

Debenhams said Archibalds policy didnt cover the cancellation because it was caused by government action, rather than an infectious disease outbreak. A specific clause in her policy said claims could not be made due to government actions.

We're gutted and we don't understand how anyone is going to be able to make a claim at the moment, Archibald said. We thought we would be covered under this section with it mentioning outbreak of infectious or contagious disease.

Lorraine Carroll, an Essex-based wedding planner, told Yahoo Finance UK she was aware of at least 20 couples who had been unable to claim on their Debenhams policies.

Debenhams are the worst for sure, she said.

Carroll said most insurers werent paying out but she was aware of some that were, such as John Lewis. Carroll said she was flummoxed by the situation, as most policies had very similar wording.

Story continues

They havent sent a single email

Many Debenhams customers claim they have been unable to get through to the company to make claims, with phone lines overwhelmed and emails unanswered. Several told Yahoo Finance UK they were left on hold and then hung up on.

Christopher McCraig, 28, from Scotland said he spent an estimated 10 hours trying to reach someone on the phone. Several times, he was cut off after waiting for more than an hour on hold.

On one occasion, McCraig was also forced to listen to a hold recording about which is most popular outfit that turn the other sex on.

Imagine hearing that repeatedly on speaker whilst trying to home-school my two young kids, he said.

When he did finally reach someone, McCraigs claim was denied. He told Yahoo Finance UK he was furious.

Several other Debenhams policy holders expressed anger and frustration over how the company was handling COVID-19 claims.

They havent sent a single email to their policyholders, Christina, 30, from London told Yahoo Finance UK.

You chose Debenhams because you trust it as a brand, its a brand that you grow up with. Now either we have to cancel and we know were not insured, and we have to rely on goodwill to rearrange, or well lose about 13,000.

(Christina did not want to share her last name because her family have not been told about her situation.)

A spokesperson for Debenhams said: Our insurance provider is working on processing claims as quickly as possible but, as you might expect, the current situation means that there are inevitably delays to the process.

We understand this is a difficult time and that engaged couples are keen to get clarity as soon as possible. We apologise to any customers affected.

Were not millionaires

Debenhams is not the only insurer leaving customers frustrated. Uma Kumaran told Yahoo Finance UK she had similar problems with WeddingPlan. WeddingPlan is a trading name for UK General, the same company behind Debenhams wedding insurance.

Kumaran, 33, from London and her partner Jacob, 35, from Wales were planning a Hindu wedding, with ceremonies beginning in late June. She paid 355 for specialist Asian wedding insurance that gave her cover up to 100,000.

I specifically remember looking at the time if it covered COVID-19 and it did, she told Yahoo Finance UK. With that in mind, I purchased it.

An FAQ claiming COVID-19 would be covered has since been removed, Kumaran said, and replaced with a new statement suggesting the pandemic will not be covered.

A screenshot from an FAQ on WeddingPlan's website suggesting disruption due to COVID-19 would be covered. Photo: WeddingPlan Policyholders group

Policyholders told Yahoo Finance UK Debenhams also initially posted an online FAQs saying COVID-19 would be covered. It was subsequently replaced with a new one saying the opposite.

Kumaran has been unable to talk about her policy with WeddingPlan by phone and emails have gone unanswered. She told Yahoo Finance UK it felt like she was being fobbed off.

If she cannot claim compensation, she estimates her and her partner will be 40,000 out of pocket.

Were not millionaires, said Kumaran, who works in the Mayor of Londons office. This is hard earned money that weve saved and could otherwise go towards a house that wed like to buy. Everyone deserves to have a nice wedding if you can and if you save hard and work towards it, why not?

Additional stress and worry

Kumaran is part of a Google group with over 40 other disgruntled WeddingPlan policyholders. The group are currently considering joint legal action.

We are ordinary, hard-working people who have spent months or years saving for our wedding days  only to be screwed over by an unscrupulous business with tens of millions in assets, a spokesperson for the group told Yahoo Finance UK. Insurance is supposed to give people peace of mind, not additional stress and worry.

Theres obviously far worse things going on out there and crying about a wedding doesnt feel right, Kumaran said. But at the same time, it doesnt feel fair either.

Accounts show UK General made a profit of 838,582 in 2018 on revenues of 13m. The company had net assets worth 8.1m. As well as wedding insurance, UK General offers property insurance, event insurance, and other specialist cover.

Ryan Griffiths and his partner Louise. Photo: Ryan Griffiths

UK General did not respond to repeated requests to comment for this story, made via email, LinkedIn, and voicemails.

Sarah Kocianski, head of research at financial consultancy 11:FS, said UK General had the right to deny payout based on government actions.

Policy documents, reviewed by Yahoo Finance UK, exclude coverage for claim arising directly or indirectly from a government regulation or act and any losses arising from prohibitive regulations by the government of any country. UK General argues that it was the governments decision to lockdown the country that led to wedding cancellations, not COVID-19 per se.

While the policies do contain provisions for infectious disease, they only cover outbreaks at the event or venue.

If there had been a Norovirus outbreak at the hotel youre having your wedding in and they had to deep clean the hotel, then you would be covered, Kocianski said.

Most wedding insurers across the industry are not paying out, she said.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates around 1.2bn will be paid out by UK insurers over the coronavirus pandemic but just 25m of that will be on wedding, school trip, and event cover. (This partly reflects the small size of the wedding insurance market.)

From an objective perspective, [insurers] are not doing anything wrong, Kocianski said. From a moral perspective, and what this will do to insurers brands, its a very different question. Insurers dont have a great reputation anyway. Its going to be a huge issue for them.

Ryan Griffiths, 25, from Northampton told Yahoo Finance UK: Honestly, it just sounds like theyre just trying to get out of jail.

Griffiths is another Debenhams policy holder who has had their claim denied. He and his fiancee stand to lose 10,000.

Someone should be able to step in and say you should pay out, Griffiths said. You cant just sit back and let it go. Its the people that dont fight that get screwed over.

Carroll, the wedding planner, said many couples were taking their case to the Financial Ombudsman but she called for more wholesale action across the industry.

I really think the government should look at this, she said. Theyre throwing money left, right, and centre but the insurance companies are getting away with murder here.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK
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One of Indian cinema's finest actors Irrfan Khan, breathed his last on Wednesday (April 29), after being admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital for a colon infection. The actor was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and sought treatment in the UK for a year.

Shortly after, the actor resumed shooting for Homi Adajania's Angrezi Medium in February 2019. The film, which also starred Radhika Madan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, hit the theatrical screens on March 13. However, the film was soon pulled out of theatres within few days, owing to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Recently, Angrezi Medium premiered on Hotstar+Disney. Amid this, the news of Irrfan's demise has sent shockwaves across the nation.

Irrfan's co-star Radhika Madan said in a statement, "I dont know what to say... my heart aches when I write this. He was one the strongest people I knew, a fighter. And so are Sutapa ma'am, Babil and Ayan."

She further continued, "I am just grateful that our paths crossed in this lifetime. He is and will always be an inspiration to many. A legend. The man who changed the wave of the indian film industry.May his soul rest in peace."

Helmed by Homi Adajania, Angrezi Medium revolves around a father's struggle to fulfill his daughter's dream of studying abroad. The film received rave reviews for Irrfan Khan's heartfelt performance. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the actor's last movie.

SHOCKING! Irrfan Khan Passes Away; Shoojit Sircar Says 'My Dear Friend, You Fought & Fought'

Irrfan Khan Is No More; Bollywood Celebs Mourn Actor's Death
One of the most notorious Colombian cocaine cartel kingpins will not be released early from a U.S. prison over claims of ill health and fears of the deadly effects on him of a potential coronavirus infection, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno found that Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, the 81-year-old former chieftain of the Cali cartel, did not have serious enough health problems to merit early release. The judge also said doing so would be a blow to the U.S. justice system.

The cartel led by Rodriguez Orejuela and his brother, Miguel, smuggled over 200,000 kilograms (441,000 pounds) of cocaine worth more than $2.1 billion into the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s. The organization succeeded the Medellin cartel once run by drug lord Pablo Escobar. Both used violence and killings extensively for intimidation and enforcement.

The court can only imagine the far-reaching, destructive effects of this much cocaine in the United States, Moreno wrote. How many thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives were affected?"

Rodriguez Orejuela has served about half of a 30-year prison sentence imposed after he and his brother reached a 2006 plea deal with federal prosecutors in Miami. His attorney, David O. Markus, said he is saddened and disappointed by the decision.

We should let old and sick inmates die at home with their families, not alone in a prison cell," Markus said in an email.

In his argument for compassionate release, court documents show Rodriguez Orejuela suffers from a range of health problems including colon cancer, prostate cancer, two heart attacks, high blood pressure, skin cancer, gout, chronic anxiety and depression. The documents paint a picture of a frail old man who often must use a walker and frequently visits the infirmary at his prison in Butner, North Carolina.

The coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands of people worldwide, and has been a problem in many jails and prisons, is another concern, the documents say.

Prosecutors acknowledged that Rodriguez Orejuela has multiple health issues but added that he can still get around and generally take care of himself under medical supervision.

Moreno ruled that those health problems are not enough to merit compassionate release  even under the possible threat of the coronavirus.

Rodriguez Orejuela's medical condition, while far from perfect, is also far from extraordinary and compelling, the judge wrote.

Under the brothers 2006 plea deal, more than two dozen family members were removed from a Treasury Department list designating them as part of the Cali cartel. That spared some of them from prosecution for obstruction of justice or money laundering and also allowed legitimate family businesses in Colombia to continue operating.

As of now, Rodriguez Orejuela's prison release date is Feb. 9 2030, when he would be in his early 90s. His brother, 76-year-old Miguel, is serving his sentence at a Pennsylvania prison.

In a separate case, a different Miami federal judge is weighing whether to permit early release of
Hallstatt, a lakeside village in Austrias Salzkammergut region, is left empty with no visitors due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The locals mostly depend on foreign guest to earn a living. (Image: Reuters)

European tourism hotspots are facing staggering decline in footfalls. Last year, the village saw a million visitors a day. (Image: Reuters)

Empty benches are seen during the COVID-19 outbreak in the main square of the city of Hallstatt, Austria. (Image: Reuters)

Most tourists came on bus tours stopping for a view that gained renown in Asia after the South Korean TV series that was filmed there and a partial replica was built in China. (Image: Reuters)

An empty road is seen during the coronavirus outbreak in the city of Hallstatt, Austria. (Image: Reuters)

The Austrian government acted early to stem the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. All the shops, restaurants and other gathering places were shut that helped flatten the curve of the outbreak. (Image: AP)

Austria will begin lifting its lockdown from May 1, starting with the essential places but are urged to follow the social distancing rules to avoid the second wave of disease. (Image: AP)
Congratulatory messages have poured in for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds following the birth of their son.

On Wednesday 29 April, a spokesperson for the couple announced that Ms Symonds gave birth to a baby boy at a hospital in the capital.

They said: The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well.

The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

The couple has received numerous messages of congratulations on social media, including from fellow politicians.

So thrilled for Boris and Carrie. Wonderful to have a moment of unalloyed joy! tweeted health secretary Matt Hancock.

Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, wrote Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said it was great to hear Downing Street is getting a new resident, while Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey tweeted: Congratulations Boris and Carrie! Im so pleased for you both. Wishing you all luck in the world!

Recommended Boris Johnson baby name odds revealed by bookmakers

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also shared his congratulations on social media, tweeting: Congratulations and prayers for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds as they welcome their son into the world. Wishing them every blessing and happiness.

London mayor Sadiq Khan offered kind wishes to Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds, writing: Sending my warmest congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds on the safe arrival of their baby boy this morning.

Former prime minister David Cameron said he and his wife Samantha Cameron are thrilled for the couple, adding that a climbing frame should still be in the garden at Downing Street.

Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds first announced they were expecting a baby in February.

The couple also revealed they became engaged at the end of 2019.

In a post shared on her private Instagram account, Ms Symonds wrote: Many of you already know but for my friends that still dont, we got engaged at the end of last year ... and weve got a baby hatching early summer. Feel incredibly blessed.

Mr Johnson has become the fourth prime minister to welcome a baby while in office in 170 years, following David Cameron, Tony Blair and Lord John Russell.
The Barrington Stage Company,  responding to the coronavirus pandemic, will give up the ambitious musical productions for which it is known (its the birthplace of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). Instead, it will concentrate on one-person shows, and stage a play in which the central relationships are so strained that social distancing will not be a stretch. 70% of the seats will be removed, as will intermissions (no mingling), and audience members must wear masks.  The New York Times
Amid the Coronavirus lockdown even though the Indian authorities are keeping a strict watch on the lockdown rules, many people are failing to understand the grim situation.



Cops have taken actions against first-time offenders and repeat offenders but nothing seems to work with some people. The authorities are making sure that the people stay indoors and adhere to the rules of the lockdown. But nothing is motivating the bored Janta to sit at home anymore!

 BCCL

In another unique initiative, a village has offered people incentive to motivate them to stay indoors and not break any of the lockdown rules. The Thazhekkode Grama Panchayat in Malappuram district of Kerala has decided to turn the lockdown into an interesting contest to keep people indoors. Now, thats not a bad idea and is working well for the village.



The panchayat will give prizes to the law-abiding citizens and it gets even more interesting if youll hear what the prizes are.

 BCCL

The first prize is the half-sovereign of gold, second prize is a refrigerator and a third prize is a washing machine. Fifty complimentary prizes will be distributed amongst the villagers for abiding the lockdown rules and will be distributed after the lockdown ends.



President of the gram panchayat,AK Nasar said, here are around 10,000 families in the panchayat; several people have been recruited to observe those who venture out of their homes. He added that violators will be immediately ruled out of the contest.

 BCCL

He also said, "Most probably, we feel this contest will end on May 3. This will be decided by our panchayat. Once the contest ends, we will ask for an affidavit from all those who come claiming that none in their family have ventured out. Coupons will be given to all such families and the winners will be selected through a lucky draw.



We hope this will keep the people persuaded to stay indoors! As the cases in India have now crossed over 31,000 people, so far and the deaths have crossed the 1000K mark.

It is in our best interest to stay safe and stay inside our houses to fight against the pandemic.
They say Australians always respond well to a crisis, and it seems it's true. Even in these days of disposable leaders, Kevin Rudd deftly stopped the global financial crisis from sucking us into the Great Recession, and now Scott Morrison has got on top of the corona crisis in a way few would have expected. His approval rating has soared. But I still wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

Why not? Because, as an old econocrat explained to me long ago, if you dispose of a crisis with too much ease  without a titanic struggle  you get precious little gratitude from the voters. If it was that easy to fix, it can't have been much of a crisis in the first place. Indeed, all that money you spent  well, most of it must have been a waste. That's the very way his political opponents have sought unceasingly to denigrate Rudd's unbelievably skilled performance in 2009.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:

And now Morrison faces the same risk. Everyone's saying he  along with the premier cats he's been herding  has done surprisingly well in controlling the outbreak. But that's not true. The unvarnished truth is that  if you'll forgive the expression  he hasn't just done well, he's killed it. He set out merely to "flatten the curve" but in fact has driven it down almost to zero. And done so with just 80 or so people losing their lives so far.

In the jargon of the epidemiologists, he and the premiers have succeeded in getting "R"  the average number of other people infected by someone who's contracted it - below 1, meaning it's dying out.
US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals.

Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it. He has also indicated that the US may be looking at "a lot more money" in damages from China than the $140 billion being sought by Germany from Beijing for the ...
In the middle of March, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio was among those not entirely sold on social distancing as a prophylactic measure against the coronavirus epidemic. If you love your neighborhood bar, go there now, he famously said. A few days later, he was threatening to padlock the citys synagogues  permanently  if social-distancing protocols went unheeded.

We sympathize with those New Yorkers driven to drink or inspired to prayer by Mayor de Blasios incompetence, vanity, and stupidity, which have been highlighted by but are by no means limited to his response to COVID-19. For the time being, they must suffer in their households rather than in congregation.

In all likelihood, the coronavirus has been spreading in New York since February. The citys jam-packed subway system, carrying five million riders a day, should have counseled particular vigilance. But even with the examples of Californias and Washingtons cities before him, the mayor was slow to move. He dragged his staff along to a crowded YMCA for a workout even as he was ordering gyms closed around the city. The city schools remained open until March 15, and it was left to New York governor Andrew Cuomo to negotiate their closure while teachers were threatening a wildcat strike. De Blasio delayed against the advice of his own aides and health experts. A 36-year-old principal subsequently died of COVID-19. The citys refusal to disclose infections in the schools kept families in the dark and left more lives at risk, as one city councilman put it.

De Blasio was warned in early March that the city needed to take more aggressive action against the epidemic, but he wrote off advice from health commissioner Oxiris Barbot and others, worried that a lockdown would hurt the citys economy. Extended deliberations controlled by political concerns rather than medical ones wasted precious time. He has long distrusted the top brass of the health department, Politico reports, feeling they do not understand politics and public relations. That may be the case, but their job is not public relations  it is public health.

Story continues

Ignoring the advice and recommendations of the relevant experts in order to tend to his political concerns, Mayor de Blasio effectively became a member of that class of villain most hated by his progressive allies: a denier. His refusal to concede the facts and his desire to subordinate good policy to political expediency were compounded by his general executive incompetence, for instance in leaving city agencies without necessary guidance for implementing work-from-home policies. He insisted that the citys hospitals were well prepared for the crisis; the actual situation in the citys public hospitals was shortly thereafter described as apocalyptic by one physician.

De Blasio did manage to name his wife as head of a coronavirus-recovery panel. He always has time for that sort of thing. Mrs. de Blasio is fresh off of watching $1 billion walk out the door while overseeing a fruitless mental-health initiative. She has time on her hands and is rumored to be considering a run for elected office herself.

De Blasio moved with much less dispatch than did colleagues in California and Ohio, among other places. And then, after dawdling for so long, de Blasio flipped. We always are happy to see a politician amend his views to accommodate new facts, but Slowpoke de Blasios subsequent overcompensation, and the sanctimony and viciousness he brings to the effort, is something else.

De Blasio launched a broadside against the Jewish community after a large crowd turned out for a rabbis funeral in Williamsburg as though the event corporately implicated the more than 1 million Jews living in New York City, drawing criticism from the citys ADL and other local Jewish leaders.

De Blasio has instructed police to follow a zero tolerance rule on gatherings and has threatened to enforce his policy with arrests. Perhaps he has not entirely thought through the social-distancing implications of mass arrests.

The coronavirus epidemic was a test for Mayor de Blasio, and he has been found wanting  which should be no surprise to anybody who has witnessed the dramatic decline in the quality of city life under his watch. The tricky question of balancing the consequences of an enforced economic stoppage against the risks of an unknown and poorly understood viral epidemic in a free society with democratic norms has gotten the better of better men and better mayors than Bill de Blasio.

His incompetence has endangered the lives of his constituents and made the coronavirus situation worse than it had to be. But it is his tinpot-tyrant posturing and his ridiculous preening that really set him apart from your run-of-the-mill municipal bungler.

Unhappily, there is no treatment for what ails Bill de Blasio, and no cure in sight for New York.

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Last weekend, Caltrans closed I-5 in Burbank so a bridge across the freeway could be dismantled. Carmaggedon? Gridlock hell? Nope.

The closure barely made a blip in local traffic -- because so many of us are staying home to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Lighter traffic is one of the very few upsides of the pandemic, and local governments are using it as an opportunity to speed up planned road repairs.

Right now, cities and counties have money in hand for road construction projects. They also have the labor, since those construction workers are considered "essential."

So they're taking advantage of the quiet streets to move things forward.

"We see that city and county and state maintenance forces are very active in getting a lot of work done, much more so than they normally would, because they don't have so much traffic to contend with," said Russell Snyder of California Asphalt Paving Association.

MORE DAYLIGHT HOURS

Less traffic means some road crews that might normally have to work at night, or limit construction to the margins of the day, are being given longer daylight hours to lay down new pavement, Snyder said. That translates to faster finish times.

One extreme example of this is in Beverly Hills. The City Council actually closed three blocks of Wilshire Blvd to accelerate construction of the Purple Line light rail project. Normally Wilshire is one of the busiest streets in the region.

LESS PARKING PAIN

Since the city has shifted repaving work to mostly empty major streets, residential streets have been left quiet.

That in turn spares those residents the burden of moving cars during the day when most people are staying at home, said Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager of Streets L.A. (formerly known as the Bureau of Street Services).

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CLEANER STREETS

Another advantage - with so few people driving, major arterial streets are easier to clean. Many that haven't seen a street sweeper in months or longer are now being cleaned, Hagekhalil said.

Meanwhile, Streets L.A. is keeping up with its pledge to fill potholes within three days of receiving a report.

THE SILVER LINING MAY BE TEMPORARY

Remember, much of our local roadwork is funded by taxes on gas and retail sales. Since we're all driving less, that means the state is taking in less of the SB1 gas tax, half of which goes to cities and counties for roadwork.

We're also spending less because most retail is closed, and that leads to less sales tax - which is what supports cities and counties.

It also means less transportation tax - that's the half-cent extra tax on each dollar that is added on top of the regular sales tax in some areas to fund road work and transit projects.

CUTTING BACK

So as local city and county governments draft budgets for the coming fiscal year, roadwork may be at risk if it is not already funded through bonds or the local share of state gas tax.

And lower tax revenue also means some cities may have fewer road workers.

For example, the city of Los Angeles is cutting employee hours by 10% and it plans to ratchet back its most expensive road paving and reconstruction projects.

Streets L.A. is looking at about a 10 to 15 percent cut in revenues overall, said Hagekhalil.

The Los Angeles city budget proposed by Mayor Eric Garcetti would cut reconstruction of the city's old concrete streets and failed asphalt streets.

Since those are the most expensive miles of road to repair, the city has a policy of resurfacing streets that are in fair to good condition to keep them from deteriorating. It reconstructs failed streets only when money is available.

Those worst-off streets will see longer delays as the coronavirus recession unfolds.
[April 29, 2020] Earthx2020 Presents EarthxEnergy: Renewables

DALLAS, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthxEnergy joined leading technology developers and energy policy experts in a series of online panels during Earthx2020. The conference, held in partnership with the National Geographic Society, commemorated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It also coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic, which meant transforming the annual event into a virtual experience held around the world. The coronavirus was top of mind in this year's EarthxEnergy: Renewables conference. Panelists compared the ongoing health crisis to the much broader climate crisis. "We're seeing the communities that are most vulnerable to climate change and that lack access to electricity are also the communities that are most vulnerable to the pandemic," said Sandra Kwak, founder and CEO of 10Power, which invests in renewable energy projects in Haiti. Dozens of technologies and practices are already available to address climate change. But to reach "drawdown"  the point where greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere peak, then begin to drop year-by-year  the world must adopt and scale them quickly and simultaneously, said Chad Frischmann, vice president of the nonprofit Project Drawdown. "We need all solutions working as a system of solutions to achieve this goal," he said. Henk Rogers, founder of the Blue Planet Foundation, called on the United States and the wider world to commit to using 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Rogers helped advance that mandate in his home state of Hawaii, where utilities are replacing costly oil-fired power plants with wind and solar farms and energy storage systems. "We want to empower the people in all countries to be able to take climate action," Rogers said. "And we want consumers to be able to choose goods and services that are sustainable." Beyond curbing emissions, installing renewable energy will also boost adoption of carbon-capturing technologies. Such systems remove CO2 from smokestacks or directly from the air, then bury the gas underground or turn it into valuable products. Global Thermostat uses a process called Direct Air Capture to soak up CO2 from the atmosphere and transform it into biofertilizers, plastics, soft drink bubbles, and other materials. The startup recently partnered with ExxonMobil, a collaboration that co-founders Graciela Chichilnisky and Peter Eisenberger said will help scale the technology and advance their goal of removing a gigaton of CO2 every year. "Our partnership with Exxon is so critical," said Chichilnisky, CEO of Global Thermostat, noting that current global CO2 emissions are about 40 gigatons a year. p>Carbon Engineering is rising to the challenge by building giant fans that suck carbon from the air; the company then buries the CO2 or uses it to make synthetic transportation fuels. While vehicle engines would emit carbon by burning the fuels, the fans could recapture it, creating a continuous loop. Carbon Engineering is building its first megaton-scale facility in Texas , which it plans to open in 2023, said CEO Steve Oldham . The plant will do the work of some 40 million trees, he said.



Another startup, Blue Planet Ltd., is capturing carbon and trapping it permanently in building materials. Production of cement, a key ingredient in concrete, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. By replacing cement, Blue Planet aims to not only reduce industrial emissions but also sequester carbon in rocks for billions of years, said CEO Brent Constantz. Newlight Technologies has developed technology that converts CO2 and methane into a bioplastic material called AirCarbon. The startup is one of ten finalists in the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, a $20 million global competition to develop breakthrough technologies for converting waste gas into marketable materials. Mark Heremma, Newlight's CEO, said the pandemic has made clear how swiftly the world can respond to a global challenge. "It shows that with collective action, we can in fact move really big mountains," he said. "It puts into focus that we need to fix climate change, and we need to fix it now."

ABOUT EarthX

EarthX convenes the world's largest environmental expo, conference and film festival, and is a member of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. Founded in 2011 by environmentalist and businessman Trammell S. Crow, the Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration and community-driven sustainable solutions. In 2019, the event drew over 177,000 attendees, 2,000 environmental leaders, 700 exhibitors, 450 speakers, 63 films and 49 Eco-virtual reality experiences. Earthx2020 was held virtually on April 16-26, 2020. Visit www.EarthX.org or follow us @earthxorg on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. ABOUT The National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 14,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/earthx2020-presents-earthxenergy-renewables-301049472.html SOURCE EarthX

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The Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine reported that on the average, the course of coronavirus disease among Ukrainians lasts from 18 to 21 days. Minister Maksym Stepanov stated this at a daily meeting on preventing the spread of coronavirus in the Presidents Office.

On average, the course of the disease in Ukraine from the moment of detection to the negative PCR test, that is, recovery, lasts 1821 days, Stepanov noted.

The Minister added that all 11 patients who perished over the past day had serious concomitant diseases, in particular cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes mellitus, and lung problems.

As of the morning of April 29, 9,866 cases of infection with the coronavirus Covid-19 were detected in Ukraine. 456 of these were recorded over the last day. 250 fatal cases were observed.

As we reported before, a study by American scientists revealed that the new coronavirus is rapidly destroyed by sunlight. At the same time, this study has not yet been reviewed and is pending external evaluation.
Police dog handler Jennie Ellse and dog Quantum were attacked by Nelson Nelson. (BPM Media)

A man who launched a vicious attack on a police dog and several officers after he was asked if his journey was essential has been jailed for four years.

Nelson Nelson punched two officers in the face after being refused travel at Nottingham railway station during the coronavirus lockdown, following his threats to "knock them out.

The 29-year-old, who had previously admitted offences including two counts of actual bodily harm, assault with intent to resist arrest and assaulting an emergency worker, was jailed on Monday, Nottinghamshire Police said.

He was stopped by British Transport Police (BTP) on April 4, during lockdown.

Asked why he was travelling, Nelson, of Broadfield Walk, Birmingham, became violent, assaulting three officers in his bid to get away.

Nelson repeatedly hit Police Dog Quantum after being questioned about his reasons for travel. (PA)

He knocked two officers to the ground during an initial scuffle, with one falling unconscious.

The other officer got up and gave chase before Nelson dragged him in front of an oncoming bus.

Nottinghamshire Police officers then arrived on the scene before Nelson charged at and punched another officer.

He then ran off, jumping over two fences close to Station Street where an officer and police dog Quantum were standing.

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Nelson picked up a plank of wood with a nail in and charged them, repeatedly hitting the dog, and cutting its chin.

A flick-knife was recovered during the incident.

Nelson admitted the assaults as well as possessing an offensive weapon, having a knife and causing unnecessary suffering to Quantum, at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on 6 April.

Magistrates deemed they had insufficient sentencing powers and sent the case to a higher court, and Nelson was subsequently jailed at Nottingham Crown Court.

After sentencing, Nottinghamshire Chief Constable Craig Guildford said the jail term would send a "very clear message" to those who break the law, especially during lockdown.

Story continues

He said: "This is a particularly nasty case where officers who are working hard to engage with the public to ensure that 'stay at home' guidance is being followed have been subjected to a vicious and sustained assault.

Nelson Nelson punched two officers in the face after being refused travel at Nottingham railway station. (BPM Media)

"The officers acted swiftly, bravely and decisively in assisting their British Transport Police colleagues and I'm convinced PD Quantum prevented further serious injury to them or the public.

"Our officers, staff and volunteers will not hesitate to jump to the defence of their fellow key workers who are working so hard to lead the nation's response to the coronavirus outbreak, and this case is further evidence of that.

Chief Inspector Gareth Davies, from BTP, described it as a "truly horrifying incident" involving officers who were just trying to do their jobs.

"There is never an excuse for this sort of behaviour, but it's all the more shocking to think this violent rampage began after Nelson was simply asked if his journey was essential," he said.

"Thankfully, no one was more seriously injured, and Nelson will now have the next few years to reflect on his actions in prison.

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Acclaimed UK drama Save Me starring Lennie James & Suranne Jones will screen on SBS from next week.

This is a 6 part drama which screened on Pay TV last April and SBS on Demand in January.

Nelson Nelly Rowe is arrested at his girlfriends South East London flat, accused of abducting his estranged daughter, Jody. Nelly protests his innocence, arguing that he hasnt seen his daughter in years, but the police have evidence that Jodys last three calls were to Nellys phone. With the clock ticking, Nelly sets out on a mission to clear his name and find his missing daughter.

Series One, Episode One:

Nelson Nelly Rowe is arrested at his girlfriends South East London flat, accused of abducting his estranged daughter, Jody. Nelly protests his innocence, arguing that he hasnt seen his daughter in years, but the police have evidence that Jodys last three calls were to Nellys phone. Jodys mother, Claire, who shared a summer of love with Nelly 14 years ago, confronts Nelly, who assures her that he has nothing to do with Jodys disappearance. With the clock ticking, Nelly sets out on a mission to clear his name and find his missing daughter.

11.05pm Wednesday, 6 May on SBS.
Self-employed workers and contractors usually arent eligible for unemployment insurance. Congress changed that last month with the passage of the CARES Act.

Oregon officials say they will now start accepting unemployment claims from those self-employed and gig workers.

Workers can check out a step-by-step guide explaining how to apply.

Here are more developments to know Wednesday:

REOPENING: Hospitals, medical offices and dental clinics can resume non-urgent procedures Friday. The ramp-up also comes with confusion and apprehension. The state issued a set of guidelines medical providers must follow when they do resume more procedures. Many health care providers still worry about the financial pain of the pandemic, and say federal aid wont be enough to get back on solid financial footing.

BUSINESS: Portland restaurants and bars are pressing for permission to sell cocktails to-go, a measure they say is necessary to survive. Other businesses worry the state is backtracking on the governors pledge not to assess any penalties on businesses that failed to file quarterly estimated payments for the billion-dollar tax for education.

CLAIMS: Oregon accumulated a backlog of more than 100,000 unprocessed jobless claims over the first five weeks of the outbreak, with many laid-off workers waiting more than a month without word on their benefits.

CASES: More than half of Oregonians who died from coronavirus contracted the virus at senior care homes, state officials said. The overall number of people in Oregon who have died from COVID-19 climbed to 99.

ECONOMY: The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter as the pandemic shut down much of the country and began triggering a recession that will end the longest expansion on record.

RESPONSE: Administrators of the U.S. Veterans Administration hospital in Roseburg said they will reiterate the importance of social distancing after a video showed the facilitys director holding a flash mob dance with employees.

HELP: Religious communities are coming together to provide meals during the pandemic. Portlands Muslim community is working to feed anyone who is hungry. Salem Sikhs are making sure local hospital workers are well fed by delivering vegetarian meals.

LIFE TODAY: The coronavirus outbreak and the resulting stay-home orders have put a new twist on parenting teens and tweens. Oregon parenting experts offer some advice.

#TEAMOREGON:

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Thanking workers in health care, first responders and other essential services for risking their health on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic is as easy as flicking a light switch.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thanking workers in health care, first responders and other essential services for risking their health on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic is as easy as flicking a light switch.

As long as it's a blue light.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is encouraging Winnipeggers and Manitobans across the province to turn on blue lights as part of its True Blue Manitoba campaign starting Wednesday.

Scott Sime, a WRHA spokesman, said the idea to thank workers by having blue-coloured porch lights, Christmas lights, or from a table lamp through a window has been done in various communities across North America.

"We heard a few people in the community talking about how great it would be to do it here and we decided to get things going," Sime said Tuesday.

"We reached out into the community to participate in the video and the response was instantaneous and overwhelming."

A video about the campaign, being put on social media today, features local personalities including Fred Penner, Ace Burpee, United Way CEO Connie Walker, and Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

Free Press publisher Bob Cox is not only in the video, but he already has his blue lights up on his front porch.

"We all want to show support for health-care workers and putting a blue porch light on every evening is the least I can do," Cox said.

"Blue is at the heart of Manitoba  the Bombers wear it, the Jets wear it, the Free Press has it on its front-page masthead every day. It just feels right to adopt blue as a symbol of our strong support for health-care workers."

Sime said the nice thing about the campaign is it reinforces another message provincial health-care providers have been emphasizing on a daily basis to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

"The best way to keep us safe is to keep them (health-care workers, first responders, and essential workers) safe  follow social distancing," he said.

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"By turning on a switch you are social distancing and thanking them."

Sime said they did do a quick check and found that all the home improvement stores sell blue lights, but he said there are other ways to go blue.

Sime said, as long as the bulb is a LED one which doesn't generate heat, a person could either put blue paint on it, mark it up with a blue sharpie, or take a blue balloon and put it over the bulb.

"But only if it is a LED bulb," he said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
For Comrade Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, blaming Jews for plagues, same as Medieval Europe in the past, is back.

According to the New York Post:

"Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic," de Blasio wrote on Twitter. "When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus," he said.

He then threatened to arrest them all:

"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed," the mayor wrote. "This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period."

This, given the size of New York's Jewish population, has the odor of Jew-hatred.

De Blasio was referring to a onetime funeral event in New York's Williamsburg neighborhood where grieving members of a tight-knit Jewish congregation came out on the streets to mourn the death of their rabbi, and yes, they stood too close together in numbers too great, even as they were all wearing masks. We've seen similar with some Christian congregations, and as with this Jewish congregation, there were social distancing efforts that weren't entirely successful.

But de Blasio decided that Jews were to be singled out for New York's huge coronavirus problem.

Part of the problem was that de Blasio was lumping all Jewish people all into a monolithic, undifferentiated group. What happened in Williamsburg hardly reflected what is going on at all Jewish congregations. Three days ago in Poway, Calif., for instance, at a memorial for a victim of a murderous mass shooting at the synagogue a year ago, the event was held entirely online.

But instead of complaining about street gatherings in general, as if that's a big ongoing problem, he complained about the Jewish community in particular, painting it as a monolith, singling them out as problematic. There are a lot of Jewish people in New York, and they come in every size, shape, style, level of observance, and ideological tinge. As with Christians (think of how many varieties there are there), Jews span the spectrum. And yes, there was one community that didn't seem to sufficiently socially distance at a onetime outdoor event for a funeral, same as we have seen with some Christian congregations elsewhere, as if that were the real problem.

All it is is a smokescreen for some far bigger issues.

We didn't hear anything from de Blasio about the huge crowds that gathered in Central Park when the sun came out in recent days  no threats of arrests  nor did we hear anything from him regarding the city's packed subway cars, which spread COVID-19 pretty significantly without anyone doing anything about it. It may even be something de Blasio can't do anything about, even if he were a creative man instead of a comrade. Worse still, he didn't say anything as the mayor of a city when his state was forcing New York's nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients in the name of "fairness." That's the biggest reason for New York's high coronavirus death toll: the man-made government-caused disaster at the nursing homes.

Much easier just to blame Jews and that one odd congregation that effectively held a temporary masked gathering on the streets in New York? Much easier than confronting government failures.

It comes against a bad background of anti-Semitic attack surging in the city based on Democrat policies.

And what the hell was he doing traveling there himself, spreading his own germs into the area, just to see something for himself? As he points the finger at Jews, he then goes and does his part to violate social distancing himself.

That's because the name of his game is not safety; it's blaming Jews.

Image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

UPDATE FROM ANDREA WIDBURG: John Cardillo reminds everyone that de Blasio has a very different approach for Islam:
On arrival in Seoul, passengers will be temperature-checked and made to complete a questionnaire on health and travel history, warns the Foreign Office in its advice to travellers hoping to change planes at Incheon airport, serving the South Korean capital.

Anyone displaying a high temperature or a high-risk travel history will be made to pass immigration.

Yes: though you may simply have been hoping to change planes in Seoul, pausing only in the splendid terminal to buy a (contactless) coffee, your journey is about to become a whole lot worse.

Flying in from the UK is likely to constitute a high-risk travel history, since the British incidence of coronavirus is far higher than in South Korea. So whatever your temperature, you will have to go landside and take a test to see whether you have Covid-19.

While you wait for the test result, you may reflect that neither outcome is particularly appealing.

A positive result will see you taken direct to a South Korean hospital. A negative outcome will result in you being quarantined for 14 days in a government facility at passengers expense (c 1,000), says the Foreign Office. As the Eagles warbled in Hotel California: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

Proponents of screening travellers for coronavirus on arrival in the UK may cite countries such as South Koreas hardline measures to support their argument. The east Asian nation has been extremely successful in controlling the spread of Covid-19. So it certainly makes sense to look at the evidence and medical advice on checks  and mandatory quarantine  upon arrival.

The prospect that everyone coming into the UK should be served with a SHN (stay-at-home notice) and ordered to stay indoors for two weeks has been widely discussed this week. The government has made it clear that such an option is on the table.

I conducted a brief Twitter poll on the subject with more than 2,000 self-selecting respondents. A very large majority  78 per cent  were in favour of controls.

Yet that vote doesnt necessarily make mandatory quarantine when you touch down at Heathrow airport a brilliant idea.

How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Show all 6 1 /6 How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Milan, Italy REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities North Jakarta, Indonesia REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Jakarta, Indonesia REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Venice, Italy REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities New Delhi, India REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Islamabad, Pakistan REUTERS

Temperature screening alone, at exit or entry, is not an effective way to stop international spread.

That is the view of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which explains: Infected individuals may be in incubation period, may not express apparent symptoms early on in the course of the disease, or may dissimulate fever through the use of antipyretics.

Such measures require substantial investments for what may bear little benefits.

Instead, says WHO, collect health declarations at arrival, with travellers contact details, so medical officials can perform contact tracing of incoming travellers.

 Planes stand on Heathrow Airport apron as flights cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control concurs: There is evidence that checking people at the airport by reading their skin temperature (known as entry screening) is not very effective in preventing the spread of the virus, especially when people do not have symptoms.

It is generally considered more useful to provide those arriving at airports with clear information explaining what to do if they develop symptoms after arrival.

So unless you can point me to an official source to the contrary, it appears that the UKs present policy accords with the medical experts worldwide.

But with only 22 per cent of respondents in agreement, it appears  as Michael Gove memorably said during the Brexit campaign  that people in this country have had enough of experts.

When emotion trumps expertise, the future of aviation looks even less certain.
Molting Elephant Seal Found on Oregon Coast - Painful Process There and at Washington Coast

Published 04/28/2020 at 5:54 PM PDT - Updated 04/28/2020 at 5:55 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seaside, Oregon) - Every spring, molting season comes around for elephant seals along the Washington and Oregon coasts, and its never pretty. (All photos courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

It is, however, a necessary part of these creatures lives and humans should not interfere. Its the same idea that goes with those adorable seal pups you find on the beaches by themselves: leave them alone.

Luckily, theres no one on the beaches these days, so when Seaside Aquariums Tiffany Boothe  part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network  came across a juvenile elephant seal in great discomfort, she knew there was nothing to worry about.

The discovery was made Monday, she said.



Someone is defying the closure of Seaside beach, she joked.

With the beach so quiet this young elephant seal thought it would be a good place to rest and begin its first molt, Boothe said. We will be keeping a close eye on this guy while he uses Seaside's peaceful beach.

Please remember that the beach is closed and this guy needs his rest. He is also not accepting visitors. She ended that last statement with a smile emoji.

Molting is something elephant seal go through when theyre young, and its rather painful.

Young elephant seals use the beach while they molt, a process where the seal loses all of its fur and re-grows a new coat, Boothe said. Salt water would irritate the sores that they get during their molt, so they choose to haul out of the water.

Coming up onto to beach raises the body temperature of the molting seal, helping the molting process go by more quickly, she said. The ordeal takes weeks.

All this and the increasing occurrences of baby seals on the beaches will continue throughout summer, which gives the little ones some breathing room for awhile. Its not likely beaches will be open before early June, and then likely not all beaches all at once. Oregon coast towns could be flooded with people by mid summer and that means extra caution when it comes to finding baby seals and molting elephant seals.

Seaside Aquarium manager Kieth Chandler urged everyone to keep away from any of these creatures, and said there are various reasons for concern in a situation involving people and animals washing up.

Were always concerned for their safety, Chandler said. They may be slow, not feeling well and lethargic, but they can still deliver a powerful bite and injure a person. Theres also the worry about dogs. They can get sick from coming into contact with an elephant seal. More elephant seal photos below from previous years:

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The above screenshot shows a form launched by Pennsylvania public officials aimed to be a place where people can report businesses violating the state's orders to mitigate the spread of the virus. Far-right trolls on message boards are trying to flood the form with fake reports. Read more

Far-right trolls communicating on message boards are trying to shut down a Pennsylvania form intended for the public to report businesses shirking the governments social-distancing orders.

The online activists, calling the portal a snitch form  phrasing also used by at least two Pennsylvania lawmakers  have in recent days encouraged one another to submit false reports through the portal to render the form useless and sow political and social discord.

The portal was launched six days ago, and its been flooded with more than 5,000 submissions.

Many of the complaints have been and continue to be inappropriate, Department of Health spokesperson Nate Wardle said Wednesday by email. People who fill out the form should have a genuine public health concern about a business.

On Wednesday, the left-leaning nonprofit Media Matters released a report highlighting the activity, showing 4chan and Reddit users urging each other to get the portal shut down and to make it useless," either by reporting entities such as Planned Parenthood or targeting Jews and people of color.

Some users posted that they had reported the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Others said they had used the form to complain about synagogues. On a message board for supporters of President Donald Trump, users posted receipts of their submissions and encouraged one another to flood the form.

Users on far-right message boards have seized on other tip-lines this year in coordinated efforts, including a coronavirus-related tip-line in New York City and the hotline for Iowa Democratic caucus results.

Sharon Kann, research director at Media Matters, said its difficult to ascribe a motivation to communities online like this, but planned chaos is a tenet.

Theres an incentive to sow discord wherever possible, she said, adding that the pandemic and partisan bickering over how to restart the economy provide an opportunity for trolls to seize on areas of tension.

Pennsylvanias business complaint form was initially developed for employees worried their employers werent following the states orders aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. Since the state mandated all members of the public to wear masks while in businesses that remain open, the form became a place for anyone with a business complaint.

Wardle said that once a complaint is submitted, its forwarded to the appropriate agency, whether thats a complaint about a food-processing plant going to the Department of Agriculture, or a non-licensed facility being reported to the Department of Health.

More in-depth investigations might be completed by the Department of Labor and Industry, he said, but the states preference is to first warn businesses of potential violations before fines are levied or further action is taken.

All agencies involved are working through how to deal with the quantity of submissions, Wardle said.

In recent days, the form has also drawn criticism from some lawmakers and business leaders, including State Rep. Dawn Keefer (R., York and Cumberland), who referred to the system as a snitch line, essentially, so that you can tattle on your businesses in your community.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler) used similar phrasing in a Facebook post criticizing the snitch form, saying that encouraging neighbors to turn in neighbors for non-compliance directly tramples upon our lives," and the Wolf administration should immediately cease and desist from these Orwellian activities.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine, responding to the criticism this week, said the state at no time want[s] to be big brother.

I actually believe that a lot of the information that we have received has been rather positive," she said.
The threat of COVID-19 transmission is spreading through the notoriously overcrowded prisons of Latin America, which threaten to turn into seemingly COVID-19 infernos.

Specifically, the Puenta Alton prison located in downtown Santiago, Chile, is said to "have the largest prison COVID-19 outbreaks so far," with over 300 cases reported at one facility. Relatively, the 1,100 inmates of the prison are reportedly alarmed and frightened with the current figures related to the virus.

Social distancing, the prison nurse, Ximena Graniffo said, social distancing is undeniably challenging to practice behind bars. She added, inmates "are all in contact with each other."

Moreover, any initiative at lessening contact was described to "have blown away in El Salvador" last weekend when the authorities crowded the prisoners tightly together in the prison yards, even though they wore masks, as they searched through the cells.

A shocking photo that President Nayib Bukele's office released showed hundreds of male inmates sitting on the floor, crammed like sardines, wearing only their underwear.

Bukele instructed the security crackdown following the slain of more than 20 people in the county on Friday, "and the intelligence suggested for the orders to come from the detained gang leaders.



1.5 Million Inmates in Latin America's Prisons

The prisons of Latin America currently hold about 1.5 million, and the facilities are frequently quasi-ruled by the inmates themselves due to intimidation, insufficient guard staffing, and corruption. More so, low budgets create ideal environments, too, for the virus to spread.

Some of the factors that make the spread of COVID-19 include the frequently little supply of water and soap and the overcrowding of cell blocks.

To date, the Latin American nations' officials have reported together, almost $1,400 confirmed COVID-19 cases among prison staff and inmates. From this figure, Peru has been recorded as the worst-hit nation with more than 600 confirmed cases and at least 13 fatalities. The testing's extent, though, to determine the infections' full scale differs from one country to another.



Numbers in Other Prisons

Incidentally, when the Dominican Republic tested over 5,500 prisoners at the La Victoria prison, which has been making face masks for the pubic, officials announced, at least 239 had been identified positive of the infectious disease.

Probably, the most complete COVID-19 test seems to be happening in Puerto Rico, where the Department of Corrections announced on Friday, it would test all of the almost 9,000 prisoners being held within this US territory. The department said it would also test the 6,000 employees, which include the correctional officers.

Apprehensions and worries about the virus itself have already proven fatal. In Colombia, there have been 23 fatalities in prison riots recorded and reported, since the pandemic began.

Meanwhile, over 1,300 prisoners have fled prisons in Brazil following the cancellation of the temporary release program due to the outbreak. In addition, over 1,000 have staged hunger strikes in Argentina.

Throughout the region, the demands remain the same, and that is a shield from infection. With the majority of the family visits also canceled, inmates feel they are alone, not to mention, vulnerable, exposed, and exploited.



Price Increases in Prison Stores

Inmates have reported that the prices at both formal and informal prison stores have increased during the COVID-19 crisis, and families can no longer bring then hygiene items and food from the outside.

At present, a prisoner in Mexico said, the price of a bag of soap powder is 29 pesos or $1.20. Before, it only cost about 20 pesos or 80 cents. This inmate currently stays "in a 12-by-12-foot cell" along with many other prisoners.

The inmate who shares the information preferred not to be identified as he was calling via a banned mobile phone. According to Human Rights Watch, conditions have even worsened in countries such as Guatemala, Bolivia, and Haiti.

According to Michelle Bachelet, the UN Human Rights High Commissioner, also the ex-president of Chile "has called the sanitary situation in the region 'deplorable.'"

The former government leader has also called for the releases of inmates who are considered less dangerous.



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Tamil Nadu: Rough times for fisheries to get worse after Covid-19 lockdown is lifted

April 29,2020 | Source: Business Standard

The fishing industry in the southern part of Tamil Nadu has been impacted ever since the Government announced lockdown 12 days ago. Though fish has been mentioned as an essential in the Government list, fishermen simply aren't able to sell as several restaurants and markets are closed. The situation is expected to get worse after the lockdown is lifted as the annual fishing ban will come into effect on April 15.



South India Fishermen Welfare Association President, K Bharathi, fishermen returning with their catch have been stuck as the fish supply chain on land is restricted. Many had already ventured out to sea when the lockdown was suddenly announced. And now, not even small non-mechanised country-boats are being allowed to go into the sea. The total ban is affecting the survival of those in this trade.



"They are allowing the movement of vegetables, milk and even fish feed in inland farms, but not fish. Why this double standards for those in the land and those at sea," asks Bharathi. There are around 4.5 million people relying on fishing in 13 coastal districts in Tamil Nadu. Chennai's Kasimedu fish market usually has 150-200 tonnes of fish on Sundays and 100-150 tonnes on other days. There are large fish markets like this in Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Rameswaram, Pudukottai, that sell similar or more quantities, apart from small boats venturing from other coastal villages.



At least the fiber boats can be given permission to venture into the sea, Bharathi said. He noted, in Puducherry and Kerala, fishing is allowed with restrictions. The Association has requested the Fisheries Director to allow fiber boats to go to the sea thrice a week and allow selling the fish for restricted hours abiding the social distancing guidelines.



While these are the challenges during the lock in period, post that from April 15 the other challenge for fishermen is the annual ban on fishing, which comes into effect on April 15 for 61 days to protect fishery resources and biodiversity during the breeding season. The Government enforces the ban every year, restricting the fishing activities by all mechanised and motorised vessels fitted with inboard or outboard engines, excluding the non-motorised crafts.



Fisheries Department has now informed the fishermen that it will consider the ban period from March 23, instead of April 15 and it will go extend May 23. Normally, the government offers Rs 5,000 per family during the 61-day ban. It is now working on a total compensation fund of about Rs 242 crore, the Department said. However, there is no use of money if it does not come at the hour of the need and there is no timeline mentioned by the department for disbursement of the money, said Bharathi.



The share of fisheries sector in the total GDP (at current prices) increased from 0.40 per cent in 1950-51 to 1.03 per cent in 2017-18. The sector contributed Rs 1,75,573 crore to the GDP (at current prices) during FY 201718 (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, 2020).



Southern states account for a major chunk of this. For example. the total fish production in Tamil Nadu is estimated at 712,000 tonnes during 2017-18. Tamil Nadu ranks fourth in total fish production of the country. It exported 88,257 metric tonnes of marine products and earned foreign exchange of Rs 4,341.78 crore during 2016-17. The contribution of fisheries to Andhra Pradesh's GSDP is 6.04 pe cent. Overall fish production has more than doubled in the past one decade from 814,000 metric tonnes in 2005-06 to 2.76 million metric tonnes in 2016-17. During 2009-10, the total value of marine exports from Andhra Pradesh was Rs 2,100 crore, which is a 20 per cent share in total Indian sea food exports and enhanced to about Rs 17,000 crore during 2016-17.
Samsung Display arguably makes the best OLED panels for smartphones. But the Galaxy S21 may not feature one of those. According to a report from DSCC, the South Korean company is looking to source OLED panels from Chinese firm BOE for at least one of its next-generation Galaxy S flagships.

Samsung is reportedly in talks with the company for 6.67-inch OLED panels for the Galaxy S21 Plus. It might also source a 6.67-inch Full HD+ OLED display from BOE for the Galaxy A91. The South Korean conglomerate is looking to reach an agreement with the Chinese company by as early as June this year.

Samsung Display is the biggest mobile OLED panel supplier in the world. Not only the company uses its in-house displays in its Galaxy smartphones but it also supplies them to some of its competitors, such as OnePlus and Apple. The OnePlus 8 Pros Samsung-made display recently achieved DisplayMates highest A+ rating.

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BOE, on the other hand, is the worlds biggest LCD panel supplier. But as the popularity of LCDs continues to drop to new lows and OLED display technology keeps improving, the Chinese firm is investing heavily in the latter. BOE currently sits third in the list of the biggest mobile OLED panel supplier in the world, behind Samsung Display and LG Display.

Samsung could use BOE OLED panels in Galaxy S21 Plus

Samsung traditionally uses its in-house OLED displays in its Galaxy smartphones, but that might change in the future. DSCC says the Korean company may start multi-sourcing OLED panels for its smartphones.

The report talks about several reasons why Samsung might go this way. Firstly, multi-sourcing will create a price war between suppliers, effectively lowering the prices.

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BOE is known for making cheaper OLED panels as compared to Samsung Display. Multi-sourcing will also mitigate potential supply disruptions caused by some unforeseen circumstances.

Samsung sourcing OLED panels from other manufacturers will free up some production space for Samsung Display. The company is already losing ground on the market. Its OLED market share is expected to drop to under 70 percent by the end of this year, down from more than 90 percent in Q1 2020.

Apple, one of Samsung Displays biggest customer, is reportedly switching to BOE for its iPhone 12 series. Many OEMs, such as Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, still use Samsung OLED panels in their flagship phones. Samsung Display can sell OLED panels to them at better prices than it could to Samsung.

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BOE also recently reached an agreement with Qualcomm to use the latters ultrasonic sensors. Since Samsung employs the same sensor in its flagships, using a BOE-made display would not change things much for the company.

Last, but not least the fact that Samsung already uses BOEs OLED panels in its Galaxy Watch Active makes it easier for the company to source more OLED panels from it.

DSCC, however, says Samsung might also consider sourcing OLED panels from TCL-owned CSOT. The latter already has ties with the Korean company for LCD TV panels. Itll be interesting to see how things shape up from here.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Belk announced it will begin inviting customers and associates back into their local stores following its temporary closure due to COVID-19. Stores in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma plan to open its doors to shoppers on Friday, May 1. Belk is implementing recommended safety precautions from the CDC and state and local health authorities. Stores will begin by opening from noon6 p.m. and Belk will limit the number of people shopping in the store to ensure social distancing standards are observed.

In addition to reopening stores, Belk launched Curbside Pickup at most stores, including all stores that will be open in May, which offers an additional limited contact shopping option. Customers who place an order on Belk.com or on the mobile app can pick up their order Monday-Sunday between noon-5 p.m. The service is free and available for same-day pick up within two hours on orders placed by 1 p.m.

"For more than 130 years, the health and safety of our customers and associates has remained a top priority," said Lisa Harper, CEO of Belk. "While the shopping experience may look a little different, our commitment to offering quality products at a value customers deserve, providing exceptional service, and helping our local communities remains true to who we are. We sincerely thank everyone who has supported us during this unprecedented time. We are especially grateful for our remarkable team of Belk associates."

Belk's multi-phase reopening of its' stores will follow local and state protocol. The retailer is anticipating additional store openings in more states throughout May. For a complete list of open stores, store hours, and Curbside Pickup locations, please visit belk.com.

About Belk

Belk, Inc., a private department store company based in Charlotte, N.C., is where customers shop for their Saturday night outfit, the perfect Sunday dress, and where family and community matter most. But Belk is more than shopping  it's where you find your own unique way to express who you are. Shop Belk in 16 Southern states and on www.belk.com to find an assortment of national brands and private-label fashion, shoes and accessories for the entire family, along with top beauty brands and styles for the home.

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AIRLINES should be given public aid to eventually restart routes deemed strategic for economic recovery, according to the European arm of Airports Council International (ACI).

It has also said that Covid-19 passenger protocol measures at airports should be publicly funded because they are about protecting the health of the wider population.

ACI Europe has also urged EU transport ministers ahead of a meeting they're holding today via video conference to ensure there is "full EU co-ordination and alignment" on how current air travel restrictions should be lifted.

"Air connectivity has essentially collapsed and with it not just tourism, but scores of other businesses relying on the physical flow of people and goods, both across the single market and globally," said ACI Europe president Jost Lammers.

"Protecting livelihoods now requires planning for how we can reconnect our communities and that must be fully and effectively co-ordinated at EU level," he added. "We cannot afford to exit this crisis the way we got into it."

EU transport ministers will today discuss measures taken to date to counter the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and also how to co-ordinate the relaxation of those measures for the sector in the context of the EU's exit strategy.

The vast majority of current air traffic within Europe is limited to cargo.

Dublin Airport is currently handling between 1.6 million and two million kilos of cargo every week.

Airlines including Delta, Emirates, United and American Airlines are operating freight-only passenger jets in and out of the capital. Virgin Atlantic also intends to operate freight flights between Dublin, New York and Los Angeles, as well as from Dublin to London.

Mr Lammers said that air connectivity will be restored gradually, "based on the convergence of the epidemiological situations between different countries and regions".

"But there must be alignment as to how such convergence will be assessed and the related implications on travel," he said. "There must also be coherence when it comes to the operational measures that both airports and airlines will need to comply with. This is going to be essential if we want these measures to be not only effective, but also to secure public confidence."

It's likely to be mid to late summer before airlines are flying any kind of meaningful services again.

ACI Europe said that operational measures at airports to deal with the Covid-19 threat must be risk-based, implementable, scalable, cost-effective and temporary.

"They should be publicly financed since protecting health falls within the public remit," it added. "Against that background, there is no doubt that full and effective co-ordination at EU level and with industry will be the single most crucial factor in the restoration of air connectivity."

ACI Europe has predicted that the current crisis has seen the region's airports lose 235 million passengers between March 1 and April 19, while they're expected to lose 1.4 billion this year - a 57pc drop on 2019.
Transit officials announced a plan to address the issue of homeless people on subway.

After days of public squabbling over the problem of homeless people taking shelter on New York Citys subway during the pandemic, transit officials announced new rules meant to address the issue on Wednesday.

Riders will not be allowed to remain in a station for more than an hour, and large wheeled carts, like shopping or grocery carts, have been banned from the system, officials said.

As long as the public health emergency continues, riders will also not be allowed to remain on a train or platform after an announcement that a train is being taken out of service.

I want to be clear the status quo has been completely unacceptable, said Sarah Feinberg, the interim president of New York City Transit, which operates the subway and buses. Its my job to make sure everyone who rides our system feels safe and secure and that our work force feels safe and secure.

With the subway carrying less than 10 percent of its usual riders and running fewer trains, the number of homeless people who are effectively living on the subway has come into sharper focus in the past two months.

Pictures of homeless people on the subway have circulated on social media and in the media, stoking fears about hygiene and safety on the trains in the midst of the pandemic.
Home Depot workers in Colorado have been spotted not wearing masks - despite a state law mandating they should.

At least four employees at the Aurora store were filmed not wearing face coverings in the days after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed his executive order on April 17.

One worker told CBS on April 20: 'I mean, you're not going to make a law telling me what I can and can't wear.' Another added: 'I don't like it, and I have asthma, so it's kind of a liability. If I get it, I get it.'

By April 27 an additional three workers were said to still not be wearing the face coverings. One employee said: 'I don't think it's a store policy that we have to.'

Another said they 'didn't like' wearing a mask.

Colorado has more than 14,300 confirmed cases; the death toll stands at 736. Arapahoe County, where the Home Depot store is, has more than 2,300 cases and 136 people have died.

Colorado has joined Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alaska, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas in already partially reopening.

At least four employees at the Aurora County store were filmed not in masks in the days after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed his executive order on April 17

At least four employees at the Aurora County store were filmed not in face coverings in the days after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, pictured, signed his executive order on April 17

Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order that stipulated essentials workers 'wear medical or non-medical cloth face coverings that cover the nose and mouth while working'.

A spokesman for Home Depot told DailyMail.com: 'Our stores have done an enormous amount of work implementing numerous safety measures and complying with a multitude of ever-changing mandates and recommendations.

'We recommend all associates wear masks and require they be worn where mandated, which had just gone into effect in this market. We'll continue to make compliance and the safety of our customers and associates our top priority.'

Gov Polis said elective surgeries and retail curbside delivery can begin April 27. Hair salons, dental offices and tattoo shops can also reopen that date with restrictions.

Other retail will be allowed to reopen from May 4 with social distancing restrictions, he said. Large workplaces can reopen on May 4 at 50 per cent capacity.

Restaurants and bars are still limited to takeout only.

The state's stay-at-home order expires April 26 but residents are still urged to stay home where possible.

It is not known if the Home Depot in Aurora County had closed as part of lockdowns.

It is not known if the Home Depot in Aurora County had closed as part of lockdowns

On Monday Aspen joined other Colorado communities in mandating that everyone wear masks in public.

The City Council there approved a public health order that requires face coverings inside businesses open to the public as well as outdoors whenever people cannot stay at least six feet apart. Children under two are exempt.

Councilwoman Rachel Richards, who works at Aspen's City Market, said people are not wearing face coverings while they shop in the grocery store, the Aspen Daily News reported.

'It starts to feel silly that you are doing it but half of your customers aren't,' she said.

Earlier this month, nearby Glenwood Springs mandated that face coverings be worn by people doing any essential activities outside their home. The order is set to expire Friday.

By April 27 an additional three workers were said to still not be wearing the face coverings. One employee said: 'I don't think it's a store policy that we have to'

Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order that stipulated essentials workers 'wear medical or non-medical cloth face coverings that cover the nose and mouth while working'

Last week, Wheat Ridge's city manager issued an emergency order requiring anyone entering a business in the Denver suburb to wear a mask through May 30. City councilors backed the move and passed a resolution of their own requiring masks, city spokeswoman Sara Spaulding said Tuesday.

The city first took action at the urging of grocery store workers, who are required to wear masks by a state health order and wanted to be protected from customers who were not wearing masks, she said.

The moves come as the state begins to relax restrictions imposed to stop the rapid spread of the coronavirus, though more restrictions remain in place in much of the Denver area.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has insisted that the success of the fight against the virus depends on people wearing masks when they are out in public.

While the state is not ordering the public to wear masks generally, both hair stylists and their customers will be required to wear masks when hair salons and barber shops are allowed to reopen, said Patty Salazar, executive director of the state's Department of Regulatory Agencies.
The body's immune response to viral infections includes making molecules called antibodies. Antibodies can combat the infection and possibly prevent reinfection in peopleand may be successful for helping people who are sick with COVID-19 fight the virus. This therapy, known as convalescent plasma therapy, has been deployed in viral outbreaks over the past century, and has shown promise in reducing the severity of illness and improving survival rates.

The randomized controlled trial will enroll 300 people with COVID-19 respiratory symptoms. Half of these individuals will receive plasma that contains antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, while the remaining half will receive a placebo. Candidates for the clinical trial have had respiratory symptoms for less than a week, require some supplemental oxygen or have been in the hospital for less than four days.

"We created this study based on evidence from the pre-antibiotic era, but there has been no scientific proof it is really effective," said study co-leader Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D., chief of infectious diseases at Montefiore and Einstein and a leader of the national COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project.

Previous studies suggest that convalescent plasma may be helpful treatment for other coronaviruses, including SARS, but this trial aims to provide proof that it is effective for COVID-19 patients. Last month, Dr. Pirofski co-authored a widely cited viewpoint in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that championed the use of convalescent serum as a treatment for COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, Montefiore has successfully treated and discharged approximately 4,000 severely ill COVID-19 patients from its hospitals. This presents an opportunity to get plasma from former patients and use these antibodies to treat a community disproportionally affected by COVID-19.

"Vaccines may not be available for more than a year. In the meantime, and given the lack of natural immunity and available vaccines, plasma therapy may help to provide the body what it needs to fight the infection," said co-lead study investigator, Mila Ortigoza, MD, PHD, an instructor in the departments of Medicine and Microbiology at NYU Langone Health. "Infections like the new coronavirus that jump into humans from animals are dangerous because we have no antibodies against them, so we hope to learn if supplying them can save lives."

The first Montefiore plasma donors came from Young Israel synagogue in New Rochelle. The community, which was home to one of the largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the country, now represents a beacon of hope.

"To have so many people who have recovered from COVID-19 donate their plasma and make this research possible and potentially help people they have never met is an incredible celebration of the human spirit," said Dr. Pirofski. "We are overwhelmed by the generosity of recovered patients and are confident this trial will help us learn if convalescent plasma is effective against COVID-19."

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2019-20 academic year, Einstein is home to 724 M.D. students, 158 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,800 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2019, Einstein received more than $178 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook , and view us on YouTube.

SOURCE Montefiore Health System; Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Related Links

http://www.montefiore.org


T he number of deaths among Covid-19 patients in the UK has risen past 26,000.

A total of 26,097 patients have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Tuesday, Public Health England (PHE) announced on Wednesday.

It is the first daily death toll to be released since the way figures are produced was changed. They previously only included hospital deaths.

PHE said the total number of deaths was around 17 per cent higher than previous data showed. The body said it was reporting an additional 3,811 deaths since the start of the outbreak.

Of these, around 70 per cent were outside hospital settings and around 30 per cent were in hospital.

They include 765 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 5pm on Tuesday.

PHE medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said: These more complete data will give us a fuller and more up-to-date picture of deaths in England and will inform the Governments approach as we continue to protect the public."

Separate PHE data has revealed nearly a third of all care homes in England have reported suspected or confirmed coronavirus outbreaks.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

Earlier, a further 445 deaths were reported by NHS England, taking the total to 19,740.

A total of 73 new deaths in Wales brought the total there to 886. The toll in Scotland rose to 1,415 after 83 new deaths were announced.

In Northern Ireland, the total increased to 338 after nine further deaths were announced.

These statistics are from the individual NHS bodies and are recorded differently to the UK-wide hospital deaths figure announced each day by the Department of Health.

One minute silence to NHS heroes who lost lives to the Coronavirus 1 /25 One minute silence to NHS heroes who lost lives to the Coronavirus London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Staff stand outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Shoppers queue in the rain outside Costco in Thurrock during a minutes silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA A minute silence in honour of key workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 Sky News London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA A staff member reacts outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Members of the public, NHS staff, and Police offices, some wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) of a face mask as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, pause for a minute's silence to honour UK key workers AFP via Getty Images A police officer observes a minute silence in honour of key workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 outside 10 Downing Street, Reuters London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA A minute silence in honour of key workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 Sky News London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Staff stand inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA National Shop Stewards Network protesters outside St Thomas' Hospital in London, during a minute's silence which was to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew's House in Edinburgh to observe a minute's silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA

Of the 445 new deaths announced by NHS England today, 96 occurred on April 28, 148 occurred on April 27 and 42 occurred on April 26.

The figures also show 116 of the new deaths took place between April 1 and April 25 while the remaining 43 deaths occurred in March, with the earliest new death taking place on March 9.

The NHS bodies release updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago.

This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for post-mortem examinations to be processed and for data from the tests to be validated.

The figures published by NHS England show April 8 continues to have the highest number of hospital deaths in a single day, with a current total of 859.

It comes as Dominic Raab confirmed more than 108 frontline health and care workers have lost their lives fighting coronavirus.
DALLAS  April 29, 2020  The National Academy of Sciences today elected four UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists in the fields of biophysics, cell biology, molecular biology, and stem cell biology into its membership, one of the highest honors for American scientists.

Sean Morrison, Ph.D., Kim Orth, Ph.D., Michael Rosen, Ph.D., and Sandra Schmid, Ph.D., were selected by their peers in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. With their elections, UT Southwestern has 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences among its faculty, more than any other institution in Texas.

Election to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences recognizes the pioneering contributions these scientists have made to advance our understanding of basic cellular function and molecular processes with application to addressing a broad spectrum of unmet medical needs including cancer and treatments for bacterial infections, said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., President of UT Southwestern Medical Center. Their election enriches the National Academy of Sciences efforts to provide data and advice on the nations most critical issues in science, health, and medicine."

The UT Southwestern scientists, including three Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators, are among 120 U.S. and 26 nonvoting foreign members elected this year. New members will be formally inducted at next years event.

This important recognition by their peers reflects the breadth and quality of research underway at UT Southwestern, and serves as inspiration for new generations of trainees and scientists to carry on the tradition of discovery that is the hallmark of distinguished academic medical centers, said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School.

The UT Southwestern scientists elected this year are:

Sean Morrison, Director of the Childrens Medical Center Research Institute (CRI) at UT Southwestern and Professor of Pediatrics

Morrison, who joined UT Southwestern in 2011 to direct the Childrens Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, has contributed trailblazing discoveries in the fields of stem cell biology and cancer. The Morrison laboratory studies the mechanisms that maintain stem cell function in adult tissues and the ways in which cancer cells hijack these mechanisms to enable the formation of tumors. His achievements include pioneering new methods to purify stem cells from multiple tissues and discovering molecular mechanisms that allow stem cells to persist throughout life and regenerate tissues after injury.

A Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2018. He majored in biology and chemistry at Dalhousie University in Canada, received his doctorate in immunology from Stanford University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neurobiology at Caltech. Before coming to UT Southwestern, he was a professor at the University of Michigan, where he directed its Center for Stem Cell Biology. He is a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar in Cancer Research and member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Kim Orth, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Orths discoveries have advanced the understanding of the basic biochemical mechanisms underlying many bacterial infections by identifying new ways that invading bacteria hijack and deregulate a cells signaling systems. The Orth lab studies how pathogens manipulate host cells for their own benefit, providing insights into bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses.

Also an HHMI Investigator, Orth earned her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University. She received her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from UT Southwestern, and joined the Universitys faculty as an endowed scholar in 2001. She has received many honors, including a Burroughs Wellcome Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease in 2006, the Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research from The Welch Foundation in 2010, the Edith and Peter ODonnell Award in 2011 from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Young Investigator Award in 2012 and the ASBMB Merck Award in 2018.

Mike Rosen, Chair of Biophysics and Professor in the Cecil H. and Ida Green Comprehensive Center for Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology

Rosen investigates how cells compartmentalize processes without the use of membranes. These phase-separated structures are involved in many cellular mechanisms in health and disease, and represent a fundamental process by which proteins function within the cell. His lab uses biophysical techniques to understand the formation, regulation, and functions of biomolecular condensates  cellular compartments that arise much like the way oil and water droplets separate in a flask.

Rosen, who joined UTSW in 2001, received undergraduate degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, then spent a year as a Winston Churchill Foundation Scholar at the University of Cambridge before earning his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1993. In addition to being an HHMI Investigator, his many honors include receiving an Edith and Peter ODonnell Award from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas in 2006, becoming the Universitys first Allen Distinguished Investigator in 2018, and winning the 2020 Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences.

Sandra Schmid, Professor and Chair of Cell Biology

Schmid is internationally recognized for her research on endocytosis  how cells take in nutrients and other molecules. She studies the molecular mechanisms and regulation underlying clathrin-mediated endocytosis, the major pathway for uptake into the cell. A pioneer in defining the GTPase dynamin as a catalyst of membrane fission, Dr. Schmid recently discovered isoform-specific functions of dynamin that are activated in cancer cells.

Schmid, who joined UT Southwestern in 2012, majored in cell biology at the University of British Columbia and received her doctorate in biochemistry from Stanford University. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University, she moved to The Scripps Research Institute, serving as Chair of the Department of Cell Biology before joining UT Southwestern in 2012. She is a former President of the American Society for Cell Biology and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. Her numerous honors include the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biologys William C. Rose Award and the Biophysical Societys Sir Bernard Katz Award. In May, she will join the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub in San Francisco as its inaugural Chief Scientific Officer.

Other UT Southwestern faculty who are members of the NAS and the years they were elected are: Michael Brown, M.D., 1980; Joseph Goldstein, M.D., 1980; Jean Wilson, M.D., 1983; Jonathan Uhr, M.D., 1984; Roger Unger, M.D., 1986; Steven McKnight, Ph.D., 1992; Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D., 1994; Johann Deisenhofer, Ph.D., 1997; Eric Olson, Ph.D., 2000; Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D., 2003; Masashi Yanagisawa, M.D., Ph.D., 2003; Melanie Cobb, Ph.D., 2006; David Russell, Ph.D., 2006; Helen Hobbs, M.D., 2007; Bruce Beutler, M.D., 2008; David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D., 2008; Luis Parada, Ph.D., 2011; Beth Levine, M.D., 2013; Zhijian James Chen, Ph.D., 2014; Lora Hooper, Ph.D., and Steven Kliewer, Ph.D., both in 2015.

Lee holds the Atticus James Gill, M.D. Chair in Medical Science.

Morrison holds the Kathryne and Gene Bishop Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Research at Children's Research Institute (CRI) at UT Southwestern and the Mary McDermott Cook Chair in Pediatric Genetics.

Orth holds the Earl A. Forsythe Chair in Biomedical Science and is a W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research.

Podolsky holds the Philip OBryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science.

Rosen holds the Mar Nell and F. Andrew Bell Distinguished Chair in Biochemistry.

Schmid holds the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

About CRI

Childrens Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern is a joint venture of UT Southwestern Medical Center and Childrens Medical Center Dallas, the flagship hospital of Childrens Health. CRIs mission is to perform transformative biomedical research to better understand the biological basis of disease. Located in Dallas, Texas, CRI is home to interdisciplinary groups of scientists and physicians pursuing research at the interface of regenerative medicine, cancer biology, and metabolism. For more information, visit: cri.utsw.edu. To support CRI, visit: cri.utsw.edu/support/.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institutions faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,500 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 105,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 370,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year.

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TRIVIA: Irrfan Khan Gave Up Interstellar As He Didn't Want To Be Away From Home For Four Months
Prince William and his wife Kate kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. (Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary.

The couple married on 29 April, 2011, in a huge wedding with a guestlist of 2,000, including other Royal Family members, celebrities, and politicians.

Prince William and Kate Middleton met at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where they were both students.

They dated for about eight years before finally confirming their engagement.

Since their wedding, they have grown from a couple who work part-time as royals to a family of five who make their royal work their main focus.

They spend most of their time living in Kensington Palace, in west London, but are currently in their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.

Read more: Prince William and Kate's ninth anniversary: How they have transformed into the next royal generation

They have three children - Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, two.

William and Kate marked the day on the Kensington Royal Instagram page, sharing an image of them leaving the church as newlyweds, and said: Nine years ago today  thank you for all your lovely messages on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridges wedding anniversary!

They would usually celebrate the day privately - but this year have no choice. Their son Louis has already experienced a birthday in lockdown, and daughter Charlotte will have the same experience when she turns five at the weekend.

The Cambridge wedding was a glistening ceremony which reinvigorated national and international attention to the Royal Family - but how well do you remember it?

Test yourself in our quiz.
Only nine rental listings in Australia would be affordable for JobSeeker recipients if the payment returns to the level it was before the coronavirus pandemic.

Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin or Canberra would have no affordable rental listings under the old rate, a report released on Thursday shows.

The federal government has doubled the JobSeeker payment, previously called Newstart, to help Australians through the economic fallout of COVID-19.

Anglicare Australia's Rental Affordability Snapshot found only 1040 of nearly 70,000 current rental listings in Australia are affordable under the boosted level of payment.

The annual Anglicare Australia's Rental Affordability Snapshot found that dole recipients would be able to afford just nine out of nearly 70,000 rental properties if payments are stripped back to what they were before coronavirus (pictured: people outside Centrelink in Adelaide)

The snapshot looked at 69,960 listings on March 21 this year, dubbing any rental that would require welfare recipients to spend more than 30 per cent of their payment on rent as unaffordable.

Executive director Kasy Chambers wants the temporary rise in the JobSeeker payment to be permanent and extended to pensioners and people with disabilities.

'Welfare increases have given people badly needed relief,' Ms Chambers said.

'But the market is still failing people on the lowest incomes.'

WHAT DOLE RECIPIENTS CAN AFFORD Nine listings out of 69,960 were deemed affordable under the old Newstart No listings in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin or Canberra were affordable under the old rate 1040 listings were affordable under the current JobSeeker rate 743 listings were affordable under the age pension 326 listings were affordable under the disability support pension JobSeeker gives recipients $1100 per fortnight, compared to around $550 a fortnight under the old Newstart Anglicare warns up to 1.4 million Australians could require JobSeeker Source: Australian Associated Press Advertisement

JobSeeker recipients receive $1100 a fortnight, up from the Newstart rate of around $550 a fortnight.

Ms Chambers warned if the payment was halved in the next six months, renters would be pushed into homelessness.

Anglicare also wants the government to invest in social housing, saying 500,000 affordable rental properties are needed across the country.

'Investing in housing would be the most powerful way to tackle the rental crisis - and boost our economy,' she said.

It also found older Australians would be able to afford only 743 of 69,960 rental listings under the age pension.

People on the disability support pension would only be able to afford 326 of those listings.

'Nobody should be squeezed out of the market during a health emergency,' Ms Chambers said.

The report points to estimates that up to 1.4 million Australians could end up on the JobSeeker payment.

Labor, the Greens and former prime minister Tony Abbott have suggested the enhanced dole rate should be kept once the crisis is over.
TEMPE, Ariz., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- What does Summer School look like for students in 2020? In a period of economic uncertainty with shifting job markets and employment opportunities that are evaporating in some places and springing to life in others, higher education remains one of the best investments people can make.

To meet the demand for Summer School 2020, beginning May 18 Arizona State University will be offering more than 5,000 courses at a reduced rate to people looking for new learning opportunities and for students at all levels  including students who are currently enrolled in good standing at any university in the United States. Application fees for college students enrolled at other universities will be waived, and scholarships are available for most admitted and currently enrolled ASU students.

Classes will be provided in both the traditional online format and in a fully interactive, digitally-enhanced format for:

Learners at all stages can learn through ASU for You , most of which is free, and can take a course in a subject matter of interest with ASU Open Scale , with the option to convert it to university credit if they later choose to do so.

can learn through , most of which is free, and can take a course in a subject matter of interest with , with the option to convert it to university credit if they later choose to do so. Any university student in the U.S. in good standing at their home college or university may enroll in summer courses through a streamlined application process that takes 15 minutes with approval within 48 hours.

may enroll in summer courses through a streamlined application process that takes 15 minutes with approval within 48 hours. Admitted ASU students who wish to get started right now on their university education will receive a $500 Summer 2020 Award for every three credit hours enrolled.

who wish to get started right now on their university education will receive a Summer 2020 Award for every three credit hours enrolled. Continuing ASU students will continue to have access to all ASU summer courses. Financial aid and scholarships will be available.

ASU has also transferred other services for students to a digital environment to ensure continuity of all aspects of the university experience during COVID-19 and during Summer School 2020. For example, ASU's Career and Professional Development Services is fully virtual, offering drop-in career and internship advising. ASU Counseling Services have moved entirely online and a peer-led Zoom support group has been created, Devils 4 Devils Support Circles, for students to support and connect with each other while taking classes online and practicing social distancing.

For more information, please visit: https://summer2020.asu.edu.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Meenah Rincon, Media Relations

Phone: (480) 727-3116

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Arizona State University

Related Links

https://summer2020.asu.edu


Bipartisan legislation to address the obstacles that Chester County officials say are delaying their plan to use antibody, point-of-contact testing for the novel coronavirus is making its way through both chambers in the General Assembly in Harrisburg.

A state Senate health committee on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 1123 that would require the state Department of Health to support the testing efforts of the county and others, while similar legislation passed the House State Government Committee that would facilitate rapid COVID-19 testing for the countys health care workers and first responders.

The bills were introduced by state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, who played a significant role in the countys acquisition of the antibody tests last month, and by state Rep. John Lawrence, R-13th, of West Grove. They will now move to their full chambers for consideration.

The county Health Department recently purchased thousands of test kits from Advaite, a biotech firm based in Malvern, a move suggested by Dinniman, in whose district the firm is located. According to a news release, the kits have been independently verified by LabCorp to be 97 percent accurate and comply with guidance issued by the FDA to facilitate the rapid expansion of COVID-19 testing.

While the Chester County Health Department is ready to immediately implement testing, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has delayed testing because it has declined to become a partner with the county to certify the tests through its lab in Exton.

County Health Department Director Jeanne Casner said Wednesday that county officials are continuing to push on the ability to test, but have still not been able to use those tests because of the states stance.

Lawrence explained in a release that legislation, House Bill 2455, provides specific authorization to allow the county to move forward with coronavirus testing for our heroic first responders.

Chester County intends to use these test kits to test asymptomatic first responders and medical personnel, he said in the release. We can all agree that an asymptomatic first responder is a big problem  if a nurse or ambulance driver or EMT has COVID-19 and shows no symptoms, they could be inadvertently spreading the virus. If one of the test kits comes back positive on an asymptomatic first responder, then Chester County will follow up with a nasal swab to confirm, and then take the appropriate steps.

It is unconscionable that red tape in Harrisburg is preventing this critical testing from moving forward, added Lawrence. State bureaucrats should not stand in the way of testing for our first responders.

Meanwhile, Dinnimans bill received bipartisan support and was backed by the countys state Senate delegation, including state Sens. Katie Muth, D-44th, of Royersford, Tom Killion, R-9th, of Middletown, Delaware County, and Tim Kearney, D-26th, of Swarthmore, Delaware County.

In the face of this unprecedented public health crisis, the state, federal and local government must work together to protect residents and provide for increased COVID-19 testing, Dinniman said in his press release. Unfortunately, right now that is not happening. We need to cut through bureaucratic obstacles that are needlessly holding up testing in Chester and other counties, and Senate Bill 1123 accomplishes this.

Antibody testing provides more immediate results for those who may have already had COVID-19, which is crucial because not everyone displays symptoms. Dinniman noted that several states and counties across the country were already using antibody tests. For example, Arizona is using antibody tests for 250,000 health care workers and first responders.

These tests would add an extra layer of protection for our emergency first responders and other frontline workers who are already putting their health and safety on the line, Dinniman said. They are not meant to replace existing testing, but to supplement them where theyre not widely available and where results take too long. The tests can help detect the virus in those who may be asymptotic but have its antibodies.

No tests are perfect, but in the absence of widespread testing, the Chester County Commissioners and the county health department deserve credit for leading the Commonwealth in providing antibody testing, Dinniman said. They did their due diligence to review appropriate tests and selected a company that happened to be based in Chester County.

To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
Authorities are trying to identify a group of suspects they believe have burglarized more than a half dozen Montgomery businesses this year.

The break-ins began Jan. 6 and continued through April 10, according to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers. Montgomery police are investigating at least eight burglaries, all of which happened at cell phone stores or convenience stores.

The break-ins took place in the early-morning hours, authorities said. Investigators believe the suspects may have also burglarized a Prattville cell phone business as well during this time.

The thieves, authorities said, appear to travel in groups of three to eight when committing the crimes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867) or through the P3-tips app. Tipsters can also call 1-800-AL1-STOP.
[April 29, 2020] Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company Announces it has Doubled Registration Capacity for Online Fortnite Solo Series

Boca Raton, Florida, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company ( OTCQB:WINR ) (Simplicity Esports), an owner and manager of multiple esports teams, host of online tournaments and franchisor of esports gaming centers, announced today that it has doubled its registration capacity for its online Fortnite Solo Series. The next online Fortnite Solo Series matches will take place on May 9th as a follow up from the last Fortnite Solo Series on April 19th. Registration for the April 19th matches had to be closed early due to reaching capacity for registrations.

Jed Kaplan, CEO of Simplicity Esports stated, I am happy to announce that due to greater than anticipated demand for our April Solo Series, we are doubling our capacity for registrations for our first Solo Series in May. We are prepared to increase our registration capacity even more to accommodate our existing database of over 350,000 esports gaming center customers, as more of them cross over to participate in our online initiatives. We will continue engaging with our customer base nline and are making disinfectant, sanitizer, and other essential supplies available to our esports gaming centers as they reopen across the U.S. Our goal is to provide a clean and safe environment for our customers as they return to our esports gaming centers. Id also like to wish good luck to our League of Legends team, Flamengo Esports, as they compete in the playoffs of CBLoL in Brazil this weekend.



About Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company: Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (WINR) is an established brand within the esports industry, competing and streaming in popular games across different genres, including Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, and various EA Sports titles. Additionally, Simplicity Esports operates as a franchisor of Esports Gaming Centers that provide the public an opportunity to experience and enjoy gaming and esports in a social setting, regardless of skill or experience.

Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, Fortnite and EA Sports are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond Simplicity Esports control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Simplicity Esports Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on August 29, 2019, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of Simplicity Esports filings with the SEC are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov . Simplicity Esports undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. Simplicity Esports Contact:

Roman Franklin

President

[email protected]

561-819-8586

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Faryal Makhdoom has admitted she is suffering with postnatal depression.

The social media star, 28, welcomed son Muhammad with husband Amir Khan nine weeks ago, shortly before the UK went into lockdown.

Now with the government stating that everyone stay home for the foreseeable, Faryal confessed she is struggling not being able to go outside as a family and socialise.

Struggling: Faryal Makhdoom has admitted she is suffering with postnatal depression whilst she is stuck inside amid the coronavirus lockdown

Faryal is also mother to Lamaisah, five, Alayna, 23 months, with the family isolating at their home in Bolton, Manchester.

Speaking to Metro, Faryal revealed that she also suffered postnatal depression after the birth of her first child, and although it didn't feel 'as bad' this time, there is the added pressure of the coronavirus pandemic.

She mused: 'Having a newborn baby and then knowing what's going on in the world, all these deaths are happening, everyone struggling and people getting laid off of jobs, it was really taking a toll on me, you know?

'I was getting really, really upset. But I just try to keep myself busy doing other things, reading books and finding time out, praying and meditating. And I try to make it go a positive way.

'It was a bit tough when I first found out we're going to be on a lockdown and we won't be able to do much. It was a bit hard coping with that, but I'm getting used to it.'

Cute: The social media star, 28, welcomed son Muhammad with husband Amir Khan nine weeks ago, shortly before the UK went into lockdown

Earlier this month, Amir claimed the secret to his six-year marriage to Faryal is having a separate house.

The boxer, 33, revealed he resides in a two-bedroom 'lad pad' attached to their main home in Bolton from time to time.

The former welterweight champion stressed the importance of 'having your own space' in a relationship as he juggles his successful sporting career with fatherhood.

Sweet: Faryal is also mother to Lamaisah, five, Alayna, 23 months, with the family isolating at their home in Bolton, Manchester

Pressure: Faryal revealed that she also suffered postnatal depression after the birth of her first child, and although it didn't feel 'as bad' this time, there is the added pressure of the pandemic

The couple announced they were divorcing in September 2017 following cheating allegations on his part, but shocked fans when they reconciled just two months later.

'When you dont have kids, you think young and act young', the make-up enthusiast explained in OK! magazine.

'But with kids, you do grow up and I think it does definitely make you stronger. Sometimes when you cant stand each other, you have to think that you have children.'

Cute couple: Earlier this month, Amir claimed the secret to his six-year marriage to Faryal is having a separate house

Amir said taking brief breaks from his partner has made their marriage 'stronger', declaring: 'I swear its the best thing ever.

'I do think having a separate house has also made our relationship stronger, because youre not in each others face all the time. I still need my own space sometimes, to have my friends over and have a little chill. And Faryal can do the same.'

For help and support please contact Mind on 0300 123 3393 (9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) or email info@mind.org.uk
Claims that the novel coronavirus came from China's National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were groundless and contradict all available evidence, said lab director Yuan Zhiming in a recent written interview with Reuters.

Yuan said "malicious" claims about the lab had been "pulled out of thin air" and contradicted all available evidence. "The WIV does not have the intention and the ability to design and construct a new coronavirus," and "there is no information within the SARS-CoV-2 genome indicating it was man-made," he told Reuters.

Some conspiracy theories were fuelled by a widely read scientific paper from the Indian Institute of Technology, since withdrawn, claiming that proteins in the coronavirus shared an "uncanny similarity" with those of HIV, the story said.

Most scientists now say SARS-CoV-2 originated in wildlife, with bats and pangolins identified as possible host species. The scientific consensus is that the coronavirus evloved naturally, according to Reuters.

"More than 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases originated from animals, especially wild animals," Yuan told Reuters.

Scientists say that all seven known human coronaviruses have origins in bats, mice or domestic animals.

The lab director also rejected theories that the lab had accidentally released a coronavirus it had harvested from bats for research purposes, saying the lab's biosecurity procedures were strictly enforced, Reuters said.

"High-level biosafety labs have sophisticated protective facilities and strict measures to ensure the safety of laboratory staff and protect the environment from contamination," he said.

He said that his institute was committed to transparency and would share all available data about the coronavirus in a timely fashion.

As for the origin of the virus, Yuan told Reuters that there were "still no answers" about it.

He cited a paper by British and German scientists published this month suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating in the United States was a more "primitive" version of the one in China, and might have appeared there first.
While a North Carolina pug appears to be the first American dog to test positive for the novel coronavirus, Connecticut veterinarians say theres no need to panic about pets contracting the illness.

Researchers at Duke University said Tuesday that Winston, a pug who lives in Chapel Hill, could be the first known case of the virus detected in a dog in the United States. The dogs owners are a family participating in a research study, and three of the family members have also been infected with the virus, according to WRAL, the Raleigh television station that first reported the news.

Weve been watching this since February, quite honestly, and always looking for things on the radar, said Dr. Andrea Dennis, a veterinarian at Bloomfield Animal Hospital in upstate Connecticut. Weve had our eyes open for cases.

Theres no evidence that pets are spreading the virus to humans, Dennis said.

Dont feel theres any need to be alarmed, but theres a need to try to be safe, she said.

Cats and ferrets are more susceptible to the disease than canines, who are less likely to get the infection than humans, said Dr. Daniel Hochman, a veterinarian at Brookside Veterinary Hospital in Bridgeport.

Thats because cats and ferrets have the same receptor that the virus binds to in humans cells, he said.

Thats why theyre more likely to get the actual infection, as opposed to carrying it like a dog, Hochman said.

The biggest threat from mans best friend is that the virus can pass from person to person on a dogs coat or collar, just as it can on other surfaces, Hochman said. If an infected person coughs on their dog, a healthy person who pets the dog next could contract the virus that way, just as if they were sharing any other surface.

Thats not to say that dogs cant get the virus: in addition to Winston, two dogs in Hong Kong have also tested positive. The symptoms in pets arent different from those humans should be aware of themselves: fevers, upper respiratory systems and not eating, Hochman said.

Dennis said labs are testing some pets for the virus, but supplies are limited. The swabs used for the tests are slightly different from those used for human tests, she said.

The test is available, she said, but theyre asking that we only submit samples from pets showing respiratory symptoms, that weve pretty much ruled out other respiratory diseases, and that the owners in the household or people in the household are positive for COVID.

People who are sick and have confirmed or suspected cases of the coronavirus should keep their distance from their pets, Dennis said.

The animals should be quarantined like humans, Hochman said, and pets that have been exposed to a sick person should be kept away from healthy people in the household.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also issued guidelines, including keeping pets from interacting with other people and animals, and avoiding places like dog parks where large numbers of people and dogs gather.

Dennis reminded pet owners that most veterinary offices in the state are open and able to answer questions about pets health and safety. We are here for the questions you have, she said.

Liz.Teitz@hearstmediact.com
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With healthcare and essential workers facing a growing threat of COVID-19 infection in southeast Kazakhstan, principals at Hong Kong-based global investment group Meridian Capital Limited have supported a humanitarian request for critical supplies and contributed hundreds of thousands of masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment. The personal protective equipment was flown to Almaty, the nations business capital, where it was transferred to government officials for distribution to medical organizations.



A group of entrepreneurs, including the two founding principals of Meridian Capital Limited, Yevgeniy Feld and Askar Alshinbayev, coordinated the purchase and delivery of 12 tons of personal protective equipment. In times of need, it is incredible to see people working together to overcome logistical challenges. We began mobilizing immediately after we heard of the critical need that Almaty was facing to support its healthcare workers, said Alshinbayev.

The personal protective equipment will be distributed among medical and other organizations on the frontline with 80% going to the city of Almaty and the remaining 20% distributed across the region. Given the shortage of personal protective equipment, the group worked with suppliers to provide quality protective equipment including 200,000 N95 masks and 200,000 KN90 masks. The full donation to date included 900,000 PPE items including 400,000 protective masks, over 15,000 protective suits, 550,000 gloves, over 7,000 protective goggles and 4,000 thermometers.

To quickly secure the highest quality protective equipment, we collaborated with Yesengali Baymenov, Nurzhan Bekshenov, Raimbek Batalov, Oraz Jandosov and suppliers at Tencent. Together we were able to source and deliver the necessary equipment to Almaty, said Alshinbayev. We are grateful for the valuable support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in China, the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Kazakhstan and others.

Story continues

It was a group effort and we express our deep gratitude to everyone involved in coordinating this initiative and helping to ensure that the city of Almaty has access to quality protective equipment and supplies for frontline workers during this crisis, said Yevgeniy Feld. We hope that this humanitarian aid helps provide the necessary support for frontline health care providers, first responders, and local communities as they work to stop the spread of COVID-19.

About Meridian Capital Limited

Meridian Capital Limited seeks out global investment opportunities with favourable long-term fundamentals. The company operates in emerging and frontier markets, often in partnership with industry leaders and talented entrepreneurs.

Meridian Capital Limited carefully selects investments aiming to ensure that they have a broader social, developmental, environmental or other positive impact in their sectors and operating environments. Current investments include the manufacture and supply of high-quality dairy and other food products in China and Europe, and the enablement of local entrepreneurs through the provision of microfinance in Myanmar.
A handyman who told people he had stumbled on his elderly neighbour's body will stand trial for her murder.

Stuart Anderson, 39, was charged in December with the murder of 77-year-old Vicki Ramadan, in her Sydenham home in Melbourne's northwest between March 23 and 25, 2019.

Anderson told police he discovered her body in a pool of her own blood in the hallway of her Marlborough Way property on April 6.

Stuart Paul Anderson, 39, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his former neighbour at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday

He pleaded not guilty to murder at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday, The Age reports.

Anderson was remanded in custody to face a directions hearing in the Supreme Court in May.

He initially told police that he often did odd jobs for Ms Ramadan and had gone to talk to her about repairing a fence when he came across her body.

He also claimed her back gate was unlatched and the rear door had been broken open.

Anderson later moved to Wallan, north of Melbourne, where he was arrested following an eight-month investigation.

Police said Ms Ramadan was beaten in 'a brutal attack against a vulnerable woman', during public appeals for information last September.

The widow, who immigrated to Australia from Yugoslavia, is remembered as an 'independent, fiery' woman.

Despite suffering from Parkinson's disease, Ms Ramadan remained fiercely independent, living alone at the time of her death.
Frederick T. Hill, head of school at Chadwick International, speaks during an interview held in his office in Songdo, Incheon, April 28. / Courtesy of Chadwick International



Educator speaks of proper function of online teaching



By Kim Jae-heun



Chadwick International is among the first schools in the country that started distance learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak that took hold here from late January.



On Feb. 6, the 19th patient confirmed with the virus visited Songdo Hyundai Premium Outlet in Incheon, and all the schools in the city were ordered to close.



Korean schools were on vacation at the time, so they were not pressed to immediately come up with online education strategies.



However, the American international school had begun its second semester a month earlier and the school faculty had three days to gather materials and start online classes with students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.



"We started off spending hours and hours creating videos and screencasts for students to access each day," Frederick T. Hill, head of school at Chadwick International, said during an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday. "We then moved towards more live teaching using Zoom. It was very challenging at the start."



The problem didn't lie with older students, who had a more advanced level of independence in their schoolwork. It was the younger ones in the pre-kindergarten level, whose parents had to be more involved with the school's distance learning system.



"There is no way a four-year-old can do it without his or her parents. Parents had to get involved and if two parents are working, it makes it even harder," Hill said.



Parents had divided opinions about the school having them involved in distance learning as some of them could not fully participate in this new system due to working commitments. Others liked the idea that their children could continue their educational programs and wanted the school to provide even more engagement via the platform.



Surveys of and feedback from parents helped the school to adjust and offer better educational options.



As a result, the school has been able to balance screen time with other activities for students. In elementary school, teachers instruct students to do their work with pencil and paper then upload a photo, rather than working problems out on the screen. This is because different age groups have different attention spans.



"Close communication with parents is critical in distance learning. We were fortunate to have wonderful parents supporting our educational approach and mission. We send Sunday evening emails to middle school and upper school students and parents that outline the schedule and learning objectives for the week," Hill said.



This helps the parents see the progress their children are making toward their learning objectives even though lessons may look very different from what they are used to seeing.





Regina Del Carmen, a kindergarten math teacher at Chadwick International in Incheon, holds an online class as part of the school's distance learning system, April 28. / Courtesy of Chadwick International
CEO of Despite Group, Dr. Osei Kwame Despite and CEO of Special Investments, Dr. Ernest Ofori Sarpong have donated items worth thousands of Ghana cedis to two Muslim communities.



Their gesture which is an annual one is to help the Muslim communities in this holy month of Ramadan.



Presenting the items on their behalf at the Tesano Zongo Community and Adaman Community mosque, Production Manager for United Showbiz, Mr. Roger Quartey explained that as a company within their community, it is their shared duty and part of their corporate social responsibilities to assist others, moreso in this COVID 19 period as they intercede for the country through fasting and prayers.



"We are not in normal times so as you go about your fasting this Ramadan, it is also imperative that the social distancing and safety protocols are observed religiously.



"Despite group is committed to supporting all activities of the Muslim communities within the community they operate," he added.



Receiving the items Deputy Imams at Adaman Zongo community and Tesano community mosque, Salifu Adams and Alhaji Ibrahim Bonney expressed their appreciation for the kind gesture respectively.



Muslims around the world are observing the holy month of Ramadan under lockdown and tight restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak that has paralyzed entire countries.



The first day of fasting during Ramadan, is determined by the sighting of the new moon.



Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims, in which they fast during daylight hours, congregate for prayers and share meals as a community.



But with strict curfews and physical distancing directives enforced to limit the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 disease, many of Ramadan's rituals and traditions will be curtailed this year.





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Anusha Ganapathi By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Emerging after a long hiatus from Battle Royale, I yet again found myself respawn in a loud shrinking island. Call of Dutys Warzone, released for the PS4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows (for free!) in March. This review will critically analyse  which is to say, ruthlessly compare it to PUBG (due to writer bias) although Warzone feels a lot closer to Apex Legends. Crash landing on to the Warzone a month after release, I was quick to realise that the training zone only fooled me by providing the illusion that I was natural at the sport.

I had lost the advantage of being an early Beta player. There were already several highly competitive clans of powerful players dominating the servers of the world  their skills no doubt accelerated by the additional time spent at home. The interesting surprise when I got shot 30 seconds into my first game, was the existence of a resurrection option  based on a one-on-one fight to death. Point to Warzone for Gulag, zero to PUBG for the absence of a labor camp.

Warzone seems to have set up a sound system for lootcrates, early into their release. Ingame currency is real, and supposedly provide tangible upgrades (I did not bother to check properly  I am not paying while losing more games). In fact, to make their intentions clear, there is even a plunder duo mode with unlimited respawns particularly for the purpose of collecting loot. PUBG seems innocent in comparison. Point to CoD for being the bigger shark. CoD has enemy radar, drones, and hard to comprehend tech. It feels more like a fuller warzone experience.

A healthy dip into spectator mode reveals a variety of strategic options. It isnt an easy, always reliable strategy like PUBG, where the likelihood of getting the chicken dinner depends on your team sticking together and staying in the safezone. It is a mutating, ever-growing difficulty because of the strategic options available, and the skill required to understand them all. Point to PUBG because I prefer being a winner. In short, install Warzone if you have enough space on your preferred console, and an open mind to accept a shameful defeat. Install PUBG Mobile if you want fun time with friends. If you play Fortnite then this column is not for you. I rate Warzone an 18/30 for untimely and slow ammo reloads.

Anusha Ganapathi @quaffle_waffle
Police detain a man during the sing with you rally outside a shopping mall in Hong Kong on April 26, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

US Lawmakers Urge Action to Address Political Crisis in Hong Kong; Pompeo Responds

A bipartisan group of eight U.S. lawmakers is calling attention to Hong Kongs deteriorating autonomy amid the pandemic, in a letter dated April 28 to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was transferred to Chinese sovereignty in 1997with Beijing promising that under the one country, two systems model, the city would maintain its autonomy and essential freedoms not afforded in the mainland.

But recent examples of Beijings interference in local affairs has drawn international concern.

Hong Kongs future is of great importance to the United States and to the international community, wrote Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.); and Reps. James McGovern (D-Mass.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and Michael McCaul (R-Texas).

The lawmakers added: Failing to address Beijings efforts to erode Hong Kongs autonomy will undermine the freedom and human rights of its people, its valuable role as a partner to the United States, and its unique role in the international economy.

During an April 29 press conference, Pompeo addressed the situation in Hong Kong, saying, We continue to monitor with growing concern Beijings increasing efforts to interfere.

He indirectly referred to Chinese officials recent calls for Article 23, an anti-subversion law that many feared would impinge on civil liberties, to be reintroduced in Hong Kong. It was first proposed in 2003 and scrapped following a mass protest in July that year.

Luo Huining, head of Beijings Liaison Office in Hong Kong, recently called for an Article 23 bill to be introduced as soon as possible during a speech on April 15.

Pompeo said: Any effort to impose draconian national security legislation on Hong Kong would be inconsistent with Beijings promises and would impact American interests there.

Hong Kong Act

In their letter, the lawmakers urged Pompeo to fully implement the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. Signed into law by President Donald Trump on Nov. 27 last year, it requires that the U.S. Secretary of State certify annually whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous to justify its special trading status distinguishing it from mainland China.

The law also requires an upcoming report to Congress, which the lawmakers said they hoped would contain a comprehensive, clear, and accurate assessment of Hong Kongs autonomy.

The Act also stipulates that sanctions be placed on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who have violated human rights in the city. The eight lawmakers were co-sponsors of the original Senate and House bills.

Millions took to the streets since June last year to protest a since-scrapped extradition bill. The movement has evolved into calls for greater democracy, as well as opposition to police violence against protesters. In recent months, the protests have quieted down due to the pandemic.

The global outbreak, caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, has also affected Hong Kong, with 1,038 infection cases and four deaths in the city.

Recent Events

Hong Kong police arrested 15 pro-democracy activists on April 18, for allegedly organizing or participating in unauthorized assemblies.

The arrests included 81-year-old Martin Lee, a pillar of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and staunch advocate of the rule of law and peaceful protest, the lawmakers wrote.

The arreststhe biggest crackdown on the citys pro-democracy movement since the mass protests last yearalso included current lawmaker Leung Yiu-chung; Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kongs pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily; and nine former lawmakers including Lee.

International outcry followed, including from over 30 members of the European Parliament.

The U.S. lawmakers also condemned the recent calls to pass Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong, which would further restrict freedom and autonomy in service of Beijings definition of national security, they said.

The U.S. lawmakers chided the Liaison Office and Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Beijings highest agency for managing Hong Kong affairs, for their recent remarks about not being bound by Article 22 of Hong Kongs Basic Law, the citys mini-constitution.

No department of the Central Peoples Government and no province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government may interfere in the affairs which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region administers on its own in accordance with this Law, Article 22 states.

On April 18, the Hong Kong government released a statement relating to the powers of the Liaison Office, stating that it was set up under the Central Peoples government [referring to Beijing] and not under Article 22. Chinese agencies in charge of Hong Kong subsequently defended this interpretation.

On April 20, Hong Kongs pan-democratic lawmakers held a press conference, saying the claim that the Liaison Office is not bound by Article 22 was the gravest assault on the one country, two systems model, according to local outlet RTHK.

The Hong Kong and Chinese governments statements risk further diminishing Hong Kongs autonomy, the U.S. senators letter said.

It is critical that the United States use the available tools under the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and other authorities, to make clear to Beijing that its violations of its international commitments and its commitments to the people of Hong Kong will have consequences, the lawmakers concluded.

United Nations

U.S. lawmakers are not the only ones to voice concerns about human rights in Hong Kong.

Six special rapporteurs of the United Nations recently wrote to the Hong Kong government, expressing concerns about two Hong Kong laws: the colonial-era sedition law and the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinances. The latter allows the citys top official to apply for a court order to specify a criminal suspect as a terrorist or terrorist associate.

We express our grave concern with the broad definition of what constitutes seditious speech, concerned that the broad definition may restrict legitimate expression, rapporteurs wrote about the sedition law.

As for the anti-terrorism ordinance, the rapporteurs stated:  We caution against broad and overly inclusive definitions of terrorism acts, which may result in unintended human rights abuses.

The rapporteurs letter came just days after Chris Tang, Hong Kongs commissioner of police, said that the police was consulting with the citys Department of Justice on using the anti-terrorism ordinance to prosecute protesters, according to Apple Daily.

This is not the first time that U.N. special rapporteurs have written to the Hong Kong government. A letter in June last year expressed concern about the polices excessive use of force against protesters.

In January, rapporteurs expressed concern about the polices use of chemical agents, such as tear gas and pepper spray, to disperse protesters.

Another letter in February expressed concerns about intimidation and arrest of healthcare workers, including first-aiders, who often volunteer their services during protests.
Ronnie Wood is keeping himself busy during isolation by selling painted portraits of his Rolling Stones band mates online.

The rocker, 72, who is currently on lockdown at his London pad, has painted many images of the musicians over the years and is now set to sell them.

Ronnie has previously painted stunning abstract pieces of frontman Mick Jagger, 76, guitarist Keith Richards, 76, and drummer Charlie Watts, 78.

Artist! Ronnie Wood is keeping himself busy during isolation by selling painted portraits of his Rolling Stones band mates online

Ronnie has collaborated with The Other Art Fair presented by online art gallery, Saatchi Art, on Instagram to flog his work as a guest artist.

A member of the guitarist's team wrote on his Instagram page: 'Ronnie has painted many musicians over his artistic career - including the Stones!

'Each of these prints is hand-signed by Ronnie and available from his official art store.'

Wow: The rocker, 72, who is currently on lockdown at his London pad, has painted many images of the musicians over the years and is now set to sell them

Band mates: Ronnie has previously painted stunning abstract pieces of frontman Mick Jagger, 76, guitarist Keith Richards, 76, and drummer Charlie Watts, 78

Collab: Ronnie has collaborated with The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art on Instagram to flog his work as a guest artist

Ronnie is also doing his bit for COVID-19 relief by auctioning a painting which has the words 'a big thank you NHS' splashed across it.

Advertising the painting on Instagram, the star wrote: 'Only a few hours left to bid for my 'THANK YOU NHS' painting (ends tomorrow Wednesday 12pm UK). ~ link in my biog. Thank you all.'

The band haven't been short of projects during lockdown as last week they released their first single in eight years called Ghost Town.

Work of art: A member of the guitarist's team wrote on his Instagram page: 'Ronnie has painted many musicians over his artistic career - including the Stones!

They added: 'Each of these prints is hand-signed by Ronnie and available from his official art store'

Mick divulged that they decided to finish off the track while in isolation because it felt so 'fitting' to the current crisis.

Elsewhere, the Rolling Stones gave a sensational performance as a band, despite all being apart in four separate locations during the Together At Home virtual concert.

Their performance of You Can't Always Get What You Want was brought together via a Zoom video call with both Mick and Keith playing acoustic guitars from their respective living rooms.

New music: The band haven't been short of projects during lockdown as last week they released their first single in eight years called Ghost Town

Talented: The Rolling Stones gave a sensational performance as a band at the One World: Together At Home concert, despite all being apart in four separate locations

Ronnie played an electric guitar and in the absence of a real drum kit, Charlie masterfully and hilariously demonstrated his air drum skills in his music room.

All four band members were at home, with Keith enjoying a pint of beer as he delivered the 1968 classic.

Last month, The Rolling Stones revealed they had postponed their 'No Filter' summer tour due to the pandemic.

Skills: Their performance of You Can't Always Get What You Want was brought together via a Zoom video call with both Mick and Keith playing acoustic guitars

The concert was dedicated to health workers battling to save lives amid the coronavirus pandemic, the eight-hour long YouTube extravaganza ended in a two-hour long primetime show screened on multiple U.S. television channels.

Other performances of the evening came from Elton John, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.

The TV special celebrated community health care workers and support the WHO's global fight to end COVID-19.
MODOC COUNTY, Calif.  The Modoc County Sheriffs Office announced a strategic plan to reopen the county on Friday, May 1. The plan was signed by the Modoc County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

This could make Modoc the first county in the state of California to allow businesses to reopen since Governor Gavin Newsom initiated the stay-at-home order on March 19.

Modoc County borders Oregon's Klamath and Lake counties on the southern side, and lies just east of Siskiyou County.

In a press release, Sheriff William Dowdy said starting May 1, all businesses essential and non-essential will be allowed to open but must be able to adhere to the following guidelines:

Proper physical distancing with six feet of space between one another.

Washing hands often

Staying home if sick or feeling unwell

Proper sanitation practices

All residents 65 or older or having underlying health conditions should continue to self-isolate

No large gatherings where proper physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Schools, churches, public transit companies, and private/government sectors will also be able to return to operations if they follow the guidelines. The Sheriff said that restaurants and bars may open for inside dining, but only at half-capacity of maximum occupancy.

The Sheriff warned, as the county moves through this staged approach to reopen, they will include reasoning to reinitiate previous measures as necessary. They said examples of measures needing to be reverted would include confirming two or more coronavirus cases, medical surge, and/or substantially increased death rate within the county.

Modoc County remains at zero confirmed cases, however the Sheriffs Office posted on Facebook April 28, that they received news of a possible COVID-19 case in the county.

Public Health received a call requesting a contact investigation of a Modoc County Resident who recently traveled out of state, the Sheriffs Office said. We are in the midst of this investigation and we currently know that the resident has been self-isolating since returning to Modoc.

The plan will be reassessed on May 15 as well as June 1, according to the Sheriffs Office.
Tennessee coronavirus deaths are up four more to 188. Cases rose from 9,918 in the Monday report to 10,052.

Officials said 881 people have been hospitalized in the state from coronavirus - up 44 from Monday.

Hamilton County, after extensive testing over the weekend, has reported three more coronavirus cases and is up to 152. The county still has 13 deaths.

Bledsoe County has 589 cases. There have been no deaths in the county from the virus.

Almost all the cases are from the correctional facility at Pikeville.

Bradley County is up to 46 cases with one death.

Rhea County remains at three cases and no deaths.

Marion County remains at 28 cases. It has recorded one death.

Sequatchie County sill has five cases. Grundy County remains at 28 cases with one death. Meigs County has six cases. Franklin County has 32 cases with one death.

McMinn County jumped from 14 on Sunday to 65 cases and is now at 70. Life Care Center of Athens said 54 of its residents tested positive for coronavirus. McMinn County has had no deaths thus far.

Monroe County is at 14 and it has one coronavirus death. Polk County has eight cases.

Sumner County (Gallatin) is up to 608 cases and has 35 deaths.

Shelby County has increased to 2,327 cases and has had 44 deaths.

There are now 399 cases in Williamson County and eight coronavirus deaths.

Knox County, now with five deaths, is at 214 cases.

Metro Nashville Public Health Department officials announced today a total number of 2,588 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nashville/Davidson County, an increase of 100 in the past 24 hours.

The confirmed cases range in age from 2 months to 99 years.

Two additional deaths were reported in Davidson County, an 81-year-old male and an 82-year-old female, both of which had underlying health conditions. A total of 24 people have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Officials said 1,251 individuals have recovered from the virus.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Pac Roots Cannabis Corp. (formerly Mountain Lake Minerals Inc.) (CSE:MLK) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases dated March 15, 2018, June 8, 2018, July 12, 2018, July 18, 2018, January 18, 2019, April 5, 2019, April 11, 2019, June 7, 2019, August 15, 2019, the Company has completed its previously announced acquisition of an application for a license under the Cannabis Act (Canada), indirectly through the acquisition of 1157630 B.C. Ltd.. (the "Acquisition") as well as the licensing arrangement with Phenome One Corp. ("Phenome"), a private held full service live genetic cannabis company. The Company has also changed its name from Mountain Lake Minerals Inc. to "Pac Roots Cannabis Corp.". The Company expects to commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") on May 4, 2020 under the symbol "PACR".

Acquisition

As previously announced, under the provisions of the Acquisition, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding securities of 1157630 B.C. Ltd. (the "Target") in consideration of the issuance of 40,000,000 common shares of the Company (the "Payment Shares"). The Target is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. All of the Payment Shares are subject to escrow pursuant to the policies of the CSE and will be released from escrow based on the passage of time, such that 10% of the securities were released on closing and the balance will be released in six equal tranches of 15% every six months thereafter. An additional, 3,383,333 common shares were issued to a historical owner of the Target's wholly owned subsidiary, Go Green Medicinal Marijuana Ltd. ("Go Green"), which common shares are subject to resale restrictions expiring on August 29, 2020.

Go Green holds an application for a license under the Cannabis Act (Canada) which has successfully advanced through the review and security clearance stages of the license application process and expects to complete the pre-licensing and approval process following the submission of its security and video evidence package in Q2 2020, following which Go Green expects it would be issued its license. Go Green has a 12,000 square foot indoor growing facility in Lake Country, British Columbia. Go Green has nearly completed an expansion on the facility which will increase its size to 22,000 square feet.

Upon the completion of the closing of the Acquisition, the Company issued 200,000 common shares to Matthew McGill pursuant to a finder's fee agreement dated June 6, 2018 (the "Finder's Fee Agreement") entered into in association with the Acquisition. These shares are subject to a hold period under securities laws ending on August 29, 2020 and are also held in escrow on the same terms as the Payment Shares. Mr. McGill is a director of the Company and thus a related party to the Company. At the time the Finder's Fee Agreement was executed however, Mr. McGill was not associated with the Issuer and as a result the Finder's Fee Agreement and the issuance of the common shares thereunder does not constitute a "related party transaction' pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions.

Phenome One License

The Company has entered into a genetic licensing royalty agreement dated April 8, 2019, as amended (the "Licensing Agreement") with Phenome. The Licensing Agreement provides the Company with full access to Phenome's entire library of cultivars as well as access to Phenome's farming intellectual property ("IP"). The Company will also be granted unlimited access to Norstar Nutrients' ("Norstar") proprietary nutrient IP and catalogue.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the Licensing Agreement, the Company will pay an aggregate of $250,000 in cash and issue an aggregate of 10,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company to Phenome over a 30-month period, of which 2,500,000 common shares were issued upon closing.

The Company will also make non-refundable, non-creditable royalty payments to Phenome equal to five percent (5%) of gross sales of products. The Company will acquire a 50% interest in all hybrid cultivars generated from the extensive selective breeding program at the Lake Country facility.

Private Placement

In connection with the closing of Acquisition and License, the Company completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") generating aggregate gross proceeds of $1,650,000 through the issuance of 5,500,004 units at a price of $0.30 per unit (each a "Unit").

Each Unit comprised one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant entitling the holder to acquire one additional common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.50 per share until April 28, 2022.

Finder's fees of $63,906.49 were paid to registrants along with the issuance of 213,022 finder's warrants on the same terms as the warrants forming part of the Units.

All of the securities issued in the Placement are subject to resale restrictions expiring on August 29, 2020.

Two directors of the Company participated directly and indirectly in the Placement acquiring an aggregate of 378,850 Units on the same basis as other subscribers. The participation in the placement by insiders of the Company constitutes a "related party transaction" as such term is defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61-101. The Company relied on Section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement and Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the Placement in so far as the Placement involved interested parties did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

Capitalization

Following completion of the Acquisition, the Company now has 63,832,966 issued and outstanding common shares.

The Company also advises that it has extended the terms of 6,914,333 currently existing warrants exercisable at $0.50 per share expiring on dates ranging from March 29, 2020 to August 16, 2020 to April 28, 2021.

Following the completion of the Placement, the Company has an aggregate of 12,627,355 warrants outstanding all exercisable at a price of $0.50 per share.

Changes to Board and Management

Following the completion of the Acquisition, Paul Smith resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and as director.

Patrick Elliott, a founder of the Target has been appointed as the Company's President and CEO and a director and William Fleming has been appointed as the Company's Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary.

The Company's board of directors now comprises, Patrick Elliott, Marc Geen, Matthew McGill and William Fleming.

Update on Proposed Spin-Off of Mining Assets

Pursuant to the arrangement agreement dated June 5, 2018 (the "Arrangement Agreement") between the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, 1167343 B.C. Ltd. ("Newco"), the Company will complete a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement") which will result in the transfer of its interests in existing mineral properties along with $1,000,000 in cash, less advances previously made by the Company to Newco of $450,000, in exchange for the issuance of common shares of Newco on the basis of one common shares of Newco for each common share of the Company held. Newco also currently holds the Highfield property, located in Nova Scotia. The Arrangement was approved by the Company's shareholders on August 8, 2019 and received the final approval of the British Columbia Supreme Court on August 12, 2019.

The Company has determined to fix April 28, 2020 as the record date (the "Record Date") for the proposed distribution of Newco shares. The Company will provide a further update on the proposed effective date of the Arrangement and distribution of the Newco shares in a subsequent press release.

Additional Details

Details of the Acquisition and the License are contained in the Company's listing statement dated April 28, 2020 which will be filed on the Company's profile on www.sedar.com and the website of the CSE at www.thecse.com.

Filing of Q4 2019 Financial Statements; Extension for Q1 2020

Further to the Company's press release dated March 30, 2020, the Company is pleased to advise it has now filed its audited annual financial statements and associated management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the year ended November 30, 2019.

The Company has however delayed the release of its interim financial statements and associated MD&A for the three months ended February 29, 2020. The Company will be relying on the 45-day filing and delivery extension for periodic filings required to be made on or before June 1, 2020 as provided by the British Columbia, Alberta and Alberta Ontario Commissions in their recent blanket orders in respect of:

the requirement to file interim financial statements for the three-month period ended February 29, 2020 (the "Interim Financial Statements") within 60 days of the Company's first quarter as required by section 4.4(b) of National Instrument 51-102 (" NI 51-102 ");

"); the requirement to file MD& for the period covered by the Interim Financial Statements within 60 days of the Company's first quarter as required by section 5.1(2) of NI 51-102;

the requirement to file certifications of the Interim Financial Statements (the "Interim Certificates" and collectively with the Interim Financial Statements and MD&A, the "Interim Filings") pursuant to section 5.1 of NI 52-109;

The Company expects that the Interim Filings will be filed on or before Friday, May 1, 2020.

There have not been any material business developments since the Company's financial statements and MD&A for the year ended November 30, 2019 other than as disclosed in this press release.

The Company's management and other insiders are subject to a trading black-out that reflects the principles in section 9 of National Policy 11-207 Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions.

ON BEHALF OF PAC ROOTS CANNABIS CORP.

(signed) "Patrick Elliott"

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Pac Roots Cannabis Corp.

www.pacroots.ca

Telephone: 604-609-6171

Not for distribution to United States wire services or dissemination in the United States. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors.

Statements about the Target's future facility expansion plans or Cannabis Act license application are all forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain regulatory approval, the continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, including the effects of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the statements will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Pac Roots Cannabis Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587613/Pac-Roots-Completes-Acquisition-of-Cannabis-Act-License-Applicant-and-Related-Phenome-One-Genetic-Licensing-Transaction-1650000-Non-Brokered-Private-Placement-Set-to-Begin-Trading-Under-Symbol-PACR
The Marine Corps' top officer has detailed why he banned the Confederate battle flag from bases across the country, a month after a South Carolina heritage group called the policy "appalling."

Earlier this year, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger asked officers to create a policy to remove Confederate-related paraphernalia from all of the branchs bases. When news of the policy leaked last month, many heritage groups, including South Carolina's Sons of Confederate Veterans, were outraged.

Berger, responding to criticism and news reports, posted a letter to Twitter last week reinforcing his decision.

I have determined it is time to act to exclude from our Corps public displays of the battle flag carried by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, Berger wrote. "In doing so, I am mindful that many people believe that flag to be symbol of heritage or regional pride. But I am also mindful of the feelings of pain and rejection of those who inherited the cultural memory and present effects of the scourge of slavery in our country."

Last month, when news of the paraphernalia ban was spreading, Jamie Graham felt the need to speak out.

As the S.C. Division commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and a retired Army soldier, he said he thought the Marine Corps' new policy is misguided.

I find it appalling that the commandant would do that, Graham said last month. Many of the Marines are Southerners who have a Confederate ancestor. Their memory should not be tarnished by foolishness.

Sign up for our SC Military Digest newsletter Get exclusive military reporting, updates from Palmetto State bases, headlines from around the globe and more delivered to your inbox each Tuesday. Email

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He did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

South Carolina's SCV has more than 3,000 members across more than 60 camps statewide, according to its website and it's the state's largest heritage group.

The military has subtly recognized the Confederacy over the years. Three of the largest bases in the world  Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Benning in Georgia  are named for Confederate generals.

Ten Army bases have their namesake after Confederate leaders. A 2017 study by the Congressional Research Service found there were no Navy or Marine Corps bases named for Confederate military leaders.

Berger's concern over Confederate symbols comes at a tense time in the military where nationalist ideas are expressed among the ranks.

More than one-third of all active-duty troops and more than half of minority service members say they have personally witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideologically driven racism within the ranks, according to a February survey of active-duty personnel conducted by the Military Times.

We are a warfighting organization, an elite institution of warriors who depend on each other to win the tough battles. Anything that divides us, anything that threatens team cohesion must be addressed head-on, Berger wrote. "That means I must identify symbols or subcultures that degrade the cohesion that combat demands of us."
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, dismissed the application for bail variation filed by the former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, for lacking in merit.

Mr Maina is accused of diverting N100 billion of pension funds, and is facing trial for alleged money laundering.

He is being prosecuted by the EFCC on a 12-count charge, and is also accused of operating fictitious accounts and carrying out other fraudulent activities.

The former PRTT chairman, who was in hiding for almost two years, was arrested by the State Security Service last year.

The SSS handed over Mr Maina to the EFCC, which had declared him wanted for over a year.

His son, Faisal, who was arrested alongside the father in September, is accused of operating an account he used to divert various sums of money, including N58 million.

The two men were arraigned by the EFCC on October 25 on separate charges. They pleaded not guilty.

Bail conditions

The court on November 25 admitted the former pension chairman to bail in the sum of N1 billion.

Justice Abang, who gave the ruling, also ordered that Mr Maina must produce two sureties who must be serving senators.

The judge said the two lawmakers must not be standing criminal trial in any court in the country.

He also ruled that the two sureties, who must be prepared for a N500 million bond each, must always be in court with the defendant at each adjourned date.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how on January 28, Justice Abang reduced the bail bond of the former PRTT chairman from N1 billion to N500 million.

Mr Maina had on January 13 told the court that he could not meet the stringent conditions of the bail granted him in November.

Still not able to meet the adjusted bail conditions, Mr Maina in an application dated February 10 asked the court to further vary the bail conditions.

Ruling

Ruling on Mr Mainas bail variation application on Wednesday, Justice Abang held that Mr Maina failed to provide sufficient material before the court to prove that he is unable to meet his bail condition, which includes a serving senator as surety.

On the federal governments application to cancel Mr Mainas bail, the court in its ruling rejected the request by the anti-graft agency on the grounds that the allegations against the former PRTT chairman that he is planning to assassinate witnesses and prosecutor were not backed with facts.

An EFCC lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, had made the allegation that Mr Maina planned to assassinate prosecution lawyers in the ongoing trial.

Mr Abubakar also alleged that Mr Maina plotted to assassinate the EFCC witnesses and officials of Nigerian Correctional Service to escape from custody.

But the court rejected the claims for lack of evidence.
- The applicant had moved to the High Court to challenge the decision made by the Chief Khadi to pay KSh 150,000

- The High Court, however, upheld the ruling saying he acted appropriately by delivering the judgment as it was

- The applicant was on April 30, 2019, directed by the Chief Khadhi to pay the amount in three instalments of KSh 50,000

- The ex-parte was married to the interested party who professes Islamic faith and later dissolved the marriage before the same Khadhi who had officiated it

A High Court in Malindi has upheld a ruling by the Chief Khadhi compelling a woman to pay back KSh 150,000 which was paid as her dowry.

In his ruling, High Court Justice Reuben Nyakundi said the Chief Khadhi acted appropriately by delivering the judgment as it was.

READ ALSO: Machakos: 3 women team up to feed police officers manning roadblock

A High Court in Malindi upheld a ruling by the Chief Khadhi compelling a woman to pay back KSh 150,000 which was paid as her dowry. Photo: TUKO.co.ke

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Allow us to pray at Uhuru's, Ruto's and Raila's home to overcome COVID-19 - Homa Bay pastor

He further said the consent judgment was clear on its terms that the ex-parte applicant was in default to pay the dowry as set out and agreed with the interested party.

I have examined the proceedings and the jurisdiction exercised by the learned Kadhi to determine questions affecting the ex-parte applicant and the interested party, said the Judge.

I find no mistake of law made by the Kadhi and as at the time, the important consideration underlying the decision was the consent of both parties to the claim," he added.

READ ALSO: Nairobi woman narrates how Ghanaian lover conned, left her homeless

The judge in his findings ruled that a consent judgment recorded and adopted by the respondent was valid and binding on the parties on its terms.

The applicant identified as ZYJ was on April 30, 2019, directed by the Chief Khadhi to pay the interested party KSh 150,000 in three instalments of KSh 50,000 with effect from May 2019.

The ex-parte applicant ZYJ was married to the interested party MKW who professes Islamic faith and later dissolved the marriage before the same Khadhi who had officiated the marriage.

READ ALSO: New Zealand PM says virus 'eliminated', no community transmission of COVID-19

On the same day, the respondent who exercises the judicial function at Mariakani Kadhis Court nullified the ex-parte applicant marriage.

The applicant had moved to the High Court to challenge the decision made by the chief Khadhi to pay KSh 150,000 after the nullification of their marriage.

The chief magistrate had been mentioned in the matter as the respondent after the woman argued that she had been coerced into ending her marriage.

READ ALSO: Woman gushes over hubby who feeds less fortunate 3 times daily

High Court Justice Reuben Nyakundi said the chief khadhi acted appropriately by delivering the judgment as it was. Photo: The Star

Source: UGC

However, the judge said the Khadhi had a duty to judicially determine an important matter on divorce which had more impact on both parties than to a marriage union.

He also noted the Khadhi who had placed the parties in a witness stand to give evidence on oath was on duty to reach a decision.

It must be made clear that the court exist to administer justice through the various procedures provided in the law, he said .

READ ALSO: Kenyan widow stuck in India with 13-year-old daughter battling cancer appeals for help to raise KSh 4M

He also explained that the Chief Khadhi facilitated the parties to adopt the consent to meet the ends of justice in the matter.

This court finds it difficult to disregard the consent Judgment and have it nullified without a proper factual or legal basis, said Justice Nyakundi.

The woman further argued that she was not given a chance to defend herself.

READ ALSO: Popular Angolan polygamist who birthed 281 children from 49 wives dies

However, the judge ruled that the fact that she appeared before the court on oath and responded to the claim, the essential requirements of an opportunity to be heard and due process of the law had been certified.

Story by Caroline Mwawasi, TUKO correspondent- Mombasa county

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

Source: TUKO.co.ke
US vice president visits Minnesota medical research centre and is at times the only person on the tour not wearing a mask.

US Vice President Mike Pence has been criticised for not wearing a mask during a visit to a medical centre.

Pence visited the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on Tuesday.

The research centre later said on Twitter that the vice president had been informed of a mandatory mask policy.

The tweet has since been deleted.

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna reports.
New Mexicos oil and gas activities continued to decline last week as oil prices plummeted into negative numbers and demand for fuel shrunk due to the spread of COVID-19 and subsequent stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions.

The price of domestic crude was reported at about $16 per barrel on Monday, a week after it fell as low as -$40 per barrel, the first time in history oil was valued at less than $0 per barrel, per data from Nasdaq.

As of Friday, Baker Hughes reported New Mexico had sunk to 70 active drilling rigs, down 30 from a total of 100 at the start of the month, the lowest rig count of the year, and 14 from the prior weeks total of 84.

On the same date last year, New Mexico had 104 active rigs.

Texas dropped 107 rigs during the same time, down from 338 on April 3 to 231 on April 24.

The Permian Basin dropped 37 rigs in the last week, records show, down to 246 as of Friday from 283 a week before.

In the last year, the Permian lost 214 rigs as of Friday from a total of 460 on the same date in 2019.

Multiple oil and gas producers and midstream companies announced reductions in capital spending and operations across the country, including the Permian.

Houston-based Apache Corporation announced it would cut all of its Permian Basin drilling rigs, and Pioneer Resources cuts its rigs in the region in half, from 22 to 11.

Those announcements were followed by statements from Occidental Petroleum which cut its capital spending by about half, from $5.4 billion to $2.7 billion in response to market woes and Cimarex Energy which cut capital investments by up to 60 percent while cutting all but one of its drilling rigs.

A report from Rystad Energy pointed to widespread reductions in ground transportation, as governments attempt to stop the spread of the virus, leading a collapse in road fuel demand.

Road fuel demand makes up about half of the worlds oil demand, read the study, with the lack of gasoline demand accounting for a cut in oil demand by 3.53 million barrels per day (bpd).

Before the pandemic, the report read, global oil demand was expected to increase by 100.5 million bpd, in 2020 from 99.5 million bpd in 2019.

Following the impact of coronavirus spread, Rystad expected demand to drop by about 10 million bpd to 89.2 million bpd this year.

Gasoline accounted for 32 percent of the demand loss, read the report, with diesel at 18 percent of the drop and jet fuel at 21 percent of global fuel demand loss.

As global travel restrictions will largely stay in place in May 2020, gasoline demand will remain significantly depressed, said Rystads Senior Oil Market Analyst Artyom Tchen. Everyone along the supply chain is getting hammered right now, but refiners and traders exposed to gasoline are suffering the most.

Through the second quarter of 2020, North America could lose up to 2.2 million bpd of gasoline demand, the study read, with demand currently at only about 30 percent of normal consumption levels.

Tchen warned that if oil refineries do not reduce their oil processing operations significantly, the nations storage capacity could be full by mid-May, causing the price per barrel to plummet further.

As the end-market for gasoline has only shrunk, refineries face the imminent issue of gasoline storage overflow. If refineries were to continue activity at March 2020 levels, this would result in gasoline storage reaching full capacity as soon as mid-May, Tchen said.

Instead, refiners are already scaling back operations in an attempt to avoid hitting the gasoline storage wall.

Ryan Flynn, executive director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association said the coronavirus pandemic was the main force behind the markets recent volatility.

Traders were working to quickly exit positions in the context of infrastructure and storage constraints that have manifested due a sharp drop in demand, he said. The market is fundamentally reflecting the unique supply and demand scenario driven by the coronavirus pandemic.

Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance said the drop off in oil and gas production already led to widespread layoffs and industry-wide bankruptcies.

Were seeing massive layoffs in our industry because of the low price, bankruptcies, and lots of shut-in production, Sgamma said. Im not sure how this all ends, as many companies are struggling just to survive. New development is of course being curtailed, but existing production is also being shut in.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.



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A photo shows the main entrance to the exclusive Melbourne Grammar school in Melbourne 14 September 2004.(WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

$3 Billion for Private Schools That Get Kids Back in the Classroom

The federal government is offering private and independent schools a $3 billion (US$1.96 billion) advance in funding to help with financial difficulties incurred as a result of the CCP virus lockdown.

Speaking on Channel 9s The Today Show on April 29, federal education minister Dan Tehan said independent and Catholic schools had raised concerns with the government that some of their schools were facing financial difficulties.

So, what weve decided to do is bring forward the normal payments that we would make to thema $3.2 billion payment in July, he said.

The payments will happen in two installments and come with conditions to fully re-open their schools by the end of May. The second payment will be triggered when at least 50 percent of their students are back in classrooms.

According to Tehan, if non-government schools take up the offer, they could receive up to $3.2 billion.

A spokesperson for the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) told The Epoch Times on April 29 that the advances would represent about 25 percent of the Catholic schools (not including independent Catholic schools) funding.

In 2020, that meant they would receive in advance an amount of $1.8 billion for both installments.

Federal Funding Not a Handout

While grateful the funds will help with cash flow issues that many schools are facing as a result of the CCP virus, Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) CEO David Mulford said he did not consider it a handout.

The payment will be an adjustment to regularly scheduled financial management payments already in place.

It will have no extra cost to the government, but it will make a big difference in helping schools wrestle with the complexities of the COVID -19 impact, he said in a media release (pdf) on April 29.

In the 2017-2018 period, ISCA reported that the federal government gave over $11 billion in recurrent funding to independent and catholic schools around Australia.

Jacinta Collins executive director of the NCEC told The Epoch Times via an on April 29 said that while Catholic schools are keen to minimise the disruptions to their students education and return to classroom learning as soon as possible. But this may not be possible because there are variances in the way Catholic schools across Australia manage the transition of students back to school in response to differing local considerations and differing state health advice.

Putting Schools in an Impossible Position

Chief executive of Independent Schools Victoria said independent schools in her state have to abide by restrictions that place them in a difficult and unfair position.

Independent schools are being used as a wedge in a policy disagreement between the federal and Victorian governments. This is unfair and entirely inappropriate when whats at stake is the health of children and their teachers, she said.

States run schools, and most Australian states and teachers unions are not as eager as the federal government to reopen schools. In Victoria, the premier has determined that term two will be done via remote learning, with schools only open for the children of essential workers and vulnerable students.

The prime minister has consistently maintained he would like to see schools re-opened in Term 2.

On April 24, federal education minister Dan Tehan wrote on Twitter that if Australia kept flattening the curve, then students and teachers should be back to school by June 1.

If we keep flattening the curve, there is no reason why we shouldnt aim to see our students and teachers back in the classroom by 1 June pic.twitter.com/qUHeCpJ3t1  Dan Tehan (@DanTehanWannon) April 24, 2020
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 24, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Treasury Secretary: Federal Government Wont Bail out Mismanaged States

The federal funds being sent to states to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic shouldnt be used on matters unrelated to the pandemic, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus from China.

The $150 billion approved by Congress in legislation signed by President Donald Trump is being sent to states to cover CCP virus-related expenses, Mnuchin said during an interview on CNBCs Squawk Box.

Weve been clear that to the extent people have to use police to enforce coronavirus issues, public safety, things like that, that they could allocate that money to the coronavirus issues, but that this was not about lost revenues and thats the way the bill was written, he said.

This isnt just going to be a federal bailout of the states, he added later. This shouldnt be a bailout of states that were mismanaged because of the coronavirus.

Mnuchin has spoken with many governors, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, about funding.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy visits an alternate care facility at New Bridge Bergen Medical Center in Paramus, N.J., on April 22, 2020. (Michael Karas/The Record via AP, Pool)

Facing financial shortages, some governors have pressed for additional funds from the federal government, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Murphy.

Our costs are going up serving folks who have lost their jobs, small businesses that have been crushed, folks who are in the healthcare system etc., Murphy said on the same show this week.

The National Governors Association, headed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, has asked for $500 billion to replace revenue lost from shuttered businesses and millions of unemployed workers.

Some governors have said rules on using the funds already approved are too restrictive and might force them to return some of the money.

Top congressional Democrats have said they support additional federal funding to states, warning of massive layoffs if the money isnt approved.

A gallon of milk is offered as volunteers help distribute food as vehicles arrive at a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank drive-through giveaway in Pico Rivera, California, on April 28, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said some states could declare bankruptcy if theyre facing shortfalls. Current law prohibits states from declaring bankruptcy.

In talks with Democrats, Republicans will push to make sure money sent to states isnt used to address past problems.

Well certainly insist that anything wed borrow to send down to the states is not spent on solving problems that they created for themselves over the years with their pension programs, McConnell said.

Mnuchin, a key point person for negotiations of virus-related packages, said discussions are ongoing concerning possible additional funding.

States that had specifically large expenses because of the coronavirus, like New York and New Jersey, I think it was the right thing that the federal government gave them money, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 15:03:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 27, 2020 shows people posing for a photo with the face masks donated by China's Fujian Province in Oregon, the United States. Governor of the U.S. state of Oregon Kate Brown on Tuesday expressed her heartfelt thanks to China for its donation of 50,000 medical face masks from Oregon's sister province Fujian. (Xinhua)

SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Governor of the U.S. state of Oregon Kate Brown on Tuesday expressed her heartfelt thanks to China for its donation of 50,000 medical face masks from Oregon's sister province Fujian.

"A heartfelt thank you to the Fujian Province, Oregon's sister state in China, for the gift of 50,000 masks. Oregon will pay it forward in the future," Brown said in a post on Facebook.

The 50,000 masks, in addition to 12,000 masks earlier provided by China's Consulate General in San Francisco, were delivered to Oregon's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on Monday for further distribution to counties' frontline workers, the Oregon China Council (OCC) confirmed on Tuesday.

The OCC, which contributed to the delivery of the masks, is an Oregonian non-profit association dedicated to supporting economic, educational, and cultural exchanges between the state and China.

"This is the largest humanitarian assistance from Fujian to the people of Oregon since our sister relationship established in 1984. The operation was finally accomplished after more than 40 days of intense coordination," OCC President Lan Jin told Xinhua.

"With the support of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, the Consulate General in San Francisco and the Fujian Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, we resolved a series of issues related to logistics, quarantine, customs. It embodies the concept of the community of shared future for mankind," Lan said.

"We are thrilled to receive this generous and critically-needed safety equipment from our friends in China. This humanitarian aid is unprecedented and truly is the culmination of many years of relationship-building," he said.

The mask deliveries reflected a 36-year relationship between Oregon and China, nurtured with annual trade missions, frequent educational and cultural exchanges between governors, legislators, and business executives alike, My Oregon News said in a report.

The donation was provided and delivered with the support of the Heren Charitable Foundation. Fujian-based Xiamen Airlines flew masks from Fujian to Los Angeles, where they were routed to a Wilsonville distribution center by truck, according to the My Oregon News report.

"This pandemic has served as an important reminder that we're all in this together," said Andrew Phelps, director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, adding that this generous gift "is evidence that international friendships are vital and mutually beneficial, especially in times of crisis." Enditem
Junior Minister John Halligan has said that there is an "argument to be made" around starting a discussion on lifting restrictions on a regional basis.

Mr Halligan said that while he was not saying that was not what should happen, he believes there is "a case to be made" for beginning the discussion.

The former Waterford TD who is still Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation and Research said that with the regional weighting of Covid-19 cases, it could be argued that restrictions could be lifted.

"I was making the point that half the cases are in Dublin, regretfully. If you look at UHW in Waterford, we have seven people in hospital and two in intensive care from 160 cases.

"So, there's a case for that discussion to take place. I'm not saying that's what should happen - I'm not a medical expert and I want to make that clear - but I think there is a case for that discussion as has happened in other countries.

I'm relaying what businesses are saying to me that 'we don't have a spike here' or 'it's not as severe' why are we in the same lockdown?

Mr Halligan said that the counter to that argument was one of national solidarity.

"You can also make the case that we're all in this together - and we are all in this together as Irishmen and Irishwomen, but it's something that might have to be looked at the longer this goes on. But I'm not asking politicians to make that decision."

A regional reopening based on the lowest number of cases would see Leitrim, Sligo, Carlow, Longford, Waterford and Wexford reopened before urban centres. Of Ireland's 19,877 cases of Covid-19, 9,664 have been reported in Dublin, with 1,126 in Cork.

Around the world, countries are working to reopen their economies, with some trialling regional reopenings based on the number of cases and the overall hospital capacity in those areas.
Californias attempts to discourage gun ownership hit a bump Thursday. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez granted a preliminary injunction that stopped the state from enforcing its background checks on ammunition purchases. The initiative, which was spearheaded by Gavin Newsom when he was the lieutenant governor, passed in 2016 with 63 percent of the vote.

The background checks have failed miserably, succeeding only in preventing law-abiding citizens from buying ammunition. Between July 2019 and January 2020, 101,047 non-prohibited Californians were prevented from buying bullets. By contrast, just 188 prohibited people were denied. That means that for every prohibited person whose purchase was rejected, 537 law-abiding citizens were denied.

This high ratio is not too surprising, since few criminals are dumb enough to try to go through a background check. As Judge Benitez noted, Criminals, tyrants, and terrorists dont do background checks. Instead, many of these criminals buy their guns and ammunition from drug dealers. Weve had no more success in stopping the illegal gun trade than in stopping the illegal drug trade.

Denials typically result from such things as the buyers current address differing from the address when they last bought a gun. Even law-enforcement officers, such as Sutter County deputy sheriff Zachary Berg, are being denied because their personal information doesnt match the state database records.

The small number of prohibited people who have been stopped is undoubtedly even smaller than the 188 cases the state claims. California provides no evidence that any of these prohibited individuals were actually convicted for breaking the law by trying to buy this ammunition. In the federal background check system for gun purchases, only about one out of every 3,000 denials actually leads to a conviction. Thats because the vast majority of prohibited purchases were the result of mistaken identification. The government confused the identities of law-abiding citizens with those who were prohibited.

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The costs of the checks and the legal hassles of getting around them are primarily harming poorer Californians. These are the very people who are the most likely victims of violent crime and who stand to benefit the most from being able to protect themselves.

This judgment mirrors the views of academic researchers. A 2019 survey of 120 criminologists, economists, and public-health researchers who had published peer-reviewed, empirical research on firearms revealed a high degree of skepticism that background checks on either ammunition or guns would reduce crime. Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of each policy on a scale of 1 to 10. A rating of 1 indicated not effective at all, and 10 indicated extreme effectiveness. For ammunition background checks, the survey result was a mere 3.48.

By contrast, reducing the cost of background checks and licensing fees earned a significantly higher effectiveness score of 5.1.

California hasnt provided the court with any evidence that these types of background checks stop criminals from getting ammunition.

Californias neighbor Mexico has gone much further than even California in its restrictions, and the crime rates dont bear out the benefits of background checks on ammunition. The entire country has only one gun store  a military-run establishment in Mexico City. That store is the only place that one can legally buy ammunition, and background checks are required. Mexicos current murder rates are six times higher than those of the U.S., and twice what they were when the restrictions started in 1972.

The [background check] experiment has been tried. The casualties have been counted. Californias new ammunition background check law misfires and the Second Amendment rights of California citizens have been gravely injured, Judge Benitez wrote in his decision. Well said, your honor.

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Helping Victims Becomes Challenging as Domestic Violence Calls Surge in Orange County

As Orange County, California, experiences a surge in domestic violence calls related to the COVID-19 pandemic, locals are rallying to ensure resources are available to those in need.

Mandatory stay-at-home orders have increased the threat to potential victims, a local outreach program director told The Epoch Timesand children are at further risk, now that schools are closed.

Now, its harder for people to reach out, said Andrea McCallister, director of development at Lauras House, a domestic violence resource center based in south Orange County.

But if they do, Lauras House will be there to support themand an inspiring group of local high school students is pitching in to help.

Reaching Out

Prior to the March 19 stay-at-home order, victims might have had the chance to reach out, McCallister said, when theyre at work, or when theyre shopping in the grocery store.

But now, theres more situations where theres more strain in the home, she added. It has a huge effect on children, and their stress and anxiety.

According to Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, domestic violence calls have increased 25 percent from 2019 to 2020, year to date.

Calls for service overall are down, but that particular category of calls for service has increased 25 percent for domestic violence-related calls, Barnes said at an April 16 press conference.

He added that calls for family disputes increased 24 percent, and child custody dispute calls increased 30 percent.

The trend is particularly worrisome concerning children.

At least when they go to school, theyre gone for several hours where theyre not exposed to the abuse of their home, said McCallister.

But now that children arent going to school, there are a lot more situations at home happening, due to the additional strain. Hands-on support, such as art and play therapy, has become difficult for Lauras House to provide.

Trust is established when you have an in-person meeting with the child, she said. Its more difficult to do that virtually.

Stay-at-home orders and school closings due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more difficult for victims of domestic abuse to reach out for help. (Mxsh/Unsplash)

Helping Victims of Abuse Step Up

Lauras House, founded in 1994, offers shelter and support services for victims of abuse throughout Southern California. The state-approved agency also offers counseling, legal help, education, workshops, and transitional housing to abused women, men, and children.

McCallister said that victims are facing a lot of extra stress, because many court dates that protect them have been postponed due to social distancing measures.

A 2019 photo of Lauras House volunteers. (Courtesy of Lauras House)

The courts have extended the period of time that the restraining orders are good before it expires, since they cant go for a court date, McCallister said. If theres no court date in sight, they need that protective order to help them.

But unfortunately, she said, victims whose court dates have been pushed back indefinitely will lose out on their moment of empowermentwhich is a huge part of the advocacy within Lauras House.

A lot of times, for our clients, thats their first kind of step forward, where they say, Im not going to allow this to happen to me anymore. Youre not going to do this to me anymore, McCallister said. A lot of times, its the first time theyve stood up for themselves.

For that empowerment moment to be delayed is a bit disheartening for people who are ready to make a change, she said.

Inspired to Help

One of the sponsors of Lauras House is Inspire to Be, a campus club at San Clemente High School. The club, formed in 2017 by current seniors Trinity Rose Acfalle-Carranza and Genavieve Koenigshofer, is dedicated to improving the lives of and inspiring children, families, and those in need.

The club partners with other local nonprofit organizations to do community outreach and volunteer work, including food drives, youth voter registration, and foster programs.

Theyve been partnered with Lauras House since the clubs inception, raising $4,000 in goods for the agency in the first year alonewhile standing in front of the Albertsons market at San Clementes Plaza Pacifica.

Now theyve stepped up to the plate againby creating a GoFundMe page to help Lauras House raise $2,500. The money will be used for telecounseling, legal services, and maintaining a 24-hour support hotline for victims of abuse.

Koenigshofer said she felt it was important to continue the clubs commitment to Lauras House and step up during a time when the vulnerable are most at risk.

We figured it was important to support those trapped with abusive partners or spouses during the shelter-in-place, she told The Epoch Times. Its especially important that we continue to support this organization that might often be overlooked.

The club has linked the campaign to a virtual cookbook theyve created on YouTube that provides recipes for communities in quarantine.

We are teaching people how to cook their favorite family recipes and dessert, Koenigshofer said.

You can still find a way to make a difference in your community, Acfalle-Carranza told The Epoch Times. Thats the message that were trying to send to themand hopefully give them a fun recipe for dinner along the way.

She said the isolation brought about by the pandemic could unfortunately increase the need for Lauras House services.

The people that are regularly being subjected to this treatment, it may be intensified because of the circumstances theyre being subjected to, she said. It is very unique to each case.

Orange County law enforcement officials urge community members to report any kind of abuseeven if its only a suspicion.

Im asking you today, as members of the public, to report abuse, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said during the April 16 news conference.

I would much rather have you call and report suspicious activity and be wrong, than fail to report it and have something terrible happen to one of these members of the community.
Google appears to be considering the separation of the Chrome browser from Chrome OS on Chromebooks in pursuit of security. Thats based on recent reports centered on an experimental feature impacting how the browser is updated on the platform. More directly, it would allow Chrome updates to be delivered separately from updates to the OS itself.

Now, the update for this appears behind a hidden flag setting at Googles chrome://flags URL. Specifically, thats a feature dubbed LaCrOS and found via a search for #lacros-support.

The new projects initial appearance is as a LaCrOS variant of the browser itself. So Google has it showing up entirely separately from the standard Chrome app on Chromebooks. As might be implied by its experimental nature, the icon itself is entirely yellow in color too. Thats keeping in line with the Chrome Canary icon, which serves as the front-line release channel for new features.

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But that does appear to be part of a larger plan, with that initial differentiation intended to help developers work with the new project browser. Google could ultimately roll the code differences that make the separation work into the pre-installed, more common variant of the browser. The project is still in its earliest stages, so it isnt immediately obvious which direction Google will go. And thats if the project continues at all.

The purpose here isnt necessarily clear

The exact purpose of the browser change isnt immediately clear either. Comments from Googlers associated with the project offer some insight but thats somewhat contradictory.

On the one hand, at least one Googler indicates that the underlying purpose is to provide continuous delivery of Chromes latest features to old systems. In effect, this would mean it acts as a Chrome Canary-like browser in the sense that it delivers near-nightly updates to Chrome for systems that would otherwise not be able to receive them.

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That includes Chromebooks but it would also make LaCrOS a developer-focused project as opposed to being useful for end-users.

The other possibility posited in response to that purpose is more simple. Namely, its that separating Chrome OS from Chrome will deliver consistency. With that as a central purpose for this project, there are quite a few more possibilities in terms of benefits. Not least of those is the fact that it would make Chrome OS less tied to updates to Chrome itself.

What would this mean for the security of Google Chrome users on Chromebooks?

Now, Google may also have another reason for separating Google Chrome from the OS underpinning Chromebooks and thats chiefly related to security. Chrome OS devices only receive updates for between five to eight years from their initial launch date. Once those updates end, so do updates to the Chrome browser  unless users download the mobile variant from the Google Play Store.

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As a result, Chromebook users not only stop receiving new OS features. The Chrome browser also gradually becomes less secure over time, as its still being updated on other platforms. Thats a problem that would all but cease to exist if LaCrOS is developed and eventually implemented in Chrome for Chromebooks.
The day before Mainstream Boutique in Pearland closed to in-store customers because of the coronavirus, owner Tracy Gottfried was feeling anxious.

I was very nervous, she said. We had two customers in the store and one of them was sneezing, the other customer had a look of panic.

That was March 17, and people had only begun talking seriously about shutdowns, but for Gottfried, the writing was on the wall.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: University of St. Thomas to reopen, Houston's largest church resumes

I said to myself I cant do this  and decided that would be the last day we would be open, she said.

The store is still taking online orders for pickup.

Since then, Mainstream Boutique, which is 2705 E. Broadway and is part of a franchise chain of retail stores individually owned and operated, has become an online business. Gottfried posts videos on the stores Facebook page that take viewers on a virtual shopping excursion through the stores inventory of womens clothing and jewelry. Also included are Gottfrieds anecdotes on what movies shes watching on Netflix and other homebound activities.

HEALTHCARE HEROES: Outreach to kids keeping nurses busy

More Information What: Mainstream Boutique sells unique women's clothing and jewelry and other items and is located at 2705 E Broadway Street in Pearland. Information on where to shop inventory and order for pick up: Mainstream Boutique's official Facebook page https://bit.ly/2KdC7m2 Contact information: (281) 741-9684 What: Pearland Chamber of Commerce; contact by phone at (281) 485-3634. To learn more about assistance opportunities for small business, including the Relief and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Act approved by Congress: https://bit.ly/3ahfAiV See More Collapse

Business is not where it is normally, but (as a small business owner) you have to learn to pivot every day and you have to figure out how youre going to switch things up to stay alive, she said.

Trying to stay alive

When times get tough, entrepreneurs get creative.

Thats the idea behind the Pearland Chamber of Commerce effort to highlight local businesses like Mainstream Boutique as they find ways to thrive during the pandemic shutdown even as the state and Congress determine how to assist small businesses.

Were trying to be innovative, chamber president Carol Artz-Bucek said. Every business is doing something different and they are depending on the people who are their customers to help them come up with better ways to do things. Some were more organized and prepared than others, but like everyone else, theyll all trying to stay alive, trying to keep people fed, dealing with vendors not getting their products in  everything is so complicated.

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Artz-Bucek estimates that roughly 65 percent to 70 percent of chamber members have been able to successfully switch gears to online, curbside and phone orders.

Id say they are being really creative and just pushing forward in an entrepreneur-ish way, she said. When youre an entrepreneur, every day is a different day and you have to do everything and thats what these business and restaurant people are doing  theyre having to make sure their business is clean and working employees are social distancing themselves. Theyre jugging so many different things.

The chamber has been doing its part with its own small staff working from the Pearland office to navigate members and others to resources while combining efforts with the Pearland Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote shopping online and other ways to help local business thrive.

Thats why were here because some business owners are scared and they dont know what to do, but so many are also coming up with safe innovative ways to make ends meet, Artz-Bucek said.

POST-SHUTDOWN: City of Pearland issues new water guidelines for reopening businesses

Celebrating five years in business this December, Gottfried, 49, grew up working at the family gift-basket company in California.

Mainstream Boutique has always relied on a faithful clientele base.

Our customers have been very supportive, Gottfried said.

After 10 years of teaching at Alief ISD and after settling in Pearland, Gottfried said she wanted to create the small town in a big city atmosphere she experienced growing up in her parents shop, where the connection to customers and the community is as important as the newest line of jewelry.

Having to close to in-store customers was a hard decision to make because it eliminated the personal contact, Gottfried said.

Even before that, the store had already begun to limit the number of customers inside the shop.

People had to knock on the door before they were allowed in, we were wiping down pens and trying to do everything we could, Gottfried said. We didnt really know a lot (about coronavirus) then.

Pandemic hit during stores peak season

The shutdown also coincided with the shops peak season, and deliveries were coming in. Then the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo closed because of pandemic fears, and her own increasing concerns sealed it.

I couldnt in good conscience stay open and possibly expose customers or my staff, Gottfried said.

Artz-Bucek has faith in her business communitys entrepreneurial spirit even as the coronavirus presents unprecedented challenges.

I feel confident, she said. The Pearland chamber has been building leaders in the community since 1963, and weve been through many disasters in that time period. I dont like the change, but we know we will see opportunities that weve never had before, were going to come up with new innovative programs that have never been established before out of all this chaos. That will happen, it just isnt here yet. Were still in the fear mode, but once we get over our fear, we will conquer.

For now, Gottfried is running the shop on her own with some help from her husband, David, and two children. While she had to cut her staffs hours, she admits she is luckier than other small business owners, who may not have the resources to stay in business during the shutdown.

Some people are able to pivot and change and some havent been able to and its might not their fault, she said. The community has been supportive of local business; I think people want some kind of normalcy in their lives right now.

Gottfried has been waiting to see what happened statewide before she would even consider reopening. At the end of the month, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to allow retail businesses to reopen May 1 at no more than 25 percent capacity.

The uncertainty, Gottfried said, is still there.

Hopefully, I will re-open at some point and as a business owner, I want to open up, but if everything opens up too fast  the virus might spread and I would never forgive myself if I put customers and my staff in danger, she said.

Even as she continues to post videos, takes orders and on occasion makes personal deliveries, Gottfried wonders what will happen to the personal touch in small business when the shutdown ends.

This is something that has pushed us into being afraid to be near each other. Its the unknown, she said. Its not going to be the same.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
Irrfan Khan bid goodbye to the world at 53, just over a month after the release of his last film Angrezi Medium. The actor had taken a break from work to undergo treatment for neuroendocrine tumour and had even returned to complete the shooting of the film post recovery. However, his health worsened again which forced the actor to skip the promotions.

But look at the charisma of the remarkable talent, just one social media post by the actor was enough to get the entire Bollywood to fill in for his absence. A host of Bollywood actors from Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Janhvi Kapoor to Kriti Sanon had featured in a special dance number Kudi Nu Nachne De for the film.

Deepak Dobriyal and Irrfan Khan in a still from Angrezi Medium.

Returning to the silver screen after a long illness, Irrfan earned kudos for his performance in the role of Champak Bansal, a sweet shop owner in Udaipur. He played a doting father to Radhika Madans Tarika who was harbouring the dreams of flying off to London.

The Hindustan Times review of the film read, Irrfan is pitch-perfect in every frame. His dialogues strike an instant chord with you, his eyes talk to you, his smile and tears make you laugh and cry with him. Angrezi Medium makes you realize that he was missed by the audiences as much as he would have missed facing the camera. Its largely known that Irrfan shot for Angrezi Medium while he was still undergoing treatment, but not for once you can make that out while watching him onscreen.

Irrfan Khan and Homi Adajania on sets of Angrezi Medium.

Exactly a year ago, director Homi Adajania had announced his comeback for the film with a happy picture from one of their laughing sessions. He had captioned the pic, Life is better when youre laughing.

Also read: RIP Irrfan Khan: Leonardo DiCaprio to Steven Spielberg, Hollywood legends the actor turned down to work in India

Also read: Irrfan Khan lives through his work, here are 8 of his most memorable films including his last

Homi also wrote a note for Irrfan post the completion of the shoot which was put on hold by the director who chose to wait for him regardless of the time he took to heal. He wrote, I wanted to do this film knowing it would be against the odds. I wanted to do it for all the wrong reasons to make a film but they just seemed so right and still do. Its been an emotional roller coaster more than anything else and I know how hard its been for everyone. Irrfan Khan, you are incredible ... and youre a decent actor as well. I love you more than I know how to say. Thank you to my crew and cast for not letting the odds stack up against us. I truly believe that our collective positivity and celebration of life allowed us this. Regardless of this films fate, its shown me a lighter way of being and Ill always cherish this.

Also read: Irrfan Khan, the commoner Khan who became a star

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Manu Rishi Chadha, who got an opportunity to share screen space with Irrfan Khan in one scene, had told Hindustan Times in an interview, I complained to Homi Adajania why he didnt call me for Angrezi Medium. He asked me to come over for a guest appearance so that we could at least start our collaboration. The scene was with Irrfan Khan. I was to hug him and was so happy to do it as he came after a long illness.

Commenting on Irrfans absence due to ill health, he had said, When you deal with such a big issue, you want to take time out for yourself. He has worked so much that he continues to be in minds and hearts of his fans.

Also read: Irrfan Khan left us too soon: Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar lead Bollywood in mourning loss of actor

While the actors blooming career was cut short by his untimely death, his dialogue from the film Aadmi ka sapna toot jaata hai na, toh aadmi khatam ho jaata hai will be etched in the hearts of his fans across the globe. The dream of his fans to watch him time and again in one after another blockbuster now remains unfulfilled.

Look at the fate of the film, Angrezi Medium had released on March 13 at an opening of around 4.03 crore but had to wrap up at just 9.36 crore as movie theatres pulled down their shutters ahead of a countrywide lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.

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WeSurvivedCOVID-19, a new kind of promotional platform that is designed to bring both businesses and consumers together to help failing or struggling businesses, including providing profits to charity organizations that are working to support every community through the pandemic, for this week announced their platform is officially live and available for perusing

Helping our communities now is time sensitive. Contact us for any media interviews or opportunities at: https://wesurvivedcovid-19.world

By providing promotional hats, and shirts, which will be sold via the companies that participate and sign up with the program, WeSurvivedCOVIID-19 will enable customers to select and place orders.

Its no secret our nation is enduring one of the most challenging times of the last 100-years as businesses everywhere shut down to help our healthcare workers flatten the curve, said Bill Battaglia, Founder and Owner of WeSurvivedCOVID-19. Although retail businesses are taking a huge hit, we still have the internet at our disposal. Thats what inspired us to launch our platform today.

Participating companies will have the option of sending out emails to their customers with a link embedded to the WeSurvivedCOVID-19 site, providing them with a unique user ID. With this ID, when the customer fills out their request, the benefits will go to the participating company to help with the dispersion of money and awareness during these hard times.

Businesses will also have the option to pre-purchase products at wholesale, selling it directly at their place during their survive event.

When all of this is over, we encourage companies to host exclusive customer events whereby they offer special access and deals to their customers who supported them through these trying times by wearing the supporting products, said Battaglia. At the same time, along with providing benefits to participating companies, we will also provide profits to charity organizations that are working to support every community through the pandemic.

WeSurvivedCOVID-19 will provide businesses with the options to place logos on the hats; logos on the front, front and back, back, etc. of shirts; logos on the bags; and logos on bulk orders of products that can include any packaged variety.

We are doing this for the American people, said Battaglia. Together, we will emerge victorious. Help us spread the word today.

Customization options are available for all participating businesses. For more information, visit: https://wesurvivedcovid-19.world.
Craig Stucko is a man of many talents whose writing is inspired by his unique creative product development skills in the manufacturing industry as well as his extensive esoteric studies. His debut novel titled Outfection (published by Balboa Press) is an action-packed tale. Powers beyond comprehension bring together a man and woman who fall in love and then risk everything to save those who cannot be saved.

The worlds most powerful syndicates are hunting down John Thimes (aka The Ghost). As they do their best to find him, the elusive Ghost takes on a more active role in changing the world and bringing life back to those lacking hope. John is also harboring a family secret that is allowing him to defy the odds and allude capture while pulling people back from the brink. As he takes the battle to those who will do anything to maintain their empires, he journeys throughout the United States and eventually falls in love with the beautiful Emily Bronson while scaling mountain peaks, exploring caverns of ancient cultures and surviving perilous car chases through city streets. Nowhere is safe. While the FBI watches John, only time will tell if they will help or hinder his important mission to rescue humanity, before it is too late.

Coincidentally, it is spot on for what is happening now Covid-19. It is based on the idea that if disease can spread exponentially, then Ease/healing should also be able to spread exponentially, Stucko explains. I have a fascination with nature and esoteric studies and am also strongly grounded in math, science, reason and logic. I combine the two to make less-believable things, more-believable.

The publication of Outfection aims to make readers realize that they need to have hope, believe in good things happening. They have choices and can expect miracles. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Outfection-Craig-Stucko/dp/1982243996.

Outfection

By Craig Stucko

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 478 pages | ISBN 9781982243982

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 478 pages | ISBN 9781982243999

E-Book | 478 pages | ISBN 9781982244002

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Craig Stucko currently resides in Commack, New York. Outfection is his debut novel.

Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc.  a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 877-407-4847 today.
After the Uttar Pradesh government held a video-conference with over 100 United States firms on Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Minister Sidharth Nath Singh expressed hope of foreign investors being attracted to India. Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, as foreign investors, especially from the US are keen on withdrawing from China for various reasons, the UP government in a collaboration with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum held a webinar seeking to attract the investors to India.

Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: 1543 Cases Reported In Last 24 Hours; Total Cases Soar To 31332

Read: ICMR Refutes Bengal Govt's Claim On 'faulty Test Kits', Affirms Anti-body Tests For Survey

"The USA has a significant investment in China and with companies exploring for options to shift base from China, the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister want to use the opportunity to see how they can be brought to India, to UP. A webinar was held with over 100 American companies yesterday," said Sidharth Nath Singh, UP's Minister for Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The UP Minister added that the webinar had been successful and saw the participation of firms from across diverse fields such as logistics, scientific instrumentation, electronics amongst others. Many companies participated in the webinar, including Adobe, Boston Scientific Master Cards, and UPS. Siddharth Nath Singh, along with a team of senior officers, including industrial development commissioner Alok Tandon and principal secretary, MSME and exports, Navneet Sehgal, represented the state.

"Companies, including big names from logistics, scientific instrumentation, electronic, automobile industries, have expressed their interest. They already have investments in China. I am hopeful we will be able to bring them to UP, given how we are working by making changes in our industrial and sectorial policy," added the minister.

Read: ICMR Cancels All 15 Lakh Anti-body Test Kits Ordered From China After Inaccurate Results

Read: Yogi Govt Amends Epidemic Act To Protect Health Workers As Per Centre's Ordinance

(With Agency Inputs)
No responsible restaurant should be asking for reopening to happen too fast. I will wait to open my restaurant both out of concern for the health of our community and for what would happen if in a few months, another wave forces us to relive this. I am going to err on the side of caution and wait for second round of openings in mid-May.

Gov. Greg Abbott threw out a lot of information, and in order to comply it will take a lot of careful planning. Missteps and mistakes by restaurants could have serious consequences. It has to be done correctly from the start.

My grandfather arrived in New York City in the 1920s having fled Hungary a few years earlier. In just a few years he had joined with his brothers-in-law to open the first Jewish deli on Broadway, the Rialto. Who could have foreseen that shortly after that, American history would be made - it was called the Crash of 29 and the beginning of the Great Depression.

The deli survived that, and my grandfather, ever the optimist and ever the philosopher, took it day by day, year by year, and survived to become a very successful deli man.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust on HoustonChronicle.com

As a third-generation deli man now, I do wish I could hear what my grandfather would think about these times we are in.

What the pandemic has done can only be compared to some kind of story out of a Ray Bradbury novel. Faced with orders to close all dining rooms and inside service, restaurateurs had to toss business plans, eliminate most services that defined their restaurants and transform lucrative locations into high-rent fast-food outlets.

This shutdown not only pulled the rug out from under us, it ripped out the floorboards and cracked the foundation.

All Houston restaurants have, of course, been forced to close at different times because of hurricanes, tropical storms, flooding and street repair projects, but what makes this the most frightening is summed up with what one business owner said about those instances - at least we could see the rain. With COVID-19, we are in the dark as to where we are going and when it will end.

At Kenny & Ziggys, as at many ethnic restaurants, we have been hugely fortunate that we are part of a loyal community. Our customers and the Jewish community at large have been very supportive of our curbside and delivery business alternative. Surprisingly but joyously, our total sales for Passover was one of the largest we have ever had.

This said, however, we are not making money. We are surviving. It is all restaurants can do for now and for the unknown future.

No one knows where this is going, and no one - all those we depend on to give us direction - is providing clear, solid answers. Every day, we hear one thing from the local level, something else from the state and something altogether different from the national level, often all contradicting one another.

Still, few full-service restaurants are going to survive many more months of being restricted to selling food to-go and cutting off 75 percent of our in-house guests while paying rent, salaries, food costs, utilities and other expenses. It is time for the Texas Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association to formulate proposals and details on what to expect.

CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLE: Subscribe to our new daily podcast for pandemic insights through a Houston lens

Are restaurants going to be asked to stay at 25 percent capacity? What kind of menus do we need to have, how do we pare our staffs or how many of those furloughed should be rehired and how will these new restrictions affect the rent and other expenses? Everyone certainly wants to reopen, but without more information from people who know both the pandemic situation and know the restaurant business, the process will be confusing, chaotic and possibly dangerous.

I would be very upset to bring people back to work if, God forbid, we have a second spike in coronavirus and have to close again and they have to reapply for unemployment. It wouldnt be right. I have to think about our extended restaurant family.

Regardless of the details, the months ahead are still going to be tough. Many restaurants will need to review all their operational costs. Landlords will need to be open to negotiating new long- or short-term leases and similarly go to their lenders. Leases that were signed for a property with 100 seats cannot be sustained if seating is only for 25 or if other expenses mandated by the new coronavirus restrictions substantially raise operation costs. Pre-virus rental rates will invariably lead to post-virus empty storefronts if costs cant be cut.

In the early days of Jewish delis in this country, they prospered because they became central to the communities they served. They were the gathering places for business, for socializing and for gossiping and debating. There are certainly more restaurants now, but in essence, they still play the same roles in their cities, neighborhoods and communities. The pandemic is hurting more than businesses here. It is strangling the places that represent how we still come together, break bread and live.

The fact is, we have all suffered. We are all still suffering. Yet with more information and direction, with more cooperation, we will see this nightmare end and be able to say we survived.

Gruber is the executive chef and owner of Kenny & Ziggys Delicatessen Restaurant & Bakery.
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.

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The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 22,629, while 7,695 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said

Death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,007 and the number of cases climbed to 31,332 in the country. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,007 and the number of cases climbed to 31,332 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union health ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 22,629, while 7,695 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals.

A total of 70 deaths were reported since Tuesday evening of which 31 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, 19 from Gujarat, seven from Madhya Pradesh, five from Rajasthan, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Of the 1,007 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 400 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 181, Madhya Pradesh at 120, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 51, Uttar Pradesh at 34 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

The death toll reached 26 in Telengana, 25 in Tamil Nadu, 22 in West Bengal while Karantaka has reported 20 deaths.

Punjab has registered 19 fatalities so far. The disease has claimed eight lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to the ministry's data.

According to the data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 9,318 followed by Gujarat at 3,744, Delhi at 3,314, Madhya Pradesh at 2,387, Rajasthan at 2,364, Tamil Nadu at 2,058 and Uttar Pradesh at 2,053.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 1,259 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,004 in Telangana.

The number of cases has risen to 725 in West Bengal, 565 in Jammu and Kashmir, 523 in Karnataka, 485 in Kerala, 366 in Bihar and 322 in Punjab.

Haryana has reported 310 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 118 cases. A total of 103 people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 54 in Uttarakhand.

Chandigarh has reported 56 cases, Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases while Assam and Chhattisgarh have registered 38 infections each so far.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 33 COVID-19 cases while Ladakh has reported 22 infections so far.

Meghalaya has reported 12 cases, Puducherry has eight cases while Goa has seven COVID-19 cases.

Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said on its website.

States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.
ROME - ''We have just heard from our offices on the ground the tragic report that 11 children were killed and many more were injured when a bomb went off near a fuel tanker in a crowded market in Afrin city, northern rural Aleppo yesterday'', UNICEF Italia spokesman Andrea Iacomini said on Wednesday. ''We fear that the death toll might be much higher''.



According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the number of victims from yesterday's attack has risen to 46, including 40 civilians and six soldiers. Among the 40 civilians killed, 11 were minors, the NGO confirmed, adding that the fighters were Syrian Arab militiamen coopted by Ankara. The attack, which was carried out with a tanker truck, has not been claimed.



''Ten years into the brutal conflict in Syria, children continue to be hit the hardest by unprecedented levels of violence, destruction and death. Violence breeds more violence'', said UNICEF spokesman.



''Violence is not new to Afrin. In early 2018, due to an escalation of violence, nearly 56,000 children fled the area to other parts of Syria. ''The war in Syria is far from over. UNICEF reminds all parties to the conflict in Syria and those with influence over them that children are not a target and that attacks on civilian-populated areas are a violation of international law''.



The attack took place not far from the residence of the Turkish governor, a symbol of Turkey's power in an area where in 2018, according to Syrian and international humanitarian groups, ethnic cleansing operations were carried out against the Kurdish community that included over 300,000 people.



Civilian victims of the attack, the most deadly of the past two years in the former Kurdish-Syrian enclave that was at the center of the Turkish military campaign and which is now under Ankara's control, included displaced Arabs from other areas of Syria as well as Kurds from Afrin. The blast occurred in an area with many shops crowded with people buying their last provisions ahead of Iftar, the daily fast-breaking meal during the Islamic month of Ramadan.



Kurdish-Syrian authorities, who were blamed yesterday for the attack by the Turkish government, denied the allegations today, blaming Turkey instead.



''We condemn the vile terror attack that has struck a crowded shopping area of Afrin'', said on Wednesday morning Abdulkarim Omar, who heads the commission for foreign relations of the Kurdish-Syrian autonomous administration, which controls large areas east of the Euphrates.



According to the Kurdish official, quoted by Rojava Information Center, the attack yesterday had the ''objective of expelling what is left of the local (Kurdish) population''. For Omar, the international community needs to ''put pressure on Turkey to end the occupation in Afrin and all areas'' of Syria.


Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to be hospitalized for treatment of neck pain

Lockdown-like restrictions to return in Maharashtra? Here's what CM Uddhav Thackeray has to say

Maharashtra CM dials Yogi Adityanath, expresses concern over killing of sadhus

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Apr 29: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath over phone and expressed concern over the killing of two priests in Bulandshahr district, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.

The killing of priests in Uttar Pradesh should not be communalised like the Palghar incident in Maharashtra, Raut said, in an apparent taunt at the BJP.

Talking to PTI, Raut said Thackeray spoke to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and expressed concern over the incident in Bulandshahr.

Two sadhus murdered in Uttar Pradesh

"Uddhavji said when such incidents happen, we should refrain from indulging in politics and unitedly work to punish the culprits," Raut said.

Earlier, Raut in a tweet termed the killing of the two priests in Bulandshahr as "inhuman and brutal".

"Terrible ! killing of two saints, sadhus at a temple in Bulandshahar, UP, but I appeal to all concerned to not make it communal the way they tried to make Palghar, Maharashtra incidence," he tweeted.

"Maintain peace. The country is fighting corona and Yogi Adityanath will punish the culprits," he said in another tweet.

Uttar Pradesh sadhus' killing: Shiv Sena, Congress demand meticulous investigation

In Palghar, a mob lynched three men - two seers and their driver - on April 16 when they were going from Mumbai in a car towards Surat in Gujarat to attend a funeral.

Their vehicle was stopped near a village in Palghar district where the three were dragged out of the car and beaten to death with sticks by a mob on suspicion that they were child-lifters.
A 48-year-old school-bus driver was allegedly shot dead by the husband of a village chief here, police said on Wednesday.

The victim Dilbag Singh's son Jagroop alleged that Manbir Singh abused his father outside his house without any provocation on Tuesday night and then fired at him in an inebriated state.

Dilbag was first taken to a hospital in Qadian from where he was referred to a Amritsar hospital. He died on the way to the hospital, police said.

Superintendent of Police Jasbir Singh said the accused has been arrested and investigation underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Denver Zoo in Colorado welcomed two new lion cubs to its pride on Thursday, April 21.

According to the zoo, the cubs were born to mother Kamara and father Tobias, who are both four years old.

The zoo said both the cubs, whose sexes have yet to be determined, and Kamara, are healthy and bonding in a den box in the zoos Benson Predator Ridge enclosure.

The cubs are expected to join the rest of the pride in July. Credit: Denver Zoo via Storyful
It will be possible after the epidemiological situation is improved

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger agreed to make a joint visit to Donbas after the epidemiological situation is improved, the press service of Ukraines MFA informs.

"The Minister noted that Russian aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing occupation of Crimea should remain at the center of the OSCE agenda as the greatest threats to European security. Minister Kuleba praised the activities of the SMM and assured its continued support on the part of the Ukrainian government," the message reads.

Kuleba and Greminger also discussed the problematic aspects of the activity of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

As we reported earlier, the next meeting in Normandy format is expected to take place on Thursday, April 30.

"The video conference would take place this Thursday, on April 30. There will be all four foreign ministers. I thank them for agreeing to take part in the event. There is a long-standing need for a ministerial conversation in Normandy format, as we see that the decision of the Normandy Paris Summit is being stalled and we need to give impetus to its implementation in order to open the way for the next summit in Berlin where we will have to reach new agreements and follow a path to the end of the war, to de-occupation of Ukrainian territories and, finally, to the end of the Russian aggression," Ukraine's Foreign Minister said.
Korean businesspeople check in at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday, to leave for Vietnam, as the Vietnamese government has granted them exemptions from entry ban imposed to prevent spread of COVID-19. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



Korea and China have agreed to introduce a fast-track entry system allowing Korean businessmen to travel to 10 Chinese areas despite current entry restrictions imposed to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the foreign ministry, Wednesday.



This is the first time the Chinese government has reached a fast-track agreement with a country amid the coronavirus outbreak.



Under the plan that will take effect May 1, when Chinese companies or Korean firms operating in those regions apply for the special entry of Korean businesspeople who have visas from the Chinese authorities, they can enter the 10 regions, which include Shanghai, Tianjin and Shandong Province.



The agreement came after Seoul and Beijing had a video conference on cooperation on coronavirus quarantine measures.



"The Chinese government plans to introduce the entry system in the 10 areas first, where the two nations' companies are making economic exchanges and trades," the ministry said in a statement.



Businesspeople who will enter via the system are required to check their health condition, including temperature, for at least 14 days before departure, and undergo COVID-19 tests within 72 hours before their departure and carry health certificates proving they are not infected. Upon arriving in China, they will undergo another test and self-isolation for one day or two.



Meanwhile, earlier in the day, a total of 340 Korean businessmen departed for Vietnam after the Southeast Asian country granted them exemptions from its entry ban on foreigners amid the coronavirus pandemic.



According to the foreign ministry, the employees from 143 local companies, including 127 small- and medium-sized enterprises, left Incheon International Airport at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on chartered flights.



Before the departure, they underwent COVID-19 tests and all tested negative. Upon arriving at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province, 153 kilometers east of Hanoi, they will undergo a 14-day quarantine at their hotels before beginning work, May 13.



The exceptional entry status was granted while the Vietnamese government has banned all foreign nationals from entering the country since March 22 in a bid to slow the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, it also suspended all international flights to the country starting this month.



Although Vietnam had granted special entry status to workers from LG Electronics and Samsung Display last month, it was difficult for each small company to talk with the Vietnamese government about entry permission for a small number of workers. So the Korean government acted on behalf of multiple companies and discussed the group's entry with the Vietnamese administration. President Moon Jae-in also had a phone conversation with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc earlier this month and asked him to grant a waiver on the travel restrictions.



"It is the first case during the pandemic for Vietnam to have allowed such a large group of workers from different companies to enter at the same time," a foreign ministry official said.


The federal government says it has disbursed N43.42 billion (about $120.6 million) to 24 eligible states based on their achievements under the performance-based grant component of the World Bank-assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme in 2018.

The 24 benefiting states who met the eligibility criteria are Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Ogun,Oyo, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe .

Kaduna State, which achieved the highest results, got the highest share of the grant N3.96 billion, while Katsina and Benue got the lowest amount of N540 million each.

The programme, a $750 million wholly-financed loan facility by the World Bank Group affiliate, the International Development Association (IDA), was aimed at promoting the culture of fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainable development by sub-national entities in the country.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said these on Wednesday through the ministrys spokesperson, Hassan Dodo.

She said the disbursement followed the participation of the 24 eligible states in the recent Annual Performance Assessment (APA) exercise.

Mr Dodo said the assessment was carried out by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) as the Independent Verification Agent (IVA) in collaboration with a third-party firm, JK Consulting Limited, and the SFTAS Programme Coordination Unit (PCU).

The minister explained that the SFTAS Programme was established by the Nigerian government with the concessional loan of $750 million to support states through the provision of performance-based grants up to about $700 million.

In addition to the grant, technical assistance of about $50 million was also provided to enhance the capacity of the states to achieve the disbursement linked indicators (DLIs) by way of results.

Mrs Ahmed said the DLIs were derived from the countrys 22-point Fiscal Sustainability Plan and the 14 Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments to strengthen fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainable development across all states of the federation.

Eligibility criteria

On the highlights of the eligibility criteria (EC) the states had to meet to be eligible, these included the online publication of the approved annual budget and audited financial statements for the previous year.

Besides, the DLIs that eligible states recorded to receive grants included achieving improved financial reporting and budget reliability; increased openness and citizens engagement in the budget process; improved cash management and reduced revenue leakages through the implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA).

The other DLIs included strengthened Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collection; biometric registration and Bank Verification Number (BVN) used to reduce payroll fraud.

Also, the states were assessed on the bases of improved procurement practices for increased transparency and value for money; strengthened public debt management and fiscal responsibility framework; improved clearance/reduction of the stock of domestic expenditure arrears; and improved debt sustainability.

The World Bank-assisted SFTAS Programme is principally to strengthen fiscal management at the State-level so as to ensure effective mobilisation and utilisation of financial resources to the benefit of their citizens in a transparent, accountable and sustainable manner, thereby reducing fiscal risks and encouraging a common set of fiscal behaviours, the minister said.

She observed that the SFTAS programme could not have come at a better time than now given the dwindling government revenue following the declining oil prices at the international oil market as a result of the current impact of COVID-19.

The current situation of global pandemic, she noted, has further intensified the need for improved practices in fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability as enunciated in the SFTAS ideals.

The programme began in 2018, with only 24 states meeting the eligibility criteria set by the World Bank.

The other states declared ineligible for 2018 grant, the minister said, failed to publish their annual budgets and audited financial statements online within the timeframe stipulated by the SFTAS Programme Operation Manual (POM).

The other 12 states that missed out on the 2018 grants for failing to meet the eligibility criteria included Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau, Rivers and Zamfara states.

However, the minister said that considering that the SFTAS Programme has provision for different starting points, the 12 states could still participate in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 performance years respective if they meet the EC and DLIs in those years.
Sheep rustling has been on the rise since the lockdown began

The rationing of fresh meat in supermarkets at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in sheep rustling cases across the countryside, according to farmers groups.

Criminals gangs, seeking to cash in on food shortages caused by panic buying last month, struck at livestock farms across the UK stealing hundreds of animals.

In some cases they even butchered the lambs in the fields before making off with the carcasses to sell on the black market.

Police forces in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Cumbria have all reported incidents of sheep rustling since the beginning of March which makes the start of the new lambing season.

Rebecca Davidson, Rural Affairs Specialist with NFU Mutual, said there had been a spike in reported thefts, which coincided with the start of the lockdown.

She said: "Weve seen a spate of highly organised, large-scale sheep thefts which have been taking place over the past two months.

This suggests the cost of rustling is continuing to escalate, making livestock theft the most costly crime for the UKs farming sector after agricultural vehicles and farm machinery.

She went on: Worryingly, we have also received reports of sheep being butchered in farmers fields - presumably committed by criminals seeking to cash in on current public concerns about food shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"In some cases the remains of animals have been found by farmers walking around their fields with their children, which has been extremely distressing.

"These crimes, together with continued attempts to steal machinery and attacks by dogs on sheep as many people walk pets in the countryside are making it hard for farmers to concentrate their efforts on producing food to feed the nation.

In Warwickshire three people were arrested on suspicion of theft after police stopped a van and recovered a lamb that had been taken from its mother in a field near Long Marston.

Story continues

Last week a farmer in Broadway, Worcestershire reported the theft of 35 sheep while in Penrith 40 were stolen by a gang operating at night.

The thefts spiked in late March when many supermarkets were rationing fresh meat amid panic buying by shoppers.

Farmers believe the animals are sold to unscrupulous abattoirs or are even butchered by the bang and then sold door to door by criminals posing as independent organic meat suppliers.
Image: Reuters

The deafening rumble rose from the depths of the countryside, a welcome yet unnerving sign of life in a corner of northeastern Spain, where villages perched on craggy hills overlook vineyards and fields of olive and almond trees.

At the wheel of his tractor, a farmer disinfected the narrow streets of the village of Valderrobres, with a spreader normally used to fertilize his fields. The breeze sent flowerpots and chairs flying, but it didnt matter. There was a virus to kill.

Everything here arrives later, said the farmer, Miguel Angel Caldu, about the initial lack of testing kits and protective equipment in the area. Half of the health workers at the local nursing home tested positive for the coronavirus, and so did nearly 50 of the 60 residents, 12 of whom have died.

So every evening, locals like Caldu have been cleaning places like Valderrobres, a tourist town of about 2,400 people that is known for its 14th-century Gothic castle and stone bridge.

If we dont take care of ourselves, nobody will, he said.

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In terms of deaths, the coronavirus pandemic has hit Spain harder than every European country but Italy and has ravaged large cities such as Barcelona and Madrid. Less noticed has been the plight of villages.

Like small communities around the world, Spains villages are finding that their isolation is a mixed blessing. It may offer some protection against contagion, but once the coronavirus strikes, it can reveal the particular vulnerabilities that smaller communities face.

In Spain, despite a robust health care system and one of the highest life expectancy levels in Europe, rural areas have suffered from aging health care infrastructure and a lack of doctors after decades of urbanization and a lack of public investment.

Rural areas also have an abundance of older adults. In Teruel, the province in a remote corner of Aragon that contains Valderrobres, they make up a quarter of the population. Villages in the region, many with centuries-old ramparts overlooking the countryside, now have the appearance of boarded-up fortresses trying to keep their aged populations safe.

In other rural areas, such as the province of Soria, in the neighboring region of Castile and Leon, outbreaks overwhelmed for weeks the only hospital with intensive care units. Such rural stretches of Spain have among the lowest population density levels in Europe, and many there have long complained about being neglected and cut off by national authorities.

In one village in Teruel, the only doctor in the area interrupted his weekly visits after he had to go into isolation; in another, the only grocery store closed for days after the shopkeeper left.

In Valderrobres, where the closest hospital with intensive care in the region is two hours away, health authorities initially refused to test those at the nursing home who didnt have symptoms, said the mayor, Carlos Bone, even as it became the epicenter of a local outbreak.

When Bone bought tests and discovered that two-thirds of the staff and residents had the virus, regional authorities rejected the results because they came from a private lab and then conducted their own tests a week later.

In villages, its always It will arrive soon, or You will get this shortly, Bone said. In the meantime, were risking lives, and here, 35 workers are 35 people you know.

Bone, a former nurse, worked in the nursing home for two straight weeks because most of its nurses have had to isolate themselves at some point and he couldnt find replacements.

Like many other European countries, Spain has struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus in many parts of its territory. Unions are taking authorities to court after thousands of health care workers became infected. Soldiers have found residents abandoned or dead in nursing homes. But in remote areas, the crisis has accentuated a perception that the right to health care might differ depending on where a person lives.

In the areas that may have been neglected, the feeling of abandonment can be as much emotional as it is material, said Sergio del Molino, a novel writer and journalist who has coined the expression Espana vacia, or empty Spain, to refer to the draining away of people and skilled workers, and the hollowing out of infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

Confinement measures enforced throughout Europe have plunged other rural areas into similar situations. In a small village in the Lombardy region, the epicenter of Italys outbreak, a ban on leaving a town without a health or work reason has forced the national agency managing the crisis response to make multiple trips per day to the closest supermarket to bring food to locals there.

In France, which has long struggled against a shortage of doctors in some rural areas, an organization representing small towns has recommended that municipal employees deliver bread and groceries to aging populations.

In Spain, Aragon has received roughly as many tests per inhabitant as the Madrid region, the epicenter of Spains outbreak, but half as many masks per inhabitant. And mayors of isolated villages in Teruel argue that the masks that have been sent have mostly gone to Aragons larger cities.

There is an advantage in isolation, distance provides protection, said Angel Paniagua, a researcher at the National Research Council of Spain, who has studied the countrys most isolated regions. But when the virus hits, youre left with your own problems.

Del Molino, the author and journalist, said that resources had dwindled in many rural areas after health care was gradually decentralized to the regions in the 1980s and 90s.

In the province of Soria, about 120 miles north of Madrid, a death rate of more than 1 per 1,000 inhabitants has been more than double the national average. Local politicians have denounced the shortage of doctors after the hospital in the city of Soria had to almost triple intensive care capacity but without any extra staff.

We are not fighting this virus with the same weapons as in the bigger cities, Sorias mayor, Carlos Martinez, said in a telephone interview.

Regional authorities reported 44 confirmed coronavirus deaths in Soria in March, but Martinez said that the toll was surely higher. Total deaths from all causes in the province that month was nearly 250, he noted, up from 83 over the same period in 2019.

The numbers dont add up, he said.

According to del Molino, When you had a serious health condition in Soria, you were sent to Zaragoza or Madrid, referring to hospitals in larger cities. The pressure could be rationed in normal times, but its been impossible with overwhelmed hospitals, he added. Weeks into the crisis, neighboring regions have taken in patients from Soria.

In the province of Teruel, more than 500 cases have been detected, and more than 60 people have died. On a recent afternoon at the nursing home in Valderrobres, Esther Pitart, an 81-year-old resident who tested positive days earlier, sat in an ambulance, ready to be transferred to a center with more resources. Ill come back stronger, she said with a grin as she coughed and clenched her fist.

It has proved hard to know who is infected, as those who have the virus or symptoms fear stigmatization, locals say. In one village, some health workers isolated themselves in secret.

Its a taboo for us, many people are not reporting their symptoms, said Maria Teresa Criville Herrero, the mayor of Lledo, a village with less than 200 residents.

Thats the upside and downside of life in a village, said Maria Dolores Pascual Lahoz, manager of the nursing home in Valderrobres. Someone will always give you a hand. But she added that since the beginning of the outbreak at the nursing home, locals were also looking at employees with caution.

For those who have been contaminated, that has made the weight of isolation heavier, they say.

You can feel the virus in the air and you just feel so powerless, Conchita Esteve, an employee at the nursing home who tested positive, said from the doorstep of her apartment. For the elders and for yourself.

c.2020 The New York Times Company
AGM procedure depending on development of COVID-19 situation

Formal invitation with agenda and resolutions will be mailed and published as usual

Muttenz, 29 April 2019 - Clariant, a focused and innovative specialty chemical company, today announced that its Board of Directors has scheduled the 25th Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM will take place on 29 June 2020, at 10:30 a.m. at the Congress Center Basel, Messeplatz 21, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.

This follows an earlier decision by the Board of Directors to postpone Clariant's original AGM as a result of the fast outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020.

At this point in time, the Board of Directors is unable to confirm whether shareholders can attend the Annual General Meeting in person. While the Board has the strong intention to hold an AGM that allows shareholders to actually attend in person, this will depend on the development of the COVID-19 situation. Alternatively, shareholders may exercise their rights exclusively through the independent proxy. The Board will monitor the situation closely and inform shareholders and the public about the procedure in the usual manner.

A formal invitation with the agenda and the resolutions proposed will be mailed to shareholders and published in the Swiss Commercial Gazette (SHAB) on 5 June 2020.

Shareholders who meet the requirements in accordance with the articles of association of Clariant Ltd may submit agenda items and motions to be put on the agenda for the 25th Annual General Meeting before 8 May 2020.

"The Board of Directors looks forward to Clariant's 25th Annual General Meeting. Irrespective of how this year's AGM is to be conducted, the Board is fully committed to ensuring that the company's shareholders are informed about the ongoing implementation of the strategy and able to express their votes on all agenda items in a suitable manner," said Hariolf Kottmann, Executive Chairman ad interim.

Corporate Media Relations Investor Relations



Jochen Dubiel



Phone +41 61 469 63 63

jochen.dubiel@clariant.com Maria Ivek



Phone +41 61 469 63 73

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Phone +41 61 469 63 63

claudia.kamensky@clariant.com Alexander Kamb



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Phone +41 61 469 63 63

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Clariant is a focused and innovative specialty chemical company based in Muttenz, near Basel/Switzerland. On 31 December 2019, the

company employed a total workforce of 17 223. In the financial year 2019, Clariant recorded sales of CHF 4.399 billion for its continuing

businesses. The company reports in three business areas: Care Chemicals, Catalysis and Natural Resources. Clariant's corporate strategy

is based on five pillars: focus on innovation and R&D, add value with sustainability, reposition portfolio, intensify growth, and increase

profitability.

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MENLO PARK, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI Ventures, the corporate venture arm of SRI International, announced the release of Decoded Health's first telehealth app that uses explainable artificial intelligence technology to automate patient communication, and generate real-time, personalized, clinical recommendations for providers. By leveraging advanced machine learning and explainable AI, Decoded Health improves the capacity and quality of primary and urgent care. The mobile app can be used to assess any patient concern, including common illnesses such as the flu, as well as new illnesses such as the rapidly growing novel coronavirus pandemic.

SRI Ventures, the corporate venture arm of SRI International, announced the release of Decoded Health's first telehealth app that uses explainable artificial intelligence technology to automate patient communication, and generate real-time, personalized, clinical recommendations for providers. By leveraging advanced machine learning and explainable AI, Decoded Health improves the capacity and quality of primary and urgent care.

"We know that the shortage and lack of accessibility to primary healthcare, especially during this COVID-19 crisis, could be detrimental to the overall well-being of our nation," says Mark Hanson, CEO of Decoded Health. "Our new platform provides a unique synthesis of virtual and physical care that personalizes care for each patient and allows some of the physician's work to be automated, increasing their productivity and serving as a force multiplier to physicians."

Decoded Health has partnered with Vituity, a physician-owned and led partnership and one of the country's largest acute care management and staffing groups, to manage telehealth through Decoded Health's platform, for over 1.25 million patients in California. Patients are able to get immediate access to Board-certified physicians by downloading "Vituity On Duty," which can be found on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store . With its unique advanced analytics capabilities, Decoded Health can bring about tremendous efficiencies in healthcare for both telemedicine and in-person practices.

SRI Ventures has a reputation for capitalizing on breakthrough - or deep - technologies to develop some of the most recognizable technologies in the world. "Integrating explanation into deep neural nets without sacrificing their inherent capabilities is critical to rapid adoption in any expert-driven field, and medicine is no exception," says Manish Kothari, President of SRI. "Decoded Health will be the first telehealth solution that leverages explainable AI and machine learning to provide an inherently more intuitive and efficient platform for telehealth. The work is deeply aligned with SRI's core mission and we are excited to be part of Decoded Health."

"Vituity is proud to partner with Decoded Health, and bring our more than forty-five years of healthcare success to a broad pool of patients during this critical time. This expansion of care will deliver expedited and safe access to expert providers, inside and outside the hospital," says Rick Newell, MD, Chief Transformation Officer for Vituity.

Decoded Health leverages AI technology to collect and interpret data and patient documentation to save time for both patient and physician, and to help physicians make better informed recommendations. Decoded Health AI technology elicits patient symptoms, maps natural language documentation into computable forms, and finds key patterns in large data sets in order to present physicians with a grounded, organized assessment of patient disease possibilities. The physician can then choose a course of action driven by patient data to deliver the highly personalized care necessary for superior health outcomes. In essence, Decoded Health has created an intelligent virtual medical resident to serve as a force multiplier for existing physicians.

"In the American medical education system, attending physicians supervise multiple residents, who do the work of patient care guided by the attending's judgment and expertise," says Dr. Brent Sugimoto, family physician and Chief Medical Officer of Decoded Health. "Using the Decoded Health platform as a virtual medical resident, physicians have a powerful tool to help exponentially more patients than was ever possible. The crushing need from COVID-19 has shown that telehealth has a scale problem. Decoded Health is proud its solution can increase telehealth capacity and help the nation defeat the pandemic."

As of last year, SRI Ventures has launched over 60 ventures with a total market capitalization exceeding $20 billion. After years of successful completed projects, SRI Ventures has created a process to create deep technology ventures from concept generation through market development, team building, technology transition, partner identification, seed funding, and launch.

The founding team of Decoded Health brings together over 60 years of collective experience in clinical healthcare delivery, machine learning and health IT systems development. The team comes from organizations that have been at the forefront of technology and medicine including: Kaiser Permanente, Orion Health, Discovery Health, Rincon Research, SRI International and Nuance Communications. Decoded Health is leveraging this experience along with exclusive technology to build a product that fundamentally changes the way healthcare is delivered throughout the world.

To learn more about SRI Ventures, visit https://ventures.sri.com/ .

To learn more about Decoded Health, visit https://www.decodedhealth.com .

About SRI International

SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute, works with clients to take the most advanced R&D from the laboratory to the marketplace. SRI is headquartered at Menlo Park, California, USA. Serving government and industry, they collaborate across technical and scientific disciplines to generate real innovation and create high value for clients. The institute invents solutions that solve the most challenging problems today and look ahead to the needs of the future. For more than 70 years, SRI has led the discovery and design of ground-breaking products, technologies, and industries  from Siri and conversational AI in online banking to medical ultrasound, cancer treatments, and more.

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Users of far-right message boards coordinated an effort this week to inundate Pennsylvanias newly launched essential employee coronavirus complaint system with spurious messages.

Department of Health spokesman Nate Wardle said Wednesday that the effort contributed, at least in part, to a wave of inappropriate submissions. Since the form launched last week, the state received 5,000 entries.

Many of the complaints have been and continue to be inappropriate and not ones that would lead to an investigation," he said, in a written statement. "I dont have a breakdown on the number, but it has been significant.

The web form was part of the rollout of a recent order by Gov. Tom Wolf that took effect Apr. 19 requiring essential employers to provide personal protective equipment and ensure other measures to protect workers from the coronavirus outbreak.

Workers who believe their employer violated the order may submit a complaint, which is funneled to the appropriate regulatory agency. In some cases, the state police may issue a warning or a citation that carries a maximum $300 fine. As of Sunday, the most recent data available, troopers issued 18 warnings and no citations.

The preference is to have an educational opportunity first and to make sure the business is aware of the guidelines in place, Wardle said. Unless there are major, significant concerns, the goal is for actions to be informative and educational, not punitive."

Efforts to sabotage the workers protection system, first reported by Media Matters, appeared in a series of posts to the message board 4chan. In one, an anonymous user posted a link to the form with the comment: You know what to do boys. Another user chimed in with a screenshot of a racist entry.

Flood it and make it useless, a user wrote in a different 4chan thread.

Wardle said the web form will remain active despite the spurious submissions.

While the number is large, he said, we are committed to reviewing the complaints that are legitimate to determine where further education is needed.

So far, the state police issued just five citations, one against a business violating Wolfs closure order and four against individuals violating the stay-at-home order.

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.

Read the TAPPED OUT special investigation of drinking water.

More from PennLive

Is a meat shortage looming? Central Pa. grocers brace for limited supplies, price hikes

How many coronavirus cases are in your zip code? And what does that mean?

Will schools reopen to students in the fall? This may not be the answer parents want to hear

Gov. Tom Wolf talks about reopening Pa. amid COVID-19, nursing homes and going outdoors
As Moslems in the country begin the Ramadan fast, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has supported the National Chief Imam, Sheik Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, with a variety of items.



The items presented included packs of G Water products, boxes of carbolic soap, and loaves of bread.



In a press release issued by Mr. Nelson Kofi Akatey, Public Relations Unit of the Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the donation was done on behalf of the sector Minister, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, by Mr. Joseph Obeng Poku, a Director at the Ministry.



The release quoted Mr. Opoku as saying the donation was also in recognition of the celebration of the 101st birthday anniversary of the National Chief Imam as well as wish all Muslims a happy Ramadan.



It said Alhaji Latif, the Protocol Officer at the Office of the National Chief Imam, who received the items, commended the Ministry and the Minister for their kind gesture, say the donation was appropriate and timely.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Federal High Court in Lagos State has ruled in favour of Mrs Amuda Adeleke, a Lagos-based trader, over the unauthorised use of her photograph on a campaign billboard.

Naija News reports that Mrs Adeleke had in 2019 dragged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and Bukola Saraki, his campaign director in the 2019 general election before the court for using her picture on campaign billboards without her consent.

Recall that Atiku and the PDP had lost the election to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Also joined in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/./19, were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Peter Obi, the partys Vice Presidential candidate.

Mrs Adeleke had told the court that the unauthorised use of her photograph for the partys campaign caused her embarrassment.

She said: All my friends who saw the campaign billboard said it portrayed me as a woman stricken with poverty who had lost all hope and was prepared to commit suicide.

Adeleke asked the court to award N45m against Atiku, Saraki, the PDP and Obi for infringing on her fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

Delivering ruling in the case, Justice Ayokunle Faji awarded the sum of N5 million to the Lagos-based trader.

The judge said the money would be jointly and severally paid by Atiku, Saraki, the PDP, and Peter Obi.

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Melania Trump reminded Americans on Wednesday that, as the country begins to reopen, to continue wearing face masks and practice social distancing.

Her words of caution came after Vice President Mike Pence was criticized for not wearing a face mask during his Tuesday visit to the Mayo Clinic in violation of hospital policy. And as some states are slowly beginning to reopen businesses shuttered during the pandemic.

'As some states slowly start to open businesses, please be sure to check CDC guidelines, continue to practice social distancing & wear a face cover. We need to make sure we slowly get back to normal while still fighting to keep the virus suppressed,' the first lady tweeted.

Melania Trump reminded Americans that, as the country begins to reopen, to continue wearing face masks and practice social distancing.

The first lady wore a face mask in a social media post to remind people of the importance of wearing them to help combat coronavirus

Melania Trump has been an active presence on social media during the crisis. She encouraged people to follow CDC recommendations and wear face marks even as her husband, President Donald Trump, said he wouldn't wear one.

The first lady wore one for her social media post.

She's also spoken to the spouses of several world leaders about their country's respective battles against the virus.

And she's tweeted out information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and links to fun activities for children along with offering taped public service announcements with words of encouragement.

She had to cancel the annual White House Easter Egg roll because of the pandemic but she posted a video of herself reading on of her favorite Easter books - 'The Little Rabbit' - on Twitter on Easter Sunday.

Her latest post comes as Pence flouted the Mayo Clinic's face mask policy on Tuesday when he visited doctors and patients the Minnesota hospital, not wearing the protective covering despite the hospital requirement.

The clinic asks all visitors to wear face masks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, which is also a recommendation the Trump administration has made.

'Part of our protocol for ensuring your safety is to require all patients, visitors and staff to wear a face covering or mask while at Mayo Clinic to guard against transmission of COVID-19,' reads the Mayo Clinic's policy, according to its website. 'If a patient or visitor does not have a mask, Mayo Clinic will provide one.'

But Pence did not wear one when he met with staff and a patient at the Rochester, Minnesota, facility, nor when he visited a lab on the campus. Photos and video footage shows he was the only person visible who was not wearing a face covering.

He said he didn't wear one because he is regularly tested for the virus and doesn't have it. He added he wanted to look people in the eye and thank them. The masks cover the nose and mouth but not a person's eyes.

Vice President Mike Pence flouted the Mayo Clinic's face mask policy during visit even as others wore one

Token effort: Mike Pence ignored the hospital's policy that everyone wears a mask - but he did manage an elbow bump with Dr. Michael Johnson who was introducing him to survivor Dennis Nelson (right)

The Mayo Clinic deleted its tweet saying it informed Vice President Mike Pence of its mask policy

Vice President Mike Pence talks with a lab technician as he tours Mayo Clinic facilities

Vice President Mike Pence visits Dennis Nelson, who survived the coronavirus, and was going to give blood during a tour of the Mayo Clinic

Vice President Mike Pence said he didn't wear a mask because he doesn't have the virus

'As Vice President of the United States I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,' he noted, saying he is following CDC guidelines which indicate that the mask is good for preventing the spread of the virus by those who have it.

'And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you,' he added.

The clinic has had the mask policy in place since April 13 and even offered to provide one.

Pence was told of the policy before he visited, the clinic said in a Twitter post that was subsequently deleted.

'Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today,' the post read.

Dr. Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, sported a mask as did Mayo Clinic officials who accompanied Pence when he visited a blood and plasma donation center on the campus. Members of the vice president's entourage also wore face coverings.

During his visit, Pence met Dennis Nelson, a Mayo Clinic employee from Rochester, who contracted the coronavirus at the end of March and recovered.

Nelson made a donation and sat in a chair in the blood and plasma donation center of the clinic while talking to Pence.

Pence also toured the virology laboratory's labeling area, where he thanked some of the employees, all in white coats and masks.

The vice president also held a roundtable with local officials and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

All except Pence wore masks. And the officials observed socially distance guidelines when they sat at the table with several feet between them.

'We will get through this, we will get through this together,' Pence said.

Vice President Pence talking with staff who wore masks while he did not

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greeted Vice President Mike Pence when he arrived in the state; Walz wore a face mask while Pence didn't; the two men bumped elbows instead of shaking hands

Vice President Pence also held a roundtable at the hospital where participants - except for him - wore a face mask

The Mayo Clinic's policy on wearing face masks

When President Donald Trump announced his administration's recommendation to wear face marks on April 3, he said he wouldn't wear one.

'I don't think I'm going to be doing it,' he said, saying he didn't want to do such a thing in the Oval Office: 'Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens - I just don't see it.'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a face mask in public settings where socially distancing policies are hard to follow.
Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Two San Francisco supervisors are considering legislation that would turn open spaces around the city  including parking lots and parks  into spots where homeless people can pitch their tents at a safe distance from each other amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer and Supervisor Gordon Mar said Tuesday that they are working with the City Attorneys Office to explore the possibility of such legislation. The move comes as San Francisco struggles to lease enough hotel rooms for the citys 8,000-plus homeless population, and leaders desperately search for alternatives where the unhoused can socially distance from each other.
As some states move to reopen after weeks of shutdowns, infectious disease experts say the prevention of future coronavirus outbreaks will depend on scaling up testing and identifying asymptomatic carriers.

Now, eight Labrador retrievers - and their powerful noses - have been enlisted to help. The dogs are the first trainees in a University of Pennsylvania research project to determine whether canines can detect an odor associated with the virus that causes covid-19. If so, they might eventually be used in a sort of "canine surveillance" corps, the university said - offering a noninvasive, four-legged method to screen people in airports, businesses or hospitals.

It would not be surprising if the dogs prove adept at detecting SARS-CoV-2. In addition to drugs, explosives and contraband food items, dogs are able to sniff out malaria, cancers and even a bacterium ravaging Florida's citrus groves. And research has found that viruses have specific odors, said Cynthia M. Otto, director of the Working Dog Center at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine.

"We don't know that this will be the odor of the virus, per se, or the response to the virus, or a combination," said Otto, who is leading the project. "But the dogs don't care what the odor is. ... What they learn is that there's something different about this sample than there is about that sample."

A similar effort is underway at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where researchers previously demonstrated that dogs could identify malaria infections in humans. In a statement, James Logan, head of the school's disease control department, called canines a "new diagnostic tool [that] could revolutionize our response to covid-19."

On Tuesday, Logan said his research team expects to begin collecting covid-19 samples "within a matter of weeks" and working with the charity Medical Detection Dogs to train canines soon after. The goal is to initially deploy six dogs to airports in the United Kingdom, he said.

"Each individual dog can screen up to 250 people per hour," Logan said in an email. "We are simultaneously working on a model to scale it up so it can be deployed in other countries at ports of entry, including airports."

The Working Dog Center typically trains dogs, which live with foster families, at its facility in Philadelphia, but the pandemic is forcing it to adjust. To minimize social contact, the project is instead working with Labs at a K-9 training firm in Maryland, Tactical Directional Canine, Otto said.

Miss M., Poncho and six other chocolate, yellow and black Labs began the first stage of training - learning to identify an odor for a food reward - this month, she said. Next, the dogs will train using urine and saliva samples collected from patients who tested positive and negative at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The following step is trickier, Otto said: learning to detect the virus in a human.

"That's going to be the next proof of concept: Can we train them to identify it when a person has it and that person's moving? Or even standing still?" Otto said.

Exactly how covid-19 detection dogs might be put to use in the United States would depend on demands, Otto said, though no one's talking about stationing a dog in every hospital or testing site.

If the need is lots of tests, then Penn chemists and physicists might be able to use what they learn from the dogs to create an electronic "nose," or sensor. The goal of the Working Dog Center's research on ovarian cancer-detection dogs, for example, is to produce "an electronic test where thousands and thousands of samples could be screened in a short period," Otto said.

Other settings, such as fields where the center has trained dogs to detect the eggs of invasive spotted lantern flies, call for actual canines that can quickly roam and sniff, she said.

"The exciting area is the sort of convergence with what dogs are currently doing with TSA and screening for explosives," she said. "If we can do a similar approach for screening humans, then there will be a large interest" in using dogs to help flag people for testing, she added.

One potential complication: Explosives detection dogs are already in short supply.

"We don't have enough detection dogs. And if now, all of a sudden, everyone wants a covid detection dog? It's going to be challenge to figure out where are the priorities," Otto said. "But there's a lot of opportunity."
PORTLAND, Ore., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambia Health Solutions is pledging to donate the entire share of the risk corridor payment the company's regional health plans will receive from the federal government, after taxes and other federal obligations, to address social isolation and related mental health issues brought on by COVID-19 in rural communities.

Earlier this week, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling held, and the federal government is required to make good on the risk corridor payments owed to insurers promised under the Affordable Care Act. Cambia's regional health plans will donate any money ultimately received in the risk corridor case to non-profit community partners who are working to address the mental health impact of COVID-19 in rural communities.

"We are living in extraordinary times. Social distancing has helped keep people safe and prevent the spread of the virus, but it has also had the unintended consequence of creating social isolation, leading to mental health issues for many people," said Cambia CEO Mark Ganz. "Our financial forecast did not include this payment and we have decided to give every penny that we will receive after taxes and other federal obligations to address the mental health and wellbeing of people and families in rural communities impacted by this pandemic."

Risk corridor payments were originally designed as part of the Affordable Care Act to mitigate insurers' financial risks when they sold coverage to previously uninsured people through exchanges, but the government failed to make these payments for the 2014-2016 years.

About Cambia Health Solutions

Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is dedicated to transforming health care. We put people at the heart of everything we do as we work to make the health care system more economically-sustainable and efficient for people and their families. Our company reaches nearly 70 million Americans nationwide, including more than 3.1 million people in the Pacific Northwest who are enrolled in our regional health plans. To learn more about us, visit CambiaHealth.com or Twitter.com/Cambia .

SOURCE Cambia Health Solutions

Related Links

www.cambiahealth.com


Congressman Richie Neal and Greylock Federal Senior Vice President Jodi Rathbun-Briggs at Repro Systems on Tuesday. The family business got a Payroll Protection loan through SBA and GFCU that allowed it hire three people. The visit kept social distancing in mind during the discussion about the PPP program. Neal speaks with SBA Regional Administrator Wendell Davis. Also in attendance was SBA Branch Manager Oreste Varela and Greylock Federal President and CEO John Bissell. PreviousNext

Greylock Federal Has Made $23 Million in Payroll Protection Loans



Bryan and Teresa Cadran, who now own the company started by his father, were able to bring back two laid-off workers and will be able hire a third for an open position. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Repro Systems has been making signs and graphics for commercial and personal use for 40 years. But when the pandemic hit, the family business saw its workflow drop by 75 percent.

"I think it was like the domino effect," said Bryan Cadran, who runs the business with his wife, Teresa, and a few employees. "First the building community and then the graphics, so as some businesses closed or stayed at home, our production just dropped  just like a light switch."

Two of his employees were able to return on Monday after being laid off for five weeks and third position will be filled thanks to a loan through the Payroll Protection Plan, a nearly $700 billion federal stimulus program for small business passed as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

"The PPP loan ... we got it actually put into our account last week. So yesterday was the first day back to work full time for everybody," Cadran said.

Cadran played host to U.S. Rep. Richie Neal, chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, on Tuesday as an example of what the program is doing in his district.

"This is a good news story," said Neal, who last week managed debate on the next the second round of PPP funding that became available on Monday. "We tried to create demand, right? By putting money into the hands of people that we felt that would make its way through the system. And it has."

The first round of small-business funding of about $350 billion was exhausted in less than two weeks; this second round of $310 billion will have more cautionary measures to limit access by larger corporations, including a $60 billion slice for smaller lending institutions to aid minority businesses and others that have had difficulty in getting loans from larger banks.

Some $10.3 billion was loaned to 46,937 Massachusetts businesses in the first round of funding. The forgivable loan is available to companies with fewer than 500 employees to keep workers on payroll and is being invested through local lending institutions.

Greylock Federal Credit Union has processed more than $23 million within the community to date and supported 2,977 jobs.

"In this small community, that's a huge. We're one of the local institutions, all the other community banks are working hard on this program for you. And so we're gonna do our part," said John Bissell, the credit union's president and CEO.

"We're hoping with Round 2 we can bring even more funds into the Berkshires."

Jodi Rathbun-Briggs, senior vice president and chief lending officer at Greylock Federal, said a lot of the loans the credit union processed are less than $50,000.

"Our smallest loan was $1,000. And that thousand dollars to that sole proprietor is as important as that $2.3 million to a bigger business," she said.

She gave an example of one family totally dependent on their small business and how the mother was in tears on the phone trying to get just an $1,800 loan through the system.

"Small business is really the heart of almost any community in Massachusetts, but the larger businesses who are also employing, you know, 100 people, they're supporting 100 families," Rathbun-Briggs said. "This funding is incredibly important."

SBA Regional Administrator Wendell Davis noted that the first round of the PPP resulted in $349 billion in loans in 12 days, compared to $30 billion in SBA loans in all of last year.

"When you look at it from that perspective, it's remarkable how well it ran. I get the hiccups. But it's remarkable," he said. "And we couldn't do it without the public-private partnership. There's no way we had a mechanism to deploy those funds on the streets to small businesses without having 5,000 banks help out with that effort and we couldn't have done it without the credit unions and community banks."

Bissell thanked Neal for his efforts and joked that if he kept sending the money, Greylock Federal would keep putting it into the community.

Cadran is looking forward to a phased opening of the state (Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced an advisory board to develop guidance) and is starting to see a bump in projects. He figures he's down about 65 percent at this point but is glad his workers are there to keep up to date on the projects coming in.

He's anticipating graphics for stores as they reopen  for doors and floors as social distancing continues  and blueprints in the company's digital planning room that can be used by contractors and architects to store, update and print schematics.

"So I think the timing, I hope, is going to be good. ... If I didn't get the PPP loan, I wouldn't be able to bring [employees] back full time yet. We just don't have the work to support that right now. So we're focusing on setting up things that are going to help our customers down the road," he said. "It's starting already. I'm working with Prime Outlets in Lee trying to get their package together as to what they need to reopen."

Editor's note: the total amount of loans made was misquoted in the original version; to date, Greylock has disbursed more than $23.5 million.
Anthem (NYSE:ANTM) claims a dubious distinction in 2020. It's the worst-performing stock among the big health insurers (excluding CVS Health, which owns Aetna but generates more of its revenue from its pharmacy-related businesses).

But Anthem could be on the path to moving up in the ranks. The big health insurer announced its first-quarter results before the market opened on Wednesday. And its numbers looked pretty good. Here are the highlights from Anthem's Q1 update.

Image Source: Getty Images.

By the numbers

Anthem generated first-quarter revenue of $29.4 billion, a strong 21% year-over-year jump. This result also easily topped analysts' average revenue estimate of $28.6 billion.

The company announced Q1 net income of $1.52 million, or $5.94 per share, based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In the same quarter of 2019, Anthem record GAAP earnings of $1.55 million, or $5.91 per share.

Anthem reported Q1 adjusted earnings of $6.48 per share, up nearly 8% year over year. It also met the consensus Wall Street adjusted earnings estimate for the first quarter.

Behind the numbers

One of the biggest keys to success for a health insurance company is to gain more members. Anthem checked off this box in the first quarter. The company reported that its medical enrollment grew 3.2% year over year and 2.8% quarter over quarter to 42.1 million members.

Acquisitions played an important role in this growth. Anthem acquired Medicaid members in Missouri and Nebraska, helping to boost its government business enrollment by 849,000 lives compared to the prior-year period. It also acqquired third-party administrator AmeriBen, a move that helped increase commercial and specialty business enrollment by 452,000 lives.

Anthem's Q1 revenue growth was fueled in part by the launch of its IngenioRx pharmacy benefits management (PBM) business as well. In addition, the company increased premium rates in the first quarter to cover cost trends and the reinstated health insurance tax.

Another key to success for health insurers is to control medical costs in relation to premiums charged. Anthem checked off this box in the first quarter, too. The company's benefit expense ratio, which measures the cost of providing insurance to the premium revenues received, declined to 84.2% from 84.4% even with an extra calendar day in the first quarter of 2020.

Looking ahead

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting most companies in the healthcare sector. Anthem isn't an exception. The company temporarily suspended its share buybacks to boost its liquidity and financial flexibility during the coronavirus crisis. It also withdrew some of its previous guidance for 2020 until there are fewer uncertainties related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Anthem did, however, project that its GAAP earnings per share will be more than $21 for full-year 2020. It also expects adjusted earnings per share will top $22.30, which is higher than the average analysts' estimate.
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Benchmark Metals Inc. (TSXV: BNCH) (OTCQB: CYRTF) (WKN: A2JM2X) (the "Company" or "Benchmark") is pleased to announce that work to upgrade three bridges on the network of roads north of the Kemess Gold Copper Mine ("Kemess") is nearing completion. Bridge refurbishment will increase the load capacity from 5 to +30 tonnes, improving access to Benchmark's Lawyers Gold-Silver Project ("Lawyers") from Prince George. The work is being carried out by a consortium of stakeholders including mining companies and the Tsay Keh Dene and Kwadacha First Nations. The Lawyers Project is located in the Golden Horseshoe of north-central British Columbia, Canada.

John Williamson, CEO, commented, "Road improvements and refurbishment of these key bridges are critical steps toward more efficient and cost effective movement of heavy equipment, fuel and supplies to the Lawyers Project. We are very pleased to be working cooperatively with the key stakeholders in this region, clearly demonstrating the capability and strength of support from our partner First Nations. These supportive relationships bode well for continued success at Lawyers".

Road Access & Logistics

As a historic gold-silver mine site, the Lawyers Project offers a range of logistical benefits including full road access, existing cut line for tie-in to regional power grid, nearby airstrip and minesite infrastructure (see Figure #1).

Lawyers is accessed primarily by a series of branching roads, including the Finlay Forest Service Road ("Finlay FSR"), which begins south of Mackenzie, a small forestry town located about 180 km north of the city of Prince George, British Columbia. The Finlay FSR forms the southern part of the Omineca Resource Access Road ("ORAR"), an industrial road that provides access to Kemess and links to Lawyers, which is located just 45 kilometres beyond.

Proximity to Kemess has the added benefit of Lawyers being situated near an existing electrical grid (BC Hydro) that connects with the town of Mackenzie, BC via a 380 km power line.

Lawyers is also located only15 kilometres from the Sturdee airstrip, which is capable of handling large aircraft and was utilized when the Lawyers Project hosted the Cheni Mine during 1989-1992.

Figure #1 - Project map with local infrastructure





To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6169/55085_466e143bf431ebd1_001full.jpg

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Dufresne,

M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Benchmark Metals Inc.

Benchmark is a Canadian mineral exploration company with its common shares listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada, the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States, and the Tradegate Exchange in Europe. Benchmark is managed by proven resource sector professionals, who have a track record of advancing exploration projects from grassroots scenarios through to production.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

s/ "John Williamson"

John Williamson, Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Jim Greig

Email: jimg@BNCHmetals.com

Telephone: +1 604 260 6977

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 certain "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55085
Five security forces personnel were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants in the Nowhatta area of the city here on Wednesday, police said.

Militants hurled a grenade on a security forces' party around 9.25 pm at main chowk Nowhatta in the old city area here, a police spokesman said.

He said five security forces personnel, including a Jammu and Kashmir policeman, were injured in the explosion.

All the injured were shifted to a hospital, the spokesman said.

He said a case under relevant sections of law has been registered and investigation taken up.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
P.D. McClafferty is a US Air Force veteran with thirty years of service including a tour in Vietnam and involvement in both Gulf wars, a graduate (BA and MA) of Norwich University, and a former martial arts instructor currently residing in North Carolina with his wife and their two cats. He has published his new book The Fate of Heaven: an action-packed thriller that keeps the pages turning until the stunning conclusion.

Seven ships to conquer a world.

In the 23rd century humanity is now using implants, marketed as the replacement to cellphones, to give themselves a virtual heaven on Earth. Unfortunately for them, the Heuristic Integrated Sentient System, the AI that created the implants, has other ideas. After ruthlessly culling the population, HISS relents, allowing a few thousands of the most militant to escape off-world, only because the price of their extermination is too high, and not for the lack of trying.

Now, Sofia Franke, former crippled refugee from the planet Charybdis, is piloting the frigate CFS Virginia to attack the planet that gave birth to her race before HISS can attack the free humans again, finally destroying what remains of the independent human race.

Published by Page Publishing, P.D. McClaffertys engrossing book is a compelling choice for avid science fiction fantasy readers.

Readers who wish to experience this work can purchase The Fate of Heaven 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.
Fraud probe into Russian supercomputer designer completed

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

14:00 29/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 29 (RAPSI)  Investigation into T-Platform supercomputer developers CEO and shareholder Vsevolod Opanasenko and another defendant, ex-chief of the Interior Ministrys communications directorate Alexander Aleksandrov, has been completed, the Investigative Committees press service reports.

They are charged with large-scale fraud.

Investigators believe that Opanasenko intended to take an advantage in making a government contract amounting to over 357 million rubles (about $4.6 million at the current exchange rate) for supply of several thousands of computer workstations to Russias Interior Ministry and encouraged Aleksandrov to commit the crime. It is alleged that Aleksandrov knew that the equipment to be supplied to the Ministry did not answer its requirements.

Their assets worth over 200 million rubles were seized to recover damages.

AO T-Platform is a Russian company established in 2002 for designing supercomputers and delivery of a wide range of solutions and services for high-performance computations, as well as manufacturing of computers on the basis of locally produced processors.

Opinion of Russian Business Ombudsman

In mid-March, the Moscow City Court released Opanasenko from detention and placed him under house arrest. Russias Business Ombudsman Boris Titov welcomed the court decision relaxing preventive measures in relation to the computer designer. The decision became a new step in implementation of a new practice relating to pre-trial restrictive measures with respect to entrepreneurs, Titov notes. Nevertheless, he observed that there remains much to be done in this respect, and expressed hope that the Supreme Court is to play a more active role in promotion of bail as a preventive measure in cases involving businesspersons.

Moreover, the Business Ombudsman held to an opinion that Opanasenko committed no crime, as he had no opportunity to influence the results of auctions held in electronic form, performed all his obligations under the governmental contract and the parties put forward no claims.

Earlier, Titov turned to President Vladimir Putin asking his instruction to let him examine the Opanasenko case.

Titov was of an opinion that investigators had wrongly charged the defendant under provisions of criminal law developed with respect to those holding state posts, not businesspersons. Therefore, the Business Ombudsman noted, Opanasenko should have been freed from detention.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI / VIJAYAWADA: The problems of conducting pending board exams of classes 10 and 12 amid uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic were flagged by some state education ministers during their video-conference call with Human Resource Development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Tuesday.

Delhi went to the extent of suggesting that the pending exams be scrapped and students promoted on the basis of internal examinations conducted earlier.

Deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, who is also the education minister, also recommended that the overall syllabus across all classes be cut by 30% and in the next academic session, entrance examinations such as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Joint Entrance Examination--Main and Advanced be conducted on the basis of reduced syllabi in the next session in view of the massive disruptions in academic activities due to nationwide lockdown.

ALSO READ | Not feasible to conduct pending Board exams amid COVID-19 lockdown: Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia

However, some others such as Andhra Pradesh said they were ready to go ahead with the exams once the restrictions are lifted. Andhra education minister Adimulapu Suresh the state will release the schedule for the SSC examination shortly.

The exams will be conducted maintaining social distance and making students wear masks. Arrangements are being made in that direction, Suresh said.

The Centre took note of these recommendations but a final decision will only be taken after the lockdown is lifted, sources in the ministry told this newspaper.

MHRD also asked states to start the evaluation of answer sheets of state Board exams and facilitate CBSE to evaluate answer sheets of in their states. Meanwhile, the MHRD decided to increase the annual central allocation of cooking cost for mid-day meal programme by Rs 800 crore in view of the pandemic.

Academic session from Aug 1, says UGC:
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 03:43:03

EU MDR Postponed for One Year

Jane Liang, TUV Rheinland Greater China

Tel: +86 755 8268 1325

Jane.liang@tuv.com

As officially stated by EU Parliament on April 17, 2020, the Parliament decided to postpone the application date (May 26, 2020) of new requirements for medical devices (EU MDR/745/2017) by 1 year. This decision was made on the proposal prepared by EU Commission in order to prevent shortages or delays in getting key medical devices on the market, Parliament decided to postpone the application of the Medical Devices Regulation.

The adoption by the European Parliament and the Council of the proposal to postpone by one year the date of application of the MDR was published on April 23. With the publication of the EU Official Journal on April 24, 2020, the measure to postpone the application date of EU MDR 2017/745 by one year was put into effect officially.

EU Official Journal (EU Regulation [..]

Specifically, the new EU Regulation 2020/561 in a form of EU Official Journal was issued to amend the relevant texts set out in EU MDR 2017/745 to postpone the effective date from May 26 of this year to May 26, 2021. Eventually, the EU Official Journal has made the proposal by the decision-makers of EU organizations legally effective.

Following this formal decision, we are currently defining how TUV Rheinland will handle MDD certification for the next 13 months as an EU Notified Body for MDR 2017/745 & MDD 93/42EEC. An official announcement will be made separately.

For your information

EU Commision website April 17

EU Commission website April 23

About TUV Rheinland

TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded nearly 150 years ago. The group maintains a worldwide presence of more than 20,000 people; annual turnover is EUR 2 billion. Its independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all aspects of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, oversees projects, and helps to shape processes and information security for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, TUV Rheinland employs a global network of approved labs, testing and education centers. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.TUV.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200428006

EU MDR Postpone for One Year
South Korea, once one of the hardest-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, reported no new cases on Thursday, boosting hopes of an eventual return to normality as US scientists hailed the results of a major drug trial. The good medical news caused equities to rally, despite mounting deaths worldwide and abysmal economic figures caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Data showed the pandemic, which has killed more than 224,000 people, has plunged the United States into its worst economic slump in a decade, and has left Germany expecting its biggest recession since the aftermath of World War II. But for the first time since the new disease was detected there in mid-February, South Korea reported zero new infections. The East Asian nation had the world's second-largest coronavirus outbreak for a period after the virus emerged in China late last year. But with an aggressive test-and-trace strategy and widespread social distancing, it has managed to bring the spread of the pathogen under control. "This is the strength of South Korea and its people," said President Moon Jae-in as he announced the milestone. Meanwhile in the first proof of successful treatment, a clinical trial of the drug remdesivir showed that patients recovered about 30 percent faster than those on a placebo. "The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery," said Anthony Fauci, the top US epidemiologist. - Hope in Asia - South Korea's virus death toll is around 250 -- vastly lower than that of Italy, Britain, Spain and France, which have each recorded more than 24,000 fatalities, and the United States, topping the table with a third of global deaths. Other parts of the region have seen similar success in their fight against the virus. Infections have dwindled in China after it imposed extremely strict lockdown measures on millions of people earlier this year. Its official toll is around 4,600, although doubt has been cast on the figures' accuracy. Hong Kong, a city of seven million where there have been just four virus deaths, reported no new cases for the fifth straight day on Thursday. And New Zealand has declared the battle won against widespread, undetected community transmission. However the economic costs are beginning to mount, raising fears of an era-defining global crash and increasing pressure worldwide to ease lockdowns despite fears of a second wave of contagion. - Recession warning - The US announced that economic output collapsed 4.8 percent in the first quarter -- ending more than a decade of expansion. On Thursday, France and Spain both said their economies had fared even worse, contracting 5.8 percent and 5.2 percent respectively, while the Eurozone economy as a whole also shrank. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell warned worse was to come, and economic activity will likely drop "at an unprecedented rate" in the second quarter. Germany, Europe's largest economy, has succeeded in holding off the devastating death tolls seen elsewhere, but is still bracing for an overwhelming economic hit. Germany "will experience the worst recession in the history of the federal republic" founded in 1949, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier warned, predicting that GDP would shrink by a record 6.3 percent. The International Labour Organization said half the global workforce -- around 1.6 billion people -- are in "immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed". One of the worst-hit sectors is the aviation industry, but an unprecedented drop in demand for fossil fuels means global energy emissions are expected to fall a record eight percent this year, the International Energy Agency said. - Drug trial - Experts have warned that only a vaccine will allow the full removal of restrictions that this year put half of humanity under some form of lockdown. But there have been encouraging signs in the search for a treatment. Fauci likened remdesivir to the first retrovirals that worked, albeit with modest success, against HIV in the 1980s. The drug failed in trials against the Ebola virus, and a smaller study, released last week by the WHO, found limited effects among patients in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the disease's original epicentre. Senior WHO official Michael Ryan declined to weigh in on the latest findings, saying he had not reviewed the complete study. "We are all hoping -- fervently hoping -- that one or more of the treatments currently under observation and under trial will result in altering clinical outcomes" and reducing deaths, he said. While the world keeps looking for signs of progress against the pandemic, research is also revealing frightening new details about COVID-19. Britain and France have both warned of a possible coronavirus-related syndrome emerging in children -- including abdominal pain and inflammation around the heart. "I am taking this very seriously. We have absolutely no medical explanation at this stage," French Health Minister Olivier Veran said. Experts have also warned of longer-term psychological tolls on both children and adults after weeks or even months in isolation. burs-kaf/hg/axn
Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, with a large section of the economy shut down and tens of millions of workers in the US and around the world laid off and facing destitution, executives for the Detroit-based auto companies are continuing to pull in multi-million pay and incentive packages, according to recently released proxy statements.

General Motors CEO and Chairman Mary Barra remained the highest paid auto executive pulling in $21.6 million last year. That included $2.1 million base salary, $2.7 million in short-term incentives, and $12.1 million in stock awards and another $3.5 million in stock options, making her one of the 20 highest paid CEOs in the US.

Ford paid its top six executives $70 million last year, which was more than the companys net income of $47 million in a disastrous 2019. Ford CEO Jim Hackett led the list with total compensation in 2019 of $17.36 million, down a hair from $17.75 million in 2018. Executive Chairman Bill Ford made $16.76 million last year, up from $13.83 million in 2018. Tim Stone, the newly hired chief Ford financial officer, hired from Amazon based on his brutal record of cost cutting, made $8.1 million.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley made $14.45 million in 2019, about 400 times the $35,360 annual salary of one of the companys thousands of part-time temporary workers.

As a cosmetic gesture Manley said he would take a 50 percent cut in his salary for the next three months. As a point of reference, Manleys base salary in 2019 was $1 million. He will continue to collect the rest of his compensation, which was in incentives, stocks and non-monetary fringes. By contrast, 15,000 US Fiat Chrysler salaried workers will take a 20 percent pay deferment not to be repaid until 2021. GMs 69,000 salaried workers have been hit by a six-month, 20 percent pay deferral, while Barra will take a token temporary 10 percent pay cut on top of a deferral. The cut does not apply to her highly lucrative stock options.

While rewarding their stockholders and top officers, all the Detroit-based auto companies are carrying out cost cutting and restructuring programs aimed at satisfying the demands of Wall Street for ever-greater returns. In 2019, GM carried out a global restructuring, including the layoff of 8,000 white-collar workers and the closure of four factories in North America aimed at $6 billion in cost savings. It weathered a 40-day strike that ended in a sellout agreement negotiated by the United Auto Workers that contained paltry wage increases and sanctioned the expanded use of low paid temporary workers.

Ford is also into a major restructuring after posting profits of $3.7 billion in 2018 and $7.7 billion in 2017. It carried out 7,000 white-collar job cuts last year and closed several plants in the US and Europe.

Fiat Chrysler recently signed a merger deal with French automaker PSA Group that will involve massive cost cutting. It has recently carried out layoffs, including the elimination of a shift at its Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Detroit automakers have drawn down their credit lines to get through the production shutdowns and are reportedly burning billions in cash. Ford announced a first quarter 2020 loss of $2.0 billion Tuesday and predicted losses in the second quarter could hit $5 billion. While its first quarter sales were down 11 percent, the company had $35 billion in cash on hand, so it did not face an imminent crisis.

GMs profit report is due out May 5. Its sales were down 7 percent in the first quarter, but it had about $32 billion in cash as of the end of March. GM stock is up from its low of $16.80 per share on March 18 to near $22 yesterday, due to the massive federal infusion into the markets. Ford stock has also risen in recent weeks.

In response to Fords sizeable quarterly loss the Detroit Free Press wrote, Ford Motor Co. and its competitors have warned for weeks that their finances are teetering on the brink of uncertainty as a global pandemic continues to brutalize America and bring manufacturing to a standstill.

While the current landscape is grim, coming months promise to be unrelenting. This is Fords first quarterly earnings net loss since April 2009 during the Great Recession.

In an Automotive News podcast, a leading automotive analyst said, Youve just got to rip the Band-Aid off, in other words, the pandemic would force accelerated cost cutting and downsizing. Another analyst warned, The current external environment merely exposed Fords ever weakening condition 12 to 18 months sooner. Indeed, Ford had negative cash flow of $8 billion in Q1 2020, yet the lockdowns and shutdowns were only for about two weeks out of the 13 weeks of the quarter.

In a further warning shot from Wall Street, Fords credit rating was downgraded in March to junk status.

The coronavirus pandemic will inevitably be used as the justification for a new wave of attacks on autoworkers exceeding the cuts in the 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring of Chrysler and GM.

The talk of a cash crisis for the Detroit automakers raises the question of what happened to the bumper profits over the last 10 years? The fact is the auto companies have squandered billions of dollars enriching shareholders and executives through massive stock buybacks and dividend payments. All of this was taken out of the hides of workers who suffered a decade of falling real wages, the halving of pay for new hires and other concessions, enforced by the UAW whose top officials have been indicted for taking company bribes.

Once again the auto companies and their political frontmen are heading to Washington to ask for a share in the trillions of dollars in corporate bailout money. While millions of workers have been left destitute, auto execs are floating the idea of an incentive program to spur cars sales on an even larger scale than the multi-billion-dollar Car Allowance Rebate System initiated under the Obama administration in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial crash.

Always with their fingers to the wind, auto executives are looking for ways to cash in on the crisis. In an interview Sunday on a local CBS news program, Michigan Matters, Gerald Johnson, GMs vice president for global manufacturing, boasted that the pandemic had opened up new profit-making opportunities. Some people are no longer comfortable using a public transit situation, so a vehicle is part of their safety protocol, he said, adding that production could quickly resume at plants in Flint, Michigan, Ft. Wayne, Indiana and Silao, Mexico, which made the companys most profitable vehicles.

Despite the deaths of at least 24 autoworkers from COVID-19, the auto companies are working with their UAW flunkies to engineer an early return to work so they can begin cranking out profits again. Ford, Fiat Chrysler and GM are now planning for a May 18 startup date, giving the UAW time to tamp down the anger of workers over being made to work in an environment that ensures the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement Tuesday UAW President Rory Gamble claimed the union was committed to protecting the health and safety of workers, declaring, presumably with a straight face, that This pandemic may be unprecedented in our modern history, but our role as the protector of the working class is unwavering. As autoworkers are aware, the UAW is committed to the defense of the sanctity of corporate profits, not human life. It was only the independent action of workers who carried out wildcat strikes and other job actions in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Canada that forced the shutdown of auto plants in mid-March.

There is a fundamental conflict between the elementary needs of workers to decent pay and a healthy and safe work environment and the profit drive of big business that cannot be papered over by the phony declarations of the UAW and auto executives. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the incompetence and criminality of the corporate gangsters who dominate society and their paid servants in the UAW and other unions.

Autoworkers should begin now to form rank-and-file safety committees, independent of the UAW, to organize opposition to the rushed return to work and demand full income and debt relief for those who are unemployed or furloughed. These committees must demand workers control over health and safety, in consultation with medical experts, and free and universal testing and medical treatment for all.

Instead of another bailout to the giant corporations and banks, the auto giants should be transformed into public enterprises under the control of workers, with no compensation to their super-rich shareholders.
A person being injected as part of the first human trials in the UK to test a potential CCP virus vaccine, at Oxford University, England, on April 23, 2020. (Oxford University Pool via AP)

CCP Virus Vaccine Could be Available in Fall 2020: Researchers

Scientists with Oxford University say a CCP virus vaccine candidate theyre developing could be available by the fall of 2020.

Most groups working on vaccines have pinpointed early 2021 as the earliest theyll be available for distribution.

Oxford Universitys Jenner Institute is testing the vaccine in phase one human trials after it reportedly showed effectiveness in monkeys against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus that emerged from mainland China last year that causes the disease COVID-19.

After phase one, which involves injecting 510 volunteers with the vaccine and 510 others with a control vaccine, researchers plan on extending the trial to older groups of people before launching phase three with 5,000 volunteers aged 19 and older.

The best-case scenario is that by the autumn of 2020 we could have an efficacy result from the phase three trial to show that the vaccine protects against the virus, alongside the ability to manufacture large amounts of the vaccine, the group stated in a blog post.

They added: These best-case timeframes are highly ambitious and subject to change.

Scientists from the group told multiple media outlets they foresee the vaccine being available as early as September.

A person works inside the lab working on a potential CCP virus vaccine at Oxford University, England, on April 23, 2020. (Oxford University Pool via AP)

I have a high degree of confidence about this vaccine, because its technology that Ive used before, Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at Oxford University, told CBS.

One reason for the quicker timeline: manufacturing facilities are planning to start producing the vaccine even as its still being tested.

Massachusetts-based MilliporeSigma said earlier this month that it laid a foundation with the Jenner Institute for large-scale production of the vaccine candidate, a process that typically takes six months to a year. HALIX B.V. in the Netherlands is also scaling up manufacturing that will take place alongside early trials. And the Serum Institute of India plans to produce 4 to 5 million doses per month even before the trials are fully complete.

We are not waiting for the trials to get over in September in the UK, and then start production here. The decisionat our own risk and costhas been solely taken to get a jump-start on manufacturing, to have enough doses available, if clinical trials prove successful, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla told The Times of India.

Up to 60 million doses could be produced this year, Poonawalla said.

Human trials of the candidate in India are planned to start in May.
(Newser)  Nancy Crampton Brophy was charged with murder in September 2018 in connection with her chef husband's death. Days after her arraignment, it emerged that the 68-year-old romance novelist had published a 700-word essay online in 2011 called "How to Murder Your Husband." In it, she gave five motives for murderand court documents released Monday accuse her of shooting 63-year-old Daniel Brophy because of one of them: money. The documents state that Nancy Brophy stood to walk away with more than $1.15 million in insurance and worker's compensation money. She allegedly acted as her own agent in obtaining the life insurance policies, which she alone stood to benefit from, reports KPTV. The worker's comp payout was tied to the fact that Daniel Brophy was shot dead early on June 2, 2018, at his workplace: the Oregon Culinary Institute.

story continues below

KOIN reports the documents say Nancy Brophy was allegedly filmed by surveillance cameras in the vicinity between 6:39am and 7:28am, though she told detectives she was home all morning. The papers also outline prosecutors' theory: that in early 2018 she purchased a Glock 17 Gen4 gun at a gun show and a Glock 17 slide and barrel on eBay. They believe she swapped in the new slide and barrel, killed her husband, then reverted the gun to its original configuration, "thus being able to present a new, fully intact firearm to police that would not be a match to the shell casings left at the crime scene." The revelations came as she sought to be placed under "home detention" due to the coronavirus pandemic. OregonLive reports her bail hearing began Tuesday and will continue Wednesday. (Read more murder stories.)
Key workers tackling coronavirus staying in accommodation offered by Wrexham Glyndwr University

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 29th, 2020

Key workers tackling the coronavirus pandemic are staying in accommodation provided by Wrexham Glyndwr University  one of a series of support measures the university is offering.

The first workers moved into student accommodation this month and are carrying out key roles at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Each worker follows strict social distancing while using the accommodation, with the move intended to support those whose roles mean they will need temporary accommodation at the present time.

Wrexham Glyndwr University Director of Operations, Lynda Powell, said: We understand the demands which our key workers are facing and, with most students not currently in student accommodation, we wanted to offer it to the key workers who are helping to keep our NHS running.

We have liaised with the health board and other organisations to ensure we were meeting their needs  and have been very pleased to welcome our first residents.

We will continue to work with partner organisations both in Wrexham and across Wales to offer similar help where its needed.

The university will also be donating both further supplies and additional volunteers to a PPE production facility set up in Wrexham to help healthcare workers on the coronavirus front line.

The latest donation will see both raw materials and a further 3D printer provided to Hwb Wrecsam -as the facility is known  which is being operated by volunteers at Ysgol Clywedog in the town.

The university is among a range of businesses and organisations to have already donated equipment to the effort  after an initial donation of relevant equipment from the universitys Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology.

Alongside the physical supplies, a team of volunteers including both staff and a team of ten students are also on hand to lend their support to the project. Senior Lecturer in Engineering Martyn Jones has been working to co-ordinate both supplies and volunteers from the university with hub organisers, with the first Glyndwr volunteer taking up their role this morning (FRIDAY).

A team based at Glyndwrs OpTIC Technology Centre at St Asaph are also working to produce PPE equipment using 3D printing technology  and liaising with Ysbyty Glan Clwyd to ensure it reaches healthcare staff most in need.

Staff from across the university also collaborated to ensure PPE such as facemasks, gloves, aprons and more were donated to Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The equipment, which would usually be used by students on courses across the university during tutorials, was gathered by Rachel Jones, faculty engagement and liaison officer in the Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, and given to the Wrexham Maelor.

Wrexham Glyndwr University Vice Chancellor, Professor Maria Hinfelaar, said: Right across North East Wales, there are teams of staff and students based at our university who have lent their time, skills and more to help our community get through the current challenges it faces.

Whether that is offering our accommodation and facilities to help key workers and those in need, donating time and equipment to the effort to develop PPE for both the Wrexham Maelor and Glan Clwyd, or helping to boost the skills of healthcare professionals across North and Mid Wales, our staff are working as part of a much wider community effort.

Id like to thank both them, and everyone they are working alongside, for all that they are doing.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The principled leader the country needs. A spoiler candidate who would hand President Donald Trump another term in office. Not a true conservative.

Those were among the reactions shared Wednesday, April 29 after residents from Cascade Township learned that their hometown congressman, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, I-Cascade Township, is considering a third-party presidential run.

People from Grand Rapids and Wyoming, as well as a Gaines Township business owner, also had plenty to say about Amash, who has represented Michigans 3rd Congressional District since 2011.

Ive been very happy with how President Trump has been doing the last three-and-a-half years, said Scot VanSolkema, 41. The Cascade Township resident has supported Amash in past elections, and said he was drawn to the congressman because he followed his convictions and didnt always just vote the party line.

But VanSolkema has soured on Amash in recent years. He said he was disappointed when Amash in May 2019 became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against Trump. He was also critical of Amashs record in Congress, saying, He hasnt done anything.

Capping off months of speculation, Amash on Tuesday night announced on Twitter that hes launching an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Partys presidential nomination. In a message to his followers, he said the U.S. is ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together.

Amash describes himself as a constitutional conservative and a libertarian. He was elected amid the tea party wave, as a Republican in 2010.

Amash hasnt shied away from bucking the party line, and has been a persistent critic of Trump. He left the Republican party in July to become an independent, saying the countrys two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions.

Such principled stances have endeared Amash to people like Matthew Doak.

Im happy hes running, said Doak, a 39-year-old Wyoming resident who works in information technology for a healthcare company.

I think hes done his time and given it his all in the GOP. I think that he wants to do whatever he can to advance the cause of liberty, free markets, the rule of law.

Doak voted for Amash in 2010, but redistricting in 2011 placed his home in Michigans 2nd Congressional District. He said he was appointed as an alternate delegate by the Libertarian Party of Michigan for the partys national convention, which is scheduled to take place late next month in Austin, Texas.

Diane Capen, 58, said shes worried that Amash, should he run, would take votes away from Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic candidate.

Im concerned about how another candidate will affect the dynamic of the race, said Capen, a Grand Rapids resident who works as physical therapist assistant at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Liz Batdorf echoed that sentiment.

I have respect for him, the Cascade Township resident said. I think hes a fine person. Im just a little more liberal than that.

David Raehl, 67, said he voted for Amash when he ran for Congress as a Republican but wouldnt support him again.

I thought he had more conservative values, said Raehl, who was critical of the congressmans decision to leave the Republican Party.

Amash, who earlier this month said he was putting his reelection campaign for his 3rd Congressional District seat on pause, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In an interview with Reason, a Libertarian-leaning magazine, posted online Wednesday morning, the congressman said hes confident he can win the presidential race. I dont believe you should just run for fun or for messaging. I believe you should run to win, and to make an impact at the ballot box.

If past performance of third-party candidates is any indication, Amash would face steep odds in the general election.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson received about 3% of the popular vote in 2016, when he ran as the Libertarian Partys presidential candidate.

Some West Michigan residents say Amashs candidacy would enrich the national conversation amid the 2020 election.

I think choices are great for citizens, said Justin Buiter, co-founder of Railtown Brewing Company in Gaines Township. Weve been in a two-party system for a very long time. Its been a while since weve had a viable third-party candidate.

Buiter declined to say which candidate he supports in the 2020 presidential election. He said Amashs office was helpful when his business needed assistance while navigating the federal permitting process.

Theres a lot of citizens that are frustrated by having to choose one side or the other because I think theres a lot of middle ground that we as Americans can agree on, he said. Were just not getting that representation at the federal level right now. Most of the politicking right now is about causing divides and forcing those polarizing issues.

Read more:

Trump blasts Amash following presidential exploratory announcement

Meet Justin Amash: Michigan congressman exploring presidential bid as Libertarian

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash pauses his congressional campaign to consider presidential run
Indiana governor Eric Holcomb (R) issued Executive Order 20-08 for all Hoosiers to stay at home, effective March 23, 2020. In his address, he suggested that it would last two weeks. It continues to date, six weeks later. If you find yourself out of work as a result of the pandemic, you qualify for state unemployment benefits.

Lafayette, Indiana is an industrial town. We've got several factories shut down. The automotive plant  Subaru  paid its associates full wages for the first two weeks. When the lock-down was extended, workers had to file for unemployment benefits.

Those who find themselves in this dilemma tell me that the state check is $312/wk. To buffer the hardship, the federal government is subsidizing $600/wk of additional income, via the $2-trillion infrastructure initiative. My car-maker buddies are enjoying their seventh week of paid time off that doesn't cut into their accrued vacation time, to the tune of $912/wk.

One of them told me that before the lock-down, he was working ten-hour shifts and his paycheck was substantially less than the government benefits. He's pretty upset about that.

The factory that I am a production monkey in happens to rate as "essential," so I haven't missed a day due to the pandemic. The average paycheck for my co-workers and me is in the neighborhood of $600/wk. We know that all we have to do is cough and say, "I don't feel good" and immediately boost our income by 30%.

Some have. I have co-workers who have been riding that gravy train for five weeks. (That's a long time to have the flu  I sure hope they don't die.) Most haven't done that. I'm a Bible-thumper, so I haven't because I'm super-holy and righteous. But most of my co-workers aren't as saintly as I am, so I marvel at their integrity. Who couldn't use an additional $300/wk?

A buddy of mine recently made a comment to a grocery clerk there that some of the produce sections were getting sparse, asking if it was due to supply-chain shortages. "No," the clerk replied. "The people who work in our warehouses have discovered that they can stay home and make twice as much money, so we don't have anybody to load our trucks."

My gut tells me that's the whole purpose of this overhyped epidemic: to accelerate the mass's dependency on the government teat. It's a trap. I have a cursory understanding of socialist subversion, having once subscribed to "the New American" magazine. (I canceled  not because it wasn't good, but because I found myself being angry all the time.) Being a reader of American Thinker has also bolstered my awareness of the erosion of the moral underpinnings of our republic.

Most of my co-workers are more preoccupied with sports, girls, and cars than political intrigue. That's why I'm pleasantly surprised that the vast majority of them get up and go to work each morning, at a personal cost of $300/wk. I commend their honesty. Their integrity comes at a price.

I don't think the social engineers who concocted this poison and its antidote in the same laboratory factored in the honesty and integrity of the American worker. I suspect they have once again made the error of projecting their own wretchedness onto their counterparts.

This may no longer be Norman Rockwell's America, but there's a wholesome satisfaction in flyover country, shot through with honest people who are willing to keep their noses to the grindstone (to their own financial hurt) by virtue of stalwart character. It's cause for optimism.

Even though I'm holy and righteous, I do it only for brownie-points with my Maker. But these heathens I work alongside simply enjoy the fulfillment of believing they earn their pay and avoid exploiting the current crisis for personal gain.

Ecclesiastes 3:13: "[E]very man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God."

I applaud the virtue of those around me who haven't cheapened themselves at the behest of their would-be overlords. Sometimes pride in America is deserved.

Mike VanOuse is a factoryjack from Lafayette, Indiana. More of his writings can be found at VanOuse.com.
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There could be up to 22 emerging coronavirus hotspots in small cities and rural counties across eight US states that are lifting lockdown restrictions, data researchers have found.

An analysis conducted by data firm Dataminr used artificial intelligence to examine social media posts related to coronavirus and predicts the smaller areas where infections are set to increase.

The firm identified the areas based on clusters of public social media posts that directly referenced, among other things, firsthand accounts of symptoms, relatives who have been infected and testing supply shortages.

The small cities or counties - located in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas - had all seen an increase in the number of social media posts related to COVID-19.

There could be up to 22 emerging coronavirus hotspots in small cities and rural counties across eight US states that are lifting lockdown restrictions, data researchers have found

Those areas where the social media clusters were identified had not yet had a spike in COVID-19 infections, which the analysis suggests could point to them being emerging coronavirus hotspots.

In most cases, the data analysis shows the increase in social media posts occurring several days before the number of infections started to increase.

It aligns with CDC warnings that COVID-19 symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

The data used in the analysis only accounts for infections reported up until April 21.

In the week since, figures independent from the analysis show that infections have spiked in some of the 22 areas.

All eight of the states where the 22 areas were identified have either partially lifted, or didn't have, lockdown measures related to coronavirus.

In Florida's Volusia County there are currently 445 infections. Infections increased there last week by 79. The week prior cases increased by 123. Social media posts in this area spiked about two weeks prior to cases increasing

Vigo County in Indiana currently has 62 infections. It increased last week by just two infections but rose by 17 the week prior. Social media posts increased about two weeks before cases started to spike

In Indiana's Tippecanoe County, there are currently 95 infections. That's an increase of 36 cases in a week. Social media posts spike about a month prior to infections rising

Summit County, Ohio currently has 542 cases. The number of infections there increased by 157 in the past week and 91 the week prior. Cases started increasing about a week after social media posts there, according to the data

St. Joseph County in Indiana has 602 infections. Cases increased last week by 160 and 169 in the week prior

Polk County, Florida currently has 457 infections after increasing by 101 in a week. Infections spiked about two weeks after an increase in social media posts

Montgomery County in Ohio has 266 infections after increasing by 29 cases in a week. Infections increased about three weeks after an increase in social media posts

Monroe County, Indiana currently has 122 infections. The number of cases appeared to increase about three weeks after a spike in social media posts

Manatee County, Florida now has 563 infections. Infections increased by 120 in the past week and 166 the week prior. The number of cases appeared to increase about three weeks after a spike in social media posts

Lucas County, Ohio currently has 1166 infections. Infections increased by 313 last week and 257 the week prior. The infections appeared to spike about a week after an increase in social media posts

Lubbock County, Texas currently has 504 infections. Cases increased by 46 last week and 91 in the week prior. Cases appeared to spike about three weeks after an increase in social media posts

Infections in Jefferson County, Texas have risen to 288 infections. They have increased by 74 over two consecutive weeks. Infections appeared to increase about a month after social media posts started increasing

In Jackson County, Michigan the infections have increased to 342. Cases increased by 62 last week and 85 the week prior. The infections appeared to increase about a week after social media posts started increasing

In Horry County, South Carolina infections have now risen to 211. Infections appeared to increase around the same time social media posts started to also rise

THE US STATES REOPENING: Montana: From May 4 Missouri: May 4 Maine: From May 1 Ohio: From May 1 Iowa: May 1 Alabama: From April 30 Minnesota: From April 27 Mississippi: From April 27 Tennessee: From April 27 Colorado: From April 27 Michigan: From April 24 Alaska: From April 24 Georgia: From April 24 Oklahoma: From April 24 South Carolina: From April 20 Texas: From April 20 Advertisement

There are two areas in Georgia, which reopened last week, that the analysis says are hotspots.

In Chatham County, infections increased by 32 in the past week. The week prior saw 25 new infections.

Clarke County saw an increase of 26 infections last week and 14 new cases the week before.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp is pushing one of the most aggressive reopening plans in the US. Barbershops, gyms and nail salons were allowed to reopen Friday and dine-in restaurant service and movie screenings were freed to resume Monday - despite warnings that, without sufficient testing, the state could see a surge in infections.

In South Carolina's Charleston County, infections jumped 35 in the last week and 50 the week prior.

Greenville County in South Carolina recorded 144 new infections last week and 117 cases the week before.

In Lucas County in Ohio, infections spiked by 313 last week compared to the 257 cases the week before.

Indiana's St. Joseph County recorded 160 new infections last week and 169 a week earlier.

Last month, Dataminr, which tracks real-time data for the United Nations and other firms, correctly predicted 14 states where COVID-19 infections would spike within two weeks.

Chatham County in Georgia currently has 217 infections. The number of cases appeared to increase about a month after social media posts spiked

Hidalgo County, Texas currently has 310 infections. The number of infections appeared to spike about three weeks after social media posts started increasing

Greenville County, South Carolina currently has 661 infections. The number of infections appeared to increase about a week after social media posts appeared to spike

In Escambia County, Florida the current number of cases is 485. Cases appeared to increase about three weeks after the number of social media posts spiked

Clarke County in Georgia currently has 142 infections. The number of infections appeared to spike about two weeks after social media posts increased

In Charleston County, South Carolina the currently number of infections is at 438. The number of cases appeared to increase about a month after social media spiked

Bay County, Florida currently has 70 infections. Cases appeared to spike about a month after social media posts increased

Hamilton County in Tennessee currently has 149 infections. The number of cases appeared to spike about two weeks after social media posts increased

It comes as a number of states - mostly in the South and Midwest - lift coronavirus restrictions following weeks of mandatory lockdowns that have thrown millions of American workers out of their jobs.

Public health authorities have warned that increasing human interactions and economic activity may spark a new surge of infections just as social-distancing measures appear to be bringing coronavirus outbreaks under control.

Stay-at-home orders issued by governors across the US and subsequent decisions to slowly reopen state economies have turned into highly charged political issues in recent weeks as the shutdowns have hammered the nation's economy.


NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / In anticipation of an onslaught of COVID-19 cases, Haiti's president, Jovenel Moise, has created an historic public-private partnership, the Commission Multisectoral de Gestation de Pandemic COVID-19, to coordinate the country's resources and response to the looming pandemic.

President Moise selected Dr. Jean William Pape, founder of the GHESKIO network of clinics, to co-chair the commission, along with Dr. Laure Adrien, director general of the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population. The commission's immediate focus is on developing diagnosis and treatment approaches that are both effective and practical, in light of Haiti's extremely limited resources.

"The work of the commission will be critical to saving as many lives as we possibly can," said Dr. Pape.

Dr. Pape has developed a world-renowned reputation as a leader in combatting infectious diseases and saving lives. In 1980, his fight against infantile diarrhea in Haiti reduced the infant mortality rate from over 40% to less than 1% in just a year. He has been instrumental in the campaign against HIV in Haiti, resulting in a decrease in prevalence from 6.2% in 1993 to 2% today. After Haiti suffered the worst cholera outbreak in modern history, Dr. Pape led his team to serve more than 100,000 cholera patients. The protocols his GHESKIO team have developed are used to combat diseases in developing countries and around the globe.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Haiti is predicted to soar, with more than 300,000 patients projected to need hospitalization by August. The country is especially vulnerable to the pandemic, since many residents live in densely populated communities where self-isolation is physically impossible. Most of those in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities lack access to clean water and soap.

"Survival will require unprecedented levels of creativity, collaboration and commitment among all of our partners, with a rapid release of funds to fight COVID-19," said Dr. Pape.

About Us

About GHESKIO

GHESKIO, which operates a network of clinics in Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti, is an international leader in clinical care and research for HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Since the earliest days of the HIV epidemic, GHESKIO has been at the forefront of HIV response, implementing testing and prevention strategies and serving as the largest provider of HIV treatment in the Caribbean. GHESKIO has been a key leader in Haiti's decrease in HIV prevalence from 6.2% in 1993 to the current level of 2.0%. GHESKIO is also the Caribbean's largest provider of tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. GHESKIO is world-renowned for its research, with more than 35 years of continuous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for single-site clinical trials. GHESKIO is a member of the prestigious AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). GHESKIO researchers have published over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and GHESKIO-developed care protocols are in use in developing nations around the world.

About Haitian Global Health Alliance

The Haitian Global Health Alliance is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 organization that provides fundraising and communication support for GHESKIO.

Contacts

Scott Morgan

Work: 1 973 865 0128

scott@hgha.org

SOURCE: Haitian Global Health Alliance in support of GHESKIO

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587287/GHESKIO-Founder-Dr-Jean-William-Pape-Selected-to-Lead-the-Fight-Against-COVID-19-in-Haiti
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:

The European Union (EU), Sweden and Austria have allocated 1.16 million euros under the Local Development Initiative (LDI) to support the organic agriculture sector of Georgia, Trend reports with reference to Georgian media.

As reported, the initiative focuses on the municipalities of Georgia including Mestia, Lentekhi, Tsageri, Oni, Ambrolauri, Sachkhere, Chiatura and Tkibuli.

Farms, cooperatives, processing units as well as other actors along value chains can apply for assistance in the initiative.

"Support for Georgias economic recovery is one of the priorities for the European Union, said Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia Carl Hartzell.

Support under the initiative can vary from 5,000 lari ($1,562) to 15,000 lari ($4,685) per applicant, although applicants should co-finance at least 10 per cent of the total budget of their proposed projects.

"Agriculture is a priority sector for Austria's cooperation with Georgia, and in the middle of this crisis we see that agriculture is more and more important. Co-financing opportunities, experience sharing, agricultural input supplies and equipment to smallholder farmers and small-scale processors nowadays are one of the most important actions to economic recovery to be supported, said Austrian Ambassador to Georgia Arad Benko.

The Local Development Initiative is launched under the Sustainable Mountain Tourism & Organic Agriculture (GRETA) project.

GRETA is a four-year project which supports the development of Georgian small and medium enterprises, improvement of the business environment and makes new opportunities for earning income in mountain tourism and organic agriculture. The GRETA project started in 2019.

The total financing of the GRETA project is 6.8 million euros and is funded by the European Commission (3 million euros), Sweden (2.8 million euros) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (1 million euros).

"I am happy to note that the GRETA project has managed to continue and advance its operation successfully in the current situation and contributes to employment and income opportunities and sustainable development, said Ambassador of Sweden to Georgia Ulrik Tidestrom.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Pan Global Resources Inc. (the "Company") (TSX-V: PGZ; OTC: PGNRF) is very pleased to announce that it completed the final payment to acquire all rights to the "Al Andalus" Investigation Permit (the "Property"), adding to the company's Escacena project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southern Spain.

The property remained mostly unexplored since the mid-1980's.

Includes potential eastern extensions to Pan Global's La Romana target, where recent drill results include hole LRD02 with 20.55m @ 1.5% Cu equivalent, including 7m at 3.43% Cu equivalent; and hole LRD05 with 29.5m @ 1.29% Cu equivalent, including a combined thickness of 11m at 2.60% Cu equivalent.

Includes the historical mining areas of El Pozo and La Zarcita.

Includes the La Jarosa prospect where drill hole PJ-2 by Exxon in 1995/6 included 9.5m at 1.42% Cu (semi-massive sulphide) and not followed up.

Adjoins Grupo Mexico's Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mine area and along strike from First Quantum's Las Cruces mine

Hosts several un-tested gravity targets

Pan Global, reported on November 7, 2019, its Spanish subsidiary Minera Sabina S.L had entered into a binding agreement to purchase all rights to the "Al Andalus" Investigation Permit (Permiso de Investigacion, No 7950) from Strategic Minerals Spain, S.L. The terms included an initial payment of EUR 275,000 and final payment of EUR 25,000 within 6-months from signing. The purchase is not subject to a royalty and is not dilutive of the Company's share capital. The property covers an area approximately 3,367 hectares adjoining the Company's Escacena project (See Figure 1 below). Granting of the Al Andalus Investigation Permit is subject to final approval of the Mines Department.

Tim Moody, Pan Global's President and CEO states: "We are very pleased to have completed the purchase, slightly ahead of time, of the Al Andalus property. This is a highly prospective area with several large targets in close proximity to the Company's flagship La Romana prospect and Grupo Mexico's Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mining project and First Quantum's Las Cruces mine."





To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5190/55155_a3e2fa71e403ca93_001full.jpg

Figure 1 - "Al Andalus" Property location

Additional information on the property can be found in the November 7, 2019 News release. Following granting of the Al Andalus Investigation permit, Pan Global is planning further geological mapping together with geochemistry and geophysics surveys to identify drill targets.

Qualified Person

Robert Baxter (FAusIMM), a Director of Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Baxter is not independent of the Company.

About Pan Global Resources

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively engaged in base and precious metal exploration in Spain and is pursuing opportunities from exploration through to mine development. The Company is committed to operating safely and with respect to the communities and environment where we operate.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

www.panglobalresources.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

info@panglobalresources.com

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Chennai, April 29 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, here on Wednesday, told the District Collectors the government would soon issue orders for restart of industries in the 'green zones'.

Chairing a review meeting via video link, Palaniswami said in 'green zones, where there were no coronavirus cases the District Collectors could allow units to operate after the government order. "All business units can be allowed to operate in 'green zones'," said Palaniswami.

The central government had allowed cement, sago, sugar, medical equipment and steel mills to operate, he said and added, the District Collectors to allow them to restart their operations if they were not located in the banned areas.

The Chief Minister said the vehicles entering Tamil Nadu from other states would be monitored strictly at borders, and added, the coronavirus spread had been controlled in all the districts barring Chennai.

Palaniswami asked the District Collectors not to hinder movement of farm produce and lend a helping hand to farmers in marketing or storage of their produce.
Workers from Sunrun, a residential solar company, install solar panels at a home in Van Nuys. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

It's been six months since Dan Terre, his wife and their two children were forced to flee their home in Sebastopol, a small city near the coast in Sonoma County wine country, as the Kincade fire threatened to burn through town.

Sebastopol was ultimately spared. But even if Terre's family could have stayed, they would have been stuck without electricity for five days, the result of Pacific Gas & Electric shutting down its power lines to prevent them from sparking additional blazes  a fire-prevention tool made necessary in part by the company's long history of not adequately maintaining its infrastructure.

This year, Terre wanted to be ready with a solution: solar panels on his roof and a big battery in his garage to keep power flowing to his family's lights, refrigerator and pollution-filtering air conditioner the next time PG&E decided to shut off the electricity.

But as the coronavirus brought much of daily life to a halt, problems mounted for Terre's solar-plus-storage project. Sebastopol had closed its permit office. And PG&E had stopped doing the on-site work that many home solar installations need to move forward.

"I don't know how much lower I could think of PG&E at this point. But they're not even providing the basic services for us to be able to protect ourselves from their negligence," Terre said.

With California's next fire season just a few months away, companies are scrambling to install rooftop solar panels and electricity-storing batteries at customers' homes to help them keep their food cold and their phones charged during the power shutoffs to come.

But with most economic activity shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, solar firms say they're stuck navigating confusing local rules that have made it difficult to do business in parts of the state, especially the San Francisco Bay Area. Some solar workers have been ordered down from rooftops after neighbors called the police, even in places that have nominally allowed solar and battery projects to continue, according to Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar and Storage Assn., an industry trade group.

Story continues

Uneven enforcement of unclear local stay-at-home orders is just one problem facing installers, Del Chiaro said. Another issue is that some cities and counties have shut down their building permit offices, or are refusing to issue permits for solar and storage projects.

We could ask every single building department in the state, and there are over 500," Del Chiaro said. "And they would all have a different answer" about their ability to issue permits.

Then there's PG&E, the San Francisco-based utility company that filed for bankruptcy protection last year in the face of tens of billions of dollars of potential liabilities from fires ignited by its infrastructure, including the Camp fire, which killed 85 people.

Under pressure from the solar industry, PG&E ultimately changed course on rooftop projects, announcing that beginning May 1, it would start disconnecting and reconnecting customers like Terre who want to add solar or batteries to their homes.

"We want to make sure that obviously we move cautiously, and continue to keep our customers protected, and make sure that our field workers are protected in doing that," Maril Wright, senior director of PG&E's energy savings assistance program, said during a Public Utilities Commission workshop last week.

Pacific Gas & Electric vehicles at a PG&E service center in Oakland in 2019. (Ben Margot / Associated Press)

For the solar industry, local governments might be a harder nut to crack.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office issued a directive last month that included the electricity sector on a list of industries exempt from stay-at-home orders, but it didn't mention solar projects explicitly. The California Energy Commission got more specific on Monday, releasing a statement clarifying that solar and energy storage installers are considered essential electricity industry workers.

The Energy Commission "supports local enforcement agencies continuing to permit building construction and energy projects, including [solar] and battery storage installations for both newly constructed and existing buildings," the commission said.

It's yet to be seen if cities and counties might respond by making life easier for solar and battery installers.

In the meantime, companies continue to grate against local rules they feel are unnecessary and counterproductive.

Take Santa Clara County in the Bay Area, an early hot spot for coronavirus infections. County officials initially allowed installations only of solar-plus-storage systems, since those systems can provide backup power. Adding solar panels without batteries "should be postponed if the system would not provide backup power in the event of an outage," the county said on its website.

The county changed its policy this week, issuing a new shelter-in-place order, effective May 4, that allows all rooftop solar projects to proceed.

But to solar providers, the county's original policy missed a key point: that rooftop panels can help people keep their energy costs down at a time when millions of Californians have filed for unemployment and residential electricity use is up as much as 20%. Some solar installers offer no-money-down deals that allow homes to start reducing their monthly electricity costs immediately.

"We have been asking [Santa Clara County] to clarify that solar is essential, and explaining to them how we're very much a part of the electricity sector," said Anne Hoskins, chief policy officer at San Francisco-based Sunrun Inc., the largest U.S. rooftop solar installer.

"Small-scale solar counts as essential, as does Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant," she added. "The state does not differentiate."

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Rogelio Mora, left, and Tyler Smith install solar panels on the roof of a home in Camarillo in 2013. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Although some economists dismiss rooftop solar as an expensive sideshow to big, centralized solar farms that generate electricity more cheaply, it has grown rapidly in California in recent years, in part because of the cost savings it offers to consumers.

Federal data show that electricity generation from solar installations smaller than 1 megawatt  which mostly consist of rooftop panels on single-family homes, commercial businesses and other buildings  more than tripled in California between 2014 and 2019. The state got more electricity from small solar projects last year than it did from wind turbines.

California also hit its longtime goal of 1 million solar roofs last year.

And there are growing signs that small-scale solar could play an important role in the future of the power grid.

East Bay Community Energy, a government-run electricity provider in Alameda County, signed a contract last year with Sunrun for half a megawatt of "resource adequacy"  an important energy service that has long been the domain of large power plants.

Just last week, Public Utilities Commission staff proposed that utilities evaluating how much value they would get from small solar installations must consider the cost savings from not having to build new transmission lines to import power from faraway solar farms. It's a change that would help fuel the construction of local solar facilities that can help communities keep the lights on when long-distance lines are shut down to prevent fires, said Craig Lewis, executive director of the nonprofit Clean Coalition.

"Not only do you get cheaper energy, but you get the resilience benefit for free," Lewis said.

Like most of the rest of the economy, the solar industry has been hurting over the last two months.

The California Solar and Storage Assn. surveyed more than 200 of its member companies this month and concluded that 15,000 people have likely been laid off or furloughed, about 20% of the sector's overall workforce in the state. Smaller companies reported laying off a higher percentage of their employees. More than 90% of solar installers surveyed said business is down.

Brad Heavner, the trade group's policy director, described a problem where solar and storage companies can't develop a project pipeline without employees, but can't pay employees unless they have projects in the pipeline.

"The longer this happens, the harder it will be to crawl out," Heavner said during a Public Utilities Commission workshop.

It's not possible for solar installation crews to maintain six feet of distance, the public health guideline for avoiding transmission of the novel coronavirus, at all times. Carrying a heavy lithium-ion battery into a garage, for instance, may require two people.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduces the Powerwall residential battery at the company's design studio in Hawthorne in 2015. (Jerome Adamstein / Los Angeles Times)

But solar firms say they are minimizing risk to their customers and employees.

More than two dozen companies sent a letter to Santa Clara County outlining the steps they have taken to abide by public health guidances, including conducting sales calls online and aiming for "zero physical contact with customers" during installation.

Nate Otto, president of Hot Purple Energy in Palm Springs, said he's limited crew sizes and instructed workers to drive to job sites separately. He said his employees have been wearing masks and gloves since before it was required by Riverside County.

For weeks, Palm Springs refused to issue permits for Hot Purple Energy to install solar and storage projects. But the city changed course this week, Otto said, after he convinced officials that building inspectors could do their work without going into homes.

"Now they'll issue the permits, but it's still going to be slow," Otto said. "Just because of all the difficulties of COVID.

Unlike some of his industry peers, Jeff Mathias, co-owner and chief financial officer of Synergy Solar in Sonoma County, thinks solar-only installations are nonessential and ought to stop for now. But he sees solar-plus-battery systems as a critical backup power source for people worried about sheltering in place during the preemptive power outages that are likely to come this fall.

Mathias has been frustrated by a rapidly shifting landscape of city and county rules defining "essential work." He also pointed to a Santa Rosa retirement community where, he said, the architectural committee has stopped approving any new solar system designs. It's the type of place where some older residents may depend on electricity to power life-sustaining medical equipment.

"We have to get these jobs done before September, and every day we can't work is one more job we can't install," Mathias said.

Like Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's other big investor-owned utilities  Southern California Edison and Sempra Energy subsidiary San Diego Gas & Electric  both shut off electricity to some customers at times last year in an effort to avert fire ignitions.

But those outages were more limited. And Edison and SDG&E have continued to disconnect and reconnect solar customers as needed.

It's typically been easier to get solar and batteries installed in Southern California during the coronavirus outbreak, companies say.

The California Solar and Storage Assn. pointed to Los Angeles County as one of a few jurisdictions that adopted virtual inspections well before COVID-19. The cities of Irvine in Orange County and Oceanside in San Diego County have followed suit since the pandemic began. The trade group also lauded the city of Los Angeles and San Diego County for offering online permitting with quick turnarounds.

The energy storage business could get a boost on May 1, when the Public Utilities Commission starts accepting applications for more than $600 million in incentive funding for battery installations in homes that could see their power shut off come fire season.

The funding will be available to homes in areas that are at high fire risk and whose residents are low income, depend on electricity-powered medical devices or have seen their power shut off in two previous five-prevention outages. Critical facilities in high-risk areas  including police and fire stations, hospitals, cooling centers, homeless shelters and grocery stores  can also apply for incentives.

A home in the Jimtown community of unincorporated Sonoma County burns in the Kincade fire on Oct. 24, 2019. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

Rooftop solar advocates hope the Public Utilities Commission will get the money flowing quickly.

"This is the time for us to access that and aggressively go out and work with customers to help them be prepared," Sunrun's Hoskins said. "It not only provides a resilient source of energy, but it helps support these companies. This is a source of jobs."

Terre, whose family evacuated during the Kincade fire, was able to get solar panels and a battery  but only by skirting the rules.

He had a contractor install the system this month despite not being able to get a building permit from Sebastopol. The city reopened its permit office last week and retroactively issued a permit, he said. As for PG&E, Terre said he talked with a lineman who called his employer's work restrictions "bogus" and promised to come back next week to get everything ready to go.

Terre said he's long wanted to go solar and get off fossil fuels. The threat of blackouts made the decision more urgent.

"I want the battery because I want the security," he said.
Harris Teeter today announced it will donate more than 640,000 pounds of much needed nutritious protein and produce to help feed community members in need amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from its vendor partners, nearly 20 truckloads carrying more than 534,000 meals were distributed to local food banks in its operating areas. The Company will also launch a Round Up campaign to support its food bank partners during this critical time.

Harris Teeter is committed to being there for our communities when they need us most, said Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter. During this unprecedented time, we are proud to support our local food bank partners with their critical COVID-19 relief efforts. Our shoppers have asked us how they can give back, and this COVID-19 Relief Round Up will provide an easy way to donate change at checkout.

Harris Teeter and protein suppliers Sanderson Farms and Tyson, as well as produce suppliers Sol Melons, Ayco Farms, Inc, NY Apple, Washington Fruit & Produce Co., Seald Sweet International, Pacific Trellis Fruit, LLC and California Giant Berry Farms joined forces to support various food banks in its operating areas to provide hunger relief to families, including children, seniors and veterans, within its communities facing food insecurity.

Our retail heroes are working hard to provide our shoppers with the items they need most, but we also know many of our neighbors are struggling with food insecurity, said Robinson. With the support of our generous partners, these donations will provide relief to our food bank partners working around the clock to address the increased need for emergency food.

While Harris Teeter is serving shoppers and communities, its also committed to supporting its supply chain partners working hard behind the scenes to ensure shelves are well-stocked and families are fed. For every truckload donated by its suppliers, Harris Teeter purchased a truckload for donation and distributed the meals among Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte, N.C., Manna Food Bank in Asheville, N.C., Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C., Lowcountry Food Bank in Charleston, S.C., Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia in Virginia Beach and Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C.

Many restaurants are closed which means suppliers have a surplus of food service items available. Together, were able to divert this product from our landfills and place it in the homes of hungry families, said Robinson. We are deeply appreciative of the partnership and generosity of our suppliers.

Harris Teeters COVID-19 Relief Round Up campaign will launch in all stores on Wednesday, April 29. Harris Teeter would like to invite shoppers to round up their transaction to the nearest whole dollar at checkout to support this effort. The campaign will benefit Harris Teeters local food bank partners in their efforts to meet emergency supply demands.

Through hosting Round Up campaigns, weve seen that a little change can make a big difference for our nonprofit partners, said Robinson.

To learn more about the precautions Harris Teeter is taking and how the Company is supporting its shoppers and valued associates amid the pandemic, click here.

http://www.harristeeter.com

Harris Teeter, with headquarters in Matthews, N.C., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). The regional grocery chain employs approximately 30,000 associates and operates stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia
Freedom fighter and Gandhian



Hema Bharali, known for her efforts to uplift the condition of women and empower the marginalised sections of society, died at her residence here on Wednesday morning due to old age related health issues, her close associates said.

She was 101 and a spinster.

Her last rites were performed with full state honours here.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi condoled the death of the veteran freedom fighter and said that the state has lost a leading social worker and a Gandhian.

"Her life and works will continue to be a source of inspiration for the present and upcoming generations in the state," he added.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also expressed his deepest condolences.

"Saddened to hear the of noted Gandhian leader, freedom fighter and Padma Shri awardee Hem Bharali aaita's passing away. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members," he tweeted.

Born on February 19, 1919, Bharali had received the Padma Shri in 2005.

In 2006, she was awarded the National Communal Harmony Award by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

She also received the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial Award for National Integration from the Assam government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Avengers star Tom Holland is hosting a quiz themed around the Marvel Cinematic Universe to raise money for charity.

The quiz will take place at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 29 April 2020, and will raise money for his familys organisation The Brothers Trust.

Talking to Jimmy Kimmel via video link, the Spider-man: Homecoming star explained: The Brothers Trust is a fundraising vehicle that we use to raise money from the general public, that we feed towards charities that we feel need the light and the support.

But we felt a little bit uncomfortable asking people for money at this difficult time so we as a collective have been doing the donations.

He continued: The reason why were doing the pub quiz is just to galvanise people and to give people a sense of community and to kind of bring people together and just have a laugh and have a good time. Thats essentially what were trying to do.

Holland is hosting the quiz on his Instagram page, which can be found here.

The British actor is set to reprise the role of Peter Parker in the final film in the Homecoming trilogy, which has recently been pushed back from 16 July to 5 November 2021.
In this Friday, April 24, 2020 photo provide by the Alfred Wegener Insitute shows the German Arctic research vessel Polarstern in the ice next to a research camp in the Arctic region.

From delaying Arctic expeditions to canceling climate summits, the coronavirus pandemic is hindering global progress on fighting climate change and raising fears over a long-term hit to scientific research budgets.

"It's increasingly apparent that all kinds of science is being disrupted by the pandemic, from field work to theoretical studies to efforts to improve public policy," said Peter Gleick, a climate scientist and founder of the Pacific Institute in Berkeley, California.

"Every minute of disruption further delays the urgent need to tackle the accelerating threat of climate change," he said.

In the Arctic, a year-long expedition to study how global warming is impacting the region was interrupted by the pandemic.

The Polarstern ship had to temporarily break out of frozen ice, where scientists were collecting data, due to the abrupt halt in supply flights. The expedition will begin the mission again in mid-May after several weeks of delay and a loss in data collection.

The pandemic also prompted the cancellation of a separate Arctic expedition this year called EastGRIP, which studies glacier flows in Greenland. Greenland's ice sheet experienced record melting last year driven by global warming and is causing global sea-level rise.

Jason Box, an ice climatologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, said his spring expedition to Greenland to study ice melt will likely be postponed an entire year, putting a significant gap in his data record.

NASA investigations are also taking a hit. A NASA project studying loss of land in the Mississippi River delta and hurricane recovery in Puerto Rico have both been suspended. And a five-year NASA mission to study the impact of severe thunderstorms in the U.S. with high-altitude aircraft is now on hold.

Nearly every single research project underway this year from the Earth Observing Laboratory, which conducts hundreds of climate projects on topics from methane pollution to severe weather patterns, is delayed until next year.

Scientists worry that in addition to year-long project delays, the pandemic could devastate scientific research budgets in the long term.

"A concern is all the resources shifting to combat coronavirus will starve other parts of the economy to the extent that we see a curtailment of our climate monitoring work," Box said.
Rating agency S&P Global has affirmed its 'BBB+' rating with a stable outlook on Reliance Industries (RIL), saying the company's leverage is poised to improve and stabilise over the next 12-24 months owing to disciplined spending, asset monetisation, and resilient earnings

New Delhi: Rating agency S&P Global has affirmed its 'BBB+' rating with a stable outlook on Reliance Industries (RIL), saying the company's leverage is poised to improve and stabilise over the next 12-24 months owing to disciplined spending, asset monetisation, and resilient earnings.

Last week, Facebook agreed to take 9.99 percent stake in Jio Platforms Ltd, RIL's wholly-owned subsidiary. "We expect RIL to use the proceeds of Rs 43,574 crore ($5.7 billion) to reduce its net debt," Standard and Poor's (S&P) said.

The Facebook transaction, it said, will also enhance RIL's growth potential in the digital business.

RIL will team up with Facebook to accelerate the launch of its JioMart e-commerce platform on Facebook's WhatsApp application.

"We expect the operating performance of RIL to remain resilient over the next two years, driven by the company's prominent domestic market position in the digital and retail segments," S&P Global said.

Click here to follow LIVE news and updates on stock markets

The agency said it has affirmed its rating on RIL with stable outlook because it believes the company's leverage is poised to improve and stabilise over the next 12-24 months owing to disciplined spending, asset monetization, and resilient earnings.

RIL's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) from its digital and retail segments has grown significantly from Rs 9,300 crore in fiscal 2018 (year ended March 31, 2018) to an estimated Rs 31,500 crore in FY20.

Coupled with investments with key partners, such as Facebook, RIL's earnings from the digital and retail segments will likely grow at a 15 percent compounded annualised rate over the next three years, it said.

Separately, RIL has in August 2019 received a non-binding letter of intent from Saudi Aramco (Aramco) for acquiring a 20 percent stake in RIL's oil-to-chemicals business.

The rating agency said the finalisation of the Aramco deal would be credit positive for RIL, provided the company largely uses the proceeds to lower its debt.

It expected RIL to continue to follow a prudent financial policy in the current volatile market.

After a peak in the company's capital expenditure (capex) at Rs 93,600 crore in FY19, the company's capex is estimated to have declined to about Rs 63,000 crore in FY20.

"We expect RIL to lower its investments over the next two years toward Rs 50,000 crore per year," it said.

The company is likely to prioritise investments in the digital segment while reducing investments in energy segments to those related to maintenance, the agency said.

RIL's resilient earnings from its digital and retail segments should offset earnings downside from the energy division.

RIL's prominent and growing presence in the digital and retail segments should support its EBITDA, S&P said estimating a near-50 percent EBITDA growth in the firm's digital and retail segments in FY20.

The segments will account for about 40 percent of total EBITDA, compared with just 3 percent in FY17.

"We, therefore, believe the company's strategy of transforming its upstream energy focus to domestic consumption-driven businesses has been successful," it said.

Setbacks from shutdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and possible further downside pressure on India's domestic market could constrain RIL's credit profile, it said.

RIL's prominent domestic market position in the digital and retail segments will reduce its operational volatility because dependence on the cyclical oil refining and petrochemical businesses will subside, it added.

"The stable outlook reflects our expectation that RIL's strengthening cash flows amid disciplined spending will improve its debt-to-EBITDA ratio toward 2.0x over the next 12-24 months.

We assume the company will primarily use proceeds from the 9.99 percent stake sale in Jio Platforms for deleveraging," it noted.

(Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Firstpost)
I trust, I have surrendered  with these words was announced the passing away of Irrfan Khan, one of Indias brilliant actors and the face of the middle class Indian hero. Irrfan may have lost his battle with a rare form of cancer, but he has left behind a rich legacy of films and unforgettable characters. Incidentally, Irrfans latest release, Angrezi Medium, was the last film released in theatres in India before cinema halls were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with being a successful actor, Irrfan was also the face of almost 20 brands  from Mastercard, Syska LED, Edelweiss, Cavin Kares Indica Easy hair colour, Aegon Religare Life Insurance to Vodafone, Ceat Tyres, Lava Internationals Xolo, IndiaMart and Treebo, among others. In the case of Mastercard, he was the first Indian brand ambassador to promote their services.

Irrfan was one of the non-controversial actors with a clean reputation and an image that middle class India could relate to easily. Besides, his exceptional acting talent and impeccable dialogue delivery made him a favourite with brands.

Brands felt that the actor lent a kind of honesty, a popular celebrity with no starry airs, and helped them build a connect with consumers in both urban and small town markets, thereby bringing forth shared synergies, values and beliefs.
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Wednesday, April 29, and next school year could get off to an early start. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

Emergency room nurse Christa Duran starts getting ready for her early morning shifts at San Francisco General Hospital the night before. She follows a carefully coordinated routine of packing, sanitizing  and preparing for the worst. With a husband and two little kids at home, the consequences of exposure to the coronavirus  even to just one tiny droplet  could be devastating.

This is what its like to be a nurse during a pandemic.

Nonemergency slowdown: As shelter in place continues, health care workers at Stanford, UCSF Childrens Hospital and Marin General Hospital have lost hours and pay.

Weeks, not months

California schools could reopen this summer to help make up for a learning loss caused by early closures and a switch to online classes in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.

We believe we are weeks, not months, away from making meaningful modifications to the statewide stay-at-home order, Newsom said during the briefing, but he did not give a date and said any changes would likely come in phases.

More:

From bad to worse: California schools face devastating budget cuts due to coronavirus crisis.

Businesses on edge: 71% of Bay Area CEOs and executive leaders surveyed want shelter in place lifted in the next month but generally agreed with regions response.

From the ashes

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Is this the flag redesign San Francisco needs right now?

When the coronavirus threat grew earlier this year, Brian Stokle almost abandoned plans to debut his idea for a new San Francisco flag. With fear rising in the community, and lives at stake, who would have the time for such an esoteric and frivolous diversion?

But the bird on the logo kept staring back at him, suggesting the opposite may be true. Peter Hartlaub reports on why Stolkes design is now waving from more than two dozen homes across multiple S.F. neighborhoods.

Fewer meat choices

Is the coronavirus crisis pushing the U.S. toward a meat shortage? Not quite.

Theres not a shortage of meat itself, Esther Mobley writes, though interruptions to the supply chain mean that its taking longer than usual for meat  especially pork  to get from a farm to your grocery store shelf.

Why is the supply chain interrupted? Many large meat processing plants have had to close down temporarily because of COVID-19 outbreaks among workers. Those that remain open have had to slow down their typical operations.

While President Trump says he will order meat processing plants to stay open, an estimated 6,500 people have been sickened and union officials say more must be done to protect their safety.

Read more.

More: Advocates urge online orders, delivery for California WIC recipients.

Full coronavirus coverage

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

All hands on deck: The global crisis has spurred an unprecedented call to action in academia, especially in the Bay Area.

Testing and more testing: UCSF and Stanford in May will launch two of the nations first large-scale, long-term coronavirus studies, following participants over several months. The data could shape how and when California reopens the economy.

Not what they paid for: UC, Cal State students file lawsuits over spring-term campus fees.

Reaction to lawsuit: Ticketmaster agrees to refunds on certain concerts postponed by coronavirus.

Around the Bay

 Over our dead bodies: S.F.s Muni approves fare increases and Supervisor Aaron Peskin vows to stop them.

 Joshua Pawlik case: Oakland settles lawsuit and will pay $1.4 million to family of man killed by police in 2018.

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.

 More Alphabet: Googles business grows despite coronavirus, hiring slowdown.

 Off-season mode: Warriors operating under belief that their season is over.

 Fair elections in a crisis: How can California improve confidence in elections? Count the vote faster.

 Losing money before the pandemic: Uber CTO departs as company considers laying off 5,400 staffers.

 1,100 units: Balboa Reservoir developers, San Francisco strike deal for housing.

 Grisly find in the Sunset: Dismembered body may be linked to South San Francisco carjacking, police shooting.

Answering your questions

Were still getting plenty of questions and suggestions in our Assignment Editor survey from readers who want to know about the coronavirus and its impact on the Bay Area. While we cant respond to every single one, theyve been helping direct our coverage and updates to our coronavirus tracker. Heres a few recent questions and best answers we have at the moment:

I haven't heard anything about when the courts will be operating. Is that a county-by-county decision or will it be statewide?

Local courts shut down earlier in the pandemic on a county-by-county basis. Some proceedings are still going forward on an emergency basis but policies also vary by county. However, all jury trials in California have been postponed for at least 60 days. Read more.

Whats going to happen in fire season?

The prospect of dangerous wildfires at the same time as an outbreak is weighing heavily on the minds of emergency officials in California. Some communities have already started planning how they would respond to such a dual disaster, especially in situations where people need emergency shelter. J.D. Morris wrote about it in March.

How do I get my stimulus check?

If you havent seen a stimulus payment via direct deposit, you may be waiting for a paper check. Kathleen Pender and Carolyn Said have an overview of who qualifies for the payment as well as the tool the IRS recently updated that may help you get the payment faster.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
U.S. President Trump hosts meeting with healthcare executives at the White House in Washington

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) - The United States has reported more than a million coronavirus infections only because of its testing, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, hailing the effort as being "much better than any other country in the world".

The Twitter comments came amid warnings from state public health officials that shortages of trained workers and materials have limited testing capacity.

"The only reason the U.S. has reported one million cases of coronavirus is that our testing is sooo much better than any other country in the world," Trump said on Twitter.

"Other countries are way behind us in testing, and therefore show far fewer cases."

A Reuters tally https://reut.rs/2WVPxuE shows the United States has by far the world's largest number of confirmed cases at more than a million, with total deaths topping 58,000 by late Tuesday.

Cases exceeded 3.1 million worldwide, with more than 216,000 deaths, Reuters calculations show https://tmsnrt.rs/3cBeEYg.

TESTS FOR THOSE IN NEED

The rise pressures efforts to boost testing capacity and health officials flagged the challenge of getting tests to those who need them most.

"One of the problems has been is the tests getting to the people who need them," U.S. infectious diseases expert and health official Anthony Fauci told CNN in an interview on Tuesday.

Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said every American in need of a virus test should be able to get one by the end of May or the beginning of June.

"Everyone who needs a test, according to the way we're approaching the identification, isolation, contact tracing - keeping the country safe and healthy, hopefully, we should see that as we get toward the end of May, the beginning of June," Fauci said.

The virus has taken an unprecedented toll of the U.S. economy, with a likely contraction in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession, as stringent measures to slow the virus spread almost shut down the nation, ending the longest expansion in its history. [nL2N2CG0P7]

Story continues

The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits over the past five weeks has soared to 26.5 million, or nearly one in six U.S. workers, and the Trump administration has forecast an April unemployment rate exceeding 16%.

(Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.)

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, was supposed to discuss the novel coronavirus pandemic with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a virtual meeting last week. But he quickly pivoted to the controversial subject of the South China Sea.

Secretary Pompeo directed the conversation to the U.S. geopolitical battle with China, calling the Chinese Communist Partys recent actions as provocative behavior.

It is important to highlight how the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting the worlds focus on the COVID-19 crisis by continuing its provocative behavior, Pompeo said. The CCP is exerting military pressure and coercing its neighbors in the SCS, even going so far as to sink a Vietnamese fishing vessel.

Secretary Pompeo was referring to collisions between Vietnamese fishing boats with Chinese coastguard vessel in the South China Sea, a recent standoff between the Malaysian and Chinese coast guards, and, most recently, Beijings move to turn artificial islands in the contested Paracel islands into an administrative region under Hainan Province.

The U.S. strongly opposes Chinas bullying and we hope other nations will hold them to account too, Pompeo told the 10-nation bloc.

A ruling in 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration challenged Chinas claims in the South China Sea, but its non-binding nature did little to bring any change of the status quo at the sea.

And with Washingtons renewed calls for the Southeast Asian countries to speak, analysts and observers have mixed views on whether the U.S. could rally ASEAN countries  four of which are direct claimants to the maritime territory  to speak up and stand up to China.

The question is how does the U.S. rally Southeast Asian countries to put a stop to these incursions when China has become an intrinsic part of the investment and economic systems in the 10-nation bloc.

Vietnam, one of the foremost challengers to Chinas nine-dash lines claim to large swathes of the seas, had been one an active supporter for the U.S. push to contain China.

Wasting no time, Hanois Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh endorsed Pompeos talking points. While we are all doubling our efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, we should not lose sight of issues that have long-term implications for peace, security, and stability in the region, said Vietnams chief diplomat.

It wasnt immediately clear if Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who attended the online meeting, had responded to Pompeo or even talked about the South China Sea. A spokesperson for the ministry did not respond to a request for comment. A statement released after the call also makes no mention of the contested seas or Pompeos comments, except for a single, vaguely-worded sentence about regional security.

The Meeting also touched upon regional issues pertaining to peace and security in the region and beyond, the statement reads.

But things got a lot clearer on Monday when Prak Sokhonn spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who in no unclear terms rejected the polarization of the region, though without naming the U.S.

His Excellency Wang Yi thanks Cambodia for opposing the politicization and the blame game at the time we need unity to deal with such common threat to mankind, Cambodias Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement. This is time for unity not polarization.

The Chinese foreign minister also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Hun Sen to visit, Wuhan, China, where the virus is believed to have originated. Hun Sen had expressed an intention to go to Wuhan to meet stranded Cambodian students, only to be redirected to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, a symbol of Cambodias continuing camaraderie with China.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the acute tensions between the U.S. and China. Setting aside the trade war, the pandemic has seen the U.S. administration attempt to pin the blame for the viruss spread on China. The Asian superpower in return has focused more on aid diplomacy to help countries, including Cambodia, deal with their domestic viral outbreaks.

The events of the South China Sea are just the latest in a string of events in the last months that suggest a more strained relationship between the two largest economies in the world.

[The] pandemic situation may be seen by the Chinese leadership as an emboldening opportunity to accelerate its moves, as other countries are inward-looking, distracted and in disarray, said Nadege Rolland, a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asia Research.

Chinas strategic advances and increased assertiveness in the South China Sea have begun to emerge ten years ago, she added. There have been many missed opportunities over the last decade for the U.S. to counter Chinas moves.

Elina Noor, an associate professor with the U.S. Defense Departments Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, said she found the timing of Chinas moves disappointing.

While this intimidation is not new nor totally unexpected on Chinas part, it, unfortunately, raises further questions about Chinas commitment to resolving the [South China Sea] dispute peacefully and in accordance with international law, she told VOA Khmer in an email.

Beijing, however, has defended its actions.

I want to stress that China will always resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, no matter what, no matter when, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press conference on April 23.

China's sovereignty over the islands and reefs in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters is based on sufficient historical and jurisprudential evidence, he added. Some people in the US want to replace facts with rumors and lies and sow discords among neighbors. Such attempts will not succeed.

Po Sovinda, a doctoral candidate with Griffith University in Australia, said he doubts whether the U.S. would be able to galvanize ASEAN member states against China given the latters deep-running trade and investment links, not to mention the recent aid sent to nearly all of the blocs countries.

ASEAN leaders do not perceive the platform as the tribunal to deliver verdicts [on the conflict] but rather a central place for all stakeholders to come to a single table and discuss any issues together, Po Sovinda told VOA Khmer.

The National Bureau of Asian Researchs Nadege Rolland, however, said the U.S. could still find some space to empower ASEAN standing up to China.

Washington should make sure that ASEAN stays united and provide the diplomatic, political and military support that ASEAN needs as it stands in the frontline, she said.
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.
When Congress was preparing to pass the 2018 FOSTA/SESTA law supposedly aimed at curbing online sex trafficking, Facebook and its Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg vocally supported the bill. The legislation created a loophole in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Actconsidered the foundation of online free expressionthat would hold sites responsible if advertisers or other third parties used the platforms to promote sex trafficking.

But on Tuesday, a Texas state appeals court ruled that Facebook must now face three lawsuits brought under the very law that Sandberg supported. According to a report by Courthouse News, Facebooks claim that Section 230 grants it immunity against the lawsuits was tossed aside by the a panel of judges on the Texas 14th Court of Appeals.

Before FOSTA/SESTA became law two years ago, Section 230 protected online publishers against liability for the content of third-party posts. In asking the court to dismiss the lawsuits, Facebook claimed that it should continue to receive that immunity.

The three lawsuits involve underage girls who say that they were violently forced into non-consensual sex work by men they met through Facebook. All three Jane Does are represented by lawyer Annie McAdams, who has sued the business-software firm Salesforce under FOSTA provisions, claiming that the company provided infrastructure for the online classified site Backpage, which now faces criminal prosecution for alleged sex-trafficking related offenses.

Congress was quite clear that the CDA was never intended to protect websites who knowingly facilitate trafficking, McAdams told the legal site Law360, saying that she hopes the Facebook cases will ultimately be heard by the Texas Supreme Court, and even the United States Supreme Court. This is a brand-new area of law thats developing, and we are taking some pretty strong positions. So its important that the courts, even the Texas Supreme Court, rule on this.

One Judge, Christopher Tracy, filed a dissenting opinion in the Facebook cases, asking the states Supreme Court to step in to deal with the lawsuits.

Federal law grants Facebook immunity from suits such as these, Tracy wrote in his dissent.

Photo By Gertalt / Pixabay
CLEVELAND, Ohio  As inmates died in the Cuyahoga County Jail at historical rates, the investigations into their deaths lacked thorough reviews. It wasnt until a U.S. Marshals investigation that came after the first seven deaths that sheriffs detectives began to probe jail deaths more thoroughly, a review of the death investigations shows.

Cuyahoga County released the investigative files last week for eight of the nine deaths more than a year after cleveland.com requested the records. The Ohio Attorney Generals Office conducted the other investigation.

Nine inmates died in 11 months. Eight of those deaths happened in the last six months of 2018, and one man died in May 2019. Five died from suicide, three from drug overdoses and one from health issues. Their deaths set a grim precedent for the already beleaguered jail as no more than two inmates had died there within one year for the preceding decade.

The U.S. Marshals Service, in a November 2018 report, criticized the countys jail death investigations.

The new documents released by the county bear out some of the concerns raised in the marshals investigator who raised alarms over how jail officials handled the investigations into inmate deaths. The marshals said that the county never performed post-mortem reviews, that it didnt review its policies, procedures or any other possible contributing factors to the deaths.

The investigations into the first seven deaths in 2018 reviewed by cleveland.com revealed minimal inquiry into how the inmate died or any of the systemic issues within the facility and among its staff that officials could change to prevent another death. The probes were inconsistent, with investigators sometimes reviewing jail surveillance video, and sometimes not.

Deputies failed to follow-up on clear leads, find out how drugs ended up in the hands of inmates who overdosed, or pinpoint how an inmate who reported suicidal thoughts ended up in the general population instead of a part of the jail where staff could better monitor them.

In the two deaths after the marshals report, investigators found that an inmate who reported trying to commit suicide two days before his arrest never received a medical screening, but somehow was cleared to be put in the general population, instead of suicide watch. The investigation did not find exactly how that happened.

In the most recent death investigation, a suicide in May 2019, deputies found that a corrections officer failed to check on the inmate for more than two hours.

Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan declined to answer questions about the death investigations, nor release the current policies and procedures for how deputies should probe future deaths. County officials have not responded to a public records request for any policies.

Madigan instead referred a reporter to Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Dave Lambert, who is handling the lawsuits filed against the county into jail deaths and inmate beatings. Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office spokesman Tyler Sinclair said the prosecutors office could not comment because it is involved in ongoing litigation.

Paul Cristallo, a civil rights attorney who represents the families of three of the inmates who died, said he wasnt surprised by the lack of thorough investigations.

It doesnt surprise me at all, Cristallo said. They did awful investigations years ago, and some things dont change, even though they should.

A Cuyahoga County Inspector Generals report, obtained by cleveland.com, summarized jail officials viewpoint at the time of the deaths: Within the [jail] leaderships, despite objective evidence of unexplained deaths, increased staff turnover and high rates of absenteeism, there was a sentiment that any problems were overstated or were caused by external factors, and that the jail itself was well run, the report said.

Some of the death investigations offered no information that cleveland.com hasnt previously reported. Others had medical information redacted, providing only partial picture in two specific cases  Theodore Carter, who died of cancer after being in the jail for 17 days and Esteben Parra, who sought medical attention several times after ingesting a bag of methamphetamine before his arrest.

Officers ordered Parra strapped to a restraint chair, and guards didnt send him to the hospital for about 12 hours after jail officials first became aware of his declining condition.

Other files provided fresh insights into deaths long kept out of the public sphere in the countys official accounts of the deaths.

Detectives never followed up on lead of jail drug smuggler

The primary question surrounding the Aug. 31, 2018 death of 46-year-old Randall Kain is how he got the drugs that killed him. That question remains unanswered, even though detectives had a suspect.

The investigative file contains few interviews with inmates or corrections officers. There is no mention of whether investigators reviewed footage from surveillance cameras, as in other jail death investigations.

Two weeks after Kains death, sheriff detectives interviewed Kains cellmate. The cellmate told investigators that Kain, and an inmate who smuggled the drugs into the jail, separately told him about the drugs.

Kains cellmate said the other inmate smuggled in a gram or two of heroin and a cellphone. Kain told him that he got the drugs the day before he overdosed. Detectives pulled the booking card for the inmate suspected of smuggling the drugs into the jail. Someone wrote in the margin of the report suspect and listed that inmates name as an official suspect in the report.

Kains cellmate told detectives that the inmate who smuggled the drugs into the jail panicked all day following Kains death. He also said that the drugs remained in that inmates cell, but investigators never searched that cell.

The file has no other reports on if the detectives tried to investigate the other inmate further, nor if anyone at the county tried to find out how the drugs got into the jail. Officials never brought criminal charges against the listed suspect.

A medical examiner investigator told sheriff detectives they were unable to test the piece of paper for DNA found near Kain that contained the drugs because it was already tested for traces of heroin. That rendered the paper unable to be tested for DNA, the file says.

One corrections officer told detectives that they do not strip search inmates upon their arrival at the Euclid Jail, which at the time was used to house non-violent offenders and featured different rehabilitation services like job-placement training. The Euclid Jail has since closed.

Inmate died in solitary confinement after reporting he was going through withdrawal

Allan Martin Gomez Roman, 44, hanged himself with a bedsheet in an isolated cell, three days after he vomited from heroin withdrawal symptoms, the records say.

Cuyahoga County officials previously refused to confirm Gomez Roman died in isolation. Gomez Roman on Sept. 30 vomited into a trash can. Other inmates teased him about vomiting, according to the records.

Gomez Roman fought with an inmate. The two traded punches and hit each other with a broom handle.

The staff ordered Gomez Roman to spend seven days in disciplinary isolation. The report does not say if Gomez Roman received any treatment for his withdrawals while in confinement. It also does not say how often officers checked on him in his cell.

It does say that an officer in charge of checking on Gomez Roman the day of his suicide wrote down that he checked on Gomez Roman when he did not. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area and saw that the officer failed to check on Gomez Roman for about an hour and 15 minutes without checking on him, despite reporting checking on Gomez Roman every 15 minutes as required. The files do not include if the officer was ever disciplined.

Guards fail to check on another inmate who committed suicide

Larry Johnson, 51, was the first of five inmates who took his own life during the string of deaths. Johnson told jail staff he was suicidal on June 23 after an inmate threatened him, and jail officials refused his request to be moved to a different cell.

Six days later, he fought with another inmate. He declined medical attention about 8:30 p.m. An officer found Johnson hanging from a bedsheet about 90 minutes later, and paramedics took him to MetroHealth, where he died three days later.

A jail supervisor wrote in a report buried in the investigative file that the officer who was supposed to check on Johnson and other inmates every 15 minutes did not check on Johnson for 30 minutes. That officer viewed the jail surveillance video to make the determination.

Investigations become more thorough after U.S. Marshals report

The November 2018 U.S. Marshals Service report appeared to be a turning point for how jail officials handled all future death investigations and the administration of the jail in general. The report detailed crowded, inhumane conditions for inmates with too few officers to watch over them. Correction officers withheld food as punishment. Officers mistreated some inmates and threatened them to keep them from reporting mistreatment to the authorities.

County and jail officials slowly made changes in most other facets of the jail following the marshals report. Procedures changed in classifying inmates, the county hired more officers and increased pay. Inmates reporting mental or physical health issues are now sent to MetroHealth before theyre booked into the jail.

The jail also changed administrative personnel and the county contracted with MetroHealth to handle all inmate healthcare at the jail. Despite some lingering issues at the facility, no inmate has died in 11 months, including no documented deaths during the current coronavirus pandemic.

The two death investigations that followed the report showed more investigative work and bared out more systemic issues at the jail.

Someone authorized suicidal inmate placed into general population

In the first death after the U.S. Marshals report, investigators determined that someone, either a corrections officer or nurse, reported Brenden Kiekisz passed a medical screening even though he never got one.

But investigators never determined who marked on Kiekiszs paperwork that he went through the screening process.

Kiekisz, 27, told jail officers while being booked into the jail that he tried to commit suicide two days before his arrest, that he suffered from bipolar disorder and depression and that he was taking several medications.

Detectives found that Kiekisz, after telling the booking officer he had attempted suicide, the officer sent him to an area of the jail where inmates change clothes. From there, the inmates are supposed to get a medical screening by a registered nurse.

The records do not say why Kiekisz never got a medical screening. He went to court that morning, where he was ordered released into drug treatment and was taken to a cell in the general population.

The nurse who was in charge of conducting medical screenings that day told investigators she never saw Kiekisz and never authorized him to be placed in the general population. The nurse also said that day, she never entered inmate health assessment information into the jails database because she was unable to log in to the system.

Nurses are supposed to be the only jail employees allowed to stamp the paperwork; however, another officer told investigators that the stamp is in a drawer that is not locked, and in one case, a nurse said an officer to stamp an inmates paperwork saying the inmate was cleared, the files say.

Kiekisz ended up in the general population. The officer in charge of watching his cell the day Kiekisz hanged himself with a bedsheet told investigators he assumed a nurse cleared Kiekisz because of the stamp on his paperwork.

Despite the failure to find out exactly who authorized Kiekisz to be placed in the general population, his death sparked action. After Kiekisz was taken to the hospital, but before he died three days later, then-Sheriff Cliff Pinkney ordered inmate booking and medical screenings streamlined to ensure all inmates get screened.

Investigators pinpoint issue in most recent death

Sheriffs investigators in the most recent death pinpointed an issue with a corrections officer failing to check on Nicholas Colbert, a 36-year-old National Guard veteran, who hanged himself in the jail while the officer was not in the area.

The county previously released that file to cleveland.com. That file showed detectives reviewed surveillance footage, spoke with inmates in the same area as Colbert and corrections staff.

The investigation found that officer Barrington Brown marked in official jail logs that he checked on Colbert and other inmates in a special area of the jail where veterans are housed every 15 minutes.

But the surveillance footage showed that Brown didnt check on the inmates for more two-and-a-half hours. He retired 20 days after Colberts death.

Read more from cleveland.com:

U.S. Marshals: Cuyahoga County deprives inmates of food, water and Constitutional Rights amid string of seven deaths

Please, please, please: Emails reveal Cuyahoga County failed to act on MetroHealths pleas for change in weeks before inmates suicide

Ohio National Guardsman who took his own life in Cuyahoga County Jail was not checked for more than two hours, records say

Cuyahoga County Jail officials ignored inmates pleas for help before suicide, new lawsuit says

Two Cuyahoga County Jail inmates die from suspected drug overdose, hanging in one week

No jail time for Cuyahoga County Jail associate warden Eric Ivey

Whats the story behind how the Cuyahoga County jail became one of the worst in the nation? A drive for money, a cleveland.com investigation finds
Autopsies of patients that have succumbed to the virus could help researchers to find out more about the illness.

Autopsies usually only play a secondary role in the everyday life of pathologists. They may nevertheless prove to be a valuable tool to shed light on some of the pressing questions that remain unanswered in the context of the ongoing pandemic.

Researchers from across the globe are trying to determine how dangerous the novel illness really is.

German pathologist and head of Hamburg's Institute of Forensic Medicine Dr Klaus Puschel stressed that the examination of the dead can bring to light valuable lessons for the living.

According to the veteran doctor, humanity has historically begun to understand illnesses by performing autopsies.

Dr Puschel explained that autopsies for instance revealed that Covid-19 affects muscles and may impact vital organs such as the heart.

At the start of the pandemic, researchers and doctors mainly focused on the illness's impact on the lungs but, according to Dr Puschel, additional factors will become increasingly important to understand the true nature of the virus.

The doctor also underlined the importance of determining whether patients died of the virus rather than with the virus. Autopsies that were carried out abroad paint a relatively clear picture.

As the doctor explained, many patients that succumbed to the illness were very old, smokers, obese, or had preexisting conditions such as diabetes. Lifestyle, age, and other illnesses are therefore closely associated with higher risks, he concluded. By examining other organs, autopsies can play a key role in gaining a better understanding of the virus's mechanisms.

It also remains crucially important to carry out autopsies on patients that do not belong to defined risk groups such as children, and seemingly healthy young people.

Dr Puschel lamented a lack of transparency when it comes to including fatalities in the virus toll. Insufficient amounts of information about exceptional cases are for example made public. Some patients who passed away may be classified as coronavirus deaths even though they may have, in reality, died from an unrelated illness.

Luxembourg's Ministry of Health is currently not planning on carrying out autopsies on Covid-19 patients. Professor Michel Mittelbronn argued that autopsies can make sense in theory but warned that they also carry increased risks. In his eyes, it would not be a good idea to carry out autopsies on every patient. Autopsies automatically release many bodily fluids that are potentially virus-laden.

The average age of patients who passed away in Luxembourg lies well above the 80-year mark. Mittelbronn conceded that exceptional cases should definitely be closely examined.
The government is considering a Rs 90,000 crore low-cost finance infusion plan for the cash-strapped power sector as generation companies (gencos) seek cash amid the country-wide coronavirus lockdown. The aim is to keep gencos up and running and preventing blackouts.

For this, the power ministry has sought a special window for bonds and also approached agencies like the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India and National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) for funding, The Economic Times reported.

The proposal is under consideration by the Finance Ministry, but the final draft would require Cabinet approval, a government official told the paper.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The loans would be made available to the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and REC  the sectors lending institutions. To this end, the ministry has asked for consideration of relaxation of exposure norms so that banks and financial institutions can freely lend to PFC and REC. The entities will forward the benefit to electricity distribution companies (discoms), it added.

The scheme needs access to cheap funds for which it needs support of the finance ministry. We are hoping it will happen soon. It is a big amount and hence everyone needs to be on board, the official added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 14:44:47|Editor: huaxia

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An Afghan security force member stands at the site of a suicide attack in Rishkhor area near the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, April 29, 2020. Four people including the attacker were killed and 15 others sustained injures as a suicide bomber blew himself up among civilians in Rishkhor area near the capital of Kabul on Wednesday, spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry Tareq Arian said. (Photo by Mohammad/Xinhua)

KABUL, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Four people including the attacker were killed and 15 others sustained injures as a suicide bomber blew himself up among civilians in Rishkhor area near the capital of Kabul on Wednesday, spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry Tareq Arian said.

The suicide bombing took place at around 8:00 a.m. local time in Rishkhor area, the spokesman said, adding the attacker and three civilians were killed, and 15 others, all civilians, sustained injuries.

However, he didn't rule out the involvement of the Taliban militants, saying the armed group "could be behind the terrorist attack" to terrorize the people as it did in the past.

The Taliban outfit has yet to claim responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, an official said on condition of anonymity that some people including civilians were close to the gate of the army base in Rishkhor when the blast happened, inflicting casualties.

The Defense Ministry has yet to make a comment on the incident. Enditem
Premium Irish footwear store, Victor Dwyer Shoes, located in Drogheda, Co. Louth, are specialists in women and childrens footwear with close to 70 years experience as a family run business. Having recently closed the doors to their store due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the business has adapted to the current economic restraints by bringing forward the launch of their new online store, www.victordwyer.ie. The new eCommerce website is headed up by Richard Dwyer, who plans to join his father, Victor, in the near future and continue their familys legacy.

Three generations later our customer remains the most integral part of our business, said Richard Dwyer. Over the past seven decades my family have dedicated their lives to providing the people in our local community with exceptional quality footwear to cater for toddlers, children, teenagers and adults. With the launch of our new online store, our mission is to broaden our reach by making our products more easily available to our existing customers, but also to new households across the country.

Victor Dwyer Shoes stock close to 100 of the top European fashion and handbag brands, including the exclusive Gabor, Wonders and Marco Moreo and leisure brands such as Rieker & Tamaris. Catering for every occasion, including a back-to-school line and a full summer range, Victor Dwyer Shoes pride themselves for having something for everyone in the family.

At the moment, were receiving a high volume of requests from parents whose children have outgrown their shoes, said Dwyer. Typically, we would measure a childs shoe size in store, however, given the circumstances, we have had to adapt and think outside the box. We are now engaging with parents on Zoom calls and on Facetime to carefully examine the childs foot and advise them on the correct shoe.

Victor Dwyer Shoes has been working tirelessly to implement several user-experience improvements to the online store, including faster loading speeds, advanced product filtering and a streamlined checkout experience so customers can find precisely what they need within a few clicks.

We are extremely excited to reunite with our customers and our team when the government deem it safe to do so. In the meantime, we look forward to inviting new customers to join our online community, said Dwyer.

To celebrate the launch of victordwyer.ie, Victor Dwyer Shoes are running an exclusive giveaway on their Instagram page, Victor Dwyer Shoes, in honour of workers on the frontline. Victor Dwyer Shoes are giving away five 100 gift vouchers to five frontline workers.

Visit www.victordwyer.ie or visit the Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.
The employees of the Reserve Bank have decided to contribute one or more day's salary to the PM CARES Fund, in response to the call to support during the emergency situation. The total contribution from the employees amounting to 7.30 crore is being remitted to the PM CARES Fund. The COVID-19 pandemic and the related dislocation in normal economic activity has severely affected the economically weaker sections of the society and their means of livelihood. To help the people affected by any kind of emergency or distress situation, like the one posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Government of India has set up a public charitable trust named Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) to receive contributions from various sources.

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The White House has ordered US intelligence agencies to investigate whether the Chinese government and the World Health Organisation hid information about the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.

The high-level "tasking" was sent to the National Security Agency and Defence Intelligence Agency last week, NBC News reported. Donald Trump has appeared angry with China for not telling the United States and other countries about the novel virus going public there, though at times he has stopped short of naming the Asian power.

During remarks Tuesday at the White House, the president appeared to allude to the NSA-DIA probe of China and the WHO.

"We're doing very serious investigations," Mr Trump told reporters during a question-and-answer session.

"We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world," Mr Trump said.

Later in the day, the president did call out Beijing by name.

"It's in 184 countries, as you hear me say often. It's hard to believe. It's inconceivable," he said during his second back-and-forth with reporters of the day. "It should've been stopped at the source, which was China. It should've been stopped very much at the source, but it wasn't. And now we have 184 countries going through hell."

A White House spokesman confirmed the investigation to NBC News.

"As the president has said, the United States is thoroughly investigating this matter," Hogan Gidley said, though a spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence said that office was unaware of such a tasking order. "Understanding the origins of the virus is important to help the world respond to this pandemic but also to inform rapid-response efforts to future infectious disease outbreaks."

Mr Trump earlier this month announced he has frozen US budget contributions to the WHO, pending investigations about what that organisation new about the virus in China. Answering that question is part of the NSA-DIA probe.
It would be unfair to suggest Prince William put St. Andrews on the map. After all, Scotland's oldest university has consistently ranked among the UK's most prestigious and educated its fair share of politicians, CEOs and at least one king.

But when 18-year-old Wills announced in 2000 that he'd be matriculating with the freshman class the following fall, applications to the historic institution shot up by 44 percent, with reports that some eager coeds had even ordered wedding gowns just in case.

The hysteria was so high-pitched, the royal felt the need to address it in an interview he gave shortly after arriving at the seaside campus in September 2001. For the record, he said, he was well adept at identifying desperate would-be princesses. "People who try to take advantage of me and get a piece of meI spot it quickly and soon go off them," he told BBC News.

More than anything, stressed the art history major, he just wanted to be seen as an ordinary college kid. "I mean, I'm only going to university," he noted. "It's not like I'm getting marriedthough that's what it feels like sometimes."

Kate Middleton & Prince William's Best Moments

Well, it was his first step down the altar. Mere days after he granted that interview, he'd cross paths with Berkshire-raised Kate Middleton, a fellow first year in his dorm. Their journey to forever was notoriously long, involving nearly a decade of dating and at least one split. But their slow-and-steady method has proved successful as the parents to Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 2, celebrate nine years of marriage today under the most glaring of spotlights.

And William has said he got at least a glimmer of their future as one of Britain's most beloved couples during that 2001 introduction. "When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her. I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there," he explained during their engagement interview with British journalist Tom Bradby more than nine years later. "We ended up being friends for a while and that just sort of was a good foundation. Because I do generally believe now that being friends with one another is a massive advantage. And it just went from there."

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Prince William, Kate Middleton, prince George, prince Louis, princess Charlottle

Despite reports Kate actually met William before college and swiftly changed her school of choice, the "there" William was referencing is St. Salvator's residence hall, known to students simply as Sally's. Though Kate recalls that meeting as more mortifying than magical.

"I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy," she said in their engagement interview. "But we did become very close friends from quite early."

Because while Kate was the descendant of coal miners and her parents' titles of business owner (dad Michael) and flight attendant (mom Carole) didn't really measure up to prince and princess, she and the second in line to Britain's throne had a fair bit in common.

Prince William, Kate Middleton

As Katie Nicholl outlined in her book William and Harryexcerpted in Vanity Fair's December 2010 issueWilliam loved that country-raised Kate had an affinity for sports. (At her boarding school, Marlborough College, she ran cross-country, swam and played field hockey and tennis.)

They were also both keen skiers, who had spent their pre-university gap year traveling. While William bounced around from Belize to Chile to Kenya, Kate spent several months in Florence. As such, she had a lot to share about the Renaissance artists they'd be studying as art history majors.

And often, college pal Ben Duncan told E! News in 2011, the pair found themselves together in the stained-glass window-lined dining hall for 8 a.m. breakfasts. "They sat at separate tables, he with the boys and she with the girls," said Duncan. "But they would have noticed each other there, because not many people got up for breakfast at 8."

Prince William, Catherine Middleton, Kate Middleton

But while William certainly took note of Kate"He found her attractive," said Duncanit was English-language and creative-writing student Carley Massy-Birch he asked out on a date.

"I'm a real country bumpkin," Massy-Birch told Nicholl. "I think that was why we had a connection." After interacting, as she called it, "through the general St. Andrews melee," they began enjoying dinners at her parents' and nights at local pubs. "William was very taken with her, which was completely understandable," a pal told Nicholl. After all while Kate was considered the prettiest girl living in St. Salvator's, Massy-Birch was thought to have the best bum in the whole of the student body.

Soon, however, their short-lived romance was in the rearview, with William reportedly reconnecting with former flame Arabella Musgrave during visits with dad Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, England.

Then Kate strutted back into his consciousness.

Kate Middleton, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William

As the story goes, William paid some $275 to score a front row seat at the annual Don't Walk charity fashion show on Mar. 27, 2002. And Kate was tapped to model a see-through dresscrafted by designer Charlotte Todd for roughly $40and a black bra and underwear set. As she made her way down the runway in St. Andrews Bay Hotel, William was stunned, reportedly turning to pal Fergus Boyd and whispering, "Wow, Fergus, Kate's hot!"

Pal Duncan caught the moment firsthand. "She was in a very daring dress, in a sheer, stocking-like dress," he told E! News in 2011. "He was sitting front row and his eyes were like stalks."

Though Kate was dating fourth-year Rupert Finch, William decided to make a move at the show's after-party, leaning in for a kiss as he toasted her performance. "It was clear to us that William was smitten with Kate," a fellow partygoer told Nicholl. "He actually told her she was a knockout that night, which caused her to blush. There was definitely chemistry between them and Kate had really made an impression on William."

The Many Loves of Young Prince William

Kate smartly played it cool, says the partygoer, "and at one point when William seemed to lean in to kiss her, she pulled away. She didn't want to give off the wrong impression or make it too easy on Will."

His charm offensive continued the following year as they rented a two-story top-floor apartment with friends Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale.

"We moved in together as friends," William explained in their 2010 engagement interview, "and it just sort of blossomed from there really. We just saw more of each other, and you know hung out a bit more and did stuff."

Kate Middleton, Prince William

In an attempt to turn up the heat on their relationship, Williama frequent visitor to the nearby Tesco grocery storewould take a stab at crafting elaborate meals. "When I was trying to impress Kate I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners and what would happen was I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire," he recalled, "and she would be sitting in the background trying to help, and basically taking control of the whole situation."

Remembered Kate, "He would always come with a bit of angst and a bit of anger if something had gone wrong and I would have to wander in and save something that was going."

Their flatmates, meanwhile, watched in bemusement. "I think at first they were a bit surprised that it had happened, then they realized it was really nice and it was good fun and we got on really well," said William, "they were good friends of ours as well so we had a good giggle with them."

ESC: Kate Middleton, 35 Best Looks, 29

Because while the new couple took pains to hide their romance from the whole of the university, leaving their house at different times, coordinating arrivals at dinner parties so it was clear they didn't come together and never ever holding hands in public, wrote Nicholl, "William and Kate had fallen in love and were enjoying a conventional university romance."

The coupling became an open secret at St. Andrews, but the rest of the world hadn't caught on, still attempting to pair off the world's most eligible prince with bold-faced names such as Britney Spears.

William did what he could, declaring during a 21st birthday interview in 2003, that he was still single. In reality, however, his union with Kate was so serious that they had ditched their roommates in favor of their own love nest: a four-bedroom cottage on two acres of land surrounded by a six-foot stone wall.

In their private quarters, they were free to enjoy long strolls and wine-fueled picnics. And with Queen Elizabeth II's bestowing her grandson access to Tam-na-Ghar, a cottage on the outskirts of her Scottish Balmoral estate, they were able to spend weekends hunting for pheasants and grouse and snuggling by the fire under the careful watch of his protection officers.

Kate Middleton's Best Looks

It seems they got so used to letting their guard down, that William didn't even think about it when he wrapped his arm around Kate while waiting for a ski lift during a trip to Klosters, Switzerland. But with that simple gesture, he unwittingly uncovered his romance. The photos were splashed on the pages of The Sun newspaper Apr. 1, 2004 under the headline, FinallyWills Gets a Girl.

The question then became if he could keep her. Just as the world came to terms with William's seemingly new, but really not-so-new, commoner girlfriend, the prince started feeling claustrophobic in the relationship, Nicholls said.

As he planned a boys-only Greek sailing outing that summer, Kate returned home. And soon Nicholls was reporting they had separated. "Tellingly," she wrote in her book, "there was no denial from Clarence house."

Kate Middleton

Come fall, the pair was once again physically close, still sharing their farmhouse. But, in an effort to give William space, says Nicholl, Kate would often spend weekends with her parents. By the holidays, though, they had reunited. And they were together at their June 23, 2005 graduation to hear the seemingly prescient words from vice-chancellor Dr. Brian Lang.

The social anthropologist, wrote Nicholl, told the graduating class they had built lifelong relationships: "You may have met your husband and wife. Our title as the top matchmaking university in Britain signifies so much that is good about St. Andrews so we rely on you to go forth and multiply."

Kate Middleton, Hat

But before William and Kate could go forth and produce their tiny heirs, they had more rough patches to endure.

As William joined his little brother Prince Harry at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Kate began scoring invites to key royal events such as the May 2006 wedding of Camilla's daughter, newspapers began speculating about when Kate would receive William's ring. Woolworths even began production on wedding memorabilia, including a set of William-and-Kate china.

Already adept at handling press attention, Nicholl said, Kate took the predictions in stride. But William bristled. He had, after all, told The Sun that he was far too young to wed, insisting, "I don't want to get married until I'm at least 28 or maybe 30." (Tellingly, he would go on to wed Kate two months before his 29th birthday.)

Distancewhile Kate accepted an accessories buyer position in London with British boutique Jigsaw, William was undergoing training three hours awayalso placed a strain on their union, not helped by the photos of William partying at various nightclubs. Come Easter, the couple made the decision to split once more.

"We were sort of both finding ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff," William explained in their 2010 engagement interview, "it was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up, and so it was just sort of a bit of space and a bit of things like that and it worked out for the better."

Kate Middleton's Style Evolution

Of course that's a bit of clarity Kate wasn't afforded in the moment. "I think I, at the time, wasn't very happy about it," she said in the 2010 chat, "but actually it make me a stronger person."

Physically stronger, actually. Because in addition to spending time in Ibiza with brother James and enjoying the nightlife with sister Pippa, the former athlete joined a group of 21 women planning to row a dragon boat nearly 22 miles across the English Channel into France to raise money for charity. Team leader Emma Sayle told Nicholl the early morning workouts became Kate's "therapy." Explained Sayle, "Kate had always put William first, and she said that this was her chance to do something for herself."

But her relationship with William didn't become water under the bridge. "She was in touch with William the whole time, revealed Sayle, "and by the end of her training she was back together with him."

Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton

Though the break was briefroughly two monthsit was beneficial. "You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realized," said Kate, "or I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn't think it at the time."

Even after their reconciliation, Katewho switched careers to take on a project manager role at her parents' party supply business Party Pieceshad to endure three-plus more years of the cruel "Waity Katie" taunt. But this time she knew that 18-carat sapphire engagement ring was in her future.

"We've talked about this happening," William said of his proposal during their a 2010 holiday in Kenya, "so Kate wasn't in the dark at all when we were planning it for at least a year if not longer, it was just finding the right time and that's what most people say about couples, it's all about timing."

ESC: Kate Middleton, prince William, Wedding

Of course for this particular pairing, there was the added challenge of making sure Kate was ready for the daunting life that comes with entering The Firm.

Having the benefit of seeing the mistakes they made throwing Princess Diana into the fold, palace aides began training Kate for her future life well before she accepted William's ring. At his request, she was given access to his press team and her own protection officer when she was out with her prince. She also received training on how to cope with the ever-present photographers, including at least one sessions of watching Diana face-off with the flashbulbs.

"Her and her family, I really want to make sure they have the best sort of guidance and chance to see what life has been like or what life is like in the family," William explained in their engagement chat, "and that's kind of almost why I have been waiting this long, as I wanted to give her a chance to see in and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much."

Trooping the Colour 2019, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince William, Kate Middleton

So, yes, they hit a "few stumbling blocks" during their decade-long courtship he said, but ultimately, "we really picked ourselves up and carried on."

Maintaining that stiff upper lips comes with rewards, the first of many they experienced just three months after their engagement during a return trip to St. Andrews. They were in town to launch a a fundraising campaign for a scholarship created in their honor, but the entire excursion was a "very special" reunion for the future spouses, William told the crowd in his speech. "It feels like coming home."

There are few things quite as satisfying as remembering exactly where you came from.

(Originally published April 29, 2018, at 5 a.m. PT)
[April 29, 2020] Axonator Announces its Free Service With COVID-19 Contact Tracing App for Virtual Data Collection and Privacy for the Government of India

- Contributing to the society and helping the Government of India fight the pandemic MUMBAI, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases across India, Axonator Information Technology and Services Company in Pune is offering its services for free to one of the largest NGOs in India with its COVID-19 contact tracing app. The company is working in collaboration with an NGO to track the suspects and immediately contact and isolate the contacts of the patients detected positive. The company plans to work with various state governments, industry bodies and local medical facilities on a larger scale to help the nation fight the pandemic together. Axonator is also planning to work with the USA, as the app platform is hosted on the HIPAA compliant AWS Cloud. Link to the app: https://www.axonator.com/covid-19-contact-tracing-app Commenting on the announcement, Vinay Kardile, Mobile Technology Consultant, Axonator Inc. said, "India is witnessing a rapid growth in COVID-19 cases and an increase in testing and assessments. We are glad to be able to contribute to society by leveraging the use of technology through this app. With our highly skilled team, we have created an app that helps the government to counter the spread of coronavirus. We have created a cloud-based app to collect, preserve and update the data on a real-time basis. This helps the healthcare officials to be well-informed about their region's situation and statistics. To extend our support globally, we plan on working with the top universities in the USA and the UK. We urge the government bodies of other countries to collaborate with us and fight together." The app provides a way of virtual data collection, patients records tracking with immediate and automatic contact tracing, enabling the medical staff to operate in a safe environment without any exposure to the risk of being in contact with the virus. The app link will be shared with the suspects to collect the information about their symptoms, travel history, contacts history, medical history, exact geolocations, etc. It helps the healthcare organizations to detect patients from the suspects. Based on the symptoms matrix the test would be suggested automatically, sample collection will be done at the public health facilities and results will be communicated. When a positive cas is detected, all recent contacts of the patient will be contacted automatically via SMS, email or a phone call to isolate themselves and to get tested. This helps the medical staff and other front liners to collect samples and assess them faster.



He further adds, "Virtual data collection will also be beneficial for preventing any misuse or rumor-spread in their respective regions and states. With the entire lockdown situation, citizens are dependent on public sources for information but during such a health crisis, the risk of potential spread of rumor is higher. Therefore, our app will prevent occurrence of such mishaps and help the officials take charge of the situation." In tier 2 and 3 cities, frontline staff such as healthcare workers, government hospitals and police are working with minimum safety measures while testing people. The app will help assess these tests virtually. It can capture geolocations of the COVID-19 patients and their contacts. The app also helps in data collection by tracking and analyzing region-wide spread of the coronavirus cases and transmission between regions with real-time statistics on the dashboard.

As India entered the final week of the 40-day lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, the total cases in the country reached 27892, including 6184 cured/discharged/migrated and 872 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 1,396 new cases of coronavirus and 48 deaths were reported. The total number of cases in Maharashtra, the worst affected state by COVID-19, has risen to 8068 with 342 deaths. Other states like Gujarat and Delhi account for a little over 50 per cent of all confirmed cases in the country. India conducts just 335 tests per million population. As of 8th April, 2020, India has conducted around 160,000 tests, according to ICMR data. The Centre has declared 170 hotspots - 123 hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 hotspot districts with cluster - in 25 states and Union territories. The Indian Council of Medical Research has said that a total of 280 government laboratories in the country are conducting tests for COVID-19. ICMR also released a list of 90 private labs which will conduct the tests. Considering the population, the ratio of physical tests is low and the officials are vulnerable to get infected. With this app, there are two primary benefits, one of which is collecting and preserving the data only used by the officials. The other benefit is the safety of the officials assessing and collecting the sample. About Axonator: Axonator is the world's first fully customizable zero-code mobile app development platform built from scratch for modern enterprises and workforce. The company has its headquarters located in Pune, India with sales offices in Austin, USA. Axonator is a zero-code mobile app development platform that helps in building the enterprise-grade, highly secure, scalable, and high-performance mobile apps within a few weeks. Using Axonator, organizations can achieve complete digital transformation, automate the business processes, and make their operations more efficient, error-free, and cost-effective. The platform is feature-loaded and can build the most complex of the workflows, and introduce automation to the business. The vision of the company is to bring the world on mobile. The company has an expertise and a legacy of over a decade in helping US-based enterprises of different scales from different industries to adopt technologies that improve the work lives of the teams, increase productivity, reduce costs and grow business like never before. Axonator has earned the trust of many international brands like Johns Hopkins University, London's Global University, Mercedes Benz, US government agencies, international airports, etc. Axonator is recognized as one of the most trusted products because of the great customer service protected with a strong service level agreement. The CEO of the company, Jayesh Kitukale, has invented The Micro App Strategy which became the most important ingredient in Axonator's vision of digital transformation that adapts to the existing business processes of organization and fits the mobile app exactly the way organizations are willing to deploy, making it a breeze to go digital. [email protected] | India: +91-7038-600-600 | USA: +1-407-910-AXON Manjula Nairr

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Google has told its employees the company offices will remain closed until at least June 1 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In an email sent to the company's fulltime employees, CEO Sundar Pichai said Google likely use a 'staggered' approach when it finally does reopen its offices, but company management still haven't settled on an exact date for any locations.

The update comes after six neighboring counties to Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California announced extensions to their shelter in place orders through the end of May.

Google says it will keep the majority of its 103,000 employees on work-from-home status through at least June 1, and when it does begin opening offices it will be a staggered process that will take place over several months

'Not everyone at a site will go back at once,' Pichai wrote in the email according to a CNBC report.

'There will be no one-size-fits-all approach, and the specific guidance will vary from location to location.'

Pichai promised that when the company does begin reopening its offices, it will make special assurances for workers who many not wish to, or be able to, safely return to the offices.

'I know that the prospect of returning to the office will produce different emotions for everyone,' Pichai wrote.

'Some of us will be eager to return to our familiar workspaces and see colleagues. For others, leaving loved ones and the shelter of our homes may cause anxiety.'

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also thanked the small group of Google employees who have continued to go into its offices to maintain servers and other critical infrastructure to the company's core business

While some Google employees in some of its Asia Pacific offices have been allowed to return to work, Pichai asked that 'everyone who is in a recommended or mandatory work-from-home status should assume that will continue until at least June 1, 2020.'

Pichai also offered a show of gratitude for the small group of Google employees have been authorized to continue coming into the company's offices and data centers to perform vital maintenance and oversight on the company's core tools and data infrastructure.

'For those of you currently working onsite to provide critical services to keep our products, offices and data centers running, thank you!' he said.

'Your work has made it possible for us to help millions of others. I am grateful for everything our global teams are doing to deliver on our mission under these difficult circumstances.'

The company has 103,000 employees spread across more than 70 offices in 50 countries around the world.
In the past few months, scientists and doctors across the globe became public figures as people have sought the latest knowledge gained in the fight against COVID-19, and many of them are Christians. In the US, this is particularly true of those in the medical field. Sociologists Elaine Howard Ecklund and Christopher Scheitle reported in a 2017 book that when you look at those working at scientific jobs in the United States, such as doctors or nurses (and others), 65 percent identify as Christians, and 24 percent as evangelicals. While the percentage of Christian scientists at elite research institutions is smaller, they are an active bunch and many apply their research out of a sense of service.

CT reached out to a handful of these scientists and doctors to ask them how theyre staying grounded. We contacted people doing research on treatments or vaccines, improving patient care, or contributing to public health responses, some of whom are also working in hospital wards. While we could not include all of the responses we received, we talked to scientists in the US, the UK, Italy, Singapore, and Australia. We asked them how theyre coping and how theyre praying amid this crisis. Many shared anecdotes, Scripture, or prayer requests. They practice faith in a variety of ways, and though they practice medicine in labs and hospitals against different geographic and cultural landscapes, theyre united both in purpose and in spirit.

Francis Collins

Career field: physician and geneticist

Works in: Washington, DC, as director of the US National Institutes of Health.

Focused on: Collins oversees biomedical research in the United States, which is now aiming to develop treatments and a vaccine to control the coronavirus. He receives probably four or five interesting ideas every day, he said, which makes it a challenge to figure out which ones to prioritize. The NIH also manages a hospital that runs clinical trials, now including COVID-19 research. Prior to his NIH appointment, Collins led the team that first mapped the human genome.

How hes praying: Collins views his calling as a public servant to be a Christian one, where he can wield the tools of science to alleviate suffering. I pray every morning that I will find a path forward to do that with Gods help. Im fond of Joshua and the verse in the first chapter: Be strong and courageous. I need that. Sometimes I get discouraged and down, he said. Collins described the grief hes been feeling, saying, Im trying to figure out how to turn that into something, increased self-knowledge as well as actions.

Collins prays for health workers, who are afraid to go home, and for researchers, who are working night and day to come up with solutions.

Emanuele Negri

Career field: physician

Works in: Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy, as director of a semi-intensive care unit at a local hospital.

Focused on: Negri cares for COVID-19 patients on noninvasive ventilation. His semi-intensive care unit will be adaptable to care needs as the pandemic plays out, he said. His colleagues assume coronavirus infections will go on for several months, though they plan to reorganize the hospital for the next phase as case numbers slope downward following the peak. As a team, they are exploring the hypothesis that patients experiencing lung inflammation may suffer from an amplified immune response called a cytokine storm, which they with are targeting in trials with several clinical drugs.

How hes sharing his faith: Because of all the protective gear worn by medical professionals, Negris COVID-19 patients cannot necessarily hear him speak, but they dont have to in order to experience the gospel. Its not a time of witness by word, he said. People around me will observe my behavior.

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He shared a letter from one of his hospitals first patients: I personally felt a miracle in the sense that the Lord put me in the hands of these professionals who can do their job well and which, in the end, allowed me to embrace my loved ones. I will never forget those sweet eyes hidden behind those plastic barriers. When I can get out of the house again I will meet many people, maybe even some of those who saved my life, but unfortunately I will never be able to recognize these people. I will not know who they are, but my thoughts will go to them forever. To them I will owe the most precious good: life. And to all of them I say THANK YOU.

Jesus had sweet eyes (Matt. 9:37), said Negri. Its almost impossible to speak to my patients now, but they need our sweet eyes. We need to pray to show empathy.

Julia Wattacheril

Expertise: physician scientist

Works in: New York City at a university hospital as director of the Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Program.

Focused on: In addition to maintaining outpatient care via telemedicine, Wattacheril was redeployed to work ICU triage overnight, helping make decisions about patients who worsen and need a higher level of care. Within her specialty, she and her group are collecting data to better understand how COVID-19 affects transplant patients, as well as the effects of therapeutics currently being tried. Shes hoping to repurpose an algorithm that might help identify at-risk patients so providers can suitably prioritize needs for recovery.

How shes holding onto hope: Wattacheril described how she became discouraged recently, as she hoped for changes in leadershipsuch as a new tone of messaging, more emotional intelligence, and a readiness to comfort others in pain. I prayed my anger and yelled at God on my roof. Later that day I was remindedthrough John 15 about Jesus as the vine and we as the branchesthat my job was to abide in Christ. I was too concerned with the fruit and anxious and distrustful of what God was doing. That reminder helped her remember her purpose, and hope came online quickly after that, she said.

Wattacheril also talked about processing grief, saying she uses practices she developed several years ago after experiencing grief. She stays anchored in prayer, either by herself or with others. She meditates, seated or on walks, and listens to music or sermons. Also, I have a beautiful community aligned to help and rally and remind me of what I tend to forget about myself as well as my well-worn Scripture verses with decades of history, she said.

Lionel Tarassenko

Career field: electrical engineer

Works in: the UK at the University of Oxfords Institute of Biomedical Engineering.

Focused on: Tarassenko works with colleagues on developing new patient monitoring techniques, from sensors to machine learning for data analysis. Now, hes shifted these tools toward the fight against COVID-19. He described three ways the technology has been adapted: (1) the remote management of high-risk pregnant women, with the aim of preventing infection; (2) the triage of suspected COVID-19 patients in primary care hubs using video camera technology and (3) real-time monitoring, using wearables, of patients with COVID-19 being treated in isolation wards.

How he applies faith at work: I am very mindful of the parable of talents and the need to put these talents to the use that God would want me to, he said.

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I am also very conscious that our world is not limited to what we can see or perceive with our scientific instruments, he said, quoting Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the universe was formed at Gods command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Justin Denholm

Career field: infectious diseases physician, epidemiologist

Works in: Melbourne, Australia, as medical director of the Victorian Tuberculosis Program at a research hospital.

Focused on: At his hospital, Denholm runs a screening clinic for people suspected of having COVID-19. He also manages patients over the phone so that they can avoid coming into the hospital and calls people to give them coronavirus test results. While hes very busy with these tasks, hes also conducting a clinical trial, which is testing a range of drugs for a planned 2,500 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

How hes feeling: To be honest, at this point Im pretty tired and find it hard to pray. I take some comfort in thinking that God is with us in everything, whether in illness or in working hard to relieve it, he said. Denholm hopes that Christians around the world will support each other while physically distanced. The support of communities is critical for all of us right now, and Im grateful for all the ways that groups are finding to care for each other, and especially the most vulnerable, he said.

Lim Poh Lian

Career field: infectious disease physician, also specializing in public health

Works in: Singapore at the National Center for Infectious Diseases.

Focused on: Lim moved to Singapore from Seattle, Washington, out of a sense of calling to serve Christ in Asia, ironically arriving months before SARS hit the country in 2003. Ever since, shes been involved with outbreaks in WHO and UN advisory groups and task forces.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, shes been working on the front lines with patients. I love direct patient care, she said. I also help develop clinical, public health, and research protocols. Her role at WHO focuses on mass gatherings risk assessment.

How her faith impacts her work: I see my outbreak work as ministry, said Lim, explaining how her work fulfills the greatest commandment to love God (Matt. 22:37)by thinking clearly and strategically in outbreak control issues, caring compassionately for patients, and pointing people to trust in God. Faith in Christ gives me courage and an anchor of rationality, she said. God has given us, not a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mindwhich he expects us to use!





For translations of other select CT coronavirus articles, Editors note: Want to read or share in French ? Now you can!For translations of other select CT coronavirus articles, click here and look for the yellow links.

[ This article is also available in Francais. ]
The gradually softening lockdown restrictions in some states have left many nervous Americans confronted with the reality of now having to make their own decisions about what is safe and what is not amid the ongoing threat of coronavirus.

Several states like Texas and Georgia have begun lifting restrictions to reboot their economies. People can once again go to church and even dine in restaurants with spaced-out, outdoor table so long as they practice social distancing.

But the new reality has left many residents wondering whether or not outings are completely safe.

With no coronavirus vaccine on the horizon and as cases in the US continue to escalate, there are fears that the reopening is premature and that trying to resume normal habits is simply not worth the risk.

'There will never be a perfect amount of protection,' Josh Santarpia, a microbiology expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who is studying the coronavirus, told The Associated Press.

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Many states are reopening over the next few weeks or already have which has left Americans confused about how to get back to 'normal'

Co-workers Hugh Kleiman and Kevin Wallace eat at a Waffle House in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 27 after the state reopened

A man washes a customer's hair at 2Qute Hair Salon in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday

THE US STATES REOPENING: Montana: From May 4 Missouri: May 4 Maine: From May 1 Ohio: From May 1 Iowa: May 1 Alabama: From April 30 Minnesota: From April 27 Mississippi: From April 27 Tennessee: From April 27 Colorado: From April 27 Michigan: From April 24 Alaska: From April 24 Georgia: From April 24 Oklahoma: From April 24 South Carolina: From April 20 Texas: From April 20 Advertisement

'Its a personal risk assessment. Everybody has to decide, person by person, what risk theyre willing to tolerate,' he added.

Doctors and scientists are frantically trying to find a cure or vaccine for the virus. Until then, experts say the threat is very real.

To date, the virus has killed more than 60,000 Americans and more than one million are infected.

Many, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, say that the 'nightmare' will not be truly over until a vaccine has been created and that in the meantime, Americans must find a way to adapt to a new way of living that lowers the risk as much as possible while still allowing them to work.

Jill Faust, 53, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, says it is not worth it in her mind to go out to eat in a restaurant - something she used to enjoy - because she does not know how safe it is.

'We would have to know ahead of time what precautions theyre taking. Going to a restaurant to me is this lovely, relaxing experience where you can sit with people and relax and catch up after a long day.

'If your experience is going to be limited by all these safety concerns, why spend the money?' she said.

In Georgia, beauty services and bowling alleys are reopening but offices remain closed along with a host of other businesses.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said it was confusing for residents.

'In reality were under a stay-at-home order until April 30.

'Yet you can go get your nails done, you can go get a tattoo, you can go to movie theaters, you can go to bowling alleys. Its those kinds of things that leave people confused,' HE SAID

Mixed messages are coming from even the U.S. Congress.

The House is scrambling for ways for members to work from home after a revolt over convening during the pandemic, and said they wouldnt return to the Capitol on Monday. The smaller Senate, however, plans to convene there.

The decisions people make are likely to vary widely depending on where they live, and how close that puts them to known virus clusters. In Georgia, where COVID-19 has killed at least 1,000, many new cases are still being reported.

But even in places with fewer known infections, people are facing uneasy choices.

In Omaha, Nebraska, where businesses can reopen next week, teachers Michelle and Mark Aschenbrenner said they are eager to dine out again. Mark Aschenbrenner has set up an appointment for a long-delayed haircut.

'I think were four weeks too early.... [but] I think Ill probably still go because weve been stuck at home for seven weeks and were going stir crazy,' he said.

With warmer weather enticing more people to venture out in the weeks ahead, it will be up to individuals to exercise caution.

'You cant swear that if somebody happens to cough on the beach chair to your left and then you have a breeze that blows that over across you, that you dont have the exposure in that way,' said Dr. Marybeth Sexton, infectious-disease specialist at Emory University School of Medicine.

Even following guidelines to maintain 6-foot distances may not be enough.

That rule is based on how far a different coronavirus, SARS, spread among airline passengers.

When doctors treated more than a dozen COVID-19 patients at an Omaha hospital, researchers found genetic material from the virus at greater distances  on window ledges, cellphones, in hallways and on toilet seats, Santarpia said.

That doesnt mean people shouldnt go out. But they should be very deliberate in doing so, limiting visits with relatives and friends to moments that matter, said Dr. Emily Landon, who leads infection control at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The virus remains a long-term foe. The president of the Japan Medical Association, Yoshitake Yokokura, said he thinks it will be difficult to hold the rescheduled Tokyo Summer Olympics even in 2021 without an effective vaccine.

In the shorter term, it will be up to individuals as much as policymakers to make the decisions that will help chart the virus course.

'I think everyone still needs to use their judgment. Im not having a book club in my house. Im going to my doctor for an allergy shot because thats safe to do,' said Landon, the Chicago infection-control expert.

'You can try and make it political, make it about freedom, but its a virus. Its biology. Biology doesnt negotiate,' he said.
Slate is making its essential coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued something very close to a declaration of independence for the largest U.S. state while speaking on MSNBC earlier this month. Noting that California has been forced in a position of competing against other states, other nations, against our own government for badly needed personal protective equipment to fight the coronavirus, Newsom vowed to use the purchasing power of the state of California as a nation-state to acquire the needed supplies.

California is often compared to other countriesit would have the worlds fifth largest GDP if it were independentbut Newsoms statement took on new meaning in the context of the escalating tensions between state governments and the Trump administration over the response to COVID-19. States have been forced to work around the federal government to access supplies and coordinate plans. Some states are reopening their economies ahead of schedule, also in defiance of the White House, while others are banding together into regional alliances to coordinate their eventual reopening. President Donald Trump may claim that he has absolute authority when it comes to U.S. pandemic response, but right now the country looks more like a patchwork of occasionally overlapping regional responses.

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Trump has also encouraged protesters to liberate states with governors that plan to extend stay-at-home orders. In the case of Virginia, he came close to encouraging armed insurrection by invoking the Second Amendment. He has accused governors who defy his directives of mutiny. The president has often sounded more like a medieval monarch inveighing against rebellious noblemen than the president of a centralized bureaucracy. The question may be less whether California is acting like a nation-state than whether the United States is acting like one.

Its telling to see which groups take the lead in a crisis.

Similar dynamics are playing out elsewhere. In Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and India, state and regional governments are also charting their own paths in responding to the crisis, sometimes openly defying national governments. Some of the most consequential political actionspositive and negativehave been carried out at the local level. The virus may well leave behind a world where power is more diffused from the national to the regional level, and where the international political order is a lot messier.

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This might seem counterintuitive, as the virus is also creating boom times for centralized state bureaucracies and traditional views of sovereignty. The quarantine, testing, and surveillance measures required to slow the viruss spread have necessitated an extraordinary degree of state intervention in citizens lives in the worlds democracies, and allowed authoritarians to entrench their power. Globalization has ground to a halt as international borders have closed and hardened into the impenetrable walls of nativist dreams. Multilateral institutions have never looked less relevant: The U.N. Security Council is ineffectual; the EU may have been dealt a death blow; even the World Health Organization has become a political punching bag. Rather than cooperating to fight a virus that has no respect for national boundaries, nation-states are too often competing over valuable supplies.

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In parts of the world where central governments legitimacy was already weaker, alternative actors are also stepping into the fray. As the Washington Post noted recently, armed insurgents and terrorist groups and drug cartels and gangs have formed a parallel underworld of public health policy and strategic messaging. Examples include the infamous gang MS-13 enforcing curfews in El Salvador; drug cartels distributing economic aid packages in Mexico; and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group once known as al-Qaida in Syria, taking the lead on public health education within the areas it controls. Taliban personnel in medical gear have reportedly been quarantining people whove recently returned from virus hot spot Iran, something the Afghan central government has been notably unable to enforce.

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In the absence of leadership from the top, its becoming clear which institutions, formal or not, are trusted by their communities. Even groups that are (for good reason) international pariahs can enjoy more local legitimacy than formal governments. Its telling to see which groups take the lead in a crisis; in many parts of the world, its not the central governments.

If we think of the current international political order in terms of the familiar world map, with national governments enjoying complete and non-overlapping power over their own territories, the virus has exposed this view as woefully incomplete. Even the map itself is questionable: Its worth noting that the country that has arguably been the most effective at controlling its COVID-19 outbreakTaiwanis one that officially doesnt exist according to most other governments and international organizations, including WHO. The notion that international politics is defined by the interactions of the 193 governments with placards at the United Nations has never looked shakier.

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In short, rather than a world of strengthened states contained within ever more impermeable borders, the pandemic could leave behind a much more complicated and messier political world, where power is contested in new waysor perhaps in very old ones.

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In an influential 1998 article, the Wharton School professor Stephen J. Kobrin wrote that thanks to emerging threats to the authority of nation-statesmultinational corporations, transnational terrorist groups, nongovernmental organizationsthe world could be entering a neomedieval period in which global politics is more complex, with more diffuse sources of power, than the modern system of fixed, mutually exclusive, geographically defined jurisdictions known as nation-states. He meant medieval in the sense that medieval European borders were diffuse, shifting and permeable; it is anachronistic to see them as modern jurisdictional limits. It was a world in which political power was based more on family ties or religious authority than geographic territory, one in which the King of France might have sent letters to the count of Flanders, who was clearly his vassal; the count of Luxembourg, a prince of the Empire  and the king of Sicily, who while a ruler of [a] sovereign state, was also a prince of the French royal house.

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As late as the 17th century, the king of Spain was also the king of Portugal, Naples, and Sicily as well as the duke of Milan and Burgundy. The historian Derek Croxton has likened this arrangement to the EU in reverse, in that all these countries shared an absolute ruler and foreign policies but had their own protectionist trade policies. A traveler from Lisbon to Barcelona at that time would need a separate passport for each kingdom they passed through along the way, even though they technically never left the dominion of the king of Spain.

To put this in modern terms, one could imagine a scenario not far off where a road tripper driving across the United States would pass through a series of quarantine-induced border controls defining open states and locked-down states, with different rules and cultural norms (mask on, mask off) depending on the region.

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Kobrins essay predicting the end of an era where the sovereign nation-state is the defining unit of international politics is very much a product of its time: The postCold War era was a boom time for predictions of the decline of the nation-state, from John Perry Barlows Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace to Robert D. Kaplans The Coming Anarchy. As Kelsey Atherton recently noted for Slate, the speculative fiction of this period depicts a world in which governments have withered away to insignificance. Neal Stephensons 1992 cyberpunk classic Snow Crash depicts a future in which people live in neighborhood-size, politically autonomous, usually ethnically homogenous burbclaves with their own laws and security forces.

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It didnt quite work out that way. Nation-states responded to the threat from nonstate actorssymbolized most vividly by the 9/11 attackswith a massive expansion of the security state and surveillance capabilities. Information and capital may move rapidly across borders, but peoples political rights and their ability to travel are still organized by the country on their passport.

Ive reported on a number of alternatives to a world dominated by nation-states over the years, from the quasi-anarchist confederacy concept favored by Syrian Kurdish leaders, to digital citizenship programs, to ex-situ nationhood arrangements for islands lost to climate change, to the seasteading dreams of Silicon Valley.

This would be a more chaotic world, but it would also be a world rife with possibilities.

Ive always found ideas like these to be fun thought experiments, but not particularly realistic. As the philosopher of nationalism Ernest Gellner wrote, we live in a world where a man must have a nationality as he must have a nose and two earsthe current political order seems so entrenched that its hard to even imagine an alternative.

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Id always assumed it would take a global disruption on the order of a world war to make any sort of alternative arrangements plausible. Could a pandemic be that sort of disruption?

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Perhaps. These are clearly exceptional times. Depending on how long the current state of emergency lasts, we could soon live in a world where a number of previously extraordinary things are normalized. Maybe well see interstate checkpoints within the United States, international organizations working with sanctioned terrorist organizations to deliver medical aid, or the right to travel and work being determined not by governments but by an app developed by Google and Facebook.

This would be a more chaotic world, to be sure, but it would also be a world rife with possibilities. Already, some voices on the left have been arguing that were entering a municipalist moment, one in which progressive movements will be looking to the local as a place to build power, as a recent article in Dissent put it. This new municipalism has manifested itself in the mutual aid groups that have sprouted from London to Washington to deliver aid to front-line workers and economically vulnerable people who have been failed by the government.

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Mutual aid is not just a local phenomenon; people are also collaborating across borders. As the New York Times recently noted in an article on scientific cooperation, while political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history. Never before, researchers say, have so many experts in so many countries focused simultaneously on a single topic and with such urgency.

Its not just the scientists. About 2.6 billion people, or more than a third of the worlds population, are currently under some form of lockdown to slow the spread of the virus. This is more people than were alive during World War II, and this time theyre in every region of the world. This many people around the world have never been involved in a common project like this before in history. A neomedieval world of more fluid borders and political organization is not necessarily a more antagonistic one.

None of this is inevitable. There are powerful actors that are already using this crisis to build stronger states and harden borders. But the moment of crisis is also opening up the possibility of transformative change that lingers even after the quarantine orders lift.

For more of Slates coronavirus coverage, listen to a recent episode of one of our news podcasts.
The passing of acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan is a huge loss to the world of cinema. Irrfan not only left an indelible mark on the Hindi film industry, but also on world cinema. He starred in a number of international movies such as Slumdog Millionaire, Life Of Pi, The Namesake and so on.

Director of Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle, was saddened to hear the news of Irrfan's passing. He paid a tribute to the actor through an interview with BBC.

"Irrfan was a wonderful actor and a pivotal figure in the making of Slumdog Millionaire. It wasn't a huge role, in fact on paper it was even less rewarding looking. But Irrfan saw the possibility of guiding our audience with his dignity, his grace, his charm, his intelligence and his calmness, through this crossword puzzle of an idea, of a film," he said.

Danny continued, "He also reassured one of our most significant partners on the film, Peter Rice of Fox Searchlight, who as a friend before he was involved in the film told me cast Irrfan Khan in it, whether there was a role for him or not, he said: 'Just get that guy'."

He added, "And then he said, he bought the film, he ended up buying the film and releasing it to put it on its trajectory towards the Academy Awards, and he was no doubt partly enticed by the fact that indeed we had got Irrfan Khan. So thank you Peter Rice, thank you Irrfan Khan for a match made in heaven."

Slumdog Millionaire won a number of Academy Awards at the 2009 Oscars. Irrfan played the role of a police inspector in the film.

Tributes for Irrfan are pouring in from all corners of the world, especially from the United Kingdom, where the actor underwent treatment for his neuroendocrine tumor after being diagnosed with it in 2018. Irrfan passed away due to an infection, on April 29, 2020.

ALSO READ: Irrfan Khan's Love For Acting, Outlook On Stardom Revealed In Touching Note Written By Homi Adajania

ALSO READ: When Irrfan Khan Said That If He Got To Live, He Wanted To Live For His Wife Sutapa Sikdar


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Movement restrictions in and out of Dadaab and Kakuma camps are part of coronavirus containment measures.

Kenya has banned movement in and out of two huge refugee camps as part of containment measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus among the vulnerable communities.

Interior Minister Fred Matiangi said on Wednesday the restrictions apply to the Dadaab camp in eastern Kenya, home to 217,000 people, and the Kakuma camp in northwestern Kenya, home to 190,000 people.

Kenya, which has recorded 384 coronavirus cases to date, has yet to report any infections in the two camps, which house refugees from Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia  some of whom have lived there for almost 20 years.

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Health experts and humanitarian groups have long warned an outbreak of COVID-19  the disease caused by the new coronavirus  in densely populated refugee camps would be catastrophic.

In Dadaab, a possible outbreak of the coronavirus would be a disaster with a quarantine capacity for only 2,000 people in place and only one dedicated COVID-19 health facility including 110 beds for more than 270,000 people, Philippa Crosland-Taylor, of Geneva-based organisation CARE, said on Twitter.

CAREs figure of 270,000 includes undocumented refugees and people living in host communities.

No full lockdown

Kenya has not imposed a full lockdown, but has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew and similarly blocked movement in and out of Nairobi, three coastal towns and the northeastern county of Mandera.

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UN refugee agency spokeswoman Eujin Byun told AFP news agency the new restrictions would not mean a significant change for the refugees.

She said the issuance of movement passes allowing them to travel out of the area has been halted since the end of March.

However host communities are now also blocked from leaving the area, and movement into the area is restricted.

Humanitarian movement will be allowed on a case by case basis, and aid and vital cargo will still be allowed into the area.

Speaking to Al Jazeera last month, Byun said having so many people living in close proximity was one of the major risk factors for the spread of the virus, while ensuring that refugees have access to clean water and soap  two of the most effective weapons against it  was critical.

She said the UNHCR had altered its operations in the camps to try to avoid gatherings. For example, to reduce the contact between residents and humanitarian workers, it plans to distribute two months food rations at once, whereas in the past, they were distributed monthly or every two weeks.

The agency had also stopped sending outside missions into the camps to prevent a potential spread of the virus.

Information was also being sent to residents via mobile phone apps such as WhatsApp, she added, to limit social gatherings and to reduce fear and panic in the refugee camp and prevent any kind of misinformation.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 29, 2020 - 20:44 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Many of Japan's prefectural governors have urged the central government to extend the nationwide state of emergency due to end on May 6 to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

In an online meeting of the National Governors' Association on Wednesday, however, some prefectural chiefs were against a uniform extension of emergency steps aimed at slowing the spread the virus, expressing concern over the impact of keeping many businesses closed for so long.

After declaring the state of emergency for Tokyo and six other densely populated prefectures on April 7, Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe expanded it to the entire nation on April 16.

The emergency declaration gives prefectural governors the power to enforce preventive steps and allows them to call for school and business closures, though there are no legal penalties for noncompliance.

Abe indicated at a parliamentary meeting Wednesday that conditions have not been met for the government to lift the nationwide state of emergency, in place through the last day of the country's Golden Week holidays.

"With regard to whether we will be able to end the state of emergency on May 6, I must say we continue to face difficult situations," Abe said, adding he will consult a panel of experts before making his decision.

The National Governors' Association called on the government to clarify conditions for lifting the state of emergency, as municipalities are divided on when to reopen schools and the rate of new infections varies among prefectures.

Governors mostly expressed a cautious view about the idea of pushing back the start of the academic year to September from April.

On Wednesday, 205 new cases of coronavirus infections were confirmed in the country, bringing the total number of people infected to around 14,800, of whom about 450 have died.

In Tokyo alone, 47 cases were newly confirmed Wednesday and nine infected patients died the same day. The capital continues to see fluctuations in the daily number of new cases, having seen as many as over 200 in mid-April.

Related coverage:

Comedian says pandemic will prod pretty girls into sex industry

Abe to consider Sept. start of school year amid coronavirus closure

Japan gov't to release coronavirus contact-tracing app in May
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today that the Persian Gulf belongs to Iran and not the United States in the latest war of words between the two countries.

The Americans should know that this waterway is called the Persian Gulf, state-controlled Press TV quoted Rouhani as saying. It is not called the New York Gulf or the Washington Gulf.

Today is a holiday commemorating the strategic Persian Gulf and its importance to Iran. Rouhani took the opportunity to demand that the United States stop working against Iran amid recent naval tensions in the strategic waterway.

They should understand the circumstances by taking into consideration both its name and the nation that has preserved it for thousands of years, and stop hatching plots against the Iranian nation, Press TV quoted Rouhani as telling his Cabinet.

Other Iranian media outlets reported remarks by top Iranian officials today on the Persian Gulfs significance. Mahmoud Vaezi, Rouhanis chief of staff, said, The Persian Gulf is not just a geographical name, it is a symbol of solidarity and pride for Iranians, according to the state-controlled Al-Alam News Network.

The leader of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces, Alireza Tangsiri, also declared Irans intention to populate islands in the Persian Gulf today, according to Al-Alam.

Rouhanis comments in particular constitute the latest in a string of recent verbal battles between the United States and Iran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took aim at Iran today in remarks to reporters, slamming the Iranian airline Mahan Air for flying to Venezuela to support the government of President Nicolas Maduro. The United States supports an alternative government in the Latin American country, and has indicted Maduro on drug charges.

This is the same terrorist airline that Iran uses to move weapons and fighters around the Middle East, said Pompeo. These flights must stop."

Pompeo also said the United States would work to ensure Iran is not able to acquire conventional weapons after a UN-imposed ban on Iran obtaining such weapons expires in October. The US will work with the UN to continue the ban, but is prepared to act alone on the matter, according to Pompeo.

Well work with the UN Security Council to extend that prohibition on those arms sales, he said. And then in the event we cant get anyone else to act, the United States is evaluating every possibility about how we might do that.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have increased greatly in April. The United States said Iranian naval vessels came dangerously close to US ships April 15. On April 22, Iran launched its first military satellite and US President Donald Trump said he told the US Navy to destroy any Iranian vessels threatening US forces in the Persian Gulf. There have been other flare-ups.

US-Iranian relations descended into hostility after Trump pulled out from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. The United States says Iran seeks to build nuclear weapons, which Iran denies. The deal, negotiated and signed during the presidency of Barack Obama, removed sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iranian compliance with regulations prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons. Trump reinstituted sanctions after withdrawing from the deal, saying Iran was not complying.
When we contribute to the climate crisis by wasting resources or polluting, or if we decline to support worthy causes with money or time when we can afford to, we are refusing our place in this ethical web  a place we recognize that we occupy by staying at home during the pandemic. On the other hand, when we use some of our free time to make the world better by volunteering to teach in a hospital or school or prison or helping Habitat for Humanity build a house we take up our place in that web, whether we are aware of it or not.

This place we occupy is not a transactional one; we do not occupy it because others have chosen to occupy it. We stay at home during the pandemic because we are obliged not to transmit the virus to others, not because others have chosen to stay home. This ethical web primarily concerns what we owe because of the effects of what we do, not because others are also doing it or are doing it for us. But it also leads to a set of uncomfortable questions that we need to grapple with as best we can.

When we buy a condominium in a city that is gentrifying we are often hastening the displacement of longtime residents who will not be able to afford the rising housing costs. When we buy a smartphone we are often fattening the profits of a company overseas whose employees endure horrible working conditions. As tourists we may be contributing to the slow erasure of a local culture. In our world, actions like these are often difficult to avoid.

There are no easy answers to what we ought to or ought not do. But we should at the least recognize the effects of our actions, admit that we occupy an ethical web, and make the best decisions we can. Many of us can, after all, make changes in our lives that will enhance the lives of others with whom we share the planet (human and non-human) in small but important ways  from switching from plastic to cloth shopping bags to getting involved in issues like fair and affordable housing or the climate crisis.

Now that the privileged among us have some time to reflect on our place in the world, perhaps we can commit ourselves to one or more of these changes  that is, commit ourselves to better relationships with those with whom we share this particular ethical web.

Very few of us will be moral saints, nor should we seek to be. There are many other aspects of our lives to develop aside from the moral ones. We can try, though, to be morally decent. Recognizing this ethical web in which we are involved is a way to start.

The coronavirus has, among other things, revealed how our daily actions are woven into those of others in ways that have consequences for all of us. It has revealed an ethical web of which each of us is a part. Let us hope, moving forward, that that revelation can stay with us beyond the many months that this crisis will. At stake is not just our health but our humanity.

Todd May was a philosophical consultant for the NBC sitcom The Good Place and is now working with the shows creator Michael Schur on his forthcoming book How to Be Good: A Definitive Answer for Exactly What to Do, In Every Situation.

Now in print: Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments, and The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments, with essays from the series, edited by Peter Catapano and Simon Critchley, published by Liveright Books.

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.
Bad actors have defied stay-at-home orders and are threatening to spread the coronavirus by coughing or spitting on essential workers.

Under new direction from Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, these actions could be punishable by law under terrorism charges.

In a March 24 memo, Rosen wrote that "Because coronavirus appears to meet the statutory definition of a "biological agent" under 18 U.S.C  178(1), such acts could implicate the Nation's terrorism-related statues."

After charging similar offenders with lesser crimes, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewall charged a man named George Falcone with making terroristic threats after he allegedly coughed on a Wegmans employee and claimed he had coronavirus. If convicted, Falcone could face 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine.

Since bringing up charges against Falcone, Grewall's office has charged more than 30 others with making terroristic threats.

"You need to use whatever levers you have to make sure people abide by those orders from your governors and that they don't, in this midst of this crisis, take advantage of their fellow citizens by engaging in criminal conduct," Grewall said in an interview.

Similar charges have been issued in states including Texas, Florida and Missouri, but not all jurisdictions are using the full power of Rosen's memo. Similar cases have seen charges of breach of peace, assault and other misdemeanors.

"While on the one hand, there is no question that a serious pandemic such as we are experiencing can have an enormous effect on the national security of a country, it's really also important to understand the differences between a naturally occurring disease and, you know, an act of war," said Wendy Parmet, director of the Center for Health Policy and Law at Northeastern University.

Violent extremist groups have also been cited as plotting to spread the coronavirus. A February intelligence brief by the Federal Protective Service warned that "White Racially Motivated Violent Extremists have recently commented on the coronavirus stating that it is an 'OBLIGATION' to spread it should any of them contract the virus."

William Braniff, director of National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said the directive "may have a deterrent effect against those individuals who might be doing it as a sort of a counterculture response, some kind of joke taken too far, but for those who are really immersed in the kind of extremist propaganda that's pushing for this, I don't know that it's that effective of a deterrent."
Chaos prevailed at the Delhi-Faridabad border on Wednesday evening after the Haryana government sealed the entry-exit points of the satellite city, leaving several people stranded in the national capital as they waited to cross the border and go home.

Those among the stranded at Badarpur in southeast Delhi included civic body staffers, ones with valid movement permissions, while a few with medical emergencies.

With no accommodation available, many faced the difficult question of where to spent the night.

Faridabad resident Kuldeep (23), who works in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), said nobody stopped him in the morning when he entered Delhi.

"When I came to my office around 9 am, nobody stopped or informed me about the sealing of the bordering area. Now, when I want to go back to my home in Faridabad, the police are not allowing us to pass through the border



"They are sending me back to Delhi where I have no option for an accommodation," said Kuldeep, who has been working the with SDMC since last three years.

With no other option, Kuldeep, who goes by his first name, said he was heading back to his office.

Forty-year-old Rajesh Singh said he pleaded with the police at the border to allow him to go to Gwalior so that he could pick up his sister.

"My sister went to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and is stuck there. Her husband works in Home Guard and received a bullet injury. He is admitted at the Siddhi Vinayak Hospital in Delhi and his further treatment will only take place after my sister come here," Singh said.

The authorities in Faridabad tightened the restrictions over movement of government employees and regular people from other districts and Delhi to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Near Badarpur border, there was heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel to ensure that there is no restriction in movement of people working in essential services.

Ramanand (51), who works as an accountant in Delhi, said he too was stuck in the national capital and had no place to stay the night.

"The authorities should have informed us before sealing the borders. We were not aware about this move earlier. I live in Faridabad and work in Delhi. I have no one here where I can go and stay for a while. I will wait at the border till the time police allow us to go home," he said.

Jitender Kumar, 24, said he has been denied permission twice to go to Faridabad.

"I have raw material for masks which I am supposed to deliver at a factory in Faridabad Sector-24. Despite having the movement passes for Delhi and Faridabad, I am not allowed to cross the border and this is second time they have stopped me."



Earlier, he was stopped in Prahaladpur area.

"I have informed my boss and I'm now returning home in Okhla," Kumar said.

Similarly, 52-year-old Harish Chauhan, who manufactures masks, returned to his house in Janakpuri after uploading the raw material at bordering area.

"I deal in masks and have a factory in Faridabad Sector-27. When I reached the Badarpur border, the police officials said they cannot allow me go to my factory. I have been waiting for almost two hours but nothing is happening. I have called two people from the factory to come here and take the raw material," Chauhan said.

A driver, working for a doctor in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was also stopped while he was on his way to pick up another senior doctor from Sector 17 in Faridabad.

"I was told to go to Faridabad Sector-17 to pick up a senior doctor. I have a pass which is pasted on the windscreen of the car, but the police are not listening to me. I have called the senior doctor and she will come to the Badarpur border by her car. From there, I will take her to the office," said 32-year-old Narender Nagar.

Avdesh Kumar (38), who works in an Indian Oil gas agency said he lives near the border and is waiting for police to let him go.

"This is happening due to the lack of coordination. I work in the sector which falls under essential category. I was asked to come to the office. The authorities should understand and at least let us go to back to our residences as we have no place to stay here," Kumar said.

According to Faridabad Police, people were continuously asked to restrict movement from last three days.

"We are only allowing people as per their requirements. Those who are carrying food and grocery materials are allowed. We are also allowing patients to cross the border.

"Police were sensitising people from last three days to restrict their frequent movement, but they were not listening," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch Faridabad) Anil Yadav said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
App-based food delivery company Foodora has initiated bankruptcy proceedings in Canada and declared some $4.7 million in debt after announcing an abrupt exit from the country earlier this week.

The departure comes two months after its Toronto-area couriers won a significant battle at the provincial labour board recognizing their right to join a union. Initiating the proceedings does not mean Foodora is formally bankrupt, but it starts an insolvency process to come to an arrangement with creditors owed money.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers  which was seeking to represent couriers  filed an unfair labour practice complaint to the board, alleging the company is closing down to defeat a union organizing drive in violation of provincial labour laws.

Foodora may try to cut and run, but they cant hide from their responsibilities, said CUPWs national president Jan Simpson in a statement.

These couriers dont deserve to be abandoned in the uncertainty of a pandemic. They have rights and well stand up for them.

Foodora will cease operations in Canada on May 11.

We are not leaving the Canadian market because of the ongoing legal dispute with CUPW, which is currently seeking to represent riders in Toronto, the company said in a statement.

Rather, we have tried different ways of making our business work in major markets across Canada, including trialing logistics as a service, focusing on specific segments and new verticals, and many other tactics. Unfortunately, these strategies have not generated the desired results over time.

The company said creditors will have a chance to vote in the bankruptcy proceedings to recuperate funds owed.

While the companys couriers had not yet joined a union, they were the first app-based workforce in the country to make significant strides toward it. Liisa Schofield, an organizer with CUPW, called Foodoras bankruptcy proceedings baffling.

Theres been an uptick in deliveries in the middle of a pandemic, she told the Star. They have an exclusive contract with the LCBO.

Earlier this week, Foodoras Berlin-based parent company, Delivery Hero, announced quarterly results that showed global revenues and growth doubling.

Creditors listed on Foodoras bankruptcy file include government authorities like the Canada Revenue Agency and the provincial workers compensation board, as well as company employees who are owed $243,000.

Couriers, who are considered contractors not employees, are not listed as creditors in the document.

Trustees for Foodora said in an emailed statement to couriers that the companys closure, announced Monday, constituted their two-week notice of termination and that final wage payments were scheduled to be made on May 13.

Therefore, it is the trustees preliminary view that you will not be a creditor of the estate, the email says.

In 2018, Foodora left Australia with unpaid debts after it was challenged in court over classifying couriers as independent contractors rather than employees. That was the designation challenged by Canadian couriers too and, in February, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled Foodoras couriers were dependent contractors  a middle ground between independent contractors and employees that gives workers the right to unionize.

Schofield said despite Foodoras Canadian exit  and its implications for the union drive  couriers had built an amazing community for themselves.

Weve created a hardship fund for couriers. Weve organized personal protective equipment, she said.

Its this beautiful sense of community amongst couriers. Thats what the union has always meant to them.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nick Amster, a part-owner of the Beachland Ballroom, generous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame donor, supporter of the Cleveland Cinematheque, musician and onetime indie movie actor died on Sunday, April 26, from heart disease.

Amster was also known around town as the guy with the crazy hair. He had not cut his dreadlocks since the night before he married his wife, Sarah J. Buck, on September 12, 1992. He was unmistakable, grabbing the attention of onlookers with his nearly 12-foot long, grey, matted dreadlock draped over his arm at Clevelands music venues and movie theaters.

Forty-one years ago, when Buck and Amster met at a College of Wooster cafe concert, he had a head of short red curls. Their first date was the next week: A Canton screening of French thriller La Diabolique.

He was the most unusual person I had ever met 41 years ago, and he remains, probably, the most unusual person I still have ever met, Buck said. He was definitely eccentric, and smart, and curious. He called himself a lifer for music, that it was so part of his bones.

Amster was born on Sept. 30, 1948 with the full name Nicholas Amster Jay Fishelson, the son of Julia Amster Fishelson and Joseph Eli Fishelson. He grew up in Wooster and graduated from Wooster High School in 1967, then went to Oberlin College where, as a student, he taught classes about rock and roll. He and Buck moved to Cleveland in the early 1980s. Amster is survived by Buck, his siblings Ida Sue and David Fishelson and his two children, Eli and Claire Fishelson.

Amsters love of music extended to his community through philanthropy. He constantly gave to Clevelands music scenes in ways big and small. Friends said he regularly carried a bag of mixed CDs to hand to friends and strangers. He and Buck bought season tickets to the Cleveland Orchestra every year, even though he couldnt make it to all of the shows. Beachland Ballroom co-owner Cindy Barber said he would regularly slip $100 bills to local musicians at the Beachland Ballrooms bar.

[Music] was the only thing that mattered, Buck said. It was all that really mattered in life to him.

Amsters love of music was expansive. With the exception of some opera, he enjoyed every genre and listened to everything. But his biggest musical interest wasnt necessarily a genre or a specific musician -- instead, it was the year 1967.

For over 10 years, every single day, he would listen to something that was either recorded or released in 1967, Buck said. He did it for years, he was devoted to it. It was just amazing. I wish he had written a book about it.

The project spanned every kind of music release from all over the world, as long as it was tied to the year 1967, which he considered the finest year in music -- a year that defined some of his favorite musicians, like Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground.

Amster was more than a fan of music -- he was entrenched in the scene, both locally and nationally, with plenty of run-ins and friendships with the biggest rockers in the world. As a teenager, he ran away to New York City and befriended legendary Beat figures Harry Smith and Allen Ginsberg, and experimental rock band The Fugs. He even worked his way into a Fugs recording session and played a bit of percussion on an album, Buck said. After that, he spent time living in Jamaica, where he became involved with the developing 60s reggae scene.

Amster made his own music, too, hiring musicians of all kinds to record with him at late-night sessions -- including one session with acclaimed rock band Wilco.

He produced and recorded and did vocals on his own very unusual music, Buck said. People called him Nick at Night because theyd do their recording sessions in the middle of the night, and theyd go for hours.

Conversations with Amster would often go the same way, friends said.

Whenever he came to a movie, I knew Id be there for an hour after the show ended, talking to Nick. He was notorious for hanging around, John Ewing, the Cleveland Cinematheques director, said. He was a gregarious person -- he loved to talk and watch old movies. It usually happened into the wee hours of the morning.

Amsters affability and huge knowledge of the arts led to relationships and moments with rock and blues stars. He was a close friend and supporter of Cleveland blues legend Robert Lockwood Jr., until Lockwoods death in 2006. He became acquaintances with rockstar Lou Reed after talking with him at concerts.

Once, Buck said, Amster got himself, a friend, Buck and Lockwood Jr. backstage at a Rolling Stones concert to hang out with Keith Richards.

Nick wasnt an imposter trying to get in there, Buck said. He knew so much and it was so deep in him only Nick could pull that off.

To be friends with Amster, Ewing said, was like being a friend of Santa Claus. Amster would regularly gift his friends new music, concert tickets and experiences. The first time the Rock Hall induction ceremony was held in Cleveland, Amster gave Ewing a ticket to the event -- a ticket that would have cost hundreds of dollars.

It was just a nice gesture, Ewing said. An out-of-the-blue generous thing, which Nick Amster every now and again, would do and bestow on you.

Nick Amster and John Ewing, outside of the Cleveland Cinematheque. (Photo by Les Vince, Cleveland Cinematheque)

Amsters generosity extended significantly to Cleveland venue the Beachland Ballroom, which he became a part-owner of around 2013.

If it wasnt for Nick, the Beachland probably wouldnt continue to exist, Barber said. The roof was falling in, we had buckets and put basins up underneath the drop ceilings. He got so fed up with it He wanted to fix things. He wanted to help.

Amster paid what ended up being about $100,000 to completely redo the Beachlands roof, Barber said. He also installed a recording system at the club to make CD recordings for every band that performed in the venue, so that there could be a record of each show.

Fixing up the Beachland was, like most of Amsters life, focused around the music, Buck said.

It wasnt about the food, it was not about the alcohol -- he didnt even drink, Buck said. It was about the music, always about the music.

He was a decades-long advocate and friend for blues star Robert Lockwood Jr., helping his family after Lockwoods death in 2006 by selling one of Lockwoods guitars to the Rock Hall and giving the funds to the family.

Amster was also a longtime friend of legendary folklorist Harry Smith and later became a board member of the Harry Smith Archives. Amster was integral to the release of Grammy-winning reissue of Anthology of American Folk Music, according to Harry Smith Archives director Rani Singh. Amster even helped Smith walk onstage at the 1991 Grammy Awards.

He was also a big part in planning the Harry Smith Project concerts, bringing in various bands to perform on stages around the world.

What Nick brought to his role as a board member of the Harry Smith archives was very much a really good business sense, a sense of the music and the film world. He really knew the landscape and was very generous in his time and also financially in helping to bring all of these things to fruition, Singh said. He was a real special cat from a special part of the forest, and there will not be another one like him.

At the Rock Hall, Amster was a financial supporter from the start, later funding events that brought in older rock and blues stars, said Terry Stewart, the Rock Halls former director. In particular, Amster helped fund the American Music Masters program at the museum.

He was a music lover and facilitator and a donor, and he was sort of omnipresent, a little bit of everywhere in those days, Stewart said. We had a lot of fun being around each other. I never got to spend enough time with him, he was always on the move.

In addition to his music endeavors, Amster also became involved with the Cleveland Cinematheque, donating and presenting films over the years. Amster even starred in an indie movie screened at the theater, Ewing said.

Living Dreams, directed by Alan Greenberg, screened on March 20, 1988. The Cinematheques flier for the event shared a plot summary:

Eight bizarre characters -- including a record producer, a boudoir photographer and a Cuban exile -- play out their destinies and their dreams in contemporary Miami in this outrageous, intentionally offensive new comedy.

In the flier, Amster was noted to be attending the showing, stating that he was a well-known Cleveland movie buff who makes his acting debut as one of the movie's funniest oddballs."

Out in public, Amster was a visible character in Clevelands arts and music scenes. At home, he shared his generosity in smaller ways -- always in the form of his favorite language, music.

In February, Amster helped buy headphones and a CD player for Bucks mother, who is hard of hearing, so she would be able to listen to music. Inside the CD player, Amster placed an old family recording of Buck playing the piano, so that her mother could hear the performance.

Buck brought the setup to her mother, and played the CD for her in February.

All of the sudden, tears were rolling down her face, because she could hear music for the first time in years, Buck said. He gave me that CD to take to my mother. He said, she has to hear her daughter playing.

Amster never stopped spreading his love of music with loved ones. One of the last emails he sent to friends on Sunday, before his death, mentioned his reactions to coronavirus and the changing world.

Ewing and Barber were two recipients of the email, which, Ewing said, included two musical excerpts and a short clip from the film Apocalypse Now. The clip featured Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall, stating: Someday this wars going to end.

Later, after Amster passed, Buck found a batch of freshly-made CDs and other gifts, labeled and ready to deliver to his friends. Some of them, perhaps, included his signature used to sign off on personal correspondences:

Yours in music, Nick.
Since the fallout of the financial crisis, the largest companies listed on U.S. markets have provided the best returns. The likes of Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) were the drivers of the bull market that lasted a decade. There's no denying that these companies have grown their earnings in leaps and bounds in this period, resulting in their stellar market performance.





Amid the chaos in global capital markets, the five largest companies representing the S&P 500 index have continued to establish their dominance. As illustrated below, the market capitalization of these companies now accounts for more than 20% of the index, which is a 40-year high.

Source: The New York Times

American markets have gained some lost ground since March 23, and these companies have been the winners once again. Commenting about this phenomenon, Thomas Philippon, a finance professor at the New York University, told the New York Times:



"The firms that were the top dogs going into the crisis also happen to have the most resilient business models because they can do everything online. It turns out Amazon was one of the most successful businesses in the U.S., and on top of it, they are the ones who can keep processing orders."







As evident from this statement, there's a lot to like about these large-cap companies. However, investors are ignoring an important signal related to the performance of small-cap stocks.

Small-cap returns have been lackluster

Riskier assets should provide better returns than relatively less risky assets. This is one of the most basic economic theories. Investing in small, high-growth companies is inherently riskier than buying shares of well-established companies. Therefore, investors seek for additional returns as compensation for taking this risk. However, things did not play out well for such investors in the last few years.

Story continues

Index Price return in the last 5 years S&P 500 35.3% Russell 2000 3.07%







Source: Eikon

This disappointing performance has pushed many investors away from this lucrative asset class. In the context of investing, five years is not necessarily a long enough time horizon to evaluate the attractiveness of a certain investment vehicle. If the timeline is extended to include data from 1980, small-cap stocks (represented by the Russell 2000 index) emerge as the winner.

Index Price return since 1980 S&P 500 2840% Russell 2000 3130%







Source: Eikon

This long-term outperformance of small company returns is testimony to the attractive opportunities an investor can find in this space.

A deeper dive into the historical returns

Contrary to the belief of many investors, empirical evidence points out that a recession might turn the tables in favor of the Russell 2000 index. FTSE Russell researched in 2014 to analyze small-cap returns in the context of economic peaks and troughs. Surprisingly, this study found that a small-cap premium emerges three months before an economic peak and continues to be a feature of markets through 12 months from the peak.

Source: FTSE Russell

Following the expansion that lasted more than a decade since the fallout of the financial crisis, it's reasonable to assume that the American economy has now peaked. Going by the above data, small-cap returns might provide stellar returns in the coming months.

There are more reasons to be hopeful of this asset class. According to data from Royce Invest, whenever the Russell 2000 index provided a negative return in a five-year period, the following years were spectacular.

Source: Royce Invest

On March 31, the five-year annualized return of the index fell below zero. This could be an early indication of stellar returns from the index in the coming years.

Based on these two sets of empirical evidence, I conclude that small-cap stocks are well-positioned to outperform their large-cap peers in the next few years.

Will history repeat this time?

Navigating the current market situation could be more difficult compared to recent economic recessions. The most recent recessions before this one triggered as a result of the failure of only a single business sector. It was the tech sector when the dotcom bubble crashed and the financial services sector in 2008.

However, the current economic downturn is different in that every industry has been affected from the very beginning of the crisis, which has made it difficult for the government to intervene and bail out the troubled companies.

For example, in 2008, the banking sector received the biggest support from regulators as the industry went to the brink of collapse. This time around, companies representing almost all the business sectors are seeking federal aid, which is an adverse outcome as this significantly limits the power of stimulus packages. Billion-dollar aid packages have been introduced to help small businesses as well, but the benefits will not flow to each company that is struggling. Regardless of the size of a company, investors need to be very diligent when selecting a company to invest in.

During these troubled times, small companies have one particular advantage; most of these businesses do not depend on suppliers or buyers outside of the country to generate the bulk of revenue. Global trade has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decades, and many large companies such as Apple and Netflix generate a significant portion of their inventory and revenue outside the U.S. This makes these companies vulnerable to both supply and demand-side shocks resulting from adverse economic conditions in countries they depend on. Small businesses, however, primarily operate within the borders of thier countries, which makes it possible to return to their normal state once mobility restrictions are lifted.

Second, smaller companies have an unparalleled advantage to monitor the health of all of their employees closely, enabling them to identify potential Covid-19 patients early. This will help them avoid factory and store closures. However, things are entirely different for a larger company as keeping a tab on all their employees is not practical. Because of this reason, small companies will be fully functional before many of their larger peers, which should help these players to cap the negative impact on revenue at a manageable level.

On the other hand, the state government will likely come up with a set of guidelines that should be followed by each company once the economy reopens. For large companies, adapting to these measures will be difficult at first because of their sheer scale, whereas things will be easier for companies with a limited headcount, as this brings them more flexibility. These are some of the important factors left out by many analysts and investors when projecting future returns from equity markets.

Takeaway: look beyond the noise to find attractive opportunities

There is a lot of noise in the market. The majority of investors are looking up to the largest companies in the U.S. to deliver stellar investment returns.

However, the less-talked-about small companies have structural advantages over these large companies to generate very attractive returns in the coming years. The recession could be a catalyst for small-cap stocks to outperform the broad market, the same way it has done every time the economy peaked.

Having said that, investors still need to be very cautious about what they invest in. Even though investing in an exchange-traded fund that focuses on small-cap stocks seems to be the easiest way to gain exposure to this segment, the macroeconomic set-up does not support such a decision. Active investing strategies can be used to dig deep into the financials of a company to identify winning bets.

Disclosure: I do not own any stocks mentioned in this article.

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Tom Dekles memory drifts back to the early 1970s, when he was a teenager and his father would drop him and his younger brother off at the old Milos Hamburgers stand in north Birmingham.

Milo Carlton, who started his burger shop after serving as a mess cook during World War II, manned the grill. His wife, Beatrice  or Mama Bea to those who knew her best  worked the front window.

Dekle and his younger brother, Scott, would pick up a cardboard box filled with enough Milos burgers to feed them and all the guys at his fathers Ensley food warehouse.

Those burgers  served with chopped onions, a couple of pickle slices and a liberal dousing of Milo Carltons special sauce  left a lasting impression on the teenage Dekle.

Man, it was awesome, he recalls. It was like it is today. It was different. It was messy. I dont know that you could use fancy terms like a delicacy or anything like that. It was just good.

Nearly a half-century later, as the CEO of the Birmingham-based Milos Hamburgers chain, the 63-year-old Dekle is one of a select few entrusted with the recipe to Milos secret sauce, which is safely stored and password-protected in a digital Fort Knox, he says.

The sauce is obviously proprietary, and only a handful of people know the formula, Dekle says. The Carltons, obviously, know what its about. But even today, there are only two or three of us that know what the formula is.

Figuring out all the secret ingredients would only unlock part of the mystery of Milos magical sauce, though.

Its not only the ingredients, Dekle says. Its the sequence in which the ingredients are put together. It has to have precise temperatures, and because its a cooked sauce, there is a cooking time at the various stages.

To be so simple and so good, its complicated, and thats probably the reason why nobodys ever knocked it off, he adds.

For us, its this very unique, savory sauce that just enhances the whole experience of eating a burger.

These days, Milos makes its sauce in batches of 250 gallons at a time, and it takes about six hours to prepare each batch, Dekle says.

We go through over 3,000 gallons a month, or about 40,000 gallons a year, he says. Its a lot.

After serving as a mess cook in the U.S. Army, Milo Carlton opened Milo's Hamburgers in Birmingham, Ala., in 1946. (Photo courtesy of Milo's Hamburgers)

A trial-and-error experiment

After he returned home from the war, Milo Carlton and his bride, Bea, opened the original Milos Hamburgers shop on Aug. 19, 1946, on 12th Avenue North near Carraway Hospital in Birminghams Norwood neighborhood.

He wanted to make his burgers unique, so he came up with his signature sauce by trial and error, testing it out on his customers until he got it just the way he  and they  liked it.

The customers would tell me it was too hot or too sweet, and the next time I made it, I would change it by what they had been telling me, Carlton once said. When they started telling me to put a lot of that sauce on their burgers, I knew I had it just right.

In 1963, Milo and Bea moved their burger shop to 2820 10th Ave. North, where it remained until it closed in 1986. That old building -- where Tom Dekle was first introduced to Milos -- is now home to The Pit BBQ.

After Ronnie Carlton, Milo and Beas son, took over as president of Milos in 1980, he came up with the idea of franchising the family business. Soon after, in 1983, Dean Chitwood opened the first Milos franchise near UAB on Birminghams Southside. Other locations followed in Roebuck, Vestavia Hills and at Eastwood Mall.

In 2002, the Carlton family sold the restaurant part of their business to the Chitwood family and focused on expanding their rapidly growing Milos Tea brand, another Milos favorite that goes back to the early days of Milo and Bea Carltons burger shop. That business is now headed by their granddaughter Tricia Wallwork.

Then, in 2011, Dekle and a group of local investors bought Milos Hamburgers from the Chitwoods and have since grown Milos to include 20 locations around Alabama  primarily in Birmingham but also in Cullman, Decatur, Jasper, Montgomery, Prattville and Tuscaloosa. Two new locations  one in Pell City and another in Cahaba Heights  are scheduled to open later this year.

When we bought the business in 2011, we knew it was a wonderful business, Dekle says. Our whole approach was to not change it, to not mess with what really worked.

We may have added an item or two and added breakfast, but the foundation is still the same -- the same, great, original burger with that little piece of meat on there.

That little something extra, as Dekle calls it, is another Milos signature that Milo Carlton originated back in the day. When his hamburger patties would sometimes fall apart on the grill, he would put those broken pieces on top of his burgers as a little bonus to his customers, and thus began another Milos tradition.

And to this day, thats the way we do it, Dekle says. We take the spatula and we just break off about a fifth of a piece of a patty and put it on top.

If we forget sometimes and dont put it on there, customers bring it back and say, I dont know whose burger this is, but its not mine.

In addition to its original Milo's sauce (front, left), Milo's Hamburgers' other sauces include (clockwise from top left) Double-O, honey-mustard, ranch and Boom Boom. (Photo courtesy of Milo's Hamburgers)

Still an overwhelming fan favorite

Over the years, Milos has also introduced several new sauces  including ranch, honey-mustard, a spicy Boom Boom sauce and a Double-O sauce that combines the ranch and original Milos sauces  that are served as dipping sauces for its hand-breaded chicken tenders.

Despite the new competition, though, the original Milos sauce remains an overwhelming fan favorite.

Oh, yes, absolutely, Dekle says. I havent stopped and looked at it, but based on just what we buy, its probably 10-1, probably more than that.

Not everybody is sold on Milos legendary sauce, though, Dekle acknowledges.

Thats why Milos offers customers the option of ordering a sauce-free burger they call The Other Way.

I loved the sauce from the beginning, Dekle says. But even today, there are two categories of Milos sauce customers. Either you just love it and there is just absolutely nothing like it, or you kind of scratch your head and say, I dont know if I get that sauce thing.

Even Dekles future son-in-law, Jacob Lee, had to be persuaded when he first met the family.

It was kind of like, If you are going to be part of the family, youre going to have to eat Milos, Dekle says. So, he tried it and was like, Um, I dont know about that sauce thing. But now, hes full-blown hooked.

6,500 bottles of sauce, gone in a week

This spring, after the coronavirus pandemic started to spread into Alabama, Milos Hamburgers sprang into action and launched its Alabama Strong initiative, donating about 4,000 meals to children who were missing their school lunches due to the outbreak and another 6,000 meals to the hospital workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

Thats also when the Milos marketing team hit on the idea of bottling its famous sauce for a limited-time-only fundraising campaign.

We have talked about selling the sauce in bottles off and on for years, and it just never really made good sense, Dekle says. Its a refrigerated product. It has a limited shelf life. That was always our concern.

But we are in times weve never been, in places weve never been, he adds. And there are people with needs like there have never been. So, we said, Look, lets do something that weve never done.

Each Milos location went into full assembly-line mode, using the hand-pumps at the customer condiment stations to fill 16-ounce plastic bottles with Milos sauce -- a laborious process that took roughly 50 seconds to fill each bottle.

We were literally pumping 16 ounces worth of sauce about a half-ounce at a time, Dekle says.

They filled between 50 and 100 bottles at each location every day and sold them for $5 a bottle, with $2 of that going to feed hungry children as part of the Alabama Strong campaign.

Our wonderful customer base really latched onto it, Dekle says. Within a week, we sold all 6,500 bottles. So, we now have $13,000 we are going to give to charity. We are trying to figure out who those organizations are that fit the best, but it was a very successful program.

It was really fun to watch, he adds. Again, 6,500 bottles in a week -- filled and gone. And were still getting requests: Hey, when are you going to be back in stock? We dont have a hard answer for that yet.

Now, though, its possible that Milos will bottle and sell its sauce for a charity promotion each year, Dekle adds.

We went into this with the idea it was probably going to be a one-time thing, he says. But it was so popular, and it has such a good-cause element to it (that) we may make it an annual thing.

Milo's Hamburgers has 20 locations throughout Alabama -- primarily in the Birmingham metro area, but also in Cullman, Decatur, Jasper, Montgomery, Prattville and Tuscaloosa. (Photo courtesy of Milo's Hamburgers)

First encounters, lasting memories

Just about every time he walks into one of his restaurants, Tom Dekle is reminded of those days when his father used to drop him off at the old Milos Hamburgers in north Birmingham to pick up a box full of burgers.

Very few times Im in a store where somebody doesnt say, I used to go to the original one, he says. And I will ask them, When did you first start?

And they always know, he adds. They always know when they first encountered Milos.

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The pug lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; the family he lives with had their diagnosis confirmed earlier

A pug who resides in the U.S. became the first dog patient to be infected with coronavirus. Jerusalem Post wrote that, referring to the American Humane Society.

It's the first dog in the U.S. who had this dangerous disease confirmed by scientists.

According to the animals rights activists, the dog must have caught the disease from someone of the family members he lived with - a man, a woman and their son. However, the illness seems to have bypassed the daughter, the cat and another dog in the same family.
Mr. Laker (right), with his wife, Etta, and grandchildren Anna and Josh. Read more

People Weve Lost Peter Laker

93 years old

Born in England

He loved dogs and dancing and ran a chicken farm More Memorials

A Brit by birth, Peter Laker told his daughter he wanted to live to 100 so he could, as is custom, receive a letter of congratulations from the queen.

Barbara Laker, knowing her fathers penchant for the extreme, said he would probably end up with a visit from Her Majesty as well.

And I really think that, said Barbara, a reporter for The Inquirer. Both my parents were larger than life, and my dad lived his life on his own terms. They were rebels.

Mr. Laker, 93, died Monday, April 20, of the coronavirus in a hospital near Chicago.

An adventurer and a charmer, Mr. Laker provided a colorful childhood for Barbara and her brother, David.

He loved dogs and dancing and ran a chicken farm in England.

For summer holiday, we drove our tiny Triumph on a ferry to France, Barbara wrote in a tribute. We never made it to Paris. Everyone goes there, my dad would say. We drove all over the South of France in the green car with red leather seats, my parents smoking Winstons. Each day was a new surprise.

After arriving in New York from England in the 1950s, Mr. Laker met his wife, Etta, in a Greenwich Village bar. He was Protestant. She was Orthodox Jewish. Both their families, Barbara wrote, were appalled. Still, they married and raised their family in England and later outside Chicago. He became a U.S. citizen in 1976. Etta Laker died in 2000.

Mr. Laker loved dogs and dancing. He ran a chicken farm in England. He got arrested for riding a horse too fast in Central Park. And when he was young, he worked as a gigolo on a cruise ship. Seriously, Barbara wrote. He also sold insurance.

When he got the coronavirus, I thought hed be the first 93-year-old man to beat it, Barbara wrote. Hed charm the nurses and convince one of them to run away with him.

In addition to his daughter and son, Mr. Laker is survived by four grandchildren.

 Gary Miles
Health care workers in Germany have found a unique way to protest against the scarcity of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are baring it all in order to raise awareness about the problems that they are facing amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

On the German website known as "Blanke Bedenken," doctors, nurses and healthcare workers are posing pictures with nothing but stethoscopes, tissue rolls, medical equipment and even anatomical skeletons to cover themselves.

According to a statement by the organizers of the said protest in the website, the GPs are calling to the people that as doctors they need to have protective gear in order to be able to treat patients. They also said that if they run out of the few pieces of equipment that they have, they will be practically naked whilst battling the pandemic.

Worldwide scarcity of PPE

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, there has been a global shortage for proper PPEs for healthcare frontliners to use.

The Blanke Bekenden group also stressed that without the said PPEs they will be vulnerable to the virus and that they are asking for more support coming from the government.

In a statement released by Germany's Federal Ministry of Health through a spokesman, they said that due to the rapid rise of coronavirus infections worldwide, there is an increase in the demand for medical supplies including PPEs such as gloves, breathing masks, a hazmat suit and many more. This increase in demand caused a shortage of supply globally.

Read also: US Army Reservist Fears for Her Life After Theories Tag Her as COVID-19 'Patient Zero'

He also added that the Federal Ministry of health is already organizing the distribution of medical supplies in cooperation with a German logistics provider to federal states and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance. The spokesman also noted that the Federal Ministry of Health has already distributed around 113 million face masks by the end of last week.

On top of this, Germany has already received a shipment of 10 million facemasks from China on Monday. There are also another two flights that have been chartered by the German military which is expected to bring 15 million protective masks to the country since wearing facemasks is now mandatory in public places.

As of last week, restrictions that have been placed in Germany amidst the coronavirus outbreak has slowly been halted. Some establishments have been allowed to reopen as long as they fall within the guidelines set by the state.

As of the moment, CNN stated that they were unable to confirm the website's authenticity yet. They also added that they were not able to confirm the specific affiliations of those who posted their pictures on the website. The news outlet also noted that they have received no responses from the representatives of the website.

Moreover, it remains unclear on which government agency or institution the said doctors who posed for the website deem responsible for the equipment that they lack. At the moment, any inquiries made in the site are directly answered by an automated response talking about the volume of inquiries.

Related article: Trump Reveals Strategy to Ramp Up COVID-19 Testing

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
From a daily wager in Punjab who needed ration to a man in Tripura abused on a messaging group for challenging fake news, several people are using a 2017 tele-law scheme of the government to get help and legal advice during the coronavirus-forced lockdown.

The law ministry scheme was launched to help people in rural areas get pre-litigation legal advice from a panel of lawyers over phone. But now, calls are being received from people in need of assistance for other problems arising due to the curbs imposed to contain the spread of the respiratory infection.

The lockdown was initially imposed from March 25 to April 14. It has now been extended till May 3.

According to a top official of the law ministry, when people call up the service's local centre, they are put through the panel of lawyers who answer their queries.

The department has documented eight cases where people were helped through the tele-law scheme.

Prem Kumar, a resident of Punjab's Moga district, had called the local centre saying he had no money to buy ration. Panel lawyer Aksh Basra gave him the government helpline number. According to a Department of Justice official, ration was delivered at his doorstep by the local administration.

People like him living nearby and facing similar problems were also provided assistance, the official said.

In Tripura, offensive remarks were posted against Sanjoy Debnath after he questioned a post on a WhatsApp group which claimed that several people who flew in from Manipur were coronavirus infected, the department said.

Based on the advice of a panel lawyer, Debnath approached the local police station with a complaint and printouts of the conversations. The person who posted the alleged fake and the offensive remarks was made to apologise, the department said.

The tele-law initiative was launched on April 20, 2017, with an aim to provide legal advice in villages through common services centres (CSCS). A pilot project started in 1,800 CSCs in 11 states has now been expanded to 115 aspirational districts.

"The scheme has been a big boon for citizens during the challenging time of COVID-19. The scheme has picked up momentum over the last few months. Its coverage has expanded from 1,800 CSCs to 29,860 centres," the official said.

Over two lakh beneficiaries had enrolled for legal advice, of whom nearly 1.95 lakh beneficiaries have received counsel.

"Of those benefitted, 65 per cent belong to marginalised sections of the society," the official pointed out.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For people with allergies, contact with pollen leads to symptoms such as sneezing, rhinitis and watery eyes. This may sound trivial, but is in fact a complex correlation of physiological processes. As these have not yet been fully understood, we do not know exactly yet how allergies develop and how the symptoms are triggered.

Symptoms can be predicted in advance

A research group led by the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and Technical University of Munich (Research Association UNIKA-T), examined patients with pollen-induced allergic rhinitis and people without allergy over a period of one year. In addition to a digital symptom diary kept daily by the study participants, the researchers took samples of blood and nasal secretion. They then compared the immune variables (cytokines, chemokines and pollen-specific immunoglobulins) in these samples during and after the pollen season. As a result, they identified the endogenous messenger substances IL-8 and IL-33 as well as the antibodies sIgG4 and sIgE as biomarkers (= measurable characteristics with relevance for biological processes). These biomarkers show a significant correlation with pollen-specific nasal symptoms (proven by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient). The researchers were now able to predict the severity of the symptoms even before the start of the pollen season based on the expression rate of these biomarkers in people with and without allergy, independent of their individual genetic disposition.

Multiple applications for biomarkers

Mehmet Gokkaya, researcher at UNIKA-T and first author of the study: "The identification of biomarkers helps us in three ways. Firstly, by predicting the severity of nasal symptoms we can better identify the patients who benefit the most from therapeutic treatment. Secondly, biomarkers can help us understand the processes at work during the development of allergies in non-allergic patients and so help us to be ultimately able to prevent them. And thirdly, biomarkers can be used to identify the physiological processes that originally cause these symptoms. Possibly this could be a new starting point for the development of novel therapeutics."

###
Key Industry Manufacturers

Some of the key players in the global Orthodontic Supplies Market t are 3M, Align Technology, American Orthodontics, Danaher, DB Orthodontics, Dental Morelli, Dentaurum, Dentsply Sirona, G&H Orthodontics, Great Lakes Orthodontics, Henry Schein, Rocky Mountain Orthodontics, Straumann Holding AG, TP Orthodontics, Ultradent Products, and others.

Detailed Regional Analysis

The global orthodontic supplies market is studied for various regional segments such as the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas dominated the global orthodontic supplies market at the beginning of the forecast period. This market dictation can be owed to the presence of many significant market players in the region and the augmentation of the reimbursement procedures in the region.

Europe held the second-largest share in the global orthodontic supplies market in the base year. Growth in the region can be causative to the fast-paced technological advancements and rising investments in the research and development activities.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Mounting awareness about dental tourism is anticipated to drive the orthodontic supplies market in Asia Pacific. Owing to the lower prices of dental care in the region, Thailand is observed to be a trending location for dental tourism for many international dental tourists. For instance, dental veneers can cost around USD 180 in the US, which costs around USD 250 in Thailand.

The Middle East & Africa is expected to hold the smallest share in the global orthodontic supplies market during the assessment period. This can be accredited to the poor economic development, especially in Africa.

Table of Content

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.5 Trends & Assessment

Continued

Get Orthodontic Supplies Market Research Report: By Product (Fixed Braces (Brackets & Others)), Removable Braces, Adhesives & Accessories), Patient (Children and Teenagers & Adults), (End User (Hospitals, Clinics & others)  Global Forecast Till 2023 For more information on our market research, please visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/orthodontic-supplies-market-7364

Which includes the Market Segmentation, Market Trends, Competitive Landscapes inclusive of Sample Tables, Charts and Graphs.

Industry Update

April 2019: Engineers, dentists, and biologists from the University of Pennsylvania came together to develop microscopic robots that are capable of cleaning tooth plaque. Two types of robotic systems are designed. One to work on the surfaces and one to operate inside confined spaces. These microscopic robots can easily destroy biofilms and bacteria, reducing the risk of tooth decay.

Related news

Hepatitis Test Solution Diagnosis Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023

Medical Vacuum Systems Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023

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An unforeseen consequence of normalization of marijuana use is that adolescents and adults of childbearing age are increasingly engaged in a practice of Simultaneous Alcohol and Cannabinoid (SAC) use, or co-ingestion. A recent U.S. hospital-based assessment revealed that at the time of birth, about 22% of assessed umbilical cords were positive for marijuana.

It is likely, given the documented synergy between ethanol and cannabinoids, that their combined ingestion will, as hypothesized, result in increased neurogenic and neurovascular deficits in exposed offspring." Kirill Larin, University of Houston professor of biomedical engineering

Larin and collaborator Rajesh Miranda of Texas A&M University received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to acquire evidence to guide studies on SAC birth outcomes, and to assess the effectiveness of new pharmacological interventions targeted to cannabinoid receptors to prevent or reverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE).

PAE is an established cause of brain-based disability and cannabinoids are known contributors to newborn birth defects. "SAC use is motivated and maintained by a phenomenon termed 'cross-fading,' where the combined use amplifies each drug's psychological effects," said Larin. "Cross-fading also appears to contribute to increased craving for both alcohol and marijuana and may contribute to the emergence of poly-substance use."

Larin approaches the research with two questions in mind: Is SAC more damaging to fetal development than either alcohol or cannabinoids alone? And can an anti-cannabinoid drug protect against the effects of PAE and SAC?

"Our studies will focus on the effects of SAC on the formation of nerve tissue and blood vessels, the complementary growth that supports fetal brain development," said Larin. He will use state-of-the-art optical imaging (optical coherence tomography and light-sheet microscopy) and high-resolution ultrasound imaging to assess the effects of SAC on brain and behavior, nerve growth and cerebrovascular blood flow.

"With the increased potency of today's marijuana, as well as the street availability of potent synthetic cannabinoids, a re-evaluation of potential developmental harms is imperative," said Larin.
The CEO of Want Want China Holdings Limited (HKG:151) is Eng-Meng Tsai. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

See our latest analysis for Want Want China Holdings

How Does Eng-Meng Tsai's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

At the time of writing, our data says that Want Want China Holdings Limited has a market cap of HK$71b, and reported total annual CEO compensation of CN81m for the year to March 2019. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at CN985k. We note that more than half of the total compensation is not the salary; and performance requirements may apply to this non-salary portion. We examined companies with market caps from CN28b to CN85b, and discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was CN3.8m.

Next, let's break down remuneration compositions to understand how the industry and company compare with each other. On a sector level, around 84% of total compensation represents salary and 16% is other remuneration. A high-salary is usually a no-brainer when it comes to attracting the best executives, but Want Want China Holdings paid Eng-Meng Tsai a nominal salary to the CEO over the past 12 months, instead focusing on non-salary compensation.

It would therefore appear that Want Want China Holdings Limited pays Eng-Meng Tsai more than the median CEO remuneration at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this fact alone doesn't mean the remuneration is too high. We can get a better idea of how generous the pay is by looking at the performance of the underlying business. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Want Want China Holdings has changed over time.

Story continues

SEHK:151 CEO Compensation April 29th 2020

Is Want Want China Holdings Limited Growing?

On average over the last three years, Want Want China Holdings Limited has seen earnings per share (EPS) move in a favourable direction by 3.8% each year (using a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 3.6% over last year.

I'd prefer higher revenue growth, but I'm happy with the modest EPS growth. Considering these factors I'd say performance has been pretty decent, though not amazing. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

Has Want Want China Holdings Limited Been A Good Investment?

With a total shareholder return of 16% over three years, Want Want China Holdings Limited shareholders would, in general, be reasonably content. But they probably don't want to see the CEO paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

In Summary...

We compared total CEO remuneration at Want Want China Holdings Limited with the amount paid at companies with a similar market capitalization. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group.

We generally prefer to see stronger EPS growth, and we're not particularly impressed with the total shareholder return, over the last three years. In conclusion we think the company should definitely focus on improving the business before awarding any large pay rises. Shifting gears from CEO pay for a second, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Want Want China Holdings that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.
Gold Stocks Bull Breakout!

The gold miners stocks surged to a major bull-market breakout this week! Powering decisively above their years-old secular resistance is a hugely-important technical event. It proves this gold-stock bull is alive and well, greatly improves sentiment, and puts this high-flying sector on countless more traders radars. New bull highs fuel self-feeding bullish psychology, as speculators and investors love chasing winners.

The gold miners stocks are essentially leveraged plays on gold, since its price overwhelmingly drives their earnings and thus ultimately stock prices. So gold-stock bulls and bears mirror and amplify golds own major market cycles. Todays secular gold bull began marching in mid-December 2015, birthed from choking despair. Gold stocks parallel bull arose from the ashes about a month later in mid-January 2016.

The GDX VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF is this sectors most-popular benchmark today. It plunged to a fundamentally-absurd all-time-record low of $12.47 at that terrible nadir. This major gold miners ETF had collapsed 81.3% during the previous 4.4 years in an exceedingly-brutal bear market! Left for dead, virtually everyone hated this small contrarian sector. But such shocking extremes forge new secular bulls.

This gold-stock bulls maiden upleg proved massive, with GDX skyrocketing 151.2% higher in just 6.4 months! In early August 2016 this leading sector ETF peaked at $31.32. Naturally there was much gold-stock excitement after such an epic run, even though they had stretched to dangerously-overbought levels. Thats the time to be wary, as secular bulls are an alternating series of major uplegs then corrections.

GDX plunged 39.4% over the next 4.4 months, the gold stocks downside seriously exaggerated by golds odd behavior then. That November, Trump won the presidency while Republican lawmakers retained their majorities in both chambers of Congress. Traders were ecstatic Trumps surprise victory greatly upped the odds for big tax cuts soon, so stock markets soared on those hopes. Investors fled gold to chase stocks.

Gold stocks resulting outsized correction seriously damaged sector psychology, ushering in a dark couple of years or so for this sector. GDX mostly ground sideways in a long consolidation between $21 to $25, way under its original $31 bull-market peak. So traders fled gold stocks in droves, there wasnt much excitement to motivate them to deploy more capital. Apathy grew and choked out most sector interest.

Most traders entirely forgot about gold stocks, they were too busy chasing the surging US stock markets first on tax-cut hopes and later on the actual tax cuts themselves. This GDX chart shows how the major gold miners have fared throughout this entire secular bull. And from the late summer of 2016 to the early summer of 2019, only stalwart contrarians still believed in their potential. Everyone else was long gone.

Poor sentiment was galvanized into raging bearishness heading into autumn 2018, when gold stocks plummeted in a brutal forced capitulation as stop losses were sequentially tripped. But man, what a time to buy when conventional wisdom assumed the major gold miners were doomed to drift lower indefinitely! The gold stocks soon started recovering, but remained trapped in that vexing $21-to-$25 consolidation zone.

But late last June a major gold event finally catapulted GDX decisively above $25, breaking out from that long-oppressing sideways drift. Gold broke out to its first new bull-market highs in several years, lighting a fire under its miners stocks! So GDX blasted higher in another strong upleg last summer, which peaked at a hefty 76.2% gain over 11.8 months in early September 2019. This leading ETF crested at $30.95.

That was tantalizingly close to secular-bull-market breakout territory, challenging early August 2016s $31.32. But after nearly rocketing vertically in the wake of golds major bull-market breakout, this sector was seriously overbought while gold itself faced an ominous record gold-futures-selling overhang. So the metal and its miners stocks started correcting, with the latter denied a years-in-the-making bull breakout.

That healthy sentiment-rebalancing correction was prematurely truncated early this year by shocking events. First the US and Iran plunged into military conflict, then a novel viral outbreak started ravaging China. Deep fear spread with COVID-19, which grew to global-pandemic proportions. That pushed GDX up to $31.05 by late February. But that third time wouldnt prove the charm for new gold-stock bull-market highs.

In mid-February with GDX again nearing bull highs, I warned about the stalling gold stocks. The growing exuberance in this sector was misplaced, and I concluded caution is wise given golds situation, with selling much more likely than buying. ... All that leaves gold and thus its miners stocks continuing to face risks for sizable selling. Wait until that runs its course to buy. That generated a firestorm of flak and ridicule!

But the data is the data, as traders we can choose to suppress our emotions and bet on the most-likely outcome or succumb to greed and fear which leads to foolishly buying high then selling low. The gold stocks not only corrected, but plummeted during Marchs extreme COVID-19-fear-fueled stock panic. In an epic blitzkrieg correction, GDX crashed 38.8% in just 0.6 months! The carnage was breathtaking.

I certainly didnt expect a stock panic, which are exceedingly-rare and inherently-unpredictable. But wed been all-out gold stocks in our newsletters for other reasons articulated in my February essays. Instead of only sitting in cash, we actively traded the likely downside through gold-stock-ETF put options and inverse-leveraged ETFs. Then GDXs shocking crash fiercely expended all potential gold-stock selling pressure!

That left major gold stocks ludicrously oversold and ridiculously undervalued at mid-Marchs extreme stock-panic lows, which was quickly confirmed by a violent V-bounce higher. Wed realized our big gains on bearish gold-stock bets earlier in the panic, and started redeploying aggressively in fundamentally-superior gold stocks right after that V-bounce started. Their unrealized gains have already grown big since.

But despite their massive post-stock-panic gains, many gold-stock skeptics and bears still believed this sectors last bull failed in early August 2016. GDXs initial bull-upleg peak of $31.32 on a closing basis then still hadnt been eclipsed. Early September 2019s $30.95 then late February 2020s $31.05 challenged new-bull-high territory, but ultimately fizzled. After years of no new bull highs, sector enthusiasm fades.

All stock-market sectors have interested speculators and investors that closely follow their ups and downs no matter what. Ive spent decades intensely studying and actively trading gold miners stocks, and all that experience fuels profitable trades regardless of prevailing trends. But in order for any sector to really get moving, to experience huge gains, its reach has to expand beyond the regulars to entice in way more traders.

Big gains require big capital inflows from the broadest-possible pool of speculators and investors. And nothing catapults a sector onto their collective radars faster or more thoroughly than major new secular highs. They drive much interest and coverage from the mainstream financial media, leaving traders that dont frequent that particular sector intrigued. They start migrating in since everyone loves chasing winners.

Gold itself is a great case in point. During this secular bulls maiden upleg in largely the first half of 2016, gold blasted 29.9% higher to $1365 in early July that year. But for fully several years after, gold couldnt regain that initial peak. $1350 became a major resistance zone, a graveyard in the sky. Every time that gold neared $1350 excitement mounted, but each time it failed to break out more traders totally lost interest.

But once gold finally broke above $1365 in late June 2019, everything changed psychologically for this long-ignored metal! Capital flooded back in, despite near-record-high stock markets which usually retard gold investment demand. Yet major new secular highs motivated speculators and investors alike to buy gold. That bull-breakout winner-chasing upside momentum blasted gold 32.4% higher by early September.

So mostly in less than a few months, gold went from languishing in apathy to powering higher in the best upleg of its entire secular bull! Major new bull-market highs greatly expand interest among traders that dont normally follow a particular sector. And their buying begets buying. The more capital they deploy, the higher that pushes prices. The more prices rally, the more traders want to buy to ride that upside.

Early last June, gold heading materially above $1350 was widely considered unthinkable. Yet thanks to that subsequent decisive bull-market breakout, by early September it was over $1550! By late February this year before the stock panic, gold had regained $1650. Bearish psychology nurtured over several years under $1350 radically changed within months after major new highs started enticing traders to return.

Nothing attracts momentum traders like major new secular highs, and nothing drives prices higher faster than deluges of new capital from traders who werent materially participating in that sector before. Thus theres no reason to think a major bull-market breakout in gold stocks will prove any less bullish for them than it did for the metal they mine. That made this week one of gold miners most-exciting in a long time!

GDXs post-stock-panic V-bounce mean-reversion surge had great potential to grow into something much larger, but only new bull highs could confirm that. Late last week GDX climbed to $30.92, but pulled back sharply right at that 3.7-year-old ironclad bull-market resistance near $31. The gold stocks tried again to break through this Monday, with GDX hitting $30.74. But they were still repelled that day right around $31.

But everything changed for gold stocks this Wednesday, which certainly wasnt remarkable compared to the wild market swings and crazy news of the last couple months. After suffering a pullback, gold enjoyed a strong 2.0% rebound rally to surge back over $1700. That gold buying began overnight in Asia, gradually pushing gold higher which extended into the US trading day. There was no catalytic gold-moving news.

But seeing gold heading north again emboldened traders, who poured into major gold stocks. Again they are ultimately leveraged plays on gold, and GDX tends to amplify material gold moves by 2x to 3x. By the time the dust settled, GDX had blasted 6.4% higher to $32.51 on close! That was this gold-stock bulls first new bull-market high in 3.7 years. And it was the best kind of major-bull-breakout day we could hope for.

Plenty of big gold-stock up days amplify big gold spikes driven by surprising news. That can come in the form of geopolitical flarings or Fed actions. But the problem with news-driven gold spikes is they tend to be fleeting. In this frenetic information age, surprising news seems to have a half-life of a few days at best. Traders quickly process new developments and move on, so news-driven gold spikes often soon fade.

Ive carefully watched the gold markets all day everyday for decades. And there was nothing gold-moving on Wednesday. Gold simply rallied due to ongoing massive investment capital inflows, which I analyzed in depth a couple weeks ago. The leading GLD gold ETFs holdings surged 0.9% higher that day on big differential-GLD-share demand. That was its 19th build day out of the last 22 trading days, a continuing trend.

Closing at $1717 that day, gold itself remained shy of the prior weeks 7.4-year secular high of $1728. So there was no new-high excitement in gold that day. Wednesday was a fairly-normal trading day for gold, with big investment-buying-driven gains on no news. So gold psychology wasnt unduly enthusiastic contributing to GDXs bull-market breakout. And that surge to new bull highs also proved incredibly strong.

GDX rocketing 6.4% higher that day was a powerful breakout on sizable volume. It was also decisive technically, meaning exceeding the old high by 1%+. GDXs $32.51 close that day wasnt just a new 7.0-year secular high, but it exceeded August 2016s previous one by a whopping 3.8%! Bigger breakouts really attract in new traders, as half-hearted ones sneaking over old highs by pennies often prove false.

The leading and dominant gold-stock sector benchmark just surged powerfully to major new bull-market highs for the first time in 3.7 years! Just like a similar event did for gold last summer, this huge breakout is going to radically improve gold-stock psychology. Legions of speculators and investors who arent usually interested in gold stocks will see them breaking out. They will rush to buy in and chase this momentum.

And despite their blistering post-stock-panic V-bounce, gold stocks upside potential from here remains vast. As of Wednesdays GDX-breakout close, this gold-stock bull had powered 160.7% higher over 4.3 years. While that sounds impressive absolutely, it is still nothing for this high-flying sector. The previous secular gold-stock bull wildly dwarfed this, and reveals why contrarian traders want to own gold stocks.

That prior mighty bull ran for 10.8 years from November 2000 to September 2011, straddling GDXs birth in May 2006. So it cant be measured in GDX terms, but by the older and comparable benchmark HUI NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index. During that decade-plus span, the HUI skyrocketed 1664.4% higher! Riding the large majority of a secular gold-stock bull of that magnitude generates life-changing wealth for traders.

Gold stocks remain cheap absolutely too despite their violent V-bounce over the past 5 weeks or so. Back in mid-December I explained the core fundamental relationship between gold stocks and the metal which drives their earnings and hence stock prices. That can be expressed through ratios including with a construct called the GDX/GLD Ratio. It simply divides the daily GDX close by the GLD gold ETFs one.

This Wednesday as GDX surged to that major bull-market breakout, that GGR was running 0.201x. In other words, a single share of this leading GDX gold-stock ETF was worth about 20.1% of a single share of that dominant GLD gold ETF. That gold-stock-to-gold ratio remains really low historically. During the four years after the last stock panic in late 2008 for example, this GGR averaged a much-higher 0.381x.

For the major gold stocks merely to mean revert back up to that last post-stock-panic secular mean at this weeks prevailing gold prices, GDX would have to soar to $61.62! Thats another 89.5% higher than its breakout close on Wednesday, and certainly not an unreasonable level. It is still well below GDXs all-time high of $66.63 in early September 2011, and it would make for a relatively-small post-stock-panic bull.

GDXs total gains from mid-Marchs latest extreme stock-panic low would only hit 224.3% at $61.62. After that previous late-2008 stock panic, GDX more than quadrupled with a 307.0% gain over 2.9 years! A similar huge run today would carry it all the way up to $77.33. Much-higher gold-stock prices are sure fundamentally-justified too, as the major gold miners Q120 earnings coming soon are likely to soar radically.

So odds are gold stocks major bull run after this latest stock panic is just getting started. The gold stocks should run higher for years with gold. It is going to see sustained capital inflows driven by lingering stock-market fear, government COVID-19 shutdowns devastating impact on economies, and the extreme money printing by the Fed and other major central banks to fight that. Gold couldnt ask for a more-bullish outlook!

While GDX enjoys excellent gains in major gold-stock uplegs, they are dwarfed by those seen in smaller fundamentally-superior mid-tier gold miners. As explained in my latest essay on their Q419 results just over a month ago, the mid-tiers far-outperform the majors with their superior production growth and smaller market capitalizations enabling bigger ultimate gains. A big gold-stock upleg is a stock pickers paradise!

We do all that hard and tedious fundamental work at Zeal, winnowing the gold-stock field to uncover the likely big winners. And were currently still redeploying in these fundamentally-superior gold stocks as their latest upleg grows, which are recommended in our popular weekly and monthly newsletters. The unrealized gains in our new gold-stock trades deployed since mid-March are already running up to 55% this week!

To profitably trade high-potential gold stocks, you need to stay informed about the broader market cycles that drive gold. Our newsletters are a great way, easy to read and affordable. They draw on my vast experience, knowledge, wisdom, and ongoing research to explain whats going on in the markets, why, and how to trade them with specific stocks. Subscribe today and take advantage of our 20%-off sale! Get onboard so you can mirror our great new trades being layered in for gold stocks next mighty upleg.

The bottom line is major gold stocks surged to their first bull-market breakout in well over several years this week! Despite no gold-driving news, their leading GDX benchmark blasted up to decisive major new secular highs. That is super-bullish for gold stocks going forward, as new bull highs radically improve sector sentiment. They will thrust gold stocks back onto mainstream traders radars, enticing them to return.

Broadening gold-stock interest will unleash massively-outsized capital inflows into this small contrarian sector. The more traders buy, the faster gold stocks will rally. The higher they are propelled, the more traders want to buy them. This powerful self-reinforcing virtuous circle fuels huge gains after major new bull-market highs are seen, as gold itself proved since last summer. This is the best news for gold stocks in years!

Adam Hamilton, CPA

So how can you profit from this information? We publish an acclaimed monthly newsletter, Zeal Intelligence , that details exactly what we are doing in terms of actual stock and options trading based on all the lessons we have learned in our market research. Please consider joining us each month for tactical trading details and more in our premium Zeal Intelligence service at  www.zealllc.com/subscribe.htm

Questions for Adam? I would be more than happy to address them through my private consulting business. Please visit www.zealllc.com/adam.htm for more information.

Thoughts, comments, or flames? Fire away at zelotes@zealllc.com . Due to my staggering and perpetually increasing e-mail load, I regret that I am not able to respond to comments personally. I will read all messages though and really appreciate your feedback!

Copyright 2000 - 2019 Zeal Research ( www.ZealLLC.com )

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WASHINGTON, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement today on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP):

"The Paycheck Protection Program is providing critical support to millions of small businesses and tens of millions of hardworking Americans.

"We have noted the large number of companies that have appropriately reevaluated their need for PPP loans and promptly repaid loan funds in response to SBA guidance reminding all borrowers of an important certification required to obtain a PPP loan. To further ensure PPP loans are limited to eligible borrowers, the SBA has decided, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, that it will review all loans in excess of $2 million, in addition to other loans as appropriate, following the lender's submission of the borrower's loan forgiveness application. Regulatory guidance implementing this procedure will be forthcoming.

"We remain fully committed to ensuring that America's workers and small businesses get the resources they need to get through this challenging time."

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) 205-7036

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Release Number: 20-35

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

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VIENNA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexogen GmbH, a Vienna based Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and transcriptomics company, receives funding from the Austria Research Promotion Agency (FFG) for the development of a novel SARS-CoV-2 test method for mass screening.

The company has already developed and commercialized multiple methods for high throughput RNA analysis and will base the test on its QuantSeq-Flex Targeted RNA-Seq platform. The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) test will enable true mass screening of tens of thousands of samples in parallel.



"Identifying the newly infected on a broad scale will allow to isolate entire infection clusters at an early stage and help fight the present pandemic as well as reoccurring infection waves. It will also enable us to screen hospitals and retirement homes and test especially first responders and front-line workers on a daily basis, helping to keep these essential facilities open and safe," explains Alexander Seitz, CEO and founder of Lexogen.

The company will also provide a test for tracking the evolution (mutations) of the virus, that is important for prediction of future epidemics and vaccine development as well as a diagnostic panel to differentiate the new corona virus from other common respiratory pathogens helping doctors to provide the right therapy.

The funding is provided by the Austrian government and managed by the FFG, Austria's national funding agency for industrial research and development, as part of its "Emergency Call to research COVID-19 in the wake of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2".

About Lexogen:

Established in 2007, Lexogen is a transcriptomics and Next-Generation Sequencing company, focusing on the development of innovative methods for RNA analysis. Its portfolio includes multiple innovative and well-established protocols for RNA sequencing sample preparation, external RNA spike-in controls, as well as bioinformatics tools and sequencing services. Lexogen is a privately held company, headquartered in Vienna, Austria with a subsidiary in New Hampshire, US.

For more information about Lexogen visit www.lexogen.com and follow @lexogen.

Contact person at Lexogen:

Jekaterina Aleksejeva

Senior Marketing Manager

Tel.: +43 (0) 699 1023 8946

E-mail: jekaterina.aleksejeva@lexogen.com

www.lexogen.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/472869/Lexogen_logo_Logo.jpg
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi, April 29 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that there are no plans to effect cut in salaries of High Court Chief Justice and the Judges.

Vijayan was responding to a question about a letter from the High Court Registrar to the state, pointing out that salaries of the Chief Justice and all the Judges should not be subjected to any deduction as announced by the Kerala government.

"We have no such plan. They are governed by special provisions," said Vijayan and added that even the Supreme Court Judges had contributed when Kerala faced the worst floods in 2018.

In the letter addressed to the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary, the Registrar said that since the appointing authority of the Chief Justice and the Judges is the President of India, the state government's order is not applicable to them.

It also pointed out that the Chief Justice has asked all the Judges to contribute to the Chief Minister's Covid Relief Fund.

Incidentally, on Tuesday, the High Court had stayed the state government's order to deduct six-day salary of each of its employees for the next five months as a temporary measure.

On Wednesday, the state Cabinet decided to go for a new ordinance to enable it to defer payment of salaries by up to 25 per cent.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Vietnam could fall short of 2020 target of one million businesses

A worker irons face masks in a factory in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City on April 21, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Nhi.

Vietnam could miss its target of having one million businesses this year since the coronavirus pandemic has caused many to shut down.

There are likely to be 900,000 by the end of this year, said Nguyen Bich Lam, head of the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The number of startups fell by nearly 20 percent year-on-year in the first four months, he said at the release of the White Book on Vietnam businesses on Tuesday.

In the first quarter the number of companies suspending business was 18,600, while the number of newbies rose by 4.4 percent to 29,700, GSO data shows.

In the event, meeting the one-million target would be challenging, Lam said.

The government had set the target in 2016, but experts have been warning it could be too stiff to achieve due to the rising number of businesses that have been shutting shop in recent years.

But Lam said the number of companies is only one aspect and other factors that need to be taken into account are the quality of businesses and their technology use.

Vietnam had 758,600 companies at the end of last year, up 6.1 percent from 2018 year. according to the White Book. Of these, 67 percent were in the service sector, followed by industry-construction (32 percent) and agriculture-forestry-seafood (1 percent).

The majority of them, 94 percent, were small and micro businesses.

But 73 percent of business revenues went to large corporations, which only accounted for 2.8 percent of the total number.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 02:38:22|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 27,359 lives in locked-down Italy, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries to 201,505 as of Tuesday, according to the latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department.

The death toll on Tuesday was 382, bringing the total to 27,359 fatalities since the pandemic first broke out in the northern Lombardy region.

The department reported 2,091 new infections and 2,317 more recoveries compared to Monday, bringing the nationwide totals to 105,205 and 68,941, respectively.

Of those infected, 1,863 are in intensive care -- down by 93 compared to Monday, and 19,723 are hospitalized in normal wards -- down by 630. The rest, or 79 percent of those who tested positive, are in isolation at home.

The death toll from the coronavirus among Italy's doctors rose to 152 as of Tuesday, said the National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists (FNOMCeO). The toll includes retired doctors who have returned to the front line in the virus battle.

Italy's National Health Institute (ISS) said 20,618 health-care workers have been infected as of Monday, accounting for about 10 percent of the country's total accumulated infections.

Italy entered into a national lockdown on March 10 to contain the pandemic. The lockdown, expected to last until May 3, will be followed by a so-called "Phase Two," which involves the gradual resumption of social, economic and productive activities.

Beginning May 4, the manufacturing, construction, and wholesale sectors can resume work. Following them are retailers, museums, galleries, and libraries on May 18, and bars, restaurants, hairdressers and beauty salons on June 1. All businesses will have to follow rigorous workplace safety protocols. Enditem


Notice of General Meeting

Perth, April 29, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Notice of Meeting of the Shareholders of Blackham Resources Limited ( ASX:BLK ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) is to be held on Tuesday 2 June 2020 at 10.00 am (AWST) (General Meeting).Covid-19 ManagementIn response to the Australian Government's restrictions on gatherings, and the ongoing social distancing requirements, Blackham is committed to continue playing its part in contributing to the health and safety of its shareholders, employees and the broader community, by not creating environments of heightened risk.Whilst Blackham intends to proceed with the General Meeting as proposed, it advises that:- Directors, other than the Chairman, will not be in physical attendance, and will instead be available via telephone as required;- No presentation or other update on the Company's operations will be provided; and- Questions on the Company's progress and operations may be directed at any time to the Chairman or General Manager - Investor Relations (contact details stated below), who will endeavour to respond directly to shareholder questions in a prompt manner.Shareholders are discouraged from physical attendance at the General Meeting in order to minimise contact between persons, and are instead encouraged to complete and return the proxy form to the Company.The Company advises that the Chairman intends to demand a poll for each of the resolutions at the General Meeting.Shareholders are reminded that all proxy votes must be received by 10am (AWST) on Sunday 31 May 2020.Blackham appreciates the understanding of its shareholders in respect of the above matter, and advises that if there are any further changes to the arrangements for the General Meeting an appropriate announcement will be made to the ASX providing further information.To view the agenda, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
The 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia is pitted against the 2020 Audi A4 is a competitive comparison on the Criswell Alfa Romeo website.

Shopping online is more practical and prevalent than ever before due to current events, making it possible to shop for almost anything from the comfort of home. For residents of Germantown, Maryland, that means they can even shop for sporty luxury vehicles online. One of the first steps in the car-buying process is researching all of the options available, which local dealership Criswell Alfa Romeo is helping with on its website.

The Criswell Alfa Romeo website features a handful of informative pages dedicated to giving car shoppers the information they need before coming to a decision on which car they should purchase. Some of these pages are model research pages dedicated to the Alfa Romeo models available at the dealership, while others are competitive comparison pages that pit those models against some of their competitors.

For instance, two recent pages added to the growing collection pit the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia against the 2020 Audi A4 and the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio against the 2020 Acura RDX. These pages highlight some of the important specifications shoppers should be interested in for both vehicles and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each model.

Residents of the area who might be interested in learning more about these Alfa Romeo models and how they compare against the competition are encouraged to visit the dealerships website, http://www.alfaromeousaofgermantown.com. Specific questions can instead be directed to the sales desk at 888-324-9624. The Criswell Alfa Romeo showroom is located at 19570 Amaranth Dr. in Germantown.
Cocktails to-go may be coming to Pennsylvania MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by James Pace-Cornsilk. Read more

Pennsylvania is one step closer to allowing many bars and restaurants to sell mixed drinks for takeout, joining other states that are loosening restrictions on alcohol sales during coronavirus shutdowns.

The practice, which would be temporary, has never been legal in Pennsylvania.

The state House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that, in part, would allow mixed-drink sales by bars and restaurants that have lost 25% or more of their business. The bill is headed for the Senate.

This would help restaurants and bars by giving them another product to sell, and maybe lead to [increased] food sales, said Rep. Perry Warren, the bills sponsor and a Democrat who represents Newtown, Yardley, Lower Makefield, and Morrisville.

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered.

Takeout drink sales would be permitted only during the COVID-19 disaster emergency and during the mitigation period after the termination of the disaster emergency in which a licensee is operating at less than 60% capacity, the legislation says.

Pennsylvanias state-owned liquor stores, meanwhile, reopened after a nearly monthlong shutdown ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Sporadic e-commerce and limited curbside pickup of distilled spirits are measures that will help alleviate some of the problems caused by Gov. Wolfs decision to close all spirits stores in March, but it wont solve them, said David Wojnar, vice president of state government relations at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, in a statement. He called the Houses move a commonsense solution."

The amendment defines a mixed drink as a sealed container of no greater than 64 ounces. A lid with sipping holes or opening for straws must be capped with an additional seal. Sales must be completed by 11 p.m.

Other states, including California and Virginia, have allowed temporary to-go sales recently.
A Wuhan doctor has revealed how she found out the novel coronavirus, a then unknown bug, could spread among humans as early as December.

Dr Zhang Jixian, 54, has been hailed by China as the first person to report the pathogen to local authorities.

She sent an urgent report to her district CDC on December 27 after seeing three patients - an elderly couple and their son - who suffered from the same 'mysterious pneumonia'.

In comparison, late Dr Li Wenliang, who has been billed as the 'coronavirus whistle-blower', was among the first people to warn of a 'SARS-like' illness on social media.

He posted a message in a group chat on December 30 and was punished by police for 'spreading fake news'. He died of the disease on February 7.

Dr Zhang Jixian (pictured) warned her local CDC of an unknown contagion after seeing three people in the same family who were all infected. The disease was later identified as COVID-19

Dr Zhang (pictured on March 11) raised the alarm to officials after seeing three patients - an elderly couple and their son - who suffered from the same 'mysterious pneumonia'

Different Dr Zhang, late Dr Li Wenliang, who has been billed as the 'coronavirus whistle-blower', was among the first people to warn of a 'SARS-like' illness on social media. He posted a message in a group chat on December 30 and was punished for 'spreading fake news'

Dr Zhang told reporters that CDC workers came to her hospital to carry out research on the same day, calling their reaction 'very timely'. She added that she did not expect the contagion to end up spreading so widely.

However, there are doubts that Chinese officials might have known about the disease for weeks before Dr Zhang's dispatch.

In a recent interview, Dr Zhang recalled how she discovered the contagiousness of the then-unknown disease nearly a month before Wuhan, the former epicentre, went into lockdown.

Dr Zhang is pictured communicating with a patient at the ward in Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine in Wuhan on March 11. In a recent interview, She recalled how she discovered the contagiousness of the then-unknown disease in December

She told state-run magazine Outlook Weekly: '[I] discovered human-to-human transmission at the time, only that it was not very obvious.

'For example in the family of three, the son doesn't live with his parents. He went back to look after them after they fell ill and then took them to the hospital

'The family had almost the same symptoms, [therefore I was] certain there was human-to-human transmission.'

She said the family had not visited the now-infamous Huanan market, where the pandemic is believed to have started, before falling ill.

'I was fairly certain at the time that it was a type of viral pneumonia, but did not know what the exact virus was,' she added.

Dr Zhang (right, pictured on March 11) has defended Beijing's handling of the early days of the outbreak, claiming it was right for the officials not to inform the public about the disease's infectiousness until there were scientific conclusions

Dr Zhang (right, pictured on March 11) said she did not think it was important to be officially recognised as the first person to sound the alarm. 'To me, it makes little difference. As a clinician, we just do our job, treat patients well, and relieve their pain,' she told state media

In the following days, the doctor and her colleagues received at least four more patients with similar symptoms. She immediately arranged them to be treated in isolation and bought personal protective equipment online for relevant staff to wear, according to a previous report on The Paper.

Dr Zhang has defended Beijing's handling of the early days of the outbreak, claiming it was right for officials not to inform the public about the disease's infectiousness until there were scientific conclusions.

She told state broadcaster CGTN: 'I think there is a process behind the understanding of anything, including a disease. When things are not fully understood, you can't say too much.

'If I were a scientist, how could I tell the public anything before there is a conclusion?'

Chinese experts confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus on January 20  more than three weeks after Dr Zhang alerted officials.

Experts believe that the novel coronavirus jumped onto humans from wild animals sold as food. The pathogen has been linked to a now-shut Wuhan market that sold exotic meat. Pictured, a butcher wearing a mask sells meat at an open-air 'wet market' in Wuhan on April 29

Vendors at a Wuhan 'wet market' are pictured selling baskets of live crayfish on April 29

A respiratory specialist at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Dr Zhang has been showered with honours by Chinese officials, who are eager to prove that they have not covered up the outbreak.

But Dr Zhang said she did not think it was important to be officially recognised as the first person to sound the alarm.

'To me, it makes little difference. As a clinician, we just do our job, treat patients well, and relieve their pain.'

An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. The market (pictured on March 30) was shut on January 1

Speaking of the punishment given to Dr Li, who died of the disease on February 7, she suspected that Dr Li, an eye doctor, had not been aware of the 'established protocols on informing people on infectious disease'.

'So he shared the information on WeChat (a popular social media platform) and it went viral.'

She added that it was likely that Dr Li did not have the same awareness of self-protecting as respiratory doctors, therefore contracted the infection from a patient.

However, some reports suggested that the authorities had likely known about the virus for weeks when Dr Zhang contacted them.

The first case of a person suffering from the new coronavirus can be traced back to November 17 in the Chinese province of Hubei, according to government records leaked to South China Morning Post.

The new coronavirus could be spreading silently among Hubei residents as early as November. Government reports obtained by South China Morning Post show the first case of a person suffering from the disease, known as COVID-19, can be traced back to November 17

The date is more than two months before various cities in the region went into lockdown to contain the spread of the bug. In the picture, large crowds of people queue to receive treatment at the fever outpatient department of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan on January 22

The classified document claims that between one and five new cases were reported each day from that date onwards.

It is said the first double-digit daily toll occurred on December 17 and by the last day of 2019, the total number of infections had soared to 266  before it spiked again by 115 on January 1.

But it wasn't until January 7 that the Chinese authorities declared they had identified a new virus.

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on the day that the virus belonged to the coronavirus family, which includes SARS and the common cold.

A study published on peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet claimed that the first patient was recorded by Wuhan hospitals on December 16 and that the person could have caught the virus on December 1.

A previous study published on peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet revealed that the first patient who suffered from COVID-19 might have fallen ill on December 1 in Wuhan

'The symptom onset date of the first patient identified was Dec 1, 2019. None of his family members developed fever or any respiratory symptoms,' the report said. The report was written by a group of Chinese doctors using retrospective data.

BBC reported that the very first sufferer, also known as the 'patient zero', was a pensioner in his 70s who was bed-bound due to a stroke and suffered from dementia.

The unnamed man fell ill on December 1 and had not been to the seafood market before falling ill, a doctor told BBC.

The virus has killed 4,633 people and infected 82t,858 in China, according to official figures

One of the earliest official mentions of a 'pneumonia outbreak' can be traced back to a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on December 31  four days after Dr Zhang's report.

The authority claimed that 27 cases of a type of viral pneumonia had been identified, including seven critical cases. It said it had not identified human-to-human transmission but had linked the cases to the Huanan market.

Since its emergence in Wuhan in December, the coronavirus has swept across the world.

The bug has killed 4,633 people and infected 82,858 in China, according to latest government figures.

Worldwide, more than 217,000 people have lost their lives and over three million have fallen ill in the pandemic.
Jason Rosenthal enjoyed a splendid but quiet life. He was happy to have his wife, an acclaimed childrens book author, memoirist, filmmaker, public speaker, and ebullient extrovert, settle in the spotlight.

I was just doing my thing, he says. A kid from Chicago. If you Googled me, you wouldnt find anything.

Then, on Valentine's Day, Amy Krouse Rosenthal inked a love letter to him. This was three years ago.

"I have been married to the most extraordinary man for 26 years," she wrote. "I was planning on another 26 years."

That was not going to happen. Amy was in the final stage of ovarian cancer.

The letter was also a personal ad of sorts  Did I mention hes incredibly handsome?  seeking Rosenthals second wife. He is an easy man to fall in love with, she wrote in the three-hanky piece, the final project of a woman of perpetual projects and lists. I did it in one day.

Her story ran as a New York Times Modern Love column, often real estate for romantic woe, under the drop-everything-and-read-this headline, "You May Want to Marry My Husband." The piece ends with "an intentional empty space below as a way of giving you two the fresh start you deserve."

You may well have read it. More than five million people did.

Ten days later, on March 13, 2017, Amy died at age 51 after a year and a half of hell.

Suddenly, Rosenthal was "that husband," as he puts it, an exemplar of grief. He became, arguably, the most famous widower in America.

He was Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle. Except, it was his late beloved wife igniting his celebrity instead of a mop-topped son.

Rosenthal was enveloped in a fog of mourning with their three children, now ages 23, 25, and 27. Instead of being defined as a lawyer and real estate developer, he was now a go-to authority for grief and loss.

He delivered a TED talk that, naturally, resulted in requests for more talks. He published a response Modern Love column, which ran in June 2018. It began I am that guy beneath the headline My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me, the title of Rosenthals new memoir. His book (HarperCollins, $26.99) is coming out amid the coronavirus pandemic, when the world is going through its own protracted season of grief.

The book is a 228-page love declaration to Amy. She continues to define everything.

After Amy's death, Rosenthal became the subject of intense fascination. Hollywood producers came a courting.

Did women, too? Yes, indeedy.

For the first year, he hardly noticed. I was insularly focused on my kids and my family, and so overwhelmed with grief, I didnt appreciate and understand the attention, says Rosenthal, 55. It wasnt until later, looking at all the objects and art and e-mails and letters that people sent me that I realized the world was grieving with me. A friend dubbed it a global shivah, the Jewish period of mourning.

He had planned to share all this on a his book tour. Now, like almost everything else during the pandemic, it's been scrapped. So, he's on the phone from the dream home he built with Amy less than a mile from Wrigley Field. Two of their children have returned to live with him during self-quarantine.

After his wifes death, Rosenthal overhauled his daily life. He stepped away from real estate, reduced his legal practice, and established a foundation in Amys name, funding ovarian cancer research and childrens literacy. He sold Amys Modern Love story and her memoir, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, to Hollywood, though the project is sort of at a standstill. Theres no director attached.

He allocated more time to enjoy what he loves: music, friends, travel, family. More was Amys first word as a child, and her mantra.

I definitely feel a shift in my work life. My life has extraordinarily more meaning. he says. I was definitely a head-down, providing-for-my-family type of husband, working six days a week.

He experienced a multi-vehicle crack-up of death: Amy, his father-in-law (they were incredibly close), his father (complicated), their black Lab mix. He delivered three eulogies in less than two years.

Rosenthal hesitates when he speaks. Three years later, the renown his wife bequeathed him does not seem a natural fit.

So, about the women.

Rosenthal estimates 300 prospective suitors took Amy up on her proposal. For a while, he placed their correspondence in storage bins, tucked in a crawl space.

There were "seven-page handwritten letters, extolling their virtues, their great looks," he recalls. "Someone who was good at fixing a car. There were bunches of these envelopes decorated with stickers, almost as if they were young girls."

One woman proclaimed, "I will marry you when you're ready, provided you permanently stop drinking," she wrote. "Take your time. I promise to outlive you."

Rosenthal enjoys a good tequila, but not that much.

He waits until the memoir's final chapter to share, yes, he met someone. "A hazel-eyed identical twin," he notes, a curious way to describe a companion, and leaves the bio at that.

How long have they been dating? Rosenthal declines comment.

It's "not relevant," says the subject of a 1,323-word personal ad read by more than five million people. For crying out loud, consider the title of his memoir.

OK, fine.

Rosenthal does write, my world changed because of his new companion, that he felt apprehensive about being seen with someone new, because he was that guy, Amys guy. Then, he realized that being happy again would actually be, in a way, a testament to the 30 beautiful years Id had with Amy.

He felt prepared for this surreal moment, he says, in a time of mounting grief.

"I have, in my view, been through the whole range of emotions," he says. "I experienced the depths of the pure sadness and grieving, and I'm armed with that. I'm able to handle this situation." Rosenthal adds, "I feel my story of loss is really relevant to what is happening now. But also in my story, there's an end, a resilience."

He will promote the book as best he can. "I do appreciate there may be another chapter. I don't know what that blank space will be filled with," he says.

Ive been given an amazing gift, he says, adding, as though it could be from anyone else, by Amy.

Heller, a staff writer for the Washington Post, is a former Inquirer columnist.
The police officers of Kyiv and employees of the National Guard stay at the site

Near the Cabinet of Minister in Kyiv, the protest of entrepreneurs takes place. They demand to end the lockdown on May 1 as 112 Ukraine TV channel correspondent reported.

The protest has started in the morning; the people came in cars, blocking the passage through Hryshevsky Street. The businessmen say that they agree to stick to the norms of the quarantine: the workers will wear masks; they will put antiseptics and will establish the distance between people. There a few dozens of cars with banners Is quarantine for everyone or it is selective?, Is quarantine is the same for everyone?, and One day of your care  we will not exist.

We want to work. Now all entrepreneurs stay at home in quarantine for 1.5 months and nothing takes place. We see how big business works. We see that the laws are equal for cronies. Consequently, we came here to claim our rights for work. We want to lift the quarantine with restrictions. We are ready to observe all demands, secure our workers and us from the possibility of infection. But we do not have money now; nobody provides credits, the businessman said.

Currently, the protesters horn from the cars with the demand to see the representatives of the government.

During the protest near the Cabinet of Ministers, the tow trucks arrived and the clash took place between the protesters and police. Later, the protesters released one traffic lane to prevent the towing of their cars.

The cordon of police stays before the Cabinet of Minister and a few buses with law enforcers and five-six police cars are situated in front of the building in Mariinsky Park. The road to downtown is blocked; all entrances blocked by police.

        .        pic.twitter.com/w1fNvzH6bF    (@radiosvoboda) April 29, 2020

The Interior Ministry noted on Telegram that police enhanced security measures.

To prevent the violations of the public order, the workers of Kyiv police and employees of the National Guard stay in the site. Today, near the Cabinet of Minister of Ukraine, a group of initiative citizens gathered for a protest. Due to this fact, the police enhanced the security measures in downtown, the message said.

The law enforcers urge the organizers and partakers of the protest to observe the norms of the acting legislation and quarantine measures and do not violate the public order.

As we reported, the Cabinet of Ministers published a plan for releasing Ukraine from the lockdown, which the government previously extended until May 11. The plan consists of five stages.
Section 1 Content

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our member institutions have found a wide range of ways to respond to the needs of their communities and workers on the front line.



Most visibly, a number of hospitals that are at the center of treating patients with COVID-19 are part of public higher education systems, and university researchers are playing an indispensable role in developing a vaccine and treatment protocols. But from donating equipment and gear to loaning out college space for use by first responders, colleges and universities around the country are working behind the scenes to help their local communities cope during these unprecedented times.

Due to the shortage of masks and personal protective equipment, a number of institutions have donated supplies to fill the gap. The Miami-Dade College medical campus lent 17 its ventilators to the nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital. Triton College staff collected thousands of hospital gowns, masks, gloves, face shields, wipes, hand sanitizer, and other urgently needed supplies to donate to local police and fire departments and hospitals. The University of Southern California donated protective gear to Keck Medicine of USC. And Florida International University (FIU) donated 28 ventilators to local emergency coordinators.

Making these crucial devices available goes along with our other efforts, which include producing personal protective equipment and providing clinical services at a coronavirus test site," FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg told the Miami Herald.

Some institutions are doing more than just donating suppliesthey are donating space. While Quinnipiac University collected personal protective equipment and food to donate to Connecticut health care professionals, they also worked with the Town of Hamden to offer 50 university-owned apartments as housing for first responders who are self-isolating away from their homes. Other institutions that have repurposed their space or are looking to do so include Tufts University, the University of Michigan, Temple University, and Hampshire College.

Hampshire College President Ed Wingenbach noted in an article for the Daily Hampshire Gazette that, even as the college was taking hits due to the health crisis, it is fundamental to the mission of Hampshire College, and of educational institutions generally, to try to contribute to the health of the communities in which they are situated."

Colleges and universities are even manufacturing supplies to support local hospitals. Researchers in North Carolina State University's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering machine shop have been working to create masks that use air pressure systems and will be used in hospitals. Over five of Michigan State University's colleges are working in collaboration to 3D-print medical face shields.

Likewise, students and faculty in the Stony Brook University Chemistry Department joined together to produce hand sanitizer for Stony Brook University Hospital and the Long Island State Veteran's Homeboth institutions that are caring for COVID-19 patients.

We are in a traumatic community emergency," said Stony Brook's Interim President Michael Bernstein during a recent recording of the University's Beyond the Expected" podcast, and people have come together and said, 'We're going to get this done.' It's quite amazing."

Some institutions are also upping their online resources to support health workers.

Researchers at Stanford University spearheaded a team with scientists from 11 other institutions in designing N95decon.org, a website that consolidates the scientific literature on how to decontaminate and reuse N95 masks for easy access. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), in collaboration with Guild Education, Penn Foster, and K12, is also offering free trainings on how to transition to online education for those new to the format, and guidance for frontline workers.

While our missions have not changed, the world has, and it's important for all of us to come together, do our part, and lift each other up as we all navigate this new reality," said Paul LeBlanc, SNHU President and CEO and ACE Board Chair.

Sometimes the support is more hands-on. University of Minnesota students, Sruthi Shankar and Sara Lederman created Mn CovidSitters, a group of medical students who support healthcare workers by helping them with tasks like babysitting, pet sitting, grocery shopping, and general errands. The 280-strong volunteer group is currently working with 160 healthcare workers and matches volunteers to a family.

Finally, some medical schools have allowed students to graduate early so they can help overburdened hospitals. Institutions offering early graduation include New York University, Columbia Medical School, and Boston University, Harvard University, Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts medical schools.

"I think this is our Dunkirk moment as a country," said Tufts President Tony Monaco in an interview with the Associated Press. Now is the time to step up and help."


European Lithium Limited (ASX:EUR) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 15% in the last month. But that's small comfort given the dismal price performance over the last year. During that time the share price has sank like a stone, descending 56%. It's not that amazing to see a bounce after a drop like that. It may be that the fall was an overreaction.

Check out our latest analysis for European Lithium

With just AU$114,240 worth of revenue in twelve months, we don't think the market considers European Lithium to have proven its business plan. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems that the investors focused more on what could be, than paying attention to the current revenues (or lack thereof). For example, investors may be hoping that European Lithium finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.

We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. There is almost always a chance they will need to raise more capital, and their progress - and share price - will dictate how dilutive that is to current holders. While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. Some European Lithium investors have already had a taste of the bitterness stocks like this can leave in the mouth.

European Lithium had liabilities exceeding cash by AU$2.7m when it last reported in December 2019, according to our data. That makes it extremely high risk, in our view. But since the share price has dived -56% in the last year , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can see in the image below, how European Lithium's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values).

ASX:EUR Historical Debt April 28th 2020

In reality it's hard to have much certainty when valuing a business that has neither revenue or profit. Would it bother you if insiders were selling the stock? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. It costs nothing but a moment of your time to see if we are picking up on any insider selling.

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A Different Perspective

The last twelve months weren't great for European Lithium shares, which performed worse than the market, costing holders 56%. The market shed around 14%, no doubt weighing on the stock price. The three-year loss of 3.4% per year isn't as bad as the last twelve months, suggesting that the company has not been able to convince the market it has solved its problems. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand European Lithium better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 5 warning signs with European Lithium (at least 2 which are concerning) , 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 AU 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.
Airbus today posted a 49pc slump in first-quarter core profit and called for an industry-wide campaign to restore confidence in flying after the coronavirus pandemic triggered the "gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known".

Europe's largest aerospace group also highlighted plans to save cash after gushing 8bn in the first quarter, including a record 3.6bn fine to settle corruption investigations in Britain, France and the United States.

"All nature of costs are now being reviewed," CEO Guillaume Faury told analysts.

Airbus has been unable to deliver more than a handful of aircraft since Europe-wide lockdowns began in mid-March and Faury said he expected similar difficulties in the second quarter before a clearer picture emerges in around June.

Chief financial officer Dominik Asam told a telephone news conference he expected some recovery in the third quarter before returning "basically to a neutral situation where we don't use cash anymore" in the fourth.

Airbus expanded furlough schemes on Tuesday by sending home 3,200 workers in Britain after putting 3,000 workers on government-backed partial unemployment schemes in France, and Faury said thousands of German staff could also be affected.

He did not say whether Airbus would carry out forced redundancies but told staff last week to prepare for "more far-reaching measures" to balance the group's costs to the reduced outlook for aviation in coming years.

"We are doing everything we can to be in the best shape for competing again later," Faury said on Wednesday.

Airbus said first-quarter adjusted operating profit fell 49pc to 281m as revenue dropped 15pc to 10.63bn, mainly due to clouds that were already gathering over jetliner demand before the coronavirus outbreak.

JUNE PRODUCTION REVIEW

Planemakers, airlines and suppliers have been left reeling by the pandemic, which has crippled passenger travel and catapulted major economies into recession.

Airbus suspended its outlook and dividend and negotiated new credit lines last month.

It said on Wednesday it does not immediately see a need for further government support.

Airbus this month cut jet production by between one third and 42pc depending on the model, compared with previously announced rates. It could cut production again after reviewing the situation in June if a new surplus builds up, Asam said.

Industry sources say Airbus is currently producing few aircraft as it adapts to social distancing rules.

Airbus will reduce 2020 capital expenditure by around 700m to around 1.9 bn and defer or suspend activities which are "not critical", Faury said.

However, he stressed that Airbus continues to develop its fast-selling A321XLR.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that planemakers are drastically slowing other new projects to save cash.

In the longer term, Airbus remains committed to a new generation of green aircraft, and will intensify a focus on onboard passenger health as well as safety, Faury said.
U.S. health experts say a force of as many as 300,000 contact tracers is crucial for coast-to-coast reopening in the wake of the new coronavirus. So far, though, the country has a far smaller ragtag army that's many weeks, if not months, from full deployment.

West Virginia wants tracers to go unpaid. Texas, advertising jobs at $17 to $22 an hour, calls the gig a "simple" matter of telling people to stay home. New York City is seeking 1,000 hires with public-health backgrounds.

North Carolina, which is targeting unemployed people with high-school educations, received about 1,500 applications for 250 positions in just 24 hours.

"That shows you that there are a lot of people out of work," said Paul Mahoney, a spokesperson for the program's coordinator, Community Care of North Carolina. Five weeks into the pandemic, a record 26 million Americans had filed for unemployment benefits, more than 875,000 in North Carolina.

That wave of desperation explains why Texas, Georgia and other states are stirring to life this week. Gov. Gary Herbert said Tuesday that Utah will reopen in a limited capacity Friday, including gyms, salons and dine-in restaurants so long as they "exercise extreme precautions," and Wyoming will do likewise. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering opening schools as early as July to make up for lost class time.

But experts say long-term stability won't come without a way to quickly spot covid-19 outbreaks and stop them. So the U.S. -- with the world's richest economy, but a flagging public-health system -- is asking trainees to press total strangers: Where have you been, for how long, and who else was there? And their phone numbers, please?

"This is a workforce that needs to be scaled up right now," said David Harvey, executive director of the Washington-based National Coalition of STD Directors, longtime practitioners of tracing for sexually transmitted diseases. "There's no time to waste."

In all, America could use 300,000 tracers and specialists, according to Tom Frieden, a former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and New York City health commissioner. By comparison, the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps employed about 500,000 people at its peak.

"Early in the outbreak, many health departments began systematic contact tracing but rapidly became overwhelmed," Frieden said in an email. "Now that cases are coming down in some areas, we have to trace contacts in a simple, more scalable way."

Lacking clear guidance from President Donald Trump -- and with no commitment on an estimated $12 billion needed to stand up a national program -- state and local government leaders are assembling ad hoc workforces. So far, the federal government has promised just $631 million for the effort.

In Massachusetts, with more than 58,000 cases, Gov. Charlie Baker has budgeted $44 million for 1,000 tracers. Six days after his April 3 announcement, the program had 9,000 applicants, according to Joia Mukherjee, chief medical officer for Partners in Health, which coordinates the program.

"This is all going to be phone calls, not just some automated bot," Mukherjee said in an interview. "We want phone calls, people to feel cared for."

Workers are contacting everyone who within the past two weeks has spent 15 minutes within six feet of someone with covid-19, Baker said. In the first week, 765 residents testing positive were found to have had more than 1,000 close contacts. Tracers have reached 626, according to managers of the program.

One early problem: getting them to pick up the phone. Tracers feel some are ignoring the calls, so officials have been working with telecom companies to make sure when a call comes in that "MA COVID Team" pops up on caller ID.

Massachusetts is far ahead of several other members of a seven-state Northeastern coalition whose governors are making regional reopening decisions.

Connecticut will use 300 state health employees and as many as 500 academic volunteers, but Governor Ned Lamont said Tuesday the system won't begin running until the third week of May.

Estimates of how many tracers are needed vary widely. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said a proper program would require as many as 7,000 to serve 9 million people. Next door, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York needs roughly 5,700 for 19.4 million residents.

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a separate plan: paying $57,000 to $65,000 annually for 1,000 tracers with public-health backgrounds.

Some states are hardly so demanding.

"The basic idea is simple: Track down infected people, then find everyone who has been near them and encourage those people to stay home until it is clear they are not sick," says a ZipRecruiter.com ad for the state of Texas.

Others simply aren't ready.

"We need to hire more," said Gov. John Carney of Delaware, whose tiny state plans on 200 tracers.

Since the Great Recession, the country has lost 50,000 public-health jobs, according to an April 22 "Coronavirus Containment Corps" proposal by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan, both Democrats. By May's end, they want the CDC to report to Congress on hiring a national contact-tracing team, and to pay state and local governments to carry out the strategy.

This week, 16 health experts -- including physician and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and ex-Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb -- called for $12 billion to hire 180,000 tracers.

Meanwhile, the states forge on.

California's Newsom, who wants a force of 10,000, this week said 22 of 58 counties have "robust tracing capacity." California has been tracing tuberculosis, measles and AIDS for decades. "We're building off that local expertise that already exists," he said.

West Virginia University will offer a 14-hour online course to train as many as 300 tracers, ideally National Guard members or those with health backgrounds. But the force will be unpaid, according to Allison Adler, a spokesperson for the state health and human resources department.

"By initially focusing on volunteers and students we will be able to assess the feasibility, sustainability and need for paid employees," Adler said.

As many as 150 Iowa Guard soldiers and airmen may assist 200 tracing workers, said Sarah Reisetter, Iowa health department deputy director. The governor can activate as many as 1,000 troops, with expenses paid by the federal government.

In Alabama, where Governor Kay Ivey plans a Thursday reopening, a crew of 50 to 60 has pitched in to help 10 health department staffers who regularly do tracing.

"Until we have a vaccine or at least an effective treatment, we'll have to scale that up quite a bit," said Scott Harris, the state's health officer.

The U.S. needs far more than mere bodies, said Harvey, the National Coalition of STD Directors chief. It needs a system to track state tracing capacity, he said, and far more higher-level professionals called disease-investigation specialists. Every 10 tracers, he said, will need such a specialist. Only 2,200 exist nationwide.

"You can't just turn this on overnight," Harvey said.
Preliminary results of a study testing a rheumatoid arthritis drug disappointed after indicating it may only help the sickest coronavirus patients.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi SA had been studying Kevzara in hopes it would mitigate the immune system's overreaction to the virus, dampening hopes the medicine could benefit a wider group of those infected.

However, researchers found no evidence that it helped patients classified as 'severe,' meaning they needed oxygen.

It only helped patients deemed 'critical' meaning they required mechanical ventilation, dampening hopes the medicine could benefit a wider group of those infected.

There are currently no approved treatments specifically for the novel coronavirus, so drugmakers are rushing to test existing medicines and experimental therapies in the hope that something will help alter the course of the illness that has infected more than three million people and killed over 208,000 worldwide.

A study had been testing Kevzara (pictured), made by pharmaceutical company Sanofi SA to treat rheumatoid arthritis, on coronavirus patients

The hope was the drug would mitigate cytokine storms, which occur when the body doesn't just fight off the virus but also attacks its own cells and tissues. Pictured: A nurse takes part in a Zoom video call with a COVID-19 patient in the Stamford Hospital ICU in Stamford, Connecticut, April 24

The drug had virtually no effect on 'severely ill' patients, meaning they needed oxygen, but it did help patients deemed 'critically ill,' meaning they were on mechanical ventilation. Pictured: Medical workers take in patients outside of a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, April 28

Kevzara belongs to a class of drugs called interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitors that could help regulate a dangerous overreaction to the virus by the body's immune system called a cytokine storm.

These so-called storms occur when the body doesn't just fight off the virus but also attacks its own cells and tissues.

In cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, cytokine storms can trigger respiratory distress.

For the study, which was in Phase II, patients were randomly assigned either a placebo, a 200-milligram dose of Kevzara, or a 400-milligram dose of Kevzara.

Early analysis of the study showed Kevzara rapidly lowered levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation.

Patients who required mechanical ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy or treatment in an intensive care unit were considered critically ill.

Those who required oxygen without mechanical or high-flow oxygenation were considered severely ill.

The companies reported negative trends for Kevzara among the most 'severely' ill patients given the drug, while there were positive trends in the critically ill group.

Researchers were looking for reductions in risk of death and need for a ventilator, as well as clinical improvements such as ability to come off oxygen therapy or be discharged from the hospital.

Among severely ill patients, 80 percent were discharged from the hospital, 10 percent died, and 1the remaining 0 percent are still hospitalized, reported STAT News.

Among the critically ill patients, 39 percent in the 200mg group and 53 percent in the 400mg group were discharged from the hospital.

Regeneron co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos said he was skeptical about the prospect of drugs like Kevzara that were not designed to treat COVID-19.

Drugs currently in late stage testing for the virus, like California-based Gilead Science's remdesivir, were developed for other diseases such as Ebola.

'Repurposing a drug and finding it to be very effective for a new indication is an exception, as opposed to the rule,' Yancopoulos told Reuters.

'It's very, very rare where those have really turned into important drugs for whole new indication. It's hard enough to design a drug and get it to work.'

Regeneron has identified hundreds of virus-neutralizing antibodies and is working to select the best two candidates for a cocktail' therapy that might treat and even prevent COVID-19, with the expectation of starting human trials in June.

Dr Kevin Tracey, head of research at New York hospital group Northwell Health - which participated in the trial - cautioned against drawing strong conclusions on the use of IL-6 inhibitors for COVID-19.

He said different compounds that work similarly could be more effective, noting that rheumatoid arthritis treatments from another class of drugs may help one patient with the condition but not another.

'Scientifically, we don't know why,' Tracey said.

'I wouldn't draw any conclusions negatively or positively until the results of the randomized clinical trials are in of the particular agents.'

It comes on the heels of French researchers reporting that Roche Holding AG's IL-6 inhibitor Actemra significantly reduced the risk of death and the number of patients needing a ventilator in a study 129 coronavirus-19 patients.

However, full data from that study has not yet been released or peer reviewed.

In the US, there are currently more than 1.02 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 58,000 deaths.
Assyrians Remain Vital to Iraq, Says U.S. Lawyer

An American lawyer instrumental in aiding Iraqi Christians suffering from attacks by the Islamic State group said Christians remain a vital part of Iraq's diverse society, despite their diminishing numbers.

Stephen Rasche is a recognized international expert on persecuted Christians and has served as counsel to the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Irbil, in northern Iraq, since 2010.

He has been key in assisting Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil establish anchor institutions such as a hospital and university to help Christians remain in their ancestral homeland following the Islamic State takeover of their towns from 2014 to 2017 and the subsequent liberation.

"As Archbishop Warda says, Christians have survived, and now it's their time to show a reason for them to be needed and not just needy. They survived ISIS," Rasche told an online audience April 28 while speaking to the Washington, D.C.-based Religious Freedom Institute on his recent book, The Disappearing People: The Tragic Fate of Christians in the Middle East.

Rasche said it was difficult for Westerners to understand the deep trauma Christians in Iraq have experienced.

"If there is going to be any hope for these people to stay, we have to give them lives that at least approach dignity," he said of the fight to shelter people, while trying to stabilize and rebuild their communities.

The lawyer recounted how he worked with Catholic priests and nuns as well as U.S. and international organizations to help the tens of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities who were brutally displaced from their homes by the Islamic State militants.

Whether rich or poor, everyone lost everything they had worked for and owned. However, that blow was the latest they faced in Iraq where, as Rasche said, "they have been systematically persecuted for decades and centuries. The cumulative effect of that is that they've been ground down to this remnant population that has just been brutalized."

Before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Christians numbered around 1.5 million, but sectarian attacks on churches in Baghdad and other areas soon followed, and the population either headed north or left the country altogether.

Rasche said that while Christian numbers in Iraq have dwindled to about 100,000, "they are still there and are willing to fight for their existence, not with weapons, but with their God-given abilities to show they have a value within the Iraqi fabric. They're a needed element of Iraqi society and not simply needy people."

"This is what the Archbishop (Warda) is working so hard on and those around him in the church as a whole in Iraq, including (Chaldean) Patriarch (Louis) Sako: the Christians need to show that they are needed, not just needy. They are trying to turn this corner now," Rasche said.

Still, the present challenge is that "Iraq is on the brink of being a completely failed state," Rasche said. "There is no functioning government right now, and whether or not they will get one that the people will actually have faith in and begin to build upon is to be determined. All of this is being pushed right now by the protest movement in the south, primarily young Shiite Muslims."

"If they can get through this and the protest movement can reach a point where it can at least push into existence a government which is somewhat responsive to the real concerns of the people, there is still a hope left for the Christians," Rasche argued.

He said private and institutionalized government humanitarian aid, particularly from Hungary, have helped in rebuilding some of the Christian towns in the Ninevah Plain. But following Islamic State attacks, Christians have encountered Iranian-backed Shiite-militia takeovers of their towns and homes in a number of areas. A prominent example is the town of Bartella.

Then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared in 2016 that the Islamic State was guilty of committing genocide against Christians, Yazidis, and Shiite Muslims, and the U.S. Congress also passed the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 to provide humanitarian relief to victims of the genocide perpetrated by Islamic State.

But Rasche and other religious freedom activists argue that mechanisms to implement measures on the ground are lacking. And Christian and Yazidi victims say that little has been done to bring Islamic State militants to justice for their atrocities.

On April 24, an Iraqi man believed to have belonged to the Islamic State group went on trial in Frankfurt, Germany. He was accused of genocide and murdering an Iraqi Yazidi child, whom he and his wife held as a slave. He is also accused of committing crimes against humanity, war crimes and human trafficking. His German wife has been on trial for a year at a Munich court in what is considered to be the first formal proceeding anywhere in the world related to the Islamic State group's persecution of the Yazidi community.

Meanwhile, Kent Hill, a co-founder of the Religious Freedom Institute, and currently its senior fellow for Eurasia, Middle East, and Islam, said much more must be done.

He mentioned that centuries ago, Christians took refuge in Irbil during the Roman persecution of Christians. Irbil is that same northern Iraqi town where Archbishop Warda and others have been aiding displaced Iraqi Christians and others.

"It would be a real tragedy if they disappeared from this important land," Hill said.
Will we all flock back to the office after this is over, desperate for human contact, or will we have developed an impossible-to-shake taste for working from home? Will the crisis build solidarity or encourage tribalism? Will our grandkids make fun of us for perpetually wiping down delivery bags with Clorox?

It's understandable we're all craving the comfort of not only an end date to the current horror, but also reassurance that we will be able to navigate the world that comes after it. Experts are happy to feed this desire with answers and predictions.

If they help you calm your nerves or think through contingency plans for your family or business, go ahead and listen to them. But be warned that, judging by the accuracy of previous predictions, most are likely to be wrong.

Beware of experts bearing crystal balls

The evolution of technology is famously hard to predict. You've probably heard about the tech executive who opined in 1977 that "there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home," but his bad call wasn't a fluke. Albert Einstein doubted the atom would ever be split, Charlie Chaplin called the movies a fad, and Napoleon Bonaparte thought the idea of a steam engine was nonsense.

As Rob Walker pointed out on Medium's Marker recently, guessing how the world will turn out after a crisis is no easier. He digs into predictions that were made after both the 2008 financial crash and 9/11 and finds plenty of howlers.

"In early 2009, in the depths of the Great Recession, Time magazine declared 'The End of Excess,'" he reminds readers. A New York Times piece from the same year predicted "the recession has endured so long and spread pain so broadly that it has seeped into the culture, downgrading expectation." Other commentators agreed that the recession would cure us of out-of-control consumerism for good.

That clearly didn't happen. (Walker has a ton of statistics to back this up if your own observations aren't enough to convince you.) Another bold prediction that 9/11 would mean "the end of irony" seems equally ridiculous now.

The point isn't that it's useless to speculate about the future or to think through various possible scenarios. As a business owner, you have to be prepared for the most likely eventualities. The lesson is instead humility. The world is complex, which means making predictions with any degree of specificity is fiendishly difficult.
The coronavirus outbreak in France was not caused by cases imported from China, but from a locally circulating strain of unknown origin, according to a new study by French scientists at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.

Genetic analysis showed that the dominant types of the viral strains in France belonged to a clade  or group with a common ancestor  that did not come from China or Italy, the earliest hotspot in Europe.

The French outbreak has been mainly seeded by one or several variants of this clade  we can infer that the virus was silently circulating in France in February, said researchers led by Dr Sylvie van der Werf and Etienne Simon-Loriere in a non-peer reviewed paper released on bioRxiv.org last week.

The Covid-19 pandemic has infected more than 128,000 people in France and caused more than 23,000 deaths.

France detected the virus in late January, before any other country in Europe. A few patients with a travel history that included Chinas Hubei province were sampled on January 24 and tested positive.

The Covid-19 pandemic has infected more than 128,000 people in France and caused more than 23,000 deaths. Photo: AFP

The French government took quick and decisive measures to trace contacts of the infected people and shut down the chance of further infection.

However, these strains were not found in patients tested after the initial imported cases, suggesting the quarantine imposed on the initial Covid-19 cases in France appears to have prevented local transmission, the researchers said.

The Pasteur institute collected samples from more than 90 other patients across France and found the strains all came from one genetic line. Strains following this unique path of evolution had so far only been detected in Europe and the Americas.

The earliest sample in the French clade was collected on February 19 from a patient who had no history of travel and no known contact with returned travellers.

Several patients had recently travelled to other European countries, the United Arab Emirates, Madagascar and Egypt but there was no direct evidence that they contracted the disease in these destinations.

Story continues

To the researchers surprise, some of the later strains collected were genetically older  or closer to the ancestral root  than the first sample in this clade.

A possible explanation, according to the authors, was that local transmission had been occurring in France for some time without being detected by health authorities.

The French government may have missed detecting the transmission. According to the researchers, a large proportion of those patients might have had mild symptoms or none at all.

The researchers also found that three sequences later sampled in Algeria were closely related to those in France, suggesting that travellers from France might have introduced the virus to the African country and caused an outbreak.

Benjamin Neuman, professor and chair of biological sciences with the Texas A&M University-Texarkana, said the French strains might have come from Belgium, where some sequences most closely related to the original strain from China were clustered.

Since the earliest European strains of [the coronavirus] Sars-CoV-2 seem to be associated with Belgium, the idea that the virus spread from Belgium to both Italy and France at around the same time seems plausible, as this paper contends, he said.

France is the latest in a growing number of countries and areas where no direct link between China and local outbreaks could be established.

The dominant strains in Russia and Australia, for instance, came from Europe and the United States, respectively, according to some studies.

These findings have drawn fire from some politicians who have tried to deflect domestic anger over their handling of the crisis by blaming China.

US President Donald Trump lashed out on social media after two separate teams in the US found the strains devastating New York came from Europe.

So now the Fake News @nytimes is tracing the CoronaVirus origins back to Europe, NOT China. This is a first! he tweeted on April 11, referring to a story about the studies in the The New York Times science section.

The findings also highlight the difficulties governments face in tracing the source of coronavirus outbreaks.

Less-developed countries may never know where their strains came from due to inadequate testing and sequencing capability.

India, for example, has released the genetic sequence of fewer than 40 samples to the public so far, a small number considering its huge population.

Most of the strains sampled in 35 early cases came from clades that could be traced to Italy and Iran, with only a few from China, according to a recent study. But researchers were not able to track further because of the lack of data.

A scientist on the study, Dr Mukesh Thakur, of the Zoological Survey of India, said it was too early to rule out China as the source of outbreaks in India because the number of samples at hand was limited.

A 20-year-old student studying medicine in Wuhan, for instance, might have come in contact with many people on the way home before she was tested positive on January 30.

Thakur said local media reported that the Indian government quarantined 3,500 people possibly linked to three positive cases imported from Wuhan.

God knows how many of them tested positive in the subsequent stages, Thakur said in an email response to the Posts queries on Tuesday.

Some prominent scientists, including Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health, said the virus might have been spreading quietly in humans for years, or even decades, without causing a detectable outbreak.

The virus had thus adapted well to the human body. Some genes regulating its binding to host cells were similar, or even identical, to those found in some other highly infectious human viruses, such as HIV and Ebola.

According to some estimates, the ancestor of Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, might have left bats between 50 and 70 years ago. A recent study by a team of geneticists in Oxford University estimated the first outbreak of the current pandemic could have occurred as early as September last year.

They found that the dominant strains circulating in China and Asia were genetically younger than some popular strains in the United States.

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$1 million for stocking local food pantries;

for stocking local food pantries; $600,000 for supplies to help protect residents in some of the hardest hit and low-to-moderate-income communities and first responders;

for supplies to help protect residents in some of the hardest hit and low-to-moderate-income communities and first responders; $800,000 for housing relief, including legal services to help disadvantaged individuals fight illegal evictions; and

for housing relief, including legal services to help disadvantaged individuals fight illegal evictions; and $100,000 for the Hancock Whitney Associate Assistance Fund, in addition to $400,000 bank board members, executives, and associates have already contributed to help Hancock Whitney associates affected by the pandemic.

The bank has already partnered for several weeks with local restaurants across its footprint to provide more than 8,000 meals to healthcare professionals caring for COVID-19 patients. That initiative has helped businesses stay open and pay hundreds of employees while emphasizing Hancock Whitney's gratitude to #HealthcareHeroes.

Hancock Whitney leaders said the bank's $2.5 million investment in communities and other relief efforts come at a critical time as the novel coronavirus continues to impact lives and livelihoods across the cities and towns the bank serves as well as the global community.

"We are, all of us, in this fight together to protect our loved ones, clients, colleagues, and communities from this virus," said Hancock Whitney President and CEO John M. Hairston. "This pandemic is creating real, significant challenges for so many people in terms of adequate food, income, basic safeguards against the virus, and housing to shelter in place. Hancock Whitney has very deep roots in the communities we serve. It's simply the right thing to do what we can so that together we help keep people safe and our communities strong."

A Hancock Whitney thank-you video pays tribute to the medical personnel, first responders, and other essential workers as well as everyday citizens ensuring people and communities have the care, resources, and services they need to stay healthy and safe during the pandemic: https://youtu.be/d7Jg5VzCZ6g

"Countless individuals and organizations are doing extraordinary things in the battle to beat COVID-19. We thank them. We salute them. We are also very grateful to our Hancock Whitney teams who have remained steadfastly committed to clients throughout this situation," added Hairston. "Together, we can support each other, invest in our communities, reopen our hometowns, rebuild our businesses, and create a great future."

A special page at www.hancockwhitney.com/covid19 offers timely updates on Hancock Whitney's locations and operations, resources, fraud prevention tips, and ongoing direct assistance available for people and businesses suffering financial impacts from the pandemic, including fee waivers, loan payment deferrals, and SBA loans.

About Hancock Whitney

Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Part of Hancock Whitney Corporation's Gulf South financial services family, bank offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. The company also operates a loan production office in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as trust and asset management offices in New Jersey and New York. BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation's leading independent bank rating and analysis firm, consistently recommends Hancock Whitney as one of America's most financially sound banks. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.

SOURCE Hancock Holding Co.

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Tripura State Rifles jawans on Wednesday lathi charged traders at Maharajganja Bazar, the largest vegetable market in the city, for not wearing masks and flouting other lockdown guidelines, police said.

SP, West Tripura District, Manik Lal Das, said an inquiry into the incident has been ordered.

"Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anirban Das will be in charge of the probe and submit a report at the earliest," Das told PTI.

Secretary of Maharajganj Bazaar Retail Vegetable Trader Association, Nakul Debnath, said around 30 traders were injured in the police action, and seven of them were administered first aid at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital here.

Das, however, said "only a few people received minor injuries".

There are over 400 stalls at Maharajganj Bazaar, which were relocated to a nearby location to better adhere to social distancing norms, officials said.

Debnath said traders have decided not to open their shops for an indefinite period in protest against the "illegal and inhuman police action".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Evan A. Laksmana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:04 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4d91fa 3 Opinion Insight,CSIS,#COVID19,#coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus,COVID-19-in-India,India Free

India has been in nationwide lockdown since March 24 as a preventive measure against COVID-19. There are plenty of lessons Indonesia can draw from India, from the economics of lockdown to boosting an underwhelming healthcare system in an emergency.

But what about Indias effort to police and enforce the nationwide lockdown on a population of 1.3 billion? Prime Minister Narendra Modi only gave the country and its people a four-hour notice when he announced the lockdown. The national police force thus had little time to prepare.

Parts of the country saw a breakdown in law and order, with reports of policemen soliciting bribes and engaging in illicit actions from harassment to assault. The police seemed to resort to teargas, public beatings with batons and other forms of corporeal punishment. Thousands were disciplined, arrested and charged for minor violations.

While it is unclear whether these problems occurred nationwide, cases of violence involving migrant workers appeared to be more widespread. After all, domestic migrants are perhaps the most vulnerable group to be affected by the lockdown. For minorities, especially Indian Muslims, the polices heavy-handed approach during the lockdown may be another extension of the ruling governments divisiveness.

The Status of Policing in India Report 2019, an independent study produced by Common Cause and the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, has found respectively that 14 percent and 24 percent of the police force feel that Muslims and migrants are very much naturally prone to committing crimes.

Prior to the lockdown, analysts criticized the police for their brazen high-handedness. Earlier this year, for example, police arrested those protesting the new citizenship law on dubious charges, including students who were also assaulted on university campuses.

Since the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in 2014, India has seen a rise in violence that targets minorities. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 36 Muslims have been killed in cow-related violence across 12 Indian states between May 2015 and December 2018.

Indian Muslims were also victims in 83 percent of 195 religious hate crimes between June 2014 and December 2018, according to a study by economist Deepankar Basu. He noted that these incidents were facilitated by weakened law enforcement at the state level due to the criminalization of politics and the politicization of the police.

In 2004, 12 percent of elected parliamentarians were linked to serious criminal cases. By 2019, figure had grown to 28 percent. Political scientist Milan Vaishnav noted that data from three consecutive general elections (in 2004, 2009 and 2014) showed that a candidate linked to a criminal case was, on average, almost three times as likely to win than one without a criminal link.

The criminalization of politics may affect policing behavior, as such politicians are less incentivized to boost police professionalism and effectiveness.

It could also exacerbate politicization of the police, which some argue is a colonial legacy. Political intelligence gathering was and remains a major focus of the national police force. The Status of Policing in India Report 2018 claimed: Police establishments across India continue to function largely in the same casual and repressive fashion as the colonial masters had envisioned.

Surveys suggest many Indians feel that the police are unlikely to follow up a victims complaint without some political influence. Police officers concur.

According to the 2019 report, 28 percent of the police force believed that pressure from politicians was the biggest hindrance in criminal investigations, while 38 percent reported political pressure in cases involving influential persons.

Finally, the police lack resources and are confronted by numerous personnel challenges as regards both the lockdown and long-term organizational challenges.

According to security expert Zoha Waseem, police officers are likely to be overstrained by stress and fear, as they are expected to work longer shifts and are in close physical contact with the public to maintain order. This combination may lead to more violent police-citizen interactions, especially if civilians are seen as virus carriers and are thus regarded akin to criminals.

These lockdown stressors are compounded by long-term capacity challenges. Analysts note that there are only 144 police officers for every 100,000 people in India, compared to the United Nations recommended ratio of 1:222.

Indian states recently spent most of their 4 percent policing budget on salaries rather than training local police. The 2019 report noted that over the last five years, only an average 6.4 percent of the police force had been provided in-service training. Policemen worked 14 hours a day on average, with about 80 percent working more than 8 hours a day.

These contexts help us understand why violence against minority and migrant groups has increased during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, why the police are quick to dole out corporeal punishment and why local police have arrested members of the political opposition or regime critics in recent weeks.

Regardless, it is difficult to enforce a lockdown with a politicized police force that lacks legitimacy, especially if the government itself lacks legitimacy. Deploying a heavily criticized police force could increase public resistance or even social unrest. Heavy-handed police tactics  as the Indian police employed at the beginning the lockdown  may lead to a decline in public trust. This could, in turn, hamper efforts to control the outbreak.

Relying on an underfunded, undertrained, overworked and politicized police force might thus cause lockdown enforcement to spiral out of control.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The government has made it mandatory for all central government officials to use the Aarogya Setu mobile app on their mobile phones. In the latest statement, the Centre said: "All the officers, staff (including outsources staff) working in Central government should download 'Aarogyasetu' App on their mobile phones, immediately. Before starting for office, they must review their status on 'Aarogyasetu' and commute only when the app shows 'safe' or 'low risk'."

In case the app shows a message 'moderate' or 'high risk' -- which is calculated based on Bluetooth proximity of recently contacted person -- the employees have been advised not to come to office and self-isolate for 14 days or till it becomes 'safe' or 'low risk', the order passed by Joint Secretary G Jayanthi said. All joint secretaries, ministry departments, all autonomous bodies or statutory bodies and PSUs have been told to ensure the orders are strictly followed.

Besides, the Centre has said states have been highly appreciative of Aarogya Setu app, and that a similar solution for feature phones will be launched soon. The Centre has also allowed private e-commerce companies to operate provided their employees download 'Aarogya Setu' app and follow other social distancing norms.

What is Aarogya Setu app

The central government of India launched Aarogya Setu on April 3 to track the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Aarogya Setu app alerts people if any person in their vicinity has tested positive. The district administration has been asking all educational institutions and departments to push downloading of the app. The current version of Aarogya Setu app is primarily compatible with smartphones only.

Since its launch, over one crore people have download Aarogya Setu. The app has largely received positive reviews on the Play Store. In fact, it has become No.1 free app in the Indian mobile application market.

Also read: Coronavirus: Aarogya Setu-like solution for feature phones in pipeline, says govt

Here's how you can download the app:

Step 1: Go to Play Store and search Aarogya Setu

Step 2: Click on Install

Step 3: Once the app gets installed, select the language

Step 4: Switch on Bluetooth and location

Step 5: Set "location sharing" to always. Location data is sent to the government.

How does the app work?

The user carries out the self-assessment test through chatbox on the app. The bot asks gender, age, foreign-travel history, and symptoms.

This data is used to identify risk and alert other users if they come across anyone suspected of coronavirus.

The app is available in 11 languages-English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia.

Aarogya Setu is based on Singapore's successful community tracing app "TraceTogether". Other countries are also developing similar kinds of apps to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The much-awaited deescalation of Spains coronavirus confinement measures will allow for citizens to recover their freedom of movement, but bit by bit. No travel will be permitted to other provinces, without justification (such as to work), at least until the end of June. Until then, traveling to another part of Spain to visit relatives or for leisure will not be allowed.

Phase 0

This phase will be one of preparation, and will see citizens able to go outside for exercise or for walks from this weekend onward. The government is yet to publish the details of the conditions for these trips out onto the street.

Individual training will also be permitted for professional sportsmen and women, as well as basic training for professional leagues.

Small businesses will be able to open if they can offer appointments, such as hardware stores or restaurants that offer food to take away.

You will also be able to book appointments at the hairdresser from this coming Monday onward. Staff in such establishments will have to wear protective equipment, such as masks and gloves.

Phase 1

From May 10, when Phase 1 of the governments plan is due to begin, journeys to second residences will be allowed providing that they are in the same province, but if they are in a different province, such trips will not be allowed until at least the end of June.

Whats more, the government is recommending the use of masks on public transport, where it is not always possible to maintain a distance of two meters with other travelers.

Phase 1 is likely to be implemented from May 4 in Formentera (Balearic Islands), La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa (Canary Islands), due to the low transmission rate of the coronavirus there.

Under Phase 1, sidewalk cafes will be able to open, albeit at 30% of their usual capacity. Europa Press

During Phase 1, social contact between people in the same city who are not considered to be at risk  i.e. the elderly and people with underlying conditions  will be possible.

You will also be able to travel in a car with the people you live with under the conditions of Phase 1.

Sidewalk cafes will be able to open, albeit at 30% of their usual capacity. This means that you will be able to have a drink with friends on a terrace, but not visit your family members in another province.

You will also be able to meet with friends or family in their homes if they are in the same province, but the details of how many people can meet and the conditions are yet to be determined.

Hotels will also be able to reopen, but there will be no common areas available to guests, such as the buffet.

Phase 2

The government has not set specific dates for each phase, and implementation could vary from province to province depending on the situation of the outbreak. But when Phase 2 arrives, citizens will be able to enter the inside of bars and restaurants, with a limit of 30% of capacity. Cinemas, theaters and auditoriums will also reopen with a similar limit on capacity, as well as monuments and exhibition centers.

At this point, cultural events such as concerts will be possible, albeit with a third of their usual capacity. At outdoor events, up to 400 people will be allowed, provided they are seated.

Visits to people in homes with disabilities will be allowed, but not to seniors.

Schools will offer classes for the children under the age of six if their parents require it to be able to go to work, while students will also be able to complete their university entrance exams.

Schools in Spain will not reopen fully until September.

Phase 3

Phase 3 will see the relaxation of mobility restrictions, albeit with a continued recommendation to wear masks outside of the home, and above all, on public transport. This phase is likely to be implemented in mid-June, and will allow for visits to senior homes, under conditions that will be established at a future date. Bars will be able to open with a limit of 50% of capacity.

Wearing a face masks outside of the home, especially on public transport, will be recommended. Susana Vera (Reuters)

As for beaches and swimming pools, there will be more details on their use specified in the future. Shoppers will be able to enter establishments, but there will be a limit on capacity and they will have to observe social distancing of two meters.

Nightclubs and nighttime bars are also due to open under Phase 3, albeit with capacity limited to a third.

New normality

The last stage  referred to by the government as the new normality  should arrive at the end of June provided there is no upsurge of the virus. Mobility between provinces will arrive when we get to the new normality, said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at a press conference on Tuesday evening.

But some provinces could get to this stage before others, meaning that travel between them will only be possible if they are both in the same situation.

There has, as yet, been no confirmation of when national flights and non-essential train journeys will be possible once more.

We want to highlight the use of other plans for mobility in our plans, reclaiming urban spaces for pedestrians and bicycles in order to avoid a rise in the use of private vehicles and a worsening of noise levels, air quality and traffic jams, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

The executive is planning on recommending the use of bikes, public spaces for those on foot, as well as other measures including home working where possible, and staggered start times in workplaces to avoid crowds on public transport.

The markers for each change of phase will depend on:

The strategic capacity of Spains health system, including primary care, the situation in hospitals and the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds available.

The epidemiological situation, including testing, the infection rate and other indicators.

The collective compliance with protection measures in the workplace, businesses and public transport.

The evaluation of mobility and socioeconomic data.

English version by Simon Hunter.
With discrepancies in reporting of sample testing data found from certain labs, the Union health ministry on Wednesday launched a dedicated real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) mobile based application, for labs to fill the data at the point of sample collection.

It is an app for collection centres to fill data at the point of sample collection, to minimise error in reporting real time data to the government authorities. It was seen that the data was being duplicated as it was sent separately to various authorities involved, such as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the state government. Now just one time entry will help reach the information everywhere, which will also save the time and reduce other errors such as address, name, and so on, said a health ministry spokesperson.

This application is linked to the main data base operated by the health ministry that will automatically keep updating it.

The director general of ICMR, Dr Balram Bhargava, who is responsible for overseeing Covid-19 testing, said, The app has been made functional and needs to be put to use immediately.

So far, a total of 7695 people have been cured, which takes Indias current total recovery rate to 24.5%. The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 31,332.

In the past three days, the doubling rate has been 11.3 days in the country. although global mortality rate is around 7%, India is having a mortality rate of around 3%, and around 86% of the fatalities are of persons with co-morbidity. Only 0.33% patients are on ventilators, 1.5% patients are on oxygen support and 2.34% patients are in ICU, which reflects the quality of care being provided across the country. In case of any further eventuality, the country is well equipped with isolation beds, ventilators, PPE [Personal Protective Equipment], and masks, said Union health minister Harsh Vardhan.

A present, 288 government laboratories are working along with 97 private laboratory chains, with around 16,000 sample collection centres, and testing around 60,000 samples per day. The government is working to increase the testing capacity to 1 lakh tests per day within next few days.

The health secretary, Preeti Sudan, held a review meeting with states through video conferencing on Wednesday, and discussed the functioning of the systems dashboard, Covid-19 portal, apart from releasing the RT-PCR application.

The health secretary again directed to states that medical treatment to non-Covid-19 patients should not be denied, and essential care, such as dialysis, cancer treatment, diabetic care, anti-natal care for pregnant women and those suffering from cardiac ailments and other chronic conditions, must continue.

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Theres always going to be a critic and were never going to be able to get everything exactly right according to voices out there, she said. What this shows, as I said, is people who are part of this ecosystem recognizing the interconnectedness they have with each other and stepping up in a very big way to say were all in, were going to do what we can to support our customers, our borrowers, our renters, our mortgagees in a time of great need in our city."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was first published in 2014.



When Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau disbanded the sheriff's department's cold case unit in 2013, over 100 unsolved homicides were divvied up among investigators.

The San Antonio Police Department continues to operate its Cold Case Review Team, which is made up of current and former law enforcement officers, forensic experts, medical and legal personnel. They reportedly solve, on average, over seven cold case murders, yearly.
Photo taken on Sept. 11, 2018 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) in southwest China's Guizhou Province. FAST has discovered 44 new pulsars so far. (Photo: Xinhua)

The 500-meter-diameter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), China's mega-science project and the world's largest single-dish radio observatory, has embarked on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), the Science and Technology Daily reported on Tuesday.

After it became fully operational in January, some analysts believed that FAST would become the major force in searching for and researching into extraterrestrial intelligence, especially with more and more discoveries of exoplanets and revolutionary progress made in instrumentation and observational capabilities.

In a recent study, the team of FAST said the FAST has the potential to detect Earth-like civilizations on thousands of exoplanets, addressing the possibility of the presence of technological civilizations beyond our planet. They said FAST also has the potential to detect whether the neighboring Andromeda galaxy "m31-andromeda" has more advanced technology and civilizations.

Li Di, chief scientist of FAST and research fellow with the National Astronomical Observation of China, told Science and Technology Daily that it is the first SETI search report of FAST, which lays a solid foundation for launching further searches in the future.

The study was reportedly published in The Astrophysical Journal (Apj) and Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (RAA).
FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 29, 2020, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite, today announced a new upcoming webinar, " How to Scale Up Your Applications if COVID-19 Is Causing a Dramatic Spike for Your Business ." The webinar will help companies faced with major increases in business understand how in-memory computing can help them solve these challenges rapidly and efficiently by improving the performance of their business applications. The webinar is Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. PDT and will be presented by GridGain CTO Nikita Ivanov.



"Companies in industries such as ecommerce, logistics, online learning, food delivery and online business collaboration are experiencing huge spikes in business due to the response to COVID-19. These spikes are straining the performance limits of their customer-facing and internal applications," said Terry Erisman, executive vice president of marketing and alliances at GridGain Systems. "Many businesses have found that deploying an in-memory data grid is the fastest and least disruptive approach to speeding up and scaling out their applications. This webinar will provide essential information and guidance on features and deployment best practices for in-memory data grids such as Apache Ignite and GridGain."

During the webinar, Ivanov will introduce attendees to the speed and scalability benefits of Apache Ignite, a proven open source project with nearly 15 million cumulative downloads and Docker pulls. Ivanov will discuss getting started with Apache Ignite and how database teams can leverage key benefits such as ANSI-99 SQL and ACID transactions support. He will also cover deployment options, helpful tools and resources, and places where application designers can go for help. By the end of this webinar, attendees will know how to get started deploying an in-memory data grid so they can solve their immediate application performance challenges and prepare their businesses for a vastly different post-COVID-19 world.

Webinar Details:

Title: How to Scale Up Your Applications if COVID-19 is Causing a Dramatic Spike for Your Business Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Time: 10:00 a.m. PDT (-07:00) 1:00 p.m. EDT (-04:00)

To register, visit the GridGain website.



Additional Resources

To learn more about the GridGain in-memory computing platform:

Read the "Introducing the GridGain In-Memory Computing Platform (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/papers/introducing-gridgain-in-memory-computing-platform)" white paper

Gain knowledge from the GridGain Developer Portal (https://www.gridgain.com/developer)and GridGain webinars (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars)

See how GridGain helps CTOs & CIOs (https://www.gridgain.com/persona/ctoscios), Architects (https://www.gridgain.com/persona/architects), Business Decision Makers (https://www.gridgain.com/persona/business-decision-makers) and Developers (https://www.gridgain.com/persona/developers)

Read GridGain customer success stories (https://www.gridgain.com/experience/featured-customers) and industry use cases (https://www.gridgain.com/experience/industries)

About GridGain Systems

GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite. Common use cases for the GridGain platform include application acceleration and as a digital integration hub for real-time data access across data sources and applications. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial services, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom, transportation and other major sectors, with a client list that includes ING, Raymond James, American Express, Societe Generale, Finastra, IHS Markit, ServiceNow, Marketo, RingCentral, American Airlines, Agilent, and UnitedHealthcare. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers.

CONTACT:

Terry Erisman

GridGain Systems

terisman@gridgain.com

(650) 241-2281

GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, Ignite, Apache Kafka, Kafka, Apache Spark, and Spark are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost all countries across the world, and India is no exception. Researchers have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has undergone several mutations with time.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei province of China, in December 2019. Drs. Nidhan Biswas and Partha Majumder from the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in Kalyani, West Bengal, India, are ready with their findings on the mutated version of the virus.

The findings are soon to be published in the upcoming COVID-19 issue of a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) called the Indian Journal of Medical Research.

MERS Virus Particles Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus particles (yellow) attached to the surface of an infected VERO E6 cell (blue). Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

What was this new study about?

Since its first detection in December 2019, the novel coronavirus or the SARS CoV-2 virus has been found to have undergone mutations and has at present 10 different strains.

One of these strains is A2a. This strain of the virus has infected the most number of people around the world.

This dominant strain, say researchers is extremely virulent and can infect human lung cells in huge numbers and quickly overwhelm the patient, especially those with underlying co-morbidities or other illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, and renal disease.

What did the researchers do?

The researchers compared this new virus with its predecessor, the SARS virus, that led to the SARS outbreak in 2003. This outbreak had killed over 800 and infected 8,000 individuals and was also quite capable of infecting the lungs.

The A2a strain of SARS CoV-2, however, is more virulent the researchers said. They explained that the transmission rate of this new virus is an indication of how fast this new strain can move from one individual to another.

For this study, the team looked at the shared data from RNA sequencing from different nations. This data is available at the public database, GISAID freely shared by researchers across the world for the benefit of other researchers.

They collected 3636 RNA sequences of novel coronaviruses from 55 countries between December 2019 and April 6, 2020.

What did they find?

The researchers believe that their work will help the development of an efficient vaccine against this strain of the virus. Wuhan strain of the virus, they wrote was the O type of the virus. This new A2a strain is one of the ten mutations that originated from this original strain.

From the samples of the infection, the team looked at strains from 55 countries and India. From 55 nations they looked at 3,636 coronavirus RNA sequences. From these, they noted there were 50.8 percent or 1,848 samples containing the A2a strain. 580 sequences were showing the O strain and 505 sequences showing the B1 strain. From the 35 Indian RNA sequences checked, 47.5 percent or 16 were A2a strain and 13, 5, and 1 were A3, O, and B, respectively.

Majumder said in his statement, It (A2a) has become the dominant type of SARS-CoV2. Majumder, professor and founding director of NIBMG, said, The coronavirus can be classified into many types --- O, A2, A2a, A3, B, B1, and so on. Currently, there are 11 types, including type O, which is the ancestral type that originated in Wuhan.

In Italy, 80 percent of the samples contain A2a strains, say reports. There is a predominance of this train in other nations such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Iceland, Congo, and Brazil. Since China has not submitted sequencing reporting after February 2020, the strains from China at present are not known.

Implications

Majumder explained, To live, a virus must propagate by infecting other animals. A mutation usually disables the virus from transmitting itself. However, not always does a mutation render a virus incapable of transmission, as has been seen here. The A2a strain originating from the O strain is more efficient in infecting humans. He said, Such mutant viruses increase the frequency (of transmission) and sometimes completely replace the original type of the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 is doing just that.

This new study on the RNA sequences also reveals that the A2a strain of the virus has altered its spike protein. In the earlier strains, the spike protein was the key to binding with the ACE2 receptors on the host cells that granted entry to the virus into the lung cells. In the A2a, the spike protein is altered so that it can bind more easily to the ACE2 receptors and thus allows it easier access to the lung cells. Majumder says that the reason behind the emergence of the pandemic is the easy infection capability of the A2a strain.

SARS-CoV-2 viruses are binding to ACE-2 receptors on a human cell, the initial stage of COVID-19 infection. Conceptual 3D illustration credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock

The authors of the study agree that the Indian sample was only 35 sequences and was small in comparison to the international sequences. However, they still found around half of the sequences revealed A2a strain. These individuals also had no travel history abroad they wrote. They are calling for future studies looking at more samples from India to check if the A2a strain is indeed dominant here. They also said there was a need to explore the effects of genetic and ethnicities in the infection pattern, as was the effect of travel patterns among those infected.

Majumder said, Its unusual to see one single type sweeping through the world  but thats what it looks like for the moment.
Joe Biden's campaign is advising Democratic supporters to respond to the sexual assault allegations from his former Senate staffer by saying it 'did not happen.'

The former vice president has yet to publicly address the allegation - and he's not been asked about it in several TV interviews he's given since Tara Reade's accusation gained significant public attention.

But his campaign has forcefully denied Reade's charge and distributed talking points to surrogates on how to respond, giving a coordinated counterpoint message.

Joe Biden's campaign is advising Democrats to respond to the sexual assault allegations from his former Senate staffer by saying it 'did not happen'

Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate talked about as a Biden running mate, used the talking points nearly word for word in an appearance on CNN Tuesday night

The talking points were distributed after The New York Times published an in-depth look at Reade's allegation, according to Buzzfeed News, which obtained a copy of them.

'Biden believes that all women have the right to be heard and to have their claims thoroughly reviewed,' the talking points read. 'In this case, a thorough review by the New York Times has led to the truth: this incident did not happen.'

'Here's the bottom line,' they read. 'Vice President Joe Biden has over 40 years in public life: 36 years in the Senate; 7 Senate campaigns, 2 previous presidential runs, two vice presidential campaigns, and 8 years in the White House. There has never been a complaint, allegation, hint or rumor of any impropriety or inappropriate conduct like this regarding him  ever.'

The Times story, however, did not conclude the incident never happened nor did it conclude the assault definitely happened.

Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate talked about as a Biden running mate, used the talking points nearly word for word in an appearance on CNN Tuesday night.

'I believe that women deserve to be heard and I believe they need to be listened to, but I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources,' she told CNN's Don Lemon.

'The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible,' she added. 'I believe Joe Biden.'

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a former presidential candidate who was the first Democratic senator to call for Sen. Al Franken's resignation when he was accused of sexual assault, also defended Biden.

'So when we say believe women, it's for this explicit intention of making sure there's space for all women to come forward to speak their truth, to be heard,' Gillibrand said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters about the Postal Service.

'And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done. She has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets. Those investigations, Vice President Biden has called for himself. Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden,' she said.

Reade claims that in 1993, when she worked in Biden's Senate office, he pinned her to a wall in a Senate building, reached under her clothing and penetrated her with his fingers.

She has told multiple news outlets she complained to others in Biden's Senate office at the time, filed a report to a Senate personnel office, and said she was demoted after the incident. She did not keep a copy of the report and one has not been located.

The Times, in its piece about the incident published earlier this month, talked to multiple former Biden Senate staffers and interns in that office about the allegation along with supporters of Reade.

A friend of Reade's told The Times Reade told her the details of the allegation at the time. Another friend and Reade's brother said she told them over the years about a traumatic sexual incident involving Biden.

The Biden campaign has denied the allegation. Several former Biden Senate staffers told The Times they never heard talk of such behavior by Biden to Reade or any other women.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a former presidential candidate who was the first Democratic senator to call for Sen. Al Franken's resignation when he was accused of sexual assault, also defended Biden

Tara Reade alleges Biden sexually assaulted her in the hallway of a Senate office building when she worked from him in the 1990s; his campaign has denied the allegation

But Biden has declined to release his Senate papers, which are being held at the University of Delaware and could reveal details on any personnel issues or complaints. Originally scheduled to be released two years after he left the vice presidency, they will now be released two years after he retires from public life.

Around the time Biden launched his presidential campaign, several women came forward to say they felt uncomfortable when the former vice president would do things like squeeze their shoulders or touch their hair. Biden eventually apologized for his behavior and vowed to be more mindful in the future.

But Reade is the only woman to detail an assault allegation against Biden, who has emphasized his work for women's issues, including introducing the Violence Against Women Act.

Pressure is growing on the former vice president to personally address Reade's claims particularly after Business Insider reported two additional women collaborated Reade's allegation.

A neighbor of Reade told Business Insider that she recalled hearing about the alleged assault during the era in which Reade said the incident occurred.

'This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it,' she told the publication.

Another source, a woman named Lorraine Sanchez who worked with Reade in the office of a state senator in the mid 1990s, told the publication that she recalled Reade saying she was fired after raising concerns about sexual harassment from her former boss.

These women came forward after a clip came out that allegedly includes the voice of Reade's mother phoning into 'Larry King Live' in 1993 and asking if her daughter should go to the press about a 'prominent senator' behaving badly.

Reade's first accounts of the alleged assault were told to Katie Halper for her 'Katie Halper Show' podcast. She was also interviewed by Hill.TV and Vox. In addition to The Times investigation, the Associated Press also investigated the allegation.

Reade told Halper that the assault occurred after she was told to deliver a gym bag to the then-senator. Reade said she tracked down Biden on Capitol Hill and he remembered her name.

'And then we were alone. And it was the strangest thing. There was no, like, exchange really, he just had me up against the wall,' she said.

She said she was wearing a work skirt, but no pantyhose.

'He just had me up against the wall and the wall was cold,' she said. 'His hands were on me and underneath my clothes. He went down my skirt and then up inside it and he penetrated me with his fingers. He was kissing me at the same time,' she said.

She said that when she 'pulled back,' Biden 'looked annoyed.'

Reade said Biden said to her, 'Come on man, I heard you liked me.' Biden was married to his second and current wife, Jill, at the time.

'He implied that I had done this,' Reade told the podcast host. 'You're nothing to me,' she claimed Biden said to her. 'Nothing.'

Reade supported Bernie Sanders during the 2020 Democratic primary.

She shared her interview with Halper on her now-locked Twitter account adding, 'Please stay in Bernie.'
Pull Quote The lack of widespread testing is the reason Wisconsin hasnt been able to open up its economy sooner.

According to a New York Times report, Green Bay has the second-highest average daily growth rate of coronavirus cases in the United States, making the city a possible new coronavirus hotspot.

With 618 confirmed cases as of April 24, the state's fourth most-populous county now trails only Milwaukee County in the number of cases in the state. Brown County has the highest rate of tests coming back positive, at 26 percent.

Public health officials have connected over half of Brown County's cases to two beef-processing companies and a sausage-maker. Of the county residents who've tested positive so far, 255 are employees of JBS Packerland. The meatpacking plant is temporarily closed.

But on April 28, Trump issued an executive order calling on meat-processing plants to remain open, declaring them critical infrastructure.

At a time when Trump is focused on reopening the economy, communities like Green Bay are still struggling to get the virus under control. In a week, cases in Brown County increased by 1,000 percent to surpass 500, according to Green Bay Press Gazette.

Are there other large outbreaks in Wisconsin that are eluding discovery? Without adequate testing, theres no reliable way to find them fast enough to contain them.

While Gov. Tony Evers has struggled to get testing supplies (and protective gear) for well over a month, pleas from him and other governors have fallen on Trumps deaf ears, a problem thats compounded by his administrations ineptitude.

Not a shipping clerk

The lack of widespread testing is the reason Wisconsin hasnt been able to open up its economy sooner. The state has capacity to conduct 11,000 tests per day, but it's currently only performing about 2,000, due to the shortage of testing materials and protective equipment.

Like other states, Wisconsin needs the federal government to assist in sourcing and procuring supplies. Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided only 10,000 swabs and 10,000 testing mediums to the state.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan told NPR that short supplies are due to a lack of response from the Trump administration.

Pull Quote Despite the administration's inability to ship the states adequate testing supplies, the National Security Stockpile managed to send Milwaukee over 335,800 tabs of hydroxychloroquine

"They have not directed FEMA to actually get supplies to the states. Instead, they're taking credit for anything the state buys through the private markets, and they're getting some limited supplies through the CDC," he said.

Wisconsin is not alone in its struggles to get help from the federal government.

In mid-April, Politico reported that the federal governments haphazard approach to distributing its limited supplies has left states trying everything  filling out lengthy FEMA applications, calling Trump, contacting Pence, sending messages to Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law, and trade adviser Peter Navarro, who are both leading different efforts to find supplies, according to local and states officials in more than a half-dozen states. Theyre even asking mutual friends to call Trump or sending him signals on TV and Twitter."

Trump has disavowed his administrations role in the blunders and hold-ups that have hamstrung governors. In March, Trump said the burden is on the states to take care of their needs. As a result, states have to compete against one another in a cutthroat market.

Governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work, he said in March. The Federal government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping. You know, were not a shipping clerk.

Yet somehow, the National Security Stockpile managed to send Milwaukee two rounds of shipments on April 6 and April 8 containing over 335,800 tabs of hydroxychloroquine. That's the malaria drug Trump has been touting as a possible COVD-19 treatment. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has called for an investigation.

The nation is currently testing just over 218,000 people a day. Thats nowhere near whats needed. Even the White Houses goal of testing 2 percent of the population in each state would leave the country far short of the testing needed to reopen.

We need to deliver 5 million tests per day by early June to deliver a safe social reopening, according to "Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience," a report issued by Harvard University's Center for Ethics. That number would need to increase over time (ideally by late July) to 20 million a day to fully remobilize the economy. We acknowledge that even this number may not be high enough to protect public health.

Unless things within the Trump administration change radically, that target will be difficult to achieve.

By not acting when he was first alerted of the impending crisis, Trump put the nation far behind where it needs to be in order to reopen. Instead of recognizing and correcting this failure, hes continued to avoid responsibility at every turn.

While Wisconsin is starting to figure out what reopening might look like, experts insist that the path to normalcy will require increased testing. As long as this administration fails to provide increased testing capacity, any discussion of a return to normalcy is purely academic.

Priorities Wisconsin, part of Priorities USA, provides research and information to progressives and Democrats. It also helps turn out the vote during elections.

[Editors Note: The Wisconsin Department of Health Services updates statistics each day on its website around 2 p.m.]
[April 29, 2020] WeChat Retail Growth Plan Drives Digital Transformation

GUANGZHOU, China, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WeChat launched WeChat Retail Growth Plan and announced during the online event that WeChat would introduce specific measures aimed at supporting and facilitating the recovery and growth of the retail industry. These measures are meant to help global businesses and brands strengthen their understanding of WeChat's tools, so they can efficiently leverage WeChat's ecosystem to better resolve the challenges created by the pandemic. Unlocking Functionality to Help Drive Retail Offline traffic at brick and mortal retail stores has drastically declined due to COVID-19, forcing many retailers to proactively obtain online traffic. In February, WeChat opened up WeChat Live, helping businesses to interact with customers and generate sales via Mini Program livestreaming. During the pandemic, WeChat Work became a key platform for remote working, and was utilized by a number of enterprises to connect customers with online business expansion efforts. From customer acquisition to transaction, WeChat Pay is a key step in helping to achieving closed loop transactions as it has penetrated every aspect of Chinese users' lives and covers 16 currencies in 60 countries and regions worldwide. Chow Tai Fook, DFS and Farfetch provide solid examples of how businesses can optimize their use of WeChat's array of functions to serve customers. Chow Tai Fook: WeChat Work Empowers Shopping Guides The jewelry industry places a heavy emphasis on the offline customer experience, something the pandemic has had a great impact on. Chow Tai Fook, a jewelry brand with over 3,000 stores, was still able to satisfy consumershopping needs due to early deployment of online retail channels.



Chow Tai Fook's CloudSales 365, an integrated online-to-offline tool developed on WeChat Work, connected the back-end information, content centers and CRMs of Chinese and international locations. This made it possible for the company to more deeply engage with customers. Staffs can continue to keep in touch with customers even after they leave the store using WeChat Work, personalizing recommendations based on customer preferences to facilitate sales. Regarding Deputy General Manager Surrey Pau, the platform helped Chow Tai Fook achieve "employee empowerment." DFS: Creating a New Shopping Experience with WeChat

DFS, located in airports and city centers around the world, offer numerous items and goods important to Chinese travelers. Although the pandemic is significantly affecting global tourism, DFS has managed to achieve great results toward digital transformation with the help of WeChat's ecosystem. DFS established its own membership program within WeChat. Specifically, the "DFS T VIP Club Mini Program" converts overseas brick-and-mortar shoppers into online members by allowing users to continue enjoying various member-only services following purchases. Over one million members have joined since the launch of the DFS Mini Program. Farfetch: The story of cross-border E-commerce Marketplace in WeChat Ecosystem Farfetch, the largest international luxury fashion e-commerce platform, proved its strategic investment in China has progressed in an incredibly powerful way that the GMV of China region grew faster than the overall marketplace during the global health pandemic. Farfetch envisions building a MATRIX in WeChat, stretching from content (Official Account), marketplace (Mini Programs), to direct engagement with users (chat groups). Today's success of Farfetch KOCs chat groups came from the well curated stylist e-workshops, organic fashion interest sharing and more. Furthermore, on April 15, Farfetch held its first WeChat Live, inviting popular fashion blogger to assist three Farfetch product developers to style themselves. The livestream incorporated real-time product recommendations, professional customer service, and reality show drama. These added-value services effectively accumulated to increase customer stickiness and retention. The sales came organically from users to users, not from Farfetch pushing. WeChat Helps Overseas Retailers Overcome the Covid-19 Challenge Faced with the challenges brought about by COVID-19, companies will most likely redouble their efforts in exploring new models of online and offline integration. For retailers who previously emphasized offline operations, digitalization will present unique challenges. As such, WeChat has launched a number of supportive policies to provide merchants with resources at every level. If you're a business interested in joining the WeChat Retail Growth Plan to digitally transform and upgrade sales, services, traffic and brand operations by leveraging WeChat's ecosystem, you can submit an application at [email protected]. SOURCE WeChat

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[April 29, 2020] NXP, Infineon, Renesas, Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics Hold on to Top Five, Says Strategy Analytics

NXP, Infineon, Renesas, Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics (News - Alert) maintained their positions in the top five of Strategy Analytics' annual assessment of the automotive semiconductor industry vendor market share rankings. The Strategy Analytics (News - Alert) Powertrain, Body, Safety & Chassis Service (PBCS) service report, "Automotive Semiconductor Vendor 2019 Market Shares" (http://sa-link.cc/1pk), presents analysis of 2019 automotive sector revenues and market shares of the leading semiconductor vendors, with revenue splits by major component product category and by region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005520/en/ 2019 Automotive Semiconductor Relative Vendor Share Rankings (Graphic: Business Wire) Total automotive seiconductor revenues taken by vendors in 2019 were down 1.3% to $37.2 billion, compared to 2018, with NXP, Infineon, Renesas, Texas Instruments (News - Alert) and STMicroelectronics maintaining their top five rankings. The gap between NXP and Infineon effectively closed to zero, while STMicroelectronics was the only company to be able to demonstrate revenue growth.



"2019 continued to see global automotive semiconductor demand slowing down with vehicle production flat or down in all of the major regions including China," noted Ian Riches Vice President for the Global Automotive Practice (GAP). "This was partially offset by revenue opportunities coming from high growth applications such as ADAS, electrified powertrains and wireless connectivity. However, this was not enough to translate to automotive semiconductor vendor revenue growth in 2019." This "top-down" analysis of semiconductor vendor sales revenues and market shares in calendar year 2019 for the automotive application segment represents Strategy Analytics' estimates of vendor revenues from the automotive sector derived from a combination of discussions with the major semiconductor suppliers, Strategy Analytics' own view and judgment of supplier activity, and its ongoing research and analysis into automotive electronics market growth.

"Our analysis shows a lot of companies struggled to show positive revenue growth in 2019, though there were some notable vendor year-on-year revenue increases, as exemplified by Bosch, Micron, Nexperia, nVIDIA, Qualcomm and Xilinx (News - Alert)," observed Asif Anwar, report author and PBCS Service Director. "We will see a major shakeup in market share rankings moving forwards. In 2019, Infineon announced that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Cypress. This acquisition closed successfully in April 2020, and effectively propels Infineon into the number 1 spot moving forwards." Source (News - Alert): Strategy Analytics, Inc. #SA_Automotive About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics, Inc. is a global leader in supporting companies across their planning lifecycle through a range of customized market research solutions. Our multi-discipline capabilities include: industry research advisory services, customer insights, user experience design and innovation expertise, mobile consumer on-device tracking and business-to-business consulting competencies. With domain expertise in: smart devices, connected cars, intelligent home, service providers, IoT, strategic components and media, Strategy Analytics can develop a solution to meet your specific planning need. For more information, visit us at www.strategyanalytics.com For more information about Strategy Analytics Powertrain, Body, Safety & Chassis Service (PBCS): Click Here View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005520/en/

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BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Tuesday spoke over the phone with Lao Defense Minister Chansamone Chanyalath on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Wei expressed China's firm support to Laos' efforts to battle the epidemic, saying China is willing to work with Laos to exchange information in time and strengthen border control to jointly curb the spread of the epidemic.

Chansamone expressed sincere thanks for the aid China has offered Laos in fighting the epidemic, saying Laos is willing to maintain close cooperation with China and jointly overcome the epidemic.
WESTMINSTER, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vietnamese Americans in Orange County's Little Saigon issued a "Nailing It For America" challenge to other Vietnamese communities throughout the country: Join the national day of giving back beginning Thursday, April 30 to help healthcare professionals and other front-line workers fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19).

So far, New York City, Boston, Dallas, San Jose, Salt Lake City and others have plans to deliver 1,975 meals and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Earlier this month, "Nailing It" volunteers collected and delivered more than 120,000 medical-grade masks and 300,000 gloves within 10 days for Southern California's healthcare professionals combatting COVID-19. Vietnamese restaurants also joined the cause, delivering 20,000 meals along with PPEs last Thursday.

After the shutdown of nonessential businesses across America, Advance Beauty College President Tam Nguyen and others mobilized the nail industry nationally to donate 1.2 million medical-grade masks, gloves and other PPEs in nearly every state to healthcare workers who desperately needed them. The group estimates the value of supplies is approximately $30 million.

Vietnamese Americans have transformed the nail industry thanks to the chance encounter of Tippi Hedren at Hope Village refugee camp in Northern California in 1975. After the visit, the star of "The Birds" flew her personal manicurist in weekly to teach the group of Vietnamese refugees the nail craft and even helped them secure nail salon jobs in Southern California.

Thursday marks a significant milestone for the nation's 2.1 million Americans of Vietnamese descent since the first wave of refugees from war-torn Vietnam reached America on April 30, 1975.

"Thursday is a special day to show our gratitude to America and to countless Americans like Tippi Hedren who embraced us and gave us a chance to rebuild our lives after the Fall of Saigon," Nguyen said. "It's also a day for the rise of the Vietnamese community in America to help front-line workers conquer COVID-19."

Visit: http://www.unitedwayoc.org/nailingit

*PHOTO: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0429s2p-nailing-it-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: "The Birds" actress Tippi Hedren with Nailing It for America's Tam Nguyen and "The Joy Luck Club" star Kieu Chinh.

No celebrity endorsement claimed or implied.

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE Nailing It For America
Tunisia extends state of emergency by one month Proclaimed in 2015 after attack against presidential guards

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, APRIL 29 - Tunisia's President Kais Saied has decided to extend a state of emergency across the national territory by a month, from April 29 until May 28, 2020, the presidency said in a statement.



The state of emergency was proclaimed across the country by late president Beji Caid Essebsi after a terrorist attack against a bus carrying presidential guards in November 2015, which was subsequently always extended.(ANSAmed).




By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/28/2020



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Lisa Hamme has denied Usman "SojaBoy" Umar 's recent claims she had threatened to commit suicide early on in their relationship, before her trip to Nigeria.During the April 21 broadcast of NYC radio host Angela Yee's Lip Service podcast, Usman insisted Lisa had tried to commit suicide when she discovered Usman wasn't really in love with her -- but Lisa apparently considers that a ridiculous allegation, according to In Touch Weekly."At no given time did Lisa state she would kill herself, for him or any other man. She is a very independent woman," Lisa's representative, Rocco Straz, told In Touch in a statement on the star's behalf."Lisa doesn't need Sojaboy. She wants Sojaboy! Suicide is something that should not be thrown around lightly. Lisa has a beautiful family and would never do such a thing!"Lisa, 52, also said she has an idea why Usman, 30, might have made that shocking claim."At [the] time of [his] interview, Usman was angry at me and the world," Lisa explained.During the Lip Service podcast, the Nigerian rapper was asked whether he was using Lisa to come to America so his music career could explode, and that's when he brought up the topic of suicide."So when Lisa started telling me that she loves me, I was like, 'Okay.' Because this woman is always giving me this love stuff and if I say no to that, she started crying. And if you want to win my heart, if you want to force me to do anything, start crying," Usman, 30, reportedly said."I hate to see anybody cry. So maybe she used that advantage, she started crying all the time and I say, 'Okay, okay, you love me? I love you too and let's move on.'"Usman claimed he only said "I love you" back to Lisa because he never thought she'd actually visit him in Nigeria. Usman apparently had no hope at the time their relationship would advance past video and phone chats."So, after some time, I was like, 'This cannot continue. We spent about one year, you telling me that you love me, you love me.' And I was saying, 'I love you, I love you.' But deeply, I know it's not love," Usman said, according to In Touch."[I told her], 'I don't love you for real, honestly, but I do that to make you happy.' So Lisa started trying to commit suicide [and] I was like, 'No.'"Usman reportedly explained his father is an Imam, which is a leader in his Muslim religion, and so Usman always learned "it is good for you to please somebody" -- and that's exactly what he did with Lisa, allegedly."It is better I tolerate her problems, all the headache that she's giving me, than for me to say I don't love her and then she go and kill herself," Usman said on the podcast."It's better that I tolerate that then she lives life than for me to say, 'I don't love you,' and for her to go and kill herself because of me. So that is how it happened."Usman and Lisa, a hospice caregiver from York, PA, are one of the couples starring on : Before the 90 Days' currently-airing fourth season.Usman had contacted her on Facebook two years before filming began, and they videochatted immediately so Usman could prove he wasn't a catfish.Based on posts Lisa has made on Facebook, she and Usman reportedly began dating in June 2018.Lisa didn't understand why a Nigerian celebrity would be interested in her, but a love song he had allegedly written for Lisa confirmed his feelings for her, at least in Lisa's mind. Lisa then flew to Nigeria -- her first trip out of the United States -- to meet him face to face.As shown on : Before the 90 Days, Usman struggled with Lisa's jealousy of his female fans and social-media followers as well as her controlling ways and tendency to boss him around.Usman, as a Muslim man, wanted to be respected and honored in the relationship, and in the latest episode , he asked Lisa to essentially let him be in charge of her and their relationship.Although Lisa and Usman finally received a blessing from Fatimatu, Usman's mother, to marry, Lisa flipped Usman the middle finger and wasn't sure she wanted to wed a man so fixated on being head of the household.Lisa said Usman had another thing coming if he thought an American woman would simply obey a man like that.To read spoilers on whether Lisa and Usman ever got married in Nigeria, c lick here Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
"The intention in fact is to save people's lives," he said.

Bailey said he wants people to live "safely, respectfully ... and to take certain precautions" while returning to work and undoing the pandemic's economic damage.

The legal skirmish reflects how the virus has escalated tensions between Chicago and its five "collar" counties. Some non-Chicagoans see the virus as a big-city problem. As of Monday, 91% of the state's cases were in Chicago and its suburbs. Bailey's home of Clay County had two. Cabello's Winnebago County, whose seat, Rockford, is the state's third-largest city, had 242.

Pritzker argues that several counties with the highest rates of infections and deaths from the disease are in southern Illinois. And in many places with low numbers, relatively few people have been tested.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Pritzker could render the lawsuit moot by calling the General Assembly into session and securing legislative support for the continued order. But lawmakers haven't met since early March because of social-distancing guidelines and Pritzker said he is confident McHaney's ruling will be overturned.

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Grossly incorrect politicians and others make a mockery of medicine by sharing bizarre and life-threatening suggestions to tackle COVID-19

After Trumps repeated claims of using hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, two drugs that he endorsed in treating the coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration in the US had to warn people that both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can cause dangerous abnormalities. PTI Photo

Self-styled godman Paramahamsa Nithyananda is after all not the only man on earth who can come up with nonsensical and pseudo-scientific claims of making the cows speak in Tamil and Sanskrit, delaying the sun to rise by 40 minutes, discovering over 400 esoteric powers expressible by humans or opening his third eye for anyone, free of charge in 2021.

On 23rd April, US President Donald Trump suggested that injection inside the human body with a disinfectant like bleach or isopropyl alcohol could help combat the virus. While most people laughed it off as yet another moronic exhibition by the 45th President of the United States, some Americans took the suggestion seriously, much to the consternation of the various global disinfectant brands who pleaded with people not to inject themselves with those. Then, closer home, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao came up with the paracetamol cure for Coronavirus. There is no need to panic about Coronavirus. Just paracetamol is enough for it, he is reported to have said. The virus cannot survive in temperatures above 22 degrees Celsius. It just left many flabbergasted.

When sense leaves the building

Ever since the Coronavirus outbreak, leaders of all hues have come up with bizarre suggestions to ward off the killer virus  most of which has stunned people at large. While Chakrapani Maharaj, head of the Hindu Mahasabha, has been peddling the gaumutra (cow urine) cure, Baba Ramdev has claimed that Ayurvedic remedies can cure Coronavirus.

Even CM Yogi Adityanath of UP went on record stating that diseases such as blood pressure, heart attack and even coronavirus can be prevented if a person overcomes mental stress. So what happens when politically powerful men in the world make suggestions seemingly without regarding their consequences, which includes the risks to the lives of those who take those words as suggestions and use those unproven, mostly dangerous treatments.

After Trumps repeated claims of using hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, two drugs that he endorsed in treating the coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration in the US had to warn people that both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can cause dangerous abnormalities in heart rhythms in Coronavirus patients, and that they have resulted in some deaths, too.

Padma Shri Dr K.K. Aggarwal, whos the president of the Confederation of Medical Associations of Asia and Oceania, and the president of the Heart Care Foundation of India, spoke strongly against such dangerously misleading suggestions.

Trump is making the same mistake Amitabh Bachchan made while talking about mosquitos. He shared a video on his post and referred to the study by The Lancet, peer-reviewed general medical journal, stating that COVID-19 can be transmitted through the faecal-oral route. He explained how faeces of a person can contain the COVID-19 days after his treatment, and that if a fly were to sit on it and then sit on eatables, then the transmission of the disease would be faster, recollects the doctor. He further cautions, Messages of medical advice must come from expert doctors, the World Health Organisation, the Centre for Disease Control or the Ministry of Health. Websites or individuals can share harmful messages. Injecting disinfectants in the blood can kill; there have even been past references where dubious doctors have given IV injections of alcohol to patients with sepsis, with no effect.

Know your experts

Dr Chaitanya Challa of the Challa Nursing home also cautions people, advising them to lend ears only to experts  health organisation, good doctors and healthcare professionals  on the frontlines.

Avoid lots of meaningless WhatsApp forwards. Unfortunately, we also have Page 3 people who consider themselves experts advising about COVID-19. The best advisors are internal medicine and critical-care consultants, warns Dr Chaitanya. Even homeopathy and Ayurveda have no significance in this infection. A skin disinfectant is only for the skin and should not be injected. It can actually kill.

Even Dr Manjula Anagani, whos a gynaecologist, says that only doctors whore frontline warriors, working and dealing with cases should offer expert opinions. These doctors are daily dealing with the gravity of the real situations and their treatment. So they need to talk about dealing with it, problems and repercussions of treatment options, testing facilities, fallacies, reliability of tests, dealing with false negatives, availability of PPEs and patient load and symptomatology, etc., she adds.

Dr Ashwin Tumkur, Senior Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist, Yashoda Hospitals, is shocked at how baseless assertions have been spreading as rampantly as the virus.

As a doctor, I must be clear to my patients and people that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route) for treating anything and certainly not for treating Coronavirus, he warns. These agents are very toxic and can cause adverse outcomes, including death. Be very careful of such improper health messaging and follow only recommendations and guidelines laid down by approved healthcare bodies, which are based on scientific data.
SEOUL, South Korea  A blaze at a construction site southeast of Seoul killed 38 people on Wednesday in one of the deadliest fires to hit South Korea in recent years, police officers and local news reports said.

With emergency workers still looking for one other person who may remain trapped inside a building filled with toxic smoke, they have so far found 38 bodies, Seo Seung-hyeon, a local fire department chief, said during a news briefing. Ten others were injured, including eight who were in serious condition, he said.

When the fire broke out, 78 workers were believed to be working in the four-story warehouse under construction in Icheon, 50 miles southeast of Seoul, the Fire Department said.
To say Scott Morrison was less than impressed when the country's largest banks settled on former Queensland premier Anna Bligh to lead the Australian Banking Association would be some understatement. "I dont need to work through an intermediary, the then treasurer said. It later emerged that his senior advisor Sasha Grebe, now supposedly running to be the Liberal candidate in Warringah, had also applied for the job.

Well, we'd love to see his reaction when he finds out who's in line to become Bligh's chief lieutenant, replacing former Coalition staffer Nathalie Samia  the ABA's public affairs boss who left the outfit in January. Because it's ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull's principal private secretary Sally Cray. Cray, a former corporate affairs chief at the ABC and a well-connected operator, has been consulting since Turnbull was replaced by Morrison in 2018.

Malcolm Turnbull's former principal private secretary Sally Cray is off to the banking lobby. Credit:Andrew Meares

But, of course, the timing is less than ideal. And we're not talking about the coronavirus pandemic. Turnbull's recently released memoir, A Bigger Picture, portrays Morrison as an obsessive leaker who was "playing a double game: professing public loyalty to me while at the same time allowing his supporters to undermine me".

Sources close to the appointment process say the internal candidate for the job, Fiona Landis, had been informed she would not get the gig. The highly-respected Landis has been acting in the role since Samia left.
"We're determined to help protect the resiliency of our nation's supply chain by connecting critical cargo to the communities we serve during this public health crisis," said Torque Zubeck, managing director of Alaska Air Cargo. "Our teams have been working tirelessly since March to identify the safest and most effective processes to increase our cargo capacity as quickly as possible."

In addition to Air Cargo's dedicated three freighters, six Boeing 737-900 aircraft will be utilized as cargo-only aircraft. Boxes, mail and other items will be placed on and under seats, in overhead bins and in closets  to offer 13,500 more pounds of cargo than what a passenger-only flight could carry. In total, each flight will carry up to 30,000 pounds, which includes belly capacity.

If approved by the FAA, the passenger-only aircraft would begin flying throughout the United States in May.

Alaska Air Cargo Facts

Cargo freighters: 3 Boeing 737-700s

Passenger-to-cargo planes: 6 Boeing 737-900s

Cargo flown annually: 200 million+ pounds

Seafood flown: 30 million+ pounds per year

Destinations in Alaska we serve: 19 stations, only three connect by road

we serve: 19 stations, only three connect by road Around 60% of our cargo business touches the state of Alaska in some way

in some way Total destinations served in 2019: 100+

Freighter-only flights flown in 2019: 5,487

Learn more about the passenger-to-freighter project and see photos at blog.alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

SOURCE Alaska Airlines; Alaska Air Cargo

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


Blood irradiation the treatment that time forgot

Once again the press is climbing on a bash Trump bandwagon without doing its own research. Since the 1940s, a treatment known as Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UBI) has been safely available and employed in the US and Europe  extensively in Russia. By removing small amounts of blood, thinning it, exposing it to UV light in sufficient intensity to kill foreign bodies but not harm blood cells, and then reinjecting the blood back into the body, this procedure creates a personalized vaccine of what ails a person. Your annual flu shot is an injection of dead virus cells into your blood stream so that ones natural processes create antibodies. UBI is simply a faster, more personally tailored process.

This treatment came into being just as antibiotics were discovered and promoted. Thus, UBI has been dubbed the treatment that time forgot. Nevertheless, it has been found to be effective in treating all kinds of bacterial and viral blood-based infections. Do some research and see. Why dont we hear more about this? Big pharma and the American Medical Association and their medical schools promote chemistry-based medicine, avoiding a simple mechanical procedure that also works.

I cringe when I listen or read of the experts who are simply interviewed to take the presidents words to some unintended context. He is being bombarded with possible solutions and clearly does not have the articulatory skill to relate them in detail. This is when we need the press to help us figure out what hes saying  not what hes not saying.

These are my own views, expressed as a private citizen, and not offered in my official capacity as an official of Amherst County government. My views are presented here without the endorsement or knowledge of the county board of supervisors.

DEAN C. RODGERS

Lynchburg

Wilder for Ward II

Sterling Wilder, incumbent candidate for Ward ll City Council seat, is a truly amazing and inspiring human being. His accomplishments from the time and resources he has invested in Ward II for over 30 years fills pages.

During his three terms on LCS School Board and since, he has initiated a vast array of programs to mentor and empower young men and others in the community.

From his efforts on countless boards and on council for the past four years to improve neighborhood safety and cleanliness, support community centers, reduce poverty, and promote economic growth, there is hardly a slice of life in Ward II or the city that has not been touched by Sterlings passionate caring.

Nor is there hardly a community meeting he has not attended! And all this in addition to running the Jubilee Family Development Center, which he founded and which has impacted untold numbers of families and young people for over 20 years, and fostering and caring for numerous children himself!

During my 30 years as a news reporter for WSET-TV and WVTF public radio, I encountered Sterling many times. I found him to be a genuine, honest, deeply caring man, committed and dedicated to the citizens of Lynchburg.

He was anything but the left-wing politician that the city Republican Party wishes to portray him as, but a thoughtful, independent thinking man who has followed in the footsteps of the strong African-American leaders of the past decades who worked so hard to make this community a better place for all. In his quiet way, without bluster or desire for the limelight, Sterling has worked hard to get things done.

As a resident of Ward II for almost six years, I am proud to be represented on council by such a fine man.

Please vote for Sterling Wilder on May 19, either at the polls or by absentee ballot.

LIBBY FITZGERALD

Lynchburg
A leading anti-corruption group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), has expressed deep concern that the palliatives being distributed by federal and state governments in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak may not be reaching the poor.

In a statement on Tuesday, the groups chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said there are about 90 million poor Nigerians who have no access to the essentials of life and whose conditions have been compounded by the lockdown.

They are on the threshold of misery with serious consequences unless the various authorities reply to their needs immediately. We also call for accountability on the cost of palliatives being distributed across the country, HEDA said.

READ ALSO:

The group has been compiling information from across the country on the impact of government palliative interventions. It said it constantly receives reports that many of the vulnerable poor are excluded from the palliatives being shared by the various tiers of government while in some instances, deliberate distribution of materials have been restricted to only members of the ruling political parties in particular areas.

On the distribution of palliatives, We recommend that the tiers of government should share palliatives taking into consideration organised groups of artisans and those in the informal sector whose means of livelihood have been adversely affected by the lockdown, HEDA stated.

It said the government needs to design an inclusive distribution mechanism that will focus on the critical population in the country. The group urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs led by Sadiya Farouq to run an all-encompassing system whereby unions and associations of beneficiaries will be involved in the conception, design and distribution of palliatives to beneficiaries.

HEDA cited for instance the distribution of cash through account numbers as a unique programme, but noted that the government should also realise that there are many poor Nigerians that have no little fund to even open a bank account.

It said that as at 2015, only 37 percent of Nigerian adults have bank accounts while it declined to 34 per cent in 2016 with most of those affected being females and the lowest income earners.

It urged the government to be conscious of the fact that the lockdown without an economic roadmap can spur organised violent upheavals across the country. This in itself is conceivable when most of the affected people are Nigerians whose living is dependent on daily earnings trampled upon by the lockdown.

Mr Suraju said the need for an economic roadmap that will deal with the present and future consequences of COVID-19 is imperative. He said the federal and state governments need a tripartite meeting of the government, labour and civil society and the private sector to work out a programme of action that will decisively address the problems at hand.

HEDA called on the federal and state governments to design a short and long term strategic response to COVID-19.
A political commentator and speech-writer for president George W. Bush has theorised that Donald Trump has chosen to endanger American lives in a bid to secure his re-election.

David Fum, who was credited with coining the axis of evil phrase pushed by president Bush in the aftermath of 9/11, used Twitter to describe the new White House strategy on Tuesday.

Its a desperate gamble to save himself by sacrificing others, tweeted the former president Bush aide.

In a Twitter thread, Fraum described how a plan to pivot coronavirus messaging toward the economy was centred around the reelection of the president, and not on public health.

Trump is consciously choosing to risk higher virus casualties in Q2 in hope of jolting the economy into revival in Q3 to save his re-election in Q4, said Frum on Twitter.

Many leaders would be daunted by the human costs of Trumps desperate re-election, added Frum.

[But] for an extreme NPD case like Donald Trump, the lives and troubles of other people are remote, incomprehensible  less real to him.

In an interview on MSNBC on Friday, Frum commented that president Trump would soon see what happens when you reopen an economy during a pandemic.

Lets accept that there may be hundreds of thousands, or some double hundreds of thousands, of Americans killed, warned Frum.

He warned that many of those who die from Covid-19 in the coming weeks and months would be those who are most exposed to the virus.

Theyre going to be mostly poor and minorities, mostly not going to be Trump voters, he added.

Those comments come amid reports that the White House has begun to transform its messaging on the virus, which has now infected more than one million Americans and killed almost 60,000.

On Saturday, Axios reported that a Trump administration official had said White House messaging would begin pivoting towards the economy and a more hopeful, forward-looking message.

Meanwhile, medical and diseases experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci will start taking a backseat during coronavirus updates.

Frum added in another tweet that the punch of economic reopening would occur because there is no current national plan to test and trace cases of the Covid-19 virus.

Were almost four months into the pandemic, and the US is at last beginning to test on a large scale. But the point of testing is tracing. The point of tracing is isolation, commented Frum.

There are no national plans to do either of *those* things. The plan is to reopen without  take the punch.

The president announced on Tuesday evening that 5 million tests for coronavirus would need to be conducted every day before the US economy reopened in June.

That number is disputed by scientists and experts, with some groups citing a need for up to 20 million tests a day before the US economy could safely re-start.
Title changed, details added (first version posted on 17:55)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 28

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), vice-president of the OSCE PA Azay Guliyev has recently participated in a meeting of the organizations Bureau in a video conference format, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani parliament on April 28.

The views on the activity of the OSCE PA during COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic were exchanged at the meeting. The reports of the chairpersons of the committees and subcommittees, a treasurer and special representatives were also made.

The reports were made by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Albanian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edi Rama, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic during the meeting.

While delivering speech during the discussions, Guliyev emphasized that it is necessary to focus on such issues as the prevention of the global consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the economic crisis, conflicts, racism, illegal migration, the conditions of refugees and internally displaced people and others.

The Azerbaijani MP suggested holding the OSCE Summit with the participation of heads of state and government of member-states of the organization to discuss the most pressing issues.

Guliyev emphasized that the grave consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the territories of the OSCE member-states can be eliminated only as a result of a unified strategy, effective coordination and joint activity of the heads of state and government.

While reminding that the recent OSCE summit was held 10 years ago, in 2010 in Astana, the MP stressed the importance of holding the next summit.

During the discussions related to the activity of the OSCE PA General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, the MP thanked the bureau members for the adequate assessment given to the illegal "presidential and parliamentary elections" held on March 31, 2020 in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia and urged to intensify the efforts to prevent such events.

During the event, Guliyev emphasized the importance of monitoring in connection with the implementation of the requirements of the Biological Weapons Convention amid the pandemic.

An agreement on the cancellation of the annual summer session planned to be held in Vancouver and the autumn session of the OSCE PA planned to be held in San Marino, the extension of the powers of bureau members, including the president of the structure, until July 2021, as well as organizing of online meetings of the standing and general committees were discussed during the meeting.
Over 1,000 members from more than 15 churches gathered for drive-in mass service Sunday night in Franklin, TN with the state governor's attendance.

The Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee attended a multi-church "Beyond Our Walls" worship service Sunday evening at the Williamson County Ag Expo Park, Christianheadlines News reported. While some government leaders have discouraged drive-in church services, the congregation drove their cars to a large parking lot to pray, sing and listen to various speakers. Way-FM (88.7), a local Christian station, broadcast the event.

The event benefited "One Generation Away" which distributes food to families in need through Middle Tennessee, the media noted.

The governor, almost in tears, thanked everyone for doing their part within the community to combat COVID-19.

"Thank you for everything that every one of you are doing," he said. "Thank you for doing your part to stay apart. Thank you for loving your neighbors as yourself. Thank you for serving in food banks and thank you for serving in nonprofits. And thank you for serving in your neighborhoods."

The governor encouraged everyone to continue to pray to have faith in God's protection during this pandemic with John 16:33.

"Thank you for praying. Thank you for having hope," he said. "In this world, we'll have many troubles, but we know where our hope comes from and He has overcome the world. And we'll do all we can that's humanly possible. We thank you for praying that He will have favor on our state."

Hundreds of cars honked as a replacement for the typical "amen" or hand clap.

The service did not break any laws. It also followed COVID-19 guidelines, according to event organizers.

"People will stay in their cars and thereby adhere to social distancing suggestions," the Facebook pages said. "We have the approval of local, state, and national governmental leaders."

Watch the entire Beyond Walls 2020 service. Gov. Lee's comments start at the 24-minute mark.
Nirav Modi, the 49-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest last year, appeared before a UK court via videolink.

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 on Tuesday remanded in custody until 11 May, when his five-day trial will take place in a part-remote setting.

The 49-year-old, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest last year, appeared before a UK court via videolink. He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during the hearing, which took place at Westminster Magistrates Court in London via tele-conference due to the COVID-19 related social distancing procedures in place across UK courts.

District Judge Samuel Goozee, who presided over the case management hearing, expressed some reservations about the extradition hearing going ahead next month as scheduled under the current lockdown. But it was agreed between all parties that a trial run of the courts CVP, or common viewing platform, will take place during a lawyers-only hearing on 7 May ahead of the final hearing.

"Some prisons are producing prisoners in person, so I will direct Wandsworth Prison to produce Modi in person for the trial from May 11. If that is not practicable, his participation by live link remains a backstop, Judge Goozee concluded.

It was agreed that a limited number of legal representatives will be present physically in court for the trial as witnesses give their evidence via videolink. Modi will be able to observe the proceedings either from the dock, if the prison authorities agree to a physical transfer, or via the judiciarys common viewing system from Wandsworth Prison.

The five-day hearing from 11 May relates to the Indian governments extradition request certified by the UK government last year. The case has been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and relates to a large-scale fraud upon an Indian PSU through the fraudulent obtaining of letters of understanding (LoUs) and the laundering of the proceeds of that fraud.

Two additional charges of "causing the disappearance of evidence" and intimidating witnesses or criminal intimidation to cause death were added on by the CBI and certified earlier this year.

The 11 May extradition hearing is going ahead and the new request (two additional offences part of the CBI case) has not been joined but will be dealt with at a separate later hearing, probably in July, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), appearing on behalf of the Indian authorities.

CPS barrister Nick Hearn indicated that the government of Indias representatives would be following the proceedings and giving instructions via the court's online common viewing platform, given the coronavirus related travel restrictions.

We have received comprehensive responses in writing from the government of India, which would reduce the likely length of cross-examinations, said Hearn.

It was also confirmed that the diamond merchant would not be giving evidence in the case, but his legal team plans to produce around six witnesses, including a jewellery expert as well as judicial and prisons experts.

We are very anxious to hold the hearing if we can, if Modis participation and that of the witnesses seems feasible, said Modis barrister Clare Montgomery, during the tele-conference hearing on Tuesday.

Judge Goozee has set 4 May as the deadline for the skeleton arguments, draft charges and any further evidence to be presented in the case. In reference to the wealth of documentary evidence relied on in the case, he has sought an agreed pre-trial reading list by the end of this week.

Most of the legal cases in the UK have incorporated videolink and telephonic options where possible, with all new jury trials suspended amid the social distancing rules in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Modi, whose Wandsworth prison is considered one of the most over-crowded in England, had made a fifth attempt at bail in the High Court last month, which was rejected as the judge ruled that he continued to pose a flight risk.

He was arrested on 19 March, 2019, on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges of fraud and money laundering brought by the Indian government.
State officials Wednesday reported another 92 deaths in Illinois related to the coronavirus, as the statewide death toll reached 2,215. Officials also announced 2,253 new known cases of COVID-19, bringing total to 50,355. Thats the sixth time in the past seven days that the number of new cases has topped 2,000.

The new numbers came as Gov. J.B. Pritzkers extension of a statewide stay-at-home order continued to face pushback, with a second Republican state lawmaker challenging the order in a lawsuit accusing the governor of creating a police state. Pritzker called the new lawsuit another attempt at grandstanding.

Heres whats happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

7:45 p.m.: He was supposed to retire Thursday after 34 years as a surgical tech. Instead, he died Monday after testing positive for coronavirus.

After decades of scrubbing in on surgeries as a surgical technologist, Juan Martinez was looking forward to retirement. He planned to travel with his wife and spend more time with his grandchildren.

His final work day was scheduled for April 30.

He was so dedicated to his job that he kept working even as the coronavirus crisis coincided with the final weeks before his retirement.

He died days before reaching it.

My dad was a very dedicated man to work, said his son, Juan Martinez Jr., who was so enthralled by his fathers zest for his work that he, too, chose the same career. He was so passionate.

Father and son worked together at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago. On Monday, Martinez, 60, died after testing positive for the coronavirus.

He just didnt make it, said Martinez Jr. Read more here. Alison Bowen

7:29 p.m.: Viral video of Chicago house party reveals disconnect between black youth and media during coronavirus

House parties are meant to be a thing of the past now that COVID-19 has turned into a pandemic.

But on April 25, a viral video showed a Galewood gathering of dozens of people at a memorial party for two friends who died of gun violence years ago. The video drew such a level of nationwide vitriol on social media that Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted the revelers as foolish and reckless, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker criticized the partygoers for putting everyone around you in danger. (Tribune columnist, Dahleen Glanton, wrote an open letter to the black kids who partied, citing the reality of killing loved ones without even knowing that you are carrying a weapon.) Chicago police have subsequently said they cited the homeowner with disorderly conduct Monday.

With so much conversation about the event, The Triibe, a digital media platform that tells stories of black Chicago, sought to find the disconnect between local government officials, black youth and traditional media outlets in conveying the serious nature of the coronavirus. In her article, Veronica Harrison (aka Vee L. Harrison), talks to a young woman at the party. The woman told Harrison she knows COVID-19 is serious, but shes not letting fear win out over her faith.

The partygoer told Harrison: I get irritated with these celebrities trying to tell us to stay in the house. Us people that arent as rich as them, we dont have nothing to do in the house. Sometimes this can cause you to go into boredom and depression and you have to get out, you have to get some air.

Harrison said her phone has not left her hand since the Triibe story went live Tuesday night. Read more here. Darcel Rockett

6:10 p.m.: River Grove firefighter, apparently recovered from COVID-19, suffers fatal stroke

A River Grove firefighter and paramedic who had tested positive for COVID-19 but appeared to be on the mend died early Wednesday from a stroke, officials said.

Robert David Reisinger, 57, who had been with the department for nearly 18 years and was the longtime EMS system coordinator at Stroger Hospital in Chicago, became ill several weeks ago along with a co-worker who had been on the same ambulance, fire Chief Sean Flynn said.

Reisinger had gotten better and was scheduled to return to work Wednesday, Flynn said, but suffered a stroke Monday. The Cook County medical examiners office does not list COVID-19 as a factor in Reisingers death, but researchers have found links between the virus and some types of strokes. His husband, Kuanwu Lin, does not consider the two events to be coincidental.

Its still unpredictable what this virus will do to a human body, said Lin, a psychologist who is also recovering from COVID-19. We are still learning about it. ... If this was related to COVID-19, then it makes this virus even more powerful, and therefore we cannot be too cautious. Read more here. John Keilman

5:55 p.m.: Suburban distillery joins the pivot to making hand sanitizer

Highwood vodka-maker 28 Mile Distilling Co. is joining the ranks of Chicagoland distilleries lending their facilities to the production of hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The distillery, named for its 28-mile distance from Chicago, will donate the hand sanitizer  which includes nearly 12,000 16-ounce bottles  to the Chicago Police Department. Its the largest donation of sanitizer that the department has received yet.

The key ingredient in hand sanitizers is neutral grain spirit, which is essentially vodka. The spirit is combined with glycerin and hydrogen peroxide to make hand sanitizer. Distilleries across the Chicago area and the nation have been pivoting to make the sanitizer during the pandemic.

The approximately 1,400 gallons of 28 Mile Distilling Co. product will be distributed to officers Thursday at the Police Academy. Adam Lukach

5:36 p.m.: Trump order keeps meatpacking plants open, but effect on Illinois facilities is uncertain

President Donald Trump has ordered meat processing plants to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic even as they have emerged as hotspots for worker illnesses in Illinois and elsewhere, laying bare the challenge of keeping the nations food supply chain intact while protecting workers on crowded production lines.

Trump, in an executive order signed Tuesday, invoked the Defense Production Act to prevent meat plant closures, saying they threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency." Unions and workers rights advocates said the action jeopardizes worker safety.

The order came as COVID-19 cases prompted a growing number of major slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities to temporarily shut down, sometimes under pressure from local authorities. The closures have sent ripples across the supply chain as farmers lost markets for their livestock and grocers braced for a shortage of meat on their shelves.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily over the past two months, including three in Illinois that shuttered last week. It wasnt immediately clear Wednesday what the order means for those facilities.

Smithfield Foods, the worlds largest pork producer, indefinitely shuttered a large pork plant in Monmouth Friday after a small portion of its 1,700 employees tested positive for COVID-19, and it closed a smaller plant in St. Charles, where 325 people work, on orders from the Kane County Health Department to improve social distancing and take other safety measures.

Hormel closed an 800-worker plant in Rochelle that makes bacon and deli meats on orders from the Ogle County Health Department, with plans to reopen May 4.

Monmouth Mayor Rod Davies said he is eager to see work resume at the Smithfield plant, which is a huge employer in his town of about 10,000 people, but is concerned about doing it in a way that keeps workers safe. Read more here. Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

4:50 p.m.: Illinois AG files appeal in State Rep. Darren Baileys lawsuit over stay-at-home order

The Illinois attorney generals office filed an appellate court brief Wednesday seeking to overturn a southern Illinois judges ruling that temporarily exempts a Republican state representative from Gov. J.B. Pritzkers statewide stay-at-home order.

State Rep. Darren Bailey request for a personal exemption from the order besides being dangerous  is flawed as a matter of law, Attorney General Kwame Raouls office argues in the filing with Illinois 5th District Appellate Court.

The filing comes two days after a Clay County judge issued a temporary order freeing Bailey from Pritzkers directive, which is aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus. Read more here. Dan Petrella

3:57 p.m.: Illinois delays awarding 75 licenses for new marijuana dispensaries

The state will delay awarding licenses for 75 new recreational marijuana dispensaries due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Applications for the licenses were due Jan. 1 and were set to be awarded May 1. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which regulates dispensaries, said Wednesday that it will not award the licenses until the end of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation, or until the state announces another date.

The licenses offer the first path into Illinois burgeoning marijuana industry for people who didnt already operate a cannabis facility. Though recreational sales started in the state Jan. 1, only existing operators were allowed to participate.

The delay means those existing operators will continue to control Illinois marijuana market, which has delivered some of the highest first months of revenue in the nation. Customers spent about $110.2 million on legal weed in the first three months of sales.

It is unclear how long the new dispensaries will be delayed in opening. Once the state does award a license, the recipient has 180 days to find a location for the dispensary. The state must then inspect the location. Read more here. Ally Marotti

3:26 p.m.: Facing ongoing ridership drop, Metra cuts service on three of its least busy lines

Faced with an ongoing ridership slump due to the coronavirus pandemic, Metra is sharply cutting service on its three least busy lines starting Monday, May 4.

On the Heritage Corridor, which runs between Union Station and Joliet, and the North Central Service, which goes between Union Station and Antioch, the schedule will be reduced to one inbound trip in the morning and one outbound trip in the evening, Metra said in a news release on Wednesday.

On the SouthWest Service, which runs between Union Station and Manhattan, Illinois, there will be two inbound trips in the morning and two outbound trips in the evening, Metra said.

The cuts come on top of cuts already made to Metras weekday schedule last month. The new schedules can be viewed at metrarail.com. The Heritage Corridor currently has three inbound and four outbound trains, while the North Central has seven trains in each direction. The SouthWest Service has ten trains in each direction. Read more here. Mary Wisniewski

3:09 p.m.: Police to issue citation in connection with wedding party in West Rogers Park

Chicago police will be issuing a citation in connection with a party at a West Rogers Park residence that spilled into the street last week, prompting police to break up the crowd for violating stay-at-home orders.

The party, first reported by Block Club Chicago, was recorded on video and showed a few dozen revelers dancing to loud music at an Orthodox Jewish wedding party outside a home at Farwell and Francisco avenues. Some people in the video could be seen wearing masks, but the crowd was too large to allow for following rules on social distancing.

Chicago police have said officers responded to the gathering shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, dispersed the crowd and left the scene without issuing any citations. But on Wednesday, Chicago police said a citation would be issued, though a spokesman could not immediately provide specifics.

At the same time, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during an afternoon news conference that enforcement action would be taken in connection with the wedding party in the same fashion that police took action with the owner of a Northwest Side home, where viral video showed dozens of young African-American party-goers in close quarters who also were not practicing social distancing.

They should be treated exactly the same," Lightfoot said in reference to the wedding party nearly a week ago. And we are making sure that we identify whose responsible and we will be taking the same kind of decisive action against that large wedding where the video shows people in cars, but people in the street not social distancing, not wearing appropriate mask or garb.

We cant tolerate it anywhere. Its not just the black millennials. Its a problem wherever it rears its head. Were going to move decisively to, again, help educate, but where necessary, take action to give citations to the people who are responsible.

The announcement of the enforcement action at the West Rogers Park party comes two days after Chicago police ticketed the owner of the Northwest Side residence in the 2000 block of North Narragansett Avenue in the Galewood neighborhood. That party occurred some time over the weekend, and while police broke up that large gathering there were initially no citations issued.

The two parties occurred in areas of Chicago with among the highest numbers of positive COVID-19 cases. Read more here. Jeremy Gorner and Gregory Pratt

3:02 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot encourages landlords and tenants to work together amid coronavirus-related financial crunch

Under pressure from activists and elected officials calling for rent relief and other measures to help struggling tenants, Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled a Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge encouraging landlords and renters to work together through the coronavirus pandemic.

The pledge, which Lightfoot outlined at City Hall on Wednesday, calls for landlords to consider grace period for rent payments, written repayment plans and no late fees. It also calls for housing lenders to agree to grace periods on mortgage payments, neutral reporting to credit agencies and suspension of foreclosures for certain mortgage holders who demonstrate a significant financial impact from the pandemic.

Signatories to the mayors pledge include the Chicagoland Apartment Association, Chicago Association of REALTORS, Bank of America, BMO Harris Bank, Byline Bank, Fifth Third Bank, PNC, Wintrust and Seaway Credit Union.

But in response to questions, Lightfoot acknowledged she cant force landlords to follow through and said the pledge is about public accountability." Read more here. Gregory Pratt

2:56 p.m.: Pritzker responds to second lawsuit over his statewide stay-at-home order

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday called a second lawsuit brought by a Republican state lawmaker challenging the extension of his statewide stay-at-home order another attempt at grandstanding.

State Rep. John Cabello filed a lawsuit Wednesday morning.

I think its a similarly irresponsible lawsuit, Pritzker said at his briefing Wednesday.

Pritzker clarified that his order does not prevent state lawmakers from convening in Springfield, and said they are considered essential under the orders, as are government bodies across the state.

Pritzker has said he would leave decisions about the legislature convening to legislative leaders, though he has said hes suggested they consult with the state Department of Public Health.

We need to make sure that all the people who work in the Capitol for those legislators, as well as all the legislators, are safe, Pritzker said. Jamie Munks

2:40 p.m.: Pritzker says state has distributed 20 million PPE items as new known cases of COVID-19 push Illinois count over 50,000

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday the state has distributed nearly 20 million items of personal protective equipment to local public health departments, nursing homes and hospitals statewide.

The state received a federal shipment of PPE on Monday, including more than 300,000 N-95 masks and over 500,000 KN-95 masks, as well as other supplies, Pritzker said in his daily update on Wednesday.

The governor has repeatedly pushed for additional equipment from the federal government, and Pritzker detailed on Wednesday the states still outstanding requests from the federal government and orders from suppliers.

State officials also announced 2,253 new known cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, including 92 additional deaths. The numbers push Illinois known case count over 50,000, to 50,355 since the pandemic began. The known death toll related to the new coronavirus in the state is 2,215, officials said.

Pritzker said the state Department of Public Health has also inked a contract with Quest Diagnostics to run 3,000 tests per day for testing at long term care facilities.

Pritzker also announced that state Department of Public Health nurses will be deployed to long-term care facilities as part of a clinical support program to conduct swab testing training, take samples and review and improve hygiene practices and PPE use. Jamie Munks

2:30 p.m.: In The Daily Show appearance, U.S. Sen. Duckworth says Trumps task force to reopen economy has met once for a roughly hour-long call

A congressional task force President Donald Trump established to advise the White House on reopening the economy has met virtually just once in the roughly two weeks since it was created, Democratic U.S Sen. Tammy Duckworth said in a television appearance.

Appearing on an episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that aired Tuesday night, the junior U.S. senator from Illinois was asked why the public hasnt heard more from the Opening Up America Again task force. Duckworth said the group met by phone and the president spent most of the time boasting about how great the testing was going in this country.

Our task force has only met once, we had one phone call for an hour  45 minutes of that hour was spent with President Trump boasting on how great the testing was going in this country, how we had conducted more testing than any other country and that other countries were calling us (and) asking us to give them tests, Duckworth, a frequent Trump critic, said.

Duckworth and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, another Illinois Democrat, were among 65 senators named to the working group, which includes a dozen Democrats and all Republican senators except Mitt Romney of Utah. Romney voted to convict Trump in the presidents impeachment trial.

Of 32 House members also named to the task force, there are 22 Republicans and 10 Democrats, including Illinois U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Taylorville Republican, the Tribune previously reported. Duckworth disputes the presidents take on the nations testing efforts, saying that when asked how many tests the country would need to safely reopen the country, the Trump administration had no answers.

This is a basic math problem, you need to know how many tests we need to have, Duckworth said, adding: You can do the basic math and figure out how many tests you need  and they dont know.

The presidents communications staff didnt offer an immediate response to Duckworths criticism. Read more here. Lisa Donovan

2:09 p.m.: Wild swing in coronavirus numbers reported at Chicagos federal jail goes unexplained, leaves lawyers skeptical

A week ago, federal prison officials reported that 20 inmates at Chicagos Metropolitan Correctional Center had tested positive for the coronavirus.

But by Tuesday, the number of infected detainees at the downtown high-rise jail had dropped to just six, according to the official tally from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

So far, the wild swing in the numbers has gone unexplained. Did initial positive cases turn out to be wrong? Does it reflect that sick inmates are being moved out of the MCC? Or has the number dropped as detainees have recovered?

BOP officials failed to respond to multiple requests from the Chicago Tribune this week for an explanation on how its coronavirus data  which is updated every afternoon on the agencys website  is being tabulated.

One thing is certain: A different tally of MCC cases being kept by federal prosecutors is much higher.Earlier this week, prosecutors said in a court filing that 32 of the roughly 650 inmates at the MCC had tested positive for COVID-19, representing about 5% of the population. In addition, 23 staff members were infected, prosecutors said. So far, no fatalities have been reported.

Prosecutors said their numbers were based on information received directly from MCC officials. Most of the infected inmates were quarantined in their cells, but at least one inmate has been hospitalized and would not return to the facility until medically cleared to do so, prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, the lack of explanation from the BOP continues to raise alarms in Chicagos legal community, where criminal defense attorneys have been trying  mostly in vain  to get clients released due to the diseases presumed ability to spread quickly in the MCCs notoriously cramped quarters. Read more here. Jason Meisner

2:06 p.m.: Decision on fate of Lollapalooza summer music festival could be soon

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city should have an update shortly on whether Lollapalooza will be canceled this summer.

The mayor again was asked about the popular summer festival during an unrelated news conference on Wednesday and said a decision would be announced shortly, though she didnt say when. Earlier in the month, Lightfoot said its too soon to talk about July and August events. But she has canceled Gospel Fest and Memorial Day events set for May and June. Read more here. Gregory Pratt

12:55 p.m.: Reopen Illinois rally planned for Loop this Friday

Protesters who want Gov. J.B. Pritzker to announce a plan to reopen the Illinois economy have scheduled a Friday rally outside the Thompson Center in the Loop.

Illinois residents have tolerated the governments plan for over a month  without a plan on how to slowly and safely reopen the states economy, a news release announcing the event states. We need to discuss the process of cautiously returning back to work. Read more here. John Byrne

12:51 p.m.: Republican lawmakers say Pritzkers exceeding his authority with stay-at-home extension

Three Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker for allegedly exceeding his emergency powers by extending Illinois stay-at-home order past 30 days without legislative approval.

Whether you agree with the governor or disagree with the governor, we believe that a separate but equal branch of government  the General Assembly  should have input in the direction of the state of Illinois, said Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer of downstate Jacksonville in a video press conference.

The press conference took place as a second GOP state representative filed a lawsuit challenging Pritzkers stay-at-home order. Rep. John Cabello, who filed the action, was not part of the press event, nor was Rep. Darren Bailey, who was exempted from the order by a judges ruling earlier this week as a result of his lawsuit.

Joining Davidsmeyer in calling for the General Assembly to convene in Springfield, GOP Rep. Dan Ugaste of Geneva said Pritzker was bucking a system of checks and balances by acting alone in extending the states stay-at-home order.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act grants the governor emergency powers for 30 days following the declaration of a disaster, but beyond that, the statute is silent, said Ugaste. It doesnt provide for the governor to extend it, but it also doesnt state how the legislature will be involved.

If House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Don Harmon decline to convene the two chambers, Pritzker should request a vote from the General Assembly on the stay-at-home order extension, Ugaste said.

Rep. Norine Hammond of Macomb proposed that the capitol remain closed to public visitors, who could instead livestream the General Assembly proceedings from home. While gathered in the capitol, lawmakers could protect themselves by wearing a mask and using some common sense, she said. Antonia Ayres-Brown

Noon: Chicago area unemployment reached 4.8% in March as coronavirus took its toll. Experts say that number will jump in April.

The Chicago area unemployment rate rose to 4.8% in March, up from 4.2% during the same month last year, as coronavirus economic disruption began to take its toll on the job market.

Labor economists expect that number to get a lot bigger in April.

Nearly two-thirds of metropolitan areas across the U.S. saw higher year-over-year unemployment rates last month, according to a report released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The national unemployment rate in March was 4.5%, not seasonally adjusted, up from 3.9% a year earlier. Read more here. Robert Channick

11:18 a.m.: Experimental drug remdesivir proved effective against COVID-19 in major study, drugmaker Gilead says

A biotech company says its experimental drug has proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major U.S. government study that put it to a strict test.

Gilead Sciencess remdesivir would be the first treatment to pass such a test against the virus, which has killed more than 218,000 people since it emerged late last year. Having a treatment could have a profound effect on the global pandemic, especially because health officials say any vaccine is likely a year or more away.

The study, run by the National Institutes of Health, tested remdesivir versus usual care in about 800 hospitalized coronavirus patients around the world. The main result is how long it takes patients to recover.

Gilead gave no details on results Wednesday, but said an announcement is expected soon. NIH officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Read more here. Associated Press

10:45 a.m.: 52 people who worked or voted on election day in Wisconsin tested positive for COVID-19. Theres no plan for changes in upcoming special election.

There are no plans to postpone or otherwise alter a special congressional election in Wisconsin that is less than two weeks away, even though more than 50 people who voted in person or worked the polls during the state's presidential primary this month have tested positive for COVID-19.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers tried to change the April 7 election so that it would be conducted entirely by mail, but he was blocked by the Republican-led Legislature and conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court. Evers and others had warned that allowing in-person voting would cause a spike in coronavirus cases, but so far the impact appears to be limited.

Several of the 52 people who have tested positive and were at the polls on April 7 also reported other ways they may have been exposed to the virus, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said Tuesday. Because of that, its unclear if those people contracted the virus at the polls.

The 52 positive cases were in people who tested positive in the two weeks after the election, so by April 21. Most people show symptoms within 14 days of exposure, though some people who have the virus dont show symptoms. Read more here. Associated Press

10:18 a.m.: Second GOP state representative files lawsuit challenging Pritzkers stay-at-home order

Republican State Rep. John Cabello filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order, the second GOP representative to sue over the governors directive.

The lawsuit, filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court, asks a judge to block the stay-at-home order Pritzker issued March 20 or any similar measures from being enforced on Cabello and all citizens similarly situated.

Illinois has been under a statewide stay-at-home order since March 21, which was originally set to expire April 7. Pritzker extended the order, which has an array of exceptions, through April 30. Read more here. Jamie Munks

10:17 a.m.: Trump order keeps meatpacking plants open, but unions say workers unsafe

President Donald Trump took executive action to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nations food supply.

The order signed Tuesday uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers health.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nation's largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency," the order states.

It wasnt immediately clear what the order means for the three Illinois meat processing plants that closed last week. Read more here. Associated Press

9:25 a.m.: Voices of the pandemic: How the coronavirus changes the lives of Chicagoans, in their own words

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic rose to the forefront of our everyday lives, Chicagoans have been stepping up. Their stories have inspired us, compelled us to give back, and kept us going through uncharted waters.

Heres what Chicago had to say this week on how were living in the time of COVID-19. Read more here.

6:45 a.m.: Divvy extends free rides for health care workers, lower charges for others

Divvy was expected to announce Wednesday it will extend to the end of May its offer of free rides for health care workers and lower rates for other Chicago residents, according to the Chicago mayors office.

People with low incomes are eligible for $5 annual memberships under the companys Divvy for Everyone program, called D4E. Under the program being offered during the states coronavirus stay-at-home order and being extended Wednesday, other Chicagoans can take $1 short rides and become annual Divvy members for $49.50, according to a news release from Mayor Lori Lightfoots office. The short rides usually are $3 and annual membership usually is $99.

More information for health care companies wanting to join the program for health care workers can email herobikes@lyft.com; more information about discounts and joining with D4E membership is available at the companys website, divvybikes.com. Chicago Tribune staff

6:15 a.m.: Southern Illinois police chief questions Pritzkers powers, stay-home orders

ENERGY, Ill.  A southern Illinois village police chief is expressing skepticism about Gov. J.B. Pritzkers power to issue stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter last week to residents of the village of Energy, Police Chief Shawn Ladd says he and his department have no interest in enforcing any rules, declarations or proclamations that morally or technically violate provisions of the federal or state constitutions. Ladd told The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale nothing requires him or his officers to enforce the executive orders, first issued in March and extended through May.

"He can make suggestions, Ladd said of his understanding of the governors powers in an emergency.

Ladd backs his views with an opinion made in an internal memo by David Robinson, deputy director of the States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutors Office to the offices director, Patrick Delfino. Robinson said he wasnt sure courts would uphold Pritzkers limitations on restaurants, bars, public and private gatherings.

Sheila Simon, an assistant professor of law at Southern Illinois University assistant professor of law Sheila Simon is questioning Ladds and Robinsons position.

My thoughts are that the governor does have emergency powers and they are pretty broad, she said, adding the states Emergency Management Act and other state laws gives the governor a lot of leeway.

It does seem to be tailored to keeping us from harming each other, she said of Pritzkers COVID-19 orders.

Ladds position that the governor is overreaching is similar to that of Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey who obtained a temporary order exempting him from the directives.

Pritzker on Tuesday denounced Bailey of Xenia, also in southern Illinois, calling his legal actions a "cheap political stunt. The governors comment came as Illinois officials reported another 144 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total number to 2,125. Associated Press

6 a.m.: Medline wants FDA approval to sterilize N95 masks with ethylene oxide. Two other federal agencies are against it, citing cancer risks for health care workers.

Summoned to the White House last month with other medical suppliers responding to the severe shortage of protective gear for health care workers, Medline Industries CEO Charlie Mills announced the company had good news.

Northfield-based Medline already was reprocessing 100,000 masks a day used by doctors and nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mills told President Donald Trump and others in the Cabinet Room.

Though masks typically are certified for one use only, Mills said, Medline could rapidly decontaminate used masks at its plant in north suburban Waukegan and send them back to hospitals and clinics across the nation. The companys efforts would buy medical workers time while manufacturers increase production of new masks, he said.

I think that is fantastic, Trump said later the same day after Mills summarized his plan during the presidents March 29 appearance before the White House press corps.

What Mills failed to mention is Medlines process relies on ethylene oxide, a germ-killing gas that researchers have found can damage the brain and raise the risk of breast cancer, leukemia and lymphomas at extremely low levels of exposure.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 3M, a leading mask manufacturer, strongly discourage the use of ethylene oxide for decontaminating masks, in particular N95 respirators needed by virus fighters. Last week the Occupational Safety and Health Administration concluded that giving health care personnel EtO-treated masks could be considered a violation of federal workplace standards.

Doctors and nurses protecting themselves from the virus could end up being exposed to a potent carcinogen and neurotoxin, according to the CDC, 3M and OSHA. Read more here. Michael Hawthorne

April 28

Here are five things that happened Tuesday that you need to know:

April 27
Indias governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a notice to one of its leaders after a video showing him asking people not to buy vegetables from Muslims surfaced amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

Keep one thing in mind. I am telling everyone openly. There is no need to buy vegetables from miyans [Muslims], legislator Suresh Tiwari from Deoria town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh was heard saying in the mobile phone video that went viral on Tuesday.

Millions in India are facing unprecedented job losses and hunger because of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, with daily wagers, vendors and small shopkeepers being severely affected.

As outrage grew, the BJP asked Tiwari why action should not be initiated against him over his call to boycott Muslim vendors.

Precautionary measure

A report in the Hindustan Times quoted Tiwari as saying his call for a boycott was a precautionary measure to protect people from getting infected.

On April 18, I was distributing masks among people in Deoria when people complained that Tablighi Jamaat was spreading the infection. Many of them were worried that Muslim vendors were infecting vegetables with saliva, he told the newspaper.

As a responsible MLA, I asked them not to take the law into their hands to deal with situation but simply stop buying vegetables from them [Muslims]. Tell me what wrong I have done if I have said such things?

These two pics in which #RSS #Hindutva zealots are forcing innocent Hindu vegetable vendors to hoist saffron flags to differentiate them from Muslim vendors so that economic boycott of Muslims succeeds is a big slap on faces of those who deny #Islamophobia_in_India. pic.twitter.com/Uz0kZEhsFx  Navaid Hamid   (@navaidhamid) April 22, 2020

Indias Muslims have been targeted in different areas of the country following reports of an outbreak of COVID-19 at a religious gathering in New Delhi last month that was organised by the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary group.

Indias communal faultlines, still stressed by deadly riots in New Delhi in February over a new citizenship law that excludes Muslims, were split wide open by the allegations against the Jamaat.

Some BJP politicians and journalists were seen on TV describing the Jamaat incident as corona terrorism and accusing the Muslim community in general of hatching a conspiracy to spread the virus.

Dont Be Seen Here Again: Another BJP MLA Harasses Muslim Vendor The MLA, from Charkhari in UP, was seen coercing the vegetable seller and the young boy to reveal their religious identities.https://t.co/FiQvjgB6v8  Indian Muslimahs (@IndianMuslimahs) April 29, 2020

Tiwaris call for the boycott of Muslim vendors or the community in general was not an isolated incident.

Far-right groups in India have been seen distributing saffron flags to vegetable vendors in many places to allow consumers to identify them as Hindu sellers.

Certain neighbourhoods in New Delhi and other states including Karnataka, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh also put posters to stop Muslims from entering.

Calls to ban adhan

Even mosques have been attacked, with many calling for a ban on adhan, a call to Muslim prayer.

On Tuesday, a group of men in Uttar Pradeshs Gorakhpur district allegedly vandalised a mosque and attacked a muezzin, one who calls Muslims for prayer, when he did not stop giving adhan on a loudspeaker during the lockdown as demanded by them, local media reported.

Muezzin Abdul Rahman, 35, who suffered minor injuries in the incident, said there were only three people in the mosque as permitted by the police during the lockdown, said the report.

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan began on April 25.

Delhi Police (Thana Prem Nagar) claims that @LtGovDelhi has ordered to ban Azaan in Mosques. @DelhiPolice @DCPNWestDelhi please show copy of LG's the order. PS: Salute to these brave women, Masha Allah. pic.twitter.com/9D4aS9Sqbx  Milli Gazette (@milligazette) April 23, 2020

Attach primacy to unity

On April 18, as anti-Muslim hate campaign over the virus grew in India, the rights body of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on New Delhi to stop Islamophobia.

The next day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a message of unity on Twitter.

COVID-19 does not see race, religion, color, caste, creed, language or border before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood. We are in this together, he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the opposition Samajwadi Party spokesman Anurag Bhadoriya said authorities should file a case against BJP leader Tiwari for calling for a boycott of the Muslim community.

At this time of crisis, he is busy spreading hate against a particular community. This shows how much he cares about humanity, Bhadoriya told Anadolu news agency.

A BJP spokesman from Uttar Pradesh said party leaders should avoid making such statements.

It is wrong to speak in such a way when we are fighting against pandemic. This division is not good for the society, Rakesh Tripathi told Anadolu.
A show of appreciation for health care workers battling the coronavirus soared through New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania skies Tuesday afternoon.

Twelve high-performance aircraft with the U.S. Navy Blue Angles and Air Force Thunderbirds planned two flyovers over the New Jersey and New York area in precise formation to salute those working on the frontlines against COVID-19.

The first flyover in northern New Jersey and New York City kicked off at noon and was followed by another flyover in Trenton and Philadelphia.

Social media lit up with stunning images and videos as the planes roared through the skylines.

Stay strong COVID-19 frontline workers! Thank you for everything! #America Posted by Kurt Steinbruch on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

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A pretty sizable crowd at Riverview Park in Jersey City Heights to watch the #blueangels flyover, but most seem to be doing a good job of maintaining 6 feet pic.twitter.com/3xdFr9uIs8  Caitlin Duffy (@cait_duffy) April 28, 2020

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Glimpse of the Blue Angels from Jersey City. pic.twitter.com/oD4DAZyGdH  Kevin Rincon (@KevRincon) April 28, 2020

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The Blue Angels thanking our Health Care and all Essential workers with a flyover the Hudson River in Jersey City. Thank you for your service. pic.twitter.com/66IYcnIHLs  Lou Sylvester (@NWRSylvester) April 28, 2020

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Amazing!!! An unexpected treat in Newark. pic.twitter.com/mcDXIO1siO  Monica Guy (@monicaguynews1) April 28, 2020

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The little kid in me who idolized the thunderbirds and blue angels is loving this pic.twitter.com/Cqmn3MxYs8  Michael Sol Warren (@MSolDub) April 28, 2020

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Super cool to be able to hang out of my apartment window and watch the @BlueAngels and @AFThunderbirds fly over Newark! #AmericaStrong pic.twitter.com/vPWhd0qIVu  Gina Lipere (@GinaLipere) April 28, 2020

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Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over Haddonfield, NJ in Camden County. pic.twitter.com/MQFkP4Qh9D  George Woolston (@gcwoolston) April 28, 2020

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Blue Angels fly over philly and south jersey. Great view from our front step  pic.twitter.com/YueuqFBKV3  Dr. Danna Young (@dannagal) April 28, 2020

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The @BlueAngels and Thunderbirds just flew over Camden City and New Jerseys 5th District! The Philly skyline is in background across the Delaware River. #flyover pic.twitter.com/L0RbSkhsAw  Assemblyman Bill Moen (@BillMoen) April 28, 2020

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The @AFThunderbirds & @BlueAngels flyover Philly and South Jersey to thank our healthcare & essential workers #AmericaStrong pic.twitter.com/Rb4imPdKC4  Jim Donovan (@jimdonovancbs3) April 28, 2020

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With antibody tests for the coronavirus (COVID-19) eagerly sought by people hoping for information about their exposure to the disease, experts, along with the citys Department of Health (DOH), are cautioning that it is currently uncertain if a positive result means a person is immune to future infection.

The introduction of antibody tests, once touted by officials as a a key element in the effort to reopen the state, have spurred a litany of questions  many of which currently do not have answers.

The first widespread use of the tests in New York state were in two rounds of random antibody testing conducted by the state Health Department, which showed almost 25% of New York City residents tested positive for the virus antibodies  a sign an individual has already been infected.

Now, the tests are becoming more widely available, and laboratories have begun collecting samples for antibody tests for individuals who receive a physicians approval, with at least one even offering at-home testing kits.

LABS MAKE ANTIBODY TESTS EASIER TO GET

LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, two laboratory networks, have begun collecting blood samples in the effort to deliver individualized results to patients.

Antibody blood tests offered by LabCorp are administered across the U.S. at tens of thousands of doctors offices and at LabCorps nearly 2,000 patient service centers, including LabCorp at Walgreens locations, the company wrote in a release. Neither participating Walgreens location in New York is on Staten Island.

LabCorp, which initially began testing frontline workers in late March on an individual basis, has not yet had its tests reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company said, but are being offered by LabCorp in accordance with the public health emergency guidance issued by the FDA on March 16.

The COVID-19 antibody blood tests detect the presence of antibodies to the virus and can help identify individuals who have been exposed to the virus, the company wrote. While antibody tests are helpful to understand if an individual has developed antibodies and a potential immune response, antibody testing should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose or exclude infection.

Quest Diagnostics, which has several locations on Staten Island  though some are temporarily closed  is also collecting blood-drawn samples for antibody testing. A doctors order is required.

The company also unveiled Tuesday consumer-initiated antibody testing," which allows individuals to order a test from the company that may help identify if you were previously exposed to the virus and, if exposed, can check whether or not your body has produced antibodies.

The test is $119, according to the companys site, and Quest screens patients online to determine whether or not an antibody test is appropriate and sends them to have their blood drawn at one of the companys 2,200 laboratories.

Quest Diagnostics new antibody service uses tests developed for high-throughput lab environments, said Kimerly Gorode, a Quest Diagnostics spokeswoman.

The company is providing the service based on tests from two providers: Abbott and EUROIMMUN.

While Quest Diagnostics has completed independent validation studies on both tests, Gorode said, the EUROIMMUN test has not yet received its emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA. The Abbott test has received its EUA.

Both tests aid in detecting the presence of immunoglobulin class G (IgG)," which typically develop by 14 days after symptom onset, Gorode said.

Administering a test that has not received an EUA from the FDA is permitted, the agency said, in order to achieve more rapid testing capacity in the United States.

Tests are even being conducted at primary care offices, according to reports.

The New York Post reported antibody tests are being rolled out across the city at primary care offices across the five boroughs. The Post also reported CityMD  which has multiple Staten Island locations  would begin antibody testing on Tuesday; however, the effectiveness and reliability of those tests are not immediately clear.

38 Life on lockdown: Coronavirus in NYC

UNCERTAIN IMMUNITY, FLAWED TESTS

The city DOH is strongly cautioning individuals to carefully understand the meaning of a positive or negative test result.

A serology test, which analyzes the blood, is very useful for determining the seroprevalence - that means, the proportion of people in the population that have been infected in the past. It is not useful for diagnosing infection, and we do not know whether a positive serology test result means that a person is immune to future infection, so at this time, serology results should not be used to change a persons behavior, said Stephanie Buhle, a DOH spokeswoman.

Further, city DOH urges the use of FDA-approved tests.

Our guidance to providers is to ensure they are using FDA-approved tests and they communicate to patients that a positive result of an antibody test does not mean the person is immune to getting coronavirus, Buhle said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) previously stirred up angst when it wrote on Twitter: There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection."

The organization since deleted the tweet, but the organization provided a link to the original thread.

We expect that most people who are infected with #COVID19 will develop an antibody response that will provide some level of protection," the WHO later said.

On Monday, Maria Van Kerkhove, an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist for the WHO said No evidence doesnt mean no protection. It means it hasnt been evaluated yet"  clarifying the WHOs earlier statement regarding antibodies.

And, when results are given for many tests, the possibility for a false positive or false negative result remains, according to an analysis by researchers published in the New York Times.

At the time of the study, more than 50 scientists worked to verify that 14 coronavirus antibody tests on the market actually delivered accurate results. It was found that only three delivered consistently reliable results, and that even the best had some flaws.

Exterior of Staten Island Borough Hall May 23, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/ Paul Liotta)

IMPLICATIONS FOR BOROUGH PARTNERSHIP

Hours after the Advance/SILive.com published a story announcing a partnership between Borough Hall, Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), Staten Island nursing homes and Chembio, a Long Island testing manufacturer, which would allow all residents and staff members in the boroughs 10 skilled nursing facilities to receive coronavirus testing, Councilman Mark Levine tweeted a memo from the city DOH warning against the use of antibody testing to diagnose prior Sars-COV-2 infection or immune status."

NYC Health Dept has sent alert to all medical providers advising *not* to use anti-body tests to diagnose prior covid infection nor to assess immunity, Levine wrote. This is due to high rate of false negatives/positives and uncertainty about how immunity works.

Dose of reality folks, he said.

NEW: NYC Health Dept has sent alert to all medical providers advising *not* to use anti-body tests to diagnose prior covid infection nor to assess immunity.



This is due to high rate of false negatives/positives and uncertainty about how immunity works.



Dose of reality folks. pic.twitter.com/ZEHsbt3aNe  Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) April 23, 2020

The memo from DOH said the potential for false negative or false positive results" existed, and further noted that either result should not alter physical distancing or protective measures on an individual basis.

In response to Levines tweet, Borough President James Oddo clarified the city DOHs stance related to the Staten Island nursing home antibody testing initiative.

I respect Council Member Levine, and understand his admonition to proceed judiciously. However, the City Health Department is cautioning against working with companies that are not validated  we are not doing that, said Borough President Oddo.

Chembio is one of the three entities validated and has an EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) from the FDA. Moreover, Chembio was introduced to us by the State Health Department," Oddo said.

"At every step in this decision to partner with Chembio, we have been in touch with the State Health Department and Governors office and received their approval. Given this information and our awareness of the support needed for our frontline healthcare workers in these dangerous, and deadly, skilled nursing facilities, we will be moving forward with this plan to bring testing to the residents and staff members.

The DOH said Chembio does have an FDA-approved antibody test, but did not directly answer a question whether it approved of the partnership on the borough, saying that the departments guidance is aimed at ensuring patients understand the nuances of a positive or negative test result.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***
Mike McCarroll wants to know why his mother, Ruby, and 26 other residents of Anson Place Care Centre in Hagersville have died of COVID-19 in less than a month.

Ruby McCarroll, a 95-year-old retired schoolteacher, died on March 30 after spending a week in hospital. It wasnt until her son was summoned to the hospital as his mothers health worsened that he learned she had tested positive.

That was a total shock, Mike McCarroll said. We werent even thinking of the virus.

McCarroll is the representative plaintiff in a proposed class-action lawsuit that accuses Responsive Group Inc., a private company that oversees Anson Place and five other long-term care facilities named in the suit, of not adequately caring for residents and staff during the pandemic.

Its certainly not about my situation. Its about all the families, McCarroll said. Its kind of a shared grief that we have.

The proposed lawsuit has been filed on behalf of everyone living in the homes as of Jan. 10, their families, and the estates of those residents who have died.

The action cites managements alleged failure to plan for and respond to the pandemic, which includes poor communication with residents families, not having enough staff, not following proper disease prevention and containment practices, and not complying with public health guidelines regarding outbreak planning, access to personal protective equipment for staff, visitors and residents, and testing and isolating residents and staff.

Toronto law firm Tyr LLP filed the proposed lawsuit, the allegations of which have not been tested in court.

Lawyer Pinta Maguire said she was driven to act by news accounts of residents dying at long-term care homes as their loved ones were left on the outside.

There unfortunately have been many tragedies that people are dealing with  losing people to COVID-19 and trying to find answers, Maguire said. When I saw what was happening at long-term care homes, it lit a fire under me to think: Could this have been avoided?

McCarroll thinks so.

This didnt have to happen, he said. Theres hundreds of long-term care and retirement homes across Canada that managed this well.

The lawsuit, which has yet to be certified, is seeking $15 million in punitive damages, though Maguire explained that the court could decide to award separate financial compensation to each plaintiff.

Taking collective legal action means the lawsuit carries more clout and could bring about meaningful change and have a meaningful impact on the defendants, she added.

These are private companies that operate long-term care and retirement homes for profit. They are trusted with some of the most vulnerable members of society.

In a statement, Responsive Group  whose subsidiary, Rykka Care Homes, manages Anson Place  acknowledged the proposed lawsuit.

In due course, we will identify legal counsel, review the information provided and prepare our responses, the company said.

We will continue to work closely with government, public health units and our other health-care partners to accelerate testing, initiate outbreak protocols and comply with all directives.

McCarroll said he agreed to be the public face of the lawsuit in order to push for change.

In talking with other families, were looking for answers and were looking to put in better practices, whatever they might be, to make sure this doesnt happen again, he said.

Its a way of honouring the people whove lost their lives unnecessarily. We cant bring these lives back, but we can make sure we do better in the future.
Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

At a time when our state government is asking so many of Connecticut residents and businesses to accept governments intentions to deal with a sweeping life-threatening virus, the state must provide transparency and openness in return.

At least 102,757 workers are officially out of work, having formally filed for unemployment in our state, as of April 18. That is fully 21 percent of the entire workforce, and the second highest percentage in the country. For months on end the unemployment numbers ticked between 3.5 percent and less than the 4 percent economists universally agreed upon was, in fact, full employment.
After waiting for years to get their U.S. green card, many Vietnamese now face uncertainty after that country recently suspended immigration.

Nguyen Thi Hoan, 63, of Saigon's District 3 gets a video call from her daughter's family in the U.S. every morning.

Last Thursday her daughter called at 8 a.m. as usual and told her about President Donald Trump's order suspending immigration to the U.S.

Both were disappointed and sad, with no idea when they could meet each other again.

Until June 22 people like Hoan cannot seek permanent residency in the U.S., which is a mandatory step for future citizenship.

Only spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens are exempt from the immigration ban besides people on temporary work visas for agricultural and healthcare work.

President Donald Trump has suspended issuance of green cards to parents and siblings of U.S. citizens living abroad. Photo by Shutterstock/Evgenia Parajania.

Hoan's daughter, who asked not to be named, went to America almost 10 years ago and now lives in Philadelphia with her husband and three children. Concerned about her mother's health after her father passed away a couple of years ago, she applied for a green card for Hoan in early 2019, hoping she could be in the U.S. this year or next.

"I feel sad, we keep waiting and waiting while my mother is getting older; I just want her to be with me."

When Trump tweeted last week that he would ban immigration to the U.S., which critics have said is to divert attention from his poor handling of the Covid-19 response, she had hesitated to tell her mother about it and instead waited for official information and advice from her lawyer.

But when she heard about it, Hoan was calm and said they should be patient.

The ban does not really amount too much at this time since the U.S. had halted routine visa services at embassies and consulates in March as a measure against the spread of Covid-19.

After applying for his parents' green cards in 2018, Travis Nguyen, 38, of California also fears the process will take longer due to Trump's order last week.

He hopes the ban would be lifted soon so his parents' application is processed and not delayed for "an indefinite amount of time."

But for many Vietnamese living in the U.S. and waiting for green cards, Trump's orders are no big deal since they are not affected.

Hoa Pham, who lives in Virginia, said: "I came to the U.S. in March 2019 and applied for a green card last July. I am not affected by the immigration ban.

With the Citizenship and Immigration Services office closed, she does not known about her interview either though she had been notified about it last December.

Could be extended

In the worst case, the order could be extended, according to lawyers in the U.S.

David Nguyen, a lawyer in Texas, said if Trump extends the executive order until the end of this year, around 34,000 Vietnamese would be affected.

"In 2017 Trump said the travel ban would last 90 days, but in fact it is still in effect."

Vietnamese in America applying for green cards may not affected, but cardholders cannot sponsor their loved ones for permanent residency, he pointed out.

The number of permanent residency visas issued by the State Department fell 35 percent to 24,383 in March.

The number of temporary visas issued also decreased by roughly a third. In the meantime, waiting is the only thing many people can do before reuniting with their family members.

Hoan possibly articulated their common concern: "If they told us it would take a specific number of months or years, we would feel at ease. Not knowing what will happen and how long we have to wait is a hardship."
Singapore on Wednesday reported 690 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients, a vast majority of whom are foreigners, to 15,641, the health ministry said.

Out of the 690 fresh cases, six are Singapore citizens or permanent residents while the rest of them are foreigners with work permits residing in dormitories, it said.

We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the press release that will be issued tonight, the ministry said.

It said that the total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 15,641.

So far, a total of 12,183 of the 323,000 migrant workers living in dormitories - about 3.77 per cent - have tested positive, putting the spotlight on their living conditions, according to reports.

Fourteen people have died to date from complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Meanwhile, a media report said that the local transmission of the coronavirus in the general community has been low, at least up until the middle of March, based on findings by researchers from the COVID-19 research group at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

This shows that Singapore's contact tracing efforts have been effective, according to three studies by the NCID that are among the first of their kind in the world, according to The Straits Times report.

However, this also means that immunity rates are low and much of Singapore's population remains susceptible to the virus, NCID executive director Leo Yee Sin told reporters on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(@FahadShabbir)

TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2020) The authorities of Uzbekistan decided to start gradual lifting of restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak in the country starting from April 30, a governmental COVID-19 response center said on Wednesday.

"Upon the instruction of the president of Uzbekistan, the special republican commission adopted a decision to ease certain quarantine restrictions from 06:00 a. m. [01:00 GMT] on April 30," the response center wrote on its Telegram channel.

According to the decision, citizens will be allowed to take walks in the courtyards of houses and in the immediate vicinity of their places of residence.

However, children under 14 must be accompanied by adults. In addition, residents will be allowed to use at certain hours personal and official vehicles, as well as bicycles and motor vehicles to travel to work, stores, pharmacies or hospitals.

Moreover, people engaged in the cultivation of agricultural products will be allowed to move within the country.

Uzbekistan has so far confirmed 2,002 COVID-19 cases and nine fatalities. A total of 1,066 people fully recovered.
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - India and Kenya have agreed to help one another in the fight against coronavirus and address its humanitarian consequences, officials from both sides have resolved
Johnson Arabia, a leading aerial work platforms (AWP) company in the GCC region that boasts over 250 mobile cranes and over 700 AWPs, has now added a range of Maeda Spider Cranes to boost its fleet size.

A key player in the region, Johnson Arabia offers complete engineered solutions for lifting requirements with many experts in the field.

As the operations in construction, oil and gas and other related industries have changed due to the current regional and global situation, Johnson Arabia is there to support its clients and various industries with new and innovative products, said a top official.

This investment is part of the vision to innovate and constantly bring new concepts to the market and just the start of the proposed expansion planned for the business. At Johnson Arabia we demand the very best in reliability, performance but above all safety and cost effectiveness from our long-term partners to ensure the very best support can always be offered to our clients," said its Managing Director Martin Kirby.

Our business is constantly evolving and expanding even during such challenging times and we will never stop demanding the best and will work together with our partners and clients to provide the industry with the best total lifting solutions," he added.

Mohammed Fareed, the Executive Manager Cranes Dubai, has chosen to broaden the companys offerings to include mini spider cranes to the fleet because, they are committed to providing the region with effective complex lifting solutions based on growing needs.

"These spider cranes will enable companies to continue work on large scale projects and fast track certain challenging lifting and placement operations. The spider mini crane series will also work in conjunction with our existing line of cranes equipment which makes it an easy option for companies to choose from," he noted.

"This along with the best technical support in the business makes Johnson Arabia an easy option to choose from for a companys lifting needs," he stated.

According to him, these cranes set the standard with market leading performance offering up to six crane models with tonnage from 1  8 ton, maximum lifting height of 25 m and maximum working radius of 18 m.

The pick & carry feature makes these cranes are logical choice for customers who cover a wide range of applications, from construction work to natural resource development, the applications for mini cranes are limitless.

Gareth Conley, the Executive Manager (AWP Division), added these cranes will work alongside our AWP business very well where we continue to offer market leading back up with familiarisation on every delivery and it will have the same focused immediate 24-hour service and support.-TradeArabia News Service
A decision by Health Minister Robin Swann to relax blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland has been broadly welcomed.

It means men will soon be able to donate blood three months after their last sexual activity instead of the previous policy of waiting for a year.

The change will take effect from June 1, bringing Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK, which adopted the three-month limit in 2017.

Previously, a lifetime ban was introduced in the UK in the 1980s but was changed to a 12-month wait in Great Britain in 2011 and in Northern Ireland five years later.

Groups including The Rainbow Project and Northern Ireland's only dedicated HIV charity Positive Life backed the decision.

The Health Minister said his decision was based on "evidence regarding the safety of donated blood".

"Any one of us may require a blood transfusion in the future and we need to be confident the blood we receive is safe," he said.

A small action such as this helps to communicate that HIV is no longer the life limiting condition that it was once portrayed Jacquie Richardson, chief executive of Positive Life

"It is of utmost importance to me that we maintain the safety of blood and I'm confident that the new policy will do that."

Jacquie Richardson, chief executive of Positive Life, said the Health Minister deserved praise for "chipping away at the stigma" associated with HIV.

"We have come a significant way from the lifetime ban in the 1980s," she said. "A small action such as this helps to communicate that HIV is no longer the life limiting condition that it was once portrayed."

The Rainbow Project said the move comes after almost a decade of campaigning.

"This demonstrates the challenge our community has faced in removing anti-LGBT bias from our laws and practices," director John O'Doherty said.

The 12-month delay on blood from primarily gay men was discriminatory, rooted in homophobia and opposed to medical evidence SDLP councillor Pete Byrne

"It is disappointing that so much public money was wasted defending the indefensible but we now expect Northern Ireland to keep pace with the other jurisdictions of the UK with regard to blood donations.

The Blood Transfusion Service and Unison union both said the safety of the donation process remains their utmost priority.

SDLP councillor Pete Byrne said the replacement of the rule was long overdue.

"The 12-month delay on blood from primarily gay men was discriminatory, rooted in homophobia and opposed to medical evidence," he said.

"As someone prohibited from donating blood before I reached my 10 donation milestone, I am looking forward to being able to make that contribution."
Millennium Hilton Seoul presents the HABA-themed room in its promotion for families with children in May. / Courtesy of Millennium Hilton Seoul



By Jun Ji-hye



May is known as a "family month" in Korea as people celebrate Children's Day on May 5, Parents' Day on May 8 and Married Couples' Day on May 21.



To provide guests with memorable moments on such special days with their families, many hotel brands here have unveiled a variety of packages and promotions.



Millennium Hilton Seoul has launched the "Mom and Kids Family" package, offering a memorable experience on a refreshing day out in the family month.



The package that runs until May 31 presents special themed rooms fully furnished with beds, rugs and tents from the German toy company HABA.



The hotel has collaborated with the renowned interior designer Noh Jin-seon to create the HABA-themed room together to spark children's playful imaginations and curiosity with a unique range of HABA products.



Guests can also enjoy the space that is exquisitely decorated with various kid-friendly items from Melissa & Doug, Schleich, Bruder and Siku, designed to inspire both children and parents alike for quality family fun.



A coloring book and crayon set are provided in an eco-bag for young guests at check-in.



The package includes a breakfast for two adults and two children aged 12 or under.



Available rooms for the package are king or twin deluxe mountain rooms, and king executive suite rooms.



As the hotel is located adjacent to Seollo 7017 and the city wall, guests can also take advantage of pedestrian-friendly walkways abound with lush greenery and rest areas.



Hanwha Hotels and Resorts presents the "Kids Clean Zones," a series of special areas offering fun and safe playtime for children at a time of public health crisis.



Plaza suites, The Plaza's signature guestrooms, have been transformed into the hotel's Kids Clean Zones.



Studio-style suites crafted by world-renowned Italian designer Guido Ciompi are equipped with Nanodrone air purifiers, hypoallergenic carpets and luxury bedding by Luxiana, offering rest and play inspired by the concepts of purity and relaxation.



The premium air purifiers, handmade in Germany, use an electrostatic filtration system to eliminate fine and ultrafine particulate matter, virus, fungi, bacteria, allergens and other harmful substances.





The Plaza offers various kid-friendly items during its May promotions. / Courtesy of Hanwha Hotels and Resorts



Hanwha Resorts has created the Kids Clean Zones featuring the popular animation character Pororo at its Geoje Belvedere, Seorak Sorano, Daecheon Paros, Yongin Besancon and Gyeongju properties.



Guestrooms, in-room slides, block game zones, safety mats and other features are all thoroughly disinfected by a professional sterilization company, offering fun for kids and peace of mind for parents.



Hanwha Resort Haeundae offers a child-friendly service providing baby chairs, baby bottle sterilizers, baby bathtubs and cots.



"We created the Kids Clean Zones as a reflection of our commitment to deliver service beyond expectation and a safe place of relaxation for all guests," a Hanwha Hotels and Resorts official said. "We are working hard to provide relaxing stays with products that suit a diverse range of aims and guest preferences."



The company added the number of guests is limited at destinations such as aquariums and hotel restaurants, and staggered entry systems have been implemented, in accordance with the governmental social distance guidelines amid pandemic.



The Westin Chosun Seoul is presenting the "Happy Recipes" package for families with young children until the end of the month.



The package focuses on giving guests the opportunity to enjoy gourmet meals at the hotel's renowned restaurants.



Those who stay at the hotel until May 4 can choose either a breakfast buffet at Aria, or dinner at Rubrica for two adults and one child under the age of 13.





The Westin Chosun Seoul runs the "Happy Recipes" package until the end of May to give families with children an opportunity to enjoy gourmet meals at the hotel's renowned restaurants. / Courtesy of The Westin Chosun Seoul
LONDON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Another 586 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in hospitals in Britain as of Monday afternoon, taking the total coronavirus hospital death toll to 21,678, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Tuesday.

From Wednesday the government will publish daily figures for the number of coronavirus deaths in care homes and in the community, said Hancock during the Downing Street daily press briefing.

The health secretary said Britain's daily testing capacity is up to 73,400 now and the government is "on track" to meet the target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month.

Testing will now also be available to all over-65s and people in their households with symptoms, and those workers with symptoms who need to travel outside their home for work, he said.

Asymptomatic residents and staff in care home, and symptomatic patients and staff in NHS hospitals will also be eligible for testing, he added.

Earlier in the day, Britain held one minute's silence to commemorate the key workers who have died during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who returned to Downing Street on Monday after recovering from COVID-19, joined the tribute at 11:00 a.m. (1000 GMT).

Johnson said on Twitter: "This morning I took part in a minute's silence to remember those workers who have tragically died in the coronavirus pandemic. The nation will not forget you."

Flags were flown at half mast at some hospitals and health staff paused work for one minute to pay respects to their colleagues.

On Tuesday, the Scottish government said it is recommending that people wear a cloth face covering if you're in an enclosed space with people not part of your household and where physical distancing is difficult, like in shops.

But the Scottish government also said that this guidance is not mandatory, and will not be enforced.

However, at Tuesday's daily coronavirus press briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the British government's position on the matter has not changed, "not least because the most important thing people can do is social distancing".
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 22:48:52|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Thailand has slowed down the entry of job-seeking migrants from neighboring countries to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, confirmed a senior government official on Wednesday.

Employment Department Director General Suchart Pornchaiwisetkul said Thailand has already informed authorities in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam of restrictions and measures currently enforced in the country to slow down the entry of migrant workers in the face of the pandemic.

The measures at land-based border checkpoints throughout Thailand have been stepped up with Thai nationals returning home from any neighboring country as well as job-seeking migrant workers crossing the border into this country, Suchart said.

They all are strictly obliged to undergo a 14-day quarantine at specified places immediately after they have entered Thai territory, he said.

His comments followed last week's event in which 42 migrant workers were found to have been infected with the virus after they had illegally slipped across the Thai-Malaysian border into Songkhla province in southern Thailand.

Meanwhile, about 2.8 million migrant workers from the neighboring countries, who are currently employed in Thailand, will have their work permit extended until the end of November, according to Suchart.

Of that total, about 722,000 migrant workers are reportedly employed in Bangkok and some 951,000 others in the capital city's outlying provinces, including Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakarn. Enditem
Hagens Berman: Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Securities Fraud Class-Action Lawsuit Against Zuora (ZUO) and its Executives

Yesterday, a federal judge's opinion greenlighted a securities fraud class-action against subscription software provider Zuora, Inc. (NYSE: ZUO), for misrepresentations about its flagship products, Billing and RevPro, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman. The case also names Zuora's (News - Alert) chief executive officer and chief financial officer as defendants.

Hon. Susan Y. Illston, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California denied in its entirety the Zuora defendants' motion to dismiss the case. The opinion held that investors sufficiently pled that defendants had violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Zuora defendants must now file a formal answer with the court, admitting or denying each of the complaint's allegations.

The order paves the way for the suit's class members - investors who purchased Zuora securities between Apr. 12, 2018 and May 30, 2019, inclusive - to pursue discovery, including the production of documents and testimony from Zuora and other relevant parties.

In the detailed 21-page opinion, Judge Illston overruled all of defendants' challenges to investors' claims. Specifically, the court rejected their argument that their statements were puffery, finding that the complaint has adequately alleged defendants' statements, "would give a reasonable investor the 'impression of a state of affairs that differs in a material way from the one that actually exists.'"

The Court also rebuffed defendants' assertion that the complaint did not adequately plead scienter (intent or knowledge of wrongdoing), given the highly detailed accounts of confidential witnesses establishing, "that defendants were in possession of contemporaneous, contradictory information when they made the false and misleading statements."

Hagens Berman was named lead counsel in the case by Judge Illston, with Steve Berman, anaging partner and co-founder of firm, serving as the lead trial counsel.







"We are pleased with the court's decision, which upholds the well-established law that companies mislead investors when they tout their products' capabilities, but fail to disclose significant flaws that undercut those capabilities," Berman said. "This ruling also allows us to begin obtaining discovery and prepare for trial, so we can hold defendants accountable for the significant losses they caused investors."

The lawsuit alleges that throughout the class period, defendant represented Zuora Central acted as an intelligent subscription management hub that automated, integrated and orchestrated the entire subscription order-to-cash process, including billing through Zuora Billing, and revenue recognition through Zuora RevPro.

According to the complaint, defendants concealed the existence of significant technical challenges that prevented the successful integration of Zuora's two core products, ultimately resulting in reduced revenue growth, missed sales and waning demand for Zuora's platform and applications.

The truth emerged on May 30, 2019, when defendants disclosed the integration failure, sales execution issues and disappointing financial performance and outlook. On this news, Zuora's share price plummeted 30 percent, erasing nearly $520 million in market capitalization in a single trading day.

If you have information regarding Zuora's alleged fraud, Hagens Berman wants to hear from you. Individuals with non-public information regarding Zuora are encouraged to contact the firm by emailing [email protected] or by calling 510-725-3040.

Find out more about the class-action lawsuit against Zuora.

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 (News - Alert) at @classactionlaw.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005777/en/
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 13:28:29|Editor: Lu Hui

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SHANGHAI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's regional regulation on household services industry will take effect on May 1, as China ramps up efforts in boosting the development of the sector and protecting rights and interests of domestic workers.

The regulation will enable domestic workers in Shanghai to access more urban public services, based on its point-based household registration system. Eligible non-native domestic workers in the megacity can apply for local hukou, or household registration, according to the regulation.

Public rental housing and government-supported affordable rental homes for low-income groups will also be available for domestic workers in Shanghai, and household services agencies are supported to rent public housing for their employees, the regulation said.

Supportive measures also include encouraging universities and vocational colleges to set up domestic services-related majors to offer opportunities for domestic workers to receive professional training and education.

Shanghai sees increasing demand for domestic services in recent years. More than one-third of Shanghai's over 8 million families are using or in need of domestic services, according to a survey conducted by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Offering services such as cleaning, cooking, and childcare, domestic workers, usually migrant workers from rural areas, have played an important role in improving the quality of household life in cities like Shanghai. Yet many of them are informal employees without labor contracts and professional training and economically vulnerable. Enditem
Throwing down a gauntlet to rivals in a market that contains many illegal and pirate operations, Mondo Globo/MCNC Group has launched a new, legal, TV platform directed to the Arabic community in Europe.





Mondo Globo/ MCNC Group has been distributing linear content from Arabic broadcasters in Europe, North America and the rest of the world since 2012. It is currently offering a range of customised Arabic and Muslim bouquets in cooperation with major broadcasting entities and telcos around the world. The new platform includes over 50 TV channels offering what Mondo Globo/ MCNC are the most sought-after programmes among Arabic audiences. The premium material has been aggregated through cooperation between Mondo Globo/MCNC Group and major broadcasting groups and TV channels across the Arabic World.The deal means that Arabic viewers in Europe can now enjoy watching programmes via a multi-delivery platform including digital satellite box and Android TV OTT boxes as well as smartphones, tablets and Android smart TVs.Yet despite the breadth of the offer, Mondo Globo/MCNC Group emphasises that its offer is the first legal platform of its kind across Europe to distribute Arabic content. Indeed the company says that the Arabic content distribution landscape in Europe is polluted by many illegal and piracy platforms that do not have the legal rights to distribute and promote such content. Mondo Globo/MCNC Group plays a vital role in creating awareness and promoting the best interest of both the broadcaster and the viewer and is heavily engaged with different industry stakeholders to flush out such illegal activities and platforms to ensure consumer safety, said group COO Cedric Aoun.
(Newser)  Dr. Anthony Fauci says a trial of the drug remdesivir was so promising that people who took a placebo instead should be informed immediately. "This will be the standard of care, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday. "When you know a drug works, you have to let people in the placebo group know so they can take it." Fauci said the drug had shown a "clear-cut positive effect in diminishing time to recover," with a median recovery time of 11 days, compared to 15 for those in the placebo group, CNBC reports. "Although a 31% improvement doesn't seem like a knockout 100%, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus," Fauci said. "This is very optimistic."

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Fauci, who has led the institute since 1984, said the results were "reminiscent of 34 years ago in 1986 when we were struggling for drugs for HIV." The study run by the US National Institutes of Health, involved 1,063 hospitalized coronavirus patients around the world, the AP reports. A Chinese study had less promising results, but experts were "cautiously optimistic" after another study involving severely ill patients in Chicago. Officials tell the New York Times that the FDA plans to announce an emergency use authorization for the experimental drug, possibly as soon as Wednesday. (Gilead, the drug's maker, also had good news Wednesday.)
Expressing concern over loss of harvested crops in different parts of the country, the Centre on Wednesday asked industry players to buy perishable vegetables and fruits besides foodgrains to reduce wastage and benefit farmers amid COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal pointed out this issue in a meeting with members of industry chamber FICCI via video conference called to ascertain the requirement of food processing sector for post-lockdown scenario, an official statement said.

"Badal pointed at the major concern of losing the harvested crops and perishables in different parts of the country. During the conference, the Union Minister requested all members to come forward to procure these harvested wheat, paddy, fruits and vegetables and other perishables so that wastage can be minimized and the farmers are benefited," the statement added.

FICCI Secretary General Delip Chenoy, FICCI Food Processing Committee Chair and CEO-ITC Foods Division Hemant Malik, Amul Managing Director R S Sodhi, Coca Cola India President T Krishnakumar, Cargill India President Simon Geroge, Kellogg India Managing Director Mohit Anand, Mondelez InternationaL President India Deepak Iyer, MTR Foods CEO Sanjay Sharma and Zydus Wellness CEO Tarun Arora were among many others present in the conference.

In the meeting, the Union Minister emphasised on revival of industry operations at full capacity without compromising the safety measures. She also informed that the task force of the ministry is assisting companies in resolving the challenges faced across the country during the lockdown.

For revival of the industry, Badal agreed to the industry's demand on requirement of detailed guidelines for food companies to operate in containment zones as well as with the idea of 60-75 per cent workers being allowed to operate in facilities if industry was able to ensure necessary measures to protect their workers.

The industry demanded a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for operating facilities in different containment zones, dedicated nodal officials for the food processing industry at state levels to address challenges, standardized protocol for issuing worker passes to operate facilities and maintain supply chain besides reevaluating the process of identifying COVID clusters or region, the statement said.

FICCI members mentioned that the food industry was expected to witness growth due to in-home increase in demand of larger value food packs and also shared the industry would start reviving as soon as the supply chain got reestablished.

Food Processing Industries Secretary Pushpa Subrahmanyam asked the companies to share specific issues with the grievance cell.

The food processing industry has been asked to send a working model to the government for considering allowing greater workforce to join the facilities. Suggestions have also been invited to frame a scheme to support the food industry, the ministry said.

The secretary said that the government has already issued required advisories to address the challenges related to logistics, warehouse operations, movement of workers and vehicles etc.

She also thanked the industry players for their support in maintaining the supply of food products in this critical time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Launch of the new SafeSprayBot solution

for indoor decontamination

Dardilly, 28 April 2020

Delta Drone has continued its intense R&D work to provide innovative, concrete solutions and contribute effectively to the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic with systems using durable drones that can be implemented in crisis situations or for preventative measures in ways that are safe and secure for both people and property.

This R&D work is based on the technologies already sold by Delta Drone and developed jointly by Delta Drone and GEODIS as professional solutions. Thus, the new solution, SafeSprayBOT, which should be available soon, is designed to decontaminate and disinfect any and all indoor spaces such as warehouses, factories, industrial complexes, as well as offices and stores. SafeSprayBot combines the technology that was already developed for warehouse inventory with the know-how of the Swiss company Aero41 in high-precision spraying.

The system is made up of, first, an intelligent rolling robot with a complete site map and all possible paths loaded in its memory. The robot is then able to follow its trajectories completely autonomously, without human intervention, and its battery lasts several hours.

Second, the robot has a frame that also includes, in addition to the IT equipment necessary for overall management, steering and monitoring of the system (HMI  Human-Machine Interface), an articulated mast with a reach that can be adjusted for the site in question and a number of high-precision spray nozzles that implement Aero41s technology, thus ensuring the regulated and multi-directional spraying of the decontaminating and disinfecting products. The frame also holds a reserve of several liters to feed the nozzles.

Finally, the key element that is indispensable to ensure the masts performance as it moves is a drone that stabilizes the mast and is therefore responsible for its precision.

The original design for the system allows it to act autonomously in enclosed spaces of varying heights without risk to the buildings structural elements (girders, traveling cranes, walkways, lighting fixtures, etc.), therefore ensuring maximum safety for people and property.

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The SafeSprayBot solution is designed to be easily put to use: operators (a person to supervise the system when in operation) are trained in a few days and the site mapping is done once and for all by a specialized Delta Drone team. This is all that is needed to install the equipment and be able to run it as often as necessary.

The business development plan includes the intervention of Delta Drones sales teams in France and in all the areas on the African continent covered by the Groups regional subsidiaries (Morocco, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa). For the European markets, it also involves the very active support of the network (Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Russia) provided by Ott Ventures, the new reference shareholder.

Christian Viguie, Delta Drones Chairman and CEO, said, The SafeSprayBot solution is the perfect complement to our existing line of professional solutions (ISS Spotter, CountBot, Atmos and Rocketmine). It obviously meets an essential need during this health crisis, but also a more ongoing need, outside times of crisis, to improve air quality in many spaces open to the public or for employees. The Groups development of this fifth professional solution showcases the relevance of its strategic decisions, based on a reorganization into two divisions, i.e., professional solutions and related services. It also confirms the technological choices of the design department, which has focused on developing systems that can be combined to create new applications.

About Delta Drone : The Delta Drone Group is an international player in the field of civilian drones for professional use. It provides a range of professional solutions specifically designed for targeted sectors, as well as a complete selection of related services.

Delta Drone is listed on Euronext Growth Paris  ISIN code: FR0011522168

Also listed on Euronext Growth 33 443 695 BSA Y  ISIN code: FR 0013400991

www.deltadrone.com

Contacts:

Jerome Gacoin Louise Caetano +33 1 75 77 54 65 +33 1 55 02 15 13 jgacoin@aelium.fr l.caetano@open2europe.com







Sarah Ousahla

+33 1 55 02 15 31

s.ousahla@open2europe.com











Attachment
Political dignitaries across party lines, including President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday paid tributes to actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away after he succumbed to cancer.

The 54-year-old actor lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was buried at the Versova graveyard in the afternoon.

President Kovind called Irrfan a "rare talent" and said that his remarkable performances will forever be remembered by the audiences.

"Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Irrfan Khan. A rare talent and a brilliant actor, his diverse roles and remarkable performances will remain etched in our memories.

"A big loss to the world of cinema and millions of film lovers. Condolences to his family & admirers," the president said on Twitter.

PM Modi said that Irrfan's death is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre.

"He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," the prime minister said in a tweet.

Home Minister Amit Shah said the country has lost an "exceptional actor and a kind soul".

"Anguished over the sad of Irfan Khan's demise. He was a versatile actor, who's art had earned global fame and recognition. Irfan was an asset to our film industry. In him, the nation has lost an exceptional actor and a kind soul. My condolences to his family and followers," Shah tweeted.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed Irrfan was an actor "par excellence" and he is "deeply pained" by the of his demise.

"He was an epitome of artistic brilliance and versatility. He enthralled audiences with outstanding performances in films like 'Lunch Box'. His contribution to films will be remembered for long. Deeply pained by his untimely demise," Singh posted.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also mourned the death of the actor.

"I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief," Rahul said.

Another Congress lead, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, tweeted, "His acting broke the boundaries of languages, nations and religions, creating an accent of acting that united all humanity through art and compassion."



Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also condoled Irrfan's death, saying he was a hard-working and multi-faceted artiste whose journey from the Indian cinema to Hollywood was an inspiration to budding actors.

"He has been snatched away despite putting up a valiant fight against the rare form of cancer," he said, adding that Irrfan accepted the reality of his diagnosis and faced the treatment bravely.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he is "saddened and shocked" by the of the death of the actor, who hailed from the state.

"My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace," he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace."



Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Indian cinema has suffered a "great loss" in Irrfan's demise.

"It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of actor Irrfan Khan. He was an actor par excellence and his untimely demise is a great loss to the Indian film community. We convey to his family and to every one who enjoys the works of the actor our deepest sympathy," he tweeted.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee said Irrfan's vast body of work will be his "legacy for generations".

"Saddened at the passing away of the critically acclaimed film actor Irrfan Khan. He leaves behind a large body of work which will be his legacy for generations. I fondly recall him calling on me in Kolkata a few years ago. My condolences to his family, colleagues, fans & admirers," she tweeted.

BJP president JP Nadda said, "The passing away of versatile actor Irrfan Khan is an irreparable loss to the world of art and cinema. Artists always lives in our memories with their work. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and fans."



Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav shared his photo with the actor on Twitter.

"Saddening to hear about the demise of one of the most versatile actors of Indian Cinema, Irrfan Khan! Met with Irrfan when he came calling at Patna residence! A multi faceted man, a great human being! My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans," he tweeted.

Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader, said Irrfan's contribution to cinema will always be remembered.

"My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and fans. May his soul find eternal peace," he added.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said, "No stereotypical looks, no six-pack, no fancy dance steps, no dynastic claim to a place in Bollywood. It was just talent & a breathtaking screen presence. #IrrfanKhan your courage to speak up when others chose silence was your biggest asset & will be missed the most. God speed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Were answering your questions about life in the time of coronavirus.

Q: Where can I get masks?  Ed

Q: Who is going to buy and distribute masks for all New Yorkers? You cant find them in the stores.  Peter

A: In mid-April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered New Yorkers to wear face coverings in public to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

There are several places in Central New York where you can buy a mask. Heres our updated list.

Onondaga County recently received a substantial delivery of reusable cloth masks from New York state and has begun to distribute them throughout the community, said Justin Sayles, spokesman for Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

The county has already given masks to the Syracuse Housing Authority (5,000), Spanish Action League (2,000), Near Westside Peacemaking Project (2,500), Southwest Community Center (1,000), Centro (5,000), Clinton Plaza Apartments (300) and Valley Vista Apartments (200).

Over the next few days, masks will go to senior living centers, food pantries, Vera House and McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center, Sayles said.

If you dont want to buy one or cant get a free one, you can make your own no-sew mask using a shop towel, paper clips, tape, a stapler and rubber bands. Heres how:

Or, you can turn a T-shirt into a face covering without cutting or sewing. See this demonstration shared on Twitter by former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb:

Do it yourself mask. With a T-Shirt.

pic.twitter.com/t4TuqAesBc  Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) April 20, 2020

Cloth masks do not offer the same level of protection as medical-grade masks, but they do catch coughs and sneezes that can carry and spread the virus, and may prevent people infected with the coronavirus who arent showing symptoms from spreading the illness to others.

Travel to summer homes

Q: Will residents who live in closed areas be able to go to their summer places that are in opened areas?  Gregg

A: A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo said those details had yet to be worked out, but the goal is to discourage travel and spread of the coronavirus. Cuomo has said he does not want people from coronavirus hotspots to travel to other parts of the state just for a change of scenery.

Many summer places in the Adirondacks also are discouraging visitors from coming.

Now is not the time to visit Lake Placid, says the Lake Placid visitor website. All of the regions key lodging properties, tourism attractions, and most bars are closed at this time. Restaurants are only offering limited take-out and delivery options.

Same goes for Old Forge:  If you are elsewhere, now is not the time to bring your heart home to the Adirondacks. ... Our nature and our communities will be here to welcome you back on the other side of this.

Herkimer County (where Old Forge is located) advised all visitors and residents returning from winter homes to self-isolate for 14 days, the Utica Observer-Dispatch reported last month.

Early in the crisis, Hamilton County (home to Long Lake, Indian Lake, Speculator) urged visitors not to come, due to the scarcity of medical resources. The county also asked property owners not to offer their properties for short-term rental. It advised visitors who could not avoid travel to self-isolate for 14 days.

On Tuesday, Cuomo said the New York State Fair could not open unless the situation improved throughout the whole state, because of the risk of spreading the virus.

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Ask Syracuse.com: How do I report my employer? Are celebration drive-bys OK? Will Upstate re-open before NYC?

Ask Syracuse.com: Are grocery stores safe? Can I still close on a house? Buy a car? Need a NYS inspection?

Ask Syracuse.com: Would a pregnant woman with coronavirus infect her baby?
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Motherson Sumi Systems jumped 4.67% to Rs 81.85 after the company informed majority of its plants are operational again globally.

Motherson Sumi Systems (MSSL) on 29 April 2020 announced that more than 80 out of 152 of its manufacturing facilities across the world are now in operations. While 30% of them are now running at more than 80% capacities, rest of them are now running at up to 50% capacities and slowly and steadily gearing up.

The company said that it has obtained necessary approvals from the concerned authorities in respective regionsin relation with the plant operations. Additionally, rest of the plants are being prepared to be in ready state as per post-Covid requirements and once the permissions are obtained, these plants too will start operating.

The company also added that all the necessary precautions are being taken by the teams in adherence with the post COVID 19 guidelines issued by various governments. The company said its teams across the globe are working closely with the governments and local administrationsto ensure smooth functioning of the facilities.

On 22 March 2020, the company announced temporary closure of manufacturing facilities and offices in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

MSSL's consolidate net profit slumped 30.47% to Rs 270.51 crore on a 4.91% fall in net sales to Rs 15,436.46 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018.

MSSL is one of the world's leading specialized automotive component manufacturing companies for OEMs.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
LAC worked closely with Florida-based JGL Produce, which assembled 10-pound boxes containing sweet corn, squash, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and onions. These boxes were distributed to families and seniors at 12 affordable housing properties across the Miami-Dade County (Miami, Homestead, Cutler Bay).

"Over the course of this pandemic, millions of hard-working families have been faced with food insecurity," said LAC CEO Jeremy Bronfman. "We're incredibly proud to support our residentsand their neighborsacross South Florida with deliveries of fresh produce. Food insecurity does not stop at property lines, and neither will our work."

The LAC team sought out local business partners that are struggling during this time, hoping to provide support to stave off future layoffs or closures.

"Lincoln Avenue Capital does not just invest in properties. We invest in communities," said LAC Partner Yoni Gruskin. "We placed an emphasis on sourcing local produce to maximize our impact as our residents received deliveries at their doors."

View photos here.

About LAC : Lincoln Avenue Capital is one of the nation's fastest-growing developers, investors, and operators of affordable housing, providing high-quality, sustainable homes for low-income individuals, seniors, and families nationwide. LAC is a values-driven organization with a portfolio that includes 47 properties, comprising more than 9,000 units.

SOURCE Lincoln Avenue Capital
U.S. Department of Justice

Gordon Pedersen says his ingestible silver products can destroy the coronavirus and help protect people from contracting the deadly illness. The Department of Justice says that is flat-out wrong and has taken legal action to stop him.

Pedersen, who claims to hold four doctors degrees, has appeared in several YouTube videos and podcasts since the coronavirus outbreak began, wearing a white lab coat and stethoscope, and touting the seemingly extraordinary benefits of silver gels, aerosols, and lozenges.

If you have the silver in you, when the virus arrives, the silver can isolate and eliminate that virus, he said in a March 26 podcast.

But in documents unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Utah on Tuesday, prosecutors sought to slap a temporary restraining order on Pedersen, arguing his conduct was reckless and harmful to consumers and that Pedersen knew his silver products could not cure the coronavirus.

Justice Department is Cracking Down on Coronavirus Bleach Cures, No Matter What Trump Says

Judge David Barlow granted a temporary freeze on Pedersens assets, as well as those of his companies, arguing that any harm to his business during the freeze was greatly outweighed by the threat to the health and safety of individuals using the products.

The legal action, which has not been reported before, represents a new push by the Justice Department to crack down on COVID-related frauds. More than eight criminal and civil cases have been brought in the last two weeks alone against scammers claiming that everything from vitamin C infusions to ozone therapy can either prevent or cure COVID-19, despite there being no known cure for the deadly virus.

The Justice Department did not comment specifically on this case but Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Civil Division said they are working with the FDA to quickly shut down schemes that exploit the pandemic by offering phony cure-alls for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

Story continues

Pedersens publicist, Terry Warren, told The Daily Beast that Pedersen was shocked, as all the statements he has made are supported by scientific documents. He pointed to a March 24 press release in which Pedersen said he wouldnt suggest silver could cure the coronavirus, only that it could be a first line of defense. Shortly after The Daily Beasts inquiry, Pedersens website became password-protected.

Pedersen, who prosecutors say is not a licensed medical provider in Utah, has been peddling cure-all silver gels and liquids for years. According to court records, he was fired from his position as a promotional consultant for American Biotech Labs in 2011 after FDA inspectors found the company was making unsubstantiated claims about the silver products ability to cure diseases.

Since then, he has sold products through his own mail-order businesses, My Doctor Suggests and GP Silver, with prices running up to $299.95 for a gallon of their flagship Silver Solution, a mix of water, sodium bicarbonate (or baking soda), and extract from silver wire. In 2018, records show the state of Utah cited him for unauthorized practice of medicine and told him to stop holding himself out as a naturopathic doctor.

Prosecutors argue that didnt stop Pedersen from seizing on the outbreak of coronavirus, promoting his products as being able to both prevent and cure the virus.

FDA Special Agent Virginia Keys wrote in an affidavit that, according to interviews with Pedersens manufacturers and a supplier, business has boomed since January. A company that makes labels for the silver products said theyd received more orders in the past two months than in all of 2019, while another company that fulfills and ships orders said it was receiving $20,000 every two weeks from My Doctor Suggests.

As coronavirus travel bans were in full swing, prosecutors say Pedersen boasted about going to Europe on a cruise shipinto the lions den, he saidand protecting himself by drinking liquid silver, using silver gel on his hands, and putting silver liquid in his CPAP machine. In a February press release cited in the court filing, he claimed silver products will destroy all forms of viruses.

I put the gel on all of my skin that was exposed, and it was a real benefit to me because I knew I had a barrier layer of silver anywhere my skin was exposed, he said in an interview with LATalkRadio on April 14, according to the filing.

In a 238-page motion, federal prosecutors argued that Pedersen knew his claims were bogus because disclaimers on his websites said statements werent FDA approved and products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.

Keys said she made an undercover purchase from My Doctor Suggests of a bottle of Silver Solution, a bottle of Silver Mouth Wash, and two packages of Silver Gel Extra Strength. Her order came with an email message from Pedersen saying silver resonates at a frequency inside the body that attracts viruses, which attach themselves to the silver and pass through the waste system.

She wrote in the affidavit that she was not only concerned that Pedersens public pronouncements on the purported benefits of silver may cause customers to waste their money.

I am further concerned that such statements create a dangerous false sense of security and may lead consumers to forego traditional medical treatment if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, and ignore potentially life-saving guidance from public health officials, who advise travel restrictions and social distancing to avoid exposure to the virus, she wrote.

The Department of Justice will take swift action to protect consumers from those who would recklessly exploit this public health crisis by offering phony cure-alls for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justices Civil Division. We work closely with our partners at the Food and Drug Administration and will move quickly to shut down schemes that promote and sell unlawful products during this pandemic.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The Trump administration for the first time on Wednesday added five of Amazon's overseas operations to its list of 'notorious markets' where counterfeit goods are sold.

The company, founded by President Donald Trump's nemesis Jeff Bezos, dismissed the measure carried out by the Office of the US Trade Representative as an act of 'personal vendetta' against it.

In adding Amazon to is annual blacklist, USTR cited complaints from US businesses that consumers can't easily tell who is selling items on Amazon.com Inc. domains in Canada, France, Germany, India and the United Kingdom, and that the e-commerce giant's procedures for removing counterfeit goods 'can be lengthy and burdensome

Amazon fired back with a statement Wednesday: 'We strongly disagree with the characterization of Amazon in this USTR report. This purely political act is another example of the administration using the U.S. government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon.'

The Trump administration for the first time added five of Amazon's overseas operations to its list of 'notorious markets' where pirated goods are sold

The Seattle-based company said it has taken aggressive steps to combat counterfeiting and to vet sellers. The company said that last year it weeded out 2.5 million potential bad actors before they could start selling.

'Amazon makes significant investments in proactive technologies and processes to detect and stop bad actors and potentially counterfeit products from being sold in our stores,' a spokesperson said in an email.

'We also work closely with law enforcement agencies and are reporting all confirmed counterfeiters to help them build stronger criminal cases.'

Trump has clashed repeatedly with Amazon and Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post newspaper, which has written a litany of critical stories about Trump and his business dealings.

Amazon sued the US Defense Department last year after losing a lucrative cloud computing contract to rival Microsoft.

Trump has also said he won't approve a $10billion loan to the US Postal Service unless it quadruples the rates it charges Amazon and other big shipping companies.

President Trump has repeatedly clashed with Amazon's founder Jess Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, which has been critical of Trump. Billionaire businessman is pictured above with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez attending a fashion show in February

Last October, the American Apparel & Footwear Association urged the trade representative to add Amazon operations in those five countries to the notorious markets list.

The association praised the trade office's decision in a statement Wednesday but did not mention Amazon.

Chinese e-commerce colossus Alibaba Groups Taobao.com online marketplace also remained on the list.

The 49-page Notorious Markets List provides examples of sellers believed to be facilitating counterfeiting but the agency noted that it is not 'a legal finding of a violation' or prelude to enforcement action.

Chinese e-commerce colossus Alibaba Groups Taobao.com online marketplace also remained on the blacklist

'This year's review process also identified a growing concern about the proliferation of counterfeits facilitated by social media platforms,' the report said, including the Chinese-based WeChat.

USTR said Wednesday that Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Venezuela remained on its 'priority watch list' of countries that do not adequately protect intellectual property.

It removed Kuwait from the priority list, saying the country is updating its intellectual property laws and stepping up enforcement against piracy.
Home coronavirus test kits ran out online again in 80 minutes this morning after the Government said everyone over 65 can now get a test if they suffer symptoms.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said anyone who has to leave home to work will be eligible for a test amid a rush to hit his 100,000 daily checks target by tomorrow.

In a further expansion, he added that all social care staff, residents of care homes and NHS patients will be eligible for a test whether they have symptoms or not.

The Government also revealed today that 14,700 home tests sold out this morning, and that 43,563 tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday.

This included 16,440 carried out by the NHS and Public Health England and 25,289 at drive-through centres. Ministers said the daily testing capacity is now at 73,400.

The Government website had run out of home test kits again as of 9.20am today, 80 minutes after the new batch were made available, although drive-through were slots available

Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured at Downing Street this morning) said anyone who has to leave home to work will be eligible for a test, in a major expansion of the testing programme

A medical worker at a drive-in coronavirus testing facility at Chessington in Surrey today

Previously, only key workers displaying symptoms or those sick with possible Covid-19 in hospitals and care homes were able to get a swab for the virus.

But national testing co-ordinator Professor John Newton stressed those newly eligible for coronavirus tests should only apply for a test if they have symptoms.

'High availability' of coronavirus tests At 10.26am, the Department of Health and Social Care tweeted they had expanded eligibility for coronavirus tests. The Government account said there was 'high availability' for tests today in: Brighton

Bournemouth

Bristol

Ebbsfleet

Exeter

Gatwick

Hull

Ipswich

Lincoln

Manchester

Oxford

Peterborough

Penrith

Plymouth

Stansted

York Advertisement

Speaking to LBC radio this morning, Prof Newton said: 'This is for people who are unwell with coronavirus symptoms, and their households... it's not a screen.'

He added there are a 'number of ways' people can access the test, including over 40 drive-in centres, and a limited number of postage tests sent directly to homes.

'If you have symptoms, go on to gov.uk and there's a special link that tells you how to log on and get a test,' he said.

His comments about only booking a test if you have symptoms come despite Mr Hancock saying yesterday that Ministers were rolling out testing to 'asymptomatic residents and staff in care homes in England, and to patients and staff in the NHS'.

The new rules will more than double the number of people entitled to book a test slot in one of 41 drive-through centres or have a test delivered to their home.

The Government website had run out of home test kits again as of 9.20am today, 80 minutes after the new batch were released, but drive-through were slots available.

Ministers had initially offered just 5,000 home test kits a day after the website was launched last Friday, but aim to expand this to 25,000 a day by the end of the week.

A member of the armed forces at the drive-through testing centre at Chessington today

A soldier provides instructions to people arriving at a testing centre in a Park and Ride facility in Salisbury, Wiltshire, today

Queues in a car park where soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster's regiment are carrying out tests at a Covid-19 testing centre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, today

A soldier provides instructions at a Covid-19 testing centre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, today

Soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster's regiment at the centre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, today

Until now about 10million key workers have been eligible for the coronavirus tests, but this has now increased by at least 12million over-65s.

Timeline of the virus testing website launch FRIDAY (APRIL 24) 6am: Government's new coronavirus testing website launches for key workers displaying symptoms

6.02am: Stock of 5,000 home kits are all ordered in just two minutes

10am: 15,000 drive-through slots are all booked as new registrations close SATURDAY 8am: More tests released on website

8.15am: All 5,000 home kits are taken

10am: No more drive-through tests available to book in England SUNDAY 8am: More tests are launched

10am: Home testing kits are again listed as 'unavailable' MONDAY 8am: Availability of home and drive-through tests goes live again

9.05am: Home tests no longer available

12pm: Only drive-through tests in England and Scotland are left YESTERDAY 8am: A further 10,000 home tests are made available on the website

9am: More than 7,000 are ordered in the first hour of availability TODAY 8am: Availability of tests goes live again, this time for everyone over 65 displaying symptoms, as well as social care staff, residents of care homes and NHS patients whether they have symptoms or not.

9.20am: All home test kits taken up Advertisement

More than 4,000 people have died in care homes in the last fortnight alone. There is just a day to go until Mr Hancock's self-imposed deadline for 100,000 daily tests.

New figures show he is less than half-way there, with 43,453 tests on Monday, although this was up from 37,024 on Sunday and 29,058 on Saturday.

Yesterday, Mr Hancock seemed to move the goalposts, placing a 100 bet with radio presenter Nick Ferrari that he would hit 100,000 by May 1.

He said at last night's press conference: 'We're still on track but it's a big, big task. There's a lot of things we need to get right, so there are no guarantees in this life.'

He also said the dispatch of home test kits would be expanded to 25,000 a day by Friday, while mobile testing units manned by the Army will total more than 70.

'All of this has led to an increase in daily testing capacity, which now stands at 73,400,' he said. 'This has allowed us progressively to expand access to testing.

'So from now, we're making testing available to all over-65s and their households with symptoms.

'And to all workers who have to leave home to go to work, and members of their households, again, who have symptoms.

'So from construction workers to emergency plumbers, from research scientists to those in manufacturing, the expansion of access to testing will protect the most vulnerable and help keep people safe.'

He added: 'Building on successful pilots, we will be rolling out testing of asymptomatic residents and staff in care homes in England, and to patients and staff in the NHS. I am determined to do everything I can to protect the most vulnerable.'

A car is directed into near-empty testing bays at a drive-in testing facility at Chessington today

A member of the armed forces tests a key worker for coronavirus at a drive-through testing facility at the Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey yesterday

Asked about the last-minute increase in testing numbers over the weekend, Mr Hancock said: 'The plan was always to have a big ramp-up at the end of April because I spent April putting in place the systems to take this from an individual lab-by-lab process ... to an essentially automated process with an automatic application online. Since that went live at the end of last week we have seen a very rapid rise.'

Effective coronavirus antibody tests 'will be available by the end of May or early June' The Government is 'optimistic' that effective coronavirus antibody tests will be available by the end of May or early June, according to national testing co-ordinator Professor John Newton. As millions more tests are being rolled out for those with Covid-19 symptoms, Prof Newton said antibody tests - which detect whether a person has had coronavirus - are also in the pipeline. Speaking on the BBC, he said: 'There has been a lot of work in antibody testing. We are optimistic that we will have a good antibody test when we need it. 'Not many people would test positive for an antibody test right now.' He added: 'There are antibody tests available now but we think there will be better tests, and we are not testing people until we have those.' Advertisement

Environment Secretary George Eustice said the aim is still to meet the 100,000-a-day target by the end of tomorrow.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'Yes that is his aim to get 100,000 tests being done but I think the critical thing here is anybody there who needs a test that can't get one which is why capacity also matters.

'That's why the first thing is to build the capacity and the second thing is to make sure that everybody knows they can get access to that test and we're now doing both of those things.'

Mr Eustice has also denied that the earlier introduction of wider testing at care homes would have saved lives.

Asked if tests not being available earlier for care home workers had cost lives, he told BBC Breakfast: 'I don't think it is in that we've been working very very closely with the care sector and they have had very clear protocols in place.

'Because those staff are dealing with obviously very vulnerable cohort, the elderly, sometimes people with other conditions, if they are showing any symptoms at all then they must not be at work.

'Obviously testing does help and we're now able to roll that testing out.'
Punjab Minister Vijay Inder Singla on Wednesday suggested the Centre to direct all the TV channels to provide a free of cost two-hour time slot per day to state governments to broadcast lectures.

Singla gave the suggestion in a video conference with Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, and Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, an official statement said here.

He suggested that all the TV channels, including government, private and channels, under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 be directed to provide a free of cost two-hour time slot per day to state governments for educational broadcasts.

The minister described this as the need of the hour to compensate for the loss of hours due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.

He said as the Disaster Management Act, 2005 is imposed in the country, the central government has all the rights reserved with it.

The education minister said Punjab should at least be provided four dedicated channels of Doordarshan to broadcast lectures for various classes.

The channels should be made available at least six hours a day followed by a repeat broadcast, he said.

Singla said all telecom companies should be directed to provide free internet service to achieve the target of providing free online classes and wider reach to the poor.

To ease anxiety and stress levels of the students preparing for remaining board exams, he said class 10 students should be promoted based on their pre-board results and internal assessment, while class 12 students should be allowed to complete their examinations as early as possible.

The Punjab School Education Board has already issued orders for printing of books, the minister said.

Out of the 1.6 crore books required, 70 lakh books have already been printed, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chennai, April 29 : The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday assserted that the decision of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry to bring the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) under it does not impair its power or independence.

A statement issued here by the state Public Works Department said that the Jal Shakti Ministry was formed by merging Ministries of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2019 and the bringing of CWMA under it was only an administrative decision and there will be no change in its powers.

This aspect was clarified by the Central government officials concerned, it said.

The state government said the farmers dependent on Cauvery river water will not be impacted.

Earlier in the day opposition parties like DMK, MDMK and others condemned the Central government's move and threatened protests.

DMK President M.K. Stalin said huge protests, by mobilising political parties and farmers, will be held if the Central government does not revoke its decision to bring the CWMA under the Jal Shakti Ministry.

He also urged Chief Minister K. Palaniswami to convene a Cabinet meeting and pass a resolution asking the Central government to drop its latest move.

Stalin said what was supposed to be an independent body has been brought under the administrative control of the Central government and "this is nothing but injustice".

The CWMA was set up to share Cauvery river water between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

According to Stalin, the Central government's move will affect the Tamil Nadu's farmers.
Irrfan Khan no more: After battling from tumour in 2018 and returning back India after months of treatment, Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Wednesday where he was getting treatment for colon infection.

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who has not just won Indian hearts with his films, he is an internationally acclaimed film star, passed away on Wednesday. The 53-year-old actor took his last breath on Wednesday at Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital. After suffering from neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and getting treated for it in London, earlier this week, Irrfan Khan was admitted to the ICU of the Mumbai hospital and was undertaking treatment for colon infection in ICU.

This wont be wrong to say that India has lost one of its brightest stars. Recently, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar expressed his views on Twitter saying that Irrfan Khan was among the versatile actors. Further, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted that he was shocked to hear about Irrfan Khans demise. He added the actor was among the exceptions who was known for his phenomenal acting and his work will also be remembered.

Further, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also wrote on Twitter that Irrfan Khan was the Indian brand ambassador on the global films and Televisions, he will be truly missed. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot also expressed his views and said that it is a big loss for the industry.

Also Read: Irrfan Khan death social media reaction: Sonam Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Parineeti Chopra, Zoya Akhtar, Urmila Matondkar, Raveena Tandon and other celebs mourn stars untimely death

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, #IrrfanKhan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace.  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 29, 2020

Irfan Khan was a versatile actor. Sorry to hear about his demise. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti  Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 29, 2020

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2020

He etched every character in our memories with sheer talent. From the passion of Pan Singh Tomar to a floundering father in Angrezi Medium #IrrfanKhan was an actor to behold. How do you mourn his passing away for he breathes in the characters he left behind .. Om Shanti   Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) April 29, 2020

Irrfan Khan started his acting career in 1988 by appearing in films like Kamla Ki Maut, Jazeere, Drishti. With his talent for living the character, the actor made his name with his hard work and kept conquering hearts by experimenting with roles. His films like Billu, Paan Singh Tomar, The Lunchbox. Piku, Hindi Medium, Blackmail proved him to be the master of all jacks. Moreover, the hardworking actor has also appeared on small screens as well. After getting treated for neuroendocrine tumour in London, in 2019 Irrfan Khan returned back to India and featured in his last film Angrezi Medium.

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Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

From Popular Mechanics

Louis Falo still has the scar. Its on the bicep of his left arm, an oblong mark left when a needle scratched into his flesh a tiny bit of toxinjust enough to kickstart an immune response, but not enough to make him sick.

This is how doctors across the United States once vaccinated generations of people against smallpox. The process was so effective that by the early 1950s, scientists declared the deadly viral disease eradicated in North America. Two decades later, Americas doctors stopped administering smallpox vaccines to the general population altogether. Dr. Falos scar is the inexpensive price paid to ensure he never got the virus. It would also prove to be an inspiration when he turned his attention toward hopefully eradicating a new deadly virus.

Since authorities in China reported a peculiar form of pneumonia to the World Health Organization in late 2019, novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, have ricocheted around the world. In the U.S., the country currently with the most cases, the virus has already infected more than one million people in two months, killing more than 58,000about 46,000 more than those who died in the U.S. during the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010 (as of April 29).

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

Vanquishing COVID-19 has so far relied on a disruptive protocol of social distancing, quarantines, testing, mask-wearing, and handwashing. Effective drugs and treatments, the sort that can get us all out of our homes again, are still being investigated for their potency. But a vaccine, the metaphorical uppercut that could knock out COVID-19 before it wreaks any more havoc, would bring this all to a swift conclusion.

Just one problem: Making a vaccine is anything but swift. The fastest-ever approved vaccine, for mumps, took four years.

Working tirelessly despite the pandemic-level pressure and the daunting timelines are people like Louis Falo, M.D., Ph.D., an immunologist and skin dermatologist at the University of Pittsburgh. It was there that Dr. Falo and a team of 10 other scientists and physicians began working in January 2020 to discover a vaccine for COVID-19one they could apply to the skin, like the smallpox vaccine, using only a small patch resembling a bandage.

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Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

Its a unique combination of excitement and stress, Dr. Falo says. You have the excitement of the hope that you actually might be able to do something to stop the pandemic. And at the same time, you have the stress of not knowing whether or not you actually [can].

What usually takes years to unfold is being rapidly truncated into weeks. In early April, Dr. Falo and his colleagues unveiled PittCoVacc, a vaccine they say generates COVID-19-fighting antibodies. That was only the beginning. What happens over the next 18 months could spell the end of the pandemic.

A Viral Locksmith

Almost as quickly as scientists realized they had a new disease on their hands, they had the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Shortly after the new year, on January 11, Chinese scientists published online the machine-readable schematic of 29,903 nucleic bases that make up the new viruss genetic RNA. Dr. Falo and his University of Pittsburgh colleague, Andrea Gambotto, M.D., were waiting for this moment.

He actually was reading the newspaper, saw that the sequence was now publicly available from an article he read, and then he went online and got it, Dr. Falo recalls. We were off and running from that point.



Photo credit: Courtesy CDC

Having the genomic sequence meant they could begin analyzing specific proteins that might serve as useful antigensportions of the virus that might trigger the immune system, training the cells in our bodies to recognize COVID-19 virus as a hostile invader and develop antibodies to not only terminate the enemy, but also grant long-lasting immunity to it.

By now the image of the magnified rendering of the new coronavirus is ubiquitous: a menacing sphere covered in protruding red spikes. Call it a viral locksmith. The spike latches onto one of many receptors affixed to the outer membrane of our cells, effectively unlocking them. At that point, the virus deposits its RNA, hijacks our cellular machinery, and cranks out copies of itself.

WATCH: THE MAKING OF A COVID VACCINE AT UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

The team at Pitt had previously studied the SARS virus in 2002 and the MERS virus in 2014, two other spike-laden coronaviruses. They figured the S-protein that composes the spikes on the outer envelope of the COVID-19 virus was the most promising antigen target. Within days of the genomic sequence being published, Dr. Gambottos team working on computers optimized the published S-protein genetic sequence to efficiently produce pieces of the protein in cultured cells.

Targeting a virus with such precision is a 21st-century invention, the result of computers becoming powerful enough to quickly and cheaply sequence the genetic codes of pathogens. It allows vaccine development to move at lightning speed, which helps explain the 76 different COVID-19 vaccines currently in progress. And although Dr. Falos team has worked quickly, their vaccine is not the first to enter a clinical trial.

Starting on March 16, a potential vaccine was injected into 45 healthy adults in Seattle and Atlanta. The concoction was brewed by Moderna, a biotechnology firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and developed in tandem with scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (Its director, Anthony Fauci, M.D., is Americas pandemic guru.) Modernas vaccine is an example of mRNA technology: It encodes a mutated spike protein by shooting a snippet of genetic RNA into the body. In other words, the vaccine provides instructions to the bodys cells so they can produce an antigen internally.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Were just using one protein that is important for inducing an immune response: the spike protein. We essentially are optimizing the immune response to that target protein, says Kizzmekia Corbett, Ph.D., lead scientist for coronavirus vaccine research at NIAID. Our hypothesis is that with this vaccine strategy, well get better antibodies.

Outside the laboratory setting, however, RNA vaccines are unproven: Because theyre so new, theyve never been licensed for use on humans.

A pandemic certainly loosens the parameters of experimentation. Even so, Dr. Falos group, from the beginning, was set on using a type of vaccine technology thats been around since the 1980sone that produces antigens externally, in a lab. It was during the 1980s that vaccine developers began producing subunits of virus, just pieces of a larger virus (like a sliver of its membrane protein) synthetically assembled from proteins and sugars. These subunits are the antigen. Once injected, they induce the immune system to manufacture antibodies. Some flu vaccines are the quintessential examples of this approach.



Photo credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

With the gene sequence of the novel coronaviruss spike protein in hand, the Pitt team decided an effective vaccine could be made from a portion of viral S1 protein (a subunit of the spike protein). By injecting this into a person, the thinking goes, the immune system will produce antibodies to recognize and bind to the spikes of the coronavirus, blocking and shutting down the locking mechanism before the virus has a chance to attach to and hijack our cells.

Complex Choreography

Dr. Falos team set a timeline of two weeks, with the aim of performing trials of their vaccine in mice in early February. A complex choreography ensued: Even immunologists and virologists have to keep distance during a pandemic. The University of Pittsburgh vaccine team of 11 divided into smaller subgroups.

This was a shift-type effort. In the event that somebody came down with symptoms, we wouldnt all be quarantined, says Dr. Falo. Optimizing time became a Herculean task. He remembers working one 18-hour stretch, only pausing to exit the lab and slug some coffee, grab a snack, or catch a short nap.

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

One group was responsible for producing large quantities of the viral antigen (the S-protein), which is done in cell factories. Picture a miniature skyscraper of 10 plastic trays stacked on top of each other, each filled with millions of human cells (specifically human embryonic kidney cells commonly used in biotechnology to produce proteins and viruses). In a process called transfection, lab scientists used an electronic pulse to open pores into those cells that let in the viral gene that makes the S1 protein. After a couple of days, the scientists were able to harvest a soupy fluid rich in coronavirus S-protein pieces.

Group number two, led by Dr. Falo, was responsible for devising the delivery system. After all, what good is a viral antigen if you cant get it into the body? This is where Dr. Falos background in dermatologyand his knowledge of smallpox vaccinationplayed a big role.

Typically vaccines are delivered via needle directly into the muscle, but the skin also generates a potent immune responseand contains more immune cells than muscle tissue. The human dermis is awash with dendritic cells that act like scouts, moving around the skin and searching for foreign pathogens. When they discover one, they break off a piece of it, then move quickly into the bodys lymphatic system, traveling in earnest to present the invader to B and T cells, which generate the antibody response. Dr. Falos thought was simple: Forget injecting the antigen into the blood stream. Stick it into the skin instead, and let the dendritic cells do all the heavy lifting.

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

The skin is your first line of defense, constantly getting bombarded with bacteria and viruses, he says. Our goal was to take what we learned from smallpox and develop technology that was able to reproduce that, but in a much more controlled, efficient fashion.

Having a doctor etch viral antigen into a persons skin is cumbersome, not to mention a lousy way to combat a pandemic. While he wasnt expecting a new coronavirus to shut down the world, Dr. Falo was nonetheless searching for an easier way to deliver skin inoculations. For the last nine years, he and fellow Pitt researchers have been developing what he calls a microneedle array: a small patch that resembles a Band-Aid covered in 400 microscopic needles, and something that a person could theoretically create at their local makerspace. The molds for these arrays can be designed in computer software, then manufactured by a high-resolution 3D laser printer down to the nanometer.

Meanwhile, the needles themselves are made from sugar substances capable of dissolving into the skin. With S-proteins produced and microneedle-array molds printed, Dr. Falo and his fellow scientists put the final touches on their vaccine. The bits of viral protein were mixed in with a sugary solution, which was poured into the molds. Two sessions in the centrifuge first pulled the antigen down into the needles before hardening them. Afterward, team members used tweezers to pull the microneedle arrays from the molds, almost like breaking ice out of its tray. Left over was a square patch, filled with COVID-19 vaccine, that could be comfortably applied to a persons arm, and removed in under 15 minutes.

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

The needle is actually the vaccine, and the delivery method is the dissolving of the needle, says Dr. Falo. After that, you just take off the patch and throw it away.

At the end of those two weeks, the vaccine team applied patches to mice in the lab on the backs of their ears. While Dr. Falo and his team had their results early, they werent published in The Lancet until the first week of April. In mice, PittCoVacc produced a surge of COVID-19 antibodies, enough to neutralize the virus, within two weeks.

Race Against the Clock

There are two additional benefits to the patch delivery system. The first is that its easy to produce. The second is that the patches dont need to be kept cold. Once the antigen is incorporated and solidified in the microneedle array, its stable at room temperature.

Its a relatively straightforward technology that doesnt use specialized equipment, so one person in our lab today can make hundreds of these, he says. And these can be stored and shipped just like Band-Aids.

Whether the vaccine that the Pitt develops ultimately makes it to the world is now a matter of time. And time is of the essence. It seems likely that a vaccine wont become available until 2021 at the earliestnot soon enough to stave off a second surge of infections some scientists predict will occur later this year.

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

We have a virus thats basically embedded into society at this point, and its not going away until we stop transmission completely, NIAIDs Dr. Corbett says. The only way to do that is via vaccine.

The progress the U.S. makes over the coming months will be vital. While many countries have embarked on the same race as American scientists, its likely that whatever vaccine works against the novel coronavirus wont be produced in quantities large enough for global distribution right away.

Even with extraordinary international collaboration among multiple countries, it could be years before a vaccine is produced at a scale sufficient to help the entire world, wrote former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb in The Wall Street Journal the last weekend of April.

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

At the same time, any vaccine thats administered must be safe. This is why all vaccines go through three phases of trials, the first being a test for safety with a relatively small sample size, like the trial currently underway for Modernas vaccine in Seattle and Atlanta with 45 people. As trials progress, the sample is gradually increased, until you enter a phase-three trial with thousands of participants. The goal, at that point, is to judge overall efficacy.

Still, other drawbacks might get in the way of even the best-engineered vaccine. Many aspects of this new coronavirus remain unknown, and its ability to mutate could be its most pernicious. Influenza, for instance, mutates regularly, which is the reason flu shots are administered every year. Whether thats the case with the novel coronavirus remains to be seen.

We can only guess from what we have from the past, Dr. Falo says. The past coronaviruses, MERS and SARS, have very, very low mutation rates. That doesnt mean this one will be, but from what weve seen, I think weve got a stable virus here.

Photo credit: Courtesy UPMC

Yet a pre-print research study by one of Chinas top scientists concluded that the viruss ability to mutate had been greatly underestimated, and that such mutations could explain the varying rates of infectionand severityamong different populations across the world.

That risk is one that Dr. Falos team, as well as other vaccine researchers, are carefully considering as they race against the clock. According to Dr. Fauci, Modernas vaccine is on track to be distributed publicly anywhere from a year to 18 months from now.

Itll take a few months to get the data to where well feel confident to go to the phase two, and then a few months from now well be in phase two and I think were right on target for the year to year and a half, he said earlier this month during a White House pandemic press conference.

That timeline is what Dr. Falo and the University of Pittsburghs vaccine team are working with right now. And while Dr. Falo knows the importance of clinical testing, hes eager to get PittCoVacc into people.

Its the team that made this happen, he says. We can envision shipping boxes and boxes of these all over the world.

Within the next couple months, they plan to begin a human clinical trial to test the safety of their vaccine, as soon as they get approval from the Food and Drug Administration. So for now Dr. Falo is still working in the lab, spinning centrifuges, harvesting viral proteins, taking tweezers to microneedle arraysand racing to release what may wind up being one of the most important vaccines on the planet.

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Travels Paralysis Will Hurt Googles Advertising Business in Coming Months

A sharp falloff in travel advertising was undoubtably a significant contributor to the significant slowdown that Googles ad revenue experienced in March, and factors into the difficult second quarter that Google envisions for its advertising business.

In its first quarter earnings call Tuesday, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that although some Google advertisers are thinking about shifting ad budgets into new opportunities such as virtual car showrooming, there are large sectors of the economy, which are affected, things like travel, and our large partners and customers are impacted. And so we clearly see the impact of that.

Although Alphabet subsidiary Googles advertising revenue increased 10.38 percent year over year in the first quarter to $33.76 billion, the company stated in March we experienced a significant slowdown in ad revenues. We are sharpening our focus on executing more efficiently, while continuing to invest in our long-term opportunities.

Get the Latest on Coronavirus and the Travel Industry on Skifts Liveblog

In the earnings call, Pichai was glum about advertising revenue expectations for the second quarter.

As of today, we anticipate that the second quarter will be a difficult one for our advertising business, he said. As we move beyond the crisis, and the global economy normalizes, this should be reflected in our advertising revenues, but it would be premature to comment on timing, given all the variables here.

Skift Research estimated that Google took in $7.2 billion in revenue from travel advertisers globally in the 12 months that ended September 30, 2019. Some $5.8 billion of that total came from Booking Holdings and Expedia Group, Skift Research estimated.

Phocuswire reported that Expedia Group and Booking Holdings spent some $11 billion on marketing in 2019. However, performance advertising through Google is a large component of their overall spend.

Story continues

Google Employee Travel

One of the steps Google is taking in response to the coronavirus crisis is to clamp down on employee travel.

We are also recalibrating the focus and pace of our investments in areas like data centers and machines and nonbusiness essential, marketing and travel, Pinchai said.

Skift was assured that the travel reference was to employee travel, and not to reducing investments in Googles travel business.

Google has gained a strong and increasing foothold in travel metasearch, or comparative shopping, with flights, hotels, vacation rentals, and travel packages, as well as a nascent tours and activities business.

Travel is an important advertising vertical for Google, and will be a contributor to the softness in its second quarter advertising revenue.

Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller has stated that the company will likely spend about $1 billion on advertising in 2020, a roughly 80 percent or greater decline from 2019 levels.

In a financial filing in late March, another major Google travel advertiser, Booking Holdings, which spends around the same amount on Google as does Expedia Group, pledged to dramatically reducing marketing spend worldwide.

Google will lose a few billion dollars from tight-spending travel advertisers in the second quarter  if not longer.

Subscribe to Skift newsletters for essential news about the business of travel.
El-Sisi reiterated that facing the repercussions of the pandemic should be conducted in parallel with the rest of the continents efforts in combating terrorism and extremism

According to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency, El-Sisi participated on Wednesday in a mini-summit via video conferencing with a number of African counterparts to follow up on the outcomes of previous summits held over the repercussions of the spread of the virus in African countries.

He affirmed to several African leaders the necessity of continued communication between African countries to coordinate efforts related to combating the coronavirus pandemic.

The virtual meeting saw the participation of South African president and current African Union chair Cyril Ramaphosa and the heads of state of Kenya, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Niger, Tanzania, Rwanda, Chad, Madagascar and the Sudanese prime minister and African Union Commission chair.

He stressed on the importance of promoting action with international finance institutions and international partners to support African countries in the economic sector both in the medium and long terms amid the negative implications on the countries economies due to the outbreak.

He also affirmed the necessity of providing necessary support in terms of preventive and medical supplies.

El-Sisi also highlighted Egypts experience in dealing with the crisis, especially through support for the health and economic sectors.

The meeting also saw agreement on continued coordination with G20 countries to carry out the parameters agreed upon in the last meeting by the bloc to support African countries in terms of mobilising development funding and providing international financial assistance to combat the economic, social and health impact of the pandemic.

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Sen. Ed Markeys re-election campaign workers have unanimously agreed to unionize, a first for statewide campaigns in Massachusetts.

The campaign and Teamsters Local 122 announced a contract covering 27 staffers on Wednesday afternoon, including organizers, communications and digital media teams and finance assistants. Health care benefits, for which the staffers were already fully covered, have been extended to include full coverage for their families, up from 33% previously. The contract also established a paid time off schedule.

The Markey for Senate campaign is worker-powered, and our campaigns values are union values," Markey said in a statement. This agreement reflects our continued commitment to live those values every day. My father was a labor leader, and I grew up listening to him talk at the kitchen table about the importance of his union membership. I am proud that our campaign is the first unionized state-based campaign in Massachusetts history.

Markey faces a primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusettss 4th District.

John Murphy, Local 122 Secretary-Treasurer and Teamsters International Vice President, said political campaign workers deserve a voice on the job as much as anyone.

These workers, who face the prospect of long, pressure-filled hours, need a strong partner like the Teamsters that will fight for their rights, Murphy said in a statement.

Jaymie Cobb, a regional organizing director for the campaign who sits on the bargaining committee, said in a statement that talks with the union began in December. By January, 80% of the campaign had signed union cards.

Senator Markey has always been a champion for unions, Cobb said. He knows that union rights have shaped our country and made it what it is today. I am grateful to the Teamsters Local 122 for not only their support of our campaign during this process, but for the work they do each and every day advocating for workers rights.

While Markeys is the first statewide campaign to unionize in the commonwealth, the campaigns of several Democrats running for president had organized, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

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Exports hit a new high in March driven by kiwifruit, dairy, and meat, even as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world says Stats NZ.



The value of total goods exports rose $215 million (3.8 per cent) from March 2019 to reach $5.8 billion in March 2020. This was a record for any month  the previous high was in May 2019, according to Stats NZ data.



The increase in total goods exports reflected a bumper kiwifruit harvest and higher prices for milk powder and meat. This rise was partly offset by a fall in log exports, particularly to China, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.



This months total goods exports were up on the same month of 2019, led by fruit exports, especially gold kiwifruit, says international statistics manager Darren Allan.



The value of fruit exports rose $115 million (54 per cent) this month, mainly due to gold kiwifruit. Gold kiwifruit exports were worth $187 million, up $105 million from last March, as quantities doubled. China, the European Union, and Japan received more than three-quarters of all gold kiwifruit exports in March 2020.



The kiwifruit industry is expecting a record harvest and reports strong demand from markets in North Asia, says Darren.



The kiwifruit export season runs from March to November.



Partly offsetting these rises were falls in forestry products, down $185 million (or 35 per cent). This decrease reflected a fall in untreated logs to China, which was quantity driven.

Export values of dairy products (up $106 million or 7.6 per cent) and meat (up $102 million or 11 per cent) also contributed to the total rise in March 2020. These increases in values were led by:

milk powder (up $132 million)

sheep meat (up $62 million)

beef (up $49 million).

Compared with March 2019, unit prices were up for:

milk powder (up 33 percent)

sheep meat (up 9.0 percent)

beef (up 10 percent).



Exports and imports to and from China continue to fall



Exports to China fell in March 2020 when compared with March 2019, down $87 million to $1.4 billion. This fall was due to untreated logs, down $173 million. The fall in exports to China was partly offset by rises in milk powder, infant formula, and gold kiwifruit.



Exports to China have fallen two months in a row compared with the same period last year.



Imports from China also fell, down $83 million from last year to $714 million in March 2020. This fall was across a range of commodities, including furniture, electrical machinery and equipment, vehicles, and clothing.



Imports from China have fallen three months in a row compared with the same period last year.



Total imports led by petroleum and products



Goods imports in March 2020 rose $369 million (7.7 per cent) to $5.1 billion. This rise was due to crude oil (up $191 million or 59 per cent), diesel (up $105 million or 80 per cent), and petrol (up $91 million or 168 per cent). These increases were quantity driven, while unit prices were also up. Imports of petroleum and products often fluctuate from month to month due to the timing of shipments. The monthly trade balance was a surplus of $672 million.
Russia plans to increase its domestic coal production up to 448-530 million tonnes annually until 2024 and up to 485-668 million tonnes annually until 2035, according to the recently presented draft of state strategy for Energy Development of Russia until 2035. Resource World Magazine reports in its article Russia eyes big plans for coal production and exports that the new strategy was designed by the Russian Ministry of Energy. In addition to a significant increase of domestic production within the next 15 years, plans call for a doubling of exports during this time.

Russia has seen success in its coal sector in recent years. For example, in 2019 coal production in the country was expected to exceed 440 million tonnes which would be the highest figure for the country in the last 11 years. This, however, is just the beginning. In accordance with the new strategy, domestic coal consumption in Russia will increase by over 12% by 2035 compared to the current figures (up to 196 million tonnes) while the share of Russian coal in the global export market grows from the current 11% to 25%.

The major markets for Russian coal will continue to be the Asia-Pacific states, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The Russian government, together with leading domestic coal producers, places big hopes on these markets, despite the recently announced plans of some major global coal consumers and producers, such as China and India, to reduce their share in the coal sector in their overall energy structure within the next decade.

That may create serious difficulties during the implementation of Russias ambitious exports plans, taking into account the recent predictions of Deloitte Russia which has stated that the share of coal in power generation in Western markets will decline to almost zero within the next several years.

In the meantime, analysts at the Russian Ministry of Energy and some independent experts in the energy sector also believe that, in order to increase its exports, Russia should push other players out of the market. The latter, according to them, will mainly depend on the ability of Russia to maintain its production costs at the current, low level.

While the costs of coal production in Russia are among the worlds lowest (with the high quality of obtained products), high transportation expenditures, primarily on rail transport, makes the final price of Russian coal almost comparable to the prices offered by some of Russias major global competitors, namely Australia, Indonesia and South Africa.

Analyst hopes are placed on steam coal, the global demand for which, according to predictions of the majority of analysts, will continue to grow in the years to come, although at rates not higher 1%-3% per annum.

Still, the current situation with steam coal in Russia is complicated by low prices for it at global markets, which in July 2019 fell to the lowest figures since June 2016 to only US $47 per tonne. This, according to analysts, is below the breakeven level of the majority of coal producers in Russia.

Meanwhile, in order to diversify its coal supplies by paying more attention to the East, Russia plans to start more active development of its railway and port infrastructure. This will involve expansion of the capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Railway.

Analysts also believe implementation of these plans may be complicated by Russias recently declared plans to increase gas exports. At the beginning of December 2019, Gazprom started supplying gas to China through what is known as the Power of Siberia, a Gazprom-operated pipeline in Eastern Siberia that transports natural gas from Yakutia to Primorsky Krai and China.
Mumbai/IBNS: During the shooting of Mira Nair's The Namesake, Irrfan Khan was clueless on how he can get into the skin of a first generation reticent Bengali professor (Ashoke Ganguli) settled in USA. Then he met writer Jhumpa Lahiris father, Amar Lahiri, who was a librarian at the University of Rhode Island.

I taped him, without his permission, and listening to his voice, I slowly began to form a picture of Ashoke in my mind, the actor recalled in an interview given to The Times of India years later on how he prepared himself to play Ashoke Ganguli in the film of Mira Nair based on Jhumpa Lahiri's book .

A man loved in his every screen presence, Irrfan Khan was a method actor from the National School of Drama, and have been compared as one who is somewhere in between the methods of Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. So from Ashoke Ganguli to the lonely accountant of The Lunchbox, he appeared effortless before camera.

The Piku actor who created some endearing moments for audience with Deepika Padukone in the film where he plays a cab service owner, was often critical of Bollywood mainstream too. He would regret its unimaginative use of songs unlike in the 1950s and 60s. But he was also a very integral part of Bollywood films too.

"Acting is a very sensitive process of searching your own method. You have to very minutely figure out what works for you and what doesnt. It is a trial-and-error method. Nobody can teach you in training school how to generate emotion," he once said in an interview with The Hindu.

So when the news of his death came in a world already reeling under the seamless flow of Covid-19 deaths, it only added up to the pain and helpless of millions of his admirers who gave a thumps up to his screen presence over the decades.

India was truly shocked to hear the death of one of its most versatile actors. He passed away at a Mumbai hospital at the age of 53 on Wednesday, leaving an eternal vacuum in the film fraternity.

Khan, who was suffering from cancer, was reportedly surrounded by his family members when he breathed his last at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

He is survived by his wife Sutapa Devendra Sikdar and two children.

Khan, who will be remembered for his smooth acting, gestures and silent expressions onscreen, was a part of more than 50 Indian films besides several Hollywood projects.

The Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay! was the first film of Khan who made his acting debut in 1988.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Khan mesmerised audience with his roles in Vishal Bhardwaj's Maqbool, Life in a... Metro, Life of Pi, Paan Singh Tomar, The Lunchbox, Haider, Piku.

His last film Angrezi Medium was released just before the pandemic Coronavirus swept the country in 2020.

The international projects where Khan stole the limelight include The Warrior, The Namesake, the Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi, Jurassic World.

At the peak of his career in 2018, Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumor.

Khan, the recipient of numerous awards, had received the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2011.

In a heart-out conversation with journalist Rajeev Masand last year, Khan had revealed why he had chosen film career initially.

"... I am fortunate that I chose this job. Initially I chose it for fame and money... The most important thing to become an actor was to explore and observe yourself and to reflect on yourself and your surrounding and society. That is something I am really fortunate to do that through my job," the Piku actor had said.

Bollywood mourns Khan's death

Acting legend Amitabh Bachchan mourned Khan's death on Twitter saying, " just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum .. Prayers and duas."

T 3516 - .. just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news ..

An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..

Prayers and duas  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 29, 2020

Actress Priyanka Chopra tweeted, "The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family."

The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family. pic.twitter.com/vjhd5aoFhc  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) April 29, 2020

Akshay Kumar tweeted, "Such terrible news...saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time."

Such terrible news...saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time Y  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 29, 2020

Nimrat Kaur tweeted, " Words fail to describe my sense of shock and horror to learn about Irrfan Khans passing away. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the family at this grave hour. Indias lost one of her biggest icons today. Our world left for the poorer..."

Words fail to describe my sense of shock and horror to learn about Irrfan Khans passing away. My prayers and deepest condolences are with the family at this grave hour. Indias lost one of her biggest icons today. Our world left for the poorer... #IrrfanKhan #Forever  Nimrat Kaur (@NimratOfficial) April 29, 2020

Grieving Khan's demise, veteran actor Anupam Kher left a video on Twitter saying, "Nothing can be more heartbreaking and tragic than the news of passing away of a dear friend, one of the finest actors and a wonderful human being #IrrfanKhan. Saddest day!! May his soul rest in peace."

Nothing can be more heartbreaking and tragic than the news of passing away of a dear friend, one of the finest actors and a wonderful human being #IrrfanKhan. Saddest day!! May his soul rest in peace. #OmShanti pic.twitter.com/QSm05p7PfU  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) April 29, 2020

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar tweeted, "My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute."

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.  Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

Actress Bhumi Pednekar said in the micro-blogging site, "So heartbroken on the demise of #IrrfanKhan sir. We are shocked & just sad. My condolences to the family .You will live on forever in our hearts sir. Thank you for entertaining us and giving us such powerful performances .You were an institution & an inspirational force . RIP."

So heartbroken on the demise of #IrrfanKhan sir. We are shocked & just sad. My condolences to the family .You will live on forever in our hearts sir. Thank you for entertaining us and giving us such powerful performances .You were an institution & an inspirational force . RIP Y  bhumi pednekar (@bhumipednekar) April 29, 2020

Khan's co-star in Karwaan Mithila Palkar wrote on Instagram, "Happy times, happier memories! Rest in peace, Sir. They don't make gems like you anymore."

(Images: Irrfan Khan Facebook)
A man who played "Russian roulette" with three women's health by failing to disclose he had HIV has been jailed for eight years.

John Rodney, 60, tested positive for HIV in August 2013 but he continued to have unprotected sex with women for several years.

Bristol Crown Court heard how Rodney, from Swindon, did not regularly take medication that would have reduced his risk of infecting others.

The 60-year-old also failed to tell his partners that he was HIV positive before sexual contact and in one case denied it when asked, instead claiming to have a different condition.

Rodney was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday, April 29 / PA

He was jailed for a total of eight years and four-and-a-half years on licence at Bristol Crown Court today.

Judge William Hart commended Wiltshire Police and prosecutors for their work in the extremely complex" case which one officer said was the first of its kind in Wiltshire.

The force, along with Swindon Borough Council, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Public Health England, spoke to more than 50 women about their past and possible future contact with Rodney.

Wiltshire Police launched an investigation in 2017 after one woman reported that she had contracted the virus following unprotected sex with Rodney.

Rodney insisted he had not engaged in sexual activity for years but detectives were able to prove otherwise, including evidence from two former partners who had contacted him in 2009 to tell him they had tested positive for HIV.

He later pleaded guilty to three charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm on the three women.

Judge Hart imposed an extended sentence of 12 years and six months, comprising of eight years in prison and four-and-a-half years on licence.

The judge accepted that Rodney, who has a long list of previous convictions, had not intended to infect the three women with HIV.

You were, in my judgement, grossly reckless in having unprotected sex with each victim when the chances were so high that they would become infected, the judge told Rodney, who appeared by video link.

You totally disregarded their health, their futures and their freedom of choice, prioritising in each case your own sexual desires.

You were prepared to play Russian roulette with your partners health but Russian roulette where the chances of an adverse outcome were much higher.

What you did was unforgivable. Your appalling criminal record is a litany for disregard of the interests and wellbeing of other people.

You have brought misery on so many over the 60 years of your life.

Rodney was informed he had tested positive for HIV by his doctor in August 2013 and was advised he should not have unprotected sex to avoid infecting others.

In April 2015, he told medical professionals that he had been abstinent from sex for 11 years and did not have any sexual partners. But in September and November that year, two women tested positive for HIV after having unprotected sex with Rodney.

By April 2017, the clinic that Rodney had been attending began receiving reports that he was in sexual relationships.

In May that year, a third woman who had unprotected sex with Rodney was also diagnosed as HIV positive.

Charles Thomas, prosecuting, said none of the women had been aware of Rodneys status before they had sex with him.

He failed to disclose to them that he was HIV positive and it was at a time when he had not been taking medication, Mr Thomas said. They themselves contracted HIV as a result.

In December 2017, a sexual risk order was granted by Swindon Magistrates Court to ban Rodney from having sex without telling the police beforehand.

The court heard he repeatedly breached this order and was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

During their investigation, police identified two women who had been in a relationship with Rodney in 2009 and tested positive for HIV that year.

Another woman, who has since died, was also diagnosed with HIV in 2011 following a sexual relationship with Rodney.

In a victim personal statement, one of the three women in the case described the devastating effect of Rodneys offending.

The choice to have unprotected sex would have [been] different should he have made me aware of his condition and been honest with me, she told the court.

This all could have been prevented  this didnt need to happen to me and the other ladies affected.

We are all paying the price due to one persons lack of responsibility for himself and other human beings.

Peter Binder, representing Rodney, said his client now felt the heavy burden of responsibility for his actions and now showed remorse.

He described how Rodney had suffered ill physical and mental health and had expressed feelings of immense shame and guilt.

Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Helen Jacobs said: Rodney is a professional criminal, who has always shown complete and utter disregard for the law.

He has destroyed the lives of a number of women who will require treatment for the rest of their lives.
Some swing voters in Canton, Ohio, who were won over by President Trump's say-anything bravado in 2016, now wish he'd be less partisan and more expert-driven  like a governor.

Driving the news: Concerns over Trump's ego and how he talks about the public health crisis were some of the main takeaways from our Engagious/FPG focus group with 10 voters who flipped from Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016.

Why it matters: National polls show a majority of Americans feel better about their state executives' handling of the crisis than Trump's. This could matter, especially if it translates to lost support from crossover voters in battleground states.

The focus group was conducted Tuesday night in two online panels.

While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, these responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about the 2020 election in crucial counties.

What they're saying: There's little appetite for partisan politics among these voters when it comes to a crisis with life-and-death consequences. They want a leader who will work with health and science experts, find solutions, and activate in a way that won't polarize the country.

And across the board, they gave glowing reviews to the way Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has handled the crisis.

"Gov. DeWine has been a rock. Hes cool, calm, collected. He has a good team. He does make decisions and hes made absolutely great ones. I have a lot of confidence in him," said Pat M., 64.

Tracy G., 51, agreed with that. "He doesnt hesitate to act. He figures out what needs to be done and hes on it. I think hes been a great guy for this crisis. Ive been amazed by what hes done and I like that hes a man of action."

"Politics doesnt seem to play a very big role at all when hes making decisions and telling us whats going on and I appreciate that," said 63-year-old Michael H.

"I like that he's very visible a lot. He's active on a bunch of different social media forums," said 32-year-old Kristen D.

Asked for the leadership qualities they admire in other governors around the country managing the crisis, these voters offered words including "patience," "sympathetic" and "sincere"  and praised leaders who appear to fight "passionately" to protect their constituents.

By contrast, they described Trump as "lackadaisical" with his words, not always sounding "the most educated," and being "all over the place."

"I do think his ego is getting a bit in the way, and I think now we're seeing things in the face of this pandemic that go on behind the scenes that we haven't seen before," said Kristen D. "Maybe he's exposed a little bit."

Trump should behave more like DeWine, several said.

"I would just encourage President Trump to do the same thing that DeWine is doing and get rid of the politics. That just hogs up too much of the spotlight and it just becomes much more divisive. This is a time for our nation to be coming together and look, I think the state of Ohio has done a pretty good job of coming together. Mr. Trump could take some of the cool, calm, collected, grandpa-kind-of-DeWine. This whole attitude and perspective  it's much more unifying than it is divisive."

 Michael H., an Ohio Obama/Trump swing voter.

April P., 44, said Trump didn't take the coronavirus seriously at first: "I've heard him say before he didn't know nothing about the shortage of tests for the COVID-19, but yet I've seen it all over the news. So how could you not know and you're running this country?"

Others were concerned that Trump cares more about the economy than people. "He feels like lives are expendable as opposed to the state of the union at this point," said Sherry W., 46.

What we're watching: These voters hadn't entirely abandoned Trump  they signaled they wouldn't blame him for an economic recession triggered by the virus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 22:24:35|Editor: huaxia

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A tourist poses for a selfie in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

After the response level is downgraded, people from low-risk regions of China will not need to be quarantined for 14 days at home upon arriving in Beijing. Those who are undergoing concentrated or at-home observation need not continue, said Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, at a press conference on April 29.

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese capital will lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the top level to the second level starting April 30, the latest sign of social order restoration as the epidemic conditions have been eased.

The decision was made after the city had seen no new confirmed local or imported COVID-19 cases for 13 consecutive days, said Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, at a press conference on Wednesday.

On Jan. 24, Beijing activated the highest level of public health emergency response to contain the outbreak of the epidemic.

After the response level is downgraded, people from low-risk regions of China will not need to be quarantined for 14 days at home upon arriving in Beijing, Chen said. Those who are undergoing concentrated or at-home observation need not continue.

But the strict management of inbound personnel and those from high- and medium-risk areas and Hubei, the province once hardest hit by the virus, will continue.

Couriers, deliverymen, housekeepers and real estate agents with green health codes will be allowed to enter residential communities, which will remain under closed-off management, Chen said. Relative visitors will also be allowed if their health codes are green.

Li Jie (R), a deliveryman of ZTO Express, confirms the information on a parcel in Beijing, March 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

Libraries, museums and galleries will reopen in an orderly manner with restricted numbers of visitors, and cinemas, karaoke houses and underground gymnasiums and natatoria will remain closed.

Chen said hotels in Beijing will not require nucleic acid test results from guests, with only a green health code needed to check-in.

The response level downgrade will relax travel restrictions between Beijing and other parts of China, which is expected to boost travel and consumption during the upcoming five-day Labor Day holiday.

According to the online travel service provider Qunar, flights booked departing from Beijing rocketed by 15 times within half an hour following the announcement at the press conference, with the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Changsha being the top five destinations.

Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said ordinary people can take off their masks in outdoor public venues if they are not at populated sites like school campuses and stations of public transport. Pregnant women, children and the elderly with poor immunity are still advised to wear their masks on.

Rong Jun, a spokesperson of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, said under the latest emergency response level, the maximum allowable passenger capacity will be raised from 50 percent of full capacity to 75 percent on buses and to 65 percent on subway trains.

Bus services between Beijing and some areas in the neighboring Hebei Province will resume operations in an orderly manner, and inter-provincial long-distance and chartered bus services will gradually be resumed, he said.

The buses and subway carriages need to be disinfected and ventilated regularly and all passengers are required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken.

"Despite the adjustment, the prevention and control measures in Beijing remain the strictest," Rong said.

Beijing's neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province have also announced they will lower the public health emergency response from Level I to Level II starting Thursday, by which time Hubei will be the only provincial region on the Chinese mainland that remains at the highest emergency response level. 
When a mysterious bat virus comes out of your nations largest geopolitical rival and sends you pacing up and down a driveway or in a small apartment for a few months, only meeting outsiders with the mediation of masks, and attending church and school through a video-conferencing software, you may begin to suspect that the whole world is going to change.

It must, right? Some relationships are unsustainable. A substantial number of people are being forced to do without normalcy and to adapt. Business travel replaced by Zoom. Commuting replaced teleconferencing. School displaced by distance learning and iPads. Restaurants replaced with takeout and home-cooking. Travel replaced with . . . nothing at all. And, economically speaking, the world is going through simultaneous supply and demand shocks.

And yet, there is a funny way in which the change that analysts, pundits, and experts prophesy is the change they already wanted. China hawks say coronavirus will require hard decoupling. Trade hawks say it will require onshoring. Environmentalists want us to develop a taste for their cleaner air that comes with less human productivity. Skeptics of the growth of the American university system predict its imminent collapse. Social traditionalists predict a newer wave of stay-at-home mothers and the growth of homeschooling. People who habitually fret about declining adherence to religion predict that more people will lose the habit of religion. Nationalists predict more nationalism. Each of these predictions is framed in a way to alternately elicit hope or fear for the future.

The very perceptive essayist John Gray intones: The era of peak globalisation is over. This fits with his ongoing argument that liberal elites have indulged in decades of self-deception about the justice and sustainability of their way of life. He writes:

An economic system that relied on worldwide production and long supply chains is morphing into one that will be less interconnected. A way of life driven by unceasing mobility is shuddering to a stop. Our lives are going to be more physically constrained and more virtual than they were. A more fragmented world is coming into being that in some ways may be more resilient.

Story continues

Suffering from cabin fever and worried about potential food shortages, I think that all sounds so reasonable, even inevitable. But Im not sure its true. The fact that most analysts havent changed their fundamental analysis of the world is a clue that even they dont expect change, so much as an intensification.

Having lived through September 11 and the 19 years following it, Ive begun to believe that social and political transformation is illusory. Very few human beings experience it outside of cataclysmic world war. Things change, sure, but slowly. Humans experience social change as addition and complexification. The transformations are only obvious in hindsight.

September 11 was supposed to change everything. But looking back, it just reads as addition and complexification. When I was eleven years old, my mother pulled me from school during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Eight years later, in college, classes were canceled for two days. Americas engagement in the Middle East increased and intensified, but on the whole it remains on the same path it has been on since Jimmy Carter was president.

So too with COVID-19. China and the United States were already heading for some decoupling, as evidenced by the efforts put into the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Nationalism was already having a vogue moment. Apple had already started experimenting with moving little bits of computer manufacturing back to the United States. The eat local movement was itself an attempt to make more durable, if less efficient, supply chains. If mass immigration continues to fall in disrepute, it was already doing so, with borders hardening all over the world.

Ask yourself: Have you met anyone whose long-term aspirations for themselves and their children have been altered by COVID-19? I havent. The short and medium term may be hazy, but our cultures vision of a good and successful life is unchanged.

Political reality is a product of the beliefs, habits, dreams, and self-delusions of everyday people. Events  even great events  can temporarily interrupt those habits. But we sometimes hold on to our beliefs even tighter when they are challenged. We double down.

Many individual human actors  from people who build and manage supply chains for great enterprises, to politicians and school administrators  will find themselves exhausted at the end of this crisis. Getting back to normal will begin to seem like an imperative. And normal means something like the way things were, not some great unknown future. Old habits and old dreams die hard.

More from National Review
Amitabh Bachchan is celebrating 37 years of his film Mahaan on Wednesday and has shared facts from the film with a pinch of humour. The actor also treated fans with a hilarious Instagram post as he tried to adhere to the assumed rules of gaining popularity on the picture-sharing platform.

Sharing a picture from the making of the film on Instagram, the actor wrote, Somebody was explaining to me why I was not getting the big numbers on Insta , unlike all the other youngGEN .. he said  because you cant put up a pic in a bikini  !!! And suddenly this one popped up .. not quite a bikini , its more bhara hua kini .. from my film MAHAAN .. triple role .. and today 37 th year of its release !!

The picture shows Amitabh in a striped vest and shorts,walking with a small trolley. It received over 4.3 lakh likes within a few hours.

Amitabh also shared some interesting trivia about the film which had him in a triple role. Sharing a collage of all his three characters, he wrote on his blog, 37 years .. ! 37 years of MAHAAN .. the triple role .. the star cast .. the making the travel the days of work .. and the joy of a first attempt at a triple role .. VFX never heard of .. yet trick camera work and the efficiency of the technology within limitations .. 

While the actor played a lawyer named Amit with a bearded look and grey hair, he also played his two sons: Guru, a theatre actor and Shankar, a police inspector.

T 3515 - my film MAHAAN .. 37th year of release today .. !!!! triple role .. goodness .. what days .. what a star cast .. Waheeda Ji , Zeenat, Parveen , Amjad , Aruna Irani , Shakti Kapoor .. pic.twitter.com/cAoR8d1Lm0  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 28, 2020

He also shared some rare pictures from the making of the film including one with Pancham at Film Center recording studio in Tardeo where the films were developed.

Amitabh Bachchan with Pancham during the making of Mahaan. (Amitabh Bachchan blog)

Also read: Irrfan Khan is still fighting: Actors rep dismisses extreme rumours about his health, asks people not to create panic

He revealed how the song Pyaar Mein Dil Pe Maar De Goli was shot in the presence of a real crowd in Patan , Nepal, which has now been renamed as Lalitpur. Talking about singing the song himself, he wrote, Pancham da insisting I sing it .. was really badly sung but went with the moment of the scene , so it went.

Amitabh had also suffered a hand injury while filming one of the action scenes and had to attend Rishi Kapoors wedding with a bandaged hand.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
(CNN) -- When his daughter was born, Alex Kaplan thought his home was babyproof. He was wrong.

"We have a wily little girl," said Kaplan, who lives in Washington, D.C. "At 9 months old, she managed to open a childproof  in air quotes  bottle of acetaminophen."

When Kaplan found her, she was smeared in a sticky mess from putting the gel caps in her mouth. "Acetaminophen, we came to learn, is very dangerous and dose-dependent," said Kaplan, who called poison control then headed to the closest emergency room.

Kaplan's daughter was fine, but accidental poisoning is a serious problem for American kids.

More than 300 children are treated for poisoning each day in emergency departments across the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On average, two of those kids will die.

As Americans spend more time at home trying to safeguard their families against Covid-19, accidental poisonings are on the rise. And some experts believe the spike is due to the very same cleaning products parents are using to protect their families from infection.

Why have poisonings increased?

"Our center has experienced a greater than 100% increase in calls related to disinfecting products from March 31 through this week," said Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, medical director of the National Capital Poison Center. While President Trump's comments on fighting Covid-19 with disinfectants have been tied to a surge of poison control calls, the increase predates his April 23 press briefing.

Dr. Johnson-Arbor's poison center serves counties in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, but calls are up across the United States.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has found that calls to poison control centers went up 24% from January to March 2020.

"A lot of it is driven by increased use and exposure to cleaning products," Johnson-Arbor explained, noting that many Americans are taking extra steps to clean and disinfect their homes to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

"These cleaning products are in short supply," Johnson-Arbor said. "We're just sort of grabbing whatever is available, and it may be something we're not familiar with using."

A study released by the CDC on April 24 reinforced what Johnson-Arbor and her colleagues have observed.

Poison center calls related to cleaning products and disinfectants were up 20.4% in the period from January through March 2020, when compared to the previous year, according to the new data.

Though the study doesn't break down numbers by month, the CDC's graphs depicting calls to poison centers showed that the increased exposures really shot up in March, a period of growing awareness about the danger posed by Covid-19.

Children are at highest risk for chemical exposure

Those calls to poison control centers disproportionately involved young children.

"Children are naturally inquisitive," Johnson-Arbor said. "That's why it's not uncommon to see children getting into these cleaning products."

The most vulnerable group included children who were 5 years old and under. From January to March 2020, they accounted for 35.7% of total poison center calls related to cleaning products, and 46.9% of exposures to disinfectants.

While older kids accounted for fewer calls to poison control, they're still at risk. During the sample period highlighted in the CDC study, youth ages 6 to 19 accounted for 8.9% of exposures to cleaning products and 13.6% of exposures to disinfectants.

While the numbers have gone up, the overall proportion of children affected is consistent with data from past years.

The National Capital Poison Center reported that in 2018, 44.2% of poison exposures were children who were 5 years old and under.

Of these, 1-year-olds and 2-year-olds were at highest risk. The NCPC report showed that in children 12 and under, boys are most likely to be exposed; girls are at higher risk starting at 13 years old.

Common products can be dangerous to kids

Chemical exposures are on the rise, but even in a normal year, household cleaning products pose a health hazard to kids.

"Any of the currently available products can be hazardous to children," Johnson-Arbor said. "Disinfectants generally have similar compositions. They're generally made up of bleaches, ammonium compounds, alcohols, abrasive agents  all of those things are potentially toxic."

All-natural cleaning products can pose a risk, too, Johnson-Arbor noted.

"Natural cleaning products may not contain the quote-unquote 'harsh chemicals' that are present in the traditional products, but they might contain other things," she said.

"Sometimes natural cleaning products will contain essential oils, for example, and essential oils can be very irritating to the skin, to the eyes and to the gastrointestinal tract."

Cleaning substances were the No. 2 cause of poisoning for children under the age of 6, accounting for 10.7% of all exposures in 2018, according to data from the annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System.

Topping the 2018 list for pediatric exposure were cosmetics and personal care products, which accounted for 12.1% of cases. In the No. 3 spot were analgesics, pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin.

The most common chemical exposures are not always the most serious, however.

For children under 6 years old, pain medications accounted for 20.5% of poisoning fatalities from 2014 to 2018, reported the National Capital Poison Center, drawing on figures from the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System. Other top poisoning fatalities included fumes (16.7%), antihistamines (6.4%) and cardiovascular drugs (5.7%).

Despite the prevalence  and recent rise  of pediatric poisonings due to household cleaning and disinfectant products, they're relatively unlikely to cause fatalities. Between 2014 and 2018 they accounted for just 3.4% of poisoning deaths.

How to avoid household poisonings and chemical exposure

In the CDC study, the highest proportion of calls to poison control centers related to cleaning and disinfectant products were because someone ingested the dangerous substance. Inhaling products came in at No. 2.

"Some of these products look very enticing," Johnson-Arbor said. "They may be yellow or purple in color, and they might resemble a juice or some other products that a child is used to playing with."

To prevent kids from getting into potentially dangerous substances, including chemicals and medications, Johnson-Arbor said proper storage is essential.

"We always want to keep these products high and out of reach of young children," she said. "People should have child-protective locks on any area where they store these compounds."

But when it comes to protecting children from cleaning products, Johnson-Arbor noted that proper use is important, too.

"These products are meant to be used one at a time," she said. "If you mix them together, sometimes you can create a byproduct that is actually more toxic and more noxious." One common and dangerous mistake, Johnson-Arbor said, is combining bleach with ammonia or vinegar.

"If you're working with chemicals at all, do it in a well-ventilated space," she said. Especially when cleaning bathrooms, which tend to be poorly ventilated, Johnson-Arbor said it's good to keep kids well away from the area.

"Young children, especially if they inhale the chemicals, can get a lot of respiratory irritation," she said. "You don't want anyone in there who doesn't need to be there during the cleaning process."

If your child is exposed to dangerous chemicals

After that scary encounter with acetaminophen, Kaplan decided to step up his home's child-readiness. He scheduled a visit from Baby Proofing Montgomery, a company that specializes in advising parents on creating safe homes.

Now, his house has enhanced childproofing, with chemicals and medications stored far out of reach. And when Kaplan's friends become parents, he makes sure they have the number for poison control saved into their cell phones.

"They're just phenomenal, both in their depth of knowledge, and in their ability to guide you through a potentially dangerous poison situation," Kaplan said. "When you want to use them, you want to know their number immediately."

Despite an increased volume of calls, Johnson-Arbor said America's poison control centers will be available throughout the pandemic and beyond.

"We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays," she said. In addition to toll-free hotlines, Johnson-Arbor noted that help is available online at Poison.org.

It's possible, she said, that wait times will be longer than usual. While poison control centers are not government-run, some are operating state Covid-19 hotlines to assist with the pandemic response.

The increased wait times, Johnson-Arbor said, should not deter anyone from calling in. When they do, they'll reach specially trained nurses and pharmacologists offering free help.

There are 55 poison control centers serving all 50 states, plus overseas territories. Poison control centers are funded by federal, state and city governments, with additional support from individual donations. On April 23, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced it was allocating nearly $5 million in funding to poison control centers.

"We are not a government agency, and we do need to keep our funding levels adequate," Johnson-Arbor said. For now, though, she said the service will remain available to all Americans.

"We will stay open," she said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Accidental disinfectant poisonings in children on the rise during pandemic"
1971 was a 2007 directorial movie debut by Amrit Sagar. Set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war for Bangladesh's independence from West Pakistan, the film went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi at the 55th National Film Awards.

However, not many know that this riveting tale about the lives of Indian Prisoners of War (PoW) in Pakistan existed in the film domain, because it failed to publicize itself well-enough around the time of its release.

 Sagar Arts Productions

But those who watched the movie, swore by it. Right from the screenplay, to the background score and performances, viewers hailed this as the next war-drama with the might to topple major front-runners in the domain.



Today, 13 years later after its release, 1971 is being declared a digital blockbuster because of its true to life representations of life and times of the 54 PoWs that the Pakistani government not only illegally detained, but also denied the very existence of.

Here are 4 major reasons why 1971 is a superhit today, and ought to have been 13 years ago as well.

1. The Backstory

 Sagar Arts Productions

1971 is based on the lives of real Prisoners of War (PoW) who were detained in Pakistan after the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war which was fought to establish a new country, Bangladesh. The film not only uncovers how cunningly the Pakistani government manipulated the situation of withholding Indian PoW in its territory but also tries to throw light on the plight of those Indian defense personnel held in Pakistan for the countrys twisted reasons.



Based on real reportage and research about 54 PoWs held captive in Pakistani jails in dire circumstances, 1971 shares these detained soldiers' stories established through multiple, real sources.

2. The Reliable Cast

 Sagar Arts Productions

One of the best aspects about this film has to be its strong ensemble cast which has trusted actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, Piyush Mishra, Manav Kaul, Ravi Kishan, and Kumud Mishra in the forefront. Apart from Manoj Bajpayees convincing performance as the man trying to lead a band of six soldiers away from the clutches of the Pakistani army and back into their motherland, Deepak Dobriyal and Ravi Kishans performance will win you over.



The authenticity and vigour to see through this personal mission comes through effortlessly through the convincing screenplay by Amrit Sagar and meticulously amazing cinematography by Chirantan Das who has worked on films like Tanu Weds Manu.

3. The Hard-Hitting Dialogues

 Sagar Arts Productions

We arent unaware of Piyush Mishras penmanship. One of the films highlights happens to be its strong, hard-hitting dialogues which have been written by Mishra himself. With well-worded phrases and poignant references, the dialogues in the film manage to leave the audience teary eyes on more than a couple of occasions.



Piyush Mishra has succeeded in laying bare the true emotions of both the captured Indian soldiers, but also present to his audience the true motives of the Pakistani military.

4. An Account Of History Now Forgotten

 Sagar Arts Productions

Sagars directorial is a visual diary of a historic event which has slowly been pushed to the backseat for most Indians today. More than a decade since its release, 1971 manages to remind us of those forgotten heroes who either gave up their lives in Pakistani prisons or still await their release almost five decades later.



The film manages to store all the details on reel for future generations to remember and for the world to understand how easily some countries give up on humanity for their political gains.
There is no community transmission of the novel coronavirus in Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner K Pandurang Pole said on Wednesday, asserting the administration was ready to meet any exigency that may arise due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We know the source of every case that has been detected here. There is not a single case where we are facing any difficulty in tracing the source. Definitely, we are not in the community transmission mode," Pole told reporters.

He said the high number of cases which are coming from particular areas like Gund Jehangeer, Hajin or Gund Qaiser in north Kashmir's Bandipora district or from Anantnag was because most of the positive cases were basically from the contacts, who have been identified.

Pole said the authorities were working with dedication on contact tracing, sampling and treatment round-the-clock.

"The administration is ready to meet any exigency which arises due to the current COVID-19 pandemic," he added.

Describing SKIMS hospital at Soura as the AIIMS of the Valley, Pole said it is playing a major role in fighting the pandemic.

"It has treated 150 COVID-19 patients and is conducting 700 to 800 COVID-19 tests daily," he added.

The divisional commissioner said the agriculture activities have already started in rural areas across the valley.

"Daily 30 to 40 trucks transport apples from cold stores to the outside mandis and till date 12,000 metric tonnes have been imported. The agricultural or rural activities have been revived. The government construction works are being resumed by following all safety guidelines," he said.

Referring to those residents of the valley who are stranded outside the UT, Pole said the government is working on the issue and proper action will be taken after the issuance of the guidelines by the Centre.

"There are about 26,000 persons from Jammu and Kashmir, including 15,000 from the valley, who are outside. We have brought back 6,300 persons so far," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Health Mission,



Odisha has asked the district administration of Khurda, where 47 COVID-19 cases have been reported till Wednesday, to conduct coronavirus tests on people who had recently visited West Bengal, a senior official said.

Odisha NHM director Shalini Pandit in a letter to the Khurda district collector S K Rout said that the persons who travelled to West Bengal should be traced, home quarantined and their samples collected for testing.

A list of the persons who had visited the neighbouring state in the last few weeks during the ongoing lockdown was also attached to the letter.

At least 250 people in the district were found to have travelled to West Bengal during the lockdown period, officials said.

Of the 250 people, about 140 people reside in Bhubaneswar.

The list included the names of almost all areas under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation jurisdiction from where the people had travelled to West Bengal.

Of the total 122 COVID-19 cases reported in the state so far, 47 were detected from Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Wednesday, of the 122 COVID-19 patients in the state, 50 persons had recently returned from West Bengal.

"Looking after West Bengal returnees has also become a major challenge for the state," he said.

The state government had recently undertaken a surveillance of the people through mobile tracking after a spike in COVID-19 cases in Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore districts.

A majority of the people in the three districts who tested positive for COVID-19 had links to West Bengal prompting the government to take this step.

As many as 2,900 people from 29 of the 30 districts of Odisha, were found to have travelled to West Bengal between March 25 and April 23, the officials said.

The surveillance was done by tracking the mobile phones, they said.

Meanwhile, the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Khurda, has started the process of tracing the people who had recently visited West Bengal.

The officials said, similar letters have been served to the authorities of the remaining 29 districts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Being the head honcho of a loyalty programme company that essentially deals with travel, it's not surprising that Manish Dureja, MD and CEO of InterMiles (erstwhile JetPrivilege), says his greatest passion is to travel far and wide. However, he makes sure he stays away from the usual destinations. From the overwhelming Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska to experiencing the world's biggest Christmas market in Austria and enjoying a high-speed drive on the famed Autobahn in Germany, Dureja keeps his holidays offbeat.

"Last December, we drove almost 1,500 Km within Europe. I spent hours at the Christmas market in Salzburg, understanding how they make the popular mulled wine, which is consumed hot." Dureja looks forward to his vacations not just to unwind but also to learn about new cultures and traditions. "I want to go back to the Mendenhall Glacier once more to understand about the local people and culture. I landed on that glacier in a helicopter and spent about an hour over there and what struck me most is how the locals care about nature and preserve it."

Back home, Dureja makes it a point to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He says the pull is not so much religious; he finds it to be the biggest equaliser. "You sit in the langar hall and however big you may be professionally, it makes you realise that you are just like everybody else, a commoner. That's a powerful feeling and it keeps you grounded."
In stressful and uncertain times, baking offers solace, joy, and the sweetest rewards

When Samantha Seneviratne finds herself stressed or sad, she soothes her worries with flour and yeast.

Theres nothing more comforting than a soft, silky ball of dough, she said. I call them dough babies.

For the veteran baker, food writer, and recipe developer, baking is a source of comfort and joy, a balm for hard and anxious times. Now, hunkered down at home, people are baking more than everevident in social media feeds saturated with photos of banana bread and sourdough startersand perhaps finding the same.

The joys are manifold, from the simple tactile pleasures of mixing or kneading, to the wonderful smells that drift from the oven and fill the house, to the promise of sweet rewards at the end.

British food writer Diana Henry points to the simple, repetitive movements of the process: kneading, sifting, buttering tins. These are soothing. She learned to bake before any other kind of cooking (baking and sauteing an onion are things I feel Ive been doing since I was just out of the cradle!) and highlights ease and accessibility as big draws for even non-cooks. At its most basic, she said, its just about mixing stuff.

Still, basic efforts yield big rewards: The transformation of dough or batter into something edible is quite miraculous, she added. I think children like the alchemy of it.

Theres also a sense of certainty in baking, given that you follow the rules, Seneviratne said; it is a game of precision, after all.

If you just use a baking recipe like the GPS in your car, you can get somewhereusuallyif you really just follow it to the letter, you can take comfort in the fact that you know whats going to happen, which is nice especially in times like these when everything is so uncertain.

And even if something does go wrong, the stakes are low, she pointed out: Failure is not going to ruin the day.

The best part about baking is that its not a necessity, she explained. Unlike cooking to feed ourselves and our families, baking up sweet treats is always just for the delight, and that in itself is just such a joy.

For Joanne Chang, pastry chef and owner of Flour Bakery in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, part of that joy is sharing it with others.

Taking the time to make [someone] something from scratch is saying, I care about you and I love you and I want you to have something wonderful to make you happy, she said.

What to Make

Comfort food is highly personal, so bake what brings you and your loved ones joy. But for beginners looking for a place to start, the baking pros offer the same advice: keep it simple.

Im a bit worried about all these people who have never cooked or baked before taking to sourdough making! Henry said. Its not that easy, and I worry that theyll be discouraged. Im all for starting with easy things.

Shes been baking incredibly simple cakes, the ones you just need a wooden spoon and a bowl for. I love cakes made with yogurt or olive oil, or both. I dont have to get the mixer out and I like the moist crumb as well.

She shared a recipe for an elegant lemon and lavender cake from her cookbook Simple, which gets tenderness and bowl-and-wooden-spoon ease from both yogurt and olive oil. The dried lavender buds do require a quick whiz in a food processor, but if you cant be botheredor cant find lavender locally or onlineyou can easily omit for a simple lemon cake.

Chang has been baking easy breads and chocolate chip cookiesthe basics, nothing too complicated, she said. The world is complicated enough.

Her newest cookbook, Pastry Love, includes a recipe for an ultra-rich double chocolate rye cookie, packed with both bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, that bakes up a soft, chewy, chocolate-lovers dream. Its made with rye flour, a nuttier and healthier (though Chang is quick to clarify that these cookies are far from health food) alternative flour to experiment with, especially if the all-purpose is running low on your local grocery store shelves.

Seneviratne also has a recipe for whole-grain chocolate chip cookies, made with a mix of whole wheat and spelt flour, in her latest cookbook, The Joys of Baking. Make an extra batch of dough to portion into balls and stash in the freezer, ready to bake, as Seneviratne does: Were just 10 minutes away from warm cookies at any time. That to me is pure comfort; thats like my security blanket.

If you do want to go the bread route, Seneviratne suggests the world of sweet breads, made with commercial yeast, as a more beginner-friendly entry point than the long-term commitment of sourdough. These breads are equally satisfying and equally giving, but they dont take as much energy, she said. [They] are much simpler to put together and they yield big rewards.

She offered up an aptly named recipe for a Sunshine Wreath, a free-form braided bread swirled with a filling of butter, sugar, and tons of bright orange and lemon zest. The dough can come together either in a mixer or by hand.

The only hard part is the filling and braiding, she said, but if you just decide you dont care what it looks likebecause truthfully it doesnt matterthen its going to taste good no matter how it looks. So just let go of that fear and go for it.

Keep Calm and Bake On

If something does go wrong, try to roll with the punches. And if it goes really, really wrong, remember those low stakes.

So when I rolled up my sleeves one gloomy afternoon to make my own sunshine wreath, no matter that the dough stuck to my palms and countertops as I tried to knead it by hand. My struggles drew my roommate into the kitchen, and together we laughed and coaxed it into silky-smooth submission, then marveled as it rose into a gorgeous, honeycombed puff an hour later.

Then, after a messy braiding job, a second rise, and half an hour in the oven, no matter that the wreath emerged more sun-tanned than sunshine, perhaps the result of a heavy-handed egg wash and a few minutes too long of baking. The crackly brown crust proved a perfect complement to the plush, yeasty insides.

And no matter that we polished off far too large a portion of the bread in far too short of a timeas Seneviratne put it, we might have to roll out of quarantine, but I think its worth it. You just have to think about whatever gives you solace. For her, that is sweets and bread and baking.

Its just about joy right now, finding pockets of joy wherever you can. A warm, freshly-baked wreath of citrus-swirled bread is a great place to start.

Quick Tips for Baking Success

Prep Smart

Read the recipe from start to finish so you know what youre getting yourself into, Chang advised. Measure everything out in advance before you startit makes baking so much smoother and way more enjoyable.

Be Precise

For measuring ingredients, Chang encourages using a kitchen scale: Its the quickest way to baking success! Henry echoes the importance of precision in baking: Measure properly, and even if the recipe writer hasnt told you why you need to do a particular step, pay attention and do it.

Check Your Oven Temperature

According to Henry, dodgy ovens are the biggest reason for failures in both baking and roasting  People think theyre failing when quite often they need their oven checked. Get a good oven thermometer and check that your oven is at the temperature it says it is, before and during baking.

RECIPE: Lemon and Lavender Cake

RECIPE: Double Chocolate Rye Cookies

RECIPE: Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies

RECIPE: Sunshine Wreath
This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll apply a basic P/E ratio analysis to Chengdu Expressway Co., Ltd.'s (HKG:1785), to help you decide if the stock is worth further research. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Chengdu Expressway has a P/E ratio of 7.34. That means that at current prices, buyers pay HK$7.34 for every HK$1 in trailing yearly profits.

See our latest analysis for Chengdu Expressway

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings 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 Chengdu Expressway:

P/E of 7.34 = CN1.965  CN0.268 (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2019.)

(Note: the above calculation uses the share price in the reporting currency, namely CNY and the calculation results may not be precise due to rounding.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing 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.

Does Chengdu Expressway Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (6.8) for companies in the infrastructure industry is roughly the same as Chengdu Expressway's P/E.

SEHK:1785 Price Estimation Relative to Market April 29th 2020

Its P/E ratio suggests that Chengdu Expressway shareholders think that in the future it will perform about the same as other companies in its industry classification. If the company has better than average prospects, then the market might be underestimating it. Further research into factors such as insider buying and selling, could help you form your own view on whether that is likely.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Story continues

P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

Chengdu Expressway's earnings per share fell by 23% in the last twelve months. But EPS is up 5.6% over the last 5 years.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

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. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).

Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.

How Does Chengdu Expressway's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

Chengdu Expressway's net debt equates to 47% of its market capitalization. You'd want to be aware of this fact, but it doesn't bother us.

The Verdict On Chengdu Expressway's P/E Ratio

Chengdu Expressway has a P/E of 7.3. That's below the average in the HK market, which is 9.4. With only modest debt, it's likely the lack of EPS growth at least partially explains the pessimism implied by the P/E ratio.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. Although we don't have analyst forecasts you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
By Kirstin Ridley

LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Jenkins, a former feted Barclays rainmaker who was acquitted of fraud charges by a London jury two months ago, has now also been cleared of wrongdoing in a separate regulatory investigation, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Brad Kaufman, co-president of law firm Greenberg Traurig, who has been representing Jenkins since 2012, told Reuters that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had closed its inquiry into Jenkins' role in Barclays' emergency fundraisings from Qatar at the height of the credit crisis.

"The FCA has discontinued their warning notice," he said. "After all he has been through, and having been exonerated by the SFO (Serious Fraud Office) trial, it would have been unfair to continue with the investigation."

The FCA called Barclays "reckless" in 2013 for failing to disclose 322 million pounds ($400 million) in advisory payments to Qatari investors, whose capital injections helped the British bank avoid a state bailout in 2008.

But an investigation into the bank and individuals was put on hold after the SFO launched a criminal inquiry in late 2012. In February this year, Jenkins and two other former Barclays executives were unanimously acquitted of fraud charges.

The conclusion of the high-profile trial at London's Old Bailey meant Jenkins, once dubbed the bank's "gatekeeper" to the Qatari relationship, Tom Kalaris, who ran the wealth division, and Richard Boath, a onetime financial institutions boss, walked free. The men had all denied wrongdoing.

But the end of the criminal trial also heralded the rekindling of the regulatory investigation, which could have led to executives being fined or banned from financial services.

The FCA has not disclosed which individuals were in its sights. It said on Tuesday it normally did not comment about matters being considered by the Regulatory Decisions Committee, an internal panel of experts that takes enforcement and supervisory decisions on its behalf.

Story continues

A spokesman said in a statement that "we have strict confidentiality and privacy obligations to comply with."

Boath has said the FCA ended an investigation into him years ago. Kalaris had not been in the regulator's sights, his lawyer said.

Barclays, which said in 2013 that the FCA planned to fine it 50 million pounds for its failure to adequately disclose the Qatari advisory payments, said in its annual report published in February that it continued to contest the FCA findings.

(Reporting by Kirstin Ridley; Editing by Sinead Cruise, Alexander Smith and Peter Cooney)
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Global Professional Service Automation Software Market (PSA) was valued US$ 7.5 Bn in 2017 and expected to reach US$ 15.45 Bn by 2026, at a CAGR of 9.45 % during forecast period.





Professional service automation software market is segmented into deployment type, application, and region. Based on deployment type, a market is divided into on-premise, and cloud. On the basis of application, a market is segmented into consulting firms, marketing & communication, technology companies, others. Geographically market is spread into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/10333



Driving factors for Global Professional Service Automation Software Market (PSA) are increasing demand due to the availability of PSA solutions with an enhanced set of functionalities. Also, growth in need to improve operational efficiency between professional service firms is expected to boost the market growth. Global Professional Service Automation Software Market (PSA) are software products designed to help professional services companies streamline a number of operations, optimize efficiency, and attain higher productivity and profitability. These systems are complete business solutions and include a variety of capabilities, including, invoice management, time tracking, expense management, project management, billing, and resource allocation. At the same time shortage of knowledgeable and experienced resources and robust market, environments are hampering the growth of the market.



North America involves developed economies, such as the US and Canada. In this region, organizations are rapidly adopting and willing to invest in developing technologies, such as smartphones and cloud platforms. Associations in North America are dealing with a concern of an aging workforce, which has been addressed through effective implementation of Professional Services Automation.



Key players operated in Global Professional Service Automation Software Market (PSA) are Microsoft Corporation, Autotask Corporation, Projector PSA, Inc., NetSuite OpenAir, Oracle, Appirio, Changepoint Corporation, ConnectWise, Inc., FinancialForce.com, Tenrox, Atlassian, Kimble Applications, Mavenlink, Inc., SAP, Upland Software, Project Open Business Solutions S.L, and Kaseya Limited, Deltek, Harmany PSA, Compuware Corporation, Kimble Apps, Planview, Promys Inc., Unanet, Clarizen.

Scope of Global Professional Service Automation Software Market (PSA):

Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/10333



Professional Service Automation (PSA) Software Market by Deployment Type:

On-premise

Cloud

Professional Service Automation (PSA) Software Market by Application:

Consulting firms

Marketing & communication

Technology companies

Others

Professional Service Automation (PSA) Software Market by Region:

North America

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Key players operated in Global Professional Service Automation Software Market (PSA):

Microsoft Corporation

Autotask Corporation

Projector PSA, Inc.

NetSuite OpenAir

Oracle

Appirio

Changepoint Corporation

ConnectWise, Inc.

FinancialForce.com

Tenrox, Atlassian

Kimble Applications

Mavenlink, Inc.

SAP

Upland Software

Project Open Business Solutions S.L

Kaseya Limited

Deltek

Harmany PSA

Compuware Corporation

Kimble Apps

Planview

Promys Inc.

Unanet

Clarizen.

Full View of Report Description: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/analysis/MMR/global-professional-service-automation-software-(psa)-market
Rashtriya Janata Dal president



Lalu Prasad on Wednesday expressed grief over the untimely demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan and fondly recalled the visit by the latter, two decades his junior, to his Patna residence a few years ago.

The septuagenarian, who is in Ranchi serving sentences in many fodder scam cases and lodged at a Jharkhand hospital because of precarious health, offered his condolences on his official twitter handle, operated by people close to him.

"Saddening (sic) to hear about the demise of one of the most versatile actors of Indian cinema, Irrfan Khan! Met with Irrfan when he came calling at Patna residence! A multi- faceted man, a great human being! My sincere condolences to his family, friends and fan, Prasad said in his tweet which ended with the hashtag #RIPIrrfanKhan.

Prasad also shared a selfie clicked by the deceased actor during their meeting wherein the colourful political leader can be seen donning a fez cap.

Khan had flown down to Patna in July, 2016, on the festive occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr while he was busy with promotions for his upcoming release 'Madaari'.

Prasad, who played the host, was at his usual ebullient best, enjoying his partys fresh tryst with power after having faded into oblivion for a few years.

The actor, who told the media during his visit that he had been "great admirer" of the charismatic and colourful politician, requested the latter to do his bit for promoting 'Madaari' by playing a 'damru' a two-headed drum with knotted leather strikers which street-performers play while making monkeys and bears dance to the beats.

Prasad, always known for his abandon even in public glare, promptly obliged. When asked by Khan about the movies and songs that he enjoyed Prasad broke into the Mohd Rafi number 'O door ke musafir hum ko bhi saath le le' from Dilip Kumar-starrer 'Udan Khatola' and the actor joined him in humming the tune.

With visible admiration Khan had also tossed at him the query "who would you like to play the title role if a biopic is made on your life?



"Who else, but myself", Prasad had quipped adding "now dont ask me who should be playing the heroine", leaving all present on the occasion, including Khan, in splits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Poultry geneticists have long studied the inheritance of a prized fancy chicken breeding trait; feathered legs.

Lead researcher Leif Andersson and colleagues at Texas A&M University, have investigated the genetic basis of foot feathering. The trait, known scientifically as ptilopody, can be observed in domesticated and wild avian species and is characterized by the partial or complete development of feathers on the skin of the ankles and feet.

"Foot feathering is an interesting case since, although it is a very recognizable trait that can be very easily selected to fixation in breeds, it is in fact not a monogenic trait, caused by a single gene," said Andersson.

In previous studies, two independent dominant alleles, denoted Pti-1 and Pti-2, were found to cause feathered legs in domestic chicken. Breeds with more sparsely feathered legs were supposed to be homozygous mutant (two copies) at the Pti-1 locus but wild-type (pti-2/pti-2) at the second locus. Breeds with more heavily feathered legs like Sultan and Cochin were thought to carry the dominant mutations at both Pti-1 and Pti-2.

In addition, other studies had demonstrated that regulatory mutations in the genes Tbx5 and Pitx1 contribute to foot feathering in domesticated breeds of pigeon.

Andersson and his colleagues wanted to find out which genes and specific mutations correspond to the previously described Pti-1 and Pti-2 loci contributing to foot feathering in chickens---and if these are the same genes as previously identified in pigeon.

In evolution, parallel evolution is known as the independent development of similar phenotypic traits in separate but related lineages. In other words, when faced to adapt, nature can go to the same genetic toolbox to come up with new solutions.

Now, in the advanced online edition of the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, Andersson and co-authors report that indeed, regulatory mutations in the same genes are responsible for foot feathering in domesticated chickens.

To perform the study and identify the casual mutation of the feathered leg trait in chickens, a three-generation mapping population was established by crossing Langshan (feathered leg) and Houdan (clean leg) chickens, followed by SNP analyses of pooled samples, linkage mapping, whole genome sequencing (WGS), and diagnostic testing of a comprehensive collection of 167 chicken populations with or without feathered legs.

The first predicted causal mutation is a single base change located 25 kb upstream of the gene for the forelimb-specific transcription factor TBX5 on chromosome 15. The second is a 17.7 kb deletion located about 200 kb upstream of the gene for the hindlimb-specific transcription factor PITX1 on chromosome 13. These mutations are predicted to activate TBX5 and repress PITX1 expression, respectively. Furthermore, the PITX1 causal variants are large overlapping deletions, 17.7 kb in chicken and 44 kb in pigeons.

"The identification of causal mutations in non-coding parts of vertebrate genomes is challenging, due to the difficulty in deducing or experimentally proving functional significance," said Andersson. "Here we have presented strong genetic evidence for causality for two non-coding mutations affecting the feathered leg phenotype in domestic chicken using a very large data-set from chicken with or without feathered legs."

Thus, not only are the same genes involved in foot feathering phenotypes in pigeons and chickens, but the nature of the mutations also very much the same, at least in the case of Pitx1.

The study reveals a remarkable convergence in the evolution of the feathered leg phenotype in domestic chickens and domestic pigeons as this phenotype is caused by non-coding mutations upstream of the same two genes.

"These two cases add to a growing list of regulatory mutations controlling phenotypic traits in domestic animals by altering the expression of important transcription factors," said Andersson. "In fact, the genetic basis of leg feathering is a parallel example to the genetic basis for variation in comb morphology in chickens. Three comb phenotypes Pea-comb, Rose-comb and Duplex-comb, are all structural variants leading to ectopic expression of respectively the SOX5, MNR2, and EOMES transcription factors during comb development."

The manuscript provides strong evidences that foot feathering in chickens has a genetic determinism highly similar to the very same trait in pigeon and confirms that ptilopody has evolved through by running on separate but parallel tracks in chicken and pigeon.

"There is a remarkable convergence as regards the evolution of the feathered leg phenotype in domestic chicken and in domestic pigeons, said Andersson. "The present study illustrates that novel phenotypic traits in domestic animals are often caused by the same mutations across divergent populations because favored mutations have been spread from population to population due to strong phenotypic selection The extensive collection of whole genome sequence data, which is publicly available, provides a powerful resource to identify genomic regions and corresponding causal mutations associated with these phenotypes as successfully accomplished in this study."

"Furthermore, feathered legs occur in many other bird species, for instance in most owls but not in all. If you would like to study the genetic basis for variation in leg feathering within a species or between closely related species, Tbx5 and Pitx1 are the obvious candidate genes to start with," said Leif Andersson.

###

This week, two papers on the parallel evolution of foot feathering will be published with the same embargo date and time as advanced online access articles from the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. The press release titles, links and DOIs for the papers can be found on EurekAlert at: https://eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2020-04/mbae-ffb042720.php
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI) (NYSE:AGI) President and CEO of Alamos Gold, John McCluskey, discusses the company's operating gold mines in North America and Mexico.





If you cannot view the video above, please visit:

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Alamos Gold is being featured on BNN Bloomberg on May 2nd & 3rd , 2020, throughout the day and evenings.

Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI) (NYSE:AGI)

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CEO Clips is the largest library of publicly traded company CEO videos in Canada and the US. These 90 second video profiles broadcast on national TV and online via 15 top financial sites including: Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance and Stockhouse.com.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55134
Experts believe the overall number of COVID-19 cases could be 12 to 15 times higher.

BRASLIA: Brazil, the South American country worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has registered more than 5,000 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry announced Tuesday, pushing the toll above that of China.

A record 474 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, with the number of infections rising to 71,886, the ministry said.

The ministry said Brazil's toll could be higher than Tuesday's official figure of 5,107, as the cause of 1,156 further deaths are under investigation.

Experts believe the overall number of COVID-19 cases could be 12 to 15 times higher, due to a large number of undetected cases given the lack of testing availability across the country's 210 million population.

Deaths among vulnerable indigenous communities rose by 15 on Monday, a jump of 50 percent in the past five days, according to the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil.

President Jair Bolsonaro regularly expresses his impatience with restrictions imposed by the state governors to slow the disease's spread and has pushed hard for economic activity to restart.

Asked about the rising death count, Bolsonaro responded, "And what? I am sorry about it. What do you want me to do?"

"I am Messias," he said, referring to his middle name, which means Messiah, "but I don't do miracles."

Health Minister Nelson Teich, who took office earlier this month after the controversial firing of his predecessor, said last week as the death toll hit 3,000 that it was premature to attribute the rise in fatalities to a surge in COVID-19 infections.

He suggested it could instead be the result of an increase in testing.

Sao Paulo, the hardest-hit state with a third of the country's cases, plans to gradually resume economic activity -- sector by sector -- from May 11.

Rio de Janeiro and southeastern Minas Gerais states are preparing similar measures, while the federal district of Brasilia and southern Santa Catarina state have already resumed certain activities.
The coronavirus curve is flat in the Bay Area. Yet six counties in the region extended shelter-in-place orders through May. Still, many public health officials say they intend to ease limits on some low-risk activities. Chronicle health writer Erin Allday joins Editor-in-Chief Audrey Cooper on the Fifth & Mission podcast to discuss what might be allowed in the coming days, how reopening will be monitored and how people have been responding to the orders.
She spent weeks filming the fifth season of her EllenTube show Momsplaining with Kristen Bell.

But after quarantine hit, the Frozen actress scrapped that footage in favor of an at-home chat in her sweatpants, in which she admitted she was finding home schooling her two girls 'absolutely miserable'.

Talking to Ashley Graham, Kristen told her: 'Doing school work with them, it is absolutely miserable. When we started the quarantine the first math sheet I gave my daughter, In all the answer lines she wrote no, no, no, no no.'

Mom life: Kristen Bell admits home schooling is 'absolutely miserable' as she chats to new mom Ashley Graham about her 'very talented' breasts on her EllenTube show Momsplaining with Kristen Bell

Question time: Kristen used a receipt from the pharmacy CVS - whose coupons always make for hugely extended receipts - to record her questions for Ashley Graham

She later added: 'Guys for real this has not been easy.'

Kristen has daughters Lincoln, seven, and five-year-old Delta with husband Dax Shepard.

Model Ashley, who welcomed her first son, Isaac, in January, is riding out the quarantine in rural Nebraska, with her husband Justin Ervin, at her mother's house.

'We're actually, we're doing really good in this quarantine,' she told Kristen.

'Everybody kind of has figured out their roles. We're with my mom and we're in Nebraska where I grew up.'

Opening up: Model Ashley, who welcomed her first son, Isaac, in January, is riding out the quarantine in rural Nebraska, with her husband Justin Ervin, at her mother's house

Family life: The usually New York-based model model told Kristen her big discovery about herself as a mom was: 'My breasts are very talented, multi faceted and I am so proud of them'

The usually New York-based model model told Kristen her big discovery about herself as a mom was: 'My breasts are very talented, multi faceted and I am so proud of them.'

And she had hopes to expand her family, with the 32-year-old saying: 'I can see myself having a lot of kids but Justin he only really wants two.'

On that point, Kristen, 39, had a warning: 'I had big hopes and dreams for a lot of kids too, and then when they get here and you hear how much they talk, it's like having all the radio stations on at one time.'

The two laughed as they talked about their home beauty routines, with Kristen admitting she had lowered her standards during quarantine.

She told a fully made-up Ashley: 'I showered two days ago.'

Masking up: Kristen told Ashley to wear a G-string, but she only had large underpants
Responded Biden: "I'm with her." The endorsement of the Democratic Party's 2016 nominee, who was defeated by Donald Trump in an upset, was welcomed by the president's reelection campaign as a way to cast Biden as the consummate Washington insider.
About four days a week, 3rd grade teacher Karen Ruark and her two daughters drive to school to get some work done. Once they get there, Ruark parks the carand they all pull out their laptops.

Ruark lives on Hoopers Island in Marylands Chesapeake Bay. Her internet access is weak and unreliable, so she works in the parking lot of her school in Dorchester County to use the WiFi there. While Ruark posts messages to her students and downloads class materials, her daughters, who are both in high school, sit in the back seat and work on their assignments. Some days, they spend close to two hours in the car.

Anytime theres wind, rain, or high tide, we dont have internet service. Even on a day with nice weather and a good connection, it doesnt mean well have service, Ruark said. If I want to post anything with directions on [the messaging app] Remind, I have to go up to the school. My internet service isnt large enough to even send out one simple picture.

The nations digital divide has been in the spotlight as school districts have transitioned to remote learning this spring. More than a quarter of U.S. homes dont have broadband internet service, according to a Pew Research Center report from last year . District leaders, especially those who serve a high percentage of students from low-income families, have said technology access is a major challenge during these extended school shutdowns.

But its not just students without access to the internetits also their teachers.

While only 4 percent of teachers dont have high-speed wireless access at home, according to a nationally representative Education Week survey of 785 teachers, its particularly a problem in rural areas, where broadband internet service is spotty, expensive, or nonexistent.

Educators are now assumed to have devices and internet access and unlimited data to do their job, and [in some cases], they dont, said Cheryl Bost, the president of the Maryland State Education Association.

The lack of reliable, high-speed internet can make an already overwhelming job of pivoting to online instruction even more stressful, teachers say.

Ive got teachers that are calling me in the middle of the night, [saying], I just need to talk to someone, Im so frustrated. It takes me 20 minutes just to open the page, said Katie Holbrook, the president of Dorchester Educators, the local association that represents teachers in the Maryland school district that stretches across hundreds of miles of farmland and waterways.

Some teachers have been put on three-month waiting lists for internet service at their houses, she said. And teachers who have school-aged children at home have the additional stressor of trying to juggle multiple video calls and other demands on their weak internet service.

Carla Swenson, an elementary STEM teacher, lives eight miles outside of Glasgow, Mont., an isolated town dubbed by the Washington Post as the middle of nowhere. She has internet access at home, but its not strong enough for her and her son, a high school freshman, to both be on a Zoom call at the same time.

My husband and I always told him theres nothing that should ever come between you and your education, she said. But now, we had to have an argumentMom has to be on Zoom right now, and I need to be because Im paying the mortgage.

Districts Provide WiFi Hotspots

In addition to providing devices for students, school districts are trying to make sure their teachers are connected, too. But only 1 percent of teachers said their district or school is paying for their internet access at home, EdWeeks survey found.

In Dorchester County, where Ruark works, all teachers are receiving a $37 monthly stipend for the use of their personal internet and cellphones, a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, Lee County Public Schools on the coast of southwest Florida has spent $720,000 buying 3,000 mobile hotspots with cellular data service for students and staff without internet access at home. District officials set aside about 300 hotspots for teachers and other instructional staff to get first.

It wouldnt do any good for three or four students to have an internet hotspot when a teacher doesnt have internet access and is responsible for many more students, said Trey Davis, the chief information officer of the 90,000-student school district.

Some of those educators didnt have internet at home because they live in hard-to-reach areas, while others couldnt afford it, he said.

We all realize that in general, teachers dont get paid what they should be paid, so we look to support our teachers in any capacity we can, Davis said.

Brainerd Public Schools, a rural district two hours outside of Minneapolis, gave hotspots to 35 staff members who didnt have internet access at home. For Aline Glib, an early-childhood special education teacher, that hotspot has made it possible to do her job at home.

A lot of the things I need to do for my kids are making videos for them to watch, she said. I need to do a lot of things by video, and so that takes quite a bit of uploading. ... It would have been almost impossible to do a seven-minute video on our internet.

Other school districts have allowed teachers to go into empty classrooms to work, as long as they follow social-distancing protocols.

In Detroit, for example, school officials opened up one school building for teachers who dont have internet access at home. Only three teachers are working there, a district spokeswoman said in an email.

Its Really Crazy

Uneven internet coverage has always been a major equity issue, teachers say, but the extended school closures have put a bigger focus on the problem.

This is showing our deficits in areas of need, said Bost, the head of the Maryland state teachers union. Even when we go back to what some people would call normal, these are still issues that we have to address.

Bost said she hopes that going forward, states will invest more in infrastructure for rural areas, as well as in more funding for schools.

Swenson, the Montana teacher, is the president of the local teachers unionand this crisis has made her consider bringing at-home internet access for teachers to the bargaining table, she said. However, she noted, that would likely mean sacrificing a pay raise.

For now, teachers are just trying to make it work.

Amanda Robinson, a high school math teacher in the Dorchester County school district, lives on her familys farm, too far from the main roads to get cable internet. She has unlimited data on her phone, but once she uses a certain amount, it becomes impossible to do anything other than check email. Her school laptop cant connect to a mobile hotspot anyway, and she doesnt have a personal computer. Shes applied for wireless internet through a local provider, but shes stuck on a waiting list and hasnt heard back.

For now, shell sometimes drive two miles to her moms house, which is closer to the main road and has the internet, to do a Zoom meeting. Other times, shell take her three kidsages 12, 8, and 4to work at her sisters house, which is a mile and a half away. Her sister, who is also a teacher, has two small children, ages 4 and 2.

All five of them are playing, and shell be on a call with one of her students, and Ill have a staff meeting or be on a call with one of my students, Robinson said. There are times  when its really crazy.
Lithuania Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 1,375, Total Deaths reaches to 45 on 29-Apr-2020

In Lithuania total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 1,375, while 45 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Andhra Pradesh (India), 29-April-2020: An 11-baby among 73 new cases in Andhra Pradesh. In past 24 hours 73 new cases of Covid-19 reported from Andhra Pradesh raising the total Covid-19 patient count to 1,332 in the state.

France, 29-April-2020: Total fatalities due to Covid-19 infection surpasses 23,000 mark in France.

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Lithuania:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 24-Apr-2020 1,410 12 40 0 2. 25-Apr-2020 1,426 16 41 1 3. 26-Apr-2020 1,438 12 41 0 4. 27-Apr-2020 1,449 11 41 0 5. 28-Apr-2020 1,344 0 44 3 6. 29-Apr-2020 1,375 31 45 1

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (126,569)

2. North America (64,412)

3. USA (59,266)

4. Italy (27,359)

5. Spain (23,822)

6. France (23,660)

7. UK (21,678)

8. Asia (17,966)

9. South America (7,590)

10. Belgium (7,331)

Total Deaths Worldwide (218,187)

Globally till now over 218,187 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Lithuania and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 126,569 deaths and 1,329,524 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
Students in Ho Chi Minh City will begin returning to school next Monday after a months-long break due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee on Tuesday issued a document regarding school reopening in the southern metropolis.

Accordingly, the back-to-school date will be staggered, starting on May 4, for ninth- and 12th-grade students.

Other middle school and high school students, as well as fourth- and fifth-graders, will return to school on May 8.

The rest of elementary school students will go back to school on May 11.

All students are expected to join their teachers in taking COVID-19 preventive measures on their first day of school, and only start taking lessons on the next school day.

Kindergartens will welcome five-year-olds back on May 18, while three- and four-year-olds will not go to school until May 25. Younger kindergarteners will resume school on June 1.

A student checks the body temperature of another on their first day back at school after a three-month COVID-19 break at Le Viet Thuat High School in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, Vietnam, April 27, 2020. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong has tasked the municipal education and social affairs departments with building a detailed plan for school reopening that includes guidelines on COVID-19 prevention at school.

District-level steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control are asked to monitor local schools and educational institutions.

All schools and educational establishments are requested to implement a set of criteria on COVID-19 prevention and control and review their own implementation for reporting to relevant authorities by the end of Wednesday.

The citys education department, its lower-ranked units, and local medical centers will give further guidance based on the reports to minimize the risk of infection and ensure safety for students.

Schools and educational establishments are also asked to fetch free face masks for their students from their district-level education and training division before May 2.

Earlier, the municipal Peoples Committee decided to provide each of about 1,393,000 students in the city three with reusable face masks every month for three months from their back-to-school date.

Remote learning platforms are to continue to be utilized effectively until the school reopening dates, the municipal administration said.

Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung on Monday afternoon also requested the capital citys education sector to make adequate preparation for all universities, colleges, vocational schools, high schools, and middle schools to reopen from May 4.

A student checks the body temperature of another on their first day back at school after a three-month COVID-19 break at Luong Van Chanh High School in Phu Yen Province, Vietnam, April 27, 2020. Photo: Lam Thien / Tuoi Tre

Students in Vietnam have been told to stay home since the end of Tet, or the Lunar New Year holiday, in early February as a precaution against COVID-19.

After the over-three-month break, middle and high school students in the southernmost province of Ca Mau and the northern province of Thai Binh were the first among their peers in the country to return to school on April 20.

On Monday, middle and high school students in about 30 other localities also followed suit.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally has remained at 270 since April 24, with 221 recoveries as of Wednesday morning.

Ho Chi Minh City has reported 54 patients, four of whom are in treatment, including three relapse cases.

Hanoi has confirmed 123 cases, with 22 patients still in hospital.

Both Ca Mau and Thai Binh have recorded zero COVID-19 infections to date.

No death related to the respiratory disease has been reported in Vietnam.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
On the night Andrew Yang dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary, he said the sorts of things politicians say after a disheartening defeat: We are just getting started! and This is the beginning!

What exactly it was the beginning of was not entirely clear.

Mr. Yang is an entrepreneur, not a lifelong politician, with experience leading a test-prep company and a nonprofit organization. And true to his roots, Mr. Yang in March created a New York-based nonprofit, Humanity Forward, which has started to distribute more than $1 million to needy families in the Bronx.

The assistance hewed to his presidential campaign pledge to give every American adult $1,000 a month as part of a universal basic income mandate. Now, with the coronavirus pandemic in full bloom, his efforts have taken on prescient relevance  just as his vision of an America plagued by mass unemployment has taken hold.

His re-emergence in New York has added to the intrigue surrounding a possible 2021 mayoral run, an idea that has been floated in his direction since he suspended his presidential campaign in February.
WASHINGTONA pregnant U.S. inmate whose baby was delivered by cesarean section while she was on a ventilator after being hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms has died in federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons said Tuesday.

Andrea Circle Bear, 30, died on Tuesday, about a month after she was hospitalized while serving a 26-month sentence for maintaining a drug-involved premises.

She is the 29th federal inmate to die in the Bureau of Prisons custody since late March. As of Tuesday, more than 1,700 federal inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. About 400 of those inmates have recovered.

Circle Bear was first brought to FMC Carswell, a federal prison medical facility in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 20 from a local jail in South Dakota. As a new inmate in the federal prison system, she was quarantined as part of the Bureau of Prisons plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

She was taken to a local hospital on March 28 for potential concerns regarding her pregnancy, but was discharged from the hospital the same day and brought back to the prison, officials said. Three days later, prison medical staff decided she should be brought back to the hospital after she developed a fever, dry cough and other symptoms, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Circle Bear was put on a ventilator the same day she arrived at the hospital and her baby was born the next day by C-section, officials said. She tested positive for COVID-19 days later, on April 4.

The Bureau of Prisons did not disclose information about the babys health.

Circle Bears pregnancy made her high risk for the virus, but she would not be considered priority for release under the Bureau of Prisons and Justice Department guidelines on releasing prisoners to home confinement to help stop the spread. She was already on a ventilator when an expanded home-confinement memo was handed down by the Justice Department in early April.

Attorney General William Barr ordered the increased use of home confinement and the expedited release of eligible inmates by the Bureau of Prisons, with priority for those at low- or medium-security prisons  starting with virus hot spots. Under the Bureau of Prisons guidelines, the agency is prioritizing the release of those who have served half of their sentence or inmates who have 18 months or less left and who served at least 25 per cent of their time.

Circle Bear, of Eagle Butte, S.D., had been sentenced in January after she pleaded guilty in federal court. The charges stemmed from incidents in April 2018 when she unlawfully and knowingly used and maintained a place for the purpose of distributing methamphetamine on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, the Justice Department said.
E nglish schools will reopen after coronavirus lockdown in a "phased manner", the Education Secretary confirmed.

Gavin Williamson said the Government does not have a fixed date in mind, but ruled out educational settings opening during the summer holidays.

Schools will be given as "much notice as possible" but the minister stated all pupils going back on the same day was not "realistic or practical".

Nurseries, schools and colleges have been closed across the UK for five weeks to the majority, with reduced services for Covid-19 key workers and children from vulnerable homes.

Speaking at the Education Select Committee, Mr Williamson said: I do expect schools to be opened in a phased manner. I also intend to be giving schools as much notice as possible.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said schools will open in a staggered approach / PA

He added: We recognise that the idea of schools all returning on day one with the full complement of pupils is not realistic or practical.

The Education Secretary did not say which year groups could return first, but said they were looking at best practice in other countries, such as Germany and Denmark, where schools had begun to reopen.

Lots of children have been learning at home since Covid-19 restrictions were implemented / PA

The minister added that there was no plan to run schools through the summer.

His comments come after the Welsh education minister said on Tuesday that schools would not be reopening to all students any time soon, but that there could be a phased return for some pupils.

When asked whether the Government would update its guidance on Personal Protective Equipment and social distancing in schools to ensure teachers were kept safe, Mr Williamson suggested they may review advice when a phased return of schools began.

He said: It is incredibly important that we get the right balance in terms of actually making sure that we create an environment that is good to learn in but also that is a safe environment for people to both work in and learn in as well.

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Mr Williamson was pressed by MPs on what the Government was doing to ensure the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers did not widen amid school closures.

Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the committee, asked whether the Government would support his idea of an army of volunteers  made up of retired teachers, graduates, and Ofsted inspectors  to help tutor and mentor disadvantaged children when the lockdown ended.

TODO: define component type apester

Mr Halfon also called on Mr Williamson to introduce a catch-up premium to provide tuition for these poorer pupils.

Some 55 MPs and peers warned on Wednesday that the attainment gap would widen without additional funding.

Mr Williamson said the Government was open to ideas, such as the volunteer scheme, and that they were discussing a range of policies to help disadvantaged children catch up.
AlphaPoint powered brokerage Bitazza receives Thai SEC approval and launches to serve the local market

BANGKOK, Thailand, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following Bitazza s acquisition of a digital asset broker license from Thailands Ministry of Finance, the company has taken its first step towards regional expansion, using AlphaPoints newly developed brokerage technology solution to launch the first digital asset brokerage business in Thailand offering institutional grade, smart routing of domestic orders to international markets with deep liquidity, and a plan to develop their own digital ecosystem token to be used as fuel for trading fees.



AlphaPoint has also announced its new private label brokerage technology. This new solution provides Bitazza customers a platform to trade and manage their digital assets using highly secure infrastructure with advanced user interfaces and order types, as well as a user-friendly mobile application for convenience and fluid access to markets. As one of the first brokers approved to operate in Thailands stringent regulatory environment, Bitazza is unique among first-to-market players for their issuance of a native utility token (BTZ) accepted for fee payment.

AlphaPoint has been actively developing the white label brokerage technology to enable marketplace operators to support best-in-class user experiences for buying and selling cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. AlphaPoint recently added Tim Scheve , President and CEO of Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, to its board of directors with the aim to acquire more brokerage customers globally. Appointed CEO in 2007, Tim has spearheaded Janneys growth as a full-service brokerage and asset management firm with $750M revenues, $90B client assets, and nearly 2,000 employees serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients.

AlphaPoint is well known for its exchange technology and has made key enhancements to enable operation of brokerages under a variety of local regulatory environments. Some new features developed for AlphaPoints brokerage technology include:

Story continues

Enhanced Liquidity  Multiple new liquidity sources and market maker connections provide access to competitive pricing and deep books.

Execution Management  Modifications to AlphaPoints world-renowned White Label Exchange Software enables limiting order matching to specified internal and market maker accounts, enabling compliance with regulatory requirements.

2nd Level Orderbook - While matching is restricted between end users, placing advanced orders is fully available including resting orders such as limit, stop limit, trailing stop limit and attributes such as fill or kill (FOK) and immediate or cancel (IOC)

Co-founder and CEO of AlphaPoint, Igor Telyatnikov said, As a technology company, it is always exciting to roll out a new product and have a customer successfully launch with it. We are excited about Bitazzas prospects to expand access to digital assets in Thailand and the broader region. Given what is happening globally, we believe demand for cryptocurrencies and digital assets will continue to accelerate.

Kavin Phongpandecha, Bitazza Chief Executive Officer commented, We are excited to provide a locally-based platform where Thais can have access to deep liquidity through connections to international markets. We partnered with AlphaPoint because they have the technology and the experience to make our vision a reality. Bitazza was founded with a mission to accelerate the reach and adoption of blockchain technology through better infrastructure and terms, whilst enabling financial inclusion in the local market, as well as financial freedom in the long run.

About Bitazza

Bitazza is ASEAN's local digital asset platform comprising of connected exchanges and brokers setup locally in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.

Clients have direct access to the respective personal brokers of their trading accounts and enjoy direct integrations with local financial institutions of their country. Bitazza enables easy and speedy deposit, withdrawal and conversions between local fiat - cryptoasset - fiat through our website and mobile application, as well as an institutional grade API for advanced users.

Bitazza will provide the masses with blockchain-based cashless payment solutions in the future with an eye on mass retail, thereby promoting the use of digital assets to supplement the typical day-to-day, fiat-based transactions from beyond Thailand, across Southeast Asia.

About AlphaPoint

AlphaPoint is a white-label software company powering crypto exchanges worldwide. Through its secure, scalable, and customizable distributed ledger platform, AlphaPoint enables customers to launch and operate markets, as well as digitize assets. AlphaPoint and its award winning blockchain technology have helped institutions discover and execute their blockchain strategies since 2013.

Contact:

Patrick Shields

patrick.shields@alphapoint.com
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex may have exited the royal family to escape the constant negative media attention, but that doesnt mean fans wont still hear rumors about them from time to time. Naturally, that means the occasional speculation that Meghan is pregnant with a second child. One royal expert is convinced that theyll have another baby very soon, in fact.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Fans thought Meghan was pregnant in February

When Prince Harry and Meghan stepped off a commercial flight that landed in Canada after a trip to the U.S. in February, Meghan was spotted carrying a bag in one hand while clutching a black leather laptop case.

Some eagle-eyed fans thought the way she covered her stomach with the laptop case might have been a clue that she was pregnant. It reminded many of the time that Meghan carried two purple folders that strategically obstructed her stomach when she and Prince Harry landed in Australia for a royal tour. The couple announced she was pregnant with their first child that same day.

The placement of the laptop case drummed up some rumors as people discussed it on Twitter. Pregnant again? Does the folder say it all?, one fan tweeted, while another tweeted,  remember the last time she got off a plane carrying a folder she was pregnant with Archie she got off the plane yesterday carrying a folder or computer almost the same way

Will they have a second baby soon?

Since that time, Meghan has been seen on multiple occasions and the pregnancy buzz has faded. One royal expert believes that a second baby will be in the plans for the Sussexes soon though.

Royal expert Myka Meier chatted on the Royally Obsessed podcast about whats next for Prince Harry and Meghan and she thinks the couple will want to have a child soon so that Archie has a sibling like Prince Harry grew up with.

I think well see another royal baby very soon, Meier said during the podcast. I know that Harry loved growing up with his brother very close in age and I think he wants the same [for Archie].

She added, I think it will be an American-born baby which will be very different

Meiers comments come on the heels of a report that one of Meghans friends told the Daily Mail that the duchess shared she wants another baby. According to the friend, She joked that he needs a pint-size little buddy other than the dogs. Meghan lit up when she spoke about Archie. She said he is a bundle of energy and prefers playing over sleeping.

Archies first birthday is fast approaching

While fans are awaiting a pregnancy announcement from the Sussexes, theres some exciting news about Archie on the horizon. For Archies first birthday on May 6, Prince Harry and Meghan will release a new photo of their son.

The Sunday Times royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah shared the news in a tweet, writing: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give the world a rare glimpse of their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor next month when they publicly mark his first birthday on May 6th. You can expect to see him, confirms a spokesman to @thesundaytimes.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced Tuesday an agreement to waive the requirement that a witness sign absentee ballots sent in the mail for the June primaries.

According to an order submitted to a federal court, Virginia will accept absentee ballots for the June 23 primaries without the signature of a witness for voters who believe they may not safely have a witness present while completing their ballot.

This agreement is a win for Virginians because it will protect both the health and voting rights of those who would otherwise have to violate social distancing requirements and jeopardize their well-being just to exercise their fundamental right to vote, Herring said in a statement. No Virginian should have to choose between their health and their right to vote during this pandemic.

Under state law, any voter who submits an absentee ballot by mail must open the envelope containing the ballot in front of another person, fill out the ballot and then ask the witness to sign the outside of the ballot envelope before it is mailed.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of three voters and the League of Women Voters in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg to block Virginia election officials from requiring that absentee voters find a witness to watch them sign their ballots, citing the social distancing guidelines prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The ACLU argued the witness requirement could force absentee voters who live alone to choose between not voting or risking their health by asking another person to come to their homes to witness their signatures.

We are thrilled that todays agreement means voters will not bear the burden of finding a witness for their absentee ballots during a global pandemic, said Deb Wake, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, said in a statement. We are optimistic the judge will rule favorably so that Virginia voters do not have to choose between their health and their vote.

The agreement is limited only to the June 23 congressional contests. The court still needs to approve the order.

Republicans will go to the polls to pick a U.S. Senate nominee. Democrats in the 5th Congressional District  which includes Franklin County and part of Bedford County  will choose a U.S. House of Representatives candidate to compete in the November general election.

The Virginia Department of Elections is encouraging people to vote absentee in the June primaries. They can choose reason 2A My disability or illness on their ballots. To apply for an absentee ballot, visit elections.virginia.gov.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 01:43:58|Editor: huaxia

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British Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves 10 Downing Street after the COVID-19 committee meeting in London, Britain, on April 29, 2020. A total of 26,097 patients have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in Britain as of Tuesday afternoon, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Wednesday. It is the first time the government figures have included deaths in care homes and the community, in addition to those in hospitals. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

LONDON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 26,097 patients have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in Britain as of Tuesday afternoon, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Wednesday.

It is the first time the government figures have included deaths in care homes and the community, in addition to those in hospitals.

The latest death toll marked an increase of 3,811 compared with the figure available Tuesday.

Raab said the 3,811 deaths occurred between March 2 and April 28, including 765 deaths in the 24 hours as of Tuesday afternoon.

He also said that the new figures give a clearer picture of the outbreak, and the government is doing everything to meet the challenge in care homes.

As of Wednesday morning, 632,794 people in Britain have been tested of which 165,221 tested positive for the disease, said the Department of Health and Social Care. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the government is "on track" to meet the target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month.

Earlier, the health department announced that thousands of patients could benefit from potential treatments for COVID-19 that will be fast-tracked through a new national clinical trial.

Six potential drugs will initially enter the program, with the first of these beginning phase two studies -- the stage of a clinical trial focused on the testing of a drug on patients to assess how effective it is and side effects -- across Britain imminently, according to the department.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Mark Walport said: "This initiative will rapidly test the most promising drugs in the fight against COVID-19. Bringing together expertise from across the UK's world-class research and innovation sectors -- from clinical researchers through to the pharmaceutical industry -- this national platform will rapidly prioritise and deliver the best potential drugs into clinical trials to discover if they can help people with COVID-19."

As for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), Virgin Atlantic said that the airline is working with the British government and the NHS (National Health Service) on daily flights from China's Shanghai to London throughout May, June and July transporting over 1,500 tons of supplies that the teams here in Britain urgently need to care for patients.
This week Egypt followed many countries and asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial support to help weather the coronavirus crisis. Talks about a deal are expected to start within days.



The IMF has secured $1 trillion in lending capacity to help it meet an unprecedented number of emergency financing requests  from over 90 member countries so far, according to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.



Egypt opted to resort to the international lender less than six months after the end of its three-year agreement. The virus has placed unprecedented pressure on the economy, straining the balance of payments.



Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said in a press conference on Sunday that the government would use IMF financing to support the tourism industry which has been hard hit by the closure of airports in March. The cabinet last week approved a six-month debt and utilities payment holiday for tourism companies, hotels and private airlines.



Travel restrictions have brought the countrys tourism industry, which was close to returning to its pre-Arab Spring peak, to a grinding halt, Jason Tuvey, senior economist at the London-based Capital Economics, told Al-Ahram Weekly.



Tourism receipts are a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt. The industry accounts for just over six per cent of GDP and 4.5 per cent of total employment. Decimated by the 2011 Revolution and the aftermath of a terrorist attack that grounded a flight in 2015 killing all its passengers, tourism revenues had finally started to recover when the global pandemic hit.



The problems, says Tuvey, are compounded by a slowdown in demand for Egyptian exports, most of which go to Europe, and the downturn in global trade which is pushing down Suez Canal revenues.



The crisis is also threatening remittances from Egyptians working abroad, especially in the Gulf region which is suffering the consequences of the severe decline in oil prices. Remittances from abroad currently account for 8.8 per cent of GDP, while Suez Canal revenues provide two per cent.



The drop in tourism receipts, canal revenues and remittances translates into a current account deficit of more than $14 billion on a rolling 12-month basis, calculates Allen Sendeep, head of research at Al-Naeem Brokerage.



The situation has been exacerbated by a fast outflow of foreign investment in treasuries as investors liquidate their holdings, says Amr Al-Alfi, senior economist and secretary of the CFA Society in Egypt. According to Al-Alfi, the value of investments in treasuries has declined by half since the coronavirus outbreak.



The pandemic is also cutting growth rate projections.



We expect to see negative figures for the quarter ending in June and the quarter after. Part of the reason will be decline in tourism impacting on jobs and the current account. Remittances will be hit as well due to lockdowns across the Gulf, Charles Robertson, chief economist at Renaissance Capital, said during an online conference call on the Egyptian economy held last week.



Robertson added that it is widely assumed GDP will slow down to two to four per cent from the governments initial guidance of 5.6 per cent in the current fiscal year, and then another two to four per cent in the fiscal year that follows.



IMF support is important during these exceptional circumstances to maintain the stability of Egypts economic indicators and guard against negative effects that could hinder its ability to return to economic growth, IMFs Georgieva said in a statement commenting on Egypts application for assistance.



We fully support the governments aim to safeguard the significant gains made under the successfully completed three-year Extended Fund Facility last year, the statement added.



Having successfully implemented tough fiscal reforms within a short span of time under its previous deal with the IMF, Egypt has an advantage over other countries applying for IMF support, says Sandeep.



Egypt enjoys strong support from the US, the UK and the Gulf, meaning the debt crisis issue is hardly relevant despite Egypts high level of debt, Renaissance Capitals Robertson said in last weeks conference call. He pointed out that the fact Egypts economic outlook was not downgraded by S&P last week will stand Cairo in good stead in its IMF application.



Despite the economic turmoil wreaked by the pandemic, Egypt is in a stronger position than when it asked for assistance at the end of 2016.



A combination of stronger exports and weaker imports, attributable to the effects of the 2016 devaluation as well as a marked improvement in the energy trade balance, has supported a narrowing of the current account deficit, notes Tuvey.



Egypts international reserves may have declined by $5 billion last month but their current level of $40.1 billion is triple that in 2016 and, according to Central Bank of Egypt Governor Tarek Amer, sufficient to cope with the impact of the epidemic for one or two years.



Like most countries looking for a bailout, Egypt has asked for emergency financing via the IMFs Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) which allows the government to address any immediate balance of payment needs and support the most affected sectors and vulnerable groups of people. But Egypt is one of the few countries to have also begun negotiations over a traditional Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) to support its strong set of macroeconomic policies.



The total value of the assistance is yet to be revealed. While Capital economics expects that Egypts total support under both the RFI and SBA could amount to $15 billion, which would be enough to cover Egypts external financing needs for around a year, most local analysts anticipate a lower figure.



In a commentary issued on Monday Radwa Al-Swaify, head of research at Pharos Security Brokerage, suggested Egypt would seek around $3 to $4 billion from the IMF.



Sandeep estimates that Egypt is eligible for $2.85 billion under the RFI and $4.15 billion under SAB arrangements, and repayments would start between 3.25 and five years from the date of disbursement. Egypt has yet to begin repayments on the $12 billion already disbursed by the IMF.



The stock market reacted positively to the IMF application, gaining 2.5 per cent on Sunday and ending flat on Monday. The value of transactions on the two days came in at 53 and 51 per cent more than the previous 90-day average, according to online news outlet Enterprise.



The news came at a time when the market is optimistic that lockdowns will be relaxed in Egypt post-Ramadan, triggering a gradual recovery during the summer, says Al-Swaify.



Whereas the emergency funding provided via the RFI does not come with conditions attached, the SBA does.



The IMFs to-do list for Egypt is unlikely to be as long as it was in 2016. The focus is likely to be on ensuring the authorities do not repeat past mistakes and implement policies that threaten macro stability once the current crisis is over, says Tuvey.



He expects the IMFs main concern to be the exchange rate, and the prioritising of structural reforms. There was little progress on the latter under the previous programme, says Tuvey. Steps were taken to improve the business environment but the privatisation programme stalled and land reform got nowhere.



A deal with the IMF covering technical assistance on non-financial structural reforms has been on the table since Egypt completed its $12 billion Extended Fund Facility arrangement last year. Egypt signed the $12 billion Extended Fund Facility, under which its currency was devalued by half, a value added tax was introduced and fuel subsidies were slashed, in November 2016.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Ronan Hughes, from Silverstream, Tyholland in Co Monaghan, appeared before the High Court in Dublin via videolink

A haulage boss facing extradition to the UK over the deaths of 39 migrants in Essex has been described in court as the 'ringleader' of a criminal gang.

Ronan Hughes, 40, appeared before the High Court in Dublin via videolink.

Hughes, from Silverstream, Tyholland in Co Monaghan, faces 39 charges of manslaughter and a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Hughes was arrested last week in Co Monaghan by police in the Republic of Ireland in response to a European Arrest Warrant.

A solicitor for Hughes made a bail application on Wednesday, which prosecutors made a number of objections to.

The 39 Vietnamese nationals were found in a lorry container parked on an industrial estate in Grays on October 23 last year.

Ten teenagers, including two 15-year-old boys, were among those found dead.

On April 8, lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey in London.

He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property at the same court on November 25.

He is due to be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Sergeant James Kirwan, of the Garda's Extradition Section, told the High Court on Wednesday that he had strong objections to Hughes's bail.

The 39 Vietnamese nationals were found in a lorry container parked on an industrial estate in Grays on October 23 last year

The court heard that UK authorities described Hughes as the chief organiser of the criminal group involved in bringing illegal migrants into the UK.

The court was also told that Hughes had previous road traffic and smuggling convictions in the Republic of Ireland and in the UK.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling five million cigarettes and evading almost one million euro (873,000) in excise duty.

Sgt Kirwan also said that very large sums of money were involved in bringing illegal migrants into the UK and that Hughes was the 'ringleader'.

The court heard that Hughes had a large number of vehicles and 210,000 euro (183,400) of his money was frozen across 33 bank accounts relating to Hughes and his family.

The officer also said he had the ability to abscond from justice as he had connections across Europe and the financial means to leave.

The court heard he had interest in a villa in Florida and also used an address in Armagh to register his UK licence and mobile phone.

Sgt Kirwan said he was objecting to bail as Hughes would have knowledge of various ports, and had connections across the UK and Europe.

Hughes told the court he would be willing to abide by a curfew and sign in at a garda station every day, and comply with other terms.

The judge is due to give his ruling on the bail application on Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued thunderstorm warnings for areas across Maharashtra, including Pune, north Konkan, south Konkan, north central Maharashtra, south central Maharashtra and Marathwada.

According to an IMD official, all these areas will witness thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds. Wind speeds will be reaching 30 -40 kilometers per hour in districts of Raigad, Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur, Beed, Parbhani, Hingoli, Latur, Nanded and Osmanabad, an IMD official said.

Pune witnessed cloudy skies on Wednesday afternoon with very light to light rain showers, thunder activity and gusty winds. The temperature was at a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius whereas the minimum was at 24.4 degrees Celsius.

The warning issued on Wednesday states that these areas will witness thunderstorms until May 1 due to cyclonic circulation over Malacca Strait, North Sumatra and neighbourhood areas in the west-northwestward direction.

According to IMD, under its influence, a low pressure area is very likely to form over south Andaman Sea and neighbourhood areas during the next 48 hours. It is very likely to become more concentrate into a depression during the subsequent 48 hours and is likely to intensify further.

The storm will move north-northwestwards initially and then north-northeastwards towards Myanmar - Bangladesh coasts between May 1 and May 3.

There will be a cyclonic circulation over east central Arabian Sea off south Maharashtra coast which will persist.

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Marwa Arafa and Kholoud Said were arbitrarily arrested and forcibly disappeared, says Human Rights Watch.

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily arrested and forcibly disappeared two women in recent days, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), which called on the government to fully disclose their whereabouts.

The New York-based rights group identified the two women as 27-year-old Marwa Arafa, a translator and management consultant who had no known political affiliation or activist work over the past five years, and Kholoud Said, 35, a senior translator at Alexandria Library.

Arafa was arrested at her home in the capital Cairo on April 20 by two plain-clothes officers and four armed masked men in police uniform, according to HRW. Said was arrested on April 21 and charged a week later with joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

Marwa Arafa and Kholoud Said were taken from their homes and forcibly disappeared as their families stood by helpless, said Amr Magdi, an HRW Middle East and North Africa researcher, in a statement on Wednesday.

No warrants, no explanations  this is the behaviour of a security establishment run amok.

Lawyers told the rights group Said was interrogated over allegations of spreading false news in Case No 558 of 2020, known as the coronavirus case, which has been brought against an undisclosed number of activists.

The case has seen the arrest and charge of activists, lawyers, and social media users who criticised the governments response to the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed nearly 360 Egyptians and infected more than 5,000 others.

Egyptian officials under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisis rule have routinely denied that security officials disappear detainees, but hundreds of people have gone missing for weeks, months or even years before being charged with offences often based on security allegations that provide no material evidence, said HRW.

Other cases

The news came a couple of months after Egypt arrested researcher and activist Patrick George Zaki, 27, who was arrested upon his arrival at Cairo Airport in February.

The student, who arrived from Italy and researched gender and human rights, was taken into custody at the airport and disappeared for 24 hours.

According to his lawyers, Zaki was beaten and subjected to electric shocks during questioning before he appeared at a public prosecutors office in his home town, the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.

Prosecutors ordered that he remain in custody for 15 days pending investigations into a host of allegations, including publishing false news, inciting protests without permission, and calling for the overthrow of the state.

Zakis arrest stoked fears of a repeat of the murder of Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Italian PhD student who was disappeared and killed in Cairo in January 2016.

Thousands arrested

Rights activists say el-Sisi has overseen an unprecedented crackdown on freedom in Egypt since first taking power in 2013 and then winning elections in 2014. El-Sisi and his backers say the measures are needed to keep Egypt stable and counter threats from armed groups.

Thousands of people have been arrested  both secular-leaning activists and members of the Muslim Brotherhood  with authorities rolling back freedoms won after the uprising in 2011 that became known as the Arab Spring.

Egypt outlawed all unauthorised protests in 2013, months after el-Sisi led the militarys removal of the countrys first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, following mass protests.








Nanjangud's BJP MLA B Harshavardhan, who is the son-in-law of party MP V Srinivasa Prasad representing Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency is angry with the state government over the handling of the issue.

Bengaluru: The BJP government in Karnataka has got itself into knots over the source of one person tested positive for COVID-19 and became a transmitter for 73 others.

It's the case of who done it and while the mystery remains unresolved even after over a month, the local BJP MP and MLA also from the same party are quibbling over how the person  Patient 52  got the virus, while two ministers went public that the puzzle had been unravelled even as Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa ordered a probe to trace the reason. The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on the issue.

Of the total 89 COVID-19 positive cases reported in Mysuru district, 10 are linked to Tablighi Jamaat attendees, of the remaining six, two were persons who came from Dubai, four related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the rest (73) were those who came in contact with P-52.

The mystery is just not confined over how P-52, a 35-year-old employee of Noida-based Jubilant Generics Limited in the temple town of Nanjangud taluk, 35 kilometres from Mysuru, got the coronavirus and became a carrier for 73 others (they include his colleagues and their secondary contacts) but the curious turns the single case has taken with the BJP's elected members views being at variance.'

The high court dismissed the PIL filed against the company for negligence in protecting the employees saying the need of the hour was in containing the pandemic. Jubilant Generics Limited is engaged in manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients and P-52 was one of the first cluster outbreaks of COVID-19 in Karnataka.

Nanjangud's BJP MLA B Harshavardhan, who is the son-in-law of party MP V Srinivasa Prasad representing Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency is angry with the state government over the handling of the issue.

"I am totally disappointed and upset with the way my own party government is handling the pharma's case. The chief minister has not called me for discussions. There is interference by Mysuru BJP MP Prathap Simha, who is keen that the pharma, which has suspended the operations be reopened. The probe ordered into the cause of the virus has no basis with no FIR being filed against the company or the material seized," he said.

Simha in a Facebook post without naming Harshavardhan said there were some people who are trying to find reasons to close Jubilant and were accusing him of interfering in a taluk which does not come under his parliamentary constituency.

"People from Mysuru travel to Nanjangud and if the pharma is closed will those demanding the pharma's closure provide employment? Besides under what Act can action be taken against the company for importing material from China when India has not banned it?" he asked.

Various explanations for the virus transmission

Since P-52 claimed he had no overseas travel history, the main suspect was raw material imported from China by the pharma in March. Samples of the material sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune showed negative.

According to reports from the local health officials in Nanjangud, P-52 took treatment at a private hospital on 13 March and continued to report to work. When the fever did not subside he went for further tests on 20 March and on 26 March was confirmed positive for COVID-19.

During this period 23 other employees who came in contact with him tested positive. The company has 1,050 employees and a majority of them have been home quarantined.

Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates

Harshavardhan said the government had spent Rs 7 crore so far on the pharma's employees and the expenditure included the tests which cost Rs 4,000 per person, quarantining and providing them ration. The quarantining which has been done in phases will end on 1 May, he said.

He also disputed the report that the virus could not have come from the consignment.

"I am a Science student and aware that bacteria become active in cold storage and the consignment has come in powder and jell form for which a cold chain is required,'' Harshavardhan said.

Two ministers make confusing statements

On 18 April, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar, who has been made the spokesperson on COVID-19 said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had written to Karnataka chief secretary that 10 foreign nationals from China, Japan, Germany and the US had visited the pharma in February.

The MEA had contacted the 10 foreign nationals and nine had confirmed they were fine while the report from the German was awaited.

Kumar claimed it was now suspected that one of the people was a carrier of the virus and could have transmitted it to P-52.

Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar speaking to a news channel recently ruled out the virus being transmitted through the consignment's handling and said according to reports from the home department P-52, who was initially P-0 had travelled to China and had interacted with persons there.

"We are relieved that the issue has been cracked," he told the channel.

What the pharma says

In a press statement on 25 April, the company said it had informed the district administration that one of the employees (P52) had tested positive for COVID19. The employee was unwell and had stopped coming to the plant from 20 March.

He did not attend office from 21 to 26 March until he was detected positive and was under medical observation later. He was discharged from the hospital on 10 April after being tested negative.

Besides the company imported raw material from various countries and once it reached the plant the drums or packs are vacuum cleaned before taking them inside the warehouse.

However, Harshavardhan is not ready to buy all the explanations given by the government or the company.

"Since the last two years, my constituency has been facing one calamity after another. For two years we had a flood and now COVID-19. Nanjangud is getting a social stigma and my mother has asked me not to come home. No one from my party is supporting me and I am isolated," he said.

Meanwhile, senior bureaucrat Harsh Gupta, who was the nodal officer for COVID-19 in Mysuru and has been asked to probe the reasons for Nanjandud becoming the epicentre for the coronavirus said he would commence after getting certain clarifications from the government. He was asked to submit the report within a week after being put in charge of the probe on 25 April.

"I have got the police report and awaiting a reply to the clarifications sought by me," Gupta said.
Adapting to his Southern California surroundings, the new Los Angeles Angels third baseman, Anthony Rendon, purchased a Newport Coast mansion for $6.1 million in January.

After helping lead the Washington Nationals to a World Series win last fall, the slugging infielder hit the free-agent market.

His services were in high demand, and he signed a seven-year, $245 million-dollar contract with the Angels in December.

Shortly thereafter, he closed on the purchase of a four-bedroom, 4.5 bathroom home, with scenic views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Built in 2017, the 4,653-square-foot residence sits on one of the largest lots available in an exclusive gated development. It was designed by architect Bob White of Forest Studio in Laguna Beach, and comes complete with resort-style amenities and chic design throughout.

Highlights include soaring wood-beamed ceilings, marble and quartzite countertops, and gorgeous tile floors.

Exterior realtor.com

Gourmet kitchen realtor.com

The residence has an open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling retractable doors, which open the kitchen and living room to the outdoors. For an owner who loves options, there are two master suiteseach on a different floor.

A spectacular, oversized, quartz-topped island, state-of-the-art appliances, custom cabinetry, and premium fixtures make the kitchen a showstopper.

For an after-dinner drink, the dining area comes equipped with dual Sub-Zero wine cellars. A breakfast nook and office extend into the massive outdoor space.

The beautifully laid-out outdoor space boasts lush landscaping, terraces, ocean viewing areas, and a Pebble Tec pool with a hot tub.

The home is also outfitted with smart features, including an Smart Systems Technologies security system, Savant Home Automation, and Sonos surround sound.

Living area realtor.com

Entertaining area realtor.com

Pool realtor.com

The home is close to shops, schools, and nearby restaurants, and within walking distance of Crystal Cove State Park. This luxe O.C. community is about a 30-minute commute to Angels Stadium.

Rendon, 29, broke into the big leagues in 2013 with the Nationals, and went on to become an All-Star and Silver Slugger. He capped his Nats career with a spectacular postseason performance, which helped propel the team to its first title ever.

The post Now With the Angels, Anthony Rendon Scores $6.1M Newport Coast Mansion appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
To the Editor:

Re How Biden Should Pick His Running Mate, by Richard Moe (Op-Ed, April 25):

Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all chose the person they thought best to help them govern and be president if the occasion arose. Indeed, all their V.P. picks did go on to become their partys presidential nominee or presumptive nominee. This year, that person could well become the first female president.

Another approach is who might tactically help the ticket in the Electoral College, which rarely happens. Could Kamala Harris or Stacey Abrams attract more people of color beyond what Joe Biden (plus Mr. Obamas campaigning) could? Could Amy Klobuchar additionally help in swing Midwest states? Would Elizabeth Warren best energize millions of young, disappointed Bernie Sanders voters? Quien sabe?

Lets assume that 2020 is a big turning-point crisis election as in 1932, given the triple threats of President Trump, Covid-19 and an imploding economy. Then theres a clear favorite whos shown herself ready to be president.

Senator Warren has proved to be an unusually competent, smart, visionary, empathetic, accomplished policy leader. Shes shown herself to be at Kennedy-Clinton-Obama levels of emotional intelligence, I.Q. and communications skills. With Joe Biden embodying the were-all-in-this-together ethic, Ms. Warren can fiercely prosecute the case against a G.O.P. ticket.




UNITED Family International Church (UFIC), through its Agape Family Care, yesterday handed over 100 tonnes of maize-meal, five tonnes of sugar, fives tonnes of sugar beans and 5 000 bars of laundry soap to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwas Angel of Hope Foundation, for onward distribution to communities in need.





Agape Family Care is the brainchild of Prophetess Ruth Makandiwa. The First Lady has left no stone unturned in ensuring that vulnerable people have access to food and improved healthcare facilities.





Her concern for the welfare of the elderly has seen her going around the countrys provinces, giving out an assortment of foodstuffs and information on coronavirus, which has claimed thousands of people globally.





Presenting the goods yesterday, UFIC spokesman, Pastor Prime Kufa, who was in the company of other church members, said they were touched by the First Ladys ongoing programmes to assist the elderly and other vulnerable people.





This morning (yesterday) we are here representing Agape Family Care, a brainchild of Mama Ruth Makandiwa, which has also done a lot of charity work and today we are so happy to be associated with Angel of Hope Foundation and to make this donation on her behalf.





We are grateful for the work that our First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa is doing. She has the information on who exactly needs what, especially during this difficult time that we are facing and I am happy to say that Mama Ruth is always happy to lend a hand. Today we are very happy to hand over what she has sent us to hand over to Angel of Hope Foundation, he said.





Pastor Kufa said Mrs Makandiwa have a passion for charity work.





In an acceptance speech read on her behalf by Angel of Hope Foundation board member Mrs Rachel Nield-Geranios, the First Lady said her Foundation has a mission to support vulnerable populations in accessing healthcare and to support disadvantaged communities in gaining the resources they need in order to become secure and earn a dignified living.





We are there to respond to communities by addressing those economic and social vulnerabilities to enable them to cope with economic demands in life.





This gift of foodstuffs from Agape Family Care comes absolutely at the right time as you all know our people need food because of the lockdown which is everywhere around the globe and its our best bet in combating this terrible disease.





The demand for the presence of Angel of Hope Foundation has vastly increased during this time in the sense that it is advocating and bringing awareness to the aged and the rural folk about Covid-19, she said.





She said the donation will go a long way in assisting those in need.





We are grateful to this kind gesture towards the people of Zimbabwe and may God bless Agape Family Care and Angel of Hope Foundation as we seek to do Gods work in bringing relief to those in difficult times, she said.





The country is under lockdown as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus and some elderly people and vulnerable groups have run out of food.





This has seen the First Lady handing out toiletries and foodstuffs among them dried vegetables which she grows and prepares at the back of her office.





Over the past two weeks, the First Lady and her Angel of Hope Foundation team has toured Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central provinces, among other areas, spreading information on coronavirus and distributing food to the needy.




With one of its kind gesture, United States military flight squadrons paid tribute to all the health care workers, first responders and other essential workers on April 28. According to reports, twelve fighter jets of the airs forces Thunderbirds and navys Blue Angels streaked above New Yorks Big Apple in a collaborative salute.

According to reports, the military planes were sent circling New York and New Jersey which are the worst affected states in the country. The planes then flew off to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. This comes as the COVID-19 has now infected 1,035,765 across the US.

Read: COVID-19: Signs Of Progress In US As Deaths Decrease In New York, New Jersey

Read: 'New York Opens Antibody Testing To Healthcare, Front Line Workers': Governor Andrew Cuomo

'Opportunity to salute'

Speaking to international media reporters, Blue Angels commander, Brian Kesselring, said that they felt incredibly honoured to have the "opportunity to salute" those who were working on the frontline of the COVID-19 response. Lauding essential workers, he added that the US military was in awe of the workers' "strength and resilience." Elaborating further in a statement, he said, "the flypast took more than a month to plan and was the first of several planned around the country over the coming weeks."

A visit from the Navys Blue Angels and the Air Forces Thunderbirds in honor of front line health care workers. #NewYork pic.twitter.com/nJBAp7bOCy  John A (@arabadjis1) April 28, 2020

New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania - The Blue Angels and @AFThunderbirds are headed your way.



The flyover will start at 12 pm (EDT).



Stay tuned here for updates and schedule changes ! #AmericaStrong #InThisTogether pic.twitter.com/cmFXGugyZ7  Blue Angels (@BlueAngels) April 28, 2020

The Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels flying behind the freedom tower in New York City. #blueangels #Thunderbirds pic.twitter.com/cemJoto0ao  Nicholas Isabella (@NycStormChaser) April 28, 2020

Read: New York's Top Doctor Commits Suicide After Battling COVID-19 On The Frontline

Read: New York Scientists Study Coronavirus Genome To Curb Future Outbreaks
Apple Settles Dispute Over FaceTime Issue By Paying $18 Million To Affected iPhone 4 Users News oi-Karan Sharma

Apple has officially signed an agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit in California which accused the company of breaking FaceTime on the iPhones 4 series intentionally. According to the Law360 report, the company has settled the case by paying $18 million. With this settlement amount, 90 percent of the class action member will receive compensation for their loss.

The compensation will be delivered to the users via mail or electronic transfer. The report also suggests that 3.6 million iPhone 4, 4S devices were affected by the update. Each user will receive a compensation of around $3, which is very less. The case trial was scheduled for this month.

"The class is defined as all California owners of non-jailbroken Apple iPhone 4 or 4S devices with iOS 6 or earlier operating systems," according to the report.

Moreover, 30 percent of the settlement amount will go to the class counsel, and the two complainants Christina Grace and Ken Potter, which raised concerns over the FaceTime issue, will receive $7,500 each.

The class-action lawsuit was filed against Apple in California for intentionally breaking FaceTime on the iPhone with older versions of iOS. To cut down the server cost, Apple developed a peer-to-peer protocol which was introduced with iOS 7 back in 2013. Apple iPhone 4 users were unable to upgrade to iOS7 and the company removed the FaceTime from the previous version.

"That decision left iPhone users stuck with a choice between a sluggish device or losing the ability to use FaceTime," the report explains.

The company fought the case until January. However, later in February, it decided to settle the case. At the beginning of April, Apple witnessed a small victory, while a similar lawsuit was dismissed by federal court in Florida.

It's not the first time Apple is paying for settling down a lawsuit. Back in March, the company agreed to pay $500 million for intentionally slowing down the performance of the older iPhones to increase the sale of the new ones.

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San Francisco, April 29 : After weathering the coronavirus pandemic in the first quarter, Googles parent company Alphabet is almost certain about really tough times ahead as advertising spend has nosedived while billions of users are only searching for the coronavirus-related queries and not about commercial ones.

In an analysts call after reporting Q1 results late Tuesday, Ruth Porat who is Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet and Google said that in order to gauge the ongoing potential financial impact to the business from COVID-19, a key signal to monitor is macroeconomic performance which is tended to be correlated with advertising spend.

"As of today, we anticipate that the second quarter will be a difficult one for our advertising business," Porat said late Tuesday.

In March, revenues began to decline and entered the month at a 'mid-teens percentage decline in year-on-year revenues'.

"Although, users' search activity increased, their interest shifted to less commercial topics. In addition, there was also reduced spending by our advertisers," admitted Porat.

The second quarter is going to be very difficult for many tech giants as there is a downturn in the global web advertising market.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that overall, recovery in ad spend will depend on a return to economic activity.

"There are 2 key aspects of our business that give us confidence about the future. First, as we saw after 2008, one of the strongest features of Search is that it can be adjusted quickly, so it's relatively easier to turn off and then back on, and marketers see it as highly cost effective and ROI based," Pichai emphasized.

The company which posted $6.8 billion in profit said at the inception of the crisis, the increase in user interest was for information about COVID-19 and related non-commercial topics.

"Although we have seen some very early signs of recovery and commercial search behaviour by users, it is not clear how durable or monetizable this behaviour will be," added Porat.

"Although users may not be focused as much on purely commercial activities right now, over the long term, the value we provide to billions of users globally serves us well. Our previous investments in technical infrastructure ensure that we have the capacity and resilience to meet the increased demand from our users in this extraordinary time,' the Alphabet CFO noted.

The company said it is redoubling efforts to help its advertising customers and partners by sharing insights and developing new tools to keep them connected to their customers and help them be best positioned for recovery.

As the impact of COVID-19 came into view, Google delayed some ad launches and prioritized supporting customers as many adjusted their strategy.

"We are focused on products where we can help most advertisers and merchants during the crisis," said Pichai.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Finance Minister Conor Murphy has been urged to confirm when Land Registry, which records property transactions, will restore full services.

Land Registry, part of Land and Property Services within the Department of Finance, closed its offices and phonelines in March at the start of lockdown.

The DUP's Gordon Dunne, a North Down MLA, and East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said the public now needs to be informed of when full services will resume.

"We have constituents who cannot complete the sale of their home, complete the purchase of their new home, re-mortgage or complete mortgage drawdowns because Land Registry has practically stopped providing any service," they stated. "We understand that every organisation has had to take steps to protect its employees but after several weeks, the minister needs to publish what plans he has to bring the service back on stream."

The notice on the LPS website says that all offices and phone lines have been closed until May 11.

It also adds that LPS is focused on "supporting the Covid-19 Business Support Grant Schemes".

A spokesman for LPS said members of the public and solicitors have been able to contact it by email, while the Land Registry was also working with UK finance lenders and the Law Society "to introduce workarounds to enable property transactions to complete where essential".

Staff will be in the office from Monday next week.

And from May 11, Land Registry will also accept new applications by post.

Mr Dunne and Mr Wilson said that they appreciated that everyone was facing "extraordinary circumstances".

However, they added: "This is a case of people who need to provide shelter for themselves and their families.

"Lots of organisations are continuing to provide a service by facilitating working from home."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Many production companies have opted to release their movies via streaming services with theaters closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

In March, Universal Studios released several could-be blockbuster movies for rent online, allowing people to watch them without leaving their house.

The SXSW film festival followed in Universals footsteps, allowing its participating movies to be screened via Amazon Prime.

Heres a list of some 10 movies headed to streaming or on-demand services due to the pandemic.

The King of Staten Island," drama/comedy, rated R, runtime of 2 hours and 16 minutes. Originally scheduled for release June 12, now set for video on-demand (VOD) services the same day.

The King of Staten Island is a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about Great Kills native Pete Davidson, including the loss of his father on 9/11 and his foray into the world of stand-up comedy. The film stars Davidson, comedian Ricky Velez, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Moises Arias, Steve Buscemi, Machine Gun Kelly and Maude Apatow, Judds daughter and the star of HBOs Euphoria."

SCOOB!, animation/adventure, rated PG, runtime N/A. Originally scheduled for May 15, now set for VOD release that same day (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu).

SCOOB! reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global dogpocalypse, the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.

Disneys Artemis Fowl," adventure/fantasy, rated PG with a runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes. Originally scheduled for May 29, now set for a Disney+ release on June 12.

The film is about Artemis Fowl, a 12-year-old genius and descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds. He soon finds himself in an epic battle against a race of powerful underground fairies who may be behind his fathers disappearance.

Fantasy Island," horror/thriller, rated PG-13 with a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally scheduled for a Feb. 14 theatrical release, it went to on-demand April 14.

Fantasy Island follows the enigmatic Mr. Roarke, who makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. When the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the islands mystery in order to escape with their lives.

Bad Boys For Life," comedy/action, rated R with a runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes. Originally scheduled for a theater release Jan. 17, it went to on-demand March 31.

Bad Boys For Life follows the wife and the son of a Mexican drug lord who embark on a vengeful quest to kill all those involved in his trial and imprisonment -- including Miami Detective Mike Lowrey. When Mike gets wounded, he teams up with partner Marcus Burnett and AMMO -- a special tactical squad -- to bring the culprits to justice. But the old-school, wisecracking cops must soon learn to get along with their new elite counterparts if they are to take down the vicious cartel that threatens their lives.

Military Wives, comedy/drama, rated PG-13 with a runtime of one hour and 53 minutes. Originally scheduled for release March 27 but was pushed back to on-demand and Hulu release May 22.

The film follows a group of women in England whose partners are away serving in Afghanistan. Faced with the mens absences, they form a choir and quickly find themselves at the centre of a media sensation and global movement. Inspired by global phenomenon of military wives choirs, the story celebrates a band of misfit women who form a choir on a military base.

True History of the Kelly Gang, western/drama, rated R with a runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes. Originally scheduled for a theatrical release April 24, it is now on-demand.

Inspired by Peter Careys Man Booker prize winning novel of the same name, Justin Kurzels True History of the Kelly Gang shatters the mythology of the notorious icon to reveal the essence behind the life of Ned Kelly and force a country to stare back into the ashes of its brutal past.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), action/superhero, rated R with a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally scheduled for a Feb. 7 theatrical release, it is now available on video services.

After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.

Bloodshot," action/adventure, rated PG-13 with a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally scheduled for a theatrical release March 24, it is now on-demand.

Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation. With an army of nanotechnology in his veins, hes an unstoppable force -- stronger than ever and able to heal instantly. But in controlling his body, the company has sway over his mind and memories, too. Now, Ray doesnt know whats real and whats not -- but hes on a mission to find out.

The Call of the Wild," adventure/drama, rated PG with a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes. Originally scheduled for Feb. 21 theatrical release, it is now available to buy digitally.

Set during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, the film follows a dog named Buck as he is stolen from his home in California and sent to the Yukon, where he befriends an old outdoorsman and begins a life-altering adventure.
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has instructed police officers to arrest mourners at large funerals, in order to stop large crowds gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday night, the mayor posted three tweets condemning mourners who gathered on the streets of the city to pay their respects for the late Rabbi Chaim Mertz, according to the New York Post.

The mourners were criticised by Mr de Blasio, who said that large gatherings will not be tolerated in the city.

Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic, he said

When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus, the mayor added.

Mr de Blasios second tweet attracted criticism, after he singled out the Jewish community for not practising social distancing and said that he would instruct police officers to arrest those gathering in large groups.

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period, he tweeted.

Twitter users were quick to criticise the mayors comments and Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, replied to his post: Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC. The few who dont social distance should be called out  but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews.

This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever.

Chaim Deutsch, a city council member added: This has to be a joke. Did the Mayor of NYC really just single out one specific ethnic community (a community that has been the target of increasing hate crimes in HIS city) as being noncompliant??

Mr de Blasio finished his thread about the incident by writing that he would be instructing police officers in the city to have zero tolerance for people mourning in large groups.

We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn. But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning, the mayor said.

We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance.

Last week, the mayor urged people in the city to report anyone not practising social distancing.

When you see a crowd, when you see a line thats not distanced, when you see a supermarket thats too crowded  anything, you can report it right away, so we can get help there to fix the problem, he said.

Googles dedicated coronavirus page shows that New York City has upwards of 162,000 confirmed cases and at least 12,509 deaths.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, nationally there are now upwards of on million people who have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 58,355.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 18:57:36|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 recoveries in Israel exceeded the number of active cases for the first time, the state's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the number of active cases has dropped to 7,641, while the number of recoveries reached 7,929, with 183 new recoveries since Tuesday evening.

The total number of COVID-19 cases on Israel has reached 15,782, with 54 new cases.

The death toll rose to 212 with two new deaths reported while the number of patients in serious condition rose from 116 to 120, out of 352 patients currently hospitalized.

Meanwhile, most events of Israel's Independence Day on Wednesday have been canceled, with a full closure imposed from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening.

However, several official ceremonies have been recorded in advance for television broadcast on Independence Day. Enditem
A sanitation worker of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Alivelu has donated 10,000 to the Telangana Chief Ministers Relief Fund.

The big-heart, who draws only 12,000 monthly salary, met Municipal Administration Minister K.T. Rama Rao, on Tuesday, and handed over her donation.

Her gesture hugely impressed the Minister, who has been receiving huge donations from industrialists and prominent personalities on a daily basis. He appreciated Alivelu for her commitment towards the society and applauded her gesture.

Received a tweet couple of days ago from a GHMC worker called Alivelu saying she wants to contribute one months salary to CMRF



Intrigued, asked @KTRoffice to arrange a meeting. She came in today with the cheque & insisted that I accept it. Didnt want anything from my side pic.twitter.com/J57hocpoiL  KTR (@KTRTRS) April 28, 2020

She has been delivering services as a sanitation worker in the Tolichowki circle for the past five years. Her husband Sailam is a daily wager at a vegetable market and her two children are studying in school.

Alivelu said many suggested her not to contribute money during these difficult times. But her husband and children who stood by her and encouraged her to contribute.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will speak to renowned economist and former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan on the state of the economy and India should revive it in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala posted a two-minute long clip on social media showing parts of the conversation between the two, while the full dialogue will be released at 9am on Thursday. Rajan also posted about the interaction on LinkedIn.

As #Covid_19 looms large, Shri Rahul Gandhi initiates a set of Dialogues for laying down the path. Pl watch Shri @RahulGandhi in conversation with Dr. Raghuram Rajan at 9 AM on 30th April, 2020 at @INCIndia & other Social Media handles of Congress. The curtain raiser  pic.twitter.com/n36hGtzBV0  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 29, 2020

The move, first of its kind, is significant because it is being seen as a shift in the image of Gandhi who is seen to be finally taking steps to be more involved in the functioning of the party.

Surjewala said that Gandhi will hold a series of video-dialogues with public intellectuals on charting a path to recovery after the pandemic.

In the teaser clip, Gandhi asked how much money would be needed to help the poor affected by the lockdown, to which Rajan replied roughly Rs 65,000 crore.

Rajan also said that it was all too easy to have a lockdown forever, but that would not be sustainable for the economy, as he pushed for more measures by the government to combat the virus.

The video series is being seen by many as a sign of Rahul Gandhis return to presidency, months after he stepped down after the Congress drubbing in the 2020 elections.

This month, he also came on board an 11-member committee headed by former prime minister Manmohan Singh to ideate on national issues founded in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic.
Police broke up a large gathering of people outside a New Zealand burger chain hours after the level four lockdown was lifted.

Up to 30 people gathered outside of BurgerFuel in Glenfield, Auckland, on Tuesday evening , the first day of COVID-19 level three restrictions.

Customers were slammed after they were seen in close proximity to each other in a clear breach of social distancing restrictions.

It came as hundreds of Kiwis camped overnight at McDonald's after the chain opened its doors for the first time in five weeks.

Up to 30 people gathered outside of BurgerFuel in Glenfield, Auckland on Tuesday afternoon on the first day of COVID-19 level three restrictions

Dan Arakawa photographed the mass gathering and said 'This s**t was insane.'

'How come people are standing closer than social distance allows, that we still have to follow?' Mr Arakawa said on Facebook.

'I know people are getting sick of lockdown but we are NOT in normal life yet.

'We can do this better and hope this will get sorted.'

Many followers also slammed the crowd and said the behaviour could force New Zealand back into level four restrictions.

A person wrote: 'Some people are just dumb. They want all take away shops closed again I guess.'

'Second wave of COVID-19 seems inevitable at this point,' another wrote.

Customers were slammed after they were seen in close proximity to each other in a clear breach of social distancing restrictions (pictured: BurgerFuel)

Mayor Phil Goff also criticised the crowd at BurgerFuel.

'Aucklanders have done a really good job at level four and that has meant we have saved lives. We must continue to do that,' he said in a statement.

'The prime minister has said repeatedly that we need to continue to be vigilant and we cannot slip back into our pre-lockdown habits.

'I know this is hard, especially after more than a month of being in level four, but we need to keep going for a little while longer.'

Mr Goff said no one wants to return to level four restrictions, but New Zealand may have to if people do not follow social distancing rules.

A BurgerFuel spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they were not prepared for such a large number of customers upon their re-opening

A BurgerFuel spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they were not prepared for such a large number of customers upon their re-opening.

'Our staff are navigating many new procedures such as strict hygiene protocols, physical distancing guidelines and contactless food preparation in our kitchens,' a BurgerFuel spokesperson said.

'This, combined with major volumes of orders following 5 weeks of no operation, resulted in some stores struggling to control crowds at peak collection times.'

BurgerFuel said they are working on a number of improvements to ensure the wellbeing of their customers and staff.

'We will be limiting online orders to ensure food production and queues are manageable, all stores are now required to have a crowd controller at the storefront at all times, to reinforce physical distancing.

'We have also provided additional video training to guide our staff and ensure we are operating in adherence with the governments guidelines.'

Hundreds of Kiwis camped overnight for McDonald's after the restaurant opened its doors following a five-week lockdown

On Tuesday morning hundreds of hungry Kiwis queued from midnight to get their first Big Mac in weeks.

Drive-thru services resumed at 5am with dozens of cars queuing before dawn in Christchurch and Wellington.

New Zealand has suffered only 1,124 confirmed cases and 19 deaths - including just two new cases in the last 24 hours - after moving quickly to impose a lockdown in March.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern praised New Zealanders for their 'incredible work' to 'break the virus's chain of transmission'

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern praised New Zealanders for their 'incredible work' to 'break the virus's chain of transmission'.

The low numbers of coronavirus allowed the country to downgrade its lockdown restrictions from level four to a lower level three.

Level three restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks, with Ardern saying they would only be downgraded again if circumstances were right.

Ardern has maintained a health-first approach to fighting COVID-19, arguing a drastic short-term action would benefit the economy in the long run.

'There is no widespread underlying community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle,' she said. 'It's worked and we've done it together.'

However, she added that 'at alert level three we are not out of the woods'.

'It is a recovery room, of sorts, to assess if the incredible work that New Zealanders have done at level four to break the viruss chain of transmission and prevent further community outbreak has worked,' she said.
GREENWICH - A local professor will explore the critical activism in our area and the greater New England region that helped to propel the womens suffrage movement into a national cause, in a History from Home Zoom free lecture sponsored by the Greenwich Historical Society.

The talk, called More than Seneca Falls: The Suffrage Movement in New England, will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3.

Heather Prescott, a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, will explore be the lecturer.

Many histories use the 1848 convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., as a starting point for the suffrage movement but neglect to mention the all-important role of activism here in New England and other regions of the country.

Prescott will show how area women and men mobilized for womens rights from the 1840s onward, building enormous momentum for the struggle, which empowered women in their fight for political and economic equality, and ultimately resulted in the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment granting them the right to vote.

Prescott specializes in womens history, 20th century history and the history of medicine and public health.

The lecture is designed to provide greater perspective on the womans suffrage movement in conjunction with the Historical Societys exhibition on An Unfinished Revolution: The Womens Suffrage Centennial, which is scheduled to be on display through Sept. 6. However, the historical society is closed to the public until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For more information and to register for the free May 3 lecture, visit https://greenwichhistory.org/event/more-than-seneca-falls-the-suffrage-movement-in-new-england-with-dr-heather-munro-prescott/.
The 2020 Toyota Tacoma has a lot to offer when compared to one of its newest competitors. Learn more about what Toyota of Decatur can do for you.

Toyota of Decatur is still open for business and ready to help people with whatever they need. A major part of the product teams day is spent educating current and new customers about the latest models that have arrived at the showroom as well as the new services it has to offer. The 2020 Toyota Tacoma has been a leader in the midsize pickup truck class for a long time but recent additions to the segment have introduced new challenges for potential buyers. Also, Serra Toyota of Decatur has introduced a free vehicle sterilization service so customers can take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19.

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma has earned a strong reputation among off-road enthusiasts because of its available performance found with several trims that are equipped with professional racing components. Toyota continues to make a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter, V-6 engine available that will make 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. It can achieve 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the highway. This will represent better fuel-economy scores than its newest competitor.

Toyota has also updated the available connectivity technology equipped with the 2020 Tacoma. It will offer a standard smartphone-compatible infotainment system that will work with both the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay suites of applications as well as the Amazon Alexa digital home assistant. The latest rival for the Tacoma wont connect to an owners Alexa device.

COVID-19 has been a popular topic of conversation with good reason. A Toyota of Decatur customers can schedule a free appointment to have their vehicles interior professionally disinfected. The dealerships service department has invested in the needed products, technology and staff protections to make sure the virus can be stopped in its tracks.

Anyone can view the entire Toyota of Decatur inventory by visiting the dealerships website, http://www.toyotaofdecatur.com. The showroom is located at 309 Beltline Place, Decatur, AL 35601. Customers can learn more about the 2020 Toyota Tacoma or the newly available sanitization service today by calling 256-274-4354.
Three out of five Karnataka ministers, who reportedly came in contact with the COVID-19 positive video journalist of a Kannada channel recently, on Wednesday said they have tested negative for the virus.

Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Kannada and Culture Minister C T Ravi tweeted that their test reports have come out negative and they are under home quarantine.

"After being informed that I might have come in contact with a COVID-19 affected person, I have been in home quarantine.

I have tested negative, but will continue to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions," Ashwath Narayan said in a tweet.

While Bommai said, he has taken a swab test and it has come out negative.

"I am under self quarantine and I am healthy."



Ravi said, "Even though I had no close interaction with him (camera man) during my meetings, I got myself tested on 28th April.

I am happy to share with You that I have tested negative for #CoronaVirus."



While, the other two ministers have not responded so far, according to sources, one of them had undergone test and tested negative.

Earlier in the day, Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters that the five ministers are undergoing tests.

However, reports allege that the few of these ministers had flouted mandated quarantining and are going about with routine work.

Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar has questioned the government about ministers reportedly in contact with the video journalist not being quarantined, and termed it as "protocol violation".

"A Kannada channel's cameraman is COVID +ve.His primary contacts include CM, DCM & Ministers.

Why aren't they in quarantine? Isn't it double standards by those who must set an example to citizens? This is a protocol violation.

This Govt is not serious about fighting COVID," Shivakumar tweeted.

The journalist, who had visited containment zones demarcated by BBMP (city civic body), was confirmed positive on April 24.

As per the 34-year-old patient's (video journalist's) flowchart, he had met five ministers on work, between April 21 and April 24.

Though, he had also visited Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's Home office "Krishna" multiple times during this period, according to officials, he had not met the CM.

On April 23, he had given his swab samples along with other journalists for testing, and was confirmed positive the next day.

At least 40 other contacts of the video journalist, including his family and journalists from various media outlets, have been quarantined, sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AppGyver, a Helsinki, Finland-based providing visual programming tools for professional app development, raised 2M in funding.

The round was co-led by Karma Ventures and OpenOcean, with participation from angel investors. The new round takes total funding to 10M.

The company intends to use the capital to accelerate the development of its visual app builder platform, Composer Pro, scale up its international expansion, and grow a developer community of more than a million people.

Led by Marko Lehtimaki, CEO, AppGyver provides Composer Pro, a no-code visual platform for professional app development, where new and seasoned developers alike can build production-ready apps for any device without having to write a single line of code. Everything can be crafted visually by using drag-and-drop, including the user interface, app logic, access to native APIs, user authentication, and backend integrations.

Composer Pro is free for indie developers and small companies with under $10M annual revenue, while the enterprise offering, AppGyver Black, has a customized pricing plan with appropriate service-level agreements, premium support, and governance features.

The company has also created a component marketplace where users can share, and potentially sell, what theyve created and build on the contributions of others.

AppGyvers global enterprise portfolio includes companies such as DHL, Fingrid, and Genelec, and has a community of 300,000 developers using its platform.

FinSMEs

29/04/2020
Seven people, including six with recent travel history to West Bengal, tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 125, officials said.

Of the new cases, three were reported from Balasore district and one each from Bhubaneswar in Khurda district, Keonjhar, Deogarh and Jharsuguda, they said.

In Balasore, three men tested positive for COVID-19 upon their return from Kolkata. Though all of them were asymptomatic, their samples were tested in view of their travel history and placed in quarantine.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Balasore increased to 19 with these three patients.

Earlier in the day, the respiratory disease was detected in a 77-year-old man from Bhubaneswar. This was the first COVID-19 case reported in the state capital after a gap of 14 days. The previous case reported in the city was on April 14.

The man from Madhusudan Nagar area of the city got infected after coming in contact with a relative who had tested positive for the deadly virus some days ago.

He had tested negative for COVID-19 on April 9. Another test was conducted on Tuesday night which was positive, NHM director Shalini Pandit said.

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Bhubaneswar now stands at 47, of which 27 have recovered.

This apart, one new case each was reported from Keonjhar, Deogarh and Jharsuguda districts, the Information and Public Relations department said, adding these patients had also recently returned from West Bengal.

With Keonjhar, Deogarh and Jharsuguda having registered coronavirus cases for the first time, the respiratory infection has spread to 14 of the 30 districts in the state.

A 60-year-old man from Panchapalli became the first COVID-19 patient in Keonjhar district. A 34-year-old man of Basudevpur area of Deogarh district is the first confirmed coronavirus case in the district, while the first COVID-19 patient in Jharsuguda is an 18-year-old woman from Brajrajnagar, an official said.

With this, the number of COVID-19 cases in Odisha rose to 125. Of them, 85 are undergoing treatment, 39 have recovered and one dead. The fresh recovered man hailed from Bhubaneswar.

As many as 2,421 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the state on Tuesday, while a total of 29,108 samples have been tested till date, sources said.

Of the 125 COVID-19 cases reported in Odisha so far, 47 are from Bhubaneswar, 19 each from Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore, 10 from Sundergarh, two each from Kendrapara and Kalahandi, and one each from Cuttack, Puri, Dhenkanal, Koraput, Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Keonjhar districts.

Contact tracing and follow-up action are being done after the fresh cases were detected, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The public joint stock company Invalda INVL (which hereinafter may be referred to as the Company) announced about convocation of the General Shareholders Meeting of the Company on 8 April 2020. The General Shareholders Meeting of the Company is to be held on 30 April 2020 at the address Gyneju St. 14 in Vilnius.

The announcement regarding the convocation of a General Shareholders Meeting on 30 April 2020 with its agenda: https://www.invaldainvl.com/1/en/articles/articles/view/3700/convocation-of-the-ordinary-general-shareholders-meeting

The Government of the Republic of Lithuania having extended, by resolution No. 398 of 22 April 2020, enforcement of a quarantine in the Republic of Lithuania until midnight on 11 May 2020, the Company gives notice that the meeting of the Companys shareholders will take place on 30 April 2020, but shareholders of the Company are strongly urged to use the right to vote on the issues in the agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting by submitting properly completed general voting bulletins to the Company in advance.

Alternative No. 1:

A shareholder or person authorised by them should complete a written voting bulletin, save it in their computer and sign it with a qualified electronic signature. You should send the written voting bulletin which is properly completed and signed with a qualified electronic signature to the Company by e-mail info@invaldainvl.com .

The Company suggests using the following free qualified electronic signature systems: Dokobit and GoSign.

Alternative No. 2:

A shareholder or person authorised by them should complete and sign a written voting bulletin and send it to the Company by e-mail ( info@invaldainvl.com ) and send the original bulletin by registered or ordinary post to the address Invalda INVL, Gyneju St. 14, LT-01109 Vilnius. Properly completed written voting bulletins may be sent by registered or ordinary post. Along with a bulletin, a document confirming the right to vote must also be sent.

Story continues

Alternative No. 3:

If shareholders of the Company do not have the possibility to use voting alternatives No. 1 or No. 2, the Company will provide conditions for the shareholders or persons duly authorised by them to come on 30th April 2020 to the address Gyneju St. 14 in Vilnius, to the Companys General Shareholders Meeting. Note that the Companys shareholders meeting will start at 4:00 p.m. (registration starts at 3:30 p.m.). We emphasize that during quarantine, safety recommendations must be followed regarding the use of safety measures and maintaining distance.

Person authorised to provide additional information:

Darius Sulnis

President of Invalda INVL

E-mail darius.sulnis@invl.com

Attachment
The UK must 'double down' on Brexit talks and secure a comprehensive trade deal with the EU by the end of the year to give businesses a vital post-coronavirus boost, Dominic Raab insisted today.

Standing in for Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions the Foreign Secretary said striking a deal on the future relationship between Britain and the bloc would give firms a 'shot in the arm'.

His comments, which echo those given by other ministers in recent days, came as political pressure continues to grow on the government to seek an extension to the Brexit transition period because of the coronavirus crisis.

The 'standstill' transition period is due to expire on December 31 this year and was designed to allow the two sides to agree a trade deal.

Critics including opposition MPs believe that because of the deep recession that is expected to follow the coronavirus economic shutdown it should be extended into 2021 to avoid two potential shocks in quick succession.

But speaking in the Commons this afternoon Mr Raab insisted the UK's position is 'unchanged' and the transition ceases at the end of the year.

'There's no intention of changing that and actually what we should do now given the uncertainty, given the problems and challenges coronavirus has highlighted for us, but also for our European friends... is to focus on removing any additional uncertainty, doing a deal by the end of the year and allowing both the UK and the European Union and all of its member states to bounce back as we come through the coronavirus', he said.

Standing in for Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions the Foreign Secretary said striking a deal on the future relationship between Britain and the bloc would give firms a 'shot in the arm'

He was responding to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who insisted an extension would show common sense as he urged Mr Raab to 'face down the hardliners' in the Conservative Party

He was responding to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who insisted an extension would show common sense as he urged Mr Raab to 'face down the hardliners' in the Conservative Party and allow everyone to 'get on with the job' of tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Blackford added: 'What we should be doing is removing uncertainty and putting a stop to these talks, we should be making sure we protect our businesses. The failure by the First Secretary to rule out a no-deal Brexit should alarm us all.'

Mr Blackford highlighted warnings about damage to the global economy this year, adding: 'Refusing to admit the inevitability of an extension isn't a tough or a clever negotiating tactic, it's a reckless and a foolish gamble.

'Will the Secretary of State embrace common sense and recognise the need for a Brexit extension?

'Show some leadership, face down the hardliners in the Tory party, extend the Brexit transition and let us all get on with the job of tackling this health crisis together.'

Mr Raab replied: 'If his desire is to avoid more uncertainty then the right thing for us to do is to double down, get a deal by the end of this year.

'If his desire is to dig ourselves out of the economic challenges we, the European Union and the world face, then the answer isn't to engage in protectionism but to do this deal, give a shot in the arm to businesses on both sides of the Channel, and that is what we're absolutely, wholeheartedly focused on doing.'
Singapore on Wednesday warned against spreading fake and videos about migrants workers, saying this could disturb the law and order situation in dormitories where a large number of foreign workers, including Indian nationals, have been tested positive for COVID-19.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam warned that such videos can lead to serious law and order incidents. He said the authorities are watching individuals who spread the videos "very carefully".

Warning those spreading fake maliciously, he said, they will be charged if a crime was committed.

The Indian-origin minister's warning came as hundreds of thousands of foreign workers have been barred from leaving their cramped dormitories to curb the spread of COVID-19, as they make up a majority of Singapore's new cases each day, according to a Channel Asia report on Wednesday.

So far, a total of 12,183 of the 323,000 migrant workers living in dormitories - about 3.77 per cent - have tested positive, putting the spotlight on their living conditions.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the city-state on Wednesday rose to 15,641 with a vast majority of them being migrant workers.

Shanmugam said a number of fake and "very malicious" videos were circulating on social media, with one suggesting that a Bangladeshi worker in Singapore committed suicide because of a lack of money and work.

Another video purportedly showed two men of South Asian origin fighting in a dorm in Singapore, when in fact the incident took place in Dubai, Shanmugam pointed out.

"It's to create panic, unhappiness, anger and hopefully violence," the minister told reporters via video conference.

Shanmugam said the videos also serve to make Singaporeans believe that foreign workers here were being treated badly, despite authorities ensuring they continued to get paid, three meals a day and "first-class medical treatment".

The minister acknowledged that while it was impossible that every worker would be satisfied with the quality of the free meals, a "majority of them" said the quality of the food they received was good, the report said.

"But even now, people are deliberately circulating old photographs of food packets; sometimes food being thrown away from some places, not necessarily Singapore, and saying, 'you see, these workers are being ill-treated'," he was quoted as saying.

"And (this is) also encouraging them to come out and complain, even when there's nothing to complain about."



Shanmugam said the authorities were watching the people who spread these videos and photos "very closely" and added "where it's clearly criminal, we will charge (in court)".

However, he declined to give details on how many people were being investigated for circulating such posts, only adding that they comprised both locals and foreigners.

Shanmugam reiterated that such posts could lead to "serious" law and order situations, including a "riot-like situation".

"You can see that when people are together and they are not going out to work, a small spark can create a serious incident," he said, referring to the 2013 Little India riots involving some 300 South Asian workers including those from India.

"We need to be very careful. We are taking care of them (the foreign workers), but at the same time they can be stoked into anger, creating law and order incidents through the use of falsehoods," the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HRH Prince Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy with Chef Bruno Serato, Founder of Caterina's Club, Beneficiary Charity at the Savoy Foundation's 2019 Notte di Savoia Charity Gala The Savoy Foundation, through its Chivalry for Children's Causes" mission, is committed to sustaining children's charities, especially during this devastating pandemic.

In response to the devastating impact of COVID-19, The American Foundation of Savoy Orders is re-launching its West Coast spring charity gala - the Third Annual Notte di Savoia Los Angeles - previously scheduled for April 4, 2020 at the Montage Resort in Beverly Hills, into a virtual fundraising event benefiting Caterina's Club. Caterinas Club has made it its mission to not miss a single day of feeding the kids. Chef Bruno and the Caterina's Club staff are working daily with every program location to ensure kids can be fed a fresh pasta dinner, in keeping with the Savoy Foundation's "Chivalry for Children's Causes" charitable mandate from HRH Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, the hereditary Crown Prince of Italy. The Savoy Foundation is encouraging donating online, perhaps in the amount guests were planning to give or spend on gala tickets at the Notte di Savoia event on April 4. The online giving event begins now and runs through May 11, 2020.

Caterinas Club, founded by humanitarian Bruno Serato, is known worldwide for not only finding homes for needy families but feeding thousands of hungry children each week and helping at-risk youth avert gang life through his Hospitality Academy. Because schools in Southern California are officially shut down, children are missing their daily lunches. The Boys and Girls Clubs, where Caterinas Club distributed dinners to children through after-school programs, have also been closed due to COVID-19. Chef Bruno continues offering fresh pasta for children and their families to take home at drive-throughs and walk-ups outside those locations which are now shut. The Savoy Foundation has already raised $60,000 through its virtual fundraising event. Each dollar given provides one meal for a hungry child. To support Caterina's Club and the kids, please click here for the online giving portal.

The Savoy Foundation launched in 2019 its new charitable mission - Chivalry for Children's Causes" - to assist institutions and charitable organizations that provide aid to children and families in need, building stable, healthy families, whether enrichment spaces or basic meals for improved health and stable living conditions in economically disadvantaged environments. The program is made possible thanks to generous support from the members and friends of the American Delegation of Savoy Orders. HRH Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, the hereditary Crown Prince of Italy, said: The Savoy Foundation is committed to sustaining children's charities and adapting its fundraising capabilities to the current pandemic restrictions worldwide. Chef Bruno Serato does tremendous work in Southern California and the Savoy Foundation is pleased to support Caterina's Club once again in 2020."

The House of Savoy refers to the Italian Royal Family whose ancient origins can be traced as far back as 1003 to the alpine region which borders today with Italy, France and Switzerland. Through gradual expansion, the Savoy dynasty grew in power to eventually unify and rule the Kingdom of Italy until 1946 when, in the aftermath of World War II, the monarchy was replaced by the Italian Republic.

ABOUT THE SAVOY FOUNDATION AND THE AMERICAN DELEGATION OF SAVOY ORDERS

The American Delegation of Savoy Orders, which includes the United States of America, is among 35 delegations of the Savoy Orders located throughout Europe, the Americas and Japan. The Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy are among the oldest orders of chivalry in the world. Their origins and their principles, traditions and humanitarian goals, like those of the Royal House of Savoy that has the hereditary right to confer them, date back a thousand years. The American Delegation of Savoy Orders through its charitable arm, the American Foundation of Savoy Orders, contributes to humanitarian, hospitaller and charitable projects and initiatives in the United States and abroad, particularly in healthcare and hospice care, disaster relief, education programs and children's causes.

The American Foundation of Savoy Orders, Incorporated, a 501(c) (3) charitable organization headquartered in New York City, supports local, national, and international charities focusing on medical, educational, social assistance and humanitarian fields, including philanthropy for hospitals, relief agencies, childrens causes and hospice care for the poor, infirm and elderly. The Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Roster Consultative Statues with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

For more information on supporting the causes of the American Foundation of Savoy Orders, see below.

CONTACT:

Larissa Van Duser, Executive Director, American Foundation of Savoy Orders

amsavoy@aol.com, +1 212 972 0495

For more information, visit https://www.savoia.org/
Lamar State College Orange will open applications for federal grant dollars meant to support students impacted by the coronavirus on May 1.

The applications will be available at lsco.edu through May 15, according to a release.

The application requires students to describe how they have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they will use the funds if they receive them.

We understand just how important this funding is for our students during this challenging time, LSCO President Thomas Johnson said in a statement. We want to make the application and disbursement process as fast and simple as possible to help our wonderful students.

There is $521,660 available, with eligible students receiving a minimum of $500 pending availability of funds.

The funding is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in early April. The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund within the CARES Act also had provisions to help students that suffered any kind of financial hardship due to the coronavirus.

The full list of qualifications will be available on the application website, and funds will either be deposited in their accounts on file, or mailed to their addresses.

Unaffiliated Lamar State College Port Arthur will also open their applications for CARE act funds on May 1st.

isaac.windes@hearstnp.com

twitter.com/isaacdwindes
The principals of some of Victoria's top Catholic schools are among those to emphatically reject the Morrison government's multibillion-dollar bid to encourage independent schools to reopen classrooms, despite acknowledging their school communities are struggling in the COVID-19 lockdown.

Edmund Rice Education Australia  which runs St Kevins College, St Patricks College, St Bernards College and Parade College  said it supported the advice and the guidance of the Victorian government and will only return to on-campus learning for its Victorian schools when it is determined safe to do so by the Victorian Chief Medical Officer.

Education Minister James Merlino has hit out at the federal government for attempting to lure independent schools back to the classroom. Credit:Eddie Jim

That view is supported by many others in Victoria's independent schools sector, who have expressed frustration at differences between federal and state government advice over when to end remote learning.

Victoria and Tasmania remain the only states not to have outlined plans to return to classroom teaching in term two.
The White House has shifted to a strategy of focusing almost exclusively on getting the country open again amid the coronavirus outbreak, though a top aide to the president warns of more economic turmoil.

"Everyone wants to open up," Donald Trump said on Wednesday of governors and US residents, striking an optimistic tone during an afternoon event with industry executives.



About the coronavirus, which has infected more than 1m Americans and killed more than 60,000, according to The Johns Hopkins University, Mr Trump declared it one day will just "leave."

"I think there is tremendous pent-up demand," Mr Trump said at one point of an quick economic turnaround.

"You'll see some astonishing numbers," the president said at another point.

"Frankly, I really feel like next year is going to be a really good year economically," he said. "I'm feeling very much so that it's going to be very successful."

At yet another: "We're going maximum testing," he said as some Democratic governors, and a small handful of GOP state leaders, say they still lack ample Covid-19 testing kits.

That comment came a few hours after he denied saying a day earlier that the US "very soon" would be able to test 5m people each day, a comment that is plainly audible on video of a Tuesday afternoon White House event.

But the suddenly sunny Mr Trump had more upbeat words: "The worst of the pain and suffering is going to be behind us."

But Larry Kudlow, one of his top economic advisers, was something of a wet blanket around a U-shaped table in the ornate State Dining Room.

"This is a tough one," Mr Kudlow said. "The [economic] contraction is going to go on for a bit.

But his boss set a lofty goal of returning the country to how it operated before the virus arrived.

"We want it to be the way it was before," Mr Trump said, "as soon as possible."
Today show host Karl Stefanovic snapped at Education Minister Dan Tehan for offering private schools a $3.3billion advance if they get children back into classrooms by June.

With coronavirus easing in Australia, the federal minister is hoping to get students back to their normal education routines by the end of May.

The $3.3billion plan was announced on Wednesday and equates to an early payment of the annual funding they usually get from the government.

Mr Tehan has faced pushback from people concerned about the safety of running schools at full capacity, despite Australia's top health experts insisting it is perfectly safe.

'So you couldn't get your way with the states so you decided to go around them and jam them by offering private schools a $3billion carrot to get the kids back, huh?' Stefanovic asked Mr Tehan on Wednesday's Today show.

Sports equipment is seen left outside at a primary school in Melbourne on March 23 (pictured) after the state brought forward the school holidays due to the coronavirus outbreak

The education minister explained that independent and Catholic schools raised concerns they would face financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Tehan wrote to the independent schools' peak body and the National Catholic Education Commission to offer an early payment of a quarter of the annual funding.

Almost $1.7billion is due to them in July, but if schools commit to having their campus open for some students for term two, they can get the money on May 21.

They must also have a plan to fully reopen classrooms at the start of June.

The same amount would be paid on June 9 if at least half their students are back in regular classroom-based learning from June 1.

The idea is to give schools a cash boost if they need it to cope with the virus crisis while also giving them an incentive to end learning from home.

Today show host Karl Stefanovic has snapped at Education Minister Dan Tehan for offering private schools a $3.3billion advance if they get children back into classrooms by June

An empty classroom is seen at a primary school in Brisbane on March 30 (pictured) after many families chose to keep their kids at home

Schools don't have long to consider the offer, with Mr Tehan giving them until Friday to opt in.

'What we have decided is to bring forward the normal $3.2 billion payment we would make to them in July, we are bringing that forward in two installments, one in May and one in June,' Mr Tehan said.

'What we are asking them to do is to have a plan to reopen their schools by the end of May and then commit to having at least 50 per cent of their students at school in the classroom learning by the end of May.'

Stefanovic interjected by asking: 'So you will only give them the money if they do what you say?'

Mr Tehan explained the government's position has been the same since the beginning - for schools to be open with teachers and students learning with the 'right protocols in place'.

'So what we have said to them is, 'If you will act consistent with the Federal Government's position then we will bring these payments forward,' he said.

But that did not satisfy Stefanovic who continued to question whether schools would get the money if they did not have students back in the classroom.

'Dan, if your kids go back to school you get the cash, if the kids don't go back to school they don't get the cash. Come on, Minister, this one is just a yes or no answer,' the morning show host said.

Teacher Cindy Bunder (pictured) is seen demonstrating a virtual classroom at Glenunga High School in Adelaide on April 3

Mr Tehan conceded and admitted that schools who do not decide to put a plan in place will get their normal payment in July.

'This is about bringing the payment forward. So if they want to get their normal payment in July they don't have to put a plan in place,' Mr Tehan said.

Stefanovic said the issue with the $3.3billion plan is that it was going to drive a wedge between private and public schools, putting the latter at a disadvantage.

While Mr Tehan denied this, he said the government did not want any students to miss out on any education.

The medical advice has consistently been that children don't spread the coronavirus very much and are far less likely to catch it than adults.

The national health committee said schools can operate with appropriate social distancing arrangements in place, mostly for teachers.

There should also be regular cleaning throughout each day of surfaces such as desks, keyboards, doorknobs and playgrounds.

Despite this, the Independent Education Union's Queensland and Northern Territory branch released a short research paper on Tuesday that said reopening schools was a 'high-risk strategy'.

Classrooms across Australia have been left empty by the coronavirus pandemic (pictured, a Brisbane school on March 30) with many choosing to keep their kids at home

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) has previously said he would be happy to send his two daughters back to school

But the paper primarily highlights research looking at the ways children spread influenza.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has said a number of times that coronavirus acts very differently to influenza.

States are slowly committing to opening up schools, but in Victoria there is still resistance to return to face-to-face learning.

On Tuesday, the state's premier, Daniel Andrews, defended his decision to stick to remote learning for term two despite other states relaxing restrictions.

Just two new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Victoria on Tuesday, bringing the state's total to 1,351, of whom nearly 1,300 have recovered.

There are 23 people in hospital, including 11 in intensive care.

But Mr Andrews noted seven coronavirus cases in Victoria have been traced back to schools, and the science on whether or not to keep children away from classrooms to tackle COVID-19 is 'not settled'.

'We can guess, or we can have an abundance of caution and I'm happy to be criticised for being cautious in this. I know what's at stake,' Mr Andrews said.

Ecumenical Schools Australia, a network of regional independent schools in Victoria with more than 17,000 students, has asked the state government for discretion to reopen its campuses.

'It's appropriate that independent schools be given the discretion to look at whether it's safe to start planning for a return to the classroom,' ESA general manager Stephen Higgs told The Australian.

A staff member prepares a take-home activity packs at a primary school in Brisbane on March 3 (pictured)

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan (pictured) wants to see students getting back to their normal education routines by the end of May

'This is being driven by the fact that many regional areas are not experiencing any significant level of the COVID disease.'

In Western Australia, more than 60 per cent of public school students are expected to attend classrooms as they reopen for term two, with special arrangements in place to reduce COVID-19 risks.

Parents have the choice to keep their children at home for remote learning for the first three weeks of the term, which starts on Wednesday.

Year 11 and 12 pupils are strongly urged to be physically present.

Cleaning is being increased throughout the day, students must adhere to hygiene requirements and schools are able to implement staggered starts, breaks and meal times to reduce contact.

In New South Wales, schools will use a roster system to bring some children back to class.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed face-to-face teaching will resume in week three of term two, but not all students will go back to class at the same time.

A roster system is being designed so some children attend on certain days and work from home on others when their peers go to class.

This would keep classrooms less busy and help maintain social distancing.

'Students will not be in school full-time and I suspect the majority of learning will still be from home,' Ms Berejiklian said.
Axis Bank dropped 4.93% to Rs 433.10 after the bank reported a net loss of Rs 1,387.78 crore in Q4 March 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 1,505.06 crore in Q4 March 2019.

The private lender's pre-tax loss stood at Rs 1,879 crore in Q4 March 2020 compared with profit before tax of Rs 2,303 crore in Q4 March 2019. Total income rose 10% to Rs 20,219 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 28 April 2020.

The bank's provisions and contingencies surged 185.09% to Rs 7,730.02 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019. The provision amount includes Rs 3,000 crore related to Covid-19, taking the overall additional provisions held by the bank to Rs 5,983 crore.

"The overall additional provisions held by the bank towards various contingencies together with the standard asset provisions, translate to a standard asset coverage of 1.3% at 31 March 2020," the bank said.

The bank's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 30,233.82 crore as on 31 March 2020 as against Rs 30,073.02 crore as on 31 December 2019 and Rs 29,789.44 crore as on 31 March 2019.

The ratio of gross NPAs to gross advances stood at 4.86% as on 31 March 2020 as against 5% as on 31 December 2019 and 5.26% as on 31 March 2019. The ratio of net NPAs to net advances stood at 1.56% as on 31 March 2020 as against 2.09% as on 31 December 2019 and 2.06% as on 31 March 2019.

The bank's Net Interest Income (NII) grew 19% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 6,808 crore during Q4 March 2020 from Rs 5,706 crore in Q4 March 2019. Net interest margin for Q4 March 2020 was 3.55%.

The total deposits on quarterly average basis (QAB) grew by 19% and 17% YoY on period end basis. The share of CASA and retail term deposits in the total deposits was 80% as of 31 March 2020. The bank's advances grew 15% Y-o-Y to Rs 5,71,424 crore as on 31 March 2020.

The private lender's net profit fell 65% to Rs 1,627 crore on 15% rise in total income to Rs 78,172 crore in the year ended March 2020 (FY20) over the year ended March 2019 (FY19). PBT fell 30% to Rs 4,904 crore in FY20 over FY19.

Commenting on the Q4 result, Amitabh Chaudhry, the managing director & CEO of Axis Bank, said that, The crisis we are facing as a nation is a long drawn one and it will need courage, grit and a fighting spirit to combat it. We believe in learning from all adversaries. For example, the lock-down has taught us how Work From Home (WFH) can be more productive and convenient. We are now exploring if WFH can become a part of our work culture going ahead. We will keep learning and pushing our limits to emerge stronger as an organization.

During Q4 March 2020, the bank added 113 branches to its network across the country. As on 31 March 2020, the bank had a network of 4,528 domestic branches and extension counters situated in 2,559 centres compared to 4,050 domestic branches and extension counters situated in 2,366centres last year. As on 31 March 2020, the bank had 12,044 ATMs and 5,433 cash recyclers spread across the country.

Meanwhile, in a separate announcement on Tuesday, Axis Bank said its board of directors approved a plan to raise or borrow Rs 35,000 crore.

"The board has authorised the bank to borrow/raise funds in Indian currency or foreign Currency by issue of debt Instruments including but not limited long term bonds, non-convertible debentures, perpetual debt instruments and Tier II capital bonds up to an amount of Rs 35,000 crore, the bank said in a notification. The bank will seek the approval of the shareholders in its 26th annual general meeting.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Loki was intrigued by the cell phone attached to a tripod.

He didnt know he was live on the internet. But the black dog with the intelligent eyes sat politely between Animal Care Services pet trainers Hannah Barrera and Kaitlan Helton in the ACS conference room, as they answered questions about everything from how much to feed a chubby indoor dog to whether a cat can really be trained.

Each Friday at 3 p.m., Barrera and Helton bring in a dog, cat or other animal, offering tips and engaging in a Q-and-A with the community via a new Facebook live show.

Loki was just one recent guest. On another Friday, the guest pet was Jelly, a lively great Dane mix. Alfredo the Cat was supposed to be on the half-hour show, too, but he couldnt make it; he had just been adopted.

With coronavirus restrictions in place, the ACS community education team members had to quickly rethink their outreach programs, which previously included lots of in-person visits such as addressing civic groups at forums and making trips to schools, talking about the benefits and responsibilities of pet ownership and the importance of treating animals with care and respect.

Over the last few weeks that stay-at-home orders have been in place, the team has ramped up the agencys presence on social media, including Instagram and Twitter as well as the live Facebook program.

ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said said the education team has also added a weekly blog on the agencys website that talks about educational issues, not only for animal lovers, but for the community at large.

Its a reflection of whats going on in the community, Norwood said. ACS has had to change how we do things in light of the coronavirus. Its about changing how we reach out to people.

On ExpressNews.com: Animal Care Services adjusts to San Antonios coronavirus restrictions

On Facebook, the team has added SA Pet Parents where neighbors help neighbors  residents with a question about their pets can get answers from fellow community members.

Barrera, 28, and Helton, 26, said many of the questions revolve around common issues such as barking, jumping and potty training.

Helton said separation anxiety in dogs is what she is most concerned as a result of the pandemic. She said signs that a dog has severe anxiety can include breaking through a gate or gnawing on their own leg.

They cannot function away from you, Barrera said. Thats how they cope.

Helton said with everyone being home all the time, dogs have become accustomed to being around people. When its safe for residents to return to work, and dogs are left home alone again, they may display unease.

Most of that can be combated by exercising your dog regularly, Helton said, and getting them physical and mental simulation.

Prior to the days of the virus, the team members brought their Furry Friends Program to elementary schools. It was one of several pet education programs from San Antonio organizations, including the San Antonio Humane Society, Daisy Cares and the Pet Education Project.

In early March, before the pandemic hit San Antonio, ACS officer Josie Espinoza was wrapping up a five-week after school course with 125 kids at Wilson Elementary. Espinoza taught the youngsters from kindergarten to fifth grade about responsible pet ownership, explained dog behavior and showed them how to prevent dog bites.

One one of the last days, she arrived with Officer Frito Pie, a frisky ferret. The students rushed up to get a glimpse of the dusky-colored ambassador from ACS.

After one look, Aethen Aguilar, 9, decided the shelters representative looked more like a mix of raccoon and fox rather than a member of the weasel family. Espinoza pointed out that animals like Frito Pie require a lot of work, just like the childrens more traditional domestic pets.

During Espinozas in-person classes, shes witnessed her lessons taking hold. One day, she brought Avocado, a stuffed toy dog with a microchip. She scanned it to show how the electronic chip barely a half inch long could help locate a lost pet. When they asked Miss, can we touch her? Espinoza smiled because they had asked permission before touching someone elses pet. Just as shed taught them.

Were excited to able to capture the kids attention about what an animal shelter does and why we do what we do, Espinoza said of the course she hopes to resume in the fall. Were helping them understand the importance of taking care of an animal and the safety involved with wildlife.

Since the shelter-in-place order, Espinoza hasnt been able to meet with her young charges in person, but she has developed new online educational materials that include word searches, puzzles and coloring pages for all ages.

On ExpressNews.com: Sight of abused dogs in San Antonio prompted meter reader to work on behalf of pets

Norwood said the blogs and increased social media presence have added a new dimension to the agencys education mission.

Hopefully the new tools we put in place exemplify that, she said. Theres a real power that flows both ways, its about being able to outreach this way. Its a lifesaving power.

Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis
Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest outbreak at a long-term care facility in the US.

While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers' Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care while the state's top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action.

"It's horrific," said Edward Lapointe, whose father-in-law lives at the home and had a mild case of the virus.

"These guys never had a chance." Sixty-six veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Monday, and the cause of another death is unknown. Another 83 residents and 81 staff have tested positive.

The home's superintendent, who's been placed on administrative leave, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were unaware of the scope of the problem there.

The superintendent, Bennett Walsh, said earlier this month state officials knew that the home was in "crisis mode" when it came to staffing shortages and were notified early and often about the contagion at the facility.

Staffing problems that plagued the home for years contributed to the virus spreading like wildfire, said Joan Miller, a nurse at the home.

Because staffing was so tight, workers from one unit were constantly moving to other units to help out - and bringing their germs with them, she said. At one point, a unit was shut down because there wasn't enough staff to operate it, and those veterans were moved into close quarters in other parts of the building, she said.

"Veterans were on top of each other," she said. "We didn't know who was positive and who was negative and then they grouped people together and that really exacerbated it even more," said Miller, who spoke through a mask during a break from her job at the facility.

"That's when it really blew up," she said.

The situation is now "somewhat contained" because there are so few veterans living there, Miller said. There were nearly 230 residents living at the home in late March and only about 100 remained on Monday, The Boston Globe reported.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

Beth Lapointe said her father's roommate tested positive for the virus in March - and later died - but her father was initially denied a test because he didn't show any symptoms. As the virus spread, family members were kept in the dark about what was going on inside, she said.

"Every day I would ask different people, 'What's going on in there?' And I would never get information," she said.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's administration has hired an outside attorney to conduct an investigation into the deaths. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is also investigating to determine "what went wrong at this facility and determine if legal action is warranted."

And the US attorney's office in Massachusetts and Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division are looking into whether the home violated residents' rights by failing to provide them proper medical care.

The death toll at the home appears to be the largest at a long-term care facility in the United States, experts said.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over a meeting held by the Chairperson's Council of the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The third annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, was proposed to open in Beijing on May 21. The recommendation was made at the recent meeting held by the Chairperson's Council of the CPPCC National Committee. The meeting reviewed and approved the draft decision to hold the annual session, the draft agenda and schedule for the annual session as well as the draft agenda and schedule of the tenth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. It also heard a report on the preparations of the upcoming annual session. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The third annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, was proposed to open in Beijing on May 21.

The recommendation was made at a recent meeting held by the Chairperson's Council of the CPPCC National Committee, which was presided over by Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

The meeting reviewed and approved the draft decision to hold the annual session, the draft agenda and schedule for the annual session as well as the draft agenda and schedule of the tenth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. It also heard a report on the preparations of the upcoming annual session.

Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pointed out that the "two sessions" -- the annual sessions of the top political advisory body and the top legislature -- are a major political event in China.

It was a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core to convene the "two sessions" against the special background that the country has regularized its COVID-19 epidemic response measures, Wang said.

Stressing efforts for improving the political advisory work, Wang emphasized focusing on the key tasks of the Party and the country, providing valuable advice and good plans for issues like major epidemic prevention and control, the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, poverty alleviation and the making of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

He called for coordinating the preparation of the upcoming annual session with the epidemic prevention and control work.

Wang also demanded pooling wisdom and strength from all walks of life to reach the country's goals in poverty alleviation and build a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
Checking Twitter back in March, Michael Tisserand noticed a cat picture that somehow reminded him of the lighting in an Edward Hopper painting. He realised that was how he was feeling as well, so the writer, who lives in New Orleans, tweeted, "we are all edward hopper paintings now," along with four Hopper renderings of solitary figures. "Edward Hopper is one of those artists whose vision [of us] just becomes part of the way we view ourselves," Tisserand told me.

His tweet has since generated nearly 70,000 retweets and more than 220,000 likes. It's among the many Hopper memes that have proliferated on social media. Another tweet showing a close-up of a Hopper painting of a woman sitting on a bed, staring out a window read, "We choose modern loneliness because we want to be free. But when the freedoms of modern life are removed, what's left but loneliness?" Ethan Lasser, a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, declared on Twitter that Hopper "is the unexpected poet of our moment."

Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, 1942. Credit:VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Image

But while some Hopper experts appreciate the wave of interest in the American painter, who died in 1967, they say it's a mistake to brand him as a patron saint of loneliness and social isolation. "He didn't feel a sort of social stigma, or that just because you are with yourself that you're not entirely content," says Sarah Kelly Oehler, chair and curator of American art at the Art Institute of Chicago. "I think that there's some misrepresentation there."

Her museum is home to Nighthawks, which OverstockArt.com recently depicted with the label: "Hopper, the master of social distancing," to illustrate a blog post about the artist's work. An iconic image of the 20th century, it sprang from another period of widespread anxiety; Hopper began painting it just days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In it, four people appear in a fluorescent-lit diner on an otherwise dark street corner. One patron's back is turned to the viewer, while the other two, a man and woman, sit side-by-side at the counter; a single worker is behind the bar.
Coffee can be a healthful drink. It may be even better for you when brewed with a paper filter.

Norwegian researchers gathered health data on 508,747 men and women 20 to 79 years old and followed them for an average of 20 years. The participants also reported the type and quantity of coffee they drank  filtered through paper or brewed using unfiltered methods like French press or espresso.

Drinking filtered coffee was associated with a 15 percent reduction in the risk of dying prematurely from any cause in both men and women. But rates were lower when the coffee was unfiltered: Men who drank unfiltered coffee had a 4 percent reduction, and women a 9 percent reduction.

Compared with unfiltered coffee, filtered coffee was associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease or stroke. The lowest mortality was among those who drank one to four cups a day. The study, in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, controlled for many other cardiovascular risk factors.

Unfiltered coffee contains much higher concentrations of cholesterol-raising phytochemicals called diterpenes than does filtered coffee, which may explain at least part of the effect.
Photo: (Photo : From Amy Kennedy Craig Facebook account)

Welcoming a new member of the family is exciting.

However, because of the continuous spread of the coronavirus, families need to wait a little longer to meet in person; in some cases, they must wait to know the gender and names of a newborn baby.

The Craig family, especially the three big sisters of the family, who resides in Louisiana, was not able to wait for the youngest member of their family to come home. Brock was born on April 17.

The Craig sisters were prohibited from visiting the hospital. The three little girls, Addison, five years old, Kennedy, four years old, and Cora, two years old, were not allowed to see their mother and their newborn baby brother because of the strict measures imposed in hospitals due to the coronavirus.

READ ALSO: Daughter Visits Mom in Retirement Home Wearing Hippo Costume

The Big Surprise

However, the girl's love for little Brock Andrew and their excitement to see him are more significant than the threat of the virus.

With the help of their grandparents, Karen and Ronnie Kenedy, the girls made a sign by hand. From a safe distance outside the Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they displayed the sign to their mom, dad, and little brother, who are still inside the hospital. The sign says, "We love (heart) you, Brock."

Amy Craig, the mother of the kids, was looking out the window. "I started crying," she said in an interview with Good Morning America. She added that she found the gesture sweet, and thinks that it was a moment that they would cherish.

Aside from the grandparents, the father, Justin Craig, was also an accomplice, for the kids to pull off the surprise. He sent the photo of the view from the window so that the kids would know where exactly to stand.

Amy's Experience Giving Birth

Having already given birth to three girls, Amy was able to compare her experience now to the ones she had in the past.

According to Amy, because of the coronavirus, everything seemed different. During labor, she had to wear a mask to keep her protected from the virus.

Plus, the most significant difference is that no one can visit her. That is why she was very emotional when the girls paid them a visit from afar.

Giving Birth During the Pandemic

Amy is just one of the many mothers who were initially very excited to give birth until the coronavirus changed everything.

In an article by Quartz, moms shared their experiences on how they gave birth during the pandemic. Although the hospital team has been trying their best to make things as normal as possible, mothers feel something is different, especially for those who have already given birth in the past, like Amy.

Some mothers even suffer separation anxiety once they test positive to COVID-19.

From the PPE suits to the tests and visitor rules, childbirth became a different experience to women all over the world. Experts say that it is only natural that moms will feel anxious or even isolated. However, they also noted that even so, giving birth is still a joyful experience, because a new life is welcomed to the world.
Community groups in Illinois and Georgia condemned the FDAs decision and urged the agency to ban the use of ethylene oxide to sterilize used medical equipment. If the CDC is concerned about health risks for doctors and nurses exposed to the gas, the groups said, everyone else should be, too.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to American businesses struggling with the economic effects of the COVID19 pandemic, AmeriTrust Group, Inc. announced its "Economic Relief Payment Plan," offering a zero-down payment relief plan for qualifying new business accounts.

Effective May 1, 2020, new qualifying admitted commercial property and casualty insurance accounts on a direct-billing basis will not be required to make any down payments or first month payments on their insurance policies. Instead, AmeriTrust will offer qualifying accounts a convenient 11-installment payment plan. The annual policy premium will be split equally across the 11 monthly installments with the first payment due 30 days after their policy effective date and monthly thereafter.

AmeriTrust CEO Kenn R. Allen stated, "Our management team is dedicated to finding innovative ways to assist our policyholders with the economic constraints facing their businesses. AmeriTrust's new Economic Relief Payment Plan supports these efforts."

The Economic Relief Payment Plan is available from AmeriTrust's admitted insurance company subsidiaries.* The Economic Relief Payment Plan will initially be offered for a 60-day period.

The Economic Relief Payment Plan does not apply to program business, trucking business, excess workers' compensation business, or monoline "pay-as-you-go" workers' compensation policies.

Guaranteed Policy Renewals:

On April 3, 2020, AmeriTrust informed its contracted retail insurance agencies that AmeriTrust's admitted insurance carriers will guarantee renewal of all general business policies* for accounts renewing up until July 1, 2020. Today, AmeriTrust is extending its guaranteed renewals through July 31, 2020.

Renewals will not be re-underwritten in most circumstances. Depending on line of business, policies will be renewed as-is and may receive a nominal premium increase between 0  5%. As always, specific renewal guidance, such as policy endorsements and other changes, will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The guaranteed admitted lines renewals do not apply to program business, trucking business, or excess workers' compensation business.

*AmeriTrust carriers reserve the right to cancel or non-renew any policy for fraud or material misrepresentation, as allowed by applicable law. AmeriTrust carriers reserve the right to cancel or non-renew any policy upon discovery of a material change in risk, as allowed by applicable law.

About AmeriTrust Group, Inc.

Founded in 1955, AmeriTrust Group, Inc. is a nationally recognized commercial insurance underwriter and insurance administration services provider in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry. AmeriTrust is comprised of four distribution segments of the insurance marketplace: admitted carrier operations, excess & surplus lines carrier operations, wholesale MGU/MGA and third-party administration operations, and retail insurance agency operations. AmeriTrust offers a broad range of insurance solutions, including specialty products to independent agencies, governmental entities, select industry, trade and professional associations, and affinity partners. Carrier operations include five insurance companies which are licensed on both an admitted and non-admitted basis.

For more detail, visit www.ameritrustgroup.com .

SOURCE AmeriTrust Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ameritrustgroup.com


Gold prices declined Rs 291 to Rs 45,904 per 10 gram in the Mumbai bullion market on rupee appreciation and a rally in the stock market. Easing of coronavirus restriction in some countries and the US Federal Reserve policy decision, expected later on April 29, also weighed on the metal.

Major gold-trading centres have remained shut in the country due to the lockdown announced to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The rate of 10 gram 22-carat gold in Mumbai was Rs 42,048 plus 3 percent GST, while 24-carat 10 gram was Rs 45,904 plus GST. The 18-carat gold quoted at Rs 34,428 plus GST in the retail market.

Gold prices traded steady during the day as traders are awaiting US Fed decision. The new stimulus package announcement can support gold prices to trade higher. However, the expectations of easing of lockdown measures have kept prices under pressure. We expect prices to trade sideways for the day, with MCX Gold June support at Rs 45,700, resistance at Rs 46,200, said Tapan Patel- Senior Analyst (Commodities), HDFC Securities.

Gold fell to a one-week low in the yesterday's session as investors took profits, with bullion further weighed down by upbeat plans in some countries to loosen restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus. On data front, US consumer confidence tumbled to near a six-year low in April. Investors will now look for any forward guidance from the US Fed, which is expected to issue a policy statement later today, said Navneet Damani, Vice President, Motilal Oswal.

The ECB meets on April 30. Apart from Fed, US Q1 GDP will also be in focus, any number reported which is weaker than the expectations it might lend support to gold prices.

The broader trend on Comex could be $1,695-1,735 and on the domestic front, prices could hover in the range of Rs 45,800- 46,465.

According to Ravindra Rao, VP-Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities, Comex gold was trading in a very narrow range, with a slight lower bias as traders were awaiting the FOMC meeting decision.

Improved risk sentiment had reduced the safe-haven appeal of gold. The focus will also be on the key US GDP data, expected to show a sharp contraction in the first quarter owing to virus-related restriction. A weaker reading has been factored in and the actual number might impact gold prices.

The gold/silver ratio currently stands at 109.21 to 1, which means the amount of silver required to buy one ounce of gold.

Silver prices gained Rs 380 to Rs 42,030 per kg from its closing on April 28.

In the futures market, gold touched an intraday high of Rs 46,177 and an intraday low of Rs 45,810 on MCX. For the June series, the yellow metal touched a low of Rs 36,572 and a high of Rs 47,327.

Gold futures for delivery in June slipped Rs 96, or 0.21 percent, on the MCX, trading at Rs 45,970 per 10 gram in the evening in a business turnover of 14,377 lots. Gold contracts for August delivery eased Rs 152, or 0.33 percent, at Rs 46,085 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 5,340 lots.

The value of the June contract traded, so far, is Rs 2,350.95 crore and August contract saw the value of Rs 479.52 crore.

Similarly, Gold Mini contract for June declined Rs 104, or 0.23 percent at Rs 45,970 in a business turnover of 8,617 lots.

MCX Gold price is expected to trade positively with support at Rs 45,550 and intermediate support at Rs 45,750, according to Motilal Oswal. The brokerage firm advised clients to buy on dip targeting higher resistance at Rs 46,100-46,250.

The broking said spot gold will trade in a range of $1,690-1,735 range with positive bias.

At 12:15 GMT, spot gold was up by $2.72 at $1,711.19 an ounce in London trading.
There are signs of wildlife flourishing in the absence of humans, but COVID-19 has also slowed conservation efforts.

In these times when we need to seek out positives to counter the gloom, there are many good things happening in the natural world. In the space wrought open by COVID-19, a quiet has descended on parts of our planet previously drowned out by normal life thundering on.

It is of small comfort to businesses that rely on the daily whirl to survive but it is happening, so let us drink it in.

In our cities, the thrum of traffic and construction and planes passing overhead has given way to the boisterous dawn chorus. This daily symphony of birdsong is more audible than it has been in decades in urban areas this northern spring.

Even the ocean depths are quieter with fewer ships at sea, and marine biologists are taking this rare opportunity to study the impact the lack of churning, droning propellers will have on ocean life.

Worldwide emissions are down and the air we breathe is cleaner. Wildlife in river and estuary, field and hedgerow and even on the urban fringe, is making hay in the absence of the human hordes and their vehicles.

The flip side

Nature does not have to be asked twice when an opportunity presents itself but this is not always a good thing. Take rodents.

As the Guardian reports from New Zealand, pest control has been deemed a non-essential service by the government; a decision experts say is putting vulnerable wildlife like fledgling birds at risk, as the number of rats, mice and stoats surges.

The pandemic has made the hard work of conservation harder, with projects across the board threatened or put on hold, from tackling invasive species like Himalayan balsam in the United Kingdom to the ongoing efforts to protect the snow leopard in Pakistan.

Which suddenly makes you aware of just how much work it takes to protect what we have left of our biodiversity. And how important it is that this effort is boosted and honed by our current coronavirus experience.

At the end of last year, we talked of the coming decade as being the decade in which the world must about-turn and act decisively. But then a pandemic happened. With critical climate and biodiversity summits postponed, things seemed to have stuttered to a halt.

So it is heartening to know that work is still happening  even on how to reboot economies in a way that does not result in a global spike in emissions, if that is possible.

Green stimulus

This week at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, held online for the first time, world leaders have been tussling with the difficult debate about the allocation of stimulus funds.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: The coronavirus shows us that international cooperation is crucial and that the well being of one nation always depends on the well being of others  we must not sideline climate but invest in climate technologies.

The UK government echoed calls from the United Nations saying it was the duty of every responsible leadership to see that economies are revived and rebuilt, by investing in industries and infrastructure that can turn the tide on climate change.

You have to hope these are not just platitudes. One way or another, these are defining moments.

If governments divert resources tagged for climate change to address the pandemic, said Niklas Hohne of NewClimate Institute, economic recovery from COVID-19 will only plunge the world further into the climate crisis.

Wake up leaders and smell the clean air, you might say.

Your environment round-up

1. UK coal-free: Records have been broken as Britain goes without using coal power for 18 days and counting. Wind and solar energy has helped to fulfil the diminished demand caused by the pandemic. This is the longest coal-free period since 1882 and beats the UKs previous record set in June 2019.

2. 2020 heatwave: Lockdowns worldwide have lowered emissions, but meteorologists say 2020 is on course to be one of the hottest years since records began. Indeed, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has calculated that there is a 75 percent chance that 2020 will be the hottest year since measurements began.

3. US void: In the absence of the US leadership on climate change at the federal level, company employees are stepping to the front, like the thousands of cleaning workers who went on strike.

4. Return of the stork: The first wild stork chicks in centuries are poised to hatch in the UK.

The final word
A top Democratic vice presidential candidate defended Joe Biden against allegations he sexually assaulted an aide in the early 1990s, as more evidence supporting the claim emerged.

Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, told CNN's Don Lemon on Tuesday that women deserve to be heard and listened to, "but".

"I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources," she said during the episode of CNN Tonight.

Ms Abrams is part of a growing number of Democrats either defending the ex-VP against the allegations or ignoring them, including Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren who both endorsed Mr Biden this week with no reference to the incident.

Tara Reade recently filed an official police complaint against Mr Biden alleging he sexually assaulted her during the early 1990s.

Lemon, who said CNN had spoken to a former neighbour of Ms Reade about the incident, asked Ms Abrams if she was "applying a different standard" given tweets from 2018 about unproven allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

"I believe then and I believe now that women deserve to be heard because too often they are not, and Tara Reade deserved to have her story listened to and investigated," she said.

"The New York Times investigation does not support the accusations against the vice president. I believe the Biden I know and I think that he will make women proud, that he will make America proud."

The New York Times took 19 days to report the #MeToo allegation that Mr Biden put Ms Reade up against the wall and penetrated her with his fingers.

"I remember him saying, first, as he was doing it 'Do you want to go somewhere else?' and then him saying to me, when I pulled away... he said 'Come on man, I heard you liked me,'" Ms Reade alleged. "That phrase stayed with me."

Video surfaced recently of a 1993 Larry King Live episode that appeared to show the mother of Ms Reade referencing "problems" her daughter faced while working as a staffer for the then-US senator from Delaware.

Ms Reade confirmed on Twitter that the caller was her mother, who called in to the program in 1993 out of indignation of how she was treated when first trying to report the allegations.

Ms Abrams said that she didn't want women to be afraid to come forward, but that allegations should be investigated and borne out.

"I believe his [Mr Biden's] campaign has been very clear. And I believe that this is the approach that they intend to take and I support the approach."

A spokeswoman for Biden's campaign, Kate Bedingfield, has previously denied Reade's allegation, calling it "untrue."

"Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen," she said.
While the travel industry is feeling the devastation caused by the virus, travellers seem to understand its for the greater good

Humans have a tendency of making the most out of whatever we get  even amidst this chaos.

Its the first summer of the decade, a season one waits for all year long, and yet here we are, all locked up in our homes, waiting for the deadly Coronavirus to spare the human race. All the possibilities that jostle for space in the mind as one starts planning for the summer break  exotic destinations, fun activities, visiting relatives in far off places, etc.a will not materialise in 2020.

Are people sad, complaining about what they are not getting this year around? Apparently not. As humans have a tendency of making the most out of whatever we get  even amidst this chaos.

A viral sting to summer plans

While summer is deemed the most popular tourist season for Indians, with many usually making plans to take trips to various destinations, Pritesh Khare, owner of India Voyage, a travel company, is confident that travel isnt the only option.

This is the best time to go crazy on social media. After all, social media offers a lot more than pretty pictures and captivating posts, points out Pritesh. If travel is to be avoided for the time being, why not plan for the future by equipping yourself with knowledge about far off places? he suggests.

Farah Agarwal, an interior designer in Chennai, had not made any plans. In fact, one might even say that her instincts to go with the flow has helped prevent some heartbreak for her children and herself. Farah is now busy with her family, using the time to ensure that while her kids have their fun at home, they use their time wisely for studies, so they are comfortable with the portions when schools reopen. She is working on new design ideas so that when everything is back to normal her business is ready to reach new heights. But whats the first thing she plans after the lockdown? I plan to visit my parents who live in Bangalore, she tells us.

Unlike Farah, however, Bindya Talluri, a makeup and beauty blogger who also hails from Chennai, had made plans with her son right at the beginning of the year to visit her cousins in the US. These plans now stand cancelled. Now once the lockdown ends and things get back to normal, shes looking at taking her boy to elsewhere in India. And though it might not be immediately after the lockdown is lifted, I am surely going to visit Mumbai with my son when this pandemic end, adds Bindya.

Travel another day

While the travel industry is feeling the devastation caused by the virus, travellers seem to understand its for the greater good.

Deepti Gupta, a Delhi-based travel writer, who took off to her hometown in Dehradun before all this started, is clearly enjoying this summer with her family while waiting for the pandemic to come to an end. While speaking to us, she tells us that according to her, the present scenario is likely to continue. I really think the entire summer vacations are going to be spent at home. But why not, if that is the best way to stay safe? she asks.

However, she points out that the consequences the industry is facing cannot be ignored. The travel industry is already seeing quite a downfall, with airlines laying off staff, hotels going without bookings and all forms of public transport being suspended. But on the upside, there is a decrease in pollution; it seems like the environment is being revived, Deepti notes.

While we wait for things to get cleared up, however, perhaps we can consider Deeptis suggestions to start off the summer vacation. We have got an opportunity to discover a new hobby or pick up an old one that was lost among everyday routines, she indicates. Spend time with the family and help each other in daily chores. Play board games or read. Catch up on sleep, which is quite often disrupted by our busy schedules and tensions.
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2020, wine importer Ole & Obrigado launched their Restaurant Relief Pack, a national initiative donating 50% of profits from the sale of select wines to the Restaurant Workers' Community Fund, thus far raising over $22,000 for the non-profit and on pace to hit $50,000 by the end of May.

Under the slogan Help Us Help, the Restaurant Relief Pack is a unique selection of 7 wines from Ole & Obrigado's portfolio. Participating retailers select from these how many to include in the promotion, sometimes just a single wine and other times a collection of wines. During March-May, Ole & Obrigado then donates 50% of their profit from the sale of these wines to the RWCF.

"Restaurants, bars, and the people who operate them are critical to the success of our business," says Patrick Mata, founder of Ole & Obrigado. "At our company, social responsibility is central to our identity, and throughout our history, we've supported a variety of charitable causes to nourish the communities we work in. With that in mind, we launched the Restaurant Relief Pack to support our partners and friends in the restaurant industry who are currently suffering."

Wines from the Restaurant Relief Pack are available at over 300 retail locations nationwide, including online retailers such as Wine.com and brick-and-mortar stores like ABC Fine Wine & Spirits (Florida), Balducci's (Virginia), Erewhon Market (California), Grapes The Wine Co (New York), Urban Grape (Massachusetts), and Whole Foods Market (NYC's Upper West Side).

For more information about the Restaurant Relief Pack, including a list of participating retailers and wines, please contact [email protected] or visit the Ole & Obrigado website.

About Ole & Obrigado: Ole & Obrigado imports and represents over 40 family-owned wineries from Spain and Portugal in the United States. A collaboration between Patrick Mata, Alberto Orte, and Rui Abecassis, Ole & Obrigado is a highly specialized wine import company offering the most comprehensive and well-curated collection of wines from the Iberian Peninsula in the U.S. For more information on Ole & Obrigado, visit www.oleobrigado.com .

SOURCE Ole & Obrigado

Related Links

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A hospital's mistake has left a young man with a thousand questions in his mind and created a traumatic experience for two families. A woman in China reportedly discovered that the man she had been raising for the last 27 years is actually not her biological child and it all happened due to an unfortunate incident.

The woman's son, Abin fell sick and was diagnosed with end-stage liver cancer. After doctors informed the parents that he might have a chance at survival is he gets a liver transplant, the mother, Ms Xu decided to donate her own. However, when she got tested for the transplant, the results turned out to be not a match.

AsiaWire

Confused with the negative result, Xu had a maternity test done without letting her son find out and it turned out that he wasn't her biological offspring. The news left her and her husband in utter shock and they decided to get to the root of this blunder.

Turns out, the hospital where Abin was born had three other male babies born on the same day back in 1992. The Huaihe Hospital of Henan University's staff allegedly gave the wrong baby to the Ms Xu and her husband while handing their real son to another couple.



AsiaWire

In order to find out about their biological son, Ms Xu and her husband, Mr Yao continued to search for him and discovered that the family he was handed to live in the Henan city of Zhumadian.

Keeping this news away from Abin in order to avoid any further damage to his fragile health, the couple reached out to the family in order to be reunited with their real son.

Mx Xu tracked her son down to the city and reported his details to the local police station and believe us when we say this kind of stuff happens only in movies because the biological son, Awu turned out to be working at the very same station.

AsiaWire

After getting in touch with Abin's biological parents, Ms Xu discovered that his biological mother is a Hepatitis B carrier and Abin was supposed to get a vaccine for the same when he was born but due to the hospital's mishap, the wrong baby ended up getting the shot.

The hospital's alleged mistake, it seems, is now causing distress to a young man with cancer. Awu told local media, "I was totally perplexed. I thought it was impossible for something like this to happen. It was a flood of different emotions. It's very difficult to describe with words."

Abin is still not aware of this development and Ms Xu is still on the lookout for a donor for him.

AsiaWire

On the other hand, Awu said that he plans to stay with his parents but will make sure to visit his biological parents from time to time. He said, "My parents treated me very well, providing me with education, care and love. I hope to resolve this in a way that doesn't harm either set of my parents. They're both my parents. I don't want to upset either side."

The Kaifeng Hospital Commission is doing an investigation on the matter. The hospital's director Zhang Yijie said, "At this pointing, finding the doctor who made the mistake would be an academic exercise. The most important thing now is how to compensate the families."
iStock/NatanaelGinting(NEW YORK) -- BY: CONOR FINNEGAN and JOOHEE CHO



Nearly three weeks since North Korea's Kim Jong Un was last seen in public, President Donald Trump and senior South Korean leaders are downplaying or even outright dismissing reports that the young leader is in poor medical condition or dead.



After Kim missed the secretive country's most important national holiday, rumors of his demise have only grown, even as a new theory gains support -- social distancing against the coronavirus pandemic.



On Tuesday, Trump declined to answer questions about Kim, telling reporters at the White House, "I don't want to comment on it. I just wish him well."



The day prior, however, he suggested that Kim is alive and said that he had "a very good idea" of what his condition is.



"I do know how he's doing, relatively speaking. We will see. You'll probably be hearing in the not-too-distant future," Trump said during his briefing with the coronavirus task force members.



Those cryptic remarks came days after Trump attacked CNN, which, citing an unnamed U.S. official, had reported that U.S. intelligence is assessing whether Kim is in "grave danger." At Thursday's briefing, he called that a "fake report" and said the network "used old documents" without explaining what he meant.



Given its invasive police state and severe isolation, North Korea is a difficult country for foreign intelligence agencies to penetrate and the inner workings of its ruling elite are tightly held -- making it difficult even for U.S. spies to know what's happening.



"Longtime watchers are just saying, 'Look, we don't know. No one knows,'" said Bruce Klingner, former deputy CIA chief for Korea and now a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.



A senior Defense Department official backed that up, telling ABC News on Sunday that anyone who says they know exactly what is happening with Kim does not know what they are talking about because the U.S. does not have clarity or sufficient intelligence penetration to know.



Kim was last seen at a communist party politburo meeting on April 11, leading the party's discussion on prevention of the novel coronavirus, according to photos published by state media. While he has been absent from state media for stretches of time before, including for nearly 20 days twice before this year, speculation rose because for the first time in his rule, he missed the commemorative events for the birthday of his grandfather and North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung on April 15 -- the country's most important holiday.



Beyond Trump, several senior South Korean officials have now also said that Kim is most likely alive and not in any kind of dire medical condition.



"So far, it is considered that there is no unusual movement in North Korea," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told parliament during a hearing on Tuesday.



The country's Minister of Unification Kim Yeon Chul added that North Korean state media reporting suggests Kim is handling his government's affairs as normal and suggested coronavirus prevention could be behind his absence instead.



Officially, North Korea's government has reported no cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and it has taken strict measures to shut its borders and restrict travel to stave off an outbreak.



"We don't have any information that there's an outbreak, but we are watching how they respond to it," a State Department official told ABC News last week. But several Korea watchers have said given North Korea's reliance on trade with China, from where the pandemic first spread, there are likely cases in the country.



Kim isn't the only one out of the public eye. His sister Kim Yo Jong, who has been discussed as a possible successor given the leadership's blood line, also missed the commemorative events for their grandfather's birthday on April 15.



Since the holiday, the core of North Korea's elites that often surround him have also been absent from public view, according to Thae Yong Ho, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom who became the country's highest-ranking diplomat to defect in 2016.



That's fueled the theory that Kim and others are ensconced somewhere to keep them safe from a potential outbreak.



An official from South Korean President Moon Jae In's office told ABC News last week that Kim was out of the capital Pyongyang at a suburban retreat, while one of Moon's close advisers Moon Chung In said over the weekend that Kim is "alive and well" and in Wonsan.



Satellite images taken last Thursday by Planet Labs showed a train at the Leadership Railway Station in Wonsan, North Korea -- a city on the country's east coast where Kim has an expansive retreat complex. According to 38 North, a think tank that provides analysis on North Korea, the train which likely belongs to Kim, arrived some time after April 15, and "lend(s) weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast."



Boats in the Wonsan area have also been notably active and "made unusual moves" in recent weeks, according to another specialty site NK News, "indicating his likely continued presence in the area," it reported Tuesday.



But Thae, now a member of parliament in the opposition conservative party, said Tuesday that the train could be a "disguise" because the government doesn't usually park the train where Kim actually is.



What's odd, Thae added, is that when North Korean Foreign Ministry staff outside of the country are asked about Kim's health, they normally fire back with aggressive denials, but this time, they are keeping quiet -- suggesting perhaps that even they don't know.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
President Donald Trump leaves the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, to walk to Marine One for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

Carolyn Kaster (Associated Press)

A group of scientists, billionaires, and Nobel Prize winners is hoping to use its connections to the Trump administration to stem the US coronavirus outbreak, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The group, which calls itself "Scientists to Stop COVID-19," has put together a four-stage proposal on how to develop treatments, fast-track a vaccine, and eventually reopen industries in the US safely.

It's unclear if the proposal has made it to the president's desk or if it is being considered by members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which is leading the US' coronavirus response.

The proposal comes as several US states are beginning to ease their lockdown restrictions despite the mounting number of coronavirus cases in the US.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A group of scientists, billionaires, and Nobel Prize winners well-connected to the Trump administration have put together a four-stage proposal on how to develop treatments and fast-track a vaccine in order to stem the US coronavirus outbreak.

The group, which calls itself "Scientists to Stop COVID-19," was first reported on by The Wall Street Journal. It is made up of leading scientists in the fields of chemical biology, epidemiology, neurology, oncology, and even nuclear science, and is led by a 33-year-old physician and venture capitalist named Tom Cahill.

The collection of scientists have put their minds together to discuss and debate offbeat solutions to testing, treating, tracing, and curing the novel coronavirus in the US, and the group is hoping to leverage its connections to the Trump administration in order to fast-track their proposal to those at the helm.

"We are a group of passionate citizen-scientists who offer four actionable, non-partisan proposals to produce safe and effective COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines in the shortest possible timeframe, and to reopen our society in a manner that reduces the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks," the group said in their 17-page proposal published by The Journal.

Story continues

The proposal stressed that none of the scientific minds involved had any financial ties to the companies or suggestions mentioned.

"Our only motivation is to help defeat the serious threat our nation and the world now faces," the group states.

A fast-track to the White House

A vial of the drug Remdesivir being trialed for COVID-19 treatment.

Associated Press

According to The Journal, Cahill first assembled the group in early March after feeling frustrated by the progress of COVID-19 vaccine research. Cahill, who earned his MD and Ph.D. from Duke University before pivoting to financial investment, has connections to wealthy investors, including Steve Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics, billionaire Peter Thiel, and Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's longtime aide.

Cahill thought to organize a conference call, leveraging his base of science and finance minds to come together and share ideas on how to tackle the virus. According to The Journal, the conference call was maxed out, indicating to Cahill that the idea was a success.

"For the 50 years I've been involved in medical research, I have never seen collaboration as we have today," financier Michael Milken said in an email to Cahill after the call, according to the report.

The group's proposal, which, according to The Journal, has been shared with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, and Vice President Mike Pence, calls for a four-stage plan to tackle the virus referred to as "waves."

It called on the government to ramp up testing of the drug Remdesivir, an Ebola medication that is being studied as a possible post-infection treatment for COVID-19. It also called to accelerate the "development of an antibody therapy and short-term vaccine by Fall 2020," and outlined a plan for the "rapid development of a vaccine against COVID-19 and future pandemics."

It also laid out a plan for how to safely reopen schools and businesses and reduce the risk of a "second wave" of infection in the fall.

It's unclear if the proposal has made it to the president's desk or is being considered by members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which is leading the US' coronavirus response.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond for comment.

The proposal comes as several US states are beginning to ease their lockdown restrictions despite the US' mounting number of cases. As of Monday, the US has recorded over 988,000 cases and more than 56,000 deaths.

Georgia became the first state to reopen on Friday, despite warnings of a potential for a resurgence of the virus if lockdown measures are lifted too quickly. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the state's stay-at-home order will be replaced by a "safer at home" policy starting on April 27, with Minnesota and Montana initiating similar phased-reopening this week.

Still, some experts say that while aggressive lockdown measures have slowed the "first wave" of the coronavirus, they are warning that a "balance" must be kept until a vaccine arrives.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Tenants of Kushner Real Estate Group buildings in Jersey City are petitioning for a reduction in rent, saying the coronavirus outbreak has hampered their ability to pay.

Two petitions, one focusing on the apartment building 225 Grand and the other dealing with all Jersey City KRE buildings, are seeking 20 percent rent reductions during the pandemic.

Covid-19 has devastated the American economy and many residents of Jersey Citys KRE buildings have either lost their income or had it substantially reduced, one petition reads, and even those of us who retain employment are unsure of what the coming months will mean for our future employment.

As of Tuesday, the two petitions have gathered 233 signatures in total.

Murtaza Saif, a software engineer living in the 225 Grand building, said that he worked with other residents to write the petition in late March, after the coronavirus had forced his girlfriend to stop working at her job at a travel agency.

Its hard to balance the budget, he said.

While he was still working from home, Saif said the prospect of not being able to pay rent was a little scary to think about

Its obviously going to be very very helpful if the building did something about it, he said.

Jacqueline Kirley, an office manager who lives in 225 Grand and one of the petitions organizers, said many people in the building, including her, are no longer able to work and struggling to pay rent.

Lots of people, if not out and out being laid off, theyve lost income, she said.

KRE could not immediately be reached for comment. In an April 2 email to 225 Grand residents, KRE regional property manager Jeff Epstein wrote, We as a company are dedicated to running our buildings the same as before.

Doing this requires us to pay our mortgage, taxes, utilities, payroll as well as many other expenses necessary to properly operate our buildings, Epstein wrote. Unfortunately, we cannot do this effectively if we reduce the amount of rent paid.

Rent at 225 Grand ranges from roughly $2,200 for a studio to around $4,200 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Epstein encouraged residents who could not pay to contact the management office and arrange to pay as much as possible. After the pandemic, he wrote, we will work with those residents to bring their account balances current.

But Kirley criticized the response, calling the proposal a stopgap and noted that KRE buildings had received millions in tax abatements from Jersey City.

Thats ridiculous that now that the residents need some help, after the city gave them help, theyre not providing it, Kirley said. Deferring the payments isnt going to help us. Were just going to have to pay down the line.

KRE is owned by Jonathan Kushner, the cousin of President Trumps son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner. The company owns and operates six luxury residential buildings in Jersey City, according to its website.

As May 1 approaches, rent relief measures are gaining steam across New Jersey and the New York City area. In Jersey City, the City Council is considering an ordinance to freeze rent hikes in rent-controlled buildings. Ward E Councilman James Solomon is hoping to expand the ordinance to apply to all residential buildings in the city, except public housing and buildings built in the past 30 years.

Evictions and foreclosures in New Jersey have been halted, and last week Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order allowing residents to dip into their security deposits to pay rent.

A rent strike is planned for May 1 in New York City, and a Change.org petition calling for Fulop and Murphy to immediately freeze rent/mortgage payments in Jersey City has collected 881 signatures.

Kirley said she understood that petitioning for rent reductions in luxury apartment buildings might seem counter-intuitive.

Were lucky enough to live in a place that we find very nice, she said. Most of us, however, do not have the kind of finances where we have several months rent saved.

She and other tenants would be forced to dip into their security deposits for rent payments, she said, and tenants lease agreements prevent them from moving. Kirley added that she hoped the petitions would have a ripple effect across Jersey City.

We definitely stand in solidarity with everyone that is struggling right now, she said
Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel, has warned Christians that many new diseases and plagues are...





Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel, has warned Christians that many new diseases and plagues are coming.





The cleric, who gave the warning during a live broadcast, advised Christians to take redemption and authority in Jesus.





Speaking on a message entitled understanding our heritage of dominion over sickness and disease, the cleric said redemption is a new estate of a sickness free life.





Let me conclude by saying there are going to be many other waves of sickness and disease. The Bible notes that all the sicknesses that are not written in this book are coming.

Deuteronomy 28:61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.





It is not new, there are new diseases, they will be coming, that is why you need to take cover on time before you become a victim.





Take cover in redemption and understand your authority and power vested in the name; then begin to walk in dominion over sickness and disease! That shall be your portion in the name of Jesus.





When Jesus sat with the disciples, not one was reported sick once. His presence just cleared them from all satanic assaults and he said Lo, I am with you always. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you  awesome promises, awesome life.





He, therefore, prayed that God will establish his authority and no one in the church will be a victim.





His natural presence covered them, how much more His resurrected presence. Glory to God.




OnePlus 8 series pre-booking now live on Amazon India: Here's how to pre-order OnePlus 8

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are up for pre-orders on Amazon India after the company announced the phones globally in a virtual event on April 14. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, smartphone sales in many countries including India have been suspended as the government prohibited e-commerce companies from accepting orders of mobile phones, laptops and more.

However, OnePlus has started accepting pre-orders of its latest smartphone line-up and could go on an open sale from May 11 in India. The company has also announced the Bullets Wireless Z and Warp Charge 30 wireless charging dock priced at Rs 1,990 and Rs 3,990 respectively by theres currently no word around the availability of these in India.

In case you need a new phone and you have had your eyes set on the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro since their launch, heres how to pre-book the phone on Amazon India.

How to pre-order OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro on Amazon India

The OnePlus 8 series of smartphones are up for pre-booking on Amazon India and interested buyers could head over to the e-tailers website to pre-order a OnePlus 8 for themselves.

Go to the Amazon Gift Card page here .

Purchase a Gift card valued Rs 1,000 or more between April 29 and May 10.

A link with the gift card will be emailed to you.

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will go on sale from May 11 and you can use the gift coupon code to purchase either of the phones until June 30.

Amazon India is also offering an additional Rs 1,000 cashback on the successful purchase of a OnePlus 8 phone and the amount will be credited to the Amazon Pay balance within 30 days from order.

**Drumroll** We finally get to say the 3 magic words we couldnt hold back any more: Pre-booking Live Now!  OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) April 28, 2020

OnePlus 8 series pricing and availability

OnePlus 8 starts at Rs 41,999 in India while the OnePlus 8 Pro starts at Rs 54,999 for the base variant. The OnePlus 8 comes in three variants-- 6GB RAM / 128GB storage at Rs 41,999, 8GB RAM / 128GB storage at Rs 44,999 and 12GB RAM with 256GB storage at Rs 49,999.

The maxed-out version also comes in an Interstellar Glow gradient finish alongside Glacial Green and Onyx Black.

OnePlus 8 Pro starts at Rs 54,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and Rs 59,999 for the top-end model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The maxed-out variant is also available in a third, Ultramarine Blue colour.
Assams Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said a balanced approach has to be taken between public health and reopening the economy. He said his state would follow the Centres guidelines on the matter.

In an exclusive interview to CNN-News18, he further said that after bringing back stranded students, his governments next focus on helping patients stuck in other parts of the country.

Sarma, who has been in the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 in Assam, said all the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event have volunteered to stay in isolation camps after the crisis was explained to them, adding that the government took a humanitarian approach while dealing with the situation.

Edited excerpts

Are you of the opinion that there should be some relaxation or complete lifting of lockdown?

First of all, one has to take a decision between public health and economy. You have to balance it in a manner that there is harmony between both. As far as our view is concerned, (we support) the government of Indias proposal to reopen some economic activities in green belts or districts where there is no case. In districts that fall in the orange zone (some cases), we should be more cautious, but in districts, where the pandemic is really influencing the area, the lockdown should be strictly continued.

The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has put issues of life above economic concerns. Are you of the opinion that as far as MSMEs and small enterprises are concerned, they have to be opened up because the supply chain has to be resumed?

At some point of time, we have to take a call. MSME is an important element of our economy and at the same time, we are also aware that COVID-19 is a big problem and a vaccine is yet to be found. So, we cant, in the name of economy, put our labour force exposed to the virus. In the name of production, you cannot compromise on the health of labour force. It is a tightrope walk and a balancing job and GOI is aware of the fact. It will come out with a proper guideline on May 2 and 3.

What about the concern raised by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the last conference of CMs, about some states being allowed relaxations and others not being allowed relaxations when there should be a universal policy on the same and what kind and how many people can be brought back to the state?

We have sought the guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs. I personally spoke to MHA Secretary (Ajay Kumar) Bhalla. He has agreed with the proposition that we should bring our students back because Kota (in Rajasthan) is gradually becoming a red zone.

Only a day before yesterday, 11 people had tested positive. Wherever we can contribute to save lives, we should. At the same time, I really appreciate Kumar's concern, because as far as Bihar is concerned, the number is really huge. We had only 400 students.

It is easy for us evacuate them. But for a state like Bihar, it is a tough job. But as the health minister of Assam, we have to take care of our children and we have done what is right for our state.

One view is that the political class is more concerned about students from Kota than migrant labourers. How will you respond to this criticism?

No. As of now, I am working on the evacuation of 800 cancer patients and all those who were outside Assam for kidney transplant operations. I think students are our future and people are really concerned about their children. When you talk to migrant labourers, people who are above 18 years of age, you wont apply the same yardstick for young boys and girls. At the same time, both are important.

Our priority is now to shift focus to bringing back the patients. We have also requested the Centre to come up with a certain policy to being back the migrant labourers to their home states or open up the industry in a manner that these people can get back to their jobs.

These are very difficult questions. It isnt like in elections, which party you vote. This is a very difficult situation. People are applying different yardsticks but with the sole goal of helping people, I think every state is trying to do their best.

We are seeing you helping people and having a human approach to this entire crisis. Give us a sense of how the cases have been in Assam? Is there some kind of model being applied in the state? We have seen a number of states come up with their own models, for example the Bhilwara model is being talked about, and there is the model in Kerala where the curve has been flattened. How close are you in flattening the curve?

I dont know how close we are towards flattening the curve, because we have seen what happened in Singapore. I will talk about Assam in a different way. Had the Markaz incident (Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi) not happened, we would have had only one case till now, but at the same time, when GOI alerted us about the Markaz case, we talked to the religious leaders the very first day.

We invited them for discussion. We elaborated them on the infectious disease and how it can be harmful and the community spread. It is my good luck that the community came forward and they said that they will offer all kinds of cooperation and the district administration sprang into action and we quarantined 1,800 people in a matter of 48 hours.

Today Assam has 37 cases, 36 from the Markaz. All 35 cases are in isolation camps. It didnt spread to the community, because within 48 hours of incident, we had disconnected the society and so-called attendees.

Assam has developed a more humanitarian approach to reach out to the community and I think we have got the dividends and we are also working with the community. We are giving the best foods in our quarantine camps, we are taking care of Ramzan and people dont fear to come to our camps or Assam hospital.

At the same time, I made them realise that whatever was done in Nizammuddin by not disclosing voluntarily, you do great harm to the community. I addressed several pressers and all the 1,800 people came forward and volunteered to be isolated at the camps.

Assam must be an exception in that case -- that those who participated in the congregation at Nizammuddin volunteered to come out and disclose because of your approach, where you did not see them as the other, there was no Islamophobia attached to it. Is that why your approach worked while in several other states those who attended the congregation chose to hide their identity?

I think my whole view is that whatever has happened in the Markaz is wrong. People by hiding are harming themselves and parents and the ageing population. I dont know which state took what kind of an approach, but I will go by what has been said by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. He said in this hour of crisis, our approach should be humane and we should bring back everybody to isolation camps or we should work together so this doesnt spread.

Also, when will the workers return to the tea gardens of Assam?

The Assam tea garden is functioning thanks to our PM. They have taken care of them within seven days of the lockdown. They allowed 50% of workforce with social distancing norms. We are testing them and not a single COVID-19 case has come from there because they are following social distancing norms very strictly.
Toronto Mayor John Tory has been asking landlords to show clemency towards tenants affected by the COVID-19 shutdown, but the citys own rental policy could sink the Sunday Antique Market.

Marlene Cook, who has owned and organized the Sunday Antique Market for 30 years, learned on Monday that shes on the hook for paying for the space where the event takes place each week, even when shes not allowed to open.

The event used to be run out of north end of the market, now under redevelopment. For about the past five years, it has been held in the big white tent south of the historic St. Lawrence Market building, at 125 The Esplanade.

Cook pays a fee for use of the space and for tables. She in turn rents out the tables to roughly 130 regular vendors, who sell everything from $10 earrings from Mexico to mid-century modern items and love letters from the Second World War.

Im devastated right now, said Cook, who estimates that the bill for the three months will be about $60,000. I wont survive.

Food vendors in the St. Lawrence Market across the street have been allowed to continue operating and a Farmers Market still operates out of the tented space every Saturday morning.

The Sunday Antique Market has been closed since the middle of March, after the city cancelled all public events until June.

Cook has already paid for the two weekends in March she wasnt able to open. She says she cant afford to also pay for April, May and June, when she wont be earning any income from the venture.

John Tory and the city said all events in Toronto are cancelled to the end of June. I feel I shouldnt have to pay for an event that the city cancelled, said Cook, who operates under a licensing agreement.

The city is offering tenants, licensees and permit holders at the St. Lawrence Market the option to put off payments for April, May and June until October, and pay the amount owing over 12 months, but Cook said that wont save her.

The city is also asking tenants to properly maintain their locations, including paying for insurance, while they are closed.

I think its kind of hypocritical of the city, said Cook, pointing out that Tory has also said the city wants to help small businesses through the difficulties posed by COVID-19.

Don Peat, a spokesperson for Tory, said the mayor has told all commercial and residential landlords to work with their tenants during these tough times, and that is what the citys Corporate Real Estate Management division is doing, by allowing the rent deferral and repayment over 12 months.

Because this situation is constantly evolving, the mayor expects city staff will be fair to tenants and help them on a case-by-case basis if there are additional challenges, Peat said, in an email response to questions from the Star.

Cook said her market is a popular tourist attraction, and also part of a long food chain of commerce.

Antique pickers arrive early in the morning for the best selection, for resale in their establishments. Others buy items for themselves, or for resale on sites like eBay. Many of the vendors know each other, and their customers.

Cook said the closure of the antique market has left her vendors without their main source income, forcing at least one of them out of his apartment.

Its more than just a place to go shopping, said Cook.

People look out for each other. Its a meeting place. Theres an excitement, a buzz.

She said it draws about 2,000 people each Sunday.

Mondays letter from the city was sent to St. Lawrence Market tenants, farmers and vendors, who operate under lease, licence or city permit.

It encourages them to contact the city to discuss specifics, but Cook said she hasnt been able to get the city representative in charge of the market to take her calls.

Not all businesses at the market have been affected in the same way. Nesrin Akdemir operates a small store called Anything Goes Accessories in the St. Lawrence Market.

I dont pay the kind of rent she does, said Akdemir, who closed her shop on March 13, due to a decline in business and to health concerns over COVID-19.

My place is really small and I have enough stashed away to kind of get through in the short-term.

Shes thinking of new products to bring to sell when she reopens, but the future does look uncertain.

The situation keeps changing. I dont even know when I am going to be able to open again.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the state's response to the coronavirus in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, according to the governor's office.

I look forward to having a substantive conversation with President Trump about Louisianas response to the COVID-19 outbreak, our plans to re-open additional businesses next month, and our ongoing needs as we surge our testing capacity to 200,000 tests per month beginning in May," Edwards said in a release.

+2 Louisiana coronavirus stay-at-home order extended but fewer restrictions for restaurants, malls Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards will extend the states stay-at-home order until May 15th, keeping a wide swath of the states economy at a st

Louisiana had 27,286 cases of the coronavirus and 1,758 deaths statewide as of Tuesday.

On Monday, Edwards extended Louisianas stay-at-home order until May 15; it had been set to expire May 1. While many areas of the state have slowed the spread of the virus, others like Baton Rouge, Acadiana and northeast Louisiana have seen a rise in cases.

"I am appreciative of the Presidents attention to Louisiana and his support for our people during this difficult time for our state," Edwards said. "Brighter days are ahead for Louisiana and by working together with our federal partners, I know we will get through this.
Millie Smyth beside the tree decorated in memory of her 15-year-old sister Robyn in Ellenfield Park in Dublin

A community has started to decorate a tree in a Dublin park for a brave teenager who lost her 12-year battle against a rare cancer.

Robyn Smyth (15), from Whitehall in Dublin, had been fighting the aggressive cancer, neuroblastoma, since the age of three.

The third-year secondary school student passed away at 7.15am last Thursday surrounded by her family at home.

Her mum, Bernadette Dornan, was by her side every second of her treatment journey, willing her young daughter to have more time.

A tree in Ellenfield Park in north Dublin has been decorated with photos, messages, glass ornaments and a porcelain angel in honour of the brave fighter. One of the messages reads: "I will never forget Robyn - the angel of Whitehall."

A poem about Robyn has also been posted to the tree. "Robyn Smyth. She made broken look beautiful and look invincible. Her bravery knew no end."

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The family have said they are "very grateful" for the "thoughtful and lovely" messages left for their daughter.

Mourners

Robyn's funeral Mass was held last Saturday, with hundreds standing in silence and holding balloons along the short route from her home to Whitehall Church, with the cortege being led by a lone piper.

Only 10 people were allowed to attend the Mass but it was live-streamed for the mourners who could not be there.

"We as a family are so thankful to everyone who helped us throughout the years - everything the public did for us meant and means so, so much," Bernadette said.

"Throughout her life, Robyn just wanted to live. When we were told five years ago by the doctors in Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin that they could do no more for her - I just couldn't let that happen.

"But Robyn and me got another five years together, to make wonderful memories, experiences and see many new things both here and in the US when she was having her treatment."

A memorial for Robyn will take place at a later date. Donations can be made to Robyn's Life Trust on, robynslife.com.

When Robyn first became ill, she was treated in several Dublin hospitals and at medical facilities in the US including, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Michigan.

Erin McGregor, sister of UFC fighter Conor, also got involved in charity events to raise awareness of Robyn's cancer fight.

When her chances of survival dropped to 5pc four years ago and her family was told by Irish doctors to bring her home to die, they decided to fundraise to take her to the US for the first time.
Too Hot To Handle star Chloe Veitch has revealed she has a new celebrity follower on Instagram  none other than Ariana Grande.

The 21-year-old model from Essex appears in Netflixs new dating show in which contestants are banned from any kind of sexual contact for the duration of filming.

The contestants are forbidden from kissing, no heavy petting and no self-gratification of any kind and with each rule broken, money is deducted from the 100,000 dollar prize pot.

Talking about the reaction from fans, Veitch told the PA news agency it had been overwhelming.

She said: Ive got like a million followers on Instagram now and Ariana Grande followed me. I was like What is going on?. But Im actually proud of myself because the fans are telling me theyve been with guys whove treated them like shit and theyve actually come out the other end, because of watching me.

Veitch, a previous winner of Top Model, said she and Irish contestant Nicole OBrien have remained close friends since the series and are hoping to move in together.

She said: Im friends with everyone (from the series), some more than others me and Nicole and Lydia (Clyma) are literally like the three amigos. I lived with Nicole for like a month after the show and me and her are planning on moving in together soon in London.

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The reality TV star said the experience had been testing but added that it also gave her strength.

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Its like you go in there as someone who has got an ego, you go in there as someone who is overly confident, and you think you can get any guy and the guys think they can get any girl, and they get there, and its like you are stripped bare, she said.

You have to look inside your soul. The workshops dont look that deep when you watch them, but when we were doing the workshops we were balling crying, its such an emotional experience. Its a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would do it all over again.

Contestants Francesca Farago, from Vancouver, and Australian Harry Jowsey are still a couple after meeting on the Netflix show.

Veitch said: Harry and Francescas relationship, as you can see on the screen, wasnt always a smooth relationship but I mean theres always hurdles and I think this quarantining/isolation is definitely one of them. But they look stronger than ever and Im genuinely really happy for them.

Too Hot To Handle is streaming on Netflix now
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday. The exact cause of his hospitalisation is not known yet.

"It's true that he has been admitted to the hospital. He is in Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. He was not keeping well and had some problem, so we admitted him early this morning," Rishi Kapoor's elder brother Randhir Kapoor confirmed to News18.

When asked if it was an emergency, Randhir said, "That's why he has gone to the hospital. But I know that he will be alright. Neetu (Kapoor) is by his side."

Rishi Kapoor returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year.

He was previously taken to the hospital in February earlier this year after being diagnosed with an infection.

The actor had later apprised his fans of his health on social media. He was shooting in Delhi at the time when he caught the infection because of pollution.

"Dear family, friends, foes and followers. I have been overwhelmed by all your concern about my health. Thank you. I have been filming in Delhi past 18 days and because of the pollution and my low count of neutrophils, I caught an infection whereby I had to be hospitalised," he had tweeted.

Dear family,friends,foes and followers. I have been overwhelmed by all your concern about my health.Thank you. I have been filming in Delhi past 18 days and because of the Pollution and my low count of neutrophils, I caught an infection whereby I had to be hospitalized. (1).....  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) February 4, 2020

The actor had flown to New York in September 2018 and returned after almost a year in 2019. He was accompanied by his wife Neetu Kapoor in his battle with the deadly disease. Ranbir Kapoor and his girlfriend, actor Alia Bhatt had also paid visit to the veteran actor in NYC.

Meanwhile, Rishi Kapoor recently announced his next project, a remake of Hollywood film 'The Intern', in which he will feature with Deepika Padukone.
Actress Missy Peregrym shared the first look at her first child, son Otis Paradis Oakley on Tuesday.

The FBI star shared a new snap with her and the newborn son, who was born on March 21.

Peregrym revealed in October that she's expecting her first child, less than a year after the couple tied the knot in late December 2018.

Mother and son: Actress Missy Peregrym shared the first look at her first child, son Otis Paradis Oakley on Tuesday

'Otis Paradis Oakley Born March 21st,' Peregrym began in the caption of her photo, where she was wearing a navy blue top and holding her son to her chest.

'These afternoon naps are the *greatest* feeling in the world A huge thank you to Dr. Brennan & his wonderful wife, Jais, as well as the staff at Lennox Hill for helping us bring our son into this (crazy) world,' she added.

'Thank you for continuing to be there for new families during this time,' she concluded, along with the hashtag #blessed.

Born: 'Otis Paradis Oakley Born March 21st,' Peregrym began in the caption of her photo, where she was wearing a navy blue top and holding her son to her chest

Peregrym was previously married to Shazam star Zachary Levi, as they tied the knot in June 2014, but the couple would not make it to their one-year anniversary.

The actress filed for divorce in April 2015, amid rumors that Levi was not faithful in their relationship.

While it isn't clear when Peregrym and Oakley started dating, they tied the knot at the end of December 2018.

Happy Couple: While it isn't clear when Peregrym and Oakley started dating, they tied the knot at the end of December 2018

Peregrym, a native of Montreal, started her career as a model, signing with the Lizbell Agency at just 18 years of age.

She started her acting career in 2002 in a guest-starring spot on Dark Angel, which lead to roles on Smallville, Andromeda and Life As We Know It.

The actress made her film debut in the 2006 gymnastics movie Stick It, which lead to extended arcs in Heroes and a lead role on Reaper before her breakthrough as Andy McNally on the Canadian hit series Rookie Blue, which also aired on ABC.

Former model: Peregrym, a native of Montreal, started her career as a model, signing with the Lizbell Agency at just 18 years of age

After Rookie Blue went off the air in 2015 she guest starred in shows such as Hawaii Five-0, Saving Hope, The Night Shift and Ten Days in the Valley.

She also starred as Scarlet Harker on the Van Helsing TV series that only lasted one 13-episode season.

Peregrym has played Special Agent Maggie Bell on CBS' FBI since 2018.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc and diplomats of other ASEAN countries recently took part in the first teleconference of the ASEAN Committee in Washington DC (ACW).

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc (upper, left) and other diplomats at the teleconference of the ASEAN Committee in Washington DC

At this session, chaired by Cambodian Ambassador and head of the ACW Chum Sounry, the ASEAN ambassadors and charge daffaires discussed the outcomes of the special ASEAN and ASEAN+3 summits on COVID-19 on April 14 and the special ASEAN-US foreign ministers meeting on the issue on April 23.

They thanked and congratulated Vietnam on its timely response, proactiveness and flexibility as the ASEAN Chair amidst the COVID-19 pandemics complex developments which have affected multiple aspects, including external activities.

The diplomats also highly valued Vietnams initiative to promote cooperation within ASEAN as well as between the bloc and partners, including the US, in coping with the pandemic.

Looking into the pandemics economic impact on the Southeast Asian region, they shared the view on an economic growth slowdown, stressing the importance of maintaining the connectivity in supply chains of food, medicine and medical supplies.

They also underlined the need for ASEAN to keep enhancing ties in the disease prevention and control, vaccine and medication development, and post-pandemic economic recovery, thereby helping to intensify the ASEAN-US strategic partnership.

At the meeting, Ambassador Ngoc updated participants about the initial encouraging outcomes of the Vietnamese Governments anti-COVID-19 measures, noting that the test kits produced by Vietnam have been recognised by the World Health Organisation and European countries.

The diplomats highly valued Vietnams efforts to concurrently fight the pandemic in the country and assist other ASEAN nations with medical supplies. They also called on Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand to share the research outcomes on the vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease.

The Philippine ambassador appreciated Vietnams continuation of rice export and hoped that the country will maintain the activity to help ensure food security.

Participants also asked countries to issue notifications before applying new policies that may affect other members of the association./.VNA

ASEAN 2020: Vietnam vows to partner with others to fight COVID-19 Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on April 23 affirmed that Vietnam will enhance its cooperation with other countries, including the US, as well as the WHO and the international community in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
INDIANA, Ind. (WLFI) - The coronavirus is causing thousands of people to lose their jobs in Indiana, and with that their health insurance.

"Right now with the COVID-19 issue, we're really trying to reach those people that have lost employment and as a result of that lost insurance,"said Kathy Walker who works with the Indiana Rural Health Association.

She's a program coordinator for the Connecting Kids to Coverage-Indiana program which started last summer.

"Indiana has the 11th highest rate of uninsured children in the country," she said.

That's about 7% of the states pediatric population. And since the onset of the pandemic, IHRA said that number is increasing.

"It's scary for any individual or family to be without insurance especially due to the high cost of health care," said Walker. With the COVID-19 issue, I think that's just exemplified even more."

Normally, Kathy and the team of five insurance navigators travel all over the state to connect families to health insurance resources, like Indiana's Health Coverage Programs. They help families figure out their options withing IHCP, such as Hoosier Healthwise and the Healthy Indiana Plan.

"I was traveling every other week up to the Michiana area," said Walker. "With that stay at home order, that travel has ceased."

But just because they can't travel, doesn't mean they can't help.

"We are able to do it all virtually over the phone and through electronic technology, which are all HIPAA compliant and secure," she said.

IRHA is there to help with more than just health insurance.

"We can also assist with SNAP and TANF and with job losses it's a lot more likely that people will be qualifying for that," she said.

You can also visit the Connecting Kids to Coverage Facebook page to learn more about that program.
China's parliament will hold its annual session next month after being delayed because of the coronavirus, state media said Wednesday, signalling the communist leadership's growing confidence in taming the epidemic. Beijing announced in February that it would put off the annual National People's Congress (NPC) for the first time since the Cultural Revolution as the country battled the coronavirus outbreak, which has since become a pandemic. The rescheduled session on May 22 will highlight confidence by the leadership that China has largely brought its outbreak under control. Top Communist Party leaders including President Xi Jinping attend each year's gathering with thousands of delegates from across the country, to rubber-stamp bills, budgets and personnel moves. According to a statement cited by official news agency Xinhua from the NPC Standing Committee -- the body that oversees the legislative session -- the epidemic in China is "improving steadily" and "normal economic and social life is gradually resuming". This means the "conditions for convening the NPC annual session... are ready," the statement said. China's capital on Wednesday lowered its emergency alert from the highest level and lifted a strict quarantine requirement for domestic travellers from "low-risk" areas, which it had kept in place long after many other regions in the country eased travel restrictions. Arrivals in Beijing from the virus epicentre of Hubei province as well as travellers coming from abroad are still required to complete a 14-day quarantine, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The annual gathering was originally due to start on March 5. A number of local governments have held their regional political meetings online -- fuelling speculation at least part of the NPC might consist of virtual sessions. But Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, told AFP that given how symbolic the national legislature meeting is, delegates are more likely to attend in person. "I believe that the delegates, many of whom are middle-aged, would not be able to accept virtual meetings as much as face-to-face meetings ?- they see it as a great privilege to go to Beijing for these meetings and would hope to physically attend," he said. The NPC is usually a 10-day gathering, but state-run tabloid Global Times quoted one delegate saying the length of the meeting is likely to be reduced this year. Xinhua said earlier this week that there was a plan to create or revise 17 health-related laws this year and next, including a biosecurity law and a revised law on "animal epidemic prevention". Chinese scientists have said the virus emerged from a food market which reportedly sold exotic wild animals for human consumption. - 'Show of strength' - "This is a show of strength," said Hong Kong-based political analyst Willy Lam. "It's a sign that China is back on its feet, and the economic machinery keeps humming, and a big reassurance to the people that the epidemic is over." Lam said the announcement was also aimed at the domestic audience, to reassure Chinese citizens after a sharp 6.8 percent contraction in the first quarter's economic growth. China's official number of infections has dwindled dramatically over the last month, with no new deaths reported for two weeks straight. The NPC's Standing Committee said at the time the gathering was postponed that the top officials who normally attend the meeting should prioritise tackling the virus in their home regions. The NPC has been held every year since 1978, and on March 5 specifically for the past two decades. The NPC is used to portray the Communist Party as answerable to the people's representatives, but its deliberations are determined in advance and the event is tightly choreographed The NPC is used to portray the government as answerable to the people's representatives, but its deliberations are pre-determined well in advance and the whole event is tightly choreographed by the Communist Party Top Communist Party leaders including President Xi Jinping attend each year's gathering with thousands of delegates from across the country, to rubber-stamp bills, budgets and personnel moves already decided by the party
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye has recalled the house to regroup Thursday, April 30, 2020, at 10am to resume the First Meeting of the Fourth Session.



A statement announcing the decision and signed by the Speaker himself, says the recall is in keeping with Order 6 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.



The Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, Ms Kate Addo, explains that the sitting will consider among other things, waiving of VAT on donations of stock of equipment and goods for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, permitting the deduction of contributions and donations towards Covid-19 as allowable expense for tax purposes, and extending the due date for filing of taxes from four months to six months after the end of the basis year.



The Speaker last suspended Parliament on Saturday, April 4, leading to criticisms particularly from the Minority that he was stepping out of bounds and exhibiting autocratic tendencies.

They had wished he adjourned sittings with a definite resumption date rather than suspend it indefinitely.



The Speaker however defended his action as lawful, also underpinned by the uncertainty of the times as engendered by the coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19.



Among matters before the house was the Electoral Commissions submission for the passage of legislation to enable citizens to use the Ghana Card and Ghana passport as proper identities for registration as voters.

Source: Daily Graphic









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COLUMBUS, OhioDespite hundreds of thousands of dollars spent against them by allies of House Speaker Larry Householder, Clermont County Republicans Adam Bird and Joe Dills ended up in close races for Ohio House nominations as of Wednesday morning.

Bird, a retired New Richmond schools superintendent, led a tight three-way race to fill an open seat in House District 65 with about 4,706 votes. State Board of Education Member Nick Owens was about 500 votes behind him with 4,227 votes, while Pierce Township Trustee Allen Freeman  Householders favored candidate  received 4,136 votes.

In House District 66, ex-U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt  who also has Householders endorsement  led by 287 votes over Dills, a business owner and Air Force veteran. National Rifle Association pistol instructor Dillon Blevins came in a distant third.

The pro-Householder Growth & Opportunity PAC spent $675,000 in support of Freeman and Schmidt in the first three months of this year. But the Clermont County Republicans endorsed Dills and Bird, and the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Dills  at least until pro-Householder forces circulated evidence that he signed up seven years ago for Ashley Madison, a website catering to people looking to cheat on their spouses.

The results arent final yet. Though ballots in this years all-mail primary had to be postmarked by Monday, local boards of elections will wait until May 8 for last-minute entries to arrive. Along with provisional votes, that means the results of some close contests might change when the final vote totals are certified next month.

The Ohio House GOP caucus said Wednesday morning they believe Bird and Schmidt will each hold on to their victories when the final votes come in. Dills told cleveland.com via text Wednesday that about 1,700 votes remain outstanding in his race -- definitely enough to swing the election in his favor, he stated.

House Districts 65 and 66 are in some of the most conservative areas of the state, so the winner of the Republican primary will almost certainly be elected in Novembers general election.

Outside of Clermont County, all Householder-backed Ohio House GOP candidates won their respective primaries, including state Rep. Mark Fraizer in House District 71 (Licking County), and state Rep. Diane Grendell in House District 76 (Geauga County).

The only House Republican incumbent to lose was state Rep. J. Todd Smith, who received about half the votes won by his challenger, Preble County Commissioner Rodney Creech.

While Smith announced in January that he wouldnt seek re-election, he ended up never removing his name from the ballot. Smith told cleveland.com earlier this week that he remained in the race at the request of House GOP leaders but didnt campaign at all.

One competitive Republican primary Householder didnt endorse in was House District 6. In that race, trade association executive Shay Hawkins of Lyndhurst appears the likely winner, as he led by about 500 votes over Highland Heights Council member Ed Hargate. In November, Hawkins will face Democratic state Rep. Phil Robinson, who swung the suburban Cuyahoga County seat from Republican control two years ago.

On the Ohio Senate side, state Rep. George Lang cruised to victory in the Senate District 4 Republican primary over state Rep. Candice Keller and West Chester Township Trustee Lee Wong. In the rollicking Senate District 26 GOP primary, state Rep. Bill Reineke won handily over Melissa Ackison.

Two of the most competitive legislative primaries in Ohio turned out to be the Republican races in Butler County to take over for Lang and Keller.

For Langs seat in House District 52, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jennifer Gross led West Chester Township Trustee Mark Welch by 363 votes as of Wednesday morning.

In the GOP primary for Kellers House District 53 seat, Madison Township Trustee Thomas Hall had a 500-vote lead over pastor Diane Mullins, with Monroe Local School Board member Brett Guido coming in third with about 17 percent of the vote.

In the contest to take over for Reineke in House District 88, pastor Gary Click received about 41 percent of the vote -- good enough to win over Seneca County Commissioner Shayne Thomas and environmental engineer Ed Ollom, who got 36 percent and 23 percent of the vote, respectively, as of Wednesday morning.

On the Democratic side, Bowling Green State University art professor Joel ODorisio is ahead of Perrysburg civil-rights attorney Reem Subei in the Democratic primary for Senate District 2, a moderately GOP-leaning Northwest Ohio district held by Republican state Sen. Theresa Gavarone. ODorisio told the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune that he wouldnt have expected these results six weeks ago, crediting his win to his strong pro-union message resonating among voters as the coronavirus crisis has caused widespread layoffs and he emphasized the importance of health care.

In other competitive Democratic primaries for open legislative seats:

Crystal Lett, a Dublin activist, scored a landslide primary win in Senate District 16, a suburban Columbus seat being defended by incumbent Republican Stephanie Kunze;

Monique Smith, a former Lakewood City Council member, soundly beat attorney Joe Romano in House District 16, held by Republican state Rep. Dave Greenspan;

Dontavius Jarrells, Black Caucus chair of the Young Democrats of America, easily won a five-way race for outgoing Democratic state Rep. Bernadine Kents seat in House District 25;

Matt Shaughnessy, a Green City Council member, trounced AJ Harris, a job developer, in House District 36, a Summit County seat currently occupied by Republican state Rep. Anthony DeVitis.

Willis Blackshear, Jr., an outreach specialist with the Montgomery County Auditor's office, defeated two rivals to secure the nomination for term-limited state Rep. Fred Strahorns House District 39 seat in the Dayton area;

Richard Olivito beat fellow Steubenville resident Charlie DiPalma in House District 96, an Eastern Ohio seat being vacated by term-limited Democrat Jack Cera. Olivito, an attorney, will face Republican Ron Ferguson in a district thats considered the Republicans best chance this year to flip a blue House seat.

Read more cleveland.com stories:

17,303 Ohioans now infected with coronavirus, 937 dead: Gov Mike DeWines Wednesday briefing

Ohio Supreme Court hears arguments over whether Amazon is at fault for Lorain County teens overdose death

Christina Hagan on track to challenge Rep. Tim Ryan: See who won Ohios congressional primaries

AP calls Ohio Democratic presidential primary for Joe Biden

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman decries unacceptable lack of coronavirus testing at Elkton federal prison
When Panorama turned its gunson the PPE crisis, five medics savaged the Tories approach. Yet they ALL had Labour links.

The deadly shortage of PPE in our hospitals and care homes is a national tragedy that the Mail  and its readers  are working tirelessly to fix through the charity Mail Force.

We have brought the failure adequately to protect NHS staff to the top of the news agenda, frequently asking tough questions of ministers and officials.

But our duty to hold the Government to account is tempered by realism. Mistakes have been made, of course  but we are all working it out as we go along. And the Mails criticism has been levelled fairly.

A different attitude seems to prevail at the BBC Panorama programme, which on Monday aired an investigation into the PPE crisis entitled Has the Government failed the NHS?.

Dr Sonia Adesara (left) is an outspoken supporter of Jeremy Corbyn who has stood (without success) as a Labour council and parliamentary candidate. She was one of the doctors interviewed by Panorama. Pictured: Dr Adesara with John McDonnell on November 13, 2019

The five doctors and nurses that Panorama chose to interview had familiar tales to tell. One, Abhi Mantgani, said: People in healthcare losing their lives and being put at risk is something that keeps me awake at night.

Viewers were told that another, Irial Eno, was a doctor working with Covid patients who has decided to speak out. She said I feel really angry at the Government.

A third interviewee, Dr Sonia Adesara, said: It doesnt seem fair to me that healthcare professionals who feel they are at risk  who may be at risk  are not being given full PPE equipment because the Government failed to prepare.

Their take on the PPE problem heaped almost all the blame on Boris Johnsons Government and was, naturally, leapt on by leading figures in Labour.

John McDonnell said it ought to persuade Matt Hancock to consider his position as Health Secretary. Diane Abbott said the damning programme proved the Government is a deadly shambles.

Irial Eno: One of Docs not Cops hard- Left group campaigning against billing migrants for care. Daughter of musician Brian Eno

Fallout from its overnight broadcast led the BBCs Tuesday morning bulletins.

But it has since emerged that all five of the doctors and nurses Panorama chose to interview were longstanding Labour Party activists or supporters.

This was not shared with viewers, in what appears to be a flagrant breach of BBC guidelines.

Dr Sonia Adesara is an outspoken supporter of Jeremy Corbyn who has stood (without success) as a Labour council and parliamentary candidate.

She has also acted as a spokeswoman for the hard-Left lobby group Keep Our NHS Public, attended anti-Trump protests outside Buckingham Palace last year and has spoken at a string of Labour Party rallies. She also starred in a party political broadcast for Labour last year.

Then there is Irial Eno. The daughter of hard-Left musician Brian Eno, she is a key figure in Docs Not Cops, a Left-wing lobby group that campaigns against billing migrants for NHS care.

Asif Munaf: Said before last election: If theres a Conservative majority we can wave bye to the NHS. Its as stark as that #votelabour

It is a similar story with Abhi Mantgani. He turns out to be a Merseyside-based friend of the former Labour MP Frank Field, who on Twitter has called Jacob Rees-Mogg a pompous fool and complained about Boris lies.

In September he urged MPs to bring this government down.

A fourth interviewee was Asif Munaf, described by Panorama as an A&E doctor from Nottingham.

He is also a fervent Labour supporter who, on the eve of the last election, said on social media: If theres a Conservative majority later this week, then we can wave bye to the NHS by this time next year. Its as stark as that #votelabour.

Panorama viewers were given the impression these were all unbiased healthcare workers.

That appears to be a breach of the BBCs own editorial guidelines on contributors to news programmes, which state: Appropriate information about their affiliation, funding and particular viewpoints should be made available to the audience, when relevant to the context.

Libby Nolan: Unison shop steward. Attended Corbyn rally wearing badge reading: Proud to be everything the Conservatives hate

A gesture to this effect was made when Panorama introduced the fifth of its frontline interviewees, a nurse from Swansea called Libby Nolan, who was described as a local trade union rep.

In fact, on Twitter she calls herself a nurse and constant agitator, while on Instagram, she once shared pictures of badges she planned to wear for a Corbyn rally that read: Proud to be everything the Conservatives hate.

The sixth major interviewee on the programme was Professor John Ashton, a former director of public health for Cumbria who once described himself on social media as a broad Left, radical, non-Trot, baby boomer, green, gender-inclusive, feminist Labour Party member for 53 years. Panorama introduced him as a public health expert and longstanding critic of the Government.

Why couldnt the BBC find a doctor or nurse to speak to who didnt have a long track record of Labour activism?

Abhi Mantgani: Labour activist on Merseyside. On Twitter called Jacob Rees-Mogg pompous fool, and Boris Johnson a liar

Yesterday, the Guido Fawkes website, which has led criticism of the show, revealed that a man called Nigel Flanagan, a Unison activist on Merseyside, claims to have been one of those who spoke to Panorama and put them in touch with health workers.

But the Corporation has insisted none of its interviewees was sourced via a trade union.

In a statement last night, it said: Some of those interviewed are members of a political party and some are not. We believe that if the doctors featured in Panorama feel their lives are at risk due to lack of proper PPE, it is valid, and indeed in the public interest, for them to reflect on that experience, regardless of the political views they may or may not hold.

The statement did not explain why their affiliations were kept hidden from viewers.

Tory MPs are calling for the matter to be considered by Parliament. One, Andrew Griffith, said: The taxpayer-funded BBC has real questions to answer about its role here. Another, Richard Holden, added: The level of bias being allowed at a time of national crisis is shameful.
Some 300,000 coronavirus masks sent to pregnant women in Japan as part of a government handout have been found to be faulty, media reported on Tuesday, the latest in a string of complaints about how the government has dealt with the epidemic.

The efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to distribute protective cloth masks in the fight against the coronavirus have been marred by complaints about mold, insects and stains.

Just days after the government began supplying every household with two washable masks at a total cost of $430 million, complaints emerged of soiled or defective products, many of them from pregnant women.

By Tuesday, the number of defective masks distributed to pregnant women had risen to 300,000 out of 500,000, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The masks are being sent out in order of priority, with pregnant women and care homes for the disabled at the top of the list, though private households in Tokyo are also starting to get theirs.

The Health Ministry was not immediately available for comment, but the minister, Katsunobu Kato, told a news conference the safety of all masks would be verified.

"It's a top priority to guarantee the quality of the masks so pregnant women can use them," he said.

The government asked five companies to manufacture the masks, and had originally said only three - Kowa Co Ltd, Matsuoka Corp and trading house Itochu Corp were providing some for pregnant women.

Itochu said last week it was recalling some of its undistributed face masks following reports of defects, as did Kowa, which said it would tighten inspections at its plants.

A spokesman for Matsuoka Corp said it had received no reports from the government of problems with its masks, though it would work respond quickly and appropriately if issues turned up.

On Monday, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government had verified that an additional company, Yusebio, had also supplied masks which were sent to pregnant women.

According to Japanese media, the company, located in northern Fukushima Prefecture, normally imports wood chips for use in biomass energy and has five employees.
The federal governments rollout of another $310 billion in small business aid was hampered by more delays and confusion this week, adding to concerns that mom-and-pop shops on the verge of financial ruin are still being shut out. In New York, officials are raising alarms that the federal program needs more than just more money  it also needs more oversight, more transparency and more flexibility for small businesses relying on the aid, they say.

The federal Paycheck Protection Program was established under a federal coronavirus relief bill passed last month, offering businesses and nonprofits with 500 or fewer employees with loans that are eligible to be forgiven assuming they keep staff on payroll.

But the programs rollout has been marred with problems. The initial rollout earlier this month was marred by confusion from lenders and business owners over vague guidance put out by the federal government, and the $349 billion allotted ran out within two weeks. The deluge of applications from businesses  many of which are re-submitting applications  overwhelmed the system shortly after it reopened on Monday morning.

The issue that we have right now is that in order to address whether or not there is sufficient money  and my educated guess is not, this is too deep, too many businesses are suffering  we need data and transparency, and Ive been asking that from Treasury and the Small Business Administration, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, the chair of the House Committee on Small Business, said during a City & State webinar on Tuesday. We need to know what businesses are getting the money, geographically and economically, if it has been fair, the distribution of that money, and if every corner of America has benefitted out of that money. Without that data, we do not know.

While there have been reports of small employers struggling to get funding or even submit applications, a number of publicly traded companies have been found to collectively get hundreds of millions of dollars through the program. Shake Shack, the Los Angeles Lakers and Ruths Chris Steak House are among some of the recipients who have now pledged to return the loans.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin this week pledged to audit companies that got more than $2 million in loans, who may be subject to criminal liability if they obtained them improperly.

To find out that publicly traded companies have benefitted  that is not what the law intended, Velazquez said, complaining that the rollout had been rushed. For Mnuchin now to announce that they are going to audit $2 million is kind of a little late. Because last week I was pointing out the 80 publicly traded companies that didnt have any business applying for money that they could easily get from their own financial institutions, whether its JPMorgan or Chase Manhattan.

Larger lenders in particular have drawn scrutiny for their central role in the process. Large banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and U.S. Bank prioritized wealthier clients applying for the loans over small businesses, The New York Times reported earlier this month.

Banks are not focused on small businesses, Gregg Bishop, who heads New York Citys small business agency, said during the webinar discussion. They are not interested in providing technical assistance, the level of lending is just not worth it. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, another panelist in City & States webinar, agreed. I think the banks are the bad guys, Brewer said. The big banks, in this particular scenario  because thats where I got the most complaints.

The second round of $310 billion allocated to the Paycheck Protection Program includes $60 million in additional funding to smaller lenders such as community banks and credit unions, which officials say better prioritize smaller organizations.

Its difficult to understand how much of the funding actually went to small employers because the U.S. Small Business Administration has yet to make the information public. When looking at how loans were distributed as a percentage of a states payroll, Bloomberg found that New York received about half the support that states like Nebraska and Kansas. The Times also reported that in the first round, loans of more than $1 million made up just 4% of those approved, but accounted for 45% of the funding.

Last week, I held a briefing with the SBA administration and the members of the Small Business Committee, and I asked the administrator that I wanted to have access to all the data, not only on the number of loans, the amount of loans, the size of those loans, and the individuals or companies, the entities that were getting those loans, Velazquez said. She said shes going to make that data available to us this week  still, were waiting.

The congresswoman also said the program should be adjusted to have an extended application timeline and to give small businesses more flexibility to use a greater proportion of the funding to cover expenses other than payroll.

Only one-fourth of the funding allocated to businesses can be used for rent, mortgages and other costs plaguing small businesses. And if businesses receiving the loan end up laying off employees, they may jeopardize their ability to get full loan forgiveness.

These concerns were prominent among bar owners Brewer has spoken with. They are feeling that they might get some money, but then there are so many issues that are attached to that federal money, they dont know whether it will be able to be a loan or a grant, she said.

Small businesses in New York City may also miss out on loan forgiveness if they dont submit the required information to the federal government to qualify for it.

Thats some of the things were thinking about, Bishop said. Whats the level of technical assistance were going to need to provide our smaller businesses to make sure they get the documentation in on time and the loan can be forgiven.

Click play on the video below to watch the webinar.
President Donald Trump pushed to have his name printed on the economic stimulus payments the Internal Revenue Service is sending to tens of millions of Americans. Now he's written a gushing letter to almost 90 million people, with his jagged signature in thick black Sharpie-pen.

The one-page letter, with one side printed in English and the other in Spanish, was required by the coronavirus economic package approved by Congress as a record of a deposit from the Treasury Department. The law does not say who should mail the letter.

If the money went to the wrong person, came in the wrong amount, or didn't arrive at all - all scenarios that have befallen taxpayers in recent weeks - the government is giving them proof of its intent.

But in classic Trump style, the letters now arriving in mailboxes across the country carry no shortage of brio, underscoring the president's penchant to personalize his administration's response to the pandemic.

"My Fellow American," begins the letter, on a copy of White House letterhead, arriving in an envelope from the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service from Austin, Texas. "Our great county is experiencing an unprecedented public health and economic challenge as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic. Our top priority is your health and safety."

"As we wage total war on this invisible enemy," Trump continues, "we are also working around the clock to protect hardworking Americans like you from the consequences of the economic shutdown."

Trump thanks a bipartisan Congress for fast-tracking $2.2 trillion in economic relief, announces the amount of the check the recipient is getting, and ends by waxing eloquent about America - sliding just to edge of his famous campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."

"Just as we have before, America will triumph yet again - and rise to new heights of greatness," Trump wrote.

This is the first time a president's name will appear on millions of paper stimulus checks, which are going out now to people for whom the IRS does not have direct deposit information.

But previous presidents have sent letters like Trump's. President George W. Bush included his name in letters announcing economic stimulus payments in 2001, when his administration issued tax refund checks following a tax-cut package, and 2008, when it issued payments to head off the recession.

Both came from the IRS, addressed "Dear Taxpayer," and displayed Bush's name prominently, leading Democrats to cry foul that a government agency was stepping into politicking.

But the mention was brief, and those letters focused far more than Trump's on how payments were determined. They included details and charts for taxpayers to figure out for themselves whether they were eligible to receive payments, and whether the payments were accurate.

Trumps letter offers scant information about the stimulus payments. And its tone is rubbing some people the wrong way, particularly since many have had problems accessing the two stimulus portals online, have not received payments or got smaller checks than they are eligible for.

Some people who contacted The Washington Post about the letter complained that it smacked of politics, with its "The White House, Washington" letterhead.

"Worried that I had been selected for an audit, or some other misfortune, I quickly opened it," Chris Helmsworth emailed from Portland, Oregon. "Inside was a letter from the White House, signed with Trump's childlike scrawl, telling me about how he was bringing the country together! I have to wonder how much personal protective equipment could have been purchased with what it cost for Trump to send out this vanity letter."

A Virginia reader, who declined to be identified because he's an out-of-work contractor and doesn't want to risk his chances of getting work again, wrote in an email, "Having worked in the political direct mail field for over four years I immediately recognized it for what it was - a campaign letter," a Virginia reader emailed. "As I read it I got sick to my stomach. My tax dollars paid for this sham."

A Treasury Department spokeswoman said in an email: "The letter serves as Notice of the payment, and as a message from the President during these unprecedented times."

The letter includes a line under Trump's signature with a toll free number, 800-919-9835, to call for assistance. But right now, the "Economic Impact Payment" telephone line has no real person at the other end. It's an automated system that tells callers to go to the IRS website, irs.gov, for more information. With a vastly reduced staff because of stay-at-home orders, the IRS phone lines have been down for weeks, unable to provide real person to hear complaints or take reports of missing or incorrect stimulus payments.

The Cares Act required the administration to mail a letter to a taxpayer's last known address 15 days after a stimulus payment is sent. The letter is supposed to indicate the method by which a payment was made (direct deposit or check, for instance), the amount of the payment and a phone number for the "appropriate point of contact" at the Internal Revenue Service to report any issue.

The law, signed into law March 27, provides a $1,200 refundable tax credit for individuals and $2,400 for joint taxpayers. Those whose adjusted gross income qualifies them to receive a stimulus payment are supposed to receive an additional $500 for every dependent child under 17.

A Treasury official said Tuesday that 89.5 million payments have been delivered so far, most of them through direct deposit, with paper checks en route now at a rate of 5 million a week for those whose bank information the IRS doesn't have. All, by law, are supposed to receive the president's letter within 15 days of their payment going out.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
The organization has been doing this since March and still aims to continue the endeavor until Mexico is wholly cleared of migrants in compliance with safety and health measures. In the statement, INM said that the asylums and centers could shelter up to 8,524 individuals.

As of yet, only 106 remained in the migration centers following the deportation of thousands since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the report by Reuters, Mexico has returned 3,653 migrants to the countries of the southern triangle, which were El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Containment and Deportation

Migration expert Victor Clark Alfaro said, "Mexico's policy is to contain and deport."

He added that the announcement came simultaneously with the preventive measures of the federal government must maintain the decrease of migrant count from the pressure brought by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration sought to control the illegal immigrant population in the States.

Just recently, President Trump announced the deportation of 10,000 border crossers that he made use of the powers of the national emergency to expand the authority of the Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico boundary to expel migrants being detained.

As of the moment, more migrants are being kept under the protection of religious and non-government organizations. The rest of the migrants who remained in the migration centers are still waiting for the verdicts from their judicial hearings or for the requests for asylum.

A significant number of these foreign nationals asked permission to remain in Mexico until the pandemic is over. A lot more in the migrant centers wanted to leave due to the risk of infection.

Federal government officials reported that the majority of the migrants were deported because they illegally entered Mexico. There was a detainment period before the migrants were sent to the authorities.

Most of the migrants were merely passing through Mexico to get to the U.S. They were deported by the Border Patrol in the United States and were then handed over to Mexico's custody. More than forty of these migrants sent to Mexico from the U.S. have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.

Check these out!

The danger in detaining and deportation?

Last week, a judge in Mexico released migrants who were at high risk of COVID-19 from the detention centers. Human rights groups protested against this move.

To protect migrants from the pandemic, the activists insist that these migrants must also be given proper consideration since the federal authorities did not prioritize their health.

Alex Mensing, who was a spokesperson for the transborder nonprofit organization Pueblos Sin Fronteras, said that Mexico was just leaving Guatemalan migrants near the border without being tested or provided healthcare essentials in the time of the pandemic.

"Mexico's authorities are not taking into account the danger posed by COVID-19," Mensing said, adding that the model for Trump's policy may not be applicable for the nation.

He also said that the migrants in the centers and asylums did not get the adequate medical attention that would have given them proper treatment and testing. This would pose a danger for both the migrants and the Mexican citizens.

In response, the INM said its facilities were often sterilized and sanitized, and migrants did get medical treatment.
Oman has ordered state-owned companies to accelerate the process of replacing foreign staff with Omani nationals, especially in senior positions, to create more jobs for its citizens.

The finance ministry gave public sector companies until July 2021 to draw up timetables to appoint Omanis in the place of foreign staff, including in managerial positions.

The ministry said large numbers of expatriates still occupied managerial posts in state-run firms.

Foreigners make up more than 40 percent of Oman's population of 4.6 million, and have played a major role in the Gulf state's development for several decades.

Around 25 million foreign nationals, mostly Asians, live and work in the Arab monarchies of the Gulf.

But the oil-rich region has been hit hard by falling crude prices since 2014, and suffered a new blow with the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on world markets.

Faced with an economic slump and a sharp drop in oil revenues, Oman and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have been trying hard to create jobs for their own citizens.

The GCC states of Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain are seeking to diversify their economies and integrate millions of new graduates into the workforce.

All have introduced legislation to give nationals preference over foreigners in both the public and private sectors.

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Thousands of Southeast Texans are without electricity after strong winds and thunderstorms moved across the region Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Entergy is reporting multiple fallen trees across the region are affecting their ability to give a time window for power restoration.
What do you think of restrictions? "Im frustrated, and I think a lot of people out there who are being very respectful of authorities, doing what theyve been told to do, are starting to lose patience."

 Rich Kirkpatrick, doctor at Kirkpatrick Family Care

The biggest obstacle coming out of this? "How do you handle grade schools? Those places are petri dishes on a good day. I think we really need to spend some time and thought and energy on how to move forward with mass transit and schools. I think those are always going to be areas where it will be very difficult to continue with the new normal."

 Ted Sprague, president of the Cowlitz Economic Development Council

"I fully endorse the decisions made by the States of WA, OR and CA to not evict tenants during a certain period of time of the Pandemic for which the death count, currently over 40,000 across the nation, will likely exceed in a very short period of time, weeks probably, the toll taken by the Vietnam War. Now is not the time for partisan politics. It is a time to listen to those who understand the ways of the virus and for the safety of our American people and importantly medical personnel and first responders. Which one of us has a guaranteed bed at Peacehealth and a ventilator?"

 Gary Lindstrom, Kalama property owner

Will people return to normal activities? "Thats hard for me to imagine right now. An awfully lot would have to change. For me and my wife, we're in our sixties and we would not feel comfortable going out now. If we could be tested if and when we did go out, (maybe), if there was still social distancing, but we certainly wouldn't be comfortable going into a restaurant like it was before this."

 Mike Haas, Kelso School Board and Youth and Family Link Board

What do you miss the most? "What I miss the most actually is that I worry about the kids. I worry about the kids in 4H, in school and the parents. ... The hardest thing is not being able to see my grandson. (Usually) I help take care of him. He calls me every night."

 Jennifer Leach, Longview School board member and Washington State University 4H extension faculty

The biggest obstacle coming out of this? "The obvious, I think, is that some of these businesses that are hit hard are going to need the (Small Business Administration loan) or financial help to help them. And then the other thing that I havent heard many say is I think they need a plan. If you're a hair place or restaurant or even a store, you need a plan in this gray period for cleanliness and a social distracting policy."

 Jerry Cole, Mayor of Rainier

"We all have the right as citizens to live without the fear of disease and death. In a special time like this we need to think of how we help others in our society-the sick, the elderly, the children, the care givers and the essential workers. I need to be part of the solution to help keep everyone safe by staying home, washing my hands, and wearing my mask. I want things to be normal again but I am willing to wait as long as it takes, for the benefit of all of our citizens. We all need to be responsible to protect the health and individual rights of ALL those around us."

 Louise Brown, in a letter to TDN

Will people return to normal activities? "I think we will find ourselves going and doing the same things weve always had but doing them more cautiously and more aware of germs, hand washing, touching things and keeping distance. We'll just use those practices and ease back into our normal lives. ... I won't be sharing straws with people (but) I'm not going to be a hermit and stay home. Im anxious to get back to social and professional outings. There's a lot of stuff we're missing.

 Taryn Nelson, RE/MAX real estate broker in Kalama

"On a more prosaic level, a group of us meet every Thursday for a beer and talk about nothing. Weve been getting together for 15 years, Ill bet, and its surprising how much I miss that Thursday get-togethers and those people.  We dont talk work, we dont talk politics, we really talk about nothing."

 Stephen Warning, Cowlitz County Superior Court judge

"The best science out there is recommending social distancing, wearing masks in certain settings. The problem I have is an official mandate saying 'You shall do this.' ... There's enough information out there. People know what they should be doing and what they should not be doing. ... I think we could open things back up. ... Many stores have wipes or hand sanitizer readily available."

 Brad Thurman, Cowlitz County sheriff

"If the governor lifted everything on May 5 and said were back to normal, then (the city) would be up and running. But is everything going to come back? Are some of those businesses going to be there? Maybe not. That's kind of unknown."

 Andy Hamilton, Kelso city manager

"To me nothing really has changed, except putting on a mask at the grocery store."

 Cheyenne Brooks, Longview resident who was shopping at Fred Meyer

Will people return to normal activities? "I need a haircut! I feel confident in it because of the amount of cases we have here. Were less (heavily hit) even though we dont know who has it. ... Im not really afraid. I want to take precautions because I work with vulnerable clients."

 Cathy Fessy, Longview resident at Fred Meyer

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Students walk past a banner promoting the first presidential debate to be held at the University of MassachusettsBoston, in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 3, 2000. (Darren McCollester/Newsmakers)

CCP Virus Outbreak in Massachusetts Illustrates Ties With Chinese Regime

Commentary

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced on Feb. 1 the states first confirmed case of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The patient, a student from the University of MassachusettsBoston (UMass Boston), had returned just days earlier from Wuhan, ground zero of the outbreak in China.

The student, a man in his 20s, arrived in Boston on Jan. 28 and sought medical attention after developing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus.

He tested positive for the virus on Jan. 31, becoming the eighth confirmed patient in the United States.

It wasnt until March 2 that Massachusetts discovered a second case. Since then, the CCP virus has spread rapidly in the state. More than 54,900 people have tested positive, and more than 2,800 people have died from the virus as of April 26, according to official data.

UMass Boston has participated in the Chinese regimes efforts to exert its soft power abroad via Confucius Institutes (CI).

CIs are facing increased scrutiny globally over their role in censoring speech on school campuses and aiding Beijings spy operations. In recent months, an increasing number of CIs across the country have been shut, one after another.

Officials in Massachusetts and elsewhere have allowed the Chinese regimes influence to infiltrate local education systems through trade and cultural exchanges.

Confucius Institute: A Propaganda Front

UMass Boston established the states first CI, the sixth in the nation, in 2006.

Like most CIs, the China-funded educational program was focused on cultural projects, training Chinese language teachers, and providing Chinese language courses. It also organized hundreds of college and high school students to study in mainland China.

The CI at UMass Boston also attracted people interested in Confucianism by offering lectures on the subject, such as a course titled Global Confucianism in the 21st Century.

A documentary, In the Name of Confucius, illustrated that candidates to be Chinese-language teachers at CIs must pass Chinese authorities review and background investigation. The employment agreement clearly states that they shouldnt support or have a positive view of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice severely persecuted in China since 1999.

Instructors hired by CIs also are prohibited from discussing topics that the Chinese regime deems sensitive, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Tibet, and Taiwan. CI programs also teach communist propaganda songs in classrooms.

In 2014, a CI was established at Tufts University. Other education programs launched by Beijing were also adopted across the state.

In 2017, under the leadership of the UMass Boston CI, the public high school Cambridge Rindge and Latin School held an opening ceremony for the Confucius Classroom, the high school version of the CI. The UMass Boston CI also cooperated with the Chinese consulate in Boston to hold Chinese Bridge language exchange programs and other activities, while promoting the idea of learning Chinese to promote SinoU.S. friendship.

Since 2018, the U.S. government has closely watched CIs because of security concerns. In March of that year, the Tibet Action Institute hosted a screening of In the Name of Confucius in Boston. Growing criticism by UMass Boston students and faculty about the CI prompted the university to disband the institute in January 2019. Meanwhile, Cambridge Rindge and Latin also decided against renewing its contract with the Confucius Classroom.

While UMass Boston and the CI appear to have severed formal ties, the school still maintains connections with Chinese institutions, including the renewal of its memorandum of understanding with Renmin University in Beijing last year.

Visa Fraud Scheme

In September 2019, a Chinese national, Liu Zhongsan, was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors with fraudulently obtaining U.S. visas for Chinese government employees, for the purpose of assisting Beijings efforts to recruit talents in the United States and advance its national goals.

From 2017 to September 2019, Liu worked for the New York office of the China Association for International Exchange of Personnel (CAIEP), as the chief representative.

CAIEP is a Chinese government agency that recruits U.S. scientists, academics, engineers, and other experts who can assist Beijings technological and economic development needs, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. This agency is under the control of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA), which is a department within Chinas cabinet-like State Council.

According to a September 2019 report by the Boston Globe, Liu was suspected of contacting at least seven U.S. universities to sponsor the Chinese scholar visas. When these scholars came to the United States, they didnt engage in research but instead recruited scientific and technological talents for the CCP. In 2018, he tried to bring a CCP government official to the United States and contacted several schools, including UMass Boston.

The Globe reported that Sun Baifeng, the former head of the Confucius Institute at UMass Boston, was still working at the university and was interested in cooperating with Liu in the alleged visa scheme. Since the FBI opened its investigation of the case, UMass Boston has placed Sun on paid leave, the Globe has reported.

According to the court documents, in January 2018, Liu contacted Sun, who said it would be very easy for us to get a visa at UMass Boston.

If he/she puts the files here, we dont care if he/she is here in person, as long as he/she comes over to participate when there is an event, Sun said, according to the documents.

The case has raised serious questions about UMass Bostons oversight of its international student and scholar programs, the report noted.

The school doesnt have sufficient mechanisms to review and track visiting scholars, which may result in schools violating immigration regulations, according to a copy of a 2018 internal university report that was obtained by the Globe. During the 20172018 academic year, the school received nearly 300 J-1 visa scholars, many of them from China, according to the report.

J-1 visas are non-immigrant visas that are often issued to professors, researchers, and students.

Officials Support State Ties With CCP

Under former Gov. Deval Patrick, the Massachusetts government promoted ties with the Chinese regime. During a trade mission to China in December 2007, Patrick emphasized that Massachusetts and China have a special trade relationship that spans more than two centuries.

Under Patricks successor, Charlie Baker, the state has pursued further economic ties with China.

In October 2016, the state legislature hosted the first China Day event, at which State Rep. Patricia Haddad, the speaker pro tempore of the Massachusetts House, was a guest speaker. She said efforts should be made to promote the relationship between Massachusetts and China, from biotech, science and technology, health care to energy  all of these things are important for the betterment of both of our worlds.

China Day events have been held each year since then to celebrate the states ties with China.

Chinese state-owned firm China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. (CRRC) won a contract in 2014 to build new subway cars for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Bostons public transportation system. CRRC has a rail car factory in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Amid concerns that Beijing could exploit such deals to infiltrate U.S. critical infrastructure, some lawmakers introduced a bill in August 2019 that would prohibit future deals with agents of non-market economy countries.

Since last year, the production of new subway cars for Bostons Orange Line has been delayed at least twice, due to production issues and stay-at-home policies due to the pandemic.

In January, it did not cause much disturbance when a man carrying the CCP virus arrived in Boston from Wuhan. Massachusetts officials repeated Beijings and the WHOs erroneous judgments on the viruss potential to spread. However, a month later, the epidemic escalated, leading to the deaths of thousands of Massachusetts residents.

The CCP virus follows the path laid out by the Chinese regimeand serves as a warning to those that wish to deal with the CCP.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A travel blogger and his wife are stranded on a permanent honeymoon in Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, after a string of flights to get them home to Ireland were cancelled.

Stephen Palmer and his new wife Sabina, from Cork in Ireland, said they have been going 'crazy' trying to get a flight, but every fare they've managed to get their hands on has been cancelled.

'Not a bad place to be stranded in,' the pair posted on their Instagram page, Sunset Travels, last week.

A travel blogger and his wife are stranded on a permanent honeymoon in Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, after a string of flights to get them home to Ireland were cancelled (Stephen and Sabina pictured on the Cook Islands)

Stephen Palmer (pictured arriving at the Cook Islands) and his new wife Sabina, from Cork in Ireland, said they have been going 'crazy' trying to get a flight, but every fare they've managed to get their hands on has been cancelled

'Over the past weeks we've been going crazy going back and forth trying to get back to Europe,' Stephen continued.

'Every flight we've booked got cancelled causing more and more stress. For a moment, we forgot how blessed we are to be stranded her with zero cases so far.

They continued: 'The snorkelling trip, however, really helped us to forget all the things that are happening right now.'

The couple - who are in the middle of a three-month island hop through the South Pacific islands - were due to fly to New Zealand on March 26, but then it declared the borders were shut (Stephen and Sabina's setup on the Cook Islands pictured)

With very little other options, the couple decided to wait the situation out on the Cook Islands, where they are now isolating with extended visas until the end of May (pictured on their trip)

The couple - who are in the middle of a three-month island hop through the South Pacific islands - were due to fly to New Zealand on March 26.

But when they heard that New Zealand was going to close its borders on March 19, they had a mad scramble while they tried to get back to Ireland in time before everything was closed off.

RTE reported that they found that a flight to LA the following week could be followed with one to London and from London to Dublin, costing the couple $4,151 or 2,500.

'We booked the flights last minute because there were three days to go,' they told the publication.

'Then, the day before our flight, the US flight changed to the following day. The flight would also be stopping in Washington for a few hours, meaning we'd miss our flight from London to Dublin.'

The flights Stephen and Sabina had booked would be their last chance to head home, as the rest were for New Zealand citizens only.

'It's a hard decision to make because on the one hand, you're in paradise and on the other hand you kind of want to go back home,' Stephen admitted (the couple pictured travelling)

The couple spend much of their lives globe-trotting (Sabina pictured in Chicago), and they document every stage of the adventure on Instagram and on their blog

With very little other options, the couple decided to wait the situation out on the Cook Islands, where they are now isolating with extended visas until the end of May.

'It's a hard decision to make because on the one hand, you're in paradise and on the other hand you kind of want to go back home,' Stephen admitted.

'The worst is the indecision and once we made the decision to stay, it was like a weight was off our shoulders.'

Stephen (pictured in Maine) said 'the worst was the indecision and once we made the decision to stay, it was like a weight was off our shoulders'

At the moment, the couple are filling their days with yoga, snorkelling trips, fishing and hiking.

There are pandemic measures in place on Rarotonga - which boasts just 15,000 inhabitants - despite the island being declared currently COVID-19-free.

'This was great news as there are a lot of elderly locals with underlying conditions and there are only three ventilators on the island,' Stephen told Echo Live.

'Those at high risk have small orange flags outside their houses, which they can change to white if they need medical attention.'

Social distancing is in effect in public spaces, while there are hand sanitisers in place and only a limited number of people allowed into shops at any one point.

The couple can still go to the beach and go about their normal life, and are sharing regular updates from their Instagram page.
The number of people hospitalized in New Jersey for the coronavirus as of Tuesday night shows a 15-day trend of decline, with 6,289 patients admitted  the lowest amount since the state Department of Health started tracking the key measure of the outbreak earlier this month.

Ventilator use also continues to trend downward, with 1,327 in use as of Tuesday night. And while patients in either critical or intensive care (1,811) remains virtually unchanged in recent days, the figure is down from last weeks totals.

Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly touted the patient numbers at New Jerseys 71 hospitals as a key realtime indicator of the outbreak since testing can be subject to up to a week of delays in getting results. Murphy made the hospitalization numbers a benchmark he would use in his six-point road map to determine when the state can start lifting the near-lockdown restrictions to slow the spread of the outbreak.

For us to move out from underneath this order, we need to see, at the least, a sustained return reduction in the number of new positive COVID-19 test results, new COVID-19 related hospitalizations, and other metrics, Murphy said Monday when he unveiled the broad blueprint.

And, we will also need to see our hospitals step down from functioning under a crisis standard of care. We will be looking for trend lines that show 14-day decreases, he added. We cannot look at just one day or one snapshot in time and say weve succeeded or failed. We will need to look across the length of time and to not be distracted by any statistical noise.

The 6,289 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases is down 24% from the peak of 8,293 patients on April 14.

At least 613 patients were released from hospitals in the 24 hours leading up to Tuesday night, though data was missing for five hospitals. Hospitalization numbers are also influenced by patient deaths. On Tuesday, New Jersey reported its highest single-day death toll with 402 coronavirus fatalities.

New Jersey health officials started providing hospitalization numbers on April 4, when 6,483 patients were reported.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Murphys reopening strategy calls widespread testing and contact tracing after at least two weeks of declines in cases and hospitalizations before New Jersey can begin to pull back on near-lockdown restrictions. An effort to double the amount of testing from the current 7,000-9,000 daily amount would likely be in place by the end of May, Murphy said.

The governor has said New Jerseyans could expect to be under lockdown for weeks, though he said its not likely to spill into months from Mondays announcement.

Murphy also said Monday theres still a chance students could return to classrooms before the end of this school year, though he has repeatedly cautioned that the state cannot rush to reopen" schools amid the outbreak.

The governor, however, has continued to stress if people return to normal behavior too soon that the trend could reverse. And officials continue to prepare for a potential second wave of cases in the fall or winter.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
Amaravati, April 29 : For the first time in three days, Andhra Pradesh reported a slight decline in the number of COVID-19 cases detected in a single day. On Wednesday morning, the state nodal officer reported 72 new cases detected during the testing conducted in the 24 hours ending 10 a.m. With this the cumulative tally of coronavirus cases in the state has reached 1,332.

The highest number of cases were reported from Guntur district with 29 samples testing positive, while Krishna and Kurnool districts reported 13, and 11 cases respectively. Anantapur, Kadapa, and Prakasam districts reported four cases each while Chittor and West Godavari districts reported three and two cases respectively. One case each was reported from East Godavari, Srikakulam, and Visakhapatnam districts respectively.

Kurnool, with 343 cases, continues to remain the top hotspot in Andhra Pradesh, and Guntur follows with 283 cases. Krishna district figures in the third position with 236 cases. Vizianagaram district remains the only district in the state to remain untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Incidentally, even as the number of cases dipped marginally, the past 24 hours also saw the highest number of 7,727 samples checked in this period. From Wednesday onwards, the state has increased the number of tests and is conducting upwards of 6,000 tests daily. The exception was Monday, when only 5,873 were conducted.

The state government has so far conducted 88,061 tests at the rate of 1,649 tests per million population. State government officials claim that compared to the national average of 3.84 per cent, positivity rate in Andhra Pradesh is 1.51 per cent.

Meanwhile, with no further deaths reported, the death toll in the state stands at 31.

With 287 persons cured and discharged from hospital, the effective tally of COVID-19 patients in Andhra Pradesh stands at 1,014.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)




An Army noncommissioned officer is under investigation for allegedly pilfering thousands of face masks for soldiers and selling them to civilian dealers at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Wednesday.







The master sergeant is suspected of taking around 2,100 face masks from a warehouse of his unit in Gyeonggi Province around the end of February, which the military authorities had stockpiled for enlisted soldiers, and then selling them to civilian traders, according to the officials.







South Korea began to see a drastic surge in the number of COVID-19 patients around late February with a daily peak reaching as high as 909 on Feb. 29, sending the demand for face masks soaring and leaving the government struggling to supply them.







Upon a tip-off last month, the military authorities launched a probe. When they raided his residence, the officer inflicted self-harm and then was rushed to a military hospital, the officials said, adding that the wound is not considered life-threatening.







"A probe is under way, including whether there are any others involved in the incident and exactly to whom he sold the masks," an Army officer said. "Taking this case seriously, we will conduct investigations thoroughly and sternly deal with any wrongdoings."







The military has come under fire in recent weeks for a series of lax discipline cases, such as a soldier's involvement in a digital sex crime and insults by superiors. (Yonhap)


Boeing announced sweeping cost-cutting measures Wednesday as it reported a first-quarter loss of $641 million after suffering a damaging hit to the airline business from the coronavirus pandemic. The aerospace giant plans to reduce its workforce by 10 percent through voluntary and involuntary layoffs, Chief Executive David Calhoun said in a message to employees that accompanied an earnings release. Boeing also will slash production of its main commercial planes, including the 787 and 777. "The aviation industry will take years to return to the levels of traffic we saw just a few months ago," Calhoun said. "We have to prepare for that." Calhoun said the job cuts would be deeper -- more than 15 percent -- in the commercial airplane and services divisions, as compared with defense and space systems, where business has been more stable. The company had 160,000 employees prior to the announcement, putting the downsizing at about 16,000 jobs. The quarterly loss of $641 million compared to profits of $2.1 billion in the same three-month period a year ago. Revenues fell 26.2 percent to $16.9 billion. And total debt at the end of the quarter had swelled to $38.9 billion, up from $27.3 billion at the end of December. Calhoun said the belt-tightening was needed to maintain adequate liquidity at a time when revenues are depressed, adding that the company is "exploring potential government funding options" in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Shares rallied following the announcements, including Boeing's statement that it "will be able to obtain sufficient liquidity to fund its operations." - Potential US government aid - Boeing has previously called for $60 billion in government support for the US aerospace industry. The federal CARES Act stimulus package included $17 billion aimed at the company. Calhoun said the company would weigh potential support from the US Treasury against private sources, noting that credit markets have improved since the CARES Act was passed and as the Fed moves to inject cash into the system. "We're going to evaluate all these options," Calhoun said Wednesday in an interview with CNBC. "We need liquidity." Executives also said the company hopes to maintain its investment-grade credit rating. Late Wednesday, S&P again downgraded the company's credit ratings one notch, citing a bigger cash outflow than previously expected. However, Boeing, which was also downgraded in December and March, is still investment grade under the S&P rubric. Factors in the first-quarter loss included "abnormal production costs" connected to the temporary suspension of Washington state manufacturing operations due to COVID-19 and the suspension of production of the 737 MAX, which has been grounded worldwide for more than a year following two deadly crashes. Boeing said the pandemic has hit demand for new planes and services, with airlines delaying purchases of jets, slowing delivery schedules and deferring elective maintenance. The company this year will cut production of the 787 to 10 a month from 14, and gradually reduce that to seven a month by 2022. It also will trim output of the 777 and lower its targets for the 737 MAX. "We have done a tremendous job of increasing our production rates and services offerings in recent years," Calhoun said. "But the sharp reduction in our demand for our products and services over the next several years simply won't support the higher levels of output." - Job cuts - Regarding the job cuts, the company notified 70,000 workers they were eligible for voluntary departures. Calhoun said involuntary departures are "likely," but the outcome will depend on how many workers step forward within the next few weeks. "We are hoping to get a reasonably large number out of that for no other reasons than to minimize the number of involuntary" job cuts, Calhoun said. Calhoun told CNBC the company has made progress with regulators on the MAX, but that "there is still a mountain of documents that have to be completed." The jet has been grounded since March 2019 following two crashes that killed 346 people. On a conference call with analysts, Calhoun said the company expects to resume MAX deliveries in the third quarter. Boeing currently has some 450 MAX planes in storage. Calhoun said MAX customers have varied in their preference for delivery, with some seeking to push back and others wanting the plane as soon as possible. The CEO expects the coronavirus crisis to prompt more airlines to retire older planes and seek newer models that, like the MAX, are more fuel-efficient. Boeing's share price jumped 5.9 percent to close at $139. Boeing is planning layoffs and cuts to production of its main commerical planes following a bruising earnings report The federal CARES Act stimulus package includes $17 billion aimed at Boeing
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Mali on Wednesday announced 58 new cases of coronavirus, including 52 cases detected in the capital, Bamako, according to a press release from the Malian Ministry of Health
Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers will launch a program of loans for small and medium-sized businesses under state guarantees. Prime Minister Denys Shmygal announced this at a meeting that was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV channel.

"The government will propose changes that will make it possible to get loans from banks under state guarantees. That is, if an entrepreneur is unable to showcase a level of income because he did not work during the lockdown, he will still be able to obtain funds. The state will be the guarantor," Shmigal said.

As we reported earlier, the protest of entrepreneurs takes place next to the building of the Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv.

We want to work. Now all entrepreneurs stay at home in quarantine for 1.5 months and nothing takes place. We see how big business works. We see that the laws are equal for cronies. Consequently, we came here to claim our rights for work. We want to lift the quarantine with restrictions. We are ready to observe all demands, secure our workers and us from the possibility of infection. But we do not have money now; nobody provides credits, the businessman said.
Controversial even before its publication, Allens new memoir doesnt do much to straighten things out  though Allens urge to defend himself is plainly a driving force, the title being one of his more sarcastic jokes. Credit: Speaking of jokes, anyone expecting Allen to set aside his comic mask may be disconcerted by the voice he adopts, which for the first 200 pages is exactly that of the wisecracking schlemiel we know from his movies. On his parents: Im sure they loved each other in their own way, a way known perhaps only to a few head-hunting tribes in Borneo. On the launch of his jazz career: The rest is history  but so is the Holocaust. On his lack of interest in space travel: I am a big fan of gravity and hope it lasts. Every sentence or two, the prose climbs a little hill of cliche or pretension and then descends into bathos, a trick Allen learnt from his literary idol S.J. Perelman, whose New Yorker humour pieces undoubtedly taught him more as an artist than, say, Ingmar Bergman ever did.

Covering Allens upbringing and his rise to success, the earlier parts of the book are funny, full of period flavour, and endearing in their very familiarity (those who know his movies will recognise a good deal, including the odd recycled one-liner). Gradually, the tone changes, especially in the still jokey yet harrowing account of Allens 1960s marriage (his second) to Louise Lasser  whose mental instability apparently inspired several of his later scripts, though its worth bearing in mind were only getting one side of the story. Woody Allen with his wife Soon-Yi Previn at the 58th international Cannes film festival in 2005. Credit:AP By the time we reach the Farrow years, Apropos of Nothing has become another book entirely. The stream of gags slows to a trickle as Allen concentrates on making the case for himself as a victim of circumstance, while inflicting as much damage on his adversaries as he can. Whatever his public image might suggest, Allen has always insisted he is anything but an intellectual, nor even particularly introspective. He has, however, spent a significant portion of his life in therapy: in its unpredictable shifts of tone and subject matter, the book resembles a monologue delivered to an analyst, at times revealing more than Allen may have intended.

Ultimately its clear the gags are the man  enacting, over and over, Allens sense of himself as a mouthy lower-class hustler in doomed pursuit of an ideal of elegance that may never have been more than a mirage. In his Brooklyn boyhood, as he tells us, this elegance was represented by the promised land of Manhattan, not so much the real place as the black-and-white playground for the wealthy pictured in Hollywood movies with Cary Grant or Fred Astaire. Loading His bitterest complaint against his uncultured parents is that they never once took him to a show or a museum  a phrase he precisely repeats, whether deliberately or not, in describing Farrows treatment of the young Soon-Yi. All of this ties in neatly with Allens films, typically built on the contrast between harsh reality and seductive dream. Often his protagonists are caught between the two realms  like the Depression-era moviegoer played by Farrow in The Purple Rose of Cairo, or the nostalgic screenwriter (Owen Wilson) who travels back in time in Midnight in Paris.
A group of teenagers sailed 4,500 nautical miles across the Atlantic because they feared coronavirus restrictions would prevent them from flying home to the Netherlands.

"It was really scary because before that we had been making jokes like, 'Oh, we can always cross the Atlantic if necessary,' but it was more like a joke," said Isabella van den Hout, 16, after they docked in the Dutch port of Harlingen on Sunday. "And then it became a reality."

The 24 students, aged 14 to 17, had planned to spend six weeks sailing the Wylde Swan  the biggest topsail schooner in the world  around the Caribbean, learning nautical skills as well as traditional academic subjects, from the 12 adult crew members and four teachers accompanying them.

But two weeks into their trip, governments in the region began imposing travel restrictions to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, closing ports and air space.

The group had originally planned to fly home to the Netherlands from Cuba. But fearing their boat would be prevented from docking by the time they arrived, the program organizers and crew decided to change plan and sail home instead.

Image: Dutch teens cheer on their schooner Wylde Swan after sailing home from the Caribbean across the Atlantic when coronavirus lockdowns prevented them flying, in the port of Harlingen, northern Netherlands (Peter Dejong / AP)

"Sometimes the best solution is the one closest to you," said Christophe Meijer, Director of the Wylde Swan and Masterskip's study-at-sea program, which organized the trip. "You look at the difficult options, and then you realize youre sitting on an ocean in a sailing vessel."

The Wylde Swan and its crew cross the Atlantic twice a year, but neither the vessel nor its trainee sailors were prepared for what would be a five-week nonstop voyage across the ocean.

After completing several weeks' worth of preparation in just six days, the ship was fueled, stocked with food and supplies and checked to make sure it was ready for a transatlantic voyage.

As they had packed for a tropical vacation, finding enough warm clothes for two dozen teenagers to cross the Atlantic in April, on the day before the island of St. Lucia went into lockdown, proved the biggest challenge. But eventually they managed to find what they needed.

Story continues

Life on the voyage followed a strict routine of schoolwork, sailing training and "happy hour" periods of after-lunch chores. Three weeks in, supplies of fresh food dwindled, and the ship's occupants had to spend several days without showering when its fresh-watermaker needed repairing.

With no internet on board, updates from the outside world came from one daily briefing message via satellite.

Now back at home in the small Dutch town of Bussum, van den Hout said: "You dont really know if everybody is still okay. You leave one lifestyle and could come back to something really new."

Her mother, Maria Santos, 51, said she was never worried for her daughter's safety, as "the parents were kept constantly informed."

Despite the challenges, Isabella said the group had enjoyed the sense of community.

"When sun was rising or going down and everybody was sitting together, we didnt have to say anything. It was really cosy," she said.

Isabella van de Hout (Frederique Zandbergen)

Sara Verheijen, 31, one of the teachers aboard, said she believed the experience prepared her students for life under lockdown, because they had not been able to plan anything and the situation "wasn't in their control."

"Thats the lesson everybody in the world is learning right now," she added. "It made the kids really flexible in the end."

For van den Hout, the change of plan was the best possible outcome.

"I think I have a really cool story to tell to my grandchildren: that I was crossing the ocean while others were sitting home being bored," she said.
The radiation detection and monitoring equipment market is expected to grow by USD 558.94 million during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact can be expected to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters with a limited impact on the full-year economic growth, according to the latest market research report by Technavio.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005549/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Radiation Detection and Monitoring Equipment Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

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Globally, over 70 million people undergo diagnostic, therapeutic, or interventional procedures that involve medical radiation every week. Healthcare workers are regularly exposed to radiation from PET scanners. Hence, they are required to wear dosimeters to track exposure to radiation doses. Also, healthcare facilities are required to ensure zero leakage from radioactive sources. Patients undergoing radiotherapy procedures must also be closely monitored using radiation detection and monitoring equipment. In addition, several regulatory bodies across the world are taking initiatives to ensure the protection of workers and patients from hazardous or radiation-emitting electronic products. This has made it necessary for healthcare facilities to conduct annual performance evaluations of advanced imaging modalities. Several rules also specify that the radiation dose of every CT exam must be recorded and high radiation dose incidents must be evaluated against industry benchmarks. These factors are leading to an increase in the adoption of radiation detection and monitoring equipment among healthcare facilities, thus, driving the growth of the market.

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=IRTNTR43166

As per Technavio, the service contracts for equipment will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024.

Radiation Detection and Monitoring Equipment Market: Service Contracts For Equipment

Many healthcare facilities that do not have adequate resources to procure and maintain radiation detection and monitoring services. Hence, they opt to enter into service contracts with radiation detection and monitoring service providers. This is beneficial for small and medium-sized hospitals, medical and dental offices, universities, national laboratories, and nuclear facilities as it eliminates the need to recruit, train, and manage qualified professionals to conduct radiation surveys and analyze data. Prominent vendors such as LANDAUER are expanding their radiation detection services by partnering with domestic service providers that have a prominent local presence. This trend is expected to increase the demand for radiation detection and measurement devices during the forecast period.

"Technological advances and increased investment in smart cities will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

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Radiation Detection and Monitoring Equipment Market: Segmentation Analysis

This market research report segments the radiation detection and monitoring equipment market by product (dosimeters, area monitors, survey meters, and others) and geographic landscape (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

The North America region led the radiation detection and monitoring equipment market in 2019, followed by Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the strong presence of key vendors in the region.

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The former Speaker of the Ivorian Parliament and candidate for the October 2020 presidential election, Guillaume Soro, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for embezzlement of public funds and money laundering.

The sentence was announced Tuesday by the Abidjan criminal court at the end of a hearing boycotted by Soros lawyers.

Guillaume Soro, who was being tried in absentia in Abidjan, was sentenced, besides the twenty years in prison, to nearly 7 million euros in fines.

Tried for embezzlement of public funds and money laundering in connection with the purchase of his house 13 years ago, when he was Prime Minister in 2007. Guillaume Soro bought a luxurious residence in the commune of Marcory.

According to the prosecutor, this residence was paid 1.5 billion, with public funds, via a civil real estate company for the benefit of Guillaume Soro. And the residence, which the former president of the National Assembly still occupied last year, never returned to the states patrimony. For the court, Guillaume Soro is therefore guilty of embezzlement of public funds and money laundering.

While Guillaume Soro is abroad, nineteen of his relatives and patricians, deputies, activists and family members have been arrested since the end of December and are in preventive detention.

For their lawyers, these prosecutions are purely political and they started because Guillaume Soro, former ally of Alassane Ouattara, broke with him and declared his candidacy for the next presidential election scheduled for the end of this year.

Im still running for president and Im going to win. This is a sentence that does not move us at all. The parody of a trial that we witnessed today is the ultimate proof that the rule of law is definitively buried by Alassane Ouattara, Guillaume Soro commented on his Facebook page.
The daughter of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner is opening up for the first time about her famous mother's death and defending her actor father suspected of killing her.

Screen legend Natalie Wood was found floating face down off the coast of Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean in November 1982. She was on a weekend boat trip with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken in what remains one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries forty years later.

Wagner, called RJ, took the heat for his wife's death with spurious charges that he had hit her, knocking her into the water and callously leaving her to drown  although the coroner closed the case ruling Natalie's death an accident with no evidence of foul play.

For years his life was 'marred by trumped up scandals and accusations,' writes Natalie's daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner in defense of her father. 'My mother no longer has a voice of her own but I do and this is what I know - RJ loved Natalie ''more than love''.'

'No one in my world questioned my dad's love for my mom or his utter despair at her loss', the 49-year-old writes in her new book, More Than Love, An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood, out May 5.

The daughter of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner is opening up about her famous mother's death and defending her actor father

Natasha Gregson Wagner, 49, is the daughter of Hollywood icon Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner and was only 11 years old when her mother died

'We can never know with complete certainty how my mother ended up in the water.

'I focus on the things I do know - My father would never have harmed my mother or failed to save her if he knew she was in danger,' writes Natasha, who was just 11 when her mother died.

And I focus on my love for my mother, my dad, my family', Natasha writes , the first time she has voiced her feelings publicly.

'My mother was not a tragic, doomed person. Her life was devoted to her art, her children, her husband and her heart.

The 49-year-old has opened up for the first time since her mother's 1981 death in her new book More Than Love, An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood

'This is how she would have wanted to be remembered, not as someone defined by her death, but by her life'.

The 30th anniversary of the tragic event in 2012 brought up the agony of the case again with a changed testimony by Dennis Davern, former deckhand on the Splendour and the only other person on board with RJ, Walken and Natalie.

He was promoting a book and claimed he was part of a cover up orchestrated by RJ.

Their family publicist called the charge 'total bullsh*t' and refused to respond.

Authorities again stated Wagner was not a suspect and after the accident, the Splendour was sold.

Natalie's sister, Lana, hit RJ up for money and when he refused, she sold a scandalous story to TMZ.

RJ had already given her money to send her daughter to college but Lana used it for plastic surgery.

Both were looking for money in the guise of crying 'justice for Natalie,' Natasha claims.

On that fated weekend, Natalie had asked Natasha, Courtney, her other daughter and Katie, Wagner's daughter from his first marriage, to go but no one wanted to -choosing to hang with their own friends, she writes.

Natasha didn't want to go and she didn't want Natalie to go, either. Her internal conflict of clinging to Natalie had sent her to a therapist at age nine to deal with separation anxiety.

'I just asked her to stay home. I just knew I wanted her to cancel the trip and stay home', writes Natasha. 'The weather and the mood felt dangerous to me. I was crying; my heart was pounding. I could hardly breathe', Natasha says.

But Natalie assured the young girl that she was coming back home from the booze cruise over to Catalina on the yacht, the Splendour. The party continued at a local bar on the island, 26 miles across the sea.

Back on the boat they had more wine before Natalie retired to her cabin with a blood alcohol level of 0.14.

Splendour, the boat owned by Robert Wagner, docked off Catalina Island the day after Natalie Wood drowned November 29, 1981, Catalina Island

Dennis Davern, former deckhand on the Splendour and the only other person on board with RJ, Walken and Natalie, claimed he was part of a cover up orchestrated by RJ

Christopher Walken was Natalie's new friend and co-star of a sci-fi feature she had just signed on to called Brainstorm.

Things got testy between the two men when Walken told Wagner what a great actress his wife was and she should continue acting.

Christopher Walken was Natalie's new friend and co-star of a sci-fi feature she had just signed on to called Brainstorm (pictured on set)

Wagner smashed a wine bottle down on the table and told the actor to stay out of her life. She was also a mother with three children.

The two men moved out on the deck and calmed down in the chilly night air.

When Wagner finally retired and did not find Natalie, he radioed for a shore boat to take him to Catalina to look for her in local pubs.

With still no sign, the Coast Guard was called.

Four hours later, search and rescue choppers found the dinghy in a cove off Catalina.

Natalie's body was recovered in the water off the coast after two more hours, still clad in her nightgown, red parka and socks  all waterlogged.

The coroner, Thomas Noguchi and Sheriff's Department detective surmised that Natalie had gone down to fasten the dinghy that was knocking against the boat and slipped on the wet swim step.

Her death was ruled an accident with no evidence of foul play and the case was closed.

In the weeks that followed her death, RJ tried over and over to make sense of how she got into the water.

'He kept asking if there was anything he could have done differently,' Natasha writes. 'The only thing he could come up with was that Natalie must have tried to secure the dinghy to starboard'.

Natasha is defending her father in the book, writing: 'We can never know with complete certainty how my mother ended up in the water'

Natasha decided that she had to see her mother's body in the coffin to be able to get through the heartache and she wanted to see her alone.

'The dead body didn't look like my mother. Her skin was now rubbery, her face harder and her nose too pointed,' she writes of seeing her mother's lifeless body.' The warmth and light and coziness had been sucked out of her, her makeup hadn't sunk into her face and sat on top of the skin.'

Her face was like 'a translucent mask that didn't quite cover up a small bruise on her forehead and another one near her cheekbone'. Natalie's hair had become matted being in the water so long.

Natasha had written a letter to her mother, she explains. She lifted her mother's cold, heavy hand and placed the letter underneath. She told her how much she loved her and missed her.

'I really don't know where you are now but I'm going to stay in touch with you,' she writes.

RJ rarely left his room after the funeral and was living one day at a time. Nothing eased his pain.

'Mommie had been our wizard and fairy godmother,' she writes. 'She was our everything. Without her all the color and sunshine seemed to have gone out of our home'.

Hundreds of cards, letters and telegrams arrived. Friends, neighbors, celebrities, mourners filled the house that brought the biggest stars including Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Liz Taylor and Shirley MacLaine.

Even President Ronald Reagan called with his condolences.

'There were the drinks, the nuts in silver bowls on the bar. It was like the biggest party we had but this was not a celebration'.

Natalie always needed to be around people and there was always a party at their house with close celebrity friends Bette Davis, George Segal, Gene Kelly, Gregory and Veronica Peck, Fred Astaire, director Elia Kazan, Ruth Gordon  and always a lot of alcohol.

'It was part of what made our household so lively and festive'.

'Like the nuts and cigarettes in the little silver cups on the bar, alcohol was always present at home'.

Drinking was considered an everyday pastime in Hollywood.

Natalie drank only white wine spritzers but Natasha always knew when her mother had too much and didn't react to the little girl tugging on her skirt.

Or when her voice became slurred like there were cotton balls inside her cheeks.

'Our lives would have stayed intact instead of being smashed into a million pieces and scattered to the wind,' Natasha writes of her mother's death

Natalie was offered a free trip to Acapulco after making a commercial for a Mexican clothing company and got so drunk she fell over and passed out on the floorboard of the Jeep.

Natalie had recently told RJ that it was time to take a break from booze, but that decision came too late.

'Mommie had been our wizard and fairy godmother,' she writes. 'She was our everything

Natasha dealt with the loss that she feared for eleven years by doubling down on obsessive nightly rituals she had learned from her superstitious grandmother.

She lined up all twenty some of her stuffed animals in a row and positioned her Barbies perfectly in their Barbie Dream house.

She said a prayer asking God to keep her mother safe and then walked one complete circle around the bed before turning off the light.

Her anxieties surfaced for years but she was finally able to look through Natalie's remaining possession in storage  her collection of monthly notebooks where she kept detailed notes.

Natasha pursued acting but anguished she felt she wasn't as beautiful as her mother nor had the same talent.

She came through it all with a wonderful husband and a daughter of her own.

'My parents were not perfect like I thought they were and that was ok,' she writes. 'Sometimes on a rainy morning I can still hear her voice talking to my dad'.

'Our lives would have stayed intact instead of being smashed into a million pieces and scattered to the wind'.

'There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, so much to say'.

Wagner is now 90 years old and lives in Aspen.

'Time has not dulled the pain in his eyes or his when he talks about losing our mom,' Natasha writes. 'It is not an exaggeration or a cliche to say that a part of him died along with her that night'.

'To resume my life as if I hadn't lost the most important person in it would have been to live an impossible lie. But these are the pieces of my life and this is how I have arranged them', Natasha concludes.
Iran's flag on Swiss iconic mountain shows sympathy in battling coronavirus

03/29/20

Source: Tehran Times

In a symbolic gesture, Switzerland sympathized with the Iranian people in the face of the coronavirus pandemic by projecting the Iranian flag on the mountain of the Matterhorn, one of the country's most famous peaks.

Last night, on the most iconic mountain in #Switzerland, the Matterhorn, the Iranian flag was projected to send a send a message of hope, strength and perseverance to the Iranian people in the midst of COVID-19 crisis. @zermatt_tourism

photo  M. Portmann pic.twitter.com/gda44SeSYu  Swiss Embassy Iran (@SwissEmbassyIr) April 26, 2020

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran posted a picture on its official page on Instagram, last night, on the most iconic mountain in Switzerland, Matterhorn, the Iranian flag was projected to send a message of hope, strength, and perseverance to the Iranian people in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.



The image went viral among Iranian users in social media who highly praised the move.



For almost a month, every night the Matterhorn is illuminating different symbols, to give the people hope and show solidarity to the world, the projections are also 'to say thank you to all the people working hard during this crisis.
New Delhi, April 29 : Alcohol withdrawal symptoms have been on the rise, ever since the nationwide lockdown brought shutters down in all liquor shops. But the government is having a far harder time adjusting to it than those who simply want to get tipsy.

While for the users, it is just a question of their usual drink, for different state governments in India, it is pure revenue with which salaries are paid and projects are okayed. In the last 36 days of the nationwide lockdown, the states collectively have lost an estimated revenue of an over Rs 24,000 crore due to no liquor sale. In 2019, the Centre used to get 2.48 trillion rupees a year in excise duties, according to industry body International Spirits & Wines Association of India (ISWAI). Keeping that as base, the states have lost a whopping Rs 24,460 crore in a little over a month's time.

Given that the shutdown is certain till May 3, they will lose an estimated total of Rs 27,178 crore.

The states earn through the state excise duties and also have a virtual monopoly on VAT. Precisely for this reason, liquor and petrol are kept out of the GST, so that states can milk this and fill their coffers which in turn can be used for helping farmers or paying salaries to government employees. Some states earn as much as 20 per cent of their revenue from selling liquor alone. No wonder then, that the states are feeling the pinch.

This financial year, Punjab had a target of Rs 6,000 crore. But with the shutdown, forget meeting the target, the state is running financially dry. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, in a letter, has requested the Union Home Ministry to give permission for reopening liquor shops in the state, citing drying-up revenue as a reason.

Punjab's Special Chief Secretary K.B.S. Sidhu told IANS, "It must also be mentioned that even the government is going to lose a very substantial part of its revenue, on a proportionate basis, which is budgeted to be Rs 6,000 crores for the full-year 2020-21." Kerala, where multiple liquor related suicides took place, had allowed issuance of alcohol if government doctors certified that the applicant had withdrawal symptoms. However, many believe it was evaporating revenue that could have guided its decision. However, soon the Kerala High Court stayed home delivery of liquor while the bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P. Chaly, coming down heavily on the state government and terming the decision as a "recipe for disaster".

This Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted, the state was going through a tough time due to bad financial position.

Even, BJP-ruled Karnataka was toying with the idea of opening liquor shops to ramp up its revenue collection that it needs badly, in face of tackling the coronavirus outbreak on one side and not getting the GST returns on another. However, with a clear advisory from the Union Home Ministry stating that liquor will not be permitted during the lockdown, Karnataka seems to have backed down.

BJP-ruled states like Haryana, Karnataka, Goa as well as opposition-ruled Kerala have reached out to the Centre, avoiding the official route, nevertheless seeking permission to sell liquor keeping strict adherence to social distancing norms.

Meanwhile, at least eight people committed suicide in Kerala due to non availability of alcohol. Two 32 year olds reportedly died in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district after drinking spurious liquor, in absence of alcohol. In Karnataka's Belagavi, a man, frustrated at not getting his bottle of liquor during the lockdown, hung himself in his rented house.

While these incidents point towards a fixation with alcohol and how many Indians are feeling the heat of liquor shops being shut for more than a month now, in reality, it is the state governments who are running dry.

How badly do the states need revenue? Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel sums it up, telling IANS that "from registry to transportation, mines and sale of liquor -- everything has stopped. The states have no revenue, and if things go on like this, we will not be able to pay salaries to the employees".

Does that mean the Centre may conditionally allow sale of liquor in certain parts, after May 3? Well, no one knows. But the centre is definitely under huge pressure to do so, from a number of Chief Ministers, given there won't be a complete withdrawal of the lockdown.

(Anindya Banerjee can be contacted at anindya.b@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
The High Court has heard that a Monaghan man is alleged to be "the ringleader" and "chief organiser" of an organised criminal group who trafficked 39 migrants found dead in a lorry container in Essex last year.

The court was told today that haulier Ronan Hughes is alleged to have "organised, paid for the travel and controlled the drivers who collected the migrants."

Evidence was heard at today's bail hearing that 200,000 had been frozen in 33 bank accounts linked to Mr Hughes and his family and that the accused had last year bought a 2019 BMW X5, valued at 108,000, which has since been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Mr Justice Paul Burns will deliver a decision tomorrow on whether the owner of the haulage firm will be granted bail ahead of his extradition hearing.

Mr Hughes, 40, of Leitrim, Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan is wanted by authorities in the UK to face 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Mr Hughes was arrested on the evening of April 20 at his home in Co Monaghan following the endorsement of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by the police in Essex.

Mr Hughes and his younger brother Christopher, 34, have been wanted in connection with the deaths since the beginning of the investigation, with Essex Police making an extraordinary live appeal last November for the siblings to hand themselves in. Their trucking firm is based in Tyholland, about 7km from the Armagh border.

The eight women and 31 men had arrived in England last October on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium. The youngest of the victims were two boys aged 15.

The haulier was joined by video-link from Cloverhill Prison today (Wed) and wore a face mask for the two-hour hearing. He is the second man from Northern Ireland to be arrested here on a EAW as part of the Essex police investigation.

At todays bail hearing, Detective Sergeant Jim Kirwan of the Garda Extradition Unit told counsel for the State Ronan Kennedy SC that gardai were strongly objecting to bail due to the seriousness of the charges.

Reading from the warrant, Det Sgt Kirwan said it is alleged that Mr Hughes had unlawfully killed 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found dead in the back of trailer in UK between October 22 and 24, 2019. It is alleged the migrants had been brought into the UK illegally by Mr Hughes and his co-conspirators. Vietnamese nationals require a visa to enter the UK and given the circumstances in which the victims were transported it followed that those involved were aware that they had no right to enter the UK, he said.

Mr Hughes, it is alleged, had also conspired with others to facilitate the illegal entry of people including the 39 deceased persons into the UK between May 1, 2018 and October 24, 2019. Migrants were allegedly smuggled into the UK from Belgium in commercial trailers owned or operated by Mr Hughes, said Det Sgt Kirwan. He said it was alleged that "Mr Hughes organised, paid for the travel and controlled the drivers who collected the migrants".

Continuing to read from the warrant, Det Sgt Kirwan said: "On October 15 2019 [Ronan] Hughes arranged for his driver Maurice Robinson to deliver trailer number GTR128D to Mr Eamon Harrison in France. On October 16, 2019 Hughes travelled to Essex.

"On October 17, 2019 Harrison collected cakes and biscuits in Belgium and drove to Dunkirk, France. There was no legitimate reason for him to have travelled to France. He then drove to Zeebruge where it travelled by sea to the UK. [A named man] collected the trailer and drove to Collingwood Farm. [A named man] and Hughes also travelled to the farm at the same time. After leaving the farm [a named man] and Hughes travelled together to an industrial site where attempts were made to disguise the fact that people had been in the trailer. When [a named man] delivered the load to the intended recipient it was rejected due to signs that people had been in the container. Later that day Hughes returned to a hotel in Essex where he met Robinson and [a named man]. [A named man] was seen to give Hughes a bag. Later that day Robinson took the trailer GTR128D to Purfleet where it travelled to Belgium and was collected by Harrison.

"On October 22, 2019 Harrison takes the trailer GTR128D to Dunkirk, France where a witness saw people entering the trailer. As on October 17 Harrison had no legitimate reason to travel to France. Before taking the trailer to Zeebruge Harrison makes two stops in Belgium. Temperatures within the trailer suggest that the doors were opened during these stops. The trailer travelled to Purfleet by sea.

"When booking the ferry Hughes falsely declared that the trailer as carrying a load of biscuits. On 22 October 2019 Robinson is waiting in Purfleet and is taken to Collingwood farm. Robinson then collects the trailer from the port in Purfleet. In order to enter the port he used a pin number provided to Hughes by the ferry company. Robinson drives a short distance before opening the rear doors and discovering the occupants. 39 Vietnamese men and women are dead. Robinson first telephones Hughes and the emergency services who arrive at 01.49 and declare that all 39 migrants are dead.

"The deceased died from lack of oxygen caused by being sealed within a container with insufficient air to sustain life. The ferry entered UK territorial waters at 19.43. An expert witness concludes that taking into account the temperature increase and phone usage by the victims, they all died between 20.00 and 22.00 hours," he concluded.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes is alleged to be the "chief organiser" of the organised criminal group involved in bringing illegal migrants into the UK. Essex police said this group was organised for the purposes of financial gain, he added.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes faces a life sentence in prison if convicted of the offences and he has the means and ability to flee at the appropriate time. He had been identified by Essex police as the organiser and there was extensive phone and CCTV evidence, he indicated.

He said Mr Hughes has previous convictions in this jurisdiction and the UK for road traffic offences and smuggling convictions. He said Mr Hughes was sentenced to 30 months in prison for evading almost 1 million worth of excise duty for smuggling five million cigarettes into the UK.

The witness testified that Mr Hughes was alleged to have previously visited Maurice Robinson at his home and paid him 25,000. Det Sgt Kirwan said this was what Mr Robinson had told police in relation to the conspiracy.

Det Sgt Kirwan said that very large sums of money are involved in this business and drivers are paid large sums of money to deliver people. He described Mr Hughes as the alleged "ringleader", who had allegedly made a substantial amount of money from this illegal activity.

He said it was believed that the respondent has access to quite a large number of vehicles and has "extensive business interests". Det Sgt Kirwan pointed out that 200,000 had been frozen in 33 bank accounts linked to Mr Hughes and his family. He owns a time-share in a villa in Florida and has an address in Armagh.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes has "huge connections" throughout Europe, has trailer units registered to him and his haulage business is registered in Bulgaria. "Given the nature of his work, he has great familiarity with various ports throughout Europe and how to exit and enter them and he has the whereabouts to flee the jurisdiction at the appropriate time," he indicated. The court also heard that he bought a 2019 BMW X5 valued at 108,000 last year, which is now in possession of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

The witness also indicated that not all vehicles associated with Mr Hughes had been located by CAB and it was believed that vehicles were removed from his yard at Tyholland on October 24, 2019, when the bodies of the migrants were discovered. His family home in Monaghan is on an individual site adjacent to his father's house, finished to a very high standard and it was financed without a mortgage.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes had the ability to abscond and it was the belief that should the High Court grant bail and then order his surrender, he would not present himself to be handed over to the UK authorities.

Under cross-examination, Remy Farrell SC, for the respondent, put it to Det Sgt Kirwan that his client had not left the jurisdiction since he became the subject of the investigation despite having ample opportunity. In reply, Det Sgt Kirwan said that "the bar has been substantially raised" since he was called upon for questioning by police and there was now a "greater incentive" for Mr Hughes to flee the jurisdiction as he was now being sought to be charged.

Mr Farrell said the warrant had not described Mr Hughes as the chief organiser of this operation. "It says he is the organiser and the owner of this company," he replied.

Mr Hughes gave evidence today via video-link. He told Mr Kennedy that he had told his solicitor to make contact with gardai and the PSNI last October to let them know where he was living and that he was ready to cooperate with them through his legal team. He said he knew there was going to be a EAW for him.

The respondent told Mr Kennedy that he looks after his father, who is not well with a lung disease and is not fit to do anything for himself. He agreed that he would surrender his passport, observe a curfew and sign on at Monaghan Garda Station on a daily basis if granted bail.

Mr Hughes said he understood that Det Sgt Kirwan considered him a very significant flight risk and agreed that they were serious offences. He further agreed that he had declined to come forward as part of a public appeal by UK authorities to speak to police.

Mr Hughes said he had been involved in his haulage business since 2009 and he was aware it was a very substantial operation. He said he had travelled extensively as a driver and agreed he had got a Northern Ireland driving licence some years ago. He said only some of the 200,000 which had been frozen by CAB belonged to him. He said his business had turned over 500,000 or 600,000 in 2017 and denied he had a time-share in Florida. Mr Kennedy asked Mr Hughes if he was making a substantial profit from his business and he replied: "The haulage business isnt very profitable".

Mr Justice Burns will deliver his decision on the bail application tomorrow morning at 10.30am.

Last week, Det Sgt Jim Kirwan told Mr Kennedy that he arrested Mr Hughes as part of a planned operation at 5.15pm on April 20 at Leitrim, Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan on foot of the warrant and cautioned him.

Eamon Ronald Harrison (22), of Mayobridge, Co Down has already appeared in court here and has been granted leave to appeal his pending extradition to the UK in May under the terms of the EAW. He is wanted to face 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Last Friday, the Court of Appeal was told by Mr Kennedy that a charge of conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act had been withdrawn by UK authorities against Mr Harrison. The court heard that this would shorten the appeal hearing on May 7.

It is alleged that Mr Harrison delivered the trailer, in which the bodies of eight females and 31 males were found in an industrial park in Grays, Esssex on October 23 last, to a Belgian port before its onward journey to Britain. The cargo was recorded as biscuits.

Earlier this month Maurice Robinson (25), of Craigavon, Co Armagh, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property. He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property. He will be sentenced at a later date.

The High Court in Dublin has heard that the sealed refrigeration unit was not turned on and that the people inside died from oxygen starvation. Temperatures inside the unit rose to 38.5 degrees before it steadily reduced, and police discovered bloody hand prints inside.
[April 29, 2020] Mastercard Incorporated First-Quarter 2020 Financial Results Available on Company's Website

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) today announced its financial results for its first quarter of 2020 through an earnings release available on the company's Investor Relations website at investor.mastercard.com. The earnings release will be furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC (News - Alert)) on a Form 8-K and available here. At 9:00 a.m. ET today, the company will host a conference call to discuss these financial result.



Conference Call Details:

U.S. dial-in: 833-236-5755

International dial-in (outside the U.S.): 647-689-4183 A replay of the call will be available for 30 days and can be accessed by dialing 800-585-8367 (within the U.S.) and 416-621-4642 (outside the U.S.), using passcode 6270898.

A webcast for this call and all related materials can also be accessed at investor.mastercard.com. About Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005396/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Xanilyn Red is proud of the way her father has handled the dangers that come with being a respiratory therapist during the coronavirus pandemic.

After all, she knows Valentine Reds duties in the intensive care unit at Saint Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick put him at a much greater risk of getting infected by the highly contagious virus.

Not to make his ego even bigger than it already is" she said, but the fact that he hasnt shown any hesitation doing what he does, its just more of a reflection of the person he is.

That doesnt mean Xanilyn, 25, wants anyone to know hes related to her.

Even before this pandemic, whenever we had patients that we shared, I didnt like to mention hes my father because I felt like my patient looks at me as just someones kid and it takes away my credibility as a nurse," she said.

But there are times when Valentine Red simply cant help himself.

Sometimes," she said, hell let it slip and say, Honey."

Or," Valentine said, interrupting his daughter during a recent video interview, its Hey, sweetie."

I dont like it," Xanilyn said with a laugh. But well just go with it."

This father-daughter team from Metuchen had already spent five years together in the Saint Peters ICU. Their time working the 12-hour shifts appeared to be coming to an end as Xanilyn was applying for her New York license in late February in an attempt to forge her own path.

I was getting emails from recruiters in New York, but I didnt have my license at the time," she said. That week was when we had our first COVID patient come into the hospital. I had four days off, and by the time I came back, the entire ICU had been full of COVID patients all on ventilators. It escalated so quickly.

Just seeing that escalation was eye-opening, and I figured I shouldnt leave my hospital.

It meant Xanilyn would still live at home. For now.

I dont know why shed want to move out," said Valentine, 54. I told her already, You dont have any expenses. Mom cooks all the time. Why not stay here another two years and save money?"

Hearing her fathers plea, Xanilyn rolled her eyes.

Cmon, dad," she said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Despite his best attempts to convince his daughter to keep working together, Valentine knows she is likely to branch out once the crisis ends.

Xanilyn said shes considering going back to school to become either a primary nurse practitioner or an anesthesiologist.

I feel like this pandemic has really nudged me to look at different options," she said. It all depends what the world looks like after all this. But I have a very good support system at Saint Peters right now. Its like one big family."

Their time away from the hospital includes binge-watching Netflix shows, family dinners, and Valentine said, lots of sleep."

My mom is a nurse at Jersey City Medical Center," Xanilyn added. Shes managed to keep the most sane out of all of us because shes compulsively cooking."

Xanilyn Red is an ICU nurse working on the #COVID19 floor at St. Peters Hospital. Valentine Red, her father, is one of the respiratory therapists shes working alongside.



To the Red family  #NJThanksYou. We hope they both stay safe as they work to keep their patients safe. pic.twitter.com/2zuY7NHO2k  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 8, 2020

Still, its not all fun and games for this Middlesex County family, treating patients in a crisis that has resulted in 116,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide.

The coronavirus is a respiratory disease that attacks the lungs, causing a wide range of breathing problems. In the most serious cases, patients often need a ventilator to mechanically push air into lungs ravaged by COVID-19.

And often, its Valentines job as a respiratory therapist to intubate patients.

Working in the ICU, Ive seen these patients go from different machines to watch them getting worse. Its really hard," he said. There are still a lot of people on the floors who are going to go in that direction, which is also hard to believe. But we protect ourselves first and just do our work."

Valentine isnt alone in facing urgent calls in the ICU. There are times when they both respond to the same Code Blue for a crashing patient who needs life-support measures.

Ive always liked working with my dad, but this time around its been a lot more stressful," Xanilyn said. Nurses and ER doctors have their risks too. But respiratory therapists are on the front lines during the intubations, during the Code Blues, because they handle the airways. They are in charge of the lungs, which is where this virus thrives."

Shes aware of the statistics that say the older you are, the more at risk you become for serious bouts with the virus.

Knowing both my parents are in the vulnerable demographic and theyre not going to quit their jobs over my anxieties, we had to make the best of the situation," Xanilyn said. We talked about the reality of whats going on, just taking the proper precautions and not fixating on the what-ifs."

It helps, she added, that her father is good at what he does.

My dad put in a lot of overtime when this pandemic first started, and I was like, What are you doing?" she said.

Valentine interrupted, shrugging while justifying the string of overnight shifts hes worked over the past six weeks.

Were short-staffed," he said. Somebody has to be there to do it."

The statement elicited another eye roll from Xanilyn.

Yeah," she said in a sarcastic tone. Hes a good therapist and a good person."

Valentine interrupted again.

And," he said, a good dad."

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com.
On 25 April, Qazi Shibli, a south Kashmir-based journalist and editor, returned home after nine month in a prison in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly

On 25 April, Qazi Shibli, a south Kashmir-based journalist and editor, returned home after nine month in a prison in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. It was also the first day of the holy month of Ramzan, bringing much needed joy to the family and to the 28-year-old himself.

Shibli, who runs online news portal The Kashmiriyat, says that he was summoned by a local police station on 27 July last year, after he reported, and later tweeted, a leaked government order on additional troop buildup in the Valley.

The questioning continued for four days, explains Shibli on his website, "I was in the police station and my family was assured that I would be released on [4 August]," he says, "However, then the abrogation [of Article 370] happened, communications were snapped and the rest is history." On 8 August, he was booked under the Public Safety Act and later lodged in a jail hundreds of kilometres away from his home, like hundreds of other Kashmiris  he was among the 412 others also booked under the draconian law.

His PSA charges were revoked on 13 April in an effort to decongest the jails during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His release comes on the heels of news of two Kashmiri journalists  Gowhar Geelani and Masrat Zahra  being booked under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The Committee to Protect Journalists that had reported on Shibli's detention and run a campaign for charges against him to be dropped, welcomed his release and called on authorities in Jammu and Kashmir to release award-winning journalist Asif Sultan and put a stop to the misuse of laws to target journalists.

Following his release, Shibli spoke to this journalist about his ordeal, the future of journalism in the Valley and more. Edited excerpts of the interview follow:

Why were you jailed?

Journalistic freedom in India, especially after the BJP came to power in 2014, has been shrinking a great deal. There are many cases like those of Gauri Lankesh and Prasoon Bajpai  whose journalistic freedom was curtailed. In fact, Gauri was killed for her brave journalism.

You are not given any space or grey areas. The government wants us to follow a certain path and tells us to do only one type of journalism.

How did you react after you learned about the PSA against you?

I have done many stories on the PSA and tried to understand what the Act is all about. So, I always had a sense of watching developments from the outside; however, being booked under the PSA gave me a much better idea of the Act from the inside.

I felt very strange. I couldn't believe I had been booked under the PSA. Initially, I had tears in my eyes, but then there was a minor with me and he was smiling. That's when I felt embarrassed that this kid was smiling and I was crying, so I thought it was best to face whatever has to come.

There was a despair that till the previous day I was writing stories about the PSA, but now, I was being detained under the same Act. But that kid brought me out of the despair.

When were you shifted to the Uttar Pradesh jail?

On the morning of 9 August last year, we were taken to Srinagar airport and we had no idea about where we were being taken. For the first two months, we weren't even told where we were lodged. [Later we learned] it was Bareilly District Jail.

Your imprisonment came at a time when communication was snapped in Kashmir.

My family members did not know where I had been taken; they had come with lunch to the police station and were told that I wasn't there. It was a time when you wanted to call people and seek help, but that was not happening. And the biggest concern was about how the families would know [of our whereabouts], because is the first thing that comes to your mind during these times.

How difficult was it for your family to come to terms with you being jailed for nine months?

To be honest, I cannot tell you how they coped, because only the one who gets burnt feels the pain. However, inside the jail, I knew that the local police would not have told them about my whereabouts, otherwise my family would have travelled to meet me. Since no one turned up, I understood that the police must not have told them.

When was the first time someone familiar came to meet you?

It was after 57 days in the jail when I got to see my brother and sister. That was the first time that I was able to see and meet someone familiar; it was a surreal experience.

How did you spend your time in jail?

I understood the need to be a guardian of all Kashmiris who were with me, as I saw a lot of worried faces. 'Worried' is an understatement. This feeling came right after we had boarded the flight from Srinagar. And it was inside that air force plane that, despite the loud sounds, we sang the Nazms of Faiz, and that helped people a bit.

Describe your cell/jail?

It was a high-security prison. Nobody was allowed either out of their own cell or inside one another's cells. I was in solitary confinement. Twice every day, for a half hour, we were allowed out. Everything was scrutinised.

Initially, voices from outside and from the distance were very haunting. And then there would be silence again, which was even more haunting. There was this curiosity to see the origin of those voices.

All the walls and bars were white. White used to be my favourite colour, but I was so tired of it that I wanted to see something other than white, and it was three months later that my clothes arrived and I finally saw something that was not white.

Also, you could not even see other prisoners. I spent my time imagining the good times, like my college days in Bengaluru or being with my family. And then you open your eyes and you are in the same jail. That cell again starts haunting you.

Were you able to read or write inside jail?

I started reading only after eight days. I had a book by Noam Chomsky and some books by other authors, but they took them away, as they did not allow printed books there. So I sat on hunger strike for two days, following which I was given books. The jail authorities were actually very good and I was later given access to a lot of literature, including some in Hindi.

However, a pen was something I was never allowed, and whenever the police came to me, I would literally beg them to give me a pen. What made it worse was that those cops always carried pens, but I was never given one. It was after three months that I got to touch a pen for the first time.

Did being a journalist help inside the jail?

Yes, it was helpful, because there was a general notion among inmates  that is created by the national media  of Kashmiris being negative. So much so that even a civilian killing in Kashmir is not condemned by people in India.

As a journalist, I had a bit of an idea of how things are in India and how the national media portrays us. Also I had some knowledge about caste politics and politics in general, so this helped me to connect with them in terms of local issues.

And among them the biggest misconception was about Kashmir, so as a journalist I was, to an extent, able to dispel those myths about us. That was evident by the fact that when we reached there, many people were scared of us and there was a special force to manage us. As they did not know about us, there were many assumptions. But when we left, many policemen escorted me and told me that they would visit Kashmir and love to be hosted by me. I can say that, to an extent, I was able to cure the ill of indoctrination.

What kept you going when inside the jail?

For a long time, I thought I was dreaming but there were people who had more haunting stories than me inside the jail. For example, one man was to be married two days after his arrest, and yet, he was jailed. Another man, in his 60s had married late in his life and had little children to look after. Such stories made me stronger.

Then I realised that I had to put on a brave face, as these guys would always cry. And I thought it was my job to keep them motivated and, in fact, alive. That was my first priority, because we were in social isolation for nine months.

People are maintaining social distancing now, however we have been maintaining it for over nine months now.

Tell us about your health, especially your mental health?

My health was fine till the onset of winter, however after winter came, my leg started to hurt and that's something I have carried with me till now. I had just one pair of trousers, a T-shirt and a Rs 10 note in my pocket. I had worn that shirt for 52 days, and when I came out, I counted that it had 119 holes.

My mental health was very much intact, because I was reading a lot, and when I was tired of reading, I would sing a lot and then others would join from their cells. We would usually sing Faiz and many Kashmiri songs. And the policemen would enjoy it. Music was a panacea for affliction. Also music helped bridge the gap with the authorities, and many times we were told, "Aap bhi hamari tarah ho, aap bhi hamare gaane gaate ho (you are also like us, you also sing our songs)."

I had developed a technique to prevent my mental energy from draining. In such places, you don't want your mental strength to drain. I read a lot of Munshi Prem Chand and that's what I would read for people there. Faiz and Chomsky were not allowed though.

Two of your colleagues have been booked under UAPA; what do you make of that?

It is very drastic and unfortunate that such major journalists have been targeted. If journalists like Gowhar Geelani have been targeted, what will happen to minor ones like us? But there is a pattern in this. It is not happening only in Kashmir, journalists like Gauri Lankesh have been targeted in other parts of India.

The State does not want to provide any space for what they call "bad journalism". It doesn't want to provide space for facts.

So how do you see it affecting other journalists?

It will, of course, affect others. There is a feeling of fear that we might be targeted. There is a line that has been drawn to ensure you can only report certain things. It is very unfortunate though that your journalistic freedom is being taken away and you are being scrutinised. Even your social media space is being scrutinised.

Tell us about your plans for the future. Will you restart The Kashmiriyat?

We will start working afresh soon. The web portal will also resume in a very professional and ethical manner. We will be better than what we were. We will carry on with the journalism on which we have focussed.
Using the fishing boats built by Zhang Xinghua brings a sense of reassurance, as they have a steady performance, are resistant to ageing and are fast, said local fishermen, praising the boat builder for his exceptional skills.

Zhang is a representative inheritor of wooden fishing boat building techniques in Erjiegou town, which have been included in the list of provincial-level intangible cultural heritages of northeast Chinas Liaoning province.

A wooden fishing boat is usually built through the collaboration of craftsmen in several fields, including carpenters, blacksmiths, and artisans who seal cracks.

Zhang is the only person in Erjiegou town, Panjin city, Liaoning province, who has mastered all the procedures required to build a wooden fishing boat.

Over the past 30 years, Zhang has built 800 wooden fishing boats independently and repaired them 3,000 times.

While the overall loss rate of timber is generally between 25 percent and 35 percent, Zhang is able to reduce the loss rate of materials used for a wooden boat to 20 percent, thanks to his rich experience and expertise in selecting raw materials.

Under Zhangs hands, wooden fishing boats can remain water-resistant for 14 years without requiring any major repairs. This amazing performance is closely tied to the sealing materials he uses on his boats as well as his exceptional workmanship.

Wooden boats usually have cracks between their planks, and these cracks tend to grow bigger after winter. That means that all these cracks, whether they are on new or old boats, must be sealed properly before launch.

In the past, people used putty made up of lime and tung oil to seal the gaps and cracks on wooden boats. But the boats would soon need to be caulked again, otherwise they would leak after a year or two.

After digging into the relevant materials, Zhang found that hemp thread could help make putty more durable. This improvement in caulking wooden boats was incorporated into the national code for caulking inspections of wooden fishing boats, which Zhang drafted.

Zhang has always attached great importance to accumulating experience and knowledge as well as deep thinking. For him, the best boat is always the next one.

In addition to his title of representative inheritor of wooden fishing boat building techniques in Erjiegou town, Zhang also plays a number of other roles. He is a master of fishing boat building to local fishermen, a respected safety instructor to sailors, a quality supervisor for hull projects, and a teacher of postgraduate students in Dalian Ocean University.

During the past Spring Festival, when China was stricken by the novel coronavirus epidemic, Zhang joined epidemic prevention and control efforts and worked as a volunteer at a local checkpoint.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was so floored Tuesday night by a report of a large funeral gathering in Brooklyn during the coronavirus pandemic that he said he had to see it for himself.

When the Democratic mayor arrived in the Williamsburg neighborhood, he did indeed see hundreds of Orthodox Jewish mourners flooding the sidewalks and intersection of Bedford Avenue and Rutledge Street, honoring the memory of a rabbi who recently died of the coronavirus.

The sounds of police sirens blaring through the streets and cops ordering people to go home did little to disperse the crowd, who defied social distancing orders. The mourners, dressed in traditional black garments and hats and forced to yell over the piercing sirens, stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, some with, others without masks in a city with almost 158,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 12,000 deaths.

De Blasio was furious. While denouncing the "absolutely unacceptable" large gathering, he said that he had instructed police to institute a "zero tolerance" standard on such gatherings, stressing that people could be subject to arrest as part of the effort to prevent the disease from spreading even more through big groups.

"When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus," he tweeted late Tuesday.

He added in a follow-up tweet, "My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period."

The mayor's warnings elicited a torrent of criticism. How come, some asked, he had not objected earlier in the day when crowds gathered across the city to watch the military flyover to honor essential workers? Much like the funeral scene in Brooklyn, photos and videos on social media of those watching the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds showed people standing close to each other with many not wearing masks. Critics wondered: Was this not hypocritical?

De Blasio, who was shown watching the flyover in photos and videos and not following his own social distancing orders, was also criticized by local and national leaders for specifically calling out Jewish people when other groups are doing the same thing without the condemning tweets.

"This has to be a joke," tweeted New York City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, a Brooklyn Democrat who is an Orthodox Jew. He added, "Every neighborhood has people who are being noncompliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, it's stereotyping, and it's inviting anti-Semitism. I'm truly stunned."

The councilman chided de Blasio for coming down hard on the funeral crowd just two days after he was seen walking around Brooklyn's Prospect Park with his wife, Chirlane McCray.

"Has he been to a park lately? (What am I saying  of course he has!)" Deutsch tweeted.

The message was echoed by Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, who said de Blasio's sentiment "erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever."

"The few who don't social distance should be called out  but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews," Greenblatt noted.

The New York Police Department and a spokesperson for de Blasio's office did not return messages late Tuesday. An NYPD spokeswoman told the New York Daily News that no one was arrested or issued a summons for attending the funeral.

The Yeshiva World reported that the funeral was held for Rabbi Chaim Mertz, 73, who recently died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. At its peak, there were about 2,500 people at the funeral, which ran from about 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Daily News.

In a video shared by the Williamsburg News, men with the Shomrim, the Orthodox community's neighborhood watch, are shown instructing their colleagues to let everyone in attendance know that they had to wear a mask.

"Everybody must have a mask," said one representative with the group. "Most important thing: Everyone should have a mask."

The images and videos posted to social media, however, indicate that not everyone was wearing a mask during the funeral. Footage captured by WABC showed a stream of mourners parading down Bedford Avenue, many trying to cover their face. At one point, hundreds of people filled the sidewalks and stoops as police attempted to break up the crowd.

The crowded funeral in Williamsburg is the latest of several large Orthodox events that have been broken up because of the pandemic this month.

Earlier this month, police in Brooklyn broke up a funeral for a rabbi in the Borough Park neighborhood, as attendees were ignoring social distancing.

In Lakewood, New Jersey, police broke up another funeral for a rabbi, this one at a synagogue, and ended up charging 15 men for violating the state's executive order banning large gatherings. As The Washington Post's Meagan Flynn reported, police in the New Jersey city have broken up several traditional Orthodox Jewish events because of the large gathering ban, including weddings and bat and bar mitzvahs, and even shuttered a yeshiva that resisted school closure orders.

Conflicts between religious groups of all faiths and public officials trying to enforce coronavirus rules have been a continuing source of stress since the pandemic hit the United States.

New York has been no exception. On Tuesday, de Blasio reiterated that while he empathized with people who want to remember their loved ones, now was not the time for any large gatherings, such as funerals.

"We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn," de Blasio tweeted. "But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning. We will not allow this."

The chaotic funeral procession got the attention of political consultant Menashe Shapiro, who posted an overhead video of the scene. He wondered what more crowds like this could mean for the city moving forward.

Scenes like this can set the process of reopening back weeks, he said. Worse off, it risks more funerals.
Former District Attorney Seth Williams, sentenced to five years in federal prison in 2017, has returned home to Philadelphia to complete the balance of his term at a halfway house. Read more

Welcome home, Seth Williams!

Philadelphias former district attorney, last seen handcuffed and hauled out of a courtroom by U.S. Marshals to serve a five-year prison term for bribery, returned last week to finish his sentence under the supervision of a local residential reentry program.

Williams, incarcerated for most of the last three years in West Virginia, returns to the hometown where his once promising political career collapsed amid a series of personal scandals, federal charges and ethics inquiries in 2017.

The former top prosecutors release was not connected to a wider push by the Bureau of Prisons to thin their inmate populations to curb the spread of the coronavirus in federal lock-ups, his attorney Thomas F. Burke told Clout.

Though Williams sentence is not yet complete, one of the five years the judge imposed was shaved off of it for good behavior, and another for the drug treatment program he completed while incarcerated, prosecutors said. Like many federal inmates, Williams was eligible to serve out his final days in custody at a halfway house or under house arrest.

While the feds will keep Williams on a tight leash until his official Sept. 30 release date, he can now go out to work and for certain recreational purposes. But even afterward, hes still facing three years of probation and a court-ordered restitution bill for tens of thousands of dollars.

At Williams 2017 sentencing, U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond verbally eviscerated the fallen prosecutor, calling him a criminal who fed his face at the trough.

By accepting gifts from businessmen seeking a leg-up in the courts and stealing money meant to cover his mothers nursing home care, the judge said, Williams humiliated his employees and dumped his mom like a sack of potatoes, all to project a high-roller image to the parasites [with whom he] surrounded himself.

But now that federal lock-up is behind him, said Burke, Williams is doing well.

Hes reconnecting with his family, the lawyer said. "He even has some job prospects, which under normal circumstances hed be able to pursue right now.

Williams may not have been a beneficiary of the Bureau of Prisons coronavirus release program, but one other Philadelphia politicos fate still hangs in limbo.

Former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman had been told he was going to be released Monday from prison in Otisville, N.Y. to house arrest in West Palm Beach, Fla., his lawyers said in court filings last week. But then the Bureau of Prisons reconsidered, prompting his lawyers to seek court intervention.

Vederman is serving a two-year sentence for charges related to gifts he gave former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who is in the middle of his own 10-year federal sentence in a prison near Scranton.
Peeved over denial of wages,



hundreds of migrant workers working at IIT Hyderabad at Kandi in neighbouring Sangareddy district on Wednesday allegedly attacked some officials of construction companies and threw stones damaging a police vehicle and injuring a Sub-Inspector and two policemen.

The workers who were protesting near a construction site demanded that they be paid wages and allowed to go back to their native places in view of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, police said.

The migrant workers allegedly pelted stones at police and damaged a police vehicle injuring a Sub-Inspector and two policemen, Sangareddy District Superintendent of Police S Chandrashekar Reddy said.

"A mob of protesting workers initially assaulted some officials of the construction companies and when a police team went to the spot some of them hurled stones at police and damaged glasses of a police vehicle," the police official said.

According to the officials, the labourers accused a construction company involved in the construction activities belonging to the IIT, of not paying wages for March and on top of that the firm asked the workers to resume activity from Wednesday.

Construction activities have been halted in view of the lockdown.

"Additional police force was rushed to the area and the situation has been brought under control," the SP told PTI, adding they were in the process of identifying those responsible for the violence.

Sangareddy District Collector M Hanumantha Rao said the labourers hailing from 10 states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, wanted to go back to their native places and their other demand was payment of wages.

The district authorities convened a meeting between the representatives of migrant workers and those from the construction company, he said.

The protesting workers were assured of payment of their outstanding salaries by tomorrow evening from the management side after which they agreed to resume work.

"We will again hold talks with them and after they give their consent the works will be started," the Collector said.

In view of the lockdown, the construction firms have to look after the workers, he said.

"Their main demand is to go back to their native places.After lockdown they were in a dilemma as to what to do.

An undertaking has been taken from the construction company to release theirsalaries," the collector added.

Two construction firms, engaged around 1,600 and 800 workers each from around 10 different states, for second phase construction of buildings of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
P olice are searching for a person who has been dressing as a 17th century plague doctor to go on walks during the coronavirus lockdown.

The unidentified individual has been spotted in recent weeks in the Norwich suburb of Hellesdon wearing a long black cloak, hat and pointed beak-like mask.

Norfolk Police have said they want to give "words of advice" to the individual after locals posted on a community Facebook group to say that the outfit could frighten children.

Jade Gosbell, 21, took a photograph of the person walking across a recreation ground in Hellesdon.

"It was like 20 degrees, he was wearing a full black suit, it just looked ridiculous," she said.

"It's clearly for attention or something like that, because normal people just wouldn't do that."

The furloughed gym worker continued: "I was sitting there and I was getting angry myself as my mum has a phobia of masks.

"I know that even in daylight if she was to go round the corner and bump into him she would be so scared.

"Kids would be frightened, my mum would be frightened, however some people really don't think it's that deep, they just think that he's having a laugh, he's just trying to find something to do with himself during isolation and lockdown."

She said she has not seen the person since a Facebook post drew attention to them, adding: "I was told that if I see him again to call the police."

In 17th century Europe, physicians who tended to plague victims wore a costume that has since taken on sinister overtones.

People mistakenly believed the outfits could purify poisonous air.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "Officers have been made aware of an individual who was seen walking around the Hellesdon area wearing a plague outfit.

"Although no offences have been committed at this time, officers are keen to trace the individual in order to provide words of advice about the implications of his actions on the local community.
Kim Jong Uns Uncle Could Be a Possible Successor in North Korea: Experts

However, some experts aren't so sure

Kim Pyong Il, 65, the last known surviving son of North Koreas founder, Kim Il Sung, could be the one to take over the reclusive, communist country should leader Kim Jong Un be incapacitated.

Kim Pyong Il, the uncle of Kim Jong Un, spent about four decades in diplomatic posts in Poland, Finland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic before he returned to Pyongyang in 2019, according to news reports.

For the past several weeks, there has been mounting speculation over Kim Jong Uns health, with several reports in Hong Kong and Japanese media claiming hes dead or in a vegetative state. South Korean officials have gone on the record to say that they believe he is still alive and in control of the country, with South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul stipulating Tuesday that Kim is trying to avoid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) coronavirus.

Since Kim Jong Un hasnt named an heir, its not clear who would succeed him. His younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, has been eyed by some experts as the possible one to be next in line.

In the 1970s, Kim Pyong Il was passed over by his brother, Kim Jong Il, to succeed Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Il later took over the regime in 1994 and ruled until his death in 2011, naming Kim Jong Un as his heir.

But with Kim Jong Un potentially being out of the picture, some watchers of North Korea think he might be selected over Kim Yo Jong due to his gender in the male-dominated society, according to a Bloomberg News report. North Korea has only been ruled by men.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un attends wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2, 2019. (Reuters/Jorge Silva/Pool)

Thae Yong Ho, who was North Koreas deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom before defecting in 2006, told the news outlet that the problem is that a Kim Yo Jong-led North Korea is unlikely to be sustainable. A leadership with her as the figurehead would lead to internal strife, he argued. Kim Yo Jong currently serves as an adviser to her brother and is a top propaganda official.

To avoid this, some in the leadership would try to bring back Kim Pyong Il, whos now under house arrest, to the center of the power, he said.

Kim Byeong-ki, a member of the South Korean parliaments intelligence committee, said Sunday that there is no chance Kim Pyong Il is named as the leader. I laugh off these theories, he said on social media.

Rachel Minyoung Lee, a former North Korea analyst with the U.S. government, told the outlet that its not likely he will be tapped.

Kim Yo Jong has a special status in the regime, and I think in this case, her connection to the Kim family trumps her gender, she said.

After Kim Jong Un took power in 2011, reports said he eliminated any potential rivals, including his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, and is believed to have assassinated his half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, in Malaysia.

Lubomir Zaoralek, the Czech Republics foreign affairs minister from 2014 through 2017, told Bloomberg that Kim Pyong Il didnt appear to be from communist North Korea.

You could see that he was established in Europe and that he has lived his life here, Zaoralek said. He was always careful in what he had to say, but it always made perfect sense. And it seemed that he lived a much freer life here than other North Koreans.
Advocate Tigran Atanesyan has posted the following on his Facebook page:

In addition to the previous Facebook status, according to certain data, several deputies of the ruling parliamentary faction are currently at the hospital and are concerned about Alen Simonyans situation. I definitely accept the fact that this is a normal phenomenon in the case of friendly relations or relations between relatives, but deputies must take into consideration the fact that in the future, they shouldnt make a decision to allow or reject criminal liability against their deputy parliamentary speaker friend motivated by that circumstance. In this case, the important thing is the Constitution and Law of the Republic of Armenia, not their personal approaches.
A police officer in the Northern California city of Rancho Cordova is being investigated by law enforcement authorities after he was recorded on a widely circulated video punching a 14-year-old boy while pinning him to the ground on Monday as he tried to detain him.

The officer, whose name was not released, has also been temporarily reassigned to a role outside the police department, Kate Adams, the police chief of Rancho Cordova, said Wednesday on YouTube.

The officer was patrolling in a neighborhood where residents had complained that alcohol, tobacco and drugs were being sold, said Sgt. Tess Deterding, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento County Sheriffs Department, a jurisdiction that includes Rancho Cordova.

Sergeant Deterding said the officer was part of the Rancho Cordova Police Departments Problem Oriented Policing Unit and saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile. He lost sight of the adult, but approached the youth, who became uncooperative and refused to identify himself, aside from saying he was 18, the spokeswoman said.
Like many countries, Belgium is fighting its own coronavirus outbreak, with 47,334 confirmed cases. And like many other countries, that's led to some unexpected economic problems that need to be sorted out. Namely, what to do with a huge bumper crop of potatoes.

Pommes frites are a staple of Belgian culture, so much so that the government petitioned UNESCO to officially name the fry as an icon of Belgian cultural heritage (culinary historians dispute this). But as restaurants close or limit service and Belgians sit at home, there's been a sharp drop in demand for frozen potatoes, which accounts for 75 percent of Belgium's potato processing. That's according to Romain Cools, secretary general of Belgian potato industry group Belgapom, who spoke to CNBC. Cools said that the drop in demand has led to a massive inventory build up, straining the industry's freezer capacity. As a result, Belgapom has a simple, straightforward request for Belgian citizens to help: eat French fries. Twice a week. At least.

As Cools explains, "Were working with supermarkets to see whether we can launch a campaign asking Belgians to do something for the sector by eating friesespecially frozen friestwice a week during the coronavirus crisis. What we are trying to do is to avoid food waste, because every lost potato is a loss."

A fry binge may also be a good way to cope with the stress of lockdownunless this ends up being foreverbut Belgapom isn't just asking consumers to change their behavior. Cools tells CNBC that group has "asked farmers not to plant that many potatoes for the next season because we believe this season will take some extra months away from next year by postponing processing."

Belgium's frozen fry glut is a scale example of a massive problem American farmers are facing. With schools closed and restaurants either shut down or scaling back to just takeout, farmers are left with a huge amount of un-bought product. According to the New York Times, with nothing else to do with the excess, dairy farmers are dumping thousands of gallons of milk into manure pounds, Florida growers are mulching up rows of cabbage and beans back into the soil, and just one egg producers is smashing 750,000 chicken eggs every week.

Story continues

In a sad irony, U.S. food banks are overwhelmed with demand as the country faces monumental surges in unemployment. Some are millions of dollars over budget and seriously considering rationing food, even while milk and eggs are getting tossed down the drain. While some farmers are donating what they can, food banks only have so much space for perishable goods, and harvesting, transportation, and prepping costs are a huge logistical hurtle. Some U.S. farmers are finding solutions outside of the traditional economy, like Cranney Farms in Idaho, for example. Rather than turn their six months-worth of harvest to mulch, the company has instead decided to just give away 2 million pounds of potatoes. So for people in driving distance of Boise, French fries are still on the menu.

Many of the measures of the coronavirus age, even for those in more fortunate situations, can feel surprisingly difficult: restraining yourself from touching your face, not hugging another soul, and cancelling important life markers, like funerals and weddings. But as far as quarantine practices go, twice-weekly fry binges sound relatively pain-free.

How to Safely Grocery Shop, Cook, and Order Delivery in the Coronavirus Age

We talked to infectious-disease experts about how to feed ourselves while mitigating the risk of Covid-19.

Originally Appeared on GQ
Employees at the University of Virginia Medical Center will be furloughed and others will take a 20% pay cut as the UVa Health System seeks to shore up its finances following a drastic drop in surgeries and clinic visits.

Since the middle of March hundreds of inpatient beds have been empty (our beds are usually full), surgeries have declined by 70%, and clinic visits have been reduced by 90%, Dr. K. Craig Kent, executive vice president for health affairs, wrote in a memo to staff Tuesday. The result has been a fall in revenue for clinical care and related services that is producing a deficit of $85 million a month. This is a $3 million loss to the health system each day.

The medical center, which is a subset of the health system, had a $1.7 billion operating budget in fiscal year 2020.

Medical center officials have asked the state to lift a ban on all non-elective surgeries that is set to expire May 1. That ban, the statewide stay-at-home order and other safety precautions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had reduced patient volumes.

The university's Board of Visitors discussed the health systems finances in closed session Monday, in the latest example of state university leadership wrestling with the impact of the coronavirus on academic and medical programs. Previously, in a discussion focused on the academic half of the university, which is financially separate from the medical center, UVa said it would avoid furloughs and layoffs for as long as possible.

The medical center has not seen a large increase in COVID-19 patients as of this week. Staff treating COVID-19 patients will not see any adjustment to their compensation or their jobs.

Kent said the medical centers financial reserves are diminishing quickly.

... Within a few short months we will not be able to fulfill our mission of delivering expert medical care to those in need, educating and training the next generation of providers, and conducting critical research, he wrote. We must act now to secure our future.

Kent announced a range of measures to curb expenses Tuesday, including a 40% pay cut for himself. Other leaders at the medical center, the UVa Physicians Group, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing, as well as physicians, will take a 20% pay cut through the end of July.

Non-patient staff at the medical center and the University Physicians Group will be furloughed for up to three months and those affected will be notified by May 1, according to officials. The university has created an emergency assistance fund to help furloughed employees, which heretofore has mostly aided contract employees.

Hospital spokesman Eric Swensen said an estimate of the number of employees affected was not available, and that decisions on work adjustments and furloughs will be made at the departmental level.

Those who work with patients could have their hours cut, depending on need.
MILLBURN, N.J., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As New Jersey, the nation and the world continue to face the difficulties and tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey are continuing the conversation on the national opioid crisis affecting millions of Americans.

Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the Medical Director of Opioid Policy Research at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management, will share his expert knowledge on the opioid epidemic in "COVID-19 Pandemic: Responding to the Opioid Addiction Epidemic," the second installment of the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Webinar Series, at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 30.

"Dr. Kolodny is one of the nation's top experts on the opioid epidemic and a leader in promoting safe and responsible prescription practices," PDFNJ Executive Director Angelo Valente said. "Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down much of the country, the opioid crisis continues to affect millions of Americans and it is vital that action continues to be taken to address this issue."

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, through its philanthropic arm, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, has been collaborating with PDFNJ on a two-year Knock Out Opioid Abuse initiative to address the opioid epidemic through community outreach, prescriber education, parent education and a statewide awareness campaign.

The Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series brings experts on the opioid epidemic from various fields, including law enforcement, the medical community, government, prevention, treatment and recovery together for events in communities in all 21 New Jersey counties. PDFNJ and Horizon have expanded the initiative in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a webinar series to help continue the conversation about the opioid crisis.

In 2019, 3,021 people in New Jersey died from suspected drug overdoses, a vast majority of which involved some form of opioid.

Dr. Kolodny's primary area of focus is the prescription opioid and heroin crisis devastating families and communities across the country. He is also the executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, an organization with a mission to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by overprescribing of opioid analgesics. Dr. Kolodny has received numerous honors for his efforts in the fight against the opioid epidemic, including PDFNJ's Angel of Hope Award in 2019.

"Over the past 25 years, millions of Americans have become addicted to opioids and more than 500,000 have died from opioid-related overdose," Kolodny said. "There are some reasons to be hopeful  the death rate has plateaued, opioid prescribing is trending in a more cautious direction, and access to effective addiction treatment is improving  but we still have a long way to go to bring the opioid addiction epidemic to an end."

Participants can register for the free webinar at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XnLkcJEOSJCtIOVtE_aStA.

To learn more about the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall Series and to view past town hall events, please visit https://knockoutopioidabuse.drugfreenj.org.

Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey: Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $100 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership's New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey's history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 180 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey: Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at www.HorizonBlue.com . Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.4 million members.

About The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey: The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is committed to working alongside those who can help us improve our neighbors' health, inform their health decisions and inspire them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. The Foundation's funding pillars are Caring, Connecting and Creating. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the sole member of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, both of which are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit www.Horizonblue.com/Foundation.

SOURCE Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
Now that our lives have changed, several aspects of our daily routine will never be the same. One of those things is eating out at a restaurant. We all do it and all of us love it.

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Restauranteur and founder of Momofuku, Chef David Chang asked people from Southeast Asia to share photos of restaurants to see how different countries are dealing with the 'situation.'

Can diners in Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, China send me photos of what it looks like in restaurants.



How the seating is set up?



Are all the servers wearing masks and gloves.



What are guests wearing?



If anyone works in kitchens how are you dealing w new protocol?  Dave Chang (@davidchang) April 16, 2020

Needless to say, people responded to Chang's query on Twitter and shared their post-pandemic dining experiences. Every city and every establishment have their own protocol to follow and from wearing masks to disinfecting cutlery, here is how some countries are running the restaurants now.

I have some friends that Im speaking to but I need more data from a variety of establishments. From small noodle shops to giant banquet halls and everything in between.



Especially important what are the multinational fast food chains doing? Would love to see photos.  Dave Chang (@davidchang) April 16, 2020

In fact, some restaurants are also checking their customers' temperature before letting them step inside the premises.

1.

Restaurants either have fewer tables with more space between them or barricades between tables. Temp check before seating and sanitizer available. pic.twitter.com/o40uA7xskY  Laura (@laurachese) April 18, 2020

2.

Three different restaurant spaces in Seoul. Seating is similar as Before corona. Servers are ALWAYS MASKED. Customers generally unmask after coming in cuz gotta eat. Tighter density tolerated asKorea crushes its curve. Oh. And gel at every counter is free. pic.twitter.com/uRQ2MvS41w  Dr. Michael Hurt (@metropolitician) April 16, 2020

3.

yardbird in hong kong - we just designed these retrofitted (hopefully temporary) panels for their booths: pic.twitter.com/rVSUGXgnk1  sean dix (@seandixdesign) April 17, 2020

4.

5.

In Taipei, some places check temp at door, some dont. All restaurants provide hand sanitizer & alc. spray. Servers/staff all wear masks. At Yang Shin (popular dimsum place), still family-style but they spaced out groups, reduced seats by 30% and suspended afternoon service. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/L7a3bK9WrW  Hannah Che  (@hannahbche) April 17, 2020

6.

Things are mostly back to normal here now but this was common and effective. pic.twitter.com/rdGsyvpQmJ  Naomi Wu  (@RealSexyCyborg) April 17, 2020

7.

8.

9.

Din Tai Fung pic.twitter.com/wM6iYg1YrG  Marco ChengTW  1  (@maxmarcowei) April 21, 2020

10.

In Hangzhou, China... masks, temperature checks and showing your green QR code are the norm. A McDonalds has made a QR code only ordering system. Eliminating interactions as much as possible and eliminating touch screen ordering. Scan the code, place your order, pick up your food pic.twitter.com/lGKmZYzye4  Eun Ji Kim (Faith) (@Faithertate) April 25, 2020

11.

12.

In Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Din Tai Fung makes tables 5 feet apart(as required by law). Staffs wear surgical masks the whole time to prevent aerosol spreading. pic.twitter.com/liwad0Slzi  Benjamin Chuang (@ChuangBenjamin) April 19, 2020

13.

Ichiran, ramen restaurant in Japan pic.twitter.com/g6Q7tebyLz  YK Al Salaam (@theycallmedama) April 19, 2020

Recently, fast food chains in New Zealand witnessed people forming long queues starting from the break of dawn when the nationwide lockdown restrictions were partially lifted. Eating out is a major part of a lot of people's lives, especially those who depend on it as well.
The online portal for lenders processing emergency federally backed small business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program will only accept applications from smaller lenders between 2 and 10 p.m. Mountain Time today, Wednesday, according to a release from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Only lenders with assets of less than $1 billion will be allowed to process PPP loans during that period, said the release issued by Justin Crossie, regional administrator of the SBAs South Central Region VI, which includes New Mexico.

We know many of our smallest small businesses rely on community lenders for their banking needs, the release said of the decision to restrict access to smaller lenders.

While the special period ends at 10 p.m. Mountain Time  midnight on the East Coast  the SBA noted in the release it may create a similar reserved time again in the future.

The PPP, rolled out earlier this year as tens of thousands of businesses faltered amid the virus-related economic downturn, has been plagued by technical issues as well as by its loophole-ridden structure thats resulted in funding issued to some larger companies. Some, including the Los Angeles Lakers, have subsequently returned the funds.

The initial $349 billion in funding allocated to the program was exhausted in less than two weeks. The program is currently in its second round of funding.

The release Wednesday notes other steps being taken to address issues and complaints.

The CAREs Act second round of funding dedicated a $30 billion dollar pot of money exclusively for small banks, the release said. Because these funds were exhausted early, the (SBA) stepped in to ensure small banks and their small business customers were able to get a piece of the pie.  To further ensure PPP loans are limited to eligible borrowers, the SBA has decided, in consultation with the Department of Treasury, that it will review all loans in excess of $2 million, in addition to other loans as appropriate, following the lenders submission of the borrowers loan forgiveness application. Regulatory guidance implementing this procedure will be forthcoming.
A mid the present fixation with the end of lockdown and its precise schedule, it is worth devoting some thought to what the world will actually be like when, by stages, we step back into it. We shall be consumed by a task of economic rescue and fire-fighting that has no precedent since the Second World War. We shall be trying to maximise supply lines, reconcile efficiency with social justice, and  a huge challenge  nurture global cooperation and collaboration against the reflexive forces of economic protectionism and political nationalism.

With this in mind, it is exasperating that a group of Conservative backbenchers should have chosen this particular moment to launch the China Research Group. Chaired by the undoubtedly able Tom Tugendhat  who is also chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee  the new CRG is an eclectic gang, including such MPs as Neil OBrien, Laura Trott, Damian Green, and Andrew Bowie.

Tugendhat insists that the group is not anti-China and, ostensibly at least, it is committed only to investigation, inquiry and engagement. That said, when a group of Tories sets up a research group alarm bells ought to go off. The last to do so formed the European Research Group, the hardline pro-Brexit backbench faction that played such a destructive role in the tumultuous hung Parliament of 2017-19. Conservative research groups tend not to confine themselves to research.

The rise of the CRG reflects a hardening of opinion on the Conservative back-benches towards China, and a growing conviction that the UK should adopt a tougher stance in its relations with the Eastern hyperpower.

Matthew d'Ancona

The proximate force driving such demands is Chinas role in the pandemic and its wholly unsatisfactory reporting of the initial outbreak in Wuhan. There is justified concern at the scale of repression within Chinas borders  especially the appalling treatment of the ethnic minority Uighur community in the province of Xinjiang  and its geopolitical influence further afield. There is also deep unhappiness about the handling of the protests in Hong Kong.

It is exasperating that a group of Tory backbenchers have chosen now to launch the China Research Group

To which one can only reply: tell us something we dont know. The division of the British political class into China hawks and doves, justice-seekers and appeasers, is quite artificial. The real question that should be asked of those who demand a reset of the UKs relationship with China, or tougher action is: what exactly do you mean?

By most measures, China is now the worlds largest economy. Its power  soft and hard  spreads across the globe. Though not yet a match for the United States, it now qualifies as a military superpower. With the greatest respect, a group of querulous Tory backbenchers is unlikely to cause much hand-wringing in Beijing (though they will doubtless find friends among political and economic nationalists in Washington DC, some of whom see full-blown confrontation between China and the US as both necessity and inevitability). Such campaigns do not bring a knife to a gun-fight; they bring a feather-duster to a geopolitical stand-off.

Which is not to say that they might not cause damage. In their immediate line of sight is the prospective commercial involvement of the Chinese telecoms giant, Huawei, in the rollout of 5G in this country. On March 10, the Government defeated an anti-Huawei amendment in the Commons by only 23 votes  its majority slashed from 80. If the main Telecoms Security Bill is put before the Commons this summer, as planned, the peril of backbench rebellion will be appreciably greater.

This reflects the worst of the Conservative tribes approach to foreign policy, its ceaseless quest for binaries and easy opposition (a quest that reached its apogee in the Brexit saga). The Huawei deal, approved by the intelligence agencies and wisely brokered behind the scenes by the former chief executive of BP, John Browne, is an essential element in the UKs telecoms strategy.

It is also, in the nuanced world of real diplomacy rather than bullhorn politics, precisely the sort of supranational entanglement that gives UK ministers a shot at engaging Beijing over other, more delicate matters. To his credit, the Prime Minister grasped this fully and stood up to the reportedly apoplectic President Trump over the Huawei deal.
Representative image

Nine lobbying groups including the US Chamber of Commerce have urged India to delay a new digital tax that will hit firms such as Facebook and Google as they are battling the fallout of the coronavirus, a letter showed.

From April 1 India imposed a new 2% tax on foreign billings or transactions where companies take payment abroad for digital services provided in India. The tax also applies to foreign e-commerce transactions on sites such as Amazon.com.

The tax, inserted into budget amendments passed in March, caught the industry off guard as it was not part of the main proposals India's finance ministry had presented in parliament a month earlier.

The nine groups, from the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, wrote a joint letter to India's finance minister on Wednesday, urging that the tax be delayed by nine months and for an industry-wide consultation before implementation.

"The timeframe within which this expansive new measure was approved and entered into force allowed for neither the dialogue nor the significant structural changes that would be necessary (for companies to comply)," said the letter.

"India is a critical market in which many of our members are deeply invested," it added.

Other than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, signatories also included the Washington-based Information Technology Industry Council, the Asia Internet Coalition and DigitalEurope.

The government's new tax is seen to be aimed at taxing foreign companies which have a significant local client base in India but were billing them through their offshore units, effectively escaping the country's tax system.

The tax also applies to advertising revenue earned from companies overseas if those advertisements eventually target customers in India.

Google is particularly concerned that it would not be able to swiftly identify countries where such advertising arrangements were in place, Reuters has reported.

The tax further risks souring India's trade relations with countries such as the United States that had already been concerned with New Delhi's stricter rules for sectors such as e-commerce.

"The new levy came out of nowhere ... It will disrupt India's trade relations perhaps in ways the drafters of the levy did not anticipate," said Roger Murry of the Alliance for Fair Trade with India, a group of U.S. trade associations.

Also read: Banks borrow only Rs 2,000 crore from RBI's Rs 50,000 crore liquidity facility for MFs on Day 1: Report
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:

The World Bank will allocate $80 million to Georgia under the Fast Track COVID-19 Facility to mitigate the health and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trend reports referring to the World Bank.

The World Bank is also collaborating with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to provide an additional $100 million to Georgia under a joint co-finance arrangement.

"Through our rapid support, we are helping save lives and protect the livelihoods of those impacted by the pandemic during this challenging time. We estimate that the total World Bank Group financing package for Georgia's COVID-19 response will be approximately $200 million in new financing, in addition to the approximately $300-million funds in our pipeline for 2020-2021 for projects in support of broader development needs, such as digital connectivity and infrastructure, said Sebastian Molineus, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus.

This project is a part of World Banks broader support for the people of Georgia, and it is the first in a series of three lending operations to be rolled-out over the coming three months.

The second upcoming operation will help the government cover the unanticipated financing gap and ensure Georgias progress in implementing reforms in areas critical for inclusive economic growth.

The third intends to support employment as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that have been affected by the pandemic.

In addition, the World Bank also intends to support digital connectivity and infrastructure through the upcoming Log-In Georgia project, which will support the governments plan to connect more than 700 villages to the internet via fiber optic cable networks, which will boost remote learning and overall connectivity essential for livelihoods hampered by pandemic-required social distancing.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
Hundreds of account holders at major super funds Hostplus and Rest are complaining about long wait times, poor communication and payment delays as members rush to participate in an emergency government scheme allowing early withdrawals.

The complaints come as new figures show the two under-pressure funds account for nearly a quarter of all applications for early withdrawals under the scheme since it officially opened last Monday.

Hospitality worker Mykel De Laat says he is totally reliant on his superannuation coming through to pay bills. Credit:Justin McManus

Hostplus, which manages $44 billion, was set up for hospitality workers, and Rest, which oversees $54 billion, was established for retail employees. Those two sectors have both been hit hard by the social distancing restrictions put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

People who have lost work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can withdraw up to $20,000 from their super accounts in two instalments under the scheme, with the first phase opening up last week. Hostplus says 7 per cent of its members took advantage of the scheme last week, with the average claim being $7,134. The fund said it has already paid out $603 million but scores of members say they are still waiting.
Home  Lifestyle  This is how phones are used to spread Covid-19 awareness in Nepal

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government of Nepal and private sectors have been working together to spread awareness regarding the new disease among the people. In this unprecedented crisis, awareness is key to safeguard oneself and others from this deadly infection. Awareness about the disease, its symptoms, are preventive measures are catered via as many as available communication channels like television, radio, newspaper, websites, social media, mobile phone, and others.

Interestingly, the use of mobile phones has been proved effective in providing information about the noble disease as almost all families have access to these little devices these days. All telecommunication service providers, as well as a few national and international enterprises, have also supported the government effort in the awareness drive.

Who is doing what?

As an effort to raise public awareness about the disease, Nepal Telecom, the government-run telecommunications company, changed its usual caller ring back tone (CRBT) with a message about the Covid-19 symptoms and certain precautions that the public can adopt in this situation. Nepal Telecom started this service from the afternoon of March 19, five days before the lockdown started, and is still in practice.

However, the message is not always the same. Nepal Telecom has been changing the awareness CRBT as per the requirement of the situation. It has already been changed three or four times since the beginning, Rajesh Joshi, the companys spokesperson, says.

The awareness message that comes from the Ministry of Health and Population to the company are recorded, kept into its system and catered via CRBT and SMS to the users, he informs, adding, the decision to play the message as the CRBT, however, is the companys own. We felt it was our social responsibility to do something at the time of this crisis.

Meanwhile, the company in collaboration with Viamo, a global social enterprise focused on improving lives via mobile, also added some other awareness messages into its information centre called NT Suchana ko Sansar.

Prabina Shrestha, the product manager at Viamo, explains, One having an NT SIM card can access this service by making a call at 32100 for free as of now. They need to follow the voice instructions to get the information.

Shrestha shares, On the basis of the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Viamo prepared a script comprising the queries about the disease and their answers, such as about its symptoms and preventive measures in the English language. Then, we went to the National Health Education Information and Communication Centre (NHEICC) to take approval. After that, the awareness message was translated and recorded in the Nepali language by Digital Broadcast Initiative Equal Access and finally added to NT Suchana ko Sansar service.

Kunj Prasad Joshi, a Senior Health Education Administrator at the NHEICC, confirms, We check whether the contents given by the private organisations are according to the guidelines of the MoHP and then approve or reject their proposal accordingly.

Just like the NT, another leading telecommunications service provider of the country, Ncell, has also started spreading awareness via CRBT, text messages, engagement promos, and outbound dialing (OBD) calls.

The companys officials say the company has been continuously spreading awareness on the pandemic from March 3 as soon as it received a request from the Ministry of Health through the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, the sectors regulatory agency. By April 23, Ncell has sent over 45 million SMSes, 20 million OBD calls, and changed its ring back tone in line with the governments messages.

In collaboration with the governments Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre (CDMC), both Ncell and NT launched a self-assessment survey, through USSD code *17100# or IVR 17100 (for Ncell subscribers) and *1419# (for NTC subscribers), in which the respondents can answer a number of queries related to symptoms of the disease.

According to Ncell, its subscribers, after answering a series of questions related to symptoms of the disease also receive instant messages with suitable health advice including details of government hotlines such as 1115, 1133, 9851255839, 9851255837, 9851255834, and Ncell hotline number 9801575005. Ncell launched its hotline service in collaboration with a health service-providing company called Health at Home, in which one can consult doctors over the telephone for free.

Besides operating such hotlines, the government has not made any investment in such systems, according to Joshi of the NHEICC.

Assessing effectiveness

Though the companies are excited about sharing information on their initiatives, how effective these services have been to control the spread of the coronavirus is one of the prominent queries as of now.

In response to this query, Joshi of the NT answers, We are receiving a lot of positive feedback from our users. We believe it is necessary to keep reminding people about the symptoms and preventive measures repeatedly so that they will follow them seriously.

Likewise, Shrestha of Viamo shares, Our efforts are mainly focused on the people of rural areas. Though we have not carried out any official survey about how effective this service has been to spread awareness about the coronavirus, we are hopeful that it has been effective to a certain extent.

Similarly, according to Ncell, amongst all services, the OBD has been most persuasive to make people aware of the Covid-19.
Major US airlines have asked the US for permission to suspend flights to two dozen airports as demand for travel plummets during the coronavirus pandemic.

Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways Corp and Spirit Airlines sought permission from the U.S. Transportation Department to stop the flights as the industry continues to be one of the hardest hit by the crisis.

Airlines and airports are struggling to stay afloat as passenger traffic virtually grinds to a standstill, having plummeted by more than 95 per cent from a year ago.

JetBlue said it 'fully intends to gradually resume service' at the airports when 'it is both safe to do so and when even the slightest customer demand re-emerges' (file photo)

The airport destinations where JetBlue wants to suspend flights Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport Denver International Airport Detroit Metro Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport McCarran International Airport Minneapolis  St. Paul International Airport Nashville International Airport Philadelphia International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Portland International Airport San Diego International Airport Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tampa International Airport  Lansing (in Michigan) Advertisement

JetBlue,a low-budget airline and the sixth-largest in the US wants to halt flights to 16 U.S. airports, including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit until September 30.

In its filing the airline said it wanted to 'proactively respond to the near-zero demand for air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting national economic crisis', Bloomberg reported.

Earlier this month the airline said it expects to receive around $935.8 million in grants and loans through the federal coronavirus relief package.

JetBlue also said it 'fully intends to gradually resume service to the levels prescribed (by the Transportation Department) at each of these airports as soon as it is both safe to do so and when even the slightest customer demand re-emerges'.

Beginning May 4 JetBlue will also require all passengers aboard the airline's flights to wear facemasks, the first in the U.S. to mandate the precaution as an official rule to fly.

Delta, a legacy carrier in the US, wants to suspend flights to nine airports that would include Lansing, Flint and Grand Rapids in Michigan, and Worcester in Massachusetts, Hilton Head in South Carolina, Pocatello in Idaho, Brunswick in Georgia, and Melbourne in Florida.

Delta says between April 1-April 22, between one and 14 passengers flew daily on the airline's planes each way from those eight airports. The airline argues passengers can other use nearby airports.

At least 24 airports could see JetBlue and Delta suspend fights

In its request Delta said it wanted to minimize the number of employees who could be exposed to the virus through the suspensions, Bloomberg reported.

The airline normally operates over 5,400 flights daily to 325 destinations in 52 countries.

The International Air Transport Association has previously estimated that airlines globally will lose at least $314 billion because of the outbreak.

In mid-April the Trump administration reached an agreement with major airlines - including JetBlue and Delta - over the terms of a $25 billion bailout to support the industry, the New York Times reported. Further details on the bailout have yet to be released.

At the time Trump said: 'This agreement will fully support airline industry workers, preserve the vital role airlines play in our economy and protect taxpayers.

'Our airlines now are in good shape and they will get over a very tough period of time that was not caused by them.'

Delta has said passengers can use other nearby airports in lieu of those they want to suspend flights to and from (file photo)

Last month the regional Trans States Airlines ceased all operations on April 1, months earlier than its planned closure at the end of 2020. In a memo to staff the company CEO said the early closure was due to the 'unforeseen impact of the coronavirus'.

Compass Airlines, another regional carrier, also collapsed earlier this month.

The airport destinations where Delta wants to suspend flights Lansing,Flint and Kalamazoo in Michigan Worcester in Massachusetts Hilton Head in South Carolina Pocatello in Idaho Brunswick in Georgia Melbourne in Florida Advertisement

Others are making similar flight suspension requests.

Spirit Airlines Inc has also asked the department for approval to suspend flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Portland and Phoenix.

They argue that requiring the flights 'during a period of almost zero demand is against the public interest as it wastes scarce financial resources while adding virtually nothing'.

The airlines must maintain minimum service levels in exchange for getting cash grants from the U.S. Treasury to help with payroll costs, unless the department issues a waiver.

Earlier this month, the department rejected most of Spirit's requests to halt flights and said Spirit had to resume flights to the New York City area and to other tri-state airports after it suspended services to all New York, New Jersey and Connecticut airports.

The department also told JetBlue it had to keep flying to nine destinations, including Portland, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis.

United had sought to suspend flights to more than a dozen airports including Santa Fe, New Mexico, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Frontier asked approval to suspend service to 33 U.S. airports through June 10.

On Monday, the department said it had rejected most requests by United Airlines and Frontier Airlines to suspend some flights. It approved just three Frontier requests for service to Detroit, Charlotte and the Boston area.

United and Frontier declined to comment.
Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli departs the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, August 3, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

They said that if Shkreli developed a cure, there was a risk of him "concealing his work or declining to provide such a cure to others unless he were paid an exorbitant sum."

"Even if Shkreli were somehow able to develop a potential cure, there is no evidence that he would in fact use it to 'contribute to the betterment of society,' as he claims rather than to enrich himself to the maximum extent possible," prosecutors wrote, citing the Probation report, in their filing in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York.

And prosecutors scoffed at the idea that the 37-year-old was motivated by altruism, as opposed to lust for more money, in his desire to be free to pursue that work.

"As Probation observed, Shkreli's 'belief that he can develop a cure for COVID-19, something that has so far eluded the best medical and scientific minds in the world working around the clock, is not only a practice in wild and completely unfounded speculation, but is indicative of the same kind of delusional self-aggrandizing behavior that underlies the defendant's conduct in the commission of the'" crimes that landed him in prison, prosecutors wrote.

Those prosecutors poured scorn on Shkreli in a court filing that questioned whether he even has the scientific skills needed to develop a possible Covid-19 treatment if he were to be sprung to serve the remaining 40 months or so of his seven-year prison sentence.

And they warned that there is good reason to believe that "Shkreli cannot be trusted" to comply with conditions imposed on him if he were to be released  including ones designed to prevent him from taking advantage of the coronovirus pandemic to commit more fraud.

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday called notorious pharmaceutical industry fraudster Martin Shkreli "delusional" and greedy as they opposed his bid to win early release from prison to both avoid catching the coronavirus  and to work on a potential cure for it.

"As the evidence at trial demonstrated, Shkreli's involvement in the search for cures to diseases was primarily motivated by the potential to make tremendous profits," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacquelyn Kasulis and Alixandra Smith, who prosecuted him at his 2017 trial.

Prosecutors noted the fact that Shkreli had raised the price of the parasitic infection drug Daraprim by more than 5,000% in 2015, an act that won him national infamy.

The filing came in response to a request by Shkreli last week to Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to grant him "compassionate release" to allow him to serve the remaining time of his sentence for securities fraud in home confinement with his unidentified fiance in Manhattan.

Shkreli's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, when asked for comment about the prosecutors' new filing, wrote in an email, 'Was hoping for a more compassionate response." Brafman noted that he has "often said that left alone in a lab, he could find a cure for cancer."

Three "months in a lab under strict conditions to try and find a cure for Covid 19, seems like a no brainer," the lawyer added.

Brafman and other lawyers said in their filing last week that Shkreli, now locked up in a low-security federal prison in Pennsylvania, has a "susceptibility to infection [from the coronavirus] due to allergies and asthma."

Defense lawyers said that Shkreli "has been conducting significant research into developing molecules to inhibit the coronavirus RdRP protein and he would continue to do so if released," the court filing said.

Shkreli, "since learning of this fatal disease" has spent "countless hours" researching possible treatments, according to the filing. "One company is prepared to begin working on clinical trials of Mr. Shkreli's work within weeks," defense lawyers wrote.

But federal prosecutors in their own filing said that Matsumoto should not even consider Shkreli's request now because he has not exhausted his administrative remedies to the federal Bureau of Prisons' denial of his application for early release. Shkreli's appeal of that denial is still pending.

Prosecutors also said Shkreli is healthy, with no documented underlying medical conditions, and is in a facility that has no cases of the coronavirus among either inmates or staff.

Their filing said Shkreli's own request last week belies the need to release him so that he can continue his research into a coronavirus treatment.

Even if Matsumoto is willing to consider his bid for release, prosecutors wrote that "he offers no authority for the Court to conclude that such an alleged plan is a basis for release, or how it distinguishes him from any other defendant who claims that society would be better off if he were released because he will purportedly devote himself to its betterment."

"Shkreli has no formal scientific training and no experience working [in] a laboratory setting, and he does not explain why he cannot continue to develop and discuss any ideas he may have about COVID-19 from prison, as he has," prosecutors wrote.

And prosecutors noted his lack of shame in raising the price of Daraprim, which is often used to treat pregnant women, babies and people with HIV, from $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill.

"In December 2015, at the Forbes Healthcare Summit, Shkreli was asked about whether he would have done anything differently in relation to the Daraprim drug increase after he received significant negative publicity, and he replied, 'I probably would have raised the price higher is probably what I would have done.'"

"There is no evidence that Shkreli has changed in this, or any other, respect," prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors, citing the Probation report, said that Shkreli "has committed several disciplinary violations" since being locked up after his conviction in mid-2017.

Those violations include being absent from an assignment in prison, refusing a work or program assignment, sending mail to another inmate via a third party without authorization, and soliciting funds via mail and a phone call that was funneled to another inmate, according to prosecutors.

"Shkreli continues to believe that the rules do not apply to him," prosecutors wrote.

"Reducing Shkreli's sentence to less than half of what he was sentenced to serve would not in any event be warranted, but is particularly inappropriate light of this misconduct."

And, prosecutors warned that "this misconduct strongly suggests that Shkreli cannot be trusted to follow any conditions of supervised release, including any that might be imposed to mitigate the risk of him not taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to commit additional fraud."

Shkreli was convicted at trial in Brooklyn federal court of securities fraud and conspiracy.

Prosecutors during the case introduced evidence that he had repeatedly lied to investors about the financial performance of two hedge funds that he ran, and then used money invested in those funds, without the knowledge of his investors, to help start his first pharmaceuticals company, Retrophin.

Shkreli's efforts to overturn his conviction on appeal have been exhausted.
U.S. President Donald Trump revealed his administration is conducting "serious investigations" into the Chinese government's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak that swept across the globe. He also said the U.S. government would seek damages from China.

At the Monday briefing, Trump said there are numerous ways to hold China accountable for the spread of the pandemic. He also said he believes the virus could have been stopped when it was first reported in Wuhan in December 2019.

"It wouldn't have spread all over the world," he claimed.

Trump announced his administration is looking into seeking damages. He said they are thinking of asking for more money than what Germany is asking for.

According to a German newspaper editorial, the European country is seeking $165 billion in damages. The country joined the ranks of the U.K. and France in blaming the Chinese government for withholding vital information that could have prevented the deaths of over 218,000 people globally.



Fake Kits



Peter Navarro, the White House trade adviser, also accused the Chinese government of sending counterfeit COVID-19 antibody test kits. He also claimed Beijing is taking advantage of the pandemic to profit from "fake tests."

The allegation comes after a series of controversial shipments made its way into the U.S. China introduced strict guidelines last month to address the issue. The administration should approve all medical equipment and testing before they can be exported.

Local suppliers voiced out their concerns after facing a hard time getting the domestic license required. The Chinese government loosened the requirements. Medical products now only need to meet the importing country's standards.



Political Game



Geng Shuang, the spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said the U.S. government is "lying through their teeth." He advised the country to "mind its own business" as the war of words between the two economic powerhouses escalated. He said American officials should instead focus their attention on controlling the coronavirus pandemic instead of playing tricks or deflecting the blame.

China's ambassador to Australia also warned that the government's attitude towards China would lead to a reduction of economic cooperation with the country. He cautioned that independent international inquiry could lead to a Chinese boycott of Australian products and fewer Chinese exchange students and tourists.



'Ruptured Heart'

A recent autopsy result of the first known COVID-19 death in the country revealed the victim died from a ruptured heart.

Patricia Dowd died in her home at San Jose, California, on February 6, after reportedly experiencing flu-like symptoms associated with the new coronavirus. An investigation into her death revealed she was infected with COVID-19---two weeks earlier than the first officially reported case.

The report showed the virus spread to the 57-year-old's heart muscle, causing a valve to rupture. According to a forensic pathologist, her immune system was attacking the virus, and in turn, damaging the heart until it burst.

Heart ruptures typically occur in people with high cholesterol levels or heart defects. However, Dowd's heart was reasonable both in size and weight. She exercised regularly before she fell sick.

Previous studies made in China have noted a connection between the coronavirus and the heart. A small study found more than 1 in every 5 COVID-19 patients develop heart damage.



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UTICA, N.Y.  The Mohawk Valley COVID-19 Response Fund has raised $628,000 since it was established in March  but requests for assistance are now topping $1.2 million.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties launched the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area launched the fund to help local nonprofit organizations struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the impact of the pandemic increases, our combined efforts are helping local nonprofits meet vital needs for those feeling the widespread strain of this public health crisis, said Erin Gutierrez Matt, CEO of United Way VGU. Many donorsindividuals, businesses and organizationshave stepped up to help, but its clear that the needs of our nonprofit partners are growing.

Newly awarded grants are going to: ACR Health; Compassion Coalition; Presbyterian Homes Foundation; The Community at Sunset Wood, The Salvation Army in Herkimer County, Rome and Utica; and Valley Health Services.

Last month, more than $150,000 was distributed to local nonprofits, including Mohawk Valley Health System and Rome Memorial Hospital.

The Community Foundations executive vice president, John Swann, has been diagnosed with coronavirus, and CEO Alicia Dicks says this has made the pandemic hit home for the Foundation.

As weve heard from early on, this virus can strike anyonea coworker, friend, family member, neighborand the bottom line is that our entire community is feeling the impact, said Alicia Dicks, Community Foundation president/CEO. Johns illness brought the reality of this crisis to a new level for many at The Community Foundation as we witnessed someone near and dear to us experience the ups and downs of this debilitating virus. Im happy to report that his condition continues to improve, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Dicks says the diagnosis came weeks after the Foundation offices were closed on March 16, so no employees or visitors were exposed to the virus.

To donate to the Mohawk Valley COVID-19 Response Fund, visit: mvcovidfund.com.
Scientists at New York Citys health department have begun to analyze the novel coronaviruss genetic material to allow them to trace the origins of any future outbreaks in the coming months as they cautiously look to reopen the largely shuttered city.

Their work joins similar efforts at scores of institutions around the world, which have been sequencing the genomes of virus samples and pooling their findings in an online global database, allowing researchers to observe subtle differences between samples to track the outbreaks spread.

Dr Oxiris Barbot, the citys health commissioner, told Reuters during a tour this week of the Public Health Laboratory in Manhattan that genome sequencing could help blunt any second wave of infections later in the year.

We can use that fingerprint information to understand if those additional infections are due to infections that were still here in the city or if theyve been imported from someplace else, she said in an interview, wearing a floral-patterned cloth mask over her nose and mouth.

On the laboratorys ninth floor, scientists in blue protective gear and face shields are working on the sequencing in cramped rooms, the doors to which are plastered with hazard warnings and rules on safety precautions.

Colleagues on other floors run diagnostic tests for COVID-19, the potentially lethal respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, on samples sent over from city hospitals without their own testing facilities.

Showerheads are embedded in the ceilings of the buildings drab corridors and can be activated with the yank of a cord if a worker fears they have been contaminated by whatever they are studying.

The genome of the novel coronavirus consists of a single, short strand of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, a distinctive sequence of genetic base molecules, sometimes described by letters, that the virus uses to hijack its hosts cellular machinery and make copies of itself.

Only four different kinds of letters make up a string of RNA, referred to by geneticists as c, u, a and g. The novel coronavirus genome is about 30,000 letters long, tiny compared with the 3 billion letters that make up the DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, of the human genome.

As the virus replicates itself inside its host, it can make tiny transcription errors, altering its genetic signature. These mutations, which can be passed along in subsequent infections, can be detected in samples taken from patients to create a sort of genetic family tree.

Across First Avenue from the Public Health Laboratory, scientists at New York Universitys Grossman School of Medicine who sequenced samples of the virus deduced that the variant of the virus dominating in New York City - the heart of one the deadliest outbreaks in the world - arrived via Europe.

Its sort of like doing detective work, Adriana Heguy, one of the New York University researchers, said in an interview.

She has been sharing her results with colleagues around the world via the Germany-based GISAID database, which was created to track the ebb and flow of influenza viruses. You can find your chain of transmission by doing this, she said.

Health officials can use this knowledge to determine which measures are more effective than others and where their points of vulnerability may lie.

While most mutations are trivial and do not affect the viruss behavior, Heguy and other researchers are also working to amass enough samples to see if there are any clinical differences seen in different variants of the virus, and their work may help design a vaccine that offers the broadest possible protection.
Black holes aren't stationary in space; in fact, they can be quite active in their movements. But because they are completely dark and can't be observed directly, they're not easy to study. Scientists have finally figured out the precise timing of a complicated dance between two enormous black holes, revealing hidden details about the physical characteristics of these mysterious cosmic objects.

The OJ 287 galaxy hosts one of the largest black holes ever found, with over 18 billion times the mass of our Sun. Orbiting this behemoth is another black hole with about 150 million times the Sun's mass. Twice every 12 years, the smaller black hole crashes through the enormous disk of gas surrounding its larger companion, creating a flash of light brighter than a trillion stars -- brighter, even, than the entire Milky Way galaxy. The light takes 3.5 billion years to reach Earth.

But the smaller black hole's orbit is oblong, not circular, and it's irregular: It shifts position with each loop around the bigger black hole and is tilted relative to the disk of gas. When the smaller black hole crashes through the disk, it creates two expanding bubbles of hot gas that move away from the disk in opposite directions, and in less than 48 hours the system appears to quadruple in brightness.

Because of the irregular orbit, the black hole collides with the disk at different times during each 12-year orbit. Sometimes the flares appear as little as one year apart; other times, as much as 10 years apart. Attempts to model the orbit and predict when the flares would occur took decades, but in 2010, scientists created a model that could predict their occurrence to within about one to three weeks. They demonstrated that their model was correct by predicting the appearance of a flare in December 2015 to within three weeks.

Then, in 2018, a group of scientists led by Lankeswar Dey, a graduate student at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India, published a paper with an even more detailed model they claimed would be able to predict the timing of future flares to within four hours. In a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, those scientists report that their accurate prediction of a flare that occurred on July 31, 2019, confirms the model is correct.

The observation of that flare almost didn't happen. Because OJ 287 was on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, out of view of all telescopes on the ground and in Earth orbit, the black hole wouldn't come back into view of those telescopes until early September, long after the flare had faded. But the system was within view of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which the agency retired in January 2020.

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After 16 years of operations, the spacecraft's orbit had placed it 158 million miles (254 million kilometers) from Earth, or more than 600 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. From this vantage point, Spitzer could observe the system from July 31 (the same day the flare was expected to appear) to early September, when OJ 287 would become observable to telescopes on Earth.

"When I first checked the visibility of OJ 287, I was shocked to find that it became visible to Spitzer right on the day when the next flare was predicted to occur," said Seppo Laine, an associate staff scientist at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California, who oversaw Spitzer's observations of the system. "It was extremely fortunate that we would be able to capture the peak of this flare with Spitzer, because no other human-made instruments were capable of achieving this feat at that specific point in time."

Ripples in Space

Scientists regularly model the orbits of small objects in our solar system, like a comet looping around the Sun, taking into account the factors that will most significantly influence their motion. For that comet, the Sun's gravity is usually the dominant force, but the gravitational pull of nearby planets can change its path, too.

Determining the motion of two enormous black holes is much more complex. Scientists must account for factors that might not noticeably impact smaller objects; chief among them are something called gravitational waves. Einstein's theory of general relativity describes gravity as the warping of space by an object's mass. When an object moves through space, the distortions turn into waves. Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916, but they weren't observed directly until 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).

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The larger an object's mass, the larger and more energetic the gravitational waves it creates. In the OJ 287 system, scientists expect the gravitational waves to be so large that they can carry enough energy away from the system to measurably alter the smaller black hole's orbit -- and therefore timing of the flares.

While previous studies of OJ 287 have accounted for gravitational waves, the 2018 model is the most detailed yet. By incorporating information gathered from LIGO's detections of gravitational waves, it refines the window in which a flare is expected to occur to just 1 1/2 days.

To further refine the prediction of the flares to just four hours, the scientists folded in details about the larger black hole's physical characteristics. Specifically, the new model incorporates something called the "no-hair" theorem of black holes.

Published in the 1960s by a group of physicists that included Stephen Hawking, the theorem makes a prediction about the nature of black hole "surfaces." While black holes don't have true surfaces, scientists know there is a boundary around them beyond which nothing -- not even light -- can escape. Some ideas posit that the outer edge, called the event horizon, could be bumpy or irregular, but the no-hair theorem posits that the "surface" has no such features, not even hair (the theorem's name was a joke).

In other words, if one were to cut the black hole down the middle along its rotational axis, the surface would be symmetric. (The Earth's rotational axis is almost perfectly aligned with its North and South Poles. If you cut the planet in half along that axis and compared the two halves, you would find that our planet is mostly symmetric, though features like oceans and mountains create some small variations between the halves.)

Finding Symmetry

In the 1970s, Caltech professor emeritus Kip Thorne described how this scenario -- a satellite orbiting a massive black hole -- could potentially reveal whether the black hole's surface was smooth or bumpy. By correctly anticipating the smaller black hole's orbit with such precision, the new model supports the no-hair theorem, meaning our basic understanding of these incredibly strange cosmic objects is correct. The OJ 287 system, in other words, supports the idea that black hole surfaces are symmetric along their rotational axes.

So how does the smoothness of the massive black hole's surface impact the timing of the smaller black hole's orbit? That orbit is determined mostly by the mass of the larger black hole. If it grew more massive or shed some of its heft, that would change the size of smaller black hole's orbit. But the distribution of mass matters as well. A massive bulge on one side of the larger black hole would distort the space around it differently than if the black hole were symmetric. That would then alter the smaller black hole's path as it orbits its companion and measurably change the timing of the black hole's collision with the disk on that particular orbit.

"It is important to black hole scientists that we prove or disprove the no-hair theorem. Without it, we cannot trust that black holes as envisaged by Hawking and others exist at all," said Mauri Valtonen, an astrophysicist at University of Turku in Finland and a coauthor on the paper.

Spitzer science data continues to be analyzed by the science community via the Spitzer data archive located at the Infrared Science Archive housed at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena. JPL managed Spitzer mission operations for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations were conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at IPAC at Caltech. Spacecraft operations were based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

For more information about Spitzer, visit:
The Central Intelligence Agency had issued at least 12 warnings to United States President Donald Trump about the spread of the coronavirus in China and its implications for the US; warnings which Trump ignored and subsequently the pandemic gripped the US.

Current and former US intelligence officials told The Washington Post that Trump, in the month of January and February, had repeatedly ignored warnings conveyed in issues of the US president's Daily Brief, a sensitive report that is produced before dawn each day and designed to call the president's attention to the most significant global developments and security threats.

For weeks, the PDB -- as the report is known -- traced the virus's spread around the globe, made clear that China was suppressing information about the contagion's transmissibility and lethal toll, and raised the prospect of dire political and economic consequences.

But, Trump continued to downplay the threat and skipped the reading of comprehensive articles on aspects of the global outbreak in the PDB's reference to the novel virus, according to the officials, who told the Post on condition of anonymity to discuss classified material.

The frequency with which the coronavirus was mentioned in the PDB has not been previously reported, and US officials were quoted as saying that the devlopment reflected a level of attention comparable to periods when analysts have been tracking active terrorism threats, overseas conflicts or other rapidly developing security issues.

The administration's first major step to arrest the spread of the virus came in late January, when Trump restricted travel between the United States and China, where the virus is believed to have originated late last year.

One official told the Post that by mid- to late January the coronavirus was being mentioned more frequently, either as one of the report's core articles or in what is known as an "executive update," and that it was almost certainly called to Trump's attention orally.

But Trump spent much of February publicly playing down the threat while his administration failed to mobilise for a major outbreak by securing supplies of protective equipment, developing an effective diagnostic test and preparing plans to quarantine large portions of the population, the official added.

On February 26, the US president insisted publicly that the number of cases "within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero," and said the next day that "it's like a miracle, it will disappear."

In reality, the virus was by then moving swiftly through communities across the United States, spreading virtually unchecked in New York City and other population centers until state governors began imposing sweeping lockdowns, requiring social distancing and all but closing huge sectors of the country's economy, the newspaper reported.

As late as March 10, Trump said: "Just stay calm. It will go away." The next day, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

By then, officials told the Post, the warnings in the PDB and other intelligence reports had started calling for immediate attention.

However, this was not the first case. Senior correspondents of The Washington Post, Greg Miller and Ellen Nakashima, further wrote in the report quoting senior officials with direct knowledge of Trump's intelligence briefings that the president has been dismissive toward US intelligence agencies throughout his tenure.

The intelligence officals told the newspaper that the president was busy contending with the Senate impeachment trial in January and focused more on other security issues, including tracking Iran's response to a January 3 US airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, in Baghdad -- than paying closer attention to the contagion threat which was about to clench the entire country.

In addition to intelligence reports, Trump's top health officials and advisers were also delivering warnings on the virus through January and February, though their messages at times appeared muddled and contradictory. But Trump, who was traveling in India in February, was outraged by what he regarded as the alarmist tone of remarks by Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and their perceived impact on the US stock market, the Post reported further.

US intelligence officials, citing scientific evidence, have largely dismissed the notion that the virus was deliberately genetically engineered. But they are continuing to examine whether the virus somehow escaped a virology lab in Wuhan, where research on naturally occurring coronaviruses has been conducted, the Post said.

The warnings conveyed in the PDB probably will be a focus of any future investigation of the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic outbreak, the report mentioned.
European Commission gives Poland two months to address concerns about controversial law introduced earlier this year.

The European Unions executive started a new legal case against the nationalist Polish government over what it said was the muzzling of judges in the blocs largest ex-communist country.

The EU has long accused the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party of undermining Polish democracy by increasing direct state control over the courts, media and civic society, a charge the party rejects.

The European Commission said on Wednesday it was giving Poland two months to address its concerns about a law introduced earlier this year that would allow judges who criticise the governments reforms of the judicial system to be punished.

There are clear risks that the provisions regarding the disciplinary regime against judges can be used for political control of the content of judicial decisions, said Vera Jourova, the Czech member of the executive commission which is responsible for upholding the EUs democratic values.

This is a European issue because Polish courts apply European law. Judges from other countries must trust that Polish judges act independently. This mutual trust is the foundation of our single market, she told a news conference.

Should Warsaw refuse to budge, the commission would sue it in the European Court of Justice, which could eventually lead to hefty fines as well as a court order telling the Polish government to change tack.

The case is one of multiple battles being waged between the EU and Poland over upholding the rule of law.

The commission has also recently criticised Warsaws decision to press ahead with a presidential election next month despite concerns over public health due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The PiS-led government is considering holding the election by postal ballot, saying this would ensure public safety, but opposition parties and pro-democracy groups say such a vote, held at such short notice, could not be fair or transparent.

We cannot compromise or put in lockdown our fundamental rights and values, Jourova said on Wednesday. The virus must not kill democracy.

Opposition parties and rights groups have urged a lengthy delay to the presidential election. If held on schedule, on May 10, opinion polls suggest incumbent Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, will win re-election.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reaffirmed on Wednesday the governments plan to hold the election on time, or with a small delay of a couple of weeks at most.
As you know, we are a donor state to the federal government, Pritzker said the other day. We pay more in federal taxes in Illinois than we get back from the federal government. The states who are being bailed out, year after year, are the states who take more out of the federal dole than they put in.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday asked the government to explain why it had taken the technical loan write-off route for fugitives like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya.

His remarks came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues.

She was responding to the opposition party's allegations of loan waiver worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs to the top 50 wilful defaulters till September 2019.

Chidambaram said one cannot deny the rule that banks can write-off loans technically and recoveries can continue against wilful defaulters, but why was the rule applied to fugitives, who fled the country, after committing frauds.

"One is not denying such a rule that can be applied to a wilful defaulter. But, we are asking these are fugitives and they have left the country and are absconding. Why are you applying this rule to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya," he said at press conference conducted through video conferencing.

The former finance minister said "when they are fugitives, the technical rule in the book should not be applied to them. That is my view".

"This rule can be applied to other categories of defaulters, but why is it being applied to fugitives," he asked. "Why does she take shelter behind the technical rule," he said hitting out at Sitharaman.

One can technically write off loans of defaulters, willful defaulters and willful defaulters who stay back and try to face an enquiry, but why do they have to apply that rule to a willful defaulter who has fled India and the government has declared him a fugitive, he said.

"Why does this rule apply to Nirav Modis, Vijaya Mallyas and Mehul Choksis? They have been declared fugitives. That's why we questioned the bonafides of this government," he said.

Asked whether these loans were recoverable, the Congress leader said he did not know whether they were recoverable or not as it would depend on whether these fugitives have assets in India or abroad.

"Those are questions which the government must answer," he said.

Attacking the finance minister, Chidambaram said, "Why was she silent for the last 37 days and has now suddenly sprung to life and sprung to the defence of these fugitives. Is it not a little surprising and ironic."



Earlier, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused Sitharaman of "misleading and mis-stating facts".

"To mislead or mistate facts while holding the august office of FM is most unfair @nsitharaman ji! You tweeted that ?2,780.50 cr have been recovered from Modi-Choksi-Mallya. On 16th March, 2020; Parliament was told that ED has recovered only ?96.93 CR in 5 yrs under PMLA-FEMA," he tweeted.

He attacked the government over the issue of bad loans, accusing it of weakening the entire banking architecture fiscally and imprudently in the name of cleaning the system.

" Mr @PrakashJavdekar & @nsitharaman ji, Listen to Sh @PChidambaram_IN ,take tuition & answer- Why did Modi govt waive off loans of defaulters & fugitives like Mehul Choksi+Nirav Modi (?8,048Cr), Jatin Mehta (?6,038 cr), Mallya (?1,943 cr) & others? Why defend the fugitives,"Surjewala tweeted.

The party was responding to Sitharaman's tweet on Tuesday night in which she accused the Congress and its leaders of "misleading" people on loan write-offs.

"Nirmala Sitharaman ji, cleaning the banks of people's money by writing off loans of absconders and fraudsters is not called 'cleaning the system'," Surjewala said in a tweet.

"It's called weakening the entire bank architecture fiscally and imprudently, if not maliciously," he said.

In a tweet, the finance minister had accused Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Surjewala of attempting to mislead people in a brazen manner. "Typical to Congress, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context," she had said.

Hitting back, Surjewala demanded answers from Sitharaman instead of "twisting facts".

"Simple answer that FM, Smt @nsitharaman needs to give instead of twisting facts-:Why has Modi govt written off bank loans worth 6,66,000 cr between 2014-15 & 2019-20? Is RBI's RTI reply dated 24th April, 2020 of bank loans write off of Rs 68,607 crore wrong or right," he asked.

"Why is Modi govt writing off bank loans of absconders & fraudsters like Nirav Modi+Mehul Choksi (Rs 8,048 CR), Jatin Mehta (Rs 6,038 cr), Mallya (Rs 1,943 cr) & others as per RBI's RTI reply of 24/4/2020?



"Who permitted such huge write offs of bank loans of defaulters and why," Surjewala asked the finance minister.

The RBI released a list of 50 top bank loan defaulters in the country in an RTI reply.

Sitharaman had also said "Congress and Rahul Gandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the Congress shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption and cronyism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump on April 28 said that he is considering ordering coronavirus tests for people arriving from outside of the country. Trump said that many people come from South America for business, particularly in Florida, which is a major destination for Latinos, so he will be discussing the issue with governors. When asked if the checks at the airports will be proper COVID-19 tests or just temperature checks, to which he replied 'both'. Donald Trump also discussed the issue at the White House with DeSantis, the governor of Florida.

Read: Donald Trump Abandoned His Media Briefings Over The Weekend Only To Come Back Subdued

The Trump administration had previously put travel bans on Europe and China as a preventive measure to block the spread of the disease. The United States on April 28 became the first country in the world to record a million confirmed coronavirus cases taking its tally to 10,35,765. The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that the cases and casualties are likely to rise in the coming weeks ahead.

Read: UNICEF Warns Against Other Health Crisis Amid Suspension Of Vaccination Programs

According to data by worldometer, the United States has recorded 59,266 deaths as of April 29. New York City is the hotspot in America where alone over 23,000 people have lost their lives in the last three months. New York has more casualties than all the other majorly affected countries except for Italy, Spain, and France. The United States has successfully treated 1,42,238 patients so far.

Read: UK Health Secretary Says Some Children Have Died From Syndrome Linked To COVID-19

Many countries across the globe have started to ease their lockdown restrictions, including Italy, Spain, and France. In the United States, people have been coming out on the streets in different parts of the country to demand the reopening of the economy. The protesters even got support from President Donald Trump, who took to his official Twitter handle and wrote that these states need to be liberated because the lockdown measures are too strict.

Read: Australia Slams China Over 'economic Coercion' Threat, Says It Made A 'principled Call'

Coronavirus outbreak

The virus outbreak that started in China's Wuhan city spread across continents in just one month forcing the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare it a pandemic. Health experts believe that the coronavirus originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. According to data by worldometer, over 3.1 million people have been infected by the disease globally, of which 2,18,000 have lost their lives.

(Image Credit: AP)
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Linkedin Arya Dipa, Bambang Muryanto and Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Bandung/Yogyakarta/Jambi  Wed, April 29 2020

Solidarity: A volunteer from Jogja Food Solidarity hands over a meal to a man in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday. The group gets the food supplies from a farmers association in neighboring Kulon Progo regency to help people badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)

A pickup truck full of vegetables  sweet cassava leaves, water spinach, eggplants, long beans, chilis and pumpkins  stopped at a public kitchen run by Sleman residents in Yogyakarta.

The cooks will send the ready-to-eat food to people who have lost their income during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as becak (pedicab) drivers and sex workers.

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The Prime Minister's fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth to the couple's first child together on Wednesday. A spokesman for the couple said both mother and baby are "doing very well".

Mr Johnson, 55, was present for the birth early today at a London NHS hospital but it was not clear when the couple went in.

Downing Street has now shared a picture of the Prime Minister smiling ear to ear as he arrived back from hospital.

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of their first child together

Earlier, their spokesman confirmed: "The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning.

"Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks with his partner Carrie Symonds as they arrive at The Midland, near the Manchester Central convention complex

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves with his partner Carrie Symonds after delivering his keynote speech to delegates on the final day of the annual Conservative Party conference at the Manchester Central convention complex

Carrie Symonds, girlfriend of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waits for his arrival with members of staff in Downing Street

Boris Johnson pictured with Carrie Symonds as he leaves the Conservative party Black and White Ball at Natural History Museum

Prime Minister Boris Johnson embracing his partner Carrie Symonds at the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's girlfriend Carrie Symonds waits for Boris to arrive at Number 10, Downing Street on July 24, 2019 in London

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with his partner Carrie Symonds, hosting a reception at 10 Downing Street to thank hospice staff for their hard work, dedication and compassion

Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds arrive at the Conservative Party Conference

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds leave after the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the stand at Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham between England and Wales

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the stand at Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham between England and Wales

Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits the hall with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds following his keynote speech on day four of the 2019 Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall

Carrie Symonds, partner of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waits for a National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph

Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds arrive at the Conservative Party Conference

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with partner Carrie Symonds and dog Dilyn at the count for the Uxbridge & Ruislip South constituency in the 2019 General Election

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds arrive at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London

Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits the hall with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds following his keynote speech on day four of the 2019 Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central

Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds wave from the steps of number 10 Downing Street

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds arrive at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds after delivering his speech during the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the stand at Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham between England and Wales

There was no immediate news of the babys name or weight.

It comes as the Queen sent a private message of good wishes to Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds to congratulate them on their baby boy.

The monarch and Prime Minister will speak on the telephone on Wednesday during their weekly audience.

The call is still scheduled to go ahead despite being due to take place just hours after the arrival of Mr Johnsons newborn.
At noon on 30 April 1980 I was walking across Hyde Park from my flat in Westbourne Terrace in Notting Hill towards the Iranian Embassy in Princes Gate in South Kensington. I was going there in pursuit of a visa to visit Iran that had been in revolutionary turmoil since the overthrow of the Shah the previous year and the return of Ayatollah Khomeini.

My mind must have been on other things, such as what I would say to the Iranian press attache to persuade him to grant me a visa, because I only slowly took on board that something out-of-the-ordinary was happening on the south side of the park: agitated people were running to and fro and the police were setting up a cordon. I asked one of the policemen if I could get through as I was on my way to the Iranian embassy, and he gave me a startled look. You dont want to do that, he said. Thats where all the trouble is.

Half an hour earlier six heavily armed men had burst into the Iranian embassy at 16 Princes Gate, taking it over, and seizing 26 hostages. These included Iranian diplomats and embassy staff, non-Iranian journalists interviewing diplomats or seeking visas, as well as an unlucky assortment of others such as a carpet dealer, a banker and a tourist. My feelings were a mix of disappointment that I had not arrived a bit earlier  and had a hostage-eyes view of the siege  and relief that I had escaped indefinite incarceration, possibly culminating in execution by the gunmen.
Healthcare workers around the world are struggling to cope with the wave of COVID-19 cases. Apparently, doctors believe that the current healthcare system has failed in the face of the ongoing pandemic and needs a drastic revamp. For now, these patients are receiving treatment at home to prevent overcrowding in hospitals.


Market Overview The market for UAE lubricants market is expected to grow at a CAGR less than 2% during the forecast period. The major factor driving the growth of the market studied is the expanding construction sector in the United Arab Emirates.

New York, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) LUBRICANTS MARKET - GROWTH, TRENDS, AND FORECAST (2020 - 2025)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865888/?utm_source=GNW

On the flipside, the high price of synthetic lubricants and increasing drain intervals are expected to hinder the growth of the market studied.



- Investments and government plans to support industrial growth in the country are likely to provide a major growth opportunity for the market studied during the forecast period.

- Automotive & Other Transportation segment dominated the market and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period.



Key Market Trends

Increasing Construction Activities to Drive the Demand in the Country



- The construction sector in the country has been expanding at a significant rate, since the past few years. The trend is expected to continue during the forecast period, primarily due to the increasing number of initiatives taken by the government to develop infrastructure and construction, as well as the improving investor confidence in the countrys economy.

- Dubai is expected to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the entire Middle East & African region, as the country is preparing to host the Dubai World Expo 2020.

- Additionally, the construction sector is expected to witness a considerable growth in Abu Dhabi. This growth is primarily owing to the implementation of grand ventures in the major cities of the United Arab Emirates.

- The domestic residential construction market is dominated by the United Arab Emirates two major cities, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE government announced its decision to bridge the gap between the supply and demand of housing units. The government has also allocated land in Al Quoz and Muhaisnah (Dubai) for the construction of affordable housing units.

- Such aforementioned factors are driving the demand for the market studied.



Engine Oil Segment to Dominate the Market



- Engine oils are widely used for lubricating internal combustion engines in different types of automobiles. They are generally composed of base oils and additives.

- The base stock is either made using petroleum, synthetic chemicals, or from a mixture of both. The base stock is responsible for lubricating the moving parts in the engine and for removing the excess built-up heat. Meanwhile, additives are added for controlling the oil viscosity and lubricity, as well as protecting the engine parts against wear and tear.

- Various types of additives that are added in engine oils include oxidation inhibitor additives, dispersant additives, detergent additives, anti-foaming additives, viscosity index modifiers, anti-wear additives, corrosion inhibitor additives, and anti-freeze additives.

- Some of the chief functions offered by engine oils are resistance against corrosion and wear and tear to ensure increased engine life and better performance; reduce friction; increase engine performance; reduce fuel consumption; remove impurities and achieve engine cleanliness; optimize engine efficiency; and prevent energy loss by providing optimum cooling.

- Due to the persistence of very high temperature in the United Arab Emirates, engine oils that are thick in nature are widely used. The usage of thin oils leads to the quick exhaustion of oils and engine damage.



Competitive Landscape

The market studied is consolidated among the top five players. The top companies have been utilizing competitive strategies and investments to retain and expand their shares. The key players include, Adnoc, ENOC Company, Total, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, and Exxon Mobil Corporation accounting for about 70% of the market studied.



Reasons to Purchase this report:

- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

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Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865888/?utm_source=GNW



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Even as the country eases lockdown restrictions a good portion of the working population in India will continue to work from home for at least a few more months. This, after the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has relaxed norms for facilitating work from home (WFH) for IT firms till July 30, 2020.

Previously the DoT had allowed information technology sector and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies to offer WFH for their employees due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent nationwide lockdown.

UNSPLASH

The announcement was made by Union Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday.

In response to IT Industrys request to facilitate WFH for OSPs, @DoT_India had relaxed terms & conditions for VPN till 30.4.20. After discussions with IT Ministers this relaxation in terms and conditions is extended till 31.7.20, Prasad said in a tweet.

Earlier, industry body the Nasscom had requested for an extension of WFH due to the prevailing situation.

Under the relaxed norms, OSP licenses issued to companies will be extended to July 31, instead of April 30. An OSP license is required for companies to provide VPN service for its employees.

UNSPLASH

Prasad also said that steps were being taken to strengthen the Bharat Net to provide better internet facilities as it could help extend digital education and health care services.

"Not just the IT sector, all states should give importance to developing startups and promoting research. The focus will be on providing effective e-governance and e-passes," he said.

Several states had requested an extension of WFH for a few months, some even by a year. As per reports, the companies can start operations with 50 percent of the workforce after July.

BCCL

But due to logistical reasons and the fear of COVID-19 spread most IT companies are likely to continue offering WFH to their employees. Most of the IT and BPO companies in India are concentrated in cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram which are also some of the biggest COVID-19 hotspots.



Karnataka IT Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said: The WFH option has nothing to do with our decision which now allows only minimal, essential staff. Well decide on increasing up to 50% after May 3.

BCCL

Post Covid-19, we want WFH to be made permanent. This will help address infrastructure concerns. Bengaluru stands to benefit with less traffic and dip in pollution. Even if theres a dip of 20-30% of IT professionals in offices, itll vastly help the city, he added.
Arizona police are now conducting a homicide investigation into a woman who claimed she gave her husband fish tank cleaner after President Trump claimed the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment for coronavirus.

Wanda Lenius told NBC News last month that she and her husband Gary consumed fish tank cleaner because it contained a chemical that Trump suggested might be an effective prophylactic and treatment for coronavirus. The cocktail, which contained four teaspoons of fish tank cleaner mixed with soda water, put Wanda in the ICU and killed Gary. My advice, Wanda explained, is dont believe anything that the President says and his people because they dont know what theyre talking about.

The Washington Free Beacon, which first reported that Wanda was a prolific Democratic donor and that she had a troubling relationship with her husband that included a previous domestic assault charge, revealed Tuesday night that Mesa City Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the death of Gary, and requested recordings of the Free Beacons interviews with Wanda.

As this is an active investigation, I cannot go into any details at this time regarding the case, homicide detective Teresa Van Galder told the Free Beacon. In an interview, Wanda Lenius told the outlet that her decision to drink the cleaner with her husband was a spur of the moment thing, and that they ingested one teaspoon and some soda each  at least four times the lethal limit.

The Beacon also reported that friends of the deceased man were skeptical that he would knowingly consume fish-tank cleaner.

What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man, a retired [mechanical] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and I really cant see the scenario where Gary would say, Yes, please, I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner,' one of his close friends told the Washington Free Beacon. It just doesnt make any sense.

Story continues

Whether hydroxychloroquine is an effective coronavirus treatment has not been clinically determined. Nevertheless, the drug has become a partisan issue. Last week, Michigan Democrats said that they would censure a state Democrat who met with Trump earlier this month to thank him, after she said her life was saved by a hydroxychloroquine treatment. But the FDA recently warned against the use of the drug to treat COVID-19, citing the risk of heart-rhythm problems, and hospital demand for the drug has declined.

More from National Review
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police Crime Branch has seized the mobile phone of Delhi University student and Delhi State President of All India Student Association (AISA) Kawalpreet Kaur for investigation in connection with the communal violence in North East Delhi.

Kaur has also been booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including UAPA for allegedly instigating the communal riots which claimed the lives of 53 persons and injuring more than 200 people.

The seizure memo given to her cites an FIR with a slew of charges including the draconian UAPA  a supposed anti-terror law that is basically an excuse to lock up students and activists who are critical of the government  without trial, without bail  and throw away the key, said AISA.

Around six other students of Jamia Millia Islamia have also been arrested and booked under UAPA for instigating communal violence in Delhi by organising anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests in the Northeast district and other parts of Delhi and giving instigatory speeches.
ALONE, the organisation which supports older people, has voiced its concern regarding the impact of cocooning measures on older peoples mental health.

In the past ten days, 62% of practical support requests made to ALONEs national Covid-19 helpline were in relation to social isolation and loneliness. The organisation has renewed its calls for a national strategy on loneliness in order to tackle the issue on a long-term basis, both during the pandemic and after it has subsided.

As the weeks go by, ALONE has noted that older people using their helpline are becoming increasingly distressed by the impact of cocooning. ALONE has also seen a huge increase in the number of calls they are receiving in relation to suicidal ideation, increasing from 2-3 calls per week, to 3-4 calls per day. Many callers will already be in touch with mental health services or where this is not the case, ALONE will link them in.

ALONE has hugely expanded their services since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Ireland to meet the needs of older people nationwide, and is running a national helpline for older people in collaboration with the Department of Health, the HSE, and Local Authorities. Since it launched in March, ALONEs national helpline for older people has received over 16,000 calls. In addition to this, ALONE staff and volunteers have made 46,808 calls to older people who needed support. More than 70% of the older people who called the ALONE helpline in the last week are living alone.

ALONE CEO Sean Moynihan stated We are encouraging any older person who is struggling with their mental wellbeing at this time to get in touch with us and other support services. For many, these difficulties are directly linked to the impact of COVID-19 and cocooning. Loneliness is a common issue, and long term we need a strategy to combat loneliness across all age groups. Support is available to help to manage and overcome these difficulties.

We welcome Minister Harriss announcement of an additional 1.1 million investment into online mental health supports, which will help organisations to further assist older people who are struggling with their mental health during these unprecedented times.

The organisation has recently teamed up with Gavin James and Bonfire Dublin to release a video campaign featuring Gavin Jamess song Nervous. The Now more than ever campaign consists of a series of short videos focusing on loneliness, which call on members of the public to stay in touch with the older people they know who may be feeling lonely whilst cocooning. All six videos are available to watch HERE.

Moynihan continued, We know that loneliness can have significant health impacts on our mental health, so we are asking members of the public to keep in touch with the older people in their lives during what is a very difficult time for many. For some of the older people that we are currently working with, loneliness is a new and temporary issue which will pass. Unfortunately, for others, it is an ongoing situation.

"ALONE are determined to ensure that every older person receives the supports they need to live their best life. If someone calls or is referred to ALONE, we can arrange to contact the individual as often as is needed, and this service will continue after the current crisis. Our volunteers are continuing to provide telephone support to those who need it, and are making regular phone calls for reassurance and social support.

Research by The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) last year showed that loneliness has a negative impact on mental and physical health, and that loneliness is most prevalent among over-75s and those living alone. The study also showed that one-third of those aged 50 and older felt lonely at least some of the time.

ALONE is encouraging older people who need advice or support to call their support line, 0818 222 024 from 8am-8pm, seven days a week. The support line, which is running in collaboration with the Department of Health and the HSE, is available to all older people including those who have not used ALONEs services previously. The support line is designed to complement the clinical advice and information being provided by the HSE through its website and helpline.

Contact ALONE on 0818 222 024 if you have concerns about your own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person you know. Further information can be found on www.alone.ie.
Makovicka earns masters degree

Amber Makovicka, CHS graduate and winner of the SMART Scholarship from the Department of Defense, will graduate from UNO with a Master's Degree in Cyber Security on May 8. She graduated from CHS in 2013, CCC-Columbus in 2015, and received her bachelors degree from UNO in 2019. She is the daughter of George and Cynthia Makovicka of Columbus.

She will begin her career with the DOD this summer.

Gottschall named to Nebraska All-State Academic Team

GRAND ISLAND -- Four Central Community College students have been named to the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Nebraska All-State Academic Team.

The all-state academic team is sponsored by PTK, an international honor society for two-year colleges, and the Nebraska Community College Association to honor students for academic achievement, leadership and community service.

The team includes Mallory Gotschall of Columbus. Gottschall graduated from the Columbus Campus in December 2019 with associate of science and associate of arts degrees. While at CCC, she was a member of the PTK Chi Sigma chapter and the National Society of Leadership and Success. She also served as secretary of the Judicial Board, earned NJCAA 1st Team All-Academic honors as a member of the volleyball team and was named to the Presidents Honor List. She is working toward an occupational therapy degree at the College of St. Mary in Omaha.

Area students graduate from Bryan

LINCOLN -- Bryan College of Health Sciences has announced the graduating class of May, 2020. Among the graduates are the following students from area communities: Columbus  Robin Heidtbrink, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice; Stromsburg  Brady Langemeier, BS-Adult Cardiac/Vascular Sonography Dual Major.

Cole honored at scholarship celebration

PELLA, Iowa -- Mackinzie Cole of Stromsburg was one of more than 700 students at Central College who would have been honored at the college's annual Scholarship Celebration on April 23. The event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Scholarship Celebration gives student scholarship recipients the opportunity to personally thank and share dinner with donors who help make their Central education possible. Cole received Orville & Ermina Dykstra Scholarship and Journey Scholarship.

CCC-Colubmus PTK chapter earns awards

GRAND ISLAND -- Members of Central Community Colleges Phi Theta Kappa chapters recently received PTK Kansas/Nebraska Region awards.

Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for students in two-year colleges.

Chi Sigma chapter at CCC-Columbus received a Five-Star Chapter Award in recognition of its engagement at the campus, regional and international Phi Theta Kappa levels and a second place in the College Project category, reflecting its placement in the top 25 percent of projects submitted in the category.

Chi Sigma advisers Staci Prellwitz and Kimberly Saum, both of Columbus, received the Horizon Adviser Award for making significant contributions to the chapter, including serving as its advocate on campus and encouraging members to be involved at all levels of Phi Theta Kappa.

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The series finale of Made In Chelsea gave fans a glimpse into what the stars of the show are up to in lockdown, with filming being cut short.

And for Emily Blackwell, the global pandemic has solidified her relationship with Harvey Armstrong, but left things unresolved with his ex, her pal Sophie 'Habbs' Habboo.

Emily and Harvey are now official, seemingly thriving in lockdown after Habbs and Miles Nazaire moved out of their London flat.

Lockdown official: The global pandemic has solidified Made In Chelsea star Emily Blackwell's relationship with Harvey Armstrong

Since the UK has been in lockdown, the couple have posted loved-up videos to Instagram looking cosy as they embark on forced-domestic bliss.

Elsewhere, Habbs is in lockdown with Jamie Laing, her current boyfriend.

She and Emily clashed during series 19 after Harvey - who was in a longterm relationship with Habbs years ago - began to show a romantic interest in Emily.

Emily was reluctant to take things forward with him, sure to speak to Habbs about it first. Yet Habbs stated in no uncertain terms that it would mean the end of their friendship.

In limbo: But this has left things unresolved with Harvey's ex, and Emily's pal Sophie 'Habbs' Habboo

Equally, Harvey tried to ask Habbs' 'permission' to ask Emily out, to which she reacted emotionally.

Things were still terse between the trio when we last saw them, with lockdown presumably driving a deeper wedge between them.

Emily told MailOnline a few weeks ago: 'This series Ive been the most involved than I ever have been. So there's a lot to come. It's been really good fun, I am really enjoying it.'

Going strong: Emily and Harvey are now official, seemingly thriving in lockdown

No! Harvey tried to ask Habbs' 'permission' to ask Emily out, to which she reacted emotionally

She admitted, however, that 'it's hard putting your life on TV' and added: 'As long as I stay true to myself, and make sure I am me, I'm okay.'

Habbs and Jamie appeared at the end of the MIC finale on Monday night to thank the NHS for all they're doing during the COVID-19 crisis.

Jamie was seen saying: 'We just wanted to take a second to thank all the amazing NHS worker and all the key workers who are risking their lives every single day and looking after us during this difficult time.

'You guys are without a doubt the true heroes in all of this!

Thriving: Since the UK has been in lockdown, the couple have posted loved-up videos to Instagram looking cosy as they embark on forced-domestic bliss

Habbs added: 'Weve had to finish this series a little bit early this year but well be back. We just wanted to say stay safe, stay inside and save lives!'

Due to the show being cut short, six special episodes will be shown, which see different cast members get together virtually each week to revisit a classic Made In Chelsea episode.

Starting weekly from Monday, the first episode will see Jamie, Alex Mytton and Sam Thompson get together online to revisit the episode where rumours of Alexs infidelity reach a distraught Binky Felstead, leading to a dramatic confrontation.

Isolating: Elsewhere, Habbs is in lockdown with Jamie Laing, her current boyfriend

Drama: Emily was reluctant to take things forward with him, sure to speak to Habbs about it first. Yet Habbs stated in no uncertain terms that it would mean the end of their friendship

Awks: Starting weekly from Monday, six special episodes will be shown; the first will see Alex Mytton watch back the time he cheated on a distraught Binky Felstead, leading to a dramatic confrontation

Meanwhile Sam, finally, thinks hes met the girl of his dreams in Christiana, until he introduces her to Spencer Matthews.

The episode was originally broadcast six years ago - and the special will see how Alex feels looking back at it.

Made In Chelsea airs on Mondays at 9PM on E4.
You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person.



Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else.
YEREVAN.  At that moment the police chief was at the scene of the shootingsnear the university, not at the hospital, and no one was killed at the medical center. Ashot Aharonyan, head of the public relations and information department of the Police of Armenia, wrote about this on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

"The operative-investigative groups of the Police are carrying out the necessary actions in connection with the incident that took place on April 28, at around 17:40 in Gavar [town], which resulted in two casualties and injured.

An investigation is being conducted within the framework of the initiated criminal case.

There are detainees, both with the shootings and the subsequent incidents," Aharonyan added, in particular.

In Vendetta Gavar. After breaking through the police barricade, they entered the hospital and cut the throats of two of the wounded

Vendetta in Armenia's Gavar, relatives of victim enter hospital and slit throats of wounded citizens
King told deputies he fired the gun while trying to see if the safety was on, and also allegedly admitted to drinking vodka at the time, according to the documents. Deputies said a juvenile was also in the truck.
(Newser)  Bernie Sanders is outragedand Andrew Yang is suing. The former Democratic presidential candidate is suing New York's Board of Elections in federal court, arguing that by removing all candidates other than Joe Biden from the ballot, thus effectively canceling its presidential primary, the state "denies voters due process and denies voters the right to vote." Yang, plus seven New Yorkers who filed to serve as his delegates to the Democratic National Convention, say in the suit that they met all the requirements to be on the ballot, did not ask to be removed, and thus should have been left on, per Politico.

story continues below

The lawsuit also notes that the move is "suppressing voter turnout as voters will have less incentive to vote if they cannot cast a vote for the highest office in the land, and thereby negatively impact challenger candidates" further down the ballot. The Hill notes Yang and Sanders had also hoped to gain delegates in the New York primary in order to have more influence at the convention; now all delegates will be awarded to Biden. (Read more Election 2020 stories.)
HANOI, April 29 -- Vietnams coffee exports in the first four months of the year likely rose 4.5% from a year earlier, while rice exports likely fell 7.9%, government data released on Wednesday showed.

Coffee

Coffee exports from Vietnam in January-April will likely reach 659,000 tonnes, equal to 10,983 bags of 60 kg each, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said.

Coffee export revenue for Vietnam, the worlds biggest producer of the robusta bean, will likely rise 2.2% to $1.11 billion in the four-month period.

The countrys coffee shipments in April are estimated at 170,000 tonnes, worth $280 million.

Rice

Rice exports in January-April are forecast to drop 7.9% from a year earlier to 1.9 million tonnes.

Revenue from rice exports is expected to increase 0.2% to $892 million.

April rice exports from Vietnam, the worlds third-largest shipper of the grain, likely totalled 400,000 tonnes, worth $191 million.

Energy

Vietnams January-April crude oil exports were seen rising 25.6% from the same period last year to an estimated 1.72 million tonnes.

Crude oil export revenue in the period is expected to rise 4.8% from a year earlier to $734 million.

Oil product imports in the first four months were estimated at 4.1 million tonnes, up 45.7% from the same period last year, while the value of oil product imports increased 34.5% to $1.77 billion.

The GSO trade data is subject to revision next month.
There is certain kind of mythical charm surrounding our silver screen actors. And then there are exceptions like the thinking, philosophical, simple and accessible Irrfan Khan.

The Hindi film industry actor breathed his last today leaving his fans in a teary-eyed disbelief. We know him for his powerful performances but personally, in whatever little engagements I have had with him, I know him as a thinking actor. I have not had long terms of relation or conversations with him but whatever little we spoke, revealed a meaningful and thoughtful side of him. He respected people for whatever work they did in this world.

It was 2011-12 that my interactions started with Irrfan Khan over Twitter. He sent me a DM (direct message) inquiring about some political relevance of tweets and their meaning. He wanted to understand the political tones and debated what was unfolding on social media. Thats how my engagement with him started  one DM at a time.

I met him for the special screening of his film Lunchbox. He invited me saying if I am free I should try to join him for the special show, and also gave his number to me, saying that I must message him on reaching Siri Fort auditorium.

I messaged him and I saw he was standing outside the door to welcome me for the screening of his film. Together we walked inside and I was introduced to other guests by him. The simplicity of the man touched me.

I could see that the way he conducted himself with other people, he acknowledged and respected others like me for whatever work they had done in their life. We sat together for the film and he was watching it like an audience member  he was just watching the movie, making light comments and laughing.

For those two and a half hours, I could see there was nothing mythical about this Khan. He was a man of such powerful performances but one cannot relate to him in some Bollywood-ish way.

After the movie he told me that he had read about my books but not read them and wanted me to send them to him. He was very keen to get the copy of my book on Bhagat Singh (Inquilab: Bhagat Singh on Religion and Revolution) and on Islam  (Jihad Or Ijtihad : Religious Orthodoxy And Modern Science In Contemporary Islam).

It was heartening to see that he wanted to read the stuff not directly related to his profession. He wanted to read for his own enrichment and learning. He told me that he wanted my book on Islam because lot of people asked him about his religion, and he wanted to know more to be able answer and know better. His interest in reading was out of craving to know more his interests were not just limited to films and expanded his tastes and discernment to other subjects also.

I think everything that he did as a person reflected in the kind of work he chose  he was choosy and didnt go for a movie for its commercial success but substance and meaning.

The directors he worked with are known for powerful cinema and he was the best one to perform the roles for their films. Other actors are also choosy but they would pick a film with commercial success, he worked differently and chose films for their subjects, themes. I have huge respect for his work in Paan Singh Tomar. He is from Rajasthan and with such effortlessness he spoke the language of Bundelkhand.

His work reflected his love for learning and life.

As told to Eram Agha
The Indian government has categorically rejected the claims made by the controversial United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its report that the central government allowed violence against minorities in the country.

Responding to the recent USCIRF report, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated that the government rejected the observations in the report. Referring to the comments against India as biased and tendentious Srivastava said that such comments against India are not new, but on this occasion its misrepresentation has reached new levels.

We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly, said MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

USCIRF Annual Report on religious freedom

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an advisory body to the US Congress, on Tuesday released its 2020 annual report, where it recommended that the Trump administration to classify India as a country of particular concern, along with other countries like Pakistan, North Korea, China and Saudi Arabia.

The USCIRF, claimed that India was engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious religious freedom violations. The report also stated that the national government allowed violence against minorities and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence.

The report recommended that the Trump administration should impose targeted sanctions on Indian government responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals assets and barring their entry into the United States under human rights-related financial and visa authorities, citing specific religious freedom violations.

It recommended that the US administration designate India as a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

Three dissenters within USCIRF

Three out of nine commissioners at the USCIRF have dissented against the commissions claim against India and have made separate qualifying notes to the report on India.

One of the USCIRF commissioners, Gary L. Bauer, said, I must dissent from the decision of my fellow Commissioners to recommend India, the worlds largest democracy, for designation as a country of particular concern, or CPC, placing India in a gallery of rogue nations in which it does not belong.

He added, The trend line on religious freedom in India is not reassuring. But India is not the equivalent of communist China, which wages war on all faiths; nor of North Korea, a prison masquerading as a country; nor of Iran, whose Islamic extremist leaders regularly threaten to unleash a second Holocaust. India is our ally.

USCIRFs prejudice against India

The controversial US body has always been at the forefront of the misinformation campaign against the country. Ever since Narendra Modi returned back to power in 2019, the USCIRF has been meddling into Indias internal affairs by indulging in one-sided motivated propaganda against the Modi government.

The US congressional body emerged into the scene following the abrogation of Article 370 in the country with its misleading statements and continued to do so even during the implementation of historic Citizenship Amendment Act. It is notable here that the USCIRF has a history of fanning baseless rumours and leftist propaganda against India. They had also ranted against Indias Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it a dangerous turn in the wrong direction.

Ironically, the USCIRF, which claims to be standing for religious freedom and rights, resorted to peddling false propaganda against Indian government on CAA, a law which was implemented to guarantee rights in the country by granting Indian citizenship.

The Indian government has time-and-again rejected the one-sided prejudiced observations made by the US body. India had earlier said the American body on international religious freedom has chosen to be guided only by its biases on a matter on which it has no locus standi.

The USCIRF is the commission that had recommended the denial of US visa to PM Modi when he was the CM of Gujarat. It had also threatened sanctions against Home Minister Amit Shah if the CAB was passed.

Fake news by USCIRF

Just weeks back, the self-proclaimed religious freedom body USCIRF, had indulged in a misinformation campaign by falsely claiming that coronavirus patients were being segregated on the basis of religious identity in an Ahmedabad hospital.

Citing a false propaganda report by Indian Express, the USCIRF had tweeted that it was concerned with reports of Hindu and Muslim patients separated into separate hospital wards in Gujarat.

However, responding to the misinformation campaign of the Indian Express, the Gujarat government had categorically denied the claims. The Health Department of Gujarat had also clarified that no segregation is being done in the Ahmedabad civil hospital on the basis of religion for coronavirus patients.
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 15:31:53

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / DIGATRADE FINANCIAL CORP (OTC PINK:DIGAF), www.DigatradeFinancial.com a financial technology services company, and its subsidiary Securter Systems Inc., provides today an update on COVID-19 matters and an update on the status of the filing of its annual financial statements and accompanying management's discussion and analysis, and related CEO and CFO certifications for the financial year ended December 31, 2019.The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented challenges to the global economy and stock markets. Digatrade's Board of Directors and Management are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health of its employees and best manage the short-term challenges to the business.On March 18, 2020, the Canadian Securities Administrators ("CSA") issued a notice stating that securities regulators will be providing coordinated relief consisting of a 45-day extension for certain periodic filings required to be made on or prior to June 1, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such the Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC") has enacted Ontario Instrument 51-502 Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements ("OSC 51-502"). Digatrade will be relying on this extension period due to delays experienced as result of the COVID-19 pandemic.In Canada; Digatrade will be relying on the temporary exemption pursuant to BCI 51-515 in respect to the following provisions:the requirement to file audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the "Annual Financial Statements") within 120 days of Digatrade's financial year end as required by section 4.2(b) of NI 51-102;the requirement to file interim financial statements for the 3-month period ended March 31, 2020 (the "Interim Financial Statements") within 60 days of Digatrade's first quarter as required by section 4.4(b) of NI 51-102the requirement to file management discussion and analysis (the "Annual MD&A") for the period covered by the Annual Financial Statements within 120 days of Digatrade's financial year end as required by section 5.1(2) of NI 51-102;the requirement to file management discussion and analysis (the "Interim MD&A") for the period covered by the Interim Financial Statements within 60 days of Digatrade's first quarter as required by section 5.1(2) of NI 51-102;the requirement to file certifications of the Annual Financial Statements (the "Certificates" and together with the Annual Financial Statements, the "Annual Filings") pursuant to section 4.1 of National Instrument 52-109.Section 4.2(b) [filing deadline for annual financial statements] National Instrument 51-102; andthe requirement to file certifications of the Interim Financial Statements (the "Certificates" and together with the Interim Financial Statements, the "Interim Filings") pursuant to section 5.1 of National Instrument 52-109. Section 4.2(b) [filing deadline for interim financial statements] National Instrument 51-102.Digatrade is continuing to work diligently and expeditiously with its auditors to file the Annual Filings and Interim Filings together on or before June 14, 2020. In the interim, management and other insiders of Digatrade are subject to a trading black-out policy as described, in principle, in section 9 of National Policy 11-207, Failure to File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions. Digatrade confirms that since the filing of its interim consolidated financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2019, there have been no material business developments other than those disclosed through news releases.Further information will be made available as it materializes.ABOUT DIGATRADEDIGATRADE is a Financial Technology "fintech" services company. Digatrade is developing various payment industry process improvements that are proprietary. They represent a next generation platform for security and convenience in a variety of modalities, including online credit card payment system, globally, through its new subsidiary; Securter Systems, Inc. Digatrade is targeting numerous fintech service licensing vehicles, also including blockchain derived applications. Digatrade Financial Corp. is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and publicly listed on the OTC.PK under the trading symbol DIGAF. DIGAF is a reporting issuer in the Province of British Columbia, Canada with the British Columbia Securities Commission "BCSC" and in the United States with the Securities Exchange Commission "SEC".ABOUT SECURTERSecurter Systems, Inc. is a subsidiary of Digatrade Financial Corp. that is developing proprietary, patent-pending credit card payment platform innovations to increase the security of online credit card payment processing, globally. Securter technology reduces immense losses by financial institutions and merchants that arise from fraudulent credit card use. Securter technology also protects cardholder privacy by eliminating the need to distribute credit card details to multiple commercial 3rd parties, where such information is ordinarily stored, becoming vulnerable to theft or manipulation. Securter technology can and will be integrated into complementary payment methods and fintech protocols, including cryptocurrency and other blockchain derivatives to come for independent platforms. Securter has internal R&D capability and management as well as external fintech business relationships to support Digatrade's overall business mission.CORPORATE CONTACT INFORMATION:Digatrade Financial Corp1500 West Georgia Street, 1300Vancouver, BC V6G 2Z6 CanadaTel: +1(604) 200-0071Fax: +1(604) 200-0072Investors@ Digatrade.com Forward-Looking InformationThis press release contains certain "forward-looking information". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or development that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assu
Joe Biden has won Ohio's presidential primary, which was conducted by mail, CBS News projects. As of 8:30 p.m. ET, Biden had picked up 74 of Ohio's 136 pledged delegates. The rest of the delegates will be awarded as more votes are counted. So far, Biden has won 72% of the vote  623,186 of the 860,347 ballots counted at this point, according to Ohio's secretary of state. Bernie Sanders won 17% support  he dropped his presidential bid in April, weeks after the primary was originally to take place.

Governor Mike DeWine delayed the primary, which had been scheduled for March 17, amid concerns about the coronavirus. Tuesday's results were a test of the ability of states to handle elections, including the upcoming general election. Several states have been trying to put together last-minute vote-by-mail primaries amid the coronavirus pandemic.

DeWine delayed the Ohio primary hours before polls were set to open on March 17, citing concerns about the spread of the virus. Voters were encouraged to instead vote by mail with a deadline of April 28. More ballots are still expected  those postmarked by April 27 must be received by May 8 to be counted. Voters were also allowed to drive to their county board of elections to their ballot in a secure drop box before 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

DeWine's announcement prompted legal challenges and some confusion when a judge initially denied his request to delay the primary. DeWine then said that polls would be closed due to a health emergency, with the order coming from the Ohio health director. The Ohio state legislature then passed legislation that extended the vote-by-mail deadline to April 28.

Election 2020 Ohio Primary

A Cuyahoga County Board of Elections worker drops a ballot in the box outside the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections during Ohio's primary on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, in Cleveland. Tony Dejak / AP

Some in-person voting on Tuesday was allowed, although only to individuals with disabilities or those without permanent mailing addresses. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Monday that over 1.9 million Ohioans had requested a vote-by-mail ballot, and over 1.4 million had already cast their vote.

Story continues

"In a matter of weeks, we've done something that's taken other states years to do  transform our state into one capable of voting entirely by mail," LaRose said in a statement.

At a press conference on Tuesday, LaRose said the U.S. Postal Service told him that the postal service was delivering 17,000 ballot envelopes to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, which is home to Cleveland, and 10,000 ballot envelopes to the Hamilton County Board of Elections, where Cincinnati is located.

"This is not what any of us had envisioned months ago for how we wanted to run this election. But Ohio's boards of elections, these bipartisan teams of very dedicated and patriotic individuals in all 88 counties, have risen to the occasion," LaRose said.

In Franklin County, where Columbus is, 725 people had voted in person as of 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, according to Board of Elections public information officer Aaron Sellers. Sellers told CBS News that the county Board of Elections received about 18,500 ballots at its secure dropbox and delivered from the post office, leaving around 25,000 ballots outstanding.

Several states have delayed their primaries or resorted to vote-by-mail due to concerns about the pandemic. New York on Monday canceled its primary altogether. Voting rights activists have also called for Congress to provide more funding for states to implement greater access to vote-by-mail.

Jack Turman contributed to this report.

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Boston, MA - TravelEZ has been selected as a MassChallenge 2020 Boston accelerator company. TravelEZ was one of over 1,100 other startups to apply for the accelerator located in Boston, with only 9% of applicants being admitted. As the flagship program, the MassChallenge Boston accelerator supports roughly 100 early-stage startups across industries and from regions around the world. Acceptance into the competitive program offers unmatched access to top experts, corporate partners, 
Thiruvananthapuram, April 29 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, here on Wednesday, said as of now 3,20,463 Keralites settled abroad had registered with Norka-Roots to return home, as and when the lockdown was lifted and the airports opened.

Of this, 2,23,624 were on labour/residence visa, 57,436 on visit visa, 29,219 on dependent visa, 7,276 students, 691 on transit visa and 11,327 others, he said.

"Of these, 56,114 have lost job, 58,823 on vacation travel, 41,236 whose visit visa have expired, and 23,975 whose visa have expired or cancelled," said Vijayan.

There are 9,561 children, 10,007 senior citizens, 9,515 pregnant, 2,448 students whose education have completed and 748 freed from jails among them. Also, there are 49,472 specialised workers, 67,136 professionals and 24,107 self-employed.

The Malappuram district has the highest number with 54,280 applicants, followed by Thrissur and Kozhikode with over 40,000. There are 23,014 from Thiruvananthapuram and 3,459 from the Idukki district.

The registration has to be done on www.norkaroots.org of the state-run Norka-Roots, the official body of diaspora.

The facility was opened by the Kerala government, after the Centre decided to accede to their requests.

Of an estimated 2.5 million non-resident Keralites, 90 per cent are in the Middle East countries. Around 3-500,000 are likely to return after the revival of air services.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday condoled the demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, describing him as one of the most exceptional actors.

The 54-year-old actor died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, losing his battle with a rare form of cancer.

"Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time.

"May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Irrfan, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, is survived by his wife Sutapa and sons Babil and Ayaan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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.
Panaji, April 29 : Off the roads since the lockdown started on March 22, Goa's motorcycle taxi riders, known as pilots, might end up switching passengers in favour of delivery packages on their pillion seat.

Suresh Thakur, president of the Goa Motor-Cycle Taxi Riders Association, told IANS, the body that represented over 1,700 pilots was in touch with the state government as well as a global app-based goods services delivery company for the switch-over, especially during the Covid-19 lockdown.

"This crisis is not going to ease soon. We have been off the roads since March 22. Pilots need to find a way to survive and we have to adapt to the delivery services module," Thakur said.

Thakur said the association was in negotiation with the app-based delivery firm for home delivery service using motorcycle pilots.

"We have written to the Transport Department as well as the Chief Minister Office urging them to allow us to work as delivery service partners. We are negotiating with the app firm as well," Thakur said.

In the interim, the association has sought financial relief for pilots from the state on the lines of the Rs 6,000 package given to out-of-work labourers, registered with the government.

When the relaxations were announced earlier this month, the state government, based on Union Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines, banned pillion riding on motorcycles, which by extension, also debars motorcycle pilots from bringing their bikes on roads for business.

According to Thakur, motorcycle taxi rides were formalised as a public transport service in the early 1970s. While individuals ferried passengers on motorcycles between two points even during the Portuguese era, during first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar's regime after state's liberation in 1961 it got legal recognition.

Typically, pilots astride their yellow and black painted motorcycles can be hailed in busy thoroughfare areas like markets, bus stations and ferry jetties and the unique service, which is cheaper than taxi and auto-rickshaw rides, is synonymous with Goa.
Tribals in the seven districts of Bastar region in Chhattisgarh have voluntarily adopted measures to implement lockdown in their villages, without much of the states intervention, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus

It has been over a month since tribals in Chhattisgarhs Bastar region, a Maoist hotbed, suspended their centuries-old ritual of rooster fights in villages to adhere to social distancing and avoid being infected by the novel coronavirus.

Rooster fights forms an integral part of the tribal life and culture, and never before, as far as the people in the Bastar region could remember, was this ritual ever suspended. But, by doing so, these self-driven tribals have set an example for the urban population on how to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain self-discipline during the nationwide lockdown.

Interestingly, when the administration and police are having a tough time restricting civilians in their homes and preventing them from gathering on streets, in several cities across India, including the metros, the tribals from the seven districts of Bastar region have voluntarily adopted the lockown measures within their villages, without much of the states intervention, to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

With a population of more than 30 lakh (as per Census 2011), not a single COVID-19 positive case has been found in the Bastar region yet.

The lockdown story of the tribals in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region is one of a self-driven initiative rooted in their traditional reverence for community values and their socio-cultural way of life. They pay utmost respect to nature, traditions, their value systems and totems, which in a way is a code of conduct for the tribal population of the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh. The region comprises more than 20 lakh people, accounting for 67 percent of the total population of Bastar region.

Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates

Rooster fights are a celebration, a ritual and a social sport, which tribals have been following for centuries. But this is probably for the first time that they have suspended it to avoid gathering of people at market places, Basant, a resident of Naxal-affected Dantewada district in Bastar region told Firstpost.

Even Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has commended the self-discipline shown by tribals in the rgion on Twitter.

Tribal population has shown extraordinary self discipline during this tough time. Probably for the first time in recent history they have stopped their favourite 'Murga Ladai' i.e. Rooster Fight. Salute to them.https://t.co/nuK3dsCIRJ  Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) April 22, 2020

Without much intervention of the state, the tribals in Bastar region have isolated themselves by fencing their villages with bamboos and tree branches placed on road sides and inside the jungles.

Handmade posters or placards have been hung at entry points preventing outsiders from entering their villages. Barricades have also been placed on rural roads connecting two villages.

Barring ambulance, health workers, Panchayat and public distribution system (PDS) workers for supplying rations, no one including vehicles, is allowed to enter these tribal villages.

Surprisingly, the Naxals who present themselves as big brothers and often exert authority over tribals, have maintained silence on the lockdown. Unlike their regular calls to tribals for an armed struggle against the State to protect Jal, Jungle, Zameen (Water, Forest, Land) and tribal rights, the banned outfit CPI (Maoist) has issued no instructions to Adivasis on hygiene, social distancing or isolating themselves for their safety.

Contrary to popular perception about the literacy and awareness level of the tribal population, the tribal villages in Bastar region seem better aware about cleanliness and rules related to isolation, quarantine and lockdown. Whatever guidelines they receive from the government, they implement it without questioning.

Many of the villagers, if not using masks, protect themselves by wrapping gamcha (native word for a towel) on their faces.

Initially, when we started getting news about COVID-19, we were worried about the tribals, but believe me they are more aware and wiser than us urbanites. The next day after the Janata curfew, my friend and I went on a round to Teknar village some 10 kilometres away from Dantewada town early morning. We were amazed when three villagers confronted us asking why we were roaming after prime ministers instruction to stay home, added Basant, whos a field staff in the Chhattisgarh government.

According to the locals and government officials, the strong community values within tribals and their past experiences make them self-disciplined and follow measures needed during an epidemic.

In the long past, there had been incidents of cholera and small pox epidemics, and Adivasis are aware of it through generations. So, while we create awareness among the tribal population on COVID-19, they get a warning signal that something big is happening and they need to protect themselves. This intuitive instinct helps in building a quarantined system in their society, deputy collector, Dantewada district, Lingraj Sidar told Firstpost.

Routine life takes a backseat

With the imposition of the nationwide lockdown, the daily routine of tribals has undergone a change. Theres no more going to haats (weekly village markets) for buying and selling of crops and vegetables and panchayat meetings. Visits to other villages have also been suspended, and theres no celebration of rituals and fairs.

Instead, they have isolated themselves within the boundaries of their villages. They go to forests to collect forest produce especially mahua or mahwah (Madhuca Longifolia), which is used for preparing local country liquor, and fishing. At home, many are busy in brewing liquor out of the mahua flower, as it forms an essential part of the tribal culture.

The government has allowed preparation and storage of mahua liquor up to five litres for each tribal household.

Besides preparing mahua liquor, at this time, were repairing our huts and fixing the overhead roof tiles. As we dont have much demand, the essential goods like rice, gram, salt, sugar or jaggery, etc, that we get from PDS are enough for us. Almost every household is involved in small poultry farming (chicken) and growing vegetables in the backyard, which is complemented by fishing. So, we dont need to step out of our villages, said Phoolchand, resident of Katulnar village at Geedam block of Dantewada district.

Moreover therere no haat, mela or mandai (village fair) to visit. Entry of outsiders into villages has been banned. So theres no interaction with the outside world. Now, our village is the world for us. Inside the village, men, women and children maintain social distancing whether during fetching water from hand pump or collecting our ration supply," added Somaru of Gadhiya village under Lohandiguda block in the Bastar district.

Govt steps in with advance ration

The Chhattisgarh government has supplied two months ration to tribals in advance. At many inaccessible villages, where theres no PDS outlet, door-step delivery has been ensured. Rice and salt are supplied for free.

In the wake of the lockdown, which led to shutdown of schools, the government has been providing midday meal ration (rice and pulses) for 40 days till 30 April by reaching out to the students at home or at a central place in the village.

Panchayat CEOs have instructed village sarpanchs (heads) and panchs (members) to prevent outsiders from entering any village and to inform local police about any such movement.

Every Panchayat samiti (society), which includes a village secretary, a patwari, a teacher and an employment assistant, is monitoring the movement of people coming from outside.

With the help of PDS workers, panchayat members and self-help groups, were reaching out to interior villages with ration supply. Weve supplied two months quota of rice in advance. Health workers are visiting them to advise them of preventive measures. Social distancing is being maintained everywhere. Each village is self-sustainable in Bastar. They dont have much demand in life and lead a simple life. This has also helped them in isolating themselves in the strictest manner and follow government advisory, Sidar added.

Amid lockdown, health workers have even gone into some of the tribal villages in Maoist strongholds inside deep forests in Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts, where government schemes and supplies fail to reach due to inaccessibility and locational disadvantage.

Meanwhile, women self-help groups (SHGs) comprising Adivasi women are playing an inspiring role in combating the ongoing crisis in Bastar. Besides creating awareness on maintaining proper hygiene to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reaching out to villagers with ration, these SHGs have made more than 18,000 masks as per health departments guidelines for the tribals in Dantewada district alone. They are also producing vegetables for local consumption to counter shortage.

From the day lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendar Modi, the Bastar tribals have put themselves on a self-driven safety mode. And they have no qualms about it. As several people with whom Firstpost interacted remarked, Once this mahamaari (pandemic) and lockdown ends, life will be back to normal. Tab tak aaraam karte hain (Lets take a break till then)."
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Canarc Resource Corp. (TSX:CCM)(OTCQB:CRCUF)(FRA:CAN) provides shareholders this update of its 2020 1st quarter activities and 2nd quarter plans for advancing its gold exploration projects in the USA and Canada.

First Quarter 2020 Highlights:

Fondaway Canyon : Optioned the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties in Nevada to Getchell Gold for US$4.0 million in staged cash and stock payments, US$1.45 million in exploration expenditures over a 4 year period and a 2% NSR

: Optioned the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties in Nevada to Getchell Gold for US$4.0 million in staged cash and stock payments, US$1.45 million in exploration expenditures over a 4 year period and a 2% NSR Corral Canyon : Reviewed data and evaluated results of the 2019 diamond drill program at Corral Canyon property in Nevada, the last three drill holes intersected broad alteration zones and narrow quartz veins but no economic intercepts

: Reviewed data and evaluated results of the 2019 diamond drill program at Corral Canyon property in Nevada, the last three drill holes intersected broad alteration zones and narrow quartz veins but no economic intercepts Hard Cash : Applied for an exploration permit to conduct a core drilling program at the Hard Cash gold project in Nunavut this summer

: Applied for an exploration permit to conduct a core drilling program at the Hard Cash gold project in Nunavut this summer New Polaris : Submitted Notice of Work for an exploration permit to conduct a core drilling program at the New Polaris gold project in BC in order to convert Inferred Resources to Indicated

: Submitted Notice of Work for an exploration permit to conduct a core drilling program at the New Polaris gold project in BC in order to convert Inferred Resources to Indicated Reviewed offers by third parties to option certain gold properties, discussions underway

Evaluated opportunities to acquire new gold projects and partner existing gold projects

Second Quarter 2020 Outlook:

New Polaris : Complete update of project economics at the new, higher gold prices and lower $CAD exchange rates

: Complete update of project economics at the new, higher gold prices and lower $CAD exchange rates Hard Cash : Complete preparations to conduct a 10-hole, 1500-meter reverse circulation drill program at the Hard Cash property in Nunavut this summer

: Complete preparations to conduct a 10-hole, 1500-meter reverse circulation drill program at the Hard Cash property in Nunavut this summer Windfall Hills : Complete preparations to conduct a 5-hole 1500-meter core drill program at the Windfall Hills property in BC this fall

: Complete preparations to conduct a 5-hole 1500-meter core drill program at the Windfall Hills property in BC this fall Continue discussions to option an existing property out to third party

Continue discussions to acquire a new property with strong gold discovery potential

Canarc management is focused on creating shareholder value by advancing our attractive gold projects and acquiring new gold properties with exciting discovery potential. The Company is fully funded to drill its Hard Cash and Windfall Hills projects this year.

Qualified Person

Garry Biles, P.Eng, President & COO for Canarc Resource Corp, is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

"Scott Eldridge"

Scott Eldridge, Chief Executive Officer

CANARC RESOURCE CORP.

About Canarc - Canarc Resource Corp. is a growth-oriented gold exploration company focused on generating superior shareholder returns by discovering, exploring and developing strategic gold deposits in North America. The Company is currently advancing two core assets, each with substantial gold resources, and has initiated a high impact exploration strategy to acquire and explore new properties that have district-scale gold discovery potential. Canarc shares trade on the TSX: CCM and the OTCQB: CRCUF.

For More Information - Please contact:

Scott Eldridge, CEO

Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700 Tel: (604) 685-9700 Cell: (604) 722-5381

Email: scott@canarc.net Website: www.canarc.net

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historic facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the future performance of Canarc, and the Company's plans and exploration programs for its mineral properties, including the timing of such plans and programs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "has proven", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "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", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved".

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the Company's ongoing due diligence review in relation to the Acquisition, risks related to the uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries; future prices of metals; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may 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 not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Canarc Resource Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587522/Canarc-Shareholder-Update-on-1st-Quarter-Activities-and-2nd-Quarter-Plans
A fuel truck bomb in a market in northern Syria killed at least 46 people including Turkish-backed rebel fighters on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The blast in Afrin, a city controlled by Ankara's proxies, came as people went shopping in preparation to break the Ramadan fast, according to the US State Department, which condemned the attack as a "cowardly act of evil". Photos released by the Syrian Civil Defence rescue workers, also known as the "White Helmets", showed firefighters battling to douse flames amid gutted buildings and rescue workers carrying charred bodies away from the scene on makeshift stretchers. Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Britain-based Observatory, a monitor with a network of sources inside Syria, said "at least 46" people had been killed and 50 wounded, some critically, adding that the death toll could rise. At least six pro-Turkish Syrian fighters were among the dead, he added. In a post on its official Twitter account, the Observatory said 11 children were among those killed. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast, one of the largest to rock Afrin since Turkish troops and allied rebels seized the region from Kurdish forces in March 2018 after a two-month air and ground offensive. The Turkish defence ministry blamed the attack on the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which it views as a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "The enemy of humanity PKK/YPG has once again targeted innocent civilians in Afrin," the Turkish ministry said on Twitter. US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the attack had claimed the "lives of dozens of people shopping in the central market as they prepared to break the Ramadan fast". "Such cowardly acts of evil are unacceptable from any side in this conflict." The PKK has been waging a bloody insurgency in Turkey for three decades. In January, at least seven people were killed in a car bombing in Azaz, another northern city held by pro-Turkey forces, according to the Observatory. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 380,000 people since 2011 and forced more than half of the country's pre-war population from their homes. Pictures released by the Syrian Civil Defence rescue workers (the "White Helmets") show the destruction caused by the fuel truck bomb in the city of Afrin Map locating the city of Afrin, in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, where a fuel truck bomb at a market killed at least 46 people on Tuesday. Although it unclear who was behind the blast, Turkey blamed the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) which it views as a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Turkish troops and allied rebels seized the Afrin region from Kurdish forces in March 2018
KYODO NEWS - Apr 28, 2020 - 17:32 | World, All, Coronavirus

New Zealanders lined up from before dawn Tuesday at McDonald's drive-throughs across the country, as cafes, restaurants and takeaway stores reopened on a limited-service basis after five weeks of one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns in the world.

From midnight Monday, New Zealand moved down from Level 4 restrictions, in which all businesses except for essential services were closed, to Level 3, which allows for greater economic activity provided social distancing guidelines are maintained.

"Like many people returning to work or back at work today, I have enjoyed a takeaway coffee," said the country's director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield.

However, Bloomfield stressed that even though people may enjoy greater levels of freedom, they should not congregate at cafes and takeaways. "We do not want to see the sorts of rebound that we have seen in other countries."

On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a temporary victory over the highly contagious virus, after imposing a state of emergency on March 25 and shutting down much of the country to contain it.

"There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle," Ardern told reporters. "But we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way."

The tough measures employed by New Zealand have helped it successfully limit the spread of COVID-19 with 1,472 confirmed and probable cases of the virus and just 19 deaths in a country of almost 5 million people.

Roughly 400,000 people also returned to work on Tuesday, with construction and forestry sectors among the largest industries to restart after the lockdown.

Employees who can continue working from home are required to do so, and schools will only be open with limited capacity to provide care for students who are unable to study from home.

While the strict lockdown has been a successful public health measure, it is yet to be seen how New Zealand's economy will recover.

Recent modeling from the treasury department showed that without additional government support, unemployment could reach over 13 percent due to the coronavirus prevention measures.

New Zealand will remain at Level 3 restrictions for two weeks before the government reevaluates the situation on May 11.

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She is isolating at a luxury Thailand resort after being stranded on the island amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And Kaz Crossley looked sensational as she posed up a storm in enviable beach surroundings on Wednesday.

The Love Island 2018 star, 26, exhibited her washboard abs and ample cleavage in a striking orange bandeau bikini top with ribbon detail across the decolletage and midriff.

Beach babe: Kaz Crossley looked sensational as she posed up a storm in enviable beach surroundings on Wednesday

A pair of matching tie-side bottoms rested high on her hips, drawing the eye to her toned legs as she kneeled on a white sand beach.

The star wore her caramel tresses in a casual updo with a multicoloured headband holding her tresses back from her face.

Kaz showcased her natural beauty by going make-up free.

Earlier this month, Kaz told how she had travelled to her family's native country for her very first Songkran festival, but has now been unable to leave her luxury hotel due to the ongoing pandemic.

Working it: Kaz has been showing off her incredible frame in an array of scanty ensembles

Alongside snaps of her posing up a storm in a hot pink bikini with a plunging neckline, the star gave fans an update of her current situation.

She said: 'My first Songkran in thailand!

'Unfortunately I wish it was with different circumstances as we are in complete lockdown over here and all festivals and celebrations have been postponed.

'But I am super grateful as I couldnt be in a more beautiful place with better company  Happy Thai New Year everyone!'

Songkran is the Thai New Year's national holiday, representing purification and the washing away of sins - symbolised by the famous water festival tradition.

Stranded: Earlier this month, Kaz told how she had travelled to her family's native country for her very first Songkran festival, but has now been unable to leave her hotel due to the crisis

The festival revolves around celebrating family and reuniting with loved ones, with people often travelling from far and wide to visit.

Meanwhile, Kaz's ex Theo Campbell slammed the star for 'selling him the dream,' before branding the other Love Island girls 'mentally unstable'.

The former Islander announced: 'I got slinged!' when quizzed about his former flame during an appearance on FUBAR Radio's Access All Areas show.

He said: 'I don't wanna say too much but I'm gonna say, people these days and love these days, it's confusing. It's a tricky hard world.

'I feel like with us, I kinda gave it my everything and it feels a bit underappreciated. It's a bit crazy at the moment.'

Pressed further about what went on between the pair, Theo said: 'I don't know what to call it. What's the right way to say it? I got slinged! I don't know what to call it.'
Nickel is supposed to herald a new age of superconductivity  but this is proving more difficult than expected. Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) can now explain why.

Last summer, a new age for high-temperature superconductivity was proclaimed - the nickel age. It was discovered that there are promising superconductors in a special class of materials, the so-called nickelates, which can conduct electric current without any resistance even at high temperatures.

However, it soon became apparent that these initially spectacular results from Stanford could not be reproduced by other research groups. TU Wien (Vienna) has now found the reason for this: In some nickelates additional hydrogen atoms are incorporated into the material structure. This completely changes the electrical behaviour of the material. In the production of the new superconductors, this effect must now be taken into account.

The search for High-Temperature Superconductors

Some materials are only superconducting near absolute temperature zero - such superconductors are not suitable for technical applications. Therefore, for decades, people have been looking for materials that remain superconducting even at higher temperatures. In the 1980s, "high-temperature superconductors" were discovered. What is referred to as "high temperatures" in this context, however, is still very cold: even high-temperature superconductors must be cooled strongly in order to obtain their superconducting properties. Therefore, the search for new superconductors at even higher temperatures continues.

"For a long time, special attention was paid to so-called cuprates, i.e. compounds containing copper. This is why we also speak of the copper age", explains Prof. Karsten Held from the Institute of Solid State Physics at TU Wien. "With these cuprates, some important progress was made, even though there are still many open questions in the theory of high-temperature superconductivity today".

But for some time now, other possibilities have also been under consideration. There was already a so-called "iron age" based on iron-containing superconductors. In summer 2019, the research group of Harold Y. Hwang's research group from Stanford then succeeded in demonstrating high-temperature superconductivity in nickelates. "Based on our calculations, we already proposed nickelates as superconductors 10 years ago, but they were somewhat different from the ones that have now been discovered. They are related to cuprates, but contain nickel instead of copper atoms," says Karsten Held.

The Trouble with Hydrogen

After some initial enthusiasm, however, it has become apparent in recent months that nickelate superconductors are more difficult to produce than initially thought. Other research groups reported that their nickelates do not have superconducting properties. This apparent contradiction has now been clarified at TU Wien.

"We analysed the nickelates with the help of supercomputers and found that they are extremely receptive to hydrogen into the material," reports Liang Si (TU Vienna). In the synthesis of certain nickelates, hydrogen atoms can be incorporated, which completely changes the electronic properties of the material. "However, this does not happen with all nickelates," says Liang Si, "Our calculations show that for most of them, it is energetically more favourable to incorporate hydrogen, but not for the nickelates from Stanford. Even small changes in the synthesis conditions can make a difference."On 24.04.2020 the group around Ariando Ariando from the NUS Singapore could report that they also succeeded in producing superconducting nickelates. They let the hydrogen that is released in the production process escape immediately.

Calculating the Critical Temperature with Supercomputers

At TU Wien new computer calculation methods are being developed and used to understand and predict the properties of nickelates. "Since a large number of quantum-physical particles always play a role here at the same time, the calculations are extremely complex," says Liang Si, "But by combining different methods, we are now even able to estimate the critical temperature up to which the various materials are superconducting. Such reliable calculations have not been possible before."

In particular, the team at TU Wien was able to calculate the allowed range of strontium concentration for which the nickelates are superconducting - and this prediction has now been confirmed in experiment.

"High-temperature superconductivity is an extremely complex and difficult field of research," says Karsten Held. "The new nickelate superconductors, together with our theoretical understanding and the predictive power of computer calculations, open up a whole new perspective on the great dream of solid state physics: a superconductor at ambient temperature that hence works without any cooling.
Press Release

29 April 2020

Measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the Middle East were amped up in March, but did little to limit the damage done to the region's hotel industry, which was simultaneously thumped by an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which required international intervention.

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The combination reflected in the bleak profitability results recorded in the region in March. GOPPAR fell by a record 98.8% year-over-year, just about breaking even at $1.12.

Occupancy in March plummeted by 41.3 percentage points YOY to 34.6%, its lowest level since HotStats started tracking the region's data. Average rate, which has been decreasing YOY consistently since June 2019, furthered its downward trend and recorded an 18.3% drop compared to March 2019. Consequently, RevPAR fell by 62.8% YOY. Declines across all other revenue centres resulted in a 61.7% YOY decrease in TRevPAR.

Trying to cope with the mammoth top-line contraction, hoteliers in the Middle East flexed costs to achieve a 27.0% YOY reduction in overheads and cut labour costs by 25.8% YOY. However, the efforts were not enough to sustain the region's profit margin, which placed 39.5 percentage points below that of March 2019 at 1.5%.

The outbreak of COVID-19, combined with the oil price war, resulted in the worst Q1 performance ever recorded by HotStats in the Middle East in terms of profitability, as the 36.5% decline in GOPPAR was even greater than the 36.0% fall recorded in Q1 of 2011, amid the instability of the Arab Spring.

HotStats

Hotels in Dubai started recording a profitability slump as early as February 2020, as GOPPAR decreased by 20.2% compared to the same month of the previous year. In March, the proliferation of lockdowns and travel bans across its visitor source markets in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States deepened the performance slump, resulting in GOPPAR in the month placing 95.5% below that of the same period in 2019.

The severe contraction in demand, coupled with a pre-existing problem of oversupply, resulted in a 49.9-percentage-point YOY drop in occupancy in March, the largest drop ever recorded for Dubai in the HotStats database. Moreover, March marked the 35th consecutive month of YOY average rate drop, in this case, by 22.6%. As a result, RevPAR recorded a 67.0% YOY decrease. Total F&B revenue fell by 64.4% on a per-available-room basis, and with all other revenue streams dwindling, too, TRevPAR plummeted by 64.4% YOY.

Overhead costs per available room were slashed by 28.3% YOY due to falling expenses across all the undistributed departments. On this same line, total labour costs dropped by 31.1% YOY, led by a 32.8% payroll reduction in the F&B department and a 32.4% fall in Rooms. Nevertheless, profit conversion of total revenue fell by 39.3 percentage points compared to March 2019 to 5.7%.

Profit & Loss Performance Indicators - Dubai (in USD)

HotStats

The first confirmed case of coronavirus in Qatar was recorded on February 27th, prompting authorities to take protective measures in early March. On March 9th, Qatar issued a travel ban on 15 countries, which was expanded five days later to include Germany, Spain and France. As a consequence, hotels in Doha recorded a 55.7% GOPPAR contraction in March compared to the same month of 2019. This result is in stark contrast to the marked profit-per-available room growth recorded in the first two months of the year, up 42.1% YOY in January and 24.5% YOY in February.

Average rate in Doha remained stable in March, recording a small downtick of 1.8% compared to the previous year. Therefore, with a 20-percentage-point YOY decrease, occupancy was the driving force behind the 27.4% YOY plunge in RevPAR, the first YOY fall recorded for this metric since May 2019. A further 53.7% YOY decline in F&B RevPAR resulted in a 42.3% YOY contraction of TRevPAR.

Efforts to flex expenses resulted in a 25.8% YOY decline in overheads and a further 20.4% YOY drop in total hotel labour costs per available room. And even though this was not enough to avoid profit erosion entirely, the loss in profit margin was minimal compared to the Middle East average. Thus, profit margin in Doha fell by 8.5 percentage points in March to 28.1%

Profit & Loss Performance Indicators - Doha (in USD)
Called into action by a shortage of medical equipment, scientists and citizens have devised new ways to help.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a severe toll on industries, health systems and lives since the outbreak began with doctors, scientists and ordinary people racing to find ways to tackle the contagion.

From robots to a virus-killing snood and a portable isolation capsule, these new prototypes demonstrate what humans are capable of in the face of adversity.

Here are some of the innovations developed to combat the current outbreak that has killed more than 217,000 people and infected 3.1 million.

Emergency ventilators

COVID-19 attacks peoples lungs making it hard for them to deliver oxygen to the blood. Ventilators, which feed oxygen into the lungs, are a crucial tool to keep people with the virus alive.

Hospitals have struggled with a shortage since the beginning of the outbreak. In response, engineers, physicians and other creative minds are joining efforts to rework ventilators at a lower cost.

In the United Kingdom, Dr Rhys Thomas, along with engineering company CR Clark & Co of Ammanford, in just three days developed a simple and robust basic ventilator, which as well as helping patients breathe also clears the room of viral particles.

Although it wont replace an ICU ventilator, the majority of patients wont need intensive care if they are treated with this ventilator first, Thomas told local media.

Welsh doctor designs ventilator that could save thousands with coronavirus https://t.co/tA3Sms0Vg6 pic.twitter.com/586Nj23bCp  ITV Wales News (@ITVWales) March 24, 2020

Additionally, several innovative teams have started using 3D printing technology to supply hospitals with much-needed ventilators.

Snood with germ trap

Another innovation from the UK was from Manchester biochemists  a mask with germ trap technology. The result of a 10-year project with the biotech firm Virustatic, it was hurried into production because of the pandemic.

The product acts as a barrier that attracts, traps, and kills viruses in droplets invisible to the human eye. The masks are safe to wear and, according to the developers, the virus becomes inactive after touching the fabric.

Thanks so much for sharing! X https://t.co/JR75X7VuSn  Virustatic (@GermTrap) March 31, 2020

Protective plastic capsules

Inspired by neonatal chambers that protect newborns from external bacteria and viruses, the Mexican company XE Medical Engineering reversed the product and developed an isolation capsule to keep pathogens from escaping, lowering the chance of it spreading to health workers.

The chamber is a sealed, flexible plastic capsule that has a filter system to keep it inflated.

According to the company, the device can be used in ambulances, emergency rooms and hospital wards.

We want to protect our personnel and also people who have to live with infected people, Fernando Alves, XE Medicals engineering director, told media.

A Mexican engineer is seen through a plastic capsule to treat patients infected with coronavirus [Henry Romero/Reuters]

Smart helmets

In China, Kuang-Chi Technologies developed a smart helmet that can scan the temperature of hundreds of people every minute from a distance of up to five metres away.

The headset features an infrared thermometer and can connect to the nearest hospital. It also has an augmented reality visor with facial recognition technology, which allows users to see the persons name and medical history.

The company said it sold more than 1,000 temperature-scanning helmets and received orders from the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Marrying 4IR tech to combat the spread of #Covid_19 #CoronavirusPandemic : Chinas police are now wearing SMART HELMETS that identify potential coronavirus carriers. Whats your government doing to speed up the identification of potential carriers?? pic.twitter.com/wKMr8DDqMd  Vusi Sambo (@VusiSambo) March 22, 2020

Phone booths

A South Korean hospital built coronavirus testing facilities that are similar to phone booths and allow medical staff to examine patients from behind a plastic screen.

Each patient steps into the box and consults with medical staff through an intercom, and should it be necessary, is sampled for an infection. The process takes about seven minutes, after which the booth gets sanitised and ventilated for the next patient.

The phone booths have enabled the hospital to go from about eight samples a day to 80.

Phone booths in south korea can detect is a person has #CoronavirusPandemic

Or not in seven minutes!!

How cool is that?

pic.twitter.com/dOv6cZkpFr  Happening Now  (@HappeningNow__) March 22, 2020

Sanitising UVD robots

A Danish company created a sterilising robot that looks like a group of lightsabers on wheels.

Using concentrated UV-C ultraviolet light emitted by eight bulbs on its top, each robot can destroy viruses, bacteria and other harmful microbes and sanitise hospital wards without the need for chemicals.

This reduces the need to leave these areas empty for several hours during cleaning, allowing hospitals to care for patients.

The device was launched in early 2019 but the coronavirus outbreak led to an acceleration in production, and it now takes less than a day to make one robot.

China also developed a similar model but added a thermal camera.

Hands-free door opener

In a bid to reduce exposure to one of the most contagious places in a building, a Belgian 3D company, Materialise, designed a hands-free door handle attachment.

The design consists of two simple parts that can be screwed on either side of a handle, allowing a person to use their arm or elbow to turn it.

The company made the design available to download for free. The CEO of the company, Fried Vancraen, call[ed] upon everyone who has access to a 3D printer to print the part and make it available to their local community.

Open doors without hands to avoid spreading germs like the coronavirus! How? With our hands-free 3D-printed door opener that goes over your existing handle so you can open with your arm. Learn more: https://t.co/7gW4lFTSpC pic.twitter.com/XMRlxRFTAT  i.materialise (@imaterialise) March 16, 2020

Airport cleaning robots

CLeanTech, a full-body disinfection booth that uses sanitising spray, antimicrobial coatings and temperature checks, could represent the future of airport screening.

The brief but thorough process requires all those going through to undertake a temperature check before a 40-second disinfection and sanitisation in a small booth that kills any viruses and bacteria found on clothing as well as the body.
Threats to press freedom are impeding the public's right to know. Media restrictions, the closure of local newspapers, controlled public service media, precarity and insecurity, intimidation and violence against media workers are among the many ways press freedom is being curtailed just at the very time when the Covid-19 pandemic is threatening lives and the entire global economy.

At this time journalists and quality journalism are essential.

This year the IFJ will mark World Press Freedom Day by ringing alarm bells against the threats to press freedom and by reaffirming the vital importance of providing citizens with truthful, verified, unbiased information. Facing a global pandemic, the public's right to know is more important than ever to protect their and others lives and to best respond to an impending economic crisis.

The IFJ is calling on governments to provide journalists with all the security and independence they need for doing their jobs, stop interfering with the press and provide acrued transparency in their decisions.

IFJ activities to mark World Press Freedom Day will focus on :

Tell us about your plans to mark World Press Freedom day on 3 May. Send an email to internifj@ifj.org so that we can list your activities.


Protesting non-payment of wages despite repeated requests, about 1600 migrant workers went on the rampage and attacked the police with sticks and stones at the Indian Institute of Technology campus at Kandi in Sangareddy district on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday afternoon.

An assistant sub-inspector Sangappa received minor injuries and a police vehicle was partially damaged.

On receiving the information, additional police forces from Sangareddy, led by Superintendent of Police S Chandrashekar Reddy and DSP Sridhar Reddy rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

The SP pacified the agitators and assured them that their issues would be resolved at the earliest. He took a delegation of the workers to the district collector M Hanumantha Rao for talks.

The workers complained that their company had not been paying wages to them for the last two months. The collector directed the company representatives to pay the pending wages by Thursday evening in their accounts.

The collector also advised the company to begin work with the material available, strictly observing the physical distance norms and supplying the workers masks and sanitisers.

The collector said the workers had grown restive as they had been held up on the campus without work for a long time. He said works should begin in a small way to keep them engaged.

The workers, most of them from Bihar and Jharkhand, had been brought to the site by the construction major Larsen and Toubro to work on the construction of buildings on the IIT campus nearly six months ago.

Following the nationwide lockdown, they had been held up at the construction site itself. They were alleging that the company had not been paying them wages for the last two months.

On Wednesday, the workers who did not have even essentials to feed their children, began leaving the campus for their native places, as they were vexed with the lockdown and lack of wages. However, the Sangareddy police prevented them from coming out of the campus saying that the lockdown was in force.

The agitated workers picked up an argument with the police asking how long they should bear with uncertain conditions, insisting they be allowed to go back to their homes.

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Attacks takes place day after defense minister and commander of U.S. forces visit facility.

KABUL: A suicide bomber on Wednesday targeted a base belonging to Afghan special forces on the southern outskirts of the capital, Kabul, killing at least three civilians and wounding 15, officials said.

The government blamed the Taliban for the attack, which took place a day after the country's defense minister and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan visited the facility.

The bombing happened outside the base for army commandos as civilian contractors working in the facility waited outside to get into the base, said a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media about the attack.

Tareq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the site of the bombing was in the Chahar Asyab district and blamed the Taliban for the attack, calling it a crime against humanity.

``The target was likely the base itself, but the bomber failed to reach his target and instead killed innocent civilians," Arian said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and its surroundings and have repeatedly struck military and civilian targets.

On Tuesday, the Afghan defense minister, Gen. Assadullah Khalid, and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Scott Miller, visited the base, known as Army Commando Corps, praising achievements of the Afghan commandos and their dedication in defending the country.

Also Wednesday, a sticky bomb attached to vehicle detonated elsewhere in Kabul, wounding three civilians, according to Firdaus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. No one claimed responsibility for that attack.

The Taliban have continued to attack security outposts, even as the U.S. and NATO proceed with a full troop withdrawal that is set to be completed next year under a deal signed at the end of February between the U.S. peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban.

On Sunday, Khalilzad called on the country's feuding political leaders to set their differences aside to combat the coronavirus pandemic and advance the stalled peace agreement signed with the Taliban.

He said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who each declared himself the victor in September's election, should ``put the interest of the country ahead of their own'' during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

He urged the government and the Taliban to carry out a prisoner exchange that was part of the U.S.-Taliban agreement. The agreement had called for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government personnel held by the insurgents.

To date, Ghani has released 550 detainees based on age, vulnerability to the virus and time served behind bars. The Taliban have not said if those released are among the prisoners referred to in the agreement. For their part, the Taliban have freed 60 prisoners.
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani manufacturers received export orders worth $147.7 million via the "Azexport.az" portal in the first quarter of 2020, the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications under the Economy Ministry said on 29 April.

The volume of orders through the portal amounted to $44.8 million in March.

In 2019, orders through "Azexport.az" portal for export of products amounted to $595.7 million, which is 15.9 percent more compared to 2018.

Overall, orders for export of products amounted to $1 billion 732.5 million in the period of January 1, 2017 to April 1, 2020.

It should be noted that "Azexport.az" portal was launched by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications of Azerbaijan in December 2016.

In the meantime, "the Center for Export Support on the basis of the single window principle facilitated the export of goods from Azerbaijan in the amount of $39.1 million during January-April 2020", the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications said.

According to the preliminary data, in January, this indicator amounted to $13.8 million, in February - $8.1 million, in March - $5.3 million, in April - $1.9 million.

As previously reported, in 2019 this figure amounted to $140.4 million.

It should be noted the Single Window of the Export Support Center was created in accordance with the decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on February 22, 2017 On additional measures in connection with the strengthening of Azerbaijans position as a hub of digital trade and expansion of foreign trade operations.

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Libya's National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday his Libyan National Army (LNA) was accepting a "popular mandate" to rule the country, apparently brushing aside the civilian authorities that nominally govern eastern Libya.

Haftar, who launched a war a year ago to grab the capital Tripoli and other parts of northwest Libya, was already widely understood to control the parallel administration that rules in the east.

He did not spell out in his brief televised speech on Monday what form the new power structure would take and the wider political ramifications were not immediately clear.

Libya has been split since 2014 between areas controlled by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the Tripoli and the northwest, and territory held by eastern-based forces in Benghazi.

"We announce that the general command is answering the will of the people, despite the heavy burden and the many obligations and the size of the responsibility, and we will be subject to the people's wish," he said.

Although the LNA advanced last year into the southern suburbs of Tripoli, and has been bombarding the capital frequently, it lost ground to pro-GNA forces during fighting this month.

Haftar is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia. The GNA is backed by Turkey.

Though Haftar had long been the de facto ruler of eastern Libya, power was nominally held by a civilian administration. Benghazi is home to parallel state institutions, as well as the national parliament.

The GNA falls under a three-man Presidential Council, founded in 2015 in a political agreement aimed at ending the chaos and division that have persisted since the 2011 uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

Haftar said last week that the agreement had failed.

Mohammed Ali Abdallah, an adviser to the GNA said, in a statement: "Haftar has once more exposed his authoritarian intentions to the world. He no longer seeks to conceal his contempt for a political solution and democracy in Libya."

* This story has been edited by Ahram Online

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BAY CITY, MI  A Bay City-based sugar giant ended its 2019-20 sugar beet slicing campaign on a sweet note.

Michigan Sugar Co. wrapped up its sugar beet slicing campaign in April at its facilities in Bay City, Caro, Croswell and Sebewaing.

This years campaign started in early September and wrapped up the week of April 5. Over the course of the campaign, Michigan Sugar sliced 4,108,522 tons of sugar beets and produced more than one billion pounds of sugar. Additionally, the company produced more than 158,000 tons of molasses and 122,000 tons of dry pulp products, both of which are sold as livestock feed, according to company officials with the Michigan Sugar.

This campaign was challenging in that we got a late start last fall due to Mother Nature throwing our grower-owners some very difficult conditions in which to work, said Michigan Sugar Executive Vice President Jim Ruhlman. Our growers did an amazing job getting our sugar beets out of the ground and delivering them for processing.

Ruhlman noted the late start resulted in the campaign running a few weeks later than normal. He said the Croswell factory finished slicing beets on April 5; Bay City and Sebewaing finished three days after; and Caro finished April 9.

Our employees in the factory and in packaging and warehousing did an amazing job in the home stretch of this years campaign, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruhlman said. As a critical infrastructure industry, we had a responsibility to continue producing, packaging and shipping sugar into the marketplace. Our employees remained focused on the task at hand and, as they always do, really shined.

The Bay City factory produced the most products with 1,600,400 tons of sliced sugar beets, 405.66 million pounds of sugar, and 57,541 tons of molasses. Factories in Caro, Croswell and Sebawaing followed in production numbers after Bay City, respectively.

After all the sugar beets were sliced, the Bay City, Croswell and Sebewaing factories continued to produce sugar from juice and extract stored during the campaign. Croswell has completed its juice run and the Bay City and Sebewaing factories will continue producing sugar into May. From juice and extract, Michigan Sugar expects to produce an additional 80 million pounds of sugar.

Looking ahead, Michigan Sugar Company has several significant projects planned during inter-campaign  the time between the end of one sugar beet slicing campaign and the beginning of another.

In Croswell, work already is underway on a $13 million capital investment project to improve beet receiving, washing and chip recovery, according to Michigan Sugar Vice President of Operations Jason Lowry.

The project expands and optimizes the receiving and wash station of the factory by adding dry handling and replacing a large, tub-style beet washer with a process that sends beets over a high-pressure rollerspray table designed to use less water and energy, create fewer beet chips and produce a cleaner beet for slicing in the factory. It is part of the companys multi-year, $65 million capital upgrade project at the Croswell factory aimed at increasing slicing capacity by 50 percent, Lowry added.

Elsewhere, projects in Caro include replacing two carbon dioxide gas blowers from the 1940s and upgrading the control system servers. In Sebewaing, a new vacuum system will be installed in the pellet mill for dust control and cleaning purposes, and a new control room is planned. In Bay City, the lime kiln will be sandblasted, cleaned, and repainted.

Inter-campaign is always a busy time of the year in our factories as we prepare for another sugar beet slicing campaign, Lowry said.

Meanwhile, Michigan Sugars grower-owners returned to their fields in March and have been busy planting this years crop. To date, about 143,000 acres have been planted with total planting expected to exceed 162,000 acres.

Related news:

Michigan Sugar buys $131,000 in restaurant gift cards for employees

Michigan Sugar reveals new red bags hitting store shelves, says demand way up
The population of Derry has been asked to come together to make a concerted shout out for the Magee Medical School, with just one month left to enable it to open next year. The call for the loud voice from the city came from SDLP Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin.

I am angry and frustrated, she said. Our city has been waiting far too long for the expansion of Magee  half a century, in fact. But it has also been waiting an absurdly long time for the Medical School to get the go-ahead. And this remains the case, even though the SDLP's leader Colum Eastwood secured additional money from the UK government as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement.

It is time for the Department of Health, Department for the Economy and Department of Finance, and their ministers, to end this game of pass the parcel  or pass the blame  and make the decision to approve the Medical School and deliver it. The people of Derry have now run out of patience and we have all nearly run out of time to get this over the line.

It is obvious that we need the Medical School in Derry. We have a chronic shortage of doctors in the North West. The establishment of the Medical School will help to put that right.

Many people owe their lives to the work of medical professionals over recent weeks. But the truth is that we need more of them. Let us treat the medical profession with respect, by recognising their work and the risks they have taken, by paying them properly, by providing sufficient personal protection equipment for their needs and by training enough doctors and other health professionals to do the job that we expect them to do.

So I say to the people of Derry, please come together and shout as loud as you can to tell the political leaders and senior civil servants of Northern Ireland that they must this time do the right thing and give the go-ahead for the Magee Medical School.

People of Derry and the rest of the north can respond to the call by sending emails to politicians, as well as sharing social media posts, using the hashtag #MedicalSchoolforDerry.

Sinead McLaughlin is deputy chair of the Northern Ireland Assemblys economy committee and intends to raise at todays meeting of the committee the need for an urgent, positive, decision on the Medical School.
Rampant coronavirus cases at nursing homes throughout the country have put an intense focus on the way these health care facilities do business, and people are asking if everything was done to adequately protect residents.

The answer is a resounding no.

Nursing-home operators are aware of the neglect. While the very seniors they are supposed to protect lay dying, the nursing-home industry is knocking on doors in Sacramento looking for immunity to protect itself from liability.

Nursing homes have petitioned Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an executive order that would grant them blanket immunity from all civil and criminal prosecution for the duration of the pandemic. The proposed order would grant immunity, not only for injuries or deaths that result from treating the coronavirus, but for all claims of elder abuse.

Sweeping immunity for nursing homes is a horrific idea for our society. It allows bad actors to walk away from responsibility for their actions. For years, these facilities have been trying to circumvent the court process via arbitration, forcing patients to forgo public jury trials. The industry likes arbitration because it can control (and hide) the process from start to finish. Hearings take place in settings removed from view, and the complaints never become part of any public record  the cloak of secrecy is a powerful tool through which to neutralize patient rights and bury past misconduct.

Arbitration clauses are bad news for nursing-home residents, but offering up blanket immunity to nursing homes is far worse. The state simply should not be orchestrating escape routes for nursing homes when this virus is infecting and killing the elderly in disproportionate numbers. Abandoning or neglecting senior patients at their time of need should not be rewarded.

According to figures published by the Wall Street Journal last week, 10,000 people already have died from the coronavirus in American nursing-care facilities. The Bay Area has seen outbreaks at numerous nursing homes. Given these numbers, is it appropriate to issue get-out-of-jail-free cards?

Under the industry proposal, nearly anything a provider does  including the mistreatment of seniors unrelated to COVID-19 treatment  will have no legal consequences. In essence, patients will be at the mercy of an industry long known for ignoring the rules. And the message would ring clear: protect the nursing-home industry and write off the old people as collateral damage to the pandemic.

The type of immunity order now on the governors desk  in which nursing homes cant be sued unless a patient proves that the provider demonstrated intentional misconduct  is almost impossible to prove in a civil case. Moreover, the industry bill includes far more than the treatment of coronavirus. Remove any possibility of a liability for wrongdoing and you substantially increase the risk of harm to this frail and vulnerable population.

Compounding the problem is the fact that nobodys watching. Right now, families cant visit patients in care facilities, an administrative measure taken to mitigate the spread of the virus. As a result, there are no second set of eyes watching the patients to make sure rules are being followed.

Rather than indemnifying nursing homes without restriction, Gov. Newsom should exclude elder abuse, as defined by the California Welfare and Institutions Code, from any immunity order. Doing anything else will be akin to throwing our elderly to the wolves.

The coronavirus is a ruthless pathogen that has brought untold suffering to the world. That fact should not be used to shield nursing homes from accountability. Expecting these facilities to police themselves without any oversight will certainly doom more of our seniors.

Niall McCarthy is a past president of the Consumer Attorneys of California and is with the Cotchett, Pitre and McCarthy law firm.
Germany's economy minister says the government is predicting a 6.3 per cent drop in GDP this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but a recovery in 2021.

Peter Altmaier says by the end of second quarter of 2020 the country was likely to see a contraction of about 11 per cent of GDP due to the widespread lockdown measures meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

He says the country's export-heavy economy has been significantly affected by the drop in demand for German products worldwide as other countries are also in deep recessions.

In 2021, Altmaier says Germany can look forward to economic growth of 5.2 per cent, which will help make up much of the lost ground in 2020.

He says current projections are based upon Germany moving ahead with more economic activity in May and June.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Yes, Theyre Open" is a new web series highlighting local bars and restaurants that are still open for takeout, delivery or pickup during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Live streams from the featured restaurants are broadcast on the Advance Facebook page every weekday around 3 p.m.

On Tuesday, the Advance visited Patrizias of Staten Island at 4255 Amboy Road. The restaurant offers takeout and boroughwide delivery from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Call 718-317-6600 or visit patrizias.com to place your order.

Staten Island restaurant owners: If you would like your establishment featured for free as part of Yes, Theyre Open, email reporter Victoria Priola at vpriola@siadvance.com.

For a full list of restaurants and bars that are still open for takeout, delivery and curbside pickup, click here.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Patrizias of Staten Island, located at 4255 Amboy Road, is open for pickup, takeout and delivery. Call. 717-317-6600 or visit patrizias.com to place your order. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

MORE ON YES, THEYRE OPEN

Taste of India II, 287 New Dorp Lane

Brioso Ristorante, 174 New Dorp Lane.

Bin 5, 1233 Bay St.

Barios, 446 Nome Ave

Joyces Tavern, 3823 Richmond Ave.

Pier 76, 76 Bay St.

Johns Deli, 173 New Dorp Lane.

Mezcals, 20 Bradley Ave.

ONeills, 1614 Forest Ave.

Maxs Es-Ca, 1559 Richmond Road.

Harvest Cafe, 694 New Dorp Lane

Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 1650 Richmond Ave., 1407 Forest Ave. and 7001 Amboy Road

Kings Arms Diner, 500 Forest Ave.

Giovannis Trattoria, 3800 Richmond Ave.

Reggianos, 7339 Amboy Road

Beso, 11 Schuyler St.

Blue, 1115 Richmond Terrace

In Fine Fettle, 961 Jewett Ave.

West Shore Inn, 3955 Victory Blvd.

Better Gourmet Health Kitchen, 2333 Hylan Blvd., 400 Forest Ave., 4077 Victory Blvd. and 877 Huguenot Ave.

Campania Coal Fired Pizza, 3900 Richmond Ave.

Call It A Wrap, 1198 Forest Ave.

Beans and Leaves, 422 Forest Ave.
Republican senators are sounding the alarm that increased jobless benefits could push unemployment higher as many find themselves receiving more money than they were previously making while employed.

The $2 trillion emergency spending package passed last month by Congress infuses $250 billion more into unemployment insurance programs in response to the coronavirus emergency. The stimulus bill also extends eligibility for unemployment benefits from the standard 26 weeks to 39 weeks. Also, those who have lost their jobs during the health emergency can receive $600 a week for up to four months on top of their regular jobless benefits, an addition that is set to end July 31.

Republican senators Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Rick Scott of Florida, and Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina were pushing to add a provision to the massive spending package, the CARES Act, that would prevent workers from receiving more in unemployment benefits than they earned at their jobs  but their amendment was shot down in the Senate.

Small businesses will struggle as long as unemployment pays more than work, Sasse told Fox News. The real world doesnt look anything like their progressive talking points, but thats not going to stop Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi from doubling down on sloppy policy.

We should take care of workers who lose their jobs, and a workable compromise could be unemployment up to 100 percent of pay during this emergency, the Nebraska senator continued. Im going to keep fighting for pro-worker, pro-recovery benefits that dont push unemployment higher.

Graham agreed, saying the CARES Act created a system that can provide many hourly employees a 50 percent or more increase in wages if they choose unemployment instead of staying on payrolls He warned against establishing a great incentive for people to leave the workforce.

I want to make people whole who lost their job through no fault of their own, said Graham. But I dont want to pay people more not to work than to actually go to work.

Story continues

We cannot encourage people to make more money in unemployment than they do with employment, Tim Scott said when the bill was being debated last month.

Increasing unemployment benefits was a top priority for Democrats along with expanding food stamps.

More from National Review
Xiaomi is hosting a major launch event on April 30 in its home country China where it is expected to launch the Redmi Note 9 series globally. Reports have also tipped the phone maker in the past to launch the all-new Redmi Note 9 too at the event. However, it has now emerged the company could also launch the Mi Note 10 Lite at the event.

Interestingly, Xiaomi has pretty much confirmed the launch of the Mi Note 10 Lite after it posted on the Mi Community forum and even put up a listing of the device. Putting up a poster about the Mi 10 Lite, the company also revealed the colours that the phone will be available in once it's launched on April 30.

The colours that the Mi 10 Lite can be seen in the marketing material were also revealed by tipster Roland Quandt previously. The tipster had also revealed that the Mi Note 10 Lite will come with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of native storage.

The Mi Note 10 Lite has also been spotted via a listing on Thailand's NBTC certification site previously. As the name suggests, the Note 10 Lite is a stripped-down variant of the Mi Note 10 which was first introduced to the world back in November. While there is no official confirmation yet, but the majority of the cuts in the new phone will be seen in the camera department.

As opposed to the regular Mi Note 10, the Mi Note 10 Lite is said to come with a 64-megapixel primary camera -- as opposed to the full-fledged Mi Note 10 which has a 108-megapixel camera.

Talking about the specs, previous leaks have suggested that the Mi Note 10 Lite will be powered by the Snapdragon 730G SoC and come with a 6.47-inch FullHD+ AMOLED display.

The FCC listing had revealed in the past that the Mi Note 10 Lite will feature a five-camera setup on the back with a primary 64-megapixel camera, two 8-megapixel lenses, one 5-megapixel lens, and one 2-megapixel unit. Further, there will not be support for laser auto-focus tech too with the phone.

The software on the phone is said to be the latest Android 10. Other than this, the phone will be powered by a 5,260 mAh battery charged at 30W.
LUSAKA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China and Zambia on Tuesday signed an agreement for the supply of medical supplies to help the southern African nation in its COVID-19 fight.

The agreement will see the Chinese government supplying various medical supplies in two batches.

Li Jie, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, said during the signing ceremony that China sympathizes with Zambia with what was happening and will provide support in such a difficult time.

The Chinese envoy said when the pandemic broke out in China, Zambia was among the first countries that sent messages of support, which showed the cordial relationship between the two countries.

He hoped that the support from the Chinese government as well as from Chinese enterprises toward the fight against COVID-19 will help Zambia in defeating the pandemic.

Chitalu Chilufya, Zambia's Minister of Health thanked China for showing solidarity during the current fight against the pandemic.

Zambia, he said, values the assistance China has been offering to Zambia in various sectors including the health sector.

The country has reported 95 cases and three deaths.
by Austin Bay April 29, 2020

Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese Communist Party leader who created China's economic revival, rooted his Four Modernizations in Premier Zhou Enlai's 1975 statement that China must modernize. Deng called for comprehensive modernization in four sectors: agriculture, industry, science and technology, and defense. Deng consciously placed the People's Liberation Army last in line, though its time would surely come.

By invoking Zhou, Deng slickly connected his modernization drive to Chairman Mao Zedong.

In 1979, Deng articulated his Four Cardinal Principles, which enshrine CCP authoritarianism: China must "uphold" the socialist path, support the "democratic" dictatorship, follow CCP leadership and follow Mao's thought.

Deng's Four Cardinal Principles, however, fundamentally conflicted with his "reform and opening up policies." Deng knew liberalized economics might spur demands for liberalized politics, which could undermine the dictatorship.

Reform and opening promoted Chinese access to global markets and sought foreign investment. The policies worked. By creating a marketlike economy within the CCP socialist state, they paid for modernization.

The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre revealed the friction between dictatorial control and even marketlike economics. The massacre still haunts the CCP.

By 1995, Beijing could ramp up military modernization. By 2010, Beijing had the money and weapons to flex muscles, globally and with confidence.

In 2014, Xi Jinping, China's current maximum leader, codified his reign's guiding Four, the Four Matters of Confidence, or Four Confidences. The CCP and the Chinese people must be "confident in our chosen path," "confident in our political system" and "confident in our guiding theories," and demonstrate "confidence in our culture."

What does Xi mean by "our culture"? Ethnic Han Chinese culture, or, more accurately, Han Chinese culture as curated by Beijing's 21st-century urban communist authoritarian elites.

Yes, it stinks of ethnocentrism, which could be a euphemism for racism. Here's an example. Human rights activists and crusading reporters have a tough time getting into the Xinjiang province's Turkic Uighur areas. Though officially designated the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, the region has little autonomy.

In fact, Beijing is pursuing a "Sinicization policy," a euphemism for settling ethnic Han in Xinjiang.

In July 2009, riots pitting ethnic Han against Uighurs erupted in Xinjiang, leaving some 200 dead and a thousand injured.

An estimated 300 million non-Han human beings live in mainland China. Since the CCP's political interests cleanse troubling statistics, the figure could be higher.

The predominantly Muslim Uighurs reject Xi's Four Confidences game. Han Chinese living in Hong Kong definitely reject Confidences one through three.

Despite lurking domestic discontent, or perhaps because of it, Xi promises global authoritarian glory that he links to a golden age revival tale. Xi boasts China will return to great power status before 2049. By great power, Xi means an unrivaled world power, which his ethnic Han-centered reading of history assumes the Middle Kingdom enjoyed during its imperial golden age. It is no coincidence 2049 will mark 100 years of CCP dictatorial rule.

The COVID-19/Wuhan virus pandemic threatens the planet. It threatens the CCP economically and politically. The pandemic accelerates decoupling, as the U.S. severs Chinese logistics chains. Reduced profits in the American market could cripple Beijing's long-range economic plans and stall its military buildup.

With global glory at stake, the CCP responds to the pandemic's political threat by blame shifting on a global scale.

The CCP lies with a confident face. First Beijing denied the virus existed. Then it masked the disease's severity. Now the CCP rehashes Cold War communist agitprop and blames the U.S. Army for the pandemic.

The Four Confidences are really about narrative control, globally when Xi can get away with it but first and foremost within China. Fully accepting blame risks losing face in an Asian "face culture," which could undermine "confidence" in the path, political system, guiding theories, the CCP neo-culture and, yes, Xi himself.
Farmers market news from Troy, Saratoga, Schenectady

The Troy Waterfront Farmers Market, closed since mid-March while managers figured out how the popular markets vendors could offer their fare to shoppers while maintaining social distancing during the coronavirus-related shutdown, is now accepting orders for twice-weekly, drive-through pickup at the Carioto Produce distribution center in Green Island.

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The markets online portal, at troymarket.org, offers several hundred items from more than 50 vendors. Shoppers pay online, and their orders are sorted and packed at the pickup spot. Online orders open at 4 p.m. Friday and close at 9 a.m. Monday for Wednesday pickup and close at 9 a.m. Thursday for Saturday pickup. To ease expected traffic congestion, customer pickup times are set up by last name on each day: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., A though F; 11 a.m. to noon, G through L; noon to 1 p.m., M through R; 1 to 2 p.m., S through Z.

Carioto is at 80 Cohoes Ave.

In related news, the Saratoga Farmers Market will stay in its location at the Wilton Mall, where it has been outdoors since late last month, for its summer season, which opens Saturday. This years weekly Saturday market, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature more than 65 vendors selling fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meats, flowers, prepared foods and more. At Wednesdays market, open 3 to 6 p.m. starting next week, 20 vendors will be providing a similar range of items. Vendors continue to set up in the Bon-Ton/Bow Tie Cinemas parking lots. Ongoing construction at the City Center in downtown Saratoga Springs prevented the market from returning to its longtime outdoor home at the High Rock Avenue pavilions.

Finally, the Schenectady Greenmarket will reopen in its outside quarters, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday on Jay Street in front of City Hall.

New precautions include a reduced number of vendors to ensure a 10-foot separation between stalls, one customer per stall at a time and only vendors will handle and bag products. Offerings will include local produce, dairy, spirits and coffee.

Savoy Taproom names new head chef

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Elliott Vogel, who spent about two years as the founding chef at Daleys on Yates in Schenectady, has been the head chef at Savoy Taproom in Albany for a little more than a month, starting just before the COVID-19 shutdown. Via email, co-owner Jason Pierce said of Vogel: "(H)es been able to do an exceptional job of paring down our menu, focusing on family-style meals and food that travels well for takeout and delivery."

Vogels said, "Despite the timeframe and current state of our industry, I couldnt be more grateful for the opportunity presented at Savoy to build new relationships and refine their unique food program to amuse any palate. Upon reopening for the public, new dinner, late-night and brunch menus will be launched with the goal of a globally influenced upscale bar and dining experience."

After leaving Daleys on Yates in August, Vogel spent about six months running the kitchen at MezzaNotte Ristorante in Guilderland. He previously worked at Tala American Bistro in Latham.

Savoy, at 301 Lark St., is open for takeout (518-599-5140) and delivery from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.
Maryland Police may prosecute a bar owner who allegedly had 70 patrons waiting for booze, even though the businessman claims he followed Governor Larry Hogan's regulations for social distancing 'to the letter of the law.'

Lee's Landing Dock Bar, located in Port Deposit, could be cited for violating the state's COVID-19 rules.

According to Greg Shipley, spokesman for MSP, authorities were called to the scene on Sunday at around 2.30pm.

Lee's Landing Dock Bar, located in Port Deposit, could be cited for violating the state's COVID-19 mandate

Troopers who responded to the scene shared they were call to the same restaurant, a week ago, after receiving reports that there was a large number of patrons. When they arrived on Sunday, they found more than 70 motorcycles in the parking lot

'Responding troopers estimated the crowd upon their arrival to be about 70 people who were on the "boardwalk" portion of the business. Individuals were seen eating and drinking,' Shipley said in a statement, the Cecil Whig reports.

There were approximately 15 uniformed officers from four different law enforcement agencies at the bar, according to owner Dave Carey.

Troopers who responded to the scene shared they were call to the same restaurant, a week ago, after receiving reports that there was a large number of patrons. When they arrived on Sunday, they found more than 70 motorcycles in the parking lot.

'Apparently they thought it was OK to serve drinks at the bar and the dock bar while people waited for their orders,' Sgt. S. Spayd said.

Carey claims that there were only 10 motorcycles at the eatery, adding that the vehicles were in the parking lot as people waited for their orders and left

Carey had violated Hogan's February executive order that said that restaurants that could not offer take out or delivery, needed to close. The order also said that no more than 10 people would be allowed in one space

Carey claims that there were only 10 motorcycles at the eatery, adding that the vehicles were in the parking lot as people waited for their orders and left.

'What exactly did we do wrong?' Carey asked. 'And who had the authority to take that many resources off the road?'

Shipley shared that Carey had violated Hogan's February executive order that said that restaurants that could not offer take out or delivery, needed to close.

The order also said that no more than 10 people would be allowed in one space.

The bar owner claims that his staff handed plastic bags to customers that were tied shut. Customers were also measured in lines with proper spacing and staff wore the appropriate protective gear

'The investigation indicated the restaurant was selling 'to go' food and drink orders, but some of that food and drink was being consumed on the premises,' Shipley said. 'The crowd dispersed and those who remained were determined to be waiting for carryout orders.'

Carey could face a year in jail and a $5000 fine if convicted

Carey said that MSP officers were joined by Cecil County Sheriff's Deputies, Maryland Transportation Authority and Perryville police.

'It's hard enough to get two cops at any other time,' Carey said. 'If I called for a riot I wouldn't get that kind of response.'

The bar owner claims that his staff handed plastic bags to customers that were tied shut. Customers were also measured in lines with proper spacing and staff wore the appropriate protective gear.

But according to Spayd, the customers lingered in the parking lot around the establishment for too long.

'We were at Lee's Landing a week ago and we gave them a warning,' the sergeant said. Carey could face a year in jail and a $5000 fine if convicted.

On Wednesday, Maryland health officials confirmed that roughly 985 people in the state are dead from the virus while just under 21,000 are infected.
The three-month loan moratorium announced by the Reserve Bank of India last month created a lot of confusion among customers from it being mandatory or optional, whether to opt-in or opt-out of it to how the repayments will be made. Customers also grappled with calculations as to what extent deferring EMIs will increase their loan liability. While banks released a list of frequently asked questions and experts addressed most of the queries, issues are still going on.

Observing the need gap, two start-ups LazyPay and Spocto have launched products that will help you decide if you require the moratorium or not.

LazyPay's Credit Shield service will help you check your eligibility for EMI moratorium based on your financial conditions.

"As a platform for awareness, LazyPay Credit Shield educates and empowers users with the pros and cons of the RBI moratorium. It analyses customers' active tradelines and shares bank and loan product information to help customers understand financial repercussions, whether they should opt-in, and what they should do to opt-out," says Prashanth Ranganathan, CEO, PayU Finance that runs the LazyPay.

The platform will also collate information to help customers know how a specific lender has implemented the RBI guidelines and what should a customer do.

"Based on the data on the bureau, the credit shield product analyses which credit instruments are active, which are eligible for a moratorium based on the RBI guidelines and what is the default position of their lender. The product also helps the customer quickly navigate to the lender's webpage pertaining to moratorium and make their decision," Ranganathan adds.

LazyPay Credit Shield will also help you avail your credit reports to keep you updated on your credit score and maintain a good credit behaviour. It will send alerts and reminders on missed loans and payments, misreporting of loans, and credit card payments. If you are in the need of loan, Credit Shield will suggest you most-suited loans and credit offers based on your personal payment history, lending, and creditworthiness.

Another product that can help you with the RBI moratorium and your financial health is a conversational chatbot. Spocto, a credit monitoring platform has deployed a conversational chatbot which leads the customers through their journey with the bank, their products and outstanding amount, and the impact of their decision of availing or foregoing the benefit.

"The technology allows customers to view a calculated impact of accepting the moratorium without having to disclose all their financial details," says Spocto in a press release.

Leveraging its B2C platform, Credit Monitor, Spocto will connect with users through a conversational chatbot that will utilise data analytics and AI to calculate the impact of deferred EMIs, considering various scenarios. "For instance, if a salaried professional with a housing loan of an outstanding principal below Rs 20 lakh and a residual tenure of fewer than 10 years is expecting a COVID-19 salary cut, he/she would be advised to take the moratorium and pay back the interest default using arrears or bonus. Similarly, an unmarried individual below 30 years of age with a credit card/vehicle loan, and an assured wage with no salary cuts would be advised to forego the benefit as he/she might have sufficient savings."

Thus, if you have not yet made up your mind to avail or forego the EMI relief, you may check out these options to figure the future course of action. Alternatively, you can reach out to experts for their advice. Since deferring EMIs will increase your total loan outgo with added interest in the loan outstanding, you should resort to it only if you have no other means to meet your existing debt obligations.

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: MHA to announce lockdown relaxation on May 4; 1,813 cases, 71 deaths in 24 hrs

Also Read: Saudi foreign reserves fall at fastest rate in two decades
04/29/2020

By Ed Brennen

As a public health student, I feel it is my responsibility to step up in situations like these. -Sai Priyanka Mellacheruvu

Graduate student Sam Codyer 14 doesnt have a lot of bandwidth at the moment. On top of working full-time from home in Fitchburg while finishing his final two courses for his masters degree in public health , he is about to become a father.But when Codyer heard that the commonwealth of Massachusetts was looking for public health students to volunteer with its COVID-19 contact tracing efforts, he made the time.I couldnt say no. I knew I needed to help in some way, says Codyer, who is among 30 undergraduate and graduate students from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences who have volunteered to work with local boards of health as contact tracers.As public health students, were fluent in everything thats being discussed, so its easier for us to volunteer and work with those already in the field, says Codyer, who was assigned to work with the Cambridge Public Health Department. All the things weve learned in school about the importance of public health are coming to fruition.Contact tracing is a critical step in containing the coronavirus pandemic. It involves a trained public health worker speaking by phone with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and creating a list of people with whom they were in close contact while infectious. Contact tracers then call those people to warn them that they may have been exposed to the virus, offering them information and guidance on self isolation, health monitoring and testing.Were the tip of the spear when it comes to gathering information, Codyer says.Its estimated that the country could need as many as 300,000 contact tracers to dramatically slow the spread of coronavirus  and Massachusetts has quickly emerged as a national leader on that front. On April 3, Gov. Charlie Baker announced the creation of the COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative, the first of its kind in the nation.A week earlier, the governor requested that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) work with local universities public health programs to create the Academic Public Health Volunteer Corps to assist boards of health with contact tracing.Fortunately, the MDPH already had established connections with several local colleges and universities. In April 2019, nine schools  including UMass Lowell, Harvard University, Boston University and UMass Amherst  formed the Massachusetts Academic Health Department Collaborative. When the collaborative put out a call for contact tracing volunteers, more than 1,000 students and alumni registered in two days.We are grateful for this valuable opportunity for our students to be a part of the states important COVID-19 response work, says Casey Leon , a clinical instructor of public health at UML. Theres no better way to apply what theyve learned in the public health program than by practicing it, particularly in this time of great need.Not all of the students have been called on yet to begin training as contact tracers.One who has is Sai Priyanka Mellacheruvu, a first-year master of public health student. She and Codyer are on the same 20-person contact tracing team in Cambridge.As a public health student, I feel it is my responsibility to step up in situations like these, says Mellacheruvu, a native of Hyderabad, India, who earned bachelors degrees in medicine and surgery from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences.The contact tracers are assigned cases from MAVEN (the Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network), the states infectious disease data collection system. The contact information they collect is entered into a global research database called REDCap.Working from a script of questions, Mellacheruvu says she interviews around four or five people each day who have tested positive for COVID-19. The interviews are voluntary, and Mellacheruvu says it can be difficult to get some people to discuss their cases.The saddest part of this is that most of the calls I make are to health care workers like nursing assistants and nurse practitioners, Mellacheruvu says. These are people who contracted the virus while they were working hard to treat the patients infected with the coronavirus.After five hours of online training to become a contact tracer, Codyer says his first call was fairly typical: a younger person who lived alone, had experienced only mild symptoms and was open to sharing information about their potential contacts.But hes also had to speak with the family of someone who died from the virus.We have to be extremely delicate with those conversations, Codyer says. I offered my sympathies, explained what we were doing and offered a better time to get back in touch."Codyer, a native of Pepperell, earned his bachelors degree in chemistry from the Kennedy College of Sciences in 2014. He has worked for bioscience company MillporeSigma for the past four years and is currently field service quality specialist for the North America lab water division. He says the systems that he manages are playing an important role in hospitals that are dealing with the coronavirus.Im happy that my job gives me flexibility for the contact tracing work, says Codyer, who spends four to five hours a day making calls.With his fiancee, Amy McGrath, nine months pregnant, Codyer is also on standby for the birth of their first child."Its crazy times, but life goes on some way, says Codyer, who is grateful for the opportunity to volunteer as a result of UMLs relationship with the MDPH. Looking out years from now, Ill be able to say that I tried to do what I could to help.
Yellowstone River, Columbus  The river has had some color, so most anglers have been streamer fishing. The Grinch allowed to sink and stripped slow has been snagging fish. Trail a beadhead nymph of some sort off the back. For nymphing, a Pats Rubberleg, Girdle Bug, Pepperoni Yuk Bug or a stonefly pattern with a smaller beadhead nymph like a Poxyback March brown, Hares Ear, Prince, Batman, Optic Nerve, Pheasant Tail, Midge or Lil Spanker as a dropper has been picking up fish in most of the runs and around gravel bars. March browns have been showing up most afternoons if its not too windy. Dont hesitate to throw a dry fly even if theres no apparent activity. If there are rising fish, look to fish a smaller size Purple Haze or BWO Dun pattern with a Cripple Emerger RS2 or Smoke Jumper trailed off of it by 12 inches or so. Midges are likely to appear as well. Look for sippers in the foam back eddys. As the water temperature continues to warm, expect to see caddis begin to hatch. There are plenty of caddis nymphs in the rocks. Pay attention to weather activity upstream on the tributary systems as well as in the park, this will result in off-color water.  Stillwater Anglers, Columbus.
Parks, nature trails, hair salons, barbers and daycare centers should be the first to reopen once Connecticut eases stay-at-home restrictions, readers told Hearst Connecticut in an informal poll this week.

I think we should let small business owners who feel comfortable doing so, open up, one reader wrote in their response. They would need to put some safety precautions in place, and its up to the public if they choose to go out or stay home.

Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that some businesses could begin reopening in as few as seven to 10 days if the decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations continues.

A state task force of medical and business officials has been meeting daily to prioritize reentry into the states new normal. However, Lamont has committed to keeping schools, many retail stores and other non-essential businesses closed until May 20.

My estimation is were going to open up those things which you can do safely, Lamont said at Mondays press conference. Those things where you can social distance.

Some readers are urging officials to reopen the state.

Everything should be opened immediately, one person wrote in our informal questionnaire. If Walmart and grocery stores are safe, other places are safe too. People who are scared can always continue to stay home.

Another reader, however, cautioned against reopening anything too early.

Let's start back up slowly, watch the numbers, the reader commented.

Staying at home is the best thing to do right now even though it's boring, a different person said.

When we asked readers what they miss the most since being stuck at home, the answers varied from shopping and eating out to spending time with family, working or hugging their grandchildren. Some said they miss their freedom or miss feeling safe around other people.

I miss my friends and family, one reader wrote to us. Please start to reopen our state.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 900 people had participated in Hearst CTs informal poll on what should open first in the state. Below, we take a look at some of their top wishes, and the likelihood of them happening.

1. Parks/nature trails

Miss being with family and enjoying outside.

State parks have remained open while limiting parking capacity to help enforce social distancing, but many local parks and trails have been closed, like the Ansonia Nature Center trails and playground. New Canaan this week announced the reopening of its trails. Greenwich this week reopened several of its parks. With all the advice of health professionals and even the governor to get outside and get fresh air and exercise, its likely other towns will follow suit soon and that most outdoor spaces will be open to the public again soon.

Peter Hvizdak/Hearst Connecticut Media

2. Hair salons/barbers

I need a haircut very badly!

More than 13,000 people have signed a petition on MoveOn.org to reopen hair salons and barbershops in a limited capacity with one customer at a time. The petition is also asking the state to consider these businesses essential. While its unclear whether the state is taking any action in response to this petition, it seems likely that a plan could be put in place for these businesses to reopen safely in a limited capacity while still keeping social distancing rules and sanitation protocols in mind.

3. Daycares/schools

I would like to see the kids get back to school. Even if its just for a month or so, it will take the pressure off parents and give the kids a bit of a regular schedule.

Lamont has already announced that schools will be closed at least until May 20, and has said they are unlikely to reopen again this school year. However, President Donald J. Trump this week urged governors to consider reopening schools before the end of the academic year. Some towns have issued emergency declarations ordering the daycares shuttered until further notice - except those caring for children of essential employees. While its unrealistic to expect social distancing in a daycare, child care centers are going to become increasingly essential to reopen as businesses are slowly opening up and parents are allowed back at work. They may have to reopen gradually, but they will most likely be opening when businesses do.

4. Beaches

The weather is great. We all need to get back to life. We cant stay stuck in our houses till a vaccine!

While many municipal beaches have been closed to prevent crowds, some state beaches -- like Hammonasset in Madison -- remain open. As the weather gets warmer, officials are feeling the pressure to reopen the beaches and recreational areas. However, state officials have indicated they may have to restrict or limit parking at beaches if visitors do not adhere to social distancing guidelines. The more crowds flock to the beach, therefore, the likelier it is that the beach may have to close temporarily to keep everyone safe.

5. Bars/restaurants/clubs

I work as a bartender so I really need bars to open ASAP.

It seems likely as the weather gets warmer that eateries with outdoor seating that can be kept at an appropriate distance could be among the first to reopen, Lamont said this week. But perhaps an indoor crowded bar or something, we cant figure out how to safely (reopen) in the near term.

Despite most respondents to our poll sharing their wishes for things going back to normal, some readers urged caution.

Being home is keeping everyone safe, one reader wrote. I have a lot of high risk relatives that I want to see for years to come!

And another indicated there is no need to rush into reopening the state: Being someone over 65, I wont be doing anything different until there is a vaccine or treatment.
The daughter of an elderly nursing home resident who is one of 56 patients and staff to test positive to COVID-19 has detailed how her ill mother is 'living in hell' at Newmarch House.

The care home, in Sydney's west, reported an extraordinary five deaths to the deadly disease in just 24 hours this week and has suffered 12 in total, after a staff member with mild symptoms infected the facility for six days earlier this month.

Distraught family member Mary Watson told how her mother, Alice Bacon, 93, is subsisting on frozen cheese sandwiches, has watched her weight drop to just 47kg and is 'mentally anguished' thanks to strict isolation rules.

Ms Watson said residents were 'dropping like flies' and is terrified her mother will become yet another grim statistic.

'My concern is, she told my son this morning she'd rather die, because she's living in hell,' she told reporters on Wednesday.

'And if she's gone, she won't be in hell anymore.'

Through the looking glass: Mary Watson (black top) and loved ones speak to 93-year-old mother Alice Bacon through the window at Newmarch House, in Sydney's west, on her birthday weeks ago. Residents are 'dropping like flies', Ms Watson said

'My concern is, she told my son this morning she'd rather die, because she's living in hell,' Ms Watson (above) said on Wednesday. 'And if she's gone, she won't be in hell anymore'

From the outside: 56 people at Newmarch House near Caddens in the city's west have tested positive to the coronavirus, after a staff member showed up to work with mild symptoms

Ms Watson said she is yet to even speak to a doctor about how the deadly virus is attacking her mother.

Recently, she's been unable to see her mum even through a window, claiming the centre operator had told families rallying outside it was 'not feasible'.

Ms Watson said: 'My mum tells me she has had a frozen cheese sandwich for lunch. I'm mortified.

'She's 47kg. She's doing her laundry in the bathroom sink because there's no laundry service.

'I'm worried she's going to slip on the floor and go away with a head injury. Those little services, someone should have thought about this'.

The operator of the aged care home said the facility is running as a 'pseudo hospital' to manage the outbreak - and is expecting more people to die.

Anglicare chief executive Grant Millard said the facility had been warned to expect difficult days ahead.

'To see them dying so quickly in these circumstances despite best medical care and attention that's being given to them, it's still a situation of significant and deep trauma,' Mr Millard told ABC News.

'We do anticipate more deaths.'

Mr Millard said there are 81 residents still living at the Caddens facility.

Some 20 registered nurses, 25 carers, 11 cleaners and a GP are working daily at the nursing home where 34 residents and 22 staff members have tested positive to COVID-19.

The 12th fatality at the facility was announced on Wednesday.s

Flowers have begun piling up outside the nursing home as the death toll hit 11 on Wednesday

Family members who have loved ones inside are rallying daily outside the Caddens facility

'(It's) really running as a pseudo of a hospital at the moment,' Mr Millard said.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Residents have been isolating in their homes since the outbreak on April 11 with Anglicare working to connect them with family members via mobile phones.

A registered nurse also makes daily calls to each infected resident's designated family representative, Mr Millard said.

Other employees have been tasked with helping residents who cannot use mobile phones to connect with their family with Mr Millard saying it's 'sincerely regrettable' those calls have not been happening frequently enough.

'You need to appreciate that some people you are bringing in for these services are not clinicians, they're not used to wearing personal protective equipment,' he told ABC News.

'It's a very dangerous place for people to be working.'

The facility is looking into window therapy in which residents can communicate with family members and receive therapy through a window.

Political pressure has been heaped on NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, with Ms Watson and other relatives of those inside joining Labor leader Jodi McKay's press conference outside the nursing home.

Ms Berejiklian said that it was 'distressing' communication between family members of Newmarch House residents and operators Anglicare was lax.

An open letter from families of the facility's residents to Mr Millard claims their calls have not been returned, details about loved ones have not been regularly divulged and residents have reported inadequate care.

The nursing home at the base of Sydney's Blue Mountains has become a 'pseudo hospital', operator Anglicare has admitted. Above, a masked security guard at the complex

Coronavirus across Australia: The total case number and death toll across the country as of Wednesday, April 29

The premier said the lack of communication was a 'huge issue' given the fear and distress felt by family members and residents of the home.

'We say to the operators of that aged care home, you need to lift your game in communicating to loved ones,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'It's not acceptable to keep people in the dark. Just put yourself in the shoes of those people - it's horrific to be fearful about firstly, potentially losing a loved one, but then not knowing what's going on and not being able to offer that care.'

Infectious disease clinicians are assessing the situation at the facility daily, while staff who helped manage a coronavirus outbreak at Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care home in Macquarie Park have also been called in to help.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said a report on the Newmarch House outbreak will be prepared and shared with families before its findings are made public.

For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For information on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), call the Australian Government's National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080
By Peter Nurse

Investing.com - Oil markets saw more volatile trading Tuesday, with the front month June WTI contract lower amid fears that it, too, will turn negative as delivery date looms.

AT 9:45 AM ET (1345 GMT), Crude Oil WTI futures traded 3.6% lower at $12.32 a barrel, while the international benchmark Brent contract rose 0.9% to $23.27.

Overnight, the United States Oil Fund (NYSE:USO), an ETF that accounts for a large block of exposure in WTI futures, said it would sell off all its contracts for June delivery, replacing them with longer-term contracts.

In addition, S&P Global is reported to have told clients to roll all their exposure out of WTI June futures and into July with immediate effect.

According to a notice by the company seen by Bloomberg, "this unscheduled roll is being implemented based on the potential for the June 2020 WTI crude oil contract to price at or below zero as well as the steady decline in open interest for the June 2020 contract.

S&P Global runs the most popular and biggest commodity index in the world, the S&P GSCI.

Investors are wary that WTI futures could repeat last weeks journey into negative territory when its June contract expires on May 19, with no real signs of a recovery in demand and storage space fast running out.

"The exodus in our view remains motivated by concerns over the saturation of storage capacity at Cushing and the associated risk of negative pricing," Harry Tchilinguirian, global oil strategist at BNP Paribas (OTC:BNPQY) told the Reuters Global Oil Forum.

U.S. crude inventories rose to 518.6 million barrels in the week to April 17, near an all-time record of 535 million barrels set in 2017, while floating crude oil storage has hit an all-time high of 160 million barrels.

Argus reported on Tuesday that OPEC member Nigeria has set its official prices for May at discounts of more than $5 a barrel to prompt North Sea (NYSE:SE) cargoes, partly because it lacks onshore storage to wait out better times. At current levels, that would imply much of its oil will sell for less than $10.

Story continues

More information about storage levels are due later Tuesday, as the American Petroleum Institute will report its measure of crude stockpiles after the market closes. Last week the API reported a rise of about 13.2 million barrels in inventories.

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Swedish exceptionalism is a concept that Sweden has marketed well, in everything from the arts to pop culture, tech, and science. To be sure, there have been many talented Swedes deserving of international recognition: August Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman, ABBA, Robyn, Ludwig Goransson, the founders of Spotify and Skype, andof courseAlfred Nobel, just to name a few. Swedens generous social welfare system, meanwhile, is often held up by envious American progressives as a model to emulate.

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With its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, though, Swedens upright image has been tarnished. Over the past few weeks, the world has watched as Swedens public health agency has largely ignored international scientific consensus on the most efficient and lifesaving response to COVID-19: social distancing. Sweden is the only nation in the group of more economically developed countries taking an almost entirely laissez-faire approach to the pandemic. As a native Swede who has been based in the United States for the past 10 years and recently made a temporary return to my home country, I have found it difficult to experience Swedens uniquely incautious yet self-assured response, even if it hasnt been entirely unpredictable. Swedens problematic approach has many layers.

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First, it continues to be very difficult to get tested for COVID-19both for active infection and for antibodies. The Swedish public health agency Folkhalsomyndigheten has restricted testing priority to hospitalized patients and people who work in health or elderly care with suspected COVID-19. The agency says that patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not be prioritized for testing until they are hospitalized, and it is not prioritizing testing of potentially asymptomatic health care and elder care workers. Similarly, wearing facial protection, gloves, or any other protective gear in public isnt recommended either, and has been scorned, even as most aspects of society have remained open with the small exception of some mass gatherings. (Public events for more than 50 people have been banned, and this past weekend saw the first closures of a few nightlife establishments for not respecting social distancing.) That COVID-19 can be spread asymptomatically, established months ago, has only recently been reluctantly admitted by the public health agency. Up until then, Swedens public health agency denied that this was a factor at all, although international consensus was that it partially drives the pandemic.

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Just as the U.S. and most of Europe were tightening restrictions, Swedish bar owners were allowed to open their outside patios earlier than usual. With some minor exceptions, Swedish bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, and stores remain open to this day. Swedens per capita death rate is now among the highest in the world, above the United States and nearly six times as high as some of our Scandinavian neighbors. Total deaths from COVID-19 in Sweden are nearing 2,500, more than all but four American states.

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For the most part, Swedens citizensmany of whom are passionate supporters of progressive human rights, immigration policies, feminism, and equality culture, and of the countrys famed teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberghave gone along with policies leading to large-scale death.

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Swedes have done the least in Europe to change their movements according to social distancing, anonymized mobility data from Google has shown. When I flew into Sweden earlier this month from Los Angeles (a necessary triptaken while dressed in mask, gloves, and a Beastie Boys Intergalactictype faux hazmat suit), it was like arriving in an alternate universe. No screening of any kind took place. There were no pamphlets about COVID-19 precautions. It was like COVID-19 had never left Wuhan, China.

What I quickly noticed during the ride to my Stockholm apartment was how things seemed exactly normal for this time of year. Spring, when the Swede wakes up from his winter depression and goes outside to manically face the sun with closed eyes, was the same as it ever was. No one I could see was minding social distance. Cafes were full to the brim, and people were picnicking in parks, on the same blanket. And within the first few hours back in Stockholm, I saw more handshakes and hugs in public than I had seen in two months in Los Angeles, where I had seen none.

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After spending the past decade as a cultural journalist and TV producer in San Francisco and Los Angeles, I have temporarily moved back to Sweden because I want to be close to my 71-year-old mother during this difficult time (all internationally recommended safety precautions more than taken). To witness the differences between my home country and my adopted country has been confusing and infuriating.

There are a number of explanations for Swedens unique approach, but they revolveI thinkaround a culture of conformity and the self-image of exceptionalism. Prior to my return, the phrase Were only following recommendations had been regurgitated to me for two months by Swedish friends. Susan Sontag once described the Swedish capacity for conformity: Whenever possible, situations and words are taken at face value. Often, this has meant listening to experts offering advice for the greater public good. But what happens when the experts are telling people things that could make them sick? Wouldnt many of the citizens of a nation with such a high education rate revolt over such an outlier response from their government, now proven to result in mass death? The answer to that is no.

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There have been some voices of reason outside of the official government response.

State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has been one of the loudest and most trusted voices among the countrys pandemic response team. He has taken an almost lobotomized detachment in discussing the tragic costs of his response plan and refused to take responsibility for the worst outcomes of that plan, blaming elder care facilities for the deaths that have been the inevitable result of the governments approach.

I think to great parts we have been able to achieve what we set out to achieve, Tegnell recently told the BBC. What has not worked out very well is our death toll, and thats very muchI mean, its partly due to the strategy, but not really very much. Its mainly due to that our homes for elderly have not been able to keep the disease out.

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Another prominent public voice has been Johan Giesecke, previously at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, currently an adviser to the Swedish public health agency. Gieseckes hot takes about the Swedish model border on the absurd, with his interviews sprinkled with quotes like Ive got a gut feeling about this and Every other country is wrong. Swedes in general dont seem troubled by this nonsense; both Tegnell and Giesecke have become very popular.

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There have been some voices of reason outside of the official government response. Swedish virologist Lena Einhorna staunch critic of Tegnell and Gieseckeexplained to the BBC why she wanted the country to start bending the curveto give the health care system time to develop therapeutics and possibly a vaccine. Joacim Rocklov, professor in epidemiology at Umea University, and Anders Jansson, a doctor at Danderyd Hospital, have also been very outspoken critics of the Swedish model. These three were joined by 19 other Swedish experts in a recently published op-ed in Dagens Nyheter titled The Public Health Agency Has Failed, Now Politicians Must Act. The op-eds authors are in turn only 22 of more than 2,000 Swedish academics who have signed a petition pushing for a change of course. This group has been largely ignored, though, by the institutions that help shape popular opinion in Sweden.

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Many Swedish pundits have aggressively defended Swedens COVID-19 model. A destructive culture of bullying against any journalistand even scientists!critical of Swedens official response has developed, where editorial writers standing on self-proclaimed platforms of empathetic ideologies have been the most disdainful. Blinded by a sense of invincibility, writers have trashed Swedens experts and any critical debate in a pandemic where people are dying en masse. Jansson recently wrote a striking response to this worrying trend in Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet. I accuse you, Jansson writes. You have destroyed the possibility for debate in the most important question facing Sweden since the Second World War, and you are thereby risking peoples lives. You should be ashamed.

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What I havent seen much of is rational discussion about why there is such unwavering faith that Swedens tiny public health agency could be superior to the collected knowledge about COVID-19 in every other economically developed country. One of the few journalists to ask the critical questions on an ongoing basis has been German TV correspondent Christian Stichler, who in a recent Swedish TV debate said there is a missing streitkulturdebate climatein the exchanges between journalists and authorities here.

There have also sadly been few news stories about the dead and their families, or stories about all the Swedish health care workers who have risked their lives under the ghastly conditions our authorities have left them with. In recent weeks, there has been more reporting about health care workers and the dead than there was initially.

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A handful of writers have provided a few non-trolling critical voices. For instance, Peter Wolodarski, the editor in chief of Swedens biggest newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, has not bowed to the opinions of many of his own colleagues.

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The politics of COVID-19 have felt similarly jumbled. I have seen more correlation between the rhetoric of the Swedish left and Fox News than between the Swedish left and progressive movements internationally. It has been the Swedish left that has fiercely praised the Swedish COVID-19 response with overtones of nationalism. That protests over the lockdowns have popped up across America over the past few weeks is of course not surprising. But it was surprising to see protesters taking to the streets to demand haircuts and burgers with signs that read BE LIKE SWEDEN.

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Where have Swedens government and Prime Minister Stefan Lofven been in all of this? Lofven held one somber, prerecorded five-minute address to the nation last month. It wasnt exactly impassioned, and it offered very little in the way of an actual plan to stop the spread of the virus. Lofven has also addressed coronavirus during scattered press briefings.

This has all been shattering for an at least temporarily repatriated expat. During my decade in California, Sweden has functioned as a mental support cushion of safety and reason, especially after the still-hard-to-fathom election of the star of The Apprentice as president of the United States. Ive held this faith despite Sweden having its own very visible issues with the far-right: The nationalist far-right-wing Sweden Democrats, founded in 1988 by people with neo-Nazi ties, has surged in popularity in the past couple of years, making large parliamentary gains and at times polling higher than any other party in the country.

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One explanation for Swedens unique COVID-19 response has been the high trust Swedes have had in their government, historically. That trust has started to slip in recent years, with a divergence between those supporting the rising far-right and those more committed to Swedens historical values. Lofven was barely able to maintain his position as prime minister after our last election in 2018, and he did so by abandoning even more of Swedens famous Social Democratic policies, continuing a rightward trend. The trust in government, though, has returned amid COVID-19. In my view, this has been a way for citizens to project responsibility onto authorities while being let off the hook for their own recklessness.

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The Sweden of my youth, meanwhile, was still steered by the idea of folkhemmet (the peoples home), developed mainly in the 1930s and 1940s. It offered a safe midway point between socialism and capitalism that attracted many human rights leaders, while avoiding communisms brutal suppression of individual liberty or the destructive and reckless impoverishment of those deemed losers in cutthroat American capitalism. Most of what American progressives romanticize Sweden forfrom our generous parental leave to free higher educationhas its roots in this.

The peoples home, though, is also unfortunately very much connected to the guiding Swedish principle of lagomjust the right amount. What lagom has come to mean in Sweden during COVID-19 is what it usually means: that no one should stick out (paradoxically this is exactly what Sweden is doing internationally). And lagom is in turn tied to a culture of conflict avoidance that can be found in quotidian Swedish life, but also in very unflattering ways throughout historysuch as during the Second World War, when the country maintained strict neutrality. There exists in Sweden a cowardly strain of passivism and moral superiority that has echoed since. And here we are again, where the likely preventable deaths of almost 2,500 and counting are lamented as unfortunate, but acceptable.

Many Swedes do reflect critically over Swedens COVID-19 response. And increasingly so. Manybut still far too fewrespect social distancing to some degree. But this period seems likely to become a historical note as shameful as when Sweden let the Germans march through Norway.

Swedens peculiar cultural attributes, the idea of lagom, unbounded trust in state experts, and an internalized sense of exceptionalism have mainly served Sweden well. But in a global crisis, they become a liability. It is still possible that Swedens COVID-19 response could be exoneratedsay, herd immunity does take effect and Swedens death rate is lower than neighboring countries at some point down the road. This seems highly unlikely, but still possible. In the end, though, it doesnt really matter. Theres no way of knowing how things are going to pan out, and for Sweden alone to gamble on a strategy that already seems to be backfiring spectacularly is cavalier, irresponsible, and supercilious. And perhaps so very Swedish.

For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to The Gist.
China "rebuffed" US efforts to get experts on the ground at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak to help contain its spread, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged.

"This president and this administration worked diligently to get Americans on the ground there in China, to help the World Health Organisation try to get in there as well. We were rebuffed," Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Chinese government wouldn't let it happen, indeed just the opposite of transparency. They kicked American journalists out and denied access to American and other Western scientists at the time that it was frankly most critical that we understand what was going on there, he said.

US officials were part of the WHO expert team delegation that travelled to China. "Upon arrival, the delegation travelled in groups to several locations, but Americans were not among those who travelled to Wuhan, a State Department spokesperson said.

The US, the spokesperson said, continues to engage with the WHO to insist that the organisation undertake substantive reform and encourage it to play its mandated global coordination role.

"As Secretary Pompeo has repeatedly said, the United States supports multilateral organizations. We simply insist that they fulfil their missions, including demanding full transparency and information sharing and a willingness to speak the truth and hold member states accountable when they fail to comply, the spokesperson said in response to a question.

The United States provided USD400 million to the WHO in FY-2019, including funding from the Department of State, USAID, and other US government agencies, including Department of Health and Human Services.

FY 2020 is still underway. Previously obligated funding is not impacted by the current 60-90 day halt and review on new funding, said the spokesperson.

The review process is under development, and will include all relevant US government departments and agencies, said the spokesperson in response to a question.

Meanwhile Senators Chris Murphy and Ed Markey, both members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday called on Pompeo for answers as to why key public health positions based in China were eliminated and why warnings of safety and management concerns at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were not taken seriously.

Understanding what happened at the WIV is critical to keeping Americans safe. We urgently need to fully understand the origins of this pandemic because the next pandemic will not wait, they wrote.

Indeed, if COVID-19 did accidentally escape from this lab, we need to understand what happened and how this could have been prevented, and work with the World Health Organisation to ensure the security and safe management of sensitive bioresearch laboratories, the senators said.

Even if the COVID-19 pandemic originated naturally through animal-to-human transmission, as many scientists believe, the State Department cables suggest the risk of a new virus emerging from a laboratory due to lax safety procedures or other accidental release remains high, they wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a disease that affects 2-3 people out of 100,000, in which our immune system attacks our own brain causing neurological and psychiatric symptoms.

So far we only know about 50% of the targets or antigens of our neurons that we generate antibodies against during AE.

However, Dr. Antonella Consiglio's group has designed a new platform, based on stem cells, capable of detecting a wide variety of antibodies against our neurons in blood serum or cerebrospinal fluid.

Innovation potential, significant impact and quality of Dr Antonella Consiglio project, ICREA academy from Bellvitge Biomedical Institute (IDIBELL) and Associate Professor at the Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences from Barcelona University and member of Biomedicine Institute from UB, has helped it now to be selected for a European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant.

The group will receive a total amount of 150,000 for an 18-month period, which will go towards exploring business opportunities, patents and practical applications of the group's research results.

According to Dr. Consiglio:

The grant is a great opportunity to develop a novel and innovative approach to detect a great variety of neuronal autoantigens for a faster and accurate diagnosis of autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system bringing it closer to the market".

The Proof of Concept grants are aimed at exploring the social and/or commercial potential of the results reached from previous projects funded through the ERC, under the framework of the European Union's research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020. The total programme budget amounts to 25 million euros.

A new powerful platform, based on stem cells

In 2013, Antonella Consiglio was awarded a 1.32 million grant by the ERC for the development of her project to elucidate early pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease through a humanized dynamic in vitro model.

Thanks to this grant, the laboratory has engaged several successful collaborative endeavours such as the one with the Dr Dalmau and Dr Martinez from Hospital Clinic, that has led to open a new line of research focused on developing a prototype device to be tested for the improved diagnosis of AE.

Antonella Consiglio's group proposes a new diagnostic platform in which antibodies against the own neurons present in the serum or cerebrospinal fluid of patients, would be checked on human neurons from the in vitro differentiation of pluripotent stem cells.

This new platform would allow us to recognize, not only those antibodies that recognize known antigens that cause AE, but also any autoantibodies that are recognizing their proteins as foreign.

Moreover, since it is a completely human model, there is no possibility of a lack of recognition between antigen and antibody due to differences between species. Finally, this platform recognizes with high reliability the false positives that may occur.
The federal government was told in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak in Australia that the deadly virus may have been leaked from a Wuhan lab, senior sources have confirmed.

The Morrison government was told in February there was a 50 per cent chance it was accidentally released from a bio-containment facility located in the initial Chinese virus epicentre before more became known about it.

The government now believes it's unlikely the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the source of the virus which has claimed 89 lives in Australia and more than three million worldwide.

It comes after it was revealed two senior scientists from the lab - Peng Zhou and Shi Zhengli - previously studied bats at the CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory as part of research funded by both the Australian and Chinese governments.

Virologist Shi Zhengli (pictured at Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2017) is one of two Chinese scientists from the lab who previously worked at the

Australia is now calling a review from China to understand 'exactly' how coronavirus originated.

'We want a clear, independent, fearless global review of the origins, the actions, and the global path forward, in relation to this and all future pandemics,' federal health minister Greg Hunt told the Daily Telegraph.

The work of Mr Zhou and Ms Zhengli is being examined by intelligence agencies from the 'Five Eyes' network comprising of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the US as part of their investigations into the origins of coronavirus.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was reluctant to comment on the investigation.

'Obviously, ASIO and our agencies do a lot of work with their international counterparts, particularly the Five Eyes community. We've looked at a number of cases, particularly over the last couple of years,' he told the publication.

The Australian government now believes it's unlikely that China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured) was the source of the virus

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham denied knowing of any such investigation.

'Obviously we want to see a transparent investigation into the matter,' Senator Birmingham told ABC Radio National.

'I don't and the government does not comment on national security or intelligence matters, that is a long standing practice. I am not aware of any investigation and I wouldn't comment on them even if I were.

'However, we want to see transparent investigations into the causes so that we can prevent repeats of such pandemics into the future.'

Mr Peng, head of Wuhan's Bat Virus Infection and Immunity Project, spent three years at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory between 2011 and 2014.

He was part of a study which involved transporting bats from Queensland to the lab in Geelong in regional Victoria where they were killed, dissected and studied for viruses.

The project, funded jointly by the Australia and Chinese governments, found 'bats are rich reservoirs for emerging viruses'.

Shi Zhengli (left) and Peng Zhou (right) jointly wrote a paper in January that said the new coronavirus probably originated from bats, similar to SARS

Ms Zhengli also worked at Australia's Animal Health Laboratory for three months in 2006, where she studied bat faeces to identify the mammals as a natural host for viruses similar to SARS.

She is now the director of the Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the Wuhan lab.

The two scientists jointly wrote a paper in January that said the novel coronavirus probably originated from bats, similar to SARS.

Zhengli told the Scientific American that when she was first told of a pneumonia outbreak she feared the lab may be responsible for leaking coronaviruses.

She told the journal that she wondered: 'Could they have come from our lab?'

Ms Zhengli now insists the virus did not escape from her world-class lab.

Test results showed genome sequences taken from infected patients did not match any her team were working on in the lab, meaning the novel coronavirus did not come from an accidental leak.

'That really took a load off my mind. I had not slept a wink for days,' Ms Zhengli said.

Shi Zhengli (pictured in 2017) - who is known as 'bat woman' by her colleagues - studied bat faeces to identify the mammals as a natural host for viruses similar to SARS

The CSIRO has confirmed bat research has taken place at its high biocontainment facility, the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP).

'While there is no current research on bats at ACDP, research into bats underpins much of our understanding of zoonotic diseases,' a CSIRO statement read.

'CSIRO undertakes all research in accordance with strict biosecurity and legislative requirements

CSIROs collaborations with research organisations from many countries around the world are helping drive global effort forwards to human diseases prevention and management.

'As with all partners, CSIRO undertakes due diligence and takes security very seriously.'
It was expected to deliver Ukrainian citizens who have a long-term contract with their employer

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has canceled Kyiv-London flight, which was scheduled for April 29, due to a ban by Ukraines State Aviation Service. The flight was organized in order to send Ukrainian citizens who have a long-term contract with their employer in the UK. This was reported by UIAs press service.

The plane was scheduled to depart at 12:40.

"Accordingly, this category is not a risk for Ukraine. These citizens will not need evacuation any time soon and will not be potential distributors of ovid-19 throughout the territory of Ukraine," the message reads.

The airlines assured that they would try to get permission to operate the flight.

As we reported earlier, the EU ministers of tourism decided to develop a certificate of security in the sphere of tourism under provisional name Covid-passport.

We have finished the informal conference of the ministers with the participation of all countries-members and European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton. We reached several conclusions, particularly, in the organization of the joint European approach to emerging from the crisis. It will include the creation of joint protocols and measures in the spheres of health and security. The ministers agreed that the common document under provision name Covid-passport should be created and it will work all over the EU, Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli noted.
The so-far unused EU funds will be relocated into five key spheres.

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Slovakia will have an additional 1.3 billion from so-far unused EU funds to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health is invaluable and thanks to the measures we have introduced, we are doing well, but it is also important to take care of the health of the economy, said Veronika Remisova (Za Ludi), vice prime minister for investments and informatisation, as cited by the SITA newswire. And that is what the money from the EU coffers is destined for.

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Based on documents approved by the cabinet on April 28, these funds, 1.252 billion from EU funds and 100 million from savings within the Operational Programme Human Resources in the Priority Axis Employment, will be relocated into five key spheres.
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The S&P 500 has been stuck in a critical trading range as investors digest the economic fallout of actions taken to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and their effect on corporate earnings.

The benchmark index has struggled to break through key resistance at levels around 2,800 and 3,027. At the same time, it has maintained critical support near 2,720, according to Bank of America. Overhead resistance occurs at levels where a large number of sellers emerge, while underlying support materializes at an area where a large number of buyers congregate.

Breadth, a key signal of stock-market strength that measures the number of stocks participating in a rally, shows the current rebound is far weaker than the comeback after a sharp selloff at the end of 2018.

The S&P 500 may be floating like the butterfly with much weaker breadth for NYSE stocks in April 2020 vs. January 2019, wrote Stephen Suttmeier, technical research strategist at Bank of America.

OIL TANKERS FILL UP AS CORONAVIRUS CRUSHES CRUDE DEMAND

In the first 23 days of the rally off the March low, there was an average of 174 daily net advances, compared with 486 during the rally that began at the end of December 2018. The discrepancy is a sign that market breadth for the NYSE is much weaker now vs. then, Suttmeier wrote.

Furthermore, the advance-decline line, a measure of breadth and volume, for the 15 most active U.S. stocks by share volume has made little progress since the March low, according to Suttmeier. The failure of this big money indicator to make a new high after the S&P 500 breached its April 9 peak is a bearish divergence for U.S. equities," he warned.

The indicator is the latest ammunition that bearish investors can cite as evidence the rally off the March low has run out of steam.

The market has probably overpriced the optimism going forward, Raoul Pal, former hedge fund manager and co-founder and CEO of financial media company Real Vision Group, told FOX Business Stuart Varney on Tuesday.

Story continues

Pal says countries including China, South Korea, Singapore and Japan that have returned to work have seen economic output reduced because demand is weaker. As a result, he fears GDP growth could be negative for longer than we think.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

David Rosenberg, chief economist and strategist at Toronto-based Rosenberg Research, warned in a note to investors on Tuesday that in a best-case scenario, earnings and the S&P 500 will take years to recover from the deflationary output gap currently taking hold. He said bullish investors who believe normalized future profits will not be impaired are mistaken.

While most investors are debating whether the lows are in for the S&P 500, Rosenberg says they should instead be asking when the market will return to its highs.

He points to 1929, 2000 and 2007, when it took a very long time to reclaim the highs.

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There's increasing corroboration that, as far back as 1993, Tara Reade was telling people that Joe Biden had sexually assaulted her. This does not prove her allegations, but it establishes that Reade didn't make up a story recently for political or monetary gain. She's been telling the same story, with consistent facts, for a long time. Very reluctantly, the Democrat establishment is being forced to acknowledge what Reade says.

It was different when Christine Blasey Ford emerged with a story that changed every time it was told, about events that even her friends and alleged witnesses denied, and that Blasey Ford first mentioned twenty years after it allegedly happened. Then, the Democrat establishment instantly believed her  and repeated every unsavory (and, inevitably, untrue) rumor about Kavanaugh, even as he made his life an open book to demonstrate his innocence.

Ironically, unlike Kavanaugh, with his sterling reputation, everyone has always known about Biden's peccadilloes. In 2015, Jon Stewart joked about Biden feeling up women:

Jon Stewart in 2015 on Joe Biden:



"It's apparently a Senate rite of passage that you're not officially sworn in until Delaware Joe has felt up one female member of your immediate family."



pic.twitter.com/DvVdrYj1EJ  Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 19, 2020

Lawyer and academic Jonathan Turley, a Democrat, is offended by the Democrats' dodging and weaving. His starting point is the laughable Washington Post report about Reade's new witnesses. Instead of stating, "Two women corroborate Reade's story about Biden's sexual assault," the WaPo ran with "Developments in allegations against Biden amplify efforts to question his behavior." Says Turley:

There has been an almost universal spin in the media to portray the Biden allegation as a political story of how Republicans are seeking to use the story against him. There is a true element to that story. However, the disconnect with the Kavanaugh coverage is quite extraordinary. There was little equivocation in either the headlines or the stories.

Turley resurrects the proBlasey Ford statements from Democrat politicians such as Sen. Mazie (men should "shut up") Hirono, Sen. Richard ("I believe Dr. Ford") Blumenthal, Sen. Chuck ("I believe her") Schumer, and Sen. Kirsten ("I believe her") Gillibrand. The fact that their support for women runs only to women accusing Republicans, and that their belief in "innocent until proven guilty" runs only to Democrats, offends Turley. "The spin is staggering and the silence is deafening."

Surprisingly, Peter Beinart, a hard-left journalist, has called upon the University of Delaware to release Biden's papers. The university was supposed to have released the papers in January 2019 but held off, almost certainly planning for Biden to run for president, thereby ensuring that any secrets could remain locked in the vault. Beinart seems vaguely hopeful that the papers will mention nothing about Reade, which would strengthen Biden's position.

Meanwhile, Biden took cover behind Hillary Clinton when he had her as his guest on a women's issues town hall. The laughter that Hillary Clinton, who savaged wronged women to protect her predator husband, would be Biden's human shield could be heard all over America:

The Queen of sexual assault enablers has joined the chat... pic.twitter.com/k09psXC5us  Benny (@bennyjohnson) April 28, 2020

Biden himself didn't seem too enthused about Hillary, either. At one point, the man whom Trump has labeled "sleepy Joe," seemed to fall asleep while Hillary droned on:

Joe Biden has fallen asleep listening to Hillary Clinton during his own town hall pic.twitter.com/tCfbXwezys  Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 28, 2020

Eventually, Biden perked up enough to make the bizarre promise to Americans that he cares about "economic intercourse":

For ambitious Democrat women Biden's contemptible behavior is irrelevant. Stacey Abrams, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and all the other faux feminist harridans are lined up, desperate to be on the ticket with him, knowing they're virtually assured of becoming president before his first term expires.

It remains to be seen whether the mainstream media can keep enough of America fooled to hide his sexual misbehavior. That way, they might be able to propel Biden and some woman  any woman  into the White House. Given the power the media still have over public discourse, the best that can be hoped for is that principled Democrats, while they won't be able to make themselves vote for Trump, won't be able to make themselves vote for Biden, either.
As Indonesia struggles to win the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has turned to foreign leaders to discuss strategies for addressing the global pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on the economy and healthcare systems around the world.

Jokowi posted on his Instagram account on Tuesday a collage of caricatures of himself and eight other leaders with whom he said he had recently spoken, including Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The post also includes United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

We cannot possibly handle COVID-19 alone. We must join hands with all citizens of the world, Jokowi said in the post on Tuesday.

These talks lift my spirit. There is a spirit of solidarity among world leaders for nations to support and help one another.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that he had also discussed the global pandemic with Jokowi, whom he called his "good friend", to strengthen cooperation in fighting the virus.

As close maritime neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners, close cooperation between India and Indonesia will be important to deal with the health and economic challenges posed by this crisis, he tweeted.

Jokowi had also engaged in talks over the coronavirus outbreak with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during which he thanked Seoul for helping Jakarta address the health crisis.

The foreign leaders Jokowi has spoken with are from countries ranked in the top 50 of 210 countries and territories with COVID-19 cases, according to worldometers.info.

As of Wednesday, the tally of COVID-19 infections has surpassed 3 million cases globally, with more than 210,000 fatalities across the globe.

The US, currently the hardest-hit country in the world, has recorded more than 1 million cases, accounting for nearly a third of all confirmed infections worldwide.

Indonesia, meanwhile, has recorded at least 9,511 coronavirus infections, according to the government's official tally on Tuesday afternoon.
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today chaired a consultation in the government discussing the implementation process of capital programs in the fields of infrastructures and house-building, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

Pashinyan said this year the capital programs are of special importance. Why it is specifically important this year and what practice we have from the previous years regarding the capital expenditures? The experience of the past years shows that traditionally the capital expenditures in Armenia are under-fulfilled. But if in 2019 we had an unprecedented economic activity, compared to the under-fulfillment of the capital expenditures, this year we are in crisis, and therefore, our main tool to overcome the crisis is the effective implementation of the capital expenditures. We find that this year each under-fulfilled percent of the capital expenditures means non-created jobs, means families which didnt get salaries, means businessmen who should have got a profit, operated in the context of state expenditures, which in its turn further intensifies the difficult social situation. In this respect we really need to carry out capital expenditures with a special quality and volume, he said, reminding that most of the capital expenditures is carried out by the ministry of territorial administration and infrastructures.

Minister of territorial administration and infrastructures Suren Papikyan reported that the ministry has been provided with 22 billion 380 million drams from the 2020 state budget for its capital expenditures, 21 billion drams out of which is directed for road construction. It is expected to renovate 250 km long road in the Republic within the frames of these funds. The preparation works are in process and will start on March 5.

Thereafter, deputy chair of the Urban Development Committee Armen Ghularyan reported the process of the house-building program in the disaster zone  in Spitak, Vanadzor and Gyumri.

PM Pashinyan tasked to implement all these programs with a large scale and within the set timeframes.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
A man left his wife infuriated after he threw her huge jigsaw puzzle against the dining room doors.

Tony Jakes, from Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire was recording partner Kelly as she attempted to complete a 3,000-part jigsaw of Neuschwanstein Castle.

But seconds before fitting the final piece, the dad-of-two decided it would be the perfect time to pull a prank.

'Right so here we are, the moment of the 2020 lockdown in the Jakes household,' he says in the footage.

'Kelly has been doing this puzzle for about three weeks, and this is the final moment she gets to put the final piece in or does she?'

Tony then pulls the surprise move of sweeping the picturesque puzzle on to the floor and quickly escapes into the lounge.

Tony Jakes was recording partner Kelly as she attempted to complete a 3,000-part jigsaw of Neuschwanstein Castle

Seconds later, Kelly's shock turns into anger as she can't believe what Tony has done to her hard work.

'You f****** w*****! I cant believe you just done that. Tony, you better pray to God youre fishing rods are going to survive,' she can be heard saying.

'Hey, dont get too hasty,' replies Tony.

The video has been viewed over 600,000 times, with hundreds commenting with their thoughts on whether Tony's prank was wise.

The couple live in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire with their two daughters

Posting the video, Tony said: 'S*** has just got real in the jakes household 2999 piece puzzle up the wall. Had to go save my fishing rods.

'Kelly Jakes please forgive me to much wine. Pray for me people.'

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most popular puzzle designs in the UK, and comes in several different sizes ranging up to 4,000-piece sets.

It is also rumoured to be the inspiration for the fairy tale castle in the Disneyland logo and theme parks.


By Carl Bildt





STOCKHOLM  The first global crisis of the post-American era is here. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will shape the world for years to come.



For the better part of a century, the United States has always come forward during times of crisis to exercise some sort of leadership.



Sometimes, this contribution has been mostly welcomed; other times, it has not been. And the results have not always turned out as planned. But the basic American instinct to lead was there. For better or worse, the rest of the world had grown accustomed to it.



With Donald Trump in the White House, the age of American leadership is over. Already during Barack Obama's presidency, the U.S. was scaling back its global commitments, in recognition of the fact that it did not have the resources to tackle every problem. But even if the U.S. was sometimes "leading from behind," it was still leading.



What might have been a recognition of necessity under Obama has turned into an unquestioned, loudly proclaimed principle under Trump.



On the matter of America's role in the world, Trump is practicing  with a vengeance  what he preached during his presidential campaign. For the past three years, "America first, and everyone else alone" has been the message blaring from the White House.



The real-world implications of this change have now been laid bare. Back in 2014, when Ebola started spreading in West Africa, there was a serious risk that a regional outbreak could turn into a global calamity.



But the Obama administration stepped in. Working closely with the World Health Organization, the U.S. mobilized a global response and ultimately contained the epidemic. Never did it occur to anyone to label Ebola the "African virus," or to accuse the WHO of neglect and malfeasance.



Since then, the spirit of global cooperation has been under constant assault. Under Trump, the U.S. launched a trade war against China and its own allies, and abandoned major global agreements like the 2015 Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal. A fierce bilateral struggle for control of the digital economy has been escalating for years.



Owing to these tensions, the U.N. Security Council has been effectively absent throughout the COVID-19 crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for action, but the U.S. and Russia have dragged their feet, and the rest of the Security Council has remained silent on the issue.



While one might have hoped that the G20 would reprise the critical role it played during the 2008 financial crisis, the organization is currently under the presidency of Saudi Arabia, and thus effectively of that country's erratic young leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.



Meanwhile, China has been stepping into the breach, paying lip service to global governance but primarily seeking to develop its bilateral relationships.



Chinese shipments of face masks and other items have been sent with the request that they receive an official welcome  national flags and all. The help has certainly been appreciated, but China's ulterior motives are all too obvious.



Equally obvious is the fact that much more could have been done to limit the spread of COVID-19 during the early weeks of the outbreak in Wuhan. China's government has deservedly taken a beating for these failures, and it has not gone unnoticed that the situation was handled much better in democratic Taiwan.



In due time, there will be a more open  and probably heated  discussion about how different countries, leaders, and international organizations handled the COVID-19 challenge. China certainly isn't the only place where the official response has left something to be desired.



But postmortems are for after the fact. The immediate priority is to mobilize all available resources to contain the pandemic. With the epicenter having already moved from East Asia to Western Europe and then to the U.S., no one should assume that the story is over.



After all, barring a strong, sustained international response, what will happen in Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Brazil, or any other major country with dense urban populations?



With America absent and China's credibility dented, there is an urgent need for someone to assume the mantle of leadership and start mobilizing a coordinated response, be it through the WHO or in some other way. A pandemic is like a forest fire: If you haven't extinguished it everywhere, then you haven't extinguished it at all.



Could the European Union step up, or is it too consumed by its own problems? Could some entirely new coalition be forged to get the ball rolling, or is the international order destined to devolve further into a nebulous hodgepodge of multipolarity and power politics, where the only truly global phenomenon is a deadly virus? In a post-American world, these are the questions one must ask.





Carl Bildt is a former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden. His article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).




The global coronavirus pandemic, which has recorded over 3 million cases and more than 210,000 deaths worldwide, is rapidly spreading throughout South Asia. The response of governments in the region to this emergency underscores the contempt of the rival national bourgeois ruling elites for hundreds of millions of working people and rural toilers.

Given the regions densely populated urban centresincluding Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata in India; Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan; Dhaka in Bangladesh; and Colombo in Sri Lanka the appalling state of its public healthcare systems, widespread poverty and lack of universal access to clean water and sanitation, the disease threatens to kill millions, even tens of millions, of people in South Asia alone.

Yet despite this very real danger, South Asias governments have failed to take any substantial measures to effectively combat the pandemic. Their response has largely been limited to social distancing measures, including lockdowns, and travel bans. All of South Asias governments have strictly rationed COVID-19 tests, thereby covering up the true extent of the pandemic.

Stranded students from various districts wait for transport to travel to their hometowns in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

As of yesterday, India had reported 29,451 confirmed cases with 939 deaths.

All of India has been under a lockdown since March 24. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented this shutdown without warning and without any serious plan to provide basic necessities to the impoverished masses, who make up the vast majority of Indias population. The lockdown, which was initially slated to end on April 14, has since been extended a further 19 days through May 3.

The Modi government is now preparing to restart the economy in line with demands from big business and investors to secure their profit interests. Last week, the manufacturing and farming sectors were allowed to start operating, but without any measures taken to ensure worker safety. The Home Ministry announced Friday that small retail shops outside hotspots and cities under quarantine could reopen. However, they will only be allowed to operate with half of their staff. Customers must maintain social distancing, and wear masks and gloves.

The reckless and sudden imposition of the lockdown by the Modi government proved disastrous for hundreds of millions of working people and the rural poor. No mechanism was put in place to support the vast majority of workers in the so-called informal sector, who were left without wages and now face hunger and starvation. Modi is cynically exploiting the plight of these workers to justify his plan to reopen the economy.

Although Modi announced, some 36 hours after the lockdown began, a stimulus package of 1.7 trillion rupee ($US22.5 billion) allegedly to benefit the poorest 800 million Indians, a large portion of the funds were effectively recycled, linked to previously announced programs. The per capita amount is a pittance, about US $28.25 or 2,150 rupees, much of it in aid to be paid weeks and even months hence. Moreover, because of various bureaucratic hurdles and government incompetence hundreds of millions of desperately poor people have been unable to access even this famine-type relief.

The Modi government has consistently rejected calls it initiate mass testing, and has failed to provide significant additional funding to strengthen the health care system. It has also refused to make available the necessary protective gear for doctors and other medical staff treating infected patients.

In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) government have extended their half-hearted lockdown measures until May 9. The provincial governments and military all but forced the central government to impose the shutdown, which Khan, whose government has been imposing brutal austerity measures, cynically first opposed, on the grounds people would die of hunger.

The governments primary aim in subsequent adjustments, which it claims have now given Pakistan a smart lockdown, has been to rapidly restart commercial activities, especially export industries.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases currently stand at 14,612, with 312 deaths. These figures undoubtedly mask the true extent of the pandemic due to a severe lack of testing. As of Monday, only 150,756 tests had been performed in a country of more than 200 million people. Like the health care systems in other countries in the region, Pakistans barely accessible health services are on life-support due to a shortage of acute-care beds, equipment, trained staff and personal protective gear.

In spite of his crocodile tears for the people, Khan has allocated funds equal to just 1.2 percent of gross domestic product to counter the health crisis and its economic fallout. Yet even conservative estimates suggest that nearly 40 percent of the population is in poverty and in dire need of assistance.

In taking a $1.4 billion emergency anti-COVID-19 loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Khan and the PTI government re-committed to the pro-investor reforms they agreed to under an existing $6 billion IMF loan.

The fact that the military has come forward with a strategy to assist the implementation of Khans smart lockdown is a warning to the working class. The militarys Test, Trace and Quarantine plan is a smokescreen to drag workers back to work, especially in export-oriented industries, in a desperate effort by the ruling elite to prevent the economy from plunging into an even deeper crisis.

Khan, exploiting decades of promotion of the religious right by the military and ruling elite, came to power in August 2018 as a born-again Muslim promoting Islamic values. Ignoring the warnings of medical experts, he has refused to impose restrictions on religious gatherings during Ramadan. According to one estimate, this alone could result in an additional 70,000 COVID-19 patients by May 15.

In Bangladesh, there have officially been 6,462 cases and 155 COVID-19 deaths. But Bangladesh media have reported more than 200 additional deaths during the past month-and-a-half of people who had coronavirus-like symptoms yet were never tested. As of last Friday, only 39,776 tests had been carried out in a country which with 165 million people has a population-density nearly three times that of India.

National health services are nearing collapse and medical staff and workers are struggling due to a shortage of PPE, with available items often of poor quality. At least 156 doctors and 180 nurses have been infected. One doctor has died, and around 450 doctors and 600 nurses are currently in quarantine.

The countrys lockdown has been extended until May 5. However, since Sunday the government has permitted garment industry bosses to reopen their factories so they can meet foreign orders and manufacture coronavirus-related masks and other products. At least 600 factories have resumed production to date. Given the terrible record the factory owners have of ensuring worker safety in normal times and the complicity of the government in greenlighting sweatshop exploitation, it is to be expected that all the promises that workers safety will be protected will prove a dead letter.

In Sri Lanka, there were 611 confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven deaths as of Tuesday evening.

Under conditions of a significant growth in new cases in recent days, the government of President Gotabhaya Rajapakse prolonged the weeks-long nationwide lockdown (or curfew in Sri Lankan parlance) into the beginning of this week. The lockdown is to continue at least until early May in three districts in the Western ProvinceColombo, Gampaha and Kalutaraand in Puttalam district in the islands northwest.

Rajapakses government, in line with the ruling elites in the US and Europe, is aggressively moving to reopen the economy. Fourteen Free Trade Zones (FTZs) have already reopened with reduced workforces, amounting to about one third of the usual number of workers. This indicates that companies will seek to carry out job cuts so as to place the burden of the economic crisis intensified by the pandemic onto the backs of workers. Meanwhile, those workers who have been called back to garment manufacturers and other FTZ industries are being forced to work in unsafe conditions. The plantation sector has also resumed work.

The government has announced the opening of offices and other workplaces in the private and public sectors beginning May 4. The decision to lift the lockdown amid a raging pandemic will put the lives of millions of workers at risk. The government is leaving it up to workers to organise their own infection protection. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and other government officials have repeatedly insisted that although the economy is being reopened, the threat remains, and people must be responsible and stick to social distancing measures. However, due to the poor state of the public transit system, which most workers must use to reach their jobs, maintaining these hygiene requirements is almost impossible.

President Rajapakse has used the COVID-19 emergency to provide a cover and pretext for a series of authoritarian actions. In a particularly menacing step, he has ordered the deployment of a large contingent of military personnel to Colombo. Although the publicly declared aim of this move is to impose social distancing and other health measures to contain the pandemic, the real aim is to suppress the inevitable opposition within the working class that will emerge due to the governments reckless back-to-work policy and imposition of IMF austerity measures.
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Sri Lanka has registered a major fall in tourist arrivals due to the coronavirus outbreak, with an over 70 per cent decline in footfalls in March compared to the same period last year, according to a media report.

The island nation stopped all passenger flights and ship services on March 18 in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Till then in March, 71,370 international tourists visited Sri Lanka, the Colombo Page quoted the Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority's Tourist Arrivals Report for March 2020.

In March last year, the country received 2,44,328 international tourists, recording 70.8 per cent drop for March 2020, the daily reported.

According to the monthly data, Indian tourists accounted for the largest number of arrivals followed by tourists from Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Europe accounted for 60 per cent of the tourist traffic in March 2020.

The Asia-Pacific region made up 34 per cent of the tourist footfalls followed by the North and South Americas at 4.6 per cent, the Middle East at 0.9 per cent and Africa at 0.5 per cent.

There was marked decline in the numbers from all regions in comparison to last year.

Tourist arrivals from the Middle East fell by 85.7 per cent, from the Americas by 83.4 per cent, Africa recorded a decline of 77.9 per cent.

The Asia-Pacific region registered a fall of 75.4 per cent and Europe a fall of 64.3 per cent.

While all countries registered a fall, arrivals from Kazakhstan recorded an increase of 79.7 per cent.

Country-wise, the most number of tourists came from India at 17.7 per cent, followed by Russia at 12.4 per cent. The United Kingdom, Germany and France made up 11.2 per cent, 9.3 per cent and 5.7 per cent respectively.

China was among the top ten countries for tourist arrivals despite the coronavirus outbreak which first surfaced in the Asian powerhouse's Wuhan city.

In the January to March period of this year, Sri Lanka received maximum number of tourists from India (18 per cent), United Kingdom (11 per cent), Russia (10 per cent), Germany (7 per cent) and China (5 per cent).

The novel coronavirus has claimed seven lives and infected 622 people in Sri Lanka. The global death toll stands at 217,674 with over 3 million infections. The virus outbreak has triggered fears of a global economic slowdown, affecting almost all sectors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday (April 29) said that the government is planning to increase the testing capacity for coronavirus COVID-19 to one lakh tests per day within the next few days. Notably, the ICMR has till today conducted 7,70,764 sample tests across the country.

Since the development of vaccine will take a longer time, lockdown and social distancing are serving as effective 'social vaccine', Vardhan said.

In the next few days, one lakh people will be tested for coronavirus on a daily basis, Vardhan said, adding "Now, about 60,000 samples are being tested every day in 385 government and private labs."

He said that the doubling rate of COVID-19 patients in the country has become 11.3 days in the last three days, giving details about the deadly virus.

-The global mortality rate is 7% while India has 3%.

-Currently, 0.33% of the patients are on ventilators.

-1.5% of patients are on oxygen support.

-2.34% of patients are in the ICU.

He, however, assured that the country has the availability of isolation beds, ventilators, PPE, masks to deal with any situation.

A day earlier, the Health Ministry has sent a letter to all the state governments asking them to fully gear up to deal with an emergency situation.

According to Health Ministry data, the number of coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 31,787 on Wednesday, while the number of fatalities rose to 1,008, registering a record jump of 71 deaths in 24 hours.

There has been a spike of 1,813 cases since Tuesday evening. The total COVID-19 cases reported so far include 111 foreign nationals. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 22,982, while 7,796 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 hotspot districts in India has come down to 129 from 170 a fortnight ago. In the same period, the number of infection-free districts or green zones has also decreased from 325 to 307, sources said today.

On April 15, the Centre had declared 170 districts across 25 states and Union Territories as coronavirus hotspots or red zones. Of these, 123 were hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 with clusters, stating that 325 districts had not reported any coronavirus case because of actions initiated at field level.
FinMin had, recently, notified changes in FDI rules that made prior approval of the government mandatory for foreign investments from countries that share a land border with India.

Hong Kong was ranked 14th on the list of countries with FDI flows to India, contributing $4.2 billion between April 2000 and December 2019, the data from DPIIT shows. India received FDI worth $2.34 billion from China in the same period.

A clutch of custodians got into a huddle last week to discuss whether the new foreign direct investment (FDI) rules should be applied to regions such as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

It was decided that Hong Kong - a special administrative region of China - ought to be brought under the ambit of the new rules despite it not sharing a land border with India, according to the people privy to the discussions.

The custodians plan to write to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for clarity in the matter.

A few days ago, the finance ministry had notified changes in the FDI rules that made government approval mandatory for foreign investments from countries that share a land border with India.

These countries are China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Hong Kong was ranked 14th on the list of countries with FDI flows to India, contributing $4.2 billion between April 2000 and December 2019, the data from DPIIT shows.

India received FDI worth $2.34 billion from China in the same period.

Market players reckon a significant chunk of Chinese investments in Asian markets is routed through the region - either directly or through vehicles set up in other jurisdictions.

Chinese funds and companies often route their investments to India through offices located in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Mauritius, a recent note by Gateway House observed.

For example, Alibaba's investment in Paytm was through Alibaba Singapore Holdings.

These don't get recorded in Indias government data as Chinese investments.

"Thus, official FDI inflows from China to India do not present the full picture of Chinese investments in India.

"In several cases, the investment in India has not been made in the name of the Chinese entity/investor, and is, therefore, difficult to trace, said the note.

The government might take the view that Hong Kong should be covered under the new FDI rules since the region is in Chinas direct control, said a senior industry official, requesting anonymity.

He also pointed out that Hong Kong is a global financial hub and there are many managers sitting in the country overseeing global offshore funds.

The government can track these investors by spelling out what constitutes a beneficial owner and defining control, he said.

The Press Note not only restricts investment by a citizen or an entity from neighbouring countries, but also restricts investments by any such entity that may have its beneficial owner, either situated in or a citizen, of the neighbouring countries.

"This leaves the fate of the investment hanging solely on how would the authorities interpret the term beneficial owner in the context of foreign investments, said Pratibha Jain, partner, Nishith Desai Associates.

Since beneficial owner is not defined under the current Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) rules, it can be interpreted as per the Companies (Significant Beneficial Owners) Rules 2018 and/or the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 (PMLA Rules).

Both these have different thresholds for determination of beneficial owners.

While the former defines it as 10 per cent ownership or voting rights, control or significant influence, the latter puts it at 25 per cent controlling ownership or profit share of the company or the person who holds the position of senior managing official.

FDI flows into India from Bangladesh stood at $0.08 million, Nepal at $3.25 million, Myanmar at $8.97 million and Afghanistan at $2.44 million between April 2000 and December 2019.

There were no investments from Pakistan and Bhutan.

The FDI is allowed through automatic route in most sectors except defence, telecom, media, pharmaceuticals and insurance.

The government route requires prior approval of the respective government departments.

Under the automatic route, investors have to inform the RBI after the investment.

The FDI is prohibited in nine sectors, including lottery business, gambling and betting, chit funds, and real estate.

Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters
(Newser)  President Trump issued an executive order last month allowing US companies to mine the moon, butis this really possible? Sure enough, Popular Mechanics lays out enough of the science, current projects, and history of moon-mining enthusiasm to make it seem real. "We've just been moving in a circle for a long time," says George Sowers, a space-mining researcher. The story goes back at least to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which allowed for off-world commercialization but not sovereignty; the Obama administration updated it in 2015 to let Americans own and sell anything gathered off the planet. The moon's bounty includes an apparently healthy supply of oxygen and hydrogen, "the most efficient chemical propellants known," says Sowers. "You have rocket fuel."

story continues below

That could turn the moon into an outpost for colonizing Mars, if miners harvest enough water from the lunar ice lurking in deep craters. But how to properly heat up that ice? Ideas range from mirrors to nuclear-powered thermal miningand yes, there are small uranium reactors that could go to the moonor, as a baby step, sifting the ice in shallow craters, which would extract fewer resources at lower cost. On the plus side, NASA is sending up small, exploratory rover missions to cull samples and map the moon's water resources. But it's not all rosy: The Guardian reported last year that some scientists are worried we'll mine moons and planets before Earth enters a crisis phase in which it lacks needed resources. "Once you've exploited the solar system, there's nowhere left to go," says an astrophysicist. (Read more moon stories.)
A man has been jailed for 25 months after he headbutted his girlfriend in the street and then bombarded her with messages promising to 'look after her' with his alleged 4million lottery win if she didn't attend court.

Mark Goodram, 37, left his partner with a deep cut across her forehead when he struck her at 4am in Bolton town centre, Greater Manchester.

The father-of-two then pursued his victim, telling her he loved her, before grabbing the woman by her top and throwing her around. He was arrested that evening and held at Forest Bank prison.

Goodram and friend Jon-Ross Watson, 31, have been accused of fraud over their 4million scratchcard after Lotto chiefs found neither of them owned a bank account.

Camelot has refused to pay the pair, accusing them of using another person's debit card without permission to claim the prize. They have denied the allegation and enlisted the help of celebrity barrister Henry Hendron - once of Strand Chambers in London - to fight for the money and 320,000 interest.

Goodram, who has 23 convictions for 46 offences, pleaded guilty to charges of grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice in Minshull Street Crown court.

He had been smoking cocaine and drinking cider before the attack on September 25 last year, the court heard.

Goodram had claimed he won 4million with a scratchcard. However, Lotto rejected his claim after establishing he had no bank account and launched a criminal investigation

Before the hearing, Goodram repeatedly called and sent letters to his partner begging her to 'tell police she was drunk and had fallen over' and alleged he had 'enjoyed a large lottery win and would look after her'.

Prosecution barrister Daniel Calder said before headbutting his victim the father dragged her by the arm, called her a 'slag' and shouted 'I want my f****** stuff'.

A paramedic said the victim's wound was so deep her skull was visible.

The woman told the court, in a victim personal statement, that since the assault she has suffered headaches, dizziness, disturbed sleep and memory loss.

She said she was left feeling sad, angry and depressed. The unsolicited contact left her feeling 'disgusted, intimidated and pressured'.

A scar, caused by the incident, is still visible on her forehead.

Camelot has refused to pay the money. Goodram is locked in a legal battle with them to get the money and an additional 320,000 interest

Judge Graeme Smith sentenced Goodram to 25 months in prison - 20 months for grievous bodily harm and five months for perverting the course of justice. He also issued a restraining order against Goodram for three years.

'Although it was only a single blow,' he said, 'it was obviously a very forceful blow using your head because it did result in a very significant laceration'.

'There are a number of aggravating features; you were under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the domestic violence guidelines are relevant, you were subject to post-sentence supervision at the time, and there is an ongoing effect on the victim.

'On the other hand, you have shown remorse.'

Judge Smith also branded Goodram's letters to his victim 'a serious and protracted attempt by you to put pressure on her.

'Not only did you offer her an inducement to lie to the police but you directly threatened her.

'Therefore I do view it, albeit you were in custody and did not succeed in your attempts, as a serious attempt to pervert the course of justice.'

Judge Smith admitted the sentence could have been slightly longer had it not been for the coronavirus lockdown.

'I do accept that the prison environment now is very different than what it has been prior to the lockdown,' he said.

'And maybe for some time to come so that maybe, in my judgement, justify a small reduction in the overall sentence.'

After Goodram and another Bolton man - Jon-Ross Watson (pictured), 31 - attempted to claim the winnings, National Lottery chiefs found neither of them owned a bank account

It comes as Goodram and friend Watson fought against the National Lottery's decision not to hand over 4million.

The pair have claimed the card used to buy the 10 ticket belonged to a male friend and that they had no knowledge it might be stolen when they made the purchase at a Waitrose in Clapham, south London.

The pair alleged they had permission to use the card in return for paying the man's bill in a London brothel, which the man has since denied.

Their lawyer - Mr Hendron - returned to the bar following a suspension after he was convicted of dealing drugs. He bought 1,000 of mephedrone and GBL to sell at party's. The drugs led to the death of his 18-year-old boyfriend.

A mystery man also came forward last June to claim he was the rightful winner of the prize - and said the pair had used his card.

Camelot said it 'does not comment on individual prize claims' and follows 'rigorous security processes'.

His defending barrister, Hugh Barton, said that while the 37-year-old has a lengthy criminal record, most of the crimes are dishonesty and that the attack was 'out of character'.

Mr Barton added that Goodram has a long-term struggle with substance abuse, he has anxiety and depression, and is estranged from his family.

On CCTV taken from Bradshawgate, Mr Barton said Goodram and the woman could be seen to argue and fall out many times, and that both appeared to be 'heavily intoxicated'.
B oris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth to a baby boy this morning, with the Prime Minister by her side.

A spokesman for the couple said both mother and baby are "doing very well". It is the couple's first child together.

Mr Johnson, 55, was present for the birth early today at a London NHS hospital but it was not clear when the couple went in. He will take paternity leave later in the year.

The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well," the spokesman confirmed.

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds - In pictures 1 /41 Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds - In pictures 10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty PA Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street Prime Minister Boris Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the stand at Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham between England and Wales PA Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds after delivering his speech during the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds arrive at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London PA Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds wave from the steps of number 10 Downing Street AP Carrie Symonds wearing her engagement ring Rex Features Carrie Symonds, partner of Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative leader Boris Johnson, holds their dog, a Jack Russell-cross named Dilyn AFP via Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits the hall with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds following his keynote speech on day four of the 2019 Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central Jeremy Selwyn Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds arrive at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London Getty Images Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds talk to Lizzie Carr Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds AP Prime Minister Boris Johnson with partner Carrie Symonds and dog Dilyn at the count for the Uxbridge & Ruislip South constituency in the 2019 General Election PA Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds arrive at the Conservative Party Conference Getty Images Carrie Symonds, partner of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waits for a National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall AFP via Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits the hall with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds following his keynote speech on day four of the 2019 Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the stand at Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham between England and Wales Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the stand at Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham between England and Wales AFP via Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds leave after the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London Reuters Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds arrive at the Conservative Party Conference Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with his partner Carrie Symonds, hosting a reception at 10 Downing Street to thank hospice staff for their hard work, dedication and compassion PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson's girlfriend Carrie Symonds waits for Boris to arrive at Number 10, Downing Street on July 24, 2019 in London Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson embracing his partner Carrie Symonds at the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre PA Carrie Symonds in 2017 Jeremy Selwyn Boris Johnson pictured with Carrie Symonds as he leaves the Conservative party Black and White Ball at Natural History Museum Getty Images Carrie Symonds, girlfriend of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waits for his arrival with members of staff in Downing Street Jeremy Selwyn Carrie Symonds at the Conservative Conference Manchester in 2019 Jeremy Selwyn Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves with his partner Carrie Symonds after delivering his keynote speech to delegates on the final day of the annual Conservative Party conference at the Manchester Central convention complex AFP via Getty Images Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks with his partner Carrie Symonds as they arrive at The Midland, near the Manchester Central convention complex AFP via Getty Images

The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

There was no immediate news of the babys name or weight.

The birth comes two days after Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street following a three-week absence due to suffering Covid-19 .

He had been set to make a comeback at PMQs today - which would have been his first clash with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer - but the new arrival changed his plans.

The PM spent a week in hospital  including time in intensive care  as he battled a serious bout of coronavirus, before joining his fiancee at their Chequers residence.

Earlier this month Ms Symonds, 32, revealed that she, too, had been bedridden with symptoms of the disease, but had made a full recovery.

The pair had been separated for a period due to the sickness, with Ms Symonds said to have sent letters and baby scans to Mr Johnson to boost his morale while he was in care.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds has given birth to a "healthy baby boy" / AFP via Getty Images

The PMs father, Stanley Johnson, said he was absolutely delighted and thrilled by the birth of his grandson.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak tweeted: Great to hear Downing Street is getting a new resident. Labour leader Sir Keir messaged: Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden posted: Delighted to hear of the safe arrival of a baby boy to Carrie and Boris. Wonderful news!

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: On behalf of everyone in the House of Commons, may I say congratulations to the Prime Minister and Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son. Such happy news amid so much uncertainty  2020 is certainly a year they will never forget. 

Sir Keir Starmer wrote: "Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds."

While the Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: "So thrilled for Boris and Carrie. Wonderful to have a moment of unalloyed joy!"

The couple announced at the end of February that they were engaged and expecting a baby, with the due date set for "early summer."

They have been together since early 2019 and made made history as the first unmarried couple to live in Downing Street after moving in last July

The baby boy is the son's first child together - though not the first new arrival they have bought to live with them in Downing Street. They adopted rescue puppy Dilyn last year, a Jack Russell cross, who moved in shortly after they did.

Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds son is the third baby born to a serving prime minister in recent history .

TODO: define component type apester

Tony Blairs wife Cherie gave birth to son Leo in May 2000 while David Cameron and wife Samantha welcomed daughter Florence in 2010.

The boy is Mr Johnson's sixth child, four of whom he had with his ex-wife.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast
ISLAMABAD -- When construction worker Abdul Rahman lost his job to Pakistan's coronavirus lockdown, his choices looked stark: Resort to begging on the streets or let his family go hungry.

But the government has now given him a better option: Join tens of thousands of other out-of-work laborers in planting billions of trees across the country to deal with climate change threats.

Since Pakistan locked down starting March 23 to try to stem the spread of COVID-19, unemployed day laborers have been given new jobs as "jungle workers," planting saplings as part of the country's 10 Billion Tree Tsunami program.

Such "green stimulus" efforts are an example of how funds that aim to help families and keep the economy running during pandemic shutdowns could also help nations prepare for the next big threat: climate change.

"Due to coronavirus, all the cities have shut down and there is no work. Most of us daily wagers couldn't earn a living," Rahman, a resident of Rawalpindi district in Punjab province, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He now makes 500 rupees ($3) per day planting trees -- about half of what he might have made on a good day, but enough to get by.

"All of us now have a way of earning daily wages again to feed our families," he said.

The ambitious five-year tree-planting program, which Prime Minister Imran Khan launched in 2018, aims to counter the rising temperatures, flooding, droughts, and other extreme weather in the country that scientists link to climate change.

Big Risks

The Global Climate Risk Index 2020, issued by think tank Germanwatch, ranked Pakistan fifth on a list of countries most affected by planetary heating over the past two decades -- even though the South Asian nation contributes only a fraction of global greenhouse gases.

As the coronavirus pandemic struck Pakistan, the 10 Billion Trees campaign initially was halted as part of social distancing orders put in place to slow the spread of the virus, which has infected over 13,900 people in Pakistan, according to a Reuters tally.

But earlier this month, the prime minister granted an exemption to allow the forestry agency to restart the program and create more than 63,600 jobs, according to government officials.

While much of the country is still observing stay-at-home orders, local police and district authorities have been told trucks carrying trees should be allowed to travel and villagers permitted to leave their homes to work with the project.

A recent assessment by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics found that, due to the lockdown, up to 19 million people could be laid off, almost 70 percent of them in Punjab Province.

Abdul Muqeet Khan, chief conservator of forests for Rawalpindi district, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the planting project is in "full swing."

Much of the work is happening on 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of land near the capital Islamabad, he said, as well as on other tracts of state-owned forest land around the country.

This year the program is employing triple the number of workers it did in its first year, said Malik Amin Aslam, climate change adviser to the prime minister.

Many of the new jobs are being created in rural areas, he said, with a focus on hiring women and unemployed daily workers, mainly young people, who were migrating home from locked-down cities.

The work, which pays between 500 rupees and 800 rupees per day, includes setting up nurseries, planting saplings, and serving as forest protection guards or forest firefighters, he said.

All the workers have been told to wear masks and maintain the mandated two metres (six feet) of social distance between them, he added.

"This tragic crisis provided an opportunity and we grabbed it," Aslam told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

"Nurturing nature has come to the economic rescue of thousands of people."

Extended Help

According to Germanwatch, Pakistan reported more than 150 extreme weather events between 1999 and 2018 -- from floods to heat waves -- with total losses of $3.8 billion.

Environmentalists have long pushed reforestation as a way to help, saying forests help prevent flooding, stabilise rainfall, provide cool spaces, absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, and protect biodiversity.

According to green group WWF, Pakistan is a "forest poor" country where trees cover less than 6 percent of the total area.

Every year thousands of hectares of forest are destroyed, mainly as a result of unsustainable logging and clearing land for small-scale farming, the group said on its website.

With 7.5 billion rupees ($46 million) in funding, the 10 Billion Trees project aims to scale up the success of an earlier Billion Tree Tsunami in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where the government has been planting trees since 2014.

About 30 million indigenous saplings have been planted in Punjab since the start of the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami -- including mulberry, acacia, and moringa -- said Shahid Rashid Awan, project director for Punjab Province.

This year, the project hopes to hit 50 million trees, he said.

Planting season usually ends in May, Awan noted, but programme organisers plan to extend the initiative to the end of June, to keep workers employed for longer.

"We can absorb all the unemployed labourers and workers who have fled the cities and returned to their villages in the past few weeks. This is unskilled work," he said.

Recovering with Dignity

Rab Nawaz, of WWF-Pakistan, said the government's move is "a very good idea to create green jobs and get people employed."

But he cautioned that planting trees is just one tool in the fight against climate change, saying there also needed to be investment in improving the ability of farmers and city dwellers to adapt to the effects of a hotter planet.

"The government should be very selective on how it spends money, and focus on resilience," he urged.

For Aslam, the green jobs initiative is a way to help Pakistan's workers recover from the coronavirus crisis "with dignity and avoiding handouts."

"This has taught us the valuable lesson that when you invest in nature it not only pays you back but also rescues you in a stressed economic situation," he said.
The China Education Group Holdings (HKG:839) share price has done well in the last month, posting a gain of 31%. Unfortunately, the full year gain of 9.6% wasn't so sweet.

Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less attractive to potential buyers. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

Check out our latest analysis for China Education Group Holdings

Does China Education Group Holdings Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 31.07 that there is some investor optimism about China Education Group Holdings. The image below shows that China Education Group Holdings has a higher P/E than the average (13.7) P/E for companies in the consumer services industry.

SEHK:839 Price Estimation Relative to Market April 28th 2020

That means that the market expects China Education Group Holdings will outperform other companies in its industry. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

Notably, China Education Group Holdings grew EPS by a whopping 40% in the last year. And earnings per share have improved by 14% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.

Story continues

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

How Does China Education Group Holdings's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

Net debt totals just 4.9% of China Education Group Holdings's market cap. It would probably trade on a higher P/E ratio if it had a lot of cash, but I doubt it is having a big impact.

The Bottom Line On China Education Group Holdings's P/E Ratio

China Education Group Holdings has a P/E of 31.1. That's significantly higher than the average in its market, which is 9.4. The company is not overly constrained by its modest debt levels, and its recent EPS growth is nothing short of stand-out. So to be frank we are not surprised it has a high P/E ratio. What is very clear is that the market has become significantly more optimistic about China Education Group Holdings over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 23.8 back then to 31.1 today. If you like to buy stocks that have recently impressed the market, then this one might be a candidate; but if you prefer to invest when there is 'blood in the streets', then you may feel the opportunity has passed.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. 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.

But note: China Education Group Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 11:35:11|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of sailors testing positive for COVID-19 aboard U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Kidd, rose to 64 as the warship on Tuesday afternoon docked at a naval base in San Diego, California, local media have reported.

The Everett-based vessel has a crew of around 300, and by Tuesday afternoon, 63 percent of the crew had been tested, according to a report from the Daily Herald, one of the leading news sources in Everett and Snohomish County in western state of Washington.

All are expected to be tested eventually, the report quoted Lt. Cmdr. Megan Isaac with Navy Office of Information as saying.

The ship is expected to be disinfected and cleaned in San Diego, while the crew isolated and quarantined, said the report.

The Navy destroyer is the second U.S. warship to be hit by an outbreak of the coronavirus while at sea following the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier.

Prior to the outbreak, the Kidd had been assigned to the recently enhanced counter narcotics mission in the Eastern Pacific aimed at countering illicit drug trafficking. Enditem
President Donald Trump chastised a Yahoo News reporter during an Oval Office event for misreading a chart and getting wrong the numbers he used as the basis for a question on U.S. testing for the coronavirus.

Walker had raised a comparison between the U.S. testing rate and that of South Korea during an impromptu news conference following Trump's meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"Mr. President, overall South Korea has done five times more tests than the U.S. per capita," Walker said. "Why is that?

"I don't think that's true," Trump replied.

Walker said that it was true, and Trump directed the question to Birx, the response coordinator for the coronavirus task force.

She said the U.S. had directed its initial response toward areas where there was an outbreak and minutes later offered specific numbers, saying that the U.S. testing rate had in fact surpassed South Korea's.

Trump taunted the reporter, saying: "Are you going to apologize, Yahoo? That's why you're Yahoo and nobody knows who the hell you are."

Walker later tweeted that he had misread a chart and was sorry about it. The president, at a later event, thanked Walker for the apology and said he appreciated it.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

Representatives of The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (TUIE) discussed the climate change issues with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), Trend reports with reference to The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (TUIE).

A meeting between the agricultural and industrial departments of the TUIE and representatives of the German Corporation for International Cooperation in Turkmenistan took place at TUIE on April 28.

Participants of the conference discussed issues of economic development in the light of global environmental problems.Topics such as global warming and its impact on the economy, rational use of natural resources, water resources, food security, etc. were also touched upon.

The parties highlighted that they are ready to carry out joint actions in solving these important issues.

Earlier, within the framework of one of the GIZ projects, the environmental work in Turkmenistan's Amudarya State nature reserve and the environmental situation in Turkmenistan's coastal zone were analyzed.

German Corporation for International Cooperation was formed on January 1, 2011. It is a German development agency headquartered in Bonn and Eschborn that provides services in the field of international development cooperation.
Plane manufacturer Airbus described the Covid-19 pandemic as the 'gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known' as its arch-rival Boeing axed 15,000 jobs.

On another bleak day for the sector, Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury predicted it could take 'three to five years' for passengers to be as willing to fly as before the crisis.

His comments came as Boeing announced plans to cut around 10 per cent of its workforce.

Grim forecast: Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury predicted it could take 'three to five years' for passengers to be as willing to fly as before the crisis

This followed Tuesday's warning by British Airways that it could axe 12,000 staff.

Faury said: 'We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the industry has ever known.'

Airbus slumped to a 418million loss in the first quarter as the collapse in air travel caused a slump in demand for planes.

It has suspended its dividend, cut production by a third and furloughed thousands of staff in key locations, including 3,200 at its wing factory in Broughton, North Wales.

This week Faury also warned the company was 'bleeding cash at an unprecedented speed' and told his 135,000 staff to brace themselves for big job cuts.

Yesterday, Dave Calhoun, his counterpart at US rival Boeing, said 'demand for commercial airline travel has fallen off a cliff'.

Boeing, which is also reeling from the grounding of its 737 Max aircraft after two crashes, also slumped to a 1.35billion loss in the first quarter.

Faury's predictions that it could be years before the public appetite for air travel recovers echo those made by British Airways supremo Alex Cruz on Tuesday.

As BA's parent company IAG warned up to 12,000 of its 42,000-strong workforce could be made redundant, the Spaniard said 'we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely', and predicted 'some airlines would go out of business'.

Around 4,500 pilots and 16,000 cabin crew work for BA, which has put almost 23,000 staff on furlough.

The promise of brutal job cuts at Britain's wealthy flag-carrier has fuelled fears about the future of staff furloughed by weaker airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian and Easyjet.

Pilots' union Balpa has been among those to condemn BA for culling so many while insisting it is wealthy enough to weather the crisis without a Government bailout.

Analysts point out that IAG was sitting on a 6billion cash pile at the end of March, with over 2billion in undrawn loans.

Business groups seized on the BA job cuts to press ministers to make the furloughing scheme more flexible, amid fears of mass redundancies in the hardest-hit industries, including hospitality and tourism.

Ministers have faced calls to allow furloughed workers to return to work part-time.

Responding to the cuts at BA, Edwin Morgan, at the Institute of Directors said: 'This highlights the impossible position many firms find themselves in.

'Even when measures begin to lift slightly, many sectors are expecting lower demand in the longer term.

'It's important the Government response takes account of this, and a more flexible approach to the furlough scheme would be a positive start.'
<! President Buhari tells people of Kano: I am with you >

After announcing measures on Monday to mitigate coronavirus impact in Kano, President Muhammadu Buhari issued another statement today, assuring he will not let its people down.

In the statement issued by Garba Shehu, SSA on media, Buhari said his government is with the people of Kano.

Kano has been in the news since last week over many deaths linked to coronavirus, but not acknowledged as such officially.

Buhari now said verbal autopsies are on in the state to determine the true cause of death.

While the results of the autopsies are awaited, Buhari warned that the health challenge in the state should not be politicised.

There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office  or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired.

This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens, he said.



Please read the full statement here:

Nigeria is only weeks into our fight against the invisible COVID-19 that, earlier this year, was unknown to almost every nation in the world.

Only earlier this month Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHOs Health Emergencies Programme, made clear that We are at the beginning in Africa.

There is much that remains unknown about this virus. What we do know is that global infections rates continue to rise each day  even when in some nations affected some time before Nigeria, the daily rate of infection is now slowing.

We know too that there is a global shortage of personal protective equipment, virus testing kits and other medical devices required to fight this pandemic.

And we also know that in each and every country there are some cities and regions more severely affected than others.

In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days.

While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria, there are others who say it is COVID-19.

We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy.

What we know all over the world is that communities with similar socioeconomic dynamics like Kano have found as very helpful, the sort of lockdown measures now imposed, with markets and other public places of worship shuttered more strictly.

The President and his government are with the people of Kano State and will not let them down.

If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement together.

There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office  or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired. This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens.
[April 29, 2020] MOX Expands Connectivity Across North America Within Cologix Data Centers

MOX Networks, LLC ("MOX"), a leading fiber-optic network specialist, and Cologix, a network-neutral interconnection, ecosystem, and hyperscale edge data center company, announced a new partnership today aimed at expanding connectivity solutions for their customers across North America. Currently connected to the Cologix Minneapolis data centers, MOX is now offering 1G, 10G, and 100G capacity services to all Cologix customers, with the ability to extend service to several Chicago area data centers and the Seattle metro area. MOX has also deployed fiber connectivity from the Cologix Columbus data center, which will be available by the end of Q3. From this location, MOX's dark fiber connectivity will extend to Ashburn, VA through its exclusive new Columbus to Ashburn route, the first of its kind available through West Virginia. Announced in January, the new Columbus to Ashburn route provides the opportunity to immediately support large bandwidth requirements from the region's largest content, cloud, and hyperscale companies. "Our customers are constantly experiencing the increase of sophisticated user demands for network and connectivity solutions that deliver faster and more reliable data connections across our data centers," states Laura Ortman, President & CRO, Cologix. "By tapping into the MOX fiber network, our customers have access to the latest highest performance connectivity solutions across major US markets, in particular in the Columbus data center market." Cologix Columbus is one of the largest and most advanced data center campuses in the Midwest. Their purpose-built, Tier III Certified facilities are designed for enterprises and large companies that need critical power with 100% uptime, robust connectivity to more than 50 onsite carriers, and a rich ecosystem of major cloud providers including AWS US East (Ohio). "When deciding how to best expand our data center connectivity relationshipsacross North America, Cologix was an ideal partner because they are positioned in key locations along our network paths. Offering new dark fiber from Cologix Columbus data centers opens infinite opportunities for Cologix customers to access the newest, high-quality connectivity through West Virginia, down to Ashburn, VA," comments Justin Melnikoff, President and COO, MOX. "Our experience in Cologix Minneapolis demonstrated that our network perfectly supports Cologix customer needs for purpose-built, resilient connectivity options. We are positioned to deliver complex solutions for customers in the cloud, application, gaming, and content spaces, with custom network and connectivity scenarios, improved performance, and cost management."



Founded in 2013 and privately owned by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the founder of NantWorks, a network of health and technology companies, MOX was created to build the network that would "converge ultra-low power semiconductor technology, supercomputing, secure advanced networks, and augmented intelligence to transform how we work, play, and live." Under Melnikoff's leadership, MOX has built and delivered unique, high capacity network infrastructure across North America and Japan. ABOUT MOX

MOX Networks ("MOX") is a leading fiber-optic network specialist. We build the capacity to deliver on the infinite possibilities for new paths, connections, and performance. MOX responds to the increasingly complex requirements of hyperscalers, wireless service providers, government, municipalities, and public and private partnerships with exclusive, custom design and deployment of unmatched low latency networks. Founded in 2013, MOX owns and operates unique lit and dark fiber routes throughout North America and Asia. For more information, visit moxnetworks.com. ABOUT COLOGIX Cologix provides reliable, secure, scalable hyperscale edge data center solutions from 30+ prime interconnection hubs and 5 hyperscale capacity facilities across 10 strategic North American markets. Over 1,600 leading network, MSPs, cloud, media, content, financial, and enterprise customers trust Cologix to support their business-critical infrastructure and connect them to customers, vendors, and partners. Our dedicated, experienced local teams and scalable solutions enable us to provide industry-leading customer service and the ability to successfully support customers at the Internet's new edge. For a tour of one of our data centers in Ashburn, Columbus, Dallas, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Minneapolis, Montreal, New Jersey, Toronto, or Vancouver visit www.cologix.com or email [email protected]. Follow Cologix on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005117/en/

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How can I rebuild my business as fast as possible?"

Its the one question all founders and CEOs are considering right now.

And it's the wrong one.

Instead, we should be asking, If I were starting my business today from scratch, what business would I build?

Mid-crisis, I spoke to a New York Citybased founder who runs a wildly successful national brick-and-mortar and ecommerce business  that is, it was wildly successful until the coronavirus laid waste to her entire industry. Its natural to want to fight the carnage, to take up the clarion call of resistance and defiantly get those stores reopened as soon as possible. After all, this is our generations Independence Day (albeit the alien is within, but same outcome).

But what if the coronavirus didnt just close this companys doors? What if it actually opened an aperture to an alternative universe  one where her products fly off supermarket shelves faster than ever?

RELATED: 6 Strategies You Need to Run Your Company Through Uncertainty

I asked her, Rather than fighting to reopen your own stores (which come with high operating costs) as soon as possible, and selling your product online (which comes with high customer acquisition costs), what if you redeployed those resources to find more supermarkets to sell in? Less capex, less infrastructure and more cash runway to stay alive.

Explore the answer, and your next question might just become: What if Im actually better off in this new world than the one Im trying to go home to?

Now is the time all leaders should resist the reflex to preserve the status quo. Every business was built for the time before COVID-19. If you dont act intentionally, you could end up rebuilding a business that is actually a relic.

So clear some mind space, light a candle, reimagine their business as a blank slate and run through this simple self-audit:

1. Give yourself permission to challenge every assumption.

Block out the mirage of frenetic stock market swings and forecast what the world will actually look like in one year. What I know for sure is that seemingly conservative assumptions of today will end up naively optimistic in retrospect.

RELATED: Top 5 Crisis-Response Steps for Entrepreneurs

Qatalyst Partners points out that both the 1929 and 2000 crashes lasted three years and saw five false rallies of 20 percent before reaching the bottom. You should assume consumer sentiment will be in the tank for longer than anyone projects, because thats just how it always goes.

But don't be afraid to accept this downside scenario. With self-awareness comes the greatest arbitrage in business: the ability to iterate before youre forced to.

2. Write down how your business has evolved since launch.

In retrospect, the biggest upside that materialized within your operation was probably never on your radar  and it definitely wasnt in your pitch deck. Most companies ignore the true nuggets of gold that are waiting to be mined within their own four walls.

RELATED: The Light at the End of the Tunnel: 50 Reasons to Be Hopeful During This Crisis

Need inspiration? Remember that Kodak actually invented the digital camera in 1975  then blew off its inventor and shoved the patent in a draw until it was too late to stave off bankruptcy.

Before COVID-19, were you treating a product or service as a mere tinkering when it should have been the main event? Reorient version 2.0 of your business to go after it!

3. Before this crisis, were you really happy with how things were going in your business, or at least, were you happier than your peers who have a boss?

If the answer to either question is no, then youve just diagnosed a misalignment between your dreams and reality. A few years back, Wharton School of Business conducted a study of 11,000 graduates that found the number one predictor of happiness was not money, but entrepreneurship. They say cash is king, but being your own boss is checkmate. Don't rebuild the same business to satisfy your ego; rebuild it to satisfy your soul. Life is too short, as we are being reminded once again.

RELATED: How to Stabilize & Fortify Your Business in a COVID Economy

No one has all the answers in these uncertain times, but I do believe theres no chance of finding them if you start out asking the wrong question. The stakes  and the opportunities  have never been greater. The federal government has approved $2 trillion in stimulus and will loan billions of dollars in cheap capital to help rebuild businesses. Don't squander it by making a carbon copy from a bygone era.

Related:

Free Webinar | May 18: Franchise Bible: Financial Mastery

3 Easy Ways to Stay Productive in Stressful Times

3 Ways to Give Back That Don't Require a Financial Investment



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The top lawyer for Portland Public Schools should disclose that she is employed by a law firm and works for the district under a contract, a local education activist says in complaints filed with various state agencies last week.

Liz Large, whos worked as the full-time general counsel for the states largest district since 2017, co-founded the Office of General Counsel Network, which also employs another attorney paid on contract by Portland Public Schools to investigate formal complaints lodged against the district.

According to its web site, the firm specializes in filling gaps in a company or governments in-house legal team or to adding legal capacity in the short- or long-term.

The school board in February approved a contract to pay the firm $310,000 through August. That figure includes both Larges services and conflict resolution services, currently overseen by Jennie Chandra.

The school board used to employ its own in-house attorneys as well as rely heavily on a single outside law firm, Miller Nash. But it changed course in part to save money and in part because some board members questioned that firms representation and its cozy and lucrative relationship with the district.

Beaverton resident Linda Nezbeda, who sued that citys school district over facility use fees in 2015, filed complaints with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, state bar and Department of Education about what she says are Larges conflicts of interest.

The complaint, which Nezbeda provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive and other media organizations, alleges its wrong for the district to hire Chandra because of Larges position as Portland Public Schools general counsel.

She wants Chandra and Large to clearly list their respective roles with the district and their firm on professional sites like LinkedIn and in their correspondence with parents.

What she would prefer is that the district contract with a truly independent firm, not the one that employs its general counsel, to look into allegations of district wrongdoing.

I want them to, when they say theyre going to conduct independent and external investigations, its actually external and independent, Nezbeda said.

According to the Oregon state statute Nezbeda references in her complaint, public officials are barred from steering contracts to a business theyre associated with.

But Large isnt a district employee and the board didnt sign off on contracting for Chandras work without knowing of Larges financial ties to the firm.

The contract for the conflict resolution work, made public before the board vote on it, names both Office of General Counsel Network and Chandra.

Nezbeda also claims school board member Julia Brim-Edwards improperly communicated with parents who lodged their own complaints against the district on a largely unrelated matter which she says is a potential breach of state statutes.

Brim-Edwards said she was merely replying to a family who asked the board to weigh in on a complaint theyd lodged with the district.

Parents routinely contact school board members to navigate the complaint process, Brim-Edwards said, pointing to a series of security upgrades at Wilson High the district agreed to earlier this month when a family reported what they said were lackluster lockdown procedures.

Anytime we can reach a good outcome for parents and students, its worth pursuing, Brim-Edwards said.

The ethics commission confirmed that it received Nezbedas complaint Friday, but it indicated that it likely wont come up during its next meeting on May 15. Complaints typically undergo a 30-day review, after which the commission discusses the matter and votes to dismiss it, issue a fee or advise the accused party to undergo ethics training.

But why is a Beaverton resident lodging complaints against a school district in another city?

People just started reporting stuff to me and I care about education in the state, Nezbeda said.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano

Eder is The Oregonians education reporter. Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email ecampuzano@oregonian.com.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

Oregons education reporters are looking for parents who would like to speak with a journalist about the effects coronavirus is having on families across the state. Would you like to chat with one of us? Fill out this form.
On Wednesday 29 April, Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds announced the arrival of their first child together.

A spokesperson for the couple said they were thrilled to announce the birth of a health baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning, stating that both mother and baby are doing very well.

The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team, they added.

Following the announcement of Ms Symonds pregnancy in February, the prime minister said he planned on taking paternity leave when his baby was born.

However, this statement was made before the events that followed the declaration of the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

Downing Street has since confirmed that the prime minister will take paternity leave by June, stating that he intends to take time off later in the year, rather than now.

Mr Johnson is the fourth prime minister to have a child while in office in 170 years.

He followed David Cameron, whose daughter Florence was born in 2010; Tony Blair, whose son Leo was born in 2000; and Lord John Russell, whose sons George and Francis were born in 1848 and 1849 respectively.

As per statutory paternity leave arrangements, new fathers are entitled to take either one or two weeks leave when their baby is born.

The government outlines that the statutory weekly rate of paternity pay is 151.20 or 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings, depending on which amount is lower.

Here is how Mr Cameron and Mr Blair decided to allocate their time following the births of their children while they were serving prime ministers.

David Cameron

David Cameron arrives with his wife Samantha and their baby daughter Florence (5 October 2010) (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

On 24 August 2010, Samantha Cameron gave birth to baby daughter Florence Rose Endellion via C-section at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

Mr Cameron became the first serving prime minister to take statutory paternity leave.

Recommended Japanese minister to set national example by taking paternity leave

Statutory paternity leave was introduced in 2003.

Shared parental leave was introduced 12 years later, allowing new parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay.

Following the birth of Mr Camerons daughter Florence, then-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg spoke about his colleagues decision to take paternity leave.

I spoke to him just after the birth of his baby daughter. We havent yet spoken about exactly what date he is returning, Mr Clegg told LBC at the time.

He obviously wants to take some time off, like any young dad does, for paternity leave and I will just carry on holding the fort.

Tony Blair

Tony Blair kisses his baby son Leo outside No 10 Downing Street as his wife, Cherie, watches on (8 June 2001) (AP Photo/Adam Butler, File)

Although statutory paternity leave had not yet been introduced in the UK when Mr Blairs son Leo was born in 2000, the then-prime minister did decide to reduce his schedule following the birth.

Ill take more time off. Ill try to cut down on official things, Mr Blair said at the time, according to The New York Times.

Youve got to have some common sense about it  you want to spend more time with your baby, but you dont give up the job.
Houstons museums are still evaluating when to open their doors following governor Greg Abbotts announcement Monday to allow museums to reopen May 1 at 25 per-cent capacity.

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston isnt ready to announce any reopening date, citing the need to establish safety precautions and to communicate with city officials.

Our Return to Work Task Force has been actively working to determine how best to safely reopen the MFAH for our 650 staff and our visitors, but we are just now, along with many others, considering the governors statement, the museum said in a statement. We have not yet had an opportunity to connect with the mayors office and the county judges office to understand what the local requirements will be, as the report notes is needed.

The Asia Society is also following a cautious path.

We are not reopening on May 1, an Asia Society representative said.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is planning a May 15 opening. The Museum will continue to expand digital engagement opportunities for those who may not yet feel comfortable returning, , HMNS President & CEO Joel A. Bartsch said in a statement. At the same time, our staff will continue working non-stop to develop additional protocols and provide additional support and supplies as needed for those who do.

The Holocaust Museum Houston might open, at the earliest, Memorial Day weekend, said a representative who spoke with the museums CEO, though any opening would need an ongoing sanitization process to be put in place.

The Menil is not reopening May 1. The museum is carefully planning for its re-opening later this summer, the Menil said in a statement. The safety of the Menils staff and visitors continues to be our top priority, and we are awaiting the delivery of some needed supplies.

The Childrens Museum Houston plans to open sometime before the end of the May, said a representative.

Houston Museum of Natural Science did not respond by press time.

The Asia Society representative said all of Houstons museums, led by the MFAH, are communicating with one another.

The MFAH outlined several elements that need to be in place before a reopening can be announced.

We look forward to bringing staff back into the buildings and welcoming the public, but we are evaluating all of our supplies, including masks and gloves, and assessing our infrastructure to ensure that we are ready to operate the museums offices and public areas under social distancing, the MFAH statement continued. As soon as all of those aspects are within view, we will be announcing a reopening date.

wchen@chron.com
It was well past midnight, and I was on the phone with my co-founder and a potential company-making hire who we wanted to join our team. Very badly. An acclaimed systems engineer, this individual would enable us to take our business to the next level.

If you look at the pay today, yes, its low, but we know that you will make up more than your fair share of return with the sizable ownership and equity package we are giving you, said my co-founder to the potential hire.

The potential hire immediately responded back, Yes, I get that. But I also like cash in my pocket now, and I am getting offers from other firms that, while not as generous on ownership, give me more of a sense of security today.

I immediately chimed in: Totally get you on that, but you also have to look at the downside risk. You can always, given your talents, go work for a larger company. This is the time where you have the opportunity to take a big swing at it and not be a corporate drone.

After some pronounced silence, the potential hire immediately responded, That actually makes a lot of sense. Send me the paperwork.

In the earliest stages of a new company, entrepreneurs are often faced with two diametrically opposing forces: the need to grow and the need to conserve capital. Growth often takes capital, and vice versa. One of the most significant capital drains on an early stage business is the hiring of key executives and employees.

Luckily, entrepreneurs have a tool at their disposal that other competitors, especially larger corporations, do not. And thats equity. Structured in the form of Employee Stock Option Pools (ESOPs), early stage businesses often grant significant ownership stakes to early hires as a way to both incentivize them away from accepting higher-paying job offers and maintain motivation for a longer period of time. Structured as a program that vests or grants increments of ownership on a monthly basis, ESOP options are the key way that very early employees get compensated, especially in a successful exit.

And yet, how do you explain this to potential hires who may be new to the space and weary of joining a company with a little to no track record?

There are a few ways to do this. First, you must break down and equate the value of the compensation to something concrete and real on par with cash in the bank today. Second, you must employ key sales tactics and highlight upside versus downside risk for the candidate.

Related: 5 Essential Ingredients for Making a Smart Hire

Equate Ownership to Tangible Value

Not too long ago, before quarantines took hold, I was sitting inside a pub in Washington, D.C., with my co-founder. We were prepared to review an offer with a new executive candidate who had no experience in early stage technology businesses and was highly skeptical of anything other than cash value. In order to prepare for this, we broke down the candidates equity compensation at todays price and the expected gain in value over 12- and 24-month periods in relation to the salary.

The candidate was shocked to see data this tangibly and was immediately attracted to the ownership-heavy package.

When presenting an equity offer to candidates, it helps to be as tangible and concrete as possible. Demonstrate the exact dollar value of the equity at the present price and break down the increase in value over defined periods of time; preferably years of service during the vesting term and the expected lifetime of the company before exit. You can go even further by providing prospective candidates with research, comparative data and even tools to evaluate the equity value themselves. Front, an email productivity application based in San Francisco, even created this compensation and equity calculator that offers all of their candidates (and employees) complete transparency into how ownership stakes and values are calculated.

If a candidate is new to startup equity, highlight some of the legal and tax steps they will have to go through to realize the value of their ownership, all the while directing them to seek their own legal or accounting advice. This level of tangible value and transparency will go a long way toward closing even the most weary candidates.

Related: 6 Tips for Hiring at Your Small Business

Highlight Upside Versus Downside Risk

Lets go back to my example at the top of this article. The candidate was extremely skeptical of joining a new company and preferred the security of having immediate cash in his pocket. And yet, he was only looking at the opportunity from one perspective. Given his skills and capacity, he could easily go to any employer a few years down the road, even if our company failed (which it didnt) and get a similar offer. By not accounting for the significant upside potential and limited eventual downside, he may have been miscalculating his own opportunity cost.

In conversations with prospective candidates, especially those with transferable skill sets, seek to highlight the opportunity cost of joining versus not joining. Even if a new company fails, they will still gain skills, connections and opportunities that will place them in a better position to get a job on the other side. More importantly, they are giving themselves a chance to see significant financial and career gains just through joining.

Early stage companies are beset by two competing interests: the need to grow and the desire to conserve capital. In order to conserve capital, entrepreneurs often recruit early, key employees through equity-ownership packages. Smart entrepreneurs convince early employees to take these packages, often with less upfront cash compensation, by structuring tangible and real value in equity and highlighting upside versus downside risk  a more compelling case than merely offering cash on hand.

Related:

The First Question to Ask Yourself If You Want to Be an Entrepreneur but Don't Know Where to Start

How to Recruit Employees With Equity

From a Crisis of Conscience to Consumer Packaged Goods Success



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar



on Wednesday urged the Maharashtra Government to direct all schools to cancel their fee hikes for the coming academic year in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown.

In a letter to state school minister Varsha Gaikwad, Shelar said all school boards should be directed to reduce fees by 10 per cent.

Schools have planned a 10 to 30 per cent hike in fees and several parents have complained about it, the BJP leader said, claiming that there was fear among the parent community.

He further pointed out that the Union HRD ministry had passed orders cancelling fee hikes at IITs, while the Uttar Pradesh government had done so for schools.

By taking classes online during the pandemic, schools were expected to save at least 20 to 25 per cent of their operational costs due to reduced water and power consumption among other things, Shelar stated in the letter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 19:23:32|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Germany has recorded 1,304 new COVID-19 cases within one day, raising its total number of confirmed cases to 157,641, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Wednesday.

At the height of the pandemic in Germany, more than 6,000 new infections were recorded on a single day by the RKI, the federal government's agency for disease control and prevention.

The number of deaths increased by 202 to 6,115, resulting in a fatality rate of 3.9 percent in the country, said the RKI, adding that the estimated number of recoveries increased by around 3,100 within one day to 120,400 on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, RKI President Lothar Wieler asked German citizens not to risk the results achieved by containing the virus. "We want to continue to defend this success, and we can do so if we stick to certain rules," said Wieler.

On Wednesday, the German government is scheduled to discuss further measures to contain the spread of the virus.

In a draft bill, German Health Minister Jens Spahn proposed a renewed expansion of tests to better protect medical staff and at-risk groups.

In addition, a more comprehensive reporting mechanism is to be adopted, which will include negative COVID-19 test results and the number of recoveries. The draft also involves a financing plan for a bonus for medical workers of up to 1,500 euros (1,600 U.S. dollars). Enditem
Britain is preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the day when Nazi Germany's forces issued an unconditional surrender and the war in Europe came to an end. The celebrations will be heavily restricted as a result of coronavirus, but it would be wrong to let the day pass unmarked: it is too significant for that.

VE Day marked the official end of the war in Europe, but in the weeks leading up to it there were other significant events and Thursday is the 75th anniversary of the death of Adolf Hitler.

On this day in 1945, Adolf Hitler was holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin.

The Allied armies were closing in and his dream of a 1,000-year Reich was over.

The dictator, who had taken the lives of millions, ended up taking his own life by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head.

He is an example of the extremity of human evil and the horror he inflicted, aided by the other Nazi leaders, should serve as a warning to this generation and future generations.

His death was reported around the world and, in most countries, there was jubilation as well as speculation about who would succeed him and how the war would come to an end.

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The Ulster Premier, Sir Basil Brooke, said: "The world is a sweeter place for the disappearance of a man who has strewn Europe with corpses and made possible the horrors of Buchenwald and Belsen."

However, on May 3, the Irish Press reported that, in Dublin, the Taoiseach and Minister for External Affairs, Eamon de Valera, accompanied by the Secretary of External Affairs, "called on Dr Hempel, the German minister, last evening to express his condolences".

The scandal was compounded when it was reported that Michael McDunphy, the secretary of President Douglas Hyde, had "called on the German minister to express condolence on behalf of the president".

Within 48 hours, Ireland, which had remained neutral in the war and had generally managed to remain below the radar, was the subject of unwanted international attention.

To his shame, De Valera even described reports of the Nazi concentration camps as "anti-national propaganda", primarily because the truth about horror of the death camps undermined his case for Irish neutrality

At Westminster, MPs from all parties demanded that a protest be made in Dublin.

Meanwhile, the New York Times commented: "Considering the character and record of the man for whose death he was expressing grief, there is obviously something wrong with the protocol of neutrality, or with De Valera."

In Belfast, the Northern Whig described the visit by de Valera as "a gratuitous insult to the thousands of brave Irishmen who have fought and died in British ranks".

It was another stain on the record of the Irish government, but certainly not the first.

Earlier in the war, the Fianna Fail government had protested at the presence of American troops in Ulster as an "infringement of Irish sovereignty"!

Significantly, there was no such protest to Germany after the German Blitz on Belfast, which killed 1,000 people.

Indeed, de Valera had permitted the German representative in Dublin to send weather reports to the Luftwaffe and these helped in the planning of their bombing of both Great Britain and Ulster.

As late as 1944, the American State Department bluntly said: "Despite the declared desire of the Irish government that its neutrality should not operate in favour of either of the belligerents, it has, in fact, operated and continues to operate in favour of the Axis powers."

To his shame, De Valera even described reports of the Nazi concentration camps as "anti-national propaganda", primarily because the truth about horror of the death camps undermined his case for Irish neutrality.

Eamon de Valera was the founder of Fianna Fail. He led it into the Dail and then, in 1932, he led it into government.

He was at the forefront of Irish politics through into the 1960s and his term as president only ended in 1973.

So, on the 75th anniversary of the death of Hitler and as we approach the 75th anniversary of VE day, is it not time for Fianna Fail to face up to the truth about the Second World War?

Is it not time for the party to acknowledge that their founder and leader was wrong, both as regards neutrality in the face of Nazi terror and as regards his expression of sympathy on the death of Hitler, 75 years ago today?
The owner of P&O Ferries is pleading with the Government for a 150million bailout  as it prepares to hand shareholders nearly 270million.

Dubai-based DP World says P&O, which started running ferry services in the UK in the late 1960s, needs the emergency cash to avoid collapse.

Travel restrictions have resulted in a collapse in passengers on its routes, which include Dover to Calais, Hull to Rotterdam and Liverpool to Dublin.

Dubai-based DP World says P&O, which started running ferry services in the UK in the late 1960s, needs 270m to avoid collapse

P&O also transports 15 per cent of all goods in and out of the UK.

A number of ships have now been taken out of service and 1,400 P&O staff have been furloughed using a taxpayer-funded scheme.

But critics said the firm should instead stop 'wasting' money on investor payouts and slammed its millionaire bosses.

DP World boss Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who was paid 5.4million last year, has dismissed suggestions of scrapping the dividend and branded the UK government's response to the pandemic 'slow' after pleas for money received no immediate reply.

But Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, said: 'Mega-wealthy individuals and huge corporations don't seem to understand that we need the Government to protect jobs and incomes for millions of workers and provide resources for critical public services like the NHS, because they have no idea of the hardship that many people are going through.

'In some cases, public money will be required to support businesses. But it can't then be wasted on huge payouts for executives and investors and assurances to this effect should be required first.'

DP World says P&O, which it bought last year for 322million and is based in Dover, will collapse without a 257million rescue package.

It wants 150million to be provided by the UK Government. This is despite DP World being more than 80 per cent-owned by the Dubai government, which will take a hefty portion of the company's planned 267million dividend today, and reported profits of more than 1billion last year.

In addition to P&O, DP World also owns the Southampton and London Gateway ports, and dozens of other global terminals.

Bin Sulayem said P&O played a 'vital role' in the UK economy and warned that thousands of jobs depended on it.

He told the BBC: 'The Government has been slow. We need to safeguard jobs. A lot of people's lives depends on this company.'

He rejected suggestions DP World should postpone its dividend because it had 'never taken a penny out'. 'Any profits we have made we have reinvested in new vessels,' he added.

'DP World owns many businesses. You cannot just take money out of them to put into a company in another place  it doesn't make sense.'

The controversy comes after other wealthy tycoons such as Sir Richard Branson were criticised for seeking government aid.

A government spokesman said: 'We recognise how challenging this period is for the transport sector and encourage all firms to make use of the further changes to business support, helping make funds easier to access.

'We're committed to working with industry leaders, to offer the support they need and help provide certainty for workers.

'We will continue to directly engage maritime companies and associations to tackle these challenges.'
PITTSBURGH, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) today reported results for the first quarter of 2020.

Quarterly Highlights

Revenue was $341 million , increasing 5 percent from a year ago on a reported basis and 7 percent on a constant currency basis.

GAAP operating income was $59 million or 17.2 percent of sales, compared to $32 million or 9.9 percent of sales in the same period a year ago. Adjusted operating income was $64 million or 18.7 percent of sales, compared to $58 million or 17.9 percent of sales in the same period a year ago, driven by gross margin expansion and operating expense leverage.

GAAP earnings were $44 million or $1.11 per diluted share, compared to $23 million or $0.59 per diluted share in the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings were $46 million or $1.18 per diluted share, compared to $44 million or $1.14 per diluted share in the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings include $0.04 per share of headwind from higher non-cash pension expense, in line with the company's expectations.

MSA's debt balance was $372 million at quarter end, reflecting 1.3x adjusted EBITDA on a gross basis or 0.8x adjusted EBITDA on a net basis. With more than $120 million in cash and significant room available under its current debt covenants, the company has ample liquidity and flexibility to maintain its balanced capital allocation strategy.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, MSA has donated more than 140,000 disposable respirator masks - sourced from third parties - to various medical institutions around the world. In addition to supporting the communities where MSA operates, the company's pandemic response plan includes four key priorities: protecting the health and safety of MSA associates, enabling business continuity, expanding manufacturing capacity of MSA's existing air-purifying respirator portfolio, and managing its operating expenses and capital structure.

Comments from Management

"Our first quarter results reflected strong execution and our global associates' dedication to MSA's mission as a safety leader," commented Nish Vartanian, MSA President and CEO. "Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 outbreak, the MSA team was able to deliver a record first quarter which included 7 percent revenue growth and incremental margins over 35 percent. I'm particularly proud of our team's ability to deliver that level of performance while also enacting a comprehensive response plan that positions MSA to navigate this challenging time and the uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 landscape."

Mr. Vartanian commented that the company's quarterly revenue growth reflects strong returns on its research and development projects as well as a diversified product portfolio. "Our market leading innovations supported growth across our core products, while higher levels of demand for air-purifying respirators demonstrated the defensive nature of our product offering," he said. "In response to the global shortage of personal protective equipment, we are making investments to significantly ramp up manufacturing capacity associated with the air-purifying respirator side of our business."

Returns from restructuring programs continued to drive MSA's profitability improvements, particularly in its International segment where adjusted operating margin increased by 170 basis points in the quarter. "Our previous restructuring investments were designed to enable a streamlined cost structure in our International business. It's encouraging to see the momentum as we continue to improve our segment profitability profile," he said.

For the month of April, MSA's total order pace remained healthy as strong demand for respirators and firefighter safety products more than offset a downturn in short cycle industrial-based products. "While we expect a challenging environment in the near term for certain key end markets, we continue to manage through this crisis alongside our customers, supply chain partners and communities. Our ongoing focus on managing our cost structure, maintaining a strong balance sheet, and leveraging our diversified portfolio positions us well to continue to fulfill our mission of protecting worker health and safety. Through these unprecedented times, the MSA mission is more relevant than ever. My thanks and appreciation go out to each of our 5,000 associates around the world, who are living that mission every day and doing all they can to help us create a safer world for all," Mr. Vartanian concluded.

MSA Safety Incorporated Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share amounts)



Three Months Ended March 31,

2020

2019







Net sales $ 341,145



$ 326,038

Cost of products sold 183,786



176,056

Gross profit 157,359



149,982









Selling, general and administrative 80,237



78,429

Research and development 14,112



13,705

Restructuring charges 2,007



5,831

Currency exchange losses, net (a) 270



16,961

Product liability expense 1,951



2,896

Operating income 58,782



32,160









Interest expense 3,144



2,360

Other income, net (1,259)



(2,579)

Total other expense (income), net 1,885



(219)









Income before income taxes 56,897



32,379

Provision for income taxes 13,095



9,003

Net income 43,802



23,376

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (128)



(144)

Net income attributable to MSA Safety Incorporated $ 43,674



$ 23,232









Earnings per share attributable to MSA Safety Incorporated common shareholders:





Basic $ 1.12



$ 0.60

Diluted $ 1.11



$ 0.59









Basic shares outstanding 38,824



38,536

Diluted shares outstanding 39,352



39,084



(a) 2019 currency exchange losses includes a $15.4 million non-cash charge related to the recognition of currency translation adjustments associated with the closure of MSA's South Africa affiliates.

MSA Safety Incorporated Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Unaudited) (In thousands)



March 31, 2020

December 31, 2019 Assets





Cash and cash equivalents $ 122,629



$ 152,195

Trade receivables, net 263,002



255,082

Inventories 195,647



185,027

Notes receivable, insurance companies 3,706



3,676

Other current assets 118,796



97,383

Total current assets 703,780



693,363









Property, net 163,141



167,038

Operating lease assets, net 48,341



51,675

Prepaid pension cost 78,512



75,066

Goodwill 430,114



436,679

Notes receivable, insurance companies, noncurrent 52,662



52,336

Insurance receivable, noncurrent 53,527



56,169

Other noncurrent assets 200,849



207,367

Total assets $ 1,730,926



$ 1,739,693









Liabilities and shareholders' equity





Notes payable and current portion of long-term debt, net $ 20,000



$ 20,000

Accounts payable 89,062



89,120

Other current liabilities 155,156



168,389

Total current liabilities 264,218



277,509









Long-term debt, net 351,592



328,394

Pensions and other employee benefits 184,179



186,697

Noncurrent operating lease liabilities 39,857



42,632

Deferred tax liabilities 10,069



9,787

Product liability and other noncurrent liabilities 161,629



162,101

Total shareholders' equity 719,382



732,573

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 1,730,926



$ 1,739,693



MSA Safety Incorporated Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (In thousands)



Three Months Ended March 31,

2020

2019







Net income $ 43,802



$ 23,376

Depreciation and amortization 9,640



9,326

Change in working capital and other operating (39,835)



(31,485)

Cash flow from operating activities 13,607



1,217









Capital expenditures (6,562)



(4,897)

Change in short-term investments (19,612)



(18,941)

Property disposals 92



12

Cash flow used in investing activities (26,082)



(23,826)









Change in debt 28,000



14,091

Cash dividends paid (16,331)



(14,652)

Company stock purchases under repurchase program (20,113)





Other financing (4,884)



(5,981)

Cash flow used in financing activities (13,328)



(6,542)









Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (3,756)



(3,221)









Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ (29,559)



$ (32,372)



MSA Safety Incorporated Segment Information (Unaudited) (In thousands, except percentage amounts)



Americas

International

Corporate

Consolidated Three Months Ended March 31, 2020













Sales to external customers $ 231,253



$ 109,892



$ 



$ 341,145

Operating income











58,782

Operating margin %











17.2 % Restructuring charges











2,007

Currency exchange losses, net











270

Product liability expense











1,951

Strategic transaction costs











97

COVID-19 related costs











757

Adjusted operating income (loss) 59,807



12,671



(8,614)



63,864

Adjusted operating margin % 25.9 %

11.5 %





18.7 % Depreciation and amortization











9,640

Adjusted EBITDA 66,257



15,765



(8,518)



73,504

Adjusted EBITDA % 28.7 %

14.3 %





21.5 %















Three Months Ended March 31, 2019













Sales to external customers $ 213,687



$ 112,351



$ 



$ 326,038

Operating income











32,160

Operating margin %











9.9 % Restructuring charges











5,831

Currency exchange losses, net











16,961

Product liability expense











2,896

Strategic transaction costs











456

Adjusted operating income (loss) 54,803



11,040



(7,539)



58,304

Adjusted operating margin % 25.6 %

9.8 %





17.9 % Depreciation and amortization











9,326

Adjusted EBITDA 60,900



14,171



(7,441)



67,630

Adjusted EBITDA % 28.5 %

12.6 %





20.7 %

The Americas segment is comprised of our operations in North America and Latin America geographies. The International segment is comprised of our operations in all geographies outside of the Americas. Certain global expenses are allocated to each segment in a manner consistent with where the benefits from the expenses are derived.

Adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted operating margin, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and adjusted EBITDA margin are the measures used by the chief operating decision maker to evaluate segment performance and allocate resources. As such, management believes that adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin are useful metrics for investors. Adjusted operating income (loss) is defined as operating income excluding restructuring charges, currency exchange gains / losses, product liability expense, strategic transaction costs and COVID-19 related costs, and adjusted operating margin is defined as adjusted operating income (loss) divided by segment sales to external customers. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as adjusted operating income (loss) plus depreciation and amortization and adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as adjusted EBITDA divided by segment sales to external customers. Adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin are not recognized terms under GAAP and therefore do not purport to be alternatives to operating income or operating margin as a measure of operating performance. The Company's definition of adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to consider operating income determined on a GAAP basis in addition to these non-GAAP measures.

MSA Safety Incorporated Reconciliation of As Reported Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Constant currency revenue growth (Unaudited)

Consolidated



Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

Breathing

Apparatus Firefighter

Helmets

and

Protective

Apparel Industrial

Head

Protection Portable

Gas

Detection Fixed Gas

and Flame

Detection Fall

Protection Core

Sales

Non-Core

Sales*

Net Sales GAAP reported

sales change 1 % (2) % (1) % 1 % 16 % (9) % 2 %

22 %

5 % Plus: Currency

translation effects 1 %  % 4 % 2 % 1 % 3 % 2 %

5 %

2 % Constant currency

sales change 2 % (2) % 3 % 3 % 17 % (6) % 4 %

27 %

7 %

* Non-Core Sales include Air-Purifying Respirators.

Management believes that constant currency revenue growth is a useful metric for investors, as foreign currency translation can have a material impact on revenue growth trends. Constant currency revenue growth highlights ongoing business performance excluding the impact of fluctuating foreign currencies, which is outside of management's control. There can be no assurances that MSA's definition of constant currency revenue growth is consistent with that of other companies. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to consider revenue growth determined on a GAAP basis in addition to this non-GAAP financial measure.

MSA Safety Incorporated Reconciliation of As Reported Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Constant currency revenue growth (Unaudited)

Americas Segment



Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

Breathing

Apparatus Firefighter

Helmets

and

Protective

Apparel Industrial

Head

Protection Portable

Gas

Detection Fixed Gas

and Flame

Detection Fall

Protection Core

Sales

Non-Core

Sales*

Net Sales GAAP reported

sales change 4 %  % (1) % 2 % 25 % (1) % 5 %

33 %

8 % Plus: Currency

translation effects  %  % 4 % 2 % 1 % 2 % 2 %

4 %

2 % Constant

currency sales

change 4 %  % 3 % 4 % 26 % 1 % 7 %

37 %

10 %

* Non-Core Sales include Air-Purifying Respirators.

Management believes that constant currency revenue growth is a useful metric for investors, as foreign currency translation can have a material impact on revenue growth trends. Constant currency revenue growth highlights ongoing business performance excluding the impact of fluctuating foreign currencies, which is outside of management's control. There can be no assurances that MSA's definition of constant currency revenue growth is consistent with that of other companies. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to consider revenue growth determined on a GAAP basis in addition to this non-GAAP financial measure.

MSA Safety Incorporated Reconciliation of As Reported Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Constant currency revenue growth (Unaudited)

International Segment



Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

Breathing

Apparatus Firefighter

Helmets

and

Protective

Apparel Industrial

Head

Protection Portable

Gas

Detection Fixed Gas

and Flame

Detection Fall

Protection Core

Sales

Non-Core

Sales*

Net Sales GAAP reported

sales change (6) % (13) % (2) % (2) % 4 % (20) % (4) %

10 %

(2) % Plus: Currency

translation effects 4 % 3 % 3 % 2 % 3 % 2 % 2 %

4 %

3 % Constant currency

sales change (2) % (10) % 1 %  % 7 % (18) % (2) %

14 %

1 %

* Non-Core Sales include Air-Purifying Respirators.

Management believes that constant currency revenue growth is a useful metric for investors, as foreign currency translation can have a material impact on revenue growth trends. Constant currency revenue growth highlights ongoing business performance excluding the impact of fluctuating foreign currencies, which is outside of management's control. There can be no assurances that MSA's definition of constant currency revenue growth is consistent with that of other companies. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to consider revenue growth determined on a GAAP basis in addition to this non-GAAP financial measure.

MSA Safety Incorporated Supplemental Segment Information (Unaudited) Summary of constant currency revenue growth by segment and product group



Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

Consolidated

Americas

International Fixed Gas and Flame Detection 17 %

26 %

7 % Industrial Head Protection 3 %

3 %

1 % Portable Gas Detection 3 %

4 %

 % Breathing Apparatus 2 %

4 %

(2) % Firefighter Helmets and Protective Apparel (2) %

 %

(10) % Fall Protection (6) %

1 %

(18) % Core Sales 4 %

7 %

(2) %











Non-Core Sales * 27 %

37 %

14 %











Net Sales 7 %

10 %

1 %

* Non-Core Sales include Air-Purifying Respirators.

MSA Safety Incorporated Reconciliation of As Reported Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Adjusted earnings (Unaudited) Adjusted earnings per diluted share (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share amounts)



Three Months Ended March 31,





2020

2019

%

Change











Net income attributable to MSA Safety Incorporated $ 43,674



$ 23,232



88% Non-deductible non-cash charge related to the recognition of currency translation adjustments (a) 



15,359





Tax benefit associated with ASU 2016-09: Improvements to employee share-based payment accounting (1,271)



(2,422)





Subtotal 42,403



36,169



17%











Product liability expense 1,951



2,896





Restructuring charges 2,007



5,831





Strategic transaction costs 97



456





COVID-19 related costs 757









Currency exchange losses, net 270



1,602





Asset related losses, net 122



25





Income tax expense on adjustments (1,301)



(2,594)





Adjusted earnings $ 46,306



$ 44,385



4%











Adjusted earnings per diluted share $ 1.18



$ 1.14



4%

(a) Included in Currency exchange losses, net on the Statement of Income.

Management believes that adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per diluted share are useful measures for investors, as management uses these measures to internally assess the company's performance and ongoing operating trends. There can be no assurances that additional special items will not occur in future periods, nor that MSA's definition of adjusted earnings is consistent with that of other companies. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to consider both net income determined on a GAAP basis as well as adjusted earnings.

MSA Safety Incorporated Reconciliation of As Reported Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Debt to adjusted EBITDA / Net debt to adjusted EBITDA (Unaudited) (In thousands)





Twelve Months Ended March 31,



2020 Operating income

$ 212,852

Restructuring charges

10,022

Currency exchange losses, net

3,123

Product liability expense

25,674

Strategic transaction costs

4,041

COVID-19 related costs

757

Depreciation and amortization

38,334

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 294,803







Total end-of-period debt

371,592







Debt to adjusted EBITDA

1.3







Total end-of-period debt

371,592

Total end-of-period cash and cash equivalents

122,629

Net debt

$ 248,963







Net debt to adjusted EBITDA

0.8



Management believes that Debt to Adjusted EBITDA and Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA are useful measures for investors, as management uses these measures to internally assess the company's liquidity and balance sheet strength. There can be no assurances that that MSA's definition of Debt to Adjusted EBITDA and Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA is consistent with that of other companies.



About MSA:

Established in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated is the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures. Many MSA products integrate a combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive product line is used by workers around the world in a broad range of markets, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, the construction industry, mining and the military. MSA's core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, industrial head protection products, firefighter helmets and protective apparel, and fall protection devices. With 2019 revenues of $1.4 billion, MSA employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, Pa., and has manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With more than 40 international locations, MSA realizes approximately half of its revenue from outside North America. For more information visit MSA's web site at www.MSAsafety.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for historical information, certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to all projections and anticipated levels of future performance. Forward looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those discussed herein. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from projections or forward looking statements, including without limitation global economic conditions, spending patterns of government agencies, competitive pressures, the impact of acquisitions and related integration activities, product liability claims, the success of new product introductions, currency exchange rate fluctuations and the risks of doing business in foreign countries. A full listing of these risks, uncertainties and other factors are detailed from time-to-time in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our most recent Form 10-K filed on February 20, 2020. You are strongly urged to review all such filings for a more detailed discussion of such risks and uncertainties. MSA's SEC filings are readily obtainable at no charge at www.sec.gov, as well as on its own investor relations website at http://investors.MSAsafety.com . MSA undertakes no duty to publicly update any forward looking statements contained herein, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

This press release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures. These financial measures include constant currency revenue growth, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio, net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio, adjusted earnings, and adjusted earnings per diluted share. The presentation of these financial measures does not comply with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). For an explanation of these measures, together with a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, see the Reconciliation of As Reported Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures in the financial tables section above.

SOURCE MSA Safety
Patong beach restaurant owner, 63, Phukets second COVID-19 victim

PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol yesterday confirmed that Phukets second death directly related to COVID-19 was a 63-year-old Thai woman who owned a restaurant near Loma Park on the Patong beachfront.

COVID-19Coronavirusdeath

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 29 April 2020, 08:59AM

Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol yesterday (Apr 28). Photo: Eakkapop Thontub)

The woman, recorded as Case 92, first became ill on Mar 24, Dr Chalermpong explained at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon (Apr 28) attended by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana and Phuket Public Health Office Chief Thanit Sermkaew.

During the 14 days before she became ill, the woman had a history of physical contact with Thai and foreign tourists, he said.

The majority of customers at the restaurant were Chinese, and as the owner she was responsible for collecting money from customers, he said.

The woman usually did not wear a mask, did not wash her hands often and some days she went to the Kathu market. She lived with two other family members  her husband (Case 122) and her niece (Case 114)  both of whom worked at the restaurant and both of whom were later confirmed as infected, Dr Chalermpong noted.

The woman presented herself at a private clinic for fever and dizziness on Mar 24. Her condition did not improve and she returned to the clinic on Mar 26 and Mar 30, Dr Chalermpong explained.

On Apr 1, the woman was admitted at Patong Hospital. She suffered dizziness and increased difficulty in breathing. The doctor who attended to her considered her condition to be quite severe and had her provided with a ventilator immediately to assist her breathing, he added.

That same day, her ability to breathe deteriorated to extreme wheezing and she was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, where she recorded a fever of 39.8C. X-rays showed that both her lungs had been infected, and she tested positive for COVID-19.

The woman was administered medication for viral and bacterial diseases in accordance with Department of Disease Control criteria, but the womans blood pressure dropped, indicating the onset of infection in the bloodstream, he said.

Her lungs became worse and worse, he added.

On Apr 2, the woman suffered renal failure and was administered hemodialysis.

On Apr 7, her white blood cell count began to rise and her blood pressure started to fall, prompting doctors to administer a course of antibiotics. A second test for COVID-19 confirmed she had contracted the virus, he added.

On Apr 14, the womans pulse had slowed and doctors began to administer a course of antiretroviral drugs that lasted 12 days.

On April 17, doctors added one more drug to her treatment, and on Apr 18 yet another medication was added to her regimen, Dr Chalermpong said.

From the 13 days from April 16-26, the woman was suffering laboured breathing and on a respirator, and undergoing continual dialysis, he noted.

On April 27, the womans condition deteriorated even further, and she passed away at 9:50am, Dr Chalermpong noted.

The woman was treated in hospital for 27 days. My condolences to her family, he said.

Dr Chalermpong noted that none of the staff at the restaurant developed any signs of infection.

The womans husband, 57, who became ill on Apr 3 and confirmed as infected on Apr 5, received treatment at Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, while the womans niece, 23, who became ill on Mar 29 and confirmed as infected on Apr 4, received treatment at Patong Hospital, he added.

Both of them have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital care, Dr Chalermpong said.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Don Force spent nearly a month in hospitals, working to fend off COVID-19 that has taken so many lives in Michigan and across the nation.

Force, of Howard City, celebrated both his recovery and his 61st birthday Tuesday as he was released from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation hospitals ReCOVery Unit.

Force was so severely ill at one point he needed a ventilator.

He was the first patient to come to the hospitals ReCOVery Unit and was the second one to leave after recuperating.

According to Mary Free Bed staff, Force came down with a bad cough that wasnt improving . He went to the Spectrum Health emergency department March 29.

Related: Mary Free Beds coronavirus recovery unit sees first patient leave hospital

He soon after tested positive for COVID-19 and his condition deteriorated. He was intubated and then spent 10 days in the intensive care unit.

Force, a retired tow truck driver, told Mary Free Bed staff that he doesnt remember much from his time in the ICU. His wife of 42 yeas, Cindy, later told him about the intensive treatment as he slowly began to recover.

He was transferred to Mary Free Bed and spent the last 12 days in therapy sessions to improve his weakened system. Force went through speech, occupational and physical therapy while at the hospital.

Related: As United States hits 1 million coronavirus cases, Michigan nears 40,000

Being able to go back home on my birthday, is the best gift ever," he said in a statement to Mary Free Bed.

He was looking forward to spending time with his wife and cat, Deeks.

Its not clear how Force contracted the virus.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here

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The crew of a Hagerstown-based helicopter and the juvenile patient they picked up in Chambersburg, Pa., are OK after a crash near Philadelphia.
A home retrofitting scheme for low-income households has been criticised in an official report for failing to set out what it aimed to achieve or gather sufficient data to show what it accomplished.

The European Court of Auditors said the 20m-a-year Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme was not run in a cost-effective way and, from what limited information was available, did not result in improved energy efficiency ratings for more than half the homes renovated.

The auditors were also critical of the decision to reduce State funding for the scheme by the same amount as the EU put into it so that EU investment resulted in no increase in the money available.

Schemes in Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Ireland were examined by the auditors, who looked specifically at the use of the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme in the east and south of the country.

In Ireland, where the scheme is run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), they noted that its stated aim was to support "comprehensive and ambitious energy efficiency improvements resulting in at least an improvement in one energy efficiency rating".

The report stated: "In practice, projects did not define any energy saving objective, did not report on energy saved and, for more than half of supported households, did not improve energy ratings."

It said the 'first come, first served' approach to grants meant homes were not properly assessed to ensure that funds were used in the most efficient way.

"All member states we visited - except Ireland - required projects of a certain ambition by setting minimum energy ratings buildings should reach after works and or minimum percentages of energy savings that projects should deliver," it said.

It added: "In Ireland, the reported indicators 'number of households with improved energy consumption classification' and 'total amount of eligible expenditure' reported to the Commission are not reliable.

"Following our audit and Commission observations, the Irish authorities reported that energy ratings did not improve for 52pc of households renovated by the Better Energy Warmer Home Schemes in 2017.

"The Irish authorities are currently reviewing the projects for households renovated in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 to verify how many did not have their energy rating improved."

The report also shows that just 27pc of the money allocated for the scheme to cover the 2014-2020 period had been spent by the end of 2018.

The SEAI said the assessment criteria used by the auditors was narrow.

"The programme delivers many benefits to the subject homeowners including improved comfort, quality of life, and health," it said, stressing it had improved 142,000 homes since the year 2000.

"This audit addresses the scheme in terms of energy efficiency only and not other benefits such as energy poverty reductions."

It said the scheme underwent a significant change in mid-2018. "This has resulted in deeper retrofits and more dramatic results for homeowners."

It also said there had been "substantial improvements made to the energy ratings of many of those participating".

It added that since 2018, the share of State funding for the scheme had increased each year up to 52.8m in the current year.
When schools around the country began to close this spring because of the spread of the coronavirus, millions of students had the resources to transition to online learning - but not in Detroit.

Some 90 percent of the 51,000 students in the high-poverty Detroit Public Schools Community District did not have access to Internet services or the technology at home that's required for online learning. Teachers sent home packets of lessons on paper instead.

Now a new coalition of businesses and philanthropic organizations in the city is working to provide every student, kindergarten through 12th grade, with a tablet computer and high-speed Internet access. The program - called Connected Futures and being led by DTE Energy, Skillman Foundation, Quicken Loans, the city of Detroit and the school district - is spending $23 million in what Superintendent Nikolai Vitti hailed as "an unprecedented investment to immediately address an unprecedented crisis."

The Detroit project is only one of many around the country aimed at trying to close the digital divide, which puts millions of students who are already marginalized at even further disadvantage. It is estimated that up to 12 million students - and some of their teachers - don't have Internet access at home, and many of the 13,000 U.S. school districts don't have the resources to provide what is needed without outside help.

Rural areas are especially hard-hit, as are high-poverty areas, while schools and families struggle to keep up learning programs with school buildings closed and students at home. The digital divide is not new, but the crisis facing the country has laid bare just how deep and damaging it is.

School districts around the country, such as Miami-Dade in Florida, have been working with local Internet service providers to obtain free or reduced-price Internet connections, and there are efforts on Capitol Hill to provide billions of dollars in new funding to provide access to virtual education to families, schools and libraries.

Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he had developed partnerships with Internet providers to provide low-income families with affordable service before the covid-19 crisis, but went back to Comcast as the impact of the pandemic started to become clear and asked to provide free Internet accessibility. The company did, he said.

"It's not perfect," he said, "but at this point, I believe we have the most robust distance-learning platform of this magnitude in the country."

Other districts had other interventions. For example, the school district in South Bend, Indiana, said it sent 22 school buses with WiFi to 44 sites across the city to provide Internet access for students who didn't have it.

In Charleston, South Carolina, the district also sent out buses with WiFi to various sites, the district said, and announced that it had "enhanced" the WiFi signal at many schools "so that access outside of the building is possible." It also said several Internet providers were offering reduced prices for service.

In various cities, businesses and philanthropic organizations are giving money to school districts to help improve remote-learning accessibility, and this week, the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Education Department said they would work with states and local school districts to promote the use of billions of dollars provided for K-12 education in the $2 trillion emergency stimulus measure known as the Cares Act.

Congress allocated more than $13 billion for K-12 schools to use to meet issues created by the pandemic, including the purchase of educational technology and to secure Internet access. The act also gives some $3 billion in emergency block grants to governors who can use them however they think best for students, including on remote learning, and it provides $100 million to the U.S. Agriculture Department grant program for the costs of establishing broadband service in rural areas.

The pandemic has lent urgency to a drive on Capitol Hill to create a $2 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund that would further efforts to help schools and libraries improve access to remote learning through new WiFi hotspots, routers and other devices. The fund has the support of dozens of education and other organizations. In a letter to Senate leadership, nearly 20 senators said:

- - -

We are concerned that this existing inequity will only be exacerbated by the high number of schools that are suspending in-person classes and have transitioned to remote learning over the Internet to protect the health of students, faculty, and staff. Children without connectivity are at risk of not only being unable to complete their homework during this pandemic, but being unable to continue their overall education. Congress must address this issue by providing additional financial support for home Internet access in the next emergency relief package so that no child falls behind in their education.

- - -

Under the new program in Detroit, Internet service providers said connectivity will be free for low-income families for six months. Then, Vitti said, the district will pay.

Jerry Norcia, president and chief executive of DTE Energy, said his company put the issue of digital inequity for Detroit students at "the top" of their covid-19 relief efforts. "We recognized that we needed to take action urgently to close the digital divide for these students and provide them with the tools necessary to thrive in the 21st century," he said at a news conference.
Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat chaired a high- level meeting with the heads of the four Results Groups of the United Nations Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) Steering Committee.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad, Minister of Social Solidarity Nevein Elkabbag, President of the National Council for Women Maya Morsi, and UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Richard Dictus.

The meeting was also attended by UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt Randa Abulhosn, Menghestab Haile, United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Representative and Country Director Nasredin Hag Elamin, and UN Women Head of Office Gielan Elmeseiri.

The meeting discussed a unified national cooperation vision with the UN to face the socioeconomic implications of the COVID-19 outbreak under the UN Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) 2018-2022, which aims to support the Egyptian governments vision and efforts to achieve its national development agenda amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The UNPDF, worth $1.2 billion, is based on four strategic pillars, namely inclusive economic development, social justice, womens empowerment, and environmental sustainability and natural resources management.

Al-Mashat said that her ministry is working closely with UN agencies to alleviate the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, which would contribute to ensuring that development efforts are not interrupted and are on the right track to achieve their aspired goals, especially the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

She added that the UNPDF was drafted based on the outcomes of national consultations with 400 stakeholders from the government, the UN, civil society and the private sector.

Minister Al-Mashat pointed out that the framework is in line with the governments vision, the countrys social and economic program and with the international cooperation ministrys new partnership strategy with development partners, which is based on three main pillars including People at the Core, Projects in Action and Purpose as the Drive, which addressed developmental partnership aiming at achieving SDGs.

Al-Mashat expounded that the Inclusive Economic Development pillar focused on achieving the agreed upon goals targeting sustainable inclusive economic development, creating job opportunities and capacity building. The Social Justice pillar focused on national efforts dedicated to controlling population growth and to ensure access to public services, such as social protection, health, nutrition and education. The Womens Empowerment pillar aimed to enhance women capabilities and their engagement in leadership positions and in several other economic activities, in addition to supporting their access to education and labour opportunities.

The Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resources Management pillar sought the effective and constructive management of Egypts natural resources and mitigating environmental risks as well as climate change risks.

She stressed that it was agreed upon during the meeting to continue the strategic dialogue between the government and the UN to enhance ongoing coordination in order to reach a comprehensive plan for cooperation towards mitigating the socio-economic and health implications of the COVID-19 outbreak.

I was also agreed upon to continue dialogue to address the post-COVID-19 recovery by joining efforts to mitigate the impact on the economy and to support infrastructure, digital transformation and financial inclusiveness for women, which would contribute to creating more job opportunities and ensure the ongoing achievement of SDGs.

Meanwhile, Minister Hala El-Said said that the governments response, whether to reduce losses or mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19, is very solid, adding that the full support of Egypt's development partners during this phase is extremely important to mitigate the risks of the COVID-19 crisis and to prepare for the post-COVID-19 phase.

She clarified that the localisation of the SDGs in the governorates is crucial to maximise the benefit of the comparative advantages of the Egyptian governorates and regions, in addition to achieving inclusiveness, sustainable growth and balanced regional development as one of the main pillars of Egypt's 2030 vision.

Minister Nevine El-Kabbag presented the priorities of her ministry to mitigate the implications of the pandemic, whether on the level of social protection, social care or development initiatives, by extending social security networks to include additional households, to include the poorest, most vulnerable and most affected by the crisis, such as unofficial workers, the elderly, those on pension, children without social care, at risk women, those with disabilities and those living in unofficial and remote rural areas.

The WFPs immediate focus is to support the government to upgrade the national social protection system to protect vulnerable families with cash transfers primarily targeting families of casual and informal sector workers and female-headed households and other vulnerable communities. I would like to congratulate the Egypts government for its exemplary response to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 on the Egyptian people, said Menghestab Haile, Country Director of the WFP.

On behalf of the Womens Results Group, I would like to underscore our commitment to supporting the GoE in protecting and sustaining the gains already made to accelerate the achievement of Womens Empowerment, notably in the area of womens leadership and political participation and womens economic participation, which the current crisis risks rolling back. In addition, we remain committed to further improving our reporting on results and to ensuring alignment in our approaches as a Results Group, said Gielan Elmessiri, head of the UN Women Egypt Country Office.

Nasreddin Hag Elamin, FAO Representative in Egypt, said that there is a need to intensify work in a broader and wider manner between the UN organisations working in Egypt, the Egyptian government and all relevant parties, to develop policies and programs in the areas of climate change, food systems, and water issues in a way that enables Egypt to face COVID-19 challenges and contributes to achieving the SDGs.

He praised the efforts and the precautionary measures undertaken by Egypt in facing the challenges of the coronavirus crisis, which have contributed greatly to mitigating the impact of this crisis.

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After two passengers on their luxury cruise tested positive for Covid-19 in March, Emilio and Barbara Hernandez were so frantic to get off the ship, they wrote a note to the captain.

The Costa Luminosa sailed on with them still onboard, and they ended up with the virus. Now recovering, the Hernandezes and 98 fellow passengers have sued Costa Cruise Lines Inc., a brand owned by Carnival Corp., alleging the firm endangered passengers lives through negligence and bad decision-making.

A Costa spokeswoman said the company stepped up its sanitation of ships and then took action, including quarantining passengers, after it learned of the positive test results.

The Hernandezes and their fellow plaintiffs are seeking class-action status. They may have rough sailing ahead.

The tickets that cruise passengers buy resemble legal contracts, and they generally contain language barring customers from filing class-action suits  lawsuits that allow one or more plaintiffs to act on behalf of a larger group. Thats just one of several built-in legal protections in cruise tickets meant to safeguard companies against a rash of litigation thats already arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

These claims are enormous  nothing the industrys seen before with so many passengers fallen sick and bringing suit, said Martin Davies, director of the Tulane Maritime Law Center at Tulane University Law School. Any judgments would be paid out of an insurance pool that the cruise lines have formed, Davies said.

Currently, no cruise company faces more claims related to the virus than Carnival, the industrys largest operator. At least 22 lawsuits have been filed against Carnival-owned companies, seeking millions of dollars in damages. The company said it doesnt comment on active litigation.

By comparison, Celebrity Cruises, owned by the second-largest company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., faces just one U.S. lawsuit so far: a proposed class-action filed by crew members who allege Celebrity failed to protect them from the virus. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the third largest, faces a shareholder lawsuit that alleges the company failed to disclose adverse facts that affected it due to Covid-19. Lawyers say passenger suits against other cruise companies are probably coming.

Some of the virus-related claims, including the Hernandezes case, seek class-action status and involve multiple plaintiffs, totaling almost 200 so far.

But suits seeking class-action certifications face an uphill battle, Davies said, because of language contained in the passengers tickets. Provided thats what the contract says, generally the courts will find that enforceable.

Range of Protections

Its not uncommon for big businesses of all sorts to insist on class-action waivers in their contracts, but cruise operators have a range of other legal protections as well. Some of them stem from byzantine maritime laws that date to the 19th Century, when policy makers wanted to encourage investment in the shipping industry.

If you print out one of these tickets, its like 20 pages of gobbledygook, said John Hickey, a maritime lawyer. Hickey, who spent almost two decades defending cruise operators in court, now represents plaintiffs against them. Most people have no idea the limitations theyre presented with.

For example, judgments for deaths that occur far from U.S. ports are limited by the Death on the High Seas Act, enacted in 1920. Most ticket contracts limit any legal actions to select federal courts, predominantly in Florida or Los Angeles, no matter where the customers live. And most of them require passengers to notify a cruise operator within six months that they intend to sue.

In general, cruise industry representatives say its unfair to single out cruise operators, who they say implemented more aggressive screening and prevention measures related to Covid-19 than other travel sectors did.

Cruise lines took immediate and aggressive action based on the information that was available when it was available every step of the way, said Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Association. Importantly, all decisions were based upon the expertise and guidance of prevailing health authorities.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 14 ordered cruise ships in U.S. waters to suspend operations after travelers on more than 30 voyages were infected with Covid-19.

The Hernandezes tickets for the Costa Luminosa contained a patently unfair prohibition on class actions, said their lawyer, Michael Winkleman of Florida. He acknowledged significant hurdles for their lawsuit, which alleges that the bar on class actions should be voided because Costa Cruise Lines acted intentionally by exposing passengers to a highly contagious virus for which theres no vaccine.

If the case isnt certified as a class action, Winkleman said, he intends to file cases for the plaintiffs individually or in smaller groups. Class-action lawsuits, which can result in larger judgments or settlements, can help to move cases more swiftly for plaintiffs. Most plaintiffs law firms that pursue them do so on a no win, no fee basis, banking on bigger payouts, said Davies, the maritime-law professor.

Suits Allegations

The ship never should have sailed, Emilio Hernandez, 51, said in an interview. They put profit over the safety of passengers and crew.

He and his wife almost canceled their March 5 sailing on the Costa Luminosa to Antigua and Europe, but Costa assured them precautions would be taken, he said. Their lawsuit alleges that the operator proceeded with the trip despite knowing that at least one passenger from the ships previous voyage, who disembarked Feb. 29, had coronavirus symptoms.

That passenger left for a medical emergency that was not even connected to any flu-like symptoms, said Rossella Carrara, a spokeswoman for the cruise operators Italian parent company, Costa Crociere Group, which is also owned by Carnival.

Sanitation procedures on the ship were stepped up ahead of the Hernandezes cruise, Carrara said, and a quarantine of all passengers and other measures, such as daily temperature checks, were adopted after the company learned of positive test results.

Costa has said previously that the company passed information to Costa Luminosa passengers as soon as it received it and that it suspended new cruises on March 13, the day it learned that a passenger on its cruise had tested positive.

Many of the coronavirus lawsuits filed thus far argue that the companies should have known how infectious the pathogen was after an outbreak in late February on the Diamond Princess, which is operated by Carnivals Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. What began as fewer than a dozen infections quickly spread to more than 700 passengers and eventually killed at least 13 despite a quarantine of the vessel off Yokohama, Japan.

Lawsuits filed by passengers of another Princess vessel, the Grand Princess, allege that the cruise line knew some people aboard had Covid-19 symptoms when the ship docked and boarded new passengers in San Francisco on Feb. 21 for a cruise to Hawaii. The two symptomatic passengers disembarked that day; one tested positive shortly afterward and died, prompting California officials to refuse to let the ship dock.

The Grand Princess suits, filed by lawyer Debi Chalik, claim that the cruise operator alerted passengers of the ships previous cruise about potential Covid-19 exposure in a Feb. 25 email, but didnt warn passengers on its Hawaii cruise. Chaliks office said its representing dozens of plaintiffs.

A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said the companys response to the Covid-19 outbreak has focused on the well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters dictated to us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness. She said the company doesnt comment on pending litigation.

On March 4, Carnivals Chief Medical Officer, Grant Tarling, notified passengers and crew on the Grand Princess that the CDC was investigating a cluster of coronavirus cases connected to the previous voyage, according to the Princess website. It warned the 60 or so guests who also had sailed on that trip that they may have been exposed. It was then  two weeks after the voyage began  that testing started, the suits allege.

When the ship was finally permitted to dock, 21 people tested positive. All American travelers were quarantined on U.S. military bases.

Carnivals President and Chief Executive Officer, Arnold Donald, told Bloomberg Businessweek in an April 16 article that his companys response was reasonable under the circumstances. This is a generational global event  its unprecedented, he said.

Inspections Questioned

Before the new coronavirus, the cruise industry had generally avoided large-scale litigation over infectious disease outbreaks at sea. Since 2006, thered been fewer than 10 lawsuits filed over norovirus, the notorious gastrointestinal ailment that for years has ruined some passengers experiences.

Yet many of the Covid-19 lawsuits raise questions about the inspections that U.S. officials instituted in response to norovirus outbreaks. Plaintiffs in the Grand Princess suits claim the cruise operator didnt adequately sanitize the vessel between voyages. And Winkleman, the Hernandezes lawyer, said he plans to focus part of his cases on Carnivals record of ship inspections and history of outbreaks at sea.

The Costa Luminosa and the Grand Princess both have unremarkable inspection records. Ships need an 86 or higher to pass under the CDCs Vessel Sanitation Program. The Costa Luminosa was last inspected on Jan. 5 and received a 94. The Grand Princess passed its last inspection in June with a 93.

The program subjects ships that dock at U.S. ports to surprise inspections twice a year. Since 2016, ships owned by Carnival fail about 3% of their inspections. Norwegian Cruise Line has the worst failure rate at 4% and Royal Caribbeans rate is about 1%.

Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell noted that the company makes up about half the industry, and said its ships typically perform extremely well during inspections. He said Carnival-owned ships have received the highest number of perfect scores as well.

For now, with cruises canceled and the industry in a kind of suspended animation, the lawsuits and their claims represent a potential challenge that cruise operators havent seen before, said Ross Klein, an associate dean at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada who has studied the cruise industry for more than two decades. There are still a lot of ifs about the success of the legal claims, he said, but the risk for the companies is there.

The industry hasnt had any calamitous losses  nothing that would be potentially as large as this if the cases proceed in court, Klein said.

With assistance from Christopher Palmeri, Jonathan Levin and Kevin Varley.

About the photo:The Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland, March 10.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
One year later, Avengers: Endgame is the gift that keeps on giving. You would think all the press surrounding the climax of 22 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies would already reveal everything there possibly was to reveal. Plus, The Russo Brothers did a DVD commentary and continue revealing more. They participated in a Comicbook.com watch party for Avengers: Endgame on April 27. During the rewatch, the Russos revealed even more new stories about all the Avengers, but especially Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame and the MCU.]

Chris Hemsworth | Film Frame/Marvel Studios

From their shared Twitter account, the Russos shared memories and behind the scenes photos and videos of Avengers: Endgame. Early in the watch party, they revealed a joke about Thor on New Asgard that they decided against.

Behind the scenes of Thors new look in Avengers: Endgame

It was pretty impressive that The Russo Brothers managed to keep Thors appearance in Avengers: Endgame a secret. They would have had to keep any Thor scene a closed set for the duration of the production. When audiences saw Thor five years after he killed Thanos (Josh Brolin), it was hilarious and endearing.

You can call him Dad Bod Thor or Lebowski Thor if you prefer. The idea that Thor let himself go was both humorous and indicative of his distressed state five years after The Snap. The Russos shared a behind the scenes image of Hemsworth topless with the motion capture performer playing Korg.

Thor got to reconnect with his mother

Avengers: Endgame allowed the Avengers to time travel to previous films in the MCU. For Thor, that meant the events of Thor: The Dark World. He got to see his mother, Frigga (Rene Russo) again, and Frigga could tell something was wrong. A mother always knows.

It also enabled three Russos to be on the set at the same time. The Russos never directed a Thor movie so never got to work with Rene until Endgame. The Russos shared a behind the scenes image of that scene with a joke that all three Russos are related.

Here we are working with our cousin Rene Russo. Jk. Shes not our cousin, shes our sister! #AvengersAssemble pic.twitter.com/44DOz7UDVB  Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) April 28, 2020

The Russos also shared a behind the scenes video of recreating the Asgard castle at a Durham, Georgia cathedral. Choir practice was going on.

Here we are getting ready to shoot an Asgard scene at the stately cathedral in Durham. We had to wait for the choir rehearsal to finish #AvengersAssemble pic.twitter.com/klCBJuJAMj  Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) April 28, 2020

The Russos are glad they cut this joke from Avengers: Endgame but would it have really been too much?

When the remaining post-Snap Avengers go to find Thor in New Asgard, they see him overeating and drinking, playing video games. Thor is racked with guilt. So the Avengers have to sell him on their new plan to retrieve the Infinity Stones in the past. There was one more joke in that scene, but the Russo brothers decided it was too much.

Chris Hemsworth | Film Frame/Marvel Studios

There was once a scene of Thor peeing off a balcony in New Asgard to show how depraved he was, The Russo Brothers wrote. We realized he was already pretty depraved.

What do you think? Would public urination have pushed Thor over the edge for you? As long as he doesnt pee on somebody, it probably would have been funny. Heck, even if he did pee on somebody, there are plenty of characters in the MCU who deserve to get peed on.
A Ugandan court on Wednesday ordered lawmakers to pay back money they had awarded themselves to combat coronavirus. Meanwhile, in Malawi, President Peter Mutharika announced Covid-19 cash packages for the poor to help them survive the pandemic over the next three-months.

The high court in Uganda has ruled that MPs must pay back any money they received as part of a package they approved to fight coronavirus in their constituencies, local media reported.

An allocation of 2.4 million euros was paid into the individual accounts of lawmakers earlier in April, according to The Observer newspaper. It must be repaid or transferred to national or district Covid-19 taskforces.

The money was initially approved as part of a bigger budgetary package and was intended to be used for sensitisation about the virus.

However, the payment irked President Yoweri Museveni, who described it as morally reprehensible.

Some MPs had already refunded the money. Opposition lawmaker Bobi Wine described the payment as wrong and immoral, saying he would return the money and not participate in such a vile fraud.

Uganda has confirmed 79 cases of coronavirus with no deaths, according to the latest statistics from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Malawis emergency cash transfer programme

Authorities in Malawi on Tuesday announced cash payments would be made to the most vulnerable, helping them cope during the Covid-19 crisis.

President Peter Mutharika said vulnerable households would be paid 43 euros per month for a three-month period, according to the Nyasa Times.

Malawis government has been blocked by the countrys courts from implementing a coronavirus lockdown because no assistance was provided for those in need.
Australian radio host Kate Langbroek has celebrated her daughter Sunday's 15th birthday in coronavirus-ravaged Italy.

The mother-of-four, 54, shared a photo to Instagram of herself and Sunday at a cafe in Bologna - but it was most likely a throwback because the country is currently under strict lockdown.

'This beautiful girl turns 15 today. It will be a birthday to remember, my darling Sunday Lil,' she wrote in the caption.

Bittersweet: Radio host Kate Langbroek has celebrated her daughter Sunday's 15th birthday in coronavirus-ravaged Italy. She shared this photo to Instagram of herself and Sunday at a cafe in Bologna - but it was most likely a throwback because the nation is currently under lockdown

She added: 'Or one never to forget. Things have been so hectic lately, why don't we just hang at home to celebrate?'

Kate and her family are stuck in Italy after their 'gap year' adventure descended into a nightmare when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the nation.

Italy has been one of the hardest countries hit by the global health crisis, with more than 27,300 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon (AEST).

Trapped: Kate and her family (pictured on March 21) are stuck in Bologna, Italy, after their 'gap year' adventure descended into a nightmare when COVID-19 swept through the country

It comes after Kate said on The Project last week that she regretted not returning to Australia when it became apparent the situation was worsening in Italy.

Comedian Peter Helliar asked her : 'Are you looking at us going, "Maybe we should have returned earlier Why didn't we get out?"'

'What do you think, Helliar?' Kate sarcastically replied.

Just another day in Bologna! Kate said on The Project last week that she regretted not returning to Australia when it became apparent the situation was worsening in Italy. Pictured queuing outside a supermarket with her husband, Peter Allen Lewis, on March 28

'You're like one of the people on the lifeboat on the Titanic yelling out at the band, who's still playing as the boat goes down, "Do you wish your violin was here, mate?"'

During her interview, Kate also revealed she had stopped learning Italian because she didn't see the point while living 'in this weirdly interior world' of her apartment.

'You get to know yourself under these circumstances, and my God, I'm an ordinary person! I'm just churning out meals, trying to keep the spirits up, but I'm not learning Italian,' she said.

Comedian Peter Helliar (left) asked Kate if she'd ever thought to herself: 'Maybe we should have returned earlier Why didn't we get out?' Kate replied: 'What do you think, Helliar?'

Kate, her husband of 17 years, Peter Allen Lewis, and their four children, Lewis, Sunday, Artie and Jan, are currently in lockdown in their Bologna apartment.

The family had initially moved to Italy for a gap year in early 2019, but extended their stay for another 12 months in December, before the COVID-19 pandemic escalated.

In Italy, there have been 202,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, which have resulted in 27,359 deaths. Of the cases, 68,941 people have recovered.

Meanwhile in Australia, there have been 6,748 confirmed cases, 5,624 recovered cases and 89 deaths.
The early spread of COVID-19 across China had a remarkable impact on air quality, which temporarily improved. But before the crisis pushed us into our homes, people couldnt breathe the air in Beijing. Nor could they in Fairbanks, Missoula, or Spokane.

On a typical day, nearly half of all Americans inhale dangerous levels of particulate matter from wildfires, coal-fired power plants, and diesel engines. These pollutants enter the bloodstream to cause cancers, heart attacks, and strokes. Researchers suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution may be partially responsible for the discrepancy in COVID-19 fatality rates between Lombardy and other parts of Italy.

But exactly how COVID-19 is aggravated by environmental factors is largely unknown. Further, there is no global baseline data to tell us how bad indoor and outdoor air pollution typically is, and where the most susceptible patients may be. Data gaps handicap our capacity to understand and mitigate the immediate impacts of COVID-19 as well as longer-term, pervasive threats such as climate change.

And yet humans are smarter and better connected than ever before. Smartphones and cloud data connect two-thirds of the global population through shared activities like citizen science, a process where members of the public contribute to scientific research to meet real-world goals. Citizen-science projects such as COVID Near You, developed by Harvard Medical School and Boston Childrens hospital as an extension to Flu Near You, are already stepping up to help monitor the spread of COVID-19. Projects like this, which can help monitor an unfolding crisis, are one piece of a much larger puzzle.

It is time to embrace such participatory approaches to filling data gaps in human and environmental health. This month marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Launched in 1970 by Democratic Sen. Gaylord Nelson, Republican Rep. Pete McCloskey, and the non-profit leader Denis Hayes, Earth Day became a national day to focus public consciousness on the environment. In recognition of the 50th anniversary, Earth Day Network, the U.S. Department of State, and the Wilson Center are launching Earth Challenge 2020 as the worlds largest coordinated citizen-science campaign to date.

Earth Challenge is meant to be a global call to action: We hope more than 1 million people will collect and share more than 1 billion data points over the course of the initiative, which began on April 22. Volunteers will have a mobile app at their fingertips  available through Apple and Android platforms  to collect data in two critical areas: air quality and plastics pollution.

Taking a photo from your window to collect air-quality data, or photographing plastic in your immediate neighborhood, can all occur during social distancing. These may seem like simple acts, but they empower everyday people through the opportunity to contribute to authentic scientific research. In the short term, citizen-science data can help us better understand things like the impact of air quality on COVID-19. And when we are ready to look beyond the immediate crisis, there will be more information on a range of environmental threats. Pervasive data and an activated public will help us move from immediate response to planning and resilience.

Imagine what may be possible once this data is analyzed and made openly available by trusted sources. Beyond the app, we plan to integrate this data in a new citizen-science cloud and create a process for quality assessment and review. By offering an app for people to share pictures, as well as access to open data and visualization tools, we hope to engage people more deeply in science. We hope that this will help foster trust in the process of scientific research that will transfer across, and beyond, different environmental research domains.

Monitoring the environment is no longer an abstract political challenge; its about human life or death. Citizens around the world want to do something to help. Through citizen science, we aim to make this possible by creating an immediate opportunity with a focus on long-term value.

Dr. Anne Bowser is the Director of Innovation and Meg King is the Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Program at The Wilson Center in Washington, DC. The views expressed are the authors' own.
Around the world, photographs are popping up showing usually-polluted cities that now have blue skies and sunshine. While sheltering at home is an emotional and financial challenge for many of us, were witnessing what a world with less pollution looks like. Obviously a pandemic is not the answer to our climate woes, but it is showing us what a big impact human action has on the environment. The question is: how do we keep doing good for the environment as the economy returns to normal?

A lot of us want to transition to clean energy and move away from fossil fuels in our daily lives. Given the infrastructures (or lack thereof) in place, the process can seem daunting, even though we know that its the direction the world needs to head in. Throughout much of the United States, you are often only given one option for energy. Thats not going to cut it.

Even residents that live in energy-competitive states are forced to exert a lot of effort to transition to clean energy. Given that Americans only spend an average of eight minutes every year thinking about their utility bills, we need an easy-to-understand process that works for the environment and our wallets.

This is exactly why Arcadia was founded. Their automated platform helps members access green energy sources in their region. Thanks to their unique pooling of resources, many members even save money every month.

As part of its smart rates feature, Arcadia negotiates with energy suppliers on your behalf to get you cheaper power rates. Because it represents many customers, Arcadia can often get cheaper rates than individuals would be able to on their own. That means some households in eligible states can save significantly, depending on the rates they paid before. All the while, Arcadia matches your energy usage with renewable wind energy. Even if you dont live in an energy-competitive state, you can still take advantage of their renewable energy match for free. That means the environment  and by extension, you  still wins.

Simply enter your zip code on Arcadias website to find out what programs youre eligible for. After that, youll connect your utility account and start matching your energy use with clean energy. If youre in an energy-competitive state, Arcadia will start looking for better rates for you. You can also pay your utility bill automatically through Arcadia  as a bonus, you can pay with a credit card without any fees.

People in eligible states can also join Arcadias community solar program at no cost. Even if youre not eligible for rooftop solar, community solar is a great option. You get all the benefits of solar power without the hassle, expense, or long-term contracts associated with rooftop panels. Saving money while helping the environment is a double win.

Sign up today to receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card or four standard LED lightbulbs!
Former House Democratic Leader and Democratic nominee for Governor Stacey Abrams meets with Georgia voters in Metter, Monday November 5, 2018.

Multiple female politicians are throwing their support behind former Vice President and apparent Democratic nominee Joe Biden as he responds to a sexual assault allegation from 27 years ago.

Biden got votes of confidence from prominent Democratic women on Tuesday, including from New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, one of the first to call for former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken's resignation after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him.

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who has openly pitched herself as a vice presidential pick, said in an interview with CNN Tuesday night that she believes Biden over Tara Reade, the woman who filed a complaint with D.C. police saying that Biden sexually assaulted her while he served in the Senate in 1993.

"I believe that women deserve to be heard and I believe that they need to be listened to, but I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources," Abrams said.

"The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible. I believe Joe Biden," she said, adding that he's "a person who's demonstrated that his love of family, his love of our community, has been made perfectly clear through his work as a congressional leader and as an American leader. I know Joe Biden, and I think that he is telling the truth and that this did not happen."

CNBC has reached out to Abrams' voting rights group, Fair Fight Action, for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Biden's campaign has repeatedly denied the allegation, telling NBC News that it "absolutely did not happen."

Deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC in a statement, "He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard  and heard respectfully."

"Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: it is untrue," Bedingfield said.

Biden's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

Biden promised in March to select a woman as his running mate and Abrams has been vocal about her interest.

In 2018, Abrams tweeted her support for Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. "I believe women, and I believe survivors of violence always deserve to be supported and to have their voices heard," Abrams wrote.

Tweet

Gillibrand said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday that she believes the former vice president, who she said "has devoted his life to supporting women."

Reade "has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets. Those investigations, Vice President Biden has called for himself. Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden," the New York senator said.

Gillibrand, who at one point competed against Biden in the 2020 race, endorsed him last month. On the debate stage in July, she grilled Biden for writing in an op-ed while he was a senator that women working outside the home would cause the "deterioration of a family" and were "avoiding responsibility."

Gillibrand was the first Democrat in the Senate to call on Franken to step down amid allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women. More than two dozen Senate Democrats followed suit, and Franken quickly vacated his seat while denying most of the allegations against him. Some in the party later resented Gillibrand's outspoken condemnation of her colleague.

Her office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Biden for president on Tuesday, adding to his level of support from top female Democrats.
Insect pests, such as maize stemborers and fall armyworm , increasingly challenge food production around the world.

Huge demands for crops have meant agricultural systems have simplified and frequently focused on single crops. When fields are full of a single crop they can easily be found by their insect pests, as opposed to when the crop is mixed in with others. Because of this higher yield losses have more chance to occur.

Climate change - mostly increased temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns - and wild habitat reduction by farmers has added to this by increasing pest pressure and resurgence.

The rapid evolution of pest resistance to chemicals, an increasing organic food market and the negative effects of chemicals on the health of people and the environment, has increased the need to control insect pests biologically.

Biological control uses live organisms to kill or eat the pest insects. These organisms - called natural enemies or antagonists - are predators, parasites or micro-organisms which can bring disease and death.

Insect parasitoids are one form of biological control. These are insects which develop as parasites on other arthropods, mostly insects, causing their death or sterility. They can target each developmental stage of the insect: eggs, larvae or pupae. They've received increased attention because they are efficient, cheaper and offer a management strategy that safeguards human health and the environment.

Two species of these parasitoids have been discovered by us and our colleagues in Kenya. They have found to be efficient biological control agents against two major maize pests: the Cotesia typhae to control the maize stemborer, Sesamia nonagrioides, which has invaded France. And Cotesia icipe to control the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, in Africa.

Sesamia nonagrioides is an African cereal stemborer that invaded Europe and the near and middle East about 100 000 years ago. It's become a major pest for maize and, due to global warming, it's spreading .

The other major maize pest is the fall armyworm. This invasive species, originally from tropical areas in the Americas, invaded sub-Saharan Africa in 2016. It has now spread to Asia and Australia and has the potential to soon spread in Europe. African countries have faced major maize shortages and billions of dollars worth of damage due to the devastation caused by the fall armyworm and the increased cost of pesticide applied.

There are other parasitoids that can kill these pests. But they are not always present in nature. Understanding the prevalence and effectiveness of these other parasitoids is important. We must ensure that the parasitoids that we will introduce won't interfere with non-target Lepidoptera species and other natural enemies present in nature that can already parasitise the targeted pest.

We hope that, within the next two to three years, the discovery of these new parasitoids will be an effective way to control these devastating insect pests.

Cotesia typhae

The French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) started conducting studies in Kenya with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) to evaluate the diversity, abundance and distribution of stemborers and their natural enemies, particularly parasitoids, in wild habitats around cultivated grasses in East Africa.

After about ten years of study, a new species of parasitoid, Cotesia typhae, was discovered. It lays its eggs inside the Sesamia nonagrioides stemborer larvae which are then killed as the parasitoid feeds on them. New species of Cotesia typhae (left) parasitising (right) a larva of Sesamia nonagrioides. Dr. Robert Copeland, Biosystematics Unit, icipe [left] and Laure Kaiser, EGCE, CNRS, France [right]

About 100 000 years ago Sesamia nonagrioides from Africa invaded the Mediterranean zones of Europe and then France. The insect became a major pest as it didn't come from Africa with any of its natural enemies.

So far, chemical control is the only method that's been used to reduce infestations in France. But this is a strategy that can negatively affect the health of people and the environment, and so maize growers and professionals are in demand for an efficient biocontrol agent.

After having described this new parasitoid species, the next phase of the study will consist in developing biological control of Sesamia nonagrioides using this parasitoid, Cotesia typhae. We will first need to determine how to ensure it successfully parasitises the French population of the stemborer and to evaluate how introducing this new species might affect non-target stemborers.

Cotesia icipe

The second parasitoid, discovered by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya is Cotesia icipe. It was found to be an effective natural enemy of the Fall Armyworm in Africa. Fall armyworm. Dr. Subramanian Sevgan, Plant health theme, icipe

The recent invasion of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, in Africa seriously limit maize yields by infesting the crop throughout its growth stages from, seedling to maturity. The use of chemical pesticides seems to be most common practice used to control the pest, but these can be harmful , particularly to the environment as they can affect non-targeted organisms, like bees.

Through extensive field surveys in East Africa, several indigenous parasitoids which attack the armyworm at its larval stage, were found. This included a new species of parasitoid named Cotesia icipe. It successfully parasitised 45% of Fall Armyworm. Cotesia icipe. Dr. Robert Copeland, Biosystematics Unit, icipe

The next phase will focus on developing biological control of the Fall Armyworm in East Africa using Cotesia icipe and other parasitoids.

These studies aim to propose a solution to the lack of full control methods against two major maize pests. It provides good biological control solutions which should fulfil environmental safety regulations while being efficient and economically sound.

We are now putting together feasibility studies for governments, on introducing these parasitoids into their new environments.

Paul-andre Calatayud is employed by IRD and is a visiting scientist at icipe. He receives funding for his research from both IRD and icipe.

Sevgan Subramanian receives funding from icipe and the European Union (grant number DCI-FOOD/2017/) for development of integrated pest management strategy to counter the threat of invasive fall armyworm to food security in eastern Africa (FAW-IPM).

By Paul-andre Calatayud, Senior research scientist, Institut de recherche pour le developpement (IRD) And

Sevgan Subramanian, Prinicipal Scientist and Insect Pathologist, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
The Bay Area is defeating COVID-19. But as restrictions ease, will infections jump  forcing us to do this all over again?

A massive new testing effort will tell us. On Wednesday, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced a $13.6 million collaboration between the regions top research institutions that will measure the diseases future trajectory in our region.

This is a real way to inform what were doing, said pediatrician and health policy expert Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, who is leading Stanford Universitys role in the venture. It will help tell us: What are the downstream effects of changes to our containment policies?

Starting next month, the consortium of UC San Francisco, Stanford University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, a research center that brings together scientists from UCSF, Stanford and UC Berkeley, will conduct two long-term studies.

The first project will test a broad, representative population of 4,000 residents of six Bay Area counties between May and December. Once a month, participants will take tests for both the virus and the antibodies that indicate past infections.

This goal of this study is to guide policy decisions about the safe reopening of our economy. It will also reveal, through genome sequencing of each virus, our regional chains of transmission  and whether new COVID-19 pathogens are being introduced from outside the Bay Area.

There is a real need for carefully gathered data on not only where its been, but also where its going, said infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford, who is leading UCSFs effort.

There is a playbook of interventions that we can turn on or off, depending on what the situation is, he said.

Its not practical to test all 6.6 million residents of the Bay Area, said Rutherford.

But this will give us a general sense of whether infections are creeping up again, or not. And where theyre creeping up, he said. When combined with case counts and illness surveillance, we can triangulate whats going on.

The second study, focused on 3,500 Bay Area healthcare workers, will examine the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare systems and their workforce.

Its goal is to determine the rate at which these doctors, nurses and technicians acquire COVID-19 on the job  and whether antibodies protect them from reinfection, and if so, for how long.

Like the participants in the larger general study, the healthcare workers will be tested both for the virus and antibodies. But theyll be tested more frequently  not monthly, but every week for at least three months. This study is led by infectious disease specialists Dr. Sarah Doernberg of UCSF, Dr. Marisa Holubar of Stanford and Dr. Vivek Jain of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

This study will help reveal the nature of immunity to COVID-19. It will also inform our frontline healthcare workers about the extent of their risk while caring for patients.

Founded by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a philanthropy that aims to leverage technology to help solve societal problems. Chan is a pediatrician and teacher; Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook.

We are trying to do our part to answer the question of How do we re-open as a community, as a society?  said Chan. That is a super tricky question that our leaders in public health and state officials will have to answer. But I am heartened by a desire to be driven by data.

As the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative pondered how best to tackle the challenge, We saw a lot of groups popping up and raising their hands, saying I can answer this question! she said.

It was inspired by a deep desire to come together  UCSF and Stanford, with all-star scientists  on a mission of how can we be of service to answer some of the critical questions that would allow us to better understand COVID -19 and to support the critical decision-making that needs to come in the coming weeks and months? said Chan.

All over the nation, theres a growing body of research that shows that COVID-19 infection rates are far higher than confirmed cases suggest. Many people might not know they had been ill, or were unable to be tested.

A recent Santa Clara County study concluded that an estimated 2.5% to 4.2% of residents have antibodies to infection. In Los Angeles, an estimated 2.8% to 5.6% of the countys adult population has antibodies. Hard-hit New York has a far higher prevalence, estimated to be 13.9% statewide; in New York City, infection is even more common, at 21.2%.

But these findings are controversial because participants werent randomly selected, so the conclusions may not accurately depict whats happening in the general population. Some of the tests were outdated. Theres also criticism of their statistical methodologies.

Meanwhile, more representative studies with better tests are now underway. But theyre typically one-time efforts that count infections in specific regions, such as East Bay communities, San Franciscos Mission District and the Marin town of Bolinas.

The new Chan Zuckerberg Initiative project takes a different approach. It will include people from all walks of life, selected from mass mailings and public health and hospital primary care visits in the Bay Area. It will more accurately represent the diversity of the Bay Area, according to the Initiative.

And it will provide more than a single snapshot in time  rather, through repeated testing, it hopes to detect changes in the presence of the virus in the entire Bay Area.

The knowledge we gain from these studies will be crucial to understanding the effects of COVID-19 on our region and protecting healthcare workers here and around the world. Its inspiring to see researchers engaging in the kind of robust collaboration we will need to better understand and manage this crisis, said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, in a prepared statement.

It builds a foundation for science-based policies that can guide us through the challenging months ahead, according to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood.

Though we are still in the midst of responding to the first phases of this pandemic, he said, we must also look to the future.

Editors Note: Because of the health implications of the COVID-19 virus, this article is being made available free to all online readers. If youd like to join us in supporting the mission of local journalism, please visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join/.
CAIT, a traders' body that represents millions of local Kirana stores, on Wednesday backed Indian e-commerce companies that help digitize local grocery stores as well as comply with Indian rules and regulations.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which had in the past bitterly opposed foreign e-tailers such as Amazon, accusing them of killing small businesses with deep discounts, said it has never opposed e-commerce and had only propagated adoption of e-commerce by traders as an additional business avenue.

The statement comes days after Facebook invested Rs 43,574 crore (USD 5.7 billion) in Reliance Industries' Jio Platforms Ltd. The investment would lead to Reliance teaming up with the US giant to accelerate the launch of its JioMart e-commerce platform on Facebook's WhatsApp application.

"India's e-commerce is a vast market having a large potential for digitalization and as such entry of any entity including Reliance of having the vision to remain fairly competitive, complying with laws, rules, and regulations, not burning cash to capture the market and empowering small traders with digital technology, keeping data within the country" are welcome, CAIT said.

The body, which claims to represent 7 crore traders in the country, in an e-mailed response to questions sent by PTI on its stand on Facebook-Reliance deal, said there is enough scope for any entity which follows these standards.

JioMart, an e-commerce venture of Reliance Retail, has already started interacting with customers on WhatsApp for grocery orders in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan on a trial basis. The customer initiates the interaction on WhatsApp, checks out the grocery order on the JioMart webpage, gets connected with a retail store on WhatsApp, and then the customer picks up the order from Kirana store.

" CAIT is committed to removing greatly vitiated business model of e-commerce in the country," its national secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said.

CAIT "expressed its happiness that some Indian entities are entering into India's e-commerce landscape with a vision of inclusion and empowerment of millions of small merchants and Kirana shops through their technology platforms," the statement said.

Commitment to work towards enabling the consumers to access the nearest Kirana shop who can provide products and services to their homes by transacting through e-commerce portals will be a game-changer which will not only keep the small Kirana shops relevant but increase their sales and enable them to effectively compete with e-commerce giants, it said.

CAIT, he said, has never opposed e-commerce but always propagated adoption of e-commerce by traders as an additional avenue for their business besides physical stores.

"However, the CAIT strongly stands against malpractices being adopted by e-tailers and flouting rules and regulations in order to kill the small businesses of India," he said adding the traders' body stands for digitization, up-gradation and modernisation of local grocery stores and anyone who can help do that is welcome.

CAIT said India is one of the largest consumer markets of the world and up-gradation and modernisation of existing retail trade of India has always been the mission of CAIT.

For the same, CAIT is all set to launch its "national e-commerce portal very soon which will be of the traders, by the traders, and for the traders."



"In its pursuit of "Bhartiyakaran" (Indianisation) of Indian e-commerce business with a vision of focusing on India's 7 crore micro, small and medium businesses, 12 crore farmers, 3 crore small merchants and millions of small and medium enterprises, 1 crore transporters in the informal sector, CAIT welcomes every e-tailer in the country," the statement said.

CAIT said it has always held the view that data of India captured by anyone should remain onshore and there should not be any compromise with data sharing.

Reliance's billionaire owner Mukesh Ambani too has in past favoured data being stored locally.

"Fair competition has always been the essence of any business and obtaining the best products at competitive prices is the right of every consumer in the country. Enabling the traders particularly small merchants, Kirana stores, micro-businesses, farmers and logistic chain is always welcome," CAIT said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Alabama high school student has named the NASA helicopter that will be the first craft to attempt powered flight on another planet.

Vaneeza Rupani of Northport first nominated the name Ingenuity for NASAs next Mars rover, but her name ended up destined instead for the Mars Helicopter the rover will take along. And NASA and Rupani are fine with that.

A junior at Tuscaloosa County High School, Rupani was one of 28,000 K-12 students from every U.S. state and territory suggesting names for the next rover. Each submitted an essay, and the contest was won in March by seventh-grader Alexander Mather of Virginia. His suggestion of Perseverance will be the rovers name.

There were so many good essays NASA decided it was right to name the helicopter that will go to Mars with Perseverance. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine personally chose from the submitted rover names.

Ingenuity encapsulates the values that our helicopter tech demo will showcase for everyone when it takes off next year as the first aircraft on another planets surface, Bridenstine said in todays announcement. It took a lot of hard and ingenious work to get the helicopter ready and then placed on the rover, and theres a lot more going to be required. I was happy we had another great name from the naming contest finalists from which I was able to select something so representative of this exciting part of our next mission to Mars.

Ingenuity will ride to Mars attached to the rover. It will remain covered during entry, descent, landing and for some time on the Martian surface. When the timing in the rover mission is right, NASA says, the 4-pound, solar-powered helicopter will be deployed to stand on its own.

If Ingenuity can survive Mars frigid nights, it could prove that powered flight is possible on Mars. That would open a new dimension of Mars exploration.

Alabamas senior U.S. senator issued a statement praising Rupani today. I am proud that NASAs Mars Helicopter will be named by Vaneeza Rupani of Northport, Alabama, Shelby said . This is a unique privilege. Ms. Rupanis essay on why she chose the name Ingenuity highlights her creativity, originality, and intelligence. Her grasp on the importance of exploration is extraordinary, and I am confident that she has a bright future ahead. Congratulations to Ms. Rupani on being selected for this prestigious honor.

I was very, very excited, Rupani said. "To have a name I suggested used in any capacity is amazing. This helicopter is an incredible project, and I am thrilled to have a part in its journey.

Why does Rupani think exploring space is important? Think about our own survival on Earth, she said in a NASA interview. It gives us important insight into the history of planets, Rupani said. It tells us how different environments have changed over time and how they have reacted to different events. This information can then be used to protect Earth from any environmental dangers it may face, making space exploration extremely important to Earths health and survival.
Photo: John Ashley/Flickr

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Charlotte. Charlotte Pride weekend festivities, parade canceled due to coronavirus concerns Read the full story on WCNC. Man arrested for shooting into car with 2 kids inside Read the full story on WCNC. These Mecklenburg County businesses are permitted to reopen Read the full story on WCNC. 'So much hope' | Atrium Health is now part of an international clinical trial Read the full story on WCNC. Security officers fire shots after witnessing shooting at gas station Read the full story on WCNC. 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.

It's the largest parade and festival in Charlotte that draws in close to 200,000 visitors a year, along with millions of dollars for the City of Charlotte.

Two children were not injured after a man fired shots into the car they were sitting inside of Monday evening.

Mecklenburg County is receding its stay home order and resorting coronavirus regulations to the less restrictive North Carolina statewide order.

The drug they're using typically treats cancer patients, but shows promise for treating coronavirus.
The National School of Drama, the alma mater of actor Irrfan Khan, paid heartfelt condolences to one of its meritorious students.

Irrfan lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.

It was at the National School of Drama (NSD) here that director Mira Nair spotted the then 20-year-old actor. The director was looking for actors to cast in her film "Salaam Bombay". Irrfan was offered a small part in the film.

"The of the demise of noted actor (alumnus NSD) Mr. Irrfan Khan is highly shocking. The NSD family pays a heartfelt tribute. Irrfan Bhai had contributed a lot to theatre. God bless the departed soul," NSD Director-In-Charge Suresh Sharma tweeted.

In a statement, NSD said the theatre school has lost one of its "meritorious" members.

"Not only the National School of Drama has lost one of its meritorious members, Irrfan's demise is a big loss to the Indian art and cinema fraternity," the statement said.

During his NSD days, the Padma Shri winner performed in various plays, including Carlo Goldoni's The Fan', Maxim Gorky's Lower Depth' and Ladaku Murga'.

"Your acting in all the plays was commendable," the NSD said.

Irrfan pursued specialisation in acting from the prestigious theatre school in 1987.

One of Bollywood's finest actors, Irrfan had worked in popular films such as "Piku", "The Lunchbox", Paan Singh Tomar, The Namesake among others.

Irrfan won best actor National Award for his performance in 2012's biographical drama Paan Singh Tomar.

The actor was honoured with Padma Shri in 2011.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Travel writer, beauty seeker and earth advocate, Dawn Jorgensen from blog The Incidental Tourist, shares her #LockdownLessons and predictions on how travel will shift to a more authentic, climate-friendly and sustainable focus post Covid-19.

Dawn Jorgensen at Lions Rocks, a Four Paws Sanctuary, visiting the rescue cats brought from a Gaza Zoo

What was your initial response to the crisis/lockdown and has your experience of it been different from what you expected?

In Rishikesh, India with a fellow tourist

Comment on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism and travel industry as a whole.

Comment on the challenges and opportunities.

How has the lockdown affected you and your business opportunities?

At Samara Private Game Reserve

How have you had to change the way you work?

Has this global crisis changed your view of the future of travel?

Any trends youve seen emerge as a result of the crisis?

Your top tip for staying sane during lockdown?

How do you hope those in the travel industry and humanity, in general, can come out of this pandemic better and stronger?

The first time I heard of the new coronavirus causing a rapid rise in infections across the globe was late January when I was on a job in Rio de Janeiro. It seemed such a distant problem though, and as much as I took note and it raised concern, I could never have imagined what would unfold in the coming months. By the time I flew home in early February, most passengers were wearing masks and additional precautions were being implemented in airports. But still, I believed wed contain it and soon resume our normal.From there the situation became increasingly terrifying and tragic. I was already minimising movement and very aware of social distancing, sanitising, handwashing and in semi-quarantine after my trip, yet now my concern extended to my elderly parents, children and loved ones as we all tried to adapt to the new reality. When President Ramaphosa announced the official lockdown, I decided to spend the time in Pringle Bay with my parents, helping take care of them, while benefiting from the advantage of a sparsely populated village and the remoteness of our location.I am so grateful that we have leaders who have assessed the situation, made firm decisions and put in place precautions that are contributing to our safety despite the endlessly far-reaching economic impact.The lockdown weeks have gone by quickly for me, as Ive been lucky enough to be working throughout. Plus, the added benefit of quality time with my parents has kept the mood light. Although, like everybody, there have been very difficult days when I feel intrinsically sad, as though in mourning of a life now gone.The tourism industry has been devastated by Covid-19 implemented travel bans, border closures and necessary restrictions of movements. Almost overnight, travel itineraries were cancelled with a safari season decimated and many travel and hospitality employees floundering for their jobs. Most difficult thing I have found is the uncertainty that hangs over the industry, not knowing how long to keep positive, to keep fighting, to try and stay afloat. With over 1,5 million South Africans employed in the sector, and likely 70% of them now unable to work, the situation is crushing.The challenge at this time is to find ways to see the light, to stay optimistic and reflect on ways to keep going, now and in the future. That said, not having any idea of whether survival is necessary for three months or a year, makes planning very difficult. Opportunities do exist to restructure, change the narrative, focus on the things that matter and influence the face of travel - local, regional and international.Nobody really knows or has all the answers, but what we can do is recognise that change is needed. That we must tread more gently on the world, both personally and professionally, making travel more impactful and sustainable in the future as we explore how we can give back to the environment, community and conservation projects on our trips.The collapse of the travel industry has greatly affected my earning ability, with most of my work falling away overnight. As a freelance writer contributing to numerous travel and in-flight magazines, it doesnt look set to return soon. Planes are grounded, magazines arent going to print and many travel companies (online and traditional) are putting their marketing and content budgets on hold as they redirect the funds to customer service - and efforts to stay afloat.Also working with a Cape Town-based tour operator, Ive been directly involved in client cancellations, retrenchments and, in a few cases, the rescheduling of trips to 2021, working with service providers who are hardest hit, yet pushing through and keep the #TourismInMyBlood spirit alive. Its hard though, for all of us, and the snowball effect on countless lives is heartbreaking.Not being able to travel, see those that I love who live abroad and be exposed to new and wonderful places and people, is something that I really miss. But it will all be there when the world is ready.I have worked predominantly from home for two decades, first running my own tour operating business and later with the move to full-time travel writing and blogging. However, in the last year, Ive been commuting into the city two to four times a week. Ive loved that, the engagement with others and learning from fellow team members, not to mention the social aspect that a shared office space provides. Im now back to full time at home and even though I miss the people, I have over my years of extensive travel perfected the ability to work anywhere  as long as I have Wi-Fi.In my opinion, travel will never be the same again. We will travel, we will just do so less and with more appreciation for the privilege that it brings. We are likely to see the first movement being families loading their cars with provisions and venturing a few hours away to self-catering cottages where they can remain safe and together, yet with a change of scenery. After that, it is likely to be business travellers who will again start moving  although many companies have now realised how much can be achieved remotely and through video calls. From there high-end travel for those able to pay more for space and precaution will follow in the new year.The coronavirus will likely make travel more expensive, with those endless heydays of travel to escape and explore, and the era of digital nomads permanently on the move a thing of the past. In the process of recovery, I predict that flights will cost more and accommodation establishments will increase their rates  yet lower their occupancies.Growing in the appeal will be the exclusive destinations and remote country retreats that allow us to be removed from the crowds. Safari and wildlife destinations, desert landscapes, private and vetted guides, glamping and walking trails will replace areas previously impacted by mass tourism. On the upside, the future of travel is certain to adopt a substantially more climate-friendly and sustainable focus with eco- and pandemic-compatible practices key. Smaller, family-run businesses are likely to be well supported.Travelling will have more value again, and so will be at less cost to the world. Green is the new luxury.I say this to myself as I do to any other. Dont be too hard on yourself. Set a routine, work if you can, learn new things, call a friend, cook nutritious meals. Staying fit is important and for me, long daily yoga sessions and an hour a day on an exercise bike are keeping me sane, although I miss beach walks with my dogs, the wilderness and time with loved ones. For now, however, we need to take collective action, stay home, wear our masks, support feeding schemes and vulnerable communities wherever possible, while hoping for a return of the freedom and way of life that most of us pine for.Comply by the restrictions or they will last longer.So much of what is happening is beyond our control and we need to truly accept that while nurturing our health, minds and hearts. We need to look out for each other, be humbled by the enormity of the situation and let nature take her course.I feel it is important to reflect on where this virus originated and drive the change that will do away with trade in wildlife, something that occurs across the globe. We need to examine how to reduce our impact on the planet, personally and in business, and find conservation efforts to support.We can all be better, do better. The images of the world breathing and animals roaming free as we are paused and given them space will always stay with me. We now know that we can connect and work even when not together. That we can live more modestly, support each other from afar and should all be working towards a greener and more sustainable way of travel  and living.Deep gratitude for family, loved ones, health, wellbeing and the luxury of an income is the new normal.
Uber Eats customers have given $3 million in direct contributions to restaurants using a new feature on the app designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The milestone caps off a related campaign by Uber Eats to match up to $3 million in contributions made by customers. Uber Eats is sending its $3 million in matched funds to the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. The company had previously donated $2 million to RERF.

The matching campaign has ended. However, the restaurant contribution feature, which was first rolled out in New York and is now in 20 countries, will continue.

The restaurant contribution feature was developed by a team of engineers in a flurry of activity over about seven days, according to Therese Lim, who leads the restaurant product management team for Uber Eats.

"There was no executive who said 'oh we need to build this feature, you all go build this now,' " Lim said, adding that this was a grassroots effort prompted by the wave of restaurants that were forced to close regular dine-in eating due to the spread of COVID-19. Lim said Uber Eats users started reaching out to employees via LinkedIn, email and other means to ask how they could help restaurants.

"We started to see restaurants get impacted severely by this," Lim said. "This was particularly true as the various states started implementing shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders."

The team had two primary concerns  beyond the basic back-end operations  about the feature. They didn't want it to cannibalize the amount of tips that users gave delivery workers, nor did they want it to cause customers to buy less from restaurants.

The team started to roll out the feature in a small area within New York City on April 1 to make sure tipping of delivery workers wasn't impacted. The feature launched April 3 across the entire city and then expanded over the next week to the rest of the United States. The contribution feature is now live on the Uber Eats in 20 countries.

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"We didn't want to introduce anything that actually hurts restaurants," Lim said. "It was important to make sure we weren't introducing friction into the experience that would cause a user to become impatient or displeased with the outcomes and maybe not actually finish their order."

Those concerns didn't bear out, according to data compiled since the app feature launched. Customers not only tipped more, they were also frequent users of Uber Eats.

Users who made restaurant contributions tipped their couriers 30% to 50% more than orders without a contribution, according to Uber. About 15% of Uber Eats customers in the U.S. who made a restaurant contribution were repeat contributors.

Data also shows that early dinner time, around 6 p.m., was the most generous time period, according to Lim. Dinner time, between 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., was the most popular for contributions, making up 60% of contribution dollars.

And certain foods, namely international cuisine, encouraged more contributions from users. French, Ethiopian, Argentinian and Thai restaurants had the highest contribution rates, according to Uber.

Some states were more generous than others. The top five most generous states, by percentage of active Uber Eats users who made at least one contribution, were Washington, Vermont, Montana, Connecticut and South Carolina.
Heavy downpours have drenched Victoria and the wild conditions have only just begun, with colder and wetter weather predicted to roll across the state until at least Friday.

More than 280 people called the State Emergency Service as rain and wind damaged buildings, knocked over trees and even caused a sinkhole to open up in a Melbourne park.

Rain overnight to Wednesday took this year's total Melbourne rainfall past 377 millimetres  eclipsing the total rain amount recorded for all of 2019, and in just four months.

By Wednesday night, 24.4 millimetres of rain had fallen at Melbourne Airport since 9am, with 21.8 millimetres coming down in the city.
[April 29, 2020] Instem Reporting Strong Start to 2020 for Target Safety Assessment Services

Instem, a leading provider of IT solutions to the global life sciences market, is pleased to announce that it has recorded the strongest year on year growth to date for its Target (News - Alert) Safety Assessment service. Target Safety Assessments (TSAs) are undertaken during one of the earliest phases of drug development, to identify and assess unintended adverse consequences of potential treatments, before expensive investment is made. Leading pharmaceutical, biotech and animal health organizations are increasingly recognizing the huge importance of TSAs, and as a result, demand for KnowledgeScan, Instem's pioneering, technology-enabled TSA service has grown rapidly, with double digit growth reported during 2019. This trend is set to continue throughout 2020, with the company reporting a strong new business pipeline for the year, as it continues to meet growing demand. Over the past 18 months, Instem has significantly increased its TSA customer base and further extended relationships with several key clients. Many of its clients are choosing to outsource all their TSA activities to Instem, while others are utilizing Instem as an additional outlet to augment and complement their existing TSA departments, or to assist during times of peak demand. To support this continued demand for TSA services, Instem has expanded and strengthened its KnowledgeScan team, adding Data Scientists, Life Scientists and Analysts across its global locations. As part of this resource investment, Instem has appointed Jon Chambers PhD to the newly created role of Director, Data Science Solutions. Dr. Chambers previously worked for the European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK and brings a wealth of expertise to the team. During this time of increased organic growth, Instem further expanded its capabilities through the acquisition of Leadscope, a prominent provider of in silico safety assessment solutions.



Leadscope provides advanced informatics and prediction technology, along with database solutions that help organizations effectively unlock valuable knowledge contained in both public and proprietary sources of research data. Through the acquisition of Leadscope, Instem is poised to offer the market better starting points by combining a wider array of key data to help clients gain a clearer picture of candidates from early biology to early chemistry. Dr. Gordon Smith Baxter, Chief Scientific Officer, Instem said "This is an extremely exciting time for Translational Informatics (News - Alert) at Instem. Our solutions deliver invaluable insight to our clients, providing support for critical decisions early in the development curve and avoiding unexpected and unnecessary spend."

For further information about KnowledgeScan download the fact sheet. About Instem Instem is a global provider of leading software solutions and services that are helping over 500 clients bring their life enhancing products to market faster. We enable clients in the life sciences to more efficiently collect, analyze, report and submit high quality regulatory data, while maintaining compliance for their products around the world. Instem solutions are in use by customers worldwide, meeting the rapidly expanding needs of life science and healthcare organizations for data-driven decision making, leading to safer, more effective products. Instem supports its global roster of clients through offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, China and India. http://www.linkedin.com/company/instem/

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:03:34|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Casting it as the only way to save struggling airline Alitalia during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Minister of Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli has announced that the government would become the sole owner of the company starting in June.

But analysts said the takeover would likely be a temporary measure until the economy recovers and the company can renew its search for a buyer.

Alitalia was in trouble even before the outbreak reached Italy in January. According to analysts, the company was losing as much as 2 million euros (2.2 million U.S. dollars) per day during the low-season for tourism. It had also been looking for a buyer since 2017, when former partner, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, said it was no longer interested in making the relationship work.

The company has been run under state administration since then as the company sought a buyer.

The pandemic delivered another blow to the Italian airline by grounding almost all flights around the world. Two consortia -- one led by U.S.-based Delta Airlines and the other headed by Lufthansa from Germany -- that had been mulling a takeover of Alitalia walked away from a potential deal.

According to information from the Ministry of Economic Development, Alitalia's revenue has declined by 88 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2019.

In a statement, Patuanelli said the "new Alitalia" would operate a fleet of at least 90 aircraft, smaller than its current fleet of 113, and would focus on its strongest markets, which include the domestic market and selected long-haul routes.

Patuanelli's announcement was short on specifics, though he did say Alitalia would emerge from the crisis on equal footing with its larger European rivals. The plan includes a cash injection of 500 million euros (540 million U.S. dollars), bringing the total state investment in Alitalia to 2 billion euros (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) since the departure of Etihad.

"Up until now, Alitalia has been like a crystal vase among steel vases," the minister said. "When the sector restarts, the new company will start off in the same position as other airlines."

Alitalia's alliance for intercontinental flights with Delta expires at the end of May. Patuanelli said Alitalia could seek a different alliance, perhaps with Lufthansa, while under state ownership.

Alitalia has not conducted direct passenger service to China since 2018, but that could change under state ownership, analysts said. In a statement, the company has said cargo traffic between Italy and China has been one of its few remaining revenue streams during the pandemic, and state officials said they expect tourism from China to be a key growth area once the pandemic subsides.

Andrea Giuricin, a professor of public finance and mobility management at Milan Bicocca University, said he was unconvinced that the new company would be stronger under state control.

"One of Alitalia's central problems has been a lack of efficiency," Giuricin told Xinhua. "That isn't likely to get better under state ownership. Alitalia is too small to compete against the big European carriers on its own, and it is likely to keep burning through money until its basic efficiency problem is addressed."

Giuricin said the company's efficiency problems stem from too many employees, an outdated aircraft fleet, and a lack of focus on the most profitable routes.

According to Giovanni Dragoni, an airline sector analyst and the author of a book on the repeated rescue plans for Alitalia, the state takeover of the company will likely be a stopgap measure.

"In the long-term, Alitalia will have to survive as a private company," Dragoni said in an interview. "It clearly would not survive this crisis without the state stepping in. But I'd expect the company to look for a private buyer once things return to normal. Hopefully, state ownership will help improve the company's health in the meantime." Enditem
New Rochelle, NY, April 28, 2020--In the quest to engineer replacement tissues and organs for improving human health, biofabrication has emerged as a crucial set of technologies that enable the control of precise architecture and organization. A new article reviews the impacts of biofabrication in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine over the previous year. The article is reported in Tissue Engineering, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click to read the article for free on the Tissue Engineering website through May 28, 2020.

In "Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2019: the Role of Biofabrication--A Year in Review", Tiago Ramos, University College of London, UK, and Lorenzo Moroni, Maastricht University, the Netherlands, discuss the growing field of biofabrication and its recent impacts on tissue engineering and other disciplines. The authors first clarify terminology, including the concepts of bioassembly, bioprinting, and bioinks. They then catalog and highlight the developments in the 3D bioprinting of several specific tissue models, discussing both the extrusion-based methods and the newer optical fabrication techniques of stereolithography, laser-induced forward transfer, and two-photon lithography. Finally, developments are explored in the area of 4D bioprinting--the time-dependent modification of fabricated constructs.

"Drs. Ramos and Moroni, both leaders in the field of bioprinting and biofabrication, brilliantly detail the rising impact of printing on the tissue engineering community," says Tissue Engineering Co-Editor-in-Chief John P. Fisher, PhD, Fischell Family Distinguished Professor & Department Chair, and Director of the NIH Center for Engineering Complex Tissues at the University of Maryland. "The unique capabilities 3D printing--precision, flexibility, and personalization--have driven its growth in medicine, and the critical, recent success are nicely detailed in this review."

###

About the Journal

Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online and in print in three parts: Part A, the flagship journal published 24 times per year; Part B: Reviews, published bimonthly, and Part C: Methods, published 12 times per year. Led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Antonios G. Mikos, PhD, Louis Calder Professor at Rice University, Houston, TX, and John P. Fisher, PhD, Fischell Family Distinguished Professor & Department Chair, and Director of the NIH Center for Engineering Complex Tissues at the University of Maryland, the Journal brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, material science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Leadership of Tissue Engineering Parts B (Reviews) and Part C (Methods) is provided by Katja Schenke-Layland, PhD, Eberhard Karls University, Tubingen, Heungsoo Shin, PhD, Hanyang University; and John A. Jansen, DDS, PhD, Radboud University, and Xiumei Wang, PhD, Tsinghua University respectively. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Tissue Engineering 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 Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, and Advances in Wound Care. 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 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
The main aim of stock picking is to find the market-beating stocks. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in China Huirong Financial Holdings Limited (HKG:1290), since the last five years saw the share price fall 45%. Furthermore, it's down 12% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. However, one could argue that the price has been influenced by the general market, which is down 9.9% in the same timeframe.

See our latest analysis for China Huirong Financial Holdings

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 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).

Looking back five years, both China Huirong Financial Holdings's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 22% per year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 11% compound annual share price fall. So the market may previously have expected a drop, or else it expects the situation will improve.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

SEHK:1290 Past and Future Earnings April 28th 2020

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. 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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of China Huirong Financial Holdings, it has a TSR of -42% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

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A Different Perspective

While it's never nice to take a loss, China Huirong Financial Holdings shareholders can take comfort that , including dividends, their trailing twelve month loss of 9.4% wasn't as bad as the market loss of around 14%. What is more upsetting is the 10% per annum loss investors have suffered over the last half decade. While the losses are slowing we doubt many shareholders are happy with the stock. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with China Huirong Financial Holdings , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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.
According to head of Noratus village Murad Harutyunyan, nearly 15 residents of Noratus and Gavar town were arrested, and some people were detained and taken from Yerevan. This is what Harutyunyan told reporters today, touching upon the murders that took place in Gavar yesterday, reports 168.am.

Only the people who were in a dispute can say what the reason for the dispute was. I was in the village during the incident and found out about it in the evening. I went to the hospital, but everything was out of control there, he said.

Asked if there is a fear that this may continue, the head of the village said it cant continue after this. Touching upon the statement by governor of Gegharkunik Province Gnel Sanosyan that nearly 500 citizens entered the hospital in Gavar, Harutyunyan said there were many people from different places.

Yesterday, young people of Gavar town and Noratus village were involved in a shooting in Gavar. As a result of the shootings, an investigator and resident of Noratus village received lethal firearm injuries. Another four citizens also received injuries. Two of them were transferred to a hospital in Yerevan, and the other two were transferred to a hospital in Gavar. However, this was followed by a vendetta amid the presence of Chief of Police of Armenia Arman Sargsyan, and the police werent able to keep the situation under control. Persons with knives entered the hospital in Gavar, slit the throat of the two wounded persons at the hospital and beat one person. After that, they left the hospital, and the police werent able to prevent the crime and detain the criminals.

Preliminary investigation continues, and 15 people are detained under the case in regard to the shootings and the events that followed.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, who are the most admired people in America?

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Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who was battling neuroendocrine tumour, died at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on Wednesday (April 29). He was 53. Irrfan was admitted to hospital on Tuesday afternoon due to colon infection.

Notably, Irrfan was battling a neuroendocrine tumour for two years and he was diagnosed with ailment in 2018. Following the diagnosis, Irrfan left for the UK to undergo treatment and remained absent from the silver screen for around a year.

Irrfan is survived by his wife Sutapa and two sons. He was born on January 7, 1966, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Irrfan was born as Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan to a Muslim Pashtun family.

What is a neuroendocrine tumour?

A neuroendocrine tumour (NET) grows in the specialised cells of the neuroendocrine system, which comprises nerve ends and glands, of our body. The neuroendocrine system takes care of the production and release of hormones in our body.

Symptoms of neuroendocrine tumour

In many cases, people suffering from NET don't show any symptoms but when symptoms occur, they can vary based on the location of the tumour. In some cases, the patients show symptoms like skin flushing or fluctuations of blood sugar level.

The common symptoms in NETs are stomach pain, changes in bowel habits, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, and weight loss. The tumour can begin in body parts like the lung, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and pancreas.

What is colon infection?

Colon infection happens when the lining of the colon of the patients gets inflamed. Colon is present inside the large intestine and its inflammation depends on the type and severity of the disease.

Several diseases can cause colon infection but colon inflamation is largely a resultant of viral and bacterial infections. In some cases, colon gets infected after an operation or sugery or due to complications caused by cancer. Certain treatments for cancer like chemotherapy increases the chances of a patient developing an infection and sepsis. In Irrfan's case, he was diagnosed with a rare type of Neuroendocrine tumour and underwent chemotherapy in 2018.

Symptoms of colon infection

Some of the common symptoms of colon infection are diarrhoea with or without blood, abdominal pain and cramping, fever, urgency to have a bowel movement, nausea, bloating, weight loss and fatigue.
Industry body TAIPA on Wednesday said it has urged BSNL to clear "huge"outstanding dues of infrastructure providers, in order tomaintain continuity of telecom operations at state-owned operator's tower sites, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

TheTower And Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) hasalso urged Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash foran urgent intervention to get these outstanding dues cleared.

"TAIPA...body of Telecom Infrastructure Providers Category I (IP-1)...has written to PK Purwar, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL requesting for clearing huge outstanding dues of its IP-1 members for maintaining 24X7 continuity of telecom operations at BSNL tower sites...," the association said in a statement.

TAIPA rued that its members are facing huge cash crunch which is leading to multiple challenges in ensuring smoothoperations on telecom tower sites of BSNL in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic.

These problems pertain to difficultyin payment of rentals to landlords, challenges in operationand maintenance (O&M) expenses for running of BSNL tower sites, and impact on procurement ofdiesel/batteries and other back-up storage devices for telecom towers sites of the telecom PSU.

"Landlords (of the lands )where BSNL sites are installed have been demanding the payment of rentals and threatening coercive action," TAIPA said.

Other challenges include maintainingthe uptime as per service agreement for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) tower sites, which is leading to network outage and blackouts in nearby areas of the sites.

Elaborating on the issue,TR Dua, Director-General, TAIPA said, We haveonce again requested...Chairman & MD, BSNL for an urgent intervention for clearing the full outstanding dues of our IP-1 members at the earliest which will support in resolution of...issues to ensure uninterrupted telecom operations and network connectivity of BSNL tower sites across the country..."



TAIPA's members include key players in the telecom infrastructure sector including Indus Towers, ATC Group Companies, Bharti Infratel, GTL Infrastructure, Reliance Infratel, Tower Vision, Sterlite Technologies and Space Teleinfra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor PAVAN KAUSHIK recalls shooting with IRRFAN KHAN in the late actor's early Doordarshan days I have admired Irrfan Khan for more than three decades. I have been very fortunate to have worked with Irrfan Khan Bhai together in the Doordarshan TV Serial "Nirmala", based on Munshi Premchand's work, in the eighties. He played a doctor and I was Jiya, one of Nirmala's sons. His wife, Sutapa Sikdar, was the production manager of the serial, directed by Parminder Singh Tony. Preeti Khare, who is also into the television industry, played the character of Nirmala.

Not many people know that "Nirmala" was one of Irrfan Bhai's first few TV serials. The extra 'r' that you find in his name now was not there at that time. His presence on the sets was to be seen. He was always reserved and kept most of the time to himself. In fact, he was more into reading script and rehearsals. We had hired a rural house for the shoot that had many rooms. Irrfan Bhai would be confined to one of the rooms and we could see him practicing his dialogues.

There were no air conditioners and OB vans at that time. During the shooting even the coolers were switched off. Dubbing was a luxury. Thus, everything had to be perfect. Due to sunlight, most of the shooting was done in summers.

At that time, I had already done a couple of television serials and was a little-known face, but seeing his intensity and hard word, I honestly felt I had to learn the basics of acting. I wanted to be an actor like him. But certain qualities are god's gift, and come with hard work. I was deprived of both. Neither could I be as intense as him, nor could I do that hard work in acting.

In fact, I was scolded by the director and was asked to follow Irrfan Bhai for dialogue delivery. He was so much at ease when he was in front of the camera. Not just me, almost all the other actors admired Irrfan Bhai. I have no hesitation in saying that Irrfan Bhai's perfect shots saved a lot of the time that actors like me consumed in retakes! Irrfan Bhai and Sutapa were not married till the shooting of "Nirmala". Sutapa controlled the entire production. It generally took four to five days to complete an episode back then. I did not see them interacting on the sets also. They both were thorough professionals and stuck to their respective roles. But like everyone knows about Irrfan Bhai, he would very seriously slip a joke out of his sleeves and keep quiet and let the rest of the people fall in fits of laugh.

I spoke to Irrfan Bhai about four to five years. In about 10-15 minutes of the call I had to remind him of the days of "Nirmala", and then the chat turned to queries about who is how and where. It was unbelievable that a legend like him had kept his memories of struggles intact.

For me, acting was temporary and, ultimately, I had to enter a job. For Irrfan Bhai it was a passion to reach the top in the film industry, not just in India but globally -- which he pursued and achieved. Sutapa was always his inspiration and strength, that was visible at the time of "Nirmala" also, and she remained his strength forever.

Irrfan Bhai will be missed by the film industry. His versatility and devotion will remain as an institution of learning.

(Pavan Kaushik played the character of Jiya' in the Doordarsha serial "Nirmala")

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
'If the BJP doesn't want to accept the will of the people, then we will show them what a majority means.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi greets Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Pune when they met for the first time after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed last December. Photograph: @OfficeofUT/Twitter

Maharashtra's Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik has lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for playing "dirty politics" and using the governor's office over Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's election to the state legislative council.

Malik, a Nationalist Congress Party politician, is also critical of Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi for applying double standards when it came to relaxing lockdown restrictions in Maharashtra and the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic is playing out its worst in Maharashtra, the BJP and the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government -- the Shiv Sena, the NCP and Congress -- are engaged in an intense political battle over Chief Minister Thackeray's election to the Maharashtra legislative council.

Thackeray, who was sworn in as chief minister on November 28, 2019, is not a member of either the legislative council or legislative assembly.

The six-month window offered by the Constitution in such situations will close on May 28, before which Thackeray has to be elected to either the council or assembly in Maharashtra.

Senior NCP leader and state Irrigation Minister Jayant Patil met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to find a way out of this Constitutional conundrum on Tuesday evening.

Patil told reporters he was hopeful of ending the impasse over Thackeray's election before May 28.

The earlier plan was to get Thackeray elected to the legislative council, but the Election Commission postponed the election in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Modi.

"Let the Election Commission order a fresh election. We will emerge victorious again," Malik tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com.

"We have the majority even now (in the assembly), but if the BJP doesn't want to accept the will of the people, then we will show them what a majority means," warns Malik, who alleges that the BJP is misusing the governor's office to destabilise the state government.

IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray receives Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, December 1, 2019. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

Attempts to convince Koshyari -- who has been a BJP chief minister of Uttarakhand -- to accept the state cabinet recommendation to have Thackeray nominated as a governor-nominated member of the legislative council has so far failed to find acceptance at Maharashtra's Raj Bhavan.

Koshyari has yet to respond to this recommendation made by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on April 10.

Senior Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut tweeted that 'Raj bhavan, governor's house shouldn't become center for political conspiracy. Remember! history doesn't spare those who behave unconstitutionally'.

Senior BJP leader Chandrakant Dada Patil has opposed the state cabinet's recommendation as 'unconstitutional and contentious'.

Malik says the MVA is prepared to fight the BJP politically and is confident that the state will not head for a Constitutional crisis and Thackeray will be elected to the state legislature.

"We have a clear roadmap ready. Why should we divulge our options to the media? Let the BJP play dirty politics (using the governor's office). We will give them a fitting reply politically," Malik says.

The minister also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for applying different restriction standards for BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and non-BJP ruled states like Maharashtra.

"The central government's guidelines are different for Uttar Pradesh and different for other (non-BJP ruled states) states including Maharashtra. The central government's guidelines lack clarity about what its plans are to revive economic activity once the national lockdown is lifted," Malik points out.

He blames Modi's lockdown policies for the issue of restless migrant labourers desperate to return to their native villages, but having no transportation means to do so.

"Modi's lockdown policies are different for Yogi Adityanath (the UP chief minister) and different for the rest of the country," says Malik.

"We have been pleading with the central government to make arrangements for migrant labourers who want to return to their homes," the minister explains. "There are no restrictions for the people of UP; they can violate all such guidelines (related to the movement of migrant labourers)."

"Let Modi apply the same yardstick to other states and offer the leeway that he has offered to Yogi Adityanath."
Bengaluru, April 29 : Four Karnataka ministers have tested negative for coronavirus on Wednesday, following fears that an infected television cameraman had met them while doing his job.

"I have taken a swab test and it has come negative. I am under self-quarantine and I am healthy," tweeted Home Minister Basavaraj S. Bommai.

Similar tweets were posted by Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan, C.T. Ravi and K. Sudhakar.

"After I was informed that I may have come in contact with an infectd person, I have been in home quarantine. I have tested negative, but will continue to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions," tweeted Ashwathnarayan.

Tourism, Culture and Kannada Minister Ravi went a step ahead and posted his test report on Twitter.

"Recently a cameraman working for a Kannada news channel tested positive. Even though I had no close interaction with him, I got tested and am negative for Covid," Ravi tweeted.

Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar tweeted: "On knowing that a TV journalist whom I had interacted tested positive for Covid, I got checked and tested negative. However, as an abundant precaution, I have decided to be in home quarantine for the next seven days and carry out my duties from home." On April 25, the cameraman tested positive in the city, but had already come in contact with the ministers. This prompted opposition Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar to demand quarantining of the ministers.

Designated as positive case number 475, the 34-year-old cameraman was found to have visited Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) Covid containment zones. He was admitted in BMC Victoria hospital.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani troops fired 60 mm mortars in the direction of the Armenian positions in Martuni section at 15:00 and 17:25.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Artsakh, the Artsakh units suffered no losses as a result of the shelling.

The adversary was silenced following the retaliation of the Armenian side.

We want to note that this is the first mortar shelling by Azerbaijani side since June, 2019. At the same time it should be added that other ceasefire violation cases took place from other firearms.

At this moment the situation is calm on the front line. The front line units of the Defense Army continue to confidently carry out their military duty'', reads the statement.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran and Romanian Minister of National Defense Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca have discussed aspects of regional security, in particular the situation in the region of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The ministers of the two countries discussed these issues in a phone call today, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports.

During the phone conversation, the parties discussed important aspects of regional security and bilateral defense cooperation.

Particular attention was paid to improving the security situation in the Black and Azov Seas region, adjusting key events of defense cooperation at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and determining priorities for bilateral cooperation.

The Romanian minister expressed his sincerest gratitude to his Ukrainian counterpart for assistance in providing a military transport aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for transporting medical equipment to Romania from the Peoples Republic of China.

The parties also demonstrated a mutual willingness to continue active bilateral dialogue. In particular, the ministers confirmed intention to exchange visits in 2020, during which decisions should be taken and new regulatory documents aimed at strengthening the defense capability of both countries should be adopted.

ish
Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police

CROMWELL  A stretch of Interstate 91 was closed for about five hours Wednesday after a fatal motorcycle crash.

At 1:38 p.m., troopers from the Troop H barracks in Hartford were dispatched to the area of Exit 22 on I-91 north in Cromwell for a crash, which led to a fatality, according to Trooper Josue Dorelus.
Jill Gascoine, the British actor best known for her roles in The Gentle Touch and The Onedine Line, has died aged 83.

As Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in ITVs 1980 series The Gentle Touch, Gascoine broke new ground as the first woman to take a leading role in a British police drama.

Gascoines son Adam confirmed the news of his mothers death in a Facebook post, writing: She suffered from Alzheimers for 10 years, so today was a thankful release. The family is all well, and relieved that shes not suffering any more.

He continued: There will not be a memorial for a good while due to the current climate. The family will reach out once details have been arranged. We will likely hold 2 services  one in London for the UK friends and family, and one in Los Angeles for the US side.

She was a wonderful human and a spirit of truth and absolute, unconditional love. There was no other.

Recommended The celebrities who died in 2020

Gascoine was renowned for her work in TV, which included roles in Z-Cars, General Hospital and Dixon of Dock Green. Her star turn in The Gentle Touch and its spin-off C.A.T.S Eyes has been described by the BBC as pioneering.

She was also a novelist, and published three books in the mid-Nineties: Addicted, Lilian and Just Like a Woman.

Her husband, actor Alfred Molina, described Alzheimers as a cowardly disease.

Gascoine is survived by Molina and her three children, Adam, Rachel and Sean.
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

Ricardo Brennands life as a collector started at age 12 with the gift of a pocketknife from his father. He went on to amass thousands of antique weapons, pieces of armor, clocks, keys, and a trove of art and artifacts from Brazils colonial era.

The pocketknife was still in the collection at his death, 80 years later. Mr. Brennand died on April 25 at the Hospital Portugues in Recife, the capital of Pernambuco State. The cause was complications of Covid-19, a family spokeswoman, Sonia Lopes, said. He was 92.

An engineer by training, Mr. Brennand at one point owned more than 20 factories. They produced steel, glass, cement, ceramics and sugar, making him one of the richest men in Brazils poor northeast.
Billionaire Andrew Forrest has hit back after being slammed for letting a Chinese diplomat 'hijack' a ministerial press conference.

The mining magnate held a joint press conference with health minister Greg Hunt on Wednesday to announce the businessman's foundation securing 10 million coronavirus testing kits from China.

The businessman also invited Victorian China Consul-General Zhou Long to speak - who did not take questions but credited the 'open, transparent and responsible' manner with which China had worked alongside the World Health Organisation.

There are increasing tensions between the two countries after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an inquiry into China's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

'You didn't tell the PM's office - you didn't tell the health minister's officer - it's almost like you've performed an act of treason,' Today host Karl Stefanovic told Mr Forrest.

Mr Forrest said backlash over the unexpected appearance was a 'complete non-story'.

Victoria and Tasmania Consul-General of China Long Zhou (centre) departs a press conference where he spoke of the relationship between China and Australia

Mr Forrest (pictured with wife Nicola on) called backlash over the unexpected appearance a 'complete non-story'. Radio host Alan Jones and ex-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have both criticised the billionaire for inviting the Chinese diplomat

'China has really stepped up so I brought the Chinese consulate along because they've helped Australia,' he said.

'Mums and dads and boys and girls are now able to get tested across our country.

'I brought the consulate along when we broke the back of the PPE [personal protective equipment] crisis in Perth so I brought him along again in Melbourne.'

Perth broadcaster Gareth Parker said a similarly unexpected visit was made by the Chinese Consul Madam Dong to an event in Perth when Mr Forrest secured medical supplies for Western Australia.

Mr Forrest (pictured) invited the Chinese diplomat to speak - but said he did so 'with the full authority' of the health minister

Mr Forrest earlier denied claims Mr Zhou's appearance represented a hijacking and said the health minister (pictured at the announcement) was aware the Consul-General would be in attendance

Mr Forrest earlier denied claims Mr Zhou's appearance represented a hijacking and said the health minister was aware the Consul-General would be in attendance.

'I invited the Consul-General to speak, with the full authority of the Minister for Health, and he gave such a strong speech about nations working together, ' he told news.com.au.

It came as broadcaster Alan Jones joined former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in slamming the businessman for inviting Mr Zhou on his morning radio show.

'Andrew Forrest, you better go and hide and not appear for a while,' he said on Thursday morning - while calling the invitation 'appalling'.

Before the Melbourne press conference, Mr Forrest had inked a deal worth $320million to bring the additional 10 million coronavirus testing kits to Australia, increasing the country's capability 20-fold.

Mr Zhou took the opportunity on the podium to praise Beijing's handling of the crisis.

'The Chinese government has released information related to COVID-19 in open, transparent and a responsible manner,' he said. 'We have worked closely with the WHO and other countries. Including sharing experiences  and providing assistance within our capacity.

'China very much appreciates and is thankful to the compassion, support and sympathy of the Australian people.'

The once-friendly relationship between Australia and China has been waning in recent weeks as the Australian government doubles down on calls for an investigation into the origins of the virus and the dissemination of information.

The deadly respiratory virus has infected more than three million people globally, including 6,729 Australians. So far, 212,000 people have died worldwide.

Mr Zhou said during a speech that COVID-19 could well be 'the biggest crisis faced by mankind since world war two,' before urging people from every nation to work together.

'Solidarity is the only way to overcome this public health challenge. All countries should work together as one,' he said.

The initiative to provide face masks to help the Australian health system will strengthen the friendship between China and Australia during this difficult time, Mr Zhou hoped.

Politicians at the event reportedly said Mr Hunt had been 'ambushed' by Mr Zhou's presence.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said Mr Forrest allowed the Chinese Communist party to 'ambush the press conference'.

'Now is not the time for games. Australia must come first,' Mr Hastie said. 'This guy drops out of the sky in his private jet and enables the Chinese Communist Party to ambush a commonwealth press conference. Yeah, we're not happy.'

Vendors wearing face masks as they offer prawns for sale at a market in Wuhan where reports of the virus first emerged in December

China has repeatedly refused to welcome an international investigation into the outbreak, most recently describing the demands of Australia as 'political manoeuvring'.

The nation's ambassador, Jingye Cheng, triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry would lead to a boycott of Australia.

He received a fiery dressing down from the Foreign Affairs Department on his 'threats of economic coercion', which the Chinese embassy then leaked.

China is accused by some of covering up the severity of the epidemic - with it widely believed the outbreak started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation. Pictured: A bat in a wet market in Indonesia

New Deloitte Access Economics modelling estimates $8.1 billion could be wiped from the accommodation and food services sector in the months from April to August

Economists believe Australian families and businesses will lose $60billion by the end of the coronavirus crisis.

American lawyers suing China for $10 trillion claimed up to 95 per cent of the infected global population would have been spared if China acted faster to contain the outbreak.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday vowed not to back down from his efforts to find out exactly what happened.

'We will of course continue to support moves to ensure there is a proper independent assessment of what has occurred here,' he said.

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus could lead to a boycott of Australia

'It is not a remarkable position. It is a fairly common sense position and one that we don't resile from.'

Mr Forrest, who has enjoyed a close professional relationship with China, refused to comment when asked about his personal opinion on an inquiry into COVID-19.

But he did urge authorities to delay any further investigation until after the American presidential election.

'That would make it instantly political,' he said. 'Australia needs to walk that line where we have a best friend in America, a best friend in China, best friends across South-East Asia.'
Arguments in case of mother of boy left alone in Moscow park for night set for May 28

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

17:54 29/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 29 (RAPSI)  The Babushkinsky District Court will hold the hearing of oral arguments in a case against Nadezhda Kulikova, who has left her son alone in a Moscow reservation park for a night, on May 28, the courts press service reports.

Kulikova, 34, stands charged with attempted murder and failure to fulfill her parental duties bundled with cruelty against a minor, the statement reads.

Investigators claim that the woman appealed to police over disappearance of her son born in 2012 on the early morning of February 18, 2019. According to a missing child report filed by Kulikova, on the evening of February 17, she drove into the National Park Elk Island at the request of the boy. In the forest the child ran away and failed to return, she stated. However, the woman did not apply for help while her son was trying to find a hole in the cold all the night, according to investigators.

In the early morning of February 18, 2019, a passing by driver found the boy going along a highway and helped him. He told investigators during questioning that the child was going with a bag and sticky tape put on him.

The boys version also contradicts to his mothers statements.

During the search in the womans car investigators seized three bolts of scotch tapes, a knife and hair from a booster chair.

The women underwent a mental examination which showed that she needed compulsory treatment.
Karnataka government on Tuesday ordered organisations and NGOs in the state to distribute food to people in plastic boxes and not in polythene bags.

The state government has ordered the distribution of food and meals in plastic boxes instead of in polythene bags, said the Information and Public Relations Department of the state government.

According to the government, during Covid-19, not only government departments and agencies but also various organisations and NGOs are providing meals to workers in polythene covers.

However, in order to protect the health of the workers, the government has ordered the supply of food or meals in plastic boxes instead of polythene covers, it added.

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The Beryl Institute announces the publication of Volume 7, Issue 1 of Patient Experience Journal (PXJ), an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal focused on research and proven practices around understanding and improving patient experience.

The Beryl Institute announces the publication of Volume 7, Issue 1 of Patient Experience Journal (PXJ), an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal focused on research and proven practices around understanding and improving patient experience. Read in over 200 countries and territories, PXJ has almost 600,000 article downloads and is committed to disseminating rigorous knowledge and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation on patient experience.

Published in association with The Beryl Institute, Volume 7, Issue 1 includes 16 articles from 47 contributing authors representing commentaries, personal narratives, research studies and case studies and covers a selection of topics such as:



The essential nature of experience in a time of crisis and beyond

Paying it forward: A cancer survivor and his wife share their reflections and recommendations as a patient and caregiver

Measuring patient-centered care for specific populations: A necessity for improvement

Patient feedback: Listening and responding to patient voices

Using shared mental models to conceptualize patients as professionals, decision-makers, collaborators, and members of interprofessional healthcare teams

Exploring perceptions and experiences of client and family-centred care through photovoice

Is there a correlation between the patient-doctor relationship questionnaire and other patient-reported experience measures?

Finding common threads: How patients, physicians and nurses perceive the patient gown

Patient education in the hospital-at-home care context

Submissions represent a broad range of global organizations and institutions including University of Pennsylvania, Australian Institute of Health Service Management, VHA Home HealthCare, Dell Medical School  The University of Texas at Austin, Penn State College of Medicine, Abo Akademi University, Mount Sinai Health System, Northwell Health, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra, Yale New Haven Hospital, San Jose State University, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and more.

As we launch our 7th volume, we find ourselves in a time of crisis that calls on the best of our humanity. This is not a reality we could have imagined, yet it is one  as revealed in all the work of those who have contributed to the pages of PXJ over our first 6 years  we have been prepared for all along. said Jason Wolf, Founding Editor of PXJ and President & CEO of The Beryl Institute. And while we can all say we are never truly ready for a crisis of this proportion or impact, the collective spirit and commitment we have built together, and represented on the pages of this issue, will guide us forward in the days to come.

To access Volume 7, Issue 1 of PXJ, visit: http://pxjournal.org/journal/

PXJ publishes twice annually in April and November. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis and should follow the requested submission types and adhere to author guidelines. Papers should address the full range of topics critical to the evaluation and impact of patient experience practices, efforts and influences.

PXJ is also accepting submissions for the 2020 Special Issue to address sustaining a focus on human experience in the face of COVID-19. The deadline for submissions for that issue is June 1, 2020. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2W74BDL

###

About Patient Experience Journal:

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published in association with The Beryl Institute. Read in over 200 countries and territories, PXJ is committed to disseminating rigorous knowledge and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation on patient experience.

About The Beryl Institute:

The Beryl Institute is a global community that builds the capacity of organizations to elevate the human experience in healthcare and develops individuals who impact experience excellence. We believe human experience is grounded in experiences of patients & families, those who work in healthcare and the communities they serve.

We define the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organizations culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 20

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Export of chemicals from Turkey to Turkmenistan dropped by 13.28 percent from January 2020 through March 2020 and amounted to $25 million, Trend reports citing the Turkish Trade Ministry.

In March 2020, export of Turkish chemical products to Turkmenistan amounted to $7.2 million, indicating a decrease of 33.21 percent compared to March 2019.

In 1Q2020, Turkeys export of chemicals to world markets dropped by 5.1 percent compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $4.7 billion.

Meanwhile, Turkeys export of chemicals amounted to 11.1 percent of the country's total export.

In March 2020, Turkey exported chemicals worth $1.5 billion to world markets, which is 15.4 percent less compared to the same month of 2019.

Turkeys chemicals export amounted to 11.6 percent of the country's total exports.

From March 2019 through March 2020, Turkey exported chemical products in the amount of $20.3 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Confusing and sometimes conflicting reports emerged Tuesday about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That was followed by intense speculation on his whereabouts, his medical condition and the future of the world's only hereditary communist state.

Initial rumblings began after North Korea's most important holiday came and went on April 15 without an appearance by Kim, which was unusual.

Then Daily NK, an online publication based in South Korea that focuses on the north, reported that Kim had received a cardiovascular system procedure on April 12, and was being treated in a villa in Hyangsan County.

CNN was unable to confirm the report, but a US official said that Washington is monitoring intelligence that suggests Kim is in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery. A second source familiar with the intelligence told CNN that the US has been closely monitoring reports on Kim's health.

But a South Korean official told CNN that Kim is "believed to be in other parts of North Korea than Pyongyang with other North Korean top officials," and "no unusual signs supporting reports about his health conditions have been detected." It's rare for the South Korean government to divulge information about Kim's whereabouts.

The truth is, few people outside of Kim's inner circle know for sure -- his daily routine and health are some of North Korea's most closely guarded secrets. In that environment, rumors and misinformation are almost inevitable.

The young North Korean leader is revered almost like a deity within the country, and he's protected as such -- just think back to the images of Kim's bodyguards running alongside his limousine during his meetings with other world leaders in 2018. His movements and whereabouts are protected with an intense secrecy unmatched in much of the world. Even discussing rumors or misinformation about his health can get you in trouble with the state's security services, experts say.

Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in South Korea and an expert in North Korean affairs, says very few people know the intimate details of Kim's personal life -- and they are "not inclined to talk about it, because they would much prefer to remain alive."

"This is a very murky business," he said. "They (people close to Kim) have very little to gain by telling everybody what they know."

The debate about Kim's health and whereabouts is a timely reminder on an important caveat that should accompany nearly all stories on the inner workings of North Korea: The country is a black hole when it comes to gathering independent and trustworthy news.

Very few details about North Korea are revealed that are not state-sanctioned. Those who have fled the country offer invaluable insight, but defection can take weeks, months -- even years. Experts and analysts who study North Korea rely on everything from satellite images of personnel movements to a line-by-line analysis of state media dispatches to find out the truth.

NK News, a well-respected English-language North Korean monitoring website, even runs a North Korean Leadership Tracker which allows users to see the number of appearances or mentions of Kim and other high-ranking leaders in state media.

Speculation about the leader's health or whereabouts is often educated guesswork, and it often turns out to be wrong. But there are two major reasons why it happens so regularly.

No apparent heir

Any conjecture about Kim's death usually feeds into a popular narrative of North Korea as a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy.

The country has been ruled as a hereditary dictatorship since its founding in 1948 by Kim Il Sung. His son, Kim Jong Il, took over after his father's death in 1994. And Kim Jong Un took power 17 years later when Kim Jong Il died. Their eventual takeovers were telegraphed to the public before their respective fathers' deaths.

But Kim's three children are not believed to have reached adulthood yet. Even if one was being groomed for future leadership, the child would need some sort of regent to rule in an interim capacity -- something that's never happened in North Korea.

"It's not a monarchy officially. It's a monarchy for all practical purposes," Lankov said.

Michael Madden, an expert on North Korea's leadership, believes there are about 10 to 20 different scenarios that could play out should Kim be incapacitated, though cautioned against reading the tea leaves too much.

He said it's possible North Korea could choose to follow the model the Soviet Union did after the death of Joseph Stalin, another communist dictator who ruled by cult of personality, and turn to some form of collective leadership. It would likely be led Kim Jong Un's sister and close aide, Kim Yo Jong, an it's possible the body would serve until Kim Jong Un's heir is old enough to take the reins.

Kim Yo Jong has been one of the most visible members of her brother's leadership team since her trip to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, save for a few months when she disappeared from the public eye. The other option within the family is Kim Jong Un's other brother, Kim Jong Chol, but he is best known as an Eric Clapton fan and is not as involved in politics.

"The continuity of the regime is the key," Madden said.

Madden said it's important to note that though North Korea may not have a transparent, well-defined succession plan, "in terms of continuity of government, they have that setup."

"And the reason they have that setup is because they have nuclear weapons, they have got to maintain constant command and control over the nuclear weapons assets," he added.

The nuclear question

The security and question of what happens to North Korea's nuclear weapons in the event of some sort of leadership transition is likely the one that concerns officials in Washington, Seoul and Beijing.

Most countries aim to share what Vipin Narang, a professor of political science at MIT and expert in nuclear weapons issues and strategy, calls a "Goldilocks position on their nuclear weapons."

"States want the public and others to know just enough. They want to be transparent about the capability, but kind of opaque about the procedures and the actual line of deployment to enhance deterrence," he said.

North Korea's nuclear weapons are another closely guarded secret inside the country. Little is known about how many Pyongyang has, how reliable they are, if its missiles and submarines could successfully fire them or even how Kim oversees their command and control apparatus. Intelligence experts estimate Pyongyang has dozens of warheads based on the amount of radioactive material produced at its nuclear weapons facilities, but the exact number is unclear.

"We don't know a lot about how they manage their nuclear weapons during peacetime," Narang said.

Though North Korea is still technically at war with the South and the United States, many of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons may be sitting disassembled and "there are probably very few ready systems," Narang said.

But Narang said he wouldn't be terribly concerned about the security of North Korea's nuclear weapons in the event Kim died of natural causes. Kim is, by most accounts, not a healthy man. He is overweight, under stress and was reported to be a heavy drinker at meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

"I'm usually pessimistic," Narang said, "but you have a guy who's obese, a chronic smoker, has gout, presumably some form of diabetes. They've surely thought about this contingency given his health. And with Kim Yo Jong assuming a much greater role, it's possible they've already thought about what succession look like."

While those poor lifestyle choices do not mean Kim is knocking on death's door by any stretch, when combined with his absence it does remind policy and intelligence officials with a stake in North Korea's future that they should at least be thinking about an important but uncomfortable question: How exactly does a leader lionized as a near demigod hand over the reins, whether he goes under anesthesia for a medical procedure or in the event of his death?

The truth is few people -- if any -- outside the country know for sure. But the answers carry significant implications for officials from Beijing to Seoul to Washington, because they must consider whether Kim would leave behind a massive power vacuum in a state that has successfully tested nuclear weapons, and the intercontinental-range ballistic missiles to deliver them.
An American woman who doesn't have any face masks got creative before a trip to her local Walmart.

The woman, who goes by Mama T on TikTok, said she was getting ready to go shopping and needed a way to protect herself and others.

Because she doesn't have masks, Mama T used what she figured was the next best thing: A saucepan lid, which she expertly kept in place with a hoodie to block her entire face.

Ingenuity: An American woman who doesn't have any face masks got creative before a trip to her local Walmart

Making do: Because she doesn't have masks, Mama T used what she figured was the next best thing: A saucepan lid, which she expertly kept in place with a hoodie to block her entire face

Funny: Mama T shared the video on TikTok on April 12, and it's quickly gone viral, with about a million views so far

Mama T shared the video on TikTok on April 12, and it's quickly gone viral, with about a million views so far.

She starts out by saying she is going shopping at Walmart, but 'I don't have a mask.'

Rather than going mask-free, she came up with another way to cover her nose and mouth in public.

'Gotta improvise, because the COVID ain't gonna get me, guys,' she says.

Mama T, who is wearing a hoodie, then pulls out the clear glass lid of a large saucepan. She puts the lid inside the hood of her hoodie, with the handle at the center of her face, facing outward.

She tightens the string of the hoodie to keep it in place, forming a see-through barrier between her and others  which makes her look a bit like an astronaut.

'Gotta be prepared at all times. So Walmart, here I come,' she says.

Bright ideas: Since the pandemic began, people around the world have snapped photos of strangers in grocery stores and on public transportation wearing some truly bizarre masks

Odd: A man in the country of Georgia was spotted with this plastic bottle contraption

Creatuve: Others have worn sanitary masks or surgery cones for pets

Roll it up! This man made his own plague doctor mask with a newspaper

Dad joke: This guy used a coffee filter  and added a silly joke

The funny and creative video has earned her quite a bit of attention, and she followed up with another in which she told her new followers, 'God bless you. Keep safe.'

She's not the only one to think outside the box for homemade PPE, though.

Since the pandemic began, people around the world have snapped photos of strangers in grocery stores and on public transportation wearing some truly bizarre makeshift masks.

Some have used menstrual pads, picking ones with wings that can flip up and cover their noses.

Others have made face coverings from coffee filters, plastic bottles, newspaper, and just about anything else laying around the house.

Brilliant! Mindy Vincent designed a mask covered in penises. She said: 'When someone tells me my mask has penises on it, I kindly let them know this is how I determine they are too close'

Hottest new accessory! She said she has already worn the mask out and about

Then there are others who have made their own face masks out of fabric, but added a funny twist.

Mindy Vincent, a mother and therapist Heber City, Utah, designed a mask to feature a pattern of flowers and penis of different skin tones  and went viral after sharing a photo of herself wearing it on Facebook.

'Behold! My masks have arrived!' she wrote. 'I wore this to Walmart and petco today. When someone tells me my mask has penises on it, I kindly let them know this is how I determine they are too close, kindly back the f*** up.'

In fact, a person would have to stand within a few feed to be able to tell that the tiny drawings mixed in with scribbled flowers are actually genitals.

As it turns out, Mindy told CafeMom, no one has has the courage to comment on her mask in person just yet.

'No one says anything,' she said. 'I don't know if they are afraid to say something, or if they think I'm unaware I have penises on my face.'

She is now selling the 'C***block Corona Mask' masks as to benefit the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition, of which she is the founder and executive director

The nonprofit provides harm reduction education, advocacy, and services, and also runs a syringe exchange.

The masks are being sold for $20 each on the organization's website, with proceeds funding their work.

They come in under patterns, too, including penises with wings, breasts, and vulvas.
I understand the tug, and I applaud the courage and commitment of the brave souls in health care  previously retired or not  who are rushing toward the danger and death this virus is doling out. But I dont think Widmer, or anyone, should feel guilty for choosing not to reenter the field during a pandemic, particularly when the federal government isnt providing enough of the personal protective equipment that nurses and doctors need to do their jobs safely. Their jobs are heroic; that doesnt make their lives expendable.
NEW HAVEN  After more than a month of distance learning, New Haven school officials have not yet determined how they will calculate and report fourth marking period grades.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey is expected to present a recommendation to the Board of Educations governance committee Monday. Before then, district officials sent a link to families seeking public input on what they want.

We have to be cognizant of the fact that, since all our students are not able to access learning for whatever reason, we really have to think carefully about penalizing students with grades, Tracey told the school board earlier this week.

On March 13, the district moved to close its schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now, schools across the state have been ordered closed by Gov. Ned Lamont until at least May 20. In the early days, New Haven officials sent students two weeks worth of instruction in packet form, but soon transitioned to digital learning. However, the district currently has a deficit of roughly 5,000 laptops to send home with students.

Although roughly 2,000 students in the district are not engaged in distance learning per the districts calculations, Tracey said there are myriad reasons why: students may not have the technological capabilities to connect to the internet or may have to handle child care responsibilities for working parents while the schools are closed.

The survey sent to families includes options proposed in guidance sent to superintendents by Connecticut Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona  including a traditional A-F system for the first three marking periods, a simple pass/fail system, a pass/fail system with a pass with distinction option and a pass/fail with an incomplete option to give some students an opportunity for an extension.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
A Ukrainian soldier was injured on Wednesday as a result of shelling attacks by Russia's illegal armed groups, the website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported.

"From the beginning of Wednesday, as of 12:00, the armed groups of the Russian Federation have already fired at the positions of Ukrainian defenders four times... As a result of the enemy sniper fire, one Ukrainian defender has been injured. The military was taken to a medical facility, and was promptly provided with qualified assistance. The health state of the serviceman is satisfactory," the report says.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Variable clouds with snow showers. High 33F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low 14F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
At a time when the police personnel are being hailed as corona warriors for fighting against Covid-19, three cops have been arrested by the Kapurthala police for violating curfew in order to purchase drugs.

The accused were posted in Jalandhar and they had gone to Lakhan Kalan village in Kapurthala district on April 3 for purchasing drugs.

The cops have been identified as constable Dyal Singh and constable Jagjeet Singh, posted at PAP Jalandhar, and constable Germanjeet Singh Pattar, posted in commissionarate Jalandhar.

A video of the incident had gone viral on the social media, causing embarrassment to the police department as the cops were in uniform.

In the video, some locals are seen questioning the cops. On being cornered, the cops try to enter into their car parked nearby and a syringe falls from the pocket of one of the cops. Locals later find drugs in their possession.

Inquiry officer and sub-inspector Avtar Singh of sadar police station, Kapurthala said, We managed to trace them as surname Pattar was written on the badge of one of the cops. Later, he identified the other two cops. They were also nabbed. The trio confessed that they were drug addicts and had gone to Kapurthala village to purchase drugs.

The accused were booked under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 270 (rash driving) of the IPC, the Disaster Management Act and NDPS.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the accused have been suspended and further inquiry is on.

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VANCOUVERNine months after a weeks-long manhunt for two B.C. teens suspected in three killings came to an end with the recovery of their bodies in Manitobas deep brush, the RCMP is investigating a complaint into its own actions during the search.

At the heart of the complaint is whether the police force, which spent 17 days and $1.5 million on the search for Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky in both B.C. and Manitoba, failed to properly inform and keep contact with the father of one of the suspects.

The complaint means the RCMP and the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) will need to review the Mounties handling of the case that captured national attention last summer  but experts say the independent body has little ability to enforce discipline on its findings.

McLeod, 19, and Schmegelsky, 18, were charged with the murder of Leonard Dyck, and were suspects in the deaths of couple Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese. All the victims were killed in northern B.C. before the two suspects fled across the country to the remote community of Gillam, Man.

The complaint comes from Alan Schmegelsky, the father of Bryer Schmegelsky, who gave several media interviews at the time of the search asserting he should have learned about key aspects of the investigation through the police  not the media  despite the fact that he was not Bryers primary caregiver.

I dont want this to happen again ... I dont want any father to find out his son is missing through the media; I dont want any father to find out his son is dead from the media, Schmegelsky is quoted as saying in an official complaint made to the CRCC, the RCMP oversight body.

The complaint was made on January 13, and is now being investigated by RCMP members based in North Vancouver before it will be referred back to the CRCC.

The CRCC declined to comment on the investigation citing privacy reasons. Schmegelskys lawyer, Sarah Leamon, also declined to comment on the complaint.

Krista Stelkia, a researcher at Simon Fraser University in the area of police oversight, said the CRCC will decide whether it believes the RCMPs internal investigation into the complaint was adequate. If it determines it was not adequate, the CRCC will then write up its own report, which is delivered to the RCMP Commissioner.

With all that being said, it is important to emphasize that one of the biggest criticisms of the CRCC is the lack of enforcement power it has been given, Stelkia wrote in an email to the Star. The CRCC has no legislative power to impose discipline or to influence the disciplinary process and can merely only make recommendations to the RCMP Commissioner.

Another major criticism is that most of the complaint investigations received by the CRCC are only ever investigated internally by the RCMP, Stelkia wrote. The exceptions are public interest investigations initiated by the CRCC, such as the investigation into the death of Colten Boushie, a young Indigenous man who was shot and killed on a Saskatchewan farm by the farmer, Gerald Stanley, who was acquitted.

Schmegelsky received a letter this month saying the investigation would take some time because the complaint involves RCMP members in both B.C. and Manitoba, and because of delays caused by COVID-19.

A spokesperson for the B.C. RCMP confirmed the investigation is ongoing, and said the complainant will be advised privately of the outcome.

The only one of the suspects parents to speak publicly during the manhunt, Schmegelskys public pleas that the police should update him became a through-line of the deadly saga.

After the bodies of the suspects were found along with a camera containing videos made by the pair in their final days, the RCMP showed a video containing burial requests to McLeod and Schmegelskys next of kin. Alan Schmegelsky found out about the video only after a report in the Star, and subsequently retained legal help to be able to view it.

In the CRCC complaint, Schmegelsky alleged the RCMP violated his rights by requiring him to sign a nondisclosure agreement before viewing the video.

Schmegelsky also alleged the RCMP followed him, and that police failed to inform him of the exact date of his sons death. He also claimed the RCMP deviated from established policies and procedures in the search for the suspects due to heightened media interest in the case  including by calling in the help of the military.

Manitoba RCMP spent about $800,000 during the 17-day search through the provinces northern terrain. B.C. RCMP estimated their costs at about $750,000.

Those costs include the major crime investigation and specialized support services such as air services and forensic identification.

It does not include the cost of the Canadian Armed Forces, whose members were also involved in the nation-wide search.

With files from The Canadian Press

Read more about:
DENVER  Colorados biggest prison has become the site of the states largest coronavirus outbreak, with 252 people testing positive as of Wednesday at the Sterling Correctional Facility.

Data updated weekly by the state health department shows that 241 inmates and 11 staff members have been confirmed to have COVID-19 at the prison with about 2,500 inmates on the states northeastern plains.

Four of the inmates have been hospitalized, Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Annie Skinner said.

The prison tested 472 inmates last week in order to isolate those who had the disease and minimize its spread.

Prisoners have been kept in quarantine in their cells since April 14. Meals are delivered and they are only allowed out to use restrooms and showers, according to the department.

Michelle Pemberton of the Northeast Colorado Health Department told The Denver Post that steps taken to protect prison staff have been effective so far.

She said Sterling Regional MedCenter has a surge plan in place but has had no unusual concern about the effects it might see as a result of the outbreak at the prison.

One inmate has tested positive at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex, Skinner said. The department has said the inmate recently arrived from Denvers jail and was in quarantine when his infection was discovered.

The second-largest outbreak in the state involves the JBS USA beef plant in Greeley, where 245 cases and five deaths have been reported.

According to the weekly data, 80 people tested positive at the Leprino Foods cheese plant in Fort Morgan after the company decided to close the plant and test all of its nearly 400 employees. About half of those who tested positive did not have any symptoms, company spokeswoman Kimberly DeVigil said.

The company plans to resume partial operations at the plant over the weekend with workers who tested negative undergoing monitoring and targeted testing, she said.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

In other developments:

 Gov. Jared Polis said Wednesday about 3,000 people across the state are being tested for the coronavirus each day, and he hopes to ramp that up to 5,000 people a day in early May and 8,500 by the end of May, if needed.

Supplies are limited, not just in Colorado, not just in America, across the globe, because everybody is trying to buy them and scale up, he said.

Colorado has secured 100,000 tests from South Korea to be used in May, and the governor said the state should have 195,000 tests by the end of the month.

We feel better talking about that now that we have the verbal commitment from the federal government for the delivery of additional supplies during the month of May and the timing for those. We feel a lot more confident, he said.

Colorado has completed nearly 70,000 tests, prioritizing symptomatic workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities that have experienced outbreaks.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agencys vote to raise the cost of Muni monthly passes  one of them will top $100 for the first time  in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic has set off a behind-the-scenes firestorm. One supervisor is even threatening a November charter amendment to strip the agency of its power to raise fares without the Board of Supervisors approval.

The message is: over our dead bodies, Supervisor Aaron Peskin said.

The planned hikes include:

 Raising the price of adult monthly Muni passes that include BART within San Francisco from $98 to $103, possibly as soon as November, and to $106 in mid-2021.

 Raising adult monthly passes that dont include BART from $81 to $86 later this year and to $88 in 2021.

 Raising the $2.50, single-ride Clipper card fare to $2.80 possibly as early as November and then to $2.90 next year.

Cash fares, which are used most often by lower-income people, would remain unchanged at $3.

Have they lost their minds? Peskin said. This is not the time to be raising fares.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Peskin also chairs the San Francisco County Transportation Commission, whose members are the supervisors. The supervisors passed a resolution April 14 opposing the fare hikes by a 10-1 vote, with Rafael Mandelman the lone member opposing the measure.

I just think we are going into really tough budgetary times, Mandelman said. Its going to be a rough time, and we dont need to make it any rougher for the MTA by closing certain pathways to them.

And its not just Muni fares that are going up.

 The ticket for overstaying a parking meter in the downtown core will rise $4 to $94.

 Overstaying a meter outside the downtown core will cost $84, up $5.

 And the fine for parking in a street-sweeping zone would go up $5 to $83.

The higher parking fines would go into effect July 1.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

The fare increases are part of SFMTAs $1.28 billion 2021 operating budget and $1.34 billion 2022 budget, which the SFMTA board approved unanimously April 21.

SFMTA Vice Chair Gwyneth Borden said the board had no choice.

One of the reasons we finally got Muni to a decent state of good repair is because we started reinvesting in the system, Borden said.

Because of the coronavirus shutdown, the money is going to be needed more than ever, especially if buses need to run half full to observe social distancing, Borden said.

People will stop riding the system if its not reliable, and we cant be reliable without money, she added.

Peskin has asked the city attorney to draw up a charter amendment for the November ballot. If voters pass it, the measure would require two-thirds votes by the supervisors to approve any Muni fare increases, including the hikes just approved.

The amendment would be a sharp reversal of Proposition A, a Muni reform measure Peskin wrote and helped pass in 2007. Prop. A aimed to depoliticize transit policy by removing the Board of Supervisors influence on Muni service and fare decisions.

I made a mistake, and now Im going to try to fix it surgically, Peskin said.Its time to stop this merry-go-round.

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.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Travel tale: Outside Lands promoter Gregg Perloff called in a telling travel tale of an associate who recently flew in from Asia.

He started at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, where they took his temperature and grilled him about where he had been and what he had been doing, Perloff said.

He flew onto Seoul, South Korea, where they took his temperature again, and again asked a number of questions about where he had been and what he had been doing.

Then he flew on to San Francisco International, where they didnt take his temperature on entry, and the only question they asked was if he was carrying more than $10,000 in cash, Perloff said.

But customs officials at SFO apparently did what they were supposed to.

Its important to note that South Korea is not on the list of countries getting enhanced screening upon arrival into the U.S., SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention always has staff on site in our customs facility at SFO. Passengers with symptoms would be directed over to the CDC staff for evaluation, he added.

Also, it should be noted that airlines transmit passenger itinerary data to U.S. Customs electronically, so customs officers already know where a passenger has been, he said.

Welcome home  the land of the free.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier
Four security forces personnel were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants in the Nowhatta area of the city here on Wednesday, police said.

Militants hurled a grenade on a security forces' party around 9.25 pm at main chowk Nowhatta in the old city area here, a police official said.

He said three Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel and a Jammu and Kashmir policeman were injured in the explosion.

Further details are awaited, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid coronavirus pandemic, Lithuanias capital, Vilnius has reportedly announced its plans to turn the city into a vast open-air cafe. According to an international media outlet, the authorities believe that the new initiative will provide much of its public space to the hard-hit bar and restaurant owners so they can put their tables outdoors and still observe social distancing rules. The initiative also comes after the Vilnius government allowed cafes, restaurants and several other shops to reopen as part of a staged exit from the lockdown.

As per reports, Vilnius has more than 1,300 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 44 lives in the state. Though the government allowed the shops to reopen, the health ministry also imposed strict physical distancing rules and safety measures.

The health ministry reportedly said that the shops must limit the number of customers at one time and masks will still remain mandatory in all public spaces. Furthermore, according to the new rules, cafes and restaurants are also told to place tables at least two metres apart.

READ: Starbucks Sales Fall As Coronavirus Cripples Global Operations

To keep Vilnius alive

While citizens were happy to go back to their normal life, the new social distancing rules posed a problem for several restaurants and cafes. The old town with narrow streets makes it impossible to place more than a couple of tables outside, however, with the idea of turning the whole city into an open-air cafe has been appreciated by the restauranteurs.

Vilnius mayor, Remigijus Simasius, reportedly said that cafes will be allowed to set up outdoor tables free of charge this season and thus conduct their activities during the quarantine. He added that public safety remains the citys top priority, but the recent measure would help cafes to open up, retain jobs and keep Vilnius alive.

READ: Rights Group: COVID-19 Supplies Not Reaching Northeast Syria

According to an international media outlet, almost 18 of the city public spaces, including its central Cathedral Square, have been opened up for outdoor cafes and restaurants and more are expected to be added as the summer progresses. The new measure is expected to accommodate more visitors and bring life back to the city streets and that too without violating security requirements. Furthermore, in a bid to thank the health care workers for their work during the pandemic, the authorities have decided to give them 400,000 of restaurant vouchers.

(Image: GoVilnius/Twitter)

READ: Toyota Factory Partial Reopening In France

READ: EU To Help African Countries Secure Debt Relief Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Theres no debate COVID-19 had an impact on digital advertising in Q1, but the impact was mostly limited to March, after which spending has begun to stabilize across channels.

Kenshoo (https://kenshoo.com/), a global leader in marketing technology, today released The Kenshoo Q1 2020 Quarterly Trends Report and an accompanying infographic, detailing Q1 spending in all channels during the unprecedented-in-the-digital-age global COVID-19 pandemic. Social (25%), paid search (1%) and ecommerce advertising (47%) spending all grew year-over-year (YoY).

As the only marketing platform that combines data-driven insights and optimization technology to help make informed decisions, scale and measure performance across all major publishers, Kenshoo identifies the trends shaping each stage of the consumer journey, including the impact of COVID-19:



Ecommerce advertising surged in Q1, riding a wave of increased activity in March as shoppers prepared for an enforced stay-at-home lifestyle

Computers & Electronics: This category picked up across channels in March as households shored up their electronics to better adjust to spending more time at home both for - - Consumer Packaged Goods: Spending and click-through rate (CTR) increased in March as online shoppers bought personal care items in large quantities, but the lower unit price of these items translated to lower costs-per-click (CPC)

Q2 Preview: After an initial decline, total spending for both the paid search and paid social channels leveled off and began growing into the middle of April

Detailed findings on social and paid search advertising performance in Q1, measured on a same-advertiser basis, include:



Social spending increased 25% YoY and decreased 18% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ)

Social impressions increased 35% YoY and 11% QoQ

Social clicks increased 40% YoY and decreased 6% QoQ

Social cost-per-thousand (CPM) impressions decreased 7% YoY and 26% QoQ

Paid search spending increased 1% YoY and decreased 19% QoQ

Paid search impressions increased 5% YoY and decreased 20% QoQ

Paid search clicks increased 4% YoY and decreased 13% QoQ

Paid search CPC decreased 3% YoY and increased 7% QoQ

Theres no debate COVID-19 had an impact on digital advertising in Q1, but the impact was mostly limited to March, after which spending has begun to stabilize across channels, said Chris Costello, senior director of marketing research for Kenshoo. While recovery will vary by industry category, April spending growth in both paid search and social indicates a recovery is already underway for many categories. Ecommerce advertisings growth indicates the valuable role of major online retailers like Amazon and Walmart are playing for both consumers and advertisers while much of the population shelters in place.

From driving demand in social, to exploring in search, and closing the sale in ecommerce, Kenshoo connects advertiser messages directly with consumers. With machine learning intelligence to drive unparalleled performance, Kenshoo integrates directly with more social, search and ecommerce platforms than any other marketing solution.

Visit https://kenshoo.com/reports-and-whitepapers/kenshoo-q1-2020-quarterly-trends-report/ to download the full report, Kenshoo.com/Digital-Marketing-Snapshot to view the infographic, or https://kenshoo.com/digital-marketing-trends/, Kenshoos QTR research hub.

Methodology

Analysis is drawn from a population of nearly $7B in advertising spend, comprising over 3,000 advertiser and agency accounts across 40 vertical industries and over 150 countries running on the Kenshoo platform across Google, Microsoft, Baidu, Yandex, Yahoo! Japan, Verizon Media, Amazon, Walmart, Apple Search Ads, Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and the Facebook Audience Network.

Except where noted in the report, only advertisers with 15 consecutive months of performance data are included. Some additional outliers have been excluded. Contrary to previous reports, ad spending and pricing have been translated to USD at the time the spending was incurred, and do not use Ex-FX, or "constant currency" dollars.

About Kenshoo

Kenshoo is the leading marketing technology platform for brands looking to plan, activate and measure growth strategies across the most-engaging digital channels. Kenshoo offers the only marketing solution that combines data-driven insights and best-of-breed optimization to help make informed decisions, scale and measure performance across Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Walmart, Apple Search Ads, Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram, Verizon Media, Yandex, Yahoo Japan, and Baidu. Kenshoos machine-learning algorithms and artificial intelligence leverage market signals and enable companies to predict and keep pace with the omnichannel customer journey. Kenshoo has 27 international locations and backing by Sequoia Capital, Arts Alliance, Tenaya Capital, and Bain Capital Ventures. Please visit Kenshoo.com for more information.

Kenshoo brand and product names are trademarks of Kenshoo Ltd. Other company and brand names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Keir Starmer has slammed prime minister Boris Johnson for claiming the governments handling of coronavirus had been a success, warning that the UK in fact appeared to be heading for the worst national death toll in Europe.

The Labour leader went on the attack at prime ministers questions in the Commons, telling MPs that the latest figures showing more than 27,000 deaths were truly dreadful.

First secretary of state Dominic Raab  standing in for the prime minister after Mr Johnsons child was born this morning  insisted it was far too early to make international comparisons or to reveal details of how and when the government believes it will be possible to move the UK out of lockdown.

But he notably did not repeat Mr Johnsons claim, in his statement at Downing Street on Monday, that there will be many people looking now at our apparent success in dealing with the outbreak.

Warning that the soaring death figures released on Tuesday were probably an underestimate, Sir Keir said: On Monday, the prime minister said in his short speech that many were looking at our apparent success in the United Kingdom. Does the first secretary agree with me that far from success, these latest figures are truly dreadful?

Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Show all 18 1 /18 Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jackie Wilson, a healthcare assistant, wearing PPE before going into rooms Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jack Dodsley, 79, speaks to a carer at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Carers working at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A care worker wearing PPE opens a drink carton Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jack Dodsley, 79, sits with a carer Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A care staff member wearing PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A staff member at Newfield Nursing Home looks after a resident SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A carer wearing PPE uses a speaker Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A carer helps Jack Dodsley, 79, from his chair Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A carer wearing PPE helps Jack Dodsley, 79 Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A staff member at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A carer brings food to a resident at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A staff member puts on PPE at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Jackie Wilson, a healthcare assistant, puts on PPE before she enters a room SWNS Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside A bench at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS

Sir Keir said that the governments chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance had said on 17 March that keeping the total UK death toll from Covid-19 below 20,000 would represent a good outcome, but that this figure had already been far outstripped, with official statistics showing that at least 27,241 lives have been lost.

Deaths in care homes appear to have been rising even while hospital deaths have been falling, amid real anxiety in the social care sector about the availability of coronavirus testing and protective equipment, he said.

Were clearly already way above that number and were only part way through this crisis, said the Labour leader on his second PMQs outing. And were possibly on track to have one of the worst death rates in Europe.

Mr Raab responded: Im going to disagree with him. It is far too early to make international comparisons. If they are to be done, they should be done on a per capita basis.

I think were already seeing that there are different ways that deaths are measured, not just in the UK in the different settings, but across Europe and across the world.

Raab responds to Starmers questions in the Commons (Reuters TV)

Mr Raab acknowledged challenges in care homes which he blamed on the decentralised nature of the sector as well as the difficulty in exercising control over movements in and out of premises.

It is the single biggest challenge in terms of reducing transmission, he said. It is a challenge that we must grip and we can grip to make sure we can get the numbers down in care homes as weve seen in hospitals and as weve seen in the country at large.

Sir Keir called on Mr Raab to explain why he said in a TV interview on Sunday that deaths in care homes were falling in line with hospitals  a claim which the Labour leader said doesnt appear to be borne out by the figures.

Mr Raab denied he was sugar-coating the issue but failed to stand by his claim, telling Sir Keir: There are some positive signs, but I think they are frankly within the margin of error.

In an exchange that for the second week took place in a virtually empty chamber, with most MPs taking part via video link, Mr Raab poured cold water on any prospect of an immediate easing of the lockdown at what he said was a delicate and dangerous moment.

Mr Johnson sparked speculation over an imminent rollback of social distancing rules by saying on Monday that he aimed to set out in a few days how the government would refine the economic and social restrictions.

But Mr Raab told MPs: I think we do need to wait until weve got further evidence from Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies), before moving towards a transitional phase or a second phase.

And it would be irresponsible right now to start setting out in detail what proposals we might come up with in advance of having that advice from Sage.

Sir Keir insisted Labour was not asking for the lockdown to be lifted or demanding a timeframe for its relaxation, telling Mr Raab: We support the government on lockdown.

But he accused ministers of failing to be open with the public on what comes next and called on Raab to say when the government will publish an exit strategy.

He said: France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and Wales have all published exit plans of one sort or another... If you look at those plans, as hes done and Ive done, its clear that there are common issues such as schools reopening, business sectors reopening.

These are the issues that, if he wants me to put them on the table, I absolutely will.

He added: Delay risks not only falling behind other countries, but also the successful four-nation approach so far.

Mr Raab responded: The Scottish government has not set out an exit strategy. I read through very carefully their 25-page document, it was eminently sensible and it was grounded in the five tests that I set out on 16 April.
Photo: LARA SOLANKI/NETFLIX/LARA SOLANKI/NETFLIX

In Never Have I Ever, the new Netflix show co-created by Mindy Kaling, Devi Vishwakumar is a straight-A student who plays the harp, is an ace at Model U.N., and dreams of going to Princeton University. Her two best friends are obsessed with robotics and drama club. She hasnt dated anybody, much less had her first kiss. She fulfills all the expected TV tropes of a nerd.

Almost all of them. After declaring in the first episode that she and her best friends will get boyfriends for their sophomore year, Devi confidently waltzes up to the most popular boy in school  the unreasonably handsome Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet)  and asks him to have sex. Upending rom-com logic, he nonchalantly says hes down; Devi says shell circle back about it and shakes his hand.

Talking to newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the 18-year-old star of Never Have I Ever, its easy to understand how Devi came to life onscreen as a nerd with a rock-solid sense of self-worth. Ramakrishnans path to a leading role on a Netflix show is about as unlikely as it gets  her last acting gig was playing Velma Kelly in her high schools production of Chicago back in Ontario  but she doesnt pretend to be surprised that she nailed it. I know Im a really confident person, and it takes a lot to make me nervous, she says. I couldnt even say a moment in my life where I feel truly embarrassed.

Never Have I Ever began as a pitch to Kaling from a Netflix executive, Brooke Kessler, who read both of Kalings books and loved the parts about her high-school years. With a straight-to-series order in hand, Kaling recruited her friend Lang Fisher, a veteran of The Mindy Project, who wrote the episode Mindy Lahiri Is a White Man, as well as 30 Rock and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, who is a fan of teen shows like Riverdale, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Gossip Girl. In writing about teens, I wanted someone who was very interested in that and had a lot of experience watching those shows. She jumped at the opportunity, Kaling said. From there, I hired a really young, diverse staff and then we all delved into our childhoods. It was like doing a little bit of therapy every day.

Mindy and I were both sort of nerds in high school, but we had these giant personalities, so we created this character to have confidence and a big personality, Fisher said. Each episode is supposed to be tailored to something these girls want and the dreams of having a normal teenage experience.

Unlike so many other teen characters, especially South Asian ones portrayed onscreen, Devi isnt meek. When she announces to her friends that theyre all getting boyfriends, they dont question the plausibility of her plan; they just do it. Even when the show tips into the dramatic and emotional  especially as Devi works with a therapist (Niecy Nash) to grieve her beloved father, who died suddenly the previous school year  it doesnt derail her.

Mindy Kaling watches a scene with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (right), Richa Moorjani (center), and Poorna Jagannathan (left). Photo: Lara Solanki/Netflix

The casting search for Devi was intense: In April 2019, Kaling put out an open call for auditions and got more than 15,000 submissions. It was a lot, she admits, but she considered it a necessity to find the right actor. There are obviously way more young Desi actors than there were ten to 15 years ago, but its a much harder search than if we were trying to find a white lead, she said. Ramakrishnan, who has deferred but will study acting at York University, only responded to the casting call because it was a good excuse to hang out with a friend who wanted to audition; she had to Google what a self-tape was and then figure out how to work her moms camera. When the producers called to invite her to Los Angeles for a screen test, she didnt even pick up, thinking it was spam. (Dont worry, they emailed her.)

Shes so comfortable in her own skin, and she just strikes you as not timid at all, Kaling said of Ramakrishnan, recalling the endless high fives she gave to casting directors during auditions. You learn so much in casting. The kind of chitchat you make with the actors before you start rolling is almost more informative than the audition itself. And shes a big fan of The Office, and the way she was talking to us was not like a scared, deferential foreign teenager. She was talking to us like another fan of TV, who happened to be 18 years younger than us. It was kind of a no-brainer.

After Never Have I Ever found its star, the finer aspects of Devis character took shape. Kaling says the young actor added a really informal and comfortable energy to the role, which the writers tapped into as they finessed the scripts. She also weighed in with her own expertise: When Kaling wasnt sold on a TikTok cold open in one episode, where Devi and her friends try to make a thirst trap for her crush, she deferred to Ramakrishnan and Fisher and it was ultimately filmed (the scene is a delight). Even the script was open to real-time tweaks. They created such an environment where I never felt embarrassed to ask questions, and I never felt like I couldnt challenge somebodys idea, Ramakrishnan said. An early moment when Devi says, Whats poppin? to God wasnt originally written in the script. That was Lang and Mindy constantly listening to me talk to my other cast members, and I always say, Whats poppin? Thats my good old Toronto slang with my friends.

The show is set in Sherman Oaks, California, and the casting choices reflect the fact that a suburb of Los Angeles is diverse: Devis two closest girlfriends, Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), are Chinese-American and black. The object of her desires, Paxton, was rewritten as a half-Japanese character after Kaling and Fisher heard the actor cast to play him, Darren Barnet, speaking Japanese on the set with an assistant director. The boyfriend of her annoyingly beautiful and intelligent cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) is Asian-American. Kaling and the writing staff  which includes several young Indian writers  drew from their own lives to highlight the varied textures of the Indian-American experience. There are some things that I pulled straight from my childhood that I wanted to see, like blessing my textbooks at the beginning of the school year and praying to a shrine at home, Kaling said. One of the shows writers, Akshara Sekar, talked about how her family blessed her first car; in the show, Devis father had his scooter blessed to allay his wifes safety concerns. We got all these great stories from people, but I had the added benefit of feeling like I was normal, because I had never had someone else normalize these experiences for me, Kaling said.

It all hangs together due to Ramakrishnan, who has the sort of natural charisma that makes Devi, a Desi-American cool nerd who isnt shy with her crushes, feel immediately lived-in. Shes got a California energy, as Kaling put it, that makes everything about the show click into place.

I feel like a lot of people think, Youre so lucky this happened to you. They make it seem like I won the lottery because I just bought a ticket and I submitted it. But the thing is I didnt just win the lottery; I earned the worth of the lottery, Ramakrishnan said. Thats the difference.
The lower house of the Czech parliament voted on Tuesday to extend a state of emergency until May 17, a week less than the government had sought, as the country charts a course to emerge from a coronavirus lockdown earlier than forecast.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis had asked for an extension until May 25 to be able to keep restrictions on business in place. The state of emergency was due to expire on April 30.

The government is reluctant to end the emergency early even though it has already reopened some shops and services over the past week as the pace of new infections has declined.

It has announced that it now expects to reopen the economy faster than previously forecast, although not in time for the deadline now set by parliament.

Babis said after the vote that the government would seek legal amendments to keep some restrictions in place after the state of emergency ends, news agency CTK reported.

The Czech Republic has seen a drop in new cases to the lowest level in six weeks, with 41 new infections on Monday and a total of 7,486 on Tuesday afternoon. [L5N2CG2NM]

The number of active cases has also declined from peaks, to 4,319 on Tuesday, which has allowed the government to speed up its original plan to gradually reopen all shops and services and some schools.

Shops up to 2,500 square metres have been opened since Monday, and limitations on movement and foreign travel have been lifted.

The government now plans for most activities and services including pubs and hotels to restart by May 25 rather than June 8 as previously planned.

For the rest of the academic year ending in June, schools are expected to open only partially, for example for final exams. From May 25, limited groups of younger children will start school on voluntary basis.

There has been no decision on allowing large public gatherings.

The faster pace of restarting the economy and social life has unnerved some epidemiologists, including the head of the Health Ministrys advisory group, Rastislav Madar, who has told Czech media he saw the acceleration as risky.

SOURCE: REUTERS
New Delhi, April 29 : In a set of guidelines issued on Wednesday, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended that college sessions should begin in August for current students and in September for new ones.

According to the guidelines which UGC said were suggestions, the much-awaited admissions for the 2020-21 session will be conducted between August 1 to August 31. "Universities may follow a six-day week pattern and devise a pro forma to record travel or stay history of staff and students for the lockdown period.

"Extension of six months will be granted to MPhil, PhD students and viva-voice would be conducted through video conference," UGC's guidelines said.

The guidelines also stated that universities develop virtual classrooms and video conferencing facility and all teaching staff should be trained with the use of the technology, prepare e-content/ e-lab experiments and upload on their websites, and faculty should be adequately trained for the use of ICT and online teaching tools, so that they complete about 25% of the syllabus through online teaching.

For the matters related to examination, the UGC allowed the universities to chart out their own plan of action, but suggested grading intermediate semester students on internal assessment of the present and previous semesters.

In states where the COVID-19 situation has normalized, there will be exams in July, the UGC recommended.

The UGC-issued guidelines were based on recommendations made by an expert committee to deliberate on issues related to exams and the academic calendar and take appropriate measures for the future of students.

The expert committee was headed by Prof. R.C. Kuhad, Former Member, UGC and Vice Chancellor, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, Haryana along with other members.

According to the guidelines, universities may adopt alternative and simplified modes and methods of examinations to complete the process in a shorter period of time .

"Universities may adopt efficient and innovative modes of examinations by reducing the time from 3 hours to 2 hours. Universities may conduct terminal or intermediate semester or yearly examinations in offline or online mode, as per their ordinances, rules and regulations, scheme of examinations, observing the guidelines of "social distancing" and keeping in view the support system available with them and ensuring fair opportunity to all students," the UGC statement said.

For the terminal semester or year examinations, the exams will be held in July. "The terminal semester or year examination for postgraduate, undergraduate courses, programmes may be conducted by universities as suggested in the academic calendar. The timing of the examination may be considered appropriately by the universities, and examination may be conducted keeping in mind the guidelines of social distancing," UGC said.

"For intermediate semester or year students, the universities may conduct examinations, after making a comprehensive assessment of their level of preparedness, residential status of the students, status of COVID-19 pandemic spread in different regions or state and other factors," it added.

Elaborating on the grading system based on internal assessments, the UGC said that grading of the students could be a composite of 50% marks on the basis of the pattern of internal evaluation adopted by the universities and the remaining 50% marks can be awarded on the basis of performance in previous semester only (if available).

"In situations where previous semester or previous year marks are not available, particularly in the first year of the annual pattern of examinations, 100% evaluation may be done on the basis of internal assessments," UGC said.

It added that the students who wish to improve their grades, can appear in special exams for such subjects during the next semester.

The Commission has also allowed extension of six months' period to the M.Phil. or Ph.D. students and told the universities that they may conduct the Ph.D. and M. Phil. Viva-Voce examinations through video conferencing using Google, Skype, Microsoft Technologies or any other reliable and mutually convenient technology can be used.

"The universities are also advised to establish a cell for handling student grievances related to examinations and academic activities during COVID-19 pandemic and notify effectively to the students. The UGC will also establish a helpline for monitoring student grievances related to examinations and cademic activities during COVID-19 pandemic," it said.
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Heres what Gov. Kate Brown has released setting guidelines for non-emergent and elective procedures in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers amid Oregons coronavirus outbreak.

The document on Oregon Health Authority letterhead says:

Framework for Restarting

On April 14th Governor Brown announced a public health framework for restarting public life and business in Oregon. This plan outlines the necessary tasks, discrete steps and guidelines for step-by-step reopening. Among those important tasks is a look at how and when to resume non-emergent and elective procedures requiring personal protective equipment (PPE) that were cancelled as a result of Governor Browns Executive Order No. 20-101.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

The following is a framework for restarting non-emergent and elective procedures requiring PPE in hospital and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) settings, including priorities, required steps and specific criteria.

Tents have been erected outside Legacy Emanuel Medical Center's emergency room, March 18, 2020. Beth Nakamura/Staff

Priorities

The following priorities must inform all actions towards resuming non-emergent and elective procedures in Oregon:

 Minimize the risk of SARS-COV-2 transmission to patients, healthcare workers and others;

 Avoid further delays in healthcare for Oregonians;

 Maintain adequate hospital capacity in case of an increase in COVID-19 cases;

 Minimize transfers to skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities due to the vulnerability of these congregate care settings; and

 Reduce financial impacts to Oregons health system.

The guidelines include requirements for hospitals and smaller clinicis to maintain specific supplies of PPE on hand. (File photo/Steph Chambers/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)AP

Criteria

In order to address these priorities, the following steps and specific criteria must be met in order to resume and maintain non-emergent and elective procedures:

1. Prior to resuming non-emergent and elective procedures, the following criteria must be met:

a. Capacity at the hospital (i.e., bed capacity and healthcare workforce) can accommodate an increase in both COVID-19 hospitalizations in addition to increased post-procedure hospitalizations and other ongoing needs for hospital level of care.

i. Hospital bed availability in the region must remain at or above 20% in order to accommodate the potential for increased COVID-19 hospitalizations.

ii. Facilities must be able to treat all patients requiring hospitalization without resorting to crisis standards of care.(4)

b. Facility has adequate PPE supplies on hand.(5)

i. Facility shall maintain a 30-day supply of PPE on-hand; for small facilities, a 2-week supply of PPE on-hand and an open supply chain is adequate.(6)

ii. Facility can sustain(7) recommended PPE use for its healthcare workforce without the need for emergency PPE-conserving measures.(8) If a facility proposes to extend the use of or reuse PPE, it must follow CDC guidance.

1. Hospitals must continue to report all PPE supplies daily through the Oregon Health Authoritys Hospital Capacity web system (HOSCAP).

c. Facility has access to adequate testing capacity.

i. Facility has access to COVID-19 testing when needed that ensures results within 2 days. For small facilities, access to COVID-19 testing when needed, that ensures results within 4 days.

ii. When adequate testing capability is established, consider screening patients by laboratory testing before proceeding with a non-emergent or elective procedure.

d. Facility is following strict infection control(9) and visitation(10) policies.

e. Necessary resources for peri-operative care are available.

i. This includes but is not limited to access to pre- and post-operative visits with necessary providers; laboratory, radiology and pathology services; and other necessary ancillary services.

To start, facilities must limit the volume of non-emergent and elective procedures to a maximum of 50% pre-COVID-19 procedure volume. (File photo/Cory Morse | MLive.com)Cory Morse | MLive.com

2. Once non-emergent and elective procedures resume, they must start slowly, and criteria should be reassessed biweekly.

a. To start, facilities must limit the volume of non-emergent and elective procedures to a maximum of 50% pre-COVID-19 procedure volume.

b. In order to maintain or expand this volume, facilities must continue to meet all items in 1 (a-e).

c. Facility must maintain a plan to reduce or stop non-emergent and elective procedures should a surge/resurgence of COVID-19 cases occur in their region or in the case that criteria 1 (a-e) cannot be met.

d. Procedures must be prioritized based on whether their continued delay will have an adverse medical outcome.

i. A medical committee, or the medical director, of a facility shall review and prioritize cases based upon indication and urgency.

ii. Facilities must strongly consider the balance of risks vs. benefits for patients in higher-risk groups such as those over age 60 and those with compromised immune systems or lung and heart function

iii. Facilities should consider ongoing postponement of non-emergency and elective procedures that are expected to require the following resources: 1. Transfusion 2. Pharmaceuticals in short supply 3. ICU admission 4. Transfer to skilled nursing facility or inpatient rehab

The Governors Office in consultation with the Oregon Health Authority will determine the necessary tools to monitor that these criteria are being met and when different or additional criteria should be considered.

-----

Footnotes:

1. In order to preserve PPE and limit all non-essential visitation to hospitals and other health care facilities, Governor Brown issued Executive Order No. 20-10 on March 19, 2020 to cancel all elective and non-urgent health care procedures that require personal protective equipment (PPE) effective March 23, 2020.

2. For ambulatory surgical centers, this criterion must be met for the local admitting hospital with which there is an established relationship.

3. For purposes of this criteria, hospital bed availability refers to ICU, step-down and medical/surgical beds.

4. Oregon Health Authority page

5. The state will explore options for resupply of PPE to those facilities (i.e., ASCs) that were asked to give up their surplus when the Governors Executive Order was established.

6. Hospitals and ASCs will be required to attest to these PPE requirements.

7. Facilities must have an operational supply chain that will allow for sustained PPE resupply.

8. OHA guidance on recommended PPE use will be updated and posted to clarify these criteria.

9. https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le2288J.pdf

10. https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le2282.pdf
Simple change to perovskite surface removes barrier to its functionality

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Soft and flexible materials called halide perovskites could make solar cells more efficient at significantly less cost, but theyre too unstable to use.

A Purdue University-led research team has found a way to make halide perovskites stable enough by inhibiting the ion movement that makes them rapidly degrade, unlocking their use for solar panels as well as electronic devices.

The discovery also means that halide perovskites can stack together to form heterostructures that would allow a device to perform more functions.

The results published in the journal Nature on Wednesday (April 29). Other collaborating universities include Shanghai Tech University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, and the U.S. Department of Energys Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Researchers already have seen that solar cells made out of perovskites in the lab perform just as well as the solar cells on the market made of silicon. Perovskites have the potential to be even more efficient than silicon because less energy is wasted when converting solar energy to electricity.

And because perovskites can be processed from a solution into a thin film, like ink printed on paper, they could be more cheaply produced in higher quantities compared to silicon.

There have been 60 years of a concerted effort making good silicon devices. There may have been only 10 years of concerted effort on perovskites and theyre already as good as silicon, but they dont last, said Letian Dou (lah-TEEN dough), a Purdue assistant professor of chemical engineering.

A perovskite is made up of components that an engineer can individually replace at the nanometer scale to tune the materials properties. Including multiple perovskites in a solar cell or integrated circuit would allow the device to perform different functions, but perovskites are too unstable to stack together.

Dous team discovered that simply adding a rigid bulky molecule, called bithiophenylethylammonium, to the surface of a perovskite stabilizes the movement of ions, preventing chemical bonds from breaking easily. The researchers also demonstrated that adding this molecule makes a perovskite stable enough to form clean atomic junctions with other perovskites, allowing them to stack and integrate.

If an engineer wanted to combine the best parts about perovskite A with the best parts about perovskite B, that typically cant happen because the perovskites would just mix together, said Brett Savoie (SAHV-oy), a Purdue assistant professor of chemical engineering, who conducted simulations explaining what the experiments revealed on a chemical level.

In this case, you really can get the best of A and B in a single material. That is completely unheard of.

The bulky molecule allows a perovskite to stay stable even when heated to 100 degrees Celsius. Solar cells and electronic devices require elevated temperatures of 50-80 degrees Celsius to operate.

These findings also mean that it could be possible to incorporate perovskites into computer chips, the researchers said. Tiny switches in computer chips, called transistors, rely on tiny junctions to control electrical current. A pattern of perovskites might allow the chip to perform more functions than with just one material.

The work is supported by multiple entities including the U.S. Office of Naval Research (N00014-19-1-2296), the National Science Foundation (1939986-ECCS), the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Purdue Universitys Davidson School of Chemical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, located in Discovery Park.

About Discovery Park

Discovery Park is a place where Purdue researchers move beyond traditional boundaries, collaborating across disciplines and with policymakers and business leaders to create solutions for a better world. Grand challenges of global health, global conflict and security, and those that lie at the nexus of sustainable energy, world food supply, water and the environment are the focus of researchers in Discovery Park. The translation of discovery to impact is integrated into the fabric of Discovery Park through entrepreneurship programs and partnerships.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Kayla Wiles, wiles5@purdue.edu. Working remotely but will provide immediate response.

Sources: Letian Dou, dou10@purdue.edu

Brett Savoie, bsavoie@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists : For a copy of the paper, please contact Kayla Wiles, Purdue News Service, at wiles5@purdue.edu.

ABSTRACT

Two-Dimensional Halide Perovskite Lateral Epitaxial Heterostructures

Enzheng Shi1, Biao Yuan2, Stephen B. Shiring1, Yao Gao1, Akriti1, Yunfan Guo3, Cong Su4, Minliang Lai5, Peidong Yang5,6,7, Jing Kong3, Brett M. Savoie1, Yi Yu2, Letian Dou1,8

1Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.

2School of Physical Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai 201210, China.

3Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, United States.

4Research Lab of Electronics (RLE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.

5Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.

6Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.

7Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.

8Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2219-7

Epitaxial heterostructures based on oxide perovskites and IIIV, IIVI and transition

metal dichalcogenide semiconductors form the foundation of modern electronics

and optoelectronics. Halide perovskitesan emerging family of tunable

semiconductors with desirable propertiesare attractive for applications such as

solution-processed solar cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), detectors and lasers.

Their inherently soft crystal lattice allows greater tolerance to lattice mismatch,

making them promising for heterostructure formation and semiconductor

integration. However, epitaxial growth of atomically sharp heterostructures of

halide perovskites has not yet been achieved, owing to their high intrinsic ion

mobility, which leads to interdiffusion and large junction widths, and owing to

their poor chemical stability, which leads to decomposition of prior layers during the

fabrication of subsequent layers. Therefore, understanding the origins of this

instability and identifying effective approaches to suppress ion diffusion are of great

importance. Here we report an effective strategy to substantially inhibit in-plane

ion diffusion in two-dimensional halide perovskites by incorporating rigid

-conjugated organic ligands. We demonstrate highly stable and tunable lateral

epitaxial heterostructures, multiheterostructures and superlattices. Near-atomically

sharp interfaces and epitaxial growth are revealed by low-dose aberration-corrected

high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Molecular dynamics simulations

confirm the reduced heterostructure disorder and larger vacancy formation energies

of the two-dimensional perovskites in the presence of conjugated ligands. These

findings provide insights into the immobilization and stabilization of halide

perovskite semiconductors and demonstrate a materials platform for complex and

molecularly thin superlattices, devices and integrated circuits.
An Iron Age ring and a Medieval brooch that were discovered by metal detectorists in Shropshire have been designated 'treasure' by a coroner.

In what is perhaps the country's first set of inquests to be held via video conferencing the coroner, John Ellery, made both declarations on April 21, 2020.

According to the Treasure Act 1996, objects defined as treasure must be offered to sale to a museum at a price set by an independent board of experts.

Shropshire Museums is aiming to acquire both items in order to put them on display for the public to enjoy.

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An Iron Age ring and a Medieval brooch (pictured) that were discovered by metal detectorists in Shropshire have been designated 'treasure' by a coroner

Metal detectorist Mark Lambert found the silver-gilt brooch  which features two carved centaurs  outside of the town of Bridgnorth and has been dated back to around 12001300 AD.

Experts believe that the brooch may once have had a pin looped around the arm or waist of one of the two centaurs,  or alternative could have been sewn directly onto a garment.

'The brooch has hardly any wear on it and looks almost as good as the day it was lost some 800 years ago,' Shropshire Finds Liaison Officer Peter Reavill told the BBC.

The ring was unearthed in Frodesley, in the south of Shropshire, by metal detectorist Christopher Mussell.

Only the sixth of its kind to have been found in the United Kingdom, the ring has been dated back to between 400200 BC.

It bears similarity to rings that have been found in larger numbers in Switzerland.

Given this, it is possible that the ring was either imported from the continent or made as a local copy, said experts from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which records finds made by members of the public.

The ring was unearthed in Frodesley, in the south of Shropshire, by metal detectorist Christopher Mussell. Only the sixth of its kind to have been found in the United Kingdom, the ring has been dated back to between 400200 BC

'The brooch has hardly any wear on it and looks almost as good as the day it was lost some 800 years ago,' Shropshire Finds Liaison Officer Peter Reavill told the BBC

Iron Age finds made from precious metals are 'extremely rare' in the UK, Mr Reavill told the BBC.

'We know the county has amazingly rich prehistoric and specifically Iron Age archaeology with numerous important hill-forts,' he added.

'What we don't have is a great understanding of where these people lived, traded and farmed.'

'This tiny personal object throws a beam of light on to the individual who once wore it.'
Supreme Court precedent, however, comes down on the side of the governments. In 2002, a majority of the court decided in Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (which John Roberts had argued on behalf of Lake Tahoe) that temporary restrictions, like the 32-month moratorium on development on Lake Tahoe involved in the case, did not in and of themselves constitute regulatory takings.

While temporary restrictions might rise to the level of regulatory takings, courts would have to examine a number of factors particular to each case to figure it out. When the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the state closure order recently, the only such case decided so far, it relied on this distinction between temporary and permanent governmental action.

In the past, emergencies have often called for states to impose short-term economic restrictions, and the Supreme Court has affirmed their constitutionality, emphasizing that temporary steps that might otherwise infringe on economic rights may be permissible.

During the Great Depression, the court considered whether a Minnesota law extending the time for borrowers to pay back mortgages violated the Contracts Clause. The court held that it did not, given the economic emergency. A decision issued immediately after World War II applied the same principle, affirming the power of the New York Legislature to continue a similar mortgage moratorium.

These cases, put together, should reassure state and local officials that they can protect the public health today and engage in the difficult process of social and economic reconstruction that well need after the pandemic. Whether that requires giving tenants more time to come up with rent payments before they are evicted or other steps temporarily postponing property owners remedies, these kinds of measures should be considered constitutional.

Bernadette Meyler is a professor at Stanford Law School.

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[April 29, 2020] Google Meet premium video conferencing free for everyone, everywhere

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Google Cloud today announced it's making Google Meet, Google's premium video-conferencing solution, free for everyone with availability rolling out over the coming weeks. Starting in early May, anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and enjoy many of the same features available to G Suite's business and education users, such as simple scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts that adapt to your preference, including the expanded tiled view . "With the lines blurred between work and home, Google Meet can offer the polish needed for a work meeting, a tiled view for your online birthday party and the security needed for a video call with your doctor," said Javier Soltero, VP of G Suite. "We're in the middle of a significant worldwide shift impacting communication from the workplace to schools to the home. People want familiar, secure tools that they can use across all facets of their lives." Google has invested years in making Meet a secure and reliable video conferencing solution that's trusted by schools, governments and enterprises around the world, and in recent months has accelerated the release of top-requested features to make it even more helpful. Whether it's hospitals supporting patients via telehealth, banks working with loan applicants, retailers assisting customers remotely, or manufacturers interacting safely with warehouse technicians, businesses across every industry are using Meet to stay connected. Starting next week, Google will be gradually expanding Meet's availability to more and more people over the following weeks. While users might not be able to create meetings at meet.google.com right away, they can sign up to be notified when it's available . Video meetings built on a secure foundation

Meet is designed, built and operated to be secure at scale. Since January, we've seen Meet's peak daily usage grow by 30x. As of this month, Meet is hosting 3 billion minutes of video meetings and adding roughly 3 million new users every day. And as of last week, Meet's daily meeting participants surpassed 100 million. With this growth comes great responsibility. Privacy and security are paramount, no matter if it's a doctor sharing confidential health information with a patient, a financial advisor hosting a client meeting, or people virtually connecting with each other for graduations, holidays, and happy hours. Our approach to security is simple: make products safe by default. We designed Meet to operate on a secure foundation, providing the protections needed to keep our users safe, their data secure, and their information private. Here are just a few of our default-on safety measures : We provide a strong set of host controls such as the ability to admit or deny entry to a meeting, and mute or remove participants, if needed.

We do not allow anonymous users (i.e., without a Google Account) to join meetings created by individual accounts.

Meet meeting codes are complex by default and therefore resilient to brute-force "guessing."

Meet video meetings are encrypted in transit, and all recordings stored in Google Drive are encrypted in transit and at rest.

We don't require plugins to use Meet on the web. It works entirely in Chrome and other modern browsers , so it's less vulnerable to security threats.

, so it's less vulnerable to security threats. On mobile, we have dedicated Google Meet apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store .

and Google . Meet users can enroll their account in Google's Advanced Protection Program our strongest protections available against phishing and account hijacking.

our strongest protections available against phishing and account hijacking. Google Cloud undergoes regular rigorous security and privacy audits for all its services . Our global compliance certifications can help support regulatory requirements such as GDPR and HIPAA, as well as COPPA and FERPA for education.

. Our global compliance certifications can help support regulatory requirements such as GDPR and HIPAA, as well as COPPA and FERPA for education. Your Meet data is not used for advertising, and we don't sell your data to third parties.



network that encircles the globe and connects our data centers to each otherensuring that your data stays safe. Trust is built on transparency and we publish the locations of all our data centers. You can learn more about how Meet keeps your video meetings safe in this post . There are a few ways individuals, teams and organizations can use Meet for free.

Individual users: Once the roll out is complete, anyone with an email address will be able to use Meet for free via meet.google.com and the Meet mobile apps for iOS or Android to schedule, join or start secure video meetings with anyonewhether it's a virtual yoga class, weekly book club, neighborhood meeting, or any other reason to connect with others. Using the new Meet experience will require a free Google Account, which only takes a minute to create using your work or personal email address of choice. This step is required as a security measure, and you only need to sign up once. Meetings are limited to 60 minutes for the free product, though we will not enforce this time limit until after September 30 .

Once the roll out is complete, anyone with an email address will be able to use Meet for free via meet.google.com and the Meet mobile apps for or to schedule, join or start secure video meetings with anyonewhether it's a virtual yoga class, weekly book club, neighborhood meeting, or any other reason to connect with others. Using the new Meet experience will require a free Google Account, which only takes a minute to create using your work or personal email address of choice. This step is required as a security measure, and you only need to sign up once. Meetings are limited to 60 minutes for the free product, though we will not enforce this time limit until after . Teams that are not G Suite customers : For organizations that aren't already G Suite customers, today we're announcing a new edition called G Suite Essentials, which also includes Google Drive for easy and secure access to all of a team's content, and Docs, Sheets and Slides for content creation and real-time collaboration . It's perfect for teams that need access to Meet's more advanced features, such as dial-in phone numbers, larger meetings and meeting recording. Through Sept. 30 , we're providing G Suite Essentials and all of these advanced features free of charge. If you're interested in G Suite Essentials, complete this form to get in touch with our sales team.

: For organizations that aren't already G Suite customers, today we're announcing a new edition called G Suite Essentials, which also includes Google Drive for easy and secure access to all of a team's content, and Docs, Sheets and Slides for content creation and real-time collaboration It's perfect for teams that need access to Meet's more advanced features, such as dial-in phone numbers, larger meetings and meeting recording. Through , we're providing G Suite Essentials and all of these advanced features free of charge. If you're interested in G Suite Essentials, to get in touch with our sales team. Existing G Suite customers : G Suite's 6 million existing customers already have access to Meet. Admins simply need to enable Meet by following instructions outlined on our Help Center . G Suite is also providing three ways for new and current enterprise customers to access Meet through September 30 including: free access to Meet's advanced features for all G Suite customers, free additional Meet licenses for existing G Suite customers without any amendments to their current contract, and free G Suite Essentials for new enterprise customers.

: G Suite's already have access to Meet. Admins simply need to enable Meet by following instructions outlined on our . G Suite is also providing three ways for new and current enterprise customers to access Meet through including: free access to Meet's for all G Suite customers, free additional Meet licenses for existing G Suite customers without any amendments to their current contract, and free G Suite Essentials for new enterprise customers. Schools and higher education institutions: Meet is included in G Suite for Education , a suite of free Google apps tailored specifically for schools, which serves over 120 million students and teachers globally for high-quality virtual classes, PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences, tutoring, and even school socials. "As digital communication has become a vital part of everyone's lives, there is an increased demand for video-conferencing solutions that provide security and reliability together with popular features like tiled view," said Jim Lundy, CEO, Lead Analyst at Aragon Research. "We're seeing enterprises and consumers alike choose Google Meet for its ability to securely support a high volume of users, while still providing robust functionality. Combined with its integration with widely used G Suite tools like Gmail and Calendar, users see Meet as a compelling video communications solution." About Google Cloud

Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/google-meet-premium-video-conferencing-free-for-everyone-everywhere-301049028.html SOURCE Google Cloud

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Gov. Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said food insecurity has increased during the coronavirus pandemic and the state is working to address that problem.

The governor and agriculture secretary addressed the challenge of growing hunger during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Pennsylvania does have plenty of food but we need to make sure Pennsylvanians have plenty of food, Wolf said.

No Pennsylvanian should be going hungry, Wolf said.

Pennsylvania remains under a statewide stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Wolf administration has shut down many businesses to limit exposure to the virus.

You can watch online here.

Wolf said hed be expediting a grant program so non-profit groups can buy equipment such as freezers to buy more food.

The governor said the state needs to change the way we think about food access. The state is making it easier to find a food bank or get assistance.

The Wolf administration has created a survey to ask residents if theyre having trouble paying for groceries. The survey is aimed to identify areas of high need.

We want families to get more food, Wolf said.

The shutdown of businesses in Pennsylvania have battered the economy, just as other states are reeling, too. More than 1.6 million people have filed for unemployment in Pennsylvania.

Before COVID-19, more than 1.5 million Pennsylvania residents experienced chronic hunger on a regular basis, including nearly half a million children, according to the state agriculture department.

The pandemic has led to more insecurity, Redding said. More people have had to seek help to fill their cupboards.

A lot of them never have thought theyd be on the receiving end of a food bank, Redding said.

Since the pandemic began and more people have lost jobs, food banks in central Pennsylvania have reported a big spike in demand. Wolf said the state is offering more support to food banks, including directing $16 million in state aid. He said the federal COVID-19 relief will offer another $16 million in assistance.

Some residents may be reluctant to seek help, Redding said. He urged those who need assistance to seek it.

Please know we want you at this table, Redding said.

Redding pointed out one key element to helping food banks is to refrain from hoarding at the grocery store. By buying what is necessary, food banks are more likely to be able to buy the essentials to help people in need.

The state will adapt to find ways to offer more assistance, with public and private partners.

Pennsylvanians will not go hungry, Wolf said.

As coronavirus outbreaks force the temporary closures of some of the nations biggest slaughterhouses, some grocery stores are bracing for limited supplies of pork, chicken and beef. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to keep meat processing plants open.

Wolf said food processors have been encouraged to follow guidelines on social distancing. Despite government actions to keep the plants open, Wolf said it ultimately depends on workers feeling comfortable in showing up.

We need these organizations to stay in business, Wolf said. We need employees to feel safe in coming to work.

Redding said the milk supply situation is stable compared to where it was a few weeks ago, but the price remains low. Some dairy farmers have reported having to dump milk because the pandemic shuttered major market sectors including schools, restaurants and office cafeterias.

Its been one of the most painful pieces to watch, Redding said.

Redding said state officials have noticed the fragility of the system and noted plants have been closed in Pennsylvania. Last week, state officials deemed employees at food processing plants could be given priority for COVID-19 testing, Redding said.

Redding said hes humbled by the work of public and private entities to help as many people as possible have access to food.

More than 44,000 people have contracted the virus and nearly 2,200 people have died, according to the state health department.

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WASHINGTON - At greater risk from COVID-19, some American seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.

Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicares Part B coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in the coronavirus pandemic.

Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.

Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agencys website.

Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrolment penalties.

Fred Riccardi, president of the advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said an already cumbersome process has been exacerbated by the pandemic shutdown, raising the risk that some seniors will fall into a coverage gap or end up owing penalties.

We are concerned that people who are eligible will go without coverage due to unnecessary administrative barriers and the lack of information from federal agencies, said Riccardi. The problem is serious.

His organization is among groups asking Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare application problems during the coronavirus emergency. Its unclear how many are affected.

Social Security declined several interview requests and instead sent The Associated Press written responses to questions. The agency said it has seen an increase in requests for Part B enrolment because of older workers losing job-based coverage.

Social Security said it worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to waive certain signature requirements for Part B forms during the pandemic and has set up a dedicated fax number to receive applications.

Social Security gets credit for trying, said Leslie Fried of the National Council on Aging, but that I dont know anyone who has a fax machine anymore.

With the economy shedding millions of jobs, older workers going from employer coverage to Medicare can find themselves in a holding pattern.

Carol Berul of Sacramento, Calif., retired from state government on Feb. 1. She said shes still trying to figure out what happened to her Medicare Part B application, which she mailed in January. In her early 70s, Berul said shes worried her health could be jeopardized by bogged-down paperwork. She has an immune system disorder triggered by a medication that she once took.

Ive been avoiding going anywhere, she said.

Berul said shes faced hold times of more than an hour trying to call Social Security. When she finally got through, she learned the agency had no record of her Part B application. She resubmitted it.

Berul said Social Security employees shes talked with have been helpful and empathetic but with all the people working from home trying to get information from point to point, its like a pyramid, and they havent connected all the dots.

For John Breithart of Grand Haven, Mich., it was a different Medicare issue but a similar experience.

Breithart, who works for an oil and gas delivery company, turns 65 this year and becomes eligible for Medicares Part A inpatient coverage.

Hes covered through this wifes retiree health plan and earlier this month the insurer sent him a letter saying hed be kicked off if he didnt provide a Medicare number.

Breithart started calling Social Security. He said on one occasion he was on hold for an hour and 52 minutes. Another time a returned call fell through and the case worker didnt leave a callback number.

The logjam finally broke after he contacted his two U.S. senators. Social Security confirmed that his Medicare application had been approved. Breithart quickly called Medicare. After asking a litany of questions, an agent read him his Medicare number over the phone. He was able to complete the relay to his wifes insurer.

You dont think of people who dont have health insurance when youve had it all your life, said Breithart. Then you get ready to retire and someone says you need a number you dont have, and it gets stressful.

Social Security said the pandemic did lead lead to much longer telephone holds, but its latest weekly average was down to 45 minutes, depending on when a person calls and whether others are trying at the same time. Agency employees have been able to continue to serve the public by teleworking.

According to Webster Phillips, a policy expert with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, wait times before the pandemic averaged around 20 minutes.

Natalie Kean, a lawyer with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, said, Going through the normal channels is just going to be slow, and its not responsive to the increased need right now.

On Capitol Hill, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee said the committee is trying to assess whats going on.

Seniors should not be penalized for disruptions in service due to the crisis, Chair Richard Neal, D-Mass., said in a statement.
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, has explained how the easing of lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun state will be implemented.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday, April 27, approved the gradual easing of lockdown in the two states and the FCT as from Monday, May 4.

He said night curfews from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. will, however, be effected in the three areas which have been on lockdown for over four weeks as part of measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19.

Speaking at the daily PTF briefing on Wednesday, the National Coordinator, Sani Aliyu, said banks and government offices are allowed to resume operations starting from May 4.

He, however, said the resumption will be based on specific grade levels.

Also, Boss Mustapha, the secretary to the government of the federation, said the reopening process will span a total of six weeks broken into three tranches of two weeks each.

Financial institutions such as banks will be allowed to open but there will be restriction of opening hours between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

For government offices, government staff will be allowed to resume from the 4th of May but it will be based on specific grade levels and specific days so that we can reduce the amount of congestion that we might have in our government offices and we will be discussing further with state governments to make sure that we have a common approach to this, he said.

Specific guidelines

Mr Aliyu said construction, manufacturing sectors, as well as food processing companies, will be allowed to open from Monday.

In addition to this, from the point of agriculture and rural development, companies involved in food processing can commence operation.

In construction sites, critical roads will be allowed but waivers will be provided by state governments to enable movement.

For the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, we will encourage shift work and limiting staff to only 30 to 50 per cent to maintain social distancing and pharmacy shops may remain open overnight, he said.

Mr Aliyu also noted that restaurants and schools will remain closed until further notice.

He, however, said neighbourhood markets are allowed to operate during the relaxed lockdown.

Restaurant will not be opened to the public but will be allowed to engage in home delivery of food.

Schools will remain closed till further evaluation. Schools are encouraged to continue with e-learning and virtual teaching.

Social activities such as the use of recreational parks. Communal sports, concert, social parties and movie theatres will be suspended until further review.

Neighborhood markets will continue to open with the same standard and restrictions that we have applied in the past as well as supermarkets, and retail stores, he said.

Social gathering

Meanwhile, the national coordinator said restrictions on social gatherings remain pending a review of the new measures put in place by the government.

He said there shall be no gatherings of more than 20 persons anywhere per time so as to ensure adherence to physical distancing.

He urged those above 65 years old and with mobility challenges to avoid co-mingling with the general public as to protect themselves from contracting the COVID-19 virus.

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There will be general pieces of advice, for instance, discouraging persons above the age of 65 and those with mobility challenges from co-mingling with the general public so that they protect themselves from catching COVID -19 because they are the ones that are most likely to develop severe illness.

We will be providing additional details and hopefully the implementation guidelines and the protocols will follow over the next day or two to allow businesses and offices to prepare for these changes, he said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Clean every train, every night.

Thats what Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking of the MTA.

During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Cuomo announced that he has asked the MTA to devise a plan to disinfect every train in the citys system on a nightly basis.

On top of that, the governor has given the agency just two days to hatch the new sanitization scheme, alerting transit officials on Tuesday that a plan must be presented to him by Thursday.

I told the MTA yesterday, I want a full plan of how do we disinfect every train every night. Period. Any essential worker who shows up and gets on a train should know the train was disinfected the night before," Cuomo said. We owe it to them to be able to say, the train you ride, the bus you ride, has been disinfected and is clean.

Cuomos calls come following photos published in the Daily News highlighting unsanitary conditions in the citys subway system, exacerbated by persisting homelessness issues.

The Daily News had pictures of things that are going on in the New York City subway system where the cars were filthy, they were disgusting. Homeless people were there with all their belongings, Cuomo said. It reflected what has been in the press and what people are saying, which is the deterioration of the conditions in the subways.

Currently, the MTA is disinfecting its stations twice a day, with the agencys full fleet of train cars and buses undergoing full sanitization at least every 72 hours.

The MTA now says it is in the process of developing a new plan to enhance those ongoing sanitization efforts.

We fully agree that we must do everything we can to keep our system and trains and buses as clean and as safe as possible. Following on our aggressive plan of disinfecting our stations twice each day and our full fleet every 72 hours, we are completing a plan to further enhance and increase the frequency of our cleaning. We will deliver that plan to the governor as he requested," said Ken Lovett, senior adviser to MTA chairman & CEO.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

HOMELESS ISSUE

During Wednesdays presser, Cuomo hammered home the need to address the subway systems growing homelessness issue, which has been at the center of attention in recent days.

The trains are filled with homeless people, and youre not doing the homeless any favors, Cuomo said. To let homeless people stay on the train, in the middle of a global health pandemic, with no masks, no protective equipment, youre not helping the homeless."

On Monday, MTA New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg announced that the agency has changed its Code of Conduct to disallow passengers from sleeping in train cars and buses in an effort to address the homeless population that has been plaguing the citys transit system.

We are changing our Code of Conduct to make it abundantly clear that the transit system must be used by people for transport only -- not for sheltering, sleeping, storing belongings or panhandling. We will enforce these new regulations in close coordination with our NYPD partners and the MTAPD, Feinberg wrote in an opinion piece published by the New York Post.

The MTA Code of Conduct Section 1050.7 now reads:

No person on or in any facility or conveyance shall sleep or doze where such activity may be hazardous to such person or to others or may interfere with the operation of the Authoritys transit system or the comfort of its passengers.

On the same day, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to expand homeless outreach and offer more beds to unsheltered people living in the subway system.

The mayor called on the MTA to temporarily close the following 10 end-of-line stations during overnight hours, from midnight to 5 a.m., where outreach teams would engage homeless individuals leaving the stations, and cleaning teams would perform enhanced sterilization of the facilities.

Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue (D,F)

Flatbush Ave Brooklyn College (2,5)

Jamaica  179th St. (F)

Jamaica Center  Parsons/Archer (E)

WTC - (E)

96th St./2nd Ave (Q)

Pelham Bay Park (6)

Van Cortlandt Park 242nd St. (1)

Wakefield  241st St. (2,5)

Woodlawn (4)

While the trains are being cleaned, NYPD Homeless Outreach and the Department of Homeless Services will be on hand to engage homeless individuals about receiving services, survey their symptoms and connect them to appropriate care or shelter.

However, the MTA has not committed to closing the end-of-line stations overnight, instead electing to take trains out of service for cleanings as opposed to shuttering whole stations.

Were relieved on behalf of our customers and employees that the City has agreed to do more to provide safe shelter for homeless New Yorkers, but it should not have taken a global pandemic for the City to do a job the MTA has called on it to do for years, said MTA Chief Communications Officer Abbey Collins. The MTA is taking trains out of service at end-of-line and other stations for a short period of time to improve safety and cleanliness while mitigating any impact on essential workers.
The Ada West District in the Greater Accra Region has recorded its first positive COVID-19 case.



Dr Kofi Boakye, in-charge of COVID-19 samples at the Ada East District Hospital, confirming this to the media said the test of a female patient came out positive, a week after she died at the hospital.



Dr Boakye said she was referred to the hospital from a health facility at a fishing community in Ada West after showing symptoms of COVID-19 when brought there from a prayer camp where she had being staying for some time.



"She was in a prayer camp exhibiting those signs but they kept her there till things became worst. When she came to the facility where she was quickly referred and upon further testing, she was positive," he disclosed.

Source: GNA









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Kolkata, April 29 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed she was not involved in the formation of the death audit committee that is tasked with the final call in deciding whether a coronavirus positive patient expired due to Covid or for any other primary cause.

She also claimed that she even had no idea about the panel members.

"I didn't form the audit committee. I don't even know who all are it's members. The Chief secretary and the departmental (Health) secretary are the authorised persons," she said.

The state opposition parties and a section of doctors have accused the Banerjee government of constituting the committee to suppress the death count in the state due to the viral disease.

The Inter-Ministerial Central Teams, now touring the state, have also raised a number of questions about the committee.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  A two-day hard lockdown will be imposed in 136 barangays of Tondo District 1 on May 3 or 4 to further contain the rising COVID-19 cases, Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said Wednesday.

In a press briefing, Moreno said he is already finalizing the guidelines in his executive order which will be released on Thursday, April 30.

"The announcement on the hard lockdown will be done tomorrow. We will give ample time for people to prepare," Moreno said.

"We're eyeing May 3 or 4. It is definitely within the week," he added.

Moreno said the Manila Police District has already sent to him the guidelines on how the district will be cordoned off temporarily. Once finalized, the order will include exemptions of areas in relation to public access to basic commodities and logistics.

Moreno's announcement comes days after he placed Sampaloc district under a two-day lockdown due to its high number of cases.

He earlier said the Divisoria night market will likely be exempted due to the high demand for basic goods from within the city and other parts of Luzon.

"If you're going to shut it down the way it was done in Sampaloc, maaapektuhan ang pamilihang bayan sa buong Maynila at ibang pamilihang bayan sa Metro Manila (the whole market of Manila and other markets in Metro Manila)," Moreno noted.

The International Container Terminal and other terminals in the Port Area, located in the west side of the city, will also remain open.

Sampaloc district, which has over 370,000 residents, was put on lockdown from Thursday to Sunday. Moreno said Tondo District 1 has a population of over half a million.

The Manila mayor said he is also considering the temporary shutdown of Sta. Cruz in District 3, and Malate and San Andres in District 5, depending on the latest development on suspected and positive cases.

"It's [also] going to happen in any part of the city na kung saan halimbawa, may malaking numero ng mga violation o apprehended individuals who continue violating ECQ (enhanced community quarantine), social distancing, and yung curfew," Moreno said.

[Translation: It's also going to happen in any part of the city where there is a high number of violations or apprehended individuals who continue violating ECQ, social distancing, and curfew.]

Meanwhile, at least four schools in Tondo District 1 will serve as temporary sites for mass testing for suspect cases. These are Rosauro Almario Elem School, T. Paez Integrated School, Tondo High School, and Isabelo Delos Reyes Elementary School.

There will also be four to five separate sites which will serve as holding areas for quarantine violators, Moreno said.

A total of 659 residents of the city have contracted COVID-19 to date with 15 new active cases, according to the Manila Health Department. Of this number, 60 have died and 90 have recovered from the infection.

Tondo District 1 currently has 81 active cases, with 7 recoveries and 12 fatalities. The district has 222 suspect cases.

Sampaloc district still has the highest number of infections in the city, with 103 active cases, 16 recoveries and 10 deaths.
[April 29, 2020] Niche Announces $35M Series C Funding To Reimagine And Simplify The School And College Search Experience

PITTSBURGH, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Niche  the leading school search platform connecting people to the perfect K-12 school or college  today announced it has raised $35 million in Series C funding led by Radian Capital , with additional participation from Salesforce Ventures , as well as existing investors Allen & Company LLC and Tim Armstrong. Niche also announced today the appointment of Weston Gaddy, Partner and Co-founder of Radian Capital, and Francisco D'Souza, Executive Vice Chairman and Co-Founder of Cognizant , to its board of directors. Niche plans to utilize the funding to advance the platform as the leading destination for users to manage their school search journey, making it easier for students to manage their full application process. As a two-sided platform, the company currently has over 1,400 school clients including Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard Westlake School, Boston University and k12.com , and Niche will use the funding to partner with thousands of additional schools. Niche has established itself as the go-to recruiting tool for the nation's education market, particularly during this uncertain time when students and schools are exclusively online. "At Radian, we focus on companies that build technology-enabled businesses that redefine industries and Niche is doing exactly that with its modern approach to enrollment marketing for schools," said Weston Gaddy, Partner and Co-ounder of Radian Capital. "We believe that Niche is revolutionizing school search and will lead the way for the future of recruitment, as it continues to gain market share at an impressive pace."



The company has shown impressive growth over the last year while maintaining capital efficiency. In 2019, Niche increased its ARR over 100% and client base by more than 60% YoY and was cash-flow positive for the majority of the year. Additionally, Niche grew its team size by 60%, and plans to continue to expand headcount across product, engineering, marketing, and sales. As schools have come under increased pressure from tighter budgets and higher student acquisition costs, Niche's value proposition of matching high-quality candidates with the right school provides a strong return on investment for educational clients. Combining the best of both qualitative and quantitative student experience data and comprehensive academic statistics, Niche is transforming how prospective students and parents discover best-fit education options, and authentically experience a school or college beyond its academics. Niche's website and native app include over 130,000 in-depth profiles on colleges and schools, over 140 million reviews and ratings from students, parents and alumni, providing powerful user search tools and resources to use during the school selection process. In 2019, Niche's platform had over 100 million visits and currently more than one in two college-bound high school seniors are registered on the site and using the company's discovery tools to find a college or university.

"Practically overnight, tens of millions of students across the country switched to online classes, standardized testing was canceled, and school tours went virtual for the foreseeable future," said Luke Skurman, CEO and founder of Niche. "Students and families need a reliable way to research and authentically connect with schools online. Schools need a better way to connect with millennial parents and Gen-Z students in this mobile-first, digital era. We've been seeing these trends for a long time and they will be accelerated in a post-COVID-19 reality. We're now more confident than ever in our ability to successfully help schools navigate the changing digital landscape and connect with more best-fit students." In response to COVID-19 and to further Niche's goal of strengthening relationships between schools and students, Niche has accelerated the roll-out of several new free features to support schools that have been impacted by closures. Due to the shift in virtual schooling, Niche is updating its platform to better clarify for students which schools offer online classes and degrees. Additionally, Niche is giving schools the opportunity to include links to their virtual tours on their site profiles to allow students to virtually explore campus life. The company has also extensively surveyed over 50K students and parents to track how school communities and students' academic progress and college plans are being affected by COVID-19. To learn more about Niche, please visit https://www.niche.com/ . To access the media kit, including visual assets, please click here . ABOUT NICHE

Niche is the leader in K-12 and college school search. Its mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent, and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, Niche helps millions of people find the right school for them. Niche also helps thousands of schools recruit more best-fit students by highlighting what makes them great and making it easier to visit and apply. CONTACT: Lisa Horton, [email protected], 845-467-3286 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/niche-announces-35m-series-c-funding-to-reimagine-and-simplify-the-school-and-college-search-experience-301045614.html SOURCE Niche.com

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Thousands of nurses and other health care workers from across the country called on the federal government Tuesday to investigate what they called their employers' mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak, their union said.

The workers, who are members of the American Federation of Teachers, filed 40 complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleging that hospitals were forcing them to work with defective equipment and to ration masks and gowns, the union said in a news release.

The hospitals are "placing workers at grave risk of infection and death from the coronavirus," the union said.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

The complaints represent more than 20,000 workers from 40 union locals, union spokesman Andrew Crook said. The locals are in 10 states, the union said  Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

About 9,300 health care workers have been infected with the coronavirus, the union said, citing estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The complaints were filed amid widespread objections from nurses over their hospitals' responses to the pandemic. In New York last week, a nurses union filed multiple lawsuits accusing the state and two hospitals of "grossly inadequate and negligent protections." Earlier this month, HCA Healthcare nurses in Kentucky, Texas, Florida and other states protested the company's "lack of preparedness" and shortages of personal protective equipment.

The union said Tuesday that workers had been given defective equipment and were forced to ration masks and gowns. Cleaning staff at one hospital weren't told when a room had a patient with COVID-19 in it. In another case, hospital management refused to allow employees to wear protective masks.

"We deserve to be safe at work so we can do our job caring for patients, but the hospital failed me, my co-workers and the community," said a nurse, Nara Owens, who said she became sick with the disease while working in a unit that was meant for non-COVID-19 patients.

Story continues

After she tested positive for the disease, she said, she was told by the hospital's human resources department to file for unemployment insurance.

In a statement to NBC News, Owen's employer, Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren, Ohio, called the safety of its patients and employees "a top priority." The statement said its workers have been properly trained and provided protective equipment, and it said the hospital continues to follow federal coronavirus guidelines.

OSHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

The union said the agency has no rules that force employers to protect workers from infectious diseases. It urged lawmakers to support a House bill that would force OSHA to require employers to implement emergency protections within one week.

The bill, the COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020, would also require the government to track and investigate coronavirus infections and ban retaliation against health care workers who report infection control problems.

The union's president, Randi Weingarten, said it is "immoral" that the agency is "refusing to issue and enforce guidelines" to protect health care workers and their patients.
The Ethiopian Communications Authority has commenced three consultations on the process for licensing entrants to the countrys liberalised telecoms market.

Having opened today (28th April), the consultations will run till 11th May, with the regulator also set to disclose draft frameworks relating to consumer rights and disputes. Stakeholders will be able to offer their feedback on the length of the licences and the method for determining successful applicants.

The ECA will also issue documents relating to the provision of fixed and mobile service. These will provide recommendations on infrastructure sharing, interconnection, service quality and universal access obligations.

In 2019, the regulator held consultations on its proposed liberalisation of Ethiopias telecoms sector. It had scheduled the issue of two licences for Q1 2020 and floated the possibility of private firms investing in the state-owned Ethio Telecom.

While these plans have been delayed by the ongoing pandemic, the regulator is evidently keen to press ahead with them. Several groups with a strong footprint in Africa have stated their interest in the Ethiopian market, including Econet Global, MTN, Orange, Safaricom and Vodacom.
Photo: (Photo : Photo from Cheryl Coker Facebook Account)

A year and a half after the 46-year-old mom in Ohio, Cheryl Coker, had been missing, her skeletal remains were discovered.

In a press conference held on Monday, Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer said that the skull and several bones that were discovered in Caesercreek Township by a mushroom hunter on Saturday evening turned out to be Coker, as examined by the Montgomery County Crime Lab.

According to the officials, the place where the remains were found in a remote wooded area that is only about a 15-minute drive from Coker's residence in Riverside, Ohio.

Fischer said that the said area is a popular place for people to look for mushrooms; however, not a commonplace for people to go to for hiking.

Greene County coroner Dr. Kevin Sharrett confirmed that there was no evidence at the scene nor autopsy to suggest that Coker's body was buried.

The Disappearance in 2018

Cheryl Coker had been missing since October 2, 2018, when she returned home after dropping off her 15-year-old daughter at school. Police previously reported that Cheryl logged into Facebook until about 7:45 in the morning.

Three hours later, a surveillance video was released showing Cheryl's Toyota Highlander entering a Kroger parking lot less than a mile away. Later that night, it was found with its doors locked, her phone, credit cards, and other personal belongings inside.

On September 21, 11 days before her disappearance, Cheryl filed for a divorce from William, seeking spousal support and custody to their daughter.

On September 24, 8 days before missing, William texted Cheryl, thanking her for putting the nail in his coffin. Later that same day, Cheryl texted a coworker saying that she will be in tomorrow if she is not dead.

The case of Cheryl was reclassified as a homicide in February 2019. Four months after her disappearance, Riverside police identified, William "Bill" Coker, Cheryl's husband of 19 years, as a suspect. It was after the police investigators uncovered evidence that may prove that Cheryl vanished due to suspicious circumstances.

Riverside Police Department, Chief Frank Robinson said that even though it has been a long process, they will never give up on the case. He added that they will never waver to what they needed to do, and that is to follow all the evidence that they have collected as well as all evidence that anyone has collected for them.

Husband Denies Allegation

William denied the allegation that he was involved in Cheryl's disappearance, saying that he had never, in his entire life, had he hurt anyone. He added that before Cheryl disappeared, she was behaving in some risky behavior and he had not been willing to put that out in the open.

During the press conference on Monday, Robinson said that nothing has changed in the investigation. According to Riverside Police Det. Travis Abney, William is their only suspect.

At present, it is still not clear if William has retained an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
YEREVAN.  At Wednesdays special sitting of the National Assembly of Armenia, the MPs passed a number of changes to some current laws.

Thus, the parliament voted in the secondand finalreading in favor of the amendments to the law on the state budget for 2020, and which envisage doubling the budget deficit. A total of 101 parliamentarians supported these changes, whereas 17 deputies voted against them.

In addition, the parliamentarians adopted amendments to the labor code and related laws. During this vote, 107 deputies unanimously supported these changes.
The governments decision was greeted by many nationalistic supporters of the government who saw in the move a bold stance against China

Moving past the heated rhetoric in India about how to deal with China, the astute Mr Kant knows the importance of Chinas investments to Indias ambition of becoming a $10 trillion economy. PTI Photo

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has downplayed Chinas criticism of the Modi sarkars decision to tighten its foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, which is seen as an attempt to wall off the Chinese dragon from making further inroads into Indias economic ecosystem amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather, Mr Kant has said that India welcomes investments from China.

The governments decision was greeted by many nationalistic supporters of the government who saw in the move a bold stance against an aggressive China, which is also being blamed for the spread of the coronavirus that is wreaking havoc in India and across the globe. The decision was likely triggered by the Peoples Bank of China increasing its stake in HDFC Bank from 0.8 per cent to 1.01 per cent earlier this year. Many Indian companies that were already stressed even before the pandemic broke out are likely to turn insolvent. The government has been concerned that cash-rich Chinese investors could ramp up acquisition efforts, taking advantage of a drastic drop in the valuation of the stressed companies.

But Mr Kants statement has stopped the nationalist supporters in their tracks, some may even be confused since they sense the government may be backtracking after the decision. But those in the know are also aware that Mr Kant is one of the very few babus in the current dispensation who has Prime Minister Narendra Modis ear and enjoys his confidence. He is not just heading the governments premier policy think-tank but has a presence in practically every aspect of policymaking in the Modi sarkar.

Mr Kant was also chosen to head the empowered committee set up by the government to strategise an effective response to contain the spread of Covid-19. He firmly believes that how India fights the Covid-19 virus will be a determining factor in how the world shapes up once the virus threat is contained. This inevitably involves deft coordination between proactive political leadership, agile bureaucracy and public cooperation. He also knows that fighting the virus at the cost of the economy is simply not an option. So, he moved quickly to clear the air and to send out a conciliatory signal to China, which not surprisingly, took umbrage at Indias decision.

Moving past the heated rhetoric in India about how to deal with China, the astute Mr Kant knows the importance of Chinas investments to Indias ambition of becoming a $10 trillion economy. Mr Kant knows that China is one of the biggest investors in India, pouring in more than $8 billion across various sectors over the years. It has been a major player in Indias startup story and perhaps is the only nation at present that is in a position to invest in other countries in these times of the novel coronavirus. Mr Kant comes from the pragmatic position where China will need to be dealt with firmly but also with one eye open for the much-needed financial inflow it can bring.

Absentee babus

The consumer affairs department will replace officials who are unable to report to work due to medical or other valid reasons. Sources say that department secretary Pawan Kumar Agarwal announced this decision after some babus did not show up for work despite the governments directive. The department plays a crucial role during the lockdown since it oversees the supply of essential commodities and monitors price. The government has exempted the movement of essential commodities from the lockdown, which has been extended till May 3 to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Sources say that a list of officers unable to come to work is being prepared and a memo has been issued. It has been decided to seek their replacement from the department of personnel and training (DoPT) to maintain optimum staff levels.

Apparently, there was some confusion over a memo that sought to compile a list of staff and officials who are unable to come for emergency duties during the lockdown period. Now a new list is being prepared.
Registered nurse April Lewis prepares to administer a test at a COVID-19 drive-through testing site in Houston. (Associated Press)

We live in an unequal society, and the coronavirus is making it worse.

The pandemic has struck disproportionately at poor people in cities, almost as if it were deliberately targeting minorities. In New York, the death rate among African Americans and Latinos has been roughly twice as high as among white people.

The economic impact has been unequal too. A survey released Tuesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported that more than half of the workers who have lost income because of the pandemic were already below the federal poverty line. Higher-income workers, by contrast, have mostly kept their jobs.

Now add a third, cruel form of inequality: unequal risk.

Knowledge workers who can work at home are riding out the pandemic in relative safety. First responders, healthcare workers, bus drivers, grocery store clerks and delivery workers dont have that luxury.

To keep their paychecks coming, they have to go out in public and risk infection  even though they generally arent as well paid as the managers (and journalists) who work at home.

Those are the new facts of American inequality. Theyll persist as long as the coronavirus is at large. The economic impact is likely to continue even longer.

We had a lot of inequality before the pandemic, and were going to have a lot more before its over, Isabel V. Sawhill of the Brookings Institution, a leading scholar on poverty and class, told me. Its quite scary to think about what will become of the country when the effects are so uneven.

The question is: What do we do about it?

Will this be a moment for Americans to take a searching look at our societys inequalities, and decide to raise the incomes of the working poor?

Or will we choose to muddle through the Pandemic Recession and try to forget everything were suddenly seeing in stark relief?

So far, federal and state governments have been in crisis mode, scrambling to quell the pandemic and halt the economys free fall.

Story continues

Congress has passed four economic relief bills with more than $3 trillion in emergency spending, an emergency effort of unprecedented size.

But the measures have been short-term and top-down. They began with bailouts for airlines and other big businesses, then added a massive program of loans for small businesses, direct payments to taxpayers and expanded unemployment benefits.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has buoyed the stock markets by lending trillions to banks, businesses, states and counties.

The rollout has been plagued with more than its share of problems.

The small-business loan program started in chaos, and funneled much of its money to big businesses instead. The second round, which began Monday, led to widespread frustration as the Small Business Administration's website repeatedly crashed and bankers couldn't file applications for clients.

States have been swamped by applications for unemployment insurance; Florida reported last week that it had managed to approve only 20% of incoming requests.

President Trump hopes for a sharp economic recovery before the November election. But the International Monetary Fund warns the recession could last more than a year. The bounce-back could stall if the pandemic recurs or if wary consumers stay away from public places and continue to trim their spending.

So we need to plan for a longer ordeal.

Sawhill says that means more spending on the Paycheck Protection Program, which is intended to help small businesses, and extended unemployment insurance plus more help for state and local governments.

But the relief packages need several new elements to soften the pandemics impact on the no-longer-working poor.

Its going to be horrible for low-income families, Sawhill told me. The jobs that are hardest hit tend to be low-paid, including retail, food and restaurants. Those are often jobs held by women. I worry about low-income single parents. Theyre mostly women, they have virtually no financial reserves, and they often have no other adult to rely on.

She recommends expanding the low-income safety net with emergency funding for food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, two programs that got similar boosts during the Great Recession a decade ago.

But Congress needs to put automatic triggers on all these programs, so that funding rises along with job losses. That way, the newly unemployed wont have to depend on Congress voting for round after round of new funding amid the polarized debates of an election year.

Want to think bigger?

Gene Sperling, a former economic advisor to Bill Clinton, is proposing a $20 living wage package that would begin with a $15 minimum wage and add child-care subsidies and tax credits.

Other Democrats hope this will be the moment when voters coalesce around their demands for universal health insurance, so workers dont lose access to medical care if they lose their jobs.

Those proposals will remain stretches unless Democrats win a landslide in November.

But we ought to reach a bipartisan consensus that the "essential workers" we claim to admire as heroic  including grocery store clerks, delivery service drivers and meat packers deserve a living wage.

Theyre risking their lives on our behalf. For their sake, it would be a terrible thing to let this crisis go to waste.
(GETTY)

Crashing crude prices and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic swung Teck Resources (TECK-B.TO)(TECK) to a loss in its first quarter. The Vancouver-based miner also booked a $474 million after-tax writedown on its stake in the Fort Hills oil sands project as a result of the dual headwinds for the resource sector.

Teck said its loss attributable to shareholders was $312 million, or $0.57 per share, in the three months ended March 31, compared to a profit of $630 million a year earlier.

Global crude markets are in a period of unprecedented volatility, chief executive Don Lindsay told analysts on a conference call on Tuesday. That, of course, is an understatement.

He said the company's energy business suffered a gross loss of $90 million in the quarter. As a result of COVID-19 and its hit to commodities, the miner has suspended all previously issued 2020 guidance, reduced work crews at some sites resulting in lower production, and halted construction at its Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) copper project in northern Chile.

Tecks $474 million impairment on its 21.3 per cent stake in Fort Hills follows a $910 million after-tax impairment the company disclosed in February, warning of low expectations for future oil prices.

March was a brutal month for global crude prices as limited travel and business activity due to COVID-19, and oversupply concerns, weighed on benchmark prices. The company was forced to reduce Fort Hills to a single-train facility, reducing bitumen production. Lindsay said the leaner operation will significantly reduce operating costs and help mitigate losses in the near-term.

In February, Lindsay floated the idea that a spin-off or sale of Fort Hills could be in the cards. Suncor Energy (SU.TO)(SU) and Total Canada (TOT) own 54.1 and 24.6 per cent of the project located 90 kilometers from Fort McMurray, respectively.

We are having an ongoing dialogue with the partners, Suncor, the operator of course, and Total, in looking at different options, Lindsay said.

Story continues

There are a lot of factors to consider, and its a complicated decision. The starting point is you have to take a view on what you think oil prices and WCS prices are likely to be, and when. Reducing production further, or going to shut down, youd have to look at winterization costs, which are quite substantial.

The global health crisis and historically negative environment for crude comes on the heels of another geopolitical challenge for Teck. The recent trade tensions between the United States and China have weighed on base metal and coal prices. Production of steelmaking coal is Tecks largest business.

The company said its steelmaking coal operations were a bright spot in the quarter, with sales of 5.7 million tonnes, exceeding previous guidance of 4.8 to 5.2 million tonnes.

Our steelmaking coal operations had a strong finish to the quarter, exceeding our sales guidance with site costs well below expectations, Lindsay said.

However, he warned of slower coal deliveries in the coming quarter as customers put off orders.

It does feel similar to one of the quarters we had during 2008-2009. It lasted for a while, with the customers going through a dip in demand for their own products, Lindsay said. Were not talking about cancellation really. Its deferral to the next quarter.

While COVID-19 was behind Tecks decision to suspend construction at its QB2 long-life copper project, Lindsay said the pandemic highlights the value of the bronze metal due to its antimicrobial properties.

The COVID-19 virus dies within four hours on a copper surface, but lives for days and days on stainless steel or other surfaces, he said. We would hope that in the long-term the various public transit infrastructure and healthcare facilities will be using more copper.

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
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Apple Maps stepped up in providing all locations of COVID-19 testing sites for all 50 states, including Puerto Rico.

Read More: Video Chat App Marco Polo Chooses Subscription-Based To Keep Business Afloat And Servers Alive

Apple Maps is Here to Help You in Times You Need The Most

Apple Maps now shows the COVID-19 testing sites all across the 50 states as well as Puerto Rico as first reported by TechCrunch,

You can type in the search bar terms like "COVID-19 test" or "coronavirus test." It automatically tells you of the centers where you can get tested for COVID-19 if ever you feel the need or urge to do so. You would immediately know which is closest, and you can also share it with your friends and family, especially if you are concerned about them.

You will also see the "COVID-19 Testing" search term, which would appear at the top of the search bar for your convenience, similar to what you'd typically see if you type in something like "malls' or "coffee shops."

Apple Maps show all the relevant information in regards to the testing sites, which include the site's hours, address, phone number, and a stern warning that "COVID-19 testing may require a doctor's referral and an appointment at the testing center." This also provides a link to a website for the healthcare provider offering the tests.

This update on Apple Maps is due to Apple launching its new web portal just a week ago. The latest update lets hospitals and healthcare providers submit their information, which can be viewed on Apple Maps; this handy update was detected first by 9to5Mac.

Read More: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Warzone April 28 Full Patch Notes Is Out, Download Now While Reading This!

Google Maps is Not Far Behind Apple Maps

Google already began listing COVID-19 test centers to incorporate its search results in most states in the United States. The only states left that don't have the support yet are in Maine, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

It appears that the search doesn't nearly show as many testing centers in Google Maps compared to Apple's Apple Maps, for the time being at least.

For example, Apple Maps show several test centers in Arizona, while if you search it in Google Maps, the search doesn't show any testing center in the area. However, if you do a Google search instead, it will show testing centers within the state. Not to worry, since Google already told The Verge that they are working to streamline testing center information to Google Maps and not just in the search results.

Since then, Apple has made some updates to its mobility trends site. This includes adding more cities to the roster like Las Vegas, New Orleans, Portland, Salt Lake City, and San Diego.

Both Apple and Google have teamed up to create a coronavirus tracking system that will be built directly into iOS and Android sometime soon.

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
DETROIT -- A Michigan doctor who operated medical spa facilities across the U.S. was charged with one count each of health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud for an alleged multi-million dollar scam.

The fraud charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, unless the violation results in serious bodily injury to a patient. Then the maximum sentence is 20 years. If the violation results in death, a life sentence can be imposed.

The doctor is also accused of ordering employees known to have tested positive for COVID-19 to continue working with patients at the medical spa. However, criminal charges have not been filed in relation to those accusations.

According to an unsealed 47-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Dr. Charles Mok II, the lone defendant in the case, is the owner of the Allure Medical Spa. Mok is accused of having Allure falsely bill the federal medicare system for treatments given to patients.

A cooperating witness who worked directly with Mok and has access to company records shared information with investigators that showed the facility allegedly improperly billed Medicare for services that were unreasonable, unnecessary, or that simply did not occur as Allure reported to have occurred, according to the complaint.

The Allure offices in Shelby Township was raided last week by the FBI following contact with the witness and interviews with other employees of the company.

The complaint says that between Jan. 1, 2018 and April 7, 2020 Allure billed approximately 27,580 claims for services to 3,131 Medicare beneficiaries. Those billings totaled $41.4 million to Medicare and led to approximately $12.5 million paid to Allure. One billing code in particular -- code 36466 -- was used to bill Medicare at an extraordinary rate.

According to a peer comparison of Medicare data for the 2nd half of 2019, Allure was paid approximately $3.1 million, more than five times as much as the next highest practice in the nation, which was paid approximately $588,000 reads a portion of the complaint.

The complaint further alleges that Mok billed for cosmetic services at a rate far higher than nearly every other doctor in the country.

Mok himself has been identified as an extreme outlier for Michigan-based physicians. His billing records place him in the 99.9th percentile in the country in billings for potentially cosmetic procedures, reads the complaint.

Mok is also accused of falsely billing patients for a COVID-19 treatment that used heavy doses of Vitamin C to combat the virus. Despite no medical evidence that the treatment worked, Mok published a handful of videos promoting the service saying Vitamin C reduces the duration and severity of symptoms of COVID-19.

The investigation found that Allure submitted at least 98 claims to insurance companies, including Medicare for the vitamin treatments. In other statements, Mok said the treatment was not approved by the FDA, according to the complaint.

The witness who provided documents to investigators reported the facility saw more than 900 patients from March 24 through April 14. During that time, the witness said the waiting rooms were full and patients were not adhering to social distancing guidelines set forth by the state. Staff was also working without proper personal protective equipment and in close proximity to one another.

Many of the patients at the facility are older than 50 and have other health problems, according to the complaint.

At least five members of the staff tested positive for COVID-19 during that time, according to the complaint, but were allowed to continue working or return to work shortly after testing positive.

One nurse -- identified as employee 3 in the complaint -- who tested positive for the virus returned to work on April 9, the complaint alleges. After taking another COVID-19 test on April 17, the nurse allegedly told the cooperating witness that she was still positive for the virus. The nurse said Mok ordered her to continue to treating possible COVID-19 patients because she had already contracted the virus, according to the complaint.

Mok is also accused of telling another employee who tested positive for COVID 19 -- identified as employee 4 in the complaint -- not to tell colleagues about their positive test. Mok also told management not to mention the positive test to other employees because he didnt think it was warranted. That employee tested positive on March 30 and saw 69 patients from March 30 through April 8, according to the complaint.

Most of the patients treated by (employee 4) are over the age of 50 and many are in their 60s, 70s, and some patients are in their 80s, reads the complaint.

Mok was released on a $10,000 bond and a preliminary exam is scheduled for May 19.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

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After Glen Ridge Police Officer Charles Rob Roberts was rushed to a hospital April 22 with serious complications from coronavirus, his fellow officers wanted to help.

They took part in a vigil outside his hospital window in Essex County. Then, knowing Roberts love for the New York Mets, they went a step further.

The Glen Ridge Police Department partnered with the Zeuner Foundation to have Mets pitcher Steven Matz send an encouraging and heartfelt message Tuesday to Roberts and his family.

Hey Officer Rob, this is Steven Matz, the New York Mets, the New York native, who has been a Met since 2015, says in the video. I just want to reach out and let you know that were thinking about you and also your family and the Glen Ridge (Police) Department.

We pray that you get well soon, Matz says before inviting Roberts and fellow officers to see a Mets game at Citi Field at some point down the line.

Police Chief Sheila Byron-Lagattuta said the video was made to uplift Roberts and his family in their time of need. The Zeuner Foundation is a non-profit organization that was created to bring inspirational support to seriously ill hospital patients.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Roberts, 45, is one of several police officers diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Glen Ridge Police Department. He was taken by ambulance from his home to a hospital in Montclair after suffering life-threatening complications from the virus.

PBA Local 58 President Joe Uliano said Wednesday Roberts condition has remained unchanged since he entered the hospital. Hes fighting, hes hanging in, Uliano said.

Posted by Glen Ridge on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com.
An Iranian scientist, who is in the US immigration jail has contracted coronavirus, according to his family and attorneys. Dr. Sirous Asgari had been complaining about the inhumane conditions inside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) jail in Louisiana since March, pointing out his fragile health. On April 28, his lawyer learned that Asgari tested positive for coronavirus days after he was shifted to an isolated cell inside the jail.

Read: COVID-19: US Vice President Mike Pence Spotted At A Crowded Hospital Without Face Mask

According to reports, Asgari's family and his lawyer have been demanding for his release to a proper health care facility where he can receive treatment. Media reports suggest that Iran has called for a release of the scientists on humanitarian grounds, including some lawmakers from the United States and human rights groups. Asgari reportedly has a history of respiratory problems and is currently suffering from fever for the past few days, according to his lawyer.

Read: Pope Francis Urges People To Obey Rules As Leaders Begin To Ease Coronavirus Lockdowns

Asgari was exonerated in a US sanctions trial last year and is confined to a small room at the Winn correctional center in Louisiana, a state that is one of the worst affected regions in the United States. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has refused to release him or allow him to return to Iran. As per reports, Ice informed Asgari's lawyer about his COVID-19 test on April 28, but the scientist alleges that he was not told about the result and he only got to know when he called his family and attorneys.

Read: Good News: Boy Raises Rs 2.5 Lakh On WhatsApp To Provide Hand Sanitizer To Cops In Delhi

Asgari's case

Asgari was charged with fraud and trade secret theft relating to his work with a university in Ohio in 2017 and after a long trial, he was acquitted in November 2019, following which he was taken into custody by the Ice. According to reports, Asgari has two daughters living in the United States. Asgari has alleged that he is not served fresh food inside the jail and is given just a bowl of water, which he uses to wash his head as he was unable to shower while in isolation.

Read: UK Health Secretary Says Some Children Have Died From Syndrome Linked To COVID-19

(Image Credit: Wikipedia/labeled for reuse)
Religious leaders in Singapore, as well as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, joined the online Inter-Religious Organisation Day 2020 event. (PHOTO: Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore)

SINGAPORE  Religious leaders in Singapore affirmed a new Social Defence Pledge to maintain solidarity during crisis moments, particularly amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The pledge was launched online on Tuesday (28 April), which is the 71st anniversary of the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore (IRO).

It is an extension of the Commitment to Safeguard Religious Harmony initiative, which was launched last year at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies. More than 250 religious organisations in Singapore had signed the commitment then to safeguard religious harmony in the wake of growing inter-ethnic tensions across the globe.

Minister and religious leaders commemorate anniversary

Leaders from the following faith communities  Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Jain, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Bahai  joined Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu to commemorate the anniversary online.

During these challenging times, IROs role has become even more critical, Fu said during the online event.

Our religious leaders are showing solidarity by finding different ways of giving hope and comfort to our communities. The fight against COVID-19 will be a long one. By staying united as one people, we will prevail, and emerge stronger from this crisis.

Continuing inter-religious understanding despite challenges

IRO president, Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, said the pledge offers guidance to continue the development of inter-religious understanding during the challenge COVID-19 pandemic period.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives threatening our health, safety and jobs, he said.

While we are taking measures to cope with these issues, we must not be deterred from our long-term efforts to promote religious harmony. Initiatives to strengthen our social cohesion are even more vital now.

IRO has continued to build online engagement among religious groups during the COVID-19 circuit breaker period. Last Friday, for example, its youth wing members organised a video meeting to join Muslim members in the breaking of the Ramadan fast. IRO has also regularly conducted online sharing sessions, lectures and interfaith prayers.

Story continues

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

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Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) announces expected full service dates. Were extremely encouraged by our patients and their tenacity, persistence, and resilience in the face of such challenging times. We remain available to help them build their families in a safe environment.

Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) announced today it is expected to resume full-service fertility procedures and treatments at select locations over the coming days and weeks, with many essential services already available.

SGF Fertility Treatments Available Immediately

Specifically, patients in need of a virtual physician consultation, diagnostic testing, ovulation induction (OI), intrauterine insemination (IUI), frozen embryo transfer (FET), in vitro fertilization (IVF) for at-risk patients, and oncofertility preservation may start or resume treatment immediately.

SGF Fertility Treatments Available Soon

Patients in need of IVF, donor egg treatment, or gestational carrier treatment will have the option to start or resume treatment on the following dates:

New York: April 27, 2020

Richmond, VA: May 4, 2020

Maryland, Northern Virginia, D.C.: May 10, 2020

Pennsylvania: May 11, 2020

Georgia: Week of May 11, 2020

Florida: May 15, 2020

Infertility is a Time-Sensitive Medical Diagnosis

Due to the tremendous efforts of thousands of frontline healthcare professionals and the community at large, many regions with the United States who were once dramatically affected by the COVID-19 crisis are finally beginning to experience a reduction in the number of new cases and hospitalizations.

While this is not business as usual, we were able to come up with care solutions that we can offer in a safe, very new and different environment; an environment that allows access to care with appropriate protection against the spread of COVID-19. As part of the medical community, we recognize the unique challenges an infertility diagnosis presents. Its a disease that has an enormous time-sensitivity attached to it, as well as physical, emotional, and financial implications. Many of our patients have been actively trying for months, or more often, years to have a baby, said Eric A. Widra, M.D., SGF Chief Medical Officer and board certified reproductive endocrinologist, who sees patients in SGFs Washington, D.C., locations.

We believe healthy people should not be denied access to care if it does not unduly threaten public health or drain resources from the healthcare system. As freestanding, non-hospital-based, single specialty treatment centers, the resources SGF utilizes treat patients do not draw from the same pool as those available to take care of patients suffering from COVID-19 and other serious conditions, added Widra.

Were extremely encouraged by our patients and their tenacity, persistence, and resilience in the face of such challenging times. We remain available to help them build their families in a safe environment, added Widra.

For SGFs most up-to-date safety guidelines, visit ShadyGroveFertility.com or follow SGF on Facebook or Instagram.

To schedule a new patient virtual physician consult, call 1-888-761-1967.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and counting. With 38 locations throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, we offer patients virtual physician consults, individualized care, accept most insurance plans, and make treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including treatment guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
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If the actions taken by Leftist governments and politicians bewilder you and have you asking yourself how anyone can think or do things like that, know that what youre seeing is nothing new. Their driving philosophy and behaviors have been around a long time and are on display in many biblical accounts, especially in the life of Christ.

The Left and Post-Truth

To understand the motivations and actions of the Left, you have to understand post-truth philosophy. Despite being declared the word of the year in 2016 by Oxford Dictionaries[1], many dont have a clear understanding of what post-truth is, how it differs from other philosophies like Postmodernism, and its long history.

Postmodernism has always been a type of mood that eschews objective truth; very much a true for you, but not for me way of thinking. By contrast, post-truth has the courage to lift the kimono higher than postmodernists ever dared to reveal its true motives and is a step down into a darker place. Post-truth adherents view facts as irrelevant or less important than individual beliefs, opinions, political agendas, social causes, and emotional appeals when it comes to considering a truth claim.

Post-truth presents in one of two modes  soft or hard. The soft mode comes into play when personal preferences result in the discarding of facts, whereas the hard mode goes a step further to propagate blatant lies and distortions of facts in order to support an agenda.

Because, as Thomas Aquinas said, The contrary of a truth can never be demonstrated[2], suppression of the truth (see Romans 1:18) is typically practiced first by post-truth advocates, followed by ignoring the truth, and finally, distorting and lying about the truth. Any attempt by someone to reference objective truth becomes an adversary, much like what Paul asked his Galatian readers: So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:16).

You and I can expect nothing less in todays politically-charged, post-truth culture. What Richard Weaver said in his book Ideas Have Consequences is spot on: Nothing good can come if the will is wrong. And to give evidence to him who loves not the truth is to give him more plentiful material for misinterpretation.[3]

Mix post-truth and the Leftist philosophy that was resurrected in 18th century France, which is characterized by power-mongering, intolerance, arrogance, distortion, and a hateful rage of Gods truth, and you have one very deadly cocktail. There are many biblical accounts that showcase how this poison was active in the time of Christ; for the sake of space, well look at just a few.

Enforcing the Post-Truth Moral Code

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath (Matt. 12:1-2).

Today, we see the Left using post-truth thinking to craft a morally-bankrupt playbook that they use in conjunction with an agenda of relentless faultfinding and public castigation. Any artificial nods to tolerance given in the past have been cast aside for its true self, which manifests now in extreme intolerance and zero forgiveness for any supposed transgression.

It was the same in Jesus time. The Pharisees had added to and distorted Gods Law so badly that it was unrecognizable from the form God intended. Any violation of their distorted set of dos-and-donts was met with a swift, punishing hand.

Can you imagine being hounded to the point where you and your group are followed everywhere and constantly confronted for any supposed infraction to another groups made-up moral code? It happened to Jesus back then and it happens constantly today. For example, talk to any baker, photographer, etc., who wont play ball with a gay wedding and youll get the picture.

Ignoring Correction and Evidence

Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?  so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then He said to the man, Stretch out your hand! He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him (Matt. 12:9-14).

Right after the episode of the disciples picking wheat, we find the enemies of Jesus trying again to trick Him so that they might accuse Him. They ignored His Sabbath-breaking corrections in the grainfields and they do so again when it comes to Him healing a man with a crippling physical disability.

But it goes further this time. They not only ignore His corrective instruction but, amazingly, also wave away His supernatural miracle that confirms He is from God (cf. John 3:2). And then they begin to discuss how they might destroy Him, with the word destroy in the Greek meaning to cause something to perish.

Adherents to Leftism and post-truth are typically immune to being corrected in their thinking, no matter how strong the evidence (e.g. Jesus miracle). In fact, correction often enrages them to the point where they consider the idea of violence against their accusers a real possibility.

Lies, Character Assassination and Muddled Thinking

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, This man cannot be the Son of David, can he? But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons (Matt. 12:22-24).

A little later in the same chapter, we find Jesus performing yet another miracle that is ignored by His enemies. Infuriated that the crowd is starting to get the picture of who Jesus really is, the Pharisees now stoop to lies and character assassination.

Because they are emotionally vs. cerebrally-driven, post-truth adherents are victims of muddled thinking and their arguments would be laughingly bad (Satan casting out Satan??) if they werent so disturbing. Such is the case with the Pharisees attempt to slander Jesus, which He points out to them (vv. 25-28), but naturally His reproof falls on deaf ears.

The Final Solution

The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus (John 12:9-11).

The acts of Jesus enemies ignoring His miraculous evidence reaches a zenith when they look past Christ raising Lazarus from the dead and explicitly make plans to murder Him (John 11:53). But they incredibly extend their murderous intentions to included Lazarus because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

The resurrection of Leftism in France was marked by raw emotional violence and murder that would remove anything and anyone that got in the way of the movements pride, greed and pursuit of power. If you think that spirit is not with us today, visit any Leftist social media site and see how they react to any opposing thought or read through Yancey and Williamsons book So Many Christians, So Few Lions.

Is There an Antidote for Post-Truth and Leftist Thinking?

Combine a philosophy that discards reality and objective truth with a condescending amoral power-hungry movement that can act violently while believing its actions are moral and you have a real dumpster fire on your hands. Is there hope for the people who are caught up in it?

There is. I know a guy who was on the same, wrong path. He was mean, arrogant, and nasty, plus he was relentless in his persecution of Christians even down to being murderously violent. But the Apostle Paul got his heavenly wake-up call from Christ, and afterwards had this to say:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life (1 Tim. 1:12-16).

So, yes, there is hope for those currently ensnared by post-truth and Leftist thinking. The example of Christ changing Saul into Paul shows He can change anyone into a loving child of God.

[1] https://languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/2016/

[2] https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/26432-summa-theologica

[3] https://tinyurl.com/tc2h4m8
Image Frank Tommasini celebrating his 99th birthday last fall with Anthony Tommasini. Credit... Anthony Tommasini

I admire the character of John Maclean in A River Runs Through It and sense the deep, if unspoken, closeness within his family, which emanates especially from their modest mother (the always affecting Brenda Blethyn). Yet what still baffles me about this erudite father is that he seems not only unable to help Paul, but almost unwilling to try. Its as if, according to his understanding, the Christian way is to respect the free will of every adult, even when its your reckless son.

As we see in early scenes, John Maclean brings up his two boys, Norman, three years older, and Paul, by imparting strict moral and educational codes and instilling in them his own devotion to fly-fishing. Norman, narrating the story years later (voiced by Redford), explains: In our family there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing. After all, as the father liked to point out, Jesus disciples were fisherman.

John home-schools the boys. And if the lessons include any math or science, we see no evidence. Their curriculum seems focused on reading books and writing essays about what they read. John Maclean would have been a brutally effective newspaper editor. He takes the essays, makes corrections, then tells his sons to rewrite them so theyre half as long. When they do so, he makes more corrections, then demands they trim by half again! Only when the daily essays are concise and clear are the boys free to catch trout from the river.

Both sons wind up choosing writing professions. Norman (a stalwart, sensitive Craig Sheffer), attends Dartmouth and is away for six years. When he returns, Paul has become an enterprising reporter for a newspaper in Helena. He has also grown into a master fly-fisherman, devising techniques unknown even to his father.

As children the boys routinely fished with their father. Now that the brothers are independent adults, these outings, filmed with plush, enthralling imagery, have become intense male-bonding sessions where feelings are deep but words are few.
Four police personnel,



including a female constable, were injured when they were attacked on Wednesday at a village in East Champaran district by locals who grew livid over reprimand from the law enforcers for loitering around in defiance of the lockdown, a senior official said.

Superintendent of Police, East Champaran, Naveen Chandra Jha, said 40 people have been arrested so far in connection with the attack on the police party at Sirasi Bazar under Pakri Dayal police station that took place during the day.

He said the injured personnel were part of a seven-member police party which was attacked when in the course of patrolling they rebuked men and women who were spotted roaming around on motorcycles and on foot.

The loiterers picked up sticks and rods from the wayside and attacked the police party, seriously injuring four while other received bruises, the SP said. adding that all the grievously wounded police personnel have been admitted to a hospital.

Jha also said raids were continuing to identify and nab more culprits and that police was also investigating as to whether some of the attackers were involved in illegal liquor trade who might have been frustrated over demolition of distilleries in the village a few days ago.

Sale and consumption of alcohol was completely banned in the state by the Nitish Kumar government four years ago.

This is the second instance, within a fortnight, of government officials being attacked in the district while trying to implement coronavirus-induced lockdown.

On April 15, a block development officer and three police personnel were injured in a similar attack by villagers in Harsidhi police station area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid the coronavirus crisis, while the country deals with the second phase of the lockdown, a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis. Bollywood actors have stepped up to support people from all walks of life by donating and pledging funds for them.

For instance, Salman Khan has been donating to the daily wage workers in the industry like the artistes and labourers with funds and necessary goods. Earlier this week, the actor had pledged to financially help 25,000 daily wage artistes of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), after their livelihood was severely affected due to the Coronavirus lockdown.

 Viral Bhayani

Now, the Dabangg actor is also reaching out and funding artists from AILAA, which stands for the All India Look-Alike Association. Prashant Walde, who has worked in the industry for long as a Shah Rukh Khan, informed Bombay Times, Arif Khan whos the President of the association and I, as a Joint Secretary of the association we approached FWICE for help. Since there are no film or ad shoots and events going on, the lookalikes have been jobless. Some of them have been in a dire state. So, we reached out for help. We are thankful to have grabbed Salman Bhai's attention. There are a total of 162 lookalikes from all over India listed with us and the actor funded each one of us individually.



 Viral Bhayani

He further adds, Each one of us received Rs 3000 under the name of Being Human Foundation. In a day or two, we are expected to have Rs 3000 again. We are also getting Rs 2000 coupons to buy groceries as well.

 Viral Bhayani

Talking about the same, Arif, who's an Anil Kapoor lookalike, says, I am really thankful to Salman, and BN Tiwari, the President of FWICE. They have saved many sinking boats.



We're glad that Salman is taking care of struggling people of the industry.
Los Angeles: Former Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has officially endorsed Joe Biden for US president, following in the footsteps of other major Democratic figures in an attempt to defeat Donald Trump in his race for re- election.

Clinton made the announcement at the beginning of Biden's virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), during which Biden introduced Clinton as "the woman who should be president of the United States right now".

"I am thrilled to be part of your campaign and to not only endorse you, but to help highlight a lot of the issues that are at stake in this presidential election," Clinton said.

Hillary Clinton speaks to Joe Biden about endorsing him for US president during a virtual event seen on a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia. Credit:Bloomberg

"Just think of the difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science ... but brought us together and showed the kind of compassion and caring that we need from our president, which Joe Biden has been exemplifying throughout his entire life."
ROME - The Alarm Phone rescue alert service said on Wednesday that 62 people on board a boat in Malta's search-and-rescue (SAR zone are in danger. ''During the night we were called by a boat in danger that has fled Libya with 62 people on board, including 13 women and six children.



They were in Malta's SAR area. We tried for the whole night to warn Malta's armed forces but they are not replying on the phone or to emails'', said Alarm Phone.
More than 40% of coronavirus-related deaths in Texas have been linked to nursing homes and assisted-living centers  a spike from just 30% two weeks ago, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

The review found that 33% of deaths related to COVID-19 as of Tuesday were connected to nursing homes, with an additional 9% linked to assisted-living facilities.

Nationally, the death rate for the 23 states that report nursing-home fatalities is 27%, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Gov. Greg Abbott this week directed the states health and human services agency to develop additional guidance for nursing homes. Despite loosening some restrictions on non-essential businesses, Abbott said Monday he would maintain protections on the most vulnerable people, including those at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

We will also redouble our efforts to protect seniors in nursing homes, and other senior living facilities, Abbott said. That includes things like better infectious disease protocols at senior living centers. The bottom line is this: The more we do to protect our vulnerable senior population, the faster we can safely open business in Texas.

Although Abbott has not followed the lead of Marylands governor in creating strike teams to respond to nursing home outbreaks, officials in Galveston and Harris counties have announced new initiatives, from increased testing in Galveston County to a strike team in Harris County.

More testing needed

As of Monday, at least 231 coronavirus-related deaths were in nursing facilities, according to the Texas Health & Human Services Commission. At least 59 deaths were in assisted living facilities. There were a total of 688 deaths statewide linked to the new coronavirus as of that date, according to state data and Chronicle reporting. Two weeks ago, there were a total of 94 deaths at such facilities.

In anticipation of Abbotts phased reopening of the states economy, Houston-area health agencies on Monday detailed plans to ramp up coronavirus testing at nursing homes and in at-risk communities with large numbers of minorities, which have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

Experts say the state needs to be similarly aggressive in testing staffers and residents at long-term care facilities.

Statewide, our HHSC survey teams are on site in nursing facilities and actively investigating and monitoring them to assess compliance with all applicable health and safety rules, said Kelli Weldon, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Commission, in a written statement.

Amanda Fredriksen, associate state director for advocacy and outreach at AARP Texas, said this protocol is too reactive, particularly as many people infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic carriers. She said nursing homes should be testing staff on a weekly basis and ensuring that any employees that have regular direct contact with residents are wearing sufficient personal protective equipment.

The emphasis on testing is good, but the frustration still is that the trigger point (for investigation) is a positive case in the facility, Fredriksen said. It just seems like at that point, the damage has already been done.

On the recommendation of federal officials, Abbott banned most visitors more than a month ago from nursing homes in an attempt to protect residents from infection. Later, the prohibition was extended to assisted living centers.

Nursing homes typically take the temperatures of employees, but experts concede those screenings wont reveal someone not showing any symptoms of COVID-19. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its criteria to guide testing to include asymptomatic people in long-term care facilities as priorities.

Patty Ducayet, the states long-term care ombudsman, said the poor quality of certain nursing homes throughout the state, even before the coronavirus outbreak, could be skewing the overall numbers.

Pandemics are something we should have been preparing for, and we know facilities will probably learn an incredible number of lessons from this experience, Ducayet said, adding that shed like to see a statewide measure barring nursing home employees from working at more than one facility.

Officials have said such cross-pollination likely contributed to an outbreak at a Texas City nursing home where more than 80 residents and staff tested positive and at least one resident died.

Localities increase tests

Brian Lee, executive director of the Austin-based watchdog group Families For Better Care, said Texass nursing home quality has been bottom of the barrel in the nation for years. For three straight years, Texas has ranked last in the nation in the organizations annual report card that analyzes nursing home quality.

To curb the spread, Lee said, the state needs to increase transparency and release names of facilities with outbreaks, not just data on infections and deaths, as well as mandate testing of all residents and staff when there is a confirmed case in a facility.

The state needs to take more of a leadership role than they have been, Lee said. Because the nursing homes are not slowing the curve, stopping the spread. All were doing is were seeing an escalation in outbreaks and deaths, and they need help.

In Texas, a total of 282 nursing facilities were reporting coronavirus cases as of Monday  representing 23% of all licensed facilities across the state. A total of 85 assisted living facilities had cases  representing 4% of facilities across the state.

The state has not disclosed the number of deaths by county in nursing homes and assisted living centers.

New fedral rules require nursing homes to report coronavirus cases to the CDC to help the federal government better track outbreaks and work to prevent them. The facilities were already required to report that data to state and local health officials.

Assisted living centers wont be subject to those rules, however, because unlike nursing homes, theyre not federally regulated and instead are overseen by the states.

Local officials are stepping up testing efforts in the absence of a more defined state role.

Beginning Tuesday, Harris County Public Health will deploy a strike team to test for COVID-19 at nursing homes and other community living settings. For now, epidemiologists, social workers and clinicians will only able to visit one nursing home per day until more resources become available.

Harris Countys efforts mirror initiatives already underway in Galveston County to test more nursing-home residents and workers.

Philip Keiser, the countys local health authority, said four different nursing homes have now reported outbreaks, with 21 of the countys 24 deaths coming from those facilities. The health district has retested many nursing home residents after two weeks  the point at which patients should recover from the disease, per the CDC  and found that many were still infected.

What Im concerned is going on, Keiser said, is that these people are still potentially infectious, and then youve got people crowded together in a nursing home, and even though everyones doing the best they can to (isolate) it, it still might not be enough.

Jordan Rubio contributed to this report.
Update: 29-04-2020 | 13:50:46

The EU announced on April 27 that it is mobilising 350 million EUR (378 million USD) in an effort to help ASEAN members fight COVID-19.

In Bangkok, Thailand

In a statement, EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans said ASEAN could count on the EU in difficult times, adding that the two are regional organisations bound by 42 years of solidarity and partnership.

By mobilising 350 million EUR in support of ASEAN countries, the EU is demonstrating its friendship with the people of the region, he said.

The funds will be allocated for addressing the health crisis, strengthening healthcare systems, and alleviating the economic and social impacts of the pandemic.

The EU will also help Vietnam introduce measures against the epidemic and soon realise the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

Earlier, on April 4, the EU announced it would commit more than 20 billion EUR (21.7 billion USD) to support partner countries in the fight against COVID-19 under a programme called Team Europe.

It will distribute the funds to vulnerable countries in Africa, the western Balkans, eastern partner countries, the Middle East and North Africa, parts of Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

The EU also channelled some 48.5 million EUR (52.7 million USD) to fund 18 research projects on COVID-19, particularly those relating to protective equipment, to improve modelling of the spread of the virus, rapid diagnostic techniques, and treatments and vaccines./.

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President Donald Trump, left, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, listen to Senior Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump as she speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington on April 28, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump Reacts After Politico Admits Inexcusable Error in Reporting on Loans He Took

President Donald Trump on Wednesday reacted to Politico making major corrections to a story it wrote about loans Trump took on in 2012.

The original article claimed Trump owed tens of millions of dollars to China, citing one of his real estate partners refinancing a building for $1 billion in a deal that included $211 million from the Bank of China.

But the outlet was forced to significantly alter the piece when the bank said it sold the debt just weeks after the deal was completed, making the article eight years too late.

In an unsigned editors note, Politico said reporters did not contact the Bank of China before the report was published. Matt Kaminski, Politicos editor in chief, told staffers in a note that we got a central premise of our original story wrong.

Kaminski called not reaching out to the bank before publication a basic and inexcusable fault.

Matt Kaminski, Politicos editor in chief, in a 2017 file photograph. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

Politico did not publicly apologize to Trump, who shared Kaminskis note and wrote in a statement: At least they admit it.

The New York Times and Washington Post never correct their Fake Reporting! he added.

The White House didnt respond to a request for comment. Politico didnt respond to questions about whether the three reporters who worked on the story would face punitive action for failing to reach out to the bank.

Brad Parscale, Trumps campaign manager, said it was good to see Politico own up to its colossal so-called fake news report.

Now, if only the media pursued Hunter Bidens Chinese business deals or asked Sleepy Joe about Tara Reade! he added, referring to the son of former Vice President Joe Biden and a woman who recently accused Biden of sexual assault.

A man walks past an old Bank of China building in Hong Kong in 2019. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

Eric Trump, one of the presidents sons, said he spoke to a reporter for 30 minutes before the story was published and told them their facts were wrong.

They want to get us so badly (and cover for Biden true corruption) that they ended up looking like complete fools, he added.

In the unsigned editors note, Politico said the story has been updated twice.

Our commitment at POLITICO is to journalism that gets its facts straight. We regret we fell short in this case, it stated.
The town clerks are asking the Select Board to consider reducing hours for this year's town election, postponed to June 23.

Williamstown Encouraging Voters to Obtain Mail-In Ballots

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Select Board on Monday discussed the possibility of cutting back on polling hours for the annual town election that already has been postponed to June in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And town officials strongly advised voters to take advantage of the mail-in voting already under way.

Town Clerks Mary Kennedy and Nicole Pedercini addressed the board at its twice-monthly virtual meeting to talk about the adjustments being made for the now June 23 election day.

Kennedy said the town has arranged to install plastic shields at the polling station at Williamstown Elementary School to protect poll workers. And the town is in the process of procuring facemasks for its workers.

But one concern is finding workers willing to staff the election if the novel coronavirus still is a threat.

Normally, the town runs two shifts of 12 workers apiece over the course of election days, which traditionally run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Kennedy, who is set to retire in May, and Pedercini, Kennedy's successor, said they are concerned about whether they will be able to get commitments from 24 workers.

"If we can reduce the hours for the actual day of the election, we won't need as many poll workers," Pedercini said. "We're seeing a lot of towns where people have started asking and checking in with their workers for a May election, and one person said 60 percent [of the regular workers] said, 'No.' I think more and more people are going to be saying no.

"A lot of the poll workers are retired, so they're an older age group. I can understand their fear. If we reduced the hours, we would only need, hopefully, one shift."

The clerks told the board that they can wait until one of their May meetings to decide whether to cut the polling hours on June 23. By then, the town hopes to have a better read on voters' adoption of the mail-in ballot option.

If the mail-in "turnout" is on a pace to match the typical turnout for a town election, then it is more likely that the hours could be cut back without affecting total turnout.

This year, there is one contested race on the town election ballot, for a five-year seat on the Planning Board between incumbent Alex Carlisle and newcomer Peter Beck. That is the same number of contested races as last year when 953 voters went to the polls. In 2018, when there were two contested races on the ballot, 702 voters cast ballots, Kennedy said.

"The more people who take advantage sooner rather than later by voting, the better," Town Manager Jason Hoch said. "Nothing would make me happier than to have us having our conversation about setting hours and have 700 ballots that have gone out and come back. I'd love to be planning for fewer than 200 on-site votes that day."

Mail-in voting usually only is allowed for absentee ballots, and a voter is asked to affirm that he or she will not be in town on election day. This year, the commonwealth has opened up mail-in balloting for all voters in local and state elections in light of the pandemic.

Voters must submit an application with their signature requesting a mail-in ballot. In Williamstown, the applications are available in boxes outside Town Hall and the Harper Center senior center on Church Street and on the town's website . The signatures are key on the applications  which can be returned by mail, dropped off or emailed to Pedercini, because the clerk needs to verify that the ballots are going to the voter in question.

As for the in-person balloting  which towns still are required to have  the clerks are not sure what hours they plan to suggest to the Select Board for consideration.

"We are required to be open at noon time, and it has to be at least four hours," Pedercini said.

Hoch told the board that while the town has been unable to obtain the face masks it needs for the June 23 election yet, there is nearly two months to go, and he expects the supply chain to look different by then.

"By that time, hopefully the rest of us will be supplied with masks to go about our daily lives," Hoch said.

Kennedy said she will be watching what happens at other local elections in May to see whether voters are following state recommendations on social distancing and personal protective equipment.

She said that one town clerk had asked the attorney general whether towns could require voters to wear masks, and it is still an open question in the commonwealth.

In other business on Monday night, Hoch told the board he continues to be pleasantly surprised with the number of taxpayers who have paid the property tax bills due May 1.

As for the rest of the town's revenues, he said it still is unknown how much of a hit they will take from the COVID-19 crisis, but he remains hopeful that the town's fiscal 2021 budget can withstand the shortfalls.

"We know we're losing significant money with the meals tax, the lodging tax, the cannabis tax," Hoch said.

"One thing that works in our favor is we tend to set our budgeted revenues in those areas very conservatively. You've heard me say that in previous years  you budget a low number so you can survive an economic downturn. I'm not sure I budgeted for this kind of downturn, but the reality is we may perform a lot closer to budget than normal."

Hoch said the most noticeable impacts to the budget may be a reduction in capital outlays, which had been up a little this year in the original budget and a decrease in the amount of money that ends up going to free cash over the course of FY21 because the town will be using higher percentage of the revenue it does take in.

He also said Monday that the town has been waiting for weather conditions to allow the repaving of Spring Street, which requires dry days and temperatures above 40 degrees at 7 a.m.

"We are hoping Wednesday this week is the day," he said.
The former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that the US needs to 'win the vaccine race' and become the first country to develop a jab to protect against the coronavirus.

Dr Scott Gottlieb, who led the federal agency between 2017 and April 2019, says that China and several countries in Europe are currently in the advanced stages of vaccine development.

In a op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, he says its vital the US manufactures the first vaccine because it will then be the first nation to recover.

'The first country to the finish line will be first to restore its economy and global influence,' Gottiieb wrote.

'America risks being second. While friendly nations will try to share a successful product - to a point - the US can't rely on vaccines from China or even Europe being available in America quickly.'

Dr Scott Gottlieb was the US Food and Drug Administration commissioner from 2017 to April 2019. Pictured: Gottlieb speaks during his confirmation hearing before a Senate committee, in Washington, DC, April 2017

He says its vital the US manufactures the first vaccine because it will then be the first nation to recover. Pictured: A scientist at RNA medicines company Arcturus Therapeutics research a vaccine for the coronavirus in San Diego, California, March 2020

Gottlieb points to China and several countries in Europe that have jabs in advanced stages of development. Pictured: Rescue workers push a stretcher with a patient outside the ER area at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, April 20

There are currently more than 70 companies in countries around the world working on vaccine development.

Gottileb goes on to write that scientists in China have made fast progress, with three vaccines entering advanced development.

Wang Guiqiang, director of infectious diseases at Peking University's First Hospital, told China Daily that the country has five types of vaccines in development, with the potential to be on the market by next year.

He also points to progress being made in Europe, where several candidates are under research or have begun testing in humans.

This week, Oxford University in the UK announces it was enrolling more than 6,000 participants in a trial to show the vaccine is safe and effective

With emergency approval and if the vaccine works, 'a few million' doses could be available as early as September.

Of those 70 companies working on developing vaccines, Gottlieb writes that 'fewer than 20 have the experience and manufacturing scale to pull a product through development.'

What's more, of those 20, only five or six operate mainly in the US.

This 'means foreign governments might try to make a claim on a vaccine before America can,' Gottlieb writes in The Journal.

'To win the race to a vaccine, America needs to engineer a development and regulatory process that is unprecedented in scope and urgency.'

Among the steps that need to be taken include testing at least six different vaccine candidates at the same time, he says.

There also needs to be parallel development, mainly the FDA teaming up with companies to conduct safety testing while vaccine testing is assessed in cells or animal models.

Gottlieb adds that a large safety database should be created so that researchers known as soon as possible when a vaccine works.

'The government should also give grants to manufacturers with the most promising vaccines to rush the construction of large factories and other facilities,' he wrote.

In the US, there are currently more than 1.05 million confirmed of the virus and more than 60,000 deaths.
(Photo : REUTERS/Loren Elliott) People surf as Bondi Beach reopens to surfers and swimmers after it was closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with strict social distancing measures remaining in place, in Sydney, Australia, April 28, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Loren Elliott) People walk and jog at the walk side of Bondi Beach after the beach reopens to surfers and swimmers after it was closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with strict social distancing measures remaining in place, in Sydney, Australia, April 28, 2020.

A health expert explained that going under the sun for 10 minutes daily can reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus.

With the lingering effects of the coronavirus, boosting immunity and maintaining a healthy body decreases the risk of contracting it. Aside from taking vitamins, a Daily Mail report claims that staying under the sun can also help.

Dr. Rachel Neale, an Australian skin cancer researcher, said that low levels of vitamin D increase one's vulnerability to the virus. Skin produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.

Dr. Neale told The Australian, "It would make sense that being vitamin D deficient would increase the risk of having symptomatic COVID-19 and potentially having worse symptoms. And that's because vitamin D seems to have important effects on the immune system."

Dr. Neale found last year that high vitamin D intake lowers the risk of acute respiratory infections. COVID-19 is also a respiratory illness that has so far affected 3,124,308 worldwide.

A study among 78,000 patients showed that people with vitamin D deficiency have almost twice the risk of developing acute respiratory infections than those with high levels of vitamin D. The former also tend to be sick longer.

To kindle her body to produce vitamin D, Neale sits under the sun in Brisbane for 5 to 10 minutes every day while those from Sydney should stay for about 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, due to a colder climate in Melbourne, residents should expose themselves to sunlight for a little longer.

While the doctor does not take vitamin D supplements, she accepts they are useful for people who cannot go out.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to severe COVID-19

Meanwhile, researchers from the Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland echoed the importance of vitamin D in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Eamon Laird and Professor Rose Ann Keley from Trinity College have teamed up with Professor Jon Rhodes and Dr. Sree Subramanian from the University of Liverpool to study the effects of vitamin D and the COVID-19 mortality rate worldwide.

The study, which was published in the Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics as an editorial, stated that countries in the Southern Hemisphere like Australia have a low mortality rate.

For instance, Australia only had 84 deaths out of 6,731 total COVID-19 cases, which is just 1.2%. Their recovery rate is 83% with 5,626 total number of recovered patients.

In contrast, those in the Northern Hemisphere where sunlight is insufficient during spring and winter, except for Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

According to a Nutra Ingredients report, vitamin D helps regulate and suppress the "inflammatory cytokine response" that triggers the severity of CoVID-19 as well as the acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is linked to COVID-19 deaths.

While the study suggests having further studies on the relation of Vitamin D and the coronavirus, it also urges the governments to promote the boosting of vitamin D to about 1,000 units per day.

"It is time for governments to strengthen recommendations for vitamin D intake and supplementation, particularly when under lockdown Vitamin D deficiency correlates with poor sunlight exposure, age, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and ethnicity - all features associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19," the study stated.

Read Also: Vitamins C and D Can Help Prevent COVID-19 as WHO Says Immunity is Not Guaranteed; Numbers of VA Patients with Coronavirus Continue Rising

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SHANGHAI, China, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NIO Inc. (NIO or the Company) (NYSE: NIO), a pioneer in Chinas premium smart electric vehicle market, today announced that it entered into definitive agreements for investments in NIO China with a group of investors (collectively, the Strategic Investors) led by Hefei City Construction and Investment Holding (Group) Co., Ltd., CMG-SDIC Capital Co., Ltd., and Anhui Provincial Emerging Industry Investment Co., Ltd.



Under the definitive agreements, the Strategic Investors will invest an aggregate of RMB7 billion in cash into NIO (Anhui) Holding Ltd., the legal entity of NIO China. NIO will inject its core businesses and assets in China, including vehicle research and development, supply chain, sales and services and NIO Power (the Asset Consideration), into NIO China. The Asset Consideration is valued at RMB17.77 billion, as calculated based on 85% of the average market value of NIO Inc. over the thirty public trading days preceding April 21, 2020. Further, NIO will invest RMB4.26 billion in cash into NIO China. Upon the completion of the investments, NIO will hold 75.9% of controlling equity interests in NIO China, and the Strategic Investors will collectively hold the remaining 24.1%.

The Company expects the closing of the investments to take place in the second quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Strategic Investors and NIO will each inject cash into NIO China in five installments, namely (i) RMB3.5 billion and RMB1.278 billion respectively within five business days of the satisfaction of closing conditions, (ii) RMB1.5 billion and RMB1.278 billion respectively on or prior to June 30, 2020, (iii) RMB1 billion and RMB0.852 billion respectively on or prior to September 30, 2020, (iv) RMB0.5 billion and RMB0.426 billion respectively on or prior to December 31, 2020, and (v) RMB0.5 billion and RMB0.426 billion respectively on or prior to March 31, 2021. Moreover, the Asset Consideration shall be injected into NIO China within one year of closing.

NIO China will establish its headquarters in the Hefei Economic and Technological Development Area (HETA), where the Companys main manufacturing hub is located, for its business operation, research and development, sales and services, supply chain and manufacturing functions. NIO will collaborate with the Strategic Investors and HETA to develop NIO Chinas business and to support the accelerated development of the smart electric vehicle sectors in Hefei in the future.

The investment is another important milestone of NIO for its long-term growth. After receiving the investments from the Strategic Investors, NIO will have more sufficient funds to support its business development, to enhance its leadership in the products and technologies of smart electric vehicles and to offer services exceeding users expectation. Additionally, the Company believes the launch of NIO China headquarters in Hefei enables NIO to improve its operational efficiency and to sustain its growth and competitiveness in the long run.

This press release is not an exhaustive summary of the terms of the definitive agreements. Further information regarding the investments and the terms of the definitive agreements will be included in NIOs subsequent filings with the SEC, including its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (the 2019 Annual Report). The Company is preparing the related disclosure in and translation of the documents to be filed with the 2019 Annual Report in connection with the definitive agreements. The Company plans to rely on the 15-day extension period for filing its 2019 Annual Report under Rule 12b-25 and will file the 2019 Annual Report by May 15, 2020 as permitted under rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About NIO Inc.

NIO Inc. is a pioneer in Chinas premium smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIOs mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle by offering premium smart electric vehicles and being the best user enterprise. NIO designs, jointly manufactures, and sells smart and connected premium electric vehicles, driving innovations in next generation technologies in connectivity, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence. Redefining the user experience, NIO provides users with comprehensive, convenient and innovative charging solutions and other user-centric services. NIO began deliveries of the ES8, a 7-seater high-performance premium electric SUV in China in June 2018, and its variant, the six-seater ES8, in March 2019. NIO officially launched the ES6, a 5-seater high-performance premium electric SUV, in December 2018 and began deliveries in June 2019. NIO officially launched the EC6, a 5-seater smart premium electric Coupe SUV, in December 2019 and plans to commence deliveries in 2020.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as will, expects, anticipates, aims, future, intends, plans, believes, estimates, likely to and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement, as well as NIOs strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. NIO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about NIOs beliefs, plans and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: NIOs strategies; NIOs future business development, financial condition and results of operations; NIOs ability to develop and manufacture a car of sufficient quality and appeal to customers on schedule and on a large scale; its ability to grow manufacturing in collaboration with partners; its ability to provide convenient charging solutions to its customers; its ability to satisfy the mandated safety standards relating to motor vehicles; its ability to secure supply of raw materials or other components used in its vehicles; its ability to secure sufficient reservations and sales of the ES8 and ES6; its ability to control costs associated with its operations; its ability to build the NIO brand; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in NIOs filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and NIO does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.nio.com

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

NIO Inc.

Investor Relations

Tel: +86-21-6908-2018

Email: ir@nio.com

Source: NIO
Emory students Gabi Davis and Lucy Wainger are Emory Universitys 2020 recipients of the Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts, honoring the graduating senior or seniors who have demonstrated exceptional promise in the performing or creative arts.

The Sudler Prize, given annually at Emory and a select group of colleges across the nation, including Princeton, Duke and MIT, is accompanied by a $6,000 award.

Gabi Davis: Making connections through photography

Photographer Gabi Davis is the first Sudler Prize recipient to come from Emory Colleges Integrated Visual Arts Co-major, a program allows undergraduate students to explore visual media and art making while developing creative skills in connection with a second major in any field of study at Emory. Davis completed the study alongside a major in human health.

Using her research in fear and anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Davis created a portrait series documenting her peers and family members as they process emotions linked to fear, anxiety and the associated stigmas and treatments.

The moments captured are between thoughts and words as these individuals grapple with their emotions, explains Davis.

In another project, the Atlanta native documents the effects of gentrification in one of Atlantas most famous historic areas, Auburn Avenue.

The goal of this project was originally aimed at individual exploration of the city I call home and validation of the external displeasure I feel toward gentrification, says Davis. However, as the series of portraits and interviews developed, the project turned into an outlet for both Davis and her subjects, exposing residents thoughts on the rapidly changing neighborhood around Auburn Avenue and the ways they feel it affecting both their lives and their feelings toward their lives.

These two projects are a fantastic example of what the IVAC should strive for, says Dana Haugaard, lecturer in visual arts. Gabi thoughtfully and critically makes images that foster conversations and demand critical investigation. She is making connections across the academic spectrum and finding smart and engaging ways to tell her stories.

Following graduation, Davis will pursue a masters in integrative studies at Brown University, focusing on how illustration and digital aids and infographics can be used as helpful health care interventions.

I am proud that she has been my student, says Haugaard. I know she will be an ambassador for the Emory arts community as she leaves campus to pursue her interests through creativity for the rest of her life.

Lucy Wainger: Writing award-winning poetry

Close followers of the Arts at Emory may be familiar with Lucy Wainger. The New York natives poem Scheherazade was selected for the The Best American Poetry 2017 and, that same year, her poem Memorandum: September won the Academy of American Poets Prize. During her undergraduate career, Wainger has seen her work printed in many prestigious publications, including Poetry, Puerto del Sol and Vinyl Poetry and Prose.

Jericho Brown, Winship Distinguished Research Professor in Creative Writing and director of the Emory College Creative Writing Program, describes Wainger as a poet of fierce juxtapositions and stark admissions that reconsider and reconcile the fragmented self and its position in the fragmented world.

None of these stellar traits are a match for just how hard she works on her poems, continues Brown, and how much work she puts into revising them until they sing ever so precisely of the human condition and its constant movement between light and dark, grief and celebration.

Receiving the Sudler feels like the ultimate validation of the literary work Ive done while at Emory, says Wainger. It means so much to me to be recognized for what is, quite literally, the practice I organize my life around.

Wainger, who will pursue her MFA in poetry at University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall, credits her Emory undergraduate experience with preparing her for a career as a professional writer and educator.

Ill look back at my Emory education as a kind of apprenticeship. Its taught me the fundamentals of diction, image, line and narrative, which Ill carry with me for the rest of my writing life.
The World Health Organisation said its emergency committee will meet on Thursday to assess the coronavirus pandemic, the first such talks since it declared the disease an international emergency three months ago.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has come under fire over how the UN health agency has handled the outbreak that first emerged in China in December and has now spread worldwide, infecting more than three million people and killing nearly 220,000.

Tedros said he would convene the experts who make up the emergency committee on Thursday "to evaluate the evolution of the pandemic".

He said on Monday the WHO had warned that the COVID-19 outbreak constituted a "public health emergency of international concern" on January 30, when there were no deaths and only 82 cases registered outside China.

"The world should have listened to WHO then, carefully," he told a virtual press briefing.

The organisation has faced scathing criticism from US President Donald Trump, who earlier this month suspended Washington's funding after accusing WHO of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and kowtowing to China.

Trump has provided no evidence to support his claims.

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington

By David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has caught no sight of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is watching reports about his health, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, adding there was a real risk of famine in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.

North Korean media has not reported on Kim's whereabouts since he presided over a meeting on April 11, provoking speculation about his health and raising concerns about instability in the nuclear-armed country that could affect other North Asian countries and the United States.

"We haven't seen him. We don't have any information to report today, we're watching it closely," Pompeo told Fox News after being asked about conflicting reports about Kim's health.

Pompeo said the United States was also monitoring the situation more broadly in North Korea, which borders China, given the risk presented by the coronavirus.

"There is a real risk that there will be a famine, a food shortage, inside of North Korea too," he added. "We're watching each of those things closely, as they have a real impact on our mission set, which to ultimately denuclearize North Korea."

Officials in South Korea and the United States have said Kim may be staying at North Korea's coastal resort of Wonsan to avoid exposure to the new coronavirus, and have expressed skepticism about media reports that he had some kind of serious illness.

They caution, however, that Kim's health and location are closely guarded secrets and reliable information is difficult to obtain from secretive North Korea.

On Saturday, a U.S.-based North Korea monitoring project, 38 North, said satellite images showed what was believed to be Kims personal train parked at a station reserved for his use in Wonsan on April 21 and 23.

New images taken on Wednesday showed a train in the same position, but it was unclear whether it had been there since last week, 38 North said.

Story continues

On Tuesday, another North Korea-monitoring website, NK PRO, reported that commercial satellite imagery showed boats often used by Kim had moved in patterns suggesting he or his entourage may be in the Wonsan area.

38 North said that in its new images, the train did not appear to be prepared for departure as the engine could no longer be seen parked alongside its south end.

It said the trains presence did not prove Kim's presence, but the station was reserved for the exclusive use of the Kim family, "lending weight to the multiple reports that Kim has been staying in the Wonsan area."

Pompeo told a later State Department news conference the United States would continue to focus on North Korean denuclearization, "no matter what transpires there."

President Donald Trump met Kim three times in 2018 and 2019 in an attempt to persuade him to give up a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States. While talks have stalled, Trump has continued to hail Kim as a friend.

Pompeo did not elaborate on the risk of famine in North Korea, but a North Korean economic delegation was due in Beijing this week to discuss food supplies and trade issues as the coronavirus outbreak has severely disrupted the country's food supply, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

Impoverished and isolated North Korea is prone to food shortages. As many as 1.1 million people died during the famines of the 1990s, according to South Korean estimates.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; additional reporting by Jonathan Landay; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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...
New Delhi, April 29 : Countries like India, Indonesia and Thailand that are among the world's largest vaccine manufacturers from the South-East Asia region must play a lead role in overcoming the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," the World Health Organisaion (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Gearing up for the much-needed COVID-19 vaccines, the global health body organised a virtual meeting of vaccine manufacturers and national regulatory authorities from the region.

"The manufacturing capacity that exists in our region is of the quality and scale required to produce and roll-out a COVID-19 vaccine globally. This region is a vaccine manufacturing powerhouse and must now also play a lead role in overcoming the ongoing pandemic," said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.

Leading manufacturers from India, Indonesia and Thailand discussed timelines and production capacity at the meeting, while regulatory bodies deliberated on adjustments that would be needed in processes to make COVID-19 vaccines available at the earliest.

According to the WHO, several steps must be completed before COVID-19 vaccine can be used on a large scale.

These include pre-clinical and clinical trials, production, licensure, deployment of vaccines and plans for post-marketing surveillance.

Globally, seven candidate vaccines are in clinical evaluation and 82 vaccines are in pre-clinical evaluation.

"Mapping the full landscape of vaccine development activities in the region will help coordination with global stakeholders, and support countries preparing COVID-19 vaccine deployment plans, Singh said in a statement.

Member states, in a UN General Assembly resolution, called for all countries to have "equitable, efficient and timely" access to any future vaccines developed to fight COVID-19.

"As we mark the World Immunization Week, we must build on our success and redouble our efforts to ensure all people in the region can access the life-saving benefits vaccines bring," said Singh.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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We went out shopping accompanied by our official CPC escort, and gazing at our beautiful new child, I asked our guide if she would help me find a suitable Chinese poster for the nursery wall. I suggested a calligraph of a Confucian analect that I had for years admired: two characters that say, "Born good, habits differ." In older days in China, it was one of the very first things children memorized at school. Although our guide spoke excellent English, she looked quite bewildered, so I explained again what I wanted to find. Then she snapped in annoyance, "Why do you want those old things? We aren't interested anymore!"

I soon realized that I had come face to face with the legacy of the Cultural Revolution, which, among its many other horrors, sought to cut a nation off from its intellectual birthright. The public shaming and humiliation of Confucian scholars had been devilishly effective.

I had anticipated a warm response to my desire to introduce my infant daughter to a Chinese philosopher whose name is as well known in the West as the name of Socrates. The Western analogue to what I experienced in that bookstore in Guangzhou might be to be told in London that Shakespeare is old stuff who holds no interest for the contemporary Englishman.

Unfortunately, the abandonment of "old things" followed me back to the states. Several years ago, the University of Pennsylvania English Department voted to remove the iconic portrait of Shakespeare that had for decades hung in the hallway where the English Department has its home.

Students were impatient, however, at the slow progress of the defenestration, and unceremoniously deposited the portrait in the office of the department chairman, replacing it with a picture of the late activist poet Audre Lorde. Department chairman Jed Esty responded, "We invite everyone to join us in the task of critical thinking about the changing nature of authorship, the history of language, and the political life of symbols."

A study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, The Unkindest Cut: Shakespeare in Exile 2015, found that only one of the seven Ivy League universities, two of the U.S. News and World Report's "Top 25" national universities, and two of the "Top 25" liberal arts colleges require their English majors to take a semester course dedicated to Shakespeare's work.[1] By 2011, none of the 50 top U.S. universities required Western Civilization, and 34 didn't even offer the course. Nationwide, only 17% of colleges require Western Civ, and only 18% require American history or government. And, most recently, Yale University took its famed "Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to the Present" off-line, responding, as the school paper reported, to "student uneasiness over an idealized Western 'canon.'"

Cicero wrote, "Not to know what happened before you were born is to be a child forever."

Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, in 1838, Abraham Lincoln declared that "if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." In the West, we haven't needed the Maoists to push us toward cultural suicide.

Seventy-one years ago, French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture Andre Malraux famously noted, "Western civilization has begun to doubt its own credentials." That doubt has spread like wildfire since Malraux uttered those words. One cannot help but wonder what he would think now, seeing how our campuses treat the study of Western Civilization. We are witnessing a self-wounding nihilism.

It has become an ugly "them and us" on campus. If you believe that studying the forces that shaped modern theories of government, science, and aesthetics should be a priority for us who inherited this legacy, you might even be charged with the reflexive, career-breaking "-ist" labels: racist, classist, sexist. And more.

Witness the gyrations over a rigorous new college entrance exam, an alternative to the SAT and ACT that draws heavily from the Great Books, called the Classic Learning Test (CLT). (Full disclosure: I am an unpaid member of the CLT's board.) An article on the CLT released by higher education trade journal Inside Higher Ed created a firestorm of online attacks. For example, one reader commented: "I think by emphasizing "Western Cannon [sic]" this white conservative/reactionary crowd is exactly who they are marketing it to."

W.E.B. Du Bois would take exception to the concept that the Western canon is for the "White conservative/reactionary crowd." In The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois wrote, "I sit with Shakespeare, and he winces not. Across the color line I move arm and arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out of the caves of evening that swing between the strong-limbed Earth and the tracery of stars, I summon Aristotle and Aurelius and what soul I will, and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the veil." Even amidst the grim racism of 1903, Du Bois saw the legacy of Western Civilization as a heritage common to all, rather than a barrier to the progress of African Americans.

So what, pray tell, is there to fear? How well I recall the furious response of the University of ColoradoBoulder provost to my offer as academic vice president of a fully-funded freshman faculty orientation program with readings ranging from Plato to Publius to Fredrick Douglass to Martin Luther King: "I thought you weren't going to cram Western Civilization down our throats." Equally tragicomic was the chancellor of another University of Colorado campus who simply scorned the program as "Dead White Males." (Admirably, then president of the University of Colorado System, Hank Brown, not without opposition, put new funding into the Center for Western Civilization, and it has grown steadily since. Leadership matters!)

On some campuses, the campaign to eliminate Western Civilization seems more like a "canceling" rather than an attempt to add new texts to the discussion. In 2017-18, Reed College overhauled its signature freshman seminar, a storied course focused on the classics, due to student complaints of Eurocentrism. "Reedies Against Racism," a student group at the college, made the ludicrous demand that the Humanities 110 course jettison all European texts as "reparations for Humanities 110's history of erasing the histories of people of color, especially black people." They have not (so far) gotten all they want, but ancient Greece is now only one of four modules, sharing the stage with three others: Egyptians, Israelites, and Achaemenids; Tenochtitlan; and Harlem.

More than 30 years ago, Jesse Jackson led the Stanford University protests with the cry, "Hey hey, ho ho, Western culture's got to go." It quickly became apparent that the movement against Western Civilization was more ideological than pedagogical: Studying Western Civilization came to represent Western supremacy, colonialism, and racism to its opponents, rather than the academic study of the nations, cultures, and peoples that contributed so heavily to the world we live in.

In Stanley Kurtz's new book, The Lost History of Western Civilization, we find the sad epilogue to the story of Stanford's defenestration of its Western Civilization course: "Few junior faculty volunteered to teach Stanford's multiculturalist substitute for Western Civ. The content of the course remained scattered and incoherent; student interest was low; and the substitute requirement was eventually canceled as a result."

Thus, the dissolution of Western Civilization has left a vacuum in the curriculum. Western Civ was once used to tie other disciplines together, to supply a forum for discussion of the Big Questions, and to provide students with a sense of purpose. It has debate and controversy hardwired throughout. It is the cradle of the critical thinking that employers value. What system aids human flourishing? Hobbes said monarchy, Locke said consent of the governed, Rousseau pulled toward the state of nature. Western Civilization is the culture of dialectic, not the culture of conformity. By joining that great debate, students become part of an ongoing conversation about matters at the core of human experience.

Western Civ was once used to tie other disciplines together, to supply a forum for discussion of the Big Questions, and to provide students with a sense of purpose.

Returning now to the East, the productive, civilization-building dialogue that the West has contributed to is writ large in storied Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa's work. Goethe's Faust is at the heart of the haunting Ikiru; it is Shakespeare who inspired Ran and Throne of Blood. Kurosawa's dialogue with Western literature embraces Gorky and Dostoevsky, and in his later film, Dream, a young Japanese man walks into a Van Gogh painting to meet and talk with the artist. In one of the ironies of 20th century political history, it was our Declaration of Independence that influenced not only France's 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, but whose opening words Ho Chin Minh proclaimed in 1945, as he read aloud the Proclamation of the Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Why do college campuses treat the study of how cultural heritage informs the present with such disdain?

Cicero wrote, "Not to know what happened before you were born is to be a child forever." The good news is that there are bright spots in the higher education landscape. Some colleges and universities  St. John's, Thomas Aquinas, Columbia, and Hampden-Sydney, among others  have made understanding the Western tradition a signature of undergraduate education. And in the world of K-12, the fact that the Institute for Classical Education has a network of more than 550 elementary and secondary schools representing tens of thousands of parents is witness to a hunger to study, interrogate, and understand our origins. Especially now, in an era of turmoil and dissonance, the opportunity for students to sharpen their sense of wonder, as well as their critical faculties, as they explore the birthright of the place and time in history that we inhabit, deserves, at very least, a place in the course catalog of every college and university worthy of the name.

Notes:

[1] Which can be read here.

[2] Stanley Kurtz, The Lost History of Western Civilization, published by National Association of Scholars, 2020.
[April 29, 2020] Brunswick Bancorp Announces Results of 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Brunswick Bancorp ("Brunswick" or the "Company") (OTC: BRBW), the holding company for Brunswick Bank and Trust, today announced the results of its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "2020 Annual Meeting"), which was held on April 28, 2020. At the 2020 Annual Meeting, Brunswick shareholders elected all eight of the Company's director nominees - Frank J. Gumina, Jr., James Atieh, Nicholas A. Frungillo, Jr., James Gassaro, Michael Kaplan, Richard A. Malouf, Bridget Quinn and Robert P. Sica - to its Board of Directors. In addition, Brunswick shareholders approved certain amendments to the Company's bylaws and certificate of incorporation that establish corporate governace procedures consistent with those used by many other public companies and that will enhance the Board's ability to make decisions in the best interests of all shareholders, particularly given the near-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Based on the results certified by the inspector of elections, approximately 84% or more of the votes cast were in favor of the election of Brunswick's eight director nominees. Approximately 79% of the votes cast were in favor of adopting a classified board, approximately 79% of the votes cast were in favor of the unanimous vote provision, and approximately 97% of the votes cast were in favor of the advance notice provision. About Brunswick Bancorp

Brunswick Bancorp is the holding company for Brunswick Bank & Trust, a New Jersey chartered commercial bank which serves central New Jersey through its New Brunswick main office and five additional branch offices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005762/en/

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The use of masks by passengers has become a topic of discussion among transit agencies and riders nationwide. Some states such as New York and Maryland require them, while other localities such as the District recommend them. Metro also urges riders to wear face coverings but doesnt refuse service to those who dont. In suburban Maryland, Montgomery Countys Ride On transit service requires masks, and on Tuesday, it began making a limited supply of free masks available to riders.
We hope everyone is staying safe during this unprecedented time. We continue to work mainly from home and look forward to seeing all of our wonderful volunteers again. It will be great to get back to our normal activities.

We continue to work on new exhibits for our visitors to enjoy. Soon to be completed is an exhibit called Women in the Military. Vernon County has its share of women who served in many capacities in various branches of the military. This exhibit will feature five outstanding women: Edna (Erickson) Partridge, Catherine Kit (Florence) Moorehead, Cyndy Hubbard, Paula Thorson and Emily Yttri.

Edna, who was born in La Crosse, was raised in the town of Wheatland. She married Charles Partridge who was a member of the National Guard. She was widowed in 1938 at age 34 with two young sons. She became a teacher and in 1945, at age 41 joined the Womens Army Corps.

Kit Moorehead, a 1972 Viroqua High School graduate, joined the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) while attending college at UW-Stevens Point. She retired as a major in 1997.

We will also feature Cyndy Hubbard of Viroqua who was one of the first two women to be accepted into the Air Force pilot training program in 1979. While in the military she flew the T-43, C-5, C-5A and C5-B. After leaving the service she flew for FedEx as a flight engineer and later co-pilot. Cyndy has now retired to Viroqua and recently donated her uniforms, flight helmet and in addition, photos. Her flight suit will be on exhibit.

Paula Thorson, a 1988 Viroqua High School graduate and daughter of local businessman Thor Thorson, was accepted to the United States Air Force Academy in 1990, first attending Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, for the 1988-1989 school year. An excellent student and athlete, she graduated in 1994 with a degree in civil engineering and a minor in Japanese. She remained on active duty until 2000.

Last but not least, we will feature Emily Yttri, also a Viroqua High School graduate from 2001. In 2000, she enlisted as a private in the Wisconsin National Guard with the 107th Maintenance Company of Viroqua and Sparta. Choosing the Guard for her career, she has held numerous National Guard positions and currently serves as the Incentives Officer in the Wisconsin National Guard Education Office.

If you need to reach us, please call 608-637-7396 or email us at: museum@vernoncountyhistory.org. Of course, you can also send us mail at P.O. Box 444, Viroqua, WI 54665-0444.

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Unpaid and hemmed in, migrant workers erupt in anger at IIT Hyderabad

The IIT campus at Kandi village in Sangareddy distrct of Telangana. (Asian Age Photo)

Hyderabad: Upset at not getting paid and barred from going home, some 1,600 migrant workers erupted in anger at their contractors on the campus of IIT Hyderabd on Wednesday.

They threw stones at the police when a force was called in, injuring an assistant sub-inspector and a security guard.

The riot took place at the IIT-H campus at a village called Kandi in Sangareddy district of Telangana, some 50 km from Hyderabad.

According to the Sangareddy police, 2,354 migrant workers, mainly from Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and UP, were engaged by two companies to carry out construction work on campus.

Since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed on March 25, work stopped and payments to workers were delayed.

Things became tense in the labour camp Wednesday morning when workers wanted to receive their dues and go to their native places but were asked to resume work.

Police were asked to mediate in negotiations between workers and contractors but an argument over payment of wages became heated and an employee of the construction company was allegedly beaten up.

A large police force was called to quell the trouble but that only enraged the workers further. They attacked a police car and shattered its windscreen. Soon, however, the workers were dispersed.

Sangareddy superintendent of police Chandra Shekar Reddy said the collector of the district did bring about negotiations between the companies and workers, who were owed two months dues.

PTI quoted Sangareddy district collector M Hanumantha Rao as saying that peace has been brought about between the workers and contractors, who promised to pay the dues by Thursday evening. He said the workers have agreed to resume work.

"We will again hold talks with them and after they give their consent work will be started," the collector said.

In view of the lockdown, construction firms have to look after the workers, he added.
When he isnt hawking lunacy, like injecting yourself with disinfectant, President Trump is at least trying to show hes taking the coronavirus seriously, now that its a threat to his political health.

That makes it a bit awkward for Fox News to continue to spread its denialist conspiracy theories.

The latest evidence is the networks quiet firing of Diamond and Silk, the black, MAGA-loving equivalent of those two cranky muppets who sat in the balcony.

Over the past couple weeks, the video-blogging siblings have claimed, with zero evidence, that people arent actually dying of the coronavirus  What I need to know is: Who has the bodies?; that celebrities are being paid to say they have COVID-19; that the virus might be a bioweapon manufactured by the deep state; or that Bill Gates is pushing a vaccine for population control.

When they went so far as to suggest we all just expose ourselves to this virus thats killed more than 57,000 Americans, Twitter removed the post. Yet still, Fox News was silent.

After word got out this week that theyd finally been dumped by the network, the President of the United States jumped to their defense, naturally. I love Diamond & Silk, and so do millions of people! he tweeted on Tuesday.

He routinely champions misinformation for personal gain himself, after all, and hes still the president.

Trump will no doubt continue to trot out these women, reported by the Washington Post to be the daughters of televangelists peddling quack remedies, to do your little routine at his rallies, and treat them as unofficial senior advisers.

But apparently, Fox News is now above this sort of nonsense. After weeks of dismissing the virus as a liberal hoax, it is urging us all to please be responsible and take this seriously, so you can save your family, you can save the elderly, and help our country.

And Fox will surely look back on the rest of its long history of hoaxes with the same newfound seriousness, because this isnt just about preparing to be sued over its coronavirus misreporting. Now that theyve decided to filter out the conspiracy theories, we have a few other suggestions.

How about its conspiratorial claims that the first black president was born in Kenya, not the United States, and is a secret Muslim? Or its promotion of the idea that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party had DNC staffer Seth Rich murdered because he spoke to WikiLeaks? The list goes on and on.

The climate crisis is not only fake news, its fake science, and people pushing for climate action are ruining peoples lives." There werent actually protesters at the Charlottesville Nazi rally  they were actors hired by a publicity firm.

The mail bombs sent to high-profile Democrats and the New York City offices of CNN were most likely a "false flag" to frame Republicans and bolster Democrats in the midterm elections. A migrant caravan traveling from Honduras through Mexico was funded by the "Soros occupied State Department  the very same conspiracy the mass shooter at a Pittsburgh synagogue believed in.

Why stop at Diamond and Silk? They didnt invent this game of selling snake oil and venom to your grandpa. Like Trump, and all the other right-wing conspiracy theorists that Fox has promoted to stardom, they just smelled opportunity.

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Under an executive order signed on April 4 by Governor Gavin Newsom, tens of thousands of essential workers in California are eligible for subsidized child care. And on Tuesday, Newsom said he'd like to see child care access expanded as retail businesses reopen in the next few weeks.

"Child care is foundational to getting people back to work," Newsom said. "If they cannot get the kind of quality child care that they deserve they are less likely to get back to work and jump start this economy."

As local and state leaders rush to create new ways for essential workers to access child care, questions about how they'll deliver services remain unanswered.

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Are there enough child care providers for all of the parents -- essential workers and otherwise -- who need someone to look after their kids? For those lucky enough to find one, will Newsom's promised subsidies arrive fast enough and last long enough to meet the overwhelming demand?

As of April 23, 66% of L.A. County's licensed preschools and child care centers had closed, according to the state's department of social services. The majority of home day care providers remain open, though the number of children in their care has dropped. Many of them say promised supplies -- to be paid for out of a state fund -- have yet to appear, making it more difficult for them to continue operating.

PARENTS' STRUGGLES

Dr. Ritu Jain Viswanath, an internist who has a 2-year-old son and is in her third trimester of pregnancy. (Courtesy Ritu Jain Viswanath)

There are an estimated 305,000 California children whose parents work in health fields and could need care, according to researchers at Colorado State University and Yale.

One of those parents is Dr. Ritu Jain Viswanath, an internist who has a 2-year-old son and is in her third trimester of pregnancy.

She and her husband, who's also a doctor, decided to send their nanny home with pay, pull their son from day care in March (it's since closed) and forgo the help of their parents to protect them from possible exposure to COVID-19.

"Am I doing the right thing? Is it okay for me to be working?" Viswanath asks herself daily. "Am I going to potentially cause harm to my child or to my unborn child?"

For now they're juggling child care between shifts at the hospital, but Viswanath said she and her husband could need more help when their second child is born in a few weeks.

"You recognize the importance of the village when you especially don't have one," Viswanath said.

Outside of health care, essential workers include first responders, law enforcement officers, and grocery workers like Karla Barrera. She works as a manager in the deli department at a Sun Valley Ralph's grocery store.

"I cashier, I bag. We just jump in together to help, but lately it's been a little difficult," Barrera said.

Karla Barrera works as a manager in the deli department at a Sun Valley Ralph's grocery store, but has stayed home from work for the past few weeks to care for her children. (Courtesy Karla Barrera)

Her 6-year-old son's school, Liggett Elementary, is closed and, like Dr. Viswanath, she doesn't feel comfortable having her mom babysit her 4-year-old daughter.

"I already knew I was exposing them day by day by dropping them off with them, picking them up after," Barrera said.

So for the last several weeks, she's been on unpaid leave, staying at home to care for her kids.

For these essential workers, finding affordable child care can be a full-time job in itself.

WHO CAN PROVIDE CHILD CARE?

According to the state, as of April 23, about 700 L.A. County child care centers and 5,600 licensed providers who take care of children in their homes remained open.

L.A. County essential worker parents can go online or call a hotline, 888-922-4453 (888-92CHILD) to connect to an agency that will help them find child care.

"There's a database that sits on one side and then there's the actual people that are doing the care and sometimes you need a link to connect those two," said Eileen Friscia, the resource and referral director at the Child Care Resource Center.

Parents provide information about the type of care they need and the center identifies possible providers and checks with them for open spots.

"Once we know for sure, we give that information back to the parents so that they don't have to do those extra time-consuming steps," Friscia said.

The center is prioritizing hospital workers, Friscia said, but will try to find a child care provider for any essential worker family that calls.

Even if parents can find an open provider, the cost can be prohibitive.

On April 10, Governor Newsom announced an additional $50 million to fund child-care subsidies for providers.

Typically these are reserved for low-income families. The new aid will also be available for those with essential jobs.

The money will help pay for the care of an estimated 20,000 kids.

But the demand is potentially much higher. The Child Care Resource Center alone already had more than 22,000 families on its waiting list for financial assistance and 1,564 people have applied for the subsidized spots since applications opened last Thursday.

"There will still be many, many, many families left out of child care struggling to piece together child care because they can't afford it," said Keisha Nzewi, public policy director at the California Resource and Referral Network, a statewide association of child care agencies.

Even before coronavirus, one analysis found 6% of L.A. County babies and toddlers had access to subsidized care while 51% qualified financially.

California is now expediting a statewide database of child care providers in the works for years. It had been scheduled to launch this summer.

"Parents need access to be able to easily find child care now," Nzewi said.

To get information in one place about whether providers are open or closed as well as location and hours is a huge task

The California Department of Education did not answer LAist's question about when parents will be able to access the site.

OPTIONS FOR HOSPITAL WORKERS

The city of L.A. has also created several options for hospital workers.

Employees at 11 hospitals can apply for $100 stipends to help pay for child care or drop their kids off at one of eight L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks centers where city staff will watch them. Each hospital's human resources department helps employees make the arrangements.

In the first week of the program, 364 families used the stipends, according to the L.A. mayor's office. Two families have registered for child care at the city recreation centers.

(Map reflects hospital and child care center information provided by the City of L.A. )

'NO SUPPLIES'

Newsom also promised $50 million for cleaning supplies for providers who are trying to stay open to take care of essential worker families.

Neither supplies nor cash have made it to providers like Sylvia Almaraz, who runs a 24-hour home day care in Los Angeles. She's facing bare store shelves and limits on groceries like milk.

A happy memory from pre-coronavirus times, child care provider Sylvia Almaraz, center, celebrates Valentine's Day with the kids. (Courtesy Sylvia Almaraz)

"They needed us so bad, so bad, and up to now, no supplies," Almaraz said. "No gloves, no masks no Lysol, no sanitizer, no nothing."

She prefers Lysol wipes and disinfectant sprays, but now buys whatever stores have in stock, whether it's bleach or rubbing alcohol.

Now, she cares for about six children every day, less than half her usual attendance, but that doesn't mean there's less work.

"When they come in in the morning we have to clean their shoes," Almaraz said. "We have to sanitize their clothes, wash their hands, take off their masks, clean off their faces."

Almaraz says she's willing to enroll the children of essential workers, but she's also worried about having enough supplies to keep her home and the kids clean and safe.

"We were there for all of these families and we didn't close, we said 'OK they need, us we're here,'" Almaraz said.

L.A.'s child care resource and referral agencies are collecting and providing supplies when possible. Their distribution events reach a few hundred providers at a time when there are thousands of family child care homes in need.

Crystal Stairs recently loaded diapers, cloth masks and other supplies straight to the cars of about 150 providers.

California Sen. Holly J. Mitchell donated 7,500 cloth face masks to child care agencies, including Crystal Stairs. (Courtesy Crystal Stairs)

Options for Learning delivered diapers to a provider in Whittier who continues to serve children of essential workers and packets of activities to families whose children are at home.

The Child Care Resource Center, where Friscia works, doled out children's books, granola bars and 35,388 diapers on April 18.

"This has highlighted (providers) can't be on their own, they need support to stay open," Friscia said.

LAist reporter Elly Yu contributed to this story.
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.
The latest:

President Trump has signed an executive order that mandates meat processing plants must stay open, an official said.

Aides said the order would fall under the Defense Production Act.

Trump had highlighted the order during an Oval Office meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that was opened up to reporters.

"We're going to sign an executive order today, I believe, and that'll solve any liability problems," Trump said on Tuesday.

Antibody tests have "really terrible" accuracy, researcher says



Some antibody tests, which check for prior COVID-19 infection, had high rates of false positives in screenings performed by a consortium of California laboratories, according to a recently released report.

A false positive means someone would be told theyd already had coronavirus when they had not  a potential danger as people could then think they were immune to the virus when theyre actually still vulnerable.

Of the 12 antibody tests that were studied by the COVID-19 Testing Project, one of the tests gave false positives more than 15% of the time, or in about one out of seven samples. Three other tests gave false positives more than 10% of the time.

Thats terrible. Thats really terrible, said Dr. Caryn Bern, one of the authors of the study that looked at the 12 tests. She said while its unrealistic to think all tests will be 100% accurate all the time, their false positive rates should be 5% or lower, or ideally 2% or lower.

This was a real wake up call for me. Were not at the point where any of these tests can be used reliably, added study coauthor Dr. Alexander Marson. Theres a big danger in relying on them at all, but we hope we get to a point soon where we can rely on these tests.

The COVID-19 Testing Project is a consortium of researchers and physicians at the University of California San Francisco, the University of California Berkeley, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, and the Innovative Genomics Institute.



President Trump to require meat processors to stay open



President Donald Trump will take executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply.

Bloomberg and Reuters reported that president plans to use the Defense Production Act, which allows the president to direct private companies to prioritize orders from the federal government.

COVID-19 has infected hundreds of workers at meat-processing plants and forced some of the largest to close and others to slow production.



While the output at beef and poultry plants has diminished, pork plants in the Midwest have been hit especially hard. The viral outbreaks have persisted despite efforts by the meat companies to keep workers at home with pay if they become sick.

After production halted at Tyson and Smithfield Foods plants in Waterloo, Iowa and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the nation's pork processing capacity had declined by about 25% as of last week, said Steve Meyer, an industry economist with Kerns and Associates in Ames, Iowa.

A beef production plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the latest to shut down because of infections among employees.



A senior White House official said the administration was trying to prevent a situation in which a majority of the nation's processing plants temporarily close, which could have led to an 80% drop in the availability of meat in supermarkets. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before its release.

The order is designed, in part, to protect companies from liability if workers end up getting sick.

Dr. Fauci on a second wave 'I'm almost certain it will come back'

"I'm almost certain it will come back," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday when asked about the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 hitting later this year.



"In my mind, it's inevitable that we will have a return of the virus," Fauci said while speaking to the Economic Club of Washington on a Zoom call.

He said that the virus has "globally spread"  noting that we are starting to see cases in parts of Southern Africa. "It's not going to disappear from the planet," he said.

Fauci said that if the virus returns later this year, "how we handle it...will determine our fate."

He said that if "countermeasures" that are being discussed are executed, "we should do reasonably well," otherwise the country could see a "bad fall" and "bad winter."

Fauci's comments come as seven coronavirus models show U.S. coronavirus deaths will rise in coming weeks, but how sharply depends on how much "contact reduction" Americans practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Expert says easing restrictions too early may increase US death toll



A leading coronavirus model has upped its predicted death toll again, this time projecting 74,000 Americans will lose their lives to the virus by August.



The projection was adjusted due to longer peaks in some states and signs that people are becoming more active again, according to Dr. Chris Murray, the director of the University of Washington's Institute for Help Metrics and Evaluation.

States including Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Hawaii and Alaska have begun reopening. In California, which Gov. Gavin Newsom said is still weeks away from changing its stay-at-home order, beaches in the southern part of the state were packed with thousands of people over the weekend.

"It's a safer strategy to get the number of infections in the community down to a really low level, and then testing and contact tracing and isolation can work," Murray said Monday.

Georgia, which Murray's team warned shouldn't begin reopening until June 28, began reopening small businesses Friday.

During a press conference Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp said Georgia was "moving forward with data and information and decisions from the local public health officials, meeting and working within the guidelines of the great plan that the president has laid out, and you are seeing many other governors do that as well."

Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Public Health, said "we didn't meet the full gating criteria, but we met several of them and we were approaching a plateauing, which made us feel that it would be safe to move forward because we had three things in place."

Those things, Toomey said, were adequate hospitalization, testing capacity and an increasing contact tracing capacity.

As more governors begin reopening their states and others set the date, they're pushing to get a better idea of how hard their state has been hit through antibody testing.

But experts warn there's still a lot researchers don't know about the accuracy of the tests, and the World Health Organization has cautioned that no evidence exists yet that antibodies prevent a second infection.

Hard-hit cities begin testing asymptomatic residents

Hoping to get a better idea of how many people have previously been infected with the virus, officials have begun asking asymptomatic residents to test for antibodies.

Los Angeles County will expand coronavirus testing Tuesday to include delivery drivers, rideshare drivers and taxi drivers even if they're asymptomatic, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

"These are folks that are on the frontlines, helping us get to where we need to go, helping us have food delivered to our homes," he said.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said 1,000 asymptomatic residents will undergo diagnostic and antibody testing by Friday to evaluate exposure to the virus in the city.

And beginning Tuesday, health workers will start visiting randomly selected homes in two of Georgia's largest counties to conduct antibody testing through blood samples.

"This investigation will help us estimate the percentage of people in the community who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19," the Georgia health department said.

In New York, about 15% of the 7,500 people who have been tested in the state's antibody study have tested positive, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

But the former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Stat on Monday those tests are "not ready for prime time."

"As we learn whether that means you are protected in the future, there could be value in that," Dr. Richard Besser told Stat reporter Helen Branswell about the tests, but "the science isn't there yet to be able to say what those tests mean."

"I worry that people will get a false sense of security and they can change their behavior based on the results of that test, or have a false sense of concern if it's a test that isn't detecting protections that they may actually have," Besser said.




STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged caution Wednesday as the state approaches its regional reopening strategy pointing to coronavirus resurgences in other countries.

Germany, Japan, and Singapore have seen upticks in their COVID-19 cases after beginning their reopening processes. The governors New York on Pause mandates are in place until May 15, and planning has been underway for how the states regions hit less hard by the virus will begin to reopen.

There are caution signs out there that we should pay attention to, Cuomo said adding that Germany has seen its infection rate go from .7 to 1 in just 10 days after the country began to reopen.

Thats troubling. It shows you how fast the infection rate can increase, if you dont do it right, he said at his Wednesday press briefing in Albany.

45 Photos of the pandemic in NYC: Our lives changed forever

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Cuomo has promised that New Yorks approach to reopening will be done on a regional basis with decisions based on certain metrics, like hospital capacity remaining below 70%, and a rate of infection below 1.1.

On Wednesday, Cuomo announced he would be signing an executive order allowing elective surgeries in certain counties, none of which are in the downstate region.

Such surgeries have been banned since the beginning of April when New York was working to fortify its hospital capacity for an expected peak of the virus that wouldve left the state in need of at least twice as many hospital beds as it had.

That peak never came, but New York, particularly New York City and its neighboring counties, have borne the brunt of the virus impact on the United States.

Approximately 18,015 of the nations 58,965 deaths have been in New York, and the state has the bulk of the nations total cases.

Overall, the states numbers appear to be continuing their downward trend, particularly with hospitalizations related to COVID-19. At least 330 New Yorkers died as a result of the virus on Tuesday, which is also down from the states peak near 800.

New York State has tested over 2,000 first responders for COVID-19 antibodies. Preliminary results showed: FDNY/EMT with 17.1% positive and the NYPD with 10.5% positive.

You see the decline (in deaths) has been slow, at best, and still disgustingly high, Cuomo said. Were making progress. Thats for sure, but were not out of the woods yet.
Albany, N.Y.  New deaths due to coronavirus in New York fell further on Tuesday to 330.

It was the fourth straight day of declines in new deaths and the fourth day in a row new deaths were below 400. Tuesdays deaths fell from 335 the day before.

A total of 18,015 people in the state have now died in the pandemic.

A month ago, single-day coronavirus deaths totaled 209 and the statewide death toll was 728. New York now has 299,691 confirmed cases of the virus, including 4,585 new cases.

While the overall death toll is still rising, the pace has slowed since reaching a peak of 799 new deaths on April 8. New deaths fell below 500 on April 19 and have continued dropping.

The state is still seeing improving trends in hospitalizations.

The three-day average of new hospitalizations due to the virus was 957 on Tuesday, up slightly from 953 the day before. But the average has dropped sharply since a peak of over 3,100 several weeks ago.

New hospitalizations still havent fallen far enough, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today during a press briefing in Albany.

We dont want to see 1,000 new cases every day, he said. Wed like to see that in the low hundreds, ideally, of new cases every day.

The net changes in hospitalizations and intubations have both been negative for over two weeks now, including again on Tuesday. Total hospitalizations have fallen from a peak of over 18,000 earlier in April.

Cuomo said he remains cautious about the progress made so far against the virus. He noted Germany recently relaxed some social distancing restrictions and saw its rate of transmission climb from .7 to 1.1 in just 10 days.

Thats troubling, Cuomo said. It shows you how fast the infection rate can increase if you dont do it right on the reopening."

New York will require a transmission rate of less than 1.1 for any region looking to reopen its economy, Cuomo said yesterday. A rate of 1.1 means each sick person infects 1.1 others.

A rate higher than that level risks overwhelming the hospital system, Cuomo said.

Cuomo previously extended the closure of schools and nonessential businesses in the state until at least May 15.

All New Yorkers should stay home as much as possible and should only go out for exercise or needed errands like grocery shopping or medical care. Social, religious and other gatherings must be canceled or postponed.

Cuomo said earlier this week that hell extend the shutdown orders for many parts of the state past May 15. Some other regions could begin reopening. He plans to announce a decision on further closures this week.

Note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from the state Health Department on the statewide death toll.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
Head of the Funds mission sent a letter with warnings to the Presidents Office

Ron Van Rooden, the Head of the IMF Mission in Ukraine 112 Agency

Amendments to the legislation on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) concerning the grounds for dismissal of the Bureas head may create a problem in the cooperation with Ukraine as European Truth reported citing Head of IMF Mission Ron van Rooden.

Ron van Rooden sent a letter to deputies of the head of the Presidents Office Yulia Kovaliv and Andriy Smirnov. A source at the office confirmed the information about the letter on the condition of anonymity.

It is reported that the grounds for the letter are proposals on the amendments of the legislation, which will extend the grounds for the dismissal of the NABU head by inclusion the decision of the court about administrative corruption violation.

Rooden is sure that such amendments will be harmful for the cooperation of Ukraine and the IMF as they will falter the independence of the NABU from other institutions and it is a critical component of its efficiency.

Any legislative change, which narrows the independence of the NABU will be perceived as the refusal from the previous anti-corruption commitments and will demand the correction of any new program (of the cooperation with the IMF, - 112.international), Rooden explained.

It is noted that the issue is about bills #3133 and #3180; they allow to dismiss current NABU Head Artem Sytnyk.

The IMF appealed to the Presidents Office, while, it is not the initiator of any of the bills. However, the IMF believes that it can be useful to provide concerns to the speaker of the parliament.

Earlier, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko said that in 2020 Ukraine is counting on two tranches from the International Monetary Fund for a total of $ 3.5 billion.
(Newser)  Some of the urinals will apparently be taped off, but shoppers in 10 states should be able to return to 49 malls operated by Simon Property Group between Friday and Monday. Several media outlets have obtained an April 27 memo put out by the company and shared with retailers that explains what steps will be taken to safeguard Americans in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The New York Times reports the memo was paired with 47 slides that gave "illustrative examples" of signage customers will see, maps of where hand sanitizer can be placed, and markings for the floor. Reusable trays will be gone from the food courts, security officers will actively discourage group shopping, and overhead announcements will emphasize shoppers' role in keeping the mall safe.

story continues below

The target is to limit occupancy to one person for every 50 square feet, which will be verified in part by using what the company calls "traffic measurement technologies." And while Simon Property's employees, contractors, and vendors will have to wear masks and take their temperature, doing so is just recommended for shoppers. CNBC reports customers will be able to have their temperature taken via infrared thermometers, and free masks and packets of hand sanitizer will also be available upon request. What's still not clear: how many retailers will actually open their mall-based stores. The impacted states: Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. (Read more shopping mall stories.)
A New Brunswick man wanted in connection with the murder of his brother surrendered to police on Wednesday morning.

Roberto Lopez, 33, was charged with murder and weapons-related offenses following the stabbing death of his brother, 43-year-old Henry Lopez on Monday, the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office and New Brunswick Police announced Wednesday.

An investigation determined that Roberto caused sharp force injuries to Henry around 9 p.m. inside their Livingston Avenue home, police said.

When police arrived, Henry was pronounced dead at the scene. Roberto was charged with his murder the next day, the office said.

Roberto turned himself in to authorities at the New Brunswick Police Department at 8:30 a.m. and was being held at Middlesex County Jail pending his detention hearing, police said.

The murder remained under investigation on Wednesday and anyone with information was asked to call New Brunswick Police Detective Victor Delgado at 732-745-7200 or Middlesex County Prosecutors Office Detective Mark Morris at 732-745-3927.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Kuwait Finance House has announced its support for the Feena Khair campaign, a national donation programme launched by the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) to fight the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in Bahrain. The programme was introduced as part of the national Covid-19 mitigation efforts led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and in the implementation of the directives of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the RHF. The campaign serves to consolidate the kingdoms efforts to control the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19), help overcome the challenging financial effects on the economy and provide aid to those affected by the pandemic.

The banks contribution to this campaign reflects its strategic objectives of supporting all segments of the kingdoms society under these extraordinary circumstances and the bank will spare no effort in support of all community initiatives for the good of the national economy and the welfare of the society.

Moreover, the management of the Bank, on behalf of the chairman and members of the Board of Directors, the executive management and all KFHBahrain employees, expressed their utmost thanks and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, and all members of the National Taskforce for combatting the coronavirus (Covid-19), and in particular the first line of defense comprised of physicians, nurses, paramedics, healthcare workers and all employees of government ministries, for their tremendous efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. - TradeArabia News Service
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a 'healthy baby boy', delivered at a government-run hospital in London on Wednesday.

The birth is believed to be slightly premature but both mother and baby are said to be doing very well.

"The Prime Minister and Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning, a spokesperson for the couple said on Wednesday.

"Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS (National Health Service) maternity team, the spokesperson said.

The comes days after Johnson, 55, returned to 10 Downing Street on Monday after his hospitalisation for complications from COVID-19. He had been recuperating at his Chequers countryside retreat in Buckinghamshire, where he was joined by his pregnant fiancee.

Symonds had taken to Twitter earlier this month to express her relief at Johnson's discharge from hospital with a series of clapping hands emoticons alongside a picture of a rainbow, which has emerged as the symbol of support for the country's NHS through the course of the pandemic fightback.

The 32-year-old herself had been previously self-isolating with the couple's dog Dilyn after she developed symptoms of coronavirus but later revealed she was on the mend.

The couple had announced their engagement at the end of February, when it was also revealed that they were expecting their first baby in the summer.

The last child born to a sitting UK prime minister belonged to David and Samantha Cameron, who welcomed Florence Rose Endellion into their family in August 2010.

Symonds, who works for an ocean conservation charity, met Johnson during her time as the communications chief for the Conservative Party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police and forensics at the scene of a sudden death at the Dromore road in Hillsborough on April 29th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police and forensics at the scene of a sudden death at the Dromore road in Hillsborough on April 29th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police are at the scene of a sudden death of a man in Co Down.

They were called to the incident on the Dromore Road in Hillsborough on Wednesday morning.

Forensic teams have also attended at the scene, which has been cordoned off.

A police spokesperson said a post mortem is due to be carried out but at this stage, the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Three teenage siblings have drowned in a river in Ebonyi State after they escorted their parents to the farm.

The incident happened in Amauzu-Amaeze, Ishiagu, in Ivo local government area of the state.

It was gathered that the siblings had after work on the farm taken permission to have a bath in the river.

The bodies of the three siblings who attended Comprehensive Secondary School in Ishiagu, were later found floating on the water.

Police spokesperson in the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident.

She gave the names of the three as Chisom Goodness Okoro, 18 years; Chinelo Covenant Okoro, 15 years; and Chika Godwin Okoro, 14 years.

Today 28th April, 2020 at about 1100am one Amamuche Okoro Aja of Amauzu Amaeze Ishiagu in Ivo L.G.A of Ebonyi State, reported at Ivo Divisional Headquarters that on the 25 April at about 11 a.m. himself and the wife Catharine Okoro went to the farm together with their three children.

After much work the children excused themselves to get refreshed at a nearby river. Sensing that they had stayed too long, he sent his wife to call the children only to find out that they had all drowned in the said river, she said.

Mr Okoro Aja narrated further that the three corpses were recovered and buried immediately as there was no foul play suspected.

It was learnt that the bodies were buried beside the stream without caskets, as culture and tradition demand in the area.

Mrs Odah said the divisional police officer of the area led a team of police detectives to the scene of the incident and immediately commenced an investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police Ebonyi State, CP Awosola Awotinde, mourns and commensurates with the deceased family, the general public especially the people of Amauzu-Amaeze Ishiagu in Ivo L.G.A of the State, for such unfortunate incident, the spokesperson added.
29.04.2020 LISTEN

An untold tale from the Suma Ahenkuro's exploits in battles to safeguard the Adinkrah Symbols is a story of these uncelebrated twin brothers from Goka who were enlisted to defend the Sumaman palace against invaders who were to intrude and plunder on the priced symbols that define Bonoman, Ghana and Africa today.

The twin brothers from Goka, though heroes on their own merits are not known to history books about great wars ever fought in human history because they couldn't defeat their biggest enemy, which was enmity amongst themselves, two brothers from one womb.

Such sworn enmity between the twin brothers is stretched to their progenies, from the youngest to the oldest. Though they shared one compound in their father's estate, the brothers' daily battles to superiority that determines who inherits their father's chieftaincy title as Adontehene, or Chief Warrior for the famous Nana Adinkrah, when the father pass on, meant they talked to each other in the public eyes, but it's false and dissembling.

The wives and children of the senior of the twins were enemies also to that of the junior twin.

The assignment they have now been enlisted to undertake was sanctioned by the urgent call from the Nana Adinkrah, the Chief then for Sumaman. Word has reached his hearing that some Dwira people from Ivory Coast were approaching on the palace's safe to steal the Adinkrah Symbols, otherwise known as the Gye Name Symbols. None of his warriors is apt for the battle to safeguard these precious symbols that taught wisdom to his subjects than the two brothers from Goka, a chieftain under Sumaman.

With haste, learning the promises in there to have, their statues erected to immortalise them if they defeat the thieves, loaded with gold on their return home; the twin brothers dressed up for the battle. Before they left their homes, they reminded their individual families how the other is not to be tolerated or even mingle with. The enmity should continue.

Heavens were good to the twin brothers. With their masterful tactics in battles, they executed the business they were about to perfection. The heads of the robbers were served on a trail to Nana Adinkrah in his palace with pump and jubilations.

Nana Adinkrah barely pronounced his blessings on the twin brothers than emissaries of bad news reached the palace that: back home, the families of the twin brothers have all died. Not by foreign aggression or through natural cause, but by the fiendish doings of their ownselves. They in turns poisoned their drinking pots.

The crime was done coincidentally as seen in the proverbial Mouse and the Cat issue. As the first family planned poisoning the other, so did the second family poured same content of toxins in the first family's drinking pot.

The news was not taken as one that should end the brothers' enmity, but they turned their victorious swords on their own kind.

They died in instant stabs before their rewards.

Till today, they're not celebrated in Sumaman, not also in Goka, their nativity.

Users of the Adinkrah Symbols in artworks even don't know anything about them.

These two twin brothers and their uncelebrated history represent the divisive partisan nature of Ghana's latter day polity in times of pandemic, a battle against coronavirus, Covid-19.

The incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the biggest opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC) have relegated to the background the important business to safeguard the lives of the vulnerable Ghanaians against the lethal virus, but battling for superiority, who should be crowned with Ghana's crown post Covid-19.

Today, the NPP will not get to the battle front, but drumming praise songs that calls for dancing of their faithfuls, and mournful to the supposed enemies in the opposition. It's not different also from the camp of the NDC.

The country is no more celebrating the Ghanaian inventors who are coming out with ventilators, test kits, sanitisers, Veronica buckets, and nose masks to battle the virus. The two leading political parties are not encouraging debates in the media on how we can build on the prototypes and market the products for the needed growth of the economy.

The debate is now focused on who built or did not build hospitals for the country.

It's now: "is it important to build additional hospitals or continue the existing unfinished ones".

Our swords are turned to our own flesh with retributions and nemesis in times of crisis, one that demands a common front to battle a common enemy.

This Covid-19 fight is a winnable battle to Ghana, judging by the heaven's grace on us, limiting its lethality on our shores as compared to the developed countries in Europe and America. Yet, the enemy which is not an outsider, but the bossy name making titles is blunting our swords when the battle is intense.

The One Ghana Movement (1Gh) I lead, learning how the status quo could bring Ghana on her needs under the ravages of this pandemic, is reiterating to the Ghanaian people that: "these two fathers of ours are taking their enmity to the height that would make our land desolate in the face of this invisible enemy. It's time we make unappealing their old tactics that have for far too long held back our progress vis-a-vis our bequeathed resources. Let's take back our republic, and chauffer her to the promised land."

That could only be realised when we hoist and rally behind the patriotic Ghana flag.

Ghana deserves better!

Long live Ghana!

Written by: Charles Yeboah (Sir Lord)

The Founder Of One Ghana Movement (1GhM)

Contact/WhatsApp: +233249542111

Email: [email protected]




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Boris Johnson will warn the public today that even a modest relaxation of the lockdown could risk a deadly second wave of the virus.

The Prime Minister is expected to set out his latest thinking on social restrictions this evening when he leads the daily Downing Street press conference for the first time this month.

Government sources said he would hail the progress made in bringing the virus under control and preventing the NHS from becoming overwhelmed.

But he will also level with the public about the difficulty of easing the crippling lockdown, which is thought to be costing the economy 2 billion a day.

Mr Johnson will warn that the Government will not countenance lifting any measure that would risk a return to the exponential growth in the virus.

Boris Johnson arriving back at Downing Street from hospital after the birth of his baby son with his partner Carrie Symonds yesterday

The Cabinet will meet this morning to discuss 'phase two,' but it has become increasingly clear that Mr Johnson will have to dash any hopes of ending the lockdown.

Coronavirus testing figures are still only HALF the 100,000 daily target set by Matt Hancock Britain was promised 100,000 daily virus tests by today  but Matt Hancock is on course to miss his ambitious target by nearly half. Latest figures show 52,429 virus tests were performed on Tuesday, thousands off the daily goal meant to be reached by today. This was despite a huge expansion of the eligibility criteria the previous day, which saw tests offered to over-65s with virus symptoms, those who have to leave home to work and all care home staff and residents. The Health Secretary made his pledge to boost testing to 100,000 a day on April 2, when the UK was carrying out just 10,000 daily. A scathing report by hospital leaders yesterday claimed the target was merely a 'red herring' to distract from failings in the Government's testing plan. NHS Providers claimed the UK had 'started from a poor position' and then consistently 'struggled'  with a lack of clarity on who would be tested, when and how, adding: 'A vast amount still remains to be done to reach a testing regime that can be described as fit for purpose.' The document highlights how the English health and care system 'started from a poor position' as Covid-19 tightened its grip on Europe, and consistently 'struggled' to demonstrate a 'clear, effective and well communicated strategy'. Advertisement

One No10 source told The Daily Telegraph: 'It will very much be in the area of how we satisfy our five tests for coming out of lockdown, chief among which is making sure we don't risk another exponential rise in infections.

'It's still too early to be setting out any details of what any easing of the lockdown might look like.'

Data published on Wednesday showed that Britain has one of the world's worst coronavirus death rates, better only than Spain and Belgium per capita.

And Dominic Raab pointed to the perils of a premature easing, noting that Germany, though it contained the virus commendably, has now seen a surge in transmission since opening back up.

'Chancellor Merkel has made it clear that they might need a second lockdown in Germany if the infection rate continues to rise.' The Foreign Secretary said at the Downing Street briefing.

Ministers are working on a series of workplace guides detailing restrictions that will continue even when the lockdown is eased.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma has asked officials to produce advice on how a gradual return to work could be managed safely for seven different kinds of workplace including offices, factories and construction sites.

Firms will be told to shut canteens and other communal spaces, as well as operating new shift patterns to allow for social distancing and limit the pressure on public transport at rush hour.

Office staff are likely to be encouraged to continue working from home where possible.

Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said a partial reopening of schools was 'in the mix' but it was 'premature' to expect early action given the difficulty of social distancing in them.

One Whitehall source said the three-weekly review of lockdown measures, due on May 7, would involve only modest changes.

'We are looking at whether we can undo the top button and make things more comfortable in one or two places for the economy,' the source added. 'But any idea of a widespread lifting is plain wrong.'

Ministers have outlined five tests that must be met before lockdown can be lifted in the UK

Britain's roads are becoming noticeably more busy, sparking fears the country is easing itself out of lockdown against Government advice

The Government has still not announced when children will be allowed back to school but has dismissed calls for them to open during the summer so pupils can catch up on any lessons they have missed

The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies will hand new evidence to ministers in the coming days, but it is expected to say lifting many of the restrictions would immediately lead to the infection rate rising.

A government source said Mr Johnson will be 'very clear that we will not do anything that might risk [this] because then you are back with the virus spreading exponentially and the risk of a second lockdown'.

The government revealed new data showing the numbers of deaths inside and away from hospitals for the first time - but the seven-day average of deaths is falling

At last night's No 10 press conference, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab noted a reported rise in virus cases in Germany, which has eased its lockdown.

He said a similar uptick in the UK 'is a very real risk'.

The news came after a day that saw the UK's coronavirus death toll surge by 3,811 to 26,097 now that the Government has started counting people who died in care homes or their own houses.

It was the first time the Department of Health included people dying outside of hospitals in its daily statistics, and the backdated numbers have added thousands to the death toll, which was yesterday 21,678.

But a bigger surge had been expected. The Office for National Statistics reports that more than 4,300 people are known to have died in care homes by April 17, but the Care Quality Commission has recorded more than 4,300 in just a fortnight in England alone.

However, the Government will only include people who have tested positive for the virus in its statistics, despite rationing almost all the testing kits to hospitals for the first month of the outbreak.

Professor John Newton, the Government's testing chief, explained officials had been working on the assumption that if one person tested positive for COVID-19 in a home then anyone else who developed symptoms probably also had it and didn't need testing.

The daily Downing Street briefing revealed the numbers of new cases of coronavirus in the UK, the numbers of intensive care beds in use and total hospitalisations

The ONS and CQC continue to put out more reliable but slower statistics which include reports of people who were suspected to have the disease but were never diagnosed and, as a result, put the number of people dying outside of hospitals significantly higher.

ONS data suggests that the real number of victims may be 55 per cent higher than the Government is letting on, putting the figure at more than 40,000 already. Records in Scotland, meanwhile, show hospital deaths now account for just 52 per cent of fatalities, suggesting the true number is 43,000. The Financial Times estimates that 47,000 people have died already.

The Department of Health's data today, however, suggests that hospital patients still make up 83 per cent of all fatalities - something which is not borne out by any other statistics being published in the UK.

Britain today announced 765 more hospital patients have died of the coronavirus, of whom around 600 died in hospitals. NHS England announced 445 more victims, including a healthy 14-year-old, to add to 83 declared in Scotland and 73 in Wales.

It comes as the number of people known to have died in care homes is soaring and one expert from the University of Cambridge said people may now be dying at a faster rate in homes than in hospitals.

The professor, a highly regarded statistics expert and an OBE recipient, spoke of 'massive, unprecedented spikes' in the numbers of care home fatalities and said there was no evidence that care homes were over the worst of the outbreak, as the rest of the country is believed to be.

He told MailOnline the updated death toll was not high enough and the truth was 'at least as much again', putting the total higher than 30,000.

Government ministers, pressured on claims they haven't done enough to help care homes, insist care was 'not overlooked' during a scramble to protect the NHS.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said this morning 'we have always recognised there was more vulnerability there'. He denied that more testing would have saved lives.

In other coronavirus news yesterday:

Schools will reopen in a 'phased approach' meaning not all children will go back at the same time, said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. He did not say when this might begin;

Dominic Cummings, the chief adviser to Number 10, is alleged to have 'played more than a bystander's role' during his controversial attendances at meetings of the Government's scientific advisory group, SAGE;

A drug developed for Ebola, remdesivir, has shown promising results in an early trial on 397 severely ill COVID-19 patients, according to its manufacturer, Gilead;

UK travel agent TUI has cancelled all holiday bookings due to take place over the next six weeks;

Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council may have to file for bankruptcy because it has lost so much money now that tourism is not allowed under coronavirus lockdown rules;

Midwives and social workers from abroad will be granted automatic visa renewal for at least one year so they can continue to work during the coronavirus crisis.

Speaking about yesterday's updated data collection, Professor Spiegelhalter told MailOnline: 'It's actually a lot more than that [3,811].

'The true number is probably at least as much again as they added in today, which would take it well above 30,000. They're doing their best and it is a lot better than what we've been getting but it is still not the full picture.

'If you put those two datasets (ONS and CQC) [with] the new data being reported [it] is still missing a good few hundred deaths each day.'

Separate data released today by the National Records of Scotland has made it abundantly clear that the hospital deaths being announced by government officials each day are only showing a fraction of the reality.

National Records data revealed that hospital patients only made up 52 per cent of all fatalities, while 39 per cent happened in nursing homes and 11 per cent elsewhere. When they were added together Scotland's total death toll for April 26 almost doubled from 1,262 to 2,272.

Care homes, which are believed to still be in the grip of the coronavirus, are disaster-struck and the Government is facing heavy criticism over alleged failures to help the industry prepare.

In England and Wales the number of residents dying of any cause has almost tripled in a month, from around 2,500 per week in March to 7,300 in a single week in April - more than 2,000 of the latter were confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports suggest care homes are now seeing around 400 coronavirus deaths each day, on average - a number on par with hospitals in England.

The way data is backdated means that the true picture of what's happening in care homes is unclear because we currently only have statistics from two weeks ago.

The true scale of the crisis has also been masked by a lack of routine testing, meaning hundreds of elderly residents may have died without ever being diagnosed.

Public Health England data has revealed that almost a third of all nursing homes in the country have reported coronavirus outbreaks.

Boarding planes could take FOUR HOURS with added health checks and much higher ticket prices after lockdown ends, experts warn

by LARA KEAY for MailOnline

Boarding a plane could take up to four hours when passengers are allowed to fly again once the coronavirus lockdown eases, it was claimed today.

Flyers could be asked to arrive at airports four hours in advance to allow for health checks and social distancing measures, one expert warns.

Flights will be more expensive because airlines will only be allowed to have a limited number of people on board to ensure they stay two metres apart.

This will push up ticket prices and make for an 'uncomfortable' flying experience for as long as another five years, another travel expert told The Times.

Boarding a plane could take up to four hours when passengers are allowed to fly again once the coronavirus lockdown easest, according to some experts. Pictured: A man boards a plane at an empty Barcelona airport yesterday

Andrew Charlton, managing director of the consultancy Aviation Advocacy, told the newspaper: 'Even if it starts raining vaccines tonight, we are still looking at two years at least to get back to levels seen before the outbreak, and it is probably going to be more like five years.

'There will be fewer flights, fewer seats available, prices will go up and there will be very uncomfortable conditions because of the demands to wear personal protective equipment and maintain social distancing.'

Earlier this month, easyJet announced it plans to keep middle seats empty on its planes when it restarts flights.

But Airline analyst Chris Tarry claims maintaining a two-metre gap between passengers would mean 80 per cent of seats would have to be empty.

To make sure airlines are still profitable, they will have to hike up ticket prices exponentially, he told The Times.

It would also mean that scarcely-used routes would be abolished too.

Air travel has plummeted worldwide to stop the spread of coronavirus from country to country, with airports almost left empty except for a small number of repatriation flights.

British Airways revealed it has plans to make 12,000 workers - a quarter of its entire workforce - redundant after being hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Virgin Atlantic has gone into administration in Australia with founder Sir Richard Branson desperately trying to cling onto the UK business.

Wizz Air will become the first commercial airline to start operating again in the UK tomorrow, but says all passengers must wear facemasks.

It will operate 15 routes out of Luton Airport to a range of destinations including Budapest, Lisbon and Tenerife.

Wizz Air will become the first commercial airline to start operating again in the UK tomorrow, but says all passengers must wear facemasks. File image used

Lufthansa is starting up again on Monday, but has told all passengers to wear a facemask or scarf that covers their mouth and nose.

The Government has made it clear that foreign travel will be off the cards for most people in 2020.

Those hoping to still jet off on their summer holidays will be disappointed, with many European destinations such as Italy, Spain and France brutally hit by the virus.

Ministers have told Britons not to swap their getaways with staycations either, warning that beauty spots such as Cornwall and Snowdonia do not have the NHS infrastructure to cope if visitors fall ill.

On cruise ships, passengers will also face stringent medical checks.

The UK's biggest cruise liner P&O is developing plans to introduce a series of 'rigorous measures' to ensure it obeys international health guidelines when it restarts operations once the coronavirus pandemic recedes.

Other changes being considered include reducing the capacity of ships, scrapping self-service buffets and implementing one-way systems on board.
This is the first of a series of 20 profiles of The Gazettes Best and Brightest Class of 2020.
Amber's knowledge is remarkable; shes passionate about the business, caring, a great leader and dedicated to elevating teams and were excited she chose Envoy, said Kim Hoffman, CMB, AMP, and COO of Envoy Mortgage.

National mortgage lender, Envoy Mortgage, announced that Amber Holligan is joining the company as Senior Vice President and Director of Underwriting. Holligan brings deep credit and mortgage knowledge to Envoy, having served most recently as Vice President of Underwriting for Mr. Cooper and previously as Director of Underwriting for Pacific Union Mortgage.

Holligan joins Envoy as an accomplished industry expert with more than 15 years of lending expertise in roles ranging from loan origination, processing, underwriting, operations and leadership. Her well-rounded knowledge of the mortgage landscape will complement the organization and drive impactful process improvements and operational efficiencies.

In previous positions, Holligan strategically oversaw the success and development of sizeable enterprises, including a team of four underwriting managers and 42 underwriters. Holligan is experienced in employee development and specializes in performing calculated daily underwriting audits for quality management, loan delivery edits for distributed retail and verification of daily production and goal management for loan originators that work remotely or centrally.

In her new role, Holligan will oversee all mortgage underwriting, including four regional credit centers, a staff of 50 and all credit-related projects.

Ive known Amber for several years and knew shed be the perfect fit for our organization. Her knowledge is remarkable; shes passionate about the business, caring, a great leader and dedicated to elevating teams and were excited she chose Envoy, said Kim Hoffman, CMB, AMP, and COO of Envoy Mortgage.

About Envoy Mortgage:

Founded in 1997, Envoy Mortgage is an independently owned national mortgage lender headquartered in Houston, TX dedicated to serving retail originators exclusively to allow them to serve their customers and grow their businesses. As a Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie approved seller/servicer, Envoy offers a full menu of loan products with locations across the U.S. Licensed in 48 states, Envoy branches deliver outstanding customer service while offering a full menu of loan products with the tools, expertise and technology needed to support all functions of the mortgage process. More information is available at http://www.EnvoyMortgage.com. Envoy Mortgage, Ltd. NMLS #6666.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

The state Public Regulation Commission voted 3-2 Wednesday morning to reject immediate approval of two large solar projects that could partly replace power from the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station.

The commission opted instead to consider those projects alongside other energy replacement proposals that hearing examiners will soon present to the PRC, likely in mid-June.

The opposing commissioners  PRC Chairwoman Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, Jeff Byrd and Valerie Espinoza  said all replacement resources should be reviewed as a whole, with a preference for those that would be located in San Juan County.

The county, the city of Farmington and the areas Central Consolidated School District will lose hundreds of jobs and millions in local taxes after Public Service Company of New Mexico abandons the coal plant in 2022. The two proposed solar-battery projects, however, would be located in neighboring McKinley and Rio Arriba counties, diminishing their ability to offset impacts from coal plant closure in San Juan.

Becenti Aguilar said PNM has drifted away from the local communities.

Thats wrong, Becenti Aguilar told commissioners. . PNM should focus on where theyve operated the (coal) plant and how they can give back to the community.

Solar project supporters say the decision means New Mexico could lose some of the lowest-cost projects proposed to date nationwide for solar facilities with backup battery storage, because the contracts with power suppliers who would build and operate the plants expire Thursday. That includes a 300-megawatt solar plant with 40 MW of battery storage in McKinley County, and a 50-MW solar facility with 20 MW of battery backup to be located on Jicarilla Apache land in Rio Arriba.

Hearing examiners Ashley Schannauer and Anthony Medeiros, who presided over hearings in January on replacement resources, recommended the commission immediately approve the two solar projects before the contracts expire. Theyre now preparing a second recommended decision on all other energy replacement proposals, which the examiners said should be considered separately by commissioners.

Nearly all of the two dozen parties that intervened in hearings support the two solar projects, given their low cost, Schannauer told commissioners last week. In addition, the next round of proposed replacement power that the commission would vote on would encompass many more projects directly located in San Juan, including new natural gas generation and more solar-battery facilities.

Although the solar facilities would be outside San Juan, the county would still benefit from a combined $430 million investment in those projects, including an estimated 700 construction jobs.

Apart from those spill-over benefits, supporters said, the projects would also boost poor communities in the neighboring counties, particularly in McKinley, where another 253-MW coal plant owned by TriState Generation and Transmission Association is scheduled for shutdown in December.

About 70% of construction jobs would be based at the 340- MW Arroyo project in McKinley, said Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director Camilla Feibelman.

It is hard to fathom the PRC  would choose to reject some of the cheapest solar and battery projects in the country, Feibelman said in a statement after the commissions vote. Its worse that in McKinley County, where the Escalante coal-fired power plant is closing, workers cant count on the 500 construction jobs that the Arroyo project would create.

The solar projects could still be considered when the hearing examiners present their next recommended decision on all replacement resources, but project costs could increase significantly, because the low prices offered depend on meeting tight construction time frames to qualify for federal tax credits. The Jicarilla developers have said the economics of that project could be jeopardized if the April 30 deadline is missed, and Arroyo project developers will charge an additional $500,000 to extend their contract bid to July.

Still, commissioners voting against immediate approval said locating replacement power in San Juan County must be considered alongside traditional issues of cost, reliability and environmental benefits when approving new energy resources. Indeed, thats enshrined in the states new Energy Transition Act, which says that up to 450 MW of replacement energy should be located in communities affected by coal plant closure.

Abandoning San Juan is critical for PNM to meet ETA mandates, which require all public utilities to derive 50% of their electricity from renewable resources by 2030, 80% by 2040, and carbon-free generation by 2045. But theres disagreement over exactly how much replacement power must target San Juan, with PRC utility division staff, the city of Farmington and other San Juan entities pushing for all new resources to be located there.

Hearing examiners say the laws language of up to 450 MW means at least some replacement power must go to the local community, but theres no firm minimum or maximum requirements.

Becenti Aguilar said the commission will carefully consider those issues when reviewing replacement power.

The state Legislature put it on (PRC) regulators to make the right decision for the people, she said.

Commissioner Espinoza said all proposed energy replacement must be reviewed together, not in piecemeal fashion through early approval of solar resources, to choose the right power mix.

We cant put the cart before the horse, Espinoza said.

PNM praised the commissions efforts to pursue a comprehensive approach to determining replacement resources.

We have always advocated that a replacement generation portfolio should be looked at as one puzzle, understanding how all the pieces fit together, PNM spokesman Ray Sandoval told the Journal in an email. At the same time, we see the value of dealing with the two solar/battery projects to allow the fullest utilization of the pricing and renewable tax credits available. We will evaluate the commissions order as soon as we see it to guide any possible next steps.
Extraction is taking over the Internet.

Chris Hemsworth's new Netflix original movie has become the talk of the web after the release of the movie on the platform. The movie, parts of which were shot in India and Bangladesh have especially appealed to the desi populations.

Extraction which features a series of action scenes, has Christ Hemsworth rising to the occasion to use anything and everything to out-smart his enemies, much like in Bollywood movies.

In a Netflix video, he delves into how to use any random object as a weapon.

He starts with a napkin- the usual ones you see at any restaurant, used to make sure you can wipe the food you dropped on yourself.

Here's how that would work.

And a mat - and he's really rolling this one out.

And a fan. And all of us wanting to be this fan.

It also includes a Chappal, aka every Indian mother's favorite torture device. While we're sure Chris Hemsworth will be able to use it in a fight as a weapon, we're sure Indian mothers could give him a lesson or two on how to appropriately use it.

You can watch the full video including other objects below, but we highly recommend you don't go around injuring people, and act only in self-defense.
NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE W ith every crisis, whether a pandemic or manmade or natural disaster, politicians and pundits invariably get around to calling for a Manhattan Project. This powerful imagery of putting big science to work to tackle big challenges comes, of course, from the success of that World War II effort and after that its Cold War derivative, the moonshot Apollo program. The legacy of those organized research enterprises is the very idea that government can marshal scientific and financial resources to solve major societal problems.

Todays battle against the novel coronavirus has been explicitly analogized to the effort that was required to win World War II, both in terms of the sacrifices needed from the citizenry and what it will take, scientifically and technologically, to defeat the enemy. And while there are many obvious differences between World War II and our current fight against SARS-CoV-2, there are nevertheless striking parallels too, especially when it comes to the governments role in leveraging science and technology to address a large-scale threat. Compare, for example, the technical solutions imagined for widespread and effective surveillance and detection of viral threats to the use of radar during World War II to surveil the skies, oceans, and battlefields to detect and track the enemy. Both require the development and deployment of portable, distributed, and inexpensive tools to the front lines. Similarly, the imperative to invent a vaccine as rapidly as possibly is not dissimilar from the effort at Los Alamos: Both require rapidly transmuting existing scientific knowledge into highly specific and practical technologies.

Yet, policymakers and pundits too often draw the wrong lesson from World War II: namely, that government can simply order up scientific knowledge and direct it to solve practical problems. But what the history of World War II suggests is rather that the government was able to exploit scientific knowledge during the war thanks to a backlog of discoveries accumulated before the war, as Vannevar Bush, President Roosevelts science adviser, put it. In a similar way, short-term solutions to the technical problems we now face, from widely distributed virus testing machines to a vaccine, will likely flow from existing scientific paradigms such as molecular biology and genomics. A future paradigm shift in virology  on a par, say, with the development of DNA sequencing or the polymerase chain reaction or the discovery of the gene itself  will emerge from scientific knowledge we dont yet have, from progress in basic research, to use a term that Bush helped popularize.

Story continues

Historys long and complex pattern of basic scientific research leading, not necessarily in a straight line, to technological breakthroughs is dramatically illustrated by World War IIs three most iconic inventions: radar, the bomb, and the computer.

There is no question that government research, both here and in the U.K., led to the invention of radar (or Radio Detection and Ranging). The U.S. government poured $1.5 billion  three-quarters the amount it spent on the Manhattan Project  into the Radiation Laboratory at M.I.T. The Rad Lab directly employed nearly four thousand people and produced an array of radar technologies that were deployed to the battlefield to help with navigation, bombing, and aircraft and submarine detection, among other things. But radar would have been inconceivable without prior basic research. Beginning in the 19th century, physicists such as Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell developed the theory of electromagnetic waves. Then, in the 1880s, Heinrich Hertz provided experimental confirmation of the controversial theory. Not long after, Guglielmo Marconi demonstrated that Hertzian waves  or radio waves, as we now call them  could be transmitted across great distances. Without these prior discoveries, British and American researchers could not have figured out how to use radio waves to locate and track distant objects  a technique that some historians say won the war, while the bomb ended it.

Similarly, the Manhattan Project, of course, led to the invention of the atom bomb. But no one could have hit on the idea without the earlier theoretical developments of nuclear physics, which grew out of very basic research in the burgeoning field of quantum physics. At the turn of the century, scientists were still debating the existence of atoms, before Albert Einsteins 1905 papers on Brownian Motion and light quanta turned the tide toward atomism. Some 30 years later, Enrico Fermi and other scientists (including the often overlooked Lise Meitner) discovered that the nucleus of uranium could be split, releasing an enormous quantity of energy.

Like the bomb and radar, the first electronic computers, Englands Colossus and, shortly afterwards, Americas ENIAC, came from government projects spurred by the war. But, once again, the underlying theoretical discoveries were much older and were not driven by practical goals. A key insight came in the 1840s from English mathematician George Boole, who formulated what we now call a two-value algebra. Although the potential practical applications of logic were hardly unknown at the time, Boole was not seeking to invent anything but rather to describe what he called the mathematics of the human intellect. His reflections on the interrelation between mathematics and logic began when he was an adolescent, daydreaming while working as an usher at a boarding school in England. He returned to these questions years later, spurred by a public controversy between two logicians over an arcane technical problem. Nearly a century later, the American engineer Claude Shannon  sometimes called the father of the information age  realized that Boolean algebra could be applied to something as practical as electrical relays and switches, laying the groundwork for modern computing.

Bush had all of that in mind, and more, when in 1945 he made the case for the practical import of basic science in what is perhaps the most influential science policy document of modern times, Science  The Endless Frontier. In it, Bush argued that the government should continue its generous funding of scientific research during peacetime, but with this important caveat: We must remove the rigid controls which we have had to impose, and recover freedom of inquiry and that healthy competitive scientific spirit so necessary for expansion of the frontiers of scientific knowledge. He wanted to be sure the government supported basic science, not just applied research and development  precisely to enable future technological revolutions.

Bush knew firsthand the often-unpredictable ways in which basic research could prove enormously useful. Not only was he an engineer and entrepreneur, he was also the founding director of the wartime agency that oversaw all federal research, including the Manhattan Project and M.I.T.s radar research. And as Shannons graduate adviser at MIT, and himself inventor of a mechanical computing device, Bush was well aware of the interplay between mathematical logic and technology. The history of modern science and technology is, in fact, replete with such examples, from Gregor Mendels discovery of genetic inheritance and Einsteins (Nobel Prize-winning) photoelectric effect to Watson and Cricks double helix  without which techniques such as medical imaging, CRSPR, or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (currently used to test for SARS-CoV-2) would be inconceivable. What Bush recognized was that, for the most part, such scientific discoveries do not come from directed or applied research of the sort the government engaged in during wartime but rather from undirected basic research.

Bushs proposal was controversial in its day. In fact, his report was a counter to a rival proposal then gaining steam on Capitol Hill. Fearing industry control of science, Senator Harley Kilgore (D., W.Va) had called for a National Science Foundation that would not only fund research but also direct it toward specific, socially desirable, ends. Though a Republican and a businessman (Bush helped found the Raytheon Corporation), Bush actually shared Kilgores concern about private industry coopting science. He pointed out that private industry is generally inhibited by preconceived goals and the constant pressure of commercial necessity. Nor did he deny a role for government. He believed basic science is a public good and hence requires and deserves public support.

But support is not the same thing as control. In Endless Frontier, he called for a single federal agency, a National Research Foundation, that would fund all basic research but leave the direction of research entirely to the centers of basic science  i.e., mainly colleges, universities, and other non-governmental research institutions. He believed that government-directed research had its place, in particular for military purposes. But the vast majority of scientific research should, he proposed, be conducted by non-governmental institutions supported by federal dollars.

Bush won the battle, if not the war. After several legislative proposals, revisions, and a presidential veto, Truman signed a bill in 1950 creating the National Science Foundation. This was a victory for Bushs vision of government-funded basic science (though the new agency adopted Kilgores nomenclature). But rather than a consolidation of federal funding for unfettered basic research outside government, which Bush had lobbied for, the post-war years saw the growth and creation of a host of other government research organizations, including the national laboratories, the National Institutes of Health, the Atomic Energy Commission, NASA, and many within the Defense Department.

Today, while the government continues to pour billions of dollars into research, federal science policy bears little resemblance to the self-governing republic of science that Bush envisioned. The vast majority of R&D funding now comes from the private sector, a complete inversion of the publicprivate spending ratio in the early decades following the war. And the vast majority of that funding is directed toward commercial uses. Even the government, which remains the biggest patron of basic science, spends far more on applied research and development nowadays.

If Vannevar Bush was right about Americas technological successes during World War II, recent R&D trends do not bode well for American science and innovation. In the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, policymakers may well be more receptive to the idea that government should stimulate scientific research. Yet history indicates that, counterintuitively, if we want more practical moonshots, we should make more long-term investments in undirected research in basic science, precisely as Bush suggested 75 years ago. That may be a tougher sell in the post-coronavirus Congress, but it may be necessary to advance science and thus to help us build better weapons to fight future viral enemies.

M. Anthony Mills is director of science policy at the R Street Institute. Mark P. Mills is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. They are the authors of The Science Before the War, published by The New Atlantis, from which this article was derived.

More from National Review
Plans to hold a school-based version of the Junior Cycle examination in the autumn have been cancelled.

Education Minister Joe McHugh had previously said the Junior Cycle exams were being replaced with school-based assessments in the autumn.

Instead, all third year Junior Cycle students will be awarded certificates of completion by the Department of Education.

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The decision was taken following recommendations from an advisory group of stakeholders as part of planning for the state examinations in response to Covid-19 public health measures.

Mr McHugh: In this difficult time for students I have listened to the very strongly held and well-articulated views of students, parents and other stakeholders.

This decision has been made with the health and wellbeing of students, parents and teachers at the forefront of our thinking.

It gives students and their families more clarity and certainty. It also gives schools freedom to decide how best to assess the progress of students following three years of hard work and learning.

As soon as possible after the end of the current school year, students will receive a written school report on their learning achievements in each subject and short course.

IMPORTANT UPDATE 



Minister @McHughJoeTD has just announced that all third year Junior Cycle students will be awarded certificates for the completion of Junior Cycle by the @Education_Ire



Read the full announcement  https://t.co/wYBBQIqK1R #JuniorCert #COVID19 https://t.co/V8lAE8JtcA  citizensinfo (@citizensinfo) April 29, 2020

Teachers Union of Ireland president Seamus Lahart welcomed the new arrangements.

We welcome the certainty that these revised arrangements provide at a time of worry, stress and uncertainty for students, parents and teachers.

Following consultation with members, TUI made clear to the Department of Education and Skills in recent discussions that requiring Senior Cycle students to sit examinations designed for Junior Cycle would be regressive educationally and would further complicate what is likely to be an extremely challenging process of reopening schools in September.
Saskatchewan health officials say it was not appropriate for a parade to take place this past weekend in a small southeastern village at a time when the province is banning gatherings of more than 10 people to prevent future outbreaks of COVID-19.

"Do not go ahead with large community events such as this one," the province's Ministry of Health said of Sunday evenings's "cruise night" in Carievale, Sask.

"I would find that deeply disappointing on a number of levels that an organization would organize an event given where we are," Premier Scott Moe added on Monday.

The event, which was privately organized, involved a procession of classic cars through Carievale. A local restaurant also offered "curbside" takeout food for pickup from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m CST.

Carievale is a village of about 240 people located 289 kilometres southeast of Regina, near the borders with Manitoba and North Dakota.

"Can't wait to see Carievale hopping!" read an April 20 promotional Facebook post by Tailgate Dining restaurant, which offered the food. "Enjoy a burger and friends while maintaining that social distance!"

However, social media posts appear to show clusters of more than 10 people, not all at a distance from one another.

In a subsequent post on Sunday, the restaurant noted how busy they were.

"Holy smokes!! WE SOLD OUT AT 250!" read the post. "I think we sure did liven up Carievale!!"

The Village of Carievale had also promoted the event.

"Come cruise Main Street in Carievale!" the village wrote on its Facebook page on April 22.

Several videos of the parade were also posted on Facebook.

'Risk of transmission at large events'

The health ministry said the Saskatchewan Health Authority was not aware of the event before Monday  when CBC News asked about it  and that it had received no complaints about the event.

Still, the gathering went against the current public health order from the province's chief medical health officer limiting gatherings to fewer than 10 people, the ministry said.

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"As Dr. [Saqib] Shahab has stated many times, there is a risk of transmission at large events, which is why mass gatherings are not allowed," the ministry said.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The health authority's emailed statement to CBC News came after photos of the event, appearing to show groups of people, were posted on social media.

One of the photos shows a lineup of more than 10 people waiting to pick up food outside Tailgate Dining.

Another photo shows a group of more than 10 people gathered around cars.

Twitter

Carievale mayor Michael Wolf said the village had "nothing to do with" organizing the event and that he did not attend it  though he understood it produced "a good vibe" in the community.

"I was on my deck. I was at home," Wolf said.

Asked about the photos, he said, "I'm concerned with that. With the social distancing. It should have been followed."

Organizer outlines precautions taken

Jennifer Henderson, the mother of the woman who owns Tailgate Dining, said she organized the event.

"It was a way to get people out because people are getting so depressed and down in the dumps," Henderson said.

"It was just to get people out, knowing that [when] cruising in your vehicle, you would be social distancing."

Way more people attended the RCMP-patrolled event than she expected, including people from other communities, Henderson said.

When it came to the takeout food, "it was pre-orders only," Henderson said, with social distancing rules emphasized to all callers.

There was tape on the sidewalk, hand sanitizer and a sign at the pickup window saying "one person at a time," she added.

"That's exactly what people did," Henderson said. "People were so respectful."

Tailgate Dining/Facebook

Henderson said she saw the photos posted to social media that appeared to show clusters of people gathered around each other.

"You don't know who are family members in those pictures. It's hard to tell how far apart they are," she said.

Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, has faced questions recently about what families should and should not do as the province prepares to gradually relax some provisions of the public health order.

Shahab said last week that small gatherings between two or three households, but of no more than 10 people total, are likely OK.

But he added, "Try to meet the same people of the same household for the next little while."

How to flag an event

In its statement to CBC News, the ministry of health said using social media is not the ideal way to tell health officials about prohibited events.

"Complaints on social media cannot be investigated in a timely manner," the ministry said.

Instead, they ask people register concerns through the Non-Compliance Reporting Form, call their local public health office or the Public Safety Agency at 1-855-559-5502.
A bounce-back loan support scheme of up to 50,000 has been announced by the government for small businesses that might otherwise 'fall through the cracks'.

Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer unveiled the addition to existing support measures that have been deployed for firms to struggling to cope as the Covid-19 crisis continues in the UK.

This latest scheme offers small businesses 'fast track finance' through loans of up to 50,000 with no repayments or interest for the first 12 months.

The loans will also be 100% guaranteed by government, and will open for applications on Monday 4 May.

There will be a maximum loan term of 6 years and the government will work with lenders to ensure low rates of interest for the remaining term.

Companies can apply for loans of up to 25% of their annual turnover, so targeting enterprises turning over 200,000 or less.

Application is made through a short, online, standardised process with the offer and transfer of funds theoretically within days.

This latest measure comes in addition to grants already announced, income tax and VAT payment deferrals and the job retention scheme.

Martyn Dobinson, partner at accountancy firm Saffery Champness, said the loan is 'welcome news' for smaller rural enterprises who will be able to access amounts of between 2,000 and 50,000.

It will throw a lifeline to many smaller rural businesses who have been unsuccessful in accessing Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) funding," he explained.

"Those that have been successful in accessing CBILS funding cannot apply, although they can transfer that funding to this scheme instead."

Mr Dobinson added: "With the scheme to launch on 4 May, most telling will be how quickly the system can deliver cash payments and how receptive lenders will be to processing applications quickly and without the level of checks that have been evident for other schemes, and whether the system can cope with the number of applications anticipated.

As advised for the previously announced business loan support, for those seeking to access the scheme we recommend approaching your existing bank or lender first as this should further fast-track the application process.
It has been business as usual for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he returns to Downing Street earlier this week after recovering from the dreaded coronavirus.

In his recent address to the nation, Johnson mentioned that Britain stood still despite the pandemic, but he warned that the country "must prepare to win phase two" after winning phase one.

The 55-year-old U.K. leader is certainly facing the "biggest" challenges in his political career, as he deals with the pressure from the public, ministers, and members of the parliament regarding the nation's strategy with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Not to mention the questions on the impact on the economy of the lockdown.

Jonhson's Daughter Criticized

However, the Prime Minister is not the only one being criticized amid the health crisis.

His eldest daughter Lara Lettice Johnson-Wheeler -- whom he shares with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler -- gained backlash from netizens after bragging about her luxury purchase in the middle of the pandemic.

In her article for British Vogue, the 27-year-old Lara shared how she spends the quarantine period in their $1.2 million country home in Thame, Oxfordshire.

"I'm trying my best not to buy more clothes right now, uncertain about future financial prospects and conscious it isn't the time to splurge," she wrote.

Furthermore, she did reveal that she purchased a vintage Prada headband as a form of "self-care."

"But, I must confess, I did buy two headbands - one black and fluffy, from Shrimps, and one pink and from Prada - that I've been drooling over for months.

"I'm allotting these spending choices as self-care; I needed something to remind myself that sometimes, in the midst of all this uncertainty, it's OK to use fashion to remind myself who I am today," the aspiring writer added.

Backlash From The Public

Netizens immediately flocked to Twitter to express their dismay over Lara's insensitivity during this devastating time.

"No fan of Johnson's, but this is terrible. Did the Harry & Meghan thing ring any bells at all with you?" one user wrote.

Another critic called out Lara's callous behavior while the frontliners and medical staff are crying for a shortage of medical gears.

"#BorisJohnson's daughter Lara brags about ordering Prada in isolation as doctors beg for #PPE. The apples never fall far from the tree!"

Another critic echoed the same sentiments, mentioning PM Johnson's stance on budgets for hospital beds.

"Explains why BJ never has any money & demands taxpayers pay for his bed etc! An utter disgrace, gloating while thousands are dying, some preventable due to #PPEshortage @BorisJohnson daughter Lara orders Prada headbands while doctors beg for PPE."

Currently, Britain's death toll has reached over 21,000 while confirmed cases soared to nearly 162,000.

According to statistics, fatalities due to COVID-19 in Wales and England were 54% higher than the government's daily figures.

As cited by Office of National Statistics (ONS), the government updates were not accurate because it does not include deaths occurring in private homes, hospices, and care homes.
EO Product employees manufacturing hand soaps and sanitizers This crisis has devastated so many small businesses  its heartbreaking. However, it is so uplifting and inspiring to hear stories from our clients and many other small businesses about uniting, leveraging resources, and doing all that they can to fight this pandemic. - Barbara Morrison, CEO

While the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause unprecedented disruption around the world, small businesses are developing creative solutions to aid in relief efforts. Whether it is adding extra employees, donating crucial medical supplies, or discovering how to modify their business model to serve their clients.

Here are three of TMC Financing's small business clients who have adapted their day-to-day operations in order to enhance COVID-19 relief efforts within their local communities.

Bryn Walker

Bryn Walker is a womens clothing retailer that manufactures luxurious fabrics and sophisticated designs. Through the SBA 504 Program, owner Bryan Walker purchased his retail property in Berkeley, CA in 2011. With the Bay Area as his home base, Bryan continued to gain an enthusiastic following because his designs are versatile and practical.

However, as a result of the recent shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, Bryans company shifted gears. Bryn Walker teamed up with a new non-profit called It Takes a Village to sew 50,000 fabric face masks and construct 5,000 face shields  all to be donated to local hospitals.

It Takes a Village Founder Shelly Wong stated, Bryn Walker has been crucial in supporting the non-profit by donating fabric, elastic, and all the materials needed to help the effort. We are one of the groups that can provide volume with the help of Bryn Walkers professional sewists.

It Takes A Village has set up a GoFundMe to help reach their goals and is actively seeking volunteers. This group has already donated and received requests from the following hospitals, Alameda Health Systems (requested 8,000 face masks), Zuckerberg SF General (requested 10,000 face masks), Alta Bates Berkeley (requested 1,000 face masks), Santa Clara Valley County Medical, Palo Alto VA, Laguna Honda, Chinese Hospital SF, Sutter Health San Francisco, Mission Neighborhood Health Center, San Francisco.

TMC Financing is grateful to have worked with Bryan Walker and we are proud that he was able to pivot his companies operations to aid in the fight against this pandemic.

EO Products

EO Products is a certified organic manufacturer of personal care products and cosmetics based in San Rafael, CA. For 24 years, EO has blended items such as essential oils and soaps with safe and natural ingredients.

As the number of coronavirus cases soared across the United States, sanitizer and soap became difficult and often impossible to acquire. In response to the high demand, EO products sprang into action to help protect their community.

EO repurposed their entire production line to focus on hand sanitizer and cleaning products. Additional employees were hired in the warehouse, while the support staff learned to work from home. Normally, 7 production lines run in the companys warehouse. Now, 5 of those 7 are solely focused on sanitizer and soap. During a four-week period ending on Feb. 22 executives reported a 73% jump in sanitizer sales  EO is now manufacturing 1 million hand sanitizer products a month.

TMC is proud to have worked with a company resourceful enough to adapt to not only ensure the safety of its customers, but also thoughtful enough to provide emotional support to its patrons.

In a social media post, EO compassionately wrote, Through all this chaos, this might be one of the only things we know for sure. That we must take care of each other. We must stay home for one another.

Another week has passed. It feels like at every moment things are shifting. Youve seen it, felt it. Your worlds have been turned upside down, like ours. Were taking a moment to pause, to reflect on our single mission right now as a business  to show up for the people who need us the most and to continue showing up for you where youve come to expect us.

This week weve made a concerted effort to show up for our first responders, providing 8,000 bottles of sanitizer to the Emergency Response Center at the Moscone Center. Weve been sending product as we can to the UCSF Emergency Room and have also equipped our local police station in the Inner Richmond neighborhood. Were currently partnering with national organizations helping us get product into the hands of people who need them most - those that dont have the option to stay home.

Through all of this, our commitment stays the same: We are continuing to experience unprecedented product demand and order volumes. As new inventory becomes available, it sells out in minutes. In the coming weeks, well be rolling out solutions to better service the thousands of customers on our waitlist including offering pre-sale options.

So, well leave you with this. A reminder to pause and breathe. A reminder that there are better things to come. A reminder that youre not alone and were in this together.

Sol-Pak

Sol-Pak is a family-owned manufacturer of clear, plastic containers for the food service industry. TMC Financing has helped this family secure multiple SBA 504 loans to purchase real estate to house their operations.

Joubin Soleimani, Sol-Paks Chief Financial Officer, inadvertently realized that he has a unique opportunity to support local businesses throughout this difficult time.

Joubin and his wife learned about a food bank that was struggling to serve their clients because of the social distancing requirements. The food bank had enough food to donate but not enough containers to distribute meals.

When I heard the story on the news, I thought to myself, this is terrible, Joubin explained. I immediately had an idea, we could donate the containers to this food bank. Heck  this is what we do. Its simple.

Joubin called the food bank directly and offered his companys services free of charge.

The food bank picked up my call right away, said Joubin. I explained to them that this was a gift. They were so appreciative. The process was easy. The very next morning, their trucks were parked at my warehouse and my staff loaded them with 5,000 containers.

By donating 5,000 containers, the food bank had enough to distribute meals to the community for an entire month.

I am thankful that we could help our community, said Joubin. I typically fly under the radar, work hard in the background, but I couldnt stay quiet this time. Manufacturing plastic containers is what my family has done for generations. Our goal is to continue to donate to the businesses that need help  we are happy to do it.

TMC Financing is proud of our clients who have evolved and gone above and beyond to assist in this time of crisis.

Ive had the privilege of helping passionate entrepreneurs grow their businesses and serve their communities for nearly 40 years, Barbara Morrison, President of TMC Financing, explains. This crisis has devastated so many small businesses  its heartbreaking. However, it is so uplifting and inspiring to hear stories from our clients and many other small businesses about uniting, leveraging resources, and doing all that they can to fight this pandemic.
Boris Johnsons fiancee Carrie Symonds has given birth to a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning.

A spokesperson for the prime minister and Ms Symonds said both the mother and baby are doing very well, and that the couple would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

The news of the birth comes just days after Mr Johnson returned to No 10 to resume his responsibilities  three weeks on from being discharged from St Thomas Hospital where he was briefly in intensive care suffering from coronavirus.

The announcement was greeted with well wishes from across the political spectrum, with Sir Keir Starmer posting on his official Twitter account: Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, described it as a moment of unalloyed joy while the chancellor Rishi Sunak congratulated the couple, adding: Great to hear Downing Street is getting a new resident.

Recommended Boris Johnson joins ranks of sitting PMs who have welcomed babies

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, said: Congratulations and prayers for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds as they welcome their son into the world. Wishing them every blessing and happiness.

The prime minister has previously suggested he intends to take paternity leave, although it is not known if this remains the case amid the coronavirus pandemic and critical decisions that need to be made at No 10 on the countrys next steps.

Ahead of the announcement, it was unclear for 24 hours whether Mr Johnson would be attending the weekly session of prime ministers questions, facing Sir Keir at the despatch box for the first time.

Mr Johnson had been expected in the Commons for the first time since he fell ill with coronavirus last month  providing MPs and the new Labour leader with an opportunity to scrutinise his approach to the pandemic.

But on Wednesday  just two hours before the weekly session  a spokesperson for the couple said: The prime minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well.

Earlier this year the couple announced they were expecting a baby in the early summer, and that they had become engaged at the end of 2019.

Recommended Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds engaged and expecting a baby

Dominic Raab, the first secretary of state and foreign secretary, who had been deputising for the PM as he recovered from Covid-19, will stand in for Mr Johnson at prime ministers questions later today.

On Monday, the prime minister delivered an address to the nation  his first public appearance since leaving hospital  claiming there were signs the country was turning the tide against coronavirus.

But he warned it was too early to relax the lockdown, suggesting the country was now facing the moment of maximum risk, and said the government was aiming to avoid a second major outbreak of coronavirus and more loss of life.

Speaking outside No 10, Mr Johnson described the virus that has claimed more than 20,000 lives in UK hospitals as an unexpected and invisible mugger and said that now was the moment we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor.
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(Newser)  German doctors are stripping off their clothes to protest shortages of personal protective equipment. Photos appearing to show nude medical workers with body parts artfully obscured by stethoscopes and other medical equipment have been posted to the website Blanke Bedenken, which translates to "Naked Qualms," per the Guardian. "We are your GPs. To be able to treat you safely, we need protective gear," the site reads, per CNN. "The nudity is a symbol of how vulnerable we are without protection," one doctor tells German media, per the Guardian.

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The protest was reportedly inspired by Alain Colombie, a French doctor photographed naked in his practice in late March. Colombie, who said the lack of PPE followed months of warnings from health workers, intended to "push a stunt and come to the defense of the entire family of healthcare workers," per the Mirror. A recent study cited by the Guardian found German doctors were in need of 150 million masks, some 60 million gloves, and 60 million aprons. Germany's health ministry describes "worldwide supply shortages," per CNN. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
TAMPA, Fla. - Police officers in Florida fatally shot a man who fired at them during a late night traffic stop, authorities said.

Officers stopped a white Chevrolet Impala in a Tampa neighbourhood around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, news outlets reported.

The driver, later identified as 26-year-old Jonas Joseph, got out of the vehicle and began shooting at officers, police said. The officers returned fire, killing the man, according to police.

Police said the vehicle had been involved in a shooting in another neighbourhood on April 24.

None of the officers were injured.

Joseph was black. Police didnt immediately say what races the five officers involved in the shooting are.
Governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are responding to the coronavirus pandemic with violence that runs counter to their human rights obligations, Turan reported referring to the Amnesty International.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds in the region, many governments seem more interested in cracking down on dissent than protecting public health, said Heather McGill, Amnesty Internationals Central Asia Researcher.

From authorities in Kazakhstan welding apartment doors shut to trap residents inside, to Chechen police assaulting people for not wearing face masks, governments seem to be viewing the pandemic as a free pass to trample on human rights. Any strict measures to stop the spread of the virus must be temporary, proportionate, and in line with human rights standards.

The report describes the facts of violations of the rights of not only ordinary citizens, but also journalists and human rights activists to prevent the spread of information.

The governments of Azerbaijan and Russia held accountable social network users, journalists and medical workers, who openly pointed out the authorities' mistakes in taking measures against the pandemic, the report said.

On 19 March, in his Novruz Bayrami (New Year) greetings to the nation President Ilham Aliyev announced new rules for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, including isolating and clearing Azerbaijans already fragmented political opposition, the report noted. High- profile arrests of political and civil rights activists under spurious charges have followed the presidents pronouncement, including the arrest of opposition activist Tofig Yagublu on charges of hooliganism and human rights defender Elchin Mammad on charges of theft.
Maple Gold summarizes winter drilling and exploration work at Douay and provides corporate updates

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 summarize the recently completed drilling and exploration work at the Company?s Douay Gold Project. A total of 13 drill-holes and one drill-hole extension were completed for a total of 4,370 metres. Assays remain outstanding for 12 drill-holes (1-NW Zone, 4-Nika Zone and 7-Porphyry Zone). A brief summary of the various objectives and target concepts for the drill-holes with assays still pending is provided below (see Figure 1):

NW Zone: Single step-out drill-hole completed with the objective of expanding the NW Zone pit-constrained resource area, which included testing the western continuity ~100 to the west of an adjacent historical intercept (1994) that cut higher than deposit average grade starting from only 41m downhole. The current pit-constrained resource at the NW Zone is 2.6 Mt @ 1.14 g/t Au for 96,000oz Au (RPA 2019).

Nika Zone: Maple Gold?s discovery hole in this area cut 50m @ 1.77 g/t Au from 297 metres downhole in 2018. Limited follow-up drilling during 2019 intersected broad lower grade gold mineralisation and the Nika Zone supported a new conceptual pit (3.6 Mt @ 0.94 g/t Au for 109,000oz Au) in the Company?s latest resource estimate (RPA 2019). One of the objectives for the Company?s four drill-holes this winter at the Nika Zone is to define the near-surface expression of the higher-grade 2018 discovery hole.

Porphyry Zone: The 3km by 1km Porphyry Zone contains 136,000 indicated pit-constrained ounces (4.4 Mt @ 0.95 g/t Au) and 1,378,000 inferred pit-constrained ounces (47.9 Mt @ 0.90 g/t Au). There are multiple areas within this broad zone of mineralisation where higher grade mineralisation exists. Five of the seven drill-holes completed at the Porphyry Zone during the Company?s winter 2020 campaign were designed to test areas prospective for higher than zone-average grades within the top 150 metres from surface.

Matthew Hornor, Maple Gold?s President and CEO, commented: ?We were fortunate to complete nearly 4,400 metres before local shutdowns took effect. We are also very fortunate during this pandemic and economic uncertainty in the markets to have a dedicated team willing to take less cash every month while working hard on multiple strategies with a commitment to build value and position the Company for strong performance in the quarters ahead.? ?

The Company?s VP, Exploration, Fred Speidel, added: ?We have been very pleased with the IP results from our winter surveys, as they have supported existing target concepts and supported new regional targets that are now drill-ready with permits in place. While we wait for new assay results from our winter drilling campaign our team is preparing for further IP surveys to start as soon as exploration work recommences in the province.?

The Company?s winter 2020 geophysics program was very successful, demonstrating that the sulphide bearing system at the 531 Zone is wide open in multiple directions, while also outlining the start of a new chargeability anomaly further north in an area with no drilling over 600m (see press release March 16, 2020), which appears to relate to the WNW extension of the higher grade Main Zone. The infill IP grid completed 3.5-6.4km to the northeast of the known deposits was also successful in detailing a 1,500m long chargeability target, including a >400m target area with highest chargeability (see press release April 8, 2020), interpreted to represent a Vezza-like target. The Company has several additional exploration targets across its 350+ km? property that warrant additional IP surveys to define new drill targets, with some of this work likely to commence during Q2.

The Company is currently operating with a minimum of personnel at site, principally for care and maintenance purposes. With the reactivation of mining activities in the Province of Quebec, assay laboratories have also reopened, so the Company will be shipping remaining core samples as soon as possible. Assays are expected to be received periodically over the next ~2 months and will be released once they are verified and interpreted.

Corporate Adjustments, Reduction in Overheads and Stock Option Grant

The Company continuously looks at ways to reduce corporate and project site overheads. Initiatives implemented recently have included the consolidation of certain management roles, specifically in the Vancouver office and the Company is finalizing arrangements to reduce its camp size at site which will reduce monthly camp costs by approximately 50%.

In an early response to Covid-19 the Company?s senior management team is working for 50% pay during Q2 2020.?This will be re-evaluated on June 30, 2020 as part of the Company?s quarterly review and assessment of overhead costs.

The Company continuously evaluates the various Federal and Provincial programs that have been announced for applicability.?The Company has applied for the Canada Emergency Business Account $40,000 interest free loan.?The Company is engaged with its commercial landlord to take advantage of the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance which will lower rent for our corporate office by 75% for April, May and June 2020.?The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Quebec announced the postponement for one year of the requirement to carry out field work for the renewal of a claim, a simple and effective measure that will help Maple Gold.

The Company has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company as part of its annual option grant and in part as consideration for the continued commitment of its team members that have accepted reduced pay during Q2 2020 and to support a shared vision and team focus on building value in a rising gold market. The Company has granted 9,975,000 options that are exercisable at a price of $0.10. The options have a 5-year term and vest one-third immediately, one-third 12 months from the date of grant and one-third 24 months from the date of grant until the options are fully vested. The Company\-\-s Stock Option Plan governs these incentive options, as well as the terms and conditions of their exercise, which is in accordance with policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

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.

Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC)

Maple Gold implements strict quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) protocols at Douay covering the planning and placing of drill holes in the field; drilling and retrieving the NQ-sized drill core; drill hole surveying; core transport to the Douay camp; core logging by qualified personnel; sampling and bagging of core for analysis; transport of core from site to ALS laboratory; sample preparation for assaying; and analysis, recording and final statistical vetting of results. For a complete description of protocols, please visit the company\-\-s QA/QC page on its website.

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.

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.
Specialist insurer Beazley has expanded its mergers & acquisitions (M&A) team with new locations and the appointment of five new underwriters.

This follows several years of continuous growth in underwriting transaction risks, Beazley said in a statement.

We have seen increased interest in protecting transactions through insurance and we are expanding the team to meet this rising demand, according to Tim Allen, Beazleys global head of M&A.

Over the course of four years, we have grown from a team of three underwriters to the current level of 14 M&A professionals. With this expansion, we will have greater expertise and capacity for our clients, he continued.

In recent months the M&A team has expanded to include a presence in Germany, Singapore and Denver, Colo., in addition to its more established locations of London and Atlanta, Ga.

London

Joining in London are Lorraine Lloyd-Thomas and Cameron McCoy. Lloyd-Thomas comes to Beazley from Marsh where she spent 14 years, most recently as a managing director in Marshs UK private equity and M&A practice. Previously, she led the transactional risk team for Marsh in the UK. Lloyd-Thomas is a non-practicing solicitor and was one of the first joiners to the M&A insurance market from the legal profession in 2002.

Cameron McCoy is an experienced underwriter who will be responsible for the underwriting of UK and international M&A risks. Prior to joining Beazley, McCoy worked as an M&A underwriter at AIG and previously as a corporate lawyer at leading international firms with a focus on cross-border private and public M&A and private equity transactions.

U.S.

In the U.S., Melanie Walker has joined Beazley in Atlanta to increase capacity for U.S. domestic risks. Walker was most recently an associate with Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP where she focused on M&A. Prior to that, she was at a New York City-based international law firm, in the firms capital markets practice, where she worked on public and private capital markets transactions, including tender and exchange offers, initial public offerings and debt issuances.

In addition Tim Allen has moved from London to Denver as the team looks to build its offering across the U.S. mid-market.

Continental Europe

To increase Beazleys capacity for the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region, for both primary and excess risks, Kirsten Windle-Wehrle has joined the company. She is based in Munich where she underwrites M&A transaction liability business on a global basis. An attorney-at-law, with expertise in M&A, private equity and corporate law, she joins Beazley from Frankfurt-based commercial law firm Oppenhoff & Partner Rechtsanwalte and Steuerberater, where she was a specialist M&A lawyer.

Asia-Pacific

As a sign of further commitment to the Asia Pacific region, during the course of 2020 Beazley M&A underwriter Jordan Schwarz will move to Beazleys Singapore hub from London to support increased demand there and in Australia and New Zealand.

Schwarz will work with Jade Cummings in Singapore who joined Beazley last November from McAfee, LLC, where she served as a legal counsel.

About Beazley

Beazley plc is the parent company of specialist insurance businesses with operations in Europe, United States, Canada, Latin America and Asia. Beazley manages six Lloyds syndicates and, in 2019, underwrote gross premiums worldwide of $3 billion. All its Lloyds syndicates are rated A by A.M. Best. In the United States admitted market, coverage is provided by Beazley Insurance Co., an A.M. Best A rated carrier licensed in all 50 states. In the surplus lines market, coverage is provided by the Beazley syndicates at Lloyds.

Beazleys European insurance company, Beazley Insurance dac, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and is A rated by A.M. Best and A+ by Fitch.

Source: Beazley

Topics Mergers USA Excess Surplus Europe Underwriting London
The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) support measures for mutual funds may struggle to be effective, as low-capitalised banks are unlikely to extend liquidity to the sector without capital relief on the facilities, says global rating agency Fitch.

Following the Franklin Templeton debacle, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on April 17 announced a Rs 50,000 crore special liquidity facility (SLF) for mutual funds to ease pressure on mutual funds, which are facing liquidity crisis amid heightened volatility in capital markets in reaction to COVID-19 outbreak.

Fitch said that the size of the SLF-MF appears broadly commensurate with the scale of the funds most at risk.

"The success of the SLF-MF will hang on banks' appetite to take up the risks involved, against the system-wide backdrop of low capital headroom and a likely increase in fresh non-performing loans," the rating agency said.

Also Read: Franklin Templeton MF: All you need to know about credit funds hit by coronavirus crisis

The facility's structure places the onus on banks to absorb the associated credit and capital risk, which may hinder their willingness to participate, it added.

Fitch feared that if the liquidity facility does not achieve its aims of supporting liquidity or restoring market confidence, more debt schemes will be forced to suspend redemptions, also known as 'gating'.

According to the agency, the funds classified as "credit risk funds" are most at risk if redemptions continue (their AUM declined by 10% in March), particularly where funds have exposure to less liquid securities, such as unlisted securities, and/or have demonstrably higher risk appetite through exposure to defaulted entities such as IL&FS, Religare Finvest, and Dewan Housing.

Fitch said that liquidity mismatch is most acute in mutual funds investing in illiquid assets such as property. "An interruption of, or reduction in, funding provided by mutual funds to major entities or sectors, due to outflows or redemption suspensions, can have material credit implications for entities more reliant on wholesale funding," it said.

Also Read: Will RBI's Rs 50,000 crore boost for mutual funds allay investors' fears?

The funding conditions for Indian non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) also remained challenging amid the tighter debt market conditions of the past two years, Fitch said. "If the RBI's support measure fails to restore market confidence, leading to intensified redemption pressures for other funds, this could further narrow funding options for the sector," it added.

In March, Indian open-end mutual funds saw aggregate outflows of almost 20%. Within this, overnight funds, the most conservative variant in India, saw assets jump by almost 50%, whereas most other fund types saw outflows.
United States Attorney David C. Weiss and Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings have announced the formation of a new Coronavirus (COVID-19) Anti-Fraud Coalition, aimed at better protecting the citizens of Delaware from criminal and civil fraud arising from the pandemic.

The Coalition is comprised of local, state and federal agencies, investigators and prosecutors with experience in handling complaints and cases related to consumer fraud, financial fraud, heath care fraud and cybercrime.

Together, the coalition will share information and resources to monitor, identify and investigate misconduct.

This pandemic is ripe for exploitation by scammers, Jennings said in a press release issued by her office. The Delaware Department of Justice and its Fraud Division works each day to educate consumers, prevent fraud, and bring scammers to justicebut our work will never be done as long as consumers continue to be preyed upon by those who profit shamelessly off of their fears and anxiety.

Participating agencies will take information, tips and complaints from the public as well as other local law enforcement agencies seeking the coalitions assistance.

Our collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys Office is the latest chapter in a longstanding record of partnership, and in this public health and economic crisis it has never been more important for everyone at the federal, state, and local level to collaborate on the peoples behalf, Jennings continued in the release.

Common scams and frauds include:

Economic impact payment (stimulus check) : Scammers pretend to be government officials offering false economic impact payments (stimulus checks) in order to obtain personal identifying information including social security and bank account numbers.

: Scammers pretend to be government officials offering false economic impact payments (stimulus checks) in order to obtain personal identifying information including social security and bank account numbers. Diagnosis testing scams: Scammers offer fake COVID-19 testing kits, particularly door-to-door.

Scammers offer fake COVID-19 testing kits, particularly door-to-door. Treatment/cure scams: Scammers offer fake or unproven treatment regimens that are particularly dangerous because they have the potential to do more harm than good.

Scammers offer fake or unproven treatment regimens that are particularly dangerous because they have the potential to do more harm than good. Charity scams: Scammers set up fake charities to solicit donations that they then spend on themselves.

Scammers set up fake charities to solicit donations that they then spend on themselves. Overinflated prices: Sellers unlawfully use the COVID-19 pandemic to unreasonably inflate prices.

Sellers unlawfully use the COVID-19 pandemic to unreasonably inflate prices. Investment scams: Scammers make false claims about tests, cures and other matters related to COVID-19 in order to entice victims to make investment decisions based on those false claims that allow the scammer to steal money and assets from Delawareans.

Scammers make false claims about tests, cures and other matters related to COVID-19 in order to entice victims to make investment decisions based on those false claims that allow the scammer to steal money and assets from Delawareans. Cyber scams: Scammers send emails related to COVID-19 that appear to be from the victims banks, health care providers, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others for the purpose of obtaining the victims personal identifying information and exploiting it for the scammers own benefit.

Scammers send emails related to COVID-19 that appear to be from the victims banks, health care providers, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others for the purpose of obtaining the victims personal identifying information and exploiting it for the scammers own benefit. App scams: Scammers are creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users devices and personal information.

Scammers are creating and manipulating mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users devices and personal information. Insurance, workers compensation and Medicaid fraud: Businesses and government agencies should be vigilant to ensure scammers do not take advantage of their businesses or customers during this pandemic.

Businesses and government agencies should be vigilant to ensure scammers do not take advantage of their businesses or customers during this pandemic. Scams specifically targeted at seniors: Seniors are more vulnerable to common scams like the Grandparent Scam and Government Imposter Scams. Consumers receiving a call or any contact claiming that loved ones are in danger or hurt, that they owe money and failure to pay will result in their arrest or other harm, or that their benefits are in jeopardy, should not act.

Sadly, criminals look to take advantage of people, regardless of the circumstances, Weiss said in the release. But the people of Delaware can rest assured that we will be relentless in bringing to justice those seeking to illegally profit from this crisis.

Source: Delaware Attorney Generals Office

Topics COVID-19 Fraud
Glaxosmithkline chief Emma Walmsley, said she expected the turmoil to continue for 'a quarter [of a year] or so'

Britain's biggest drug makers expect the coronavirus crisis to last at least another three months  and possibly six.

Glaxosmithkline and Astrazeneca both revealed a surge in first-quarter sales, as governments stockpile medicines to combat the pandemic.

And the FTSE 100 rivals said they expected the buying activity to continue for months until the worst of the crisis abates.

Astra boss Pascal Soriot said: 'We think the whole thing will last three to six months, depending on how long the epidemic lasts.'

Emma Walmsley, chief executive of Glaxo, said she expected the turmoil to continue for 'a quarter [of a year] or so'.

She warned that, despite a worldwide push, vaccines are not likely to become available for more than a year, even if 'things go right' in trials being carried out.

The two British companies are at the forefront of international efforts to develop treatments and vaccines for coronavirus, which has now infected more than 160,000 people in the UK and killed more than 26,000 people.

Healthcare firms have been among the business winners of the crisis.

Glaxo said it had seen strong demand for a range of products, from respiratory drugs to painkillers and toothpaste.

It posted sales of 9.1billion for the three months to March 31, up 19 per cent compared to a year ago, and profits of 1.8billion, a rise of 42 per cent.

Astra saw strong global demand for medicines boost its first-quarter sales by 16 per cent to 5.1billion and profits by 23 per cent to 753million.

The company has proved to be one of the best-performing FTSE 100 stocks this year, with shares rising 16 per cent.

Astrazeneca boss Pascal Soriot said: 'We think the whole thing will last three to six months, depending on how long the epidemic lasts'

It is even on course to overtake oil giant Shell as the UK's most valuable company  yesterday it was valued at 108billion, compared to Shell's 114billion.

That is a remarkable turnaround for the drugs giant, which was seen as an industry laggard when boss Soriot took over in 2012.

At that point, it was facing tumbling sales and the loss of patent protections for its blockbuster drugs  and had few promising medicines left in the cupboard to replace them.

But under Soriot, it has developed a series of cutting-edge cancer drugs that have transformed its fortunes.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the company's share price growth was partly because it was seen as a 'defensive' stock during times of economic turmoil.

He added: 'The operational performance offers plenty of encouragement too, even if stockpiling of drugs in the near term is providing a boost unlikely to carry through the whole of 2020.'

Both Astra and Glaxo plan to pay dividends this year, joining just a handful of companies, including BP, Unilever, Tesco and Standard Life Aberdeen, to keep payouts to shareholders intact.

Glaxo intends to pay 80p for the year. Astra said its divi would be announced with its half-year results on July 30.

Shares in Glaxo dipped 0.6 per cent, or 10.6p, to 1677p, while Astra rose 0.2 per cent, or 19p, to 8207p.
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Linkedin Eric Buvelot (The Jakarta Post) Ubud, Bali  Wed, April 29, 2020 13:12 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4f101b 1 Art & Culture #art,#artist,#culture,#Bali,#painting,#Ubud,#American,#RomYaari,#body-painting Free

Born in 1956 in Los Angeles, the United States, American-Israeli artist Rom Yaari has resided in Ubud, Bali, since 2003.

Better known for his body painting, which he has practiced in Bali but also in more unlikely conservative places like Surabaya in East Java and Singapore, this unique personality lives his life to the fullest.

Between a French-styled cursed poet and an American-styled decadent hippie, Yaari is above all a simple human being with a big heart.

I stay away from drama, he says.

Splash of color: 'Sofia', a painting by Rom Yaari, who is better known for his body painting. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

But life has not been always easy for him, starting from childhood. Although from a well-off family, dyslexia and hyper-activity kept him out of school at an early age and he learned a lot by himself, if not at his own expense.

In the 1960s, being able to skip school meant he was actually a kid free to roam around the streets at will with little supervision from his elders. From birth to the 1980s, Yaari lived mostly in the US and Israel but also in England, Spain, France and Mexico, where he permeated himself with a broad array of influences.

Im a citizen of the world, he asserts now.

By the age of 10, he had already started to train himself at drawing and painting, reproducing scenes from the Bible, inspired by mosaics or ancient statues.

Serving as an apprentice in many artist studios around the world from a young age, his first ever real painting on canvas was an ape  after being seriously impressed by the just released movie Planet of the Apes, he recalls today in his studio located in Mas, near Ubud.

Artistic touch: Artist Rom Yaari works on many mediums, from acrylic on canvas, fabrics for fashion and interior design. (Courtesy of Rom Yaari/-)

Listening to his life story is like indulging into a serialized novel with many twists and turns, spanning all aspects of creativity. He works on many mediums: acrylic on canvas, pen and ink on paper, fabric for fashion and interior, watercolor, multimedia combined with hand-finished paintings and of course the human skin.

He became an art therapist a long time ago, pioneering this field through body painting at a time when it was still relatively unknown and mostly considered a smutty thing.

Yaari says he has also worked in the music industry where he befriended rock stars like David Bowie, Rod Stewart and Paul McCartney.

More tuned in to todays music scene, he says he also participated in the famous Burning Man Festival in the US in 2001 with a team of 40 painters, with whom he painted over 3,000 people.

Prolific is indeed a very defining adjective to qualify the work of Yaari, who never stops having positive ideas. But he says he would never deny his dark side and always refuses to work when in a bad mood.

On a mission: A painting by Rom Yaari created to help save the elephants. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

More recently, he became more and more involved in charity, participating in the Paralympics some years ago in Sydney and is now preparing to save the elephants with the Ganesh Project.

I raise money for causes; its the most transformational experience for me now because giving is better than receiving, he says.

Very concerned with climate change and the increasing threat of global warming, Yaari is always questioning the validity of our hyper-capitalistic world, tainted by money and greed.

With his Balinese agent Made Toya, he created the Yaari Toya Studio Bali and the Yaari Toya Center for the Arts in order to promote a higher public awareness toward the arts in Bali.

The father of seven who has married five times, he has regularly exhibited his art since the 1980s in places like Melbourne in Australia, Vancouver in Canada and Washington DC.

Since living in Bali, he has impressed and seduced with his talent and definitive showmanship all the big names of the local art scene.

Having realized he finally matured when he was in his late 40s, it is only then that he started to call himself an artist and moved to Bali, a place where his mother stayed and loved very much.

Every day I create. And I work on multiple pieces at the same time, he says about his life on the Island of the Gods, a place he names as the most inspiring on Earth.

Bali is my home, it is the only place Ive grown roots in my life. Indonesian people have always embraced me as an artist and I feel much honored. (ste)
New York's subways have become a hotbed for crime in the coronavirus pandemic with more homeless people moving in to the all-but abandoned trains that has created what Gov Andrew Cuomo called a 'disgusting' situation for all involved.

Since the pandemic exploded in New York City, where there are now at least 159,865 cases and 12,287 deaths, ridership has decreased by 90 percent as millions of people stopped going to work.

It has meant that many of the city's homeless population have been able to move permanently onto the trains without disruption.

But there has been a spike in crime on the network of trains which includes complaints of nudity, sexual activity, human waste and even arson.

On Wednesday, Cuomo instructed the MTA to present him with a plan for how to clean every train on the network nightly.

He said it was not safe for the homeless people on the network to be there without protective equipment, nor was it fair to the essential workers who rely on the trains to get to work.

Scroll down for video

A homeless person on the subway on April 29 with their belongings. Police are now starting to clear them from the trains in an effort to disinfect the system

A homeless person on the subway on April 29. Despite ridership plummeting by 90 percent, there has been a spike in crime

A homeless person on the subway with their belongings in a video taken in late April

A man sits shirtless on a train, with his clothes draped over the hand rails

Cuomo called the situation 'disgusting' and said the homeless, who he'd worked with 'for years', should be in shelters.

'That is disgusting what is happening on those subway cars,' he said on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he went further, saying: 'Crimes are up in the subways even though ridership is down by 90 percent.

'The trains are filled with homeless... to let homeless people stay on the trains in the middle of a global health pandemic with no masks, you're not helping the homeless by letting them endanger their own life and the lives of others.

'It's not helping anyone,' he said.

It echoed comments by mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday that 10 subway stations must be closed for cleaning every night - including clearing out the homeless.

'Everyone has to get out of the stations, instead of whats happened for years and years  that a homeless person just sits on the train, or maybe gets off the train temporarily, gets right back on it, goes then the whole way back,' he said on Tuesday.

But many homeless people are concerned that going to a homeless shelter will increase their exposure to the virus.

'Its hell out here. They tried to kick me off but I got different ways to get back on.

A homeless person sleeps in the station near police tape. The governor has ordered that every train must be disinfected every night

'I agree with them, I get off, get out, and I get on the next train. The shelters are hell with coronavirus.

'I have nowhere else to go,' Jeremiah McIntosh, 35, told The New York Daily News earlier this week.

In just ten hours on Monday, MTA officials received reports of arson, a person smothered in human waste and lewd activity on the subway system.

One incident involved a man masturbating on a 6 train in The Bronx at 1.13am.

At 10am, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, police were called to remove a man from a train who had covered himself in human feces.

At 11am, a homeless man was arrested for lighting pieces of cardboard on fire at the Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum station in Brooklyn.

MTA worker Torry Chalmers says he deserves hazard pay for having to work on the subways

Sarah Feinberg, interim NYC Transit president, said the city had failed the homeless population and was forcing the MTA to act as social services.

'The city has failed our most vulnerable who are in desperate need of mental health care and housing services.

'NYC Transit will continue to do everything in our power to address this important issue, including working closely with all partners, but it is outrageous that a transportation agency is conducting social services in place of the city,' she said.

On Wednesday at around 1am, cops hauled people off of a Q train at the 96th Street Station.

They were given the choice of going to the hospital or going to a homeless shelter.

'The city is stepping up and realizing they have to do something for these folks who live in a way that is not healthy. No one should be living like that. And no one should be living on a train for 10 years,' MTA chief safety officer Pat Warren told the New York Daily News.

Transit workers who are still forced to go to work have shared videos of what is happening to try to bring it to an end.

MTA conductor Torry Chalmers, 48, posted clip Tuesday to demonstrate that every carriage on the 2 train contained several people who appeared to be sleeping or have slept on New York City transit

Many of the people filmed are seen alongside boxes, luggage items and bags. Several are splayed out across the seats.

'This is what they making me do, transporting the homeless and the virus at the same time thru every Borough of NY,' Chalmers wrote in a caption for the footage shared on his Facebook page.

'Transit workers need Hazard Pay ASAP. The Gov, Mayor or High official Transit personnel don't care about us. Make these videos go viral, maybe we can stop the spread of this killer virus.'

'Respect the essential workers. That is disgusting what is happening on those subway cars. It's disrespectful to the essential workers who need to ride the subway system', New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday

Chalmers is heard saying on the recording: 'I got to send this to the governor, let him see this s**t.

'This is what I gotta do. I gotta go to work in this. It's not making any sense. It's nasty, nasty.'

Chalmers is based in the Bronx area and has worked for the MTA for 25 years.

While displaced people are often seen taking advantage of the busy underground transportation network, Chalmers said the issue has gotten worse with the trains less crowded due to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent stay-at-home orders.

'There could be seven homeless spread out in each car.

'They trash the train  it's too many of them and every day it's getting worse,' Chalmers told the New York Post about how the situation has escalated.

'I get on the train and hope and pray there aren't a lot of homeless people.'

Chalmers added that genuine passengers are worried about the homeless people on the train too.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Like most businesses in the travel industry, St. Pete-based travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, watched sales plummet following the COVID-19 outbreak.

With travel at a standstill, Squaremouth's sales are down more than 90%. Despite the economic challenges, the local small business has pledged to keep all 39 employees working full hours at full pay, without any layoffs.

Squaremouth.com, which historically saw upwards of 500 sales a day, has seen as little as 12 in the economic wake of COVID-19. "As soon as we saw the shift, we took cost-cutting steps that have allowed us to keep every member on staff at their full salary," says CMO, Megan Moncrief.

Now, more than ever, Squaremouth remains committed to helping its customers. After the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the U.S., Squaremouth saw a 181% spike in claims related to the virus and a 102% increase in calls from travelers with questions about coverage. To assist customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, Squaremouth ramped up their customer service and claims departments by increasing hours of operation and implementing "all hands on deck" assistance, where every employee is available to answer customer calls and chats.

At the same time, the company is making adjustments to prepare for what the future might look like.

"We are taking this time to innovate, instead of cutting staff," says CEO, Chris Harvey. "By being able to keep all our staff working full hours, we can start working towards the new normal, for all the changes that are going to come."

Squaremouth is now focusing on what the future of travel might look like following this global pandemic. The company is already working on new products that will address the evolving concerns of travelers, including creating new benefits specific to viral outbreaks.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

SQUAREMOUTH compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare travel insurance policies side-by-side . More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com .

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An organization set up to support Cambodias microfinance sector has rejected a call by NGOs for a blanket suspension of the repayment of loans made to Cambodians hard hit by recent business shutdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying requests for relief must be considered on a case-by-case basis.



Writing in a joint letter, 135 Cambodian community organizations and other groups have asked the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) to halt for three months demands for repayment by the more than two and a half million Cambodians who now hold microloans.



These demands have now put the livelihood and land security of loan holders at risk, the letter says.



Millions of workers in the tourist, garment and construction sector are facing layoffs and loss of wages, the letter says, adding that government efforts to subsidize losses have largely failed to meet workers needs.



The government must ensure that MFIs [microfinance institutions] immediately suspend all loan repayments as well as interest accrual on loans for at least three months and return the millions of land titles currently held as collateral by MFIs to their owners, the letter says.



These actions are necessary to ensure that people are able to survive this crisis without risking their health or homes, and are able to avoid further risky loans that could lead to bonded labour, human trafficking and other human rights abuses.



In an April 28 statement, the CMA said however that requests for suspension will be considered only on an individual basis.



We will suspend debt payments upon the clients request to the MFI, CMA deputy president Bun Mony told the Phnom Penh Post on April 28. We do not force them to sell their land under the present circumstances because we know that they are facing hardships. Additionally, we wont require them to pay late fees.



The success of the customer is the success of the MFI, Bun Mony said. And the MFI cannot succeed on the failures of its customers.



Threats to seize land and homes



Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service, Vorn Povpresident of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), a group representing small business ownerssaid however that only a few banks and MFIs have agreed to suspend payments of mortgage and interest for the requested three-month period.



A number of banks have continued to demand payment, and those banks are threatening loan-holders, saying they will seize their homes, he said, adding that many of his associations members have faced severe financial hardships during the last four months.



Our members are complaining that the banks still want their payments, he said.



Also speaking to RFA, a fruit vendor from southeastern Cambodias Kandal province said he had borrowed about $20,000 from a bank to invest in a mango plantation and street shop to sell mangoes outside garment factories.



Following the outbreak of the coronavirus, though, his business has lost money, and if the government doesnt intervene, his creditors will confiscate his land and house, he said.



Before that, my business was good. I made my payments for the last nine months, and I even made payments ahead of the due date, he said. But after the outbreak of COVID-19, my business began to fail, and now I dont even have $4 in my pocket.



My creditors keep calling me and demanding payment and have even come to my house. I have asked them to hold off for three months, but theyve refused and are threatening to take legal action, he said.



RFA calls to National Bank of Cambodia spokesman Chea Serey and government spokesman Phay Siphan for comment rang unanswered on Wednesday.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
HEFEI, China, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, has recently released its annual report 2019 to shareholders, reporting a robust fiscal performance and key milestones in its business fields.

Overview of Sungrow fiscal year

The shipments in 2019 reached 17.1GW, allowing the accumulative shipments to hit 100GW as of December 2019 .

. The revenue increased by 25.4% to 1.864 billion (2018: $1.572 billion ).

). The net income attributable to shareholders of a listed company came to $127.6 million , an increase of 10.2% (2018: $116 million ).

, an increase of 10.2% (2018: ). The CFFO (cash flow from operations) increased by 1271.3% to $355.6 million , a stellar and healthy operation structure.

, a stellar and healthy operation structure. Turnover of accounts receivable is twice, an increase of 11.1%.

Basic earnings per share thus amounted to 0.61 yuan (8.75 US-cents), an increase of 8.9%.

Strong competitiveness

The Company remains the leading position in markets like the United States, Brazil, Chile and holds a market share of over 30% in Southeast Asia. The growth is attributable to the robust strength in R&D, global professional and responsive sales and service network and facilitating firmly the corporate social responsibility.

One of the most important factors Sungrow leans on is the R&D development. The annual report indicates over 1627 personnel assigned to R&D team and an increase in investment in R&D by 31.8% to $911.8 million in 2019, demonstrating more efforts were made in product innovations.

Furthermore, the Company keeps providing updated product portfolio with groundbreaking technologies including SG250HX - the world's most powerful 1500V inverter, and featured commercial inverters from 33kW to 110kW, which enable maximum yields for diverse installations. The breakthrough is also shown on the Company's energy storage segment which embraces a year on year revenue growth by 41.8%. Landmark projects Sungrow supplied in 2019 like the largest unsubsidized PV-plus-storage project in Europe (27MW/30MWh) and the first 1500V DC-coupled PV-plus-storage project in the United States (1.5MW/3.836MWh), which maximizing the ROI and matching diversified local demands.

With more than 20 subsidiaries and over 50 global service outlets established worldwide, Sungrow is able to offer the most responsive 24/7 support to customers. Notably, Sungrow was rated "100% bankable" by BloombergNEF in its inverter bankability survey 2019. The survey also unveiled that Sungrow is the No.1 supplier in term-loan financed projects.

As one of the most compelling PV and energy storage players, Sungrow is always contributing to the decarbonization. It's the Company's accumulative shipments reaching 100GW by the end of 2019 that is equivalent to eliminating 103 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Forecast the growth in 2020

Despite the current situation with coronavirus, Sungrow is dedicated to lifting R&D investment, driving the online communication for business and putting together a task force to facilitate comprehensive measures to ensure a stable supply chain, in a bid to pave the way to reach its mission of "Clean power for all".

"The coronavirus has had only a minimal negative impact on Sungrow's business development so far. We are moving fast in uncertain times," said Cao Renxian, Chairman of Sungrow. Many orders are still on time and those that are delayed are a few weeks behind the original schedule. According inverter export data released by China Custom, Sungrow took the first place in Q1 of 2020.

As of early March, Sungrow's China-based production facility was at full capacity and the Company's upcoming quarter orders were healthy enough to indicate a year of growth.

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 100 GW to be installed worldwide as of December 2019. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 23-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 60 countries, maintaining a worldwide market share of over 15%. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.
Vietnams readiness to join the fight against the coronavirus in the globe is reflected in its scientific activities.

On April 6, Prof Nong Van Hai from the Institute of Genome Research (IGR) said that of 3,443 sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome which have been registered with GISAID, eight genome sequences were registered by Vietnam, with six from the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and two from the Pasteur Institute HCM City.



GISAID is a familiar name to influenza virus researchers: it is a database built with international sources sharing data about viruses, with the highest speed in the world. On April 6, only 3,443 virus genome sequences were shared, but the figure soared to 4,896 on April 8.

As a publicprivate partnership between the German government and Friends of GISAID, a nonprofit organization, the database provides the right to access all gene sequencing data about influenza viruses and related clinical and epidemiological issues.

As a publicprivate partnership between the German government and Friends of GISAID, a nonprofit organization, the database provides the right to access all gene sequencing data about influenza viruses and related clinical and epidemiological issues.

It was opened when researchers found the danger caused by H5N1 influenza virus which spreads from poultry to humans.



According to Truong Nam Hai, a genetic and bioinformatics researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology, the genome of SARS-CoV-2 virus is not too complicated in comparison with human genome and there are no more than 30,000 base nucleotides.

However, scientists' knowledge about the virus remains modest.



The findings about the novel coronavirus genome show the importance of the databases such as GISAID, where the results of the world's first viral gene sequencing by Chinese researchers have been published, which have served as a reference for subsequent results.

Like the human genome, the information about SARS-CoV-2 virus lies in its own genome.



A genome the genetic material of a living organism, is like an essential record book, which contains necessary information about that organism.



Of the eight genome sequences registered by Vietnam as of April 8, five have been implemented by the research team headed by Associate Prof Dr Le Thi Quynh Mai, deputy director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.



It is one of the leading research centers in Vietnam on influenza viruses, according to Truong Nam Hai.



Meanwhile, some researchers said that with its capability, the number of genome sequences shared on GISAID by Vietnam could be higher. According to Do Tan Khang from Can Tho University, Vietnam has no fewer than 40 next-generation gene sequencing machines at state-owned and private facilities.

Kim Chi

WHO, UK certify Vietnams COVID-19 test kit The World Health Organisation (WHO)'s medical product evaluation agency has sent a letter informing the certification of the SARS-CoV-2 testing kit LightPower iVA SARS-CoV-2 1st RT-rPCR.
Identity and access management in 2022 - what will the future look like?

As we enter into 2022, there is still a level of uncertainty in place. Its unclear what the future holds, as companies around the world still contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has been encouraged by most organisations and the move to a hybrid working system has become business as usual, for the majority of businesses. Some have reduced their office space or done away with their locations altogether. Following best security practices With all this change in place, there are problems to deal with. According to research, 32.7% of IT admins say they are concerned about employees using unsecured networks to carry out that work. Alongside this, 74% of IT admins thought that remote work makes it harder for employees to follow best security practices. This need to manage security around remote work is no longer temporary. Instead, companies have to build permanent strategies around remote work and security. The coming year will also create a different landscape for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key predictions for next year and what to start preparing for in 2022: The reality of SMB spending around security will hit home SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working, especially in comparison to their size. They had to undertake significant digital transformation projects that made it possible to deliver services remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weve seen a shift in mindset for these companies, which are now more tech-focused in their approach to problem solving. According to our research, 45% of SMBs plan to increase their spending towards IT services in 2022. Around half of all organisations think their IT budgets are adequate for their needs, while 14.5% of those surveyed believe they will need more, to cover all that needs to be done. Identity management spending to support remote work For others, the COVID-19 pandemic led to over-spending, just to get ahead of things and they will spend in 2022, looking at what they should keep and what they can reduce their spending on. Areas like identity management will stay in place, as companies struggle to support remote work and security, without this in place. However, on-premise IT spending will be reduced or cut, as those solutions are not relevant for the new work model. Services that rely on on-premise IT will be cut or replaced. The device will lead the way for security We rely on our phones to work and to communicate. In 2022, they will become central to how we manage access, to all our assets and locations, IT and physical. When employees can use company devices and their own phones for work, security is more difficult. IT teams have to ensure that theyre prepared for this, by making sure that these devices can be trusted. Wide use of digital certificates and strong MFA factors Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication There are multiple ways that companies can achieve this, for example - By using digital certificates to identify company devices as trusted, an agent, or strong MFA factors, like a FIDO security key or mobile push authentication. Whichever approach you choose, this can prevent unauthorised access to IT assets and applications, and these same devices can be used for authentication into physical locations too. Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication. Understanding human behaviour Alongside this, it is important to understand human behaviour. Anything that introduces an extra step for authentication can lead to employees taking workarounds. To stop this, it is important to put an employee education process in place, in order to emphasize on the importance of security. The next step is to think about adopting passwordless security, to further reduce friction and increase adoption. Lastly, as devices become the starting point for security and trust, remote device management will be needed too. More companies will need to manage devices remotely, from wiping an asset remotely if it gets lost or stolen, through to de-provisioning users easily and removing their access rights, when they leave the company. Identity will be a layer cake Zero Trust approaches to security Identity management relies on being able to trust that someone is who they say they are. Zero Trust approaches to security can support this effectively, particularly when aligned with least privilege access models. In order to turn theory into practical easy-to-deploy steps, companies need to use contextual access, as part of their identity management strategy. This involves looking at the context that employees will work in and putting together the right management approach for those circumstances. For typical employee behaviour, using two factor authentication might be enough to help them work, without security getting in the way. How enterprises manage, access and store identity data There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time For areas where security is more important, additional security policies can be put over the top, to ensure that only the right people have access. A step-up in authentication can be added, based on the sensitivity of resources or risk-based adaptive authentication policies might be needed. There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time, so that it aligns more closely with those use cases. Identity management critical to secure assets in 2022 There are bigger conversations taking place around digital identity for citizenship, as more services move online as well. Any moves that take place in this arena will affect how businesses think about their identity management processes too, encouraging them to look at their requirements in more detail. Overall, 2022 will be the year when identity will be critical to how companies keep their assets secure and their employees productive. With employees working remotely and businesses becoming decentralised, identity strategies will have to take the same approach. This will put the emphasis on strong identity management as the starting point for all security planning.
A professor of Mathematics at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Francis Osagiede, has been mocked by Nigerians for his gaffes during an interview on the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria.

The interview was conducted by the Nigeria Television Authority and the recorded video is now circulating on social media.

Commentators mocked the professor for his poor grammar and unsubstantiated comments on coronavirus control measures.

In the viral video, Mr Osagiede related the surge in the number of people infected with the virus to a geometrical progression and said if not checked this will become an exponential increasement.

The university teacher said the cause of the increasing figures was because people are not adapting to the isolation (quarantine) rules.

In March, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control recommended that only returnees from abroad and persons with symptoms must observe a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine  an attempt to flatten the curve of the infection.

But for Mr Osagiede, going into isolation for two weeks or more means the COVID-19 pandemic and the symptoms will go.

They say if you go in isolation for two or three weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic and the symptoms will go, he said. If you abide by the rule that NCDC provided, it will be okay. It will decrease exponentially.

Responding to the professors interview on Facebook, Farooq Kperogi, a professor of journalism at the Kennesaw State University, United States, said the video could pass for a comic relief as it is infinitely funnier than many of Nigerian comedy kits Ive watched.

The tragicomic ignorance of both the reporter and the professor made me laugh until I cried! They would make an excellent comedic duo, Mr Kperogi added in the Facebook post he shared on Monday.

Another Facebook user, Muhammad Rislan, said while the professors English inadequacy could be excused by some people, his inability to give an expert opinion should be a matter of concern.

His expert opinion lacks logic at best and seems like a beer parlor talk at worse, he commented under Mr Kperogis post mocking the professor.

It made me sad. What an aggressively ignorant and inarticulate professor. An embarrassment, another user Paul Nwabuikwu, said, still under Mr Kperogis post.

Excerpts of the interview

REPORTER: Here with me is a professor of mathematics from UNIBEN who is going to help us analyse the increasing figures of coronavirus across the country.

PROFESSOR: The increasing figures across the country is in geometrical progression, and we know that in geometrical progression, if you dont do what is decessary (necessary), it will become an exponential increasement.

It were be like an exponential increasement because from geometric, it will go farther thanit will no go into exponential, so the reason why it is happening is because people are not adapting to rules.

They say when you in isolation for two or three weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic and the symptoms will go. If you abide by the rules that NCDC provided, it will be okay. It will now become decreasingit decreases exponentially.

REPORTER: The professor of mathematics, Francis Osagiede further gives details on how to address coronavirus using mathematical solutions)

PROFESSOR: Mathematicians are the solutions of this country. Many say they put a square peg in a square hole but it is is not so. It is now a square peg in a round hole. Why dont we make sure that Mathematicians are evident in the solution of this country. But we are relegated.

See the video
The chief executive of Londons NHS Nightingale hospital has said the health services agile response to the coronavirus pandemic means it can never go back to its previously bureaucratic ways of working.

Professor Charles Knight also revealed the NHS is now planning to double Londons permanent intensive care bed capacity from 799 to more than 1,600 beds so a future Nightingale hospital would never be needed in any future epidemic.

Prof Knight, a consultant cardiologist, confirmed staffing levels for the Nightingale hospital, which was built at Londons ExCel conference centre, had been a major challenge. Insiders at the East London site told The Independent last week that a lack of staff was why the number of patients was only around 30.

The hospitals CEO said the future of the Nightingale could be as a bridge to help the NHS get back to normal operations.

We can never go back to how we used to work, Prof Knight told a Royal Society of Medicine webinar on Tuesday, adding: I think we were described in a newspaper as a lumbering bureaucracy. I think we have proven, once and for all that thats not the case. I dont think theres many private sector companies that could have, or indeed have, responded to the pressures of Covid in the way we did.

One mustnt ignore the fact that for most of ones time in the old NHS you were talking about money and business case approvals. We havent had to do that. But it would be foolish to think we could go back to a world where there is a blank cheque, thats not going to happen, but what we can do is to take pride in whats been achieved in terms of the flexibility of the response across the whole country. And also, to learn from that, to be more agile in the future and not go back to quite the sort of level of bureaucracy that we used to deal with.

He said video and telephone consultations with patients was likely to become permanent for many hospitals, adding: The hospital outpatient waiting room is probably a thing of the past and we shouldnt have it back.

On staffing levels, Prof Knight accepted it had been a challenge, saying: Its much easier to build a new hospital, than to staff it. I think the honest answer is that it would have been really very very very difficult to staff all those thousands of beds.

But we were faced with a situation where people were going to die because of a lack of a ventilator so we had to do something  because the alternative was unthinkable.

He said nurse to patient ratios at the hospital, which are normally one to one for ventilated patients, had been stretched to at least one to four and could have reached as high as one to six.

This was possible due to the layout of the wards he said which allowed greater visibility for staff. That model will to some extent, and forget about the actual ratios, that model will have to go back in to normal intensive care unit practice for a period of time.

When ICU capacity is permanently established in the normal hospitals we will still not be able to have the staff to staff those either.

Around 850 patients were still in critical care in London he said, but warned there was a need for the NHS to get back to normal operations because of deaths linked to cancer and heart disease.

The Nightingale could continue to be an insurance policy for London, he said, or as a bridge to normal operation to allow services to re-start be being used to decant Covid positive patients out of hospitals to allow some of them to be essentially Covid free.

He added: London must double its intensive care capacity on a permanent basis going forward. Everyones agreed that [the Nightingale] must be a temporary phenomenon. We must have a system of healthcare in this country that means if this ever happened again, we wouldnt have to build an intensive care unit in a conference centre. There is a clear plan to double ICU capacity on a permanent basis in London, and we can be the bridge to that.

The Nightingale opened on 3 April and admitted its first patients on 7 April.

Prof Knight said he was thankful that the predicted 7,500 surge in patients in London needing critical care never happened adding: When we first came here, and we looked at these vast halls and we saw the beginnings of the bed bays being rolled out. It was a profoundly moving, awe inspiring and horrific moment, because if you imagine all those beds being full of patients it was like the apocalypse.
[April 28, 2020] Sogou Unveils Upgrades to its AI-Driven Multilingual Mobile Keyboard

BEIJING, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sogou Inc. (NYSE: SOGO) ("Sogou" or "the Company"), an innovator in search and a leader in China's internet industry, released its Sogou Mobile Keyboard 10.8, the latest version of the Sogou Mobile Keyboard. Powered by Sogou's leading AI technologies, the latest upgrade features new multilingual voice-based transcription and translation services, supports language input in four more languages, and offers improved accuracy rates for voice inputs. As the most popular Chinese-language mobile input app by number of monthly active users, the Sogou Mobile Keyboard makes communication easier and more efficient for millions of individuals. By enhancing the user experience and enabling people to communicate smoothly across multiple languages, the Sogou Mobile Keyboard continues to break down language barriers. Multilingual Translation and Transcription The Sogou Mobile Keyboard 10.8 now supports voice-based translation between Chinese and seven foreign languages, including English, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Japanese, and Korean. It also provides voice transcription services for nine foreign languages and ten Chinese dialects with an 85% accuracy rate. Supports Language Input in Eight Languages The latest version also supports language input in Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and French, building on the existing keyboards in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. Users can easily communicate in multiple languages without switching between different input methods. Further, to help users communicate more eloquently, the English keyboard comes with a thesaurus tha provides a large collection of synonyms for over 4,000 commonly used words. Users simply tap a word and its synonyms pop up.



Enhanced Voice Input Experience The Sogou Mobile Keyboard 10.8 also features an upgraded voice input system, with the voice recognition accuracy rate for speech entered from a distance increasing by 30% and by 20% for speech in Mandarin, compared with the previous version. Further, when pronunciation is unclear or inaudible, the smart keyboard recommends possible words for users to choose from.

In addition, the revamped Sogou Mobile Keyboard provides a full suite of features to enrich user interactions and offer a more personalized experience, including sentence correction, text prediction, and smart recommendations. With the latest upgrades to the Sogou Mobile Keyboard, Sogou showcases its continued commitment to making communication easier for millions of users at home and abroad by leveraging its AI capabilities in voice, image, natural language processing, and machine learning. Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates, and projections, which involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, intense competition in the market for search and search-related services; our need to continually innovate and adapt in order to grow our business; our reliance on Tencent platforms for a significant portion of our user traffic; and uncertainty regarding the extent and reach of PRC governmental regulation of sponsored search. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Sogou's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2020, and other documents Sogou files with or submits to the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Sogou Sogou Inc. (NYSE: SOGO) is an innovator in search and a leader in China's internet industry. With a mission to make it easy to communicate and get information, Sogou has grown to become the second-largest search engine by mobile queries and the fourth largest internet company by MAU in China. Sogou has a wide range of innovative products and services, including the Sogou Input Method, which is the largest Chinese language input software for both mobile and PC. Sogou is also at the forefront of AI development and has made significant breakthroughs in voice and image technologies, machine translation, and Q&A, which have been successfully integrated into our products and services. For media enquiries, please contact: Yadan Ouyang

Brunswick Group

Tel: +86 10 5960-8600

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sogou-unveils-upgrades-to-its-ai-driven-multilingual-mobile-keyboard-301048976.html SOURCE Sogou Inc.

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by Shafique Khokhar

A Muslim educator criticises Punjabs governor for a proposal that reflects our traditional minuet that more religion is a sure panacea for all ills. Unfortunately, the results do not support this idea.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  As universities around the world try to discover a cure for the coronavirus, Pakistani universities might offer students more religion, as a panacea for all ills.

Muhammad Sarwar, the Governor of Punjab, is proposing to make studying fhe Quran compulsory for Muslim university students in his provinces universities, a view criticised by Hamza Arshad, a secular Muslim educator after.

The Pakistan Minorities Teachers' Association (PMTA) also has issues with the proposal and has written to the Governor to express the concern of religious minorities about further discrimination against non-Muslims.

In the letter, PMTA president Anjum James Paul, a Christian educator, writes that Muslim and religious minorities students study in the same universities of Punjab. Although article 20 of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees Freedom of Religion and article 25 (1) Equality of Citizenship to all citizens, [. . .] religious minority students are [unfortunately] deprived of these civil rights.

The decision of obliging only the Muslim majority students is certainly discriminatory and biased. Muslim students are already privileged as they study recitation of Quran Majeed from grades I-XII and the subject of Islamic Studies from grade III to higher education under article 31 of the constitution.

By contrast, unfortunate religious minority students are deliberately deprived of equal rights in the educational institutions. For this reason, the letter calls on the Governor kindly review your decision and make arrangements for the compulsory study of the Holy Books of the minority students as well on equality basis.

Prof Hamza Arshad, a Muslim secular educator, told AsiaNews that the Punjab Governor seems to be unaware of the fact that our students already read a good portion of the Holy Quran with translation in different classes. They have Nazra (recitation of the Quran) at primary level and a considerable portion of curriculum comprises of many Surahs and chapters of the Holy Quran.

Most of the students go to mosques for recitation or learn by heart. Their parents also make them recite some portion of the Quran on a daily basis. Pakistan has largest numbers of madrassas and mosques in the world. So, there is no lack of recitation. Yet, In spite of this massive religious intake, we are considered one of the most corrupt nations of the world.

Now a respected governor perhaps is thinking. And in his thrill of confusion, he proposes more religion to deal with the matter. Now students, as proposed, will recite the holy Book at university level.

The question is if their previous fourteen year recitation couldnt make them good persons, how will another four years do it when they are mature and thereby not flexible as they were in their childhood. It will only make classroom lose its real purpose.

Another dangerous factor is that clerics will be able to influence students at the highest level, causing perilous strife. The Governors proposal reflects our traditional minuet that more religion is a sure panacea for all ills.

Unfortunately, the results do not support this idea. Already we have a low standard of education. Our universities seldom produce any considerable research. Now, at time when the universities of the world are trying to discover a cure for the coronavirus, our universities are all at sea. What further good will more religion yield.
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh has said that the state government is in touch with about 100 US companies who want to leave China due to the coronavirus crisis. He added that these companies have shown interest to come to UP.

US has significant investment in China. Prime Minister and Chief Minister want to use the opportunity where industries are moving out of China and see how they can be brought to India, especially to UP. Video-conferencing was held with over 100 American companies yesterday, in a webinar. Theyve shown interest, said Singh, who holds the MSME portfolio.

He said that these companies are big names in logistics, scientific instrumentation, electronic and automobile sectors. They already have investments in China. Im hopeful well be able to bring them to UP, given how were working by making changes in our industrial and sectorial policy, Singh added.

The webinar was organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.

Singh said that at the webinar he told the US companies about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths sector-specific policies mainly in the defence, pharmaceuticals, food processing, electronics and education sectors.

Many companies participated in the webinar, including Adobe, Boston Scientific and UPS while Siddharth Nath Singh, along with a team of senior officers, including industrial development commissioner Alok Tandon and principal secretary, MSME and exports, Navneet Sehgal, represented the state.

Sehgal said that US businessmen hailed Yogi governments fight against Covid-19. They were also informed of the Team-11 which has been set up by the chief minister to check the spread of the virus in the state.
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 28, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Yahoo News Reporter Apologizes to Trump for Making Inaccurate COVID-19 Test Claim

A Yahoo News White House correspondent apologized to President Donald Trump on Tuesday for asking a question that incorrectly claimed that the United States had conducted fewer tests per capita for COVID-19 than South Korea.

Hunter Walker admitted that he misread a chart and mixed up numbers when addressing his question to the president during a news conference at the Oval Office with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Overall, South Korea has done five times more tests than the U.S. per capita. Why is that? Walker asked.

I dont think thats true, the president responded.

That is true, Walker asserted.

Shortly later, he was corrected by White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, who said the United States had directed its initial response toward areas where there was an outbreak and later offered specific numbers, saying that the U.S. testing rate had surpassed South Koreas.

South Koreas testing was 11 per 100,000 [citizens], and we are at 17 per 100,000, Birx said.

Response coordinator for White House Coronavirus Task Force Deborah Birx speaks as President Donald Trump meets with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 28, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States has, as of April 28, tested 16,959 people for every 1 million residents, surpassing South Koreas figures of 11,869 tests per 1 million people, according to the COVID Tracking Project and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Trump then asked Walker if Yahoo News would acknowledge its error.

Are you going to apologize, Yahoo? Trump said.

In the Oval Office, I asked about test rates and infection rates compared to South Korea. President Trump and Dr. Birx said I was wrong that theyve done more tests per capita. Trump said I should apologize. They did not address multiple questions about our higher infection rate.  Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 28, 2020

Later Tuesday, Walker issued an apology to the president on Twitter stating that he had misread the mobile version of a testing chart.

We have passed South Korea in the number of tests conducted per capita. I misread the mobile version of this chart and am sorry about that @realDonaldTrump . Our infection rate is far higher though as I noted.  Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 28, 2020

In the Oval Office, I asked about test rates and infection rates compared to South Korea. President Trump and Dr. Birx said I was wrong that theyve done more tests per capita. Trump said I should apologize, Walker wrote. They did not address multiple questions about our higher infection rate.

We have passed South Korea in the number of tests conducted per capita, the reporter continued. I misread the mobile version of this chart and am sorry about that @realDonaldTrump. Our infection rate is far higher though as I noted.

The president, at a later event, thanked Walker for the apology and said he appreciated it.

White House to Expand Tests

Trump on Monday unveiled new plans to speed up and expand testing for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus nationwide, as states move toward reopening their economies.

During a press briefing with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the president said the White House had published two new documentsa CDC testing overview (pdf) and testing blueprint (pdf)which lay out plans to accelerate testing for the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, which has been attributed to over 1 million infections across the United States.

The new strategy aims to help states expand testing capacity, and was developed with the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration. The guidance was coupled with announcements that hundreds of new testing sites would be opened by retailers, including Walmart and CVS Health.

Some 5.7 million tests have been conducted across the United States so far, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

Birx said there are three parts to the strategythe robust diagnostic testing of those who are unwell, the testing of vulnerable communities, and a rapid response program that would include contact tracing.

Ultimately, the aim is to ensure that every symptomatic case and critically, the asymptomatic cases, are quickly tracked and traced to ensure that not only can we control this epidemic, but predict outbreaks before they expand, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On Monday, March 23rd, as the America psyche was in semi-panic mode due to the potential trajectory of the pandemic, a small group coalesced to find solutions to the many problems facing the country due to the COVID-19 virus.

This group--consisting of innovation professionals within the Department of Defense and intelligence community, plus some scrappy startups who have all previously worked together--is known but not backed or supported by any government entity. The most senior member of the group calls it the "Unofficial Governors Task Force".

While the largest manufacturers can produce enough supplies and equipment to solve the country's problem tomorrow, the group realized that it is the small, innovative, and nibble companies with aggressive thinkers who will able to help in the short term until the full manufacturing might of the country transitions to producing and delivering the supplies needed.

From full scale ventilators being approved by the FDA to interaction detection based on mobile phone locations to learn with whom an infected person has been in contact, the projects spun out of the group have been truly outstanding. One of which is the the National Medical Capabilities project which is silently being run in our own backyard in Fairfield, CT.

National Medical Capabilities is dedicated to understanding COVID-19's impact on the nations healthcare infrastructure by collecting information from each hospital around the US. It's goal is to frequently contact every hospital in the US to determine their:

medical device needs staff capabilities patient impact hospital capacity, and COVID-19 testing.

The group--being privately funded by John Casano, the CEO of Strike Labs LLC, and a very small grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation--has three teams working on this based overseas, Austin, TX and Las Vegas, NV. No matter the path, their first step is picking up the phone to call the hospitals. This week the work to understand the COVID-19 impact on each hospital being supplemented by text messaging bots, online forms, and automatic calling.

Story continues

"We realized the federal and state governments were going to take on this work in a few months, and felt something needed to be done in the meantime," said Casano. "We can't produce PPE or work on the front line with healthcare workers, but our team is designed to solve big hairy problems for the Federal Government can't move fast enough. This is in our sweet spot and we are glad to help."

Over the past 3 weeks, they have have captured data from hundreds of hospitals across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and Nevada, and Colorado. The below is an image of the current demand.

Many success stores where hospitals have received (via sale or donation) items that they sought are known. "The support from the healthcare workers has been overwhelming" said Casano. "We have received emotional calls from doctors thanking us for our efforts, suppliers who are selling their goods at cost, and we feel this work we are doing is saving lives."



For Casano and his family this is truly an altruistic endeavor. All information being collected is shared for free to entities that can help these medical facilities. This includes state and federal government entities (such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and United States Department of Defense) universities, think-tanks, suppliers, non-profit foundations, suppliers, and other responsible parties who are fighting to combat this disease.

Unfortunately, without proper funding, this capability and the good that it is doing is going to go away.

"This is the only place with a comprehensive list of what hospitals in these states need. Imagine the power of having this for the nation. The USG would have the situational awareness to know who needs what, where. Thanks to John Casano for leading the team to put this together, but this is too powerful and useful to be a self-funded pick-up game ." said Dan Manning, an ex-Air Force Deputy Director at the Pentagon.

"I appreciate all you have done... This really belongs under FEMA in my opinion" wrote an intel member of STRATCOM/NORAD-NORTHCOM/SPACECOM.

Casano said he reached out to Congressman Jim Himes, State Senator Tony Hwang, and State Represenative Laura Devlin and did not receive a response.

FEMA has issued Procurements COVID-19 Guidance, and has been allocated millions of dollars for effort like this. Connecticut in particular has access to $4,951,179.

If you need medical equipment, have medical equipment to supply, would like this capability in your state, or can offer funding, Casano can be reached at (929) 314-3658 or via his Calendly link.

This article originally appeared on the Fairfield Patch
Significant achievements in antibiotic programs:

Initiation of the Phase II trial testing DNV3837 as first-line treatment for severe C. difficile gastrointestinal infections,

DNV3681, the active molecule of DNV3837, evaluated by the United States Army against anthrax,

The AGIR program reaches 2 key milestones in just one year.

Expansion of the cosmetics portfolio:

Completion of the development of two active ingredients and launches in early 2020: Luminity (proprietary) and Biome Oleoactif (with Hallstar France),

First revenues from collaborative agreements cashed in.

Group net loss for 2019: 10.2m, compared with 8.7m in 2018, mainly due to the progress of the DNV3837 clinical program.

Securing of financial resources by setting up financing through the issue of bonds convertible into new shares for a maximum nominal amount of 15m.

Consolidated cash position:

+ 1.1m at December 31, 2019 vs 3.9m at December 31, 2018,

+ 3.0m as of March 31, 2020 following partial pre-funding of the 2019 R&D Tax Credit receivable for 2.1m, and payment of 1.5m from Bpifrance triggered by successful completion of the 2 nd milestone of the AGIR program,

Receipt of 1.0m in early April, following the subscription of the 2nd Tranche of convertible bonds by ESGO Fund (L1 Capital).

Covid-19: all the necessary measures needed to protect the health and safety of employees have been put in place, the teams remain mobilized in order to move the projects forward and meet the timelines set.

Regulatory News:

DEINOVE (Euronext Growth Paris: ALDEI), a French biotech company that uses a disruptive approach to develop innovative antibiotics and bio-based active ingredients for cosmetics and nutrition, announced today that its Board of Directors had approved the 2019 annual accounts.

Charles Woler, Chairman and CEO of DEINOVE, said: "The Covid-19 pandemic, affecting the entire planet, highlights the global challenge of infectious disease research. Beyond its immediate impact, this crisis is an additional motivation for all DEINOVE teams in the research and development of new antibiotics.

Our clinical trial regarding DNV3837, candidate in the treatment of gastrointestinal infections caused by C. difficile, is ongoing. The first patient was included in this Phase II trial in early 2020. At the same time, we are continuing to intensify our AGIR program for the discovery of new antibacterial compounds. In one year, we have completed the first two milestones of the project, funded in part by the French State Investments for the Future Program. Milestone 2 has resulted in the identification of around thirty "hits" (molecules that may be of interest).

In the cosmetics business, we continue to expand our portfolio by combining proprietary products, such as the new Luminity, and collaborations with various players. Our partnership with Hallstar France (formerly Oleos) recently led to the launch of a first active ingredient, Biome Oleoactif. Our proposed agreement with Sharon Laboratories has been interrupted by the current crisis, but we continue to work with several other major partners, some still confidential at this stage, all of whom are very interested in the DEINOVE platform, due to both our wide biodiversity and our technical expertise.

As 2020 begins in a context of global health, economic and social crisis, we are proud to have secured nearly 5 million, and our team is firmly pursuing its action with three clear objectives: to generate revenues through the cosmetics business, to advance the DNV3837 program towards a Phase III and a possible licensing agreement, and to strictly monitor our expenses to maintain financial flexibility.

SUMMARY OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The DEINOVE Group's consolidated accounts at 31 December 2019 were certified by the Group's Statutory Auditors PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers).

Income statement

(in thousands of euros) 31/12/19 31/12/18 Operating revenue 637 759 Of which operating subsidies 397 699 Operating costs 12,838 11,225 Of which Research Development costs 10,459 8,527 Of which Administrative and General costs 2,379 2,698 OPERATING PROFIT LOSS -12,201 -10,467 FINANCIAL RESULTS -34 -6 PROFIT LOSS FROM NON-RECURRING ITEMS 65 172 Income tax and deferred taxes -2,433 -2,014 Goodwill amortization 511 460 Results from equity affiliates CONSOLIDATED PROFIT LOSS -10,247 -8,747

(in thousands of euros) 31/12/19 31/12/18 Term deposit 1,301 Provision for impairment of marketable securities Cash on hand 1,095 2,579 ICNE and bank overdrafts 23 CASH CASH EQUIVALENTS 1,095 3,902

OPERATIONAL PROGRESS: 2019 FINANCIAL YEAR AND POST-CLOSING

NEW GENERATION ANTI-INFECTIVES

DNV3837: Launch of Phase II clinical trial in Clostridioides difficile infections

DEINOVE has prepared a Phase II trial for its most advanced antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, in patients with gastrointestinal infection caused by Clostridioides difficile (CDI), a WHO priority pathogen and one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections worldwide1

This trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy of DNV3837 in a pathological context, as well as to consolidate the safety and pharmacokinetic data of the antibiotic candidate. The trial design has been optimized2. The target patient population has been expanded to cover both moderate and severe CDIs, allowing a broader population to be addressed for treatment evaluation.

The trial is multi-centre and concentrated in the United States where prevalence is higher and regulatory authorities are seeking new treatment options. The US company Medpace, which has extensive experience in infectious diseases and more specifically in CDIs, acts as the CRO3 and is responsible for the follow-up of the trial.

Post-closing, the first patient has been included4; results are expected at the end of 2020.

The DNV3837 program was the subject of a scientific paper at the 29th annual congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID)5, one of the world's leading congresses on clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

DNV3681/DNV38376: the U.S. Army evaluates the molecule against bioterrorism pathogens7

USAMRIID8 evaluated DNV3681 against anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) and tularaemia (Francisella tularensis), bacteria classified as "high priority" bioterrorism threats.

DNV3681 has demonstrated superior in vitro efficacy to standard treatment9 when exposed to Bacillus anthracis. These data were presented at the ASM Microbe 2019 Congress (American Society of Microbiology) by Major Steven Zumbrun, PhD in Microbiology at USAMRIID. Based on these results, USAMRIID has started an in vivo evaluation.

DEINOVE was also one of the very few European companies selected for the Lightning Talks10 at the BARDA Industry Day 2019 in Washington DC. At this congress, the BARDA11 outlines the U.S. government's priorities for medical countermeasures, the actions taken, and the results obtained, and invites companies and research organizations to present medical innovations that could contribute to the protection against biological risks. DEINOVE detailed the progress of the DNV3837/DNV3681 program.

Progress of the AGIR program Antibiotics against Resistant Infectious Germs

In 2019, DEINOVE has validated the first key milestone of the AGIR program, giving rise to a payment of 1.5m by Bpifrance12. This first step had led to the development of a robotic platform for strain extraction and screening, with an analysis rate of several hundred strains per month.

In order to maximize the opportunities for the discovery of new antibiotic structures:

DEINOVE is expanding its research beyond its own bacterial library. In particular, the Company has signed an agreement with the Institut Pasteur 13

DEINOVE has also strengthened its expertise in the genetic engineering of rare and varied microorganisms with the integration of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology in order to accelerate the optimization of innovative antibiotic structures 14

DEINOVE and ESPCI Paris15 have co-developed a technology for the high-throughput screening and sorting of bacteria into droplets to facilitate the detection of antibiotic activity. This project, called Deinodrop, was selected by the ANR16 with a funding of 300 k17

Post-closing, DEINOVE validated the 2nd milestone of the AGIR program, giving rise to a payment of 1.5m by Bpifrance18. This step enabled the screening of a growing number of strains, the validation of the automated tools developed by DEINOVE and the identification of around thirty 'hits'19

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS OF NATURAL ORIGIN

Phyt-N-Resist, a proprietary anti-ageing active: production of a new commercial batch and consolidation of the sales pitch

At the 40th annual congress of the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC), Solvay promoted the discovery of Phyt-N-Resist's innovative mode of action20. In-depth studies have shown that Phytoene acts at the cellular level, where the collagen is, to foster cell regeneration and therefore anti-aging effect.

After the closing, DEINOVE announced the production of a new batch of Phyt-N-Resist to meet the needs of its distributors and future customers21. Phyt-N-Resist has been provided to nearly a hundred cosmetic brands to be tested in various skincare formulas, demonstrating its potential in several strategic markets. Several development projects for cosmetic products incorporating DEINOVE's first Phytoene-based active ingredient are underway.

Luminity, a new proprietary active ingredient that enhances complexion radiance and evenness.

DEINOVE had announced at the end of 2018 the development of a new proprietary asset based on a novel carotenoid, Neurosporene. This new carotenoid, which was previously inaccessible, has exceptional antioxidant properties. Ex vivo and clinical studies have demonstrated its benefits in terms of skin vitality and complexion beauty, claims that are particularly sought-after by the cosmetics industry.

This active ingredient, named Luminity, was previewed at In-cosmetics Asia, the leading regional cosmetic ingredients trade show22, in November 2019, before being officially launched worldwide in April 202023 (Post-Closing). The In-Cosmetics Global show, initially scheduled for early April in Barcelona, has been cancelled. Digital means were then set up for the promotion of the active ingredient.

Hebelys, an anti-ageing active for mature skin: its effectiveness promoted in a renowned magazine

The International Journal of Cosmetic Science has published the results of a study on the benefits of Sphingomonas hydrophobicum extract, the active ingredient of Hebelys, a cosmetic ingredient co-developed by DEINOVE and Greentech24

BIOME Oleoactif, an active ingredient co-developed with Hallstar France.

Post-closing, it was announced the launch of BIOME Oleoactif, the first asset resulting from the collaboration between DEINOVE and Hallstar France (formerly Oleos)25

BIOME Oleoactif is an active ingredient produced from a rare extremophilic bacterium that DEINOVE has managed to cultivate, and whose potential is reinforced by the original extraction technique developed by Oleos. Thanks to its unique fatty acid composition, supplemented by other lipids, BIOME Oleoactif is a post-biotic extract with a prebiotic effect: it balances the skin microbiome and maintains the integrity of the epidermal barrier.

Partnership project with Sharon Laboratories26

Post-closing, in February, DEINOVE announced the signature of a MoU with the Israeli group Sharon Laboratories providing for the establishment of a partnership for the development and marketing of a range of biobased cosmetic ingredients. The sharp deterioration in economic conditions related to the Covid-19 pandemic generated too many uncertainties to enter into this partnership and led to the termination of discussions.

Collaboration agreement with Dow for the development of a new cosmetic active ingredient27

In June 2019, DEINOVE has entered into a collaboration with Dow to develop a new exclusive 100% natural cosmetic active ingredient from its collection of bacterial extracts. DEINOVE will design and optimize a dedicated production process and then ensure the industrial scale-up and manufacturing of this compound. Dow will be responsible for the further qualification of the cosmetic active ingredient, will integrate it into its product portfolio and will have worldwide commercial exclusivity. Commercialization is scheduled for 2021.

COLOR2B animal feed additive program: progress confirmed and outlook28

The COLOR2B project, carried out in collaboration with the Avril Group, is focused on the development of a process for the production of natural feed ingredients. The strain selected for this production was evaluated during a test phase aimed at validating the optimal dosage and demonstrated that the ingredient is competitive compared to reference products. The next step was taken to develop a product formulation that meets regulatory and industrial expectations.

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE 2018 FINANCIAL YEAR

Changes in the scope of consolidation

In 2018, the DEINOVE Group's consolidated accounts included:

The DEINOVE SA company, whose accounts included the financial flows of the BIOVERTIS company from 01/07/18, and those of the DEINOBIOTICS company from 02/11/18;

The subsidiary BIOVERTIS, fully integrated from 23/05/18 to 30/06/18;

The subsidiary DEINOBIOTICS, fully integrated until 01/11/18;

The MORPHOCHEM subsidiary, fully integrated from 23/05/18.

The consolidated financial statements of the DEINOVE Group in 2019 include the accounts of the Company and the wholly owned subsidiary MORPHOCHEM.

Operating income

The Group recorded 637 k in operating revenues over the financial year, including on the one hand the payment by Bpifrance of the subsidy corresponding to the achievement of the 1st milestone of the AGIR program for an amount of 397 k, and on the other hand, invoicing related to collaborative research agreements with industrial partners in the fields of cosmetics (159 k) and animal nutrition (4 k). Finally, the transfers of operating expenses and benefits in kind recognized in 2019 amounts to 77 k.

In 2018, operating revenues amounted to 759 k, mainly including grants related to the launch of the AGIR program (678 k).

During the 2019 financial year, the Group's operating expenses amounted to 12.8m, 81% of which was spent on R&D activities. The net change in operating expenses between 2018 and 2019 amounts to +1,612k (+14%). Subcontracting and external studies expenses increased significantly, in line with the progress of the services provided by the CROs accompanying DEINOVE on the DNV3837 project, while personnel expenses decreased, in line with the evolution of the workforce: 60.0 average full-time equivalents (FTEs) in 2019 vs 62.0 in 2018.

NET INCOME

The consolidated net loss for the year amounts to 10.2m. It includes a positive exceptional result of +65k, comprising exceptional income of 127k, and exceptional expenses of 61k, of which 60k related to the early amortization following the disposal of an intangible asset.

The negative financial result of -34k consists primarily of the result of transactions that DEINOVE carries out on its own shares within the framework of the liquidity contract, for a net amount of -23k.

Income tax consists almost exclusively of R&D Tax Credit. The Group's receivable for the 2019 financial year has been estimated at 2,491k (vs 1,997k in 2018).

FINANCIAL POSITION

Financial needs for the year mainly concerned operating expenses for 10.9m (excluding provision and depreciation), along with investments in laboratory equipment (including leases) for 0.8m and partial repayments (exclusively on the unconditional part) of Bpifrance aid, totaling 0.2m. Over the same period, the Group received 1.5m of public aid under the AGIR program, 2.5m under the 2017 R&D Tax Credit and 1.9m under the 2018 one. In addition, DEINOVE raised 1.1m through the equity financing line set up in November 2018 with Kepler Cheuvreux. Finally, DEINOVE received 2.1m (net) from the L1 Capital fund for the subscription to the first tranche of convertible bonds. At December 31, 2019, the Group's net financial position was +1.1m.

Post-closing, the Group obtained 2.1m for its 2019 R&D Tax Credit receivable (via prefunding by Societe Generale Factoring), 1.5m from Bpifrance for reaching the AGIR 2nd milestone, and 1.0m (early April) following the subscription of the 2nd Tranche of convertible bonds by ESGO Fund (L1 Capital). The Group's net financial position at March 31st was +3.0 m.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors on 26 June 2019 acknowledged:

The resignation of Mr. Philippe POULETTY from his position as Director effective 20 May 2019;

The resignation of Mr. Christian PIERRET from his position as permanent representative of TRUFFLE CAPITAL, Director, effective 20 May 2019;

The appointment by TRUFFLE CAPITAL of Mr. Philippe POULETTY as permanent representative, replacing Mr. Christian PIERRET, with effect from May 20, 2019 and for the term of office of TRUFFLE CAPITAL, which expires at the end of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting to be held during the year 2022, and which will be called to approve the financial statements for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

On December 3, 2019, the Board of Directors acknowledged Mr. Emmanuel PETIOT's decision to resign from his position as Chief Executive Officer of DEINOVE, and decided, in consultation with Mr. Emmanuel PETIOT, that his term of office would end on December 31, 2019. Dr. Charles WOLER, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DEINOVE, has been appointed acting Chief Executive Officer, with effect from 1 January 2020. The same Board also took note of the resignation of Mr. Bernard FANGET from his position as Director, and co-opted and provisionally appointed Mr. Emmanuel PETIOT to replace him for the duration of his predecessor's term of office, which expires at the end of the General Meeting of the Company's shareholders called to approve the financial statements for the financial year ending December 31, 2021. This appointment will be submitted for ratification at the next Ordinary Annual and Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting to be held on June 16, 2020.

Equity structure

At December 31, 2019, the Company's share capital consisted of 18,029,958 ordinary shares with a par value of Euro 0.40 each, of which 20,234 (i.e. approximately 0.11% of the share capital) were held by the Company under the liquidity contract entrusted to Kepler Cheuvreux.

Breakdown of capital as of December 31, 2019 non-diluted basis

Shareholders Number

of shares Percentage

held Voting

rights Percentage

rights Funds managed by Truffle Capital 1,385,637 7.69% 2,549,592 12.98% Funds managed by TVM Capital 1,142, 537 6.34% 1,142,537 5.81% Scientific founders 20,000 0.11% 40,000 0.20% Management and Directors 73,140 0.41% 107,251 0.55% Floating 15,408,644 85.46% 15,809,292 80.46% TOTAL 18,029,958 100.00% 19,648,672 100.00%

Changes in share capital

During the first half of 2019, the Board of Directors noted the issue of 925,000 new shares under Kepler Cheuvreux equity financing lines29

On July 9, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with the European Select Growth Opportunities Fund to issue convertible bonds representing a bond issue of 2,200,000 Euros for the 1st Tranche30. In this context, by December 31, 2019, the investor had converted 103 OCAs (out of a total of 220), resulting in the issue of 1,480,257 new shares.

A total of 2,405,257 new shares were therefore issued during the financial year 2019, representing a share capital increase of 962,102.80 Euros. As of December 31, 2019, the Company's share capital consisted of 18,029,958 shares with a par value of 0.40 Euro each.

COVID-19 2020 OUTLOOK

As of the date of this press release, the evolution of DEINOVE in the context of Covid-19 was as follows:

Since the implementation of containment measures in France on March 17, 2020, all of the Company's operations have been reorganized to protect the health and safety of employees, while maintaining the progress of research programs and commercial development. A portion of employees are teleworking; small teams continue laboratory operations under satisfactory conditions. It is likely that some development programs will see their schedule shifted (for example, a study of the effectiveness of a cosmetic active ingredient on volunteers could be postponed), without major impact on overall progress.

The cancellation of In-Cosmetics Global, the world's largest trade show for cosmetic ingredients, initially scheduled for March 31, April 1 and 2 in Barcelona, has led to a readjustment of DEINOVE's marketing operations, with the launch of the new ingredient, Luminity, being postponed for one month. The launch strategy is being adapted in close coordination with distribution partners. Specific communication actions are being developed for sales teams and prospects, with increased use of digital tools. The entire industry is being impacted in all world markets and DEINOVE anticipates that the coming weeks will not be very favorable for the development of new projects for cosmetic brands, as the activity of their formulation laboratories is disrupted. However, the major market trends are expected to continue increased consumption of cosmetic products driven by demographic growth, the ageing of the population and the development of Asian markets; increased demand for ingredients of natural origin; increased use of biotechnologies... DEINOVE remains confident about the potential of its cosmetics business.

In the antibiotics activities, in addition to the continuation of the research operations of the AGIR program, the Phase II clinical trial testing DNV3837 in C. difficile infections is still ongoing. The health situation in the United States may have an impact on the continuation of the trial within the planned timeframe, given that to date one of the clinical sites heavily involved with Covid-19 patients is no longer in a position to include new patients during this period. However, the information available to date does not call into question the study. The matter is being closely monitored by the DEINOVE scientific team and the CRO Medpace.

infections is still ongoing. The health situation in the United States may have an impact on the continuation of the trial within the planned timeframe, given that to date one of the clinical sites heavily involved with Covid-19 patients is no longer in a position to include new patients during this period. However, the information available to date does not call into question the study. The matter is being closely monitored by the DEINOVE scientific team and the CRO Medpace. The Finance Department is studying all measures to preserve and strengthen the cash position. Since the beginning of March 2020, DEINOVE has secured 4.6m through the validation of the 2nd milestone of the AGIR program, the pre-funding of the 2019 R&D Tax Credit receivable and the subscription of a second tranche of convertible bonds. In addition, despite the abandonment of the project with Sharon Laboratories, DEINOVE has retained the $200k received upon signature of the Memorandum of Understanding.

In this context, the Board of Directors has defined three main objectives: to generate revenues through the marketing of cosmetic ingredients, to advance the DNV3837 program towards a Phase III and a possible licensing agreement, and to strictly monitor operating expenses in order to maintain financial flexibility.

In the current configuration of its projects, the Group considers that it has the resources to finance its activities until the beginning of the 2nd quarter 2021, in particular by pursuing the use of the convertible bond financing device put in place in July 2019.

The 2019 annual financial report is available at the following address

http://www.deinove.com/en/investor-room/documentation-center/financial-reports

ABOUT DEINOVE

DEINOVE is a French biotechnology company, a leader in disruptive innovation, which aims to help meet the challenges of antibiotic resistance and the transition to a sustainable production model for the cosmetics and nutrition industries.

DEINOVE has developed a unique and comprehensive expertise in the field of rare bacteria that it can decipher, culture, and optimize to disclose unsuspected possibilities and induce them to produce biobased molecules with activities of interest on an industrial scale. To do so, DEINOVE has been building and documenting since its creation an unparalleled biodiversity bank that it exploits thanks to a unique technological platform in Europe.

DEINOVE is organized around two areas of expertise:

ANTIBIOTICS, New-generation anti-infective drugs : A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance).

: A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance). BIOACTIVES, Active ingredients of natural origin with cosmetics as the first market. DEINOVE already markets four cosmetic active ingredients, proprieraty or developed in partnership with Greentech and Hallstar France, and has a number of products in development.

Within the Euromedecine science park located in Montpellier, DEINOVE employs 60 employees, mainly researchers, engineers, and technicians, and has filed about 350 patent applications internationally. The Company has been listed on EURONEXT GROWTH since April 2010.

Visitwww.deinove.com

1 Source: CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

2 Press release issued January 31, 2019

3 A CRO (Contract Research Organization) is a service provider dedicated to biomedical research for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as for research organizations.

4 Press release issued January 27, 2020

5 Press release issued April 12, 2019

6 Note: DNV3681 is the active molecule of the antibiotic compound DNV3837.

7 Press releases issued May 20 and June 24, 2019

8 USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) is the U.S. Army's main institution and facility for defensive research into countermeasures against biological warfare.

9 Ciprofloxacin

10 Press release issued October 15, 2019

11 BARDA Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority

12 Press release issued March 21, 2019

13 Press release issued April 9, 2019

14 Press release issued September 23, 2019

15 ESPCI Paris: The City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution

16 ANR: French National Research Agency

17 Press release issued December 9, 2019

18 Press release issued March 11, 2020

19 Molecules of potential interest

20 Press release issued May 13, 2019

21 Press release issued January 22, 2020

22 Press release issued November 4, 2019

23 Press releases issued February 19 and April 23, 2020

24 Press release issued September 18, 2019

25 Press release issued March 18, 2020

26 Press releases issued February 6 and March 30, 2020

27 Press release issued June 5, 2019

28 Press release issued June 11, 2019

29 Press releases issued December 1, 2014 and November 21, 2018

30 Press release issued July 9, 2019

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005650/en/

Contacts:

Investors

Coralie Martin

Communication, Marketing and Investor Relations

Ph.: +33 (0)6 46 62 47 50

coralie.martin@deinove.com

Media

ALIZE RP

Caroline Carmagnol

Ph.: +33 (0)6 64 18 99 59

deinove@alizerp.com
DECATUR  The Shelby County Health Department on Tuesday announced the county's first death related to complications with coronavirus. The state also recorded its highest one-day total for the number of deaths since the pandemic started.

The Shelby County individual was a 73-year-old male from Shelbyville and was hospitalized at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, the department said in a statement.He tested positive on April 24 and died at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. Officials said he didnt have any underlying health conditions.

We offer our condolences to the friends and family affected by this loss, the release said. We urge our entire community to take the necessary precautions to stop the spread of this virus.

To date, the county is reporting 10 positive cases and 92 negatives test results. Two tests are pending.

Also Tuesday, a woman identified as a health care worker employed in Decatur tested positive for COVID-19, the DeWitt Piatt Bi-County Health Department reported.

The department listed the 19-year-old woman as having the coronavirus disease. She is a DeWitt County resident and is isolation, the agency said.

The department is not releasing the woman's name or where she works.

In Macon County on Tuesday, health officials announced one new case of COVID-19, bringing the total confirmed cases to 108.

There have been 765 tests for the virus performed in Macon County, according to the county's Joint Crisis Communication Team.

Seventeen people have been released from isolation, the team said. Another 74 are in home isolation, and six are hospitalized. Eleven residents have died.

The majority of the cases, 71%, are women. The largest age demographic is people in their 80s, followed by people in their 30s.

Officials have said that 74 of the county's confirmed cases have been residents or employees at Fair Havens Senior Living, 1790 S. Fairview Ave. Ten residents of the facility who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 have died, although officials said some passed away at a hospital.

The Joint Crisis Communication Team, which includes government and health officials, has cautioned that people should not feel a "false sense of security" that only people at congregate living facilities are at risk for the virus.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 144 new deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, the states highest one-day total. Those deaths push the states total over 2,000 to 2,125.

IDPH also reported 2,219 new cases of the disease, bringing that total to 48,102. Many of those patients have recovered, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.

Ezike said 49 percent of people surveyed who tested positive reported they were symptom-free two weeks after their positive test. For people between two and four weeks removed from their positive test, 61 percent felt recovered, while 74 percent who were more than four weeks from testing positive felt recovered.

I hope thats seen as encouraging news, that people do recover, Ezike said.

Ezike added that as of Monday, 4,738 people in Illinois were hospitalized for COVID-19. Of those, 1,245 were in intensive care and 778 of those are on a ventilator.

Tuesday was also the fourth straight day that the state reported more than 10,000 tests over a 24-hour period after first reaching that daily milestone on Saturday. IDPH reported 14,561 newly completed tests on Tuesday, brining that total to 242,189, which is about 2 percent of Illinois population.

PHOTOS: Central Illinois face mask selfies
A Brazilian city has reported a 160 percent rise in confirmed coronavirus cases since social distancing measures were relaxed as businesses were allowed to resume operations.

Health officials registered 177 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, an increase from 68 that were tallied on April 13 when commerce reopened in Blumenau, a municipality in the southern state of Santa Catarina.

'We can say that there is a relationship between the opening of isolation and the increase in positive cases. In addition, [there is] the fact that we are testing more people," said Dr. Winnetou Krambecko, director of Blumenau Health Secretary, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.

Health officials in the Brazilian city of Blumenau have reported an increase in coronavirus cases from 68 on April 13, when businesses opened, to 177 as of Tuesday. Pictured above are visitors who attended a mall reopening in Blumenau last Wednesday

Visitors at a mall receive hand sanitizers as they attended a reopening last Wednesday in Blumenau, a city in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina

Santa Catarina declared a state of emergency and imposed a quarantine measure on March 17. By March 22, six patients had tested positive for the coronavirus in Blumenau.

The city of Blumenau has not reported any deaths related to the coronavirus, which has sickened 1,995 people and caused 44 deaths in Santa Catarina as of Tuesday.

The state government agreed to fully resume business operations as long as certain steps were taking by shop owners, which included requiring workers to use face masks and customers showing proof of purchase.

Blumenau government leaders welcomed the decision due to an expansion in coronavirus testing after only inpatients were eligible to be examined for the deadly virus.

The southern Brazilian city of Blumenau reported 22 positive coronavirus cases on March 22, five days after the state of Santa Catarina declared a state of emergency. The number of sickened patients increased to 177 as of Tuesday, two weeks after businesses reopened

Residents in Blumenau have to use face masks when visiting local businesses as a preventive measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus

A musician entertains visitors by playing the saxophone as visitors returned to a local mall in Blumenau last Wednesday

City health officials reported 81 coronavirus cases by the time malls welcomed visitors last Wednesday. Video shared across social media showed mall visitors wearing masks and rubbing their hands with sanitizers provide by the staff.

The number of COVID-19 patients rose to 90 on Saturday and to 100 patients by Sunday.

By Monday, 59 more patients had tested positive for the virus.

'It is important to say that relaxation measures end up promoting mass behavior and mass behavior needs to be monitored and does not respond very well exactly with the speed at which we work,' said Professor Joao Gurgel, coordinator of the COVID-19 Committee of the Regional University of Blumenau.

'The increase over the weekend was exponential, it was bigger, but we need to follow the curve. We need to look at this, see if this curve tends to be normal, what will happen with the data and also investigate to know what factors were happening at that moment that influenced the curve, we will need a more in-depth study,' he added. 'All factors need to be evaluated, everything will influence, the diagnosis and counting of cases is fundamental, it totally changes the behavior of the curve.'

As of Wednesday, Brazil had registered 5,083 deaths and 73,235 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Children in Ecuador wear protective face masks as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus. (AP)

Doctors have urged caution over reporting of a rare but serious syndrome affecting children that may be caused by coronavirus.

NHS officials told the PA news agency that fewer than 20 children in England have been admitted to hospital with the syndrome, which causes a toxic shock-style inflammatory reaction.

They said there were currently no confirmed deaths related to the syndrome.

The condition is said to be similar to Kawasaki disease, which mainly affects children under the age of five, with symptoms including a high temperature for five days or more, rashes and swollen glands in the neck.

On ITV's This Morning on Tuesday, Ranj Singh, a TV medic and children's doctor at London's St George's and St Thomas' hospitals, said: "On the surface, this alert would seem quite scary, but we've got to put it into perspective.

"What we've seen over the last few weeks is a number of children that have been admitted to hospital, some of which have ended up in intensive care with a certain pattern of illness, which is a little bit worrying.

"Now what we've seen is these children have had a hyperinflammatory syndrome where they have lots and lots of inflammation around the body.

And some of their symptoms that they're coming in with are similar to another condition we already see in small children called Kawasaki disease.

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"Now, Kawasaki disease is a relatively poorly understood disease at the moment.

We don't know what causes it but it can make you quite unwell, and if it isn't treated properly you can have long-term problems with your heart.

Dr Singh said it was not yet known if COVID-19 was to blame, adding: "We don't know if it's definitely related to Kawasaki disease or whether we're dealing with something else entirely, which is why at the moment we are still learning a lot about it and we're asking people to be extra careful.

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"The advice for parents, carers and their children has not changed and I would just reiterate that one of the most common features of this inflammatory syndrome that we're seeing, and also Kawasaki disease, is a persistent unremitting fever.

He said symptoms could include a child becoming increasingly unwell, with a temperature that persists after five days, a rash, cracked red skin, and swollen tongue, mouth, fingers and toes.

Dr Singh said medics were "definitely seeing it in school-age children in this country", adding that other nations including Spain had reported cases.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said experts were continuing to investigate the disease 'with great urgency'. (AP)

"That makes us think that this could potentially be related to coronavirus, but again it doesn't prove it, he said. We need more information.

"Or it could be that we've got a completely new agent emerging altogether. We just don't know.

Children are still at the lowest risk of coronavirus from everyone.

Joe Brierley, a consultant in paediatric and neonatal intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, told Channel 4 News that the syndrome was making those affected very sick but it was unclear if it was related to COVID-19.

"The timing is very suggestive, and we do know that some of the toxic shock syndrome-type things do follow other infections," he said.

"We don't have all the facts yet, and that's why we're very keen for children's doctors... people who might be looking after children with quite bad tummy pain, diarrhoea and and the signs of septic shock to consider this diagnosis."

Health secretary Matt Hancock said experts were continuing to investigate the disease "with great urgency.

He said: "It's a fresh, new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus and the COVID-19 virus. We're not 100% sure because some of the people who got it hadn't tested positive.

"We're doing a lot of research now but it is something we're worried about.

"What I would also stress is that it is rare. Although it is very significant for those children who do get it, the number of cases is small.

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When the Australian director Kate Dennis was sent the pilot script for a prospective new series titled Run there were two names attached to it.

She'd never heard of the writer, Vicky Jones, but the executive producer she instantly recognised: Fleabag creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The English duo were friends and confidantes stretching back to their theatre beginnings together, with Jones serving as Waller-Bridge's director and theatre company co-founder.

Dream team: Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Vicky Jones. Credit:David M. Bennett/Getty

Now it was Waller-Bridge shepherding a project that Jones had written, using her cachet to get it to both potential networks and creatives such as Dennis, who had worked her way up over three decades from getting a foot in the door of the Australian film industry to being nominated for an Emmy in 2017 for her wrenching episode from the first season of The Handmaid's Tale.

Dennis soon realised both women had distinctive voices.
The Chinese official has accused US President Donald Trump of wasting weeks after the threat posed by the virus first became apparent.

In an interview with NBC News, Executive Vice FM Le Yucheng rejected allegations that China had hidden information about the initial outbreak of COVID-19 and should be financially responsible for coronavirus. Instead, he termed the virus a 'natural disaster' and called for greater cooperation and an end to accusations.

"On Jan. 23 when Wuhan went under lockdown, the United States reported only one confirmed case, but on March 13 when President Trump announced a national emergency, the United States reported over 1,600 confirmed cases," Le said, referring to the city in China's Hubei province where the virus is believed to have emerged.

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the Chinese Communist Party should be 'transparent' on COVID-19.

According to NBC News, over 58,000 COVID-19 deaths are currently recorded in the US.
Nucleic acid testing in Shanghai

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-04-29 16:45

As Shanghai announced 50 medical institutions and third-party agencies were available for nucleic acid testing, an increasing amount of people are making reservations for the service.

Shanghai Zhoupu Hospital, one of the designated testing institutions, receives more than 100 calls for reservation and consultancy each day. In the specially divided testing area, people queue before being called to enter into the sampling tent.

When the personal information of the testee has been re-checked, the medical staff will take a sample of saliva from the persons mouth.

Mr Tan, a Hubei native who was working for a company in Shanghai, is not allowed to go back to work unless his nucleic acid testis negative.On one hand, my company requires to check this test result and on the other hand, I myself will be at ease to see the negative result,said Mr. Tan.

Gu Guiguo, director of the Department of Medical Administration of the hospital said in an interview with Eastday that the sample will be sent to a third-party testing institution which will send back the results within 24 hours. After examining the information, the testing report will be issued for testees to pick up.Within 48 hours of sampling, testees who have a negative result can pick up the report and we will report those with positive results immediately to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,said Gu.
ALBANY  Criminal justice advocates say poverty continues to be criminalized during the coronavirus pandemic with court debts mounting for many New Yorkers, including some losing their drivers licenses or being jailed for unpaid fines.

As people are being asked to stay home and avoid contact with others, advocates say New Yorkers are being ticketed and jailed for unpaid court fees, which disproportionately impact low-income individuals and minorities.

Theyre calling on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to use his executive authority to stop incarcerating people, or suspending drivers licenses, for non-payment of court debt. They also said there should be no citations for parking violations or other non-violent offenses where fines, fees, interest and penalties can quickly mount if a person cant afford to pay or is unable to attend a court proceeding.

For months, we have been working hard to end the suspension of drivers licenses based on the inability to pay traffic fines or failure to appear in court, state Sen. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, said during a video news conference Monday. Simply put, that inability to pay just became that much more common as we have millions out of work during this pandemic.

According to the Driven by Justice Coalition, New York issued nearly 1.7 million drivers license suspensions for traffic debt during a 28-month period between 2016 and 2018. Nearly 75 percent of those with suspended licenses drive anyway, said Ranit Patel of The Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit public defender organization.

The calls to suspend fines and fees and reinstate drivers licenses is specific to non-safety related suspensions, Patel added. A bipartisan group of 60 state lawmakers from both houses of the state Legislature also signed a letter sent to Cuomo last week urging immediate action.

The pandemic has led to the closure of non-essential businesses and left more than a million New Yorkers on unemployment. That also leaves localities strapped for cash, and state officials have warned counties to expect drastic cuts to local aid and other areas as they deal with the growing deficit. With dried up revenue sources, advocates say communities may make it up through fines and fees.

Antonya Jeffrey, state deputy director for the Fines & Fees Justice Center in New York City, said the criminal justice system is forcing people to decide whether to expose themselves to the virus by using public transportation or accruing more debt and possible jail time if they choose to drive on a suspended license.

This is a deadly situation that folks are living in right now. And it is unjust, she said. It should not be on the back of the poorest people who are already struggling.

Ron Deutsch, executive director of the liberal Fiscal Policy Institute, said city governments have increased anticipated fine revenue in their budgets in recent years, with reliance on that revenue common in communities with larger populations of people of color.

Local governments are going to be looking to restart their economies, but they should keep the real price paid by community members as well as the law enforcement, court system and debt collection costs associated with the pursuit in mind, Deutsch said. The reality is this is not a way to generate revenue responsibly.

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President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili warns that a possible appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili to a high-level post in the Government of Ukraine will create a decrease in trust between the two countries.

This is underscored in the statement by Zourabichvili, released on the website of the President of Georgia on April 28.

As noted, Georgia and Ukraine are close strategic partners whose cooperation is based on century-long friendship and mutual respect, common interests and aspirations. However, Zourabichvili noted, the very fact that the partner country has been considering for a high-level political appointment a candidate, who has been sentenced by all three levels of the Georgian Courts, has triggered legitimate concerns and a critical reaction of both from the Georgian authorities and the society.

As the Head of the State, I fully measure, that in international relations interference in the domestic decisions of another state is not acceptable. However, the idea that a person, who has been found guilty under the Georgian justice system, mentioned in the sentence of the European Court of Human Rights and is currently prosecuted for corruption offences, could be envisaged to hold a high level public office in the Government of Ukraine, is both incomprehensible and unacceptable, Zourabichvili stated.

The President of Georgia noted that the present situation was resented by all those, who care for the share destiny of our countries, the memory of the hardships we went through together and the future of the countries strategic friendship.

I personally count myself among those and so does, I am sure, the largest part of our society. On the contrary, such an outcome could only satisfy those forces who think they could benefit from a widening gap in our friendship between Georgia and Ukraine, she emphasized.

Finally, the President expressed her hope that common state interests will prove more valuable and worth saving, than narrow political games and ambitions.

As reported, MP from the Servant of the People Party faction Oleksandr Kachura said on April 22 that ex-president of Georgia and former chairman of the Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili was being considered as a candidate for the post of the Vice Prime Minister for Reforms.

Saakashvili stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered him the post.

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Some City Council and County Commission members said they are leery of going back next month to meeting again at City Hall and the County Courthouse with the coronavirus still a threat.

The order of Governor Bill Lee allowing electronic meetings expires May 18.

Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said she is responsible for the upkeep of several family members, including her grandmother. She said she does not want to put her health at risk.

The council discussed having the meeting time undergo a thorough cleaning.

There was also discussion of having the members somehow sit at least six feet from one another. They are now huddled close together.

Chairman Chip Henderson said for members of the audience there would be certain seats marked that could be used. He said when those seats are all filled, then no one else would be let in.

Councilman Anthony Byrd asked if members of the public could be required to wear masks. City Attorney Phil Noblett said there is no guidance yet from the governor on people attending meetings.

Councilwoman Coonrod also said she does not want custodial personnel going into her office at City Hall.

Commissioner Greg Martin said he was anxious to resume the courthouse in-person meetings, saying that "you lose something" when there is not personal contact.

Commissioner Warren Mackey disagreed, saying, "The virus is still here. We haven't peaked out yet. The world has changed and the way we do business has changed."

He said he favored continuing the electronic meetings, saying that members of the public are still able to participate.

Commissioner Katherlyn Geter said, "The virus has not been removed. We should be very cautious and keep safety in mind."

The City Council and County Commission recently have been meeting from the safety of their homes by Zoom.


New York, April 29 : Hillary Clinton, who was defeated by President Donald Trump in 2016, has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden to challenge him in November in a much-changed environment.

"I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president," Clinton told him on Tuesday.

Clinton was among the last holdouts among Democratic Party leaders in endorsing Biden, the only major candidate left standing in the party race for the nomination to run in the presidential election this year.

By inserting herself into the race for the Democratic Party nomination with the backing of the party establishment, the former secretary of state had blocked Biden's chances of running in 2016 after having served two terms as vice president.

Now she said, "I wish he were president right now but I can't wait until he is -- if all of us do our part to support the kind of person that we want back in the White House." Biden responded, "I really appreciate your friendship. What a, just a wonderful personal endorsement." They spoke from their homes at a virtual town hall meeting on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women during which Clinton made the endorsement.

Before the meeting, Clinton tweeted cryptically, "A little hint about who the surprise guest will be for @JoeBiden's 3pm ET (US East Time) town hall today: (She's excited.)" Criticising Trump, she said, "Out of this terrible tragedy of the pandemic and the loss of life and loss of income and everything else that we're suffering through, this is a moment of reckoning,"

Former President Barack Obama endorsed Biden, who was his vice president, on April 14.

Biden has received the endorsements of all the major challengers in the race for the Democratic Party nomination, who have all dropped out.

When the last rival standing, Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign and endorsed him on April 8, Biden sealed his nomination with only a formal endorsement at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Recognising this fact, the New York State Elections Board cancelled the state's primary scheduled for June.

Although he has endorsed Biden, Sanders stays on the ballot in the intra-party elections and wants to use his showing as a bargaining chip in drafting the party's election manifesto.

Sanders campaign adviser Jeff Weaver called the cancellation, an "outrage, a blow to American democracy, and must be overturned." Despite the protest, more significant than Clinton's are the endorsements by Sanders, a self-described socialist, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, another candidate from the left for the party's nomination, who dropped out.

Their endorsements could rally the party's left-progressive ranks around Biden, the centrist establishment candidate like Clinton was.

The party leaders have to figure out how to conduct the convention scheduled for August during the coronavirus pandemic.

Party Chairman Tom Perez has said, "We expect to hold an in-person convention in Milwaukee. We are planning for that.a But he added, "At the same time, we do not put our public health heads in the sand." Anthony Fauci, the nation's foremost expert on the COVID-19 pandemic, has said that it is possible to hold the covention that was moved from July to August by taking several precautions with the physical presence of delegates.

Tuesday's town hall meeting was an attempt by Biden to get media airing, which has been monopolised by Trump through the daily briefings by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

In performances running as long as two hours, Trump has diverged from the pandemic to political and campaign-style statements.

Criticising Trump's media show, Clinton said, "Think about what a difference it would make if we had a real president, not just one who played one on TV." Democrats have yet to come up with a strategy to counter Trump's media play while alternating between trying to stop the media from airing them and hoping that they would lead to Trump self-destructing from outlandish claims like injecting household cleansers could be a treatment for COVID-19.

According to the RealClear Politics aggregation of polls, Trump's job approval peaked at 47.4 per cent on April 1 but has come down to 44.9 per cent on Tuesday.

His job approval on handling the pandemic hit 50.6 per cent on March 27 and slid to 46.4 on Tuesday.

Nationally, Biden held a 6.3 per cent lead with 48.4 per cent to Trump's 42.1 per cent as of Saturday.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A teenage Princess Elizabeth danced in jubilation on VE Day after slipping into the crowds unnoticed outside Buckingham Palace.

The future Queen, then just 19, and her sister Princess Margaret, 14, joined thousands of revellers as they gathered in front of the royal residence on May 8 1945.

The princesses did the hokey cokey and the Lambeth Walk, and took part in chants of "We want the King" at the Palace railings.

VE (Victory in Europe) Day celebrations in the East End of London, marking the end of the war in Europe / PA

They also danced the conga through the Ritz Hotel in nearby Piccadilly.

Three-quarters of a century later, Elizabeth, now the Queen and the nation's longest-reigning monarch, will address the nation to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

As part of the official celebrations in 1945, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made eight appearances on the Palace balcony in ten hours - on one occasion accompanied by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Elizabeth and Margaret themselves appeared six times with their parents throughout the day and evening.

Huge crowds gather at Trafalgar Square celebrate VE (Victory in Europe) Day in London, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe / PA

In an unprecedented and spontaneous breach of royal protocol, they also hurried out of the Palace after dinner to join the crowds, accompanied by a group of Guards officers, who were friends of the princesses.

It was Margaret's idea and the King and Queen agreed to the excursion, with the monarch writing in his diary that day of his daughters' lack of social life: "Poor darlings, they have never had any fun yet."

Under the cover of darkness, the royal teenagers went unnoticed in the throng.

Jean Woodroffe, one of the Queen's first ladies in waiting, once recalled how Elizabeth delightedly joined in the celebrations.

"What was amusing is that we went into the Ritz Hotel through one door and out of the other door, the other end, doing the conga," Ms Woodroffe told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme in 2006.

"The extraordinary thing was that nobody seemed to take much notice.

Princess Elizabeth at the wheel of an army vehicle while serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War / PA

"Then we stood outside Buckingham Palace with the crowd and we all shouted 'We want the King' with everybody else until the King and Queen came out onto the balcony."

Elizabeth, who in February 1945 at the age of 18 had undertaken National Service in the Auxiliary Transport Service, wore her ATS uniform on the day.

She had been registered as No. 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor and took a driving and vehicle maintenance course at Aldershot, qualifying as a driver.

The Queen, years later, described how she was terrified of being recognised on the streets, "so I pulled my uniform cap well down over my eyes".

She added: "I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, and all of us were swept along by tides of happiness and relief."

Margaret described the war years as "black and gloomy", but said VE Day came as a "wonderful sunburst of glory".

The Royal Family had led by example and lifted morale during the conflict.

On the outbreak of hostilities, it had been suggested that Queen Elizabeth and her daughters should be evacuated to the safety of Canada or the United States.

King George VI and the Queen Mother standing amid the bomb damage at Buckingham Palace / PA

But to this she declared: "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave."

Elizabeth and Margaret moved to Windsor Castle during the war, just as the Queen has done amid the coronavirus pandemic.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, slept at Windsor, but won praise for spending their days at Buckingham Palace during the Blitz.

After German bombs fell at the palace, Queen Elizabeth said: "I'm glad we've been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the east end in the face."

The east end of London was just one of the badly-hit areas the royal couple visited during the war to show support.
The lower house of the Czech parliament voted to extend a state of emergency until May 17, a week less than the government had sought, as the country charts a course to emerge from a coronavirus lockdown earlier than forecast.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis had asked for an extension until May 25 to be able to keep restrictions on business in place. The state of emergency was due to expire on April 30.



Babis said after the vote that the government would seek legal amendments to keep some restrictions in place after the state of emergency ends, news agency CTK reported.



The Czech Republic has seen a drop in new cases to the lowest level in six weeks, with 41 new infections on Monday and a total of 7,486 on Tuesday afternoon.



The number of active cases has also declined from peaks, to 4,319 on Tuesday, which has allowed the government to speed up its original plan to gradually reopen all shops and services and some schools, Reuters reported.



Shops up to 2,500 square metres have been opened since Monday, and limitations on movement and foreign travel have been lifted.



The government now plans for most activities and services including pubs and hotels to restart by May 25 rather than June 8 as previously planned.



For the rest of the academic year ending in June, schools are expected to open only partially, for example for final exams. From May 25, limited groups of younger children will start school on voluntary basis.



There has been no decision on allowing large public gatherings.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh, formed after toppling Kamal Naths Congress government, has urged all farmers to file a case against the former Chief Minister and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the promise of a loan waiver .

Kamal Nath, the former CM of the state, announced a farm loan-waiver scheme immediately after assuming office, which would likely be scrapped by the BJP government, reported NDTV. In light of this, the present government has urged all the farmers, who received loan waiver certificates but did not benefit from it, to file cases against the previous government, ex-CM, and Rahul Gandhi (then Congress president).

The scheme that went by the name Jai Kisaan Fasal Rin Maafi Yojna was a much-hyped welfare announcement by Kamal Naths government. In fact, this was one of the poll planks in the run-up to the elections, when Rahul vowed to waive off farm loans of 20 lakh farmers within 10 days if they won.

Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel says there is still ambiguity over whether the outstanding loans were cleared by the previous government.

He said: Within two hours of being sworn in as the chief minister, Kamal Nath had signed the file to waive off farm loans worth Rs 54,000 crore of 48 lakh farmers in line with the poll promise made by Rahul Gandhi. But only loan waiver certificates have been distributed to the eligible farmers. It is still not clear whether the outstanding loans have been waived off or not.

In view of this, Patel asked the farmers who received the certificates to lodge fraud cases and cases of criminal conspiracy against the concerned Congress leaders. He also promised to act on such cases immediately.

Responding to this development, senior Congress leader Jitu Patwari dared the BJP government to scrap the farm loan waiver scheme and claimed that 80 percent loans had been waived. The rest got stuck because BJP had toppled their government, he added. Instead, he asked the present government to waive off the loans of the remaining 20 per cent farmers and warned him of farmer agitation if they do otherwise.
Editors Note: This week we celebrate the publication of a new book from NR senior editor David Pryce-Jones: Signatures: Literary Encounters of a Lifetime, a collection of vignettes of famous authors who over the decades gave him personally inscribed books. In todays excerpt, David reflects on John Stewart, a popular photographer who signed a copy of his 1988 war memoir, To the River Kwai, for David. Signatures is available for purchase at Encounter Books.

For David Pryce-Jones who dislodged a small stone that became a small stream  this memoir  Gratefully. Before John Stewart inscribed his book with this compliment, all I knew of him was that he lived in Paris and was a photographer whose work was widely published and exhibited. At a chance meeting for drinks in a friends house, he told me that he was writing a book and asked if I would read what hed done so far and tell him why he was stuck. With a sense of shock, I learned from his unfinished manuscript that he had been captured in the war by the Japanese and sent as a slave laborer to the infamous Burma railway. He described the ordeal with astonishing objectivity, but he had refrained from letting the reader know how he came to be so abstract, in short who he was. What should have been autobiographical was historical. What he had to do was give the reader reason to trust him.

He saw the point at once. It was simple. Stewart was an adopted name that hid the fact that he belonged to a very well-known Jewish family and he couldnt build a convincing memoir without revealing his real identity. His cosmopolitan background, his education in France, his open-mindedness, even his fathers Rolls-Royce, all fell into place and explained who he was in the face of a life-and-death ordeal.

Enrolled in the Intelligence Corps, he arrived in Singapore in January 1942, disastrously timed for the Japanese to take him prisoner. He had learned enough of the language to be an interpreter. Navigating through the labyrinthine Japanese mind, he writes, was, after food, everyones favourite intellectual occupation. In Changi he had an inconceivably far-fetched encounter with Fujita, the well-known painter and a friend in Paris days but now an Official War Artist, who greeted him, Mon pauvre ami, je ne vous demande pas ce que vous faites ici (My poor friend, I dont ask you what you are doing here). Sadism and sentimentality were an incomprehensible combination.

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The collision of cultures is recorded in a passage that deserves a place in any anthology to do with human nature and its extremes. Speaking to a cadet, John resorted to a Japanese word meaning bad, inadequate. Like someone possessed, the cadet reacted with a rant, frothing at the mouth, sending for his sword and preparing to behead the kneeling prisoner who had given such offense. John in fact saved himself by knowing and reciting what the victim is supposed to say ritually before the sword ends his life. The cadet dropped his sword, burst into tears and invited John to have some cake and a cup of tea, the one and only time when the slave laborer was treated as a guest. Johns misuse of language was wiped away because he had proved his respect for the whole culture.

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India is likely to post a negative GDP growth rate in the financial year 2021, making it the lowest in four decades, according to an estimate by UBS.

It estimates that the Covid-19 shock-related mobility restrictions will drag FY2021 growth sharply. UBS is downgrading India's growth forecasts on a looming global recession and domestic economic activity being much weaker than expected due to the nation-wide lockdown imposed until May 3.

"We now expect India's real GDP to contract to -0.4 per cent in FY21 (previously +2.5 per cent), compared with 4.1 per cent year on year (previously 4.5 per cent) estimated in FY20. In our base case, we expect current mobility restrictions remain in place until mid-May and then get lifted, and activity is largely back to normal by end-June," UBS said.

In the alternative scenarios where virus containment fails, UBS estimates that disruptions could last longer and the economic weaknesses in the short term could intensify and the significant secondary impacts (job losses, reduced income levels, corporate defaults, rising NPLs, rating downgrade, etc.) could delay a potential recovery. "There is a risk India's real GDP could contract by a much larger magnitude of 3-4 per cent YoY," it said.

UBS has projected that balance sheet concerns could drag India's long term potential growth lower to 5 per cent.

"We assume India's long-term growth could slow to 5 per cent year on year under alternate risk scenarios, compared with 6-6.5 per cent in our base case. The structural drag to growth could be amplified if Covid-19-related disruptions last longer and increase balance sheet concerns facing economic agents (corporates, financial sector, govt & households)," the report said.

For instance, near-term challenges (corporate sector bottom lines are hit and households face lower income levels) could deepen amid the Covid-19 shock. Renewed asset quality concerns are already prompting banks and NBFCs to become more risk averse. The government could face debt sustainability concerns if fiscal support is extended significantly.

"To create a virtuous cycle of higher potential growth, reform momentum would need to pick up. We believe there is a golden opportunity for India to gain market share in the global export basket as Covid-19 increases relocation intentions," UBS said citing the opportunity.

UBS has raised the question if a higher fiscal stimulus will risk a rating downgrade. "While India has only announced modest fiscal support so far (less than 1 per cent of GDP), we expect the government Covid-19 stimulus to be scaled up to 3 per cent of GDP in FY21," it estimates.

"We think the fiscal slippage could be higher than that seen during the credit crisis at close to 5 per cent of GDP. While we do not see an imminent sovereign rating downgrade, an outlook downgrade (stable to negative) cannot be ruled out. The temporary nature of fiscal stimulus and quick rebound in nominal GDP next year will make it relatively easier to return the deficits to more normal levels, after this crisis is over, in our view," UBS said.
With the growing emphasis on technology and innovation to help us achieve business goals, it has become even more important to focus on transforming people, who are at the core of every business transformation exercise. -- Naveen Kumar

I Info-Tech Research Group, a leading IT research and advisory firm announced that Naveen Kumar, vice president, consulting services, has been awarded the 2020 Global Technology Executives Who Matter Award.

HMG Strategy, the worlds largest independent provider of executive networking events and thought leadership, annually recognizes technology leaders who have demonstrated unparalleled leadership in areas such as innovation, business transformation, courageous leadership, and digital disruption.

Since the inception of its Transformational CIO Awards in 2012, HMG Strategy, the worlds largest independent provider of executive networking events and thought leadership to support the 360-degree needs of technology leaders, has been recognizing the industrys premier technology executives who make a strategic difference in their organizations.

This recognition program honors top-performing Chief Information Officers, Chief Information Security Officers, and other Senior Technology Leaders who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the areas of business innovation, transformation, exceptional leadership, talent development and digital disruption.

With nearly two decades of incisive business strategy, deep technology expertise, and extensive operations knowledge Naveen is a trusted advisor to global IT leaders. He is quoted in financial and national publications and is a frequent speaker at conferences across North America.

Our annual awards recognize the contributions and achievements those executives who have the ability to lead, reimagine and reinvent their companies and their business models and demonstrate leadership in action, said Hunter Muller, president and chief executive officer, HMG Strategy. It is my honor to present this award to Naveen, for the second year in a row, in recognition of his commitment to drive innovation, strengthen relationships with customers and for his continued focus on delivering a competitive edge for clients and customers.

Naveen has built his knowledge of business and technology working in multinational organizations such as Citigroup, IBM, JP Morgan, and KPMG. As part of Info-Techs consulting team leadership, Naveen has successfully driven a high-growth agenda to help the team compete successfully, on a global scale.

With the growing emphasis on technology and innovation to help us achieve business goals, it has become even more important to focus on transforming people, who are at the core of every business transformation exercise. This couldnt be truer at a time like this when organizations the world over are facing an unprecedented crisis due to the pandemic. What will help leaders stand apart is their ability to overcome this challenge, without negatively impacting clients, customers, internal and external stakeholders including employees, said Naveen Kumar, vice president, consulting services, Info-Tech Research Group. Our leadership practice must be based on a foundation of authenticity, transparency and people-centricity. Technology can only enhance the process of getting things done through these strong symbiotic relationships. HMG Strategy enables such relationships, by creating trust and success. To receive this honor from such an industry leader, for the second year in a row is deeply humbling and I feel extremely proud as I accept this award.

Naveen will receive the award at HMG Strategys 2020 Toronto CIO Executive Leadership Summit on June 3, 2020.

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Nothing will liven up your virtual meeting more than a background of Wrigley Field or The Bean or the view from atop the Willis Tower. Download these photos taken by Chicago Tribune photographers as your background on Zoom or another virtual meeting platform.
CHICAGO, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the research report "VCSEL Market by Type (Single-mode, Multimode), Material (GaAs, InP, Others), Wavelength, Application (Sensing, Data Communication), Industry (Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Data Center, Commercial & Industrial), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global VCSEL market size is expected to grow from USD 1.0 billion in 2020 to USD 2.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 23.7%. The increasing applications of VCSELs in data communication has fueled the demand for VCSELs. The increasing adoption of 3D sensing applications in smartphones is expected to play a vital role in the growth of the VCSEL market.

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Automotive segment to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The automotive segment is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The use of VCSELs is increasing in autonomous vehicles for LiDAR, sensing, in-cabin monitoring/driver monitoring, and gesture recognition. The growing need to increase safety levels in vehicles and increasing interests of OEMs in the manufacturing of autonomous vehicles are driving the demand for VCSELs. VCSELs are finding increased applications in systems such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). LiDAR is the latest technology used in automotive safety developments and solutions that are an excellent match to radar and vision systems nowadays. The increasing transition toward the adoption of connected/autonomous vehicles is projected to drive the growth of the market.

GaAs-based VCSELs to register the highest CAGR in the VCSEL market during the forecast period

The demand for GaAs-based VCSELs is expected to grow at a significant rate from 2020 to 2025. Gallium arsenide material exhibits properties that are conductive to VCSEL lasing. Most of the VCSELs used in different applications are manufactured using GaAs material. Data communication and consumer devices are two major application areas of GaAs-based VCSELs. The integration of VCSELs for 3D sensing in Apple's iPhone X paved the way for the GaAs ecosystem. The high adoption of GaAs-based VCSELs in the manufacturing of smartphones and consumer devices is the prime factor increasing the demand for wafers & VCSELs in the market. Also, the high use of GaAs in LiDAR applications is expected to create growth opportunities for the players operating in the ecosystem.

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North America to hold the largest share of VCSEL market in 2020

North America is expected to hold the largest share of the VCSEL market in 2020. Major VCSEL players such as II-VI (US), Lumentum (US), and Broadcom (US) are based in North America. Consumer electronics & data centers are major applications for VCSELs in this region. In North America, the high demand for VCSELs is due to its adoption in smartphones, such as Apple's iPhone X, for 3D sensing applications.

Major players in the VCSEL market include II-VI (US), Lumentum (US), ams (Austria), TRUMPF (Germany), Broadcom (US), Leonardo Electronics (US), MKS Instruments (US), Santec (Japan), VERTILAS (Germany), and Vertilite (China).

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Time-of-Flight (ToF) Sensor Market by Resolution (QQVGA, HQVGA, QVGA, & VGA), Application (Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality, LIDAR, Machine Vision, 3D Imaging & Scanning, and Robotics & Drone), Product Type, Vertical and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025

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Beijing's state media has declared today that 'the US government has failed its people and the world' as America now accounts for a third of the global infection tally.

Global Times, a state-run newspaper, claimed in an article Wednesday that 'Chinese people won't allow their country to suffer vast infections like the US'.

The column came after infections across the US increased by more than 27,000 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to just over one million.

The Chinese media blamed the US government for failing American people by placing 'their political interests above the life-threatening epidemic'.

The Chinese media blamed the US government for failing American people by placing 'their political interests above the life-threatening epidemic'. US President Donald Trump is pictured speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday

Global Times, a state-run newspaper claimed in an article Wednesday that 'Chinese people won't allow their country to suffer vast infections like the US'. Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn on April 6

In an opinion piece published by Global Times today, the newspaper responded to America's current infection tally by saying that 'the US government has failed its people and also failed the world'.

'The US is home to more than 300 million people. If the same proportion of infections were to have occurred in China, a country with over 1.4 billion people, 4 million people would have been infected, about 50 times more than the actually number of reported cases.

But the state media claimed that Chinese people would not allow their country to suffer such vast infections.

The news outlet also asserted that American politicians showed an inability to contain the coronavirus outbreak by dodging responsibilities and prioritising the upcoming election.

The state media claimed that Chinese people would not allow their country to suffer such vast infections. A man wearing a mask and Chinese flag walks on the street in Guangzhou

The column came after infections across the US increased by more than 27,000 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to just over one million. Protestors demonstrate against new safer-at-home orders during the End the Lockdown Now rally at the Colorado Capital in Denver, Colorado on April 26

The article then continued by listing three things that 'the US government is supposed to do'.

'First, it needs to apologize to its people and admit it has mishandled the epidemic.

'Second, it must learn lessons and take decisive measures to fight against the virus and reduce infections and deaths.

'Third, it should push forward international cooperation and create conditions for a global fight to eliminate the novel coronavirus,' the newspaper wrote.

'However, the US government has done none of those things. The US Democrats have not served as a supportive force to unite US society at this critical moment, and instead have eyed on the elections and placed their political interests above the life-threatening epidemic,' the tabloid concluded.

In New York state, the epicentre of the US outbreak, infections increased on Monday by 3,900, bringing the total number of cases to just over 290,000. The picture shows Sailors transporting the last patient off the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) for relocation to a local hospital for the appropriate level of follow-on care on April 26

Global Times' comment comes as the US now has more than one million coronavirus cases across the country - accounting for a third of the global tally - as the death toll rises to more than 56,000.

In New York state, the epicentre of the US outbreak, infections increased on Monday by 3,900, bringing the total number of cases to just over 290,000.

The death toll in New York state increased by 337 overnight, bringing the total number of fatalities to more than 17,300.

It also comes as the US has ordered intelligence investigations into whether China initially downplayed and hid the emerging coronavirus threat, a Wednesday report revealed, as President Donald Trump continues to place blame for the size of the pandemic.

Trump appeared to refer to the orders during his Monday press conference at the White House.

'We're doing very serious investigations,' the president said during his nearly-daily briefing. 'We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world.'

The Chinese tabloid has blasted the 'hold China accountable' campaign as 'a form of political hooliganism' in a separate piece yesterday. Pictured, nurses and healthcare workers mourn and remember their colleagues who died during the outbreak on April 10 in New York City

The president continues to deflect blame for the coronavirus crisis in the US, claiming it would have been less severe if Beijing were more forthcoming with the severity of the virus in China toward the end of last year.

He has also often showered praise on himself and his administration for shutting down travel from China in the early stages of the outbreak.

The Chinese tabloid has blasted the 'hold China accountable' campaign as 'a form of political hooliganism' in a separate piece yesterday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen visiting a commercial street in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province on April 22

The coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping across the globe has infected over 3 million people and claimed more than 218,000 lives. The picture taken on February 5 shows people wearing face masks line up to purchase face masks from a makeshift stall in Hong Kong

'It is a form of political hooliganism that fits the combative advisers around Trump who usually do things by breaking the bottom line.

'It is also in line with the growing anxiety among US policymakers about the rise of China, leaving such hooliganism easily peddled in the current US media arena,' the state media suggested.

'The US response to the epidemic is undoubtedly one of the worst in the world. While the country's powerful elites should shoulder inescapable responsibility, the Trump administration's wrongdoing turn out to be mostly blameful.

Global Times continued: 'The epidemic has reflected some surprising flaws in the US governance. It has also shown us how irresponsible and selfish some top US politicians are.'

The coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping across the globe has infected over 3 million people and claimed more than 218,000 lives.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 13:21:33|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry Wednesday morning said 70 new deaths due to COVID-19 and an additional 1,358 positive cases were reported since Tuesday evening across the country, taking the number of deaths to 1,007 and total cases to 31,332.

"As on 8:00 a.m. (local time), today 1,007 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads the information released by the ministry.

- - - -

BEIJING -- The 13th National People's Congress (NPC) will open its third annual session in Beijing on May 22.

The decision was adopted Wednesday at the 17th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee held from April 26 to 29.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and through the hard work of the whole country and the people, the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control situation in China is improving steadily and the normal economic and social life is gradually resuming, according to a statement issued by the NPC Standing Committee.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The number of sailors testing positive for COVID-19 aboard U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Kidd, rose to 64 as the warship on Tuesday afternoon docked at a naval base in San Diego, California, local media have reported.

The Everett-based vessel has a crew of around 300, and by Tuesday afternoon, 63 percent of the crew had been tested, according to a report from the Daily Herald, one of the leading news sources in Everett and Snohomish County in western state of Washington.

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korea reported nine more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,761.

The daily caseload hovered around 10 for the 11th straight day. Of the new cases, five were imported from overseas, lifting the combined number to 1,061.

Two more deaths were confirmed, raising the death toll to 246. The total fatality rate came in at 2.29 percent.

- - - -

OTTAWA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has hit 50,015 in Canada with 2,859 deaths as of Tuesday, according to the latest tally compiled by the country's Public Health Agency.

The country's epicenter of the virus outbreak has been Quebec Province with 25,757 cases, followed by Ontario with 15,381, according to the agency.

- - - -

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported two new confirmed COVID-19 cases and one probable case over the past 24 hours, with the total number of infections being 1,474 in the country, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.

The country moved from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3 on Tuesday and will stay for at least two weeks at Level 3 before a further review and Alert Level decision on May 11.

- - - -

OTTAWA -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that the country's public health measures are working to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"The measures we have taken so far are working. In fact, in many parts of the country, the curve has flattened. But we are not out of the woods yet," Trudeau said at his daily press conference in Ottawa. Enditem
Instead, the four-minute video, released last week by the Chinese embassy in Manila to promote Chinas efforts to help the Philippines fight the coronavirus, has unleashed widespread anger and derision at China. The video, titled One Sea, has resurfaced longtime concerns in Southeast Asia about Chinas efforts to expand influence in the region, including in the hotly contested South China Sea.

The words are nothing but a mirage, full of good images but deceitful, said one of the most popular comments on Facebook.

The backlash highlights the challenges China faces as it tries to repair its global image amid growing criticism of its early efforts to cover up the coronavirus outbreak, which began in December in the central city of Wuhan. The Chinese government has dispatched medical supplies and experts overseas as it tries to win good will.

But in many places, Beijing still faces skepticism and deep anger.

The music video was supposed to help shore up support. Its lyrics were written by the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian. The video shows Chinese medical teams delivering aid in the Philippines, and it features a clip of the Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte, thanking Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping, for his support during the crisis.

The video was panned almost immediately, with internet users in the Philippines, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries denouncing it as out of touch.

No problem with helping one another, wrote a Facebook user with the name Marjan Nur Salonga Salandanan, but get out of our seas, please.

China is itself emerging from the worst of the outbreak, and after more than two months of delay because of the coronavirus pandemic, Chinas legislature will finally hold its annual full session starting on May 22, official media announced Wednesday morning.
The syndicate called for conducting two PCR tests, 48 hours apart, for all medical staff before they are allowed to leave quarantine hospitals in order to curb spread of the virus.

The Egyptian Medical Syndicate has warned health authorities against merely relying on rapid coronavirus tests when examining medical staff at quarantine hospitals, saying their results have not proved accurate.

The test has not been proven effective or useful and threatens dangerous results in increasing the spread of infection among medical staff and society, the syndicate said in a statement on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that rapid immunodiagnostic tests must be validated and recommended that they should only be used in research settings, not for clinical decision-making.

The syndicate citied WHOs advice that molecular testing of respiratory tract samples, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, is the recommended method for the identification and laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 cases.

The syndicate criticised instructions by healthcare authorities regarding steps taken to identify coronavirus cases among medical staff.

It said that PCR tests are only conducted if the rapid test comes positive, and if they are negative, the instructions dictate no other measure. It added that the policies in place do not require medical staff to be isolated after leaving quarantine hospital, but only rely on the rapid tests.

It also said that the type of the rapid diagnostic test used detects the presence of antibodies in the blood of suspected cases, while antibodies are produced over days after infection with the virus.

The accuracy of this test is very low, and it has high rates of false positive and negative results, it stressed.

The syndicate called for conducting two PCR tests, 48 hours apart, for all medical staff before they are allowed to leave quarantine hospitals in order to curb spread of the virus.

According to a tally by the syndicate, as of Tuesday, 91 Egyptian doctors have been infected by the coronavirus and five have died.

Egypt has so far recorded 5,268 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 380 deaths. Of the total, 1,335 have fully recovered.

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Actually, we dont want to conclude on anything, but from the look of things, King Paluta feels betrayed and undermined by his colleague rappers for obvious reasons.

Thus, taking into consideration the lyrical composition and content of his newest release dubbed BULLY, one will not be far from right to conclude that something is wrong somewhere.

Deductively from the lyrics, King Paluta didnt hesitate to call out Sarkodie for claiming the richest rapper in most of his songs  Listen to Kweku Smoke Ft Sarkodie  Ye Din for personal analysis.

To the best knowledge perhaps observation of King Paluta, no rapper goes to the house of Sarkodie every morning for breakfast, therefore, he should keep his mouth shut in reference to his too much money.

Also, King Paluta didnt hesitate to throw some heavy shots at rapper Strongman for ignoring his collaborations on several occasions although they all hail from the same hood  Kumasi.

Listen to the song, BULLY
Oil giant BP (NYSE:BP) reported first-quarter 2020 earnings on Tuesday, April 28, and -- as you might expect -- it was bad.

During a quarter that saw an oil price war collapse crude prices and a worldwide pandemic destroy demand, BP's "underlying replacement cost profit" (basically, adjusted net earnings) tumbled to just $791 million, down from $2.4 billion a year ago.

While that sounds terrible, it was actually better than many analysts were predicting. As a result, shares bounced around in morning trading, and were down less than 1% at noon on Tuesday. However, there were other key takeaways from the earnings report that could indicate how other oil companies will fare this earnings season.

By the numbers

Metric Q1 2020 Q4 2019 Q1 2019 % Change (YOY) Revenue $59.7 billion $71.1 billion $66.3 billion (10%) Net income (loss) ($4.4 billion) $18 million $3.0 billion N/A Earnings (loss) per ADS (diluted) ($1.30) $0.01 $0.87 N/A Adjusted net income (loss) $791 million $2.6 billion $2.4 billion (67%) Adjusted earnings per ADS (diluted) $0.24 $0.76 $0.70 (65.7%)

Analysts were expecting adjusted earnings per American Depository Share of $0.28, but given the turmoil in the oil industry, the market shrugged off the near miss, especially since BP maintained its dividend payout of $0.105 per share.

It's worth noting that Q1 was mostly over before the Saudi Arabia-Russia price war triggered a collapse in oil prices (early March) and before coronavirus had a major effect on fuel demand (mid-to-late March). That explains why revenue was only off by 10% year over year.

The primary reason for the massive $4.4 billion unadjusted net loss was $3.7 billion in inventory holding losses. Those were the result of the big change in oil prices during the quarter: BP's inventory was worth substantially less at the end of March than it was at the beginning of January.

What happened during the quarter

In a nutshell, pandemonium ensued.

If you've been following the news at all, you already know most of the major items affecting BP during the quarter -- the effects of COVID-19 on fuel demand, the effect of the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price war, and then the subsequent OPEC+ agreement on production limits for May, and industrywide capital and operational cost cuts.

In response to these developments, BP announced it had opened a new $10 billion revolving credit facility, bringing its total liquidity to $32 billion as of March 31. Since then, the company has issued about $7 billion of new bonds in April. Its net debt increased by about $6 billion in Q1, to $51.4 billion. That's to be expected, and the company is likely to take on even more debt before all's said and done.

Like everyone else in the industry, BP announced cuts in its 2020 capital spending. Management now expects to spend about $12 billion, a 25% reduction from its initial projections. It expects this to have a minimal effect on production, anticipating a reduction of just 2.7% from 2019 levels.

What management had to say

Boy, did longtime CEO Bob Dudley pick the right moment to retire!

Dudley stepped down on Feb. 5, and was succeeded by Bernard Looney, who probably isn't exactly thrilled to have taken the reins just a month before a global crisis hit. In a statement, Looney reinforced that the company was first and foremost committed to protecting its employees and communities during the pandemic.

He left the operational comments to longtime CFO Brian Gilvary -- who is probably relieved to be heading into retirement himself on June 30. Gilvary said in a statement:

We are dealing with an exceptionally challenging environment and the unprecedented effects of demand destruction and price impacts that can be seen in these results are expected to continue through the second quarter. Despite this our underlying businesses performed well in the first quarter, although our headline results were impacted by foreign exchange as well as price effects at the quarter end. We have developed a clear plan and are confident in increasing resilience in our financial framework through a set of interventions focused on building liquidity, strengthening our balance sheet and reducing expenditure to drive our cash balance point below $35 per barrel in 2021.

Outlook

Unsurprisingly, BP didn't commit to providing any sort of hard numbers, given the uncertainties in the global economy in general and the oil industry in particular.

Instead, it had this to say:

Looking forward, there remains an exceptional level of uncertainty regarding the near-term outlook for prices and product demand, particularly while many economies remain under lockdown. There is the risk of more sustained consequences depending on the efforts of governments and the public and private sectors to manage the health, economic and financial stability effects of the pandemic. ... It is difficult to predict when current supply and demand imbalances will be resolved and what the ultimate impact of COVID-19 will be.

Investor takeaway

Things are bad in the oil industry, but oil majors like BP are well-positioned to make it through the current crisis while maintaining their dividend payouts. For BP in particular, rising debt is a concern: Its debt load is currently 36.2% of equity, above the company's target 20%-30% range, and is likely to climb higher.

However, as BP pointed out frequently in its earnings release, we're in uncharted waters here, and nobody knows exactly where we'll be in three months, much less by the end of the year. Energy industry investors should proceed with caution in the oil and gas sector.
Millions of bottles of wine could go to waste in Europe during lockdown, producers claim.

Nation-wide lockdowns across much of Europe have led to the closure of bars, pubs and restaurants meaning demand for wine has plummeted in recent weeks.

As a result, producers in countries such as Spain, France and Italy have been left with surplus supplies.

The Comite Europeen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV) - a European wine trade group - estimates that as much as 10 hectolitres of wine could go unused.

The crisis also means that there is a shortage in storage for the 2020 wine harvest due to be collected in a few months time, producers say,

French MEP, Eric Andrieu, from the winemaking Aude region, suggested the unsold wine could be distilled into pure alcohol or ethanol to make hand sanitiser, thereby providing growers with an income.

Recommended The online wine shops still delivering during lockdown

He told The Times: Distillation is an alternative, certainly less remunerative than the sale of wine, but one which will allow winegrowers to get by and to be able to also harvest in 2020.

Under current regulations, wine producers must request permission from EU officials before they can begin distilling wine into alcohol.

Mr Andrieu added: The European Commission has the legal and financial tools to intervene in the market in times of crisis. If it doesnt do that now, small producers risk going out of business.

The coronavirus crisis has also caused a 30 per cent fall in volume and 50 per cent drop in the value of the EU wine market, a statement from the CEEV revealed.

Jean-Marie Barillere, CEEV president, warned: We should all understand that what we are facing is no short-term crisis.

It will take time and require investments to recover wine markets.

Recommended Dog delivers wine during coronavirus lockdown

Earlier this week, President Macrons government, with support from Italy and Spain, asked the European Commission to approve a crisis distillation programme.

A letter sent to the Commission said: The crisis we are experiencing is unfortunately only the beginning of a long period.

The volumes not sold during these months will not only weigh on the market for the coming seasons but, in many regions, will hamper the next harvest due to the lack of storage capacity in the cellars.
The operators of the gas transmission systems of Ukraine and Hungary on May 1 will launch virtual gas reverse by combining two physical points of gas transmission at the countries' borders into one virtual one, head of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) Serhiy Makogon has said.

"We are not resting on our laurels. Today is a new breakthrough  we have combined the two physical points of gas transmission on the Ukraine-Hungary border into one virtual one, which includes two physical ones," he wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, this will provide traders with the ease and flexibility of purchasing capacities at the border, and GTS operators with flexibility in planning physical flows.

"It's no longer necessary to book a specific physical point, just choose the direction of gas transportation, and the operators themselves decide on the method of physical transportation of gas ... There is no need to transport flows in opposite directions  offset flows are offset, and this saves fuel gas," Makogon said.

In addition, gas import capacities are significantly increasing, so now the entire transit/export volume can actually be imported due to the virtual reverse mechanism.
Healthy Britons could 'volunteer' to be exposed to coronavirus and then stay in their homes until they are no longer infectious under one plan to get out of lockdown.

Dr Chris Hope, from Cambridge University, said those who opt for 'voluntary exposure' would then be able to 'resume something closer to normal life, once sufficient numbers were immune and the government allowed it'.

He said the the alternative would mean young, healthy Britons could suffer 'less than half the overall harm' than they would do under a continued lockdown.

It comes after the country's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned that social distancing measures will have to remain in place for the rest of this year.

Professor Whitty said the measures cannot be lifted until either a vaccine for Covid-19 or 'highly effective' drugs to treat the virus become available.

But according to Dr Hope's paper, which he summarised in a blog post, those who have been exposed to the virus - and built up immunity - may be able to return to a relatively normal way of life sooner than others.

Staff direct traffic as people arrive to have test samples taken at a Covid-19 testing centre at Glasgow Airport today

Currently, most people do not know if they are infected until they show symptoms, and they can, therefore, pass the infection on to other people in shops or the street while unknowingly infected.

Dr Hope explains: 'So assume a healthy individual has a choice: A. social distance until the emergency is over, or they are infected anyway, or B. choose voluntary exposure now, with testing, isolation and then immunity'

'Voluntary exposure will nearly always be effective in causing infection, as the illness appears to be transmitted easily. As the infection occurs in a controlled manner, there is no extra risk to those outside the household. Social distancing leads to a quality of life drop, loss of earnings, later infection or no infection.

Dr Chris Hope (pictured), from Cambridge University, said those who opt for 'voluntary exposure' would then be able to 'resume something closer to normal life, once sufficient numbers were immune and the government allowed it'

'Which is better if I'm given a choice, voluntary exposure or social distancing? The basic tradeoff is that voluntary exposure allows me to obtain an earlier return to near-normal life, and a certainty that I'm not infecting others outside my household in exchange for increasing the small chance that I will suffer major symptoms, possibly death, since under social distancing I may not get infected at all.

'For a young, healthy, single person, the analysis shows that they could suffer less than half the overall harm under voluntary exposure than they do under continued social distancing.'

Dr Hope said his working paper, entitled 'Controlled infection to exit COVID-19 lockdown: a first utilitarian analysis', is a first look at the idea, and has not been published or extensively peer-reviewed.

'It's really just a proof of concept, to show the idea shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. I am keen to get comments from as many perspectives as possible,' he said in a blog post.

His theory is based on a variety of factors including the expected length of the lockdown emergency, the risk of infection, the likelihood of death from coronavirus, and any loss of earnings under social distancing.

Dr Hope said those high risk or with pre-existing conditions would not be offered the option of voluntary exposure.

Currently anyone with an underlying health condition such as those who usually receive an NHS flu jab and those with weakened immune systems are urged to reduce contact with others.

The Department of Health has today started compiling data on deaths which happen anywhere, as long as the person tests positive for COVID-19 before or after they die. The new record has seen 3,811 backdated fatalities added to Britain's death toll, but is still not believed to show the whole picture

Analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics shows that, as the number of hospital deaths being reported has declined (blue bar), the number of fatalities being recorded outside of hospitals - mainly in care homes - has risen (red bar). The data used has been backdated and counted by actual date of death, making it appear more stable than the erratic numbers announced each day by the Department of Health, which are counted by the date they are registered

Anyone over 70 is also urged to be 'particularly stringent in following social distancing measures', according to government guidance.

Even stricter advice has been issued to those at even higher risk of getting severely ill from the virus, including recipients of donor organs, those on active chemotherapy or radiotherapy, people with blood cancers and those with severe chest conditions.

Early on the UK's coronavirus battle 'herd immunity' had been touted as way of overcoming the virus.

Herd immunity is when enough people become resistant to a disease - through vaccination or previous exposure - that it can no longer significantly spread among the rest of the population.

The concept first entered the UK's phraseology when the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance mentioned it in a broadcast interview.

Sir Patrick told the BBC on March 13: 'Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission.'

But two days later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock clarified that herd immunity was not a government policy.

Later a study suggested that almost 500,000 people could have died from coronavirus if the UK had adopted a 'do-nothing' approach associated with earlier 'herd immunity' plans.

Sweden has adopted a similar approach to combating coronavirus - with its relaxed restrictions gaining attention across the world.

Karin Ulrika Olofsdotter, the Swedish Ambassador to the US, told the US's National Public Radio (NPR) that 'about 30 per cent of people in Stockholm have reached a level of immunity.'

However, questions remain about how long any immunity lasts - South Korea recently reported that 222 patients had tested positive again for the virus after initially recovering.

Authorities said they there are working to find out if the tests the individuals had just failed to spot that the virus was still present, or if they had actually had the virus again.

Ms Olofsdotter agreed that more research is needed to answer the questions around herd immunity but said there were no plans for her country's government to switch course.
When it comes to wearing masks to help stem the spread of COVID-19 -- as required by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in public when social distancing is impossible -- safety trumps any argument that they impinge on civil rights, Lehigh Valley attorneys say.

Civil rights advocates may point to laws on the books in some states from almost a century ago prohibiting facial coverings, as a way to crack down on hate groups. Those laws were obviously pre-pandemic.

While some may feel that being told to wear masks impinges on their civil rights, the argument goes both ways and respect for the rights of others are part of our values and a recognized principle under the constitution, said Douglas Smillie, an attorney with the Allentown-based firm Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba. While we enjoy many rights and freedoms, they have never been absolute.

Smillie used such examples as crying fire in a crowded theater, noting others have rights as well.

Here, the imposition is a modest one, by all reckoning it will be temporary and, while it is in effect, will likely be upheld as a valid exercise of the governors powers in this unprecedented situation, he added.

Loren L. Speziale, a partner specializing in business law at Allentown-based Gross McGinley, said supermarkets and other retailers can legally deny access to patrons who are not wearing masks unless the customer cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition. Patrons are not required, however, to provide documentation of the medical condition in order to enter a store without the mask, she said.

Pennsylvania began enforcement April 19 of its mandate for customers and workers at essential businesses to wear face masks in public.

Under the order, Speziale said employers must provide masks for all employees while working at work sites to be worn, with the exception of break time to eat or drink. The employer can also approve masks obtained or made by the employee in accordance with guidance from the state Department of Health, she said.

Other exceptions to the rule are if the mask impedes the vision of the employee, interferes with a medical condition or creates an unsafe condition when operating equipment or executing a task. The same goes for employees of life-sustaining businesses with the exception of when being sequestered alone in a room, Speziale said.

The states order, however, does not mandate an employer can require documentation of medical conditions prior to deeming an employee exempt, she said.

Challenges to mask bans on the grounds of free speech and free association have mostly failed in U.S. courts, according to a report by Quartz, a business-focused international news publication.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, there were reasons to believe that anti-masking provisions no longer fit in with 21st century America.

The American Civil Liberties Union says that this past year, protesters worldwide were often charged with anti-mask law violations, while at the same time governments increasingly rely on facial recognition technology to track down alleged criminals. ACLU policy analysts stated American law should allow people the freedom to cover up their faces in protests or anywhere else.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

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

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said his multiweek bout with COVID-19 was a rough road including eight consecutive days on oxygen in a health experience that he would not want anyone else to have.

Marconi and another COVID-19 patient, state Rep. Jane Garibay of Windsor Locks, on Wednesday joined Gov. Ned Lamonts daily news briefing to stress the need to maintain social distancing and for the state to take its time in regaining some kind of normal public life.

Marconi said the virus, which is linked to at least 2,168 fatalities, including 79 since Tuesday, can be devastating.

I know were all looking at the economic side of things and as a capitalistic society we want to get back to work, we want money to flow again, but I cant stress enough the importance of how this can impact the health of all of our citizens here in Connecticut, Marconi said, describing his early symptoms as a head cold.

He went to bed on Wednesday, April 1, stayed in bed for a couple days, got a coronavirus test on Saturday the 6th and found out by Monday he had contracted the virus.

By Wednesday the 8th, I was pretty far down the road into this virus, Marconi said, adding his physician recommended oxygen at home rather than going to the hospital. Therapies included the controversial hydroxychloroquine anti-malarial drug. He said nausea was the toughest symptom.

I cant tell you how severe I felt, from laying on the floor and having difficulty in the evenings, to finally being here today to tell that story, he said by video conference from Ridgefield, where 30 people have died since March 18, including the states first COVID-19 fatality. His symptoms included aches, chills, pains, sore throat, headache and diarrhea. It was pretty alarming for me.

He warned of the need not to reopen Connecticut too soon.

Please believe me, Marconi said. This is a highly contagious, serious virus that we need to be careful each step we take.

Social distancing and face coverings are crucial to slowing the spread of the virus, but also important is deliberately considering the slow steps toward opening non-essential businesses.

During a brief exchange with Lamont before the news conference, he called his ordeal a rough road. Lamont said that net hospitalizations dropped another 41 on Wednesday continuing a downward trend of 281 since April 23.

Both Marconi, who has led the town since 1999, and Garibay, a first-term member of the House of Representatives, avoided hospitals except for a few hours on Garibays part.

They believe that they were able to avoid giving the virus to others, although Marconis wife, who nursed him back to health, picked up a low-grade fever that lasted a couple of days.

Garibay said she was particularly lucky because of some underlying health conditions. She was diagnosed on March 18, the day after the states first fatality, an elderly resident of a Ridgefield nursing home, who died at Danbury Hospital.

I will say it was 21/2 weeks of having the flu and it was very difficult, she said. It affects each person differently. I had aches, my temperature at one point peaked at 103.5 and I did a six-hour visit to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.

She couldnt eat for 13 days. It tasted like cardboard, she said.

In other pandemic news on Wednesday, state restaurants proposed a variety of efforts, including the health monitoring of staff and physical distancing that would result in the removal of tables to meet social distancing guidelines.

The Connecticut Restaurant Association pledged to provide hand-washing and sanitizers at all entrances. Workers would also sanitize every table, place mat and utensil after each use.

As Connecticut is now planning how best to begin reopening businesses and reopening its economy, we want the public to know that local restaurants are taking our role and our responsibility seriously when it comes to protecting public health, said Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association.

Connecticut restaurants are working with state officials to determine how best to return to full service as soon as it is safe to do so, Dolch said in a statement. As part of that work, were making these promises directly to the public that we will do everything in our power to make their dining experience safe and enjoyable.

The association wants prospective customers to stay home if they have any coronavirus symptoms, including loss of taste and smell, fever, aches, cough, shortness of breath, headache and chills. Clients with underlying health conditions should consider retaining delivery options that have helped keep many restaurants afloat over the last six weeks.

Its the responsibility of restaurants to make extra efforts to serve our customers during these difficult times, but were also asking them to do what they can to protect one another, Dolch said. Connecticut has shown real unity and real resolve to manage this crisis  and now we need to work together to come out of it, for the sake of our health, and for the sake of our local economy.

State Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, a restaurateur, said Wednesday that the industry wants to become part of the discussion as the state plans on slowly reopening as COVID-19 cases decline.

Were experts in sanitation because we have to deal with it all the time, Rutigliano said. We can handle the cleaning of the restaurants to help the guests have a safer experience. The reopening committee is doing their work and I guess what the restaurants are saying is everyone can open at once. We came up with some outlines to keep people safe and comply with any restrictions they can come up with.

During Lamonts news briefing, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the states response to the U.S. Census is the highest in the multi-state region.

As of 3 oclock this afternoon the state of Connecticut had a 57.1 percent self-response rate, so we continue to lead all of the northeastern state and we have been recognized for our efforts by the United States Census Bureau, Bysiewicz said, crediting community partners across the state.

Lamonts office Wednesday afternoon released a statement asking municipal officials, community-based organizations, nonprofit providers, and philanthropic organizations to create local, long-term recovery committees, led by Bysiewicz.

Responding to a disaster is a shared responsibility that calls for the involvement of everyone  state government, local government, and a wide range of community partners, Lamont said. By working together, we can continue to improve the way we support our residents and our communities as they meet urgent needs and bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis. A wide range of partners are ready to work with us on this, including the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Council of Small Towns, and our regional councils of government, as well as our nonprofits and partners in philanthropy. I am grateful to them all.

On Thursday, for the first time, Lamonts advisory task force will join his daily briefing to outline its ideas for reopening the state.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Ho Chi Minh City has allowed the first bus to resume operations after nearly a month of suspension as part of the governments enhanced social distancing order to curb the transmission of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Bus No. 5 started plying the Cho Lon-Bien Hoa route again on Tuesday to facilitate commute between Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring Dong Nai Province, the local public transportation management center said the same day.

The citys Cho Lon is a neighborhood consisting of parts of District 5, District 6, and District 11 while Bien Hoa is the capital of Dong Nai.

The municipal administration began suspending all buses on April 1, when Vietnam went into extensive social distancing to slow the COVID-19 spread, in accordance with an order from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The government started gradually easing restrictions on April 23 after infection rates had slipped since April 4.

The bus will make 20 journeys a day, the center said.

The operators of the bus are required to take precautionary measures, as per regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control, such as asking passengers to declare health status and wear face masks.

They are permitted to reject any passenger refusing to follow the rules.

Plans on the reopening of other bus routes will be announced after May 3.

Bus No. 5 route:

* From Dong Nai: Bien Hoa Bus Station  National Road 1K  National Road 1A  National Road 13  Dinh Bo Linh Street  Bach Dang Street  Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street  Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street  Phung Khac Khoan Street  Tran Cao Van Street  Vo Van Tan Street  Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street  Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street  Hung Vuong Street  Le Hong Phong Street  Vinh Vien Street  Ngo Gia Tu Street - Nguyen Chi Thanh Street  Thuan Kieu Street  Chau Van Liem Street  Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street  Trang Tu Street  Cho Lon Bus Station.

* From Ho Chi Minh City: Cho Lon Bus Station  Le Quang Sung Street  Pham Dinh Ho Street Thap Muoi Street  Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street  Chau Van Liem Street  Thuan Kieu Street  Nguyen Chi Thanh Street  Ngo Gia Tu Street  Vinh Vien Street  Le Hong Phong Street  Tran Phu Street  Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street  Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street  National Road 13  National Road 1A  National Road 1K Nguyen Ai Quoc Street  Bien Hoa Bus Station.

Waterbus No. 1, running from Bach Dang to Linh Dong in Ho Chi Minh City, is scheduled to come back on stream on May 3, its operator Daily Limited Company said on Tuesday.

The bus will make 12 journeys a day and the frequency will gradually increase over time, the firm added.

Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday morning.

The national tally remains at 270, with 221 recoveries.

The Southeast Asian country has confirmed only two new patients, both imported cases in quarantine, since April 17.

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Tourists pass by Jeju Island's symbolic stone statues wearing face masks at Jeju International Airport, Wednesday, a day before the long weekend begins. The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is bracing for many visits during the holiday amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



Jeju Island and Gangwon Province, both popular domestic tourist destinations, will enhance quarantine measures for visitors during the long weekend, bracing for a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections, officials said Wednesday.



The "golden holiday" includes Buddha's Birthday on Thursday, International Workers' Day on Friday and Children's Day on May 5, giving people a chance to take up to six days off.



Many tourists are expected to visit the tourist towns during the holiday  as evidenced by most hotels in those regions having been almost fully booked  with the infections showing signs of a slowdown and the government's social distancing rules being eased.



Authorities in the southern resort island of Jeju said visitors with a body temperature over 37.3 degrees Celsius will be asked to move to a virus screening center at Jeju International Airport for testing, beginning Thursday.



The island has already been directing those with body temperatures over 37.5 degrees Celsius to go through coronavirus testing at the airport, but lowered the standard temperature this time to strengthen the quarantine.



In preparation for the many visitors, the airport installed two walk-in booths for additional testing of those recording temperatures over 37.3 degrees Celsius. The booths are easily accessible on foot and return results quickly.



The island authorities have also placed thermometers at every tourist attraction, and will not allow those not wearing face masks to enter indoor facilities.



Officials from the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province visited 873 travel-related companies based on the island on Monday and Tuesday, to ensure awareness of and adherence to quarantine guidelines.



"The nation is at a critical time in its fight against the pandemic," Vice Health Minister Kim Kang-lip said in a press briefing. "The obvious fact is that community infections can occur even now, and this could lead to cluster infections. We ask all citizens to cooperate."



The Jeju Tourism Association (JTA) expects around 24,000 daily visitors to the island during the holiday period, a jump from 11,640 tallied on March 30.



Gangwon Province, which has many tourist attractions along the East Sea and mountainous areas, is also bracing for the long holiday, implementing special quarantine measures.



Provincial officials have directed bus and taxi companies to disinfect their vehicles.



Thermal imaging cameras will be operated at bus terminals, train stations and expressway service areas to consistently check the temperatures of visitors.



The province has also installed special booths at major tourist attractions to assist in checking the health of visitors. Those showing symptoms associated with the coronavirus will be sent to public health centers in the region, the officials added.


The option is allowed for taxpayers paying their tax dues for the current season, which will end on 30 April

Egypts Tax Authority (ETA) announced on Wednesday that it has extended the period for submitting Februarys VAT returns to 10 May.

In a statement, head of the ETA Reda Abdelkader said that this option is allowed for taxpayers paying their tax dues for the current season, which will end on 30 April.

He added that the action is in accordance with the states preventative measures to contain COVID-19.

The ETA has taken a number of measures regarding the payment of taxes, including the suspension of impounding imposed on taxpayers with tax disputes, allowing electronic payments instead of cash, and extending due dates for the current seasons return submissions for individuals and legal bodies.

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Pope Francis has sent his heartfelt condolences following the death of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto.

By Vatican News

In a telegramme of condolence to the Lieutenant ad interim of the order, Grand Commander Fra Ruy Goncalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas Boas, the Pope described Fra Giacomo Dalla Torre as a zealous man of culture and faith and recalled his integral fidelity to Christ and the Gospel.



Pope Francis also paid tribute to his commitment to serve the Church and his dedication to the most vulnerable.

Concluding his message the Pope offered prayers for the late Grand Masters family and the Order of Malta.

A life of service

The Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, died in Rome on Wednesday at the age of 75. He had been ill for some time.

Giacomo Dalla Torre was elected the 80th Grand Master of the Order in May 2018.

He was born in Rome on 9 December 1944. After graduating from the Sapienza University of Rome, he held academic positions at the Pontifical Urbaniana University.

He also published a range of academic articles and essays on aspects of medieval art history.

After being admitted to the Sovereign Order in 1985 as Knight of Honour and Devotion, Fra Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto took his solemn vows in 1993.

Career

He was elected Grand Commander at the Chapter General of 2004. Upon the death of the 78th Grand Master, Fra' Andrew Bertie, in February 2008 he became Lieutenant ad interim.

Following the resignation of the 79th Grand Master, Fra' Matthew Festing, he was elected Lieutenant of the Grand Master for a year.

The Order of Malta said on Wednesday that Fra Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto would be remembered as someone who assisted the disadvantaged, and for his cordial and affectionate manner.

Grand Commander Fra Ruy Goncalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas Boas will carry out the functions of Lieutenant ad interim and will remain head of the Sovereign Order until the election of the new Grand Master.

Order of Maltas mission

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta was founded in Jerusalem around the year 1048.

Today the Order of Malta is mainly active in health and social care and humanitarian aid, operating in over 120 countries. Malteser International, the Order of Maltas special relief agency, operates on the front line in natural disasters and to alleviate the consequences of armed conflicts. The Order is currently engaged in the countries bordering Syria and Iraq providing aid to those fleeing from the violence.

It is a Permanent Observer to the United Nations and its specialised agencies, and has representatives to the main international organizations. Since 1834, the seat of the Order of Maltas government has been in Rome.

This article has been updated
MOUNT VERNON  Nine residents of GreenTree at Mt. Vernon with COVID-19 have died since Friday.

The Jefferson County Health Department first reported an outbreak at the long-term care facility on April 19. Three days later, a company representative with Compass Senior Living, the Oregon-based company that owns the assisted living and memory care facility, reported that a total of 53 residents and 14 employees had tested positive.

Widespread testing at the facility was conducted after a resident was hospitalized the week prior who had later tested positive for COVID-19.

Amy Harrison, administrator of the health department, said GreenTree is the only nursing home in the county to date with a known outbreak. She confirmed that nine of the 11 deaths reported by the county of people recently diagnosed with COVID-19 were residents of the facility.

Deceased are one male in his 70s, two males and three females in their 80s, and one male and two females in their 90s.

Amira Fahoum, an official with Compass Senior Living, declined to confirm the deaths or say how many people were hospitalized. A week ago, Fahoum provided the number of residents and staff who had tested positive and said eight residents were hospitalized. Out of respect for the privacy of our residents, their families and our team members, I am not able to provide further updates, Fahoum said in an emailed statement.

Harrison, with the health department, also was not able to say how many residents of the facility, if any, remained hospitalized.

Though Fahoum declined to answer specific questions, she said that GreenTrees focus remains, as it always has, on providing excellent care and service to our residents and transparent communication with our families.

Like many other senior living communities in Illinois and across the country, GreenTree at Mt. Vernon has been impacted significantly by the virus, she said.

Fahoum said staff is working around-the-clock to provide care to residents. The company, she said, was very pleased to be able to get all residents and team members tested quickly and has been encouraged by the number of residents and staff who remain asymptomatic or who have had only mild symptoms. The health department reported on Tuesday that 13 residents of the facility have been released from isolation. To be released from isolation, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must have isolated for a minimum of seven days from the onset of symptoms and can be released once they have been fever-free and feeling well for at least 72 hours, the health department said.

While the recoveries are positive news, Fahoum said there have been residents whose symptoms from the virus have become more severe, and our hearts go out to these residents and their families.

Jefferson County has reported a total of 85 COVID-19 cases to date, the majority of them residents and staff of GreenTree. The state is providing alternative housing for staff of GreenTree at the Drury Inn.

The health department reported Wednesday morning no new cases reported in the past 24 hours. Of the 85 individuals in the county with COVID-19, a total of 11 have died; 34 individuals have been released from isolation. A total of 470 negative tests have been reported to the county.

SIU Carbondale students, staff supply state with crucial COVID-19 test component

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Irrfan Khan, as much at home in the Hollywood superhero film The Amazing Spiderman as in the introspective The Lunchbox, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.

Irrfan, one of India's finest and most versatile actors, is survived by his wife Sutapa and his sons Babil and Ayaan. He was buried at the Versova graveyard.

It is the second tragedy for the family in less than a week. The Maqbool actor lost his mother, 95-year-old Saeeda Begum, in Jaipur just four days ago and could not attend the funeral because of the nationwide lockdown.

Irrfan, that rare artiste who straddled multiple worlds, making his mark in both international and Indian cinema in roles intense and light-hearted, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

He was surrounded by his loved ones in his last moments.

of the death of the actor, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, a rare form of cancer that attacks various parts of the body, was confirmed by his family in a statement.

I trust, I have surrendered, the family recalled him as saying when he was diagnosed with the disease.

There was an outpouring of grief from various quarters, including politicians and civil servants as well as his colleagues and his many fans.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Irrfan will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. His demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre, Modi wrote on Twitter.

"My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," the prime minister said.

It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it, the statement read.

Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it', it added.

The news of his death was first confirmed by his "Piku" director Shoojit Sircar who sent his condolences to the family and doffed his hat to the actor's fighting spirit.

"My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute," the director said on Twitter.

"Piku" co-star Amitabh Bachchan remembered Irrfan as an "incredible talent" and a gracious colleague.

"... A prolific contributor to the World of Cinema... left us too soon... creating a huge vacuum...," Bachchan tweeted.

Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, who shared the screen with the actor in 2008 comedy "Sunday", said Indian cinema suffered an "irreparable loss" in Irrfan's death.

The self-effacing National Award winner, who acted in films as diverse as Life of Pi, The Namesake and Haasil, had stayed away from the public eye after his diagnosis in 2018 when he went to the UK for treatment.

On March 5, 2018 that Irrfan revealed that he was suffering from "a rare disease".

In a philosophical note to his fans on Twitter, the actor wrote, "Sometimes you wake up with a jolt with life shaking you up. The last fifteen days, my life has been a suspense story. Little had I known that my search for rare stories would make me find a rare disease. I have never given up and have always fought for my choices and always will," he had said.

Ten days later, the actor shared that he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour and would go abroad for the treatment.

He returned home in 2019 and managed to shoot for "Angrezi Medium", the sequel to his 2017 hit "Hindi Medium".

Ahead of the trailer launch of "Angrezi Medium", he resurfaced on social media and informed his fans in an personal message that he would be sitting out the movie promotions due to his health condition.

"Enjoy the trailer and be kind to each other and watch the film. And yes, wait for me."



The words linger on.

In his last interview with PTI, the actor said the outpouring of love from his fans felt like a blessing in this adversity.

"Blessings and adversity go hand-in-hand, I had heard, and I experienced it when it happened to me.

"The wishes from all over is like a feeling as if you are walking in the rain and you are not carrying any change of clothes and someone you don't even know takes you inside his umbrella just like that," he had said earlier this year ahead of the release of his film "Angrezi Medium".

The film, which hit the theatres in March just before the lockdown that began on March 25, turned out to be his last cinematic outing.

Irrfan won best actor National Award for his performance in 2012's biographical drama Paan Singh Tomar.

The actor was honoured with Padma Shri in 2011.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
C Shivakumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Confusion is brewing on whether the ban on retail vegetable shops and transfer of the fruit and flower market will be implemented on Thursday when the intensified lockdown is relaxed and the state has allowed shops across Chennai to operate till 5pm.

The decision to ban retail trade of vegetables and fruits in the Koyambedu wholesale market and transfer of the fruit and flower market was taken by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) Member Secretary D Karthikeyan after a trader and a saloon owner near the market were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.

According to traders, Koyambedu wholesale market is emerging as a hotspot for the coronavirus but no measures have been taken to seal the entire market and screen all the traders, workers, vendors, CMDA officials, policemen and people who venture out to buy vegetables.

While nothing has been heard of any preventive measures like sealing of the area or quarantining of people belonging to the market, the retail traders functioned as usual with officials claiming that permission was given so that they could sell the remaining stock prior to the ban.

"How can we implement it suddenly. We have issued notices to traders. Tomorrow we will barricade the entire area and have police bandobust to enure the ban is implemented," said an official.

Interestingly, CMDA, the custodian of the market, does not have the required manpower or financial capabilities and is not empowered under the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act to continue operating such development projects. But CMDA has control over the market as per the provision of Tamil Nadu Specified Commodities Markets (Regulation and Location) Act, 1996 which should have been amended to bring it under the control of the Chennai Corporation.

Meanwhile, official sources told The New Indian Express that the fruit wholesale market as well as retailers have been given time till 12 pm to operate on Thursday but retail traders from vegetable market have been denied permission to operate. When queried on whether vegetable retail traders have been informed of the clampdown, the official said notices have been issued and no retailer from the vegetable market approached them to be allowed to operate.

S S Muthukumar, of a small and semi-wholesale vegetable shop owners association, told Express that retail traders will not be allowed to operate from Thursday. "We are seeking the parking lot behind Koyambedu wholesale market as well as Anna Nagar West Terminus for 100 traders," he added.

Muthukumar, whose association has 1500 retail traders in the Koyambedu wholesale market, questioned the authorities on allowing them to function when two brinjal traders in the 'H' block of the wholesale market are suspected to have contracted the virus. "CMDA should have handed over the market to the Chennai Corporation," he said.

"These traders have 40 persons working under them. They are putting the lives of traders, workers and people at stake by not shutting down the wholesale market," he claimed.

Meanwhile, ''Pazhakadiai'' Jayaraman of the Koyambedu Market Anna Anaithu Vyabarigal PodhuNala Sangam (general traders welfare association) said confusion is still prevailing on whether the market will be shifted or not. "We will wait and watch tomorrow," he said.

But Thursday is when retailers and wholesale traders are looking for a spurt in the purchase of vegetables as people are likely to flock to the market.

To a query on whether prices will be affected due to the transfer of the market, traders said that currently limited stocks are there and it depends on the demand. Prior to the lockdown being intensified, tomatoes which were being sold for Rs 10 to Rs 15 a kilo breached Rs 70 a kilo on Saturday.
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Alessandra Ambrosio shared another pinup photograph to her GAL Floripa Instagram page this week for her followers.

The Brazilian bombshell, who has posed for Victoria's Secret, Gucci and Chanel, looked youthful as she wore a bright blue swimsuit from her very own line while on the pristine white beaches of the Maldives.

The mother-of-two said she was soaking up the 'overflowing energy of the sun' as she closed her eyes.

Lovely look: Alessandra Ambrosio shared another pinup photograph to her GAL Floripa Instagram page this week for her followers. The Brazilian bombshell, who has posed for Victoria's Secret, Gucci and Chanel, looked youthful as she wore a bright blue swimsuit from her very own line while on the pristine white beaches of the Maldives

The star had her arms back and her knees bent as she posed away for the camera.

The image was taken last year during a trip to the Maldives to model her collection, which has been a massive hit.

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small island nation in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean.

Last week she was in a golden mustard which looked great against her bronzed skin during a photo shoot on the beach.

The style uses the Sri Yantra symbol, said the supermodel, because it offers 'Oneness and Unity of all life.' This has angered some Hindus who call it 'inappropriate' and want an apology.

Maldiveme! The image was taken last year during a trip to the Maldives to model her collection, which has been a massive hit. The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small island nation in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean

On Friday Hindu statesman Rajan Zed said in a statement that ancient Yantra, visual equivalent of mantra, which represented the Goddess and the cosmos, was a serious and sacred symbol/concept used for Hindu liturgy and meditation; and was installed in many Hindu temples.

Its intersecting triangles represented Siva and Sakti, and many times it was 'meditated upon as a deity,' it said in the statement.

Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stated that highly revered Yantra was meant to be used as part of worship in temples and home shrines and not to be used in selling bikinis for 'mercantile greed,' it was added in the statement.

Indigo girl: Here she was the same blue suit as she played with drapes made out of wood beads in beige and brown

'It was very disrespectful to link such a sacred symbol with a product which touched pelvis and buttocks,' the note also said.

Rajan Zed further said that 'inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or icons or symbols for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.'

'Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled,' Zed noted.

It consists of nine interlocking triangles that surround a central point known as a bindu. These triangles represent the cosmos and the human body, it is explained on Wikipedia.

The star - whose dog is named Buddha - has been promising all month that her new swimsuits are all about 'enlightenment.': ' The #YANTRAstyle is inspired by the geometry of the SRI YANTRA symbol.'

And the former lingerie model who worked for Victoria's Secret for years has said the Yantra symbols unlock energy.

'We are vibrations of energy,' she has said many times.

Alessandra has stressed the importance of oneness.

Not everyone is happy: The style uses the Sri Yantra symbol, said the supermodel, because it offers 'Oneness and Unity of all life.' This has angered some Hindus who call it 'inappropriate' and want an apology

'In a world where everything seems finite it can be hard to truly grasp infinity,' began her message. 'In a world where every person seems to be separate from every other person, place and thing, it can be so challenging to experience the Oneness and Unity of all life. All is one. Only Oneness is infinite.'

Her website says, 'The spirit of GAL Floripa is aligned with Mother Natures essence; its many rhythms and flows, mysteries and magnificence, as well as connection of its elements with womens lives.'

In her new image, the catwalk queen has on a rust colored Yantra design that shows off her toned tummy, sculpted arms and lean legs thanks to daily cardio sessions.

Her hair was worn down in mermaid beach waves and her makeup was golden beige that highlighted her natural assets.

The caption reads, 'Lost in the Maldives.'

At home in Los Angeles: This week she also posted this shot takes at home during self isolation

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small island nation in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 1,000 kilometres from the Asian continent.

Last week Ambrosio reminded her fans what it is like to feel carefree on the sand as she posted throwback photos of herself in her GAL Floripa swimwear line while modeling in Brazil earlier this year.

'Let's put a smile on and look forward to radiant days,' read the caption from the mother of two who has been in self-isolation at her home in Los Angeles for the past month.

The star seemed to relish being home in Brazil where there are plenty of sandy beaches and dazzling sunsets.

Peace to all: She looked like a hippie in her tie dye outfit over her fun GAL Floripa suit and her hair down

In another image where she is stretching, the catwalk queen said: 'To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are.'

And in a closeup photo where Alessandra was tummy down on the sand, it said: 'Sending love, positivity, strength and health to everyone. '

One of the captions read, 'Introducing #WAVEstyle. Energy is an inherent power. We are vibrations of energy. A process of constant change, growth and evolution.'

The video by Matia Ternes has a late 60s Los Angeles surf culture vibe that is unlike most bikini promos.

The clip was filmed months ago before the coronavirus gained speed across the globe.

Earth angel: On earth day she shared a note about taking care of our planet for the good of all

The 38-year-old siren modeled on the beach in Florianopolis, which is the capital of southern Brazils Santa Catarina state; the area is known for its pristine beaches.

Another said, 'Energy is an inherent power. We are vibrations of energy. A process of constant change, growth and evolution.'

And lastly she said: 'We are channels of a constant FLOW of unlimited energy. Every cell within our bodies is constantly changing with the flow of energy.'

Another image saw the cover girl in the exact same bikini but this time in turquoise blue. She was resting on her hands as she closed her eyes while in a blue and green tiled swimming pool.

The line was created with 'soul sisters' Gisele Coria and Aline Ambrosio.

Alessandra shares her daughter Anja and son Noah with her ex-fiance Jamie Mazur. She began dating Nicolo Oddi after her split from Jamie in 2018.
KINGSBURY  Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, encouraged the Town Board on Monday evening to start a task force to make plans to reopen Washington County.

I would really encourage Washington County as a county, Kingsbury as a town, to use this time to put in place some thoughtful plans for what reopening looks like, Woerner said.

The Town Board met by videoconference call, and Woerner and state Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, both called into the meeting.

Little said Washington County businesses should also have plans in place to submit to Empire State Development so they can be ready to open when the governor allows.

Dont wait until they make the big announcement. Have your plan ready to go in and get it in, Little said. Show how you can open up. And Id encourage any business to do that.

Woerner suggested Washington County put together a task force that includes local municipalities, major employers and schools to come up with a strategy for opening the county once stay-at-home orders involving the pandemic ease.

She also discussed the disruption of supply chains due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many local businesses purchase materials from suppliers that are out of the state or out of the country.

Is this an opportunity for there to be a company in New York state that might step in to be the supplier for that business? Woerner asked. Is there a way for us to build up the supply chain in New York state to meet the needs of our manufacturer?

People are hurting right now, said Little, who noted that more than 500 cars showed up to the Salvation Army drive-thru food pantry Monday morning in Queensbury. People will need to adjust to the new normal as the state opens back up, she said.

There are ways to do this, and we have got to be as open as we possibly can moving forward, Little said. I know we have to go slowly, but we have got to get there.

Kingsbury Supervisor Dana Hogan said Woerner and Little have been in contact with Washington County leadership to discuss a reopening plan.

If the state guidance and our local county health officials feel comfortable moving forward with a phased reopening plan, I would as well, Hogan said. Ive been trying to rely heavily on the medical experts to guide this process at this point in time.

The town of Kingsbury is happy to support efforts to ensure a safe and timely reopening, he said, adding that he will need more guidance on what reopening will look like locally.

Hogan expects to discuss it further at the next virtual Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday.

Gretta Hochsprung writes hometown news and covers Washington County. You can reach her at ghochsprung@poststar.com or 518-742-3206. Follow her on Twitter @GrettaHoch or at her blog on www.poststar.com.

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New Delhi: Rajasthan's count of more than 2,000 Covid-19 cases is not a cause of worry because the state government's objective is to ensure not a single case goes undetected, says Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Rajasthan's virus tally on Wednesday was 2,364 with 51 fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry.

There is no need to worry if the total number of cases go up. The state wants that nobody with the disease should go unnoticed, Gehlot told PTI in an interview.

The chief minister talked extensively about the various steps taken by the state government to control the spread of the disease, mitigate the problems of those severely affected by the lockdown and the impact of the pandemic outbreak on Rajasthan's economy.

He said the state's revenue was dwindling in the wake of the nationwide lockdown, adding that the Centre is yet to act constructively on Rajasthan's demand to release outstanding GST arrears.

The senior Congress leader also called for special trains to take migrant workers stranded at different places in the country to their homes. Gehlot said he has discussed the issue with the Central government.

I urged the Centre to put in place necessary mechanisms to take the migrant workers home. The Centre should run special trains to transport them to their native places.

On earning praise for effectively controlling the disease in Bhilwara, Gehlot said the containment model was successful in the textile town as it is not densely populated and the administration acted swiftly.

He said the containment strategy in other regions of the state, where a large number of COVID-19 cases have been reported, is taking time due to the dense population. Bhilwara became a hotspot after three doctors and nine nursing staffers of a private hospital tested positive.

We introduced strict containment strategies in hotspot areas. The 'Bhilwara model' was adopted in Jaipur, Kota and other hotspot areas of the state. It becomes more difficult to control the spread of a disease in densely populated areas, he said.

The chief minister cited the example of the Jaipur's Parkota area (Ramganj locality) where the population is higher than Bhilwara.

In this region, many families reside in one house. So we divided the region into 30 clusters and conducted testing a reason why there are more number of cases there, Gehlot explained.

The chief minister also dismissed the opposition's allegations that the government relaxed restrictions in areas populated by the Muslim community. These are baseless allegations. When some (Covid-19) cases were reported in Jaipur Parkota, action was taken immediately, he said.

Gehlot did not name any opposition leader but said disease does not differentiate between religion, caste or nationality.

He agreed with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's view that a lockdown is not a permanent solution to the pandemic, and added that more factors should be looked into to find a way out of the crisis.

The three-time chief minister and long-time Congress leader also urged the Centre to provide quality rapid testing kits and and other essential equipment. Many states, he said, are battling the problem of not having enough safety paraphernalia.

We had got rapid testing kits from the ICMR, but stopped using them after they turned out to be faulty. The state has increased the number of PCR tests, he said.

On the revenue loss to the state due to the Covid-19 situation, Gehlot said Rajasthan registered Rs 18,000 crore loss in 2019-20.

The state lost Rs 3,500 crore in March end when the lockdown was imposed for the first time. There will be more losses in coming months, he said.

The states have demanded Rs 1 lakh crore from the Centre to tide over the Covid-19 crisis. They have also called for relaxation in interest payments of loans for at least six months, he said.

The chief minister also said the state received praise for its containment strategy in the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers via video conferencing. He, however, refused to comment on the recent visit of Central teams to certain states to check their COVID-19 preparedness.

Gehlot said he has discussed the issue of stranded migrant workers in various parts of the country with the Central government.

I urged the Centre to put in place necessary mechanisms to take the migrant workers home. The Centre should run special trains to transport them to their native places, he commented.

The chief minister added that Rajasthan was one of the first states to announce a relief package for the poor hit by the lockdown.

He said the state announced a package of around Rs 3,000 crore for poor, migrants and other disadvantaged sections of the society amid the lockdown.

Apart from it, 78 lakh social security pensioners were given two months of pension in advance. The state also released aid of Rs 2,500 each to 33 lakh people. These include daily wage earners, construction labourers, street vendors, waste pickers, rickshaw drivers among others, the chief minister said.

He added that the state government had recently decided to give 10 kg of wheat for free to 60 lakh people.
There were a couple of bills of interest that moved through the Pennsylvania Legislature on Wednesday.

A bill that would have promoted the use of telemedicine was vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf because of language that would have banned access to certain medical treatments, including prescribing an abortion drug.

The bill, which tapped support from the GOP and anti-abortion organizations, would have allowed the remote delivery of health care services online and required health insurers to reimburse health care providers for rendering these services.

As you would expect, the decision drew condemnation from the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and Commonwealth Foundation and praise from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates.

Meanwhile, the House voted to temporarily allow taverns, restaurants and hotel bars to sell sealed containers of up to 64 ounces of mixed drinks to go. The Senate will get the bill next. This provision would only apply to establishments that lost at least a quarter of their average monthly sales due to the coronavirus restrictions enforced in March.

For those attending any of the states systems 14 universities, they have had their tuition frozen for the second straight year. The systems governing board Wednesday voted to keep tuition and technology fees at this years level. System Chancellor Dan Greenstein said simply, This is not the time to raise tuition.

Here are some other PennLive stories on the coronavirus that published today:

Stocks rise on news of experimental coronavirus drug having early success

Sheetz employee in York tests positive for coronavirus

Web trolls inundate Pa. coronavirus complaint system with fake messages

Homicide cops looking into death of man who drank fish tank cleaner to ward off coronavirus: report

Food insecurity in Pa. rises during pandemic, Gov. Tom Wolf says

Trump administration wont extend coronavirus social distancing guidelines into May

HIA loses Atlanta route because of coronavirus, could see others drop

Lawsuit: Unethical COVID-19 research being done on Pa. nursing home residents due to lack of state inspections

Pa. to set coronavirus testing, contact tracing benchmarks days before gradual reopening is to begin

Costco will require customers to wear face masks and will return to regular hours as of May 4

Pennsylvanians are flushing things that arent meant to be flushed, clogging sewer pipes

Pa. Health Secretary explains higher COVID-19 death toll, reopening counties and cases in nursing homes

Myrtle Beach reopens one month after coronavirus forced closure

One of the largest mall operators in the U.S. to reopen several shopping centers, just not in Pa.

Disney World gets reopening guidelines from Floridas Orange County Task Force, mayor believes June is realistic

Philadelphia festival for coronavirus relief to feature War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, John Oates and more

Dunkin Donuts extends Free Donut Fridays through May and brings back butter pecan coffee

IRS notice 1444: Why are millions of Americans receiving this government notification in the mail?
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

Mobile operators in Uzbekistan will allocate funds for the implementation of e-government and digital economy projects, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications Development of Uzbekistan.

The decision has been taken in accordance with the presidential decree "On measures to promote the digital economy and e-government" signed on April 28.

According to the document, the share of digital economy, including complex information systems in production management, software products for financial and economic reporting, as well as automation of technological processes in GDP will double by 2023.

Within two years, all educational institutions in the regions will be connected to internet and the accessibility of telecommunication services for rural population will increase. It is planned to increase the share of e-services in GDP up to 60 percent.

Moreover, the government plans to increase the export value of such services to $100 million by 2023.

The Information and Communication Services Development Fund will open a special account to finance the e-government and digital economy projects. Uzbek mobile operators should allocate 35 percent from the total amount of fees for subscriber numbers to the mentioned account.

State share of UZINFOCOM Ltd. (integrator for creation and support of state information systems in Uzbekistan) will be transferred free of charge to the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications Development, which is the authorized body in the field of digital economy and e-government implementation.

Two new centers, namely the e-Government Project Management Center and the Digital Economy Research Center will be set up within the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications Development. Also, the new post of deputy minister responsible for the accelerated digitalization of the agrarian sector will be set up.

State bodies and organizations were allowed to hold contests exclusively among residents of IT-technological parks under a single contract for the development, implementation, integration and technical support of information systems and software products worth up to one billion soums ($98,187).

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
The RCMP is considering a national emergency alert policy following widespread criticism that its members in Nova Scotia didnt act quickly enough to inform the public about this months shooting massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people.

Almost 12 hours passed between when RCMP were first called about a firearms complaint in the town of Portapique, N.S., and when members of the provinces emergency management office contacted police to set up an alert warning people about an active shooter and to stay inside, which would have been sent to cellphones and televisions in the area.

The gunman was shot and killed by police before the alert was ready.

The delay prompted scathing rebukes from locals who believed better, faster information from police could have saved lives. Nick Beaton, the husband of shooting victim Kristen Beaton, told reporters he believes his wife would still be alive if an alert had been issued. He had been communicating with her through text shortly before her death.

The RCMP confirmed via email this week that they have no national policy on the use of Alert Ready, the national emergency alert system used by provinces and Environment Canada to notify the public about imminent dangers like terrorist attacks and weather emergencies, as well as to issue as Amber Alerts.

The lack of federal policy or playbook leaves law enforcement to work with provinces when an alert needs to be sent, which emergency communications experts have said could have contributed to the delay.

But in the wake of the Nova Scotia shootings, RCMP say that could change.

The RCMP is looking into developing a national operational policy to provide guidance for RCMP officers on the use of the national Alert Ready system, Cpl. Caroline Duval, a spokesperson for RCMP headquarters, wrote in an email.

National RCMP operational policies provide guidance and direction to members and employees on a wide range of topics. RCMP divisions may also have supplemental division/district/detachment policies that consider local requirements, she wrote.

Raymond Wagner, a prominent Nova Scotia lawyer, suggested the lack of alert may even give the families of victims cause to sue the national police force.

People should have known: Dont be out taking a walk, dont be letting people in that are knocking on your door. Lives would have been saved, from what I understand, Wagner said. He said that a judge would have to decide whether the province, the RCMP, or both would be liable for the loss of life.

In general, Alert Ready is used at the discretion of provincial emergency management offices, which can decide to issue warnings about things like terrorist threats, nuclear events and fires.

Only one federal agency handles alerts according to a national playbook.

Ken Macdonald, executive director of national programs and business development at Environment Canada, said his is the only federal department that uses Alert Ready  all other uses happen at the provincial level or are delegated further to emergency management offices at the municipal level.

Environment Canadas alert system is also unique in that it does not rely on human judgment to determine when an alert is issued.

Forecasters compose messages about weather conditions according to predetermined guidelines, and the message is disseminated through several communications channels  including Alert Ready.

But only specific types of forecasts  tornadoes  result in an Alert Ready notification being sent to phones, televisions and radios.

There is not that subjectivity in the moment, its an automatic thing, Macdonald said.

It was essentially the opposite in Nova Scotia, where the RCMP and provincial officials had to make subjective calls about issuing an alert.

The provinces dont have a standard alerting system that theyre working with all the time, he said. They have to log into the application, make the conscious decision how to use it, when to use it.

Macdonald said he was interested in finding out more about the process Nova Scotia used when it was preparing the alert.

Questions have been raised in the provincial jurisdictions about how they would use it and the thinking on: Who has the keys to the car? he said.

Brian Rodgers, a weather enthusiast who uses a weather radio to issue notices about hurricanes on his website Atlantic Hurricane Watch, said he hopes the tragedy in Nova Scotia may be a wake-up-call for governments that they need to develop procedures in order to use the emergency alert system more often.

He pointed out that the American equivalent to the weather radio he uses to receive weather forecasts and severe weather warnings from the Meteorological Service of Canada also broadcasts non-meteorological emergency information, including active shooter threats.

When Alert Ready added mobile alerts to its system in 2017, Rodgers had high expectations.

We were led to believe that the emergency alert system was designed to alert and save lives, he said.

But hes been disappointed that the system was not used during Hurricane Dorian last fall, nor in the active shooter situation earlier this month.

If the emergency alert was used for the active shooter situation it may have saved one life at least, he said.

With files from Ted Fraser

Read more about:
Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic are in need of government aid to survive the pandemic crisis, says group founder Sir Richard Branson.

What Happened

Branson, who infused $250 million into the Virgin Group companies, is ready to offer his privately-owned Necker Island as collateral to save jobs, according to CNN. Underscoring the need to support both Virgin branded airlines in a letter to employees, he remarked, If Virgin Australia disappears, Qantas Airways Limited (OTC: QABSY) would effectively have a monopoly of the Australian skies.

He also said Virgin Atlantic was vital, as it provided competition to International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A. (OTC: ICAGY) owned British Airways, reported CNN.

In his letter posted on Twitter, Branson lamented the lack of government help in Australia saying, In most countries federal governments have stepped in, in this unprecedented crisis for aviation, to help their airlines. Sadly, that has not happened in Australia.

Virgin Australia has entered voluntary administration and the companys board has appointed Vaughan Strawbridge, John Greig, Sal Algeri and Richard Hughes of Deloitte as voluntary administrators of the company, and some of its subsidiaries.

Why It Matters

Virgin Atlantic is seeking a loan from the government in the United Kingdom, which Branson has said the company will repay. A specific amount has not been disclosed, according to CNN.

Virgin Australia has seen all its income evaporate due to the coronavirus pandemic. The collapse of Virgin Australia comes on the heels of FlyBes bankruptcy last month. FlyBe was the U.K.s largest domestic airline.

The Australian carrier has already furloughed 80% of its 10,000 workers, but will continue to operate flights for essential workers, freight and repatriation purposes, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, major U.S. airlines have reached a deal with the United States Treasury over a bailout program that will provide up to $50 billion in assistance to the aviation industry.

Story continues

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
As one of the most intensely gentrifying cities in the nation, the District cannot afford for this crisis to further fuel displacement. The D.C. Council has passed impressive measures protecting residents during this unprecedented time. But substantial gaps remain. The District must do all it can to ensure that homeowners and tenants do not suffer the trauma, wealth loss and displacement of foreclosure and eviction in the midst of a pandemic. Surprisingly, the District has yet to enact any moratorium on foreclosures as part of its coronavirus response, putting it behind states such as South Carolina and Indiana. Its eviction moratorium has been in place since March but lags behind states such as Kansas and Kentucky in its coverage because new eviction cases can still be filed in court  indeed, over 1,000 have been filed since mid-March. As part of its next emergency legislation, the council must pass  and the mayor and attorney general should support  a full moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. To build a more equitable District, we need to hit pause on these engines of displacement until we have a comprehensive strategy for an equitable recovery.
RICHMOND - Del. Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones, a Norfolk attorney who is the son and grandson of local civil rights figures, is exploring a run for Virginia attorney general next year.

Jones, who first won election to the House in 2017, has been discussing a possible run with fellow Democrats, six current and former delegates said this week. Jones confirmed their accounts in an interview late Tuesday.

No candidate from either party has formally entered the race.

"I am exploring a run for attorney general," he said. "We're at a point in Virginia's political trajectory - it's a new decade, we've got new faces - and I think there's a lot I could offer in that spot. And that's why we're looking at it."

One of the youngest members of the Legislative Black Caucus, Jones, 31, would be seeking to succeed Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, who in December 2018 said he was running for governor in 2021.

Herring's bid to succeed Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam was thrown into doubt in February 2019, as both the attorney general and governor admitted that month to wearing blackface costumes as young men in the 1980s. As those scandals unfolded, two women accused Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, also a Democrat, of sexually assaulting them in the early 2000s. Fairfax, who also has said he will run for governor, has strongly denied the allegations.

Amid that turmoil, Jones made his best-known speech on the House floor, urging the state's leaders to confront the past and present racism that he said divides the state into two - white Virginia and black Virginia.

"We have our choice: to ignore what has happened and paper over yet another wound and continue on with the two Virginias, or to face our challenges head on, acknowledge our incredibly difficult history with race in this state, and vow to move forward together on our shared journey," he said. The speech brought the chamber to its feet.

As a delegate, his first elective office, Jones successfully pushed for legislation to ensure that school resource officers have better training to de-escalate situations with students, an effort meant to end what youth advocates call the school-to-prison pipeline. He also has sought, without success, to give the State Corporation Commission greater authority over Dominion Energy, one of the state's most prolific political donors.

Jones is a partner at Bischoff Martingayle in Norfolk, where he mainly focuses on civil litigation. He earned an undergraduate degree at the College of William & Mary, and his law degree from the University of Virginia.

He is the son of two judges. His father is Circuit Court Judge Jerrauld Corey Jones, who served in the House from 1988 until 2002, when he became director of juvenile justice under then-Gov. Tim Kaine. Jones recalled in his floor speech how his father faced racist taunts as a 6-year-old, as he integrated Ingleside Elementary School in Norfolk in 1960. His mother is Lyn Simmons, a Norfolk juvenile-justice judge and former prosecutor.

In his speech, Jones recalled that his grandfather Hilary H. Jones came home from World War II and found he had to leave Virginia again. He wanted to attend law school, but none of the state's schools admitted blacks.

Returning to Norfolk as a lawyer, Hilary Jones helped challenge "massive resistance," the state policy to defy the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling outlawing segregated schools.

"It's an incredible turn of history that my grandfather, who was fighting an attorney general who was trying to enforce massive resistance - two generations later, his grandson is looking at pursuing that same office to do the opposite, which is to make this commonwealth as fair, equitable and just as possible," Jones said in his interview Tuesday.

Jones said he had no timetable for making a decision, in part because much of the state is focused on the coronavirus pandemic.

The health and economic crisis also has kept the governor's race quiet.

Northam cannot run next year because the state constitution prohibits back-to-back gubernatorial terms. In addition to Herring and Fairfax, other potential Democratic contenders are former governor Terry McAuliffe, state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan of Richmond and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. Del. Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, already has filed candidate paperwork with the state.

On the Republican side, Sen. Amanda F. Chase of Chesterfield is the only declared candidate, while Northern Virginia businessman Pete Snyder has said he is considering a bid.
FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore

SINGAPORE  Singapores labour market in the first quarter (1Q) of 2020 registered its sharpest drop since the SARS epidemic in 2003, reflecting the early impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to preliminary estimates released by the Ministry of Manpower on Wednesday (29 April), the total employment (excluding foreign domestic workers) fell by 19,900, largely due to a significant decline in foreign employment.

The drop in total employment was the sharpest since the second quarter of 2003, when it fell by 24,000.

Contractions in three industries

MOM said in a media release on Wednesday that the employment contractions were observed broadly across the manufacturing, construction and services industries.

Services experienced the sharpest decline, as consumer-facing food and beverage (F&B) services and retail trade, as well as tourism-dependent accommodation were most severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Local employment still managed to grow at a modest pace, despite the difficulties since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as seasonal influences.

Contractions in wholesale and retail trade, F&B services and accommodation were offset by increases in healthcare, public administration and professional services.

However, workers who remain in employment may have experienced reductions in working hours or adjustments in their salaries.

Unemployment lower than peak during SARS

The unemployment rate rose in March 2020 but remained lower than the peak during SARS. Similarly, retrenchments in the 1Q of 2020 were about one-quarter that of the quarterly peak seen during the global financial crisis in the 1Q of 2009.

Overall, the unemployment rate rose from 2.3 to 2.4 per cent, with similar increases among residents (3.2 to 3.3 per cent) and citizens (3.3 to 3.5 per cent).

For now, they remain lower than the highs seen during the SARS epidemic, when unemployment rates were at 4.8, 6.2 and 6.4 per cents for overall, resident and citizens respectively in September 2003. They are also lower than those during the global financial crisis in September 2009 (3.3, 4.9 and 4.9 per cents for overall, resident and citizens respectively).

Story continues

Retrenchments cushioned by jobs and wage support measures

Overall retrenchments were estimated at 3,000 in 1Q of 2020, higher than the previous quarter (2,670) but significantly lower than the quarterly peak of 12,760 in 1Q of 2009.

MOM said that, with jobs and wage support measures announced in this years Budgets, and companies encouraged to retain workers and retrench only as a last resort, layoffs did not see a sharp increase in this first quarter.

Services saw an increase in retrenchments, mainly in consumer-facing retail trade and F&B services as domestic consumption fell when safe distancing measures kicked in.

Tourism-dependent accommodation also experienced more retrenchments amid a drop in visitor arrivals. The number of retrenchments remained similar in manufacturing and construction.

Conditions likely to get worse in next quarter

MOM said that labour market conditions are likely to worsen in the upcoming quarter, given the sharp fall in demand globally as well as in Singapore as firms adjust to circuit breaker measures.

For now, Budget relief measures to support workers and businesses may have helped to cushion the overall impact, especially on local jobs.

Some of the relief measures are:

the Jobs Support Scheme, whereby the government is subsidising 75 per cent of gross monthly wage for the first $4,600 of wages paid in April and May, for local employees in all sectors. This helps workers keep their jobs and enable businesses to resume operations quickly when the circuit breaking measures are lifted.

New programmes by Workforce Singapore (WSG) to help employers in sectors directed affected by COVID-19 (tourism, aviation, retail and food services) re-skill and redeploy their workers to new jobs within their companies. The duration of funding support for existing and new redeployment programmes in these sectors has been extended from three months to a maximum of six months.

The SGUnited Jobs initiative helps to match job-seekers and affected workers with job opportunities. The initiative seeks to create about 10,000 jobs over the next year in public service, healthcare, early childhood care and education, and social services. There are also temporary jobs to handle the increase in COVID-19-related operations, or to cope with disruptions in the labour supply.

Focus on re-skilling as economy transforms

MOM said that, beyond the near-term challenges brought on by COVID-19, Singapore should be focusing on keeping its workforce equipped with relevant skills as the economy transforms.

The ministry and WSG, together with tripartite partners, will be enhancing efforts to help individuals to re-skill and access good jobs. Through the recently-launched SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package, the government will also provide additional support for mid-career workers in their 40s and 50s by helping them stay employable and take up new jobs or new careers.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

More Singapore stories:

COVID-19: S'pore confirms 528 new cases and 4 more clusters, shy of 15,000 mark

Singapore ramping up bed spaces at care facilities for COVID-19 patients

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Mass COVID-19 testing in Singapore will depend on how circuit breaker is lifted: Gan Kim Yong

COVID-19: National CARE hotline receives more than 6,500 calls since launch
Experts said the rules will help curb market manipulation and money laundering, which could take place during the transfer of shares between residents and NRIs.

The government has tightened the rights issue pricing norms for non-resident Indians (NRIs) by disallowing acquisition of renounced shares below the fair market value.

In a notification issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) regulations, the Centre said: A person resident outside India who has acquired a right from a person resident in India who has renounced it may acquire equity instruments (other than share warrants) against the said rights as per pricing guidelines.

Experts said the notification provides much-needed clarity on the acquisition after renunciation of rights by NRIs.

They said the rules will help curb market manipulation and money laundering, which could take place during the transfer of shares between residents and NRIs.

The government has clarified that NRIs acquiring renounced shares cannot take the benefit of the free-pricing regime applicable to rights issue.

"While this is an important fix, Sebi should consider relaxing the floor-pricing regime for all companies and only in distress situations.

"It should move away from a 26-week look back and keep it only a 2-week look back test, said Atul Pandey, partner, Khiatan & Co.

The Fema notification has also provided some leeway to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in case of a breach in shareholding limits.

The Centre has said overseas investors who breach prescribed limits will have the option of divesting their stake in five trading sessions or categorising their investment as foreign direct investment (FDI).

Following the breach, such foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) will be barred from making fresh portfolio investments in a stock.

At present, any additional investment beyond 10 per cent in a company is treated as FDI.

This is a welcome move and has opened an avenue for many unsolved legal battles.

"This also tried to make the position of FPI investments made in breach of the debt instrument rules under Fema.

"The new insertion in the rule clarifies that if the investment happened in breach of the limit, there would be an option of divesting their holdings within five trading days from the date of settlement of the trades causing the breach.

"And in case an FPI chooses not to divest, the entire investment in the company by such an FPI and its investor group shall be considered as an investment in FDI, said Kapil Rana, founder & chairman, HostBooks, a cloud-based platform for accounting.

The breach of limits will not be considered to be in contravention to the sectoral caps until they are converted to FDIs, or are divested.

The clarifications now make it clear that such divestment shall be subject to further conditions, if any, specified by Sebi and the RBI, Pandey said.

The government has also notified certain provisions in terms of which 100 per cent FDI is now allowed in insurance intermediaries.

The latest changes in the foreign investment rules come after Indias move to screen FDI from China and other neighbouring countries.

Earlier this month, the government had made prior government clearance mandatory for investments coming from countries which have a land border with India, even if they were otherwise permitted under the automatic route.

Photograph: Joshua Loff/Reuters
The Federal Government has secured hotel accommodation in Lagos for Nigerians returning from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

The citizens will be quarantined in the hotels for two weeks on arrival to ascertain their status.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the returnees might be brought in on Monday.

He had last Friday lamented the refusal of the hotels in Lagos and Abuja to offer their premises as isolation centres for the over 2,000 Nigerians awaiting evacuation abroad.



Onyeama stated that the hotels believed that accommodating the returnees might damage their brand.

But providing an update in Abuja on Tuesday, during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, the minister disclosed that some hotels in Lagos had agreed to accept the returning citizens.

He said, The low hanging fruit at the moment are those who already paid for their flight from Dubai. be that as it may, since they have already paid, everything is more or less in place. That flight was supposed to go to Lagos, we have made a bit more progress with hotels here in Abuja than in Lagos. But speaking to the governor, we agreed that we just have to do the first one quickly, we learn lessons and so forth. It is absolutely important to get that flight here.

Onyeama lauded the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for assisting with the hotel accommodation, noting that his committee was trying to bring the rate down.

He added, We have been able to identify hotels here in Abuja and also in Lagos. I was on the phone this afternoon with the governor of Lagos and he has done a wonderful job in trying to bring the prices of the hotels in Lagos down and we are struggling to bring the prices down here in Abuja.

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In a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, seen by The Age and SMH, the NSW governments International Education Advisory Board last week pleaded for federal assistance for international students and warned of an emerging public health and humanitarian risk. If we fail to support them (international students) in their time of need, the international education sector, and Australias international standing, will suffer lasting reputational damage, wrote advisory board chairman Stephen Cartwright. The International Education Association of Australia is also pressing for greater federal support. Our key competitor study destination countries are showing far more generosity of spirit than Australia, chief executive Phil Honeywood said. Australia is compromising the recovery of this industry while showing many of our neighbouring countries that we have little regard for the wellbeing of their young people.

Many international students have lost part-time or casual jobs as as result of the pandemic, and are struggling to pay fees, rent, and even buy food. Brazilian hospitality student and chef Guilherme Sena started working casual shifts in a new restaurant when coronavirus hit and ravaged Australias hospitality industry. Now, like so many, he is out of work, without an income, and fearful for the future. He has some savings but they are dwindling fast. Returning to Brazil is not a realistic option. Mr Sena shares a house in Northcote with three other hospitality workers. They have told their real estate agent they may not be able to pay rent. He said it seemed unfair that international students who worked hard and contributed to the Australian economy were not entitled to some assistance. This country sees students as a business. We are good for the economy. We also pay taxes and spend our money here like everyone else.

Australias treatment of its more than 650,000 international students has been controversial, especially after the government told them to go home if they were unable to support themselves through the pandemic. In March the government announced that $200 million would be provided to charities and community organisations to help with emergency and food relief. The package was promoted as being for vulnerable Australians but international workers and students are eligible. Some states and territories have announced their own support packages and most universities are offering assorted emergency relief. To date the Australian government has resisted calls from states, territories, councils and education lobbies for a national hardship fund for international students and for better federal coordination and promotion of the limited support available. By contrast, international students in Britain are eligible for payments of up to 80 per cent of their usual wage under a special Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and in Canada assistance of up to $A580 a week for up to 16 weeks is available.

New Zealand international students are covered by a wage subsidy of up to $569, and in the Republic of Ireland by a special Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Britain and New Zealand have also been more flexible than Australia with visas, including offering free visa extensions to students unable to return to their home countries. But other countries, including the United States and Japan, offer minimal, if any, assistance. The Council of International Students Australia has called on the Morrison government to better coordinate and promote the assistance that is available. Like other countries we need to come up with a clear statement and package saying that this is what Australia is giving international students, the councils national president, Ahmed Ademoglu, said.
The founder of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care is playing a lead role in bringing huge shipments of personal protective equipment to Canada.

Dr. Joseph Wong started StopCOVID19gta.com, which imported 200,000 masks during the Easter long weekend.

Most of them went to hospitals in Toronto, York and Peel regions; about 60,000 pieces reached social service agencies, nursing homes and seniors buildings.

Im ordering 300,000 more, said Wong, whose latest project is distributing 15 million pieces of PPE from the Greater Toronto Area to long-term-care and retirement homes across the country.

Its called CAPES  the Canadian Alliance to Protect and Equip Seniors Living  and its made a normally competitive industry come together.

Suggested by Melody Lo, a Yee Hong board member, CAPES asked the big guys, such as Chartwell and Revera Living, to add 35 per cent to their orders for mom-and-pop shops  companies which own single retirement homes, or just a few.

I have never seen anything like that, said Wong, explaining that right now those smaller owners cant buy PPE on the open market.

As the pandemic began, China, then Europe and then the U.S. backlogged PPE orders by taking all they could grab. Since then, many people in Canada have changed their attitudes on wearing a mask in public.

Yee Hong decided its biggest fundraising event, the annual Dragon Ball, would continue on Jan. 25, but 90 minutes before the doors opened, Wong heard about Torontos first COVID-19 case.

He grabbed some hand sanitizer and brought 100 masks to the convention centre for the hospitality staff to wear.

By early March, hearing that the U.S. was conducting very few coronavirus tests, Wong knew it spelled trouble for Canada. I already said we should be wearing masks out there.

Since then, Wong thinks that our governments have done a decent job of sourcing PPE.

Ottawa and the embassy in Beijing managed to scoop up a few million N95 masks, he said, before the Trump administration snatched up orders from April 10 to the end of May.

If you want to order N95 in China now, youre out of luck, Wong said.

Both sourcing organizations Wong helps run  between his house calls to elderly patients in Scarborough  are careful to avoid substandard goods.

Wong has heard horror stories about some PPE for sale. The City of Toronto delivered $200,000 worth of masks last month to its long-term-care homes, and had to recall them all after they were found to be defective.

Since April 1, the Chinese government has required a certificate of export and testing by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment for PPE going overseas. Canadas embassy in Beijing also maintains a gold list of approved suppliers.

We look for companies which have a long history, said Wong.

Not many Canadians can sew their own protective masks, and Wong would also like to see masks for sale in supermarkets and drugstores.

Let us be realistic. Ordinary people also need protection, he said. Because of the community spread, you never know who you will run into.
Gardai have arrested and charged a man in his 30s in relation to two burglaries and a robbery in Limerick city.

Shortly after 4.30pm on Monday, a man was walking on Davis Street when he was approached by a man who asked him for some change.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday condoled the demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan.

Describing Khan as a versatile and talented actor, Gandhi said he was Indias popular brand ambassador on the global stage of cinema and television. He will be greatly missed, Rahul Gandhi tweeted out.

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2020

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief, Gandhis tweet read.

Khan, 53, breathed his last on Wednesday at Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. The actor was being treated for colon infection at the hospital. Khans spokesperson released a statement on his admission to the hospital on Tuesday.

Yes, it is true that Irrfan Khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctors observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of his well wishers, he will recover soon, the statement read.

Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare form of cancer, in the year 2018. He left for London for the treatment and returned last year to shoot for Homi Adajanias Angrezi Medium which released last month. The actor returned to London and came back last year in September after his treatment.
The city of Perpignan lodged contagious patients in a hotel after the central government told people to self-isolate at home. Officials in the city of Marseille carried out widespread testing of both the sick and healthy even as the government ordered that only the seriously ill be tested. The city of Paris tightened a national lockdown by banning daytime jogging.

While Frances vaunted health care system has staved off disaster, France has suffered the worlds fourth-biggest death toll  now at 23,660 official deaths, behind the United States, Italy and Spain  a consequence, critics say, of the central governments failure to anticipate the onslaught of the contagion.

That failure and a critical shortage of masks and testing kits  also resulting from gaps in state policies  led to the viruss rapid early spread, prompting France to impose one of the words strictest nationwide lockdowns, now in its seventh week.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a tentative plan on Monday to gradually reopen the country starting on May 11. Schools and businesses would start reopening, though not restaurants or cafes. He urged companies to keep their employees working at home. And he promised that masks and testing would be made sufficiently available.

But it was not clear that those steps would halt what polls show is declining confidence in the governments handling of the pandemic.
Authorities in Haryanas Faridabad have tightened restrictions over the movement of government employees and regular people from other states and districts as the number of cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) rose in the state.

Faridabads district collector Yashpal Yadav issued an order late on Tuesday, saying doctors, paramedical staff, police, bank employees will be able to enter using ID cards only until 12 pm on April 29

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

The order, which will remain in effect till May 3, said they will have to make arrangements to live at their workplaces.

The order, however, clarified that vehicles transporting essential items, gas services, medicines and those involved in banking services will be allowed to enter the district. There will be no restrictions on the movement of ambulances as well.

Movement passes issued by the competent authority of the central government in exceptional circumstances will be recognised, it said, adding violators will be penalised under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The order comes after Haryanas home minister Anil Vij on Tuesday said after Sonepat, the state is considering sealing borders in Gurugram and Faridabad districts with the national capital.

The state is considering sealing all borders with Delhi, including those in Gurugram and Faridabad, Vij, who also holds the health portfolio, said while speaking to reporters.

The minister said that 18 cases have been reported in the state linked to daily commuters of the state working in Delhi.

Vij, on Sunday, asked Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to make arrangements to check commuters between Haryana and the national capital and limit the issuance of lockdown passes.

He also blamed the Delhi government for allowing entry of Tablighi Jamaat members, who were allegedly responsible for spreading the virus in the state.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

Haryana Police on Tuesday stepped up surveillance along the states borders with Delhi after Vij ordered sealing of all entry and exit points with the national capital in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

Seven new cases of the coronavirus disease in Haryana took the states tally to 308 on Tuesday. Four of these were reported from Jhajjar, while two from Sonepat and one from Panipat.

Faridabad had six active cases and Sonepat the most with 20 patients, followed by Gurugram at 15, Nuh 11, Panipat 8, Panchkula and Jhajjar five each, Rohtak and Ambala three each, Palwal and Hisar two each and Bhiwani has one. The recovery rate in Haryana is about 73%.

(With agency inputs)
London: The UK's death toll from the novel coronavirus on Wednesday registered a jump of thousands and reached 26,097 as the government began counting the COVID-19 related fatalities across the country's hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab cautioned at the daily Downing Street briefing that the figure includes data going back to early March and should not be seen as a particular spike in deaths from the deadly virus in recent days.

The overall hike in death toll over the previous figure is 3,811, with the daily increase from Tuesday's figures at 765 deaths. "We must never lose sight of the human lives behind the statistics," said Raab, who was back standing in for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who remains with fiancee Carrie Symonds who gave birth to their baby boy earlier on Wednesday.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel. But we need to be patient and careful as we come through the phase of maximum risk," said Raab, as he stressed that it is too early to look at easing the lockdown measures in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The minister said that as the UK was "still coming through the peak", it is now undergoing what is the most "delicate and dangerous moment". He pointed to Germany's experience as a cautionary tale, where there is a move towards a second lockdown due to a rise in infections after social distancing measures had been lifted recently.

"We mustn't gamble the sacrifice and progress we have made. We must continue to take the right decisions at the right time," he said. Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director of Public Health England, added at the briefing that the latest COVID-19 data were more "comprehensive" and shows a continued downward trend in the number of hospitalisations with the coronavirus, as she reiterated the need for lockdown measures to be kept in place."Most people are making huge efforts to stay at home, so please, do continue to stay at home," she said.
Oja also notes that squats can strengthen the pelvic floor, thereby helping with urinary incontinence and urinary frequency. Do's and don'ts Geromel advises people who are unfamiliar with squatting to "think like you're sitting in a chair." Begin by standing with your feet about hip-width apart and bending forward from the hips while keeping your shoulders back and your chest up. While leaning forward, bend your knees while keeping them over your toes. Keeping your knees aligned with your toes prevents them from falling inward, which can put undue strain on your knees. It's also important to keep most of your weight in your heels, as opposed to the balls of your feet. Having trouble keeping your heels on the ground? First, make sure you're really hinging at your hips, Geromel says. If your heels are still coming up, she suggests seeing a physical therapist to address the culprit (typically tightness in the calf, Achilles' tendon or ankle joint).

Although you'll feel the burn mostly in your glutes and quads, if you feel it in your abdominals as well, Oja says, that's a sign that you're doing it right. Many people "have a tendency to let their core just kind of hang out and roll their shoulders forward," Oja says. She says to "roll those shoulders back" before initiating the squat and to keep the core tight throughout. If you have never performed a squat or have any safety concerns, Geromel and Oja recommend squatting in front of a countertop that you can hold onto with a sturdy chair behind you, particularly if you live alone. That way, if you do fall, you will fall onto a chair. That said, if dizziness or a tendency to fall interfere with your ability to squat safely, you should address those issues with your medical provider before beginning to add squats to your workout routine. Loading Although it's normal to feel some discomfort with any exercise, pain signals a problem. "When you're moving, there shouldn't be pain unless it's muscle soreness," which typically feels like fatigue or burning in your legs and glutes, Oja says. But if you're experiencing stabbing sensations or a dull ache in your joints, Geromel and Oja suggest consulting a health-care provider to address the cause. If you're cleared to go ahead with workouts, they say, then consult a physical therapist or personal trainer who can give you exercises that target the same muscle groups without causing pain. Oja and Geromel suggest working with a physical therapist before you add squats into your routine if you have a history of knee problems, including a total or partial knee replacement, a torn ACL or any other knee injuries. Anyone with knee issues, Geromel says, should be especially mindful of their form. But, she says, "depending on why they have the knee pain, squatting can actually be a really healthy exercise." She explains that for people with mild chronic knee pain (as long as squatting doesn't exacerbate the pain), doing squats can strengthen the muscles surrounding the joints, thereby reducing pressure on them and alleviating the pain.

Creating a routine Geromel performs an initial assessment with her patients to see how many times they can safely stand up from a chair in 30 seconds. If you can safely perform 12 repetitions or fewer in the allotted time, she recommends squatting without weights and holding onto a sturdy table or counter for additional support if needed. Try building up to four sets of 12 to 25 repetitions, with 15 to 30 seconds of rest between sets. Once you can comfortably perform more than 12 sit-to-stands in 30 seconds, you can add weight to your squat. "And it can be anything," says Geromel, who suggests holding a heavy encyclopaedia or a gallon jug of water (which weighs a little more than three kilograms when full) to your chest if you don't have dumbbells. When using additional weight, Geromel suggests shooting for three to five sets of six to 10 reps with about a minute of rest, or more if you need to catch your breath, between sets. If you find six reps to be too challenging  if you cannot maintain good form or you need to pause to catch your breath  the weight is too heavy. If 10 feels easy, Geromel says, "it's time to bump it up."
Tablighi Jamaat members, who got cured of COVID-19, have been asked by their organisation to donate their plasma for treatment of other coronavirus-infected patients, a move that the outfit thinks will help it shed its villain tag.

"Maulana Saad, in an open letter on April 21 to all Jamaatis who have recovered from the coronavirus (infection), has appealed them to donate their plasma to help others. The message has reached all the members," Maulana Anees Ahmad Nadvi, the manager of Tablighi Jamaat's Lucknow branch, told PTI PTI on Wednesday.

"As per the Health Department data, over 50 per cent of corona patients are Jamaatis. Among them those who have recovered are being contacted and all of them are ready to donate their plasma," claimed Nadvi.

"We have till now contacted 400 Jamaatis. In the entire country, those who have recovered are also giving their plasma. Markaz has given instructions that no one should be left from donating plasma," he said.

"Jamaatis are not doing any favour to anyone by giving their plasma. This is a humanitarian step. This is true that Jamaatis are being presented as villains after coronavirus spread, but Maulana Saad has asked us to forgive those doing this," he said.

Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi is on the run after an FIR was registered against him by the Delhi police for organising a religious gathering in March this year despite restrictions to combat the coronavirus spread.

With some plasma therapy trial results rekindling hopes of it being a likely cure for COVID-19, the Uttar Pradesh government too had begun contracting patients cured of it for plasma donation, but the move was suspended after the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said the therapy was only at an experimental stage and there was no evidence yet to support that it can be used as treatment for COVID-19.

Uttar Pradesh Surveillance Officer, Dr Vikasendu Agarwal, said all those who have recovered from coronavirus, including Jamaatis, were being contacted for plasma donation, but the move has been suspended after the Centre's statement on the issue.

Refusing to divulge the number of cured Jamaatis, he said "We were contacting them. They are not different from us. We were contacting all our patients and asking them that they could donate if they find it appropriate, as it would help other patients."



"All of those contacted by us are ready for giving plasma," he said.

Chief Medical Officer, Lucknow, Dr Narendra Agarwal said all 28 Jamaatis, who were admitted in KGMU were contacted to donate their plasma and all of them agreed.

"A proposal in this regard has been sent to the government. After approval, their plasma will be taken," he said.

With the plasma therapy gaining a lot of traction as a possible cure for coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday clarified that it is at an experimental stage and there is no evidence yet to support that it can be used as treatment for COVID-19.

Till the effectiveness of this mode of treatment is scientifically proven, its application except for research and clinical trial is illegal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said.

Dr Vikasendu said after the Centre's clarification contacting people for plasma donation has been put on hold.

A further step will be taken on decision of KGMU which is working on plasma therapy here, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Top Telugu film hero Mahesh



Babu on Wednesday expressed anguish over the demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who had acted in the formers 2006 film Sainikudu.

Deeply saddened by the of #IrrfanKhan's untimely demise. A brilliant actor gone too soon. He will be truly missed... My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP, Mahesh Babu tweeted.

Khan played the role of a villain, as a minister named Pappu Yadav, in Mahesh Babus Sainikudu (soldier).

Sainikudu is reportedly the only Telugu film Khan had acted in.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KYODO NEWS - Apr 29, 2020 - 20:20 | All, World

As many as 36 people were killed in a fire that broke out at a warehouse construction site in a city southeast of the South Korean capital Seoul on Wednesday, according to fire authorities.

Fire officials in Icheon said at a briefing that 10 people were injured in the blaze, which started around 1:30 p.m.

The officials suspect it was caused by a flammable material that was being used for insulation work in the underground level at the site.
The NEW ChurnBaby Cookie Cups come topped with a full cookie and a spoon on the inside of the lid for convenient snacking. ChurnBaby Ice Cream brings an elevated twist on classic flavors to ice cream lovers across the country

In a delicious churn of events, Caspers Ice Cream, a legacy brand serving ice cream lovers for the past 95 years, launched its newest boutique-inspired brand today: ChurnBaby. Made with ultra-premium ingredients and topped with a decadent cookie, ChurnBabys products provide consumers with a hip, boutique ice cream experience from the comfort of their own homes.

The NEW ChurnBaby Cookie Cups come topped with a full cookie and a spoon on the inside of the lid for convenient snacking. The newly launched treats, inspired by new boutique offerings in metropolitan cities, feature four fun flavors: Choco Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butta Brownie Luvva, Cool Mint Chocolate Chip, and Choco Chip Vanilla Fudge Brownie. ChurnBaby Cookie Cups retail for $5.99 for a 2-cup box.

The full product line includes:

Peanut Butta Brownie Luvva (nutritional details and ingredient list)

Cool Mint Chocolate Chip (nutritional details and ingredient list)

Choco Chip Vanilla Fudge Brownie (nutritional details and ingredient list)

Choco Chip Cookie Dough (nutritional details and ingredient list)

Crafted with smooth and creamy premium ice cream, the NEW ChurnBaby Ice Cream Sandwiches are available in both Caramel Cashew and Caramel Cookies n Cream. The Caramel Cashew sandwiches contain caramel ice cream, cashew chunks and a sea salt caramel ribbon, perfectly situated between two shortbread cookies. The Caramel Cookies and Cream sandwiches delight customers with premium cookies n cream ice cream and a sea salt caramel ribbon between two rich double fudge cookies. ChurnBaby Ice Cream Sandwiches retail for $5.99 for a 3-count box.

The full product line includes:

Caramel Cashew (nutritional details and ingredient list)

Caramel Cookies and Cream (nutritional details and ingredient list)

High-resolution images are available here.

ChurnBaby Ice Cream brings an elevated twist on classic flavors to ice cream lovers across the country, said Caspers Ice Cream Chief Executive Officer Paul Merrill. The launch of ChurnBaby extends from Caspers success with its other sub-brands, Jolly Llama and FatBoy.

ChurnBabys new exciting products will be available in WalMart (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah), Tom Thumb (Dallas, TX), United Grocers (Lubbock, TX), Woodmans (Wisconsin), Associated Foods Stores (Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, and Wyoming), Gelsons (Southern California), Harmons (Utah), Ridley's (Utah), Lowes Foods (North & South Carolina), and Winco (Idaho & Utah), as of April 29, 2020.

ChurnBaby is the boutique family member of Caspers Ice Cream, a hometown legacy ice cream brand currently celebrating 95 years of experience in the ice cream business. Since the company was formed in 1925 by Casper Merrill, Caspers Ice Cream has continued to grow, innovate and align with ice cream novelty lovers across the nation.

ChurnBaby is a great example of how we, at Caspers, are dedicated to continuing to push the envelope of the frozen treats industry, said Merrill, the grandson of Casper Merrill. By leveraging our rich history in innovative ice cream creations, we are able to confidently explore new markets and products that bring the joy of frozen treats to all Americans.

For more information, visit churnbabyicecream.com.
A pedestrian wearing a face masks crosses an empty street amid the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco, California. Liu Guanguan | China News Service via Getty Images

Enforcing eight-month "structured lockdowns" could halve the economic destruction that would be wrought by Covid-19 if no social-distancing measures were imposed, according to researchers from Cambridge University and the Federal Reserve. Reopening the economy has been a tension point in some countries, with economic damage being weighed against protecting public health and protests against lockdown measures being staged across the United States. However, according to the study, published Wednesday by economists from Cambridge University and the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, the economic price of inaction when it comes to encouraging social distancing could be twice as high as that of a "structured lockdown." Using U.S. economic and population data, researchers combined macroeconomics with epidemiology to determine the economic consequences of lockdown policies. Analysts noted that their model could be applied to most developed economies. They found that imposing no lockdown at all would be "extremely risky" for economic output, as the spread of the virus would hit workers in sectors that were vital to keep developed economies functional. Without any social distancing, the core workforce would be hit hard  and the economy would shrink at a peak monthly rate of 30% as their industries came under pressure, the study projected. Researchers claimed that in order to protect the economy to the maximum, "core workers"  those in key industries such as health care, food and transportation  must be separated from the rest of the working population. "What seems clear to us is that taking no action is unacceptable from a public health perspective, and extremely risky from an economic perspective," the report's authors said.

The report considered several lockdown policies, projecting how each scenario would impact the economy. In the first scenario, 15% of core workers and 40% of the rest of the working population would work from home, while 30% of non-working age people could also be kept at home under lockdown. This would last for eight months, and would mean a third of the entire population was kept in lockdown for that period. In this scenario, the peak monthly economic contraction at any point in the lockdown would be halved to around 15%, compared to the peak monthly contraction of 30% if no action was taken, analysts projected. They claimed that the high levels of social distancing outside of the core workforce would act as a shield. Giancarlo Corsetti, professor of economics at Cambridge University and co-author of the report, said under this policy, the peak of the infected share of the population would drop from 40% to 15%  although he noted that even this level may still be "far too high" for health-care systems to cope with. "This milder lockdown scenario for eight months would be one in which we do not wait for the vaccine, but we hope for a form of herd immunity by exposing people very slowly to the disease," he told CNBC in a phone call. "As well as containing the loss of life, committing to long-term social distancing structured to keep core workers active can significantly smooth the economic costs of the disease," he added. "The more we can target lockdown policies toward sections of the population who are not active in the labor market, or who work outside of the core sector, the greater the benefit to the economy."
FELTON, California, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Personal Care Packaging Market size is expected to value at USD 37.25 billion by 2022. The market is subject to witness a substantial growth due to the soaring need for environment friendly and sustainable packaging solutions for cosmetics and personal care products. Robust growth in the personal care & cosmetic industry is attributed to growing awareness about individual health and safety, increasing personal disposable income and improved lifestyle mainly in developed economies.

Shift in customer preference towards organic cosmetics alongside large-scale consummation of sustainable products are expanding the market reach of the personal care packaging in near future. Globally, the personal care packaging industry is predicted to grow at higher CAGR in the forecast period, providing numerous opportunities for market players to invest for research and development in the packaging industry.

The recent technological advancement in the personal care & cosmetics industry coupled with development of advanced packaging solution are anticipated to boost market growth over the forecast period. In addition, growing manufacturing sector in South East Asian economies such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia is projected to escalate the growth of personal care packaging market in upcoming years. Rigid plastic packaging currently holds a higher market share in the personal care packaging.

Increasing adoption of the rigid plastic packaging materials is credited to their lightweight and eco-friendly nature, thus rocketing the demand of rigid plastic packaging in personal care packaging industry, in the recent years. Additionally, metal, glass and paper can be easily recycled for multiple use due to their flexibility. These factors are responsible for enlarged demands of rigid plastic in the market of personal care packaging. Other factors such as ease of use, simple operation and cost-effectiveness are complementing the market demand, in recent years.

Get Sample PDF and read more details about the "Personal Care Packaging Market" Report 2022.

Paper and glass packaging solutions are gaining traction in personal care packaging market due to their biodegradable properties. Paper and glass packaging is ideal substitute for plastics in packaging & manufacturing of personal care products. These factors are largely influencing the market growth, thus creating lucrative opportunities for industry players during this period. Furthermore, increasing consumer awareness about environmental hazards with excessive use of plastic and complete ban on the use of the lightweight plastic materials in few countries are expected to amplify the growth of glass and paper packaging over the forecast period.

The personal care packaging industry is broadly categorized into four major segments based on the product type such as skin care, hair care, bath & shower and fragrances. The skin care is considered as one of the fastest growing segment in the market of personal care packaging with substantial revenue generation in the last few years. Growing popularity of the skin care segment is attributed to the growing consumer awareness and high-end demand from for skin care products from Asia-Pacific region. The bath & shower segment has also witnessed substantial growth owing to the growing awareness about health and hygiene among consumers.

The personal care packaging market is divided by region as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. North America has shown major growth in recent years owing to the rise in the implementation of latest technologies in packaging sector, increase in the demand for body washes, shower gels, bar and liquid soaps, and existence of well-established industrial infrastructure in the region.

Asia-Pacific region is predicted to hold major market share in the personal care packaging industry with massive growth in forecast period. Countries such as India, China and Singapore are leading the Asia-Pacific market with growing demand for personal care products with lightweight packing, improved living standards, increasing disposable income, and significant investment by leading industry players considering potential growth opportunities in the region.

The key players in the personal care packaging market are Amcor Ltd., Bemis Company, Inc., Mondi plc, Sonoco Products Company, Albea Group AG, Ardagh Group S.A., Ampac Holding and Crown Holdings, Inc., ITC Ltd., and WestRock Co.

Browse 126 page research report with TOC on "Global Personal Care Packaging Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/personal-care-packaging-market

Market Segment:

Global Personal Care Packaging Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

Flexible



Rigid plastics



Paper



Metal



Glass

Global Personal Care Packaging Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

Bottles



Jars



Cans



Cartons



Tubes



Pouches



Others

Global Personal Care Packaging Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

Skin care



Hair care



Bath & shower



Fragrances



Others

Global Personal Care Packaging Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022)

North America



U.S.



Europe



Germany



Asia Pacific



China





India



Latin America



Brazil



MEA

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Economist Le Xuan Nghia, former Vice President of the National Financial Supervisory Commission, talks about the role of agriculture in reviving the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economist Le Xuan Nghia.

What are your personal opinions on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Vietnamese economy?

We all know that the COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide and has slowed world economic development. Many countries have projected gross domestic product worldwide in 2020 will be reduced by at last 1 per cent compared to 2019. Our study has also come up with a projection that the Vietnamese GDP will be reduced by 1 per cent as Vietnam will be economically hit hard by the pandemic.

In our study, we listed three main causes of impeding world economic development in 2020.

First, the COVID-19 pandemic in China, where 15 per cent of Vietnams exported products go while some 30 per cent of the countrys imported products come from China. Most Chinese imported products are raw materials and machinery equipment or spare parts. This has become a severe problem for the Vietnamese processing and manufacturing industry.

Many textile and leather shoes companies have lamented that they can't continue their production as they dont have raw materials which mainly come from China. This has led to quite a few Vietnamese companies going bankrupt or closing their factories.

Secondly, the service sector is also grievously hit by the pandemic, particularly the tourism sector. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnamese tourism sector lost between US$5.7-7.7 billion in the first quarter of 2020.

The third Vietnamese sector that has been hard hit is the agriculture sector due to disease and natural disasters. Severe drought and salt intrusion, coupled with the narrowing down of the exported market, have left very serious impacts on agriculture  one of the country's primary industries. In 2019, Vietnam recorded some $42 billion in agro-forestry and fishery exports. In 2020, it is projected that the export revenue will drop to $37-38 billion.

However, through this hard time, Vietnam knows its strengths.

At a recent meeting of the National Financial and Monetary Policy Advisory Council chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, we all agreed that good control of the disease is the most important element in the national economic growth and it is an essential condition to help the economy to develop.

Addressing a recent meeting of the National Financial and Monetary policies, the PM said: Disease control is a very important element to help the national economy to develop. Why? It will help cut the losses caused by the pandemic while still keeping the Vietnamese prestige high in the international arena. Foreign tourists will then return and Vietnamese products will be able to secure a foothold in international markets.

Thats why good control of the COVID-19 is a top important task for Vietnam now. Along with that Vietnam should adopt measures to develop its economy immediately when the pandemic is finished.

We hope when the COVID-19 comes to an end and our traditional tourists from China, South Korea and others will return to Vietnam. So it is now time for us to think about how to attract more foreign tourists. This is food for thought for all Vietnamese economic sectors, be they tourism, agriculture or others.

What should Vietnam do when the pandemic ends?

Many experts have lamented that investment in the agriculture sector faces many risks. However, 2019 was a successful year for the Vietnamese agriculture sector. It earned $41.3 billion in export turnover while receiving some 30 per cent of the needed investment into the sector. A new investment wave has come to agriculture. In the long run, agriculture will remain one of the most important pillars in the countrys development strategy.

Each Vietnamese locality has its own food speciality. They may use the same ingredients, yet their cooking styles are quite different. And in his opinion, the novel nature of Vietnamese food is in its cooking. Most of the cooking ingredients come from agricultural products and from farmers themselves. Vietnams strength comes from the combination of agriculture, tourism and national culture.

No country in the world has such a rich diversity of food as Vietnam. Now it is time for Vietnam to make its delicious food known to people in other countries.

We have conducted a lot of research on the Vietnamese catering and based on our research Vietnams strength is not its industry, but its agriculture, tourism and culture.

These three components are intertwined with each other, particularly in the Vietnamese countryside.

How should Vietnam restructure its agricultural practice?

If Vietnam considers agriculture as one of the important pillars in the national economy, we should make some adjustments in our national economic structure. And if Vietnamese agricultural production applies good agriculture practice and products are well preserved to meet the requirements of global market Im confident that agriculture will surely become a main pillar in the national economy. This is food for thought for Vietnamese authorities. In my opinion, the weakest point of our products is that they cannot be preserved after harvest. It is time for Vietnam to apply new technology to overcome this.

The Government has already adopted a national programme on the restructuring of the agriculture industry. Yet, until now the programmes successes are still limited. In my opinion, we need more specific guidelines and programmes on how to restructure the Vietnamese primary industry  agriculture.

In the course of restructuring the national economy, the Government should select some important programmes in the most important sectors: agriculture and finance as they are the key driving force in the national economy. Adding to these two sectors, I think that the Government should pay more attention to the banking, education and training sectors.

Last but not least, the Government should adopt special financial support to the farmers. VNS

Agriculture driving economic growth Despite numerous risks, Vietnams agro-forestry-fishery sector is expected to reap bigger fruits in 2019 with more investments implemented, making it one of the key drivers of economic growth. Thanh Dat reports.
The FDA has not yet approved any drugs for the treatment of the coronavirus, but is trying to increase the availability of remdesivir.

"As part of the FDA's commitment to expediting the development and availability of potential COVID-19 treatments, the agency has been engaged in sustained and ongoing discussions with Gilead Sciences regarding making remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible, as appropriate," FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said in statement.

The World Health Organization said it's too early to comment on the remdesivir trial results released on Wednesday.

"Typically, you don't have one study that will come out that will be a game changer," said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for the coronavirus response.

She said the agency generally pulls together evidence from several studies before reviewing and critiquing the evidence.

"It can sometimes take a number of publications to determine (what) the ultimate impact of a drug is," said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program.

CNN's Amanda Watts, Maggie Fox, Sara Murray and Gisela Crespo contributed to this report.
Scientists say that sunlight, high humidity and temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius noticeably reduce activity of causative agent of the disease

The new coronavirus is rapidly destroyed by sunlight. This is the conclusion of U.S. scientists who released results of their survey. At the same time, this study has not yet been reviewed and is awaiting an external evaluation.

William Bryan, Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security told White House reporters government scientists have discovered that ultraviolet rays have a strong effect on the pathogen. This conclusion gives hope that the spread of coronavirus can weaken during the summer.

Our most striking observation today is the powerful effect of sunlight on the destruction of the virus both on the surface and in the air. We observed a similar effect with both temperature and humidity, when the increase in temperature and humidity or both is usually less favorable for the virus," he said.

Brian showed that the half-life of the virus was 18 hours, when the temperature ranged from 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius) with 20 percent humidity on a non-porous surface. These are, for example, surfaces such as door handles and stainless steel.

But the half-life was reduced to six hours, when humidity increased to 80 percent, and to two minutes, when sunlight was added to the equation. When the virus was aerosolized, that is, suspended in air, the half-life was one hour at a humidity of 20 percent and a temperature of 21 to 24 degrees Celsius. In the presence of sunlight, this value decreased to one and a half minutes.

Viruses are believed to decompose faster on hotter surfaces, because the protective layer of fat that surrounds them dries faster.

Brian concluded that summer conditions "will create an environment in which transmission of coronavirus can be reduced." However, he added that reducing the spread does not mean that the pathogen will be completely destroyed.

As we reported before, in Ukraine, 9,866 cases of infection with coronavirus spotted. 456 cases were spotted during the past 24 hours
YAKIMA, Wash.  A womans boyfriend was arrested after her 1-year-old boys death was ruled a homicide in Yakima, authorities said.

An autopsy performed by the King County medical examiner showed Alexander Lynch on Monday suffered multiple skull fractures from blunt-force trauma, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

Yakima Police officers responded to a report of an injured child at an apartment Monday before 2 a.m. where they found the boyfriend performing CPR on the child who was not breathing and was cold to the touch, Capt. Jay Seely said. The toddler was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.

The mother and her boyfriend were the only other people in the West Valley apartment at the time, Seely said. Their identities were not disclosed.

Special Assault Unit detectives arrested the mothers 27-year-old boyfriend on second-degree murder charges, police said. He is expected to make a preliminary appearance in court Wednesday.

 The Associated Press
HARTFORD  Four people were injured in a crash on I-91 South Tuesday night, including a Shelton resident and a state trooper, according to state police.

A Connecticut State Police cruiser, driven by Trooper Chandler Chasse, was parked with its emergency lights on in the left lane of a closed construction zone near Exit 27 in Hartford just after 9:30 p.m., Trooper Kevin Curry said in a release.
During Ukraine's chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, special attention will be paid to the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, including militarization in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov regions, the role of armed forces in supporting the fight of national governments against COVID-19, hybrid threats, the activity of private military companies and many other issues.

"Ukraine will chair the Forum in a difficult period: amidst the ongoing Russian aggression against my country and during the global coronavirus pandemic. This is an era of great change," Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said while delivering his speech at an online session on Wednesday to mark the start of Ukraine's chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to the minister, Ukraine will continue seeking constructive response options, considering the OSCE an important platform for dialogue. "The unique concept of a comprehensive security approach is particularly important now that we face an unprecedented hybrid threat, constraints, economic crisis, and profound transformations in our daily lives," Kuleba said.

During Ukraine's chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, it is planned to dedicate a separate discussion to the complicated security situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov region which is "accompanied by ongoing militarization and obstruction of free international navigation."

"The next priority issue is the global coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the armed forces and the role of the latter in helping the government combat this threat. We need to consider the possible impact of such steps on the implementation of confidence and security measures," the Ukrainian foreign minister noted.

In addition, Ukraine will closely monitor hybrid threats and their possible link to current warfare methods. Another important issue that the Ukrainian chairmanship plans to focus on is the activity of private military companies.

In addition, much attention will be paid to the conduct of sudden military exercises near the borders of the participating states and a number of other issues within the framework of the Forum's mandate, in particular, light weapons and small arms, implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1540 against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

As reported, Ukraine took over the Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation from Turkey on April 20. Ukraine will be the first to chair the Forum online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

ol
Pronab Mandal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday that standalone shops, other than salons, beauty parlours and liquor shops, will remain open in the eight districts mapped as green zones from May 4. Private buses will also be allowed to ply in the green zones with a maximum of 20 passengers in each vehicle, the CM added.

"The state government will shortly issue a circular in this regard. If the green zones remain unchanged till Monday, the retail standalone shops, which include tea-stalls and betel-leaf shops, laundry, and those selling hardware, will remain open from the first day of next week. But I must request people not to assemble in large groups. If the situation worsens and the zones are mapped as orange or red categories within next Monday, the relaxations will be withdrawn," said Banerjee.

Sources in the Nabanna, the state secretariat, said the decision was taken aiming at saving the livelihood the small traders who survive on their daily business. "This is an attempt to roll the wheels of the lower rung of the rural economy. Public transport facilities will be available within a green zone district. But it has not decided whether the buses will be allowed to travel between two adjoining green zone districts," said an official.

The seven green-zone districts in Bengal are Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.

Bengal chief minister on Wednesday hit out at the BJP labelling the saffron camp as a vulture waiting for a dead body. "At a time when the entire state machinery is fighting with Covid-19 pandemic, they are busy spreading fake news on social media and finding out trivial lapses or mistakes. They are behaving like a vulture and waiting for a dead body to do dirty politics. I condemn it. I would like to request them with folded hands not to play such a dirty game," said Banerjee.

The chief minister told Bengals BJP leader to clean roads of Kolkata with brooms as part of their Swach Bharat Aabhiyaan.
The Chancellor is being urged to shake up support for furloughed workers so that businesses can gradually bring them back on reduced hours.

At the moment, the coronavirus jobs retention scheme pays 80 per cent of an employee's wages up to 2,500 a month if they are temporarily furloughed and do no work for that firm during this period.

But think-tank Reform said the approach was too 'rigid' and risked mass redundancies when the scheme ends.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being urged to let businesses bring back employees on reduced hours but still receive some state support as lockdown is lifted

It is calling on Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, to let businesses bring back employees on reduced hours but still receive some state support as lockdown is lifted.

Reform said this would involve 'topping up' staff wages for the extra hours they would normally have worked before the pandemic, rather than covering their entire pay packet.

Aidan Shilson-Thomas, one of the report's authors, said: 'The jobs retention scheme has served its primary purpose of preventing a catastrophic wave of redundancies.

'Ministers must allow 'short-time' working so employers have the flexibility to bring staff back to work in a gradual fashion while receiving some support, once the lockdown begins to be lifted.'

Countries such as Germany, France and Canada, have put workers on reduced hours and given support to cover the hours they were no longer working.

The French scheme pays 70 per cent of the cost of an employee's unworked hours.

Reform said UK businesses face a 'cliff-edge' where government support would suddenly be unavailable, raising the risk of job cuts and slowing economic recovery'.
Conservative party should change, innovate itself



The main opposition, the conservative United Future Party (UFP), is in a state of chaos as it has failed to install a new interim leader following its crushing defeat in the April 15 general election. A row over the appointment of Kim Chong-in, the former campaign chief, to lead the party has created the chaotic situation. This makes the reeling party's future murkier than ever.



The feud erupted after the UFP approved the nomination of Kim as head of the party's interim leadership committee during its National Committee meeting Tuesday. The problem is that the veteran politician has rejected the nomination because the party failed to guarantee him an extensive term.



Simply put, Kim has no intention of serving as an interim leader for only four months until the UFP convenes a national convention in August to elect a new leader in accordance with the party constitution. That's why he has called for a revision of the party's constitution so that he can lead the party at least until next spring. His aim is apparently is to influence the process of choosing the party's presidential candidate in the 2022 election.



But the party has failed to meet Kim's demand. Reports said that the UFP could not hold a Standing National Committee meeting to revise a party rule to push back the date of the convention this summer. The failure is a direct result of senior party members boycotting the meeting in order to bid for the party leadership in August.



Whatever the reason, the party, whose predecessor was the Saenuri Party led by impeached President Park Geun-hye, will remain rudderless and reeling from the election defeat. The UFP and its "satellite" party garnered only 103 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, compared with 180 seats won by the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and its affiliate.



The UFP is currently headed by its floor leader and acting party chief, Rep. Shim Jae-chul, after Hwang Kyo-ahn resigned from the chairmanship over the election loss. Selecting a new leader, interim or regular, is crucial in rebuilding the party and regaining the public's trust. Of course, it is doubtful that the interim leadership under Kim, even if installed, could normalize party operations by bringing about drastic change and innovation. But it is hard to understand why the UFP has run the risk of sinking into an abyss.



The reason is clear. Its party members, especially senior lawmakers, are still refusing to give up their vested interests, while engaging in old politics. They are putting their personal interests and political ambitions before the needs of the party, instead of advocating for true conservative causes. Internal fighting still persists between the pro-Park Geun-hye faction and the rest.



Without going beyond such dog-eat-dog factional strife and internal division, the UFP has no future. An opposition party is required to serve as a counterbalance to the stronger ruling party and the government. Thus the UFP should resolve the leadership dispute as soon as possible to ensure the country has democratic checks and balances. For this, it should change and innovate itself. Otherwise, it has no reason to exist.






To mark the 172nd birth anniversary of one of India's foremost painters Raja Ravi Varma, Google on Wednesday launched a digital retrospective of the artist's paintings on its non-profit initiative Google arts and culture.

The retrospective that features over 700 images of his paintings prints, sketches and rare photographs, has been unveiled in partnership with nine institutions, including The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation,National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi),and The Ganesh Shivaswamy FoundationandMuseum of Art & Photography.

Today, on the occasion of Raja Ravi Varma's 172nd birth anniversary, Google Arts and Culture has rolled out a comprehensive digital retrospective of his paintings, prints, sketches and rare photographs. These are presented alongside works inspired by the artist - on canvas, textiles, as studio photography and even as matchbox art!



It shines a spotlight on his work, and offers insights into his rich and varied life, a statement from the Google Arts and Culture said.

Varma's art stood out for his unique style where he fused European art's technical and aesthetic knowledge with the emotional sensibilities and storytelling of Indian art.

Some of his best known works are The Begum's Bath, There comes Papa, Decking the Bride, Portrait of a Lady, Kadambari, among many others.

The retrospective comprises more than 30 stories about the 18th century artist who gave a face to Indian gods and goddesses, including those on his early life and his journey to become the father of modern Indian art', the painting which started his official career, and how he kicked off a print movement of colour lithographs in India.

The digital exhibition also offers viewers a virtual tour of the Kilimanoor Palace in Kerala, where he was born, raised and took his first steps with the brush.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 29, 2020] NexJ Systems Reports First Quarter 2020 Results

TORONTO, April 29, 2020 /CNW/ - NexJ Systems Inc. (TSX: NXJ), delivering intelligent customer management software to the financial services industry, today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2020. First Quarter Summary Cash balance increased by $4.1M to $9.2M at the end of the quarter

to at the end of the quarter $4.0M of revenue for the first quarter as compared to $4.3M in the first quarter of the previous year

of revenue for the first quarter as compared to in the first quarter of the previous year $1.3M in Adjusted EBITDA loss for the first quarter is a $800K improvement over $2.1M in Adjusted EBITDA loss in the first quarter of the previous year

in Adjusted EBITDA loss for the first quarter is a improvement over in Adjusted EBITDA loss in the first quarter of the previous year $1.3M of net loss for the first quarter is a $1.3M improvement over $2.6M of net loss in the first quarter of the previous year "As a global business we were alerted to the COVID-19 crisis early in Q1 and took immediate steps to ensure our customers receive the necessary support. Maintaining the customer base will remain a high priority and will serve to protect revenue expectations for 2020," said Paul O'Donnell, CEO. "Recent industry research indicates that managing customer relationships has become the top priority for all businesses and, in wealth management and banking specifically, that digital engagement will play a pivotal role in the current crisis and beyond. With NexJ's continued focus on AI-driven client interaction products, we are well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunity that this represents."







NexJ Systems Inc.





First Quarter Financial Results





(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)





(Unaudited)







Quarter ended

Quarter ended

March 31, 2020

March 31, 2019







Revenue $

$ License and subscription fees 24

409 Professional services 1,671

1,525 Maintenance and support 2,286

2,334

3,981

4,268 Cost of revenue 1,331

1,855 Gross profit 2,650

2,413







Operating Expenses





Research and development, net 2,002

2,731 Sales and marketing 787

766 General and administrative, net 1,194

1,036

3,983

4,533







Adjusted EBITDA (1,333)

(2,120)







Share-based payment expense 71

122 Depreciation and amortization 211

242 Loss from operations (1,615)

(2,484)







Foreign exchange loss (gain) (373)

95 Finance income (24)

(39) Finance expense 36

38 Net loss (1,254)

(2,578)

Non-IFRS Measures

This news release includes certain measures that have not been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") such as Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin which are used to evaluate the Company's operating performance as a complement to results provided in accordance with IFRS. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are useful supplemental information as it provides an indication of the results generated by the Company's main business activities prior to taking into consideration how those activities are financed and taxed and also prior to taking into consideration asset depreciation and the other items listed below. The term "Adjusted EBITDA" refers to net income (loss) before adjusting for share-based payment expense, depreciation and amortization, deferred share unit expense, restructuring costs, foreign exchange gain (loss), finance income, finance costs, and income taxes. "Adjusted EBITDA margin" refers to the percentage that Adjusted EBITDA for any period represents as a portion of total revenue for that period. The term Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are not measures recognized by IFRS and do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin should not be construed as an alternative to net income (loss) as determined in accordance with IFRS. About NexJ Systems Inc.

NexJ Systems provides Intelligent Customer Management to the financial services industry. Our award-winning CRM is designed to help Wealth Management, Private Banking, Corporate and Commercial Banking, and Insurance firms revolutionize their business. Powered by artificial intelligence, our products help drive productivity, boost client engagement, and increase revenue. With users in over 60 countries, our customers benefit from our deep expertise across financial services verticals, strategic investment in innovation, and commitment to their success. Based in Toronto, NexJ has clients throughout North America, Asia Pacific and in Europe. For more information about NexJ visit www.nexj.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 416-222-5611. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or like us on Facebook. NexJ Forward-looking Statement

Certain statements in this press release, including statements about the financial conditions, and results of operations and earnings, may contain words such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "aim", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "seek", "believe", "potential", "continue", "is/are likely to", "could", "should", "target", "envision", and other similar language and are considered forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities laws. These statements are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the operating environment, economies and markets in which the Company operates. These statements are subject to important assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and the actual outcome may be materially different. The Company's assumptions, although considered reasonable by the Company at the date of this press release, may provide to be inaccurate and consequently the Company's actual results could differ materially from the expectations set out herein. Actual results or events could differ materially from those contemplated in forward-looking statements as a result of the following: (i) the future performance, financial and otherwise, of NexJ; (ii) the ability of NexJ to protect, maintain and enforce its intellectual property rights; (iii) the acceptance by the Company's customers and the marketplace of new technologies and solutions; (iv) the Company's growth and profitability prospects; (v) the estimated size and growth prospects of the CRM market; (vi) the Company's competitive position in the CRM market and its ability to take advantage of future opportunities in this market; (vii) the Company's ability to attract new customers and develop and maintain existing customers; and (viii) the demand for the Company's product and the extent of deployment of the company's products in the CRM marketplace. Forward-looking statements may also include, without limitation, any statement relating to future events, conditions or circumstances. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) our dependence on a limited number of customers and large project size; (ii) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results; (iii) our dependence on key personnel and our compensation structure; (iv) risks associated with managing large and complex software implementation projects; (v) uncertainties and assumptions in our sales forecasts, including the extent to which sales proposals are converted into sales; (vi) risks associated with our ability to design, develop, test, market, license and support our software products on a timely basis; (vii) market acceptance of our products and services; (viii) commercial success of products resulting from our investment in research and development; (ix) our success in expanding sales into new international markets; * competition in our industry; (xi) failure to protect our intellectual property or infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties; (xii) reliance upon a limited number of third-party software products to develop our products; (xiii) defects or disruptions in our products and services; (xiv) currency exchange rate fluctuations; (xv) lengthy sales cycles for our software; (xvi) general economic conditions; (xvii) failure to manage our growth successfully; (xviii) failure to successfully manage and integrate acquisitions; (xix) breach of our security measures and unauthorized access to data; (xx) employee retention and (xxi) litigation, including commercial, product liability, employment, class action and other litigation and claims. For additional information with respect to risks and other factors which could occur, see the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2019 dated March 26, 2020, and other securities filings with the Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligations to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. NexJ Systems Inc.





Statements of Financial Position





(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)





(Unaudited)















March 31, 2020

December 31, 2019







Assets







$

$ Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents 9,215

5,123 Accounts receivable 992

5,475 Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,879

1,757 Total current assets 12,086

12,355







Non-current assets:





Property and equipment 969

969 Right-of-use assets 1,608

1,747 Goodwill 1,753

1,753 Investments 284

260 Contract costs 105

136 Other assets 617

663 Total non-current assets 5,336

5,528







Total assets 17,422

17,883







Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity













Current liabilities:





Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,980

1,969 Deferred revenue 7,054

6,550 Lease liabilities 929

715 Total current liabilities 9,963

9,234







Non-current liabilities:





Accrued liabilities 82

117 Deferred revenue 522

281 Lease liability 1,808

2,045 Total non-current liabilities 2,412

2,443







Total liabilities 12,375

11,677







Shareholders' equity:





Share capital 82,915

82,915 Share purchase loans (3,598)

(3,598) Contributed surplus 8,945

8,874 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 15

(9) Deficit (83,230)

(81,976) Total shareholders' equity 5,047

6,206







Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 17,422

17,883 NexJ Systems Inc.





Statements of Comprehensive loss





(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)























Quarter ended

Quarter ended

March 31, 2020

March 31, 2019 Revenue $

$ License and subscription fees 24

409 Professional services 1,671

1,525 Maintenance and support 2,286

2,334

3,981

4,268 Cost of revenue 1,347

1,876 Gross profit 2,634

2,392







Expenses:





Research and development, net 2,018

2,754 Sales and marketing 790

769 General and administrative, net 1,441

1,353

4,249

4,876







Loss from operations (1,615)

(2,484)







Foreign exchange gain (loss) 373

(95) Finance income 24

39 Finance expense (36)

(38)

361

(94)















Loss for the period (1,254)

(2,578)







Other comprehensive income:





Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss: 24

 Unrealized gain on equity securities





Loss for the period and comprehensive loss (1,230)

(2,578)







Loss per share





Basic and diluted (0.06)

(0.13)







Weighted average number of common shares





outstanding, in thousands





Basic and diluted 20,677

20,532 NexJ Systems Inc.





Statements of Cash Flows





(Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)





(Unaudited)















Quarter ended

Quarter ended

March 31, 2019

March 31, 2019















Cash flows from (used in) operating activities: $

$ Loss for the period (1,254)

(2,578) Adjustments for:





Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment 72

89 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 139

153 Amortization of contract costs 31

33 Share-based payment expense 71

122 Finance income (24)

(39) Finance expense 36

38 Foreign exchange gain (102)

(7) Change in non-cash operating working capital:





Accounts receivable 4,483

1,264 Prepaid expenses and other assets (68)

(116) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (26)

(43) Deferred revenue 739

2,114 Net cash flows from operating activities 4,097

1,030







Cash flows used in financing activities:





Costs of exercise of stock options -

(2) Payment of finance lease liability (completed contract) -

(12) Payment of finance lease liability (ongoing contract) (60)

- Net cash flows used in financing activities (60)

(14)







Cash flows from (used in) investing activities:





Purchase of property and equipment (71)

(8) Interest received 24

39 Net cash flows from (used in) investing activities (47)

31







Effects of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents 102

7







Increase in cash and cash equivalents 4,092

1,054







Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 5,123

10,951







Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 9,215

12,005







Supplemental cash flow information:





Acquisition of property and equipment not yet paid 1

80 SOURCE NexJ Systems Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
SODERTALJE, Sweden, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As the first major manufacturer of heavy commercial vehicles, Scania's far-reaching climate targets have officially been approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). Scania is committed to achieving the Paris agreement goals of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Scania will cut CO 2 emissions from its own operations by 50 percent by 2025 1, and reduce emissions from its products by 20 percent during the same period.

"Since more than 90 percent of the CO 2 emissions generated in our business occurs after the products leave our factories, it is imperative that we also consider these emissions. Limiting ourselves to only reducing our own emissions is simply not enough. We will therefore work in close cooperation with our customers in operating their trucks, buses and engines with less climate impact," says Scania's President and CEO Henrik Henriksson.

The SBTi approval recognises that Scania's targets align with the most strict decarbonisation pathway defined to date - 1.5C for Scope 1 and 2. The targets that Scania has set include both direct and indirect emissions from its operations (Scope 1 and 2), as well as emissions from when the products are in use (Scope 3).

"We congratulate Scania for their commitment to take the urgent action needed to address the climate crisis," said Alexander Farsan, global lead for Science Based Targets at WWF, one of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) partners. "They are the first heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer to set an ambitious 1.5C target through the SBTi and commit to reducing emissions not only from their own operations, but also from the use of their vehicles."

"Science is today clear that our future on Earth depends on holding global warming well-below 2C, which means cutting emissions by half every decade. Science based targets are critical to succeed in this endeavour. Heavy transport is a backbone of our societies, and Scania's commitment to science based targets for climate, along its entire value chain, will not only contribute to reduce climate risks, but will also send a strong signal through the economy, that decarbonising is real, is now, and constitutes an investment in future competitiveness", says Johan Rockstrom, professor in Earth system science, and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.

Over the past several years, Scania has significantly reduced CO 2 emissions from its own operations and from its own transport and logistics. Scania has also worked to minimise emissions from its products through fuel efficiency measures. Since more than 25 years, the company has provided the industry's broadest range of products that run on alternatives to fossil fuel. In September 2019, Scania announced its aim to set Science Based Targets. The approval of these targets now marks another major milestone on the journey towards fossil-free transport."Regardless of whether we, as at present, are in the midst of a crisis or not, we will not compromise on sustainability. Driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system is Scania's purpose and we remain fully committed," says Henriksson.

1 Using 2015 as a baseline.

For further information, please contact:

Karin Hallstan,

Head of Corporate Communication & PR

Tel: +46-76-842-81-04

E-mail: [email protected]

Andreas Foller,

Head of Sustainability

Tel: +46-8-553-700-34

E-mail [email protected]

Karen Richards

Media Relations Manager

WWF International

Tel: +44-7775-552592

Email: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/scania/r/scania-s-science-based-targets-are-now-approved,c3100118

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/209/3100118/1238751.pdf Scaniaas Science Based Targets are now approved https://news.cision.com/scania/i/18211-047,c2779174 18211-047

SOURCE Scania
As finance continues its rapid transformation into the digital era, Stevens is designated a leader in guiding the field into a high-tech, big data world

In one of the strongest acknowledgements that finance has transformed from a low-tech field to one that relies on some of the most sophisticated technology in the world, the National Science Foundation has selected Stevens Institute of Technology to lead the first-ever industry-university cooperative research center, or IUCRC, devoted to financial technology and science.

The five-year award creates a cooperative research center that brings together partners to conduct research that is particularly relevant for industry and has a high potential for commercialization. Stevens was named lead institution for the center, which includes Georgetown University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and between eight and 25+ companies with the goal of finding innovative solutions for complex challenges facing the fintech industry.

"Georgetown and RPI complement our strengths very nicely," said George Calhoun, director of the Hanlon Financial Systems Center at Stevens School of Business and a co-principal investigator on the project. "Georgetown is good in traditional finance and the regulatory end of the business -- what is the Federal Reserve going to do, what is the Treasury going to do -- in ways that reflect their own location advantage. And RPI brings additional scientific and technological capabilities to the table."

Stevens' location and existing relationships with financial firms position it well to lead the center. With its proximity to New York City, Stevens has worked closely with financial firms and banks to identify core challenges facing industry and has responded by addressing those needs, further strengthening these relationships while simultaneously shaping its research endeavors and curriculum to align with those needs. The result: the transformation of the School of Business to a tech-infused powerhouse.

The list of firms who provided letters of support as part of Stevens bid included UBS, Bank of America, Citibank and Royal Bank of Canada among the headliners. Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group; PSEG; OneMarketData; and Capco, a global management consultancy, also supported Stevens' bid. "The reason we were successful is that we showed we would have major industry participation," said Calhoun.

Among the initial areas of focus in the IUCRC will be cybersecurity; high-frequency automated markets; technology risk and regulation; commercialization; and applications of blockchain, quantum computing, natural language processing and A.I. to the finance industry.

That diversity is reflected by the broad expertise of the co-principal investigators, which includ Giuseppe Ateniese (computer science), Jeffrey Nickerson (information systems and networks) and Darinka Dentcheva (mathematics and optimization). Working with such a broad panel of experts -- in addition to thought leaders at Georgetown, RPI and industry -- will empower a multidisciplinary approach that should break traditional research silos, said Steve Yang, the principal investigator on the project.

"I couldn't be more excited to have Stevens play such an important leadership role in an NSF IUCRC center," said Gregory Prastacos, dean of the Business School at Stevens. "The IUCRC will not only help us bring our work to the companies that would benefit from these insights, it also gives us another channel to engage industry and better understand the unique challenges they face."

###

The NSF IUCRC announcement comes on the heels of MaCuDE, a global initiative led by Stevens and AACSB, and funded by PwC, to guide more than 100 universities across the world on how to reboot the traditional MBA curriculum to keep pace with the demands of the digital era. Stevens also recently announced their partnership with Capco, a managment consultancy with a strong focus on financial services will leverage Stevens research strengths in quantum, A.I. and blockchain, among other areas, to improve the digital portfolio of their clients.

Stevens is now in the planning phase for the IUCRC project, which will run for one year to identify an agenda of research topics based on industry feedback. Each industry partner will contribute $50,000 per year to contribute toward these research efforts.

There are about 75 NSF-funded industry-universitycooperative research centers across the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:46:16|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on May 1, 2020 shows a man walking past the closed Next store on Oxford Street, in London, Britain. British fashion retailer Next on Wednesday reported a sales plunge in its first financial quarter (Q1) ending April 25, as the company temporarily closed its warehouse and distribution networks amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

LONDON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- British fashion retailer Next on Wednesday reported a sales plunge in its first financial quarter (Q1) ending April 25, as the company temporarily closed its warehouse and distribution networks amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In the firm's trading statement for Q1 (from January 26 to April 25, 2020), its full price sales for retail dropped by 52 percent when compared with the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the full price sales for online in Q1 decreased by 32 percent on the same period a year earlier, said the statement.

"The fall off in sales to date has been faster and steeper than anticipated in our March stress test and we are now modelling lower sales for both the first and second half of the year," said Next.

According to the retailer, it temporarily closed its British warehouses and distribution networks on March 26 amid the coronavirus outbreak and re-opened its warehouse picking operation on April 14.

"As each day goes by, we have steadily increased the numbers of people working in our operations and the capacity at which we are able to operate," said Next, adding that it expected to "increase capacity to around 70 percent of normal levels within the next two weeks."

The firm currently "have plans in place for the re-purposing of our stores ready to re-open in a socially distanced world," it said.

Headquartered in Leicestershire, Britain, Next is a British multinational clothing, footwear and home products retailer. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Enditem
Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib, the Chief Executive Officer of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), made this known on Wednesday.

The CEO of CODA led a team comprising contractors, consultants and journalists to acquaint itself with the situation at Chemunaa, where the footbridge collapsed and washed away following a downpour last Sunday.

He said the construction of a new bridge would have started since the Authority had already awarded the contract, but the COVID-19 outbreak delayed the process.

The bridge would comprise a driveway and a pedestrian walkway, expected to be completed within nine months.

CODA has earmarked the construction of a modern bridge across the Chemu canal, which merges two constituencies; Ablekuma South and Ablekuma West.

This is part of Ablekuma South Constituency's allocation of one million dollars for special projects aimed at accelerating socio-economic development.

Mr Shaib said the Authority held two public engagements with the Community, which involved the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Member of Parliament for the area, traditional leaders, elected officials and youth groups to solicit their views to build a consensus.

Responding to requests for the construction of a temporary bridge, Mr Shaib asked the residents to use a nearby footbridge in the interim while a permanent one was built.

He called on residents to cooperate with the contractor when the project starts and encouraged the youth to take advantage of income-earning opportunities that would come with the construction works.

Nii Adote Barima II, Chief of Chorkor, expressed happiness over the swiftness with which the CODA responded to the plight of residents since the old footbridge collapsed and expressed confidence that the new one would soon be completed.

---GNA
Oil prices have been downbeat for quite some time thanks to poor demand emanating from the coronavirus-led lockdowns and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia over the decision to prolong the output cut deal.

Though Saudi and Russia finally put an end to their row and agreed on the biggest OPEC+ output cut deal in mid-April, oil continued to slump on storage crisis. WTI suffered more than the Brent. On Apr 20, May WTI crude futures dropped to below zero for the first time in historyand dealt a blow to the investing world.

However, the liquid commodity tried to recover at the end of last week backed by earlier-than-scheduled output cuts by some OPEC producers and Middle East tensions, only to slump again on Apr 27 (read: OPEC Output Deal Cut: Will It Help Oil & Energy ETFs?).

U.S. crudes June contract lost about 24% on Apr 27, at the time of writing, as global oil storage  both offshore and onshore  is fast reaching its capacity. Demand for oil in April is forecast to decline by a record 29 million b/d, per the International Energy Agency. With this, oil is now trading at about $12 per barrel (bbl), down from $60/bbl at the start of the year (read: Sector ETFs to Win or Lose on Oil Collapse).

However, the demand scenario is more bullish for later months thanks to the gradual reopening of economies. This took the oil market in contango. A contango market is defined as the futures contracts trading at a premium to the spot price.

Oil Pain Causes Restructuring in USO

The above discussion explains the acute pain in the WTI crude ETF United States Oil Fund, LP USO, which was originally designed to track the daily changes in percentage terms of the spot price of WTI crude oil. WTI was off about 55% in the past month. The fund lost about 15% on Apr 27 to about just $2.00. To save the product from further slide, the fund manager continued to change the funds compositions lately.

It started betting in favor of longer-term contracts since last week. Now with the June contract too falling fast, USO has undergone another structural change. On Apr 27, USCF, the funds administrator, said that over the next three days, the USO will sell all of its West Texas Intermediate contracts for June delivery, in favor of longer-term contracts.

Story continues

The funds breakdown will now be as follows: 30% July contract, 15% August contract, 15% September contract, 15% October contract, 15% December contract and 10% in the June 2021 contract, as quoted on CNBC.

Will Oil Recover Over the Medium Term?

Investors should note that USO eked out solid inflows of about $4.2 billion in the past one month (as of Apr 27, 2020) despite the oil crash. This means that investors are betting big on a long-term oil price recovery with this product, especially with the product shifting toward more longer-dated futures.

Which is the Best Oil ETF?

That said, we would like to note that United States 12 Month Oil Fund USL is sticking to its objective and is a more apt product in fighting the latest oil crash. USL's Benchmark is the near month futures contract to expire and the contracts for the following 11 months, for a total of 12 consecutive months. If the near month futures contract is within two weeks of expiration, the Benchmark will be the next month contract to expire and the contracts for following 11 consecutive months. Each contract month is equally weighted. USL lost 4.7% on Apr 27 and was off just 21% in the past month.

Another product Invesco DB Oil ETF DBO tracks the DBIQ Optimum Yield Crude Oil Excess Return Index. Rather than select the new future based on a predefined schedule (e.g. monthly) the index rolls to that future (from the list of tradable futures which expire in the next 13 months) which generates the maximum implied roll yield. The index aims to maximize the potential roll benefits in backwardated markets and minimize the loss from rolling down the curve in contango markets. The fund lost only 2.4% on Apr 27, while it has shed 13.9% in the past month.

iPath Pure Beta Crude Oil ETN OLEM is designed to provide exposure to the Barclays WTI Crude Oil Pure Beta TR Index. The index reflects the returns that are potentially available through an unleveraged investment in the futures contracts in the crude oil markets. OLEM was down 8% on Apr 27 and lost 20% past month.

Bottom Line

Though USO may benefit from the recent structural changes, USL, DBO and OLEM look better bets from the perspective of their original investment objectives, we believe along with some other analysts. The latest restructuring is distorting USO's original objective of tracking the near-term price of oil, per CNBC, though this is helping the fund to stay afloat amid the ongoing oil price carnage.

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Locals at the citys largest containment zone, Worli Koliwada village, have been sending small boats within a one-kilometre radius over the past four days to fish, however, residents alleged that the catch is being confiscated by the Mumbai Police.

Police seized over 200 kg fish during inspections to avoid crowds, alleged locals. The fish was meant to be sold within the village.

The fishing village, with 80,000 residents across 220 hectares, was declared a containment zone (entry and exit points sealed) on March 30, after six persons tested positive for the Sars-Cov-2 virus.

Supply of vegetables has been stopped from entering this containment zone for six days now. Suspected cases are few, and most of the residents have tested negative. A few boats are getting 20-30 kg daily catch, said Royal Patil, resident and member, Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Matsya Vyavasay Sahkari Society. All larger boats are docked at the village and commercial fishing is strictly prohibited, he added.

A fisherman, on condition of anonymity, said, We are sending 10 boats (two persons on each boat) to catch small fish, shrimps and prawn for sale within the village. Despite following social distancing norms, our entire catch was confiscated.

Mumbai Police said fishing was not allowed till the cluster remained a containment zone. No catch has been confiscated by us. The civic body has stated that fishing is not allowed within a containment area. This needs to be followed by residents. Locals have approached the ward officer on this issue. We will implement the final decision by the ward office, said Divakar Shelke, senior inspector, Dadar police station.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said a decision on allowing fishing will be considered after May 3. This is a high-risk area and it is not advisable for citizens to crowd either on boats or within the village to sell fish, said Rajesh Mule, assistant engineer, G-South ward in-charge of operations at Koliwada.

Marine conservationists, requested the BMC on Wednesday to allow artisanal fishworkers from the village to fish for their self-consumption. The community has been earmarked as a red zone, however with required precautions and guidelines of social distancing they have been requesting resumption of their fishing activity (which occurs only in the intertidal and subtidal region, in low numbers of one to five) and sale (wholesale being sold for local and community consumption), said Sarita Fernandes, coastal policy researcher and marine wildlife conservationist.

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Though Quebec remains the Canadian province most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with over 25,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,675 deaths, Quebec Premier Francois Legault is intensifying his criminal policy of a hasty, premature return to work.

Lying about the extremely fragile state of a public health care system ravaged by decades of austerity, Legault announced Monday the imminent reopening of daycare centers and primary schools. Those outside of Montreal will reopen on May 11 and those in the Greater Montreal area, the epicenter of the pandemic in Quebec, on May 19.

Yesterday, Quebecs premier announced that most retail stores outside of the Montreal region will be able to open as of next Monday, and all the provinces manufacturing facilities and construction sites will be allowed to resume their operations on May 11. Already last week, work on residential construction sites, which along with the rest of the building industry were only closed in late March because of angry worker protests, resumed.

The Legault government is following in the footsteps of the Trump administration in the United States and the governments of the European Union. The repeated warnings of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the hasty lifting of lockdown measures could lead to a second, deadlier wave of COVID-19 cases are being brushed aside.

Like its American and European counterparts, and the premiers of other Canadian provinces, the right-wing CAQ government (Coalition Avenir Quebec) wants to force workers to return to the workplace as quickly as possible. Without any guarantee that appropriate safety measures are in place, the ruling elite is demanding the ratcheting up of the exploitation of the working class in order to feed the insatiable thirst of big business and the financial markets for profits.

Irrespective of the countless human lives that such a policy will cost under conditions of a continuing deadly pandemic, the authorities refuse to implement the measures prescribed by the scientific community to contain and defeat the coronavirus. These include systematic mass testing, treatment and isolation of infected people, contact-tracing, and massive investments in the health care system to build up surge capacity.

Instead, the only concern of the ruling elite is to reopen and revive the economyi.e., to relaunch and ratchet up the exploitation of the working classin order to pay for the trillions of dollars and euros that have been digitally created and handed over to the financial and corporate aristocracy through a host of emergency subsidies and rescue packages. By contrast, only crumbs have been dispensed in public aid for the millions of workers with lost income.

For its part, Justin Trudeaus progressive federal Liberal government has funneled more than C$650 billion in bailout money to the banks, big business and the financial markets to protect the investments and profits of the rich and super-rich.

At Mondays press conference announcing the reopening of childcare and elementary schools (with the reopening of high schools, colleges and universities postponed until September), Legault sought to limit the political damage caused by the scandalous statements he had made only days before advocating a policy of herd immunity.

This policy consists of allowing the coronavirus to infect a large part of the populationand even wishing and facilitating such mass contaminationon the claim that this will allow the development and wide circulation of antibodies that would then block any further significant outbreak in the community. Wherever this criminal policy has been applied, whether in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe, it has led to a rapid spread of the coronavirus, overwhelmed hospitals and caused thousands of preventable deaths.

Ignoring explicit warnings from the WHO that There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection, Legault cavalierly stated at a press conference last Thursday that we must develop immunity over the next few months and those who are less at risk can develop antibodies and become immune.

Even the Public Health Agency of Canada has been forced to publicly reject the concept of herd immunity because it is so contrary to all available scientific evidence. The idea ofgenerating natural immunity is actually not something that should be undertaken, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Saturday, in remarks clearly aimed at rebutting Legaults comments.

Legault, in his remarks of last Thursday, attempted to persuade a population largely hostile to his push to reopen the schools that his governments promotion of naturali.e., herdimmunity, does not mean we are going to use children as guinea pigs.

His Monday announcement that daycares and schools are to be quickly reopened shows in fact that he intends for them to be guinea pigs and more. They are to be used as the vectors of the mass COVID-19 contamination that Legault publicly declared desirable last Thursday, although Quebecs premier no longer finds it politically advisable to blurt this out.

The situation for teachers will be no better. On Legaults orders, the schools will not be providing teachers with masks or other personal protective equipment. In violation of the WHOs recommendations, the CAQ government also has no plans to institute mass testing of children, staff, or the general population as the schools and daycares are reopened, thereby ensuring that the virus will spread undetected.

Whatever stock phrase Premier Legault chooses to use in public to justify his reckless back-to-work ordersnatural immunity last Thursday, situation under control in hospitals on Mondaythe reactionary content of his governments policy remains unchanged.

In Quebec, as in the rest of Canada and the world, the ruling class is determined to revive as quickly as possible the process of exploitation of the working class, which alone can produce real wealth and thus pay for the multitrillion-dollar bailouts lavished on big business and the rich.

At Mondays press conference, Legault focused on the refrain that the situation is under control in the hospitals, an absurd lie given that just days earlier he was forced to call on the support of 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to manage the catastrophic situation in Quebecs long-term-care facilities (CHSLDs). The premier added another big lie: the claim that the return to work will be gradual, without pressure, saying with a falsely relaxed tone, Go along at your own pace.

Social reality is very different. Whether in classrooms, on construction sites, on factory floors or in other workplaces, real protective measures will be minimal or non-existent. Workers will be faced with the terrible choice of risking infection and infecting their loved ones with a potentially deadly virus or being fired and losing their livelihood.

This is the alternative that several physiotherapists, social workers and professionals employed by the West-Central Montreal regional health authority faced last week.

After a short two-hour course, these staff, who have no medical training, were redeployed to some of the CHSLDs hardest hit by an uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 and without being provided N95 masks. In an anonymous interview with the CBC, Canadas public broadcaster, one of the employees in this position explained: [The instructor] even said in the training, if you refuse to go, youll be fired. She said it very nonchalantly.

Workers must oppose the efforts of Legault, his CAQ government, and the entire Canadian ruling elite to restart production at the risk of countless lives. In all workplaces, rank-and-file committees, independent of the pro-capitalist trade unions, must be built to fight for safe working conditions, a massive injection of funds into the health care system, a halt to all non-essential production, and full income security for all workers off work because of the pandemic. The resources exist to do this and more, but they are monopolized by a financial oligarchy whose assets must be seized and redirected toward the battle against the pandemic and the satisfaction of urgent social needs.

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COLLINSVILLE, Ill., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Homefield Energy today announced it is committing $60,000 to support Illinois communities as they begin the process of economic recovery from COVID-19.

"As with so many states, COVID-19's impact on Illinois has been profound, and Homefield Energy and its employees are honored to do our part to help meet critical needs in the communities we serve," said Brad Watson, Homefield Energy's director of community affairs. "Our company is inspired by the organizations working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. We stand with you  now, more than ever before."

The $60,000 donation will directly support communities and individuals to meet their most pressing needs, including funding for food banks, community assistance funds, domestic violence prevention, and more.

$25,000 will go to Peoria organizations, including the Community Foundation of Central Illinois and the Center for Prevention of Abuse

will go to organizations, including the Community Foundation of and the Center for Prevention of Abuse $15,000 will go to St. Louis metro area organizations, including O'Fallon Community Food Pantry, Community Interfaith Food Pantry, and Collinsville Food Pantry

will go to metro area organizations, including O'Fallon Community Food Pantry, Community Interfaith Food Pantry, and Collinsville Food Pantry $10,000 will go to Bloomington - Normal organizations, including the United Way of McLean County and The Midwest Food Bank of Illinois - Bloomington - Normal

will go to - organizations, including the United Way of and The Midwest Food Bank of - - Food banks and community assistance funds in Champaign-Urbana and Decatur will also receive donations

"We appreciate the support of Homefield Energy as The Community Foundation of Central Illinois partners with nonprofits, working to address essential needs in the community," said Mark Roberts, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. "This donation enhances our ability to provide emergency food and basic supplies, interim housing and shelter, primary health care services, utility assistance, and support for children and vulnerable populations."

Homefield Energy's donation to communities in Illinois is part of a $2 million commitment to non-profits and social service agencies across the country from Homefield Energy's parent company, Vistra. Serving nearly 5 million residential, commercial, and industrial retail customers with electricity and natural gas, Vistra is the largest competitive residential electricity provider and the largest competitive power generator in the U.S.

About Homefield Energy

Homefield Energy is proud to power Illinois. We are committed to being a leader in the electricity sector and a good neighbor to the communities in which we operate. Homefield Energy is a subsidiary of Vistra (NYSE: VST). Vistra is a premier, integrated power company based in Irving, Texas, combining an innovative, customer-centric approach to retail with a focus on safe, reliable, and efficient power generation. Vistra's retail brands serve approximately five million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across five top retail states.

Media

Jenny Lyon

214-875-8004

[email protected]

SOURCE Homefield Energy


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were flat to slightly higher on Wednesday as investors reacted to rising oil prices, a host of corporate earnings and reports about reopening of businesses across Europe and in a few U.S. states.



The Federal Reserve is set to finish its two-day meeting later today, with investors looking for guidance on the trajectory of the world's largest economy.



The European Central Bank meets Thursday following Fitch's decision to downgrade its rating on Italian debt to BBB-, one notch above junk.



The pan European Stoxx 600 was up 0.1 percent at 341.57 after climbing 1.7 percent on Tuesday.



The German DAX was rising 0.4 percent, France's CAC 40 index was marginally higher and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up as much as 0.9 percent.



Shares in AMS soared 18 percent after the sensor specialist said it expects the impact from the novel coronavirus in the second quarter to be limited.



Drugmaker AstraZeneca rose 0.8 percent as it reported strong revenue and profit growth for the first quarter of 2019 and reiterated its 2020 forecast.



Standard Chartered Plc shares jumped 3.7 percent. After reporting a 12 percent fall in first-quarter net profit, the bank said it is seeing encouraging signs in China that the recovery could be yet more rapid than that.



International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, fell over 2 percent after announcing plans to cut nearly 12,000 jobs at the U.K. carrier.



BP Plc shares and Royal Dutch Shell both surged over 4 percent as oil prices rebounded on the back of lower-than-expected rise in U.S. stockpiles.



Retailer Next Plc dropped 1.4 percent after saying it expects full-year sales to fall by as much as 40 percent in a worst-case scenario.



Plane maker Airbus rose over 1 percent. After reporting a consolidated net loss of 481 million euros for the first quarter, the company said the assessment of Covid-19 implications on outlook is in progress.



Automaker Daimler climbed 2.4 percent after saying it expects the full-year operating profit of its Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans division to be above the prior-year level.



Rival Volkswagen jumped 2.6 percent. The company said it has taken numerous countermeasures to cut costs and remain profitable on a full-year basis.



Polymer company Covestro gained about 2 percent after meeting its EBITDA guidance for the first quarter of 2020.



Deutsche Bank advanced 2.1 percent. The lender swung to a loss in the first quarter amid a costly restructuring and the coronavirus crisis.



In economic releases, Eurozone economic confidence deteriorated sharply amid coronavirus pandemic in April and reached near the lowest levels seen during the Great Recession in March 2009, survey results from the European Commission showed.



The economic confidence index fell to 67.0 in April from 94.2 in March. This was the strongest monthly decline since 1985.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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An explosion has rocked a market in Afrin, killing at least 30 people who were gathering hours before the start of Iftar writes Enab Baladi.

The death toll from an explosion that hit the city of Afrin in rural Aleppo has risen to more than 30 people, with dozens wounded, in what the Civil Defense in Aleppo is calling a horrific massacre.

A correspondent for Enab Baladi in rural Aleppo reported that a fuel tank exploded between Diwar al-Siyasiyah Street and Diwar al-Siraya at the entrance of the local market, which usually sees crowds of people in the hours before Iftar during Ramadan.

Ibrahim Abu al-Laith, director of the media office for the Civil Defense in Aleppo, said that the number of people killed had risen to more than 30, while the number of injured remains unclear but is expected to rise in the hours to come.

Activists shared videos on social media showing the strength of the explosion, with burnt bodies visible. Enab Baladi apologizes for not publishing the videos.

Hospitals have asked residents to come donate blood, according to the correspondent.

No party had claimed responsibility for the explosion by time of publication, while military police responsible for securing the area have yet to release a statement clarifying the details.

The city of Afrin has been witnessing frequent explosions from unknown attackers. Yesterday, an explosive device in a car exploded on the Ternada road in rural Afrin, causing material damage.

The past month has also seen repeated car and motorcycle bomb attacks in the cities of rural northern and eastern Aleppo, hitting local markets. Military figures have also been the targets of assassinations in the region.

In a previous interview with Yousef Hamoud, the spokesperson for the National Army, he said that most of the explosions were IEDs, and were considered to be carried out by local agents.

Accusations from the Syrian National Army point blame at the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the Islamic State (ISIS) or Syrian regime cells.

While the YPG have claimed responsibility for some of the explosions, they accuse the National Army and ISIS for explosions in areas under their control.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Two terrorists were killed in south Kashmirs Shopian district after a gun battle with security forces, police said on Wednesday morning.

A joint team of the Indian Army, police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had launched a search operation in Melhora village late on Tuesday night.

Police said both terrorists are yet to be identified.

More terrorists could be hiding in the village as the operation is underway, the officials added.

Last week, 10 terrorists were killed in separate encounters in different parts of south Kashmir.
DENVER, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SM Energy Company ("SM Energy" or the "Company") (NYSE: SM) today announced that it has commenced offers to all Eligible Holders (as defined below) to exchange (the "Exchange Offers") any and all of its outstanding notes listed in the table below (together, the "Old Notes") for up to $900 million aggregate principal amount of newly issued senior secured notes maturing on the dates set forth below (collectively, the "New Notes"), in each case upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the confidential offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement, dated April 29, 2020 (the "Offering Memorandum").

The following table sets forth the consideration to be offered to Eligible Holders of the Old Notes in the Exchange Offers:









Principal Amount of New Notes per

$1,000 Principal Amount of

Old Notes Tendered

Title of Old

Notes to be

Tendered CUSIP

Number /

ISIN Outstanding

Principal

Amount

($mm) Acceptance

Priority

Level Total

Consideration

prior to

the Early

Tender Time Exchange

Consideration

after the

Early Tender

Time New Notes Offered 1.500% Senior Convertible

Notes due 2021 78454LAM2 / US78454LAM28 $172.50 1 $600 $550 10.00% Senior Secured Notes

due August 1, 2022 6.125% Senior Notes

due 2022 78454LAK6 / US78454LAK61 $436.047 2 $650 $600 10.00% Senior Secured Notes

due October 15, 2023 5.000% Senior Notes

due 2024 78454LAH3 / US78454LAH33 $500.00 3 $500 $450 10.00% Senior Secured Notes

due January 15, 2025 5.625% Senior Notes

due 2025 78454LAL4 / US78454LAL45 $500.00 4 $500 $450 10.00% Senior Secured Notes

due June 1, 2026 6.750% Senior Notes

due 2026 78454LAN0 / US78454LAN01 $500.00 5 $500 $450 10.00% Senior Secured Notes

due January 15, 2027 6.625% Senior Notes

due 2027 78454LAP5 / US78454LAP58 $500.00 6 $500 $450 10.00% Senior Secured Notes

due January 15, 2027

The New Notes will be secured by second priority security interests in the collateral that secures SM Energy's senior secured credit facility. The New Notes will be SM Energy's secured second lien obligations and will be effectively junior to the Company's current and future secured first lien indebtedness, including indebtedness incurred under its senior secured credit facility, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness, effectively senior to all of the Company's existing and future unsecured indebtedness, including any Old Notes that remain outstanding following the completion of the Exchange Offers, to the extent of the value of the collateral, and senior to any future subordinated indebtedness. Interest on the New Notes will accrue from the date of issuance of the New Notes.

Pursuant to the Exchange Offers and subject to the proration terms described below, in exchange for each $1,000 principal amount of Old Notes and integral multiples in excess thereof validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at any time (i) at or prior to the May 12, 2020 (the "Early Tender Time") and accepted by the Company, participating holders of Old Notes will receive a principal amount of New Notes equal to the "Total Consideration" listed in the above table under the column heading "Total Consideration prior to the Early Tender Time" and (ii) after the Early Tender Time but at any time at or prior to May 27, 2020 (the "Expiration Time") and accepted by the Company, participating holders will receive a principal amount of New Notes equal to the "Exchange Consideration" listed in the above table under the column heading "Exchange Consideration after the Early Tender Time." Participating holders will receive, in cash, accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on their accepted Old Notes up to, but not including, June 1, 2020 (the "Settlement Date"). Tenders of Old Notes may be withdrawn and Consents may be revoked at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 12, 2020, but not thereafter, subject to limited exceptions and unless as otherwise required by applicable law, unless such time is extended (such time and date with respect to the Exchange Offers, as the same may be extended, the "Withdrawal Deadline").

The Exchange Offers are not conditioned upon any minimum amount of Old Notes being tendered. In addition, the Exchange Offers and the Consent Solicitations, either as a whole, or with respect to one or more series of Old Notes, may be amended, extended, terminated or withdrawn for any reason, including based on the acceptance rate and outcome of the Exchange Offers or failure to satisfy any condition to the Exchange Offers. Subject to the proration terms described in the Offering Memorandum, the amounts of each series of Old Notes that are accepted on the Settlement Date will be determined in accordance with the acceptance priority levels set forth in the table above (the "Acceptance Priority Levels"), with Acceptance Priority Level 1 being the highest Acceptance Priority Level and Acceptance Priority Level 6 being the lowest Acceptance Priority Level. The "Maximum Exchange Amount" of New Notes that the Company will issue in the Exchange Offers equals $900 million aggregate principal amount of New Notes; provided that the Company will not accept for exchange more than $1,350 million aggregate principal amount of Old Notes having Acceptance Priority Levels equal to or lower than Acceptance Priority Level 3 (the "Acceptance Priority Cap").

In conjunction with the Exchange Offers, SM Energy is soliciting consents (the "Consent Solicitations") from holders of each series of Old Notes ("Consents") to certain proposed amendments to each indenture governing the Old Notes (the "Old Notes Indentures") to eliminate substantially all of the restrictive covenants and certain of the default provisions contained therein (the "Proposed Amendments"). The Exchange Offers are not conditioned upon receiving Requisite Consents (as defined below) from holders of any series of the Old Notes. Holders of Old Notes may not tender Old Notes without delivering the related Consents, and holders of Old Notes may not deliver Consents without tendering the related Old Notes.

To adopt the Proposed Amendments related to a series of Old Notes, SM Energy must receive Consents from holders representing a majority of the outstanding principal amount of such series Old Notes (the "Requisite Consents"). If the Requisite Consents are delivered with respect to any series of Old Notes, a Supplemental Indenture will be executed promptly following the receipt of the Requisite Consents, but in no event prior to the later of the Early Tender Time and the Withdrawal Deadline, to give effect to the Proposed Amendments. The Proposed Amendments will become operative, with respect to Old Notes for which Requisite Consents have been delivered and not validly withdrawn, immediately prior to the acceptance of such Old Notes pursuant to the applicable Exchange Offer. In the event that the Requisite Consents for a series of Old Notes are received and not validly revoked but the Old Notes of such series tendered in the applicable Exchange Offer are subject to proration, the Proposed Amendments with respect to such series of Old Notes will not become operative despite the Company accepting the Old Notes of such series in the applicable Exchange Offer.

Old Notes may not be withdrawn from the Exchange Offers and the related Consents may not be revoked from the Consent Solicitations after the Withdrawal Deadline, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

The Exchange Offers are being made, and the New Notes are being offered and issued, only (a) in the United States to holders of Old Notes who are reasonably believed to be "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) and (b) outside the United States to holders of Old Notes who are persons other than U.S. persons in reliance upon Regulation S under the Securities Act. The holders of Old Notes who have certified to the Company that they are eligible to participate in the Exchange Offers pursuant to at least one of the foregoing conditions are referred to as "Eligible Holders." Only Eligible Holders who have completed and returned an eligibility letter, available from the information agent, may receive and review the Offering Memorandum or participate in the Exchange Offers. Eligible Holders of the Old Notes who desire to obtain and complete an eligibility form should contact the information agent and exchange agent, D.F. King & Co., Inc., at (866) 620-2536 (toll-free) or (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers), email [email protected] or online at www.dfking.com/smenergy.

Eligible Holders of the Old Notes are urged to carefully read the Offering Memorandum before making any decision with respect to the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations. None of the Company, the dealer managers, the trustee with respect to the Old Notes, the trustee with respect to the New Notes, the information and exchange agent or any affiliate of any of them makes any recommendation as to whether Eligible Holders of the Old Notes should exchange their Old Notes for New Notes in the Exchange Offers, and no one has been authorized by any of them to make such a recommendation. Eligible Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender Old Notes and, if so, the principal amount of Old Notes to tender.

The New Notes and the Exchange Offers have not been and will not be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act, or any state or foreign securities laws. The New Notes may not be offered or sold in the United States or for the account or benefit of any U.S. persons except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations are not being made to Eligible Holders of Old Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. This press release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any 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.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that we expect, believe, or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "budget," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "plan," "project," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, among other things, the completion of the Exchange Offers, the redemption of the Old Notes, the completion of the Consent Solicitations and the effectiveness of the Proposed Amendments. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by SM Energy in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments, and other factors that SM Energy believes are appropriate under the circumstances. These statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause SM Energy's actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are described in the "Risk Factors" section in Part I, Item 1A of SM Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Part II of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2020. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak as of the date of this press release.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

SM Energy Company is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs in the state of Texas. SM Energy routinely posts important information about the Company on its website. For more information about SM Energy, please visit its website at www.sm-energy.com.

SM ENERGY INVESTOR CONTACT

Jennifer Martin Samuels, [email protected], 303-864-2507

SOURCE SM Energy Company

Related Links

http://sm-energy.com


NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday issued a clarification, putting an end to all speculation about cancellation or rescheduling of the pending CBSE 10th 12th Board Exams 2020.

Taking to the official twitter handle, the Board stated that the board would be conducting the examinations of the 29 subjects as per the April 1 circular, which is also available on cbse.nic.in.

Recently there has been a lot of speculation regarding 10th CBSE Board exams. It is reiterated that the boards decision to take board exams for 29 subjects of class 10 and 12, stands the same as mentioned in circular dated 1.4.20, the CBSE Board said in the tweet.

Recently there has been a lot of speculation regarding 10th CBSE Board exams. It is reiterated that the boards decision to take board exams for 29 subjects of class 10 and 12, stands the same as mentioned in circular dated 1.4.20.@DrRPNishank @PMOIndia @PTI_News  CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) April 29, 2020

The CBSE also issued a circular stating its position regarding the conduct of exams for various classes with regard to the COVID-19 situation in the country.

Heres the detailed statement issued by the CBSE Board



As a precautionary measure and in compliance with the instructions received from Secretary, Department of Higher Education/ School Education and Literacy, Government of India, dated 18th March 2020, CBSE had postponed all the board examinations that were to be held between 19.03.2020 to 31.03.2020. It was informed in the Boards press release dated 18.3.20 that date sheets for the rescheduled board examinations shall be communicated by the board through its website and press release after re-assessment of the situation.

The Board is committed to the academic welfare of its students; therefore, the Board is constantly assessing the situation and is keen to mitigate the anxiety of the students, parents, and schools.

In view of the prevailing extraordinary circumstances of the worldwide spread of COVID-19 and the countrywide lockdown, and in view of the queries raised by our stakeholders regarding the academic future of students, the Board advises/informs all schools affiliated to the Board as follows as a one-time measure:

1. For classes 1 to 8: All students studying in classes 1 to 8 may be promoted to the next class/grade. This advisory is being issued in consultation with NCERT.

2. For classes 9 and 11: It has come to our notice that though several schools affiliated to CBSE have completed their examination, evaluation and promotion process for students who were studying in grades 9 and 11 in the 2019-20 academic session, there are several schools that have not been able to do so. This includes among others, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, State/UT government schools, private schools, schools located in India and abroad, etc. All such schools are advised to promote students of grades 9 and 11 to the next grades on the basis of all the school-based assessments including project work, periodic tests, term exams, etc. conducted so far.

For any child who is unable to clear this internal process, (in any number of subjects), the school may utilise this period for providing remedial interventions, and school may give the opportunity of appearing in school-based test/s, online or offline. The promotion of such children may be decided on the basis of such tests.

3. Schedule for class 10 and 12 board exams: With regard to rescheduling board examinations for classes 10 and 12, it is informed that at this stage it is difficult for the Board to decide and announce the new schedule for examinations. However, it is informed that any decision that the board will take with regard to the conduct of examinations will be taken by undertaking extensive consultation with higher education authorities and by keeping all aspects related to entrance exams, admissions dates, etc. in mind. In this context, it is further informed that the Board will give notice of about 10 days to all stakeholders before starting the Board examinations.

4.Subjects for Board exams: It is informed that the Board was not able to conduct exams on 8examination days due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Further, due to the law and order situation in North East Delhi District, the board was not able to conduct exams on 4examination days, while a very small number of students from and around this District were not able to appear in exams on 6 examination days. Considering the extraordinary circumstances, the Board has been forced to review its policy in this regard.

Under ordinary circumstances, the Board would not have hesitated to conduct all examinations that could not be held after 18th March 2020 or are postponed for other reasons. But in the present situation, the Board has decided as follows:

The Board will conduct examinations for only main subjects that will be required for promotion and may be crucial for admissions in higher educational institutions.

For the rest of the subjects, the Board will not hold examinations; the instructions for marking/assessment in all such cases shall be separately issued by the Board.

Therefore, as and when the Board is in a position to hold examinations, it shall hold examinations only for the following 29 subjects:

There are several CBSE schools located in 25 countries. Each of these countries are also under lockdown and/or have decided to close down the schools for various and differential lengths of time.

Under such circumstances, it is felt that the Board will not be in a position to hold a differential set of exams for each of these countries. Also, in the present situation, it will be difficult to bring the answer books to India for evaluation purposes.

Therefore, the Board has decided to not hold any more exams for the students of class 10 and 12 schools located outside India. The system of marking/assessment for the purpose of declaring results will be worked out by the Board shortly and informed to these schools.

6. Evaluation work: Due to the present situation, the Board has not been able to continue its evaluation work. The Board will come out with further instructions for Evaluating in the changed circumstances. These instructions and dates for the restart of evaluation work in various evaluation centres in the country can also not be announced at this stage. However, the Board will give 3-4 days notice to restart the evaluation work, which may be noted by all the Chief Nodal Supervisors, Head Examiners, Evaluators, Coordinators, etc.of Evaluation Centers.

7. Avoid rumours: To avoid being misled by rumours, all stakeholders have hereby informed to only trust the official announcements by the Board that are made on the Boards website. All are requested to check for latest developments only on the Boards website, that is www.cbse.nic.inor its social media as follows:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cbse_hq_1929

Twitter: ttps://twitter.com/@cbseindia29

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbseindia29/8.

Schools to inform all students: All schools are requested to ensure that this information is disseminated to all concerned students by the respective schools.

Though the present set of circumstances are not within the control of the Board, the Board deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to all its stakeholders, and seeks their patience and cooperation in these difficult times, with our assurance that the Board is working constantly behind the scenes to take care of the academic future of its students.
[April 29, 2020] NO MORE And National Domestic Violence Hotline Help Address Spike In Domestic Abuse During The COVID-19 Crisis With Multifaceted Campaign

NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Reports from many cities and countries indicate that the COVID-19 crisis is leading to a significant spike in domestic violence, with several countries and cities citing more than double the usual number of calls to police, hotlines and/or support services. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) is hearing from many survivors how COVID-19 is being used by abusive partners to further control and abuse. In direct response, The NO MORE Foundation (NO MORE) and The Hotline are significantly expanding their recently launched public awareness and action campaign. Entitled #Listeningfromhome and created by MRM, the campaign aims to heighten people's awareness of domestic violence, and encourage them to safely get help if they experience, hear, or observe incidents of domestic abuse. In addition to an expanded social media effort, the campaign will now be included on more than 300 of Lamar's digital billboards in over 50 U.S. markets. In the U.K., in partnership with the U.K. Says NO MORE chapter, the campaign posters will go up in pharmacies and on several billboards across the country, mobilizing key community spaces as places to access information and support. Specifically, people who hear of a loved one or neighbor experiencing domestic violence, are advised to: In the U.S., contact The Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 to get support. In the U.K., find details of local support through the Bright Sky App.

Call the police in case of an emergency

Learn more about all forms of abuse at nomore.org

Donate to The Hotline so they can continue to provide critical, life-saving services for hundreds of thousands of survivors. One in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With many isolating at home to contain the spread of COVID-19, many victims of domestic violence are trapped with their abusers. Any external factors that add stress and financial strain can negatively impact survivors and create circumstances where their safety is further compromised. "These are difficult times for everyone, even more so for victims of domestic abuse," said Ian Dallimore, Lamar Advertising VP of Digital Growth. "The NO MORE message is such an important one during times like these. We are proud to support the efforts of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and to help raise awareness of the horrors of domestic abuse with our digital network." "Like withCOVID-19, the signs of domestic abuse are not always visible. However, now that people are home, they might hear more coming from their neighbors' homes than usual. We want to enlist these people as allies in the effort to stop the epidemic of domestic violencenow, and beyond this immediate crisis," said Pamela Zaballa, Global Executive Director of The NO MORE Foundation.



"Isolation is one of the strongest tactics an abuser can use, so building community around a survivor during COVID-19 is more important than ever before," said Katie Ray-Jones, Chief Executive Officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. "For those who know and care about survivors or for those who observe abuse, you can be a part of their safety plan. Whether you are a survivor or someone who cares about a survivor, the Advocates at The Hotline are here to help you understand the best ways to protect yourself and support those at risk." "This is a moment in time we cannot miss; a moment to activate the nation to get 'Listening from Home' whilst 'Working from Home.' And importantly, to point people towards the resources to help," said Nicky Bullard, Chairwoman and Chief Creative Officer, MRM.

''We know that victims of domestic abuse struggle to access help due to the stalking and control that they experience. We recognise the role that pharmacies play in society and even more so in a time of crisis such as now," said Sandra Gidley, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. "We're committed to encouraging all our members across the UK to be part of the response to domestic abuse, by ensuring we can enable victims to access specialist domestic abuse support services.'' "During this critical time, it is important we check in with family members, friends and neighbours this may impact. Emergency responders are waiting for our calls and can provide the necessary tools to signpost to support. If we all listen for the sounds of violence, we may save a life," said Lyndsey Dearlove, head of UK SAYS NO MORE. About NO MORE: The NO MORE Foundation is dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault by increasing awareness, inspiring action, and fueling culture change. With more than 1,400 allied organizations and over 40 state, local, and international chapters, NO MORE sparks grassroots activism, encouraging everyonewomen and men, youth and adults, from all walks of lifeto be part of the solution. The Foundation creates and provides public awareness campaigns, educational resources and community organizing tools free-of-charge for anyone wanting to stop and prevent violence. First launched in 2013, NO MORE has brought together the largest coalition of advocacy groups, service providers, governmental agencies, major corporations, universities, communities and individuals, all under a common brand and a unifying symbol in support of a world free of violence. About the National Domestic Violence Hotline: For nearly twenty-five years, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has answered the call  over 5.2 million calls, chats and texts to date  from those affected by relationship abuse. As the only 24/7/365 national service provider offering services via call, chat, and text, they work to shine a light on domestic violence by supporting and advocating for survivors, providing hope in times of crisis, and promoting healthy relationships for all. The Hotline works at every level to ensure a future where all relationships are positive, healthy, and free from violence. Advocates provide support through online chat at loveisrespect.org and TheHotline.org, via text by sending loveis to 22522*, and by phone at 1-800-799-SAFE for The Hotline or 1-866-331-9474 for loveisrespect. About Lamar Advertising Company

Founded in 1902, Lamar Advertising Company is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the world, with more than 360,000 displays across the United States and Canada. Lamar offers advertisers a variety of billboard, interstate logo, transit and airport advertising formats, helping both local businesses and national brands reach broad audiences every day. In addition to its more traditional out of home inventory, Lamar is proud to offer its customers the largest network of digital billboards in the United States with over 3,500 displays. Please feel free to explore our website www.lamar.com or contact us at [email protected] for additional information. About MRM: MRM is a leading data science, technology innovation and creatively driven relationship marketing agency that helps brands grow meaningful relationships with people. The agency leverages the power of creativity, the beauty of data, the magic of technology and the impact of connections to drive business results. MRM//McCann is part of the Interpublic Group and a lead agency in the McCann Worldgroup network, with 40-plus offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For information, please visit mrm-mccann.co.uk . MRM Credit List:

Chief Creative Officer/writer - Nicky Bullard

Executive Creative Director - James Thorley

Deputy Creative Director/art director - Jon Wells

Designer - Agatha O'Neill

Account Director  Sarah Tille View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/no-more-and-national-domestic-violence-hotline-help-address-spike-in-domestic-abuse-during-the-covid-19-crisis-with-multifaceted-campaign-301049526.html SOURCE The National Domestic Violence Hotline

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday (April 29) expressed deep shock over the death of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on Tuesday (April 28).

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace, tweeted the Delhi CM.

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted, "Irfan Khan was a versatile actor. Sorry to hear about his demise. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti."

Irfan Khan was a versatile actor. Sorry to hear about his demise. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti  Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 29, 2020

"I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, #IrrfanKhan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace," Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted.

I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, #IrrfanKhan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace.  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 29, 2020

"Saddened to hear about the demise of #IrfanKhan. Versatile Actor - He will be forever cherished as one of the finest actors of Indian Cinema. May he Rest in Peace," tweeted NCP MP Supriya Sule.

Saddened to hear about the demise of #IrfanKhan. Versatile Actor - He will be forever cherished as one of the finest actors of Indian Cinema. May he Rest in Peace  Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) April 29, 2020

Irrfan, as he would like people to call him, was Indian cinema's one of the finest finds who made a mark globally with his acting prowess. He battled neuroendocrine tumour  a deadly rare form of cancer - for nearly two years. The powerhouse performer went to London for treatment.

Irrfan is survived by his wife Sutapa and two sons. Born on January 7, 1966, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Irrfan was born as Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan to a Muslim Pashtun family.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellbox, a population health management company focused on improving outcomes in chronically ill populations, has launched a turnkey remote patient monitoring (RPM) solution to new and existing patient base. The Wellbox RPM solution provides patients with a resource for successfully managing their health from the safety of their own home while providing their care team access to valuable, real-time clinical data.

"This expansion continues the Wellbox mission of driving superior financial and clinical outcomes for patients, practices, and the healthcare system as a whole. Our market leading Chronic Care Solution has shown a 5.6% decrease in total cost of care for its participants. We are confident that the addition of RPM is going to have an even more profound impact on the well-being of our patients," said Patrick Stevenson, VP of Operations.

The Wellbox RPM solution has been purpose-built with patient engagement in mind. It pairs access to an experienced registered nurse with a cell-enabled hub placed directly in the home of the patient. The device is simple for patients to set up and use, featuring a single button interface that connects them to their nurse and allows them to track their health progress. The hub allows the care team to easily gather accurate, timely and consistent clinical data leading to high-quality interactions, interventions, and escalations.

"Our goal has always been to improve the lives of patients and alleviate the financial burden chronic illnesses bring to the healthcare system. With the integration of RPM, we can not only empower our patients to be well but enable their providers to have greater insight into their health," said Nat Findlay, Founder and CEO of Wellbox. "The ability to offer RPM in such a critical time helps keep patients healthy and safe in the convenience of their homes."

For more information or to reach a Wellbox representative please visit www.wellbox.care.

About Wellbox

Wellbox is a population health management company that provides comprehensive preventative and remote care management solutions to high-risk, high-cost populations. By leveraging experienced registered nurses and cutting-edge technologies, Wellbox works with chronically ill patients and their healthcare providers to enable healthier, happier and longer lives while decreasing the financial burden of chronic illness to the healthcare system. Visit www.wellbox.care to learn more.

SOURCE Wellbox

Related Links

http://www.wellbox.care


General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has questioned the locus of Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, who is urging the public not to discredit the work of medical experts leading the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.



Johnson Asiedu Nketia said he [Kojo] leading the communication of a specialised medical team is problematic.



Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah telling us not to discredit medical experts; Are you [Kojo] a surgeon? he stated while reacting to the issue on Asempa FM Tuesday.



Mr Oppong-Nkrumah made the call to clarify some controversies over the national testing capacity and projection figures for pre-peak scenarios.



Many, including social and political commentators, have accused the government of massaging the figures for political points.



But Mr Oppong-Nkrumah said these experts, including professors; virologists, epidemiologists, laboratory technicians, clinicians, among others, deserve encouragement and support instead of condemnation.



The Information Minister added that, casting a slur on the reputation of these individuals and their institutions is harmful to their reputation and the national image.





However, Mr Nketia vehemently disagreed with Mr Oppong-Nkrumahs position arguing that, they have the right to ask questions to clear their doubts. He stressed that, the controversy about the testing is self-inflicted since the person leading the governments communication is not a medical expert.



General Mosquito, as he is popularly called, advised the government to replace Mr Oppong- Nkrumah with a medical expert if they want the public to believe the information about COVID-19.

Source: adomonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ministers must urgently help return non-UK nationals stranded abroad who have British residency, including frontline NHS staff, Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy has demanded.

In an update to MPs, the Foreign Office minister Nigel Adams said 1.3 million British nationals had returned to the UK since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, with an estimated 50,000 people remaining stranded overseas.

While the majority have returned via commercial flights, Mr Adams said the Foreign Office had brought back 19,000 people on 93 charter flights from 20 different countries and territories across the world.

In response, Ms Nandy, who was recently appointed shadow foreign secretary, pressed the minister on what support was being provided to non-UK nationals who had spent many years living and working in Britain.

How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Show all 6 1 /6 How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Milan, Italy REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities North Jakarta, Indonesia REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Jakarta, Indonesia REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Venice, Italy REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities New Delhi, India REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Islamabad, Pakistan REUTERS

Many that Im in touch with are extremely vulnerable, she said. Others are NHS workers who are desperate to get back to the frontline. But some of them have been told that they are at the back of the queue while others have been told to contact other countries embassies for help.

Now we were recently shamed by the treatment of those who made Britain their home and have lived and worked here for decades and we mustn't allow this to happen again, so I hope he'll take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to those non-UK nationals and guarantee them the same rights to return home.

Responding to her comments, Mr Adams said: "We are indeed prioritising British nationals on these repatriation flights, that's our first priority. Those that are vulnerable and those that face the greatest risk, this might be because a country doesn't have a health service that's comparable to the NHS.

"But we always do our best to consider making space available for others where there are, not least those who are, as (Ms Nandy) mentions key workers, in particular NHS, where we can, where possible."

The shadow foreign secretary also raised concerns about there being no accurate assessment of the number of UK nationals stranded abroad due to covid-19, and criticised the government for being frustratingly slow in organising charter flights.

Our best estimate at the moment is around 50,000 people and hopefully by the end of the today we will have passed the returned of 20,000 British nationals on the charter flights, Mr Adams said. Its tricky collecting the data, he added. I wont pretend that its not but I can assure her that when we do have that informational, we will keep [her] updated."
CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines, and what to watch as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep most of America on lockdown. On today's show, CNBC's Scott Cohn takes a look at the funding crisis now hitting many colleges and universities, as the pandemic keeps campuses closed and threatens enrollment numbers.



Here are the other top stories we're watching:

Alphabet stock rises on 13% revenue growth

Alphabet's revenue growth rate slowed to 13% in the quarter from 17% one quarter earlier, according to a statement. Advertising still makes up the vast majority of Alphabet's total revenue, at 82%. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected $2.81 billion in first-quarter cloud revenue, and analysts polled by StreetAccount had expected $4.14 billion in revenue for the quarter. Alphabet disclosed cloud and YouTube advertising revenue for the first time last quarter. Javier Soltero, Google's vice president and general manager of G Suite, told CNBC earlier this month that the Google Meet video-calling service included in G Suite was getting 25 times more use than it did in January.

Quest Diagnostics rolls out direct-to-consumer coronavirus antibody tests
Flagler ACE program offers 3 online courses risk free

St. Augustine, Fla. - Flagler College Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) program courses are designed to be interesting and stimulating while fostering knowledge sharing and relationship building in the community.

St. Augustine, Fla. - Flagler College Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) program courses are designed to be interesting and stimulating while fostering knowledge sharing and relationship building in the community. On-campus classes are on hiatus for now, but learning, personal growth and professional development can continue online.

To help individuals venture into online learning, the Flagler ACE program recently launched three free online, self-paced courses available to the public. These courses are offered in cooperation with ACE program partner, MindEdge Learning.

People staying safe at home are eager to continue growing and exploring, said Jorge Herrera, ACE program director. These three courses provide an opportunity to try out online learning risk free, and to share their experiences and shared interests with our learning community.

On May 1, registration opens for the Personal Creativity course. Through tools and exercises drawn from Adrian Brown's book, Creativity & Innovation, this course seeks to help unlock the creativity within individuals. Participants learn to tap into their personal creativity and apply it to organizational challenges. Remember, running a household can be as challenging as running a business.

Introduction to Critical Thinking was released in April and Creativity in Teams and Organizations follows in June. All three courses will remain available through Aug. 31. Those who complete all three free courses have just one remaining to earn a Certificate in Creativity and innovation. The course, titled Innovation in Teams and Organizations, is only $79.

In addition to this complimentary selection, more than 40 other online courses are available. Registration fees range from $20 to $129 per course and professionals with certificates or licenses can earn continuing education units, or CEUs.

To register for online courses, go to www.Flagler.edu/adulted/oasc or for more information, email continuingeducation@flagler.edu. Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FCAdultEd.

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Change of command at Operation UNIFIER

Caption A member of Op UNIFIER instructs an Armed Forces of Ukraine soldier on proper room breaching techniques during training at Combat Training Centre  Shiroky Lan on March 12, 2020.

With the swipe of a pen, a new team is now running Operation UNIFIER.

On April 28, in a unique ceremony that ensured all appropriate social distancing precautions were observed, command of Canadas military mission in Ukraine transferred from Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Jeffrey Toope to Lieutenant-Colonel Ryan Stimpson.

Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the usual pomp and ceremony was replaced by a low-key Transfer of Command Authority certificate signing event, with only a few people present. However, LCol Toope remarked that doesnt lessen the incredible accomplishments of the outgoing members of Joint Task Force-Ukraine (JTF-U).

Caption An Op UNIFIER mentor works with members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a platoon exercise at Combat Training Centre  Shiroky Lan on March 12, 2020.

I want to thank all of you for being true military professionals, said LCol Toope. Your work will see lasting, long-term change in Ukraine. You should be proud of your accomplishments here.

In addition to continuing the work of past rotations of personnel on Op UNIFIER, those accomplishments include: graduating the first NATO-compatible Intermediate Leadership Course for non-commissioned officers (NCOs); using mobile training teams to increase mentoring and advising capabilities at various locations in Ukraine; and the first move of larger JTF-U training elements to Combat Training Centre  Shirokiy Lan, outside of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, for brigade-level training.

Caption A member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fires a 50-cal rifle during range training at Combat Training Centre  Shiroky Lan on March 13, 2020. Members of Op UNIFIER are mentors and advisors to the instructors working on the range.

In recent weeks, personnel were also dealing with the fall-out from COVID-19. LCol Toope said how members dealt with that made him incredibly proud to be their commander. Serving your country overseas is not easy at the best of times, he said. And with the home front now in danger, it certainly does not make being away easier. So thank you for being brave, persevering and getting the job done.

As the new commander of JTF-U, LCol Stimpson said he and his team are looking forward to continuing the mission of advising and mentoring the Security Forces of Ukraine (SFU) as they move toward NATO compatibility.

Caption A member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fires a 50-cal rifle during range training at Combat Training Centre  Shiroky Lan on March 13, 2020. Members of Op UNIFIER are mentors and advisors to the instructors working on the range.

The Security Forces of Ukraine have made great strides in strengthening and growing their force as they move toward NATO interoperability, said LCol Stimpson. Although our mentoring and advising is currently paused due to COVID-19, the 60 members in theatre will maintain essential and mission-critical activities in the Joint Operations Area. ROTO 9 looks forward to furthering our relationship with the SFU and returning to business as soon as conditions permit.

Because of the evolving situation with COVID-19, the number of personnel on Op UNIFIER was reduced from 200 to 60. For those members who remain in Ukraine, reasonable measures are being taken to mitigate the risk and preserve operational capabilities, so that the task force can return to fulfilling its mission to provide advice and assistance to the training systems of the SFU to support Ukraine in its efforts to maintain sovereignty, security, and stability.
Over 80% of chemicals used to make pharmaceuticals sold in Europe originate from China or India, according to the European Fine Chemicals Group. When COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan and spread across the globe, experts worried about disruption of the drug supply chain. Now, nations are rethinking their dependence on other countries for pharmaceutical ingredients and finished drugs, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

In February 2020, as quarantines went into effect to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus, many chemical plants across China were forced to close or operate with a reduced workforce for weeks. However, the disruption has had surprisingly little effect so far on the production and shipment of pharmaceuticals, Senior Editor Rick Mullin writes. This is mainly because most manufacturers keep emergency stocks of ingredients to compensate for slowed deliveries. However, the months ahead could test the drug supply chain as inventories of backup supplies dwindle. This situation has forced leaders in the U.S. and Europe to consider rebalancing the pharmaceutical chemical supply chain.

In the U.S., legislation is being introduced to reduce reliance on foreign countries for life-saving ingredients. A bipartisan bill, the Strengthening America's Supply Chain and National Security Act, would require drug companies to provide more information on their active pharmaceutical ingredient supply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But strong incentives could be needed to lure outsourced pharmaceutical manufacturing companies away from China, where production is much cheaper. The European Fine Chemicals Group has introduced a proposal that, among other measures, would invest in the development of green chemistry technologies to help re-establish pharmaceutical chemical production in Europe. Although the pandemic is unlikely to cause immediate, dramatic shifts in chemical supply lines, COVID-19 has raised public awareness of the importance of having adequate supplies of pharmaceutical chemicals as a matter of national security, experts say.

The article, "COVID-19 is reshaping the pharmaceutical supply chain," is available here.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS' mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder and STN), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS' main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda



Sonowal on Wednesday condoled the death of Irrfan Khan, one of the most versatile actors of Indian cinema, and said he was "beyond excellence".

"My tribute to one of the finest actors, who has left a legacy and a great void," Sonowal said in a tweet with a picture of the National Award winning actor.

"An actor beyond excellence, Irrfan Khan will be missed by all of us. Rest in peace... ," he added.

Khan, one of India's finest and most versatile actors as well as a known name in Hollywood, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday at the age of 54.

Fans and followers across Assam mourned the demise of the actor and expressed their shock on the social media platforms.

Many turned the loss as "personal" and said "Indian cinema will never be the same again with this irreparable loss".

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma too condoled Khan's demise by terming him as a "superfine" artiste.

"Salaam Irrfan Khan! Like millions of your admirers, I'm also shocked. What an incredible life you lead - despite being from Hindi Medium, you enthralled audiences across the world with your Hollywood appearances.

"With you, we've lost a superfine artist. You were a true Warrior," Sarma tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five residents of Gulab Ghosi Masjid locality here in the city were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly attacking a team of policemen and health workers, visiting the area for tracing people who had come in contact of a COVID-19 patient earlier, said officials.

Besides arresting five persons, the police have also detained ten others and are ascertaining their roles in attacking the corona warriors and damaging public property, said Kanpur (West) Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar.

Kumar said police have booked ten identified miscreants and 50 other unidentified ones for committing various offences under Indian Penal Code and other penal laws in the incident, which occurred early on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in Gulab Ghosi Masjid area under Bajaria police station of the city, where a team of police personnel and medical workers had gone for contact-tracing for a COVID-19 patient.

"Trouble began when nine first contacts of a COVID-19 patient were taken for an institutional quarantine centre for isolation. As the spread in the locality, people began thronging the area and tried to attack the health workers, said Kumar.

But with the medicare workers already having left the scene by then, the mob vented its fury against policemen, still present in the area, and attacked and injured some of them, he said.

"As many as five persons were already arrested for attacking police. We have detained 10 more people suspected to have attacked the police and attempted to vandalise public property, he said.

"Security has been beefed up with additional deployment of police personnel and Provincial Armed Constabulary and the situation is under control," said District Magistrate Brahmdeo Ram Tiwari.

"The investigation is underway to find who all instigated the attack and are involved in damaging public property, the DM said.

Kanpur has reported 207 COVID-19 cases till date. As many as four COVID-19-related deaths have occurred in the district, while 17 patients have recovered from the fatal infection and been discharged.

The count of active cases in the district stands at 186.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With 97% of the US population currently under a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order, this could be the best time for spring cleaning and small renovation projects, but for home sellers, its not a good time to sell. COVID-19 has put the residential real estate market on pause. Home-buying platform Haus estimates a 35% to 45% drop in home sales over the next three months, and as much as a 50% drop in single-family building permits for the rest of the year.

our models suggest the housing market recovery is likely to take the form of a flying W, with an initial sharp drop this spring, a noticeable rebound in the summer followed by another dip in the fall, and finally, a stable road to recovery by spring 2021, Haus chief economist Ralph McLaughlin wrote.

Since the start of the pandemic, new home listings have witnessed a steep drop.

Zillow reported that the number of newly listed homes during the first week of April was down 27% compared to the same time a year ago. The effects were more dramatic in certain areas such as New York City, where new listings were down nearly 57% year-over-year.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), home sales were down by around 9% in March. But even that is an optimistic figure since many of those sales represent contracts closed earlier in the year.

NAR's chief economist, Lawrence Yun, agrees with McLaughlin. He told CNBC in an interview that home sales could drop by as much as 40% in the coming months.

Mortgages are definitely cheaper, but it is also harder to get one.

While the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has fallen to a new low of 3.43%, lending is getting stricter. JPMorgan Chase, the countrys largest lender by assets, has raised its borrowing standards, for instance. According to the amended rules, customers applying for a new mortgage will need a credit score of at least 700 and will be required to make a down payment equal to 20%. Several nonbank lenders are also raising minimum credit scores for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans.

Wells Fargo, the nations largest mortgage lender by volume, temporarily suspended its purchasing of nonconforming loans from correspondent sellers.

As a result, the nationwide volume of mortgage applications for loans used to purchase homes was down 24% compared with a year ago. At the same time, the volume of refinancing applications was 168% higher than a year ago.

As for prices, no one predicts big losses for home values in line with the financial crisis a decade ago when home values fell as much as 50% and the US housing market lost nearly $9 trillion by 2010.

Related: Pandemic Puts Final Nail In Brick-And-Mortar Coffin

During the pandemic, there is clearly no panic selling, despite the uncertainty in the overall economy.

In early March, median list prices were up 4.4% annually on average, but in early April they were up just under 1%. That represents the slowest growth in seven years.

The fact remains, were still seeing a housing shortage, which means that sellers are still likely to win in a scenario in which they manage to sell at all. In fact, 2020 could see record-high gains.

I project the national median home price to increase 1.3% for the year, though there will be local market variations and the upper-end market will likely experience a reduction in homes price, Yun said.

Even Fannie Mae is on board with this. Despite slipping demand for housing and a massive jump in unemployment, Fannie Mae predicts that home prices will continue to grow throughout 2020 and 2021, estimating that median new home prices will increase from $321,000 in 2019 to $326,000 in 2020, further hitting $330,000 in 2021. And for existing homes, the prediction holds true as well, eyeing an increase from $272,000 in 2019 to $275,000 this year and $279,000 next year.

Thats despite its prediction that total home sales could slip by up to $14.7 in 2020.

By Charles Benavidez for Safehaven.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-AIr cast gathered together and had a reunion for the finale of Will Smith's Snapchat show.

Entitled Will At Home the show sees the superstar video-conference with various guests as he self-isolates in his house with his family.

Tatyana Ali, Alfonso RIbiero, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Karyn Parsons, Janet Hubert and Joseph Marcell will all be featured on the two-part finale.

Getting the band back together: The Fresh Prince Of Bel-AIr cast gathered together and had a reunion for the finale of Will Smith's Snapchat show

What a lineup: Tatyana Ali, Alfonso RIbiero, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Karyn Parsons, Janet Hubert and Joseph Marcell will all be featured on the two-part finale

James Avery of the original main cast died aged 68 in 2013 of complications after open heart surgery, so there will be an homage to him on Will's Snapchat finale.

The two parts of the finale will drop this Wednesday and Thursday and in preview clips Will can be seen reminiscing with his old cast-mates.

Will recalled that it was because of Alfonso's advice that he decided to use his real name Will Smith for his character on the program.

It was such a deep insight that you had,' said Will. 'You said: "Because people are going to call you that for the rest of your life."'

Outreach: Entitled Will At Home the show sees the superstar video-conference with various guests as he self-isolates in his house with his family

Counsel: Will recalled that it was because of Alfonso's advice that he decided to use his real name Will Smith for his character on the program

Meanwhile: DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will looked back with a laugh on the famous handshake they greeted each other with on the show

Meanwhile DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will looked back with a laugh on the famous handshake they greeted each other with on the show.

'Any of you have a problem feeling stuck in the world expecting you to be your character?' Will asked his guests.

'I got really, really annoyed that everybody wanted to do the handshake,' said Jeff prompting a huge laugh from Will.

The way they were: 'I got really, really annoyed that everybody wanted to do the handshake,' said Jeff prompting a huge laugh from Will; the pair are seen in a 1990s publicity shot

A dream of a duo: Will and Alfonso are pictured on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

'You would see in people's eyes when they were about to sneak the handshake and I would just grab their hand and hold it, so besides that I'm good,' Jeff shared.

Will's guests have ranged from supermodel Tyra Banks to Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases.

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air ran for 148 episodes across six seasons on NBC from 1990 through 1996 and turned Will into a major star.

Throwback: Karyn, James, Will, Alfonso and Tatyana are pictured with Daphne Maxwell Reid who replaced Janet in the role of Vivian

Dearly departed: James Avery, pictured on the show with Will, died aged 68 in 2013, so there will be an homage to him on Will's Snapchat finale

Janet starred as James' wife for the first three seasons after which Daphne Maxwell Reid stepped into the role for the rest of the series.

Amid a string of retro sitcom reboots Will categorically told E! News in 2016 that The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air would be revived 'pretty close to when hell freezes over.'

Tatyana was asked about a potential reunion on Good Morning America this past December and said: 'Oh, you know, I would be down to do it. I know some other cast members might be,' prompting a round of applause.

'But I don't know. I have no idea if anything like that is happening,' she clarified, adding that 'I would totally work with everybody everyday again. We love each other. We still do. I mean, it was so much fun.'

Rise: The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air ran for 148 episodes across six seasons on NBC from 1990 through 1996 and turned Will into a major star
"Powerful, inspired, inspiring, measured. Cometh the hour. Cometh the man. How lucky we are to have your leadership."

This is just one of hundreds of emails sent to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar by members of the public in the aftermath of his St Patrick's Day 'state of the nation' address to the country.

New records show that Mr Varadkar received 530 emails in the hours after the address and the following two days.

A record-breaking 1.6 million watched the broadcast.

A memo to Government has since warned that the next phase of the Coronavirus crisis has the potential to be "far more divisive".

However, copies of the first 100 emails sent to the Taoiseach after his St Patrick's Day address show that the vast majority of the emails were laudatory as the country braced itself for a number of weeks of lockdown in response to Covid-19.

One person who emailed at 9.26pm on St Patrick's night wrote to Mr Varadkar with the subject line 'Statemanship'.

Shivers

The emailer wrote: "Dear Taoiseach, what a powerful St Patrick's Day message to our nation. Such calm words of comfort and restraint.

"Sent shivers down my spine reminding me of Churchill declaring war on Germany."

The theme continued with another emailer writing to say: "Hi Leo, your speech tonight was absolutely superb. Well done. It made me proud to be Irish and brought a tear to my eye.

"You are playing an absolute blinder leading us through this crisis. Thank you for all your hard work and perseverance."

Another emailer wrote to the Taoiseach at 9.35pm, saying: "I have always felt so proud to be Irish, but tonight that pride went to new heights while listening to your speech."

The emailer stated: "You were certain and assured and instilled a sense of calm and order. Your words were so carefully chosen to rally us and inspire each other in this challenging time here in Ireland.

"Thank you for your leadership, intelligent understanding of this frightening situation and for your compassion for humanity."
An infuriating new brainteaser challenges you to find the golden coin hidden in an image full of piggy banks.

The busy image, created by UK-brand Raisin, sees piggy banks in various shades of pink piled on top of one another.

And although there appears to be limited amount of space to search, it may not be as easy as it seems on first glance to find the missing cash.

Only the very best puzzlers will be able to uncover the tiny gold coin from the pile of piggy banks.

Scroll down for the answer... but no cheating!

This puzzle (pictured), created by UK-brand Raisin, sees piggy banks in various shades of pink piled on top of one another to conceal a golden coin

The tricky puzzle isn't easy to solve, with the piggy banks appearing almost identical and the tiny gold coin tucked expertly away in the scene.

However, patient players may be able to spot the hidden cash if they concentrate on looking between each of the piggy banks.

Those still searching for a hint may want to browse the lower right hand side of the image.

Or if you're really struggling, you can find the answer below, circled in red.

Have you managed to find the sought-after coin in the graphic? If you're struggling, you can find the answer above, circled in red

Elsewhere a puzzle challenges you to find the eight hidden good luck symbols hidden in this patch of clover.

They include eight symbols of good luck from cultures all around the world, including a four-leafed clover, a lucky cat, a wishbone, a number 8, a four-leaf clover, an acorn, an upside down horseshoe, a lucky cat, a ladybird and jade.

In Germany, ladybirds are associated with good luck and are known as 'Glueckskaefers'  which means 'lucky bugs'.

Scroll down for the answer...

An infuriating new brainteaser challenges you to find the eight hidden good luck symbols hidden in this clover-packed backdrop. They include eight symbols of good luck from cultures all around the world, including a four-leafed clover, a lucky cat, a wishbone, a number 8, a four-leaf clover, an acorn, an upside down horseshoe, a lucky cat, a ladybird and jade

The four-leafed clover is said to communicate 'God's grace', the lucky cat is a Chinese symbol of fortune, while norse mythology advises that acorns, also hidden within the puzzle, can shield houses from lightning.

The puzzle was created by UK online lotto betting company Lottoland, whose spokesperson said: 'Luck is a very mysterious thing  does it really exist?

'Cultures from all over the world put great stock in it, and many people believe it's possible to be luckier than others.

'Our winners definitely believe that luck was on their side. 'If you can find all eight your luck's clearly in, and maybe it's an opportunity to bet on one of the major draws available at Lottoland including the Irish Lotto, Mini Lotto and Lotto Plus.'

Answers: 1. Wishbone 2. Number 8 3. 4 leaf clover 4. Acorn 5. Upside down horseshoe 6. Lucky Cat 7. Ladybird 8. Jade

This comes after British retirement homes Audley Villages released a quiz that will help transport some players to brighter BBQ days in the sunshine.

The scene shows a delicious spread of BBQ classics including sausages, kebabs and burgers - as well as a hidden single slice of halloumi.

Audley Villages created the puzzle after conducting research into the best ways to keep your mind active during quarantine.

Scroll down for the answer... but no cheating!

The scene shows a delicious spread of BBQ classics including sausages, kebabs and burgers - as well as a single slice of halloumi. Can you find the cheese?

One of the recommended activities for boosting brain functions is painting and playing music is one of the simplest ways to boost brain health.

Psychologist Dr Rachel M Allan explained: 'Playing a musical instrument utilises fine motor skills, requires following patterns, drawing from memory and engaging with multi-sensory feedback.

'It draws on many different high-level brain functions at the same time, which strengthens connections between different regions of the brain.'

Even the most eagle-eyed players will struggle to spot the cheese tucked away in the scene. The answer shows how it can just be seen peeking out from underneath a plate of berries

Elsewhere, as explorers are forced to halt their travel plans because of the ongoing global health pandemic, a tricky new brainteaser is sparking nostalgia for sunny beach days.

Created by British airline Jet2, players are challenged to spot skis hiding among a sandy shoreline filled with red and white deckchairs.

According to the illustrators, the tricky puzzle has stumped many and no one has been able to find the hidden items in less than 28 seconds.

As people eagerly anticipate their next escape - could you be the fastest to solve the holiday themed brainteaser?

Scroll down for reveal

Jet2 has stumped the internet with a tricky brainteaser (pictured), challenging players to spot the skis hidden among the deckchairs

While most people are familiar with skis, trying to find the essential snow slope accessories can be a battle - with similar looking items surrounding them.

If you're struggling to find the hidden skis, try looking towards the crowd of deckchairs in the bottom left of the graphic.

Jet2 who specialise in low-cost travel, designed the brainteaser to keep people entertained, while awaiting their next getaway.

The 3rd largest registered airline in the UK, Jet2 operates to top ski destinations giving direct access to over 600 of the best ski resorts in Europe.
Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC) on Wednesday said it has found oil reserves in a well it drilled in a block 150-km off the Mumbai coast, boosting output prospects from the acreage by 60 per cent to 8,000 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas per day.

HOEC had previously found oil in the very first well it drilled on B-80 block which it had won in a Discovered Small Fields (DSF) bid round.

"We are delighted to report that in D-1 well, production test was carried out over a period of 3 days. D-1 produced significantly more oil during the flow test, compared to first well D-2 test results announced by us on February 24, 2020," the firm said in a statement.

In a telephonic interview with PTI, its CEO P Elango said the company was earlier expecting an output of 5,000 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas per day which has after the second well been upgraded to 8,000 boepd.

The output includes 5,000 barrels of oil per day and 20 million cubic feet per day of natural gas.

"We have reduced operating cost to help breakeven even during the current low oil price scenario," he said adding operating cost which was about USD 50,000 per day has been cut by 20 per cent.

The company is planning to begin output from the block by December. "We will begin work to hook up production pipeline to an ONGC facility post-monsoon in October and hope to complete work by December," he said.

HOEC has so far invested USD 45 million in the block that sits in water depths of 80 meters.

"We plan to leverage the low price environment in oil field services sector to bring down the overall costs. We are determined to continue the momentum and complete the project to deliver the first oil and gas from both the wells as and when the current situation improves," he said.

Block MB/OSDSF/B80/2016 or B-80 is spread over 56 square kilometers area in western offshore and was awarded under the First DSF Bid Round 2016 on March 27, 2017.

HOEC is the operator of this field with 50 per cent Participating Interest. Adbhoot Estates holds the remaining interest.

The Field Development Plan consists of drilling of two subsea wells to produce oil and gas, which will be processed through a Mobile Off-shore Processing Unit (MOPU). The processed oil will be exported through a Single Point Mooring with a Floating Storage & Offloading (FSO) unit having a capacity to store about 9,00,000 barrels and the gas will be delivered to Gujarat gas market by tapping into an existing gas pipeline system of ONGC.

MOPU project is completed and is ready fora sail out from the Middle East and has a capacity to handle 10,000 barrels of oil per day, he said.

"Under the terms of the Revenue Sharing Contract (RSC), the oil and gas produced from this Block enjoys marketing and pricing freedom and is expected to fetch a premium price in the growing gas market in Gujarat, partly being met by imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the world contends with this COVID-19 pandemic, we are winning the fight against Ebola in the second biggest outbreak the world has ever seen. But the battle is far from over.

The tenth Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is incredibly complex. It has been unfolding in a region affected by a two-decades-long armed conflict that has claimed countless lives, depriving millions of the most basic services. Now, this coronavirus.

At least 2200 have died from 3450 Ebola cases since the outbreak started in August 2018. After 52 days of no new cases, the epidemic was about to be declared officially over, when a new cluster of infections emerged in the town of Beni.

Volunteers get into protective clothing while dealing with multiple outbreaks in the Congo. Credit:Red Cross

A woman died from the disease on April 20. Her death is devastating for the local communities and highlights the importance of ongoing vigilance, long after cases seem to have disappeared.
Universities could be forced to sack thousands of lecturers should China follow through on threats to punish Australia for criticising its handling of coronavirus.

The Centre for Independent Studies, a free market think tank, last year warned Australia's universities could collapse if fewer Chinese students enrolled.

Almost four in 10 international students in Australia are from China, providing employment for the nation's 53,800 university lecturers and tutors as part of a $12billion-a-year export industry.

Australia's first federal lower house MP of Chinese heritage warned a China boycott of Australian exports would have decade-long consequences for living standards.

Universities could be forced to sack thousands of lecturers should China follow through on threats to punish Australia for criticising its handling of coronavirus. The Centre for Independent Studies, a free market think tank, last year warned Australia's universities could collapse if fewer Chinese students enrolled. Pictured are Chinese students at Australian National University in Canberra

Chinese students make up 68.8 per cent of international enrolments at the University of New South Wales and two-thirds, or 66.7 per cent, of foreigners studying abroad at the University of Sydney, a CIS analysis found.

Cheng Jingye, China's ambassador in Canberra, has this week threatened to discourage Chinese consumers from buying Australian goods and services.

He took exception to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne's call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated at a Wuhan wet market.

China is by far Australia's biggest education export market, with their demand worth $12.095billion in the 2018-19 financial year, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data showed.

Put another way, Chinese international students make up one-third of Australia's education export sector.

By value, education is Australia's third biggest export to China, after commodities iron ore, coal and natural gas.

Hong Kong-born former federal Liberal MP Michael Johnson said a Chinese boycott of Australian products would be economically devastating for many years.

'Any decision by Beijing to encourage its people to disengage with the broad Australian economy, including education, including travel, including food and beverages like wine, would have a decade-long, profound impact on our living standards,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

A Chinese boycott of Australian universities would leave a $12billion hole in the economy as coronavirus causes the worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. Pictured are students entering the University of New South Wales campus at Kensington in Sydney's south-east

The former member for Ryan in Brisbane's west criticised his former Liberal colleagues, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, for using megaphone diplomacy to chastise China.

'If I was the Prime Minister or if I was in government, my advice as a colleague of the Prime Minister would be to exert the big stick in private,' Mr Johnson said.

'I would personally be counselling the Prime Minister to put the trumpet aside, put the megaphone aside and leave the China card to backroom diplomacy.'

Michael Shoebridge, the director of national security with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, said 'Ambassador Cheng's threat is real' as China used 'belligerent behaviour' to threaten any nation that questioned its handling of COVID-19.

Cheng Jingye (pictured), China's ambassador in Canberra, has this week threatened to discourage Chinese consumers from buying Australian goods and services. He took exception to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne's call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated at a Wuhan wet market

'He is telling us that the Chinese government will use its control over information inside China to stoke consumer outrage against Australia,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'The Chinese government is also able to put bureaucratic restrictions around travel and study abroad to give effect to its threats.'

Conversely Tim Harcourt, a trade economist with the University of New South Wales who previously worked for Austrade, said previous diplomatic tensions with China had not affected the trade relationship.

'In many cases, trade has probably accelerated basically because of demand and supply between the two nations regardless of any headlines,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Hong Kong-born former federal Liberal MP Michael Johnson (pictured in 2010) said a Chinese boycott of Australian products would 'have a decade-long, profound impact on our living standards'

China is by far Australia's biggest education export market, with their demand worth $12.095billion in the 2018-19 financial year, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data showed

'It would hurt China more than it would hurt Australia.'

Mr Cheng told The Australian Financial Review this week China could punish Australia economically for putting pressure on it over its handling of COVID-19.

'The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here,' he said.

'It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'

The Centre for Independent Studies, a free market think tank, last year warned Australia's universities could collapse if fewer Chinese students enrolled
Get clear on what you need  and what you want

A lot of the things we think of as essential  cable subscriptions, gym memberships, birthday gifts, date nights, that evening glass of wine  are starting to look optional in the face of a global pandemic and economic recession.

Kara Perez, the founder of Bravely Go, a financial education company based in Austin, Texas, suggested that people who have extra time these days use it to go through their credit card statements and separate necessary expenses from the optional ones. Its so powerful to just look at the numbers and look at what you were doing, Ms. Perez said.

For people who have lost their jobs or are in financial crisis, they might find themselves in the painful position of having to trim necessities. There are these tried-and-true pieces of advice like cancel cable, but the question for most people who really have to cut back is, Well, I already wasnt spending on cable, so what is next? Ms. Perez said. She suggested that if youre in that situation, consider cutting any other extras: alcohol, Netflix, name-brand grocery items.

Dont be afraid to ask (and then ask again)

When it comes to expenses you cant cut out completely, like housing, utilities, internet, phone bills, insurance and debt payments, try to negotiate. Mr. Sethi suggests calling your service providers, pointing out that youve been a loyal customer (if you can). Tell them youre having trouble affording your usual payments and ask for options.

The results are amazing, said Mr. Sethi, who has heard from a handful of readers who have successfully negotiated for reduced payments since the crisis began. These companies want to make sure that they collect what they can and keep you as a happy customer, he added.

Just make sure you ask if there will be any interest or finance charges youll have to pay later. Mr. Mecham says its worth trying to lower every single one of your bills. Theres a lot of room for negotiating in this environment. Every single bill can be negotiated  you just have to call and ask.

Make a plan and act

Mr. Sethi recommends acting as soon as possible, even if you dont have all the answers. You cant wait for your boss to tell you whats going to happen with your job, you cant wait for some politician to tell you about the economy, you have to acknowledge whats going on, make a plan and move.
Photo: Jeremy Thompson/Flickr

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Boston. Tripadvisor cuts 900 positions, permanently closes Boston office Read the full story on Boston.com. Schools could require masks, one-way hallways, classroom lunches when reopening in the fall Read the full story on 7News - WHDH Boston. Nearly every Massachusetts coronavirus patient with an underlying condition has died, data shows Read the full story on 7News - WHDH Boston. Massachusetts native, BU alum drafted by Boston Pride at No. 1 overall Read the full story on WCVB. Boston front-line hospital workers face warlike trauma Read the full story on Boston Herald. 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 Needham-based company's cuts include more than 600 layoffs in the United States and Canada, and the permanent closure of its Boston office, as the pandemic cripples the travel industry.

With classes canceled for the rest of the year because of the coronavirus, Massachusetts school officials are considering how to reopen in the fall.

Data from deaths following completed investigations indicate 98.1% (1,289) of people who died after contracting the disease had an underlying condition.

Sammy Davis, of Pembroke, was taken with the first pick of the 2020 NWHL draft by her hometown team.
Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max smartphones in India last month, but it didnt launch these in China. Now the company is said to be planning to launch the Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G phones in China with 5G support since the company will be focusing only on 5G models for the Chinese market.

The Redmi M2004J7AC and M2004J7BC models with 22.5W and 33W fast charge adapter got 3C certification earlier this week, and these phones are said to be Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro.

Even a Google search for Redmi Note 10 shows hits of the existence of the phone even though the link redirects to Mi Note 10.

MediaTek Dimensity 800+ on May 7th?

In the other news, MediaTek has scheduled an event in China on May 7th to introduce its new Dimensity chip. This is said to Dimensity 800+ along with the Dimensity 800 that was introduced earlier this year, and it already powers the OPPO A92s. The Dimensity 800+ is said to clocked at 2.6 GHz compared to 2GHz Dimensity 800, and it should also come with a faster GPU. The Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro are rumoured to be powered by Dimensity 800 and Dimensity+ chipsets, respectively.

We should know more details about the phones and the chips in the coming weeks.

Source 1, 2 | Via
As some areas in the United States start to witness a flattening curve of new coronavirus cases, Starbucks has announced plans to begin reopening stores across the country.

The coffee giant told investors today that it will begin reopening U.S. cafes for to-go service beginning in May, and by early June, Starbucks expects to reopen 90% of its company-run U.S. locations.

In a press release posted April 29, the company shared new social distancing procedures as stores begin opening on May 4, including converting entryways into pickup windows, requiring baristas to wear face masks at all times, pre-shift temperature checks for baristas and floor markers to space out customers waiting in line.

Download the TODAY app for the latest coverage on the coronavirus outbreak.

And on April 16, in an open letter to employees, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said the company will be transitioning into a new phase best described as monitor and adapt.

This means every community will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and people and businesses in that community will begin to adapt, Johnson wrote.

Starbucks is resilient. Today we shared how well gradually expand & shift in-store customer experiences based on a clear decision-making framework. As weve done in China, well monitor & adapt, support our communities & take care of one another. https://t.co/btJbEjGd3r pic.twitter.com/Eydi70gKUH  Kevin Johnson (@Kevin_Johnson) April 16, 2020

The company has gone through a similar transition in China, where the number of new COVID-19 cases per day has dropped drastically in recent weeks. Currently, over 95% of all Starbucks stores have reopened in China, according to the company.

As was the case in China, this means we will gradually expand and shift the customer experiences we enable in our stores, Johnson wrote.

Story continues

For example, some Starbucks stores will continue as drive-thru only, others may utilize the mobile ordering experience for contactless pickup and delivery and others may reopen for to-go ordering. As we experienced in China, this will be a journey and we are thoughtfully preparing for this next phase as we adapt in the U.S. he continued.

Since March 16, many Starbucks locations have been serving customers via drive-thru. (Connor Surdi / Starbucks)

On March 21, Starbucks closed the lobbies in all of its company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada and moved to a drive-thru and delivery-only model in an effort to help combat the global health crisis. The company also pledged to do more to keep its employees safe.

While this model remained in place for more than the originally announced two weeks, the company said this new phase will begin early next month.

Food

Beginning May 4, we will re-open as many stores as we can with modified operations and best in class safety measures, and intend for any partner who is healthy and well to come back to work, Rossann Williams, the company's executive vice president, said in a statement released on April 16.

As states begin to relax their stay-at-home orders and more communities prepare to reopen, we will need to get our stores back up and running, wherever it is safe and responsible to do so, so we can keep every partner employed and be a light for our communities through this next phase of rebuilding and recovery, she said.

Starting May 3, however, employees will no longer be paid if they do not show up to work their assigned schedules. However, during this transitional period, the coffee giant plans to extend service pay through the end of next month, which gives an additional $3 per hour to employees who are healthy and come back to work. Starbucks will also extend catastrophe pay for those who have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19 so they can remain isolated.

In Johnsons letter, he explained there are dozens of factors that will help inform the chain's decisions, but they are primarily focusing on four main issues: the local status of the public health crisis, guidance from health and government officials, community sentiment and store operational readiness.
She is one of the most famous celebrity interviewers in America.

But even Katie Couric admits that she's had her share of awkward moments when sitting down to talk to famous people on camera.

On this week's Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino podcast, the former NBC anchor revealed she'd been left 'feeling kind of shaken' after a difficult interview with Denzel Washington in 2004.

Revelation: Katie Couric recalled an awkward interview she did with Denzel Washington which left her 'feeling kind of shaken' on this week's Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino podcast

Couric, 63, explained that she interviewed the Hollywood star along with Meryl Streep and director Jonathan Demme for a piece for Dateline on their remake of the film The Manchurian Candidate.

'He's one of my favorite actor, but I remember walking out feeling kind of shaken that he had gone after me in a way that was completely weirdly uncalled for,' she said on the podcast.

'I just remember leaving it and thinking, 'I dont think I said anything wrong  I dont know what happened,'' she added.

'Anyway, I think he must have been having a really bad day, because he later wrote a big check to my colon cancer organization, which I thought was super sweet.'

Movie plug: Couric, 63, explained she interviewed the Hollywood star along with Meryl Streep and director Jonathan Demme for a Dateline piece on their remake The Manchurian Candidate

Unsettling: 'I just remember leaving it and thinking, 'I dont know what happened,' she said of the interview. 'I remember walking out feeling kind of shaken that he had gone after me in a way that was completely weirdly uncalled for'

The Manchurian Candidate is a political and psychological thriller about a congressman running to be vice president who is controlled by a global corporation.

According to PageSix.com, the conversation between Couric and Washington went downhill after she asked him if he agreed that 'Hollywood folks should stick to acting'.

He responded tersely: 'I dont know what Hollywood folks are, first of all.'

'Hollywood is a town that has some stars on the sidewalk. I dont know anybody from there..... Im not a Hollywood folk. I dont know who they are.'

Couric then tries to rephrase her question asking, 'are you one of those people that....' at which point the Oscar-winning actor jumps in to interrupt with, 'Ah, there you go. Am I one of those people? Hmmm, isnt that interesting?'

Am I one of those people? No, Im not,' he told her.

Couric countered by saying, 'No, are you an actor who would rather not...'

'No, Im not that either,' Washington interjected. 'Im a human being. My job is acting.'

A representative for Washington told PageSix.com the star has no comment.
Improvement in profitability and outperformance against the industry can be important characteristics in a stock for some investors. Below, I will assess Red Star Macalline Group Corporation Ltd.'s (SEHK:1528) track record on a high level, to give you some insight into how the company has been performing against its historical trend and its industry peers.

Check out our latest analysis for Red Star Macalline Group

Did 1528 perform better than its track record and industry?

1528's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 December 2019) of CN4.5b has increased by 0.05% 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 4.0%, indicating the rate at which 1528 is growing has slowed down. To understand what's happening, let's look at what's occurring with margins and whether the whole industry is experiencing the hit as well.

SEHK:1528 Income Statement April 28th 2020

In terms of returns from investment, Red Star Macalline Group has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 9.6% instead. However, its return on assets (ROA) of 4.8% exceeds the HK Real Estate industry of 2.9%, indicating Red Star Macalline Group has used its assets more efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Red Star Macalline Groups debt level, has increased over the past 3 years from 5.8% to 6.4%.

What does this mean?

Though Red Star Macalline Group's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. While Red Star Macalline Group has a good historical track record with positive growth and profitability, there's no certainty that this will extrapolate into the future. I suggest you continue to research Red Star Macalline Group to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at:

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 1528s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 1528s outlook. Financial Health: Are 1528s 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 31 December 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.
NEWTOWN  A Stamford man was arrested over the weekend and charged in connection with a 2018 home invasion on Meadow Brook Road.

Logan Buckner was arrested on an outstanding warrant for home invasion, first-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit home invasion charges following a Saturday night traffic stop in Danbury.

Danbury police pulled the 21-year-old over at the intersection of Beaver and Spring streets for a stop sign violation and discovered he had an outstanding arrest warrant out of Newtown.

The warrant stemmed from a years-long Newtown police investigation into a complaint of an armed robbery at a Meadow Brook Road residence back in October 2018.

This was a very extensive years-long investigation on what would be best described as a planned robbery, drug deal gone bad, said Lt. Aaron Bahamonde.

Police said the robbery victim was struck in the head with the butt of a gun but was not seriously injured.

This investigation involved multiple search warrants of phone records and other physical evidence records, Bahamonde said.

Buckner was one of three suspects and warrants were obtained for all of their arrests.

One of the suspects was a juvenile, and the other suspect  who has yet to be charged  is being held in a New York correctional facility on drug and gun-related charges, according to police.

Buckner was taken into Newtown police custody early Sunday morning and held on $250,000 bond. His arraignment was scheduled for Monday at state Superior Court in Waterbury.

Last April, Buckner was arrested by Connecticut State Police and charged with first-degree larceny, third-degree larceny and conspiracy for a 2018 incident on Ball Pond Road in New Fairfield.
Hyderabad, April 29 : A 23-day-old was among 13 children who have recovered from Covid-19 in Telangana on Wednesday.

The infant from Mahabubnagar district was discharged from state-run Gandhi Hospital, the state's nodal centre for Covid-19 patients.

Carrying the tiny tot in her arms, the mother was seen walking out of the hospital. The hospital staff gave a warm send-off to the youngest Covid-19 patient and other children by presenting them balloons and toys.

Health Minister Eatala Rajender expressed happiness over recovery of the 23-day-old, said to be the youngest Covid-19 patient in the country.

The 13 children were among 32 patients discharged in Telangana on Wednesday while the state recorded only seven new cases.

This was the third straight day in a row that Telangana reported new cases in single digit. With this the total number of cases rose to 1,016.

The number of recoveries has also moved to 409. The fatalities stand at 25.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
(TNS)  Due to the coronavirus outbreaks impact on ballot-casting last month, one nonprofit is providing guidance on how to vote by mail ahead of this falls general election.MassVOTE published a policy brief this week analyzing four issues surrounding voting by mail - including accessibility, cost, infrastructure and security - and highlighted best practices states being used by states across the country.The nonprofit group has sent the eight-page brief to the commonwealths 200 state legislators and more than 5,000 of their supporters, according to a statement from the organization.Our main goal with this policy brief is to not only educate folks, but to dispel many myths around vote-by-mail, Alex Psilakis, MassVOTE policy and communications manager, said in the statement. Everyone, from legislators to voters, has heard a lot about vote-by-mail over the past few weeks. Yet what they have actually heard - and what vote-by-mail can actually look like - varies dramatically."Beacon Hill lawmakers introduced a bill earlier this month that would allow early voting by mail before the September state primary and the November general election if the current state of emergency is still in effect. Ballots would need to be received by ones town clerk before polls close on Election Day.U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, who is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, has also been advocating to allow residents to vote by mail in the wake of the outbreak and asked the state Legislature to pass a vote-by-mail bill for Election Day.In a video conference Tuesday with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, he and the prosecutor expressed the need for the alternative ballot-casting option during the COVID-19 public health crisis.No one should have to chose between their health and the right to vote, he tweeted. We need vote by mail.MassVOTEs announcement comes several weeks after the Wisconsin presidential primary, where voting mishaps were aplenty due to the ongoing pandemic.Thousands of absentee ballots went uncounted. Hundreds of polling locations closed. Other spots that remained open severely lacked election officials and personal protective equipment, according to the groups brief, titled "Bracing Our Elections for COVID-19: Understanding Vote-By-Mail and How It Can Thrive In Massachusetts.In the end, many voters faced an unacceptable choice - wait in line for hours and put their health and the health of those around them at risk, or stay at home and lose the opportunity to make their voice heard, the brief said.After the states primary was held, 40 people who either went out to vote or were working at polling locations tested positive for the viral respiratory infection,reported. It is unclear, though, if they contracted the virus during the primary as several patients reported other possible exposures.MassVOTE is working to ensure the September primary and November general election can be safely held in-person, Psilakis said, adding that transmission of the coronavirus during Wisconsins election is concerning.Its only proof that we need to reform our elections," Psilakis told. We dont want this to be going on in September or November, but we want to be ready. If theyre right about a second wave in the winter, we want to be ready.To avoid a repeat of Wisconsin, MassVOTE said, Massachusetts must implement a vote-by-mail system. Five states - Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington - already have the option available, though the process differs state to state, particularly during primary elections.In Washington, unenrolled voters receive one ballot in which they can vote for a single party during a primary, while in Colorado, residents get ballots from both the Democratic and Republican parties but can send only one back, MassVOTE noted.The organization urged Massachusetts to adopt Utahs model, where voters affiliated with either party automatically receive by-mail primary ballots, and unenrolled voters get a letter giving them the option to request either partys ballot, according to MassVOTE.The group also recommended that the commonwealth provide pre-paid envelopes so voters can return their ballots. The state should extend the voter return deadline for the general election as well, MassVOTE said.To implement voting by mail, Massachusetts needs a slew of technologies and security measures, according to the groups brief. These include high-speed sorting equipment and scanners, signature verification systems and 24/7 video surveillance of ballot processing centers.MassVOTE noted the commonwealth can balance the public health concerns that have ramped up due to the pandemic with worries about electoral integrity.Preserving public health is of the utmost importance right now. But this goes hand-in-hand with ensuring our fall elections take place in a safe, secure manner, and ensuring everyones voice is heard at the ballot box," Psilakis said. Massachusetts can and must implement vote-by-mail in time for the fall elections.
Parliaments next plenary session, due on Sunday, will see MPs discuss a raft of new legislation

On 25 April Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the plenary sessions scheduled on Sunday will focus on helping the government fight the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, and include discussions of a new batch of financial and economic laws.

Abdel-Aal added that he had asked the ministers of health and education to come to parliament to answer MPs questions.

Sami Hashem, head of the Education Committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Minister of Education Tarek Shawki had been invited to attend a meeting next week to discuss school exams and the beginning of the new school year.

We will also discuss the research students in primary and preparatory schools are now required to prepare and send online to replace the end-of-year exams, said Hashem. MPs have received a lot of questions from constituents that we hope Education Minister Shawki will answer.

Hashem believes that is now possible that schools and universities will open in September.

All the signs are that the state is opting to reduce the social distancing measures imposed mid-March, which means the school year is unlikely to be postponed beyond September, said Hashem.

The Education Ministry is also facing pressure to intervene to reach a middle ground between schools and parents on school fees.

A lot of parents have written to the committee demanding the Education Ministry press schools to cut fees next year to compensate for the cancellation of the school year in the middle of March as part of anti-coronavirus measures, said Hashem.

Mohamed Al-Amari, head of parliaments Health Committee, told the Weekly that Minister of Health Hala Zayed is also expected to come to parliament next week to discuss the problems facing doctors working in quarantine hospitals.

On 22 April MPs approved amendments to Law 137/1958 which aim to give the Health Ministry greater powers to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

I joined with 60 other MPs to propose amendments to articles 25 and 26, and to add three new articles to the law on the prevention of epidemic diseases, said Al-Amari.

The changes will allow the health minister to make it obligatory for citizens to wear face masks and follow other protective measures outside their homes, with a fine ranging between LE300 to LE5,000 for non-compliance.

The changes will also grant health authorities greater powers in determining how to handle the bodies of victims of epidemics.

The proposed changes will stipulate that the bodies of victims be dealt with in a manner that prevents the spread of any epidemic while respecting the dignity of the dead and religious and social traditions, said Al-Amari. Anyone found guilty of contravening the rules pertaining to the burial of those who succumb to infectious diseases, or who block or postpone burial procedures, will face a fine of up to LE10,000.

Hussein Eissa, head of parliaments Budget and Planning Committee, revealed committee members are discussing the new state budget and development plans for fiscal year 2020-21 after the ministers of finance and planning addressed MPs on 21 April.

We will hold a series of hearing meetings on the budget and development plans next week. MPs are keen to see how the new budget meets the needs of the health sector in light of the outbreak of the coronavirus, said Eissa.

Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait told MPs last week that Egypt hopes to overcome the economic difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic soon.

Maait said that the outbreak hit Egypt at a time when the country was moving towards building a strong economy capable of absorbing shocks and winning the confidence of international institutions and investors.

The first half of fiscal year 2019-20 saw GDP grow by 5.6 per cent, the highest in Egypts history, Maait told MPs.

We also reduced the unemployment rate to eight per cent, secured a budget surplus of LE40.4 billion and increased public investments by 23 per cent, said Maait.

Maait added that though the coronavirus crisis will force changes to the 2020-21 budget it is too early to determine their precise nature, though it is clear greater resources need to be allocated to healthcare and education.

An increase of LE 78.9 billion has been penciled in for healthcare allocations, and LE166.6 billion for the education budget, said the minister.

Planning Minister Hala Al-Said also addressed MPs, indicating that in the face of the coronavirus crisis an extra LE100 billion had been allocated to support the tourism and industry sectors, stimulate the stock market and help seasonal workers.

Al-Said said the global recession caused by the crisis could see a 60 per cent drop in tourism revenues and falls in overseas remittances, exports, and Suez Canal revenues. Al-Said said the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic had forced the government to focus on implementing health and social programmes to contain the negative effects of the crisis.

Al-Said said the Planning Ministry had developed two possible scenarios for the developing crisis.

The first scenario is that the virus will be brought under control within three months,

while the second envisages the crisis caused by the virus continuing to the end of 2020.

Regardless of the path the pandemic takes, Al-Said said it is essential that Egypt makes the best of a doleful situation.

There is an opportunity for the industrial sector to exploit the drop in imports and move to fulfil the countrys basic needs and boost Egypts exports to foreign markets, said Al-Said.

She predicted that if the virus continues to wreak havoc until the end of the year, Egypts development plans will take a 30 per cent hit.

In the coming week MPs are also expected to debate a new Unified Tax Procedures Law and take a final vote on the 22-article Central Depository and Registration Law and a four-article law regulating the role of deputy governors.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under headline: United we stand

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Displaced Malians were forced to flee as a fire tore through their makeshift camp in the capital Bamako, destroying tents and reducing the land to ashes.

Nobody was reported killed in the fire, Security Minister Salif Traore told AFP.

The Faladie camp -- little more than a collection of huts resting on a landfill -- was home to more than 1,000 people, most of whom had fled violence in central Mali.

"I had been living there for two years," said Aminata Diallo while looking at the ruins of her hut. She told AFP she had fled her home in central Mali because of war "and again I have lost everything".

Officials said they were not yet sure what started the fire but one survivor said people had been burning rubbish in the landfill.

The Faladie camp was home to more than 1,000 people, most of whom had fled violence in central Mali. By MICHELE CATTANI (AFP)

"People set fire to waste to burn it and with the strong wind today everything caught fire at the end of the morning, it is a disaster," said Ibrahim Maiga, a survivor of the fire.

"We don't know what to do tonight, what to do next," said Ibrahima Sarre, a humanitarian worker at the camp.

Officials promised to find somewhere else for the people to go.

Mali is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that erupted in 2012, and which has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives since.
The toilet paper fully stocked at a supermarket during the corona virus pandemic.

Amphol Thongmueangluang/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

There's going to be a huge surplus of toilet paper soon when consumers stop panic-buying, a supply chain expert said.

The product was one of the first to fly off shelves around the world when the coronavirus outbreak began spreading beyond China.

Toilet paper manufacturers have ramped up production to meet the unprecedented demand, but may be left with a huge supply once customers realize they've got months worth of product stockpiled.

Patrick Penfield, a supply chain management professor at Syracuse University, told Business Insider the glut "will happen  it's just a question of when."

The fear of a potential glut is one of the reasons many factories have been merely operating at capacity, rather than going above capacity to meet unprecedented demand, another supply chain expert told Business Insider.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Video: Why Bidets Are Better Than Buying Toilet Paper

Toilet paper has been slowly creeping back onto store shelves across the country, but will likely experience a major glut once consumers stop panic-buying and stockpiling, a supply chain expert said.

Patrick Penfield, a supply chain management professor at Syracuse University, told Business Insider a large surplus of toilet paper is "absolutely going to happen," possibly around the summertime when demand drops and supply chains stabilize.

"That will happen  it's just a question of when," Penfield said. "If you're a toilet paper manufacturer, you're going to start seeing that. You're going to be like, 'Oh, we don't need to produce any more because the shelves are stocked and nobody's buying them.'"

Toilet paper was one of the first products to undergo massive shortages as the coronavirus spread across the world, panicking shoppers.

Manufacturers have ramped up production to meet the surge in demand, but Penfield said in the coming months that demand will subside and they'll be left with huge quantities of surplus product.

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Cleaning products, other hot commodities that have been flying off the shelves across the country, could see similar, temporary surpluses that will likely give way to another wave of panic-buying in the coming months, Penfield said.

"Toilet paper will be out of the woods  the Lysol wipes, no, I think that's going to happen again," he said.

A sign hangs from empty shelves, prior to California's Governor Gavin Newsom's effective immediately statewide "stay at home order, in the face of the fast-spreading pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19), Safeway supermarket in Napa, California

Reuters

Demand for toilet paper is typically flat, but cleaning products see more cyclical demand as cold and flu seasons approach. Experts are also predicting a second coronavirus wave in the fall or winter, which will likely prompt consumers to once again stockpile household cleaning supplies.

But another supply chain expert, Seckin Ozkul of the University of South Florida, told Business Insider that companies had likely anticipated these scenarios and managed their production accordingly.

The fear of a potential glut is one of the reasons many factories have been merely operating at capacity, rather than going above capacity to meet unprecedented demand, Ozkul said.

"Nobody's going to go open up a new facility, buy new machines, because that is No. 1, too costly, and there's no way to get that back when this demand goes away," he said.

He continued: "Towards the end of April, by mid-May, we should be seeing some of this panic-buying diminishing and people realizing, 'Oh my God, I've got like six months worth of toilet paper and now I can't return these, so I'm gonna have to stop buying.'"

Business Insider
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with supply chain distributors in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 29, 2020.

Executives from Wynn Resorts, Hilton, Toyota North America and Waffle House are among those meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss reopening the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.

The people, who requested anonymity because the list of attendees is not yet public, said other executives will be in attendance as well.

Trump has been soliciting feedback from a wide range of executives on when and how to reopen businesses that have shuttered their doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesman for Toyota confirmed the company's attendance at the meeting Wednesday.

"Toyota announced its intention to ramp up its North American manufacturing operations in May. As a result, Toyota was invited to the White House to be part of a discussion highlighting a group of companies that are ramping up their operations," the spokesman said.

"While we are eager to restart our manufacturing operations, we will do so in compliance with federal health and safety guidelines, and local and state ordinances where our facilities are located. The health and safety of our employees and stakeholders remain a top priority and we have implemented new protocols at all of our North American manufacturing plants to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19."

A spokesman for Hilton said he could "confirm that Hilton representatives are planning to be at the White House today." He directed CNBC to a release earlier this week outlining the chain's plans for an "industry-defining standard of cleanliness and disinfection in Hilton properties around the world."

A spokesperson for Waffle House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The restaurant chain is based in Georgia. It has already begun to reopen hundreds of restaurants in its home state, where GOP Gov. Brian Kemp has called on businesses to restart operations.

"The role we're trying to play right now is to help the country and help ourselves figure out how to deal with the virus being with us for some time and how to get our businesses prepared to provide jobs and opportunities for our people," Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer told CNBC on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Wynn also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The chain earlier told the Las Vegas Review-Journal it is "accepting reservations beginning Memorial Day weekend," by which point the casino-hotel company "can have all of our protective guest and employee measures in place."

Restaurants and hotels have been among the industries hardest hit by the shutdown and will be on the front lines of any plans to reopen. The auto industry has been battered as companies have been forced to stop production in order to protect workers.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration laid out guidelines and timelines for the country to allow employees to start returning to work  but the decision will ultimately be made by state governors.

Vice President Mike Pence said this past Thursday that 16 states had unveiled "formal reopening plans" to lift coronavirus restrictions.

Georgia is among the states that has already begun to open up business, starting with salons, gyms and tattoo parlors and followed by restaurants and movie theaters on Monday.

-- CNBC's Mike Wayland and Amelia Lucas contributed to this report.
Representative image

Bengaluru-based early-stage lending startup Nira has raised $2.1 million in a pre-series A round of funding from a clutch of angel investors from India and Europe, including the United Kingdom.

The startup, which offers small-ticket loans to the working class, will use the funds to expand its team, develop the technology platform and scale up its lending operations, the company said on April 29.

Were delighted to move to the next phase of our journey with this new raise. While we did get offers for funding from a couple of VCs, we decided to stick to our existing investors and take more time to find the right long-term partners, chief executive officer Rohit Sen said.

Founded by Sen and former Goldman Sachs colleague Nupur Gupta in 2018, Nira offers loans of up to Rs 1 lakh for up to a year via its app-based credit line.

In the last 12 months, weve found a good product-market fit, so now we want to build on this strong foundation to scale our business, Sen said.

Nira has many thousands of customers in 100 cities, the company said.

The last couple of years have been tough for fintech lending startups.

With a couple of million dollars in its bank, Nira, which was in the market for funding for some time, can now push for good borrowers in these tough economic conditions.
President of The United States of America, Donald Trump, has promised to send ventilators to Nigeria to help the country in the fight against the Coronavirus disease.

Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, made the announcement during a media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. The minister said that President Trump made the promise during a phone call with President Muhammadu Buhari earlier on Tuesday.
Like in recent weeks, the trend of Michigan having more coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases during the middle of the week is holding true again.

Michigan health officials announced another 103 COVID-19 deaths and 1,137 confirmed cases on Wednesday, April 29. It's the second consecutive day with at least 100 new deaths and 1,000 new cases.

Michigan now has a total of 40,399 confirmed cases and 3,670 deaths.

The trend for new cases can partially be attributed to testing slowing down on the weekends. State data shows a dip of a couple thousand tests on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays in recent weeks.

Testing data is released two days late. There were 6,505 tests done on Monday, April 27  the most recent data available. Of those tests, 12.3% came back positive, marking the fifth consecutive day Michigan is under 15%.

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Detroit eclipsed 1,000 deaths on Wednesday, adding 20 new deaths to its total. The city has 8,957 confirmed cases of the virus.

The disproportionate number of cases in the metro Detroit area is a result of multiple factors, including the large population, more aggressive testing in those counties, proximity to a major airport and community spread of coronavirus, experts say.

Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties remain the three hardest-hit areas in Michigan with 72.0 percent of the total confirmed cases and 81.5 percent of the states deaths from the virus. The trio of Southeast Michigan counties are home to 39 percent of the states residents.

Of Michigan's 83 counties, 78 have at least one confirmed case and 57 have at least one death.

State officials urge residents to look more at weekly trends instead of daily peaks and valleys.

Michigan has an average of 919 cases in the last seven days, an increase from the 844 new cases per day from the week prior. Michigan has 122 new deaths per day in the last week, slightly off from 127 new deaths per day in the seven days prior.

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Michigan is releasing recovery data once per week. So far, 8,342 people have recovered from the virus in the state  meaning they tested positive for COVID-19 at some point, theyre still alive and its been at least 30 days since symptoms began.

Prison inmates with coronavirus are not counted in the county totals, but are separated out into their own category. If the Michigan Department of Corrections were its own county, it would have the sixth-most cases in the state, with its 1,264 confirmed cases.

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Here's a look at the Michigan counties with the most confirmed cases:

1. Wayne County: 16,494 cases (1,727 deaths)

2. Oakland County: 7,159 cases (668 deaths)

3. Macomb County: 5,430 cases (597 deaths)

4. Genesee County: 1,564 cases (180 deaths)

5. Kent County: 1,395 cases (33 deaths)

6. Washtenaw County: 1,049 cases (59 deaths)

7. Saginaw County: 632 cases (56 deaths)

8. Ingham County: 446 cases (10 deaths)

9. Jackson County: 351 cases (19 deaths)

10. Kalamazoo County: 348 cases (12 deaths)

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here

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Ant Middleton has revealed how he managed to separate his home life from past his military career.

Speaking as the Guest Editor for the June edition of Mens Health , the SAS: Who Dares Wins star, 39, admitted he would burn letters from his family in a bid to cope with being away from his loved ones.

The ex-soldier, who displayed his washboard abs in the publication's accompanying images, also shed light on his experience with overcoming negativity after facing backlash for refusing to accept coronavirus as a threat.

Unconventional method: Ant Middleton has revealed how he managed to separate his home life from past his military career for the June edition of Mens Health

Ant joined the British Army aged 17 in 1997 before he served in the Royal Marines from 2005 until 2012.

The media personality has shared the unconventional method he took to stay focused during tense missions.

'When I was in the military and on operations, I wouldnt read any letters from my wife and family. Id burn them', Ant candidly said.

'I didnt need that in my head. I wanted to be totally focused on the job and to do it to my best ability. And then I could get back to them.

'You tackle negativity with positivity' The Who Dares Wins star, 39, also shed light on overcoming negativity after facing backlash for refusing to accept coronavirus as a threat

'I didnt need that in my head': The ex-soldier admitted he would burn letters from his family to cope with being away from them (pictured with his wife and their four kids)

'The best educator is life experience. Im not an intellectual  everything Ive learned has been through action.'

The hardman shares Shyla, 12, Gabriel, 11, Priseis, four and Bligh, three, with his wife of nearly 14 years, Emilie, and an older son from a previous relationship.

Stressing the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, he said: 'When I do my work, I am 100% work. When Im being a husband, I am 100% a husband. It allows me to be the best me. When Im away from the family, I see it as a short-term sacrifice.'

Last month, the Mutiny captain sparked outrage for announcing he's refusing to accept COVID-19 as a threat before the UK's lockdown was introduced in the fight against the growing pandemic, which has currently claimed over 26,000 lives in the UK alone.

Happy family: The hardman shares Shyla, 12, Gabriel, 11, Priseis, four and Bligh, three, with his wife of nearly 14 years, Emilie, and an older son from a previous relationship (pictured)

'The best educator is life experience': The media personality joined the British Army aged 17 in 1997 before he served in the Royal Marines from 2005 until 2012

Controversial: Last month, the Mutiny captain sparked outrage for announcing he's refusing to accept COVID-19 as a threat before the UK's lockdown was introduced

In an Instagram post, the adventurer said: 'Am I still out travelling the world? Yes. Am I still shaking hands? Yes. Am I still cuddling fans at the airport? Yes. Am I washing my hands and keeping my hygiene to a high standard as always? Yes.

'Has my life changed? No. Am I going to let some disease, COVID-19, dictate my life? Absolutely not. Get out there, dont change, F**k COVID-19!'

The TV star has since spoken about battling negative comments, insisting he tackles criticism with 'positivity'.

He told the publication: 'When an unfavourable situation comes along, you cant counter negativity with negativity. Its a double negative. Its simple science. Youll end up one way very quickly, and thats down.

'Youll end up one way very quickly, and thats down': The TV star has since spoken about battling negative comments, insisting he tackles criticism with 'positivity'

'You have to tackle negativity with positivity, whether thats a situation or a person. And if you cant deal with it, you need to cut it out of your life. Because, otherwise, its just going to engulf you.'

On owning up to his mistakes, Ant elaborated: 'Mistakes happen, and we all make them. Whats important, though, is that you own your mistakes  acknowledge them, instead of running away from them.

Available: The full interview appears in the June issue of Mens Health, on sale now

'You need to learn from the mistakes you make in your life. By doing that, you can emerge from the situation and harness it to make yourself a better version of you for the future.

'Its important to push your fears. But remember, they are individual to you. Do not compare yourself to other people. Dont let anyone or anything else define who you are.'

TV's tough guy has been vocal about his thoughts on mental resilience - the ability to cope with an issue and return to a pre-crisis state.

On the significance of the method, he said: 'Society wants you in a box. Were more closed off than ever. Were not free! But we can be. I know what I am and Im happy. Mental resilience means being happy with who you are.

'Risk is growth. Failure is growth. Everyone should keep testing themselves. Ive tested myself multiple times, to the point of near-death.'

The full interview appears in the June issue of Mens Health, on sale now.




Former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to the report that the federal government has requested for some of his bank statements.

The request was reported to have been made by Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation, to help an ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as it concerns investigations on some individuals reportedly involved in the Process & Industrial Developments Ltd gas deal.

Naija News understands the bank statements of some other people including former First Lady, Patience Jonathan; former ministers of petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Rilwanu Lukman.

However, in his reaction, Jonathan in a statement signed by Ikechukwu Eze, his spokesman says he is surprised by the action taken by the federal government, adding that he has no accounts or property abroad that warrants investigation.

Our attention has been drawn to international media reports to the effect that the Federal Government of Nigeria has subpoenaed bank records for former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan in the United States of America, the statement read.

The statement also disclosed that neither Jonathan nor his wife was contacted by the government before a subpoena was issued for the investigation.

We aver that the Federal Government of Nigeria did not contact Dr Jonathan or his wife before issuing these subpoenas. If they had, we would have advised them of the fact that you cannot subpoena what does not exist.

Eze, however, noted that his principal and his wife are always ready to collaborate with government investigation as they have nothing to hide, adding that the P&ID contract was signed before the Jonathan administration.

We are confident in stating that between that time and now, nothing has changed with regards to Dr Goodluck Jonathan. He has no accounts in the United States of America and encourages US authorities to cooperate fully with the Federal Government of Nigerias subpoena.

We would also like to state that during his tenure as President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan extended every courtesy to former Presidents and Heads of state because he believed and still believes that promoting, projecting and protecting Nigerias sovereignty and the image is the paramount duty of her government because it is not possible to belittle Nigerians without belittling Nigeria.

He added that the Jonathan administration gave appropriate counsel to the incoming government in the handover notes of 2015, which advice if carried out, would have prevented the current unfortunate circumstances.

Naija News recalls Nigeria has been in a running international legal battle over the controversial P&ID gas project.

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Some 42% of people working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic have received suspicious emails during the UK lockdown. (Getty)

Almost half of UK employees working from home during the coronavirus pandemic have been the victim of cybercrime, according to a new survey.

Some 42% of people working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic have received suspicious emails and 18% have tackled a security breach since lockdown began, according to the research by cybersecurity firm SentryBay.

A further 49% of workers feel vulnerable due to the insecurity of the devices they are using, such as corporate laptops and PCs.

Clearly measures have been put in place, but they have not been sufficient, said Dave Waterson, CEO of SentryBay.

Cyber criminals look for the easiest way to steal sensitive corporate data, and accessing a corporate network remotely from a compromised, unmanaged device is the softest route. The device is often the weakest link in the security chain, and data has shown that it is where 70% of breaches originate, so enterprises need to wake up.

READ MORE: Campaign launched to tackle online coronavirus scammers

The most common type of cyber attack, experienced by more than half the 1,550 survey respondents, came from clicking on a malicious web link. A further 11% believed it was from an infected attachment.

The threat of cybercrime for remote workers is likely to grow even once lockdown restrictions are lifted.

The survey found two thirds of people wanted to spend at least some of their week working from home in the future.

Waterson said companies needed to improve their anti-virus software to protect virtual private networks from further breaches.

The news comes as police warned of scammers targeting supermarket shoppers with scam emails and WhatsApp messages promising free vouchers.

Links embedded in these messages take customers to fake websites were personal financial data is stolen.
A silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud blanketing our economy and social life is that Australians are showing high levels of compassion and empathy, new research shows.

West Australian researchers from Edith Cowan University are partway through a major survey of all Australians and have shared preliminary results revealing people are showing high levels of concern for others  and not just their friends and family.

Early results show people are almost equally concerned about strangers doing it tough as they are about family. Credit:AAP

Shane Rogers, who is collaborating with health researcher Travis Cruickshank on the study, said a recent piece in The Conversation presented data about attitudes and said people were concerned people might be more selfish, but our data isnt showing that.

The survey asks behavioural questions about people's experience of the past month. One asks respondents to rank how concerned they are about the welfare of other people both close to them, and in general.
- Source: Getty Images

29.04.2020 LISTEN

To manage the COVID-19 pandemic, be it from a personal, national or global perspective, we rely on a constant stream of information. A plethora of dashboards have appeared globally that convey information on the number of people tested, those who are positive, the number of deaths and those who have recovered. This information is constantly being updated and forms the basis on which individuals and governments make important decisions. Everything concerning the pandemic, however, appears to be open to interpretation .

Managing life in the era of COVID-19 is not trivial, from having to cope on a personal level with long periods of isolation during lockdown, to governments making critical decisions at a national level, and the World Health Organisation providing guidance at a global level. The jury is still out as to how many people might be infected. Lockdown certainly appears to flatten the curve , but will the area under the curve  the total number of people infected  remain the same over time? We will get a better picture of the true incidence of infection as widespread testing for both the virus and the host response (testing for anti-viral antibodies) become the norm.

Many other questions remain to be answered. Will we be immune to the virus once infected? Will this be seasonal or is COVID-19 here to stay? When will a vaccine be ready?

As we seek information to guide our own understanding and decisions, we are constantly encouraged to consult reliable sources and to stay away from social media. What is a reliable source? Can we believe our political leaders? Are governments coming clean? And could the scientific models we are being asked to believe in fact be misleading?

The recognition that the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by an equally alarming infodemic has added a level of complexity to the situation. What are the consequences of this avalanche of information?

Misinformation is one consequence  one which may affect public trust in the medical profession and in scientific research. This in turn complicates an already difficult task, since it may lead to some people clutching at relatively accessible solutions instead of going for testing and medical treatment. Proposing  and accepting  untried and seemingly miraculous cures may hamper the medical management of patients with COVID-19, and may in fact be dangerous, even fatal.

Misinformation creates fear and confusion. It also causes stress, anxiety and depression.

The sheer magnitude of the infodemic is overwhelming, and potentially harmful, as it interferes with the management of the disease. It is also taking up time and energy from people who could be contributing in a more positive way.

Read more: Debunking 9 popular myths doing the rounds in Africa about the coronavirus

The drivers

A healthy debate is necessary for the resolution of important matters pertaining to COVID-19. But it is equally important to understand the drivers behind the intentional creation and dissemination of misinformation.

Genuine differences in beliefs and understanding may result in the motivation to develop and test alternative hypotheses, which may appear as apparent misinformation.

Insecurity and fear are themselves powerful drivers, as is the need to exploit insecurity and fear in others to gain control and power. One might even include deep-seated psychological issues as possible drivers. And the idea that gaining a substantial following on social media may lead to material wealth is also plausible.

Misinformation may be aimed at undermining the credibility of people in positions of responsibility, often for political gain. (Mis)Information often exists in a parallel universe inhabited by people who propagate conspiracy theories that implicate the deep state in the design, manipulation and even the origin of COVID-19. This universe also derides the drive towards the development of a vaccine, implicating big pharma and corporate greed as the major drivers.

The power of the collective  as is evident, for example, on social media  is not always constructive, and may, in many instances, lead to harm.

Two particular examples stand out. The first has been confusion sown around the origin of the virus . Some have gone so far as to suggest that it had a synthetic origin  that the virus was manufactured and released into the population, intentionally or unintentionally. This has been countered with evidence supporting a higher probability of its natural origin (wet markets, bats or pangolins).

Read more: Scientists are still searching for the source of COVID-19: why it matters

Likewise, the argument that 5G is responsible for COVID-19.

These debates will continue to create confusion as long as important matters concerning the origin of the virus and its spread remain unresolved.

Read more: Why 5G conspiracy theories prosper during the coronavirus pandemic

Good and bad science

One of the defining characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic is the remarkable speed at which medical and scientific research are being conducted to find a solution. But there is good science and bad science, and the collective voice calling for the maintenance of sound scientific principles and integrity in presenting research findings, is growing stronger every day .

Many hypotheses are being explored and until reliable data has been generated, it is irresponsible to speak of matters as a fait accompli. Not only do researchers have a responsibility to the people whose lives depend on finding solutions, but scientific evidence that is inaccurate may divert substantial time and resources.

At present, important matters are being disclosed and discussed without the quality-assuring scrutiny of peer review . Trying to clarify the validity of the claims and prevent the spread of misinformation utilises resources that could be better spent elsewhere.

To counter the negative effects of misinformation, governments, institutions and social media platforms have passed legislation and introduced policies and checking systems to weed out harmful information and sanction the perpetrators. But this isn't enough.

Our communities depend on us as doctors and scientists to help them find the answers that will save lives and livelihoods. Our responsibilities lie in finding accurate and plausible scientific answers. They also lie in communicating them clearly, and in ensuring that information is not misrepresented or misunderstood.

Michael Sean Pepper receives funding from the South African Medical Research Council, the National Research Foundation and the University of Pretoria

Stephanie Burton receives funding from the University of Pretoria.

By Michael Sean Pepper, Director, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine & SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research & Therapy, University of Pretoria And

Stephanie Burton, Professor in Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, and Professor at Future Africa, University of Pretoria
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 00:21:23|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday condemned some U.S. congressmen for interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs at large.

A spokesperson of the office said in a statement that those congressmen made unwarranted remarks on Hong Kong affairs in an open letter, distorting the Basic Law, condoning anti-China forces and undermining the rule of law in Hong Kong, and even calling for implementing the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

The spokesperson said their remarks were blatant interference in Hong Kong affairs, which are purely China's internal affairs.

The congressmen turned a blind eye to the illegal assembly of Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee and their ilk, and mentioned nothing about Hong Kong opposition lawmakers' abuses of power to paralyze the Legislative Council with a "burn with us" mentality, the spokesperson said.

On the contrary, they openly endorsed anti-China forces, distorted the Basic Law in a bid to deny the Chinese central government's overall jurisdiction, and even accused the central government of eroding the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong and violating the Basic Law, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the motive of the U.S. congressmen is to turn Hong Kong into an independent or semi-independent political entity, and play Hong Kong as a card to impede China's development, stressing that some external forces, including some U.S. politicians, are the fundamental threat to the well-being of Hong Kong people, the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and China's sovereignty and security.

In meddling with other countries' internal affairs by using domestic law such as the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and threatening sanctions, the anti-China forces in the United States have trampled international law and basic norms governing international relations, and seriously hurt the vital interests of all Hong Kong people, as well as the interests of international stakeholders in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.

The Chinese government is firmly committed to upholding national sovereignty, security and development interests, to implementing the "one country, two systems" policy, and to opposing any external interference in Hong Kong affairs.

Should the United States insist on meddling with Hong Kong affairs and undermining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability by implementing the relevant act, China will definitely take resolute countermeasures, the spokesperson added. Enditem
Swisher County Judge Harold Keeter signed an extension to the countys shelter-in-place order that is scheduled to expire on May 14 at 11:59 p.m.

On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a plan to reopen the state in phases with the first phase to start Friday. The order states that certain businesses  including restaurants, movie theaters and malls -- can reopen at limited capacity on Friday. The order mandates those businesses cannot exceed 25-percent capacity.

Abbott also said he anticipates the second phase to begin as soon as May 18.

A few hours later, the Swisher County Commissioners voted to extend the countys disaster order to May 14.

According to the order released through the Swisher County Emergency Management Facebook page, the extension was done because of the risk of the rapid spreads of the virus, the need to protect the most vulnerable members of the community, as well as maintaining self-isolation practices for the county.

The order also stated that this Order is based on evidence of increasing occurrence of COVID-19 within the County and throughout the Texas Panhandle area.

A couple counties over, Lamb County Judge Mike DeLoach issued a news release about the countys reopening procedures on Tuesday morning.

Business owners will now have the option, based on what they are comfortable with, to open at either 50% or 25% of their approved occupancy, starting May 1st, DeLoach said in the news release.

Lamb County qualifies for businesses reopening due to the small number of cases of COVID-19, according to the news release. As of Monday, the county has three total cases with just one of those cases still being active.

Case counts have flattened in many places across the region, though some places are still seeing significant increases. Lubbocks numbers have increased minimally over the last few days.

The Amarillo Public Health Department is up to 587 cases, 396 in Potter County and 191 in Randall County through Monday. Potter has 346 active cases and Randall has 142 for a total of 488. These numbers indicate an increase of 82 cases since Sunday.

The City of Lubbock surpassed 500 total cases of COVID-19 with five more cases announced on Monday.

Lubbock announced 504 total cases of the virus, 289 of which are still active. According to the citys latest numbers, 172 individuals have recovered from the virus and 43 have died. Those numbers change daily.

Lubbock also extended the county Disaster Declaration to May 30.

No new information was released for Floyd and Castro Counties as of Tuesday morning. There are three confirmed cases in Floyd and 13 in Castro.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Many scenarios can still happen after the first wave of COVID-19 infections, including a second surge of the fast-spreading disease, if the Philippines becomes complacent in its fight.

Dr. Jomar Rabajante, a mathematics professor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Banos, said on Wednesday that the government must prepare for its next measures should it decide to lift the enhanced community quarantine or ECQ in parts of Luzon on May 15.

"We should not be complacent. After that, many scenarios can still happen," Rabajante told CNN Philippines' New Day on Wednesday.

Rabajante was among the experts who participated in the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team study that found that quarantine and other safety measures undertaken by the government were "relatively" successful in containing the spread of the infectious disease, as case doubling time also slowed down.

According to Rabajante, depending on government interventions, there could either be a continuous decline of COVID-19 cases or a second wave of infections slightly lower than the first surge.

"If we go back, lifting the ECQ and [continuing] our epidemic-friendly practices, we can expect a second wave probably a little lower than the previous wave but it will depend on our practices," he said.

"However, if we continue practicing good measures, good behavior, public etiquette, washing our hands, more testing, we might expect a continuous decline or probably a second wave with a peak that is not that higher compared to the first one," Rabajante added.

Citing recommendations of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, Rabajante said the government must ramp up efforts to widen the gap between the outbreak threshold and the actual cases, especially in the National Capital Region which has the highest upsurge of infections.

Local government units must also prepare for any worst-case scenario in the coming weeks.

"We tell LGUs, if you need this number of intensive care units, number of hospital beds, you need to be prepared on that. We should not be complacent in a sense that we are seeing less numbers, but we need to think for the future," Rabajante added.

National Task Force COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Tuesday that the government will aggressively hold a "massive and expanded testing" of suspected COVID-19 cases and frontliners on May 7, prioritizing the NCR, which he claims to be the "center of gravity" of the outbreak.

The government will also do extensive testing under other "red" or high-risk areas not later than May 15.

Galvez added that they are targeting 20,000 tests per day not later than May 15 and 30,000 tests per day by May 30, with a 24-48 hour period of release of results.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced last week that the ECQ in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and other high-risk provinces in Luzon will continue until May 15. The initial lockdown was due to end on April 30.

These other high-risk provinces are Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecijia, Pampanga, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Albay, and Catanduanes.

Meanwhile, all low-risk and moderate-risk areas will be under "general community quarantine" or GCQ until mid-May.

The Philippines has 7,958 COVID-19 cases to date. There are now 530 deaths and 975 recoveries from the infection.
Islamic State blamed for attack on intelligence bureau in Iraq: A militant wearing an explosives-laden vest struck an intelligence bureau in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, wounding at least three security personnel, Iraqi officials said. They blamed the attack on the Islamic State militant group. There was no claim of responsibility by the Islamic State, which was largely defeated in Iraq in 2017 but still maintains sleeper cells to target Iraqi forces. The attack was the first suicide bombing attempt in recent months. Suicide attacks were a hallmark of the militant group, which at the height of its power in 2014 controlled nearly a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria.
Post-coronavirus hotel stays may look a bit different as companies beef up their cleaning efforts and rethink their buffets in a bid to soothe jittery travelers.

Hilton said Monday that it is teaming up with RB - which makes Lysol and Dettol disinfectants - and the Mayo Clinic to develop new cleaning procedures that will be in place by June.

The news follows Marriott's announcement last week that it's creating a cleanliness council to develop new standards. Marriott's council includes infectious disease specialists and an expert from EcoLab, which makes commercial cleaning products.

The companies are also in talks with how to rethink their buffet experience for travelers, with some hotel officials saying buffets could eventually be scrapped.

'Any customer at any price point is accustomed to some kind of buffet,' Phil Cordell, Hilton's global head of new brand development told the Los Angeles Times.

Marriott's announced last week that it's creating a cleanliness council to develop new standards. The company also said that they will 'be serving individual grab-and-go for some time'

Phil Cordell, Hilton's (file image) global head of new brand development, said of buffets: 'I think it's not dead. I think how it's presented and prepared will likely change in a very long-term way

'I think it's not dead. I think how it's presented and prepared will likely change in a very long-term way.'

Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim, told the Times that 'we will be serving individual grab-and-go for some time'.

Kim said once business is booming again, the company 'will likely be exploring partitions, making sure social distancing is practiced in lines and likely using individual servers'.

But Tamara Mims, the president of Four Sisters Inn in Monterey, told the Times that: 'The buffet could potentially go away for good.'

Hospitality companies have been hammered by the new coronavirus. US hotel occupancy is at a historic low, and many hotels worldwide have closed temporarily and furloughed staff.

But as restrictions ease, companies know they need to make guests feel safe.

'There's always been an expectation that it would be clean, but now the clean has a double exclamation point after it,' said Cordell.

Hilton will require franchisees to adopt its new cleaning program, Cordell said. The program will roll out globally to all 6,100 Hilton hotels by the end of May.

Marriott's (file image) council includes infectious disease specialists and an expert from EcoLab, which makes commercial cleaning products

Hilton (file image) said Monday that it's teaming up with RB - which makes Lysol and Dettol disinfectants - and the Mayo Clinic to develop new cleaning procedures that will be in place by June

Cordell said Hilton expects travelers to slowly start returning to its hotels in mid-summer.

In North America, the program will be advertised to consumers as Hilton CleanStay with Lysol.

Cordell said Hilton has always used commercial cleaning products, but thought partnering with a well-known consumer brand like Lysol would emphasize how serious it is about cleaning.

Hilton plans to put a seal on the door of a room that has been cleaned and disinfected, so guests know no one else has entered.

It's doing away with pads of paper and pens in the room, and it will close fitness centers more often to wipe them clean.

Stations with disinfectant wipes will be added throughout hotels.

Meanwhile, Airbnb said it's developing cleaning protocols for its hosts with guidance from former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy and EcoLab

Cordell said Hilton anticipates some things will change over time, like requirements that guests sit further apart in dining rooms. But he thinks the new cleaning protocols are here to stay.

'I don't think it's a short-term thing. I think it's a long-term thing,' Cordell said.

Meanwhile, Airbnb said it's developing cleaning protocols for its hosts with guidance from former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy and EcoLab.

The company said starting in May, guests will be able to see if a host commits to Airbnb's new cleaning protocol, which includes requirements for cleaners to wear masks and use certain disinfectants.

As a precaution, hosts will also be required to observe a 24-hour waiting period before booking new guests in a property.

Airbnb has promised $250million in reimbursements for hosts to help make up for lost business.

Airbnb believes consumers might seek out its shared homes when the virus recedes because they can stay further apart from other guests.

The company says as of late March, reservations at least six months out were trending higher than last year.

But unlike hotels, Airbnb could have a harder time enforcing standards at its seven million listings.

The company said hosts who don't commit to its new cleaning standards can opt for a new feature that will keep their properties empty for longer than 24 hours between stays.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:33:30|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent reached 1,521 as the number of confirmed cases hit 34,915 as of Wednesday, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, a specialized agency of the 55-member African Union (AU) Commission, in its latest situation update issued on Wednesday also revealed the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the continent rose from 31,933 on Tuesday to 34,915 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The virus has so far spread into 52 African countries, it was noted.

The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 11,309 people who have been infected with the COVID-19 have recovered across the continent as of Wednesday, marking about 1,157 new recoveries from the center's previous report of 10,152 on Tuesday afternoon.

The death toll due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the African continent also surged from 1,469 on Tuesday afternoon to 1,521 on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Africa CDC.

Figures from the Africa CDC also showed that amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, the highly COVID-19 affected African countries include Egypt, South Africa, Morocco as well as Algeria.

The Africa CDC also disclosed that the Northern African region is the most affected area across the continent both in terms of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as the number of deaths.

On Monday, the Africa CDC received the third round of medical equipment and supplies donated by the Jack Ma and Alibaba foundations in support of Africa's fight against the spread of COVID-19.

The latest batch of the donation arrived in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa late Monday through an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight.

The third-round donation to Africa from the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation mainly includes 4.6 million masks, 500,000 swabs and test kits, 300 ventilators, 200,000 sets of protective clothing, 200,000 face shields, 2,000 temperature guns, 100 body temperature scanners, and 500,000 pairs of gloves. Enditem
BURLINGTON, Mass., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire  WindESCo , Inc. (WindESCo or the Company), a wind energy performance optimization company, today announces it has closed a $10 million Series B funding round led by WAVE Equity Partners, with participation from an affiliate of Tenaska, Inc. as well as existing investors. Using a combination of wind plant domain expertise, machine learning and smart sensing, WindESCo is revolutionizing how wind plants leverage data to maximize profit and performance. The Company will use the proceeds of the financing to further enhance its technology offerings, bolster growth through the expansion of its sales and customer success teams, forge joint development and channel partnerships and take its solutions to the global marketplace.



WindESCo's solutions fill a major gap in the wind energy performance optimization space. We have successfully applied our solutions to increasing the operating margins of wind plants for project owners, said Mo Dua, founder and CEO of WindESCo. WAVE and Tenaska's investment validates our approach. The funds will allow WindESCo to expand our product offerings and further our customer-centric focus.

WindESCo is delivering powerful and proven solutions for the utility-scale wind energy industry that optimize turbine performance and maximize profit by increasing annual energy production and reducing operating expenses. Providing validated revenue increases for its customers in actual dollars  not just on paper  WindESCos comprehensive solutions have enabled customers to increase plant revenues by between 1% and 7%. WindESCo is also pioneering the next generation of Social Wind Farms, empowering turbines to seamlessly learn from one another in real time and to operate as a cooperative unit. The Company has innovated in terms of both technology and business model. Several major wind plant owners are now deploying WindESCos solutions.

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WAVE is grateful for the opportunity to work with WindESCos smart founding team. They have pioneered the best sensing and analytics system to optimize performance efficiency and operational health of wind turbines, said Praveen Sahay, managing partner at WAVE Equity Partners. The wind industry is facing multiple headwinds, including declining incentives and premature failure of equipment, that are hurting profits. By solving key pain points and improving profitability, WindESCo is playing a crucial role in securing a leading source of sustainable energy.

As the economics of wind generation continue to face margin pressures, operational optimization and reduction in maintenance costs will have a significant impact on asset owners cash flows and long-term sustainability, said Rishi Bhakar, Tenaska vice president who oversees its sustainable energy investments. Tenaska is excited to witness firsthand the progress that Mo and his fantastic team at WindESCo have made in developing innovative solutions for the wind industry. Tenaskas expertise in power marketing and trusted relationships with wind asset owners combined with WindESCos advanced software-based strategy will benefit our customers through innovative products and services.

About WindESCo, Inc.

WindESCo provides services to wind plants to improve energy production and reduce operating expense. Combining the power of physics-based models with data science, WindESCos solutions are actively optimizing wind farms in eight countries on three continents. Additional information about WindESCo can be found on the Companys website, www.windesco.com .

About WAVE Equity Partners

WAVE Equity Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm that accelerates market validated companies solving some of the world's greatest challenges in essential markets for clean energy, water, waste, food and clean air. It specializes in breakthrough innovations in hard tech and manufacturing. For additional information, visit waveep.com .

About Tenaska, Inc.

Tenaska, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the leading independent energy companies in the United States. Forbes magazine consistently ranks Tenaska among the 50 largest private U.S. companies. Tenaska affiliates are industry leaders in natural gas and electric power marketing. For more information, visit www.tenaska.com .

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Fifteen people have been turned away at the Yukon-B.C. border since the Yukon government banned non-essential travel into the territory on April 17, says a government spokesperson.

So far, none have been turned back at Erik Nielsen International Airport in Whitehorse.

The border closure was one of the new orders under the Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA). Other CEMA orders have been in place since April 2. Those orders include self-isolating for 14 days when arriving in the territory, a ban on eat-in service at restaurants and no gatherings of more than 10 people.

It is unclear how many of the people who were turned away were Canadian or American.

The Yukon government is not keeping track of the personal information of people who were denied entry, said Keely Bass, the acting information officer at Yukon's emergency co-ordination centre, in an email to CBC News.

Bass says Americans can be permitted entry for 24 hours if they are travelling to Alaska.

Bass says people can enter the territory if they provide "acceptable evidence to an enforcement officer" that they are:

Yukon residents.

Non-resident family members of Yukon residents.

Delivering a critical or essential service.

Transiting through Yukon to a neighbouring jurisdiction within 24 hours.

Exercising an Indigenous or treaty right (for the time needed to exercise the right).

"This means that those people denied entry to Yukon did not fit under one of these categories," said Bass.

43 complaints for not following orders

There have been 43 complaints about people possibly not following the orders, said

Bass says most complaints have been from Whitehorse and the rest are split between five communities. She says the complaints have been varied.

"If we do receive a complaint, one of our investigation officers will follow up on the complaint. Usually they try to use education as the first tool so the individual understands the CEMA order and that way we can ensure voluntary compliance," said Bass.

Bass says there are over 20 enforcement officers, who are government officials, including conservation and natural resource officers.

Under the Civil Emergency Measures Act, a person can be fined up to $500, get up to six months in prison, or both, for violating public health orders.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 00:48:35|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, April 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 people have died after consuming toxic alcohol in the past five days in Rahim Yar Khan district of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, local media and police said Tuesday.

According to the reports, all the victims lost their lives after taking the poisonous locally made alcohol in three different villages of Khanpur area of Rahim Yar Khan.

Four of the victims died in village Jhulan, seven lost their lives in village Mahmood and six in village Obatta after drinking the alcohol.

Hospital officials told media that the death toll might rise because three others are in critical condition in the district hospital of Rahim Yar Khan due to toxic liquor.

Police have registered a case against a group of drug peddlers who allegedly produced the alcohol at their home and sold it to locals.

Residents of the area protested against the drug peddlers and urged the police to take strict action against liquor sellers. Enditem
The Indian Red Cross Society is starting a dedicated database of people who have recovered from coronavirus disease (Covid-19) , and who can therefore be potential plasma donors for convalescent plasma therapy (use of blood from the recovered patients to treat severely sick patents) which can be done under the clinical trial mode.

The therapy isnt approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research as a regular line of treatment and the health ministry said on Tuesday that it can only be done as a trial, with requisite clearances from regulators.

Still, the Indian Red Cross blood bank has already started receiving queries from relatives of Covid-19 patients looking for plasma from a recovered patient. The society plans to online counselling of shortlisted recovered patients to encourage them to donate their plasma for the study.

In a day or two, the Red Cross of India will begin psychosocial counselling of shortlisted recovered Covid-19 patients to prepare them as plasma donors. Our job is to look through the pile of recovered patients, and screen those who could be potential plasma donors. Once shortlisted these people will be counselled by our experts, says Dr Vanshree Singh, director (blood bank), Indian Red Cross Society.

The society plans to speak to hospitals to get details of patients who recovered in past one month. After they get the list, it will be narrowed down further to those who will be eligible to donate, and the final list will be recommended to the government.

Ideally we will be looking at the recovery time of 28 days, but anything over 14 is good. Our regular blood donation criteria will apply along with the fact that they should have completely recovered from Covid-19. Eligible donors have to be between 18 and 50 years (of age), with no co-morbid conditions such as heart, kidney disease, diabetes, etc. Even women can donate but not those with more than one children as their antibodies dont work. Unmarried women who fulfil other criteria can also donate, said Dr Singh.

The Red Cross will forward the list of shortlisted possible donors to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi because the actual donation will only happen in a hospital setting.

These people need to be bled in the intensive care unit (ICU) settings because in a stand-alone blood bank one cant provide the kind of medical support that these people might require. So, the blood donation has to be done in a hospital, Dr Singh said.

The Red Cross will be sharing the database only with approved government facilities.

As convalescent plasma therapy has shown promise in helping very sick Covid-19 patients recover, various countries including India are conducting trials to know its true potential as a treatment .

Hospitals and research facilities can enrol patients as part of a clinical trial after receiving necessary approvals from the drugs controller general of India.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan last Tuesday held a video meeting with the Indian Red Cross Society and asked it to contact recovered patients and encourage them to donate blood . However, health ministry has made it clear that the treatment is to be conducted only as part of a trial with the requisite permissions.

A section of experts say if the therapy has shown promise then clinical trials can be skipped to save time.

I have been arguing for plasma therapy without a clinical trial, as it is safe to give as compared to other medicines. However, it is critical to properly document the results, says Dr T Jacob John, former head of virology department, CMC Vellore.

Dr Dharma Choudhary, a senior specialist in bone marrow transplant in India isnt so sure: It is a crude way of giving immunoglobulin, which are virus specific antibodies, with a belief that it will probably give some protection. Id say it will be better than giving a placebo to a dying patient with no hope.

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Fortis Healthcare on Wednesday said it has rolled out online consultations for patients in 23 hospitals across its country-wide network amid the lockdown to contain coronavirus infections.

As the country continues with its lockdown, the step was conceived to continue patient care services without risking the health of patients or doctors, the healthcare major said in a statement.

Both tele-consults as well as video consult services have been running successfully with encouraging response from patients, it added.

E-consultations are being organised to ensure the continuity of care for post-surgical upcountry patients," Fortis Healthcare Managing Director and CEO Ashutosh Raghuvanshi said.

Besides, patients with ailments like diabetes or hypertension and expecting mothers can also consult the doctors through this facility, he added.

"As the proactive lockdown was necessary to fight off this pandemic, it must not be an excuse to delay any health consultations that our patients wanted to avail," Raghuvanshi said.

Over 8,000 consultations have taken place via the e-consulting medium till now across various hospitals, Fortis said.

Fortis Hospital in Mohali saw the maximum number of e-consults at 1,539 followed by Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurugram at 1,330. Fortis Hospital, BG Road, in Bengaluru had 1,117 consultations since the start of this service.

The online consults take place during the regular outpatient department (OPD) hours at normal rates and doctors from specialties like neurology, gynecology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, pediatrics and internal medicine are providing online consultations as of now, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for further efforts to fight global warming, speaking at the annual ministerial conference Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which was held by video.

In her speech, she advocated using the international capital market to push for a shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energies, and went into detail about Germanys coal phase-out  thus indirectly criticising the ongoing coal boom in many developing and emerging countries. This is also a central research topic of the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change). Jan Steckel, head of the MCC working group Climate and Development, provides additional information:

It is great that even in times of corona, the Chancellor is placing the climate issue high on the global political agenda. At todays Petersberg Climate Dialogue, she called for moving away from fossil fuels, and thus pointed to the heart of the problem. Projected coal emissions alone might jeopardise the commitment of the international community to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and possibly further to 1.5 degrees. Even for achieving the 2-degree target, coal is increasingly depriving us of any leeway. In addition to the existing coal-fired power plants with a capacity of 2045 gigawatts, further plants with a capacity of 500 gigawatts are under construction or in planning worldwide, most of them in China, India, and other developing and emerging countries.

In addition, projects with a total volume of a further 300 gigawatts are currently shelved: an international political effort is now needed to ensure that these will not be revived, for example as part of an economic stimulus after the corona crisis. First, financial support for coal must dry out: China, for example, is promoting additional coal-fired power generation in other countries at a large scale, in part also because of overcapacities in domestic power plant production. Second, we need favourable credit options for electricity generation from renewable energies, as the Chancellor pointed out in her speech. This is because the capital requirement per installed gigawatt is higher than for coal, which is a major obstacle to investment in developing and emerging countries, where capital costs are high. And, third, we need a relevant price signal for emissions also in these countries. Overall, we must help energy-hungry rising economies to combine development and climate protection without relying on coal.

Source

MCC (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change) 2020
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

Trend:

The issue on the consent to the appointment of the Azerbaijani prosecutor general was submitted to the country's parliament, Trend reports on April 29 referring to the Azerbaijani parliament.

The candidate of deputy prosecutor general, head of the Anti-Corruption Department under the Azerbaijani prosecutor general Kamran Aliyev was nominated for the post of prosecutor general upon Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs proposal.

The issue was discussed in the parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building and was recommended to be discussed at a plenary meeting of the parliament.

Kamran Aliyev is deputy prosecutor general, head of the Anti-Corruption Department under the Azerbaijani prosecutor general, second-degree state adviser of justice.

Presently, Azerbaijani prosecutor general is Zakir Garalov.
May Day will look much different in Portland this year and in many ways has an added urgency courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some activists are planning to celebrate International Workers Day with a car caravan that will wind through the city to draw attention to worker rights. Other groups are planning to take their demonstrations online.

The moves mark a major departure from the usual marches and rallies that have run the gamut in Portland in recent years from hundreds turning out for peaceful gatherings downtown, along the waterfront and in city parks to a protest that erupted into a riot and 25 arrests in 2017.

But the current state of uncertainty highlights the need to put labor issues front and center, said Alyssa Pagan, a staff member of Portland Jobs with Justice.

The group is holding a Virtual May Day Rally livestreamed at 10 a.m. Friday on Facebook. It will allow people to come together to mourn those who have died from the coronavirus but also provide support for those suffering from economic injustices, Pagan said.

COVID-19 has slowed the U.S. economy. Government stimulus is keeping Big Business from tanking for now. But people who need it much more are being sacrificed, including immigrants and homeless people, she said in an email.

Even those of us lucky enough to be in housing and getting paid right now are not sure if we can maintain, she said.

Jobs with Justice is joining with Portland Democratic Socialists of America to draw people to share important calls for action on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter throughout the day.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of discouraging workers from organizing in a time when businesses are struggling, Justin Norton-Kertson, another Jobs with Justice staffer, wrote on a blog. But it is during times of crisis that the wealthy, capitalists, and business owners often attempt to pass off their risk and loss onto vulnerable workers.

Friday is about standing up for worker rights at a time when businesses are laying off or furloughing employees or relying on essential staff to put their own lives at risk to serve others, he said.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

Portland Democratic Socialists of America, one of a coalition of groups involved in helping to organize the car caravan, wants to call attention to the critical need to provide unemployment checks for workers who have been laid off.

The coalition is also calling for support for frontline health care and other essential workers and the release of nonviolent inmates from jails or prisons to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 and safe shelters for homeless people.

Motorists are expected to meet at a parking lot beside the Whole Foods Market at Northeast 29th Avenue and Couch Street at 11 a.m.

Decorate your car with Workers Demands, advises the Portland May Day Coalitions Facebook page.

Lyn Neeley, one of the caravan organizers who is part of the coalition, said the caravan will drive past several businesses where essential workers are risking their lives to help others during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We will wear masks and practice social distancing to reinforce the message that staying at home, social distancing, wearing masks and using personal protective equipment is important to save lives and prevent the spread of COVID-19,'' Neeley said.

Portland police are aware of the caravan and are urging participants to adhere to the rules of the road and the governors orders on social distancing, said bureau spokeswoman Lt. Tina Jones.

Cars in the caravan, for example, are expected to heed traffic lights and not block intersections, she said.

Organizers said they would share their planned route the day of the event.

Police arent aware of any other gatherings planned.

Jones said police hope the organizers of any demonstration will contact their liaison officers at PPBLiaison@portlandoregon.gov or through their Twitter account @PPBLiaison.

We will monitor the situation and adjust resources as appropriate if information changes, Jones said by email.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

Subscribe to Facebook page

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
It was a salute to Americas health-care workers, but some spectators werent doing the recommended, healthiest thing while watching it.

Philadelphia residents stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder at some of the citys hotspots to watch the flyover of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air ForceThunderbirds Tuesday, Action News 6 ABC is reporting.

"I think it was a tricky time to have a flyover. It feels a bit ironic that we're being told to stay inside and at the same time to go outside and watch an air show," resident Brian Weiner told the station.

The America Strong flyover by the military precision flying teams was a salute to health-care workers during the coronavirus pandemic and a sign of national unity.

They made three loops over the Philadelphia region as part of the exercise.

Both teams of fliers released statements, saying, Residents should observe the flyover from the safety of their home quarantine and should refrain from traveling to see the flyover. Social distancing should be practiced at all times.

But that didnt appear to be what was happening at some of the citys popular locations, like Penns Landing and the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

"I understand now more than ever, unity and community are important but you have to balance that ultimately with the safety of every person who lives here," resident Amanda Barany told Action News. "It's easier to get complacent as the weather gets better and the days go by and realize, 'Hey I'm not sick yet, maybe I won't get sick.'"

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2019 revenue up 44% year-over-year (8)

Second half total registrations increased 72%, average paying subs increased 113% year-over-year

Expected 2019 cash flow from operating activities up 92% year-over-year

Spark Networks SE (NYSE American: LOV), one of the world's leading online dating platforms leveraging premium, complementary brands including Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe and SilverSingles, today reported unaudited preliminary second half and full year 2019 financial results.

"I am pleased to report strong second half 2019 results for Spark. Our preliminary full year 2019 revenue increased 44%8 to 149 million and Adjusted EBITDA grew 129%8 to 23 million," said Eric Eichmann, CEO of Spark Networks. "We have completed the transformational acquisition of Zoosk and successfully integrated it into our operations, delivering significant savings and marketing synergies to Spark."

"I am excited to be working alongside the very talented team at Spark Networks as we seize our significant market opportunity. We operate in a highly attractive industry and have built an established, cash generating business with strong brands and a leadership position in North America. Our business has continued to perform relatively well during the COVID-19 pandemic and I am confident that our innovative product and marketing roadmap will lead to higher revenue and Adjusted EBITDA in 2020 and for years to come," Mr. Eichmann concluded.

"I am very excited about the Company's future trajectory. Looking ahead to 2020, we are guiding to revenue in the range of $212 to $220 million (193 to 200 million) and Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million)," added Bert Althaus, CFO of Spark Networks.

Spark Networks' operations and business have been disrupted due to the unprecedented conditions and travel restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and have resulted in its employees, including its accounting and finance team, working remotely from home. These disruptions have interfered with management's ability to work with its independent accountants, professional advisors and support staff in order to complete the Company's financial statements and related disclosures that will be included in the Company's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019. Spark Networks expects to complete this audit process and file its Form 20-F within the next 45 days.

Unaudited Preliminary Financial Results 8

Preliminary Revenue for the second half of 2019 was 99.9 million, an increase of 48.4 million compared to 51.5 million in the second half of 2018, and an increase of 50.7 million compared to 49.2 million in the first half of 2019. Preliminary Revenue for 2019 was 149.1 million, an increase of 45.7 million compared to 103.4 million in 2018, as adjusted. For both the half year and the full year 2019, the increase in Revenue is primarily attributable to the Spark Networks Zoosk Merger, which closed in July 2019.

Preliminary Net Loss was 12.0 million in the second half of 2019, an increase of 10.0 million compared to 2.0 million in the second half of 2018, and an increase of 7.1 million compared to 4.9 million in the first half of 2019. Preliminary Net Loss for 2019 was 16.9 million, an increase of 12.7 million compared to 4.2 million in 2018, as adjusted. For both the half year and the full year 2019, the increase in Net Loss is primarily attributable to the Spark Networks Zoosk Merger, which closed in July 2019.

Preliminary Adjusted EBITDA was 18.7 million in the second half of 2019, an increase of 10.2 million compared to 8.5 million in the second half of 2018, and an increase of 14.9 million compared to 3.8 million in the first half of 2019. Preliminary Adjusted EBITDA for 2019 was 22.5 million, an increase of 12.7 million compared to 9.8 million in 2018, as adjusted.

On a preliminary basis, the Company ended the year with 15.5 million in cash and 95.8 million in debt.

Key Performance Indicators 8

Average Paying Subscribers is anticipated to have increased by 539.5 thousand to 1.0 million in the second half of 2019, compared to 477.8 thousand in the same period of 2018.

Monthly Average Net Revenue Per User, or Monthly ARPU, is anticipated to have decreased 9.0% to 16.37 in the second half of 2019, compared to 17.98 in the same period of 2018.

Financial Outlook

Due to Spark Networks completing the post-close merger integration work as efficiently as possible, management believes their efforts will result in $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million) of Adjusted EBITDA in 2020.

Spark Networks anticipates 2020 annual revenue of $212 to $220 million (193 to 200 million).

For H1 2020, the Company expects to achieve revenue of $110 to $112 million (100 to 102 million) and EBITDA of $15 to $17 million (13.6 to 15.5 million).

Key Metrics Half Year Preliminary

Six Months Ended Growth Rates % 12/31/2019 6/30/2019 12/31/2018 2nd Half 2019 vs. 2nd Half 2019 1st Half 2019 2nd Half 2018 1st Half 2019 2nd Half 2018 Revenue 99.9 Million 49.2 Million 51.5 Million 103.0 93.9 Contribution1 43.2 Million 20.4 Million 24.2 Million 112.2 78.3 Net Loss (12.0) Million (4.9) Million (2.0) Million 145.8 512.4 Adjusted EBITDA2 18.7 Million 3.8 Million 8.5 Million 388.3 119.7 Cash Balance 15.5 Million 12.5 Million 11.1 Million 23.9 39.3 Total Registrations3 8,229,976 4,488,104 4,791,652 83.4 71.8 Avg. Paying Subs4 1,017,321 444,857 477,817 128.7 112.9 Monthly ARPU5 16.37 18.44 17.98 (11.2) (9.0)

Key Metrics Full Year Preliminary

Growth Rates % 2019 20188 20198 20188 Revenue 149.1 Million 103.4 Million 44.2 23.8 Contribution1 63.6 Million 43.6 Million 45.9 44.9 Net Loss (16.9) Million (4.2) Million 299.7 (45.1) Adjusted EBITDA2 22.5 Million 9.8 Million 129.2 118.8 Cash Balance 15.5 Million 11.1 Million 39.3 35.4 Total Registrations3 12,718,080 10,144,173 25.4 20.0 Avg. Paying Subs4 731,088 483,413 51.2 27.4 Monthly ARPU5 17.00 17.83 (4.7) (2.8)

SPARK NETWORKS SE SEGMENT6 RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS (Revenue, Direct Marketing and Contribution figures in thousands) Six Months Ended Growth Rates % 12/31/2019 6/30/2019 12/31/2018 Preliminary 2nd Half 2019 vs. Preliminary

2nd Half 2019 1st Half 2019 2nd Half 2018 1st Half 2019 2nd Half 2018 # of Registrations North America 5,283,710 2,224,249 2,243,178 137.6 135.5 International 2,946,266 2,263,855 2,548,474 30.1 15.6 Total of Registrations 8,229,976 4,488,104 4,791,652 83.4 71.8 Average Paying Subscribers North America 665,023 185,364 189,533 258.8 250.9 International 352,298 259,493 288,284 35.8 22.2 Total Average Paying Subscribers 1,017,321 444,857 477,817 128.7 112.9 Monthly ARPU North America 17.53 23.88 22.45 (26.6) (21.9) International 14.18 14.56 15.03 (2.6) (5.7) Monthly ARPU 16.37 18.44 17.98 (11.2) (9.0) Total Net Revenue North America 69,947 26,561 25,531 163.3 174.0 International 29,970 22,663 26,006 32.2 15.2 Total Net Revenue 99,917 49,224 51,537 103.0 93.9 Direct Marketing North America 42,132 16,160 13,277 160.7 217.3 International 14,586 12,706 14,026 14.8 4.0 Total Direct Marketing 56,718 28,866 27,303 96.5 107.7 Contribution North America 27,815 10,401 12,254 167.4 127.0 International 15,384 9,957 11,980 54.5 28.4 Total Contribution 43,199 20,358 24,234 112.2 78.3

SPARK NETWORKS SE SEGMENT6 RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS (Revenue, Direct Marketing and Contribution figures in thousands) 12 Months Ended December 31, Growth Rates % Preliminary

2019 20188 20178 Preliminary

20198 20188 # of Registrations North America 7,507,959 4,376,883 2,289,036 71.5 91.2 International 5,210,121 5,767,290 6,162,597 (9.7) (6.4) Total of Registrations 12,718,080 10,144,173 8,451,633 25.4 20.0 Average Paying Subscribers North America 425,193 183,794 83,870 131.3 119.1 International 305,895 299,619 295,533 2.1 1.4 Total Average Paying Subscribers 731,088 483,413 379,403 51.2 27.4 Monthly ARPU North America 18.91 21.81 23.77 (13.3) (8.2) International 14.34 15.39 16.81 (6.8) (8.4) Monthly ARPU 17.00 17.83 18.35 (4.7) (2.8) Total Net Revenue North America 96,508 48,105 23,919 100.6 101.1 International 52,633 55,333 59,610 (4.9) (7.2) Total Net Revenue 149,141 103,438 83,529 44.2 23.8 Direct Marketing North America 58,292 27,862 17,980 109.2 55.0 International 27,292 32,026 35,489 (14.8) (9.8) Total Direct Marketing 85,584 59,888 53,469 42.9 12.0 Contribution North America 38,216 20,243 5,939 88.8 240.8 International 25,341 23,307 24,121 8.7 (3.4) Total Contribution 63,557 43,550 30,060 45.9 44.9

SPARK NETWORKS SE UNAUDITED PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION7 (in thousands) Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands) (pro forma) preliminary Revenue 220,111 Net loss (17,732)

The following table presents certain selected information and Adjusted EBITDA2 for the unaudited pro forma period presented:

Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands) (pro forma) preliminary Net loss (17,732) Net finance expenses 12,195 Income tax expense (benefit) (977) Depreciation and amortization 17,689 Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill 788 Share-based compensation expense 3,305 Acquisition and other costs 14,253 Adjusted EBITDA 29,521

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Summary of acquisition and other costs (in thousands) (pro forma) preliminary Contract liabilities write-offs 14,371 Gain realized upon sublease commencement (1,315) Project consultant costs 194 Other employee payments 853 Severance costs 150 Total adjustments 14,253

Investor Conference Call

The Group will discuss its financial results during a live teleconference today at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time.

Toll-Free (United States): Toll-Free (Germany): International: 1-877-705-6003

0-800-182-0040

1-201-493-6725

In addition, Spark Networks will host a webcast of the call which will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of Spark Networks' website at https://investor.spark.net/investor-relations/home.

A replay will begin approximately three hours after completion of the call and run until May 13, 2020.

Replay

Toll-Free (United States):

International: Passcode: 1-844-512-2921

1-412-317-6671 13700746

Preliminary Financial Information

The estimated financial results for the second half and full fiscal year 2019 set forth in this press release are preliminary, unaudited and subject to completion, reflect management's current views and may change as a result of management's review of results and other factors. Such preliminary results are subject to the finalization and closing of Spark Networks' accounting books and records and should not be viewed as a substitute for full audited financial statements. Neither Spark Networks' independent registered public accounting firm nor any other independent registered public accounting firm has audited, reviewed or compiled, examined or performed any procedures with respect to the preliminary results, nor have they expressed any opinion or any other form of assurance on the preliminary results. The final results for the second half and full year 2019 may vary materially from the preliminary financial information included in this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, statements involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause Spark Networks' performance or achievements to be materially different from those of any expected future results, performance, or achievements.

Any statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be considered to be forward-looking statements. Written words, such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates," and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the near future. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding Spark Networks' preliminary unaudited financial results for the second half and full year 2019, the expected savings and marketing synergies of the combined company, the launch of new products, the significant market opportunity of Spark Networks, Spark Networks' financial outlook and guidance for H1 2020 and full year 2020, including with respect to Adjusted EBITDA and revenue, and the potential impact of COVID-19 on Sparks Networks' business and the online dating industry. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the following: the preliminary results for the second half and full year 2019 are subject to change pending the completion of Spark Networks' audit of its financial statements for the full year 2019, and Spark Networks' final audited financial statements may differ significantly from the preliminary financial results; the risk that the benefits, including expected cost synergies, from the acquisition of Zoosk, Inc. may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; risks related to the degree of competition in the markets in which Spark Networks operates; risks related to our ability to stabilize our business; risks related to our ability to achieve $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million) of Adjusted EBITDA in 2020; risks related to the ability of Spark Networks to retain and hire key personnel, operating results and business generally; Spark Networks' ability to continue to control costs and operating expenses; Spark Networks' ability to achieve intended cost savings; the ability to promptly and effectively integrate the businesses of Spark Networks SE and Zoosk, Inc.; Spark Networks' ability to generate cash from operations, lower-than-expected revenue, credit quality deterioration or a reduction in net earnings; Spark Networks' ability to raise outside capital and to repay debt as it comes due; Spark Networks' ability to introduce new competitive products and the degree of market acceptance of such new products; the timing and market acceptance of new products introduced by Spark Networks' competitors; Spark Networks' ability to identify potential acquisitions; Spark Networks' ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and the ability of acquired businesses to perform as expected; Spark Networks' ability to maintain strong relationships with branded channel partners; changes in Spark Networks' share price due to broader stock market movements and the performance of peer group companies; Spark Networks' ability to enforce intellectual property rights and protect their respective intellectual property; Spark Networks' ability to comply with new and evolving regulations relating to data protection and data privacy; general competition and price measures in the market place; risks related to the duration and severity of COVID-19 and its impact on Spark Networks' business; the effects of shelter-in-place orders on Spark Networks' business and the online dating industry; the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. and global economies and financial markets; and general economic conditions. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ are discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Spark Networks' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in other sections of Spark Networks' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and in Spark Networks' other current and periodic reports filed or furnished from time to time with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law.

About Spark Networks SE:

Spark Networks SE is America's second largest dating company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange American under the ticker symbol "LOV," with headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and offices in New York, Utah and California. The Company's widening portfolio of premium and freemium dating apps include Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe and SilverSingles, among others. Spark Networks SE in its current form is the result of the merger between Affinitas GmbH and Spark Networks, Inc. in 2017 and the addition of Zoosk, Inc. in 2019. Spark Networks has approximately one million monthly paying subscribers globally.

1 Contribution is defined as revenue, net of refunds and credit card chargebacks, less direct marketing. Direct Marketing is defined as online and offline advertising spend and is included within Cost of revenue within Spark Networks' Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

2 Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is not a measure defined by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). The most directly comparable IFRS measure for Adjusted EBITDA is our net (loss)/profit for the relevant period. This measure is one of the primary metrics by which we evaluate the performance of our businesses, budget, forecast and compensate management. We believe this measure provides management and investors with a consistent view, period to period, of the core earnings generated from ongoing operations and excludes the impact of items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. This includes: (i) items such as share-based compensation, asset impairments, gains or losses on foreign currency transactions and interest expense, and (ii) items related to acquisitions or other costs that are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature including contract liabilities write-offs, gains realized upon sublease commencement, transaction and advisory fees, merger integration costs, other employee payments, and severance. Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as a substitute for net (loss) profit (as determined in accordance with IFRS) for the purpose of analyzing our operating performance or financial position, as Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by IFRS. A reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended December 31, 2019, June 30, 2019, and December 31, 2018, and the years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 can be found in the table below.

Statements regarding our positioning to deliver Adjusted EBITDA of $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million) in 2020 do not include certain charges and costs. The adjustments to EBITDA in future periods are generally expected to be similar to the kinds of charges and costs excluded from Adjusted EBITDA in prior periods, including (i) items such as share-based compensation, asset impairments, gains or losses on foreign currency transactions and interest expense, and (ii) items related to acquisitions or other costs that are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature including contract liabilities write-offs, gains realized upon sublease commencement, transaction and advisory fees, merger integration costs, other employee payments, and severance. The exclusion of these charges and costs in future periods will have a significant impact on our Adjusted EBITDA. We are not able to provide a reconciliation of our non-IFRS financial guidance to the corresponding IFRS measures without unreasonable effort because of the uncertainty and variability of the nature and amount of these future charges and costs.

3 Total registrations are defined as the total number of new members registering to the platforms with their email address. Those include members who enter into premium subscriptions and free memberships.

4 Paying subscribers are defined as individuals who have paid a monthly fee for access to premium services, which include, among others, unlimited communication with other registered users, access to user profile pictures and enhanced search functionality. Average paying subscribers for each month are calculated as the sum of the paying subscribers at the beginning and the end of the month, divided by two. Average paying subscribers for periods longer than one month are calculated as the sum of the average paying subscribers for each month, divided by the number of months in such period.

5 Monthly Average Net Revenue Per User, or Monthly ARPU, represents the total net subscriber revenue for the period divided by the number of average paying subscribers for the period, divided by the number of months in the period.

6 In accordance with segment reporting guidance, the Group's financial reporting includes detailed data on two separate operating segments. The North America segment consists of operations in the United States and Canada, and the International segment consists of all other operations except for the United States and Canada.

7 The unaudited pro forma financial information presents the combined results of the Company and Zoosk as if the Spark Networks Zoosk Merger had occurred on January 1, 2019. The unaudited pro forma financial information includes adjustments required under the acquisition method of accounting and is presented for informational purposes only. This presentation is not necessarily indicative of the results that would have been achieved had the acquisitions actually occurred on January 1, 2019.

8 Certain comparative figures for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were restated for immaterial errors.

SPARK NETWORKS SE Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands) Six Months Ended Years Ended December 31, Preliminary Preliminary 12/31/2019 6/30/2019 12/31/2018 2019 2018 Net loss (11,979) (4,874) (1,956) (16,853) (4,216) Net finance expenses 8,831 119 394 8,950 958 Income tax expense (5,246) 401 2,387 (4,845) 1,147 Depreciation and amortization 8,977 1,653 1,928 10,630 3,565 Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill 703 3,324 703 3,324 Share-based compensation expense 260 2,075 2,314 2,335 4,091 Acquisition and other costs 17,170 4,459 129 21,629 970 Adjusted EBITDA2 18,716 3,833 8,520 22,549 9,839 Summary of acquisition and other costs Contract liabilities write-offs 14,371 14,371 289 Gain realized upon sublease commencement (1,259) (1,259) Transaction and advisory fees 348 4,413 4,761 264 Merger integration costs 493 87 493 101 Other employee payments 826 826 Severance costs 2,391 46 42 2,437 316 Total adjustments 17,170 4,459 129 21,629 970

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005378/en/

Contacts:

Investors:

Christopher Camarra

Vice President of Investor Relations

christopher.camarra@spark.net
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito is leading the advisory board that will develop guidelines for a phased return to operation of non-essential businesses in the commonwealth.

Polito, Baker Discuss How 'Reopening' Board Will Function

BOSTON  One day after naming an advisory board to develop a phased approach for reopening the commonwealth, state officials provided some insight into how they see that board operating.

At Wednesday's press availability, Gov. Charlie Baker was asked whether he was concerned that the 17-person panel chaired by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito might not have a wide enough cross section of the commonwealth's economy.

Polito explained that the members of the advisory board will be conduits for information.

"For instance, if you are a restaurant owner, you would navigate to the representative on the board who has that experience level," Polito said. "We also have a university president for higher education. She is communicating with her colleagues around what that would like for campuses around our commonwealth.

"And there are multiple ways the board is going to consider what would be a safe reopening for an enterprise or organization. They can submit to us what they think they incorporate into their workplace to make it safe for their employees but also the people they do business with, and we can review that."

Polito pointed out that the clock already is ticking to May 18, the date when the current executive order closing non-essential businesses is set to expire. Polito and Baker said they designed the advisory board to take input from various sectors of the economy in an efficient manner.

And Baker hopes that those sectors can coordinate their input before presenting it to the board.

"Part of the reason we would like these different employer groups to talk to each other before they talk to the advisory board is to deal with their own disagreements around how this should work," Baker said. "One of the things about creating these big [boards] is everybody comes into it through a particular funnel or a particular channel and makes a particular set of recommendations.

"We've had this happen with some of the big [panels], where you have literally eight or 10 players, all basically in the same industry, who are coming at whatever you're working on from a completely different point of view. And then it's up to us to figure out some way to wrangle them into a set of proposals they can agree on. For time's purposes as much as anything else, we want those folks to simultaneously be talking to each other so they can reach some general agreement on the best way or the two or three best ways they can think of to operate safely. Then come talk to those folks."

Polito shared some insight into the board's initial conversations at Tuesday afternoon's briefing.

"We really focused on what the public health principles are to trigger a reopening and also that checklist that you're probably familiar with in terms of the basic things that will be needed in workplaces -- safe distancing, hygiene and sanitization and also the types of gear that might be needed both for workers and for the public-facing part of the enterprise," Polito said. "That checklist is being vetted by the industries coming into contact with the advisory board to give us feedback whether these kinds of things can easily be adopted in workplaces. Then we can confirm it would be a safe opportunity to reopen in the commonwealth.

"A lot of give and take with the advisory board, and that's how we have designed this."
The President's Office has reportedly decided not to put pressure on the faction.

The Servant of the People parliamentary faction has denied reports on the expected appointment of former President of Georgia and ex-Chairman of Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili to the post of Vice Prime Minister for Reforms in the Cabinet of Ministers.

He was reportedly offered another position beyond the Cabinet, the Novoe Vremya weekly reports, citing party sources.

It is noted Saakashvili may become part of the National Reform Council, a special advisory body under the president of Ukraine on the strategic planning of reforms and their implementation, the report reads.

Read alsoUkraine's Supreme Court recognizes Saakashvili's expulsion to Poland as lawful

As of Wednesday, April 29, the Servant of the People faction failed to secure the required 226 votes for endorsing Saakashvili's appointment to the Cabinet of Ministers either within faction or jointly with other political forces represented in Parliament.

At the same time, the President's Office has reportedly decided not to put pressure on the faction.

"We aren't even planning to hold a faction meeting tomorrow [April 30]. Accordingly, there will be no meeting with Zelensky. And without him, the faction will not collect enough votes for Mikheil's appointment," the source said.

However, according to UNIAN sources, Saakashvili may be appointed advisor to president.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 22, Saakashvili claimed he had received an offer from President Volodymyr Zelensky to become vice prime minister for reform.

On April 24, Saakashvili met with deputies with the Servant of the People party. According to media reports, after long negotiations, the parliamentary faction only managed to collect some 140 to 170 votes to back Saakashvili's appointment, which isn't enough.

After that, the Cabinet withdrew from the Verkhovna Rada the relevant submission on Saakashvili's appointment.

Read alsoSaakashvili may be appointed deputy PM for reform  media

The reports on Saakashvili's possible nomination sparked a diplomatic row with Georgia.

The foreign ministry of this country said they would consider recalling an ambassador if Ukraine pursued with Saakashvili plans, while Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on Wednesday issued a statement, expressing concern over the "partner country's" intentions to appoint someone who has been recognized guilty of corruption offenses in Georgia.
HOUSTON, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Houston Wire & Cable Company (HWCC) today provided an update on developments regarding its governance, executive goals and compensation, and cost and debt reduction measures.



Governance:

HWCC highlights recent and upcoming changes in board governance:

As previously reported, the board elected the companys largest shareholder, David Nierenberg of the D3 Family Funds, as a director on March 16, 2020. Nierenberg and his partner, Damon Benedict (an HWCC board observer), are helping the company navigate its response to the coronavirus pandemic and the global imbalance between the supply and demand for oil.

Board Chair Bill Sheffield informed the board on April 28 that he would not stand for re-election in May, 2021.

The board expects that Gary Yetman will succeed Sheffield as chairman, because of Yetmans extensive experience as CEO of an industrial and commercial cable manufacturer. To smooth this succession, Yetman is expected to succeed Sheffield as chairman of the boards Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee immediately after the 2020 annual meeting.

Yetman is expected to stand down as Compensation Committee chairman immediately after the 2020 annual meeting, to be succeeded by Nierenberg. Nierenberg has served on public company boards since 1988 and currently serves on compensation committees for three other public companies, chairing one of them. Nierenberg has been deeply involved in board governance for 15 years through serving on the Washington State Investment Board, chairing the advisory board of the Ira Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School, and chairing the Research Advisory Council for proxy advisor Glass Lewis & Company.

2020 Annual Incentive Plan for Senior Management:

HWCCs Compensation Committee convened on March 26 to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the oil imbalance on the 2020 annual incentive plan (AIP) for the companys senior management. The consensus, which the full board approved the following day, was that the original 2020 AIP performance goals had been overtaken by recent events and that the goals therefore should be replaced by two separate, new goals for controlling the controllables:

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Halving HWCCs net debt from $79.3 million at year-end 2019 to under $40 million (70% weight).

Producing a positive normalized net income for 2020, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the oil imbalance (30% weight).

Further, while the board always retains discretion, its intention is that bonuses under the revised AIP will be earned only if a goal is fully realized in 2020.

These new performance goals are intended to drive focused, immediate tactical actions by management to monetize working capital, to carefully prioritize capital investment, to surgically reduce cost throughout the entire company, to improve pricing and margins, and thereby halve net debt, which HWCC successfully achieved during the last industry downturn.

Since resetting the AIP goals, HWCCs board has convened weekly to oversee progress toward meeting them.

Progress on the new 2020 AIP Goals:

HWCCs net debt began declining in April. HWCC expects that it will decline more rapidly as the year progresses, as the company monetizes working capital and cost reductions begin to contribute.

Progress on the following initiatives is well underway, generating an expected benefit of $8-9 million in 2020 and $14 million annualized:

Salary and board fee reductions

Warehouse expense reductions

Targeted headcount reductions

Other operating expense reductions, including LEAN initiatives

Product pricing optimization

As part of this program, the board of directors reduced its fees 20%; the CEO reduced his salary 15%; and the company reduced other employees compensation 5-10%. In addition, and subject to shareholder approval of additional shares under the companys stock plan, the board of directors has elected to receive its compensation in stock, to free up cash for debt reduction.

Additional projects are also underway to further reduce cost and generate cash for incremental debt reduction, this year and next. HWCC will report progress on these initiatives as their results materialize.

In conclusion, the company profoundly appreciates the employees converting to work from home, their commitment to continuing to provide excellent customer service, and their support for and participation in the companys initiatives during these unprecedented and challenging times.

About the Company

With 44 years of experience in the industry, Houston Wire & Cable Company, an industrial distributor, is a large provider of products in the U.S. market. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the Company has sales and distribution facilities strategically located throughout the United States.

Standard stock items available for immediate delivery include continuous and interlocked armor cable; instrumentation cable; medium voltage cable; high temperature wire; portable cord; power cable; primary and secondary aluminum distribution cable; private branded products, including LifeGuard, a low-smoke, zero-halogen cable; mechanical wire and cable and related hardware, including wire rope, lifting products and synthetic rope and slings; corrosion resistant fasteners, hose clamps, and rivets.

Comprehensive value-added services include same-day shipping, knowledgeable sales staff, inventory management programs, just-in-time delivery, logistics support, customized online ordering capabilities and 24/7/365 service.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 related to the expected impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic and drop in oil prices. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the impact and adequacy of actions we have taken to reduce expenses and improve liquidity in response to the outbreak. Words such as expects, intends, believes, variations of such words, and similar expressions are also intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties and assumptions, all of which may cause outcomes to be materially different from any expected outcomes, expressed or implied, in these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the continuing and developing effects and severity of the spread of COVID-19; the duration of the quarantine and stay-at-home orders and the potential imposition of further restrictions on travel in the future; the full effect of the outbreak on the general economy and on the businesses of our customers and suppliers and their ability to make payments on their obligations; the remedial actions and stimulus measures adopted by local and federal governments; and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed from time to time in the Companys other public filings and public announcements, including the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Companys Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 29, 2020, as well as other documents that may be filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, the Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

CONTACT:



Christopher M. Micklas

Chief Financial Officer

Direct: 713.609.2114

Fax: 713.609.2168

cmicklas@houwire.com
In this 2019 file photo, Jill Stein rallies supporters outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia in her push to have the city's voting machines decertified. Read more

Calling her theories daft, ill-considered, and pointless, a federal judge in Philadelphia on Wednesday rejected a push from former Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein to decertify Philadelphias new voting machines in advance of the June 2 primary over concerns they could be vulnerable to hacking.

In an opinion, dripping with disdain for the her legal case, U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond found there was no credible evidence to support Steins concerns and that granting her request would effectively disenfranchise Philadelphia voters, as there would be no way to replace the machines with new ones in time for the election.

The Commonwealth and the city have expended considerable resources to demonstrate that Dr. Stein has based her motion on absolutely nothing, he wrote.

Yet, he added, her daft theories  will undoubtedly shake the belief of some in their government because Stein has convinced them that voting integrity is at risk in Pennsylvania. This is certainly the most unfortunate consequence of Steins pointless motion.

In response, Nick Custodio, the deputy city commissioner who has been leading efforts to implement the new system, said in a statement: I can think of no better way to respond than with Judge Diamonds own words."

The decision from Diamond, a judge known for his at times biting rulings, comes five months after Stein first sought to have roughly 4,000 voting machines Philadelphia bought last year decertified, saying they violated the terms of a 2018 settlement she reached with Pennsylvanias Department of State.

Stein called the judges ruling bizarrely-written and a "disservice to the people of Pennsylvania in a statement Wednesday. Still, she credited her legal push and the questions she raised about the machines reliability, cost and ability to accurately verify votes with influencing decisions in other counties to choose different voting systems.

Our intent from the beginning has been to help Pennsylvanians get a voting system they can trust, she wrote. The movement for election integrity is gaining strength in Pennsylvania. This decision is not going to stop it.

Stein sued the state in 2016, seeking a recount and forensic audit of all ballots in Pennsylvania after Donald Trumps victory. She argued that the states electronic voting machines were vulnerable to remote interference and that without a paper trail of ballots, there was no way to know whether the election had been compromised. (Stein, an activist and physician from Massachusetts, received less than 1% of votes in the state.)

Diamond rejected her recount push then. But she and state voting officials reached a settlement in 2018 that required replacing the electronic voting machines that many Pennsylvania counties had relied upon for years with hybrids also capable of producing a voter-verifiable, auditable paper trail  something the state had already announced plans to do.

Her litigation appears to have created a single benefit that would not otherwise have been conferred: Diamond tartly noted in his opinion Wednesday, the payment of $150,000 to Steins lawyers.

As part of his 2018 order, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all counties in the state to replace their voting machines in time for the 2020 presidential election, requiring paper records. In addition to being less secure than other options, experts widely agree, electronic-only voting systems make it difficult to flag discrepancies or challenge election results because the votes cannot be manually recounted or audited.

Philadelphia spent $29 million last year to purchase 3,750 ExpressVoteXL machines as part of the states transition and had already put them to use in elections.

But in November, Stein pressed the court to find the state in violation of the 2018 agreement, arguing that the new machines werent secure enough and that the paper trail they produced was less than clear, echoing concerns expressed by other city and state watchdogs.

Diamond, in his opinion Wednesday, said he personally examined the ExpressVoteXL machines earlier this year during hearings that featured testimony from Department of State officials and voting experts, and found them reliable and easy to use.

To decertify them now, he said, would set-off a needless, last-minute scramble to find replacements, making it impossible for Philadelphia to participate in the 2020 presidential election.

Dr. Stein publicly announced that she seeks to promote election integrity, Diamond wrote. But in truth, he added, echoing an argument made by lawyers for the state, she seeks to promote only herself.
SEO tool maker is offering free tier credits to help small businesses affected by COVID-19 continue their marketing efforts

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / BiQ, maker of the revolutionary BiQ SEO Suite, announced today that it is committing $1 Million in free tier credits as COVID-19 relief to support small businesses. The free tier credits are intended to help small businesses affected by COVID-19 continue their marketing efforts. BiQ is the world's first SEO suite that democratizes pricing and places cost control in the hands of marketers.

"This is a crucial time when you should not quarantine your marketing efforts," said a spokesperson for BiQ. "This is because online marketing will still be one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. We look outward for ways to help our community and those who have been affected by this virus."

The BiQ SEO Tool offers four main modules: Keyword Intelligence, Content Intelligence, Rank Intelligence, and Rank Tracking. They were built upon competitive intelligence capabilities. The modules are capable of serving the needs of any and every business niche.

BiQ's marketing aid program is open to all businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The allocation of free tier credits will be credited to users' dashboards upon successful sign-up. This $1 million pledge is projected to benefit at least 10,000 businesses. Participants get access to the company's main modules and its revolutionary SEO tool.

With this initiative, BiQ hopes to help businesses that are resorting to cutting marketing budgets to pull through and remain resilient in their efforts. The spokesperson added, "Those businesses who are smart enough to utilize this opportunity and invest smartly in SEO during the downtime will emerge victorious when the pandemic comes to a halt. Using the free tier credits will enable businesses to maintain their presence online while connecting marketing messages with their target audiences."

Story continues

About BiQ

BiQ is the world's first SEO suite that democratizes pricing and lets customers scale as their needs grow. They believe in the statement, "Pay Only For What You Use & Don't Pay For What You Don't Use". The company provides granular cost control to users that want to grow their businesses effectively.

For more information, or to sign up for the program, please visit https://app.biq.cloud/sign-up

Contact Info:

Name: Winnie Wong

Email: Send Email

Organization: BiQ

Website: https://biq.cloud/

SOURCE: BiQ





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/587550/BiQ-SEO-Suite-Commits-1-Million-to-COVID-19-Small-Business-Relief




Seoul, April 29 : Delivering a solid first-quarter earnings performance on the back of its chip business despite the coronavirus pandemic, Samsung Electronics on Wednesday said its operating income increased 3.43 percent year-on-year to $5.2 billion in the January-March period, and sales rose 5.61 per cent year-on-year.

However, the world's leading memory chip and smartphone manufacturer expects its bottom line to go down in the current quarter as the pandemic will significantly affect demand for some of its key products, particularly its mobile business.

"Memory demand is expected to remain robust for servers and PCs as more people work from home, but it is possible the mobile market may soften," the company said in a statement.

"Sales and profits of set products business, including smartphones and TVs, are expected to decline significantly as COVID-19 affects demand and leads to store and plant closures globally," it added.

In the first quarter of 2020, Samsung's net profit, however, dipped 3.15 per cent to 4.8 trillion won over the cited period due to decreased gains from equity ties and increased non-operating expense.

The figures were in line with the earnings guidance announced earlier this month that beat the market consensus.

Samsung's solid performance in the first quarter was led by its semiconductor business, as increased demand for server chips used for data centres and the steady rise of memory chip prices helped the company stay afloat amid the coronavirus crisis.

The company said its improved product mix in the mobile business and additional diversification of the company's customer base in mobile OLED display also contributed to its estimate-beating first quarter earnings result, reports Yonhap news agency.

Samsung's mobile business also had a better-than-expected first quarter earnings result despite weakening sales affected by supply chain disruptions in China.

Samsung said it sold 64 million units of smartphones and 5 million units of tablets in the first quarter, down 11 million and 2 million units respectively from the previous quarter, with the average selling price of its mobile devices at $266.

Samsung's home appliance business division posted weak earnings. Its sales increased 2.58 percent on-year to 10.30 trillion won in the first quarter, but operating profit dropped 16.6 percent on-year to 450 billion won over the same period.

The company blamed weaker seasonality and impact from COVID-19 for its lower earnings in the sector.

Samsung said its TV sales in the first quarter declined by mid-20 per cent compared to the previous quarter. The world's leading TV vendor added that its TV sales are projected to decline by 10 per cent in the second quarter.

For its consumer electronics, Samsung said it will pursue "efficient marketing and promotions tailored to each region" and will minimize the virus impact by optimizing its logistics.
Peple walk along a trail at the beach in Ventura. San Mateo County will reopen some parks beginning Monday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

San Mateo has joined the growing cohort of California counties moving to reopen outdoor areas shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Trails will reopen in 13 parks Monday, according to the San Mateo County Parks Department.

Certain restrictions, however, will still be in effect. Visitors will have to carry face coverings, maintain a buffer of six feet, avoid mingling with people they don't live with, and hike single file on narrow paths.

Parks director Nicholas Calderon said the county  which closed 23 of its parks on March 27 in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19  is "eager to welcome visitors back" so they can "experience the physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors and on the trails."

During this time, its critical that park users follow the new rules developed to prevent overcrowding, discourage gatherings and that support social distancing," he said in a statement Tuesday. "Lets work together to ensure that parks are safe environments for everyone.

The announcement applies to the following trails and parks:

Edgewood Park

Huddart Park

Junipero Serra Park

Memorial Park

Mirada Surf West

Pescadero Creek Park

Pillar Point Bluff

Quarry Park

Ralston Bike Trail

Sam McDonald Park

San Bruno Mountain Park

San Pedro Valley Park

Wunderlich Park

The Crystal Springs Regional Trail also will reopen to foot traffic, and the Bay Trail will be accessible through the Coyote Point Recreation Area, though the surrounding park will remain off-limits.

All those areas will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Visitors, however, shouldn't expect business as usual. Common areas such as campgrounds, playgrounds and picnic areas will remain closed  as will some parking lots and restrooms. More detailed information on what is open at each particular park is available at the Parks Department website.

San Mateo County is the latest in California to roll back some restrictions on outdoor areas that were imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Tuesday, the county had confirmed 1,136 coronavirus infections and 48 deaths.

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San Bernardino County reopened its parks, lakes, rivers and recreation areas Saturday after more than a monthlong closure.

Ventura County also reopened its parks earlier this month. Beaches there are partially opened, too.

San Diego County officials announced last week they would lift restrictions on ocean access  allowing some cities to remove the proverbial padlock from their beaches.

The question of whether to reopen  or, in some cases, further cordon off  California's famous sandy stretches has recently been a topic as hot as the weather, which spurred thousands to head to the coast in search of relief last weekend.

Busy beaches in Orange and Ventura counties drew a rebuke from Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, who cited them as an example of what not to do as the state considered when and how to ease its stay-at-home order.

Some coastal officials pushed back, though, saying beachgoers largely followed social-distancing guidelines and that photos and dispatches over the weekend mischaracterized what conditions on the ground were really like.

"Despite whats being reported, the majority of our beachgoers are complying to social distancing," Huntington Beach officials wrote in a statement Sunday. "Please enjoy the rest of your weekend, stay safe and continue to social distance as everyone has been doing."

Conditions are a little different in San Mateo County, where coronavirus restrictions state residents are not allowed to travel more than five miles from their homes for outdoor recreation.

Earlier this month, police in the city of Pacifica ordered 275 people off Linda Mar Beach after learning they had strayed outside the permitted buffer zone.

From Friday through Sunday, officers booted 535 more people off the beach for the same reason, according to the Pacifica Police Department.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  In talking with people closely involved with Ohios finally concluded presidential primary election, heres the best thing people most had to say about it.

It wasnt good. But it could have been much worse.

I wouldnt want to do it again in that kind of timeframe, but we did it, Llyn McCoy, director of the Greene County Board of Elections, said Wednesday.

Ohios first vote-by-mail election concluded Tuesday, five weeks after Gov. Mike DeWine canceled in-person voting on March 17 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The problems that arose  and the degree to which things worked  will be studied as Ohio considers how to prepare for the possibility of another outbreak before the general election in November.

The long Tuesday lines of voters at county boards of election feared by voting rights activists didnt come to pass. Voter turnout was nowhere near this years early-voting states and way below Ohios 2016 primary, but similar to the 2012 presidential primary, which maybe isnt that bad considering the circumstances. Efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to clear a bottleneck of mailed ballots seemed to have an effect, with tens of thousands of ballots arriving at county boards of elections on Tuesday, although it delayed the results well past midnight for larger counties.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the states top elections official, had an optimistic takeaway about the election.

There are ways to change the system to make it better for Ohioans and more voter friendly, said LaRose, a Republican. But the big picture is, in the midst of a crisis, we ran a fair and honest election where as long as you took the effort to get your request in You could vote without jeopardizing your health. Thats good news for Ohio, and I think it can be an example to the rest of the nation.

But Jen Miller, executive director of the Ohio League of Women Voters, said she doesnt want peoples takeaway to be that things went OK. Lots of pieces added up to cause confusion that likely caused voters to miss their chance to cast a ballot, she said.

Continually changing the dates clearly was a problem, she said. The application process was a problem. The fact that people needed to get stamps in the middle of a pandemic was a problem Theres not one piece of this puzzle that was efficient for boards of elections or voters. And so this cannot be a template for future elections.

Turnout down compared to 2016

Nearly 1.8 million people cast early votes this year, about 1.4 million of which came after the March 17 Election Day was canceled. Thats quadruple the mail-in votes of the 2016 primary election. But its less than the 3.3 million Ohioans who voted overall that year, by mail and in-person.

The question is how many people didnt vote this year because of the extra complexity and confusion, and how many didnt vote because the Democratic presidential primary resolved with Joe Biden declared the presumptive nominee weeks ago.

House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican, said turnout was about what the GOP caucus polling expected.

This was just not a real exciting primary because the Republicans didnt have competition at the top of the ticket, and Bernie exited the race on the Democrat side.

LaRose argues the 2012 presidential election is a better comparison.

That year, then-President Barack Obama was running for re-election without opposition, and the Republican presidential primary was still working itself out. About 1.9 million Ohioans voted in that election, 209,765 more than this years election.

Youre seeing numbers that are roughly parallel to that, and what that tells you is Ohioans are going to overcome obstacles, no matter how much the pandemics changed things," LaRose said.

Miller with the League of Women Voters said theres no doubt voter confusion led to depressed turnout.

I am leery of anyone who really points to a lack of competition at the presidential level as the reasoning, she said. Because I think then theres a risk of not fixing these systemic problems for upcoming elections when the pandemic will continue.

Another 200,000 ballots are still outstanding. Some could be in the mail and on their way to elections offices. Others could have gotten to voters too late to count. Some voters have described waiting weeks for absentee ballot applications to arrive, and elections officials said Wednesday they know of ballots that came to voters late.

Prentiss Haney, executive director the Ohio Student Association, said his progressive organizing group heard from voters in Cleveland who waited weeks for their ballot to arrive, only to see late-arriving notices of errors requiring them to fill out a new form.

He said the challenges disproportionately affected communities of color, particularly older voters, who are among the groups who traditionally vote in-person.

There were millions of Ohioans who didnt know the process, and there was not enough time to show people the process, he said. And people who tried to do it experienced so many barriers that it stoped them from getting the process done.

Another number to consider is provisional ballots. Generally, provisional ballots indicate irregularities  a voters address has changed or they showed up to the wrong precinct. For this election, that number includes some of those people who showed up at county boards of elections on Tuesday to try to vote in-person.

For this years primary, 44,300 Ohioans cast provisional ballots. On a percentage basis, thats similar to 2016.

Some of this years provisional ballots will be counted, but for those who requested a mail ballot that didnt arrive in time. The option wasnt advertised until last week, since elections officials were hesitant to promote a volume of in-person voting they werent equipped to handle.

Theres no way a large majority of voters knew there was that backstop, Miller said.

Safety concerns

Pam Kerrigan, board of elections director in Shelby County, a rural area north of Dayton, said there was a steady stream of in-person voters at her office on Tuesday.

I think thats due to the information floating out around there, she said. Facebook, websites, newspapers, and just word of mouth.

It definitely concerned us, she said. We had extra help in here to keep us caught up But it was a concern the whole time. We took COVID-19 precautions very seriously.

Kerrigan described using hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to sanitize voting machines. Workers at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections also had extensive protective measures in place. A tent was set up in the parking lot that voters could use if a temperature screening detected a fever. Cuyahoga County Election Director Tony Perlatti gave interviews on Tuesday wearing full protective gear, including a face shield.

Reporting delays

Many of this years mail ballots were returned within the last three weeks, after LaRose sent out a postcard with instructions on how to apply for one. Boards of election reported getting tens of thousands of ballots on Tuesday, causing big counties to delay reporting votes late.

That meant Cuyahoga County, Franklin and Hamilton counties all didnt report numbers until well after midnight. Even suburban counties were delayed. In Delaware County, which didnt get any ballots on Tuesday due to quirks in local mail delivery, an outdated computer system struggled to load the larger than usual amount of mail ballots.

The system sat there and spun for over an hour, said Ed Helvey, chair of the Delaware County Board of Elections. It just got bolloxed up. Especially when we have a bigger election in the fall, it will just lock up.

Possible fixes

LaRose said although he thinks the election went fairly well, there are things that can be done to make the next one go more smoothly.

One, he said the state needs to mail absentee ballot applications to people with postage-paid envelopes. He had pushed for this after the March 17 election was canceled, but was overruled by state legislators who set the states elections plan.

Two, he said there needs to be additional funding so county boards of elections can upgrade their equipment and hire more workers.

Three, he, said lawmakers should pass a pending bill that would give people the option to request an absentee ballot online, instead of the current paper form.

It just does not meet with the average persons expectations in 2020 that theyre going to have to print out a dead tree piece of paper, put a signature on it, fold it three times and root through their junk drawer to find a stamp, LaRose said.

LaRose also said the absentee ballot application deadline legislators set obviously was too late. For the extended voting period, voters had until last Saturday to request a ballot. With postage delivery taking several days, a voter wouldnt have enough time to cast the ballot before the Tuesday election.

Closing the absentee ballot request window one week before the election is much more logistically feasible, he said.

Miller said legislators should mail ballots and postage-paid envelopes to every voter, add extra days to the current month-long early-voting window and allow ballot drop-boxes to be set up throughout each county, instead of having just one at each county board of elections office.

Whatever the legislature and Gov. Mike DeWine decide for November, McCoy with the Greene County Board of Elections said they have to do it soon.

We need to prepare our voters and prepare ourselves so they dont just turn things around on a dime, she said.

Read related coverage:

What to do if your ballot for Tuesdays Ohio primary doesnt arrive in time

Ohio elections officials: Mail delays could result in some voters not getting ballots before April 28 primary

Should Ohio plan for a vote-by-mail election in November, just in case?

Citing health emergency, Ohio officials to order polls closed on Election Day, despite judges ruling
When Universal Pictures released Trolls World Tour via premium video on demand in March, due to the coronavirus, the film racked up almost $100 million in digital rentals over three weeks.

And after NBCUniversal boss Jeff Shell told the Wall Street Journal Tuesday that the studio intends to capitalize on the huge popularity of streaming with future releases, North America's leading movie theater chain was quick to respond.

AMC Theaters stated that 'effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theatres in the United States, Europe or the Middle East.'

The streaming release of Universal's Trolls World Tour last month racked up almost $100 million in digital rentals leading the studio to say it plans to make future films available simultaneously on VOD and in theatres

Following the report of universal's plans in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, AMC Theaters which operates 8,000 screens across North America announced it will no longer play Universal movies at any of its global locations

Theatre owners have jealously guarded their current model which requires studios to run their movies in cinemas for a predetermined period of time, usually three months, before releasing them for home consumption in other formats.

But the phenomenal success of Trolls World Tour has persuaded Universal, according to the WSJ article, to unilaterally walk away from the agreed model.

'As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats,' NBC Universal's Shell told the newspaper, adding the film had 'exceeded our expectations and demonstrated the viability' of streaming.

AMC operates 8,000 screens across North America and in a letter to Universal, rejected the notion of releasing films in theatres and in homes simultaneously and announcing its ban on Universal movies as a result.

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that the Trolls sequel earned a massive $95 million from nearly five million domestic customers, citing 'a person familiar with the matter'

According to the WSJ report, 'its performance has convinced Universal executives that digital releases can be a winning strategy, and may diminish the role of theaters even after the pandemic passes'

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that the Trolls sequel earned a massive $95 million from nearly five million domestic customers, citing 'a person familiar with the matter.'

According to the report, 'its performance has convinced Universal executives that digital releases can be a winning strategy, and may diminish the role of theaters even after the pandemic passes.'

AMC was not the only organization to express dismay at the prospect.

In a statement, John Fithian, the head of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said: 'Universal does not have reason to use unusual circumstances in an unprecedented environment as a springboard to bypass true theatrical releases.'

The stay at home orders introduced as preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19 forced the postponement of a number of highly-anticipated movie releases including the latest Fast & Furious installment F9, the horror sequel A Quiet Place 2, Marvel's Black Widow and the James Bond film Die Another Day.

All have been pushed to later in the year or early next year and with production shut down on many projects, the movie release calendar remains a moveable feast.

Warner Bros. has previously confirmed it will release its Scooby-Doo movie Scoob! direct to streaming next month. Disney plans to do the same with Artemis Fowl, making it available on Disney+ and Paramount's Lovebirds is heading straight to Netflix as the pandemic continues

Warner Bros. has previously confirmed it will release its Scooby-Doo movie Scoob! direct to streaming next month.

Disney plans to do the same with Artemis Fowl, making it available on Disney+ and Paramount's Lovebirds is heading straight to Netflix.

On Monday, Pete Davidson and Judd Apatow announced their movie The King of Staten Island will debut via video on demand on June 12. It had been set to be released in theatres on June 19.

Also Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it has done away with one of its longstanding eligibility requirements for the 2021 Oscars , due to COVID-19.

The Academy's board of governors approved a 'temporary hold' on the requirement that a film must play in at least one theater in Los Angeles or New York for seven consecutive days, according to Variety.

The films that will be eligible under the new rules must have had a theatrical release already in place, before the COVID-19 outbreak led to theaters closing en masse.

This means that films which were only being planned for release on streaming services like Netflix or other VOD formats, without a theatrical release, will not be eligible.
Shares also rose as investors found hope in countries easing their lockdowns and boosted stimulus to support economies.

US oil prices jumped on Wednesday, trimming some of this weeks losses after US stockpiles rose less than expected and on expectations that demand will increase as some European countries and United States cities moved to ease coronavirus lockdowns.

This led to a third day of gains for Asian shares as investors also took heart from easing coronavirus lockdowns in some parts of the world and continued monetary and fiscal support for economies.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed to a high of $14.40 a barrel and were up 15.4 percent, or $1.90, at $14.24 at 02:33 GMT, paring a 27 percent plunge over the first two days of this week.

Brent crude futures rose 4.6 percent, or 93 cents, to $21.39 a barrel, adding to a 2.3 percent gain on Tuesday.

US crude inventories rose by 10 million barrels to 510 million barrels in the week to April 24, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed on Tuesday, compared with analysts expectations for a build of 10.6 million barrels.

Its a little bit of good news that maybe storages arent filling quite as quickly in the US as you would have thought, said Lachlan Shaw, head of commodity research at National Australia Bank in Melbourne.

The market will get another read on US inventories when the US Energy Information Administration releases weekly data later on Wednesday.

While storage is rapidly filling up, production cuts by US shale producers, estimated by consultants Rystad Energy at 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) for May and June, should help slow flows into tanks. The US is now the worlds biggest oil producer.

Regulators in the US state of Texas, the countrys biggest oil producer, will hold a vote on May 5 on whether to enact output curtailments. Officials in the states of North Dakota and Oklahoma are also examining ways to legally allow output cuts.

That would add to production cuts of almost 10 million bpd agreed by the Saudi Arabia-led Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other large producers including Russia, or about 10 percent of global production, due to take effect from May 1.

While the size of the OPEC cuts is unprecedented, demand has fallen even more and storage for all unused oil is shrinking quickly as global measures to combat the pandemic have brought many economies to a virtual standstill.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday reported a first-quarter budget deficit of 34.107 billion Saudi riyals ($9.09bn), reversing a first-quarter surplus of about $7.4bn in 2019, as oil revenue was hit hard by a combination of sliding global prices, demand and a supply glut in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

The kingdom  which is trying to diversify its oil-dependent economy  has projected a deficit of 187 billion riyals ($49.74bn), or 6.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), this year, widening sharply from 131 billion riyals ($34.84bn) last year.

Saudi Arabia, which relies heavily on oil revenue to support its state budget, saw its deficit widen as oil prices plunged on weak demand due to the coronavirus outbreak [File: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters]

Total revenues for the first quarter reached 192.072 billion riyals ($51.09bn), down 22 percent year-on-year, the finance ministry said in a statement on its website, as oil revenues dropped 24 percent.

The finance ministry said non-oil revenues were also down 17 percent to 63.3 billion riyals ($16.84bn) in the period. Total expenditures reached 226.179 billion riyals ($60.16bn), rising 4 percent from a year ago.

An International Monetary Fund official had told Reuters News Agency last year that the Gulf Arab state would need oil prices to average $85-87 a barrel this year to balance its state budget.

But credit rating agency Moodys cut its oil price assumptions on Wednesday, seeing WTI averaging $30 a barrel in 2020 and $35 in 2021, because of a global recession weighing on fuel demand and said it expected ample oil supply in storage to keep prices low through 2021.

Shares supported

Shares and other risk assets have been mostly supported in April by heavy doses of fiscal and monetary policy stimulus around the world, aimed at softening the economic blow from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive news around potential treatments for the infection and a gradual easing of movement restrictions in some countries have also boosted sentiment.

These factors helped lift MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan by 0.9 percent on Wednesday, having rallied 3.3 percent already this week.

Japans markets were closed for a public holiday.

Australian shares rose 1.2 percent led by energy and resources firms while South Korea added 1.2 percent.

Chinese markets opened in the black with the blue-chip index up 0.6 percent.

But analysts continue to predict a sharp contraction in economic growth, which will weigh on financial markets. Moodys expects economies of the group of 20 advanced nations (G20) to shrink 5.8 percent this year with momentum unlikely to recover to pre-coronavirus levels even in 2021.

Gold, which is viewed as a safer investment in times of economic turmoil, was a touch higher on Wednesday at $1,710.61 an ounce.
An organic farmer and former teacher from Cashton, Wis., announced his campaign Tuesday for the 96th District of Wisconsins Assembly.

Tucker Gretebeck, a Driftless Region native, launched his run as a Democratic candidate for the seat, which represents all of Crawford County and parts of Vernon and Monroe.

Weve seen a lot of changes, some good, some not so good. Right now, I see an opportunity to build this area from the inside out, he said in a statement.

Gretebecks family has lived in the area for generations he said, and he and his wife, Becky, own the All Seasons Farm in Cashton, which has been producing milk for Organic Valley for the last 15 years. They also operate a pumpkin patch.

A political newcomer, Gretebecks campaign said it is focused on resilience and enhancing the joys that come with living in Southwestern Wisconsin, which he called the most beautiful area in the whole country.

Gretebeck said he knows the value of having optimism and helping each other through tough times, and hopes to use that to make change in the district.

He graduated from Westby High School and earned a bachelors degree in elementary education from Mount Senario College in Ladysmith, Wis.

He taught for five years leading up to Act 10 at several rural public schools in the district, but had to keep farming part-time as a safety net because he was working without a contract.

Ive always needed the community to kind of support me along the way to get all of this stuff done. Because I never knew if I had a job in the fall, he said.

In 2018, his familys pumpkin patch was devastated by the record flooding, destroying several buildings and uprooting the crops.

It was horrible, to say the least, Gretebeck said.

His family tried getting government support to rebuild, but said they didnt get any help. It instead took community support to get them back on track for the next season.

It was the community that picked us up and got us going, he said.

Community support is what makes this area work, he added, and if there were some levers that could be accessed that could help other people, we could do so much better.

Of his decision to run, Gretebeck said he wants to give back now, and feels that there is a sense of urgency to support community efforts at the state level.

If theres ever a chance that people need help, its now, he said, saying that the community needs to start looking forward and have something to be excited about. We cant be all doom and gloom.

I start thinking about my kids and what were gonna leave them, and if we dont start doing something soon, theyre gonna have way bigger problems than we have, he said.

Grettebeck said he hopes that at the state level he can work to find ways to give communities and families ways to succeed.

Theres a lot of growth that can happen by putting the money into individuals hand and letting them be creative and letting them build, he said.

Gretebeck is running as a Democrat, but calls himself a radical moderate. He will challenge incumbent Loren Oldenburg, R-Viroqua, who has held the seat since 2018.

Itll be an interesting campaign, especially with whats going on here with COVID-19, Oldenburg said. Even being on the ballot is a challenge this year.

You hear the headlines, its very partisan, bickering and stuff. But behind the scenes, we have to work together to get things done,Oldenburg said.

All of our representatives in this area, theyre all trying to help in the ways that they can, Gretebeck said. The way I can help is by thinking outside of the box and thinking ahead.

A Republican has represented the 96th District since at least 2000, but Gretebeck said he thinks his message of solidarity and perseverance will resonate with voters.

I think that the opportunities that we have to make a better life for ourselves dont exactly fit party lines, he said.

The lawmakers in Madison, we gotta find a way to do this together, he said. And its gotta be together, otherwise were gonna stall. And by the time we get the things done that need to happen, it might be too late.

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The Maharashtra government's



recent move to slash electricity rates will help industries and businesses in the trying times in view of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, Power Minister Nitin Raut said on Wednesday.

He said electricity rates have been reduced by average 7 per cent.

"While industrial consumers will enjoy a tariff cut of 10-15 per cent, residential consumers will see a reduction by 5 per cent in their electricity bills," Raut told reporters.

He said industrial and commercial consumers will not have to pay the fix charges for the next month.

He said power charges for agricultural users were not hiked and no additional charges have been added for the users of roof-top solar panels.

"Similarly, solar grid support charges too have been waived," Raut added.

Power tariffs of Adani,Tata, BEST and Mahavitran have been reduced.

"In order to boost industries in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, the state electricity department is trying to increase the subsidy package for industries," Raut said.

He said domestic power bills will not be generated on the basis of this month's metre reading. "Instead, an average of three months will be taken for generation of bills," the minister added.

"Considering the difficult times, the bill for the month of April can be paid till May 31," Raut said.

Acknowledging the challenges in providing 24-hour power supply during the lockdown period, the minister said the concerned staffers of Electricity department will be rewarded suitably.

Raut, who is also the state Congress working president, said his party had provided relief to more than 1.10 lakh migrant workers from other states who are stranded in Maharashtra due to the lockdown.

"The disaster cell set up by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has directly reached to over 32 lakh people in the state. Ration and essential supplies have been provided to 18.30 lakh people by the Congress party," he said.

Raut said 16.60 lakh people have been provided with medicines, sanitisers, andmasks, while 60,000 people are being given food daily by workers of the Congress.

About5,000 PPE kits have been distributed to doctors,police personnel and other frontline workers, he said, adding that mobile clinics have been set up in Sangli, Nagpur,Mumbai,Pune and Kolhapur.

He said more than 20,000 workers of the Congress have participated in blood donation camps and collected 14,517 bags of blood.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) said the amendments to the states Strata Titles Act 1985 will be able to help the industry adapt to the changes in housing preferences.

The strata reforms, which are poised to take effect starting next month, will also introduce new land development options that can help drive economic growth in the state, according to REIWA.

REIWA said the amendments will help improve buyer information, dispute resolution, and the process for scheme termination.

Under the changes, agents will be required to provide buyers with an exhaustive list of information using a single form. The list will include the following:

Estimated strata levy contributions over a 12-month period

The most recent statement of accounts of the strata scheme

Any amount already owed to the strata company by the current lot owner

The minutes from the most recent annual general meeting of the strata company or any extraordinary general meeting thats been held since

A full set of the schemes by-laws

Information about any termination proposal received by the strata company

In terms of disputes, the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) will be given broader powers to oversee and enforce by-laws.

The amendments to the strata laws will also provide a fairer process for scheme termination, allowing for majority approvals in some schemes. With these changes, schemes with four lots or less should have a unanimous decision for the termination to push through. For schemes with more than five lots, safeguards should be in place before proceeding with a termination. The SAT will conduct an independent review if there are dissenting owners.

The reforms will also introduce leasehold strata title, which is a built strata or survey-strata scheme that has a fixed term of between 20 to 99 years. Plans for leasehold strata schemes can be lodged with Landgate.

REIWA said this will be used to provide affordable housing in strategic sites.

More information about the changes can be found here. To view the amendments, check out these links: Strata Titles Act and Strata Titles Act General Regulations.
By Bruce Buchan, Associate Professor, Griffith University

Charles Gore (1788) / State Library of NSW

Captain James Cook arrived in the Pacific 250 years ago, triggering British colonisation of the region. Were asking researchers to reflect on what happened and how it shapes us today. You can see other stories in the series here and an interactive here.

James Cook and his companions aboard the Endeavour landed at a harbour on Australias southeast coast in April of 1770. Cook named the place Botany Bay for

the great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found in this place.

Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander were aboard the Endeavour as gentleman botanists, collecting specimens and applying names in Latin to plants Europeans had not previously seen. The place name hints at the importance of plants to Britains Empire, and to botanys pivotal place in Europes Enlightenment and Australias early colonisation.

Nothing like people



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National Library of Australia





Cook has always loomed large in Australias colonial history. White Australians have long commemorated and celebrated him as the symbolic link to the civilisation of Enlightenment and Empire. The two botanists have been less well remembered, yet Banks in particular was an influential figure in Australias early colonisation.

When Banks and his friend Solander went ashore on April 29, 1770 to collect plants for naming and classification, the Englishman recollected they saw nothing like people. Banks knew that the land on which he and Solander sought plants was inhabited (and in fact, as we now know, had been so for at least 65,000 years). Yet the two botanists were engaged in an activity that implied the land was blank and unknown.

They were both botanical adventurers. Solander was among the first and most favoured of the students of Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist and colonial traveller who devised the method still used today for naming species. Both Solander and Banks were advocates for the Linnaean method of taxonomy: a systematic classification of newly named plants and animals.

When they stepped ashore at Botany Bay in 1770, the pair saw themselves as pioneers in a double sense: as Linnaean botanists in a new land, its places and plants unnamed by any other; as if they were in a veritable terra nullius.



https://images.theconversation.com/files/310792/original/file-20200120-1... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310792/original/file-20200120-1... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310792/original/file-20200120-1... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310792/original/file-20200120-1... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310792/original/file-20200120-1... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">





Natural History Museum





Botany in nobodys land

Terra nullius, meaning nobodys land, refers to a legal doctrine derived from European traditions stretching back to the ancient Romans. The idea was that land could be declared empty and unowned if there were no signs of occupation such as cultivation of the soil, towns, cities, or sacred temples.

As a legal doctrine it was not applied in Australia until the late 1880s, and there is dispute about its effects in law until its final elimination by the High Court in Mabo v Queensland (No. II) in 1992.





Read more:

Terra nullius interruptus: Captain James Cook and absent presence in First Nations art





Cook never used this formulation, nor did Banks or Solander. Yet each in their way acted as if it were true. That the land, its plants, and animals, and even its peoples, were theirs to name and classify according to their own standards of scientific knowledge.

In the late eighteenth century, no form of scientific knowledge was more useful to empire than botany. It was the science par excellence of colonisation and empire. Botany promised a way to transform the waste of nature into economic productivity on a global scale.

Plant power

Wealth and power in Britains eighteenth century empire came from harnessing economically useful crops: tobacco, sugar, tea, coffee, rice, potatoes, flax. Hence Banks and Solanders avid botanical activity was not merely a manifestation of Enlightenment science. It was an integral feature of Britains colonial and imperial ambitions.



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Natural History Museum





Throughout the Endeavours voyage, Banks, Solander, and their assistants collected more than 30,000 plant specimens, naming more than 1,400 species.

By doing so, they were claiming new ground for European knowledge, just as Cook meticulously charted the coastlines of territories he claimed for His Majesty, King George III. Together they extended a new dispensation, inscribed in new names for places and for plants written over the ones that were already there.

Long after the Endeavour returned to Britain, Banks testified before two House of Commons committees in 1779 and 1785 that Botany Bay would be an advantageous site for a new penal colony. Among his reasons for this conclusion were not only its botanical qualities  fertile soils, abundant trees and grasses  but its virtual emptiness.





Read more:

From Captain Cook to the First Fleet: how Botany Bay was chosen over Africa as a new British penal colony





Turning emptiness to empire

When Banks described in his own Endeavour journal the land Cook had named New South Wales, he recalled: This immense tract of Land  is thinly inhabited even to admiration . It was the science of botany that connected emptiness and empire to the Enlightened pursuit of knowledge.

One of Bankss correspondents was the Scottish botanist and professor of natural history, John Walker. Botany, Walker wrote, was one of the few Sciences that can promise any discovery or improvement. Botany was the scientific means to master the global emporium of commodities on which empire grew.

Botany was also the reason why it had not been necessary for Banks or Solander to affirm the land on which they trod was empty. For in a very real sense, their science presupposed it. The land, its plants and its people were theirs to name and thereby claim by discovery.

When Walker reflected on his own botanical expeditions in the Scottish Highlands, he described them as akin to voyages of discovery to lands as inanimate & unfrequented as any in the Terra australis.

As we reflect on the 250-year commemoration of Cooks landing in Australia, we ought also to consider his companions Banks and Solander, and their science of turning supposed emptiness to empire.

Bruce Buchan receives research funding from the Swedish Foundation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and from the Swedish Research Council, for two projects with Dr Linda Andersson Burnett: The Borders of Humanity: Linnaean Natural Historians and the Colonial Legacies of Enlightenment (P15-0423:1) 2016-19, and 'Collecting Mankind: Prehistory, Race and Instructions for Scientific Travelers, circa 1750-1850' (2019-03358) 2020-24.

Originally published in The Conversation.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:33 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4daf22 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,mudik-ban,Homecoming,Central-Java,Ganjar-Pranowo,Cilacap Free

Many residents of regions across Java have been ignoring the governments mudik (exodus) ban and are insisting on traveling home undetected, even though some are testing positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in their respective hometowns.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said he had received reports and photographs showing travelers returning to their hometowns across the province, with some coming by dangerous means.

Some have put their cars inside trucks and covered them with other stuff. There were also some who traveled in a container [on the back of a truck], although thats not confirmed yet, Ganjar said on Tuesday in Semarang.

The governor added that he had received a report from the Cilacap regent, who said that some people recently arrived the regency despite the mudik ban had tested positive for COVID-19.

Cilacap Health Agency head Pramesti Griana Dewi confirmed that eight residents of Cimanggu district tested positive for the disease. They had traveled to Cilacap in the same car from Jakarta.

The travelers had tested positive following a rapid test and were now declared patients under surveillance (PDPs). They would undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to make sure of their medical status.

We will announce if the swab test results come back positive, Pramesti told tribunnews.com on Sunday, adding that the eight patients showed no medical symptoms of having contracted the coronavirus.

Ganjar asserted that going on mudik secretly would be dangerous to travelers health as well as risking others lives. He called on people under his jurisdiction to be open in communicating with officials if they had to go home under urgent circumstances.

If you really have to go home, you should request a letter of permission. I think the government will wisely consider it, he said, asking that residents should stay where they were while the government distributed necessary social aid.

Ganjar said he had asked regents, mayors and village heads across Central Java to prepare health protocols and quarantine places for travelers who returned to their hometowns.

According to the Jakarta Police, the number of vehicles leaving Jakarta increased two days prior to the enforcement of the mudik ban on Friday. Once the policy was imposed, the traffic police had asked around 1,200 motorists attempting to leave Greater Jakarta to turn around, as reported by kompas.com.

The number of vehicles told to turn around amounted to 3,300 on Sunday, as revealed by Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus.

Authorities have set up checkpoints in several locations across Java to monitor the flow of vehicles between cities and provinces following the mudik ban.

People found violating the ban were subject to the maximum punishment of fines amounting to Rp 100 million (US$6,490) and a years imprisonment, as stipulated in the 2018 Health Quarantine Law. (syk)
Members of the China-WHO joint novel coronavirus epidemic inspection team visit the Wuhan Tongji Hospital's Guanggu branch in Wuhan on Feb 23. [Photo by Pan Songgang/For China Daily]

Has China concealed epidemic information from the world? While being asked the question, Jiao Yahui, an official responsible for medical administration and supervision at the National Health Commission, China's top health authority, gave a definitive "no" without any hesitation.

"If China had ever wanted to hide its COVID-19 death toll, it wouldn't have published the revised death figure in Wuhan, which jumped about 50 percent compared to the previous figure," she said in Wuhan, Hubei province, during an exclusive interview with China Daily on Friday.

"China has never, ever intentionally concealed epidemic information from the world. Both the revised death toll and the number of confirmed cases in the city have increased, which shows that we want to share the fact with the world and be transparent."

On April 17, the Wuhan government revised the death toll in the city from 2,579 to 3,869 after local authorities had the opportunity to correct some inaccuracies in reporting that occurred in the early stages of the outbreak. By the end of Monday, the COVID-19 death toll on the Chinese mainland stood at 4,633, of which about 83 percent were in Wuhan, according to the National Health Commission.

"Actually, during the revision of the death toll, we've seen certain casualties that had been reported multiple times via our epidemic reporting system by more than one medical institute, because they have all treated the patients, so we have to write off the duplication," Jiao said.

The revision also shows that the data in the system is reliable and transparent, and medical institutes can directly report confirmed cases and the death toll independently, she added.

There are two reporting systems for medical workers to report an epidemic in China: One allows them to report more than 30 identified infectious diseases and the other to report pneumonia of unknown origin, which was established to cope with the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in China in 2003. The alarm for COVID-19 was sounded via the latter, Jiao said.

Zhang Dingyu, president of Jinyintan Hospitala hospital specializing in infectious diseases and the first designated hospital for COVID-19 in Wuhanwitnessed how the alarm was sounded.

On Dec 27, 2019, a doctor at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine reported three pneumonia cases of unknown origin to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at Wuhan's Jianghan district. This was the first time that Chinese authorities obtained information about the disease.

At 11:30 pm on Dec 29, six patients with pneumonia of unknown origin were transferred to Jinyintan Hospital. "After consultation with epidemiologists, we filed their cases on the system for reporting pneumonia of unknown origin straight away. We just followed the protocol," Zhang said in an exclusive interview with China Daily on Thursday.

On Dec 30, the Wuhan Health Commission issued an urgent notice asking all medical institutions in the city to report patients with pneumonia of unknown origin. On Dec 31, the commission released a briefing on its website about pneumonia of unknown origin, confirming 27 cases and telling the public not to go to enclosed public spaces or hold gatherings. On the same day, experts from the National Health Commission arrived in Wuhan to investigate the cases.

"After the new virus was identified and listed as source of an infectious disease, we then started to use the routine system to report COVID-19 infections," Zhang said.

"In China, it's the responsibility of medical workers to report infectious diseases to the local centers for disease control and prevention. The information will then be verified and then sent to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention," he said.

Jiao said that reporting infectious diseases doesn't need to go through any other government bodies. The data will be directly collected by CDCs at different levels. The system was designed to avoid interference from outsiders.

Information sharing

Jiao said China has been sharing epidemic control information with the world in a timely and transparent manner since the very beginning of the outbreak.

On Dec 31, the WHO China Office was informed of pneumonia cases of unknown origin detected in Wuhan, according to the WHO.

Starting on Jan 3, China has been regularly informing the WHO as well as relevant countries and regions about the outbreak.

On Jan 8, an expert evaluation team from the National Health Commission initially identified a new coronavirus strain as the cause of the epidemic.

On Jan 12, China submitted the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus to the WHO, which was published by the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data and shared globally.

"China has been taking a closed-book exam on containing the outbreak while it is an open-book exam for the rest of the world due to the information and experience shared by China," Jiao said. "Many countries could have developed diagnosis kits then to find infected people, but they missed the window period."

As the COVID-19 death toll has been surging around the world, people started to question if there were still unreported cases in China. Jiao said the number of patients at fever clinics in Wuhan can explain the situation.

When the epidemic situation was grim, the fever clinics in the citythe outposts of epidemic controldealt with more than 14,000 people a day. Now the number has dropped to between 200 and 300, she said.

"If there are still unreported cases, people will of course seek treatment at fever clinics. You cannot stop them," she said.
A host of urbanites are scrambling for a haircut after the social distancing ease took effect, giving pressured barbers a chance to earn.

Huynh Van Phuc, a 23-year-old barber, worked a total 21 hours last weekend, after three weeks without a job. Last Saturday, Phuc started work at 8 a.m. and served his last customer at 9.30 p.m.

Phucs barbershop on Saigons Le Dai Hanh Street has welcomed hundreds in the last few days.

"A customer will have to wait up to one hour to have his hair cut," Phuc said, adding many decided to return the following week.

Meanwhile, behind the glass doors, a long line of customers were glued to their phones waiting, with a dozen barbers busy brandishing scissors and sharp razors.

A barber and client don face masks in District 1 on April 24, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Huy.

This is a typical scene at many barbershops and hair salons in Ho Chi Minh City as the end of the semi-lockdown period triggered a flood of customers who could not cut their hair for nearly one month.

On March 24, HCMC ordered all its restaurants and barber shops to close over rising numbers of Covid-19 infections. The semi-lockdown kept these shops closed until April 23, when the campaign was eased.

At 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, locals could not find a parking spot on Ly Thai To Street, where a barbershop was brimming with customers.

"I cut my sons hair last week but he hated it, and now he wants to go to a barbershop before returning to school next week," Tran Hoang, 39, said while waiting behind the glass door.

Nguyen Hoang Tu, a young barber, said he has up to 30 clients a day, double the average prior to nationwide social distancing.

"A month before Tet (Lunar New Year), each of us served less than 20 customers a day," Tu commented, adding everyone has to start work earlier and finish later to meet skyrocketing demand.

After nearly a month without income, with all gyms, pool halls, beauty parlors, and barbershops required to shut, resuming business means earning again, according to Tu.

His colleagues concur, saying they could earn up to VND800,000 ($34) a day if working industriously.

"This is a blessing, the closure created a huge financial burden, we all feel happy and ready to serve as many clients as possible," said Tran Thanh Vu, owner of a District 10 hair salon.

However, standing for up to 12 hours a day is not as much fun as it sounds. Phuc said he experienced numbness in his legs and feet after prolonged standing to serve customers. Some of his colleagues also complain of shoulder and back pain.

"Basically, we do not have a lunch break, so we give each other a back massage whenever we can," barber Le Tuan Hoang, 29, confirmed.

Some talk to their clients and colleagues to avoid fatigue from overworking.

"I told my staff to keep an eye on their coworkers so they can help each other when someone is overwhelmed or tired," Vu said, adding they must be careful and concentrate in order not to "ruin any heads."

Remain on guard

As the Covid-19 threat is here to stay, many barbers and hair salons have adopted strict measures to avoid infection and put patrons at ease.

At Phucs shop, clients are required to sanitize their hands right after entering and before using any equipment.

Apart from a mask, barbers also wear a plastic face shield to protect themselves from the tiny virus-carrying droplets in case patients are infected.

Wearing masks is also a must for clients, while having their hair cut.

Masked clientele have a scroll before having a cut on April 24, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Huy.

"I cannot see my face in the mirror with the new hair while wearing a mask, but at least I feel safe," said Van, one of Phucs clients.

They understand following protective measures is the only way to retain their patrons.

Vu was relieved to open again after a month of closure. But he worried the crowded shop would pose infection risks and worry customers, especially when most are housewives, who tend to be more careful when it comes to protecting their health.

Since Monday, the hairdresser has refused to let more than eight clients enter his shop.

"Some were annoyed, but I told them about the social distancing rules, and they understood," he recalled.

In the next few days, urbanites will have more free time during the four-day national holiday; barbershop and hair salons will attract a myriad of customers, according to Vu.

He has bought more masks and hand sanitizer for his staff and patrons, who are "happy to see each other after a long pause and should be fully aware of the Covid-19 threats."

"We want to have our hair cut, our nails done. But firstly, we want to be healthy in this post-social distancing era," he maintained.
Sales of purported and potentially dangerous "vaccines" for COVID-19, repurposed antiviral medications and personal protective gear are booming on dark web markets at exorbitant prices.

An analysis by the Cybercrime Observatory at the Australian National University in April uncovered 645 listings for 222 unique COVID-19 related medical product supplies on the equivalent of supermarkets on the dark web.

Professor Roderic Broadhurst, a professor of criminology, says his team identified many vendors selling purported vaccines on the dark web.

The dark web, popular for sales of illegal drugs, can only be accessed via an encrypted browser that allows users to remain anonymous.

The ANU found many COVID-related products including a respirator, according to a study to be released on Thursday by the Australian Institute of Criminology which commissioned the research.
Instagram reminds me of a strobe-lit party sprawling down an infinite corridor. Frankly, I find it a little overwhelming. You may start off somewhere familiar, with a small group of friends, but before you know it, youre bumping into famous photographers, stumbling upon a lecture about women in art history or an archive of public-domain art works, or getting lost amid imagery that swings rapidly from cheerful to moody and back again.

As my colleagues have recently documented, Instagram can take you all over the world. But what I really appreciate about the platform is the feeling it gives you of peering into someone elses half-conscious mental cinema, and I use it, mainly, to keep up with artists whose work Ive encountered IRL. Here are five of my favorite accounts; New York Times critics will be posting their own picks every week.
By Trend

Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has highlighted Azerbaijan`s contributions to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic both globally and regionally.

Speaking at a press conference, he noted that discussions on the fight against coronavirus were carried out at a recent meeting through videoconference held on the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan, adding he also attended the event. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of such steps.

The WHO Director-General hailed Azerbaijan`s global contribution to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. He said that Azerbaijan donated $5 million for this global struggle.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the President of Azerbaijan for his strong efforts in the battle against COVID-19 at the national, regional and global levels, and for uniting and supporting efforts at all three levels.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Southwest Airlines posted its first quarterly loss in nearly a decade and said Tuesday that the downturn in air travel that began in late February shows no signs of letting up.

The airline said trip cancellations have pulled back from a peak in March but remain at levels that Southwest has never seen, as customers scrap plans to travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

Southwest expects revenue to drop by 90% to 95% in April and May compared with a year ago, with only 5% to 10% of seats on its planes filled. With little revenue coming in, Southwest is burning through $900 million in cash a month.

Bookings for April, May and June are weak, and they have been outnumbered by cancellations. Southwest hopes that as states ease their stay-at-home orders and some businesses and tourist destinations reopen, more people will want to fly  maybe by midsummer, the traditional vacation season.

We have decent bookings in place for July, CEO Gary Kelly told reporters. We just have no way to predict what cancellations will be.

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

Airlines for America, a trade group for the leading U.S. carriers, said the average domestic flight in the past week had 17 passengers  although there have been incidents of crowded planes with many passengers not wearing face masks.

Airlines are starting to think about how to make passengers feel safe when the numbers rise.

Kelly said Southwest is considering temporary measures including leaving all middle seats open, which would limit its planes to two-thirds of their normal capacity. Anything more, he suggested, is impossible without raising fares.

Southwest and other airlines say they encourage passengers to wear masks. JetBlue said late Monday that it will be the first airline to require masks, beginning next week. Airlines say they are stepping up cleaning of planes between flights. The airline industry is lobbying to screen passengers to prevent them from getting on a plane if they have a fever.

President Donald Trump said his administration was discussing the idea of screening passengers for both fever and the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19.

We are also setting up a system where we do some testing, and we are working with the airlines on that, Trump said Tuesday. On the plane, getting on the plane.

Kelly said screening would help people feel comfortable about flying again.

For now, passenger traffic is virtually zero, Kelly told employees a few days ago. He said again Tuesday that if traffic doesnt begin picking up by summer, Southwest could become a much smaller airline. That was a stunning statement, coming from the leader of an airline that says it has never laid off employees in 49 years of flying.

Dallas-based Southwest has never reported a full-year loss, but analysts expect that streak to end in 2020. Southwest has canceled thousands of flights, asked employees to take unpaid time off, grounded many of its planes, and negotiated for $3.2 billion in federal aid to help cover payroll costs through September.

The company has borrowed $6.8 billion this year, including the federal loan it has already received. Southwest said it plans to apply for a second round of federal help, a secured loan of $2.8 billion, and is shopping for money from other sources.

As of last week, Southwest said, it had cash and short-term investments of $9.3 billion and mortgageable assets  mostly planes  worth nearly $8 billion to ride out the coronavirus crisis. With no immediate need for more planes, Southwest is overhauling its order book with Boeing.

Southwest took another step to raise cash on Tuesday, disclosing plans to issue 55 million new shares of stock with underwriters getting an option for another 8.25 million shares, and issue $1 billion in debt that can be converted to stock. Those moves, which surprised analysts, sent Southwest shares lower initially, but by Tuesday afternoon they were up more than 2%. Shares of Delta, American and United soared higher by between 10% and 13%.

Southwest swung to a first-quarter loss of $94 million from a $387 million profit in the same period last year. The airline last reported a quarterly loss in September 2011.

The loss, after excluding some items, was 15 cents per share  not as bad as the loss of 48 cents per share that Wall Street expected, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research.

Revenue dropped 18% to $4.23 billion, as the number of passengers fell 21%  three times faster than Southwest canceled flights. The average flight  including the halcyon days of January and most of February  was 68% full, an extraordinary drop of 13 points from early 2019.
Representative image

The government has extended the relaxed connectivity norms for 'work from home', applicable on IT and BPO companies, till July 31, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The deadline for the easier norms was to end on April 30.

Industry body Nasscom said the decision to extend the timelines on relaxed norms for other service providers (OSPs) to facilitate 'work from home' will help IT and BPO firms plan their strategy of bringing back workforce to offices, in a gradual and phased manner.

Earlier on Tuesday, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters, "I have relaxed norms for working from home...it was to end on April 30, I have extended it to July 31".

In March, the DoT relaxed certain norms for OSPs till April 30 to facilitate work from home (WFH) amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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

This included exemptions in requirement of security deposit and agreement for WFH facility for OSPs (primarily IT and IT-enabled services companies). Earlier, companies were not allowed to connect office Virtual Private Network to home infrastructure, a rule that was subsequently relaxed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Given that work-from-home is going to be a new normal for sometime, the decision to extend timelines is a welcome move. It will help companies plan their return-to-office strategy in a phased manner. Now that the deadline is being extended to July, companies too can plan their workforce returning to office, in the same way," Nasscom Senior Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer Sangeeta Gupta told PTI.

Currently, over 90 per cent of IT workforce is working from home and only those performing critical functions are going to offices.

Meanwhile, during his interaction with states to discuss COVID-19 challenges, tech innovations and roadmap for the IT and electronics sector, Prasad also urged states' IT ministers to move swiftly and promote electronics manufacturing through pro-investment initiatives, to tap a "great opportunity" that now beckons India, in view of changing business dynamics due to COVID-19.

The minister also directed that data from Aarogya Setu app should be made available online to the states right up-to district officials, in line with suggestions made by states. Prasad said states have been highly-appreciative of Aarogya Setu app, and that a similar solution for feature phones is in the works, and will be launched shortly.

The meeting was attended by chief ministers of Haryana and Sikkim, deputy chief ministers of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, who are also in charge of the IT department in their respective states, an official release said.

Later while speaking to reporters, Prasad said his ministry is constantly monitoring spread of fake news on social media platforms and that companies have told the government of strong progress they have made in removing such content. He cautioned that any inaction by companies in clamping down on fake news would be met with consequences at the Centre and state levels, as well as police action.

The minister said products coming from any country, particularly China, should be subject to stringent security audit and verification.

"One thing is clear... we are not against any country, we are only pro-India, we are committed to India and will take measures to create opportunities for India. As regards security initiative...any product coming from any country, particularly China, we expect proper security audit and verification," Prasad said replying to a specific query on India's stance on Chinese products.

The minister also underlined the government's commitment to promote electronics manufacturing, in a big way.

"A great opportunity beckons India, and we already have policies in place. This is India's opportunity, where Centre and States Government should move together. I have urged state IT ministers that they should also undertake pro-investment initiatives," he said.

The minister noted that three schemes -- Production Linked Incentive 2.0, Electronics Manufacturing Clusters, and Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) -- have been notified by the Centre in order to attract investments in the electronics manufacturing sector, and appealed to states to supplement these with their schemes.

Also read: Coronavirus News India LIVE Updates
London, April 29 : The UK has decided not to use the framework proposed by tech giants Apple and Google for its NHS coronavirus contact tracing app.

Despite privacy and security concerns, NHSX, the digital arm of the country's health organisation, is creating a centralised app, Mail Online reported on Tuesday.

The framework proposed by Apple and Google is a decentralised one, meaning that the tracking information will not be stored in a central server.

NHSX in a blog over the weekend said that it has prioritised security and privacy in all stages of the app's development, starting with the initial design, and user testing.

Apple and Google have also offered their expertise to help NHSX build its own app.

"We have drawn on expertise from across government and industry to review our design and help test the app," NHSX said in the blog.

"We are working with Apple and Google on their welcome support for tracing apps around the world," it added.

In an unprecedented collaboration earlier this month, Google and Apple announced their decision to pull their expertise for tracking COVID-19 spread with the help of smartphones.

They said that their Bluetooth-driven exposure notification system to enable iOS and Android phones trace the spread of coronavirus is completely safe.

The NHS in Britain is facing questions as to why it needed to have its own framework for coronavirus contact tracing app.

The NHS app is likely to be rolled out in two to three weeks, said the report.

But before that the app is rolled out, it will be tested in a trial with a small number of people.

--IANS
But for many travelers, protecting the next trip means taking smaller and simpler precautions. David Kazarian, a pharmacist from Tampa, still has plans to take a river cruise in Europe in late June. Hes planning to bring plenty of disinfectant and disinfectant wipes, and he will be treating all the surfaces in his berth after boarding. But he doesnt intend to let the threat of the coronavirus sink his vacation.
Security review in J&K is message to Pak not to use Taliban win in Kashmir

11 civilians gunned down by security forces in Nagaland; CM Neiphiu Rio orders SIT probe, appeals for peace

Day after Category A terrorist was killed, 2 more gunned down today in J&K

Security forces gun down three terrorists in J&K

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: Security forces gunned down three militants in an overnight encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.

A police official said while one militant was killed on Tuesday, two were gunned down on Wednesday.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras was being ascertained, he said.

J&K: 50 terrorists killed in 2020, 18 during lockdown

The encounter broke out after the militants opened fire on a search party of security forces at Melhora in Zainapora area of the south Kashmir district on Tuesday.

The searches were going on and the operation is in progress, the official said.
UPDATE: Rishi Kapoor passes away - read more here

According to a report, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has been hospitalised on account of ill health. Rishi was admitted to the Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. This news has been confirmed by his brother Randhir Kapoor.

Confirming the news, Randhir Kapoor told the Indian Express, "He is hospitalised. Neetu is by his side. He is not well." However, he dismissed rumours of him being supported by a ventilator.

Rishi was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and the actor spent a number of months in New York, getting treatment. He underwent a marrow treatment and spent 11 months in recovery.

While he was in New York, Rishi was visited by a number of Bollywood celebrities including his son Ranbir Kapoor, Ranbir's girlfriend Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Anupam Kher, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Priyanka Chopra and others.

Rishi returned to India in September last year. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he said that he felt fresh and geared up to do any kind of work. He shared that he was looking forward to face the camera once again and hoped that he hadn't forgotten acting. "When I was going through treatment, I had a few blood transfusions. And I told Neetu that I hope with the new blood, I haven't forgotten acting," he said.

Rishi recently announced his next project which is going to be a remake of the Hollywood movie The Intern starring Tom Hanks and Anne Hathway in the lead. He is to star alongside Deepika Padukone in the film.

ALSO READ: Rishi Kapoor Requests People To Not Indulge In Violence During 'Coronavirus War'

ALSO READ: Rishi Kapoor Shares An Optimistic Message Amid COVID-19 Total Lockdown In India!


Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:52:05|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai has released a standard for separate dining to promote the use of serving chopsticks and spoons.

The new standard specified detailed requirements for service and management of separate dining in restaurants based on the different characteristics of the dining venues and styles, according to the Shanghai municipal administration for market regulation.

The standard also proposed that restaurants should offer separate dining menus and inform customers of relevant information.

Many restaurants in Shanghai have already promoted separate dining. Time-honored brand Guangmingcun Restaurant, for example, has provided serving chopsticks and spoons for customers since March. Free hand disinfectant is also available in the restaurant to ensure safety.

Zhang Wenhong, head of the center for infectious disease with Shanghai-based Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, said that separate dining is a way of social distancing just like wearing masks, and can effectively reduce the risk of virus spreading.

So far, about 30 percent of the restaurants in Shanghai have provided separate dining services, local authorities said. Enditem
Men who catch coronavirus are more than twice as likely to die from the disease as women, a study has warned.

The virus hits men harder as they suffer more severely and have a death rate that is around 2.5 times higher, researchers from China found.

Their report suggests that the virus not only discriminates by age and underlying health conditions, but also by sex.

Scroll down for video

Men who catch coronavirus are more than twice as likely to die from the disease as women, a study has warned

Jin-Kui Yang and colleagues at the Beijing Tongren Hospital in China noticed the trend among COVID-19 patients who died.

'Early in January we noticed that the number of men dying from COVID-19 appeared to be higher than the number of women,' said Dr Yang.

'This raised a question: are men more susceptible to getting or dying from COVID-19? We found that no-one had measured gender differences in COVID-19 patients, and so began investigating.'

The team analysed several patient datasets to establish if there were differences in how men and women respond to the virus.

This included data on 43 patients the doctors had treated themselves, as well as publicly available data on 1,056 COVID-19 patients.

Doctors also analysed data from 524 SARS patients from 2003, as the viruses responsible for both SARS and COVID-19 are similar.

They attach to the same protein  called ACE2  on the cells they attack.

The team confirmed that older people and those with specific underlying conditions tended to have the disease more severely and were more likely to die from it.

Men and women were equally likely to contract the virus  but men were significantly more likely to suffer severely, regardless of their age.

Furthermore, in the largest COVID-19 dataset, more than 70 per cent of patients who died were men.

Analysis also showed a similar trend for 2003 SARS patients, with a significantly higher death rate among men.

Levels of the ACE2 protein tended to be present in higher levels in male patients.

It was also higher in patients with heart disease and diabetes  both of whom have worse outcomes in cases of coronavirus.

The findings are in line with the latest UK figures from the Office for National Statistics, which also suggest that men are hit worse than women.

In Italy, meanwhile, men have accounted for more than two thirds of deaths, the British Medical Journal has reported.

However, the authors have cautioned that further research is needed to determine exactly why men with coronavirus fare worse than women.

'The study may have important implications for patient care,' said Dr Yang.

'We recommend that additional supportive care and prompt access to the intensive care unit may be necessary for older male patients.'

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.
A Bunnings car park in Victoria will be trialled as a coronavirus testing location as the state government looks to ramp up COVID-19 test numbers.

A pilot will be conducted at Bunnings West Footscray store on Thursday after the hardware retailer were approached by the Victorian government to host testing locations as many stores have large car parks.

If successful, the testing facilities will be expanded to a handful of metro and regional stores across the state and align with appropriate traffic management procedures.

The testing will be completely independent from Bunnings and held away from the store in the car park with no impact on regular trade.

Bunnings Warehouse will trial a coronavirus testing facility in the car park of their store in West Footscray in Victoria. Pictured: Bunnings store in Myaree in Perth

Medical staff from St Vincents hospital test patients for coronavirus at the Bondi drive-through testing centre on Saturday

Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider said stores will continue to implement strong safety measures to protect their team and customers.

'We've been overwhelmed by the positive and supportive feedback we've received from our team on all the changes and initiatives we have implemented,' he said in a statement.

'This new initiative is just another way we are supporting the government and the community to help us tackle COVID-19 together.'

Bunnings coronavirus testing follows on from several Melbourne shopping centres including Doncaster, Highpoint and Chadstone launching mobile testing facilities for customers on Wednesday.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Monday that 100,000 Victorians will be tested in the next two weeks ahead of a discussion on relaxing the state's tough lockdown measures.

More than 111,000 tests have been conducted in Victoria since January, with three new cases of the deadly virus confirmed in the state on Wednesday.

There are now 1,354 cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, with 18 people in hospital, nine in intensive care and 1,287 people who have recovered from the disease.

A woman in her 80s died from COVID-19 on Tuesday night, bringing Victoria's death toll to 18 and the national toll to 89.

The new death comes as the state government holds out against loosening any restrictions to combat the spread of the virus, saying the earliest this will happen is May 11 when a state of emergency comes to an end.
Dr Lorna Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Manhattan, had described to her father in the days before her death the toll her work had taken on her and her colleagues.

A top doctor working in New York, the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, committed suicide after witnessing patients dying from coronavirus on the frontline of her hospitals emergency room.

Dr Lorna Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Manhattan, had described to her father in the days before her death the toll her work had taken on her and her colleagues.

According to her father, Dr Philip Breen, the 49-year-old had not suffered from mental illness and she had sounded distraught when she talked about seeing patients dying before they could even be taken out of ambulances.

She had herself contracted Covid-19 and took some time off work to recover before returning. The hospital sent her home again, and her family brought her to the family house in Virginia.

A medical worker is seen sitting in the East Village during the coronavirus pandemic o - Getty

She was truly in the trenches of the front line, he told the New York Times. She tried to do her job, and it killed her.

He added: Make sure shes praised as a hero, because she was. Shes a casualty just as much as anyone else who has died.

A spokesman for the Charlottesville Police Department said. The victim was taken to UVA. Hospital for treatment, but later succumbed to self-inflicted injuries.

In a statement, NewYork-Presbyterian agreed Dr Breen was a hero who brought the highest ideals of medicine to the challenging front lines of the emergency department.

Our focus today is to provide support to her family, friends and colleagues as they cope with this news during what is already an extraordinarily difficult time.

The 200-bed hospital has at times had as many as 170 patients with Covid-19. As of April 7, there had been 59 patient deaths at the hospital, according to an internal document.

New York has the highest death toll of any city in the world. The US has recorded the highest number of cases - nearly one million - and more than 58,000 deaths.

Story continues

New York state has seen nearly a third of all American deaths and has been overwhelmed in recent weeks with the growing number of casualties flooding its hospitals and morgues.

Drone pictures show bodies being buried on New York's Hart Island amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in New York City - Reuters

Mental health groups have warned that post-traumatic stress from the pandemic is becoming a crisis.

Two days before Dr Breen is believed to have taken her life, a paramedic from the New York borough The Bronx fatally shot himself.

John Mondello, 23, worked out of EMS Station 18 in The Bronx, which handles one of the biggest 911 call volumes in the city.

The group that is most at risk are the front-line health care workers, said Debra Kaysen, head of the Stanford Universitys International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Credit and Debt Management Institute Inc.

Breakthrough innovation specialist CDMI today launches Stop Creditor Payments (SCP), a dual-mode program that enables consumers to cease all creditor and bill payments for 3-12 months without damaging their credit, guaranteed.

With over 35 years of credit industry experience, the Credit and Debt Management Institute has provided cutting-edge and innovative credit solutions to thousands of individuals, small businesses and corporations across the country. Their tested and proven multi-platform credit restoration programs are integrated with their industry-leading, award-winning algorithm. This algorithm has helped them receive all three credit industry world records including the highest recorded credit score.

In a unique commercial offer, CDMI is providing the dual-mode intellectual property for a one-time fee, including monitoring and customization. This creates a bespoke platform, enabling consumers and small business owners the ability to differentiate their creditor deferment plans and to secure a competitive advantage. SCP removes the fear of destroying credit based on a financial hardship that is beyond an individuals control. This comprehensive program temporarily modifies, settles or defers all payments and bills.

Using this model, and paying a one-time fee, CDMI is set to accelerate the ability of consumers and small business to emerge unscathed from the disruptive coronavirus pandemic, by helping clients to maintain and build their credit during this financial meltdown. This program will make it possible to actually improve credit scores, with its dual-mode interoperability between consumer and creditors. SCP is fast emerging as a critical requirement for sustainability over the next decade. SCP further mobilizes the Care Act and provides consumers and small businesses with the opportunity to preserve creditor relations and their credit score while awaiting stimulus funding.

Having the ability and flexibility to develop new products and services that offer true solutions is why CDMI was voted the Worlds Leading Credit Experts. Weve developed SCP to give our clients unprecedented levels of customization and control, not only for the sake of their credit, but also to ensure that once this crisis is over they will be in a position to take advantage of the imminent wave of funding opportunities, says Dr. Michael C. Grayson, CEO.

SCP has been designed to streamline integration and provide a single point of contact for both consumers and creditors. Furthermore, it provides the ability to 'stop the bleeding', whilst consumers and small businesses seek government assistance and rebuild their financial preparedness. This product is the only way for the middle class to survive this terrible pandemic and keep the focus where it should be, on staying safe and healthy, says Dr. Grayson.

This product is offered online at PerfectCredit4Life.com, and Dr. Graysons book How to Stop Making Payments can be purchased on Amazon.com. In fact, if purchased in the next five (5) days Amazon is offering the e-book for free as they are convinced that providing this level of technology and interoperability will be an essential requirement in sustaining and creating the level of prosperity that will set the direction for the economy, the market and the middle class, in the years to come.
Rafael Ferreiras shows an iPhone photo of his late father, also named Rafael, who died of COVID-19. The wife of the elder Ferreiras works at the Bell & Evans poultry processing plant in Fredericksburg, Pa. Read more

Elpidio Espinal Rondon started feeling achy and feverish early this month, but he continued working his graveyard shift at the Bell & Evans poultry-processing plant, where he trims fat off chicken breasts as they rumble down a conveyor belt.

He had no idea that fellow plant worker Arismendi Beras-Mendoza was also ill. His Dominican soul brother, who loved dominoes and was friendly with everyone as he plucked stray bits of raw meat off the factory floor, never complained about any COVID-19 symptoms.

It was only after Beras-Mendozas sudden death from the coronavirus on April 14 that Espinal Rondon called out sick and got tested. He was positive.

He and his late friend were among a group of workers who traveled to and from work in a van driven by a colleague. Crammed together for the 30-mile drive between their homes in Reading and the plant in Fredericksburg, Lebanon County, none of the workers could keep their distance from one another en route to jobs they couldnt afford to give up.

Now, one of their group is dead and the rest are sick  eight virus victims in all.

You cant imagine how difficult it has been, said Espinal Rondon, 53, who said he hasnt been paid since he called out sick. Ive been drinking my own tears suffering this virus alone.

Family-owned Bell & Evans, which specializes in organic, antibiotic-free chicken thats sold at Whole Foods, is the latest poultry processing company to be swept up in the pandemic. And while the company with 1,800 employees continues to operate, more than a dozen meat-processing plants nationwide, including four in Pennsylvania, have had to close temporarily for deep cleaning because so many employees contracted the virus.

Fearful of meat shortages, President Donald Trump on Tuesday used the Defense Production Act to order meat-processing plants to stay open, a move to limit possible liability for companies whose workers get sick on the job. He took the step days after the chairman of the mammoth meat producer Tyson Foods declared that the food supply chain is breaking.

Officials from Bell & Evans did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment for this story.

Jonn Hollenbach, the chief deputy coroner for Berks County, confirmed that the deaths of Beras-Mendoza and the 88-year-old husband of another worker were due to COVID-19.

The companys stricken workers also underscore the diseases spread deeper into rural Pennsylvania and the challenge of controlling the virus in industries where employees toil in close quarters and many low-income workers ride to work together in vans. Berks Countys known coronavirus case count exploded from 369 to 2,600 over the last three weeks, growing faster than any county in the state with at least 100 cases.

Bell & Evans workers who spoke to The Inquirer say theyre scared and want more information on the number of COVID-19 cases at the plant. They believe the company should do more to protect them. The plant is located in Lebanon County, which has a relatively low infection rate. But many of the companys Latino immigrant workers commute from homes in Reading in Berks County, which has seen a spike in new cases over the last three weeks. Infection rates are based on where people live, not where they work.

Some of the workers belong to Make the Road PA, one of the largest Latinx organizations in Pennsylvania with more than 10,000 members. The group has been advocating on behalf of the Bell & Evans workers since the outbreak began.

Three workers interviewed by The Inquirer said that the company was slow to provide them with face masks or start taking temperatures and that while theyve been asked to keep a safe distance from one another, its nearly impossible on a production line. The workers, who arent unionized, also criticized the company for refusing to close the plant for cleaning after Beras-Mendozas death at age 67 more than two weeks ago.

Bell & Evans problems arent unique. Coronavirus outbreaks halted production at the Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Hazleton, which closed temporarily earlier this month after 130 workers tested positive, and the JBS Beef slaughterhouse in Souderton, where the union steward contracted the virus and died.

Even if food-processing companies disinfect their plants and keep workers a safe distance from one another, employees could still be bringing the coronavirus into their facilities through their mode of transportation to work.

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat recently restricted ride-sharing, saying more than four non-family members cannot drive together. Wendell Young IV, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, a union representing 35,000 workers at four Pennsylvania meat plants, has also expressed concern about the peril his members face by riding to work together.

You can enforce all these issues in the workplace, but if how you get to work is not safe, this could be a hazard, said State Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Hazleton). How can you have social distancing when you have 15 people in a van?

Nate Wardle, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, would not say whether the state is aware of the Bell & Evans outbreak or has offered any help to contain it. He added that the state has expedited testing for all food-processing plant employees. Neither Lebanon nor Berks Counties has a health department of its own.

A longtime employee of the plant said she first noticed someone sick on the job about a month ago. She wears earbuds to muffle the sound of the 160,000-square-foot factorys whirring machinery, but she could still hear a woman who arranges pieces of meat on plastic packaging plates loudly coughing.

At first, she thought the hacking was just brought on by an asthma attack, but then the woman started vomiting on the job, and the worker, who asked not to be named because she fears retaliation, knew it was something more serious.

Some sick workers left and came back healthy. Others who came back are still sick, the worker said. People are quitting. People are scared. Were scared of dying.

After Beras-Mendozas death, supervisors gathered workers in small groups to notify them and announce new safety protocols like staggered breaks and more frequent hand-washing. But the employee, who has worked at Bell & Evans happily for 15 years, said she wont feel safe until the plant undergoes a deep cleaning.

She cited one fellow employee who has diabetes, one of the conditions that make people more susceptible to a deadly bout of the virus. She knows of two workers on the day shift who are hospitalized now.

If we get sick, they should pay us. Thats the least they can do, said the worker, who shared that her pay has increased to $15 an hour since the start of the pandemic.

Workers say many of their sick colleagues labor in Plant 1, where Bell & Evans slaughters chickens using a technique called slow induction anesthesia. The massive facility on U.S. Route 22 has two connected plants.

First the chickens are slowly made unconscious with gas, then theyre hung on a moving line where blades cut their neck. Company president Scott Sechler has compared the process to a human getting anesthesia before surgery and never waking up. He previously told The Inquirer that the process is more humane and leads to a better-quality meat.

In Plant 1, workers select birds to sell whole, and carve and trim ones that are sold for their breasts and thighs.

Rafael Ferreirass stepmother works in Plant 1, where she carves chicken legs.

When he first learned about the coronavirus, Ferreiras, 57, made his 88-year-old father with high blood pressure promise not to leave his home in Reading, one of the nations poorest cities of its size. (Ferreiras and his father share the same name.) And for six weeks, things were fine. But Ferreiras hadnt considered the danger of his stepmother continuing to report to work at Bell & Evans.

She kept working even after she started feeling sick because she was afraid she would lose her job if she called out, said Ferreiras. And on several occasions, she made the 30-mile commute to and from work in the same van as Espinal Rondon and Beras-Mendoza.

When his father started struggling to breathe, Ferreiras stepmother urged her husband to go to the hospital, but the stubborn old man with a bald head and a sweet smile who had worked as a carpenter in the Dominican Republic refused. Ferreiras eventually called an ambulance. His father lived only three days after being admitted to Reading Hospital.

We feel so bad that we lost him. We thought he was safe over there. We just found out he wasnt, said Ferrerias, who works in construction.

Ferrerias doesnt blame his stepmother for getting sick at work. He blames Bell & Evans for not doing enough to keep workers safe.

Another Bell & Evans employee who lives in Reading and rode in the van with workers who contracted the virus said he started noticing cold symptoms the week before Easter. He asked not to be identified because he feared retaliation from his employer.

He didnt see a doctor right away and instead tried the home remedies that have always soothed him  aspirin, orange juice, salt-water gargles, and lemony steam.

When the worker learned that Beras-Mendoza had fallen ill, he called to suggest his friend try some of the remedies he had seen cure the sick many times since his childhood. But he never heard back. Beras-Mendoza died on April 14, the day before new rules were enacted statewide to protect essential workers just like him.

The home remedies made the other worker feel better, but they were no protection. Almost two weeks ago, he tested positive himself and has been staying away from the plant since then.

Despite the tragedy that's enveloped his colleagues, he's eager to go back to work as long as it's safe.

I am no one of importance, he said. But they need to take precautions so we dont continue to get sick.
President Muhammadu Buhari has once again appointed a dead person into the board of one the federal government agencies.

The dead man is Chief Tobias Chukwuemeka Okwuru, the member-nominee for Ebonyi State, listed as number 12 in the presidents letter to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan; he died on February 27, 2020.

The president had in compliance with section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), in a communication to the President of the Senate, dated March 18, 2020, requested for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of 38 nominees as chairman and members of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

Okwuru aka Aliezza as he was fondly called was a former member of House of Representatives (2011-2015).

His bid for reelection on the platform of Labour Party (LP) in 2015 failed after he dumped his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Okwuru and his supporters later joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after he lost his case at the Election Tribunal and Appeal Court.

He was also the pioneer chief whip of Ebonyi State House of Assembly (1999-2003) and a one-time commissioner in the state.

Former Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi State, Dr Chike Onwe, an indigene of Ezza South Local Government Area, where Okwuru hailed from, posted on his Facebook page, on Tuesday, when the late nominees name was announced in the Senate, that Buhari should leave them to mourn their dead.

PMB, please, in Gods name, leave us alone to mourn our dead. Keep your belated appointment!, Onwe said.

Another Ezza indigene, Comrade Kitzito Nwankwo also lamented the death of the nominee on his Facebook page.

Nwankwo wrote: How I wish youre here to hear your name reverberating in the chambers of the National Assembly as an appointee of Mr President.

We all waited for it, and it came only when you had gone, deepening the hole in our hearts, reminding us the vacuum your departure created.

For over four good years, you worked and hoped for today to come. You rejected advances from the main opposition party to your party, you kept faith with APC and trusted in Mr President.

Its a pity youre no more here to receive the presidential handshake we had all expected on your swearing-in day.

The last time such an inauspicious appointment raised eyebrows was in late December 2017, when Nigerians noticed that among a list of new appointments into the governing boards of agencies and parastatals were no fewer than eight deceased persons, among whom were: Late Reverend Christopher Utova as member of Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research; Late Senator Francis Okpozo as Chairman of Nigerian Press Council; and Late Chief Donald Ugbaja as a member of the Consumer Protection Council.
Do you always dream of traveling to different countries yet is still constrained by the budget that it entails? Perhaps grabbing these books can help you reach the destinations of your dreams on a shoestring budget.

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Interested in being a digital nomad while traveling the world on a shoestring budget? The author, Gundi Gabrielle, has lived the digital nomad lifestyle for several years and is currently going through Africa and Australia. Gabrielle has several successful online businesses, among which is a publishing company. This book features guides on how to save thousands of dollars on travel bookings: scoring free flights and accommodation, finding discount coupons and mistakes airfare, learning how to get paid to travel, and strategies to fund your travel dreams. Best to grab a copy of this while it lasts.

Dreaming of a free trip? This book says it is possible: and it doesn't have to be about sweaty buses and dusty backpacking. It can be luxurious, relaxing, and it can change your life. The author, Meggan Kaiser, has combed over thirty countries and hundreds of cities. He has taken every mode of transport, roomed with over forty foreign families, and lived the most exciting, sleepless, fun, meaningful, and dangerous times in her life and shared the best travel tips, secrets, hacks in this book. This book features budgeting, travel hacking, free accommodations, living and working abroad, volunteering and work-exchange, house sitting, and travel planning to help you prepare for your travel destinations.

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Dreaming of food tripping in Hongkong but is constrained by budget? This book got you covered. The author, a UCLA graduate, and Hongkong resident Kevin Ung reviewed and featured 20 excellent budget street foods. Kevin Ung's book provides a good overview of various meals and typical snacks in Hongkong. A must book for every foodie traveler out there.





Are you dreaming of watching the sunrise in the temple of Angkor? Do you want to get a fill of the sumptuous dishes of Vietnam? Have you dreamt of getting tanned in the beaches of the Philippines but is on a limited budget? This book may be perfect for you. Published by the world's leading travel guide, this book offers the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see in your Southeast Asian travel and what can be skipped. It also features hidden discoveries and how to maximize your budget. This book provides budget-oriented recommendations with straightforward reviews. It also has extensive planning tools and budget calculators, insider tips to save time and money, and ways to avoid crowds in various Southeast Asian countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Singapore, Vietnam. So grab a copy now and plan your Southeast Asian trip with this travel guide.
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Joseph A. Morrison, manufacturer of shingles, pail, and tub staves, and heads in Geneva Township, was born in Armstrong County, PA, Oct 25, 1844. His parents Robert and Jane (Hill) Morrison, were respectively of Scotch and Irish descent. and were natives of New Bethlehem, Armstrong County, PA. They also died there, the demise of the mother occurring about the year 1857 and the father in 1850.

Morrison in his first contest with the world, which he commenced at the age of 13 years, engaged as a farm laborer by the month and spent about a year in that capacity. He enlisted Aug. 22,1861, soon after the disaster of the first battle of Bull Run, enrolling in Co. C, 105th Pa. Vol. Inf., Col.McKnight, his regiment being assigned to the division of Gens. Heintzelman and Kearney and attached to the Third Army Corps.

Morrison was in active service throughout the entire Peninsular campaign under Gen. McClellan. At the battle of Williamsburg, he received a slight bayonet wound while sustaining a charge from the enemy in ambush behind a fence.He was in the second battle of Bull Run, and went thence to the hospital at Point Lookout, MD, where he spent a month struggling with typhoid fever. He went thence to the convalescent camp at Alexandria and was discharged on the surgeon's certificate.

He was mustered out Feb. 11,1863, and returned to his friends at New Bethlehem. After recovery he attended school one year at an academy at Glade Run. He next entered into a partnership with a man named John Shaddock, in the draying business, in which he was interested about 18 months.

On the termination of that relation, he engaged in transporting oil from Oil City to Pittsburg and after a year, sold his interest to his partner. He next engaged in drilling oil wells, which he followed in Pennsylvania two years. After this he went to the oil region of Canada and was similarly interested there one year. His next change of base was to Detroit, where he entered into a contract to get out 150 cords of last timber at $4 per cord. He came to Saginaw Valley to fulfill the obligation of his contract and remained chiefly in the territory included under that name.

About 1867, he bought a wood lot some three miles northeast of Midland and set himself to the task of converting it into a farm, but the stumps appeared too formidable for the short period allotted to man and after spending one summer in the pursuit of his project he returned to Saginaw and followed the business of dray-man one summer. The then came back to Midland and formed a partnership with a Mr. Fletcher and built a shingle mill, but the enterprise was not feasible and he disposed of his interest to his partner.

He then engaged to manage a mill above Freeland, where he operated one season, at the termination of which he went to Freeland and spent two years in the shingle business, getting out that commodity by the thousand. He went next to Averill and rented a mill, which he devoted to shingle manufacture and operated a year,going thence to Loomis, where he engaged by the day in the shingle business and remained two years.

He went to Geneva Township location in 1877. The first year he ran a shingle mill on shares and during the two years following he was interested in lumbering. In 1880, he established the business,which he prosecuted with satisfactory results, although two years after the purchase of his mill,his property was burned without insurance. He immediately rebuilt his works and prospered. He owned a fine farm with 80 acres, with 60 acres under cultivation. On this he resided one year and sold it in 1883. The aggregate of his business interests was about $100 per day.

Morrison was married in August 1865 to Ellen Foote. She was born May 18, 1843, at Canton, NY, and was the daughter of Mitchell and Margaret (DeBar) Foote. Her father was a soldier of the Union Army and died June 5,1865. He was made prisoner and was confined in Libby Prison three months, was released on parole and returned home, but died before he was exchanged. Her mother, at 79 years old, lived at Canton,St.Lawrence County, NY. Nellie May, born Feb. 8, 1869, and Harrison Allen, born April 1, 1874 were the two children born to the Morrisons. The latter died in 1876 Morrison belonged to the National Greenback party and officiated one term as town clerk.

EDITOR'S NOTE The Midland County Historical Society is partnering with the Midland Daily News for "A Window to Midland's Past," which will feature historical pieces in print and online at ourmidland.com. This particular piece was compiled by retired historical society director Gary Skory from the 1884 Biographical Album. It was originally published on June 10, 1993.
The Arvind Kejriwal government's move to provide 2,000 food coupons each to Delhi MPs and MLAs for distribution among the needy during the lockdown has failed to impress BJP lawmakers who have termed the process as "cumbersome and delayed".

East Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir declined the coupons and offered to provide ration for distribution among the needy.

"Thank you @ArvindKejriwal ji for 2000 ration coupons but my volunteers have enough food to distribute till situation demands. Pls send these to MLAs & councillors in the area. If needed, I can send more ration to those willing to distribute! Do let me know ," Gambhir said in a tweet.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari claimed that he was yet to receive any communication from the government with regard to the food coupons.

"I have not received any coupons or any communication about it from Delhi government. The move has come a little late because the lockdown may be wrapped up on May 3," Tiwari said.

The Delhi Chief Minister had announced earlier this month that his government will give2,000 food coupons each to every MLA and MP in the city for distribution among the needy in their constituencies during the lockdown imposed to contain coronavirus.

Tiwari who represents north East Delhi Lok Sabha seat saidDelhi BJP is already running a massive drive to supply cooked food and dry ration by reaching out to lakhs of poor and needy people across the city.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi AssemblyRamvir Singh Bidhuri said the process of giving the emergency relief food coupons to MPs and MLAs was "cumbersome" that will "delay" help to the beneficiaries.

"We have been asked to furnish a list of beneficiaries for getting the coupons. This is a problem as we are already involved in our own and party's relief measures and there is hardly any time left for other things," he said.

The Badarpur MLA said he has deputed his own staff as well as resident welfare associations and municipal councilors to compile the list.

"I will send the list when it is prepared. But it will take time and help to the poor people will be delayed," he said.

The BJP has seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi. The party has eight MLAs in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

Laxminagar BJP MLA Abhay Verma said he got a government order about the coupons and was meeting hundreds of people demanding it.

"The Chief Minister announced that he will give 2000 coupons to us and now his government is asking for a list of beneficiaries. I do not know how to answer hundreds who reach my house everyday for these coupons," Verma said.

People need help and the BJP and its leaders are doing everything to provide them food and other essential items. They are not dependent on coupons of the AAP government, claimed Vishwas Nagar MLA OP Sharma.

A senior Delhi government functionary said that the coupons were to be provided to all the MPs and MLAs in Delhi and a "standard process" was adopted for it.

Under the Mukhya Mantri Corona Sahyata Yojna, 30 lakh people not having ration cards are to be provided foodgrain and essential items kits.

Each coupon entitles the beneficiaries that include the poor and the destitute to get five kgs of foodgrains and a kit of essentials like cooking oil, sugar, salt and spices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cority leverages its unparalleled leadership in occupational health to offer solutions for the rapid deployment of return to work, and continuity program management

Toronto, ON, April 29, 2020, the most trusted provider of environmental, health, safety, and quality (EHSQ) software today announced the immediate availability of its newly packaged COVID-19 Workplace Health and Continuity Solutions to help organizations effectively manage critical business processes during the graduated easing of restrictions and resumption of regular activities.

The post-peak period is anticipated to be lengthy and complex, particularly for large and global enterprises, with different regions developing unique easing measures, guidelines and rules.

Designed by Cority's certified occupational health experts, Cority offers proven solutions to consolidate and centralize data to enable early detection, control and management of COVID-19-related issues in real-time.

Hundreds of organizations are already using Cority's SaaS capabilities, including Exposure Tracking, Travel Clearance, Respirator Fit Testing, and Health Surveillance to manage their pandemic response. Cority's latest COVID-19 product release provides even more real-time, centrally managed workflows and data management tools for practitioners and executives to identify issues early and rapidly adjust their workforce and processes to prevent the re-emergence of COVID-19 in the workplace.

The COVID-19 Workplace Health and Continuity Solutions is for any business in any industry looking for solutions to help keep workers healthy as they return to work in this new post-peak environment. The dynamic workflow-based functionality provides effective health surveillance and control reporting, and intuitive data visualization tools, accessible from any device anywhere. The solution spans:

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"We recognize the immense pressure companies face to safeguard their employees' health and well-being during COVID-19," explains Roberta Smith, MSPH, RN, CIH, COHN-S, CIC, Director of Worker Health, Cority. "Now it's critical to plan what's next. We have created solutions that can be rapidly deployed to help organizations navigate the evolving complexities created by the current pandemic. Cority's unified SaaS platform provides clients with ongoing and immediate access to new functionality based on best practices and innovation so they can manage these issues with confidence and consistency."

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 15:37:45|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A TV program highlighting how Chinese armed forces have been supporting the civilian sector in the country's fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic will be aired at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The 70-minute program demonstrates the contributions of military personnel to epidemic prevention and control across China and their excellent conduct, and is expected to encourage both the military and the public, according to a statement provided to Xinhua.

The show will be available on state broadcaster CCTV, major news websites and various new media platforms. Enditem
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in respond to the Coronavirus Public Health Emergency.during a press conference at the Hotel Du Pont, in Wilmington, DE. Read more

Joe Biden faced growing calls from Democrats on Tuesday to address claims made by Tara Reade, a former aide in his Senate office who has accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in the early 1990s.

The pressure grew after Business Insider reported that two women had corroborated key elements of the accusations against Biden. According to the story, one woman said Reade had told her decades ago that Biden assaulted her, and another woman backed up elements of Reades prior statement that Biden had harassed her when she worked for him.

Biden has not addressed the accusations and has not been asked about them in any of the several television interviews he has done since Reades accusations gained significant public attention.

Biden has declined a request for an interview. He also has declined to release his Senate papers, which are being held at the University of Delaware and could shed light on personnel issues. His campaign has forcefully denied Reades claims.

The escalating accounts have squeezed Democrats between two competing goals: to support all women accusing powerful men of misconduct and to defend Biden, the partys presumptive presidential nominee, from what they say are unfounded accusations.

Some Democrats on Tuesday said his campaigns denials were insufficient given the explosiveness of the assault accusation and the uncertainties about events dating back more than two decades.

I dont want to minimize what happened to her. Ive spent too many years doing this work to do that, said Gilda Cobb-Hunter, president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and a veteran South Carolina Democrat who plans to support Biden. I think he needs to say something forceful so that we can try to put it behind us.

She said the past few days have convinced her that there is more credibility to Reades claims, and she pointed to other revelations about public officials to warn about being too certain.

I think people ought to be careful being too declarative about what did or did not happen if they were not there, she said. The campaign needs to be careful about being definitive in saying it didnt happen.

The national organizing director for Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign said the revelations were disqualifying.

There is simply no moral justification for Biden to continue as the presumptive nominee, Claire Sandberg wrote on Twitter. Out of respect for survivors and for the good of the country, he should withdraw from the race.

Bidens supporters, meantime, were more muted on Tuesday, with most refusing to comment when asked about the claims and signaling with their silence the fraught nature of the accusations. The Washington Post reached out to numerous Biden supporters, top endorsers and potential running mates. Many chose neither to defend him nor to call on him to further explain.

One major exception was Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who issued a strong defense of Biden. Gillibrand was the first senator to call for Sen. Al Franken to resign two years ago after the Minnesota Democrat was accused of touching and kissing several women without their permission. He strongly denied the allegations.

Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden, Gillibrand said, apparently referring to his campaigns denial.

A number of prominent women whom Biden has said he would consider as a running mate declined to comment Tuesday, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Kamala Harris of California. Aides to Klobuchar and Harris pointed to prior comments in which they said they respect Reades right to tell her story but also defended Biden as a strong advocate for womens rights.

One of the few potential running mates to respond was former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.

I believe women deserve to be heard, and I believe that has happened here, Abrams said in a statement. The allegations have been heard and looked into, and for too many women, often, that is not the case.

She referred to newspaper articles about Reades accusations and said none of them suggests anything other than what I already know about Joe Biden: That he will make women proud as the next President of the United States.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., asked about the allegations in a Tuesday interview, said, I have no idea what anybody else experienced with Joe Biden but reiterated that the reasons he endorsed Biden have not changed.

I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us, he said. I didnt get there without long, extensive background with Joe Biden, without a long experience with Joe Biden. My late wife to whom I was married for 58 years loved Joe Biden. And more importantly, she respected Joe Biden.

Far more common, however, was the ambivalence evident in a statement by another prominent Biden supporter, actor and activist Alyssa Milano.

Milano, who has been at the forefront of the #MeToo movement, on Tuesday acknowledged the new developments.

I want Tara, like every other survivor, to have the space to be heard and seen without being used as fodder, she tweeted. I hear and see you, Tara. #MeToo.

Milano has been criticized for defending Biden and suggesting that he is not the type of person who would do such a thing.

I just dont feel comfortable throwing away a decent man that Ive known for 15 years in this time of complete chaos without there being a thorough investigation, she told radio host Andy Cohen in a recent interview.

Milano did not respond to a request for additional comment.

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the partys most prominent interest groups, spoke of the conflicting concerns. Democrats  always want to make sure that a woman is respected. But you also want to make sure that people have due process, she said.

Asked whether she wanted to hear from Biden, she said, No doubt, if this continues to be a story, there will be some response. But I assume that when the campaign is speaking, they are speaking for him.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has been among the few high-profile Democrats to fully support Reade and say that she was open to hearing more from her.

I think its legitimate to talk about these things, she said shortly after the allegations gained prominence. You cant say, you know  both believe women, support all of this, until it inconveniences you, until it inconveniences us.

Bidens defenders have generally pointed toward his long record in public life. While several women have said he was overly affectionate in a way that made them uncomfortable, there have been no allegations of sexual assault apart from Reades.

Reade, who worked for Biden for nine months, said last year that she had felt uncomfortable when Biden had put his hands on her shoulders and neck. Not until last month did she allege that in 1993, Biden pushed her against a wall, then put his hand up her skirt and his fingers inside her. The Post published an in-depth examination of her account two weeks ago.

Biden allies have pointed to stories in The Post and other media outlets, which did not definitively establish whether the incident occurred, as evidence that Reades allegation is unfounded. Bidens team has issued talking points to some backers, urging them to refer to media investigations into Reades allegations. A Biden aide said that was in line with campaigns typical actions when their candidates are in the news.

Theres no one theyve been able to find who confirms these allegations, Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., told The Post last week. I think this issue has been thoroughly handled in the press as, you know, allegations should be. And so I think its been put to rest.

In an interview published by Business Insider on Monday, Lynda LaCasse, a former acquaintance of Reade, said Reade had told her of the alleged assault when they lived in the same California housing complex in the mid-1990s. Another woman, Lorraine Sanchez, told the news outlet that Reade had told her she had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in DC and as a result of her voicing her concerns to her supervisors, she was let go, fired.

Neither LaCasse nor Sanchez responded to requests for comment from The Post.

A 1993 call to Larry Kings CNN talk show also has surfaced in recent days. In the clip, a woman whom Reade identified as her now-deceased mother called to report unspecified problems her daughter was having with her employer, whom she called a prominent senator. The caller said her daughter did not want to go public with her account out of respect for the unnamed senator.

Reade has said she complained to senior Biden aides about feeling uncomfortable in the office, but not about sexual assault. She also said she filed a complaint with a congressional human resources or personnel office, which could have triggered an alert to Bidens office.

She was removed from her position overseeing a group of interns  which Reade has attributed to her complaint.

Bidens campaign has not yet made available any records related to Reades employment, including any complaints she may have filed. His Senate papers, originally slated to be released two years after he left the vice presidency, now will not be available until two years after he retires from public life, according to an order made shortly before he began running for president.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to announce as early as Wednesday an emergency use authorization for remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug that is being tested in treating patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to a senior administration official.

Ahead of the announcement, United States President Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal governments leading infectious diseases scientist, on Wednesday hailed early trial results of the drug, holding out hope that it could help stem the rising death toll.

Meeting with reporters at the White House, Fauci cautioned that the results of the study overseen by his agency, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, still need to be properly peer reviewed but expressed optimism that it could make a difference in speeding up the recovery of some patients infected with the virus.

Another study, conducted in China and published in the Lancet, questioned the value of the drug for treatment of severely ill patients but left open the possibility that it might be useful for others. The research was incomplete, however, because not enough participants could be enrolled.

Fauci said the federal trial indicated that the drug remdesivir could shorten the time to recovery by about a third. Although a 31 per cent improvement doesnt seem like a knockout 100 per cent, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus, Fauci said. This is very optimistic.

Trump called that a good sign. Certainly its a positive; its a very positive event, he said.

In a statement, Gilead Sciences said it was aware of positive data emerging from the study by Faucis institute, known as NIAID. We understand that the trial has met its primary end point and that NIAID will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing.

Remdesivir is not yet licensed or approved in the United States or anywhere in the world and has not yet been demonstrated to be safe or effective for the treatment of COVID-19, according to Gilead.

A representative for Gilead said in an email Wednesday that as we have done since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been sharing information, transparently and as it becomes available, with the administration, other officials and the public.

The spokesperson, Ryan McKeel, said the company could not speculate on what actions the federal government would take. However, we are continuing to discuss with them the growing body of evidence for remdesivir as a potential treatment for COVID-19, with the goal of making remdesivir more broadly available for patients in urgent need of treatment.

Remdesivir has never been approved as a treatment for any disease. It was developed to fight Ebola, but results from a clinical trial in Africa were disappointing.

Expectations were fuelled by anecdotal reports of COVID-19 patients who took remdesivir and recovered.

Two such reports were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, lending credibility to what researchers later said were uncertain results.

Without trials comparing the drug to a placebo, it has been impossible to know whether the drug made a difference or patients got better on their own with normal supportive care.

The study of remdesivir published in the Lancet found no benefit to the drug, compared to placebo.

Unfortunately, our trial found that while safe and adequately tolerated, remdesivir did not provide significant benefits over placebo, said the lead investigator of the new study, Dr. Bin Cao of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University in Beijing.

This is not the outcome we hoped for, he added.

The results are hard to interpret because the study was far smaller than planned  enrolling 236 patients instead of the 453 that had been expected because there were too few severely ill patients now in China.

Dr. Eric Peterson, a clinical trials expert at Duke University, said that with too few patients, all you can say is it doesnt seem to work in this population. If there had been a big effect of the drug, he added, that would have been seen.

He added that the trial should not be repeated with this population but instead in patients who are less severely ill.

Dr. Michele Barry, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, echoed his observations.

Remdesivir appears not to be a magic bullet, she said.

Still, she added, this is a flawed study, and it remains possible that the drug might help if given at a higher dose or earlier in the course of the disease.

Acceding to demands, Gilead has distributed the drug to hundreds of patients under compassionate use, a regulatory exemption by which patients may receive a drug apart from a clinical trial.

Gilead itself published reports of uncontrolled studies. On Wednesday, in another news release, the company announced that a study comparing a five- to 10-day course of treatment with the drug showed that those getting the shorter course of treatment did just as well.

That study had no control group and was noninformative, Peterson said.
Duane 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' Chapman confirmed his new romance with Francie Frane during an interview in late March, some nine months after the passing of his beloved wife Beth Chapman.

Now, nearly one month on from the big reveal, the couple are both professing their love for each other on social media.

'I scream & Cry Beth where are you why did you leave me then I look up & see you Francie & the pain turns to a smile I LOVE YOU WOMAN !!' Dog, 67, captioned a solo picture of Frane he posted on Instagram on Saturday.

New love: Duane 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' Chapman has found new love following the death of his beloved wife Beth Chapman in June 2019

New love: The Dog's Most Wanted star, 67, professed his love for new girlfriend Francie Frane, 51, when he shared a solo picture of his new ladylove on Instagram on Saturday

On Monday, Frane, who's a 51-year-old rancher from Colorado, reflected on their new relationship in what looked to be a journal/diary entry that she shared on Instagram.

'You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have! So you cling to God & to His word with all your might because it's all you know to do. Then one day I looked up from the ashes and there you stood. Wow God!' she wrote, seemingly referencing Dog.

In the caption, Frane shared a Bible quote from Isaiah 61:3, and three words she addressed directly to Chapman: 'I love you!'

Opening up: Frane professed her love for Dog when she shared a Bible quote from Isaiah 61:3

Sharing similar beliefs: The new couple have also been sharing their love of God in their social media posts

The new couple, who haven't been shy in gushing over each on social media, also referenced their religious beliefs in a post from last Thursday that showed them out on a walk together.

'Out enjoying todays beautiful weather with Lola the bulldog  We walk by faith, not by sight. Living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in Gods promises. 2 Corinthians 5:7,' they both wrote in the caption.

Just days before Frane shared a photo of herself and Dog snuggled up to one another, while pronouncing, 'So excited for this new chapter!' in the caption.

Dog followed suit and reposted the image.

New Item: The new couple confirmed their romance in March

The new couple have been dating 'for a few months,' according to The Sun.

'It's going really good. It's a God relationship because it's just like a miracle,' he said.

Its a miracle how we met and it's a miracle how great we're getting along.'

Their bond has been building, in part, because they've been able to help each other cope with the grief of losing their respective spouses.

Beth Chapman died of complications from cancer in late June 2019 at the age of 51. Frane's husband passed several months earlier.

When asked if he thinks marriage could be on the horizon, Dog replied, 'There will never be another Mrs. Dog but it looks like there will be a final Mrs. Chapman.'
US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals.

Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it. He has also indicated that the US may be looking at "a lot more money" in damages from China than the USD 140 billion being sought by Germany from Beijing for the pandemic.

Leaders of the US, the UK and Germany believe that the deaths and the destruction of the global economy could have been avoided, had China shared the information about the virus in its early phases.

"It's in 184 countries, as you hear me say often. It's hard to believe. It's inconceivable," Trump told reporters at White House Tuesday. "It should have been stopped at the source, which was China. It should have been stopped very much at the source, but it wasn't. And now we have 184 countries going through hell.

The virus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in mid-November, has killed more than two lakh people and infected over three million globally. The largest number of them are in the US: nearly 59,000 deaths and over one million infections.

Also read: Coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases, deaths and global impact

The massive outbreak in the US has put Trump under increasing pressure from American lawmakers to decrease US dependence on Beijing and they have also sought compensation from China.

Senator Ted Cruz and his colleagues have urged Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to support the development of a fully domestic supply chain of rare earths and other minerals that are critical for manufacturing defence technologies and supporting national security.

It is clear that our dependence on China for vital rare earths threatens our US manufacturing and defence-industrial base. As the October 2018 Defence Industrial Base Report states: China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials deemed strategic and critical to US national security.' [...] Ensuring a US supply of domestically sourced rare earths will reduce our vulnerability to supply disruptions that poses a grave risk to our military readiness," the Senators wrote.

The US is 100 percent import-dependent for rare earths as well as 13 other metals and minerals on the US Government Critical Minerals List and more than 75 percent import reliant for an additional 10 minerals.

Also read: Coronavirus: Trump says US conducting 'serious investigations' into China's role in COVID-19

Congressman Brian Mast on Tuesday introduced a legislation to hold China accountable for its "coronavirus deception". The resolution would empower the US to withhold payments on debts owed to China equal to the costs incurred by the US in response to COVID-19.

China's total lack of transparency and mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak has cost tens of thousands of lives, millions of jobs and left untold economic destruction. Congress must hold China accountable for their cover-up and force them to pay back the taxpayer dollars that have been spent as a result, Mast said.

Cruz, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced his intention to introduce a legislation to cut off Hollywood studios from assistance they receive from the Department of Defence if those studios censor their films for screening in China.

This legislation is part of Sen. Cruz's comprehensive push to combat China's growing influence over what Americans see and hear, which includes legislation targeting information warfare from the Chinese Communist Party across higher education, sports, films, radio broadcasts, and more.

Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera and Congressman Ted S. Yoho, both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will lead a bipartisan virtual Special Order to highlight the importance of US global leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If we abdicate our place as a leader in global health, there is another country eager to take the reins. China has not been subtle in asserting itself on global health issues, and often not for the benefit of other nations. China's recent coronavirus debacle should be evidence enough that their communist regime cannot be trusted to lead with accountability, transparency, or pragmatism, traits that are essential when fighting widespread disease, Yoho said.

As for how China would fare as a global health leader, look no further than the disastrous initial response by the WHO to coronavirus, one that was clearly influenced by Beijing. Information was slow-walked, warnings from nations like Taiwan were ignored at crucial turning points, and cooperation with outside health experts was spurned until it was too late. And it has resulted in the largest public health disaster the world has seen in over a century, he said.

In an interview to Fox News, Senator Marco Rubio alleged that if China had acted when those warnings were being made, instead of silencing the people that were talking about it, they could have limited the spread.

So there was no doubt that that was a deliberate decision made on their part. The one way to hold them accountable is to do what we should be doing anyway. That is moving the means of production to become less and less dependent upon them. What you're going to see after this pandemic is that more and more countries are going to prioritize their healthcare manufacturing capabilities and other industries, he said.

Also read: Coronavirus in US: Oklahoma governor asks Trump to declare COVID-19 'act of God' to help oil producers
Get ready to see Janelle Monae, up-close and personal. On Thursday, April 30 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, the Grammy-nominated superstar will perform a special and intimate concert direct from her home for Pay It Forward Live, Verizons weekly streaming entertainment series in support of small businesses affected by COVID-19. The performance will be archived and available on demand here for one week.

I am excited to perform for Verizons Pay It Forward Live series which benefits small businesses, says Monae. Our local coffee shops, markets, book stores, nail salons and restaurants are the souls of our communities. We need to make sure we are surrounding all small businesses  especially black- and LGBTQ-owned  with support and love so that they can open their doors again one day soon.

Monae, one of the most celebrated artists of our time and an eight-time Grammy nominee, is the latest musical headliner for Pay It Forward Live. The exclusive concerts kicked off last month with Dave Matthews, and have continued in recent weeks with Alicia Keys, OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, country hitmaker Luke Bryan and sibling superstars Billie Eilish and Finneas.

Janelle Monae is performing live from her home as part of Verizon's weekly Pay It Forward Live for a very special Thursday broadcast. (Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Over the course of Pay It Forward Live, viewers are encouraged to do what they can to support local businesses in their own communities by shopping online, buying a gift card to be used when businesses reopen or ordering a meal. Verizon will donate $10, up to $2.5 million, to support small businesses for each use of the hashtag #PayitForwardLIVE.

More information can be found at Verizon.com/PayItForwardLive.

Verizon is the parent company of Yahoo.

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides.
Almost one in four Beaumont residents infected with coronavirus likely contracted it at one of three outbreaks.

And 40% of the deaths of city residents attributed to the virus can be traced to two of them.

But its the outbreak that hasnt seen any deaths, which happened across two local fast food restaurants, that has raised Beaumont Public Health Director Sherry Ulmers level of concern as the majority of those cases didnt show any symptoms.

Ulmer gave those and other findings, as well as described procedures being undertaken by her department in response to the virus, to the Beaumont City Council at its regular meeting on Tuesday.

While Beaumonts large daily spikes in confirmed coronavirus cases can largely be attributed to the return of test results from the three hot spots, the city is not on the backside of its curve, she said.

>> Related: Photos: Southeast Texas' new normal

At the very least, the city would like to see the number of daily confirmed cases plateau, but they have just continued to rise, she said.

More Information Helpful numbers (409) 550-2536: Hotline for residents of Jasper, Jefferson, Hardin, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties who want to be tested for coronavirus. 211, option 6: For general coronavirus inquiries. At a glance What: Testing for Jasper County residents Where: Jasper County Courthouse Annex, 271 E. Lamar St., Jasper When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today To register: Visit txcovidtest.org or call (512) 883-2400. Individuals will be screened to see if they have symptoms, including fever and/or chills, cough, fatigue and shortness of breath. See More Collapse

The city confirmed 10 more cases on Tuesday, which made up the entirety of the total increase in cases across the six-county Southeast Texas area.

The region has 497 confirmed cases and 25 deaths related to the virus.

Tuesday also marked a week since the first full day that the six-county coalition formed by elected judges to respond to the virus was allowing any individual, regardless of their symptoms, to be tested at one of two sites.

Its those results that have worried Ulmer and an overall lack of results that concerns at least one council member.

>> Related: Churches prep to reopen as governor lifts restrictions

Of 114 Beaumont Chick-fil-A workers tested, 19 received results showing they are positive for coronavirus.

But almost 99% of these individuals experienced no symptoms, Ulmer said.

Getz compared that information to totals out of the two nursing home outbreaks.

In those instances, 21 patients and six staff members at the College Street Health Care center tested positive for coronavirus. In total, 78 people were tested at that facility.

At Arden Place of Beaumont, another nine patients and one staff member tested positive for the virus. The number of individuals tested at that facility was unavailable as it was done by a private provider.

A total of six residents of the two nursing homes have died as a result of coronavirus.

>> Related: Mayors react with caution to reopen orders

The most recent of those was a 73-year-old man who died Monday, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick told the commissioners court at their Tuesday morning meeting.

This kind of parallels some of the dialogue were hearing in the national news that the best approach to this might be the people who are most vulnerable are the ones that really, really, really have to be careful, Getz said.

Ulmer said thats one reason why its so important to continue to observe stay-at-home orders, social distancing and advice to wear a mask when going out in public, regardless of whether individuals are mandated to do so.

Council member Audwin Samuel, who acknowledged that already-existing data has shown a growing divide between the number of white individuals and people of color who have tested positive for the virus, asked how the city could continue to expand testing. Council member Taylor Neild later noted that the citys statistics regarding race could be skewed as it doesnt show the racial makeup of all tested individuals.

Samuel expressed concern that, to this point, only about 1% of Beaumont residents have been tested for the virus.

>> Related: Texas to begin to reopen Friday

Ulmer said the city is working with other local nursing homes to conduct testing.

Branick on Tuesday morning told commissioners that the county would have another testing facility open May 4 as a part of the states testing program. Appointments for those tests cannot be made until the day before the center is scheduled to open.

While Gov. Greg Abbott has already made moves to reopen the states businesses, continued testing data will be vital to judge the efficacy of the first stage of his plan and determine the best time to implement phase two, which would increase the number of people allowed in certain businesses, among other steps.

Tuesday, another 194 people were tested for the virus across the Southeast Texas Regional Operations Centers two testing sites. The hotline set up to streamline the screening and testing process received 165 calls Tuesday.

While the Beaumont City Council spent more than 30 minutes Tuesday discussing the citys coronavirus response, leaders of Jefferson Countys second-largest city, of which an even smaller percentage of residents have been tested, voted almost unanimously against creating a citizen committee to give the Port Arthur City Council guidance on the best ways to reopen the city.

>> Related: SE Texas coronavirus cases continue to grow

Council member Charlotte Moses said she isnt against a committee, but the city just doesnt have enough time to allow a committee the time to meet and deliver its recommendation when a decision related to the pandemic needs to be made.

We love having input from our community leaders, she told her fellow council members during a videoconference meeting. But when theyre looking to elected officials to help put the city back together, theyre looking at those elected leaders to make the decisions.

However, Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie, who put the item on the agenda, told The Enterprise on Monday that he feels a committee is necessary in part because of the lack of widespread testing in his city and the mandates that have come down from the governor.

This would be another voice, if the council agreed to it, to allow us to know what folks are thinking, feeling and seeing in the community, he said. The final decisions are being made up the hierarchy of government, yet the implementation of those decisions fall on us at the local end here. The ad hoc committee would be there to advise the council on what they think we could do in addition to what the governor is saying we have to do.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/KaitlinBain
Millions of people gave their email addresses to Quibi, JetBlue, Wish and other companies  and those email addresses got away.

They ended up in the hands of advertising and analytics companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter, leaving the people with those email addresses more easily targeted by advertisers and able to be tracked by companies that study shopping behavior, according to a report published on Wednesday.

The customers unwittingly exposed their email addresses when signing up for apps or clicking on links in marketing emails, said the researcher Zach Edwards, who runs the digital strategy firm Victory Medium. In the report, he described the giveaway of personal data as part of a sloppy and dangerous growth hack.

The practice of making customers vulnerable to tracking by allowing their personal data to be passively collected by third parties is nothing new, Mr. Edwards said in an interview, but it has gained traction despite efforts to improve online privacy protections.
ChaosSearch 2.0 makes it as easy for customers to get insights out of their Amazon S3 lake as it is to dump petabytes of log data into it.

ChaosSearch today announced its next-generation platform, ChaosSearch 2.0, the industrys first data lake engine for scalable log analysis. ChaosSearch 2.0 instantly turns a companys own cloud data lake into a hot, robust, streamlined analytics engine that speeds time-to-insights and cuts log analysis costs by up to 80 percent. It uniquely enables companies to analyze petabytes of data without adding compute or performing complex, labor-intensive processes, and without limiting data retention.

Being able to analyze hundreds of terabytes to petabytes of log data is critical to keeping applications, IT systems, and cloud environments running. But conventional log and data analytics solutionssuch as those built on open source toolsets like Elasticsearchhave fixed architectures that make it impossible to cost-effectively handle very large data volume and retain it for long periods. Legacy big data solutions like Hadoop are equally expensive and complex.

According to Thomas Hazel, Founder and CTO of ChaosSearch, ChaosSearch 2.0 takes a completely different, entirely new approach. Built from the ground up to achieve the true promise of cloud data lakes, ChaosSearch makes it as easy for customers to get insights out of their lake as it is to dump data into it. While other solutions require DBAs and data engineers to set up new workloads, extract data from storage, manually transform it, and then load it into a vendors analytic database, ChaosSearch 2.0 customers simply stream any amount of data into their own Amazon S3 data lake, where our solution automatically transforms and analyzes it. Our distributed architecture and proprietary indexing and compression technologies enable businesses to gain new and better insights, quickly and at a fraction of the cost.

Customers Agree

With ChaosSearch, were able to process tens of terabytes a day of Cloudflare log data without worrying about performance or system failure, said Stephen Salinas, Engineering Lead at HubSpot, whose sales and marketing SaaS platform is used by 73,400-plus customers.

ChaosSearch powers our enterprise log analytics and is a critical piece of the infrastructure for processing tens of terabytes per day of our customers log data. Weve been very pleased with the performance, reliability, and cost of ChaosSearch. As Armor grows and evolves, we plan on expanding our use of ChaosSearch to other areas at Armor. We are very happy with them as a trusted partner, said Josh Bosquez, CTO at Armor, a cybersecurity company with more than 1,000 customers in 42 countries.

ChaosSearch 2.0 Advantages

Fast Time-to-Insights



New workloads within 5 minutes versus weeks and months

High performant/automated indexing within your cloud storage

Search Analytic API(s)/visualization directly from your cloud storage

Fully indexed data sources provide compression ratios upwards of 90%

Unlimited retention, driving insights not possible with other solutions

Fully Managed

Zero system management: ChaosSearch 2.0 is a fully managed SaaS

Zero data movement or ETL: ChaosSearch 2.0s in-place Chaos Refinery

Chaos Refinery automates clean, prep, and transformation with virtual views

Disruptively Priced

Up to 80% less expensive than other log analysis solutions, including ELK Stack implementations, due to breakthrough index technology and architecture

Scales from gigabytes to petabytes of data instantly, without cost or complexity

Highly Secure

Zero vendor storage: Customers own their data, 100% within their own cloud storage

Fine grained Role-based Access Control (RBAC) across all data sources and users

About ChaosSearch

ChaosSearch delivers on the true promise of data lakes, instantly turning a companys own cloud object storage into a hot, robust, streamlined data analytics engine, where it is as simple to generate insights from the lake as it is to dump data into it. Implemented today as a data lake engine for scalable log analysis on Amazon S3, ChaosSearch is an ELK-compatible, highly secure, fully managed service that scales to petabytes of data, quickly and at disruptively low cost. The privately held company is based in Boston, MA. For more information, visit ChaosSearch.io or follow on Twitter @ChaosSearch.
Shelley Davies waits for her delivery at Plants and Friends./Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate

LATEST, April 29, 8:58 p.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom will order all beaches and state parks to be closed, according to a report from Fox 11.

According to Bill Melugin of Fox 11, Newsom will send bulletins to all police chiefs throughout the state notifying them of the closures, which will be in effect as of Friday, May 1.

Newsom reportedly will make the move in response to crowds seen at beaches in Southern California this past weekend despite a statewide order to shelter in place.

April 29, 7:45 p.m. A worker at the Amazon distribution center in Tracy has died of COVID-19, a company spokesperson said.



We are saddened by the loss of an associate at our site in Tracy, California. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues in the days ahead, Lisa Levandowski, an Amazon spokesperson, told KCBS Sacramento.

The unidentified employee last worked at the Tracy facility on April 1, but showed no symptoms of coronavirus.

April 29, 4:20 p.m. Bay Area counties announced new coronavirus cases on Wednesday; as other counties report the latest numbers, the list below will be updated throughout the day.

 Solano County reported five new cases, bringing the total to 254. The county also announced a new death, bringing the death toll to five.

 Napa County reported one new case of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 67. The death toll remains at two.

 San Mateo County reported five new deaths and 37 new cases. The total number of cases is now 1,136 and the death toll is 48.

 San Francisco County reported 22 new cases, bringing the total to 1,490. The death toll remained at 23.

 Alameda County reported two new deaths and 35 new cases. The total number of cases is now 1,568, and the death toll is 57.

 Contra Costa County reported 22 new cases, bringing the total to 862. The death toll remained at 25.

 Santa Clara County reported one new death and 15 new cases. The total number of cases is 2,134 and the death toll is 107.

April 29, 2:45 p.m. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott announced Wednesday that city officers will be more strictly enforcing social-distancing protocols in the city going forward.

"We have to go to [a] more aggressive nature on making sure we get compliance on social distancing and wearing face coverings," he said. "We're going to be out and about moving forward, as we have been, but were going to step it up a notch."

To date, the SFPD has issued 19 citations  10 to businesses and nine to individuals  for not complying with shelter-in-place orders. Additionally, 86 formal admonishments have been handed down. Fifty-two have been given to businesses and 34 to individuals.

Scott also noted that while citywide there's been a decrease in crime, he has noted specific concerning events, such as a shooting where "over 100 rounds" were fired in the southeastern part of the city.

Additionally, as he stated, there's been a concerning pattern of violent robberies targeting elderly residents.

"Four elderly victims were robbed at gunpoint over the past 11 days," Scott said, noting the victims ages ranged from 69 to 85. "This is simply unacceptable. In some cases, violence was used  they were thrown the floor."

April 29, 2:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Mayor London Breed (and later Human Services Agency executive director Trent Rhorer) outlined a new plan to open 29 recreational vehicles and 91 trailers at the Seawall Lot (also called the backlands) at Pier 94 in Hunters Point and the Bayview.

"This site will provide a safe place for people who are homeless in the southeast part of the city," Breed said. "I want to be clear that these RVs will serve the Bayview/Hunters Point community."

Rhorer later added that this alternative housing will prioritize placing those aged 60 or older or those who have underlying health conditions. The site can accept guests as early as next week.

This housing is in addition to the hotel rooms the city has acquired to house homeless city residents. As Rhorer explained, San Francisco currently has 2,741 rooms under contract at 19 hotels; more than 950 homeless residents have been moved into those rooms already. The city is also currently in talks with 14 more hotels. Those new contracts  all in various stages of negotiation  would represent a total of 2,153 more rooms.

Breed also spoke to a new issue emerging as city officials work to direct homeless individuals to these hotel rooms: There have been instances when non-San Francisco homeless individuals have attempted to seek hotel rooms in the city.

"No one from other cities should come to San Francisco expecting to get priority over the people who are here," Breed said. "We have enough challenges with trying to provide services and support to existing residences, and we are most likely not going to be able to serve everyone, as hard as we try."

April 29, 2:15 p.m. San Francisco Mayor London Breed clarified aspects of the recently modified shelter-in-place order in San Francisco on Wednesday, outlining which outdoor activities San Franciscans can participate in again and which businesses may resume operations.

Locals may again take part in expanded recreational activities, like hiking, fishing and golfing. Flea markets, car washes and gardening services may all also reopen, and, notably, construction across the city can resume, as long as construction sites follow strict social-distancing protocols.

Asked why restaurants with outdoor seating were not included in the list of businesses allowed to reopen, SFDPH Director of Disease Prevention and Control Dr. Susan S. Philip (standing in for Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax) said it's because of two main reasons.

First, the transaction process in restaurants is different in that it's "very difficult to maintain distance for the server, for the employee."

Second, outdoor dining necessitates that people will need to remove face coverings to eat.

"That combination of risks to the workforce, and the risk potentially to other patrons was the reason restaurants were not allowed under the new order," she said.

April 29, 1:15 p.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new program Wednesday that will supply the states food banks with produce, poultry, dairy and more from local farms and ranchers. The goal of the initiative is to get food to the states most needy residents while helping keep farm workers employed.

Our farmers are experiencing a 50% reduction in demand, Newsom said. They have excess commodities they can not distribute. We have food banks that have seen an average 70% spike in demand. We want to address that mismatch. We want to address that supply and demand.

Newsom said food will be purchased from 128 farmers for 41 food banks across the state. The state has raised $3.6 million from philanthropic organizations to jump start the program and Kat Taylor, Chairman of the Board of Beneficial State Bank and wife of former presidential candidate Tom Steyer, has pledged to raise $15 million for the program.

Newsom also shared the federal government has given the state a waiver to allow participants of Calfresh, the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to buy food online through Amazon and Walmart. He hopes to expand the program to more online retailers.

In addition, families and children who qualify for free or reduced lunches in public school are now eligible for an additional $365 a month through a new federal Pandemic ENT program.

Newsom reported 78 deaths due to COVID-19 complications in the last 24 hours. Thats up from 54 deaths Tuesday, and 45 Monday. Todays number is still below last week's record one-day high of 115. Hospitalizations are up 1.2% in the last 24 hours and patients in intensive care units are up 0.4%. He noted while the number of hospitalized patients has flattened, we want to see that curve decrease.

April 29, 1 p.m. Bay Area counties announced new coronavirus cases on Wednesday; as other counties report the latest numbers, the list below will be updated throughout the day.

 Solano County reported five new cases, bringing the total to 254. The county also announced a new death, bringing the death toll to five.

 Napa County reported one new case of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 67. The death toll remains at two.

 San Mateo County reported five new deaths and 37 new cases. The total number of cases is now 1,136 and the death toll is 48.

 San Francisco County reported 22 new cases, bringing the total to 1,490. The death toll remained at 23.

 Alameda County reported two new deaths and 35 new cases. The total number of cases is now 1,568, and the death toll is 57.

 Contra Costa County reported 22 new cases, bringing the total to 862. The death toll remained at 25.

 Santa Clara County reported one new death and 15 new cases. The total number of cases is 2,134 and the death toll is 107.

LATEST, April 29, 11:45 a.m. A number of outdoor activities can resume in the Bay Area on May 4.

In a revised stay-at-home order, health officials for six counties announced that construction, landscaping and "other businesses that primarily provide outdoor services" can return. In addition, some recreational activities such as golf and tennis can also return.

Read more here.

April 29, 8 a.m. Nearly 1,800 people were tested for COVID-19 in the small California coastal town of Bolinas in a major, privately funded UCSF study.

The study results have been compiled and not a single person tested positive, according to a report from the Marin Independent Journal.

Its a relief, Dr. Matt Willis, Marin Countys chief public health officer, told the Marin IJ.

Bolinas is a secluded community in West Marin with a population of 1,620 and anyone who works or lives there was given the opportunity for free, voluntary testing. The tests were also available for any West Marin first responders. Researchers conducted two types of tests at a drive-up from April 2024 to identify those individuals who are currently infected and those who previously had the virus. The diagnostic tests for active COVID-19 were implemented by collecting samples with nasal swabs while the antibody test was done with a finger-prick to collect a blood sample.

UCSF has yet to make a formal announcement about the study results or explain likely theories as to why no one tested positive. Willis told the IJ the positive outcome is likely in part due to the county's early action in implementing a shelter-in-place order.

Two Bolinas homeowners funded the $400,000 study. The effort was "inspired by actions of the Italian town of Vo  where community leaders were able to bring the epidemic under control locally through two rounds of comprehensive testing," according to a statement from UCSF.

Marin County reported its first COVID-19 case on March 9. Since then, 226 residents have tested positive and 12 people have died.

Cumulative cases in the greater Bay Area (due to limited testing these numbers reflect only a small portion of likely cases):

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 1,568 confirmed cases, 57 deaths

For more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 862 confirmed cases, 25 deaths

For more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website.

LAKE COUNTY: 6 confirmed cases

For information on Lake County and coronavirus, visit the public health department website.

MARIN COUNTY: 226 confirmed cases, 12 deaths

Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website.

MONTEREY COUNTY: 191 confirmed cases, 5 deaths

For more information on Monterey County cases, visit the public health department website.

NAPA COUNTY: 67 cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN BENITO COUNTY: 50 confirmed cases, 3 deaths

For more information on San Benito County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 1,490 confirmed cases, 23 deaths

For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 1,136 confirmed cases, 43 deaths

For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 2,134 confirmed cases, 107 deaths

Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 127 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Santa Cruz County cases, visit the public health department website.

SOLANO COUNTY: 254 confirmed cases, 5 deaths

For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website.

SONOMA COUNTY: 228 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website.

In California, 1,723 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. For comparison, New York has 22,269, New Jersey 5,938 and Illinois 1,933.

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Wed, April 29, 2020 06:42 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4cdec9 2 World India,religious-freedom,religious-issue,Religious-minority Free

A US government panel on Tuesday called for India to be put on a religious freedom blacklist over a "drastic" downturn under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering an sharp rebuttal from New Delhi.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom recommends but does not set policy, and there is virtually no chance the State Department will follow its lead on India, an increasingly close US ally.

In an annual report, the bipartisan panel said that India should join the ranks of "countries of particular concern" that would be subject to sanctions if they do not improve their records.

"In 2019, religious freedom conditions in India experienced a drastic turn downward, with religious minorities under increasing assault," the report said.

It called on the United States to impose punitive measures, including visa bans, on Indian officials believed responsible and grant funding to civil society groups that monitor hate speech.

The commission said that Modi's Hindu nationalist government, which won a convincing election victory last year, "allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity, and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence."

It pointed to comments by Home Minister Amit Shah, who notoriously referred to mostly Muslim migrants as "termites," and to a citizenship law that has triggered nationwide protests.

It also highlighted the revocation of the autonomy of Kashmir, which was India's only Muslim-majority state, and allegations that Delhi police turned a blind eye to mobs who attacked Muslim neighborhoods in February this year.

The Indian government, which has long been irritated by the commission's comments, quickly rejected the report.

"Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this new occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels," foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.

"We regard it as an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly," he said in a statement.

The State Department designates nine "countries of particular concern" on religious freedom -- China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Pakistan, India's historic rival, was added by the State Department in 2018 after years of appeals by the commission, which was appalled by attacks on minorities and abuse of blasphemy laws.

In its latest report, the commission asked that all nine countries remain on the list. In addition to India, it sought the inclusion of four more -- Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam.
Photographs and reports of Good Samaritans in Khaki are only just emerging. However, a police group has been on a mission of saving lives for four years now.

The Police Mitra, headed by constable Ashish Mishra, has saved thousands of lives by donating blood for the last few years, especially to those belonging to the poor and marginalised sections, who often fail to arrange blood on time. Even during the lockdown, members of the group, mostly policemen, are donating blood to patients in need.

We have provided blood to over 30 patients across the state since the lockdown began. The group includes donors from all walks of life, but mostly policemen, who rush for help as soon as we receive a call from attendants of the patient. Although, most of the policemen are on duty during lockdown, they still take out time to arrange blood, as every minute is important in emergency cases, Mishra said.

However, Mishra and other members often face problems while they are out to help patients in lockdown.

Policemen in uniform usually do not face problems crossing checkpoints to reach hospitals or the blood bank, but other volunteers, like social activists, students and common citizens have to explain the reason for venturing out at checkpoints and are often turned back, Mishra said.

It will be of great help if a pass for all members of Police Mitra in the state is issued by authorities concerned, he said.

The Police Mitra regularly organises blood donation camps and a record was made during the Kumbh. Constable Ashish Mishra, social media cell in charge at IG Prayagraj Range office, had been honoured by the DGP for his service to society.
Art by Taj Mihelich



THE PINKBIKE PODCAST // EPISODE 5 - CAN YOU TRUST BIKE REVIEWS?

April 29th, 2020



If you're thinking about a new ride, who the hell should you listen to? Levy, Kaz, & Brian talk about reviewing bikes.

Previous Pinkbike Podcasts

Can you trust bike reviews? The short answer: Yes. But also no. It depends.The fifth episode of the Pinkcast is a meaty one, with a simple question that, in 2020, has a not-so-simple answer. After all, you'll find product recommendations from the media, from consumers, and from influencers (or are they ambassadors?) all mixing together on the internet. It's a bit confusing. We look at the different types of reviews out there, talk about how we like to do our reviews, and some of their shortcomings. And we can't do any of that without getting into biases (we've all got 'em), embargos (review tomorrow!), and some tips on making sense of it all.Available on Apple Podcasts Google Play , or wherever else you get your podcasts.Hosted by Mike Levy and featuring a rotating cast of the editorial team and other guests, the Pinkbike Podcast is a weekly update on all the latest stories from around the world of mountain biking, as well as some frank discussion about tech, racing, and everything in between.Hit us in the comments with your suggestions: What do you want to hear us talk about? Would you be into watching a video version, or are our dulcet voices enough for you?
A Florida man was arrested carrying enough narcotic fentanyl to kill half a million people, according to the Hernando County Sheriffs Office.

Investigators searched the Brooksville home of David Gayle, 43, and discovered the man was selling narcotics after they found more than two pounds of the synthetic drug fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Small amounts of cocaine, oxycodone and marijuana were also found within the home.

The man was arrested on multiple drug possession charges as well as two charges relating to him selling heroin within 1000 feet from a church.

The amount of fentanyl found in Gayles home was enough to kill 500,000 people, according to a press release.

Anyone who believes that illegal drug trafficking is a victimless crime does not understand the killing power in the roughly two pounds of drugs seized during this particular investigation, Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in the press release.

We can never measure what we prevent, but it is a very good bet that this quantity of fentanyl would have resulted in a number of overdose deaths right here in Hernando County, he added.

Other charges Gayle faces include manufacturing drugs with a child present and trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Gayle already has an extensive criminal history, including possession of cocaine. He was being held in Hernando County jail on a $215,000 bond and could face life in prison if convicted.
The Planning Committee for the Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) has postponed the 18th edition of the fair from initial date of August 2730, 2020 to August 2629, 2021 due to the global pandemic.



The Committee said it considered the current circumstances regarding the pandemic and its devastating effects on life, health and the economy of all sectors.



A statement signed by Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, the Chairman of the Ghana International Book Fair, said the decision was made after a meeting held on Monday April 27.



The statement said human health was a priority and that upon critical assessment of the situation, the outbreak of the disease would have adverse effects on the success of the book fair should it be held on the original date.



"We have, therefore, taken the difficult decision to wait no further but act now to enable both indigenous and international exhibitors and visitors as well as the general public to rethink their plans," it said.



The statement said when the disease is fully contained and all restrictions on social gatherings are lifted by the government, the Committee intends to organise a National Book Exhibition in Accra and two other satellite regional book fairs in Kumasi and Koforidua within the last quarter of the year.



This, the Committee believes, would give Ghanaians the opportunity to buy new textbooks for KG to Primary 6, SHS textbooks and supplementary readers for all levels.



The statement said the date for these regional book fairs would be announced later.



It urged Government and all the global institutions that are leading efforts to stem the pandemic to continue their vigorous programmes to save lives and ensure that the basic economic conditions were not eroded.



It also urged all to follow the laid down protocols announced by government to ensure that all citizens stayed healthy and safe.



The Ghana International Book Fair is an annual event organised to celebrate the rich Ghanaian culture through books.



The main goal behind organising the Book Fair is to bring together all book industry players (both local and international) including publishers, editors, authors/ writers, designers, illustrators, printers, librarians, booksellers, students, teachers and a host of allied organisations, to showcase innovations that have occurred in the publishing industry, to share ideas, foster strong links, explore business opportunities and enhance the visibility and recognition of players in the book industry.



The fair aims at exposing readers to a wide array of books and other educational materials, thus creating literacy awareness and inculcating into the general public especially children and young adults reading and writing habits through impactful reading programmes held annually.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has ravaged across the, infecting more than 3.11 million people in just over four months. As the virus continues to spread, scientists are struggling to find an effective treatment for the infection. Now, a breakthrough discovery on stem cells could help in the battle against COVID-19.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed lung-specific mesenchymal stem cells to treat lung inflammation and fibrosis. The current study, which has not yet been reviewed for publication, highlights the efficacy of stem cells in the treatment of severe respiratory issues tied to COVID-19.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells can divide for indefinite periods to give rise to specialized cells. The cells also serve as an internal repair system, dividing without limit to replenish other cells throughout the life of a human or animal. When these cells divide, each new cell has the potential to remain a stem cell or become a different type of cell with a specialized function, like a brain cell, a red blood cell, or even a muscle cell, among others.

Stem cells, 3D illustration. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock

In some cases, stem cells can repair damaged tissues. Scientists across the globe believe that stem cell-based therapies may be used to treat devastating and debilitating diseases such as cancer and Alzheimers disease. Now, researchers are working on stem cells as a potential treatment for infections.

The only stem cells used in the field of medicine today are hematopoietic stem cells, which are the blood-cell forming adult stem cells found in the bone marrow. However, other stem cells are now being evaluated for medicinal uses.

Stem cells and COVID-19

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are currently explored in many pre-clinical and clinical-based therapy studies. These cells have been a major focus of many scientists in the hopes of exploring their uses in disease modeling, pharmaceutical screening, and regenerative medicine.

The researcher suggests that using lung-specific mesenchymal stem cells can help treat patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen that causes COVID-19 disease.

This is not a COVID-19 vaccine, but a treatment for those who have already fallen ill. If we get the opportunity to quickly do clinical trials, we could potentially have a new treatment modality for patients long before there is a vaccine, Niels-Bjarne Woods, head of the research group at the Department of Laboratory Medicine and founder of Amniotics AB, said.

In studies conducted on stem cells, the researcher highlights the promising results of lung-specific mesenchymal stem cells and how they can stem inflammation. These cells have also resulted in reduced lung tissue damage in a disease model of acute respiratory distress, a common complication of COVID-19.

Because of the promising results of the use of stem cells, the researchers who are working alongside Woods, plan to conduct a trial using the cells in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19. The use of these cells can help save not only the life of patients but also decrease the severity of the lung damage they suffered.

Amniotic collection device

The team of researchers based their study on a previous one, which investigated how to use mesenchymal stem cells from amniotic fluid. The study, which was published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy in 2017, sheds light on how stem cells can help in the fight against the coronavirus disease.

The team used a newly developed amniotic collection device to get various cells. The mesenchymal stem cells contain unique advantages over other sources since they are faster to reproduce compared to adult tissue MSCs.

During the late stages of pregnancy, amniotic fluid fills the lungs of the unborn baby. This has made it possible to develop the lung-specific mesenchymal stem cells, which may be important for treating lung disease. The key was to understand the biology of the cells to be able to isolate them from other cells present in amniotic fluid, Woods explained.

The team proposes to use the cells in a clinical study, and if everything becomes a success, they hope the first batch of patients to receive the stem cell therapy against COVID-19 may commence in fall this year.

We are also in talks with hospitals in other countries about using the lung-specific mesenchymal stem cells, the team said.

Globally, the coronavirus disease has now spread to 185 countries, killing more than 212,000 people. The United States reports the greatest number of cases, with 989,357 infections and a death toll of more than 56,000.
Bhubaneswar, April 29 : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said the coming few days will be crucial for Odisha as people from other states fighting coronavirus will return to the eastern state.

The Chief Minister requested the Odisha residents to take care of returnees and cooperate with his government in battle against the virus.

Patnaik said a huge number of people will return to their native state from states with high coronavirus positive cases, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.

"They are our people. Only mother and motherland come to mind in difficult time. It is our responsibility to take care of them. The positive cases may rise after their return to the state. However, the situation can be under control if you cooperate with the government," he said.

"Therefore, we need to be alert, keep patience, opt for registration of people returning from outside and support the Odisha government in keeping them in quarantine," said Patnaik.

"A little carelessness can cost us dear. This is a matter of life and death. If 10 per cent of people commit mistakes, problems can grow 100 times," Patnaik said in a video message.

The state government realised that West Bengal returnees are now the new challenge for Odisha after Nizamuddin Markaz as out of total 122 positive cases in Odisha, 50 are West Bengal returnees.

"Earlier, persons with foreign travel history were a major challenge for us. Odisha was the first state to start registration for the oreign returnees. With cooperation of people, we controlled the situation. Later, people who returned from Nizamuddin Markaz posed challenge but we successfully tackled the situation," said Patnaik.

"Now, West Bengal returnees have emerged as the third challenge. Out of the total corona positive cases so far, 50 are West Bengal returnees," he added.
New Delhi: Union Ministry of Home on Wednesday (April 29) issued guidelines for the movement of persons due to lockdown in the wake of coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The revised advisory has asked states and Union Territory authorities to allow stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students to move with conditions during the lockdown.

The MHA, however, stated that all states should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons. The nodal authorities shall register stranded persons within their states or union territories, it said.

It said that the movement of persons should be allowed under the following norms:

1. All states/ UTs should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons. The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded persons within their states/ UTs.

2. In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one state/ UT and another state/ UT, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road.

3. The moving person(s) would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed.

4. Buses shall be used for transport of groups of persons. The buses will be sanitized and shall follow safe social distancing norms in seating.

5. The states/ UTs falling on the transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving State/ UT.

6. On arrival at their destination, such person(s) would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the person(s) in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups.

For this purpose, such persons may be encouraged to use Aarogya Setu App through which their health status can be monitored and tracked.

Notably, at least 70 buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation left today to bring back hundreds of students stranded in Rajasthans Kota due to coronavirus-enforced lockdown. The fleet of 70 buses left from Maharashtra's Dhule district around 10.30 AM and will reach Rajasthan by Wednesday night.

Earlier, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh also facilitated the return of their stranded students from Kota as the country is pasiing through a nation-wide lockdown since March 25 which was later extended to May 3 to contain the spread of coronavirus.
China will hold its most important political event, the annual session of its rubber-stamp Parliament in the third week of May after postponing it for more than 10 weeks because of the Covid-19 outbreak, official media announced Wednesday.

The reconvening of the Two Sessions, as it is known here, on May 21 signals that China has effectively brought the outbreak in control.

The decision to allow thousands to come to Beijing from across China is a show of confidence by the Chinese government as it tries to show to the world its success in containing the virus.

Official news agency, Xinhua said China would begin its annual Two Sessions meeting on May 21, when thousands of delegates to the National Peoples Congress (NPC), the legislature, as well as to the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political consultative body, gather in the capital for around 10 days.

The sessions are usually held early March.

The upcoming session, however, could be shortened, a separate state media report said, quoting Parliamentarian delegates.

During the choreographed meeting, about 3,000 national legislators from across China gather in Beijing to review work reports from the Communist Party of China-led central government as well as the countrys highest courts and the budget including for national defence for the year ahead.

The announcement was made as Beijing health authorities said on Wednesday that the Capitals emergency response level to Covid-19 would be lowered from the first to the second level from Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Chinese mainland reported reports 22 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 21 imported cases, and 26 new asymptomatic ones in the past 24 hours.

No deaths from the disease has been reported from the disease for nearly two weeks, health authorities said.

China-Australia spat

Meanwhile, the ongoing diplomatic tussle between China and Australia seem set to deepen with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying it was entirely reasonable for the world to ask for an international assessment into the origins of the pandemic.

The coronavirus first emerged from the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year before spreading to rest of China and the world: Until Wednesday it had killed more than 2 lakh people, sickened over 3 million and battered the world economy to its worst state in several decades.

Morrisons call for an international inquest has been aggressively opposed by Chinese diplomats who have said Australia should stop resorting to petty tricks.

On Wednesday, the Chinese embassy in Canberra, said on its website that details of a call between the Chinese envoy and Australian officials had first been obviously leaked by some Australian officials and it needed to set the record straight.

The Embassy of China doesnt play petty tricks, this is not our tradition. But if others do, we have to reciprocate, an embassy spokesperson said in the statement.

Chinse state media has strongly criticised Australias stand.

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the nationalistic Global Times said on Chinese social media that Australia was always making trouble.

It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of Chinas shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off, Hu wrote.

China is Australias largest trading partner and Canberra has accused Beijing of economic coercion after the Chinese ambassador threatened a boycott of Australian goods and universities by Chinese citizens.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A day after a Supreme Court staffer tested positive for COVID-19, as many as 36 Delhi police personnel engaged in the security of the top court have been sent on home quarantine as a precautionary measure on Tuesday, sources said.

Besides, a massive disinfection drive as per mandated protocol to deal with the pandemic was conducted in the offices and corridors of the apex court visited by the infected person on April 16, they said.

Delhi police has taken the decision to quarantine it's personnel as precautionary measure keeping in mind the fact that the infected person must have gone inside the apex court premises after crossing through security checkpoints, they said.

The apex court, which has restricted its functioning since March 23 and is hearing matters involving extreme urgency through video conferencing, on Monday got the first case of novel Coronavirus and immediately, as per the protocol the areas visited by the infected person was sealed and then sanitised as the standard operating procedure (SOP).

"The corridors, offices and areas visited by the staffer in question were sealed and then sanitised," one of the sources said, adding that the person concerned had only come in contact with another apex court staffer.

The infected person is responding to the treatment given in a government hospital here, he said.

The sources at the apex court said the decision of Delhi police to quarantine it's personnel was not related to the activities of the Supreme Court administration and was an independent one.

Moreover, the apex court has come out with the list of cases to be heard by it on Wednesday through video conferencing and so far, no other persons have reported sick, they said.

The apex court has been asking a minimum number of its staff to report to duty and moreover, the infected staff had dealt with only one file, they said.

The infected person had suffered fever for two days after coming for work on April 16 and tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
More than half of eligible Americans have received their stimulus payments since they started going out earlier this month, but tens of millions of people are still waiting for their cash.

That includes many low-income families who dont normally file tax returns, people who receive Supplemental Security Income, and some veterans who receive pensions from the federal government.

But it also includes people like wedding photographer Michelle Hans, who is self-employed and whose business has evaporated since the shutdowns due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

Like many who are self-employed, Hans usually owes taxes when she files each year. That means the Internal Revenue Service didnt know her bank account number, shutting her out of the first round of payments.

The Pennsylvania resident said she tried numerous times over the past two weeks to use an IRS online tool that allows people like her to input bank account information so that she wouldnt have to wait for a check in the mail. But she had trouble with the site.

I was dead in the water, said Hans, who is currently working for the grocery delivery service Shipt.

But after an update was made to the IRS tool last weekend, Hans tried again and successfully transmitted her bank account information, but she still doesnt know exactly when her money will arrive. A scheduled payment date wont likely be available for more than a week, according to guidance posted on the IRS website.

Hans is also planning on applying for unemployment benefits this week but isnt expecting an easy process. Pennsylvania wasnt even accepting unemployment applications from self-employed workers until April 18and like other states across the country has had trouble keeping up with the record number of filings.

I heard there were so many issues with the system that I decided to wait until it was maybe working better, Hans said.

Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on Feb. 11, 2005. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Who Already Got Their Money?

Nearly 90 million of the 150 million eligible for stimulus money had received their payment by April 17, according to the governments latest numbers.

The IRS started by sending money to the people it could reach the fastest. This was anyone who had direct deposit information already on file with the agency because they were due a refund on either their 2018 or 2019 federal tax returns.

But even some people who dont fall into that bucket have already received a paper check in the mail. The IRS began sending those out last week, starting with low-income individuals.

In some cases, families have received money for deceased relatives. This can happen when someone has died since filing their 2018 or 2019 tax return. Families are expected to pay back that money, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Wall Street Journal April 28.

Whos Next?

This week, payments are being delivered to millions of Social Security recipients who dont file tax returns. They can expect the money to automatically arrive however they normally receive their benefits, whether by a check in the mail or direct deposit to their bank account or debit card.

Supplemental Security Income recipients and low-income veterans who receive pensions from the Department of Veterans Affairsand who dont file returnscan expect to see the money in May.

There is one caveat for these groups. If they have children, theyre due an actual $500 per dependent. But they wont get this money until next year unless they give dependent information to the IRS. Supplemental Security Income recipients and veterans have until May 5 to input the information online.

For Social Security recipients, the date has already passed for getting the additional money for dependents. Theyll have to file a full return in 2021 to get the additional money.

Whos Left?

Others could be waiting for months as the money goes out in phases. The government can process roughly 5 million checks a week.

Some people have told CNN that the money was sent to closed bank accountsand that the bank transferred the money back to the IRS. In that case, the payment will likely come later by a check in the mail.

The IRS online tool allows users to input new bank account informationbut only if the agency doesnt already have an account on file from a 2018 or 2019 tax return and hasnt yet processed a stimulus payment.

Filing a 2019 return now is the only way to update direct deposit information that the IRS has on file from a 2018 return. Tax Day was moved from the traditional April 15 to July 15 this year to give filers more time.

Then, there are millions of low-income people who are not normally required to file tax returns that will have to take some action before receiving their stimulus money.

Generally, these are individuals who did not earn more than $12,200 last year or married couples who did not earn more than $24,400.

But they wont have to file a whole new form, as earlier guidance from the IRS suggested. Instead, it created an online tool for non-filers that asks for basic information including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers for the person filing and his or her dependents. They wont have to provide any income information.

The tool allows you to input bank account information for a direct deposit, or an address to receive a paper check.

Whos Not Eligible?

Eligibility is largely based on income, and it excludes individuals earning more than $99,000, head of household filers with one child who earn more than $136,500, and married couples without children earning more than $198,000.

Families earning a little more may still be eligible if they have children. The phase-out limit depends on how many children they have. For a typical family of four, the amount is completely phased out for those with incomes exceeding $218,000.

Those who can be claimed as a dependent for tax purposes, like many college students, are also ineligible for the payments, as well as undocumented immigrants who dont have Social Security numbers.

The CNN wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report
Google searches about the coronavirus have seen a dramatic spike since the pandemic began, with its peak four times higher than interest in the Super Bowl.

The tech giant's parent company, Alphabet, made the announcement during the firm's first-quarter earnings call Tuesday.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told investors that people are flocking to the service to find authoritative information and guidance about the outbreak.

The company has worked tirelessly to combat the spread of misinformation on the internet and help people stay connected while under lockdown.

Scroll down for video

Google searches about the coronavirus have seen a dramatic spike since the pandemic began, with its peak four times higher than interest in the Super Bowl. The tech giant's parent company, Alphabet, made the announcement during the firm's first-quarter earnings call

In March, Google announced it was cracking down on the spread of coronavirus misinformation, as more people were using the technology to learn more about the pandemic.

It has also barred all searches of the virus on Google Play, added a website called 'Coronavirus: Stay Informed' and is presenting users with more information about the outbreak.

During Alphabet's first-quarter earnings call Tuesday, Pichai said there is a higher interest in the coronavirus than there was in the peak of Super Bowl searches.

'People are being more cautious and seeking authoritative advice and guidance to protect their family's safety,' Pichai told investors.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai (pictured) told investors that people are flocking to the service to find authoritative information and guidance about the outbreak. The company has worked tirelessly to combat the spread of misinformation on the internet

The firm has equated this rise to the company's hard work over the past few months at making sure misinformation such as scams and conspiracy theories are blocked from its platform, as reported on by DigitalTrends.

Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said: 'We're humbled that users continue to turn to us as much as they do in a time of global need and uncertainty.'

'We take that responsibility very seriously.'

Google has also added fact-checking to YouTube this week in order to prevent misinformation about the coronavirus and other sensitive topics from spreading on the platform.

Sidebars or 'panels' will appear next to YouTube video searches on topics that have been vetted by fact-checkers and will show relevant articles on the topic searched by a user.

The information panels, as the company calls them, were launched in Brazil and India last year, and will apply to specific topics like searches that contain 'covid and ibuprofen.'

Neal Mohan, YouTube's chief product officer told The Verge: 'When users are searching on YouTube around a specific claim, we want to give an opportunity for those fact checks to show up right then and there, when our users are looking for information  especially around fast-moving quickly changing topics like COVID-19.'

'But of course fact checking will apply more broadly now that it's launching here in the US.'

YouTube says that its network of fact-checkers include FactCheck.org, The Washington Post Fact Checkers, PolitiFact, and others more than a dozen others.

As reported by The Verge, YouTube's panels will employ Google's machine-learning algorithms to understand language entered into posts.
A mass prisoner exchange between Yemens warring parties could take place amid the coronavirus pandemic, United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials have told Al Jazeera.

Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC Regional Director for Near and Middle East, told Al Jazeera that almost everything is in place for the exchange to happen, while UN sources said approximately 1,000 prisoners were identified for the first stage of the transfer.

We had to balance the interest of the people detained for years and the infection risk we were taking as well as the risk detainees were taking, Carboni said.

All we need now is a final alignment of the parties involved. We need this button to be pressed, he said, adding that the exchange will potentially happen within days.

Unfortunately, we are only "potentially" ready because we still wait for a "potential" green light from all parties to proceed with the overdue release of detainees. https://t.co/iHl1NtOnMN  Fabrizio Carboni (@FCarboniICRC) April 29, 2020

Yemens civil war escalated in March 2015, when a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition intervened against the Houthi rebels fighting pro-government troops

The Houthis still control large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

A mass prisoner exchange was first proposed during the Stockholm talks in December 2018. The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels agreed to the idea as a confidence-building step.

However, the arrangement has been stalled as the sides struggled to agree on implementation. Each side was meant to release approximately 7,000 prisoners.

Earlier this month, the Saudi-led coalition announced a unilateral truce prompted by a UN plea to focus on the coronavirus pandemic. The Houthis did not accept it and the violence has continued.

The UN is trying to convene virtual talks to discuss a truce, coordinated coronavirus efforts and confidence-building steps to restart talks to end the war.

Virus probably circulating

Yemen has reported six confirmed COVID-19 cases. However, inadequate testing and a shattered health system have sparked fears the actual number of coronavirus cases could be higher in a country whose population has been weakened by widespread hunger and disease.

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In a statement on Tuesday, the office of the UN aid chief in Yemen said: There is now a very real probability that the virus has been circulating undetected and unmitigated within communities.

Since the first confirmed COVID case, we have warned that the virus is now in Yemen and may quickly spread, Lise Grande, the humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The factors are all here. Low levels of general immunity, high levels of acute vulnerability and a fragile, overwhelmed health system.

Approximately 80 percent of Yemens population, or 24 million people, rely on aid, and 10 million are facing famine.
Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (Techcombank) delivered a record profit before tax (PBT) of VND3.1 trillion (US$132.09 million) in the first quarter of 2020, up 19.2 percent year-on-year, on total operating income (TOI) of VND6 trillion ($255.53 million), up 37.3 percent year-on-year, extending the streak to 18 quarters of year-on-year revenue growth amid a difficult backdrop due to the global novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Techcombank recorded PBT for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 of VND3.121 trillion ($132.09 million), up 19.2 percent versus a year ago.

Profit after tax (PAT) of VND2.506 trillion ($106.77 million) increased 19.8 percent over VND2.092 trillion ($89.13 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

The bank continued to lead its peers with a healthy three percent return on assets (ROA) for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2020.

Capital position is strong with Basel II CAR at 16.6 percent, more than twice the minimum requirement.

During the quarter, government measures to contain the disease outbreak affected certain business and economic activities throughout the country.

In response to COVID-19, Techcombank implemented rigorous safety measures to protect customers and employees and was able to keep all branches and ATMs operating normally.

These actions combined with market leadership in online and mobile banking ensured that customers continued to be well-served during this difficult period.

Techcombank also announced a comprehensive support package for qualified individuals and corporate customers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Income statement

The banks total operating income (TOI) grew 37.3 percent to VND6.030 trillion ($256.87 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 from VND4.392 trillion ($187.1 million) in the first quarter of 2019.

Net interest income for the quarter grew to VND4.212 trillion ($179.43 million), up 22.8 percent from the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Net fee and commission income (NFI) was VND862 billion ($36.72 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, up 73.1 percent year-on-year.

NFI was 14.3 percent of TOI as compared to 11.3 percent in the year-ago quarter, with strong contribution from bond underwriting activity during the quarter.

Operating expenses of VND2.138 trillion (US$91.07 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 resulted in a cost to income ratio (CIR) of 35.4 percent compared to 36.6 percent a year ago and 35.3 percent in the December quarter.

Provision expenses prudently increased for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 to VND772 billion ($32.88 million) from VND167 billion ($7.11 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, as the bank chose to proactively write off selected non-performing loans.

Balance sheet

Total assets were VND391.8 trillion ($16.69 billion), an increase of 20.1 percent compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and up 2.1 percent versus the end of 2019.

Total credit extended to customers as of March 31, 2020 was VND265.4 trillion ($11.31 billion), an increase of 22.5 percent over March 31, 2019 and up 2.9 percent from the end of 2019.

Total deposits as at March 31, 2020 were VND235.1 trillion ($10.02 billion), an increase of 13 percent over March 31, 2019.

CASA deposits grew by 29.3 percent year-over-year to VND75.7 trillion ($3.23 billion), while time deposits were at VND159.4 trillion ($6.79 billion), an increase of 6.7 percent over the previous year as the bank continued to focus on CASA growth.

CASA ratio of 32.2 percent for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 was up from the 28.2 percent in 1Q19.

Liquidity and capital

Techcombank maintained ample liquidity exceeding regulatory requirements with a loan-to-deposit ratio of 76.8 percent and short-term funds to medium-to-long-term loans ratio of 30.7 percent, improving from the 38.4 percent at the end of 2019.

The bank also maintained its position as the best capitalized bank in Vietnam with a Basel II Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 16.6 percent, more than double the Basel II Pillar I minimum requirement of eight percent and up from 15.5 percent at the end of 2019.

Asset quality

NPL ratio was 1.1 percent as at March 31, 2020, against 1.3 percent as at December 31, 2019 and 1.8 percent as at March 31, 2019.

NPL coverage ratio as at March 31, 2020 was 117.9 percent.

Customer and other highlights

In 1Q20, Techcombank added over 250,000 net new customers to bring the total customers served by the bank to nearly eight million.

Customers using e-banking2 services reached 79.9 percent, an increase from 60.4 percent in the first quarter of 2019.

Transaction volume and value during the quarter through Techcombanks e-banking channels increased to 78 million, up 149 percent year-over-year, and VND1.136 quadrillion ($48.41 billion), up 113 percent year-over-year, respectively, and reflect the ongoing preference for the convenience of the banks digital solutions.

About Techcombank

Established in 1993, Techcombank is one of the largest joint stock banks in Vietnam, and a leading bank in Asia.

Techcombank pursues a proven customer-centric strategy in providing a broad range of banking solutions and services to almost eight million retail and corporate customers in Vietnam through an extensive network of over 300 transaction offices across the country and through its market leading digital banking services.

The banks ecosystem approach implemented across multiple key economic sectors further differentiates Techcombank in one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Techcombank is rated highest among banks in Vietnam with a Ba33 from Moodys and BB-4 from S&P and was named Best Bank in Vietnam 2018 by Euromoney.

Techcombank is listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE) under the ticker TCB.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) will host its first quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday, May 6 at 10:00 a.m. CT (11:00 a.m. ET). Financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 will be released before the markets open.

The Company invites investors and other interested parties to listen to the live webcast at www.vulcanmaterials.com. To participate by phone in the U.S., call 833-962-1439 approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start. For international participants, call 832-900-4623. The conference ID is 5190977.

A replay of the webcast will be available after the call at the Company's website.

Vulcan Materials Company, a member of the S&P 500 index with headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest producer of construction aggregates  primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel  and a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. For additional information about Vulcan, go to www.vulcanmaterials.com.

SOURCE Vulcan Materials Company

Related Links

http://www.vulcanmaterials.com


Reliance Jio offering complimentary free 2GB data for four days amidst Coronavirus lockdown

Reliance Jio is offering 2GB free complimentary data to its customers to ease their month-end recharge woes. The telecom giant had released a similar tariff voucher for Jio subscribers last month and now its crediting users account with free data with a validity of four days.

The news comes as many users on Twitter have posted that their respective Jio accounts have been credited with a new Jio Data Pack tariff plan that offers complimentary 2GB data per day for four days. As the months ending, Jio is ensuring that customers who cant recharge their accounts in due time are given a breather and to this effect, the Jio Data Pack is being offered for free.

Its not clear as to what a Jio subscriber has to do in order to avail the free data pack as the company seems to be crediting users whose tariff plan validity is going to end in the next three-four days.

How to check if youve received Jio data pack?

Open the My Jio app and click the hamburger menu icon with three lines. Select My Plans from the list of options and youll be taken to a screen that details your current plan. If youve received Jios free data pack, there will be a card with the details of the tariff plan.

The Jio Data Pack doesnt extend the validity of your existing tariff plan and instead works as an add-on pack in case your data validity ends soon.

Reliance Jio is also offering revised tariff plans owing to everyone working from home due to the country-wide lockdown thats in effect to curb the spread of Coronavirus in India. Previously, TRAI had also asked telecom operators including Jio and Airtel to extend the validity of their respective prepaid plans. Jio has also released new Work From Home tariff plans that offer more data for a months validity. Vodafone-Idea and Airtel have also released similar plans to aid its subscribers.

Recently, Facebook invested $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms and both the companies are now working together to strengthen the retail market by leveraging WhatsApp.
Oakland police officers drew their weapons, handcuffed and detained two homeless outreach volunteers on their way to a meeting Friday in a dramatic operation authorities later acknowledged was a case of mistaken identity.

The incident, partially captured on video, prompted criticism from community advocates who called the officers actions reckless and a case of racial profiling against the volunteers, who are black.

Department leaders have since apologized for the mistake and launched an internal investigation. Officer Johnna Watson, a department spokeswoman, noted that the police response had nothing to do with the volunteers homeless outreach work.

The department supports these important efforts in our community, especially the unsheltered and those in need, Watson said.

Aiyahnna Johnson, 38, and Leon Aki Young, 47, were both working Friday as volunteers with The Village in Oakland, a homeless advocacy group that provides food and resources to local encampments. Johnson and Young, who are unhoused, spent the day handing out fresh water, masks and hand sanitizer, and Young helped clean portable toilets, Johnson told The Chronicle.

Just after 6 p.m., Johnson said, she and Young were leaving an East Oakland motel, where they were placing people at risk for COVID-19, and heading to a meeting at their sister organization, East Oakland Collective.

Johnson, who was driving, said she didnt notice a marked patrol car behind her until about two minutes before she pulled into the collectives parking lot on the 7800 block of MacArthur Boulevard. About six other patrol cars pulled into the lot as Johnson exited the vehicle, and soon a police helicopter was hovering overhead, Johnson said.

(An officer) said, Get back in the car, and I said, No. Why are you bothering me, she said.

The officer told Johnson she had changed lanes illegally, she said. Officers put her in handcuffs, but she refused to get into the patrol car.

Meanwhile, other officers focused their attention on the passenger side of her vehicle, where at least one drew a firearm, according to police and video footage of the incident.

Candice Elder, the founder, CEO and executive director of East Oakland Collective, was one of at least two people who began filming the incident as Young was brought to the pavement and handcuffed. Soon, she and others noticed that officers were calling him by a different name.

They dont even know this brothers name, a person off-camera says during the incident. Theyre calling him by an entirely different name, yall.

Young matched the description of a person wanted in connection with a prior shooting, Watson said.

Further investigation by the officers determined the individual was not the shooting suspect, she said.

It was determined that Young had a felony, no-bail warrant for his arrest in connection with a stolen vehicle. He was transported to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where he was booked and released.

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.

Watson said the department initiated an internal affairs investigation Friday evening and notified the Community Police Review Agency, a civilian group that investigates police activity in coordination with the Oakland Police Commission.

Elder said she received an apology Friday evening from Deputy Chief of Police Leronne Armstrong.

I said the incident should have never have happened in the first place, Elder told The Chronicle.

Johnson said she was traumatized by the incident, which included being handcuffed for approximately 10-15 minutes, and since then she hasnt been able to continue her work helping the homeless.

How are the encampments going to get food, how are they going to have clean Porta Potti stations? Johnson said. My responsibility to the community has been deterred by OPD. An apology is not good enough.

The Village and East Oakland Collective have set up a GoFundMe page called Fill Hotels not Graves, and theyre asking Oaklanders to help shelter the homeless inside vacant hotel rooms during the coronavirus crisis.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Texas Department of Transportation

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 are closed near Camp Bullis on the far Northwest Side after a crash, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The accident occurred at Exit 547, near Fair Oaks Parkway.
African leaders are asking what China can do for them as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to destroy economies and wipe out some 20 million jobs across a continent where Beijing is both the top trading partner and top lender.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have announced immediate relief measures, including freeing up billions in debt payments and expectations for help from China are high across resource-rich Africa, but Beijing has remained silent.

China holds about a third of Africa's sovereign debt. Demand for Chinese-backed capital to build everything from highways to hydroelectric dams has left countries heavily indebted, leading to concerns about a debt trap and even loss of sovereignty.

Many of those countries, including oil exporters such as Angola, spend a substantial chunk of their budgets servicing debt while health and education suffer.

Any respite would be welcome for a country like Uganda, whose finance minister says shocking deficits in the past year have forced authorities to borrow to keep the government running. Uganda's national debt stood at over $10 billion in 2018, nearly a third owed to China, according to official figures.

We have strong bilateral relations with China, but they haven't come to us saying anything, the minister, Matia Kasaija, told The Associated Press.

China has been noncommittal beyond its support, as a member of the G-20 group of wealthy nations, for a moratorium that frees up to $20 billion in debt payments through 2020 for low-income countries.

Some analysts predict that actual debt forgiveness looks unlikely and that China, despite its enormous influence in Africa, will avoid unilateral measures despite global pressure.

Ghana's finance minister has said he expects more from Beijing.

My feeling is that China has to come on stronger, said Ken Ofori-Atta, speaking to the Washington-based Center for Global Development. I think our Africa debt to China is over $145 billion, about $8 billion in payments required this year ... So that needs to be looked at. It's just an apocalyptic moment.

Asked whether China would offer debt relief to Africa, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on April 7 said he believed China will resolve these countries' difficulties via consultation through diplomatic channels.

In a statement emailed to the AP, the foreign ministry said China had overcome difficulties in helping Africa with shipments of medical supplies to help fight the pandemic. China will continue to provide assistance to Africa within its capabilities and in accordance with the development of the epidemic and Africa's needs, it said.

China's footprint on the continent has been expanding as some African leaders, favoring the perceived lack of political strings that come with Chinese capital, have turned to Beijing while other funders hesitate over corruption and other concerns.

In turn, China has been keen to exploit Africa's vast natural resources in countries such as war-ravaged South Sudan, where Chinese firms dominate the oil sector.

Angola had received up to $42.8 billion in Chinese loans by 2017 and repays its debt partly by channeling more of its crude to China. This means Angola, Africa's second largest oil producer, is left with less oil to put on the market.

The Chinese government, banks and contractors extended $143 billion in loans to African governments and companies from 2000 to 2017, according to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

But Beijing's commercial focus on the region is one reason some analysts believe debt forgiveness or cash donations are out of the question. Countries seeking China's help to keep projects running likely will end up becoming more indebted, said Nathan Hayes, Africa analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Many debt-financed projects will come under enormous strain this year as revenues dry up, and many will need to be refinanced and renegotiated. Many of these will be financed by China, giving the country opportunity to renegotiate terms," he said.

Debt-for-equity swaps may ultimately be a more sustainable deal for African countries, depending on the terms, and they may have little choice. In a notable example, state-owned China Merchants Group bought back half of a port in Sri Lanka in 2017 after the Sri Lankans fell behind in repaying $1.5 billion in loans from Beijing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Samsung has reported its earnings for Q1 2020 that ended March 31, 2020 in which the company has made revenue of 55.33 trillion won, a decrease of 7.6% from the previous quarter mainly due to weak seasonality for the Companys display business and Consumer Electronics Division and partially due to effects of COVID-19. Revenue rose 5.6% YoY due to increasing demand for server and mobile components.

Operating profit of 6.45 trillion won, down 9.9 QoQ. This is due to the same factors that weighed on revenue with a corresponding decrease in operating margin, even though memory earnings were higher, said Samsung. Operating profit increased 3.5% YoY with an improved product mix in the mobile business and additional diversification of the Companys customer base in mobile OLED.

IM sector that includes Mobile Communications and Networks Businesses posted 26 trillion won consolidated revenue, down 3.74% YoY and 2.65 trillion won operating profit for the quarter, up 16.74% YoY. Even though revenue is less due to low shipments globally toward the end of the quarter due to the impact of COVID-19, the company maintained sound profitability by improving the product mix, increasing the sales portion of 5G models and using marketing expenses efficiently during the period. In particular, the ASP of flagship smartphones increased compared to last year on the back of higher-than-expected share of Galaxy S20 Ultra sales as well as solid sales of the Galaxy Z Flip.

In the second quarter Samsung expects demand to drop sharply in most regions due to an economic downturn caused by COVID-19. The company expects a decline in product sales and its overall business performance as the market shrinks and effects of store closures continue to have direct impacts. Amid the market uncertainty, the company will focus on improving cost efficiency and strengthening its online and B2B channels. In case of any additional disruptions at production facilities, the company will respond by flexibly utilizing its diversified manufacturing capabilities across the globe.

For the second half, amid uncertainties including the possibility of a prolonged pandemic, market competition is forecast to intensify as manufacturers strive to recover from the weakness in the first half. The company will continue to offer differentiated products in the premium segment with the launch of new foldable and Note models. The company also plans to enhance product competitiveness by expanding 5G adoption to mass-market smartphones and improve operational efficiency across all areas throughout R&D, production, supply, channel and marketing.

Source
FILE PHOTO: A sign displays the logo of Dixons Carphone at the company headquarters in London

By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - Dixons Carphone said that strong online sales were making up for around two-thirds of the store sales lost in Britain's coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday, lifting its shares 15%.

The electrical goods retailer said it planned for "zero contact" shops once restrictions ease and chief executive Alex Baldock said that the shift Dixons had seen to online shopping did not mean that outlets would be permanently closed.

"We expect to re-open the full 300 of the large stores in the UK," he told Reuters by telephone.

Dixons shares jumped 15% to 79 pence at 0814 GMT, which Liberum analysts said reflected an improved position from the retailer's last update at the end of March.

Online sales in the UK and Ireland for products connected to the lockdown such as computers for home working and fridges and breadmakers had risen by 166% in the five weeks to 25 April, the period of Britain's lockdown, Dixons said.

Its stores in Britain would be ready to re-open under a zero-contact format from next week, the CEO said.

Once the government ends the lockdown and a green light is given, Dixons stores will open in a phased manner, with less than 100 opening on day one, Baldock added.

IN CAR SERVICE

Precautions will include gloves, masks and flexi-glass protective screens for cashiers, measures already proven and working in Dixons' Nordic stores, which have stayed open.

Customers will also be able to wait in their car in Dixons car parks while a staff member places their order in their boot.

"We have the space to do this safely," Baldock said, noting that most stores are on retail parks with large car parks.

The uncertainty caused by the pandemic, however, meant that the British-based group, which also has stores in Ireland, Scandinavia and Greece, would be scrapping its dividend.

That was part of a focus on strengthening its liquidity, which included extending its debt facilities, giving the group confidence however the rest of the year pans out.

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"We have the liquidity we need under any plausible scenario of how the future might turn out," Baldock said.

That future will be challenging, he said, predicting that customers will be spending less over the next six to 12 months as a recession takes hold and cuts their discretionary spending.

(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by James Davey and Alexander Smith)
For a month and a half after the city went into lockdown, City Council couldn't introduce legislation. Another government-related side effect of the coronavirus? Union elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board were stalled. Read more

The journalists at the News Journal in Delaware were set to vote last month on whether to be represented by a union. Two-thirds of the almost 30 staffers had already voiced their support for joining the NewsGuild.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

The National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that enforces labor laws, postponed all union elections for the last two weeks of March because officials didnt believe the votes, which are typically conducted in person, could be carried out safely.

And when the NLRB restarted elections, it left the decision of how to conduct them to agency regional directors. That has effectively left the journalists at the Gannett-owned News Journal in Wilmington without a say in their working conditions during a crisis that has already resulted in widespread layoffs and furloughs in the media industry.

That wouldnt be the case if the NLRB could conduct electronic elections. So, members of Congress, led by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Michigan Democratic Rep. Andy Levin, are calling for the next coronavirus economic relief bill to make it possible for the NLRB to develop an electronic election process. Such a move could affect union elections for the foreseeable future, as the crisis drags on.

Making sure workers can exercise their right to join a union is especially urgent now, the lawmakers say, as workers deemed essential during the pandemic have sounded the alarm about life-threatening working conditions all over the country.

Workers rights to organize and bargain collectively with their employer are always important, but especially so when subjects like adequate health-care benefits, access to protective equipment, and pandemic safety protocols, are  quite literally  matters of life and death, Fitzpatrick and Levin said in a letter to congressional leaders that was signed by 168 members.

 READ MORE: Report: Phillys Einstein Medical Center spent $1.1 million on union avoidance. It isnt alone.

Under federal labor law, most workers have a right to unionize  but its not easy: Employers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on anti-union campaigns every year and routinely face allegations of breaking the law by firing workers who try to unionize. There have been increased instances of these allegations during the pandemic. Its difficult to prove a worker has been fired or retaliated against for unionizing. And when federal protections are enforced, those cases can take months or longer to settle.

Now, with the added hurdle of conducting union elections in the age of social distancing, advocates say the federal action could further weaken labor rights at a time when workers need them most. Timing is important when it comes to union elections. Unions have said that the longer it takes to get to an election, the longer an employer can try to dissuade workers from voting yes.

Fitzpatrick, of Bucks County, has branded himself as an independent-minded Republican on issues such as labor rights. He was one of two Republican congressmen last year to cosponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a sweeping labor-reform bill, and has been a fixture at local labor rallies.

When the NLRB postponed elections, the union seeking to represent the News Journal staffers tried to conduct the election by mail ballot.

Regional directors across the country have been holding virtual hearings with employers and unions on a case-by-case basis. In many cases, these hearings have resulted in mail-ballot elections. But Richard P. Heller, the interim NLRB regional director overseeing the Philadelphia area, did not hold a hearing with Gannett and the NewsGuild.

Instead, he scheduled an in-person election for June.

In his decision on March 27, Heller said there would not be a mail-ballot election because Gannett did not agree to it.

In three nearly identical NLRB motions filed by Gannett on March 26, the company opposed the use of mail ballots in three union elections, including those for the News Journal and a group of Florida newspapers.

A Gannett spokesperson said the NLRB had inaccurately stated the companys position on mail ballots, and Gannett asked the NLRB for a correction.

We did not and do not oppose a mail-in election in these unprecedented circumstances, Maribel Wadsworth, publisher of the Gannett-owned USA Today, said in a statement.

NLRB spokesperson Ed Egee said Gannett never followed up with the NLRB to say it would agree to a mail ballot for the News Journal election.

Egee said both parties generally need to agree on the method for carrying out union elections. Unions such as the Communications Workers of America, which is affiliated with the NewsGuild, worry that protocol could allow employers to hold up elections by refusing to agree to mail-in ballots.

The Wilmington election is now slated to occur in-person on June 16, which workers say raises safety issues.

If the pandemic continues its course in Delaware, forcing reporters to gather in person to vote poses a public health risk, the journalists with the Delaware NewsGuild said in a statement.

And the stakes are high for the News Journal reporters, who, like their Gannett colleagues across the country, have been furloughed.

Had the company agreed to a mail-in vote, we would now have the legal protections that come with status quo, and would have been able to negotiate the terms of furlough," the Delaware NewsGuild said. "Instead, were left without those protections and in limbo in the middle of a pandemic.

The Delaware NewsGuild is asking Gannett to recognize the union without an election, since the majority of its staffers have signed union cards.

That wont happen, Wadsworth said in a statement.

We respect the election process as the one certain way to ensure each employees voice is heard, she said.
,



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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 2.00 am ET Wednesday, Destatis releases Germany's import prices. Import prices are forecast to fall 4 percent on a yearly basis in March, after easing 2 percent in February. Ahead of the data, the euro traded mixed against its major rivals. While the currency held steady against the pound and the yen, it rose against the greenback and the franc. The euro was valued at 1.0855 against the greenback, 115.63 against the yen, 1.0556 against the franc and 0.8696 against the pound as of 1:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Irrfan Khan as Robert and Kelly Macdonald as Agnes in the 2018 indie "Puzzle." (Linda Kallerus / Sony Pictures Classics)

As the quiet, grieving widower of the crossover Indian film The Lunchbox, actor Irrfan Khan portrayed grief, sadness and longing with such subtle elegance that the mere act of pouring tea from a thermos felt revelatory.

The Indian actor, who died Wednesday in Mumbai at the age of 53 after a battle with cancer, was a master at conveying complex feelings in the smallest of acts, a talent that earned him the rare distinction of conquering both Hindi cinema and Hollywood with his integrity intact.

English-speaking audiences know Khan best as the philosophical, adult version of Pi in Ang Lis Life of Pi, the probing police inspector in Danny Boyles Slumdog Millionaire, and the immigrant father determined to assimilate in Mira Nairs The Namesake.

His career spanned nearly 80 films, from roles in American art-house releases such as Puzzle to blockbusters like Jurassic World and The Amazing Spider-Man. In India he was renowned for his performances in multiple hit films including Maqbool, Piku and Hindi Medium.

No matter the country, culture or language, Khan infused his characters with a hidden depth that felt so real it left scars. In 2007s The Namesake, based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, his portrayal of a Kolkata native who moves to New York produced a beautiful performance of empathic brilliance. He captured the internal conflict of burying ones heritage while embracing the new world with such understanding that immigrants to America and their children saw their lives playing out on the screen in painful, stunning detail.

In the 2008 Oscar-winning hit Slumdog, Khans detective wasnt just a corrupt thug, he was also damaged goods  just like his detainee, Dev Patels character Jamal. The officer was jaded, and discovered in Jamal an authenticity and honesty that he perhaps lost long ago. He changed course and instead of jailing Jamal, he freed the poor "slumdog." It was an unspoken change of heart, exuded rather than verbalized.

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And just to show he could do more than rip your heart out, Khan also was the voice of Baloo in Jungle Book  the Hindi-dubbed version.

As the film world and fans mourned his passing Wednesday, sentiments came from all over the globe and all strata of celebrity. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: "An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum .. Prayers and duas."

Kal Penn, who costarred with Khan in "The Namesake," also posted his condolences on Twitter: "Irrfans art and humanity will be badly missed. Never seen someone use the beats of silence so beautifully to convey so much about who we are. Sending love to Sutapa and the family."

His recent gems include his role as romantic lead of the 2018 American indie film Puzzle, where he played a reclusive inventor and former puzzle tournament champion.

Born Sahabzada Irfan Ali Khan to a wealthy Muslim family in the Indian state of Rajasthan, he spent the first decade of his career in the world of Indian soap operas. Though he was set to appear in Nair's critically lauded 1988 Salaam Bombay!, his breakthrough would take 12 more years, with the British-Indian film The Warrior. He landed the lead role of a rebel fighter in feudal India, a portrait of ferocity that ironically launched the understated actor's career.

In 2018, in a tweet announcing his diagnosis with neuroendocrine tumors, Khan quoted Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell  "Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect"  and added, "The unexpected makes us grow... I hope to be back with more stories to tell."

The cinema is where we often go to see our best and worst selves, and to gain access to buried parts of our lives that are too painful to touch outside the safety of a theater or film. Khan was a conduit to that pain and love, that loss and redemption; a master in the art of emotive silence, as Penn pointed out, he performed that special trick of only the most luminous stars: To impart grace in the least graceful of places. All the way to the end.
It is the sharpest decline since the Great Recession, an abrupt end to the longest economic expansion in USs history.

The US economy has taken its hardest hit since the height of the Great Recession, with its GDP contracting 4.8 percent in the first quarter of the year.

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the bodys record in its response to the new coronavirus, saying it acted quickly and decisively since the beginning.

Worldwide, the number of confirmed infections stood at 3.1 million, with more than 224,600 deaths and 957,000 recoveries.

US health expert Anthony Fauci welcomed the news that experimental antiviral drug remdesivir helped improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients during a clinical trial by Gilead Sciences Inc.

Here are the latest updates:

Wednesday, April 29

22:00 GMT  NYCs Bangladeshi community struggles to cope with coronavirus

Many in New York Citys Bangladeshi community know someone or of someone who has died from COVID-19. More than 210 Bangladeshis in the US have died, with about 190 in New York alone, according to Md Taher, a community health worker in Brooklyn.

About 7 percent of the citys coronavirus deaths are known to be Asians, according to government data of cases with known race or ethnicity. While it is far lower than other racial and ethnic groups and it is unclear what percentage of the Bangladeshi community has been infected with or died from the virus, advocates say the group has been hit particularly hard due to high levels of poverty, close living quarters, many working in the informal labour market and high rates of diabetes.

Read more.

21:50 GMT  Nurses to anti-lockdown activists: My lifes on the line. Go home!

Health workers across the US are increasingly coming out  though following social distancing guidelines and wearing PPE  to protest against the anti-lockdown demonstrators.

I was heartbroken standing there watching and hearing all those cars honking and then holding up their signs, Yetta Timothy, who protested against anti-lockdown activists in Pennsylvania, told Al Jazeera.

Read more.

A demonstrator tries to block the sign of counter-protester Dr Erich Bruhn during a protest against lockdown measures put into place because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Richmond, [Leah Millis/Reuters]

21:00 GMT  Slovenia to ease coronavirus restrictions

Starting from Thursday, Slovenians will be allowed to travel outside their local municipalities for the first time in a month.

Thanks to you, Slovenia is the most successful (in curbing the coronavirus) among all neighbours of the focal country Italy, Prime Minister Janez Jansa told the countrys citizens while announcing the move.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Simona Kustec told national TV Slovenia that schools and kindergartens, which have been closed since the middle of March, would gradually reopen.

20:36 GMT  Brazil has record number of new cases

The number of confirmed coronavirus case in Brazil soared by a record 6,276 to 78,162, according to the countrys health ministry. The death toll stood at 5,466 deaths.

Women react during a collective burial of people that have passed away due to the coronavirus disease, at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil [Bruno Kelly/Reuters]

20:25 GMT  Ireland restrictions likely to stay

Irelands chief medical officer said he was still not in a position to recommend relaxing stay-home coronavirus restrictions.

Were at a point where the number of people in intensive care, in a hospital bed is still quite high and if we were to ease restrictions at this moment in time, as opposed to next Tuesday (May 5), we could potentially run into difficulties sooner, Tony Holohan told a news conference.

Were advising on Friday, but there are five or six days left between now and May 5, he said, adding that he did not think the advice would change on Friday when health chiefs meet and make updated recommendations to government.

20:10 GMT  Top automakers to delay restarting of US production

Volkswagen AG (VW) and Toyota Motor Corp said they would delay restarting US production amid concerns over the automotive supply network.

VW said it was indefinitely delaying the resumption of production at its Tennessee assembly plant that had been set to restart on May 3.

Toyota said it would delay the resumption of North American manufacturing operations to the week of May 11 from the week of May 4 after an extensive review with our supplier and logistics network.

While Volkswagen resumed production in Germany, the motomaker has postponed the re-starting of its activities in the US amid concerns over the automotive supply network [Swen Pfoertner/Reuters]

19:47 GMT  South Africa records biggest daily rise

South Africa reported 354 news coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, its highest jump to date, bringing the total number to 5,350.

In a Twitter post, the countrys health department said the figure represented a 73 percent on the previous day, adding that death toll had risen by 10 to 103.

As at today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 5350, an increase of 354 cases from yesterday.This is the highest number of cases in a 24 hour cycle recorded to date and represents a 73% increase relative to the day before #COVID__19 #CoronaVirusSA  Department of Health (@HealthZA) April 29, 2020

It also said the total number of tests conducted to date was 197,127, of which 11,630 were done in the last 24 hours.

19:26 GMT  Bosnia reports sharp rise in cases after relaxing lockdowns

Bosnia registered its biggest daily jump in new infections this month following the gradual easing of lockdowns in its two autonomous regions, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Serb Republic.

There were 93 new infections and two deaths in the previous 24 hours, compared with 20 new infections a day earlier and 49 the day before that, officials said.

The total number of infected people rose to 1,677 with 65 deaths.

19:05 GMT  Finland to gradually reopen schools and daycare centres

The government of Finland announced plans to reopen schools and daycare centres that have been closed for almost a month.

Finlands Prime Minister Sanna Marin said children would return to school gradually, starting on May 14 for a little more than two weeks, before their summer break begins as usual at the start of June.

Students at upper secondary and vocational schools will continue to study remotely, she added.





18:37 GMT  Organist Cameron Carpenter takes Bach to Berlin seniors





Unable to play at the Berlin Philharmonic as planned, US musician Cameron Carpenter decided to put his organ and some loudspeakers on a truck to play for seniors and care homes in the German capital.

The idea is to share Germanys great composer J.S. Bach and to try to give a cultural service to the city of Berlin if possible, he said, after drawing excited seniors onto their balconies with his music.

Carpenter, who in 2009 became the first organist to be nominated for a Grammy Award, plans to play at various locations across Berlin over several days.

18:15 GMT  Crime slumps in virus-hit Italy, but loan-sharking jumps

Italys crime rate plunged by 66.6 percent in March, according to official figures. The interior ministry said some 68,069 crimes were registered across the country last month, against 203,723 in March 2019.

However, it warned that the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions, which are due to be lifted from May 4, could create space for organised crime gangs, as mobsters try to take advantage of companies battling to stay afloat.

Meanwhile, reports of criminal loan-sharking rose by 9.1 percent, underscoring concern that struggling firms and families are having to turn to illegal financing networks to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Authorities warn that the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions on May 4, could create space for organised crime gangs, as mobsters [Remo Casilli/Reuters]

17:47 GMT  How do we keep the faith under lockdown?

Much like our daily routines, religious and cultural rituals have been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

A global ban on gatherings has meant that holidays like Passover, Easter and Vaisakhi are being celebrated in isolation. The same is happening for Muslims observing Ramadan and Eid.

Start Here explains how centuries of religious and cultural practices have changed. Watch the show below.





17:25 GMT  Positive reactions from Trump, Fauci to antiviral trial

Gilead Science Inc said its experimental antiviral drug remdesivir helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19 in a clinical trial, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of illness caused by the virus.

In the US, the news was welcomed by President Donald Trump and leading health expert Anthony Fauci, who warned, however, that the data on the drug needs further analysis.

Last week, a draft study abstract released inadvertently said remdesivir had failed to improve patients condition or reduce the pathogens presence in the bloodstream. The drugmaker said at the time that the findings were inconclusive because the study had been terminated early.

Read more here.

16:59 GMT  Healthcare workers across Africa share their coronavirus stories

As in other parts of the world, doctors and nurses from across Africa are confronted with challenges in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, while others remain optimistic about the systems within which they operate.

Go here to read their stories of fighting the pandemic on the front lines.





16:42 GMT  WHO defends pandemic handling

The chief of the WHO defended the bodys record in its response to the new coronavirus.

From the beginning, the WHO has acted quickly and decisively to respond to warn the world, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing.

He also gave a timeline of what the body knew in the lead-up to declaring COVID-19 a global emergency on January 30.

We sounded the alarm early and we sounded it often, Tedros said.

"From the beginning, WHO has acted quickly & decisively to respond & to warn the world. We sounded the alarm early & we sounded it often. We said repeatedly that the world had a window of opportunity to prepare & to prevent widespread community transmission"-@DrTedros #COVID19  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 29, 2020

16:30 GMT  Serbians to protest for a third straight day

Stuck at home under curfew, Serbians are expected to vent their anger against the governments coronavirus containment measures for a third evening in a row.

Armed with tin pans, drums, whistles and horns, citizens standing near their windows have expressed their frustration with restrictions such as a daily curfew from 16:00 GMT and weekend lockdowns.

The government has started to lift restrictions as the rate of infections slows, but said that a lockdown should remain in place.

The country has so far reported 8,724 cases and 173 deaths.

Dragan Djilas, the head of the opposition Alliance for Serbia, bangs a pot from his terrace to protest government policies during the coronavirus crisis in Belgrade, Serbia [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

16:05 GMT  Yemens Aden city sets three-day curfew

Authorities in the Yemeni port city of Aden have declared a three-day, 24-hour curfew starting at midnight local time, after five new infections were confirmed.

The announcement came from the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group that declared self-rule on Sunday in southern Yemeni provinces including Aden.

15:58 GMT  Turkey passing over peak of pandemic

Turkeys health minister said the country is currently passing the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, but the drops in numbers must be consistent.

The number of recovered patients in Turkey in the past 24 hours reaches twice that of newly diagnosed patients, Fahrettin Koca said in a press conference in Ankara.

The coronavirus death rate in Turkey dropped for intubated patients from 74 to 14 percent, and for intensive care patients from 58 percent to 10 percent, Koca added.

So far, the country reported almost 3,000 deaths amid more than 114,000 infections, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.

Employees of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality youth center sew face masks in Ankara, Turkey [Adem Altan/AFP]

15:46 GMT  Life after lockdown

When we first heard from Peng Peng, Al Jazeeras cameraman in Beijing, it was for our first episode on COVID-19.

He and his family were suddenly trapped in Hubei province as the novel coronavirus began spreading. The world has changed since he went into lockdown, but the latest update from him is one that brings us hope.

15:27 GMT  Plan to use malaria drug in Mumbai slums temporarily shelved

A plan to give the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to thousands of people in Mumbais crowded slums to prevent coronavirus infections has temporarily been shelved.

Indian health officials in Mumbai said that a test to prove the efficacy of the much-touted but largely untested drug was still in the cards, but for now, they would follow government guidelines.

Read the full story here.

15:07 GMT  Chinese labs doing contagious pathogen work under unknown security: Pompeo

In the latest exchange between the US and China over the origin of the coronavirus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington believed Beijing may lack the adequate security to prevent future pandemics.

There are multiple labs that are continuing to conduct work, we think, on contagious pathogens inside of China today, Pompeo told a State Department news conference.

And we dont know if they are operating at a level of security to prevent this (coronavirus pandemic) from happening again. Remember this isnt the first time that weve had a virus come out of China.

14:35 GMT  Ramadan inside Delhi quarantine centres

Thousands of members of Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary organisation in India, are still being kept in isolation wards despite testing negative for coronavirus.

It has been almost a month and three coronavirus tests done on me which came out negative, but I am still here in this centre, not allowed to meet my family or friends, said member Izhar Ahmad, who was quarantined after a Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi in March was linked to coronavirus infections.

Since then, the organisations members have been subjected to a hostile media campaign, with Hindu far-right groups accusing the Muslim community of spreading the virus.

Read Shereena Qazis story here.

Members of Muslim communities in India have been subjected to a hostile media campaign with Hindu far-right groups accusing them of spreading the coronavirus [Yawar Nazir/Getty Images]

14:05 GMT  US Navy to conduct investigation over USS Theodore Roosevelt

The US Navy will conduct a legal investigation of circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, a move that effectively delays a decision on whether to reinstate the ships captain, officials told Reuters news agency.

One of the sources said the wider investigation is intended to last no longer than 30 days and that the intention is to look more closely at an array of issues related to the Roosevelts encounter with the virus and how decisions were made.

Captain Brett Crozier had been relieved of his command after he urgently appealed for members of his crew who had fallen ill to be allowed to disembark for medical care in Guam.

13:20 GMT  Switzerland unveils $1.95bn aviation aid package





The Swiss government will ask Parliament to approve a 1.9 billion Swiss francs ($1.95bn) aid package for the countrys aviation sector as travel plans have been drastically reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The government is seeking 1.275 billion francs in loan guarantees for the carriers and another 600 million francs for companies that provide services to the industry, including Swissport International, Gategroup and SR Technics.

Governments worldwide have been intervening to prop up carriers as estimated revenue losses have climbed to $314bn, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Hi, this is Virginia Pietromarchi in Doha and Ill be taking over the live blog from my colleague Saba Aziz.

12:40 GMT  Coronavirus hammered US economy in first quarter

The US economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession as stringent measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus almost shut down the country, ending the longest expansion in the nations history.

The Commerce Department said gross domestic product fell at a 4.8 percent annualised rate in the January-to-March period after expanding at a 2.1 percent rate in the final three months of 2019.

The first-quarter decline was the steepest pace of contraction in GDP since the first quarter of 2009. The decline reflected a plunge in economic activity in the last two weeks of March, which saw millions of Americans seeking unemployment benefits.

Demonstrators hold US flags as they participate in a protest outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California calling on officials to reopen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. [Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP]

12:20 GMT  Germany expects record recession due to pandemic

The German economy is expected to shrink 6.3 percent in 2020 because of the coronavirus, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said, the biggest slump in Europes top economy since records began in 1970.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic will push our economy into a recession after 10 years of growth, Altmaier said, adding that the government expected the economy to rebound in 2021.

The government expects the recession to bottom out in the second quarter and economic activity to pick up again after that.

12:10 GMT  Etihad delays return of passenger flights to June 16

Abu Dhabis Etihad Airways said it now plans to start operating regular passenger flights from June 16, delaying the resumption for a second time this month.The airline has opened bookings for flights across its network from June 16, it said in a statement, though cautioned that could change should current restrictions be extended. Etihad on April 25 said it would extend the suspension until at least May 16 due to the coronavirus outbreak. It earlier planned to start resuming flights from May 1.





12:05 GMT  Dutch coronavirus cases rise to 38,802

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands has risen by 386 to 38,802 health authorities said, with 145 new deaths.The countrys death toll stands at 4,711, the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) said in its daily update. The RIVM cautioned it only reports confirmed cases and actual numbers are higher.

11:50 GMT  Boeing to cut staff, plane output after $641m loss

Planemaker Boeing announced sweeping cost-cutting measures after reporting a first-quarter loss of $641m following the hit to the airline business from the coronavirus pandemic. The aerospace giant plans to reduce its workforce by 10 percent through a combination of voluntary and involuntary layoffs and will slash production of its main commercial planes, including the 787 and 777, Chief Executive David Calhoun said in a message to employees that accompanied an earnings release. The company expects to resume 737 MAX production at low rates in 2020, but did not give a timeline.

Workers meet on the flight line near a Boeing 737 MAX factory, shortly after the company resumed operations, in Renton, Washington [Stephen Brashear/Getty Images/AFP]

1:45 GMT  Tunisia to reopen food, construction sectors next week

Tunisia will start relaxing its lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus next week, government ministers said, with the first sectors to be reopened including the food industry, construction and half the public service. Other sectors will be relaxed from May 11, the health minister and the minister in charge of major projects told a news conference, including clothing shops and malls, while some public transport will also resume.

11:30 GMT  Russia extends entry ban for foreigners

Russia has extended an entry ban for foreigners to slow the coronavirus as the country registered a steep risein the number of new infections. The decree barring foreigners from entering the country, which was introduced in mid-March and set to expire Thursday, was extended until Russia has the virus under control, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said. I have signed a government resolution on extending it until the fight against the infection is over and the epidemic situation has improved, he told officials meeting to discuss Russias response to the pandemic.





11:25 GMT  Iran says businesses reopened as no end in sight to virus

Iran reopened for business despite its persistent coronavirus outbreak as there was no end in sight to the crisis, its president said, as 80 new deaths were announced. Due to uncertainty about when this virus will end, we are preparing for work, activity and science, said President Hassan Rouhani. We have to follow all the medical instructions, but work and production are as essential as these precautions, he told a televised cabinet meeting. The government has allowed many businesses to reopen since April 11 after shutting most down in mid-March to stem the spread of the disease.

11:20 GMT  Newborn Syrian baby recovers from COVID-19

A newborn Syrian baby has recovered from COVID-19 after treatment in Izmir, on the Aegean coast of Turkey. Baby Aziz was diagnosed with the disease just five days after opening his eyes to the world, and he was discharged from the hospital with a round of applause after nearly a month of treatment. Aziz was taken to intensive care unit for newborns as he had difficulty breathing.





11:00 GMT  Germany extends foreign travel warning to June 14

Germany is extending an existing warning against foreign travel until June 14 to stem the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. We have not yet reached the point where we can recommend care-free travel, Maas said, adding therefore it is necessary to extend the worldwide travel warning until mid-June. Europes biggest economy has brought home 240,000 stranded tourists in the last four weeks, Maas said, adding that were not going to undertake such an action again in the coming summer.

10:30 GMT  German, Dutch and Finnish MotoGP races cancelled

MotoGPs German, Dutch and Finnish rounds in June and July have all been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sports governing body and promoter announced. The German Grand Prix had been scheduled for June 21, followed by the Dutch TT at Assen on June 28 with Finlands new Kymi Ring making its debut on July 12. MotoGPs season has yet to start, with the first 11 races affected by the virus, and organisers have yet to publish a fully revised calendar.

The season-opening Qatar MotoGP scheduled for March was cancelled [Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images]

10:00 GMT  Iran reports 80 new deaths from coronavirus

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose by 80 in the past 24 hours to 5,957, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV. The total number of diagnosed cases of new coronavirus in Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak in the Middle East, has reached 93,657, he said. Here is a map showing all the confirmed cases in the region.

09:45 GMT  German company begins testing possible vaccine

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said it has begun testing a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus on volunteers. BioNTech, which is working with US-based Pfizer, said 12 participants of a clinical trial in Germany have received doses of the vaccine candidate BNT162 since April 23. BioNTech said in a statement that in a next step, it will begin increasing the dose of BNT162 in a trial involving about 200 participants aged 18 to 55. Read more here.

09:30 GMT  Spains daily toll slightly up with 325 new deaths

Spain recorded 325 deaths from the novel coronavirus overnight, up from 301 reported the previous day, the health ministry said. The overall death toll from the virus, however, rose by 453 to 24,275, it said, adding that some of the additional cases were from the previous days. The number of diagnosed cases rose by 2,144 from Tuesday to 212,917, the ministry said.





09:15 GMT  Highest daily jump in COVID-19 deaths in India

India saw its highest jump in deaths related to the novel coronavirus in a 24-hour period even as regional governments prepared to ease lockdown restrictions. A total of 73 people affected by the virus had died since Tuesday morning, taking the country-wide toll to 1,007, the federal health ministry said. The number of positive cases crossed 30,000. The highest number of COVID-19 cases has been reported from Maharashtra, largely in its two biggest cities Mumbai and Pune, and the national capital New Delhi.

9:09 GMT  UK PM announces birth of son after he and fiancee had coronavirus

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of a healthy son. Both had suffered from coronavirus, but Johnsons illness was far more severe as he received treatment at an intensive care unit at a London hospital. Both have now recovered and Johnson recently returned to work.

Johnson, 55 and and his fiancee Symonds, 32, announced in February that they were expecting a child [File: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images]

08:50 GMT  Indonesia reports 260 coronavirus cases, 11 deaths

Indonesia confirmed 260 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the southeast Asian nation to 9,771, according to health ministry official Achmad Yurianto. Yurianto reported 11 new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 784, while 1,391 people have recovered. More than 67,700 people have been tested.





08:45 GMT  Poland to reopen hotels and malls on May 4

Poland will reopen hotels and shopping centres on May 4 while it will consider reopening pre-schools on May 6, Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. Poland started relaxing some curbs earlier in April, saying they were costly for the economy. It has reopened forests and parks and eased rules on the number of customers in shops.By Wednesday, the European Union member state of 38 million had reported 12,415 cases and 606 deaths.

08:35 GMT  Beijing to lower COVID-19 emergency response level

Beijings municipal government said it will lower its COVID-19 emergency response level on Thursday, removing quarantine requirements for some people arriving from other low-risk parts of the country.The decision by Beijing to lower its emergency response measures to level II from level I comes on the same day China announced that the parliament will begin its key annual session in the capital on May 22.The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the country have dropped sharply from the height of the epidemic in February.

Life in Beijing is slowly returning to normal following a city-wide lockdown on January 25 to contain the coronavirus outbreak [Lintao Zhang/Getty Images]

08:30 GMT  Azerbaijan to keep borders closed till May 31

Azerbaijan will keep its borders closed until May 31 to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the government said on Wednesday.The former Soviet republic has so far recorded 1,717 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths from the virus.Read more about travel restrictions and border shutdowns around the world here.

08:15 GMT  Turkey extends closure of schools to end-May

Turkey has extended the closure of schools until the end of May as part of its measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said.Ankara announced the initial closure of schools on March 12 after it reported its first case of COVID-19 and now has nearly 115,000 cases with a death toll of nearly 3,000.

Children play in front of the locked Fatih Mosque as Turkey suspended mass prayers in mosques nationwide until the risk COVID-19 passes in Istanbul [File:Umit Bektas/Reuters]

07:55 GMT  Russias coronavirus cases near 100,000 mark

Russia has reported 5,841 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing its overall nationwide case tally to 99,399.The official nationwide death toll reached 972 after 108 people with the virus died in the last 24 hours, Russias coronavirus crisis response centre said.Russia, the worlds largest country by territory, has been on lockdown since President Vladimir Putin announced the closure of most public spaces in late March.Read more here.

07:40 GMT  Singapore confirms 690 new coronavirus cases

Singapores health ministry confirmed 690 more coronavirus infections, taking total cases in the country to 15,641.Most of the new cases are among migrant workers living in dormitories in the city-state, which has among the highest number of coronavirus infections in Asia.Here is listof all the countries with confirmed cases.

07:30 GMT  Turkey sends aid to US to fight COVID-19

Turkey has assured all means of solidarity with the United States in combatting the coronavirus outbreak and normalisation process after the pandemic. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his US counterpart Donald Trump together with the medical aid that Turkey sent to the US on Tuesday to support the countrys fight against the coronavirus as it has reported over one million confirmed cases.Erdogan said he hopes the aid helps US people recover from COVID-19.

07:10 GMT  Global airlines face unprecedented turbulence

Grounding flights amid the coronavirus pandemic is threatening the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the airlines and related industies [File: Nick Oxford/Reuters]

The global airlines industry is bleeding billions of dollars in cash, with some carriers already facing bankruptcy and others seeking government help.More than half of the worlds fleet of passenger aircraft has been grounded because of travel bans, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline industry group.European aviation giant Airbus reported a net loss of 481 million euros ($522m) in the first quarter under the impact of the coronavirus crisis.Read more here.

07:00 GMT  Japan PM: Impossible to hold Olympics unless virus curbed

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the postponed Tokyo Olympics could not take place next year unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained. Weve been saying the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be held in a complete form, in that athletes and spectators can all participate safely, Abe said in response to an opposition legislator in parliament. It would be impossible to hold the Games in such a complete form unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained, he added.

The International Olympic Committee announced last month that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games would be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic [File: Yukihito Taguchi/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters]

06:30 GMT  Australia to ramp up testing with 10 million more kits

Australia plans to expand screening for the coronavirus after securing 10 million more test kits from China.Australia, which has been one of the most successful countries in containing COVID-19, has so far carried out around 500,000 tests in a population of 25 million people.These 10 million tests will allow our state and territory public health units to be able to test right through 2020, to provide us with the capacity to contain, suppress and defeat the virus, Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters in Melbourne.

Surfers prepare to enter the water at Bondi Beach in Sydney as coronavirus pandemic restrictions are eased [Rick Rycroft/AP]

06:00 GMT  Pakistan records second deadliest day of pandemic

Pakistan registered its deadliest day from the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, with 26 people dying of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus, taking the countrys death toll to 327 since its outbreak began in late February.Cases also rose by their highest single-day amount on Tuesday, increasing by 806 to 14,885, of which 11,113 are active cases, as per data collected by Al Jazeera.





Tuesday was the second consecutive day for Pakistan to have registered its deadliest day, with 20 deaths recorded the day before.At least 3,425 patients have recovered since the start of the outbreak, government data says.

05:50 GMT  Qatar sends virus aid to Iran and Algeria

Qatar has sent medical supplies to Iran and Algeria to support their fight against the novel coronavirus.Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani ordered urgent medical aid to be sent to Algeria, according to a report by the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA).The country also sent aid to Iran for the fourth time with some 16 tons of medical supplies, the report added.

05:45 GMT  Hotels in Poland to be open for summer holidays

Hotels in Poland will be open for summer holidays, traditionally held over July and August in the country, government spokesman Piotr Muller told state radio, while adding that the novel coronavirus infections were still on the rise in the country.On Wednesday, the Polish government is set to announce its decision with regards to re-opening some businesses that were closed until now due to the pandemic.The government has extended school closures until May 24.

05:40 GMT  Tokyo governor calls to extend nationwide emergency

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has called for an extension of Japans nationwide state of emergency, which requests people to stay home and social distance, to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.Tokyo is still facing a serious situation and so I would like to have it go on longer, she told reporters.The state of emergency, declared by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, lasts through May 6.

Japan has begun to see a slow down in COVID-19 infections after several weeks under a state of emergency intended, amongst other things, to reduce person-to-person contact [Carl Court/Getty Images]

Hello. This is Saba Aziz in Doha, taking over the blog from my colleague Kate Mayberry.

05:15 GMT  Germany to extend tourism travel warning to June 14: Der Spiegel

Germany will announce on Wednesday a warning on overseas tourism will be extended until June 14, according to the the magazine Der Spiegel.The country is slowly loosening its coronavirus controls but there are concerns the virus is picking up.Earlier, the Robert Koch Institute announced there were 1,304 more coronavirus cases and 202 more deaths.

04:45 GMT  Cambodia using COVID-19 for bogus arrests: Human Rights Watch

Cambodia is using the COVID-19 outbreak to carry out arbitrary arrests of opposition supporters and government critics, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.The group said at least 30 people, including 12 linked to the dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party had been arrested on charges of spreading fake news and other offences since the pandemic began.Prime Minister Hun Sen is busy tightening his grip on power and throwing political opposition figures and critics in jail while the world is distracted by COVID-19, deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement. Peaceful political activity and criticising the government are not crimes, including during a pandemic. The authorities should drop the bogus charges and release those detained.

04:00 GMT  Brazil deaths reach record amid deepening Bolsonaro scandal

Brazils Health Ministry reported a record 474 people died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the countrys death toll to 5,017.President Jair Bolsonaro, who is at the centre of the biggest political storm since he took office last year, had little to say when asked about the escalating coronavirus crisis.So what? Im sorry, but what do you want me to do? he said when reporters asked about the record deaths. Bolsonaro on Tuesday named a family friend to head the federal police, days after the countrys justice minister quit and accused the president of meddling in law enforcement. You can read more here.

03:10 GMT  Chinas parliament to sit on May 22 after coronavirus delay

Chinas parliament will start its key annual session in Beijing on May 22, more than two months later than originally planned because of the outbreak of the coronavirus.China usually ratifies major legislation and unveils economic targets at the parliament, which was initially scheduled to start on March 5.Chinas top political consultative body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, has also proposed to start its annual session on May 21.





Its not clear yet how long the two meetings will last. The gatherings usually involve more than 5,000 delegates travelling to Beijing from all over China for at least 10 days, but the capital currently has stricty quarantine rules on anyone entering the city from elsewhere.

This year's annual meeting of #China's top legislative body will be held on May 22, and its top consultative body's annual meeting will start from May 21 #twosessions pic.twitter.com/rGt11UYi2n  Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 29, 2020

02:30 GMT  Winston the pug becomes first dog in US to test positive for coronavirus

A pug named Winston has become the first pet dog in the United States to test positive for the coronavirus.Winston belongs to a family who are taking part in the Molecular and Epidemiological Study of Suspected Infection research study at Duke University.A handful of pet cats and dogs have previously been found with the virus.

Winston is believed to be the first dog in the US to have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in humans, [Heather Seabury McLean/via Reuters]

02:15 GMT  European countries move towards gradual easing, focus on testing

Several European countries are eyeing a gradual end to their coronavirus lockdowns as infection rates slow and death rates decline.Governments from France to Spain, Greece and Russia are setting out plans to reopen schools, shops and businesses with many looking to testing and tracing to keep control of the virus. Social distancing measures will remain in force too.Our emergence from quarantine will be done step by step, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address. No one can rule out the risk of the threat rekindling. A return [to normal life] must not lead to a relapse.You can read more about whats going on in each country here.

Employees prepare a coffee shop for reopening as Greece begins a gradual relaxation of its coronavirus lockdown [Alexandros Vllanchos/EPA]

02:05 GMT  Alphabet warns of difficult period for Google advertising business

Alphabet, the company that owns Google, posted double-digit advertising growth in the three months ended March 31 despite the economic slowdown from the novel coronavirus.But Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat told analysts on Tuesday that while users were searching more, they were looking up less commercial topics, and advertisers were cutting spending.As of today, we anticipate the second quarter will be a difficult one for our advertising business, Porat said.Porat said search ad revenue had declined by a mid-teens percentage by the end of March compared with a year earlier. Impact has more on that story here.

02:00 GMT  China reports 22 new cases of coronavirus, no deaths

Chinas National Health Commission says the mainland had 22 new cases of coronavirus for April 28, all but one of them in people who had returned from overseas. The total number of deaths remains unchanged at 4,633.

00:10 GMT  ICRC calls on Asian countries to include migrants in coronavirus response

The International Committee of the Red Cross says governments in the Asia Pacific must systematically include migrants, regardless of their legal status in their coronavirus response programmes, and take all possible measures to reduce the use of immigration detention.Governments in the region should do more for the migrants, said Christine Cipolla, ICRC regional director for Asia and the Pacific. It is in their best interest. It saves lives. It protects society as a whole.Migrants, including refugees, make up a large proportion of the population in several countries and play a crucial role in the economy, the ICRC statement noted.

23:30 GMT (Tuesday)  US considering coronavirus testing on some international flights

US President Donald Trump says the US is considering testing passengers on international flights for the coronavirus.Were looking at doing it on international flights coming out of areas that are heavily infected, Trump said at the White House. He added that the administration was already discussing the plan with airlines and it could be introduced in the very near future.The US has a third of all confirmed coronavirus cases in the world and the most deaths anywhere.-Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.Read all the latest updates from yesterday (April 28) here.

Thousands members of a Muslim missionary organisation, Tablighi Jamaat, who were quarantined across the country, after a Jamaat event in Delhi are still in the government isolation wards.

It has been almost a month and three coronavirus tests done on me which came out negative, but I am still here in this centre, not allowed to meet my family or friends, said Izhar Ahmad from the quarantine centre in Delhis Wazirabad area.

Since then Jamaat members have been subjected to a hostile media campaign with Hindu far-right groups accusing the Muslim community of spreading the virus.

Read here the full story.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

It wasnt just major cities on the coasts that caught the new coronavirus from international travelers.

Out here in the West, many of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wyoming and New Mexico were caused by strains of the coronavirus discovered in parts of Europe and Australia, according to scientists at the University of New Mexico.

The virus that caused one of the first COVID-19 cases in New Mexico was closely related to samples found in the Netherlands and Switzerland. And there were multiple instances of other early New Mexico cases that were closely related to virus strains from Iceland, France, Germany and even Australia, said Daryl Domman, an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UNM.

It was quite striking for me to see in such plain detail how much international spread had occurred, Domman said. Even in states like New Mexico, and especially Wyoming, which are isolated, mostly rural states.

Scientists Darrell Dinwiddie, an assistant professor in the UNM Department of Pediatrics, and Domman are leading an effort to sequence the virus that caused confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Mexico. They analyze the genetic code of the virus, looking for tiny variations so it can be tracked to other confirmed cases around the country and world.

Genome differences

Their findings will ultimately be combined with similar work being done at public health and academic labs throughout the country as part of an effort being led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They said the research ultimately will lead to a better understanding of how the novel coronavirus spreads from person to person, which will help in making public policy decisions.

Last week, Domman and Dinwiddie talked about their initial findings after sequencing and analyzing the first 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Mexico and 20 in Wyoming.

They found that the virus came from multiple directions.

Of the first 48 cases in New Mexico, at least 19 or 20 were unique strains. In Wyoming, more than half of the first 20 were unique.

There were multiple times it came into the state, Dinwiddie said. It was pretty much inevitable.

The UNM scientists are focusing on New Mexico cases. But Domman is from Wyoming, and they are also getting samples from that states health lab to see how the virus is spreading across the Mountain West region.

When a virus in New Mexico is tracked to a strain found in another country, it shows that the patient either traveled there or was exposed to someone else who had traveled to that part of the world, Domman said.

Data-oriented decisions

Continuing to trace the strains that appear in New Mexico will be useful as state officials make public policy decisions concerning the pandemic.

With that information, that arms our public health officials to make really data-oriented and informed decisions about public health policies to particular communities and at a statewide level, Domman said.

When the New Mexico Department of Health gets a confirmed case, it is required to send a part of the sample to the CDC. Recently, UNM was able to get access to a sample of inactive pathogen from positive tests to do the analysis.

It took a tremendous amount of cooperation, agreements and regulatory approvals, said Dr. Richard Larson, the executive vice chancellor of the UNM Health Sciences Center. Over time, I think well be able to understand the spread of disease much better than other states.

Scientists have analyzed the viruss genetic data to see how it spread in other places as well.

In New York City, for example, the virus came primarily from Europe and spread in mid-February, before the city had confirmed cases, according to The New York Times. The Times also reported that scientists traced early cases in Seattle directly to Wuhan, China.

In New Mexico, Dinwiddie and Domman said, their work will eventually shine a light on when the virus first appeared here.

When we look at genetic data from other states, it confirms the virus had been in those other states circulating undetected for a period of time that the health departments did not know about, Dinwiddie said. That quite likely was the case for New Mexico at well.
Thiruvananthapuram, April 29 : Miffed by Kerala High Court order that stayed the state government's decision to deduct six-day salary of all its employees in the next five months as a temporary measure, the State Cabinet on Wednesday decided to float a new Ordinance - which will enable it to defer payment of salary up to 25 per cent, said a State Minister.

Soon after the weekly cabinet meeting, State Finance Minister Thomas Issac told the media that the government has decided to come out with Disaster and Public Emergency Special Provisions Act which will give it the power to defer payment of salaries, up to 25 per cent of all state government employees.

"This is not against yesterday's high court order, instead we have abided by it. We are not going to go in appeal against stay order. The State government is using the provisions in the Act. The provision in the Act is clear as it says this can be done when a health emergency or a disaster strikes. The Centre has declared the pandemic as a health emergency," said Issac.

"Some people like leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala is yet to gauge the situation what the state is presently undergoing. Anyone is free to go in appeal against the new Ordinance. The salary of April month will be paid in May after completing the procedures," added Issac and said they will stick to defer six days salary, that they originally proposed.

Incidentally, it was the various Congress-led staff unions that had approached the court over the "arbitrary manner in which employees had been forcibly directed to contribute to the CM Covid Relief Fund".

The court on Tuesday pointed out that salary is an employee's right and they have no clue of how the government will use this donated money.

However, the court said that the state government could go in for an appeal, if it wished.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Issac had first demanded a contribution of one month's salary each from all state government officials towards the Relief Fund, but the move was shot down by the opposition parties.

Feeling snubbed, the Vijayan government then went ahead and announced that they have no other way but to defer six-day salary for the next five months. It too came under heavy criticism from the opposition staff unions which approached the court.

Now all eyes are on the Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on what position he will be taking with regard to the new Ordinance and if he decides to seek additional information or goes in for legal advice, there is likelihood that the payment of salaries for April, might get delayed.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
IRELAND is one of 12 countries that have put their names to a letter calling on the European Commission to change the rules on refunds for cancelled airline flights.

It comes after both Ryanair and Aer Lingus refused to comment last week when asked if they were lobbying the Government to have the rules changed.

The joint letter, which is also signed by the governments in France and the Netherlands, points out that European Commission Regulation 261/2004 and its obligation to reimburse cancelled tickets in cash, if the passenger so decides, places airlines in a difficult situation where they are facing a serious cash flow challenge.

The letter calls for the rules to be changed temporarily to allow airlines to issue vouchers instead of refunds.

Read More

The joint letter states:

We believe that regulating the temporary issuance of vouchers is possible and acceptable for consumers, if some key principles are taken into account: transparent information to the passenger, non-discrimination, a common length of voucher validity, maximum flexibility of use and a clear right of reimbursement immediately at the end of validity in the event of non-use of vouchers.

Other countries behind the request are Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Poland and Portugal.

But the EUs transport commissioner, Adina Valean, told Euronews that she thought such a move was a bad idea.

Its not an option for me, she said.

I dont think that this is the right path. I think companies have to put their energy and thinking into making the vouchers more attractive if they want to use mainly this instrument, but allow passengers to exercise their right to be reimbursed.

It comes after Ryanair again changed its refunds policy for cancelled flights.

It now says passengers who accept a voucher instead of a refund can exchange the voucher for cash if it is not used within 12 months.

The airline had initially said it would offer refunds to passengers after it cancelled thousands of flights.

But it enraged its customers who had applied for refunds when it wrote to them last week offering vouchers for flights that were cancelled due to the virus.

These people had understood their refund applications were being processed by the airline. They were enraged to be offered vouchers instead of refunds.

Yesterday Ryanair sent out more emails telling customers that they had previously received an email with a voucher code to the value of your original booking.

It said the voucher is valid for 12 months and can be used for your future travel plans.

Under EU Regulation 261/2014, airlines must offer passengers on cancelled flights the choice of a refund within seven days, or a re-routing.

Last week the Commission for Aviation Regulation regulator said airlines were offering vouchers for later use with that airline instead of a refund upon cancellation.

The commission said: In accordance with Regulation EC 261/2004, passengers have the right to choose a refund of the ticket price paid when their flight is cancelled.

Airlines are entitled to offer vouchers to passengers. Passengers can choose to accept a voucher but are under no obligation to do so.

The regulation requires an airline to pay a refund within seven days when this option is chosen, the Commission for Aviation Regulation said.

In a statement, Ryanair said the process time for cash refunds is taking longer due to the fact it is having to process 10,000 times the usual volume of cancellations and has fewer staff available due to social distancing measures.
Srinagar, April 29 : One more militant was killed in an ongoing encounter at Zainpora in South Kashmir's Shopian district taking the toll to two. The gunfight, which started on Tuesday evening and stopped during the night resumed Wednesday morning.

"Op Melahura (Shopian). One more terrorist killed (Total Two terrorists eliminated). Joint Operation in progress," Army said in a brief statement.

A third militant is also believed to have been killed in the encounter, but the body has not been retrieved yet.

"Operation at Melhura Shopian continued through the night. Two terrorists killed. Bodies recovered. For Third search is on," a police statement said.

On Tuesday security forces had a specific input on Wednesday about the presence of a group of three militants in the area. As the cordon was tightened the hiding militants fired at the security forces that triggered the encounter.

One militant was killed on Tuesday.

The joint operation was conducted by the police and the Army.
It's tough to pretend and look young in an interview. Chan Mi and Mi Soon had a hard time pulling off their Plan A. Im Ye-eun, with her innocent look, completed and got in for the job at II Kwang Hitech.

Chan Mi needs to work as a new secretary and get access to the CEO file. Mi Soon did not pass the first and second interviews, which landed her a job as a cleaning lady of the company. Im Ye-eun was accepted as one of the PR officers of the advertising department.

The agents need to monitor and get exclusive tips that will lead them to "Michael." The company has been doing illegal transactions with neighboring Asian countries.

The next day, Chan Mi reports to work and gets card access to the CEO office. She almost got caught with the man who owns it. Im Ye-eun started to work as well. She thought of her daughter, who needed to be picked up from school. She asked her team leader Dong to help get her daughter.

Im Ye-eun was assigned to discuss with actor Gang Woo Woon to renew his contract with the agency. She's trying to adapt as a field agent and acting as one of the employees. She went on another assignment to the advertisement agency to discuss with the actor Goo in renewing his contract. She messes up as she destroys actor Goo's dressing room and exposes his naked body while changing his costumes. Goo told Im Ye-eun to make his talent fee 4x more than the original rate. Im Ye-eun gets more anxious about what happened.

Team leader Dong is struggling to take care of Im Ye-eun's daughter. Assistant Bae Moo-hyuk is not of any help as well. It took them four hours to have the child put to sleep.

A flashback of appeared, showing his memories with Baek Chan Mi. They once became a romantic couple, but Dong Gwan Soo broke up with her. The police department knew about their past and teased them why they never got married. Baek Chan Mi quickly loses her temper and can be deadly when she gets mad.

Then, Chan Mi reports working an hour early to enter CEO Yoon's office. She enters the office and takes a USB copy of Yoon's laptop. CEO Yoon arrives in the office earlier than he used to. Chan Mi hides in the conference room. CEO Yoon heard a sound at the conference, and he stood up to open but the door was stuck. Chan Mi holds the door at the other side to avoid being caught. They both pulled each other aside for the door to open and almost lost their energy.

Mi Soon entered the research laboratory and put the hidden camera as instructed. But manager Ok Chul arrived early and she is still inside his office. Ok Chul stopped at his door while his staff gave him a document. Mi Soon reckless jumps from the table, and the Ok Chul office name frame falls. It creates a sound that caught Ok Chul's attention. Mi Soon did not move and checked what to do.
Around half of all workers in the US could earn more in unemployment benefits than in their jobs before the coronavirus decimated the economy, official figures have revealed.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs during the pandemic and many have been unable to register for unemployment benefits due to problems with the online process.

President Trump in March signed a stimulus package that included a $600 boost to weekly unemployment benefits, to last until July 31.

This increase added to state benefits should give an average weekly payment of $978. On average almost $378 was paid in unemployment benefit to each claimant last year, according to the Labor Department.

On average half of full-time workers earned $957 a week or less in the first quarter of this year - around $20 a week more than the combined unemployment benefits, the figures show.

A gallon of milk offered as volunteers help load food into vehicles arriving at a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank drive-thru giveaway in Pico Rivera, California, yesterday

Cars lined up to receive food distributed by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, as basketball courts and a football field stand empty at the shuttered Ruben Salazar High School

Official statistics from the Labor Department show 26.5 million people in the US have filed for unemployment benefits since March 15. The chart above shows the number of people submitting applications each week

As of yesterday, official US statistics show that 26.5 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since March 15.

Some workers appear to be better off being laid off in order to receive the extra benefit, instead of staying on the payroll for a job with potential reduced hours.

According to calculations by the New York Times, workers in more than half of states will receive, on average, more in unemployment benefits than they did from their normal salaries.

In 2009 following the global economic crash, a federal stimulus package increased unemployment benefits by just $25 per week.

But some business owners say the current relief package is complicating strategies for reopening their companies as it could create a disincentive for employees returning to work when the lockdown is relaxed, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Congressional Budget Office released a report last week predicting that 27 million Americans will lose their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis this year. The CBO's jobless rate projections per quarter are shown in the graph above

A volunteer distributing bananas into bags at the Alameda Food Bank distribution center before opening in Alameda, California

A poll revealed yesterday that idled workers encountered downed websites and clogged phone lines, as the state governments that administer the program have been overwhelmed by applicants.

On Tuesday hundreds of Americans lined up to access much-needed food handouts in Los Angeles and Prospect, Pennsylvania as the impact of the pandemic on the economy continues to worsen.

Masses of cars waited in line for the drive-thru food giveaway in Pico Rivera, California, as volunteers wearing face masks, gloves and high-vis jackets helped dish out crucial supplies.

Lawmakers say replacing 100 per cent of workers' earnings was designed to keep the economy afloat and provide a vital lifeline.

Wayne Vroman, an economist with The Urban Institute, told CNBC: 'This size of an increase is unprecedented. So $600 is in different league; it could go a long distance in stabilizing American household income and help to maintain purchasing power for the consumer sector of economy.'

The current nationwide unemployment figure makes up just over 16 per cent of America's workforce, according to the latest Labor Department figures released last week.

The staggering spike in unemployment has wiped out all of the jobs gained during the longest employment boom in American history and has left economists warning the unemployment rate could reach as high as 20 per cent for April - the highest rate since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In California alone, 3.2 million people have filed for unemployment claims since March 15.

States like New Jersey and Georgia have struggled to find staffers who know how to update computer systems that run on decades-old technology.

Others that have moved to newer technology have also encountered technical woes.

States have also had to incorporate enhanced federal benefits that provide an extra $600 per week and extend coverage to Uber drivers and other independent contractors.

On top of that, many states entered the crisis with fewer workers to handle unemployment claims as an improving economy had allowed them to cut staff.
As of Thursday, 13 meatpacking and food processing plants had closed at some point in the past two months, resulting in a 25 percent reduction in the nations pork slaughter capacity and a 10 percent reduction in beef slaughter capacity, according to the food workers union.

In addition to the action, which was taken under the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law, the Labor Department and OSHA issued guidance that would provide additional liability protections for companies seeking to operate amid the risk of outbreaks.

In its statement, the agencies said the United States would weigh in on the side of companies who were facing litigation for reported workplace exposures to the coronavirus, as long as the companies were following the standards that the C.D.C. and OSHA had issued for meat processing facilities.

As states begin reopening, businesses have begun pushing the Trump administration and Congress to shield American companies from a wide range of potential lawsuits related to restarting the economy.

Companies want assurances that they will not be held legally liable if a worker or customer contracts the virus at their warehouse, coffee shop or grocery store. That issue is expected to come to a head during the next round of congressional negotiations, with Republican lawmakers suggesting that any further aid to states would be conditioned on indemnifying businesses against lawsuits.

The Labor Department and OSHA also indicated that the federal government would assert authority over states, which have ordered many businesses to close.

No part of the joint meat processing guidance should be construed to indicate that state and local authorities may direct a meat and poultry processing facility to close, to remain closed or to operate in accordance with procedures other than those provided for in this guidance, the statement said.
NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE H illary Rodham Clinton, who is still alive, has endorsed Joe Bidens presidential campaign.

That is inspiring: A corrupt, decrepit, exhausted relic of the 1990s has given her blessing to a corrupt, decrepit, exhausted relic of the 1970s. Mrs. Clinton already has lost an election to Donald Trump, a visitor from the 1980s, and Joe Biden might very well do the same.

(Or not.)

Mrs. Clintons endorsement is a reminder of Bidens role as the candidate of continuity. Biden was Barack Obamas vice president  basically a predictable old white familiar man who spent the Obama years in a dusty case labeled Break Glass in Case of Emergency  but he might have served as comfortably in a Hillary Rodham Clinton administration. Or more comfortably, even: Barack Obama was, among other things, a mild and desultory critic of the 1990s settlement, the Bill ClintonNewt Gingrich dyad that left the budget balanced and no one entirely satisfied.

One element of the 2008 Democratic primary was the muttered debate between those who saw the techno-utopianism of the Clinton era as the apex of practical American politics and proposed returning to it after the detour of the George W. Bush administration and those who saw in Obama a critique of the moderating New Democrat elements of the 1990s and desired a politics with more kick. Obama won that debate, and Biden came along for the ride to offer assurance to those who worried that the relatively unknown and freshly minted senator from Illinois might prove to be too radical.

Which is to say, in 2008 Mrs. Clinton was the continuity candidate in the Democratic primary and was rejected. In 2016, she was the continuity candidate in the general election and was rejected. In 2008, Democrats decided that they wanted something more than Bill Clintonism with ovaries. In 2016, Republican primary voters were offered several continuity candidates and a few ideological pugilists such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. They opted instead for radical discontinuity in the primary, choosing in Donald Trump a man with only the lightest affiliation with the Republican Party and no affiliation at all with the conservative movement that does the Republican Partys thinking for it to modest effect and very little thanks. And the candidate of radical discontinuity prevailed in the general election.

Story continues

Many Republicans remain quite pleased with Trump. His 2020 job-approval ratings among Republicans have ranged from a low of 88 percent to a high of 94 percent and were at 93 percent in the most recent Gallup survey. His overall approval ratings in 2020 have ranged from a high of 49 percent to a low of 43 percent, where he currently sits.

Trump is a ubiquitous president but not a very energetic one: Out of the 700 or so key positions that require confirmation, nearly 200 remained vacant as of Monday morning  146 positions had no nominee at all, 20 had a presumptive nominee not yet formally nominated, and 79 had nominees not yet confirmed in spite of the fact that the presidents party controls the Senate. The New York Times reports that his working day consists mainly of yelling at Fox News and then berating reporters at his regular coronavirus briefings, recently suspended. The president, enraged by the Times account, spent hours berating reporters by Twitter, where he was incessantly mocked for his spelling (hambergers, etc.) and his apparent misunderstanding of what a Nobel prize is and how Nobel prize is spelled.

But 93 percent of Republicans are satisfied with all that.

Most Republicans do not wish to return to the pre-Trump era. (We few remaining Eisenhower Republicans meet in a very small room and speak only in whispers.) Many Democrats evince a certain wistfulness for the Obama years, but that is more of a question of pecking order than anything to do with great Democratic policy victories, which were in fact few and far between during the Obama years: Even the landmark health-care law of 2009 began unraveling before it was enacted, and the system it tried to establish is today a wreck.

The conservative writer P. J. ORourke in 2016 offered a mock endorsement of Mrs. Clinton over Trump, saying: Shes wrong about absolutely everything, but shes wrong within normal parameters. Dont expect Biden to take that up as a slogan, but the former vice president implicitly is offering himself as a return to normalcy candidate on similar lines  a creep, a liar, a feckless time-serving hack of the lowest and meanest kind, but within normal parameters. That fits in with the basic bedrock dynamic of 2020: For Democrats, its anybody but Trump, and, for Republicans, its anybody but any Democrat. With a severe economic contraction on the way and an epidemic still raging, Trumps argument for himself right now is, Boy, things were great, right up until they werent! Bidens argument is that the worst day with Biden will be better than the best day with Trump.

The lines are drawn, but I wonder how many Americans really want a return to normalcy. They may not all want Trump, and they mostly may not want a confessing socialist such as Bernie Sanders, but from the Obama campaign to the Tea Party movement to Occupy Wall Street to the Trump campaign, there is plenty of evidence that 21st-century Americans are done with 20th-century politics and that they are inconsolably dissatisfied with what has been on offer from the two major parties. There is a demand, often dangerous and destructive, for radical change. Joe Biden is unlikely to slake that particular thirst.

Biden was first elected to the Senate the year I was born. He is a product not of the Clinton years but of the Nixon era. Even with an aging electorate (the median age of a voter in the 2016 election was 51), he is a dusty holdover of a time that is quickly receding into ancient history.

(These things move quickly: In 2011, the late Phyllis Schlafly graciously organized a little book event for me in Washington; watching Cate Blanchett play her in Mrs. America, among the hairdos and groovy interiors of the 1970s, it could not be more obvious that she was, after all, more a part of Jack Kennedys world than Mark Zuckerbergs.)

Mrs. Clinton came to prominence when most Americans had never sent an email or heard of a web browser. Joe Biden was elected to the Senate in the first year that color televisions outsold black-and-white models. He comes from the other side of a great divide  and that is not only a matter of age. Hillary Endorses Biden is a headline that belongs on newsprint, like Dewey Defeats Truman.

The response to Mrs. Clintons endorsement in 2020 was, So, what?

The day after tomorrow, it will be, Who?

More from National Review
New fatherhood could have made Boris Johnson more likely to ease lockdown restrictions after his illness brought an 'emotional epiphany' about the importance of physical contact for families, a psychologist has claimed.

The Prime Minister's, 55, fiancee Carrie Symonds, 32, today gave birth to a 'healthy' baby boy at a London hospital - weeks earlier than anticipated and just 16 days after Mr Johnson battled coronavirus in intensive care.

Mr Johnson is said to have been by Carrie's side throughout the labour in the early hours of this morning and thanked 'the fantastic NHS maternity team' who brought their son into the world.

Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings told FEMAIL that the experience may have been an 'emotional epiphany' for Mr Johnson, revealing: 'I think he will have become hyper aware of the psychological needs for families and loved ones to have closer physical contact and  within safe boundaries of course  he will relax the lockdown as soon as he can for those families and loved ones.'

She explained that the combination of his own battle with coronavirus and his new fatherhood would have had a great impact on the Prime Minister, saying: 'I do see his own emotional epiphany as having a huge influence on him, driving him to to ease the emotional burdens placed on families, missing their nearest and dearest.'

A psychologist has revealed how Boris Johnson, 55, may be more likely to ease lockdown restrictions to allow families to see one another after welcoming his newborn son with partner Carrie Symonds, 32, today

Jo revealed that Mr Johnson would have found 'new reserves of strengths' during his coronavirus battle which could serve him well during his new challenging fatherhood.

She revealed: 'This sort of experience shapes us and makes us more resilient. Mr Johnson will have found a reserve of strength and a number of coping mechanisms that will have got him this through this illness, and they will serve him well as a father to a new-born.'

Meanwhile she said his own illness may have also already shaped him as a father, revealing: 'Under normal circumstances we would expect anyone who has been seriously ill to be more protective of their new baby.

'He will certainly have had a moment  whether religious, spiritual or just life-affirming that will inevitably have changed his outlook on life moving forward.

'He will undoubtedly have a much greater respect for the work of the NHS  perhaps tinged with a little guilt for his previous lack of concern  and this, along with a new-born baby, will give him a certain emotional conflict of interests.'

Jo went on to reveal how Mr Johnson may feel more conflicted than ever over lockdown restrictions, explaining: 'On the one hand hes likely to be more empathetic to families and their suffering in general.

Jo revealed how Mr Johnson's own recent battle with coroanvirus would likely make him a more protective father to his newborn son

'The basic human need for hug, touch and physical affection between them and how much anything virtual, like video calls or waving from a distance, is really quite a poor substitute and can cause deep seated distress and a greater longing for real touch.'

And parenting expert Rachel Fitzd agreed, explaining: 'New dads, like new mums want to turn to his own family for support at this time to help him cope with these emotional, only to find, like all new parents right now, that they are isolated and vulnerable - Zoom doesnt quite cut it when you dont know how to soothe your crying newborn.'

Jo went on to reveal how she believed Mr Johnson would 'continue to take the scientific advice and do whatever it takes for however long it takes to ensure the physical health of families.'

She said new fatherhood may have also made him 'more likely as a consequence, because of health and safety reasons, to perhaps prolong the lockdown measures for general socialising amongst friends and acquaintances.'

She added: 'His overriding need to preserve life and keep the nation as healthy as possible, for as long as possible to enable people who are yearning to have that physical affection, sooner rather than later, will also be paramount.'

Mr Johnson welcomed his new son, who is believed to be his sixth child, days after returning to work amid the coronavirus pandemic

The safe arrival of their child, Carrie's first and officially Boris's sixth, has come as a shock because Miss Symonds was expected to give birth in the early summer, although a due date was never confirmed.

Mr Johnson, who missed PMQs this afternoon, said in early March that he would likely take his two-week paternity leave when their child was born - but he will now delay it until later in 2020 as he scrambles to get a grip on the coronavirus crisis.

There are also concerns that key decisions over the lockdown and how to ease Britain out of it will be delayed because of the Prime Minister's new baby.

Announcing the birth of their son, who has not been named yet, his spokesperson said: 'The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.'

Mr Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds have been engaged since the new year, and announced they were expecting in March (pictured, watching the Six Nations on 7 March)

The couple got engaged while holidaying on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique over the new year and announced they would marry and were having a baby on February 29, days after the PM's divorce from Marina Wheeler was confirmed.

The birth came after an extraordinary month for the couple, who were self-isolating separately, first because of Carrie's pregnancy and then when Boris fell ill. Mr Johnson then spent a week in hospital, including three days in intensive care, and Miss Symonds was also briefly bedridden with symptoms of Covid-19, but made a full recovery. They were only reunited last week at Chequers before she went into labour.

It is also just over two weeks since the PM was discharged from intensive care where he had been battling coronavirus. Miss Symonds also suffered symptoms of the disease.

Mr Johnson is said to have been by her side throughout the birth. She sent him scans of the baby while he was ill with coronavirus earlier this month to raise his spirits.

Miss Symonds and Mr Johnson are believed to be back living at Number 11 Downing Street after isolating seperately

Miss Symonds has been back living with Mr Johnson at Number 11 Downing Street as the Prime Minister leads the Government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

She had previously been self-isolating in Camberwell, South London, with the couple's dog Dilyn, after suffering from symptoms of coronavirus.

The 32-year-old former government adviser then joined Mr Johnson at the PM's country home of Chequers in Buckinghamshire while he recovered from the virus.

Mr Johnson returned to work on Monday after being photographed back at Downing Street on Sunday evening.
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PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTC PINK:INLB) ("Item 9 Labs" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator producing best-in-class products, announced today product demand & revenue growth surpassing projections despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Item 9 Labs has seen a 43% sales increase in 2020 compared year-over-year to January through March 2019. March 2020 brought a 117% sales increase compared to March 2019 - with the entire Arizona Medical Marijuana Program reporting a 32% year-over-year increase in total product sold.In the weeks before Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued two stay-at-home orders on March 23 and 30, Item 9 Labs' cannabis sales were up 65% over March 2019, with the state shipping 15% more product than February 2020."We are proud to be a source of comfort and healing for the many patients relying on us," says Bryce Skalla, Item 9 Labs president. "Our increase in production efficiencies, education-focused sales, and marketing efforts will help us meet growing market demands for years to come." This is not the first time cannabis has been deemed essential, though the first time it has legally been declared so, during uncertain times - most specifically during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s when underground bakeries supplied patients with edibles to help treat HIV symptoms and treatment side effects.While cannabis is not a treatment for COVID-19, it can help cope with mental and physical stress related to drastic life changes brought upon by stay-at-home orders as the country's workers shift to remote work or have lost their jobs.Bloomberg reports cannabis spikes across the country, with a Cowen & Co survey of 2500 consumers revealing 33% of respondents have tried cannabis, up from 12.8% the previous month and 12.5% in 2019. In Oregon, cannabis sales jumped 30% year-over-year from March 2019 - including a 65% increase in the middle of March as stay-at-home orders were first rumored to be coming."We're doing everything we can to help our patients get the medicine they need right now," says Andrew Bowden, Item 9 Labs CEO. "We're especially proud of our cultivation and delivery teams, who've been able to keep up with increased demand no one could have expected." Item 9 Labs continues to follow strict sanitization procedures at their cultivation site and during deliveries, producing digital content across a wide variety of channels, and working with dispensaries, local businesses, and blood banks to help those who need a little help get what they need.About Item 9 Labs Corp:Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTC PINK:INLB) is a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator headquartered in Arizona. The Company creates best-in-class products and canna-business solutions designed to help people become the best versions of themselves. With an award-winning CPG brand and nationally recognized application team, Item 9 Labs improves the cannabis experience while providing transparency, consistency, and well-being for those relying on them. For additional information, please visit: https://www.item9labscorp.com Forward-Looking Statement:This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and governmental regulation, especially in a foreign country, future financial and operational results, competition, general economic conditions, proposed transactions that are not legally binding obligations of the company and the ability to manage and continue growth. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this news release include the introduction of new technology, market conditions and those set forth in reports or documents we file from time to time with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.Media Contact:Item 9 LabsKyle Jennings, VP of MarketingPhone: (518) 265-9217Email: Kyle@ item9labs.com Investor Contact:Hayden IRBrett Mass, Managing PartnerPhone: (646) 536-7331Email: INLB@ haydenir.com SOURCE: Item 9 Labs Corp.
A 35-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by four people after an argument over the price of chicken in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri area on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased, identified as Shiraz, belonged to Kesharpur Jalpai village in Madinapur district of West Bengal where he used to sell fish. He started selling chicken in shanties in his area recently for a living during the lockdown, they said.

Police said the man had set up a small cart outside his shanty to sell chicken.

Meanwhile, the accused arrived there and asked for the price of chicken. When the victim quoted the price, the accused started arguing with him over it and alleged he was selling the chicken at a higher rate than that of the market, police said.

The police was informed about the incident around 4 pm.

"On reaching the spot, it was revealed that Shiraz, was stabbed by one Shah Alam and his brothers. When Shiraz was selling chicken in jhuggis, some argument occurred between him and alleged Shah Alam over the price of chicken," Vijayanta Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest), said.

Later, Alam's three brothers also came there and they allegedly attacked Shiraz with knife and iron rods, she added.

He was taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Mangolpuri, where he was declared brought dead, the DCP said.

A case has been registered in this matter, she said, adding that the Shah Alam has been arrested and efforts are on to to nab other accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid widespread speculation about life after lockdown, a $5.7-billion deal is betting big on the digitisation of essential retailing in the post-pandemic world.

While Facebooks investment of Rs 43,574 crore in Jio Platforms, a unit of Reliance Industries, for a 9.99 percent stake hogged limelight for its width and breadth of possibilities, the cornerstone of the cross-border agreement is the big push it will provide to hyper-local commerce.

According to Hari Menon, co-founder and CEO of BigBasket, more and more consumers will shop online rather than depending on traditional means after COVID-19. Within e-commerce, online grocery will see a huge boost, he said.

Jio Platforms has sniffed this opportunity early  through its app JioMart, it has already started on-boarding local mom-and-pop stores (or kirana stores) to give shape to its hyper-local e-commerce model.

The deal with Facebook now gives JioMart the scope to combine with WhatsApp that would enable these kirana stores to digitally transact with customers.

The JioMart platform mounted on the encrypted Whatsapp platform will allow traders and customers to move on to a more efficient payment system that can offer credit to both customers and shop owners on a non-cash, bank/financial institution-driven model.

The overall reach of this combination can be gauged from Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambanis remark after the deal was announced. In the very near future, JioMart, Jios new commerce platform, and WhatsApp, will empower nearly 3 crore small Indian kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood, Ambani said. This means all of you can order and get faster delivery of day-to-day items, from nearby local shops.

If Ambani has his focus on kirana stores, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has set his sights on small businesses. In a blog post, Zuckerberg wrote: India has more than 60 million small businesses and millions of people rely on them for jobs.

With communities around the world in lockdown, many of these entrepreneurs need digital tools they can rely on to find and communicate with customers and grow their business, he said. Were looking forward to getting started.

According to both the companies, the purpose of the deal is to come up with digital-based solutions for 60 million micro, small and medium businesses, 120 million farmers, 30 million small merchants and millions of small and medium enterprises in the informal sector.

Such a broad sweep of an alliance naturally triggers concern about market dominance. However, the worry, at this point, seems a bit far-fetched as, thanks to our population, Indias market size is huge.

According to Menon, grocery is a $700-billion industry and e-commerce forms only 1 percent of that. The expectation is this 1 percent will become 20-30 percent in the future.

Buoyed by this expectation, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), an association for offline retailers, is working with the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade to launch a national e-commerce marketplace for over 70 million traders in India. According to reports, Flipkart is working with 37,000 kirana stores as its local partners, while Amazon has rolled out a programme to bring thousands of small shops onto its platform. Metro Cash & Carry is digitising thousands of retail stores it caters to through its Smart Kirana initiative.

Such initiatives prove that the opportunity in e-commerce is so big that the big bang entry of JioMart-WhatsApp combine can only spur rivalry and not kill completion. That should be good news for all stakeholders.

Fintech mavens are worried that the Jio-Facebook partnership could upend the digital payments sector, crowding out small players and driving consolidation. However, Indias payments landscape is now at a point of inflection, aided by rapid smart phone penetration and millions who are joining the swelling ranks of middle class. The cross-border deal, therefore, offers positive spin-offs for small loan borrowers (both traders and customers) who remain outside the formal bank loan ambit. Instead of crowding out small players, the aggregation of traders through JioMart-WhatsApp will allow fintech companies to come out with new business models and product design to cater to changing spending habits. Given the rapid integration in both online and offline spaces, some of these fintech companies can become the instrument of choice for small payments.

The big guys in the payments space, such as Walmart-owned PhonePe and Paytm, have already swung into action. While Paytm is planning to partner over 10,000 local stores and small shops for hyper-local deliveries, Flipkart has pumped $28 million more into PhonePe to gear up for future competition. So even if the Jio-Facebook partnership upends the digital payments space, the churn is expected to be more constructive than destructive.

Being digital in nature, the alliance is bound to trigger concern about data privacy and net neutrality. Perhaps sensing the worry, Reliance Jio strategy head Anshuman Thakur has proactively made it clear that Reliance Jio Infocomm will not offer any preferential treatment to Facebook or WhatsApp on its network and remain committed to net neutrality law. Facebook India managing director Ajit Mohan, on the other hand, has said there is no aspect of data sharing in the deal.

If thats the case, Indias competition watchdog should not have much of an issue with the deal. Once it clears the regulatory hurdles, the Jio-Facebook friendship has the potential to change Indias retail and e-commerce landscapes, much in the same way as Tencents WeChat has done in China.
Human rights activist Ruben Melikyan demands that the video recording of todays incident between Alen Simonyan and Artur Danielyan in central Yerevan immediately and completely. He posted the following on his Facebook page:

The incident that took place between Alen Simonyan and Artur Danielyan in central Yerevan today was taped with security cameras belonging to a private organization. In response to an inquiry from lawyers, we were told that the video recordings have been seized by law-enforcement authorities.

Taking into consideration the nature of the incident and the great public resonance, I demand that the video recording be released immediately and completely. We will consider the delay of release with the excuse of secret of preliminary investigation illegitimate since, in this case, the right of the public to know the truth is absolutely overriding.
ALBANY  U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and other Democrats have a problem.

The sexual assault allegation made by Tara Reade against Joe Biden, the partys presumptive presidential nominee, is credible and serious. It is arguably as credible as the allegation made in 2018 by Christine Blasey Ford against then-Supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

But while Gillibrand and other Democrats rose to defend Blasey Ford and denounce Kavanaugh, they've either been silent on the allegation against Biden or, in Gillibrand's case, have rejected it outright.

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I stand by Vice President Biden, Gillibrand said Tuesday.

You see the problem, right? The double standard here seems blatant, the hypocrisy flagrant, for a party that celebrated the rise of the #MeToo movement and adopted a believe women standard on sexual misconduct claims.

But lets back up to review Reades allegation.

Once a staff assistant in Bidens Senate office, Reade says the former vice president in 1993 pushed her against a wall, kissed her and penetrated her with his fingers, all against her will.

Reade detailed the alleged assault in a recent podcast hosted by political comedian Katie Halper. The interview generated significant attention but also skepticism from those who noted, rightly, that Reade had changed her story after previously saying Biden had only inappropriately rubbed her shoulders and neck.

The allegation seemed ready to fade away - to the relief of Democrats who see Biden as their best chance to defeat President Donald Trump in November.

But on Monday, two additional people came forward to support Reades allegation. This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it, a former neighbor of Reades told Business Insider, which reports that at least four people have, to varying degrees, corroborated Reades claim.

Meanwhile, newly found audio seems to back Reades insistence that her mother called "Larry King Live" in 1993 to discuss her daughters "problems" with the prominent senator who employed her.

And the Washington Post reports Biden has refused to release Senate papers, held at the University of Delaware, that might shed light on internal complaints Reade says she made at the time of the alleged incident.

None of that makes for an open-and-shut case against Biden, who has denied the allegation. But its more corroborating evidence than exists for Blasey Fords claim against Kavanaugh, or the subsequent allegation that he exposed himself to a fellow student while at Yale.

Reades accusation is also more serious, given that she describes an actual assault by an extremely powerful man who was in his 50s at the time of the alleged incident. Kavanaugh, youll remember, was alleged to have attempted a sexual assault when he was a teenager.

Heres what Gillibrand said about the Kavanaugh allegation in a passionate speech delivered on the Senate floor:

This process is sending the worst possible message to girls and boys everywhere. Its telling American women that your voice doesnt matter. Its telling survivors everywhere that your experiences dont count, theyre not important and they are not to be believed.

Gillibrand went on to reject due process for Kavanaugh, noting that his nomination was essentially a job interview.

"Do we listen to women when they tell us about sexual trauma?" she asked, adding: "If we allow womens experiences of sexual trauma to be second to a mans promotion, it will not only diminish this watershed moment of societal change we are in, it will bring shame on this body and on the court."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

They were stirring words, certainly, and quite different than what Gillibrand said Tuesday when asked by a reporter about the allegation against Biden. This is from a transcript sent to me by Gillibrand's office after I asked about Reade's claim:

"So when we say believe women, its for this explicit intention of making sure theres space for all women to come forward to speak their truth, to be heard. And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done. She has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets."

Wait, "believe women" only means they should be heard? That nonsense contradicts what Gillibrand has said previously, but consistency is apparently secondary if it means tarnishing the partys likely nominee.

"He has devoted his life to supporting women and he has vehemently denied this allegation," Gillibrand also said, perhaps forgetting she'd suggested Biden was sexist during her run for president.

The point here isnt to knock Gillibrand alone. The hypocrisy from other Democrats is just as blatant.

I highlight Gillibrand partly because shes our hometown senator  an Albany native who lives outside Troy  but also because shes built a national reputation for calling out the bad behavior of powerful men, former Sen. Al Franken included. Her history makes her stance on the Biden accusation all the more striking.

OK, this is where I mention that Trump has also been accused of sexual assault by multiple women and, yes, has bragged about it on tape. He was elected anyway, of course.

That suggests the claim against Biden will be a non-issue in the coming campaign  perhaps deepening the publics cynicism about politicians, especially the male variety, while doing little to affect the vote.

But Reades allegation won't go away. If Democrats refuse to honestly confront the claim, it will dog them for years to come, undermining the partys credibility and the #MeToo movement more broadly. Future victims will pay the biggest price.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
TACOMA, Wash., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington was the first epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., and Pierce County was among the earliest and hardest hit. Now it's at the forefront of the race for new treatments and vaccines, thanks in part to the work of Cascade Regional Blood Services .

Treatments depend on research of blood plasma donations from people who've recovered from COVID-19. The FDA is coordinating a national effort along with America's Blood Centers to develop these treatments.

Convalescent COVID-19 plasma is not only being studied for its antibodiesthe plasma itself may be administered as an emergency treatment for patients critically ill with the disease. The topic of convalescent blood plasma is highly likely to trend in coming weeks and months. Because our region was the earliest and hardest hit, we have the greatest number of recovered patients who can and are contributing.

In Pierce and South King Counties, Cascade Regional Blood Services (CRBS) is coordinating the local effort to collect convalescent plasma, which is then distributed through MultiCare hospitals and a national network called BioLinked to provide blood products for treatments and research.

Recovered COVID patients such as Alissa from Enumclaw have marched right back in to a donation center. "I donated plasma because I want to help others who are suffering with COVID-19. If my antibodies are the way I can pay it forward, I'm eager to take part. The biggest lesson in all of this for me is that even the hardest trials can become positive and meaningful when seen through a lens of potentially helping someone else."

Donating blood and plasma is absolutely safe. If you or someone you know has tested positive for COVID-19 and has recovered, visit crbs.net or contact 1-800-24-BLOOD for more information on how to donate.

About Cascade Regional Blood Services

Cascade Regional Blood Services is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 independent blood center serving community hospitals and clinics in Western Washington since 1946. CRBS provides blood products, therapeutic apheresis services, and support to pharmaceutical partners. With a dedicated volunteer donor base, CRBS conducts over 1,000 blood drives a year and has three donor center locations, including a laboratory in their Tacoma headquarters. For more than 25 years, research companies have looked to CRBS to support their individual and IRB endeavors through recruitment and specialized collections. For more information, visit https://www.crbs.net/ .

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Photo of donor, Alissa: https://www.crbs.net/crbs_ccp_alissa/

Cascade Regional Blood Services logo: https://www.crbs.net/crbs-logo/

SOURCE Cascade Regional Blood Services

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The Texas Department of Transportation will close Speegleville Road at the intersection of Highway 84 beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. The closure will remain in effect for eight days while crews perform the remaining pavement work to finish tying in the Speegleville/Highway 84 intersection.

Southbound traffic on Speegleville Road will be directed west on Highway 84 and will directed to a U-turn at Harris Creek to continue on Highway 84 heading eastbound. Northbound traffic on Speegleville/Old Lorena Road will be directed east on Highway 84 and use the turn-around at the South Bosque River Overpass.

Crews will open both of the new Highway 84 U-turn lanes at the Speegleville Road intersection so they are available during the closure.

Parade Saturday

Area motorcycle riders are encouraged to take part in the Wont Back Down Community Parade beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Richland Mall.

The parade will circle both Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest and Ascension Providence hospitals to show support for health care workers during these trying times.

For more information, search for the Wont Bank Down Community Link on Facebook or call 749-3785.
The move reflects a competition in physical oil markets between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Belarus, which has long relied on Russian oil, has purchased its first crude from Saudi Arabia, according to state refiner Belneftekhim.

It has bought 80,000 tonnes of Arab Light crude oil from Saudi Aramco for delivery to the port of Klaipeda in May, Belneftekhim told Reuters on Wednesday.

The move reflects a competition in physical oil markets between Russia and Saudi Arabia as both fight for market share amid falling global oil demand.

Read alsoNaftogaz: Ukraine has huge crude oil storage capacities

Minsk has put much effort to diversify sources of crude oil amid its row with Moscow over oil prices, which led to a partial suspension of Russian oil supplies to Belarus.

In April the states reached an agreement and pipeline oil supplies of Russian oil to Belarus were resumed in full, but Minsk said it would preserve alternative oil supplies anyway.

"It's our first tanker (with Arab oil)," a Belneftekhim representative told Reuters.

Further cooperation with Saudi Aramco will depend on the "market situation," he said.

The tanker Ionic Astrapi loaded crude at Sidi Kerir on April 27 and is expected to arrive at Klaipeda on May 11, according to shipping data on the Refinitiv Eikon terminal.

The oil will be delivered to refineries by rail.

Arab Light crude oil is closest to Russia's flagship Urals blend in terms of quality, which makes it the most suitable for Belarus refineries, traders said.

Saudi Aramco slashed its official selling prices for April volumes as a part of its oil price war with Russia, which made its oil attractive for Belarus refiners, despite high freight costs, traders said.

Saudi Aramco declined to comment. Klaipedos Nafta, Klaipeda port operator, confirmed the arrival of Ionic Astrapi vessel on May 10-12 in an email to Reuters. "(An) oil parcel is destined for the oil refineries in Belarus," Klaipedos Nafta added.

Belarus started alternative oil purchases by buying Norway's Johan Sverdrup oil via Klaipeda in January followed with several seaborne Urals cargoes. Belneftekhim also purchased Azeri Light supplied via Ukraine's Odesa port in March and April.
For many years, a group of British people has been hosting a spiritual music festival called 'Tribal Gathering.' These festivals are being held in a not-widely-known area in Panama called Playa Chiquita, says an article.

This year, the EDM-loving group is left hanging due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the intense measures that the nation's government is implementing to prevent the further spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.



The Festival

The festival is celebrated for 16 days. It invites indigenous musicians, spiritual leaders, creatives from different parts of the world. The event is being called 'cultural exchange.' The majority of the attendees of the festival include white Europeans. Additionally, workshop leaders and musicians from different parts of Asia and Latin America are participating in the event.



Current Panama

Currently, Panama is one of the most COVID-19-affected nations in Central America. It reported more than 6,021 COVID-19 cases.

More or less 13 percent of the population of Panama is indigenous. It is a less-explored treasured area where a cost-effective festival dream is being visited by many. Are the communities getting benefits from the festivals?



Getting Locked-In

One of the attendees of the event was interviewed and revealed that in the beginning, it was paradise, but when they got locked in, everything changed.

One publication even called the event as the last festival celebrated on Earth.



Leaving the Area

It had been customary for a majority of the indigenous people in the area to leave for 12 days as the festival is being celebrated with various programs involving music and parties.

On February 29, hundreds of people flocked the area and stayed there since. Tensions had arisen among the visitors and those who are now responsible for them.



Not Allowed to Leave

While some were grabbing the opportunity to stay longer in the area as a way to improve their spiritual selves, others were outraged to find out from the National Police that they were not allowed to leave. Some of the festival-goers stayed on the beach while others traveled to stay in Panama City and wait for the announcement that they will be allowed to leave.

Check these out:



Finishing the Festival

At the beginning of the festival, the police were tried to cancel the event. However, the organizers were able to convince them to allow the festival until the last day. At the end of the festival, on March 15, the risks were already high.

One of the attendees of the festival who was able to leave regretted doing so. The attendee was able to sneak past armed guards and was able to return home. The attended revealed that she does not have excess funds. Also, she told us that she does not want to be treated like a charity case.

It will take weeks before anyone can be allowed to leave and enter Panama. For U.S. citizens who are in Panama, they can find more information at the U.S. Embassy in Panama's website.
MBABANE - Tenants, mostly residing in urban areas, who have suffered consequences of the coronavirus outbreak, should prepare themselves for tough times as they have been excluded from the food relief plan proposed by government.



This was confirmed by National Disaster Management Agency Public Relations Officer Wandile Mavuso in an interview yesterday.

Mavuso was asked to clarify after he made the statement when responding to a concern raised by some callers during a morning radio show yesterday.

Some callers wanted to know if government would consider providing food parcels to tenants, mainly in urban areas, who have been hit hard by the pandemic.



Income



It is understood that some tenants have no source of income after government introduced a partial lockdown as means to minimise the spread of the virus. Some of the partial lockdown regulations temporarily banned people from operating their businesses which were considered high risk.



These people include vendors who earned their living through selling fruits and vegetables on the streets, car wash employees who earned E10 per car, dry cleaners employees, hair-dressers and salon owners, those employed at cellphone shops, hotels, restaurants and security guards, among others. A study has shown that most of these people are tenants on the outskirts of towns and cities and currently have no other source of income.



We will not include tenants in the relief plan. We will not be going to the flats, Mavuso said, adding that the food relief plan was directed to the people who lived in communities where there were local structures in place.

He said they would be working hand- in-hand with the local structures such as chiefs, Members of Parliament, tindvuna tetinkhundla, inner council tindvuna, bucopho, and caregivers who knew the people on the ground.

Mavuso said this was to ensure that deserving beneficiaries were indentified. He said the focus would be mainly on the elderly, orphaned and vulnerable children, and those with chronic diseases. He said they had since included those who had temporarily lost income due to the pandemic in the programme. In random interviews, royal kraal authorities said they were ready to identify the most vulnerable people with the help of caregivers. However, some bucopho said there were many needy people in the communities.



Assessment



However, Mavuso did not want to talk much about the next steps after the assessment as the matter was being dealt with by legislators. Recently, MPs rejected the Deputy Prime Minister, Themba Masukus proposal to give cash to those in need of food relief.



However, Masuku said he would consult further after the MPs rejected the proposal. There has been much talk about the assessment resulting in some people questioning the criteria and Mavuso was asked to clear the air. In his response, he said the assessment started about a week ago and the agency and its stakeholders had been training officers who would be conducting the assessment. We have a new assessment that is directed to the COVID-19 pandemic. This assessment is ongoing and we are working with the local structures who know the most vulnerable people in the communities, he said.



In an interview with some tenants, they questioned why they were excluded from the relief plan as they served the same government.

Government has ordered that we stay home during the partial lockdown and we prefer staying at our rented flats so that we do not contract or spread the virus. I think relocating to our homesteads will defeat the purpose of the partial lockdown, said one of the tenants.

She said government should go back to the drawing board and come up with another strategy. She said tenants were the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic as everything required money at the rented flats.



A member of Ezulwini Inner Council said every liSwati had a chief code. He advised tenants to go back to their homesteads so that they could not miss out on the relief plan proposed by government.

People should not benefit under the name of another chief. They should be counted and assessed from home, he said.

The member said permits were ready if the tenants wanted to relocate to their homesteads during the course of the partial lockdown.
Rohingya refugees move around a vegetable market in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, April 26, 2020.

Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT on 2020-04-29

Some Rohingya refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh are facing serious food and water shortages, Human Rights Watch warned Tuesday, following a coronavirus lockdown that has restricted services and facilities in the camps.

Bangladesh authorities however rejected the claim made in a HRW statement, which said that lockdown measures had cut humanitarian workers across refugee camps by 80 percent, putting refugees at severe risk of disease outbreak too.

The Bangladesh governments new Covid-19 restrictions on access to aid put Rohingya refugees at greater risk, the New York-based global human rights watchdog said.

Close to 1 million Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar are sheltering at sprawling camps in Coxs Bazar, a Bangladeshi district that borders Myanmars Rakhine state, home of the stateless Rohingya.

Bangladesh authorities need to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in the Rohingya refugee camps, but every effort should be made to limit the harm from lockdown measures, said Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director.

Any COVID-19-related restrictions shouldnt significantly hinder aid groups ability to provide food, water, health care, and protection, he said.

On Tuesday, Bangladeshs tally of coronavirus infections surged to 6,462 after health authorities reported 549 new cases. Three new coronavirus fatalities were also recorded, taking the nations death toll to 155.

However, no COVID-19 cases have been detected yet in the refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, where 21 testing centers are located, according to officials.

In a move to contain the coronavirus pandemic, officials imposed a lockdown in early April in Coxs Bazar. Officials said they had also sealed off the refugee camps in Ukhia and Teknaf sub-districts a day after authorities announced the lockdown, which restricts movements.

According to Human Rights Watch, some refugee camps already are facing serious food and water shortages.

Seventeen refugees from four settlements told HRW that food rations hadnt been replenished and were dwindling, and that some areas had no drinking water, according to Human Rights Watch.

Aid workers said the restrictions have led to disruptions in water and sanitation, HRW added.

One aid official reported receiving complaints about overflowing latrines in some areas because there are not enough staff members to address these issues, the statement said.

Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bangladeshs refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, rejected the charges.

The lockdown has not disrupted the emergency services at the camps. The food distribution has been going on as usual. The allegation that food and water crises have been going on at camps are unfounded, he told BenarNews.

The medical treatment, sanitation, cleanliness and other urgent services have been going on as usual, while maintaining social distancing, he added.

He said Bangladeshi authorities had kept vans carrying water containers on standby at the camps as they had anticipated a dry spell.

The Rohingya families can even spare a portion from the quantity we provide them, he said.

Sirajul Mostofa, a community leader and president of Rohingya Refugee Committee, told BenarNews that the number of aid workers at the camps had fallen sharply as a result of the movement restrictions.

Everything, other than the emergency services, has come to a halt. The number of aid workers has come down drastically. Still, we are getting food. But if the lockdown continues in this way, we will face food and water crises, Mostafa told BenarNews.

Saikat Biswas, spokesman for the Inter-Sector Coordination Group, which coordinates the work of relief agencies and NGOs in the area, said that all agencies involved in helping the refugees were following a coronavirus response plan.

According to the response plan, the emergency services at the camps have been continuing, he told BenarNews.

About 740,000 Rohingya fled to camps in and around southeastern Coxs Bazar district from Rakhine state after the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive in August 2017 in response to deadly attacks by a rebel group on government security posts.

They joined hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya who had previously crossed into Bangladesh after fleeing cycles of violence in Myanmar.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
The Navy has revealed that the decision to reinstate fired USS Roosevelt captain, Brett Crozier (pictured), has been delayed

The Navy has revealed that officials will conduct a wider investigation of circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a move that delays a decision on whether to reinstate the ship's captain, Brett Crozier, who was fired after pleading for more urgent protection of his crew.

The investigation was announced Wednesday by James E. McPherson, the acting Navy secretary, who said in a brief written statement that an initial inquiry was insufficient.

'I have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review,' he said.

More than 900 sailors from the Roosevelt have contracted the coronavirus. One sailor has died.

The outbreak is the most severe in the US military, which is seeking to balance a need to protect troops while also maintaining US defenses.

The broader probe is to examine communication and leadership actions in the Navy chain of command in the Pacific, to include events before the initial virus outbreak in late March, officials said.

The new review will likely examine how the outbreak began and how it was handled, and address Crozier's concerns that his leadership was not acting fast enough to protect the crew from the spreading virus

The decision to relieve Crozier (pictured in January 2020) of command on April 2 was made by Thomas Modly, who was the acting Navy secretary. Shortly afterward he flew aboard the carrier and delivered a speech criticizing the crew and Crozier. Within days, Modly resigned

The decision comes several days after McPherson and Adm Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, met with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the Navy's recommendation that Crozier be restored to command of the ship.

'I am directing Adm Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation,' McPherson said.

'This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events, actions, and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.'

The wider investigation is intended to last no longer than 30 days, according to one defense official who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity to provide details before McPherson issued his statement.

The new review by Gilday probably will examine how the outbreak began and how it was handled, and address Crozier's concerns that his leadership was not acting fast enough to protect the crew from the spreading virus.

Those leaders would include Rear Adm Stuart Baker, commander of the carrier strike group, who was aboard the Roosevelt with Crozier; the 7th Fleet commander, Vice Adm William R. Merz; the Pacific Fleet commander, Adm John C. Aquilino; and the most senior admiral in the Pacific, Adm Phil Davidson, head of Indo-Pacific Command.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper (right) had been expected to decide whether to endorse the recommendation to restore Crozier as captain of the Roosevelt

After weeks in quarantine or isolation on the island of Guam, hundreds of members of the Roosevelt crew (pictured on April 10) are beginning to move back onto the ship in a transition that will take several days

According to the Navy's 7th Fleet, the more than 4,000 sailors (pictured on April 7) who have tested negative will return to the ship in waves

The Roosevelt's crisis has captured the attention of the nation and posed tough challenges for a Navy roiled by the controversy.

The decision to relieve Crozier of command on April 2 was made by Thomas Modly, who was the acting Navy secretary.

Shortly afterward he flew aboard the carrier and delivered a profanity-laced speech criticizing both the crew and Crozier. Within days, Modly resigned.

The Navy inquiry on which it based its recommendation to restore Crozier to command was headed by the vice chief of naval operations, Adm Robert Burke, and has not been made public.

Esper had been expected to decide whether to endorse the recommendation and the report after he met last Friday with Gilday and McPherson.

President Donald Trump, who previously has intervened in Navy matters, has made no public comments on the Roosevelt issue since Gilday's recommendation to reinstate Crozier became known last week.

In recent days a second ship, the USS Kidd (pictured on Tuesday), reported a coronavirus outbreak at sea

The USS Kidd (pictured) pulled into port at San Diego on Tuesday with at least 64 sailors infected

After weeks in quarantine or isolation on the island of Guam, hundreds of members of the Roosevelt crew are beginning to move back onto the ship in a transition that will take several days.

According to the Navy's 7th Fleet, the more than 4,000 sailors who have tested negative will return to the ship in waves.

The roughly 700 sailors who have been running the ship while it has been in port will move ashore and into quarantine.

In the weeks since the ship arrived in Guam in late March, sailors have been systematically cleaning areas and then closing them off.

'The stay-behind crew successfully built a 'bubble' around the ship, that can now be turned over to the clean crew,' Cmdr Zach Harry, chief engineer aboard the Roosevelt, said in a statement.

'The crew will now create a boundary to keep the coronavirus out.'

In recent days a second ship, the USS Kidd, reported a coronavirus outbreak at sea.

It pulled into port at San Diego on Tuesday with at least 64 sailors infected.
KUWAIT CITY, April 28 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese medical experts arrived in Kuwait on Monday night to help the Arab country fight coronavirus.

The eight medical experts specialize in areas including virus testing, infectious disease, respiratory disease, intensive care, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

During their stay in Kuwait, the Chinese experts will exchange in-depth experiences with health experts and medical staff of Kuwaiti side, assisting them in the prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

They will also provide necessary medical guidance and consultation for overseas Chinese in Kuwait.

Speaking upon the experts' arrival in Kuwait, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang said that, since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Kuwait have always supported each other and maintained close exchanges in combating the disease, showing the high-level strategic friendship between the two countries.

The Chinese government's decision to send a medical team to Kuwait demonstrates the determination of both countries to help each other and overcome difficulties, Li noted.

"I believe that with the joint efforts of China, Kuwait and the international community, we will be able to overcome the pandemic as soon as possible," Li added.

Fawaz Al-Rifai, assistant undersecretary of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health for supporting medical services, said that Kuwait is looking forward to the arrival of Chinese experts.

"When the world suffers from the coronavirus pandemic, China extends its helping hands to countries in the world," he said.

Ruan Yuesheng, deputy director-general of the Health Commission of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and head of the medical team, told Xinhua that the Chinese experts will share with the Kuwaiti side China's experience in fighting the disease and providing prevention, control and diagnosis and treatment guidance.

"We hope to help the Kuwaiti people overcome the disease as soon as possible," he said.

The Chinese medical experts arrived in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on April 15 to assist the kingdom in combating COVID-19. They came to Kuwait after finishing work in Saudi Arabia.
Utica, N.Y.  A Utica man, on parole for a weapons possession conviction, was charged Tuesday with stabbing another Utica man twice in the chest earlier this month.

Freddie Lawrence, 42, is accused of stabbing the man on April 8 during a fight near the corner of Columbia and Varick streets, Utica police announced.

The victim suffered a punctured lung and other injuries, which required emergency care, police said.

Lawrence was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

He is currently being held in Oneida County jail.

According to state prison records, Lawrence was released to parole supervision in January 2017 after serving nearly six years of an eight-year sentence for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was slated to be under parole supervision until January 2022.
Middle Eastern airlines cargo demand declined 14.1 per cent year-on-year following growth of 4.3 per cent in February, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Among all routes to/from the Middle East, the sizeable Europe and Asia trade lanes recorded falls in the order of 20 per cent in March, while the smaller Africa market saw a decline of around 30 per cent. International capacity decreased 20.4 per cent, data showed.

Airlines in Latin America posted the sharpest fall - a 19.3 per cent year-on-year decline in international cargo demand, followed by European carriers (down 18.8 per cent), Asia-Pacific airlines (down 15.9 per cent), Middle Eastern carriers and North American carriers (down 13.3 per cent).

African airlines were less affected by disruptions in March. They saw year-on-year growth in international CTKs fall by 1.2 per cent following the positive annual outcomes in January and February.

Iata released data for March air cargo performance demonstrating a severe capacity shortfall.

 Global demand, measured in cargo tonne kilometers (CTKs), fell by 15.2 per cent in March compared to the previous year (down 15.8 per cent for international markets).

 Global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometers (ACTKs), shrank by 22.7 per cent in March compared to the previous year (24.6 per cent for international markets).

 International markets account for 87 per cent of air cargo. Belly capacity for international air cargo shrank by 43.7 per cent in March compared to the previous year. This was partially offset by a 6.2 per cent increase in capacity through expanded use of freighter aircraft, including the use of idle passenger aircraft for all-cargo operations.

At present, we dont have enough capacity to meet the remaining demand for air cargo. Volumes fell by over 15 per cent in March compared to the previous year. But capacity plummeted by almost 23 per cent. The gap must be addressed quickly because vital supplies must get to where they are needed most. For example, there is a doubling of demand for pharmaceutical shipments that are critical to this crisis. With most of the passenger fleet sitting idle, airlines are doing their best to meet demand by adding freighter services, including adapting passenger aircraft to all-cargo activity. But mounting these special operations continues to face bureaucratic hurdles. Governments must cut the red tape needed to approve special flights and ensure safe and efficient facilitation of crew, said Alexandre de Juniac, Iatas director general and CEO.

There are still too many examples of delays in getting charter permits issued, a lack of exemptions on Covid-19 testing for air cargo crew, and inadequate ground infrastructure to/from and within airport environments. Air cargo needs to move efficiently throughout the entire supply chain to be effective. Iata urges governments to:

 Cut the paperwork for charter operations

 Exempt cargo crew from quarantine rules that apply to the general population

 Ensure there is adequate staff and facilities to process cargo efficiently

Slow Recovery

While there is an immediate capacity shortage, the collapsing economy is expected to further depress overall cargo volumes.

Short-term analysis shows that global manufacturing activity continued to contract in March as government-imposed lockdowns caused widespread disruptions. Following the sharp decline in February  which exceeded that of the global financial crisis  the global manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose slightly in March but remained in contractionary territory. This improvement was due to the stabilisation of the China PMI; excluding the China outcome, the global index fell to its lowest level since May 2009.

Looking at the prospects for the rest of 2020, the World Trade Organization forecast gives little indication of a quick recovery. The optimistic scenario is for a 13 per cent fall in trade in 2020, while the pessimistic scenario sees a 32 per cent fall in trade in 2020. This will deeply impact air cargos prospects.

One area of demand, however, is growing sharply. Pharmaceutical shipments are tracking at double previous-year volumes. This excludes shipments of medical equipment.

The capacity crunch will, unfortunately, be a temporary problem. The recession will likely hit air cargo at least as severely as it does the rest of the economy. To keep the supply chain moving to meet what demand might exist, airlines must be financially viable. The need for financial relief for airlines by whatever means possible remains urgent, said de Juniac. - TradeArabia News Service
At the request of the Georgian side, Armenia will open its land border for three days for Georgian citizens wishing to return to their homeland from Europe, News-Georgia news agency reported, citing the country's Foreign Ministry.

In particular, on May 1, 8 and 15, the aforesaid Georgian nationals will have the opportunity to fly to Yerevan from Europe via Minsk, and then will travel to Georgia by buses provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier it was reported that as of April 28, Armenia has closed its land border to Georgian citizens. To note, Georgian migrants often use the Minsk-Yerevan transit flight to return home.
Silicon Valley has always preferred to portray itself not as a profit-making enterprise, but as a populist crusader for free speech. From invoking Martin Luther King, as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg did in a speech to defend his companys strategy to allow false political advertising in the United States (US), to framing catchy slogans such as Do No Evil (Google) , the technology firms have played an aggressive advocacy game to keep public opinion in its favour.

More recently, the original defenders of free speech  traditional news publishers in western democracies  have locked horns with Silicon Valley companies such as Google and Facebook over advertising revenue and the fake news propagated on these technology-enabled platforms. These news publishers charge the technology companies with two sins that threaten not just the news industry across the world, but also democracy in India.

The first sin is that of playing an outsized role in peddling fake news. Rather than investing resources (proportional to their trillion-dollar valuations) to keep fake news off their platforms, most Silicon Valley companies pass the buck to users in the name of free speech. Any attempt to get these companies to crack down on fake news invites allegations of censorship. This tsunami of fake news is undermining the traditional media in India, which unlike the Silicon Valley platforms, continues to bear the risk of prosecution for publishing speech that falls foul of Indian laws. This means, that unlike, the technology companies, the news business has to employ editors, reporters and fact-checkers to ensure that their news is authentic.

The second sin that these technology companies are often charged with is their tendency to profit off the work of others without paying them. No news aggregator, including Google and Facebook, generates any content of its own. The only way they can bring people to their platforms is by leeching off the content of others. While producing a video of a cat playing with a ball of yarn or making a viral meme is not expensive, it does cost a pretty penny for news publishers to pay journalists to collect, verify and publish news.

Once published, these news stories are shared on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, thereby, drawing more users to them. Google operates in a slightly different way. By aggregating links to the websites of almost all news outlets in the world on its popular Google News platform, it offers users a one-stop-shop to find news stories. In the process, both Google and Facebook collect heaps of personal data of users that then allows both of these companies to offer targeted advertising solutions for their clients at a scale that the traditional news media cannot even dream of. In the process, news publishers around the world are losing significant advertising revenue to these giants.

As the fourth pillar of democracy, the news media is one of the few industries whose financial health can affect the quality of a democracy. Across the world, there are two reform measures being discussed to alter the skewed equation between these tech companies and news publishers. The first reform measure is aimed at removing the safe harbour provisions in the law that provide Silicon Valley platforms with legal immunity for content posted by others. This is one of the reasons that Facebook, WhatsApp or YouTube cannot be sued for defamation or hate speech in most countries, despite profiteering from the traffic that such speech often draws towards their platforms. Removing this immunity will create incentives for them to invest more in content moderation. As of now, the progress on this front is slow.

The second reform measure, which has already come into effect in Europe, and is under discussion in Australia and the US, is granting news publishers a legal right to charge a royalty from Silicon Valley platforms every time the latter displays a link to a news report with a short snippet. Accompanying this amendment is another measure that allows news publishers to create legal cartels in order to negotiate collectively with the platforms, without being subject to scrutiny by competition regulators. There is no guarantee that this law will work as intended because it is predicated on the news publishers and Silicon Valley firms arriving at a deal on the royalties. It is theoretically possible for companies like Google to shut out European news publishers from Google News. The company did this with Spanish news publishers a few years ago when Spain enacted a similar law. Such a refusal to deal with European news publishers may invite anti-trust scrutiny from competition regulators, but that is a long and messy road.

So where does this leave Indian news publishers? There is surprisingly little public discussion on this important issue in India. Many of the legacy print news publishers are experimenting with paywalls and transitioning to a subscription-based model, but none of them are close to mastering the new business model. Even in the West only a few such as The New York Times have cracked the digital model. It is not easy to convince Indians to purchase subscriptions for online content that they are used to accessing for free.

With Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley companies eating into the traditional advertising pie in India, it is likely that the Indian news industry is going to lose revenue over the next few years as digital penetration increases at the cost of print revenues. At some point, news publishers will face a moment of reckoning. The weaker the financial health of the news industry, the less likely it is to spend on reporting. It is possible that some level of policy intervention will be required to strengthen the revenues of the Indian media. But any such intervention must be guided by empirical evidence based on Indian realities.

It would be a mistake for India to copy the policies of the European Union or Australia, without accounting for the realities of its own news industry. The ball is now in the court of the Indian news publishers. They will have to make a case to convince public opinion of their need for protection from the conduct of the SV platforms.

Prashant Reddy T is an intellectual property lawyer and co-author of Create, Copy, Disrupt: Indias Intellectual Property Dilemmas.

The views expressed are personal
Outraged Australians want the Chinese ambassador expelled for his 'threats of economic coercion' in revenge for a coronavirus inquiry.

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus would lead to a boycott of Australia.

His outrageous threats to wreck Australia's economy prompted angry calls on social media for him to be banished under diplomatic protocol.

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus could lead to a boycott of Australia

Ambassador Cheng's outrageous threats to wreck Australia's economy prompted angry calls on social media for him to be banished under diplomatic protocol

'The Chinese Ambassador has publicly engaged in threats and intimidating behaviour that is unacceptable to the people of Australia and must be removed,' a petition read.

'His disrespect for our country by saying and acting in a manner inconsistent with the country in which he is a guest cannot be tolerated.

'We will not be bullied in this manner. It is arrogant and warlike. It is offensive and highly inappropriate.'

However, China expert Clive Hamilton argues there is no point to removing Mr Cheng because Beijing would just replace him with someone worse.

'For those who are worried about China's influence in Australia, he's the best thing we have going for us because the mask has fallen away,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Professor Hamilton, from Charles Sturt University, said the aggressive rhetoric finally showed China's true colours.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation. Pictured: A bat in a wet market in Indonesia

He said China had for many years quietly and insidiously influenced Australian policy and Mr Cheng's outbursts finally brought it into the open.

Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times, on Tuesday night threw fuel on the fire by making even less veiled boycott threats.

'Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off,' he said.

Professor Hamilton said Mr Xijin's extraordinary comments helped expose the lie that was China's professed friendship with Australia.

'They show how the the Chinese Communist Party has always thought of Australia,' he said.

'It's important to acknowledge that because so many prominent Australians have fallen for the friendship trap and talk in these dreamy-eyed ways about how China is our friend and we have to behave like friends.

'No, China is not our friend, it is hostile towards Australia and our interests and we should go into negotiations with them understanding that.'

A China expert said China had for many years quietly and insidiously influenced Australian policy and Mr Cheng's outbursts finally brought it into the open

AMBASSADOR'S ECONOMIC THREAT TO AUSTRALIA In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Ambassador Cheng slammed Australia's push for a global inquiry as 'political' and warned Chinese consumers could boycott the country. Answering a question about whether China could boycott Australian iron ore or gas, Mr Cheng instead focused on China's contribution to Australia's agriculture, tourism and education sectors. Mr Cheng said: 'I think if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think why we should go to such a country while it's not so friendly to China. 'The tourists may have second thoughts. Maybe the parents of the students would also think whether this place, which they find is not so friendly, even hostile, is the best place to send their kids to. 'So it's up to the public, the people to decide. And also, maybe the ordinary people will think why they should drink Australian wine or eat Australian beef.' Advertisement

Professor Hamilton said the escalating diplomatic stoush would at least make Chinese covert influence effort more difficult.

'Chinese diplomats have for years been quietly building their support in Australian business, universities, and politics, and they've done well given how many of our elites count themselves as friends of China,' he claimed.

'China has powerful Australians who are essentially doing its work, and that's been extremely damaging to our interests.'

Professor Hamilton revealed Chinese President Xi Jinping had last year changed his diplomatic strategy to be more confrontational, so Mr Cheng was just following orders.

This ramped up significantly as China was determined to deflect blame for the coronavirus pandemic believed to have started in a Wuhan wet market.

'China's foreign ministry has instructed its ambassadors to adopt a much more aggressive tone in its international relations,' he said.

'One of these was the extraordinary claim that coronavirus originated in the U.S. and there have been others in Europe who have made extremely aggressive statements.'

At least seven Chinese ambassadors, to France, Khazakstan, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and the African Union have in the past week been hauled by their host countries in to explain themselves.

Accusations ranged from spreading rumours and misinformation to 'racist mistreatment' of Africans living in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

An earlier example was Chinese ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou who in November threatened 'consequences' if dissident Swedish-Chinese publisher Gui Minhai was awarded a prestigious literature prize.

Outraged Australians have called for Mr Cheng to be sent home, but China experts argue President Xi Jinping (pictured) would just replace him with someone worse

'We treat our friends with fine wine, but for our enemies we have shotguns,' he told Swedish public radio.

Mr Congyou again ignited outrage in January with veiled threats against the Swedish press that prompted calls from politicians for him to be expelled.

'President Jinping has decided that aggression and bullying is the best way for China to pursue its interests, hoping that other nations will back down,' Professor Hamilton said.

'It's certainly worked with smaller nations in the Asia Pacific region that have been bullied into submission.

Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times, threw fuel on the fire by making even less veiled boycott threat

'But there's been a very strong negative reaction in Australia to China's threats and the government shows no sign of backing down.'

However, he said the ambassador was perhaps really speaking to Australian university vice chancellors, tourism bosses, and company directors.

'He may have been saying 'you are in our sights' so they pressure the government,' Professor Hamilton explained.

'It's a tactic that China has used in the U.S. and Australia before but it seems it's really raising the stakes.

'The test will be if the leaders of those threatened industries will ask the government to take a softer stance.'

Professor Hamilton said another trend was Chinese diplomats writing to newspapers to make strong complaints about their coverage of China.

'The threat that the CCP poses to free speech is coming more into the public eye,' he said.

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at American think-tank the Stimson Centre, also said increasingly aggressive Chinese diplomacy came from the top.

'Under Xi, the top-down approach is absolute, meaning that the leader's decision is the order that has to be implemented. The diplomats don't get to make decisions, only implement them,' she told the South China Morning Post.

'For their careers, it makes perfect sense for the diplomats to echo and magnify what they see as the leader's wishes.'

China has repeatedly refused to welcome an international investigation into the outbreak, most recently describing the demands of Australia as 'political manoeuvring'.

Chinese Ambassador's long history of provocative statements Jingye Cheng, 61, has frequently ruffled feathers since he was appointed ambassador to Australia in 2016, but escalated from last year. He was more measured in June 2017 when he tried to refute a Four Corners report on $4 million of donations to both the Labor and Liberal parties by an Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing. Mr Wing has links to China's ruling party bu Mr Cheng said it was 'groundless' to claim the donations were aimed at influencing Australian politics. 'In Chinese, we call it 'cooking up the overnight cold rice', which means repeating the same old stuff again and again,' he said. 'Their main purpose, as I see it, is to instigate China panic.' Mr Cheng said such claims risked the 'friendly cooperation' of Australia and China. At a business event a year later he said there should be less 'bias and bigotry' towards China's motives in the Asia Pacific. Mr Cheng in August last year warned Australia to stay out of commenting on its treatment of protesters who had 'grossly trampled on the rule of law and social order in Hong Kong'. 'Foreign governments and entities should strictly abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, not support violent radicals, not interfere in Hong Kong's affairs and China's internal affairs in whatever form,' he said. 'Any attempt to mess up Hong Kong is doomed to fail. A prosperous and stable Hong Kong serves the interests of international community including Australia. 'We sincerely hope that people from all walks of life in Australia will see the real picture of situation in Hong Kong, act in the interests of Hong Kong's prosperity, stability and rule of law.' Hong Kong residents raise their arms as they gather in their hundreds to condemn the police in Tsuen Wan on October 2 Ambassador Cheng then in October took credit for Australia's 28 years of constant economic growth and then-projected budget surplus. 'China's growth and the co-operation between China and Australia in trade, economic and other areas, is a major factor in that growth,' he told The Australian. In December he doubled down, saying: 'Australian jobs depend on trade so if we take this theory, Chinese-Australian trade helped create some 640,000 jobs in this country.' At the same time he dismissed reports of human rights abuses on Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang as 'utterly fake news'. 'The local government has taken tough measures to crack down on terrorism or violence,' he said. He also claimed detention camps were 'vocational and education centres aimed at deradicalisation'. Jingye Cheng, 61, has frequently ruffled feathers since he was appointed ambassador to Australia in 2016, but escalated from last year Mr Cheng in February hit out at the government's ban on Chinese company Huawei being involved in Australia's 5G network on security grounds. 'It is discrimination against a Chinese company. At the same time, it doesn't serve the best interests of Australian companies and consumers,' he said. That same month he demanded Australia end its ban on travellers arriving from China in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. 'We are deeply disappointed by the restrictive measures that have been taken because as I see it they are out of proportion,' he said. Advertisement

The deadly respiratory virus has infected more than three million people globally, including 6,744 Australians, and killed more than 217,000.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation.

Economists believe Australian families and businesses will lose $60 billion by the end of the coronavirus crisis.

American lawyers suing China for $10 trillion claimed up to 95 per cent of the infected global population would have been spared if China acted faster to contain the outbreak.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday vowed not to back down from his efforts to find out exactly what happened.

'We will of course continue to support moves to ensure there is a proper independent assessment of what has occurred here,' he said.

'It is not a remarkable position. It is a fairly common sense position and one that we don't resile from.'

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton censured the ambassador for releasing details of the private conversation with the country's most senior diplomat.

'I think some of the comments are very much out of line and regrettable,' he told 5AA Radio on Wednesday.

'Of course we are not going to be deviating off course from dealing with a very serious issue.

'We aren't going to be held to ransom or succumb to threats from anybody.'

Vendors wearing face masks as they offer prawns for sale at a market in Wuhan where reports of the virus first emerged in December

This photo taken on April 15, 2020 shows a worker wearing a face mask as he throws ice into a pool with fish at a shop at a market in Wuhan where the first reports of the virus emerged in December

The Chinese Embassy had leaked details of the 'please explain' call between Ambassador Cheng and Foreign Affairs secretary Frances Adamson.

'Ambassador Cheng flatly rejected the concern expressed from the Australian side over his remarks during the recent AFR interview, and called on Australia to put aside ideological bias, stop political games and do more things to promote the bilateral relations,' the embassy said.

The embassy said 'the fact cannot be buried that the proposal is a political manoeuvre', and that Australia was 'crying up wine and selling vinegar' in claiming the inquiry would not target China.

Foreign Affairs rebuked Mr Cheng for leaking the details but the embassy fired back, accusing Australia of leaking to the media first.

'As the Australian media report was inaccurate and misleading, the Embassy had no choice but to set the record straight,' it said.

'The Embassy of China doesn't play petty tricks, this is not our tradition. But if others do, we have to reciprocate.'

Ambassador Cheng's original comments to the Australian Financial Review claimed Mr Morrison pushing for an inquiry was 'dangerous'.

'The Chinese public is frustrated, dismayed and disappointed with what Australia is doing now,' he said.

New Deloitte Access Economics modelling estimates $8.1 billion could be wiped from the accommodation and food services sector in the months from April to August

This graph shows the percentage of employees put out of work during the coronavirus crisis according to new modelling

'I think in the long term... if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think 'Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts.

'The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here.

'It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?''

Australia's economy would lose billions of dollars in a successful Chinese boycott as it is our biggest trading partner.

China accounts for quarter of Australian exports, worth $153 billion in 2018-19 after growing at 10 per cent a year for the past five years.

More than a quarter of that is in iron ore, the loss of which would also be a huge blow to China's growth, and food exports are worth more than $12 billion a year.

China's ambassador to Australia, Jingye Cheng, poses with a baby crocodile during a photo opportunity with Northern Territory politician Eve Lawler in 2018

China also sends millions of tourists and thousands of students to Australia every year. Chinese tourism is worth $40 billion a year and education $12 billion.

Mr Cheng also denied, in a transcript of the entire interview that included unpublished comments, that Chinese wet markets sold wild animals.

'Of course China's laws and regulations have banned any illegal hunting, trading, transportation or consumption of wildlife,' he claimed.

'And in China, the farmers' markets or those markets which sell live poultry are not places for selling any wildlife or wild animals.

'Selling those kinds of wild animals in those markets are prohibited by law.'
The auction will consist of exclusive chef and food experiences, gift certificates, products, memorabilia, and much more. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the TX Restaurant Relief Fund, which was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has created a challenge of catastrophic magnitude for the restaurant industry. In Texas, the pandemic has caused 688,000 job losses, $80B in lost sales revenue, and caused 34% of Texas' 50,000 restaurants to close since March 15.

"Our team is working hard to put critical funds directly into the hands of the Texas restaurant communities' most vulnerable population, independent restaurant owners, which in turn will help to save the jobs of the workers they employ," said Dr. Emily Williams Knight, TRA President and CEO. "Restaurants in Texas are facing a catastrophe unlike we've ever seen. We are inspired by their determination and appreciate the support from our partners as we work to save restaurants."

The auction is open to everyone  industry and the general public  and will also accept direct donations. The online auction can be seen at DishingOutRelief.com.

The bidding will begin Wednesday, April 29, at midnight and will end on Wednesday, May 6, at midnight. Items up for bidding range in price from $25 to $20,000. Items up for bidding include:

Wolfgang Puck autographed chef jacket

5 course private dinner for 10 by Chef Stephan Pyles

Courtside Dallas Mavericks tickets and photo with player

Dinner party for 10 with Chef Kent Rathbun at private residence

at private residence Front Burner home dinner party experience with Chefs from Ida Claire , Mexican Sugar and Whiskey Cake

, Mexican Sugar and Whiskey Cake A year's supply of Vital Farms Eggs

Lucchese Bootmaker gift card for $500

A private in-home wine tasting presented by Court of Master Sommelier Certified Professional

Tickets to sporting events

Gift Cards

Much more

"This is a cause that hits really close to home for me," said Donna Tanner, co-founder of Lux214 Media Group and an executive in the restaurant industry in Texas for more than 30 years. "When the opportunity presented itself for our firm to help, we jumped at the chance. The money raised in this auction is going to pump some much-needed life into a multi-billion-dollar industry in Texas that desperately needs it."

TRA has set a goal to raise a minimum of $10 million for the fund and Lux214 Media group hopes that this auction will help them reach that goal and support as many of Texas' independently owned restaurants as possible. The objective is to provide immediate relief by getting the money to restaurants quickly.

"It is critical that people from all across Texas come together in solidarity to help in this time of crisis," said Chef Stephan Pyles. "It is not only crucial for the economy in our great state, but for our culture. The funds we raise from this auction will make a significant impact on saving the restaurant industry in Texas, and by doing so, will be saving our culture and unique traditions."

What: Online auction to benefit the TRA Restaurant Relief Fund

When: Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at midnight to Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at midnight

Hashtags: #DishingOutRelief and #TXRestaurantReliefFund

About the Texas Restaurant Association Relief Fund

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, The Texas Restaurant Association Relief Fund was established through the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on the education and development of Texas' restaurant industry workforce.

The mission of the Texas Restaurant Association Relief Fund is to provide immediate financial relief to Texas' independent restaurateurs with funds designed to save employee jobs. For more information, go to www.txrestaurant.org or click here for more on the TRA Restaurant Relief Fund.

About Lux214 Media Group

Lux214 Media Group is a digital marketing firm providing public relations, social media, events, website development, SEO, and email marketing to businesses. Our team uses inspired thinking and innovative solutions to communicate your brand across multiple marketing channels to reach customers and drive sales. Go to www.lux214.com for more information.

SOURCE Texas Restaurant Association

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Three University of North Georgia (UNG) students will gain valuable language experience in the next academic year thanks to the Boren Scholarship.

Rachel Wilson will become the first UNG student to use a Boren to study at the new Chinese Flagship Domestic Immersion Capstone at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California. Elias Keif, who is also part of UNG's Chinese Language Flagship, will use the Boren to help fund his capstone year in Taiwan. Phillip Ly will study Japanese language, art history and popular culture courses in Kyoto, Japan.

Wilson, a senior from Stone Mountain, Georgia, pursuing a finance degree and a minor in Chinese, pays for her own education, so the Boren allows her to afford the year in California. She hopes to learn about government job opportunities and better position herself for a National Security Agency internship.

"When speaking a second language, I am a lot more outgoing," Wilson said. "As I will be under a language pledge for an entire year, I see it as an opportunity to explore this other side of myself and to get to know the culture and language on an even deeper level."

Ly, a cadet pursuing a strategic and security studies degree with a language concentration in Japanese, is the second UNG student to go to Japan on a Boren. He aims to one day be a U.S. Foreign Service officer.

"I am looking forward to finally being able to study Japanese in its native environment," said Ly, a sophomore from Forest Park, Georgia. "I am excited to explore everything I've ever dreamed about Japan, and I am also excited about the connections I'll make there."

Keif, a senior pursuing a degree in East Asian studies with a concentration in Chinese and a minor in Chinese Flagship, is eager for his year abroad and how it will set him up for his goal of working with the federal government.

"My hope is to use the opportunity afforded to me by Boren to improve my Chinese language skills to the point where they are usable within a professional environment," said Keif, who is from Cumming, Georgia, and will participate in an internship while abroad.

The Boren Scholarship pays up to $20,000 for students to spend up to a full academic year to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests. The students also head to regions underrepresented in study abroad, such as Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. In exchange, the recipients commit to work in the federal government for at least one year after graduation and receive help from the Boren office in finding those positions.

All three UNG students are previous winners of nationally competitive scholarships:

For more information on nationally competitive scholarships like the Boren and Fulbright, email ncs@ung.edu.
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Shoe Polish Market is expected to grow from USD 1,410.13 Million in 2018 to USD 1,723.13 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.90%.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871479/?utm_source=PRN



The positioning of the Global Shoe Polish Market vendors in FPNV Positioning Matrix are determined by Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) and placed into four quadrants (F: Forefront, P: Pathfinders, N: Niche, and V: Vital).



The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Shoe Polish Market including are Cadillac Shoe Products, Inc., Cherry Blossom, Griffin Shoe Care, Kiwi Brands Limited, Lexol, Angelus Shoe Polish, Moneysworth & Best, Shinola, Tarrago Brands International, and TRG Shoe Cream.



On the basis of Type, the Global Shoe Polish Market is studied across Cream Polish, Liquid Polish, and Wax Polish.



On the basis of Product, the Global Shoe Polish Market is studied across Shoe Leather Nourishing Cream, Shoe Leather Softener, and Shoe Shine Oil.



On the basis of End User, the Global Shoe Polish Market is studied across Commercial and Household.



For the detailed coverage of the study, the market has been geographically divided into the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The report provides details of qualitative and quantitative insights about the major countries in the region and taps the major regional developments in detail.



In the report, we have covered two proprietary models, the FPNV Positioning Matrix and Competitive Strategic Window. The FPNV Positioning Matrix analyses the competitive market place for the players in terms of product satisfaction and business strategy they adopt to sustain in the market. The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisitions strategies, geography expansion, research & development, new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Research Methodology:

Our market forecasting is based on a market model derived from market connectivity, dynamics, and identified influential factors around which assumptions about the market are made. These assumptions are enlightened by fact-bases, put by primary and secondary research instruments, regressive analysis and an extensive connect with industry people. Market forecasting derived from in-depth understanding attained from future market spending patterns provides quantified insight to support your decision-making process. The interview is recorded, and the information gathered in put on the drawing board with the information collected through secondary research.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players in the Global Shoe Polish Market

2. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments in the Global Shoe Polish Market

3. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets for the Global Shoe Polish Market

4. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new products launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Global Shoe Polish Market

5. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the Global Shoe Polish Market



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size of Shoe Polish market in the Global?

2. What are the factors that affect the growth in the Global Shoe Polish Market over the forecast period?

3. What is the competitive position in the Global Shoe Polish Market?

4. Which are the best product areas to be invested in over the forecast period in the Global Shoe Polish Market?

5. What are the opportunities in the Global Shoe Polish Market?

6. What are the modes of entering the Global Shoe Polish Market?



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871479/?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.



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Schools across England will reopen in a 'phased manner' when the government decides the time is right to allow pupils to return, the Education Secretary said today.

Gavin Williamson would not be drawn on a fixed date for when schools could be able to resume but ruled out the prospect of them opening over the summer holidays.

He told MPs: 'I do expect schools to be opened in a phased manner. I also intend to be giving schools as much notice as possible.'

Schools, colleges and nurseries across the UK closed their doors to the majority of pupils, apart from the children of key workers and vulnerable youngsters, more than five weeks ago.

Education is a devolved issue which means the administrations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be able to take their own decisions on the return of schools.

But it will be a key focus of the UK government's lockdown exit strategy because resuming teaching will free up workers with children to return to their jobs and re-start the economy.

It came as the Great Britain death toll rose by 601 to take the UK coronavirus body count to 22,279.

Gavin Williamson, pictured during this morning Education Select Committee hearing, announced schools across England will reopen in a 'phased manner' when the decision is taken to allow pupils back

Nicola Sturgeon has said school classrooms in Scotland could be redesigned to ensure pupils can stick to social distancing guidance

No10 chief Dominic Cummings intervened at SAGE meeting to push for experts to back lockdown Dominic Cummings played 'more than a bystander's role' at a meeting of the government's scientific experts and pushed for lockdown to be imposed sooner, it was claimed today. The Prime Minister's top aide has been at the centre of a political storm after it emerged last week he had attended meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies which provides the government with advice on which decisions are then made. Downing Street confirmed Mr Cummings had listened in on meetings and 'occasionally' asked questions. But it was alleged today that Mr Cummings 'clearly wasnt an observer' during coronavirus meetings and that he had played a role in shaping the discussion of the government's advisers. However, Number 10 has hit back at the claims and said it is 'completely wrong to imply' that scientists' advice 'is in any way not impartial'. Throughout the coronavirus crisis the government has insisted all of its decisions have been based on the independent advice provided by SAGE. But Mr Cummings' involvement in the group's meetings has been seized on by critics who are now questioning how independent and impartial the advice given to ministers is. Bloomberg today reported Mr Cummings had played 'more than a bystander's role' at a meeting of SAGE On March 18 when social distancing measures were being discussed. Advertisement

The ongoing crisis means Boris Johnson is delaying his paternity leave as he scrambles to get a grip.

The PM previously said he would 'almost certainly' take time off when fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth.

But Mr Johnson's official spokesman has made clear he will not go on leave until later in the year, with the country currently in the throes of the deadly disease outbreak.

Despite missing PMQs, he was already back at work in No10 this afternoon just hours after the baby boy was born.

There appears to be a growing consensus that schools will have to stagger the return of pupils in order to comply with expected continued social distancing rules.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, has suggested school classrooms may have to be redesigned to allow pupils to sit at least two metres apart.

She also hinted classes could be split into different alternating groups, attending school on different days to keep numbers down.

It is thought another approach could see different year groups return at different times.

Addressing the Education Select Committee, Mr Williamson suggested he is on the same page as Ms Sturgeon.

'We recognise that the idea of schools all returning on day one with the full complement of pupils is not realistic or practical,' he said.

Mr Williamson did not specify how a 'phased' return could work but he said the government is looking at best practice in other countries, such as Germany and Denmark, where schools have begun to reopen.

The Cabinet minister added that there was no plan to 'run schools through the summer'.

Mr Williamson's comments came after the Welsh education minister said yesterday that schools would not be reopening to all students any time soon, but that there could be a phased return for some pupils.

When asked whether the government would update its guidance on Personal Protective Equipment and social distancing in schools to ensure teachers were kept safe, Mr Williamson suggested advice may be reviewed when the phased return of schools begins.

He said: 'It is incredibly important that we get the right balance in terms of actually making sure that we create an environment that is good to learn in but also that is a safe environment for people to both work in and learn in as well.'

Hope for coronavirus treatment as Ebola drug trial sees more than half of patients go from oxygen masks to discharge in two weeks A trial of the antiviral drug remesivir has produced 'positive data' for treating coronavirus patients, its maker, revealed today. Gilead Sciences announced the results of a clinical trial testing the drug, which was originally developed to treat Ebola patients, in people severely ill with coronavirus. Half of the 397 patients, who were sick enough to need additional oxygen, but not to be placed on ventilators, improved within 10 days of a five-day treatment course and those who were on a 10-day regimen were better by the eleventh day. More than half of the patients were discharged from the hospital within two weeks, Gilead claimed. Advertisement

Mr Williamson was pressed by MPs on what the government is doing to ensure the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers does not widen amid school closures.

Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the committee, asked whether the government would support his idea of an 'army' of volunteers - made up of retired teachers, graduates, and Ofsted inspectors - to help tutor and mentor disadvantaged children when the lockdown ended.

Mr Halfon also called on Mr Williamson to introduce a 'catch-up premium' to provide tuition for these poorer pupils.

Some 55 MPs and peers warned today that the attainment gap would widen without additional funding.

Mr Williamson said the government was 'open' to ideas, such as the volunteer scheme, and that they were discussing a range of policies to help disadvantaged children catch up.

'We are looking at different ways about how we can use the enormous volunteer army of people that have come forward, many with past education experience, many with an awful lot of knowledge in specialist subjects,' the minister said.

UK announces 601 more coronavirus deaths in hospitals including a healthy 14-year-old, taking Britain's total to 22,279 - as officials prepare to release REAL number of victims which will include hundreds from care homes

England, Scotland and Wales have announced 601 more hospital patients have died of the coronavirus, taking the total number of fatalities in the UK to 22,279.

NHS England has announced 445 more victims, to add to 83 declared in Scotland and 73 in Wales. A full-UK roundup is due later today from the Department of Health, to include non-hospital victims for the first time.

The Department posted on Twitter that the new statistics, expected to add a 'substantial' number of people from care homes to the total death toll, will be published later this afternoon.

The non-hospital deaths will be backdated into early March and are expected to cause the UK's total death toll to surge by at least 4,300. Today's daily count is expected to be higher than usual but to remain in the hundreds.

It comes as the number of people known to have died in care homes is soaring and one expert from the University of Cambridge said more people may now be dying in homes than in hospitals.

Sir David Spiegelhalter made the shocking claim yesterday after the Office for National Statistics released its weekly data showing thousands of people are dying out of hospital and not being counted until weeks later.

The professor, a highly regarded statistics expert and an OBE recipient, spoke of 'massive, unprecedented spikes' in the numbers of care home fatalities and said there was no evidence that care homes were over the worst of the outbreak, as the rest of the country is believed to be.

In Scotland, deaths in hospitals now only account for half of the total. National Records of Scotland today revealed 2,272 people had died of COVID-19 by April 26, 886 of whom died in care homes and 198 at home or elsewhere.

Government ministers, pressured on claims they haven't done enough to help care homes, insist they were 'not overlooked' during a scramble to protect the NHS. Environment Secretary George Eustice said this morning 'we have always recognised there was more vulnerability there'. He denied that more testing would have saved lives.

In other coronavirus news:

Analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics shows that, as the number of hospital deaths being reported has declined (blue bar), the number of fatalities being recorded outside of hospitals - mainly in care homes - has risen (red bar). The data used has been backdated and counted by actual date of death, making it appear more stable than the erratic numbers announced each day by the Department of Health, which are counted by the date they are registered

NHS England announced that 445 more people have died in its hospitals and tested positive for the coronavirus.

Monday, April 27, accounted for the most of those deaths (148), while the others spread back between April 28 and March 9. The youngest patient was just 14 years old - and they had no other health problems - while the oldest was 101.

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that 83 more people had died in hospitals there, while Public Health Wales confirmed a further 73 fatalities.

Separate data released today by the National Records of Scotland has made it abundantly clear that the hospital deaths being announced by government officials each day are only showing a fraction of the reality.

National Records data revealed that hospital patients only made up 52 per cent of all fatalities, while 39 per cent happened in nursing homes and 11 per cent elsewhere. When they were added together Scotland's total death toll for April 26 almost doubled from 1,262 to 2,272.

Care homes, which are believed to still be in the grip of the coronavirus, are disaster-struck and the Government is facing heavy criticism over alleged failures to help the industry prepare.

In England and Wales the number of residents dying of any cause has almost tripled in a month, from around 2,500 per week in March to 7,300 in a single week in April - more than 2,000 of the latter were confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports suggest care homes are now seeing around 400 coronavirus deaths each day, on average - a number on par with hospitals in England.

While deaths in hospitals have been steadily decreasing - 586 were announced yesterday, down from 980 at the outbreak's peak - nursing homes could still be in the depths of their crises. The way data is backdated means that the true picture is unclear because we currently only have statistics from two weeks ago.
Just because a property cant be seen in person doesnt mean it cant be seen. Tedesco says new appraisal technology can bring added depth to desktop appraisals by allowing homeowners to photograph their homes and answer a set of questions related to its interior. This information is then be sent to an appraiser, who incorporates it into the propertys desktop appraisal. Certain platforms, like HomeLink, include granular time- and geo-stamping features that add another layer of certainty.

This is the next best thing, to an in-person walk-through, Tedesco says.

Fannie and Freddie appear to have recognized the value of such tech. On April 14, in an addition to the March 23 Lenders Letter that first announced the temporary appraisal guidelines, the groups announced that appraisers may use virtual inspection methods to augment the data and imagery that is used for either a desktop appraisal or an exterior-only appraisal, but made clear that a virtual inspection cannot be used as a substitute for the onsite interior and exterior inspection required for a traditional appraisal. Virtual inspections using video and photos provided by the borrower or contractor can also be used as proof of renovation progress in the search for more reno funding.

Acknowledging the usefulness of virtual appraisals is a step that further legitimizes the work being done in the space; work that has helped prevent the housing market from seizing up at a time when so many other sectors of the economy are flatlining.

Everyones trying to say, How do we continue to operate, but how do we do so safely and securely? Tedesco says. Thats been the real challenge for everybody. I think were getting there.
Photo: Paul Churcher/Flickr

Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in New York City.

New Yorkers ignore coronavirus social distancing rules to watch Blue Angels, Thunderbirds jets soar over the city

U.S. Navy and Air Force pilots soared in the skies over Manhattan and Brooklyn in a spectacular air display to honor city health care workers fighting coronavirus.

Read the full story on New York Daily News.

A 101-year-old woman who was born during the Spanish flu survived COVID-19

Angelina Friedman, a resident at North Westchester Restorative Therapy and Nursing Center in New York state, turns 102 this year.

Read the full story on Business Insider.

NYPD breaks up massive crowd gathered for rabbi's funeral in Brooklyn

"We will not allow this," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance.

Read the full story on NBC News.

Tina Girouard, experimental artist in 1970s SoHo, dies at 73

She was a founder of Food, an influential artist-run kitchen in Manhattan, and a member of the alternative art space 112 Greene Street.

Read the full story on New York Times.

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.
Organisations and individuals at home and abroad have donated and registered to donate $82.6 million since the campaign All people join hands to fight COVID-19 was launched by Vietnam Fatherland Front.

At a hand-over ceremony (Photo: VNA)

The committee on April 28 received 5 billion VND as donation from Hong Kongs Sunwah Group to help the Vietnamese Government with the fight against the raging pandemic.

Following the hand-over ceremony, President of the organisation Tran Thanh Man hosted a reception for Director of Sunwah Vietnam Jesse Choi.

Man thanked and hailed Sunwah for its effective contributions to Vietnams economic development over the past time, as well as its social activities in the country.

He said that with 50 years of operation in Vietnam, Sunwah should continue actively conducting projects in the country, thus further contributing to mutually-beneficial ties between Vietnam and Hong Kong in particular, as well as comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China in general.

Choi, for his part, expressed his belief that with the support of international community, Vietnam will soon win the fight, contributing to protecting public health.

Following the reception, Choi paid a courtesy call to Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of thevState Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Dang Minh Khoi.

Last month, Sunwah Foundation presented 15,000 medical masks to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and representative agencies abroad.

The same day, Man also received 1.7 billion VND in cash and kind from the Thai Embassy in Vietnam, which was raised by Thailand mission to Vietnam, Thailand Entrepreneurs Club (Northern region), and Thai businesses and community in Vietnam.

He said the sum will be directly distributed to the ministries of health, national defence and public security.

Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Tanee Sangrat hoped that both countries will soon overcome the epidemic.

Also on April 28, Vice Chairman of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Huu Dung received 1 billion VND from SCG company and 100 million VND from war veterans./. VNA

Vietnam praised for supporting nations in fight against COVID-19 Despite its limited resources, Vietnam has supported many other nations worldwide in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, proving itself as a responsible member of the international community,
Kevin Magnussen says he isn't interested in becoming a prominent 'virtual' racing driver.

All of Haas' other F1 drivers - Romain Grosjean and testers Pietro Fittipaldi and Louis Deletraz - have been racing from their home simulators during the corona crisis.

But Magnussen says he is not very interested.

"I don't think you get that much out of it compared to driving on the track," the Dane told BT newspaper.

"Ok, there are many things that can be compared, but I still think there is a big difference. It is still a long way from the simulators used by the teams. And even then, there is a big leap to what happens on the track.

"When I've been in Haas' simulator for a couple of hours, I then have to go out and get some fresh air."

However, even Magnussen's father Jan, who also raced in Formula 1, has been spotted wheel-to-wheel online.

"My dad got a simulator for the living room, so we've started to race each other and have fun with it, but for me it's still just a computer game. And I've never been particularly crazy about that," said Kevin.

"It has been interpreted that I cannot be bothered, but it's not like that. I'd just rather have some fresh air and race properly.

"When I get home to Denmark, I will start training in a go-kart," said Magnussen, who is currently aboard a yacht with his wife and a friend off the Swedish coast.

"I think it (karting) is better than a simulator and also much more fun. For a driver, the best training is to be on a track."

(GMM)
Fear of COVID-19 has diminished across the country as talk of reopening the nation ramps up among provincial leaders, and many Canadians  including nearly half of Manitobans  have begun relaxing their personal protective measures to combat the virus, according to new polling data.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fear of COVID-19 has diminished across the country as talk of reopening the nation ramps up among provincial leaders, and many Canadians  including nearly half of Manitobans  have begun relaxing their personal protective measures to combat the virus, according to new polling data.

More than half of all Canadians and 55 per cent of Manitoba-Saskatchewan residents fear contracting COVID-19, a trend that has slowly inched downwards over the past several weeks, according to new data from Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies.

Similarly, the percentage of Canadians who feel the worst of the pandemic has already passed notched up seven points to 15 per cent this week, while the percentage who fear the worst is yet to come dropped six points to 33 per cent.

But as fears start to diminish, Canadians are starting to loosen up on protective measures, the data suggests. One-third of all Canadians and 47 per cent of Manitoba and Saskatchewan residents reported not complying with at least one of the public health and safety measures, including social distancing, handwashing, and avoiding non-essential travel.

The new pollwhich surveyed 1,515 Canadians randomly recruited from Legers online panel between April 24 and April 26is the sixth weekly report Leger has released to track Canadas response to the pandemic on an ongoing basis. No margin of error can be determined for a web-sourced sample.

According to the week-over-week trends, as governments begin releasing plans to open their provinces doors once again, Canadians are increasingly willing to leave home for more than just the essentials, said Leger executive vice-president Andrew Enns in an interview Tuesday.

"When you start to talk about what the future might look like, you kind of break open the barrier a little bit, and I think you see part of that is reflected in people starting to take little liberties," he added.

Manitoba and Saskatchewangrouped together in the polls regional datareported the highest level of non-compliance compared to other regions in the country. A higher proportion of those who did not comply with health regulations were men, and were between the ages of 25 and 34, the poll reported.

Most Canadians are keen to wait for stress on the health-care system to ease up before provinces start their return to normal. More than a quarter of prairie province residents reported being uncomfortable with restrictions lifting until new cases are sporadic and there is no stress on the health-care system. Another 27 per cent reported wanting to wait until two full weeks without new cases have passed.

Still, the percentage of the population waiting on a vaccine before feeling comfortable reopening decreased this week, Enns said, dropping from 20 to 15 per cent nationwide.

"You're seeing people starting to shift mentally, I think, to thinking about things starting to return to reopening," he added. "That fear factor in most of the country is going down."

When that vaccine comes, Canadians are split on whether it should be mandatory. According to the poll 60 per cent of all Canadians and 52 per cent of Manitoba-Saskatchewan residents think the vaccine should be mandated for all, while 40 per cent of Canadians and 48 per cent of prairie residents think it should be voluntary.

Despite a nationally decreasing sense of worry, Manitobans remain least satisfied with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic from all three levels of government.

Following a trend that has remained consistent for all six weeks of Legers polling, Manitobans reported the lowest satisfaction with the provincial response to the virus, with only 68 per cent approving of the Pallister governments actions compared to an average 85 per cent approval across all provinces.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

@jsrutgers

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ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Avanos Medical, Inc. (NYSE: AVNS) will webcast its conference call discussing financial results and business highlights for the first quarter 2020 on Wednesday, May 6 at 9 a.m. ET. The company will issue a news release detailing its results before the market opens that same day.

The conference call will be hosted by Joe Woody, chief executive officer, and Michael Greiner, senior vice president and chief financial officer.

To join the live conference call, dial 877-240-5772 in the United States. A simultaneous webcast of the call and a related presentation will be accessible via the Investors section of the Avanos Medical website, https://avanos.investorroom.com/.

A replay of the conference call will be available May 6 at noon ET by dialing 877-344-7529 in the United States and entering passcode 10142303. It will be available for one week. A replay of the webcast also will be accessible in the Investors section of the website, approximately one hour following the completion of the conference call.

About Avanos Medical, Inc.

Avanos Medical (NYSE: AVNS) is a medical device company focused on delivering clinically superior breakthrough solutions that will help patients get back to the things that matter. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Avanos is committed to creating the next generation of innovative healthcare solutions which will address our most important healthcare needs, such as reducing the use of opioids while helping patients move from surgery to recovery. Avanos develops, manufactures and markets its recognized brands in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit www.avanos.com and follow Avanos Medical on Twitter (@AvanosMedical), LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE Avanos Medical, Inc.

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This Sunday (3 May), Anglicans around the world will be praying for the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK), the Anglican Church in Japan, as part of the Anglican Cycle of Prayer. Here, the Primate of Japan and Bishop of Hokkaido, Archbishop Nathaniel M Uematsu, introduces his province and highlights pointers for prayer.

In 2019, we celebrated the 160th anniversary of the start of mission of The Nippon Sei Ko Kai.

Looking back in the past 10 years, the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 cost many people their lives and forced many more to evacuate; even now, in the ninth year after the disaster, the situation is difficult. Subsequently, natural disasters have struck, one after another. In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, a disaster victims support operation, the Lets Walk Together Project began with the prayers and cooperation of people throughout the country and worldwide. Through this, we were given many new insights. Moreover, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and radioactive contamination of the surrounding area was an incident which calls our lifestyle itself into question. Furthermore, it has become an event which leaves a large liability to the future.

On the basis of this experience, the 2012 Mission Conference of NSKK was convened with the theme of The Dignity of Life  Toward a Mission-Oriented Community and the Statement on Decade of Mission and Pastoral Care of NSKK: 2012  2022 was issued. Even though we face various issues such as the aging of our members, declining numbers, shortage of clergy, and financial constraints, we decided that laity and clergy would proactively dedicate themselves to careful and sincere mission and pastoral care.

In 2013, The second Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference was convened in Okinawa, listening to the voices of people of Okinawa and those working for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and appealing for the solidarity of the worldwide Anglican Communion in the work of justice, peace and reconciliation.

In 2014, The 30th Anniversary Convention of Mission Collaboration between the NSKK and the Anglican Church of Korea was held on Cheju Island, and it was confirmed that, for the peace in East Asia, both Anglican Churches (Korea and Japan) would continue in collaborative mission. Youth exchanges and womens exchanges are ongoing, and we are grateful that among the priests of the Anglican Church of Korea who work as mission collaborators within the NSKK, there are those who, having completed their term, transfer their canonical residence and work in their respective diocese.

The NSKK at its 59th General Synod in 2012, in a resolution Seeking a World without Nuclear Power Plants, and at the Mission Conference of NSKK clearly expressed its position of nuclear power generation. To embody this position, the NSKK convened the International Forum for a Nuclear-Free World in Sendai in May, 2019 inviting the guests from overseas. We then believed that it was highly important that the issue of nuclear power generation be considered from the perspective of the dignity of life and preservation of the divine-created environment.

Aging in Japanese society is progressing, economic disparity is becoming more pronounced, nationalistic ideologies are intensifying, violation of minority human rights has become more serious. There is also marked movement to make the US military base in Okinawa permanent and to accelerate the re-militarization of Japan, such as the revision of Article 9 of the Constitution, which renounces war. And in the world that experiences constant pain and division, we would like to reaffirm the calling which we are to fulfill.

In the 2012 Mission Conference of NSKK, The Dignity of Life  Toward a Mission  Oriented Community, Statement on Decade of Mission and Pastoral Care of NSKK: 2011-2022, it is stated:

We humbly reflect on our own past in order for NSKK to take steps toward a newborn community of faith, in the hope and faith in God. We pray together with a deeper appreciation of the Word and Worship to express the salvation and joy brought about by Christ and to invite many people to the grace of God given through the sacrament. Our church gives its heart particularly to those people who want cure and liberation, treasures the life of everybody, and hopes to participate in the Lords salvation together with its parishes and all creatures.

We wish to renew our desire to fulfill the calling entrusted to us by the Lord of reconciliation and peace. After they received the Holy Spirit, the apostles who had feared the Jews and locked themselves in the house were sent out to the world, and they began to boldly speak the gospel. We the NSKK pray to be filled with the same Holy Spirit who was poured into apostles, to trust in the God of love and mercy, and in our particular locations be set out to fulfill the mission entrusted to us by the Lord.
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Centre allows movement of stranded migrant workers, students and tourists with conditions

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Apr 29: The Home Ministry on Wednesday, 29 April, issued fresh guidelines allowing the movement of stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students amidst the coronavirus lockdown, subject to conditions.

The decision from the government came less than a week before the nation-wide lockdown ends on May 3.

The Centre has directed states and UTs to designate nodal authorities and outline standard protocols for the movement of such people.

According to the order, all persons will be medically screened at source & destination and would be kept in home/institutional quarantine on arrival.

For the inter-state movement of those who were stranded, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road.

''Buses to be used for transporting persons, vehicles to be sanitised and shall follow safe social distancing norms in seating,'' the order noted.

'The states/UTs falling on the transit routes will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving states/UTs', as per the Health Ministry's guidelines.

#CoronavirusLockdown: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allows movement of migrant workers, tourists, students etc. stranded at various places. pic.twitter.com/xfpPHlSmqZ  Oneindia News (@Oneindia) April 29, 2020

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 31,787 on Wednesday. According to the Health Ministry data, this includes 22,982 active cases, 1,008 deaths, 7,796 patients who have been cured or discharged and one who has migrated.
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On April 1, Serbian police arrested Ana Lalic, a reporter for news website Nova.rs, just hours after she published a report on chaotic conditions in a local hospital.

Authorities held Lalic in custody overnight and charged her with publishing information that could incite panic, according to news reports.

After European Union bodies and journalists groups protested Lalics detention, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic walked back the countrys strict rules on disseminating information relating to the pandemic, and authorities dropped the charges against Lalic on April 27, according to reports.

The World Health Organization has confirmed 8,042 cases of COVID-19 in Serbia as of April 27.

Lalic answered CPJs question in an email interview last week. Her responses were translated from Serbian and have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What was it like being arrested over your COVID-19 coverage?

I wrote a report about doctors and nurses who are working at the Clinical Center of Voivodina without sufficient protection (masks, gloves and suits). It was the start of the epidemic in Serbia, and hospitals werent ready for this type of health crisis and challenge. They didnt have a protocol, and everyone could use only one mask and one pair of gloves for the entire shift.

[The article] wasnt controversial, it was the confession of two doctors and one nurse who were afraid for their safety. I didnt publish their names, because employees [of the center] were forbidden to speak to any media.

We published the report at about 3 p.m. on Nova.rs. In the evening, six police officers rang at my door. They confiscated my laptop and two phones and searched my house completely, looking for narcotics and guns. A few hours later, when they finished searching, they arrested me and took me to the police station.

There, they took my statement and called the prosecutor who decided to put me in custody. I spent all night in a small, smelly cell without windows, only one bed with an open toilet. The next morning at 9 a.m. they took me in a police car to the court. The prosecutor decided to free me, but did not drop the charges against me. My case goes on, with the regular procedures. Im still accused of spreading panic, which can bring six months to five years in prison.

[Editors note: The charges were dropped on April 27.]

How has the government responded to your arrest?

[Prime Minister Brnabic] didnt apologize at all. [The government] continued saying that Im a liar, but they didnt prove that I was wrong. The prime minister said it was a stupid decision, but in my opinion she did that only because of the pressure and numerous reactions from journalists, the E.U. commissioner, and many other E.U. institutions.

Today, 20 days later, doctors and experts close to the government admit that hospitals didnt have enough equipment at the beginning of the epidemic. Unfortunately, the government didnt change. They just closed all press conferences for journalists.

We can ask questions by mail and we can basically only talk to the representatives of the government. Statements by doctors and medical staff can rarely be heard because they are mostly forbidden by the internal regulations of the hospital from talking to the media. If not officially prohibited, they dont want to make statements publicly, especially not those that contradict what the [government-run] Crisis Team reports.

How has the pandemic affected your work on a daily basis?

Like all over the word, the pandemic is the prime news. We are not writing only about health, but how every aspect of life now is changed and directly connected with the pandemic.

The biggest obstacle is to get another side of the story, because all information is centralized by the government, and every other source is censored. My biggest concerns are human rights violations in Serbia today, abuse of political power and laws, and propaganda.

How have you handled working amid the pandemic?

[I have been] doing my job as best I can under these conditions, keeping a sharp mind, checking every piece of information five times, and letting my colleagues, friends, and family always know where I am.

Its hard to keep sources safe because there are rumors that government services are intercepting our communications without proper legal approval. My correspondence with my sources was on my phone when I was arrested; police could take their names, which they did.

The government of Serbia today is fighting on two fronts. One is against virus, and the other is against the true and free press.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Bar topnotcher Mae Diane Azores prayed for two things as she waited for the results of the 2019 examinations: to pass and rank eighth among topnotchers.

It was a five-month long wait for Azores and the 7,685 other aspiring lawyers since taking the battery of tests last November. Of them, 2,103 test takers made the cut.

On Wednesday noon, Azores tried to keep herself calm as the day of the results came. As aspiring lawyers, their relatives and friends aggressively refreshed the website of the Supreme Court for answers, the alumna of the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi in Albay tried to stay calm.

"Before ko tingnan ang results, nag-rosary muna ako tapos nung kalmado na, sabi ko 'tingnan natin' [Before I looked at the results, I prayed the rosary and it was only when I was calm when I said, 'let's check']," Azores told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Ngayon.

The certified public accountant took her phone out of airplane mode and heard the amazing news from a fellow Bar passer.

She reluctantly revealed that she had been fervently praying to be part of the Top 10, specifically to place eighth. She was claiming that spot: Azores said it was on her planner and even written behind a copy of her ID picture required from examinees.

"Pinag-pray ko talaga... Sabi ko, 'kahit saan sa Top 10, pero Lord, sobrang happy ko na na Top 8.' Pero noong lumabas na top 1, hindi ko po talaga in-expect. Sobrang thankful ko talaga [I really prayed for it. I said, 'anywhere in the top 10 but Lord, I'd be very happy if I placed eighth.' But when I learned I was Top 1, I really did not expect that. I am really very thankful]," she said in the interview.

What kept her going through her law school journey? Azores said it was a mix of her parents' undying support and her passion to serve the people.

She is currently an auditor at the Bicol regional office of the Commission on Audit.

"Ang inspiration ko po talaga is yung willingness ko rin po talaga na makapagbigay ng tulong sa mga vulnerable members of our society, na kahit papaano po ay may maitulong ako sa bansa natin sa mga pinagdadaanan natin ngayon," Azores said.

"'Yun lang po yung nagbigay sakin ng inspiration na ang ginagawa ko ay hindi lang para sa akin kundi someday, I will touch lives."

[Translation: My inspiration is my willingness to extend help to the vulnerable members of our society, that I may be able to help our country especially through these challenges we face. That's what gave me inspiration: knowing that what I'm doing is not just for me but so that someday, I will touch lives.]

With her experience of working in the government, Azores is interested to practice labor law after witnessing what she called unfair treatment towards civilian employees, particularly those who are under contract.

I believe the government is also doing everything it can to end contractualization in the private sector, but I think it should also realign its focus on the government itself, since we have a lot of job order and contractual employees, she said in another interview with CNN Philippines News Night.

Azores added, The contractualization does not only exist in the private sector, but maybe more in the government sector. So I saw employees in that status and they end up having no benefits, only receiving their salaries. So I told myself, this is unfair.

She said that she would like to offer her services for free as part of her advocacy to help the vulnerable.

Most of the employees are not financially capable, so most probably most of the cases will be pro bono... I do not intent to make the labor law practice as a money-making [job], the Bar topnotcher said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 07:04:49|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A search and rescue operation is under way for a Canadian military helicopter in NATO which crashed in international waters off Greece, CBC reported on Wednesday.

The helicopter with six people aboard crashed late Wednesday in the Ionian Sea about 80 km off the Greek resort island of Cephalonia.

A tweet from Canadian Armed Forces Operations confirmed there was an incident involving one of the CH-148 Cyclone helicopters.

"Contact was lost with the aircraft as it was participating in Allied exercises off the coast of Greece," the military said on Twitter. Enditem
08:50









"It's in 184 countries, as you hear me say often. It's hard to believe. It's inconceivable," Trump told reporters at White House Tuesday. "It should have been stopped at the source, which was China. It should have been stopped very much at the source, but it wasn't. And now we have 184 countries going through hell."









The virus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in mid-November, has killed more than two lakh people and infected over three million globally. The largest number of them are in the US: nearly 59,000 deaths and over one million infections. The massive outbreak in the US has put Trump under increasing pressure from American lawmakers to decrease US dependence on Beijing and they have also sought compensation from China.





Senator Ted Cruz and his colleagues have urged Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to support the development of a fully domestic supply chain of rare earths and other minerals that are critical for manufacturing defence technologies and supporting national security.









"It is clear that our dependence on China for vital rare earths threatens our US manufacturing and defence-industrial base. As the October 2018 Defence Industrial Base Report states: 'China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials deemed strategic and critical to US national security.' [...] Ensuring a US supply of domestically sourced rare earths will reduce our vulnerability to supply disruptions that poses a grave risk to our military readiness," the Senators wrote.









The US is 100 percent import-dependent for rare earths as well as 13 other metals and minerals on the US Government Critical Minerals List and more than 75 percent import reliant for an additional 10 minerals.





Congressman Brian Mast on Tuesday introduced a legislation to hold China accountable for its "coronavirus deception". The resolution would empower the US to withhold payments on debts owed to China equal to the costs incurred by the US in response to COVID-19. -- PTI

US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals. Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it. He has also indicated that the US may be looking at "a lot more money" in damages from China than the USD 140 billion being sought by Germany from Beijing for the pandemic. Leaders of the US, the UK and Germany believe that the deaths and the destruction of the global economy could have been avoided, had China shared the information about the virus in its early phases.
Ukraine and the United States will jointly counter Russias attempts to use the coronavirus pandemic for easing sanctions imposed on it over violating Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This issue was discussed at a meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Yenin and U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Ukraine Kristina Kvien, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

"The parties agreed that despite the existing challenges faced by the international community, it is necessary to jointly counter Russia's attempts to use the situation to weaken the sanctions imposed on it over the violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," the statement reads.

Yenin thanked the US for its assistance in the context of counteracting the coronavirus pandemic and underscored effective cooperation in the return of Ukrainian and US citizens.

During the meeting, the topical issues of the US-Ukraine cooperation development were discussed, including maintaining political dialogue and practical interaction in key areas of cooperation.

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New Delhi, April 29 : While we all have hit the panic button because of the outbreak of the pandemic, women who have conceived during this period or those who are due to deliver anytime soon, may be worried more.

Dr Vaishali Joshi, senior Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai offers simple guidelines that one can follow in such situations.

Conceived during quarantine Considering the monotony and dullness in most homes, this news of becoming parents brings a sense of excitement in the couple and at home. However, at the same time it is a cause of worry too, as the process of checkups and otherwise is not the same as it would be in a normal situation.

Dr Joshi provides basic guidelines to new moms through this process: Urine test: If a woman has missed her period or has any symptoms of pregnancy then they should do a simple urine test at home early morning. The urine tests are pretty sensitive but not very accurate as sometimes the line may come after a long time or it comes very light. In such cases, this test can always repeat it after 4-5 days just to be more sure/confirm and then can consult the doctor.

Tele-consultation: It is going to be a new way to connect with your doctor. Considering the situation, most of the doctors are doing tele-consultation which can help to guide patients.

Folic acid: If a woman thinks she is pregnant they should start taking folic acid tablets, which is important for baby's early development.

Tests: Ideally if there wasn't a lockdown, the first consultation would be to confirm the pregnancy by blood tests of pregnancy hormone or by doing sonography - a viability sonography. When we do a viability scan we also do a pregnancy blood test which checks your blood group, hemoglobin, sugar, thyroid hormone level, infection screening like hepatitis, HIV, thalassemia screening, sugar testing. This is followed by the nuchal scan, between 11-13 weeks with a double marker test. These are very important tests that we do early in the first trimester.

Looking at the current situation, Dr. Joshi further added: "Considering the circumstances, unprecedented, so that the woman doesn't need to step out of the house and limit her exposure to COVID-19 infection, the above mentioned tests can be clubbed with the Nuchal sonography done in 11-13 weeks and double marker test. Whatever we do, we need to judge the benefits of stepping out of the house as against the risk the woman can be subjected to of catching the infection. Keeping all this in mind, it is advised that the pregnancy test be done at home, while the blood test and the sonography can be delayed directly to the 11-13 weeks scan along with the other pregnancy tests." "However, if there are any issues or complications when conceived, like pain in the stomach, bleeding or health issues prior to conceiving then she will have to visit the doctor prior to the nuchal scan. That's at the discretion of the doctor.

So in short, do a urine test at home , if it's positive in a healthy woman continue with folic acid tablets, just be in touch with your gynecologist/obstetrician, to see what you need to do regarding further testing. They are the best people to guide you!" she added.

Delivery during quarantine There are 2 scenarios to consider in such situations. If you are a healthy mother due soon without complications and being tested positive in Covid19! Talk to your doctor: Talk to your obstetrician or gynecologist as they may be visiting multiple hospitals and they may be able to guide you better so that you don't lose your continuity of care with your doctor. Place of delivery may change.

Hospital status: Considering that quite a few hospitals are closing down or restricted to Covid19 cases or emergency cases, the most important thing is to be aware and in touch with the hospital to know whether they are open or closed due to quarantine. If open, you can continue with your current plan of care and delivery.

Go cashless: Now-a-days, people are opting for cashless payments. Check with your insurance agents and find out the other hospitals on the list and you can connect with those hospitals as well, check their availability of last minute acceptance and terms and conditions at that point of time so you don't need to run around looking for a hospital at that time.

Public transport: is a problem in the current scenario. If one doesn't have their own vehicle, then alternative arrangements for a private vehicle should be made in advance. Alternatively, talk to the hospital for a transport facility or availability of ambulance so that it is available on time to transfer the to-be-mother to the hospital in time.

Another scenario: If a pregnant woman, that is to-be-mother has symptoms of Covid-19 then what she should do or if in touch with positive patients or confirmed positive then what to do: Firstly do not panic! Transparency and honesty from the patient is important. We often hear of patients hiding and absconding. This way not only is a patient putting themselves at risk, but other doctors and healthcare workers who will be with you throughout, as you have your baby. You will infect them and that too shall close down which in turn will affect other patients. One needs to be selfless and extremely honest of their situation.

Communication is the key here. So, if you are an infected patient, inform your doctor in time and discuss the way forward with them. If there is no facility to deliver a high risk (covid19 positive) patient at the previously decided hospital then the doctor will make an alternative arrangement or guide you whom to contact. There are BMC helplines where you can call and they will be able to help you.

Check your Obstetrician's availability. Health care providers are the most vulnerable to COVID -19 infections as they can get in contact with asymptotic patients who may later become positive. In such cases the doctor may need self isolation and quarantine. Please check with your care provider.

The pregnancy doesn't make you vulnerable to serious complications as the recent reports suggest. If a positive pregnant patient is asymptotic then she can be managed with self isolation. Only symptomatic patients will need admission .

The latest update on the virus transfer to the baby through the placenta is possible, but it's not shown any harmful effects on the baby.

Having Covid-19 Corona positive doesn't mean that you cannot have normal delivery. Don't get stressed.

A mother can feed her baby post delivery in such circumstances too if she can maintain hand and respiratory hygiene by wearing a mask.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said it has approved a $346 million (around Rs 2,616 crore) loan to the Indian government to provide reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra

New Delhi: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said it has approved a $346 million (around Rs 2,616 crore) loan to the Indian government to provide reliable power connection in rural areas of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India, and about half of the states labour force is engaged in agriculture and related activities in the rural areas, ADB said in a release.

Agriculture output, however, has been impacted by lack of irrigation, less-than-efficient use of electricity and water, as well as inadequate storage and connectivity to markets.

The loan will support the state governments high voltage distribution system (HVDS) program for new grid-connected rural agricultural customers across the state, said the Manila-headquartered multi-lateral funding agency.

Providing efficient, reliable, and good quality power to rural agriculture customers in Maharashtra will improve agricultural productivity and efficiency in the electricity value chain, said ADB Senior Energy Specialist Len George.

Wider adoption of HVDS with metering and usage-based tariffs sets the stage for investments in energy-efficient pumps, drip irrigation and could support improvements in subsidy management.

The loan will be under ADBs results-based lending (RBL) modality, where fund disbursements are linked to the achievement of agreed programme results rather than to upfront expenditures, as is the case with traditional investment lending, ADB said.

This first ADB-financed RBL program in South Asias energy sector will help in the early construction and installation of metered HVDS through the installation of about 46,800 kilometers of 11 kilovolt (kV) grid extension lines, construction and upgrading of 121 33/11 kV distribution substations.

The programme will also build institutional capacity in the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) on HVDS, it added.

The Maharashtra government and MSEDCL will arrange for counterpart funding of $357.1 million equivalent toward the $703.1 million total cost of the project.

The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra Energy Department and MSEDCL.

ADB said this loan supports the first phase of the states HVDS programme.

This program complements ADBs Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project and Maharashtra Agribusiness Network Project to promote economic growth and private sector development in rural Maharashtra.

This loan will be accompanied by a $1 million technical assistance from ADB to demonstrate energy and water conservation efforts, the funding agency said.
What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 29

Recent developments:

What's happening today?

For the third day in the last four, the number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 in Ottawa has risen rather than fallen. The trend follows a week-long decline that began in mid-April.

Five more COVID-19 deaths were reported in Ottawa Wednesday, along with one more in the Belleville, Ont., area.

We've posted a recap of Ottawa Morning's live Q&A on COVID-19 and mental health.

Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

How many cases are there?

There are now 1,297 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa and more than 2,075 in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

The death toll in Ottawa has now risen to 76. The deaths of 40 people in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties, and seven more in the wider region, have also been tied to COVID-19.

Nearly 900 people out of that regional total have recovered.

Confirmed cases represent only a fraction of the actual number because of limited testing, though testing is slowly being expanded.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, fatigue and a dry cough.

Other potential symptoms include a sore throat, runny nose and the loss of taste or smell.

Older people, those with compromised immune systems and those with underlying medical problems are more likely to develop serious problems.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

WATCH: Advice for parents struggling with COVID-19 isolation

Distancing and isolating

The coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, although people can be asymptomatic and still be contagious.

It can also spread through close and prolonged contact like handshaking, as well as via surfaces like phones and door handles.

That means physical distancing measures remain in effect: people should avoid non-essential trips, work from home, cancel gatherings and stay at least two metres away from anyone you don't live with.

Story continues

Anyone who has symptoms, travelled recently outside Canada or, specifically in Ottawa, is waiting for a COVID-19 test result must self-isolate for at least 14 days. The same goes for anyone in Ontario who's been in contact with someone who's tested positive or is presumed to have COVID-19.

People 70 and older or those with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions should also go into self-isolation.

Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

How daily life is changing

Municipal parks are only open to walk through and authorities are watching for gatherings in many communities. Provincial and national parks are closed.

Ottawa has cancelled event permits and closed many facilities until July. Quebec has asked organizers to cancel events until September.

Quebec has banned non-essential travel into and through the Outaouais until May 11, when the ban is set to be lifted everywhere but Gatineau.

As for schools: Ontario's will remain closed through May, but Quebec plans to open elementary schools and daycares in mid-May for parents who want to send their kids. High schools, CEGEPs and universities will stay closed until fall.

Where to get tested

Anyone concerned they have COVID-19 in Ontario can call Telehealth at 1-866-797-000 or fill out the province's online assessment tool.

In Ottawa people can be tested at the Brewer Arena from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., seven days a week. Those with mild or moderate symptoms can visit clinics in Bells Corners or Alta Vista weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are drive-thru test centres in Casselman and Hawkesbury that don't require people to call ahead, and others in Rockland, Winchester and Cornwall that require a referral.

In Kingston, the assessment centre at the Kingston Memorial Centre is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for anyone with symptoms.

The public health unit in the Belleville area is asking people to only call 613-966-5500 they still have questions after the province's self-assessment.

Same for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark's unit at 1-800-660-5853 extension 2499.

That unit has testing sites open in in Almonte and Smiths Falls which require a referral, as well as a walk-in site in Brockville at the Memorial Centre and a home test service for people in care or with mobility challenges.

Renfrew County is also providing home testing under some circumstances. Residents without a family doctor can call 1-844-727-6404 if they have health questions.

WATCH: Granddaughters sing musical tribute to grandfather who died

In western Quebec:

Outaouais residents should call 819-644-4545 if they have a cough or fever, whether they've travelled or not. They could end up being referred to Gatineau's testing centre.

First Nations communities

Local communities have declared states of emergency, put in a curfew or both.

Akwesasne's health department has opened a mobile COVID-19 test site that's available by appointment only. Anyone returning to Akwesasne who's been farther than 80 kilometres away is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Anyone in Tyendinaga who has symptoms can call 613-967-3603 to talk to a nurse.

Pikwakanagan's new council has ordered all businesses to close, while Kitigan Zibi has postponed its June election.

For more information
Australia's top medical officer has apologised to health workers in Tasmania for speculating they attended an illegal dinner party and contributed to a coronavirus outbreak.

Professor Brendan Murphy claimed that a cluster of 49 coronavirus cases at the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie was because medical staff had attended a dinner party.

Professor Murphy made the claim while giving evidence to a New Zealand parliamentary committee but quickly walked back the comments after Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein pointed out contract tracing had found no evidence of a such a gathering.

A subsequent state police investigation into the allegation found no evidence of a party.

Professor Brendan Murphy has apologised after he claimed that a cluster of 49 coronavirus cases at the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie was because medical staff held a dinner party

State Labor opposition leader Rebecca White (pictured) has welcomed the apology saying his comments were 'reckless and hurtful' to staff

The North West Regional Hospital in Burnie was put into lockdown after a cluster of coronavirus cases were discovered

There were reports health workers in Tasmania had been verbally attacked by members of the public after the dinner party comments.

'I apologise to Tasmanian health workers for my comments, and welcome the positive outcome of the investigation,' Prof Murphy said in a statement on Wednesday.

Prof Murphy was speaking about Australia's response to the global pandemic on April 14 when he brought up the outbreak in Tasmania.

'We thought we were doing really well in the last week and then we had a cluster of 49 cases in a hospital in Tasmania just over the weekend,' he said.

'Most of them went to an illegal dinner party of medical workers, we think.'

State Labor opposition leader Rebecca White has welcomed the apology.

'His comments at the time were reckless and really hurtful for workers up there,' she told ABC Radio.

Three northwest health workers on Tuesday became the latest of dozens in the region to test positive to COVID-19.

Ten of Tasmania's 11 virus deaths have been in the northwest.

Tasmania is expected to this week release a report into the northwest virus cluster, which accounts for about two-thirds of the state's 218 cases.

Mr Gutwein has also pledged an independent investigation into the outbreak, which has shut Burnie's private and public hospitals and forced tough social restrictions.

Tasmania has said it will not ease lockdown restrictions early as some other states have suggested.

Premier Peter Gutwein said some areas in Tasmania were particularly susceptible to the outbreak as there were older populations and he did not want to have to lift restrictions only to bring them back in again.

A cluster of 49 cases of COVID-19 were found at the hospital prompting the closure of the hospital
Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, has been arrested this afternoon in Kaduna in Northern Nigeria. Two police officers, who were not in uniform took him from his residence.

He is currently detained at the Gbabasawa police station in Kaduna. According to local sources, his arrest could be in connection with a charge of blasphemy.

A group of lawyers has petitioned the Kano state command to prosecute Mubarak for insulting Prophet Muhammad on his Facebook page. One S. S. Umar signed the petition. And this is how one Yusuf Jnr (@MrZage) commented on the petition on his tweeter account: Some group of lawyers finally write a petition against that animal Mubarak Bala. He described Mubarak as 'an animal'.

Besides, there is also an online petition on change.org. Halima Saadiya Umar started the petition asking Facebook to close down the account of Mubarak Bala. All of us at the Humanist Association of Nigeria are deeply worried by the arrest and detention of our president, Mubarak Bala. Mubarak Bala will likely be handed over to the Kano state police command, that will prosecute him for blasphemy, a crime that caries a death sentence under sharia law. We urge the Inspector General of Police, the governor of Kaduna, Mallam Elrufai to ensure his immediate release.

Free Mubarak Bala Now

Leo Igwe Ph.D

Chair, Board of Trustees, Humanist Association of Nigeria
The U.S. government clearly underestimated the toll of the coronavirus on America's small businesses.

That's an easy conclusion to draw now--several weeks into a crisis that's seen an estimated 26 million people file for unemployment and businesses everywhere shuttered. Even as companies reopen, the lasting effects of the coronavirus will likely mean many more months of hardship. For some, it could be years.

While the U.S. Small Business Administration on Monday began deploying $320 billion in forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program--on top of $349 billion authorized on March 27--those funds are expected to go quickly. Some estimates say funds could be gone by Wednesday or Thursday this week. That's causing many business owners to once again contemplate what happens if they fail to receive funding.

Jim Angelus, the co-owner of Kezar Bar & Restaurant in San Francisco's Cole Valley neighborhood, isn't optimistic. California's shelter-in-place order, which led him to furlough 18 staff members, only exacerbated industry-wide problems. He says growth in delivery apps and the trend toward lower alcohol consumption have been more intense in the city given the ever-rising cost of living. "All of those things contribute to an already low-margin business," says Angelus. "If you look at the San Francisco restaurant scene, you're seeing a ton of closures. Kezar has been living on the edge--now we're dangling off a cliff.

"

While his $104,000 PPP loan request with Bank of America could still come through in Round 2, he is increasingly distressed by what the lack of relief funding is doing to his community more generally. "I am hopeful that I will know other restaurants that get the second round because I don't know one independent restaurant in San Francisco that got it," Angelus says.

Why Round 3 Is Looking Likely

Lawmakers could replenish PPP funds through yet another stimulus deal. The first tranche of the program--which supported more than 1.6 million loans--kicked off on April 3 and lasted a chaotic 14 days. The second tranche, which was staring down a backlog of an estimated 1.7 million applications as of last Friday, could be accounted for any day now.

While a third tranche might seem like a distant possibility, it'll become far more likely as deserving business owners like Angelus continue to come to the fore.

"Basically, [lawmakers] want businesses to be able to get this," says Dean Baker, a senior economist at the nonpartisan Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. "If for whatever reason, some businesses are last in line you'd be pretty hard pressed to say, 'Oh you're out of luck.' There would be immense pressure to come up with what's needed to have that be fully funded."

What fully funded means remains a moving target, says Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. Currently, lawmakers have planned PPP funding to last roughly eight weeks after a company's loan is received. If, as Gould estimates, businesses with fewer than 500 employees spend about $236 billion a month on payroll, a prolonged interruption could cause that tally to escalate to around $1 trillion in a matter of months. And that's without accounting for bigger companies' use of the program.

How Round 3 Might Be Different

Regardless of the amount, if a third tranche is coming, it wouldn't be until early to mid-May, after Congress reconvenes on May 4, says Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There's still a Phase 4 coronavirus response bill that Congress is expected to debate and that could include additional PPP funding, he says.

Nothing has been worked out right now, says Bradley. However, if a third tranche happens, he says he anticipates additional changes to the program, which could include new parameters to both expand and constrain eligibility.

Congress could, for instance, look to open PPP up to additional nonprofits; currently just 501(c)3s may apply. It might also try to constrain which companies get funding, says Bradley. Whereas companies at the outset of PPP needed to show forecasts of financial distress, going forward they may need to show actual distress. "They could tie it to some type of quantifiable loss," says Bradley. By way of example, he noted the Employee Retention Tax Credit. To access the fully refundable credit, which is equal to 50 percent of an individual employee's qualified wages up to $5,000, he says, business owners need to show a loss of gross receipts of 25 percent.

Congress could further tweak rules regarding the maintenance of headcount or the value of loans, says Bradley. Currently, companies need to maintain the same number of full time workers as prior to the crisis and the value of loans is 2.5 times a company's average monthly payroll for 2019, up to $10 million. It could change the timing of when businesses would need to rehire employees to get forgiveness. Currently, employers need to rehire staff by June 30 to be eligible for loan forgiveness. It may even change the requirement that 75 percent of a loan's proceeds be spent on payroll costs like paying salaries and providing benefits.

While Bradley doubts that Congress would ever mess with the forgivable aspect of PPP loans, he says it is possible for lawmakers to authorize a new program that offers loans that aren't forgivable.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 18:44:43|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Financial Secretary of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Paul Chan said Wednesday that the local economy will likely shrink four to seven percent year on year in 2020 due to prolonged impact from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The forecast was down from the previous projection of a range between a 1.5-percent decline and a 0.5-percent increase published in the Budget in February.

"Given recent epidemic development, the impact on Hong Kong's economy is more severe and enduring than previously estimated and the economic performance this year will inevitably be worse than predicted," Chan said during a meeting of the HKSAR Legislative Council.

The COVID-19 outbreak since January has taken a heavy toll on a wide range of industries in Hong Kong, with plunges in foreign trade, inbound visitors, retail sales and investment. Overall jobless rate spiked to a new high in more than nine years, with retailers, hotels and restaurants suffering the most.

Chan said the preliminary GDP for the first quarter, scheduled to be released next week, will show the economy performed even worse than the global financial crisis in 2008 and the Asian financial crisis in 1999.

Given the grave economic challenges, the HKSAR government has rolled out relief packages worth about 290 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 37.42 billion U.S. dollars) in this year, equivalent to nearly 10 percent of GDP, to help businesses and residents weather out the economic hardships.

During his speech, Chan urged lawmakers to pass Appropriation Bill 2020 at an early date so that Hong Kong residents will benefit from relief measures by the government, including 10,000 Hong Kong dollars of subsidy for each permanent resident.

Thanks to effective anti-epidemic measures, no COVID-19 cases were reported in Hong Kong for four consecutive days, offering hope for the economy to start reviving soon.

However, as for when Hong Kong will step out of economic woes, it will also be determined by whether the society is stable or not, Chan said.

"If the violence in the second half of last year continues, with roads and airport blocked, railways and shops vandalized, and people with different opinions assaulted again, more shops will close, foreign businesses will not dare to invest in Hong Kong, and more people will lose their jobs, and the livelihood of more families will be affected," Chan said.

Then no matter how many measures is taken by the government, the economy will not recover, Chan said.

Chan called on Hong Kong residents to put aside disputes and make concerted efforts to resolve difficulties in a bid to put the economy back on track at an early date. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 Hong Kong dollars) Enditem
"We need to remain vigilant and stay at home wherever possible to protect each other."

That was the message from Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts days before he was fined for attending an alleged street party with off-duty police officers.

Queensland MP Trevor Watts was in charge of the state LNP opposition's corrective services, police and counter-terrorism portfolios. He resigned on Tuesday. Credit:Trevor Watts/ Facebook.

The Liberal National Party MP resigned from his role as Queensland's opposition spokesman for corrective services, police and counter-terrorism on Tuesday night, after being fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions at the weekend.

Mr Watts accepted "full responsibility" for his actions, saying he did not realise he was breaching rules "catching up with neighbours in our respective driveways on Sunday afternoon".
The first time Melbourne photographer Ian Bickerstaff volunteered to work at the Mefou Primate Park, a sanctuary in the hot, humid equatorial rainforest of Cameroon, he was entrusted with caring for 10 chimps aged three years and younger, all orphans whose parents had been violently and illegally slaughtered for bushmeat and pet food.

Juvenile chimp Farah on his first day at the sanctuary after being rescued from a poacher. Credit:Ian Bickerstaff

Bickerstaff would make a bottle of milk for each chimp each morning, put food out, clean their enclosure and night cages. Later, having fed them lunch, helped with their grooming and checked them for wounds, he would photograph the primates alongside staff and fellow volunteers going about their rescue and rehabilitation roles for Ape Action Africa, a British charity.

A large, semi-wild fenced-in forest enclosure with basic accommodation for its hard-working humans, the Mefou sanctuary is today home to 28 gorillas, 120 chimpanzees and more than 200 monkeys. Since his first visit in 2007, which lasted 18 months, Bickerstaff has been back to the sanctuary 12 times, and built up a folio titled Sanctuary, which will be featured in the Head On Photo Festival from May 2, to be exhibited entirely online this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of the physical exhibition, but the upside of Head On being exclusively online is the potential international audience for the vital conservation work at Mefou, says Bickerstaff.
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi's attack on Centre over RBI's list of 50 bank defaulters seems to have enraged Union finance ministry Nirmala Sitharaman, who in a series of late night tweets slammed the Congress leader for "misleading people in a brazen manner by sensationalising facts". She even advised Gandhi to take consultation from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on issues related to finance.

"Rahul Gandhi, MP (LS), and Randeep Singh Surjewala, spokesperson of Congress, have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to Congress, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context," Sitharaman tweeted around 11pm on Tuesday.

Gandhi had attacked the ruling BJP after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a list of 50 wilful defaulters accused of cheating banks. These 50 defaulters included the companies of absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi and fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya.

"I asked a simple question in Parliament  tell me the names of 50 biggest bank scammers. Finance Minister refused to reply. Now RBI has put names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and other BJP friends in the list. This is why they hid the truth from parliament," the Congress MP had tweeted in Hindi along with a video.

        -    50                 RBI   ,                        pic.twitter.com/xVAkxrxyVM  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 28, 2020

Sitharaman countered that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore. She said provisions are made for Non-Performing Assets according to a four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the RBI. "Upon full provisioning being done, banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower. No loan is waived off," she wrote. "Those defaulters, who do not repay despite having the capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well-connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's 'Phone banking'," Ms Sitharaman wrote. She quoted Raghuram Rajan, who was RBI Governor when the Congress was in power. "Useful to recall the words of Raghuram Rajan: A large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008...Too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans...Public sector bankers continued financing promoters even while private sector banks were getting out. RBI could have raised more flags about the quality of lending..." Raghuram Rajan (said)... From 2015, PSBs (Public Sector Banks) were asked by the government to check all NPAs >50 crore for wilful default," Ms Sitharaman wrote.

...while private sector banks were getting out. RBI could have raised more flags about the quality of lending... RR Rajan.(Source: @IndiaToday Sept 11,2018 and many other print& electronic media). From 2015, PSBs were asked by GoI to check all NPAs >50 crore for wilful default.  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 28, 2020

The finance minister then went into the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya.

Mehul Choksi Case : Attachments of Rs 1936.95 Crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 Crore. Seizure of Rs 597.75 Crore. Red Notice issued. Extradition Request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as Fugitive Offender is in progress.  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 28, 2020

Sitharaman said it was the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government which was pursuing these wilful defaulters. "9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now. Total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya: Rs 18,332.7 crore," she said. "Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off, pertaining to top fifty wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question *305 of Rahul Gandhi on 16.3.2020," the FM wrote. Sitharaman also mentioned that a list of "borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC reporting as on September 30, 2019 (for borrowers with exposure of Rs 5 crore and above, global operations) was provided", on November 18, 2019, in the Lok Sabha. The finance minister stated that Congress and Gandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. "Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the Congress shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption and cronyism," Sitharaman further stated. Reacting to Sitharaman's retort in the morning, Randeep Surjewala accused her of twisting facts and mentioned a list of questions that he said the Centre should answer.

Simple answer that FM, Smt @nsitharaman needs to give instead of twisting facts-: 1. Why has Modi Govt written off Bank Loans worth 6,66,000 Cr between 2014-15 & 2019-20? 2. Is RBIs RTI reply dated 24th April, 2020 of Bank loans write off of 68,607 Cr wrong or right? 1/2 https://t.co/mjpyvgUVme  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 29, 2020

2/2 3. Why is Modi Govt righting off Bank Loans of absconders & fraudsters like Nirav Modi+Mehul Choksi(8,048 CR), Jatin Mehta(6,038 CR), Mallya(1,943 CR) & others as per RBIs RTI reply of 24/4/2020? 4. Who permitted such huge write offs of Bank loans of defaulters & why? https://t.co/zPzPfqiJtb  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 29, 2020
Burma Shan State Militia, AA Deny Links Through Lucrative Drug Trade

Illegal drugs seized in March in the area of Kaungkha, Kutkai Township, northern Shan State. / Myanmar Ministry of Defense

The Myanmar military-backed Kaungkha militia and ethnic armed group the Arakan Army have denied allegations that they are associated with one other through illegal drug enterprises that bring in tens of millions of dollars in profit.

On April 21, Janes Terrorism & Insurgency Monitor published a report alleging that Myanmar military intelligence has identified the ethnic Kachin Kaungkha militia as the AAs main strategic partner in the lucrative production and trafficking of methamphetamine yaba tablets and crystal methamphetamine ice.

The report said the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, has identified the narcotics trade centered on northeastern Shan state as the key generator of the tens of millions of dollars required to recruit, train, and equip an insurgent army.

The report also said that the Myanmar militarys Northeastern Command has likely been aware of the militias involvement in the drug trade for years and has almost certainly profited from the drug trade.

A senior leader from the Kaungkha militia denied the accusations in the report and told The Irrawaddy that that the group does not have any connection with the AA.

There are people who work for illegal drug business in our areas, but our Kaungkha group is not involved in their business, said the senior militia leader, who asked not to be named.

It was a political game, intended to place blame on our Kaungkha group, to say that we have a connection with the AA, he said.

The AA also denied the allegations in the report. In a statement released on Wednesday, the AA said it has no ties to any Peoples Militia Force set up and controlled by the Myanmar army and that the AA is not in any way connected to this militia group.

These allegations surfacing in the media claiming that the Arakan Army has ties to the Kaungkha militia are damaging, defamatory and false, the statement read.

The Kaungkha militia, also known as the Kachin Defense Army (KDA), split from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in 1991 and has often been the subject of allegations of illegal drug production in northern Shan State.

The militia leader said that some people operating illegal drug businesses have worked in the Kaungkha area but that those people also worked in other areas across the country.

It was not our business to ask them who they worked with. The government has a duty to investigate it, the leader said. [Drug traffickers and producers] may approach people who have influence or power in the areas where they want to operate their business.

According to the Janes report, Shan States proximity to China has allowed drug producers to illicitly import precursor chemicals across the border. The report added that the drug trade is also driven by profitable new markets in cities in central Myanmar as well as Rakhine State and Bangladesh.

Myanmar military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun did not comment on links between the AA, the Kaungkha militia and the drug trade, but he said that the military disarmed the militia when they were discovered to be producing illegal drugs.

The military seized almost 2,000 weapons from the Kaungkha militia and detained some leaders from the group on March 24. The leaders were released a week later.

A lot of illegal drugs were seized in Rakhine after the AA established its base in the area. Most illegal drugs are seized before they are sent to other areas, said Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

The army seized illegal drugs, other materials and equipment valued at 267 billion kyats (US$194 million) during an 11-day crackdown in early March in the area under the control of the Kaungkha militia near Lwekham and Kaungkha villages.

The report alleges that the Myanmar army launched its crackdown against the Kaungkha militia because the threat posed by the drug money-financed AA outweighed whatever income the military was making from the arrangement.

The AA first established itself at the headquarters of the KIA in Laiza in 2009, near the Chinese border. After finishing military training in Laiza, some members of the AA began operating in northern Shan State, where they fought the Myanmar military in an alliance with groups including the KIA, the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). According to the Janes report, it was through these operations in Shan State that the AA became connected with the Kaungkha militia.

The Janes report outlines how the Myanmar military has tried different strategies to cut off the AAs support, including the Four Cuts strategy which targeted the food, funds, intelligence, and recruits of ethnic armed groups.

It is difficult to gauge how severely and for how long the downfall of the Kaungkha will damage AA financial flows, said the report.

Beyond narcotics, the AA has other sources of funding that include cross-border timber smuggling into India and Bangladesh. It is also understood to have developed a system of donations from widely scattered Rakhine diaspora along with taxation, voluntary or enforced, of businesses in Rakhine and beyond, read the report.

TNLA Brigadier General Tar Phone Kyaw said that the idea of a financial link between the AA and the Kaungkha militia is a conspiracy theory promoted by the Myanmar army.

Because there is too much war, too high of causalities and too many deaths in Arakan [Rakhine], the Burmese army links [the AA] to Kaungkha. Of course they try to take down the image of the AA, he said.

The TNLA and the AA are both members of a coalition known as the Brotherhood Alliance.

To keep pointing out that the AA has a link with Kaungkha is wrong, said Brig-Gen Tar Phone Kyaw.

Zin Lin Htet contributed to this story.

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Global military expenditures saw the biggest uptick in a decade in 2019, researchers say, marking the first year two Asian countries were among the top three spenders. Al Jazeera reports in its article Military spending hits highest level in a decade: Study that the world's nations spent a combined $1.9 trillion (1.78 trillion euros) on their militaries in 2019, according to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Compared with 2018, that represented annual growth of 3.6 percent, the largest spending surge since 2010.

"This is the highest level of spending since the 2008 global financial crisis and probably represents a peak in expenditure," Nan Tian, a researcher at SIPRI, told the AFP news agency.

Driving the increase were the world's largest spenders, led by the United States, which spent $732bn in 2019, a 5.3 percent increase, alone accounting for 38 percent of global military expenditures. It marked the second year of growth in the US military spending after seven years of decline.

For the first time, two Asian countries were among the top three with China and India spending an estimated $261bn (up 5.1 percent) and $71.1bn (up 6.8 percent), respectively. While Chinese expenditure over the past 25 years has closely followed the country's rapid economic expansion, Beijing's investment also reflects its ambition of a "world-class military". "China has openly stated that they want to essentially compete with the US as a military superpower," Tian said. China's ascent also in part helped explain India's rise.

"India's tensions and rivalry with both Pakistan and China are among the major drivers for its increased military spending," SIPRI researcher Siemon Wezeman said in a statement. In addition to China and India, Japan ($47.6bn) and South Korea ($43.9bn) were the largest military spenders in Asia and Oceania. Military expenditure in the region has risen every year since at least 1989.

Virus impact

The world's top five spenders, which also included Russia and Saudi Arabia, together accounted for more than 60 percent of total military expenditures. According to SIPRI, other notable developments included Germany, which increased spending by 10 percent in 2019 to $49.3bn, the largest percentual increase of all top 15 spenders.

Germany's increased spending could in part be explained by an increased perception of threat from Russia, according to the report's authors. While Tian noted "military spending growth has accelerated in recent years", he also said this trend could be reversed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout.

As the world heads for a potential global recession, Tian argued governments will have to weigh military spending against other sectors, such as healthcare and education. "It's highly likely that this will really have an impact on military spending," Tian said.

Looking at the historical data, a fall in spending would likely not last, according to Tian who recalled the financial crisis of 2008, when military expenditure dropped as countries, especially in Europe, imposed austerity measures. "We could be looking at one to three years of declining spending and then an uptick again in the years to come," Tian said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has urged the Labor Department to recall its labor attache in Taiwan over the controversial move asking the Taiwanese authorities to deport a Filipina worker for criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte.

Drilon, who is also a former Labor secretary, called the official in question unfit, incompetent and totally unqualified, as he accused the latter of failing to fulfill his mandate to promote and protect the welfare of workers in that territory.

"A mere labor attache requesting a sovereign country to deport a foreign worker over a social media post is stupidity at the highest level, Drilon said of attache Fidel Macauyag, adding that the action has "embarrassed the Philippine government."

The senator said he would be filing a resolution in the Senate and would be pushing for an investigation into the case.

He also said the labor attache and other officials behind the deportation call "should face the consequences of their action."

A Filipina caregiver in Taiwan has been on the receiving end of threats of cyberlibel charges and deportation for berating the President on social media.

In a statement, the Labor Department earlier accused the overseas Filipina worker of "wilful posting of nasty and malevolent materials against the President to cause hatred amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Taiwan also said it got in touch with the OFW's broker and employer on her deportation.

According to DOLE, the OFW was using several social media accounts "and has a group organized to discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government."

However, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refused to deport the Filipina, arguing that the rights and interests of its foreign workers  including freedom of speech  are protected by local laws and regulations.

Human rights groups have also backed the OFW, as they condemned the Philippine government for its supposed campaign to silence its critics.
Pushing aside a flap, hungry men and women enter a darkened tent in the courtyard of a Moscow church. "Only two per table please," says Valentina, a volunteer in a hospital gown, gloves and surgical mask. "Don't crowd!" she says, and three men move silently apart, sinking spoons into powdered mashed potatoes. Only 16 people are allowed in at a time -- in a space that normally would accommodate dozens. The repurposed army tent dubbed the Rescue Hangar is one of the few places where the Russian capital's growing homeless population can find food and medical aid during the coronavirus lockdown. Affiliated with the Orthodox Church and funded mostly by donations, the hangar normally serves around 100 people per day. But since Moscow imposed its lockdown to slow new coronavirus infections, as many as 500 visit in search of a hot meal on some days, volunteers say. The city of 12 million has only one government shelter, so its homeless have long had to rely on charity. They used to be able to count on workers at restaurants setting aside leftovers, but this ended when they closed with the lockdown. With residents shut in to their apartments, homeless people are also not getting the street handouts they often used to buy food. "The decrease in people traffic in Moscow has been a huge blow to the homeless population," says Roman Skorosov, the Rescue Hangar coordinator. Many are even struggling to find hot water or a toilet since shopping centres closed, charity workers told AFP. And their numbers are growing. "There are a lot of newly homeless, people who worked odd jobs without contracts and lived in cheap hostels," Skorosov says. "They are now on the streets." - Sleeping on trains - Vladimir Petrovsky, who has been sleeping rough for several years and visited the Hangar for a meal, jokes that he has a "three-bedroom flat" -- referring to Moscow's three central train stations many favour for shelter. With restrictions tightened at stations and parks, Petrovsky is sneaking onto a late-night suburban train out of Moscow, then taking an early morning train back to the city. The strategy lets him sleep for about four hours. Volunteers say police have fined some homeless people who have failed to produce a mandatory pass for being outside, introduced in Moscow during the lockdown. Petrovsky, a 67-year-old Ukrainian, said police have let him go with a warning after he failed to produce a pass. "How can I get a pass if I don't even have a passport?" he asks. Finding a meal has become more difficult, he says, with police targeting some groups who feed the homeless. Last week police detained four volunteers from Kursky Train Station Homeless, which brings hot food to the station twice a week, says its coordinator Oleg Olkhov. "They were accused of creating a crowd and fined," Olkhov says, pledging to continue providing food. "Twice the usual number of people now come for meals," he says. - '15,000 homeless' - When Moscow's mayor ordered the lockdown in March, activist Alania Zhurkina reached out to the city government, calling for a strategy to help at-risk homeless people self-isolate. The energetic redhead who directs the House of Friends charity received a reply one month later that the city operates a shelter. That facility has a capacity of about 1,000, while the number of homeless in Moscow is estimated at some 15,000, Zhurkina says. Many in need are not local and have fallen through the cracks of unemployment support. "It's not their fault that in Russia you often need to come to Moscow to find a job," she says. Zhurkina has taken matters into her own hands, arranging to rent cheap hostels that normally house Moscow's temporary labourers. Her "Shelter" project already has a waiting list of 200 people and she launched a second hostel this week. Even though her organisation's funds are drying up, Zhurkina says she will not bother writing to the city again for help. "What am I going to do, wait another 30 days for a reply?" she says. "The city has forgotten that homeless people exist." Only 16 people are allowed in at a time in a space that normally could accommodate dozens Since Moscow imposed its virus lockdown as many as 500 homeless people visit the 'Rescue Hangar' in Moscow each day in search of a hot meal Many homeless are even struggling to find hot water or a toilet since shopping centres closed in Moscow Vladimir Petrovsky, a 67-year-old homeless Ukrainian citizen who sleeps rough, visited the 'Rescue Hangar' for a meal The numbers of homeless on the streets of Moscow are growing under coronavirus lockdown
Eminent banker Suresh N Patel on Wednesday took oath as the Vigilance Commissioner in the anti-corruption watchdog CVC, officials said.

Patel, who is in Ahmedabad, was administered the oath of office by Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari through video conference, they said.

Patel's name to the post was recommended by a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year.

He has over three decades of banking experience, and has also worked as the executive director in Oriental Bank of Commerce before taking over as the Managing Director and CEO of Andhra Bank in 2015.

He had been member of the management committee of Indian Banks' Association, member of Bankers' Institute of Rural Development at NABARD, president, state level Bankers' Committee in Andhra Pradesh and also the president of the Bankers' Institute of Rural and Entrepreneurship Development, according to a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

He is also a permanent invitee to the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS) of the RBI, it said.

Patel, aged 62, was a member of the advisory board for banking and financial frauds of the Central Vigilance Commission. Patel resigned from the board after his selection as the vigilance commissioner.

He will have a tenure of over two years, till late December, 2022, in the CVC.

The tenure of a vigilance commissioner is of four years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years.

The post of the vigilance commissioner was lying vacant since June last year after T M Bhasin completed his tenure.

With Patel's appointment, the probity watchdog is in full strength.

The CVC can have a central vigilance commissioner and two vigilance commissioners.

Sharad Kumar is working as the other vigilance commissioner.

The CVC is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the committee consisting of the prime minister as its chairperson, and the home minister and the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha as its members.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently thanked the Canadian Prime Minister for his support for Indian citizens and especially Indian students. He further assured Canadian counterpart that India's pharma capabilities will remain available for assisting the entire world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday conveyed his assurance to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau that Indias productive capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector would remain available for assisting the citizens of the world, including those of Canada. The assurance came during a telephonic conversation between the two leaders, where they talked about the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Prime Minister spoke on phone today with Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. The two leaders discussed the prevailing global situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, a release from the PMO said.Both the leaders agreed on the importance of global solidarity and coordination, the maintenance of supply chains, and collaborative research activities. Prime Minister thanked the Canadian Prime Minister for the assistance and support extended to the Indian citizens present in Canada, especially Indian students, the statement said.

On his part, Trudeau appreciated the support provided by the Indian government for Canadian citizens in India. Prime Minister conveyed the assurance that Indias productive capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector would remain available for assisting the citizens of the world, including those of Canada, to the best of Indias abilities, the statement said.

Also Read: Coronavirus: Delhi-based CRPF Battalion becomes epicentre of COVID-19 cases, reports 47 cases with one death

Had a warm exchange with PM @JustinTrudeau. Thanked him for looking after Indian citizens in Canada in these difficult times. Collaboration and partnership between India and Canada is vital to fighting the pandemic including through medical research and supply chain management.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 28, 2020

The two leaders agreed that the partnership between India and Canada could contribute meaningfully to the global effort to fight the pandemic, especially through collaboration in research and technology aimed at finding a vaccine or therapeutic solutions to COVID-19, it added. In a tweet earlier, Modi said collaboration between two countries is vital to fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Had a warm exchange with PM @JustinTrudeau. Thanked him for looking after Indian citizens in Canada during these difficult times. Collaboration and partnership between India and Canada is vital to fighting the pandemic including through medical research and supply chain management, the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.

Indias total coronavirus cases stand at 29,974, including 22,010 active cases, 7,027 cured/discharged/migrated and 937 deaths, according to the Union Ministry of Family and Health Welfare. Meanwhile, Canada has reported over 49,000 coronavirus cases and more than 2,700 deaths.

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Netflix dating series Too Hot to Handle is being watched by millions around the world - and its stars now boast hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers.

And Daily Mail Australia can reveal the 14 contestants are in a position to cash in on their newfound fame as social media influencers.

As you shall find out, their potential earnings as Instagram models far exceed the show's $100,000 prize money.

Revealed: Too Hot to Handle stars' jaw-dropping earnings as Instagram influencers - including one contestant who 'makes $26,000 per post'. Pictured: Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago

Too Hot To Handle offered contestants the chance to win $100,000 - but the prize money was deducted if any of them caved into temptation by kissing or having sex.

Telecommunications company Mazuma ranked the popularity of the Netflix stars and estimated their potential profitability as influencers.

With three million followers, model Francesca Farago, 26, could earn AU $26,139 (US $16,997 / 13,767) per sponsored post, according to the research.

Francesca's boyfriend, Harry Jowsey, 22, has estimated earnings of AU $20,330 (US $13,220 / 10,708) per post thanks to his 2.4 million followers.

By the looks of it, the couple have not shared any sponsored posts so far, but they have promoted their own clothing and eyewear brands.

Top earner! With three million followers, Francesca Farago could earn AU $26,139 (US $16,997) per sponsored post, according to research by telecommunications company Mazuma

Power couple! Francesca's boyfriend, Harry Jowsey, has estimated earnings of AU $20,330 (US $13,220) per post thanks to his 2.4 million followers

Sex sells! Chloe Veitch (left) and David Birtwistle (right) also look set to make plenty of cash should they embrace their social media influencer status

Chloe Veitch, Rhonda Paul and David Birtwistle also look set to make plenty of cash should they embrace their social media influencer status.

'Intruder' Kori Sampson is one of the only contestants to have shared an Instagram post with the hashtag #ad since appearing on the show.

He promoted a London-based designer with his 536,000 followers, which may have earned him up to AU $4,715 (US $3,066 / 2,483).

Celebrating fame! 'Intruder' Kori Sampson is one of the only contestants to have shared an Instagram post with the hashtag #ad since the show. He promoted a London-based designer with his 536,000 followers, which may have earned him up to AU $4,715 (US $3,066)

Something to smile about! Lydia Clyma, who has more than 402,000 Instagram followers, could potentially earn up to AU $3,495 per post

That ain't bad! Bryce Hirschberg, who is the least-followed male contestant, has estimated earnings of AU $2,013 per sponsored Instagram post

Even the least-followed contestant on the series, Madison Wyborny, could charge advertisers up to AU $1,248 ($US 812 / 658) per post.

It comes after single mother Rhonda shared a post to Instagram recently in which she asked brands to email her if they wanted to collaborate.

Meanwhile, her co-stars are also signing up to management companies in order to arrange more lucrative sponsorship deals.

Too Hot to Handle is now streaming globally on Netflix
BAMAKO, April 28 (Reuters) - Mali's parliament on Tuesday approved a new code that eliminates mining companies' value added tax exemptions during production and shortens the period during which they are protected from fiscal changes to 20 years, a lawmaker told Reuters.

The new code, which shortens the so-called "stability period" from 30 years under the current code, now heads to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita for his signature, said national lawmaker Boubacar Sissoko.

Keita's government formally proposed the new code last August, but it had languished in parliament over a technical dispute between the government and legislators.

Mali is one of Africa's largest gold producers. Companies operating in the country include Barrick Gold Corp and AngloGold Ashanti. (Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Sam Holmes)
Coronavirus has forced everyone to remain imprisoned in their homes at this time. Many Bollywood celebrities are locked in their homes and are sharing their updates with their fans and followers through social media. Some of these celebrities are immersed in the world of books, some are cooking, some are cleaning the house and some are engaged in completely different work. Now Juhi Chawla is also included in these. Juhi, who was one of the top actresses of the 90s, revealed about the book, which she reads every night before going to bed.

Katrina Kaif seen preparing for cooking

Recently, Juhi shared a picture of Hanuman Chalisa on Instagram and wrote - "We lose ourselves in books. We also find ourselves. What I am reading nowadays the last thing before turning off the lights in the bed." Juhi recites Hanuman Chalisa before sleeping. Juhi Chawla went into self-isolation due to Coronavirus lockdown. Juhi had revealed that "She had gone to Austria on the first March to celebrate the holidays with children Jahnavi, Arjun and husband Jai Mehta, from where she came to London, but by then the coronavirus outbreak had started."

Amitabh shares this picture as soon as he finds out wearing bikini increases followers

In the conversation, Juhi had said- "When we reached Austria, there was a rumour of lockdown in the country. So we had the option of staying there or coming back immediately. After completing the trip to Austria, we were going to London. We have already moved to London, where we also have a family home. During that time, Juhi had said "By mid-March, things had started deteriorating in London. Around the same time, the Indian government also started banning international flights coming from outside. We had the option of coming back or staying in London. Then we went to the Indian High Commission. The authorities helped us reach a safe India.

Salman Khan starts 'Anna daan' challenge
MEXICO CITY, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GRUPO GICSA, S.A.B. de C.V. ("GICSA" or "the Company") (BMV:GICSA), a Mexican leading company specialized in the development, investment, commercialization and operation of shopping malls, corporate offices, industrial buildings and mixed use properties, announced today its results for the first quarter ("1Q20") period ended March 31, 2020.



All figures have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and are stated in millions of Mexican pesos (Ps.).

GICSAs financial results presented in this report are unaudited; therefore, figures mentioned throughout this report may present adjustments in the future

Main Highlights

Corporate

Our administration is focused on preserving liquidity and on maintaining the continuity of the business, under the best conditions and for the benefit of all our shareholders, clients, suppliers and financial creditors. In summary, we are executing the following actions:



Financial Actions: We are in constant contact with our tenants, suppliers and financial partners to implement support measures that minimize the adverse effects generated by COVID-19 on the continuity of our business. Among others:



Programs and support plans for our tenants to partially defer fixed rent payments from April, May and June.



Radical measures to reduce temporary and permanent operating expenses.



Negotiations with credit institutions, local bondholders and international financial partners, to adapt conditions for diverse financing sources to current circumstances.



Operational and Health Actions: We are monitoring the progression of the effects of the COVID-19 virus and implementing health protocols, in addition to promptly complying with the health measures enacted and suggested by our authorities, across the different places where we operate. Among other actions:



We have strengthened our healthcare, cleanliness and precautionary efforts, intensified the monitoring and maintenance of air conditioners and installed anti-bacterial gel stations at the entrances and interiors of our shopping centers.



We have the right technological support for the continuity of remote operations; thus, all of our office staff are working from home and we are constantly monitoring the health of staff working at the facilities.



As part of GICSAs continuous innovation, we recently signed a strategic alliance with RAPPI, a home delivery and buying platform. With this implementation, the users of the application can virtually access GICSAs nearby shopping centers, make purchases from their favorite shop and receive them in a matter of hours.



In locations where the authorities have requested closures of establishments, we have promptly abided by these requests. We continue to monitor any changes to guidelines issued by federal and local public health authorities.



Story continues

Operational

GICSA reported a total of 911,491 square meters (m) of Gross Leasable Area (GLA) comprised of 16 properties in operation at the close of 1Q20. GICSAs proportional GLA was 84.7% equivalent to 772,305 square meters. This represented an increase of 9.0% of total GLA and 10.8% of proportional GLA, compared to 1Q19.





During 1Q20, the portfolio in operation opened 36 stores and signed 38 additional stores.





As of 1Q20, the occupancy rate of the stabilized properties was 90.5% and 89.0% of the total portfolio.





Average leasing rate per square meter of the stabilized portfolio at the close of 1Q20 was Ps. 397, and Ps. 390 in the total portfolio, an increase of 14.9% and 13.0%, respectively, compared to 1Q19.





GICSA registered an occupancy cost of 11.9% at the close of 1Q20, an increase of 137 basis points compared to 1Q19.





At the close of 1Q20, GICSA had a total of 17 million of visitors in the shopping malls or the portfolio, an increase of 1.2% compared to 1Q19.

Financial

Fixed rental revenues were Ps. 815 million in 1Q20, an increase of 13.4% compared to 1Q19.





Consolidated Net Operating Income (NOI) reached Ps. 955 million in 1Q20, an increase of 16% compared to 1Q19. GICSAs proportional NOI was Ps. 777 million in 1Q20, an increase of 17% compared to 1Q19, mainly driven by the stabilized properties delivered in 2018 and 2019.





Consolidated EBITDA reached Ps. 876 million in 1Q20, an increase of 12% compared to 1Q19; while GICSAs proportional EBITDA was Ps. 697 million, an increase of 12.2% compared to 1Q19.





At the close of 1Q20, net income before valuation effects was Ps. 801 million, an increase of 10.6% compared to 1Q19.





Consolidated debt at the close of 1Q20 was Ps. 29,752 million; while GICSAs proportional debt was Ps. 26,542 million. Consolidated LTV was 40%.

Pipeline

During 1Q20, the commercialization of properties under development and in operation reached progress of 48 signed contracts, representing 10,304 square meters of GLA, of which 50% of the GLA signed contracts (11 stores) corresponded to the portfolio under development and in stabilization process.





Explanada Culiacan, Cero5Cien and Gran Outlet Riviera Maya reported work progress rates of 93%, 38% and 31%, respectively.





As a precautionary measure to preserve the Company's liquidity, as of March 2020, investments in new developments were halted. Explanada Culiacan will be delivered after the contingency and the works of Grand Outlet Riviera Maya and Cero5Cien will continue, but at a slower pace.

For a full version of GICSAs First Quarter 2020 Earnings Release, please visit:

http://www.gicsa.com.mx/en/investors-relationship/financial-information

Conference Call

GICSA cordially invites you to its First Quarter Conference call

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

12:00 PM Eastern time

11:00 AM Mexico City Time

Presenting for GICSA:

Abraham Cababie  Chief Executive Officer

Mario Martin  Chief Operating Officer

Diodoro Batalla - Chief Financial Officer

Avril Carenzzo  Treasury and Investor Relations Officer



To access the call, please dial:

1 (877) 830 2576 U.S. participants

1 (785) 424 1726 International participants

001-800- 514-6145 Mexico dial in (Toll free)

Passcode: 44272

About the Company

GICSA is a leading company in the development, investment, commercialization and operation of shopping malls, corporate offices and mixed used well known for their high-quality standards, which transform and create new development spaces, lifestyles and employment in Mexico, in accordance to its history and executed projects. As of March 31, 2020, the Company owned 16 income-generating properties, consisting of ten shopping malls, five mixed use projects (which include four shopping malls, four corporate offices and one hotel), and one corporate office building, representing a total Gross Leasable Area (GLA) 911,491 square meters, and a Proportional GLA of 772,305 square meters. Since June 2015, GICSA is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker (BMV:GICSA B).
New Delhi: Indian cinema's legendary actor Irrfan Khan breathed his last on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, leaving behind a legacy unparalleled. The 53-year-old actor was rushed to Kokilaben hospital due to colon infection a day before. The actor par excellence battled a rare form of cancer - Neuroendocrine Tumour for two long years and had shared the news of his illness first on social media.

In all of his struggle, his wife and NSD companion Sutapa Sikdar stood like a rock with him. A month ago on March 21, Sutapa had changed her Facebook profile picture and put one with Irrfan. The image is now being widely circulated on social media.

This will probably make you teary-eyed, especially at a time when not only the country but also globally fans and celebs are mourning Irrfan's untimely demise.

Irrfan's last rites were performed today at the Versova Kabrastan in Andheri, Mumbai. His relatives and close ones paid their last respects.

"The legendary actor was buried at the Versova Kabrastan at 3 pm this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. In presence were his family, close relatives and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. We pray for his peace and we hope hes in a better place today. He was strong in his fight, and we all have to be strong too in this loss", read the official statement.

May his soul rest in peace!
On Tuesday, New York Senator and former presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand was asked about the accusations of sexual assault made against Joe Biden by Tara Reade, a former Senate aide. Reade alleged in a recent interview with The New York Times that in 1993, Biden pinned her to a wall, reached underneath her clothes and penetrated her using his fingers. A Biden spokeswoman denied the claims.

When asked about the allegations during a conference call on Tuesday, Gillibrand defended Biden, stating, according to The Hill: So when we say believe women, its for this explicit intention of making sure theres space for all women to come forward to speak their truth, to be heard. And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done ... Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden.

Gillibrand isnt the only woman to have publicly sided with Biden as of late. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams told CNNs Don Lemon: I believe that women deserve to be heard and I believe they need to be listened to, but I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources. The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible. I believe Joe Biden.

First of all, let me note that Im not a fan of holding women accountable for mens behavior, especially when they have no direct involvement with said behavior. However, Biden has committed to picking a female VP if (and presumably when) he becomes the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, so its not absurd to bring up the Biden allegations with Gillibrand and Abrams.

The truth is, both women were put in a position to publicly answer a question many have been privately wrestling with for weeks. Ive postponed unpacking my own feelings on the topic because well, I suppose its always uncomfortable to confront your own contradictions, isnt it?

Snapshots of the collective discourse around Biden have included the following takes: Biden is in all likelihood going to cinch the Democratic nomination and I cant take four more years of Donald Trump. Vulnerable people will be harmed if he gets re-elected. Besides, Trump has been accused of sexual assault too, so if the next president is doomed to be an alleged abuser, arent we better off if this person can at least tick the not Trump box? And looking back on the grievances that contributed to tanking Hillary Clintons campaign in 2016, dont some of them seem petty? I mean, do her emails really matter now that were stuck with a president who has recommended injecting disinfectant to combat a deadly virus and doesnt appear to know what sarcasm is?

These points of view are all understandable. Theyre a sad reflection of how much our standards have been lowered when it comes to picking our leaders, but I can see where they came from.

And yet, believe women is a motto I live by. Ive touted it many times before when it applied to other men, and I cant think of a single valid reason why it shouldnt apply here. And no, no one should be put in a position to pick one of two alleged abusers as their next president. That is an infuriating situation  one that I hoped we would have moved past by 2020, but evidently the world isnt ready for that just yet.

This is all complicated by the fact that weve reached the point where Democrats  including some who campaigned in favour of Bidens adversaries or ran against him themselves  feel the need to align behind their presumed nominee, as it seems the only way to secure a victory come November.

I dont have all the answers. I dont even know if I have any answers. But I know this: I dont believe that my right to a president who isnt Donald Trump should take priority over a womans right to be heard. To quote Sarah Ann Masse, one of the Silence Breakers who came forward against Harvey Weinstein earlier this year: Let me be clear. I despise Trump. I believe hes a serial predator and rapist who is dangerous. I still believe Tara Reade. #BelieveSurvivors isnt about politics or convenience. Sexual violence isnt a partisan issue. I think Biden is the better choice and I still believe Tara Reade.

At one point over the past few days, as I was trying to work out my stance on the Biden allegations, I happened to read this 2019 interview of author (and our Lady and Savior) Jia Tolentino in Elle. One of the life lessons she shared with the magazine was People are looking for an apology.

We saw it with #MeToo, women dont want their assaulters to never be happy or employed. They want an apology and an acknowledgement, and thats it, Tolentino added. In my experience, the vast majority of women dont want someone to go to jail for the rest of their life; they want an acknowledgement that what they did was wrong.

Obviously, Tolentino wasnt referring to Biden or anyone in particular when she made those comments. But Ive found them especially helpful as Ive tried to navigate the Biden allegations and my own feelings about it (including, but not limited to, intellectual discomfort, paranoid fear that I was secretly a raging hypocrite, and so on).

I cant speak for Reade, of course. But I do feel like the need for a collective acknowledgement hasnt been met in her case. Whenever someone is wronged, immense power can come from seeing others recognize that wrong for what it is. Reade deserves that experience at the very least.
New York  A tribute to healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic ended up raising concerns about COVID-19 as crowds appeared to ignore social distancing rules.

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels flew over five cities in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Tuesday to salute medical workers and other first responders. Officials said residents in Newark, New York City, Trenton, Philadelphia and Wilmington would be able to see the flyover from their homes, and encouraged them to avoid crowds.

But photos and videos from The New York Post, WPVI and other publications show large groups of people gathering to watch the air show without keeping recommended distances of six feet apart.

I think it was a tricky time to have a flyover. It feels a bit ironic that were being told to stay inside and at the same time to go outside and watch an air show, Brain Weiner, who saw the show from the Philadelphia Art Museum, told WPVI.

Its just difficult, Weehawken, N.J., Mayor Richard Turner told the Post after hundreds gathered on the Hudson River waterfront. You do the best you can and you also have to rely on peoples common sense. Theres not much more you can do.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered all New York state residents to wear a mask when in places where social distancing is not possible, but some fans of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds did not cover their faces Tuesday.

Im not worried about it, Arthur Moss, who watched with friends at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, told the Post. If youre outside you dont need to wear a mask," he said.

New Jersey: Hundreds of people in New Jersey on Tuesday ignored social distancing rules to watch the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels soar over New York City's skies in a tribute to the healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines



 pic.twitter.com/kLDbE8Hs6A  Derek Dauel (@derk10) April 29, 2020

Videos show the joint flying demonstration, dubbed Operation American Strong, lasted about 40 minutes. Air Force Magazine reports the 12-jet flight crew will put on shows all the way to Texas.

"We hope to give Americans a touching display of American resolve that honors those serving on the frontline of our fight with COVID-19, mission commander U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Caldwell said in a statement.

Incredible video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cody Hendrix as the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds honored frontline COVID-19 first responders and essential workers with formation flights over New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/ZlPiln8JC6  Gio Benitez (@GioBenitez) April 29, 2020

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:28:30|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to respect the facts, abandon its arrogance and prejudice, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religion, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wednesday.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks at a press conference in response to a recent United States Commission on International Religious Freedom annual report making accusations of China's religious freedom situation.

Geng said the so-called U.S. commission has entrenched political bias against China and has for many years issued reports to smear China's religious policy.

"We urge the U.S. side to respect the facts, discard its arrogance and prejudice, stop its wrongdoing of issuing relevant reports year after year, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religion," Geng said.

Geng said China is a country under the rule of law, the Chinese government protects its citizens' freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups enjoy full freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law.

China has nearly 200 million religious believers, more than 380,000 clerical personnel, about 5,500 religious organizations and more than 140,000 venues for religious activities registered according to law.

The U.S. act of smearing can not change these facts, Geng said, adding just like other countries, China absolutely does not allow any individual to engage in criminal activities under the pretext of religion. Enditem
Seasoned diplomat T S Tirumurti, currently serving as Secretary in the the Ministry of External Affairs ministry, was on Wednesday appointed as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

A 1985-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Tirumurti will succeed Syed Akbaruddin, a prominent face in Indian diplomacy who is credited with successfully presenting the country's position at the global body on a range of key issues for last several years.

Akbaruddin is due to retire shortly.

Tirumurti is serving as Secretary, Economic Relations at the ministry's headquarters in Delhi.

Tirumurti has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at New York, the MEA said.

The government has also appointed senior diplomat Namrata S Kumar as India's next ambassador to Slovenia, while Jaideep Mazumdar goes to Austria as the country's next envoy.

Joint Secretary in the ministry Deepak Mittal was appointed as the Ambassador of India to Qatar.

Another senior diplomat, Piyush Srivastava, has been appointed as India's next Ambassador to Bahrain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Egypt began repatriating its citizens in March, bringing back hundreds of its nationals stranded in various countries due to the pandemic

A special flight operated by Air Cairo to bring stranded Egyptians back home from France amid the coronavirus pandemic landed in Egypts Marsa Alam on Wednesday.

The Red Sea resort citys airport received 142 repatriated Egyptian passengers from Paris.

Upon their arrival, the passengers checked in at a hotel in Marsa Alam selected by authorities where they will spend 14 days in quarantine.

The airport will also receive in the coming hours two flights operated by EgyptAir and Air Cairo from Johannesburg and the Maldives, respectively.

On Tuesday, Marsa Alam's airport received an Air Cairo flight with 148 repatriated Egyptian passengers from Indonesias Bali and Jakarta and Oman's Muscat, according to a civil aviation source

The government is requiring returnees to sign before boarding their flights a written acknowledgement that they agree to be quarantined.

The repatriated Egyptians will bear the cost of the hotel quarantine, estimated at a minimum of EGP 10,500 ($666.7), despite a previous decision by the state to cover the cost of the stay.

Two special flights will be operated by Air Cairo on Friday to repatriate Egyptians from Ukraine's Kiev, according to Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

Egypt began repatriating its citizens in March, bringing back hundreds of its nationals stranded in various countries due to the pandemic.

The country is keeping its airspace open to inbound charter and special flights to transport outbound passengers, and to cargo and domestic flights, during the suspension of air traffic that has been in place since mid-March.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed last week that Egypt is committed to repatriating an estimated 3,500 Egyptians stranded abroad at the earliest opportunity.

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Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry to fall by at least 4 pct in 2020: study

BERLIN, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic would cause global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry to fall by 4 to 11 percent in 2020, according to a new study by Germany-based Climate Action Tracker (CAT).

According to the study by the German non-profit organization CAT, global emissions could possibly continue to decline in 2021 by around 1 to 9 percent below 2019 levels.

However, the study warned that if no low carbon policies were rolled out with economic recovery packages responding to COVID-19, "emissions could rebound and even overshoot previously projected levels by 2030, despite lower economic growth."

Depending on the COVID-19 recovery scenario, the study found that investing in green energy infrastructure, including energy efficiency, had "by far the strongest effect on reducing emissions."

The study recommended to directly support zero-emission technologies and vehicles and to accelerate research and development in clean aviation technologies, but warned of rolling back emission standards, regulations and climate measures that were already introduced.

In addition, governments should refrain from supporting old industry without any plans to transit towards zero-emission and stop stimulus packages for new building without criteria for energy efficiency, according to CAT.

"A critical message for policymakers is that the rate and speed of the economic recovery from COVID-19 is secondary to the speed and degree to which investments are switched towards low and zero carbon energy, infrastructure, transport and other systems," CAT noted.

In the short term, governments would rightly focus on saving lives, supporting health infrastructure, food availability, and the many other urgent social and economic support measures such as short-term job allowances, direct cash handouts to citizens, or targeted liquidity support to small and medium-sized enterprises.

"COVID-19 recovery presents both opportunities and threats to enhancing our resilience to climate change," CAT noted.
Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, address of the head office Tilzes str. 149, Siauliai, Lithuania.

AB Siauliu bankas invites shareholders, investors, analysts and other stakeholders to join its investor conference webinar scheduled on the May 6, 2020 at 4 pm (EET). The presentation will be held in English.

The webinar will be hosted by Vytautas Sinius, CEO and Donatas Savickas, CFO who will introduce the Banks financial results for the first quarter of the year 2020 and recent developments, as well participants questions will be answered.

After the presentation investors are welcome to ask questions. Due to limited webinar time, we encourage participants to send their questions before the webinar until May 5th to simona.backiene@nasdaq.com .

How to join the webinar?

To join the webinar, please register via following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7157136107516471052 . You will be provided with the webinar link and instructions how to join successfully. When joining the webinar for the first time, you will be asked to download the plug-in which will take only few seconds. In case plug-in can't be downloaded, a web browser which enables attending the webinar, opens automatically. The webinar will be recorded and available online for everyone at Siauliu bankas website www.sb.lt and on Nasdaq Baltic youtube.com account.

What is a corporate webinar?

A corporate webinar is a virtual conference, during which companys representatives provide information about the company and its performance. Webinar allows interactive communication and a possibility to ask questions and get answers directly from the company while being located anywhere.
The novel coronavirus has infected more than a million Americans and killed more than 50,000 in about three months  probably many more on both counts  by some estimates outpacing cancer and heart disease to become the leading cause of death in parts of California as well as the country at large. It has done so despite strict distancing measures affecting most of the U.S. population.

This isnt a gauge of the inefficacy of distancing: The respective outbreaks in the Bay Area and New York City, for example, have shown that even modest differences in the timing and extent of the strategy can dramatically change the spread of the virus. Rather, the statistics are a frightening testament to the toll the contagion would take without these painful collective impediments.

Thats why six Bay Area counties decision to extend their nation-leading shelter-in-place order through May makes sense even amid rising impatience with the mandate in the region, organized protests in parts of California and a rush to resume business as usual in other states and the White House.

With job losses accumulating at an unprecedented clip, overwhelming the California unemployment bureaucracys ability even to answer all the phone calls, the economic consequences of these measures cant be minimized. The Bay Area Council noted Tuesday that a recent survey of employers found that pressure is building to reopen the Bay Area economy, with 17% of member companies having laid off employees since the crisis began and a similar share expecting to do so if the closures last more than another month. Council President Jim Wunderman described area businesses as reaching a tipping point in their ability to withstand the severe economic effects of the shutdown.

Other parts of the state and country have been more restive. Officials from six mostly rural northern counties offered a counterpoint to the Bay Area jurisdictions last week in a letter urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to let them ease restrictions, citing their low numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases. Beaches in Orange County reopened last weekend to alarming crowds. And protesters gathered in Sacramento and other state capitals in recent weeks to call for an end to the shutdowns, cheered on by President Trump against the advice of his own experts.

While the pandemic has certainly been concentrated in urban and suburban areas, it has not spared every small town. And if the virus is allowed to spread unchecked through the nations metropolises, it will reach more rural areas just as surely as it has encircled the globe. A second wave of infections and deaths on the scale of the current one  or, as with the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago, greater still  would not be conducive to the economic recovery everyone wants.

More Americans of every stripe understand this than the protesters or the president would have us believe. Polls have shown that a majority back distancing measures and are more concerned that they will end too quickly than not soon enough. Most also have a higher opinion of the governors who imposed the lockdowns than they do of Trump, who has undermined them. Even the Bay Area Council survey found remarkable support for the mandates, with 80% of employers calling regional governments response just right and nearly as many saying they could maintain their payrolls through at least another month of sheltering.

The irony of distancing is that the more effective it is, the less necessary it will seem. In the Bay Area and elsewhere, its impact is measured in sicknesses not suffered and lives not lost. Abandoning such hard-won successes too soon would be their undoing.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
One in seven Ontario residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 are health-care workers, a rate that is steadily rising, provincial data reveals.

That puts Ontario at one of the highest rates of health-care worker infection worldwide. As of Tuesday, almost 14 per cent (2,144) of Ontarios 15,381 confirmed cases are nurses, personal support workers, doctors and other health-care workers.

We dont have enough personal protective equipment, says Michael Hurley, first vice-president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario, which represents registered practical nurses, personal support workers, hospital cleaners and other health-care workers.

He said the growing number of health-care workers infected is a sign that there are not enough N95 masks and proper gowns in the workplace, and that infection protocols in some areas are lagging, particularly as some scientific studies are suggesting that in some circumstances the virus could be airborne.

The SARS Commission taught us to err on the side of caution, said Hurley, referring to Justice Archie Campbells report on the outbreak in the early 2000s.

A provincial spokesperson said Ontario is working hard to provide proper equipment.

Meanwhile, although there is a major push the world over to celebrate the efforts of front-line health-care workers, data collection and release related to infected workers does not match that push.

In the early days of the virus spreading in Canada, there was no breakdown on the type of job an infected person held.

The first positive tests of health-care workers were confirmed by health officials the third week of March. Toronto Public Health told the Star that 13 health-care workers tested positive as of March 21. Neither the city nor the province was making that information available at the time.

Ontario began releasing data on infected health-care workers several weeks ago as part of a daily epidemiological chart. They show, for example, that from Mondays report to Tuesdays report, 128 more health-care workers in Ontario had tested positive, a 6.3 per cent increase in one day. Health ministry spokesperson Hayley Chazan told the Star the ministrys data does not break down how many are nurses, doctors or other categories. At the start of April, as a comparison, one in 10 positive tests were health-care workers.

Other jurisdictions have been providing information on the rate of health-care worker infections only occasionally, or in response to media queries.

Alberta officials reported this week that 427 health-care workers have tested positive (9 per cent of the provinces 4,696 cases). Quebec, which has 25,757 confirmed cases, recently announced at a press conference that 4,000 health-care workers have tested positive, which indicates that 15.5 per cent of their positive tests have been health-care workers, just higher than Ontario.

Information from British Columbia, another hard-hit province, was not immediately available.

Internationally, Ontarios almost 14 per cent infection rate (13.94 per cent) for health-care workers as a proportion of positive cases appears much higher than China, which is reporting 3.8 per cent, and the United States where recent reports put the countrys overall health-care worker infection rate at 3 per cent.

The caveat with all of these numbers is twofold. First, they rely at least in some part on choices made regarding who will be tested. Related to that, they do not factor in the unknown number of people who likely have the virus (no matter what their line of work is) but have not been tested due to the scarcity of tests. Also, at one point during the outbreak, the last week in March, public health officials in Ontario and across Canada began focusing testing resources on health-care workers because of a scarcity of tests.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study recently on infected health-care workers in the U.S., stating that while some states (the study did not say which ones) reported infection rates for health-care workers as high as 11 per cent of total cases, the national rate was 3 per cent. That studys data was current to April 9.

Given the high number of people infected in the U.S. (more than one million at most recent count) even the CDC is skeptical of the 3 per cent number, stating in its report this is likely an underestimation.

In a recent data release by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the agency reported that health-care worker infections in Italy make up 10 per cent of cases overall, though that rises to 20 per cent in the hardest-hit regions. Spain reported a 20 per cent rate.

Health-care worker infection rates for other countries were not immediately available.

Public health leaders have cautioned that an infected health-care worker is not necessarily indicative of a person contracting the virus in a health-care setting.

The fact that a health-care worker is infected with COVID does not tell us where they got that infection, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health said in her Tuesday briefing. She said it is possible that a health-care worker contracted the virus on a trip before the provincial shutdown, or at a social gathering or had a household contact who was a case of COVID.

CUPEs Hurley said he has a growing concern that Ontario is basing many of its decisions on a belief that COVID-19 is principally transmitted through contact and droplets except in aerosolizing procedures (such as intubation of a sick patient).

While most health authorities say the virus is spread by droplet transmission when a person is in close contact and there is a cough or a sneeze, Hurley points out that there are some new studies suggesting the virus could be airborne in certain circumstances, or that the virus could linger on the floor where medical staff put on and take off protective equipment. Other studies show that the virus has been detected on the shoes of health-care workers.

Hurley said Ontario watered down the safety protocols by not insisting that everyone wear N95 masks. Some of his members have only been given surgical masks, which provide less protection.

Science catches up, said Hurley, referring to new studies and information not available at the start of the outbreak.

Chazan, the Ontario health ministry spokesperson, said the province continues to ensure that patients and frontline health-care workers have the critical equipment and supplies they need to protect themselves during the COVID-19 outbreak. More than 13 million surgical and procedural masks, 200,000 N95 respirator masks, and 38 ventilators have been delivered to Ontarios pandemic stockpile warehouses, she said in a statement sent to the Star.

Over the last few weeks, shipments of 6.5 million surgical and procedural masks as well as shipments of all types of PPE were made to over 650 providers across the province to protect our frontline workers, patients and residents, Chazan said.
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The Global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market Size is anticipated to reach over USD 1,882.75 Million by 2025 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research.

Remote patient monitoring technology comprises devices such as glucose meters, blood pressure monitoring system, and other portable devices that are used by patients at a remote location. Growing usage of smartphones and increasing the expansion of the smartphone applications that are linked to the monitoring devices further helps in transmitting and recording persons health-related data to the healthcare suppliers or specialists.

Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market/request-for-sample

The rise in the implementation rate of remote patient monitoring devices, increasing number of geriatric population, and growing incidence of patients suffering from different lifestyle diseases are the major factor boosting the global remote patient monitoring devices market. With the increasing development in wireless technology, such monitoring devices are used to remotely monitor the physical parameters of the person such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose level, and provide proper treatment if necessary. However, the high cost associated with this device, stringent reimbursement guidelines and issues correlated with the government regulations are some of the factors anticipated to hinder the global market growth.

The global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end user, and geography.

On the basis of product type, the global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market is segmented into Heart Rate Monitors, Heart Monitors, Blood Pressure Monitors, Sleep Apnea Monitors, Breath Monitors, Weight Monitors, Blood Glucose Monitors, Infusion Pumps, and Body Temperature Monitors. On the basis of product type, Heart rate monitor is estimated to dominate the product segment owing to growing global incidences of cardiovascular incidence. The increase in the number of people with cardiac diseases has led to the augmented use of such monitoring devices.

On the basis of application, the global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market is segmented into Cancer Treatment, Cardiovascular Diseases Treatment, Diabetes Treatment, Sleep Disorder Treatment, Weight Management and Fitness Monitoring. In 2017, cardiovascular disease treatment is estimated to dominate the market growth majorly owing to the increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases. On the basis of the end user, the global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market is segmented into Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Homecare settings.

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market

On the basis of region, the global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America was estimated to dominate the global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market. The dominance is majorly attributed to the increasing occurrences of chronic diseases, growing demand for wireless and portable systems, increased level of healthcare spending, growing number of geriatric population, and favorable reimbursement scenarios in this region. However, Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market during the forecast. Rising disposable income, high presence of untapped market opportunities primarily in developing economies, advancement in technology, supportive government initiatives are some of the factors expected to significantly boost the Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market in the Asia Pacific.

Some major key players in global Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market include Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., AMD Global Telemedicine, Honeywell International Inc., Omron Healthcare, Smiths Medical, Medtronic among others. The object of the key market players is to deliver better chronic care administration while keeping the cost low. In addition, the companies are concentrating on producing easy-to-use monitoring devices that can aid patients to accomplish conditions including diabetes or heart diseases better by avoiding costly medical processes.

Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market Size and Forecast by Regions

North America U.S. Canada

Europe Germany UK France Italy

Asia Pacific China India Japan Australia

Latin America Brazil Mexico

Middle East & Africa

Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market/request-for-discount-pricing

About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world.

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Amazon was placed on a US government "notorious markets" list Wednesday over complaints that it failed to crack down on sales of counterfeit merchandise in five of its global e-commerce platforms. The US Trade Representative's office placed Amazon on the list of retail operations under scrutiny for intellectual property protection. As part of its annual review, USTR said Amazon platforms in Canada, Britain, France, Germany and India were cited. The report said copyright holders complained about "alleged high levels of counterfeit goods" in the five markets. Some expressed concern that in Britain, for example, "it is difficult for consumers and right holders alike to determine who is selling the goods and that anyone can become a seller on Amazon with too much ease because Amazon does not sufficiently vet sellers on its platforms," the document said. The report said Amazon's counterfeit removal processes were cited as "lengthy and burdensome, even for right holders that enroll in Amazon's brand protection programs." Amazon said it "strongly disagreed" with the findings and called the report a "purely political act" by the administration of President Donald Trump, who has engaged in a public feud with the company and its founder Jeff Bezos. "Amazon makes significant investments in proactive technologies and processes to detect and stop bad actors and potentially counterfeit products from being sold in our stores," a spokesperson said in an email. "We also work closely with law enforcement agencies and are reporting all confirmed counterfeiters to help them build stronger criminal cases." The 2019 Notorious Markets List provides examples of sellers believed to be facilitating counterfeiting but the agency noted that it is not "a legal finding of a violation" or prelude to enforcement action. "This year's review process also identified a growing concern about the proliferation of counterfeits facilitated by social media platforms," the report said, including the Chinese-based WeChat. "USTR will further study and monitor these concerns," the report said. The 49-page report also listed streaming media and e-commerce websites under scrutiny in China, Italy, Poland, Indonesia and other countries. It said Pirate Bay, a popular digital media operation which has been the target of authorities for years, remains active despite the shutdown of some of its websites.
Photo: You Are Collective

With Pride cancelled across the country, You Are Collective and graphic designer, Chris Bingham from Cyan Bold Design have released a clothing collection in support of The Bridge Youth + Family Services Etcetera Youth Group in Kelowna.

The 'Pride 2020' Collection is a collaborative effort aiming to create an impactful and empowering way of supporting and acknowledging the LGBTQ2IA+ community.

The collection features bold and brave designs to show support, coming together, and spreading the love at an exceptionally extraordinary time in our world.

"The treatment and stigmatization of LGBTQ2IA+ youth is an issue the trio wants to continue to bring awareness and change to," stated in a press release on Friday.

"LGBTQ2IA+ youth face approximately 14 times the risk of suicide and substance abuse than heterosexual peers according to CMHA. This is why the importance of positive outside influences and a sense of community for LGBTQ2IA+ youth is so important."

Proceeds from 'The Pride 2020' collection will go to support Etcetera Youth Group, a safe space for LGBTQ2IA+ youth and their allies to feel supported, understood, and celebrated.

You can pre-order your gear in time for virtual Pride celebrations.

You Are Collective owners Rebecca Steinhubl and Michael Nolan launched the #1MillionCampaign in January to fund 1,000,000 counselling sessions across Canada.

"Since then, they've been partnering with entrepreneurs, organizations, and initiatives to bring accessible and funded mental health care to all while empowering people on their mental health journeys."

Recognizing the gaps in the mental health community from living with mental illness themselves, the couple founded You Are Collective in 2018 to raise awareness and end the stigma against mental health and illness.



To date, they've raised more than $3,000 through apparel, events, workshops, and donations.
It's been three years since SS Rajamouli's fantasy epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion released in theatres and we still can't get over the iconic film.



In order to celebrate 3 remarkable years of this blockbuster, the film's lead actors Prabhas, Rana Daggubati and Tamannaah Bhatia took to their social media handles to share a few behind-the-scenes pictures along with a few memories of making the film. We are sure, reading these will fill you with nostalgia.

Twitter

Tamannaah Bhatia took to Instagram to share how grateful she will always be as she got to play the role of Avantika in the film. A big THANK YOU to the entire team of Baahubali who worked like a big happy family and our audiences for loving the movie and pouring in unconditional love every single day (sic), wrote Tamannaah.

Taking Tamanaah's cue, co-star Prabas and Rana Daggubati also joined the celebration and shared behind the scenes glimpses from the film.

Prabhas, who portrayed the characters of Amarendra Baahubali and Mahendra Baahubali in the beloved film, wrote, "Baahubali 2 was not just a film that the nation loved but also, the biggest film of my life. And, I'm grateful to my fans, team, and director SS Rajamouli, who made it one of the most memorable projects. Baahubali 2 completes three years and I'm delighted for all the love the film and I have received (sic)."

Everyone's favorite, Daggubati, who masterfully played the character of Bhallaladeva, replied to producer Yarlagaddas tweet and wrote, "The might, the majesty, the Mahishmathi! Miss all of you loads. #3YrsOfMightyBaahubali2 (sic)."

The Might, The Majesty,

The Mahishmathi!! Miss all of you loads. #3YrsOfMightyBaahubali2 https://t.co/6Pjy7l34EV  Rana Daggubati (@RanaDaggubati) April 28, 2020

SS Rajamouli's film Baahubali 2 had outdone its own franchise in just five days with the film's gross earnings at Rs 565 crore (approximately), becoming the highest-earning film of all time. But besides its commercial success, the love people have for this film is also never seen before. To many such more movies!


Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton may have been a part of a long-standing institution, but they are putting their own twist to their approach, especially since the coronavirus global pandemic hit.

This unique approach is made through the help of social media platforms, like Instagram. Ever since the United Kingdom was put on lockdown, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been using the platform to connect with the public and the charities they support.

Traditionally, the use of social media is something that is frowned upon by the royal family. One good example would be when the monarchy instructed Meghan Markle to take down her personal social media accounts when she started dating Prince Harry.

"Historically, the royals have been constricted from expressing themselves personally on social media," royal expert Leslie Carroll said.

"And all social media has come through official account names, most probably written by communications professionals, rather than by members of the royal family themselves."

Speaking to a U.K. news outlet, Carroll said that when the pandemic began, Kate and William took the opportunity to exercise their leadership while communicating to the public by adapting to online platforms.

"And part of 'keeping calm and carry[ing] on' is the ability to continue to communicate effectively, continually, and in a reassuring manner," the royal expert added.

Kate And William's Social Media Presence

Six weeks ago, the U.K. was put on lockdown, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continued with their royal engagement through social media. Even while on quarantine at their Norfolk residence, the couple has been keeping their supporters updated and sharing up close and personal details about their family using photos taken using their own phones.

Last March, the Cambridges posted a short clip of their children Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 2 clapping to show support for the National Health Service workers.

Earlier this April, Kate and William also shared some clips of their surprise video call to the students and staff of Casterton Primary Academy.

The 38-year-old Duchess also shared some heartwarming photos of Prince Louis to mark his second birthday last April 23. Kate herself took the images, and they even put slight humor on it by posting an "expectation versus reality" version of Prince Louis' shots.

Prince William also recently showed his humorous side by gamely joining British Comedian Stephen Fry for a wholesome skit for BBC's "The Big Night In" charity special.

In the funny skit posted on YouTube, William joked about the nightmares of homeschooling, not wearing pants, and watching Netflix's hit docu-series "Tiger King."

It looks like breaking the royal family tradition is working in favor of Kate and William, who will eventually take over the throne in the future.

Carroll said that it has been an effective way for the Cambridges to make their presence felt and maintain the support of the public.

"And for now, social media is the only safe, effective, and efficient way for them to remain so (and still curate their messaging and appearances)," Carroll said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be back to prioritizing President Trump's judicial nominations when the Senate returns to Washington on Monday.

A Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for a controversial judicial pick has been slated for Tuesday, according to NBC News, which will be one of the first things senators tackle when work resumes.

House Democrats announced Tuesday that they will no longer come back to D.C. on May 4, due to health concerns expressed by the Attending Physician of the United States Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be back to prioritizing President Trump's judicial picks when the Senate resumes business on Monday. The House isn't coming back into session under the advisement of the Attending Physician of the United States Congress

'There was a risk to members that he would not recommend taking,' said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on a call with reporters Tuesday, explaining that the doctor pointed to the fact that D.C.'s coronavirus cases haven't peaked yet.

Hoyer also explained that it didn't make sense for the House to come back into session when the contents of the next coronavirus aid package haven't been worked out.

McConnell has stood firm on senators coming back to work.

'We're going to modify routines in ways that are smart and safe, but we're going to honor our Constitutional duty to the American people and conduct critical business, and we're going to do it in person,' McConnell said Wednesday on Brian Kilmeade's Fox Radio show.

McConnell pointed to the 'doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery store workers' who are all at work in their 'duty stations.' 'It's essential for Senators to carefully man ours and support those folks who are out there on the front lines.'

'We're willing to discuss with the Democrats the way forward, but we're going to do it with all Senators here and not back in their home states,' McConnell continued. 'We're all going to be here, and we believe we can man the Senate in a way that's consistent with good practices, the proper spacing, masks where appropriate. We believe we can conduct the people's business, and we intend to.'

NBC News reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee would pick up the confirmation of Judge Justin Walker on Tuesday, one of the Senate's first orders of business when it returns to Washington

Walker (right) has been described as a 'protege' of McConnell (left), and earned a 'not qualified' rating from the American Bar Association on his nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

Part of that business is the confirmation of U.S. District Judge Justin Walker of Kentucky, McConnell's home state, who is up for a seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Walker earned a 'not qualified' rating from the American Bar Association.

The 38-year-old has been described as a McConnell 'protege' and vocally defended Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his contentious confirmation hearings.

His initial hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee is slated for Tuesday, NBC News said.

A public schedule has yet to be released.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted McConnell in a statement released Wednesday that said he is 'seemingly only interested in confirming more unqualified, right-wing judges and protecting CEOs instead of workers.'

'If the Senate is to return next week, we Democrats demand there be tough oversight of the administrations dreadful response to this public health crisis and their lackluster implementation of the COVID-related legislation passed by Congress,' Schumer said.

The top Senate Democrat also floated that McConnell didn't seek out health advice from Congress' top doctor before scheduling Monday's Senate session.

'The Capitol Hill physician, the chief doctor there, told the House it wasn't safe. I don't even know if McConnell called him. So I don't know what he told McConnell, if he talked to McConnell at all,' Schumer said in a Tuesday interview with PBS NewsHour.

'Well, Leader McConnell made the decision, as I understand it, without even consulting the Capitol physician,' Schumer then said.

The New York Democrat said if the Senate has to come back 'then we ought to be using the time productively.'

'It seems what he wants to do is have us vote for or have hearings on a judge who is sort of a crony of his, someone who used to work on his staff who was rated unqualified by the ABA,' Schumer said.
Huaxin Cement reports 65% fall in 1Q20 profit

29 April 2020

Chinas Huaxin Cement has reported a 65 per cent YoY decline in net profit to CNY354.1m (US$50.06m) for the first quarter of 2020, according to Reuters.



However, the company had posted a 22.4 per cent YoY rise in net profit to CNY6.3bn for the full-year 2019 period.

Published under
(Newser)  Researchers in Turkey are on the trail of a killer from space. After searching state archives, the researchers believe they have found the earliest confirmed case of a person being killed by a meteorite, Space.com reports. The researchers say the luckless man was killed and another man was paralyzed on Aug. 22, 1888, when a meteorite slammed into a hill in Sulaymaniyah in what is now Iraq. Reports of people being killed by meteorites go back thousands of years, but researchers say no other cases had a similar level of proof as that recorded by fastidious Ottoman Empire archivists. The researchers say they found three letters from local authorities describing the event and evidence that the reigning sultan, Abdul Hamid II, was informed.

story continues below

"Almost every single event was recorded in the archives. I mean, if you sneeze, it was recorded somehow. Natural events, financial issues, governmental messaging, etc," says Ozan Unsalan, lead author of a study published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science. The researchers say they are now trying to track down a sample of the meteorite. In what was once the only confirmed case of a person being hit by a meteorite, Alabama woman Anne Hodges was bruised by a 9-pound meteorite that crashed through her ceiling in 1954, Smithsonian Magazine reports. In 2009, a 14-year-old Germany schoolboy was hit on the hand by a meteorite. He doused it with water and took it to school with him. (Read more meteorites stories.)
Tyler Perry has come up with a strategic plan to reopen Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared that nonessential businesses could reopen earlier this week.

The TV mogul plans to begin production in June, but still "create a safe environment so people could work again with some peace of mind," he shared with Deadline.

Perry revealed hes taking drastic measures to ensure the safety and protection of his crew, using coronavirus tests that have a 24-hour turnaround for results, and retesting all cast and crew after four days of shooting.

"Thank god, out of the 100 essential workers, all tested negative," he said. "My goal is to find a path forward to protect both the health and the livelihoods of my cast and crew."

PHOTO: Tyler Perry attends the ceremony honoring Dr. Phil McGraw with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame held on Feb. 21, 2020 in Hollywood, Calif. (FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE)

The studio property, boasting 330 acres and 19 historic homes, will house about 90 cast and crew members. The rest will be housed in portable hotels during production, which is expected to last until August. All food will go through a sterilization process before being delivered.

Filming for BET's "Sistas" and "The Oval" will feature fewer background actors and smaller scenes, to facilitate continued social distancing.

Perry's effort to offer jobs to many during the pandemic follows last month's $21,000 tip he left for workers at an Atlanta restaurant, and his PSA urging black people to take the coronavirus seriously.

"While everyone can contract this virus, it is black people who are dying from it in much larger numbers," he wrote. "This thing is real, black people."

Tyler Perry describes plan to reopen his Atlanta studios during COVID-19 pandemic originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com


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Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Global Coronavirus Diagnostics Market, By Type of Test (Molecular v/s Serology), By User (Single v/s Multiple), By Full Test Time (Less Than 60 Minutes, 1 Hour - 12 Hours, 13 Hours - 24 Hours, More Than 1 Day), By End User (Hospitals, Public Health Labs, Private or Commercial Labs, Physician Labs, Others), By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025under Healthcare Category. The report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, competitive intelligence and Market reports.

The ongoing pandemic novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused due to SARS-COV-2 and generally spreads from animals to humans and then from humans to humans. The disease usually spreads from saliva droplets of the infected person or the nose discharges of the infected person when they cough or sneeze. First case of the disease was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and since then, it has spread to various parts of the world infecting millions. As of 9th April 2020, the total number of coronavirus cases crossed 1.5 million, globally, of which around 330,000 had recovered and over 88,000 people had died.

Global Coronavirus Diagnostics Market is expected to grow at a formidable rate and cross $ 2.2 billion by 2025. The global coronavirus diagnostics market is driven by surging incidences of this disease across different parts of the globe. The market is segmented based on type of test, user, full test time, end user, company and region. Based on type of test, market can be bifurcated into molecular and serological tests. The molecular type of test segment is expected to dominate the market during forecast period. In this testing procedure, a sample from the back of the throat is taken and sent for testing. The sample undergoes a PCR test to find out the presence of virus genetic material. The PCR confirms the diagnosis of COVID-19 if it finds two genes of SARS-COV-2 virus.

Request a free sample copy Coronavirus Diagnostics Market Report @

https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/sample/reports/2048553

Europe and North America are expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period owing to the presence of many research laboratories and pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies across the regions. Major players operating in the coronavirus diagnostics market include Roche Diagnostics, Abbott, Cepheid Inc, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Lonza, bioMerieux, Mammoth Biosciences, Hologic, Qiagen, GSK Biologicals, PerkinElmer, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Thermo Fischer Scientific, Mylab, Altona Diagnostics and others.

Years considered for this report:

Estimated Year: 2020

Forecast Period: 20212025

Objective of the Study:

 To estimate and forecast the market size of global coronavirus diagnostics market from 2020 to 2025.

 To classify and forecast global coronavirus diagnostics market based on type of test, user, full test time, end user, company and regional distribution.

 To identify dominant regions and segments in the global coronavirus diagnostics market.

 To identify drivers and challenges for global coronavirus diagnostics market.

 To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in global coronavirus diagnostics market.

 To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in global coronavirus diagnostics market.

 To identify key sustainable strategies adopted by market players in global coronavirus diagnostics market.

Our Research performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study. Initially, Our Research sourced a list of diagnostic players operating across the globe. Subsequently, Our Research conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies. While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, Our Research could include the market players which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research.

Our Research calculated the market size of global coronavirus diagnostics market using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various end-user segments was recorded and forecast for the future years. Our Research sourced these values from the industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical data of these product types and applications for getting an appropriate, overall market size. Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations and financial reports were also studied by Our Research.

Key Target Audience:

 Coronavirus diagnostic kits manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and other stakeholders

 Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers

 Organizations, forums and alliances related to coronavirus diagnostics

 Market research and consulting firms

The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for the industry stakeholders, besides allowing them in strategizing investments and capitalizing on market opportunities.

Report Scope:

In this report, global coronavirus diagnostics market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

 Market, By Type of Test:

Molecular

Serology

 Market, By User:

Single

Multiple

 Market, By Full Test Time:

Less Than 60 Minutes

1 Hour - 12 Hours

13 Hours - 24Hours

More Than 1 Day

 Market, By End User:

Hospitals

Public Health Labs

Private or Commercial Labs

Physician Labs

Others

 Market, By Region:

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Australia

Thailand

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Iran

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in global coronavirus diagnostics market.

Available Customizations:

With the given market data, Our Research offers customizations according to a companys specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

Company Information

 Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

Browse our full report with Table of Content :

https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/global-coronavirus-diagnostics-market-by-type-of-test-molecular-v-s-serology-by-user-single-v-s-multiple-by-full-/2048553

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Bharat Book is Your One-Stop-Shop with an exhaustive coverage of 4,80,000 reports and insights that includes latest Market Study, Market Trends & Analysis, Forecasts Customized Intelligence, Newsletters and Online Databases. Overall a comprehensive coverage of major industries with a further segmentation of 100+ subsectors.

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Musetta Vander has been to several of the most iconic national parks and landscapes in the U.S., capturing herself doing a yoga pose among the Joshua trees, driving on a tree-lined highway framed by Yosemites towering rock formations and sitting at the edge of a cliff overlooking a horseshoe-shaped bend in the Colorado River.

Sometimes its so beautiful you want to share it with the world immediately, said Vander of West Hollywood, California. However, I feel that you miss out on the magical experience nature provides you when you dont let go of social media or whatever else is consuming your mind.

Vanders travels illustrate a long-running debate over how connected national park visitors can or should be to the internet. Parks are grappling with the best way to expand service while preserving the serenity of the outdoors.

While those plans are a lower priority because the coronavirus has closed parks, National Park Service officials are intent on resolving the connectivity issue as states gradually start lifting restrictions.

We are doing our best to maintain as many project timelines as possible, park service spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo said.

The coronavirus shows the need for better internet service as more people work from home, said Christine Gale Reynolds, who lives in Yosemite Village within the park. The equipment also cant keep up with the summertime spike in visitors.

When my community expands to include a lot of tourists and travelers, its very competitive to get on the Wi-Fi, and people start getting bumped off, she said.

Kam Redlawsk points to service as a safety measure. She and her husband got lost visiting the federally managed Trona Pinnacles, massive rock structures in the central California desert, and couldnt get cell service. They got nervous as night fell but found a path out. She thinks about that in national parks and now amid the pandemic.

Access should be an equal right, especially in times of crises, she said.

Federal law requires parks to consider permits for infrastructure that could expand internet, cellphone and radio service.

Thats playing out at the Grand Canyon, where park officials are mapping where to put new communications towers. Some of the existing ones are prominent in heavily touristed areas. Others can be spotted among the trees.

A proposal calls for adding up to five towers, none of them below the rim. The other option would be considering new infrastructure case by case. Officials will decide later this year.

In a wide-ranging 2016 survey, 83% of visitors said using electronic devices was at least slightly important to their stay at the Grand Canyon, which gets more than 6 million visitors a year.

The park knows people rely on cellphones and other devices for directions, reservations and more, said Elly Boerke, an environmental protection specialist at the Grand Canyon, and theres not an expectation that shouldnt occur.

But a group of Grand Canyon river guides advocated for keeping the backcountry free of cellphone service.

Cellular companies only care about increasing profits and expanding coverage, the groups board wrote.

AT&T said it supports the Grand Canyons plan but questioned whether multiple carriers should rely on the same equipment.

Upgrading communications equipment can help in emergencies and with traffic cameras, electronic message boards and visitor tracking, said Lacayo, the park service spokeswoman. It also helps attract younger visitors who grew up using cellphones, she said.

But the need to get a perfect shot for social media requires reminders for safety over selfie, as people sometimes venture close to cliff edges, Lacayo said by email.

Parks say outdated and inadequate service leaves people searching for signals. Most of their improvement plans focus on developed areas and try to camouflage towers as trees or within the landscape.

Officials at Death Valley National Park along the California-Nevada state line approved a plan last year to construct a new cell tower, but its stalled until AT&T updates the proposal to meet environmental requirements.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming has approved a plan for more than 60 miles (97 kilometers) of underground fiber-optic line, with construction expected to begin this summer. The park known for its jagged mountain peaks also is considering a proposal for a cell tower.

Yellowstone National Park is considering a permit to install radio antennae on existing infrastructure to increase Wi-Fi speeds near guest lodges and employee housing.

The interior of Yellowstone has been starved for bandwidth, said Bret De Young, branch chief of technology, adding that the popularity of smartphones meant equipment installed in 2008 was overburdened within a year.

At Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, officials are considering a request from Verizon to erect a 60-foot (18-meter) cell tower on a plateau near a canyon filled with spire-shaped red rock formations.

Visitor numbers have more than doubled in the past decade, and the park relies on social media to let people know about conditions like flash floods in slot canyons. But tourists can read those updates only if theyre at limited locations with Wi-Fi and cellular signals, many of them outside Bryce Canyons boundaries.
A Big W store has been forced to immediately close its doors after years of low sales, while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to batter Australia's already embattled retail industry.

The store, which employed 70 people locally in Calmavale, Brisbane, had 'underperformed for some time', bosses said.

It is feared to be one of several potential closures as part of an 'ongoing review' by Big W's owners, Woolworths.

Three Sydney stores were closed in January, with the brand announcing in April 2019 it planned to close up to 30 of its beloved shops.

The Big W store in Calamvale (pictured) has closed its doors with immediate effect, with its 70 staff to be sent to work in other shops

The coronavirus lockdown has left shopping centres deserted as retailers temporarily close their doors (pictured, Westfield in Parramatta on April 1)

A spokesman for Big W said closing the store had been a 'difficult decision', but that the staff would be redeployed to other shops.

Luckily for locals, there are three more Big W stores within 7km of the closed Calamvale store, one at Browns Plains, one at Underwood and the third at Upper Mount Gravatt.

'Today we have made the difficult decision to close our Calamvale BIG W store in Brisbane,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

'These decisions are never taken lightly, however as part of our ongoing network review, we need to monitor the future potential of each store and unfortunately this one has underperformed for some time.

Kmart is trialling the closure of three stores to focus on the demand on the online service (pictured, Kmart in Parramatta Westfield)

'Under the terms of the lease at Calamvale, were obliged to cease trading immediately after giving notice to terminate. We regret the short notice it gives to our team and community.

'We do not anticipate that any future store closures would be subject to such tight time frames.

'We are committed to doing the right thing by our team and will guarantee the redeployment of all current Calamvale team members to one of many neighbouring stores - whether they're full time, part time or casual.'

The store was closed immediately after Big W made the decision not to extend its lease at Calamvale Central shopping centre.

It comes as sweeping changes to Australian retail were brought in during the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen thousands of shops shut their doors.

Australia's retail industry was already struggling with declining sales, which has only been made worse by the lockdown.

Kmart is trailling the closure of a number of stores across Australia as more shoppers choose online shopping during the pandemic.

Certain stores across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have temporarily closed while coronavirus restrictions remain in place.

Three out of some 240 stores will trial the closure and instead become online delivery centres to keep up with the current demand for online services.

The department store is offering free delivery for orders over $45.

Myer temporarily closed all its stores and stood down 10,000 staff in March, after suffering a serious decline in footfall.

All Myer stores across Australia will be closed for at least a month due to the coronavirus pandemic (pictured in Sydney)

Bosses said the Australian institution, which is 120 years old, would still be open online.

General Pants, Smiggle, and Peter Alexander have also temporarily closed due to the coronavirus fallout.

Fashion giant H&M has also closed all 49 of its stores in Australia until further notice because of the coronavirus crisis.

The company shutdown will leave as many as 1,300 people without jobs across Australia.

Target owner Wesfarmers is considering selling the department store chain or converting some stores into Kmarts in a bid to save the struggling retailer from extinction.

Target (pictured, its Sydney store) could be sold or converted into Kmarts after the department store's revenue and profits took a 'significant' hit during the coronavirus pandemic

Chief executive Rob Scott has revealed the company is looking to make changes for Target to become 'commercially viable', following a worse than expected slump in sales from the coronavirus lockdown.

The department store's revenue and profits have taken a 'significant' hit during the pandemic, which have left shopping centres deserted as retailers temporarily close their doors.

Australian bootmakers R.M. Williams has also shut all of its stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The renowned brand said the coronavirus crisis had 'stopped us mid-stride' and forced it to temporarily close its doors.

The Australian Retailers Association has warned larger fashion companies are most at risk as non-essential services go into lock down and consumers save their money.

ARA's Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said larger retailers like Myer and David Jones will flounder, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison's business rescue package.

The flagship Melbourne H&M store (pictured) closed its doors on April 5 as the company shuts down operations nationwide in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
Fort Hood officials and Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are asking for the publics assistance in locating 20-year old Pfc. Vanessa Guillen of Houston.

Investigators are offering a reward of up to $15,000 for credible information on the whereabouts of Guillen, last seen on April 22 at 1 p.m. according to a news release.
Upcoming webinar will provide insight on how the PPE industry is reassessing supply chain strategies due to the COVID-19-related surge from the healthcare industry

SANTA CLARA, California, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world by surprise, and a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has exposed the vulnerability of our healthcare and emergency response systems. While the virus has uncovered industry shortcomings, such as its dependence on outsourced supply chains, demand for PPE is thriving and creating market opportunities globally. According to Frost & Sullivan, on average, the industry grows at 3% to 5% per annum; however, the healthcare PPE segment is now experiencing an unprecedented boom, estimated at 80% to 100%, and is opening doors for new entrants, alliances, and partnership opportunities between PPE players and material suppliers.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1161730/PPE_Webinar.jpg

Frost & Sullivan invites you to join Global President & Managing Partner Aroop Zutshi and Vice President Sanjiv Bhaskar for the Growth Opportunity briefing, "COVID-19: Growth Opportunities in the PPE Industry," on May 7 at 11 a.m. EST. The briefing will highlight how the PPE industry can seize the growth opportunities presented and remain a favorite of the private equity community, and also discuss how the pandemic will change the PPE industry's approach to different end-user industries.

For more information and to register for the webinar, please visit: http://frost.ly/42t

Key benefits of attending this webinar:

Understand the impact of COVID-19 on the industrial PPE markets.

Identify global opportunities for industrial PPE supplies of masks, gowns and eye protection in the healthcare industry.

Expose potential new competitors to industrial PPE players.

Discover how to overcome supply chain challenges such as over-dependence on imports.

Capitalize on the growing userbase to help your company expand.

Find out if COVID-19 will reverse the PPE consolidation trend or enhance it.

The event will also be recorded and available on-demand at http://frost.ly/1ti.

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.

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The 26th Amendment is often viewed as a relic of the Vietnam War era, when 18-year-olds protested the fact that they were old enough to be drafted but not to cast a ballot. Ratified in less than 100 days, the amendment enshrined in the Constitution citizens right to vote at age 18, knocking down laws that set the voting age at 21. For decades, that guarantee was rarely invoked in court since lawmakers generally honored it. But as todays voting rights foes exploit a pandemic to disenfranchise Americans, the amendment has newfound importance: It should prevent states from discriminating against younger voters with both subtle and brazen tactics.

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The threat of the coronavirus is creating unprecedented demand for absentee ballots; many Republican lawmakers are responding by trying to limit access. There are laws on the books to help them in one regard. Currently, seven states permit only elderly voters to mail in their ballots: Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas grant this privilege to voters 65 and older; Tennessee extends it to those 60 and older; and Kentucky only bestows it upon voters of advance age. (None of these states have waived their age limit for the November election, though Indiana and Kentucky did so for their primaries.) Younger people who want to vote by mail must give a reason, such as a serious illness or absence from the state on Election Day. As New York magazines Ed Kilgore has noted, these laws effectively limit absentee voting to Trump-approved groups, older Americans who are much more likely to vote Republican.

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On Wednesday, voting rights advocates filed a federal lawsuit against Texas restriction. It is likely the first in a spate of challenges to protect the election. Unless the federal judiciary decides to unilaterally rewrite the 26th Amendment, it will be obligated to invalidate these laws.

Although it is often viewed as a simple promise that Americans can vote upon turning 18, the 26th Amendment is actually a broad ban on age-based voting restrictions. It declares that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged for citizens 18 and over on account of age. In other words, the amendment does not just protect 18-year-olds ability to vote. It also forbids any law that abridges adult citizens right to vote because of their age. The amendment established a policy against laws that burden an adults suffrage due to their youth, reflecting a national consensus that younger adults deserve fully equal access to the ballot. As Yael Bromberg detailed in her groundbreaking study of the 26th Amendment, Congress said as much when considering the amendment in 1971: The Senate expressed its desire to remove special burdens on young voters, while the House of Representatives sought to abolish any voting law that had the purpose or effect of discriminating on account of age.

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Initially, courts adopted this view of the amendment. For instance, when striking down a policy that disenfranchised students living on campus, the New Jersey Supreme Court wrote in 1972 that the amendment clearly evidences the purpose not only of extending the voting right to young voters but also of encouraging their participation by the elimination of all unnecessary burdens and barriers. And the U.S. Supreme Courts only 26th Amendment decision, Symm v. United States, struck down a county policy that singled out college students for special scrutiny when they registered to vote, forcing them to reveal personal information that ostensibly helped the registrar determine whether they qualified. Other courts invalidated similar laws that made it more difficult for college students to vote, even when they did not fully disenfranchise them.

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It is impossible to reconcile these decisions with contemporary laws that forbid adults of a certain age from voting by mail. In fact, it is remarkable that such laws remain on the books nearly a half-century after the ratification of the 26th Amendment. Today, most litigation over the amendment involves overt efforts to suppress college students suffrageas when Florida attempted to outlaw early-voting sites on university campuses. (A federal judge blocked the rule as an unconstitutional age-based voting discrimination.) But the Constitution provides no lesser protection to voters age 1864 who wish to vote absentee. As voting rights expert Joshua A. Douglas told me on Wednesday: This is a strong claim. The 26th Amendment not only forbids states from denying the right to vote on the basis of age over 18. It also prohibits them from abridging the right to vote based on age. Yet the Texas law does exactly that: impose discriminatory voting rules on the basis of age.

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If Americans cannot vote by mail in November, they will be forced to choose between protecting their health and exercising their constitutional rights. Some advocates are fighting in state court to expand absentee balloting, citing the health crisis and state-level voting protections. But they face a fierce battle in states like Texas, where lawmakers are appealing a state court order that would let voters cite the coronavirus as an excuse to vote by mail. Luckily, in seven statesincluding Texasthe 26th Amendment plainly compels federal courts to strike the age limitation and open up vote by mail to everyone, young and old. Federal courts stacked with Donald Trump appointees may disagree given their flagrant disregard for precedent, but the Supreme Court should not let them write the amendment out of the Constitution. States simply have no power to impose special burdens on voters who are not in the demographic most favorable to Trump.

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The Tibetan diaspora and the international community want China to provide information about the Panchen Lama, now a young man of 31. Abducted by Beijing 25 years ago, he has not been seen ever since. China has no plans to leave religion in the hands of believers. "We can only pray for his health and his release, a source told AsiaNews.

Dharamshala (AsiaNews)  Tibetans around the world and the international community marked the 31st birthday of the Panchen Lama by again calling on the Chinese government to free him.

The religious leader, considered the Number 2 in Tibetan Buddhism, has been held in an unknown place for more than 25 years by order of Beijing.

All we can do is pray for his physical and mental health. We hope that he will be freed as soon as possible, an anonymous Tibetan source told AsiaNews.

Chinese authorities seized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family on 17 May 1995, three days after the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, recognised him at the age of six (pictured: as a child, left, a computer-generated image, right).

Within Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama is important, among other things, because he has the task of recognising the rebirth of the Dalai Lama after his death.

Amidst the increasing spread of the coronavirus around the globe, we are ever more worried about his health, said Tenzin Dorjee, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

We insist that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) immediately release a televised statement on the well-being of the Panchen Lama and confirm that he is alive. The world community must also insist that China immediately release the Panchen Lama.

Supporters of the Tibetan cause in the European Parliament and the Japanese Diet have expressed similar views. However, the United States remains the most important ally for the Buddhist diaspora.

In January, the House of Representatives approved a bill calling on the US government to boost its support for the Tibetan people. Now the draft is before the Senate. If signed into law, it will require China to allow the opening of a US consulate in Tibets capital Lhasa before any new Chinese consulate can open in the United States.

We have no news about the Panchen Lama, but we always pray for him and the Dalai Lama, said a Tibetan source, anonymous for security reasons, speaking to AsiaNews.

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tibetan cause is certainly not at the top of the agenda of world leaders. However, We hope things will change soon and that religious freedom will return to Tibet.

The Panchen Lamas abduction shows how far Chinas Communist regime is willing to go to meddle with Tibetan Buddhism. Selecting reincarnated lamas in Tibets sinicised regions has required Beijings approval for quite a while.

Teachers chosen from among patriotic lamas get higher status, whilst pro-government monks do not call for Tibetan independence.

By seizing the Panchen Lama, Beijing wants to pick the monk who will replace the current Dalai Lama after his death.

Reacting to Beijing's interference, the current holder of the office, Tenzin Gyatso, suggested that he could either be the last Dalai Lama or his reincarnation could be selected by a conclave of top Buddhist abbots in the diaspora.
A "whopping big" asteroid - that would leave a six-mile-wide crater if it hit Earth - is due to skim past our planet today at 19,000mph.

The space rock, known as (52768) 1998 OR2, is expected to make its closest approach at 10.56am, when it will be just 3.9 million miles away  around 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Although the asteroid is classified as a potentially hazardous object (PHO), scientists have said it will not put the planet at risk.

Dr Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University, said: This asteroid poses no danger to the Earth and will not hit  it is one catastrophe we wont have.

While it is big, it is still smaller than the asteroid that impacted the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs.

He said an asteroid is classed as a PHO if it is bigger than 500ft and comes within five million miles of Earths orbit.

Dr Anne Virkki, head of Planetary Radar at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, who has been tracking the 1.2 mile-wide rock, said understanding more about PHOs will help improve impact-risk mitigation technologies.

At present, there are no known PHOs that pose an immediate danger to the Earth.

The team, who began observations on April 13, joked that the most recent pictures of the asteroid made it look as though it is wearing a mask.

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

Dr Virkki said: The small-scale topographic features such as hills and ridges on one end of asteroid 1998 OR2 are fascinating scientifically.

But, since we are all thinking about Covid-19, these features make it look like 1998 OR2 remembered to wear a mask.

Scientists will continue to monitor the asteroid, although the next closest approach is not expected to take place for another 49 years.

Flaviane Venditti, a research scientist at the observatory, said: The radar measurements allow us to know more precisely where the asteroid will be in the future, including its future close approaches to Earth.

Scientists started observing the asteroid on April 13 / @NAICobservatory

In 2079, asteroid 1998 OR2 will pass Earth about 3.5 times closer than it will this year, so it is important to know its orbit precisely.

Amy Mainzer of the University of Arizona, told the National Geographic: "It's just a whopping big asteroid.

"It's smaller than the thing thought to have caused the extinction of dinosaurs, but it is easily capable of causing a lot of damage."

Every year dozens of asteroids pass within five miles of Earth and scientists believe an asteroid that is big enough to cause regional devastation could one day collide with our planet.

Next year Nasa is launching a spacecraft to conduct the first test of a strategy for stopping a dangerous asteroid.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) involves a spacecraft hitting the smaller of two asteroids that are orbiting each other.

Then scientists will be able to measure any change in the smaller object's orbit from Earth in order to find out whether it has been successfully deflected.

"It's an exciting time," said Ed Lu, a retired Nasa astronaut and founder of the B612 Foundation to the National Geographic.

"I think DART's going to be a tremendous demonstration."
Archive footage from Chinas state media shows scientists from a mysterious virus lab in Wuhan studying a novel coronavirus found in bats two years ago.

The video report, aired on state broadcaster CCTV in 2018, has sparked controversy since it was reposted onto the internet after the emergence of COVID-19, which is also caused by a novel coronavirus.

Shi Zhengli, a lead researcher from the institute, told reporters that the pathogen featured in the clip was different from the strain of coronavirus that has triggered the pandemic.

CCTV released a report in 2018 showing scientists in the Wuhan Institute of Virology studying 'a novel coronavirus from bats'. Shi Zhengli, a lead researcher from the institute, said the pathogen was different from the strain of coronavirus that has triggered the pandemic

Researchers at the Wuhan lab identified and separated the strain of novel coronavirus, SADS-CoV, from Chinese rufous horseshoe bats, which are native to East and South Asia

The CCTV report was filmed in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, an affiliation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The 34million institute keeps more than 1,500 strains of deadly viruses and has become the centre of controversy amid the pandemic.

Startling theories claim that the current coronavirus was leaked from the establishment, which has China's only lab with the highest biosafety level of P4.

The US has launched an official investigation to find out if the coronavirus first crossed to humans accidentally during experiments with bats at the lab.

US President Trump also said that he intended to bill China more than $160billion for a 'substantial' amount for damages caused by the deadly disease.

Shi Zhengli (pictured working in the lab), a lead researcher at the institute, said the pathogen featured in the clip was different from the strain of coronavirus that has caused the pandemic

The Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured) is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences

China insisted that the WHO found no evidence that the novel coronavirus was man-made.

Dr Yuan Zhiming, the deputy head of the institute, told state media earlier this month 'there's no way' the new strain of coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, originated there.

Shi, who specialises in bat viruses, said in February that she 'guaranteed with her own life' that the outbreak was not related to her workplace.

Sources said American analysts will present their findings 'in the near term' to Trump, who will then huddle with aides to determine how to hold China accountable for the pandemic

According to the CCTV report, which was released on April 5 in 2018, researchers identified and separated a new strain of novel coronavirus from Chinese rufous horseshoe bats, which are native to East and South Asia.

Experts confirmed that the strain was responsible for a large-scale outbreak of a fatal disease in pigs in southern China a year earlier.

The outbreak emerged in the province of Guangdong in 2017 and caused the death of more than 20,000 piglets, Shi said in a previous paper.

The virus has been named SADS-CoV, which stands for the Swine Acute Diarrhoea Syndrome coronavirus.

Scientists were filmed studying SADS-CoV, a large-scale outbreak of a fatal disease in pigs in southern China in 2017, in the clip released by Chinese state broadcaster in April, 2018

Scientists said they had developed a vaccine and antibody for the SADS coronavirus, adding that they believed the bug could not be passed on to humans.

But they warned that it was similar to the SARS coronavirus, which could be spread to people.

SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, caused an outbreak in 2002. The disease killed 775 people globally in the space of eight months.

The research shows that mankind must actively monitor the viral infections in bats and other wild animals, the CCTV report urged.

The consensus among scientists directs the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the ongoing novel coronavirus, to wild animals, most likely bats.

Shi and her team warned of the possibility of SARS-like coronavirus outbreaks in China in a research paper from January, 2019. Shi is pictured explaining her work to state media in 2017

Chinese officials decided to build the institute after the country was ravaged by an outbreak of SARS in 2002 and 2003. The picture shows researchers working in the lab in February, 2017

Experts suspect that the virus jumped onto humans from bats through an intermediate host, which remains unknown.

Chinese scientists previously said that the virus likely came from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, which sold live wild animals.

The emergence of SARS and SADS, together with another coronavirus-related disease MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), led Shi and her team to warn of the possibility of human-based coronavirus outbreaks in China in a study from January last year.

Shi, nicknamed the 'Bat Woman', allegedly sequenced the genes of SARS-CoV-2 in three days after the epidemic emerged, but was silenced by her boss.

Scientists believe that the virus jumped to humans from wild animals sold as food in a market about 10 miles from the lab, but conspiracy theorists are promoting different assumptions

The market, called Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, was shut on January 1 in the wake of the epidemic. A woman wearing a mask is pictured walking past the closed market on January 20

In the article, the team highlighted the likelihood of another coronavirus epidemic in China by analysing three large-scale outbreaks caused by SARS, MERS and SADS respectively.

It said that all three pathogens were coronaviruses and could be traced back to bats, and two of them had originated in China.

The researchers urged: 'Thus, it is highly likely that future SARS- or MERS-like coronavirus outbreaks will originate from bats, and there is an increased probability that this will occur in China.

'Therefore, the investigation of bat coronaviruses becomes an urgent issue for the detection of early warning signs, which in turn minimizes the impact of such future outbreaks in China.'

Coronaviruses are so named because their structure has jagged edges which look like a royal crown  corona is crown in Latin (Pictured, an illustration of the COVID-19 virus released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The team pointed out that China's size, population and biodiversity could propel the spread of the potential bug.

It also underlined the Chinese tradition of favouring fresh meat.

'Chinese food culture maintains that live slaughtered animals are more nutritious, and this belief may enhance viral transmission,' the paper read.

A team led by Shi already discovered in 2018 that humans might be able to catch the coronavirus directly from bats after conducting studies, according to Beijing News.

Since its emergence in Wuhan in December, the latest coronavirus has swept across the world.

The bug has killed 4,633 people and infected 82,858 in China, according to latest government figures.

Worldwide, more than 218,000 people have lost their lives and over three million have fallen ill in the pandemic.
India on Wednesday named TS Tirumurti as its next permanent representative to the United Nations at New York as part of string of ambassadorial appointments.

Tirumurti, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1985 batch and currently secretary (economic relations), will replace Syed Akbaruddin, who is set to retire this month.

Tirumurti has played a key role in recent prime ministerial visits and engagements abroad. He has earlier had stints at the permanent mission in Geneva and as director in the foreign secretarys office and joint secretary (UN, economic and social).

The other key appointment announced on Wednesday was that of Deepak Mittal, an IFS officer of the 1998 batch and currently joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) as the next ambassador to Qatar.

Mittal, who played a key role in handling the face-off with Pakistan following the suicide attack in Pulwama last year and the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

The current envoy to Qatar, P Kumaran, is expected to be appointed the new high commissioner to Singapore. JP Singh, currently Indias consul general in Istanbul, is considered a front-runner to replace Mittal in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk as he has served as the deputy high commissioner in Islamabad.

Namrata S Kumar, an IFS officer of the l997 batch and currently deputy director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, was appointed as the next ambassador to Slovenia. She is expected to take up her assignment shortly.

Indias current ambassador to the Philippines, Jaideep Mazumdar, an IFS officer of the 1989 batch, was named the next envoy to Austria. He too is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

Piyush Srivastava, an IFS officer of the 1998 batch and currently joint secretary (north), has been appointed as the next ambassador to Bahrain.

The high commissioner to the UK, Ruchi Ghanshyam, who too is set to retire this month, is expected to be replaced by Gaitri Kumar, currently the envoy to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union.

Santosh Jha, currently Indias envoy to Uzbekistan, is tipped to be the new ambassador in Brussels, the people said.

The Covid-19 crisis and subsequent travel restrictions have delayed the movement of several Indian envoys to postings abroad. They are now expected to begin moving out when the nationwide lockdown is eased next month.
Bemcentinib, an experimental Norwegian cancer drug has become the first to be fast-tracked into UK Government-funded coronavirus trials

An experimental Norwegian cancer drug has become the first of six promising coronavirus treatments to be fast-tracked into human coronavirus trials in the UK.

The medication, called bemcentinib, could be tested on 120 hospitalised COVID-19 sufferers at six NHS trusts as early as this week.

Laboratory studies by the University of Iowa found the pill could boost immune response and switch off AXL receptors, which when turned on, allow the virus to enter and multiply in lung cells.

BerGenBio said its drug - which had shown promising results in trials on cancer patients - was 'special' because it is taken as a once-a-day pill and has few side effects.

The small Bergen-based biotech firm said this made it suitable for elderly and fragile people prone to developing severe illness.

Bemcentinib, along with five other promising drugs, has been selected as part of the Government's ACCORD programme to find a cure for the virus.

The Department of Health revealed two of the others being looked at are MEDI3506 and acalabrutinib. But officials told MailOnline they were not naming the other three.

MEDI3506 is found in Farxiga, which can help treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetic kidney disease.

Calquence, generic name acalabrutinib, is a medication for a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma known as mantle cell lymphoma.

Bemcentinib is believed to work by inhibiting the AXL receptor, thought to be coronavirus' doorway into cells

Bemcentinib will be rushed into the phase 2 trial this week or next, and results are expected within months.

Phase 2 studies focus on the testing of a drug on patients to assess how effective it is, while working out its side effects.

If it is found to treat coronavirus patients it will be rushed into large-scale phase three trials on thousands of patients.

Bemcentinib is believed to work by inhibiting AXL receptors, which regulate immune cells, according to lab studies at the University of Iowa.

The number of AXL receptors increases when their environment is stressed, particularly when viruses or cancers start multiplying in the body.

When AXL receptors are hijacked by invading viruses, the cell's antiviral powers are switched off and it becomes defenceless to the disease.

The test tube studies also showed the drug enhanced a type I interferon response, which alerts the body to the coronavirus and calls for more immune cells to attack it.

Bemcentinib is currently being trialled on around 300 cancer patients, but it is not approved as a treatment in any country.

Given at the same time as chemotherapy, it has been shown to boost the immune response to cancer, prevent drug resistance and slow down the spread of tumours.

The Department of Health revealed two of the others being looked at are MEDI3506, found in Forxiga (right), and acalabrutinib, branded as Calquence (left)

Richard Godfrey, chief executive of BerGenBio, said: 'We are delighted to be part of this initiative which is a ground-breaking partnership between government, academia and industry.

'We are hopeful that bemcentinib can play a significant role in the global effort to find suitable treatment options for COVID-19 patients, which has had such serious implications for so many people and thereby ease pressures on hospital intensive care units, and ultimately treat thousands of patients.

'We are poised to commence dosing in the coming days and will provide results as soon as is practically possible.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Currently no drugs in the world have been clinically proven to treat Covid-19. But our Therapeutics Taskforce has identified a number of promising candidates.

WHAT ARE THE THREE MAIN CORONAVIRUS TRIALS IN THE UK? Principle The Principle trial is studying people aged 50 to 64 who have COVID-19 symptoms and a chronic health condition such as heart disease, asthma or cancer. It is unclear how many patients are taking part. It is also open to those aged 65 or over, with or without other illnesses. The first drug that will be trialled is hydroxychloroquine, sold as Plaquenil. Other potential treatments will be used if they show promise in pre-clinical studies. The study is being run at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC) in Surrey. It will last until March next year. Recovery The Randomised Evaluation of COV-id19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial is being run by the University of Oxford. It will test the HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir, marketed as Kaletra and Aluvia, hydroxychloroquine, a malaria medication sold as Plaquenil, and dexamethasone, a type of steroid use in a range of conditions to reduce inflammation. Almost 1,000 patients from 132 different hospitals have been already recruited in just 15 days. Thousands more are expected to join the trial in the coming weeks, making it the largest randomised controlled trial of potential COVID-19 treatments in the world. Definitive results on whether the treatments are safe and effective are expected within months and, if positive, they could potentially benefit hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. REMAP-CAP The REMAP-CAP trial is an international effort, with more than 50 research teams around the world taking part. It is looking specifically at patients who develop community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) as a result of viral infections. The study will test 16 drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon beta, which have all shown promise in pre-clinical trials. Between 2,000 and 4,000 patients will be enrolled. Advertisement

'Currently, six different treatments have been entered into national clinical trials and the first is ready to enter the next stage: a new early phase clinical trial platform that we are launching today. This is a national effort made possible by government, academia and industry working together.'

Funded by the DOH and UK Research and Innovation, the ACCORD (Accelerating COVID-19 Research & Development platform) trial aims to get an early indication of drug treatments effectiveness in treating coronavirus.

The 'rapidly' scaled-up national initiative will accelerate the development of new drugs for patients hospitalised with the disease.

This will reduce the time taken to set up clinical studies for new therapies from months to just weeks, helping to ease pressure on the NHS.

Doctors are scrambling to find a treatment that can help cure or slow down the disease, which has killed more than 21,000 people in Britain.

Repurposing one which is already used to treat another illness would be the best way to do this because it saves time on clinical trials and licensing.

Further potential treatments will be rapidly fed into ACCORD as the programme rolls out over the next few weeks.

Early hopes for treatments included a lupus and rheumatoid arthritis drug called hydroxychloroquine and an antiviral designed for Ebola called remdesivir.

Trials on those two have so far returned mixed results but countries around the world continue to test them under the guidance of the World Health Organization.

Hydroxycholoroquine is being tested in the UK in three studies.

One is a study being run by the Royal College of General Practitioners for patients aged over 50 who develop COVID-19 symptoms.

It is being done on an unknown number of people, of whom the under-65s will all have to have a long-term health condition such as asthma or heart disease to qualify.

Another trial, named RECOVERY, will test hydroxychloroquine as well as others such as the HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir, and a steroid called dexamethasone, on thousands of patients from more than 100 different NHS hospitals.

The RECOVERY trial, run by the University of Oxford, is the UK's largest so far and results could be returned within months.

Britain's third main trial, named REMAP-CAP, is part of an international effort which will study people who develop pneumonia after catching the coronavirus. It will test 16 drugs on those patients, among them hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir.

Another clinical trial being done in NHS hospitals is not testing medication, per se, but examining whether COVID-19 patients could benefit from being injected with immune cells taken from patients who have already recovered from the virus.

The blood plasma therapy trial is being carried out with the help of the NHS Blood & Transplant service and involves collecting immune cells from people who have recovered, and making a sterilised treatment to give to people who are currently ill.

The treatment, known as convalescent plasma, has been around in principle for over 100 years and may work by boosting the patient's immune system.

A drug designed to battle Ebola, called remdesivir, had been slated as a promising option but was last week reported to have failed its first clinical trial in China. Results for patients taking it appear to be mixed.

Documents published by accident by the World Health Organization suggested the trial had not worked just days after one in Chicago said it eased patients' symptoms and helped them to leave hospital sooner.

Trials in the UK were announced by the manufacturer, Gilead, at the start of this month and are taking place across 15 medical clinics in the UK.

In another announcement about medications today, Mr Hancock said the Government would relax the laws on medicine-sharing in care homes.

He said staff in nursing and residential homes would now be able to use spare drugs prescribed to treat a resident for whom they were not initially prescribed in certain circumstances, if they were otherwise going to be thrown away.

He said this would help the homes 'make best possible use' of drug supplies.

Mr Hancock also announced that routine coronavirus swab testing will now be available for everyone working or living in a care home or hospital, regardless of whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.

And tests will also be available to anyone over the age of 65 who has a high temperature or a new cough, and to people who live with them.
By Lama Ismayilova

Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve will screen a short film on the "Shirvanshahs' Heritage in the World's Museums" exhibition.

Produced by Medeniyyet TV, the film gives you a chance to get acquainted with exposition, based on 101 unique exhibits, stored in Istanbul Military Museum, Georgian National Museum, National History Museum of Azerbaijan, National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, Military History Museum of Azerbaijan, Shamakhi History- Ethnography Museum, NUM.Az LLC and Icherisheher History Museum.

Notably, the exhibition was organized by Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve in the framework of the international scientific conference "Journey from modern Azerbaijan to the Historical State of the Shirvanshahs".

The opening of the exhibition was timed the release of the colorful thematic album "Shirvanshahs' Heritage in the World's Museums".

The exhibition featured collection of helmets with inscriptions-parting words. The exhibits of the Georgian National Museum of History replenished the exhibition with magnificently preserved boilers, which were a mandatory attribute of the Turkic army and had multifunctional significance. Of no less interest are two tiles from the tomb of Pir-Hussein. These unique ceramic facings with inscriptions and paintings are stored in the State Hermitage Museum, as well as the historical museums of Baku and Tbilisi.

The History Museum of Azerbaijan presented the only golden jewelry of the Shirvanshah era, a brooch with rubies and turquoise, found in the grave of Bike Khanim - the wife of Shirvanshah Sheikh Ibrahim (founder of national diplomacy), mother of Shirvanshah Khalilullah I .

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Cebu City (CNN Philippines, April 30)  The Cebu provincial jail and Lapu-Lapu City jail are now included in the list of detention facilities in Cebu that have been hit by the coronavirus disease.

Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia announced on Wednesday that 18 inmates from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) tested positive for COVID-19. The jail has also recorded its first coronavirus-related death  a 44-year-old male detainee from Catmon, Cebu.

Garcia said that the 18 inmates were already isolated from the general jail population even before their test results came because they exhibited influenza-like illness, prompting jail officials to isolate them as part of protocol.

Upon initial investigation, Garcia said a male administrative staff from the jail facility could have been the source of the infection.

The male staff, who was later found positive for COVID-19, has defied the order to stay-in at the jail facility instead of going home daily. It was reported that the staff continued to go to his house in Barangay Sambag Dos in Cebu City.

"Apparently that was not strictly followed...That's the weak point," the governor said.

The Lapu-Lapu City jail on Wednesday also recorded one jail officer contracting the virus.

CPDRC's neighboring facility, Cebu City Jail, has already recorded a total of 212 infections of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Mandaue City recorded one inmate infected with COVID-19 last April 24.

There are a total of 631 cases of COVID-19 in Cebu, as recorded by the Department of Health Central Visayas.
A 70-year-old man died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, a day after he was readmitted to a hospital in West Bengal when it as found that he had been discharged on Sunday after having wrongly been declared to have tested negative for the infection, his son said on Wednesday. The son said the gross negligence has endangered their family, including a seven-month-old child, as they spent time with him after he was discharged from Kolkatas designated Covid-19 M R Bangur Hospital.

A health department official, who did not want to be named, said all members of the family would now be tested for coronavirus.

It was a human error. The report came positive but got wrongly listed as negative, said a doctor at the hospital, who did not want to be identified.

West Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha, state health services director Ajay Chakraborty and health secretary Vivek Kumar did not respond to questions about the alleged negligence and whether an inquiry had been initiated.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday admitted to minor clerical mistakes and added they should not be highlighted. She did not mention the Bangur Hospital or the alleged negligence.

The son said his father was admitted to the hospital on April 22 as he complained of dry cough. On April 25, I received a call from the hospital at night, saying my father has tested negative and would be released. He was discharged on the morning of April 26 and the discharge certificate had Covid-19 negative written on it. However, that very night, hospital authorities telephoned me again, this time to say that there had been a mistake and he was actually [Covid-19] positive. They asked me to bring him back to the hospital, said the son.

The man was readmitted to the hospital on April 27 and died the next day.

Who is responsible for this mistake? They killed my father. Also, what if my children now test positive? My father spent time with them after coming back home. My mother is 63. They are all vulnerable, said the son.

Banerjee said there could be some errors and must be forgiven for the time being. People are not making mistakes deliberately. This is a new task and a new initiative. Some minor mistakes may happen, she said without naming the hospital or the patient.

How can you expect that each and every health worker will be totally trained in this short span of time? They can also make mistakes. They can make errors in what they write. There can be a minor error in a notice; a printing mistake. Some are trying to malign the government... All these health workers need at this hour is some appreciation.
"Poilane: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery" by Apollonia Poilane. (Philippe Vaures Santamaria)

While many of us are stuck at home, with time to read as we compulsively stress-bake and feed our sourdough starters, may I make a suggestion? Get a copy of French baker Apollonia Poilane's cookbook, which will happily address your baking concerns as well as what to do with all that bread.

"Poilane: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery came out in October and is the first book in English from Poilane, the granddaughter of Pierre Poilane, who opened the family bakery in 1932 on the Left Bank in Paris. If you read the New Yorker , you may already know her story: how her parents died in a 2002 helicopter crash, when she was a teenager, leaving her to run the family business  from her Harvard dorm room.

Not only did she take the helm of the company and graduate with a degree in economics but she and her younger sister, Athena, have also expanded and modernized the boulangerie. (There are bakeries now in Paris and London, and you can order Poilane's bread, flour, bannetons and filled cookie tins online, even shipped overnight to California.)

Loaves of bread stacked at the Poilane bakery. (Philippe Vaures Santamaria)

After a forward by Alice Waters, the first recipe is, of course, for the sourdough boule that made the bakery famous. (I once walked across Paris to get one of the massive loaves, engraved with the swirled letter P, the size and shape of a Citroen hubcap.) Apollonia Poilane takes you through the process, which includes making starter from scratch (she uses yogurt), proofing, shaping, scoring and baking (in a 12-inch lidded Dutch oven).

Poilane is a patient teacher, taking novice bakers through the steps, providing encouragement for instructions that many might find daunting, and including marvelous tips on technique, flours, "baking with all your senses" and stories about growing up and learning how to bake herself.

Baker and cookbook author Apollonia Poilane in her family's Paris bakery. (Philippe Vaures Santamaria)

More surprising, however, is that this is not a wonky book, written by one master baker for other master bakers. Rather it's a gentle, user-friendly cookbook that provides recipes which are sometimes utterly, beautifully simple. Sure, you'll find stuff on decorative flourishes and laminating dough, but this book is also a paean to loaves and even single slices of bread.

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There are also wonderfully useful tips for storing and refreshing bread, what to do with stale bread (make ice cream), where to find baking gear (directly from Poilane) and how to make good croutons (spice and fry them). The thick catalog of recipes includes as many for what to do with your bread as for the breads themselves, such as bread chips, bread granola, whipped cream made with cream steeped in brioche, simple dishes made with all those bread crumbs and a recipe for, yes, perfect toast.

Perfect toast, from the book "Poilane: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery." (Philippe Vaures Santamaria)

"A recipe for toast? You many scoff," she writes. "But my father was onto something with a little trick he had." (Spoiler: You toast the bread in pairs.) And so the pages accumulate, shuffling recipes for crouton salads, meatloaf (made with bread crumbs) and bread-and-butter sandwiches with more elaborate chef-y ones for croissants, puff pastry and a massive, intricate galette des rois. The range is spectacular and often playful, with welcome accompanying recipes such as those for oat milk, cultured butter and flavored jams.

This is a pragmatic book about the most basic, even profound, of all staple foods, a fitting read for a time when we have actual bread lines again. Unlike many bread books, which can often read like graduate-level chemistry texts, "Poilane" is equally useful for both practiced bakers and neophytes tentatively kneading their first loaves. It is also a cookbook that you can treat like a quarantine coffee-table book, paging through the terrific photography (by Philippe Vaures Santamaria), dreaming of a post-pandemic trip to Europe.

Inside Poilane bakery, a third-generation boulangerie in Paris. (Philippe Vaures Santamaria)

"Once, when we were kids, my father brought me and my sister to an abandoned malt factory outside Antwerp, Belgium," Poilane writes in the head note to a recipe for barley-beer bread, like she's telling a fairy tale in her kitchen.

"He led us through a trapdoor into an old empty grain silo and told us to rub the wall with our fingers to bring out the barley aroma that had been trapped in the wall for decades. Sure enough we could smell, however faintly, the toasted cereal scent, and we marveled at how we could conjure up the past just like that."




- The relatives were said to have come in contact with Oyugi and put under quarantine in Siaya and Urenga KMTC

- The immediate family members of the late, unlike the others, underwent four COVID-19 tests

- This was because they had interacted with the second index case who is currently undergoing treatment at Bondo Sub-County Hospital

- They had initially refused to take the fourth test saying they were being subjected to unfair practice by the health authorities

Seventeen family members of the late James Oyugi who died from COVID-19 were on Wednesday, April 29, released from quarantine after testing negative for the virus.

The relatives had been traced by the county health officials after Oyugi's burial and put under quarantine in Siaya and Urenga Kenya Medical Training Centre.

READ ALSO: Nairobi woman narrates how Ghanaian lover conned, left her homeless

The late Oyugi is believed to have contracted the virus in Mombasa County where he worked at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). Photo: Daily Nation.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Working from home: Sierra Leone Minister feeds, carries 10-month-old daughter on his back during Zoom meeting

The immediate family members of the late underwent four tests since they had interacted with the second index case who is currently undergoing treatment at Bondo Sub-County Hospital.

An excited brother to the deceased, Zack Onyango, who is also the spokesperson of the family, confirmed all the 17 family members had finally been released, The Standard reported.

"We are going home. We have been released after the fourth test. We are negative of the virus. We are finally going home. I am so happy," said Onyango.

READ ALSO: Death of a hero: Top ER doctor who treated coronavirus patients dies

The 17, who included the late James Oyugi's two wives, his son and brother had initially refused to take the fourth test saying they were being subjected to unfair practice by the health authorities.

We have been here for 17 days ...we were told we would be added two more days because of the interaction we had with one of our members," Onyango told Daily Nation.

More people believed to have had contact with the former KPA employee had by Monday, April 27, tested negative following tests conducted at the KEMRI labs in Kisumu.

READ ALSO: Thika couple appeals for financial help to treat 11-month-old daughter admitted with pneumonia at Kijabe Hospital

Oyugi had been buried without a burial permit, an important document that indicates the cause of death. Photo: Daily Nation.

Source: UGC

Fifty people who were in quarantine in two centres in Siaya town and in Ugenya had also been allowed to go home but advised to self-quarantine for seven days after being released.

According to Siaya County Commissioner Michael Ole Tialal, out the 50 people, 31 were from Siaya KMTC campus grounds while 19 were released from Urenga KMTC in Ugenya sub-county.

The late Oyugi is believed to have contracted the virus in Mombasa county where he worked at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

READ ALSO: Malindi woman ordered to return KSh 150,000 paid as her dowry after court nullified marriage

The late Oyugi was hurriedly buried in the wee hours of Sunday, April 12, at his home in Siaya county, with his kins protesting what they described as an 'undignified' send-off.

Oyugi had been buried without a burial permit, an important document that indicates the cause of death, with the family filing a petition in court calling for the exhumation of his body for an autopsy.

In the video that drew outrage, a white pickup was seen arriving at the home in the dead of night with three men donning white hazmat suits complete with other protective gear.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Jaipur, April 29 : Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who passed away on Wednesday had a strong love for theatre world. He wanted to see new talents come out on the stage and theatre culture growing in India the same way as it has grown in developed countries. He also wanted folk tales from Rajasthan villages to be told in cities so that there could have been the right connect between rural and urban India.

During one of his scheduled visits to Jaipur way back in 2016, he had said, "Going to theatre is not being looked down upon by anyone in other countries but in india, things need to be changed.

"Am glad to see scenario changing in India too. I feel happy to see people in Gujarat and Rajasthan visiting theatres regularly after taking out time from their busy schedule. The art and culture of different states are preserved via this medium and hence it should be promoted," Irrfan had said.

However, he was equally sad to see that the vast spread folk tales and stories could not come out of Rajasthan villages to cities. According to him, this is the reason a real connect could not be established between rural and urban India which indirectly couldn't help theatres in this state to grow. Also he felt sad to see that there are no more quality writers left in the industry. "There is a strong need of writers to pen interesting plays and I wish FTII starts thinking on this," he had said.

He strongly believed that true acting comes from theatre.

Irrfan loved exploring wildlife. "I love getting lost in the thickness of jungles. Wildlife safari excites me, incites me and takes me back to the roots, You discover lot many newer perspectives of life during jungle walk," he said.

Being a family person, he loved spending quality time with his family in Jaipur. However, at times, he was engaged in different events on his short visit to his hometown, which did upset him sometimes but he still managed everything with an equal clan and was successful in keeping his family as well as his city folks happy.

He loved his family. Sadly, his mother Saeeda Begum passed away on Saturday and the actor paid his last tributes to his mother via video conferencing.

Irrfan's last film was "Angrezi Medium" which ran in theatres for just a day before cinema halls across India were shut due to the lockdown.

The movie is now available on Hotstar.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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Physicians treat some women with HER-2 negative breast cancer with chemotherapy before surgery, hoping to shrink the tumor and to guide treatment after the operation. In a subgroup of women, this pre-surgical treatment destroys any evidence of the tumor, achieving what is called "pathologic complete response" (pCR), a condition that typically heralds increased overall survival.Investigators in the I-SPY 2 clinical trial now report that for women with HER2-negative breast cancer who are treated before surgery, an average pCR rate rises from 22% among those given standard-of-care chemotherapy to 37% in those who received the immunotherapy drug durvalumab, plus the PARP inhibitor drug olaparib, in addition to chemotherapy.Durvalumab is a checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy, engineered to unleash immune system T cells against tumors by inhibiting a protein on the surface of T cells called PD-1. PARP inhibitor drugs such as olaparib aim to the ability of impair cancer cells to repair DNA damage caused by chemotherapy.Overall, 73 patients in the experimental arm were given durvalumab, olaparib, and paclitaxel chemotherapy followed by doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide chemotherapy, while 229 patients in the control arm received the standard treatment of paclitaxel plus doxorubicin/ cyclophosphamide.Researchers analyzed results for all HER2-negative patients, as well as for triple-negative (TNBC) and ER-positive subsets. Women with triple-negative cancer who received the combination treatment saw a pCR rate of 47%, compared to those given the standard chemotherapy with a pCR rate of 27%. Patients with estrogen-positive/HER2-negative cancer in the experimental arm experienced a pCR rate of 28%, versus 14% for those in the control arm. Patients in the experimental arm, however, were also more likely to experience grade 3 serious adverse events--58% in the experimental arm compared to 41% in the control arm.Immune-rich cancers showed higher pCR rates in all subtypes and in both treatment arms, but the investigators discovered biomarkers that potentially could identify patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment with durvalumab and olaparib. Among estrogen-positive/HER2-negative cancers, the MammaPrint ultra-high subset benefited the most from the combination; their pCR rate reached 64%. In TNBC, tumors with low CD3/CD8 ratio, high Macrophage/Tcell-MHC class II ratio, and high proliferation appear to have benefited preferentially from adding durvalumab and olaparib to paclitaxel.I-SPY (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging and Molecular Analysis) 2 is a multicenter phase 2 trial to evaluate novel agents as pre-surgical therapy for breast cancer. The study is a collaboration among 20 U.S. cancer research centers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Cancer Biomarkers Consortium. Lead support for I-SPY 2 came from the Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative.Source: Eurekalert
Pope Francis offers his Wednesday morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta for unity on the continent of Europe, and reflects in his homily on the grace of concreteness.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ



At the start of Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Wednesday, the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, Pope Francis prayed for Europe.



Let us pray for Europe, for the unity of Europe, for the unity of the European Union, so that everyone together might move forward as brothers and sisters, said the Pope.

Call to concreteness

In his homily, Pope Francis noted that the First Reading (1 Jn 1:52:2) contains contrasts between light and darkness, falsehood and truth, sin and innocence. As Christians, however, we are called to concreteness, since we cannot be in union with Jesus and walk in darkness. We cannot be in a grey area between the two.

The danger with the grey area, the Pope explained, is that the grey makes you think that you are walking in the light because you are not in the darkness, and this soothes you. The grey area, in this sense, is treacherous.

All of us have sinned

Citing the First Reading, Pope Francis said: If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves.

However, the Pope noted that we tend to admit that we are sinners out of habit, in the same way that we say "good morning". But, he said, we often do not express the concreteness that should accompany the admission of our sinfulness. The truth is always concrete as opposed to lies that cannot be defined. Being concrete involves saying I did this or, I thought this way, and not trying to excuse ourselves during Confession.

Be like Children

The Holy Father remarked that little children have the gift of being concrete. It is for this reason that Jesus blessed the Father for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little ones" (Matthew 11:25).

During Confession, explained the Pope, the simplicity of children makes them say things as they are. He went on to give the example of a child who confessed in detail how he had been rude to his aunt who refused his request to go out to play instead of doing his homework.

The Pope gave another example of a letter he received on Tuesday from a child named Andrea from Caravaggio. Andrea reproved the Pope for asking that the faithful gathered at Mass exchange a sign of peace, citing concerns about spreading the coronavirus.

Concreteness brings humility

Concreteness brings us to humility because humility is concrete, said Pope Francis.

To say that all of us are sinners is abstract. When we admit that we are sinners, we should be able to give the reason for that admission. In that way, we feel the reality of our sins and we come to Jesus for forgiveness. This is the true attitude of a sinner.

Pope Francis explained that the spiritual life is not complicated but we make it so created a lot of shades of gray. He notes that the devil wants us to be tepid and to live in the grey area that is neither good nor bad, white nor black.

We therefore need concreteness so as not to become liars. Just like Peter after the miraculous catch of fish, concreteness should move us to recognize our sin and say Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man!

Concluding his homily, the Pope prayed that we might receive the grace to know who we are before God. Let us ask the Lord for the grace of simplicity that He might grant us the grace that He gives to the simple and to children who say what they feel, even if it is wrong.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. (NYSE: TPRE) ("Company") today announced that it is planning to release its first quarter 2020 financial results after the market close on Thursday, May 7, 2020. The Company will also hold a conference call to discuss its financial results at 8:30 am (Eastern Time) on Friday, May 8, 2020.

The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-407-0789 (domestic) or 1-201-689-8562 (international) and asking for the Third Point Reinsurance First Quarter 2020 Earnings Call. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-844-512-2921, or for international callers 1-412-317-6671, and providing the passcode 13701397. The replay will be available until 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on May 15, 2020.

Interested investors and other parties may also listen to a simultaneous webcast of the live conference call by logging onto the Investors section of the Company's website at http://www.thirdpointre.bm/. The online replay will be available on the Company's website immediately following the call.

About the Company

The Company is a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange which, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Third Point Reinsurance Company Ltd. and Third Point Reinsurance (USA) Ltd., writes property and casualty reinsurance business. Third Point Reinsurance Company Ltd. and Third Point Reinsurance (USA) Ltd. each have an "A-" (Excellent) financial strength rating from A.M. Best Company, Inc.

Contact

Third Point Reinsurance Ltd.

Christopher S. Coleman  Chief Financial Officer

+1 441-542-3333

[email protected]

SOURCE Third Point Reinsurance Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.thirdpointre.bm


TORONTO, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX.V: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF) (Auxly or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an investment agreement (the Agreement) with an institutional investor (the Investor) as a standby facility to provide the Company with access to additional capital. This provides the Company with the opportunity to sell, on a private placement basis, unsecured convertible debentures of the Company (collectively, the Convertible Debentures) in the principal amount of up to $25,000,000 (the "Offering"). The Convertible Debentures will be issuable in tranches at the request of the Company, as described in greater detail below.



Auxlys focus on Cannabis 2.0 and our ability to execute on delivering a compelling portfolio of branded cannabis products that resonate with and delight their chosen consumer segments has attracted significant investment interest, even in a difficult market and during a time of general uncertainty, said Hugo Alves, CEO of Auxly. Im proud that we are able to continue to support long-term growth via increased equity, while minimizing dilution for our shareholders by staggering the financing into tranches.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering, as required, to build on the launch of its Cannabis 2.0 products through additional capacity and automation in 2020, at the Companys manufacturing hub, Dosecann, and for general corporate and working capital purposes.

Each Convertible Debenture will have a maturity date of 24 months from the date of issue (the Maturity Date) and will bear guaranteed interest from the date of issue at 7.5% per annum, payable semi-annually on June 30 and December 31 of each year.

The Convertible Debentures will be convertible, at the option of the holder, into common shares of the Company (Common Shares) at any time prior to the close of business on the last day immediately preceding the applicable Maturity Date. The Convertible Debentures will have a conversion price (the Conversion Price) equal to the closing price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV) on the trading day immediately prior to the closing date for such tranche.

The Company may require the Investor, at any point after four months and one day after the date of issuance of a Convertible Debenture, to convert:

up to 50% of the principal amount of such Convertible Debenture if for any five consecutive trading days the volume weighted average price (the "VWAP") of the Common Shares on the TSXV is greater than 112% of the Conversion Price; or

up to 100% of the principal amount of such Convertible Debenture if for any five consecutive trading days the VWAP of the Common Shares on the TSXV is greater than 120% of the Conversion Price; and/or

100% of the principal amount of such Convertible Debenture at any time by paying a mutually agreeable make-whole payment to the Investor,

plus in each case interest on the principal amount of such Convertible Debenture.

In addition to an initial tranche of $1.25 million (the Initial Tranche), the Company may request that the Investor subscribe for subsequent tranches of Convertible Debentures at an amount per Convertible Debenture mutually agreeable to the Company and the Investor. Each tranche of additional Convertible Debentures will be issuable beginning the 30th day following the closing of the Initial Tranche (or the most recently issued tranche).

Contemporaneously with the issuance of each Convertible Debenture, the Investor will also receive such number of Common Share purchase warrants of the Company (the Warrants) as is equal to 55% of the number of Common Shares into which the Convertible Debenture is convertible based on the applicable Conversion Price. Each Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one Common Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance at an exercise price equal to 120% of the applicable Conversion Price.

Closing of Initial Tranche

In connection with the execution of the Agreement, the Company also completed the Initial Tranche for gross proceeds of $1.25 million at a conversion price of $0.435 per Common Share, and issued the Investor Warrants to acquire up to 1,580,460 Common Shares until April 29, 2022 at an exercise price of $0.522 per Common Share.

In connection with the completion of the Initial Tranche, the Company has agreed to indemnify (the Indemnity) certain of its directors and officers for any and all losses not otherwise recoverable from the collateral provided by the Investor for the Common Shares provided by such directors and officers to the Investor pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. The Indemnity may constitute a related party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), but is otherwise exempt from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101. The Indemnity has been approved by the independent directors of the Company. No special committee was established in connection with the Offering, the completion of the Initial Tranche or the granting of the Indemnity, and no materially contrary view or abstention was expressed or made by any director of the Company in relation thereto. Further details will be included in a material change report that will be filed by the Company in connection with the completion of the Initial Tranche. The Company did not file the material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing date of the Initial Tranche as the details of the Initial Tranche and the terms of the Indemnity were not settled until shortly prior to the closing of the Initial Tranche, and the Company wished to complete the Initial Tranche on an expedited basis for sound business reasons.

All securities issued by the Company under the Initial Tranche are subject to a statutory four-month hold period in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

AltaCorp Capital Inc. is acting as exclusive agent on the Offering.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any of the securities referenced herein in the United States. The securities referenced herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Hugo Alves" CEO

About Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX.V: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF)

Auxly is an international cannabis company dedicated to bringing innovative, effective, and high-quality cannabis products to the medical, wellness and adult-use markets. Auxly's experienced team of industry first-movers and enterprising visionaries has secured a diversified supply of raw cannabis, strong clinical, scientific and operating capabilities and leading product research and development infrastructure in order to create trusted products and brands in an expanding global market.

Learn more at www.auxly.com and stay up to date at Twitter: @AuxlyGroup; Instagram: @auxlygroup; Facebook: @auxlygroup; LinkedIn: company/auxlygroup/.

Investor Relations:

For investor enquiries please contact our Investor Relations Team:

Email: IR@auxly.com

Phone: 1.833.695.2414

Media Enquiries (only):

For media enquiries or to set up an interview please contact:

Email: press@auxly.com

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to: the timing and proposed completion of the Convertible Debenture offering; the expected use of proceeds of the offering by the Company; obtaining the necessary regulatory approval for the offering; political change; future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis and cannabis products; and competition and other risks affecting Auxly in particular and the cannabis industry generally.

A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from a conclusion, forecast or projection contained in the forward-looking information included in this release including, but not limited to: whether the Company can complete the offering on the anticipated terms and timeline; the ability to obtain regulatory approval of the offering on the proposed terms and timeline; and general economic, financial market, legislative, regulatory, competitive and political conditions in which Auxly operates will remain the same. Additional risk factors are disclosed in the revised annual information form of Auxly for the financial year ended December 31, 2017 dated May 24, 2018.

New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of those factors or to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on Auxly's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information currently available and what management believes are reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking information speaks only to such assumptions as of the date of this release. The purpose of forward-looking information is to provide the reader with a description of management's expectations, and such forward-looking information may not be appropriate for any other purpose. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained in this release.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release.

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.
Transfer your skills to the world of technology and unveil a more promising future with the full or part-time MSc course.

One of the most exciting and evolutionary sectors in the industrial world, technology presents a wealth of employment opportunities with above average salaries and boundless developmental possibilities.

In Northern Ireland there are more than 1200 IT firms including over 100 global technology leaders with established business operations here.

From Silicon Valley success stories to rapidly growing born and bred in NI start-ups the IT cluster is an endlessly promising one and investment from international brands is growing.

Today Queens University is contributing to the talent pool that serves this booming sector by seeking applications for its Software Development MSc and providing a gateway to the fast-paced vibrant world of IT for those ready for a new career trajectory and a challenge.

Regardless of your educational background or the nature of your undergraduate degree, Queens Software Development MSc is specifically designed for you. It has been tailored with non-computing graduates in mind and marries your acquired skills with your innate technical, analytical and professional abilities that will lead you to a range of roles within the growing world of technology.

Queens alumna Louise May is one former student with no background in IT who successfully applied for the MSc in Software Development and is now forging a career in the industry working for international firm, PA Consulting.

A career in the tech industry was not something I had considered previously. I did not feel I was the most techie person. As my first degree was so specialised it did not allow any opportunity to easily change direction, she said.

I thought back to what I had been good at in school; it was STEM subjects, especially maths and physics, which made me think it was an area I should explore further. Discovering I could do a conversion course in one year and knowing it is an industry that is in huge demand really appealed.

Within weeks of graduating, Louise was offered a job and today she works as a digital engineer at PA Consulting.

Queens Universitys MSc in Software Development, which is run through the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, provides a solid understanding of software engineering principles. Graduates will learn how to analyse software problems, create and evaluate software designs and develop and appropriately test software solutions on this course.

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The course can be undertaken as a full or part time learning opportunity to accommodate your lifestyle needs.

On a full time basis the course will be completed in two years or three years when studied part-time.

Find out more and apply now at QUB
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India's productive capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector would remain available for assisting the citizens of the world as countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also said partnership between India and Canada is vital to fighting the pandemic.

In a tweet, Modi said he spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Thanked him for looking after Indian citizens in Canada in these difficult times," he said.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

"Collaboration and partnership between India and Canada is vital to fighting the pandemic, including through medical research and supply chain management," the prime minister said.

A statement later said Prime Minister Modi conveyed the assurance that India's productive capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector would remain available for assisting the citizens of the world, including those of Canada, to the best of New Delhi's abilities.

The two leaders agreed that the partnership between India and Canada could contribute meaningfully to the global effort to fight the pandemic, especially through collaboration in research and technology aimed at finding a vaccine or therapeutic solutions to COVID-19.

The two leaders discussed the prevailing global situation regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.

They agreed on the importance of global solidarity and coordination, maintenance of supply chains, and collaborative research activities, the statement said.

Modi thanked the Canadian prime minister for the assistance and support extended to the Indian citizens, especially students, in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau appreciated the support provided by the Indian government for Canadian citizens in India.
Photograph: Stock Connection/REX

A northern California police officer is under investigation after a video went viral that captured him punching a 14-year-old black boy that he had pinned to the ground.

The video, which was posted to Twitter by the boys family and friends, shows an officer from Rancho Cordova, a city east of Sacramento, holding the boy in the dirt, at one point with his hand on his neck, and striking him several times in the chest.

My baby brother who is 14 years old. All of this over a swisher theres more footage but I wasnt able to upload it all. Please repost, we just want justice for my baby! #JUSTICE4JAH pic.twitter.com/reftDDyHha  nana mf bangah (@0hnana__) April 28, 2020

The boy was cited for possession of a tobacco product, according to the police, and released to his parents. A person who identified themselves on Twitter as the boys sister said it was a Swisher Sweet, a type of cigar.

He was 10 times the size of the boy, Tanya Faison, the founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, told the Guardian. He was armed, he was huge. The boy was tiny and he was clearly trying to protect his face. There is nothing an unarmed 14-year-old can do to validate the actions that this officer took.

Faison added: This officer not only needs to be fired, but he needs to be charged and convicted and that is the only way these things will stop happening.

The officer was a problem oriented policing officer with the Rancho Cordova police department who was patrolling the area due to complaints about hand-to-hand sales of alcohol, tobacco and drugs to minors, Sacramento county sheriffs Sergeant Tess Deterding said in a statement.

Its important to put video footage into context, especially in relation to a use of force incident, Deterding said. In this case, the deputy saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile. As the deputy turned around, he lost sight of the adult, who left the area. When the deputy approached the juvenile, the juvenile was uncooperative and refused to give the deputy basic identifying information.

Story continues

The boy told the officer he was 18. He became physically resistive, which caused the officer to lose his handcuffs, according to the department. The deputy attempted to maintain control of the juvenile without his handcuffs and while alone waiting for his partners to arrive and assist him, Deterding said.

The video has drawn outrage nationwide. Senator Kamala Harris of California called the beating a horrible abuse of power, while Julian Castro, her cohort in the Democratic presidential race, declared it sickening, and demanded immediate action.

This is a horrific abuse of power. This officer must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/jcAABFzWvj  Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) April 28, 2020

WARNING: This video of a @RanchoCordovaPD officer beating a 14-year-old is sickening, and demands immediate action.



How many of these videos must we see before we do something about police violence in this country? pic.twitter.com/C7oIrz0v1c  Julian Castro (@JulianCastro) April 28, 2020

This type of situation is hard on everyone  the young man, who resisted arrest, and the officer, who would much rather have him cooperate, Deterding said. She added that the Sacramento county sheriffs office and the Rancho Cordova police department started an investigation into the use of force. Maintaining the public trust and remaining transparent are of paramount importance to the sheriffs office and Rancho Cordova police department, she said.

Related: Black people in California are stopped far more often by police, major study proves

Faison, with Black Lives Matter, noted that this was the third encounter in the past year in the Sacramento area that involved police officers over-policing children of color. In June, Sacramento police officers put a spit hood on a 12-year-old boy, and in July, three 13-year-old boys were held at gunpoint by a Sacramento police officer, Faison said.

The 14-year-old in the most recent video suffers from a heart condition that could have been exacerbated by the encounter, Faison said. On Twitter, the person who identified themselves as his sister said he experienced chest pains after the incident.

How can you look at a childs face and let that be the target for your fist? Faison said. I dont understand that.
Frustration is mounting as more families across the U.S. enter their second or even third week of distance learning -- and some overwhelmed parents say it will be their last.

Amid the barrage of learning apps, video meet-ups and e-mailed assignments that pass as pandemic home school, some frustrated and exhausted parents are choosing to disconnect entirely for the rest of the academic year.

Others are cramming all their children's school work into the weekend or taking days off work to help their kids with a week's worth of assignments in one day.

"We tried to make it work the first week. We put together a schedule, and what we found is that forcing a child who is that young into a fake teaching situation is really, really hard," said Alexandra Nicholson, whose son is in kindergarten in a town outside Boston.

"I'd rather have him watch classic Godzilla movies and play in the yard and pretend to be a Jedi rather than figure out basic math."

That stress is only compounded for families with multiple children in different grades, or when parents work long hours outside the home. In some cases, older siblings must watch younger ones during the day, leaving no time for school work.

"I think the pressure is on and I think it's on even more for some of our low-income families. It's totally overwhelming," said Rachel Pearl, chief program officer for Friends of the Children-Portland. The Portland, Oregon-based national nonprofit pairs paid mentors with at-risk children.

"A lot of our families already feel they're not doing enough when they are working so hard and I fear they will fear they are failing at it."

Parents are concerned their kids are falling behind, especially in lower income families. In households where the parents earn less than $50,000 total annually, 72% are at least somewhat concerned about their child falling behind academically, compared with 56% of parents in high-income households, according to a late-March poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Meghan Perrone, a nurse, can't even begin to help her 8-year-old daughter with her schoolwork until after she gets home from work and has cleaned up from dinner. Her husband is working from home but spends most of the week holed up in the basement because his job is mainly done by phone. That leaves the couple's second-grade daughter to supervise her 2-year-old sister.

As a result, the family has pushed the weekly load of schoolwork to weekends and tries to cram as much into two days as they can. One recent Saturday, Perrone's husband and daughter finished a science project at 10 p.m.

"We don't have the luxury right now to not be working. Some people aren't working at all and they can make time to do this stuff, but that for us is just not an option," said Perrone, who lives in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.

Those with older children may be faring better, but parents still must keep track of timing for video chats with teachers and make sure all the assignments are completed.

Sarah Karpanty, 44, a mother of two middle schoolers in Roanoke, Virginia, said the reality kicked in last week when spring break ended and home learning began.

"I wanted to get into a fetal position and hide out," said Karpanty, a professor of wildlife biology at Virginia Tech who is also teaching her own students online.

Her boys, aged 12 and 13, are independent but still need guidance navigating the new technology. Their classes involve recorded video from teachers, online quizzes and the occasional interactive Zoom call.

"When this all started we were all like, 'Thank God kids aren't affected,'" she said, referring to the coronavirus itself. "But we have to be honest, the kids are not OK."

Many school districts are emphasizing to parents that the learning curve is steep, and some teachers try to avoid daily deadlines, instead allowing students to go at their own pace.

California high school teacher Susan Binder said the technology can be frustrating and imperfect. Many of the apps elementary schools must now rely on -- with names like Seesaw, Epic and IXL -- were only intended as a tool to enhance classroom learning or share students' work with parents.

"This is a very crude bandage we're putting on a very big wound. We're just doing the best we can," said Binder, who is using Zoom and Google classroom to teach economics, AP history and government at El Cerrito High School, near San Francisco.

"A video can't look at your child's face and see the confusion. A teacher can do that," she said.

She worries this generation of students may end up suffering academically, socially and emotionally.

Around the world, parents and schools are facing similar challenges.

In Italy, the virus' first epicenter in Europe, schools have tried to adapt to online learning with a spotty success rate. In some parts of Italy's hard-hit north, many schools went weeks without assigning lessons, and one parent said her high school aged daughter went two months without a math lesson.

In France, many parents with young children are taking advantage of a national initiative that pays 84% of salaries of parents needing to take time off to care full-time for kids. The country's centralized school system has helped streamline teaching, with standardized online programs but there have been wide disparities and concerns about equality and low-income families who don't have internet access and devices.

Kara Illig, a mother of three in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, finally broke down one day last week.

Her fourth-grade son had six English assignments all due at the end of the day.

Her second-grade daughter had to build a table that would support a dictionary using only printer paper, cardboard and duct tape. She could barely keep track of their assignments, four different school email accounts, 12 Google livestreams, and her own worries as she transitioned to a new job while working from home.

"I was feeling like a failure. I thought, 'I just can't do this,'" she said.

She posted a message on a private Parent Teacher Organization group on Facebook, asking: "Is anyone else having a hard time keeping up with all of this?"

She added: "My entire Facebook feed is nothing but photos of happy, organized families, sitting together at the kitchen table doing classwork and I can NOT relate." The post immediately got more than 70 replies, most of them supportive, and earned her a call from a slightly irritated school principal, she said. Within days, the district told teachers to no longer assign work with a daily deadline.

Illig believes she ruffled some feathers, but she doesn't regret it.

"It's just a terrible situation and we're all trying to adapt to and survive."
Regulatory News:

Sensorion (Paris:ALSEN) (FR0012596468 ALSEN) a pioneering clinical-stage biotech company that specializes in the development of novel therapies to restore, treat and prevent within the field of hearing loss disorders, announces that its Board of Directors has approved the procedure for holding this year's General Assembly behind closed doors on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Additionally, the company announces that its annual financial report for the year ending December 31, 2019, is available to the public and filed with the French financial market authority (AMF).

In accordance with Article 4 of Ordinance No. 2020-321 of 25 March 2020 adapting the rules for meetings and deliberations of the assemblies and governing bodies of legal entities and entities without legal personality under private law due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Board of Directors decided to hold the General Assembly of May 20, 2020 without the physical presence of its shareholders, without the shareholders and other persons entitled to attend being present, either physically or by telephone or audiovisual conference.

The notice of meeting for the general assembly, initially scheduled for May 13, 2020, was published on April 8, 2020 in the French official legal bulletin (BALO) number 43 (notice 2000814). A postponement notice for the general assembly to May 20, 2020 was published on April 24, 2020 in the BALO number 50 (notice 2001089). The invitation notice will be published in the BALO on May 4, 2020 and in a newspaper empowered to publish legal notices. Those notices, as well as all the preliminary documents regarding the general assembly will be available in due time on the website of the company https://www.sensorion-pharma.com.

Terms of participation to the General Assembly

Only shareholders having registered their shares at least two business days prior to the date of the general assembly, meaning by midnight Paris time on May 18, 2020, will be able to participate to the general assembly.

Shareholders holding "au porteur" (bearer) shares will need to obtain an "attestation de participation" (certificate of shareholding) from their brokers.

Given that shareholders are not entitled to attend the assembly, they may vote by mail or give a proxy to the Chairman1 by mail using the form that will be provided for this purpose and available for download on the website of the company https://www.sensorion-pharma.com or on request via email at contact@sensorion-pharma.com.

In accordance with Article 3 of Decree No. 2020-418 of 10 April 2020, proxies and voting instructions can be sent via email to contact@sensorion-pharma.com.

In accordance with Article 6 of Decree No. 2020-418 of 10 April 2020, in the hypothesis that a shareholder gives a proxy voting mandate to a mentioned person1

The mandates stating the identities of the proxies must reach the Company by or on the fourth day prior to the date of the General Meeting, i.e. until May 16, 2020

The proxies must each send their instructions for the exercising of their mandates to the Company by the fourth day prior to the date of the General Assembly at the latest, i.e. May 16, 2020 at the latest.

In accordance with Article 7 of Decree No. 2020-418 of 10 April 2020, shareholders who have already voted remotely, issued a proxy voting form or requested their admission pass or an admission certificate, may choose another means of taking part in the General Assembly, provided that their instructions in this respect are received within timescales that are compatible with the rules concerning each means of taking part recalled above.

The previous instructions that were received will then be revoked.

New arrangements for dealing with abstentions

France's law No. 2019-744 of 19 July 2019 modified the rules used to calculate the votes cast at general assemblies of shareholders: whereas beforehand, abstentions were counted as votes against a motion, during the next general assembly, they will henceforth be excluded from the votes cast and will thus no longer be taken into consideration in the scope used for calculation of the majority required for the adoption of the motions.

Written questions

Shareholders may send written questions to the Board of Directors until the fourth working day prior to the date of the general assembly, i.e. by midnight Paris time on May 14, 2020. These written questions must be sent preferably by electronic means to contact@sensorion-pharma.com.

They must be accompanied by a certificate of registration of the shareholder's shares.

For all questions regarding the general assembly of May 20, 2020, shareholders are invited to send an email to contact@sensorion-pharma.com.

Shareholders are also invited to regularly consult the section dedicated to the general assembly on the website of the company https://www.sensorion-pharma.com.

2019 annual financial report

The 2019 financial report can be found on Sensorion's website (https://www.sensorion-pharma.com) in the investor section under financial information (in French). The annual accounts as of December 31, 2019 have been duly reviewed by statutory auditors and the certification report has been issued.

About Sensorion

Sensorion is a pioneering clinical-stage biotech company, which specializes in the development of novel therapies to restore, treat and prevent within the field of hearing loss disorders. Its clinical-stage portfolio includes one Phase 2 product: SENS-401 (Arazasetron) for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Sensorion has built a unique R&D technology platform to expand its understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of inner ear related diseases enabling it to select the best targets and modalities for drug candidates. The Company is also working on the identification of biomarkers to improve diagnosis of these underserved illnesses. Sensorion has launched in the second half of 2019 two preclinical gene therapy programs aiming at correcting hereditary monogenic forms of deafness including Usher Type 1 and deafness caused by a mutation of the gene encoding for Otoferlin. The Company is uniquely placed through its platforms and pipeline of potential therapeutics to make a lasting positive impact on hundreds of thousands of people with inner ear related disorders; a significant global unmet medical need.

www.sensorion-pharma.com

Label: SENSORION

ISIN: FR0012596468

Mnemonic: ALSEN

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Sensorion and its business. Such forward looking statements are based on assumptions that Sensorion considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will be verified, which statements are subject to numerous risks, including the risks set forth in the 'Document de reference' registration document filed with the 'Autorite des Marches Financiers' (AMF French Financial Market Authority) on September 7th, 2017 under nR.17-062 and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Sensorion operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Sensorion or not currently considered material by Sensorion. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Sensorion to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information that it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe for, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, Sensorion shares in any country. The communication of this press release in certain countries may constitute a violation of local laws and regulations. Any recipient of this press release must inform oneself of any such local restrictions and comply therewith.

1 If a shareholder wishes to give a proxy voting mandate to a mentioned person, he or she should contact the company. It is specified that those mentioned persons, like shareholders, may not physically attend the meeting.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200428006036/en/

Contacts:

CEO

Nawal Ouzren

contact@sensorion-pharma.com

+33 4 67 20 77 30

Financial Communication

LifeSci Advisors Sophie Baumont

sophie@lifesciadvisors.com

+33 6 27 74 74 49
Washington

President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply.

The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers' health.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nation's largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

"Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency," the order states.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, said Tuesday that 20 food processing and meatpacking union workers in the U.S. have died of the virus. An estimated 6,500 are sick or have been exposed while working near someone who tested positive, the union says.

Industry leaders have warned that consumers could see meat shortages in a matter of days. Tyson Foods Inc., one of the world's largest food companies, ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times warning, "The food supply chain is breaking."

"As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain," it read.

Tyson suspended operations at its pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, after a slew of infections, and Smithfield Foods halted production at its plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after an outbreak infected 853 workers there.

The 15 largest pork-packing plants account for 60 percent of all pork processed in the U.S., and the country has already seen a 25 percent reduction in pork slaughter capacity, according to UFCW.

A senior White House official said the administration was trying to prevent a situation in which a "vast majority" of the nation's meat processing plants might have temporarily closed operations, reducing the availability of meat in supermarkets by as much as 80 percent.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before its release, said the White House was also working with the Labor Department to provide enhanced safety guidance for meatpacking workers. That will include trying to minimize the risk to workers who may be prone to serious complications from the virus, including recommending those over the age of 65 and with pre-existing conditions stay home.

The order, which was developed in consultation with industry leaders, is designed with additional liability protections in case workers get sick.

Trump on Tuesday said the order would address what he described as a "legal roadblock." It will "solve any liability problems where they had certain liability problems and we'll be in very good shape."

But UFCW International President Marc Perrone said that more must be done to protect the safety of workers.

"Simply put, we cannot have a secure food supply without the safety of these workers," he said in a statement, urging the administration "to immediately enact clear and enforceable safety standards" and compel companies to provide protective equipment, make daily testing available to workers, and enforce physical distancing, among other measures.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said the administration should have acted earlier to put safety measures in place.

"We only wish that this administration cared as much about the lives of working people as it does about meat, pork and poultry products," he said.

And Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, which represents 3,000 workers at the JBS meat processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, said the order "will only ensure that more workers get sick, jeopardizing lives, family's income, communities, and of course, the country's food supply chain."

The administration is working with companies to help them secure protective equipment, like face shields and masks, and ramp up testing, the official said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have issued extensive guidelines on steps companies and workers should take.

When outbreaks have happened, local public health agencies have pushed in some cases for temporary closures so they can limit wider outbreaks in communities and conduct mass testing to determine who is carrying the virus. Some plants have also briefly closed for deep cleaning and to install new safety measures.

Yet concerns about working conditions persist and have led some to walk off the job. In central Minnesota, some workers at the Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant walked out Monday night to protest the company's record on worker safety.

Mohamed Goni, an organizer with Greater Minnesota Worker Center, said workers have complained the company is not sharing information about sick colleagues, has not implemented social distancing on the line, and that workers who were sick returned after just two or three days, and some workers who developed symptoms were not allowed to leave when they asked to go home.

"The company refused, saying there would be a shortage of workers," Goni said, adding that 80 percent to 85 percent of the plant's workers are Somali.

Cameron Bruett, head of corporate affairs for JBS USA and Pilgrim's, said in an email that employees are never forced to work or punished for an absence due to health reasons. "We will endeavor to keep our facilities open to help feed the nation, but we will not operate a facility if we do not believe it is safe. The health and safety of our team members remains our number one priority," Bruett said.
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People dont trust their governments for a good reason. Governments lie to them regularly. In the ongoing COVID-19 event, we in the U.S. initially were told that there was little risk. The first 15 people who came to the U.S. with the virus soon would get well, and the event then would be over.

We were advised to go about our day  and many people did. They got on planes, departed for cruises, and went about their lives.

We were told not to wear masks. Moreover, we were told that wearing them might make us more likely to get sick  and that advice didnt come only from Republicans either. Now were being advised that everyone should cover their faces in public.

Now thousands of U.S. citizens are dead.

The level of distrust in government appears to be at an all-time high when we need to follow government shelter and social distancing rules actively. We are still seeing pictures of parks and beaches crowded with people. Too many people still dont understand that 25 percent of those who have the virus and are spreading it have no symptoms.

Once testing ramps up, how are those people going to deal with the fact that the relative they visited may have died as a consequence?

Ill share my perspective on that and then close with my product of the week: Ciscos Country Digital Acceleration Program, which has been a massive success in Turin, Italy, helping the city become a beacon of hope during the past hideous few weeks.

Breaching Trust

This problem is hardly just a U.S. problem, as it seems that almost every government initially downplayed the virus only to reverse itself when the impact of the illness overcame the various coverups. This practice began in China where the virus might have been, but wasnt, contained.

Bill Gates not only predicted this pandemic, but also identified the area where it would originate. We could have saved trillions of taxpayer dollars just by making sure there were strong early warning monitors in that area in case he was right  which turned out to be the case.

Given that two pandemics  COVID-19 and SARS  likely originated from the same region, the world should demand ongoing monitoring to prevent the next pandemic from arising there. If China refuses, it should force China to pay for the resulting economic impact.

The real danger is that if people dont trust the government, they wont follow social distancing guidelines. There is also a good chance that once a vaccine is developed, many wont take it. The amount of distrust surrounding this pandemic seems unprecedented  and anti-vaxxers effectively brought back the measles.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Lying to us about the need for masks was incredibly stupid (here is an explanation of how a sneeze from someone without a mask spreads).

Saying there wasnt a problem was crazy. Arguing that older people would be OK with dying to protect the economy was insane. If government(s) cant be trusted, then dont be surprised if citizens dont listen. We need citizens to listen.

Politicizing the Pandemic

There is a general trend to agree with everything a politician you like says and disagree with everything a politician you dont like says. We tend to be critical of politicians we dont like and full of praise for those we like. This behavior makes everything seem partisan. This results in two sets of truths  and ironically, neither is true because both are massively biased.

This tendency drives behavior in politicians, because they know their backers will support anything they do, and their detractors wont support anything they do.

CEOs who surround themselves with yes men and women tend to fail. The CEO who gets only negative feedback almost certainly will fail in spite of doing a good job. I would argue that if advisors are either continuously positive or consistently negative regardless of what a CEO does, the chief will avoid the always-negative advisors and fail, having not been able to learn from mistakes. If we fixed this feedback problem, we could improve the effectiveness of any administration regardless of party.

Recently Ive been impressed by Californias Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. He went on CNN (picked up by Fox News), and praised the president for what he was doing right. As a result, Newsom is getting far better support for his state. Better support will save lives, and that is the goal  not making political points.

Right now the goal is to save lives  not get elected. Dead people dont vote. Reelection comes more naturally for leaders who execute. This year is an election year, and I have no doubt that once the national campaigns take off again, the blame will get vetted fully, but we still have months to go and a lot of lives to save before that. Lets focus on what is essential now, and being universally critical is counterproductive to the effort of saving lives.

Being universally positive likely doesnt help either, but I dont think it has as significant a negative short term impact.

We should use Bill Gates as an example. He isnt focused on blame  he is focused on fixing the problems we have today. Blame doesnt fix anything. We can play politics when we arent in as much risk of dying.

Acting Like This Event Is Transitional

We are working like the COVID-19 event is a one-time thing, and we pretty much did the same job with SARS. Its likely there will be more pandemics  and theres nothing to indicate that COVID-19 is going anyplace. It may be seasonal, it probably will mutate, and that means we will have a new regular flu event  and the new flu is 10 times more fatal than the old flu.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Im still struggling with the fact that we were OK with 12K to 61K deaths a year due to the old flu (thats in the U.S.  worldwide, its 291K to 646K), but were not OK with 2 million deaths potentially resulting from COVID-19. If I were one of those 12K to 61K victims of the old flu  or one of their relatives  Im not sure Id see the difference. (For perspective, the U.S. lost around 58K troops during the entire Vietnam War.)

Our behavior needs to change so that viruses like COVID-19 cant spread as quickly, to make sure those who are the most vulnerable dont die due to our unwillingness to break social conventions permanently. We dont need to kiss as a greeting. We dont need to shake hands. Also, we should stay home when were sick.

I also think that if we are going to ask people to work during times like this, we shouldnt just give them protective clothing and better paid sick leave. We should also provide death benefits so that firms dont think it is cheaper to replace a dead employee than it is to keep them from dying.

Were death benefits expensive enough, they automatically would fix the lack of employee protection, because it would make an employees death more costly than protection, and companies are financially driven.We need to adjust the employment laws so that companies and people are motivated to do the right thing  including getting vaccinated. If we dont, this wont be the last time we have to shut the country down, and there is a reasonably good chance that many of us wont survive the next time (assuming we survive this time).

Wrapping Up

If people dont trust their governments, then they wont follow government guidelines, and the results from events like this one will be far more dire. If people, particularly politicians, praise and criticize based more on their political beliefs than on the truth, politicians wont do what we want and need them to do, which is to make the right reliable decisions.

Trading lives to protect the economy not only should not be done  there should be every effort to make sure that kind of choice is never necessary (and Im speaking as a boomer who effectively just landed on the OK to die list).

We need to start thinking strategically. How do we prevent the next pandemic? There likely will be a next one. We need better early warnings, better long-term behavior changes, and changes to both governmental and company policies, so that everyone rewards good behavior and universally penalizes bad behavior.

Trusted data during events like this is critical. As I was finishing this column, I became aware of a new resource, GNU Health, which uses the open source model and aggressive collaboration to get ahead of the next virus. Its worth checking out.

Last week, I had a chance to talk with the mayor and vice mayor of Turino  Chiara Appendino and Marco Pironti. Cisco aggressively worked with the Turino government back in 2016 and was part of a collaborative effort initially called the Turin Lab, which recently underwent a name change to Turin Love, because its focus has become connecting isolated people with loved ones. The Cisco CDA Program exists for this kind of opportunity.

Im pointing this out because in Turin, they appear more focused on fixing problems than on blaming each other for mistakes, and the result is real progress. Theyve set up WebEx systems in prisons (this is broader than just Turin) as well as in retirement homes, so that people dont have to visit these locations physically to talk to loved ones.

Ciscos Networking Academy already has been implemented both in prisons and in charitable facilities focused on homeless people, to help people in both groups get well-paying jobs. As a result, systems already were in place that could be re-missioned easily to address the current pandemic.

Ciscos CDA Program in Action in Italy

Because of the deep integration between the city and Cisco, they were able to move City Council meetings to virtual meetings in four days, over a weekend, minimizing disruption. Turin now is a shining example of how technology companies like Cisco and cities like Turin can collaborate to address national catastrophes.

I was impressed with Guy Diedrich, Ph.D., who runs the Cisco CDA program, and Agostino Santoni, who helped drive the effort in Italy (though he was kind of slow getting a WebEx system for his mother).

Also, I was impressed with both the mayor and vice mayor of Turino, who created the technology foundation that allowed the city to pivot quickly to enable effective social distancing and protect some of the most vulnerable citizens there.

Because the Cisco CDA Program is an excellent example of how companies and politicians should behave, it is my product of the week and a program that other OEMs should consider emulating for the good of all of us.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.
A spokesman for Iran's armed forces says 3,600 people have been arrested in the country for spreading rumors regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi made the comments on a live news program on state-controlled television on April 28, claiming that the Islamic republic's "enemies" had "elements" inside the country who follow their orders.

Sherkachi suggested that the unnamed enemies were trying to hurt the country due to its "very good" performance against the coronavirus outbreak that has killed nearly 6,000 Iranians and infected over 93,500, according to official figures released on April 29.

The real figures are suspected of being significantly higher, with even the Research Center of Iran's parliament estimating earlier this month that the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the country was likely to be double the official numbers, due to insufficient testing and reporting.

Tehran has been criticized for its slow initial response to the pandemic and failure to quarantine the city of Qom, where the outbreak erupted and spread to the rest of the country.

Shekarchi's comments come weeks after the U.S. State Department accused Iran of arresting individuals who have attempted to report the real extent of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country by contacting U.S. officials.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda on March 28, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Iran had not been transparent about its coronavirus cases and death toll, adding that when the Iranian people asked the government to tell the truth, when they demand transparency from the government, the regime does everything to stop them.

The French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders on April 15 condemned the Iranian establishment for the persecution of journalists and citizen-journalists who have published information about the coronavirus epidemic that lacked official approval.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
In the pre-COVID era, we loved slipping into the San Francisco Champagne Society, an intimate, speakeasy-style tasting lounge in SoMa where, by reservation only, we were free to explore fabulous grower-producer champagnes among friends.

With those days corked for now, many of us are popping bottles (so many bottles) at home. Fortuitously, the effervescent venue is now offering its rare bottlesplus the proper wine glasses for tasting and even caviar!for pickup in SF and delivery around the Bay Area.

Available to order via Tock, the offering ranges from single bottles ($44-$125) and six-packs of half bottles ($218) perfect for solo imbibers and twosomes to a trio of four-packs of hand-selected champagnes (the value pack goes for $189, while a curation of classic favorites runs $218). Or, you can seize the day with the splurge-worthy "Carpe Diem" pack ($385), which comes with three bottles of bubbly and two pairs of Riedel and Lehmann wine glasses for tasting. You can also add a la carte options of glasses and caviara four-ounce jar of hackleback sturgeon ($165)is currently on offer. (Did you know that flutes are no longer used for serving champagne in the Champagne region of France? Hence the recommended glassware that's available for purchase.)

San Francisco Champagne Society was founded by Bill Marci in August 2014. Under ordinary circumstances, its champagne experiences take place in a private live-work loft. The focus here is on smaller grower-producers in the Champagne region of France, where they practice natural farming methods and, often, the farmer is also the winemaker who works exclusively with the grapes that are grown in her or his vineyards. They produce a fraction of what the larger houses yield, just 10,000 to 100,000 bottles at most each year.



"These champagnes feel more like they are crafted than made," says Marci, who personally pours his guests three- to four-ounce glasses of these fine champagnes while also sharing details about how they were made and how to enjoy them to their fullest expression.

With room for up to 20 guests, the lounge, when not closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, hosts a range of champagne experiences. The cellar houses approximately 250 different bottles valued at around $400,000higher priced experiences allow tasters deeper access into that treasure trove where difficult-to-find, and even some unobtainable, bottles reside.

"Sometimes my allocation of a rare champagne is only one bottle," says Marci, who loves to share those with his regulars.

SFCS is not a restaurant, but IRL tastings do come with the option to add caviar, cheese plates, and smoked fish. Catered food is available with buyouts for private events. For high rollers, the SFCS Supper Club puts on tastings in the private dining rooms of some of the city's finest restaurants, while the Elite Champagne Experience brings Marci and his magic bubbles to your home for private soirees of up to 10 of your nearest and dearest.

When travel resumes and you're salivating to get a taste of the world again, consider booking SFCS's curated tour in France. "Champagne does taste better in Champagne," says Marci, who has been traveling to the region since 2007 and has personal relationships with the area's best small producers, typically not open to the public. One of those wine producers might even join you for lunch or dinner"an experience that stays with you forever."

The SFCS Lounge is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but you can still get some of the finest champagnes from smaller grower-producers through Tock.

// No minimum purchase required for pickup in SF; delivery is available within 60 miles for a $25 fee (waived with $500+ purchases); order at exploretock.com. For custom orders, email Bill Marci, reservations@sfchampagnesociety.com. San Francisco Champagne Society, 1097 Howard St. (SoMa), sfchampagnesociety.com.
WASHINGTON  The #MeToo senator  Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York  Tuesday stood by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the wake of a sexual assault allegation lodged against him by a former Senate employee.

Asked about the allegation on a Zoom conference call with reporters, Gillibrand said: "Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations and I support Vice President Biden."

The allegation against Biden comes from Tara Reade, who briefly worked in Biden's office in 1993 when he was a U.S. senator from Delaware.

Reade first detailed her allegation in a podcast in March. In a recent interview, Reade told The New York Times that in 1993, Biden pinned her to a wall and reached under her clothing. A friend told The Times that Reade described the incident to her at the time.

A Biden spokeswoman denied Reade's allegation, and several people who worked in Biden's office at the time told The Times and other outlets that they had never heard of any such incident or witnessed any such behavior from Biden. Reade was one of eight women who had previously accused Biden of inappropriate touching but not sexual assault.

Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee, set to face off in the fall against President Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 25 women since the 1970s.

Long the Senate leader fighting sexual assault in the military and on college campuses, Gillibrand was the first senator to call for the resignation of then-Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, in 2017 amid allegations from six women of improper touching or advances.

Asked about Reade's allegation, Gillibrand didn't take nearly so strong a stance as she did against Franken.

"So when we say believe women, it's for this explicit intention of making sure there's space for all women to come forward, to speak their truth, to be heard," Gillibrand said. "And in this allegation, that is what Tara Reade has done. She has come forward, she's spoken, and they've done an investigation in several outlets. Those investigations, Vice President Biden has called for himself."

Gillibrand was then asked if there was any contraction between the way Senate Democrats opposed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh because of a sexual assault accusation and the way those same senators have remained silent regarding Reade's allegation.

"No, and I stand by Vice President Biden," Gillibrand said. "He's devoted his life to supporting women, and he has vehemently denied this allegation."

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Independent schools in Victoria have accused the Morrison government of using them as a wedge in Canberra's fight with the state government over reopening schools to all students.

The Catholic schools sector has also said it will continue to be guided by state advice in its decisions about reopening classrooms, despite the federal government dangling a multibillion-dollar advance in recurrent funding to non-government schools that return to class.

Education Minister James Merlino on Wednesday morning. Credit:Eddie Jim

Non-government schools have been given until Friday to accept a cash incentive from the Commonwealth in return for agreeing to restart classroom teaching within four weeks.

Some of those schools have been standing down staff in recent days in response to the loss of revenue caused by the COVID-19 lockdown.
- Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), due to a ban from the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, has canceled the PS1118 Kyiv-London flight, which was scheduled to take place at 12:40 on April 29.

As the airline explained in a press release on Wednesday, the flight was organized to deliver Ukrainian citizens who have a long-term contract with an employer abroad to work in the United Kingdom

"The flight was organized by order of the employer, who took care of providing long-term contracts to Ukrainian citizens in advance. Under these conditions, Ukrainians can be legally and officially employed and stay in the UK. Accordingly, this category is not risky for Ukraine. These citizens will not need evacuations in the near future will not be potential distributors of COVID-19 in Ukraine," UIA said.

The company said that the ban from the State Aviation Administration was received two hours before the scheduled departure time without indicating grounds and references to regulatory documents. At the same time, according to UIA, the airline filed all the necessary documents for obtaining permits on time and counted on "receiving a decision prematurely or within a reasonable time."

According to the information of the air carrier, the passengers of the flight - residents of different regions of Ukraine who traveled to the capital's aviation hub in the absence of regular ground passenger communications - are currently in the terminal of the Boryspil International Airport.

"Of course, we heard yesterdays statement by Ukraine's Foreign Minister in the media about the 'illogical decision' to send Ukrainian workers abroad in a pandemic, and that the government was constructive and ready to revise the position ... But by the morning of April 29, there were no official instructions and We havent received any documents on this subject. Now the airline will try to obtain permission to perform the flight and provide the opportunity for Ukrainians to get to work, get a job and provide their families with livelihoods," UIA Communications Director Yevhen Satsky said.

As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that "Ukraine receives requests from other countries that they need Ukrainian workers, but the government is guided by the safety and health of its citizens, and the exodus of Ukrainians abroad is illogical."
A federal judge has approved an agreement between North Dakota and American Indian tribes settling a dispute over the states voter identification requirements that at one point reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

The deal that was filed on Friday is fair, reasonable, and consistent with the law and public interest, U.S. District Judge Dan Hovland wrote in his order signed Monday.

The agreement settles two lawsuits -- one filed by members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in 2016 and another filed two years later by the Spirit Lake Nation and later joined by the Standing Rock Sioux.

The crux of the tribal claims is North Dakotas requirement that voters have identification with a provable street address creates a voting barrier for Native Americans who live on reservations where street addresses are hard to come by.

Many streets on reservations have no signs, many family members live together, and some tribal members have no permanent address or are homeless. Many tribal members rely on post office boxes as their permanent address, and many dont have necessary documents such as a birth certificate to get an ID, or they cant afford one.

The secretary of states office has maintained that the states voter ID requirements are needed to prevent voting fraud. Some American Indians and advocates believe the Republican-dominated state government wants to subdue the vote of Native Americans, who tend to support Democrats.

U.S. Supreme Court justices ruled in the run-up to the November 2018 general election that the state could continue requiring street addresses, though Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a dissent said there was a severe risk of voter confusion.

State and tribal officials in February announced an agreement to settle the lawsuits. The deal filed Friday and approved by Hovland this week includes provisions that aim to ensure Native American voters have valid IDs and can meet the address requirement. It also gives tribes the ability to quickly verify "set-aside" ballots, which are not counted until the voter proves his or her eligibility. That was a key issue on reservations, where many people lack transportation or live far from polling sites, and had difficulty returning to verify their eligibility.

The deal will cost the state money -- perhaps a significant amount. It calls for the state to reimburse each tribe up to $5,000 for the cost of issuing addresses and identification for this years election cycle, and to seek an ongoing legislative appropriation for costs in future elections.

Plaintiff's attorneys also are seeking more than $1.1 million in attorney fees and expenses. That has yet to be resolved.

The state also must pay the cost of a mediator the two sides used in February. The amount is about $9,000, according to Secretary of State Al Jaeger.

Jaeger in a statement to the Tribune said he was pleased Hovland approved the agreement.

"All requirements of state law are still in place as it relates to requirements for a residential address," Jaeger said. "What the agreement does is that it provides the options, methods, and communication required between the state and tribal governments for identifying residential addresses and the acceptable forms of identification, including tribal, for their members for voting purposes."

He added that the state is working closely with counties and tribes "to make it possible for every eligible voter in North Dakota who chooses to vote to have that opportunity" during the June election, which is being conducted solely by mail-in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Campaign Legal Center and the Native American Rights Fund, which represented plaintiffs in the lawsuits, have called the settlement a relief and a sweeping victory for Native American voting rights.

Collectively, the two tribes have over 7,000 residents of voting age that will benefit, the groups said in a statement.

Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  The United Nations has raised concern over some countries' repressive measures to implement lockdowns, citing the Philippines' "highly militarized response" to contain the coronvirus spread.

The UN specifically named the Philippines, China, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and El Salvador as countries with alleged human rights violations in the guise of coronavirus restrictions.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that police and security forces in some countries have used unnecessary force to make people abide by lockdown and curfew rules  with the victims mostly coming from the poor and vulnerable sectors.

She said force should only be used when strictly necessary and lethal force should only be carried out when there is an imminent risk to life.

"Shooting, detaining, or abusing someone for breaking a curfew because they are desperately searching for food is clearly an unacceptable and unlawful response," Bachelet said in a speech in Geneva on April 27.

In the Philippines, there are several reports of police abuse in checkpoints nationwide. A police officer was charged with homicide after shooting a retired Army veteran in Quezon City who violated the city's quarantine protocols. In Caloocan City, violators were ordered by authorities to walk along EDSA center island at around 10 p.m., while tugging a rope with them. In Antipolo, Rizal, 39 violators were asked to stay inside a detention court for eight to ten hours without giving them food or drink. Five youths were also locked inside a dog cage after breaking curfew in Laguna.

Related: PNP says it's better to parade quarantine violators rather than imprison them

Thousands of police officers, Special Action Force troopers, and Army personnel are manning checkpoints. Police officials said violators will now be arrested without warning following President Rodrigo Duterte's order on April 16. Duterte warned of a "martial law-like" enforcement if Filipinos continue to violate quarantine rules.

The UN said the Philippines' "highly militarized response" to the pandemic has led to the arrest of over a hundred thousand people for violating curfew ordinances.

Over 152,000 quarantine violators have been reported nationwide following the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine over Luzon and other provinces in mid-March, according to recent police data. Of this number, at least 38,000 have been arrested.

Bachelet said detaining them may even be worse for containing the spread of COVID-19 as they are kept in a small space with other violators.

In some countries, thousands have also been detained for curfew violations, a practice that is both unnecessary and unsafe. Jails and prisons are high risk environments, the UN official said.

With over 3 million COVID-19 cases recorded globally, world leaders have placed their countries under lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

Bachelet called on world leaders to ensure human rights are not violated under the guise of exceptional or emergency measures.

"Emergency powers should not be a weapon governments can wield to quash dissent, control the population, and even perpetuate their time in power. They should be used to cope effectively with the pandemic  nothing more, nothing less," Bachelet warned.
Once or twice, I used Daniel W. Brown, A New Introduction to Islam, 2d. ed. (Malden MA and Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) as the principal text for my own introductory course on the religion of Islam. Along the way, I marked a few passages that reminded me of points that I myself wanted to make in a revised third edition of my book on Islam for Latter-day Saints (on which Im finally beginning to really get to work). Here are just a couple of those passages:

[F]rom the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century a surprising number of different Muslims in different places concluded that things were not quite right with Islam, that renewal was needed, and that it was their job to set things right. These calls for renewal were motivated by widely varying circumstances, and the would-be reformers differed widely about what needed to be reformed. There are enough calls for reform, however, to suggest a fairly widespread sense of malaise. There is little sign of the kind of confidence exuded by Usama [b. Munqidh (1095-1188), an Arab poet and knight] in the face of the Crusaders. And by the eighteenth century there was little excuse not to feel gloomy, for everywhere Muslim political and military power seemed to be in decline or disarray. The mood was caught by nineteenth-century Muslims, and it would deeply influence the ways that many of them would respond to the European encounter. (246-247)

On June 28, 1798[,], a French armada under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte appeared off the Egyptian coast near Alexandria. Within less than a month the army of the Republic had crushed the Mamluk army at the battle of the Pyramids, and Egypt was in French hands. The period of overt European colonialism had arrived, and for this reason 1798 is often taken as the marker for the beginning of modernity in the Middle East. (249)

On the morning of September 11, 2001, the world seemed to suddenly change. Western societies woke up to the significance of Islam in the world. Suddenly, the United States was at war, first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq, and finally in a sort of permanent war  a war with no predictable end  between the West and radical Islam. (282)

At one level, . . . 2001 marks an historical turning point as significant as 1798 or 1914. Napoleons invasion of Egypt in 1798 symbolically launched the eighteenth century [sic; probably better the nineteenth century -dcp] and marked the beginning of modernity on [sic] the Islamic world. World War I ushered in the turbulent twentieth century with all of its political and ideological turmoil and launched the era of the nation-state; and the twenty-first century began on September 11, 2001. (283)
A Kentucky governor has been forced to apologise after accusing a man named Tupac Shakur of unemployment fraud.

Andy Beshear assumed the chef, who lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic, was using the late rappers name on unemployment forms as a prank.

In a press conference, Beshear had called Shakur out for "using somebody else's identity, saying: "That person probably felt they were being funny, except for the fact that, because of them, we've got to go through so many other claims."

Beshear later revealed Shakur had in fact been using his real name and expressed his regret over the mix-up. "I talked to him on the phone today, and I apologised," he said.

"I told him how it happened, but I owned it. It's my fault. He was gracious. I said I'm sorry if I embarrassed him or caused him any attention he didn't want, and he was very kind. He ended the call with, 'God bless.'"

Shakur told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he never expected his name to get in the way of receiving unemployment benefits.

Thats just my name," he said. I've been struggling for like the last month trying to figure out how to pay the bills I'm hurt, I'm really embarrassed and I'm shocked.

The rapper Tupac died in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, in 1996.
As per the new study, the researchers have reportedly found that the traces of coronavirus can linger in the air in the crowded spaces or rooms that lack ventilation, and can spread through tiny airborne particles known as aerosols. At hospitals in Wuhan, China, the researchers detected the virus genome lingered in the hospital toilets, indoor spaces where the protective gears were changed by the staff, and wards. With sensitive detectors, the coronavirus genomes were found at several such spots, according to the study published in the research Journal Nature.

The health officials have claimed that the virus is transported through droplets when a patient coughed or sneezed, and scientists have found that there is preliminary evidence that the coronavirus spreads due to airborne transmission, in which the virus spreads from much smaller particles from exhaled air, known as aerosols. Earlier, the WHO said that the evidence for the coronavirus to be transmitted from the air was not compelling and in a scientific briefing the organization posted on its website, there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne, except in a handful of medical contexts, such as when intubating an infected patient.

FACT: #COVID19 is NOT airborne.



The #coronavirus is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.



To protect yourself:

-keep 1m distance from others

-disinfect surfaces frequently

-wash/rub your 

-avoid touching your  pic.twitter.com/fpkcpHAJx7  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 28, 2020

However, as per the recent study, the health experts working on the airborne respiratory illnesses and aerosols have agreed that the virus, in fact, spread in the air. Michael Osterholm, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis said in the study published in the journal, gathering unequivocal evidence for airborne transmission could take years and cost lives. We shouldnt let perfect be the enemy of convincing. Aerosol scientist Lidia Morawska at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, said, This is a no-brainer. She added, In the mind of scientists working on this, theres absolutely no doubt that the virus spreads in the air.

Read: 9 Inmates Dead In Peru Coronavirus Prison Riot

Read: Houston Lab To Test For Coronavirus Antibodies

Coronavirus 'transmits in aerosols'

Scientists state that the public health officials who claimed there isn't sufficient evidence to say that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne were specifically looking at aerosols smaller than 5 micrometers in diameter, as per the study. However, heftier aerosols can linger in the air for longer and travel further. An epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, Ben Cowling, said, Most transmission occurs at close range. But the distinction between droplets and aerosols is unhelpful because the particles that come out with viruses can be a wide range of sizes. Very, very large ones right down to aerosols. Further, he added, If SARS-CoV-2 is transmitting in aerosols, it is possible that virus particles can build up over time in enclosed spaces or be transmitted over greater distances.

Read: Los Angeles Passes 1,000 Coronavirus Deaths

Read: Indiana Hiring Company To Boost Coronavirus Testing
[April 29, 2020] Citizenship by Investment: Dominica Has One of the Fastest and Most Efficient Units, London Lawyer Says

LONDON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Commonwealth of Dominica established its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme in 1993. It is now classed as the best CBI Programme in the world, according to an independent study released by Professional Wealth Management  a publication from the Financial Times. In a new episode of the Plan B podcast released on Wednesday, a London lawyer specialising in investor immigration said that one of the benefits of choosing Dominica's citizenship over others is that it processes applications much more efficiently. It takes three months on average to obtain second citizenship from Dominica, as stipulated in relevant legislation. Erion Andoni, the Manager of the Legal and Compliance team at CS Global Partners in London, explains that the country relies on its 27-year experience to make the process more streamlined. Moreover, Dominica has only chosen seven real estate projects as approved under the CBI Programme, which allows for concentrated investments to see hotels and resorts finalised much faster than in other countries that offer CBI.



"Dominica has a very long history of running a Citizenship by Investment programme, and its Citizenship by Investment Unit is also one of the fastest and most efficient," says Andoni. "The obvious pro is that more investment is received by each real estate project, ensuring there is a greater chance of project success and therefore return on investment," he adds. While three months is faster than most programmes, due diligence in Dominica remains one of the most rigorous of all investor immigration offerings, which all applicants must pass. The island has an immaculate reputation, whose transparency and effective use of CBI funds have inspired trust and praise from journalists, the IMF, ECLAC and ECCB. PwC also visited Dominica last year and reported on the multilateral benefits and use of CBI monies.

Ultimately, the purpose of Dominica's CBI Programme is to benefit the native population which new economic citizens join as equals, except for the right to vote. Besides investing in prime real estate with good ROI prospects, Dominica also offers another, even more straightforward, route to second citizenship through the fund option. Single applicants can become citizens of Dominica by contributing US$100,000 to the Economic Diversification Fund. They can pass the citizenship down and earn the right to forever live, work and study on the Nature Isle of the Caribbean. [email protected],

www.csglobalpartners.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/citizenship-by-investment-dominica-has-one-of-the-fastest-and-most-efficient-units-london-lawyer-says-301049409.html SOURCE CS Global Partners

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India: Tribal animists beat pastor, threaten to destroy vocal cords to halt further evangelism

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After demolishing a pastors house and driving his family into the jungle, tribal animists in central India severely beat the Christian leader, threatening to destroy his vocal cords so he can no longer preach.

Nearly a month after tribal animists expelled the Christian family from Bilood village in Madhya Pradesh state and destroyed their home, tribal animists ambushed Pastor Lalu Kirade as he returned from a grocery store.

Led by a man identified only as Laxman, seven individuals beat, choked, and pelted the pastor with a stone, Kirade told Morning Star News.

They had sprung on me like a pack of wild dogs, the pastor recalled. They told me to call upon my God to come and rescue me.

My head began to spin with the sudden strike. Blood started to ooze out of the injury, and I fell on the ground. I heard the men shouting at Laxmans wife for hitting me with a stone. They said they had planned to hit me in a way that I would not bleed. They scolded the women for not doing as planned.

Laxmans niece put her foot on his throat, choking him, as the others held down his hands and legs so he could not move, he said.

I was gasping for breath and thought that I would die, Kirade said, adding that Laxmans niece said, Call upon your God for help. You pray and preach using your vocal cords, I am going to bring an end to your voice today.

The assailants hit and kicked him, pulled his ears, dragged him by the hair and uttered profanity about Christianity and Christ, the pastor said, besides robbing him of rupees equivalent to $51.

The money was given to me as help during this [new coronavirus] lockdown period  it was all that I and my family had to survive upon, Kirade said.

A passer-by from Bilood village saw the assault and informed local Christians, who arrived at the scene just in time, prompting the assailants to flee, Kirade said.

Following the assault, the pastor was left with severe internal injuries and required stitches on his head wound.

I had swelling on my neck for weeks and could not eat solid food for three days because of pain in my throat, he said.

In March, a group of tribal animists  also led by Laxman  forced the family out of their home and into the nearby jungle.

According to the pastor, animists, who worship gods based on ancestors, spirits, and nature, entered his property a few days earlier and told the Christians they would be expelled unless they abandoned Christianity.

When they refused, tribal animists continued to persecute the family, even threatening to kill the pastors 9-year-old daughter.

Though Kirade initially had refrained from going to the police, fearing it would prompt another attack, local Christian leaders persuaded him to do so. As the animists beat the pastor, they asked him why he had approached police, he said.

They insisted that I immediately revoke my police complaint, he said, adding that they also rebuked him for reporting the attack on his 9-year-old daughter to school authorities.

However, no action followed the complaint he had filed in March at Pandhana police station about the first assault, which led to the assailants having no hesitation to attack him again this month, the pastor said. A second complaint the pastor filed at Jhirniya police station in Khargone District was also ignored, he revealed.

If only the police would have taken action on my previous complaint, Laxman and his family would not have dared to attack me again, he said.

India is ranked 10th on Christian support organization Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

In a report released Tuesday morning, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that the State Department add India to its list of countries that engage in or tolerate egregious violations of religious freedom.

According to the report, violence against Christians in India increased in 2019 and there were at least 328 reported incidents of Christian persecution in 2019. The commission said attacks frequently targeted prayer services and led to the widespread shuttering or destruction of churches.

Last year, the Christian group ADF India reported that there were at least 1,000 incidents of Christian persecution in India between 2014 and 2015. Thus far in 2020, the United Christian Forum in India reports that there were 56 threats against Christians and 78 incidents of violence between January and March of 2020, including mob attacks on religious leaders, Christians and churches.

India took a sharp downward turn in 2019, the USCIRF report reads.

In addition to the CPC designation, the USCIRF calls on the U.S. to impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for violations of religious freedom by freezing their assets and barring them entry into the U.S.

In a statement made available to The Christian Post, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) thanked the USCIRF for for recognizing the grave downward spiral of affairs in India despite India being a democratic nation.

I am worried that the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities continues even during the Coronavirus lockdown and I am very disappointed with Prime Minister Modi for not condemning such behavior of his party cadre forcefully, FIACONA President Koshy George said.

I thank the USCIRF for recognizing the real state of affairs on the ground in India and Indias downward trend in upholding democratic traditions.
Melvin Miller, 44, has been jailed for 16 years for raping two girls after police discovered more than 250,000 indecent images of children on his computer

A paedophile has been jailed for 16 years after police discovered recordings of his rapes of two young girls among a library of more than 250,000 indecent images on his computer.

Melvin Miller, 44, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday for a series of assaults on two victims, which he captured on camera.

Merseyside Police were alerted when one of his victims, who were aged six and 11 when the abuse started, told a friend.

But the full scale of his offending was not clear until police seized the computer from his home in St Helens and found videos of his assaults on the girls, as well as more than 255,000 other indecent images of children.

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting, said: 'It was only when the police made a thorough examination of the defendant's hard drive that the extent of what the defendant had done to both these young girls unfolded.'

In one of the videos, Miller offered to give a donut to his victim after abusing her.

Miller, who appeared by videolink from HMP Liverpool wearing a grey jumper, pleaded guilty to 16 offences of raping a child under the age of 13, 12 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of assault by penetration of a child, one offence of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and five counts of making or possessing indecent images.

Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt QC said the offences had a 'profound' effect on his victims and their families, and had caused 'irreparable harm'.

He said: 'When you were interviewed by police you denied the allegations put to you and said there were no indecent images on your computer.

'If you had been truly remorseful you would have admitted your offending at that stage. You waited until you were confronted with the evidence, which you had created yourself and which left you with no option but to plead guilty to these offences.'

The court heard no evidence was found of Miller distributing videos of the abuse, but Judge Flewitt said: 'Your victims and their families will always wonder whether that may have happened.'

He said also found on Miller's computer was a 'library' of indecent images of children, including more than 6,000 classed as category A, 5,000 category B and 74,000 category C.

Miller was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday for his horrific offendings

The judge said: 'In addition there were something in the order of 170,000 uncategorised images, making this the largest collection ever encountered by Merseyside Police.

'People like you create a market for the recordings of that abuse.'

Paul Lewis, defending, said Miller had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity.

The judge said: 'That is the only real mitigation available to you.'

Miller, of Mountsfield in Frome, Somerset, was also made subject to notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to serve an additional licence period of 12 months.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mairead Neeson of CPS Mersey Cheshire said: 'Miller abused these girls for his own sexual gratification with no thought for the distress, confusion and trauma he was causing them.

'These were children, dragged into an adult world that they clearly didn't understand and caused them a great deal of suffering.

'Miller is a prolific paedophile and the Crown Prosecution Service has worked hard to bring him to justice.'

Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan said: 'Miller is a dangerous sexual predator who will now be facing a significant time in prison and a lifetime of monitoring.

'Thanks to the bravery of his victims, throughout what is an extremely difficult process, detectives were able to carry out this complex investigation and put Miller before the courts.'
For the court, Israels security agency cannot extend its reach without new legislation. The use of special powers cannot go beyond 30 April as it raises obvious privacy issues and can have harmful consequences. Initially, tracking might have been done in good faith but in a situation of political turmoil it is a risk, source tells AsiaNews.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews)  Israel's Supreme Court has banned Shin Bet, the countrys intelligence agency, from tracking the phone location of those infected with COVID-19.

A month ago Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the agency powers to contain the coronavirus pandemic under the existing state of emergency, but the court accepted the arguments of a petition brought by various rights groups, noting that new legislation is needed.

In late March, Israels caretaker government authorised Shin Bet to use, among other things, technology to track the movements and contacts of infected people to limit the pandemic. So far, local health authorities have reported about 15,000 cases in the country with more than 200 deaths.

For the Supreme Court, the Knesset, Israels parliament, must legislate in the matter if monitoring is to continue after 30 April. The latter, according to the Court, raises privacy issues, especially in terms of metadata collection and conservation.

Until recently, this kind of monitoring was centred on Hamas terror suspects, their relatives and friends. But doing the same for more than eight million Israelis raises evident constitutional as well as ethical issues, and can lead to a "slippery slope" with harmful consequences.

In its decision, the Court said that any new tracking legislation must include a provision to exempt journalists who become infected so that they can protect their sources.

A government source, anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews that initially, tracking might have been done in good faith; however, this cannot go beyond the limits set by the law and the Constitution.

At the same time, "it makes no sense to track people whilst letting Israeli citizens back into the country without tracking or quarantining them, which are not being done at present.

The issue of tracking people comes at a time when the country is going through a period of political turmoil. Last week the two former rivals, Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, struck a deal to form a national emergency government.

For days, protests against the future government have continued, partly because the agreement it may be unconstitutional, an issue that is before the court. If it is struck down, the political situation will be upended. Under the circumstances, tracking people brings obvious problems.

So far, Shin Bet has not reacted, but Yuval Steinitz, energy minister in the caretaker cabinet, the ruling is worrying. In his view, the Court is guilty of excessive and unnecessary intervention.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, one of the groups which brought the court challenge, welcomed the decision.

In a statement, it said that Israel must not be the only democracy operating its secret security service to monitor its citizens, even in the fight against the coronavirus.
(Bloomberg) --

Diana Petra Kicherer had to stop teaching her usual 10 weekly classes in Geneva when yoga studios were closed during a nationwide shutdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

With no income coming in, she was relieved when the Swiss government offered assistance for self-employed workers like herself, who now make up roughly 10% of the labor force in the country. She filled out an online application in 10 minutes and the money arrived three weeks later.

As independent people, we dont have insurance, Kicherer said. I never thought I would be on state help. The support is absolutely amazing, she said.

With governments bracing for economic contractions and joblessness not seen since the Great Depression, more of them are doling out part of their $8 trillion-plus stimulus to prop up the gig economy -- supporting part-time and freelance workers who generally lack a safety net.

Countries like the U.K., U.S., France, Singapore and Australia are going well beyond the fiscal aid delivered during the 2008-09 financial crisis to target a part of the labor market that now makes up one-third of the global workforce, according to estimates from the International Labour Organization. The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Japan have also allocated support for self-employed people.

Its in part an acknowledgment of the change the labor market has undergone in the past decade as gig jobs surged with the emergence of digital platforms like Uber Technologies Inc. and Airbnb Inc. For governments, the programs are an additional cost pressure on stretched budgets, but ignoring this key part of the workforce would have dire consequences for peoples livelihoods and the wider economy.

Social Protection

Considering the number of self-employed people in total employment, their economic contribution and their exposure -- especially large numbers in informal sector -- if they do not receive targeted support, the economic and social outcomes would certainly be more devastating, said Dragan Radic, the head of the small and medium-sized enterprises unit at the Geneva-based ILO.

Story continues

In low and middle-income economies, where informal markets tend to be bigger, self-employed people make up a sizable chunk of the labor force, according to the ILO.

But even in parts of the developed world, self employment has grown faster than overall employment, with countries already facing calls before the virus to update their social protection models. In France and the U.K., the share of the workforce who work for themselves, are members of producers co-operatives, or are unpaid family workers rose from 2007 to 2018, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Cash Payments

Governments worldwide are now funding the self-employed in ways they never have before. In a 2009 tally of OECD member states fiscal stimulus, only Iceland was mentioned as providing such benefits.

France recently set up a solidarity fund with contributions from the private sector to help self-employed and small business owners. The U.K. dedicated 9 billion pounds ($11 billion) to help self-employed workers in its fourth emergency package, while crisis-plagued Greece, which didnt have a program a decade ago, unveiled financial assistance in response to Covid-19.

Australia is offering A$1,500 ($969) a fortnight for as much as six months for self-employed whose revenue is likely to drop by 30% or more. In Singapore, the government estimates that 100,000 self-employed persons will receive cash payments of S$3,000 ($2,114) each in May, July and October. And in Japan, where the self-employed make up about 8% of the working population, freelancers can claim as much as $9,300 from the government if they can show a minimum 50% loss of income in at least one month.

For all the billions of dollars thrown at this sector of the labor market, the rollouts have not been without their hiccups. Among the snags:

The U.S., with its patchwork of 50 state policies around distributing government aid, is dealing with mass delays and confusion, on top of charges that self-employed were crowded out of funding claimed by larger businessesTheres a national, and international, argument about who qualifies as self-employed, with France ruling earlier this year that Uber drivers did notIn the U.K., a program to pay the self-employed the same proportion of their average annual earnings from the past three years is taking some time to get set up, with payments promised by early JuneIn Switzerland, some workers like taxi drivers were belatedly added to the program since they were initially seen as not legally forced to stop working -- which hindered their eligibility

In Singapore, Paul Lew is running an online business selling wine and is setting up another website to sell medical products. Hes received S$600 as a cash handout that the government has paid all adult Singaporeans, and is considering whether and how he should apply for additional support.

Hes not worried about his own finances for now -- he says he always keeps a tight control on what he spends -- but believes the extra support is vital for the self-employed and small businesses in Singapore.

Singapore depends a lot on this business, he said. A lot of them struggle -- they struggle during normal times. And the package at least will help them over a couple of months.

(Updates with Greek example in 11th paragraph.)

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Outspoken Ghanaian MP, Kennedy Agyapong has revealed why the government has not yet prosecuted the embattled Menzgold CEO, Nana Appiah Mensah who is widely known as NAM 1.

His comments come after Ghanaians who are customers of Menzgold asked him to reclaim their locked up cash for them from Menzgold.

Speaking in a recent submission, Kennedy Agyapong stated that NAM 1s activities were not governed by any banking regulations.

He indicated that the government has the interest of the customers at heart, however, they cant prosecute him because of how he carried out his activities.

Customers of Menzgold have embarked on some series of demonstrations ever since Menzgold collapsed but they are yet to receive a dime with the whereabouts of NAM 1 being unknown.

Watch the video below;
MUSKEGON, MI  A global chemical manufacturer is temporarily shifting to hand sanitizer production as shortages continue due to high demand brought on by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

New Jersey-based Fortune 100 company Honeywell will shift production at two of its plants, one in Muskegon and one in Seelze, Germany, according to a news release. The hand sanitizer produced in Muskegon will be donated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for distribution where its needed most.

RELATED: As United States hits 1 million coronavirus cases, Michigan nears 40,000

"As global citizens, we are honored to be able to answer the call for help in hopes of minimizing the spread of this pandemic," Rajeev Gautam, president and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies, said in a statement. "When called upon to help, our team rushed to transform production lines to produce hand sanitizer for areas where it is most urgently needed. I am proud to work with such innovative and dedicated employees who not only care enough to make a difference but have the spirit to make it happen."

The Muskegon plant normally manufactures high-purity solvents and blends with more than 1,500 products used in high-end applications such as DNA and RNA synthesis, environmental analysis, precision cleaning, pharmaceutical testing and various other laboratory applications.

Honeywell is also producing N-95 disposable masks at plants in Rhode Island and Arizona, the release said. The company expects to make 20 million masks monthly.

Michigan has 39,262 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, and 3,567 related deaths, as of Tuesday, April 28. The United States eclipsed 1 million cases on Tuesday. Michigan by itself has more positive results than countries like India, Peru, Mexico, Poland, Ireland and Japan and has more deaths than countries like Canada, Russia and Turkey.

Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE:

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Wednesday, April 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global fruit beer market size is expected to reach USD 379.5 million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.5% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing popularity of alcohol free beer among millennials as an occasional drink during after-office hours and weekends is expected to remain a favorable factor for the industry growth over the next few years.

In terms of flavor, the market is bifurcated into peach, raspberry, cherry, apricot, and others. Raspberry flavored beer accounted for the largest share of 29.9% in 2019 owing to high popularity of this fruit flavor among young consumers. Cherry flavored beer is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 5.1% over the forecast period owing to high popularity of this fruit flavor among female consumers. Moreover, increasing product availability at supermarkets and hypermarkets is expected to contribute to the segment growth.

Key suggestions from the report:

In terms of flavor, the raspberry segment was valued at USD 79.8 million in 2019. It is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years as a result of growing popularity of raspberry flavor among consumers

Off-trade distribution channel is expected to expand at the highest CAGR of 5.1% over the forecast period. Increasing availability of the product at affordable prices through off-trade distribution channel will boost the segment growth

Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2027 due to growing popularity of alcohol-free beer among the youth population of countries, including China and India

Key industry players of fruit beer market include Jester King, New Glarus Brewing Company, Allagash Brewing Company, SIREN CRAFT BREW, Founders Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Company, Anchor Brewing, The Golden Road, and SIXPOINT BREWERY.

Read 80 page research report with TOC on "Fruit Beer Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Flavor (Peach, Raspberry, Cherry, Apricot), By Distribution Channel (On-trade, Off-trade), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/fruit-beer-market

On-trade sales channel accounted for a share of 65.4% in 2019. Growing trend of socializing at bars, pubs, and liquor lounges owing to availability of a variety of options is a major factor driving the sale of fruit beer through on-trade distribution channel. Increasing number of microbreweries across the world is also expected to drive the on-trade channel segment.

Off-trade distribution channel is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 5.1% over the forecast period. Increasing product availability at hypermarkets is a main factor driving the sales of fruit beer through off-trade channel. Furthermore, increasing number of hypermarkets in economies, such as India, China, and Brazil, is expected to contribute to the segment growth.

Grand View Research has segmented the global fruit beer market on the basis of flavor, distribution channel, and region:

Fruit Beer Flavor Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Peach



Raspberry



Cherry



Apricot



Other

Fruit Beer Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

On-trade



Off-trade

Fruit Beer Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

North America



U.S.



Europe



Germany





Belgium



Asia Pacific



China





Japan



Central & South America



Brazil



Middle East & Africa

&

South Africa

Find more research reports on Consumer F&B Industry, by Grand View Research:

Hot Drinks Market - Demand for drinks including green tea, lemon tea, and detox coffee and tea is growing owing to increasing awareness related to the health benefits of these product, which, in turn, is driving the market for hot drinks over the forecast period.

Demand for drinks including green tea, lemon tea, and detox coffee and tea is growing owing to increasing awareness related to the health benefits of these product, which, in turn, is driving the market for hot drinks over the forecast period. Tahini Market - Rising popularity of ethnic Middle Eastern delicacy including hummus, falafel pitas, baba ghanoush, and other authentic cuisine on a global level is expected to remain a prominent factor driving the product demand.

Rising popularity of ethnic Middle Eastern delicacy including hummus, falafel pitas, baba ghanoush, and other authentic cuisine on a global level is expected to remain a prominent factor driving the product demand. Organic Spices Market - Rising awareness regarding the harmful effects of chemicals, pesticides, and additives is anticipated to drive the demand for organically cultivated spices.

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About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

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Tay Chun Hsien, 22, breached his Quarantine Order just 30 minutes before it expired for a prata breakfast. (PHOTO: Instagram)

SINGAPORE  A 22-year-old financial advisor who was suspected to have come into contact with COVID-19 was handed a Quarantine Order instructing him to stay home from 19 March till noon on 22 March, a court heard.

But just half an hour before the orders expiry, Tay Chun Hsien wore a face mask and walked 550m from his home in Choa Chu Kang North to the Kopitiam food court at Yew Tee Square for a prata breakfast.

A Certis Cisco officer who gave Tay a video call to check on his compliance with the Quarantine Order saw the latter having his meal and told him to head back home immediately. Tay complied.

At the State Courts on Wednesday (29 April), Tay was fined $1,500 for the quarantine breach after pleading guilty to a single charge under the Infectious Diseases Act.

Accused was sleepy when he received Quarantine Order: lawyer

Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew asked Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun to impose the sentence that was eventually meted out.

The accused breached the HQO (Home Quarantine Order) for no good reason; there was no emergency which required the accused to leave his place of residence to have a meal at Yew Tee Square, said the prosecutor.

If the accused was hungry, and assuming that he had absolutely no food at home, he could have placed an order for food delivery, DPP Yew added.

In mitigation, Tays lawyer Richard Siaw said his client mistook that his quarantine would end at midnight, instead of noon. The written HQO had stated the timing as 1200 hours.

It was early in the morning at about 10am when the Quarantine Order was served on our client at his home. At the material time, he was woken from his sleep and was not at his best form when the advisory was read to him, said Siaw.

He added that Tay is on long-term medication, with insomnia being a side effect of the drug he is taking.

Routinely, he could only manage to sleep at about 5am and get up around 2pm. Hence, at the point of time when the Quarantine Order was served on him, our client was likely to be at the deepest stage of sleep, said Siaw.

Story continues

The lawyer added, Our client was very excited that he had faithfully completed the quarantine, albeit mistaken, and left his home just 30 minutes from the actual ending time of the Quarantine Order to have his favourite prata breakfast at the neighbouring coffee shop.

Tay had also worn a face mask out, even though this was not yet mandatory, said Siaw.

However, DPP Yew noted that the written HQO had been signed by Tay. The requirements of the order, including the expiry time, were clearly written on it, the prosecutor said.

It was incumbent on the accused to read the HQO, understand all its requirements and comply with all of them. There is nothing to suggest that the accused lacked the capacity to read or understand the HQO, said DPP Yew.

Nonetheless, the prosecutor noted that Tay had returned home soon after he was told, spent a relatively short time outside his home and did not travel far. Tay also pleaded guilty to his charge and is a first-time offender.

The sentence we are seeking is a finely calibrated one. We would stress that, at this critical stage in the nations fight against COVID-19, everyone has a part to play, said DPP Yew.

Persons who are subject to HQOs and other measures to combat COVID-19 must comply with those measures. Strict enforcement action will be taken, and in appropriate cases, prosecution and more deterrent sentences will follow, he added.

For his offence, Tay could have been fined up to $10,000 and also jailed for up to six months.

Last Thursday (23 April), a man who breached his Stay-Home Notice to eat bak kut teh at a food court was sentenced to six weeks jail.

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More Singapore stories:

Man, 37, charged with breaking into Taoist temple to steal 9 statues

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COVID-19: National CARE hotline receives more than 6,500 calls since launch

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Election officials of the United States of America are making preparations for what could be the highest election turnout in modern records in the middle of a pandemic, says an article. Various states in the country will be using a new and untested voting scheme utilizing the internet. It aims to help voters who may be compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic to cast their votes.



The Latest Voting Technology

In the latest demonstration of the technology to be used in the upcoming elections, Delaware will permit voters with disabilities to send their ballots back through digital means in their initial vote in the following month. It is the second state in the U.S. to use such methods in voting. The decision comes despite some warnings given out by cybersecurity experts. The experts believe the new voting technology does not have enough mechanisms to protect the integrity of votes in the election.



Announcement to the Public

NPR first reported the development of the new voting scheme in the country, and it is yet to be announced to the public.

Both the state and Democracy Live, a company based in Seattle that will be using the technology, has confirmed the decision. However, they disagree with the use of the term 'internet voting' due to the use of a cloud-based system.



U.S. States Implement Technology for Remote Voting

In the earlier parts of the year, West Virginia passed a new bill to permit the use of technology for its disabled voters. It was the first U.S. state to allow military and overseas voters to make use of an application to cast their votes in the 2018 midterms. Also, Delaware will be permitting military and overseas voters to cast their votes using the technology.



Worrying About Election Security

The developments are worrying some advocates for election security. Before the beginning of the pandemic, they have been focusing on cybersecurity before the 2016 elections. This was after Russian operatives were able to have the election networks of many U.S. states. Since then, a lot of states in the country had improved its security measures. Also, many of the states had refrained from using electronic voting systems.



Check these out:



Supporting the System of Democracy Live

Those who support the system of Democracy Live say that it is a paper-based system. A voter who submits their votes through electronic means gets their ballot officially printed before being counted.

However, many security specialists do not show support for that concept because the ballot passes through the internet before it is placed on a stage where it can be printed. This exposes the vote to potential cyber manipulation.



The General Public's Opinion

Some signs indicate that the general public is being open to the idea of voting through the internet. According to a survey by TargetSmart, many voters are supporting Internet voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, some advocates of Internet voting technology are expressing that its possibility may not be limited for disabled voters and overseas voters. Also, they see it as being used beyond a time of crisis. They view technology as a future of voting.
Assess yourself on Aarogya Setu before coming to work, Govt tells its employees

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: The government has said that all officers, staff including outsourced staff working in the Central Government should download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones immediately.

The Government also said before starting work, they must review their status on the application and commute only after the app shows the status as safe or low risk. The officers and staff are advised that in case the app shows a message that he or she has moderate or high risk, he or she should not come to the office.

PM Modi wants you to download the Aarogya Setu App: How it works and where to download

Such persons must self-isolate for 14 days until the status becomes safe or low risk, the government has also said.
The goal of most of these projects is to get a handle on the size and nature of the epidemic here rather than to guide decisions about reopening the economy. But now scientists are racing to fine-tune the tests and learn more about what having antibodies actually means, both for the patient and for the community.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has been missing in action for days now and the rumour mill is beginning to churn at full tilt. As a matter of fact, this year, the 36-year-old leader even failed to show for the Day of the Sun - the April 15 holiday celebrating Kim Jong Uns late grandfather, Kim Il Sung. This has long been the most important date on North Koreas political calendar.

This gave rise to several questions about his whereabouts and two weeks later, several rumours, theories and speculations started doing the rounds on the internet. His absence has become one of the biggest mysteries in the world today.

 Getty Images

Is the North Korean dictator really dead? Has he gone MIA due to this coronavirus outbreak? Is there more to this than meets the eye? Is Kim Jong Un just seeking attention? Will his sister Kim Yo-Jong take over after him?



 AP

As Kim Jong-un's whereabouts remain unknown, world leaders say their thoughts are with the members of his family who haven't been fed to dogs or blown up with anti-tank missiles.  Have I Got News For You (@haveigotnews) April 28, 2020

Lets look at some of the crazy theories and possibilities that have been doing the rounds on the internet around Kim Jong Uns mysterious death:

1. Hes recovering from heart surgery

The Daily NK, a Seoul-based news outlet, reported on April 21st that Kim underwent a cardiovascular surgical procedure and was now mostly recovered. The report, attributed to a single unidentified person, offered several specific details, including that Kim was treated at the Hyangsan Medical Center on the outskirts of Pyongyang. While the government hasnt verified the report, South Korean officials later said that Kim was believed to be conducting normal activities in a rural part of the country assisted by close aides, actions that could be consistent with the recovery explanation.

2. Hes alive and well

On Sunday, Moon Chung-in, a special adviser to South Koreas president, told Fox News that, Kim Jong Un is alive and well. Moon, however, added that Kim had been staying in the coastal resort area of Wonsan since April 13, something that would clash with the Daily NK report. These contradictory news reports are only adding to more chaos.

 Alamy

3. Hes in a critical condition

CNN, in its report, stated that the U.S. was monitoring intelligence that suggested the North Korean dictator was in grave danger after surgery. However, Bloomberg News separately reported that U.S. officials were told that Kim was in critical condition, but were unsure of his current status.

While U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he believed the CNN report was incorrect and based on old documents. On Saturday, Reuters reported that the Chinese Communist Partys International Department dispatched a team including medical experts to North Korea on Thursday to advise on Kim. The media outlet, which cited three people familiar with the situation, said it was unclear what the delegation signalled about Kims health.These reports only paved the way for more speculations and theories on social media.

 Getty Images

4. He could be hiding to maintain social distancing

Could he be just hiding in some secluded place to keep himself safe from the coronavirus pandemic? Speculation includes the theory that the controversial leader is isolating for fears of the coronavirus outbreak.

North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but given the fact the country has taken stringent steps to fight out the pandemic, the 36-year-old dictators absence from the ceremonies is not particularly unusual, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees North Korea engagement, told lawmakers on Tuesday. "It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sun's birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns," he said.

5. Hes in a vegetative state

The weekly Shukan Gendai, a Japanese magazine, reported last week that a Chinese medic sent to North Korea as part of a team to treat Kim believed a delay in a simple procedure left the leader severely ill, Reuters reported.

Operation went wrong from Chinese medic??



Kim clutched his chest and fell to the ground ..doctor accompanying Kim performed CPR and took him to a nearby hospital ..insert a stent went wrong because the surgeons hands were shaking so badly. https://t.co/d95bDYhYly  Raptor  (@KevinChuChen1) April 25, 2020

The Chinese expert told the magazine that Kim clutched his chest and fell to the ground on a visit to the countryside earlier this month. A doctor accompanying Kim performed CPR and took him to a nearby hospital. While the Kim family has ruled for around 70 years by passing power between male heirs like other hereditary dynasties, the 36-year-old Kim has named no successor. The third-generation hereditary leader came to power after his father's death in 2011. His children are still young and the ruling family's surviving adults all face potential barriers to their rise. Therefore, it is unclear who would lead North Korea in the event of his incapacitation.
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY  A youth organization usually focused on physical education and technology has pivoted to become a food delivery service during the coronavirus pandemic, bringing hundreds of "care packages" to Washington Heights families in need.

Uplift NYC, a nonprofit started in 2014, has started putting together weekly care packages stocked with grocery items, masks and gloves to help families in Uptown Manhattan and the Bronx get by during the pandemic.

The care packages  packed with staples like milk, rice and beans or assorted fruit and vegetables  have fed at least 450 people since they started going out on April 11, the organization said.

"I really appreciated the groceries I got from this organization," said one Washington Heights resident Lucila Vasquez. "I feel it is very thoughtful of them to take in consideration that a lot of us have trouble getting anything to eat after pandemics is impacting our city."

(To keep up with coronavirus news in Washington Heights and Inwood, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)



(Courtesy of Uplift NYC)



The weekly care packages are valued at about $150 each and are meant to have enough groceries to last a week, scaled to the size of each household. The organization is also hoping to start two-week sized packages, Uplift said.

The nonprofit has tapped other local groups to help put them together, including Word Up Books, who have added books to the care packages, and Onfleet, a mapping app that lets Uplift route its deliveries. Ecomundo Cleaning is also helping out by cleaning the site where the boxes are put together, Uplift said.

We pivoted from a youth engagement program and took the urgent and responsive action that a crisis demands, said Uplift Co-Founder Domingo Estevez.

(Courtesy of Uplift NYC).



The organization is hoping to raise $40,000 to keep the program going through a GoFundMe. The money will help Uplift continue delivering care packages for the next 40 days, according to the fundraiser.

Story continues

Families who are interested in receiving the care packages can fill out an intake form on Uplift's website.

Uplift's food delivery is one of several ways local organizations are helping Uptown residents get by during the coronavirus pandemic.

Most recently, Catholic Charities recently gave out hundreds of food bags in Washington Heights and the Bronx, three nonprofits partnered to bring thousands of free meals to La Nueva Espana restaurant and the WaHi Diner and Hellenic Foundation partnered to bring meals to healthcare workers.

Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know



This article originally appeared on the Washington Heights-Inwood Patch
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to stand in solidarity with the United States in its struggle against the coronavirus pandemic and as it recovers from the outbreak.

In a letter sent to Donald Trump, Erdogan also said he was following with appreciation the US president's efforts to control the outbreak.

The letter was sent Tuesday along with a planeload of personal protective equipment that Turkey donated to the United States. It was made public on Wednesday.

Erdogan wrote: I am very pleased to observe that, thanks to your measures, America has taken the first steps towards normalization by achieving a downward trend in the number of new cases.

You can be sure, as a reliable and strong partner of the US, we will continue to demonstrate solidarity in every way possible, Erdogan wrote.

Turkey sent 500,000 surgical masks, 4,000 overalls, 2,000 liters (528 gallons) of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks and 500 face shields. Turkey has sent similar medical equipment aid to a total of 55 countries including Britain, Italy and Spain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 29, 2020] Marelli Wins 2020 Automotive News Pace Award

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Automotive News named Marelli a 2020 PACE Award winner at a virtual ceremony held on April 28. Marelli was one of 13 companies to win the prestigious award, which honors automotive suppliers for superior innovation and technological advancement. The company's h-Digi lighting module, which provides glare-free high beam with high definition quality thanks to 1.3 million pixels, took home the prize. h-Digi is a product of Marelli Automotive Lighting, and marks the first time digital micro-mirror technology (DMD) has been used in an automotive lighting application. A focused effort on increasing driver safety and comfort, coupled with an opportunity to develop a solution that facilitates driver assistance and communication, were the key enablers behind the innovation. DMD has been available in simplified form in the consumer electronics sector for many years; however, it is a new optical component in the automotive fild. It allows for better illumination and finer resolution as compared to other headlamps on the market, with the added ability to project on-road assistance and warning symbols for the driver.



h-Digi is the first lighting module on the market capable of using light as a communication tool. On-road image projections can include vehicle guidelines, weather warnings, speed limit changes, construction zone warnings, selective illumination of pedestrians, and crosswalk symbols. This high-resolution technology not only increases safety and comfort in human-driven vehicles, it will play a role in semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicle development. More robust image projection is possible when leveraging vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology, increasing the types of messages conveyed. "We are honored to be recognized with the 2020 Automotive News PACE award," said Sylvain Dubois, EVP and CEO Marelli Automotive Lighting. "Our company is steeped in innovation; it's in our DNA. It's what fuels us to develop disruptive technology that increases driver safety and comfort. This award is a testament to the focus and dedication of our team members, valued partners and customers, and our unwavering commitment to reducing traffic accidents and fatalities."

The quality and performance of the h-Digi module surpasses other solutions on the market today. It provides increased low beam and high beam range, adds intensity when high beam and adaptive driving beam functions are activated, and allows for extremely precise light output without glaring oncoming drivers. About Marelli MARELLI is one of the world's leading global independent suppliers to the automotive sector. With a strong and established track record in innovation and manufacturing excellence, our mission is to transform the future of mobility through working with customers and partners to create a safer, greener and better-connected world. With around 62,000 employees worldwide, the MARELLI footprint includes 170 facilities and R&D centers across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa, generating revenues of 14.6 Billion Euro (JPY 1,825 billion) in 2018. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marelli-wins-2020-automotive-news-pace-award-301049401.html SOURCE Marelli

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A sometimes intoxicating, sometimes delirious blend of glamor, romanticism and wish-fulfillment, the Netflix limited series Hollywood is an unabashed fantasy about a postwar movie industry where dreams really do come true.

As you might expect from executive producer Ryan Murphy and his team, Hollywood isnt just trying to tell a story, its also a manifesto, albeit one with handsome guys, gorgeous gals, plush interiors, pin-up-worthy naked bodies, and good-hearted outsiders.

The seven-episode series, which begins streaming Friday, is a step up from The Politician, Murphys first effort as part of his multi-million dollar deal with Netflix. That series, which is slated to return for a second season, got off to a sluggish start, weighed down by unlikable characters and actors who were too old for their roles.

During his years making series for the Fox network and its cable sibling, FX, Murphy distinguished himself with work that was unusually smart (The People v. O.J. Simpson); empathetic to how Hollywood ignores older actresses (Feud, starring Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis); sensitive to discrimination suffered by people of color and members of the LGBTQ community (Pose); or hooked on sensation (the American Horror Story franchise).

Series created by Murphy and his collaborators arent boring, but Murphy also has a weakness for letting shows run on too long, and eventually launching them right over the top (Nip/Tuck and Glee, for example).

With Hollywood, Murphy, co-creator Ian Brennan and co-executive producer Janet Mock indulge in a love of Golden Age Hollywood and its gossip, but this is no new-style noir, in the tradition of L.A. Confidential. Instead, Hollywood is an example of Murphys focus on representation, in front of the camera and behind the scenes

The ensemble cast is led by David Corenswet (The Politician), who plays Jack Castello, a young World War II veteran who arrives in 40s Hollywood with a wife, Henrietta (Maude Apatow) in tow, and dreams of stardom.

Darren Criss, Jeremy Pope, David Corenswet and Jake Picking in the new limited series, "Hollywood." (Photo: Netflix)

But on the way to getting his big break, Jack winds up working at Golden Tip Gas, a name not notable for its subtlety. The operation is both a service station and headquarters for a group of studly guys who are hired out to provide service of an intimate nature to high-rolling women and men.

Golden Tip Gas is operated by Ernie (Dylan McDermott), who is clearly modeled on Scotty Bowers, who claimed to be a pimp and gigolo to the stars in postwar Hollywood. Bowers memoir, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars, chronicles his rise from gas station attendant/sex worker to man about town, matchmaker, and tireless sex partner to marquee-name actors and actresses.

Samara Weaving and Laura Harrier in the Netflix series, "Hollywood." (Photo: Netflix)

Jack is hired by Avis Amberg (Patti LuPone), whos unhappily married to Ace Studios head, Ace Amberg (Rob Reiner). And thats just the start of the circles that spin around Jack. His fellow sex workers include Archie Coleman (Jeremy Pope), whos trying to get his screenplay made, though being African American and gay in 40s Hollywood presents an uphill climb.

Archie falls for another would-be star who, after meeting Henry Willson (Jim Parsons), is taken into the agents beefcake stable, and renamed Rock Hudson (Jake Picking).

Hollywood gleefully mixes fictional characters with real showbiz figures, never more effectively than with Willson. The real Willson was a legendary piece of work, with a reputation for grooming muscular young men, giving them cartoonish names like Rock Hudson or Tab Hunter, and using his position to sexually prey upon his male clients.

Viewers who cherish fond memories of Parsons as the lovably nerdy Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory will have their hair blown back by how Parsons attacks the role of Willson, sporting subtle prosthetics that emphasize his venomous attitude, and spewing out expletive-laden lines like, Actors are pieces of meatlistening to what an actor has to say is like taking career advice from a farm animal.

Willson is a hissable villain, but Parsons makes any scene hes in come electrically alive, whether hes delivering brutal put-downs or performing an interpretive dance clad only in a bra, boxers and Isadora Duncan-like scarves.

Jeremy Pope and Darren Criss in "Hollywood." (Photo: Netflix)

Murphy, Brennan and the other writers serve up juicy dialogue to most of the cast, who are clearly having a wonderful time sinking their teeth into it.

McDermott, LuPone, Corenswet, Pope, and Holland Taylor and Joe Mantello as Ace Studio executives, are all especially strong, though everyone is terrific, including smaller turns by Queen Latifah, and Mira Sorvino, as an actress whose #MeToo experience echoes Sorvinos real-life sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

In the real Hollywood of the 40s, prejudice and discrimination robbed women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and more, of opportunity. In Hollywood, we get a history that presents different possibilities, in which filmmakers, executives, and actors can battle through obstacles and reach for success.

Without giving too much away, the early episodes of Hollywood are an entertaining mix of earnest inclusiveness and dishy wallow in showbiz lore. But, like those Murphy-produced TV series that went on too long, by the end, Hollywood is floating on so many alt-history good vibrations that it becomes less of a celebration, and more of a lecture.

Hollywood streams its seven episodes beginning Friday, May 1 on Netflix.

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
In this unprecedented time, weve worked around the clock to create custom solutions that will make a difference in a lot of peoples lives. Steve Orlando, Vice President of Sales & Marketing said.

Exotic Automation & Supply, a premier Parker Hannifin distributor, announced they are supplying several custom fabricated solutions to help large OEMs develop ventilators and respiratory systems to healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company is manufacturing pneumatic capacitors, CPAP Venturi assemblies, FDA & medical grade flexible tubing, fluid connector fittings & adapters, compression molded silicone rubber, seals, gaskets, compressed air & oxygen gauges and valves to support Ford Motor Companys U.S. ventilator projects.

Exotic Automation & Supply was founded by my father Chuck Marino in 1963 and has adapted to new industries and applications ever since, Tom Marino, President said. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we looked deeply into our business to find ways we could positively respond to this challenging pandemic.

In addition to ventilator & respiratory system components, the company offers acrylic or polycarbonate sneeze guards to protect workers from airborne contaminates. Sneeze guards can be fabricated by Exotic or supplied in sheets.

In this unprecedented time, weve worked around the clock to create custom solutions that will make a difference in a lot of peoples lives. Steve Orlando, Vice President of Sales & Marketing said. I am so proud of our team who has really come together to develop, one-of-a-kind innovative solutions.

Customers can visit the companys 12 retail ParkerStore locations, which are open to support essential critical infrastructure with custom hydraulic hose assemblies, industrial hose, hydraulic & pneumatic components and more. More information can be found on the companys website at: http://www.exoticautomation.com.

About Exotic Automation & Supply: Exotic Automation & Supply was founded in 1963 and has grown to become one of Parker Hannifins largest distributors in the United States. Exotics headquarters is located in New Hudson, Michigan. The company maintains full-service centers throughout Michigan & Indiana with locations in Ann Arbor, Freeland (Saginaw), Lansing, Taylor, Flint, Indianapolis, Jackson, Livonia, Noblesville, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township as well as at the main New Hudson complex.
London: On the footpath outside a busy London hospital, a spray-painted sign captures the mood of a nation about the staff working inside: "You are the real heroes. Thank you."

The praise sits uncomfortably with Judy Cotterill, an Australian-born lead nurse at the busy Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea.

"I don't think I'm a hero," Cotterill says. "I'm just doing my job."

Judy Cotterill, an Australian-born lead nurse working for the British National Health Service during the coronavirus crisis. Credit:Ian Tuttle

Cotterill and other Australians on the front line of Britain's deadly coronavirus outbreak have felt frightened and anxious in the frantic weeks since the pandemic took hold. They have good reason to be scared: more than 105 hospital medicos and care home staff have died simply by coming to work to save others.
To reopen, colleges must be confident that welcoming students to campus will be safe. Timing should depend not on wishful thinking by the Trump administration but on assessment by top health professionals. We still need additional and more accurate testing and contact tracing. We also must consider the likelihood of a second or even third wave of the coronavirus. Extra caution should be exercised because of geographic distribution of the student body. Colleges cannot expect students to travel to campus from a distance. International students may be barred from entry into this country.
We recognize that countless entrepreneurs were looking forward to May 1 and the next step it represented for Illinois adult use cannabis industry, she said in a statement. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in the application review process. This executive order will help ensure that we continue to build out this industry in a deliberate and equity-centric manner.
Though BARC India came into existence in July 2010, no significant progress was made by BARC to set up a transparent television rating mechanism in the country  this was the observation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its consultation paper on Review of Television Audience Measurement and Ratings in India, released on December 3, 2018. With this consultation paper TRAI solicited the views of stakeholders on regulatory initiatives/ measures to be taken to make TV rating services more accurate, widely acceptable. The consultation paper also explored possibilities of using new technologies to enhance credibility, transparency, neutrality and fairness in the TV rating in India.

Based on the comments and counter-comments received from industry stakeholders, TRAI yesterday (April 28, 2020), released its recommendations, which will have far-reaching impact on the TV ratings landscape in the country as well as the operations of BARC India. First and foremost, TRAI has sought structural reforms in BARC, wherein the Regulator recommended that the Board should have at least 50 per cent independent members, which should include one member as a measurement technology expert, one statistician of national repute from among the top institution(s) of the country and two representatives from the Government/ Regulator.

Also read:

TRAI recommends changes in BARC; calls for multiple data collection agencies

TRAI said, Restructured Board of BARC India should provide for equal representation of the three constituent industry associations, namely: AAAI, ISA and IBF and with equal voting rights irrespective of their proportion of equity holding. Tenure of the members of the board shall be for two years.

Understandably, Partho Dasgupta, Management Consultant and first CEO of BARC India, is not happy with the recommendations as he told Adgully, I find some provisions quite impractical  the economics do not support multiple agencies, 100,000 sample homes, etc.

Yesterday, when Adgully reached out to BARC India for their reactions to TRAIs recommendations, a BARC India spokesperson stated that BARC had just received TRAIs recommendations and was reviewing the same in consultation with its Board and stakeholders and refused to comment at this very early stage. The spokesperson maintained, All stakeholders from the industry and the Government and related bodies are aware of the scientific, statistical and technical robustness of the data collated and released by BARC. BARC truly represents all facets of the Industry comprising Advertisers, Agencies and Broadcasters regardless of size, as the Currency of What India Watches.

Apart from suggesting a more inclusive Board for the BARC, the Authority is also of the view that a broad-based Oversight Committee with experts from related fields should include representations from National Council of Applied Economic Research, IIT, IIM, media research expert and demography expert, and nominee from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and TRAI.

In order to ensure inherent checks in data inconsistency, TRAI recommended that BARC separated its functions in two units: (a) one unit should be responsible for prescribing methodology of ratings/ validation of data, publishing the data and audit mechanism; and (b) the other unit for processing the data, watermarking or any other such technical work including management of data collection agencies.

The Authority was also of the view that in the era of big data and Artificial Intelligence, introduction of competition in rating services would bring in new and innovative methodology, and thus, limit the monopoly of BARC. TRAI stressed on the need to create credible and accurate collection of data by encouraging multiple data collection agencies.

Shailesh Kapoor, Founder & CEO, Ormax Media, was of the opinion that multiple agencies for measurement never survive. We have seen that worldwide and in India, too, in the past. BARC is an industry body and I believe it is here to stay. BARCs constituent stakeholders and TRAI (Government) can get into a dialogue once the lockdown is eased off, and do consultations. That will be a more prudent way ahead, though one could question why BARC needs to be answerable to the Government in the first place. Accuracy of ratings will always be a matter of debate, and BARC has been taking, and should continue to take, measures to improve the accuracy levels.

TRAI also recommended that BARC be at an arms length from its own subsidiary, Meterology Data, which is the sole data collecting agency for BARC, as of now; so that the entire process of measurement is carried out independently to ensure inherent checks in data inconsistency.

Neeraj Sanan, Founder, Zoom2Growth, remarked, Different maker-checker and arms length relationship between manager and implementer are always great.

A leading broadcaster, speaking on condition of anonymity, commented, It is a very good thing and I give it a thumbs up. The regulator has made a very progressive move. It will strengthen the governance of the measurement body, and remove any gaps and challenges that have been created by the current ownership structure. It will improve the quality and robustness of data and make the BARC management team efficient and independent.

Agreeing with this, Zoom2Growths Sanan, too, saw it as a huge step towards building trust between various stakeholders, which, he felt, does not exist today.

Ormax Medias Shailesh Kapoor saw TRAIs recommendations having a major impact as the changes suggested are structural and fundamental in nature, and not just some enhancement recommendations. We will have to wait and see how BARC and its constituent agencies respond to this. They may take a differing view and challenge TRAIs recommendations, he remarked.

At the same time, Kapoor felt that TRAI has been over-eager in trying to influence broadcasting operations in India. According to him, In NTO 2.0, their ad hoc approach was apparent. Now, we see an interference in a ratings system that has been running fairly smoothly. The timing of these recommendations is quite inappropriate too. The entire economy is disrupted currently, and broadcasters and advertisers are both facing challenges of their own, and this will be the case for at least another few months. Why these recommendations had to come in these tough times baffles me.

The same question was raised by a media industry veteran as well, who maintained that, Now is not the right time to come up with such recommendations on TRAIs part  amid the COVID-19 disruption and no revenues. He further said that this BARC ratings system had been working for five years now and no one had raised an issue against it in the past. Can you envisage what will happen if there are no ratings? he asked.

Another media industry expert called TRAIs recommendations in poor taste, especially coming one day prior to the 5th anniversary of BARC becoming operational. Moreover, the Consultation Paper is 2 years old and a lot has transpired in this period in the broadcast landscape, he said, and spared no words when he emphasised, BARC is a non-profit organisation and has been carrying out the TV ratings work amid the COVID-19 and lockdown period, risking the health of the people doing the field work. So, it is excruciating and infuriating that such a step has been taken with malafide intention, without evidence and giving indictment without substantiating the charges. TRAI has penalised BARC without trial.

A leading media advisor echoed these views when he asked, Why is the Government keen on meddling with the measurement system?

Speaking on BARCs organisational structure, which started out as a 60:20:20 share among the stakeholders  IBF, AAAI and ISA, respectively  the media advisor noted that AAAI was moved out of the equation a while back, leaving behind IBF and ISA. With IBF being the largest shareholder, naturally all decisions have to go through them, he maintained. Adding further, he said, TAM was vendor-driven, whereas under BARC, it is broadcaster-driven. Why hasnt the ISA raised its voice?

During the TV ratings dark period while the system was transitioning from TAM to BARC, the media expert pointed out that the Indian Premier League inventory was bought on previous years data. TRAI is not aware of the ground realities, he alleged, adding They can suggest, but not mandate who will pay for the data.

Meanwhile, he agreed that BARC should have an external body, which, he felt, would give confidence to the stakeholders. TAM, too, had appointed a full-time vigilance chief, who was a former ACP, he noted.
Bahrain's Cabinet yesterday (April 27) reviewed the progress of work at 96 development projects worth BD311 million ($818 million) currently being implemented in the kingdom.

HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salam Al Khalifa chaired the Cabinet session, which was attended by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier and other officials.

The developments under implementation include 15 road projects costing BD129 million; 49 sanitation projects worth BD118 million; and 32 construction projects valued at BD64 million, said a Bahrain News Agency report.

The session was also informed, through a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, about the tenders that had been launched or awarded in three sectors during the first quarter of this year.

A total of 32 tenders, worth BD92 million, were launched; while 24 tenders costing BD16 million were awarded during the first quarter of 2020 in the roads, sanitation and construction sectors, the Cabinet was informed.
Wildlife in Yosemite National Park have been filmed enjoying the start of spring without the presence of humans in their habitat.

The park released a video on its Facebook page of bears, deer, foxes, bobcats, and other animals crossing empty roads and exploring areas normally inundated with people as the coronavirus lockdown keeps visitors away.

The footage, filled with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and waterfalls, showed how wildlife were thriving amid the absence of human visitors.

Yosemite, located in California, has been closed since 20 March and is being taken care of by around 200 park service employees, reported the Los Angeles Times. The current park closure is expected to be its longest on record.

The park said in a caption alongside the video: April kicked off with one last snowstorm, and since then spring has really been taking off!

Waterfalls are picking up, the Merced River is flowing faster, meadows are green and full of birdsong, and animals are active, taking advantage of all the new food sources that are starting to appear. There are even a few dogwood flowers blooming, though most are still just starting to bud.

A park employee, Dane Peterson, told the Los Angeles Times that the bear population in Yosemite has quadrupled. Bears, bobcats and coyotes that usually dwell around the fringes of the park, away from human activity, have made notable appearances in the parks more open spaces.

The animals in Yosemite are not the only ones enjoying a world without humans. Numerous places around the world have seen animals exploring urban areas and repopulating unused waterways, such as those seen in Venice, Istanbul, Albania and Thailand.

California was one of the first states to impose lockdown measures and has recorded over 45,000 Covid-19 cases, with 1,809 deaths.

There are over a million cases of the virus in the US, and the countrys death toll has surged to 58,955, more than the number of American soldiers who died during the Vietnam war.
Dublin, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market: Focus on Type, Application, and Range - Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



According to this market intelligence report the U.S. has a favorable framework in terms of adoption that lay grounds for market incentives and create an opportunity for the growth of military unmanned aircraft systems. Countries such as China, India, and Russia have been heavily investing in military unmanned aircraft systems as an attempt to decarbonize their economy and achieve the targets set for 2030.



Key Questions Answered in this Report:

Why should an investor consider venturing into the military unmanned aircraft systems market, and what are the future growth opportunities?

For a new company looking to enter the market, which areas could it focus upon to stay ahead of the competition?

How do the existing market players function to improve their market positioning?

Which product and technology segment is expected to witness the maximum demand growth in the military unmanned aircraft systems market during 2019-2024 and how is their growth pattern across different regions and countries?

Which are the key application areas in the military unmanned aircraft systems market?

The Global Military unmanned aircraft systems Market analyzed by BIS Research is expected to show healthy growth. The military unmanned aircraft systems market is anticipated to grow at a robust CAGR of 24.96% on the basis of capacity during the forecast period from 2019 to 2024. The demand for unmanned aircraft systems has massively grown. Growing investments in the development of next-generation UAV technology gave rise to the adoption of military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Military unmanned aircraft systems address the scenario of various country defense strategies with respect to the procurement of UAS for different applications such as intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR), target acquisition, combat operations, search & rescue, and delivery and transport.

Story continues

The Military unmanned aircraft systems market is currently in its upscaling phase. The usage of military unmanned aircraft systems has been gaining traction owing to the rising need for sophisticated armed technology. However, due to some technical challenges such as electronic failures and communication failures, UAVs are crashing. Most of the military unmanned aircraft systems are being operated on a pilot basis with the help of government funding and subsidies.

Scope of the Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market

The Military unmanned aircraft systems Market provides detailed market information for segmentation such as type, application, range, and region. The purpose of this market analysis is to examine the Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems in terms of factors driving the market, trends, technological developments, and competitive benchmarking, among others.

The report further takes into consideration the market dynamics and the competitive landscape. While highlighting the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also provides a detailed study of the industry that is analyzed.

The Military unmanned aircraft systems Market is segregated by countries under 10 major countries, namely Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Russia, Turkey, U.A.E., U.K., and U.S.

Key Companies in the Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market

The key market players in the military unmanned aircraft systems Market include AeroVironment, Inc. (U.S.), China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (China), Elbit Systems Ltd. (Israel), FLIR Systems, Inc. (U.S.), General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (U.S.), Israel Aerospace Industries (Israel), Lockheed Martin Corporation (U.S.), Northrop Grumman Corporation (U.S.), Raytheon Company (U.S.), Textron Inc. (U.S.), The Boeing Company (U.S.), and Turkish Aerospace Industries (Turkey), among others.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Market Dynamics

1.1 Overview

1.2 Market Drivers

1.2.1 Increasing Military Budgets for UAV Programs

1.2.2 Rise in Procurement of Mission-Specific UAVs

1.2.3 Growing Investments for the Development of Next-Generation Military UAVs

1.3 Restraints

1.3.1 Rapidly Evolving UAV Technologies Restraining UAV Manufacturers to Cope with the Associated Changes

1.4 Challenges

1.4.1 Lack of Skilled Professionals for UAV Operations

1.4.2 Technological Limitations Restraining the Military UAVs

1.5 Opportunities

1.5.1 Development of Multi-Role UAVs

2 Competitive Insights

2.1 Key Developments and Strategies

2.1.1 Overview

2.1.2 Share of Key Business Strategies

2.1.3 Product Launches and Developments

2.1.4 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Joint Ventures

2.1.5 Mergers and Acquisitions

3 Industry Analysis

3.1 Overview

3.2 Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Evolution

3.3 Technological Trends

3.3.1 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3.3.2 3D Printing

3.3.3 Multi-Sensor Data Fusion for UAV Navigation

3.3.4 Sense & Avoid Technology

3.3.5 Cloud Computing-Based Services for Military UAVs

3.4 Product Innovations

3.4.1 Swarm Drones

3.4.2 Spy Drones

3.4.3 IoT Drones

3.4.4 Nano & Mini Drones

3.4.5 Inflatable Drones

3.5 Anti-UAV Defense Systems

3.6 Smart Ground Control Station

4 Global Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market (by Type)

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Fixed-Wing

4.2.1 Small UAV

4.2.2 Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE)

4.2.3 High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE)

4.3 Rotary-Wing UAVs

4.3.1 Single Rotor UAVs

4.3.1.1 Coaxial Rotor UAVs

4.3.1.2 Conventional UAVs

4.3.1.3 Flettner UAVs

4.3.2 Multi Rotor UAVs

4.3.2.1 Tricopter UAVs

4.3.2.2 Quadcopter UAVs

4.3.2.3 Octocopter UAVs

4.4 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs

4.4.1 Fixed-Wing VTOL

4.4.2 Tilt Rotor UAVs

5 Global Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market (by Application)

5.1 Overview

5.2 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)

5.3 Combat Operations

5.4 Target Acquisition

5.5 Search and Rescue

5.6 Delivery and Transportation

6 Global Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (by Range)

6.1 Market Overview

6.2 Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)

6.3 Extended Visual Line of Sight (EVLOS)

6.4 Visual Line of Sight (VLOS)

7 Global Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market (by Country)

7.1 Overview

7.2 Australia

7.3 China

7.4 France

7.5 Germany

7.6 India

7.7 Russia

7.8 Turkey

7.9 United Arab Emirates

7.10 U.K.

7.11 U.S.

8 Report Scope and Methodology

8.1 Report Scope

8.2 Global Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems Market Research Methodology

8.2.1 Assumptions

8.2.2 Limitations

8.2.3 Primary Data Sources

8.2.4 Secondary Data Sources

8.2.5 Data Triangulation

8.2.6 Market Estimation and Forecast

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cczekx

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

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[April 29, 2020] Spark Networks SE Reports Preliminary Second Half And Full Year 2019 Results

BERLIN, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spark Networks SE (NYSE American: LOV), one of the world's leading online dating platforms leveraging premium, complementary brands including Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe and SilverSingles, today reported unaudited preliminary second half and full year 2019 financial results. "I am pleased to report strong second half 2019 results for Spark. Our preliminary full year 2019 revenue increased 44%8 to 149 million and Adjusted EBITDA grew 129%8 to 23 million," said Eric Eichmann, CEO of Spark Networks. "We have completed the transformational acquisition of Zoosk and successfully integrated it into our operations, delivering significant savings and marketing synergies to Spark." "I am excited to be working alongside the very talented team at Spark Networks as we seize our significant market opportunity. We operate in a highly attractive industry and have built an established, cash generating business with strong brands and a leadership position in North America. Our business has continued to perform relatively well during the COVID-19 pandemic and I am confident that our innovative product and marketing roadmap will lead to higher revenue and Adjusted EBITDA in 2020 and for years to come," Mr. Eichmann concluded. "I am very excited about the Company's future trajectory. Looking ahead to 2020, we are guiding to revenue in the range of $212 to $220 million (193 to 200 million) and Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million)," added Bert Althaus, CFO of Spark Networks. Spark Networks' operations and business have been disrupted due to the unprecedented conditions and travel restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and have resulted in its employees, including its accounting and finance team, working remotely from home. These disruptions have interfered with management's ability to work with its independent accountants, professional advisors and support staff in order to complete the Company's financial statements and related disclosures that will be included in the Company's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019. Spark Networks expects to complete this audit process and file its Form 20-F within the next 45 days. Unaudited Preliminary Financial Results 8 Preliminary Revenue for the second half of 2019 was 99.9 million, an increase of 48.4 million compared to 51.5 million in the second half of 2018, and an increase of 50.7 million compared to 49.2 million in the first half of 2019. Preliminary Revenue for 2019 was 149.1 million, an increase of 45.7 million compared to 103.4 million in 2018, as adjusted. For both the half year and the full year 2019, the increase in Revenue is primarily attributable to the Spark Networks / Zoosk Merger, which closed in July 2019 .

. Preliminary Net Loss was 12.0 million in the second half of 2019, an increase of 10.0 million compared to 2.0 million in the second half of 2018, and an increase of 7.1 million compared to 4.9 million in the first half of 2019. Preliminary Net Loss for 2019 was 16.9 million, an increase of 12.7 million compared to 4.2 million in 2018, as adjusted. For both the half year and the full year 2019, the increase in Net Loss is primarily attributable to the Spark Networks / Zoosk Merger, which closed in July 2019 .

. Preliminary Adjusted EBITDA was 18.7 million in the second half of 2019, an increase of 10.2 million compared to 8.5 million in the second half of 2018, and an increase of 14.9 million compared to 3.8 million in the first half of 2019. Preliminary Adjusted EBITDA for 2019 was 22.5 million, an increase of 12.7 million compared to 9.8 million in 2018, as adjusted.

On a preliminary basis, the Company ended the year with 15.5 million in cash and 95.8 million in debt. Key Performance Indicators 8 Average Paying Subscribers is anticipated to have increased by 539.5 thousand to 1.0 million in the second half of 2019, compared to 477.8 thousand in the same period of 2018.

Monthly Average Net Revenue Per User, or Monthly ARPU, is anticipated to have decreased 9.0% to 16.37 in the second half of 2019, compared to 17.98 in the same period of 2018. Financial Outlook Due to Spark Networks completing the post-close merger integration work as efficiently as possible, management believes their efforts will result in $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million) of Adjusted EBITDA in 2020.

to (27 to 31 million) of Adjusted EBITDA in 2020. Spark Networks anticipates 2020 annual revenue of $212 to $220 million (193 to 200 million).

to (193 to 200 million). For H1 2020, the Company expects to achieve revenue of $110 to $112 million (100 to 102 million) and EBITDA of $15 to $17 million (13.6 to 15.5 million). Key Metrics  Half Year  Preliminary









Six Months Ended

Growth Rates %

12/31/2019

6/30/2019

12/31/2018

2nd Half 2019 vs.

2nd Half 2019

1st Half 2019

2nd Half 2018

1st Half 2019

2nd Half 2018 Revenue 99.9 Million

49.2 Million

51.5 Million

103.0 %

93.9 % Contribution1 43.2 Million

20.4 Million

24.2 Million

112.2 %

78.3 % Net Loss (12.0) Million

(4.9) Million

(2.0) Million

145.8 %

512.4 % Adjusted EBITDA2 18.7 Million

3.8 Million

8.5 Million

388.3 %

119.7 % Cash Balance 15.5 Million

12.5 Million

11.1 Million

23.9 %

39.3 % Total Registrations3 8,229,976

4,488,104

4,791,652

83.4 %

71.8 % Avg. Paying Subs4 1,017,321

444,857

477,817

128.7 %

112.9 % Monthly ARPU5  16.37

 18.44

 17.98

(11.2) %

(9.0) %

Key Metrics  Full Year  Preliminary









Growth Rates %

2019

20188

20198

20188 Revenue 149.1 Million

103.4 Million

44.2 %

23.8 % Contribution1 63.6 Million

43.6 Million

45.9 %

44.9 % Net Loss (16.9) Million

(4.2) Million

299.7 %

(45.1) % Adjusted EBITDA2 22.5 Million

9.8 Million

129.2 %

118.8 % Cash Balance 15.5 Million

11.1 Million

39.3 %

35.4 % Total Registrations3 12,718,080

10,144,173

25.4 %

20.0 % Avg. Paying Subs4 731,088

483,413

51.2 %

27.4 % Monthly ARPU5  17.00

 17.83

(4.7) %

(2.8) % SPARK NETWORKS SE SEGMENT6 RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS (Revenue, Direct Marketing and Contribution figures in  thousands)



Six Months Ended

Growth Rates %

12/31/2019

6/30/2019

12/31/2018

Preliminary 2nd Half 2019 vs.

Preliminary

2nd Half 2019

1st Half 2019

2nd Half 2018

1st Half 2019

2nd Half 2018 # of Registrations

















North America 5,283,710



2,224,249



2,243,178



137.6 %

135.5 % International 2,946,266



2,263,855



2,548,474



30.1 %

15.6 % Total # of Registrations 8,229,976



4,488,104



4,791,652



83.4 %

71.8 %



















Average Paying Subscribers

















North America 665,023



185,364



189,533



258.8 %

250.9 % International 352,298



259,493



288,284



35.8 %

22.2 % Total Average Paying Subscribers 1,017,321



444,857



477,817



128.7 %

112.9 %



















Monthly ARPU

















North America  17.53



 23.88



 22.45



(26.6) %

(21.9) % International  14.18



 14.56



 15.03



(2.6) %

(5.7) % Monthly ARPU  16.37



 18.44



 17.98



(11.2) %

(9.0) %



















Total Net Revenue

















North America  69,947



 26,561



 25,531



163.3 %

174.0 % International  29,970



 22,663



 26,006



32.2 %

15.2 % Total Net Revenue  99,917



 49,224



 51,537



103.0 %

93.9 %



















Direct Marketing

















North America  42,132



 16,160



 13,277



160.7 %

217.3 % International  14,586



 12,706



 14,026



14.8 %

4.0 % Total Direct Marketing  56,718



 28,866



 27,303



96.5 %

107.7 %



















Contribution

















North America  27,815



 10,401



 12,254



167.4 %

127.0 % International  15,384



 9,957



 11,980



54.5 %

28.4 % Total Contribution  43,199



 20,358



 24,234



112.2 %

78.3 % SPARK NETWORKS SE SEGMENT6 RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS (Revenue, Direct Marketing and Contribution figures in  thousands)



12 Months Ended December 31,

Growth Rates %

Preliminary

2019

20188

20178

Preliminary

20198

20188 # of Registrations

















North America 7,507,959



4,376,883



2,289,036



71.5 %

91.2 % International 5,210,121



5,767,290



6,162,597



(9.7) %

(6.4) % Total # of Registrations 12,718,080



10,144,173



8,451,633



25.4 %

20.0 %



















Average Paying Subscribers

















North America 425,193



183,794



83,870



131.3 %

119.1 % International 305,895



299,619



295,533



2.1 %

1.4 % Total Average Paying Subscribers 731,088



483,413



379,403



51.2 %

27.4 %



















Monthly ARPU

















North America  18.91



 21.81



 23.77



(13.3) %

(8.2) % International  14.34



 15.39



 16.81



(6.8) %

(8.4) % Monthly ARPU  17.00



 17.83



 18.35



(4.7) %

(2.8) %



















Total Net Revenue

















North America  96,508



 48,105



 23,919



100.6 %

101.1 % International  52,633



 55,333



 59,610



(4.9) %

(7.2) % Total Net Revenue  149,141



 103,438



 83,529



44.2 %

23.8 %



















Direct Marketing

















North America  58,292



 27,862



 17,980



109.2 %

55.0 % International  27,292



 32,026



 35,489



(14.8) %

(9.8) % Total Direct Marketing  85,584



 59,888



 53,469



42.9 %

12.0 %



















Contribution

















North America  38,216



 20,243



 5,939



88.8 %

240.8 % International  25,341



 23,307



 24,121



8.7 %

(3.4) % Total Contribution  63,557



 43,550



 30,060



45.9 %

44.9 % SPARK NETWORKS SE UNAUDITED PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION7 (in  thousands)



Year Ended December 31,

2019 (in  thousands) (pro forma) / preliminary Revenue 220,111 Net loss (17,732)







The following table presents certain selected information and Adjusted EBITDA2 for the unaudited pro forma period presented:

Year Ended December 31,

2019 (in  thousands) (pro forma) / preliminary Net loss (17,732) Net finance expenses 12,195 Income tax expense (benefit) (977) Depreciation and amortization 17,689 Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill 788 Share-based compensation expense 3,305 Acquisition and other costs 14,253 Adjusted EBITDA 29,521









Year Ended December 31,

2019 Summary of acquisition and other costs (in  thousands) (pro forma) / preliminary Contract liabilities write-offs 14,371 Gain realized upon sublease commencement (1,315) Project consultant costs 194 Other employee payments 853 Severance costs 150 Total adjustments 14,253







Investor Conference Call The Group will discuss its financial results during a live teleconference today at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. Toll-Free (United States): 1-877-705-6003

Toll-Free (Germany): 0-800-182-0040

International: 1-201-493-6725 In addition, Spark Networks will host a webcast of the call which will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of Spark Networks' website at https://investor.spark.net/investor-relations/home. A replay will begin approximately three hours after completion of the call and run until May 13, 2020. Replay

Toll-Free (United States): 1-844-512-2921

International: 1-412-317-6671 Passcode: 13700746 Preliminary Financial Information The estimated financial results for the second half and full fiscal year 2019 set forth in this press release are preliminary, unaudited and subject to completion, reflect management's current views and may change as a result of management's review of results and other factors. Such preliminary results are subject to the finalization and closing of Spark Networks' accounting books and records and should not be viewed as a substitute for full audited financial statements. Neither Spark Networks' independent registered public accounting firm nor any other independent registered public accounting firm has audited, reviewed or compiled, examined or performed any procedures with respect to the preliminary results, nor have they expressed any opinion or any other form of assurance on the preliminary results. The final results for the second half and full year 2019 may vary materially from the preliminary financial information included in this press release. Safe Harbor Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, statements involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause Spark Networks' performance or achievements to be materially different from those of any expected future results, performance, or achievements. Any statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be considered to be forward-looking statements. Written words, such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates," and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the near future. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding Spark Networks' preliminary unaudited financial results for the second half and full year 2019, the expected savings and marketing synergies of the combined company, the launch of new products, the significant market opportunity of Spark Networks, Spark Networks' financial outlook and guidance for H1 2020 and full year 2020, including with respect to Adjusted EBITDA and revenue, and the potential impact of COVID-19 on Sparks Networks' business and the online dating industry. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the following: the preliminary results for the second half and full year 2019 are subject to change pending the completion of Spark Networks' audit of its financial statements for the full year 2019, and Spark Networks' final audited financial statements may differ significantly from the preliminary financial results; the risk that the benefits, including expected cost synergies, from the acquisition of Zoosk, Inc. may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; risks related to the degree of competition in the markets in which Spark Networks operates; risks related to our ability to stabilize our business; risks related to our ability to achieve $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million) of Adjusted EBITDA in 2020; risks related to the ability of Spark Networks to retain and hire key personnel, operating results and business generally; Spark Networks' ability to continue to control costs and operating expenses; Spark Networks' ability to achieve intended cost savings; the ability to promptly and effectively integrate the businesses of Spark Networks SE and Zoosk, Inc.; Spark Networks' ability to generate cash from operations, lower-than-expected revenue, credit quality deterioration or a reduction in net earnings; Spark Networks' ability to raise outside capital and to repay debt as it comes due; Spark Networks' ability to introduce new competitive products and the degree of market acceptance of such new products; the timing and market acceptance of new products introduced by Spark Networks' competitors; Spark Networks' ability to identify potential acquisitions; Spark Networks' ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and the ability of acquired businesses to perform as expected; Spark Networks' ability to maintain strong relationships with branded channel partners; changes in Spark Networks' share price due to broader stock market movements and the performance of peer group companies; Spark Networks' ability to enforce intellectual property rights and protect their respective intellectual property; Spark Networks' ability to comply with new and evolving regulations relating to data protection and data privacy; general competition and price measures in the market place; risks related to the duration and severity of COVID-19 and its impact on Spark Networks' business; the effects of shelter-in-place orders on Spark Networks' business and the online dating industry; the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. and global economies and financial markets; and general economic conditions. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ are discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Spark Networks' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in other sections of Spark Networks' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and in Spark Networks' other current and periodic reports filed or furnished from time to time with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law. About Spark Networks SE: Spark Networks SE is America's second largest dating company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange American under the ticker symbol "LOV," with headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and offices in New York, Utah and California. The Company's widening portfolio of premium and freemium dating apps include Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe and SilverSingles, among others. Spark Networks SE in its current form is the result of the merger between Affinitas GmbH and Spark Networks, Inc. in 2017 and the addition of Zoosk, Inc. in 2019. Spark Networks has approximately one million monthly paying subscribers globally. For More Information Investors:

Christopher Camarra

Vice President of Investor Relations

[email protected] 1 Contribution is defined as revenue, net of refunds and credit card chargebacks, less direct marketing. Direct Marketing is defined as online and offline advertising spend and is included within Cost of revenue within Spark Networks' Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. 2 Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is not a measure defined by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). The most directly comparable IFRS measure for Adjusted EBITDA is our net (loss)/profit for the relevant period. This measure is one of the primary metrics by which we evaluate the performance of our businesses, budget, forecast and compensate management. We believe this measure provides management and investors with a consistent view, period to period, of the core earnings generated from ongoing operations and excludes the impact of items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. This includes: (i) items such as share-based compensation, asset impairments, gains or losses on foreign currency transactions and interest expense, and (ii) items related to acquisitions or other costs that are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature including contract liabilities write-offs, gains realized upon sublease commencement, transaction and advisory fees, merger integration costs, other employee payments, and severance. Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as a substitute for net (loss) / profit (as determined in accordance with IFRS) for the purpose of analyzing our operating performance or financial position, as Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by IFRS. A reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended December 31, 2019, June 30, 2019, and December 31, 2018, and the years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 can be found in the table below. Statements regarding our positioning to deliver Adjusted EBITDA of $30 to $34 million (27 to 31 million) in 2020 do not include certain charges and costs. The adjustments to EBITDA in future periods are generally expected to be similar to the kinds of charges and costs excluded from Adjusted EBITDA in prior periods, including (i) items such as share-based compensation, asset impairments, gains or losses on foreign currency transactions and interest expense, and (ii) items related to acquisitions or other costs that are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature including contract liabilities write-offs, gains realized upon sublease commencement, transaction and advisory fees, merger integration costs, other employee payments, and severance. The exclusion of these charges and costs in future periods will have a significant impact on our Adjusted EBITDA. We are not able to provide a reconciliation of our non-IFRS financial guidance to the corresponding IFRS measures without unreasonable effort because of the uncertainty and variability of the nature and amount of these future charges and costs. 3 Total registrations are defined as the total number of new members registering to the platforms with their email address. Those include members who enter into premium subscriptions and free memberships. 4 Paying subscribers are defined as individuals who have paid a monthly fee for access to premium services, which include, among others, unlimited communication with other registered users, access to user profile pictures and enhanced search functionality. Average paying subscribers for each month are calculated as the sum of the paying subscribers at the beginning and the end of the month, divided by two. Average paying subscribers for periods longer than one month are calculated as the sum of the average paying subscribers for each month, divided by the number of months in such period. 5 Monthly Average Net Revenue Per User, or Monthly ARPU, represents the total net subscriber revenue for the period divided by the number of average paying subscribers for the period, divided by the number of months in the period. 6 In accordance with segment reporting guidance, the Group's financial reporting includes detailed data on two separate operating segments. The North America segment consists of operations in the United States and Canada, and the International segment consists of all other operations except for the United States and Canada. 7 The unaudited pro forma financial information presents the combined results of the Company and Zoosk as if the Spark Networks / Zoosk Merger had occurred on January 1, 2019. The unaudited pro forma financial information includes adjustments required under the acquisition method of accounting and is presented for informational purposes only. This presentation is not necessarily indicative of the results that would have been achieved had the acquisitions actually occurred on January 1, 2019. 8 Certain comparative figures for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were restated for immaterial errors. SPARK NETWORKS SE Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA (in  thousands)





Six Months Ended

Years Ended December 31,



Preliminary









Preliminary







12/31/2019

6/30/2019

12/31/2018

2019

2018





Net loss

(11,979)

(4,874)

(1,956)

(16,853)

(4,216) Net finance expenses

8,831

119

394

8,950

958 Income tax expense

(5,246)

401

2,387

(4,845)

1,147 Depreciation and amortization

8,977

1,653

1,928

10,630

3,565 Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill

703



3,324

703

3,324 Share-based compensation expense

260

2,075

2,314

2,335

4,091 Acquisition and other costs

17,170

4,459

129

21,629

970 Adjusted EBITDA2

18,716

3,833

8,520

22,549

9,839





Summary of acquisition and other costs



Contract liabilities write-offs

14,371





14,371

289 Gain realized upon sublease commencement

(1,259)





(1,259)

 Transaction and advisory fees

348

4,413



4,761

264 Merger integration costs

493



87

493

101 Other employee payments

826





826

 Severance costs

2,391

46

42

2,437

316 Total adjustments

17,170

4,459

129

21,629

970 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spark-networks-se-reports-preliminary-second-half-and-full-year-2019-results-301049042.html SOURCE Spark Networks SE

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FAIRFIELD (dpa-AFX) - General Electric Company (GE) reported first quarter adjusted GE Industrial earnings per share of $0.06 compared to $0.13, prior year. Adjusted earnings per share was $0.05, a decline of 62% from prior year. On average, 14 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report profit per share of $0.08, for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. For the first quarter, GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to GE common shareholders was $0.72 compared to $0.10, a year ago. The company noted that its continuing EPS included a $11.1 billion after-tax gain following the sale of BioPharma and a $4.6 billion after-tax unrealized loss on marking GE's investment in Baker Hughes to market. First quarter GE Industrial organic revenues were $18.94 billion, down 5% from last year. Total revenues were $20.52 billion compared to $22.20 billion. Analysts expected revenue of $20.21 billion for the quarter. Total orders were $19.5 billion, down 5%. Organic orders declined 3%, for the quarter. GE Chairman and CEO Lawrence Culp, Jr. said, 'The impact from COVID-19 materially challenged our first-quarter results, especially in Aviation, where we saw a dramatic decline in commercial aerospace as the virus spread globally in March. We are targeting more than $2 billion in operational cost out and $3 billion of cash preservation to mitigate the financial impact.' 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.
Fire crews fought blazes near the Czech Republics border with Germany on April 28, as the Central European country faces extreme drought conditions that officials say are the worst in centuries.

This drone footage showing the aftermath of fires in the vicinity of Cinovce was posted on Wednesday by the emergency services in the northern Usti Region. On Tuesday, the same emergency services posted photos of firefighters battling blazes, which it said were being confronted by seven Czech crews and two from across the border in Germany.

On Wednesday, Czech Environment Minister Richard Brabec described drought conditions as the worst the country has faced in 500 years. The ministry showed evidence that extreme drought existed in three-quarters of the Czech Republic.

We are facing an unprecedented drought period, both in its duration and its impact, he said. Smaller rivers will dry out, there may be tens, perhaps hundreds of communities supplied by cisterns, because their sources may dry out."

According to local reports, the Vltava River in the Czech capital Prague is at only a fifth of its normal levels for April, when snow melt historically has filled waterways in the country. Credit: Fire and Rescue Service of the Usti Region via Storyful
Ecuador Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 23,240, Total Deaths reaches to 663 on 28-Apr-2020

In Ecuador total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 23,240, while 663 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Ecuador:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 23-Apr-2020 11,183 333 560 23 2. 24-Apr-2020 22,719 11,536 576 16 3. 25-Apr-2020 22,719 0 576 0 4. 26-Apr-2020 22,719 0 576 0 5. 27-Apr-2020 23,240 521 663 87 6. 28-Apr-2020 23,240 0 663 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (124,032)

2. North America (61,643)

3. USA (56,803)

4. Italy (26,977)

5. Spain (23,521)

6. France (23,293)

7. UK (21,092)

8. Asia (17,600)

9. Belgium (7,207)

10. South America (6,793)

Total Deaths Worldwide (211,658)

Globally till now over 211,658 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Ecuador and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 124,032 deaths and 1,301,766 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
Hertz Global Holdings Inc. is doing everything it can to preserve cash and get leniency from its lenders to avoid a bankruptcy filing amid a collapse in the travel industry, chief executive officer Kathryn Marinello said in an interview.

The company has been in discussions with creditors for weeks and is still pushing the U.S. Treasury Department to help rental-car companies, which Marinello says have been hit as hard as the airline sector by travellers staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We are seeking the support of our lenders and banks, said Marinello, whose biggest shareholder at Hertz is billionaire investor Carl Icahn. We are also seeking the support of the government. Yes, we can avoid bankruptcy.

Hertz is working with several advisory firms to restructure its balance sheet, people familiar with the matter said. While the company is preparing for bankruptcy as a possibility, the people said its a last-resort option.

The companys shares fell 16 per cent as of 12:30 p.m. in New York trading, paring an earlier decline of as much as 29 per cent. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on the preparation toward a possible bankruptcy.

Hertz disclosed earlier Wednesday that the company missed substantial lease payments related to the cars it rents out. With business down about 80 per cent since the pandemic took hold, Hertz has furloughed thousands of workers without pay and looked for ways to stay afloat until travellers re-emerge.

The missed payments were the clearest indication yet that Hertz hasnt come to an agreement with its banks for forbearance. If Hertz doesnt make payments by the end of a grace period on May 4, and enough lenders and note holders dont agree to waive a resulting default, the company said it could be materially and negatively affected.

Hertzs filing suggests it is struggling to obtain all necessary amendments and waivers to reduce its required payments, Joel Levington, a Bloomberg Intelligence credit analyst, said in note. Should it achieve that, we think raters may view the changes in terms as tantamount to a selective default, and without the change, the potential for a corporate restructuring is possible.
Homestead is located in the small-town of Schertz, providing the perfect balance of urban convenience and countryside living with new homes near San Antonio. Just 15 minutes from the military bases, Homestead is located between San Antonio and New Braunfels in the town of Schertz, providing a quaint, close-knit community conveniently positioned near large employment hubs.

The gathering core of the community, Homestead Commons, welcomes residents and is the heartbeat of the neighborhood. The amenity center was intentionally designed to bring residents together while providing an open-air pavilion with grilling stations, modern pool and splash pad, manicured great lawn, child playscape and state-of-the-art fitness center. Residents will step out of their new home and into an expansive amenity center.
THE investigation file on the alleged murder of father-of-seven Garreth Kelly in a knife attack in a Dublin housing estate is at an "advanced stage", a court has heard.

Prosecutors have said while a pathologist's report is still awaited, "progress is being made" and it is hoped the file will be sent to the DPP soon.

Murder accused Christina Anderson (38) was still too unwell to attend court today and Judge Grainnne Malone adjourned the case in her absence.

The mother-of-three, who was due in court for the sixth time since she was charged in February, was remanded further in custody.

Ms Anderson, with an address at Brownsbarn Wood, Kingswood in west Dublin is charged with murdering Mr Kelly (39) at Brownsbarn Wood on February 25 last.

He had been trying to start his car to go to work when he sustained fatal wounds and died at the scene.

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Today, Judge Malone was told at Dublin District Court that Ms Anderson was not present and there was a sick note from the Central Mental Hospital, where she is detained.

Defence solicitor Michael Kelleher said there was consent to an adjournment but he was "anxious to know where we are with the file."

State solicitor Mairead White said the file was at an advanced stage but the pathologist's report was awaited. This normally took around 12 weeks she said, it was hoped to have it soon and progress was being made, she added.

Judge Malone remanded the accused in custody to May 13.

A judge has previously ordered Ms Anderson to be medically and psychiatrically assessed.

On an earlier date, Det Sgt Dara Kenny previously said the accused made no reply when charged.

Mr Kelly was believed to have been staying over with his partner at another house in the Brownsbarn estate at the time of the incident.
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Market Research Future Published a Half Cooked Research Report on Global Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market Research Report  Global Forecast till 2023

Major Players:

Key players leading the Global Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market Growth include The Dow Chemical Company (US), 3M (US), Meguiars (US), Malco Products Inc (US), Permatex (US), Terra Silikon Teknolojileri ve Kimya (Turkey), General Chemical Corp (US), Nuvite Chemical Compounds (US), and Blue Ribbon Inc (US) among others.

Industry/Innovation/Related News

April 2, 2019  Gold Eagle Co. (the US), maker of 303 Products, that is a premium line of auto detailing products designed to clean, shine, protect, and prolong the time in between waxes, or ceramic coatings announced its partnership with OReilly Auto Parts (the US), a leading retailer in the automotive aftermarket industry for the nationwide retailing of new 303 Touchless Sealant.

Gold Eagles new touchless Sealant is a water-activated wax alternative with hydrophobic technology that lasts up to two times longer than traditional wax and doesnt require wiping or buffing. It takes more time to apply as compared to the lengthy traditional process of vehicle waxing, offering immediate results, as water beads on the paint to indicate the vehicles paint is protected.

Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market  Segmentation

For ease of understanding, the market is segmented into three key dynamics: 

By Product Type: Protectors, Sealants, Polishes & Waxes, and Glass & Wheel Care among others.

By Vehicle Type: Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles, and Heavy Commercial Vehicles among others.

By Regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest-of-the-World.

Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7077

Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market  Competitive Analysis

Fiercely competitive, the Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market appears to be fragmented due to the presence of numerous matured & small-scale players. These players incorporate strategic initiatives such as partnership, acquisition, expansion, product & technology launch, and collaboration to gain an edge over their competitors. These players are developing their product portfolio focusing on advanced technologies.

The recent trend of developing customized these enhancing solutions is expected to drive the growth of the market, driving the competition further. Manufacturers developing tailor-made aesthetic products are expected to gain an edge over their rivals.

Market Analysis:

Automotive Appearance Chemicals are the substances that protect, maintain, and enhance aesthetics of vehicles, improving the gloss and durability of vehicles. Over the last decade, the Global Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market is growing continually, mainly due to the burgeoning automotive sector that is witnessing increasing unit sale. Moreover, factors such as the increasing demand for these chemicals in the manufacturing of passenger cars are escalating the market on global height.

Acknowledging the spurting growth of the market, Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study report asserts that the Global Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market will garner exponential accruals by 2023 registering phenomenal CAGR throughout the review period (2018 to 2023). Evolving coating technology, overwhelming innovations, and the increasing adoption of this technology is a key driving force behind the growth of the market.

Additional factors that are boosting the growth of the market include the increasing popularity of the Automotive Appearance Chemicals for the aftermarket applications to prolong aesthetic appeals and high life expectancy of vehicles is fostering the market growth. Furthermore, the increase in the use of large volumes of these products by the automotive companies to distinguish their brand by improving shine and durability and also modifying sheeting effect, water beading potential, and feel is also driving the growth of the market.

Conversely, the volatility of prices and demand & supply gap in the raw materials required for the production of these substances are expected to impede the growth of the market. Nevertheless, efforts that key players operating in the market are investing in strengthening their supply chain would, in turn, support the market growth, tackling the raw materials scarcity situations.

Browse Key Industry Insights spread across 140 pages with 35 market data tables & 12 figures & charts from the report, Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market Information: By Product Type (Protectors, Polishes and Waxes, Sealants, Glass and Wheel Care), Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles) and Region  Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2023 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-appearance-chemicals-market-7077

Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market  Regional Analysis

The European region, heading with the presence of a significant number of automotive manufacturers accounts for the dominating market in the Global Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market. Factors such as the huge uptake of these products in its flourishing automotive sector predominantly drive the growth of the market.Furthermore, factors such as the implementation of new regulations proposed by the government to follow lightweight and biocompatible resins in the automotive industry are acting as major tailwind propelling the growth of the regional market. Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market in Italy, Germany, France, and the UK led by the growing innovation and technological advancement majorly contribute to the growth of the regional market.

The Asia Pacific Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market accounts for the second-largest market, globally. Factors such as the rapidly augmenting demand especially in China, Japan, and India due to the burgeoning automotive industry in these countries drive the growth of the regional market.

The APAC has been witnessing robust growth in terms of production and sale of the passenger cars and commercial vehicles which as a result is fuelling the demand for Automotive Appearance Chemicals. Continuing with the same growth trends the APAC region is expected to register a phenomenal growth throughout the forecast period.

The North America Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market is rapidly emerging as a profitable market, globally. Factors such as the increase in sales of luxury cars and the rise in spending of the individuals for car care are propelling the growth of the regional market. Continuing with the same growth trends the Automotive Appearance Chemicals Market in the North American region would account for a substantial share in the global market.

Read our Blogs @ http://mrfrblog.com

Related Chemicals and Materials Market Research Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/categories/chemicals-market-report

NOTE: Our team of researchers are studying Covid19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required we will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

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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.

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Trend

There is a solid government program on credit support for areas that suffered from coronavirus pandemic, Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Elman Rustamov said in an interview to the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (AzTV), Trend reports.

He noted that CBA, according to the government program, allows banks to restructure loans until September 30.

The banks were given recommendations on extending the loan repayment term. Such loans are no longer considered problematic by CBA. The main thing is that fines or sanctions are not applied to the population on these loans. As is known, every citizen or legal person has a credit history. When a person once again takes a loan, this story plays a significant role, said Rustamov.

"We recommended the banks not to worsen the credit history of individuals since the terms of repayments for these loans are extended for reasons beyond their control," the chairman added.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The UK may end up with the worst death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, a minister has said.

George Eustice, the environment secretary, told Sky News it was unclear for now but it may well be the case that the UK will have the highest death toll in Europe.

He said: Weve been on similar trajectories to France and Italy. It may well be that we are, who knows, we dont know that at the moment. For now we just need to focus on managing this pandemic.

The UK has so far recorded 161,145 positive cases of Covid-19, with 21,678 hospital deaths as of Tuesday. But the number is expected to be far higher when deaths at care homes are included, where more than 5,000 deaths have been linked to the disease.

A spokeswoman for the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it would not be fair at this stage ... to make a judgement on whether the UK would come out of the crisis with the worst death toll in Europe, but it was clear the outbreak here was horrendous.

Dr Margaret Harris, spokeswoman for the WHO, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We wont really know who had the highest rates, what really went on, until after this is over and we can analyse it properly.

Clearly you are having a horrendous outbreak and making a tremendous effort to care for everybody but at this stage it wouldnt be fair to make a judgment one way or another.

The government will begin publishing the number of deaths in care homes alongside hospital deaths from Wednesday, in an effort to bring as much transparency as possible, said health secretary Matt Hancock. It has faced widespread criticism for not including care home and community deaths in its daily statistics, unlike some other countries.

During Tuesdays daily briefing, Mr Hancock said testing will be expanded to all care home residents and staff, regardless of whether they have Covid-19 symptoms, and all those aged 65 and over with symptoms and their households.

The UKs national testing co-ordinator, Professor John Newton, said he expects a substantial number of people living in care homes will have died, ahead of the release of the figures today.

Speaking on LBC, Prof Newton said: We have always known that a proportion of cases have been in care homes.

Sadly coronavirus affects older people a lot more... There will be a substantial number [of deaths].

He added the Government is massively increasing the number of tests carried out on those living and working in care homes.

In a separate interview, Prof Newton also told Today that he is confident the 100,000 daily testing target will be met on Thursday.

He said: We are pretty confident we will hit that target. It puts us really right up there with countries like Germany, so we need that now but we need that for the future as well.

There will be a lag in receiving the data but by the end of the week we will know whether we have reached that target, he added.

Additional reporting by agencies
Milena Jelinek spent her youth in Czechoslovakia learning to write under the tutelage of novelists like Milan Kundera and protesting Communism with friends like Vaclav Havel.

She was thrown out of film school in Prague for a movie she wrote called An Easy Life, which was deemed subversive. After fleeing to New York, she became a tough-love screenwriting professor at Columbia University, where she was known to warn that becoming a writer makes you fat and a drunk.

That mix of piercing critique, zestful living and an unflinching dedication to story defined Professor Jelineks life. She died of complications of the novel coronavirus on April 15 in Manhattan, her son, William Jelinek, said. She was 84.

As a screenwriter, Professor Jelinek was best known for Forgotten Light, directed by Vladimir Michalek and released in 1996. The story of a young Roman Catholic priests effort to save his church from being closed during the Communist era and his love for a dying parishioner, Forgotten Light is regarded as one of the greatest Czech movies of the last three decades.
Governments and technology companies around the world are working quickly to unveil contact tracing abilities, which could prove to be an important tool in limiting the spread of COVID-19, especially as more countries begin to loosen restrictions and reopen their economies.

Yet while these types of tools are expected to be useful in protecting the general population, they may not be as helpful for many workers in the industrial sector, where certain protective equipment, technology and physical distancing isn't always practical.

Some of the largest outbreaks in Canada have taken place in these types of workplaces, such as the hundreds of confirmed cases linked to meat-processing facilities as well as infections in several provinces traced back to a single Alberta oilsands work camp.

"There is an inherently riskier nature to working in those settings, compared to me working in an office building far apart, in my little cubicle, from other people," said Dr. Jia Hu, a public health physician with Alberta Health Services. As part of his job with AHS, he helps co-ordinate contract tracing for the province.

"Anytime you have people work or live in crowded conditions, it's easier to spread disease. We're worried about those settings. I think a lot of these have caught public health authorities off-guard," Hu said.

Erin Collins/CBC

That's why researchers are trying to find solutions specifically for the industrial sector.

Collecting data to track infections

One of these new projects is a device by Calgary-based Blackline Safety that became available this week.

The company's software allows a company to track the movements of workers on a job site to monitor physical distancing requirements in real time  and, if an employee tests positive for the virus, to be able to do contact tracing and identify other workers who may have also come in contact with the virus.

It's the type of technology that many other researchers are developing  including in Britain, where the National Health Service is working on an app that would record data on a person's smartphone whenever they come in close contact with other people. If a person were to test positive for the virus, that data could be used to identify everyone else who may have been infected as well.

Story continues

But in many industrial workplaces, smartphones aren't permitted due to safety concerns. That's why Blackline developed its technology using a wearable device, which according to the company is already used by 60,000 workers in Canada and around the world.

Submitted by Blackline Safety

Cody Slater, chief executive of Blackline, sees potential use for the technology in many sectors, such as utilities, food processing plants and chemical facilities, among others.

"This really gives companies a proactive tool to manage their workforce in the world of COVID," he said.

Developing home test kits

Slater said industrial companies are usually quick to adapt to workplace challenges because physical safety is such an important part of their business.

"That's the reason why we're seeing such a quick interest in this kind of industrial contact tracing and social distancing, because those companies realize they have different challenges than the average [business] out there," he said.

Another possible protective tool for the industrial sector is based on technology already used in Suncor Energy's refinery in Sarnia, Ont. The Calgary-based oil and gas company is working with researchers in hopes of developing COVID-19 home antibody test kits that are affordable and provide results quickly.

The kits would rely on techniques similar to those Suncor uses to treat wastewater at its Sarnia facility, using proteins to assist in breaking down contaminants.

The company is partnering with researchers at Western University through Mitacs, a not-for-profit innovation organization.

"It's basically a direct spinoff of work that was already going on at Suncor, so they responded very quickly to our call for ideas to help with the COVID-19 crisis," said John Hepburn, CEO and scientific director of Mitacs.

Identifying antibodies

Researchers are looking at whether the kits would be able to identify antibodies and whether that would give someone immunity from the virus or not.

Charlotte Dumoulin/Radio-Canada

"If it turns out that having antibodies does render immunity from the virus, it would be helpful to know that," Hepburn said.

If the technology works, Hepburn said it could not only help companies like Suncor but other workplaces as well, from a retail store to a meat-processing plant. In other words, "companies where it is quite difficult to operate and maintain the two-metres distance and have the protective gear you need to operate safely."

Hepburn said Suncor is providing its information in an open-source format so it's available to other researchers around the world.
The City of Laredo is developing a response to Gov. Greg Abbott's order to reopen Texas, city officials said in their daily media update Wednesday.

According to Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Landin, the city will meet with their legal department today to review the governor's order and is planning on issuing a set of guidelines in accordance with the new order. City Council will also meet Monday to discuss the city's emergency order and adjust it to comply with Abbott's directives.

The guidelines will specify which parts of Laredo's emergency order will remain in effect. As of noon, city officials are unsure which measures cities can take to protect citizens. The city is relying on its legal team to interpret the governor's mandate and decide how Laredo's emergency order will be amended going forward.

Compounding matters is Laredo's status as a border city, which differentiates it from other Texas cities.

The state's stay-home order will expire on Friday, May 1, but Laredo's emergency order is not set to expire until May 30.

Under Laredo's current order, non-essential business are to remain closed. The order also mandated facial coverings for Laredoans who enter public spaces, as well as put in place a curfew for citizens from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The governor announced on Monday he would allow non-essential Texas businesses to open for business on Friday, with a 25% occupancy cap, superseding Laredo's order. He also removed the city's authority to levy fines against citizens who don't wear masks or face coverings, effective immediately.

The measure is part of Phase One of his plan to reopen Texas. Should Texas not see a spike in COVID-19 cases, the state would look at opening up more businesses in the following weeks.

Landin said that although the order forbids fines for citizens who don't wear masks or face coverings, it doesn't say cities cannot mandate facial coverings for its citizens without a penalty.

How effective a mask mandate would be without enforcement measures remains to be seen.

City of Laredo Health Department Director Dr. Gonzalez also issued an update for restaurants which are set to reopen after long periods of inactivity.

The city health department will continue inspections of restaurants, insuring those that intend to open on Friday are safe for citizens. Restaurants will have to be fully sanitized before reopening, including having ice machines and all facilities flushed and cleaned.

Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, however, wanted to remind local businesses should they feel unsafe with resuming business as usual, they still have agency to remain closed. As private businesses, they can also require customers and employees to don masks, despite the governor's order.
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Britain's daily coronavirus death toll exceeded 1,000 nine times in April, according to an official recount that took the UK to third in the global COVID-19 fatality table with more than 26,000 victims.

Ministers yesterday added 3,811 more deaths onto the tally, after including fatalities in care homes or people who their own houses for the first time amid growing pressure to reveal the true scale of the crisis. Officials had only included hospital deaths since the first death was recorded at the start of March.

But top statisticians argued the revised toll was still thousands short, telling MailOnline the truth was 'at least as much again' and claiming the real number would be 30,000-plus. Only people who tested positive for the virus are included in the new statistics, despite ministers rationing almost all the testing kits to hospitals for the first month of the outbreak.

Despite the recount still not being a true reflection, it means only the US (61,00) and Italy (27,000) have recorded more coronavirus deaths than Britain.

Department of Health statistics showed the revised daily death toll topped 1,000 on April 7 (1,038), April 8 (1,034), April 9 (1,103), April 10 (1,152), April 14 (1,044), April 16 (1,029), April 18 (1,115), April 21 (1,172) and April 24 (1,005). Previously, April 10 was the deadliest day with 980 fatalities recorded.

The Office for National Statistics and the Care Quality Commission continue to put out more reliable but slower statistics which include reports of people who were suspected to have the disease but were never diagnosed and, as a result, put the number of people dying outside of hospitals significantly higher.

Professor John Newton, the Government's testing chief, yesterday explained officials had been working on the assumption that if one person tested positive for COVID-19 in a home then anyone else who developed symptoms probably also had it and didn't need testing.

ONS reports that more than 3,000 people are known to have died in care homes by April 17, while the CQC has recorded more than 4,300 in just a fortnight in England alone.

Separate ONS data suggests that the real number of victims may be 55 per cent higher than the Government is letting on, putting the figure at more than 40,000 already. Records in Scotland, meanwhile, show hospital deaths now account for just 52 per cent of fatalities, suggesting the true number is 43,000. The Financial Times estimates that 47,000 people have died already.

The Department of Health's data last night, however, suggested that hospital patients still make up 83 per cent of all fatalities - something which is not borne out by any other statistics being published in the UK.

Britain yesterday announced 765 more hospital patients have died of the coronavirus, of whom around 600 died in hospitals. NHS England announced 445 more victims, including a healthy 14-year-old, to add to 83 declared in Scotland and 73 in Wales.

It comes as the number of people known to have died in care homes is soaring and Sir David Spiegelhalter from the University of Cambridge said people may now be dying at a faster rate in homes than in hospitals.

The professor, a highly regarded statistics expert and an OBE recipient, spoke of 'massive, unprecedented spikes' in the numbers of care home fatalities and said there was no evidence that care homes were over the worst of the outbreak, as the rest of the country is believed to be.

Government ministers, pressured on claims they haven't done enough to help care homes, insisted care was 'not overlooked' during a scramble to protect the NHS. Environment Secretary George Eustice said 'we have always recognised there was more vulnerability there'. He denied that more testing would have saved lives.

In other coronavirus news:

Schools will reopen in a 'phased approach' meaning not all children will go back at the same time, said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. He did not say when this might begin;

Dominic Cummings, the chief adviser to Number 10, is alleged to have 'played more than a bystander's role' during his controversial attendances at meetings of the Government's scientific advisory group, SAGE;

A drug developed for Ebola, remdesivir, has shown promising results in an early trial on 397 severely ill COVID-19 patients, according to its manufacturer, Gilead;

UK travel agent TUI has cancelled all holiday bookings due to take place over the next six weeks;

Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council may have to file for bankruptcy because it has lost so much money now that tourism is not allowed under coronavirus lockdown rules;

Midwives and social workers from abroad will be granted automatic visa renewal for at least one year so they can continue to work during the coronavirus crisis.

The Department of Health has today started compiling data on deaths which happen anywhere, as long as the person tests positive for COVID-19 before or after they die. The new record has seen 3,811 backdated fatalities added to Britain's death toll, but is still not believed to show the whole picture

Analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics shows that, as the number of hospital deaths being reported has declined (blue bar), the number of fatalities being recorded outside of hospitals - mainly in care homes - has risen (red bar). The data used has been backdated and counted by actual date of death, making it appear more stable than the erratic numbers announced each day by the Department of Health, which are counted by the date they are registered

Speaking about today's update data collection, Professor Spiegelhalter told MailOnline: 'It's actually a lot more than that [3,811].

'The true number is probably at least as much again as they added in today, which would take it well above 30,000. They're doing their best and it is a lot better than what we've been getting but it is still not the full picture.

CARE HOME RESIDENTS DYING AT A FASTER RATE THAN HOSPITAL PATIENTS IN SCOTLAND People dying in hospitals only make up half of the coronavirus death toll in Scotland, data has revealed, and people are now dying at a faster rate in care homes than they are in hospitals. A report published today by the National Records of Scotland has shed light on the devastating toll COVID-19 is taking on care home residents. Of the 656 people who died with the coronavirus between April 20 and April 26, 338 (52 per cent) were in care homes while 276 (42 per cent) happened in hospitals. The remaining 42 happened in someone's own home or elsewhere. And the same data showed that, by April 26, 2,272 people were confirmed to have died with COVID-19. Some 1,188 of these (52 per cent) were hospital patients, while 886 (39 per cent) died in care homes. A further 198 (9 per cent) died at home or elsewhere. Advertisement

'If you put those two datasets (ONS and CQC) [with] the new data being reported [it] is still missing a good few hundred deaths each day.'

Separate data released today by the National Records of Scotland has made it abundantly clear that the hospital deaths being announced by government officials each day are only showing a fraction of the reality.

National Records data revealed that hospital patients only made up 52 per cent of all fatalities, while 39 per cent happened in nursing homes and 11 per cent elsewhere. When they were added together Scotland's total death toll for April 26 almost doubled from 1,262 to 2,272.

Care homes, which are believed to still be in the grip of the coronavirus, are disaster-struck and the Government is facing heavy criticism over alleged failures to help the industry prepare.

In England and Wales the number of residents dying of any cause has almost tripled in a month, from around 2,500 per week in March to 7,300 in a single week in April - more than 2,000 of the latter were confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports suggest care homes are now seeing around 400 coronavirus deaths each day, on average - a number on par with hospitals in England.

The way data is backdated means that the true picture of what's happening in care homes is unclear because we currently only have statistics from two weeks ago.

The true scale of the crisis has also been masked by a lack of routine testing, meaning hundreds of elderly residents may have died without ever being diagnosed.

Public Health England data has revealed that almost a third of all nursing homes in the country have reported coronavirus outbreaks.

THIRD OF RESIDENTS DIE OF COVID-19 AT CARE HOMES IN ESSEX AND PETERBOROUGH Nearly a third of residents have died at a 22-bed Essex care home and an 18-resident facility in Peterborough. Jenny Smith, director of care at Westcliff Lodge Care Home in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, revealed the devastating impact coronavirus is having at the care home. 'We're all still adjusting and trying to process the loss,' she told BBC Breakfast earlier this month. 'The loss and the pain and the devastation. We have many people off sick as well with suspected COVID, so we've been under tremendous pressure. 'There's so much fear among the staff because this is a virus that affects people of all ages, and that's a really primary difference really compared to normal influenza outbreaks.' Nearly a third of residents at Westcliff Lodge Care Home, Essex, have died during coronavirus outbreak Some 85 per cent of the carers at the virus-hit care home in Peterborough (pictured) have either fallen sick or are having to self-isolate after coming into contact with carriers Meanwhile, at least six people have died at the Philia Care Home in Peterborough. Earlier this month the daughter of one of the victims said the state care homes had been left in was 'wicked'. Rhona White, 64  whose mother Peggy Grainger, 86, had a moving final letter from her family read to her because they were unable to visit  said: 'The whole situation is just criminal. People are being allowed to die in these homes and nobody seems to really care about it.' Some 85 per cent of carers at Philia Care Home in Peterborough have either fallen sick or had to self-isolate after coming into contact with carriers. Manager Heidi Seldon, who moved into the home to sleep in her office, said: 'What I wasn't prepared for was how hard it was going to be, emotionally, watching so many of my residents suffering from coronavirus. 'We're just trying to hold ourselves together and hope that there will be some light at the end of the tunnel.' Advertisement

Some 4,516 homes had reported cases of the virus between March 17 and April 27, which represents around 29 per cent of all homes.

The North East of England has been worst hit, with four in 10 of its care homes affected (291 total), followed by the North West (36 per cent) and London (33 per cent).

Government ministers are now having to fend off accusations that they left the 400,000 people living in care homes in the lurch in the early stages of Britain's epidemic when they focused their efforts on NHS hospitals.

Chief government scientist Sir Patrick Vallance admitted this week that Whitehall was told 'very early on' - believed to be late January or early February - that care homes would be a danger zone. The Government has been accused of 'shambolic' and haphazard' attempts to support the sector since then and the first death wasn't announced until March 31.

The CQC said a total of 4,343 people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 died in care homes between April 10 and April 24 alone.

ONS statistics published yesterday show that more than a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths are happening outside of hospitals - by April 17 there had been 4,316 non-hospital deaths out of a total 19,112.

Almost three-quarters of people living in care homes have dementia, making them extremely vulnerable, and many have other serious health problems.

Professor Spiegelhalter said: 'While COVID deaths in hospitals have been steadily declining since April 8 and now number around 400-450 a day, new Care Quality Commission data show that last week there were around 350-400 COVID deaths in English care-homes each day.

'When we add in deaths at home, this suggests there are now about as many COVID deaths out of hospital as in hospital. And while hospital deaths are steadily decreasing, there is no sign yet that we are past the peak in care homes.'

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 yesterday, he added, 'slightly sticking my neck out' that there were actually more happening outside of hospitals.

As more detail has emerged showing how hard nursing homes have been hit by the virus, the Government is facing growing pressure to explain its actions and apparent lack of support.

Although care homes are not run by the Government and many are owned by private, profit-making companies, they house hundreds of thousands of the country's most vulnerable people and have close links to local councils, which fund some residents' fees, and NHS services.

Politicians have hit back against claims the care sector was overlooked.

Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC Radio 4 today: 'I don't accept it was overlooked, but obviously there was a real focus on our NHS because there were concerns that it might be overwhelmed and we wanted to make sure they had absolutely everything they needed.

'But in the case of care homes, we have always recognised that there was more vulnerability there.'

Asked if tests not being available earlier for care home workers had cost lives, Mr Eustice told BBC Breakfast: 'I don't think it is in that we've been working very very closely with the care sector and they have had very clear protocols in place.

'Because those staff are dealing with obviously very vulnerable cohort, the elderly, sometimes people with other conditions, if they are showing any symptoms at all then they must not be at work.

'Obviously testing does help and we're now able to roll that testing out.'

Data from the National Records of Scotland today showed that the COVID-19 death toll is almost twice as high when deaths that happen outside of hospitals are included - some 48 per cent of fatalities have happened in care homes or private residences

TWENTY RESIDENTS DIE IN SINGLE SCOTTISH CARE HOME At least 20 residents died of the coronavirus at the Berelands Care Home in Prestwick, Ayrshire, this month. By April 17, 20 people had succumbed to the disease, with four people dying in a single 24-hour period when the home hit headlines because of the tragedy. One resident died on April 17, and three had passed away the day before. 16 others had died in the days and weeks before. A spokesperson said at the time: 'We are deeply saddened to confirm that four more residents have died from what we believe to be COVID-19. At least 20 people died at the Berelands Care Home in Scotland 'This is profoundly upsetting, and our deepest sympathies are with their families and friends. 'We are entirely focused on caring for, and protecting, all our residents and are extremely grateful to our dedicated staff who are doing their absolute best at this extraordinarily difficult time.' Advertisement

Until recently, testing chief Professor Newton has explained, a small number of tests would be carried out at a care home if there was a suspected outbreak. If a resident or staff member tested positive, the outbreak would be acknowledged and anyone else who became ill would be presumed to be infected but not tested.

This has now changed and anyone living or working in a home, whether they have symptoms or not, will be able to get a free swab test to find out if they have the disease.

However, Professor Newton said a 'substantial' number of people have already died.

He said on LBC: 'We have always known that a proportion of cases have been in care homes. Sadly coronavirus affects older people a lot more... there will be a substantial number (of deaths).'

If Office for National Statistics data is a reliable indication of what is to come, the country's total death toll could spike by up to 55 per cent.

As of Tuesday, the official coronavirus death toll in the UK stood at 21,678 in Britain after England, Scotland and Wales announced a further 586 deaths in hospitals.

But an ONS report revealed that the true scale of the outbreak may be 54.6 per cent higher because the Department of Health's stats don't include people dying outside of hospitals.

The statistics body found that, by April 17, England and Wales had recorded 22,351 coronavirus fatalities - a significant rise on the 14,451 counted by health chiefs. If the same increase - 54.6 per cent - were applied to the current UK death toll (21,678) it could mean the real number of victims is in the region of 33,500.

ONS data, which is released each week and offers the only true picture on how many people have died outside of hospitals, recorded 3,096 COVID-19 care home deaths by April 17.

This was almost triple the 1,043 total announced the week before, with 2,000 new fatalities in the space of a week.

FIFTEEN RESIDENTS DIE AT DURHAM CARE HOME Fifteen people are reported to have died at the Stanley Park Care Home in County Durham, after being suspected to have caught the coronavirus. Chronicle Live reported the death of a 15th resident a week ago. The home, which has space for 71 residents, had suffered a further 14 fatalities in the previous weeks but hadn't had any residents officially test positive. Regional director of Care UK, which runs the home, Karen Morrison, said: 'It is with great regret that I have to say another resident has passed away after showing symptoms that might indicate coronavirus.' Staff and residents at the home hit headlines when heart-warming footage emerged of them being sung classic wartime songs to raise their spirits. Vera Lynn tribute act Deborah Taylor-Smith, known as the Geordie Sweetheart 'Wor Vera', this month sang a selection of morale-lifting songs such as 'We'll Meet Again' and 'White Cliffs of Dover' to entertain the residents. A carer in PPE and a resident enjoying the songs. The singer said: 'I have been boosting morale, I feel a little bit like how Vera Lynn might have felt' Advertisement

Many of those who die outside of hospitals are not tested for the coronavirus while alive, meaning this data shows Britain's outbreak is much larger than it appears because those people are unlikely to have been counted in testing figures. Some are never officially diagnosed and are only suspected to have had the illness.

So many people are being killed by the virus that the week from April 11 to 17 was the deadliest for England and Wales since records began in 1993 and had a death toll (22,351) more than double the yearly average (10,497). Four out of every 10 people who died in that week were infected with coronavirus.

Mr Hancock said at yesterday's public briefing: 'From tomorrow we will be publishing not just the number of deaths in hospital each day, but the number of deaths in care homes and the community too.'

'This will supplement the ONS and CQC weekly publication and all add to our understanding of how this virus is spreading day by day, and it will help inform the judgments that we make as we work to keep people safe,' he said.

The new data is being collected by Public Health England from the ONS and the CQC and will date back to the beginning of March. Only test-confirmed cases will be included.

The ONS will continue to be the most accurate source of data because it counts everyone who has COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificate, whether they were tested or not. The CQC, which regulates care homes and hospitals, also includes suspected deaths in a bid to make sure people are not missed out because tests weren't available.

This means both records use a wider net than the NHS - they may include some wrong diagnoses but also encompass those who would never normally have been tested.

The downside to the ONS data, however, is that it is backdated and takes a long time to record, meaning it's 10 days out of date by the time it gets published.

It also does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland, which have their own records.

A graph presented by the Government at yesterday's briefing showed that increasing numbers of people are dying outside of hospitals and, in the week up to April 17, care home victims accounted for around a quarter of the total

County Durham has so far had the highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in care homes with 84, followed by Sheffield (79), Birmingham (71) and Liverpool (67), yesterday's ONS data showed.

And of the 22,351 people who had died by April 17, 8,514 were aged between 80 and 89. A further 3,998 (18 per cent) were 90 or older, and 3,232 (14.5 per cent) were between 79 and 75.

Deaths decline on a sliding scale through the younger age groups, with only 38 people in their 20s (0.17 per cent) succumbing to the disease, along with nine children and teenagers (0.04 per cent).

The Alzheimer's Society said 70 per cent of all people living in care homes have dementia, making them especially vulnerable.

Director of policy at the charity, Sally Copley, said: 'While we are not in the least surprised we are still devastated to hear nearly a quarter of confirmed coronavirus deaths in England are now confirmed as coming from care homes, and still rising every week, exposing the true growing scale of the crisis that is happening in our nations care homes.

WEEKLY CARE HOME DEATH COUNT TRIPLES IN A MONTH AMID THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS The number of people dying each week in care homes has tripled in a month, according to a shock report. ONS data shows 7,316 fatalities were recorded in homes across England and Wales in the week that ended April 17 - including 2,050 involving COVID-19. In comparison, just 2,471 deaths of any cause were registered in care homes in the week that ended March 13 - before the crisis began to spiral in Britain. But the rate has risen in line with the coronavirus outbreak, jumping to 3,769 in Week 14 (March 27-April 3) and 4,927 in Week 15 (April 3-10). It means the official care home death toll from COVID-19 - registered up until April 17 - in England and Wales stands at 3,096. But the true figure is likely to be much higher because it does not take into account a registration lag. For example, separate figures show the number of care home deaths that occurred in England up until April 17 but registered by April 25 was 3,936. Meanwhile, England's care regulator - the CQC - says the number of COVID-19 fatalities in homes is at least 4,300. This tally includes both suspected and confirmed cases. County Durham has so far had the highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in care homes with 84, followed by Sheffield (79), Birmingham (71) and Liverpool (67) Advertisement

'With 70 per cent of people in care homes living with dementia this pandemic is taking a dreadful toll on the families we work with. The Government must make sure that every single death is examined and counted.

'We know that this is a terrifying time for those with loved ones with dementia in care homes.

'People are dying, alone, because its clear that care homes are just not receiving the testing and protective equipment they were promised by the Government.'

The sharpened focus on the care sector comes after Britain's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, revealed that he and other senior scientists warned politicians 'very early on' about the risk COVID-19 posed to care homes.

Sir Patrick, who chairs the group along with Professor Chris Whitty , said they had 'flagged' the risk of care home and hospital outbreaks at the start of the epidemic.

While warnings about hospitals sparked a 'protect the NHS ' mantra and a scramble to buy ventilators and free up beds, nursing homes saw no such efforts.

The Government has been slated for its lack of support to nursing homes, with no routine testing available, no up-to-date records of the number of people infected or dead, and 'paltry' attempts to deliver adequate protective clothing for staff.

Care home staff and residents say they feel 'forgotten' and bosses accused officials of a 'shambolic' attempt to help nursing homes fend off the disease, which is lethal for elderly people in particular.

Explaining how SAGE works in a briefing on Monday, Sir Patrick Vallance said: 'Very early on we looked at a number of topics, we looked at nosocomial infection very early on, that's the spread in hospitals, and we flagged that as something that the NHS needed to think about.

'We flagged the fact that we thought care homes would be an important area to look at, and we flagged things like vaccine development and so on. So we try to take a longer term view of things as well as dealing with the urgent and immediate areas.'

The SAGE committee, which draws in leading researchers from around the UK and rifles through scientific evidence about COVID-19, was activated on January 3 when Sir Patrick became concerned about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

It met for the first time on January 22, suggesting 'very early on' in its discussions was likely the end of January or the beginning of February.

The first care home death in England and Wales was not officially recorded until March 31.

Dementia UK's director of clinical services, Paul Edwards, said: 'The fact that we are only now being made aware of just how significant this pandemic has affected people working and living in care homes is testament to how social care is viewed  nowhere near held in the same regard as healthcare.

'More PPE equipment, access to testing and funding for example would benefit not just care homes but wider society too; from ensuring care home residents are safeguarded, to preventing avoidable hospital admissions to improving the mental health of families who may be worried that their relatives in care do not have the support they need. Its time we see social care as part of healthcare and vice versa.'
(Bloomberg) -- Scooter-rental startup Lime plans to terminate jobs across the U.S. and Europe this week, said people familiar with the matter, the latest sign of trouble for sharing-economy businesses reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

The cuts will affect as many as 190 workers, some of whom have already been informed of their dismissal, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel matters. Management elected to expand an earlier plan to eliminate 50 to 70 jobs as it became clear the virus poses a prolonged threat to the business.

Over the past three weeks, about 10 jobs were terminated in Europe each week, the person said. Some 60 people in Europe will have lost their jobs by Friday, the person said, along with 130 in the U.S. The San Francisco-based company plans to hold a video conference with employees to discuss the dismissals on Friday, the people said. A spokeswoman for Lime declined to comment.

In the last few years, venture capitalists have invested more than $1 billion in two startups offering electric scooters on city sidewalks for rent through a mobile app. The runway for those companies, Lime and Bird, began to run short this year, first as investors looked to prioritize profitable business models and then as the virus broke out. Lime said in January it was cutting 14% of staff, about 100 employees, and retreating from a dozen markets in a drive toward profitability. Bird also cut staff recently, according to news website the Verge.

In March, Bloomberg reported that global self-isolation measures and government bans on travel had decimated Limes ability to generate revenue from the hundreds of thousands of scooters it has around the world. On March 14, for instance, the company recorded about 147,000 scooter trips being made globally, according to internal documents seen by Bloomberg. As cities across Europe went into lockdown, those trips shrunk by almost two-thirds to about 52,000 three days later. Paris, Limes biggest market at the time, plunged 98% to just over 300, making it a smaller market than locations such as Wrocaw, Poland, and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Story continues

The scooter companies are suffering from a sharp decline in transportation spending and a newfound aversion to the tenets of the sharing economy. This combination of factors is also weighing heavily on Airbnb Inc., Getaround Inc., Lyft Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. Lyft said Wednesday that its cutting 17% of its workforce.

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KAMPALA  Minister for State in charge of Primary Health Care, Joyce Moriku, has addressed the public on African Vaccination Week. This week takes place annually from April 24-30, 2020.

During the address at Uganda Media Centre on Wednesday, April 29, Ms Moriku stated, Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, routine immunization services are available at all health facilities.

Ministry of Health has thus put in place guidelines to ensure seamless flow of Immunisation services amidst the COVID-19 lockdown.

One of the guidelines outlined, is that children should be vaccinated as and when they arrive at health facilities and outreach posts without allowing a build up of numbers.

Social distancing of at least 2m at waiting areas. All facilities are required to have handwashing equipment with soap and water or sanitizers, she said.

Health workers, were also urged to continue sensitizing the caregivers on COVID-19 as they provide other essential health services.

These guidelines, have been put in place by the Ministry of Health, to ensure safe immunization of children without increasing the spread of Coronavirus.

However, some of the parents, have come out to request for the help of Village Health Teams (VHTs) since some peoples homes are too far away from health facilities.

This clearly indicates that some people are unable to walk to the facilities, making it difficult for them to access the services.

With all the above guidelines, however, the Ministry of Health hopes to continue carrying out immunization, despite the lockdown, so as to protect the lives of young ones against immunization- preventable diseases.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns uncle Kim Pyong-il, who has been sidelined for years, has suddenly gained relevance as a possible successor to the throne. Kim Pyong-il returned to North Korea last year after spending years in foreign countries on diplomatic posts.

Kim Pyong-il lived in several countries including Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic and was kept away from North Korea for decades to erase the influence. While the speculations around the whereabouts of Norths Supreme Leader has intensified, experts suggest that Kim Pyong-il, the last surviving son of Kim II Sung, could emerge as the next dynastic leader.

However, several media reports have indicated that Kim Jong Uns sister, Kim Yo-Jong, could be the next premier of North Korea because of her multiple appearances in places of prominence. Recently, Kim Jong Un ordered a reshuffle of the political bureau of the central committee and ended up giving his sister a prominent position on the cabinet.

Read: South Korea Says Kim Jong Un May Be Trying To Avoid Coronavirus, Nothing 'unusual'

Lost to half-brother

Kim Pyong-il lost the leadership battle to his half-brother Kim Jong-il in the 1970s and never got the chance to reclaim the power as Kim Jong Un took over the reins after his fathers demise in 2011. Experts who discount Kim Yo-Jong for her age and gender due to largely patriarchal society feel that this could be the best chance for Kim Pyong-il to claim the throne.

Read: Kim Jong-Un's Sister Kim Yo-Jong North Korea's Supreme Leader-in Waiting Amid Health Fear?

Meanwhile, North Koreas state news agency KCNA has been unusually silent on the condition of Kim which is palpable in its reports. While it has mentioned about the North Korean leader issuing orders and taking other actions as if business as usual, it has neither disclosed the location nor clarified on his health condition.

The North Korean legislature held its third session on April 12 in the absence of its Supreme Leader. Kim also remained absent from commemorations of his grandfathers birth anniversary, triggering speculations around unusual break away from traditions.

Read: North Korea Denies Sending Letter To Donald Trump Recently: Report

Read: North Korea's State Media Remains Silent On Kim's Health Condition Amid Speculations
In contrast with the review process overseen by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health  the largest funder of scientific research in the United States, whose review process can take six months or more  Fast Grants promises to respond within days. The application is two pages long, Cowen said, and hes assembled a team of about 20 scientific and medical experts who serve as referees, selecting what they believe are the most deserving prospective projects.
San Franciscos retail vacancy tax may be delayed through 2021, in an attempt to remove a financial burden from landlords and businesses as they endure dramatic losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The measure, written by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, was passed by city voters shortly before San Francisco was ordered to shelter in place and close all nonessential businesses. The tax was slated to go into effect Jan. 1, 2021. On Tuesday, Peskin introduced legislation that would postpone the start date by nearly a year.

It is an odd marker of time that less than two months ago, the coronavirus was not even part of the conversation, Peskin said at the Tuesday Board of Supervisors meeting. Because just one week after that election, our way of life was fundamentally flipped on its head.

Even before the pandemic sent the local economy into a nosedive, popular commercial corridors like Haight Street, North Beach and the Castro were peppered with empty storefronts. The point of the tax was to give landlords an incentive to swiftly lease out their spaces and reinvigorate neighborhood streets.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

The tax, which passed with 70% of the vote on March 3, will apply to landlords whose space remains empty for more than 182 days.

More Information In depth Why San Francisco's shuttered stores predate the pandemic: sfchronicle.com/retail-vacancies See More Collapse

As currently written, the tax is expected to raise an estimated $300,000 to $5 million a year, which is to go into a new small-business assistance fund. But it is possible that the provisions of the tax will change as City Hall gains a better understanding of how San Franciscos retail sector will emerge from the health crisis. Any changes that do not increase the amount of the tax or its geographic scope can be adopted by the board with a two-thirds vote.

Pre-pandemic, residents, business owners and city officials viewed the rise of vacant storefronts in San Francisco with alarm  but differed on solutions to the problem. Some landlords and small-business owners were skeptical that the tax would fix the larger factors at the root of the vacancies, such as the high cost of labor and rent, arduous permitting processes, and restrictions on chain stores.

But now, as rows of stores in even formerly healthy retail corridors like Hayes Valley and West Portal are boarded up, there seems to be no place for such a penalty, since the protective health orders have forced most retailers besides groceries, drugstores and hardware stores to close. Almost 15,000 U.S. stores could permanently close this year, according to a March report by Coresight Research, a market research firm. The pandemic prompted the firm to nearly double the amount of closures it initially forecast for 2020.

Jay Cheng, policy director at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, which opposed the tax measure, praised Peskin for proposing a delay.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the future of merchant corridors, he said. Delaying the tax is the correct and thoughtful move, as small businesses and policymakers re-evaluate how we create active and vibrant storefronts in our neighborhoods.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Peskins legislation must go through committee for consideration before heading to the full board for a vote.

But even though he wants the supervisors to postpone the start date, Peskin said he still expects the best behavior of property owners relative to helping stabilize small businesses.

If property owners are using the pandemic as an opportunity to evict and displace struggling small businesses, well change our tune accordingly, he said.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
PINE PLAINS  It was a brisk February morning when Leobardo Saldana was walking a horse at the ranch he worked at in Dutchess County.

That's when a black van pulled up, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers emerged from the van and told Saldanas manager they wanted to speak to him.

Saldana said the officers told him they just wanted to interview him, and he wouldnt be arrested. But he was soon handcuffed, a chain put around his waist and taken into custody. A driving under the influence conviction back in June 2018 had put Saldana on ICE's radar.

The Mexico City native was held at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia for six weeks. During his stay, the U.S. saw coronavirus grow from a concerning outbreak to a potentially devastating pandemic.

At 49 cases, the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility has the second highest amount of positive COVID-19 detainees in the country, according to a cumulative list ICE published on its website.

While in detention, Saldana said he began to hear chatter about people contracting the virus.

People were really worried. Especially the people in my area. The people that were infected were put in area one and I was in area three, Saldana told the Times Union Tuesday over the phone through a translator.

People feared being put in isolation, but officials were not answering detainees' questions, Saldana said. He can recall the fellow detainees began a hunger strike because they wanted more information about what was going on.

Saldana knew staying in the facility could possibly mean his health -- a high price to pay. However, getting out had an exorbitant cost of its own. He had a $25,000 bond placed on him, which is on the higher end of what some immigration attorneys have seen.



The Mexico native certainly didnt have that kind of money, but heard about a program called the New York Immigrant Freedom Fund. The program helps detained immigrants pay bond, and is a part of a larger bail fund program called the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund.

The program was able to pay his bond, and now Saldana is staying with family who live 20 minutes outside Albany.

Lee Wang, the director of the Immigrant Freedom Fund, said $10,000 is one of the lower bond amounts that have come across her desk, but the average bond her organization pays at Batavia is $12,500.

Thats right in the middle of a pandemic. Judges are really expecting families to come up with $25,000 to bail out a single person? Wang said. You know that is someone who is still facing trial and has not been found to be removable or deportable from the country.

Since the pandemic started, the New York Immigrant Freedom Fund accelerated bond payments and has doubled the number of immigrants it typically helps free in a month.

From March 12th to late April, the fund bonded out 38 immigrant New Yorkers. The total amount of the bonds paid was $441,000.

There are so many people that need to desperately get out, and it is truly a life or death situation, Wang said.

ICE officials said in a statement that the bonds are not meant to be punitive, but are meant to encourage individuals to appear in court, and are based on things like flight risk and what they called a potential threat to public safety.

Wang said she knows of cases where people have been in the U.S. for decades and have strong community ties, so they have less reason to flee. However, they are still given a high bond amount, Wang said. For instance, Saldana has been in the U.S. since 2011 and has family who live in the Capital Region.

But for many detained in Batavia, paying bond is not an option. Wang said shes been in talks with families who say they have loved ones in Batavia with COVID-19 symptoms who cannot get out because judges are denying them bond all together.

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in early March alleging judges frequently deny bonds - and even when they are granted, they are prohibitively high bond amounts, even when individuals pose little or no risk of flight or danger.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The Batavia facility ranks third in the country for refusing to grant bond among immigration courts with similar caseloads, granting bond only 20.9 percent of the time. Nationally, the median grant rate for all similar immigration courts is about 35 percent, according to the NYCLU.

For the few who are released from detention, finding housing and transportation can be a major challenge. The Buffalo-based nonprofit, Justice for Migrant Families, helps assist people once theyre released.

However, its become challenging to do so during the pandemic, said Carra Stratton, post-release coordinator for Justice for Migrant Families. Previously she lined up housing at Vive la Casa, which is a shelter for asylum seekers and refugees in Buffalo.

Because theyre a larger shelter they stopped taking any new people as soon as the outbreak happened, Stratton said. People were also supposed to go into community housing, but that was no longer possible without a quarantine period.

Finding transportation hasnt been any easier. Usually ICE drops off detainees at a bus stop at a gas station less than a mile down the road. But due to the pandemic, buses are now only coming once or twice a day, Stratton said.

If someone is released at noon there isnt another bus until the next morning, Stratton said.

Also, people spend a long time waiting in the cold and even snow. There is a waiting room inside the gas station, but it's been closed because its too small to properly social distance, said Jennifer Connor, the executive director for Justice for Migrant Families.

ICE puts every single person that leaves in a van that drives less than a mile down the road, Connor said. Practically speaking, they can easily get to people to a real bus station.

New York Immigrant Freedom Fund and Justice for Migrant Families have been collaborating to help immigrants get out of detention and have a safe place to go, Wang said. She also added that outside of the nonprofit arena, there arent many resources for immigrants who need help after being released.

Ill be quick to note, ICE isnt doing that, the state isnt doing that, Wang said. Its been volunteer organizations stepping up.
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The CEO of CARROLL  a national real estate investment company that combines the infrastructure and abilities of an institutional investor with a best in class team of real estate operations professionals, with over $6 billion under management  is aggressively investing during this time of economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Patrick Carroll, CEO and Founder of the company, has announced investment in startups that have the potential to be the next unicorn in the sectors of health and wellness, lifestyle, beauty, and technology. The company has managed to stay net positive during this economic downturn and now Mr. Carroll is looking to help other businesses do the same.

CEO and Founder of CARROLL

Over the past two weeks, Patrick Carroll has donated to COVID-19 relief, impacting the relief efforts in 11 cities, donating to food banks across the United States, feeding front-line hospital workers, and residents who are part of his ARIUM Living communities.

Below are many of the Food Banks Patrick has donated to within the past week. Each city represents where Patrick has an ARIUM Living property.

Denver Food Bank of the Rockies

Dallas North Texas Food Bank

Houston Houston Food Bank

Atlanta Atlanta Community Food Bank

Charlotte Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina

Raleigh Food Bank of Central & Eastern

Charleston Lowcountry Food Bank

Orlando Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

Jacksonville Feeding Northeast FL

Tampa Feeding Tampa Bay

Broward City Feeding South Florida

Mr. Carroll and his teams have been able to mobilize his teams in order to help people and fast. What started as a $100,000 Instagram challenge calling upon national business leaders to donate to COVID-19 relief has turned into daily philanthropic contributions across the United States. Patrick has sent gift cards to 700 essential employees that work on-site at each of his properties, doing everything he can to help those who are putting others above themselves.

Each morning on Instagram he has been driving brand exposure by tagging early-stage, startup, businesses daily. As a recent COVID-19 survivor, Patrick knows firsthand the harmfulness of this virus, and now more than ever he believes that health and wellness products are the way of the future.

Media Contact:

Lauren Grech

Phone: (646) 930-8769

Email: [email protected]

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Patrick Carroll

CEO and Founder of CARROLL

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SOURCE CARROLL
The swings are locked up in Manhattan Beach during the coronavirus pandemic. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

I'll admit it. I'm going a little stir crazy, and I would love to walk at the ocean's edge or wade into the surf. Ive been tempted to go to Ventura or Orange County beaches, where thats being allowed by local authorities, despite Gov. Gavin Newsoms call to stay home.

But it would be selfish, irresponsible, dangerous and stupid of me to do so.

And the same applies to everyone else.

Get off the beach already!

Yeah, I know it may be as dangerous to go to a grocery store as it is to catch a wave. But we have to eat. We do not have to hang out on the sand en masse.

In weekend photos and videos from Orange and Ventura county beaches, some people appeared to be attempting to stay isolated. But given the crowds, that wasn't always possible, and many didnt even seem to be trying.

What were these nitwits thinking?

And shame on the leaders of those counties for not shutting the beaches and cracking down on violators.

Even Newsom, who led the charge on social distancing, said Tuesday that a gradual, phased return to normal could begin in weeks rather than months. Ill be watching closely to see how that plays out, because if Newsom opens the gates too soon, we may all regret it.

Yes, were all tired of being cooped up. Yes, were going a little nuts. Yes we want to return to work and routines as soon as possible, so we can pay our bills, put food on the table, see our friends.

But its too soon. In case you haven't noticed, deaths from the virus in Los Angeles are still coming at an alarming rate.

Workers direct drivers at a test site for COVID-19 at a Veterans Administration parking lot in Los Angeles on April 7, 2020. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Newsom warned us of a learning loss if schools dont reopen in July or August.

Im warning you of a life loss if we dont have basic protections in place first.

Sure, step outside and go for a walk, ride a bike, or run with the dog, as long as you're wearing a mask and maintaining that six feet of distance.

And at some point, it will make more sense to open some trails and parks, and even beaches, so long as there's some way to control crowds. But managing the pandemic is like driving. The faster you go, the greater the risk of disaster.

Story continues

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has now surged past 1 million. Weve exceeded the death toll suffered by the U.S. during the Vietnam War. The curve is flattening, but only because we stayed home. And if we want to fully bend the curve, we have to keep doing that. More activity and mingling means more death, and although most victims are older and have preexisting health conditions, younger people are dying, too, with minorities particularly hard hit.

I know its tough for people who own businesses to hear that we need to be a little more patient, and Ive talked to employers and employees who are suffering.

And that's certainly a reason we should double or triple the amount of federal stimulus money and streamline the unemployment system.

But normal will put more people at risk.

Visitors to Point Mugu ignore no parking as well as coronavirus and social distancing restrictions on April 11, 2020. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe Dr. Anne Rimoin, a UCLA epidemiologist and expert on global health emergencies. As people begin to back off the isolation and social distancing now in place," said Rimoin, we will see an increase in cases and in deaths.

Its as simple as that, Rimoin said. We risk sacrificing the gains we've worked so hard to achieve.

There is no vaccine and we dont know when there will be one, she said. Reliable testing with fast results is not yet widely available, and the supply chain is very much a work in progress. There is no tracing, which would track and curtail the spread of the virus. And there is no proven cure.

Until those things are in place, Rimoin said, we are all at risk, and the virus doesnt respect the borders between Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties or any other borders.

The virus anywhere in the United States is the virus everywhere in the United States, she said, meaning that a quick return to normal in states like Florida and Georgia could ultimately harm people in other parts of the country.

Theres still way too little federal and state direction and oversight of pandemic response standards and protocols, which means that different locales are winging it on equipment procurement and policy. As my colleagues Maya Lau and Melody Petersen reported, L.A. County banked on a Silicon Valley testing startup that uses a mouth swab rather than a nasal swab.

Now there are concerns about the accuracy of those tests and the lag time, and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger told me she and others are working on getting more labs up and running.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Susan Partovi, middle, and nurse practitioner Jen King, right, administer aid to a man in a Home Depot parking lot in Los Angeles on March 26, 2020. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

One month ago, I made the rounds with Dr. Susan Partovi, who does homeless street medicine and was warning patients to social distance as much as possible. Last week I learned that she was feeling "viraly," as she put it. She was tested for COVID-19 at the so-called expedited drive-through testing site near Dodger Stadium.

She was tested a week ago Tuesday with a mouth swab. She didnt get the results until Monday.

If it takes a week for a front-line doctor to get results, were in deep trouble.

Partovis test turned out to be negative, and when she felt better, she returned to work. That was the second time she was tested, Partovi told me. The first time, she had her results  also negative  from Kaiser in 48 hours.

Three weeks ago I wrote about three emergency room doctors at Good Samaritan Hospital who were rooming together to avoid exposing their families to COVID-19. One of the three, Andrew Herzik, later got sick, and a week ago, he tested positive for the virus. His results took about 36 hours, and hes now recuperating at home.

I guess 36 hours isnt bad, but Partovi told me she has a doctor pal in Pennsylvania who got test results in 45 minutes. So its anywhere from one week to 45 minutes, depending, and there are still questions about false negatives.

Emergency medicine Dr. Andrew Herzik sits by the fireplace in his backyard before sharing dinner with his family while social distancing on March 30, 2020 in Redondo Beach. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

We need better, faster, more reliable tests. Thats especially true because people can be positive for days, and infect others, without having any symptoms.

Only when thats in place should we start resuming normal routines, beginning with businesses and institutions that require minimal human contact, and expanding only when were sure theres not a new curve ahead of us.

Until then, try to find a little more patience and resolve, stay safe and healthy, and keep off the beach.

steve.lopez@latimes.com
Elon Musk went on a Twitter rant opposing the ongoing lockdown in the United States of America to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

This is despite the tech billionaires recent prediction of close to zero COVID-19 cases in the US by April-end going horribly wrong.

Elon Musk (Image: Reuters)

Since the outbreak in the US, the number of COVID 19 infected cases has surpassed the million mark and the number of deaths due to COVID-19 has exceeded the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam war.



But Musk does not seem to bother with this, at least as per his recent tweets. Or, he has a better plan in mind that involves the people of the US returning to their usual lives to stay away from the virus. Either way, the ground reality is likely to get worse.

In his tweets, Musk went from Give people their freedom back! to FREE AMERICA NOW, in the process sharing links to articles justifying the end of lockdown. He even hailed Texas for opening up small businesses starting Friday.

Give people their freedom back! https://t.co/iG8OYGaVZ0  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2020





FREE AMERICA NOW  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2020





Latest projections by the CDC state the obvious increase in the spread of the disease if the lockdown is ended. Reopening the yet closed economy would mean unavoidable social interactions and an almost confirmed spread of infection at a higher rate. While most of the world observes a lockdown fearing the same, people in the US are not exactly disagreeing with Musk.

People in the US took to streets recently to oppose the ongoing lockdown and to let them carry on with their lives as before. Even the POTUS Donald Trump is inclined towards "Opening up America again" with a three phase plan. As per the plan, states will be helped by the federal government on the basis of necessity, else they carry the reopening processes on their own.

At present, none of the states in America which plans to reopen has met the requirement of a 14-day drop in COVID 19 cases for reopening. The numbers indicate the need for an exact opposite action to what Musk suggests. And having proven him disastrously wrong once, maybe these rising numbers should be attended to with utmost attention despite such rants.
<! Eniola Badmus >

Nollywood actress Eniola Badmus releases a statement to correct the negative notion making rounds about a N150K extra charge to a generous giver.

The 42 year old was contacted by a client to do a giveaway of N500,000 for fans on her platform using his name @piusomoyele

Eniola charged the individual N150,000 for the service and argued that giving out the money to 100 people takes time and will involve bank charges.

I woke up to this and I thought it will be nice to give clarity ad clear the air on it. This incident has nothing to do with taking advantage of people or discouraging the need to give out especially using my platform.

This particular person indicated interest to do a 500( hundred0 thousand Naira giveaway and I felt there will be extra cost for bank charges and stamp duty, which I wasnt going to bare(sic) the transfer charges for that, so I asked he bares(sic) it.

But in scenarios where people engage you as an influencer to drive giveaways from a business point of view, then business conversations need to happen.

Meanwhile I posted the giveaway already on my page and his(sic) been enjoying the fame because he insisted I put his handle.

We all know sending money to 100 people is quite tasking. Is just funny the way people are quick to judge.

I am and have always been a fan of adding value to lives and my yearly #eniolabadmusfeedstheneedy speaks volumes in this regard. We cant be discouraged.

Keep staying safe guys!

Meanwhile fans are dragging her for charging her client N150,000 for a giveaway, while others think she simply wanted to use the money for herself

Read the reactions

So someone sent Eniola Badmus to share 500k among her fans and Nigerians who are in need at this period and after receiving the 500k , she charged the person 150k ? I have never seen this level of heartlessness in my life ? pic.twitter.com/2KG6GOXgId  Award Winning Wife (@bimbo_cash) April 29, 2020

That Eniola Badmus gist is hilarious asf??!! You dey charge 150k to share giveaway wey person sponsorIf not madness, I dont know what  IYA ONI WEAVES (@Auntyfeyi) April 29, 2020

This Eniola Badmus gist weak me. She should have just asked the philanthropist to do giveaway for her too abi?  The talk girl. (@dearolaa) April 29, 2020

Everything is set for Eniola Badmus. Lets give her a 150k drag. pic.twitter.com/CJLIW8QBFq  Mr Bob ? (@bob_ozed) April 29, 2020

So Eniola Badmus has an Instagram account and you wanna tell her when to charge and when not to charge ??? Even twitter influencers are also dragging Eniola ? Lmao. You people should rest please  LONDON (@london_used) April 29, 2020
To stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, inter-state borders connecting Delhi to the neighbouring states have been sealed, which is now causing problems in the movement of workers engaged on essential services.

When IANS visited the border on Wednesday, layers of barricading and security checks were being carried out and each vehicle crossing the borders was being checked thoroughly.



As strict protocols are being followed to allow entry and exit through the Delhi-Faridabad Border, many people are sent back from the border.



Speaking to IANS, Khushboo who works at Hind Labs in Delhi's R.K. Puram area, said, "We are carrying our ID cards, yet they are not allowing us to go. If this remains the case, how would we help the public at large?"





Arun, who works with Apollo Pharmacy and is engaged in supply of medicines, said he is in medical line, but is not being allowed to go to his home in Faridabad. "Our passes are not being considered. We are repeatedly told that we don't have permission. We are not being allowed to go to our homes," he said.



Another person engaged in essential services of dairy products, Narendra, said, "I am not being allowed to go to Faridabad, where I have my cattle."



Neighbouring Haryana sealed it borders recently and imposed strict restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles to and from the borders.



The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 31,787 on Wednesday evening, with 1,813 cases and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry stated. This takes the total recovery rate to 24.5 per cent.



"We sealed the interstate borders in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. We are allowing the essential services so that normal public does not face any inconvenience," Faridabad ACP Dhaarna Yadav told IANS.



She said tucks carrying essential services are being allowed and the locals have been advised to get their treatment done in nearby hospitals.



"There are many people who are roaming without any urgent reason. People should not come out of their home without any reason", she said.



"I understand that a small section of population is being inconvenienced, but we have to understand that these are challenging times for the nation. All of us should adapt ourselves to the new circumstances. There is no need to panic."
SUSSEX, Wis., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Through these times of uncertainty, QuadMed has turned to data analytics to take the guesswork out of decision making and to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the clients and patients they serve. Through predictive analytics, the worksite health and wellness provider is calculating risk scores and identifying specific vulnerabilities of each population, allowing them to precisely allocate resources and services.

Jeanne Scheide, President of QuadMed explained, "While many vendors and health care providers have scrambled to do more of everything in the hopes of having an impact, QuadMed is taking a data-driven approach that allows us to target our efforts and mitigate the impact to our patients' health and our clients' health care spend."

The forward-thinking response by QuadMed has been made possible through their exclusive partnership with BSG Analytics, LLC (BSGA), a nationally recognized health care data analytics firm with more than 30 years of experience transforming complex health care data into actionable, cost-effective solutions.

To analyze the impact to each population, BSGA calculates aggregated risk based on the prevalence of health conditions and age groups with higher hospitalization and death rates related to COVID-19. That risk is then compared with cost drivers such as infection and testing rates, behavioral health impact, deferment of elective procedures and gaps in care for those with underlying health conditions.

"By understanding the unique risk that each of our clients face, we can ensure resources and programs are targeted to areas that will create the greatest population health and cost outcomes, and we will have the data to demonstrate our impact," said Scheide.

Though QuadMed is tailoring services to meet specific population needs, proactive support for high-risk patients has become customary. Primary care providers and nurses across the organization continue to conduct extensive outreach to patients who are likely to develop severe complications from COVID-19.

To reduce unnecessary hospitalization due to COVID-19, QuadMed has implemented a home recovery program that provides a comprehensive care package to patients with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. In addition to monitoring supplies such as a thermometer and pulse oximeter, the program provides daily check-ins and around-the-clock support, helping to ensure a safe and smooth recovery.

Following recommendations by health authorities, QuadMed has adopted a virtual-first approach and has expanded virtual visits to all clients at no additional cost. The technology has enabled the company to provide high-demand services to populations remotely, including primary care and behavioral health.

Scheide explained that while QuadMed has worked tirelessly to implement new services and programs to meet the immediate needs of clients and patients, the company remains focused on the future.

"Through our partnership with BSGA, we have a unique opportunity to understand not only where we need to focus our efforts right now, but also the long-term result of those efforts," said Scheide. "While this pandemic has shifted the way that we deliver health care, I remain confident that the changes we are making today will have a positive impact on shaping the health of our populations for many years to come."

About QuadMed

QuadMed (quadmedical.com) is a nationally recognized provider of onsite, near-site and shared site employer-sponsored health and wellness solutions. The model features a full continuum of high-quality, patient-centered services proven to decrease costs by increasing accessibility and engagement. The company's nearly 30-year track record of success is rooted in integrating prevention-focused primary care with leading-edge technology and analytics. QuadMed was created in 1991 as a subsidiary of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: QUAD).

About BSG Analytics

BSG Analytics LLC (BSGA) transforms data into actionable knowledge using proprietary data aggregation, risk-adjustment, modeling and actuarial benchmarking tools. BSGA works with health care industry stakeholders to improve the ways in which care is provided, resulting in better quality, improved efficiency and lower costs. Based in Wisconsin, BSGA has more than 30 years of health care industry experience.

SOURCE Quadmed LLC

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The false belief that toxic methanol cures the coronavirus has seen over 700 people killed in Iran, an official said Monday.

That represents a higher death toll than previously released by the Iranian Health Ministry.

An adviser to the ministry, Hossein Hassanian, said that the difference in death tallies is because some alcohol poisoning victims died outside of hospitals.

Some 200 people died outside of hospitals, Hassanian told The Associated Press.



Alcohol poisoning has skyrocketed by 10 times over, in Iran in the past year, according to a government report released earlier in April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The national coroners authority said that alcohol poisoning killed 728 Iranians between February 20 and April 7. Last year there were only 66 deaths from alcohol poisoning, according to the report.

Separately, the Iranian health ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour said that 525 people have died from swallowing toxic methanol alcohol since February 20, state TV reported on Monday.

Jahanpour said that a total of 5,011 people had been poisoned from methanol alcohol.

He added that some 90 people have lost their eyesight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning.

Hassanian also said the final tally of people who lost their eyesight could be much higher.

Iran is facing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, with 5,806 deaths and more than 91,000 confirmed case.

Methanol cannot be smelled or tasted in drinks. It causes delayed organ and brain damage. Symptoms include chest pain, nausea, hyperventilation, blindness and even coma.

In Iran, the government mandates that manufacturers of toxic methanol add an artificial color to their products so the public can tell it apart from ethanol, the kind of alcohol that can be used in cleaning wounds. Ethanol is found in alcoholic beverages, though its production is illegal in Iran.

Some bootleggers in Iran use methanol, adding a splash of bleach to mask the added color before selling it as drinkable. Methanol also can contaminate traditionally fermented alcohol.

The consumption of alcohol is generally prohibited in Iran. However, minority Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians can drink alcoholic beverages in private.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, Irans government announced it would issue permission for new alcohol factories quickly.

Iran has currently some 40 alcohol factories that have been allocated for pharmaceutical and sanitizing items.

Already before the outbreak, the Iranian economy was struggling under severe US sanctions blocking the sale of its crude oil abroad.

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Union minister Prakash Javadekar has hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying he was taken aback by Rahul Gandhis comment that Modi government has waived off Rs 65,000 crore of loan defaulters.

@RahulGandhi should take tuition from @PChidambaram_IN on the difference between write off and waive off. @narendramodi govt has not waived off any loan. Write off is a normal accounting process. It doesnt stop recovery or action against defaults, Javadekar said on Wednesday.

Writing off is process to show depositors correct pictures of bank. It doesnt stop banks from taking actions and pursuing recovery. Weve seen how Nirav Modis assets are seized and auctioned. Mallya has been left with no choice but to come back as his appeal in HC has been rejected, he added.

Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had accused Gandhi of trying to mislead people in a brazen manner. Sitharaman also listed the cases of Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya and said that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government is pursuing these willful defaulters.

Gandhi had said on Twitter that the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019.

The former Congress president said he had asked in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters in the country, but the finance minister did not answer. Now, the RBI has given out the list which includes Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJPs friends, he said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also released the list of the top loan defaulters in the country, as per an RTI reply, and demanded answers from the prime minister on why their loans were waived.
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My parents pharmacy is a low slung, white brick building on the corner of East and Main. The front door is strung with silver bells; a jar of red licorice sits by the cash register; automatic scooters line the front of the shop, gleaming like cars at the races.

Most days, the pharmacy is a small business owners dream. The phone rings off the hook; and with twenty-nine employees, theres always a birthday to celebrate. Behind the counter, my mom counts pills with what looks like a small butter knife, red bifocals dangling from the tip of her nose. My dad handles medical equipment and deliveries; hes on a first-name basis with every hospital discharge planner in the county. Regular customers pour in and out, stopping by for a tube of lip balm or a pair of compression stockings. Even after two decades in an industry notorious for burnout, my parents are happy to help.

Since shelter-in-place orders took effect last month, business has changed. While the rest of Main Street packed up and closed shop, my parents briefed their employees on social distancing and distributed bottles of hand sanitizer. Under government guidelines, pharmacies, along with grocery stores, laundromats, and gas stations, are classified as essential businesses: to preserve societal health and function, the government requests that these operations keep their doors open. However, the risks are enormous; protective equipment is in short supply, and because many coronavirus carriers are asymptomatic, its difficult to differentiate a healthy customer from a sick one.

Despite haunting death tolls in Italy and New York, my parents have kept the pharmacy open. They serve a large percentage of the countys retirees and nursing homes; if they stopped filling prescriptions, these patients would be at immediate risk. There arent enough N-95 masks for everyone, so my mom wraps a bandana around her mouth and prays for the best. Meanwhile, my dad calls customers with multiple comorbidities or respiratory issues; they dont need to worry about picking up their prescriptions from the pharmacy; hell have them delivered. Their employees step-up, offering to take on larger workloads on days where their colleagues, many of whom have young children, elect to stay home.

This scene is far from unique: Independent pharmacies nationwide are doing everything they can to support the communities that support them. However, unless these pharmacies receive federal assistance, they wont be able to keep it up for much longer. According to the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), below-cost reimbursement under Medicare Part D has caused gross margins to plummet. To stay open, independent pharmacies must fill more prescriptions  increasing their volume to make up for low margins.

COVID-19 has put these volume-dependent operations in a precarious position: there is almost no walk-in traffic, and because all non-essential hospital procedures have been postponed, there are significantly fewer prescriptions to fill. Despite this lack of income, pharmacies must afford payroll, rent, and utilities. Further, home prescription delivery is expensive; pharmacies must pay their delivery staff, as well as account for gas and vehicle maintenance. Thus, keeping independent pharmacies open during COVID-19 is costing significantly more than its paying. While most owners are doing their best to serve the community, theyre running on empty.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which offers small businesses forgivable loans, could give independent pharmacies the funds they need to stay open. However, the PPP program is flawed; it incentivizes banks to approve large loans (often solicited by franchise owners) over small ones (such as those an independent pharmacy might need). Thus, few independent pharmacies received loans in the first round of PPP funding.

On April 24th, the President approved an additional $310 billion in PPP loans. If independent pharmacies, many of which are running on-deficit to stay open, do not receive financial aid, they may be forced to close shop until quarantine ends. This would put millions of patients at risk, forcing them to transfer their prescriptions to other, already overwhelmed chain pharmacies.

Most independent pharmacy owners are willing to accept the burden of essential business: stay open for the sake of the community, even if there is no profit to be made. The trouble is, a lack of government aid could financially crush this resolution. Prioritizing independent pharmacy loans during the second round of PPP would help owners continue to serve their customers  many of whom are at high-risk for COVID-19. The alternative, which involves shut-up pharmacies and displaced patients, is grim.

Palak Patel is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The boss of Marks & Spencer is not taking a pay cut despite furloughing staff and cancelling its 210million final dividend.

Chief executive Steve Rowe will still take his full 810,000 salary plus bonuses this year despite asking long-suffering savers and the taxpayer to prop up the ailing business.

Last year he received a pay packet of 1.6million, which included 203,000 of pension payments and a 621,000 bonus.

M&S chief exec Steve Rowe will still take his full 810,000 salary plus bonuses this year despite asking long-suffering savers and the taxpayer to prop up the ailing business

M&S has benefited from the business rates holiday to the tune of 180million but has refused to say how many staff it has furloughed.

Dozens of other business leaders, including the bosses of M&S rivals John Lewis, Topshop and Primark, have taken salary cuts after asking the taxpayer to cover part of their wage bills.

The Investment Association trade body said firms that cut dividends and receive government support to help them should cut top pay or risk 'significant reputational ramifications'.

The dividend decision is another blow for the firm's 300,000 private investors, who have seen the value of their investments plunge by half since the virus struck.

M&S has benefited from the business rates holiday to the tune of 180million but has refused to say how many staff it has furloughed

They were also hit by a 40 per cent cut to the interim dividend last year amid falling profits.

The FTSE 250 firm warned the virus was having a 'severe' impact.

Its department stores are shut and the food business is failing to capitalise on rising demand.

The shares rose 3.3 per cent to 97.46p as it confirmed it is eligible for the Bank of England's support scheme, despite its bonds being downgraded to junk.

M&S also said debt covenants had been relaxed on a 1.1billion loan until autumn 2021.

It added it was working on a 'never the same again' overhaul to get ready for life after the lockdown.

Pay has been frozen across the organisation, but it declined to comment further on executive pay.
The African nation of Senegal is working on a testing kit which is going to be cost-effective, yet efficient in fight against Covid-19.

The researchers in Senegal are drawing upon their experience in dealing with Ebola to develop this kit which will cost $1, according to reports in African media.

These researchers say the kits used for testing dengue and other types of fever can be modified to test for Covid-19, which has wreaked havoc around the world.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that more than 70 types of vaccines are in the works across the world as the world races to find a cure to the disease which has affected more than three million people and causes over 2,00,000 deaths.

Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics has listed all the testing kits being developed by different organisations across the world. The list, it says, is not comprehensive, but contains 200 names which are available in the public domain.

There are 735 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Senegal and nine deaths, according to World Health organisation (WHO).

Africa has so far recorded 22,239 positive cases of Covid-19, according to WHO. From zero case on March 1, the continent saw over 1,000 daily Covid-19 positive cases in the last few days of April.

Based on a provisional modelling, the WHO had said earlier this month that coronavirus cases in Africa could shoot up to 10 million within three to six months.

The worst affected country in the continent is South Africa. However, infections there have slowed after it began a strict lockdown, but other nations - like Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Algeria - have seen higher than average fatalities.

The WHO is working with authorities there to improve patient care and reduce fatalities.
The latest chapter in Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik's stop-start four year romance seemingly ended with a happy resolution on Tuesday evening amid claims that the couple are expecting their first child.

The pair - currently in self-quarantine at the Hadid family ranch in Pennsylvania - are yet to publicly confirm the news, but the supermodel is understood to be five months pregnant.

The news rubber stamps a stop-start four year romance for the pair, who originally sparked relationship rumours in November 2015 at the American Music Awards.

Happy news: Four uncertain years ended with a happy resolution on Tuesday evening amid claims that Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are expecting their first child

Justin Biebers after-party provided the backdrop as Zayn and Gigi reportedly left together, prompting rumours of a new romance.

Those rumours appeared to be confirmed paparazzi just a few days later when paparazzi photographers pictured the holding hands as they left a Los Angeles restaurant.

Despite claiming they were 'just good friends' the pair all but confirmed their relationship the following January, with Zayn's instantly recognisable face featuring as the lock on Gigi's iPhone.

Celebration: The couple are currently in self-quarantine at the Hadid family ranch in Pennsylvania, where Gigi celebrated her 25th birthday on April 23rd

As well as her phone picture, Gigi demonstrated her affections for Zayn by sharing a snap of her gold and silver Z pendant, posting a snap of her new item of jewellery on her Instagram page as he marked his 23rd birthday.

Any residual doubts that they were more than just friends were soon to be dismissed when Gigi made an appearance in the steamy promotional video for Zayn's post One Direction debut single, Pillowtalk.

There was also flirty exchanges on Twitter as the couple played on mounting speculation regarding their undeniable on-screen chemistry.

The beginning: The news rubber stamps a stop-start four year romance for the pair, who originally sparked relationship rumours in November 2015 at the American Music Awards (pictured: Gigi at the event)

Curious: Just days after reportedly leaving the event together, the couple sparked romance rumours after they were pictured hand in hand while leaving a Los Angeles restaurant

'You seen the video babe? Someone's looking,' he asked the supermodel shortly after its January 2016 release.

Responding to the tweet, she wrote: 'nah musta missed it. Jokes.. I wasn't looking at myself, trust me.'

Confirming he and Gigi were an item, Zayn later reflected on her starring role in the video when asked what it was like to be on-screen with his girlfriend.

Telling: Despite claiming they were 'just good friends' the pair all but confirmed their relationship the following January, with Zayn's face featuring as the lock on Gigi's iPhone

Confirmation: Any residual doubt that they were more than just friends were soon to be dismissed when Gigi made an appearance in the steamy promotional video for Zayn's debut single, Pillowtalk, released in January 2016

'Yeah, that was cool,' he told radio show Zach Sang and the Gang. 'It was something different. We enjoyed it, it was fun. Had a lot of fun on set.'

In April 2016, three months after confirming their romance, the burgeoning super couple took part in an Italian shoot for Vogue, during which Zayn was referred to as Gigi's "real-life" boyfriend.

With Naples used as an appropriately romantic backdrop, the couple were pictured writhing on a bed, kissing on a balcony and racing through the city's narrow streets on a motorbike.

Back and forth: There was also plenty of flirty exchanges on Twitter as the couple played on mounting speculation regarding their undeniable on-screen chemistry

The glossy spread was followed by an equally engaging appearance at New York's lavish Met Gala, with Zayn and Gigi making their first red carpet appearance as a couple.

Embracing the night's theme - Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology - it was Zayn who commanded the bulk of the attention by opting to accessorize his suit with distinctive armoured sleeves.

Standing on the steps of New York's Museum of Modern Art, Gigi affectionately cupped her boyfriend's face as they posed for photographers.

True love: The couple looked completely besotted with each other as they made their red carpet debut at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met Gala in May 2016

So close: Posing for pictures on the steps of New York's Museum of Modern Art, Gigi affectionately cupped her boyfriend's face as they posed for photographers

However the first signs of trouble were not far off, with reports of a split emerging in June, just two months after their red carpet debut.

Gigi appeared to dismiss those rumours by sharing a shot of his and hers Nutella jars on social media, while separate sources insisted the couple had merely taken a break.

In September 2017, having appeared in yet more fashion spreads together - including a controversial Vogue issue dedicated to gender fluidity - the couple took their relationship to the next level by vacationing with Gigi's family, including her mother Yolanda Foster.

Still on: In June Gigi dismissed rumours of a split by sharing a shot of his and hers Nutella jars on social media

Good times: By September 2017 the couple had taken their relationship to the next level by vacationing with Gigi's family, including her mother Yolanda Foster

But despite seemingly going from strength to strength, the couple confirmed their relationship was over in separate Twitter statements, published in March 2018.

Addressing his fans, Zayn wrote: 'Gigi and I had an incredibly meaningful, loving and fun relationship and I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend.'

Suggesting the split was mutual and in no way bitter, Gigi added: 'I'm forever grateful for the love, time, and life lessons that Z and I shared.'

In demand: The couple are mobbed by fans after stepping out in New York in March 2016

Happy days: The couple couldn't keep their hands off each other at the Givenchy show during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016

However, just one month later, the pair were spotted kissing in New York, prompting claims that they had already rekindled their romance.

By August 2018 Zayn and Gigi appeared to be back on, with the supermodel spotted wearing a necklace with his name on it. The pair also begin posting pictures of themselves across social media.

The couple were later hit with a fresh round of break-up rumours in January 2019, with multiple reports at the time claiming the duo were taking some time apart from one another.

All over: But despite seemingly going from strength to strength, the couple confirmed their relationship was over in separate Twitter statements, published in March 2018

Speaking out: Suggesting the split was mutual and in no way bitter, Gigi wrote, ' I'm forever grateful for the love, time, and life lessons that Z and I shared'

Back on: However, just one month later, the pair were spotted kissing in New York prompting reports that they had already rekindled their romance (pictured together in January 2020)

But by December 2019 they dropped yet another hint that they had reconciled after Gigi revealed she was making a recipe she learned from Zayn's mother Trisha, who promptly reposted the clip.

In February 2020 the couple appeared to officially confirm that they were back together for a third time, as Gigi posted a picture of Zayn with the caption: 'HEY VALENTINE'

By March, with the world gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, Gigi posted a throwback picture of her Zayn locked in a passionate embrace in front of a Christmas tree, seemingly confirming they had spent the holidays together.

Leading up to the pregnancy news, it appeared the on-again couple were self-isolating together in Pennsylvania.

Gigi posted pics from her 25th birthday celebration on on April 23, writing that she was so happy to spend it with her "quarantine family" - including Zayn.

Family: By December 2019 they dropped yet another hint that they had reconciled after Gigi revealed she was making a recipe she learned from Zayn's mother Trisha, who promptly reposted the clip

My love: In February 2020 the couple appeared to officially confirm that they were back together for a third time, as Gigi posted a picture of Zayn with the caption, 'HEY VALENTINE'
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Mundoro Capital Inc. (TSXV: MUN) (www.mundoro.com) ("Mundoro" or the "Company"), announces filing audited consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and posting on the Company's website at www.mundoro.com. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Along with the filing of financial statements, Mundoro provides an update on our exploration activity and corporate activity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has created evolving guidelines and rules in the jurisdictions where we operate.

COVID-19 Response

Mundoro has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation where we operate and have taken precautionary measures at the Company's sites and offices to help protect the safety of our workforce and local communities. The Company is following the public health directives for COVID-19 safety outlined by the local governments at each of its operations.

Due to COVID-19 government mandated restrictions affecting field activity, Mundoro's exploration team is working remotely with project data for interpretation and targeting as well as converting our project workspaces to 3D environments for enhanced visualization of targets and further drill planning.

Corporate Initiatives to Manage Costs

As of March 30, 2020, Mundoro had working capital of C$3.1 million with no debt and 80.6 mln shares outstanding.

Mundoro remains in a strong overall financial position as a result of its treasury and the reduction in expenditures in 2020.

Mundoro's cash position exceeds the Company's exploration work commitments for calendar 2020 as well as general corporate expenditures.

Mundoro's Objectives for 2020

Commence exploration on the Vale-Mundoro JV Projects in the second half of 2020.

Add partner(s) for Mundoro's projects available for optioning.

Enter into exploration contract for the Svoboda project with Bulgarian government.

Outlook for Projects Available for Option or Joint Venture

Mundoro continues to have discussions with interested third parties seeking to option Mundoro's available projects, confirming the continued interest in exploring in Timok, Serbia as well as Bulgaria. Additionally, the Company has seven areas under application in Serbia and three areas under application in Bulgaria.

Zeleznik (Available for Optioning)

Exploration Update

Mundoro completed a 450-meter drill program in March 2020 at the Zeleznik group of licenses which are 100% owned by the Company and available for optioning. Zeleznik is directly north of the Majdanpek mine at the north end of the Timok district (see Figure 1). The drill program was designed to test the southern extension of the East Zone by 200 m to the south with two inclined drill holes. Figure 2 illustrates a 3D model of the West and East Zones with a chargeability shell to illustrate the potential for further mineralization to the south, the north and at depth. After the state of emergency related to COVID-19 is lifted in Serbia, the Company will send samples to the assay lab in Bor. In the meantime, the exploration team is completing detailed logging, core photo collection along with XRF analysis and alteration analysis. The Company expects to send assays to the lab and receive assay results in Q2/2020.





Figure 1 - Location Map of Projects in Serbia

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2408/55140_24a43f649455ea06_001full.jpg

Notes: 1. Third party resources estimates based on those reported by RTB Bor Group. Resources reported according to Russian classification system. 2. Nevsun NI 43-101 Technical Report on SEDAR.





Figure 2 - Zeleznik 3D model of West and East Zone with IP Chargeability Shell with drilling targets (click on image to view 3D model video)

Option Status

A data room for the project has been opened for third parties which have a confidentiality agreement ("CA") signed with the Company. Mundoro has received interest and progressed on discussions for this project area.

Vale-Mundoro Projects

Exploration Update and Earn-in Status

For the Vale-Mundoro Projects, compiled data sets are being reviewed for targeting and exploration planning. Data review includes: drill logs, structural interpretation, geophysical survey review of ground magnetics, CSAMT, IP and gravity data, as well as alteration and geochemistry analysis. The parties await final regulatory approvals for field exploration activity to be restarted.

Freeport-Mundoro Projects

Exploration Update

For the October 2019 to March 2020 drill program, Mundoro deployed three drill rigs and tested four of the five target areas (see Figure 3 - Freeport-Mundoro Projects - Drill Target Locations). The original program contemplated 3,500 meters of drilling, but Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation ("Freeport") and Mundoro agreed to substantially increase the scope of the program, completing 8,735 meters by the time the program was suspended due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The parties had not yet commenced drilling on the fifth target, Markov Kamen, when exploration work on the property was suspended. The Company is waiting for the final batch of assay drill results and intends to provide a market update on the program in Q2-2020.

All work commitments for the licenses have been met and exceeded in investment through to October 30, 2021. Therefore, no further expenditures are required to maintain the licenses for these projects.

Markov Kamen (Savinac License) - NOT COMMENCED

Status: Drilling did not commence as the Company was awaiting permits from the Forestry Department and thereafter a decision was made to terminate drilling due to the state of emergency imposed in Serbia from COVID-19.

Tilva Rosh (Savinac License) - COMPLETED

Status: Drilling has been completed with a total of 2,980 meters drilled over 4 drill holes. Interpretation of drill results are expected in Q2-2020.

Prekostenski (Bacevica License) - COMPLETED

Status: Drilling was completed for 2,887 meters over 6 drill holes. Interpretation of drill results are expected in Q2-2020.

Orlovo Brdo (Bacevica License) - COMPLETED

Status: Drilling has been completed with a total of 2,325 meters over 4 drill holes. Interpretation of drill results are expected in Q2-2020.

D-Vein (Bacevica License) - COMPLETED

Status: Drilling has been completed with a total of 542 meters over 1 drill hole. Interpretation of drill results are expected in Q2-2020.





Figure 3 - Freeport-Mundoro Projects - Drill Target Locations

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2408/55140_24a43f649455ea06_003full.jpg

Option Status

To date, Freeport has sole funded a total of US$3.2 million (C$4.5 million) on the Freeport-Mundoro Projects. Freeport informed Mundoro that it is restructuring its exploration programs. On April 28, 2020 Freeport sent notice terminating the earn-in agreement. This results in the entire project areas reverting 100% to Mundoro for no consideration. A data room for the project has been prepared for third parties which have a CA signed with the Company. Mundoro has received interest for this project area.

JOGMEC-Mundoro JV Project in Serbia

Exploration Update

At the Borsko license, upon completion of the 2019 drill program consisting of 4,000 meters over six drill holes, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ("JOGMEC") and Mundoro, the joint venture partners ("JV Partners"), engaged a geophysical contractor from Australia which has experience in utilizing geophysics for undercover exploration to reprocess the geophysical data. Interpretation from the geophysics review identified further drill targets to follow up at Target 1 and additional locations to test on the license.

JV Status

To date, JOGMEC has sole funded a total of US$5.8 million (C$8.3 million) for the JOGMEC-Mundoro JV Project, and has completed the earn-in for a 51% interest in the project. All work commitments have been met for the JOGMEC-Mundoro JV Project during this term. The joint venture is now at a proportionate funding stage, with Mundoro entitled to exercise an option to acquire a 2% interest in the joint venture from JOGMEC (taking Mundoro to 51%) for nominal consideration and maintain its role as the operator. The JV Partners are discussing alternatives for further funding and exploration at Borsko. A data room for the project has been opened for third parties which have a CA signed with the Company. Mundoro has received interest for this project area.

JOGMEC-Mundoro Generative Alliance in Bulgaria

In March 2019 Mundoro entered into a Generative Alliance with JOGMEC to generate project areas in the Republic of Bulgaria. The Generative Alliance was sole-funded by JOGMEC and completed in Q4-2019. In Q1-2020 JOGMEC elected to designate a few target areas to proceed to the next stage of the agreement. Upon receiving relevant government approvals, Mundoro and JOGMEC intend to enter into an agreement to pursue exploration of these target areas.

About Mundoro Capital Inc.

Mundoro is a Canadian listed (TSXV: MUN) precious and base metal company focused on building value for its shareholders through directly investing in mineral projects that have the ability to generate future returns for shareholders. Mundoro has generated an attractive pipeline of copper and gold projects in Serbia and Bulgaria, as well as an investment in a producing gold mine in Bulgaria, in order to drive long-term growth and achieve shareholder return. Potential future returns for our shareholders from our mineral projects can be in various forms such as discovery of mineral resources, royalties, advance royalty payments from partners, a direct interest in production, dividend payments or sale of our interest in the mineral property.

On behalf of the Company,

Teo Dechev, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Qualified Person

Technical information contained in this Press Release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. G. Magaranov, P. Geo., Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This News Release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "can", "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe" or "continue" or similar words or the negative thereof, and include the following: completion of the earn-in expenditures and options by JOGMEC; and completion of a definitive joint venture agreement by the parties. The material assumptions that were applied in making the forward looking statements in this News Release include expectations as to the mineral potential of the properties, the Company's future strategy and business plan and execution of the Company's existing plans. We caution readers of this News Release not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements contained in this News Release, as there can be no assurance that they will occur and they are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include general economic and market conditions, exploration results, commodity prices, changes in law, regulatory processes, the status of Mundoro's assets and financial condition, actions of competitors and the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities. The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this News Release are made as of the date of this News Release and the Board undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and 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 the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.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.

For further information please contact:

Teo Dechev, CEO, President and Director of Mundoro Capital Inc. at +1-604-669-8055

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55140
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told media on April 22 that she is very, very open to joining the US and Australia in an independent review into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak.

The US and Australia have targeted China, accusing it of causing the COVID-19 global pandemic. US President Donald Trump said China should face major consequences if it was found to be knowingly responsible. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Canberra would absolutely insist on a review into the origins of the disease.

Ardern said New Zealand would support such a reviewalthough she said calling it an inquiry would be too formal. Ardern had earlier distanced herself from Trumps defunding the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its alleged dependence on China. However, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, leader of the right-wing NZ First Party, pointedly echoed Trumps criticism that the WHO did not act early enough.

New Zealands ruling elite has in recent years carried out a difficult balancing act between the increasingly bellicose demands of the US to join its military operations in the Asia-Pacific, while remaining on good terms with China, its major trading partner. The global pandemic is escalating tensions even further.

The false accusation that the Chinese governments policies are to blame for the pandemic and the intensifying economic catastrophe is being ramped up by governments and the media around the world. This campaign serves to divert attention from their failure to prepare for, and deal with, the pandemic, while simultaneously whipping up public opinion for war against China.

The US and European imperialist powers, along with their allies, are seeking to prevent China from emerging from the pandemic economically and geo-strategically strengthened, particularly in the Asia-Pacific. As it escalates the propaganda offensive against China, the Trump administration last week provocatively sent US warships, accompanied by an Australian Navy frigate, into the South China Sea near Malaysia, where China and Vietnam also have competing claims.

Leading media outlets have upped the offensive against Beijing by spreading the conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was made in a Chinese laboratory. They alternatively claim that the disease has only spread so widely around the globe because China failed to make information about it public for a crucial six days in January.

In New Zealand, a central role in vilifying China is being played by a layer of pseudo-lefts and Labour Party sympathisers in the trade union-funded Daily Blog. The editor, Martyn Bradbury, has for years vented chauvinist filth and anti-Chinese xenophobia, ludicrously depicting China as the New Zealands economic overlord and portraying Chinese immigrants as a subversive threat. Notwithstanding occasional anti-American outbursts, the blog supports the Labour-NZ First governments push to further integrate New Zealand into US war plans.

In a post on April 16, Bradbury seized on a comment in the Washington Postowned by Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezosto declare the Daily Blog was right to target China over COVID-19 from the start. Under the headline Oh look at thatChina DID lie about the virus, Bradbury repeated verbatim charges that from January 14-20, Chinese officials had secretly determined they were likely facing a pandemic. According to Bradbury, following reports about the purported lack of safety at the Wuhan laboratory, its time to demand answers from the Chinese, not just ask them.

Such attempts to foist responsibility for COVID-19 on Beijing are political lies. The fraudulent narrative contradicts US and international media reports from the time, which make clear that the emergence and character of the disease was being widely and accurately reported by early January.

As of December 30, Chinese authorities were publicly reporting cases of an unknown pneumonia. Beginning January 3, they regularly informed the WHO and the world on the progress of the disease and quickly identified the agent. On January 11, the WHO received the entire sequencing of the genome of the virus from China. On January 23, as Wuhan went into lockdown, over 800 people were contaminated, and only nine of them were abroad.

A month later, the epidemic began in Europe and the United States, where governments were criminally negligent in their response; downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19, comparing it to seasonal flu, opposing social distancing measures, and demanding that workers stay at work.

The Washington Posts claim that COVID-19 was created in a Chinese laboratory is an unsubstantiated right-wing conspiracy theory that originated with Trumps fascistic former campaign manager Stephen Bannon. Several reputable scientific studies have established that COVID-19 is not a laboratory construct, but a result of zoonotic transfer from animals to humans.

Scientific evidence is, however, of no concern to the Daily Blog. Contributor Chris Trotter turned to the issue in a post on April 24. Taking as his starting point the science fiction television miniseries Devs, which deals with themes of free will versus predetermination, Trotter invites the reader to consider the case of a biological research facility in Wuhan, where scientists create a new, highly infectious and potentially deadly coronavirus.

According to this scenario, lax handling protocols result in a number of the facilitys staff becoming infected, and with terrifying speed the virus spreads through Wuhans 11 million inhabitants. The Chinese government adopts a policy of strategic inaction, and delays informing the WHO. For Beijing, Trotter contends, it was far preferable to have the whole of humanity contending with COVID-19 than only that fraction of humanity residing within the borders of the Peoples Republic of China. China took an accident, he concludes and turned it into an opportunity to take over the world.

Trotter ends with a disingenuous disclaimer: There are plenty of other universes where this didnt happen. We might even be living in one. But by presenting this scenario uncritically without reference to known facts, his piece of fiction has simply served to legitimise the reactionary conspiracy around the Wuhan laboratory.

The responsibility for COVID-19s spread in America, Europe and across Asia, lies not with China, but with the various governments and the economic order they defendcapitalism. The crisis has laid bare the state of social and economic relations that have been building up for decades, including the destruction of public services and unpreparedness for any government for a major health care emergency.

Far from defending the working class, the Daily Blog functions as an adjunct of the trade unions apparatus and glorifies the Ardern-led Labour government, which has slashed health spending and, like governments around the world, is intent on driving workers back to work despite the ongoing pandemic and the health dangers involved.

The author also recommends:

New Zealands Daily Blog demands anti-immigrant measures against Australians fleeing climate change

[15 January 2020]

Media glorifies New Zealand governments pro-business response to the pandemic

[14 April 2020]

New Zealand teachers and nurses oppose easing of lockdown

[24 April 2020]
Officials in the District, Maryland and Virginia say they have not seen a downward trend in new cases or hospitalization rates that would allow them to ease the shutdown, although the rates of increase have slowed. Leaders in the jurisdictions have said they will coordinate their reopening response, and they continue to urge residents to stay home and practice social distancing.
The number of COVID-19 hotspot districts in India has come down to 129 from 170 a fortnight ago, but in the same period the number of infection-free districts or green zones too decreased from 325 to 307, official sources said on Wednesday.

During this time, the number of non-hotspot districts, also known as orange zones, increased from 207 to 297, they said.

On April 15, the Centre had declared 170 districts across 25 states and Union Territories as coronavirus hotspots or red zones. Of these, 123 were hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 with clusters. It had also said 325 districts had not reported any coronavirus case because of actions initiated at field level.

According to Health Ministry data, the number of coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 31,787 on Wednesday, while the number of fatalities rose to 1,008, registering a record jump of 71 deaths in 24 hours.

There has been a spike of 1,813 cases since Tuesday evening. The total COVID-19 cases reported so far include 111 foreign nationals.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 22,982, while 7,796 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

"Thus, around 24.52 per cent of the patients have recovered so far," a health ministry official said.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said of the total active COVID-19 cases in the country, only 0.33 per cent patients are on ventilators, 1.5 per cent are on oxygen support and 2.34 per cent are in ICU.

Active COVID-19 cases are those who are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals or are lodged in quarantine facilities.

Vardhan, who interacted with the Lions Club International members across the country through a video link, said the mortality rate in COVID-19 patients in India is three per cent as compared to seven per cent globally.

Around 86 per cent of the fatalities have been reported among those with co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney and heart-related issues, he said.

The health minister also said 288 government laboratories are working along with 97 private laboratory chains with around 16,000 sample collection centres, testing around 60,000 samples daily.

The government is working to increase the testing capacity to one lakh tests per day within the next few days, he added.

The minister on Tuesday said that 80 districts in the country have not reported any new case of COVID-19 in the previous seven days while 47 districts have not registered any fresh case in 14 days. Also, 39 districts have not reported any instance of the infection in 21 days and 17 districts have not registered any new case for 28 days, he had said.

The government has already identified 15 districts in nine states, including Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat, as having "high case load". Of these, seven -- Hyderabad (Telangana), Pune (Maharashtra), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Delhi show particularly high case volumes.

The other place with a high case load that are "critical" in the battle against COVID-19 include -- Vadodara (Gujarat), Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Thane (Maharashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Surat (Gujarat).

"These 15 districts are critical in our battle against COVID-19. Of them, 7 show particularly high case volumes. India's success in battling COVID-19 is dependent on them. We must aggressively monitor, contain, test, treat in these districts! We must win here," Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant tweeted on Monday.

A senior health ministry said the doubling time of coronavirus cases in India was three to 3.25 days before the nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 and now it is 10.2 to 10.9 days.

A total of 71 deaths were reported in the country since Tuesday evening, of which 31 fatalities were from Maharashtra, 19 from Gujarat, six from Madhya Pradesh, five each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Of the total 1,008 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 400 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 181, Madhya Pradesh at 119, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 51, Uttar Pradesh at 36 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

The death toll reached 26 in Telengana, 25 in Tamil Nadu, 22 in West Bengal. While Karantaka reported 20 deaths, Punjab has registered 19 fatalities so far. The disease has claimed eight lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to the ministry data.

The highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 9,318, followed by Gujarat at 3,774, Delhi at 3,314, Madhya Pradesh at 2,561, Rajasthan at 2,364, Uttar Pradesh at 2,115 and Tamil Nadu at 2,058.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A television ad from President Ronald Reagans 1984 re-election campaign famously opened with this message: "There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don't see it at all. In a media landscape dominated by coronavirus news, its easy to forget about the bear. But we shouldnt miss the bear, nor should we miss the dragon, especially when they are in our own backyard.

While weve been focusing on COVID-19 recovery efforts, Russia and China have been actively expanding their soft-power efforts in the Western Hemisphere  more specifically, in Venezuela.

Russia has long meddled with our neighbors to the south, and Russias recent actions to establish a second Cuba should come as no surprise to anyone. For example, do we really believe Russia, with its own cash-strapped economy smaller than the State of New York, is publicly pledging to send 40 tons of medical supplies to Venezuela as a genuine humanitarian gesture? Should we trust that Rosneft and the Kremlin are engaging in shell-company contortions in order to bring real help to this South American country? Of course not.

Further, do we really believe China, a nation that hid knowledge of the coronavirus outbreak and still refuses to share critical COVID-19 information with the United States, sent scientists and medical professionals to Caracas to help battle the disease? Do we trust that Beijing is in talks to financially assist the Maduro regime out of the goodness of their hearts? No way.

Chinas influence push is more recent and even more concerning than the long-standing Russian meddling. It is further evidence that President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road debt enslavement trap is targeting the entire world. In fact, China already owns a massive chunk of Venezuelan debt, and theyve set their sights on attaining even more.

This is about oil, undermining the United States, and pushing the envelope in the middle of a global pandemic. The question before the Trump administration is, what do we do about it?

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton all but openly advocated for the United States to use military force to enact regime change in Venezuela. This would have been far costlier and deadlier than predicted, and it very well could have pulled Russia (Venezuelas largest oil trading partner) into the middle of the conflict.

Current Trump administration leadership has taken a much more sensible approach. It has ratcheted up pressure on Venezuela, encouraging a solution built on internal change and urging both Maduro and his chief opponent, National Assembly President Juan Guaido, to step aside as new elections are called. This is the most sensible approach to the country. It increases global sanctions on the Maduro government while avoiding the lets invade globalist mentality thats dominated American foreign policy in recent decades. But its a holding pattern, not a plan for the future, and we should be clear about that.

China, however, has a global plan, and while the Russians seek chaos, the Chinese seek control.

A recent issue of The Economist dedicated to the rising global influence play of Communist China is a must-read. In their central essay entitled, Is China Winning?, the editors posit, the pandemic will be remembered not only as a human disaster, but also as a geopolitical turning-point away from America.

We cannot allow this to happen. American businesses must be positioned and ready to get to work once the Maduro regime fails. To do that, we must maintain a significant foothold in the country so we can fill the void with free-market economic influence, rather than military influence, when a leadership change happens. Thus will we stop the Communist Party of China from fully executing their plans for expansion into the Western Hemisphere.

This is also why the U.S. governments recent call for the last American oil company to remain in-country and hold onto their property is a good one. Forcing American companies to pull up stakes and withdraw from Venezu ela immediately w ould only strengthen Maduros dictatorial government and his ability to stay in power, and it would place the United States at a disadvantage in fending off the Russians and the Chinese from having sole access to the worlds largest oil reserves. The United States is the best possible ally for the Venezuelan people and can help restore an economy based on free-market principles and legitimate businesses, but only if we maintain our presence.

Right now, coronavirus news understandably dominates everything. But it wont last forever. The world continues to be a dangerous place, and now the bears and the dragons looking to destroy democracy and freedom operate in plain sight. And when the history books are written, COVID-19 wont be the dominant story for the 21st century  the economic competition between the United States and China will be. This is why we must give our companies and our allies every tool they need to fend off the tyrannical Communist Party of China, and that includes fighting for the democratic future of Venezuela.

Jason Miller served as Senior Communications Advisor on President Donald J. Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. He was also Communications Director for the Trump Transition Team. He can be followed on Twitter @JasonMillerInDC.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the already-battered Alberta housing segment will persist over the next few quarters, according to the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA).

This is an unprecedented time with a significant amount of uncertainty. It is not a surprise to see these concerns also weigh on the housing market, said Ann-Marie Lurie, AREA chief economist.

Albertas average home price was $371,022 last month, having declined by 2.64% annually. The number of new listings dropped by 14.54%, while the stock of homes available in the market contracted by 5.76%.
Delhi University has partially modified the Academic Calendar for 2019-2020 in view of the coronavirus lockdown. The university has extended the end-date of classes for even semester from 28 April to 15 May.

Delhi University has partially modified the Academic Calendar for 2019-2020 in view of the coronavirus lockdown. The university has extended the end-date of classes for even semester from 28 April to 15 May.

In a message on its website, Delhi University said that the decision has been taken "in view of the unprecedented situation in the world leading to the lockdown in the country," till 3 May.

The university on 21 April had released the online exam form for the May-June exams. The deadline for the submission of the exam form is 15 May.

The University created a portal for regular and ex-students to fill their tentative forms from home. It has asked all students to fill the form even if they have submitted the forms physically in the colleges. Those who have paid the fees are not required to pay again. On the other hand, candidates who are yet to pay the fees can pay on the college portal online or physically at the college after the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Meanwhile, the two committees formed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to look into issues faced by universities and colleges due to the pandemic submitted its report on 24 April.

The UGC is expected to issue guidelines to colleges and universities this week on steps that should be taken for the current academic session and the next one.
Key workers are "shining examples of human compassion and strength", said the ambassador.

Ambassador J. Randolph Evans was honored to visit the hardworking individuals in the emergency facility and the hospital who are fighting against COVID-19 to thank them for their work.

"The frontline health care workers here at the Centre Hospitalier and health care facilities worldwide are shining examples of human compassion and strength, and I join all Luxembourgers in my sincere gratitude for their tireless efforts," the ambassador remarked.

The facility, made possible with the support of Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, the Letzebuerger Armei, the NSPA and the U.S. Airforce located at Ramstein Airforce Base.

 U.S. Embassy Luxembourg  U.S. Embassy Luxembourg  U.S. Embassy Luxembourg  U.S. Embassy Luxembourg  U.S. Embassy Luxembourg  U.S. Embassy Luxembourg The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question.

The field hospital provides a triage area for patients as well as laboratory tests and X-rays.

Ambassador Evans visited the CHL field hospital, hosted by Director Romain Nati, with Defense Coordinator Gilles Feith and General Alain Duschene of the Defense Directorate and Luxembourg Army; Peter Dohmen from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA); and Laurent Bodson, General Manager of the Warehouse Services Agency facility in Sanem.



"The important work being done at this facility once again proves the strength and worth of the continued cooperation of Luxembourg, the United States, and our NATO Allies. United together, we will prevail over COVID-19 said Ambassador Evans.
Grants & Funding

ED Announces $300 Million Grant Competition to 'Rethink Education'

The United State Department of Education has launched a new grant program offering $307.5 million in funds for states to "create adaptable, innovative learning opportunities for K-12 and postsecondary learners in response to the COVID-19 national emergency." The Education Stabilization Fund Discretionary Grants, announced this week by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, will be funded through the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

"If our ability to educate is limited to what takes place in any given physical building, we are never going to meet the unique needs of every student . We must rethink education to better match the realities of the 21st century. This is the time for local education leaders to unleash their creativity and ingenuity, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do to provide education freedom and economic opportunity for America's students," said Secretary DeVos, in a statement.

The grants will be distributed via two competitions: Rethink K-12 Education Models Grants (offering $180 million in total funds) and Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grants ($127.5 million).

The Rethink K-12 Education Models Grants are focused on access: coming up with innovative ways for students to access K-12 education, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. State educational agencies can apply for funds in one of three categories:

Microgrants for families, to support access to technology and educational services;

Statewide virtual learning and course access programs; and

"Field-initiated models for providing remote education not yet imagined."

On the higher ed side, the Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grants are designed to "expand short-term postsecondary programs and work-based learning programs in order to get Americans back to work and help small businesses return to being our country's engines for economic growth." More information on specific eligibility and selection criteria is forthcoming in a supplemental notice from ED.

"Current students and displaced workers will be navigating a very different job market and economy once America reopens," commented Secretary DeVos. "This competition is a tremendous opportunity for states to think creatively and strategically about what their workforce needs will be and how to support entrepreneurs and small business in order to get the economic engines in their states firing on all cylinders again."

Application packages for both grant competitions will be available within two weeks, with a 60-day application deadline. For more information, visit the ED site.
Dear Annie: In 1966, "Linda" and I met at church one night. I was "head over heels" in love with her immediately, and I believed then that she was, too. We were in our early 20s. I was in officer candidate school at the time. I gave her an engagement ring after we dated for a few months. I thought all was well. But a month or so later, she returned it. I think her mother nixed the wedding plans. I always suspected I wasn't a strong enough Baptist for her family.

Even though the engagement was off, we continued to see each other. I had a permanent change of station to Vietnam. While I was there, she sent me a "Dear John" letter, saying that she'd always love me as a person but she'd met someone else and they were engaged. I was devastated.

When I returned from Vietnam, I ended up meeting my wife. We started a family. Fifteen years later, after my father died, I got a condolence phone call from Linda, and we've kept up a correspondence ever since then, with phone calls and emails. To this day, I answer her emails, even though I sometimes wait a month or two to write back.

My dilemma is that I believe it wrong to be exchanging mail with an old flame. My wife is aware that we keep in touch and that we used to be an item, but she dismisses it as no threat. She thinks it's common enough to catch up now and then with old romantic partners, especially when a few decades have gone by. Still, I erase Linda's emails every time, as though I've something to hide.

One part of me says: "Wake up! She threw you under the bus. Get over it like millions of others." The other part hangs on to the illusion of love, of being in love -- which is a sweet memory, don't you think? Hardly a day goes by that certain things don't remind me of this past. And she has said the same. Sometimes, it is anger and resentment of being rejected and feeling that I wasn't good enough, and other times it is of that broken-hearted feeling of how much I loved her.

I get along just fine with my current wife, but the memories of the past passion from 50 years ago are always lingering under the surface. I wish Linda would end it and set me free. Or I wish I could end it. Annie, what would you do? -- Burning Desire

Dear Burning: I think you already know what I'm going to say. But if a kick in the pants is what you're looking for, I'm happy to provide it. So here goes.

Cut it out. No more emails, no more phone calls. Exes can be friends when both parties have moved on. That is clearly not the case here. To continue this emotional affair is to risk your 40-year marriage -- and for what? The "illusion of love," as you put it. That is all that Linda ever offered. Redirect your attention to bringing some passion back into your marriage. That is the real deal.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM
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Incredible aerial photos show fighter jets from the US Air Force's Thunderbirds and the US Navy's Blue Angels soaring over New York City and Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon.

The 12 jets streaked through the skies in a 'collaborative salute' to doctors, nurses, and other essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many gathered to watch the event from the ground, the new images show the ceremonial flyover from an entirely new perspective.

The planes first circled across New York City and neighboring New Jersey for around 40 minutes, with the aerial photos showing the jets over the top of Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building.

Incredible aerial photos show fighter jets from the US Air Force's Thunderbirds and the US Navy's Blue Angels soaring over New York City and Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon

The planes first circled across New York City, with the aerial photos showing the jets over the top of Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building

The 12 jets streaked through the skies in a 'collaborative salute' to doctors, nurses, and other essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic

While many gathered to watch the event from the ground, the new images show the ceremonial flyover from an entirely new perspective

The snaps showing the jets over the top of the Big Apple strike a somewhat poignant tone given given that the city has been battered by the coronavirus outbreak

The snaps strike a somewhat poignant tone given that the Big Apple has been battered by the coronavirus outbreak

After thrilling crowds in New York and New Jersey, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels refueled before flying south to Philadelphia

The snaps strike a somewhat poignant tone given that the Big Apple has been battered by the coronavirus outbreak.

The city is the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, with more than 162,000 confirmed cases and 12,000 deaths.

After thrilling crowds in New York and New Jersey, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels refueled before flying south to Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the Navy has also released footage captured from the inside of one of their jet's cockpits.

The images were snapped by Petty Officer Cody Hendrix as he soared through the skies with his fellow Blue Angels during the flyover salute.

The jets are seen making their way over Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon

The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels are pictured circling over Philadelphia after their flyover of New York City and New Jersey

The Navy has also released footage captured from the inside of one of their jet's cockpits

Images were snapped by Petty Officer Cody Hendrix as he soared through the skies with his fellow Blue Angels during the flyover salute

The Blue Angels can reach speeds of up to 1,400 m/ph

One image taken from Officer Hendrix's cockpit showed him trailing behind another fighter jet as he soared across the bright blue sky

The flypast took more than a month to plan and was the first of several planned around the country over the coming weeks

"We are incredibly honored to have the opportunity to salute those working on the frontline of the COVID-19 response, we are in awe of your strength and resilience," Blue Angels Commander Brian Kesselring said ahead of the show.

The flypast took more than a month to plan and was the first of several planned around the country over the coming weeks, the squadrons said in a statement.

While images of the incredible operation were beamed right around the world, other photos taken on the ground showed residents flouting social distancing orders to watch the flyover.

Those photos caused controversy,

New Jersey: Hundreds of people in New Jersey on Tuesday ignored social distancing rules to watch the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels soar over New York City's skies in a tribute to the healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gold Lion Resources Inc. ("Gold Lion" or the "Company") (CSE: GL) (OTC: GLIOF) (FWB: 2BC) is pleased to announce that it has mobilized exploration crews to its Robber Gulch gold Property ("Robber Gulch" or the "Property") located near Burley, Idaho. The Property is under option from EMX Royalty Corp. A geochemical sampling program (>1200 soil samples) is being conducted over an area of prospective Pennsylvanian-Permian calcareous siltstones known as the Oquirrh Formation, which is host to gold mineralization 90 kilometers to the east on Liberty Gold's Black Pine gold project1. The Oquirrh Formation is exposed within an erosional window of post-mineral volcanic rocks on Robber Gulch and to the best of the Company's knowledge the Property has not had any prior soil geochemical surveys completed on it.



The only known historic exploration on the Property was four shallow (100-125m) drill holes from the mid-1980s. AC-4, the final drill hole from that program, returned 18.3m of 0.23 g/t Au (from 24.4m to 42.7m) and 24.4m of 0.56 g/t Au (from 54.8m to 79.2m), including, 6.1m of 1.25 g/t Au (from 64.0m to 70.1m) in oxide mineralization (true thickness unknown)2. The hole was terminated in gold mineralization at 345 feet (105 meters). Despite recommendations at the time for a grid of vertical RC drill holes surrounding AC-4's encouraging result, no follow-up drilling was carried out.

The primary target at Robber Gulch is Carlin-style oxide gold mineralization. A reconnaissance program by EMX Royalty Corp., in 2019 identified broad areas of alteration surrounding several mineralized north-south fault structures cutting limy siltstone, sandstone and carbonate units. The alteration is zoned outwards from the mineralized faults with jasperoid developed along the structures, grading outwards to strong silicification, brecciation and quartz veining to decalcified limestone on the outer halo.

Oliver Friesen, CEO of Gold Lion, stated: "We are very pleased to be getting started on our 2020 exploration season in Idaho. The Robber Gulch Property has not seen modern exploration, and we look forward to conducting systematic field programs and following up on the encouraging historic drill results. Due to the quick permitting timelines on BLM land, we anticipate updating the market with plans for a second phase of work, potentially involving trenching or RC drilling once the Phase I results have been received and compiled."

Maps for the Project can be found on the Company's website at the following URL:

https://goldlionresources.com/projects/robber-gulch-property/

The Company has reviewed all provincial and state recommended COVID travel precautions and have implemented a stringent COVID response plan to ensure crew safety during the upcoming work program at Robber Gulch.

Qualified Person

Agnes Koffyberg, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the technical data in this news release.

About Gold Lion Resources Inc.

Gold Lion Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration company actively involved in the exploration of its precious metal focused portfolio including the South Orogrande, Erikson Ridge, Robber Gulch, Cuteye and the Fairview Properties located in Idaho and British Columbia. For more information please visit: https://goldlionresources.com/ .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Oliver Friesen

CEO

T: +1 (778) 772-1751

The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

Except for statements of historic fact, 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. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Gold Lion Resources described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available at www.sedar.com .

1 Black Pine Mine 43-101 Technical Report on the Black Pine Gold Project, Cassia County, Idaho. Prepared by MDA for Liberty Gold Corp. 9/7/2018. Historic production: pg. 27.



2 Internal Report on Artesian City Project, Cassia County, Idaho. 1986. Exvenco Resources Inc.
A US government panel on Tuesday called for India to be put on a religious freedom blacklist over a "drastic" downturn under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a sharp rebuttal from New Delhi. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom recommends but does not set policy, and there is virtually no chance the State Department will follow its lead on India, an increasingly close US ally. In an annual report, the bipartisan panel narrowly agreed that India should join the ranks of "countries of particular concern" that would be subject to sanctions if they do not improve their records. "In 2019, religious freedom conditions in India experienced a drastic turn downward, with religious minorities under increasing assault," the report said. It called on the United States to impose punitive measures, including visa bans, on Indian officials believed responsible and grant funding to civil society groups that monitor hate speech. The commission said that Modi's Hindu nationalist government, which won a convincing election victory last year, "allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity, and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence." It pointed to comments by Home Minister Amit Shah, who notoriously referred to mostly Muslim migrants as "termites," and to a citizenship law that has triggered nationwide protests. It also highlighted the revocation of the autonomy of Kashmir, which was India's only Muslim-majority state, and allegations that Delhi police turned a blind eye to mobs who attacked Muslim neighborhoods in February this year. The Indian government, long irritated by the commission's comments, quickly rejected the report. "Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels," foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said. "We regard it as an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly," he said in a statement. The State Department designates nine "countries of particular concern" on religious freedom -- China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The commission asked that all nine countries remain on the list. In addition to India, it sought the inclusion of four more -- Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam. Pakistan, India's historic rival, was added by the State Department in 2018 after years of appeals by the commission. In its latest report, the commission said that Pakistan "continued to trend negatively," voicing alarm at forced conversions of Hindus and other minorities, abuse of blasphemy prosecutions and a ban on the Ahmadi sect calling itself Muslim. - 'Tipping point' - India's citizenship law fast-tracks naturalization for minorities from neighboring countries -- but not if they are Muslim. Modi's government says it is not targeting Muslims but rather providing refuge to persecuted people and should be commended. But critics consider it a watershed move by Modi to define the world's largest democracy as a Hindu nation and chip away at independent India's founding principle of secularism. Tony Perkins, the commission's chair, called the law a "tipping point" and voiced concern about a registry in the northeastern state of Assam, under which 1.9 million people failed to produce documentation to prove that they were Indian citizens before 1971, when mostly Muslim migrants flowed in during Bangladesh's bloody war of independence. "The intentions of the national leaders are to bring this about throughout the entire country," Perkins told an online news conference. "You could potentially have 100 million people, mostly Muslims, left stateless because of their religion. That would be, obviously, an international issue," said Perkins, a Christian activist known for his opposition to gay rights who is close to President Donald Trump's administration. Three of the nine commissioners dissented -- including another prominent Christian conservative, Gary Bauer, who voiced alarm about India's direction but said the ally could not be likened to non-democracies such as China. "I am deeply concerned that this public denunciation risks exactly the opposite outcome than the one we all desire," Bauer said. Trump, who called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the US when he ran for president, hailed Modi on a February visit to New Delhi. Muslim men check the interior of a partially burnt mosque on March 1, 2020 after communal riots in New Delhi Home Minister Amit Shah's supporters during a March 2020 rally in Kolkata to celebrate a controversial citizenship law Conservative Christian activist Tony Perkins is now the head of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom People stand in line to check their names on the first draft of a National Register of Citizens in the village of Gumi in the Indian state of Assam in January 2018
Rosillo was able to jump over the median barrier and avoid being struck by the police car, the release said. Troopers Griffin and Rosillo then ran to check on Adam and were able to extricate him from his car as it was leaking gasoline, the release said.
: A day after two men were



allegedly hit by policemen here while enforcing lockdown, the city police has advised its personnel not to wield the lathis, saying such acts will spoil the hard work being done by the 10,000-strong constabulary in assisting the government in containing the spread of coronavirus.

Referring to the incidents, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar on Wednesday said the two incidents at Golconda and Mirchowk areas have brought bad name to the Hyderabad city police and in this regard a constable anda home guard were placed under suspension for their "unprofessional" conduct.

Facing flak over use of force against people while enforcing lockdown by the police, the Hyderabad Police chief said any action regarding violation of lockdown should be done legally and added "You can book a case.But do not use lathi for such purpose".

In separate incidents, the two men suffered bleeding injuries and one of them told media persons that one police man hit him on his head while he was on his way to buy vegetables.

Meanwhile, the Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TSHRC) on Wednesday called for a report by June 2 from Hyderabad Police Commissioner after an advocate approached the Commission over the Golconda incident seeking directions for an inquiry into the matter and necessary action against the police personnel responsible for the act.

Kumar said in both the cases police have used lathi to hit civilians and added "such unprofessional conduct of two police officers spoils the image ofhard work of more than 10,000 police officers in the city who are working so hard round- the-clock."



He further said it appears the SHOs and Assistant Commissioners of Police are not briefing the police officers before the (duty) shift and the DeputyCommissioners of Policemust visit two Police Stations every day and brief the men.

"This is the holy month of Ramzan.People are fasting from morning to evening.

You (police) all must show restraint and earn the goodwill of the community, " Kumar said, according to an official release.

"All of you are working so hard for over a month and please do not allow few constables to spoil your hard work, " Kumar said.

Hyderabad city police remain committed to safety, security and dignity of the common man, Kumar added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Community Music Association was founded by J. Dallas Dort during World War I in 1917. Both J. Dallas and his wife, Nellie, were accomplished musicians. He played the cello, and their Kearsley Street home in Flint was fitted with an Aeolian pipe organ he liked to play for guests. Though difficult to confirm, its likely the Dorts efforts to also maintain arts and cultural programs during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 made a difference in peoples mental  and perhaps physical  well-being.

We all know the challenging situation were in right now. Our normal forms of socializing are mostly restricted. Mental health is becoming a concern for all ages as people feel closed in, helpless and uncertain. This is why staying connected to arts and culture is so very important, perhaps more so than at any other time in most of our lives.

Americans for the Arts published Americans Speak Out About the Arts in 2018, the largest public opinion survey of the arts ever conducted. These are some of the findings:

 72% of Americans believe the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race and ethnicity.

 69% believe the arts lift me up beyond everyday experiences.

 81% say the arts are a positive experience in a troubled world.

Whether youre new to the world of arts and culture or not, checking out an arts organization online during your time at home means youll likely find something that will make you smile, laugh, cry or applaud.

Midland residents are not strangers to the Flint Institute of Music. As students, patrons and performers, they know it is a thriving performing arts organization providing music, dance and theatre for all ages and abilities, and attracting students, patrons, instructors and performers from across the USA. Tracing its roots back more than 100 years, the former Community Music Association today reaches more than 300,000 people annually through classes, outreach programs and performances through its three program areas: the Flint School of Performing Arts, Flint Symphony Orchestra and Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep). Together, we are dedicated to improving the community through arts programming that is available for all.

While we are closed in compliance with Gov. Whitmers order to keep everyone safe and curb the spread of COVID-19, were using social media to offer remote learning, performances by our students and faculty, and activities for the family. Our students are learning in virtual classrooms. Perhaps the most tangible example of being able to use arts and culture to help our community through this pandemic is a program by The Flint Repertory Theatre. The Rep is using video conferences with students sixth grade through college to create new scenes and monologues about their experiences as a way to express their thoughts, feelings and stories of this time in history. These will later be shared with the public.

When we transition back to normal  which I believe will be redefined  embracing arts and culture will help us all heal.

A 2019 study by Americans for the Arts says it best: We are better people with the arts in our lives. We are healthier, creative and actively engaged citizens who feel better about today and more optimistic about tomorrow. They unify us and help us understand other cultures  benefits that persist even in difficult social and economic times.

And that will make all the difference.

Rodney Lontine is president and CEO of the Flint Institute of Music.
(Bloomberg) -- Stoqo Teknologi Indonesia, an online platform that supplies fresh ingredients to food outlets, is shutting down, becoming the latest casualty of the coronavirus outbreak.

Stoqo, which delivers everything from chili and eggs to coffee powder, is ceasing operations after the Covid-19 pandemic drastically slashed its income, the Jakarta-based company said on its website.

The move underscores the heavy toll on the regions tech startups. Many firms have seen revenue evaporate after governments imposed tough restrictions on social activities to curb the spread of the virus, forcing them to cut salaries and jobs to deal with a cash crunch. Jakarta-based Traveloka, Southeast Asias largest online travel service, dismissed about 80 employees in Singapore as part of broad cost-cutting measures, Bloomberg News reported this month.

Stoqo was founded in 2017 by former McKinsey & Co. associate Aswin Andrison and Angky William, a former software developer at Amazon.com Inc., to streamline food supply chains by sourcing and delivering ingredients to small restaurants. In 2019, the business grew seven times, serving tens of thousands of food outlets across Greater Jakarta, Chief Executive Officer Andrison said early this year. He declined to comment for this story.

The startup employs about 250 people, according to its LinkedIn profile. It has raised money from investors including Accel Partners, Alpha JWC Ventures, Monks Hill Ventures and Insignia Ventures Partners.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

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Given that there are much greater things at stake in the world today, it was dispiriting to witness the petty-minded squabble in Stormont over the re-opening of our cemeteries.

One of those greater things was the welcome extension of the ceasefire declared last month in Yemen by the Saudi coalition forces, in their increasingly unwinnable war against the Houthi movement.

There are very few good things arising out of the pandemic, but this is a most welcome development.

At long last, after five years of warfare and the loss of at least 100,000 lives, the suffering people of the Yemen will now be able to enjoy a well-deserved peace.

The Saudi government, fearful of the uncontrollable spread of the virus in the region, decided to call a ceasefire so that the pandemic might be addressed throughout Yemen.

The original military intervention by Saudi Arabia was encouraged by the Western powers, including Britain, as a proxy war against Iran, who supported the Houthi rebels.

Now some observers believe that this ceasefire will be made permanent, given that there is little likelihood of the Houthis being defeated.

It is speculated that the pandemic was seized upon by the Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Salman, as an opportunity for them to end their ill-judged military intervention.

In addition, as a result of the pandemic there has been a catastrophic collapse in the world oil market, which will have major negative consequences for Saudi Arabia.

While the pandemic has brought the real prospect of peace to Yemen, it has unfortunately provided the Chinese government with a golden opportunity to attempt to end Hong Kong's autonomy.

Last year witnessed long-running massive street protests by ordinary Hong Kong residents against the imposition of an extradition law to mainland China.

As a result of that widespread opposition, an extradition bill was withdrawn by the pro-Beijing administration of the chief executive, Carrie Lam.

At the height of the protests, two million people were estimated to be out on the streets of Hong Kong demonstrating against the Chinese Communist Party's attempt to undermine Hong Kong's Basic Law.

The Basic Law negotiated between the Chinese and the departing colonial governor, Chris Patten, in 1997, constitutionally guarantees Hong Kong's autonomy and fundamental democratic freedoms, including a free press and an independent judiciary, all of which are denied in the authoritarian People's Republic of China.

While the Basic Law does not permit universal franchise, it did envisage a gradual progression towards that goal.

But Beijing regards democratic progress of that sort as being a step too far.

It is clear that the mainland communist government is attempting to take advantage of the inability of Hong Kong residents to protest because of the coronavirus lockdown, which has put an end to the possibility of street protests.

In addition because of the coronavirus, the world's media is distracted from paying too much attention to what is now going on in the former British colony.

It is therefore a good moment for the Chinese government to act quickly, thereby avoiding a lot of international scrutiny.

This is why the authorities in Hong Kong, under pressure from the Chinese government, arrested a dozen pro-democracy, moderate politicians and activists on the grounds that they had organised street protests. The most prominent pro-democracy figure to be arrested was the 81-year-old barrister, Martin Lee.

He is affectionately regarded as the 'grandfather' of the pro-democracy movement and a defender of peaceful non-violent action to preserve the integrity of Hong Kong's hard-won autonomy.

The basis of the withdrawal agreement between Britain and China was: "One country, two systems."

That basic understanding is now being seriously undermined by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

Recently the Chinese government asserted that Article 22 of the Basic Law, which bars any mainland government department from interfering with matters that fall under Hong Kong's authority, does not now apply to central government bodies connected with the governance of Hong Kong.

This Orwellian reinterpretation of Hong Kong's constitution is a bleak omen of President Xi's intention to impose a disguised form of direct rule on Hong Kong and the extinction of the democratic freedoms that Hong Kong people have enjoyed since 1997.

As Martin Lee tellingly said :

"Hong Kong is facing two plagues from China, the coronavirus and attacks on our most basic human rights."

This he claims is further evidenced by the call by a senior Chinese government official to exercise more control in the territory by passing national security legislation, outlawing sedition, subversion, and theft of state secrets.

The ever courageous Martin Lee has darkly warned the world: "But once Hong Kong's human rights and rule of law are rolled back, the fatal virus of authoritarian rule will be here to stay."
Kentucky AG sues gov. over restrictions on travel, calls for resumption of in-person church services

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Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion in federal court Tuesday, challenging Gov. Andy Beshears travel ban as unconstitutional. He also urged him to stop targeting faith-based gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic and allow congregants to start gathering in person at church again.

The First Amendment provides the citizens of this country with the specific, enumerated right to practice their religious beliefs, free from targeting and discrimination, Cameron said at a press conference. By specifically banning faith-based mass gatherings while allowing other secular organizations and activities to continue operation, Gov. Beshear has deliberately targeted religious groups. This pattern of targeting continued when the Governor ordered state police to track the license plates of those who attended a faith-based gathering on Easter Sunday, and it continues even this week as he allows some businesses to resume operations.

Through an executive order on March 19, Beshear banned faith-based mass gatherings while providing exemptions for secular organizations and activities, including typical office environments, factories, and retail or grocery stores, Camerons office noted.

The order says even though permitted secular activities involve the presence of groups of people, they can continue as long as individuals maintain appropriate social distancing. Faith-based gatherings are allowed no such exemption.

Kentucky law gives the Governor broad power during a state of emergency, but it does not give him the power to violate the First Amendment by discriminating against faith-based practices, Cameron noted. We cannot, in good faith, move forward from this health crisis together if we have allowed faith-based groups to be unfairly targeted during the process. Governor Beshear should immediately rescind the executive orders targeting faith-based gatherings, and, if he doesn't, then we will be forced to file a lawsuit and allow a judge to determine whether his order, as it pertains to religious groups, is constitutional."

Earlier this month, Beshear also issued executive orders restricting travel into and out of the state, except under certain limited circumstances, to help manage the spread of the coronavirus. Anyone entering or returning from out of state was told to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Two anonymous plaintiffs from Marshall County filed a lawsuit recently against both Beshear and Cameron, challenging the constitutionality of the orders. On Tuesday, Cameron filed a motion to join the lawsuit as a plaintiff instead of a defendant.

Kentuckians have a fundamental and constitutional right to freely travel from one state to another, Cameron said in a statement. While the spread of COVID-19 requires Kentuckians to follow CDC recommendations for social distancing and use caution when traveling, the Governors order is overly broad by banning nearly all travel. If the Governor is going to ask Kentuckians to surrender their constitutional right to freely travel as part of the fight against COVID-19, such a restriction must be narrowly tailored. The sweeping scope of his travel ban, if left unchecked, creates a dangerous precedent.

Violating the travel ban could be prosecuted as a Class A misdemeanor which in Kentucky is punishable by 90 days to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $500.
IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell.

Do not go to an emergency room or doctor's office unless it is a true emergency. Call your primary doctor first.

If you don't have a primary doctor, you can call:

DMH Medical Group at (217) 876-2856

HSHS Medical Group Patient Advocate at 844-520-8897

Crossing Healthcare at (217) 877-9117

SIU at (217) 872-3800

For COVID-19 screening, the following resources are available:
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying 60 Starlink satellites on November 11, 2019 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Starlink constellation will eventually consist of thousands of satellites designed to provide world wide high-speed internet service. Paul Hennessy | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Rocket builder SpaceX is rapidly becoming the world's foremost satellite operator, having launched 420 of its own satellites in the past year  with plans for thousands more. However, the unprecedented scale of SpaceX's satellite internet project, known as Starlink, has caused a public outcry from astronomers around the globe. The network represents SpaceX's plan to build a network of about 12,000 small satellites to provide high-speed internet to anywhere in the world. Starlink satellites have appeared as bright streaks across images taken by telescopes, ever since SpaceX launched the first mission almost a year ago.

An image by the Lowell Observatory telescope in Arizona shows streaks left by Starlink satellites after the first SpaceX launch in May 2019. Victoria Girgis/Lowell Observatory

The satellites are visible enough at times that an astronaut on board the International Space Station even spotted Starlink earlier this month. Astronaut tweet SpaceX in recent months has taken to addressing astronomer's concerns directly. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) in December noted that "the response from our community was loud enough that SpaceX reached out to the AAS looking to establish a line of communication." On Monday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and members of his Starlink division gave a presentation before the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The company's leadership gave updates on the changes SpaceX has made to the design of its Starlink satellites, as well as changes to how the satellites move in space, to help reduce the brightness and damage to astronomer's images. "SpaceX is committed to making future satellite designs as dark as possible," the company said in a press release on Tuesday about the presentation. "We also firmly believe in the importance of a natural night sky for all of us to enjoy, which is why we have been working with leading astronomers around the world to better understand the specifics of their observations and engineering changes we can make to reduce satellite brightness," SpaceX added.

"With the benefit of hindsight, the changes seem quite simple," Musk said during Monday's presentation. "We'll feel a bit silly in hindsight, as it's not that hard." The company emphasized that it continues to work with AAS to address the Starlink astronomy issue, as well as with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. "The Vera C. Rubin Observatory was repeatedly flagged as the most difficult case to solve, so we've spent the last few months working very closely with a technical team there to do just that," SpaceX said. "Among other useful thoughts and discussions, the Vera Rubin team has provided a target brightness reduction which we are using to guide our engineering efforts as we iterate on brightness solutions."

The company is testing Starlink brightness solutions even as its continues to rapidly build the "constellation" of satellites. The company said it has begun to make public "predictive data prior to launch at the request of astronomers," to help them know when and where the satellites will be. SpaceX told AAS in December that the company plans to have as many as 1,584 Starlink satellites in space by the end of this year. Additionally, with SpaceX currently launching a new Starlink mission about once a month, the company's director of satellite policy David Goldman wrote in a letter to the FCC on Monday that the company "anticipates that before the end of 2020 it will begin offering commercial service in the northern United States and southern Canada, and then will rapidly expand to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021."

This is why Starlink satellites appear as bright objects in the sky

SpaceX

As Starlink satellites move across the sky, the reflection of sunlight at dawn and dusk makes them especially visible from the ground. "This happens because the satellites are illuminated by the Sun but people or telescopes on the ground are in the dark," SpaceX explained.

SpaceX's goals for reducing Starlink brightness

The company outlined for astronomers its goals in reducing the brightness of the satellites. While Starlink satellites are visible to the naked eye while in orbit, SpaceX said its first goal is for the spacecraft to be "generally invisible to the naked eye within a week of launch," as well as "for almost all phases of their mission." Its second goal is to minimize Starlink's impact on astronomy, "by darkening satellites so they do not saturate observatory detectors." SpaceX noted a big contributor to Starlink brightness "are the white diffuse phased array antennas on the bottom of the satellite, the white diffuse parabolic antennas on the sides (not shown below), and the white diffuse back side of the solar array. These surfaces are all white to keep temperatures down so components do not overheat." So far it has experimented with one way of reducing brightness. One of the satellites in a batch of 60 launched in January was given a darkening treatment. Nicknamed "DarkSat," the Starlink satellite saw its brightness reduced "by about 55%," the company said.

SpaceX

Although the "DarkSat" approach did reduce the satellite's brightness, dark surfaces get hot and can damage the satellites, while still reflecting some light. Instead, SpaceX plans to to launch a different method next month: "A sun visor solution." This design is nicknamed "VisorSat." SpaceX said one of the Starlink satellites will have "a deployable visor," pictured below, that is intended "to block sunlight from hitting the brightest parts of the spacecraft." During launch the visor is flat against the body of the satellite but, after its deployed in orbit, the visor extends. "The visor prevents light from reflecting off of the diffuse antennas by blocking the light from reaching the antennas altogether," SpaceX said. "Not only does this approach avoid the thermal impacts from surface darkening the antennas, but it should also have a larger impact on brightness reduction."

SpaceX

The company appears to be confident in the VisorSat design, as SpaceX said that by "June all future Starlink satellites will have sun visors." The Starlink satellites already in space without these darkening design changes will be taken out of orbit in a few years. SpaceX emphasized that, overall, "it will not be possible to create satellites that are invisible to the most advanced optical equipment on Earth." But the company's attempts to reduce Starlink's brightness will help astronomers mitigate the damage to imagery. The company also hinted at a "next generation" Starlink satellite that will be built to take advantage of the company's massive Starship rocket, which SpaceX is developing now. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said in October that Starship will be able to "take 400 satellites at a time." While the company didn't specify what those next generation changes will be, SpaceX said those Starlink satellites "will be specifically designed to minimize brightness while also increasing the number of consumers that it can serve with high speed internet access."

A SpaceX prototype Starship rocket on the company's test stand in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX
"We are thrilled to bring a local landmark back to Essex!" said Frank Perrotti, owner of the Copper Beech Inn. "With a heavy heart we had to cut down the old Copper Beech Tree that had died several years ago. We are so happy to announce that we have planted a 55-foot tall 'Fagus Sylvatica Cuprea', more commonly known as a Copper Beech Tree, in the front yard where the old tree once stood. The new tree is bringing a sense of celebration and history back to the inn and the village of Ivoryton!"

The Copper Beech Inn was originally built in 1889 as the personal residence of Archibald Welsh Comstock, the son of Samuel Comstock, whose family business was well known for importing ivory and manufacturing piano keys, billiard balls, dominoes and combs. Today the structure houses a restaurant and Inn with superb and innovative cuisine and quintessential New England hospitality. www.copperbeechinn.com.

The old tree, which was estimated to be about 300 years old, had to be cut down in 2017 due to disease. Its replacement, a 50 year old tree of the exact same species as the original tree, was donated to the Copper Beech Inn by Michael Belfonti, founder and CEO of the Belfonti Companies in Hamden, CT. "I wanted to donate the tree in memory of my parents, Connie and Richard Belfonti, who passed away in 2007 and 2013," said Mr. Belfonti. "They used to go to the Copper Beech Inn to have dinner on very special occasions, and they loved the Inn and its signature tree. Frank is also a dear friend of mine, as was his uncle Frank Perrotti, Jr., who passed away in 2016. The tree is also in memory of him."

The 55-foot tall new tree was sourced by a descendant of the original Comstock family. It was transplanted into its new spot by Greeno Tree Spade Services LLC, a large tree relocation expert located in Hudson, New Hampshire www.greenotreemovers.com.

A formal dedication ceremony will be held in the fall of 2020.

About Belfonti Companies: Belfonti Companies, LLC, headquartered in Hamden, Connecticut, actively pursues real estate development and investment opportunities throughout the United States and internationally. Belfonti Companies is a family of organizations that focus on investment, development and management of real estate, thus playing a significant and multi-faceted role in the real estate market. Michael Belfonti, the company's founder, president and CEO, has always believed in acquiring real estate on the basis of its profit- making potential, and it is precisely this philosophy that has enabled Belfonti Companies, LLC to successfully own and manage millions of square feet of real estate over the years. From its modest beginnings in 1980, Belfonti Companies, LLC has grown to become a solid and highly esteemed company, successfully completing billions of dollars' worth of transactions. At the present time the group's portfolio contains a wide variety of assets, including approximately 3,000 residential apartment units and nearly one million square feet of office buildings, retail centers, and industrial parks. www.belfonti.com

CONTACT: Michele Lopez, 1-203-230-1600, [email protected]

SOURCE Belfonti Companies, LLC

Related Links

http://www.belfonti.com


You can complain about being stuck at home, but only if you have one. Rose Veal Eby works with people who wish they did.

Eby, who just finished her studies at The School of Theology at Sewanee, Tennessee, is set to be ordained as a Deacon at the Church of the Nativity, Episcopal. Her focus is on outreach, mainly in the homeless population, which may grow with the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19.

At First Stop, a non-profit that provides food, showers, clothing, a community, and a way up from homelessness, Eby brings a special understanding to the situation. She was once homeless herself.

Now 43, she has a memory of a Christmas visit from a church youth group. Eby and her mother were living in transitional housing. She was a teen with rainbow-colored hair wearing a punk rock tee-shirt and combat boots. The Christmas gift she was given was a pale pink scarf and hat with mittens to match. She was grateful for the gift, but wished she could pick out her own style. Not all teens dress alike.

She remembers that when she sorts through donated clothes and tries to find an Alabama tee shirt for one of the men in the homeless camp. Hes a big fan of the Tide and teases her about her Georgia Bulldogs bumper sticker. She tries to get to know the stories behind the faces at First Stop. Every story is different.

Back when she was a GED teacher in Douglas, Georgia, she learned to listen to the stories. When students didn't show up for class or a test, the phrase they sometimes used was What had happened was So she learned to listen for what had happened.

Everybody has a what had happened, she says. There are so many reasons why a person becomes homeless, and most of them are well known: mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, wrong choices made by a parent, low wages and high rent, aging out of a foster care system.

When the call came to stop teaching and go to seminary, it was nothing Eby could ignore. Its like when you think you've left a pot of food cooking on the stove. Its like when my daughter used to call and ask me to check on her styling comb. Had she left it plugged in? Its always on your mind.

During her seminary studies, Eby knew her ministry would be about the church outside of the pews, outside of the buildings. At First Stop and in the tent camps, Eby and other volunteers pass out handwritten notes  Who doesnt love to get mail? she says  and meet with people who stand six feet apart in these days of social distancing.

One of them just had a birthday and told Eby he wanted to get clean from addictions. Shes helping him do that. His counseling sessions and doctors visits have all been on zoom and FaceTime. Hes making progress, Eby says.

Ebys husband Justin and children support what she's doing. She and Justin dated in high school, met again on Facebook after 25 years, and just celebrated their first anniversary. Justin helps me sort donations and lift heavy boxes. He's my biggest cheerleader she says.

If people want to help the homeless, Eby has advice: Talk less and listen more. If you can, donate a gift card since it can't say, We think you need this.

Youre supposed to help your neighbor. Everybody's your neighbor.

When she walks through her own neighborhood, Eby likes the cheerful chalk sidewalk drawings she sees. Their greetings remind her of her favorite John Prine song, Hello in there.

Thats what were trying to do with this work, Eby says. We're saying hello so people will know we see them in there wherever they are.

For more information about helping the homeless, contact rvealeby@nativity-hsv.org.
Gov. Greg Abbotts plan for reopening businesses in Texas is reasonable, even if he did give in to his more autocratic tendencies by subverting local authorities.

Texans need to get back to work, and a tiered approach that limits public businesses to 25 percent of capacity is an essential compromise for maintaining social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The limit will reduce the likelihood of transmission while resuming cash flow for struggling businesses.

Abbot is also smart to wait 17 days to check if this crack in the door produces a flood of new infections and deaths. Most experts agree that opening too soon could reignite the pandemic, which would extraordinarily damage the economy.

His decision to keep high-contact businesses, like salons and bars, closed is also wise. We do not know who carries the virus or how easily it spreads. Maintaining our social distance remains critical.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Reopen Texas economy cautiously, second COVID-19 wave would devastate

Expanded testing would answer a lot of questions about the spread of the new coronavirus, but after decades of putting profits before public health, our laissez-faire system is not up to the task.

President Donald Trump abdicated responsibility for testing this week after his Department of Health and Human Services botched the response to the pandemic. In guidance issued Monday, hes leaving testing up to the states.

Texas public health system is abysmal in the best of times, so despite Abbotts promise of increased testing, we should not expect testing capacity to reach optimal levels for months. If we wait for Texass antiquated, understaffed and underprepared system to catch up, well all be bankrupt, and there will be rioting in the streets.

The same is likely true for developing a treatment, a vaccine and immunity testing. Trumps happy talk about medical miracles and stupendous science belie the average Americans dangerous optimism and ignorance about the scale of the problem facing us.

My only hope is that if there is a sudden increase in cases and deaths, Abbott will keep his pledge to follow the science and shut down hotspots. He will undoubtedly face massive opposition to closing businesses again, even if bodies begin piling up, but it is the courageous thing to do.

As frightening as the outside feels right now, especially to the elderly and the immuno-compromised, money simply needs to resume circulation. Lost income is devastating families and destroying small businesses on an enormous scale.

Limited reopening, though, will only help a little. Every business plan is built on serving a certain number of customers paying a minimum price. Most businesses cannot raise prices just because the government dictated a customer limit. People will only pay so much for a cappuccino.

Even if allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity, businesses will struggle with customer volume as long as people are afraid the virus will kill them. As a society, we will need to make some hard decisions about how much taxpayer money to spend to keep companies out of bankruptcy, and how much unemployment we find acceptable.

We also need to rethink our bosss power to fire us. I welcomed Abbotts declaration that no one can force me to go outside, but is he guaranteeing that my employer cannot fire me if I prefer to work from home? No, I didnt think so.

Abbott and his Republican allies, after all, oppose laws requiring employers to provide paid sick leave and health insurance. He has vehemently opposed expanding Medicaid to provide health care to the working poor, and he sees nothing wrong with Texas having the highest rates of uninsured in the country.

The governor has also sadly shown his partisan proclivities by callously disregarding locally-elected officials.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Industries plead for bailouts instead of planning for a crisis

A few weeks ago, Abbott declared the state was too big and too diverse for a statewide stay-at-home order. He had a good argument. But apparently, Texas is not too big for a statewide back-to-work order.

The latest COVID-19 data shows the virus flares in relatively small geographic hotspots. We dont understand why, but cases and deaths happen among specific populations. Shouldnt local officials have the authority to respond to those hotspots in Harris and Bexar counties?

Shouldnt our locally-elected representatives be allowed to reflect community sentiment? Abbotts declaration of ultimate authority betrays his totalitarian instincts. We should expect more bipartisanship and cooperation in a crisis like this, and he is failing this leadership test.

COVID-19 will continue to spread and kill people because we skimped on our public health system. We will need a new government and years to fix that mistake. In the meantime, we must restart the economy, and Abbotts plan is as good as any.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Namangan Cement launches construction of second line

29 April 2020

Uzbekistan's Namangan Cement LLC has launched the construction of a second line at its facility in Namangan, Chust district.

The company was founded in 2019 and produces 200,000tpa of cement from the first stage of production. After the second stage is commissioned, the facilitys capacity will rise to 1.1Mta. The new line is expected to be launched at the end of 2021, according to Uzbekistans National News Agency.

The project will be implemented with US$14m of the company's own funds and US$35m of credit from Hamkorbank.

Published under
The Delhi government on Wednesday directed all deputy commissioners to not send COVID-19 samples for testing to the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) in Noida due to "considerable pendency", according to an official order on Wednesday.

The order, issued by Delhi Health Secretary Padmini Singla, stated that the samples shall be distributed among other government and private laboratories to ensure "that the results are received within one day of submission of the sample to the respective lab".

"The samples collected from different districts are being sent to various government and private labs majorly to the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), Noida (Uttar Pradesh) in the last 15 days.

"And whereas, it has been observed that there is considerable pendency for the testing reports in the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), which is hindering the effective containment of the disease," the order said.

Till Tuesday, the national capital had recorded 3,314 coronavirus cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ongoing exclusion of mining communities during coronavirus pandemic

Civil society is still concerned over the exclusion of mining affected communities from deliberations and lack of measures to protect them from the coronavirus

On 14 April 2020, eleven civil society and community-based organisations published an open letter to the President and Minister of Mineral Resources expressing concern regarding the broad ambit of mines being allowed to stay open, and demanding targeted measures to protect mining affected communities from Covid-19 and regular consultation with communities together with organised labour.

To date there has been no acknowledgment of the letter, though some of the suggestions appeared to have been taken on board on 16 April, when the Minister announced the amended National Disaster Act Regulations. In particular, the important conditions for mines re-opening pertained to rigorous screening and testing for returning employees, quarantine facilities, the submission of testing data and transport arrangements for both national and international employees. In addition, employers and organised labour were required to engage on a regular basis.

We further note a directive sent by the Department to mining companies on 23 April which provided some additional detail such as the requirement that mining companies must submit a start-up procedure developed in consultation with labour unions to the Department.

Key concerns raised in the initial open letter of 14 April have still not been addressed and the lack of engagement with communities remains. The specific issues that remain unaddressed include:

No formalised consultation and information-sharing with mining affected communities and community networks, nor requirements to do so in the amendments to the Regulations;

No measures specifically targeted at the prevention and management of Covid-19 amongst mining affected communities;

No measures to address the particular health, hygiene and basic service challenges facing mining affected communities;

Last, as is the subject of the MACUA amicus curiae intervention in the urgent AMCU application, the complete lack of inclusion of mining communities in the formulation of the measures for re-opening mines in the Amended Disaster Management Regulations.

In response to the developments of the past two weeks we have developed our demands in addition to the existing demands that have not been addressed.

The first set of demands relates to consultation of communities in managing the crisis. These are:

Include social movements, womens organisations, local community organisation, and NGO structures of mining affected community networks (such as MACUA, WAMUA and MECJON-SA) amongst the stakeholders that the Minister periodically consults with on the crisis;

Include community representatives on the Mine Health and Safety Council;

Provide lists of mines remaining open to trade unions, mining affected community networks and community-based organisations;

The Department and companies to regularly communicate through channels accessible to communities (including community radio stations).

Second, in line with MACUA amicus curiae intervention, to:

Consult mining communities directly and develop binding and detailed standards for mining companys measures to prevent and manage COVID-19 under the Mine Health and Safety Act.

Mass screening and testing available to mining affected communities and workers;

Companies should provide private transportation to returning workers from outside the community to minimise contact;

A rollout of sanitiser and basic protective equipment (e.g. masks and gloves) in mining affected communities;

Support by the department and mining companies for community organisations food and PPE aid efforts;

Immediate supply of water to communities not currently enjoying access and an expedited plan for ensuring piped potable water in all mining affected communities;

A plan in consultation with the Department of Health and mining affected communities to increase capacities of local clinics to respond in the event of mass infections;

Finally, rigorous monitoring by the Department of the regulations and abovementioned demands in conjunction with affected mine community representatives.

The third set of demands relates to specific measures to protect communities and is directed at the Department in collaboration with Mining Companies, these include:

We await your response and look forward to engaging on urgent measures to safeguard the health of mining affected communities.

Yours Sincerely
Federal Labor MP Mike Kelly has resigned from Parliament after months of ill-health, leaving his marginal south-eastern NSW seat vulnerable to the first government victory in a byelection in a century.

Dr Kelly, an army veteran who was first elected in Eden-Monaro in 2007, said he had endured 10 operations in the past six months on renal issues caused by episodes of severe dehydration suffered during his military service.

Mike Kelly announced his resignation from Parliament on Thursday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The former minister for defence materiel said he was resigning because it had become too difficult to tour his electorate  which encompasses the south-eastern corner of NSW, from Bega to Queanbeyan and the Snowy Mountains  and he believed a new member should steer the region through the bushfire and coronavirus recovery sooner rather than later.

"I just can't do that physically any more," Dr Kelly said. "I wouldn't be [resigning] if it wasn't absolutely necessary."
Mountains, clouds, shadows receding; a few minutes of pencil on paper and John had caught the moments essence while the rest of us scrabbled to take a photograph of the first light touching Mount Kanchenjunga. We were watching dawn reaching the worlds third highest mountain from Tiger Hill, the highest point in Darjeeling, India.

By drawing, my friend, John, could focus on light landing on this Himalayan massif and remove the space between it and our scenic perch on Tiger Hill in a way that would otherwise need an expensive camera and zoom lens to achieve. Johns state of being while making his drawing was also more in tune with how people living in the area feel about and respond to their sacred mountain.

I recalled this 15 years later when my niece kicked me in the face with her fins as she barged past me in pursuit of photographing fish while we were snorkeling. Both my mountain photos and her fish photos turned out blurry, and something was lost in the moments we wanted to preserve. Drawing offered a different way to engage with places, but it was something I would have to learn how to do.

Signing up for an online illustration course with my 11-year-old niece, Rebecca, was part of a plan to escape from traveling around Australia with her glued to a camera. My mother and I were going to take my niece to the farm we had lived on for a few months when her mother  my sister  was her same age, 11. For my niece it would be a glimpse of her mothers life before multiple sclerosis stole her freedom of movement and limited her ability to reminisce. Since it was a long journey that was unlikely to be repeated, it seemed a shame to filter it through a camera.
OTTAWA, April 28 (WNM/Molecular Biology and Evolution/Oxford University Press) - Ever since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2, scientists have been scrambling to identify the species of origin to understand how the new coronavirus first leapt from its animal hosts to humans, causing the current pandemic infecting more than a million people worldwide. Scientists have been looking for an intermediate animal host between bats, which are known to harbor many coronaviruses, and the first introduction of ...

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.
Medical workers treat a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient in the ICU of St. Marianna Medical University Hospital in Kawasaki (Reuters). Japanese front liners makes DIY response amid shortages and challenges brought about by the COVID-19. (Photo : Reuters Connect )

The ICU of St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo always keeps an extra bed open for coronavirus patients who suddenly take a turn for the worse. They also save it for any coronavirus patient who could arrive at any hour of the day.

Fumie Sakamoto manages the St. Luke's International Hospital's infection control division. She said that the ICU in the Tokyo hospital is currently only for COVID-19 patients.

Many hospitals are reluctant to accept coronavirus cases, and the most critical cases are transferred to hospitals that are willing such as St. Luke's. However, they, too, are already overwhelmed.

Presently, the confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan have reached almost 14,000, and hospitals like St. Luke's are trying to save their limited capacity for critically ill patients. With the number of confirmed cases on the increase, hospitals are improvising makeshift equipment to protect the frontline medical staff.

The country is also scrambling for protective gear and medical equipment, as seen in many countries. Some experts and doctors attribute this lack of financial assistance and protective gear to the failure to respond by the central government and some local governments.

The coronavirus approach by the Japanese government is different. Unlike other countries, Japanese authorities are not empowered legally to enforce strict lockdowns nor penalize companies and individuals who are violating isolation guidelines.

Japan does not have the legal force as well to compel hospitals in the country to take in patients. However, such requests should not be made if hospitals are not prepared to handle infectious diseases, according to Yoshiyuki Sugishita, a senior officer handling the Tokyo coronavirus response.

Around 1,500 patients and medical professionals have tested positive while working inside healthcare facilities or staying at such medical institutions. Accepting coronavirus patients poses a severe risk, particularly for institutions that are generally not capable of handling or treating infectious diseases.

Currently, private and some public hospitals may and do reject coronavirus patients who are critically ill. Many hospitals that rely on short routine surgeries and brief hospital stay for income cannot risk it and shut down operations to accommodate coronavirus patients. More so, there are no measures at present, aimed at helping hospitals forced to stop their normal functions after accepting COVID-19 patients.

Numerous hospitals have been taking in coronavirus patients despite financial losses. However, there are still cases where coronavirus patients are either rejected or transferred to very distant medical institutions to be accommodated.

Japan's health ministry has allocated 149 billion yen ($1.38 billion) in its supplementary budget to support medical facilities. However, this is not enough, according to Aichi governor Hideaki Ohmura. He said that the central government needed to do more to assist hospitals.

Also, the shortage of protective gear is palpable. The health ministry is trying to supply 100 million surgical masks to different Japanese hospitals. Still, according to the Japan Medical Association, this is only a quarter of what its members need.

Due to slow response and severe shortages, Noboru Hagino, a rheumatology specialist, has tried to search help in the country for masks, seeking donations from willing donors. Some hospitals are also testing whether they can make face shields by taping transparent files together or using 3D printers.
A liquidator has failed to get a High Court order that Google Ireland provide him with access to the email account of a company which he says is being investigated by the UKs National Health Service (NHS) for alleged fraud.

Myles Kirby was appointed liquidator at a February 2019 creditors meeting of Dublin-registered vehicle importer, SJK Wholesale Ltd, which was insolvent with debts of 630,000. The move was supported by Revenue which was a significant creditor.

As part of his investigation into SJKs affairs, Mr Kirby was told by Jawad Khan, a director and holder of all the firms shares, that all its business was conducted through a free Gmail account, including correspondence with Revenue, suppliers and accountants.

Mr Kirby was given the log-in details for the Gmail account but was unable to access it.

Mr Kirby also learned that, at some undisclosed time, the UK NHSs Counter-Fraud Authority was conducting a fraud/money laundering investigation concerning the use of criminal property to fund the purchase of vehicles on behalf of the company.

It had successfully imported and sold vehicles here until an audit by the Revenue Commissioners revealed several errors in the companys accounting treatment and handling of VAT.

As a result, the sheriff seized all of its stock, forcing it to cease trading which to the winding-up decision last year.

As he was unable to access the Gmail account, Mr Kirby wrote to Google warning there might be an attempt to hide evidence and he asked the account be deactivated and evidence in it preserved. He also asked Google to provide full access to it.

Google said it would only do so when properly served with a valid legal process.

Mr Kirby then brought High Court proceedings and Google told him it was required to respect privacy rights and also expressed the view he had failed to provide sufficient evidence the account comprised books and records of SJK.

It suggested further action should be directed towards the officers of the company to obtain account access information.

Mr Kirby replied the sole director of the firm lived outside the jurisdiction and was not cooperating. He argued he was entitled to access the account as it was now company property which as liquidator he was entitled to.

Google said it would be more appropriate for him to seek a well-known order through which people obtain the location and identity of account users.

In arguments to the High Court, Mr Kirby contended companies legislation mandated the court to exercise its power to require any person in possession of a companys books to surrender them to a liquidator.

Google argued the legislation imposes an obligation on a liquidator to take company property under his control which on the face of it he appears to be entitled to. However, it said there would first need to be a court hearing into ownership.

In a judgment on Wednesday refusing Mr Kirbys application, Mr Justice David Keane said he believed Googles analysis to be correct.

To succeed, he said Mr Kirby would have to be in a position to establish Google falls into the category of contributor, trustee, receiver, banker, agent or officer of the company in liquidation as persons who are on its face covered by the legislation requiring the delivery up of company property.

He found there was no implied power in the legislation whereby the court must order delivery to the liquidator of property which the company appears to be entitled to.

Even if such an implied power did exist, it could not be exercised in this case because the evidence is insufficient to establish the contents of the Gmail account comprise the company books or that the company has or appears to have a proprietary right to access or use the account which is the property of Google, he added.
TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (14,798.29, up 156.18 points.)

Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financials. Up 37 cents, or 2.27 per cent, to $16.69 on nearly 11 million shares.

StageZero Life Sciences Ltd. (TSX:SZLS). Health care. Down half a cent, or 4.35 per cent, to 11 cents on 10.1 million shares.

Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO). Financials. Up $1.45, or 2.08 per cent, to $71.26 on 8.8 million shares.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE). Energy. Up 13 cents, or 3.06 per cent, to $4.38 on 8.5 million shares.

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX:REI.UN). Real estate. Up 13 cents, or 0.81 per cent, to $16.12 on 7.8 million units.

Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Industrials. Up half a cent, or 1.18 per cent, to 43 cents on 7.8 million shares.

Companies in the news:

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Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSX:VET). Down 51 cents or 9.75 per cent to $5.74. Vermilion Energy Inc. is reporting a net loss of $1.3 billion or $8.42 per share in the first quarter thanks to a $1.2-billion writedown in the value of its oil and gas assets around the world due to low global commodity prices. The loss compares with a net gain of $39.5 million or 26 cents per share in the same period of 2019 and analyst expectations of a loss of about $43 million or 14 cents, according to the financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

Bombardier Inc.  Bombardier Inc. says 11,000 furloughed employees will likely return to work over the next few weeks, part of some 450,000 Quebecers expected to go back on the job as the province prepares to restart its economy. The plane-and-train maker says it will resume production in Quebec as of May 11, the day set by the provincial government for factories to unlock their doors. Workers whose physical presence is not required at plants or service sites will continue to work from home.

Calfrac Well Services Ltd. (TSX:CFW). Unchanged at 23.5 cents. Calfrac Well Services Ltd. says it has now cut 70 per cent of its North American staff as demand for its hydraulic fracturing and other well completion services continues to fall in view of low oil prices. In late March, the Calgary-based company said it would reduce the number of crews being deployed in its North American operations from 19 to nine, resulting in a 40 per cent downsizing of its workforce in the U.S. and Canada. It now says it has cut the number of crews to five.

Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Down seven cents to $37.73. The prime minister of Papua New Guinea is threatening to take over a gold mine operated by Barrick Gold Corp. after operations were suspended there last weekend in the midst of a dispute over renewal of its mining lease. In a social media post, Prime Minister James Marape warns Barrick "don't fight me" as he urges the company to maintain the Pogera mining operation until negotiations result in an "agreed exit time." On Friday, Toronto-based Barrick announced it will pursue all legal avenues to prevent what it's calling the "nationalization without due process'' of the mine in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Aleafia Health Inc. (TSX:ALEF). Down one cent or 1.9 per cent to 51 cents. Aleafia Health Inc. says former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner and federal cabinet minister Julian Fantino is resigning from the company's board. The Toronto-based medical cannabis company says former RCMP deputy commissioner Raf Souccar is also departing. A release from the company did not offer any explanation for the resignations, but says they are effective May 15. Fantino served as Aleafia's chairman and Souccar was a director.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2020.
India, Peru, Portugal, and Ecuador are clustered between the 15th and 20th positions in terms of the number of Covid-19 cases. The number of cases in the four countries, on Wednesday morning, was 31332, 31190, 24322, and 24258 respectively; the number of deaths, 1008, 854, 948, and 871. The corresponding death rates were 3.21%, 2.73%, 3.90%, and 3.59%. There is a wide variance in testing rates  from a low of 559 per million population in India, to 37,223 per million population in Portugal  and, of course, the countries are very different, in terms of population and economic development; yet, here they are, clustered together in terms of number of cases and deaths. (All the data is from worldometers.info).

Correlation isnt causation, but its interesting to note that India, Peru and Portugal have almost universal coverage of the BCG vaccine  given to children to fight tuberculosis, and which helps them build immunity to several other respiratory ailments. Ecuador used to give its children the vaccine, but stopped it. There has been a lot of speculation, and some research on whether people who have been administered the vaccine have some level of immunity to the Sars-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19. Australia has started a study that will cover 4,000 health workers (who will be administered the vaccine) to assess whether there is a relationship between the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin injection and the rate of Covid-19 infection.

Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage

How does one read the death numbers in India? The country crossed 1,000 deaths on Tuesday and on Wednesday night, the number stood at 1,076, which translated into a death rate (as a proportion of those infected) of 3.25%. This works out to 0.9 deaths per million population. Any which way you look at the number, it is low. Sweden, where the number of cases stood at 19,621 on Tuesday (2,355 deaths) presents an interesting comparison. The death rate (as a proportion of those infected) in Sweden is over 12%; per million of population it is 230. Yet, because it did not lock down (even school terms continued)  it did issue guidelines on social distancing, but left the enforcement to its people and businesses  the country likes to see its response to Covid-19 as a success (and indeed, this is evident in some of the coverage regarding Swedens strategy in dealing with the pandemic). At this point in time, at least to this writer, those numbers do not indicate a success at all; in the trade-off between lives and livelihoods, Sweden seems to have swung too much towards the latter.

Sweden, an entire country, has a population of a little over 10 million.

Dharavi, Mumbais biggest slum, has a population of around 850,000, 8.5% of Swedens. The slum has a population density of around 354,167 people per sq km (it is spread across 2.4 sq km). On Wednesday, the number of cases of Covid-19 in the shanty town, which is also home to thousands of small businesses, and where almost all residents use communal toilets, touched 344(18 deaths). That should worry the local corporation and the Maharashtra government (see page 6).

Anecdotally, across Indian cities such as Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi, and Mumbai, clusters of infections have appeared in neighbourhoods that are crowded and congested, and which are, in most cases, not exactly the cleanest. The link between hygiene and health was always known, but many people chose not to act on it. The Covid-19 pandemic will no longer give them that choice  and the onus is as much on municipal corporation and city officials as it is on the residents of these boroughs.

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Kochi, April 29 : Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court S. Mani Kumar is presently on a two week isolation at his official residence here following his visit to his home town in Tamil Nadu.

He secured permission for travel from both Tamil Nadu and Kerala government. On arriving at the Palakkad border he went through the mandatory tests and then only his vehicle was allowed to pass.

His staff who were in the vehicle would also be in two week isolation.

Kumar will take part online in a retirement ceremony of a senior judge to take place later this week.
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eBay is waiving seller fees and providing other initiatives to help shuttered retailers move online, as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to wipe out Main Street.

The e-commerce giant on Thursday announced the launch of its Up & Running accelerator program, designed specifically to help the 70 percent of small businesses that lack any online presence to make the transition to e-commerce.

eBay is pledging up to US$100 million in support of the program. In the coming weeks, the company plans to highlight small business sellers on its site. It also promised new ways for shoppers to support their favorite local businesses while staying at home.

The Up & Running program supplements eBays Retail Revival initiative established in 2018 to help stores in cities reach a broader audience. eBay founded the revival program on the principles of empowering people and creating economic opportunity.

As a result of social distancing directives to mitigate the coronavirus spread, brick-and-mortar retailers have been forced to close their physical doors. Economic data shows that only half have enough cash to survive for 27 days without new money coming in.

For the last 25 years, eBay has helped launch and grow hundreds of thousands of small businesses, and now weve created Up & Running to accelerate the start-up time frame for retailers opening online stores during these unprecedented times, said Jordan Sweetnam, senior vice president of eBay North America.

The company was built on the simple premise that connecting buyers and sellers around the world creates economic opportunity, he added, which is exactly what is needed now.

eBays online sales platform connects a business to the marketplaces more than 180 million shoppers around the world.

A Work in Progress

eBays Up & Running follows last weeks actions to help small and medium businesses that already selling on eBay. eBay announced those changes directly to the seller community:

deferred fee payments;

added seller protections; and

100,000 incremental free listings.

Those actions reflect eBay North Americas commitment of more than $200 million in support programs for existing sellers, the company said.

The fees eBay is waiving typically amount to $21.95 per month with an annual subscription. That subscription includes additional perks for sellers, like lower fees, discounted shipping supplies and more.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Potential Main Street Boom

Coronavirus prevention efforts, like social distancing, are increasing the pressures small businesses have been under for years from centralized behemoths such as Amazon. If the program works as eBay proposes, it could help local businesses find and develop alternative sales channels and income sources, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

The practical points of the program are likely to be welcomed by many small businesses looking for customers and sales, especially those with little or no experience in doing business online, he told the E-commerce Times.

On the plus side, the program is aimed at businesses that are both hurting and potentially endangered due to the depth and length of the COVID-19 crisis  but eBays Up & Running program has a negative side as well.

It is hard to know what  if any  benefits a business will see in just 90 days. In worst case scenarios, working with eBay might distract businesses from local efforts that could do them more good, King cautioned.

How Up & Running Works

eBay will give new businesses a free basic eBay store for three months. With the new online storefront, the company will waive selling fees and allow the new online merchants to sell up to 500 items for free.

New eBay sellers also will receive guidance and resources, including a suite of exclusive marketing and merchandising tools, customization features and discounted shipping supplies.

As part of the new Up & Running program, eBay will provide educational webinars, individual support, and access to experienced sellers willing to mentor those who are new to e-commerce.

New eBay sellers also will receive resources they need to run their business, including a suite of exclusive marketing and merchandising tools, customization features to build a brand, discounted shipping supplies and more.

The Process

eBays offer is available to new sellers who register as a business account between April 1 and June 30, 2020. These newly registered business accounts must pass eBays validation requirements.

This offer is not available to existing sellers with business or consumer accounts created prior to April 1st, 2020.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Follow these simple steps to get started, with support available along the way:

Create a business account on the sign up page.

Register your business by following the instructions in the email that will follow.

Follow the steps on the how to get started page to activate the no-sales-fee offer.

This is a welcome initiative from eBay, noted Arle Lommel, senior analyst at CSA Research. Its significant brand recognition will help boost visibility for struggling businesses and broaden exposure for brick-and-mortar retailers that hitherto have served only local audiences.

Its a smart move for those companies that can make the jump to online, Lommel told the E-Commerce Times.

Hurdles to Clear

The current economic crisis is driven by the near-total collapse of demand many companies face. Those that sell perishables or that cater to individuals with limited Internet access will not gain from this program, Lommel said.

Those that can move to online face a pump-priming problem right now. With unemployment near 30 percent, consumers will not spend much in the short run. That lack of spending will keep these businesses from paying their employees, which in turn will exacerbate the lack of demand.

Even if Up & Running could remove all barriers, a significant section of the economy is simply stalled pending something to get it moving, Lommel cautioned. Whether the U.S. stimulus checks can do that remains to be seen.

Up & Running seems best suited to helping small businesses. Many are facing severe supply chain constraints, challenges from stay-at-home orders for workers, or compromised logistics. So even if they can sell on eBay, can they produce and deliver?

For businesses with significant stock on hand, this could be a good way to clear inventory, Lommel said. I think the bigger impact from Up & Running will come after COVID-19-related restrictions ease and employment starts to bounce back. At that point many companies are going to be operating on a knifes edge, and this could make the difference for them.

The Plans Good Points

eBay essentially is providing a fast-track for businesses that have no online presence. Waiving many of the start-up fees for the first three months can be a solid incentive.

For a business that might be clutching at straws at the moment to get sales, this is a good way to get your products in front of a much larger customer base (i.e., the Internet) than whoever was walking by your doors before, said Flynn Zaiger, CEO of Online Optimism.

For small merchants who never ran an eBay store but have consumables people will need in quarantine, this is the perfect three-month opportunity to give it a shot, he told the E-Commerce Times. You really dont have much to lose. At this point, it can only help.

Tripping Spots

The short-term interval may not produce a profit on sales. When the first three free months end, the fees will kick in, and that could hurt, suggested Dustin Vann, CEO of Trusy Social.

ebays platform also might constrain the new online merchants. Customization is limited, so individual stores will not stand out.

This leaves your product to do all the hard work, Vann told the E-Commerce Times.

Another potential problem for inexperienced online merchants could be lack of support, according to Vann. Youre in a queue and not a VIP, as you would be if you paid for your own platform.

Convenient Cost Savings

eBays initiative to lure new first-time merchants online is a cost savings for small business owners of $75 over three months. Thats not insubstantial when operational cash is tight during a crisis like the one were facing, said Kris Hughes, senior content creator at Gembah. It also waives selling fees, enabling merchants to sell up to 500 products for free on the platform.

This is saving businesses up to 10 percent of the profit margin they would lose by having to pay the selling fees under normal conditions, Hughes told the E-Commerce Times.

In terms of impact on Main Street, Up & Running should reduce some of the losses. It might help some Main Street retailers succeed that otherwise would have failed due to COVID-19, said CSA Researchs Lommel.

At the same time, those that find they can succeed as etailers may not return to shopfronts in small towns with limited audiences, he added. However, to the extent that this helps them, their employees will be spending in their local economies.
African leaders are asking what China can do for them as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to destroy economies and wipe out some 20 million jobs across a continent where Beijing is both the top trading partner and top lender.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have announced immediate relief measures, including freeing up billions in debt payments and expectations for help from China are high across resource-rich Africa, but Beijing has remained silent.

China holds about a third of Africas sovereign debt. Demand for Chinese-backed capital to build everything from highways to hydroelectric dams has left countries heavily indebted, leading to concerns about a debt trap and even loss of sovereignty.

Many of those countries, including oil exporters such as Angola, spend a substantial chunk of their budgets servicing debt while health and education suffer.

Any respite would be welcome for a country like Uganda, whose finance minister says shocking deficits in the past year have forced authorities to borrow to keep the government running. Ugandas national debt stood at over $10 billion in 2018, nearly a third owed to China, according to official figures.

We have strong bilateral relations with China, but they havent come to us saying anything, the minister, Matia Kasaija, told The Associated Press.

China has been noncommittal beyond its support, as a member of the G-20 group of wealthy nations, for a moratorium that frees up to $20 billion in debt payments through 2020 for low-income countries.

Some analysts predict that actual debt forgiveness looks unlikely and that China, despite its enormous influence in Africa, will avoid unilateral measures despite global pressure.

Ghanas finance minister has said he expects more from Beijing.

My feeling is that China has to come on stronger, said Ken Ofori-Atta, speaking to the Washington-based Center for Global Development. I think our Africa debt to China is over $145 billion, about $8 billion in payments required this year ... So that needs to be looked at. Its just an apocalyptic moment.

Asked whether China would offer debt relief to Africa, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on April 7 said he believed China will resolve these countries difficulties via consultation through diplomatic channels.

In a statement emailed to the AP, the foreign ministry said China had overcome difficulties in helping Africa with shipments of medical supplies to help fight the pandemic. China will continue to provide assistance to Africa within its capabilities and in accordance with the development of the epidemic and Africas needs, it said.

Chinas footprint on the continent has been expanding as some African leaders, favoring the perceived lack of political strings that come with Chinese capital, have turned to Beijing while other funders hesitate over corruption and other concerns.

In turn, China has been keen to exploit Africas vast natural resources in countries such as war-ravaged South Sudan, where Chinese firms dominate the oil sector.

Angola had received up to $42.8 billion in Chinese loans by 2017 and repays its debt partly by channeling more of its crude to China. This means Angola, Africas second largest oil producer, is left with less oil to put on the market.

The Chinese government, banks and contractors extended $143 billion in loans to African governments and companies from 2000 to 2017, according to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

But Beijings commercial focus on the region is one reason some analysts believe debt forgiveness or cash donations are out of the question. Countries seeking Chinas help to keep projects running likely will end up becoming more indebted, said Nathan Hayes, Africa analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Many debt-financed projects will come under enormous strain this year as revenues dry up, and many will need to be refinanced and renegotiated. Many of these will be financed by China, giving the country opportunity to renegotiate terms, he said. Debt-for-equity swaps may ultimately be a more sustainable deal for African countries, depending on the terms, and they may have little choice.

In a notable example, state-owned China Merchants Group bought back half of a port in Sri Lanka in 2017 after the Sri Lankans fell behind in repaying $1.5 billion in loans from Beijing.

Even debt forgiveness can be an investment for China, which waived Ethiopias outstanding interest on debts through 2018 at a conference on Beijings Belt and Road initiative to support infrastructure construction across many regions. That came just as the Chinese utility State Grid was buying a $1.8 billion stake in Ethiopias national power company.

Negotiating with individual African governments gives Beijing leeway to assert its interests with a much smaller partner, rather than dealing with a whole continent, with greater economic and political weight, according to Hayes.

Africas finance ministers have called for a $100 billion stimulus package, of which $44 billion would come from a freeze on servicing debt. They say an additional $50 billion may be needed in 2021.

The EU has responded by planning a pledging conference in May. The IMF has cancelled six months worth of debt payments  $500 million  for 25 countries, 19 of them in Africa.

The coronavirus has infected relatively few people on the continent of 1.3 billion people. But with known cases nearing 35,000, lockdown measures could bring economic ruin and perhaps the continents first recession in 25 years.

French President Emmanuel Macron says helping Africa, including with debt cancellations, is a moral duty. He has urged China to help.

Some say Chinas hand could be forced into rare acts of charity.

China can respond by repurposing its debt ... as a tool to keep its African partners, said Angelo Izama, an analyst with the Uganda-based group Leo Africa Institute. If there is a continental movement for debt relief, it would have no choice.
SALT LAKE CITY, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hand sanitizer, one of the most valued commodities during the COVID-19 outbreak, is a necessity for those working on the front lines. USANA, the cellular nutrition company, has teamed with Utah-based manufacturer, Dynamic Blending, to produce more than 28,000 eight-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer. Bottles will be donated to local Salt Lake and Summit County hospitals and police and fire departments, as well as local UPS and FedEx distribution centers. A special donation will also be made to the Navajo Nation.

"While most of us are able to work from home, there are those on the front lines risking their health to provide care, security, and goods for us all. We want to do our part to say 'thank you,'" says Jim Brown, USANA president. "We want these heroes to know we are here for them and are so appreciative of their hard work. I would also like to thank Dynamic Blending for working with us so quickly to produce the hand sanitizer. We couldn't have done it without them."

Each eight-ounce hand sanitizer is an 80 percent alcohol solution and is isopropyl-free.

"Every person and organization has experienced disruption during the COVID-19 crisis, including those of us in supply chain management," says Jordan Erskine, Dynamic Blending's president and co-founder. "We are so pleased to partner with USANA to provide sanitizer to those most in need. I am personally grateful for our Dynamic Blending team's tireless efforts to pivot production and work the long hours needed to meet the required quality control standards for this urgent endeavor."

Together, USANA and Dynamic Blending demonstrate the impact socially responsible corporate citizens can make in their communities, and even the world, when they work toward a common goal.

About USANA

USANA (NYSE:USNA) prides itself in providing consumers the highest quality nutritional products in the world. From its award-winning supplements to its innovative new skincare line, USANA has proven for more than 25 years why it's a company you can trust. How about giving us a try? Shop at USANA.com or learn more at whatsupusana.com.

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Denmark has brought the coronavirus outbreak 'under control', the country's prime minister said today.

Mette Frederiksen declared that 'the Danish strategy has succeeded' in slowing the epidemic with only 9,008 cases and 443 deaths recorded so far.

Neighbouring Sweden has piled up 20,302 infections and 2,462 deaths after holding out against a lockdown - a larger difference than their relative populations can explain.

Denmark has already sent children back to primary schools and re-opened some businesses including hair salons and driving schools.

Danish police officers patrol a store in Aalborg yesterday, as the country says it has brought the coronavirus epidemic under control

People sit outdoors at a restaurant in Sweden, where people are advised to practise social distancing but there are few formal restrictions

CLUCK-DOWN: SWEDEN SPREADS CHICKEN MANURE IN PARK TO STOP PUBLIC GATHERING The southern Swedish city of Lund says it is spreading stinking chicken manure on the grounds of a central park to discourage a public celebration there on Thursday. The Valborg festival typically attracts up to 30,000 people from across Sweden - a gathering which would the spread of the virus. The spring celebration is traditionally a big festive day among Swedish students and youth. Gustav Lindblad from Lund's environmental committee told Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan that the city was taking drastic action. 'We get the opportunity of fertilizing the lawns in the park and, at the same time, it will stink and it may not be so nice to sit and drink beer in the park,' he said. The city says up 30,000 people from different parts of Sweden - mostly students from Lund University - have gathered for Valborg in previous years. Despite Sweden's relatively relaxed approach, people are still urged to practise proper social distancing to avoid the spread of Covid-19. Advertisement

'The infection is under control and the Danish strategy has succeeded in a first, difficult phase,' Danish PM Frederiksen told the country's parliament today.

Denmark shut down schools, cafes, restaurants, bars, gyms and hair salons in mid-March, while also banning gatherings of more than 10 people.

The country has carried out 180,062 tests, confirming 9,008 people as virus patients - of whom 443 have died but 6,366 have already recovered.

The latest daily figures show an increase of only 157 new cases and nine deaths in the last 24 hours.

The number of people in hospital has also fallen from its peak, along with the tally of patients in intensive care.

Testing was widened on April 1 to include people showing mild symptoms, after previously only those with moderate and severe symptoms were screened.

Further testing in the Danish territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands has uncovered another 199 cases, but no deaths.

Meanwhile, Sweden today saw its total number of infections rise past 20,000 after another 681 people tested positive.

The Swedish death toll reached 2,462 after another 107 fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours.

When the figures are adjusted for population, Sweden's three-day average of new cases has been clearly ahead of Denmark's since April 10.

According to the latest figures, Sweden has added an average of 48 cases per million in the last three days, compared to Denmark's figure of 23.

This graph shows the number of deaths per million, which has mostly been higher in Sweden than in Denmark, although Sweden's figures tend to fluctuate wildly at weekends

Gustav Lloyd Agerblad displays his tattoo of Sweden's state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell - the face of Sweden's response to the pandemic

In Denmark, schools re-opened for children aged under 11 on April 15, while small businesses such as hairdressers and tattoo parlours have also resumed.

Massage parlours, dentists and driving schools were also on the list of businesses which were allowed to return to work on April 20.

Cafes, restaurants and shopping centres are closed until at least May 10, along with middle and secondary schools.

Gatherings of more than 10 people are still banned and Danes are still being urged to keep 6ft apart.

Sweden, by contrast, has never imposed such a lockdown and prefers to ask for 'individual responsibility' from its citizens.

Pubs, bars and restaurants are still open and people are allowed to mill around in parks even in worst-hit Stockholm.

Public gatherings of 50 people are still acceptable and many schools are still open, although visits to nursing homes have been banned.

People sit outdoors in Stockholm on Sunday, as Sweden's total number of coronavirus cases passes 20,000

Authorities in Sweden argue that voluntary measures are a better longer-term strategy because people will accept them for longer.

State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told the BBC last week that parts of Sweden were already showing signs of developing herd immunity against the disease.

The Swedish government says that 'people in Sweden have a high level of trust in government agencies', meaning that instructions are widely followed.

Possibly illustrating their point, some Swedes have even had Tegnell's face tattooed on their arm in an unlikely tribute to their top diseases expert.

'I came up with the idea because I believe in our strategy and I believe that the authorities can't make us stay at home,' said tattoo artist Zashay Rissanen Tastas as he inked Tegnell's face onto 32-year-old Gustav Lloyd Agerblad's arm.

'If we keep our distance it's probably going to be fine.'

Agerblad said Tegnell has been 'doing his job great' as he admired his new tattoo in Stockholm.

Around three-quarters of Swedes have expressed high or very high confidence in the Public Health Agency, a survey from Novus showed this month.
Live Q&A: CNY banker discusses small business coronavirus relief funds Were talking to longtime Central New York banker Calvin Corriders to discuss small business coronavirus relief funds. What are your questions for him? Posted by syracuse.com on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

For small businesses struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal Paycheck Protection Program has been both a blessing and a curse.

Pathfinder Bank regional president Calvin Corriders joined syracuse.com for a Q&A this week to discuss the benefits and challenges of the PPP.

Corriders, a longtime Central New York banker, has been on the front lines of the economic downturn that has followed the healthcare crisis. Pathfinder has processed hundreds of these loans. The discussion gave small businesses a chance to hear directly from a lender and ask questions.

Corriders noted that some of the smallest businesses have been unable to access critical loans that were designed for them. The unprecedented crisis has led the U.S. Small Business Administration to process more loan dollars in just a few weeks than it typically does in 15 years. The PPP initially ran out of its nearly $350 billion in funding, and last week was replenished with more than $250 billion.

Lenders began accepting applications again this week.

Corriders said he believed lenders, including his bank, are better prepared this time around  but theres even more pressure on business owners to act swiftly in order to get a piece of the funding.

Corriders emphasized the importance of relationships, with business partners, local officials, and lenders, to help businesses survive this crisis.

You can watch the whole discussion above. Keep reading for highlights from the conversation.

BAIL: A business owners four most important relationships

A major theme that has emerged among business owners applying for the PPP has been the need for businesses to have good relationships with their banks.

"Underbanked businesses  those without much existing underwriting from traditional banks and financial institutions  have struggled to access these loans.

Historically, those businesses have included women and minority-owned businesses, start-ups and new companies, very small businesses with fewer than 20 employees, and sole proprietors or independent contractors.

Corriders said its never too late to form those relationships, even during a pandemic.

He noted that banks are required by federal Know Your Customer regulations to verify potential clients identities, their risks and viability as borrowers. That has incentivized a lot of banks to only work with existing customers on the PPP, he said. So any effort you can make to get to know a bank could help your business.

Corriders also referenced an acronym taught in business schools across the country: BAIL. It stands for Banker, Accountant, Insurance, Lawyer.

Those are the four relationships every business owner needs to cultivate, he said. Those could also be four people who could introduce you to someone that can help with funding during this time.

Corriders suggested that business owners who dont have a strong relationship with a banker probably have an accountant, insurer or lawyer who could help make an introduction, or know where to turn.

Those are warm introductions, through someone youre already doing business with, Corriders said.

Making sure your voice is heard

With so much uncertainty about the future, and experts predicting the second round of funding for the PPP will be depleted within days, Corriders emphasized the need for business owners to act as their own advocates right now.

He gave a few suggestions: Think again about who your business partners are: those BAIL relationships, local elected officials, even customers and friends. Reach out to your network, see what connections you may have, and consider banding together to advocate.

Ask: What changes should be made to the PPP?

Corriders said small business owners are in the best position to know how the government can help. But government officials need to hear their voices and the intimate stories of what is happening in local communities.

Were all in this together. Were inextricably tied, he said. Our local legislators, our federal legislators  theyre all sensitive, all advocating for the same thing were advocating for.

But theres a gap when it comes to the details. Public officials cant know what specific problems and solutions need to be addressed if they dont hear from constituents, he said.

Hearing about those directly from their constituents can help drive the legislation," Corriders said, "to ensure that if there is another round, its the last round, its enough money that we dont have to open it up again -- and that its designed to address the issues that really are affecting [small businesses] every day.

The right questions to ask your lender

Another lesson business owners who have successfully obtained funding through the PPP have shared: Stay in touch with your lender.

Corriders acknowledged its important for clients to stay on top of their own applications and offer to help provide necessary documentation to their loan officers.

He said many banks, too, are doing everything they can to process these loans quickly. At Pathfinder, bank branches are staffed around the clock. They have processed many applications at night when the online portals arent as congested.

Theres a lot of strain on workers in the banks now, too, so Corriders cautioned against contacting your lender too frequently.

The lenders, they get the angst, they really do, he said. "I say: Be empathetic and sympathetic, and do your best to manage expectations.

Corriders said there are four good sets of questions that are appropriate and helpful for applicants to ask their lenders. He suggested business owners focus on these:

When do you anticipate processing my application? When will the application be submitted?

How long it will take to get approved? Will you notify me when it is approved?

Once Im approved, when will you get me the closing documents?

When should I expect to see funds in my account?

Calling every day isnt effective, he said. "Its going to take time away from getting your application or a fellow business owners application.

Have you applied for a PPP loan? We want to hear your story. Contact Reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992

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Photo: The Canadian Press CORRECTS TO 15% TO $34.3 BILLION NOT NEARLY 16% TO $31.3 BILLION FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2019, file photo, the company logo stands over a long row of unsold vehicles at a Ford dealership in Littleton, Colo. Ford Motor Co. posted a $2 billion first-quarter net loss, blaming nearly all of it on the negative effects of the coronavirus. The automaker said Tuesday, April 28, 2020 that its revenue from January through March fell nearly 15% to $34.3 billion as most of its factories were shut down for the final week of the quarter. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

The coronavirus crisis is forcing Ford Motor Co. to burn through cash at an alarming rate, but its chief financial officer says there's enough money to make it through the year even if U.S. factories aren't restarted.

The automaker, which posted a $2 billion first-quarter net loss Tuesday that it blamed on the virus, used roughly $3 billion to get from January through March. But the cash burn accelerated to $7.7 billion during the first 24 days of April when nearly all of Ford's factories were shut down and little revenue was coming in.

All automakers are struggling with the crisis, which has forced factory closures globally to help stem the virus' spread. Since companies generally book revenue when vehicles are shipped from plants to dealers, plant closures have severed the revenue flow.

Most auto plants, including Ford's, have been idled since late March. Ford's China plants are reopening and those in Europe will restart on Monday. But the company and its Detroit competitors, Fiat Chrysler and GM, are still negotiating a U.S. restart date with the United Auto Workers union. The union says reopening in early May is still too risky for workers.

Ford Chief Financial Officer Tim Stone said the cash burn will slow considerably in early May as Ford finishes making $13 billion worth of payments to parts suppliers.

Our cash use will go down significantly, he said.

The Dearborn, Michigan, company finished the year with $22.3 billion in cash and equivalents, and it borrowed $15.4 billion in March from two credit lines. In April it sold $8 billion worth of junk bonds and on April 24 had $34.6 billion on hand.

Weve taken decisive actions to lower our costs and capital expenditures and been opportunistic in strengthening our balance sheet and optimizing our financial flexibility, Stone said.

Even so, Stone said the company expects a pretax loss of $5 billion in the second quarter. Ford earlier withdrew its full-year guidance for 2020, and Stone said the situation is too uncertain to make any predictions for the year.

Fords stock fell about 4% in after-market trading after the release of the earnings report.

The company also said it is delaying plans to launch an autonomous ride-hailing and goods delivery service in Miami by one year, until 2022, due to the virus. That move, Ford said, has more to do with the long-term impact of the virus on the passenger-carrying market.

Ford said Tuesday that its revenue from January through March fell nearly 15% to $34.3 billion.

Excluding one-time items the company lost 23 cents per share. That was worse than Wall Street estimates of an 8-cent-per-share loss, according to FactSet.

Before taxes, Ford lost $632 million for the quarter, and Stone said if it weren't for the virus it would have posted a pretax profit of $1.4 billion or more. That, he said, was on track or better than the company's guidance issued in February.

Ford is continuing with its $11 billion restructuring plan despite the virus, Stone said.

Despite the virus, the company made $346 million before taxes in North America, its most lucrative market. But the rest of the world posted losses, driving automotive operations to a $177 million pretax loss.
Chile Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 13,813, Total Deaths reaches to 198 on 28-Apr-2020

In Chile total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 13,813, while 198 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Chile:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 23-Apr-2020 11,812 516 168 8 2. 24-Apr-2020 12,306 494 174 6 3. 25-Apr-2020 12,858 552 181 7 4. 26-Apr-2020 13,331 473 189 8 5. 27-Apr-2020 13,813 482 198 9 6. 28-Apr-2020 13,813 0 198 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (124,032)

2. North America (61,643)

3. USA (56,803)

4. Italy (26,977)

5. Spain (23,521)

6. France (23,293)

7. UK (21,092)

8. Asia (17,600)

9. Belgium (7,207)

10. South America (6,793)

Total Deaths Worldwide (211,658)

Globally till now over 211,658 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Chile and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 124,032 deaths and 1,301,766 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
The news site Axios has been a digital-media start-up star, generating impressive traffic, a popular live-events business and an HBO spinoff show in just its first three years. Covering politics and business from Washington, D.C., it launched with $20 million in backing from high-profile investors, including NBC Universal, former Disney mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and Apple heir Laurene Powell Jobs.

But Axios' bottom line was hurt so badly by the coronavirus crisis that its leaders sought help from an unusual source: the federal government. Earlier this month, the company applied for and received a $4.8 million loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, a cash infusion that Axios co-founder and chief executive Jim VandeHei said was necessary to avoid layoffs.

As advertising has collapsed, a handful of news organizations have taken the once unthinkable step of turning to the government for a lifeline. Media companies have traditionally resisted any such financial relationship, viewing it as a serious conflict of interest: How could they commit to independent and aggressive coverage of a government they're accepting money from?

Axios, for one, has reconsidered its PPP loan. Hours after explaining his rationale to The Washington Post, VandeHei late Tuesday announced his company would return the money, explaining that the federal program had become "way more politically polarizing" since Axios applied for the money a month ago. The unpleasant optics of accepting the loan "did factor substantially" into the decision to reverse course, he said.

A handful of other news companies that have snagged loans have had no such qualms amid layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts that have slammed the industry like a speeding locomotive. A coalition of newspaper and television trade groups is even lobbying Congress and President Donald Trump to expand the program to include some of the industry's biggest players, which have been ineligible for bailout money.

So far, the list of loan recipients in the news business includes the Seattle Times (which received $9.9 million in PPP funds), the Tampa Bay Times ($8.5 million), the Chicago Sun-Times ($2.7 million) and Newsday ($10 million). The online ranks include the Bustle Digital Group ($7.5 million) and the nonprofit Texas Tribune ($800,000). The Poynter Institute ($737,400), a nonprofit journalism education organization that owns the Tampa Bay Times, has also received funds.

The bailout comes at a time when readership, ratings and traffic are soaring for many news organizations, driven by demand for news about the virus and state, local and federal government responses to it. But it also coincides with an existential threat: the near-elimination of advertising revenue.

As a result, "the loan gives us more time for the economy to recover before we would have to consider more wrenching changes," said Paul Tash, chairman and chief executive of the Tampa Bay area newspaper. The loan is equal to about three months of lost revenue and will enable the company to avoid layoffs, restore a pay cut, and bring back some furloughed employees, he said. It will also help fund a Times-owned business magazine and several weekly newspapers.

"Does taking the money make us more effective or less effective as a news organization?" asks Tash, reframing the question about whether government funding compromises news organizations. "For me, there's no question. ... There are no strings that would limit our reporting or editorial voice. To the contrary, as a result of the loan, we can remain more vigorous in our reporting, including our reporting on government itself."

Poynter President Neil Brown said his organization has long had contracts to provide training to government-funded agencies such as Voice of America, so the paycheck-protection loan isn't a wholly new financial arrangement. The new loan will enable his group to avert layoffs and to pay the rent on its Washington offices for its fact-checking offshoot, PolitiFact. He said Poynter's existing ethics policies "help ensure our editorial independence from any funder of any kind."

Tash and Brown's comments get an endorsement from Kathleen Bartzen Culver, who directs the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

A government loan doesn't automatically cause a conflict of interest, she said. But "I would ... ask what (a) local news organization will do to counteract any potential conflict." Her suggestion: "Any news organization that takes funds should report on that and reassure readers that they will continue to see fair, hard-hitting reporting, including on the government's approach to an economy wrecked by an epidemic."

Culver points out that news organizations have long taken government money in the form of advertising, such as paid notices for public meetings. "I've never seen a newspaper go soft on a city council because the city is running those ads," she said. "We have no reason to believe a paycheck protection loan would work any differently."

The loans have generated controversy for companies in other industries, including several large, publicly traded ones, with some critics suggesting they should have other access to funding to tide them over that's perhaps less available to smaller businesses who may need government loans more.

The number of media companies and organizations that have said they've received a loan is tiny compared with the thousands of newspapers, websites and broadcast stations that have been affected by the pandemic.

Many of these outlets aren't eligible for the paycheck-protection loans because they're owned by large chains, and the program is designed for businesses with no more than 1,000 employees across multiple locations, or no more than 500 in one office.

About two-thirds of the nation's 1,350 daily newspapers, for example, are owned by a few large companies, such as Gannett Co., Tribune Publishing and McClatchy Co., as a result of years of mergers and consolidation in the newspaper industry, according to an estimate by Poynter's Rick Edmonds. A majority of the 1,300 or so commercial TV stations in the U.S. also are owned by large chains, such as Nexstar Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tegna and Gray Television.

The federal loans will be forgiven if the money is used to meet payroll over the next eight weeks. It can also be used for some overhead expenses, such as rent or mortgage interest and utilities. The first round of the program was fully subscribed; a second round of funding with some $310 billion opened Monday.

Big media companies that haven't qualified for loans say they'd like to seek a piece of the pie next.

A coalition of newspapers and broadcasters have united to lobby Congress for a waiver to the 1,000-employee rule so that chain-owned newspapers and TV stations would be eligible for loans. The coalition has also asked the Trump administration for a different kind of bailout - a massive government-funded public-service ad campaign educating the public about the virus via local media outlets.

"While some of these outlets may be owned by large organizations, they must survive on their own," wrote Dean Ridings, chief executive of the trade group America's Newspapersin an advocacy piece. "It's only fair that they should be included in any expansion of the program."
John Singleton was remembered by colleagues including Tyrese, Nia Long and Ice Cube Tuesday, which marked the one-year anniversary of his April 28, 2019 death at the age of 51 following a stroke.

Tyrese, who worked with Singleton on the 2001 film Baby Boy and 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, posted a shot of himself with Singleton and the late Paul Walker from the latter film, saying, 'RIP to both Kings.'

'These last 48 hours Ive been isolating and slipping in and out of bad energy and vibes,' said the actor, 41. 'Didnt really know why.... Then I get a text that one year ago today I loss my hero John Singeton.... My Mr Miyagi... The man who sat me down and poured into me and seen more in me than I seen in myself around acting and movies.'

Legacy: John Singleton was remembered by colleagues including Tyrese, Nia Long and Ice Cube Tuesday, which marked the one-year anniversary of his April 28, 2019 death at the age of 51 following a stroke. John and Tyrese were snapped in LA in 2015

Tyrese said that while he was upset over the death of the filmmaker, he en courage his followers to send their prayers towards Singeton's survivors amid the sad anniversary.

'Although prayers are always welcome..... Im going to be ok,' Tyrese said. 'If you can do anything for me today..? Just pray Johns beloved Mother, Father and kids and family.... Still cant believe youre gone..... Miss you everyday John!'

Nia Long, who was in Singleton's 1991 breakout film Boyz N the Hood, posted a portrait of the filmmaker from his celebration of life.

'Im not sure if this will ever feel real to me,' wrote the actress, 41. 'Missing my dear friend, mentor, culture changing artist, an icon. The man who made South Central cinematically famous. I will love you forever. #365days.'

Well-remembered: Tyrese, who worked with Singleton on the 2001 film Baby Boy and 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, posted a shot of himself with Singleton and the late Paul Walker from the latter film, saying, 'RIP to both Kings'

Focused: Tyrese and Singleton worked together on the 2001 film Baby Boy

Another Boyz N the Hood alum, Ice Cube, chimed in with a series of tweets paying homage to the talented director, whose other movies included 1993's Poetic Justice, 1995's Higher Learning and 2000's Shaft.

He shared a shot of Singleton and himself with co-stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut on the set of the gritty drama.

'John Singleton knew we were all movie stars before we even knew it,' he wrote. 'He wanted us to become cinematic heroes with very long careers. Thank you J.S.'

Icon: Nia Long, who was in Singleton's 1991 breakout film Boyz N the Hood, posted a portrait of the filmmaker from his celebration of life

A look back: Long and Cuba Gooding Jr. played lovers in Boyz n the Hood

Memory lane: Ice Cube shared a series of warm anecdotes about the filmmaker

He noted how even as a young director, 'John Singleton always had total command of the set.'

In another shot, Ice Cube shared a shot of Singleton on the set of the 1991 Michael Jackson video Remember the Time posed with the King of Pop, Iman and Eddie Murphy.

He wrote: 'REMEMBER THE TIME: He always saw us as Kings and Queens, so I was happy for him when he got to direct this video. One of MJs best...on the black hand side.'

Singleton's funeral was held in his native South Los Angeles in a May 2019 ceremony attended by notable names such as Tyrese, Nia Long, Ice Cube, Chestnut, Stevie Wonder, Taraji P. Henson, Ludacris and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, among others.
The Meghalaya government has



decided to defer the payment of a part of the salaries of cabinet ministers, bureaucrats, and its 80,000 employees as the hill state battles the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a notification.

Half of the salaries of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, his cabinet colleagues and all ranks of IAS, IPS and IFS will get deferred, Chief Secretary M S Rao said in the notification issued on Tuesday.

A part of the gross salaries of All India Services officers on deputation to the state will also be deferred, he said.

The decision was taken in view of the unprecedented situation arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the consequent lockdown is likely to slow down the national and the state economies, the chief secretary said.

It was, therefore, necessary to put in place expenditure control and cash management systems so that resources are available for effective management of the COVID-19 situation, he said.

Accordingly, the measures were taken with regard to the salaries for April, which will be paid in May, and May, which will be paid in June, Rao said.

The government said there will be a deferment of 35 per cent in the gross salaries of Group A and B officers, and 25 per cent in respect of Group C staff of all departments, except the officers and staff of the Department of Health and Family Welfare and the Group C employees of the departments of Home (Police) and Home (Civil Defence and Home Guards).

"The proportion of the deferment in salaries for Group A, B and C employees indicated above will also be applicable to all the institutions being provided Grant-in-aid (Salary) by the State Government except for Group C employees of the Municipal Boards," the notification said.

The government has decided that there will be no deferment in payment of salaries to Group D employees and payment of pensions.

Meghalaya has reported 12 cases of COVID-19 so far and of them, one person has died.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A teenager has been labelled 'disgusting' after footage emerged showing her blow smoke from a bong into the face of her two-year-old brother.

The 17-year-old girl from Townsville, Queensland, was seen inhaling from a homemade marijuana bong before turning to the toddler beside her.

The boy then tried to stand up and escape the huge plume of smoke while laughter was heard in the background.

A 17-year-old woman was seen in footage blowing smoke from a bong into the face of her two-year-old brother

The video was dated April 24.

Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday the teenager had been dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.

Child Protection and Investigation Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles said it was an 'act of stupidity'.

'I'd suggest there was a lacklustre response on the part of the teenager,' he said, The Townsville Bulletin reported.

'Quite frankly it was appalling  this is a teenager who, through an act of stupidity and misguided belief it was humorous on her part, resulted in the child being exposed to unnecessary harm and behaviour.'

The video was shared widely on social media.

'This is actually so heartbreaking,' one viewer said.

'Disgusting piece of s**t,' said another.
Top US scientist Anthony Fauci says the drug reduced the time it took for some patients to recover by 31 percent.

An experimental drug has proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major study, shortening the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average, United States government and company officials announced Wednesday.

Gilead Sciences remdesivir is the first treatment to pass such a strict test against the virus, which has killed more than 224,000 people since it emerged late last year in China. Having a treatment could have a profound effect on the global pandemic, especially because health officials say any vaccine is likely a year or more away.

The study, run by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), tested remdesivir versus usual care in 1,063 hospitalised coronavirus patients around the world. At the White House, Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the drug reduced the time it takes patients to recover by 31 percent  11 days on average versus 15 days for those just given usual care.

He also said there was a trend towards fewer deaths among those on remdesivir, and that full results would soon be published in a medical journal.

What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus, Fauci said.

This will be the standard of care, he added. The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery.

A statement from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the agency has been talking with California-based Gilead regarding making remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible, as appropriate.

The FDA plans to announce an emergency-use authorisation for remdesivir, according to The New York Times. The authorisation for the investigational coronavirus treatment could come as soon as Wednesday, the Times reported, citing a senior administration official.

Remdesivir is among many treatments being tested against the coronavirus, but was the farthest along in study.

The drug is given intravenously and is designed to interfere with the viruss ability to copy its genetic material. In animal tests against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), diseases caused by similar coronaviruses, the drug helped prevent infection and reduced the severity of symptoms when given early enough in the course of illness. But it is not yet approved anywhere in the world for any use.

A researcher working in a lab at the Duke-NUS Medical School, which is developing a way to track genetic changes that speed testing of vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Singapore [File: Joseph Campbell/Reuters]

The NIH study quickly enrolled its original goal of 440 patients and then was expanded to give more answers to questions such as which subgroups may or may not benefit, and to explore other factors that may affect success, such as how early in the course of illness the drug was given.

The studys main goal was also altered. Originally, it was aimed at determining the percentage of patients having various outcomes such as needing a breathing machine, fully recovered or dying 15 days after starting treatment. The new main goal is determining the time to recovery, such as no longer needing oxygen or hospitalisation.

We are excited and optimistic, said one expert, Vanderbilt Universitys Dr Mark Denison. His lab first tested remdesivirs efficacy against other coronaviruses in 2013 and has done much research on the drug since, but was not involved in the NIH study.

Its active against every coronavirus that weve ever tested, he said. It was very hard for the virus to develop resistance to remdesivir. That means the drug would likely be effective over longer-term use.

Other studies

A less encouraging picture came from partial results from a separate study published on Wednesday in the British medical journal The Lancet. The study tested remdesivir in severely ill patients in China. Treatment did not speed recovery in that study, which was stopped after only 237 of a planned 453 patients were enrolled. Researchers gave 158 people the drug and 79 others got usual care.

Separately on Wednesday, Gilead announced partial results from its own ongoing study of the drug in severely ill, hospitalised COVID-19 patients. The company said patients treated for five days achieved similar improvement in health as others treated for 10 days. However, that result is hard to interpret because there is no comparison group of people getting usual care, so its impossible to know how much patients would have improved on their own.

The company also said no new safety problems emerged in that study, and that it would publish results in a medical journal soon.

Gilead is also testing remdesivir in a separate study of moderately ill coronavirus patients. No results have yet been announced from that study, which does have a comparison group getting usual care.

Aside from these studies, Gilead also has given remdesivir to more than 1,700 patients on a case-by-case emergency basis.

In other treatment-related news this week, two studies gave updates on anti-inflammatory drugs that aim to tamp down the severe inflammation that often develops in later stages of severe COVID-19 and often proves fatal.

A French hospital consortium reported success with using Acetemra, a Roche drug sold for rheumatoid arthritis and some other conditions, in a study of 129 coronavirus patients where 65 got the drug and the rest, usual care. No details were released; doctors said they were preparing to publish results.

A similar drug, Kevzara, did not work as well at low doses in a study of severely ill coronavirus patients, its makers Sanofi and Regeneron said. They are, however, continuing to test it at higher doses in critically ill patients.
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Dr Anthony Fauci said the emergence of a highly infectious disease such as the coronavirus is a nightmare scenario that 'keeps me up at night'.

The nation's top infectious diseases expert - who has been head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 - said the characteristics of the current pandemic sweeping the globe is made up of all his worst fears for an outbreak.

Speaking in an interview with The Economic Club of Washington, DC, Fauci said a virus similar to COVID-19 jumping from an animal to humans and being highly transmissible was something he had feared for years.

He also said it was 'inevitable' the virus was going to come back and that it might never fully dissipate.

Fauci warned on Tuesday that the US could be in for a 'bad fall' if treatments do not start working soon and that the crisis is not merely going to 'disappear from the planet' when lockdowns finish.

He said: 'What keeps me up at night is the emergence of a brand new infection, likely jumping species from an animal, that's respiratory born, highly transmissible, with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. And, lo and behold, that's where we are right now. And the reason it's so unprecedented, it exploded upon us.'

Speaking in an interview with The Economic Club of Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Dr Fauci said it was 'inevitable' the virus was going to come back

Unlike other illnesses, Fauci warned 'everyone' is susceptible to COVID-19 and it is 'highly transmissible'.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said: 'Everyone is at risk. 'With this, everyone seems vulnerable, with a disease that's highly transmissible. This is really unprecedented.'

Fauci added that the success of lifting lockdowns around the country will come down to 'how we handle it' in the fall that 'will determine our fate'.

He said in the interview: 'If by that time we have put into place all of the countermeasures, if we address that, we will do reasonably well. If we don't do that, we could be in for a bad fall and a bad winter.'

As US fatalities surpassed 58,000 - more than the number of Americans who died during the Vietnam conflict - Fauci also warned deaths could rise even higher if the reopening is not managed correctly.

He added: 'If as we open up the country economically and otherwise, if we have the capability to implement well when new cases occur, which they will.

'As you try and relax mitigation, if we have the capability of identifying, isolating and contact tracing in a highly effective and efficient way, then the numbers will stay low. It may be 80,000, whatever 70,000 like the model says.'

He repeated a previous warning that a vaccine would probably not be available for at least 'a year to a year-and-a-half'.

Fauci added: 'Hopefully by that time we get to this coming winter, we will know whether we have a safe and effective vaccine. The challenge would then be to scale it up.'

It comes amid growing concern that a second wave will coincide with flu season which may topple the country's healthcare system, and as the world's science and medical communities race to find a treatment for the virus that is reliable.

'In my mind, it's inevitable that we will have a return of the virus, or maybe even that it never went away,' Fauci said according to CNBC, adding the virus is 'not going to disappear from the planet'.

He added that he was 'cautiously optimistic' that researchers would come up with a vaccine but he did not say how quickly he thinks they will be able to achieve it.

Healthcare workers transport a patient from an ambulance into the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn

The treatments used so far include drugs that are ordinarily used to treat malaria and heartburn.

Neither is full proof and a vaccine is even further away. Fauci previously said he does not think a vaccine will be created for at least a year.

The government is working with biotech firm Moderna to try to fast-track a vaccine. They launched their first trial on March 16 but the results are not yet known.

Despite some parts of the country reopening already, the Fauci warned opening up too soon would send the US back to the crisis it was in a few weeks ago.

'A rebound [could] get us right back in the same boat that we were in a few weeks ago,' he said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the US had more than 1million cases of coronavirus and more than 58,000 people had died.

Despite the ongoing increase in cases and deaths, several states are choosing to reopen because they have been relatively unaffected.

In New York, the worst of the US, there have been more than 17,000 deaths.

Lockdown there will remain in place for the whole state until May 15 and even longer for New York City, the epicenter of the epicenter.

Dr. Fauci has been praised as the country's voice of reason throughout the pandemic, offering calm advice and information against a backdrop of political fury from President Trump.
Henrico County Health Districts Director Dr. Danny Avula, gestures during a news conference at the Government Center in Richmond, Virginia, on April 2, 2020.

AP Photo/Steve Helber

Danny Avula, the director of health districts in Richmond, Virginia, and Henrico County, Virginia, told Insider that 13 of the 14 people to die from COVID-19 in Richmond are black.

Richmond has had 312 COVID-19 cases, 60 hospitalizations, and 14 deaths. White patients account for just 22.1% of COVID-19 cases, while black patients account for 58.3%.

Avula said that the disproportionately higher death rate in black communities is tied to "decades and centuries of structural inequity."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Almost all of the people to die from COVID-19 in Richmond, Virginia, are black Americans, according to Danny Avula, the director of Richmond and Henrico Health Districts.

Avula told Insider that black residents account for 13 of the city's 14 COVID-19 deaths. The statistic shows that COVID-19 deaths are disproportionately affecting black communities ion Richmond, where, with a population of around 228,000, 45.4% of its residents are white, 47.8% are black, and 6.7 % are Hispanic.

"The fact that more African Americans in the city are dying of this, that's not something new that's specific to COVID-19. That's a revelation of the underlying inequities that we have always dealt with, and this is just one more thing that's bringing that to the forefront," Avula told Insider. "It's all rooted in decades and centuries of structural inequity."

Virginia, as a whole, has had 14,339 COVID-19 cases and 492 deaths from the virus. Richmond alone has had 312 COVID-19 cases, 60 hospitalizations, and 14 deaths.

White patients account for just 22.1% of COVID-19 cases in Richmond, while black patients account for 58.3%. In total, white people have accounted for 68 cases and nine hospitalizations in the city, while black people account for 182 cases and 44 hospitalizations. Of the 14 deaths, 13 of the victims were black.

Racial minorities are being hit harder by COVID-19

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Across the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that racial minorities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

That's because, the CDC said, racial minorities are more likely to live in densely populated areas and multi-generational households, and make up a disproportionate number of the country's incarcerated population  all factors that hinder social distancing. The agency also said that many racial minorities work at essential businesses, don't have access to paid sick leave, and have underlying health conditions.

"The reality is that black Americans are disproportionately in lower socioeconomic strata, and therefore have higher exposure based on the jobs they have to work and that they're relying on public transportation," Avula said, adding that many of Richmond's black residents work in healthcare institutions and at essential businesses.

Experts have said that black communities on average are in worse health than other groups. Studies have also found that black people might be less likely to seek medical help because of a distrust in the American health system, which has a history marred with racist experiments, including one in Tuskegee in which 400 men were part of a syphilis study without their knowledge.

In a column for The Root published on Tuesday, civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. William J Barber II and Rashad Robinson wrote that black communities shouldn't be blamed for having higher COVID-19 rates, but instead, should be provided with support and resources to help them prevent the spread of the virus.

"Black people have higher rates of asthma and are more likely to die from this virus because environmental racism has kept communities of color segregated near industrial pollutants that other communities can afford to avoid. Black people are overrepresented in institutions unable to allow for social distancing, like jails and prisons, because we've been targeted and over-criminalized for generations. Black people are concentrated in parts of the labor market that don't have the infrastructure for paid time off or work-from-home options because our health and safety have never been a priority," Barber and Robinson wrote. "Now, our country has to reconcile the inequality it has created."

Virginia is trying to increase its testing abilities and provide black communities with personal protective gear during the pandemic

Virginia lags behind other states in administering coronavirus tests, according to the Washington Post. As of Tuesday, Virginia had administered 82,753 tests to its 8.536 million residents  that's just 9,700 tests per 1 million residents, The Post reported.

Virginia officials are trying to improve their testing capabilities and are reaching out to regions that could face issues with access to tests.

"It is very important to let all Virginians  whatever neighborhood they come from, or whatever walk of life  know that we're here for them," Governor Ralph Northam said at one testing site, according to The Post. "We want to take care of them."

In Richmond, government officials have started sharing COVID-19 data directly with public housing communities, setting up free walk-in testing sites, and providing residents with hand sanitizer, masks, and other personal protective gear during the pandemic.

"I think just being able to share information and help people understand that this is not some abstract threat out there, but there's actually people in their own community that have the disease  it doesn't mean we need to panic," Avula said. "But it does mean that we should adhere to our physical distancing and stay-at-home measures more than we might otherwise."

Read the original article on Business Insider
New York, April 29 : Amid shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the (COVID-19) pandemic, a team of US surgeons has created a new process to disinfect disposable N95 respirator masks that allows health care workers to reuse their own masks for up to 20 times.

The novel disinfection process, developed in collaboration with Washington State University and St Louis health care system, uses vaporised hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a chemical compound that's a combination of hydrogen and water.

Test results from a pilot programme at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and two other hospitals in the US showed that the disinfection process kills germs from N95 masks while ensuring that the only person who touches the mask is the original mask wearer, the study published in the Journal of American College of Surgeons, said.

"Our primary outcome is safety for the health care worker. We want to make it safer for team members who are at risk while taking care of patients with a known or possible COVID-19 diagnosis," said project leader and study co-author Andrew Pierce, director of supply plus at Barnes-Jewish.

"The Barnes-Jewish process has a unique modification--an identification system that enables the hospital to return the sanitized mask to the same individual each time," said senior author Shaina Eckhouse from the Washington State University.

According to the researchers, the disinfection process that has since been put into place begins at the end of a shift.

A health care provider removes his or her N95 mask in that unit's soiled utility room and places it in a sterilisation pouch (Crosstex) made of breathable polyethylene fibre (Tyvek by DuPont) on one side.

In the other side of the sealed pouch, the worker writes his or her name or employee ID number, hospital, department, and unit location and puts the pouch in the soiled collection bin, they explains.

A designated worker wearing proper protection collects the bins twice a day and takes them to a specially designed and sealed disinfection room--built in four days, the authors wrote.

There the pouches are arranged, breathable side up, by the clinical unit on wire racks. A hydrogen peroxide vapour generator (Bioquell Z-2), which Washington University already owned to decontaminate equipment, fills the room with the chemical.

After 4.5 hours of disinfection, a worker moves the racks of masks to another area that has a fan to off-gas the hydrogen peroxide, where the masks stay until sensors record a zero reading.

The pouches are returned to their respective units in a decontaminated bin, finishing a process that takes about seven hours, Pierce said.

Workers can wear their mask up to three weeks because past studies show that disinfection more than 20 times could alter the fit of the mask, he noted.

This approach, according to the authors, increased employee acceptance of reusing what is normally a single-use N95 mask and helped ensure proper fit of the returned mask.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
He says that being an outsider gives him a unique perspective. That he can look at things not only objectively but also with a certain degree of empathy. And then you are able to observe the contrasts and contradictions without being judgemental, says playwright Atamjit Singh, recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi awards, whose latest Punjabi play Balde Rahan Chiragh Hamesha on Kashmir has now been translated into Hindi and Urdu.

The Mohali-based playwright, who had written a play, Tasveer Da Teeja Pasa, on the politics of terrorism, centred on incidents in Punjab and Kashmir; says that situation in the Valley pushed him to devote his latest work around it.

Kashmir, being close geographically and emotionally, has always fascinated me. And ever since reading up on saints like Lalleshwari and Noor-ud-Din, who are also known as Lall Ma and Nund Rishi, I felt a peculiar attraction towards that land. Many people are unaware that Nund, a Muslim saint, was actually breastfed by the Hindu saint Lalleshwari, he says.

The plot of the play is based on true incidents that took place in a district in Kashmir managed by his writer friend Khalid Hussain, who was a Deputy Commissioner there. Centring on a Hindu boy raised by a Muslim family which never stopped him from practicing his Hindu faith, the script brings forth the protagonists dilemma when the graveyard where his Muslim fathers remains are buried is destroyed by a brick kiln owner.

Like in his other works, this play too has many historical contexts. However, Singh stresses that no playwright uses history just to retell the past chronicles. Emphasizing that for him history is a root in the soil, and if one follows the roots in the true spirit, there is seldom a fear of going wrong, he adds, If used imaginatively, history becomes the strength of the plot that can be used to say what the writer wants to. And that is what I have done in Balde Rahan Chiragh Hamesha.

For me, the most interesting chapter of the land is on Rinchan, who was the first non-Hindu ruler of Kashmir. Buddhist by his faith, Rinchan decided to come to the fold of the religion of general public, which was Hinduism at that point of time. But the clergy didnt allow him to do so, thus paving way for him to embrace Islam. However, the play largely concentrates on the post-Independence era including the early nineties when the exodus of Pandits took place. But I must add, a play is never restricted to the history that it refers to, it is and should always be contemporary, he says.

Believing that theatre, or for that matter any other art, cannot be used as antibiotics, he stresses that a writers role is not to treat problems, but identify them. This play delves into the centuries old history of co-existence followed by the cracks created by politicians. The irony of the situation is that the Kashmir problem actually is not the creation of Kashmiris. Obviously, a work of art that wishes to genuinely touch the hearts and minds of people cannot offer lip-sympathies, but it can for sure be a part of the healing process, he adds.

Known for undertaking long and exhaustive research before writing his scripts, the playwright went to Chicago, known for its libraries for the same. While writing an earlier play on World War I, translated in English as Come Back from the War, I found the Chicago Library system extremely useful. For this play, I needed to read up on the politics of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and was unable to find enough material here. Look at the irony, I had to travel to Canada and America to find material on an Indian subject. This says so much about our own libraries, he says.

Believing that finding the real problem is in itself a part of the solution, he is now all set to write a new play on Diwan Singh Kalepani, a doctor and Punjabi poet, who did monumental work in Andaman and Nicobar Islands before he was hanged by Japanese in early forties for opposing the idea of using a gurdwara as a brothel for Japanese soldiers.

I wanted to visit the islands for my research, but will need to postpone due to the current Covid-19 crisis. And yes, for a long time, I have wanted to write on Sir Ganga Ram whose contribution, in terms of innumerable monumental buildings and institutions that he raised in the city of Lahore in undivided India, has not suitably been recognised by Indians till date. Ironically, he is a better-known person in Pakistan today. But I dont see an immediate chance to visit Pakistan now considering the strained relations between the two countries, he concludes.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, shown in 2016, introduced a motion calling on Mayor Eric Garcetti to impose a moratorium on debt collection. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Debt collection should be halted during the coronavirus crisis, the Los Angeles City Council urged in a proposal that passed unanimously Wednesday.

The proposal, introduced by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, does not take any immediate action to halt the practice but calls on Mayor Eric Garcetti to impose a moratorium on debt collection. It also asks the mayor to declare collection and credit agencies to be nonessential businesses during the emergency order spurred by the pandemic.

Families are already struggling and experiencing economic trauma  we dont need the repo man showing up on doorsteps and taking away assets," Rodriguez said in a statement.

The push was applauded by groups such as the Western Center on Law and Poverty and the California Low-Income Consumer Coalition, which assert that California has not gone far enough to ease debt collection during the emergency.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed an executive order that bans wage garnishment for any financial assistance tied to COVID-19 unless the money is being garnished for child support or other specified kinds of restitution.

But "how will a bank know whether the income is COVID-related or not?" asked Jessica Bartholow, policy advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty. "If the banks don't know which money is protected, you need to put things on pause."

California's Franchise Tax Board is also holding off on garnishing wages and imposing bank levies and liens on residents who have unpaid taxes and other government debt until the middle of July. But Californians can still face debt collection in other ways, including from private companies that have bought up unpaid debt from local governments.

Bartholow added that court closures have made it much more difficult for people to exercise their legal rights regarding debt collection.

For instance, if someone had been getting their wages garnished and their hours were abruptly cut, they have the right to go to court to get a reduction in the amount being taken out of their paycheck. They can also seek relief if a bank levy takes money that they need for basic expenses, Bartholow said.

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The L.A. proposal "is exactly what we need," Bartholow said.

Advocates pointed out that another protective measure hasn't gone into effect: a state bill signed by Newsom that automatically sets aside the sum of $1,724 whenever a bank account is seized. The law is meant to prevent accounts of low-income families from being totally emptied, but it does not take effect until September.

"There is no activity more counterproductive right now than pushing people who are already on the financial precipice over the edge," said Ted Mermin, director of the California Low-Income Consumer Coalition."This is, by and large, not the mom-and-pop grocery store down the street. These are very large companies that hold most of the debt that's being pursued."

Industry groups, in turn, raised concerns about whether a moratorium could end up hurting consumers instead of helping them because of "unintended consequences."

The California Assn. of Collectors said that it was open to a temporary ban on new efforts to recoup funds through bank levies, collection lawsuits and other activities and that its members would "stop collection activities with respect to any resident that says he or she has been negatively impacted financially by COVID-19."

But the association argued that collection agencies should be able to stay open so they can process payments and update credit reports and perform legally required functions. People need to be able to reach agencies for help to pay, dispute or get information about the source of a debt and to detect identity theft, the group said.

"Professional debt collectors are a resource for the community, and an all-out moratorium on collections would take that important resource away," its president, Shawn Suhr, told the council.

Patricia Lopez, vice president of operations for the debt collection agency USCB America, also phoned in to Wednesday's meeting to oppose the proposal, arguing that the work done by her company helps support essential businesses including hospitals.

"One of our largest partners is the Los Angeles County healthcare system  basically the front lines on diagnosing and treating the COVID-19 virus, as well as other local government agencies who we partner with closely," Lopez said. "Shutting down collection agencies will actually hurt many of Los Angeles' residents and businesses."

Garcetti said Wednesday that he had asked the city attorney to assess whether imposing such a moratorium falls under L.A.s legal jurisdiction. If so, the mayor said, he would be "happy to not only embrace that, but to lead the nation."




Indiana Postal Worker Fatally Shot, USPS Offering $50,000 for Information

An Indiana postal worker was fatally shot in an east Indianapolis neighborhood, and police havent identified whos responsible.

The Marion County Coroners Office identified the victim as Angela Summers, 45. She died of a gunshot wound to the chest, the coroners office told CNN.

Police found Summers with a gunshot wound just after 4 p.m. on Monday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police spokeswoman Genae Cook said. Its unclear if Summers was on her mail route.

Summers was transported to the hospital, where she later died, Cook said.

Cook confirmed that Summers was a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee. Now, the USPS is offering $50,000 for information that could lead them to suspects in her death.

The Marion County Coroners Office ruled her death a homicide. Killing an on-duty federal employee can be punishable by death or a life sentence.

Steven Whitaker, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys office in the Southern District of Indiana, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

CNN has reached out to the USPS and is waiting to hear back.

A woman unloads a USPS truck in Norfolk, Va., on Jan. 26, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Killings of postal workers are fairly rare. Between 2013 and 2018, four postal workers were killed in workplace homicides total, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At least two postal workers were killed on the job last year. In April 2019, New Mexico mail carrier and Army Veteran Jose Hernandez was killed on his route when he tried to break up a fight between a mother and her teenage son, who shot Hernandez in the abdomen.

And in September, South Carolina mail carrier Irene Pressley, a 22-year USPS veteran, was shot several times while delivering mail. At her funeral, her coworkers referred to Pressley as the post office mama.

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Press Release

April 29, 2020 Hontiveros seeks expansion of SAP to include all senior citizens Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to expand its social amelioration program (SAP) to include all families with senior citizens to help them cope with financial struggles due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. "An overwhelming majority of our senior citizens are poor. The quarantine exposes and magnifies their physical and financial vulnerabilities," Hontiveros said in filing of the proposed Senate Resolution No. 370 after the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas until May 15. The said proposed resolution urges SAP expansion to prioritize older persons who live with their spouses, the unaccompanied, and the homeless. "Kailangang may sapat na suporta para kay lolo't lola. Our indigent elderly are the most vulnerable in this pandemic," Hontiveros urged, citing Department of Health data that 68% of deaths from COVID-19 are the elderly. "The SAP should ensure that they are able to purchase their basic necessities and prescribed medicine, or support families in these conditions. This will also make sure they stay at home as much as possible rather than trying to look for alternative income outside the home which would expose them to the coronavirus," she added. Hontiveros urged that even those who receive pension under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 should be included in the SAP. "Pension alone is not enough," she emphasized. "A massive number of senior citizens who were left out of the initial DSWD memorandum only receives P5,000 or less a month under SSS and GSIS pension programs and only as mere supplement to their informal income," she explained. "The exclusion of pensioned senior citizens ignores the fact that many of them who still work in the informal economy face even graver difficulties because they are deprived of livelihood amid this crisis," she added. The Senator also sought the SAP expansion to include senior citizens even if they receive support from their children. "Their non-inclusion is counter-productive to the goals of the Social Amelioration Program. Individuals supporting senior citizens already face difficulty in making ends meet prior the economic stress brought by the COVID-19 pandemic," Hontiveros said citing data from the 2018 Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Health in the Philippines. "This is not a reliable source of support during this crisis. Pwedeng natigil o nabawasan ang suportang ito dahil sa pandemic," she claimed. "The inclusion of all senior citizens in the SAP is an appropriate response to the urgent needs of our elderly," she said. "Siguraduhin natin na walang naiiwan sa ating mga lolo't lola," she concluded.
A Norwalk woman was arrested last week by New York State Police and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated after a one-vehicle accident on I-95 in New Rochelle.

On April 22, at approximately 11:50 p.m., troopers responded to the accident and found the driver - Erika L. Lahaie, 26, of Norwalk - to be intoxicated.
Investigators are looking into arson as the possible cause of a fire that destroyed the back house at a Southeast Side home.

San Antonio firefighters were called to the 100 block of F Street just before 4 a.m. for the structure in the back of the resident's property. When crews arrived, the structure was completely engulfed in flames but firefighters were able to knock it down in about 10 minutes.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  One of two teens charged in a carjacking that led to a Cleveland police chase and crash that killed a 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty to juvenile charges in the case, court records say.

The 15-year-old boy reached a plea deal earlier this month to admit to charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery, according to court records. Authorities previously identified the boy as a passenger in a stolen car that fatally struck Tamia Chappman Dec. 20 in East Cleveland.

Juvenile Court Judge Jennifer L. OMalley sentenced him April 18 to four years at a juvenile detention center. She also classified him as a serious youth offender, but stayed a seven-to-nine-year sentence in adult prison on the condition the boy successfully completes his juvenile sentence.

The boy initially faced a murder charge after his arrest, but prosecutors reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter in exchange for the plea deal that kept the case from moving to adult court, records say.

Attorneys Shean Williams and Stanley Jackson of The Cochran Firm, who are representing the Chappman family, said they are concerned the boys sentence is too lenient.

The family of Tamia Chappman is devastated that prosecutors charged the passenger in the stolen car that stuck and killed Tamia as a juvenile and then sentenced him to only four years in a juvenile facility, Williams and Jackson said in a statement. We are concerned that this sentence is incredibly lenient given the fact that an innocent teenager lost her life that tragic day.

Another 15-year-old boy, who investigators identified as the driver of the stolen car that struck Tamia, is also charged with murder, aggravated robbery and other juvenile offenses in connection with the carjacking and fatal crash. A Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court spokeswoman could not immediately provide an update on his case.

Authorities said the two 15-year-old boys stole a car at gunpoint outside a Target on West 117th Street in Cleveland. An off-duty Cleveland police officer saw the crime and followed the stolen car onto Interstate 90, police said.

The officer notified on-duty personnel, who started chasing the car on the highway, police said. A Cleveland police supervisor pursued it into East Cleveland.

The car struck Tamia as she walked from school to meet her younger siblings at the East Cleveland Public Library.

Those close to Tamia knew her as Mimi, and she was always seen playing in the neighborhood, library staff told cleveland.com after she died.

Williams and Jackson said Tamias family is preparing a potential civil lawsuit against the city of Cleveland and its police department over the chase that ended in the deadly crash. The attorneys previously called the chase reckless, and argued that Cleveland police officers did not take precautions to prevent her death.

Cleveland police Chief Calvin Williams later apologized to Tamias family at Community Police Commission meeting, but argued against calls for his department to end pursuits altogether.

Read more crime stories:

Second teen charged with murder in crash that killed 13-year-old girl during Cleveland police chase

Attorneys say Cleveland police were reckless in chase that ended in 13-year-old East Cleveland girls death

Teen charged with murder in crash that killed 13-year-old girl in East Cleveland

East Cleveland Public Library was a second home for high-speed chase victim Tamia Chappman

Cleveland police policy allows high-speed chase for violent crimes: Heres what they must consider
Some teachers in western Quebec say they have serious concerns about the province's decision to reopen elementary schools outside Montreal next month.

The Outaouais is among the regions set to reopen daycares and elementary schools on May 11, but only if hospitalizations from COVID-19 decline or remain stable across Quebec.

Suzanne Tremblay, president of the Syndicat de l'enseignement de l'Outaouais, said teachers in the region are concerned, confused and uncertain about details of the government's plan.

"First of all, we need to have very clear protocols in terms of hygiene. There needs to be protective material for teaching personnel. I think teachers need to have access to that material, need to be protected," Tremblay said in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada on Monday.

Schools need to have adequate supplies of disinfectant, gloves and masks, she said.

Tremblay also said there need to be clear directives about what will happen once a student or teacher gets sick with COVID-19.

Plan to limit class sizes

Quebec Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge said planning is underway with principals and front-line staff on how reopening will unfold.

Any student who becomes sick would be pulled from class and authorities would look at whether to close the school, Roberge said.

While classes would be limited to maximum of 15 students and school buses to 24 to help facilitate physical distancing, Tremblay said it's still not clear how that will work.

"Fifteen students in a class two metres apart is a challenge. [Classrooms] are small in the Outaouais," Tremblay said.

Manon Dufour, executive director of Commission scolaire des Draveurs school board, believes principals and staff will be able to make things work in time for the return to class.

"We're building the plane as it flies," she said. "I don't think we're going to do schools like we did two months ago. Things are going to change, but I think we're going to manage. We have good [adaptation] capabilities."

Story continues

Dufour said her board will be using lessons learned from running emergency child-care centres for essential workers during the pandemic.

"We had seven schools that had [emergency child-care centres] and we were able to do it with reminders," she said.

The education minister said teachers who are older than 60 or have health conditions that put them at particular risk won't have to return to class.

Parents in western Quebec are being urged to contact their children's schools at least a week ahead of reopening so principals, administrators and teachers know how many students are returning. Attendance is not mandatory during the pandemic.

No other schools in the province including high schools, cegeps and universities will reopen to students until at least late August.
James Arthur performs live on stage during the Irish leg of his YOU Tour at the 3Arena, Dublin. (Ben Ryan / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

X Factor winner James Arthur was so overwhelmed with anxiety after falling ill during his European tour earlier in the year, he feared he would die onstage.

He initially believed he was unwell with the flu, however, it transpired he actually had a gallbladder infection and required emergency surgery.

The 32-year-old told BBC Newsbeat: "I had really bad anxiety. I thought I was gonna die on stage, it was weird."

Read more: Ed Sheeran wont furlough bar staff at taxpayers expense

As a result, the rest of the tour had to be postponed while he underwent treatment and recovery.

James Arthur, performs for 20,000 students and teachers at WE Day Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision for WE Day/AP Images)

However, he managed to complete scheduled dates in the UK and Ireland before the coronavirus lockdown began

"I did manage to do my arena tour, but it took a month of intensive therapy for me to get right to get back on stage. So yeah, it was a bit of a mad time," he shared.

Arthur, who asserted he was now "absolutely fine", saw his subsequent US tour postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Say You Won't Let Go hitmaker is one of a number of celebrities giving themselves new looks in lockdown, revealing at the beginning of April that he'd shaved off his hair in "a moment of madness".

As he showcased his new look and explained how it came about by accident, he then went on to say he'd donated 5,000 to the NHS.

So I was trying to give my self a little trim up in a state of pure cabin fever, it wasnt going so well so In a moment of sheer madness I decided to do something Ive never dared to do before and shave my head for the NHS and donate 5k, he wrote.
Duco will provide increased confidence in the quality and accuracy of data for enterprise reconciliation including invoices and claims for IFRS 17 requirements

Duco, the global provider of self-service data integrity and reconciliation services, today announced that Coface, the world's leading credit insurer, has gone live on the Duco platform. The solution has enabled greater control over data accuracy and integrity to help with the application of IFRS 17 standards. Duco is being deployed across Coface's global operations as an end-user-driven, enterprise-wide data integrity platform to support compliance and improve operational efficiency through automating the reconciliation and exception management process.

Coface provides a comprehensive line of credit insurance to protect companies against potential non-payment by their customers, with cover provided in almost all countries in the world. Meeting IFRS 17 reporting compliance requires data reconciliations between accounting tools and Coface's central data warehouse. Reconciliation was previously performed in global data quality dashboards based on aggregated amounts which meant there was no granular visibility. A successful Proof-of-Concept showed the rapid impact that Duco was able to make.

"Duco enables improved data integrity and quality to feed directly into our reconciliations whilst allowing efficient remediation of exceptions," explained Keyvan Shamsa, Director of Business Technology, Coface. "As the leader in our field, it is important that we have robust processes in place well ahead of the deadline for IFRS 17 compliance. We chose Duco because they are a genuine disruptor in the reconciliation market with a reputation for making an immediate impact. We were live and setting up our first reconciliations within 24 hours of contract signature. Duco also makes it easier for our Operations and Finance teams to communicate and work together."

Christian Nentwich, CEO of Duco, added "Ensuring data integrity is a common challenge for financial institutions with a global footprint that also need a robust regulatory compliance framework. This plays to Duco's strengths; the platform is data and source system agnostic which means that Coface can reconcile data from any number of systems. With Duco, Coface were able to go live in a day and empower their operations users to build reconciliations without delay."

About Coface

70 years of experience and the most finely meshed international network have made Coface a reference in credit insurance, risk management and the global economy. With the ambition to become the most agile, global trade credit insurance partner in the industry, Coface's experts work to the beat of the world economy, supporting 50,000 clients in building successful, growing and dynamic businesses. The Group's services and solutions protect and help companies take credit decisions to improve their ability to sell on both their domestic and export markets. In 2019, Coface employed ~4,250 people and registered turnover of 1.5 billion. For more information visit www.coface.com.

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. For more information go to www.du.co.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005018/en/

Contacts:

Chris Peacock

press@du.co

+44(0)20 3111 9294
CHESTER  A 23-year-old man was shot dead Monday night, the citys 16th homicide victim and the second gun death in as many days.

Chester police were dispatched to the area of the 2600 block of West Ninth Street for the report of a shooting victim at about 6:13 p.m., according to a release from Detective Division Capt. James Chubb. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, identified as Darell Robinson, lying on the sidewalk in front of a bus stop.

Robinson suffered numerous gunshot wounds to his upper torso and lower back area, according to the release. Paramedics were dispatched and began to treat the victim at the scene.

Robinson was transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where received further intense treatment, but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, the release says.

While at the crime scene, officers also located a second victim who sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg. That victim, identified as 58-year-old Edwin Jimerson, was also treated on the scene before being transported to Crozer for further treatment.

Jimerson reported that he was walking in the area of Ninth and Wilson streets when he heard gunfire, then felt a pain in his leg and dropped to the ground. He was listed in good condition Tuesday.

Chubb said initial reports of two additional individuals being shot in the incident as well as two walk-in gunshot wound victims coming into Crozer proved to be false information.

Anyone with information about Mondays shooting is urged to contact Chester Detective Jamison Rogers at 610-723-7991 or jrogers289@chesterpolice.org, or Delaware County Detective Sgt. Lawrence Patterson at 610-891-4126.

Sundays homicide, the citys 15th for the year, occurred about 9:26 p.m. in the area of the 500 block of Reaney Street.

Officers dispatched to the location discovered 34-year-old Kason Wright inside a running white Dodge Durango just north of the railroad bridge. Wright had suffered numerous gunshot wounds to his upper torso and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from Crozer.

Anyone with information about Wrights death is urged to contact Chester Detective Rhaheem Blanden at 610-447-8420 or rblanden280@chesterpolice.org, or Delaware County Detective Timothy Deery at 610-891-8030.
Nollywood actress, Eniola Badmus is currently being attacked on social media by her fans over alleged giveaway fraud.

According to a leaked chat, the screen diva was contacted by an anonymous person with the intention of sharing N500k to Nigerians to cushion the effect of the lockdown of the nation.

However, as soon as the good Samaritan sent the money to her, she said she charges N150k to share giveaways on her page.

Read Also: I Have Been Enjoying This Lockdown: Eniola Badmus (Video)

Also, she is said to have posted the giveaway update on her page before the deal went sour.

She is also said to be holding on to the sponsors money.

This has prompted fans to besiege her comment section to rain insult at her.

See screenshot below:

Fans reactions below:
San Francisco building inspectors issued a criminal citation against the company that owns a single-room-occupancy hotel that they said violated the citys health order by failing to clean shared bathrooms and creating filthy conditions ripe for spreading the deadly coronavirus.

The Department of Building Inspection on Monday issued a misdemeanor citation against Michael T. Heath of Novato after finding repeated sanitation violations at 790 Vallejo St., a 14-unit single-room occupancy hotel between Chinatown and North Beach, according to inspection records.

The case marks the first time the department has issued a criminal citation to a property owner for failure to comply with the citys March 10 health order that requires residential hotels to maintain clean common areas, provide soap and keep a record of cleaning.

Officials cited Heath, the companys agent of service, after calling three times to explain the health order and visiting the building five times to inspect and reinspect violations  each time finding the owners had failed to comply, city records show. Heath was also cited for an out-of-order fire alarm.

This is a step we dont take very often, to issue a criminal citation, said James Sanbonmatsu, chief housing inspector. Its very serious.

The issue arose when tenants complained about problems, prompting an inspection on March 19. The inspector found dirty bathrooms that lacked hand soap and sanitizer and issued a notice of violation that allows one day to comply with the requirements, according to city records. The inspector that day attempted unsuccessfully to reach a handyman and called the property manager to explain the health order requirements, records show.

When the inspector returned the next day and again on March 31, the owners had not yet complied, records show. During a reinspection on April 14, soap dispensers had been installed in the bathrooms and one kitchen, but not a second kitchen. No cleaning log was posted, the inspector noted.

During a final inspection before the citation was issued, the inspector noted that he found dirty toilets and showers, and kitchens lacking both soap and hand sanitizer.

Social distancing and proper handwashing are among the best tools to combat the spread of the coronavirus, health experts say  both of which are difficult for residents who share bathrooms that lack soap. In addition, many SRO residents are older and have chronic health issues, making them more vulnerable to serious illness.

The property is owned by Laurel Realty, which is owned by Jeff Appenrodt, according to Sanbonmatsu. Heath, an attorney who was the person named on the citation, serves as the propertys agent of service.

When reached by phone, Appenrodt referred questions to Heath.

I dont know anything about any of that citation stuff, Appenrodt said.

Heath said on Wednesday that he does not know who the tenants are and has never seen the building, but he has heard that the issues were corrected.

Everythings been fixed and theyve been waiting on an inspector to come sign off on it, and hopefully that gets done today, he said.

Laurel Realty owns at least five SROs in San Francisco, including four in Chinatown and one in the Mission District, said Sanbonmatsu. Building inspectors are keeping (their) eye on the other SROs, he said.

Heath is scheduled to be arraigned at the Hall of Justice on May 8. The district attorneys office did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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.

Rita Lui, a community organizer who works with tenants through Chinatown Community Development Center, said tenants at this SRO told her even before the pandemic that communal bathrooms were only cleaned every month or two, creating very filthy and dirty conditions. Lui said nothing changed after she contacted the landlord.

The landlord is behaving better after inspectors got involved, but the cleaning remains surface-level and irregular.

The intention is not really for the health of the tenants, but to just check off the box, Lui said.

There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the building, but thats to the credit of residents who have tried their best to socially distance because they know how serious COVID-19 can be, Lui said.

There are roughly 20 to 30 residents, Lui said, including a mother and her newborn child. Because of repair issues, they share one kitchen.

Lui said she cant imagine what would happen if one of the residents at 790 Vallejo became infected with the coronavirus.

If one gets it, Im afraid other people would get infected, too, she said.

Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2
Accusations police in Philippines are committing rights abuses, as they enforce strict coronavirus lockdown measures.

Rights group say the Philippine governments strict enforcement of lockdowns has led to rising human rights violations committed by police.

Human Rights Watch has issued a statement asking the Philippine government to immediately investigate all reports of abuses and hold officers committing rights violations accountable.

More than 100,000 people have been arrested for violating the curfew.

And the United Nations describes the countrys response as highly militarised.

Al Jazeeras Jamela Alindogan reports from Manila.
As the coronavirus outbreak leaves Japan's academic calendar in limbo, prominent figures advocate moving the start of the year from April to September, in line with common practice overseas.

Such a change could be a catalyst for a "paradigm shift" in Japanese society, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said in a video posted online Tuesday, noting that it would change the schedule for everything from preschool to job-hunting for university students.

Calling a September start the "global standard," Koike argued that it would help attract foreign students -- something that has been an issue for Japanese schools out of sync with much of the rest of the world.

"There would be some confusion, but things are already confused now," she said.

Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda said Tuesday that his ministry is "conducting simulations" for revising the April start of the school year "as one option." He also said he needs to coordinate with other ministries, since any revision would "need to be observed by society" as a whole.

Corporations, for example, typically welcome their annual batch of young recruits in April. A shift to September would require them to adjust their recruitment calendar and practices.

These comments come amid a rising political groundswell. On Monday, the Democratic Party for the People held a working-group meeting for the first time on the topic. It intends to work with other opposition parties on proposals to submit to the government. The smaller Japan Innovation Party compiled its own proposals the same day.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike pushed for school years starting in September, noting that such a change could be a catalyst for a "paradigm shift" in Japanese society.  Reuters

A group of 17 prefectural governors on Tuesday urged the government to adopt a September start to the academic year, saying that "now is the time to think boldly."

Miyagi Prefecture Gov. Yoshihiro Murai told reporters on Monday that a permanent shift would "boost globalization." He called the idea "one option" to a problem that has cropped up now that the virus has closed public schools and the country finds itself behind the e-learning curve: students are falling behind.

Japan's public schools have been closed since the beginning of March and are expected to remain so until sometime after the government lifts the state of emergency that it declared on April 7.
There has been a surge in the number of people looking buy unproven drugs to protect against covid-19, a new study has found.

The mention of potentially dangerous drugs by high-profile people including Donald Trump and Elon Musk led people to search in an attempt to buy them online, according to the research from scientists at Oxford, Harvard, UC San Diego and Johns Hopkins.

And even after the deaths of people who were poisoned by the unproven use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in an attempt to protect themselves against the disease, the public continued to try and search them out, according to the new research published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

The drugs have been mentioned by a number of high-profile people as a potential way of treating covid-19, but are yet to go through official approval channels, and can prove fatal to anyone who tries to use them.

As part of the research, scientists looked to examine whether the mention of the high-profile drugs had led people to search out the option to buy them, presumably to use on themselves. They did so by looking at Google Trends, which aggregates search data from across the world to give an indication of what people are looking for.

They looked not only for people searching to learn about the drugs, but specifically those who appeared to be looking to buy them. To narrow that down, they gathered data on the number of searches for the drugs together with keywords such as "buy" and "order", as well as shops such as Amazon.

They found that in the wake of the endorsements from both the president and Mr Musk, the number of people searching for the drugs shot up. The public endorsements led searches for hydroxychloroquine to rise 1,389 per cent, for instance.

"In absolute terms, we estimate there were more than 200,000 total Google searches for buying these two drugs in only 14 days following high-profile endorsements. This could be evidence that thousands of Americans were interested in purchasing these drugs," said Dr. Mark Dredze, study co-author and Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, in a statement.

The researchers behind the study said that it was a warning for high-profile people to be aware of the effects of such an endorsement, and a reminder that the process of approval from official bodies like the US FDA should be allowed to run its course instead.

Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Show all 13 1 /13 Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Cheryll Mack, 46, a registered nurse in the emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The Covid-19 spread has affected a lot of livelihood, a lot of people's lives. It has created a crisis, death in general. So I would like to ask not one single person, but all people worldwide, to converge and join the platform that this is something that nobody can fight individually," said Mack. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Laura Bontempo, 50, an emergency medicine doctor wears her personal protective equipment she uses when she sees patients, while posing for a photograph after a nine-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moments have actually been separating families from patients, there is a no-visitor policy now and taking people away from their loved ones is very challenging," Bontempo said. "I'm used to treating sick patients. I treat sick patients all the time. It's very different knowing that the patient you are treating, is actually a risk to you as well. That's the main difference here. No one who works in hospitals is afraid of treating sick people. Just want to keep staff safe and the patients safe at the same time." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Ernest Capadngan, 29, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment during the shift was just seeing Covid patients die helpless and without their family members beside them," Capadngan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Martine Bell, 41, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a six-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The hardest thing in all of this, has been taking care of fellow healthcare providers. It really hits home and it's really scary when you see someone that could be you coming in and now you're taking care of them. It's also hitting home that once healthcare providers start getting sick, who is going to be taking care of the public," Bell said. "It's very stressful, everyone is on edge. We don't know who's coming in next, or how sick they're going to be, or if we are going to get a whole bunch of people or if we're not going to get no one. It's a really stressful and just a completely unusual time for all of us." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kaitlyn Martiniano, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital. "We have a lot of patients and they are pretty sick right now but we have not yet been hit as hard as New York or Seattle, so I feel like we are very lucky with that so far. Every day you have to just be optimistic." Said Martiniano. "I think the reason that we are not being hit as hard right now is because so many things are closed, and because so many people are staying at home." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tracey Wilson, 53, a nurse practitioner in an intensive care unit (ICU), poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I had a patient fall out of bed today and I had to call his wife and tell her and she couldn't come see him, even though she pleaded and begged to come see him," Wilson said. "There is a lot of unknowns and with that unknown is a lot of anxiety and stress that we're not used to dealing with." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Meghan Sheehan, 27, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I think the hardest moment has been the fear that lives within all of us. There is a lot of unknown right now. We fear what's going to happen tomorrow, how the emergency department will look next week when we come in. We have fears about our own colleagues, whether they will fall ill. We also fear that we could be asymptomatic carriers and bring this virus home to our families and our loved ones. There has been a lot of fear over our supplies and whether we'll run out. And then obviously there is the fear that we will see patients and not be able to do everything we normally can to help save patients' lives," Sheehan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kimberly Bowers, 44, a nurse practitioner in an ICU, poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was a young woman who died and her family wasn't able to be here with her," Bowers said. "I think right now, it's just frustrating and scary just not knowing what comes next." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tiffany Fare, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "One of the hardest moments was having to see a family member of a Covid patient, say goodbye over an iPad, rooms away. That was a tough one, I can't imagine how hard it would be to be saying goodbye, you can't see your loved one and then they're gone," Fare said. "My team has been really great to me. We've worked really well together and we've really come together in this crisis. We don't really know each other, we all come from different units within the same hospital, so for us to come together and work so well as a team, it's been a journey but I think that's what is giving me hope." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Kyle Fischer, 35, an emergency medicine doctor, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where he works. "Since it's a new virus, we don't have any experience with it. For most diseases I am used to seeing it and taking care of it and this, I don't have any starting place. I know what I'm hearing from New York, I've read all of the papers it seems like, but no one knows what the correct answers are, so there's a huge amount of uncertainty and people are really, really sick. So it's hard to second guess whether or not you are doing the right thing when you think you are but you never quite know," said Fischer. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Julia Trainor, 23, a registered nurse at a surgical ICU, poses for a photograph after a 14-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was having to put a breathing tube in my patient who could no longer breathe for herself and after the breathing tube went in, we called her family and the husband, of course, couldn't visit her because of visitor restrictions at the hospital. So I had to put him on the phone and hold the phone to her ear, as he told her that he loved her so much and then I had to wipe away her tears as she was crying," said Trainor. "I'm used to seeing very sick patients and I'm used to patients dying but nothing quite like this. In the flip of a switch, without the support, they're completely isolated. They're very sick. Some of them recover and some of them don't. But the hardest part, I would think, is them having to go through this feeling like they are alone." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Lisa Mehring, 45, a registered nurse who works in a biocontainment unit with Covid-19 patients, poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works in Maryland. "Seeing these new moms have babies has been the hardest moment along with having do their pumping for the new moms and them not being able to be with their newborn children, it's hard to think of the family that they are missing," Mehring said. Photos Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Jacqueline Hamil, 30, a registered nurse in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital. "The hardest moment of my shift today, I was in charge, and we had a really sick patient that was in a really, really small room and usually, when we have sick crashing patients, we can have a ton of resources and a ton of staff go in and help with the nurse and the doctors that are taking care of that patient. But due to the patient being ruled out for the coronavirus, we could only have five or six people in the room at a time and putting on all the gowns and gloves and masks and face shields to protect us in case the patient does have coronavirus, it takes a while, so the nurse that was in there, ended up being in the room for you know 6, 7 hours with minimal breaks and it was hard being in charge and knowing that she was stuck in the room and really nothing I could do to help her," Hamil said. Reuters

"Our leaders and news makers need to be more mindful of the potential collateral effects of their speech," said John Ayers, study co-author, co-founder of the Center for Data Driven Health at the Qualcomm Institute, and Vice Chief of Innovation in the Division of Infectious Disease & Global Public Health, both at UC San Diego. "You can't quickly put humpty dumpty back together again once you've broken him."
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief



Minister (Health) A K K Srinivas on Wednesday said his personal attendant has tested positive for coronavirus infection in the TruNat machine test(normally used for TB testing).

The Deputy Chief Minister, however, tested negative apart from 13 other members of his office at theState Secretariat.

Srinivas revealed this at a press conference on Wednesday night.

"My attendant tested positive in the TruNat test (normally used for TB testing) and we have sent the samples for further RT-PCR test.

Myself and 13 of the staff members also underwent the test and all of us tested negative for coronavirus," Srinivas said.

The Deputy CM said asymptomatic cases were on the rise in the state.

He said special focus was laid on Kurnool, Guntur and Krishna districts where hundreds of cases were reported.

Kurnool registered 343 cases, Guntur 283 and Krishna 236 cases out of the total 1,332 in the state as on Wednesday.

Srinivas said private hospitals in the state should resume out-patient services by ensuring adequate measures to check the spread of coronavirus.

"We have asked the health officials to issue necessary orders in this regard.

Appropriate action will be taken against those who do not follow the government orders," the Deputy CM said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Costco announced most stores will return to regular hours starting May 4 after the company had operated on a changed schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Its stores have been closing at 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends amid the coronavirus. Do note, though, hours vary by store.

Costco members who are 60 and older, as well as those with physical impairments, will still have special shopping hours at select stores Monday through Friday from 9-10 a.m, effective May 4. Currently, the special shopping hours are from 8-9 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The statement also said all Costco members and guests will be required to wear face masks or coverings. The requirement doesnt apply to children under the age of two or to those who cant due to a medical condition.

The use of a mask or face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing, Costco said in the statement. Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises.

Costco is still implementing buying limits on specific high-demand items like toilet paper in response to a surge of business. Only two purchases of such items are allowed per day.

There are 19 Costco stores in New Jersey, according to its website.

RELATED STORIES ABOUT RETAIL AND CORONAVIRUS:

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Gap stops paying rent amid coronavirus, says stores may permanently close

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

Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com.
China suggested Tuesday that Donald Trump is 'blackmailing' them by blaming Beijing for the coronavirus pandemic and demanding it pay compensations to the U.S.

Le Yucheng, China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister, told NBC News in an interview that aired Wednesday morning that Trump's demands are 'preposterous' and present a 'political farce.'

'Asking China to make reparations for these kind of claims  they have no legal basis. There is no international law that supports blaming a country for simply being the first to report a disease,' Le said.

Trump demanded during his briefing Tuesday that China pay reparations to the U.S. for coronavirus damages, but said a final number for billing had not yet been decided.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he is reassured that other countries are also launching investigations into China's early handling of coronavirus and demanding compensations  and he dismissed Le's comments as 'classic communist disinformation.'

'What the Chinese Communist Party did here and not preventing the spread of this around the world they're responsible for, America needs to hold them accountable,' Pompeo told Fox & Friends Wednesday morning.

China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng (pictured) likened Donald Trump demanding compensation for coronavirus outbreak from China to 'blackmail'

'Asking China to make reparations for these kind of claims  they have no legal basis. There is no international law that supports blaming a country for simply being the first to report a disease,' Le told NBC News

Trump demanded Monday that China pay compensations for damages caused by coronavirus, which he says could have been avoided if Beijing had been more forthcoming about the severity of the disease

Pompeo called Le's comments dismissing China's onus for the outbreak 'classic communist disinformation,' claiming the U.S. has to hold Beijing accountable

The U.S. has reported the most confirmed cases of any other country, surpassing 1 million this week. But the Trump administration has claimed China has been dishonest in its reporting

'I've been heartened to see Australia, other countries joining us, demanding an investigation because while we know this started in Wuhan, China,' he said. 'We don't yet know from where it started, and in spite of our best efforts to get experts on the ground, they continue to try and hide and obfuscate. That's wrong.'

'It continues to pose a threat to the world, and we all need to get to the bottom of what actually happened here not only for the current instant but to make sure something like this doesn't happen again,' the State Department head continued.

While Le, 57, said in the interview, which was conducted in Mandarin, that he would not object to scientific investigations into the virus' origins, he demanded it be kept away from 'conspiracy theories.'

'We do not oppose normal communication and mutual learning between scientists,' he said. 'What we do oppose is arbitrary investigations based on the presumption of China's guilt. That is something we firmly oppose.'

Trump has shifted his tone from praising China for its handling of coronavirus, to blaming the Asian nation for exacerbating the severity by failing to be transparent about the disease earlier on in the outbreak.

'I want to say China has not covered anything up. We did not cause any delay,' Le said.

He also has lauded his own decision to ban travel from China to the U.S. in the midst of the outbreak despite political pushback since it was early on in the pandemic before the real threat was known.

Le told NBC News that Trump is trying to politicize the virus and rejected any accusations that China tried to cover up the initial outbreak.

Instead, he referred to the pandemic as a 'natural disaster' and insisted Beijing cannot be held financially liable for COVID-19.

'On Jan. 23 when Wuhan went under lockdown, the United States reported only one confirmed case, but on March 13 when President Trump announced a national emergency, the United States reported over 1,600 confirmed cases,' Le said in deflecting blame away from Beijing.

'In this interval of 50 days, what was the U.S. government doing? Where have those 50 days gone?' he continued.

Pompeo said he watched Le's interview Wednesday morning.

'They know that this happened in their country,' he said of Le and other top Chinese officials. 'This is classic communist disinformation. This is what communists do. The Chinese people were harmed by this too.'

'I saw a foreign ministry official this morning on TV trying to change this narrative,' Pompeo said.

'We know that this virus started in Wuhan, China. The Chinese Communist Party now has the responsibility to tell the world how this pandemic got out of China and all across the world, causing such global economic devastation,' he said, referencing the investigations into the inception of coronavirus.

He said that journalists and doctors who tried to tell the story were 'pushed aside, covered up.'

'Those are the kind of things that communist institutions do,' Pompeo said. 'We all know them from the Soviet days. We know the kinds of things that communist parties do to try and manage information inside of their own country and around the world.'

The CIA, NSA and Defense Intelligence Agency were tasked by the White House with investigating whether China initially hid what it knew about the coronavirus threat earlier on in the outbreak. Current and former officials say the agencies were told to conduct communication intercepts, human source reporting and review satellite imagery

'I've been heartened to see Australia, other countries joining us, demanding an investigation because while we know this started in Wuhan, China,' Pompeo told Fox & Friends Wednesday morning of the investigations into the virus' origins

'We're doing very serious investigations,' Trump said Tuesday. 'We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world'

The White House has ordered intelligence investigations into whether China initially downplayed and hid the emerging coronavirus threat, a Wednesday report revealed.

Intelligence agencies received directives from the White House last week seeking information on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, including communication intercepts, human source reporting and satellite imagery reviews, current and former officials familiar with the directions told NBC News.

One official revealed that the 'tasking' was sent last week to the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, which includes the National Center for Medical Agency.

The CIA also received a similar request, the officials said.

Trump appeared to make reference to the orders during his Monday press conference at the White House.

'We're doing very serious investigations,' the president said during his nearly-daily briefing. 'We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world.'

The president continues to deflect blame for the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., claiming it would have been less severe if Beijing were more forthcoming with the severity of the virus in China toward the end of last year.

Trump blaming China for America's economic struggles has proven effective with his political base as the president struggles to campaign without his stadium-filling rallies.

'The president is now running against China as much as anyone,' a person close to the president told NBC.

Trump has praised his administration for stopping travel from China early on in the outbreak, claiming it would be much worse if he had not done that

Coronavirus originated in Wuhan and spread to the rest of the world earlier this year, but intelligence has revealed the threat of the virus was known in China before its widespread infection rate

This week, the U.S. surpassed 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, which is more than any other country has reported and about one-third of the amount of cases worldwide. As of Tuesday night, there are more than 58,000 deaths in the U.S. from coronavirus.

Trump insists that Beijing is not accurately reporting the number of cases and deaths coming from China, claiming if they were honest, their numbers would be much higher than any other country.

He has also suggested that China compensate the U.S., and possibly other countries, for coronavirus damages. The disease originated in Wuhan, which is in China's Hubei province, and began spreading to the rest of the world earlier this year.

Lawmakers have begun pushing for sending the bill to China as well while the U.S. continues to slip into a depression with record-high unemployment levels with over 26 million people filing for benefits in five weeks and a staggering market loss over the past two months.

As part of the administration's instructions, intelligence agencies were also tasked with determining if the World Health Organization knew about any labs studying coronaviruses in Wuhan.

Trump has accused the WHO of hiding the severity of the pandemic in early January when it reported no evidence of human-to-human transmission. By mid-January, the WHO stopped making that claim as the virus spread beyond China.

Earlier this month, the president suspended $500 million in U.S. funding to the WHO as he accused it of allowing China to exercise influence over the agency.

When asked during his Tuesday briefing to clarify what intelligence officials told him in January and February, Trump said: 'I would have to check.'

'I want to look to the exact dates of warnings,' he continued.
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Downhole Tools market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.5 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 4.7%. Flow & Pressure Control, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 5.6%. 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$1.1 Billion by the year 2025, Flow & Pressure Control will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798404/?utm_source=PRN







- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 3.6% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$52.2 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$42.3 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Flow & Pressure Control will reach a market size of US$29.4 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 7.5% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$436.3 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies.



- Competitors identified in this market include, among others,

Anton Oilfield Services Ltd.

Baker Hughes, a GE company

Bilco Tools, Inc.

Excalibre Downhole Tools Ltd.

Halliburton

Moog, Inc.

National Oilwell Varco, Inc.

Oil States International, Inc.

Schlumberger Ltd.

Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment AG

United Drilling Tools Ltd.

Weatherford International Ltd.

Wenzel Downhole Tools Ltd.









Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798404/?utm_source=PRN



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



Global Competitor Market Shares

Downhole Tools Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide

(in %): 2019 & 2025

Downhole Tools: A Prelude

Major Markets for Downhole Tools

Key Market Players.

Product Overview

Product Definition & Types

Application of Downhole Tools





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



High Performance Downhole Tools Gather Demand

Artificial Intelligence Attracts Attention from Oil Companies

Industry Seeks Advancements in Sensor Technology

Rise in Drilling Activities Across the Globe Spurs Demadn for

Downhole Tools

AI Adoption on Rise in Oil And Gas Industry

Factors Driving Growth in the Downhole Tools Market

Industry Moves towards Digital Technologies

Oil and Gas Inventories Worldwide: 2008-2020 (In Million Barrels)





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: Downhole Tools Global Market Estimates and Forecasts

in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: Downhole Tools Global Retrospective Market Scenario in

US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017

Table 3: Downhole Tools Market Share Shift across Key

Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 4: Flow & Pressure Control (Segment) World Market by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 5: Flow & Pressure Control (Segment) Historic Market

Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 6: Flow & Pressure Control (Segment) Market Share

Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS

2025

Table 7: Drilling (Segment) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide

in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 8: Drilling (Segment) Historic Market Perspective by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 9: Drilling (Segment) Market Sales Breakdown by

Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 10: Impurity Control (Segment) Geographic Market Spread

Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 11: Impurity Control (Segment) Region Wise Breakdown of

Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 12: Impurity Control (Segment) Market Share Distribution

in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 13: Downhole Control (Segment) World Market Estimates and

Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 14: Downhole Control (Segment) Market Historic Review by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 15: Downhole Control (Segment) Market Share Breakdown by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 16: Handling Tool (Segment) World Market by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 17: Handling Tool (Segment) Historic Market Analysis by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017

Table 18: Handling Tool (Segment) Market Share Distribution in

Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Downhole Tools Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025

Ongoing Demand for Technologically Advanced Tools is Driving

the Downhole Tools Market.

North America - Oil & Gas Scenario

United States is one of the Largest Markets for Downhole

Drilling Tools.

Market Analytics

Table 19: United States Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 20: Downhole Tools Market in the United States by

Segment: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 21: United States Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown

by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 22: Canadian Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 23: Canadian Downhole Tools Historic Market Review by

Segment in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 24: Downhole Tools Market in Canada: Percentage Share

Breakdown of Sales by Segment for 2009, 2019, and 2025

JAPAN

Table 25: Japanese Market for Downhole Tools: Annual Sales

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 26: Downhole Tools Market in Japan: Historic Sales

Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the Period 2009-2017

Table 27: Japanese Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

Table 28: Chinese Downhole Tools Market Growth Prospects in US$

Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 29: Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in China in

US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 30: Chinese Downhole Tools Market by Segment: Percentage

Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Downhole Tools Market: Competitor Market Share

Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 31: European Downhole Tools Market Demand Scenario in US$

Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 32: Downhole Tools Market in Europe: A Historic Market

Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period

2009-2017

Table 33: European Downhole Tools Market Share Shift by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 34: European Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018-2025

Table 35: Downhole Tools Market in Europe in US$ Million by

Segment: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017

Table 36: European Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 37: Downhole Tools Market in France by Segment: Estimates

and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025

Table 38: French Downhole Tools Historic Market Scenario in US$

Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 39: French Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

GERMANY

Table 40: Downhole Tools Market in Germany: Recent Past,

Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 41: German Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in US$

Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 42: German Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 43: Italian Downhole Tools Market Growth Prospects in US$

Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 44: Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in Italy in

US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 45: Italian Downhole Tools Market by Segment: Percentage

Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 46: United Kingdom Market for Downhole Tools: Annual

Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Segment for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 47: Downhole Tools Market in the United Kingdom: Historic

Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the Period

2009-2017

Table 48: United Kingdom Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis

by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SPAIN

Table 49: Spanish Downhole Tools Market Estimates and Forecasts

in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 50: Spanish Downhole Tools Historic Market Review by

Segment in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 51: Downhole Tools Market in Spain: Percentage Share

Breakdown of Sales by Segment for 2009, 2019, and 2025

RUSSIA

Table 52: Russian Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 53: Downhole Tools Market in Russia by Segment:

A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 54: Russian Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 55: Rest of Europe Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018-2025

Table 56: Downhole Tools Market in Rest of Europe in US$

Million by Segment: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017

Table 57: Rest of Europe Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown

by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 58: Asia-Pacific Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 59: Downhole Tools Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period

2009-2017

Table 60: Asia-Pacific Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis by

Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

Table 61: Downhole Tools Market in Asia-Pacific by Segment:

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period

2018-2025

Table 62: Asia-Pacific Downhole Tools Historic Market Scenario

in US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 63: Asia-Pacific Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AUSTRALIA

Table 64: Downhole Tools Market in Australia: Recent Past,

Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 65: Australian Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in

US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 66: Australian Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

INDIA

Table 67: Indian Downhole Tools Market Estimates and Forecasts

in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 68: Indian Downhole Tools Historic Market Review by

Segment in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 69: Downhole Tools Market in India: Percentage Share

Breakdown of Sales by Segment for 2009, 2019, and 2025

SOUTH KOREA

Table 70: Downhole Tools Market in South Korea: Recent Past,

Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 71: South Korean Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis

in US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 72: Downhole Tools Market Share Distribution in South

Korea by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 73: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Downhole Tools:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 74: Downhole Tools Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific:

Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2009-2017

Table 75: Rest of Asia-Pacific Downhole Tools Market Share

Analysis by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

LATIN AMERICA

Table 76: Latin American Downhole Tools Market Trends by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025

Table 77: Downhole Tools Market in Latin America in US$ Million

by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period

2009-2017

Table 78: Latin American Downhole Tools Market Percentage

Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 79: Latin American Downhole Tools Market Growth Prospects

in US$ Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 80: Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in Latin

America in US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 81: Latin American Downhole Tools Market by Segment:

Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

ARGENTINA

Table 82: Argentinean Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018-2025

Table 83: Downhole Tools Market in Argentina in US$ Million by

Segment: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017

Table 84: Argentinean Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

BRAZIL

Table 85: Downhole Tools Market in Brazil by Segment: Estimates

and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025

Table 86: Brazilian Downhole Tools Historic Market Scenario in

US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 87: Brazilian Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MEXICO

Table 88: Downhole Tools Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current

and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the Period

2018-2025

Table 89: Mexican Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in

US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 90: Mexican Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF LATIN AMERICA

Table 91: Rest of Latin America Downhole Tools Market Estimates

and Projections in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 92: Downhole Tools Market in Rest of Latin America by

Segment: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 93: Rest of Latin America Downhole Tools Market Share

Breakdown by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

MIDDLE EAST

Table 94: The Middle East Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 95: Downhole Tools Market in the Middle East by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 96: The Middle East Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown

by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025

Table 97: The Middle East Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 98: The Middle East Downhole Tools Historic Market by

Segment in US$ Million: 2009-2017

Table 99: Downhole Tools Market in the Middle East: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Segment for 2009, 2019, and 2025

IRAN

Table 100: Iranian Market for Downhole Tools: Annual Sales

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Segment for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 101: Downhole Tools Market in Iran: Historic Sales

Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for the Period 2009-2017

Table 102: Iranian Downhole Tools Market Share Analysis by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

ISRAEL

Table 103: Israeli Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Segment: 2018-2025

Table 104: Downhole Tools Market in Israel in US$ Million by

Segment: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017

Table 105: Israeli Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

SAUDI ARABIA

Table 106: Saudi Arabian Downhole Tools Market Growth Prospects

in US$ Million by Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 107: Downhole Tools Historic Market Analysis in Saudi

Arabia in US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 108: Saudi Arabian Downhole Tools Market by Segment:

Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 109: Downhole Tools Market in the United Arab Emirates:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Segment for the Period 2018-2025

Table 110: United Arab Emirates Downhole Tools Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 111: Downhole Tools Market Share Distribution in United

Arab Emirates by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

REST OF MIDDLE EAST

Table 112: Downhole Tools Market in Rest of Middle East: Recent

Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Segment for

the Period 2018-2025

Table 113: Rest of Middle East Downhole Tools Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Million by Segment: 2009-2017

Table 114: Rest of Middle East Downhole Tools Market Share

Breakdown by Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025

AFRICA

Table 115: African Downhole Tools Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Million by Segment: 2018 to 2025

Table 116: Downhole Tools Market in Africa by Segment:

A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017

Table 117: African Downhole Tools Market Share Breakdown by

Segment: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025





IV. COMPETITION



ANTON OILFIELD SERVICES LTD.

BAKER HUGHES

BILCO TOOLS, INC.

EXCALIBRE DOWNHOLE TOOLS

HALLIBURTON

MOOG

NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO

OIL STATES INTERNATIONAL

SCHLUMBERGER

SCHOELLER-BLECKMANN OILFIELD EQUIPMENT AG

UNITED DRILLING TOOLS LTD.

WEATHERFORD INTERNATIONAL

WENZEL DOWNHOLE TOOLS LTD.

V. CURATED RESEARCH

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798404/?utm_source=PRN



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__________________________

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Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift one of the toughest coronavirus lockdowns in Europe and return to normality by the end of June.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the lifting of the restrictions that have halted public life since March 14 and nearly paralysed the economy, will begin on May 4 and vary from province to province.

During the initial phase, hairdressers and other businesses that operate via appointment will open, while restaurants will be able to offer takeaway services.

In the next stage, envisaged to begin on May 11 for most of Spain, bars will reopen their terraces but will be limited to a third of their capacity.

From this point, healthy people with no underlying medical conditions will be allowed to socialise together in small groups, while family members will be permitted to attend funerals.

Advancing through the stages will depend on factors such as how the rate of infection evolves, the number of intensive care beds available and compliance with distancing rules, Sanchez said, without providing concrete thresholds for such evaluation.

Local authorities are responsible for monitoring the conditions in their regions, but the national Health Ministry will have the final say on whether or not a province moves forward.

Remote working will be recommended where possible until reaching the last phase of the plan towards the end of June, when beaches would also be able to reopen with the support of local authorities.

We are starting to glimpse an outcome that will be a reward for the huge collective effort made over the past weeks, Sanchez said, warning that the virus is still lurking.

Sanchez explained the government had chosen not to set precise deadlines for the easing of the lockdown, unlike countries such as Italy, to avoid missing them in what is a fluid situation.

The important thing is to resume our activities in order to really avoid this drama that we are living, Antonio Garamendi, head of the CEOE business association, told RNE radio.

Sanchez warned there would be a recession of extraordinary scale this year that will demand an extraordinary response from the European Union.

Reuters
Writer and wine columnist John Schreiner is Canada's most prolific author of books on wine.
As the global coronavirus crisis continues, questions about how the disease spreads, and the impact it will have on society as we know it remain.

For people around the globe, the topic of sex and how it relates to the virus has been a subject of concern, with many wondering which, if any, intimate relations are safe.

Fortunately, with researchers continuing to learn more about the virus each day, new information has also emerged about the relationship between sex and coronavirus.

These are five things to know about the disease and sex.

Masturbation is your safest option

In March, the New York Health Department issued a guide to residents regarding physical intimacy, and what people living in the city need to know about staying safe.

Recommended Why experts think some single people should avoid dating right now

According to the guide, you are your safest sex partner.

Masturbation will not spread Covid-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex, the guide explains.

In addition to keeping the risk of contracting the virus low, masturbation also comes with the added benefits of stress relief, reduced blood pressure, increased self-esteem and reduced pain, previous studies have found.

Sex toy purchases are increasing as a result of the pandemic

With masturbation confirmed to be a safe activity, and millions of people confined to their homes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, sex toy purchases are increasing, according to multiple reports.

In New Zealand, sex toy sales have tripled as a result of the lockdown, while the Los Angeles Times has reported sales increases of 30 to 100 per cent.

I think a lot of people are stuck home alone, and theres people who normally would be having sex with dates, or people who they are not sheltered at home with, Searah Deysach, the owner of feminist sex shop Early to Bed, told the Chicago Tribune. So a lot of people are  for stress relief and sexual pleasure and all the other reasons why anyone would masturbate  are finding themselves doing it more on their own, and looking for creative ways to make it a little more fun, more interesting, and take a little strain off our hands and wrists as well.

Coronavirus may not be transmissible by having sex

According to a new study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, which analysed semen samples of 34 men in China an average of one month after they tested positive for coronavirus and found no evidence of the virus in the mens testes or semen, the possibility of contracting coronavirus through sex may be minimal.

Recommended The sex workers working from home

The fact that in this small, preliminary study that it appears the virus that causes Covid-19 doesnt show up in the testes or semen could be an important finding, said study co-author Dr James Hotaling, an associate professor of urology specialising in male fertility at University of Utah Health.

However, the researchers acknowledged that the small study was not enough to rule out the possibility altogether. The study researchers also noted that it is possible that those who experience more severe cases of coronavirus may have a higher viral load.

It could be that a man who is critically ill with Covid-19 might have a higher viral load, which could lead to a greater likelihood of infecting the semen. We just dont have the answer to that right now, Hotaling said.

You can get coronavirus from kissing

While coronavirus may not be spread through sex, that doesnt mean other physical intimacy is safe  as kissing is likely to spread the respiratory virus.

The coronavirus is a respiratory virus. It can be transmitted through your saliva and intimate contact, Mark Surrey, MD, a clinical professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at UCLAs David Geffen School of Medicine, told Health, adding that coronavirus is not directly transmitted genitally.

According to the New York Health Departments guide, you should avoid kissing anyone who is not part of your small circle of close contacts.

The guide also states that, after masturbation, the next safest sex partner is someone you live with.

Having close contact  including sex  with only a small circle of people helps prevent spreading Covid-19, the health agency states.

Experts are concerned the pandemic may lead to a spike in STD cases

As the focus remains on social distancing and fighting the spread of coronavirus, health departments are worried that sexually transmitted diseases will spike as a result.

We are seeing a complete disruption to STD prevention here in the United States, David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), told The Hill. We expect to experience even higher STD rates as a result.

According to experts, one of the issues has been clinics and public health departments that normally identify and treat cases of STIs or STDs have been closed  or employees have been moved instead to the coronavirus taskforce.

One of the most important things in the STI world is making sure that you can do open testing hours, Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), told The Verge. If you feel sick or not, you can come in, know your status, and get on your way. You cant really do that anymore in this world of social distancing.

While sexual intercourse may not be capable of spreading coronavirus, experts warn people to continue practising safe sex amid the pandemic.
The World Health Organization is investigating whether the coronavirus causes some children to develop a rare inflammatory disease, WHO officials said Wednesday.

Health officials in the U.K. warned doctors over the weekend that Covid-19 could be causing a rare inflammatory condition in children. Britain's Pediatric Intensive Care Society said Monday the National Health Service alerted it to a small number of critically ill children presenting with "an unusual clinical picture."

The society noted that many  but not all  of the children with symptoms of the new inflammatory disease had been diagnosed with Covid-19. The condition was likened to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease.

"We are aware of this report which came out of the United Kingdom about a small number of cases amongst children with this inflammatory response," WHO's lead scientist on Covid-19, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, said Wednesday. "We're looking at this with our clinical network."

Toxic shock syndrome is a rare, life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins. Symptoms include a high temperature, a sunburn-like rash and flu-like symptoms such as a headache and sore throat.

Kawasaki disease causes swelling of the heart's blood vessels and mainly affects children under the age of 5, according to the U.K.'s NHS. Symptoms include a rash, swollen glands in the neck, dry or cracked lips and red fingers or toes. The Mayo Clinic says it is usually treatable.

It remains unclear what the relationship is between Covid-19 and the inflammatory conditions, but Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, told reporters Monday it is "entirely plausible" that Covid-19 causes the illness.

"There are some recent rare descriptions of children in some European countries that have had this inflammatory syndrome, which is similar to the Kawasaki syndrome," Van Kerkhove said. "But it seems to be very rare."

The WHO has asked its global network of clinicians to be "on alert" for such cases around the world. The coronavirus, which is primarily a respiratory disease, is affecting more than just the lungs, as first thought, said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's emergencies program.

"Obviously it's causing inflammation and attacks tissue other than lung tissue," he said. "We are in a situation where clinicians are looking at what those other effects of having this coronavirus infection are."

It's "very important" that researchers look further into such reports to better understand the nature of the virus and the disease it causes, Ryan said. He added that the condition remains very rare.

"Kawasaki syndrome is a syndrome that's been around for a long time," he said. "It's a rare condition. It happens. It usually resolves itself."

British Health Minister Matt Hancock told U.K. radio station LBC on Tuesday that he was "very worried" about the recent reports of children presenting with the new condition. However, the WHO emphasized the condition appears to be rare.

"We don't know yet" if it is fatal, Hancock said. "It's a new disease that we think may be caused by the Covid-19 virus  we're not 100% sure, because some of the people who got it hadn't tested positive, so we're doing a lot of research now, but it is something we're worried about. Although it is very significant for those children who do get it, the number of cases is small."

 CNBC's Chloe Taylor contributed to this report.
The financial and operational information contained in this press release is based on unaudited consolidated condensed interim financial statements presented in U.S. dollars and prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board and adopted by the European Union, or IFRS. Additionally, this press release includes non-IFRS alternative performance measures i.e., EBITDA, Net cash / debt and Free Cash Flow. See exhibit I for more details on these alternative performance measures.



LUXEMBOURG, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tenaris S.A. (NYSE and Mexico: TS and MTA Italy: TEN) ("Tenaris") today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 in comparison with its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Summary of 2020 First Quarter Results

(Comparison with fourth and first quarter of 2019)

1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 Net sales ($ million) 1,762 1,741 1 % 1,872 (6 %) Operating (loss) income ($ million) (510 ) 152 (436 %) 259 (297 %) Net (loss) income ($ million) (666 ) 148 (548 %) 243 (374 %) Shareholders' net (loss) income ($ million) (660 ) 152 (535 %) 243 (372 %) (Loss) earnings per ADS ($) (1.12 ) 0.26 (535 %) 0.41 (372 %) (Loss) earnings per share ($) (0.56 ) 0.13 (535 %) 0.21 (372 %) EBITDA* ($ million) 280 290 (4 %) 390 (28 %) EBITDA margin (% of net sales) 15.9 % 16.7 % 20.9 %

*EBITDA is defined as operating (loss) income plus depreciation, amortization and impairment charges / (reversals). EBITDA includes severance charges of $23 million in Q1 2020. If these charges were not included EBITDA would have been $303 million (17.2%).

These first quarter results include the consolidation of IPSCO which we acquired on January 2, 2020. Our sales in the first quarter remained in line with those of the previous quarter even after the integration of IPSCO, reflecting a low sales backlog at the completion of the acquisition and continuing declines in key markets in North and South America during the period as well as ongoing destocking actions at Aramco. Our EBITDA declined 4% sequentially to $280 million affected by losses at IPSCO and severance charges amounting to $23 million, primarily in North America.

Our operating income includes impairment charges of $622 million on the carrying value of goodwill and other assets in the United States, mainly related to the former IPSCO business and our welded pipe operations. These impairment charges reflect the severe change in business conditions we are experiencing with the collapse in oil demand and prices, and their impact on drilling activity and the demand for steel pipe products, resulting from the ongoing measures taken around the world to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on economic activity. Our net income for the quarter was further affected by: i) the impact of currency devaluations on income tax and foreign exchange results and ii) a lower contribution from our equity investments.

During the quarter, we reduced our working capital by $317 million, reflecting reductions in receivables and inventories. With operating cash flow of $516 million and capital expenditures of $68 million, our free cash flow amounted to $448 million (25% of revenues). After paying $1.1 billion for the acquisition of IPSCO in January 2020, at March 31, 2020 our positive net cash position amounted to $271 million.

Market Background and Outlook

The rapid decline in economic activity and unprecedented collapse in global oil demand as a result of the measures taken to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has resulted in an equally unprecedented collapse in oil prices, due to the imbalance between production, storage capacity and demand. At this moment, it is not possible to determine how long it will take for economic activity and oil and gas demand to recover and for supply and demand to rebalance. In this environment, investments in exploration and production of oil and gas are being severely curtailed and are not expected to recover in the short term.

We are taking action to preserve adequate levels of operation while protecting the health and safety of our employees, fulfill our commitments to customers, strengthen the medical response capability in the local communities where we have our operations and ensure the financial stability of the company.

To mitigate the impact of expected lower sales, we are working on a worldwide rightsizing program and cost containment plan aimed at preserving financial resources and liquidity and maintaining the continuity of our operations. The actions include:

adjusting the level of our operations and workforce around the world, including the temporary closure of facilities and production lines in the USA; downsizing our fixed cost structure, including pay reductions for the board and senior management with aggregated cost savings of approximately $220 million by year end; reducing capital expenditures and R&D expenses by approximately $150 million compared to 2019; proposing to limit the payment of the dividend in respect of the 2019 fiscal year to the $153 million payment already made as an interim dividend during November; reducing working capital in accordance with activity levels.

For the second quarter of 2020, we are expecting a substantial reduction in sales and margins, particularly in the Americas, though sales in the rest of the world may remain more stable. In this highly uncertain environment, sales could be around 35% lower than the first quarter and our EBITDA margin, excluding restructuring charges, could fall to a high single digit. We do, however, expect to reduce working capital further and continue to generate positive free cash flow.

Annual Dividend Proposal

The board of directors proposes, for the approval of the annual general shareholders' meeting to be held on June 2, 2020, to limit the dividend in respect of the 2019 fiscal year to the $153 million payment already made as an interim dividend in November 2019.

Analysis of 2020 First Quarter Results Tubes Sales volume (thousand metric tons) 1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 Seamless 665 641 4 % 640 4 % Welded 170 164 4 % 184 (8 %) Total 835 805 4 % 824 1 %

Tubes 1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 (Net sales - $ million) North America 878 779 13 % 893 (2 %) South America 224 265 (15 %) 330 (32 %) Europe 134 153 (13 %) 158 (15 %) Middle East & Africa 331 352 (6 %) 301 10 % Asia Pacific 90 82 10 % 81 11 % Total net sales ($ million) 1,657 1,631 2 % 1,763 (6 %) Operating (loss) income ($ million) (478 ) 138 (446 %) 238 (301 %) Operating margin (% of sales) -28.8 % 8.5 % 13.5 %

Net sales of tubular products and services increased 2% sequentially but declined 6% year on year. Sequentially a 4% increase in volumes was partially offset by a 2% decrease in average selling price. In North America sales increased 13% sequentially, reflecting the increase from the integration of IPSCO and the Canadian seasonal effect. In South America sales declined 15% sequentially, reflecting declining sales in Argentina and Colombia but a good quarter for sales of large diameter casing for offshore drilling in Brazil. In Europe sales decreased 13% due to declining level of sales in line pipe for downstream projects and OCTG in the North Sea as COVID-19 restrictions start to become effective. In the Middle East and Africa sales decreased 6% sequentially, reflecting lower sales in Saudi Arabia due to ongoing destocking by Aramco partially compensated by deliveries of offshore line pipe to a project in West Africa. In Asia Pacific sales increased 10% thanks to an increase in sales in Australia and China.

Operating result from tubular products and services amounted to a loss of $478 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to gains of $138 million in the previous quarter and $238 million in the first quarter of 2019. In this quarter, we recorded an impairment of $582 million on our Tubes segment, affecting our welded pipe assets in the U.S. and the newly acquired IPSCO business. Additionally, during the quarter we had severance charges of $23 million.

Others 1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 Net sales ($ million) 105 109 (4 %) 109 (4 %) Operating (loss) income ($ million) (32 ) 14 (329 %) 21 (252 %) Operating margin (% of sales) -30.2 % 12.6 % 19.1 %

Net sales of other products and services decreased 4% sequentially and year on year. The sequential decrease in sales is mainly related to lower sales of coiled tubing partially offset by improvement in other businesses. During the quarter Others segment operating income was affected by impairment charges of $40 million related to the sucker rods and coiled tubing businesses in the United States.

Selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A, amounted to $357 million, or 20.3% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2020, compared to $349 million, 20.0% in the previous quarter and $345 million, 18.5% in the first quarter of 2019. Sequentially, our amortization of intangibles increased by $20 million: $8 million due to the integration of IPSCO and $12 million due to a one-off charge as IPSCO's software was fully amortized. Additionally, our selling expenses increased $11 million and we had leaving indemnities related to administrative workers of $10 million, partially offset by a decline in services and fees of $10 million (consultancy and legal fees in the previous quarter related to acquisition of IPSCO) and $13 million lower taxes.

Other operating results included an impairment of $622 million on our U.S. businesses, mainly our welded pipe assets and the newly acquired IPSCO business.

Financial results amounted to a loss of $22 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to a loss of $7 million in the previous quarter and a gain of $24 million in the first quarter of 2019. The loss of the quarter corresponds mainly to an FX loss, net of derivatives results of $18 million from a 29% Brazilian Real devaluation on intercompany debt denominated in U.S. dollars at our Brazilian subsidiary which functional currency is the Brazilian Real. This result is to a large extent offset by changes to our currency translation reserve.

Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies generated a gain of $2 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to a gain of $13 million in the previous quarter and a gain of $29 million in the first quarter of 2019. This quarter's results reflect a gain from our investment in Techgen, partially offset by a loss in Ternium (NYSE:TX).

Income tax charge amounted to $136 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to $10 million in the previous quarter and $70 million in the first quarter of 2019. During this quarter we recorded deferred tax charges of $111 million related to the devaluation of several currencies against the U.S. dollar, mainly the effect of the 25% devaluation of the Mexican Peso on the tax base used to calculate deferred taxes at our Mexican subsidiaries which have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency.

Cash Flow and Liquidity

Net cash provided by operations during the first quarter of 2020 was $516 million, compared with $264 million in the previous quarter and $548 million in the first quarter of 2019. Working capital decreased by $317 million, reflecting, in part, the reduction in activity and expected demand.

Capital expenditures amounted to $68 million for the first quarter of 2020, compared to $80 million in the previous quarter and $86 million in the first quarter of 2019.

Free cash flow of the quarter amounted to $448 million (25% of revenues), compared to $184 million in the previous quarter and $462 million in the first quarter of 2019.

After paying $1.1 billion for the acquisition of IPSCO in January 2020, at March 31, 2020 our positive net cash position amounted to $271 million.

Conference call

Tenaris will hold a conference call to discuss the above reported results, on April 30, 2020, at 10:00 a.m..

A replay of the conference call will be available on our webpage http://ir.tenaris.com/or by phone from 1.00 pm ET on April 30, through 1.00 pm on May 8, 2020. To access the replay by phone, please dial +1855 859 2056 or +1 404 537 3406 and enter passcode "7090759" when prompted.

Some of the statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements. These risks include but are not limited to risks arising from uncertainties as to future oil and gas prices and their impact on investment programs by oil and gas companies.

Consolidated Condensed Interim Income Statement (all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars) Three-month period ended March 31, 2020 2019 Continuing operations Unaudited Net sales 1,762,311 1,871,759 Cost of sales (1,293,665 ) (1,271,799 ) Gross profit 468,646 599,960 Selling, general and administrative expenses (357,045 ) (345,366 ) Impairment charge (622,402 ) - Other operating income (expense), net 1,256 4,422 Operating (loss) income (509,545 ) 259,016 Finance Income 1,877 10,461 Finance Cost (8,442 ) (6,982 ) Other financial results (15,742 ) 20,915 (Loss) income before equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies and income tax (531,852 ) 283,410 Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies 1,889 29,135 (Loss) income before income tax (529,963 ) 312,545 Income tax (135,769 ) (69,956 ) (Loss) income for the period (665,732 ) 242,589 Attributable to: Owners of the parent (660,068 ) 242,879 Non-controlling interests (5,664 ) (290 ) (665,732 ) 242,589

Consolidated Condensed Interim Statement of Financial Position (all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars) At March 31, 2020 At December 31, 2019 Unaudited ASSETS Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment, net 6,450,499 6,090,017 Intangible assets, net 1,470,105 1,561,559 Right-of-use assets, net 251,449 233,126 Investments in non-consolidated companies 853,205 879,965 Other investments 25,238 24,934 Deferred tax assets 230,412 225,680 Receivables, net 152,647 9,433,555 157,103 9,172,384 Current assets Inventories, net 2,235,251 2,265,880 Receivables and prepayments, net 104,399 104,575 Current tax assets 140,282 167,388 Trade receivables, net 1,183,989 1,348,160 Derivative financial instruments 7,859 19,929 Other investments 174,387 210,376 Cash and cash equivalents 841,722 4,687,889 1,554,299 5,670,607 Total assets 14,121,444 14,842,991 EQUITY Capital and reserves attributable to owners of the parent 11,222,321 11,988,958 Non-controlling interests 191,352 197,414 Total equity 11,413,673 12,186,372 LIABILITIES Non-current liabilities Borrowings 175,195 40,880 Lease liabilities 201,988 192,318 Deferred tax liabilities 419,888 336,982 Other liabilities 254,536 251,383 Provisions 73,075 1,124,682 54,599 876,162 Current liabilities Borrowings 523,203 781,272 Lease liabilities 44,369 37,849 Derivative financial instruments 63,090 1,814 Current tax liabilities 118,064 127,625 Other liabilities 213,204 176,264 Provisions 14,107 17,017 Customer advances 76,833 82,729 Trade payables 530,219 1,583,089 555,887 1,780,457 Total liabilities 2,707,771 2,656,619 Total equity and liabilities 14,121,444 14,842,991

Consolidated Condensed Interim Statement of Cash Flows Three-month period ended March 31, (all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars) 2020 2019 Cash flows from operating activities Unaudited (Loss) income for the period (665,732 ) 242,589 Adjustments for: Depreciation and amortization 166,977 131,335 Impairment Charge 622,402 - Income tax accruals less payments 86,258 9,951 Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies (1,889 ) (29,135 ) Interest accruals less payments, net 3,136 560 Changes in provisions (11,490 ) (1,870 ) Changes in working capital 316,971 199,489 Currency translation adjustment and others (555 ) (5,303 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 516,078 547,616 Cash flows from investing activities Capital expenditures (68,044 ) (85,686 ) Changes in advance to suppliers of property, plant and equipment (427 ) 501 Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired (1,063,848 ) (132,845 ) Repayment of loan by non-consolidated companies - 40,470 Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets 518 262 Changes in investments in securities 31,294 66,777 Net cash (used in) investing activities (1,100,507 ) (110,521 ) Cash flows from financing activities Changes in non-controlling interests 1 1 Payments of lease liabilities (14,961 ) (10,171 ) Proceeds from borrowings 219,158 184,396 Repayments of borrowings (314,494 ) (139,052 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (110,296 ) 35,174 (Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (694,725 ) 472,269 Movement in cash and cash equivalents At the beginning of the period 1,554,275 426,717 Effect of exchange rate changes (19,686 ) (1,484 ) (Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (694,725 ) 472,269 839,864 897,502

Exhibit I - Alternative performance measures



EBITDA, Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.

EBITDA provides an analysis of the operating results excluding depreciation and amortization and impairments, as they are non-cash variables which can vary substantially from company to company depending on accounting policies and the accounting value of the assets. EBITDA is an approximation to pre-tax operating cash flow and reflects cash generation before working capital variation. EBITDA is widely used by investors when evaluating businesses (multiples valuation), as well as by rating agencies and creditors to evaluate the level of debt, comparing EBITDA with net debt.

EBITDA is calculated in the following manner:

EBITDA= Operating results + Depreciation and amortization + Impairment charges/(reversals).

Three-month period ended March 31, 2020 2019 Operating income (509,545 ) 259,016 Depreciation and amortization 166,977 131,335 Impairment Charge 622,402 - EBITDA 279,834 390,351

Net Cash / (Debt)

This is the net balance of cash and cash equivalents, other current investments and non-current investments less total borrowings. It provides a summary of the financial solvency and liquidity of the company. Net cash / (debt) is widely used by investors and rating agencies and creditors to assess the company's leverage, financial strength, flexibility and risks.

Net cash/ debt is calculated in the following manner:

Net cash= Cash and cash equivalents + Other investments (Current and Non-Current) +/- Derivatives hedging borrowings and investments - Borrowings (Current and Non-Current)

(all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars) At March 31, 2020 2019 Cash and cash equivalents 841,722 897,767 Other current investments 174,387 432,604 Non-current Investments 14,858 106,945 Derivatives hedging borrowings and investments (61,477 ) 8,184 Current Borrowings (523,203 ) (622,735 ) Non-current Borrowings (175,195 ) (56,980 ) Net cash / (debt) 271,092 765,785

Free Cash Flow



Free cash flow is a measure of financial performance, calculated as operating cash flow less capital expenditures. FCF represents the cash that a company is able to generate after spending the money required to maintain or expand its asset base.

Free cash flow is calculated in the following manner:

Free cash flow= Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities - Capital expenditures.

(all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars) Three-month period ended March 31, 2020

2019

Net cash provided by operating activities 516,078 547,616 Capital expenditures (68,044 ) (85,686 ) Free cash flow 448,034 461,930

Giovanni Sardagna

Tenaris

1-888-300-5432

www.tenaris.com
The Australian Capital Territory will cap the price of petrol in Canberra if it remains higher than $1 per litre past this coming weekend.

The cost of fuel has plummeted across the world, with prices not seen in Australia since the 1990s.

But service stations the nation's capital have been accused of price gouging amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he won't hesitate to cap petrol stations' margins - the difference between wholesale and what customers pay - if prices don't fall below $1 per litre by next week.

The Australian Capital Territory will cap the price of petrol in Canberra if it remains higher than $1 per litre past this coming weekend

Canberra's high costs are in stark contract with the rest of Australia's bowser prices (pictured last week in Sydney)

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he will cap petrol stations' margins - the difference between wholesale and what customers pay - if prices don't fall below $1 per litre by next week

'We know we're being gouged and it has got to stop,' he said, adding that government intervention was needed to negate the 'market failure'.

'I accept that the wholesale price of fuel will fluctuate, and it has dropped dramatically. We have seen a reduction in the ACT, but nowhere near enough.

'[Petrol] should be able to be sold in Canberra for $1 a litre or less no matter what the cirumstances of the retail outlet.

'Many [Canberra fuel retailers] are selling around 90 cents a litre but some are still around 40 cents a litre above the wholesale price.'

Average unleaded fuel price last week State Cost per litre Canberra

116.8 Sydney 93.9 Melbourne 96.7 Brisbane 90.7 Perth 97.3 Adelaide 98.3 Darwin 120.9 Hobart 127.5

The ACT'S Fair Trading Act gives the Government power to set a maximum retail margin with the blessing of the fair trading commissioner.

The federal competition watchdog on Tuesday stood behind Mr Barr's stance.

Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Rod Simms said it is 'entirely within the [ACT] Government's remit'.

'I mentioned some time back that if petrol companies don't adjust their petrol prices as they should be, in times of national crisis, they shouldn't be surprised if governments take action,' he said.

Canberra's high prices are in stark contract with what Sydneysiders are paying at the bowser.

Sydney's average unleaded prices plunged to a four-year low of 93.9 cents a litre last week.

Brisbane prices have fallen to just 90.7 cents a litre, the lowest since late 2004, as global crude oil prices plummeted to the lowest levels since 1999.

Westpac senior economist Justin Smirk calculated petrol prices had dived by 7.3 per cent during the March quarter.

He expected capital city pump prices to slide by another 20 per cent by the end of June, which would see Brisbane petrol prices fall below 75 cents a litre.

'Because of the coronavirus, petrol prices collapsed because crude oil prices fell - we're looking at a much bigger fall of probably closer towards 20 per cent in the June quarter,' Mr Smirk told Daily Mail Australia.

A woman in her 80s has died in Victoria on Wednesday, taking Australia's coronavirus death toll to 89




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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 15:04 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4faf67 1 Business Indonesia,Transportation-Minister-Budi-Karya-Sumadi,recovery,RSPAD,COVID-19,press-conference,Ketty-Herawati Free

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has expressed his gratitude to the doctors and medical team at Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Jakarta for their hard work and dedication in helping him recover from COVID-19.

Recalling his experience while receiving treatment at the hospital, Budi said if it was not for the medical team, he might have not survived.

At the Transportation Ministry, seven people had tested positive for COVID-19 and we did not know where we got the virus from but I was the oldest at 63 years old, he said in Jakarta on Monday, suggesting that his age made him more vulnerable to the disease.

Thank God Ive recovered. Im quite grateful for the hospital and team of doctors who worked tirelessly to take care of me said Budi said during a virtual press conference with the medical team of the hospital on Monday.

Budi said the hospital had a top-notch medical team. The doctors are so kind and have a good personal approach, and I think this can be a good example for other hospitals,  he added.

The deputy head of the hospital, Dr. Budi Sulistya, said the minister received treatment at the hospital from March 13 to March 31. Thanks to the support of his family and the team of doctors, Pak Budi has recovered, said Budi Sulistya.

As of today, he has been tested twice for COVID-19 and based on the recovery criteria; he is now free from COVID-19. Pak Budi is under post-recovery treatment. With his current condition, he is able to work from home while under the monitoring and care of our doctors, he said.

The minister self-isolated for 14 days at his home after being discharged from the hospital at the end of March. On Monday, the minister, for the first time, took part in a Cabinet meeting following his COVID-19 treatment. Budi said he would return to his official duties on May 5.

The government announced on March 14 that Budi, who has long suffered from asthma, had tested positive for COVID-19. Budi is the only Indonesian minister to have contracted COVID-19.

During Budis treatment, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan was appointed acting transportation minister.

Before the announcement that Budi had tested positive for COVID-19, the minister had been absent from a number of events. Prior to that, he had been on a number of official trips, including a visit to Kertajati Airport in West Java and Luwu and Toraja in South Sulawesi. He was also active in the evacuation of Indonesian crew members from the virus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess on March 2.

Dr. Ketty Herawati Sultana, 60, among doctors who treated Minister Budi when he was taken to Meistra Hospital in Jakarta in mid-March, died from COVID-19 on April 4.

The minister was diagnosed as having typhoid fever when he was treated at the hospital. Dr. Ketty and several other medical personal contracted COVID-19 soon after treating him.

The minister was then transferred to the army hospital for further treatment.
Margaret Trudeau, the mother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was rushed to hospital overnight after a fire broke out in her Montreal apartment, sources and local media said Tuesday.

Emergency response officials told AFP that one person was transported to hospital, as local media posted images of several fire trucks, their long ladders extended and hoses strewn across the road at her downtown residence.

The prime ministers office did not immediately respond to requests for information.

But public broadcaster Radio-Canada said Margaret Trudeau, who is also the widow of late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and possibly burns.

She is expected to recover.

The blaze reportedly started on a fifth floor terrace, and took 70 firefighters to douse. Three families were evacuated.
Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled new guidance recommending shoppers and those on public transport wear face coverings - Shutterstock

Britain is to stockpile non-medical face masks for people to wear while shopping and on public transport after Nicola Sturgeon recommended the use of t-shirts and scarves.

Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister, confirmed that a "domestic effort" has been launched to slow the spread of coronavirus by producing masks that "limit the droplets that each of us might be responsible for".

Challenged by Labour's Rachel Reeves to build up a stockpile for the public, he also told the Commons they would not be the "high-spec surgical face masks" required in the NHS but could be used in "particular settings."

Whitehall insiders said the Government wants to delay an announcement over its guidance for England on wearing face coverings until enough have been stockpiled.

Unlike Ms Sturgeon, they said UK ministers were not happy with telling people to use cloth coverings, which they think "will not do any good at all" at slowing the virus.

The announcement came after the Scottish First Minister published official guidance that Scots over the age of two should wear a cloth covering, such as a scarf or t-shirt, in "enclosed spaces" indoors where social distancing is difficult. She cited the examples of shops and public transport.

Rather than protecting the wearer, the First Minister said the main benefit was helping prevent asymptomatic carriers who do not realise they have the virus from passing it on.

The change ramped up pressure on Boris Johnson to follow suit in England, with Ms Sturgeon stating she assumed that UK ministers had seen the same scientific advice she had.

But Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, hit back by telling the daily Downing Street briefing that there was only "weak science" on face masks and "the most important thing" remains social distancing.

He was backed by Dame Angela McLean, the Ministry of Defence's chief scientific adviser, who said there is "weak evidence of a small effect" of masks preventing carriers passing on the virus.

Story continues

She said the recommendation from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to UK ministers, which they are considering before coming to a final decision, is "completely clear" on this.

Im just trying to do my job - as every other government is. This tendency to read malign motives when all any of us is trying to do is tackle the virus as best we can, is tedious and misplaced. https://t.co/VNVHthPsO9  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) April 28, 2020

Despite the Sage advice, proposals for shoppers and commuters to start wearing cloth masks have started to be circulated in Whitehall. Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, is among those calling for the change to "add another layer of protection."

Mr Hancock said: "On face masks, we are guided by the science and the UK Government position hasn't changed, not least because the most important thing people can do is the social distancing..

"As opposed to the weak science on face masks, there is very clear science on social distancing. That is our absolute priority in terms of the message to the public."

Whitehall sources told the Telegraph: "There's sensible contingency planning going on but the decision has not been taken.

"We can see what decision has been taken in Scotland. We are keen to proceed as one country on this."

One of the UK's top microbiologists also attacked Ms Sturgeon's guidance as a "public relations exercise" that would have little impact on the virus's spread.

Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, said it would give a "false sense of security". "

At best this will have a very marginal effect - it is not going to stop somebody becoming infected. Your scarf will not filter out the virus," he said.

"Studies have not shown any hard, significant benefit from wearing such a mask or other covering. It is a red herring and takes the eye off the ball in terms of stopping the spread of infection."

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon observes a minute of silence in a tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who died during the coronavirus pandemic - Reuters

Ms Sturgeon's announcement marks a major shift on previous Scottish Government policy, which has dismissed the wearing of face masks as ineffective.

Professor Jason Leitch, the country's national clinical director, said earlier this month that the global evidence should that people do not wear them properly and they are uncomfortable.

The new guidance urged Scots to wear coverings "of cloth or other textiles" through which they can breathe, and not a "surgical or other medical grade mask".

It also stated that they "must not be used as an alternative" to physical distancing, hand washing and coughing hygiene, which it said remain the most effective ways of curtailing the virus.

Handout photo issued by 10 Downing Street of Health Secretary Matt Hancock during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus - PA

Unveiling the guidance at her daily news briefing in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon admitted the evidence on face coverings was "still limited."

But she said: "It recognises that there may be some benefit in wearing a face covering if you leave the house and enter an enclosed space where you will come into contact with multiple people and safe social distancing is difficult - for example on public transport or in shops.

"Of course just now, most shops are closed so this would apply in particular to food shops."

She added: "The Scottish Government is now recommending the use of face coverings in these limited circumstances as a precautionary measure."

The guidance stated "there is no evidence to suggest there might be a benefit outdoors, unless in an unavoidable crowded situation."

Anyone with coronavirus symptoms and all members of their household must still self-isolate, it said.

Nicola Sturgeon asked if the new advice on face masks she had received was advice also seen by UK ministers. I cant speak for UK ministers. I assume that they will have seen the same general advice that I have but I think that's a question you'd have to direct to them.  Chris Musson (@ChrisMusson) April 28, 2020

Although Ms Sturgeon said it was up to the UK Government to decide whether similar measures be introduced south of the Border, she added: "I assume that they will have seen the same general advice that I have."

She also emphasised that people "should not really be in situations very often" where a face covering is recommended, and that those with conditions like asthma "may have very good reasons" for wearing one.

Ms Sturgeon was pressed why the guidance was not issued earlier, given ministers have known for weeks that asymptomatic carriers are inadvertently passing on the virus.

She cited anecdotal evidence that more people are increasingly choosing to wear face coverings "and I have a worry that people think it gives more protection than it actually does."

A Downing Street spokesman said: "There have been points in the response so far where announcements have been made at ever so slightly different times.

"By and large we have moved forward with a single four-nations approach. I think the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all said they hope that continues to be the case and we would agree with that. We continue to work closely with them."
Intuiface has become ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified, the only digital signage company in compliance with this standard Companies using digital signage to collect and broadcast information need guarantees that this data will be secured using methods conforming to formal, globally recognized processes.

Intuiface puts a priority on protecting its customers' data. Over the past 18 months, the company has worked aggressively to meet the strictest security requirements in the industry. Those efforts have resulted in the company becoming ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified, receiving accreditation for its Information Security Management System (ISMS). With certification, Intuiface has become the only company in the digital signage industry to guarantee the use of robust data security controls conforming with this internationally recognized standard.

International legislation and privacy laws like GDPR have highlighted the increasing attention paid to data protection. Companies using digital signage to collect and broadcast information need guarantees that this data will be secured using methods conforming to formal, globally recognized processes. Increasingly, certified approaches to data security are a prerequisite for solution and service adoption.

The global standard for information security is ISO/IEC 27001:2013. Published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), this standard sets more than 100 requirements for the creation of a comprehensive information security management system, or ISMS. These requirements are related to the physical security of facilities, software product security (from development to delivery environments and processes), financial information, intellectual property, HR processes and personnel, and management's commitment to security work.

Certification of the Intuiface ISMS means their customers can expect systematic and ongoing management of information security risks that can affect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of corporate and personal information. Implemented controls include security-by-design product development, data encryption, vulnerability management, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and much more.

"The writing was on the wall when we started this process 18 months ago  customers were no longer willing to just trust in data security. They needed proof," said Vincent Encontre, Intuiface's COO. "Not only can we now offer proof thanks to certification, we can also say that product quality, service availability, and business continuity  especially important in the current COVID-19 era  have been strengthened as well."

Intuiface's certification was issued after the completion of a formal audit performed by AFAQ, an independent and accredited certification body based in France and part of AFNOR, the France representative at ISO. The official certificate can be found at https://certificats-attestations.afnor.org/certification=128395126778.

Questions about Intuiface's certification can be directed to their CISO, Christophe Mertz (trust@intuiface.com), who is responsible for governing implementation and oversight of all ISO controls.

About Intuiface

Intuiface is the market's only no-code platform dedicated to the creation, integration, deployment, and analysis of interactive digital experiences for physical spaces. Over 1,600 companies across 70+ countries are connecting people to place using interactive options such as touch, RFID/NFC, beacons, Web APIs, Internet of Things, and much more. For any industry  including retail, hospitality, real estate, tourism, education  and for any intent  from digital signs to self-service kiosks and assisted selling.
The Ludhiana district police have sought feedback and suggestions from residents for better implementation of restrictions and to give relaxations to residents during curfew. A message in this regard was posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday night.

The message read, Need your feedback and suggestions on following  Present status of curfew in Ludhiana; Usefulness of volunteers in curfew enforcement; What should be done after May 3 in Ludhiana to handle the situation? How much opening up of curfew can be done?; Whether we should open standalone shops within Municipal Limits in the cities? Will people follow social distancing norms there?; Whether we can open shops in rural areas/villages?; Whether more factories should be allowed to run with safeguards?; How to constructively engage migrant labourers?

In response to the post, around 673 residents came up with different suggestions, ranging from allowing shops to open to increasing restrictions and extending the curfew.

A resident, Parminder Singh, former president of the Rotary Club Ludhiana Greater, said the administration can allow the market to open on alternative days and that too area-wise. He suggested shopkeepers should be asked for making less counter sales and laying more focus on home-to-home deliveries. It will help in reducing rush at the shops, he said.

Similarly, another resident, Samit Jain, also shared the same suggestion and said shops should be allowed to open with one-day gap and that too for a few hours. He added shopkeepers should be also given responsibility of maintaining social distancing. Jain said, in many areas of the city, the situation is under control, therefore, the administration can give some relaxations.

Meanwhile, some residents asked the authorities to extend curfew and restriction in the city.

Karan Thaman, an advocate, said, People are still not obeying curfew norms. One can witness rush on roads during morning and evening hours. Only the shops providing essential products should be allowed to operate.

Another advocate, Dinesh Rajput, said, At present, the situation is under control, but if any relaxation is given at this stage, it can turn out to be dangerous.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Deepak Pareek said, The department will go through all the suggestions and feedback from residents and consider their views while planning the next course of action.
HOLYOKE  Mercy Medical Centers plan  first announced in February  to permanently close 50 adult and 24 child and youth inpatient psychiatric beds at its Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke goes before state regulators Thursday, April 30.

The hearing, conducted via telephone to comply with social distancing rules meant to stop COVID-19, is the next step in Mercys plan to close the 74 beds by June 30, just two months from now. The medical center, part of Trinity Health Of New England and ultimately part of Michigan-based Trinity Health, has cited a lack of funding and a lack of qualified psychiatrists as the reason.

The hearing is Thursday, April 30, 6 to 9 p.m., with the call-in phone number 888-390-5007 and passcode of 2972720.

Written comments may be submitted to the Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification, Attn: Closure Coordinator, 67 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752 or by email to HFLLicenseAction@MassMail.State.MA.US .

And usually, even if the state Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification deems that are on the budget chopping block services critical, an operator comes back with a more detailed plan for providing alternate services in the region and get the state's blessing to close.

But Joe Markman, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Nurses Association union that represents some of the 200 employees who will lose their jobs out of a total workforce of 466, said the coronavirus has already halted one planned hospital downsizing.

MetroWest Medical Center delaying last month the closure of inpatient services at its Natick hospital, after the Nurses Association asked state lawmakers to in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. The Natick Leonard Morse Hospital is owned by Tenet HealthCare of Texas.

"We are going to continue to put on pressure," Markman said. "We are optimistic because there are a lot of advocates who are working against this closure at Providence. There are other unions representing workers at the hospital who are going to put on pressure, as well."

The nurses union says inpatient psychiatric beds needed even more now because of the pressure coronavirus has placed on emergency rooms. It's not safe for psychiatric patients to wait in emergency rooms.

The decision by Trinity Health to close Providence Hospitals psychiatric units in the middle of a public health emergency is heartless and irresponsible," said Michelle Reardon, vice President of UAW Local 2322 and a recovery specialist at Providence Hospital. "Our members are concerned about our patients being stranded in emergency departments or in the community, where they are in danger of catching and spreading COVID-19. Trinitys license comes with a duty to serve the community, not just its bottom line.

The United Auto Workers also represents workers at Providence.

But Providence said the pandemic doesnt fix its shortage of psychiatrists.

The decision to discontinue inpatient psychiatric services at Providence Hospital was made because of a critical psychiatric provider shortage that will prevent our future ability to provide safe, quality care to our patients, wrote spokeswoman Mary Orr in a statement released Wednesday. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this critical shortage has not changed.

National parent company Trinity Health, based in Livonia, Michigan, has annual operating revenues of $19.3 billion and assets of $27 billion. It had more than $650 million in offshore accounts as of fiscal 2017, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

The decision to close inpatient psychiatric services will leave central and Western Massachusetts without any inpatient pediatric psychiatric beds,

Providence already cut half of its pediatric beds in 2018, going from 24 to 12. But those beds were never formally taken off the books. This proposal would close them permanently.

Provided management counters saying that because of a lack of psychiatrists it's not able to operate at capacity. It's averaging just 39 patients in the 50-bed adult unit and just under seven patients on average in its 12 remaining pediatric beds.

As of July 1, 2020, Providence Behavioral Health Hospital said it will have no medical director of the facility and a total of six psychiatric provider vacancies, management said in a letter to the state.

Providence also plans to move services at its methadone clinic on Mill Street in Springfield to a methadone clinic in Holyoke, also by June 30.

Substance use disorder services will continue at Providence Hospital in Holyoke, including its acute treatment service, clinical stabilization service (otherwise known as post-detoxification) and outpatient substance use disorder services such as the methadone clinic.

As Mercy plans to get out of the inpatient psychiatric practice, to neighboring hospital systems have plans to expand those services. But both Holyoke Medical Center and Baystate Health plan to do so with for-profit partners.

Holyoke Medical Center announced Monday that it plans to build a 100-bed inpatient behavioral hospital on its existing campus.

Baystate Health is searching for a partner and might choose somewhere other than the Holyoke site it had first identified.

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Los Angeles, April 30 : Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has expressed her condolences on the demise of Indian actor Irrfan Khan, in a message shared with IANS.

"I had the privilege of working with Irrfan Khan on the set of A Mighty Heart. He stood out for his generosity as an artist, which made it a pleasure to work in any scene with him. I remember the intensity of his commitment, and equally his smile. I send my condolences and my sympathy to his family, his friends, and all admirers of his work, in India and around the world," Jolie said in her message.

"A Mighty Heart", is a 2007 drama directed by Michael Winterbottom based on the 2003 memoir of the same name by Mariane Pearl. The film accounts the aftermath of the kidnapping of Marianne's journalist husband Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, and his subsequent beheading by the kidnappers.

Jolie played Marianne Pearl while Irrfan impressed Karachi police chief Zeeshan Kazmi, in a well-written role. Most of the Karachi sequences of the film were shot in Pune.

The critically-acclaimed film was screened out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and is widely considered one of the earliest films to train the global spotlight on Irrfan Khan.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
29.04.2020 LISTEN

In the past weeks, many countries, including Ghana, have imposed travel restrictions to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Restrictions vary from country to country. Restricted travels are more intensive in some countries than others. Some countries have their borders opened to all passengers, who are quarantined for a period of time upon arrival, while other countries have closed their borders to all passenger; both citizens and foreigners.

Information on travel restrictions from over 150 countries provided by Aljazeera suggests that most countries of the world have closed their borders to foreigners but permit citizens to return home, while few countries have their borders closed to both foreigners and their citizens. Out of the over 150 countries whose travel restriction policies have been provided by Aljazeera, over 120 have their borders closed to foreigners but opened to their citizens, while less than 30 have their borders closed to both foreigners and citizens. Ghana is among the few countries that have closed their borders to their citizens. A significant number of countries who have restricted travels to both foreigners and citizens are smaller Islands and countries that have limited citizens traveling out of the country, hence their citizens may not be severely affected by such policies in the same way it may affect the many Ghanaian citizens abroad.

Triple S Activists is of the view that the government of Ghana reconsiders the decision on the travel restrictions hindering citizens from returning home to their motherland. Several Ghanaian citizens have traveled abroad for research, workshops, conferences, diplomatic mission and education. These categories of travelers do not have work permit. Most students, for instance, who are funded to study abroad, do not earn stipends during vacations. Workshops, conferences and research activities are funded for a period of time and once funds are exhausted, participants have no choice than to get back home to their normal lives. Students, researchers, conference and workshop participants, and many other categories of people are locked up abroad, meanwhile they have no means of continuous stay. These people are equally Ghanaians whose problem should be of importance to the government. As we speak currently, a Ghanaian researcher is stuck in Sierra Leone, meanwhile his funds are exhausted, his time is due, and he has no means of continuous stay in Sierra Leone.

It is acceptable for Ghanaians at home to show concern about the effect that may be associated with the return of Ghanaians abroad, however, there is always a way out. Other countries have evacuated their citizens from abroad. This is not to say that Ghana should replicate the strategies of other countries. Ghana may not have the resources needed for an evacuation but she can open her borders for Ghanaians who are stranded abroad, with no means of survival, to get back home to their families and normal lives.

Returnees could be quarantined for two weeks and tested just like it's been done in other countries. People have raised concerns about the cost of quarantine. We suggest that some or most returnees are allowed to self-quarantine in their homes rather than in costly hotels. In a press conference organized by the Ministry of information on April 22, 2020, Dr. Aboagye outlined criteria which are used to identify infected person who can self-quarantine. These included an appropriate home environment with enough space and the determination of the likelihood that someone will cooperate. He also indicated that, patients are visited from time to time to ascertain their wellbeing and cooperation. These same criteria can be extended to people returning from abroad, in such case most can self-quarantine, thereby putting less stress on government funds.
It is said that fortune favours the brave. Vineet Puris life story proves that it is indeed true.

Born and raised in the less than humble neighbourhoods of Raj Nagar and Tughlakabad, Vineets childhood was spent in a 1-bedroom house located amidst narrow lanes and open drains. A hard worker from childhood, Vineet spent his young days lost in dreaming of a better future. His parents managed to send him to a near-average private school, which meant a daily 2.5-hour journey via public transport.

Not one to easily give up, Vineet Puri completed his schooling and took to giving tuitions right after he finished high school. While his peers went on to revel in the freedom of youth while in college, Vineets tuition classes continued parallel to his college life too.

Vineet landed his first job soon  a 7-day week in a company of 7 people  where he sold ISP connections for a mere Rs. 3000 per month. While working this job, he unsuccessfully tried his hand at clearing competitive exams too. The dry run continued and for several years, Vineet Puri continued to dabble between several self-started businesses. None would take off due to the paucity of funds.

Vineet had saved enough from several mediocre jobs and 6 years later he earned an MBA Degree from the USA. For one year, Vineet again dived into the world of books, held together by working odd jobs on and off-campus. In 2004, he returned to India and got married shortly after. Alongside he began his uphill journey in the corporate world.

Thereafter, Vineet worked several corporate jobs, becoming the Vice President of a listed MNC in 2007. Today, he is a board member with an MNC, member of a premier trade body, and a senior business executive with another large MNC with international portfolios, marquee clients and earnings running into 8 digits.

When asked to comment on his success, Vineet Puri shrugs it off with his humble demeanour. He credits his success to his belief in hard work and faith in God, while quickly adding the importance of a supportive life partner. Coming across as the man next door, Vineet already has his eyes set on his next goal. Vineet says his journey has just begun and he has yet a long way to go. Going by his persistence and determination, it sure seems true!

Source: Digpu

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by Digpu News Network. No HT journalist is responsible for creation of this content.
Two inmates who were beaten while handcuffed in an Alabama prison are suing the former sergeant who now faces up to 20 years in prison for assaulting them last year.

Cortney Rolley and Christopher Hampton were handcuffed when they were beaten with a baton, kicked and punched by Sgt. Ulysses Oliver Jr., according to court records. It happened Feb. 16, 2019 at Elmore Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison about 15 miles north of Montgomery.

Among other injuries, Rolley, now 37, suffered a concussion, and Hampton, now 44, suffered a broken wrist, according to the lawsuit.

The two men are also suing several other prison employees, including a lieutenant and two guards who have since pleaded guilty to failing to stop the attack.

Rolley and Hampton remain imprisoned and have recovered from the injuries they suffered during the beatings, said Eric Artrip, the attorney who sued on their behalf.

But, Artrip said, the men are fearful of retaliation in response to their lawsuit and the criminal prosecution of the four prison employees.

Oliver, the now-former sergeant who assaulted the inmates, is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with Warden Joseph Headley, Lt. Willie M. Burks, correctional officers Bryanna Nicole Mosley and Leon Troy Williams, and other unnamed prison employees.

Oliver pleaded guilty to two federal charges of violating Rolley and Hamptons constitutional rights to protection against cruel and unusual punishment, according to the plea agreement. Sentencing is scheduled August 13. The case was prosecuted by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mosley and Williams were charged for failing to stop the beatings. Both pleaded guilty but havent yet been sentenced.

Burks is scheduled to face trial July 27 on charges of lying to a grand jury and depriving the prisoners of their rights under the color of law.

Its unclear whether Mosley, Williams and Burks are still employed by the Alabama Department of Corrections. A department spokeswoman declined to comment on their employment status.

Court records do not list attorneys representing any of the defendants in the lawsuit. None of the defendants has responded to the lawsuit in court filings.

The seven-count lawsuit accuses Oliver and other prison employees of violating the mens constitutional rights, conspiring to conceal the violations, battery, assault and negligence.

The men are seeking payment for damages, interest, court costs and such other legal and equitable relief as this Court deems necessary and proper. The lawsuit, which was filed this month in Elmore County court, doesnt list a dollar amount.

The failure of effective and well-crafted policies prohibiting the corporal punishment of restrained inmates at Elmore Correctional Facility has allowed, and will continue to allow, unfettered physical assault on and abuse of such inmates by correctional officers, the lawsuit says.

Samantha Rose, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Corrections, declined to answer questions about whether the prison system has implemented any changes in policy or training in the year since the beatings happened.

Out of respect for the legal process, which is ongoing, the ADOC cannot provide comment on this matter, Rose said in an email to AL.com.

The lawsuit is being pursued as a class action on behalf of all Elmore inmates who have been or will be at risk of being assaulted or abused by correctional officers while handcuffed, shackled or restrained in any fashion, the filing says.

Alabamas prison system has been under intense scrutiny since April of 2019 when the U.S. Department of Justice released a report alleging unconstitutional conditions and levels of violence.

The beatings happened in a hallway just after visitation ended at the prison, court records state. Rolley and Hampton were taken for questioning about whether they had received contraband left at the prison fence line that Tuesday. (No contraband was found, according to the lawsuit, and neither man has since been charged with a contraband crime.)

Elmore Correctional Facility

Oliver pulled Rolley into the hallway, shoved him against a wall and knocked him to the ground, according to the lawsuit. While Rolley was on the ground, with his hands cuffed behind his back, Oliver punched and kicked him more than a dozen times, and beat him with a baton about 19 times, according to the lawsuit and court records in the criminal case.

Rolley lost consciousness and defecated on himself, according to the lawsuit.

It happened as Burks and the other guards watched, the lawsuit says.

Next Oliver dragged Hampton into the hallway, where he beat the handcuffed prisoner with his fists, feet and a baton, according to the lawsuit and criminal court records.

Again, neither Burks nor the other prison guards intervened. As he watched the beatings, Burks said, Its fair, according to the lawsuit.

Hampton suffered a broken wrist and multiple contusions and abrasions, according to the lawsuit, and his face required stitches.

Rolley suffered a concussion, ruptured blood vessel in his eye, lacerated scalp, and trauma to the head, back, arm, elbow and leg, according to the lawsuit.

Initially both men were taken for medical treatment at Staton Correctional Facility, a prison less than a mile away, because Elmore doesnt have an infirmary, according to the lawsuit. But hours after the assault, Rolley was transferred to a hospital for treatment.

The lawsuit alleges that as warden, Headley failed to implement policies that would ensure the health and safety of the inmates.

Headley, who was the warden of Elmore at the time of the beatings, is now listed on the prison system website as the warden at Staton. The warden position at Elmore is listed as vacant on the website.

After the prisoners were beaten by Oliver, Burks threatened the men and told them not to tell anyone about the beatings, according to the lawsuit. He told them to sign statements admitting to the contraband offense, the lawsuit alleges.

If you dont sign it, then were really going to f--k you up, Burks told the men, according to the lawsuit.

In grave fear for their safety, both signed, the lawsuit says.

Rolley is serving a 30-year sentence for the abduction of two women in Gadsden in 2001. He pleaded guilty to burglary, robbery, kidnapping, sodomy and rape and began serving his sentence in 2003. Rolley is now housed in medium security at St. Clair Correctional Facility.

Hampton is serving a 33-year sentence for first-degree assault and violating Alabamas sex-offender registration requirements. He was convicted and sentenced in Marshall County in 2000. He is now housed at Easterling Correctional, a medium-security prison in southeast Alabama.

Both men have tentative parole consideration dates in October of this year, according to prison system records, though hearings havent been scheduled by the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Court dates havent yet been scheduled in the lawsuit.
Out of all the active cases, 2.17% have been admitted to ICUs, 1.29% require oxygen support, and only 0.36% (or 80 people) are currently on ventilators.

As of April 29, there are over 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in the country. At last count, 1,008 people had lost their lives and total cases are now 31,787. Here are some major developments of the day:

Punjab to extend curfew by 2 weeks

Punjabs Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that the curfew will be extended in the state by another two weeks. However, there will be a daily window of four hours between 7 AM and 11 AM when restrictions will be lifted. During this time people will be able to leave their houses and shops will be allowed to open while observing physical distancing norms.

Health ministry: Only 0.36 of active COVID-19 cases currently on ventilator support

The Health Ministry said yesterday that the recovery rate of COVID-19 in India continues to improve, with it being over 23% now. In other encouraging news, out of all the active cases, 2.17% have been admitted to ICUs, 1.29% require oxygen support, and only 0.36% (or 80 people) are currently on ventilators.

One of the foremost concerns of public health experts is that the severely ill will require ventilator support as their ability to breathe is diminished by the virus, and that a sudden increase in cases will mean that there won't be enough ventilators to support the burden. These low numbers are therefore encouraging and suggest that health facilities are not currently being overwhelmed.

Gene sequencing studies suggest there isn't a "deadlier" strain in India so far

One of the reasons put forward for Indias comparatively low number of COVID-19 deaths is that the younger population is better suited to fight off the virus and also that the strain of the virus circulating in the country is not as lethal.

Both of these claims, however, have not been backed by studies. Scientists at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have said that so far there does not seem to be anything remarkable about the genomes studied and there is no evidence to suggest that the strains in India are especially different from others.

The genomes are being studied after doctors in Ahmedabad - which has seen a spike in deaths - suggested that the strain there may be more harmful.

So far no studies have concluded whether there is a more deadly strain of the virus - distinct L and S strains have been discovered but there is not enough data to suggest if either is more deadly.

Ahmedabad sees 19 deaths in a day

Gujarat has seen a sudden spike in infections and deaths and is now second only to Maharashtra in terms of disease burden, having overtaken Delhi last week.

Yesterday, the state reported 20 deaths, 19 of which were in Ahmedabad. Further, of the 226 new cases reported in the state yesterday, 164 were in Ahmedabad. Fifteen of the deceased had comorbidities, however, there was also a 21-year-old man with no known underlying health conditions.

According to media reports, health officials have turned their attention to slums, older people and crowded spaces such as markets.

How various states are faring so far

Sikkim, Nagaland, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep are yet to report their first cases of COVID-19. Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Goa have no active cases as all those who were infected have recovered.

In fact, 20 hotspots across the country are responsible for over 60% of total cases. The national doubling rate is just over 10 days currently. Telangana and Chhattisgarh have done particularly well with containment efforts; at the current rate, it will take 70 days for cases there to double. Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab would take around 35 days. Jharkhand and Bihar are of concern; the doubling rate is around 5.5 in these states. In Delhi, Odisha and J&K, the figure is between 10-13 days. Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal, which have a high number of cases, are gradually increasing their doubling rates; currently, the figure is at 10 days.

For more information, read our article on Risks of intubation and ventilators for COVID-19 patients.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
Amazon has bought cameras to take temperatures of workers during the coronavirus pandemic from a firm the US blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

China's Zhejiang Dahua Technology shipped 1,500 cameras to Amazon this month in a deal valued close to $10million, one of the people said.

At least 500 systems from Dahua - the blacklisted firm - are for Amazon's use in the US, another person said. Dahua has disputed the designation.

The Amazon procurement, which has not been previously reported, is legal because the rules control US government contract awards and exports to blacklisted firms, but they do not stop sales to the private sector.

However, the US 'considers that transactions of any nature with listed entities carry a 'red flag' and recommends that US companies proceed with caution,' according to the Bureau of Industry and Security's website. Dahua has disputed the designation.

Amazon (file image) has reportedly bought cameras to take temperatures of workers during the coronavirus pandemic from a firm the US blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities

China's Zhejiang Dahua Technology shipped 1,500 cameras to Amazon this month in a deal valued close to $10million, one of the people said. A temperature screening area is set up in an office to demonstrate the use of Dahua Technology's thermal imaging cameras in California

At least 500 systems from Dahua - the blacklisted firm - are for Amazon's use in the US, another person said. A Dahua Technology thermal imaging camera is seen during a demonstration of the camera at an office in San Francisco, California, on Friday

The deal comes as the US Food and Drug Administration warned of a shortage of temperature-reading devices and said it wouldn't halt certain pandemic uses of thermal cameras that lack the agency's regulatory approval.

Top US-based maker FLIR Systems has faced an up to weeks-long order backlog, forcing it to prioritize products for hospitals and other critical facilities.

Amazon declined to confirm its purchase from Dahua, but said its hardware complied with national, state and local law, and its temperature checks were to 'support the health and safety of our employees, who continue to provide a critical service in our communities'.

The company added it was implementing thermal imagers from 'multiple' manufacturers, which it declined to name.

These vendors include Infrared Cameras Inc, which Reuters previously reported, and FLIR, according to employees at Amazon-owned Whole Foods who saw the deployment. FLIR declined to comment on its customers.

Dahua, one of the biggest surveillance camera manufacturers globally, said it does not discuss customer engagements and it adheres to applicable laws.

Dahua is committed 'to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19' through technology that detects 'abnormal elevated skin temperature - with high accuracy,' it said in a statement.

The US Department of Commerce, which maintains the blacklist, declined comment.

The FDA said it would use discretion when enforcing regulations during the public health crisis as long as thermal systems lacking compliance posed no 'undue risk' and secondary evaluations confirmed fevers.

Dahua's thermal cameras have been used in hospitals, airports, train stations, government offices and factories during the pandemic.

The Amazon procurement, which has not been previously reported, is legal because the rules control US government contract awards and exports to blacklisted firms, but they do not stop sales to the private sector. A thermal camera takes a man's temperature in California on Friday

However, the US 'considers that transactions of any nature with listed entities carry a 'red flag' and recommends that US companies proceed with caution,' according to the Bureau of Industry and Security. A Dahua thermal camera takes a man's temperature in Californa

International Business Machines Corp placed an order for 100 units, and the automaker Chrysler placed an order for 10, one of the sources said. In addition to selling thermal technology, Dahua makes white-label security cameras resold under dozens of other brands such as Honeywell, according to research and reporting firm IPVM.

Honeywell said some but not all its cameras are manufactured by Dahua, and it holds products to its cybersecurity and compliance standards. IBM and Chrysler's parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV did not comment.

The Trump Administration added Dahua and seven other tech firms last year to the blacklist for acting against US foreign policy interests, saying they were 'implicated' in 'China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups'.

More than one million people have been sent to camps in the Xinjiang region as part of China's campaign to root out terrorism, the United Nations has estimated.

Dahua has said the US decision lacked 'any factual basis'. Beijing has denied mistreatment of minorities in Xinjiang and urged the United States to remove the companies from the list.

A provision of US law, which is scheduled to take effect in August, will also bar the federal government from starting or renewing contracts with a company using 'any equipment, system, or service' from firms including Dahua 'as a substantial or essential component of any system'.

The Trump Administration added Dahua and seven other tech firms last year to the blacklist for acting against US foreign policy interests, saying they were 'implicated' in 'China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups'.

The Trump Administration added Dahua and seven other tech firms last year to the blacklist for acting against US foreign policy interests, saying they were 'implicated' in 'China's campaign of repression high-technology surveillance against Uighurs (protesters rally in 2019)

Supporters of China's Muslim Uighur minority and Turkish Islamists chant slogans as they hold a placard reading 'East Turkistan under occupation by China' in December 2019 during a demonstration in front of China Consulate in Istanbul

Amazon's cloud unit is a major contractor with the US intelligence community, and it has been battling Microsoft Corp for an up to $10billion deal with the Pentagon.

Top industry associations have asked Congress for a year-long delay because they say the law would reduce supplies to the government dramatically, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that policies clarifying the implementation of the law were forthcoming.

The coronavirus has infected staff from dozens of Amazon warehouses, ignited small protests over allegedly unsafe conditions and prompted unions to demand site closures.

Temperature checks help Amazon stay operational, and the cameras - a faster, socially distant alternative to forehead thermometers - can speed up lines to enter its buildings. Amazon said the type of temperature reader it uses varies by building.

To see if someone has a fever, Dahua's camera compares a person's radiation to a separate infrared calibration device. It uses face detection technology to track subjects walking by and make sure it is looking for heat in the right place.

An additional recording device keeps snapshots of faces the camera has spotted and their temperatures, according to a demonstration of the technology in San Francisco.

Optional facial recognition software can fetch images of the same subject across time to determine, for instance, who a virus patient may have been near in a line for temperature checks.

Amazon said it is not using facial recognition on any of its thermal cameras. Civil liberties groups have warned the software could strip people of privacy and lead to arbitrary apprehensions if relied on by police.

US authorities have also worried that equipment makers like Dahua could hide a technical 'back door' to Chinese government agents seeking intelligence.

In response to questions about the thermal systems, Amazon said in a statement, 'None of this equipment has network connectivity, and no personal identifiable information will be visible, collected, or stored.'

Dahua made the decision to market its technology in the United States before the FDA issued the guidance on thermal cameras in the pandemic.

Its supply is attracting many US customers not deterred by the blacklist, according to Evan Steiner, who sells surveillance equipment from a range of manufacturers in California through his firm EnterActive Networks.

'You're seeing a lot of companies doing everything that they possibly can preemptively to prepare for their workforce coming back,' he said.
Donations from City of Neighbors will benefit four organizations: Metropolitan Family Services; Greater Chicago Food Depository; My Block, My Hood, My City; and the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. According to WindyCityIndies website the goal is $77,000, in honor of Chicagos 77 neighborhoods, which would be split evenly among the four groups.
Two days before her mother died from the novel coronavirus, Valisha Scott got permission to visit her in the hospital.

Because of infection controls, Scott had to talk to her mother, an Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office deputy, from behind glass through a cracked door.

It was hard, Scott said Tuesday. I just wanted to give her a hug or a kiss. Hold her hand.

As death count grows, Louisiana prisons and jails grapple with coronavirus spread A federal judge made his dismay plain this week after he surveyed the conditions inside a state prison in Washington Parish with at least 29 c

Scotts mother, Vanessa Mackey, on April 15 became the first Sheriffs Office deputy to die from COVID-19. Mackey did not have regular contact with inmates, but the death of a deputy known for her buoyant personality underscored the diseases toll at an agency that has had a significant outbreak. Colleagues last week flooded social media with tributes.

Through Tuesday, 124 of the 701 inmates tested at the New Orleans jail have received positive results for the coronavirus. Some have been released but 87 remain in custody. The virus has also spread to 13 of 50 medical staffers and 68 of 316 Sheriffs Office staffers who have been tested.

The numbers are high in part because the Sheriffs Office decided to test all inmates whether or not they exhibit symptoms of COVID-19. Darnley Hodge, the jails court-appointed director, said Monday that only five inmates in custody with positive results had symptoms.

Mackey, 59, was a Lower 9th Ward native who lived in Marrero. She had two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren.

Her biological relatives were only a tiny fraction of the large chosen family Mackey created around her, according to Scott and Henrisha Williams, another daughter. Neighbor kids on their block called her Mama Nessa.

If you met her, you became family, Williams said. She was one to open her home to many.

Mackey followed her then-husband into employment at the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office before Hurricane Katrina. The 2005 storm forced her to move to Lafayette for a year, her daughters said. After her return, she worked as a nursing aid and eventually returned to law enforcement.

Another deputy who trained with her in the 2017 class at the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office academy, Alexys Alexander, said Mackey kept our class together.

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Awaiting trial, federal defendants in parish jails mostly stay put despite pleas for release Federal defendants awaiting trial in parish jails across the New Orleans area are having little luck convincing judges to send them home based

Mackey loved to dance  once even cutting a rug at the shooting range during firearms qualification. She was also respectful to inmates, Alexander said.

She was older than all of us, but we made sure she kept up," Alexander said. "She was a very, very, lovely energetic lady."

Before the novel coronavirus outbreak in Louisiana, Williams was transferred to an assignment in the jails video visitation center, which meant she no longer had regular contact with inmates.

Her relatives aren't sure how she contracted coronavirus. She may have caught it working parade details during Carnival, from a colleague in the Sheriffs Office mailroom or at a funeral where another mourner later died from COVID-19, her daughters said.

Mackey was hospitalized at the Ochsner Medical Centers West Bank Campus on March 22 and transferred to the intensive care unit, where she was placed on a ventilator, on April 1. For weeks she fought an up-and-down struggle against pneumonia, low oxygen levels, a collapsed lung and blood clots in her leg, according to her daughters.

Her body just went through a lot of trauma, Williams said.

In the last hours of her life, Mackeys family gathered on a call to a phone in her hospital room.

The call turned into a sprawling gathering much like the ones Mackey had hosted on happier days. First a handful of relatives joined, then more and then more, until it was a family reunion, Williams said.

Plaintiffs in St. Tammany jail suit denied emergency steps as coronavirus cases climb A federal judge has denied a request by three men seeking to force the St. Tammany Parish Jail to immediately enact social distancing rules in

Mackey couldnt talk, but nurses told the family that she could understand them. Williams said she gets emotional when she thinks of her last words to her mother.

I just wanted her to know that she did her best for her children, Williams said. We will be OK. You have done everything you can possibly do.

Her family is holding a virtual memorial on Thursday.
KOLKATA: At least persons have been arrested in connection with the attack on two police personnel in a marketplace in Tikiapara of Howrah on Tuesday.

According to reports, an FIR has been lodged in this regard and raids are being conducted to nab others involved in the incident.

The two policemen were injured after they were attacked by a mob while they were trying to disperse a crowd in a marketplace in Tikiapara of Howrah on Tuesday.

The crowd which had gathered in the market defying the lockdown, pelted stones at police officials following which heavy police force and RAF were deployed in the area.

State police said that it is taking strong action against the people involved in the incident.

"We are taking strong action against everyone involved in the incident at Tikiapara, Howrah, today. The perpetrators will be identified and brought to justice. No transgression of the law anywhere will be tolerated," West Bengal Police tweeted.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that this incident is the result of police playing two roles in West Bengal.

"Police is playing two roles in West Bengal as in some places it is strict and in other places where minority people live, they fold hands in front of them. This incident is the result of this behaviour," Sinha alleged.

"This incident is miserable, and this is the biggest example of appeasement," he added.

Attacking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Sinha said what is the use of extending the lockdown if it is not going to be followed by people.

"CM is talking about an extension of the lockdown but there is no use of lockdown when the public is not going to follow it. I appeal to the state government that follow the lockdown without partiality on the basis of religion," he added.
The Centre has effected a



"meagre" increase in the mid-day meal allocation for primary and secondary school students, after the West Bengal government urged the HRD ministry in this regard, state minister Partha Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee told reporters over video conference on Tuesday that the state government had asked the ministry to hike the monthly mid-day meal allocation for each student from the existing Rs 4 to Rs 10 at the primary stage, and from Rs 5 to Rs 12 at the secondary stage.

However, the HRD ministry "only effected a marginal rise to Rs 4.79 for primary students and Rs 7.75 for secondary students", he said.

The West Bengal minister also said the demand made by the state for raising the allowance of cooks and helpers of the mid-day meal scheme to Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,000 was also "stonewalled" by the Centre.

The state's decision to implement the 'no detention' policy from Classes 1-8 in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak was also communicated to the ministry during a meeting on Tuesday, the minister said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take a call on conducting the pending higher secondary exams for two papers after the lockdown is lifted and in consultation with department officials, Chatterjee added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The mayor of New York City has issued an apology to the Jewish community, saying he was trying to use tough love while speaking out against people who attended a funeral for a local rabbi.

Bill de Blasio said a tweet he posted in the wake of the massive funeral for Rabbi Chaim Mertz  which was reportedly attended by over 2,000 people in Williamsburg, Brooklyn  came out of frustration and anger since those in attendance were not adhering to the citys social distancing guidelines.

"I regret if the way I said it in any way gave people a feeling of being treated the wrong way, that was not my intention," the mayor said during a press conference on Wednesday.

He added: "It was said with love, but it was tough love.

The large gathering of Orthodox Jewish residents were mourning the death of the 73-year-old rabbi, who passed away from complications of Covid-19, when city officials broke up the funeral on Tuesday night.

Mr de Blasio then posted a statement online that read: My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed.

I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups, he continued. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.

That statement prompted swift backlash from the citys Jewish communities, including New York City Councilman Kalman Yeger, who is Jewish.

The councilman wrote in a tweet: Mr. Mayor, your words are unacceptable.

To condemn our entire community over one group of people is something you would not do to any other ethnic group, he added, and I know you long enough to know that you know this.

Councilman Chaim Deustch also slammed the mayor in a series of tweets, saying Mr de Blasio was inviting anti-Semitism with his harsh words for those mourning on Tuesday night.

This has to be a joke, the councilman wrote. Did the mayor of NYC really just single out one specific ethnic community (a community that has been the target of increasing hate crimes in HIS city) as being noncompliant?? Has he been to a park lately? (What am I saying  of course he has!)

He added: Singling out one community is ridiculous. Every neighbourhood has people who are being non-compliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, its stereotyping, and its inviting antisemitism. Im truly stunned.

Mr de Blasio continued to express sympathy over the way his comments caused anger, saying he has a lot of love for the Jewish community.

If in my passion and in my emotion I said something that in any way was hurtful, Im sorry about that, he said. It was not my intention," he told reporters.

Still, the mayor noted that he will continue to very aggressively call out any gatherings that violate the citys social distancing guidelines.

New York City has found itself at the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, with more Covid-19 cases than anywhere in the country. Over one million people have contracted the novel virus in the US, and nearly 61,000 people have died.

More than 18,000 people have died in New York City.
Total global military expenditure rose to $1917 billion in 2019, according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The total for 2019 represents an increase of 3.6 per cent from 2018 and the largest annual growth in spending since 2010. The five largest spenders in 2019, which accounted for 62 per cent of expenditure, were the United States, China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia. This is the first time that two Asian states have featured among the top three military spenders. The comprehensive annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database is accessible from at www.sipri.org.

Global military spending in 2019 represented 2.2 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), which equates to approximately $249 per person. Global military expenditure was 7.2 per cent higher in 2019 than it was in 2010, showing a trend that military spending growth has accelerated in recent years, says Dr Nan Tian, SIPRI Researcher. This is the highest level of spending since the 2008 global financial crisis and probably represents a peak in expenditure.

United States drives global growth in military spending

Military spending by the United States grew by 5.3 per cent to a total of $732 billion in 2019 and accounted for 38 per cent of global military spending. The increase in US spending in 2019 alone was equivalent to the entirety of Germanys military expenditure for that year. The recent growth in US military spending is largely based on a perceived return to competition between the great powers, says Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher at SIPRI.

China and India top Asian military spending

In 2019 China and India were, respectively, the second- and third-largest military spenders in the world. Chinas military expenditure reached $261 billion in 2019, a 5.1 per cent increase compared with 2018, while Indias grew by 6.8 per cent to $71.1 billion. Indias tensions and rivalry with both Pakistan and China are among the major drivers for its increased military spending, says Siemon T. Wezeman, SIPRI Senior Researcher.

In addition to China and India, Japan ($47.6 billion) and South Korea ($43.9 billion) were the largest military spenders in Asia and Oceania. Military expenditure in the region has risen every year since at least 1989.

Germany leads military expenditure increases in Europe

Germanys military spending rose by 10 per cent in 2019, to $49.3 billion. This was the largest increase in spending among the top 15 military spenders in 2019. The growth in German military spending can partly be explained by the perception of an increased threat from Russia, shared by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states, says Diego Lopes da Silva, Researcher at SIPRI. At the same time, however, military spending by France and the United Kingdom remained relatively stable.

There were sharp increases in military expenditure among NATO member states in Central Europe: for example, Bulgarias increased by 127 per centmainly due to payments for new combat aircraftand Romanias rose by 17 per cent. Total military spending by all 29 NATO member states was $1035 billion in 2019.

In 2019 Russia was the fourth-largest spender in the world and increased its military expenditure by 4.5 per cent to $65.1 billion. At 3.9 per cent of its GDP, Russias military spending burden was among the highest in Europe in 2019, says Alexandra Kuimova, Researcher at SIPRI.

Volatile military spending in African states in conflict

Armed conflict is one of the main drivers for the volatile nature of military spending in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, where there are several ongoing armed conflicts, military spending in 2019 increased in Burkina Faso (22 per cent), Cameroon (1.4 per cent) and Mali (3.6 per cent) but fell in Chad (5.1 per cent), Niger (20 per cent) and Nigeria (8.2 per cent). Among Central African countries that were involved in armed conflict, military spending in 2019 rose overall. The Central African Republic (8.7 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (16 per cent) and Uganda (52 per cent) all increased military spending in 2019.

Other notable regional developments

South America : Military expenditure in South America was relatively unchanged in 2019, at $52.8 billion. Brazil accounted for 51 per cent of total military expenditure in the subregion.

: Military expenditure in South America was relatively unchanged in 2019, at $52.8 billion. Brazil accounted for 51 per cent of total military expenditure in the subregion. Africa : The combined military expenditure of states in Africa grew by 1.5 per cent to an estimated $41.2 billion in 2019the regions first spending increase for five years.

: The combined military expenditure of states in Africa grew by 1.5 per cent to an estimated $41.2 billion in 2019the regions first spending increase for five years. South East Asia : Military spending in South East Asia increased by 4.2 per cent in 2019 to reach $40.5 billion.

: Military spending in South East Asia increased by 4.2 per cent in 2019 to reach $40.5 billion. The average military spending burden was 1.4 per cent of GDP for countries in the Americas, 1.6 per cent for Africa, 1.7 per cent for Asia and Oceania and for Europe and 4.5 per cent for the Middle East (in countries for which data is available).

Source

STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (sipri) 2020
On Feb. 1, officials confirmed Massachusetts first case of coronavirus, a student at UMass Boston. More than a month passed before health officials in Boston confirmed the next cases - three more individuals.

In confirming the three other cases on March 6, health officials said there was no evidence of community transition and risk to the public remained low.

A new model developed at Northeastern University, though, suggests thousands of cases were spreading across the city and state during this time.

Alessandro Vespignani a professor at Northeastern is the principal investigator behind the Northeastern model. It shows that while the United States eyes were focused on Wuhan, China as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19 was already lurking within the United States.

Using the model, the New York Times reported that as many as 2,300 cases existed in Boston as of March 1, while city officials at that time had only confirmed one case.

It would still be weeks before Gov. Charlie Baker prohibited dine-in service at restaurants and gatherings of more than 250 people. A stay-at-home advisory was about three weeks away.

Nationally, as of March 1, only 23 cases were reported, but under the Northeastern model, the Times reported that 28,000 infections existed in the United States.

The research while inexact in estimating how often people are in contact with others, also fell in line with what other researchers around the country reported, according to the newspaper. Samuel Scarpino, a Northeastern mathematical epidemiologist who is not a member of Vespignanis team, told the Boston Globe the model explains the city experiencing a peak so quickly after cases started to appear consistently.

The peak of cases in the Boston area happened much earlier than we would have expected given the reported cases, Scarpino told the Globe. But, there was a much larger outbreak here than we realized earlier, and that really explains the peak timing, the early surge in deaths and cases.

Vespignani said the cases may have been missed in cities like Boston and New York City because other threats such as the flu, winter colds and other respiratory illnesses appeared larger on health care providers radar.

So what happened is that for a month and a half, the epidemic had gone unnoticed, Vespignani told Northeastern News. Until you have a critical mass of cases. Then, at that point, you start to see the tip of the iceberg.

As research continued on the virus, health care providers discovered as much as 20 percent of those infected are asymptomatic, but can still spread the virus.

Throughout March and into April, the United States struggled with testing availability, which also contributed to the virus spreading under the radar.

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed an additional 1,840 cases of the virus for a total of 58,302 cases statewide with 3,153 deaths linked to COVID-19. Officials to date have performed 254,500 COVID-19 tests.

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In the early 1930s, only about 10% of rural citizens had electricity.

About 90% of urban citizens already had it, according to the Roosevelt Institute. Private companies showed little interest in building expensive infrastructure in rural areas, where there were fewer people.

In 1936, the government created the Rural Electrification Act. Farmer-based cooperatives applied for low-interest loans to construct electricity infrastructure through the act.

By 1939, 417 cooperatives helped bring electricity to 25% of rural households. By 1945, nine out of 10 farms had electricity.

Electric membership cooperatives still exist, said Audra Mulkern, of the Female Farmer Project and Refresh Food and Tech Working Group. Theyre the ones that worked to light America.

Mulkern has been researching rural broadband with Refresh Food and Tech, which studies issues in food, technology and agriculture. As part of this, she has researched electric cooperatives.

The problem of rural electricity has often been compared to the problem of rural broadband today.

Rural areas have lagged behind urban and suburban areas in broadband access. Some, like Mulkern, believe cooperatives are the key.

Many, however, agree that public and private work are both essential to solving the problem.

Working together

The question of rural broadband, experts say, is an economic one. Building infrastructure costs money. Providing service to lower-population areas is another financial challenge.

Private entities are still working to bring access to rural areas, often using federal funds from programs like the U.S. Department of Agricultures ReConnect program and the Federal Communications Commissions Connect America Fund.

Public and private entities working together is critical, Shelley McKinley, Microsofts vice president of technology and corporate responsibility, told Farm and Dairy.

That public money is incredibly important, she said. But we need sustainable business models to keep areas covered.

Another part of the issue is the mapping problem. FCC data shows that almost 90% of rural America has access to broadband, but other experts say that number is too high.

If you dont know who doesnt have coverage, you cant direct money appropriately, McKinley said.

The Broadband DATA Act, federal legislation that requires the FCC to adjust how it collects, verifies and reports broadband data, was signed into law March 23. Some private entities are also working on mapping. Progress has been made, McKinley said, but there is still more to do.

Private sector

Microsofts Airband Initiative is one private-sector effort to expand broadband access.

Through the initiative, launched in 2017, Microsoft plans to help Internet service providers bring access to 3 million unserved citizens across the country by 2022. So far, McKinley says we are on track.

The project has brought access to about 630,000 people so far, but with much of legwork on developing partnerships with ISPs and planning networks done, McKinley said, Microsoft expects to reach its goal.

In Ohio, Microsoft is working with Agile Networks, in Canton, and WATCH Communications, in Lima. WATCH Communications is also receiving $53.4 million in FCC funding through the Connect America Fund over 10 years to deploy broadband service in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

Part of WATCHs plan is to bring access to over 288,000 currently unserved people in rural Ohio. WATCH says its initial rollout will impact 22 Ohio counties and 215,000 households. Construction has started, said Greg Jarman, chief development officer.

Microsoft, McKinley explained, is not an internet service provider, but works with companies to help them get better prices on equipment, training on different technology and access to resources. It also advocates nationally for better regulations for companies to work with TV white space to expand their networks.

Technology

While some believe fiber is the best type of technology to expand access, McKinley believes in a mix of technologies.

Laying fiber everywhere is not affordable, she said.

A study Microsoft did with the Boston Consulting Group suggested that a combination of technologies, including TV white space, could cover the country faster and cheaper.

TV white space allows internet to be provided over the television spectrum, McKinley said. This could be useful for rural areas. TV white space, however, is heavily regulated.

The FCC proposed updates to white space rules that would make it more efficient for broadband in rural areas Feb. 28, in response to a Microsoft petition. McKinley said being able to broadcast at a higher power would make TV white space more usable. Microsoft is continuing to advocate for updated regulations.

Fundamentally, we really dont care if its TV white space or something else, McKinley said. Its really about covering people.

Jarman said because different technologies work better in different areas, WATCH works with the counties it expands in to determine what is needed. In some areas, fiber is viable. For most rural areas, wireless works better. The company expects to have construction completed for its initial roll-out in about four years.

Crisis response

The COVID-19 crisis, however, cast a spotlight on the digital divide, highlighting an immediate need.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act included several provisions for broadband, including an additional $100 million for ReConnect program grants.

One of Microsofts goals in this crisis, McKinley said, is to help its partners access some of the stimulus funding available for broadband.

Jarman said WATCH has also added more hotspots for people who dont have broadband at home. Microsoft assisted with that effort.

Working with the counties has created an environment for us to reach into those communities, Jarman said.
Byron Ely, of Boise, pleaded not guilty on Friday and currently remains in custody at the Ada County Jail on a $6million bond

An Idaho man is said to have tried to hire someone to kidnap and kill a seven-year-old child he is accused of sexually abusing.

Byron Ely, of Boise, pleaded not guilty on Friday and currently remains in custody at the Ada County Jail on a $6million bond.

The 60-year-old has been charged on suspicion of lewd conduct with a child younger than the age of 16, according to the Idaho Statesman.

Ely's trial for the sexual abuse was scheduled to begin on March 17.

But the Boise Police Department received a tip from someone who claimed the man contacted them and offered to pay them to kill the child and the child's parents, according to prosecutors.

Ely is alleged to have offered that person two vehicles as payment.

Ely's bond was set to $5million for the solicitation to commit a crime charge while the rest was from the lewd conduct charge.

His next court appearance is scheduled for July 29 at 11am.

His lewd conduct trial has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Idaho Supreme Court has ordered courts to temporarily postpone assembling jury panels.
Guiding principles for Emory decision-makers As Emory leaders make decisions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are guided by these core principles:  Emory will continue to vigorously pursue our mission to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.  The health and safety of Emorys students, faculty and staff is paramount in moving forward into recovery. We will make decisions based on the best medical, scientific and public health evidence and will be compliant with all federal, state and local laws and regulations and requirements of our accrediting bodies.  Emory will continue to provide excellent academic offerings, ensure student progress and protect our students ability to afford to attend Emory.  The ability of faculty, staff and students to conduct research and engage in scholarship will be fully supported. Interrupted and suspended activities will resume as soon as it is safe to do so.  Decisions will be reached in the context of shared governance and through processes that are transparent and collaborative. They will be supported by the best available data and draw upon and leverage the considerable expertise and intellectual capital of the university.  Decisions will allow for flexibility to respond to rapid and perhaps unanticipated changes in circumstances.  Financial well-being will be assessed with respect to the short-, medium- and long-term impacts on our community and Emorys financial health.  Cost reductions through efficiencies and discretionary spending will be prioritized so as to minimize the impact on employment or compensation of our employees. If reductions affecting employment or compensation become necessary, they will be done in a fair and equitable manner that protects the most vulnerable populations to the greatest extent possible. We will communicate the basis and rationale for decisions to our community.

Questions about Emorys ongoing work and future plans to navigate the new normal of a global pandemic were the focus of the universitys first virtual town hall on Friday, April 24  an online event that drew more than 3,600 participants including faculty, staff and students.

The forum, held via Zoom, featured a panel of five university leaders. They spent an hour responding to pre-submitted questions concerning how Emory is managing the unprecedented demands presented by the coronavirus pandemic, including what has shaped its decision-making process, when students may return to campus and how Emory is weathering its financial impacts.

Emory President Claire E. Sterk opened the session by acknowledging her gratitude to students, faculty and staff members for swiftly adjusting to the modifications required to keep the community safe and secure during the onset of COVID-19.

Thank you to everyone, Sterk said. I think its an understatement for me to say that our lives have changed so much over the course of the past six weeks or so as were all focused on preventing the spread of the coronavirus. None of this is easy.

Living without a sense of what is next just makes all of us uncomfortable, she acknowledged. Today we want to talk about how the leadership team is making and implementing important decisions for the university and also want to talk about some milestones moving forward.

Sterk expressed appreciation to community members for sharing their questions, which were grouped into broad themes, including student impacts, campus operations, health care issues, university finances and employment concerns.

Im very proud of us as a community, she said. But I also know that there is a lot of pain and suffering thats going on, a lot of insecurity, how hard it is to not know exactly where we are going.

All I can say is  and I hope you dont hear these as empty words  that were in this together, she said, urging those with questions and problems to take advantage of Emory people and resources.

While everyone wishes there were more answers, we dont want to fool each other, Sterk said. We dont want to come up with answers until we know that those are answers we can live up to.

Its very, very difficult to live in these times of insecurity, she added. So please, lets stay together. Together, we can be strong.

Decision-making process

Recognizing that this is not the spring semester that any of us were hoping to have, Jan Love, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, acknowledged the onset of COVID-19 has required Emory to make some decisions that we have never made before, that we have never faced, and they were particularly challenging for all of us.

First and foremost, those decisions were made to protect students, faculty and staff, she said, expressing gratitude for the communitys ability to maintain a strong bond. Love also addressed concerns that executive decisions may have been made too slowly or in a vacuum. I just want to assure you that nothing could be further from the truth, she said.

Traditionally, Emory has employed a decentralized operating style and governance structure, allowing individual schools and units considerable freedom in decision-making, Love explained. One of the favorable consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, she said, is that an incredible amount of collaboration and enhanced shared governance has been underway, to great effect.

With leading schools of public health, medicine and nursing  and a robust health care system  resources from across the Emory enterprise have been called upon to help shape the path forward. In the face of uncertainties, we are trying to be adaptable, to adjust to all the new things we encounter almost every day, Love emphasized.

And we are always guided by trying to protect the most vulnerable members of our community, she said.

Fall semester plans

A decision has not yet been made with regard to reopening the campus and returning to in-person instruction for the fall semester, Love said.

Reopening campus will not be a fast or easy choice, she cautioned. And when students do return, Emory will very likely be operating under a new normal.

What that looks like will largely depend on public health and safety guidelines, which will inform decisions such as whether testing will be required before entering buildings; if classes should be staggered to accommodate new cleaning protocols; how quarantines will be handled in residence halls; if transportation and housing options should be expanded; if class sizes should be limited; and how continued social distancing requirements will work in the classroom.

You can appreciate that there are so many unknowns with which we are coping and so many scenarios that we must imagine  even in the midst of uncertainty and lack of information, Love acknowledged.

Fortunately, Emory serves as one of the countrys leading collections of expertise in public health, Love said. So we have far more resources and capacities for making these judgements than many other schools.

We will, I promise you, explore every possible means of having a residential learning program in the fall, she added. We want to provide that only if we can do it in the safest possible way.

Student impacts

Love also addressed concerns arising from a $1,000 stipend that was provided to Emory students most affected financially by the need to close residence halls and the transition to remote learning.

Due to an attempt to share information quickly  and software limitations  that support initially appeared as a credit for room and board. This hurt a lot of students already facing some of the most difficult hardships theyve ever encountered, Love said. We deeply regret that the best of our intentions to help students actually hurt students.

To make amends, Emory apologized and added $1,000 to the accounts of affected students.

Love also spoke to student requests that Emory adopt a double-A grading system, which would provide every student with an A or A- at a teachers discretion. Under the universitys accrediting body, that system is not allowed, said Love, noting that the university has worked with schools to offer an optional satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading system for the spring semester.

Enku Gelaye, vice president and dean of Campus Life, discussed student requests that Emory give particular attention to the disproportionate impact some students may be experiencing during the pandemic. Gelaye noted that the EmoryTogether fund has to-date distributed nearly $2.2 million to both undergraduate and graduate students, emphasizing that support is still available. (For more information, visit Emorys COVID-19 website.)

The university also continues to support nearly 300 students on campus who were unable to return home. That support will be offered through the summer, Gelaye said. She also urged students to take advantage of newly enhanced telehealth and tele-counseling services and to stay connected and engaged through Emorys new virtual community hub.

Financial impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a global recession unlike any other  one that will likely last for months to come, acknowledged Chris Augostini, executive vice president for business affairs.

In response, the university has already implemented cost-saving strategies to ensure there is adequate money to operate the university and preserve employment. For many in the audience today, I know that keeping your job and preserving your income is most important to you and your families, Augostini said. We have to be honest about the reality that there could be some difficult decisions that may need to be made in the future.

Our sincere hope is that we can keep the impact on our staff and our faculty to a minimum, he said. The university is doing everything it can to mitigate the financial impact of this virus by cutting discretionary spending everywhere possible.

With regard to employment, future decisions will depend upon how and when operations can again resume and students and researchers can safety return to campus  factors that remain under assessment, Augostini said.

If reductions affecting employment or compensation become necessary, they will be done in a fair and equitable manner that considers the impact on our lowest-paid employees to the greatest extent possible, he said.

While Emory is fortunate to have built a strong endowment, it exists to provide a steady flow of funding for current operations and to preserve purchasing power for future generations. To use that money now, could be taking money away from the faculty and the students, which would not only be detrimental now, but would jeopardize our future, he said.

Augostini acknowledged that there are various sources of COVID-19 financial relief available to serve Emorys academic, research and health care missions, including government grants, FEMA assistance, insurance proceeds and tax credits. At the moment, most are targeted toward much-needed health care assistance, he noted.

Early in the crisis, Emory decided to provide emergency funds for students in need. Since then, funds have been made available in the recent federal stimulus bill to help universities committed to helping students in need. Emory is exploring if the university will be able to accept those funds.

Health care issues

While physicians and researchers continue to advance their understanding and treatment of the virus, its clear that our definition of normal will not be the same, said Jonathan S. Lewin, executive vice president for health affairs.

Its critically important that we all recognize that were not returning to a pre-COVID-19 normal, rather were advancing into a world of living with COVID-19 until the necessary vaccines and cures exist, he said.

As states including Georgia begin a phased reopening, we have to realize that succeeding in this new normal requires the collective and measure efforts of all of us, Lewin explained. We still have a lot to learn about this version of the coronavirus.

Until then, he urged community members to continue doing their part in helping to control the pandemic by staying home as much as possible  especially when sick  and maintaining strict social distancing, wearing masks and handwashing. Were counting on all of you, he said.

A diagnostic antibody blood test developed by the Emory Vaccine Center to identify antibody responses in those whove already had COVID-19 exposure shows promise and has been made available on a volunteer basis to everyone who works within clinical or non-clinical Emory health care facilities; testing may be expanded more broadly later this spring with the help of a $3 million grant from the Marcus Foundation, he noted.

To continue slowing the spread of the virus, access to Emory hospitals will continue to be restricted to essential personnel. Care is also being exercised in re-opening clinical and laboratory research, Lewin said. More information will be released as safety protocols are fully developed.

He also expressed gratitude for personal protective equipment (PPE) donations provided by the community, noting drive-through donations are still being accepted at 1599 Clifton Road. Were using our supplies very carefully, he said. Right now, Emory Healthcare has sufficient PPE to serve us well, even if we have another surge. But were not out of the woods and we have to continue to use our resources carefully.

A recorded version of the town hall can be found here.
MasterChef Australia's biggest secrets have been exposed by an audience member who attended the live taping of Monday's episode.

During the episode, the contestants were asked to cook inside a warehouse in front of a crowd of screaming spectators.

Melbourne mother Donna De La Rue told Yahoo Lifestyle on Tuesday she had been surprised by how things really worked behind the scenes.

Behind the scenes: MasterChef Australia's biggest secrets have been exposed by an audience member who attended the live taping of Monday's episode

Donna apparently witnessed a handful of assistants racing around the set helping the contestants complete their meals.

'Every single one of those contestants had a cooking helper. Every single one of them,' she claimed.

'There were people running around in black T-shirts everywhere. There were people telling them whether it needed more spice et cetera.'

Production secrets: Melbourne mother Donna De La Rue said on Tuesday she had been surprised by how things really worked behind the scenes

The cooking helpers also cleaned up after the contestants, Donna said.

Interestingly, several contestants finished their dishes much earlier than others - which wasn't shown on TV - and spent the remaining time just standing around.

Monday night's episode was edited to make it seem like all the competitors were cooking until the last second.

The magic of TV: During the episode, the contestants were asked to cook inside a warehouse in front of a crowd of screaming spectators

'Poh [Ling Yeow] finished really, really early, she probably stood around for 15 minutes and did nothing,' Donna said.

'And then when they started the countdown she fussed around a little bit, but none of them were right on the buzzer for the countdown - that was all crap.'

After the contestants had finished cooking, crew members collected their dishes and stored them in an oven or a fridge until the judges' tasting session, which lasted for 90 minutes.

During the tasting, the judges spent far longer discussing some dishes than others.

Down to the wire? Several contestants, including Poh Ling Yeow (pictured), finished their dishes much earlier than others and spent the remaining time just standing around

Bizarrely, the studio audience was told to respond with applause and cheers even though they didn't know what was going on.

They weren't given any information about the challenge or the dishes being made, said Donna.

And to make matters worse they could barely hear anything over the roar of the crowd and some couldn't even see what was happening.

Clever editing: Monday night's episode was edited to make it seem like all the competitors were cooking until the last second - but this wasn't actually the case

Donna also described her experience as 'unpleasant', saying the audience had to endure hours of sweltering heat because the air conditioning wasn't working.

Lastly, she revealed that crew members had held up signs directing the audience when clap, shout and sigh throughout the cook-off.

This is a common practice for shows that are recorded in front of a studio audience, however.

MasterChef continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10
April 27, 2020 (Huntsville, Ala.) - Scientists at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), have identified a new risk factor for multiple neurodegenerative diseases.

"Finding evidence for a risk factor that contributes to multiple neurodegenerative diseases is exciting," said Richard M. Myers, PhD, HudsonAlpha president and science director. "We already know that these diseases share some pathologies. This work shows that the underlying causes of those pathologies may also be shared."

In the study, which was published April 23 in the American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers sequenced and analyzed whole genomes of more than 1,100 people. They found that rare variation in the gene TET2 nearly doubled the risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

"The project wouldn't have been possible without extensive collaboration between institutions," said first author Nicholas Cochran, PhD, a senior scientist in the Myers Lab. "You end up being able to find things that you can't find working alone."

Jennifer Yokoyama, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology at UCSF, worked with Cochran on technical details and also was the point person for sample collection. The majority of the samples used for the project were collected over decades at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and then sequenced and analyzed at HudsonAlpha.

Once the research team had the sequence results, they analyzed the genomes of 493 people with either AD, ALS, or FTD and 671 healthy people. Many of the patients had early-onset versions of neurodegenerative disease, which suggests that it is more likely that there would be a genetic component of their illness. During genome analysis, the researchers looked at both coding and non-coding regions of the genome for DNA sequence variants, a strategy that allowed them to be more confident that any possible genes they pulled out were the real deal.

"We didn't go in with any suspicions about what we might [get], so we're excited that we did find a new genetic association here," Cochran said. TET2 is especially exciting because it encodes a protein that catalyzes DNA demethylation. Previous work has shown that changes in DNA methylation happen during aging, so the authors hypothesize that mutations in the gene could lead to a faulty TET2 protein that disrupts how the brain ages and contributes to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

"Sometimes we get a hit, and it's hard to understand what it might be doing, but TET2 already has established roles in the brain. So this finding really made sense," Cochran explained.

After the team identified TET2, they looked at previously generated genetic data from more than 32,000 healthy people and people with neurodegenerative diseases. This data confirmed that variants in TET2, in both protein-coding and non-coding regions, were more likely to be present in the genomes of people with AD, ALS, or FTD than in people without these diseases. Next steps will focus on how changes in TET2 levels or function could contribute to aging and neurodegenerative disease.

###

This work was generously supported by donors to the HudsonAlpha Foundation Memory and Mobility Program, which funded the sequencing and analysis of UCSF-enrolled participants at HudsonAlpha. Funding for genomes sequenced at the New York Genome Center was provided by grant support from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. The Daniel Foundation of Alabama provided funding for sequencing genomes from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additional support was provided by the NIH-NIA K01 AG049152, NIH-NIA R01 AG062588, Larry L. Hillblom Foundation 2016-A-005-SUP, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, NIA P01 AG1972403, NIA P50 AG023501, NIA P30 AG062422, and R01 AG045611.

About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing and applying scientific advances to health, agriculture, learning, and commercialization. Opened in 2008, HudsonAlpha's vision is to leverage the synergy between discovery, education, medicine, and economic development in genomic sciences to improve the human condition around the globe. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation's second largest research park. The state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education and includes more than 30 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.

Media Contact:

Margetta Thomas

mthomas@hudsonalpha.org

256-937-8210
First Minister Arlene Foster has congratulated Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds on the birth of their baby son.

She said there would be more sleepless nights ahead for the couple.

"Wonderful news of the birth of a baby boy! Many congratulations to the PM and Carrie Symonds," she tweeted.

Wonderful news of the birth of a baby boy! Many congratulations to the PM @BorisJohnson and @carriesymonds . More sleepless nights ahead!   Arlene Foster #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) April 29, 2020

Congratulations to Carrie & Boris and we wish them, and their son, all the best (& to pass on our wishes to all other newborns  & parents as well) @10DowningStreet @uuponline https://t.co/PZtR6pCptp  Steve Aiken OBE (@SteveAikenUUP) April 29, 2020

UUP leader Steve Aiken also tweeted his congratulations

"We wish them, and their son, all the best (& to pass on our wishes to all other newborns & parents as well)," he added in a post on Twitter.

The baby was born in a London hospital early on Wednesday.

Both mother and baby were doing "very well," a spokesman said.

The birth comes just weeks after the PM was discharged from intensive care where he had been battling coronavirus. He returned to work on Monday and spoke of how the virus felt like an "invisible mugger".

Ms Symonds also suffered symptoms of the disease.

Expand Close Boris Johnson with First Minister Arlene Foster during his visit to Northern Ireland in January. (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Boris Johnson with First Minister Arlene Foster during his visit to Northern Ireland in January. (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Johnson has previously suggested he intends to take paternity leave, although it is not known if this remains the case given the coronavirus crisis.

The Prime Minister's spokeswoman said the couple were "thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well.

"The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team."

Mr Johnson, 55, and Ms Symonds, 32, announced in March that they were expecting a baby in "early summer", and that they had become engaged at the end of last year.

The Prime Minister will not appear at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon.
Mainstream Technologies is pleased to announce the promotion of Colby Francis to Security Analyst with the Security Services unit (SEC). His responsibilities will include security auditing, management of security tools, and supporting Mainstreams security infrastructure.

Colby has been with Mainstream for six years as a Support Engineer for Managed Services clients. Prior to that, he was self-employed, serving as IT support for small businesses and was able to underwrite his entire college education with revenues from his small business enterprise. He has a degree from UALR in Systems Engineering with a focus on computers, and a minor in mathematics. Colbys hobbies include music, playing bass in a band, and currently engaged in pilot lessons.

According to Daniel Weatherly, Director of Security Services: Colbys passion for security and ability to logically analyze situations makes him very well suited for this position. I am very excited to have him on board to help build our department.

ABOUT MAINSTREAM

Since 1996, Mainstream (http://www.mainstream-tech.com) has evolved into one of the most established IT services companies in the Mid-South, serving clients from its Arkansas locations including headquarters in Little Rock, a second operations facility in Conway, as well as a sales office in Bentonville. Their staff of information technology professionals serves business and government customers across the nation with Managed IT Services, Custom Software Development Services, Cyber Security Services, and Hosting.
Before a crawfish boil or barbecue in his native New Orleans, award-winning bartender Ricky Gomez liked to swing by a daiquiri shop to pick up a half gallon of frozen cocktail for the party  back when there were parties.

When Gomez opened Palomar, his Cuban-style cocktail bar and restaurant, he couldnt quite replicate that New Orleans experience in Portland. Oregon laws, including some dating back to prohibition, place strict limits on sales of spirits, including banning bars and restaurants from selling cocktails to-go. But that didnt stop him from bringing a taste of the Big Easy to the Rose City: Before the coronavirus pandemic shut Gomez business, Palomar was best known for its daiquiris, the showpiece of a cocktail menu that collectively drew more than half of the business revenue.

Now Gomez and other small business owners are pleading with Oregon leaders to follow the dozens of states and municipalities including California, Washington and Idaho in loosening restrictions to allow restaurants and bars to offer cocktails or cocktail kits to-go.

Everybodys hurting, but if you look specifically at unemployment in Oregon, the service industry has been hit 10-fold harder than any other, said Gomez. When you take that bread away from a business like mine, were not going to be able to survive. And in fact were not surviving. Were closed, and all my employees including myself are on unemployment.

The public health crisis caused by COVID-19 has created an ancillary economic crisis for the American restaurant industry. Over the six weeks since Gov. Kate Brown banned on-premises dining at restaurants and bars across the state, more than 80 percent of Oregons approximately 155,000 service industry workers have been laid off, according to a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, accounting for nearly two-fifths of Oregons 334,000 laid-off workers.

Unlike restaurants, widely celebrated craft cocktail bars such as Palomar  The Oregonian/OregonLives Bar of the Year in 2018 and maker of one of Thrillists Best Cocktails in America last year  have found switching to a takeout model impossible. Most arent set up with delivery services, and even if they were, their signature items arent pizza or burgers. Theyre cocktails.

Gomez, a first-generation Cuban American who was once crowned U.S. bartender of the year at the worlds largest cocktail competition, hopes to rehire two members of his 14-person staff to prepare and package drinks should Oregon give the go-ahead for cocktails to-go. If the state required that alcohol sales be accompanied by food, as in New York and California, he could bring back two or three additional kitchen workers to make yuca fries, medianoche sandwiches and other takeout-friendly Cuban specialties.

In the first three weeks after Gov. Browns order, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission streamlined the process for businesses to offer same-day delivery beer, wine, cider and marijuana without obtaining a signature. Over that same time period, the agency fast-tracked more than 150 requests for same-day-delivery privileges from restaurants, bars and breweries, and received nearly 500 applications for additional off-premises privileges from licensees. More have followed.

And last week, the commission allowed restaurants and bars to suspend their liquor liability insurance and postponed payment dates for annual license renewal fees. The agency also recently allowed distilleries to begin selling their wares online and over the phone, including for home delivery.

UNIQUE IN THE WEST

But making a change that would allow restaurants and bars to sell spirits to-go would require a change at the legislative level, said OLCC spokesman Bryant Haley. Thats because the Oregon statute that governs the sale of liquor specifically states that all alcoholic beverages sold under a full on-premises sales license must be consumed on the licensed premises. Haley thinks a change could be on the agenda if the Oregon Legislature were to call a special session, though it might not be at the top of the to-do list.

And Haley says any loosening of restrictions around alcohol sales will likely draw pushback from temperance and recovery groups. In a letter last month to the Joint Special Committee on Coronavirus Response, Oregon House District 43 Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, argued just that, urging the OLCC to reverse its decision to ease home delivery for beer and wine, halt discussions around alcohol sales to-go and close all liquor stores for the duration of the coronavirus crisis in an attempt to prevent relapses within the recovery community. Meanwhile, the WHO has recommended governments limit access to alcohol during the pandemic.

Oregons neighbors have each given the go-ahead for cocktails to-go in some form, though the states differ on the specifics. In California, you can get a pre-batched margarita  even from chains such as Chilis  with your chips and guac. In Idaho, craft cocktail bars including Press & Pony are offering their house Bees Knees and Manhattan cocktails in 8-ounce mason jars for curbside pickup. Washington state, meanwhile, has temporarily allowed restaurants and bars to add spirits to their takeout menus, as long as they remain inside their factory-sealed containers.

That last model, underway since March at restaurants in Southwest Washington including Little Conejo and Rally Pizza, wouldnt help much on this side of the Columbia River, Gomez and others argue. As one of 17 remaining control states, Oregon holds a monopoly on the sale and distribution of hard alcohol, limiting restaurants and bars to a 5% discount when purchasing spirits. Freezing profits on cocktail kits at that margin might have a chilling effect on bars and restaurants hoping to reopen. Bars in Washington State have also asked for the privilege to sell pre-mixed drinks to-go.

VODKA PAYS THE BILLS

On the day Hey Love closed, the plant-filled East Burnside bars popular slushies included a strawberry rose daiquiri and a pina colada variation that customers could pair together for in the so-called Miami Vice. Now co-owner Emily Mistell wishes she could turn her business into a walk-up daiquiri shack, similar to the ones Gomez would visit in New Orleans, putting a few employees whove struggled to obtain unemployment insurance benefits back to work in the process. Mistell, one of Portlands top bartenders, also says she misses the chance to watch someone else make her a cocktail. Its just a lot more effort than cracking a White Claw, Mistell said.

Shuttered bars stand to gain the most from a rule change. But Portland restaurants are also eager to show off their bottled cocktail skills.

Eric Nelson, co-owner of the Texas-Thai bar mashup Eem, says hes already laying the groundwork to add Eems signature pina coladas to the restaurant and bars popular new takeout menu, and wonders if the state will soon miss the tens of thousands of dollars in alcohol purchases Eem and others put into the OLCCs coffers each week. So far, Oregon liquor stores report revenue has been up state-wide, with a spike in consumer purchases offsetting the loss from shuttered restaurants and bars.

Before Gov. Kate Brown's stay-home order, North Portland's Eem sold cocktails in fanciful ceramic mugs.

And its not just hip newcomers hoping to offer cocktails to-go. Ringside Steakhouse, one of Portlands oldest family-owned restaurants, would be first in line to offer Manhattan cocktail kits  perhaps alongside full heat-and-serve prime rib dinners  should restrictions be lifted, according to general manager Geoffrey Rich. The 75-year-old restaurant just went through a takeout trial by fire during their first dry-aged steak sale last weekend, when traffic snarled from their West Burnside parking down to Powells City of Books and beyond.

There isnt a restaurant that I know that isnt just chomping at the bit waiting for this to happen, said Israel Morales, co-owner of the modern Russian restaurant Kachka. The economics of a restaurant these days doesnt exist without a beverage program, especially when youre looking at the profit margins of a grocery store, which is what most of us have turned into.

Thats true even in the best of times, Morales said. Even at a restaurant known for its food  Morales partner, chef Bonnie Morales, was a James Beard Award finalist in 2018  the beverage program is almost always more profitable. Thats because restaurants mark up beer and wine about three times what they pay and cocktail ingredients by as much as four or five times. And unlike food, alcohol rarely goes bad, labor costs behind the bar tend to be lower than in the kitchen and while the average customer might order just one round of Siberian dumplings, they might wash it down with more than one Moscow Mule. Add it all up and its easy to understand why even those restaurants that have successfully navigated the switch to takeout say they are doing so with only 10 to 20 percent of their pre-pandemic staff, or Morales owns a shirt that says, Vodka Pays The Bills.

This is not about making an extra buck, this is about surviving. Im out running deliveries (from Kachka) right now so I can make my rent payment, so I can keep the 10 people on my staff employed. Theres desperation.

Palomar owner Gomez said he has nothing but good things to say about the OLCC, noting the agencys responsible serving program, which trains Oregon bartenders to seek out proper identification, spot physical cues of intoxication and details the legal ramifications for over-serving a guest. Ive seen more people cut off in Portland in one year than in my previous 10 years in New Orleans, Gomez said.

Gomez knows that cocktails arent the most pressing issue, but he long to reopen his business and get back to working 12-hour days. And he thinks Palomar could play a small role in returning a sense of normalcy during Browns shelter-at-home order.

Cocktails to-go isnt going to cure COVID-19, Gomez said. But when it comes to unemployment, this is something that can help with the viability of these small businesses. You may only hire a couple of people, but thats more than zero more."

-- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 11:12:08|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has hit 50,015 in Canada with 2,859 deaths as of Tuesday, according to the latest tally compiled by the country's Public Health Agency.

The country's epicenter of the virus outbreak has been Quebec Province with 25,757 cases, followed by Ontario with 15,381, according to the agency.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the country's 13 provincial and territorial premiers released a joint statement on Tuesday in which they outlined a "shared public-health approach to support restarting the economy" of the country, which includes "easing restrictions gradually."

But not all of the first ministers are on the same page when it comes to the timing of that phased approach, particularly in the case of the premiers of Canada's two largest provinces.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced at his daily briefing on Tuesday that "various sectors and businesses" will follow suit in the "coming weeks, after he said Monday schools would reopen next month.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford outlined on Monday what he called "a road map, not a calendar" when businesses and services could open and resume over a three-stage process without setting any dates.

Trudeau warned on Tuesday that Canada has not been "out of the woods yet" and easing restrictions too fast could wipe out the progress made to date.

Canada's chief public health officer Theresa Tam also cautioned that public health measures will need to remain in place until there is a high level of immunity or a vaccine to avoid future epidemic waves, saying that Canadians must continue physical distancing, contact tracing and quarantine measures. Enditem
More than 75% of the incarcerated population is now being held in isolation, if they tested positive, or in quarantine, if they came into contact with someone who tested positive. Read more

In the air yesterday, Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flew over Philly, bringing people out of their homes. And on the ground, first responders saluted health-care workers with a parade in Cherry Hill. When looking toward the future, though, psychologists are concerned about how children will be affected by the months of lockdown and isolation.

 Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Last week, Montco officials set out to determine just how entrenched the coronavirus was behind bars. They tested every incarcerated person in their custody. And what they found was sobering and could indicate infection rates at corrections facilities across Southeastern Pennsylvania are several times higher than whats currently being detected.

Of the 948 incarcerated people, 177  about 18% of the countys incarcerated population  tested positive. Thats a rate of infection more than 30 times greater than what Montco had identified before it started mass testing.

When it comes to the social impact of the coronavirus, psychologists my colleague Alfred Lubrano spoke with speculated that most kids will fall between the extremes of derailing and flourishing. Children are absorbing their parents tensions, and also contend with their own pressures. They are losing contact with friends. Milestones such as graduations are canceled. Theres also an overwhelming fear that their future might be compromised. But, children can also be remarkably resilient and some might not even talk about COVID-19 a year from now.

Bell & Evans is a family-owned poultry-processing plant in rural Lebanon County that specializes in organic, antibiotic-free chicken sold at Whole Foods. The company is one of the latest to be swept up in the pandemic. More than a dozen meat-processing plants have closed temporarily nationwide because so many employees contracted the virus. Bell & Evans is still operating, though, despite an outbreak that has killed two.

Fearful of meat shortages, President Donald Trump yesterday signaled his plan to use the Defense Production Act to order meat-processing plants to stay open.

What you need to know today

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

Who else watched the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds yesterday? Thanks for this cool video, @chloemek.

My photojournalist colleagues were also around the city snapping pictures of how the city took in the sight.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats interesting

Opinions

Suddenly, just as my grandmother sidled alongside the table, the ropes binding one corpse gave way. The upper portion of a dead body sprang up to greet her like one of those ogres that pop up unexpectedly in amusement-park haunted houses.  writes Frank Fitzpatrick, recounting his grandmothers stories of his great-grandfather who was a mortician during the 1918-19 flu pandemic and had to keep corpses in his home.

What do health-care workers need? Blue angels? No, writes Solomon Jones. They need green money.

Anti-Asian discrimination is continuing, months into the coronavirus pandemic, writes Anne Ishii, the executive director of the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia.

What youre watching

Todays rec comes from Andrew Sides. Andrews been binging Community. Its now on Netflix and has been on Hulu for a bit, too. Personally, Im a fan of the sitcom, which follows the adventures of a group of community college students who seemingly have nothing in common. Its the perfect vehicle for some laughs in a dark time, Andrew writes. I totally agree.

Got any more recommendations? Keep 'em coming. Email morningnewsletter@inquirer.com.

Your Daily Dose of | 76 miles

A 44-year-old ultra runner from Philly ran 76 miles around the perimeter of the city using Wawas as pit stops after being inspired by a NASA astronauts Instagram post showing Philadelphia lit up from space.
Police on Wednesday seized 4 lakh intoxicating pills that were smuggled from Delhi in a special parcel train.

According to the commissionerate police, these pills were smuggled in the guise of essential commodities on April 26. After being unloaded from the goods train at the Amritsar railway station, the contraband was sent to a private godown situated at Bhagtanwala area here.

The pills were seized by the police following a tip-off. However, the accused who had ordered for the contraband are absconding.

Police said they have identified two accused in this connection -- Naval Sood of Dhariwal village in Gurdaspur district and Mukesh Yadav of Amritsar. Sood, who runs a chemist shop in Gurdaspur, had ordered the consignment.

Due to enforcement of the nationwide lockdown, Indian railways run 134 special parcel trains on 67 routes to ensure the supply of essential commodities.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP-investigation) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said, A police team, led by crime investigation agency (CIA) wing in-charge Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, raided Golden Deep Enterprises godown at Bhagtanwala. They recovered 4 lakh pills of tramadol (a banned drug) from eight cartons.

He said the police have also identified the locations in Delhi from where the drugs were dispatched. A team is being sent to Delhi to unearth the racket. Another team is conducting raids to arrest the accused who placed the order, he said.

He said the preliminary investigation has suggested that as the supply chain of drugs has been cut off due to the lockdown, these pills were to be sold at exorbitant rates in various villages of Majha region. The accused have been booked under the various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
A screen shows Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivering the budget for 2020-21 at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on February 26. EPA




A LNG-propelled container vessel built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries / Courtesy of Hyundai Samho



By Nam Hyun-woo



The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will have a limited impact on Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's (KSOE) order backlog, the shipbuilder said Wednesday. KSOE is an intermediate holding firm controlling Hyundai Heavy Industries and other shipbuilding units of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group.



During a conference call, the KSOE said it is experiencing "no setbacks in production" stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak, but is anticipating a potential impact on its order backlog.



"There could be anticipations that KSOE will not be able to meet its order target for this year, and we also understand such concerns," the company said during the call. "Instead of changing our order target hastily just after the first quarter, we believe it is time to closely monitor the market situation."



According to the company, its shipbuilding units seek to secure orders worth $19.5 billion this year, slightly contracted from last year's $19.62 billion, despite the COVID-19 outbreak.



This is a contrast to the market's negative outlook on the potential global vessel orders for this year. After the pandemic, market tracker Clarksons Research downgraded its outlook on this year's global order potential to 39.1 million gross tonnages, down 45 percent from its previous forecast of 71.3 million in gross tonnage as of last September.



"In a breakdown of Clarkson Research's outlook, however, the decline in the orders for LNG, LPG, tankers, containers and our other main vessels are relatively mild. Thus, we believe a better guidance on our orders will be available after the second quarter," the company said.



The company said private shippers are monitoring the market circumstances currently, as the financial slowdown, weak oil price, volatile shipping price and other factors are displaying mixed indications on the shipbuilding market. Despite the circumstances, KSOE said shippers are expecting a cut in ship prices, thus a recovery in the financial market will spur them to place new orders.



Over its LNG carrier business, the KSOE also expected no major delays in major LNG projects across the world, since many of them are state-run or massive projects, thus authorities will not take action lightly to postpone placement of new orders, as delays will incur immense losses for them.



"Large LNG projects are going ahead as scheduled," the company said. "Since most projects from which we are seeking to win orders are at their final stage, there will be no major delays in winning orders for LNG carrier projects. There are some difficulties in having face-to-face meetings  but we don't see that as a major setback," the company said.



Another rosy outlook for the company is Qatar Petroleum's LNG project, which is expected to account for nearly 60 percent of the global LNG shipbuilding capacity. In the project, 60 to 120 LNG carriers are expected to be ordered, and 40 to 80 of them will be assigned to Korean shipbuilders, the KSOE said. The KSOE did not include this in its order target for this year, saying it needs to take a conservative stance.



This year, the company plans to deliver 18 LNG carriers  12 from Hyundai Heavy Industries and six from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.



The company also expressed its confidence that the COVID-19 outbreak will not hamper it from meeting this year's sales target.



"There will be no impact on this year's sales on Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. For Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, there could be a slight impact due to its fast shipbuilding turnover, but the unit logged relatively good orders in the first quarter, thus the impact will be limited."



The KSOE logged 121.7 billion won in consolidated operating profit in the first quarter, up 251.7 percent from a year earlier. Its sales also grew to 3.94 trillion won, up by 20.4 percent from 3.28 trillion won, during the same period. Three units under KSOE won 19 vessel orders in the first quarter, worth $1.2 billion.




Even just a few years ago, Ethan Knight might have been the heir apparent to lead the Multnomah County District Attorneys office. The 45-year-old assistant U.S. Attorney has 20 years of prosecutorial experience in both state and federal courts. He has a reputation for professionalism and integrity and has handled some of the regions thorniest cases. And for an office that has had only two leaders for 40 years, his unassuming style would fit in well with the reserved culture of public service established by his predecessors.

But like others across the country, Portland residents are rethinking our traditional approach to crime and punishment. Locally, research has revealed racial disparities at every level of the justice system, from police stops to prosecutions. Jails are often full of people whose offenses stem not from criminal intent but primarily from a lack of shelter or inability to access social services. And while mandatory minimum prison sentences may provide consistency across cases, they also block consideration for the circumstances of any individual situation.

Its time to break with tradition and embrace a different approach in prosecuting crimes, particularly low-level offenses. Multnomah County voters wanting to see progress toward a more data-based justice system should elect Mike Schmidt, the executive director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission and a former prosecutor, as their next district attorney.

Schmidt, 39, offers a compelling vision of how and why the criminal justice system needs to be reshaped, both to improve public safety as well as to better match the priorities and concerns of the community. As the head of the criminal justice commission, Schmidt has overseen a number of initiatives that explore ways to reduce repeat criminal behavior, often by connecting offenders with treatment and supervision. He argues that such efforts have shown decreases in recidivism by offenders, helping improve public safety better than the cycle of conviction and incarceration. As DA, he would push prosecutors to look for alternate avenues to manage the thousands of misdemeanors that make up the bulk of the offices caseload.

But while he has said he would not seek the death penalty, he stressed that reforming the system does not mean letting up on prosecuting violent criminals and pledged to continue that work. He added that he would seek to have juveniles tried and sentenced as adults if the circumstances warrant it, as a recent case in Yamhill County should have, he said.

Its not an easy call. During interviews with The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board, Knights experience and deep knowledge of prosecutorial procedure showed in his ability to answer questions of changing prosecutorial practices with nuance and specificity while Schmidt, at times, came across as more of an academic. But while Knight supports some reforms, such as halting collections of court-ordered fines and fees from low-income defendants, he would seek changes as part of a statewide effort.

Oregon is overdue for a more forward-thinking approach, and Multnomah County should lead the way by electing Schmidt.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

For links to all our endorsements for the May 2020 election, click here.
The protesters gathered in Mullumbimby, near Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, on April 22 to protest against an upgrade of a Telstra tower

An anti-5G protester spat on a postman during a demonstration where hundreds breached coronavirus restrictions.

The protesters gathered in Mullumbimby, near Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, on April 22 to protest against an upgrade of a Telstra tower.

A private contractor for the Australian Post was picking up mail nearby when his delivery van was blocked in and a protester verbally abused him before spitting on his boots.

The postman told the protester he had nothing to do with Telstra or the 5G tower but that did nothing to quell their anger.

'The protesters parked me in,' the postman told The Northern Star.

'I was picking up mail from the back of the post office and when I got back at 2pm, I couldn't move the truck.

He called the police who are trying to locate the spitting protester.

'I hope they catch the guy,' the postman said.

The postman said the protesters are still at the 5G tower and he sees them every morning at 5am.

A private contractor for the Australian Post was picking up mail nearby when his delivery van was blocked in and a protester verbally abused him before spitting on his boots

This incident came after video footage was shared to Facebook by one of the protesters on Wednesday which showed police officers move the crowd on so a truck could access the area.

The tow truck began to reverse along the street as one of the protesters stood on the gutter.

The man lunged forward and smashed his head into the truck's rear view mirror, before falling backward on the ground.

He flung his arms out on the concrete before rolling onto his side, while his fellow protesters screamed.

Footage of the clash shows protesters yelling 'No 5G' under the watchful eye of police who were there to protect Telstra workers.

This incident came after video footage was shared to Facebook by one of the protesters on Wednesday which showed one of them smash their head on a tow truck's rear view mirror

Australian professor of medicine, and public health advocate John Dwyer described conspiracy claims that 5G causes the deadly virus as 'dangerous nonsense'.

He also refuted claims 5G technology is harmful to our health.

'It's right up there with wind farms causing cancer,' Professor Dwyer told Channel Seven earlier this month.

'At this time in the fight against the epidemic, this is dangerous nonsense. Even to have a few people think differently that social distancing isn't for them is a silly idea and is putting all of us at risk.'

'For some people, the idea of a conspiracy theory turns them on. Most of the time, it doesn't matter that much but in this particular case, it's dangerous.'
Company Announcement No 22/2020  28 April 2020

Q1 2020 Trading Statement

Q1 2020 in line with last year  challenging Q2 ahead

Royal Unibrew delivered a financial result for the first quarter in 2020 in line with the result of last year despite the negative impact from the COVID-19 virus. The year started strongly and ahead of last year in both January and February. The initial momentum was driven by great innovation initiatives such as the launch of new Royal 0,0% beer in Denmark and Jaffa Juicy in Finland. In March, the On-Trade business particularly in Italy and Denmark was impacted by COVID-19 regulations leading to a performance below last year. We have seen a change in the consumer behavior as social drinking occasions disappeared, resulting in a negative impact for alcoholic beverages, whereas non-alco consumption is less impacted. During the beginning of March, the sale in supermarkets was very strong, but lost speed towards the end of the month being in line with last year.

Royal Unibrew is continuously following the development of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to first and foremost secure our employees and their families and to reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, Royal Unibrew has taken necessary precautions by implementing various measures as recommended by Government Agencies and health authorities.

The regulations imposed by authorities relating to COVID-19 is impacting our markets negatively. Whilst this is ongoing, we have taken actions to manage our cost base and increased the focus on cash flow. Our ambition is to implement short term activities to secure that Royal Unibrew maneuvers safely through these difficult times and provides the flexibility to make the right commercial decisions for the long-term health of our company. The severity of COVID-19 was recognized towards the end of the quarter and therefore the impact of the cost initiatives has limited impact in Q1.

Financial highlights Q1-2020

Story continues

Net revenue for Q1 2020 amounted to 1,524 million compared to DKK 1,521 million for Q1 2019. Net revenue and earnings of a beverage business for the first quarter of the year do not reflect a proportional share of net revenue and results for the year. The period represents the winter season when sales and earnings are usually at a lower level compared to other quarters of the year.

Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) for Q1 2020 was DKK 11 million lower than in 2019 and amounted to DKK 200 million (2019: DKK 211 million). The EBIT margin decreased by 0.8 percentage point to 13.1%. The quarter is negatively impacted by a bad debt provision related to COVID-19 pandemic.

Volumes for Q1 2020 were in line with Q1 2019 and amounted to 2.2 million hectoliters.

Net interest-bearing debt increased by DKK 127 million compared to year end 2019. Calculated on a running 12 months basis, NIBD/EBITDA was 1.6x.

Outlook

As announced in March 2020 the situation on the COVID-19 pandemic reduces financial visibility and the 2020 outlook is consequently suspended.







SELECTED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY RATIOS mDKK Q1 2020 Q1 2019 FY 2019 Volume (thousand hl) 2,216 2,226 11,024 Net revenue 1,524 1,521 7,692 EBITDA 287 295 1,814 EBITDA margin (%) 18.8 19.4 23.6 EBIT 200 211 1,469 EBIT margin (%) 13.1 13.9 19.1 Profit before tax 188 200 1,458 Net profit for the period 145 153 1,14 Free cash flow -72 -163 1,156 Net interest-bearing debt 2,832 3,047 2,705 NIBD/EBITDA (times)* 1.6 1.8 1.5 Equity ratio (%) 37 34 37 Earnings per share (EPS) 3.0 3.1 23.0 * Running 12 months





For further information on this Announcement:

Hans Savonije, President & CEO, tel. +45 22 20 80 17

Lars Vestergaard, CFO, tel. +45 30 93 18 08

Lars Jensen, COO, tel. +45 29 23 00 44

It will be possible for investors and analysts to follow Royal Unibrews presentation of the trading statement on Wednesday, 29 April 2020, at 9.00 am CEST by audiocast at the following telephone numbers:

Participants from Denmark: +45 32 72 80 42

Participants from the UK: +44 (0) 2071 928000

Participants from the USA: +1 6315 107 495

Confirmation code: 6991226

The presentation may also be followed at Royal Unibrews website www.royalunibrew.com.

Financial Calendar for 2020 24 August 2020 Interim Report for the period 1 January - 30 June 2020 17 November 2020 Trading statement for the period 1 January - 30 September 2020

Attachment
On April 10, the Union health ministry praised the 'Agra Model' for fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 27, the city reported 32 hotsposts and 365 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Syed Firdaus Ashraf reports.

IMAGE: Security personnel deployed at a hotspot area in Agra. Photograph: ANI Photo

A fortnight ago the 'Agra model' was touted as something the rest of India battling the coronavirus pandemic ought to follow.

On April 12, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra, a doctor by training, quoting a news report, tweeted, 'The #Agramodel in Uttar Pradesh to fight COVID has emerged as a success story which should be emulated by other states as best practices'.

Just 10 days later, Agra Mayor Naveen Jain wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stating that if action is not taken soon, then Agra would become the 'Wuhan of India'.

How did the the situation in Agra change so drastically within less than a fortnight?

On March 3, 2020, Air India tweeted from its official handle stating, 'This is for the attention of passengers who flew on A1154 Vienna-Delhi on 25th February 2020. One of the passengers has tested positive for #coronavirus. Please follow the protocol notified by the ministry of health regarding coronavirus'.

The COVID-19 passenger in question, Agra's Patient Zero, had travelled from Italy to Vienna by road and then took the Air India flight to New Delhi.

What Air India did not know while putting out the information on Twitter was that the passenger had already travelled to different places after arriving in New Delhi.

And that included Agra, where he met relatives.

The same day, March 3, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi tweeted, 'There is no need to panic. We need to work together, take small yet important measures to ensure self-protection'.

Modi's tweet added: 'Had an extensive review regarding preparedness on the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Different ministries & states are working together, from screening people arriving in India to providing prompt medical attention'.

It was already too late as far as Agra was concerned as six people this COVID-19 patient met in the city had already tested positive.

The same night, the Agra district magistrate tweeted information on coronavirus, including how it spreads, what precautions need to be taken and shared important phone numbers in case of an emergency.

If that was not a bad start for Agra, a week later came the news that a Google employee's wife who had tested COVID-19 positive in Bengaluru had left a quarantine centre to take a flight to Delhi and then took a train to reach Agra, where she was at her parent's home.

The couple had travelled to Italy for their honeymoon in February where the wife was infected with the disease.

Even as the police filed a first information report against her and her family for not cooperating with the authorities and hiding her travel history, all was still not lost.

As of March 18 as there were only seven COVID-19 patients in Agra.

But things changed on March 26 after a kidney patient admitted to a hospital in the city was found to be positive. One of the cleaning staff contacted the virus from the patient and in turn spread the virus to eight of her family members.

According to a report (external link) published in The Hindu. Dr R M Pachori, district president of the Indian Medical Association in Agra was quoted as saying, 'This patient turned out to be a contact person of a person who attended a religious congregation in New Delhi.'

Till April 3, 2020, there were 12 COVID-19 patients in Agra, with eight of them being discharged after testing negative for the virus.

Until then 1,145 tests had been conducted by the authorities in Agra.

Later, five men who attended the Tablighi Jamat congregation in New Delhi tested positive in Agra.

On April 9, from these five cases 14 new COVID-19 patients were traced.

On April 10, the number rose almost four times, with 80 COVID-19 patients in Agra and 33 hotspots detected across the city.

To fight the COVID-19 battle, 1,200 workers conducted house to house testing. Over 900,000 people were screened in a short span of time.

It was here that the Union health ministry stepped in and praised the 'Agra model', stating how it was the first city in India to fight the coronavirus with a cluster model and that the rest of India must follow it.

But 10 days later, the number of COVID-19 patients went up drastically in Agra and the situation seemed to be going out of control.

On April 18, Agra District Magistrate Prabhu Singh tweeted that there were now 223 active cases in the city.

Singh was unavailable when this correspondent tried to contact him and did not respond to messages.

Three days later, Agra Mayor Naveen Jain's letter to Chief Minister Adityanath was leaked to the media in which Jain said that many people were dying because of no treatment and if the situation is not managed properly then Agra 'may resemble Wuhan city of China', the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic.

'No testing is taking place in quarantine centres set up by the local administration in coronavirus hotspots. No arrangements have been made for food and water to patients,' Jain's letter to Adityanath stated.

'In government hospitals, care is not being provided to patients having other diseases. Many are dying because of no treatment. Private hospitals are merely carrying out paperwork and nothing is happening on the ground,' Jain said.

'The authorities in Agra are only coming out of their homes for 20 minutes in a day to show their faces. They only come for photo clicking to show that they are working, but they are not,' Jain alleged.

'And if the coronavirus situation is not managed properly,' Jain warned. 'then Agra may resemble Wuhan city of China, the epicentre of Coronavirus.'

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted the leaked letter and advised the UP government to do more testing and save the people of Agra.

If the leaked letter was not enough to highlight the grim situation in the city, an unverified video from Agra was leaked on social media where COVID-19 patients were shown begging for food and water and district officials were throwing these items to the patients.

When this correspondent contacted Agra Mayor Jain, he said, "The situation in Agra is improving and things are in control."

Asked about his letter stating that Agra was turning into a Wuhan, Jain downplayed his statement.

"I wrote that letter on April 21 and things have come under control now. It has been six days now. Chief Minister Adityanath has controlled the situation very well now," Jain said.

When asked about the current situation in Agra, Jain said, "Whatever the condition of India is, the condition of Agra is. No different."

The mayor refused to speak further and said Dr Mukesh Vats, Agra's chief medical officer, was the person to speak to.

"At present," said Dr Vats, "380 cases of COVID-19 positive are in Agra and the hotspot areas are under control. I am hopeful there will be more improvement soon."

"There were 33 hotspot areas for COVID-19, but now three of them are out of it so the figure has come down to 30," he added.

Dr Vats refused to accept that the much-lauded Agra model was crumbling.

"The Agra model was successful because of karyashaili (work technique), it was not for (low) number of cases. The number of cases is not in our hand as it can increase but we are controlling it well," Agra's chief medical officer said.

"What succeeded in Agra was the cluster model and how we contained the cases with that," Dr Vats explained. "That became a symbol, a model for all over the country as this was the first time it had happened in India."

Asked what went into the Agra model, Dr Vats said, "We did house to house survey within 3 km of a positive case, had a contact tracing team, did sanitisation and training of people."

On April 27, District Magistrate Prabhu Singh tweeted the list of hotspot areas in Agra. According to him, there were now 32 hotsposts in the city with 365 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Chief Minister's Message on Workers Memorial Day 2020

"Today is a day when we must pause to reflect about the lives lost at work. About the families of those who have left home in the morning to work and have not returned."

"We must think about those who have been seriously injured at work, suffering injuries that have changed their lives for the worse.

We have holidays to celebrate many things, but we had no institutional marker for those who had made the supreme sacrifice, losing their lives or their health, at work in order to put food on the tables of their families.

That is why, eight years ago, when I first became Chief Minister, I provided for a Bank Holiday to celebrate these lives, to remember the dead and fight for the living.

That is the slogan that best encapsulates what we must do on a day like today.

Today, I have marked the day with the Minister for Employment and Unite in the lobby of Parliament in a much reduced ceremony to that which we are used to holding.

We have joined colleagues in the GHA in holding a minutes silence at midday.

As we kept that silence we had in mind the powerful slogan of Workers Memorial Day.

Remember the dead  Fight for the living.

How apposite that message will be this year in particular, when we think of health workers around the world who have lost their lives at work treating those with COVID 19.

As the grandson of a man who died at work, I remember the grandfather I never knew and my pride in having introduced the observance of this day in Gibraltar.

Again this year I am also rightly proud that no worker has died at work in Gibraltar in the past year.

None have died at work in Gibraltar since I became Chief Minister, despite a huge increase in construction in the time I have been in office, and I hope none ever will again.

In most instances, deaths and injuries at work have happened because there is a lack of investment in the health and safety measures that must be taken in ALL work environments.

That is unacceptable.

In this, our eighth year of observing Workers Memorial Day, I will continue to channel all my energy into the protection of everyone in our community, in particular those of our health workers who are on the front line of the battle against COVID 19."
New Delhi, April 29 : The Congress has hit back at the Finance Minister who alleged that the party is misleading on facts on the issue of wilful defaulters. Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is twisting facts instead of giving answers.

Surjewala said, "And Nirmala Sitharaman ji, cleaning the banks of people's money by writing off loans of absconders and fraudsters, is not called cleaning the system. It's called weakening the entire bank architecture fiscally and imprudently, if not maliciously." Randeep Surjewala posed questions to the Finance Minister and said, "Why has Modi Govt written off Bank Loans worth Rs 6,66,000 Cr between 2014-15 and 2019-20? Is RBI's RTI reply dated 24th April, 2020 of bank loans write off of Rs 68,607 Cr wrong or right?"

The Congress leader in a series of tweets posed another set of questions: "Why is Modi Govt writing off bank Loans of absconders & fraudsters like Nirav Modi + Mehul Choksi(Rs 8,048 cr), Jatin Mehta (Rs 6,038 cr), Mallya (Rs 1,943 cr) & others as per RBI's RTI reply of 24/4/2020? Who permitted such huge write offs of bank loans of defaulters & why?"

After the Congress alleged that the government has written off loans of wilful defaulters on Tuesday, Finance Minister hit back and said, "Rahul Gandhi and R.S. Surjewala, spokesperson of INC India have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to INC India, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context." "Today's attempt of INC India leaders is to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs. Between 2009-10 and 2013-14, Scheduled Commercial banks had written off Rs 145226.00 crore. Wished Rahul Gandhi consulted Dr Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about." She had tweeted.

On Tuesday, the Congress had alleged that the government wrote off loans of top 50 wilful defaulters including Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to the tune of Rs 68607 crore.
At the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, Sofia Marin Banu glanced down at her precious bundle of joy in her arms for the first time on Wednesday, 15 days after the baby girl was born in a hospital in Nagercoil.

Amid the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown,officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu witnessed the emotional reunion of mother and child at Kaliyikkavila.

The healthy newborn was handed over to Marin by medical staff of the private Erankulam Lisie Hospital where the child underwent a complicated surgery for a serious heart problem soon after her birth through cesarean section at a Nagercoil hospital.

Her heart problem was diagnosed during pregnancy and the parents wanted the delivery at the private hospital at Ernakulam which is known for handling such cases.

According to hospital sources,doctors had said the baby was due on April 30,but the woman developed labour pains much earlier and delivered the child at the Nagercoil hospital in Tamil Nadu.

The baby born with complex heart disease (d- transposition of great arteries) was reunited with the mother after the surgery, hospital sources said here.

Effective coordination by the Kerala and Tamil Nadu government officials removed all the blocks created due to the Covid-19 lockdown and the child was taken to Ernakulam in an ambulance immediately after her birth on April 14 for treatment, sources said.

It was a very complicated surgery. We kept the child in complete isolation during the course of treatment, Ebin Abraham, a Lissie hospital staff, told PTI.

The surgery was conducted by a team of doctors led by cardiothoracic surgeon Sunil G S and pediatric cardiologist Edwin Francis.

The infants father had accompanied the baby in the ambulance for the treatment but he was quarantined in a separate room in the hospital and was not allowed to see the child directly.

He, however, saw his child through video call.

This is Marins third child.

Certainly it was an emotional moment for Marin, who was in Nagercoil.

But we could not see the emotions on her face as she was wearing a mask to protect herself from novel coronavirus infection when she received the baby from us, said Abraham who witnessed the reunion at the border.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans office, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas and Tamil Nadu government intervened to facilitate the smooth journey of the ambulance carrying the child soon after her birth at the Nagercoil hospital.
NEW HAVEN  How much did you donate to charities last year?

Recalling that number might be a little complicated for some  though not all  of us.

Those who act selfishly misremember their ethical lapses to maintain their image of self, according to new experiments conducted by Yale psychologists and economists at the University of Zurich.

A team of researchers led by Molly Crockett, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale, and Ryan Carlson, a doctoral student at the institution, wanted to explore whether peoples memories of their behaviors help them preserve their moral self-image, perhaps even negating the need to employ motivated reasoning, according to a release.

Instead of convincing themselves their server didnt deserve a better tip, for example, a customer might misremember tipping more generously than they actually did, officials offered as an example in the release.

Researchers considered three scenarios about how to divide a pot of money in experiments conducted in-person and online:

In the first, conducted at the University of Zurich, researchers presented subjects with a pot of money and asked them to decide how much to keep and how much to give to anonymous strangers.

After answering some intervening survey questions, participants then were asked to recall how much they had given to the anonymous strangers. Crucially, participants received bonus money if they recalled their decisions accurately, officials said. Even with a financial incentive, stingier subjects tended to recall giving more money than they actually did.

In the second, conducted both in the lab and online, researchers asked subjects what they thought was a fair distribution of money before asking them to divide the pot.

The researchers found that only those subjects who had given less than what they personally deemed fair recalled being more generous than they actually were, the release noted.

In the third, both conducted online, participants were explicitly instructed by the experimenters to give lower amounts, allowing them to feel no responsibility for their actions.

With this psychological backing, participants remembered their giving behavior accurately, officials said.

Most people strive to behave ethically, but people sometimes fail to uphold their ideals, Carlson said in the release. In such cases, the desire to preserve a moral self-image can be a powerful force and not only motivate us to rationalize our unethical actions, but also revise such actions in our memory.

Crockett noted that the experiments only considered people in the United States and Switzerland, meaning the results may not be applicable across cultures.

She also stressed that this tendency for faulty recall only applied to the selfish, as the majority of people behaved generously toward their anonymous strangers, and remembered their behavior accurately.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
A Belfast nurse who fought through Covid-19 and a secondary infection of double pneumonia says it is unacceptable that some people in Northern Ireland are beginning to ignore the Government's guidelines.

Michelle Montgomery, who is now recovering at home in Newtownabbey, made a passionate plea for the public to heed the warnings issued by health officials.

In an emotional social media post, the nurse said she had "never been more scared in her life" as she struggled to breathe in hospital.

She also voiced fears that some people were choosing to break social distancing guidelines too early, risking a second wave of the virus.

"I was waiting to see if I was going to be intubated as my oxygen levels would not rise when I was admitted to hospital. I've never been as scared in my life," she explained.

Michelle was admitted to hospital on April 15 and went home on April 21.

"Firstly, it was just a sore throat and common cold symptoms, then a few days later the cough started and finally it felt like trying to gasp a breath through a sponge," she said.

Those who don't stick to the rules are putting nurses, doctors and other key frontline workers and their families at risk by not staying at home. The death toll, including for key staff, is too high Michelle Montgomery

"The morning I was blue-lighted into hospital I really did think I would not see my family again.

"Knowing as a nurse what the paramedic's clinical observations for me (meant) and by the fact they radioed through to Antrim Area Hospital, I knew that it wasn't good.

"I took a secondary infection of double pneumonia and the last few days for me have not been great again.

Expand Close Michelle Montgomery is now recovering at home in Newtownabbey / Facebook

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Whatsapp Michelle Montgomery is now recovering at home in Newtownabbey

"But I'm one of the lucky ones who got home, so I'm not going to complain.

"Everyone appears to be getting a bit more relaxed when it comes to social distancing.

"I'm a nurse and got this through my job and all I think about constantly is how the risk of me spreading it to my family was and still is unacceptable, especially when people are not sticking to the government's guidelines.

We haven't even hit the second peak yet, but the posts I've seen on Facebook from parties and family gatherings is insane Michelle Montgomery

"Those who don't stick to the rules are putting nurses, doctors and other key frontline workers and their families at risk by not staying at home. The death toll, including for key staff, is too high.

"Please don't ignore what is being advised. I know it's tough and hard and you feel lonely and bored, but the longer the rules are not followed, the longer this is going to go on.

"We haven't even hit the second peak yet, but the posts I've seen on Facebook from parties and family gatherings is insane.

"(It's going to take me) eight weeks to recover. I'm still on antibiotics, with other complications being treated, and I need to be careful with my heart.

"At least I'm home with my family, who at one point I thought I would never see again."
The BJP-led Madhya Pradesh



government has decided to set up 'Deendayal committees' at the ward and panchayat levels to ensure benefits of welfare schemes reach people during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed this on Wednesday during an audio conference with state BJP MLAs, district party presidents and mandal chiefs.

"It is our responsibility to take the governments works to people. I have spoken to the state party president and general secretary. We have decided to constitute Deendayal committees soon at the panchayat level in rural areas and at ward level in urban areas, Chouhan told the party leaders.

These panels have been named after Bharatiya Jana Sangh co-founder Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

Chouhan said the committees will monitor and ensure various welfare schemes reach people, and their help would also be taken in distribution of government assistance.

He also informed the party leaders about various decisions taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, including distribution of packets of a herbal decoction.

The government claims the decoction powder boosts immunity and helps the body keep coronavirus infection away.

State BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI that the chief minister has been regularly speaking to the ground-level workers and seeking feedback from them on if the government schemes are reaching people.

Chouhan has also asked leaders to share feedback on various arrangements made by the government during the lockdown, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Burma More than 1,800 Yangon Factories to Reopen After Passing Myanmars COVID-19 Tests

Temperature checks at Yangon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone on April 2. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Yangon  More than 1,800 factories in Yangon have been permitted to resume their operations after complying with official COVID-19 preventative measures, said Yangon Regions Ministry for Immigration and Human Resources.

On April 19, the Ministry of Labor ordered that factories could only reopen after introducing COVID-19 preventative measures set by the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Factories had already stopped operations from April 12-19 for the Thingyan holiday.

Daw Moe Moe Su Kyi, the Yangon regional minister for immigration and human resources, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that 1,974 factories had been inspected.

She said 427 factories were permitted to resume operations and 1,432 can reopen while making some minor COVID-19 measures while they are operating.

The minister added that 115 factories failed to meet the guidelines.

Daw Moe Moe Su Kyi added that inspections were continuing.

Myanmar has more than 7,000 factories with 6,632 and 680,000 workers in Yangon, according to the Ministry of Labor.

U Myo Aung, permanent secretary at the ministry, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that more than 2,000 factories have been inspected across the country since April 20.

Around 100 ministry staff were cooperating with the health ministry to inspect COVID-19 measures, he added.

Many factories are yet to set up COVID-19 guidelines, U Myo Aung said.

An anonymous management committee member at Yangons Shwe Lin Ban industrial zone told The Irrawaddy that the government should accept online applications from factory owners to speed up the inspection process.

Factories with COVD-19 measures that are ready to reopen must submit application letters for inspections to the Yangon Labor Administration Department and are forced to wait for inspections, he said.

He claimed factory owners have to go to the department with certificates before work can restart.

All factories are instructed by the health ministry to ensure workers can wash their hands and observe social distancing.

Factories must have temperature checks and send home any worker with a fever.

Pamphlets and intercom announcements must be used to communicate with staff and meetings in factories have been prohibited.

Employees were told to report to health clinics with any COVID-19 symptoms, including coughing, difficulty breathing, fever and exhaustion.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Says Factories Must Take COVID-19 Precautions Before They Reopen
[April 29, 2020] LocalJobNetwork Continues Swift Growth with New Hires

MILWAUKEE, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LocalJobNetwork continues to make transformative growth investments adding two new positions as well as a key role focusing on diversity in the workplace. Joining the company are: Chief People Officer and General Counsel, Dana Serrano, and Vice President Strategic Partnership Development, Bill Fanning. Long-time leader and HR compliance subject matter expert, Roselle Rogers is moving into a new role as Vice President Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. Serrano is a Milwaukee-native and will lead HR strategy for the organization. She will be responsible for organizational design, compensation, performance management, training & leadership development, career pathing, talent acquisition, and diversity, equity and inclusion objectives. As an attorney, she will serve as General Counsel working closely on contract review, and compliance and legal related issues as they arise. Serrano has worked for small companies to Fortune 500 enterprises, having highly relevant experience to LocalJobNetwork's growth goals and culture transformation. Serrano's firsthand leadership experience in the recruitment world as well as with high-growth private-equity backed technology companies in Milwaukee uniquely positions her to drive success at LocalJobNetwork. Serrano joins LocalJobNetwork most recently from Manpower Group, where she was Director of People and Culture. Prior to that she helped lead the cultural transformation and process innovation as Vice President and General Counsel of Zywave, Milwaukee. She holds a JD from Marquette University Law School, and a BA in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Patrick Sheahan, CEO and President of LocalJobNetwork stated, "The Chief People Officer is a nely created position within LocalJobNetwork and represents our ongoing commitment and investment in our most important asset  our people. Adding Dana to focus on our people and culture will help us to not only attract, retain, and develop top talent within our community but also propel the company's diversity initiatives. These three appointments are critical to accomplish our growth objectives but also core to our mission, which is to help companies build diverse teams to transform business. Our transformation from a legacy focus on job board recruitment to a SaaS based provider of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion talent acquisition technology solutions continues. I'm excited about the team we've built!"



In his new role as VP of Strategic Partnership Development, Fanning will focus on pursuing, cultivating and managing key partners and contributing to product strategy for LocalJobNetwork. He will collaborate with commercial and executive leadership to drive strategic partnerships for revenue growth, lead generation and product packaging. Fanning is a proven relationship builder, business development guru and proud military veteran. For more than 20 years, he has been developing partnerships to propel organizational growth and revenue. He has held numerous partner and sales roles with human capital management companies such as The Ladders, Oracle, ADP, Peoplesoft, TMP and Ceridian. Fanning holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Salem State University, Salem, Mass, is a ROTC Graduate and supports local veterans to enrich their lives and connect them to their local community with Team RWB.

Rogers has been with LocalJobNetwork for nearly 14 years, assisting the company in numerous capacities through high growth years as it built a national job board, and launched its OFCCP compliance and diversity recruiting products. In her new role, she will lead LocalJobNetwork's diversity, equity and inclusion program and thought leadership in DEI and OFCCP compliance. Rogers holds senior professional certifications with HR Certification Institute and SHRM and is a Director of the UP Alumni Association of Wisconsin. She has a Bachelor of Arts, Economics, from the University of the Philippines and a postgraduate diploma in human resources development from Ateneo de Manila University. About LocalJobNetwork:

LocalJobNetwork (localjobnetwork.com), with offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, is the industry leader providing federal contractors with a fully outsourced solution to comply with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The company was founded in 1996, has 3800+ customers, and posted 5M+ jobs in 2019. LocalJobNetwork also offers diversity outreach management through its relationships with 20,000+ community organizations, outsourced recruiting and delivers diversity candidates through its 600+ online employment websites. If you are interested in joining the LocalJobNetwork team check out our current open positions. Contact LocalJobNetwork

Tim Muma

[email protected]

414-963-5835 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/localjobnetwork-continues-swift-growth-with-new-hires-301049152.html SOURCE LocalJobNetwork

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By John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore said on Tuesday that the number of migrant workers infected with coronavirus in the city-state may be higher than official tallies as symptomatic patients had been isolated in dormitories with mass outbreaks before testing.

The nation of 5.7 million people has nearly 15,000 confirmed coronavirus infections, one of the highest in Asia, largely due to infections in cramped bunk-bed accommodation housing more than 300,000 mostly South Asian workers.

On Tuesday, Singapore reported 528 new infections - its lowest in almost two weeks - but authorities said the real number could be greater due to a lag in testing.

"When we report figures...of confirmed and verified infections, the number of foreign workers that are in the dormitories that we are keeping a close eye on with respiratory symptoms may in fact be bigger than the actual number that we report," the health ministry's director of medical services, Kenneth Mak, said at a media briefing.

Mak said any discrepancy in the official numbers would eventually be ironed out as these workers would need to be tested before they could leave isolation and return to work. He declined to say how many workers were in such a position.

"The numbers will reconcile. It's not an issue of fudging or dodging or trying to hide numbers. It is really to make sure that our priorities in testing match the needs that we have on the ground," Mak said.

Singapore said it has been scaling up its testing capacity across the island, including in dormitories, from an average of 2,900 tests a day in early April to more than 8,000.

Authorities say they have tested 2,100 people per 100,000, compared with 1,600 per 100,000 in the United States, and 1,000 per 100,000 in Britain.

Amid the surge in cases, the city-state has also been rapidly building bed space for low risk and recovering patients in exhibition halls and other temporary facilities. On Tuesday it said it wants to scale up that capacity from around 18,000 beds currently to more than 40,000 in the coming months.

Story continues

While the coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in the dormitories, many of which the authorities have sealed off, the spread in the community apart from the migrant workers has been much slower, with an average of 20 new cases a day over the past week.

Fourteen people have died of the coronavirus in Singapore.

(Reporting by John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Robert Birsel and Angus MacSwan)
Sony has designed the Xperia 1 II to be the smartphone equivalent of its Alpha cameras. Indeed, the phone borrows many features and hardware solutions from the companys digital camera division.

Sony is sticking with 12MP resolution this year, but the large 1/1.7 main sensor has 1.8m pixels and boasts 50% higher sensitivity than the 12MP sensor on the Xperia 1. This will improve low-light performance, says Sony and offers these down-scaled camera samples comparing the Xperia 1 II to its predecessor.



Low-light samples: Xperia 1 II and Xperia 1

Data from the whole sensor can be read out in just 10ms, while a 108MP sensor will need 32ms for 12MP output and a whopping 100ms for a full resolution output.



Larger pixels and increased sensitivity  Fast sensor readout

This speed helps to enable 20fps continuous shooting with AE and AF active. The sensors Dual Pixel autofocus and the 3D ToF sensor help keep track of the subject while the BIONZ X hardware does 60 AE/AF calculations per second.



Dual Pixel autofocus and the 3D ToF sensor feed the BIONZ X, which does 60 calculations a second

Eye AF is back, but on the Sony Xperia 1 II it can lock onto animal eyes as well as human eyes (the original Xperia 1 did human eyes only). Eyes aside, the phone uses 247 phase detection points on the image sensor and 43,200 points from the ToF sensor to do its autofocus calculations.

The ultrawide and telephoto lenses can also do continuous shooting with AE/AF enabled, though they capture 10 photos a second with calculations running 30 times per second.

Speaking of different focal lengths, Sony makes an analogy to changing the lenses on a digital camera when talking about the Xperia 1 IIs triple cam. With digital zoom, the 24mm main lens can be used as a 24-70mm lens, the 16mm ultra wide goes from 16 to 35mm and the telephoto starts at its native 70mm and goes up to 200mm. This covers the range of focal lengths you would need if you wanted to be prepared for everything.

To handle all the advanced photography tasks, Sony will ship the phone with the Photography Pro app, the still shot counterpart to the Cinema Pro app from the first Xperia 1. Photography Pro will offer Shutter and Aperture priority modes as well as various manual controls inspired by mirrorless cameras.



The Photography Pro app

This is the companys first phone with a ZEISS lens. The German lens maker is featured heavily on Alpha and high-end Cybershot cameras and while this isnt the first phone to have ZEISS glass, it is the first to use T* anti-reflective coating, which reduces glare and ghosting.

Now all thats left is for Sony to actually release the phone - according to the latest report that might happen as soon as next week with Taiwan being its debut market.

Source (in Japanese)
A Michelin star French chef who operates a restaurant in Belfast has told how the coronavirus lockdown showed him he was in denial about his young son's severe autism.

Jean-Christophe Novelli (59) and his fiancee Michelle Kennedy (44) had their lives transformed when their son Valentino was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just six weeks old back in 2017.

Jean-Christophe, who also has two older sons, Jean (11) and Jacques (7), and a daughter, Christina (32), from his first marriage, opened his first 112-seat restaurant in Ireland in Belfast in April 2018 in the four-star AC Hotel by Marriott on the city's waterfront.

After chemotherapy, Valentino went into remission, but last October the little boy was diagnosed with autism.

Former Hell's Kitchen and Celebrity Hunted star Jean-Christophe told Hello! magazine he had found dealing with the diagnosis "very challenging".

"It seems so unjust. I could see at one point it was a bit too much for Michelle. I saw her making herself ill over not having the answers," he said.

"Being in the house so much now, I realise I was in denial about what was going on with Valentino.

"Before, I could be away for six weeks. Now, I can clearly see it and it's not easy.

"When you love someone, you think everything should be positive. I'm still very positive, but I can see that there is a lot of struggle there.

"It's been very difficult for Michelle and the boys. We don't have a nanny or an au pair.

"It's also been very difficult because I'm out of my comfort zone while I'm not working."

Jean-Christophe also expressed his admiration for the NHS, describing it as "one of the most precious organisations in the world".

"There is no favouritism. We live in a great country. I love my country and I will always be French, but I am so privileged to be here," he added.
I strongly support Shannon OBrien, who is running as a Democrat for the Montana State Senate, District 46, which stretches from Condon to Bonner, includes half of downtown Missoula and part of the University district.

Shannons resume is highly impressive. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Montana and served as Dean of Missoula College. While there she prioritized the statewide apprenticeship program, increasing the number of rural healthcare workers by hundreds.

Shannon served as policy advisor to Governor Steve Bullock, where she worked on collaboration efforts ranging from early childhood learning to workforce training and economic development.

Being a strong advocate for education, she supports investing in high quality childcare and education. Her platform further includes affordable health care for all, protection of public lands, responsible management of our rich natural resources and a fair tax system.

I have rarely seen a candidate with such high qualifications. Please join me in supporting Shannon OBrien.
Independent insurance brokerage Lockton two key leaders to support the companys planned growth trajectory.

Hiram Marrero, currently executive vice president and regional executive officer with Lockton, will assume the role of president, global growth officer, reporting to Ron Lockton, chairman of the board. He will develop and execute on the firms growth strategies internationally.

Also, Said Taiym, Locktons current chief digital officer, will assume the role of U.S. chief operating officer, reporting to Peter Clune, global CEO.

These two announcements follow Novembers announcement of Clune becoming global CEO as Ron Lockton assumes the role of chairman.

Marrero has been in the industry since 2000 and joined Lockton Companies in 2016. Prior to joining Lockton, he was with Willis Towers Watson for 12 years He has been a key contributor to Locktons Producer Life Cycle program aimed at recruiting, onboarding and developing top producer talent.

Taiym has more than 10 years of experience in the insurance industry. He joined Lockton in June 2018, prior to which he was senior vice president and chief information officer for AF Group, a workers compensation insurance organization. He has also worked at XL Catlin, Zurich Financial and Accenture. He currently serves on the advisory board for College of Business at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as chairman of the board of the Capital Area IT Council in Lansing, Michigan.

Source: Lockton

Topics Leadership Lockton
Irrfan Khan's exposure to international projects and arthouse cinema began rather early, with Mira Nairs Salaam Bombay in 1988. The actor played a small role in the film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Little did the world know that he would one day be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart (2007) and Tom Hanks in Inferno (2016).

After Salaam Bombay, Irrfan starred in the Indo-German short film The Cloud Door (1994), directed by Mani Kaul. While playing character roles in Bollywood, Irrfan continued to take part in parallel international productions. He played a warrior in feudal Rajasthan in the 2001 BAFTA winning film The Warrior by British filmmaker Asif Kapadia. He joined Tannishtha Mukherjee, Prashant Narayan and Tillotama Shome in the Bengali language German film Shadows of Time (2004).

Irrfan tapped into his Bengali speaking skills once again in The Namesake (2006), collaborating again with Mira Nair for a film based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. The film was produced by Indian, American and Japanese studios, screened at several film festivals around the world and won critical praise everywhere.

A Mighty Heart in 2007 directed by Michael Winterbottom was a bigger leap internationally for Irrfan, working in a film headlined by Dan Futterman and Angelina Jolie on a subject as moving as the kidnap of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. It was screened out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 was a melting pot of talents from India and abroad. Irrfan found space among the long list of cast members in this British production which put India on the world cinema map once again, alongwith a sweeping win at the 2009 Academy Awards.

The actor moved towards a bigger role in the 2012 Ang Lee film Life of Pi, playing the older Pi Patel in this adventure drama. The movie was a huge success both critically and commercially. At the 85th Academy Awards it had eleven nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won four.

The same year, he starred in the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and others. Irrfan had said he was offered this "pivotal role" after appearing in the TV drama series In Treatment.

Director Marc Webb described himself as a fan of the actor when watching the series along with the films The Namesake and The Warrior. Irrfan said he was uninterested in the project at first, but that his sons were excited about it and insisted he take the role.

Now that he had ventured into more mainstream Hollywood, more such offers kept coming in. He joined Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the 2015 sci-fi film Jurassic World, playing Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World. The commercial success of the film ensured more visibility in Hollywood for the actor.

His casting in 2016's Inferno with Tom Hanks met with a collective hurrah from his fans in India, who were excited to see him share screen space with a top Hollywood actor. Irrfan starred as Harry "The Provost" Sims, head of The Consortium, helping Zobrist in his mission in this adaptation of Dan Brown's novel. While promoting the film, Hanks said of his Indian co-star, Here's what I hate about Irrfan Khan... I always think I'm the coolest guy in the room, and everybody's hanging on to every word I say and everybody's a little intimidated to be in my presence. And then Irrfan Khan walks into the room. And he's the coolest guy in the room. And everybody's intimidated to be in his presence and everybody's hanging on to his every word."

His latest Hollywood project was Marc Turtletaub's Puzzle, co-starring Kelly Macdonald, which premiered at Sundance in 2018. Puzzle is an American drama film based on the 2010 Argentine film of the same name. Irrfan starred as the puzzle partner of Kelly, who played a stay-at-home mother who enters a puzzle building competition.

With his passing, India lost a powerhouse actor who made a space for himself in international cinema by sheer force of talent. His achievements abroad resonated with multitudes with cinema lovers in India who will remember him as the man who transcended the labels of mainstream, arthouse, independent, Indian and western cinema.

Follow @News18Movies for more
NEW YORKIt started with a funeral that got out of hand. It ended Wednesday with some of New York Citys Jews at odds with the mayor over his criticisms of the Orthodox community as it struggles to deal with the coronavirus.

The funeral was for Rabbi Chaim Mertz, a revered Hasidic Orthodox leader whose death was reportedly linked to the coronavirus. The congregation that was hosting the gathering said Wednesday a funeral appropriate to the times was planned, with mourners wearing masks and saying their farewells from a distance.

Instead, thousands gathered Tuesday night at the Kahal Tolath Yakov synagogue in Brooklyns Williamsburg area. Mayor Bill de Blasio personally joined in the dispersal of the crowd, and then tweeted My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed.

He told reporters Wednesday that he was sorry if in my passion and in my emotion he had caused offence, but described no regrets about calling out the Hasidic funeral.

De Blasios comments sparked criticism from two Jewish city council members as well as Jewish groups and some of his fellow Democrats. Orthodox leaders who last month aligned in a rare show of unity against the virus were left in a painful spot, echoing other Jewish advocates in lamenting their public singling out by a mayor who has been an ally.

This is a greater issue of how careful we need to be when we single out a specific group, said Avi Greenstein, CEO of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council, suggesting a level of caution toward pointing fingers.

He was among some New York Jewish leaders who defended de Blasio as an ally of their faith who had stumbled in his handling of an already tense moment.

And the congregation that planned the funeral looked to calm tensions. A statement circulated on social media on Kahal Tolath Yakovs letterhead described a plan to accommodate mourners safely that went awry, leading to the amassing of hundreds in the streets.

We understand Mayor Bill de Blasios frustration and his speaking out against the gathering, stated the letter, signed by congregation secretary Jacob Mertz.

Mertz added: It also hurts that this led to singling out the Jewish community, and for that we apologize to all Jewish people.

Orthodox Jewish communities in the New York metropolitan region were among the first to be walloped by the coronavirus, and members of a faith thats grounded in communal prayer felt a sharp sting as they curtailed their traditional practices in response to the pandemic.

Orthodox Jewish groups united last month on a joint plea for their faithful to abide by social-distancing rules during the pandemic amid concerns about large gatherings continuing in the New York area. That effort was a unique step among disparate groups to help shut down multiple daily group prayers and other traditional practices central to many Orthodox Jews daily lives.

Rabbi Motti Seligson, director of media relations for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Hasidism, said that for the overwhelming majority of Hasidic families who have abided by social distancing and stay-home edicts to be repeatedly singled out for what they did not do, and altogether held to a standard different than the rest of society, is searingly painful.

New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea told reporters Wednesday that most members of all faiths have been overwhelmingly compliant with pandemic-related restrictions, describing incidents such as Tuesdays funeral as outliers.

The warning against singling out Jewish communities during the pandemic extended beyond members of the faiths Orthodox branch.

The origin of discrimination or bigotry comes when one universalizes onto a group the behaviours of one, said Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Pesner called on members of his faith to unite against the other-izing of Jews.
Massachusetts State Police are searching for a 32-year-old Dorchester man accused of dragging a trooper with a pickup truck Tuesday night, authorities said.

The trooper walked up to a 2019 Dodge Ram near a Mobil gas station on Route 140 in Taunton around 8:17 p.m., state police said in a statement.

The car, which had a New York registration, suddenly drove away, pulling the trooper, who was at the side of the vehicle and in the process of taking enforcement action, according to the statement.

State police did not specify why the pickup truck was stopped by the trooper.

The trooper was briefly dragged for a short distance before coming free from the truck, the statement said. The truck fled the scene.

The officer suffered minor injuries but continued to work his shift, according to state police. He helped state police Tuesday night with the search for the Dorchester man.
LUDWIGSHAFEN (dpa-AFX) - German chemical company BASF Group (BFA.L, BASFY.PK) Wednesday said it is withdrawing its outlook. The company said it is currently impossible to reliably estimate both the length and the further spread of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as future measures to contain it. Previously, the company had projected sales growth to between 60 billion and 63 billion euros and EBIT before special items of between 4.2 billion and 4.8 billion euros for the full year 2020. The Board of Executive Directors and Supervisory Board decided to propose a dividend of 3.30 euro per share for resolution by the Annual Shareholders' Meeting of BASF SE, which will be held June 18, 2020. 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.
Luke Burgess and socialite Tori May are no longer hiding their relationship.

The former NRL star, 33, was seen out publicly for the first time with his new girlfriend on Friday, as the pair enjoyed a romantic walk around Bondi Beach.

It comes after the sportsman confirmed their romance earlier this month by sharing their first selfie together, following months of speculation.

The look of love! Former NRL star Luke Burgess (right) and new girlfriend Tori May (left) were seen for the first time together last Friday, as they enjoy a walk around Bondi Beach

The couple were joined by Luke's six-year-old daughter, Grace, who he co-parents with his ex-girlfriend, model Yolanda Hodgson.

In a sign that things are getting serious between Luke and Tori, the beauty appeared to be a hit with his daughter, carrying the young girl on her back.

Luke and Tori shared a tender moment as they stopped to pick up a refreshing healthy beverage.

Going public! It comes after he confirmed their relationship earlier this month by sharing their first selfie together, following months of speculation

Getting serious? The couple were joined by Luke's six-year-old daughter, Grace, who Tori happily carried on her back at one stage

It was previously reported that the couple were first seen together at Sydney's Mardi Gras festival in February. They did not confirm their romance until April.

Luke split from ex-girlfriend Yolanda last January after seven years together.

He then briefly dated British beauty Lindsey Johnson and product developer Arianna Vidgen, before eventually meeting Tori and seemingly settling down.

Happier times: Luke split from ex-girlfriend Yolanda Hodgson last January after seven years together. They share a daughter called Grace. Pictured: Yolanda and Luke in October 2013

Tori previously Sasha Mielczarek, who was once in a high-profile relationship with Home and Away star Sam Frost, after the pair met and fell in love on The Bachelorette.

It is believed Tori and Sasha called it quits in June of last year.

Luke is the oldest of the Burgess brothers, which include Sam, 31, and twins Thomas and George, both 27.
Groups of residents enjoy the beach in the Arcadian Shores section of Horry County, S.C., which reopened on April 21, 2020. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP)

Myrtle Beach Reopens All Beaches to the Public After Opposing Reopening Order

One of the most popular beach towns on the East Coast is reopening its beaches to the public after initially keeping them closed following South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announcing he would let beaches reopen but would respect decisions by local officials who wanted to keep them empty.

Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen rescinded his order barring public access to beaches on Tuesday after the city council passed a motion letting him do so.

Members of the public can walk around barricades set up by officials and face no consequences for doing so. Barricades will be removed soon, the city said in a statement.

Public beach access was closed for nearly a month. Adjacent parking areas were also closed off.

Lifeguards wont be on duty. If people swim, theyre doing so at their own risk, according to the city.

Social distancing, or maintaining distance between yourself and people from outside your household, is still being enforced.

People enjoy the beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on July 27, 2019. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

The Town of Pawleys Island is also reopening public beach accesses and adjacent parking lots.

That reopening will start on Friday, the town said in a statement, provided Georgetown County open their public beach accesses.

The Georgetown County Council voted a day later, on Tuesday, to reopen beaches, a local paper reported.

Beaches in Hilton Head are also reopening on Friday. Some in Charleston County remain closed for now. Folly Beach, for instance, will block access through at least May 6.

Beaches and nearby parking in Horry County opened last week.

North Myrtle Beach approved a resolution on April 20 to reopen beaches, parking, and showers and bathrooms.

McMaster, a Republican, issued an executive order letting local officials reopen beaches closed under an order he made last month. It also gave them the authority to keep beaches closed.
At this point, remarking that people now are more concerned about online privacy than ever before is not a novel observation. Whats fascinating, though, is that interest in personal digital security has remained high since the issue exploded about seven years ago. In other words, instead of experiencing a short-lived spike, digital privacy awareness has been sustained.

This is especially encouraging to me, since I gained my background in technology precisely out of the desire to secure my own digital autonomy.

I know as well as anyone that its not always clear where to turn to improve ones digital security. Getting a handle on the subject can seem like trying to jump onto a moving train. To extend the metaphor, this article may give you a running start.

My hope is that a guide from the perspective of someone who not long ago probably knew less than you do now, you will develop enough of a foundation to journey forth on your own.

Gluing Together Your Threat Model

So where do you start? Quite simply, with yourself. The whole purpose of security is to protect what is valuable, and what is valuable is different for everyone. Consequently, security is possible only after you determine the object of value. Only then can you assess how far to go to safeguard it.

Before you can think about the means, you must select the end. In the case of digital security, you need to figure out what it is you are trying to protect. This could be as straightforward as certain files on your devices, or the contents of your communications with associates.

It could be more abstract. For example, as a consequence of your behavior, certain personal details about you  while not contained in files as such  can be inferred and automatically captured as data streams akin to files, called metadata.

In the context of digital security, everything essentially takes the form of information, so you need to think long and hard about what information youre guarding, and all the forms it can take or ways it can be accessed. This can be quite a task at first, but it gets easier with practice.

Defining the information you want to protect gives you the first component that comprises what is called a threat model  basically your high-level strategic view of how to keep your information safe. In the context of your threat model, your valued information goes by the more succinct name of asset.

Once you have defined your asset, its time to identify your adversary, which is the glorified name for entities who want to take your asset. This exerts a strong influence on what your threat model ultimately will look like  your strategy for holding onto your asset will look very different depending on whether your adversary is your nosy neighbor or a hostile government.

When contemplating your adversary, it is critical to enumerate realistic threats. It may seem counterintuitive but, as you will see by the end of this primer, it actually doesnt help to overestimate your enemy.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The word adversary may evoke a diabolical nemesis, but that doesnt have to be the case. Though you shouldnt inflate your antagonist, neither should you overlook it. While its very easy to single out an adversary like a criminal hacking collective (if that is indeed yours) for its overt ill intent, your adversary could be a service you willingly use but do not fully trust. The point is, you need to catalog every player that wants your asset, no matter the reason.

With those two pillars in place, its time to finish the tripod: Accounting for your asset and adversary, you need to size up the means the adversary has at its disposal and, most importantly, the means you have and lengths you are willing to go to protect your asset. These last two things are not always the same  hence the distinction.

Fortunately an abundance of tools are available to keep your asset secure, if you know how to use them. Even better, the most effective ones are all free. The real limit in practice is that of self-discipline. Keep in mind that a powerful safeguard is useless without the resolve to utilize it consistently without relenting.

Categorize and Prioritize

I like to think of adversaries as occupying one of three categories:

Category 1 adversaries are entities engaging in what is popularly called surveillance capitalism, but technically referred to as data mining. Operating predominantly in the private sector, category 1 actors are those that passively collect information from you as a consequence of your use of their services. However, in recent years we have learned that companies overstep this implicit covenant to collect data on individuals even when those individuals dont explicitly do business with them. Generally, these adversaries dont seek out your data directly. Instead of coming to you, they wait for you to come to them. Therefore, they can be thwarted by shrewder consumer choices.

Category 2 adversaries are those that employ primarily offensive techniques to execute both targeted and untargeted (i.e. indiscriminate) attacks on users. This category includes a diverse spectrum of attackers, from lone black hats to sophisticated criminal enterprises. What they all have in common is that their methods are intrusive, actively breaching ones defenses, and definitely not legally sanctioned.

Category 3 encompasses the most formidable adversaries  foes that can leverage state resources. In point of fact, the actors in this category are the only ones that qualify for the information security consensus term advanced persistent threats or APTs. Like category 2 opponents, they conduct invasive offensive operations, but they do so with the financial resources of a political faction or government behind them, and in many cases, the legal immunity of one as well.

This is my own taxonomy, rather than accepted industry terms, but my hope is that it illustrates the kinds of adversaries you may face vividly enough to help in your threat modeling.

You will have to judge for yourself which of these categories describes your adversaries most aptly, but there are some quick diagnostics you can run to characterize what you need to look out for, based on your assets as well as the adversaries themselves.

If you dont consider your work particularly sensitive and just want to mitigate the creepiness factor of intimate personal details constantly and mercilessly being stored and analyzed, you are facing a category 1 scenario. Most of you likely will find yourselves in this boat, especially if you rely to any degree on social networks or communication services operated by ad revenue-driven tech companies.

For those of you in possession of highly valuable information, like six-figure-plus financial data, theres a good chance you need to arm yourself against category 2 attackers. The lucrative nature of the information you handle means you likely will attract actors that specifically and actively will work to breach your defenses to steal it from you.

Dealing in truly sensitive data, the kind that could spell life or death to certain people, exposes you to category 3 adversaries. If youre the kind of person who risks attack from a state-level actor, like a national security journalist or defense sector professional, you already know it. If fending off category 3 attackers is your reality, you need way more operational security than I possibly could provide you. My treatment of category 3 actors will be more for the sake of painting a complete picture for readers in general, and to convey a sense of scale of possible countermeasures.

Next Steps

By now, you should have a sense of what your asset is, and what adversary it attracts. This aligns with my roadmap for this four-part series. Subsequent installments will focus on determining which tools and practices your asset and adversaries necessitate.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The next three articles in this series will equip you with some tools for countering each of the adversary categories. In the next installment, which delineates threats from category 1, you will learn the digital hygiene that is beneficial for everyone and sufficient for most, but inadequate for those squaring off against foes in categories 2 and 3.

The article that follows, along with educating those anticipating threats from category 2, might draw in those who want to get ahead of the pack fending off category 1. It also will build a bridge for those bound for the hard road of resisting category 3 attacks, but it wont be enough in itself.

Instead of focusing on software tools themselves, the last piece will strive to outline the thought patterns needed to combat the most daunting opponents one can face in information security. Considering the inherently vast capability of category 3 threats, the goal is to describe the evaluative mindset of those who need to defend against them.

You Cant Have It All  but You Should Try to Have Some

Ill leave you with one parting thought to set the tone for this series: No matter how your threat model shapes up, you will face a tradeoff between security and convenience. You will never have both, and their inverse relationship means an increase in one decreases the other. A viable threat model is one that finds the balance between the two that you can stick with, but that still addresses the threat at hand. The only way to keep that balance is through discipline.

This is exactly why plans that overkill your adversary dont work. All they do is trade away more convenience than you can tolerate for security you dont need, which leads to abandonment of the threat model entirely more often than to a revision of it. Instead, if you find your equilibrium and have the will to maintain it, you will set yourself on the path to success.

That path, as you will see, is challenging and long  possibly endless  but there is a reward purely in traveling it. The only thing more satisfying than setting out on its winding way is to bring new company along. So, Ill see you next time, when we hit the trail.
Maharashtra: Condition like Marathwada farmers, say Konkan fishermen

April 29,2020 | Source: The Indian Express

At Jivna Bunder, a fishing jetty in the coastal town of Shrivardhan, fishermen are unhurriedly bundling up swathes of fishing nets of varied shapes and colour. The nets have been drying in the sun for days since the lockdown kicked in on March 24, when the coronavirus pandemic prompted a nationwide closure. At other times, the scene at the jetty on an April morning would have been much different. Fishing boats of all sizes would be bringing the days fresh catch  from eels, lobsters and sting rays to the more popular pomfret, seer fish and prawns  to be put on display to be auctioned off. A crowd of fisherfolks, bulk buyers from restaurants and locals would immediately break into hard, cacophonous bargains and in minutes the catch would be out of the jetty, making way for more as boats continued to pull in. In this daily unfolding, the resident felines would hop from one fish basket to another, never going hungry.



Chandrakant Chougule, a fisherman who owns one six-cylinder fishing trawler and a single cylinder small boat, says We have pulled our big trawlers ashore. What will we do by sending them into the deep sea, spending on diesel and workers when the catch we bring back wont even reach the markets in the big cities? Seafood is perishable, and in this lockdown, we have not been able to send it to the markets in Mumbai and Pune. They are all closed. Since the lockdown, fishermen have stopped large-scale fishing. Only small fishermen, who sell locally and feed their families, have been continuing to venture into the sea. Theirs is a hand-to-mouth kind of situation.



Fisherfolk in the Konkan region  three districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg  say that business has been eclipsed first by the cyclonic storm in November last year and now the lockdown. Fishing activities had to be suspended following cyclone warnings and just when it was time for business to pick up, the nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the COVID-19 kicked in. With the arrival of monsoon in June, they will have stay off the water until the end of August, they rue.



The state Fisheries Commissioner has estimated the actual loss of fish production over March, April and May to be 80 per cent of the expected production. Earlier this month, the Commissioner of Fisheries, Rajeev Jadhav, in the letter to the principal secretary of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries (ADF), stated that fishermen in the state had suffered on account of the huge economic crisis in view of the extraordinary situation prevailing due to COVID-19 virus spread. He stated that the average fish production from March to May was expected to be 67,840.40 metric tonnes for marine fish production (fishing in seas) at the rate of 1,696.01 metric tonnes per day, however, the actual production of marine fishing was 13,568 metric tonnes. Similarly, for inland fishing (fishing in lakes, ponds, reservoirs) the expected production during the 40 days of lockdown was 14,685.2 metric tonnes, but actual fishing was 2,937.04 metric tonnes, that is only 20 per cent. This, the Fisheries Commissioner stated in his letter, had translated into a monetary loss of Rs 652.27 crore and Rs 117.48 crore in the marine and inland sectors, respectively. Jadhav said the loss estimates were drawn up following directions from the Centre.



.to mitigate the problem of livelihood and lack of income of fishermen community, it is proposed that the government of India should consider some relief amount to the affected fishermen in view of the loss of livelihood due to COVID-19 lockdown, the letter stated. He requested for a special relief package or a monetary allowance from the Centre for the fishing community. In Shrivardhan, however, Mohan Waghe, former chairman of the Shri Krishna Machchimar Society, said, We have never asked the government for anything till today. A koli (fisherman) may be in debt, but he will fight to feed his family. But we have never seen a time like this before. At this rate, many of us fishermen may have to go the Marathwada farmer way. At least the government has extended some help to them, but now it will have to think of us too. We dont want doles, but we may need a hand to make us self-reliant again.



Waghe said owners of big fishing trawlers need about five to 10 khalashis (workers) to fish in the deep seas. Moreover they were unable to send their products out without the usual availability of ice boxes and trucks ferrying the catch to the market. Although fishing activities were exempted from the lockdown, social-distancing requirements prohibited fishermen from employing too many workers on their vessels.



Minister of State for Tourism and Shrivardhan MLA Aditi Tatkare said, Fishing was exempted from the lockdown but fishermen have themselves been reluctant. Last week, Shrivardhan had its first COVID-19 case. It was a person who had come from Mumbai. We will observe the situation for the next 14 days and if there are no further cases, we will request the government to make it a green zone so that all activities can be resumed. At the moment, she said, most of the state funds were being diverted to the health and food and civil supplies departments, but once the situation improves, they may draw the state governments attention to the need for compensating fishermen.



The popular Alibaug beach that overlooks the Alibaug Fort, too, is far removed from its usual summer vacation hubbub. Missing from the scene are tourists milling around the water, families making sand castles, vendors selling coconut water and ice popsicles, water sport activities, leaving only its five lifeguards with almost no one to watch over. On the sweltering afternoon, however, stray dogs get comfortable under a colourful canopy erected by the Alibaug Municipal Council.



An oar over his shoulder, Pankaj Navkhande emerges from his boat after the days catch. A traditional fisherman, he would usually bring back 7-8 kg of fish, but today it has shrunk to 2-3 kg. Walking behind him is Vitthal Bandri, another fisherman, who has covered his nose and mouth a handkerchief, In 30 years that I have been going into the sea, never have I had to cover my face. This is such a strange time. We would sell lobster at Rs 1,500 a kg and now we can barely get Rs 700 for it. May was the only month for us to make some money. Once monsoon arrives, we will have to sit at home again, he says. According to the fisheries department, Maharashtra accounts for 1.60 lakh metric tonnes of marine fish production of 4.67 lakh metric tonnes produced by India. The state also makes a 34.26 per cent contribution to Indias marine fish production exports, government officials said.
Yanghee Lee says Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi failed to live up to her reputation as an icon of human rights.

The United Nations outgoing human rights envoy for Myanmar has told Al Jazeera that the countrys civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, failed to live up to her reputation as a humanitarian.

Yanghee Lees time in the role was dominated by Myanmars bloody crackdown in western Rakhine state in 2017, when at least 750,000 people, mostly ethnic Rohingya, fled across the border to Bangladesh.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been widely criticised for remaining mostly silent on accusations of anti-Rohingya violence, and Lee told Al Jazeera on Wednesday she believed the Myanmar leaders inaction was utterly disappointing.

We all knew that she was put on a pedestal or portrayed as the icon of democracy and human rights, but ever since [her party] has taken office [after the 2015 election] and ever since she took the office of the state councillor, all of her actions and her words, statements point otherwise, said Lee, whose requests to enter Myanmar were repeatedly denied by the government.

I would still like to believe that she can change how shes been doing, but perhaps the world didnt really know who she was, she added.

Rakhine violence

Aung San Suu Kyi became an icon of democracy during the 15 years she spent under house arrest during Myanmars military dictatorship.

In December last year, the Nobel Peace Prize winner defended Myanmars military against allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In her speech, during which she did not use the word Rohingya, Aung San Suu Kyi told the court that the 2017 exodus of hundreds of thousands of people to neighbouring Bangladesh was the unfortunate result of a battle with armed fighters.

The ICJ case, filed by The Gambia, accuses Myanmar of violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in relation to the 2017 crackdown. UN agencies and human rights groups have documented extensive atrocities, and the ICJ, in a preliminary order, called on the countryto take steps to protect the Rohingya.





The government and army have consistently denied the allegations.

Asked about the case, Lee said: I cant come out with a conclusion before the court (International Criminal Court) that is mandated to deal with genocide  but I say it bears the hallmarks of genocide.

In her final statement before stepping down from her role, Lee also called for a UN investigation into the continuing violence in Rakhine, which has also spilled over into neighbouring Chin State.

Lee said possible war crimes were being committed by the Myanmar military with civilians coming under attack in its continued attempts to crack down on the rebel Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine group.

The violence has intensified in recent months, with the military calling the ethnic Rakhine rebels a terrorist group.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 06:40:55|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Europeans are bracing themselves for "difficult" post-lockdown days on top of the heavy toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the region.

With all the signs suggesting an economic recession, governments are straining to restore a resemblance of normalcy by easing lockdown, while firing warning shots across their residents' bows.

As of 10:00 CET on Thursday, 1,265,762 Europeans have contracted the coronavirus, accounting for 41.5 percent of the global count, while 125,986 of them have died, making up 58.2 percent of the death toll worldwide, according to the latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

"MORE DISCIPLINE" NEEDED

In Spain, where the pandemic has caused 24,275 deaths, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Health Minister Salvador Illa warned on Wednesday that the period of scaling down anti-virus measures will not be easy.

"We should not fool ourselves, it is going to be difficult," said Grande-Marlaska in a joint press conference with Illa. "We can see the end of the road, but we can't forget the sacrifices that still lie ahead of us. Some of these stages are going to need more discipline than up to now."

The ministers' heads-up came a day after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced his government's four-stage plan -- starting Monday -- to ease restrictions and take Spain progressively towards the "new normality."

In Poland, where the first stage of exit plan has been in effect since April 20, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appealed to Poles not to get complacent in the face of the pandemic.

"We are opening up the economy, but we are not relaxing our safety measures by one inch," he said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski added that the requirement to cover nose and mouth in public spaces will remain in place.

GRIM ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

Ireland's largest hotel operator Dalata Hotel Group PLC announced on Wednesday that it has laid off 3,500 employees due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's the latest in a flurry of massive layoffs across Europe. Early this month, Riga International Airport downsized 500 staff members, as all its operations have been at a virtual standstill because of the pandemic.

Data released by the Romanian government on Monday revealed the pandemic has idled nearly a quarter of the labor force in the private sector.

The massive layoffs and suspensions added to the signs Europe is on a slippery slope toward economic recession.

The European Commission said in a statement on Wednesday that the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in both the euro area and the European Union (EU) plummeted in April, marking the sharpest monthly decline on record.

The ESI in the euro area fell by 27.2 points from the previous month to 67.0 points in April, while the ESI for the EU sank 28.8 points to 65.8 points, the Commission said.

On the same day, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier said his government is bracing for the "worst recession" in history, with the gross domestic product (GDP) expected to fall by 6.3 percent this year.

In Italy, the government's Economic and Financial Document (DEF) has projected that overall revenues will drop by almost 6 percent this year compared to 2019.

"Such drop would be unprecedented, at least in the last 50 years," Eugenio Gaiotti, Head of Bank of Italy Economics and Statistics Department, commented on Wednesday at a press conference. Enditem
File photo

A man suspected to have contracted coronavirus disease died on Tuesday at a government hospital in Ipe Akoko in the Akoko North-East Local Government Area of the state, The PUNCH reports.

According to a source, the deceased was initially admitted to the State Specialist Hospital, Ikare Akoko and later transferred to the General Hospital, Oka and later moved to General Hospital, Ipe Akoko.

The source said family members of the deceased attempted to reach the officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in Owo but allegedly claimed that there were no logistics to come down to Ipe General Hospital to pick the patient for test.

It was also gathered that some of the health workers at those hospitals could not ascertain the COVID-19 status of the deceased until he gave up the ghost, causing panic among the health workers and residents of the communities.

One of the health officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, The patient was brought in unconscious with fever of 40 degrees Celsius, and cough with grunting respiration.

We called the NCDC (officials) in the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, who promised to come to collect sample but they told us later they could not come due to logistics and we should release the corpse to the relatives.

Imagine that, even the relatives that brought the patient yesterday ( Monday) were on gloves and mask, meaning they even suspected something.

He added, We couldnt ascertain the travel record of the patient. The suspicious thing was why did they bring the patient from Ikare to come to a remote area here?

In his reaction, however, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahaab Adegbenro, who confirmed the incident, said the matter was not a case of coronavirus as being insinuated.

Adegbenro said the deceased died of an entirely different ailment, saying, Proper diagnosis was carried out on the patient by the medical personnel while on admission in the hospital. The only patient who tested positive for COVID-19 at the FMC Owo is now receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Akure.
The iPhone 12 may be among the devices that will be delayed getting to market because of manufacturing issues in Asia and weakened demand in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Apple is pushing back production of the new smartphone, estimating that it will be released in November. However, some other reports have said that the iPhone 12 may not go on sale until December, according to TechCrunch. The Cupertino company has not commented, but CEO Tim Cook had indicated in February that there might be delays.

Its a natural tie-in

The owner of High Times is going to start selling marijuana after championing its use in the pages of its magazine for nearly half a century. The company said Tuesday that it is acquiring 13 dispensaries  including ones in San Francisco and Oakland  from Harvest Health and Recreation. The cash and stock deal is valued at $80 million.

Number of the day

10%

Thats how much same-store sales fell at Starbucks cafes around the globe during the first three months of the year. The company said Tuesday that conditions are expected to get worse in the current quarter before moderating later this summer. Starbucks has temporarily closed half of its 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores. Its planning to reopen 90% of those with modifications by early June. Some will offer drive-thru and delivery, while others will establish contact-less pickup options. More than 75% of its stores in Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada are closed.
An unspecified number of the more than 100 troops who were treated for traumatic brain injuries suffered in a January missile attack on Al Asad air base in Iraq have been recommended for Purple Hearts, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

Officials have previously stated that Purple Heart recommendations have come from unit commanders and the individual military branches for those injured in the Jan. 8 Iranian missile strikes on the air base.

"The Purple Heart submissions remain under review and are being processed in accordance with Defense Department and military service regulations," Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell said in a statement Wednesday. "Upon completion, service members entitled to receive the Purple Heart will be notified by their leadership."

She gave no timeline for the process, but CNN, citing three defense officials, reported that "final decisions" on awarding possibly dozens of Purple Hearts could be coming soon from Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve and the Defense Department.

Related: 'Emotion and Chaos:' Air Force Releases Eyewitness Accounts of Al Asad Attack

At a Feb. 3 news briefing, Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman cited general standards for awarding the Purple Heart -- standards that appeared to qualify most of the troops who were treated for TBI after the Iranian missile strikes.

He said Purple Heart eligibility for TBI required a doctor's diagnosis and confirmation that the injury forced the service member to miss at least two days of duty for treatment.

Some of those injured in the Al Asad attack were evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and to the states for treatment and would appear to qualify for Purple Hearts.

Hoffman said recommendations for Purple Hearts were mainly "a question for the services" with final approval coming from the Defense Department.

"The process is going to play out," he said. "Fortunately, all the cases to date have been characterized as mild TBI, which is the equivalent of concussions."

In the early years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the military appeared reluctant to award Purple Hearts for TBI, but awards have been made more regularly as TBI from improvised explosive devices and other blasts became known as the "signature" combat injury of the wars.

In 2011, DoD updated the criteria for awarding the Purple Heart in cases of TBI, stating that the injury had to be caused by enemy action or suffered in action against an enemy, and had to require treatment by a medical officer or certification that it would have required treatment if available.

The Iranian missile strikes on Al Asad were in response to the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani.

President Donald Trump and Pentagon officials initially said there were no U.S. casualties from the missile strikes on Al Asad, but symptoms of TBI can often take days to appear.

On Jan. 16, U.S. Central Command stated that several of the troops at Al Asad "were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed."

When asked about the growing number of concussions, Trump told reporters in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22 that, "I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say and I can report that it's not very serious. I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen."

The Pentagon has since said that at least 109 troops at Al Asad on the night of the attacks suffered mild TBI.

In the early morning hours immediately after the missile attacks, and after briefing Trump at the White House, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said off-camera at the Pentagon that the launches "were intended to cause structural damage, destroy vehicles and equipment, and to kill personnel. That's my own personnel assessment."

His initial judgment was that the missiles carried 1,000-2,000 pound warheads.

On April 7, Air Forces Central Command published accounts from more than 20 Airmen at Al Asad testifying to the ferocity of the attacks that lasted an estimated 90 minutes.

Capt. Nate Brown recalled taking cover with others in a bunker.

Then, "the next wave hits. Then the next, and the next. I have no idea if anyone is alive outside this bunker."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Read More: Navy Orders Deeper Investigation Into Crozier Firing
Homeless Houstonians can call a hotline to get tested for the novel coronavirus, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced in a press conference Tuesday.

Turner made the announcement from the Fonde Community Center  usually a rec center, now repurposed to help Houstons homeless shelters spread out clients and enable social distancing. Fonde, run by the Salvation Army, can hold 150 people.

As coronavirus ravages the country, people living on the streets  who already have underlying health conditions and have little access to health or hygiene  are particularly vulnerable. Cities have scrambled to get people off the streets and prevent mass outbreaks at shelters.

To literally prevent people from dying on the streets, our city worked quickly, Turner said, flanked by officials and members of agencies serving the homeless population.

Outreach teams have been distributing face masks. The city has placed 20 hand-washing stations in areas with a high population of people experiencing homelessness, the mayor said.

For Houstonian experiencing homelessness who need testing, a special cab run through Houston METRO will get them and take them to a testing area operated by Healthcare for the Homeless. If an individual tests positive (or is referred through a hospital), the person will be brought to a joint city-county quarantine facility.

Marc Eichenbaum, special assistant to the mayor for homeless initiatives, was unable to say how many people had been tested through the citys testing line and did not provide a number on how many were in the quarantine center. He has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Eichenbaum warned that coronavirus left thousands of Houstonians just managing to stay housed vulnerable to homelessness. While the Texas Supreme Court extended an order suspending evictions through May 18, agencies and advocacy groups are bracing for a flood of evictions because people out of work simply cant pay rent.

The true impact of COVID-19 on homelessness will not be felt today, Eichenbaum said. It will not be felt tomorrow. It will be felt in the months and years to come.

sarah.smith@chron.com
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fiancee, Carrie Symonds, gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday at a London hospital, slightly earlier than had been expected.

Both mother and child are doing well, a spokeswoman said. Symonds had been expected to give birth in the early summer.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds arriving at Westminster Abbey in March. Credit:AP

"The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning," a spokeswoman said. "Both mother and baby are doing very well.

"The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team."
Melissa Gorga is passing her time during quarantine learning TikTok with her three children and cooking for husband Joe while she waits to get back to business as usual.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star chatted exclusively with DailyMailTV about having to stop filming the new season of the show, how she is dealing with lockdown and the sad loss of her father-in-law.

Joe Gorga and Teresa Giudice's father, Giacinto Gorga, who was affectionately known as 'Nonno' by his family and RHONJ fans, died in early April at 81-years-old.

Housewives at home: Melissa Gorga chatted exclusively with DailyMailTV about having to stop filming the new season of her hit Bravo show, how she is dealing with lockdown and the sad loss of her father-in-law

The 41-year-old star revealed that she and the rest of the cast had begun filming for season 11 but production was quickly shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'We kind of started but didn't get to finish,' Melissa said. 'So, we're just on hold right now.'

'We're on hold I mean, what could you do? I've seen the girls virtually. We've had a glass of wine but you can't really do much. I mean, what's Housewives without restaurants and vacations?'

The pandemic has impacted more than just Melissa's television schedule, her popular clothing boutique, Envy, is temporarily closed.

'We're on hold I mean, what could you do? I've seen the girls virtually. We've had a glass of wine but you can't really do much. I mean, what's Housewives without restaurants and vacations?'

Adjusting: Melissa began filming season 11 of RHONJ but stopped down to COVID-19 and her popular Envy boutique had to shut its doors to shoppers as well (Pictured with Teresa season 10)

Melissa said she is thankful, though, for the brand's strong online presence and her loyal customer base to keep the business alive.

'You know, its so sad for all these businesses but Im very lucky that I have a big online following,' she said. 'I know a lot of people dont have money right now and the extra money to spend.

'Were suffering just like everyone else but I [think] more than half of our business is taken away,' Gorga continued.

Things for the Gorga-Giudice family were particularly challenging this month after they lost Teresa and Joe's father on April 3rd.

Heartbreak: Joe Gorga and Teresa Giudice's father and Melissa's father-in-law Giacinto Gorga, who was affectionately known as 'Nonno' by his family and RHONJ fans, died in early April at 81-years-old

'He was so loved. Everybody loves Nonno, everybody loves Nonno,' Melissa said fondly. 'Im speaking on behalf of Joe, Theresa, and I, thank you so much to everyone who loved him.

'He was so loved. Everybody loves Nonno, everybody loves Nonno,' Melissa said fondly.

Melissa explained that the response from friends, family and fans to his passing was overwhelming. Both of the homes of the Gorgas and the Giudices were flooded with deliveries of flowers, food, cookies and condolences.

'Im speaking on behalf of Joe, Teresa, and I,' Melissa said, 'thank you so much to everyone who loved him.'

Although they had to keep the ceremony small, the immediate family was able to get together to say goodbye.

'We were all able to be there and you know, I think he would have rather have had it just me, Teresa and Joe and his grandchildren and that's who it was. It was sweet, it was very personal, and it was sad though.'

Back home: Meanwhile during lockdown, Melissa is keeping up with her three children, cooking for husband Joe and reading books - a past time she hadn't tried until now (Pictured with Joe in 2019)

'It was sad because anyone who is, you know, passing away during the time of the corona is scary,' Melissa explained. 'We were all able to be there and you know, I think he would have rather have had it just me, Teresa and Joe and his grandchildren and that's who it was. It was sweet, it was very personal, and it was sad though.'

Meanwhile, back home, Melissa is enjoying the extra time with her kids but she admitted that being in lockdown with three children can be intense.

'I mean, listen, its nice to spend the extra time with them, but like theres gotta be an off button somewhere,' she laughed. 'I have three. Its a lot.'

When she isn't making TikTok videos with the kids, Melissa said she's gotten back into cooking like back in the days when she first married Joe.

'Im cooking back to when like, I first got married and I was so into it and I wanted to be a perfect little wife,' she said. 'Im back to that, but I told Joe dont get too used to that because thats not going to keep happening.'

'I never read books before. Im really not a big book reader. Ive been reading books. Joe tells me he likes it because its keeping me quiet while hes watching Ozark.'

'Im cooking back to when like, I first got married and I was so into it and I wanted to be a perfect little wife,' she said. 'Im back to that, but I told Joe dont get too used to that because thats not going to keep happening.'

The mother of three is also becoming a bit of a bookworm these days: 'I never read books before. Im really not a big book reader [but] Ive been reading books. Joe tells me he likes it because its keeping me quiet while hes watching Ozark.'

Season 10 of RHONJ wrapped up in mid-March and season 11 is currently postponed indefinitely until the coronavirus pandemic ends but Melissa revealed that New Jersey will be the first Housewives to pick up filming as soon as it's all over.
The US Air Forces mysterious space plane aims to break another record by again spending longer than two years in low-Earth orbit.

The X-37B is set to take off on May 16 and is not expected to return home until mid-2022  the previous record was a 780-day mission that finished in 2019.

The mission, dubbed OTV-6, is set to take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, riding atop a liquid fueled Atlas V rocket.

This pilotless craft has been performing a range of classified missions for the military group since 2010, allowing the group to test new technologies in space.

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The US Air Forces mysterious space plane aims to break another record by spending longer than two years in low-Earth orbit. The X-37B is set to take off on May 16 and is not expected to return home until mid-2022  the previous record was a 780-day mission in 2019 (pictured)

OTV, which stands for Operational Test Vehicle, entails the Air Force launching a 29-foot long X-37B robotic mini-shuttle in to low-orbit in order to test new technologies, the National Interest reported.

The sixth mission will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 16 in Florida.

The Air Force has two X-37Bs that are swapped while one is undergoing refurbishment.

Powered by solar cells with lithium-ion batteries, the plane was orbiting at around 200 miles high.

The first mission in 2010 lasted 224 days, the second a year later went on for 468 days and the mission that ended in 2019 lasted a total of 780 days.

OTV, which stands for Operational Test Vehicle, entails the Air Force launching a 29-foot long X-37B robotic mini-shuttle into low-orbit in order to test new technologies

The sixth mission will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 16 in Florida.

'This program continues to push the envelope as the world's only reusable space vehicle,' Randy Walden, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director, said in Sunday's statement.

'With a successful landing today, the X-37B completed its longest flight to date and successfully completed all mission objectives.

'This mission successfully hosted Air Force Research Laboratory experiments, among others, as well as providing a ride for small satellites.'

The Air Force is usually very secretive about what the spacecraft takes to orbit with, but made an exception in its last mission.

The military group shared that the X-37B was carrying the Advanced Structurally Embedded Thermal Spreader built by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

According to the AFRL, the payload's three primary science objectives are to measure the initial on-orbit thermal performance, to measure long-duration thermal performance and to assess any lifetime degradation.

One expert has suggested that this aircraft could already be part of an early US Space Force.

Five previous X-37B missions have been launched by United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets. Each time the unmanned space plane has carried a mystery payload on long-duration flights in Earth orbit

'Ironically, the X-37B is exactly the type of program  toward giving the U.S. flexibility of operations in space  that seems to be prompting the current push for a Space Force, yet are already underway,' Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor in the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, told Space.com.

Five previous X-37B missions have been launched by United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets.

Each time the unmanned space plane has carried a mystery payload on long-duration flights in Earth orbit.

'The many firsts on this mission make the upcoming OTV launch a milestone for the program,' Walden said at the launch last year.

'It is our goal to continue advancing the X-37B OTV so it can more fully support the growing space community.'
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Starting next week, the city will begin coronavirus antibody testing on health care workers and first responders with the goal of testing up to 150,000 of those workers in the coming weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday.

The antibody testing will be free of cost and paid for as part of a partnership between New York City and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The testing will be available to healthcare workers and first responders at hospitals, firehouses, police precincts, at correctional facilities, de Blasio said.

But he cautioned that even if you have the antibodies, it does not necessarily mean you will be immune to future infection of the deadly virus.

[The antibody tests] does not tell you if youre entirely immune in the sense that we all think of that word, de Blasio told reporters during a press conference. When we hear the word immune, we just think that you cant possibly get something again, there is not yet confidence that having been exposed to the coronavirus once means you can never get it again.

We dont know for sure if anyone can contract this disease a second time, the good news is honestly theres not a lot of evidence that people have, but we don't know for sure, so thats a limitation we have to be clear about, he continued.

De Blasio said after receiving an antibody test New Yorkers could not simply let down their guard.

He said first responders and healthcare workers would still have to wear personal protective equipment, practice social distancing, and watch out for symptoms of the virus.

New York recently conducted its initial random antibody testing across 19 counties over two days. At least one site was on Staten Island outside Grasmeres Met Food on Hylan Boulevard.

In the initial testing, the state randomly sampled people who the governor characterized as non-essential workers who did not need to be quarantined and were outside of their home.

The test found that almost 25% of New York City residents tested positive for the virus antibodies  a sign an individual has already been infected.

The citys Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Demetre Daskalakis has also expressed skepticism around the serological testing, warning medical providers last week in a letter that antibody tests could produce false negatives.

Laboratory networks LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics have started collecting blood samples in the effort to deliver individualized results to patients.

Quest Diagnostics, which has several locations on Staten Island -- though some are temporarily closed -- is collecting blood-drawn samples for antibody testing. A doctors order is required.

Borough Hall, Richmond University Medical Center, and Long Island testing manufacturer Chembio have also partnered to conduct widespread antibody testing in the Islands coronavirus plagued nursing homes.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***
New Delhi, April 29 : The Bhartiya Janata Party has hit out at Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Zafarul Islam for his controversial post on the social media that Indian Muslims have not yet complained to the Arab world about hate campaigns against them in India.

"Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche," said Islam on Facebook.

Criticising the post, BJP spokesperson Sonkar Shastri said that Zafrul Islam is trying to tarnish India's image in Arab world. He demanded from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal removal of Islam from the post of chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission.

Earlier also, Islam had written to the Delhi chief minister about the discrimination being meted out to the Tablighi Jamaat members at quarantine centres.

"Even after completing the isolation period, Jamaat members are not being released from the quarantine centres. They are being treated like prisoners. On the one hand you are using the plasma of recovered Jamaatis, on the other you are discriminating against Muslims," Islam had said in the letter to the Delhi chief minister.
Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, has reacted to a recent court judgement ordering the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the director-general of his campaign, Bukola Saraki, to pay a trader N5 million in damages.

The trader, one Amuda Adeleke had filed a lawsuit against the Atiku campaign organization after her photograph was used for a billboard advert without her permission.

Also joined in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/./19, was Atikus running mate, Peter Obi.

The trader had told the court that the unauthorised use of her photograph for the partys campaign caused her embarrassment.

All my friends who saw the campaign billboard said it portrayed me as a woman stricken with poverty who had lost all hope and was prepared to commit suicide, she said.

She asked the court to award N45m against Atiku, Saraki, the PDP and Obi for infringing on her fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

However, after ruling in her favour on Monday, the judge, Justice Ayokunle Faji instead awarded N5 million against the defendants.

Reacting to the development on her Twitter page, Lauretta Onochie mocked Atiku and Saraki saying its colossal damage to be on PDP billboard. She wrote:

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered PDPs 2019 candidate @atiku & his Campaign Director @bukolasaraki, to pay 5m damages to a trader, Amuda Adeleke, for unauthorized use of her photograph on the PDP campaign billboard. More please. Its colossal damage to be on PDP billboard, Lauretta wrote.

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered PDPs 2019 candidate @atiku, & his Campaign Director @bukolasaraki, to pay 5m damages to a trader, Amuda Adeleke, for unauthorised use of her photograph on PDP campaign billboard. More please. Its colossal damage to be on PDP billboard pic.twitter.com/GKkKBbDDVC  Lauretta Onochie (@Laurestar) April 28, 2020

KanyiDaily recalls that Atiku had sued Onochie over an alleged libelous tweet she posted on her Twitter handle on May 7, 2019.

In the tweet, Onochie had suggested that Atiku was on the watch list of security operatives in the UEA and had traveled to shop for terrorists in the Middle East.
Spain has recorded its lowest daily coronavirus death tally in six weeks but data showing the economy shrank by the widest margin on record in the first three months of the year laid bare the heavy cost of measures to control the outbreak.

Spain has had one of the world's worst outbreaks with more than 24,000 COVID-19 fatalities and in mid-March imposed one of the strictest lockdowns, though officials are confident the worst has passed and want to start easing measures next week.

Children feed pigeons in Barcelona. Credit:Getty Images

Across the country, devastated businesses are contemplating how to return to normal in an environment where meticulous hygiene and social distancing will be of paramount importance.

Beaches and hotels lie empty in a tourism sector that is one of the biggest contributors to the economy. Another big driver, construction and real estate, is at a standstill after only just recovering from the 2008 financial crisis.

The number of fatalities related to the coronavirus recorded overnight in Spain fell to 268, the lowest since March 20, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Cases rose to 213,435 - in a population of 47 million - from 212,917 the day before.

Spain's economy shrunk by 5.2 per cent in the first quarter compared with the previous period, preliminary data showed, with household spending plunging 7.5 per cent as people hunkered down at home with most shops, bars and restaurants closed in March.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez outlined a four-phase plan to lift the lockdown with a planned return to normality by end-June.

Under the plan, hairdressers and other businesses that operate via appointment will open from Monday, while restaurants will be able to offer takeaway services.

By the end of June, beaches will be able to reopen.

Different areas of the country will progress through the stages at different rates depending on how the rate of infection evolves and other criteria like compliance with social distancing rules.

Reuters
PM Narendra Modi Pays Tribute To Irrfan Khan, Calls His Death A Loss To The World Of Cinema
Biden accuser slams Hillary's endorsement; more sources back Tara Reade's sexual assault claims

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Warning: This article contains sexually explicit content.

The woman who claims Joe Biden reached under her skirt in 1993 has slammed Hillary Clinton after the former first lady gave her endorsement to the presumptive 2020 nominee during a town hall Tuesday.

"I voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. I voted for her in the primary. I'm a lifelong Democrat, Tara Reade, a former entry-level staffer for Biden when he served as Delaware senator, said in an interview Tuesday with Fox News.

But yet, what I see now is someone enabling a sexual predator and it was my former boss, Joe Biden, who raped me.

Reade claims that Biden not only reached under her skirt but penetrated her with his fingers in a 1993 encounter in a Capitol Hill corridor.

While the Biden campaign has denied the allegation, the former vice president has not personally addressed it. Some Biden supporters have dismissed Reades claim as unfounded. But new details have emerged in recent days that are causing at least some who were quick to overlook the claim to take a second look.

As the former Democratic nominees endorsement does not come as much of a shock, it comes as Biden looks to bolster his support among women as he faces allegations from at least seven other women who claim that he has made them feel uncomfortable by touching them over years.

Hillary Clinton has a history of enabling powerful men to cover up their sexual predatory behaviors and their inappropriate sexual misconduct, Reade said. We don't need that for this country. We don't need that for our new generation coming up that wants institutional rape culture to change."

Reades claims were first reported in an article published in a Northern California newspaper last year before Biden announced his candidacy against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement.

In her late 20s at the time, Reade claimed that Biden made her feel uncomfortable by touching her several times over the nine months that she worked for him.

She said he would often touch her on the neck. Reade claimed that she tried to share her concerns with superiors at the time. But looking to protect the senator, she said they told her to say nothing.

Reade also claimed that her hours were reduced after she refused to serve drinks at an event, adding that she was led to believe through conversations with other staffers that Biden liked her legs.

She stated that she felt pushed out and left Bidens office in August 1993. At the time, a confidant of Reade told The Union that Reade relayed the story about Bidens actions after the events occurred.

Although Reades claim received little attention during the Democratic Primary, it has gained more coverage in the mainstream media in recent weeks.

In a late March interview, Reade claimed that in the spring or summer of 1993, she was instructed to meet Biden in a semi-secluded corridor to deliver a duffel bag. When she did, she claimed that Biden pushed her up against a wall, reached under her skirt and penetrated her with his fingers.

After resisting Bidens advancement, she claimed that the then-senator said: Aw man, I heard you liked me. Reade accused Biden of then telling her: "You're nothing to me."

The Biden campaign outright denies the allegations. A statement from the campaign stresses that the candidate has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women.



He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, the campaign asserts. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard  and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen.



In April, several mainstream news outlets investigated the claims and published reports on the matter. While The New York Times, a left-leaning publication, spoke to over two dozen people that worked with Biden in the early 1990s, it reports that none of them were able to corroborate the details of Reades claims. The New York Times concluded that there was no pattern of sexual misconduct."

The Washington Post interviewed more than six former Biden staffers and people whom Reade told about the incident. The chief of staff and deputy chief of staff for Bidens office at the time told The Washington Post they had no recollection or memory of such a complaint.

But anonymously, a friend and cousin of Reade confirmed to the newspaper that they were told of Bidens actions by Reade after the incident.

This week, Business Insider published two on-the-record conversations with Reades friends who say they remember Reade telling them in the 1990s about the actions of the senator.

"This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it," Reades next-door neighbor during the 1990s, Lynda LaCasse, told Business Insider.

Lorraine Sanchez, a friend who worked with Reade in the office of a California state senator during the mid-1990s, told the outlet that she remembers Reade complaining about how her former boss in Washington sexually harassed her.

On April 24, the Intercept reported that Reade's mother had called into the "Larry King Live" show on CNN on Aug. 11, 1993, during a segment titled Washington: The Cruelest City on Earth?

Im wondering what a staffer would do besides go to the press in Washington? Reades mother said during the call. My daughter has just left there, after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.

Reade told The Washington Post that she filed a complaint with a congressional human resources office but could not remember the specific name. She said her complaint dealt with the alleged harassment, not the alleged sexual assault in the corridor.

The Washington Post was unable to find any record of the complaint but reported that Reade said she never received a copy.

Although Bidens official records from his 36 years serving in the Senate were donated to his alma mater, the University of Delaware, they are sealed from the public. Reade is now calling for the release of Bidens Senate records.

"I'm calling for the release of the documents being held by the University of Delaware that contain Biden's staff personnel records because I believe it will have my complaint form, as well as my separation letter and other documents," Reade told Fox News. "Maybe if other staffers that have tried to file complaints would come to light. Why are they under seal? And why won't they be released to the public?"

Several potential vice presidential running mates, including Stacy Abrams, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, have praised Biden when asked about Reades allegations, citing the claim made in The New York Times article that there was no pattern of sexual misconduct.

However, at least one staunch Democrat and Biden supporter, actress and activist Alyssa Milano, seems to be changing her tune on the issue in light of new developments.

Earlier this month, Milano was criticized by Reade for using quite different talking points in response to allegations against Biden than she did for the 2018 allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Im aware of the new developments in Tara Reades accusation against Joe Biden, Milano said in a tweet Tuesday. I want Tara, like every other survivor, to have the space to be heard and seen without being used as fodder. I hear and see you, Tara. #MeToo.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 28, 2020 | 04:49 PM | FRANKFORT





During the update, Beshear shared his new guidelines to help businesses reopen safely. The new guidelines aim to help businesses prepare for the gradual reopening while keeping workers and customers safe. The 10 steps are as follows:





1) Continue telework whenever possible.



2) A phased return to work.

3) Onsite temperature checks and health checks.



4) Everyone must wear a mask and have other necessary PPE on hand.



5) All visitor and waiting areas must remain closed.



6) Continued social distancing.



7) Limit face-to-face meetings.



8) Accessible hand sanitizer.



9) Any other special accommodations.



10) A testing plan.







During the press conference, officials also gave a presentation on how to make a cloth mask. Under Beshear's new guidelines, everyone working or visiting a business must have a mask by May 11. He also encourages all Kentuckians to wear masks when going to the grocery store, or any other place of business.







Beshear announced 230 new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of cases to 4,375. There are 320 Kentuckians currently hospitalized, with 170 in the ICU. There are 1,617 Kentuckians that have recovered. Of the new cases, four are in McCracken, three in Graves, three in Trigg, two in Ballard, one in Crittenden, and one in Marshall.







As of Tuesday there were 12 new deaths associated with the virus, bringing the total number of deaths to 224. The new deaths include a 71-year-old woman, and an 84-year-old woman, both from Graves County.

During his Tuesday update, Governor Andy Beshear revealed a 10-step plan for businesses that hope to reopen.
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- C5 Capital, the specialist investment firm that exclusively invests in the secure data ecosystem, including cybersecurity, AI, cloud and space, has further strengthened the expertise and reach of The Cyber Alliance to Defend our Healthcare with a stream of new members joining.

The Alliance is now supported by industry leaders including ITC Secure, IronNet Cybersecurity, Haven Cyber Technologies, Enveil, 4iQ, Blue Cedar, Hazelcast, SAP NS2, Modex, Telos, OneVinn, TruSTAR, Privitar, Cynamics, The Global Cyber Centre by SOSA and Klaatu IT Security. Their combined experience and resources further enhances the Alliance's powerful industry response to an unprecedented series of cyberattacks on a healthcare sector already under huge pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key figures from the cyber industry are also supporting the Alliance, including Ron and Cyndi Gula, founders of cybersecurity investment firm Gula Tech Adventures.

Since launching the Alliance in March to provide free support to healthcare organizations, C5 Capital has noted a ten-fold increase in cyberattacks, such as ransomware, on the sector, adding an additional threat to already-overburdened hospitals, clinics and research facilities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that more than 25,000 email addresses from its organization and others related to its operations  such as the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US  had been compromised.

Through collective defense, members of the Alliance are working together to protect healthcare workers on the frontline of the epidemic. Much of the Alliance's work to date has focused on the onboarding of critical healthcare infrastructure to the C5 IronDome, which uses behavioral intelligence derived from cyber anomalies to detect potential threats. Other activity has ranged from providing network compromise assessments and additional monitoring of core systems, to offering surge capacity to overwhelmed Security Operations Centers and providing Blockchain solutions to safeguard against ransomware attacks.

This work is helping to ensure hospitals and clinics protect their internal systems and databases for patients, healthcare workers and volunteers. It is also enabling pharmaceutical research and development facilities to safeguard their work while developing a vaccine to fight the COVID-19 virus both safely and efficiently.

Andre Pienaar, Founder, C5 Capital said: "The growing support for the Alliance underlines the strong collaborative nature of the cybersecurity sector. With many of the world's leading cybersecurity experts now contributing their services and knowledge for free we have a powerful united front to combat cyber threats to global health organizations when they are already under immense strain as a result of this terrible pandemic."

General (Ret) Keith Alexander, former Commander U.S. Cyber Command and current Co-CEO and Founder of IronNet Cybersecurity, said: "As the COVID-19 outbreak accelerates worldwide, threat adversaries are taking advantage of popular fears about the disease to spread malware that provides them access to sensitive personal and corporate data. We must come together as one  through Collective Defense  to protect and defend global healthcare providers. They represent the front line of this crisis; as cybersecurity experts, we must work together behind the scenes to ensure reliability and continuity of service."

Ron Gula, Co-Founder of cybersecurity investment firm Gula Tech Adventures, added: "This industry coalition for health care providers is a powerful way to counteract the threat from hackers and nation states who are taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis."

Claes Kruse, CEO, OneVinn, said: "During these unprecedented times, we need to defend the real heroes of our time, the healthcare workers. We feel that it's important that we, as a cybersecurity industry, do our best to keep their systems up and running, avoid attacks and let the true heroes continue to save our lives."

Dr. Ellison Anne Williams, Founder and CEO of Enveil, commented: "Fighting this pandemic will require the meaningful use of data and resources from around the globe. Privacy Enhancing Technologies can uniquely protect the privacy and security of these sensitive data assets, and we look forward to working with the broader Alliance to ensure such technologies are a foundational part of any solution."

https://www.c5capital.com/cyber-alliance/

For more detail on joining the Alliance, please contact [email protected],

SOURCE C5 Capital
Australia's Minister for Health Greg Hunt during question time at Parliament House on May 10, 2017 in Canberra, Australia. (Stefan Postles/Getty Images)

Chinese Consul General Unexpectedly Gives Speech at Health Ministers Press Event

Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest took Health Minister Greg Hunt by surprise when he unexpectedly invited a Chinese diplomat to speak at their press event on April 29.

Hunt and Forrest were there to announce that 10 million virus testing kits as well as pathology equipment, had been acquired by Forrests charity, the Minderoo Foundation, from the China-based BGI Group.

Hunt and Forrest spoke first, and afterwards Forrest invited the Chinese consul-general of Victoria, Zhou Long to speak. Claims differ on when Forrest notified Hunt that Zhou would speak. However, its believed he wasnt aware until the press conference was about to begin.

Social media users were critical of Forrest.

Journalist Gareth Parker wrote on Twitter, This was the same trick Andrew Forrest pulled when announcing hed secured medical supplies for WA. He invited Chinese consul Madam Dong to joint presser w/Health Minister @RogerCookMLA without WA Govts knowledge.

As I reported on @6PR Mornings earlier this month, this was the same trick Andrew Forrest pulled when announcing hed secured medical supplies for WA. He invited Chinese consul Madam Dong to joint presser w/Health Minister @RogerCookMLA without WA Govts knowledge. https://t.co/1YcdJRZDrL  Gareth Parker (@G_Parker) April 29, 2020

SkyNews Canberra Bureau Chief Thomas OBrien wrote, It appears Health Min. Hunt did not have a whole lot of notice that China Consul General Zhou Long would be at his Joint Presser with Andrew Forrest. Hunt made it clear Twiggy would have to be the one to introduce the Vic Consul General, and that he wasnt allowed to take Qs.

It appears Health Min. Hunt did not have a whole lot of notice that China Consul General Zhou Long would be at his Joint Presser with Andrew Forrest. Hunt made it clear Twiggy would have to be the one to introduce the Vic Consul General, and that he wasnt allowed to take Qs.  Thomas OBrien (@TJ__OBrien) April 29, 2020

The episode is another amid a week of growing tensions between Australia and China, which began on April 26 when Ambassador Cheng Jingye said there might be a Chinese boycott of Australian products and universities if Australia continues to pursue an investigation into the origin of the CCP virus outbreak.

Forrest is the majority shareholder of Fortescue Metals Group, a major mining corporation in Australia with significant exports to mainland China. It recently opened a Shanghai office.

In his speech, Hunt emphasised that 500,000 tests had already been conducted in Australia, with a high degree of accuracy by global standards.

Further, 2.8 million Australians had already downloaded the COVID Safe contact tracing app.

Forrest expressed thanks to the BGI Group for withstanding the shocks and withstanding the threats to our supply chains.

When asked about the prime ministers call for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus, Forrest pivoted to instead speak about the huge depth of the relationship which exists between the business community on both sides and the trust and friendship.

Forrest had earlier in the day suggested to ABC that an investigation should be delayed and not focused on China.

The prime minister said on April 29 that he did not think Australia and Chinas economic relationship would be affected by the tensions of the past week.

The predominance of our trading relationship with China is obviously resources based, and I see no reason why that would alter in the future. I mean, the thing about our relationship with China is it is a mutually beneficial one, he said.
US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals.

Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it. He has also indicated that the US may be looking at "a lot more money" in damages from China than the USD 140 billion being sought by Germany from Beijing for the pandemic.

Leaders of the US, the UK and Germany believe that the deaths and the destruction of the global economy could have been avoided, had China shared the information about the virus in its early phases.

"It's in 184 countries, as you hear me say often. It's hard to believe. It's inconceivable," Trump told reporters at White House Tuesday. "It should have been stopped at the source, which was China. It should have been stopped very much at the source, but it wasn't. And now we have 184 countries going through hell.

The virus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in mid-November, has killed more than two lakh people and infected over three million globally. The largest number of them are in the US: nearly 59,000 deaths and over one million infections.

The massive outbreak in the US has put Trump under increasing pressure from American lawmakers to decrease US dependence on Beijing and they have also sought compensation from China.

Senator Ted Cruz and his colleagues have urged Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to support the development of a fully domestic supply chain of rare earths and other minerals that are critical for manufacturing defence technologies and supporting national security.

It is clear that our dependence on China for vital rare earths threatens our US manufacturing and defence-industrial base. As the October 2018 Defence Industrial Base Report states: China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials deemed strategic and critical to US national security.' [...] Ensuring a US supply of domestically sourced rare earths will reduce our vulnerability to supply disruptions that poses a grave risk to our military readiness," the Senators wrote.

The US is 100 percent import-dependent for rare earths as well as 13 other metals and minerals on the US Government Critical Minerals List and more than 75 percent import reliant for an additional 10 minerals.

Congressman Brian Mast on Tuesday introduced a legislation to hold China accountable for its "coronavirus deception". The resolution would empower the US to withhold payments on debts owed to China equal to the costs incurred by the US in response to COVID-19.

China's total lack of transparency and mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak has cost tens of thousands of lives, millions of jobs and left untold economic destruction. Congress must hold China accountable for their cover-up and force them to pay back the taxpayer dollars that have been spent as a result, Mast said.

Cruz, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced his intention to introduce a legislation to cut off Hollywood studios from assistance they receive from the Department of Defence if those studios censor their films for screening in China.

This legislation is part of Sen. Cruz's comprehensive push to combat China's growing influence over what Americans see and hear, which includes legislation targeting information warfare from the Chinese Communist Party across higher education, sports, films, radio broadcasts, and more.

Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera and Congressman Ted S. Yoho, both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will lead a bipartisan virtual Special Order to highlight the importance of US global leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If we abdicate our place as a leader in global health, there is another country eager to take the reins. China has not been subtle in asserting itself on global health issues, and often not for the benefit of other nations. China's recent coronavirus debacle should be evidence enough that their communist regime cannot be trusted to lead with accountability, transparency, or pragmatism, traits that are essential when fighting widespread disease, Yoho said.

As for how China would fare as a global health leader, look no further than the disastrous initial response by the WHO to coronavirus, one that was clearly influenced by Beijing. Information was slow-walked, warnings from nations like Taiwan were ignored at crucial turning points, and cooperation with outside health experts was spurned until it was too late. And it has resulted in the largest public health disaster the world has seen in over a century, he said.

In an interview to Fox News, Senator Marco Rubio alleged that if China had acted when those warnings were being made, instead of silencing the people that were talking about it, they could have limited the spread.

So there was no doubt that that was a deliberate decision made on their part. The one way to hold them accountable is to do what we should be doing anyway. That is moving the means of production to become less and less dependent upon them. What you're going to see after this pandemic is that more and more countries are going to prioritize their healthcare manufacturing capabilities and other industries, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The coronavirus outbreak has quelled, or at least muted, many noisy and divisive debates, not least of all those expected to take place over the commemoration of Captain James Cooks arrival to Australias east coast 250 years ago.

The federal government had planned a series of events including a $7 million voyage by a replica of the ship HMS Endeavour around Australia, but that was abandoned last month due to the virus-imposed lockdowns around the country.

This is one cancellation forced by the pandemic about which the Herald has only minimal regrets. A year spent re-enacting the arrival of a British ship armed with cannon that engaged in several skirmishes with Indigenous land owners would inevitably have stirred hostile reactions along the way.

On Wednesday, the precise anniversary of when Cook first set foot on Australian soil at Botany Bay, Prime Minister Scott Morrison sought to address the concerns of Indigenous Australians while also celebrating Cooks significant contribution to modern Australia.

Mr Morrison honoured the resilience, wisdom, custodianship and stewardship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians but also acknowledged the extraordinary individual of James Cook, whose passion for science and discovery played such a critical role in Australias journey to the nation we are today.
MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Quebec Precious Metals Corporation ("QPM" or the "Company") (TSXV:CJC)(OTCQB:CJCFF)(FSE:YXEP) has released an updated corporate presentation on the Company website. This document can be downloaded using the following link:

https://www.qpmcorp.ca/corporate-presentation/

The document includes the recent drill results on the La Pointe Extension discovery and La Pointe deposit for the Sakami project as well as on the Elmer East project (see press releases of April 21, 2020 and January 30, 2020). The ALS analytical laboratory in Val d'Or has resumed operations and the pending assays results are expected during the month of May. The Company is in the process of preparing sections and continues to update the 3D model for the Sakami project with SGS Canada Inc., which will be released using the modelling software of VRIFY Technology Inc. This will improve the understanding of the mineralization and assist in the design of future drilling programs. The 3D model on the Company's website will be updated once this work is completed.

The presentation also provides a summary in appendix of its non-core assets that are available for acquisition.

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 find the next gold mine in this territory.

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/587432/Quebec-Precious-Metals-New-Corporate-Presentation
Justin Trudeau's mother Margaret Trudeau was admitted to a hospital on Monday and was being treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in her building. She was rushed to the hospital for treatment and three families have been reportedly forced out of their house.

READ: PM Modi Dials Canada's Justin Trudeau Over COVID-19; Stresses On Collaborative Response

Trudeau's mother hospitalised

I spoke with my mom, and thankfully shes doing fine. Thanks to everyone who reached out and sent us well wishes. Id also like to thank the first responders for their incredible work, and Im keeping the other families affected by this fire in my thoughts today.  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 28, 2020

During his daily briefing on coronavirus, PM Trudeau said, "I know a lot of you have seen reports about my mum. I want to let you know I've spoken to her and she's doing just fine. I want to thank everyone who's reached out and want to also thank the first responders who were there doing an extraordinary job."

READ: Justin Trudeau Joins Forces With Ryan Reynolds & Justin Bieber For COVID-19 Relief Show

She is also suspected to have suffered burns but is expected to recover soon. PM Modi had also spoken with the Canada PM, though before this incident, to confer on the ongoing Covid crisis. The virus had earlier infected Trudeau's wife Sophie.

Had a warm exchange with PM @JustinTrudeau. Thanked him for looking after Indian citizens in Canada in these difficult times. Collaboration and partnership between India and Canada is vital to fighting the pandemic including through medical research and supply chain management.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 28, 2020

READ: Justin Trudeau Says 'Canada's Approach To Reopen Its Economy Won't Rely On Immunity'

READ: Trudeau Allots Over $780 Million For 'immunity Task Force' To Aid Canada's COVID-19 Fight
Many youth union members join to donate blood (Photo: laodong.vn)

The program collected more than 350 units of blood. These are precious blood drops in the context of complicated development of COVID-19 pandemic, as the whole society has to be isolated and reserved blood quantity is seriously low.



In addition, over the past time, the Vietnam National Coal & Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited has organized various significant activities to contribute to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Quang Ninh province, such as presenting gifts to units in front lines fighting the pandemic; providing finance to some units to purchase medical supplies to prevent and control the pandemic; and promoting consumption of local agricultural products.

Moreover, the corporation has boosted production and business at the highest level to ensure national energy security, socio- economic development and contribute to increase the local budget./.
By Ben Klayman and Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday its second-quarter loss will more than double to $5 billion from $2 billion in the first quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but said despite the ongoing crisis it has enough money to last for the remainder of 2020.

By Ben Klayman and Nick Carey

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday its second-quarter loss will more than double to $5 billion from $2 billion in the first quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but said despite the ongoing crisis it has enough money to last for the remainder of 2020.

"We believe the company's cash is sufficient to take us through the end of the year, even with no additional vehicle wholesales or financing actions," Chief Financial Officer Tim Stone said in a statement.

But he called the current economic environment "too ambiguous" for the No. 2 U.S. automaker to give a full-year 2020 earnings forecast.

The company has slashed costs during the COVID-19 outbreak to weather the shutdown, including cutting salaries of executives and white-collar employees.

Ford also moved to cut spending on projects, saying on Tuesday it was pushing back its commercial autonomous vehicle services by a year to 2022 and that it has decided to not develop a previously announced luxury electric Lincoln sport-utility vehicle in partnership with electric vehicle maker Rivian.

Ford shares were down about 6% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after closing the regular session at $5.38.

Fords market value of $20.6 billion is now less than the $35.1 billion in cash it had on hand as of April 24, an indication that investors expect the company to burn through significant amounts of cash before a recovery takes hold.

Ford had preannounced the pandemic-fueled first-quarter loss earlier this month. That warning came the same day the Dearborn, Michigan-based company raised $8 billion from corporate debt investors.

Last month, Ford moved to hoard cash on its balance sheet, drawing down $15.4 billion from two credit lines and suspending its dividend, in a move to bolster reserves to ride out damage to its business.

Virtually all U.S. automotive production ground to a halt in March as the number of COVID-19 infections grew rapidly. However, with President Donald Trump pushing for Americans to get back to work and several U.S. states beginning to reopen their economies, the focus in the auto sector has shifted to when production can be restarted.

In a conference call on Tuesday, Ford's CFO, Stone, said the company would restart U.S. production "as soon as practicable" but did not give a timeline.

Ford's captive finance arm posted $30 million in first-quarter pretax earnings, down $771 million versus the same period in 2019. This included $600 million in additional-loss reserves, plus higher depreciation of former lease vehicle sales and expected lease defaults  in preparation for the estimated future impact of the coronavirus on the finance unit's performance.

Ford, General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) are aiming to resume production some time in May, and are negotiating with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which represents their U.S. hourly workers, about how to safely resume vehicle production. FCA and GM are scheduled to report quarterly results on May 5 and 6, respectively.

Last week, the UAW said it was "too soon and too risky" to reopen auto plants in early May.

Ford, whose credit rating has been downgraded to "junk" status by Standard & Poor's, had previously said it hoped to resume production in April at plants that make its most profitable vehicles but subsequently backed off those plans.

Ford said on Tuesday it will restart most of its European manufacturing starting on May 4. It has already resumed operations in China, where the pandemic began and where sales fell 35% in the first quarter. U.S. sales fell 12.5%.

Once North American production resumes, the question will be how fast U.S. demand bounces back.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman and Nick Carey in Detroit; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Matthew Lewis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Int'l travellers who test COVID positive at the airport will not be allowed to go to their destinations

Who is Firhad Hakim? Know Kolkata's New Mayor Age, Education, Family and Other Details

Kolkata hospital introduces 'Virtual Visiting Hours' for COVID-19 patients

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

Kolkata, Apr 29: AMRI Hospital, Salt Lake in West Bengal has introduced 'Virtual Visiting Hours' for patients there.

The CEO of the hospital says, "State govt issued directive not to carry phones inside COVID wards. So we started this.Patients can keep in touch with their family via iPad".

AMRI hospital, one of the top hospitals in Kolkata registered West Bengal's first Covid-19 death on March 23.

Coronavirus lockdown: Violators attack cops in 'red zone Howrah district in Kolkata

Since the state government has banned mobile phones in isolation wards at hospitals across the state because mobile phones carry germs and infection, the hospital has found a way to make patients interact with their families.

WB: AMRI hospital,Salt Lake-a dedicated #COVID19 hospital,has introduced 'Virtual Visiting Hours' for patients there. Hospital's CEO says "State govt issued directive not to carry phones inside COVID wards. So we started this.Patients can keep in touch with their family via iPad" pic.twitter.com/MjP10aqVtA  ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2020

The government's decision came after a patient at the state-run Bangur Hospital in Kolkata shot a video of a dead body lying in a ward and shared it on social media.

Meanwhile, West Bengal suffers reaches 725 positive coronavirus cases following 22 deaths while India has crossed 30,000mark for COVID-19 affected and hit 1000 deaths.

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Story first published: Wednesday, April 29, 2020, 13:58 [IST]
By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - Massive fiscal stimulus measures adopted by governments around the world to combat the coronavirus pandemic must be tailored to tackle climate change at the same time, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a virtual summit known as the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, Georgieva joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.N. Secretary Antonio Guterres in calling for focused efforts to promote a "green recovery" from the pandemic crisis.

"Taking measures now to fight the climate crisis is not just a 'nice-to-have'. It is a 'must-have' if we are to leave a better world for our children,' the IMF leader told the summit.

"What we do now will not only reshape our economies and societies; it will also reshape humanity's future on this planet," she said. "A 'green recovery' is our bridge to a more resilient future."

Georgieva said governments had already adopted extraordinary measures to fight the pandemic, which has now infected over 3.11 million people and killed 216,667, but further efforts would be needed to respond to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

To ensure that fiscal stimulus addressed climate change risks, she said governments should make financial lifelines for carbon-intensive companies contingent on commitments to reduce carbon emissions. This was done during the global financial crisis, when some automakers committed to higher fuel efficiency standards.

Georgieva urged governments to focus fiscal spending to promote green technologies, clean transport, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.

"With oil prices at record-low levels, now is the time to phase out harmful subsidies," Georgieva said, citing the IMF's estimate that a low-carbon transition would require $2.3 trillion in investment every year for a decade.

Story continues

She also urged governments to promote green finance by focusing on green bonds and other forms of sustainable finance, and mandating financial firms to better disclose climate risks in their lending and investment portfolios.

Raising the price of carbon would help generate revenues to increase public revenues in the future, she said.

"A substantially higher carbon price is needed to encourage climate-smart investment and to accelerate the shift to cleaner fuels and more energy efficiency," Georgieva said.

The IMF estimates that the global carbon price should rise to $75 per ton from $2 per ton currently to keep global warming under 2 degrees Celsius. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Almost 1,000 women were murdered in Mexico in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a recent report.

Based on the data from the government, 720 women were killed, and 244 women were victims of femicide, the highest figures in five years. Meanwhile, 890 women were killed in the same period last year.

Experts attribute the increase to the government's confinement orders, which enables domestic violence.

"The deadliest pandemic for women in our country, more than the coronavirus, is femicide. Today, violence is the greatest threat to all the rights for women that we have had recognized with great effort," Thomson Reuters Foundation Congresswoman Martha Tagle said in an interview.

From January to March 2020, the state of Mexico has recorded the highest number of murdered women due to gender reasons, with 34 victims. It is followed by Veracruz with 27 cases, Puebla with 22, Nuevo Leon with 20, and Mexico City with 14 cases. Meanwhile, Guanajuato leads the ranking on intentional homicide against women, with 121 murders in the first quarter of the year.



Check these out!



Enabling Factors

Various studies have already proven that the disposition of people during pandemics provides a standard setting that aggravates cases of domestic abuse at home, according to an article by Latin Post.

A study published in the Center for Global Development reveals the factors that facilitate domestic abuse, such as economic stress, social isolation, unrest from instability, exposure to exploitation, reduced access to health services, among others.

Not only in Mexico but across Latin America, various women's groups have been receiving complaints of domestic violence during the pandemic, and the figures are dismal. In Colombia, for instance, there are at least two reported cases of women being killed each day.



Women for Women

On March 8, as the world commemorates International Women's Day, more than 80,000 women in Mexico City took to the streets their opposition against violence towards women. They conducted the National Women's Strike the following day to project what a day without women would be like in the country.

In an article, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has attributed femicides to the "neoliberal policies" of previous governments, repeatedly suggesting that the women's protests are part of a rightwing plot against him.

The rising figures of gender-related crime against women have sparked movements not only in Mexico but worldwide.

"Every day we have more evidence that they are killing us specifically for being women," said Maria de la Luz Estrada, the executive coordinator of the National Citizen Observatory on Femicide.

"If this government wants a transformation of this county, they have to face the problem."

At present, organizations that advocate for women's rights in Mexico, like the Brujas del Mar, are utilizing social media as a platform for victims to ask for aid and assistance.
LA JOLLA--(April 28, 2020) Fruit flies, like many animals, engage in a variety of courtship and fighting behaviors. Now, Salk scientists have uncovered the molecular mechanisms by which two sex-determining genes affect fruit fly behavior. The male flies' courtship and aggression behaviors, they showed, are mediated by two distinct genetic programs. The findings, both published in eLife on April 21, 2020, demonstrate the complexity of the link between sex and behavior.

"Courtship and aggression seem to be controlled somewhat separately by these two genes," says Kenta Asahina, an assistant professor in Salk's Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory and senior author of the two papers. "Having behaviors controlled by different genetic mechanisms can have some benefits in terms of evolution." In other words, he explains, a fly population that is under evolutionary pressure to compete more--perhaps due to limited resources--can evolve aggressive behaviors without affecting courtship.

Male fruit flies' aggression is primarily toward other males, while their courtship behaviors--which involve a series of movements and songs--are toward female flies. Both behaviors are reinforced by evolution over time, because the ability of male flies to compete with other males and attract females directly affects their ability to mate and pass on their genes.

Researchers already knew which neurons in the brain are important for controlling aggression and courtship. In general, studies had suggested that specialized brain cells called P1/pC1 neurons, promote both courtship and aggression while Tk-GAL4FruM neurons promote aggression specifically. They also knew that the two sex-determining genes fruitless (fru) and doublesex (dsx) played key roles in this behavior. But the connection between the genes and the behaviors hadn't been clear.

In the new study, Asahina and his colleagues raised Drosophila fruit flies that contained light-activatable versions of the courtship and aggression neurons. The team could turn the neurons on at any time by shining a light on the flies. The researchers next altered the fru or dsx genes in some of these male flies. They then developed an automated system using machine-learning to analyze videos of the flies and count how often they carried out aggressive or courtship behaviors.

"We made a computer system to capture aggressive behaviors and courtship behaviors to more quickly and accurately count actions," says Salk postdoctoral fellow Kenichi Ishii, co-first author of both of the new papers. "Getting the program to work was actually difficult and time-consuming but in the end, it made it easier for us to get good data."

The team found that dsx was required for the formation of courtship-inducing neurons: when the fruit flies had the female version of dsx, the courtship neurons were no longer present. On the other hand, fru played a different role--without this gene, flies could still be coaxed to perform courtship behaviors by activating courtship neurons but the courtship was directed at both males and females, suggesting that fru was required for flies to differentiate between the sexes. For aggression, however, the findings were the opposite: fru but not dsx was required for the activation of aggression neurons to cause fighting in male flies.

"This is an important example of the neurobiological differences between sexes and what kind of approaches we can use to study sexually-linked behaviors," says Asahina, who holds the Helen McLoraine Developmental Chair in Neurobiology.

"I think the interesting part of this is understanding that sex is really not a binary thing," says UC San Diego doctoral student Margot Wohl, co-first author of both of the new papers. "A lot of factors come together to control behaviors that differ between the sexes."

Since sex determination in flies is very different than in humans--fruit flies don't have sex hormones, for instance--the new findings don't carry over to how biological sex may impact behavior in people. But Asahina says his approach--the combination of optogenetics and sex-linked gene manipulation--may be useful in understanding behaviors that vary by sex in other animals.

###

Andre DeSouza of Salk was also an author on one of the two papers.

The work was supported by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM119844); the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC015577); the Naito Foundation; the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; the Mary K. Chapman Foundation; and the Rose Hills Foundation.

About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Every cure has a starting point. The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk's mission to dare to make dreams into reality. Its internationally renowned and award-winning scientists explore the very foundations of life, seeking new understandings in neuroscience, genetics, immunology, plant biology and more. The Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature and fearless in the face of any challenge. Be it cancer or Alzheimer's, aging or diabetes, Salk is where cures begin. Learn more at: salk.edu.
* Banks draw up plans for staff to return to offices

* Access, seating, catering all face changes

* Many staff to continue working from home

By Scott Murdoch, Maya Nikolaeva and Matt Scuffham

HONG KONG/PARIS/LONDON April 29 (Reuters) - Face masks, temperature checks and packaged sandwiches could all become part of the daily routine for bankers as their employers work out how to get them safely back into the office.

While a growing number of countries are starting to ease lockdowns to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the threat of a new wave of infections remains high.

That means banks are having to look at new ways of organising buildings that before the crisis would have had packed elevators, crowded cafeterias and desks less than two metres apart. Given the risks, many staff will still have to work from home.

"We're going to do it in a way where employees feel comfortable coming back in," said Mark Fedorcik, head of Deutsche Bank's investment bank, where around 84% of staff are currently working from home.

Financial centres in Asia will be the first to see a significant return of staff to the office.

Goldman Sachs had about 25% of its Hong Kong employees back in the office this week and has a target of 35% by May 11 and 50% by May 25, according to a source with direct knowledge of the plans. Like other major office buildings in the city, temperature checks will remain at the entrances.

At UBS, the key pad entrances to its three Hong Kong offices have been removed to avoid having people constantly touch them, and access will now be through swipe card systems.

In most of its divisions, the bank is preparing to put staff in teams that will alternate between working at home and coming into the office, where it will be mandatory to wear face masks.

In France, where the lockdown is due to start being gradually lifted from May 11, the country's third-biggest bank Societe Generale has begun to discuss with unions how to protect staff when some of them return to the office.

One union, CGT, has asked for suggestions on its website. Proposals include asking the bank to provide tongs for picking up coffee pods, to buy scooters for staff, or to subside the cost of travelling to work in a way that avoids public transport.

Story continues

Societe General declined to comment on the proposals.

A source at an American bank in Paris said it was preparing to carry out regular disinfections and to rearrange desks to make sure staff sit the recommended two metres apart.

PAPER PLATES

In Germany, Deutsche Bank is in no rush to get staff back in the office, with strict limitations on gatherings still in place across the country, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

The cafe at the bank's twin-tower headquarters in central Frankfurt is expected to continue to operate under reduced hours, with dining in and self service both banned.

Kitchen staff give employees food on paper plates to be eaten at their desk or elsewhere. And many of the bank's coffee machines are out of commission to promote hygiene.

In the United States, JPMorgan told employees last week it was working on a plan to return staff to offices in phases, though it has no official timeline for the process.

Discussions include possibly assigning building staff to press buttons on elevator key pads, and scrapping the buffet service in cafeterias in favour of selling packaged foods.

Wells Fargo has cautioned employees that working conditions may not return to normal even as government officials loosen coronavirus-related restrictions, according to an April 22 memo viewed by Reuters.

"Instead, we will continue with the safety measures we have put in place at our work locations and we will expect the more than 180,000 employees who are working from home to continue to do so," the memo, signed by Chief Operating Officer Scott Powell, said.

The bank has also launched an on-site nursing service at 56 of its largest U.S. sites to screen for coronavirus symptoms, such as a high temperature.

As banks develop their plans, employee wellbeing is not the only criteria. With many leasing real estate in some of the world's most expensive financial districts, the potential for longer-term cost cuts will also be in play.

"I think every company, including Deutsche Bank, will assess whether you need everyone working in the office or if there are ways to have some people work from home that havent been doing so historically," said Fedorcik.

On Wednesday, Barclays chief executive Jes Staley said the British bank would not revert fully to its pre-January working habits. Staff, including investment bankers, could work from branches as well as other locations rather than all being packed into their central offices, he said.

"There will be a long-term adjustment in how we think about our location strategy ... the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past," he said. (Reporting by Maya Nikolaeva in Paris, Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong, Tom Sims in Frankfurt, Matt Scuffham in London, Elizabeth Dilts in New York, Imani Moise in New York and Lawrence White in London; Writing by Rachel Armstrong; Editing by Mark Potter)
New Delhi, April 29 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda has expressed displeasure with MLA Suresh Tiwari for asking people not to buy vegetables from Muslims. Besides, Shyam Prakash, a party legislator from Hardoi, also made similar remarks. Taking these statements seriously, the Uttar Pradesh unit of BJP has issued a show cause notice to them.

Nadda has appealed to all party leaders to speak thoughtfully. He said that action will be taken for violating the party's code of conduct.

Taking cognizance of the complaints of making statements while behaving against the customary policy of the party, on the instructions of Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh, state party General Secretary Vidya Sagar Sonkar asked both MLAs to respond to the notice within a week.

A statement by BJP MLA Suresh Tiwari from Barhj assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district had went viral in which he was talking about not buying vegetables from Muslim vendors citing "Tablighi Jamaat" and "coronavirus".

The Opposition had then accused the BJP of spreading communalism. When the matter reached the national president JP Nadda, he directed the state unit to take action.

Party sources said that on the direction of Nadda, the state unit has issued a show cause notice to the MLAs.
Men may have higher risk of hospitalisation, death due to COVID-19 than women: Study

India

pti-PTI

Beijing, Apr 29: Men and women are at equal risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, but men are more likely to suffer severe effects of the virus and die, according to a study which suggests that older male patients with COVID-19 may need additional supportive care.

While the elderly and those with certain pre-existing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure were reported in earlier research to be at greater risk of death due to COVID-19, the new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, examined gender differences in patients infected with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

In the study, scientists, including Jin-Kui Yang from the Beijing Tongren Hospital in China, assessed trends among COVID-19 patients who died. "Early in January we noticed that the number of men dying from COVID-19 appeared to be higher than the number of women," said Yang.

"This raised a question: are men more susceptible to getting or dying from COVID-19? We found that no-one had measured gender differences in COVID-19 patients, and so began investigating," he added.

According to the researchers, it is still not completely understood why some people are more severely affected by the virus than others. But based on their observations, they said that additional care may be required for older men or those with underlying conditions. Yang and his team analysed several patient datasets to see if there were differences in how men and women respond to COVID-19.

This included data on 43 patients who the doctors had treated themselves, and a publicly available dataset on 1056 COVID-19 patients. Since the virus responsible for COVID-19 is similar to the virus behind the 2003 SARS outbreak, and attaches to the same protein, called ACE2, on the cells it attacks, the doctors also analyzed a dataset of 524 SARS patients from 2003.

Among the COVID-19 patients, the scientists noted in the study that older people and those with specific underlying conditions tended to have more severe disease and were more likely to die.

They said the age and numbers of infected men and women were similar, but men tended to have more severe disease.

Analysing the largest COVID-19 dataset, the scientists also found that over 70 per cent of the patients who died were men, meaning that men may have almost 2.5 times the death rate of women. They said being male could be a significant risk-factor for worse disease severity, regardless of age.

In the SARS dataset from 2003, the researchers found a similar trend of significantly higher mortality rate amongst males compared with females. Yang and his team explained that the levels of ACE2, the protein involved in the viral attack in both SARS and COVID-19, tends to be present in higher levels in men, and also patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, all of whom have worse outcomes in COVID-19.

However, the scientists said further research is needed to determine why men with COVID-19 fare worse than women. Citing the limitations of the study, the researchers said it had a small sample size, and larger studies are needed to confirm the results. But they added that the current research is the first preliminary indication that male gender could be a significant risk factor for COVID-19 severity and death.

"We recommend that additional supportive care and prompt access to the intensive care unit may be necessary for older male patients," Yang said.
Nearly 15,000 miles of new Asian roads will be built in tiger habitat by mid-century, deepening the big cat's extinction risk and highlighting the need for bold new conservation measures now, according to a new study.

University of Michigan conservation ecologist Neil Carter and his colleagues used a recently developed global roads dataset to calculate the extent and potential impacts of existing and planned road networks across the nearly 450,000-square-mile, 13-country range of the globally endangered tiger.

Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild. They are found mainly in South Asia and Southeast Asia, regions that will experience accelerating pressure from human development in coming years.

Road construction often exacerbates all three of the main threats to tigers: prey depletion, habitat degradation and poaching.

The U-M-led study showed that existing roads are pervasive throughout tiger habitat, totaling 83,300 miles (134,000 kilometers) in Tiger Conservation Landscapes (TCLs), blocks of habitat across the animal's range that are considered crucial for recovery of the species. Carter and his co-authors called this finding "a highly troubling warning sign for tiger recovery and ecosystems in Asia."

The researchers calculated three measures--road density, distance to the nearest road and relative mean species abundance--to characterize how existing road networks influence tiger habitat. They calculated current road densities for all 76 TCLs and summarized those estimates by country and protection status.

In addition, they used published forecasts of global road expansion to calculate the length of new roads that might exist in tiger habitat by 2050, for each of the 13 tiger-range countries.

The study, scheduled for publication April 29 in Science Advances, found that:

The 83,300 miles of current road networks within tiger habitat may be decreasing the abundance of tigers and their prey by more than 20%.

43% of the area where tiger breeding occurs and 57% of the area in TCLs are within 5 km (3.1 miles) of a road, a proximity that can negatively impact tigers and their prey.

Nearly 15,000 miles of new roads will be built in TCLs by 2050, stimulated through major investment projects such as China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Road densities are, on average, 34% greater in nonprotected portions of TCLs than in strictly protected parts, indicating that road density increases with the relaxation of protection status.

Road densities varied widely across tiger-range countries. China's mean road density in TCLs is nearly eight times greater than Malaysia's, for example.

"Our analysis demonstrates that, overall, tigers face a ubiquitous and mounting threat from road networks across much of their 13-country range," said U-M's Carter, an assistant professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability.

"Tiger habitats have declined by 40% since 2006, underscoring the importance of maintaining roadless areas and resisting road expansion in places where tigers still exist, before it is too late. Given that roads will be a pervasive challenge to tiger recovery in the future, we urge decision makers to make sustainable road development a top priority."

The world's remaining tigers are concentrated in a small number of source populations--areas with confirmed current presence of tigers and evidence of breeding--across the animal's geographic range. Even a small amount of road construction could disproportionately impact tiger recovery by permanently isolating tiger populations, creating tiger "islands," according to the researchers.

Protecting tigers is a global conservation priority, exemplified by a landmark international initiative, called TX2, with the goal of doubling global tiger numbers between 2010 and 2022. And tigers are considered a conservation flagship species, a popular, charismatic animal that serves as a symbol and rallying point to stimulate conservation awareness and action.

Even so, few studies have assessed the impacts of roads on tigers and their recovery, limiting the impact of tiger conservation planning.

And most previous "road ecology" studies of tigers have focused on localized patterns of wildlife mortality or behavior associated with road design. The new study by Carter and his colleagues, in contrast, estimates road impacts on wildlife at broad scales. It is the first study to include baseline indices on the threat from existing and future roads in tiger habitat.

"This research opens the door to build partnerships at the regional scale to better mitigate existing roads and to develop greener road designs for the next century of infrastructure development," said study co-author Adam Ford, a wildlife ecologist at the University of British Columbia.

The researchers say their metrics provide tools to support sustainable road development, enabling rapid risk assessment for roads passing through tiger habitat, including roads planned as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The BRI is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 involving infrastructure projects in dozens of countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. The rush to build major new roads throughout the forested regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia, financed through the initiative, could have severe impacts on tigers, according to Carter and his colleagues.

But the BRI could become an important partner in tiger preservation, according to the researchers, by adopting biodiversity conservation as one of its core values. That would set the stage for the BRI to plan and implement a network of protected areas and wildlife corridors to safeguard tigers from road impacts.

###

Map and photos

The 13 tiger-range countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The authors of the Science Advances paper, in addition to Carter and Ford, are Alexander Killion and Tara Easter of the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability and Jodi Brandt of Boise State University.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation's Idaho EPSCoR Program and the Canada Research Chairs program.The paper is titled "Road development in Asia: Assessing the range-wide risks to tigers."
Last month, though, the Chinese government cut off that access for me and almost all of the other Americans working for The Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, ordering us out of the country as part of the intensifying standoff between the Trump administration and Beijing.

I spent much of my two years in China covering that standoff, and from the great heights at which we journalists often write about such matters  through politicians statements and government policies, through trade data and corporate decisions  it could seem as if titanic forces in both nations were drawing them inexorably toward conflict.

But the situation usually looked different when speaking to ordinary people in China. Like people everywhere, they tend to be less dogmatic and more curious about the world than their leaders. Seen through their eyes, the wider costs of the hostility came into focus, as did the degree to which it was driven by anxieties that felt distant to the communities most directly affected by it.

Last year, for instance, I went to the southern city of Zhuhai to visit a plant run by the American manufacturer Flex. The Trump administration was clamping down on one of Flexs customers, the Chinese tech giant Huawei, and the company was letting workers in Zhuhai go.

In the baking August heat, I met Zhan Yuanxian, 38, who had just turned in his employee ID. He said it was hard to be mad at Flex or the United States for what happened. Over the years, the companys presence had transformed a once-rough part of the city, bringing in shops, restaurants and housing.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) will have to forego a 14,550 square feet plot in Nashik, belonging to the family of late Champalal Vithuram Jajoo, which it had illegally occupied for over 55 years, after a single bench of the Bombay high court turned down an appeal filed by the public sector undertaking to retain the plot.

The bench of Justice Dama Sheshadri Naidu was critical of BPCLs numerous attempts to appeal, and thereby prolong the legal battle, when it said, If law cannot give you what you seek, litigation will. The appellant (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited), it seems, strongly believes in this and proves it right, too.

The comment came because of the conduct of BPCL which held on to the plot with an unregistered lease deed by prolonging litigation. According to law, BPCL with an unregistered deal could have held on to the property only for 30 days.

The issue started in February 1965 when BPCL, which earlier was Burmah Shell Oil Storage and Distribution Company of India Limited, secured a 20 year lease for the property for Rs 3,900 per year but did not secure a registered lease deed.

Burmah Shell Oil Storage and Distribution Company of India Limited was nationalized by the central government to form Bharat Refineries Limited, before renaming it as BPCL.

In 1977, the plot owners filed an eviction suit to recover the plot from BPCL for erecting unauthorized permanent structures, change of user and for unlawfully sub-letting the plot. In March 1985, a trial court dismissed the suit and later an appeal filed by the owners was also dismissed. The owners filed a writ petition which was also dismissed in 1998.

In May 1998, the owners issued a notice of possession to BPCL and sought their eviction on the grounds of bona fide requirement, arrears of rent and permanent construction and filed a civil suit which they won. BPCL was unsuccessful in its challenge to the civil suit in 2005, and subsequently filed a second appeal in 2014 for which the Bombay high court ruled that the appeal was not maintainable in 2016. But BPCL once again filed another appeal in 2018.

All the while it holds on to the property, noted Justice Naidu and said, Now the PSU has been a tenant for 55 years on the strength of an unregistered lease deed, which legally entitled the lessee to be a tenant for only 30 days, the judge added.

In other words, it is supposed to be a tenant for 30 days; that is all it gets as a lessee under an unregistered lease. But BPCL continues as a lessee for 55 years. Law gives it 30 days, and litigation stretches it to 20,075 days, said the judge and dismissed the appeal filed by the public sector undertaking for securing extension of the lease.

By another order, also pronounced on Monday, the judge also upheld the orders passed by a civil judge junior division at Nashik in September 2005, evicting BPCL and one of its retailers from the plot.

Justice Naidu noted that first of all the unregistered lease conferred no rights on BPCL. Besides, the PSU has already got the extension beyond 20 years - the period it prayed for in the suit, despite losing the suit.
CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's decision to allow inter-state movement of people stranded in different parts of the country due to the lockdown and urged Jammu and Kashmir administration to facilitate their early return.

"The students, patients and labourers are left with no money due to the prevailing situation in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. The government should facilitate their return by arranging buses," Tarigami, a former legislator, told PTI.

The Union Home Ministry issued an order on Wednesday allowing migrant workers, tourists, students and other people, who are stranded in different parts of the country, to move to their respective destinations with certain conditions.

"It (the decision) is heartwarming because the plight of the stranded people was pathetic. They were living under constant fear and distress with their families worried about their health and wellbeing," he said.

Tarigami also urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to facilitate inter-district movement of stranded persons.

"A large number of Kashmiris are stranded in Jammu and are not being brought back by the administration which is unfortunate," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Iraqi intelligence building in the disputed city of Kirkuk came under attack today, according to multiple reports.

The incident occurred when two men approached the building used by Iraqs Intelligence and Counterterrorism Directorate in the northern city, one wearing a suicide vest, according to various reports. The man in the vest threw a grenade at the building and then detonated his vest, while the other drove away, the reports said. Three security forces members were injured in the blast, according to The Associated Press.

An anonymous Iraqi official told AP that the Islamic State (IS) carried out the attack. IS later took credit for the incident on one of its channels on the encrypted Telegram messaging service. The Kurdish Iraqi outlet Kurdistan 24 also reported IS claim.

Iraqs Security Media Cell, a security body that reports to the prime minister, said in a statement that a terrorist blew himself up at the directorate, injuring two.

IS has carried out numerous attacks this month, many of them in Kirkuk province, while Iraq has been under lockdown due to the coronavirus. On April 12, IS shot and killed an Iraqi federal police officer in Hawija in southwestern Kirkuk province. IS also ambushed Iraqi security forces April 13 in a rural part of the province. The US-led anti-IS coalition also bombed IS locations in Kirkuk province April 13.

Kirkuk is one of the disputed territories claimed by both the Kurdistan Region and the federal government. IS is particularly strong in these areas of northern Iraq.

Most IS activity since its territorial defeat in 2017 has been in small villages and rural areas in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. However, this month, the group has shown its ability to strike Iraqi security forces, and now the city of Kirkuk itself.

The city of Kirkuk witnessed considerable violence for years following the 2003 US invasion. Kurdish peshmerga forces took over the city in 2014 after Iraqi forces fled the area following the IS takeover of Mosul and other areas, including parts of Kirkuk province. Iraqi forces reassumed control of the city and province in 2017 following the Kurdistan independence referendum.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Tuesday shared on Twitter that barrier masks are not supposed to be used in healthcare settings or by healthcare professionals.

Barrier masks are not intended for use in healthcare settings or by healthcare professionals. They serve to limit the spread of droplets and offer some measure of protection to those around you, the tweet read.

Barrier masks or non-medical masks according to NAFDAC do not prevent you from contracting #COVID19 but, they have been found to contribute to reducing the spread of infections when used widely with other preventive measures.

Self-made or commercial masks or face covers made of cloth (textile fabric), non-woven wadding or paper-like materials all fall under the category of non-medical masks.

Though polyester, linen, or knit fabric can be used, the agency recommends 100 per cent cotton.

They also recommended that the non-medical masks be washed daily and preferably should be a double layer of fabric to increase the absorbency and effectiveness.

It was also noted that frequent washes, drying and stretching of the masks over time wear off its effectiveness.

President Muhammadu Buhari while addressing the nation on Monday highlighted measures that citizens must follow when the lockdown is relaxed, which includes a curfew from 8:00 p.m. till 6:00 a.m. (excluding essential services), the mandatory use of face masks or coverings in public, and efficient practice of physical distancing and personal hygiene.

Although the lockdown will be relaxed from May 4, restrictions on social and religious gatherings remain in place.

The president also appealed to state governments, corporate organisations and philanthropists to support the production of cloth masks for citizens.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there are now 1,532 confirmed cases in Nigeria, 255 recoveries and 44 deaths.
Oregon accumulated a backlog of more than 100,000 unprocessed jobless claims over the first five weeks of the coronavirus outbreak, with many laid-off workers waiting more than a month without word on their benefits.

The state acknowledges its antiquated computer systems have frequently rejected legitimate claims, requiring workers to call the department. But the Oregon Employment Departments phone lines are hopelessly overloaded, meaning its nearly impossible to get through for help.

That has left many workers who appear to qualify for benefits waiting indefinitely for their checks, with nothing but silence from the state on how they should address the situation or when they can expect a resolution.

I have a growing feeling that for some reason my application is the equivalent of a draft email forgotten with no hope of delivery, said Lesley Altomare, who was laid off from her job as office manager of a Portland tree service company last month. She filed for her jobless claim on March 29 but has yet to receive her benefits  or any status update from the department.

Last week she spent two hours on hold with the department before the call cut off, leaving her again with no answers. She has tried emailing and faxing, without result.

Im not sure what to do here, said Altomare, 41.

The black hole she and other laid-off Oregonians find themselves in is one of several significant failures at the employment department over the past several weeks. Its become a major crisis, with at least $80 million in unpaid claims, and likely a great deal more than that.

After weeks of calling for patience from laid-off Oregonians, Gov. Kate Brown issued an apology on Twitter last weekend and acknowledged These benefits are critical during this stressful time.

The governor has said she wants everyone to get paid, eventually, but has given no indication of when or how the state will address its claims backlog. The employment departments director, Kay Erickson, has refused a succession of interview requests over the past three weeks as the benefits crisis grew.

Some of the departments setbacks are the simple result of an unprecedented deluge in jobless claims, with more than 330,000 Oregonians filing jobless claims in the space of a month  nearly one in six of all the states workers. The department says it is paying $119 million in claims a week.

Other delays result from last months changes in the jobless benefit program, which Congress broadened to provide more benefits during the outbreak.

Many of the failures, though, are the result of the problems within the employment department. The department received $86 million in federal funds to upgrade its computer systems in 2009 but only began the project in 2016. It doesnt expect to complete the work until 2025.

The result is that the states computers have been slow to accept changes in the jobless claims program, such as last months expansion of benefits eligibility to gig workers and the self-employed.

The state began processing those claims Tuesday, a month after Congress approved the expansion. The employment department said those workers represent a large piece of the unprocessed claims from March.

However, the employment department acknowledges its systems incorrectly issue denials to many other workers. The departments website indicates that it plans automated fixes for those mistakes but many workers have been waiting for weeks without a resolution.

With thousands such people flooding the departments phone lines, hold times run two hours on average and many callers cannot get through at all. That has made it impossible for them to resolve their claims.

Oregon Employment Department Here is an overview of whats gone wrong with Oregon jobless claims during the first weeks of the coronavirus outbreak:  Long processing times: Many laid-off workers have been waiting more than a month for their claims to be approved, frequently because of erroneous rejections by the states rickety computer systems. Overwhelmed by the number of claims, the employment department hasnt communicated individually with these workers and hasnt issued broad guidance on whats gone wrong or how it plans to fix it.  Phone calls: Many claims can be processed automatically, online. Others require a call to the employment department. With more than 330,000 Oregonians suddenly out of work, the departments phone lines are overwhelmed. Most callers get only busy signals, even if they call hundreds of times. Those who do get through spend an average of two hours on hold  and fewer than half those calls get answered. The department has expanded its claims processing staff from 110 to 520, with plans to increase to 800. Even that isnt close to keeping up with demand, though.  Waiting week: Laid-off workers typically have to wait a week after losing their jobs before they are eligible to collect benefits. Congress provided funding last month to eliminate the waiting week and most states immediately said they would. But Oregon officials said they would not implement a waiver because reprogramming the agencys antiquated computer systems would take too much time  a decision that would cost the state workers well over $100 million in lost benefits. Gov. Kate Brown reversed the decision amid pressure from the states congressional delegation and following coverage of the issue by The Oregonian/OregonLive.  Contractors and the self-employed: Such workers dont pay into the unemployment claims system and arent typically eligible for benefits. Congress changed that in March but Oregon took a month to adapt its systems. It began taking those claims Tuesday but says it could take up to a month to process some of them.  $600 federal checks: Congress funded a $600 weekly bonus last month for laid-off workers. Oregon moved quickly to pay out the federal money  but then withheld thousands of checks last week. The state didnt explain why it withheld the checks, but later told The Oregonian/OregonLive it withheld the money because it had double-paid more than 10,000 workers in the first week of the new benefit. However, many workers claim histories appear to indicate they were not double-paid. The state says it is still trying to figure out what happened.  Restart error: For two Sundays in a row, the employment department told workers they must restart their claims when they file for weekly benefits. The restart notifications were a mistake but the employment department didnt immediately say so  and the error occurred on a second Sunday after the department said it has been fixed.

While the governor has stood by the employment department, many other elected officials have said they are losing patience.

State House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said last week that she is frustrated with the department and wants to see its claims backlog addressed. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer said last week the state must do a much better job communicating and setting expectations.

State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, said last week that the state has no plan for addressing lapses in the employment department. Johnson said she personally takes constituent calls on problems with their jobless claims and that she and other legislators are struggling to get information.

We are torturing Oregonians, Johnson said during a conversation last week on St. Helens radio station KOHI. I make no excuse for how badly the state of Oregon has botched this.

The employment department didnt respond to repeated questions this week about how it is prioritizing claims in its backlog, how it is communicating with workers with unprocessed claims, or what laid-off people should do if the department erroneously denies their claims.

Department communications director Gail Krumenauer did note that the state has greatly expanded the number of people processing claims, from about 110 in early March to 520. The state is in the process of expanding further, to 800 claims processors, and opening a new processing center in Wilsonville.

Were still trying hard to do more, because we know there is still a tremendous need for unemployment benefits, Krumenauer said in an email. She said the department has expanded callbacks to people unable to reach the department.

Denise OHalloran, 64, is unsatisfied with the departments response. The Happy Valley resident was furloughed March 28 from her job teaching American Heart Association courses for healthcare providers. She filed for her unemployment benefits the same day.

Its been more than a month now, with no word.

It is very difficult to see the news, to hear of the promised changes only to be left in the dark, OHalloran wrote in a letter to her state representative and to The Oregonian/OregonLive. She said she wants a clear explanation from the departments leadership, not promises or calls for understanding.

Lip service is not working, OHalloran said.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway |

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Maintaining that prevention is better than cure, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said strictness on borders with Delhi was necessitated by emergence of fresh coronavirus cases in districts adjoining the national capital.

In a televised address, Khattar said the state government had to take some tough measures as 28 cases have been detected in the past six days in districts of Sonipat, Jhajjar, Gurgaon and Faridabad, which are part of the national capital region.

The cases are either linked to those who are employed in Delhi, their family members or their contacts, he said, adding that prevention is better than cure... bitter medicine is important to cure the disease and we will have to stop this cross-border movement".

If we do not do this, then we will not be able to contain the spread of coronavirus. We will not allow this infection to enter our state from Delhi, Khattar said.

Haryana has maintained that the daily movement of employees working in Delhi to their residences in Haryana increases the risk of the coronavirus spread.

Khattar said the employees in Delhi can stay there or if possible, can take leave and stay at places of their residence.

The CM said due to the decision, only the movement of essential items is being allowed.

We are allowing only a driver and one accomplice in the vehicles with essentials and they have to confine themselves to their homes after their duty, added Khattar while updating people about the coronavirus situation in the state.

He also said earlier there has been a spike in infection cases in Haryana due to members of the Tablighi Jamaat, of which over 120 tested positive for the infection.

He told people that Haryana is doing better on many parameters, including the recovery rate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress has hit back at the Finance Minister who alleged that the party is misleading on facts on the issue of wilful defaulters. Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is twisting facts instead of giving answers.

Surjewala said, "And Nirmala Sitharaman ji, cleaning the banks of people's money by writing off loans of absconders and fraudsters, is not called cleaning the system. It's called weakening the entire bank architecture fiscally and imprudently, if not maliciously."

Randeep Surjewala posed questions to the Finance Minister and said, "Why has Modi Govt written off Bank Loans worth Rs 6,66,000 Cr between 2014-15 and 2019-20? Is RBI's RTI reply dated 24th April, 2020 of bank loans write off of Rs 68,607 Cr wrong or right?"

The Congress leader in a series of tweets posed another set of questions: "Why is Modi Govt writing off bank Loans of absconders & fraudsters like Nirav Modi + Mehul Choksi(Rs 8,048 cr), Jatin Mehta (Rs 6,038 cr), Mallya (Rs 1,943 cr) & others as per RBI's RTI reply of 24/4/2020? Who permitted such huge write offs of bank loans of defaulters & why?"

After the Congress alleged that the government has written off loans of wilful defaulters on Tuesday, Finance Minister hit back and said, "Rahul Gandhi and R.S. Surjewala, spokesperson of INC India have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to INC India, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context."

"Today's attempt of INC India leaders is to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs. Between 2009-10 and 2013-14, Scheduled Commercial banks had written off Rs 145226.00 crore. Wished Rahul Gandhi consulted Dr Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about." She had tweeted.
South African Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said the South African economy could contract as much as 6.4% this year due to the coronavirus outbreak and the budget deficit could swell to more than 10% of gross domestic product.

In a recording of a conference call with clients of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Mboweni said he expected the contraction to be deeper than the 5.8% forecast by the International Monetary Fund, and said the rebound to 4% economic growth the lender projects for 2021 is possible but will require significant structural changes to the economy.

We are operating under very severe constraints, he said on the call. The projected rebound is possible but will require South Africa to be quite strong in structural reforms and the recapitalization of some of the firms which may come under stress during this period.

While Mboweni will table an adjustment budget, including to redirect 130 billion rand ($7 billion) of spending to help fund a 500 billion rand stimulus package announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, a date for that has not been set and the growth and deficit estimates given on the call are the first glimpse of what it may contain.

The funding reprioritization could include delaying some spending on infrastructure, Roy Havemann, the Treasurys chief director of financial markets and stability, said on the call.

Tax Losses

The pandemic and a national lockdown that will only be gradually lifted after five weeks starting May 1, is weighing on output and will reduce tax revenue thats been falling short of targets for most of the past five years.

That, and financing some of the stimulus package, will increase the shortfall on the national budget and increase borrowing requirements.

There will be quite some substantial tax losses, probably totaling some minus 32%, Mboweni said.

Government debt could go as high as 80% of GDP, which we are very concerned about and on the budget deficit its safe to say one must not be surprised if the deficit is north of 10% of GDP, he said.

Saving Land Bank

In a wide-ranging conversation Mboweni said the government would do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the the governments Land & Agricultural Development Bank, the biggest lender to South African farmers, as it struggles to meet it debts.

The Land Bank is facing severe liquidity issues. It also came to my attention that they will be unable to pay salaries if they go on like this, he said. It is in the interests of South Africa, and the government and the farming sector that the Land Bank is brought back to its peak.

Mboweni dismissed the opposition of some officials in the African National Congress and its alliance partners to approaching the IMF for assistance on the grounds it could compromise South Africas sovereignty.

He rejected ruling party opposition to reforming the economy and suggestions that private pensions be forced to invest in state infrastructure, a practice known as prescribed assets, saying if presented with attractive opportunities they would do so anyway.

I just dont have time for ideological conversations at the moment, he said. Some of us are getting old, we dont have time to debate the issues we were debating at high school. We have to grab the animal by the scruff of the neck.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wouldn't say today whether his government would follow the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and order meat-processing plants to stay open during the pandemic  but stressed that workers' safety is a priority.

Yesterday, in response to concerns about food shortages and supply chain disruptions, Trump issued an executive order under the Defense Production Act to compel meat-processing plants to continue operating.

The world's biggest meat companies  including Smithfield Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., JBS USA and Tyson  have temporarily shuttered operations at about 20 slaughterhouses and processing plants in North America after workers fell ill with COVID-19.

In Canada, the Cargill Inc. meat-processing plant near High River, Alta, is now the scene of the country's largest single site outbreak. Alberta public health officials have counted 1,167 cases linked to the plant, 759 of them plant workers.

The Cargill plant and the JBS plant in southern Alberta  where dozens more workers have tested positive  together supply about two-thirds of Canada's beef.

WATCH | Trudeau questioned about meat packing plants and safety of the food supply

When asked if he'd follow Trump's lead and force plants to stay open, Trudeau said his government is watching the industry closely.

"We're watching with interest and concern some of the issues facing meat producers and the supply chain across the agricultural industry," he told reporters during his daily briefing this morning.

"We need to make sure that those supply chains can keep functioning, but we also need to make sure that the people who work in those supply chains  and will continue to need to work in difficult circumstances over the coming weeks and months as we continue to battle COVID-19  are kept safe."

This morning, McDonald's Canada  which prominently mentions its use of Canadian beef in its advertising  announced it will start importing meat as Canada's beef supply chain struggles to meet current demand.

Story continues

The company said in a statement that its change in policy is due to limited processing capacity at Canadian suppliers, such as the Cargill plant.

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau said she's been working with the provinces and the Canada Food Inspection Agency to make sure meat supplies can be distributed in case of a shortage. Provincial inspectors are responsible for overseeing meat that's distributed within provinces, while the federal agency inspects food that moves across provincial boundaries.

"If we face a food shortage in one province or one territory, then in such a particular circumstance the CFIA is absolutely open to allow some movement between provinces and territories even if has been inspected under a provincial authority," Bibeau told a parliamentary committee Wednesday night.

"While Canadians continue to have access to an abundance of food, we certainly recognize that many agriculture sectors are impacted by COVID-19.

"This has a domino effect on ranchers, increasing costs for cattle and hog producers as they need to keep their animals longer on farms, while prices are changing rapidly. I know that some producers are now forced to humanely cull some of their animals  a hard decision they only make as last resort."

Concerns about TFWs' safety

The meat supply issue is reinforcing concerns about the living conditions of temporary foreign workers.

A large number of the workers at the Cargill facility are Filipino; some are temporary foreign workers and others are permanent residents.

Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press

Earlier this week, at least 40 workers at a Kent Bridge, Ont. greenhouse tested positive for COVID-19.

Authorities say most of the employees at Greenhill Produce who have tested positive for the disease are migrant workers, but most have been in Canada from four months to a year, or more.

Greenhill Produce operations manager Justin Geertsema said just under half of his company's workforce are in self-isolation due to COVID-19.

"We're not sure what the next few weeks will look like," he said. "It'll be difficult for everybody, but all we know is that we just have such an amazing team here."

Any temporary foreign worker arriving in Canada has to self-isolate for two weeks, but industry critics and labour groups have raised concerns about the tight quarters most migrants workers live in while in Canada.

"Sadly, I think this virus has pointed out some of the areas that we need to do better at," said Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam during a news briefing on Wednesday.

"Workplaces need to have good plans if they are to continue, or if they are to think about re-opening according to public health advice."

Watch: Dr. Theresa Tam on workplace pandemic plans

Tam said the pandemic has focused attention on how Canada treats vulnerable people such as workers in close-quarters settings, seniors in long-term care homes and the homeless.

"I think in line with this next phase, we need to do better in each of those settings," she said.

The federal government has set aside $50 million to help farmers who rely on temporary foreign workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Employers are eligible for $1,500 per foreign worker to help cover the costs of complying with a mandatory two-week quarantine upon their arrival in Canada.

"We are working very closely with the agriculture industry to ensure that people get good, healthy food, particularly as we embark upon the summer [when] there will be a need and an ability to get lots of fresh vegetables and produce from across the country," said Trudeau on Wednesday.

"We need to continue to stay vigilant because of the large disruptions across many different sectors in our country including, obviously, agriculture."
A New York City teacher who was twice turned away from ER and was told by EMTs she was 'just having a panic attack' when she was struggling to breathe has died from coronavirus.

Rana Zoe Mungin, 30, died in hospital Monday - more than six weeks after she first fell ill with a fever and over a month after she was put on a ventilator.

The social studies teacher at Bushwick Ascend Middle School in Brooklyn becomes at least the 65th school worker and 28th teacher in New York City to be killed by the virus.

Her heartbroken sister announced Mungin's tragic death on Twitter on Monday.

Rana Zoe Mungin, 30, died in hospital Monday - more than six weeks after she first fell ill with a fever and over a month after she was put on a ventilator

'It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you all that my sister, Rana Zoe, has passed away today at 12:25 p.m. due to COVID-19 complications,' Mia Mungin wrote in the post.

'She fought a long fight but her body was too weak.'

Mungin's death comes after she was turned away from an emergency room twice before finally being hospitalized and tested for coronavirus.

Mungin is thought to have contracted the deadly virus after Mia, a registered nurse, returned to the home they shared with a fever on March 9 after working in a hospital.

Just days later, Mungin began showing symptoms for the virus.

Her condition worsened and her family called for an ambulance on at least one occasion after she struggled to breathe and took her to the ER twice.

But, despite being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus complications due to underlying health conditions including asthma and high blood pressure, medics dismissed her symptoms and refused to give her a coronavirus test.

The NYC teacher was twice turned away from ER and was told by EMTs she was 'just having a panic attack' when she was struggling to breathe before finally being hospitalized and tested for the virus. Mungin taught social studies at Bushwick Ascend Middle School in Brooklyn

Mungin is thought to have contracted the deadly virus after Mia, a registered nurse, (pictured together) returned to the home they shared with a fever on March 9 after working in a hospital

On one occasion, emergency responders even dismissed her complaints she was struggling to breathe, 'insinuating she was having a panic attack, saying that her lungs were clear,' Mia told PIX 11.

The 30-year-old was finally admitted to Brookdale Hospital on March 20 and put on a ventilator.

She was then given the experimental malaria drug hydroxychloroquine touted by President Trump.

When that didn't work, Mia lobbied for her sister to take part in clinical trials and Senator Chuck Schumer waded into the matter, writing a letter to the Food and Drug Administration for her to be accepted.

The teacher was then moved to Mount Sinai hospital in Manhattan on March 27, where she started showing signs of improvement.

One month after going on the ventilator she woke up and she was moved to a New Jersey hospital for patients who have come off ventilators.

Just days later she died from COVID-19 complications.

Her devastated sister told Pix 11 she wished she could swap places with her.

'I apologized that she was there,' Mia said she told her sister the day before she died.

Mia lobbied for her sister to take part in clinical trials and Senator Chuck Schumer waded into the matter, writing a letter (above) to the Food and Drug Administration for her to be accepted

Bushwick Ascend Middle School. Ascend Charter Schools issued a statement mourning the loss of the beloved teacher and paid tribute to her as a 'one-of-a-kind educator'

'I didn't consciously bring [coronavirus] into the house, but it's something I was exposed to. If I could trade places with her, I would.'

Ascend Charter Schools issued a statement mourning the loss of the beloved teacher and paid tribute to her as a 'one-of-a-kind educator'.

'Our entire Ascend community mourns the passing of Ascend teacher Rana Zoe Mungin, who died yesterday after a difficult struggle with COVID-19. We extend our deepest sympathy to all of Zoes family and loved ones,' the statement released Tuesday read.

'Zoe was a one-of-a-kind educator. She had a transformational impact on her students and colleagues at Bushwick Ascend Middle School.

'Her principal Miatta Massaley describes what made Zoe such a special person: Students and staff alike gravitated toward her witty personality. You could always find a group of people in the social studies room talking with Zoe after school. It was almost impossible to stop into her room for a quick question because she had a way of making people want to talk to her for hours.'

A staggering 65 school workers have now been killed by coronavirus in New York City, including 28 teachers.

Mungin's tragic death comes as New York continues to be the hardest-hit of all US states amid the pandemic.

As of Tuesday night, New York City has 11,820 deaths and 157,713 infections.

Across the state, there have been 17,638 deaths and 295,106 confirmed cases of the deadly virus.
Layoffs in the US due to the coronavirus pandemic that is having an adverse effect on businesses could endanger H1-B visa holders, who could run the risk of losing their status.

Around 250,000 guest workers trying to obtain a green card in the US, with 200,000 of them on H-1B visas, could potentially lose their legal status by June end, Jeremy Neufeld, an immigration policy analyst with the Washington DC-based think tank Niskanen Center told Bloomberg.

Additionally, scores of more individuals, who are not looking for resident status, may also be compelled to go back home, Neufeld added.

Close to three-quarters of H-1B visas are given to those employed in the technology sector, the report said.

Over the last two months, millions of Americans have been laid off. However, workers on visas are more prone to hardships. This is because H1-B visas are linked to location and an employer who agrees to award the recipient a basic salary. Pay cuts and even work from home arrangements often go against the visa rules. H-1B workers who are fired have 60-days to find a new job, shift to a different visa type or return home. Even for workers who are able to hold on to their jobs, Covid-19 has posed a great challenge as they wont be able to get their visas renewed.

The visa crisis, experts note, is dealing a big blow to the workers who are already reeling under the onslaught of the pandemic.

Doug Rand, co-founder Boundless Immigration Inc., an enterprise that helps people steer through the immigration system told Bloomberg that the visa crisis is creating a catastrophe at a human level and an economic level.

Complicating matters further, H-1B workers usually have families who are dependent on them for official approval to stay in the country.

Its just a mess, Rand added. Efforts, however, are on to reduce the impact of this unprecedented situation.

TechNet, a lobbying group with members including tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, joined an array of trade groups urging for succour to foreign-born workers, according to Bloomberg's report. In a letter sent to the State and Homeland Security departments on April 17, they requested for a deferring in work authorization expiration dates until at least September 10.

The Trump administration is yet to reply to the letter. It has repeatedly adopted a hard-line position on the issue of immigration and foreign-born workers. The number of non-immigrant visas issued in 2019 fell sharply for the fourth consecutive year, to 8.7 million from 10.9 million in 2015, the report said quoting State Department data.
(Photo : Ian Lahiffe/Twitter) Charming visit by the Police. While asking us to fill out forms re quarantine, they casually mounted this camera to watch our door, while asking for our Wifi. I politely refused and now I am not sure if it works or not! Police state!

China is installing surveillance cameras in front doors of people who need to go on quarantine so that the government can check on them 24 hours a day.



On Apr. 15, Irish ex-pat Ian Lahiffe shared on his Twitter account a photo of a surveillance camera that the police installed when they returned to their home in Beijing. They went on 14-day quarantine after a trip to Southern China.

READ ALSO: NASA: Next 'Killer Asteroid' That May Hit Earth Will be Slammed With a Spacecraft

While the government has no official advice about having a camera set up in houses of those in quarantine, people have been posting about it on social media.



Lahiffe said in his post that he did not give the police access to his Wi-Fi, so he is unsure whether the camera actually works. But regardless, he claims it as an invasion of his privacy.



On Tuesday, Apr. 28, he sent another photo on Twitter, showing that the camera has already been removed after they completed the 14-day quarantine. "Ready to get back to "normal," the 34-year old dad said.

Day 14, the camera is gone! Ready to get back to normal. pic.twitter.com/M5dGPxsdiC  Ian Lahiffe (@lahiffei) April 28, 2020

READ ALSO: COVID-19 Update: Pfizer's Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Ready in the Autumn - Reports

CNN reported on Wednesday that since February, cameras are already being installed in some cities, based on stories shared by at least three people in social media.

Extensive use of technology

China has shifted to digital surveillance on people who undergo quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2017, according to state broadcaster CCTV, there were over 20 million CCTV installed all over China. However, other sources show much higher figures.

A report from IHS Markit Technology, which is now a part of Informa Tech, shows that China had installed 349 million surveillance cameras in 2018. This is nearly five times the number of cameras in the United States.

Based on the number of cameras per 1,000 people, the UK-based technology research firm Comparitech reported that China got eight of the world's 10 most surveyed cities.

However, as the coronavirus struck the country since December, surveillance cameras have moved from public spaces to their private spaces: in their front door and even inside their apartments.

The cameras are said to be used to monitor those in quarantine throughout the day.

Since its first coronavirus case in December, last year, there are now a total of 84,347, from which 77,578 have recovered and 4,643 died.

While CNN has requested for comment from China's National Health Commission, but the Ministry of Public Security did not accept the faxed requests.

Rules on Surveillance Cameras

China has no specific law regulating surveillance camera usage, but it already has become people who have already get used to it while in public areas.

In 2016, the Ministry of Public Security had drafted the regulation on security cameras, but it is still waiting for confirmation from the national legislature. Meanwhile, local governments have created their own regulations on cameras specific to their locale.

Beijing-based lawyer Tong Zongjin told CNN that installing cameras outside a person's front door remains "in a legal gray area."

"The area outside a person's front door is not part of their private residence and is considered a communal space. But the camera can be monitoring something personal, such as when the individual leaves and comes home," he added.

Meanwhile, having the authorities install these cameras during a pandemic to keep in control makes the issue more complex," said Tong.

"If surveillance cameras are placed in public places, there's no problem -- they can monitor and deter unlawful acts. But they shouldn't appear in our private spaces," said William Zhou, a resident of ChangZhou, adding that he is concerned that his everyday lives are under the scrutiny of the government.

READ ALSO: Doctors Think COVID-19 May be Linked to Rare Inflammatory Syndrome After Young Coronavirus Patients are Diagnosed

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration and Tata Technologies limited on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIITs) in the Union Territory.

The centres will come up at the government polytechnic colleges in Jammu and Baramulla in north Kashmir, an official spokesperson said, adding that the MoU was signed through video conferencing in the presence of Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu.

Initially, 18 major courses and several short term courses would be introduced with an intake capacity of roughly 1,825 students in each of the CIIITs, the official said.

It is a historic opportunity to convert these two polytechnic colleges in Baramulla and Jammu as premier skill development institutions with an aim of 100 per cent placement after training in various courses, Murmu said after the signing of the MoU.

He directed that the project be completed in time so that the first batch starts training in the institute by end of July.

A fine example of industry-academia partnership, it would serve as a model, to be replicated elsewhere, Murmu said, adding the industry linkage aspect of the outcome based project would offer immense employment potential to the trained technocrats coming out of these centres of excellence.

The Lt Governor also emphasised on the need to utilise the opportunity to build the capacity of faculty members and staff of polytechnic colleges, as Tata Technologies will train the students at CIIIT for three years through 'Train the Trainers programme'.

The capacity building will also help convert other polytechnic colleges into premier skilled development institutions in next few years, he added.

The MoU was signed by principal secretary, technical department, Navin Kumar Choudhary on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and President of Tata Technologies Limited, Anand Bhade.

Terming it as a serious attempt by the department to reorient its focus on promoting skill development, Choudhary said the centres will help make the youth of the UT employable rather than merely acquiring degrees and diplomas.

In the coming days, he said a series of reforms in the department would be carried out to completely revamp its focus and functioning.

The centres will be established at a cost of approximately Rs 360.00 crores, out of which Rs 300 crores will be contributed by Tata Technologies, the official spokesperson said.

He said the partnership between the Tata Technologies and each college will enable efficient, effective, integrated and sustainable service delivery in the implementation of the CIIIT.

The project is aimed at bringing qualitative improvements in the field of technical and to create a learning environment for training manpower to cater to the industry requirements in J&K and outside, he said.

The official further said that the centres are expected to create a ready pool of skilled manpower like engineers and technicians which besides augmenting the industrial growth shall help in generating avenues of self-employment.

The centers would also provide workshop facilities to the nearby colleges and MSME's, he said.

The centres, the first of their kind to be set up in the union territory, would also help in improving the academic and training curriculum in the already established technical institutes in J&K, by studying the courses in light of the requirements of the job markets besides helping innovators to develop new products and promoting technology start-ups, the spokesman said.

The government will provide the built-up, ready-to-use space for setting up of the CIIITs and Tata Technologies will provide and arrange industrial hardware, commercial technology tools, equipment and machinery for running the technology solutions in the centres, the official said.

Tata Technologies shall also look after the maintenance of the machinery and tools, besides offering all possible assistance for placement of the trained candidates, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Biden has yet to publicly address the claims

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, has come under pressure to address sexual assault claims by a former Senate aide after the woman's neighbour came forward to corroborate the allegation.

Tara Reade said the alleged assault occurred on Capitol Hill in 1993 while she was working as a staff assistant for Mr Biden, who was representing Delaware in the US Senate at the time.

Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not commented on the allegations but his campaign has denied them and underscored his record on women's rights.

But the former US vice president is now facing growing pressure to address the claims after Lynda LaCasse, who was Ms Reade's neighbour in the 1990s, came forward this week to claim that Ms Reade told her about the alleged assault around the time it happened.

Ms LaCasse claimed that while the two women were neighbours in 1995 or 1996, Ms Reade had told her that the senator she had worked for "had put his hand up her skirt".

"She felt like she was assaulted, and she really didn't feel there was anything she could do," Ms LaCasse, 60, told Business Insider.

Biden is the presumptive Democratic candidate to take on Donald Trump in November - AFP

A second woman, Lorraine Sanchez, who worked with Ms Reade for California state Senator Jack O'Connell from 1994 to 1996, also claimed to Business Insider that Ms Reade said "she had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in DC" and was fired for voicing her concerns.

The Biden campaign has declined to comment on the new interviews. Kate Bedingfield, Mr Biden's communications director, previously said in a statement that while all sexual assault claims should be "diligently reviewed by an independent press," what Ms Reade alleged "absolutely did not happen."

Ms Reade has claimed in past interviews that Mr Biden pushed her against a wall in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building and groped her and penetrated her with his fingers. She said after telling her supervisors in Mr Biden's office that she had been sexually harassed by the then-senator, her concerns were not taken seriously and she was eventually told to find another job.

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Three of those staffers have refuted the allegations and said that they did not recall Ms Reade or any sexual assault incident.

Last week, a 1993 video clip resurfaced of a woman whom Ms Reade claims is her mother calling into CNN's "Larry King Live" to say that her daughter had just left Washington "after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all."

Mr Biden, 77, has been accused of inappropriate touching from women, but Ms Reade's allegation is far more serious than anything that has come before.

Last year a Nevada politician, Lucy Flores, said Mr Biden had made her "uneasy" when he kissed the back of her head during a rally. Several other women have also come forward to say that Mr Biden had behaved in a manner which made them uncomfortable.

Shortly before announcing his presidential bid, Mr Biden issued a lengthy statement in which he said during his many years in public life he had offered countless "handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort" which he never felt were improper. But he added: "if it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully".

It was around this time that Ms Reade first came forward to publicly claim that Mr Biden used to put his hands on her shoulders and run his fingers down her neck.

But in an interview with a podcast host last month she came forward again to expand on her story, claiming that Mr Biden had in fact sexually assaulted her.

Ms Reade said that online abuse and threats had initially prevented her from sharing a full account, but she later decided "to tell the full story".

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, the former Democratic presidential candidate, formally endorsed Mr Biden on Tuesday.

"I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president," Mrs Clinton said as she joined Mr Biden for a virtual town hall to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on women.

"I wish you were president right now," the former First Lady said, adding the country needed to learn from the "crazy, scary times that we find ourselves in".

"Think of what it would mean if we had a real president, not just somebody who plays one on TV," she said, in a swipe at Donald Trump.
Business Minister Heather Humphreys has said high rates of Covid-19 in Co Cavan and Co Monaghan are not linked to people crossing the border.

A report covering data up until last Friday shows Co Cavan has an incidence of 753.5 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 of population compared with 684.6 in Dublin.

There is a similar pattern in other border counties, with Monaghan at 570.2 on Friday, while Co Louth rose to 463.2.

Ms Humphreys, a TD for Cavan and Monaghan, told Virgin Media News: The level of infection in Cavan and Monaghan has nothing to do with people coming from across the border.

In fact, there were four residential nursing homes that had outbreaks plus there were also outbreaks among the staff in Cavan General Hospital.

Two weeks ago, a number of doctors were sent from Dublin to Cavan General after an outbreak of Covid-19 among staff increased pressure on the hospital.

There is also increased testing in residential healthcare settings which is adding to the numbers, Ms Humphreys said.

To be clear, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest it has anything to do with people travelling over and back across the border.

On Tuesday, 20 further deaths as a result of Covid-19 in hospitals in Northern Ireland were reported  the biggest single daily increase since the outbreak began. It took the total in hospitals in the region to 329.
The upside of Swedens strategy  if it works  is that your economy does not take such a deep hit from lockdowns. It is unlike the strategy of suppression pursued in cities across America right now  as well as around the globe  where, when the lockdown is over, your population largely has not developed immunity and so most everyone remains vulnerable to the virus, and to a second wave in the fall.

Think of the challenge of New York City. Its hospitals would have been overwhelmed by the sudden crush of patients, so the months of lockdown of millions will surely, and vitally, have saved lives. But it has come at huge cost to jobs and businesses and with little progress to herd immunity  and with the prospect that the virus can come roaring back as soon as the lockdown is lifted, unless there is Chinese-level testing, tracking, tracing and quarantining those carrying the infection. And even that might not work.

Now think of Stockholm. Anders Tegnell, chief epidemiologist at Swedens Public Health Agency  the nations top infectious disease official and architect of Swedens coronavirus response, said in an interview published in USA Today on Tuesday: We think that up to 25 percent people in Stockholm have been exposed to coronavirus and are possibly immune. A recent survey from one of our hospitals in Stockholm found that 27 percent of staff there are immune. We think that most of those are immune from transmission in society, not the workplace. We could reach herd immunity in Stockholm within a matter of weeks.

Tegnell explains that Sweden is not just blithely letting all Swedes get the disease to achieve herd immunity, but rather is pursuing a designed strategy for the most sustainable way to navigate through this pandemic. So colleges and high schools are closed, but kindergarten through grade nine are open, as are many restaurants, stores and businesses.

But the government has also issued social-distancing guidelines, which many people are abiding by, encouraged working from home and discouraged nonessential travel. Most important, it has encouraged everyone over 70 to stay at home and banned gatherings of more than 50 people and visits to nursing homes.

The result, so far, Tegnell noted, has been a gradual building of herd immunity among those least vulnerable while the country has avoided mass unemployment and an overwhelming of the hospital system.
The coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, shown in purple, infects a cell, colored in green. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Every day, millions of Americans could be flushing critical coronavirus data down the toilet.

With the nation growing ever more weary of sweeping stay-at-home orders and a worsening economy, some scientists say our poop could be the key to determining when a community might consider easing health restrictions.

From Stanford to the University of Arizona, from Australia to Paris, teams of researchers have been ramping up wastewater analyses to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Initial studies show that sewage monitoring, or wastewater-based-epidemiology, could not only tell us how much the virus might actually be spreading in a community  but also when the virus has finally gone away.

Understanding the true scale of COVID-19 has been a major stumbling block across the country, as officials struggle with testing shortages, false negatives, and people who are infected but have no symptoms. Sewage data could potentially help fill these gaps by capturing critical information in the aggregate.

With wastewater, you can very quickly get a snapshot of an entire population, said Mariana Matus, who co-founded Biobot Analytics, a wastewater epidemiology start-up inspired by her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The closest approach to replicating the data from wastewater would be to literally test every single person in a community and then take the average of that. It is very powerful.

The amount of virus detected in the sewage can, in essence, mirror the timing and scale of an outbreak in ways that more delayed (and more expensive) in-person testing cannot, experts say. All this information, when pieced together, is critical to informing and validating public health decisions  such as where to allocate medical supplies and when to reopen schools, restaurants and other public gathering spaces.

And as cities start loosening stay-at-home orders in the coming weeks and months, some say monitoring sewage could also provide early warnings if the virus suddenly makes a comeback.

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Americans might find the idea gross, but wastewater early warning systems have helped catch norovirus, Hepatitis A and other diseases around the world for decades.

In Israel in 2013, a polio epidemic was detected in the sewage before any clinics had reported cases. This heads-up gave the government enough time to launch a vaccination campaign and contain the virus. Not a single case of paralysis was ultimately reported.

The monitoring program, set up in 1989 by the Israeli health department, had previously detected at least four other silent episodes of poliovirus before clinical cases were reported. Similarly, in Mumbai, India, researchers were able to detect poliovirus in sewage three months before any cases were observed.

In Australia, sewage monitoring is already in place to better understand patterns of illicit drug use  cocaine, methamphetamine and other substances that would otherwise be difficult to test and track. Researchers are now looking into this approach to monitor for SARS-CoV-2.

Similar work is happening in France, where public utility officials sampled sewage across greater Paris and confirmed a rise and fall in SARS-CoV-2 concentrations that corresponded to the shape of the outbreak. In the Netherlands, a research team was able to detect the virus in one citys sewage before local officials had even reported any cases of COVID-19.

As for the United States, using wastewater data to inform public health remains relatively uncharted. A research team at Stanford University just recently received a rapid grant from the National Science Foundation to analyze wastewater samples in the Bay Area and study whether monitoring for coronavirus in treatment facilities can be used to spot early outbreaks in a community.

Back at Biobot Analytics, which spun out of MIT with the goal of scaling this approach to every city in the country, researchers started out by tracking and tracing the opioid crisis  but recently pivoted to the coronavirus.

During a one-week period in March, Matus and her team carefully identified and quantified virus particles in sewage samples from a wastewater treatment plant in Massachusetts. (Evidence so far suggests that the virus is fairly inactive by the time its in fecal matter, but as an extra precaution, the scientists boiled each sewage sample at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.)

In a study released this month and awaiting peer review, Matus  along with researchers from MIT, Harvard Universitys T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston  reported their wastewater analysis showed a much higher number of infected people in the region than what individual clinical confirmations had shown.

Compared to the 446 reported cases in the area, the sewage samples revealed that even by conservative estimates, at least 2,300  and as many as 115,000  people could have actually been infected and shedding the virus during that period in March.

There are still some kinks to work out  how much virus does each person actually shed per trip to the toilet, for example, and how do you account for rain and snow and other factors that might impact sample dilution? But so far, Matus said, the study shows that a more routine wastewater monitoring system across the country could help cities and states be more proactive in preventing future outbreaks.

Since this pilot study in Massachusetts, hundreds of wastewater treatment facilities across the country  including more than a dozen in California  have asked Biobot to analyze their sewage. The researchers, doing the weekly (sometimes biweekly) analysis pro bono, hope to work with as many as 10,000 facilities to create a more comprehensive picture of how the virus is spreading or "flattening" in different parts of the United States.

To preserve the natural anonymity of sewage data, Matus said that her team has only been sampling areas that represent at least several thousand people.

Theyve started sharing their findings with local public health officials and other scientists to fine-tune these methods. Combined with clinical tests and the random antibody tests that cities have increasingly been conducting, routine wastewater analysis could help piece together a puzzle that everyone is still trying to figure out, Matus said.

Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona who has been doing similar research in his lab, said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the potential for this largely untapped  but critical  form of epidemiology in the United States.

Everything ends up in the sewer, he said. Even herpes virus you can detect by molecular methods.

Gerba, who has been studying coronaviruses in wastewater since the SARS outbreak, said that molecular technology today has made sewage testing much faster and relatively inexpensive  compared to traditional cell cultures from decades past that could take weeks to process.

Now with SARS-CoV-2, Gerba noticed that viral concentrations started dropping in sewage samples taken from a community that embraced stay-at-home orders. Analyzing the sewage right now is helping officials and scientists better understand the true level of outbreak and how successfully the virus is being contained, he said. In the coming weeks, perhaps it could help inform when social distancing measures can be relaxed.

Ultimately, any fine-tuning now could help alert cities in the future if the virus returns for round two. Working groups, he said, are starting to form with wastewater researchers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We're having discussions on how to best do this in the future, how to organize it, how do we look at our preserved samples, Gerba said. Everything we learn from this will probably benefit us in the future  maybe in the fall  everyone is worried about the virus coming back in the fall.
Italian GP official Angelo Sticchi Damiani has slammed as "fake news" reports that Monza will not be on F1's new 2020 race calendar.

Bild newspaper has published what it purports to be the schedule drawn up to cope with the corona crisis, but it leaves off Monza as well as Zandvoort and Spa-Francorchamps.

But Damiani, president of the Italian automobile federation, told Italy's Sky Sport 24: "We are convinced that our grand prix will be there, although almost certainly behind closed doors.

"We don't understand why fake news about the cancellation came out," he added.

"We do not know what will happen in early September, but we hope that this emergency will be over. We are hoping for a miracle but in the meantime we are preparing for a grand prix behind closed doors."

Damiani also told the Ansa news agency that negotiations about the financing of the 'ghost race' will first need to take place with Liberty Media.

"Obviously it will be a sacrifice for us. Obviously we have no interest in organising a grand prix without an audience for many, many reasons," he said.

"So we are looking for a squaring of the circle given that the missing audience is a component of the total revenue. And that is the problem."

Damiani also ruled out the possibility that Monza could accommodate a race in reverse direction around the fabled high speed circuit.

"No, the circuits have a direction of travel, with all of the barriers, kerbs and the structure of the race track designed for that," he said.

(GMM)
[April 29, 2020] Computer Monitors See a Spike in Demand as Offices Close Down and Staff Work from Home

DUBLIN, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ResearchAndMarkets.com published a new article on the consumer goods and services industry, "Computer Monitors See a Spike in Demand as Offices Close Down and Staff Work from Home" The COVID-19 outbreak has made it necessary for many companies to move to working from home to reduce the risk of infection to their employees. As a result, sales of computer monitors have greatly increased as businesses and consumers look to purchase items to outfit a home office. In the US, sales of computer monitors doubled in the first two weeks of March to 80,000 units.



Business to business sales o monitors also increased by 40% during the same period. Companies like HP, Dell and Acer have seen a huge increase in demand for computer monitors and other computer accessories. The increased demand for monitors has also been of benefit to companies like Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, AU Optronics and BOE Technology who supply the displays needed for computer monitors.







To see the full article and a list of related reports on the market, visit "Computer Monitors See a Spike in Demand as Offices Close Down and Staff Work from Home" About ResearchAndMarkets.com

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Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets

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Zoho Ramps Up Global Assistance Efforts with New Vertical Relief Plan

Zoho (News - Alert) Corporation, a global technology company that offers the most comprehensive suite of business software applications in the industry, is introducing its Vertical Relief Plan (VRP) comprised of programs and tools to assist businesses and organizations in need across three verticals severely impacted by the crisis: Education, Non-Profit & Government, and Retail.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005189/en/

"We are so grateful to all the workers who are helping us weather this storm," said Sridhar Vembu (News - Alert), Zoho co-founder and CEO. "Beyond those on the front lines, there are workers in industries who are struggling, who are persevering, who are inventing new paths forward. The Vertical Relief Plan is a way to support those people, whether they be teachers, government workers, or retailers, who are entirely committed to helping others and returning the world to solid ground."

At an earlier stage of the current crisis, Zoho introduced several initiatives to assist the broader business community, including the Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program and Remotely, which now is being actively used by more than 15,000 new global businesses.

Since then, data has emerged pinpointing which industries have been disproportionately hurt as a result of the pandemic. In the United States, which has seen the highest number of cases globally, retail is among the six sectors most affected by the COVID-19 shutdowns. Around the world, an estimated 290 million students are out of school, according to one UNESCO survey. In response, local governments and NGOs have been stretched thin, lacking resources needed to keep people safe and economies going.

The VRP is a targeted effort to provide maximum assistance for businesses and organizations within these three industries that have been most critically hit during this crisis. In addition to these programs, Zoho is encouraging small businesses, as well as finance, sales, marketing, and HR professionals within larger organizations to utilize discounts, training, and support programs that the company is offering to help them adapt to their changing roles during this time.

Here are some of the key features of the Vertical Relief Plan followed by a list of Zoho's additional support programs to assist with change management:

NON-PROFIT & GOVERNMENT

Zoho Creator COVID-19 App Program

The program helps non-profits, government bodies, and communities that are working on various programs like patient monitoring or food distribution to execute their mission more efficiently with the help of apps.

These organizations can place a request, and Zoho will build web and mobile apps for free using Zoho Creator, a low-code application development platform. Zoho can, for example, create tools to help non-profits or community groups organize shelters or distribute food or other essential services.

Since the program was piloted two weeks ago, it has received over 70 requests and has already delivered 10+ apps, including the Citizen Communication App and Medical Staff Management App for local government bodies in India.

Zoho Desk

For government agencies and departments around the world that are working on COVID-19 relief initiatives, Zoho is currently offering free software licenses of Zoho Desk, the company's help desk software.

This offering is intended to support federal and local government bodies globally in their efforts to combat the pandemic. Zoho Desk provides teams with the tools to manage their work and communication, and support citizens as well as government agencies in this time of distress.

Zoho Social

Increasingly, non-profits are turning to social meda to drive donations and manage distribution pipelines. Governments are using social media more than ever to spread awareness and communicate breaking developments.

To aid these organizations reliant on social media, Zoho Social is opening up its advanced edition for free for six months. It is also honoring extension requests from users as well as providing educational guidance and tool improvements to aid users working remotely.







For non-profits working to provide relief during the pandemic, Zoho Checkout is available for free, enabling them to collect online donations easily.

EDUCATION

Zoho Classes

Zoho Classes, available for early access, is a new mobile application that enables educational and training institutes to serve their students online. This platform replaces the need for educators to deploy multiple, disintegrated apps including video content delivery, classroom communication apps, assignment management tools, as well as video-lesson and project-creation applications, and instead build the class on one platform.

Using Zoho Classes, teachers and institutions can upload courses, broadcast live classes, share assignments under set deadlines, and collect responses on one interface.

Zoho Classes is built with several layers of security ensuring the privacy and safety of users: In Zoho Classes, teachers and students log in to the same application, which means that anything being sent or received can be centrally monitored by the school principal or an administrator. Students can only join a group after an invitation is sent directly from their school. Zoho Classes, as with all Zoho products, runs on the company's own data centers that adhere to the highest global security standards.

Zoho Classes is completely free for government schools in India. For schools outside of India, the platform is free to up to 100 students.

Zoho ShowTime

Zoho ShowTime facilitates virtual collaborative learning and interactive events. It is a complementary tool to Zoho Classes aimed at more individualized and interactive learning environments including classroom breakouts or professional training. One-click access to ShowTime within Zoho Classes will be available in the coming weeks.

Zoho is offering all premium engagement features of ShowTime, from the Basic plan onwards, at no additional cost to users.

RETAIL

Zoho Commerce

Retail storefronts, shuttered due to the crisis, can build out an online presence using the Zoho Commerce Starter Plan for free, up to 60 days.

For existing Zoho Commerce customers, the company is raising the transaction fee threshold to $3,000 in sales for the Starter Plan and to $8,000 for the Pro Plan for the next 3 months to assist with tougher economic conditions.

Businesses providing essential services, such as retail or pharmaceuticals, can quickly set up their online presence by availing free training and rapid onboarding of Zoho Inventory, Zoho's order management software, set up specially for them.

Additional Programs in Support of Change Management

This pandemic has created an unpredictable business landscape. While many industries and companies have been forced to furlough employees, others are hiring, including pharmacies, food service providers, and healthcare organizations. Whether growing or pivoting or simply trying to sustain business, Zoho is providing workers and companies additional support across several business categories.

Zoho Survey is now available at a 50% price reduction to allow businesses and team leaders to swiftly prepare surveys and questionnaires to collect data needed to make smarter, swifter decisions during this time. The company has also provided several crisis-related survey templates to help organizations jump-start the data collection process. Furthermore, Zoho Campaigns now offers crisis templates to assist with outreach and communications.

Zoho has increased the storage limit for businesses using WorkDrive to 1TB of shared storage for the Starter plan and 3TB of shared storage for the Team plan. After 10 users, Zoho will give an additional 100GB of storage for the Starter plan and 300GB for the Team plan for every new user. This increased storage helps businesses currently experiencing higher-than-normal volume, such as NGOs or eCommerce businesses. For businesses developing new lines of revenue, WorkDrive serves as a centralized, scalable, data management and storage platform.

Zoho is offering several development programs through Zoho People, including unexpected change management training, privacy and security training, stress management training, new technology training, onboarding training, communication and collaboration training, and role-change training.

Zoho is rolling out free Zoho Recruit video credits until the end of June, 2020. Zoho Recruit has integrated with Zoho Meeting to make the video interface possible. The application will help recruiters provide timely, positive, virtual candidate experiences for those companies who cannot staff fast enough due to the crisis. Additionally, Zoho Meeting is now free with Zoho Bookings, making virtual appointment scheduling seamless in order to aid the rising demands of a global remote workforce.

Zoho has created numerous additional resources, including a live COVID-19 impact dashboard, financial planning and recovery advice, a remote working help center, and virtual user groups, to assist businesses during this time. For a comprehensive list of programs, please go to: www.zoho.com/covid19

About Zoho

With 45+ apps in nearly every major business category, including sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and back office operations, and an array of productivity and collaboration tools, Zoho Corporation is one of the world's most prolific software companies.

Zoho is privately held and profitable with more than 8,000 employees. Zoho is headquartered in Austin, Texas with international headquarters in Chennai, India. Additional offices are in the United States, India, Japan, China, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates.

Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. More than 50 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho every day to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. For more information, please visit www.zoho.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005189/en/
We had reported that Thalapathy Vijay has deposited 5000 rupees each to the struggling members of his fans club.

Recently, the actor came to know that Ameen and his wife are struggling to make ends meet during the lockdown. Ameen who worked in a salon is jobless now so he couldn't take care of his pregnant wife. On knowing their situation, Vijay immediately sent 5000 rupees to Ameen's account.
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The head of Irans Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that Iran will destroy U.S. warships that threaten Iranian security in the Persian Gulf, a day after President Trump issued a similar threat regarding Iranian ships that harass U.S. vessels.

I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens security of Irans military or non-military ships, Major General Hossein Salami told state TV. Security of the Persian Gulf is part of Irans strategic priorities.

I am telling the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious in defending our national security, our water borders, our shipping safety, and our security forces, and we will respond decisively to any sabotage, the commander-in-chief added. Americans have experienced our power in the past and must learn from it.

A day earlier, on Wednesday, Trump wrote in a tweet that he has instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.

Pentagon officials later said that they would apply the presidents order although it did not indicate a change in the rules of engagement.

The U.S. military said last week that eleven Iranian Revolutionary Guard ships made multiple dangerous and harassing approaches at U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf area.

Tensions have run high between Tehran and the U.S. since May, 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, which was also signed by the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia. The nuclear agreement gave Iran billions of dollars in relief from sanctions in exchange for a promise to curb its nuclear program.

Relations reached a fever pitch in early January, when Qasem Soleimani, the head of Irans elite Quds Force was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad. The attack sparked immediate international worries about how Iran would retaliate.

U.S. officials said they believed Soleimani had been plotting imminent attacks on U.S. facilities in the surrounding region that could have killed hundreds of Americans, though multiple reports citing senior diplomatic and military officials have contradicted the claim that an imminent threat had emerged in the days before the airstrike.

More from National Review
In this article UOBH-SG

TRI-CA

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 U.S. team. Global cases: At least 3,113,447.

Global deaths: At least 216,930.

Most cases reported: United States (1,011,877), Spain (232,128), Italy (201,505), France (169,053), and United Kingdom (162,350). The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:30 a.m. Beijing time. All times below are in Beijing time.

6:18 pm: Most of Spain has virus reproduction rate of below 1, health official says

Almost all areas of Spain have a coronavirus reproduction rate, known as the 'R' number, below 1, the head of health emergencies Fernando Simon said Wednesday, Reuters reported. "Right now, almost all areas in the country have a reproduction number below 1," Simon told reporters in an online briefing. The reproduction rate refers to the number of people that an infected individual goes on to infect. If the reproduction number is not below 1 on average, he said, Spain cannot consider easing mobility restrictions.  Holly Ellyatt

5:44 pm: Russia nears 100,000 coronavirus cases

Russia's crisis response center reported 99,939 cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, having reported an additional 5,841 cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of reported fatalities remains relatively low, however, at 972 deaths. Russia says it has carried out 3.3 million tests. On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin extended the national "non-working" month through to May 11. He also warned that Russia had not yet seen the peak of the virus.  Holly Ellyatt

Physicians Tatyana Lesnykh (L) and Denis Medvedev put on protective gear ahead of entering the Red Zone of the COVID-19 treatment facility at Vinogradov City Clinical Hospital No 64. Valery Sharifulin

5:33 pm: Spain's daily death toll rises again, with 325 fatalities reported

Spain's daily death toll has risen again Wednesday with the health ministry reporting 325 deaths Wednesday, up from 301 reported the day before. The overall death toll from the virus rose by 453 to 24,275, however, as additional data was added from previous days, Reuters reported. The country now has 212, 917 cases of the virus, the ministry said, up 2,144 from the previous day.  Holly Ellyatt

4:30 pm: Malaysia reports 94 new coronavirus cases but no new deaths

Malaysia reported 94 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with no new deaths, the health ministry said. The country has so far recorded a total of 5,945 infections, with 100 fatalities in all, Reuters reported.  Holly Ellyatt

3:50 pm: Sweden's economy to shrink 7% in 2020, think tank says

Sweden's economy is set to shrink 7% this year and unemployment rise to 10.2%, a leading think tank has said Wednesday as the effects of the coronavirus outbreak start to impact the country. "The global economy is developing worse than expected which is hitting Swedish export companies," the National Institute for Economic Research (NIER) said in a statement. "Developments in April indicate that the Covid-19 pandemic will hit the Swedish economy much harder than anticipated" in an economic report released by the think tank in early April.  Holly Ellyatt

3:30 pm: Italy's credit rating downgraded to one notch above junk by Fitch

Italy's credit rating has been downgraded to one notch above junk level by Fitch ratings agency as the coronavirus hurts Italy's already fragile economy further. Fitch downgraded Italy's credit rating from 'BBB' to 'BBB-', just one level above its junk rating, reflecting increasing doubts around Italy's credit-worthiness as it tries to recover from the economic and societal damage inflicted by the coronavirus. The ratings agency said the downgrade reflects "the significant impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on Italy's economy and the sovereign's fiscal position."  Holly Ellyatt

3:20 pm: Coronavirus pandemic shows that AI could be over-hyped

The world is facing its biggest health crisis in decades but one of the world's most promising technologies  artificial intelligence (AI)  isn't playing the major role some may have hoped for. Renowned AI labs at the likes of DeepMind, OpenAI, Facebook AI Research, and Microsoft have remained relatively quiet as the coronavirus has spread around the world. In fact, AI's role in this pandemic is likely to be more nuanced than some may have anticipated. Read more here.  Sam Shead

3:15 pm: Singapore preliminarily confirms 690 new cases

Singapore on Wednesday preliminarily confirmed 690 new cases of the coronavirus, the country's health ministry said.

People wearing protective surgical masks walk along the Merlion Park, a major tourist attraction in Singapore. Maverick Asio l SOPA Images l LightRocket via Getty Images

That takes the total number of infected people in the country to 15,641. Most of the new cases have been linked to infection clusters in dormitories that house foreign workers, who are typically men from other Asian countries, carrying out labor-intensive jobs to support their families back home. Singapore has one of the highest number of coronavirus cases in Asia.  Huileng Tan

1:55 pm: Pandemic will likely end the strong profit growth in Singapore banks

After a strong run last year, the profitability of Singapore banks is expected to fall sharply in 2020. That's due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a crash in oil prices that brought down some of the major energy traders in the Asian financial center. A glimpse of that earnings hit could come this week as DBS Group Holdings, the largest bank in Singapore and Southeast Asia, is scheduled to release its first-quarter financial report card on Thursday. DBS' earnings release will be followed by United Overseas Bank next Wednesday, and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp next Friday. Estimates by Refinitiv showed that net profit at all three banks could fall by more than 20% in the first quarter, and DBS is expected to take the largest hit of a 32% decline.  Yen Nee Lee

1:45 pm: Pakistan central bank governor says virus outbreak 'interrupted' economic turnaround

The Covid-19 outbreak has disrupted Pakistan's efforts to turn its economy around, the country's central bank governor said. Policymakers were "in the midst of telling a story, a story to international stakeholders as well as to domestic stakeholders. The key message of the story was that our economic problems are  profoundly behind us," Reza Baqir told CNBC's Nancy Hungerford on "Street Signs." "When Covid struck, it has interrupted the story," Baqir said, adding Pakistan's aim in dealing with the outbreak is to "provide appropriate prudent policy responses." In April, the State Bank of Pakistan slashed its key policy rate by 200 basis points. Last year, the International Monetary Fund had approved a three-year, $6 billion loan package to Pakistan as it faced mounting debt and a potential balance of payment crisis. In exchange, the government was expected to implement reforms and tough austerity measures. In April, the IMF also approved $1.386 billion in emergency financing to Pakistan due to the economic impact from the pandemic, Reuters reported.  Saheli Roy Choudhury

1:40 pm: Thailand reports 9 new cases, no deaths

Thailand on Wednesday reported 9 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infected people to 2,947, Reuters reported, citing Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. There were no additional deaths, and the toll stood at 54. It was the third day the country reported single-digit increases in infection numbers, Reuters reported, citing Taweesin.

On Tuesday, the Thai government extended the country's state of emergency for another month till May 31. A 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew was also extended. Authorities are planning to allow some businesses in the capital of Bangkok to reopen in the next few days or weeks, Reuters reported, citing an official.  Huileng Tan

12:10 pm: Germany reports 1,304 new cases, 202 deaths

Germany reported 1,304 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infected people to 157,641. There were 202 more deaths, taking the toll to 6,115, according to the Robert Koch Institute. Germany's coronavirus infection rate has reportedly edged up, prompting the head of the country's infectious diseases institute to urge people to stay at home as much as possible amid a relaxation of lockdown measures. Germany's virus reproduction rate, called the "R" rate or value, is now at 1.0 in Germany, according to Lothar Wieler, the president of the Robert Koch Institute, having risen from 0.7 earlier this month.  Huileng Tan

10:40 am: China to hold annual meeting two months later than planned

China's parliament will hold its annual meeting on May 22  two months later than originally planned due to the pandemic, according to the official Xinhua news agency. It said the 13th National People's Congress to be held in Beijing can now go on as the coronavirus situation in the country has improved, according to the report. The National People's Congress, with about 3,000 delegates, typically gathers for a session lasting at least 10 days in Beijing, to pass legislation and unveil key economic targets for the year.  Weizhen Tan

9:55 am: Australia to ramp up coronavirus testing

Australia is set to begin widespread testing after securing 10 million Covid-19 test kits, according to a Reuters report citing Health Minister Greg Hunt. The state of Victoria, for instance, said it would set up mobile centers for people to do testing in their homes, offices and while shopping. The country plans to expand testing this week to those who are not showing symptoms, the report said. The government has said such testing is essential for lifting restrictions and lockdowns. Australia has already started to gradually reopen.  Weizhen Tan

9:10 am: UK start-ups raised $825 million during virus lockdown, but less deals are being made

New research suggests British start-ups have raised 663 million ($825 million) since the coronavirus lockdown began in the country, shrugging off the economic downturn in the process. The study  carried out by workspace provider Plexal and start-up database Beauhurst  focused on funding rounds between March 23 and April 27, analyzing nearly 30,000 businesses. It found that British start-ups raised 34% more this year than they did during the same period last year. The rise is thought to be a result of investors allocating additional funding to ensure the survival of start-ups in their portfolio.  Sam Shead

8:25 am: China reports 22 new cases, no deaths

China reported 22 new cases as of April 28, according to its National Health Commission (NHC). It attributed 21 cases to travelers coming from overseas. That takes the country's total to 82,858 cases, according to government data. There were no new deaths, with total fatalities remaining at 4,633, according to the NHC.

Separately, there were 26 new asymptomatic cases, where people tested positive for the virus but did not show any symptoms. That brings its number of asymptomatic cases currently under medical observation to 993, the NHC said.  Weizhen Tan

8:10 am: Mexico reports jump of 1,223 new cases

Mexico reported an increase of 1,223 new cases, taking its tally to 16,752, according to Reuters. The country said there were 135 more deaths, to a total of 1,569 fatalities, the report said. According to Mexico's government, the actual number of infections is significantly higher than confirmed cases.  Weizhen Tan

8:08 am: Samsung says it expects virus to hit demand for key products

Tech giant Samsung said it expects a likely decline in overall earnings for the three months ending in June compared to the previous quarter. It said sales and profits of set products business, which includes smartphones and TVs, are "expected to decline significantly as COVID-19 affects demand and leads to store and plant closures globally." In fact, the tech giant said it expects smartphone demand to "drop sharply in most regions" due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic and added that there's a possibility it might delay or cut back its 5G investment in the second quarter. Still, it expects robust demand for its main profit-making memory business as more people work from home. Samsung's memory components are used in smartphones and data centers.  Saheli Roy Choudhury All times below are in Eastern time.

7:07 pm: Trump says US will be able to run 5 million tests per day 'very soon,' despite shortages

President Donald Trump said the U.S. will "very soon" run 5 million coronavirus tests per day, even as the lack of testing remains an obstacle for many states anxious to reopen for business. "We'll increase it, and it'll increase it by much more than that in the very near future," Trump said when a reporter asked if he's confident the U.S. will reach 5 million tests per day, as some health experts say would be required to "reopen" the country. The U.S. is currently nowhere near conducting 5 million tests a day. In fact, the most tests the nation has run on a single day was 314,182 on April 22, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project. The U.S. has run just 5.7 million total Covid-19 tests since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the volunteer project designed to track testing data launched last month by The Atlantic. That puts the nation woefully behind where its testing capacity needs to be. At the average rate of around 157,000 tests run a day in April, according to the project, it would take almost 6 years to test everyone in the U.S.  just once. Health-care workers and other first responders need to be tested often. New York state is requiring private companies that want to bring their employees back to work to test them frequently. Will Feuer, Christina Wilkie, Kevin Breuninger

6:37 pm: The Academy changes rules for 2021 Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has altered its Oscar eligibility rules in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The board of governors approved a temporary change that would allow streamed films to be eligible for its coveted annual award ceremony. "The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater," David Rubin, Academy president, and Dawn Hudson, CEO of the Academy, said in a joint statement. "Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering." "Nonetheless, the historically tragic Covid-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules," they said. Sarah Whitten

6:15 pm: The US coronavirus death toll surpasses American casualties from the Vietnam War

U.S. officials and public health specialists have repeatedly compared the country's coronavirus mitigation efforts to that of a war, and now Covid-19 has taken more U.S. lives than the Vietnam War. The U.S. National Archives says that 58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam conflict, which began in 1955 and ended in 1975. Covid-19 has now claimed more lives in the U.S. since it officially arrived in the country in January, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Covid-19 has killed 58,365 people so far in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins. Will Feuer

2:07 pm: US coronavirus cases top 1 million
Octavia Spencer has donated breathing monitors to hospitals in Alabama and New York to provide help during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Oscar-winning actress, 47, wrote a heartfelt post on her Instagram page on Tuesday, urging people to 'give back to our neighbours, family, and those on the frontlines' amid the crisis.

The Hidden Figures star said she felt 'helpless' in knowing how best to assist as she announced her donation in the hope the breathing monitors will 'indicate potential onset' of COVID-19 in those with symptoms.

Generosity: Octavia Spencer has donated breathing monitors to hospitals in Alabama and New York to provide help during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (pictured in November)

Octavia posted a photograph of a Miku ventilator alongside a lengthy caption that read: 'I, like many of you, have felt helpless in knowing how to help during this time.

'Seeing what is happening in the communities that I love, I have teamed up with @Mikucare to donate monitors to nursing and medical facilities in Alabama and New York to provide much needed relief to nurses as they navigate care for COVID-19 patients.

'Miku's contactless respiratory monitoring offers the ability to detect nuanced changes in breathing patterns.

'With the understanding that respiration is one of the earliest indicators of illness, Miku's breathing monitoring can indicate potential onset before other symptoms present.

Octavia posted a photograph of a Miku ventilator alongside a heartfelt caption that began: 'I, like many of you, have felt helpless in knowing how to help during this time'

Octavia added: 'Please everyone do your part to stay safe and stay home in order to protect yourself and the ones you love most'

'Miku's two-way talk and video functionality also provides patients and medical personnel a method to communicate safely and effectively with those who have contracted the highly contagious virus.

'Please everyone do your part to stay safe and stay home in order to protect yourself and the ones you love most and I hope we can all find ways - small and large - to give back to our neighbors, family, and those on the frontlines.'

Earlier this month, Octavia revealed she had found a 'quarantine buddy' in her celebrity trainer pal Patrick Goudeau.

She posted a photograph on her Instagram page to offer a glimpse of a jug of sangria the pair had made for their 'backyard bbq for 2'.

Making the best of it: Earlier this month, Octavia revealed she had found a 'quarantine buddy' in her celebrity trainer pal Patrick Goudeau and the pair were enjoying a barbecue

The Hidden Figures star also uploaded an array of selfies to Instagram in which she was using her scarves as makeshift face masks.

'How're y'all holding up, ladies? I had to shave my mustache and unibrow. The quarantine fashion is real!' she quipped in the caption.

She later posted a snap of roses growing over a white picket fence, possibly one taken during her latest walk.

'Thinking a lot today about first time parents who are about to give birth but the dad's can't accompany the new moms in the delivery room or to the hospital,' she wrote.

'And of course the heart break of all of the people who aren't getting the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. Hopefully, we will never take for granted how precious it is to say hello and goodbye after this.'
New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor was rushed to Mumbai's HN Reliance Foundation Hospital on Wednesday after feeling unwell. His brother and actor Randhir Kapoor confirmed the news to PTI.

"He is in the hospital. He is suffering from cancer and he has some breathing problem, so he has been admitted to the hospital. He is stable now," Randhir told PTI.

Reportedly, he was not keeping well, therefore shifted to the ICU.

The actor was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2018 and underwent treatment for the same in New York for almost a year.

In September 2019, he returned back hale and hearty, accompanied by wife and veteran actress Neetu Kapoor. All through his tough times, Neetu Kapoor stood like a rock behind him.

The actor has always been vocal about his thoughts on Twitter and is an avid user of the medium. In fact, he had shared news of him taking a brief break from work as his health needed attention on Twitter.

When in NYC, the actor was visited by several prominent personalities such as Anupam Kher, Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Nita Ambani, Tina and Anil Ambani, Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt to name a few.

Rishi previously thanked everyone who prayed for his good health and even came down to meet him and Neetu Kapoor personally.

More details of his current health update are awaited.

(With PTI inputs)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 has been leaked yet again, ahead of it's official launch alongside Mi Note 10 Lite

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 has been leaked yet again, this time with alleged official renders along with key specifications. The company has scheduled an online event for April 30 where its launching the Redmi Note 9 series and Mi Note 10 Lite globally. Interestingly, the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Pro Max were announced in India in March but due to the Coronavirus lockdown in effect, the first sale has been postponed.

The new Redmi Note 9 leaks come via Sudhanshu Ambhores Twitter account that reveals the alleged official pictures of the upcoming Redmi Note 9 in three colours. The key specifications of the Note 9 have been leaked previously and todays information does seem to corroborate with some earlier speculations.

The Redmi Note 9 is expected to feature a 6.53-inch display with a Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) resolution. Theres a punch-hole cutout on the front in the leaked pictures and it is topped by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. The phone has a plastic build and it measures 8.9mm at its thickest point and weighs 198 grams.

It is powered by the yet unreleased MediaTek Helio G85 chipset thats an incremental update over the G80. This could be paired with upto 4GB of RAM and upto 128GB storage options to choose from, however, we could also see more variants at the time of launch.

The phone comes with a quad-camera setup on the back that consists of a primary 48MP sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, theres a 13MP selfie camera housed within the punch-hole cutout.

Redmi Note 9 could come fitted with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging via USB Type-C.

As per earlier leaks, the Redmi Note 9 could be priced starting at CNY 1,400 in China which is roughly Rs 15,000 by direct conversion. Having said that, we have no word whether the company plans to bring the Redmi Note 9 to India. Currently, the Indian government has also prohibited e-commerce companies to deliver non-essential goods like mobile phones which is why many smartphone companies have refrained from launching new products in the country.
OSLO  The police arrested one of Norways wealthiest people on Tuesday and charged him with killing his wife, the latest twist in a case that has riveted the nation since reports of her kidnapping emerged more than a year ago.

The police, saying they now believe the abduction was fabricated, arrested the husband, Tom Hagen, 70, a energy and real estate multimillionaire, on suspicion of murder or conspiracy to commit murder.

His wife, Anne-Elisabeth Hagen, disappeared from their home in a quiet suburb of Oslo, the Norwegian capital, 18 months ago. Her body has not been found, but investigators have suggested for some time that they believed Ms. Hagen had been killed.

When news of Ms. Hagens disappearance first broke in January 2019, the police said that she had been kidnapped and that a hefty ransom, to be paid in cryptocurrency, had been demanded.
Why was China different? Go back to Churchills explanation. The Communist Party thoroughly controls Chinas military, commerce, technology and education. Everything its leaders do is aimed at expanding the partys power. It is why they ethnically cleanse minorities. Why they impose a surveillance state. Why they cannot tolerate freedom in Hong Kong. Why they insist they will take over Taiwan. Why they claim South China Sea territory that is not theirs. Why they steal intellectual property. Why they seek to dominate poor countries and international organizations. Why they expand their nuclear arsenal. China is a dangerously different power because it is steadfastly committed to a Communist ideology that views its system as superior and seeks its advancement in every way.
The construction site of the W and Element hotel tower at 1441 Chestnut St. in Center City. The opening has been delayed two months because of the coronavirus. Read more

When construction resumes Friday in Philadelphia, no work will be allowed in units that are occupied, and all work will be limited to specific hours during the week, except for emergency repairs, Mayor Jim Kenney announced Wednesday.

Kenney issued an executive order mandating that authorized construction work occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and limiting the number of workers on a site based on its type and square footage. The Philadelphia Board of Health also is considering increasing fines for work that violates the order, Kenney said.

The order allows projects with construction permits as of March 20 to continue, except for demolition of an attached structure, projects that require the support of an existing shared wall, and foundation work.

Gov. Tom Wolf said last week that he would allow all construction throughout Pennsylvania to restart on Friday, as long as sites adhere to certain safety guidelines, which include social distancing when possible, hand-washing stations, and face coverings. He had banned most construction as of March 20 to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

But local governments can impose additional rules for the reopening of construction sites within their borders.

 READ MORE: Pa. construction sites can reopen May 1. What will that look like?

Half the construction in Pennsylvania happens in Philadelphia, according to the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia.

Im confident that the resumption of construction activity in Philadelphia will prove to be a much-needed boost to economic activity in the city," Kenney said. "Im equally confident that everyone involved will be vigilant about adhering to these safe procedures and protocols as this work resumes. This is just a first step, but an important first step, as we attempt to restart the economy while still doing everything we can to mitigate the spread of this virus.

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered.

No more than four workers will be permitted on site per dwelling unit at one- and two-family residences. No work will be allowed in common areas of multifamily buildings. For commercial jobs, no more than four workers will be permitted in enclosed sites of fewer than 2,000 square feet. An additional worker will be allowed for each additional 500 square feet.

The city will not issue a permit to any project requesting a zoning code variance until further notice, and the city will handle all permitting online.

The Philly311 hotline and online reporting form are handling complaints of possible violations of Kenneys order.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus quiets the boom of Philly construction

Venise Whitaker, a founder of the Riverwards L+I Coalition, said Wednesday that it looks like the majority of things we had requested were put into place" for residents, such as the inclusion of a contractor on site with an OSHA COVID-19 safety certification, the ban on certain kinds of demolition, and limit on work hours. Builders had hoped to extend their hours to make up for time they lost during the shutdown.

Whitaker said Kenneys executive order clarifies confusion within the city caused by the governors order and prior waiver system.

Were hopeful people will follow these guidelines," she said. "But were very aware there will be individuals that will try to sneak around and do work without permits, without being trained, and without following any of the requirements. History has proven pre-pandemic that people were cutting corners.

Dan Durden, chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Builders Association, lamented the possibility of confusion if municipalities create different standards for reopening construction sites. And local governments could keep sites shuttered if they dont support them, he said, even though Wolf is allowing them.

Local officials will likely differ on whether and how to reopen construction, depending on whether they are in urban, suburban, or rural areas, said Ernie Holling, executive director of the Chester County Association of Township Officials.

Rick Schuettler, executive director of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, agreed that local standards across the commonwealth will be a bit of a mixed bag. Some will follow the governors guidance, and some will enact stricter rules, all with the goal of protecting the public.

"There is a concern youre putting employees out there and in the midst of all this, Schuettler said, referring to inspectors and other such workers.

Municipal officials have said they want more guidance from the governors office about how to proceed, he said.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus leaves home buyers and sellers in limbo  and at financial risk

Durden, of the builders association, said the governors guidance isnt clear enough about what members can and cant do on job sites, including staffing guidelines based on the type of project. Builders dont know whether they should schedule subcontractors to come to sites or whether they should have their equipment and building materials ready for Friday, given their uncertainty.

The guidance reflects little understanding of residential construction or the needs of home buyers, Durden said in a statement. "Unless the administration provides more direction, it is likely that very little residential construction will actually resume.

And indoor staffing limitations will delay projects by months, he said.

Denise Hotz, executive director of the Chester and Delaware County chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, is advising members not to start work Friday unless they know theyre ready and have the protective equipment and procedures they need to follow safety guidelines from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus delays Philadelphias busy spring housing market

First, [members] were extremely excited about Pennsylvania opening up. There were cheers, and everybody was saying, Thank God, Hotz said. "Then, fear set in.

On Thursday, members will join a chapter-sponsored Zoom call with lawyer Craig Fleischmann, based in Montgomery County, to ask questions about their liabilities and how to safely and legally move forward in uncharted waters, she said.

For example, companies might want to document how they are following protocols, such as writing down how many workers enter a site, what types of safety gear they are wearing, and when they wash their hands.

Hotz said her members plan to follow the governors guidance unless they hear differently from their local municipalities.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a press conference after a session where the Senate passed a nearly $500 billion package to further aid small businesses due to the CCP virus pandemic, in Washington on April 21, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

McConnell: Next COVID-19 Relief Bill Wont Pass the Senate Without Liability Protection

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that the next COVID-19 relief bill must include liability protections for businesses that are reopening or it will not pass the Senate.

McConnell said that although he was open to providing further aid to states and cities as demanded by Democrats in another relief bill, providing liability protections for employers would be a condition for the bill.

My red line going forward on this bill is we need to provide protection, litigation protection, for those who have been on the front lines, McConnell told Fox News. We cant pass another bill unless we have liability protection. Thats the only way were going to ultimately begin to get past this.

He added that the additional legal protections are crucial to reopening the U.S. economy.

We are in a place that we have never been before and we are all hoping for a rapid recovery, he said. I think that we get a more rapid recovery if we have liability reform [and] if we have testing that reassures people, because the economy will not truly be open unless everybodys willing to participate in the economy again.

That will be a condition for providing additional assistance to state and local governments, McConnell said.

We have a red line on liability, he added. It wont pass the Senate without it.

Amid relief talks, funding for state and local governments has become a point of contention between Republicans and Democrats.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that the next COVID-19 relief legislation will include significant funding for state and local governments. The National Governors Association has said that states need at least $500 billion in assistance.

In an appearance on CNNs State of the Union, Pelosi pushed back against criticism from governors nationwide, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said last week that state funding and federal support should have been granted in previous legislation.

Just calm down, Pelosi told CNNs Jake Tapper when asked whether House Democrats made a tactical error in supporting the latest relief package. We will have state and local, and we will have it in a very significant way.

Pelosi said that its no use going on to what might have been, responding to Cuomos remarks that he would have insisted on including pandemic funds for states in the latest relief package for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

The Senate earlier this month negotiated a $484 billion relief package to combat the effects of the CCP virus. The relief package includes aid for small businesses, hospitals, and funds for increased CCP virus testing. It didnt include funding for state and local governments. The nearly half-trillion-dollar package was added to the $2.2 trillion rescue package passed by Congress in March to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic.

McConnells proposal has been met with criticism from Democrats, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying on Tuesday that he is just putting barriers in the way of giving state and local governments desperate money they need.

Schumer told reporters that he has concerns even though he had not seen the full details of McConnells proposal.

I havent seen the details of what he said, but is he saying that if an owner tells a worker they have to work next to somebody who might have coronavirus without a mask or [personal protective equipment], that that owner wouldnt be liable? That makes no sense, Schumer said.

Meanwhile, Pelosi said Tuesday that Democrats do not have any interest in having any less protection for our workers.

We dont need any prescription from anybody about mythology or just excuses not to do the job. Its really sad. Its disgraceful because there is such tremendous need, she told reporters.
Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel.

Instant News Wire
As Oklahoma, Alaska, Georgia, and South Carolina started reopening their economies last week amid the CCP virus pandemic, small businesses are limping back, braving new financial realities while protective measures like social distancing continue to be followed.

Bills Music Shop and Pickin Parlor, a family business in West Columbia, reopened last week after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster slowly reopened the state amid the pandemic. While the income is almost negligible and the family is trying to apply for loans to pay for the utilities of the store, its large group events are still not possible because of social distancing measures.

We are reopened but still doing less. We are not fully back to what we do. Its nearly impossible to earn anything, said Willie Wells, 69, the owner of the parlor with the longest standing history in South Carolina for presenting bluegrass performances.

Just 10 minutes before talking to The Epoch Times on the phone, Wells had called the office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a loan. Im not able to apply right now. They asked me to keep checking and try again in the next couple of days, said Wells, adding that his banker has also been not much help.

Just like Bills Music Shop and Pickin Parlor, a few flea markets also reopened in the state with adequate protective measures instead of crowded aisles and vendors crammed next to one another.

The Barnyard Flea Market in Lexington rented every other table to make sure vendors are well over 6 feet apart, owner Christina Hunter said.

The flea markets compared their business to Walmart or Home Depotbig box stores allowed to stay open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were taking all the precautions we can, said Hunter. If we see any problems, were going to take care of them as quick as possible. Hunter said closing for four weekends hurt her, but her vendors lost even more money.

Georgia

In Georgia, four customers clutching masks were waiting outside David Huynhs nail salon as he opened his business for the first time in four weeks on Friday.

Huynh had 60 clients booked for appointments, and police officer Alina Davis was among them. Yes, I am ready to get my nails fixed, said Davis.

But in metro Atlanta, the Three-13 Salon, Spa & Boutique opened to a line of masked customers who had their temperatures checked before entering. Waiting customers were carefully distanced, their spacing marked by blue tape, and chairs were placed at staggered intervals outside.

Managing partner Lester Crowell said there was some nervousness and anxiety among salon employees. But you know, we all want to come back to work, he said.

At the reopened Bodyplex Fitness Adventure in Grayson, a dozen people in masks, as required by the gym, worked out on two floors, spraying down machines and weights with a sanitizer bottle staff handed each person. The gym had a fraction of its usual number of customers and provided ample space for people to work out apart, yet some talked and stood close to one another anyway.

The social distancing I think is probably the biggest challenge, co-owner Mike Martino said. I guess when people feel like they have masks, theyre somewhat protected, but were still encouraging people to try to stay 6 feet apart whenever possible.

Although many businesses never closed, Gov. Brian Kemp has said it was imperative to begin easing his states economic suffering by allowing others to resume work. The Georgia Department of Labor said 1.1 million workersabout one-fifth of the states workforcehad filed for unemployment since the crisis started.

In New York a Few Defy Order

In New York state, the countrys epicenter of the CCP virus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined a phased-out plan on Sunday to reopen the state starting with construction and manufacturing from May 15.

The administration said the reopening measures will be first implemented in the north of the state and not in New York City which is the worst hit by the pandemic. However, a few small-time businesses and selected eateries have defied the order and reopened.

Fuelea Pacheco, 45, the owner of a Mexican ethnic store that sells handmade leather products in Elmhurst, reopened after a month of closure on April 15.

We were desperate at home, thinking what to do, wondering what was going to happen. So we came to the store to do some cleanup, and some customers started coming to send some money to Mexico, and we decided to remain open, Pacheco told The Epoch Times while wearing a mask.

Pachecos family in the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca manufacture leather boots, hats, belts, backpacks, purses, and footwear that she and her husband sell in New York. The couple was earning $2,000-$3,000 every week selling these products and was also earning $200 every day through a money transfer business.

Because of the lockdown, her store is earning just $100 a day from money transfers, which is deemed an essential business, but she has $6,000 rent for the store to be paid and theres also rent to pay for the familys home.

My family in Mexico depend on us.  We cant buy them the products, we cant send them money. The situation is also very critical in Mexico, said Pacheco.

A few miles away at 74 Broadway, Jackson Heights, a few small stores were opened near the subway station on Saturday. M.D. Amin, 30, the owner of a small mobile and computer repair shop, decided to defy the administrations order and reopen after his family had no money to buy food.

I cant even buy the basic things. I need the cash. I have no unemployment, no income. I applied for a COVID-19 loan but got no reply, Amin told The Epoch Times, adding that after paying all his utility bills he didnt even have $20 to buy a pack of rice.

Since I opened my shop, I can at least get $20, $30, $40, $50 every day, said Amin. At least I can buy rice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
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According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the worldwide microscope market is anticipated to reach USD 12,851.2 million by 2025. In 2017, the electron microscope segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue, whereas Asia-Pacific accounted for the majority share in the global microscope market.

Several technological advancements in the fields of nanotechnology, semiconductors and life sciences have augmented the growth of the microscope industry. In addition, this has encouraged government bodies to invest in research and development; which in turn has led to an increase in research and development activities in companies, small laboratories and academic institutions. Companies and academic institutions are increasing collaborations for shared use of advanced laboratory equipment has further supplemented market growth. The other factors driving the market growth include lightweight and portability of certain microscopes production of robust, more accurate and relatively cheaper instruments, and widespread adoption of microscope use by manufacturers across various domains. Emerging market in developing countries and newer innovative fields of application provide numerous opportunities for growth.

Request for Sample Copy @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/microscope-market/request-for-sample

The major driver of the growth of the microscope market is the advancements in the field of nanotechnology. Various factors such as optimal energy consumption and its conservation, environmental preservation, and increasing industrial productivity and quality by optimizing operational efficacy have fuelled the growth of nanotechnology. Also, miniaturization in semiconductor and electronics industry and material science has boosted market growth. Furthermore, the extensive use of microscopes and technological advancements in the field of forensic sciences, pharmacology, cell biology, biophysics and microbiology among other life sciences has augmented market growth.

In view of increasing technological advancements and its benefits, there has been an increase in the research and development activities in companies, small laboratories and academic institutions. It has also encouraged the government bodies to increase funding of such research and development activities. Moreover, companies and academic institutions are collaborating in order to use advanced laboratory equipment, which in turn has also supplemented market growth.

The recent technological advancements in the manufacturing process of microscopes has led to the production of robust, more accurate and relatively cheaper instruments. In addition, certain microscopes are lightweight and portability in nature which has further contributed to the market growth. Furthermore, recent advancements in commercial applications of nanotechnology, life science and semiconductor manufacturing has led to a widespread adoption of microscope use by manufacturers across various domains.

Get Exclusive Discount on This Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/microscope-market/request-for-discount-pricing

Asia-Pacific dominates the global market and is predicted to exhibit growth at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This rapid growth is due to the swelling economic growth in countries such as China and Japan. Various factors governing the growth in this region include presence of major market players in this region, increasing government and rapidly increasing research and development activities. Furthermore, various technological advancements in the field of material and life sciences, and nanotechnology is further boosting the market growth.

The different types of microscopes include optical microscopes which is further categorized into inverted microscopes, stereomicroscopes, phase contrast microscopes, fluorescence microscopes, confocal scanning microscopes, near field scanning microscopes, other optical microscopes; electron microscope which is further categorized into transmission electron microscope which is further categorized into scanning electron microscope; scanning probe microscope; and others. The electron microscope segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period owing to technological advancements, in the fields of material and life sciences. Electron microscope segment is further sectioned into scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope.

The key market players profiled in the report include Nikon, Carl Zeiss AG, Leica Microsystems, Hitachi High Technologies, Bruker Corporation, NT-MDT Company, FEI Company, Jeol Ltd., Olympus Corporation, Asylum Research, Omax Corporation, Amscope, Celestron, Motic and Magnus Analytics. These market players have adopted various strategies such as such as new product release, novel technology development and collaboration among others to expand their foothold and increase their customer base.

Contact us-

Polaris Market Research

Phone: 16465689980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
Given it could be a wee bit longer before we can all go out for a froth, Little Creatures wants home brewers across the country to dust off their home brew kits and try turn their little concoction into something much bigger.

The iconic brewery established in WA has launched 'Little Home Brewers', where humble amateur beer-makers can take a series of masterclasses by LC's brewing experts at home.

WA home brewers can get a masterclass from experts of iconic brewery Little Creatures. Credit:Nine

The initiative coincides with International Home Brew Day on May 2 and culminates in one home brewer taking their recipe to the hallowed halls of Little Creatures in Fremantle for a full brew experience and later featured as a Limited Release on tap at Fremantle BeerFest, which is usually held in November.

Little Creatures Fremantle head brewer Russ Gosling said some of the country's best brewers learned their craft via home brew kits.

This kind of opportunity doesnt really come around very often. Its something I would have absolutely jumped on in my early brewing days," he said.

"Having the opportunity to develop a beer at home that will end up being enjoyed by beer lovers at the festival... well, it doesnt get much better than that as a home brewer.

There is a fantastic culture among Australias home brewing community, and given we are all stuck at home at the moment, it's great to bring brewers together from all over Australia to share some tips and tricks.

Gosling said the masterclasses proved a timely collaboration between home brewers and the community of beer craftsmen and women.

If something good comes of this period, hopefully itll be some budding craft brewers and some fantastic new beers," he said.

"With more time to test and experiment with brew kits, this could lead to a real home brewing renaissance."

The winning home brewer will receive an all-expenses paid weekend with a friend in Fremantle for a VIP tour with the Little Creatures brewing team, and tickets to see their beer on tap at the Fremantle BeerFest.

The beer will then be poured on tap at Little Creatures breweries in Fremantle and Geelong for the public to enjoy, coronavirus permitting.

Fremantle BeerFest event director Stacey File said the competition was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"What a great way to share their beer and unique story with thousands of equally passionate beer lovers."
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Pfizer Inc said it expects its experimental coronavirus vaccine to move into expanded clinical trials by October that could allow for emergency use or accelerated approval, as it ramps up efforts to combat the pandemic.

The company left its full-year adjusted profit forecast of $2.82 to $2.92 per share unchanged, saying it expects the pandemic to have little impact on its overall results.

Pfizer said most of its drugs are not administered at the physicians office, which would help it emerge from the pandemic with a negligible impact on its results. Millions of Americans have been avoiding visiting doctors or hospitals out of fear of becoming infected with the virus.

However, Chief Executive Albert Bourla on a conference call cautioned, We are likely to see more negative impact during the second quarter, driven primarily by reductions in new patient starts.

Pfizer, in partnership with Germanys BioNTech, is among many drugmakers racing to develop a vaccine for the highly contagious virus that has infected more than 3 million people worldwide.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The company said it expects to make safety data available by late May and move into expanded trials that could allow emergency use or accelerated approval starting in the fall, although experts have cautioned that a safe, effective vaccine may still be more than a year away.

The companys unchanged forecast makes clear management confidence that they have enough gears to make its earnings guidance despite COVID-19, Citi analyst Andrew Baum said.

In contrast, Merck & Co on Tuesday estimated a $2.1 billion hit to 2020 revenue due to the pandemic, as two-thirds of its products must be administered by doctors.

Pfizer reported a nearly $150 million boost to first-quarter revenue, helped by increased demand for some of its medicines, including pneumonia vaccine Prevnar, which some physicians are prescribing to help combat the effects of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

There are currently no treatments of vaccines approved for COVID-19, but doctors have been trying many approaches to try to alter the course of the sometimes deadly disease.

Pfizer also said its commitment to spin off its off-patent branded drugs business and combine it with generic drugmaker Mylan NV was unchanged.

Excluding items, Pfizer earned 80 cents per share in the quarter, beating analysts by 7 cents, according to Refinitiv data.

Revenue fell 8.3% to $12.03 billion, but topped Wall Street estimates of about $11.87 billion.

Pfizer shares were down 0.4% at $38.16.
Attending a videoconference of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on April 28, the Vietnamese diplomat spoke highly of the positive developments over the past time in Sudan and South Sudan.

He called on Sudan and South Sudan to strengthen coordination with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in COVID-19 response, and welcomed the efforts of the UN, organisations and countries in the region, including the African Union (AU) and Ethiopia in supporting the two countries' resolution of Abyei matters.

The ambassador also praised the endevours of UNISFA, especially the participation of its female forces in protecting civilians, as well as voiced his support for the extension of the UNISFA mandate as recommended by the UN Secretary-General.

On June 20, 2011, Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement whereby the two sides pledged to withdraw troops from a demilitarised zone in Abyei and establish a joint mechanism to solve Abyei issues.

UNISFA was established on June 27, 2011 in accordance with the 1990 Resolution of the UNSC to protect civilians and promote demilitarisation in Abyei. In the following week, UNSC countries will negotiate a resolution to extend the mandate of UNISFA  which is due to expire on May 15, 2020.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been urged to trace contacts of Lateef Raheem, the late Chief Security Officer (CSO) to ...





Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been urged to trace contacts of Lateef Raheem, the late Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Bola Tinubu.





Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State, is one of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).





On Monday, he confirmed that Raheem, his ally of 21 years, tested positive to coronavirus.





His media office, in a statement, announced that Tinubu, his wife, Remi and all their aides took COVID-19 tests Saturday, April 25.

The press release disclosed that all results came back negative, except one.





The results of one aide were positive. The rest of the staff was negative. The one staff member has been isolated in accordance with NCDC guidelines, it read.





On Tuesday, Jumuah Abiodun, a public affairs analyst, in an Open letter to the Incident Commander over Tinubus CSO death, alerted the Lagos State government that a lot of people attended Raheems burial.





He called on the Sanwo-Olu administration to immediately locate everyone that was around the deceased in his final days and during funeral.





Abiodun wrote: Sir, I hope you know what it takes to bury somebody in an Islamic way? This includes Ghusl Mayyit, full body ritual purification performed on a dead Muslim and spraying of perfumes.





I have been informed that over 50, I repeat, over 50 police officers were at his Maplewood Estate residence on Friday, 24th April 2020 till he was buried. Islamic clerics, politicians, family members, among others were all there.





My advice for you and your team Mr. Governor, is to ensure contact tracing. Family members, neighbors and sympathizers; politicians who visited the family before and after burial; clerics who prayed for and interred the body; police officers that visited the home.





Also, disinfect the house and entire surrounding. If possible, by extension, disinfect two houses on the left and right sides of his building. I have also been informed that theres panic among the residents of Maplewood Estate since Tinubus statement was released.





The author warned that if proper actions were not taken or delayed, Lagos might record more cases due to the lapses before, during and after Raheems burial.





I enjoin you and your COVID-19 Team to swing into action for the sake of over 20 million Lagosians. As Incident Commander, I trust that you would do justice to my message, Abiodun urged.




In Retrospect: News from the Jan. 13, 1922 and Jan. 12, 1972 Souderton Independent
A major fire broke out at the Hindustan Aeronauticals Ltd (HAL) premises near here on Wednesday even as the fire fighters toiled hard to extinguish it.

According to police, the chemical fire was noticed at about 9 am and within half-an-hour there were raging flames billowing thick smoke.

Soon the fire tenders rushed to the spot.

However, till afternoon it could not be controlled.

The magnesium scrap stockpile had caught fire, they said.

Eight fire tenders were pressed into service. The entire area was cordoned off and fire isolated. No casualties are reported, they added.

Later, in a statement, the HAL said the blaze erupted in the scrap yard of its forge and foundry division.

The scrap included magnesium metal. The fire has now been contained by dry chemical fire extinguishers.

There is no damage to any property and no casualty reported due to the fire. An investigation is on, he added.

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After all, herd immunity is our goal  either from vaccination or from enough people building natural immunity.

President Donald Trump has often described this pandemic as our war with an invisible enemy  the coronavirus. That war metaphor is wrong and misleading.

Wars are fought and won by humans. So, we could out-mobilise the Nazis and Japanese to win World War II. We could out-spend and out-innovate the Soviet Union to win the Cold War. But when youre in a struggle with one of Mother Natures challenges  like a virus or a climate change  the goal is not to defeat her. No one can. Shes just chemistry, biology and physics. The goal is to adapt.

Mother Nature does not reward the strongest or the smartest. She rewards the species that are the most adaptive in evolving the chemistry, biology and physics that she has endowed them with to thrive  no matter what she throws at them.

And thats why I believe one of the most important questions we need to answer, as these lockdowns end, is this: Are we going to adapt to the coronavirus  by design  the way Sweden is attempting to do  or are we going to go the same direction as Sweden  by messy default  or are we just going to say the hell with lockdowns and go 50 different ways?

In case youve missed it, Sweden has taken a radically different approach in dealing with the coronavirus. It has essentially opted for a strategy of herd immunity through exposure.

This strategy posits that most people under age 65 who get the coronavirus  if they do not have major preexisting medical conditions  will either experience it as a typical or tough flu, or completely asymptomatically, and the number who will get so sick that they require hospitalisation or emergency care will reliably be less than the number of beds needed to care for them.

So, if you do your best to shelter and sequester all of those over 65 and those with serious preexisting conditions  notably heart and lung disease and diabetes  and let much of the rest of the population circulate and get exposed and become naturally immune, once about 60 percent of your population has gone through this youll have herd immunity and the viral transmission will be blocked. (This assumes that immunity for some period of time results from exposure, as most experts think it will.)

After all, herd immunity is our goal  either from vaccination or from enough people building natural immunity. Those are the only ways to achieve it.

The upside of Swedens strategy  if it works  is that your economy does not take such a deep hit from lockdowns. It is unlike the strategy of suppression pursued in cities across America right now  as well as around the globe  where, when the lockdown is over, your population largely has not developed immunity and so most everyone remains vulnerable to the virus, and to a second wave in the fall.

Think of the challenge of New York City. Its hospitals would have been overwhelmed by the sudden crush of patients, so the months of lockdown of millions will surely, and vitally, have saved lives. But it has come at a huge cost to jobs and businesses and with little progress to herd immunity  and with the prospect that the virus can come roaring back as soon as the lockdown is lifted, unless there is Chinese-level testing, tracking, tracing and quarantining those carrying the infection. And even that might not work.

Now think of Stockholm. Anders Tegnell, chief epidemiologist at Swedens Public Health Agency  the nations top infectious disease official and architect of Swedens coronavirus response  said in an interview published in USA Today on Tuesday: We think that up to 25 percent people in Stockholm have been exposed to coronavirus and are possibly immune. A recent survey from one of our hospitals in Stockholm found that 27 percent of staff there are immune. We think that most of those are immune from transmission in society, not the workplace. We could reach herd immunity in Stockholm within a matter of weeks.

Tegnell explains that Sweden is not just blithely letting all Swedes get the disease to achieve herd immunity but rather is pursuing a designed strategy for the most sustainable way to navigate through this pandemic. So colleges and high schools are closed, but kindergarten through grade nine are open, as are many restaurants, stores and businesses.

But the government has also issued social-distancing guidelines, which many people are abiding by, encouraged working from home and discouraged nonessential travel. Most important, it has encouraged everyone over 70 to stay at home and banned gatherings of more than 50 people and visits to nursing homes.

The result, so far, Tegnell noted, has been a gradual building of herd immunity among those least vulnerable while the country has avoided mass unemployment and an overwhelming of the hospital system.

It has come with a high cost, though. As USA Today noted: Sweden has a population of 10 million people, about twice as large as its nearest Scandinavian neighbours. As of 28 April, the countrys COVID-19 death toll reached 2,274, about five times higher than in Denmark and 11 times higher than in Norway. Nursing home residents account for more than a third of all deaths.

Tegnell said: There has always been a problem with running these homes safely in Sweden going back a long time. Thats something we are taking advice on now and that we intend to do better on.

As for experts who warn that it has not been conclusively proven that individuals who have had COVID-19 are immune, by the presence of antibodies, from getting the virus again, Tegnell told USA Today that such thinking undermines the argument for looking for a vaccine: If you cant get population immunity, how can we then think a vaccine will protect us?

He concluded: Whats happening now is that many countries are starting to come around to the Swedish way. They are opening schools, trying to find an exit strategy. It comes back to sustainability. We need to have measures in place that we can keep on doing over the longer term, not just for a few months or several weeks.

Asked about the American approach, he said that it seems to me that the Americans let coronavirus go too far before any real strategy came into place.

Heres the stone-cold truth: There are only different hellish ways to adapt to a pandemic and save both lives and livelihoods. I raise Sweden not because I think it has found the magic balance  it is way too soon to tell  but because I think we should be debating all the different ways and costs of acquiring immunity.

When I look across America, though, and see governors partly lifting lockdowns  because they feel their people just cant take it anymore for economic or psychological reasons, even though their populations have little or no immunity  I worry we may end up developing more herd immunity but in a painful, deadly, costly, uncoordinated way that still leaves room for the coronavirus to strike hard again and overwhelm hospitals.

One of Israels most renowned computer scientists, Amnon Shashua, the founder of Mobileye, has been advocating a designed Swedish-style immunity pathway for Israel for weeks. The risk-based quarantine model is not only beneficial from the point of view of economical sustainability but also because when the high-risk group is released from isolation they would be facing a largely immune population thus naturally facing a very slow spread of infection with a good chance to whither the storm until a cure or vaccine is available, he wrote in Medium last month.

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said in an interview with WCCO radio Monday that I think that Sweden is one model we need to look at, but its not the only model, but we surely need to have these discussions. Because absent a miracle vaccine soon, said Osterholm, this virus will not stop trying to infect people until we get it to at least the 60 percent or 70 percent level.

Herd immunity has historically been natures way of ending pandemics, added David Katz, the public health physician who helped kick off the debate in an essay he wrote in The New York Times on 20 March and in a follow-up interview we did together.

We need to bend with her forces  even when we as a species are responsible for unleashing them, Katz said. That means a designed strategy, based on risk profiles, of phasing back to work those least vulnerable, so we gradually cultivate the protection of herd immunity  while concentrating our health services and social services on protecting those most vulnerable until we can sound the all-clear.

Thomas L Friedman c.2020 The New York Times Company
As a photojournalist waiting to capture some of the most crucial happenings around me, nothing could have prepared me for a week as a COVID-19 patient. While the viral outbreak engulfed Maharashtra and Mumbai, in particular, I continued documenting these unprecedented times, but a phone call on April 20 changed my life forever.

The morning began like any other as I prepared to head out for an assignment. I received a call from a photographer friend, who informed me that an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 and would soon be taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

We had all undergone swab tests after a few of our fellow photojournalists had tested positive.

Soon, I received the dreaded phone call from an unknown number and a man asked me curtly, "Where are you? I am calling from the BMC and want to inform you that your report is positive."



It felt surreal but my first instinct was to prepare my family. I rushed home and waited outside, calling out to my parents and wife. I asked them not to touch me or come near me, as I sat at my doorstep waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Meanwhile, I received a call from another friend who had tested positive. He told me that the civic body would quarantine asymptomatic patients at a hotel for the next 14 days.

As it seemed like it would take some time for the ambulance to arrive, I decided to head to the hotel in my car.

Once I reached there, I became an "untouchable". The moment I exited my car and some of my friends and other suspected patients came near the hotel entrance, I saw people from adjacent buildings and shops staring at us but the worse was yet to come.

A hotel staffer gave us our room numbers and threw water bottles and sanitisers at us from a six-feet distance. The next day (April 21) we were informed that we would have to collect food from near the elevator.

My wife called to inform me that five people from my housing society had tested positive for the virus and the complex would be sealed for the next 14 days. I was saddened to know that other residents were forced to stay indoors because of me and my friends and was worried that my family may test positive for the disease.

Soon a BMC ward officer told some of us to pack our bags as we were being shifted to another hotel. Within hours, a doctor informed us that patients suffering from co-morbid conditions such as hypertension and diabetes will be shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri. I was among four media persons who were transported there.

Entering a hospital had never been so terrifying in the 39 years of my life. As we entered the gate, we saw a man standing with a sanitiser machine, who first sanitised us, then our bags and lastly, the ambulance we had travelled in.

I was admitted in a ward kept for patients from Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital in collaboration with the BMC, which has 56 COVID-19 beds at Seven Hills Hospital. That's when I met head training nurse Agnes Kuttiani.

"When the hospital officials asked us to serve COVID-19 patients, I was the first one to raise my hand. My husband was scared, but my daughter told me to do my duty," she said, beaming with pride, as I clicked her photograph.

My third day began with a second swab test at 5 am. This was was followed by an ECG and a basic parameter check. Soon I fell into the daily rhythm of the hospital, but my thoughts often went to my sexagenarian parents. They had undergone the swab test, while my wife and daughter were spared as they did not show any symptoms.

To keep negative thoughts at bay, I started speaking to the hospital staff, who kept the COVID-19 fight going despite the risks involved.

My conversations with Moroba Kamble, a cleaner, were the most memorable. "I do my job wholeheartedly; I don't know if it is great work. I only hope that if I get infected and die, I will be called a shahid (martyr). I am glad my family supports the work I do for patients and my country," Kamble said.

I also met Mahesh Kharvi, an autorickshaw driver who was working at the hospital during the crisis.

Kharvi told me once the lockdown was imposed, "my daughter asked me if I would be interested in working at the hospital, where she is employed. I immediately said yes. It is better to do something good for others than sit and whine about the situation."



Entering day five, they took my third swab and a doctor informed me that my second swab test had come out negative but the third test was to decide if I was out of the woods yet.

My sixth day at the facility began on a positive note, as I found out that my parents had tested negative. During the day, I met BMC's staff nurse Bageshree Sanap, who worked at KEM Hospital's COVID-19 care unit, before being shifted to Seven Hills Hospital. "Whenever I returned home after my duty at KEM, my neighbours would stare at me as if I was a terrorist. I was sad and applied for a transfer," said Sanap, who has now been put up at the Taj in Santacruz.

At the end of that day, Dr Pratibha Singhal, told me that I had tested negative in my third test. My joy was unparalleled. As I packed my bags, many of the hospital staff took selfies with me. I was also given an enthusiastic welcome by members of my housing society and it truly humbled me.

Even as I remain under home quarantine till May 9 and can only catch passing glimpses of my princess (my daughter), I feel fortunate to have come out of this nightmare, to wake up in the safe confines of my home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DALLAS, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit unanimously affirmed Infogroup's judgments against DatabaseUSA and Vinod Gupta, Infogroup announced today. In August 2018, a jury unanimously found Gupta and DatabaseUSA liable on all seven counts, including infringement of Infogroup's database copyright and trademarks, unfair competition, false advertising and breach of various contracts. The trial court concluded that Gupta and DatabaseUSA acted "in bad faith, intentionally and with a desire to suppress the truth, destroyed evidence" and willfully and deliberately violated federal laws. The trial court entered judgments against DatabaseUSA for $11.2 million and Gupta for $10 million, and ordered both to pay interest and Infogroup's attorney fees and costs, and permanently enjoined them from using Infogroup's tradenames, making false advertising statements and participating in future unfair competitive practices.

Unable to pay the judgment, DatabaseUSA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Nevada, where Infogroup is seeking to hold Gupta, his family office Everest Group, LLC and other conspirators liable for the DatabaseUSA judgment. In addition, DatabaseUSA and Gupta appealed parts of the judgments to the 8th Circuit. The 8th Circuit found that the trial court and jury correctly found Gupta and DatabaseUSA liable and upheld the judgments in all respects.

"The jury and courts agree that Infogroup's industry-leading techniques of database management (data selection, refinement, verification, updating and user-friendly arrangement) were so sophisticated and value-enhancing, that such database qualified for copyright protection and Gupta and DatabaseUSA had unlawfully passed Infogroup's proprietary database off as their own. Moreover, the courts found enforceable the confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions in Infogroup's employment contracts," said Greg Scaglione, lead trial counsel for Infogroup who heads the National Litigation Practice at Koley Jessen. "We are thrilled with all of the successful rulings we have secured against Gupta and DatabaseUSA over the years, and Infogroup will continue to tenaciously protect its databases, copyrights, trademarks and the marketplace from competitors' misconduct."

"Our team continues to work tirelessly to build databases of the highest quality and accuracy," said Infogroup Chairman and CEO Michael Iaccarino. "We will immediately collect the judgment by drawing on a letter of credit Vinod Gupta issued for our benefit and continue to pursue collection of the Database 101 judgment against DatabaseUSA and its conspirators through the bankruptcy court. We are confident that we will receive full payment from Vinod Gupta."

All questions regarding the outcome or status of the case should be referred to Infogroup's counsel of record, Greg Scaglione at Koley Jessen.



About Infogroup

Infogroup is a leading provider of data and real-time business intelligence solutions for enterprise, small business, nonprofit and political organizations. The company's solutions enable clients to acquire and retain customers, and enhance their user experiences through proprietary business and consumer data, artificial intelligence/machine learning models, innovative software applications and expert professional services. Infogroup's cloud-based Data Axle platform delivers data and data updates in real-time via APIs, CRM integrations, SaaS, and managed services. Infogroup has 45+ years of experience helping organizations exceed their goals. For more information, visit www.infogroup.com .

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Allies of US President Donald Trump have highlighted new claims by a woman who said she was told about sexual-assault allegations against Joe Biden decades ago.

The comments turn the spotlight on the past behaviour of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Apparent corroboration has surfaced for elements of two accusations made by Mr Biden's former senate aide Tara Reade, one involving harassment and the second a sexual assault.

Mr Biden has not commented on the allegations but his campaign has denied them and pointed to his record on women's rights and promotion of women in his offices.

Lynda LaCasse, who was one of Ms Reade's neighbours in California, where Ms Reade moved after working for Mr Biden, said in an interview with 'Business Insider' that Ms Reade told her in the mid-1990s Mr Biden had put his hand up her skirt and assaulted her.

Lorraine Sanchez, a former colleague of Ms Reade's in the office of a California state senator, also told the news outlet that Ms Reade told her in the mid-1990s that she "had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in DC and as a result of her voicing her concerns to her supervisors, she was let go, fired".

Ms Sanchez did not recall whether Ms Reade mentioned Mr Biden specifically, or whether she provided further details.

Ms Reade made the harassment accusation last year and she recently offered details of what she said was a sexual assault in a hallway somewhere on Capitol Hill.

The allegations have percolated for weeks, a period in which Mr Biden has become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Three of Ms Reade's supervisors from the time, to whom Ms Reade says she complained, have said they don't remember her or any complaints from her.

Mr Biden's campaign declined to comment on the reports, pointing to previous statements from deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield, who said that while women's accounts of wrongdoing should be examined, the one from Ms Reade "absolutely did not happen".

As part of an in-depth examination published two weeks ago, Ms Reade had said that she described the alleged assault soon afterwards to a friend, to her brother and to her mother.

Her friend corroborated Ms Reade's account of their conversation but declined to be named.

Her brother, Collin Moulton, said that she told him in 1993 that Mr Biden had behaved inappropriately by touching her neck and shoulders. He said later that he recalled her telling him that Mr Biden had put his hand "under her clothes".

Mr Biden has participated in several interviews since the assault allegations emerged but has yet to be asked about them. It has, however, been a topic for other top Democrats, including some of his potential running mates.

"I think this case has been investigated," senator Amy Klobuchar said on MSNBC, pointing to her own work to make it easier to bring such cases forward. "I know the vice-president as a major leader on domestic abuse, I worked with him on that."

Mr Trump has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual assault. He has denied all of the allegations.

His son, Donald Trump Jr, has repeatedly tweeted about the accusations against Mr Biden in recent days.

Ms Reade worked in Mr Biden's Senate office from December 1992 until August 1993, according to employment records. She had initially said last year that Mr Biden had put his hands on her shoulders and neck. She said she complained to senior Biden aides about feeling uncomfortable, but not about sexual assault.

Last spring, as Mr Biden was preparing to run for president, about a half-dozen women came forward with stories of unwanted touching or displays of affection. None alleged sexual assault. ( The Washington Post)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 12:01:32|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 spread has slowed down in Canada, but the country is not out of the woods yet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at his daily news conference on Tuesday.

"The measures we have taken so far are working. In fact, in many parts of the country, the curve has flattened. But we are not out of the woods yet," Trudeau said, urging Canadians to stay the course.

Early Tuesday, Canada's Public Health Agency released new modeling that reveal the pandemic's impact on Canada is somewhat worse than projected earlier this month.

The agency forecasts up to 66,835 cases and 3,883 deaths across Canada by May 5, compared with its one-week projection of 31,850 cases and 700 deaths on April 9.

As of Tuesday night, a total of 50,026 cases and 2,859 deaths have been reported across the country.

The agency said in its new modelling that growth in caseload is being driven by the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, which account for 92 percent of the total. Most of the COVID-19 deaths (79 percent) resulted from outbreaks in long-term care and seniors' homes across Canada.

The good news is the spread of the virus began to slow, from the doubling of the country's caseload every three to five days in early April to every 16 days at present, Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, told a daily government briefing on Tuesday.

As with the April 9 modeling report, Tuesday's forecast also presents a "worst case scenario" for Canada where, without any public health controls, up to 80 percent of the country's population, or just over 30 million people -- could be infected with COVID-19.

But even with such strong measures as physical distancing in place, as much as 10 percent of Canada's population (nearly 3.8 million people) could end up COVID-positive, and 44,000 people could die of the associated disease.

"We're in the middle of the most serious public health emergency Canada has ever seen...if we lift measures too quickly, we might lose the progress we've made," said Trudeau.

Following his morning briefing to reporters, the prime minister participated in a video conference of a special parliamentary committee to address the COVID-19 pandemic -- the first time the House of Commons has sat in a virtual setting in its 152-year history.

Trudeau and Canada's 13 provincial and territorial premiers also released a joint statement on Tuesday in which they outlined a "shared public-health approach to support restarting the economy" of the country, which includes "easing restrictions gradually."

But not all of the officials are on the same page when it comes to the timing of that phased approach, particularly in the case of the premiers of Canada's two largest provinces.

On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford outlined what he called "a road map, not a calendar" when businesses and services could open and resume over a three-stage process without setting any dates.

Also on Monday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced that schools would reopen next month, and during his daily briefing on Tuesday, said that "various sectors and businesses" will follow suit in the "coming weeks."

Meanwhile, Dennis King, premier of Canada's smallest province of Prince Edward Island, announced Tuesday that the first phase of the reopening of businesses, services and public spaces will begin on Friday. Enditem
The federal Liberal government is poised to ban some types of firearms  and those new prohibitions could be made public as soon as Friday, sources told Radio-Canada.

The gun control changes come in the wake of Nova Scotia's recent tragedy, which saw an armed man kill 22 people and leave others wounded. The gunman, who was not licensed to possess firearms, used guns illegally obtained in Canada and from U.S. sources.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has drawn up a list of firearms that he is recommending be banned in Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now reviewing that list, sources said. Trudeau's final approval could come any day now, according to the French-language division of CBC.

According to a document obtained by Radio-Canada, the list includes:

M16, M4, AR-10 and AR-15 rifles. Those styles were used in the Sandy Hook, New Zealand, Las Vegas and Orlando mass shootings. There are an estimated 83,572 in Canada.

Ruger Mini-14s, the type of firearm used in the Ecole Polytechnique shooting. There are an estimated 16,859 in Canada.

Swiss Arms Classic Green carbines. There are an estimated 1,342 in Canada.

M14 rifles, used in the Moncton shooting. There are an estimated 5,229 in Canada.

Vz. 58 semi-automatic rifles, used in the Quebec City mosque shooting. There are an estimated 11,593 in Canada.

CZ Scorpion EVO 3 carbines. There are an estimated 1,813 in Canada.

Beretta CX4 Storm carbines, the type of firearm used in the Dawson City shooting. There are an estimated 1,513 in Canada.

Sig Sauer MCX and Sig MPX carbines and pistols. There are an estimated 1,000 in Canada.

Robinson Arms XCR rifles. There are an estimated 1,834 in Canada.

The list also includes two categories of firearms the government hopes to ban:

Firearms with a calibre (gun barrel diameter) of more than 20 mm. For example, a grenade launcher.

Firearms capable of producing muzzle energy of more than 10,000 joules.

The list does not include handguns. Blair has said the government will legislate new powers for municipalities to enact their own restrictions on handguns.

Story continues

If enacted, the bans would be imposed through an order-in-council  a cabinet decree  not legislation, sources said. Parliament's attention is entirely on the pandemic right now. The government could still introduce gun control legislation down the line when the current limits on parliamentary work are lifted.

While in opposition, the Liberals criticized former prime minister Stephen Harper and his cabinet for reclassifying some firearms to a lower category  from restricted to non-restricted  through regulations. The Liberals said at the time that such classifications should be made by the police and experts, not politicians.

The Liberal Party promised in the last election campaign to ban "military-style assault weapons," saying such firearms have no place in Canada.

"On the issue of guns, one thing I can say is that not enough has changed," Trudeau said at a Sept. 20 campaign event.

"Don't get me wrong. We did take meaningful steps to address gun violence. But as long as Canadians are losing their loved ones to gun violence, not enough has changed."

Liberal gun control election promises:

Ban military-style assault weapons, including the AR-15.

Establish a buy-back program for all military-style assault weapons legally purchased in Canada.

Work with the provinces and territories to give municipalities the ability to further restrict or ban firearms.

The RCMP confirmed Tuesday that at least one of the firearms used in the Nova Scotia shooting could be described as an "assault-style" firearm. The Firearms Act does not currently classify firearms as "military-style"  that term would have to be defined in the new regulations.

Gun control advocates have been calling on the Liberal government to follow the New Zealand example. That country's prime minister moved swiftly after the deadly Christchurch mosque massacre, banning certain firearms and enacting a buyback program.

The federal government has estimated the cost of a buyback program at roughly $250 million, although some experts have suggested the number could be much higher.

Critics of this sort of ban maintain it will do little to stop crimes like those committed by the Nova Scotia shooter as criminals will still turn to the black market for weapons. They say the ban will penalize lawful gun owners by burdening them with what they call ineffectual regulations.

'Purely political'

Rod Giltaca, executive director of the Canadian Coalition of Firearm Rights, said the Nova Scotia massacre should not be used by the prime minister as an excuse to changes the firearms regime.

"No aspect of this unthinkable tragedy bears any connection to firearm regulations in Canada. Thus, the implied connection is purely political," he said.

Gun control advocates maintain the ban will reduce the number of dangerous weapons in Canada  which will in turn help prevent the diversion of firearms from lawful owners to criminals.

While Trudeau is pushing ahead with more gun control, his government still hasn't enacted amendments to the Firearms Act that were passed by Parliament last year.

As CBC News reported last week, at least 30 changes to the Firearms Act are still pending.

The legislation in question, then known as Bill C-71, made consequential amendments to the firearms regime and was passed into law in May 2019.

A spokesperson for Blair said Bill C-71 provisions will come into force "once the necessary administrative changes have been made, funding has been approved and the associated regulations have been tabled in Parliament for review."
Grocery Stores Grossly Inflated Price of Eggs During COVID-19 Pandemic: Lawsuit

Grocery stores including Walmart, Costco, Trader Joes, and Kroger inflated the price of eggs in recent weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new lawsuit.

Amazon.com, Whole Foods, Albertsons, and a number of farms are also named in the complaint.

The class action lawsuit says the producers, wholesalers, and retailers participated in the price-gouging resulting in a near-tripling of egg prices in the past 30 days.

Because of the difficulty for consumers to get information on setting prices, the suit asserts that at a minimum, some of the defendants named engaged in price gouging, not necessarily all of them.

The named plaintiffs all purchased eggs in California, where it is illegal to increase the price of a product by more than 10 percent during a state of emergency. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared such a state on March 4.

A store worker cleans an empty display for eggs inside Kroger Co.s Ralphs supermarket amid fears of the global growth of CCP virus cases, in Los Angeles, California, on March 15, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)

The plaintiffs bought eggs at a grossly inflated price, after Newsom declared the emergency, the suit states, naming each of the 11 plaintiffs.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a dozen conventional white eggs on the national index went from $1.03 on March 20 to $1.32 on March 27. The index price dropped to $0.95 in recent weeks.

Requests for comment sent to Whole Foods, Albertsons, Walmart, Costco, and Kroger werent answered.

A Trader Joes spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: This case has no merit. Even while our costs were rising, we chose not to raise our prices on eggs during the time referenced. In fact, for a period of time, we lost money on eggs because of this. Some basic homework by these attorneys would have shown that our egg pricing was another example of how Trader Joes does everything we can to keep prices down for our customers.

An Amazon spokeswoman sent a statement saying: Amazon has a longstanding practice of not commenting on pending litigation, but what I can tell you is that Amazon Fresh remains committed to offering customers a wide selection of products at competitive prices, with the convenience of free delivery.
A closer look at the total number of overall global deaths in recent months compared to official COVID-19 death records in 14 countries suggests there may have been far more people killed by the virus than currently believed.

An analysis conducted by the Financial Times explored the potential likelihood of widespread under-reporting of coronavirus-related deaths and suggested a possible global death toll that is almost 60 per cent higher what has actually been reported.

Just 77,000 deaths were officially attributed to COVID-19 in the 14 countries, however the total number of deaths were found to exceed normal death levels by 122,000, according to the publication.

This graph (current as of April 27) shows case numbers in countries hardest hit by coronavirus. Source: John Hopkins University

It was projected that if the same trend of under-reporting was true for the rest of the world, it would skyrocket total global COVID-19 deaths from 201,000 to 318,000.

Deaths above normal numbers, which were averaged from March and April between 2015 and 2019, exceeded official coronavirus death toll figures in all of the 14 countries except one: Denmark.

The increased death tolls from March and April, 2020, in countries including Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ecuador significantly exceeded official COVID-19 reported deaths.

The biggest disparity was recorded in the region surrounding Italys city of Bergamo, where there was a 464 per cent higher number of deaths than normal.

New York City recorded the second highest increase of 200 per cent more than normal, while Madrid in Spain had a 161 per cent rise.

The week ending April 10 was the most fatal for England and Wales this century, being 76 per cent higher than the average number in the past five years.

The analysis revealed disparities between total death numbers and those attributable to COVID-19. Source: AAP

Deaths that exceeded normal numbers were 58 per cent higher in the country than those officially linked with COVID-19, according to data collected by the Financial Times.

Just 245 official coronavirus-related deaths were reported between March 1 and April 15 in the Guayas province in Ecuador, but more than 10,000 more people died in this period than normal.

Story continues

Alternative causes of deaths during the pandemic

Some deaths may have been the result of causes not directly related to the COVID-19 disease, due to people avoiding hospitals or skipping doctor appointments because of lockdown restrictions and physical distancing measures.

Such significant excesses in deaths however, particularly in areas hit hardest by the deadly virus, suggests a large number of those deaths were likely coronavirus-related.

Professor Emma McBryde, an expert in Infectious Diseases Modelling and Epidemiology at James Cook University, said it was probable that more people died as a consequence of coronavirus than were recorded as direct COVID-19 deaths.

What these people are dying from is not able to be discerned at the moment, so it could be a combination of undetected COVID and other diseases which are being relatively neglected (other infectious diseases, chronic diseases) or things that are exacerbated by lockdown like mental health, violence or suicide, Professor McBryde told Yahoo News Australia.

Far more people may have died from the virus than has been officially recorded, a new analysis suggests. Source: AAP

It could be about access to healthcare or it might be that the stress of the situation has had an impact, for example excess cardiovascular deaths.

Influenza also induced a high death toll each year from things other than influenza itself, Prof McBryde said.

This is most likely through increasing myocardial infarcts. So perhaps there is some direct effect of the coronavirus that is a bit delayed compared with the viral illness, as is seen in influenza, she told Yahoo News Australia.

Prof McBryde said additional data from death certificates and the ages of people dying could offer better insight into the true reasons for unexplained spikes in death rates during the coronavirus period.

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.
- China said Trump was blaming the Asian nation to divert public attention from his own failures to control the pandemic

- A Beijing foreign ministry spokesperson said the US president was telling barefaced lies and ignoring his own mistakes

- The furious clap back came after Trump hinted he could ask China for compensation for all COVID-19 damages

The tension between China and the United States of America seems to have escalated after the Asian nation clapped back at President Donald Trump for hinting the US may seek compensation for COVID-19 damages.

China said Trump was apportioning blame to Beijing to divert public attention from his own failure to control the pandemic since its onset in his country.

READ ALSO: Senate calls out Health CS Mutahi Kagwe for sacking KEMRI scientist

China said Trump was doing the blame game to divert public attention from his own failures. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: William Ruto blocks hard-hitting lawyer, critic Makau Mutua

Speaking on Tuesday, April 28, a Beijing foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang accused US politicians of telling barefaced lies while ignoring their own failures.

"American politicians have been telling barefaced lies. They have one objective, shrink their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and divert public attention," Shuang said.

READ ALSO: Magazeti ya Jumatano, Aprili 29: Vifaa vya kupima COVID-19 vyaisha KEMRI

Trump had said America would seek compensation from China for all COVID-19 damages. Photo: Getty Images.

Source: UGC

The spokesperson said the US politicians should seek to put the pandemic under control as soon as possible.

This came after Trump said his country was conducting investigations into Beijings handling of the novel coronavirus to determine whether or not it was introduced to the world through a human carrier.

"We are not happy with China. We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source and it wouldnt have spread all over the world, he said.

The US president also hinted he would seek compensation for more than the KSh 13 trillion a German newspaper had quoted.

"Germany is looking at things, we are looking at things. We are talking about a lot more money than Germanys talking about.

We havent determined the final amount yet. Its very substantial. This is worldwide damage to the US and to the world," he said.

A little over a week ago, an irate Trump warned China of consequences if found responsible for the virus.

Although he did not say which actions the US would take, Trump promised unspecified consequences while pressuring China to come clean on the pandemic.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) will resume domestic flight operations at the weekend to ease the restriction of movement of people in the country, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, the Minister of Aviation, has said.



"We are the only African country that closed its Airport and are about to begin operations. We will put everything in place and ensure that things are done well for others to learn from us", he said.



The Minister made the announcement on Tuesday at a press interview during a disinfection exercise at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, conducted by the Zoomlion Group.



The exercise, expected to last for eight hours, is to help fight against bacteria and viruses in and around the company before the commencement of the domestic flights.



Mr Adda said that the exercise was also in line with the protocols established by the President's Special Taskforce to deal with the virus.



The GAPCL was closed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), except for special flights that were evacuating passengers from different countries under the permission of the President.



He said the shipment of cargos at the airport were ongoing because there is the need to bring in essential medical equipment to support the fight of the pandemic.



The exercise, according to the Minister, when completed would ensure all the necessary precautionary measures are put in place before the start of the domestic flights to curb the spread of the virus.



Mr Adda expressed optimism that by close of tomorrow, the exercise would be completed for the necessary action to be taken.



Reverend Ebenezer Kwame Adei, He ad of Disinfection Team, Zoomlion Group, said the exercise has been extended to all the airports in the country.



He said the disinfection team was made up of four groups to fumigate all the terminals, the civil aviation building, project sites and all the surroundings around the airport.



He assured the public of their commitment to do a professional work by disinfecting all the nooks and crannies around the company.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Shaken by the two significant actions of the Modi government last year -- the air strike on terror camps in Balakot and the nullification of special status of Jammu and Kashmir -- the Pakistan Army has recalibrated its proxy war tactics against India.

Pakistan Army has decided to go big on psychological warfare, revive home-grown native terrorism in Kashmir against India and use Indian authors like Arundhati Roy's criticism of India as propaganda material to Islamabad's advantage.

All this and more was revealed in the latest edition of the Green Book 2020 published by the general headquarters of the Pakistan Army.

The Green Book is a confidential internal publication of the Pakistan Army which outlines its geo-political understanding, vision and strategies. Apart from Pakistan Army chief's views, it includes essays on policy recommendations written by specialists of defence forces and strategic thinkers of the country.

In the 200-page book, Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has written that the two decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the Balakot strike on February 26 and reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir state on August 5, will have "lasting imprint on the geopolitics" of the region.

Bajwa described the Balakot strike as a "coercive attempt to carve out space for war under nuclear overhang and enforce compellence." Modi's Kashmir decision, Bajwa said, has "raised the ante for the entire world."

Other authors like Lieutenant General (retired) Raza Muhammad Khan (former corps commander and former President of National Defence University, Islamabad), Senator Mushahid Hussain and Peshawar-based journalist Farzana Shah made several anti-India policy recommendations.

Recognising that India is backed by the US and American efforts to contain China's rise are promoting India, one of the suggestions was to warn Washington that Pakistan will shift its forces from its Western borders, which can adversely affect peace in Afghanistan, if New Delhi was allowed to pursue its Kashmir policy.

The book also contained conspiracy theories like "increased proliferation of WMDs, due to Indo-US nuclear deal and the RSS hold over Indian nuclear weapons and its armed forces" and Indian external intelligence agency RAW "established a special cell at a cost of $500 million" to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

China as a reliable strategic ally was repeatedly emphasised in the book. In one of the essays, Chinese President Xi Jinping's quote -- "No matter how things change in the world and the region, China will firmly support Pakistan in upholding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and dignity" -- was highlighted.

The other recommendation was to take Pakistan's proxy war against India into the "non-kinetic domain" like information or cyber or electronic warfare. For this, Pakistan Army has been advised to run propaganda using video clips and pictures about "brutalities of Indian oppressive forces" in Kashmir to alter the perception about India, which it has "built so painstakingly over the years".

"Modi's India is bound to get stuck and sink in the Kashmir quagmire," the essay by Senator Hussain said, while Ambassador Shamshad Ahmad Khan wrote, "Kashmiri youth are dying on the streets, not asking for jobs and employment opportunities. They are holding the Pakistan flag; it is a clear verdict!"

One major suggestion offered to the Pakistani Army was that it should revive "local uprising" in Indian Kashmir and make it difficult for "India to keep selling the terrorism card" in Kashmir.

"Only a native uprising will be just and politically defendable for Pakistan on international forums. Even such an uprising will need support in the information domain," an essay said.

Professor Tughral Yamin in his prescription about future wars with India said that as long as Kashmir was unresolved, "there will be plenty of triggers to cause another crisis (for India) in the future."

Yet another writer advised that "Indian masses and liberal intellectuals" should be the recipients of Pakistan's information dissemination campaign on Kashmir.

The only scholarly piece in the book, Security Competition between US & China and Impact on Regional Strategic Balance of South Asia', was written by Rizwana Karim Abbasi who recommended bilateral dialogues between the US and China and simultaneously between India and Pakistan.
Tesla has famously not needed a massive marketing budget to build its business. And much of that has been due to CEO Elon Musk's ability to garner attention. But one investor who respects the chief executive still thinks his main mode of public interaction -- Twitter -- may be a problem.

Speaking on The Knowledge Project podcast on Tuesday, billionaire investor Bill Ackman said that Musk's spotty record with tweeting, which included touts that he was taking Tesla public and a public spat with a rescue diver he called "pedo guy," make him a less ideal public company chief executive.

"I don't know that Elon Musk has been the ideal public company CEO," Ackman said. "He had a challenging period there with his tweets."

It hasn't quite stopped.

Earlier this month, Musk, who promised ventilators for hospitals hit hard by Covid-19 patients, was criticized for apparently failing to deliver them. He brushed those claims aside on Twitter and said he had tweets confirming the ventilators were received. Those comments came as Musk has made controversial statements about coronavirus and the global shutdowns it prompted.

On Wednesday, Musk tweeted that it's time to "give people their freedom back" with a link to a Wall Street Journal article questioning whether lockdowns work. In a subsequent tweet, he was more forceful.

"Free America Now!" he wrote.

Ackman was quick to note that he admires Musk and says he has "enormous respect" for the chief executive. But Ackman's comments are important.

In one respect, Musk's tweets are a boon for Tesla. He gets all kinds of attention on his Twitter account and almost always creates headlines. It builds billions of dollars in earned media for the company without paying a dime. And Musk seems to have no shortage of things to say.

But it's also the CEO's willingness to say anything that's a problem. As much "good press" as the company gets thanks to his outspokenness, there are too many times when it turns out poorly.

For the average business leader, there's an important lesson to be learned from Musk: Creating a brand around a company's leader is critical, and being able to make headlines is a great way to save on marketing. But an equal measure of restraint is just as important.
Simon Property Group, which owns the King of Prussia mall near Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley Mall in Allentown, announced via a news release on April 28 that it plans to reopen several of its malls across the country, though it seems its Pa. shopping centers will stay closed for now.

The release stated the company plans on opening 49 of its properties between May 1-4, based on state or regional stay-at-home orders.

None of the shopping centers it plans on opening during this period are located in Pennsylvania.

Employees, contractors and vendors at these reopened malls will be required to screen themselves for a fever before coming to work. Health screenings of employees will also take place as workers enter the premises. In addition, employees will be required to wear masks and maintain proper social distancing.

CDC-approved masks and hand sanitizing packets will be available for shoppers by request. Occupancy limitations will be in effect to ensure there is no more than one person per 50 feet of space. And signs and floor decals will be placed throughout these malls to better coordinate traffic flow.

Business hours at all of these properties will be limited to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday to allow for enhanced sanitizing and disinfecting.

In addition to King of Prussia, Simon owns the. Montgomery Mall in North Wales and Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Pottstown. It also owns the Ross Park Mall, Grove City Premium Outlets, and the South Hills Village in western Pa.

The reopening schedule is as follows:

Opening May 1

Alaska

Anchorage 5th Ave.

Arkansas

McCain

Georgia

Calhoun Outlet Marketplace

Lenox Square

Mall of Georgia/Village Shops

North Georgia PO

Phipps Plaza

Sugarloaf Mills

Town Center at Cobb

Mississippi

Gulfport PO

Oklahoma

Penn Square Mall

Woodland Hills Mall

South Carolina

Gaffney Outlet Marketplace

Haywood

Tennessee

West Town Mall

Texas

Allen PO

Barton Creek

Broadway Square

Cielo Vista

Firewheel Town Center

Grande Prairie PO

Grapevine Mills

Houston Galleria

Houston PO

Ingram Park Mall

Katy Mills

La Plaza Mall

Lakeline Mall

Midland Park Mall

North East Mall

Rio Grande Valley PO

Round Rock PO

San Marcos PO

Shops at Clearfork

The Domain

University Park Village

Opening on May 2

Indiana

Castleton Square

Circle Centre Mall

College Mall

Fashion Mall at Keystone

Greenwood Park Mall

Hamilton Town Center

Indiana PO

Lighthouse Place PO

Tippecanoe Mall

University Park Mall

Opening on May 4

Missouri
P olice have released a photo of a car believed to have been driven by the killers of a key worker.

David Gomoh, 24, was stabbed to death by masked men in Freemasons Road, Newham, east London, just before 10.30pm on Sunday.

He was on the phone to a friend when he was knifed and police say that evidence suggests the attack was unprovoked.

His family were already in mourning after his father died from an illness linked to Covid-19 and were due to hold a funeral on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old was a nurse and key worker helping the NHS with essential equipment supplies / Met Police

Police believe the killers left the scene in a stolen Silver Dodge Caliber that was found abandoned minutes after the stabbing, half a mile away in Lincoln Road, Plaistow.

It had fake number plates and was seen being driven through a no entry sign from Cumberland Road.

The car had been stolen in Dagenham on April 16 and was on cloned plates when it was recovered. It is distinctive as it has a temporary wheel on the front passenger side.

Freemason's Road in Newham where David was attacked / Google Maps

Detective Inspector Tony Kirk of the Mets Specialist Crime Command said. Davids family are going through unimaginable torment. Within days his mother has seen the death of her husband and son; his sister has lost her father and brother. Both are now heartbroken.

David was a young man who had worked hard to put himself through university and, like his mother, worked hard for the community in the NHS. At this time we believe the only thing David did to be murdered was walk down a street. He was apparently approached by a group of men wearing masks and stabbed multiple times in a ferocious assault.

David and his mother, who have done so much to help the community, now need the public to come forward and tell us what they know. If you have any information, please think of this young man and the suffering of his family and call us. If you dont want to give your name, call Crimestoppers, but do make that call. Davids family deserve both answers and justice.

Police want to speak to anyone who was in the area or anyone who remembers seeing this car, whether before or after the attack. In particular anyone who has dash-cam footage, or CCTV of the area around where the car was dumped, should contact detectives.
Senator Mark Warner, D-Va. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intel Committee, says he expects that he and the Republican chair, Sen. Richard Burr, will reach agreement on a final report in their Russia investigation that can be released in the coming months.

Chairman Burr and I have worked together on all of these, and I expect us to still be in agreement on volume five, Warner told the Yahoo News Skullduggery podcast.

Last Tuesday, the Senate Intel Committee issued its fourth report in the series, backing the U.S. intelligence communitys findings concluding that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election to help elect Donald Trump. But the fifth report  focusing on links between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign  is by far the most controversial and the most likely to divide the panel along partisan lines.

The fifth report is 95 percent complete and should be released in the next couple of months, Warner said. He said he could not speak for how every committee member will vote on it.

Im very proud of the fact that our committee has stayed bipartisan  three years of an investigation, four reports  all unanimous, Warner said. Russia intervened in 2016, they did it to help Trump, to hurt Clinton. They did it using social media, they did it in terms of trying to manipulate our elections, and they will be back. And that is a critical item that we need to keep front and center, particularly when our attention can be taken up by COVID-19.

Burrs office did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News.

Previous investigative reports issued by the committee have probed Russian efforts to penetrate state election systems and manipulate social media. A third investigated the Obama administrations hands-off approach as Russia interfered.

Warner also said he is deeply concerned about Trumps firing of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who insisted lawmakers be told about a whistleblower complaint involving the Ukraine. The whistleblower complaint ultimately sparked impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Story continues

There is not a single Senate-appointed individual in the Director of National Intelligence Office at this moment, Warner said. Anyone thats been there that was Senate-appointed has been fired or forced to resign. And my fear is that this administration and this White House does not want the intelligence community to continue to speak truth to power.

When you speak truth to power you can pay with your job, Warner said.

He cited last years resignation of Sue Gordon, who served as the principal deputy director of national intelligence, and the February ouster of Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, whose staffer had told Congress that Russia preferred Trumps reelection.

The FBI, the CIA and the NSA: I am increasingly fearing that they may be bending, starting to bend their will towards what is a very, very political agenda thats coming out of the White House and whats coming out of the acting director for national intelligence  who has no background in intelligence, by the way, Warner said.

The wide-ranging interview also covered the coronavirus pandemic. Warner said he did not receive briefings in January that differed much from media reports. He said the first time he received a briefing on pandemic preparedness was in late January or early February.

Obviously, we were not as prepared as we should have been or could have been, but there was nothing that was some bright, shiny object that was floating around, he said. There was no kind of Holy heck! moment that was that much different from what was being received in the public reporting.

Download or subscribe on iTunes: Skullduggery from Yahoo News

_____

Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

Read more:
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has written to State Health Minister Eatala Rajender informing him about 32 recovered Covid-19 patients who are willing to donate their plasma. Owaisi wrote, As you are aware, the donation of convalescent plasma is critical to our collective fight against Coronavirus.

In furtherance of the same, I am attaching herewith the names of 32 recovered patients who are willing to donate their plasma. I hope that this contribution from recovered patients will go a long way in the governments efforts to treat Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, Owaisi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his foreign policy after the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a statement saying that India has recorded the steepest, most alarming, deterioration in religious freedom conditions. Owaisi tweeted, Despite @PMOIndia hosting #NamasteTrump, the USCIRF report puts India in the august company of Burma, Pakistan, North Korea & Syria.
Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, on April 29 said the company will resume operations at plants only when dealerships open up, adding that he expects the two-wheeler manufacturer to operate at about 50 percent capacity next month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 27 told states that India has to work on restarting the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID-19. Several states are keen to extend the lockdown in hotspots.

Track this blog for LIVE updates on the COVID-19 pandemic

"In the last one week itself we have seen some positive developments, specifically our Pantnagar plant has been given approval progressively to operate at full capacity, which of course we cannot till our dealerships open up. However, we have that approval on the supply side. Progressively we are saying that we are getting same approval for our Aurangabad plant," Rajiv Bajaj said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.

Bajaj, however, said the Chakan plant outside Pune has not received a nod for production, which is unfortunate as that is the company's main export plant. "However, yesterday we received permission to shift goods from there, which we did not have up until yesterday, said Bajaj.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

"In the month of April, fortunately because we do export, we will see sales of something like 30,000-35,000 number. In May, we are looking at operating at about 50 percent of our capacity across all our plants put together which points to about 200,000 vehicles. Again the majority would be for exports. In June, we are hoping  subject to how things are unlocked  to record something in excess of 250,000 vehicles, which means we are about our two-third capacity. So from this point of view, it is not so bad for us but that is again because half of what we make is exported," he added.

Speaking about salary reductions and cost-cutting measures, Bajaj said, We have already implemented almost all of the cost-cutting measures. It will save us somewhere between Rs 150 crore and Rs 200 crore this year. However, what we have continued to clearly communicate to our people is that there are no plans to cut jobs and we are not going to cut jobs at this stage. We are a large profitable company, thanks to our employees. We are going to do everything we can to keep the company going as well as it can in these times without cutting back on salaries of employees.

When asked what would be his two key recommendations to the government, he replied, I would make only one recommendation which is we cannot save ourselves out of this crisis. We have to sail ourselves out of this crisis. If the government cannot reduce goods and services tax (GST), there are other suggestions I had made with respect to the insurance, with respect to the absurd safety norms that were brought in last year. If those things are corrected at the front end and there is some liquidity brought in the NBFCs etc, demand side will be fine.
Lyft went public in March 2019. The company's stock price remains about 56% below where it began trading.

REUTERS/Mike Blake

Lyft said on Wednesday that it would cut nearly 1,000 jobs and had furloughed 288 workers.

Both Lyft and its larger competitor Uber have seen ride-hailing volumes plummet during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shares of Lyft were up more than 5% on Wednesday, outpacing broader market gains.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Lyft said in a filing with US regulators on Wednesday that it planned to lay off "approximately 982 employees," or 17% of its workforce, and had furloughed 288 others as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the ride-hailing industry.

Collectively, the job cuts and furloughs represent more than 20% of Lyft's latest reported headcount of 5,683 employees at the end of 2019. The company said the layoffs would cost $28 million to $36 million in severance payments and other expenses.

Lyft also said its executive leadership would take a 30% pay cut, with vice presidents seeing a 20% reduction and "all other exempt employees" taking a 10% cut. Members of Lyft's board of directors "have voluntarily agreed to forego 30% of their cash compensation for the second quarter of 2020," Lyft said.

In a statement, Lyft CEO Logan Green said it was a "difficult decision" to cut jobs.

"It is now clear that the COVID-19 crisis is going to have broad-reaching implications for the economy, which impacts our business," he said. "We have therefore made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our team. Our guiding principle for decision-making right now is to ensure we emerge from the crisis in the strongest possible position to achieve the company's mission."

Shares of Lyft were up more than 5% on Wednesday, outpacing broader market gains.

A New York Times reporter said that word of the layoffs circulated earlier this week thanks to a slip-up by an employment lawyer.

The coronavirus pandemic has had an outsize effect on Lyft  and, to some extent, its larger competitor Uber  as stay-at-home orders around the world drastically reduce demand for on-demand car rides. By some measures, ride-hailing volumes have decreased by more than 90% in hard-hit areas.

Story continues

Lyft, which doesn't have a food-delivery arm the size of Uber's, announced earlier in April that it had launched a pilot delivery initiative to move essential goods like groceries and medicine. It's not clear what effect that's had so far on mitigating revenue loss from the pandemic.

Uber is also mulling staffing cuts of even greater magnitude, the technology news site The Information reported on Tuesday. The company did not confirm the report, but a representative told Business Insider that it was "looking at every possible scenario to ensure we get to the other side of this crisis in a stronger position than ever."

Lyft is set to report its first-quarter financial performance on May 6, with investors eagerly awaiting an update on how the company is weathering the crisis.

"This update will include detailed actions the company is taking to strengthen its financial position, improve its cost structure, and support drivers and riders on the Lyft platform," Lyft said in announcing the earnings call. "In light of the evolving and unpredictable effects of COVID-19, Lyft is currently not in a position to forecast the expected impact of COVID-19 on its financial and operating results for the remainder of 2020."

Do you work for Lyft? Affected by the layoffs? We want to hear from you. Get in touch with this reporter at grapier@businessinsider.com or via the secure contact methods available here.

Read the original article on Business Insider
DAR ES SALAAM  The number of COVID-19 cases in Tanzania has jumped to 480 after 196 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday.

The new figures include those that had been announced by the Zanzibar Minister of Health on the same day.

The rising figures in Tanzania is a big worry to the region which is is interconnected for trade routes to the sea. It is feared that failure to halt the Coronavirus spread by any of the nations in the EastAfrican block, would steal expose the neighbouring countries including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi, who have been fighting to halt the spread.

Making the announcement on Wednesday, the Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the country had also registered six more deaths bringing the number of fatalities to 16 since the virus was first recorded in Tanzania over a month ago.

According to the Tanzania Premier, of the 196 new cases 174 are from Tanzania Mainland whereas 22 are from Zanzibar.

He also told reporters that the numbers of those who have recovered from the virus now stood at 167 from 48, out of those who have healed 36 are from Zanzibar whereas 83 are from Mainland Tanzania.

He called on the general public to stop disseminating false information on the deaths because not every death has to be related to coronavirus.

Related
[April 29, 2020] Two Ervin Cohen & Jessup Partners-Ellia Thompson and Pooja Nair-Selected as Los Angeles' Top Women Attorneys

Ervin Cohen & Jessup Partners Ellia Thompson and Pooja Nair are again honorees in the Los Angeles Business Journal's annual special supplement honoring the city's most influential women attorneys. Los Angeles Business Journal Publisher and CEO Josh Schimmels writes, "During this challenging time battling the coronavirus, we are relying on our trusted advisers more than ever. In times of uncertainty, lawyers . . . are particularly needed to help our businesses respond and react to issues at hand." Ervin Cohen & Jessup Co-Managing Partner Randall S. Leff said, "This recognition is illustrative of the value that Pooja and Ellia consistently deliver to our clients, even in the most strenuous of circumstances. Both womencombine business savvy and legal strategies to attain superior results for our clients."



The Publisher explains in the feature, "Los Angeles is truly a national leader when it comes to influential women - and the field of law is no exception." The honorees have been recognized for "exceptional legal skill and achievement across the full spectrum of responsibility, exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards, and for contributions to the Los Angeles community at large." Thompson, recognized for the third year in a row, serves as the Chair of the Land Use and Environmental Department and is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. "Unlike many other land use lawyers in Los Angeles, she does not represent anyone or any group who opposes development or other people's property rights," says the special supplement, published today. "Her ability to see realities and opportunities that other people in real estate have missed has significantly helped grow her Land Use practice."

The report states that Thompson, a UCLA alum who obtained her J.D. from George Washington University Law School, is "dedicated to representing developers, business owners, and property owners in overcoming the regulatory, environmental, and political obstacles to property use and development." Nair, also honored by the publication in 2019, and named a Top Minority Attorney in 2020, is able to understand business needs to help develop strategic solutions that are practical, creative, and adaptable. She founded the Food and Beverage practice group at her prior firm, and works with food and beverage clients on a variety of issues including trade secrets, contract disputes, employment law, and intellectual property. Nair, a Harvard Law School alum, is on the board of directors for the Harvard Club of Southern California and the Los Angeles Music and Arts School. She publishes a bi-monthly legal column for Modern Restaurant Management, and has published extensively, including in Law360, The Daily Journal, Bloomberg (News - Alert), and Eater. Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP is a full-service firm that provides a broad range of business-related legal services including corporate law; litigation; intellectual property & technology law; real estate transactions, land use and finance; construction & environmental law; tax planning and controversies; employment law; health care law; bankruptcy, receivership and reorganization; and estate planning. For more information, visit http://www.ecjlaw.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005492/en/

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Linkedin Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu (Reuters) Brasilia, Brazil  Wed, April 29, 2020 10:43 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4e3014 2 World Brazil,Jair-Bolsonaro,collusion,corruption,law-enforcement,police Free

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday named a family friend to head the federal police, days after his justice minister quit and accused the president of meddling in law enforcement, triggering talk of impeachment and a criminal investigation approved by the Supreme Court.

The government's official gazette confirmed the appointment of new federal police chief Alexandre Ramagem, 48, who took charge of the president's security after he was stabbed on the campaign trail in 2018. The selection comes amid investigations of alleged wrongdoing by Bolsonaro's sons.

Ramagem, who joined the federal police in 2005, has the fewest years of service of any officer tapped to lead the force. He ran the Brazilian Intelligence Agency since July.

On Friday, Justice Minister Sergio Moro alleged in a stunning televised address that Bolsonaro had repeatedly said he wanted a "personal contact" in the top police job "from whom he could get information, intelligence reports."

Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday gave the green light for the top public prosecutor to investigate the allegations against Bolsonaro of interfering in law enforcement. Justice Celso de Mello gave the federal police 60 days to carry out the investigation requested by Brazil's chief public prosecutor Augusto Aras.

Based on the results of the police investigation, the public prosecutor will decide whether to press charges against the president. An indictment would have to be approved by the lower house.

On Tuesday, the opposition Democratic Labor Party asked the Supreme Court to block Ramagem's nomination, alleging an abuse of power.

The affair has sparked talk in Congress of impeachment, just four years after such proceedings toppled former President Dilma Rousseff.

However, a poll by Datafolha published on Monday evening showed Brazilians divided on impeachment, with 45% supporting the move and 48% against.

Crucially, Bolsonaro appears to be keeping core supporters, the poll showed, with 33% of those surveyed saying they thought he was doing a good or excellent job.

Political interference

Still, the accusations from the popular "super minister" Moro, who locked up scores of powerful politicians and businessmen as a judge, has dented Bolsonaro's corruption-fighting image, which was central to his 2018 campaign.

Moro said he had never seen political interference of the kind sought by Bolsonaro over Brazil's federal police, even under previous governments whose officials and allies were convicted of participating in sweeping corruption schemes.

A New Year's party photo on social media of Ramagem grinning beside the president's son Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro city councilman, circulated widely on Tuesday, emphasizing the close ties between the family and the new top cop.

Carlos Bolsonaro is the subject of a Supreme Court probe looking at his role in disseminating "fake news," according to newspaper Folha de S.Paulo. His brother, lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, was accused in a congressional investigation of participating in a "fake news" scheme.

Their eldest brother, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is also being investigated by state prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro over alleged money laundering and misuse of public funds.

All three have denied any wrongdoing. They and the president have decried the probes as politically motivated attacks.

Over the weekend, Bolsonaro took to Facebook to defend Ramagem, after word of his nomination leaked to the press.

"So what? I knew Ramagem before he knew my children. Should he be vetoed for that reason? Whose friend should I pick?" the president said in a post.
Appointment puts Alexandre Ramagem in charge of the body assigned to probe alleged police meddling by the president.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has named a family friend to head the federal police, days after the countrys justice minister quit and accused the president of meddling in law enforcement.

The controversy over the appointment of Alexandre Ramagem and allegations by outgoing Justice Minister Sergio Moro of improper interference in the police force triggered talk of impeachment and a criminal investigation approved by the Supreme Court, as the country grapples with the coronavirus epidemic, which has now killed 5,017 people in Brazil, hundreds more than in China.

The governments official gazette confirmed the appointment of new federal police chief Ramagem, 48, who took charge of the presidents security after Bolsonaro was stabbed on the campaign trail in 2018. The selection comes amid investigations into alleged wrongdoing by the presidents sons.

Ramagem, who joined the federal police in 2005, has the fewest years of service of any officer tapped to lead the force. He has run the Brazilian Intelligence Agency since July.

On Friday, Justice Minister Sergio Moro alleged in a stunning televised address that Bolsonaro had repeatedly said he wanted a personal contact in the top police job from whom he could get information, intelligence reports.





Brazils Supreme Court on Monday gave the green light for the top public prosecutor to investigate the allegations against Bolsonaro.

Justice Celso de Mello gave the federal police 60 days to carry out the investigation requested by Brazils chief public prosecutor Augusto Aras.

Mellos order effectively puts Bolsonaros new appointee, Ramagem, in charge of the investigation.

Based on the results of the police investigation, the public prosecutor will decide whether to press charges against the president. An indictment would have to be approved by the lower house, also known as the Chamber of Deputies.

Political storm

The biggest political storm since Bolsonaro took office last year comes as the COVID-19 accelerates in Brazil.

The Health Ministry reported that a record 474 people died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 5,017. Confirmed cases have risen at 5,000 a day in the last 48 hours, to 71,866.

President Bolsonaro (in red shirt) has repeatedly defied his governments own advisory on social distancing to join his supporters in recent rallies [File: Sergio Lima/AFP]

So what? Im sorry, but what do you want me to do? Bolsonaro told reporters when asked about the record deaths.

He promised to allow the federal police under the command of its new chief to have full autonomy from the government.

But earlier on Tuesday, the opposition Democratic Labor Party asked the Supreme Court to block Ramagems nomination, alleging an abuse of power.

Political turmoil

The affair has sparked talk in Congress of impeachment, just four years after such proceedings toppled former President Dilma Rousseff.

However, a poll by Datafolha published on Monday evening showed Brazilians divided on impeachment, with 45 percent supporting the move and 48 percent against.

Crucially, Bolsonaro appears to be keeping core supporters, the poll showed, with 33 percent of those surveyed saying they thought he was doing a good or excellent job.

Still, the accusations from the popular super minister Moro, who locked up many of powerful politicians and businessmen as a judge, has dented Bolsonaros corruption-fighting image, which was central to his 2018 campaign.





Moro said he had never seen political interference of the kind sought by Bolsonaro over Brazils federal police, even under previous governments, whose officials and allies were convicted of participating in sweeping corruption schemes.

A New Years party photo on social media of Ramagem grinning besides the presidents son Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro city councillor, circulated widely on Tuesday, emphasising the close ties between the family and the new top cop.

Carlos Bolsonaro is the subject of a Supreme Court investigation looking at his role in disseminating fake news, according to newspaper Folha de S Paulo. His brother, legislator Eduardo Bolsonaro, was accused in a congressional investigation of participating in a fake news scheme.

Their eldest brother, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is also being investigated by state prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro over alleged money laundering and misuse of public funds.

All three have denied any wrongdoing. They and the president have claimed the probes are politically motivated attacks.

Over the weekend, Bolsonaro took to Facebook to defend Ramagem, after word of his nomination leaked to the press.

So what? I knew Ramagem before he knew my children. Should he be vetoed for that reason? Whose friend should I pick? the president said in a post.
The Associated Press

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres challenged leaders Tuesday to use the coronavirus pandemic to rebuild our world for the better by also working together to tackle other global threats such as climate change.

The outbreak has resulted in at least 200,000 deaths globally and widespread economic hardship as countries impose lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus.

It has exposed the fragility of our societies and economies to shocks, the United Nations chief said, adding that the only answer is brave, visionary and collaborative leadership.

The same leadership is needed to address the looming existential threat of climate disruption, Guterres, noting that the past decade was the hottest in history since measurements began.

Speaking by video link at a two-day international conference on global warming, Guterres warned that the cost of inaction on climate change would be immense, but said that technology is on our side.

These are dark days, but they are not without hope, Guterres said. We have a rare and short window of opportunity to rebuild our world for the better.

Let us use the pandemic recovery to provide a foundation for a safe, healthy, inclusive and more resilient world for all people, he added.

The U.N. chief called on all countries to commit to pumping no more carbon dioxide  the main greenhouse gas  into the atmosphere by 2050 and proposed a six-point plan to ensure climate change features prominently in government efforts to recover from the pandemic.

The steps proposed by Guterres include making sure that trillions in stimulus spending boost green jobs and sustainable businesses

Where taxpayers money is used to rescue businesses, it must be creating green jobs and sustainable and inclusive growth, he said. It must not be bailing out outdated, polluting, carbon-intensive industries.

This includes ending fossil fuel subsidies and making sure that polluters pay for the damage they cause, he said.

The French government is requiring companies that receive state bailouts to use the money to become more environmentally sustainable. But climate campaigners have noted that recipients include national carrier Air France, which is reopening domestic routes to cities that also have high-speed rail connections.

The U.N. chief warned that just like the pandemic, climate change cant be tackled by anyone nation on its own.

Like the coronavirus, greenhouse gases respect no boundaries, said Guterres. Isolation is a trap. No country can succeed alone.

Together, the Group of 20 major developed and emerging economies accounts for more than 80 percent of global emissions, Guterres said.

The Paris Agreement was largely made possible by the engagement of the United States and China, he said. Without the contribution of the big emitters, all our efforts will be doomed.

Scientists have warned that theres little time left if the world wants to achieve the headline goal of the 2015 Paris climate accord  keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, ideally 1.5 C. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has moved to withdraw from the agreement.

Guterres also urged the European Union to show global leadership by presenting updated emissions reduction plans by the end of the year that would put it on course to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated Tuesday that her country was willing to support a more ambitious emissions reduction target for the EU by 2030, from 40 percent at the moment to as much as 55 percent. Such an increase would likely require Germany, which has Europes biggest economy, to make even steeper cuts nationally to balance out lower reductions by other countries in the bloc.

She cautioned that the drop in emissions likely seen due to the pandemic s effect on the global economy would be temporary and shouldnt prompt countries to lessen their efforts to cut greenhouse gases.

Merkels speech to the annual Petersberg Climate Dialogue was beset by technical difficulties at the start. Another planned speaker, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, didnt attend after recently falling ill with COVID-19. He returned to work Monday.

Johnsons deputy, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, told participants by video link from London that when the threat from coronavirus recedes it will be the duty of every responsible government to see that our economies are revived and rebuilt in a way that will stand the test of time.

That means investing in industries and infrastructure that can turn the tide on climate change, he said. And it means doing all we can to boost resilience by shaping economies that can withstand everything that nature throws at us.
The scale and impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is difficult for each one to cloak their minds around. While Doctors and nurses are fighting on the front lines against the novel coronavirus, there are also other people  the other COVID-19 heroes  who are helping the ecosystem and needy to cope with the Covid-19 crisis.

Amid all the suffering and anxiety caused by pandemic, volunteers across the India are showing courage and resilience in helping some of the most vulnerable to spreading awareness in society. To help the communities, IBM brings you few initiatives of the real-life heroism of many Covid-19 heroes who are reaching out to the people with a helping hand in this difficult time.

Listing below few stories of heroism during the crisis:

Feeding the needy in a Noida under lockdown:-

A. SankatCare: An IBM initiative to link up the deprived with much needed support and care

As the world struggles to cope with one of the worst pandemics ever, reaching the needy is a key challenge faced by government and agencies.

To mitigate the impact of this unprecedented crisis, a group of like-minded IBMers came together to open up channels of communication and ease the suffering of people. The cumulative effort of IBMersspread over just 2 weeksled to the creation of a website for an NGO (Simply Blood), aptly titled SankatCare. This site connects people in need with agencies, and extends support with regards to food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, medical care and personal assistance. Currently catering to Noida, the website provides NGOs a platform to address requests coming in from any corner of the country leading to accelerated relief efforts.

The unsung heroes of the COVID-19 battle in Bangalore:-

B. Going an extra mile: Serving Communities and Safeguarding the citizens

Story 1: Serving the forgotten community

The ongoing lockdown, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has affected the lives of some of the most vulnerable communities across the country, such as migrant laborers, construction workers, waste pickers, artisans, and more so for the transgender, who are still striving to attain a respectable position in the country. Just days after Indian government announced an unprecedented three-week lockdown, a few IBMers in India collaborated to create Feed the Needy Project. As part of the project, the team mobilized 2.5 lakhs (INR) to help fight hunger and provide relief to helpless, especially the Trans communities. With the help of local authority and the communitys representatives on ground, the team identified 900 transgender across Bangalore, who were severely affected with no food owing to complete lockdown. These IBMers distributed grocery kits, including important food items, sufficient for the trans community to survive at least a month. The team also found out other deprived communities and unorganized work sectors, and provided grocery for 15 days to 150 such families, also contributed some fund to few NGOs for providing grocery kits to 300 daily wage workers.

Story 2: Manning the Busiest Road; Regulating City Traffic in COVID

At a four-road intersection near K R Puram in Bengaluru, a 45-year-old man sporting a white coloured neatly pressed shirt, blue trousers, and black shoes and cap, flags down an errant SUV from M G Road. This Bengaluru based person is not a traffic cop but an IBMer who voluntarily helps the citys traffic cops every day. With the traffic cops he regulates the traffic and penalizes people for violating guidelines of the lockdown. He is part of the Traffic Warden Organization, a voluntary organization that assists citys traffic cops on various enforcement and regulation activities in the city. He directly works with senior traffic police inspectors locally and takes orders on the areas before performing the duty for the day. His every day routine is fixed. Despite the fear of being more exposed to the virus, Manikantan religiously does his community service, and in the evening, he performs his work. At IBM, Manikantan supports our clients with critical resiliency services as part of his day-to-day work. With traffic police looking for help and volunteers to enforce strict lock down guidelines in times of COVID-19, Manikantans role is pivotal not just from serving the community standpoint but safeguarding many lives being exposed to the virus.

C. Bringing foodand awarenessto the streets of India

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, India faces an immense challenge in confronting COVID-19. Protecting so many people and ensuring that accurate information is widely available to everyone are daunting tasks.

The Indian government is aggressively promoting health and safety messages during this critical time, but gaps exist in people following these guidelines in the densely populated country. Dr. Mahesh Pavan Sathavalli and Subha Hari, IBM employees based in Bangalore, have witnessed first-hand the risks: groups gathering in public, inaccurate information being shared, people failing to observe precautions from the Indian government and health experts. So, they set about making a difference. After the Indian government implemented a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the virus, Dr. Mahesh noticed that people continued to roam the streets and ignore government guidelines. In response, he created a WhatsApp group of almost 130 people to help develop and coordinate an awareness campaign.

Dr. Mahesh pre-recorded a message with information about COVID-19 and advice on how to protect against the virus. With speakers attached to an auto rickshawthe small motorized vehicles widely used in Indiathe message has reached thousands of people in local villages near his hometown of Vayalpad in Chittoor District. The messages urge people to observe social distancing, avoid crowded areas, wash hands, avoid touching ones face, and wear a face mask. They also encourage people to seek medical attention if they have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing. This is an individual responsibility and the responsibility of every educated person to tell people who are not well informed that they have to take care, said Dr. Mahesh. Its unfortunate to have this kind of situation, but this is something that we have to fight both at the personal and community levels, and we are doing it. Dr. Mahesh has also been distributing food packets and using social media to identify those in need of meals or groceries.

Helping People in Need

Subha, a Performance Architect with IBM India, operates a charitable trust called Light Lives, which supports underprivileged families in the areas of education, healthcare and self-employment. With coronavirus making matters more challenging, Subha, along with IBMers and a few others, began providing grocery kits with rice, flour, oil and other staples. They also started cooking and distributing meals to around 550 people each day, and raised money to help the underprivileged with expenses such as medicine, gas and rent. Im really sad to see the people around us, Subha said. Whatever we do is not enough. But Subha is having a huge impact through her work in areas of South Bangalore such as Avalahalli, Nayandanahalli, KR Market and Bytaranyapura. She has created a video in the local language with information about the virus and how to take precautions. Other IBMers across India are also contributing to the fight against COVID-19 as part of the companys volunteering program and through personal efforts and contributions.
If youve seen an influx of sourdough starters on your Instagram stories, youre not alone. Over the past three weeks, Google Trend searches for bread have hit all-time highs, #breadmaking has garnered nearly half a million posts on social media and grocery stores are facing flour shortages.

Weve seen close to a 700-per-cent increase in flour sales from our shop. The demand picked up shortly after panicked shoppers started emptying grocery shelves, says Matthew Faust, general manager of Brodflour, an urban mill and bakery in Toronto.



On the surface, its easy to attribute the rise of timelapsed loaves to boredom  its a wholesome activity to pass the time while social distancing  but it turns out theres a scientific reason why everyones hopping on the bread-baking bandwagon.

In times of crisis, people covet creature comforts, and few things are as simple, yet satisfying, as freshly baked bread. Dating back to the Stone Age, bread making is one of the earliest chemistry experiments in human history. The first loaf was an accidental discovery after one of our Neolithic ancestors ground wild seeds and grains, added water, and left the lumpy dough on hot stones in the embers of a fire.

To this day, the ingredients of flour, water, yeast and salt are cheap and cheerful  and psychologically reassuring to our sapient selves that we can take survival into our own hands.

Our brains have limited bandwidth, and lately, the majority of our mental real estate has been overtaken by anxiety and fear, but the holy grail of grain gives our monkey minds an easily digestible diversion.



When faced with emotional and financial scarcity, our brain naturally reverts to ways it can boost our spirits and stretch our dollars. Baking bread satiates those cravings. We also prioritize instant gratification when the future feels foggy. In chaos, people cling to what they can control, and following a recipe is a process that yields predictable results.

That feeling of pulling a freshly baked loaf out of the oven carries over into the next day, making the baker more likely to keep on with the act of creative cooking, writes Dr. Tamlin Conner, psychologist and professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand and lead author of the study Everyday Creative Activity as a Path to Flourishing published in the Journal of Positive Psychology.

Creating something from nothing and witnessing the fruits (or grains) of our labour is rewarding during these trying times while reminding us of the science of life. So, bake on. It wont be this crumby forever.

Read the whole story: The Globe and Mail
Tehran and Washington have traded barbs over a spate of incidents in the past year.

TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday told the United States it "should not plot against the Iranian nation every day", amid fresh tensions between the arch foes in the Gulf.

Tehran and Washington have traded barbs over a spate of incidents in the past year involving their forces in the sensitive waters of the Gulf.

Their latest high-seas confrontation came on April 15, when the United States said 11 Iranian boats harassed its navy ships in what it described as the international waters of the "Arabian Gulf".

President Donald Trump then tweeted that he had ordered the US Navy to "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea".

Iran's president on Wednesday replied that "the Americans should know that this gulf is called the Persian Gulf, not the New York Gulf or the Washington Gulf".

"They must understand the situation by that name and by the coastal nation that has protected this waterway for thousands of years," Rouhani said in a televised address during a cabinet meeting.

"They should not plot against the Iranian nation every day.

"The soldiers of our armed forces in the guardians of the Revolution, the army, Basij (paramilitary organisation) and the police have always been and will be the guardians of the Persian Gulf."

Iran and the United States have been at loggerheads for decades.

Tensions between them have escalated since 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a multinational accord that froze Iran's nuclear programme and reimposed crippling sanctions on its economy.

The arch enemies have appeared to come close to a direct military confrontation twice since June last year, when Iran shot down a US drone in the Gulf.

On that occasion, Trump cancelled retaliatory air strikes at the last minute.

Trump also opted not to take any military action in January after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq.

Iran launched the missiles after a US drone strike near Baghdad airport killed Qasem Soleimani, the general who headed the Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations arm, the Quds Force.
The US has repatriated more than 71,000 Americans from 127 countries and now the largest number of pending requests in this regard is from India and Pakistan, an official said.

It looks like we are now at 71,538 Americans who have been repatriated on 750 flights from 127 countries and territories since January 29th, State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told reporters.

We are still seeing the largest number of US citizens requesting repatriation assistance in the South and Central Asia region, specifically in India and Pakistan, said Ian Brownlee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.

Upcoming worldwide, we have another 63 flights planned with about 4,000 people on the passenger schedule, and we're going to try to bring all those folks home sometime over the next week or so, he said. At the same time, the State Department official said that list of those to be repatriated from India is now not very clear as a number of them say no at the last minute.

We're getting to the point in India where the yet-to-be-repatriated list is not as clear as it was two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, we had a list of folks and we were pretty sure if we called folks they'd show up at the airport and say, Yes, please., he said.

We're now getting to the point on that list we're having to make multiple calls for individual seats because people are deciding no, they'd just as soon ride it out where they are. So I'm not really willing to say what the number of people yet to be repatriated from there is just for that reason, Brownlee said.

The United States, he said, is still tracking a handful of cruise ships around the world with US citizen crew members.

Some of those ships are still looking for docking permissions, and others have docked. We are now working with the CDC, the cruise companies, and foreign governments on procedures to disembark those cruise members in order to arrange their safe transport home. We continue to follow these developments closely and to help wherever appropriate, Brownlee said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As weve mentioned in our breakdowns of Mrs. Americas previous four episodes, the series consists of nine installments that each foreground a specific character. The fifth focuses primarily on Brenda Feigen Fasteau (Ari Graynor), a lawyer who, alongside her husband, Marc (Adam Brody), debates Phyllis and Fred Schlafly in a televised couples debate about the Equal Rights Amendment. In Phyllis & Fred & Brenda & Marc, whose title (and closing shot) references the classic 1969 open-relationship comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, we also peer further into many of the characters private lives, learning more about Gloria Steinems romantic relationships, Brendas struggles with her sexuality, and the complicated dynamics of the Schlafly family. But did the debate really happen like that? And who are all of these boyfriends? Below, we sort out whats real and whats artistic license in Phyllis & Fred & Brenda & Marc.

Brenda Feigen Fasteau (Ari Graynor)

While Brenda, the real-life ACLU lawyer and founding editor of Ms., has been a visible presence at pro-ERA meetings throughout the series, its only in this episode that we begin to learn much about her. Just as in the show, Brenda was among the first women to attend Harvard Law School, where, in the late 1960s, she was one of only 32 women in her class. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who attended Harvard Law a decade earlier, also makes a short cameo in this episode, played by Tara Nicodemo.) In her 2000 memoir Not One of the Boys, as in the show, Brenda describes the law school as a hostile place for women. At one point in the episode, Brenda makes casual reference to a Harvard Law professor who had designated only one day a year to call on the women in his class, which he dubbed Ladies Day. This anecdote is pulled directly from Brendas memoir.

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One of the secondary arcs in this episode revolves around Brendas sexual experimentation with a female photographer named Jules (played by Roberta Colindrez). Early in the episode, the pro-ERA women take a trip to Washington, where Brenda spends a romantic evening with Jules. This scene, too, closely matches Brendas memoir, though Brenda describes the woman with whom she had her first lesbian experience as a notorious lesbian Ill call Lila. According to the memoir, she rationalized the affair by thinking there were best-selling books on the subject of open marriage  and that it wasnt real adultery because it was with a woman, a rationalization she later realized was sexist. Still, as she writes in the memoir, and as is echoed in the show, I knew I didnt love Lila and I did love Marc. The two remained together until they divorced in 1987.

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Later, we learn that Brenda is pregnant. This, too, tracks with her biography: The real Brenda and Marc had a daughter in fall 1974, a few months after the episode takes place.

The Couples Debate

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The dramatic centerpiece of Episode 5 is a debate between Phyllis and Fred Schlafly and Brenda and Marc Feigen Fasteau. In the episode, a match is struck when Brenda challenges Schlafly to debate the ERA on national television, stating she hopes to demonstrate publicly that Schlafly doesnt know what shes talking about. This moment is pulled directly from historythe show even quotes her verbatim. In the episode, as in real life, the debate takes place on The Tomorrow Show, a glitzy late-night talk show hosted by Tom Snyder (played by Bobby Cannavale, who in real-life is the partner of Mrs. America actress Rose Byrne). In the episode, the idea for it to be a couples debate is attributed to Phyllis Schlafly, though the real Schlafly once suggested Snyder himself was behind it, claiming, He had a really hard time digging up any pro-ERA leader who had a husband. The only one he could find was Brenda Feigen Fasteau.

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While there wasnt much coverage of the debate at the time, it really did happen, the same spring of 1974 that the groundbreaking Free to Be You and Me television special aired, just as the show depicts. (The show does rearrange some events: In real life, the special aired before the couples debate, not after.) Based on what we know from the memoir and the several times Schlafly recalled the debate publicly, the events depicted on the show also match up with what actually happened. The most heated point in the debate arises during a discussion of parental custody rights. Phyllis argues that the ERA would impose a doctrinaire equality (a phrase Schlafly often employed) on men and women, and would lead to the splitting up of families by infringing upon the rights of the mother to keep her children. She then references an Illinois case to support her argument but, when pressed by Brenda to cite the name of the case, avoids the question and begins to falter. Brenda then becomes harsh, demanding that Phyllis cite the case, to which she mumbles a name. There is no such case, responds Brenda. This moment, which essentially clinches the debate for the pro-ERA side, is nearly identical to an anecdote in the memoir. The tense tone of the debate, with the women often speaking loudly over one another, also closely matches Feigens description in her memoir. As she puts it:

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The only way to get a word in was literally to speak over her, which on television doesnt work well and makes the one interrupting look uncivilized. Occasionally, though, I resorted to talking over her. It was my only choice if I wanted to get the feminist point of view across.

Gloria Steinems Boyfriends

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Though she isnt the principal character in this episode, Gloria Steinems romantic life also comes into focus somewhat more clearly in this episode, and in particular, her relationship with Franklin Frank Thomas (portrayed by Insecures Jay Ellis), a handsome lawyer. Though the recorded history of Steinems relationship with Thomas is limited, the two really did date, and Thomas really was recently divorced with two daughters, with Steinem describing Thomas in a 2015 New Yorker profile as the longtime love of my life, and best friend. Though Thomas is not foregrounded in the series, he is an impressive historical figure in his own right and went on to become the first black president of the Ford Foundation.

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Later on in the episode, we see Steinem begin a second, seemingly unlikely romance with a Republican lawyer in the Nixon administration. Still, as you may suspect by now, this plotline is based in reality. The character of Stan is based on Stanley Pottinger, a lawyer in the civil rights division of Richard Nixons Justice Department, whom Steinem did in fact date from 1974 until the early 1980s. The show even slips in a few little true-to-life details, including the fact that Pottinger, like Steinem, is from Ohio. While it may strike some viewers as odd that an outspoken liberal like Steinem would date across the aisle, she was less partisan in her personal life. In an article in the Washington Post from 1983, a colleague of Steinems recalls, I mean, you fall in love with a Republican. What are you going to do?

Phyllis Schlafly Goes to Law School

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One of the central ironies of Phyllis Schlaflys character is that, for all her proselytizing about a womans right to remain at home, shes hardly ever at home herself, and in this episode, she tells Fred that she plans to apply to law school. This, too, is true to reality: Schlafly attended law school at Washington University in St. Louis and earned her J.D. in 1978 at the age of 53.

Margaret Sloan-Hunter Quits

The episode also shows Margaret Sloan-Hunter (Bria Henderson) tell Steinem that she is leaving Ms. magazine to move to Oakland, California. Though she mentions something about better schools, it seems clear that this is just a guise and that she feels like the token black editor. As we mentioned in our breakdown of the previous episode, Ms. magazine really did struggle to include and represent black women, and the real Sloan-Hunter did in fact leave Ms. for Oakland, though not until 1975.
[April 29, 2020] Tanium Study: Over 90 percent of Global Organizations Surveyed Have Major Gaps in IT, Despite Tens of Millions Spent on Compliance Efforts

Tanium, provider of unified endpoint management and security built for the world's most demanding IT environments, has unveiled global research ahead of the second anniversary of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The research shows misalignment between data privacy regulation spending and business outcomes. Specifically, as businesses spend tens of millions on compliance, over 90 percent have fundamental IT weaknesses that leave them vulnerable and potentially non-compliant. The global study of 750 IT decision makers revealed that organizations have spent on average $70.3 million each to comply with the GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other data privacy regulations over the past year. Most organizations have hired new talent (81 percent), invested in workforce training (85 percent) and introduced new software or services (82 percent) to ensure continued compliance. In addition, 87 percent of organizations have set aside or increased their cyber liability insurance by an average of $185 million each, to deal with the potential consequences of a data breach. However, despite this increased investment, organizations still feel unprepared to deal with the evolving regulatory landscape, with over a third (37 percent) claiming that a lack of visibility and control of endpoints[1] is the biggest barrier to maintaining compliance with regulations such as GDPR. Increased spending not solving visibility challenges This lack of visibility into how organizations see and manage endpoints such as laptops, servers, virtual machines, containers and cloud infrastructure causes major challenges. In fact, the study revealed major visibility gaps in the IT environment of most organizations prior to the pandemic. Ninety four percent of IT decision makers have discovered unknown endpoints within their IT environment, and 71 percent of CIOs said they find new endpoints on a weekly basis. Mass home working and employee use of personal devices is likely to exacerbate these problems, expanding the corporate attack surface. When compliance relies on understanding what tools you use, what endpoints you have and what data you hold across the entire organization, these visibility gaps are dangerous. Chris Hodson, Chief Information Security Officer at Tanium said, "While it's encouraging to see global businesses investing to stay on the right side of data privacy regulations, our research suggests that their good work could be undermined by inattention to basic IT principles. Many organizations seem to have fallen into the trap of thinking that spending a considerable amount of moey on GDPR and CCPA is enough to ensure compliance. Yet without true visibility and control of their IT assets, they're leaving a backdoor open to malicious actors."



What is causing visibility gaps? The majority (91 percent) of respondents acknowledged fundamental weak points within their organizations that are preventing a comprehensive view of their IT estate.

These visibility gaps are being caused by a lack of unity between IT, operations and security teams (39 percent), a lack of resources to effectively manage their IT estate (31 percent), legacy systems which don't give them accurate information (31 percent), shadow IT (29 percent) and too many tools used across their business (29 percent). The research found that firms have implemented an average of 43 separate security and operations tools to manage their IT environments. Tool sprawl like this further limits the effectiveness of siloed and distributed teams, adding unnecessary complexity. Tech leaders are concerned about the consequences In the study, IT leaders cited concerns that limited visibility of endpoints could leave their company more vulnerable to cyberattacks (53 percent), damage the brand reputation (39 percent), make risk assessments harder (33 percent), impact customer churn (31 percent) and lead to non-compliance fines (23 percent). Respondents also revealed a false sense of confidence when it came to compliance readiness. Ninety percent of IT decision makers said they were confident of being able to report all required breach information to regulators within 72 hours. But with nearly half (48 percent) reporting they have challenges in getting visibility into devices on their network, this confidence appears to be misplaced - a single missed endpoint could be a compliance violation waiting to happen. Chris Hodson, Chief Information Security Officer at Tanium concluded: "GDPR and CCPA represent the beginning of a complex new era of rigorous data privacy regulations. Although some regulators have postponed large fines due to the current pandemic, it doesn't defer the requirement for companies to ensure personal information is stored and processed using the strictest safeguards. "Technology leaders need to focus on the fundamentals of unified endpoint management and security to drive rapid incident response and improved decision making. The first step must be gaining real-time visibility of these endpoints, which is a crucial prerequisite to improved IT hygiene, effective risk management, and regulatory compliance. With most teams working from home these days and many having to use their own devices, this has never been more important." The full Visibility Gap report can be found here. Methodology Tanium commissioned independent market research specialist Vanson Bourne to conduct the research upon which this report is based. A total of 750 IT decision makers, including CIOs and CISOs, were surveyed in September/October 2019 across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Japan and Canada. The respondents were from organizations with at least 1,000 employees internationally and could be from any sector. About Tanium Tanium offers a unified endpoint management and security platform that is built for the world's most demanding IT environments. Many of the world's largest and most sophisticated organizations, including more than half of the Fortune 100, top retailers and financial institutions, and four branches of the US Armed Forces rely on Tanium to make confident decisions, operate efficiently and effectively, and remain resilient against disruption. Tanium ranks 7th on the Forbes list of "Top 100 Private Companies in Cloud Computing" for 2019 and 10th on FORTUNE's list of the "100 Best Medium Workplaces." Visit us at www.tanium.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005461/en/

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SANTA FE  Civil rights attorneys behind a long-running lawsuit alleging inadequate funding for public education are asking a judge to disregard recent efforts by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to dismiss the case.

Attorneys for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund said Monday that state lawmakers have failed to address a landmark 2018 state district court ruling that found New Mexico fails to provide adequate educational opportunities to poor and minority students and those with disabilities.

MALDEF attorney Thomas Saenz in a statement called the states motion to dismiss the case nothing but political gamesmanship.

Judge Sarah Singleton died April 2019, shortly after her final rulings, throwing into limbo the lawsuit on behalf of frustrated school districts and parents.

Since early 2019, the governor and lawmakers have increased annual spending on public schools by hundreds of millions of dollars with special allocations to at-risk students.

The states ability to maintain spending on a range of programs is in doubt as the coronavirus pandemic undermines employment and crucial oil production.

Democratic New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf is anticipating the biggest budget deficit in state history. Lujan Grisham says shes likely to call a special session in June to amend the state budget.
Indian embassy in the UAE will soon start compiling the data of expats wishing to fly home due to various reasons during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gulf News reported that, they are currently awaiting more clarifications from New Delhi regarding the details that need to be collected and some more issues that need to be clarified, said Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor

Consul General of India Vipul at that time said the missions did not wish to create unnecessary confusion among the members of the community.

The data compilation follows reports from India which suggested that the central government was making assessment of preparations in states for bringing home stranded Indians.
The Johnny Cash Museum in seen in Downtown Nashville, Tenn., on May 29, 2013. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Nashville Mayor Floats 32 Percent Property Tax Hike, Citing Pandemic and Tornado

Deep spending cuts are also part of the 2021 fiscal year budget proposal

Nashville Mayor John Cooper has proposed a 31.7 percent increase in property taxes as the city struggles to balance its budget due to pandemic-driven business shutdowns that undercut tax revenue.

This is an unprecedented and difficult time for all Nashvillians, said Mayor Cooper. Thousands of residents have lost their jobs during the pandemic, and that makes the necessary decision to raise taxes all the more difficult, he added.

The mayors office projected that Nashville will suffer a revenue decline of more than $470 million due to the tornado and pandemic.

A tornado ripped through parts of Nashville in early March, causing multiple deaths and destroying a number of homes and businesses.

The outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has so far led to 10,366 confirmed infections in Tennessee and 195 deaths, according to state health authorities.

The city has thinned its cash reserves to a point where we find ourselves without a rainy-day fund during a stormy season. This is a crisis budget  not a discretionary budget  that will ensure Metro and Metro Nashville Public Schools can continue to meet our communitys needs, Cooper said.

Nashville, I will be presenting my budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2021 to Metro Council and invite you to virtually attend. You can watch on @MNNGov channels, Roku, and https://t.co/GGt1ZJCN0j or live streaming to my Facebook Page starting at 3:30 p.m. pic.twitter.com/NBSHlGpC5N  Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) April 28, 2020

The property tax hike is Nashvilles first since 2012, and while the rate will be $4.155, up from $3.155, it is still the lowest of peer cities in Tennessee.

This budget will ensure the continuity of essential services so that Metro and MNPS (Metro Nashville Public Schools) can still meet the need for response and recovery, the Metro Finance Department stated in a presentation (pdf) of the proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2021.

Cooper said one of the objectives of the tax hike is to avoid laying off city employees.

If any council members dont want to approve this let us know and we will have to begin mass layoffs, Cooper said, The Hill reported.

Meanwhile, efforts to start reopening the Tennessee economy saw restaurants in 89 of the states 95 counties resume dine-in service this week, subject to guidelines like social distancing by limiting capacity to 50 percent and adjusting store hours for extra cleaning.

Nashville is stronger than our current challenges, Cooper said. This is the operating budget that will get us through this crisis and prepare for a return to prosperity.
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Since the coronavirus pandemic forced campuses to close in March, many educators have feared the crisis would stunt millions of students' academic growth.

Earlier this month, one leading K-12 testing organization forecasted that some students would be "nearly a full year behind" -- particularly in math -- when they return from summer break.

So on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested a radical solution: cut this summer break short.

Newsom said state officials are considering asking the schools to begin the 2020-21 school year much earlier than normal -- perhaps even as soon as late July.

"There's been a learning loss," Newsom said in a press conference, "and you can either just roll over and accept that, or you can do something about it. So that's our thinking -- if we can maybe start up the school year a little earlier, that would help close that [learning] gap a little."

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SO MUCH STILL UNDECIDED

State officials haven't made any definitive decisions to change the school calendar yet. Newsom said he wanted to float the idea publicly so parents, students and teachers can start preparing for a possible early start.

Soon after Newsom's announcement, the Los Angeles County Office of Education announced that it is immediately forming a task force of school superintendents to explore the options.

"Today, the Governor explained his parameters for potentially starting the new school year in July or August," County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo said in a statement. "A summer start would be conditional and require precautions being in place at our schools, including social distancing and safety protocols for our students and staff."

The announcements from Newsom and Duardo highlight how much uncertainty schools face in the coming months.

Dr. Sonia Angell, the director of the California Department of Public Health, said any decision to reopen school campuses must be based on public health conditions -- including the availability of coronavirus testing, contact tracing and personal protective gear. (Superintendent Austin Beutner has said the L.A. Unified School District can't reopen without these conditions met.)

Once campuses do reopen, Newsom has suggested that some physical distancing measures may need to continue. That might mean schools will have to stagger students' schedules and limit student interaction at meals, recess, assemblies or gym classes -- but how schools will accomplish this is still a "conversation," Newsom has said.

"Clearly, for now, we still have more questions than answers," state schools superintendent Tony Thurmond said in a statement. "But now is the time for us to problem-solve and plan for the future."

Gavin Newsom speaks at election night event on Nov. 6, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

BUDGET OUTLOOK: NOT GOOD -- BUT HOW BAD?

The most critical uncertainty of all, though: how will schools pay for any of this?

School districts are dependent on the state for the bulk of their revenues. But state budget officials have forecasted this year could end with a $35 billion budget shortfall, easily enough to wipe out California's estimated $17.5 billion rainy day fund. The state budget picture next year is even worse.

But just how much funding K-12 schools stand to lose in the crisis isn't clear, various officials told a State Assembly subcommittee meeting on Tuesday.

"Because of the delay in April tax filing deadline," said Edgar Cabral from the state Legislative Analyst's Office, "and such significant uncertainty about what's going on in the economy, it's going to be a very difficult time to send clear signals [to school districts]" about what the next budget looks like.

Five of the state's largest districts have argued schools shouldn't lose anything.

On April 15, the leaders of the school districts in L.A., San Diego, Long Beach, Sacramento and Corona-Norco sent a letter to Newsom, begging state lawmakers to preserve K-12 funding -- and even pass a state budget this year that includes a cost-of-living adjustment "above the statutory level."

On Tuesday, Assembly Budget Committee Chair Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, wondered whether school districts understood the "looming recession scenarios" state budget-writers face.

"The conversation seems to be around whether the COLA's coming," Ting said, "and not regarding potential cuts and whether [districts] are prepared to offer suggestions on what to do."

Uncertainty about state finances is likely to persist through the summer. Both the state and school districts must pass budgets by the end of June -- but on Tuesday, lawmakers suggested that the state will have to make revisions based on more up-to-date revenue forecasts, which may not be available until August.

"The budget cuts are probably going to be significant," said Assembly Education Committee Chair Patrick O'Donnell, D-Long Beach.

A padlocked gate at Dayton Avenue Early Education Center, an L.A. Unified School District campus in East Hollywood, on April 1, 2020. (Kyle Stokes/LAist)

HOW MUCH LEARNING LOSS?

Newsom said even laudable -- and costly -- efforts to to set up distance learning programs and distribute laptops are "still inadequate" to prevent some students from falling behind while they're stuck at home.

Research is beginning to validate these concerns. NWEA, the nonprofit testing organization, released a white paper on April 9 suggesting that students are likely to return in fall between half-a-year and a full-year behind in math.

In reading, "some students will return in fall with about 70% of the learning gains relative to a typical year," the organization said.

In a Tuesday legislative hearing, Linda Darling-Hammond, the chair of the State Board of Education, suggested that this national forecast may be a little too pessimistic. California set an expectation that distance learning should continue early in the crisis.

"California has a better start on these goals," Darling-Hammond said, "than many other states that closed schools and have done nothing to continue education for their students."

But Darling-Hammond also acknowledged many students are likely to be knocked off-pace by the pandemic -- and other experts told lawmakers the effects of the disrupted school year will be even worse for children in special education, English learners, or students who are already behind.

"We should expect achievement gaps to grow as a result of COVID-19," said Heather Hough, the executive director of the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) research center.
Photo: Suzie Tremmel/Flickr

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Raleigh.

NY Times data: Triangle could become new national coronavirus hot spot

The Triangle could become one of the next coronavirus hot spots, data from the The New York Times on Tuesday suggests.

Read the full story on WNCN.

At least 4 protesters arrested during ReOpenNC rally

At least four protesters were arrested at the ReOpenNC rally in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday. The arrests came as protesters moved from outside the state legislative building to the governor's office.

Read the full story on WRAL TV.

NC lawmakers return to Raleigh to work on fresh COVID-19 relief packages

The North Carolina General Assembly opened its 2020 session with battling the novel coronavirus pandemic as its singular priority, including how to add more relief to the millions of struggling North Carolina families and business owners.

Read the full story on ABC Raleigh, WTVD.

NC coronavirus cases: 9,739 confirmed, 361 dead, 463 hospitalized

The Raleigh News & Observer reported that 9,739 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in North Carolina, as of 10:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Read the full story on www.wataugademocrat.com.

Horses provide healing for Wake County long-term care residents in lockdown

Thanks to a few "neigh"-bors at Gala Farms, the residents at Windsor Point were able to have a few four-legged friends over.

Read the full story on ABC Raleigh, WTVD.

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 supply of several items like coffee, diapers, oil and cereals, which are dependent on imports, is expected to face shortage in Delhi if lockdown continues beyond May 3, a government panel said in its report.

The panel said items of particular brands such as shampoos, moisturizers, biscuits, sanitizers and cigarettes are in short supply in the city markets.

Some of the products of reputed companies may not be available on the shelves, resulting in an increase in sale of small and homemade brands, it said.

Earlier this month, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev had constituted an empowered group on facilitating supply chain and logistics management for availability of necessary items, including food and medicines in Delhi in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The high-empowered panel, headed by Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner Ankita Mishra Bundela, said all essential medicines are reported to be available. She said there is no report about scarcity of essential medicines, but factories are told to be operating at less than 50 per cent of their capacity.

"The distributors may not be able to make supplies of all medicines if the production remains affected at the source level for a long time," it said.

In its first report submitted to the chief secretary, the panel said there is a general shortage of labour for loading and unloading of goods.

"The products of some of the prominent Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) are not available at some of the stores, but the goods of alternative brand/homemade brand are generally available," it said.

The nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25 to arrest the spread of coronavirus has been extended till May 3.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Once we heard the arguments and that it really only seems to be applying to Bailey, I didnt want that, I wanted it to apply to the rest of the state, said Cabello, co-chair of President Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign in Illinois. So were trying to find a way of doing it so that it applies to anyone that wants to do it, not to just one person. And make no mistake  this does not force anyone to leave their homes. This would give them the option.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

Turkmenistan and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) discussed implementation of joint projects, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistan State News Agency.

A number of UNIDOs industrial projects were presented at the online videoconference held at Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan.

UNIDOs effective cooperation with many of state structures of Turkmenistan, especially in the textile and carpet industries, was highlighted.

Currently, Turkmenistan is implementing new projects in its industrial sector to increase the output of import-substituting products, form new facilities, and create processing enterprises for the production of diverse and competitive products based on the use of local raw materials, said the report.

Turkmenistan has a favorable climate for business which prospects for production and export of many goods.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialized agency with the primary objective to promote and accelerate industrial development in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
The former commander of the Marines' legendary "Dark Horse" battalion has died after a short illness, the Marine Corps announced Tuesday.

Geoffry M. Hollopeter, 43, died April 3 in San Diego "after going into cardiac arrest," 1st Marine Division said on its official unit Facebook page.

Hollopeter had departed 3/5 Feb. 27, passing command to Lt. Col. Benjamin Middendorf; he had been set to take charge at the Marines' Infantry Officer Course at Quantico, Virginia this summer, a 1st Division spokesman, 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, told Military.com.

"Lt. Col. Hollopeter was well known throughout the Marine Corps for his impeccable character and intellect," Col. Robert Weiler, commanding officer of 5th Marine Regiment, said in a statement. "He led his Marines with humility, and was a servant leader of impeccable moral and ethical code who shaped the lives of countless Marines."

According to an obituary published in the San Diego Union-Tribune Tuesday, Hollopeter is survived by his wife, Michelle, and four children.

Related: Cell Phones and DI Masks: Marines Parris Island Boot Camp Opens to New Recruits

"Geoff loved sharing his passion for camping, running, beer and root beer brewing and working on his truck and jeep with his family, and built countless and cherished memories doing the things he loved with the ones he loved," his heartfelt obituary said. "The strong virtues of hard work, compassion, selflessness and kindness that exemplified Geoff's character will continue to thrive in his children."

Hollopeter, a prior-enlisted Marine trained as a light armored vehicle crewman, earned a commission in 2001 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, according to his official biography.

He had previously served as executive officer for 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and current operations officer for the 1st Marine Division. He took command of 3/5 in Feb. 2018.

During his career, Hollopeter had deployed to the Philippines, Iraq and Afghanistan, and to the Pacific with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

He was a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device; the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device; the Meritorious Service Medal; and the Combat Action Ribbon. He had also received the Purple Heart.

"Despite serving in countless dangerous operations, enduring periods of separation from his family and bearing the massive burdens of command, Geoff was a model Marine Corps Officer," his obituary said. "Well known throughout the Marine Corps for his impeccable character and intellect, he led his Marines with a devotion to honor, justice, service to others and humility. This servant leader of impeccable moral and ethical code shaped the lives of countless Marines past, present and future.Geoff possessed a determination to better everyone in his life, and his personal and professional persona were one and the same."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Read More: Navy Fires Head of Aviation Training School
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 19:48:03

MONTREAL, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier (TSX: BBD.B) will publish its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 on Thursday, May 7, 2020.



On May 7 at 8:00 a.m., EDT, Eric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer; John Di Bert, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Patrick Ghoche, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, will hold a webcast/conference call intended for investors and financial analysts to review the companys financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

A live webcast of the call and relevant financial charts will be available at www.bombardier.com

Stakeholders wishing to listen to the presentation and question and answer period by telephone may dial one of the following conference call numbers:

In English: 514-392-9079, passcode: 6454160# or

1-877-405-9213, passcode: 6454160# (toll-free in North America),

+800 4222 8835, passcode: 6454160# (overseas calls) In French:

(with translation)

1-830-221-9728, passcode: 5785496 or

1-833-528-0623, passcode: 5785496 (toll-free North America)

1-830-221-9728, passcode: 5785496 (overseas calls)

The replay of this call will be available on Bombardiers website shortly after the end of the webcast.

About Bombardier

With over 60,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Bombardier posted revenues of $15.8 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier .

Bombardier is a trademark of Bombardier Inc.

For Information

Jessica McDonald

Advisor, Media Relations

Bombardier Inc.

+1 514 861 9481 Patrick Ghoche

Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations,

Bombardier Inc.

+1 514 861 5727
Kyrgyzstan Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 729, Total Deaths reaches to 8 on 29-Apr-2020

In Kyrgyzstan total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 729, while 8 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

India, 29-April-2020: Coronavirus hotspots in India decreased from 170 to 129 in a fortnight.

Andhra Pradesh (India), 29-April-2020: An 11-baby among 73 new cases in Andhra Pradesh. In past 24 hours 73 new cases of Covid-19 reported from Andhra Pradesh raising the total Covid-19 patient count to 1,332 in the state.

France, 29-April-2020: Total fatalities due to Covid-19 infection surpasses 23,000 mark in France.

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Kyrgyzstan:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 24-Apr-2020 656 25 8 0 2. 25-Apr-2020 665 9 8 0 3. 26-Apr-2020 682 17 8 0 4. 27-Apr-2020 695 13 8 0 5. 28-Apr-2020 708 13 8 0 6. 29-Apr-2020 729 21 8 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (126,569)

2. North America (64,412)

3. USA (59,266)

4. Italy (27,359)

5. Spain (23,822)

6. France (23,660)

7. UK (21,678)

8. Asia (17,966)

9. South America (7,590)

10. Belgium (7,331)

Total Deaths Worldwide (218,187)

Globally till now over 218,187 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Kyrgyzstan and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 126,569 deaths and 1,329,524 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
"SAHMAN," meaning "immaculateness" in Azerbaijani, is a nationwide campaign set to transform Azerbaijan's existing health, safety and hygiene standards. Supported by the UNWTO, it also reaffirms the country's commitment towards providing a world-class tourism destination for its citizens and future visitors alike in the post-pandemic world. ATB is finalising talks with international firm PwC to audit and certify these standards.

As part of the countrywide measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, SAHMAN will adopt a holistic approach to fuel innovation across the tourism industry, ensuring the involvement of all relevant public and private partners, and the safety of those working in the sector. It will culminate with the launch of Azerbaijan's Domestic Tourism Campaign this summer.

Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board commented, "The current global pandemic has brought to light the need to reassess and enhance our standards across the industry. The SAHMAN programme calls upon all stakeholders in Azerbaijan to adopt even better practices in their businesses in the interest of safeguarding public health and supporting the regrowth of the industry. With this long-term shift in behaviour, we aim to ensure that these higher standards will be upheld beyond the current crisis."

To launch the campaign, ATB and STA have partnered with the Azerbaijan Hotel Association (AHA), Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), regional municipalities and DMOs, with plans to also invite other government sectors to commit to maintaining top-quality standards across the country. The programme will focus on accommodation, F&B and touristic transportation providers  three key aspects of the tourism value chain.

Stakeholders will be expected to commit to sector-specific checklists introducing initiatives such as mandatory precautionary measures, safe distancing, disinfection, quarantine areas, cleaning methodology, and more. Participants will be supported and incentivised through three primary support programmes  Training, Amenities and Promotion  all of which will be financed by the STA. Implementation will be carried out in four phases, by: enrolling in the programme through www.sahman.az ; participating in online and onsite trainings and certification; labelling; and validation.

SOURCE The Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB)
Slate is making its essential coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday using the Defense Production Act to compel American meat processing plants to remain openor in many cases to reopenduring the next phase of the coronavirus pandemic. The order comes in response to concerns about the nations food supply chain following the closure of a number of facilities in the interior of the country due to outbreaks of the virus among workers. As of last week, nearly two dozen packing and processing plants, accounting for a quarter of the U.S.s pork production and 10 percent of the nations beef capacity, faced closure over the past two months. In the order, Trump declared the meat and poultry supply chain critical infrastructure during the national emergency.

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The initial closures were largely voluntary, rather than state-ordered, in response to pressure from local health officials and unions representing the workers. The companies that make up the production industrylike Tyson Foods, JBS, Smithfield Foods, Cargill, and National Beef Packinghave been pushing to reopen, but workers health concerns have persisted. Unions representing the workers at the different phases of meat production say thousands of workers have contracted the virus and thousands more have stayed home to self-quarantine because of potential exposure. The cramped working conditions at many of the facilities has made them a tinderbox for the virus and hot spots for its spread. The federal government said it will provide health and operational guidance for the companies and will chip in protective gear for employees.

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As part of the mandated return to work, the Trump administration is expected to provide liability cover for the meat production companies. Liability for worker and customer illnesses or deaths will be a significant issue going forward and not just for critical industries, but across the board. The return to work order puts many workers in the meat processing industry in an impossible position: They need their jobs and the paychecks that come with them, so they dont want the plants to sit idle unnecessarily, but they also dont want their health and safety to be sacrificed in the name of economic gains. Theyre not Navy SEALs after all. Theyre workers at the bottom rung of the pay scale just trying to get by. As has been the case throughout the pandemic so far, those bearing the economic brunt of the virus have been the countrys paycheck-to-paycheck class, which is far larger than youd think. The fervor to reopenwhether its safe or notwill compel these workers to put themselves between the virus and people sitting on Zoom calls and ordering deliveries online.

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The implications of governors decisions to reopen come hell or high water is even more stark when you consider that once virus-related restrictions are lifted and an employer reopens, employees who dont return for health concerns would not only lose their jobs, theyd lose their right to unemployment benefits currently being provided. In Georgia, that would have a significant impact on the service industry employees who are now being forced back to work. Iowa and Texas are following suit. If youre an employer and you offer to bring your employee back to work and they decide not to, thats a voluntary quit, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said last week. Therefore, they would not be eligible for the unemployment money. Iowa is responsible for a third of the nations pork supply. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted restrictions starting this Friday on retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and malls. Workers that didnt feel safe returning to their jobs yet would lose their benefits, though the state says it is working on exceptions.
Photo credit: Netflix

From Men's Health

Warning! Major spoilers ahead for Netflix's Extraction movie.

While Extraction came out just last weekend, the action movie has already warranted a huge response from fans. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, a mercenary and former soldier recruited by another mercenary to travel to Bangladesh and help rescue Ovi, the son of an Indian drug lord being held captive by a rival vicious drug named Amir Asif.

As you can expect, things don't go as planned, and violence and chaos ensues. At the end of the movie, it seems like Hemsworth's Tyler is going to get away from the corrupt police and task force that he's been battling for the whole film, and he runs toward a helicopter that will take him to safetyuntil he's suddenly shot in the neck by Amir's young henchman. The injured Tyler then falls into a river, and while he's not seen again, the movie's ambiguous ending has led fans to believe that the mysterious man watching over Ovi seen at the end of the end of the movie is, in fact, Tyler.

Some hopeful fans believe that the mysterious ending means Extraction will get a sequelhere's what we know so far.

Will there be an Extraction 2?

Yes, there will be a follow-up to Extraction! The Russo Brothers (yes, those brothers of Marvel fame) produced Extraction, with Joe Russo writing the screenplay, and Joe exclusively told Deadline that he signed a deal for a new film.



"The deal is closed for me to write Extraction 2, and we are in the formative stages of what the story can be," Joe told Deadline. "Were not committing yet to whether that story goes forward, or backward in time. We left a big loose ending that leaves question marks for the audience."

Joe also revealed that he would love to have the original movie's director, Sam Hargrave, direct the sequel, which is great because Hargrave previously told Digital Spy that he was open to creating another Extraction movie.

Story continues

Photo credit: Netflix

"We're all going to wait to see how fans react to the film. And based on that, there have been discussions of different storylines that could take place in different timesboth forward in time and backwards in time," Hargrave explained. "We're just waiting to see what happens, and to see how the appetite is for these characters and for this film. And then we'll make our decision. But there definitely have been discussions of broadening this world, for sure."

Will Chris Hemsworth be in the Extraction sequel?

If there is an Extraction 2, it seems likely that Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role as Tyler, although there will be no concrete deal to bring him back until the script is finished. However, the actor recently posted a thank you to fans on Instagram where he talked about the possibility of a sequel.

"Just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who checked out Extraction...We are blown away by the response and the support, so on behalf of myself, the Russo brothers, Netflix, our director Sam Hargrave, thank you so, so much. We love you guys," Hemsworth said. "Been a lot of talk and questions about sequels and prequels and all sorts of things and all I can say is, 'Who knows?' But with this kind of support, it's something I'd be pretty stoked to jump back into."

And in more extremely exciting news, it's been rumored that Chris Evans is being eyed for a role in the sequel. As for the sequel's villain? Execs are reportedly trying to snag Oscar Issac for a role as a drug lord.

Casual cast. No big deal. Just three of the biggest movie stars in the world, that's all. Our fingers are crossedwe're just going to jump off a cliff into a body of water in the meantime.

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As healthcare workers in Canada remain on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the spread of the virus goes far beyond those infected.

There are ramifications beyond COVID patients, everybody is suffering, Dr, Amy Tan, associate professor at the University of Calgary at palliative care doctor, told Yahoo Canada. Im in my second decade of practice...it has been unlike anything weve ever experienced before.

As Dr. Tan continues to see patients throughout this pandemic, she is navigating how to provide essential care with the public health measures in place, while keeping herself and her patients safe.

Ive had to do some very difficult things, like break the news of diagnosing a new cancer over the phone, Dr. Tan said. I felt so helpless when somebody was on the phone sobbing, and not being able to use my humanity and my physical touch to help comfort somebody.

I have to say thats been the hardest thing in the last month for a medical issue that wasnt directly related to COVID-19, but shows that COVID-19 is affecting all medical care."

They need their non-COVID issues managed too

Although COVID-19 is of primary importance during this time, there are still a number of people, in Calgary and across the country, who need to have their non-COVD-19 medical conditions managed.

We really need to weigh the risks and balances of having people with pre-existing conditions come into the clinic and potentially expose themselves, so were trying to do most things virtually to keep them safe, Dr. Tan said. Thats a huge concern of ours. But they need their non-COVID issues managed too during this.

On Tuesday, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Minister of Health Christine Elliott, said in a press conference that a recent report from University Health Network (UHN) indicates 35 people with cardiac conditions may have died due to their surgeries being postponed during the pandemic.

Doctors and other medical professionals have had to make significant changes to their practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the move to less in-person medical care, Dr. Tan has recognized that the lack of physical visibility has impacted how she treats and effectively communicates with patients.

Story continues

I never appreciated how much I relied on visual cues in my assessments with patients,...the number of questions and how you phrase things has been really, much more difficult and time-consuming than I think we anticipated, now that were doing most of our visits by phone, Dr. Tan said.

This becomes increasingly more difficult for individuals who do not have extensive technological or internet knowledge and capabilities, particularly more elderly populations, which means doctors must mostly rely on phone calls.

While there are parameters and principles that we are relying on in our training, it has absolutely been emotionally and physically, and psychologically exhausting to learn about this new disease, what it can do to patients, how the information is so quickly evolving and having fear and anxiety for our patients, and ourselves as well, Dr. Tan said.

In this Tuesday, April 21, 2020 photo, nurses collect samples from a possible COVID-19 patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at St. Paul's hospital in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Calls for adequate equipment continues

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, there have been calls for more personal protective equipment (PPE) across the country. The federal government has revealed a variety of challenges with getting this equipment from international markets, particularly with global demand for these products.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that one million face masks imported from China were inadequate for health-care workers.

Although these acquisition efforts have continued, a number of frontline workers, in various provinces, have expressed concerns about having an adequate supply of quality PPE to keep them safe.

According to a poll conducted by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) on Apr. 20 to 21, close to 90 per cent of respondents indicated that a greater availability of PPE would help ease their concerns.

Ensuring that we have adequate quality, effective PPE is of utmost importance, Dr. Tan said.
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A Midland Police Department sergeant was being held Wednesday on charges of driving while intoxicated and abandoning or endangering child, according to a press release from the citys spokeswoman. Bond was set at $500 for the DWI, which is a class B misdemeanor; bond had not been set on the abandoning or endangering child charge, which is a state felony.

Police officers were dispatched at about 3 a.m. Wednesday to the intersection of Illinois Avenue and Andrews Highway in reference to a vehicle wreck involving injuries. They recognized Sgt. Chance Rainer as the at-fault driver in the two-vehicle wreck, according to the release. Rainer, who has been under administrative suspension for previous infractions, refused to get out of his vehicle or communicate with officers.
Researchers at the Radboud university medical center seem to have found an essential mechanism in the disease process of COVID-19, which has so far been overlooked. If the insight is correct, it probably has important consequences for the treatment of the disease. In an international collaborative effort it is now being investigated whether the new insights and treatments do indeed have an effect in practice.

An infection with the coronavirus COVID-19 is different from the flu or other more common viral diseases. Radboudumc researchers wondered what exactly happens in the case of a severe infection. Doctors recognize three clear phases. In the beginning, patients quickly become short of breath because of fluid in the lungs. About nine days after the infection an inflammatory reaction occurs in the lungs; the patient's antibodies might attack the virus in the lungs, which can further aggravate the situation in the lung. Some of the patients who recover after a stay in the ICU develop thrombosis and scarring in the lungs due to the long-standing fluid, which makes recovery difficult. In short: it all begins with a fluid problem.

Vanishing ACE2 receptors

"We have been closely monitoring the COVID patients," says Frank van de Veerdonk. "That first phase, during which the lungs fill up with fluid, CT scans of the lungs look bad and patients quickly experience shortness of breath due to the administration of fluid, is very characteristic. This image cannot be explained solely by the infection of the lungs. So we got the idea that the capillaries, which are the very small blood vessels, start to leak into the lungs during this process. That leakage causes the lungs problems, because they partly fill up."

This observation was already made with SARS (a previous coronavirus infection that occurred in 2003), but no good explanation was available. Researchers from the Radboudumc now come up with a hypothesis, a theoretical explanation that makes the leakage plausible. Van de Veerdonk: "COVID-19 enters the lungs via the ACE2 receptor. The virus binds to the receptor, which then pulls it into the lung cell where the virus can multiply. In case of a massive infection, this process makes the ACE2 receptors disappear from the outside of the cell. With that, their function also disappears."

Bradykinine makes blood vessels leak

ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) is known to play a role in maintaining blood pressure throughout the body, which is regulated by the RAAS, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. The RAAS system, and thus ACE2, controls blood pressure by regulating vasodilatation and vasoconstriction. But ACE2 has another function, which up until now has remained out of the picture in coronavirus infections. Van de Veerdonk: "ACE2 keeps the substance bradykinin under control. Bradykinin makes blood vessels leak. We have good reason to believe that with COVID-19 infections we see exactly this effect: when the virus is introduced, ACE2 receptors disappear from the lung cells, giving bradykinine free rein in causing the small blood vessels to leak massively at the site of infection."

Van de Veerdonk and colleagues recognize this phenomenon from another very rare disease: hereditary angioedema. People with this disease can suddenly develop swelling of, for example, hands, feet, abdomen or face. These swellings can persist for several hours, sometimes even days, after which they disappear just as quickly as they have developed. The cause of these swellings: leaking blood vessels due to too much bradykinin. Some side effects of ACE inhibitors, which are used against high blood pressure, are also very similar to symptoms seen with COVID-19. The dry cough, for example. And in rare cases, angioedema can also occur with ACE inhibitors.

Quick sharing and testing of the insights

The problems of vascular leakage can be aggravated by an inflammatory phase. This causes even more leakage and damage to the lungs. Anti-inflammatory drugs can have a potentially dampening effect here, and doctors and researchers all over the world are doing their best to select the most optimal drugs for this stage. In addition the long lasting vascular leakage and inflammation of the blood vessels will trigger the coagulation cascade leading to thrombosis and eventually scarring of the lungs. Interventions that are started early to treat this leakage have the capacity to prevent these serious complications and might be effective in keeping patients out of the ICU.

Researchers from the Radboudumc have published their insights in an article published on Preprints. Articles on Preprints have not been reviewed and commented on by colleagues, but can therefore be published very quickly. "The latter is very important, because we want to share our vision with everyone as soon as possible," says Van de Veerdonk. "The so-called peer review by colleagues is in full swing anyway. The article on Preprints has already been viewed over 1800 times and downloaded more than 900 times. Based on this shared knowledge, we are now working on the first treatments with Icatibant, a product that can inhibit the effects of bradykinine. Because for every good idea the corresponding proof must first be provided. At the Dutch national level we are collaborating with the UMC Utrecht, and on an international level with, among others, Remap-Cap. We hope that this will quickly provide us with conclusive information about the insights we have now launched".

###

Publication in eLife: Kallikrein-kinin blockade in patients with COVID-19 to prevent acute respiratory distress syndrome - Frank L van de Veerdonk, Mihai G Netea, Marcel van Deuren, Jos WM van der Meer, Quirijn de Mast, Roger J Bruggemann, Hans van der Hoeven, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands. https://elifesciences.org/articles/57555
While storage is rapidly filling up, production cuts by US shale producers, estimated by consultants Rystad Energy at 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) for May and June, should help slow flows into tanks.

Singapore/Melbourne: US oil prices gained on Wednesday, trimming some of this weeks losses, after US stockpiles rose less than expected and on expectations demand will improve as some European countries and US cities moved to ease coronavirus lockdowns.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures were up 12.6 percent, or $1.56, at $13.91 at 0643 GMT, paring a 27 percent plunge over the first two days of this week.

Earlier in the session, WTI futures jumped by more than 15 percent to a session high of $14.40.

Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 3.1 percent, or 64 cents, to $21.10 a barrel, adding to a 2.3 percent gain on Tuesday.

US crude inventories rose by 10 million barrels to 510 million barrels in the week to 24 April, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed on Tuesday, compared with analysts expectations for a build of 10.6 million barrels.

Its a little bit of good news that maybe storages arent filling quite as quickly in the US as you would have thought, said Lachlan Shaw, head of commodity research at National Australia Bank in Melbourne.

The market will get another read on US inventories when the US Energy Information Administration releases weekly data later on Wednesday.

While storage is rapidly filling up, production cuts by US shale producers, estimated by consultants Rystad Energy at 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) for May and June, should help slow flows into tanks. The United States is now the worlds biggest oil producer.

One ray of hope for WTI though could occur next week, said Jeffrey Halley, market analyst at OANDA.

Regulators in the US state of Texas, the countrys biggest oil producer, will hold a vote on 5 May on whether to enact output curtailments. Officials in the states of North Dakota and Oklahoma are also examining ways to legally allow output cuts.

That would add to production cuts of almost 10 million bpd agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other large producers including Russia, or about 10 percent of global production, due to take effect from 1 May.

At the same time, hopes for at least some demand recovery put a floor under oil prices, following two days of selling in June contracts by exchange-traded funds looking to avoid the extreme volatility which hit WTI last week.

The other thing coming through is more detail and a louder groundswell towards plans for removing COVID restrictions, particularly in Europe  in countries like Spain, France, Austria and Switzerland. Thats going to see demand pick up, Shaw said.

Credit rating agency Moodys cut its oil price assumptions on Wednesday, seeing WTI averaging $30 a barrel in 2020 and $35 in 2021, because of a global recession weighing on fuel demand and said it expected ample oil supply in storage to keep prices low through 2021.
Charnjit Singh Sahni is the president of Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar in Camp, who believes in being of service to humanity. Although he is a businessman in the solar industry, the 63-year-old has left the business to his children while he devotes his time to social work and the gurudwara.

What exactly is your role during this crisis?

In our religion, we are taught the mantra - Garib ka Muh, Guru ki golak hai (no one should sleep hungry and feeding the needy is equivalent to giving a donation to the gurudwara) - so, ever since the lockdown started, we decided to reach out to the maximum number of people with the basic need for food. Through our Guru Nanak Medical Foundation, which is run from the gurudwara premises, we started giving medical services through our trustee Dr Dashmeet Singhs consultation. Then, we started receiving demands from various hospitals and people staying nearby the gurudwara. We first got a requirement from the Army Hospital for ventilators for the new hospital they were setting up for Covid-19 patients in Wanowrie, so we decided to give them four ventilators. Then, we have also given sanitizers, masks, face shields to the needy too. After demands from the Pune Cantonment Board police stations, we have donated hand wash units. We also got a demand from the Sassoon hospital for oxymeters and within a day, we arranged 100 oxymeters and gave it to the dean. Personal protective equipment (PPE) kits are in demand and we gave 100 to the Army hospital, 50 to the Muslim Popular Front group, an NGO authorised by PMC to arrange funerals, 50 PPEs to Family Planning Association of India who are working with AIDS patients and 50 to the Indian Medical Association. We will soon be giving ICU monitors to Sassoon hospital.

How does your day begin and roll out?

I wake up by 5am, begin my prayers and do some yoga and if possible walk within my society, then post 8am, begins all the coordination for making chappattis. Then by 10:30 am, I coordinate with the distribution team and attend to the daily calls of demands from hospitals, NGOs and the needy people. We also hold online conferences with the medical team for approvals and then for the final nod with the management team. By 10pm, I usually spend time with my family.

What precautions are you taking?

We do not go out, we manage everything from home. We follow the rules and only in case of emergency do we go out, wearing masks, gloves and maintain social distance.

What is your assessment of the Covid-19 crisis n Pune? How is it unfolding?

Pune is managing it very well on the field and trying their level best to control it, but we feel that there is a need for a stronger appeal to people to follow and cooperate with the governments decision and stay at home to make this lockdown work better and learn to live with whatever is at home.

What gaps do you see in healthcare and relief work?

This pandemic was so sudden for the city that no one is prepared for it and however, the administration and the hospitals are working on a war footing to control the spread. The frontline doctors and paramedical staffs safety should be our priority as well.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Thu, April 30, 2020 06:01 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd51322f 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,crime,kejahatan,shoot-at-sight,Central-Java,Ganjar-Pranowo,National-Police Free

Upon receiving complaints from residents about a rise in thefts and robberies during the COVID-19 pandemic, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has asked the police to take stern action against criminals, including by shooting suspects who attempt to evade arrest.

Ganjar said he had coordinated with Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Rycko Amelza Dahniel and Diponegoro Military commander Maj. Gen. Mochamad Effendi during a regional leadership meeting (Forkopimda).

The police chief and military commander have said leave security matters to us. I told them not to hesitate when acting tough on a crime. If the criminal fights back, just shoot them, he said on Wednesday.

Read also: Cases of recidivism raise concerns about early release policy

He added that it was important that no one took advantage of the pandemic situation to commit crimes.

He also suggested the people revive neighborhood watches both in cities and villages.

Ganjar denied that crimes that had occurred lately were committed by paroled prison inmates. Many hoaxes have claimed that crimes were committed by inmates who are part of the assimilation program. It is my duty to provide those inmates with training, he said.

He added that the Central Java administration had created a program dubbed Jogo Tonggo (neighbors look after each other), in which community members collaborate to manage food and security in response to the pandemic. (aly)
UNODC Online Training to Support People Who Use Drugs during COVID-19 in Egypt and the UAE

Photo:  UNODC, iStockphoto / zodebala & sankai

Cairo (Egypt), 29 April 2020  During crises like the current pandemic it is important to recall universal human values, unite our forces to work together, and to leave no one behind, which means including people who use drugs, with drug use disorders and their families.

On the 21st and 22nd of April 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a transregional online training on epidemiological considerations and the roles and responsibilities of institutions involved in reducing drug demand during the Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. The training brought together 27 doctors and psychiatrists from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A result of fruitful efforts by UNODCs Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Region (OGCCR) and the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA) and with vital substance delivered by Wadih Maalouf, UNODC Global Programme Coordinator for the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, the training aimed at the exchange of successful practices between Egypt and the UAE in addressing drug demand during COVID-19, reflect on the United Nations International Standards and support the national efforts undertaken by the Member States in this regard.

In his opening remarks Hatem Aly, UNODC Regional Representative for the Gulf Cooperation Council highlighted that, Leaving no one behind, is more than a slogan, in such critical point of history, it is the core of our work, aim of our efforts and the commonly shared principle with our long-standing partners in FDCTA Egypt and NRC UAE. People with drug dependency and use disorders and their families are already in destress, and relatively, even more vulnerable during the COVID-19 crises. Thus, this training focuses on looking at the relevant international standards in conjunction with the best current practices of both our partners and their innovative services and support practices with the aim of developing a standard guideline on drug treatment service continuity with ultimate support that seeks to adopt the safety first principle.

UNODC experts introduced Suggestions about treatment, care and rehabilitation of people with drug use disorder in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic through which Member States and drug treatment, care and rehabilitation systems and services could develop plans to ensure continuity of care for people who use drugs and people with drug use disorders. Some of the suggestions focused on addressing continued access to the services, securing the safety of the staff and the patients at the services and referring to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on disinfecting premises where the services are being provided.

Our joint efforts are necessary in the current time, COVID-19 can indirectly cost many lives and pose multiple risks if key necessary services are halted or not provided. Ensuring access to health care and services for people who use drugs, treatment of drug use disorders and reducing drug demand is key to protect the lives of many, Cristina Albertin, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa had commented.

The training also sparked discussions on the role of decision and policy makers in reducing drug demand during the epidemic, the mental health considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic and how parenting skills could be strengthened to prevent negative coping behaviors.

Further information

Prison Health is Public Health: UNODC supports COVID-19 preparedness and responses in prisons in Egypt


The coronavirus pandemic has already spawned a rich vat of creativity, ranging from clever memes to highly polished YouTube broadcasts.

While there isn't much to be certain about right now, one would probably be safe to bet on a Covid-19 drama happening in the months to come.

Indeed, Twitter has already set about casting actors to play the lead protagonists in any such series.

Scroll down for video

A unknown to most the British public, Professor Chris Witty has become a household name since the virus first began to threaten the UK last month - and Twitter has already called for Jason Watkins, best known for his roles in The Crown and Nativity, to play the Chief Medical Officer

In early April, even Watkins himself tweeted that he was a 'shoe-in' for the role of the quietly spoken health expert

Step this way Celia! One Twitter user suggested that Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence, Angela McLean, left, could be portrayed by British star Celia Imrie

Professor Chris Witty, a household name since the virus first began to threaten the UK last month, already has a clear contender, with people on social media calling for Jason Watkins, best known for his roles in The Crown and Nativity, to play the Chief Medical Officer.

Twitter user @LuisAdrianoUK offered: When all this is over, my money is on @Jason__Watkins being asked to play the role of Chris Witty in a TV adaptation. This is meant as a compliment to both men.'

And Watkins himself responded, tweeting that he was a 'shoe-in' for the role of the quietly spoken health expert.

Many suggested that Director of Health Protection for Public Health England, Professor Yvonne Doyle could be played Fiona Shaw

Shaw is currently playing MI6's Carolyn Martens in the third series of Killing Eve,

What about Matt Hancock? Actor Paul Chahidi, last seen in comedy This Country, could be the man to play the Health Secretary

And the recent appearance of Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence, Angela McLean, at the daily press briefings by the government have left many people suggesting that cherished British actress Celia Imrie could step up.

@VONmarketing pondered: 'Celia Imrie could play Professor Dame Angela McLean #DailyBriefing'

More decided that Fiona Shaw, currently playing MI6's Carolyn Martens in the third series of Killing Eve, could do a decent job of portraying Director of Health Protection for Public Health England, Professor Yvonne Doyle.

Could Boris Johnson, who was temporarily felled by Covid-19, be played by comic Matt Lucas?

Imagine the Little Britain star with a unkempt blonde mop...and you might see why people are putting Lucas' name into the hat

@lewis_goodall suggested the two were already the same woman, quipping: 'All along been impressed with Yvonne Doyle. Especially impressed she manages to fit in being Medical Director of Public Health England alongside Killing Eve filming.'

What about Matt Hancock? The Health Secretary has been the man perhaps most on screens during the outbreak...but there was a dearth of suggestions as to who should play him.

And actor Paul Chahidi, last seen in BBC comedy This Country, could be the man to play the Health Secretary according to some.

Watch this space.
Researchers at UCSF on Wednesday cautioned that results from mass coronavirus testing in Bolinas and San Franciscos Mission District were not final after reports that no one tested positive in the small Marin County town.

Officials said they expect to release summary results, which will be aggregate and anonymous, on Friday once all results are final and the data has been appropriately analyzed.

No conclusions can be drawn about actual rates of COVID-19 infection in the community until analysis of all samples is complete, UCSF researchers said in a statement.

The statement followed a Marin Independent Journal report that said nobody in Bolinas, which has a population of about 1,600, tested positive for the coronavirus last week. The paper attributed the information to Dr. Matt Willis, the countys chief public health officer.

Benita McLarin, director of Marin Countys Health and Human Services department, confirmed to The Chronicle that no one in Bolinas had tested positive.

The study, which hopes to better understand patterns of infection, tested people in both communities for the coronavirus and for antibodies to help determine the rate of infections.

Researchers estimate results for both tests in both communities will be completed and analyzed near the end of May, said Elizabeth Fernandez, a UCSF spokeswoman. Officials finished conducting tests on thousands of people in the Mission District on Tuesday.

The results are not final, Fernandez said. The data analysis is not complete.

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 testing initiative in Bolinas started with Jyri Engestrom, a Finnish venture capitalist who corralled the community to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to test everyone in town  more than 1,800 people, including about 150 first responders.

In the Mission, Tracy Gallardo, a Latina community organizer, gathered volunteers to help test people.

Alejandro Serrano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej
With staggered regulations, the epidemic can be controlled, and the time is soon coming to restore normal living and the economy as far as possible, Laszlo Palkovics, the minister of technology and innovation, told the daily Magyar Hirlap.

The minister said the government took mathematical and epidemiological modelling into consideration during its decision-making, which has given rise to a staggered system of controls. This means pulling back and letting go when it comes to restrictions.



Three basic criteria determine this mechanism: the spread of the virus and the parallel of how many patients need hospital treatment; the state of the economy; and the quality of social and community life, he said.



Various restrictions have been introduced to slow down the spread of the epidemic by drastically reducing physical contact, with a view to increasing hospital capacity and purchasing protective equipment, he noted. This, he said, was the pull phase.



But the corresponding impact of the economy and the suffocation of community life is unsustainable, so a let go phase is planned for next week, he said. Gradually, restrictions will be eased based on a strict schedule, and the life of the nation and its economy can begin to be restored, he added.



As personal contacts intensify, the number of infected is expected to increase. But we are ready to care for them properly. Should the epidemic cross a defined threshold, the pull policy will be reintroduced to slow down the spread of the virus once again, Palkovics said.



The minister said the hard part of decision-making was ahead of the government: how to gauge optimal intervention and apply the pull, let go mechanism.



We have control, regulation and intervention tools in place, and measurements of the viruss transmission. Its not easy to keep the epidemic on a level weve achieved with total repression. But now we must fine tune the restrictions so the economy and people [can recover] while keeping the virus at bay.



The government is continually analysing the state of the economy and consulting with economic players, he said. In some sectors such as tourism, life has come to a virtual standstill, and here it would be right to speak in terms of a complete relaunch, he said. The state of manufacturing and agriculture is less onerous.



Car manufacturers and their suppliers are retooling and in many sectors and places, work has not stopped. I think industrial production will recover faster than many people think, Palkovics said.



MTI Photo: Gergely Botar
A Virgin Atlantic ticket agent was sacked after she stole 1,000 in cash that was paid by a passenger for an upgrade on a London to New York flight, an employment tribunal has heard.

Karin Forshaw, who lives in London, was handed the money in an envelope to secure an 'Upper Class' seat while working on the airline's desk at Heathrow's Terminal Three.

But she failed to register the transaction, claiming at first no cash had changed hands, then that the envelope had been put in the top shelf of the check-in desk before it went missing.

The airline only found out about the exchange when they received a call four days later from the unidentified female passenger's personal assistant, who complained about not receiving a receipt.

Forshaw had a career spanning more than 20 years at the airline and an unblemished employment record before the incident. She said she suffers from depression.

Upper Class seats pictured on the flight. A passenger paid 1,000 to upgrade to this cabin

Virgin launched an investigation following the phone call over the 'no-show seat' upgrade, the tribunal held in Reading, Berkshire, heard, and sacked her after 'it became clear there were inconsistencies with her story'.

When asked why she didn't report it during the remaining four hours of her shift, she said she 'panicked'.

Karin Forshaw, pictured, who lives in London, was handed the money to secure an Upper Class upgrade at the Virgin Atlantic desk in Heathrow's Terminal Three

Forshaw said: 'I understand the perception. When you spoke to me I didn't know what to do... I just panicked, it was a shock to me.'

Virgin's investigating officer, Andrew Miltiadou, said he sacked her because: 'It is not credible that you misplaced that sum of money and it had then gone missing.

'I appreciate that you have worked hard to build a good reputation at Virgin Atlantic for over 20 years and you regard yourself to be a good employee however I cannot ignore that this was a serious matter.

'During the investigation process, you had given two different explanations.

'This was an extremely serious case of where you were in a trusted position to handle cash.

'My findings are that you did take the money and that you have been dishonest in a) doing so initially and b) attempting to avoid dismissal by alleging that the money simply went missing.

'This dishonesty goes to the heart of whether you can be trusted to remain in any position within the company.'

Forshaw failed to register the transaction. She initially claimed no transaction had taken place, before saying the money had gone missing

Virgin Atlantic sacked her over the transaction. They said there were 'inconsistencies' with her story. Forshaw had worked at the company for 20 years and had an unblemished record

Forshaw took Virgin to an employment tribunal, claiming her dismissal was unfair and discriminatory due to her depression.

However, Judge Steven Vowles ruled her actions 'justified' dismissal. He said her disability did not impact her employer's decision.

He said: 'The most compelling evidence to support the allegation of having stolen the money was (Forshaws) false account... that no cash had changed hands.

'Had the passengers personal assistant not telephoned on March 26, 2017, to complain about the lack of a receipt, there would have been no audit trail for the 1,000 in cash, and (Forshaw) would have known that.'

The passenger's personal assistant telephoned Virgin on 26 March 2017, and Forshaw left her job at the company that month.
A less strict regime for some people, mainly those living in cross-border regions, applies as of May 1.

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Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

The government has eased the rules for cross-border workers. The originally pondered requirement to show a negative COVID-19 test result was scrapped.

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The exceptions on the border apply to health care workers residing in Slovakia and working in the Czech Republic and Austria, and for people who live and work within 30 km from the borders.

The Sme daily has answered some frequently asked questions regarding the border checks.

1. I commute to work daily across Slovakia's borders. What documents do I need to cross the borders?

All cross-border workers must show a document proving their job position. Those with adequate documentation con continue their daily commute without having to go into state quarantine for 14 days. The person's workplace and their residence must not be further than 30 km away from the borders.

2. Are there any exceptions from the 30-kilometre distance rule?

The only exception is for health care workers working in the Czech regions bordering with Slovakia, but they have to prove they are COVID-19 negative, with a PCR test result no older than 48 hours.

Under the new rules, the same will apply for social workers, like care workers in the Czech Republic and in Austria, if they work in the federal states of Lower Austria, Burgenland, or Vienna.

Once they cross the Slovak border, they will not be required to stay in quarantine if they can show a negative COVID-19 test no older than 96 hours.

3. As a cross-border worker within 30 km, do I need to show a coronavirus test too?

The state eventually scrapped this planned requirement.

4. Our family lives in Hungary, Austria, or the Czech Republic, but only I work in Slovakia. Can we all cross the border?

Relatives were required to go to state quarantine, but in reality police officers used to turn these people back. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is now dealing with the situation to ensure people are able to visit the doctor and later go to schools or kindergartens in Slovakia. The central crisis staff has released measures for children and underage persons who are related to cross-border workers.

5. I have been at work in Vienna for weeks. When will I be able to go home while avoiding state quarantine?

There is no such option for now, unless the person works as a health care worker or a carer. Only these professions are are exempt from quarantine if they can show a negative COVID-19 test no older than 96 hours.

6. I need to take school admission tests in a neighbouring country. Will I have to go to quarantine when I return?

The crisis staff has granted Slovak students abroad an exemption so that they can take their necessary admission or final exams.

Sme
A Kroger supermarket.

Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A Kentucky woman was arrested Monday after the police said she tested positive for the novel coronavirus but refused three times to quarantine.

The woman is thought to have made contact with five people at a Kroger grocery store, which was packed with roughly 200 customers and staff members on a busy Monday morning, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

It's not the first time the Kentucky police have enforced quarantine orders  in March, local authorities stationed armed deputies outside one man's door to ensure he stayed home.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A Kentucky woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus refused three times to self-quarantine and was arrested Monday after a witness spotted her at a Kroger grocery store, the police say.

An arrest citation obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader said Kendra Burnett, 37, was seen making contact with five people at the Louisville Kroger, which was packed with roughly 200 customers and staff members on a busy Monday morning.

The Louisville Metro Police Department appears to have been tipped off by Burnett's mother. The local Fox affiliate WDRB reported that a woman who identified herself as Burnett's mother greeted officers outside the store and pointed Burnett out as she left the building.

Burnett has since been charged with five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count each of contempt of court and second-degree criminal mischief, according to the Herald-Leader.

The newspaper said Burnett was arraigned Tuesday, but it's unclear whether she has made a plea.

The incident is not the first time law-enforcement authorities in Kentucky have enforced quarantine orders.

In March, Gov. Andy Beshear told the news media that one man who tested positive for COVID-19 had initially refused to self-quarantine, prompting local authorities to station armed deputies outside his door to ensure he stayed home.

The Nelson County sheriff said the man later complied with the quarantine order, but deputies still stayed outside his home just in case.

Read the original article on Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Billionaire activist investor Christopher Hohn has called on Wirecard AG to remove Chief Executive Officer Markus Braun after an independent audit of past revenues criticized the German payments processor for internal shortcomings.

The probe by KPMG was unable to obtain the data needed to verify revenues of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in transactions with third parties. Wirecard hired the accounting firm in October to look into its third-party partner business as well as operations in India and Singapore following a series of reports by the Financial Times that accused the company of accounting fraud in several countries.

Shares in Wirecard fell 12.6% in early trading in Frankfurt, taking the drop since start of trading Tuesday to 37%.

Given management didnt provide KPMG with the necessary documentation to verify the revenue, we are of the view that the supervisory board is legally obliged to intervene, Hohns TCI Fund Management Ltd. said in a letter also posted on its website.

In our opinion, the necessary intervention is now to remove the CEO from all management duties, TCI said. Failing that, the board must take responsibility for the investigation and remove Wirecards management from involvement in the audit until the allegations have been resolved, it said.

TCI has a short position in Wirecard, equivalent to 1.04% of the companys stock.

Hohns hedge fund, which managed about $30 billion before suffering its steepest ever monthly decline in March, specializes in taking large stakes in companies and agitating for change to boost the firms share prices.

His bets have included companies such as ABN Amro Bank NV, News Corp. and most recently some attempted agitation against the London Stock Exchange Group Plc.

The tactic has worked well for TCI -- its made money every year since 2008. It gained 41% in 2019, its best annual performance in six years.

(Updates with share price, corrects company name.)

Story continues

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
[April 29, 2020] Particle Announces New Tracking System to Support IoT Deployments in Transportation & Logistics, Cold Chain, and Micromobility

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Particle , the edge-to-cloud IoT platform built to connect the unconnected, today announced its new Tracking System to provide organizations with the ability to track the locations of a wide variety of mobile assets with its powerful, configurable, extensible and field-ready solution. In a forthcoming study from Particle that surveyed over 1,000 IoT engineers and industry experts, Asset Tracking ranked as one of the top three most in-demand applications for IoT technology. Built on the Particle platform spanning integrated Internet-of-Things (IoT) hardware, edge software, connectivity, and cloud-based management software, Particle's Tracking System empowers customers to track the real-time location of critical assets and capture additional intelligence via sensor data including temperature and acceleration as well as remotely control mobile equipment and vehicles. Asset Tracking operations are critical for both emerging and established industries, including supply chain & logistics providers, cold chain operations, micromobility businesses such as connected scooter & eBike vendors, transportation, and general purpose high-value capital asset tracking and monitoring. While conventional Asset Tracking and telematics tools have often historically focused on basic use cases such as collecting the location data of critical assets, next-generation capabilities powered by IoT technologies enable organizations to develop more sophisticated solutions to support industry-specific use cases: Transportation & logistics managers use real-time data and for comprehensive fleet management, to monitor the quality of goods in transit, and identify where organizations can save energy and resources

use real-time data and for comprehensive fleet management, to monitor the quality of goods in transit, and identify where organizations can save energy and resources Cold chain logistics providers need to ensure quality and compliance for at rest and in-transit goods ranging from food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals

need to ensure quality and compliance for at rest and in-transit goods ranging from food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals Manufacturers and distributors of machines and equipment across a wide range of industries from construction to equipment rental firms must track the location of high-value capital assets to maximize asset utilization, prevent theft and loss, and monitor inventory

across a wide range of industries from construction to equipment rental firms must track the location of high-value capital assets to maximize asset utilization, prevent theft and loss, and monitor inventory Micromobility providers require not only basic capabilities to track scooters / e-bikes by location, but also need to remotely update the device to continually improve their product and address evolving compliance standards as well as monitor operational status, such as tracking whether a scooter's headlights are on or off upon parking. Particle's Tracking System builds on the existing edge-to-cloud IoT platform with the following new offerings: Tracking Services is a suite of softwar purpose-built for asset tracking applications that extends Particle's platform with geolocation services (mapping and geodatabase) and a configuration service for defining fleet-wide behaviors such as reporting interval on-the-fly. Tracker Services also includes an open firmware application framework for devices that integrates with off-the-shelf IoT sensors and can be deeply customized to support sophisticated tracker applications.

is a suite of softwar purpose-built for asset tracking applications that extends Particle's platform with geolocation services (mapping and geodatabase) and a configuration service for defining fleet-wide behaviors such as reporting interval on-the-fly. Tracker Services also includes an open firmware application framework for devices that integrates with off-the-shelf IoT sensors and can be deeply customized to support sophisticated tracker applications. Tracker SoM is a powerful, configurable, and extensible IoT System-on-Module (SoM) that builds on Particle's Tracking Services foundation and provides a powerful MCU, GNSS, and advanced peripherals in a compact form factor. Tracker SoM serves as an accelerated starting point to organizations that require a tailored tracking solution for sophisticated applications as well as a fully-certified foundation for original equipment manufacturers developing commercial products.

is a powerful, configurable, and extensible IoT System-on-Module (SoM) that builds on Particle's Tracking Services foundation and provides a powerful MCU, GNSS, and advanced peripherals in a compact form factor. Tracker SoM serves as an accelerated starting point to organizations that require a tailored tracking solution for sophisticated applications as well as a fully-certified foundation for original equipment manufacturers developing commercial products. Tracker One is a field-ready Asset Tracking solution that utilizes the Particle Tracking Services and Tracker SoM to provide customers with an out-of-the-box product that incorporates edge hardware, edge software, cellular connectivity, and software capabilities. Tracker One is fully certified, immediately deployable, and requires no additional development on the behalf of users for a true off-the-shelf solution.



Zach Supalla , CEO of Particle. "With Particle's new Asset Tracking developments, we are providing a field-ready product that can be modified, reconfigured, and reprogrammed to suit the needs of every customer with mobile machines, vehicles, and equipment, allowing them to quickly start collecting critical data and real-time intelligence off of these machines and assets and start solving real problems for their customers." Key capabilities of the new Asset Tracking solutions include:

Integrated software suite offering an intuitive interface to monitor assets, configure hardware, manage industry-leading remote over-the-air updates, generate reports, and manage integrations

"All-in-one" edge-to-cloud platform spanning purpose-built edge hardware, edge software, cellular connectivity, and management software to avoid the cost, complexity, and security risks of a piecemeal approach

Rapid time to market through out-of-the-box field-ready solutions

The opportunity to configure and customize solutions for sophisticated asset tracking applications

Global cellular connectivity options including LTE CAT M1 in North America and LTE CAT 1 with 3G and 2G fallback in EMEAA

and LTE CAT 1 with 3G and 2G fallback in EMEAA Powerful and accurate real-time location tracking with GNSS and onboard dead-reckoning for 1.8m CEP50 GPS accuracy paired with onboard capabilities including a high-precision thermistor as well as an accelerometer and gyroscope for motion detection, positioning, and orientation insight

CEP50 GPS accuracy paired with onboard capabilities including a high-precision thermistor as well as an accelerometer and gyroscope for motion detection, positioning, and orientation insight High-extensibility via onboard integrated CAN Bus controller and transceiver as well as an I/O expander for additional capability expansion via industry standard protocols

Purpose-built, open source edge software for comprehensive device management out-of-the-box paired with accessible libraries for advanced configuration and custom development "As the world's first platform offering logistics players smart, light electric vehicles as a service, IoT-enabled asset tracking capabilities are critical to our business and Particle has been a trusted solution provider and strong partner," says Mina Nada, CEO and Co-Founder of Bolt Bikes. "We are excited to see Particle's continued advancement with the introduction of their new asset tracking solution and look forward to continuing to leverage their edge-to-cloud offering." Particle works with customers across a wide range of industries including supply chain and logistics providers, industrial manufacturing, agriculture, micromobility, and local governments implementing smart city solutions. Particle's Asset Tracking solution is available now in an early access program. Businesses and organizations interested in the Particle Asset Tracking solution can visit www.particle.io/iot-asset-tracking . About Particle Particle is the only end-to-end IoT platform that combines software, hardware, and connectivity as an integrated solution that ensures their customers' IoT products are reliable, scalable, and secure. Thousands of companies ranging from traditional manufacturers to fast-growing start-ups are launching IoT products powered by Particle. Particle works with leading companies across a variety of industries, including customers like Jacuzzi, Continental Tires, Watsco, Shifted Energy, Anderson EV, and Opti. Particle is venture backed and has offices in San Francisco, Shenzhen, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Boston. For more information visit www.particle.io . Particle boasts the largest developer community in the IoT industry, with nearly 200,000 developers and engineers in more than 170 countries building with Particle. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/particle-announces-new-tracking-system-to-support-iot-deployments-in-transportation--logistics-cold-chain-and-micromobility-301049316.html SOURCE Particle

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to twitter Tuesday night to call for the re-opening of America, joining calls from protest groups and business owners alike to re-start the economy in the wake of the initial spike in novel coronavirus cases.

FREE AMERICA NOW  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2020

Tesla investors, on the other hand, have longer-term concerns.

When Tesla reports first-quarter results after the bell on Wednesday, many individual shareholders will not be looking for details on the subject that drives most conversations: the effect of the pandemic.

Their view vastly differs from that of traditional analysts and institutional investors, who want to hear updates on Tesla's 2020 cash flow and potential moves to boost demand during a prolonged recession due to the epidemic.

Submitting questions for Tesla's earnings call on a website, retail investors want to learn about Tesla's steps to expand into the robotaxi market, the company's self-driving technology and even plans to create airless tires to reduce maintenance costs.

Of the top 50 questions, only four refer to the novel coronavirus, with one investor asking what safeguards Tesla would implement to protect employees at U.S. factories. Another probed whether Tesla had plans to expand into the grocery delivery market, where demand has skyrocketed during the pandemic.

Investors can vote for a particular question, and Tesla management, including Chief Executive Elon Musk, generally answers the most popular ones during an earnings call.

Musk is on a track for a $750 million options payout if Tesla can maintain a six-month market cap of $100 billion; the rolling average sat at $96 billion as Monday.

Currently, the No. 1 retail investor question is whether Musk will stick to his target for a 50% compound annual growth rate over the next five to 10 years, or whether a 40% target would be more realistic.

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Many institutional analysts expect Tesla to have a compound annual growth rate of around 20%.

Analysts on average expect March quarter revenue to jump 30% to $5.9 billion, according to Refinitiv, down from an initial February estimate of $6.7 billion.

Tesla in early April reported strong vehicle deliveries in the first three months of 2020 - a time when other U.S. carmakers grappled with a slump in sales as virus woes and lockdown restrictions began taking hold.

The company in mid-February raised $2 billion in a stock offering, and investors on Wednesday will probe whether that covers the company's cash burn at a time when Tesla ramps up production of its new Model Y sport utility vehicle.

Institutional analysts also expect details on Tesla's plans to restart factory operations after its only U.S. vehicle factory near San Francisco was forced to close at the end of March. The company originally said it would resume operations on May 4, but Bay Area health officials on Monday extended shelter-in-place orders to the end of May.
In this April photo provided by Tyson Foods, workers wear protective masks and stand between plastic dividers at the company's Camilla, Ga., poultry plant. The company added the dividers during the coronavirus outbreak. (Associated Press )

Dozens of beef, chicken and pork processing and packing plants have shut down across the nation as COVID-19 infections soar among workers. More plants are on the verge of closing on account of sick workers or facilities that need to be sanitized.

Left with few buyers for their animals, farmers have begun to kill and dispose of healthy livestock while they wait for slaughterhouses to reopen.

There will continue to be plenty of meat in grocery stores until the stock of stored frozen foods is depleted sometime in May  unless, of course, people panic about the potential shortage and start hoarding. But consumers are already feeling the effect of the processing plant closures in the form of higher meat prices.

"The food supply chain is breaking, warned John Tyson, chairman of the board of Tyson Foods Inc., in a full-page ad that ran in newspapers Sunday. Tyson closed pork processing plants in Iowa and Indiana after COVID-19 spread among workers, and there are outbreaks of sickness at still-open Tyson plants in other states. We are not quite at the breaking point, but the nation's food system is certainly under tremendous stress.

Its a dreadful situation that might have been avoided had the meat processing and packing industry moved faster to protect workers from infection instead of ignoring federal guidelines on social distancing. Now, more than 6,500 meat industry workers have been infected or exposed to the coronavirus, and at least 20 have died, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. At least 100 U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors have contracted COVID-19 and one has died.

And yet things might get even worse under the fix that President Trump came up with to head off a U.S. meat shortage. On Tuesday, he outlined a new executive order that designates meat processing plants as "critical infrastructure" under the Defense Production Act and forces them to remain open despite COVID-19 outbreaks. And the magic ingredient? Exempting the meat producers from liability if workers get sick, according to news reports, because it's "unfair to them." That is, unfair to the companies, not the workers exposed to the disease.

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The order appears to impose no new health or safety obligations on the plants, leaving workers as vulnerable as ever to the virus. This disregard for the health and safety of people already working in appalling conditions is unconscionable. Processing meat is a brutal, high-stress and low-paid job in which people work shoulder to shoulder on production lines. But perhaps the president thinks these workers, most of them people of color and many of them undocumented immigrants, are expendable.

Unless plants are required to build coronavirus safeguards into their production lines, forcing them to stay open will be a recipe for disaster, not just for workers at the plant but for the communities in which they live. Meat processing plants in South Dakota, Texas and Georgia have been linked to COVID-19 outbreaks in neighboring communities. If we want to quell the pandemic, it doesn't make sense to allow obvious infection hot spots to remain active.

It's also unclear how the plants can force workers to return to work if they feel unsafe.

At this point, a disruption in the meat industry seems unavoidable. But its not without at least one benefit: It's not a bad idea for Americans to eat less animal flesh. Americans on average eat more than 140 pounds of meat a year, about half of it in the form of red meat, which contributes to cardiovascular disease and other life-shortening ailments.

Meat production also takes a heavy toll on the environment. Methane from livestock accounts for an estimated 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions. The Amazon forest, one of the worlds most important biologically diverse habitats, is being systemically razed to make more room for cattle ranching. Climate change experts for years have been urging people to eat less meat and more plants.

Of course, meat is still an important part of the U.S. food supply as well as a major source of employment, and a shortage will be another in a string of pandemic hardships. Nevertheless, it's not worth the cost in human lives to rush this troubled industry back into production just so that Americans can count on having an ample supply of steak.




Some 26 new Covid-19 research and innovation projects will receive a five million euro cash injection, the government has confirmed.

The projects will address key areas such as frontline healthcare, diagnostics, infection control, contact tracing, mental health and potential treatments.

It will also address the management of the mitigation measures related to social distancing and isolation.

Dr Darrin Morrissey, chief executive of the Health Research Board (HRB), said that the projects will help to better understand Covid-19 and how it affects people in different ways.

Today Im announcing that 26 research & innovation projects are receiving 5m as part of our efforts to combat #COVID19. This is a first tranche that will be added to. Funding is coming from my Dept @EnterInnov with @SimonHarrisTDs & @McHughJoeTDs Depts through our agencies pic.twitter.com/JcyoZsdnzR  Heather Humphreys (@HHumphreysFG) April 29, 2020

Minister for Business Heather Humphreys said that this a first tranche of funding under the rapid response research and innovation call.

Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, Dr Morrissey said: We know Covid-19 knows no boundaries.

These projects aim to recognise and put in place solutions for vulnerable groups like older people, people living with intellectual disability, people living with life-limiting illnesses, and people that with autism.

They aim tackle social and behavioral challenges, including the challenges around social distancing and sustainable social distancing.

Ms Humphreys added: The initiative is a collaboration between five government agencies.

They aim tackle social and behavioral challenges, including the challenges around social distancing and sustainable social distancing Professor Mark Ferguson

We asked them to come together to design a fund to support our best and brightest ideas in the context of the pandemic.

As a small nation with limited resources, we must work together to maximise opportunities and thats exactly what were doing here.

Were lucky in this country to have a world class researchers in our higher education institutes working in a diverse range of innovative companies, both indigenous and multinational, that can quickly pivot to deliver projects, treatments and interventions as needed.

All of the proposals have been internationally peer-reviewed and experts have worked remotely to provide the feedback and ensure that we select the best projects.

This work continues and there are plenty more projects in the pipeline, many of which will involve Irish companies, both homegrown and foreign owned.

Professor Mark Ferguson, director general of Science Foundation Ireland, said that the research will be relevant to the various phases of the Covid-19 crisis.

You will know that we will soon face challenges with reopening our economy and that will be addressed in future applications, he added.

We are not alone, governments around the world are addressing this and we are connected to the global research system.
Southeast Texas restaurants, bars and musicians, like so many other businesses, are taking a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, which has closed indefinitely places where people congregate.

Tyler Blount, owner of the Neches Brewing Company in Port Neches, was feeling it when contacted by Cat5.

Today, Im so over it, he said. Give us a break, man.

I mean, number-wise, were probably about $15K in the hole. Weve had to let go of all our bartenders and told them to file for unemployment.

Blount said the only thing that his brewery can do is sell growlers to go.

Thats our only source of revenue, he said. The bills keep coming in ... rent, taxes, etc. Im trying to keep four people paid. It took us some time to build up some capital to keep in the bank. Now weve had to tap into that in order to keep going.

As for the future, Blount, whose brewery opened three years ago, assessed, Without some type of government bailout, we might face closure.

In addition to dealing with the pandemic, Blount is facing an audit from the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission.

Two years of paperwork is needed for it, Blount said. Its just another thing on top of everything else. I can deal with us going through the routines in business but its the worst timing for TABC to do this.

Family also is in the forefront of Blounts mind.

I have two little kids at home  and a wife, who is a school teacher at home whos taking care of the kids while also having to teach remotely, he said. Its a lot to deal with right now.

Long-term effect on business and life

Traci Gates, who along with husband, Casey, owns MacKenzies Pub, said that their popular place has taken quite a hit.

Just like everybody else, were a bar and nightclub and have life music four to five nights per week, so you can imagine.

MacKenzies has been a popular Southeast Texas pub for more than 20 years. The Gates took over ownership less than two years ago.

This is going to be something people remember for the rest of their lives, Gates said. We havent let anybody go. There are only two to four employees per day in our business. The other employees are OK, but because were a bar and restaurant, they are not able to work as they usually would right now.

Gates said shes been in touch with a couple of the pubs regular acts during the home quarantine period.

We are living day by day now, she said. As for when those performers can come back into our place, once social distancing ends, then well cross that bridge.

Making adjustments

Mark Nesmith of Barstool Ministry has had to make adjustments in light of the coronavirus pandemic. For the Port Neches-Grove school district music teacher, though, hes been able to stay afloat financially.

Were OK, Nesmith said. Im pretty much at home. I do count myself among the fortunate ones who have a day job. I can hang in there. I have an awful lot of friends who have had their musical work totally dry up.

Nesmith has had as many as 20 performances wiped off the books.

Most places have stopped having music indefinitely, he said. Now we have to wait and hope for June to come around because we have gigs set up. A lot of bars and restaurants have had to do something to stay open. Well have to wait and see if they can reopen for musical acts.

Hes aware of local musicians turning to Facebook Lives or live streams and setting up virtual tip jars to make ends meet. For now, Nesmith said I have so much to do that Im not worried about where I am money-wise.

Using social media to their advantage

Sharing their music to the online during a really sad time has been a way for Curse and The Cures Jason Touchette and Norma Hinojosa to bring some enjoyment into peoples lives. Its also been a bit of a boon for their fanbase, too.

Hinojosa said a recent Facebook Live show that they did from their home had nearly 30,000 views from people either being on live or sharing it with their friends. They call their online shows LIVE! On Lockdown.

You know, its been really awesome, she said. Weve been able to reach new friends and fans from all over different states and nations. Its been a lot of fun.

The duo, a staple in the Southeast Texas music scene, have had to get creative when it comes to earning money.

During their Facebook Live show, they offer a virtual tip jar where viewers could make donations through Venmo, PayPal and CashApp.

In addition, the couple have launched a GoFundMe page seeking monetary help during this time of reduced gigs.

From March 17 until the end of April, 17 gigs have been canceled, Hinojosa said. Were just really waiting around to see if or when (music venues) will reopen. It may take time for them to reopen. Were just riding the wave.

Gigs going away

Wayne Dylan has seen his usually busy music gig schedule go kaput.

Weve cancelled everything through April 30, Dylan said. From March 12 to April 30. That was when government officials said the bars and restaurants needed to close, and those venues did.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dylan said he lost 13 performing gigs in that timespan and May remains up in the air.

Theres a possibility of losing 12-13 gigs in May, he said.

Dylan keeps himself occupied these days with a day job, for which he is grateful. Some of his musician friends have been turning to social media with virtual tip jars to get by financially.

I have begun to think about it, he said in regard to going live on Facebook or doing live streams. I do see a lot of my friends using Facebook Lives and having a virtual tip jar. Because I am so blessed to have a day job, Id probably set up a tip jar for either other musicians or causes that could use the financial help.

Its a big hit and I dont like it

Much like a lot of his musical friends, Larry Tillery has seen his bookings and gigs disappear.

I do other things, but this is a big chunk of my living, Tillery said. Since this has been going on, weve all been taking a hit all over the world. Plus music is like our form of therapy and part of our creativeness, so not being able to go out and perform ... it hurts.

Tillery, who fronts The Larry Tillery Blues Band, said that hes lost 27 shows, looking at his calendar from mid-March through April.

Its a big hit and I dont like it, said Tillery, who lives in Beaumont.

10 percent profit

Ed Grissom of The Logon Cafe said his business has suffered a 90 percent fall-off as all the venerable restaurant/coffee house/music venue can provide these days is to-go orders.

Were running at 10 percent profit right now, Grissom said. Its been a lot of money so far. We were going to do some weekends but we didnt get calls for orders. That little bit of 10 percent goes to our employees. Were not a big takeout place anyway. We have great food but you have to come in to get it.

I have one part-time bartender that has been off for a couple of weeks but were doing our best to keep the others around. Its hard to restart and I hate to lose good people.

Grissom said hes still got payroll taxes and sales taxes to take care of.

Theres no forgiveness for those things, he said. There is a debt that has been created by the coronavirus. All of that has to be paid out of pocket. Ive been here 23 years and gone through hurricanes, floods, having the street in front of the place fall apart and now this. You just dont give up.

Now hes looking to the future.

As soon as they let us open the doors, weve got several parties lined up, Grissom said. Its life, man.

Joe Rutland is a freelance writer who was raised in Beaumont and lives in El Paso.
Women whose first baby is born at full term, but who experience complications in pregnancy, have an increased risk of preterm delivery (before 37 weeks) in their next pregnancy, finds a study from Norway published by The BMJ today.

The findings suggest that term complications may share important underlying causes with preterm delivery that persist from pregnancy to pregnancy - and could therefore help identify women at increased risk of preterm delivery, despite having had a previous term birth, say the researchers.

Women who deliver at term are generally considered to be at low risk of preterm delivery in later pregnancies, but it is not clear whether pregnancy complications or poor outcomes at birth might increase the risk of preterm delivery.

So researchers based in Norway and in the US set out to explore whether pregnancy complications or poor outcomes after a first term delivery might increase the risk of preterm delivery in the next pregnancy.

Their findings are based on data from Norway's Medical Birth Registry linking first and second pregnancies for 302,192 women between 1999 and 2015.

Term complications included pre-eclampsia (abnormally high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine), placental abruption (when the placenta comes away from the womb), stillbirth, neonatal death (in the first 28 days), and having a small baby (small for gestational age).

The researchers found that women with any of the five complications at term were at substantially increased risk of preterm delivery in their next pregnancy. The conclusion did not change after taking account of potentially influential factors, such as mother's age, pre-pregnancy weight, education level and smoking status.

Compared with having none of the five complications in the first pregnancy, having any one of the complications led to a doubling of preterm risk, while having any two or more complications more than tripled the risk.

The absolute risks for preterm delivery in second pregnancy were 3% with none of the five term complications, 6% after term pre-eclampsia, 7% after term placental abruption, 13% after term stillbirth, 10% after term neonatal death and nearly 7% after term small for gestational age.

This is an observational study, so can't establish cause, and the researchers point to some limitations that may have affected the accuracy of their findings.

However, the results are based on high quality population-based birth data, and were largely unchanged after a range of further analyses, suggesting that they withstand scrutiny.

As such, they conclude that serious complications in pregnancy at term "imply an increased risk not only of recurrence of the same outcome but also of preterm birth in a subsequent pregnancy. These findings might inform antenatal clinical care by helping to identify women at increased risk of preterm delivery."

And they add that further exploration of the causal factors underlying these shared risks "might provide insight into fundamental biological mechanisms that link a broad range of pregnancy complications."

###

Peer reviewed? Yes

Evidence type: Observational

Subjects: People
(Photo : REUTERS/Brendan McDermid) A scientist works in a lab testing COVID-19 samples at New York City's health department, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, New York U.S., April 23, 2020. Picture taken April 23, 2020.

A dozen of America's top scientists, a group of billionaires, and industry titans say they have the solution to the coronavirus pandemic. The group has made a backdoor to furnish their plan to the White House.

The assembled team-Scientists to Stop COVID-19-has been running behind-the-scenes in the latest months to compile an advisory report outlining what they consider to be the excellent ways of treating the infectious ailment and restoring the economy.

Scientists to Stop COVID 19 was first reported through The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). In the report, it found out its output had already been forwarded to Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus mission force, and influenced decisions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

The group, spearheaded by physician-turned-project capitalist Tom Cahill, is serving from the shared know-how of at least a dozen men and women operating at the upper echelons of the scientific and academic communities.





Contract tracing

A report acquired and published by the WSJ identifies medicines that could potentially be used to treat COVID-19 and highlights American organizations that are best suited to help produce, distribute or study pharmaceuticals, tablets, or antibodies.

The team is sifting by peer-reviewed studies to locate the most promising results, then attempting to flag them to health officials and the federal government.

The 17-page file claims that none of the organization contributors have "any direct or recognized indirect financial interests" in organizations named in the analysis.

The WSJ cited some plans regarded to be "unorthodox," consisting of the proposed treatment of patients with capsules first meant for Ebola in higher doses than were used in the past.

"The war against COVID-19 is being fought on multiple fronts," the report notes. "We describe plans to develop therapeutics and vaccines and to reopen our businesses and schools that could be deployed in several waves," it added.

"We are a group of passionate citizen-scientists who offer four actionable non-partisan proposals to produce safe and effective COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines in the shortest possible time frame, and to reopen our society in a manner that reduces the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks."





ALSO READ: COVID-19: Coronavirus Contract Tracing Apps Raise Concerns on Effectiveness, Legality Worldwide





Breakout

According to the crew, the first wave of cures will be focused on the use of existing drugs, with trying out all through April to May 2020.

The second wave will develop antibody pills, with testing outs from June to August 2020.

The third is the creation of vaccines, with a testing timeline of March 2020 to March 2021.

The fourth point, reopening of the economy, must begin around May-June this year, but have to be first based on science-based symptom reporting and virus testing, they say.

Approaches to drugs, vaccines, and reopening our society should be critically pursued and supported simultaneously, the paper said.

The report added defeating the novel coronavirus in the United States, and around the world, will require a massive and well-organized collaborative effort from government, industry, philanthropy, and citizens.

"It is vital that we establish these partnerships and take action immediately," the paper wrote.

The group told the WSJ they are aware their ideas won't be taken on board by the United States government or its coronavirus venture force.

Harvard University chemist Schreiber acknowledged the team may fail. "But if it succeeds, it could change the world," he told WSJ.





ALSO READ: FDA Says Yes to Coronavirus Cure From Israel; U.S. Gov't Ready to Test Trial Medicine Starting Next Week









 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Three U.S. children infected with the coronavirus are being treated for a rare inflammatory syndrome that appears similar to one that has raised concerns by doctors in Britain, Italy and Spain, a specialist treating the patients told Reuters.

All three - who range in age from 6 months to 8 years - have undergone treatment at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and all had fever and inflammation of the heart and the gut.

'Right now, we're at the very beginning of trying to understand what that represents,' Columbia's Dr. Mark Gorelik told Reuters.

Gorelik, a pediatric rheumatologist and immunologist, said he was called in to consult on the cases to evaluate whether the children have Kawasaki disease, an illness thought to be linked to infection that in severe cases causes inflammation of the arteries of the heart.

British toddler Bertie Brown, 2, was admitted to hospital last month with a fever and rash across his body. He has been diagnosed with the rare Kawasaki disease after contracting suspected coronavirus. Now three US children have been diagnosed with similar inflammatory disease which appears to be rare side effect of coronavirus

It comes as an expert warns that children may experience two phases of COVID-19: the initial infection and a secondary immune response that kicks in some weeks later. Pictured are the legs and stomach of Bertie which were swollen and discolored after he is believed to have contracted Kawaski after coronavirus. The American children who suffered a similar illness have not yet been identified

Dr. Mark Gorelik of Columbia University Medical Center has warned that children may experience two phases of COVID-19: the initial infection and a secondary immune response

WHAT IS AN INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME? Children are being admitted in what has been described as a 'multi-system inflammatory state' This refers to the over-production of cytokines, known as a cytokine storm - the overreaction of the body's immune system In a storm, the proteins start to attack healthy tissue, which can cause blood vessels to leak and lead to low blood pressure Doctors say this also happens with Ebola, causing the body to go into shock It has also been noted in older COVID-19 patients WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT CAUSE? The cases share overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease Two of the most common symptoms of Kawasaki disease include a rash and a fever TSS also causes a rash, dizziness and diarrhoea Advertisement

The three American children have undergone treatment at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Of the three, one is critically ill, one is in intensive care and the third has been discharged.

The inflammatory illness has affected children in European countries including the UK which has seen 20 cases, with one child needing to be put on a form of life support after their heart and lungs began to fail. The majority of the patients are thought to be under the age of five.

The illness appears to be similar to Kawasaki disease - which causes blood vessels to become inflamed, and toxic shock syndrome - an overreaction by the immune system which causes the body to attack its own organs.

The syndrome is likely caused by an overreaction of the body's immune system and noted similar symptoms had been seen in some adults infected with the coronavirus.

Two-year-old Bertie Brown, a British boy, left doctors baffled when his temperature soared over 104F and his blotchy rash began to turn black.

A senior consultant eventually diagnosed the boy with the rare Kawasaki disease but he not given a COVID-19 test, leaving both medics and his family in the dark about a possible link.

Meanwhile, Lewis Greig, a 13-year-old boy from Aberdeen has been on a ventilator since last week with COVID-19, after presenting with inflammatory symptoms including bloodshot eyes and measles-like rashes.

Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have warned to look out for the rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus.

Earlier this week, Britain's Pediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with 'a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care' across the country.

The group said there was 'growing concern' that either a COVID-19-related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.

Health officials in northern Italy also say they have seen a high number of cases in children younger than 9 years old.

Kawasaki disease is a form of toxic shock syndrome which causes the body's immune system to attack its own organs. Gorelik said he believes the three American cases are likely not Kawasaki disease, but a similar process that shares an underlying mechanism

Strawberry tongues and bright swollen lips are signs of Kawasake disease, which has been compared to a new syndrome affecting children during the coronavirus pandemic

Gorelik said he believes the U.S. cases are likely not Kawasaki disease, but a similar process that shares an underlying mechanism with Kawasaki, which is thought to be triggered by an infectious agent that sparks an immune response.

'This has very similar features,' he said.

WHAT IS KAWASAKI DISEASE AND TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME? KAWASAKI DISEASE Kawasaki disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of the blood vessels and affects mostly children under five years old. The inflammation can weaken the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood. This can lead to aneurysms and heart attacks. The condition affects eight children out of every 100,000 and statistics show it is fatal in three per cent of cases that go untreated. WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT CAUSE? The symptoms of Kawasaki disease usually develop in three phases over a six-week period. The first signs are a fever and a rash in the first few weeks, followed by the eyes of children becoming red and swollen. It can also cause the lips to dry up and crack, a sore throat, swollen lymph glands and the tongue to become red. The second phase of Kawasaki disease often causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, joint pain and jaundice. In the third phase, symptoms tend to disappear but children 'may still have a lack of energy and become easily tired during this time'. TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME Toxic shock syndrome is a highly dangerous bacterial infection - but it can be misdiagnosed because the symptoms are similar to other illnesses and because it is so rare. It occurs when usually harmless staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus bacteria, which live on the skin, invade the bloodstream and release dangerous toxins. TSS has a mortality rate of between five and 15 per cent. And reoccurs in 30-to-40 per cent of cases. Using tampons is a particular risk factor for TSS. WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT CAUSE? a high temperature

flu-like symptoms

feeling and being sick

diarrhoea

a widespread sunburn-like rash

lips, tongue and the whites of the eyes turning a bright red

dizziness or fainting

difficulty breathing

confusion Advertisement

Italian and British medical experts are investigating a possible link between the coronavirus pandemic and clusters of severe inflammatory disease among infants arriving in hospitals with high fevers and swollen arteries.

The syndrome had been largely undetected in the United States up until this point, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The three New York cases follow a report at Stanford University in California, in which a six-month-old was admitted to the hospital with Kawasaki disease and was later diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

'When the baby came back positive, it was a bit of a surprise,' said Dr. Roshni Mathew, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

Mathew, who wrote up the case in the journal Hospital Pediatrics, said the cause of Kawasaki disease is not known, but several pathogens have been suggested as a possible trigger, including some human coronaviruses.

The report on the patient in California doesn't clarify whether both illnesses happened coincidentally or if COVID-19 might have somehow caused Kawasaki disease, said Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, a University of Florida pediatrics professor, who co-authored a recent JAMA Pediatrics article about COVID-19 and children.

'We'll need more information published in the peer-reviewed literature to better understand this association. However, Kawasaki disease is a relatively rare condition, so seeing these cases makes us concerned that Kawasaki disease could be a rare complication of COVID-19,' she said.

'We need to remain vigilant when we see children with findings that aren't typical for COVID-19.'

Until now, children have largely escaped some of the more serious complications of COVID-19, which has taken its greatest toll on older adults and those with chronic conditions.

Gorelik said it is possible that in some children, however, the disease has two phases - the initial infection and a secondary immune response that kicks in some weeks later.

'It seems a week to two weeks later, you may have the immune system responding in a very disorganized way,' he said.

The team at Columbia has done some preliminary studies and found that at least two of the patients in New York with the apparent inflammatory syndrome carried genes that could alter their immune response.

Gorelik said the pattern in some ways follows what is happening with some adult COVID-19 patients, who get very sick, begin to recover, and then have a secondary immune response.

Dr. Jane Burns, director of the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at the University of California San Diego, said it is unclear if the cases reported to date are related to COVID-19.

A meeting of international experts is planned for this weekend to discuss the matter, she said.

Health officials estimate there have been about 10-20 such cases in Britain.

Viner said that although doctors were considering other potential causes for the syndrome, including other viruses or new medications, 'the working hypothesis is that it's COVID-related'.

Spain's Association of Pediatrics also recently made a similar warning, telling doctors that in recent weeks, there had been a number of school-age children suffering from 'an unusual picture of abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms' that could lead within hours to shock, low blood pressure and heart problems.

'It is a priority to recognize these (symptoms) to urgently refer these patients to a hospital,' the pediatric association said.

In Italy, Dr. Angelo Ravelli of Gaslini Hospital and a member of the Italian Paediatricians' Society, sent a note to 10,000 colleagues raising his concerns.

He and his team reported an unusual increase in the number of patients with Kawasaki disease in regions of Italy hit hard by the pandemic, noting some children had COVID-19 or had contacts with confirmed virus cases.

'These children do not respond to traditional treatment,' he said, adding that some were given a high dose of steroids. Those who developed toxic shock syndrome needed help breathing and were admitted to intensive care units, Ravelli said.

The warning came after a hospital in the northern town of Bergamo had more than 20 cases of severe vascular inflammation in the past month, six times as many as it would expect to see in a year, pediatric heart specialist Matteo Ciuffreda told Reuters.

Ciuffreda, of the Giovanni XXIII hospital, said only a few of the infants with vascular inflammation had tested positive for the new coronavirus but pediatric cardiologists in Madrid and Lisbon had told him they had seen similar cases.

He has called on his colleagues to document every such case to determine if there is a correlation between Kawasaki disease and COVID-19.

Dr. James Gill, an honorary clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School, said while the reports were concerning there was still no solid evidence that the rare syndrome was caused by COVID-19.

'Regardless of source, multi-system inflammatory diseases are exceptionally serious for children and already stretched intensive care teams, so keeping an extra eye out for new symptoms arising in the patients we see is always a good thing,' he said.

Some possible cases have also been reported in France and Belgium.

To date, children have been among the least affected group by the coronavirus. Data from more than 75,000 cases in China showed they comprised 2.4 percent of all cases and mostly suffered only mild symptoms.

The World Health Organization said it was attempting to gather more information on any new, coronavirus-related syndrome in children from its global network of doctors but had not received any official reports about it.
At a state government-run hospital in Hyderabad, many non-clinical hospital staffers say they are woefully unprotected.

Editor's note: This series will focus on the difficulties faced by the medical fraternity at COVID-19 hospitals, their duty hours, access to protective gear, facilities they get during quarantine, how are their families coping with this new reality across different states in the country. This is the fifth part of the series.

***

"Someone has to clean the mess. If I don't do it, who will?" asks Lakshmi (name changed), a cleaner at Hyderabad's Gandhi Hospital, which is presently a dedicated COVID-19 facility.

The 56-year-old is an off-roll employee and has been working at the state government-run hospital on a contractual basis for the past 13 years. She says the hospital has not provided her with a mask, or any other protective equipment.

What else can we do? My husband is dead, and my kids are married and living elsewhere. I need this job to feed myself, she said.

Like Lakshmi, many other cleaners, security guards, and janitors are at a high risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. While the challenges of doctors and nurses have been widely documented, those of contractual workers such as the ones described above do not get enough attention.

Sanitation workers, security personnel at high risk

Contractual employees at hospitals such as sanitation workers and security guards are at a high risk of exposure to the virus but are often expected to work without proper equipment.

Firstpost spoke to some medical and support staff at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, to understand the stress and work conditions of these forgotten workers.

Lakshmi, along with roughly 45 to 50 other staffers, lives in quarters provided by the hospital nearby. They are provided with three meals and are allowed to go to their homes for about two to three hours in the morning, after completing their night rounds.

She is a cleaner in one of the wards of the hospital. It is my job to clean up the ward after any surgeries or operations. I have neither been given a mask, nor gloves or any proper medical kit. I use a mask that I bought myself. Otherwise, I just wrap a dupatta over my face.

Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates

Lakshmi is not the only one. Many non-clinical hospital staffers say they, too, are woefully unprotected.

A junior doctor in the hospital noted that sanitation workers are not given adequate protection at all and said he is fearful for the support staff, who face the same risks as higher-paid clinical staffers.

He told Firstpost, It breaks my heart to see the cleaners work without any masks. They clean up vomit, blood, anything that spills on the ground. We, as doctors, just go in, check on our patients, and leave. But these workers stay back and clean everything. They are just as exposed as to the virus, if not more.

Click here to read the complete series

Ramesh (name changed), a security guard at the hospital said, We are not given masks, or even something as basic as soap and water to wash our hands. Doctors and attendants in wards are given masks since they deal with patients. But as a guard working in the building, I come in contact with suspected patients as well. I just use my handkerchief to cover myself.

Like Lakshmi, Ramesh works at the hospital on a contractual basis.

Another doctor, who is also a senior professor at Gandhi Medical College, highlighted that anyone is susceptible to the virus. The virus can be on your watch, your glasses. Nobody knows where the virus is, that is why it is called the invisible enemy.

But are workers such as cleaners and security guards less susceptible to the invisible enemy?

According to a BBC report, a Newcastle University analysed the results of 1,000 tests carried out on workers at local hospitals in March.

The staff members fell into three groups:

those dealing directly with patients like nurses, doctors

those who do not directly deal with patients but might be at greater risk of hospital infection like cleaners, lab staff

those who work in the building, non-clinical staff like clerical, admin, IT

The study found out that there was no evidence of a significant difference between the three groups, with rates of infection of 15 percent in the first group, 16 percent in the second, and 18 percent in the third.

Hospital administration claims enough masks for all staffers

An administrator of the Gandhi Hospital categorically told Firstpost that everyone in the hospital is provided with enough working PPE kits and masks.

"We have a table set up on the hospital premises where a staffer can show his/her ID card, and take masks and kits as required. Non-clinical, clinical, all staff members are provided with enough gear. They just have to approach the table, register their name and ID card number, so that there is a record of how many items a staffer has taken."

When asked about Class 4 workers' conditions and the lack of equipment they have, the administrator said, "Even if they are on a contractual basis, they are given masks. We have instructed their respective contractors to hand over the gear to them. If the contractors don't do their part, it is their fault. But the hospital has provided for all medicos working in the hospital premises to have masks and protective gear."

He also pointed out that even though the full PPE kits are given to strictly doctors and nurses who work directly with COVID-19 patients, but other masks, gloves and medical equipment needed to protect frontline workers, even Class-4 workers, are in abundance and there are no restrictions over any staffer, working on the premises of the hospital to not take them.

Workers say they get ration, housing

While contractual employees at hospitals have their share of grievances, they say there are some positive sides too.

For example, Lakshmi said, I am happy that we are given rations weekly. Lunch and dinner are provided for in the hospital and staying near the hospital help me cut down on travelling expenses.

Similarly, Ramesh said the hospital provides a minivan to drop security personnel home once their shift ends.

We have worked in this hospital for more than a decade. It has given us the means to feed ourselves for so long and in a time of crisis we are happy to be there for them, he said.

Cases in Telangana

Till 27 April, Telangana had reported 1,003 coronavirus cases and 25 deaths, according to official figures provided by the state's health minister Eatala Rajender.

A doctor working at the hospital said, There was an exponential increase in the number of patients being admitted after the news of the Tablighi Jamaat event broke out. We had entire families  in one case, 11 members  who were admitted at once in the ward.

The doctor noted that it was sometimes hard to treat such families as they demand that all members of the family be in the same room. The doctor added, There are some patients who are critical and need ventilators and hence need to be kept away from the rest. Some families protested against this move as they wanted to be in the bed next to a relative.

The Gandhi Hospital was declared as a COVID-19 hospital in the last week of March. Since then, the government has ramped up preparations to convert it into a COVID-19 hospital, which can accommodate up to 1,000 people, with 200 to 300 ICU beds, according to an estimate by a senior doctor.

After an attack on doctor, govt ramps up security

On 1 April, three COVID-19 patients who had recently lost their relative to the virus, attacked a resident doctor at the hospital, breaking a window.

They blamed the hospital for the death even though the victim had passed away due to co-morbidities.

A doctor who was present at the time recalled, For almost two hours, we had to fend for ourselves as the police were scared of entering a COVID-19 ward. Most doctors and nurses locked themselves in a room."

Taking cognisance of the attack, the government has now ramped up security in the hospital. Now, there are five police personnel on every floor.

Post the attack, there is enough security in the building. The security personnel too are given PPE kits and masks as they stand guard at the hospital. It is a relief for us to have them here, a senior doctor said.

Most doctors are now used to working long hours, wearing surgical masks under N-95 masks, and being in wards without air-conditioners. At first, it was very suffocating to be inside the ward with our kits. The summer season is on and it is very hot as it is. But now, we are used to it. This is our job and duty comes before everything else, a resident doctor said.

The shifts are about 8 to 10 hours long. According to government rules, every medic has to be quarantined for five days after working for 15 days. There are three shifts on a rotational basis.

Private hospitals help ease burden on govt

Dr Niranjan Panigrahi, a consultant for Critical Care Medicine with Apollo Health City spoke to Firstpost about how the private hospital is handling the situation.

The difference between the government hospitals and our wards is that each patient is kept in a different room. The isolation unit has three parts  out-patient section, in-patient section and intensive care unit,  he said.

Panigrahi said that the private hospital has taken all measures as directed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Dr Satish Ghanta, a paediatrician and director of Little Stars Childrens Hospital  a private hospital in Hyderabad, also spoke to Firstpost about a special ward the hospital has created to treat children suspected of having COVID-19.

"With the lockdown in place and since the outbreak of the pandemic, running a hospital is expensive as there are no other cases apart from emergency cases. But we had decided to bear the costs, as it was a question of treating underprivileged children, he said.

The Little Star Childrens Hospital runs an NGO  Choice Foundation  through which the hospital provides healthcare to underprivileged children.
The United Kingdoms plans to launch a smartphone application to track potential COVID-19 infections wont include Apple and Google.

The countrys National Health Service has designed its own mobile software to do contact tracing of people exposed to the coronavirus, the BBC reported Monday.

The NHS reportedly found that its own tech, which runs in the background on Apples iPhone, works sufficiently well.

One hangup with some contact tracing apps is that they work only when a phone is active and the app is running in the foreground, which can sap battery life.

The NHS app conserves battery life by waking up the software in the background when a phone encounters another phone running the app.

However, the Apple-Google engine may conserve even more power, because it doesnt have to wake up link to another device running it.

Apple and Google earlier this month released APIs to help developers, including nation states, create contact tracing apps for the Exposure Notification system theyre collaborating on.

The companies plan to incorporate the system into future versions of their mobile operating systems, iOS and Android.

Centralization vs. Decentralization

With its app, the NHS chose a centralized model for its data collection and storage.

When the app senses another version of itself on a phone it makes note of it and sends the information to an NHS computer server. If someone using the program tests positive for COVID-19, that information is sent to the server, which then alerts every app user who had contact with the person of their exposure to the virus.

Apple and Google have set up a decentralized framework for their mobile contact tracing solution.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

As with the NHS app, when phones running a tracing app are within proximity of each other, they exchange information in the form of a key code. Users let the app know when they become infected.

The app then updates an online database with the codes of the contacts of the infected person. That database is downloaded to phones periodically so users of the app are kept current about whether theyve been exposed to the virus.

Apple and Google say their decentralized method preserves an individuals privacy better than a centralized method. They contend that the method makes it more difficult for a hacker or the state to track individuals and their social interactions, because data is stored on their phone and doesnt leave it without the owners permission.

The NHS contends that by centralizing the data, it can obtain more insight into the spread of COVID-19, which can help it further refine its app.

Dynamic Tension

There is a tension between the NHS and Apple-Google camps, noted Alain B. Labrique, director of Johns Hopkins Universitys Global mHealth Initiative in Baltimore, Maryland.

The tension is between a centralized data repository controlled by the government and a system that makes data available only to individuals.

When data is only available to individuals, it takes away the potential for abuse, Labrique told TechNewsWorld.

In many countries theres a popular concern about giving government granular access to not just where youve been but who youve been in contact with and for how long, he said.

Protecting that kind of data during a pandemic comes with some disadvantages.

As a public health authority, the more information I have about contacts, the more capability I have to address the pandemic effectively, Labrique explained.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Not all countries are going the centralized route. Switzerland, Estonia, and Austrias Red Cross have endorsed decentralization, as has Germany, after considering a centralized approach.

Countries that are accepting the decentralized approach are also accepting a tradeoff, Labrique said. Theyre willing to sacrifice some level of control in order to get another tool out there that people can use to fight back against coronavirus.

Location Protection

The centralized approach adopted by the NHS has the potential for abuse, even though data collected by the program may be anonymized, said Omer Tene, chief knowledge officer of the International Association of Privacy Professionals in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

In a big data context such as this, even anonymized information can be attributed back to individuals, sometimes through crossing with other available databases, he told TechNewsWorld.

Under the Apple-Google approach, as well as a solution by a group of European scientists known as DP-3T, there is no central database and instead data is stored on users devices, Tene noted.

Both the NHS and the Apple-Google solution employ Bluetooth technology rather than collecting geolocation data, he pointed out. [*Correction  May 5, 2020]

Location data can be incredibly revealing and sensitive, showing where people live, work, which doctors they go to, who they associate with, and so forth, Tene continued. For contact tracing, location is not needed as its enough that two individuals were close to each other  for one of them to pass the virus on to the other.

More Nations Adopting Apps

Smartphone contact tracing apps have been rolled out in a number of countries, including China, Israel and Singapore.

Australia released its contact tracing app on Sunday. Within hours of its release, more than a million Aussies had downloaded the app.

The software, which is based on a similar program used in Singapore, uses Bluetooth wireless technology to gather data from other phones running the app when it comes within 1.5 meters (4.2 feet) of them. When someone with a phone running the software is diagnosed with COVID-19, all users of the app who had contact with the infected user for 15 minutes or more receive an alert telling them theyve been exposed to the virus.

Only state health authorities will be able to access the data gathered by the app. Not even law enforcement officers with a court order will be able to access the data. Whats more, data will be erased from the phone every 21 days, or if the app is removed from the device.

In order for the app to be effective, its estimated that 40 percent of the countrys population must use it.

The main problem is that contact tracing apps are only effective if broadly adopted and standardized, Tene said.

For example, Singapores TraceTogether app was downloaded by just 13 percent of the population, meaning that in any interaction between two random passersby theres only a 1 percent chance they both use the app, he said. Obviously thats insufficient to allow people to have confidence that their encounter with a patient will be flagged.

*ECT News Network editors note  May 5, 2020: Our original published version of this story stated the following: The NHS app has an edge over the Apple-Google solution when it comes to protecting location data, he (Tene) continued. The NHS app is based on Bluetooth proximity tracking as opposed to GPS or cellular location. That is a much more privacy friendly approach, since it doesnt require collection of geolocation data, Tene explained. Following publication of our story, Tene offered this clarification: Deploying a BT based solution is a strength of the NHS app and not a relative strength compared to the Apple-Google solution because that too is Bluetooth based.
Elon Musk has called for an end to lockdown measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and prevent more deaths, tweeting FREE AMERICA NOW and Give people their freedom back.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also praised Texas for beginning to lift social distancing restrictions this week by allowing some cinemas, restaurants and other businesses to reopen.

Mr Musk's outburst on Twitter echoed similar tweets from President Donald Trump earlier this month to LIBERATE states from coronavirus lockdown.

Trumps tweets were criticised as an attempt to stir up rebellion in three Democrat-led states, with the governor of Washington State branding them unhinged rantings aimed at encouraging illegal and dangerous acts.

Mr Musk has been consistently critical of what he perceives to be an overly cautious response to the pandemic, despite scientists and medical professionals warning that strict measures are required to prevent more deaths.

The billionaire's predictions about how serious the pandemic is have also been wide of the mark, having predicted in March that the outbreak would be nearly over by the end of April.

"Based on current trends, probably close to zero new cases in US too by end of April," he tweeted on 19 March. At the time, there were less than 15,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US.

The US has since become the worst affected country in the world, registering more than 1 million confirmed cases of the deadly disease. This is more than the next five worst hit countries  Spain, Italy, France, the UK and Germany  combined.

There have so far been 59,329 recorded deaths, while more than 830,000 of the cases remain active and close to 20,000 critical.

Twitter recently announced that it would remove tweets that could provoke "widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder" from its platform.

A spokesperson told The Independent that it was "prioritising the removal of Covid-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm".

'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Show all 15 1 /15 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Protesters form a motorcade against lockdown orders outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland on 18 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US People take part in a protest for "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine" outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing on 15 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Alex Jones, host of conspiracy theory outlet Infowars, joins the 'Reopen America' protest against lockdown measures in Austin Texas on 18 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US A group of protesters rally against lockdown orders outside the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond on 16 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US A protester holds a sign comparing Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer to a Nazi during a demonstration at the State Capitol in Lansing over coronavirus lockdown measures AP 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US A 2020 Trump Unity sign is displayed during a protest against coronavirus lockdown measures at the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan AP 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Anti-lockdown protesters drive by the Ohio State House in Columbus on 18 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Protesters form a motorcade in opposition to state lockdown measures outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on 15 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US A protester takes part in a rally outside the Ohio State House in Columbus on 18 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US People take part in a protest for "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine" outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing on 15 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Protesters form part of a motorcade in opposition to state lockdown measures outside the North Carolina State Legislature in Raleigh on 14 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Protesters rally against lockdown measures outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on 15 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Protesters form a motorcade in opposition to state lockdown measures around the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on 15 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US Police urge people to spread out during a protest against lockdown measures outside the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond on 16 April AFP/Getty 'Live free or die': Anti-lockdown protests sweep US An armed protester taking part in a demonstration against coronavirus lockdown measures outside the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan EPA

Trump's tweets were seen as an endorsement of anti-lockdown protests, which disobeyed health guidelines recommending people to avoid mass gatherings. The organiser of one major rally in North Carolina has reportedly since tested positive for Covid-19.

Both Trump's and Mr Musk's tweets remain on Twitter, with the firm stating: "We will not take enforcement action on every tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about Covid-19."

More than 2,400 tweets have been deleted since the new policy enforcement guidance was updated on 18 March, though the spokesperson said Mr Musk's tweet is "currently not in violation" of its rules.
New Delhi: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has singled out India in its Annual Report for 2020, saying there has been a sharp downward turn and deterioration in religious freedom in India. It recommended to the US State Department that India be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) along with a few others.

A furious India hit back in the same language, saying it rejected the biased report and that New Delhi in turn regards the USCIRF as an Organisation of Particular Concern.

India also said the USCIRF misrepresentation has reached new levels.

The USCIRF calls itself an independent, bipartisan US federal government entity that monitors, analyses, and reports on threats to religious freedom. It recommends but does not set policy, and there is virtually no chance the State Department will follow its lead on India.

In remarks on India while releasing its report on Tuesday, USCIRF said it had documented significant developments during 2019, including  a sharp downward turn in India, and making recommendations to enhance the U.S. governments promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad in 2020.

It said the Indian government was among those governments that engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.

The commission said Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government "allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity, and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence."

It pointed to comments by home minister Amit Shah, who once referred to mostly Muslim migrants as "termites," and to a citizenship law that has triggered nationwide protests.

It also highlighted the revocation of the autonomy of Kashmir, which was India's only Muslim-majority state, and allegations that Delhi police turned a blind eye to mobs who attacked Muslim neighborhoods in February this year.

New Delhi hit back, saying, We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly.

The USCIRF meanwhile said, In the 2020 Annual Report, the USCIRF recommends 14 countries to the State Department for designation as countries of particular concern (CPCs) because their governments engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing, egregious violations.

These include nine that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2019Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistanas well as five othersIndia, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam.

India has taken on the USCIRF twice already in the recent past. Earlier this month, while emphasising that no segregation is being done in civil hospitals on the basis of religion, as clarified by the Gujarat Government, India had in mid-April accused the USCIRF of spreading misguided reports, adding it must stop adding religious colour to our national goal of fighting the pandemic and distract from larger efforts.

On the basis of some media reports, the USCIRF had then tweeted that it is concerned with reports of Hindu and Muslim patients separated into separate hospital wards in Gujarat and that such actions only help to further increase ongoing stigmatisation of Muslims in India and exacerbate false rumours of Muslims spreading Covid19.

The USCIRF has earlier this year also been critical of the Indian Government over the riots in north-eastern Delhi in February but New Delhi had hit back then as well, saying, the USCIRF comments were factually inaccurate and misleading, and appear to be aimed at politicising the issue.
YEREVAN.  The government of Armenia will be given flexibility in terms of spending, only in terms of implementing measures aimed at mitigating the effects of the coronavirus and the state of emergency that has been declared in the country because of it. The Minister of Finance, Atom Janjughazyan, said this during Wednesdays National Assembly special sitting debatesin the second readingon the bill on making amendments and additions to the law on the state budget for 2020.

In particular, he noted that there is an opinion among the deputies that the proposed draft, in principle, reviews most of the functions assigned to the National Assembly, but this is not the case.

Janjughazyan also clarified the situation with the deficit in the state budget. Thus, the amount of funds needed to pay the state budget deficit will total 260 billion drams.

According to the government, this deficit can be paid by getting new loans, issuing state treasury bonds, and the next tranche of eurobonds.

The minister informed that one of the sources of respective funding will be the International Monetary Fund, which has agreed to provide about $ 300 million to Armenia.

The minister of finance added that Armenia is considered by creditors as a stable and dynamically developing borrower country.
As part of its response to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, Liberty Insurance has committed to giving premium rebates to the total value of 5 million to its Irish motor insurance customers on their existing premiums.

As part of this gesture, Liberty will give back to each customer 15% of their premium for two months, subject to a minimum amount of 10.

Also read: Major Garda operation to enforce Covid-19 regulations to continue through May Bank Holiday weekend

Liberty motor insurance customers with an active policy (except fleet) will be eligible for this premium rebate and will be able to request it from June 8, 2020, through the website www.libertyinsurance.ie.

Customers will have the option of directly claiming the premium rebate through a cash equivalent voucher, or alternatively, they can request that Liberty donate it to a charity working on the front-line in the fight against the Coronavirus.

The decision is part of Liberty Insurances wider response to Covid-19. Other measures introduced by the insurer include greater flexibility on payment terms for motor and home insurance premiums, and financial contributions to Irish charities Alone and Pieta House to support those most at risk during this difficult time. At a European-level, Liberty Insurance has made a 250,000 donation to Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Also read: Gardai seize vehicle with tax out of date by 391 days after driver tried to evade checkpoint

According to Tom McIlduff, CEO of Liberty Insurance: Every time we make a decision at Liberty, our guiding principle is to do the right thing, to be responsible and to put our customers and employees first.

We recognise that these are exceptional circumstances and now is a challenging time for many of our customers. We also recognise that risks on Irish roads are reduced in light of current restrictions.

To this end, Liberty Insurance has committed to waiving a percentage of our customers motor premiums. We are also giving our customers the option of redirecting this saving to one of a number of charities Liberty is working closely with in the fight against Covid-19. In the meantime, we will continue to explore other ways of supporting our customers and colleagues through this challenging time.

Also read: Five more cases of coronavirus confirmed in Longford, bringing total to 129
Willis ISD Superintendent Tim Harkrider has turned to social media to provide an update on graduation to seniors and parents.

Obviously, this has been a very difficult time for you as the school year has been cut short and senior activities have all been interrupted, Harkrider said. I want you to know it has been extremely difficult on my family.

Harkrider shared his family has a high school senior in the 2020 class as well as a college senior in the May 2020 class at the University of Texas at Austin.

The thought of my sons not getting to participate in senior activities and not being able to finish the year out like they wanted to have obviously been extremely painful on me and my family as well, he said.

Graduation plans

Willis ISD, which had to cancel its original graduation ceremony plans at Sam Houston State University due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, has worked extremely hard to develop new graduation plans for seniors, he said.

I think after listening to seniors and parents, an in-person graduation is what we would love to provide, Harkrider said. The difficult part about this is that we dont control all of the scenarios.

The school district has some facilities at Willis ISD, including its Performing Arts Center and Yates Stadium for a possible graduation ceremony on May 22.

I think in reality we know there is going to be limited attendance, so the size of the venue is somewhat of a concern, Harkrider said. We would like seniors to be able to bring as many people as possible and still practice social distancing.

With that in mind, he added that the school district has two potential graduation dates reserved at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, including June 6 and July 11. The school district also has the coliseum reserved at Sam Houston State University for Aug. 6.

In recent weeks, Harkrider said Gov. Greg Abbott made it clear that he and the Texas Education Agency would be providing guidance to the school districts on possible graduation plans. At the time of the video, in person graduation is not allowed while virtual graduations are.

Curbside meals update

The school district announced on April 24 that it will from now on distribute curbside meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On Tuesday, each child received two breakfasts and two lunches per child. On Thursday, each child will receive three breakfasts and three lunches.

The meals will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Meador, 10020 FM 830; and CC Hardy Elementary, 701 Gerald.

New assistant band director

Willis High School announced it has a new assistant band director.

Willis HS Band Director Chris Allen shared the news in a video announcement where he virtually tossed a band shirt to the bands drum majors who started the drum roll for the big reveal. Finally, the students said they were proud to present and welcome, Joseph Mr. D. Dittfurth, who caught the shirt at the end of the video.

Hey guys, Mr. D. here, Dittfurth said hold the shirt in front of the Performing Arts Center. I got a new shirt in front of me because I have some exciting news for you. Next year I am going to be trading in my full time Brabham shirt for my full time Willis High School shirt as I join you as the new high school assistant band director.

I hope you are as excited as I am, he added. Looking forward to a great year.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
1. Irrfan Khan Film - Haasil (2003)

2. Irrfan Khan Film - Maqbool (2004)

3. Irrfan Khan Film - Rog (2005)

Director: Himanshu Brahmbhatt Director: Himanshu Brahmbhatt

4. Irrfan Khan Film - Life In A Metro (2007)

5. Irrfan Khan Film - Billu (2009)

5. Irrfan Khan Film - Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

6. Irrfan Khan Film - Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns (2013)

7. Irrfan Khan Film - The Lunchbox (2013)

8. Irrfan Khan Film - Piku (2015)

9. Irrfan Khan Film - Talvar (2015)

10. Irrfan Khan Film - Hindi Medium (2017)

11. Irrfan Khan Film - Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017)

12. Irrfan Khan Film - Blackmail (2018)

13. Irrfan Khan Film - Karwaan (2018)

14. Irrfan Khan Film - Angrezi Medium (2020)

We cant believe that Irrfan Khan is no more. The news is yet to sink in. He was only 53 when he passed away. He was easily one of the best actors in the history of Indian cinema, making a name for himself through his seminal work not only in Bollywood films but also in international productions. As a tribute to the late genius, we present adown the years. Take a look.Director: Tigmanshu DhuliaCast: Jimmy Sheirgill, Hrishita Bhatt, Irrfan Khan, Ashutosh RanaRaw and violent,showed the ugly face of student politics where student leaders often get power-mad and become a law into themselves and sometimes the only solution to eradicate such people is to become someone like them. Thats what happens with Anirudh (Jimmy Sheirgill), who wants nothing better in life than to get married to Niharika (Hrishitaa Bhatt). He becomes involved in the tussle between student leaders Gaurishankar Pandey (Ashutosh Rana) and Ranvijay Singh (Irrfan Khan). When he shoots Niharikas cousin accidentally, Ranvijay helps him get out of town. When Anirudh finds out that Ranvijay plans to marry Niharika, he joins hands with slain Gaurishankars brother to eliminate him. Irrfans villainous turn was much applauded in the film and he won the Filmfare Best Actor In A Negative Role Award for it.Director: Vishal BhardwajCast: Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Om Puri, Naseeruddin ShahThe film was an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) is the right-hand man of Jahangir Khan (Pankaj Kapur), a powerful underworld don. Like the three witches of Macbeth, two corrupt cops, (Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah) predict that one day Maqbool will rebel and claim the throne for himself. Nimmi (Tabu), is Jahangir Khans mistress and Maqbools secret lover. She instigates him to kill Jahangir and one day, he murders his mentor in cold blood. But murder hangs heavily on his soul and he keeps seeing visions of Jahangirs ghost. Nimmi too goes mad by guilt and the two lovers are tragically killed when the opposition unites against them.Cast: Irrfan Khan, Ilene Hamann, Himanshu MalikIrrfan essayed his first leading role in a commercial set up in this film. The films plot was based on the Hollywood hit Laura (1944). Uday Singh Rathod (Irrfan Khan) is a brilliant, overworked cop who takes his job too seriously and doesnt seem to have any other interest besides it. Hes entrusted to solve the murder of a supermodel Maya Solomon (Ilene Hamann) and becomes obsessed with her life in the process. Things get complicated when she turns out to be alive. The duo has a fling and that sets up a chain of events where her life is threatened again.Director: Anurag BasuCast: Dharmendra, Nafisa Ali, Shilpa Shetty, Kay Kay Menon, Shiney Ahuja, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kangana Ranaut, Sharman JoshiSet in Mumbai, the film follows a multi-narrative format and presents different facets of love. Irrfans portion involves him meeting a girl, Shruti (Konkana Sen Sharma) though a matrimonial site. He fails to impress her at first but later, they become friends. They begin to confide in each other and soon she begins to like him. She tells him she loves him on the day hes about to get married to someone else. That leads to a merry chase. Through the end credits, we come to know that they did get married and have a kid. Irrfan won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance.Director: PriyadarshanCast: Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Shah Rukh Khan, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav, AsraniThe film is director Priyadarhshans take on the parable of Sudama and Krishna. It was an official adaptation of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol. Billu (Irrfan Khan) is a poor barber who lives with his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta) and their two children, Gunja (Mitali Mayekar) and Ronak (Pratik Dalvi) in the village of Budbuda. His life takes a turn when Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) comes to the village for a shoot. Billu had spoken about his friendship as a child with Sahir when they were kids and hence his wife and children, as also fellow villagers, demanded that he should seek out Sahir and introduce them to him. When he doesnt do so and when Sahir too doesnt come seeking him, people begin to think of him as a fraud. On the last day, Sahir makes a speech and mentions how Billu helped him start a new life and thats when people realise their mistake and start believing in him again.Director: Tigmanshu DhuliaCast: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma, Nawazuddin Siddiquiis a biographical film based on the life of middle-distance and steeplechase runner Paan Singh who was forced by circumstances to become a dacoit. He was a seven-time national steeplechase champion in the 50s and 60s and represented India at the 1958 Asian Games. He was later killed in police action in 1981. He gets involved in a land dispute in his native village and has to take up arms in order to defend himself. He kills nine villagers avenging his brothers death and as a result, is marked as a wanted man by the police. Hes betrayed by a former gang member turned police informer and dies a violent death at the hands of the police. Irrfan was praised for his understated performance and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the film.Director: Tigmanshu DhuliaCast: Jimmy Sheirgill, Mahie Gill, Irrfan Khan, Soha Ali KhanIn this sequel, while Jimmy and Mahie retain their roles as Sahib and Biwi, Irrfan has been cast as Gangster. Sahib is now wheelchair-bound but still hasnt given up the dreams of regaining lost grandeur. He falls in love with Soha Ali Khans character and wants to make her his second wife. She, however, is in love with another impoverished prince, Irrfan. Now begins a deadly game of chess where equations keep changing by the minute. While the plot seemed exhaustive, the film was saved by the performances of the entire ensemble cast. Irrfan, in particular, stood out as a silky-smooth prince who has his own axe to grind with Sahib.Director: Ritesh BatraCast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin SiddiquiThis is a poignant tale of two souls who get united, thanks to a mistake done by Mumbais famous dabbawalas. Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is a married woman seeking to spice up her marriage and hits upon the idea of putting notes inside his lunchbox which she sends via the dabbawalas. Due to a mix-up,gets delivered to Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan), a widower who is about to retire from his job as an accountant. They both begin to write to each other, passing on the messages through the lunchboxes and come close. Ila wants to meet him face-to-face but sensing her relative youth, Saajan keeps his distance. She decides to leave her husband and settle elsewhere and at the last moment, Saajan decides to look for her after all. The film was buoyed by nuanced performances by both the leads.Director: Shoojit SircarCast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee and Jisshu SenguptaPiku Bannerjee (Deepika Padukone) is an architect living in Delhi who loves her widowed father Bhaskhor Bannerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) but at the same time is constantly irritated by him because of his eccentricities. He suffers from acute constipation and tends to relate everything in his life to his bowel movements. He wants to go to Kolkata to visit his ancestral home and Piku reluctantly agrees to take him there. She takes the help of Rana Chaudhary (Irrfan Khan), who runs a taxi business. As no driver is available, Rana decides to drive them to Kolkata himself. They experience several misadventures on the way. Rana is constantly irked by Bhaskhors eccentric ways but soon begins to see past the exterior. He begins to like Piku as well.as a proprietor caught between two different extremes and yet manages to find a middle way. His chemistry with both Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone was on point.Director : Meghna GulzarCast : Irrfan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Neeraj Kabiwas a gritty re-examination of the Aarushi Talwar's murder case. The film treats us to a multi-narrative format and treats us to all the sides to the story. Irrfan plays Ashwin Kumar, the man in charge of the final investigation. Ashwin is given a backstory in the film. His marriage is on the rocks, and hes thoroughly disgusted by the inept system he works in. He dissects the various layers of the case like an expert and comes closest to knowing the truth but the interdepartmental rivalries kind of derail his investigation. His rock-solid performance was much praised by the critics.Director: Saket ChaudharyCast: Irrfan Khan, Saba QamarRaj Batra (Irrfan Khan) is a boutique owner who lives in Delhi with his wife Mita (Saba Qamar). They have a 5-year-old daughter, Pia (Dishita Sehgal). Mita wants their daughter to study in one of the prestigious schools of Delhi but their lack of spoken English gets them rejected in the interview rounds. They hit upon the idea of getting their daughter admitted through the Right To Education scheme, where children from the economically backward sections of the society can also get admission in good schools. They move to a poorer neighbourhood and make friends with Shyam (Deepak Dobriyal) and his wife Tulsi (Swati Das). While their daughter gets admitted to a posh school, Shyams son doesnt get in. They move back to their yuppie home and when Shyam finds out that they were only pretending to be poor, he wants to expose their lie. The film offered a harsh critique on the frailties of our education system. Irrfan won the Best Actor Filmfare trophy for his powerful performance in the film.Director: Tanuja ChandraCast: Irrfan Khan, Parvathy ThiruvothuThis was Tanuja Chandras comeback film of sorts and the Hindi film debut of South heroine Parvathy Thiruvothu. Its a part road movie, part romantic film. Parvathy plays a 35-year old widow named Jaya who is constantly asked by friends and acquaintances to let go of her past and start dating again. She lists her name on a popular dating site and agrees to meet Yogi (Irrfan Khan), who is somewhat of a poet and a happy-go-lucky person. In a bid to impress her, he tells her that hes still on good terms with his past three girlfriends. She wants to test that and agrees to go on a trip to him to Dehradun, Jaipur and Gangtok, where they get to know each other better on the way and eventually fall in love. Irrfan hasnt been a part of a romcom before but came through the role with flying colours.Director: Abhinay DeoCast: Irrfan, Kirti Kulhari, Divya Dutta, Arunoday Singh, Omi Vaidya, Pradhuman Singh and Anuja SatheThefilm is a deliciously dark comedy centring around crime and punishment. Dev (Irrfan) is a man bored out of his skull working for strategies for promoting toilet paper. One day, at the advice of his friend Anand (Pradhuman Singh), he returns home early from work only to find his wife Reena (Kirti Kulhari) in bed with Ranjit (Arunoday Singh). He kind of loses it at this point and starts blackmailing his wife's lover, leading to all kinds of misadventures for all concerned. Irrfan holds the film on his able shoulders. He's the Everyman bewildered by what's happening around him and coveys it all with a subtle touch.Director: Akash KhuranaCast: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila PalkarDeath unites us all. It's when we come face to face with the reality of the final rest that we realise the true value of life. And it's only when someone close to us passes away that we realise that the differences. Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan), loses his father in a road accident up North. Tanya (Mithila Palkar) loses her grandmother at the same accident but the coffins get swapped. Avinash travels from Bangalore to Kochi in the van of his friend Shaukat (Irrfan Khan) and picks up Tanya on the way from her hostel at her mother's insistence. The trio keeps getting into one misadventure after another and somehow get out of them unscathed. Irrfan had played an unwilling driver before in Piku but the difference is that along with carrying eccentric passengers, he's also carting a dead body around this time. He does get the best lines and his deadpan delivery fetches the most laughs.Director: Homi AdajaniaCast: Irrfan Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Radhika Madan, Deepak DobriyalHindi Medium (2017) was a path-breaking film about a couple's desire to get their daughter admitted to a good school. They try all sorts of loopholes to get that done.takes the idea forward and applies it to higher education on foreign shores. It's about a daughter's dream to study in a premier college in London and a father's determination to see the dream through.look like real-life father and daughter. The bond they share is palpable. You root for them and want them to succeed. You overlook the complete absence of a plausible plot just because of the emotional quotient they share.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 03:22:13|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, April 28 (Xinhua) -- With over 3 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus globally, South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor urged her BRICS counterparts to strengthen cooperation and coordination in an effort to tackle the pandemic.

"I believe we can find solutions through coordination and corporation and through ensuring that our efforts together to address the pandemic which is having such dire economic and development effects on all of us," she said at BRICS Foreign Ministers' Extraordinary Conference on COVID-19 on Tuesday.

BRICS is an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Pandor said South Africa was firmly behind the World Health Organization which recently came under fire from the U.S. President Donald Trump on how it responded to the outbreak.

"We believe as South Africa that international cooperation is absolutely non-negotiable, we have to join efforts to find a vaccine and a cure for COVID-19," she said, "It is for this reason that South Africa has joined the international community's call for support and strengthening of the mandate of the World Health Organization (WHO) as it continues to coordinate global efforts to combat COVID-19."

Pandor said that South Africa was deeply concerned about the politicization of the work of the WHO.

"We are particularly disconcerted about the withholding of funds at this critical time," she said, adding that cutting funding would impair the ability of the organization to do its work during the pandemic. Enditem
Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX jet is expected to remain grounded until at least August as the manufacturer continues to grapple with software issues, people briefed on the matter told Reuters.

The largest planemaker has signaled it now hopes to win regulatory approval in August for the plane's return to service, but that could be pushed backed until fall, the sources said, as timing for meeting milestones is uncertain.

The best-selling airplane has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people. Boeing halted production in January and has 400 undelivered MAX planes in storage.

Southwest Airlines Co, the largest operator of 737 MAX airplanes worldwide, said Tuesday it was removing the MAX from its schedule through October 30 based on Boeing's 'recent communication on the MAX return to service date.'

Boeing Co has signaled it now hopes to win regulatory approval in August for the 737 MAX plane's return to service, but that could be pushed backed until fall, sources have said

Last week, Reuters reported that a key certification test flight had been delayed until late May at the earliest. Pictured is a 737 MAX 8 in a test flight from Renton in May 2019

Last week, Reuters reported that a key certification test flight had been delayed until late May at the earliest and reported in early April the company was dealing with two new software issues.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has repeatedly said it has no timetable for approving the plane's return to the skies.

Boeing declined to comment ahead of its earnings release Wednesday. On Monday, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun during the company's annual meeting did not repeat prior guidance that Boeing anticipated the plane would win approval for a return to service in mid-2020.

'We remain confident in the MAX,' Calhoun said.

Boeing said on April 7 it needed to make two new software updates to the 737 MAX's flight control computer.

One issue involves hypothetical faults in the flight control microprocessor, which could potentially lead to a loss of control known as a runaway stabilizer. The other issue could lead to disengagement of the autopilot feature during final approach.

On Monday, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun (pictured in January) during the company's annual meeting did not repeat prior guidance that Boeing anticipated the plane would win approval for a return to service in mid-2020

Southwest said Tuesday it was removing the MAX from its schedule through October 30 based on Boeing's 'recent communication on the MAX return to service date'

Boeing said on April 7 it was working with Raytheon Technologies Corp unit Collins Aerospace Systems on the software updates, but it remained unclear when Collins will complete work and how long it will take U.S. and other regulators to validate the fixes as they complete a software documentation audit.

Last month, Boeing decided to separate 737 MAX wiring bundles that regulators had flagged as potentially dangerous, Reuters reported.

In February, Boeing said it would need a software update to address a 737 MAX indicator light issue. In January it disclosed a separate software issue relating to a power-up monitoring function.

Boeing is also inspecting 737 MAX airplanes after it discovered foreign object debris in undelivered airplanes in February.

The Wall Street Journal had reported the 737 MAX return to service timetable.
State-sponsored hackers have compromised a small number of accounts of the Estonian email provider Mail.ee belonging to high-profile people.

Alleged state-sponsored hackers have hijacked a small number of accounts at the Estonian email provider Mail.ee, they exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the attack. According to the end-of-year report published this month by Estonian Internal Security Service (KaPo), the hacked accounts belong to persons of interest to a foreign country.

The attacks took place in 2019 and since then the provider has identified the vulnerability and addressed it.

[Mail.ee] It is widely used among the Estonian population, the attacker was able to run malicious code on target accounts by exploiting a critical security vulnerability that was unknown to the provider. states the KaPos report.

The vulnerability was only exploited to hijack a small number of email accounts belonging to persons of interest to a foreign country,

The KaPos report doesnt name the victims, it only confirmed that hackers used a malicious code in the email sent to the victims that triggered the zero-day flaw.

Once the recipient has opened the emails using the Mail.ee portal, the code was executed, then it enabled the email forwarding to the attacker.

Specifically: if the attacker sent an email to the target, once it has opened the message the malicious code was executed and set up the email forwarding on the victims account. continues the report. From the moment the malicious message has been opened, all messages sent to the target were redirected an email account under the control of the attacker. We emphasize that it was enough to open the letter  there was no need to open an attachment or click on the attached link.

According to the report, the attacks were highly targeted and hit a small number of email accounts belonging to persons of interest to a foreign country. The intelligence agency confirmed that the attack did not hit generic accounts.

The report also described spear-phishing attacks carried out by APT groups against organizations and businesses in Estonia. The Estonian intelligence attributed the attacks to Gamaredon and Silent Librarian.

An attempt to gain access to some e-mail accounts related to the University of Tartu was also made by attackers. It was the case of a campaign carried out by the Iran-linked group known as the Silent Librarian and the Mabna Institute. The University was able to detect both the attacks.

businesses and research institutions are often unaware that their data could be of interest to foreign intelligence agencies working in the economic interests of their country,.

KaPos report also includes recommendations for companies that might be the target of nation-state actors.

Please give me your vote for European Cybersecurity Blogger Awards  VOTE FOR YOUR WINNERS

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs  Mail.ee, hacking)

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EAST HAMPTON >> After being frustrated because she couldnt do what other students could, Kyle ONeil went into the back of the classroom and started her own kind of art.

ONeil, 28, of East Hampton, was diagnosed with Down syndrome as a baby and retired art teacher father Gary ONeil was amazed when people began taking interest in Kyles artwork.

Kyle being interested in printing came by accident when she was 14, Gary ONeil explained. I was working with other students with linoleum block printing and she couldnt carve with the tools. She became frustrated and found broken tiles in the back of the classroom and went off on her own. She started to come up with something.

Gary ONeil said Kyle would look over at the other kids, but the next minute she was completely enveloped in what she was doing.

I didnt formally teacher her at that point, Gary ONeil said. It was just creative play.

However when ONeil brought Kyles work to a framer, the framer asked if he could keep the work for a month to show it in his shop.

People were interested in her technique, Gary ONeil said. It was spontaneous and minimal. They just like it.

Kyles artwork is classified as printmaking, meaning she takes different shapes and textures and materials to print ink, paint or other mediums onto canvas or paper.

She goes in spells, Gary ONeil said. Shes into it at a certain point and will not touch it again for a month.

Gary ONeil said when she does work and get inspired, Kyle will do a large body of work at once.

Even when shes not doing art, shell talk about the colors in the sunset or concentrate on other things, Gary ONeil said. Whats exciting is that shes engaged in life. She looks at her work and shes proud of it.

ONeil said that since a lot of times people with disabilities dont feel empowered, its been exciting to see Kyle be confident in her artwork.

This has given her something totally different, Gary ONeil said. She has a great customer base. When we do father and daughter shows, she sells more than I do.

Kyle has been active with the Connecticut Womens Artists and has had work on display with their exhibits in the last five years.

Recently, Gary and Kyle ONeil completed a show at Gallery 53 in Meriden called Leap of Faith and included a special exhibit to honor their heritage.

My fathers family is the last traceable Wangunks, Gary ONeil said. We wanted to make this show totally different so we included a series called Comforts from our Past.

Gary ONeil, whose work is in clay, said he took old pieces of family furniture and made them into sculptures while Kyle used pieces of the furniture to stamp and print.

Kyle printed with our great-grandparents furniture such as a spindle or chair, Gary ONeil said. It made us really connected.

The Wangunk tribe was a Native American tribe who were located in East Hampton, Portland and Marlborough.

Im the family genealogist so Im the keeper of everything like the family museum, Gary ONeil said. We used a piece of everything or a symbol of something.

Gary ONeil said the series also was a way to really connect with their family past and honor their ancestors.

It was really a pleasure to honor the people that came before me, Gary ONeil said. We created contemporary art out of something over 100 years old.

For the series, people came together to help adapt some of the pieces so that Kyle could print with them.

It means a lot to us, Gary ONeil said. People went out of their way to help us.

Although Gary ONeil recently retired from the Meriden Public Schools, he said he looks forward to Kyle and his next step in the art world including Kyles work being featured as a visiting artist in Peru next year.
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has asked the Chinese ambassador to explain his "threats of economic coercion" in response to Canberra's push for an international inquiry into the source and spread of the coronavirus.

Australia's call for a probe into the pandemic, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has angered China, its largest trading partner, following a couple of years of diplomatic tension.

Cheng Jingye, Beijing's ambassador to Australia, told a newspaper on Monday that Chinese consumers could boycott Australian beef, wine, tourism and universities in response.

Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Australia was a "crucial supplier" to China and that Australia's resources and energy helped power much of China's manufacturing growth and construction.

He said Cheng had been called by the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to explain his comments.

"Australia is no more going to change our policy position on major public health issues because of economic coercion, or threats of economic coercion, than we would change our policy position in matters of national security," Birmingham said on ABC radio.

The Chinese embassy published a summary of the conversation on its website, which said Cheng had "flatly rejected the concern expressed from the Australian side".

Cheng also said "the fact cannot be buried that the proposal is a political manoeuvre," according to the statement, which added that Australia was "crying up wine and selling vinegar" when it said the proposed review would not target China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denied the ambassadors comments amounted to "economic coercion".

The Chinese ambassador to Australia is talking about the concerns of the Chinese people, who ... disapprove of certain wrong actions by Australia lately, Geng told reporters in Beijing.

Story continues

Birmingham told Sky News the Australian "government's displeasure was made known" in the phone call.

China accounts for 26% of Australia's total trade, worth around A$235 billion ($150 billion) in 2018/19, and is the biggest single market for Australian exports such as coal, iron ore, wine, beef, tourism and education.

Birmingham said Australia wanted to maintain a positive relationship with China, but would also seek other opportunities in places such as India and the European Union. Trade with the European Union was worth A$114.3 billion and India A$30.3 billion in 2018/19.

Even amid escalating diplomatic tensions in 2018/19, when Australia introduced foreign interference laws perceived to be aimed at China, two-way trade with China grew by 20%.

"China needs us. Let's not forget that. Many of the critical imports to Chinese industry, like iron ore, coal, and gas come from Australia," James Paterson, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, told Sky News.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham, additional reporting by Cate Cadell in Beijing; editing by Jane Wardell and Nick Macfie)
Workers Memorial Day 2020

Due to COVID-19 the Government of Gibraltar confirmed by press release, dated 16th March 2020, the cancellation of the Workers Memorial Day Ceremony in its traditional format.

Given the significance of this event in Gibraltars cultural calendar The Chief Minister, The Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, the Minister for Employment, The Hon Gilbert Licudi QC MP and two representatives from Unite the Union, today laid wreaths at the Lobby of Parliament. Furthermore candles were lit to remember all those workers who have died worldwide since the start of the pandemic.
In an order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said buses shall be used for transport of such groups of stranded migrants.

In a big step towards the relief of the migrant workers, tourists, students and other people, who are stranded in different parts of the India due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the Centre on Wednesday has allowed their movement to their respective states but under strict guidelines. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued new set of guidelines on social distancing which everyone travelling to their states must follow.

These guidelines will come into effect from 4 May.

In an order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said buses shall be used for transport of such groups of stranded people and these vehicles will be sanitised and will have to follow safe social distancing norms in seating.

"Due to lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move," he said in an order issued to all states and union territories.

Listing the conditions, the ministry said all states and union territories should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons.

The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded persons within their states and union territories, it said.

In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one state and union territory and another state and union territory, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road.

The moving persons would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed, according to the home ministry.

The states and union territories falling on the bus transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving states and union territories, it said.

On arrival at their destination, such persons would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the persons in institutional quarantine, the order said.

Follow LIVE updates on Coronavirus Outbreak here

They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups, it said.

Reacting to the Centre's announcement, P Chidambaram said:

I welcome the decision of the government to allow inter-state movement of migrant workers and students after testing them by bus. This has been a demand of the Congress party since mid-April.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 29, 2020

Measures taken by state governments so far

Several states had been asking the Centre to allow travel of migrants back to their native states. Last week, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had written to railway minister Piyush Goyal seeking special trains after 3 May. He said in the letter that migrant labourers in the state were growing increasingly restless and are hoping that train services resume, according to the Economic Times.

On 13 April, more than 1,000 migrant workers had gathered outside the station in Mumbai's Bandra, demanding transport facility to go back to their hometowns, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the lockdown till 3 May.

Other states have also announced measures to enable migrants to return home.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote letters to his counterparts to extend support to Odishas citizens stranded in the respective states and also offered reimbursement of funds being spend on the stranded migrant workers.

The Jharkhand government launched a mobile app Chief Ministers Special Assistance Scheme, to help with the registration of the stranded labourers. Through the app, an emergency financial assistance is to be extended to the labourers.

With inputs from PTI
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Over the last two yearssince protests and a government crackdown began in April 2018Nicaraguan journalist Alvaro Navarro and his outlet, news website Articulo 66, have been a vital source of information for people looking for alternatives to the governments discourse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his team have been on the frontlines, reporting on the lack of governmental response and continued repression by authorities amid the crisis.

Nicaragua is the only country in Latin America that, as of late April, has not taken wide-ranging measures to fight the pandemic. According to official statistics from the Nicaraguan ministry of health, as of April 26 only 13 people in the country have tested positive for the virus and three people have died. The Pan-American Health Organization has expressed concern about the lack of an institutional response, and the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights has called on the Nicaraguan government to implement measures to protect the population.

Before he spoke at a press conference on April 15, President Daniel Ortega had not appeared in public for more than a month. His government has been dogged by questions about its response to the pandemic, according to news reports.

CPJ emailed Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo for comment about the Nicaraguan communication strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not receive a response.

In a phone interview with CPJ on April 13, Navarro spoke about his experience covering the pandemic in a country where official data is not credible and where the risk of the virus combines with the risk of state harassment and persecution. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Lets talk first about context: what was happening before the pandemic began in Nicaragua? What type of coverage were you doing?

We had been covering everything related to the protests since April 18, 2018. Repression, murders, citizen complaints, etc., and the environment for journalists was very hostile, with constant threats and persecution. We took some [protective] measures like going out into the streets only when we had to, usually to cover protests, but there was a lot of police repression. In the last weeks before the pandemic, the police forcefully attacked small groups of protesters, and there were also fierce attacks on journalists.

The first weekend that the self-quarantine was established [on March 14], I went to make a transmission in my vehicle, in an area that has a lot of nighttime activity, with bars and clubs, to see whether the businesses were closed. Three motorcycles followed me, I had to take refuge in a hotel, and then a police patrol stayed in front of the hotel the whole night. I had to stay at the hotel for security. This is an environment of persecution, hostility, and threats, but still, we have continued working.

What changed with the pandemic?

There has been a change mainly because we have decided to protect ourselves, we are not in the streets anymore. What we have done is basically work from home, my colleagues are doing their jobs from their homes, the persecution has changed because we have changed the mechanism of our work.

How do the risks of covering the coronavirus compare with the daily dangers of reporting in Nicaragua?

Before, we were exposed to physical violence, to the risk of being attacked or getting arrested. Now we are at risk of getting infected with the virus without ultimately knowing what is going to happen to us, how the state is going to act, and how we are going to be treated. I am particularly concerned about what would happen if I got the virus  the same state that harasses me is the one that will take care of me. What security mechanisms do I have with the state? None, and [the pandemic] exposes us to an even higher risk than the political uncertainty.

How are you managing to do your job?

Reporting on the pandemic has been extremely complicated for all journalists, especially since there is an issue here in Nicaragua where there is no authorized voice besides the state. There is no private laboratory to inform us about the percentages of those affected, no university that can comment, everything is centralized in the Ministry of Health. They are the only ones who speak about patients, the origin of cases, etc. Private hospitals are prohibited from treating COVID-19 patients, and this makes it difficult for another voice to speak about this topic.

There is an enormous effort by some independent epidemiologists, but it is to be expected that the strength and credibility that their opinions may have is low because they have no access to statistics. When you have that and no credible official information, there is an enormous challenge, journalistically speaking. What we have been able to do is be very incisive with [covering] the states questionable positions that raise doubts; for example, the issue of the origin of patients with COVID-19 is a subject that has been handled in a confusing, erratic way. That allows us to try to explain to people and scrutinize the lack of precision in data and numbers. We have also reported on demands on social media [for more information] about the issue of tests, including more than 26,000 tests donated by the Central American Bank of Economic Integration.

Why is reporting on the pandemic in Nicaragua different from reporting in other parts of Latin America?

Because of the credibility of the authorities. Dictatorships like Cuba, for example, handle the information in a more transparent way than the Nicaraguan government. The Cuban ministry of health has said that they had three cases of people who were in Nicaragua and who brought the virus with them. Here they have maintained that there is no community contagion, but that Cuban declaration contradicts what Nicaraguan authorities say. When you find that contradiction between two governments who are allies, then you see that it is impossible to believe what the Nicaraguan government says.

Even countries that have taken drastic measures such as El Salvador have said that they do not trust the Nicaraguan account of cases. This government does not explain anything, they limit the information, and what they publish seems to be very sketchy, it makes it extremely complicated to report on.

What have been the most significant challenges during this time?

First, being able to continue reporting even amid this lack of institutional transparency. Second, being able to protect ourselves in a country where conditions are not reported, if we were in a country where conditions were clearly reported, perhaps we would feel a little more confident. Also, if there were any [preventative] measures, which a responsible state should have proposed, we would feel more secure, but this is not the case. We are forced to lock ourselves in because there is no institutional coverage that you can go to, we are banned from state events, so what we do is we collect opinions from independent doctors and check how the rest of the countries in the region are handling the pandemic to have some sort of standard.

How do you keep yourself and your sources safe?

My team and I work from home, practicing all the [safety] measures, not going out more than necessary, and establishing mechanisms for communicating digitally or by phone with sources. Some organizations have held press conferences online, and that has helped us a lot. It is challenging, but we have to do it for everyones safety.

How do you deal with and respond to misinformation about the virus?

The subject of fake news has been terrible because we do not have a credible official version and the state barely speaks. There is total secrecy imposed on hospitals. At the beginning there was a lot of information circulating from people who said things like there were people with symptoms here or there. We do not give credence to this information; instead, we try to approach [people with suspected cases], and contrast that with the official version from the government about that case. We report only what we can corroborate and usually ignore the information that circulates on social media.

What do you and other journalists need to be able to report freely?

We need institutions to open up, to be trustworthy for the population, to be reliable for journalists. To feel that the information they issue is what is actually happening, and to have access to professionals and technical experts on these issues. Another thing is for citizens to understand that the less fake news they share, the easier they make it for us. When they share something that is not verifiable, they put pressure on us.
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 9th year in a row, Attorney Thomas Simeone  managing partner at Simeone & Miller, LLP  has been selected to the Super Lawyers list in Washington, D.C., in recognition of his strong reputation in the legal community and many successes in Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice.

As one of the best-known legal ranking organizations in the country, Super Lawyers uses an intensive, patented selection process to determine which attorneys will be chosen to the regional and national Super Lawyers lists each year. Relying exclusively on peer and third-party feedback for nominations, the Super Lawyers team scores every nominee on 12 different indicators of professional and personal success. Those with the highest scores are then evaluated by the Blue Ribbon Panel, which is composed of the top-ranking attorneys within their practice area.

Since 2012, Attorney Simeone has been included on the annual Super Lawyers list for Washington, D.C. With a long track record of multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements, as well as active involvement in many high-level legal memberships and associations, Attorney Simeone is regularly recognized by other prestigious organizations, including Martindale-Hubbell, Lawdragon Magazine, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and the National Trial Lawyers Association.

At this time, the team at Simeone & Miller, LLP would like to congratulate Attorney Simeone for this achievement and his continued efforts on behalf of the firm's clients. Serving injured people throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., the firm will continue to fight for justice and seek fair compensation for victims of wrongdoing.

For press inquiries, contact Simeone & Miller, LLP at https://www.simeonemiller.com/.

SOURCE Simeone & Miller, LLP

Related Links

https://www.simeonemiller.com/


Irish people are well known for the way they come together in their grief when a member of the community passes away and, in these difficult times of social distancing and funeral restrictions, mourning the dearly departed is that bit more heartbreaking.

While websites such as rip.ie are offering members of the public the opportunity to post condolences online, there is a certain coldness to the digital nature of it and it lacks the personal touch of a physical book of condolence.

For that reason, local Community Garda, Emma Kiernan, will be opening books of condolence for the Ballymahon district for community groups who wish to offer their sympathies to families of the very recenly deceased.

I saw the condolences online and I thought about older people that might not be able to express their sympathy online, said Gda Kiernan.

But its not the same as the real thing that you can have forever without having to trace it back on a computer.

Weve been saddened by all the deaths in our community and you dont realise the support you have until you cant have a proper funeral.

Gda Kiernan will be providing the community of Ballymahon and nearby areas with the opportunity to have their name in a book of condolences which will be given to bereaved families in the coming weeks.

Any community group that would like to have a book opened for a particular person can contact Emma Kiernan on 0868282257 between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, up until Friday, May 8.

She will open a book and sign your name and message for you. If you cant get through, simply leave your name and number in a text and she will get back to you.
NASA's Mars Helicopter is installed on the agency's Mars Perseverance rover inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 2020.



After Perseverance safely lands on Mars, the helicopter will be released to perform the first in a series of flight tests that will take place during a period of about 30 days. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

Perseverance, carrying the helicopter, will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL Larger image

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More than 40 couples whose wedding days were delayed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic tied the knot in a group marriage ceremony held in Moganshan town, Deqing county of east China's Zhejiang province on April 25.

(Photo/cnr.cn)

Zhong Nanshan and Li Lanjuan, both academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, sent their best wishes to the couples in a video recording.

"I believe that this epidemic has made everyone more aware of cherishing the people around you. May you start a life journey hand in hand in beautiful Moganshan, Zhong Nanshan said in his recording.

Many of the newlyweds fought the epidemic in their roles as medical staff, grassroots workers or volunteers.

(Photo/cnr.cn)

"This is going to be the most memorable event of our lives!" said bride Ni Kejing, born in 1999, and Xu Yueyu, her groom born in 1996, the youngest couple to get married that day. Xu Yueyu works at the public security office at Qiandaohu station police station in Hangzhou train station, and Ni Kejing is a nurse at a central health center in Deqing county.

The couple were so busy during the battle against the epidemic that they did not see each other for over 30 days. "During the outbreak, I found that she was very determined and hard-working. Although the epidemic delayed our wedding day, we have become even closer," said Xu Yueyu.

(Photo/cnr.cn)

"The main purpose of this group wedding is to pay tribute to the couples fighting against the epidemic. It is also a gift that we give to them, in the hope that Moganshan will become a new starting point for their happy marriage," said Shen Yaoteng, deputy director of the administrative committee of Mogan Mountain International Tourism Resort.
In the continuing battle over San Antonios alleged sanctuary city status, officials have filed a federal lawsuit seeking the depositions of two federal agents who worked with police.

City Attorney Andy Segovia said the testimony  which was first provided to state Attorney General Ken Paxton  is critical to the citys defense that it did not violate Senate Bill 4. The so-called sanctuary cities law penalizes officials who enact policies restricting the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

The suit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs and Enforcement was filed Friday in the Western District of Texas.

In November 2018, Paxton sued San Antonio citing SB4, the first lawsuit of its kind. Three parts of the suit were dismissed in 2019, leaving only the issue of whether San Antonio has a general policy against cooperating with federal authorities regarding immigration laws.

The attorney general is claiming the city has not cooperated with federal authorities, Segovia said. That claim cannot be properly evaluated if the federal authorities do not provide information.

The lawsuit stems from a Dec. 23, 2017, incident involving 12 undocumented immigrants found in a tractor-trailer in the 1600 block of Splashtown Drive. The lawsuit alleges the immigrants were later released by San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.

The city is after the testimony of Special Agent Brian Johnson, who was in communication with SAPD over the discovery.

Officials said the key issue in the sanctuary city lawsuit is whether Johnson sought to enforce federal immigration law on the day of the incident, and if San Antonio prohibited Johnsons enforcement of federal immigration law.

City officials identified Johnson, who spoke with McManus, as a star witness in Paxtons case, noting that his name is mentioned more than 40 times in the petition.

The city is also seeking testimony from Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, whom they deemed critical in the development of the Communication Protocol between DHS and SAPD after the incident. He was also involved with ongoing interactions between the departments when enforcing federal immigration law.

The city first requested testimony from the ICE agents in July 2019, according to court records.

ICE officials previously denied requests by the city to allow the agents to testify in the state lawsuit, issuing a final decision in October.

The citys federal lawsuit alleges that the agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide a satisfactory explanation for their blanket refusal to comply with San Antonios requests.

ICE said in a statement that it could not comment on the lawsuit.

In a letter to the city, ICE declined to release the agents for testimony, citing federal regulations and saying that doing so would be unduly burdensome on the DHS.

Federal officials said Johnson has since retired, and Folden has such a heavy workload that deposing him would interfere with his ability to fulfill his duties.

Attorneys representing the city responded in September that they were willing to question Johnson at a convenient location and reimburse the department for any expenses.

A draft of a deposition from Johnson and another agent provided to the attorney generals office was included in court exhibits.

In their final decision, ICE officials responded that they have not provided any records or statements to the attorney generals office since the lawsuit was filed in November, according to court records. They also said that after taking into account a positive working relationship with both the city and state, the department did not want get involved in the legal dispute between the two.

The city argues that the department interjected itself into the controversy prior to the filing of Paxtons lawsuit by providing information, including Johnsons testimony, as part of the attorney generals efforts to investigate whether the city was in violation of the sanctuary cities law.

Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, the BJP on Wednesday said the Congress leader should take "tuition" from his party colleague and former finance minister P Chidambaram to understand the difference between 'write-off' and 'waive-off', and asserted that the Modi government has not waived any loan of bank defaulters.

"Rahul Gandhi should take tuition from P Chidambaram on the difference between 'write-off' and 'waive-off'. The Narendra Modi government has not waived-off any loan. 'Write off' is a normal accounting process. It doesn't stop recovery or action against defaults," senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said.

He said Gandhi has been trying for over two years to spread this confusion that the government has waived loans of businessmen who wilfully defaulted on bank loans.

Citing a list of top wilful bank loan defaulters given by the RBI in response to a RTI query, Gandhi had on Tuesday taken on the government, saying he was not given the answer when he had asked the same question in Parliament.

Taking a dig at the government, he said the list includes fugitive economic offenders like Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi, and many of BJP's "friends".

Hitting back, Javadekar said the Congress leader should try to expand his understanding of issues.

The government, he asserted, has gone all out to bring the accused to justice and not waived even a single penny of loan.

Nirav Modi is in jail in London and Vijay Mallya has been left with no option but to return to India after rejection of his bail plea in the UK, the BJP leader said.

Authorities have seized Nirav Modi's assets and auctioned them, he said, highlighting the action against him.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the Congress-less UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HULL, Iowa -- Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King leads state Sen. Randy Feenstra by 7 percentage points, according to an internal poll conducted by the GOP challenger.

King, a nine-term incumbent, had 41 percent, compared to 34 percent for Feenstra, according to the poll of 400 likely voters conducted April 22-23. Three other candidates in the race combined for 8 percent and 15 percent were undecided.

A memo from the pollster, American Viewpoint, notes Feenstra's support is up sharply since a poll in January, when King led 53 percent to 22 percent.

Since the January poll, Feenstra's favorable ratings have improved from 33 percent to 53 percent while his unfavorables ticked down from 8 percent to 9 percent.

Among the 57 percent of voters with an opinion of both candidates, Feenstra led 53 percent to 29 percent in the most recent poll.

"Once Feenstra is more fully defined, the undecided vote should shift to him, as King's favorable to unfavorable ratio is 36-46 among undecided voters, while Feenstra's is 32-5 percent," according to the memo.

The memo attributes Feenstra's growing support to his television ads that have been running in the Sioux City market since mid-March. In that market only, Feenstra leads King 40 percent to 32 percent, according to the memo.

Much of the rest of the sprawling 4th District is in the Des Moines TV market, which the memo said is "unlikely to be in play" for the Feenstra campaign, other than some limited efforts in conjunction with early voting. But the campaign said its mail and digital efforts in the Des Moines market "have already had an impact, with Feenstra cutting his deficit from 51-point in January to 29-points today."

Among all respondents in the 39-county district, Feenstra leads 51 percent to 29 percent among those who have read, seen or heard something about him, according to the memo.

American Viewpoint did not report on the level of support in the poll for the three other GOP challengers -- Jeremy Taylor, a former Woodbury County supervisor from Sioux City; health care official Bret Richards, of Irwin; and businessman Steve Reeder, of Arnolds Park.

Feenstra holds a commanding financial advantage heading into the June 2 primary. In the first quarter of this year, Feenstra raised $122,871, dwarfing the $42,917 that King brought in during the January to March period. Feenstra ended the quarter with $415,651 available to spend on campaign activities, while King had just $26,773 in cash.

J.D. Scholten, the sole Democrat in the field, continues to outraise all the Republicans. Scholten brought in $338,579 over the quarter, which was more than all of the Republicans taken together, as those five raised just under $185,000 combined.

Scholten, of Sioux City, lost by 3 percentage points to King in 2018.

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An 11-member team of doctors in Bengaluru is poised to inject plasma, extracted from two Covid survivors into a needy patient at state-run BMC Victoria hospital to commence plasma therapy clinical trials. The photographs show a Covid survivor donatin Image Source: IANS News

An 11-member team of doctors in Bengaluru is poised to inject plasma, extracted from two Covid survivors into a needy patient at state-run BMC Victoria hospital to commence plasma therapy clinical trials. The photographs show a Covid survivor donatin Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, April 29 : An 11-member team of doctors is poised to inject plasma, extracted from two Covid survivors into a needy patient at state-run BMC Victoria hospital in the city centre to commence clinical trials, said an official on Wednesday.

"As of Wednesday, there is no such patient at Victoria hospital who fulfils all the required criteria for plasma therapy to begin. We are waiting for the right patient to begin convalescent plasma therapy for Covid," told C.R. Jayanti, Director and Dean, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMC Victoria hospital) to IANS.

Victoria hospital has teamed up with city-based private HealthCare Global (HCG) hospital to carry out the trials, ready with the plasma of two donors who recovered from Covid.

"Two recovered patients have donated plasma. We have one male and one female donor," told Gururaj Rao, one of the team members and a molecular and cell biologist. He is the director of iCrest at HCG Cancer Centre.

With 216 Covid survivors in Karnataka, three more people have also volunteered to donate plasma.

Doctors in several places are trying to evaluate the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy to cure Covid patients, aiming to transfer immunity from recovered patients.

On Monday, Karnataka Health Minister B. Sriramulu spoke to the first plasma donor and called him a Good Samaritan.

"Personally spoke and congratulated Karnataka's first plasma donor #GoodSamaritan who has set a benchmark to our state for his service which will be remembered for," tweeted Sriramulu.

According to Rao, not all Covid survivors can randomly donate plasma as the doctors choose survivors who have completed 3-4 weeks of recovery period.

"Patients who have completed 3-4 weeks of the recovery period and are infection-free are encouraged for plasma donation. PCR testing is performed on the patient to ensure that they are tested negative of the Covid virus," said Rao.

This medical vetting is necessary to prevent further complications to both the donee and the donor.

U. S. Vishal Rao, associate dean at the Centre of Academic & Research HCG Cancer Centre said the doctors will extract only the plasma content from a donor's blood and return the rest into the donor's body.

"Instead of taking the entire quantify of donated blood, we only extract the plasma component with the help of a machine and return the non-plasma content back into the donor's body, which causes no harm," Vishal told IANS.

Deploying a onetime use circuit, the machine centrifuges a donor's blood, separating the plasma and returning the Red Blood Cells (RBCs), platelets and White Blood Cells (WBCs) back into the donor's blood stream.

According to the American Red Cross, human blood consists of 55 per cent plasma, 45 per cent RBCs and less than 1 per cent WBCs and Platelets.

After injecting the plasma into a Covid patient, the medical team will start observing for any signs of improvement as the therapy is being touted by some of holding promise to treat the virus.

On April 20, HCG hospital received permission from Directorate General of Health Services, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (Biological Division) to conduct plasma therapy clinical trials on Covid patients.

The regulator has listed a set of 19 stringent conditions to be met, and determined BMC Victoria Hospital as the site of clinical trials.

"This is a very unique situation during a pandemic. So the particular therapy has to be administered where the patient is. Now the patients are currently only at government hospitals," said Vishal explaining why Victoria hospital was chosen.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has reiterated that plasma therapy is not an approved treatment for Covid.

(Sharon Thambala can be contacted at thambalasharon@gmail.com)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Activists have launched a petition to remove the New York Academy of Art's board chairman after she allegedly made a student sell her rape-inspired painting to Jeffrey Epstein for half the price, a year before the young woman would go on to become a victim of the pedophile, DailyMail.com can disclose.

Maria Farmer claimed she was brought into the dead financier's orbit in 1995 when Eileen Guggenheim introduced her to him at her thesis show. At the time, Guggenheim was the school's dean of students.

Farmer, now in her 50s, claimed Guggenheim urged her to sell Epstein her painting of a shirtless man gazing at a young woman - which was a homage to Edgar Degas' famous painting known as The Rape - for $6,000. Farmer claims she had already sold the work to a German buyer for $12,000.

In the following months, Farmer claimed Guggenheim brought her to Epstein's New Mexico ranch. She was later hired by Epstein as an art consultant before she claims she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1996.

Kirby Sommers, who is spearheading the petition against Guggenheim, told DailyMail.com: 'If the system has failed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell  then we have to try to get justice from other people in his circle who were part of the machine that fed Epstein. Eileen Guggenheim is one of those people.'

The petition came as Farmer revealed her battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma with her friend and fellow Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre setting up a GoFundMe for her, DailyMail.com can also reveal.

Activists have launched a petition to remove the New York Academy of Art's board chairman Eileen Guggenheim (pictured) after she allegedly made a student sell her rape-inspired painting to Jeffrey Epstein for half the price, a year before the young woman would go on to become a victim of the pedophile, DailyMail.com can disclose

Maria Farmer (left and right) claimed she was brought into the dead financier's orbit in 1995 when Eileen Guggenheim introduced her to him at her thesis show. At the time, Guggenheim was the prestigious school's dean of students

Farmer, now 50, claimed Guggenheim urged her to sell Epstein her painting of a shirtless man gazing at a young woman - which was a homage to Edgar Degas' famous painting known as The Rape - for just $6,000, despite that Farmer had already sold the work to a German buyer for $12,000. Pictured: The painting by Farmer that she says Epstein bought from her thesis show at the New York Academy of Art

Sommers added: 'We want her to be removed from the Board of New York Academy of Art. The President of the school should offer Maria a public apology and honor this request.'

As of Wednesday evening, a few hours after the petition went live, it had garnered nearly 200 signatures. #MeToo advocate and actress Rosanna Arquette was among the names, tweeting that she had signed it, as well prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.

A statement provided to DailyMail.com from The New York Academy of Art stated: 'This petition is filled with false information, innuendo and lies. As such, we have reported it to Change.org as against their community guidelines and hope it will be taken down. What happened to Maria Farmer and all of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein is horrible.

'However, the allegations against Eileen Guggenheim are unfair and injurious. She has spent the last 30 years working for the well-being and success of all the Academys students. It is important to note that Farmer was a 25-year old adult when she graduated from the Academy. She went to work for Jeffrey Epstein after graduation of her own accord and had been in his employ for over a year when the assault happened.'

Sommers is a sexual assault survivor and advocate, and has written books about Epstein and her own sex slave experience.

She said she was compelled to act because 'what I do every day is listen to survivors and help spread awareness.'

Sommers said she believes Farmer was 'betrayed' by both Guggenheim and the New York Academy of Art.

On Tuesday night, a GoFundMe was set up to raise funds for Farmer, who is battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma following a brain tumor removal in 2019.

As of Wednesday evening, a few hours after the petition went live, it had garnered more than 100 signatures. #MeToo advocate and actress Rosanna Arquette was among the names, tweeting that she had signed it

Farmer has claimed she was violently sexually assaulted in the summer of 1996 by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Victoria's Secret chief Les Wexner Ohio home, after working for Epstein as his art consultant

She claims that after graduating, Guggenheim brought her to visit Epstein at his Zorro ranch (pictured) in New Mexico, allegedly telling her to 'act grateful and tell him how wonderful he is'

The page states support 'will go toward easing the financial strain of this process- covering medical costs and medications that are not covered by her insurance, as well as additional expenses such as buying wigs, healthy food and supplements, and transportation to appointments.'

The petition against Guggenheim is addressed to the school's president David Kratz and provost Peter Drake, reading in part: 'Maria Farmer has suffered tremendously because of your school's lack of proper screening and supervision.

'Ms. Guggenheim has endangered your students and needs to be removed from [the] Board not just because of the atrocious manner in which she disregarded the health, well-being and personal safety of Maria Farmer, but also because of the huge liability she poses to [the] school.'

It adds: 'The New York Academy of Art has a fiduciary responsibility to all students, past, present, future to keep them safe while in your care.'

Farmer, who was 25 when she met Epstein, told Art Net News in August that Guggenheim persuaded her to sell her painting to Epstein by allegedly telling her: ''You will be selling to them (Epstein and Maxwell). They are great benefactors of the academy and you are going to make them happy. Do you understand?'''

Farmer added: 'I was a trusting student. Who doesn't look up to the dean of their graduate program?'

She claims that after graduating, Guggenheim brought her to visit Epstein at his Zorro ranch in New Mexico, allegedly telling her to 'act grateful and tell him how wonderful he is'.

In previous statements to Art Net News, Guggenheim said she did not recall this conversation with Farmer, neither does she recall the visit to Epstein's ranch or encouraging Farmer to sell her painting to Epstein

Farmer, as well as her sister Annie, who claims she also was sexually assaulted by Epstein, filed suit against the pedophile's estate in New York City in November. Farmer alleged in court documents that Maxwell had threatened her by saying 'there are many ways to die' on the West Side Highway after she went to police over her alleged abuse

Farmer has claimed she was violently sexually assaulted in the summer of 1996 by Epstein and Maxwell at Victoria's Secret chief Les Wexner Ohio home, after working for Epstein as his art consultant.

The morning after the alleged assault, Farmer claims she called Guggenheim in tears to tell her what happened.

Farmer said: 'I was sobbing and said Epstein and Maxwell are sick people and I think I could have been raped.'

But Farmer claims that Guggenheim 'blamed me and mocked me.'

In previous statements to Art Net News, Guggenheim said she did not recall this conversation with Farmer, neither does she recall the visit to Epstein's ranch nor encouraging Farmer to sell her painting to Epstein.

Farmer, as well as her sister Annie, who claims she also was sexually assaulted by Epstein, filed suit against the pedophile's estate in New York City in November.

Farmer alleged in court documents that Maxwell had threatened her by saying 'there are many ways to die' on the West Side Highway after she went to police over her alleged abuse.

The suit alleges: 'Maxwell again called Maria to threaten her, but this time threatened her life: 'I know you go to the West Side Highway all the time. While you're out there, just be really careful because there are a lot of ways to die there'.'
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

Trend:

The Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association presented 10,000 medical face masks to help people in Azerbaijan fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Trend reports with reference to the Voice of Vietnam news agency.

At the handover ceremony held on Apr.28 at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Hanoi, Chairman of the Friendship Association Nghiem Vu Khai said the gift comes from the heart of former Vietnamese students in Azerbaijan, who want to share the difficulties with the Azerbaijani people.

He added that on Apr. 26, the association collected 25 million Vietnamese dongs (more than $1,000) to help three Azerbaijani citizens who lost their jobs in Vietnams Phu Quoc island due to the impact of the COVID-19.

In turn, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov thanked the Vietnamese people in general and the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association in particular for the meaningful present. He also expressed confidence that the two countries will overcome difficulties and reap success in the fight against the epidemic.
A 34-year-old man accused of kidnapping and raping a women at knifepoint in New Bedford two years ago was captured last week in Pennsylvania, authorities announced Wednesday.

Carlos Vizcaino is suspected of abducting a woman in May 2018, seriously injuring her and sexually assaulting her for hours. He was put onto Massachusetts State Polices most wanted after the incident, state police said in a statement.

Federal law enforcement and Massachusetts State Police tracked Vizcaino to Philadelphia within the last two months. Authorities found Vizcaino outside a home on April 21 and took him into custody, according to the statement.

Vizcaino was immediately charged as a fugitive from justice; he will be returned to Massachusetts to face charges of rape, armed kidnapping with sexual assault, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the New Bedford attack, the statement said.

He will also be charged with drug and motor vehicle offenses relating to separate incidents, authorities added.

On May 31, 2018, police responded to a report of a naked woman running from a car on Kilburn Street in New Bedford. She was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to state police.

An investigation found the woman had been held against her will at knifepoint and sexually assaulted for several hours, authorities said. Vizcaino was identified as the suspect.

It was later discovered that Vizcaino had numerous aliases and a lengthy criminal record across the state, according to authorities.

The fugitive was placed on the MSP Most Wanted list, the investigation continued, and information was eventually developed leading investigators to Philadelphia, state police said.
Representational picture

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, many migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, among others states had started walking to return to their home towns. In a similar incident, Insaf Ali, who walked 1,500 km from Mumbai to his village in Uttar Pradesh, died days after making the arduous journey.

Ali had reached his Mathkanwa village early morning on Monday, after which, the 35-year-old was quarantined. By Monday noon, he was dead, reported The Indian Express.

With his test results for coronavirus awaited, his wife Salma Begum (32) and family can only speculate why he died.

Salma said before Alis mobile phone ran out of battery, he told her he was surviving only on biscuits. Officials said that at the quarantine facility, he kept throwing up.

Salma couldn't see Ali after he returned as she was at her parents home, and his body was taken away before she returned. They also have a six-year-old son, Irfan.

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Salma said Ali left Mumbai on April 13, telling her he was running out of money. He had not got any work for weeks. He said that in the village, he would at least be around familiar people and manage.

Ali worked as a mason in Mumbai before the lockdown. Alis two elder brothers, who work as labourers, are currently stranded in Punjab.

Shravasti Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar Singh said Ali died after having some breakfast at the village quarantine centre. His body has been kept in the mortuary and his sample sent for COVID-19 test to Lucknow. His family members have been quarantined as they had touched the body after his death.

Given the high risk of contamination, postmortems are being conducted of only those who test negative for coronavirus, and Singh said they couldn't give the exact reason for Ali's death yet.

Shravasti Chief Medical Officer A.P. Bharghawa said the test report was expected soon, adding, The cause of death is still doubtful.

Uttar Pradesh has started bringing back migrant labourers across states and shifting them to centres for at least 14 days of quarantine.

Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi said they were only bringing back people in coordination with other state governments. Some cases of people coming in are bound to happen because UP has a huge border, some manage to come through village routes. But whoever is caught is put in quarantine, Awasthi said.
The High Court has heard that a Monaghan man is alleged to be "the ringleader" and "chief organiser" of an organised criminal group who trafficked 39 migrants found dead in a lorry container in Essex last year.

The court was told today that haulier Ronan Hughes is alleged to have "organised, paid for the travel and controlled the drivers who collected the migrants."

Mr Justice Paul Burns will deliver a decision tomorrow on whether the owner of the haulage firm will be granted bail ahead of his extradition hearing.

Mr Hughes (40), of Leitrim, Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan is wanted by authorities in the UK to face 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Mr Hughes was arrested on the evening of April 20 at his home in Co Monaghan following the endorsement of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by the police in Essex.



Mr Hughes and his younger brother Christopher (34) have been wanted in connection with the deaths since the beginning of the investigation, with Essex Police making an extraordinary live appeal last November for the siblings to hand themselves in. Their trucking firm is based in Tyholland, about 7km from the Armagh border.

The eight women and 31 men had arrived in England last October on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium. The youngest of the victims were two boys aged 15.





The haulier was joined by video-link from Cloverhill Prison today (Wed) and wore a face mask for the two-hour hearing. He is the second man from Northern Ireland to be arrested here on a EAW as part of the Essex police investigation.



At todays bail hearing, Detective Sergeant Jim Kirwan of the Garda Extradition Unit told counsel for the State Ronan Kennedy SC that gardai were strongly objecting to bail due to the seriousness of the charges.



Reading from the warrant, Det Sgt Kirwan said it is alleged that Mr Hughes had unlawfully killed 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found dead in the back of trailer in UK between October 22 and 24, 2019. It is alleged the migrants had been brought into the UK illegally by Mr Hughes and his co-conspirators.

Mr Hughes, it is alleged, had also conspired with others to facilitate the illegal entry of people including the 39 deceased persons into the UK between May 1, 2018 and October 24, 2019. Migrants were allegedly smuggled into the UK from Belgium in commercial trailers owned or operated by Mr Hughes, said Det Sgt Kirwan. He said it was alleged that "Mr Hughes organised, paid for the travel and controlled the drivers who collected the migrants".

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes faces a life sentence in prison if convicted of the offences and he has the means and ability to flee at the appropriate time.



The court heard today that the migrants had died from a lack of oxygen between 8pm and 10pm after they entered UK territorial waters.



The witness said that when the driver Maurice Robinson discovered the bodies of the migrants in the trailer he called Mr Hughes.



Det Sgt Kirwan said it was alleged that Mr Hughes was the "ringleader" and "chief organiser" of the group bringing illegal migrants to the UK and did so for financial gain.

The court also heard Mr Hughes was alleged to have previously visited Maurice Robinson at his home and paid him 25,000.

Mr Hughes had allegedly made a substantial amount of money from the illegal activity and was being investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau, said Det Sgt Kirwan.

Mr Justice Burns will deliver his decision on the bail application tomorrow morning at 10.30am.





Last week, Det Sgt Jim Kirwan told Mr Kennedy that he arrested Mr Hughes as part of a planned operation at 5.15pm on April 20 at Leitrim, Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan on foot of the warrant and cautioned him.

Eamon Ronald Harrison (22), of Mayobridge, Co Down has already appeared in court here and has been granted leave to appeal his pending extradition to the UK in May under the terms of the EAW. He is wanted to face 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.



Last Friday, the Court of Appeal was told by Mr Kennedy that a charge of conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act had been withdrawn by UK authorities against Mr Harrison. The court heard that this would shorten the appeal hearing on May 7.

It is alleged that Mr Harrison delivered the trailer, in which the bodies of eight females and 31 males were found in an industrial park in Grays, Esssex on October 23 last, to a Belgian port before its onward journey to Britain. The cargo was recorded as biscuits.



Earlier this month Maurice Robinson (25), of Craigavon, Co Armagh, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property. He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property. He will be sentenced at a later date.

The High Court in Dublin has heard that the sealed refrigeration unit was not turned on and that the people inside died from oxygen starvation. Temperatures inside the unit rose to 38.5 degrees before it steadily reduced, and police discovered bloody hand prints inside.
The Covid -19 situation in Odisha is well under control, but the next few days will be extremely challenging as a large number of people are likely to return from states that have been hit hard by the pandemic, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Wednesday. Patnaik said Odisha will create history in controlling the spread of coronavirus if people cooperate with the state government and adhere to its guidelines.

The Covid-19 situation in Odisha is now well under control. The next few days are going to be extremely challenging and crucial, but there is nothing to be afraid of, he said in a video message.

A large number of Odia brothers and sisters will return from states like the worst-hit Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and neighbouring West Bengal, the chief minister said.

Their arrival will lead to detection of more Covid-19 cases, but the situation can be kept under control with cooperation from people, he said.

Patnaik said people should assist the state government in ensuring that all returnees are registered and placed under quarantine.

This will ensure that the returnees and their families remain healthy, as also our villages and our society. A little bit of carelessness and negligence might put everybody in danger. This is a matter of life and death, he said.

The chief minister cautioned that laxity on the part of even 10 per cent of people will lead to escalation of the situation by 100 per cent.

Patnaik added that out of the 122 Covid-19 patients in the state, 50 had recently returned from West Bengal. Looking after West Bengal returnees has also become a major challenge for the state, he said.
Actor Irrfan Khan succumbed to a colon infection at Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Wednesday, four days after his mother Saeda Begum died in Jaipur. He had been battling a neuroendocrine tumour since 2018.

Haider Ali Zaidi, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer currently posted as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Bharatpur, was a childhood friend of the actor and they went to school and college together in Jaipur.

I was shocked after hearing the information that my childhood friend is no more, said the officer, who went to London to meet the actor when he was undergoing cancer treatment.

Khan and Zaidi were neighbours and went to school and college together in Jaipur. Khan held a Master of Arts in Urdu and Zaidi holds a Master of Arts in economics.

Haider Ali Zaidi and Irrfan Khan.

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Sharing his memories with Khan, Zaidi said, He is no more but I feel that he will call me right now or come here to meet me. He revealed that the actor saved his life when he accidentally touched a live electric wire while returning from school. He pushed me to save my life, Zaidi said.

Khan had gone to Mumbai to join films after studying acting at the National School of Drama. During his struggling days, he often travelled in local trains on an empty stomach.

I had always been in touch with him. We have lost a good actor and man, said the IPS officer.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has rebutted Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Randeep Singh Surjewala's allegations regarding "wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs", and stated that they have "attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner".

On Tuesday, Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party after Reserve Bank of India released a list of 50 wilful defaulters accused of cheating banks whose loans were written off.

"Rahul Gandhi, MP (LS), and Randeep Singh Surjewala, spokesperson of Congress, have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to Congress, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context," Sitharaman tweeted.

In a series of tweets, Sitharaman responded to the issues raised by them.

"Today's attempt of Congress leaders is to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs. Between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226.00 crore. Wished Rahul Gandhi consulted Dr Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about," the finance minister said.

She also said that provisions are made for NPAs as per the four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the RBI. "Upon full provisioning being done banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower. No loan is waived off," she wrote.

"Those defaulters, who do not repay despite having the capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well-connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's 'phone banking'," Sitharaman said.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Gandhi alleged that the BJP was hiding the names of defaulters as it included "friends of the government".

"I had asked a simple question in Parliament -- tell me the names of 50 bank defaulters. Finance Minister refused to answer. Now RBI has put names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and other BJP friends in the list. This is why they hid the truth from Parliament," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi along with a video.

Replying to the allegations, Sitharaman also recalled the "words of Raghuram Rajan", former RBI governor.

"A large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008...Too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans...Public sector bankers continued financing promoters even while private sector banks were getting out. RBI could have raised more flags about the quality of lending..." Raghuram Rajan (said)... From 2015, PSBs were asked by GoI to check all NPAs >50 crore for wilful default," Sitharaman wrote.

The finance minister also mentioned in detail the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya.

"Nirav Modi case: Immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore attached/seized. (Attachment Rs 1,898 crore and seizure Rs 489.75 crore). This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK," she tweeted.

In the Mehul Choksi case, Sitharaman stated that attachments of Rs 1,936.95 crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore have been done and seizures of Rs 597.75 crore.

"Red Notice issued. Extradition request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as Fugitive Offender is in progress," she wrote.

In Vijay Mallya's case, Sitharaman said, "Total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, UK High Court, has also ruled for extradition."

Sitharaman stated that it was the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government which was pursuing these wilful defaulters.

"9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now. Total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya: Rs 18,332.7 crore," she said.

"Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top fifty wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question *305 of Rahul Gandhi on 16.3.2020," the finance minister added.

Sitharaman also mentioned that a list of "borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC reporting as on September 30, 2019 (for borrowers with exposure of Rs 5 crore and above, global operations) was provided", on November 18, 2019, in the Lok Sabha.

The finance minister stated that the Congress and Gandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system.

"Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the Congress shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption and cronyism," Sitharaman further stated.
ALTON  With the coronavirus stay-at-home order keeping members out of area churches, Father Jeremy Paulin at St. Marys Catholic Church in Alton has developed a way people can pray from their homes.

About four weeks ago Paulin and other members of the Oblates if the Virgin Mary made arrangements to join in a prayer at the Our Lady of the Rivers shrine on the Mississippi River in Portage des Sioux, Missouri. The prayer took place on April 13.

During this time in isolation, we are spending a lot of time in prayer, Paulin said. This is something that can unite us. Prayer has given us hope through these times.

The shrine was built after the town was spared by the Great Flood of 1951. At that time, the pastor of the St. Patricks Catholic Church in Portage des Souix prayed the rosary, Paulin said, and asked Our Lady to intervene to protect his parish and the town and the surrounding area.

In 1956, the River Lady Statue was designed by Norma McClory and constructed of fiberglass by Monsanto Chemical Co. It was dedicated Oct. 13, 1957, and is the site of the annual Blessing of the Fleet Parade annually in August.

The new prayer connects the historical event with the current threat of contagion that rises like a flood, seeking intercession on behalf of area residents.

Paulin said the prayer appears on St. Marys website, stmarysalton.com, for anyone who wants to pray in the comfort of their home. He said he has also asked surrounding parishes to join in the prayer said daily at 5:30 p.m. at the shrine, while practicing social distancing.

Paulin also said that, once the pandemic has passed, he plans to lead a pilgrimage to the shrine at Portage des Sioux.
New Delhi, April 29 : The Delhi government has issued an online form for collecting information on city residents stuck abroad, an officials said on Wednesday.

"There is no decision if such people will be brought back, but the Delhi government is making a list of all those who are stuck abroad. The Central government will decide on this," the official told IANS.

The form is available on the Delhi government's website.

India suspended all international passenger flights last month due to coronavirus pandemic, following which lakhs of persons are stuck across the country as well as abroad.

Last week, the Centre asked the state governments to earmark hospital beds and quarantine centres for stuck Indian nationals who will be brought back from abroad in special flights once the national lockdown ends.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday allowed inter-state movement of stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, and students subject to certain conditions.

The MHA has directed the states to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending the stranded persons within the country.
With his simple personality, a charming smile and a wide range of work, Irrfan Khan broke the language barrier when it came to connecting with his fans, many of whom term his untimely demise as a "personal loss".

Be it a metropolitan like Delhi, or a small town like Jorhat in Assam or Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, the actor's fans are in every nook and corner of the country and they are all mourning today.

Irrfan lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.

The of his sudden demise came as a shock to his fans, with many people posting their heartfelt tributes on social media, while several others changed their WhatsApp statuses and display pictures to condole the loss.

"I was watching business when the about his death flashed. I was shocked and actually cried, Padmaja Tamuli, a teacher hailing from Jorhat, Assam, said.

Chetan Patil, a Pune-based software engineer, said, "You could watch many of his movies repeatedly like Haasil', Ye Saali Zindagi', Qarib Qarib Singlle'. He came across as an effortless, natural actor. And the simplicity in his smile, probably this is the reason his death feels like a personal loss."



Richa Arora Kohli, a communication profession based in Bengaluru, said she was really "shocked" and found it hard to believe that the actor was no more.

"I vividly remember his last audio from the teaser for his last released film 'Angrezi Medium'. His last words were Wait for me', it's going to be in my heart forever. His versatility and talent made us all respect him more, Richa said.

She was among the many who put up a WhatsApp status to pay homage to the actor.

For some people, Irrfan and his movies had a profound effect on their personal lives and his death has left a deep void.

"The reason I feel such pain is because he was so true to his art that it touched us all. He once said he doesn't believe in legacies, well he left his own now. After Farooq Sheikh sahab's death, this is a loss which is too personal for me, Isha Singh, a Delhi-based doctor, said.

In Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad, where Irrfan's critically acclaimed film Haasil was set, people linked the Allahabad University too felt attached with the actor and are mourning his death.

"I have been attached with the Allahabad University since 2009, first as a student and now as a teacher. Irrfan Khan had played a role in Haasil' which is based on the student election of our university. So here we are emotionally attached with him," Dinesh Yadav, a teacher in the Economics Department of the university, said.

Pragya Bhatnagar, an International Trade Research Associate based in Vietnam, said he wished he had an opportunity to meet the actor once.

I have put this picture on my WhatsApp status because I wished I had a moment to meet him. I wish I had the opportunity to shake his hand and say thank you and take that memory for lifetime," Bhatnagar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

The total number of coronavirus infected people in Uzbekistan rose to 1,955, Trend reports on April 29 with reference to the Ministry of Health.

To date, 992 patients have fully recovered from the coronavirus infection in the country, eight have died.

Since April 1, Uzbekistan announced a self-isolation regime in Tashkent, the capital, as well as in Nukus and other regional centers. Citizens over 65 are categorically prohibited from leaving their homes. They can go out only to visit pharmacies and shops near their respective places of residence. Recently, quarantine in Uzbekistan was extended until May 10.

The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband and grandson also tested coronavirus-positive.

The outbreak of the coronavirus began in the Chinese city of Wuhan (an international transport hub), at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 217,000. Over three million people have been confirmed as infected, over 928,000 have reportedly recovered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 11:15:42|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The third annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, was proposed to open in Beijing on May 21.

The recommendation was made at a recent meeting held by the Chairperson's Council of the CPPCC National Committee, which was presided over by Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

The meeting reviewed and approved the draft decision to hold the annual session, the draft agenda and schedule for the annual session as well as the draft agenda and schedule of the tenth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. It also heard a report on the preparations of the upcoming annual session.

Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pointed out that the "two sessions" -- the annual sessions of the top political advisory body and the top legislature -- are a major political event in China.

It was a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core to convene the "two sessions" against the special background that the country has regularized its COVID-19 epidemic response measures, Wang said. Enditem
BP has handed savers and pensioners a lifeline by promising to pay a 1.7billion dividend despite profits slumping by two thirds.

Many had been worried BP would have to cut or axe the payout after oil prices began tanking in late January.

But the energy giant has raised the amount it will give to shareholders for the first quarter of the year to 10.5 cents a share  up from 10.25 cents in the same period of 2019.

Payout: Energy giant BP has raised the amount it will give to shareholders for the first quarter of the year to 10.5 cents a share  up from 10.25 cents in the same period of 2019

The coronavirus crisis has forced a slew of other companies to postpone or scrap 23billion of dividends, including HSBC and Marks & Spencer yesterday.

This made BP's dividend, already among the largest in the FTSE 100, even more vital to pension funds and other stock market- linked investments.

But the situation could change later in the year, with chief executive Bernard Looney saying it would 'review' whether to pay a dividend for the second quarter.

Profits at the London-based group fell 66 per cent to 634million between January and March.

This was higher than the City had expected but was down 66 per cent from 1.9billion in the same period of 2019.

The fall reflects an unprecedented drop in oil prices since January when China, the world's biggest importer of crude, began introducing strict travel bans.

Since then, a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, lockdown measures bringing transport and industry to a halt, and rapidly filling storage facilities mean Brent crude has fallen from almost $70 a barrel to around $20.

The main US oil price benchmark  West Texas Intermediate  plunged into negative territory at one stage last week, meaning sellers were paying buyers to take oil off their hands. BP said demand for fuel at its petrol stations was down 50 per cent, while jet fuel was down 80 per cent.

It is now rapidly trying to cut costs to make its operations profitable when oil prices are at $35 a barrel, after having a 'break-even' price of $56 last year.

It has 26billion of cash available after arranging more funds. Looney said: 'The environment is brutal.' He added the crisis means 'there will be job cuts globally, towards the end of this year'  though BP has pledged not to make any redundancies over the next three months.

Looney took over the top role in February and had intended to focus on creating a green pioneer.

He still plans to keep to the net zero emissions pledge and said that the climate debate 'may be enhanced by what we're seeing' in the crisis.

The decision to keep the dividend has come at a cost, with its debt level rising almost 5billion to 41billion. Revenue fell 12 per cent to 48billion.

Nicholas Hyett, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that with a sizeable expense related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill expected next quarter, 'things look set to get worse before they get better'.

He added: 'Drastic cuts to capital expenditure should help ease the pressure for now, and 26billion of liquidity gives some breathing space.

'But, longer term, the group needs higher oil prices or lower operating costs, and ideally both.'

BP is the first of the world's big oil companies to report results this week. British savers will be waiting to hear whether Royal Dutch Shell is keeping its dividend tomorrow, while global groups Chevron, Total and Exxon Mobil will also update this week.
While the US government has proceeded expeditiously to hand over trillions of dollars to the Wall Street banks and corporations, millions of workers who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic have been blocked from applying for unemployment benefits.

A survey published Tuesday by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows that the widely reported figure of 26.5 million workers who applied for jobless benefits over the past five weeks significantly underestimates the actual number of people who have lost their jobs since March 15.

The EPI survey reveals that for every 10 people who have successfully applied for unemployment benefits during the pandemic, three or four more tried to apply but could not get through to make a claim. An additional two people did not try to apply at all because the process was so onerous.

EPI summarizes the survey results in the following way: When we extrapolate our survey findings to the full five weeks of UI [unemployment insurance] claims since March 15, we estimate that an additional 8.913.9 million people could have filed for benefits had the process been easier.

The EPI further states: These findings imply the official count of unemployment insurance claims likely drastically understates the extent of employment reductions and the need for economic relief during the coronavirus crisis.

The inability of millions of workers across the country to even apply for unemployment benefits stands in stark contrast to the trillions of dollars that have been transferred from the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve to corporations, banks and the super-rich.

At present, the amount of emergency assistance provided to the corporations and banks by the US governmentsince President Trump signed the initial $2.2 trillion CARES Act on March 27stands at between $4.2 and $6 trillion.

The denial of resources to unemployed workers while unlimited funds are made available to the ruling elite demonstrates that the officially stated purpose of the CARES Actvoted for unanimously by both Democrats and Republicansas fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families and small businesses is an utter fraud.

The unemployment benefits program included in the CARES Act has been, to a large extent, an elaborate exercise in deliberate mass deception. When Congress and the White House presented the additional 13 weeks of state-based unemployment insurance beyond the typical 26 weeks, plus an additional $600 weekly federal supplement through July 31, 2020, as a social safety net during the COVID-19 crisis, they knew very well that millions of unemployed workers would be unable to take advantage of it.

The Democrats and Republicans knew that many workers would not be able to get through to the antiquated systems in the state capitals across the country, which would be completely overwhelmed and unprepared for the number of people seeking to apply for benefits. They were counting on these systems being so backed up with delays and confusion that workers would give up and end up receiving little or nothing of the government money.

The banks, corporations and wealthiest individuals, on the other hand, were to get vast sums of money without delay.

In an example of the ease with which government money is flowing into the accounts of the largest corporations in America, the Washington Post reported on Monday that nearly half of the payroll support fund allocated to the airline and cargo industries had been disbursed. The Post report said: As of this week, $12.4 billion of the $29 billion in grants has been paid out to 93 carriers to keep front-line workers on the job, Treasury officials said. In all, airlines and air cargo carriers are eligible for more than $50 billion in grants and loans.

Additionally, the Federal Reserve will shortly begin buying $500 billion in bonds issued by large US corporations. Although this cash is being provided officially as a financial lifeline that is to be paid back, there are no provisions in the Feds credit program requiring companies to maintain jobs or restrict the funds from being used for executive compensation, stock buybacks or shareholder dividends.

The EPI survey, starting with 24.4 million people who applied for unemployment benefits between March 15 and April 18, shows that the actual number of unemployed workers in the US is somewhere between 33.3 and 38.3 million people. This means that between one-quarter and one-third of the workers who have lost their jobs during the pandemic (8.9 to 13.9 million workers) have been blocked from applying for benefits.

EPI explained the methodology behind its study: To gauge how well the UI [unemployment insurance] system is handling the new caseloads, we used Google Surveys to ask 25,000 people, Did you apply for unemployment benefits in the last 4 weeks?

EPI asked those who responded to this question which one of six different scenarios corresponded to their experience, such as, I applied successfully, I tried but could not get through, I did not apply because it was too difficult.

When added to the number of people who were officially without a job prior to the pandemic7.1 million workersthe EPI survey results would put the jobless rate in the US at somewhere between 24 and 27 percent, eclipsing the highest rates of unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In addition to jobless workers who have been prevented from applying for government assistance, a number of surveys have shown that substantial numbers of those who have successfully applied have not received any benefits.

A study by the Washington Post published on April 23 says that there is a backlog of three million unpaid jobless claims across the US, although the true backlog is probably far greater. A Pew Research Study showed that only 29 percent of the 7.37 million who filed for jobless assistance in March, or 2.1 million people, actually received the benefits.

Many states across the country are continuing to report glitches and backlogs in processing unemployment applications that have been successfully submitted. Among the states reporting delays in processing applications are:

 California: A report on Monday in the Los Angeles Times said that for Californians applying for unemployment assistance, the last month has been a perfect storm of failures for a state government with a long history of technology problems. Of the 3.2 million new unemployment claims filed in the last month, 76 percent of those applying have received benefits. This means that 768,000 applicants have not yet received an unemployment check.  Florida: The state of Florida has published an online dashboard showing a total of 1.9 million applications for reemployment insurance since March 15. Because of confusion created by the state instructing applicants who had applied before April 5 to apply a second time, there are multiple applications in this total. Florida then reports 824,412 Confirmed Unique Claims Submitted, and of these, just 392,051 (47.6 percent) that have been paid any benefits.  Oregon: A large percentage of the 300,000 unemployed in Oregon who have filed for government assistance have not received a check and cannot find out the status of their claim. The states antiquated systems have been overwhelmed by the volume of applications, and, according to a report in the Oregonian, thousands of workers have been given faulty information about their applications. The departments phone lines are overwhelmed, preventing callers from getting through, the newspaper reports.

Amidst the dysfunction, chaos, incompetence and bureaucratic mismanagement of state unemployment programs in the US, there is a definite policy at work. The ruling class and both of its parties are intentionally withholding financial assistance from broad sections of the working class who are being devastated by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, while offering up unlimited funds in the trillions of dollars to the corporate-financial oligarchy.

There is a deliberate policy of using mass unemployment and the prospect of destitution, homelessness and hunger to blackmail a section of workers into going back to work under unsafe conditions. This policy is, moreover, aimed at the imposition among all workers of a permanent restructuring of economic and class relations, such that full-time jobs, wages, health care, pensions and social services such as education are gutted.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the financial collapse of 2008 was a foretaste of the social and political assault on the working class that is now unfolding. At the same time, millions of workers all over the world are seeing the true reality of capitalismthe subordination of everything, including human life itself, to the ruthless drive of the parasitic elite to increase its wealth. The conditions are being created for revolutionary upheavals. The conclusion that must be drawn is the necessity for a unified international struggle of the working class to put an end to the capitalist system and establish socialism.
Five political groups are represented at Calvia town hall - PSOE, the Partido Popular, Vox, Ciudadanos and Podemos-Mes (who have a pact at the town hall). These groups have all agreed to seek consensus for a social and political accord for a municipal plan for social, economic and environmental recovery.

An institutional declaration is to be made at Thursday's council meeting. This is based on agreements that have been arrived at over recent weeks. Since the state of alarm was declared, the mayor, Alfonso Rodriguez, has been holding weekly discussions with all political groups. In addition, there have been regular talks with Calvia's business representatives.

An emergency action plan for the municipality is being drawn up. This will deal with the current situation and lay the foundations for future recovery, with emphases being on maintaining jobs and sustainability.

Last week, there was unanimous approval of an initial package of measures. These included tax reductions and a postponement of the voluntary period for the payment of municipal taxes.

The forecast for tourism is that this will recover more slowly than other sectors. Because of this, there will need to be measures to help businesses, workers, the self-employed and families.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has finalized an agreement with the developers of the Balboa Reservoir, a key milestone in winning approvals of a controversial plan that would add 1,100 homes to the 17-acre parking lot next to City College.

The development agreement includes a commitment that the developers  Bridge Housing, AvalonBay and Mission Housing  make 550 of the units affordable. It will also include 4 acres of open space, a large child care center, a community center, and $10 million in fees to the city for transit and infrastructure improvements.

Legislation detailing the development agreement and a special use district needed to rezone the property were introduced at the Board of Supervisors Tuesday by board President Norman Yee, who had not previously taken a public position on the development.

Jen Low, a legislative aide to Yee, said that the details of the project would continue to evolve before final approvals, which are likely to happen this summer. Yee considered delaying the introduction of the legislation because of the shelter-in-place order, but ultimately decided to move the process along, Low said.

He really wanted to shine a light on it so that members of the public could start weighing in, said Low. He is excited about he child care and the affordable housing. Those are elements he fought hard for. Im sure a lot of people will give him feedback and we will have more changes.

If approved, work on the $30 million of required infrastructure improvements  parks, roads, utilities, sidewalks, landscaping  will likely start in 2022. The first four buildings  two affordable and two market rate  will open in early 2024.

Phase one would include 154 units of educator housing and 123 apartments that would be affordable to a family of four making between $37,000 and $98,000 a year. City College faculty and staff would have first preference for the educator housing.

Brad Wiblin, executive vice president with Bridge Housing, which is developing the project along with AvalonBay and Mission Housing, said the city has really stepped up to keep this process moving in the middle of the coronavirus shelter in place.

There is no doubt in our mind that we are committed to a project that is 50% affordable, Wiblin said. This is a 50/50 deal. There is no question, and the city is holding our feet to the fire to make sure that is the case.

The Balboa Reservoir property is an approximately 17-acre parcel that the city and county of San Francisco owns under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Our housing shortage did not go away during this pandemic, and now more than ever we need to continue to do the work to build more homes throughout our entire city, said Mayor Breed.

Supervisor Yee established the Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee in 2015, which included representatives from the Westwood Park and Sunnyside neighborhoods and an Ocean Avenue business owner. Yee said he hoped the committee will serve as a model for what community-led planning can look like.

But strong opposition persists. Breed is the fourth San Francisco mayor to attempt to build on the parking lot. Previous projects have been met with fierce resistance from residents and college students and faculty.

Tomasita Medal, a former City College music student, said, This disaster should not be allowed to go forward.

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.

It is simply too large and inappropriate for the land parcel, he said.

Christine Hanson, a City College student whose husband is a professor there, said the parking lot is a public resource that should not have any market-rate housing.

Its crazy. The city is buying land for affordable housing in places like the Haight and we have 17 acres of public land right here being sold off to private developers, she said.

But the fact that two-thirds of the affordable housing at the Balboa Reservoir will be paid for by the market rate developers  the city will subsidize the other third  frees up hundreds of millions of dollars for other projects, according to Jon Winston, chairman of the Community Advisory Committee.

Without money from private developers the project would soak up much of the bond money the city has for affordable housing. We would be lucky to get 200 or 300 affordable units, he said.

Update: This story has been updated to include comment from John Winston of the Community Advisory Committee.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The two central teams that visited Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat to assess the COVID-19 situation there found that the state government is taking all measures to curb the spread of the pandemic and to ensure enforcement of the lockdown.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which constituted the Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs), cited inputs of the teams and said the administration is conducting extensive testing and using technologies to identify coronavirus cases in the initial stages itself, said Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Srivastava also lauded the state and police for ensuring social distancing norms during relief work. Srivastava added that IMCT that visited Ahmedabad found the Gram Yoddha Samiti (village warrior committee) to be efficient and suggested the model can be adopted by other states.

The praise of the Gujrat government by IMCTs and MHA comes on a day when migrant workers pelted stones at Diamond Bourse office in Surat, demanding that they should be sent back to their native places and alleging they are being forced to work amid the shutdown.

Notably, Gujarat has recorded the second-highest number of positive cases and deaths in the country. As on Tuesday, the second worst-hit state by coronavirus recorded 3548 cases and 162 deaths.

Badruddin Shaikh, a veteran Congress leader and a corporator from Danilimada area in Ahmedabad was also one of the victims of coronavirus.

During the daily press briefing on the situation, Srivastava also said, The IMCT (/topic/imct) has held discussions with various stakeholders including textile and diamond industries, who are major employers of labourers. Most labourers have received the salary of last month. The Central team has asked the Surat administration to prepare future plans as well.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 13:16:07|Editor: huaxia

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HO CHI MINH CITY, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Border guard forces of Vietnam's southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province have arrested a local man for smuggling 4 kg of crystal methamphetamine, Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The drug smuggler aged 36 from southern Dong Nai province was caught red-handed with four packages of crystal methamphetamine on Tuesday, the news agency reported.

According to the Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty. Enditem
OTTAWA  Former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray is hoping to lead the federal Green party from an activist movement to a political force.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray is hoping to lead the federal Green party from an activist movement to a political force.

"I can build the Green party into a more powerful and influential force; I can help it build more electoral success," Murray told the Free Press in his first interview after declaring his candidacy Wednesday afternoon.

The longtime Liberal said he took out a Green membership just a few months ago, but had been leaning towards the party and a possible run since last Christmas.

Murray said he wants to lead the party for five to 10 years, targeting 50 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons, so the Greens have enough momentum to be effective.

He wants to shift the party away from carbon taxes towards the cap-and-trade system he helped implement as Ontarios environment minister, and focus on green jobs with projects such as high-speed rail. He would ultimately ban short-haul flights that dont run on electricity.

Murray made the announcement after the Free Press requested an interview.

He said the massive spending to cope with the COVID-19 shutdown presents an opportunity to shift the Canadian economy away from fossil fuels.

"People are finally waking up to the nature of major global health and environment crises: what can happen and how disruptive they are, and how Canadians are pulling together," he said.

Murray, who described himself as a gay activist, compared the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and the rapid mainstream acceptance of LGBTTQ+ people to Canadians shifting their views on the climate crisis.

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Rumours about Murray mounting a leadership bid have circulated among Green party staff and activists in Ottawa and British Columbia since February, about the time Murrays Twitter account shifted towards Green figures such as outgoing leader Elizabeth May.

While some party insiders welcomed his candidacy, many noted that other official and declared candidates are younger than the 62 year old, with more diverse backgrounds and activist roots outside electoral politics.

"I dont think age or race or skin colour should matter, frankly. I think were past sexism, ageism and racism," Murray said. He praised the other candidates, but argued he has more of a track record in winning elections.

Murray was mayor of Winnipeg from 1998 to 2004 before moving to Toronto. He was a Liberal member of Ontarios legislature from 2010 to 2017 and served as a cabinet minister. He then spent a year with an Alberta sustainability think-tank for a year before returning to Winnipeg to work with environmental businesses.

He would not say who he voted for in last falls federal and provincial elections. He similarly would not dwell on why the Green partys surge in the polls a year ago collapsed by Octobers election, despite massive climate-change marches and some success at the provincial level.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Why a statewide shutdown to stem what appears to be a nursing home crisis in Minnesota? That is the question I addressed to Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm following the daily state briefing on Monday. For some reason, Malcolms crew omitted me from Tuesdays briefing. They have not responded to my query why they did so. Maybe it was something I asked.

Here is the question I addressed to Malcolm: Referring to the 286 total deaths to date, I note that every decedent under age 70 has died in long-term care or similar setting. The youngest person to die outside long-term care was in his 70s. Why is it necessary to close the schools and shut down the state to protect the at-risk population?

This is the answer I received on Malcolms behalf from MDH media contact Doug Schultz (posted verbatim in part 25 of my daily series): We have had deaths in people younger than 70 and certainly many cases in all age groups. It is necessary to take the community mitigation measures we have because all Minnesotans are at risk from COVID 19, as none of us has immunity. Some people, like those in long-term-care and those with underlying health conditions, are far more at risk than others. But if we didnt reduce transmission in the community as we have with the stay at home order, we would see far more disease circulating and many times more serious cases that would quickly overwhelm our health care system. Then, even less-vulnerable people would not be able to get the care they needed, such as intensive care, ventilators, etc., so we would see far more deaths in people outside of the very frail and elderly. That is what has happened in places like Italy and New York.

Kevin Roche is the former UnitedHealth Group general counsel and chief executive officer of its Ingenix division. Taking the Malcolm/Schultz response as An Example of Government Evasiveness and Misinformation, Kevin subjects it to close analysis. Kevin writes at Healthy Skeptic (lightly edited, emphasis in original):

The question was about where are the deaths occurring in people under the age of 70. It appears that no one under that age has died other than in a long-term care facility, but the point of the question was to verify that. The answer is a non-answer. It just says, yes people under 70 died but doesnt say where. Kind of important to know, since the Governor is scaring the hell out of everyone. Might make a difference if people knew, if I just stay out of a nursing home, I should be fine. All Minnesotans are at risk from coronavirus. Yes, we all have the potential to be infected, but so what? What is the real risk or danger? The state has said several times that it thinks there are 100 times more infections than there are positive test results. Since none of those people sought a test, apparently, by definition they were all asymptomatic or mild cases. Most of the positive test results were asymptomatic or mild cases. So for 99 percent plus of Minnesotans, there is zero danger. And see the first part above, apparently, unless you are in a nursing home, if you are under the age of 70, you have zero risk of death. None of us have immunity. Also not true. Everyone who has been infected probably does have immunity. Not all of us are going to even be exposed. A large number of us, especially young people, arent going to get infected if exposed. If we didnt reduce transmission we would overwhelm the health system. A flat-out lie. There is absolutely nothing that suggests we couldnt provide adequate resources to treat those who need treatment. If and when the state releases the next run of its model, if it adjusts the parameters as it would have to based on the information now available, there is going to be no scenario in which the system is overwhelmed. And the model already shows that if you just do stay-at-home for seniors, there is no shortage of capacity. There simply is no basis for ordering everyone to stay at home. The rest of the stuff is nonsense gibberish.People wonder why there is so little respect for government. This kind of garbage is why.

I want to add Kevins argument to my own more restrained observations yesterday. Kevin provides a perspective that is available approximately nowhere in the Minnesota media.
New Delhi, April 29 : The Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, Zafarul-Islam Khan, has been on and off the news for his controversial social media posts for the past few weeks.

But this time he has raked up a big controversy with his latest Facebook post, where he threatened "Hindutva bigots" of complaining to "Arab countries and the Muslim world" about the "hate campaigns and lynchings and riots in India", saying "bigots will face an avalanche".

The DMC Chairman did not stop here. In another post, he wrote, "Govt happy to take plasma of Tablighis but lock them inside flats like hardcore criminals." He also termed quarantining Tablighi Jamaat workers as "illegal detention". Tablighi Jamaat members have drawn flak for the alleged spread of coronavirus to different parts of the country after the religious sect organised a congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month.

On Monday, Khan wrote in on of his social media posts: "Tablighi inmates and many others have completed 28 days in corona isolation, rather detention centre, which is twice the mandatory 14 days quarantine period for corona suspects as per US and WHO guidelines. Keeping people in isolation, who tested negative and spent twice the mandatory period in corona isolation centres, is tantamount to illegal detention." Punya Salial Srivastava, Joint Secretary at the Union Home Ministry had said earlier, "At this stage, there is no question of deportation. We are taking legal action against foreign Tablighi Jamaat workers under the Foreigners Act and Disaster Management Act, 2005. As and when the process of deportation is initiated, standard health protocols will be followed." In his recent social media post on Tuesday, Khan said, "Thank you Kuwait for standing with the Indian Muslims! The Hindutva bigots calculated that given the huge economic stakes involved, the Muslim and Arab world will not care about the persecution of Muslims in India." He also said that "bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage." When IANS spoke to Khan, he confirmed that the social media posts were his, but his account was being operated by his office staff whom he had handed over the phone for greater clarity. The concerned person also confirmed that the posts were made on Khan's behalf.

The DMC Chairman also mentioned names like "Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, Iqbal, Abul Hasan Nadwi, Wahiduddin Khan, Zakir Naik", and said they are "respected household names in the Arab and Muslim world." One of the names he mentioned, Zakir Naik, is the founder of Islamic Research Foundation and Peace TV. In 2017, Naik's TV channel was banned in Bangladesh after it was found that one of the gunmen involved in the deadly attack in a cafe in Dhaka that killed 20 persons was allegedly inspired by Naik.

In India, Naik has been accused of economic crimes and promoting communal hatred. He has been barred by countries like the UK and Canada, among others, from giving public lectures due to his controversial and radical views.

Khan also warned "Hindutva bigots" in his post. "Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche." In the past, the DMC Chairman had termed the Triple Talaq Bill as "wrong" and a "great injustice" to the Muslim community in India, especially on the Muslim male population.
There have been 21 cases of Covid-19 at a direct provision centre in Co Kerry, according to an asylum seeker who is staying there.

Brendan Griffin, the junior minister and local TD, has called on the Department of Justice to "see sense" and shut the centre down.

More than 100 asylum seekers were moved to the Skellig Star hotel in Cahersiveen last month. The asylum seekers came from three different direct provision centres in Dublin, and they were relocated to the hotel as part of attempts by the Department to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Azwar Furad (38) told the Irish Independent that an outbreak of Covid-19 at the temporary accommodation has now infected 21 people, including a young child. It is understood that asylum seekers who test positive are being moved to new accommodation in Cork.

"We now have had a total of 21 cases here... You stay here, you get Covid," he said.

Mr Furad, who is from Sri Lanka, had to quit his job in Dublin when he was moved to the centre in Kerry with his wife and three-year-old child.

The group of asylum seekers which were moved to the hotel included nine families with small children. It also included at least one pregnant woman, who has since given birth.

"There is no doubt, 100pc this place is not suitable for kids, this is a disaster," he said.

The asylum seekers have now pinned signs to the windows of the hotel, asking to be moved. Both residents of the hotel and locals have reported cases of asylum seekers being asked to leave local shops amid fears that they are carrying the virus.

"We can't blame them. They welcomed us, they are very nice people. [But] this is a small town, they have a small hospital and it's full already. If anything happens to them, who will look after them?" Mr Furad said.

"This is a very silly move by the Department of Justice. Dublin is a dangerous zone [for Covid-19]. They moved us from Dublin to a safe zone.

"We were not tested before we were put in the new place and they did not keep us for quarantine in the previous hotels before bringing us to this hotel."

There are about 60 rooms available in the Skellig Star hotel, which means asylum seekers must share accommodation. Mr Furad said it should be closed and disinfected.

When the asylum seekers first arrived last month, a local welcoming committee was formed. Helen Richmond, who had helped make welcome signs for the new arrivals, said locals have been dismayed by how the asylum seekers have been treated.

"It's been terrible... They just want out," she said.

Yesterday Brendan Griffin, the junior minister for transport, tourism and sport, called on his own Government to close the direct provision centre in Cahersiveen.

"The circumstances there are just not compatible with the best practice that we have been hearing about in relation to how we deal with Covid-19.

"It's not suitable for more than one person to be in a room if they are not family members and we know that is still the situation in relation to some people at the centre," Mr Griffin told Radio Kerry.

"I would hope that the people in justice and health will see sense and give a directive to relocate the residents."

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said "every person has a right to privacy, including in regard to their medical information".

"Any decisions in relation to the centre will be made in conjunction with the HSE, as have all our decisions with regard to accommodation centres during the pandemic," it added.
Official Tells Chinese in Russia- Do not come back

On April 7, Russia repatriated 100 of the first 330 quarantined Chinese citizens. As the pandemic started getting more serious in Russia, China decided to cancel almost every flight to Russia.

The video below shows that CCP officials convened a mobilization meeting in Russia, persuading the Chinese not to return to China.



This is not the end until all the infections are cleaned up and all who are infected need to be in hospitals.

Whoever is infected, regardless of whether he has mild or severe symptoms, becomes the source of infection.

It is not that the severely infected are more contagious than the less infected.

No, thats not the case. So now, everyone, I guess none of you is infected, right?

(Everyone responds: We are fine.)

You and your family must pay attention to this virus.

Although you think you are generally quite well, the moment the virus finds access to you, your health could be completely crippled.

Even if you have a background in martial arts or kung fu, nothing will help.

I hope its clear.

According to virologic tracking, a considerable number of those who passed through Suifenhe were initially healthy but got infected on the way.

This is the first point.

Second, those who had only mild symptoms turned more severe or even critical during the long journey.

This is the current situation.

We keep telling you that, you have to

The order now in China is to prevent both a rebound at home and imported cases from abroad.

Since we are unable to make other contributions, we shouldnt make things harder for our country.

Thats all.

We must try to contain the virus outside China.

On the other hand, individually speaking, now that you are healthy, why would you bother making this trip back, only to get yourself infected?

In the airplane cabin, where people gather in close proximity, it is impossible to get fully protected.

As soon as you take off your mask to drink water, the virus can sneak in.

Fully aware that Chinese citizens are being expelled from Russia, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still blocked them from customs, shutting them out of China. This is in stark contrast to the governments of Western democracies who, despite various difficulties, sent planes to pick up their own nationals.
LEAWOOD, Kan., April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (Euronet or the Company) (EEFT), a leading electronic payments provider, reports first quarter 2020 financial results.



Euronet reports the following consolidated results for the first quarter 2020 compared with the same period of 2019:

Revenues of $583.9 million, a 1% increase from $577.5 million (3% increase on a constant currency (1) basis).

Operating income of $31.6 million, a 44% decrease from $56.1 million (42% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Adjusted EBITDA (2) of $68.7 million, a 21% decrease from $87.2 million (19% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Net income attributable to Euronet of $1.9 million or $0.04 diluted earnings per share, compared with net income of $34.5 million or $0.62 diluted earnings per share.

Adjusted earnings per share (3) of $0.55, a 35% decrease from $0.85.

Euronet's cash and cash equivalents was $709.5 million and ATM cash was $558.6 million, totaling $1,268 million as of March 31, 2020, and availability under its revolving credit facilities was $950 million.

See the reconciliation of non-GAAP items in the attached financial schedules.

"Like most businesses around the world, our first quarter results were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary focus has been on ensuring the health and safety of our employees, providing uninterrupted and enhanced services for our customers and being fiscally responsible for our shareholders," stated Michael J. Brown, Euronet's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

To ensure the health and safety of the Euronets nearly 8,000 employees, the Company has shifted virtually all of its employees to remote work-at-home arrangements. This process was efficiently completed and continues to function effectively, largely due to the exemplary contributions of our employees together with the leading edge, advanced architecture technology infrastructure we have deployed across the globe, including cybersecurity and remote access measures. Our committed employees and technology systems have enabled us to quickly respond to alternative and accelerated requirements of many of our customers. Moreover, as of the end of the first quarter, the Company had a substantial unrestricted cash balance of $709.5 million, ATM cash of $558.6 million and $950 million of availability under its revolving credit facilities and no significant debt principal payments for five years enabling it to sustain operations and liquidity through the pandemic crisis.

Story continues

Despite a strong start to the year in each of the three segments, as border closures and shelter-in-place orders have spanned the globe over the last several weeks, the Company has seen transaction declines in the EFT Segments ATM business ranging from minimal declines to as much as 95%, with the most significant declines in cross-border transactions; in the money transfer business the Company has seen both increases in certain transactions and declines in others, with the increases being more concentrated in the digital channels while the decreases in the brick-and-mortar channels have been about 35%; the epay business as well saw both increases and decreases in transaction categories with very strong transaction increases across the digitally-initiated transactions as well as content oriented to self-use and declines in transactions traditionally processed by retail-based merchants. While the epay Segment has been experiencing very strong digitally-initiated transactions, the majority of those transactions have been low-margin transactions in India. Overall, as the first quarter came to a close and entered into the second quarter, on average the EFT Segment transaction trends were down approximately 40% over the similar weeks of the prior year, the Money Transfer Segment transactions were down approximately 35% over the similar weeks of the prior year and epay transactions were up approximately 40% over the similar weeks of the prior year, again heavily influenced by low-margin India-based transactions.

In response to the COVID-19 driven impacts, the Company has implemented several key measures to offset the impact across the business, including renegotiating certain third party costs, reducing travel, decreasing planned 2020 capital expenditures by two-thirds and expanding ATM winterizations (that is, placing them in dormancy status) to more sites in more markets. While the Company is taking many steps to reduce and manage costs, management has determined that due to its financial strength and liquidity, the business will retain its employees unless the impacts of COVID-19 become significantly more pronounced.

Additionally, the Company has continued to identify new high-value ATM sites, negotiate new outsourcing agreements, sell both REN and REV technology services, implement key new agent agreements and expand the digital media portfolio to position the Company to emerge from the pandemic ready to move forward with its long-term growth plans.

With the realities of the COVID-19 impacts, despite cost reductions and careful expense management actions, the Company expects that in the second quarter its Adjusted EBITDA will be nearly break-even and after capital expenditures, interest and taxes, the business will consume approximately $25 million of its cash, which is readily available from the Company's cash balances.

Continued Mr. Brown, "We have built a strong set of assets that include leading-edge technology platforms, a diverse product portfolio and geographic presence with industry leading employees, which is combined with the cost saving measures we have implemented and a very strong balance sheet with plenty of liquidity. This impressive list of assets and financial strength will only be effectively utilized over the longer term by keeping the valuable employees that have helped build this company. The combination of our leading-edge technology, an expansive product list, global geographical markets and a committed employee force supported by a strong balance sheet give me great confidence that not only will we be here next year, but we will return to delivering double-digit results in the long term."

Segment and Other Results

The EFT Processing Segment reports the following results for the first quarter 2020 compared with the same period or date in 2019:

Revenues of $145.8 million, a slight increase from $145.7 million (3% increase on a constant currency basis).

Operating income of $4.9 million, a 71% decrease from $16.8 million (71% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Adjusted EBITDA of $25.2 million, a 25% decrease from $33.4 million (23% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Transactions of 785 million, a 13% increase from 692 million.

Operated 42,176 ATMs as of March 31, 2020, a slight increase from 42,034.

Constant currency revenue and transaction growth in the first quarter 2020 was driven by growth in Asia Pacific and United States markets in the quarter, partially offset by the impact of fewer European ATM transactions, especially high-margin cross-border transactions, related to the COVID-19 pandemic-driven governmentally imposed border closures and shelter-in-place orders. Operating income and adjusted EBITDA year-over-year declines were the direct result of fewer European ATM transactions, especially high-margin cross-border transactions. While measures to reduce certain costs were initiated in the latter part of the quarter, limited benefit of those initiatives were realized by quarter end.

The EFT Segment's active ATMs remained consistent year-over-year with the addition of nearly 4,000 high-value ATMs in Europe and Asia, 3,000 new outsourcing ATMs in Europe and the U.S., largely offset by the removal of 1,100 unprofitable YourCash ATMs and the temporary closure of more than 6,000 additional ATMs in Europe in an effort to limit the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The epay Segment reports the following results for the first quarter 2020 compared with the same period or date in 2019:

Revenues of $172.9 million, a 2% decrease from $176.1 million (1% increase on a constant currency basis).

Operating income of $16.5 million, an 8% decrease from $18.0 million (6% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Adjusted EBITDA of $18.3 million, an 8% decrease from $19.8 million (5% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Transactions of 447 million, a 32% increase from 338 million.

Point-of-sale ("POS") terminals of approximately 732,000 as of March 31, 2020, a 4% increase from approximately 706,000.

Retailer locations of approximately 336,000 as of March 31, 2020, a 1% increase from approximately 332,000.

First quarter constant currency revenue growth was driven by continued digital media growth. While constant currency revenues grew year-over-year, the epay Segment too began experiencing the impacts of consumer movement restrictions, especially at retail outlets; however, digital product offerings played a key role in offsetting the retail-based transaction declines. Operating income and adjusted EBITDA declines were the result of SG&A investments made throughout 2019 to support future growth, which was unfortunately blunted by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transaction growth was the result of increases across Europe and very strong contributions from India, which included a large volume of low-margin mobile top-up transactions.

The Money Transfer Segment reports the following results for the first quarter 2020 compared with the same period or date in 2019:

Revenues of $266.3 million, a 4% increase from $256.6 million (5% increase on a constant currency basis).

Operating income of $22.3 million, a 27% decrease from $30.7 million (25% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Adjusted EBITDA of $30.9 million, a 20% decrease from $38.8 million (18% decrease on a constant currency basis).

Total transactions of 27.4 million, a 3% increase from 26.6 million.

Network locations of approximately 402,000 as of March 31, 2020, a 7% increase from approximately 377,000.

First quarter 2020 constant currency revenue growth was driven by strong double-digit contributions from U.S. originated international remittances and growth in xe stemming from recent currency volatility, partially offset by year-over-year decreases in the intra-U.S. transfer business. Operating income and adjusted EBITDA declines were the result of SG&A investments made throughout 2019 to support future growth, which was unfortunately blunted by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, operating income and adjusted EBITDA were further impacted by additional charges taken to cover anticipated agent receivable defaults as a result of government ordered business closures required to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

First quarter 2020 money transfers grew 3% and non-transfer transactions, such as currency exchange and check cashing, grew 4%, resulting in total transaction growth of 3%.

Corporate and Other reports $12.1 million of expense for the first quarter 2020 compared with $9.4 million for the first quarter 2019. Increased corporate expense for the first quarter is largely due to higher long-term stock-based incentive compensation. Most of the stock-based incentive compensation awards have performance-based vesting conditions.

Balance Sheet and Financial Position

Unrestricted cash on hand was $709.5 million as of March 31, 2020, compared to $786.1 million as of December 31, 2019. The decrease in cash resulted from $240 million in share repurchases, partially offset by cash generated from operations. Additionally, while the Company believes its $709.5 million cash balance is more than sufficient to sustain the business through the difficult times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has approximately $558.6 million of cash in ATMs at March 31, 2020 which could be re-deployed to operations, giving the company more than $1.2 billion of cash with no significant debt principal payments for five years. In addition, the Company has approximately $950 million of availability under its revolving credit facilities.

Total indebtedness was $1.10 billion as of March 31, 2020, compared to $1.11 billion as of December 31, 2019, with a first maturity date of March 2025.

Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to the results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company presents non-GAAP financial measures, such as constant currency financial measures, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share. These measures should be used in addition to, and not a substitute for, revenues, net income, operating income and earnings per share computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors regarding the Company's performance and overall results of operations. These non-GAAP measures are also an integral part of the Company's internal reporting and performance assessment for executives and senior management. The non-GAAP measures used by the Company may not be comparable to similarly titled non-GAAP measures used by other companies. The attached schedules provide a full reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure.

(1) Constant currency financial measures are computed as if foreign currency exchange rates did not change from the prior period. This information is provided to illustrate the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the Company's results when compared to the prior period.

(2) Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income excluding, to the extent incurred in the period, interest, income tax expense, depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation and other non-operating or non-recurring items that are considered expenses or income under U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA represents a performance measure and is not intended to represent a liquidity measure.

(3) Adjusted earnings per share is defined as diluted U.S. GAAP earnings per share excluding, to the extent incurred in the period, the tax-effected impacts of: a) foreign currency exchange gains or losses, b) goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, c) gains or losses from the early retirement of debt, d) share-based compensation, e) acquired intangible asset amortization, f) non-cash interest expense, g) non-cash income tax expense (benefit) and h) other non-operating or non-recurring items. Adjusted earnings per share represents a performance measure and is not intended to represent a liquidity measure.

Conference Call and Slide Presentation

Euronet Worldwide will host an analyst conference call on April 29, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. The call may also include discussion of Company developments, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations, forward-looking information and other material information about business and financial matters. To listen to the call via telephone, dial 877-303-6313 (USA) or +1-631-813-4734 (outside the USA). The conference call will also be available via webcast at http://ir.euronetworldwide.com. Participants should go to the website at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the event to register. A slideshow will be included in the webcast.

A webcast replay will be available beginning approximately one hour after the event at http://ir.euronetworldwide.com and will remain available for one year.

About Euronet Worldwide, Inc.

Euronet Worldwide is an industry leader in processing secure electronic financial transactions. The Company offers payment and transaction processing solutions to financial institutions, retailers, service providers and individual consumers. These services include comprehensive ATM, POS and card outsourcing services, card issuing and merchant acquiring services, software solutions, cash-based and online-initiated consumer-to-consumer and business-to-business money transfer services, and electronic distribution of digital media and prepaid mobile phone time.

Euronet's global payment network is extensive - including 42,176 ATMs, approximately 329,000 EFT POS terminals and a growing portfolio of outsourced debit and credit card services which are under management in 61 countries; card software solutions; a prepaid processing network of approximately 732,000 POS terminals at approximately 336,000 retailer locations in 54 countries; and a global money transfer network of approximately 402,000 locations serving 158 countries. With corporate headquarters in Leawood, Kansas, USA, and 66 worldwide offices, Euronet serves clients in approximately 170 countries. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.euronetworldwide.com.

Statements contained in this news release that concern Euronet's or its management's intentions, expectations, or predictions of future performance, are forward-looking statements. Euronet's actual results may vary materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including: conditions in world financial markets and general economic conditions, including impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic; the effects in Europe of the U.K.'s departure from the E.U. and economic conditions in specific countries and regions; technological developments affecting the market for our products and services; our ability to successfully introduce new products and services; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; the effects of any breach of our computer systems or those of our customers or vendors, including our financial processing networks or those of other third parties; interruptions in any of our systems or those of our vendors or other third parties; our ability to renew existing contracts at profitable rates; changes in fees payable for transactions performed for cards bearing international logos or over switching networks such as card transactions on ATMs; our ability to comply with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements, including anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism, anti-bribery, consumer and data protection and the European Union's General Data Privacy Regulation and Second Payment Service Directive requirements; changes in laws and regulations affecting our business, including tax and immigration laws and any laws regulating payments, including DCC transactions; changes in our relationships with, or in fees charged by, our business partners; competition; the outcome of claims and other loss contingencies affecting Euronet; the cost of borrowing, availability of credit and terms of and compliance with debt covenants; and renewal of sources of funding as they expire and the availability of replacement funding. These risks and other risks are described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Copies of these filings may be obtained via the SEC's Edgar website or by contacting the Company. Any forward-looking statements made in this release speak only as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by law, Euronet does not intend to update these forward-looking statements and undertakes no duty to any person to provide any such update under any circumstances. The Company regularly posts important information to the investor relations section of its website.





EURONET WORLDWIDE, INC. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in millions) As of March 31, As of 2020 December 31, (unaudited) 2019 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 709.5 $ 786.1 ATM cash 558.6 665.6 Restricted cash 29.0 34.3 Settlement assets 773.3 1,013.1 Trade accounts receivable, net 92.9 201.9 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 309.3 217.7 Total current assets 2,472.6 2,918.7 Property and equipment, net 356.6 360.0 Right of use lease asset, net 379.6 377.5 Goodwill and acquired intangible assets, net 844.7 885.6 Other assets, net 130.9 115.9 Total assets $ 4,184.4 $ 4,657.7 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Settlement obligations $ 773.3 $ 1,013.1 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 549.6 481.5 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 129.2 127.4 Short-term debt obligations 9.5 12.0 Total current liabilities 1,461.6 1,634.0 Debt obligations, net of current portion 1,083.6 1,090.9 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 243.6 242.0 Capital lease obligations, net of current portion 8.1 8.1 Deferred income taxes 52.6 56.1 Other long-term liabilities 45.7 47.2 Total liabilities 2,895.2 3,078.3 Equity 1,289.2 1,579.4 Total liabilities and equity $ 4,184.4 $ 4,657.7





EURONET WORLDWIDE, INC. Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited - in millions, except share and per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 2019 Revenues $ 583.9 $ 577.5 Operating expenses: Direct operating costs 359.5 353.8 Salaries and benefits 101.2 92.8 Selling, general and administrative 60.8 48.2 Depreciation and amortization 30.8 26.6 Total operating expenses 552.3 521.4 Operating income 31.6 56.1 Other income (expense): Interest income 0.6 0.3 Interest expense (9.3 ) (8.2 ) Loss on early retirement of debt  (0.9 ) Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain (18.8 ) 3.2 Total other (expense), net (27.5 ) (5.6 ) Income before income taxes 4.1 50.5 Income tax expense (2.4 ) (16.0 ) Net income 1.7 34.5 Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests 0.2  Net income attributable to Euronet Worldwide, Inc. $ 1.9 $ 34.5 Earnings per share attributable to Euronet Worldwide, Inc. stockholders - diluted $ 0.04 $ 0.62 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 54,779,321 55,576,867









EURONET WORLDWIDE, INC. Reconciliation of Net Income to Operating Income (Expense) and Adjusted EBITDA (unaudited - in millions) Three months ended March 31, 2020 EFT

Processing epay Money

Transfer Corporate

Services Consolidated Net income $ 1.7 Add: Income tax expense 2.4 Add: Total other expense, net 27.5 Operating income (expense) $ 4.9 $ 16.5 $ 22.3 $ (12.1 ) $ 31.6 Add: Depreciation and amortization 20.3 1.8 8.6 0.1 30.8 Add: Share-based compensation    6.3 6.3 Earnings (expense) before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and share-based compensation (Adjusted EBITDA) (1) $ 25.2 $ 18.3 $ 30.9 $ (5.7 ) $ 68.7 Three months ended March 31, 2019 EFT

Processing epay Money

Transfer Corporate

Services Consolidated Net income $ 34.5 Add: Income tax expense 16.0 Add: Total other expense, net 5.6 Operating income (expense) $ 16.8 $ 18.0 $ 30.7 $ (9.4 ) $ 56.1 Add: Depreciation and amortization 16.6 1.8 8.1 0.1 26.6 Add: Share-based compensation    4.5 4.5 Earnings (expense) before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and share-based compensation (Adjusted EBITDA) (1) $ 33.4 $ 19.8 $ 38.8 $ (4.8 ) $ 87.2

(1) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure that should be considered in addition to, and not a substitute for, net income computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP.





EURONET WORLDWIDE, INC. Reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings per Share (unaudited - in millions, except share and per share data) Three Months Ended

March 31,

2020 2019 Net income attributable to Euronet Worldwide, Inc. $ 1.9 $ 34.5 Foreign currency exchange loss (gain) 18.8 (3.2 ) Intangible asset amortization(1) 5.7 5.2 Share-based compensation(2) 6.3 4.5 Non-cash interest accretion(3) 3.7 3.4 Income tax effect of above adjustments(4) (6.2 ) (0.2 ) Loss on early retirement of debt  0.9 Non-cash GAAP tax expense(5)  2.3 Adjusted earnings(6) $ 30.2 $ 47.4 Adjusted earnings per share - diluted(6) $ 0.55 $ 0.85 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (GAAP) 54,779,321 55,576,867 Effect of unrecognized share-based compensation on diluted shares outstanding 201,873 261,765 Adjusted diluted weighted average shares outstanding 54,981,194 55,838,632

(1) Intangible asset amortization of $5.7 million and $5.2 million are included in depreciation and amortization expense of $30.8 million and $26.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations.

(2) Share-based compensation of $6.3 million and $4.5 million are included in salaries and benefits expense of $101.2 million and $92.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations.

(3) Non-cash interest accretion of $3.7 million and $3.4 million are included in interest expense of $9.3 million and $8.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations.

(4) Adjustment is the aggregate U.S. GAAP income tax effect on the preceding adjustments determined by applying the applicable statutory U.S. federal, state and/or foreign income tax rates.

(5) Adjustment is the non-cash GAAP tax impact recognized on certain items such as the utilization of certain material net deferred tax assets and amortization of indefinite-lived intangible assets.

(6) Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share are non-GAAP measures that should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, net income and earnings per share computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Contact:

Euronet Worldwide, Inc.

Stephanie Taylor

+1-913-327-4200




Taken further, the vision behind Monad Terraces strategy of resilience is dystopian: As water levels rise, what will happen to waterfront neighborhoods that cant afford similar defenses? What if in some distant future, flood-resilient housing is a luxury affordable only to the privileged few?

Resilience  defending current conditions as a response to climate change, rather than fully adapting to and anticipating it  is a slippery concept, and in general it needs to be a part of any climate response. But on its own, it represents an outdated way of thinking, the idea that we can somehow stop or contain the forces of nature. It can also be exclusionary and unjust; if we can never stop or contain nature, we will just deflect it  onto those who cannot afford to get out of the way.

Instead, we should focus on equity-minded climate adaptation, on structural changes that will reimagine new urban futures under climate change. Effective adaptation will protect both the physical environment and the social fabric of neighborhoods.

The problem is that adaptation at scale requires collective action; resilience can mean simply leveraging power. Take, for example, the efforts by Peter Secchia, a Michigan businessman, Republican political donor and former U.S. ambassador to Italy, to secure funds to stop beach erosion along a stretch of Lake Michigan  along which Mr. Secchia happens to own a $6 million summer home. When at first his request failed to get a response, he wrote to lawmakers: This lack of concern mystifies me. Our property values will diminish greatly  adding, as if to say the quiet part out loud, hence, our donations will also diminish.

In California beachfront communities like Pacifica, just south of San Francisco, sea walls are going up to fortify individual homes to protect from coastal erosion. But they come with a cost, disrupting tide patterns and erasing publicly accessible beaches. The plan is controversial, and it has spurred a debate about whether managed retreat  moving inland  would be a more socially and economically viable solution. Needless to say, many opponents of managed retreat stand to benefit from the resilient sea walls.
Surprise! There is an all-new Eternals comic available now from Marvel

A globe-trotting story about the Eternals vs. Deviants in the 500 Year War
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 19:31:20|Editor: huaxia

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TIANJIN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- North China's Tianjin Municipality starting from Thursday will downgrade its public health emergency response for the COVID-19 epidemic from the top level to the second level, a local health official said Wednesday.

Gu Qing, deputy director of the municipal health commission, said at a press conference that the improving epidemic prevention and control situation in Tianjin has been further sustained, with the risk of transmission remaining overall controllable.

The decision was made after the city had seen no new confirmed local or imported COVID-19 cases for 62 consecutive days as of Wednesday.

Gu noted that Tianjin will step up efforts to promote the resumption of work and production and reopen schools, commercial facilities, tourist attractions and public places in an orderly manner.

Beijing and the neighboring Hebei Province also announced on the same day to lower their COVID-19 emergency responses from the top level to the second level from Thursday on. Enditem
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan will seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for president, ending months of speculation that the former Republican would run as an alternative to President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

"Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people," Amash tweeted Tuesday evening. Two weeks earlier, he had tweeted that he was looking "closely" at a run, after denouncing a comment Trump made about presidential authority.

Amash, who turned 40 this month, was elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave and grew increasingly distant from Republicans as the decade went on, fending off a primary challenge from a business-backed conservative in 2014. He was deeply critical of Trump's 2016 campaign, and even more critical of what the GOP did with control of the legislative and executive branches.

"Things have really taken a turn for the worse, in terms of the growth of libertarianism in Congress," Amash told The Post in a 2018 interview. "You have some bright spots here and there. But for the most part, the party's become more nationalistic, more anti-trade."

In 2019, Amash became the only Republican to call for Trump's impeachment. Not long after, he left the party, and continued to vote against spending bills while opposing many White House priorities. He faced a tough reelection in his Grand Rapids-based district, with Republicans and Democrats both filing against him.

At the same time, Amash faced pressure from members of the Libertarian Party to run for their nomination. The party hit a record high of nearly 4.5 million votes in 2016, with former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson leading their ticket. But there was no obvious favorite for this year's nomination, with former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee ending his bid this month and former Judge Jim Gray, the party's 2012 nominee for vice president, probably their best-known candidate.

Johnson welcomed Amash's candidacy.

"I think it's terrific," said Johnson in a text message. "I'd have to think that his candidacy will garner a lot of attention which will be great for the Libertarian Party."

It's unclear if an Amash bid would have a greater effect on Biden or on Trump. In 2019, a Detroit News poll found Biden leading Trump in Michigan, a state that has grown rockier for the president, by 12 points. With Amash added as an option, Biden's lead shrunk to six points, with some independents and Republicans moving away from the Democrat. But national polling of Amash has been sparse, and it's unclear how many states the Libertarian Party will attain ballot access in as the pandemic makes traditional signature-gathering impossible.

The Libertarian Party is set to meet in Austin over Memorial Day weekend to pick its presidential nominee, with the convention making its choice on May 25. While the coronavirus pandemic has canceled many political events, the LP had not moved the convention, and earlier this week Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the state would reopen on May 1.
RESTON, Va., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SOC Telemed (SOC), the leader in acute care telemedicine, today announced the launch of Telemed IQ/Critical Care availability at seven Trinity Health Hospitals through its partnership with Sound Physicians. The rapid deployment program brings Sound Physicians' critical care expertise on-demand to patients by using SOC's Telemed IQ platform at seven Trinity Health hospitals across New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware in the face of the current COVID-19 crisis.

The rapidly-deployed critical care program can support an estimated volume of 20 COVID-19 ICU patients per night, per hospital, providing coverage from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. wherever deployed.

The following Trinity Health facilities deployed Telemed IQ/Critical Care:

Mercy Catholic Medical Center - Mercy Philadelphia Campus, Philadelphia, PA

Mercy Catholic Medical Center - Mercy Fitzgerald Campus, Yeadon, PA

St. Mary Medical Center, Langhorne, PA

Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Saint Francis Hospital, Wilmington, DE

Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall, Newburgh, NY

Montefiore Nyack Hospital, Nyack, NY

The Trinity Health system exists at the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Trinity is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 106 continuing care locations that include PACE programs, senior living facilities, and home care and hospice services. Its continuing care programs provide nearly 2 million visits annually.

"The Telemed IQ/Critical Care program creates a physician-led critical care telehealth platform built to address the need for continuous management of critically ill patients with COVID-19," said Dr. Stephen Matchett, Chief Executive of Sound's Critical Care division. "With SOC's technology and our intensivists, we can leverage limited resources over a large group of patients to provide high-quality care and support our on-site teams."

"By combining the expertise of Sound critical care physicians with the scalable, flexible Telemed IQ platform from SOC, our organizations can rapidly deploy in hospitals around the country in a matter of days," said Dr. Jason Hallock, chief medical officer for SOC Telemed. "During the current health care emergency nationwide, our combined, on-demand care capabilities are part of the answer in the fight to keep an ever-growing patient population under proper care and oversight."

About Sound Physicians

Sound Physicians is a national physician practice with a proven track record of improving the quality, experience, and total cost of care for acute care episodes. Sound combines deep physician leadership and engagement with a technology-enabled high-performance model to drive reproducible results across the acute episode of care  through emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care, transitional care, advisory services, and telemedicine, operating today at over 300 locations in 40 states. For more information, visit www.soundphysicians.com.

About SOC Telemed

SOC Telemed (SOC) is the largest national provider of telemedicine technology and solutions to hospitals, health systems, post-acute providers, physician networks, value-based care organizations, and health plans. Built on proven and scalable infrastructure as an enterprise-wide solution, SOC's technology platform, Telemed IQ, rapidly deploys and seamlessly optimizes telemedicine programs across the continuum of care. SOC provides a supportive and dedicated partner presence, virtually delivering patient care through teleNeurology, telePsychiatry and teleICU as well as enabling healthcare organizations to build sustainable telemedicine programs in any clinical specialty. SOC enables organizations to enrich their care models and touch more lives by supplying healthcare teams with industry-leading solutions that drive improved clinical care, patient outcomes, and organizational health. The company was the first provider of acute clinical telemedicine services to earn The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval and has maintained that accreditation every year since inception. SOC Telemed is backed by Warburg Pincus and CRG. For more information, visit www.soctelemed.com.

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A Marine sentenced to 18 months' confinement and a bad-conduct discharge after a barracks confrontation turned bloody may now end up free, after a military appeals court determined that the presiding judge wrongly instructed jury members in the case.

Pfc. Mickey W. Johnson, an aircraft maintainer stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, was convicted on charges including attempted manslaughter in April 2018. After just three weeks living with his roommate, identified in court documents as Lance Cpl. V, the tension between the two was toxic and threats were common.

But even though a showdown one evening devolved into a knife fight that sent Lance Cpl. V to the hospital, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Appeals determined earlier this month that it could have begun as justifiable self-defense -- a point that may not have been made effectively ahead of deliberations on the case.

The full-court published decision, released April 15 and delivered by Senior Judge Navy Capt. Arthur Gaston, found that the judge should have told members that Johnson was within his rights to display knives in an attempt to deter aggression.

The judges pointed out the size difference between the two Marines: Johnson was 5 feet 9 inches and weighed 140 pounds, while Lance Cpl. V was 6 feet 5 inches and 200 pounds.

Because of the size mismatch, Johnson said he needed ample opportunity to head off potential fights.

Related: Air Force Was Wrong to Force Out 14-Year Officer, Appeals Court Finds

"[Johnson's defense] argues these requested instructions were necessary because Appellant was a 'little man' who had a legal right to take reasonable measures to protect himself, 'rather than take [the] chance  of being knocked down and stamped into a jelly,'" the court wrote in its discussion of the case, citing previous decisions.

According to the court's account of the encounter, the showdown between the two Marines happened after weeks of trading insults. Johnson at one point wondered aloud if he'd "rather see LCpl V "with his throat slit or set on fire," the court stated.

But when Johnson told Lance Cpl. V that he'd slept with his mother, the larger Marine got physical. He "shoved [Johnson] against a hard object," according to the court account, and warned him that they would fight after work.

That evening, Johnson kept two spring-loaded knives with him -- on his bed while he listened to music, and in and out of the barracks when he went to take a bath.

When Lance Cpl. V ultimately confronted Johnson, he was holding the two knives under a towel.

"So what do you have to say about my mother now?" Lance Cpl. V demanded, according to court documents.

Johnson dropped the towel to reveal the knives. After some verbal sparring, Lance Cpl. V shoved Johnson into a wall locker. Johnson lunged, swinging the knives. The larger Marine grabbed Johnson's wrists, and ultimately ended up on top of him, banging his hands against the wall to get him to drop the knives.

In this position, Johnson inflicted slash wounds on his roommate's hand and forearm, and received cuts on his legs. Ultimately, Lance Cpl. V broke away and ran for the duty shack, according to the court's account.

Johnson was calm when security personnel arrived and cooperated when they arrested him.

During the April 2018 court-martial, Johnson's attorney asked that the military jurors, called members, be given detailed instructions stating "that he displayed the knives in an effort to deter LCpl V from attacking him, and that he only used them after LCpl V, rather than backing down, shoved [Johnson] into a wall locker and then tried to grab one of the knives."

The judge, Marine Lt. Col. Leon Francis, denied the request.

That decision, the appeals court said, weakened the defense's argument that Johnson never meant to attack his roommate with the knives, and only used them in self-defense after Lance Cpl. V escalated the conflict by lunging at him. And, the court added, they couldn't rule out the possibility that the lack of instructions contributed to Johnson's ultimate conviction.

The court vacated Johnson's conviction, which also included reduction in rank to E-1 and forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and ordered a re-hearing on the case.

"Here, in failing to differentiate between the lawful display and the lawful use of the knives, the military judge's self-defense instructions were ultimately inadequate and misleading," Gaston wrote for the court.

It's not clear when the re-hearing will take place. Johnson's attorney, Navy Lt. Daniel Roginski, declined to comment on the matter.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Read More: Army Says It Has Found the Best Fabric for DIY Face Masks
Most Australians will be able to travel to visit friends and family from this weekend as coronavirus restrictions are eased across the country, but the rules vary wildly state-by-state.

As the country continues its remarkable fight against COVID-19, infection rates remain low, encouraging state governments to lift some lockdown laws.

With many eager to escape their homes for the first time in weeks, some officials have warned 'this is not a holiday' and encouraged people to stay home if they can.

But some states have gone much further and lifted several restrictions, with others having changed very little - making it difficult for Australians to figure out the rules.

If you are experiencing symptoms, you should stay home in all states.

Daily Mail Australia gives you a definitive guide to what you can and can't do this weekend, and what the official advice is.

Security is seen patrolling Scarborough Beach in Perth on April 27 (pictured), with socially distanced groups of up to ten people now allowed in Western Australia

New South Wales

Two adults, and their children, will be able to travel anywhere in the state from Friday, but only to visit another household or for essential reasons.

It does not mean people can gather in groups outside of the home, or be outside for non-essential reasons, but can spend time at another person's house.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the visits were being allowed for people's mental health, after millions of people spent weeks in isolation.

The easing of lockdown rules is despite the spike in deaths, after five more elderly residents Anglicare's Newmarch House care home died in just 24 hours.

An infected member of staff spread the virus to 54 people at the Penrith home, which has become one of NSW's COVID-19 clusters.

So far, 11 residents have died since the outbreak started on April 11, bringing the national total to 89.

A sign telling people to 'surf and go' is seen at Sydney's Bondi Beach (pictured on April 28), with residents only allowed on beaches for essential exercise

Residents in NSW are allowed to exercise of several beaches, including Sydney's Bondi (pictured on April 28)

Outside of the embattled aged care home, NSW continues to recover remarkably well from the pandemic, with just 11 new cases on Wednesday.

But Ms Berejiklian issued a firm warning about the new visitation rules, saying people still shouldn't leave home unless it is essential.

Essential reasons include going to school, work, buying groceries, caring for others or medical needs.

She explained the relaxing of visitation rules is 'an extension of the definition of care', to help ease isolation and improve people's mental health.

'This does not give you a licence to go beyond the rules,' Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday morning.

People in NSW are allowed to visit friends at home, in groups of two, or exercise on some beaches. Sunbaking is not allowed (pictured, a woman on Balmoral Beach on April 23)

HOW AUSTRALIAN LIFE COULD GO BACK TO NORMAL Researchers from eight leading Australian universities have presented the government with two options. 1) 'Controlled adaptation' - which means restrictions are eased sooner 2) Wait for elimination of the virus - which would keep measures in place until June 'Any choice between these two options entails a delicate trade-off between protecting health, supporting the economy and societal well-being,' the report read. The research comes as only 12 COVID-19 cases were detected during the past 24 hours, with just one due to unknown community transmission. National cabinet wants to see 20 or fewer cases a week before Australia starts easing more restrictions, and Scott Morrison has said no national measures will be eased before May 11. Advertisement

'Please know how important it is for everyone to respect the rules that have been put in place.

'It is to reduce socialise lags and improve mental health.

'We know so many people in our community have been literally locked up in their homes for weeks on end. We thank them for it.

'However, we expect every family, every close friendship to have a conversation about what you do with the new arrangements.

'We haven't put a limit on how far you can travel in order to visit a loved one but we ask everybody to be responsible.

'This is not a holiday.'

'The fact you can visit someone's household is an extension of the definition of care.'

National parks are still closed, with some beaches open - but only for exercise.

People are encouraged to go outside to exercise for their mental and physical health, but to avoid being away from home longer than necessary.

A large group are seen enjoying the sun at McKenzies Beach on April 25 (pictured) which is still against the rules in NSW as it is neither exercise nor essential

Victoria

In Victoria, the state government is remaining prudent and has not announced any relaxation of lockdown laws, and will instead review them on May 11.

This is when the state of emergency ends, and also when the national cabinet is meeting to discuss any country-wide changes to the rules.

The rules staying in place in Victoria mean that people are still not allowed to leave home for non-essential reasons, and gatherings of more than two people are banned.

Essential reasons include going to work which can't be done from home, buying groceries, doing exercise, caring for others or attending a medical appointment.

Despite just two new cases of coronavirus being confirmed overnight, Premier Daniel Andrews has defended his move to continue the stay-at-home policy.

In some states, Australians will be able to spend time with mates this week, while in others restrictions are still in place (pictured, women at Brighton beach on March 28)

Friends are seen grabbing coffee in Melbourne on April 25 (pictured), with gatherings of more than two people still banned

AUSTRALIA'S COVID-19 BATTLE: LATEST More than 6,738 cases have been recorded in Australia but just around 1,100 are active. * Of the active cases, 109 are in hospital, with 42 in intensive care. * Only one out of 12 cases detected during the past 24 hours was due to an unknown, community transmission. * The death toll is 89 - NSW 41 (including two people who died in NSW but are Queensland residents), Victoria 18, Tasmania 11, WA eight, Queensland four, SA four, ACT three). * About 21 of the deaths were passengers on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, four were on the Artania in WA and 11 were residents at the Newmarch House aged care home, in Sydney. * Some 2.8 million people have downloaded and registered with the federal government's tracking app COVIDSafe since its Sunday release. Advertisement

'This is not about doing what's popular, it's about doing what's right,' he said on Tuesday, also voicing concerns about possible transmissions in schools.

Mr Andrews is not encouraging schools to re-open, saying seven of the state's cases had been traced back to classrooms.

'This is not over,' he said.

'This is not a time to be complacent.

'When we get to that May 11 deadline we have so many options that the rest of the world does not have.'

Of Victoria's 1,351 confirmed cases, 23 people are in hospital and 11 people are in intensive care.

'I don't know what transmission will look like this week or next week,' Victorian Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said.

'But I think the state of emergency going to May 11 is a nice line-up with the national cabinet process for a real look at changing the restrictions.'

Victoria has suffered 17 deaths from the virus.

A large number of shops in Victoria are still closed (pictured, Melbourne on April 28) as the state keeps a ban on non-essential activity

Crowds of people are seen in Melbourne on April 25 (pictured) despite the state still having the strictest lockdown laws

Queensland

The Queensland state border is still closed, meaning people cannot travel in and out.

But those already in the state will now be allowed a family picnic, a weekend drive or even a jet ski, with national parks open from Saturday.

Residents can travel up to 50km from their home to do so, but must still practice social distancing and stay away from crowded areas.

The two-person rule still applies, meaning people cannot gather in groups or spend time with anyone from outside their household - unless they live alone.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced easing of the stay-at-home restrictions would start from midnight on Friday.

Shopping for non-essential items, such as clothes, technology and leisure items, will also be allowed.

A woman is seen reading a map in Lamington National Park in Queensland (pictured) which will be open this weekend

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

But Queenslanders must still only spend time with their own household, or just one friend if they live alone.

'We recognise that Queenslanders have done a great job in trying to flatten that curve,' Ms Palaszczuk told Today.

'So we also know it's having a big impact on people's mental health. We thought we could lift some stay-at-home restrictions.

'What we're asking for people to do is continue with social distancing.

'That's number one.

'Secondly it has to be your own household or if you are living by yourself with a friend,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

She accepted that keep social distancing in busy places, such as beaches, would be hard - but an mass gatherings would be immediately stopped.

'We're really asking people to do the right thing here,' she said.

In Queensland, locals are now able to enjoy hiking and picnics, as long as they don't travel more than 50km from their homes

'If you are going to the beach, go with your household or if you are single go with one other person. This is really important.'

As of Wednesday, there are 98 active cases of coronavirus in Queensland, with 1,030 total infections since the outbreak began.

Just three new cases were confirmed overnight, and 18 people remain in hospital, with six in intensive care and five on ventilators.

To ensure that the future lifting of restrictions is safe, the state will also undergo a testing blitz, with plans to screen 100,000 people.

Authorities will not look to ease restrictions until May 11 as Premier Daniel Andrews unveiled a plan to test up to 100,000 people for coronavirus before making the decision.

Anyone with symptoms has been urged to get tested.

'This is about absolutely making sure that there's not something going on out there that we're not aware of,' Mr Andrews said.

'There will still need to be some significant restrictions in place no matter what this testing shows but there will be options for us to ease off some other rules.'

Western Australia

The state has eased several restrictions, and is crucially allowing groups of up to ten people at outdoor and indoor gatherings.

Residents can leave home for what officials call 'non-contact recreational activities', including picnics, fishing, boating, hiking and camping.

State borders are remaining shut.

From April 27, residents can also take part in group exercise with a maximum of 10 people, as long as they still maintain social distancing and clean equipment.

Weddings and funerals can also have up to ten people in attendance, while open homes for real estate sales are now permitted.

State officials said people should still continue to practise social distancing and stay home except for shopping, care needs, exercise, education, work and non-contact recreational activities.

A group of friends are seen at Scarborough Beach in Perth on April 27 (pictured), which is now allowed as long as there are less than ten people

Children will be returning to schools from April 29, with premier Mark McGowan saying it the state was allowing a 'cautious relaxation' of restrictions.

He said he hoped the easing could 'ensure family and friends can stay connected during the pandemic.'

'The changes announced today are sensible and reasonable and are designed to provide some relief for Western Australians,' Mr McGowan said on Monday.

'They are low risk but deliver high social benefits.

'West Australians have done such a great job so far.

'Although these changes are small, I hope they will be of some benefit.'

All public playgrounds, skateparks and outdoor gym equipment will remain closed.

Testing has been ramped up across the country, with drive-through testing facilities - including this one in Perth (pictured on April 24) popping up in several states

Restaurants, cafes, food vans and food courts remain restricted to takeaway and home delivery.

People are still being encouraged to minimising all unnecessary contact with others and keep 1.5 metres apart.

This includes avoiding physical greetings such as handshakes, hugs and kisses, and using tap and pay instead of cash.

'I strongly encourage that everyone must continue to practice appropriate social distancing,' Mr McGowan added.

There has been one cases reported in WA in the last 24 hours, with 550 cases overall.

Of those confirmed cases, 495 people have recovered and eight have died.

Police officers are seen patrolling Cottesloe Beach in Perth on April 10, after beaches were reopened for exercise

Northern Territory

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the territory would be lifting many restrictions in coming weeks as it was 'the safest place in Australia', with no new cases for three weeks.

From Friday, residents in the Northern Territory will be able to visit parks and reserves, as long as they maintain social distancing.

Commonwealth-owned parks like Uluru and Kakadu National Park will not be open.

Gatherings are still limited to two people, while weddings are limited to five people.

People are encouraged to stay home unless it is absolutely necessary that you go out, and work from home if possible.

'Re-opening our parks is not a free for all,' the chief minister warned.

'We are still safe, but until there is a vaccine the threat is still out there, we are not immune.'

The territory plans to reopen cafes, pubs and restaurants in June.

The NT has just 28 cases of coronavirus, with all of five of them having recovered, and last recorded a new case on April 6.

Mr Gunner said Territorians would even be able to go hiking, swimming, and camping this weekend when national parks open on Friday.

The NT government was the second to lock down its domestic borders, after Tasmania, and later forced arrivals to pay $2,500 for their hotel quarantine.

A women is seen cleaning traffic lights in Melbourne (pictured on April 28) as Victoria continued with its coronavirus lockdown restrictions

Australians may to practise social distancing permanently, the chief medical officer Brendan Murphy (pictured) has said

HOW HAS AUSTRALIA BEATEN COVID-19? Australia's infection rates are in stark contrast to those in many other G20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and Spain. Australian health experts say the infection rate has been steadied due to several factors: - Widespread testing - The tracing of carriers - Self-isolation of those at risk - Strictly-enforced social distancing - Quick restrictions on travel - An early ban on travel from China - The isolation of all Australian arrivals The first case of COVID-19 infection in Australia - a Chinese citizen who had arrived from Guangzhou on January 19 - was reported in Melbourne on January 25. Six days later Australia banned the entry of foreign nationals from China and ordered citizens returning from that country to self-isolate for 14 days. That rule was further extended to anyone entering the country on March 15. Prime Minister Scott Morrison then took the decision to close the country's borders on Friday March 20. Advertisement

NT Health in late March told Daily Mail Australia its aggressive contact tracing program meant it knew of and had isolated every case and their close contacts.

All new cases since then were arrivals from interstate, or cruise ship passengers housed at a former workers' camp in Darwin.

Mr Gunner said his government was enacting a lockdown exit plan to the 'new normal' of regular activities with social distancing.

'We can only do this because of the work and sacrifices of Territorians  and we can only keep our parks open if Territorians are respectful of each other's space,' he said.

'Let's all take care of each other. We cannot take for granted that we are the safest place in Australia, and we have to work to keep it that way.'

However, parks in 'designated biosecurity areas' like the world-famous Kakadu will stay shut for now.

Mr Gunner said he would announce a plan for relaxing restrictions on 'other outdoor activities' on Thursday.

'In the coming weeks, the Territory will gradually transition to a 'new normal' where Territorians can get back to business, back to work, and back to enjoying the Territory lifestyle, while also staying safe from coronavirus,' he said.

'Easing restrictions will actually increase responsibility on all Territorians to keep doing the right thing.'

'That will be our new normal. And we can't afford to go backwards or do it all again.'

Australian Capital Territory

There have been no changes to social guidelines in ACT, with its chief minister Andrew Barr saying lifting restrictions was 'not a race or a contest'.

'We are in a great position here in the ACT, largely thanks to the great community effort in complying with the rules around physical distancing,' Barr said.

'However, we have seen around the world what can happen when restrictions are imposed too late or taken away too early.

'This is not a race or a contest between jurisdictions.'

An announcement on whether any rules will change in the coming weeks will be made on Friday, state officials said.

But they noted that most of the restriction eased in other states, including NSW's two-person rule, were never put in place in the ACT.

The state is continuing to enforce a two-person gathering limit in public.

Classrooms across Australia have been left empty by the coronavirus pandemic (pictured, a Brisbane school on March 30) with many choosing to keep their kids at home

But, people are allowed to have two additional guests in their homes, as long as they maintain social distancing.

Residents are still being encouraged not to leave their homes unless it is essential.

'The notice that I am giving now is that by the end of this week - Friday's national cabinet - I hope to be in a position to make some further announcements in relation to the restrictions that are in place,' Barr added.

The ACT recorded no news cases in the past 24 hours, with the number of confirmed cases sitting at 106 and the death toll at three.

There are no coronavirus patients in hospital in the state, with just two active cases remaining - who are isolating at home.

'We're in a great position thanks to our physical distancing requirements and our attention to good hand and respiratory hygiene,' the state's chief health officer, Dr Kerryn Coleman said.

Workers are seen screening for COVID-19 at a drive through testing facility in Perth (pictured on April 24) as testing for the virus was ramped up across the country

'Please keep this focus and do not become complacent. Remaining vigilant will help the most vulnerable members in our community.'

Mr Barr confirmed the restrictions would be rolled back slowly.

'It is reasonable to assume that we will be living with COVID-19 for some time,' he said on Tuesday.

'We need to be cautious and understand that lifting restrictions might result in the virus spreading again.

'Therefore, we will adopt a risk minimisation approach to the weeks and months ahead.

'We can't eliminate risk but we can try and manage it sensibly through our higher-risk winter period.'

A family is seen enjoying the sun at Cottesloe Beach in Perth on April 27 (pictured) with gatherings of ten people now allowed in Western Australia

A healthcare worker (pictured on April 1) talks to a man at a pop-up clinic testing for the coronavirus disease at Bondi Beach after several outbreaks were recorded in the area

South Australia

The state, which has enjoyed its fifth consecutive day with no new COVID-19 cases, has not lifted any distancing laws.

But the kind seen in Victoria, NSW and WA were never imposed in the first place.

SA never enforced a two-person rule, but 'strongly discouraged' gatherings of more than two people.

National parks are also open for locals to visit.

Residents can meet with more than two people as long as they social distancing of 1.5 metres, while gatherings of more than 10 people are banned.

Officials are still telling residents to stay at home unless it's necessary to go out, which includes grocery shopping, medical care, work, education and exercise.

People can gather in groups of no more than ten people both inside and outside, with on-the-spot fines are $1,000 dished out to rule breakers.

A nurse screens patients outside a clinic in the Barossa Valley on March 31 (pictured) after the area suffered an outbreak

While there are no restrictions on travel within SA, any non-essential travel within the state is discouraged.

All people entering the state are required to undertake a 14-day quarantine.

'While you will see some states starting to adjust the restrictions, it's worth bearing in mind that South Australia didn't regulate to the same degree,' SA Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said.

Lockdowns in the Barossa Valley, which experienced a cluster of COVID-19 cases after a group of American tourists came to the area, was lifted on Wednesday.

Schools are also reopening in the area.

The state has had 438 cases of the virus, 420 of which have no recovered.

People aged over 70, aged over 60 with pre-existing conditions, or Indigenous people aged over 50 have also been advised to stay home wherever possible for their own protection.

Tasmania

Tasmania is also not planning to ease any social restrictions for some time, with the reopening of non-essential retail in the island's north-west pushed back.

The state adopted similar measures to Victoria and NSW, and is keeping in place a ban on leaving the home for non-essential reasons.

Gatherings are still limited to two people, but indoors and outdoors.

But households are allowed to have two visitors, including friends, round to their house as long as they socially distance.

But in public, the two-person gathering limit is strictly applied.

The north-west area was hit by a cluster of COVID-19 cases after an infected passenger from the doomed Ruby Princess cruise ship returned.

Two women are seen wearing face masks on Sydney's Pitt Street on April 27, as some shops start to reopen in NSW

'Where some states might lift restrictions early, I don't believe we will be doing that,' Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said.

'I don't intend to make knee-jerk reaction and take us to a position where the restrictions come off too quickly and then leaves us exposed.

'As we step our way out of this, we need to do so sensibly and responsibly.'

Students will begin term two remotely this week, with schools in the north-west not opening at all until next week, with parents encouraged to keep children at home.

This is despite the federal government encouraging teaching to go back to normal.

'We run the schools in Tasmania and I'll make decisions that are in the best interests of our teachers, our parents and our students,' Mr Gutwein added.

'We believe that the settings we have in place at the moment are the right ones for Tasmania.

Restrictions are very different across Australia as the country continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic (pictured, a family at Melbourne's Brighton Beach on March 28)

'We will keep them under review but how we operate in Tasmania is a matter for us.'

On Tuesday, the state confirmed four new cases of coronavirus, bringing its total to 218.

'Three of the cases are in the North-West, one is in the North,' Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch said.

'Three of the cases are women, one is a man.

'One is aged in their 20s, one is in their 40s, one is in their 50s, and one is in their 60s.

'Three cases are healthcare workers from the North-West, and one is a close contact of a confirmed case from the North-West.'
The positioning of the Global Spirulina Market vendors in FPNV Positioning Matrix are determined by Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) and placed into four quadrants (F: Forefront, P: Pathfinders, N: Niche, and V: Vital).

New York, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Spirulina Market - Premium Insight, Competitive News Feed Analysis, Company Usability Profiles, Market Sizing & Forecasts to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871519/?utm_source=GNW





The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Spirulina Market including are Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Cyanotech Corporation, DIC Corporation, Fuqing King Dnarmsa Spirulina Co. Ltd, Sensient Technologies Corporation, Algenol Biofuels Inc., DDW The Color House, Naturex S.A, Parry Neutraceuticals, and Sunrise Nutrachem Group Co. Ltd..



On the basis of Type, the Global Spirulina Market is studied across Arthrospira Maxima and Arthrospira Platensis.



On the basis of Drug Formulation, the Global Spirulina Market is studied across Granule & Gelling Agent, Liquid, Powder, and Tablet & Capsule.



On the basis of Application, the Global Spirulina Market is studied across Animal Feed, Cosmetics, Food & Beverages, and Nutraceuticals.



For the detailed coverage of the study, the market has been geographically divided into the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The report provides details of qualitative and quantitative insights about the major countries in the region and taps the major regional developments in detail.



In the report, we have covered two proprietary models, the FPNV Positioning Matrix and Competitive Strategic Window. The FPNV Positioning Matrix analyses the competitive market place for the players in terms of product satisfaction and business strategy they adopt to sustain in the market. The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisitions strategies, geography expansion, research & development, new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Research Methodology:

Our market forecasting is based on a market model derived from market connectivity, dynamics, and identified influential factors around which assumptions about the market are made. These assumptions are enlightened by fact-bases, put by primary and secondary research instruments, regressive analysis and an extensive connect with industry people. Market forecasting derived from in-depth understanding attained from future market spending patterns provides quantified insight to support your decision-making process. The interview is recorded, and the information gathered in put on the drawing board with the information collected through secondary research.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

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3. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets for the Global Spirulina Market

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The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size of Spirulina market in the Global?

2. What are the factors that affect the growth in the Global Spirulina Market over the forecast period?

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ILC Dover employees ramp up production of respirator equipment, including the new EZ BioHood, for frontline healthcare workers. The company has always supplied critical personal protective equipment products to these frontline workers. What has changed is the demand for the products  up 1,000 percent over last year.

At the start of 2020 ILC Dover was well positioned for continued growth  delivering innovative solutions for a wide range of industries including pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage, personal care, chemical, aerospace and government agencies. A month into the new decade, it was clear to company leadership that they would have to adapt to unexpected circumstances: novel coronavirus was going to impact the world  and ILC Dovers customers  in a big way.

The company was already fulfilling orders from top healthcare facilities nationwide for its top-of-the-line powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs), which redefined how healthcare employees mitigate the risk of exposure to hazardous pathogens. The Sentinel XL HP PAPR systems were designed, using customer feedback, to provide superior protection for those workers who confront infectious disease every day  the frontline personnel who would be at highest risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Healthcare Industry Demand for PPE Skyrockets

By mid-February, demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) began to spike. By the end of March, demand for PPE was up more than 1,000 percent over the previous year. ILC Dover was shipping orders to healthcare customers across the country at rapid pace, and quickly recognized it would have to increase production to match the exponential growth in demand.

ILC Dover is no stranger to creating solutions under immense pressure, says ILC Dover President and CEO Fran DiNuzzo. The company protected American astronauts on the moon and kept healthcare workers safe during Ebola and SARS outbreaks. In addition to the work we are doing to support healthcare workers, we support pharmaceutical customers developing revolutionary medicines; customers who are focused on food production and supply key products for the critical defense and the security of the nation. Our culture of innovation is designed to respond with highly engineered solutions in each customers moment of need.

Maintaining Supply Across Critical Industries

With the first inklings of a shifting reality, in early February ILC Dover leadership adjusted operations to protect workers at each of their global locations from what would later be labeled a pandemic. At the same time, as demand for PPE surpassed the previous years orders by 1,000 percent, ILC Dover began ramping up production to 30 times the previous monthly output.

It became clear that the healthcare hood supply for our PAPR product would limit the companys ability to meet customer needs for the lifesaving respirators. Frontline healthcare workers needed a highly protective and comfortable hood that was also easy and intuitive to put on and then remove without concerns for contamination of the user. With the dramatic surge in demand, the new product had to be immediately producible using materials and equipment currently in the ILC Dover Delaware facility, or readily available.

In a matter of weeks, the ILC Dover team developed a new hood to support their healthcare respirator system for use during the COVID-19 outbreak. EZ BioHood prototypes have already been tested by loyal customers and approved by NIOSH in record time. The company is now shipping orders for the new hood, just over a month after starting design.

The ILC Dover team has shown extraordinary commitment to helping our healthcare customers do their job effectively and safely, says Vice President of Marketing Paul Cannon. The company has always supplied critical personal protective equipment products to these frontline workers. What has changed is the demand for the products  up 1,000 percent over last year.

Throughout the dramatic ramp-up of PPE production, ILC Dover continues to supply pharmaceutical customers worldwide with the equipment they need to develop and produce new drugs or ramp up production  many also responding to increased demand due to COVID-19. Customers involved in food production, and those ensuring national security, have also experienced no interruption, despite economy-wide supply chain disruptions.

What Healthcare Workers Say

Were very grateful to the thousands of healthcare workers treating patients in this pandemic  putting their lives on the line for others, says DiNuzzo. We have these heroes in mind.

Cannon shared a nurses response upon receiving a PAPR from ILC Dover: I arrived home at midnight to see it (PAPR) lying on my steps. It was a pleasant birthday gift and you probably facilitated in saving my life. My family and I are truly appreciative of your effort and would like to thank you. Words cannot explain. I now have the confidence of providing care to those who really need it with my own PPE. Thank you.

Says hospital nurse practitioner Kate from Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, We are taking care of patients with COVID-19, patients needing intense medical care and lifesaving procedures. As we expand and open new units, our providers are asking for the level of protection that PAPRs provide.

In fast-paced, high-pressure hospital scenarios, providers must be able to easily put on and take off the PAPR without any risk of contamination. ILC Dover engineers designed EZ BioHood in response to customer requests, including: Is the hood intuitive, easy to train for first-time use? Can it be worn by providers with facial hair, head coverings or varying facial structures? Does it need to be fit-tested? Healthcare providers also appreciate the new hoods wide field of vision, so they can connect with patients face to face, and the ability to use equipment like a stethoscope while wearing the PAPR. It must be comfortable for long days on their feet.

Eileen Searle, Biothreats Program Manager at Massachusetts General Hospital reflected, Our respiratory protection for staff treating COVID-19 patients includes N95 respirators and PAPRs, and given the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic we continue to expand the number of staff who are using respiratory protection. We appreciate ILC Dovers ongoing innovation in PPE to adapt to specific needs as we take care of patients and ensure we are able to keep all of our care team members safe.

Bayhealth President and CEO Terry M. Murphy, FACHE, says, PAPRs are essential to keeping our staff safe. We were very happy when ILC Dover reached out to see if we needed any PAPRs, as we were starting to run low on our supply. As a result of them stepping in, we have been able to continue to support and protect our staff who are caring for COVID-19 patients.

Beyond the hospital setting, where respirators are used in treating seriously ill patients, other healthcare providers have concerns. As the economy reopens, they will continue to deal with infectious disease. Physician Deborah Wingel runs a busy primary care practice in Hockessin, Delaware. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant challenges to keeping ourselves, our staff, and our patients safe, says Dr. Wingel. Most of these issues revolve around access to enough PPE.

Dr. Wingel recognized that over 9,000 healthcare providers have been infected with the coronavirus. When patients get sick, their first contact is their primary care doctor, she said. I need to be able to examine and treat safely. When I learned more about ILC Dover PAPR systems, I felt it would be the perfect solution to our problems with protecting healthcare workers from COVID-19. This product offers us 100x the protection of an N95 mask, and I can engage directly with my patients through the clear shield. It requires certain protocols to put on and remove it, but it is worth it to me. (It will give me peace of mind while examining my daily patients.) The Sentinel PAPR system is made right here in Delaware  less than one hour from my practice.

The New Normal  After COVID-19

We anticipate high demand for PPE at least into the summer, says DiNuzzo, and then while we expect a slowing demand as this crisis subsides, demand will decrease to a level higher than before COVID-19, due to a new recognition of need for re-supply at our nations hospitals and strengthening of our national strategic supply. The healthcare industry will want to prepare for everything from the routine infectious diseases they treat to the next pandemic.

One thing that will never change? The adaptability and determination of innovators to solve the problems that face our society. No matter what normal comes to mean, ILC Dovers engineers and production team are ready to take it head-on.

About ILC Dover

ILC Dover is a world-leader in the innovative design and production of engineered flexible protective solutions, for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, flood protection, personal protection, bulk packaging, and aerospace industries. Our customers will attest to our relentless dedication to high value products, advanced technology, and responsive service, as our visionary solutions have improved efficiency while safeguarding people, product, and infrastructure in hazardous conditions through flexible protective solutions since 1947. For more information, visit ilcdover.com.
Newspapers have never been so loved  and never been so neglected.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Newspapers have never been so loved  and never been so neglected.

The thirst for coverage of how the COVID-19 pandemic is turning the world upside-down has doubled, even tripled, the audiences of news publishers over the past two months. Readers have turned overwhelmingly to trusted news sources for information on the impact of the deadly virus on their communities.

Skyrocketing demand for your products is supposed to drive revenues in the same direction. Yet the very existence of many news outlets is in question as they deal with falling revenues that have caused layoffs, pay cuts and closures.

In the news business, as in so many areas, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted and magnified a festering problem  publishers are not paid for content that is widely used in the digital world.

The big search and social platforms sell billions of dollars of advertising, but dont share it with news publishers who generate content that attracts a lot of eyeballs to those platforms. Its a bit like a TV network broadcasting a concert by Celine Dion, but not paying for her songs.

It will take action by the federal government to tackle this problem. The COVID-19 experience shows why action needs to be taken now.

Other governments have acted. Australia has announced it will force Google and Facebook to pay for news content, sharing ad revenues with publishers. The Australian government fast-tracked plans to do this because of the collapse in news-media revenue related to COVID-19.

Google and Facebook have some programs to support journalism, but they have always refused to negotiate any kind of comprehensive compensation for the content of news publishers that appears on their platforms.

THIBAULT CAMUS / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES) In 2018, Google announced the Google News Initiative, a plan to invest US$300 million over three years to fight misinformation and bolster journalism. The American News Media Alliance estimates that in the same year, Google earned US$4.7 billion in the United States through news-related search and Google News.

Canadian daily newspapers have valiantly kept churning out the news over the past decade while watching revenues fall by 50 per cent, to $1.6 billion in 2018. That content often generates the clicks that generate internet ad revenues, which more than quadrupled over the decade, to $7.7 billion. Facebook and Google have gained a chokehold selling ads on their platforms, and account for three-quarters of the online ad market in Canada.

Newspapers have developed significant digital businesses, selling advertising and subscriptions, but the revenues generally fall far short of supporting the robust newsrooms that were traditionally underwritten by print advertising.

In this environment, something had to give eventually. COVID-19 has burst it wide open. In COVID-19 terms, this case has gone from testing positive to requiring attention in the intensive care unit.

The federal government has provided extraordinary short-term measures to support workers and businesses, including the news industry. However, a more lasting, sustainable solution is needed to ensure independent, fact-based journalism is alive and healthy across Canada in the future.

The federal government could mandate a system of royalties in which the internet giants would have to negotiate payments with a coalition of publishers.

A more lasting, sustainable solution is needed to ensure independent, factbased journalism is alive and healthy across Canada in the future.

This kind of system has long existed in the music industry. Its why TV stations cant steal Celine Dion concerts and radio stations have to pay to play songs.

Organizations representing musicians, songwriters and publishers collect royalties on their behalf every time their work is used commercially, from radio stations to bars, restaurants and even gyms. These groups have their own challenges with the internet, and argue digital platforms are reaping massive value from their work without proper compensation.

However, the basic system generates hundreds of millions of dollars for music creators and performers. SOCAN, which represents creators and publishers, reported 2018 royalties of $375 million. That amount would pay for the salaries in all the newsrooms of all the daily newspapers in Canada. And its five per cent of internet advertising in the country.

THIBAULT CAMUS / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Australia has announced it will force Facebook to pay for news content, sharing ad revenues with publishers. The Australian government fast-tracked plans to do this because of the collapse in news-media revenue related to COVID-19.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Google and Facebook support some journalism, but the support is limited. Both have announced COVID-19 emergency relief funding. Facebooks emergency funding paid a maximum of US$5,000 per publication.

In 2018, Google announced the Google News Initiative, a plan to invest US$300 million over three years to fight misinformation and bolster journalism. The American News Media Alliance estimates that in the same year, Google earned US$4.7 billion in the United States through news-related search and Google News.

The Facebook Journalism Project provides assistance such as newsroom training and an accelerator program to help digital publishers develop their businesses. But there is no direct funding of newsrooms. Its like paying for guitar lessons for musicians, but not paying them to perform.

(Full disclosure: the Winnipeg Free Press has received funding from Facebook as part of its accelerator program and its emergency COVID-19 relief.)

In the COVID-19 crisis, news publishers across the country have proven once again just how important their performance is to informing Canadians. Its time for the federal government to push Facebook and Google to provide real support for our newsrooms so they can keep doing this vital task.

Bob Cox is publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and chair of News Media Canada.
There are things Houstonians miss terribly since everything closed with the COVID stay-at-home order...and then there are some things we do not miss at all.

We asked readers to share the things they love and hate the most about living here. Not surprisingly, traffic and weather dominated what residents hate most. The relentlessly-hot Houston summers are not for the faint of heart, and constant road closures, congestion and dangerous freeway hazards make the city's "rush hour" feel more like "rush 24 hours."
President Donald Trump addresses the daily CCP virus task force briefing at the White House in Washington on April 23, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Trump Floats Sanctuary City Reform as Possible Condition For Relief Funds to States

President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that federal pandemic relief to states could be conditioned on their sanctuary city policies.

In remarks during an April 28 meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump listed a few possible caveats for federal funds to help states fighting COVID-19, the disease caused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus.

Wed have to talk about things like payroll tax cuts. Wed have to talk about things like sanctuary cities, as an example, Trump added.

Trump also said a distinction should be drawn between states with funding shortfalls due to outbreak versus due to poor fiscal management.

I think theres a big difference with a state that lost money because of COVID and a state thats been run very badly for 25 years. Theres a big difference, in my opinion, he said.

Trump expanded on the theme at a meeting with business leaders, saying he wanted to include sanctuary city adjustments when distributing federal aid.

The problem with the states is were not looking to recover 25 years of bad management and give them the money that they lost. Its unfair to other states, Trump said.

Now if its COVID-related, I guess we could talk about it. But wed want certain things also, including sanctuary city adjustments, because we have so many people in sanctuary cities, which I dont even think are popular even by radical left folks, because whats happening is people are being protected that shouldnt be protected, he said.

A lot of bad things are happening with sanctuary cities, Trump added, possibly referring to issues like reports of city authorities refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities or providing services to illegal aliens.

Trumps remarks came as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned that state and local governments will see massive layoffs due to the pandemic if Congress doesnt provide them with federal aid.

Theres going to be massive layoffs at the state and local level unless we get money to them quickly, Schumer told MSNBC in an interview on April 28.

The lawmaker also pushed back against conditions for federal aid outlined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in remarks to Politico on April 27.

McConnell said that its highly likely the next relief bill would include help to states, but under the condition that Democrats agree to liability protections to businesses and employees as the economy begins to reopen.

When McConnell says weve got to do A, B, C, D, which is irrelevant to getting the people the money they need, thats wrong, he said.

The proposal for aid to state and local governments in the next COVID-19 relief package has been the subject of partisan tensions. Broadly, Democrats have been pushing for more such funding, while Republicans, in general, have been tepid on the idea.

I think this whole business of additional assistance for state and local governments needs to be thoroughly evaluated, McConnell said in a recent interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Theres not going to be any desire on the Republican side to bail out state pensions by borrowing money from future generations, McConnell added.
Increasing testing in teachers and students for coronavirus would protect and reassure staff should Victoria change its conservative position on classroom attendance.

Infectious disease experts urged the adoption of the "sensible measure", which could also help fill gaps in research on the effects of coronavirus on children.

The calls came as the federal government offered $13 billion in fast-tracked annual funding to Victoria's independent schools in an attempt to lure them into reopening in contradiction of current state government advice.

Professor Nigel McMillan is advocating more tests among children.

Professor Nigel McMillan, the head of Griffith University's Infectious Diseases and Immunology program, said greater testing of children was the only way to properly determine risk in schools.
Domestic flights will begin operations from May 1, 2020, Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda, has announced.



The minister made the disclosure while monitoring a disinfection exercise carried out by Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) at the Accra Kotoka International Airport.



The exercise, which was simultaneously done in the other three airports in Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale across the country, was aimed at ensuring that the four airports were safe and healthy to use in the wake of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.



Mr Adda expressed the governments appreciation to Zoomlion and its partners for their continuous selfless support in the countrys fight against COVID-19.



Briefing the media later at the KIA, Head of the Zoomlion Disinfection Team, Reverend Kwame Addae, said his was not relenting in its efforts to support the central governments battle against COVID-19.



He noted that the exercise was aimed at containing the spread of the virus.



At KIA, Rev Addae said the whole airport environ including the Project Site and its clinic were disinfected.



He went on to add that facilities disinfected at the Accra Kotoka International Airport included the tarmac, parking lot, arrival hall, passenger terminals 1, 2, 3, VVIP terminal, offices, lounges, etc.



According to him, in addition to the team of sprayers used in the exercise, his outfit also used cannon atomizers to spray open spaces of the airport.



Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoomlion as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), has disinfected a number of tertiary institutions across the country, state agencies, churches among others. Significantly, this initiative was on-going.



This initiative by the waste management giant is aimed at supporting the governments efforts in containing this global pandemic which has spread to almost every country crashing economies and breaking health-care systems, leaving in its wake a huge death toll.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
An exuberant dinosaur with a parrot-like beak, bony frills, a huge horn on its nose and a 'star-like' skull has been named in honour of British rock musician David Bowie.

US palaeontologists have given the dinosaur genus the name Stellasaurus, meaning 'star lizard', based on a fossilised skull found in Montana.

The creature roamed the badlands of Montana 75 million years ago and belonged to the ceratopsians  plant-eaters that included the iconic Triceratops

Stellasaurus was as big as a bus, reaching more than 20 feet long and weighing more than two tons.

The genus name Stellasaurus, or 'star lizard', is derived from 'stella', which is Latin for star, and 'saurus', which is Greek for lizard.

The name is a reference to the overall 'star-like appearance' of the skull, and a homage to Bowie's hit 1972 single 'Starman'.

Stellasaurus ancellae is a member of the plant-eating horned ceratopsid dinosaurs, which lived during the Cretaceous and evolved many different forms of ornamentation on their skulls

The fossilised remains of the creature found in Montana have been given the species name Stellasaurus ancellae  the first member of the new Stellasaurus genus.

During its existence across the barren American terrain during the Cretaceous period, Stellasaurus ancellae would have relied on its stunning horns to attract mates  much like the promiscuous Bowie's loud outfits during his glam phase.

'The skull ornamentation is astonishing  almost star-like,' said palaeontologist Jack Wilson at Montana State University's Department of Earth Sciences, who has confessed to being a lover of British pop and rock.

STELLASAURUS DATES BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD The Mesozoic Era is a the name given to the period from 250 million to 65 million years ago. The era is divided into three major periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The new species discovery dates back to the Cretaceous period  145 million to 66 million years ago. Mesozoic was the age of the dinosaurs and lasted almost 180 million years. The Mesozoic Era followed the Paleozoic Era, during which arthropods, molluscs, fish and amphibians all evolved. Mesozoic was followed by the Cenozoic Era, during which the continents assumed the configuration that we know today. Advertisement

The skull of Stellasaurus includes a long, upright horn above the nose, very small pointed horns above the eyes and a frill at the back of the head with four spikes  two long and two short.

'Ceratopsids evolved many different forms of ornamentation on their heads including horns above the nose, eyes and large bony frills which projected from the back,' Professor Wilson said.

'The horns and frills were display structures for mating purposes, similar to the diverse and elaborate feathers of some birds such as peacocks.

'These horns and frills evolved quickly and were unique to each individual.

'They are useful in determining species and finding new ones  like Stellasaurus.

The remarkably preserved skull was discovered near the town of Cut Bank, Montana, close to the US-Canadian border in 1986 by field palaeontologist Carrie Ancell who works at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.

Professor Wilson said the 'Bowie dino', which is only just being christened and described, is a missing link in the dinosaur family tree.

Dinosaurs of the Stellasaurus genus lived between two previously known ceraptopsians called Styracosaurus and Einiosaurus.

The heavily-spiked Styracosaurus evolved into Stellasaurus  before the Bowie-like Stellasaurus evolved into Einiosaurus.

David Bowie performing as Ziggy Stardust David Bowie in concert at Earl's Court, London, UK - May 1973.

'The ornamental horns and spiky frills on the skulls of these animals are what changed the most through evolution,' said Wilson.

'The new species has skull ornamentation which is intermediate.

'This gives us evidence these species are members of a single, evolving lineage  this type of evolution is called anagenesis.'

The hypothesis, which was laid out by famous paleontologist Dr Jack Horner back in 1992, has been confirmed by Stellasaurus.

Likewise, Bowie appearance 'evolved' to become less outlandish and more conservative, right up to his austere 'Berlin trilogy' phase in the late 1970s.

Stellasaurus has been further described in Royal Society Open Science.

'The science of Stellasaurus is remarkable and tells the story of millions of years of unbroken evolutionary change within a single lineage,' said Professor Wilson.

Photo of an isolated and fragmentary partial skull of the ceratopsid, preserving the left lateral 'parietal', the main bone in the frill at the back of the head. The spikes are part of the parietal

Ceratopsids include two families  the chasmosaurines which include Triceratops and centrosaurines.

The latter include Stellasaurus whose skull was unearthed in 1986 by field palaeontologist Mrs Carrie Ancell  after whom the creature is also named.

The rocks from which Stellasaurus was excavated represent ancient silts and muds which were deposited on a coastal floodplain.

During the Late Cretaceous, North America was split by a sea, and ceratopsians, including Stellasaurus, were on the western side - beside the young Rocky Mountains.

'They lived in ecosystems with many other types of dinosaurs, such as T Rex, small meat-eating raptors, duck-billed hadrosaurs and armoured ankylosaurs, Professor Wilson said.

'There were also extinct flying reptiles called pterosaurs, small mammals, turtles, crocodiles and many other types of animals.'

During the Late Cretaceous, North America was split by sea - the Western Interior Seaway. Ceratopsians, including Stellasaurus, were on the western side - beside the young Rocky Mountains

Stellasaurus is the most spectacular in a long line of animals that honour Bowie  including a wasp and a spider.

'Heteropoda davidbowie' is a species of the huntsman spider native to parts of Asia, in reference to the Bowie song 'Glass Spider' from his derided 1987 album Never Let Me Down and his more acclaimed 1972 album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'.

Meanwhile, the Archaeoteleia astropulvis species of extinct wasp that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs 100 million years ago was named after a Latinized version of the word 'stardust'.

'Star' was a reoccurring word in Bowie's career  he created the alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, which contributed to his huge popularity in the 1970s, and named his final album 'Blackstar', which was released two days before his death in 2016.
Several community organizations in Colorado are stepping up to provide economic relief to undocumented immigrants who have been economically impacted by the coronavirus epidemic.

According to The Sentinel, so far $250,000 has already been distributed to 250 residents across the state who received $1,000 checks or had the funds wire transferred into their bank accounts.

The assistance is a welcomed economic boost for undocumented residents who have lost their jobs or seen a reduction in their work hours and are not eligible for the $2trillion CARES act, which includes the federal stimulus payment and expanded unemployment benefits administered by the states.

The money was raised by Denver Foundation, the Glendale-based Rose Community Foundation, 30 individuals and a private donor.

The Village Exchange Center, Denver charity fund Impact Charitable, the Denver Foundation and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition are distributing the funds.

Village Exchange Center, a community organization in Aurora, Colorado, is one of four organizations distributing $1,000 checks to undocumented residents in the state who were left out of the federal government's $2trillion CARES act

Village Exchange Center says a lot of undocumented families have shown more interest in receiving food aid than the $1,000 checks it was giving out to workers who has been laid off from their jobs in the hotel and restaurant sectors

The community groups cautioned that undocumented immigrants and refugees in the state were at risk of going hungry since the United States government was only providing aid to legal residents.

A 2019 Pew Research Center study found that Colorado was home to about 180,000 undocumented residents in 2017.

'They don't have money, they can't pay rent, they can't buy toilet paper, they can't buy diapers,' said Amanda Blaurock, an executive director for the Aurora-based Village Exchange Center.

Blaurock said the organizations have temporarily suspended the application process as they seek to collect more funds. Applicants are vetted and complete a survey before receiving the payment.

The activist groups zeroed in on assisting undocumented workers who have been laid off by hotels and restaurants.

Blaurock's Village Exchange Center came across families more intrigued by the services provided by the organization's food bank instead of the $1,000 payments.

'We're trying to force the money on them. A lot of them are not asking for it, and they are refusing it,' she said.

Mark Newhouse, a trustee at the Denver Foundation, said the groups are looking to raise an additional $12 million to assist the state's undocumented population and have been in talks with Colorado city and state government leaders.

'They have no access to unemployment, they will not be getting a stimulus check or any other form of assistance, even though most of them pay taxes,' Newhouse said. 'And so, we quickly raised a quarter of a million dollars to run a pilot across the state.'

Volunteers distribute food and supplies to undocumented families affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Aurora, Colorado

The Village Exchange Center assisted 250 undocumented workers in Colorado by distributing $1,000 checks to assist them with the economic blow they were dealt as a result of losing their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak

Under the CARES act, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants are deemed exempt due to their legal immigration status. The federal government program also excludes taxpayers who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), in lieu of a Social Security number, as well as their families.

However, states are looking to step in to help. California is diverting taxpayer money, at least $75million, to create the Disaster Relief Fund for immigrants who are unlawfully residing in the United States. Some charitable organizations are targeting $50million in donations from private donors to help at least 100,000 undocumented immigrants.

A bill introduced by Democrats in the house would allow undocumented workers who have an ITIN to be eligible for the $1,200 individual stimulus check payments as well as the $500 per child bonus that legal residents have been receiving.

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, one of the sponsors of the No Taxpayer Left Behind Act, said he was 'appalled to learn hardworking, taxpaying immigrants were left out of the $2 trillion CARES Act.

'The coronavirus doesnt care about a persons wealth, job, or immigration status. By casting out immigrants, we are placing some of our most vulnerable residents in grave danger. Every individual taxpayer, irrespective of citizenship status, needs government assistance now', Raskin said.

Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, a co-sponsor of the bill, said, 'our relief programs shouldnt discriminate against those who need help during this crisis, and this legislation ensures that immigrants with ITINs can get the economic relief they deserve.'
More than a month into the nationwide coronavirus lockdown and the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise unabated. The tally breached the 31,000-mark on Wednesday.

Services, movement and operations associated with essential services and items were allowed right from the start. The government ensured that regular supplies of food items and other essentials remain uninterrupted across the country during the lockdown.

A look at the monthly summary released by the Department of Consumer Affairs suggests that amid the lockdown, the prices of oil, pulses have gone up while vegetables cost more or less the same with a mild dip in prices.

Data from the ministry show that prices of rice, most varieties of pulses and oils have gone up across the nation.

At the beginning of the lockdown (March 24), pulses costed roughly around at Rs 72 per kilogram but the figures for April 28 show that the price went up to Rs 86, HTs Hindi language publication Live Hindustan reported citing government data. Statistics from the Price Monitoring Division of the ministry show that the price of arhar dal has increased to Rs 13 in Delhi and Rs 30 rupees per kilogram in Warangal, Telangana.

Similarly, in the case of mustard oil, the price has increased by Rs 20 per kg in Gurugram, Haryana while in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh it has reached Rs 170 per kg. Prices of vegetable oil have also gone up and so have the price for sugar which has increased by more than two rupees in Delhi.

Prices of vegetables, on the other hand, have fallen. Ministry data from March 24 to April 28 of the Price Monitoring Division show that the price of potato has decreased across the country except for Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Onion prices have also come down roughly by around Rs 20 per kg.

Meanwhile, the temporary closure of Delhi-Haryana border is likely to affect the supply of fruits and vegetables in the national capital, news agency PTI reported.

The prices of vegetables like ladys finger, cucumber and bottle gourd might increase in the national capital as their supply from Sonipat to Azadpur Mandi is likely to get affected by up to 30% in the wake of the sealing of the Delhi-Haryana border.

Azadpur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Chairman Adil Ahmad Khan said that there is some news coming from Sonipat that supply of vegetables from the neighbouring state was not being allowed in Delhi.

With this, the supply of cucumber, ladys finger, bottle gourd and other vegetables from Sonipat to Azadpur Mandi may be affected by up to 30 per cent, Khan said.
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Linkedin Joe Jackson (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Wed, April 29, 2020 07:12 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4cf075 2 Business British-Airways,layoffs,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-joblessness,COVID-19-lockdown,COVID-19-quarantine,COVID-19-travel-ban,COVID-19-travel-restriction Free

British Airways is set to slash up to 12,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan as the carrier grapples with the fallout of the novel coronavirus pandemic, its parent company IAG said Tuesday.

The firm said it was still deliberating its options but that it was "likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000".

Passenger demand will take "several years" to return to 2019 levels, it added.

Shares in International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns Iberia and Vueling, lost 2.2 percent as preliminary results showed that first quarter revenue fell by 13 percent to 4.6 billion euros ($4.9 billion).

The group's operating result before exceptional items came in at a loss of 535 million euros, compared with a profit of 135 million last year, with the second quarter expected to be worse.

IAG said it had reduced passenger capacity for April and May by 94 percent compared with the same period last year.

BA chief executive Alex Cruz warned last month of consequences for the airline after the coronavirus pandemic gutted demand.

Recent weeks have seen it operating flights only for essential travel and repatriation of tourists marooned abroad.

The carrier, which has approximately 45,000 employees including around 4,000 pilots and 16,500 cabin crew, has already furloughed nearly 23,000 staff.

Brian Strutton, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) union, called Tuesday's announcement "a bolt out of the blue", noting that BA had previously suggested "it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID storm and declined any government support".

"Balpa does not accept that a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one," Strutton said on the union's Twitter account.

Weighing further on IAG was an exceptional 1.3 billion euro charge resulting, it said Tuesday, from the "ineffectiveness" of its fuel and foreign currency hedges for the remainder of the year.

IAG, which said detailed first quarter results would be released on May 7, added that its January-February operating result was similar to that period of 2019, despite the suspension of flights to China from the end of January as the virus impacted there.

The group repeated its February guidance that "given the uncertainty on the impact and duration of COVID-19, IAG is not currently providing profit guidance for 2020" as a whole.

"However, the group expects its operating loss in the second quarter to be significantly worse than in the first quarter," given the virus fallout, chief financial officer Stephen Gunning said in the statement.

The pandemic -- and the travel restrictions introduced to fight it -- have dealt a huge blow to the entire aviation industry, leaving many carriers in dire financial straits and announcing layoffs.

British tycoon Richard Branson has warned that his part-owned airline Virgin Atlantic could collapse and is reportedly searching for fresh investors after failing to agree lending terms with the UK government.

Meanwhile no-frills British airline EasyJet recently secured a 600 million loan from the government, which is dealing with carriers on a case-by-case basis.
For the first time in its 38-year history, the 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education will freeze their tuition rates for the second consecutive year.

The systems governing board on Wednesday voted to keep tuition rates and technology fee at this years level. That means in-state undergraduates will pay a base two-semester rate of $7,716 in the next academic year. The technology fee for in-state undergraduate students will remain at $478.

System Chancellor Dan Greenstein said all system officials were in agreement it was appropriate to recommend a freeze, saying with students and families concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic, This is not the time to raise tuition.

He said the impact of the pandemic on students is potentially horrific with parents facing job losses, entering freshman coming to college having missed a big chunk of their last semester of high schools, and the uncertain labor market that graduates will be entering.

We need to do everything we can for students, Greenstein said in an earlier interview with PennLive.

At the board meeting, he elaborated on that, saying, Our students are suffering. Their families are suffering. Our communities are suffering. This is not a short term thing. This is potentially years i recovery and we cannot continue to burden them anymore than they are already burdened.

Additionally, the system board approved a 1% tentative tuition increase for 2021-22 to help students with their financial planning although a representative for Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster County, who serves on the board, voiced concerns about any indication that the following years tuition would be going up.

Earlier this month, Penn State and Temple universities announced their plans to freeze tuition for next year but their boards will make that official at meetings in July and May, respectively. A spokesman for the University of Pittsburgh said its board will set tuition in July.

Freezing tuition, while being done as Greenstein said for all the right reasons, is not a decision easily made by the State System board.

The system anticipates a $52 million financial loss through the summer due to the pandemic even after accounting for the federal CARES ACT funding. Additionally, system officials said nine of its universities project dipping into reserves to cover $146 million in operating costs through 2023-24.

At the chancellors direction to get universities on a sustainable financial path, the universities have engaged in a number of cost-cutting moves including reducing the use of temporary faculty and not filling vacant positions. Additionally, they offered a retirement incentive to faculty which drew interest from more than 200 retirement-eligible professors by the March 2 deadline.

Greenstein said now the system realizes it needs to move faster and is working to achieve $250 million in cost savings in two to three years instead of five years as originally planned.

The universities affected by this tuition freeze include Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities.

Earlier this month, Penn State and Temple universities announced their plans to freeze tuition for next year but their boards will make that official at meetings in July and May, respectively. A spokesman for the University of Pittsburgh said its board will set tuition in July.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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A Minnesota couple who were forced to call off their big wedding this week still went through with smaller 'I do's'  and made sure to stop by the bride's grandmother's nursing home to include her on the special day.

Shauna Varner, 29, and Travis Scepaniak, 30, had planned their nuptials for April 25, but due to the pandemic, they had to scale back.

But Shauna was still determine that her Grandma Janis would see her in her wedding gown, so she and her groom made a pit stop at the Country Manor's Rapid Recovery & Aquatic Center in Sartell, Minnesota, to spend a moment with the grandmother through the window.

Big day: Shauna Varner and Travis Scepaniak had planned their nuptials for April 25 but scaled back because of the pandemic

Shauna's Grandma Janis couldn't leave her Minnesota nursing home but they paid her a visit through the window

Shauna and Travis were meant to married at Whitefish Lodge & Suites in Crosslake. But with the pandemic raging, their large gathering was canceled.

They still planned to tie the knot, but with just immediate family in attendance.

Unfortunately, Shauna's beloved Grandma Janis couldn't be there. Janis is currently in isolation at a senior living facility  and as a senior, she's at higher risk, too.

So Shauna and Travis got creative.

On the big day, she dressed up in her gown and did her hair, while Travis donned his suit. And on the way to the ceremony, they made a first important sop at the senior living home to drop in on Janis.

Sad: Shauna and Travis were meant to married at Whitefish Lodge & Suites in Crosslake. But with the pandemic raging, their large gathering was canceled

The bride and groom turned up in a gown and suit to chat and take pictures with Janis through the window

Priorities: When Shauna tells her grandma that they made sure to come see her first, Janis replies, 'Good!'

Video of the special moment shows a gleeful Janis looking out the window as her granddaughter approaches with her groom.

She smiles and waves from her wheelchair, and the trio pose for some socially-distanced pictures.

When Shauna tells her grandma that they made sure to come see her first, Janis replies, 'Good!'

'Everything looks amazing,' she tells her granddaughter. 'You're beautiful.'

Emily Frericks, director of public relations and marketing, told Good Morning America that Shauna's dad, Jeff Varner, reached out to set up the meeting.

Excitement: The night before, Grandma Janis was 'worried she wouldnt get much sleep with all the anticipation'

So sweet: Janis also recorded herself doing a reading that she was supposed to do at the ceremony, which they sent to Shauna as a surprise

Frericks said that the night before, Grandma Janis was 'worried she wouldnt get much sleep with all the anticipation.'

The staff helped her get dressed and did her hair for the occasion.

'With our salon services being shut down, it took some joint effort from us non-professionals to get her hair fixed, but she was pleased with the final product, which is all that matters,' she said. 'She felt beautiful, which was a rewarding feeling for staff.'

They also helped her record herself doing a reading that she was supposed to do at the ceremony, which they sent to Shauna as a surprise.

Meanwhile, the newlyweds are still planning to have an informal reception in the future.
A large number of students



from Odisha, who are stranded at Kota in Rajasthan, due to the lockdown have appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure their safe return to the state.

Parents of six students have brought the matter to our notice that 13 students from the district are stranded in Kota, said Rayagada Collector Pramod Behera.

"We will seek Odisha governments permission as there is restriction on inter-state movement. We will take appropriate measures in this regard," the district collector said.

When contacted by PTI, a senior IPS officer in-charge of coordinating with other states in regard to stranded Odia persons, said: "Something is in the offing." He indicated that a decision in this regard will be taken soon.

Meanwhile, Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra also urged the chief minister to take immediate measures to bring back the students in Kota. "Urge @CMO_Odisha to take immediate step to bring back the stranded students at Kota," Mishra said in his twitter post.

One of the stranded students, Monica in a video message said: "It is a humble request from all students of Odisha to the state government for our safe return. We have already registered on the dedicated COVID-19 portal, but we have not got any response."



Monica said they are staying in Kota since nine month for study purpose. She said that the students are not feeling safe in Kota as COVID-19 cases are fast increasing in Kota. She also said that the states like UP, Maharashtra and Assam already taken measures to bring back students of their respective states.

Gayatri Sahu, one of the stranded students in Kota in a tweet to Chief Ministers Office said: "Hon'ble Chief Minister, we are students from Odisha stuck in Kota due to COVID-19. Kota becomes Rajasthans next hotspot. UP govt has arranged buses for their students. We request you to plz make arrangement to #SendUsBackHome."



"At least 2500 Odia students are stuck in Kota and need help. UP and other governments are already in action. Kindly help students from Odisha," tweeted another student.

Earlier, students from Rourkela, Puri and Sonepur had made a similar appeal to the Odisha government.

One of the guardians of a stranded student, Pratap Batra said that 12 girl students from Rayagada are stranded in Kota.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Those figures are certain to change as the weather warms and if the lockdowns continue, or if some restrictions are lifted and more businesses reopen.

The Columbia researchers noted that there is little demand for cooling in April and consequently little stress on the power distribution grid. But in warmer months, as more stuck-at-home apartment dwellers run air-conditioners longer, energy use will climb even more. If you extrapolate to May, June, July, that could get you into territory where you wont be able to say anymore, well the grid, no problem, Dr. Meinrenken said.

The challenge of this stuff is it could occur, but locally, potentially straining transformers and other equipment in areas that are mostly residential, said Vijay Modi, a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia who is involved in the study. A weekday peak is what the utility has to worry about.

Anne Marie Cobalis, a spokeswoman for Con Edison, the utility that supplies power to the city, said crews were working to harden the grid for peak summer demand, replacing and upgrading transformers, cables and other infrastructure.

If things stay as they are into the summer months, we anticipate seeing a rise in residential usage and some additional commercial usage for air conditioning, she said. Should any part of the grid become stressed, she added, the utility is ready to provide temporary equipment like mobile generators.

Nationally, reduced overall demand should continue into the summer even if more of the economy reopens, said Adam Jordan, an analyst with Genscape, which provides pricing and other forecasts to the electricity industry. The reduction in demand makes it unlikely that broader grid reliability problems will appear this summer even if residential consumption rises, Mr. Jordan said. In terms of keeping the lights on, this isnt really a big threat.
Famed theologian and Pastor, Tim Keller in the opening chapter of his book Walking with God through pain and suffering made the following statement, suffering is everywhere, unavoidable and its scope often overwhelms. This statement is an evident truth that we all know and have experienced. Even as I write this article, the global outbreak of the Covid-19 virus continues to spread and take lives.

Even as such suffering and hurt are pervasive and universal, thoughts like, where is God in the midst of this, or if God is so good, why would He allow things like this to exist, begin to occupy our minds. The presence of suffering and evil along with the existence of a good and loving God seem to collide. The seemingly irreconcilable nature of Gods goodness in light of suffering rises triumphantly from the collision. After all, isnt this a major idea that has shipwrecked the faith of many, and turned them away from the idea of Gods existence?

In the midst of these circumstances, I felt motivated to write and to provide some food for thought. While it may be true that people who professed to be Christians have turned aside from their belief in light of suffering, Tim Keller makes an astute point that is equally true. He says, at the same time, I learned that just as many people find God through affliction and suffering. They find that adversity moves them toward God rather than away, troubled times awaken them out of their haunted sleep of spiritual self-sufficiency into a serious search for the divine. In the book King Solomons Mines, H. Rider Haggards character, Allan Quatermain, makes a similar point: I think the unknown and the awful always bring a man nearer to his maker.

Suffering does not necessarily lead to disbelief, yet many seem to struggle with disbelief.

How did we get to the point where people publicly dismiss the existence of a good and loving God in light of suffering, and deny the possibility of believing in Him as well? I want to suggest that the main issue lies not necessarily with our understanding of good, or even how good comes about, but more so the end or purpose good serves and the fact that God is involved. Let me share a story to illustrate my point.

A few years ago, President Barrack Obama visited Jamaica. He spoke at a scheduled Town Hall meeting at the University Of The West Indies to students and faculty. At the meeting, he asked a young woman to stand and invited the audience to applaud her as a brave and resilient young woman. It was recounted that a group of young men raped this young woman because she was attracted to other women. In the aftermath of such a heinous crime, this young woman used this tragic circumstance to reach and encourage other girls. We have all heard of other instances in which, people have overcome and have used their struggle, suffering and pain as a platform to do good in the world.

It is in light of examples like this that I argue that we have no problem with the idea that good can come from bad, or with the fact that without hardships and suffering, we would not get stronger or attain the full measure of who we are to be. After all, as the saying attributed to Franklin Roosevelt goes, a smooth sea never made a good sailor.

The dilemma that arises is when we say, if God exists, He should be powerful and good enough to stop it.

Lets be frank, none of us want suffering or hardship. It is here and we make lemonade out of lemons as it were. If we could we would do away with it, so why wouldnt a God who is creator and sustainer of all do the same? David Hume amplifies the essence of the dilemma by quoting what he calls, Epicuruss old questions in his book Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion: Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he able and willing? Whence then is evil?

I admit I have struggled with these thoughts, but I have had to think about this as well: if He doesnt exist then fine, but if He does exist and He exists as God - the one who sustains all things - what exactly does being God look like? Is acting by His own will and purposes part of the package? I would argue yes it is. If He cant act by His own will then He ceases to be God. I think that in light of His existence, we are better served by understanding how God operates through the suffering that exists in this world.

What does scriptures say?

Let us turn to the scriptures to see what it says about His actions. According to Ephesians 1, verse 11, In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. (English Standard Version) We see that God orchestrates and operates according to His will and His purposes, whatever He wants to accomplish.

2 Thessalonians 1, verse 11 says, To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good. (English Standard Version)

Romans 8, verse 28 says, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (English Standard Version)

These passages of scripture tell us that God works to ensure our good. I am suggesting that the specific good He seeks to accomplish comes to us through all things and that all factors in (though not entirely) painful things and hard things - essentially, suffering. Admittedly the our refers to believers, but the intent is still for good.

The question remains then is, what is this good that God talks about? In part 2 of this article, I will be sharing what I believe this good to be and three ways God uses or allows suffering in this world to bring it about.
In the recent sabre-rattling between the U.S. Navy ships and Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast boats are off great concern, but the answer to blunting Iran's hit and run tactic is Israeli Defense technology to protect U.S. vessels.

In the Gulf of Persia, Iran is using an array of tech to counter the bigger American dreadnaughts. Using fast gunboat to harass bigger and slower U.S. ships that made dealing with them tedious for the U.S. Navy.

Escalating the stakes in the region is the use of armed drones, ship to ship missiles, with other weapons pointed at U.S. ships. On one hand, the use of different methods to conduct warfare has made it hard to bear weapons on the faster and smaller ships. One school of thought is employing Israeli technology to even out the field in that theatre of combat.

One of these combat solutions is the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it made the Iron Dome Missile Defense System and the Trophy Active Protection System used in Abrams MBT. According to Rafael, the use of airborne vehicles like drones can have a massive effect in the narrow straits of the Persian Gulf.

Iran's fast boats have caused problems to the U.S. and the U.K. in the past. Another is the use of 25 drones and cruise missiles to attack Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil facility in September 2019, illustrating the threat of swarms of drones.

Why the Iranian boats are a threat to US ships?

Small and fast boats of the Revolutionary Guard and small is not easy to detect since nothing has been designed for such targets. With the revelation of drones and anti-ship missile are small targets to get on the radar. Plus many ship-based defences have problems at extremely close ranges. Just add the small strait and bigger warships lose an advantage.

Also read: Trump Orders Navy to Destroy Iranian Vessels Which Threatens US, Iran Says They'll Crush Them

Asymmetric Defense Solutions (ADS)

To negate such threats in close quarter combat, Rafael launched the multi-layered Asymmetric Defense Solutions (ADS) which it says offers a diverse mix of naval defense solutions. This system addresses the ability to detect, track, and negate all target in multiple ranges. With the ADS equipped ships can have an all-around defense in close and far ranges.

Examples of these are creating screens for ships to attack and destroy incoming ordinances that comes their way. The system is offensive and defensive too.

A combination of defensive and offensive weapons like the long-range guided SPIKE missiles, Drone Dome anti-drone technology and the loitering attack drone munitions known as FireFly. Another extra is a high energy laser that is microwave based to destroy confounding enemy munitions, radar systems and cellular antennas that can be used.

Rafael's Drone Dome is used to take out several drones with lasers too.

Ship defense systems like the Typhoon family of remotely operated machine guns with Toplite electro-optics have been used in countries such as Australia. Toplite is a device that detects and monitors all targets.

Israeli defense technology and weapon systems are multi-layered to handle specific targets with ADS and other systems to handle offense or defense.

Related article: Chinese Warship Readied Guns at PH Navy Vessel in Philippine Seas

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Counties face budget shortfalls

To the Editor:

County governments across South Dakota and the nation face budget shortfalls as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. So far, Congress has not provided permanent funding solutions for the Payments In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Secure Rural Schools (SRS) programs.

Last year, 42 South Dakota counties received PILT funds with Pennington County receiving nearly $1.9 million. These funds are used to make up for property tax that would be collected if those forest lands were privately owned. Additionally, SRS assists national forest counties for benefits lost due to reduced federal timber harvests. In 2019, 20 South Dakota counties shared in about $1.3 million of funding with Pennington County receiving about $197,000.

Those dollars are used for roads and bridges.

Congress has legislation ready to ensure these programs are permanently funded: The Permanently Authorizing PILT Act, and the Forest Management for Rural Stability Act, which creates a permanent endowment fund to secure SRS payments.

I urge Congress to include these bills in the next stimulus package so our rural public lands counties can continue to meet our governing missions.

Gary Drewes, Commissioner,

Pennington County, South Dakota

Board Member, SD Association of County Commissioners

Good riddance

To the editor,

Hooray, President Donald Trump is maybe gonna quit wasting his time with these daily briefings (his words). I for one am sick and tired of his useless ramblings every night at the prime time hour. If anyone behind the scenes could reason with him and be a filter for his dangerous assertions we might actually find some assurance in his words. I understand that the Presidency should (I repeat should) demand a certain reverence from the general population, but so many lies and arrogant disregard for the intelligence of everyday Americans have left him barren in his ability to comfort the public or relieve the anxiety of Wall Street. Just being a "reality T.V. star" obviously does not make one in touch with reality it'self.

Although his efforts failed to stem the depression, Herbert Hoover was better equipped to handle the problems of his day than Donald Trump is today. In trying times, trust is key to underwriting relief. Maybe, just as in the cases of Roosevelt and Obama this country can fix its problems with the election of a competent believable leader.

Dave Freytag, Rapid City

Questions for the mayor

To the editor,

I have some questions for Mayor Allender.

Mayor, I want to know why you feel its necessary to open restaurants to the public but arent considering opening up parks and other city recreational facilities? Restaurants are not essential businesses. Quite frankly, restaurants and bars are a luxury that we get to have and use when we dont want to cook our own food.

If its safe, why are we not seeing City Hall opening or other government operations such as the courthouse opening up to the public? And if you do open up restaurants and bars can we expect to see you and every other city council member voting yes to be in these restaurants and bars and using these services?

I understand we rely on tourism so badly, but why do we want to be encouraging people to travel here from more populated and higher infected areas?

Kelsey Dowdy, Rapid City 

The ballot box is a cure

To the editor,

A global pandemic is a painful reminder of the need for stable, sane, and responsible leadership at the highest level. Unfortunately, America is sadly lacking at this critical moment.

South Korea and Taiwan have come together to combat the coronavirus, and have lower fatalities as a result. After wasting weeks of denying that it was a problem, the Trump administration has failed to distribute life-saving protective equipment. Our leader threatens to withdraw financial support for the WHO when he should be working closely with other nations. The virus knows no boundaries.

Trump asserts absolute power like a third world despot. He is a pathological liar whose misstatements are constantly documented. He has frayed our relationships with long-time allies like Canada and France. Whistleblowers and inspectors have been removed from their posts and a Navy captain who fought for the lives of his sailors was removed.

Two nightmares cant end soon enough: COVID-19 and the Trump presidency. The cure for the second one is the ballot box.

Sincerely,

Jay Davis, Rapid City

Do you not get it?

To the editor,

Governor Noem you do not get it yet. Trump does not know what he is doing. He praised hydroxychloroqine as a cure all for Covid 19, so you went ahead and spent valuable time and money to get 1.2 million doses, when in fact you should have been getting 1.2 million test kits for Covid 19.

Now Trump is telling the world that injecting Lysol and drinking bleach will cure it. Are you now going to buy a million gallons of both and start recommending that for Covid 19 patients and the general public drink this stuff.

Trump got this bleach idea from some fly by night church in Florida that sells bleach as a cure all for everything, they are now under investigation for their illegal actions.

You gave no orders to a meat packing plant during this pandemic to protect people because you don't want to tell any business what to do, even when it will cost lives. Please do something right from here on out, stop listening to Trump, and listen to people who actually know what they are talking about.

Brent Cox, Sturgis

It's dangerous

To the editor,

A recent federal court injunction bars water crossings by TC Energy, the Canadian company planning to build the KXL pipeline. Previously, in a late March press conference, Gov. Noem assured us that TC Energy would not build in the state during the COVID-19 outbreak, so the danger from imported work crews entering South Dakota during the pandemic seemed to be averted. However, sizable pre-construction work crews are indeed here, and active on the project. The distinction between pre-construction and construction means nothing when it comes to the possibility of virus dissemination in parts of our state where health care facilities are relatively sparse and easily overloaded. By working in groups, these crews pose a danger to themselves and to the local folks they deal with.

When other non-essential workers are being encouraged or ordered to stay home throughout the nation, it is hard to see justification for this exception. This is one of those instances where public health is surely more important than the profits of a foreign corporation.

Don Kelley, M.D., Deadwood, SD

Practice gun safety

To the editor,

Recent articles in the paper reported seven instances of gun theft from apparently unlocked vehicles. This suggests that some gun owners do not sufficiently appreciate the responsibilities of gun ownership. There are reports too, of a spike in firearm purchases, as people live with COVID19 restrictions. With all this in mind, it seems important to remind everyone, and particularly first-time gun buyers, about securing guns by storing them locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition.

Children and teens are now at home with time on their hands. The majority of children in gun-owning households report knowing where the guns are stored. It is the job of adults to make certain that children do not have unsupervised access to guns kept in the home. This is the only way to prevent unintentional gun injury and death by children. It is also imperative that the role of guns in suicide be recognized and that gun owners take steps to ensure that despondent teens and others, never have access to this lethal means for self-harm. Parents must ask about the presence of unsecured guns in homes of family and friends. Instructing children to never touch guns is a precaution; it is not a guarantee.

Karen Pettigrew, Rapid City

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MBABANE  In anticipation of increased demand for essential food items like maize and beans due to COVID-19, NMC is giving farmers a rare chance to produce certain crops on its behalf this winter.



NMC is the National Maize Corporation and it is presenting an opportunity to interested farmers, companies or co-operatives with fields or farms with irrigation infrastructure to venture into winter dry maize and/or beans production. This will ensure a constant supply of these commodities.



Targeted



Impeccable sources said up to 6 000 hectares was targeted for the project. Each qualifying farmer will be assessed to identify the technical assistance needed at that particular farm.

Interested individuals are expected to commence production as soon as possible and produce maize and/or beans solely for NMC. The corporation may provide support where possible, subject to availability of funds and magnitude of support required, reads a correspondence from NMC.



The Corporation may provide both technical and financial support subject to availability. The budget for the project could not be immediately ascertained at the time of compiling this report.

A questionnaire sent to NMC on the full breakdown of the project was yet to be replied to at the time of compiling this report.

NMC, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture, was established with the objectives of guaranteeing a market to local maize farmers at competitive prices and providing good quality maize meal at reasonable prices to emaSwati. Some of its responsibilities include guaranteeing an all year round competitive market for Eswatini maize farmers.



Improving



Other NMC duties include reducing marketing barriers and costs to Eswatini farmers by improving maize marketing and logistics services (through running silos efficiently, registration of producers, provision of drying services and price information).



It further guarantees all year round supplies of maize at reasonable cost to the nation on top increasing the efficiency of the maize market in Eswatini by promoting the availability of white maize to consumers at reasonable cost in all regions of the country.



Interested individuals should indicate with NMC before May 4, 2020 (next Monday). Requests for clarification can be addressed to Siboniso Ngwenya at 7602 3166.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Nuinsco Resources Limited ("Nuinsco" or the "Company") (CSE:NWI) today announced that it will not be in a position to file its audited annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and the related management's discussion and analysis, as required by Part 4 and Part 5 of National Instrument 51-102: Continuous Disclosure Obligations (collectively, the "Annual Filings") by the filing deadline of April 29, 2020.

This news release is being issued in accordance with the blanket relief of a 45-day extension, provided by Canadian Securities Administrators and Ontario Instrument 51-502: Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements, for periodic filings normally required to be made by issuers during the period from March 23, 2020 to June 1, 2020.

The challenges posed by COVID-19 have resulted in a delay in the finalization and filing of the Annual Filings. However, the Company's board of directors and its management confirm that they are working to meet the Company's obligations relating to the filing of the Annual Filings. At this time, the Company anticipates being able to complete the Annual Filings on or before June 12, 2020.

There have not been any material business developments since the date of the last interim financial reports of the Company that were filed.

The Company confirms that its management and other insiders are subject to an insider trading black-out policy that reflects the principles in section 9 of National Policy 11-207: Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions, such that they are in a black-out period until the end of the second trading day after the Annual Filings have been disclosed by way of a news release.

About Nuinsco Resources Limited

Nuinsco Resources has over 45 years of exploration success and is a growth oriented, multi-commodity mineral exploration and development company focused on prospective opportunities in Canada and internationally. Currently the Company has two properties in Ontario - the high-grade Sunbeam gold prospect near Atikokan and the large, multi-commodity (rare-earths, niobium, tantalum, phosphorus) Prairie Lake project near Terrace Bay. In addition, Nuinsco has recently completed an agreement for gold exploitation at the El Sid project in the Eastern Desert of Egypt - a project with the potential to provide near-term revenue.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historic fact, that address activities, events or developments that Nuinsco believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate, "expect," and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may," "will," "can," "should," "could," or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of Nuinsco based on information currently available to Nuinsco. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Nuinsco to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on Nuinsco. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to successfully complete financings, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world copper and/or gold markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance of facilities, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain tenure to properties and/or necessary permits and approvals, and other development and operating risks. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Nuinsco disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although Nuinsco believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

To learn more, please contact: Paul Jones, CEO

paul.jones@nuinsco.ca

416 626-0470 x 229 Sean Stokes, Executive VP

sean.stokes@nuinsco.ca

416 626-0470 x 224 Cathy Hume, Consultant

cathy@chfir.com

416 868-1079 x 231 Website: www.nuinsco.ca

Twitter: @NWIResources

SOURCE: Nuinsco Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587645/Nuinsco-Announces-Postponement-in-Filing-of-Financial-Statements
Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 78.45, up 1.95% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 63.39% in last one year as compared to a 19.11% drop in NIFTY and a 33.4% drop in the Nifty Auto index.

Tata Motors Ltd gained for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 78.45, up 1.95% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 1.3% on the day, quoting at 9502.75. The Sensex is at 32548.53, up 1.35%. Tata Motors Ltd has risen around 15.11% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 19.11% in last one month and is currently quoting at 5447.1, up 2.1% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 268.74 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 579.43 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark April futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 78.5, up 1.82% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd is down 63.39% in last one year as compared to a 19.11% drop in NIFTY and a 33.4% drop in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 0 based on TTM earnings ending December 19.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 22:35:37|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 29, 2020 shows drugs and relevant articles seized by Hong Kong police in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong police have seized the largest amount of crystal meth in a single operation since 1991.

The police said Wednesday that 296.2 kg of suspected crystal meth were seized and seven people aged between 26 to 57 were arrested during an operation in Yau Ma Tei on Tuesday.

The people under arrest were charged with drug trafficking, possession of prohibited weapon and possession of false instruments, the police said, adding that more people could be arrested.

The Hong Kong police cracked down on drug trafficking recently, including making the biggest seizure of cannabis plants, totaling 580 kg, in a raid on a parking lot earlier this month. Enditem
By Trend

A covalent plasma method which is used in the medical treatment of patients infected with coronavirus, will also be used in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) told Trend on April 28.

This method envisages the use of blood plasma taken by the Blood Bank from the people who have previously been infected with COVID-19 but who have fully recovered.

This method will be used to treat the coronavirus patients in severe condition.

The people who have recovered from a clinically proven diagnosis of COVID-19, whose coronavirus tests at least 14 days after clinical recovery, turned out to be negative twice, volunteers aged 18-60, men, non-pregnant women (who did not have a miscarriage or abortion), as well as people who did not receive a blood transfusion, can be blood plasma donors for patients infected with coronavirus.

A suitable donor fills out the consent form and undergoes the medical treatment. Then blood is taken and laboratory tests are conducted. In accordance with the test results, plasma is taken from donors through apheresis. The procedure lasts about 45-60 minutes. Plasma can be taken from a donor no more than three times during a month. An interval of 7-10 days must be observed from the first date of taking plasma.

This procedure does not pose any threat to the donor. The kits which are used during apheresis are disposable and sterile.

TABIB sends the data about the recovered patients to the Central Blood Bank and plasma donors are selected last. Voluntary donors are invited to the Blood Bank on the basis of the priority system. Blood plasma is sent to the hospitals on the basis of requests.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Republican governors in Oklahoma and Utah are facing scrutiny for splashing out close to $3million on malaria drugs from private pharmaceutical companies - which could make more patients likely to die.

The most largest nationwide study into hydroxychloroquine revealed a staggering 28 per cent of US veterans with coronavirus who were treated with the drug died.

By comparison only 11 per cent of the veterans given the standard care, including supportive IV fluids and intubation help them breathe, died. The results also suggested the drug provided no benefit to the patients who received it and made no difference in the need for a breathing machine, either.

The study findings have added fuel to fire in the damning criticism against Oklahama Gov Kev Stitt and Utah Gov Gary Herbert after they spent $2million and $800,000 respectively on stockpiling the drugs - with Utah's purchase failing to ever arrive.

They also could have receive the drugs for free, with governments in at least 20 other states obtaining more than 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine through donations from the federal reserve or private companies.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (above) has admitted 'there's some evidence the chloroquine may not be as effective, but I was being proactive to try and protect Oklahomans'

Now the governors have been slammed for letting money go to 'waste' without 'a lot more thought' going into the purchases.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt defended the state's $2 million purchase on Tuesday and said it was showing some promise.

The state acquired 1.2 million pills - around 100,000 doses - on April 4 from California-based medical supply wholesaler FFF Enterprises, according to the State Department of Health.

Stitt, a first-term Republican, said hydroxychloroquine has been showing some promise as a treatment in early March and didn't want Oklahoma to miss out on an opportunity to acquire it.

Secretary of Health Jerome Loughridge (above) said the drug was purchased while the state was 'battling' the 'fog of the war'

'Now there's some evidence the chloroquine may not be as effective, but I was being proactive to try and protect Oklahomans,' Stitt said Tuesday when asked about the purchase.

'That's always going to be my first instinct, to get the equipment and things we need that I'm seeing in the future would help Oklahomans.'

Oklahoma doctors have been using the drug to treat coronavirus patients, often in alongside azithromiocin, but the results 'just are not that promising,' said Dr. Douglas Drevets, chief of infectious diseases at University of Oklahoma Medicine.

Secretary of Health Jerome Loughridge said several physicians, including some in Oklahoma, were previously optimistic about the drug's promise in treating COVID-19.

He added that the drug is useful for treating lupus and some other auto-immune diseases, so the state's supply 'will not have gone to waste.'

'When we were battling sort of the fog of war at that point, we certainly acquired it on the potential that it would have utility,' Loughridge said.

State Republic Melissa Provenzano, a Democrat from Tulsa, slammed the purchase. She said that Gov. Stitt's actions don't follow his claim that he relies on data to drive his decisions.

'Two million dollars is a lot of money to waste, especially when we have unemployment claims approved yet going unpaid, health care professionals without proper protective equipment, and diagnosed cases and deaths continuing to rise,' Provenzano said.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has requested an investigation into the Department of Health's spending and warned the agency about retaliating against employees who report wrongful government activities under the state's Whistleblower Act.

A spokesman for Hunter declined to comment on whether the request was related to the $2 million spent on the drug.

FFF Enterprises said it was not company policy to comment on transactions with customers.

There have so far been close to 3,300 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Oklahoma and nearly 200 deaths.

Everything you need to know about hydroxychloroquine A recent study of coronavirus patients at U.S. veterans hospitals showed no benefit using hydroxychloroquine (pictured above), casting more doubt on the drug's efficacy during the pandemic The drug was approved in the 1940s as a way to treat malaria. It is also prescribed for patients with arthritis and lupus. Trump has hailed the 'game-changing' drug and said: 'This would be a gift from heaven, this would be a gift from God if it works.' But doctors have urged that the drug shouldn't be used without more testing. The FDA has also warned doctors against prescribing the drug to treat coronavirus outside of hospitals following reports of serious side effects, including irregular heart rhythms and death among patients. Preliminary results from a recent study done on coronavirus patients at U.S. veterans hospitals showed no benefit, casting more doubt on the drug's efficacy during the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed guidance from its website informing doctors on how to prescribe hydroxychlorquine. Initially, the CDC webpage had read: 'Although optimal dosing and duration of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 are unknown, some US clinicians have reported anecdotally.' It now says: 'There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19.' Advertisement

Utah state gave a local company called Meds in Motion the $800,000 contract without taking bids from other companies under emergency procurement rules, said Christopher Hughes, director of Utah's division of purchasing.

But Jeff Burton, a former adjutant general of the Utah National Guard chosen to lead the state health department's coronavirus task force admitted the state never received the pills and is now trying to reclaim its money back.

'I chalk it up to fog of war,' Burton told the state's pharmacy board. 'There was a lot going on. It's easy to judge it from (an) easy chair... Since then we've decided that was not a wise purchase.'

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks during a news conference in South Jordan, Utah on April 21. Herbert, a Republican, acknowledged that hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, is 'not without controversy,' but said an $800,000 purchase from a local company whose CEO appeared alongside GOP lawmakers touting the drugs last month was part of the state's effort to make rational decisions based on 'good science and good data'

Utah's Republican Gov. Gary Herbert initially defended the purchase of 20,000 packets of hydroxychloroquine compounded with zinc.

He has since ordered an investigation into a no-bid contract with a local company that had been promoting the drugs.

'I have some questions about how it came about,' Herbert said Friday. 'Bottom line is, were not purchasing any more of this drug.'

Jeff Burton, who is leading the state health department's coronavirus task force and pictured above, said the state never received the pills and is trying to get its money back

On Tuesday he declined to provide an update about the investigation of the purchase but has canceled an additional plan to spend $8 million more to buy 200,000 additional treatments from the same company.

State officials haven't explained why they didn't seek to get the drugs for free.

The left-leaning nonprofit group Alliance for a Better Utah filed a price gouging complaint Tuesday with state regulators, arguing the $40 per pack drug was grossly overpriced and at least double the common price for the medication.

Executive director Chase Thomas says Utah taxpayers deserve to know what happened.

'Whether they were buying drugs we didn't need or paying too much for it when they could have gotten them for free, there just needed to be a lot more thought going into this,' Thomas said.

Meds in Motion did not respond to an email from AP seeking comment about the allegations.

Utah has seen more than 4,200 cases and 41 deaths.

On Saturday the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it has sent close to 29million hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to states around the country for free.

Several states including New York, Connecticut and Texas received donations of the medication from a private company based in New Jersey called Amneal Pharmaceutical, according to information compiled by The Associated Press.
The public joint-stock company Invalda INVL AB (hereinafter - the Company) informs that the audit of Company's annual financial statements for 2019 has been completed. The consolidated annual financial statements, together with the annual consolidated report, are submitted to the General Shareholders Meeting to be held on 30 April 2020.

The Board of the Company decided to propose to the General Shareholders Meeting of the Company to be held on 30 April 2020 to allocate a dividend of EUR 0.80 per share for the year 2019 (the total amount allocated for dividends would be EUR 9.288 million).

Additional information:

Invalda INVL, one of the Baltic regions leading asset management groups, had equity of EUR 86.8 million at the end of 2019, or EUR 7.47 per share (which is 32.5% and 31.8% more, respectively, than at the end of 2018). The net profit Invalda INVL earned last year was EUR 20.8 million, compared to a 2018 figure of EUR 0.34 million. The change in profit was mainly due to the increased value of investments.

Assets under management of more than 230 000 clients of the groups companies exceeded EUR 1 billion at the end of 2019 and increased by 54% during the year.

Asset management business

The year 2019 was good for the Invalda INVL group. We continued focused work and global markets were also favourable. That allowed us to earn EUR 140 million for the people who entrusted us to manage their assets. All the products the group manages generated a positive return, and some were the best in their categories, Invalda INVL President Darius Sulnis said.

Last year, he said, large forest and real estate sale transactions took place, thereby realizing part of the value created, earning a significant profit for investors and accumulating cash that they will be able to use in the current market environment. The INVL Baltic Forests Fund I had an average annual return of 27% for the last few years (EUR 20 million was paid out to investors in 2019), and that of INVL Baltic Real Estate was nearly 19% (EUR 20.4 euros of dividends to investors were approved in 2020).

Story continues

Teams professionalism and Invalda INVLs long-term work led to the fastest in the market growth of the number of clients during the pension fund reform and a successful start of the INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, the largest private equity investment fund in the Baltic region, Darius Sulnis said.

Invalda INVLs revenue from the asset management business in 2019 totalled EUR 11.3 million. Despite extensive investments in growth of the asset management business and their negative effect on current operating results, in 2019 the company earned EUR 2.3 million from the asset management business.

This year the main management priority is adapting to the new reality sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. First of all, we aim to preserve maximum value of the investments entrusted to us and, seizing opportunities, undertake new ones, Darius Sulnis said. He also noted, that the INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund intends to make significant investments this year. Moreover, capitalising on the teams experience and historical success and considering market opportunities and needs, the start of a second fund to invest in forest and agricultural land is planned.

Investments

At the end of 2019, investments in products that the Invalda INVL group manages amounted to more than EUR 32 million, while the legacy investments totalled more than EUR 41 million.

The value of Invalda INVLs investment portfolio grew during 2019, with gains of EUR 17.8 million for the company. That result was influenced most by growth in the value of investments in Siauliu Bankas, Litagra, Moldova-Agroindbank and INVL Baltic Real Estate, Darius Sulnis said.

We have a stated policy of investing together with our clients, thus seeking maximum alignment of the interests of investors and the general partner. We continuously increase such investments  with the final closing of the INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, the decision was made to invest a total of EUR 20.1 million in that fund, continuing Invalda INVLs long years of activity in the area of private equity investments, Sulnis said.

In his view, looking at last year and this year, the cyclicality of the economy is obvious, where times of growth are followed by more difficult periods, being replaced by growth again. We have entered a period of uncertainties and challenges during which a decrease in the value of some investments, with related losses, is highly likely. For our part, we are prepared for such changes: we have a strong team of professionals and a sustainable business model, we do not have financial debt, and we have sufficient financial reserves. Moreover, the downturn is a good time to enhance and develop Invalda INVLs asset management business, investing and seizing opportunities that arise in the markets, so that, once it is over, we are even better and stronger, Invalda INVLs president said.

The companys published audited results will be approved at an annual general meeting of shareholders on 30 April this year. According to Darius Sulnis, the companys activity and available financial resources permit paying out dividends of EUR 0.8 per share, for a total of EUR 9.3 million, to Invalda INVLs more than 3 000 shareholders. In the current complex environment, we want to give our shareholders a choice of whether to invest this money or use it for other needs and purposes, the head of the company said.

Also during the meeting, a procedure is being proposed for realizing options granted to employees of the group in 2017. Additionally, approval of the signing of options contracts with employees of Invalda INVL group companies this year will be proposed. And as in previous years, a proposal is made to permit the company to buy back its own shares.

Invalda INVL, operating since 1991, is one of the leading asset management groups in the Baltic countries. The companies that the group owns in Lithuania and Latvia manage more than 20 mutual and pension funds (2nd and 3rd pillar), alternative investments, individual portfolios, private equity, and private debt financial instruments. At the end of 2019, the groups companies had more than EUR 1 billion of assets under management, entrusted to them by over 200 000 clients in Lithuania and Latvia as well as international investors. The shares of Invalda INVL have traded on the Nasdaq Baltic securities exchange since 1995.





Person authorised to provide additional information:

Darius Sulnis

President of Invalda INVL

E-mail darius.sulnis@invl.com

Attachments
The 'Jagananna Vidya Deevena' scheme will provide 100 percent fee reimbursement to over 12 lakh students across Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced a fee reimbursement scheme for college students in the state.

The 'Jagananna Vidya Deevena' scheme will provide 100 percent fee reimbursement to over 12 lakh students across the state, reported NDTV.

Jagan Reddy said no previous government has reimbursed fee arrears at such a huge scale. Apart from releasing Rs 4,000 crore fund for fee reimbursement, the state government has cleared Rs 1,880 crore pending dues of the previous government.

The Andhra Pradesh government also launched two more schemes at the event. The 'Jaganna Amma Vodi' aims to give Rs 15,000 per year to poor and needy mothers to educate children studying in classes 1-12.

The other scheme, 'Jagananna Vasati Deevana' will see the government giving Rs 20,000 per year in two installments to 12 lakh mothers of students pursuing higher education.

A Times of India report quoted the chief minister as saying that education is the only asset they can offer to future generations. He said that no child should be left without education in the state, noting that an educated child can transform the economy of the entire family.

Jagan Reddy said education and health are at the top of his governments agenda and no family will be allowed to fall into a debt trap.
Mattel unveiled a special edition of action figures called #ThankYouHeroes, a new collection honoring front-line heroes.

"The Fisher-Price launch is the first of several from Mattel brands designed to support today's heroes, with others launching in the coming weeks as part of the Company's new 'Play it Forward' platform, " said a press release.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: United Ways Greater Houston raises $11.6 million, announces second $1 million matching-grant

The collection includes 16 action figures featuring doctors, nurses, EMT's and delivery drivers.

#ThankYouHeroes is designed to immortalize and honor healthcare and everyday heroes, and to drive additional donations to support first responders, said Chuck Scothon, Senior Vice President of Fisher-Price and Global Head of Infant and Preschool for Mattel.

All net proceeds from the line will go to #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative created to support first responder healthcare workers.

STIMULUS CHECKS: More $1,200 stimulus checks are on the way. Here are key dates for the next set of payments.

In addition to the launch of #ThankYouHeroes, Mattel is also contributing by making face shields and cloth face masks for medical professionals, the company said.

#ThankYouHeroes will be available for pre-order starting today through May 31 at http://MattelPlayroom.com/ThankYouHeroes.

STAY INFORMED: Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Your shopping trips at Costco on Chad Drive will soon look a little different.

The company announced they will be requiring all employees, members and guests to wear face coverings in their warehouse.

People not wearing a form of face covering will not be allowed inside the store.

The change takes effect May 4.
London: The United Kingdom's official coronavirus death toll is about to overtake Italy's, with the pandemic also on course to claim more civilian lives in Britain than the Blitz.

The total number of deaths in the UK hit 26,097 on Wednesday after some - but not all - victims in care homes and the community were added to hospital fatalities for the first time.

The change in reporting methods has allowed a direct comparison to Italy - the original European epicentre of the deadly virus - because Downing Street said care home deaths were also included in Italy's nationwide death toll.

Britain's 26,097 tally sits just below Italy's 27,682. However the UK toll will eclipse that figure within days because fatalities in Italy are declining at a much greater daily rate than in Britain, which is roughly two weeks behind Italy in the course of the pandemic.
The ex-boyfriend of a mother-of-four murdered 16 years ago says her killer husband must show remorse if he is to be considered for parole.

Greg Worrall was in a relationship with Linda Razzell when she disappeared on the way to work in Swindon, Wiltshire, in 2002.

Her estranged husband Glyn Razzell who was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in prison for her murder - but never revealed where her body is buried.

Now Mr Razzell, 60, will find out on May 12 at a parole hearing whether he will be eligible for release on licence.

The ex-boyfriend of murdered mother Linda Razzell (left) has called for her killer, estranged husband Glyn Razzell (right), to show remorse if he is to be considered for parole

But Mr Worrall hit out at Razzell's bid for freedom and said: 'He's never shown any remorse, which is a criteria for parole.

'If he wants to show remorse he's got to stop saying he didn't do it, turn up a body and allow her children a funeral. Jail has got to be a deterrent.'

Mr Worrall, who was in his 40s when Linda, from Highworth in Wiltshire, disappeared, added that they had planned to marry as soon as the divorce terms were settled.

'She was lovely. We both had bad relationships before and we agreed there was no love without respect.

'We'd written out our vows. It would be 'love, honour and respect'. There's no honour without respect and (Mr) Razzell never respected women.'

Razzell was found guilty of the murder of his wife by a jury in 2003 following a lengthy trial.

The pair had been going through an acrimonious divorce prior to her death at the age of 41 and, once proceedings were finalised, she was engaged to marry Mr Worrall, now 61.

An aerial view of Pentylands Close in Swindon, Wiltshire, the former home of Linda Razzell

The Parole Board will tell Razzell by May 22 whether he will be granted parole.

A spokesman said: 'The panel will carefully look at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original case, and any evidence of behaviour change.

'We do that with great care and public safety is our number one priority.'

MPs are currently debating a Bill, known as Helen's Law, that would make it a statutory requirement for the Parole Board to take into account whether murderers applying to be released on licence have revealed where there victims' remains were left.

While the draft law has made it passed the House of Commons, it is not clear if it will be signed into law before Razzell's case is heard.

Police diver removes a plastic bag containing items from the lake at Queen's Park, Swindon, March 22 2002 during the search for Linda Razzell

The murder of Linda 18 years ago stunned the community and the country.

Local mayor Councillor Julia Bishop said: 'People were really shocked. Linda was very well-known and she had four lovely children. There was an air of complete shock.'

Linda was last seen parking her car in Old Walcot, an area of Swindon, on the morning of March 19, 2002, having dropped off her children at school in Highworth and her then boyfriend at work.

Last year, police and a team of forensic archaeologists spent several days digging in Pentylands Country Park. The search proved fruitless.

The scene in Wiltshire near Linda Razzell's former home where police were searching a field last year

The scene in Wiltshire near the house of Linda Razzell where police were last year digging for a body is circled at the bottom. The search took place less than half-a-mile from Mrs Razzell's former home, Pentylands Close, which is circled at the top

Despite the digging in Pentylands Country Park, the search proved fruitless

At the time of the disappearance, a search of Razzell's borrowed car showed a significant quantity of blood in the boot, which matched his estranged wife's.

Over an 18-month investigation, detectives spoke to 2,600 people, followed up more than 2,200 lines of enquiry and took 1,540 statements.

Linda Razzell murder timeline The last time Linda was seen by her children and boyfriend was March 19, 2002. On the morning she disappeared, Ms Razzell, 41, left her home in Highworth, near Swindon, as normal with her four children and her boyfriend. The mother-of-four dropped the children at school and her partner at work before parking her car in Alvescot Road and walking towards Swindon College, where she worked as a learning support assistant. She failed to pick up her two youngest children from an after-school club In April 2002, police release CCTV images and an emotional witness appeal is made by Mr Razzell and her boyfriend, Gregory Worrall. On May 17, 2002 Mr Razzell was charged with his wife's murder. He was convicted of her murder in 2003 and jailed for life. Her body has never been found. Razzell was convicted of his wife's murder in November 2003, following a month-long trial at Bristol Crown Court. Advertisement

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Granger, who led the team from Wiltshire Police that brought Razzell to justice, said after the trial: 'I don't think Razzell will tell us where the body is and if he does, it will not be for a long time.

'He is an evil, cold, calculated and intelligent man, but he made mistakes and that is how he ended up getting caught.'

A jury at Bristol crown court took six hours to find Razzell guilty of murdering his wife in November 2003.

The former investment manager at Zurich showed no emotion as the foreman delivered the guilty verdict - during the trial, the court heard the couple had been through an acrimonious divorce.

At around the time Linda went missing, Swindon County Court had indicated she would receive the marital home in Pentylands Close, Highworth, and a 30,000 lump sum.

In February 2002, Razzell had been acquitted by a Swindon Crown Court jury of a charge of wounding.

He denied repeatedly hitting his wife's head against a window at the home they shared. A month later, Linda was missing.

In the days after her disappearance, police searched a red Renault Laguna, which Razzell had borrowed as he loaned a friend his Ford Galaxy for a day trip to France, and forensics officers found blood stains in the boot and in a footwell in the car.

Jurors were told Razzell had made throwaway comments to a friend about disposing of a body in quicksand near Cotswold Water Park and had discussed the financial benefits of killing his wife.

By this point, he had started a new relationship with Rachel Smith, also from Wiltshire.

Put in the witness stand, he claimed he did not know who had killed his wife and said he had only discussed with friends murdering his wife in jest.

Cross-examining Razzell, prosecutor Michael Parroy QC: 'I suggest you killed your wife for the two oldest reasons there are - money and a younger woman who you were in love with. That's right isn't it?'

The man in the witness stand replied: 'No, that is not right.'

During the trial it was claimed Linda Razzell had been seen since her disappearance.

However, her bank account has not been accessed since and sentencing Razzell to life imprisonment, Justice Pitchers said: 'You have deprived four young children, whom you should have loved and protected, of their mother. This is as dreadful a loss as can be imagined.'

He has repeatedly appealed his conviction.

In 2018, he appeared on BBC miscarriage of justice programme Convicted in an effort to prove his innocence, but refused to take a lie detector test when asked to by the programme makers.
Police on Wednesday



seized the head of an infant which was being carried by a stray dog in its jaws here in Maharashtra, an officer said.

An investigation is on to locate the body of the infant, he said.

The dog was spotted holding the head in its jaws in Raja Bazaar area of the city by a resident who in turn informed the police, the officer said.

"It seems that the head got detached from the body about two days back. We are investigating whether it was severed by somebody or whether dogs bit it off. It was sent for postmortem and we are trying to locate the body," said police inspector Sambhaji Pawar.

A case has been registered under sections 315 (Act done with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth) and 318 (Concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If the news that Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have welcomed a baby boy into the world this morning took a nation in lockdown by surprise, it wasn't long before social media clicked into gear and conjured up a thousand memes on the happy news.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds, 32, today gave birth to a 'healthy' baby boy at an NHS hospital in London - weeks earlier than anticipated.

The news, announced just before 10am this morning, quickly sent the hashtag #borisbaby soaring to the top of Twitter's trending column.

While many posted memes showing the PM, 55, and his girlfriend whooping with delight, and saying the news gave the nation a much-needed moment of joy, others couldn't resist referencing Mr Johnson's expanding brood - with a mischievous Wikipedia editor changing the reference to how many children the PM has to an uncertain '6 or 7'.

Scroll down for video

Elsewhere, there were plenty of snaps of blonde-haired babies doing the rounds, as social media comedians suggested that Boris junior may have been born with a mop of unruly hair like his father's.

Others showed dancing toddlers jigging with joy, suggesting that's how Mr Johnson might feel at the prospect of two weeks of paternity leave, after just two days back at Number 10 following his battle with Covid-19.

There was the gif of a cat furiously typing away, with its poster suggesting that it might be how 'Eton's administrative staff' might look while adding the PM's offspring to the private school's waiting list.

Another kept in mind the couple's 'fur baby', saying Dilyn would have a 'beautiful friendship' with the new baby.

Mr Johnson is said to have been by his 32-year-old fiancee's side throughout the labour before their son entered the world in the early hours of this morning.

The safe arrival of their child, Carrie's first and Boris' sixth, has come as a shock because Miss Symonds was expected to give birth later in the summer, although a due date was never confirmed by the couple.

They announced the pregnancy on February 29, days after the PM's divorce from Marina Wheeler was confirmed, and got engaged while holidaying on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique over the new year.

How many children does the PM have? Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, have four children together: Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20. He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Ms Macintyre's daughter is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair. The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009 - but also mentioned the possibility of a second baby. It is not known if the Prime Minister has any more children - but his baby boy with Carrie Symonds is officially his sixth. Advertisement

Announcing the birth of their son, who has not been named yet, his spokesperson said: 'The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning.

Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

No 10 have not revealed the hospital they went to - although St Thomas', where Mr Johnson was in intensive care this month, is the closest to Downing Street. It was previously reported that Carrie had wanted a home birth but these have largely suspended by the NHS because of coronavirus.

Mr Johnson said in early March that he is likely to take his two-week paternity leave when their child is born - but it is not known if he will take a fortnight off now at a time of national emergency.

There are also concerns that key decisions over the coronavirus lockdown and how to ease Britain out of it will be delayed because of the Prime Minister's new baby.
Rural America is bracing to become the next coronavirus epicenter after a number of outbreaks in factories and food processing plants.

Experts say the numbers show communities with factories and farm work have seen a spike in cases - and that's down to 'lots of people working in very close contact in these essential jobs'.

Angela Hewlett, associate professor in infectious disease at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said: 'The epicenter of this outbreak really has shifted into the smaller rural areas.'

Areas that show a rise in cases include Sioux Falls in South Dakota where a shuttered Smithfield meat processing plant has been responsible for a large proportion of the cases in the state.

Current data shows there are 1,939 cases in Minnehaha County - where Sioux Falls is located. The death toll stands at six.

South Dakota has a total 2,313 cases and 11 deaths as a whole.

In Salinas, California, many cases are connected to local lettuce farms, Vox reports. In Monterey County, where Salinas is located, data shows there are 191 confirmed cases with five deaths.

And Washington, DC has less cases per capita within its hospital region that Greeley, Colorado, where there is a large JBS meatpacking plant, the report adds.

The Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D. Current data shows there are 1,939 cases in Minnehaha County; the death toll stands at six

Current data shows there are 1,939 cases in Minnehaha County - where Sioux Falls is located. The death toll stands at six. South Dakota has a total 2,313 cases and 11 deaths as a whole

In Salinas, California, many cases are connected to local lettuce farms. In Monterey County, where Salinas is located, data shows there are 191 confirmed cases there with five deaths

Greeley, Colorado, where there is a large JBS meatpacking plant, has seen a spike in cases

Experts say the numbers show communities with factories and farm work have seen a spike in cases - and that's down to 'lots of people working in very close contact in these essential jobs'

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, said Tuesday that 20 food-processing and meatpacking union workers in the U.S. have died of the virus.

An estimated 6,500 are sick or have been exposed while working near someone who tested positive, the union says.

Despite that President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply.

The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves.

Unions fired back at Trump's order Tuesday, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers' health.

UFCW International President Marc Perrone said that more must be done to protect the safety of workers.

'Simply put, we cannot have a secure food supply without the safety of these workers,' he said in a statement.

He urged the administration 'to immediately enact clear and enforceable safety standards' and compel companies to provide protective equipment, make daily testing available to workers, and enforce physical distancing.

Migrant workers clean fields amid an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Salinas Valley near Salinas, California

Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, which represents 3,000 workers at the JBS meat processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, said Trump's order 'will only ensure that more workers get sick, jeopardizing lives, family's income, communities, and of course, the country's food supply chain.'

The United States has the largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world with more than one million people infected and a death toll of 60,481.

So far, cities have seen the most infections, although infectious-disease specialists warn that rural communities could eventually prove to be the most vulnerable to the pandemic, in part due to difficulties in accessing healthcare.

Associate professor Hewlett said of farms and factories: 'These are not places where typically people can work from home.

'There are often lots of people working in very close contact in these essential jobs  which really is a setup for perpetuating a disease like this.

'When you have a large outbreak associated with an industry like the meatpacking industry then you can have a sustained community transmission.'

Mohamed Goni, an organizer with Greater Minnesota Worker Center, said food plant workers 'have other family members living with them  elderly, children, people with underlying conditions'.

He added: 'So if one of them brings that to their homes, its going to be more worse and a more serious problem.'

Meat processing plants across the United States have been forced to shutter amid coronavirus outbreaks. The chairman of Tyson Foods warned that 'the food supply chain' is breaking

Grocery stores could see meat shortages by the end of this week after least 13 plant staff died from COVID-19 and 5,000 called out sick. An empty chicken and poultry food shelf is pictured on March 13, 2020 at Whole Foods Merket in Vauxhall, NJ.

Heather E. Riden, manager of the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety at the University of California, Davis, told Inside Climate News: 'My fear is that once Covid-19 enters the farmworker population, it will be very difficult to prevent the spread, regardless of what is happening in the workplace.'

'They'll be later to get the infection, they'll be later to have their epidemics,' said Christine K. Johnson, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Davis in March.

Parts of the U.S. are starting to lift closures, and some of the quickest to do so have been rural states like Montana, Vermont and Alaska.

The effects of the pandemic in small towns can seem a world away from cities grappling with overwhelmed hospitals, packed morgues and economies pushed to the brink.

The world's biggest meat companies - including Smithfield Foods Inc, Cargill Inc, JBS USA and Tyson Foods Inc - have been forced to halt operations at about 20 slaughterhouses and processing plants in North America since April as workers fall ill, stoking global fears of a meat shortage.

The chairman of Tyson Foods warned Sunday that 'the food supply chain' is breaking.

And with staff shortages and nowhere to ship the animals, farmers are now facing slaughtering their stock. Around 700,000 pigs cannot now not be processed each week and 'must be humanely euthanized', officials in Iowa say.

Livestock analyst Dennis Smith, with Archer Financial Services, told NBC: 'My guess is that about one week out, perhaps around May 1, shortages will begin developing at retail meat counters.'

Dr. Marc Mentel, president of the Montana Medical Association, said: 'No matter where you are, this is a dangerous virus. The risk is low, but if something takes off in rural America, it could be devastating.'

'This is crazy to me': Meat plant workers say they won't go back after Trump signs executive order to keep facilities operating to prevent food shortage despite unsafe conditions

Meat processing workers say that they won't return to work despite President Donald Trump's demand that plants stay open amid fears over the nations food supply.

On Tuesday Trump used the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing plants as critical infrastructure in a bid to prevent the shortage of chicken, pork and other meat as plants across the country have closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks among employees.

However, many employees claim the order puts their lives at stake due to unsafe conditions, a lack of protective equipment and outbreaks that led the nation's three largest facilities shut down.

JBS USA in Greeley, Colo. Health officials are investigating working conditions at the beef plant in northern Colorado where dozens of employees have tested positive for COVID-19

The Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota, one of the countrys largest known Coronavirus clusters. Meat processing workers say that they won't return to work despite Trump's demand that plants stay open amid fears over the nations food supply

'All I know is, this is crazy to me, because I cant see all these people going back into work,' Donald who works at Tysons Waterloo, Iowa facility said to CNN. 'I dont think people are going to go back in there.'

'Im still trying to figure out: What is he going to do, force them to stay open? Force people to go to work?' David said.

Another worker at the Waterloo, Iowa facility said they supported Trump's measure, but wanted a better understanding of Trump's promised liability protections.

'All in all, it can be a good thing if done right. But my faith in this administration has never been strong and is nonexistent currently. I wanna know what these added "liability protections" are going to be,' the person said.

An employee at Tyson's Independence, Iowa plane said, 'I just don't know how they're going to do it when there are people dying and getting really sick. Who's to say people are even gonna show up to work?'
A County Derry doctor has urged the public to continue playing their part to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 pandemic and has described the battle as humbling.

Adele Heaney has been working in the Covid-19 centre at the Mater Hospital in Belfast after being redeployed from the Royal Victoria Hospital to combat the outbreak.

The Dungiven native recently featured in a BBC documentary called First Time Doctors that revealed the realities of life as a recent graduate on a busy hospital ward.

The purpose of the show was to get an insight to what its like being a doctor for the first time and the trials and tribulations of life inside and outside of work, she told the County Derry Post.

So many people just see the doctor and that side of things, so the show was quite nice as it showed a bit of life outside work.

Everyone has had that experience of being the newbie in the job and having to learn how to do things in a fast-moving environment.

It was daunting having cameras following you around but the thing that we wanted to show was what it is like for us as doctors.

Coming the end of her second year as a doctor, Adele has found herself thrust onto the frontline of the worst pandemic since the 1918 Spanish Flu which killed an estimated 50 million people.

Adele has pleaded with the public not to become complacent and praised the vocal support that has come from the #ClapForCarers campaign on Thursday nights.

The first week they did that I was very emotional, to be honest, said Adele.

When youre in the hospital and youre doing a difficult job, having tough conversations and seeing people pass away, its nice to see people appreciate the sacrifices you are making.

The public have been trying to do their best to go by what the guidelines have been telling us  social distancing and staying indoors. We have to keep going with what weve been told.

Everybody in the community has their part to play. Your part might just be staying in the house but that is so, so important to flatten the curve and for us to beat this together.

Weve seen the news reports from Wuhan and Italy, and weve seen how devastating the disease can be, so its important that we protect ourselves to protect other people.

While tackling the pandemic represents a steep learning curve Adele points out that all healthcare staff are coming from a similar position.

She said: Lots of my senior colleagues who have been in the profession for over 30 years have never experienced anything like this.

I dont think there is anything in training that really can prepare you. Weve had to adapt quite quickly to a new style of working.

Coming into work and wearing a mask all the time has been difficult, but we have some amazing senior colleagues who weve been able to learn from.

Its been difficult whenever weve had to make phone calls to families about their relatives who are really unwell, youre not able to have those face-to-face reactions like you normally would.

Learning on the job has been hard, but its very humbling to be part of that and to be there for their family members when they arent able to be.

Born and bred at the foot of Benbradagh, Adele has already set her sights on a speedy return when the coronavirus threat finally eases.

To be honest, the thing Im looking forward to the most is being able to come back home to Dungiven and be able to see my family and my boyfriend again, she said.

It is very difficult when youre doing this when you are so far from home. We have this persona of doctor but when we come home from work, we like the same things as everyone else.

People have made sacrifices of moving out of their family homes and not seeing their children or husbands or wives, so people are looking forward to being reunited with their families.

That contact with people is probably the thing Im looking forward to most, as Im sure most people are.
With a shortage of hand sanitizer during the ongoing new coronavirus crisis, several area pharmacies are stepping up to help get the needed product to first responders, law enforcement, medical personnel and charities.

In March, the Federal Drug Administration gave the green light to compounding pharmacies to create hand sanitizer and developed a policy for pharmacists to compound alcohol-based hand sanitizer products for the duration of the public health emergency declared by the secretary of Health and Human Services Jan. 31.

Compounding pharmacies can prepare a drug to meet the unique needs of an individual patient, either human or animal, when a commercially available drug does not meet those needs, according to the American Pharmacists Association. A patient may not be able to tolerate the commercially available drug, the exact preparation needed may not be commercially available, or a patient may require a drug that is currently in shortage or discontinued.

Pharmacist Van Tran with Roberds Pharmacy in Conroe, located at 503 Medical Center Blvd., said she is compounding the product and donating it to first responders and healthcare personnel. The pharmacy is also compounding the product for purchase by customers.

During this pandemic, we are just trying to help our community where we can, she said.

Tran, who has been compounding medications for 10 years, said this is a unique opportunity since outside of a health care crisis, compounding pharmacies are prohibited from creating product that is commercially available, like the hand sanitizer. To do it, she explained, a prescription would be required.

The FDA doesnt want compounding pharmacies to become manufacturers, she said. But right now, we can make it, sell it, donate it, whatever we need to do.

Roberds Pharmacy has been compounding medications since 1980 and employees four licensed pharmacists.

Down along Texas 105, Richies Specialty Pharmacy is also help get hand sanitizing to those on the front lines but he found a way to help a business during the slowing economy.

Richie Ray, owner of Richies located at 12820 Texas 105, said he is partnering with Whitmeyers Distilling Company in Houston to purchase 2,000 one-gallon containers of the company antiseptic hand rub. Veteran owned, Whitmeyers was established in 2012 and like several other distilleries has modified its operations to make the hand sanitizer.

In a letter sent to medical personnel, Ray encouraged anyone who knew of any law enforcement agencies or charities that needed the hand sanitizer to email. Ray added he is making the product available for pick up.

We took a little different approach than some, Ray said of his decision to work with Whitmeyers instead of creating hand sanitizer in his facility. It gives them a little bit of help and allows us to buy it and give it away.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
A young Chinese-Australian family has been racially targetted for the third time in just one week over the coronavirus.

The residents in Knoxfield in Melbourne's east woke on Wednesday to find the words 'leave and die' spray-painted across their garage.

The homeowners were targeted last Monday to find the words 'COVID-19 die' spray-painted across their garage.

The following morning on Tuesday they had a rock hurled through their window.

The family had 'Covid-19 China Die' plastered on their garage last week in the first string of attacks toward them

The following morning on Tuesday they had a rock hurled through their window (pictured)

A family member who asked to be referred as Jackson is hoping that the vandals will stop attacking him and his family.

'We really hope these people can stop from here and nothing will happen in the future,' he told 7NEWS.

Police believe the same group of people are behind the racist attacks on the innocent family.

'Everyone should be safe in their own home and unfortunately for our victim, this has occurred on three separate occasions,' Detective Sargeant Daniel Taylor said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews branded the attack as 'evil' and as 'awful behaviour'.

'There's no place in our Victorian community for that sort of conduct,' he said.

'At a time when we should be coming together and supporting each other, it needs to be called out for what it is. It's just appalling, absolutely appalling.'

Jackson said the family planned to install security cameras in hopes of finding the perpetrators.

'I'm just scared. I'm busy buying CCTV systems, repairing glass and buying lamps,' Jackson told the ABC after the initial attack.

'I'm afraid these people will come back.'

Daniel Palmer, a designer and developer, shared the images of the graffiti that read 'death to dog eaters' on his street in Epping, 18km north-west of Sydney's CBD, on Monday

The incident is the latest in a string of racist attacks on people of Chinese heritage over the spread of the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, in Epping in Sydney's north-west a street with a large Asian population was covered in graffiti that read 'death to dog eaters'.

Daniel Palmer who lives in the street shared the pictures online.

'Week 2 of isolation: This s*** on my road in front of an Asian household in f***ing Epping,' he captioned the images.

'S*** like this lurks beneath the surface in society, and you usually only notice it if you're ethnic when it creeps out in small bite-sized chunks.'

In Kyabram, north of Melbourne, Chinese and Nazi swastika flags were seen flown from a communications tower as part of an alleged racial attack.

The words #COVID-19 had been written on one of the Chinese flags.

The words #COVID-19 had been written on one of the Chinese flags

Video footage showed a woman scream at a Telstra floor manager inside the store at Miranda, in Sydney's south, about 11am on Thursday

On April 10, an irate woman screamed racist abuse at Telstra workers and told them to 'go back to China' after they asked her questions to ensure coronavirus safety.

Video footage showed Angela Weedon, 38, scream at the floor manager inside the store at Miranda, in Sydney's south, at about 11am on Thursday.

Customers who enter Telstra stores are required to apply hand sanister and answer a series of questions, including whether they have recently been overseas or have flu-like symptoms.

The woman - who declared herself 'Queen of Australia' - told the worker he would 'be deported' during her bizarre rant.

Weedon (pictured) was charged after footage emerged online showing her allegedly taunting an elderly woman on a Sydney train

Weedon was once again intercepted outside a Sydney police station hurling abuse at an Indian photographer.

'That's alright, you maggot, you're going to be sued too,' she said.

'Good luck having no money you piece of s**t. Because you're an illegal aren't you, little Mr India... F**k, off dog.'

Weedon was charged after footage emerged showing her allegedly taunting an elderly woman on a Sydney train.

In the footage she can be heard telling the woman 'you are not welcome here illegal, you and your biocontamination'.

She also asked the woman if she can speak English' before calling her an 'illegal'.

'Youre not welcome here, understand?'

Sophie (pictured, left, with sister Rosa) said no one should be able to get away with racial attacks, which have ramped up in recent months due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The argument broke out in the streets of Marrickville, in Sydney's inner west with a woman in grey (pictured) racially abusing two sisters

On another occasion in Sydney's Inner West, a teenage girl was charged after she allegedly spat at and racially abused two women.

Shocking footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia in March showed two women in Marrickville copping a torrent of racist abuse before one of them was spat at.

Sophie Do, 23, and her sister Rosa, 19, were allegedly called 'Asian dogs' and a 'dumb wh***' as they crossed the street and were told they 'brought corona here'.

One man was captured in footage cracking a whip outside the Chinese Embassy in Sydney and hurling racist remarks at people lining up outside.

The racial tirade went on for several minutes with the man claiming the Chinese 'deliberately released coronavirus'.

'We know it's deliberate. Five million people left your country and spread that filthy f***king disease worldwide,' he said.

'You're all wearing your masks and you know why you're wearing your masks? You knew about it!

'I'm onto you. I know you deliberately released this virus.

'Wake up Australia! Be wise to these pr**ks.'
Vani Tripathi Tikoo, former BJP national secretary, knew Irrfan Khan from his days at the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi and looked up to him as a senior theatre person. As the news of his demise broke, the actress-politician was flooded with memories of watching Irrfan deliver brilliant stage performances at NSD, as well as the time she spent on the sets of TV series they acted in together.

Excerpts from her tribute to Irrfan:

"It's an absolutely devastating piece of news. We theatre people and those who are connected to the National School of Drama were closely watching his recovery. After Angrezi Medium released last month we were hoping that Irrfan would bounce back.

I am totally inundated with memories, which go back to the late '90s. I remember the first time I had gone to Mumbai to perform in a German play at the Prithvi theatre. Irrfan came to watch the play with some more batchmates and they waited for me to finish backstage and come out. I was so taken aback because even at the NSD we were completely mesmerized by the persona of Irrfan. Not just as a senior theatre person, we looked up to him as an actor who taught us so much.

I have also had the privilege of working with him in a TV series when I moved to Mumbai. There's so much he taught me. Between speaking dialogues and having normal conversations with me, it was all so natural. Whether the camera was on or off, Irrfan was Irrfan. And I think that defines the great talent of Irrfan Khan, that you could not disassociate the natural quality. Whatever role he did, he became those people.

The Mumbai film industry did not know what it meant to deliver dialogues without shouting. In theatre everything is so larger than life, you tend to project your voice. But even when he was a student at NSD, you never saw Irrfan scream or shout on stage. If somebody really knew the minutest nuance of speaking a dialogue, it was Irrfan.

We went on to do a lot of television work later and on one of the shoots I had asked him why he wasn't doing films. His first reply was, 'I'm not exactly 20 years old Vani. I had shifted to Mumbai at a time when most people say that they are past their 'hero' age.' The second thing he said was, 'Who's going to run my kitchen, whos going to feed my family?'

When we look back today, he broke every possible rule in the rulebook. When Lunchbox came, it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He broke the mainstream commercial idiom of what it meant to be the lead actor. What it means to be the protagonist in a film, not just a hero or an anti-hero, he brought that to commercial cinema.

Some years ago he starred in a film called Qarib Qarib Singlle. At 50+, you saw him star in a film which was like romantic comedy, and it wasn't one of those film where you saw an ageing man dating an 17-year-old. It was so heartwarming and funny.

His journey also belongs to the people who have learned from him, and I am one of those persons. I had not seen him in a while, ever since he went to London, but I always used to ask people who were in touch with him. Each project of his was like a leap forward, almost like a masterclass of great acting. The coming generations will also learn the craft of acting by seeing Irrfan on screen."
The latest coronavirus numbers

Nebraska cases: 3,374

Nebraska deaths: 56

Iowa cases: 6,376

Iowa deaths: 136

U.S. cases: 981,246

U.S. deaths: 55,258

What would we do without people who save animals?

A loose collection of highly committed volunteers across the U.S. continues to make sure that animals at risk of being euthanized are shipped to locations with homes for fostering or adoption. The latest batch was flown into the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area from Tennessee.

What's the significance of President Trump's order keeping meatpacking plants open?
The newest figures from the UK's hospitals have been reported today. (PA)

The total number of deaths related to coronavirus in UK hospitals has risen to 21,678  an increase of 586.

There are also now 161,145 confirmed cases, health secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday afternoon, a rise of 3,996.

A total of 19,295 people have died from coronavirus in English hospitals  a rise of 546 on Mondays figures, according to data released earlier from NHS England.

Most of those deaths took place between 25 and 27 April, with 141 happening between 1 and 24 April and 20 occurring in March.

Across the rest of the UK, Scotland recorded 70, taking its total to 1,332, while Wales has recorded another 17 for a total of 813. Northern Ireland had not yet posted its latest figures.

The combined total from all four nations is different to the UK-wide figure released by the Department of Health due to differences in accounting.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading

Global cases have already passed three million and there have been more than 212,000 deaths worldwide, with more than 906,000 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Also on Tuesday, people across the UK held a minutes silence at 11am in memory of NHS staff who have died after becoming infected with coronavirus.

Meanwhile, health secretary Matt Hancock was challenged by the son of Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, who warned the government about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and later died of COVID-19.

Intisar Chowdhury asked Hancock on LBC if the government regretted not taking his concerns seriously enough.

Intisar, Im really sorry about your dads death and I have seen the comments youve made and what youve said in public and I think its very brave of you to be speaking out in public.

We took very, very seriously what your father said and weve been working around the clock to ensure that theres enough protective equipment and in the case of anybody who works in the NHS or in social care and has died from coronavirus we look into it in each case to find out the reasons where they might have caught it and what lessons we can learn.

Story continues

Inistar said he did not expect the government response to the virus to be perfect but expected progression and for mistakes to be admitted.

I think that it is very important that were constantly learning about how to do these things better and I think listening to the voices on the front line is a very, very important part of how we improve, Hancock said.

Ahead of the one-minutes silence, Labour leader Keir Starmer said too many people on the frontline of the outbreak had died.

In a video message, he said the nation owed them a huge debt.

And as we reflect today at 11 oclock, a minutes silence on behalf of everybody whos lost their lives, we think particularly of all the grieving families that have lost a loved one, he said.

Nobody should put their lives at risk because they havent got the right protective equipment. We owe it to them to make sure that weve got the right equipment, in the right place at the right time, and we will continue to press on that.

We cant go out and clap on a Thursday and pretend that, when this is over, we can return to business as usual. Many of those on the front line have been undervalued and underpaid for far, far too long.

The prime minister also tweeted that the country would not forget the NHS workers who died.

This morning I took part in a minutes silence to remember those workers who have tragically died in the coronavirus pandemic. The nation will not forget you. pic.twitter.com/6yV5PCINyM  Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) April 28, 2020

Coronavirus: what happened today
In a bid to step up vigil in coronavirus containment zones of southeast Delhi, police on Wednesday launched an initiative which will



help them check "unwanted movement" of residents.

Named "COVID Kawach", the initiative will also help them spread awareness about the virus among people.

The initiative has been started in the areas of Jaitpur, Kalindi Kunj, Sarita Vihar, Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh and Hazrat Nizamuddin, police said.

With an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, 17 areas in southeast Delhi have been declared containment zones till date and as a precautionary measure, these were sealed, police said.

The initiative, taken by Kumar Gyanesh, Addlitional DCP-I; and Dhal Singh Additional DCP-II of southeast district; will be helpful in spreading awareness and keep a close watch on "unwanted movement" of residents, a senior official said.

"After the declaration of containment zones, we observed that there was a lack of communication between police and the public about COVID-19. Since it is almost impossible for police to keep a watch on people roaming in containment zones without any valid reason, we decided to launch the initiative," said RP Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast).

According to police, under the initiative, eight e-rickshaws have been hired to patrol in the containment zones.

These are fully covered and have a public announcement system attached. The staff attached with the vehicles have been given PPE kits for safety.

This will keep them safe from the infection, police said.

The vehicles will also be used to supply essential goods in the area to the needy and will also help address and overcome issues related to COVID-19, a senior police official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Thursday see preliminary March numbers for industrial production, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Output is expected to fall 5.2 percent on month and 8.0 percent on year after falling 0.3 percent on month and rising 5.7 percent on year in February. Japan also will see March figures for retail sales, consumer confidence and housing starts. In February, retail sales were up 0.2 percent on month and 1.7 percent on year, while housing starts were down 12.3 percent on year and the consumer confidence index had a score of 30.9. China will see April results for its manufacturing and non-manufacturing indexes. In March, the manufacturing index was at 52.0 and the non-manufacturing index was at 52.3. Australia will provide March numbers for private sector credit and Q1 info for import and export prices. In February, credit was up 0.4 percent on month and 2.8 percent on year. In Q4, import prices were up 0.7 percent on quarter and export prices fell 5.2 percent. Thailand will release March figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In February, imports were worth $14.89 billion and exports were at $20.29 billion for a trade surplus of $5.40 billion. Malaysia will see March figures for producer prices; in February, producer prices were down 1.3 percent on month and up 0.9 percent on year. Finally, the markets in South Korea and Hong Kong are closed on Thursday in honor of the birth of Buddha. They both re-open Monday after Friday's Labor Day holiday. 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.
Matt Leas, a spokesman for the C.F.P.B., said the agency has a fair, transparent and thorough process for making rules. The comments received and evidence obtained are all taken into consideration before issuing a final rule, he said. The director is the ultimate decision maker and ensures that the decisions taken are justified publicly, as is required by law.

Efforts to dismantle the payday regulation began with the arrival of Mick Mulvaney, the Trump administration budget chief, who was appointed the C.F.P.B.s acting director in late 2017. Among his priorities was to delay, and eventually undo, the Obama-era payday lending restrictions, which were scheduled to take effect in summer 2019, according to two former senior bureau officials who discussed the issue with him.

But unwinding a federal rule is a long and complicated process. The bureaus research team had already spent nearly five years gathering and analyzing data on payday lending for the original rule. To avoid having its reversal struck down in court  as dozens of Trump administration regulations have been  the bureau would need to demonstrate that new research or other data had called into question the original rule. That task fell to the agencys office of research  a group of economists and other social scientists that included Mr. Lanning.

In 20 states, payday lending is effectively banned, but in the places where it remains legal, it has thrived: There are more payday loan storefronts in America than McDonalds restaurants. Their customers  often working poor people who cannot always secure traditional credit  collectively borrow nearly $29 billion a year and pay nearly $5 billion in fees, according to research by Jefferies, an investment bank.

While short-term loans are intended as an emergency stopgap, many borrowers find themselves unable to repay their debts quickly, and borrow again. Half of all payday loans are part of a sequence that is extended at least nine times, piling up fees that can exceed the value of the original loan, according to research the consumer bureau published to support its original restrictions.
This strategy would lead to public confidence and 50 per cent economic growth

Second option is to wait for elimination of virus and keep measures in until June

'Controlled adaptation' would mean restrictions could be eased in mid-May

The government has been presented with two options for lifting restrictions

Coronavirus measures could be eased as early as next month, or Australians can wait until June for restrictions to be fully lifted to benefit from economic growth, according to new research.

Researchers from eight leading Australian universities prepared Health Minister Greg Hunt with the 'Roadmap to Recovery' report this week, which outlines when life in Australia could return to normal.

The government has been presented with two options; 'controlled adaptation' which would mean restrictions are eased sooner, or wait for elimination of the virus and keep measures in place until June and experience greater economic activity.

'Any choice between these two options entails a delicate trade-off between protecting health, supporting the economy and societal well-being,' the report read.

The research comes as only 12 COVID-19 cases were detected during the past 24 hours, with just one due to unknown community transmission.

The government has been presented with two options; 'controlled adaptation' which would mean restrictions are eased sooner, or wait for elimination of the virus and keep measures in place until June but benefit from economic growth

Researchers from eight leading Australian universities prepared Health Minister Greg Hunt (left) with the 'Roadmap to Recovery' report this week. Pictured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison

National cabinet wants to see 20 or fewer cases a week before Australia starts easing more restrictions, and Scott Morrison has said no national measures will be eased before May 11.

Australia's borders won't reopen for at least three to four months, the federal government said.

The report, which was conducted by more than 100 researchers from universities including UNSW, said both strategies would leave border restrictions in place for the foreseeable future.

Researchers from both sides agreed Australians should not travel overseas unless it's for essential reasons, and anyone entering the country must undergo a 14-day quarantine period.

Restrictions on travel would be in place for at least six months. Travel between Australia and other countries who have the same success in containing the virus could be a possibility.

If the government opts for a 'controlled adaptation' plan of action, widespread easing of restrictions could come into place by mid-May.

'What is hard to predict is how confident the public will feel when restrictions are lifted with new cases ongoing, therefore economic and social life may resume slower, even though the restrictions may be lifted earlier,' the report said.

Researchers from both strategies agreed Australians should not travel overseas unless it's for essential reasons, and anyone entering the country must undergo a 14-day quarantine period

Only 12 COVID-19 cases were detected during the past 24 hours, with just one due to unknown community transmission

However, the report reminded the government that there is always a risk the number of infections could spike, which might lead to more extensive 'surges' and require resumption of some stricter social distancing.

The major long-term advantage of this approach is that it acknowledges the high likelihood of prolonged global circulation of coronavirus.

'It starts off by preparing Australians and the system to adapt to living with the ongoing risk of infections,' the report states.

In the second option - the elimination strategy - waiting until June and wiping out COVID-19 state-by-state would be less risky to public safety and allow for stronger relaxation.

It would also in turn lead to a better economy as public confidence would be boosted.

'To achieve this elimination, Australia would likely have to continue the lockdown in certain jurisdictions beyond mid-May, possibly for another 30 days,' the report said.

Elimination Strategy and Controlled Adaptation Strategy explained Option 1: Elimination Strategy  The Elimination strategy should lead to fewer total infections,hospitalisations and deaths, and better protection of vulnerable populations than any of the alternatives.  Once achieved, elimination would allow for a faster relaxation in social distancing and other restrictions.  To achieve this elimination,Australia would likely have to continue the lockdown in certain jurisdictions beyond mid-May,possibly for another 30 days.  It necessitates waiting for new local cases to fall to zero, and then maintaining this for two incubation periods, i.e. about two weeks.  This strategy will require extensive testing and contact tracing, but modelling shows the extra testing should be achievable within our system with reasonable additional investment.  It is hard to predict exactly when the cases of locally acquired disease might fall to zero, and whether current measures may need to be enhanced to achieve it.Hence the option entails greater uncertainty regarding the timing of relaxation of social distancing measures.  Once achieved, the psychological sense of safety and social well-being that would result from 'elimination' of all local transmission would allow for a fuller and more vigorous recovery of the economy. Option 2: Controlled Adaptation Strategy  The major immediate advantage of this strategy is that the phased lifting of restrictions can begin as early as mid-May.  The major long-term advantage of this approach is that it acknowledges the high likelihood of prolonged global circulation of this infection, and starts off by preparing Australians and the system to adapt to living with the ongoing risk of infections.  The strategy accepts a slightly higher number of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.  This strategy will require extensive testing and contact tracing, but with a special emphasis on a very tight feedback to those managing the public health response so that they can adjust the restrictions, in regions, or in segments of the population, as appropriate.  However, there is always a risk that the number of infections could spike, and some of the spikes could lead to more extensive surgeswhich may require resumption of some stricter social distancing.  What is hard to predict is how confident the public will feel when restrictions are lifted with new cases ongoing, therefore economic and social life may resume slower, even though there restrictions may be lifted earlier. Advertisement

'Once achieved, the psychological sense of safety and social well-being that would result from 'elimination' of all local transmission would allow for a fuller and more vigorous recovery of the economy.'

This strategy would require extensive testing and contact tracing, but research shows the extra testing should be achievable within our system with reasonable additional investment.

'The number of asymptomatic carriers in Australia is not known and may pose a potential risk to this strategy. However, modelling shows that provided the number of asymptomatic cases is modest, the strategy should still be viable,' it read.

This plan of action is predicted to provide a five per cent higher level of economic activity each month from August.

'An elimination strategy might be expected to deliver, over an 18-month period, about 50 per cent more increase in economic output compared to controlled adaptation,' the report said.

Health Minister Greg Hunt told the Group of Eight research team that their projections would 'help inform, guide and where necessary challenge our ongoing work and for that I am deeply thankful'.

Mr Hunt said Australians' extraordinary efforts in adhering to social distancing measures was behind the plummeting infection rate.

The nation's death toll rose to 88 on Tuesday evening with the confirmation of four more deaths at a western Sydney nursing home.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

The latest victims are among 11 residents to die at Newmarch House.

More than 5600 of the 6731 people diagnosed with coronavirus nationally have recovered.

NSW will from Friday allow two adults to visit another house for any reason, regardless of how many people live there.

Queenslanders will be permitted to travel up to 50 kilometres from home for picnics, visiting parks or non-essential shopping from Saturday.

West Australian schools will reopen on Wednesday amid sustained federal pressure on the other states to return children to classrooms.

Victoria and Queensland are refusing to budge while NSW is forging ahead with plans to increase face-to-face learning from May 11.

Major supermarkets are easing purchase limits on items that were subject to panic buying including toilet paper, rice, pasta and hand sanitiser.
Two weeks after other states started sending checks, California on Tuesday began accepting unemployment benefit claims from millions of independent contractors, gig workers and the self-employed, but many said ongoing glitches on the state's overtaxed website prevented them from filing applications.

The reports of technical issues follow weeks of similar complaints from other Californians left jobless by the COVID-19 pandemic. They said they were stymied by error messages and clogged phone lines that kept them from completing applications.

Although some people said they were able to file a claim Tuesday, many others said they were frustrated that the online portal malfunctioned as a flood of people tried to log on, preventing them from signing up for financial help.

Its a complete mess," said Tim Curtis, who is self-employed and provides technical services to recording studios.

He was able to file an application after several attempts but is not sure it will be accepted.

"The website keeps crashing, forcing you to start filling out the entire form all over again, usually all the way from logging in," he said. "There is no phone support available."

Many callers to a new phone line operated by the state Employment Development Department, which processes unemployment insurance applications, were greeted with a recorded message that said the agency was receiving more calls than it could handle and urging people to use its UI Online portal.

For more than a week, callers have heard the message, which also warns that the call will be disconnected.

On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said officials are making it a top priority to resolve problems with the application process at the EDD, and he expects the claims system to stabilize in the next few days.

Weve got to figure this out, Newsom said during his daily briefing on coronavirus issues, noting that the agency was "dealing with an unprecedented amount of call volume."

Story continues

We will continue to do everything in our power to improve on that experience in these historic and unprecedented times," Newsom said.

To help jobless people apply on the first day, the EDD created a digital guide to applying for unemployment benefits that consolidates basic information about the process and provides customers with a way to sign on to UI Online.

New questions have been programmed into the system to collect the necessary details for processing [Pandemic Unemployment Assistance] claims, said Loree Levy, a spokeswoman for EDD.

Levy declined to respond to questions about those who said they were blocked from filing claims because of malfunctions on the website.

Documentary filmmaker Alana Maiello said she made several attempts Tuesday to file a claim, but the program repeatedly froze, preventing her from filing.

Families who are already vulnerable to the coronavirus crisis are less likely to get the government aid they need when the government websites don't even work, Maiello said.

Several others vented their frustration on social media, posting screen shots showing error messages.

At least 2.8 million Californians were freelancers and gig economy workers as of 2016, according to a study conducted through the Internal Revenue Service.

EDD officials said they expect new applications from independent contractors and the self-employed to "rival" the 3.2 million unemployment claims filed in the last month.

California was late to begin accepting applications from independent contractors. More than a dozen other states started making payments to independent contractors and the unemployed in recent weeks.

Texas, Louisiana and Rhode Island all sent the first payments more than two weeks ago, on April 13, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

For workers including Lyft driver Edan Alva of Alameda, the state has taken too long to provide the financial assistance approved by Congress last month, leaving them struggling to pay living expenses such as rent, food and medical care.

This whole situation is ridiculous and should have been dealt with a long time ago, said Alva, 49, who says he lost all income from his Lyft gig. It would have been devastating if not for the fact that family and friends provided me essentially a handout that has allowed me to survive.

Alva is getting partial benefits, for two months he worked away from Lyft, but is still trying to get additional unemployment based on income lost when he halted driving for the ride-sharing company.

California officials said last week that they needed more time to develop system programming, forms, processes and procedures, including a revamp of the states antiquated computer systems to handle the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, signed March 27 by President Trump.

Newsom said the new automated system will allow PUA claims to be processed much faster than the 21 days taken for normal unemployment insurance claims.

I am confident we will be able to turn around those checks within 24 to 48 hours, Newsom said.

The EDD did not provide unemployment benefits to independent contractors, gig workers and the self-employed before the pandemic, but a new assistance program was implemented when Congress approved the CARES Act.

The new program, which also is available to Californians who have limited work history, will provide up to 39 weeks of benefits, starting at $167 per week, retroactive to unemployment that began Feb. 2.

On top of normal unemployment benefits, jobless people may receive an additional $600 per week going back to March 29 and until July 25 as part of the CARES Act.

Eligibility for the program includes those diagnosed with COVID-19 or experiencing symptoms; primary caregivers for children unable to attend school; people who quit a job as a direct result of COVID-19; and those whose place of employment is closed because of the pandemic.

Curtis, a Los Angeles resident, said his independent contract work with music recording studios has dried up.

At this point, every studio that I work with is currently closed, he said.

Curtis said he applied for unemployment assistance three weeks ago and was denied, and had a difficult time getting timely information from the EDD on how he can get help under the new program for independent contractors.

The worst part is the complete lack of communication, Curtis said. It feels dehumanizing. To be treated like you dont even deserve to be informed as to whats happening is a real insult, and it crushes your self-esteem and confidence.
Photo credit: MICHAEL MATHES - Getty Images

From Delish

Waffle House locations in Georgia are re-opening for sit-down service as the state begins to lift social distancing measures prompted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp lifted restrictions on certain businesses (like hair salons and gyms) on April 24 and when social distancing restrictions lifted on restaurants a few days later, Waffle House locations in the state were some of the first to open, Bloomberg reported.

Around 330 Waffle House restaurants in Georgia and 70 in Tennessee opened for dine-in service on April 27. These restaurants were ones that were already open for take-out, according to Business Insider, and they will operate quite a bit differently than they did pre-COVID-19.

For example, staff has been closing off some booths and stools to encourage social distancing, and plastic placemat menus are no longer automatically placed on tables. Workers will implement enhanced cleaning and sanitation measures and each location will determine an individual capacity limit. They will also be wearing masks. Waffle House spokesperson Njeri Boss told Business Insider that the restaurant chain has been working on these guidelines for the past six weeks.

Boss also said that the economic issues spurred by COVID-19 need to be weighed equally to the health crisis. "Everyone does not have the ability to work from home," she said: "Because there are jobs in this country that require you to be at the job to do the job."

As of Bloomberg's writing earlier this week, customers seem to be trickling in slowly, many taking a wait-and-see approach to in-person dining in the state, which Waffle House said they expected.

We always have a contingency plan, Boss continued. Were just going to have to adapt as we see whether customers return or not.

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The current lockdown in India is unprecedented. India has its unique set of challenges due to a large population with diverse segments and groups. To manage and overcome this problem, each one of us has a role to play. Wunderman Thompson South Asia and Honda Cars India wanted to salute the resilience and the undying spirit of the people of India who played a pivotal role in making things work.

Honda Cars saluted the corona warriors- medical personnel, police, sanitation workers for their courage and resilience through innovative social media creatives conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson South Asia.

As India entered the second phase of lockdown, the brand wanted to thank the millions who were doing their bit in helping the nation fight the pandemic by adhering to precautionary measures - managing work from home, washing hands regularly, wearing a mask and a hundred other little things.

The all distinct and powerful Honda Smart Key as the central visual device brought to life a simple, powerful and endearing message of hope and positivity thanking the people of India for doing their bit for India
In an indication that the nationwide lockdown could be relaxed in some respects after May 3, the government on Wednesday amended its earlier guidelines to allow inter-state movements of people  of stranded migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists, and others. The Union home ministry on Wednesday evening said the new lockdown guidelines, which would come into effect on May 4, would give considerable relaxations to many districts.

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Digital Editor
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 17:47:35|Editor: huaxia

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Starbucks on Tuesday said in a financial report that the consolidated net sales for its fiscal second quarter ended with 6 billion U.S. dollars, declining 5 percent from the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the report, the company's financial results for the 13-week second quarter, ending March 29, recorded a net income of 328.4 million dollars, or 28 cents per share, compared with 663.2 million dollars, or 53 cents per share, in the same period of 2019.

The company opened 255 new stores in the second quarter, yielding a 6-percent year-over-year unit growth, ending the period with 32,050 stores globally, of which 51 percent were company-operated, and the other 49 percent were licensed, said the report.

Stores in the United States and China comprised 61 percent of the company's global portfolio, with 15,257 and 4,351 stores respectively, it said.

"Currently, we have temporarily closed approximately 50 percent of our company-operated stores in the U.S., as well as more than 75 percent in Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom," the report said, adding that 98 percent of the company-operated stores in China are open, which are operating under modified schedules and enhanced safety-related protocols because of the pandemic.

"We are leveraging our experience in China to inform our actions in other markets, including the U.S., where we are now entering the 'monitor and adapt' phase to reopen many more stores with best-in-class safety protocols," said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks' president and CEO. Enditem
Talking Data, Digital Strategy At Republic Records With Elliott Althoff

A powerful subsidiary of Universal Music Group, Republic Records is home to major names like Ariana Grande, Drake, and Taylor Swift. Here, their Associate Manager of Digital Strategy, Elliott Althoff discusses the creative ways in which the label uses a broad swath of data to market its artists.

Guest post by Rutger Ansley Rosenborg of Chartmetric

Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, has become one of the big players in the music industry today, and part of that comes down to the labels forward-thinking team, which has consistently leveraged data to stay ahead of the curve.

If you dont know Republic, you can be sure you know plenty of their artists. Named Label of the Year by Billboard in December, Republics artist roster boasts releases from Ariana Grande, Drake, Post Malone, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and many more of todays biggest names.

Listen to Data and Digital Strategy at Republic Records With Elliott Althoff on your favorite podcast listening platform here.

Elliott Althoff, Associate Manager of Digital Strategy at Republic, is a relatively new addition to the label, but throughout his career in the music industry, which has included digital marketing and digital strategy positions at Cinematic Music Group and Mom + Pop Music, in addition to indie artist management gigs, business data has played a part in some form or another.

As the perfect combination of right- and left-brained, Elliott has a knack for picking up on creative uses of data, from an email- and phone-driven album release campaign for Courtney Barnett to the dynamic merchandise bundling keeping The Weeknd at the top of the charts.

Right when I got to Mom + Pop we were diving into the Courtney Barnett campaign, the Tell Me How You Really Feel campaign. That was probably one of the coolest uses of data and email captures. She basically started out her campaign with a splash page on her website that was just like, Tell me how you really feel. Some people would write, I feel sad today, or I feel happy  but then some people would go super in-depth and write paragraphs. Afterwards, we took all of that data, we took all of those emails and all of the responses and built our campaign around those responses.

Elliott also has a really unique insight into the differences between the DIY, indie, and major label environments and how those differences affect the relationships of each with DSPs.

At a label you have way more resources to lean on. On the management side, its still a lot of cold emailing and building out your own plan, until someone takes notice of it, and just continuing to push that agenda and push the narrative and build the story with the artist. From a label perspective  whenever an emerging artist comes onto a label and theyve already had something that reacted, the label can take that and leverage it with their partners to leverage bigger things out of it. Once you put a band in that structure, and you have things to leverage to partners, you can really make the most out of that opportunity.

So, while it may be comforting to know that the DSP environment isnt purely algorithmic based, relationships and resources are still important when it comes to leveraging any initial success that an artist might have. And thats where things can get complicated.

From the DSP perspective, everyone wants their platform to be the biggest platform, and they want everything to be driving to their platform  so its this crazy game of keeping everyone happy. Sometimes it doesnt work, and it can get kind of messy, but I think one of the biggest things throughout a campaign is just making sure that youre touching on each platform and driving to each platform equally and having an equal voice across every single DSP, and that kind of keeps everyone happy. And its more interesting from a major perspective too. Youre like, Here, Ill toss you this Drake single and also make sure you put this person on here, too. I think theres a little more leverage when it comes to a major rather than an indie.

Throughout the course of our conversation with Elliott, we dig more into the indie-major divide and what the future of the music industry might look like from the digital perspective  not to mention his obsession with Chance the Rapper.

Hopefully, you glean some important insights from our conversation, but most importantly, we hope were making your shelter-in-place just a bit more manageable, whether youre working from home or not.

Listen to the full interview below and subscribe to the How Music Charts podcast on your favorite listening platform for more.

Elliott Althoff is originally from Iowa, but he graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Marketing, Art, and Finance (and a minor in Business). While in college, Elliott managed local bands and juggled two internships, including a Los Angeles-based management company and the Global Citizen Music Festival. Thats where he began to hone his analytical skills, developing weekly reports based on social media and website data, which he then presented to the marketing team to tailor new campaigns.

In 2016, he moved to New York City, where he landed a digital marketing job at Cinematic Music Group while he continued to manage local rappers on the side. From there, he hopped to digital strategy at Mom + Pop Music, this time on the Indie Rock and Indie Pop side of things. Throughout this early career growth, Elliotts mission was to establish himself at the forefront of the digital and creative future of the music industry in order to successfully push this sort of culture forward.

Fast forward four years, and Elliotts taken on a new role as Associate Manager of Digital Strategy at Republic Records  a crucial component of the Universal Music Group family and a match made in heaven for someone who describes himself as the perfect combination of right- and left-brained.

Subscribe to have insights delivered to your inbox the day we publish. We love to hear from you, so say hi@chartmetric.com, or give us a shout on our socials.

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Mumbai, April 29 : Bollywood actor and social activist Rahul Bose, who lent his voice for a digital campaign against domestic violence, says that the major responsibility of any individual, including celebrities, is to be a good human being with a set of high values.

Reports have stated that cases of domestic violence have increased duing the ongoing lockdown. "Articles and anecdotal data published across the world say how domestic violence has increased in European countries, in North America and other parts of the world including India. During the lockdown when the male members of the family are staying at house, they get frustrated. Females, who had a little freedom in the absence of the males, are also not getting it. So, the frustration is building up for both. Naturally, there is more domestic violence under these situations," Rahul told IANS.

The campaign #LockdownOnDomesticViolence is initiated by Akshara Centre and promoted by several celebrities like Karan Johar, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Dia Mirza, Farhan Akhtar along with Rahul among many others.

"It is great that along with prominent Bollywood faces, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra also supported the campaign," he added.

This is not the first time when the actor has come forward to address social issues. He has been constantly working on social initiatives like education for underprivilege children, climate change, and gender equality among other issues.

On the social responsibility of a celebrity, Rahul said: "Whether you are a celebrity or not, the only responsibility you have is to be a good human being with the value of tolerance, non-discrimination, compassion, non-violence etc. I think that is the responsibility that we all have. When a popular personality lends voice to a cause, he or she believes in that. The onus that we put on celebrity, that 'if you are influential, you should talk about social issue' is something I disagree with. It is enough to deliver your best in your respective field and just be a good human being with a lot of compassion.

"If you do anything extra, then that is great. But it is not incumbent of contingent on you. It does not make you less of a human being if you do not do it. I think that way, there are a lot of unfair responsibly placed on the shoulder of a celebrity. Having said that, our 'Lockdown On Domestic Violence' campaign has crossed five million views in just two days, and it is growing. That would have not to happen without the involvement of celebrity. Yes, we have the power and if that is used in an effective manner, society is benefitted ," he explained.

(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Deputy Ranking Member of the Health Committee of Parliament, Kuganab-Lem Robert Baba has described the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, as unfit for the position he currently occupies.

According to Kuganab-Lem Robert, the Health Minister has displayed gross incompetence in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana and must be removed from office by President Akufo-Addo.

The Health Minister is certainly not cut for the jobthose who appointed him know that he is not cut for the job. The issue today is not about building hospitals, the agenda today is an emergency and so he should not waste taxpayers resources on press conferences it is useless. Whatever he does today must be geared towards the problems today and the problem today is to halt the spread so that the normal Ghanaian will not be infected, that is what he was elected to do, Kuganab-Lem Robert told Morning Starr host Francis Abban on the orning Starr Wednesday.

Mr Agyemang Manu, on Tuesday, stated that the government has not abandoned any health infrastructural facilities begun by the previous government.

At a press briefing on April 28, 2020, Mr Manu explained that some projects were abandoned even before the NPP government assumed office due to former governments refusal to renew Letters of Credit for contractors to access funds to continue with the projects.

As early as first quarter 2017, I wrote a letter to the Finance Minister to actually renew the expired Letter of Credit (LC) to enable the contractor to have access to funding to work on the project. The previous government for some reason refused to renew the LC to enable the contractor access funding as far back as July 2016 so the projects were abandoned before we assumed office. The only one out of the four that has been completed and in use is at Dodowa. Others are at various stages of completion, the minister explained.

But Kuganab-Lem Robert who is also the MP for Binduri told host Francis Abban that the explanations by the Minister are laughable and unfortunate.

What have they been using the tax money they collect forare they not looking for money to pay people in the Jubilee Housewhat sort of childish explanations are these. Ghana is a serious country, it cannot be managed by unserious people because this is childish to say that Mahama never got money and that is why the hospitals are lying idle, this is childish, go tell that to the marines.

---Starrfm.com.gh
DUBLIN, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FlowForma, the leading provider of Process Automation tools for the construction sector, today announced that Maverick Corporation are digitizing their business processes using the award-winning FlowForma Process Automation tool for Microsoft Office 365.

A leading Engineering and Construction firm across the United States and Europe, Maverick Corporation sought a solution to replace paper internally across its organization. Having a digital tool that could empower its disparate workforce to complete forms anywhere, anytime whilst working on-site was imperative.

FlowForma Process Automation ticked all the boxes for Maverick Corporation due to the tool's ease of use, no code interface and the ability to generate forms and documents to distribute to its clients. Its intuitiveness was a critical factor, as they look to promote adoption of the tool by the workforce to eradicate paper and become a digitally agile business.

To get up to speed as quickly as possible, employees from Maverick Corporation will avail of FlowForma's tailored onboarding program, SureStart, assisting them in the completion of their first live process in less than one week. Upon completion, the company will then look to automate further processes earmarked for improvement soon.

"We are excited about FlowForma Process Automation and automating our processes both internally and externally. By streamlining our processes and adding value to how our customers interface with Maverick, FlowForma Process Automation has been a game changing solution that will separate us from our competition and increase our profitability. The FlowForma team has been extremely professional which just adds to the overall simplicity of the software," commented Michael McNally, CEO, Maverick Corporation.

Shay O'Connor, Senior Vice President, FlowForma added: "We are pleased to assist Maverick Corporation and their employees by empowering them to complete important processes remotely while on-site, using FlowForma's mobile app. As a result, the business will benefit company-wide from an increase in productivity, visibility and governance, ultimately ensuring projects are delivered on time and on budget."

FlowForma has emerged as a leading process automation provider in the construction industry, servicing companies such as Reliable Contractors and the joint venture of Costain, VINCI Construction Grands Projects and Bachy Soletanche building the east section of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, to move processes online such as Permit to Dig, Materials Requisition, Field Production Report and Site Visit Requests to save significant time and costs to complete projects on schedule and on budget.

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About FlowForma

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Established in 1994, Maverick Engineering and Construction is a full-service Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Operator of communications and power networks throughout United States and Europe. Its global staff deliver detailed design, innovative engineering, professional installation, as well as infrastructure management to municipal and state governments, power companies, communications providers, and oil and gas companies.

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The mayor of New Orleans said Tuesday that officials may have to think about cancelling Mardi Gras in 2021 after the February celebration was blamed for being the 'prime spreader' of the coronavirus.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in an interview with The Washington Post that shutting down Mardi Gras next year is 'something that we have to think about'.

'It's something that we have put on the table,' Cantrell. 'It will give me great pause right now before I commit to saying we are moving forward with Mardi Gras 2021.

'We will let the data dictate the dates,' she added.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (pictured) said officials may have to think about cancelling Mardi Gras in 2021 after the celebration was blamed for being the 'prime spreader' of the coronavirus

This year, Mardi Gras took place on February 25. Experts said the crisis in New Orleans was likely accelerated by Mardi Gras, the iconic celebration that unfolds across the city over a period of several weeks

'It's something that we have put on the table,' Cantrell. 'It will give me great pause right now before I commit to saying we are moving forward with Mardi Gras 2021. 'We will let the data dictate the dates,' she added. Revelers parade during Fat Tuesday on February 25

This year, Mardi Gras took place on February 25. Experts said the crisis in New Orleans was likely accelerated by Mardi Gras, the iconic celebration that unfolds across the city over a period of several weeks.

Next year, Mardi Gras begins on January 6 and Fat Tuesday is February 16.

'Mardi Gras was the perfect storm, it provided the perfect conditions for the spread of this virus,' Dr Rebekah Gee, who heads up Louisiana State University's health care services division, said in March.

Orleans Parish, which borders the city, has suffered 410 deaths. There are more than 6,300 confirmed cases in the city.

In the state of Louisiana, officials have recorded more than 27,000 confirmed cases and at least 1,758 deaths.

If next year's festivities are canceled it will be the first time since 1979. That year a police strike forced krewes to cancel their parades in New Orleans.

Carnival historian Arthur Hardy told NOLA.com that even if celebrations are held, they have a different feel. 'Now that Mardi Gras has been cited as a prime spreader of coronavirus, will people come?' Hardy said.

The celebration draws in more than 1 million visitors each year, raking in more than $1billion.

Typically filled with people, Bourbon Street (pictured) is seen nearly empty on April 23

Orleans Parish, which borders the city, has suffered 410 deaths. There are more than 6,300 confirmed cases in the city

The 2020 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is among celebrations recently cancelled in the city.

Festival organizers had already postponed the festival, which usually spans two spring weekends, until the fall.

But they announced on the festival website that they would not attempt this year to hold the event.

The festival, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, draws more than 400,000 visitors to the Fair Grounds Race Course for music on multiple stages, a variety of cuisines at dozens of food booths and an arts and crafts fair.

The plan now is to hold the 2021 festival during its traditional time, the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May.

The Essence Festival, usually held in New Orleans in July, has also been canceled for this year.
Bollywood stars on Wednesday condoled the demise of ace actor Irrfan Khan. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi took to Twitter and wrote, "Deeply saddened to learn that #Irffan Khan passed away this morning. Gone too soon .. such a powerful actor and how valiantly he fought back the cancer. Its a big loss not only to his family but to the entire film industry. RIP"

Taapsee Pannu expressed grief over the demise of the actor on Twitter. She wrote," When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan"Farhan Akhtar said the actor will be sorely missed. He tweeted," #IrrfanKhan was truly a one of a kind actor and the magic he brought to the screen will be sorely missed. RIP. #gonetosoon"Raveena Tandon expressed sorrow over the loss of the irreplaceable actor. She tweeted, " A fantastic costar, an actor par excellence ,and a beautiful human being , you are irreplaceable #irrfankhan. @irrfankWe lost you too soon! Unbelievable. Om Shanti."



Tamannah Bhatia felt heartbroken and shocked to hear about the actor passing away. She took to Twitter to express grief. She wrote, "Just when we thought 2020 couldn't get any worse, it does. Heartbroken and shocked to hear the grave news. Gone too soon #IrrfanKhan. May his soul rest in peace."

Urmila Matondkar expressed her deepest condolences to the family of the actor and said that he will be missed. Shee tweeted, "Deeply saddened to know about #IrrfanKhan demise..an actor beyond brilliant. My deepest condolences to his family, friends n all colleagues from the film industry as well.. U will always be deeply missed dearest Maqbool RIP #IrrfanKhan."





Irrfan passed away at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on Wednesday while battling rare cancer. He was 53.



Khan was last seen on screen in 'Angrezi Medium'. He was not a part of the film's promotions owing to his ill health. (ANI)


TRENTON  The COVID-19 crook was caught.

Police say the culprit who lifted 12 40-inch TVs from the CEAS Center on Perry Street last week appears to be vagabond.

Alisha Carmichael, 37, was charged with burglary and theft by unlawful taking of movable property. Her last known address was the Trenton Rescue Mission, Trenton Police Lt. Jason Kmiec said.

Carmichael was taken into custody Monday morning after cops spotted her roaming East Ingham Avenue after midnight.

They stopped and issued her a curfew violation and then realized she was wanted for the TV heist at the city overflow shelter.

Cops used a photo of a woman in a mask and gloves who was captured inside the overflow when the TVs were stolen to identify the thief.

Officers are still investigating whether Carmichael had help. Officials believe its highly unlikely she was able to pull of the heist alone.

Mayor Reed Gusciora had begged for the thief to return the TVs no questions asked. But that didnt happen.

Instead, non-profit Greater Trenton secured 12 televisions to replace the stolen ones.

The televisions and other items of comfort motivate the residents to stay in for their quarantine period, Gusciora said in a statement.

The city splurged on a $500K contract with selected vendors to run four overflow shelters during the pandemic.

The Trenton Health Team is helping operate the shelters, officials said.

The Perry Street shelter is expected to open this week, officials said.

The City of Trentons CEAS Center is a critical resource in the fight against homelessness, said George Sowa, Greater Trenton chief executive officer. At a time when our community is so vulnerable, we are very thankful to be able to use our resources to assist others in these unprecedented times.
A sign pieced together and posted in the walkway, over S. 10th St., to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Read more

U.S. coronavirus-related deaths reached a somber milestone Tuesday, surpassing the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War.

More than 58,300 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That compares with the National Archives figure of 58,220 deaths from the Vietnam War, which lasted more than a decade.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 1 million in the U.S. on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins.

The novel coronavirus has laid siege to health care systems and battered economies around the world since health officials first identified it in December in Wuhan, China.

As President Donald Trump on Tuesday applauded states that had reopened during the pandemic, several governors warned that caution was needed before allowing people to crowd shops and restaurants.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said officials would be measuring certain critical data points as the state reopens businesses in the weeks ahead. Among those points, Cuomo said, is whether hospital emergency rooms begin to exceed 70% capacity.

Dont overwhelm the hospital system, Cuomo, a Democrat, said during a news conference Tuesday. If you ever hit 70%, you can expect the number to go up for the next two weeks as people who just got infected actually get ill and some of them come into the hospital.

New York has remained a hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with 292,000 cases and nearly 17,300 deaths. Its stay-at-home requirement is set to expire May 15, but the order could be extended. Still, the number of deaths in New York has declined in recent days. The Comfort, a U.S. Navy hospital ship that has been docked in New York Harbor since last month and has treated virus patients, is set to depart Thursday.

On Tuesday, Trump used social media to laud Greg Abbott, Texas Republican governor, who has announced that his state will ease stay-at-home restrictions later this week. Trump, who has said the reopening of states is up to governors, also acknowledged moves in various parts of the country to ease restrictions.

Many States moving to SAFELY & QUICKLY reopen! he tweeted Tuesday.

A day earlier, several states  Colorado, Montana, Tennessee  lifted stay-at-home requirements. States from the heartland to the Deep South are expected to ease restrictions in the days ahead.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, met with Trump in the White House on Tuesday and said his state had done a better job of combating coronavirus than others. In recent weeks, DeSantis was castigated by critics for a delayed response in issuing a stay-at-home order. The state has seen 32,000 infections and almost 1,200 deaths.

You go from D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, you name it. Florida has done better, said DeSantis as he sat next to Trump.

But some governors are urging patience.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday his states stay-at-home advisory would not be lifted May 4 but instead was extended until May 18.

I know pushing these dates back a couple of weeks is probably not what many people want to hear, Baker, a Republican, said, noting that the safety of his residents was his main priority.

In Louisiana, which has seen high rates of infections and deaths among black communities from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, Gov. John Bel Edwards extended the states order until May 15. He said the state had not flattened its coronavirus infection curve enough to reopen. Louisiana has seen 27,000 infections and more than 1,600 deaths.

I would much rather have come out today and said we looked at the criteria, we met it all, were going to go to phase one, said Edwards, a Democrat. Thats just not where we are. The one thing I refuse to do is fudge that. Im not going to pretend were better off than we are.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Budapest, Hungary  Wed, April 29, 2020 07:42 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4cf83d 2 News Hungary,Booking-com,Competition,Hotel-booking-and-management-platform Free

Hungary's competition watchdog on Tuesday imposed a record fine on online travel agency Booking.com, accusing the company of "aggressive" sales methods which put unfair pressure on customers.

The Netherlands-based firm was fined 7 million euros ($7.5 million) for unfair trading practices, said the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH).

The body said free cancellation options for some listings were available only with conditions and within certain periods, making them "misleading".

The website also put "unfair psychological pressure" on consumers to book accommodation quickly by flagging how many rooms were left at the advertised price or how many others were looking at the same option, GVH said.

The fine, calculated from the firm's Hungarian revenue, is the country's largest-ever penalty for infringing consumer protection rights, according to local media.

Booking.com said it was "disappointed" by the decision, in a statement sent to AFP.

"Customer data and feedback shows that the information on our platform is extremely helpful for travelers," it said.

"Everything on our website, including how we display prices and payment policies as well as the availability and popularity of specific properties,..., is intended to help customers," it added.
CHICAGO, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dresner Partners, a leading FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank and Mergers Alliance member firm, is pleased to announce that Stewart B. Davis, M.D., has joined Dresner Partners as Managing Director in its Healthcare Group. Dr. Davis has diverse experience as a serial entrepreneur and founder, licensed investment banker, board member, medical director, consultant and educator. He will be working out of Boca Raton, Florida, alongside Mitchell S. Stern, Managing Director and Head of Healthcare Investment Banking.



Prior to joining Dresner Partners, Dr. Davis served as Executive in Residence with the Medical Technology Practice he founded at Locust Walk, a boutique life sciences investment bank based in Boston. He has also held executive roles and board positions with several medical device firms, many of which he cofounded, including CEO of Bioceptive Inc. in New Orleans; CEO of DermaSensor Inc. in Miami; COO of SafeStitch Medical Inc. in Miami; COO and CFO of Copper Enriched Beauty LLC in Boca Raton; and General Manager of Pristine Surgical in Manchester, NH. He also served as Managing Partner and Chairman for VetDriven, Pawquatic and CardioDriven.

Im excited to join Dresner Partners award-winning investment banking team, said Stewart Davis. The firm has a very active healthcare group and Im looking forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.

Stewarts diverse experience as a medical doctor, entrepreneur, banker, board member, and expert in medical devices makes him uniquely qualified to advise many of our prospective clients, said Steven M. Dresner, President of Dresner Partners. We are very pleased to have him join the firm and strengthen our presence in the healthcare space and in the Southeast.

Dr. Davis has numerous writing credits including peer reviewed papers, grants, podium presentations and a book. He holds a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Biology Summa Cum Laude from the University of Miami Honors Program.

About Dresner Partners

Dresner Partners is a FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York City, Boston, Boca Raton, Fla., and Irvine and Palo Alto, Calif. For nearly 30 years, Dresner Partners has provided financial advisory services to middle-market companies throughout the world including merger and acquisitions advisory, institutional private placements of debt and equity, financial restructuring, valuations and strategic consulting services. Dresner Partners has extensive international and cross-border transaction experience and is a member of Mergers Alliance, one of the worlds leading global mergers and acquisitions partnerships focused on the middle market. An affiliated company, Dresner Corporate Services, is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, investor relations and corporate development. More information is available at www.dresnerpartners.com. You can also follow Dresner Partners on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DresnerPartners.

For Media Inquiries

David E. Gutierrez, Head of PR, IR and Corporate Development, (312)780-7204, dgutierrez@dresnerco.com

For Investment Banking Inquiries

Steven M. Dresner, President, (312)780-7206, sdresner@dresnerco.com

Mitchell S. Stern, Managing Director and Head of Healthcare Investment Banking, (954)951-0272, mstern@dresnerco.com

Stewart B. Davis, M.D., Managing Director, (954)263-7839, sdavis@dresnerco.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a550e7e-0e05-421d-890a-7822f9aa53b3
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

American pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer says it could have an emergency COVID-19 vaccine ready as early as this fall and a larger roll out by year's end, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Oxford University says it's also on track to have a coronavirus vaccine available by September.

The New York-based Pfizer partnered with German company BioNTech and sped up the usual timeline for creating a vaccine to fight a virus that has put the world to a near stop.

Pfizer and BioNTech began testing on humans in Germany on April 23 with 12 individuals being administered the vaccine, BNT162, in a Phase 1/2 clinical study, according to a joint statement. As testing continues in Germany, up to 200 volunteers age 18 to 55 will be given a range of doses to determine the optimal dose for upcoming studies.

Testing in the United Sates will begin as soon as the companies have approval from the Food and Drug Administration; that could begin within a week, according to the WSJ Journal.

The companies expect to have data on the trials by late June.

"The two companies plan to jointly conduct clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine candidates initially in Europe and the U.S., across multiple research sites," Pfizer states in its first quarter report posted online Tuesday. "The companies estimate that there is potential to supply millions of vaccine doses by the end of 2020, subject to technical success of the development program and approval by regulatory authorities, and the potential to rapidly scale up the capacity to produce hundreds of millions of doses in 2021."

Oxford University has been able to speed up its process by using technology its lab developed in previous vaccine projects. "Well personally, I have a high degree of confidence about this vaccine, because it's technology that I've used before," said professor of vaccinology Sarah Gilbert to CBS News. Oxford is also already in the phase of giving injections to hundreds of healthy volunteers in hopes of telling not only if the vaccine is safe but if it works.

Oxford researchers created the new vaccine by inserting genes for a spikey protein that studs the outer surface of the new coronavirus into another, harmless virus. The idea: The immune system will spot the foreign protein and make antibodies to fight it, primed to react quickly if the person eventually is exposed to COVID-19.

The timelines for both vaccines are optimistic considering that inoculations usually take years to develop. Experts have cautioned that even if early studies go well, it will be at least a year before any are available for widespread use.

This is one of dozens of vaccines being tested in a race to find a magic bullet to stop the spread of the coronavirus. On April 20, the World Health Organization documented five vaccines in clinical evaluation and 71 vaccines in preclinical evaluation around the world.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 01:09:42|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Wednesday asked for vigilance over the spread of COVID-19 in the country despite low caseload at present.

While testing remains limited, the officially reported COVID-19 caseload in Syria is comparatively low -- 42 reported cases in areas controlled by the Syrian government; one reported case in the northeast; and no reported cases in the northwest, Pedersen told the Security Council.

"We all hope that these low numbers will continue. But as in all countries, the risk of a major COVID-19 outbreak in Syria is there," he warned.

The trend lines in the coming weeks will be very important, so will a ramping up of testing and treatment capacity in all parts of Syria, along with information-sharing between all parties, he said in a virtual briefing.

The Syrian government has continued to take increasingly significant steps to combat COVID-19, and so have the Syrian Opposition Coalition and other de facto authorities in areas outside government control. International donors have pledged and provided financial and material support, he noted.

Syria faces many challenges that can hamstring a response to the pandemic, he said. The country lacks sufficient health professionals, medical equipment and supplies. The health care system is degraded in some areas and destroyed in others, following nine years of armed conflict.

Pedersen stressed the need for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access. Using all modalities, including scaled-up cross-line and cross-border access, is important, he said.

Pedersen said the UN and himself are working toward the waiver of sanctions that can undermine the capacity of Syria to ensure access to food, essential health supplies and COVID-19 medical support.

He stressed the need for large-scale and unilateral releases of detainees and abductees and more meaningful actions on missing persons.

"The pandemic makes this humanitarian imperative more urgent than ever. I continue to urge the Syrian government and all other Syrian parties to follow the lead of other governments around the world in releasing detainees. We really need to see this happening as part of all the efforts to stem the spread of the virus in Syria," he said.

Noting that Syria faces extremely grave economic conditions, Pedersen said, "We have recently seen price increases and shortages among other further worsening trends. The measures rightly taken by the authorities to combat COVID-19 in Syria have, as in all countries, had an economic impact too."

Syria needs a cease-fire arrangement that results in sustained calm and is nationwide in scope -- one that does not see new assaults across lines of contact, and enables Syrians to access equipment and resources necessary to combat COVID-19, he said.

"We cannot afford hostilities which would surely lead to another surge in displaced vulnerable communities -- something that we witnessed in horror only two months ago. We could not afford this scenario before the pandemic. The price could only be higher now," he said.

The envoy asked relevant players to come together in a common effort to support sustained calm and scale up the response to the pandemic. This path could pave the way for progress on the broader political process in Syria, he said. Enditem
Himachal Pradesh has not reported any fresh COVID-19 case in the past six days, a senior health official said on Wednesday.

So far, 41 coronavirus cases have been reported and the number of active cases in the state is 10, the official said.

Two people have died of COVID-19 in the state. The fatalities include a 70-year-old Delhi resident who had stayed at a guest house of a factory in Solan's Baddi and died at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, on April 2.

"Of the 389 samples sent for testing on Wednesday, 227 tested negative for the infection while reports of the rest are awaited," Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.

These tests are being conducted at Tanda's Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Kangra, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College (SLBSGMC) Nerchowk in Mandi, Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla and Kasauli's Central Research Institute (CRI) in Solan.

Four active cases from Una, two cases each from Chamba and Hamirpur and one case each from Kangra and Sirmaur are being treated at Tanda's RPGMC, Bhota Charitable Hospital in Hamirpur and the Katha's ESIC in Baddi.

Twelve patients from Una district, five from Solan, four from Chamba, three from Kangra and one from Sirmaur have recovered from the infection so far.

Four patients were taken to a private hospital outside Himachal Pradesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Heartwarming footage captured the moment an emotional first-time father met his 'perfect' son for the first time in Life and Birth - and vowed to 'love him for the rest of his life.'

In last night's episode of the BBC One show, Sam, 25, told how partner Jordan couldn't wait to become a dad, but at only 22, he still had some growing up to do himself.

However, when the baby's heart rate started to dip and doctors decided to perform a caesarean section, Jordan managed to conquer his own fear of surgery to step up for Sam and their son - much to the delight of viewers.

'My way Jordan reacted to the birth of his child, is how I want my partner to react Tired face,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'What a beautiful ending!'

Jordan, 22, conquered his own fear of surgery and stepped up to the mark so he could support partner Sam and their son, Hunter. Pictured, holding the 'perfect' newborn baby boy

Sam (pictured) explained that Jordan gives off an impression of being macho, but added he is the complete opposite

Taking to Twitter, one viewer wrote: 'The way Jordan reacted to the birth of his child is how I want the partner of my child to react' (pictured)

During the episode, Sam explained how the couple had been together for three years after meeting in a nightclub.

'Jordan is very ready to become a dad, but I don't think he understands how hard it is to be a parent - because I'm sure I do,' she said.

'How Jordan portrays himself is that he's big and macho - but he's the complete opposite. He'll pick me up and carry me over puddles, he'll help me go to the toilet if I need to if I'm not very well, and he'll held my hand if I feel sorry for myself and my mum's not there.'

And when the midwife asked whether he'll be alright in theatre or whether he's the queasy type, Jordan replied: 'No, I'm not going in theatre. No chance!'

Once in theatre, Jordan (pictured) took Sam's hand and repeatedly told her she is the strongest person he knows

Taking to Twitter, viewers were full of praise for Jordan after stepping up to the mark. 'Well done Jordan,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'Aww bless Jordan' (pictured)

It's all the blood and stuff....If he comes out and doesn't move, or doesn't cry and that.'

However, after being convinced to go in so that he can support his partner, Jordan quickly stepped up to the mark.

'I'm so so proud of you,' he said to Sam, as she prepared for the birth. 'I love you so much. You're going to be fine. This is our baby boy this is. You're the most strongest woman I know.'

And after the midwives announces the news of their healthy baby boy, Jordan squealed 'Oh my god,' before planting several kisses on Sam's forehead.

He enthused: 'I want to see him. Yes baby! Hello baby boy. He's perfect. Hello bubba. Oh my god! Sam, he's perfect. Hunter, Daddy's going to love you for the rest of his life.'

Several viewers were touched by the moving scenes, with one writing: 'Omg Jordan's squeals were something else.'

A second commented: 'Aww bless Jordan,' while a third praised: 'Well done Jordan.'
New Zealand passengers from the Vasco Da Gama cruise ship check in for their Air New Zealand flight to Auckland at Perth International Airport . PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 28, 2020:(Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Western Australia Inches Towards Reopening Bars, Cafes

Western Australia is taking steps towards reopening bars and restaurants with a new hygiene training course as more than 250 Australians who arrived on a flight from South Africa are quarantined.

The states only new confirmed case of COVID-19 overnight is a 19-year-old woman who travelled overseas.

It brings WAs total cases to 551 but only 43 remain active, including 15 from the plagued Artania cruise ship and two from interstate.

Fourteen COVID-19 patients are in metropolitan hospitals, including four in intensive care.

The WA government on April 29 announced a COVID-19 hygiene training assessment, which will be compulsory for the states 70,000 hospitality workers.

Anyone employed at a cafe, bar or restaurant, all of which are currently restricted to takeaway and delivery orders, must complete the free course before the establishments can reopen.

Premier Mark McGowan says it is an important step towards an industry restart.

I know the first question will be Does this mean cafes and bars and restaurants are all about to reopen? No, it doesnt, he said.

We still have to accept the medical and health advice in that regard.

But we want to make sure that when they do reopen, we have the best and safest and healthiest environment available, and staff are protected and customers are protected as well.

Meanwhile, an aircraft carrying 256 Australians arrived in Perth from South Africa on Wednesday, including about 86 locals.

Following health checks, 211 passengers, including more than 40 children, were sent to Rottnest Island for their mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Unwell people and those with complex health needs are staying at the Pan Pacific hotel in Perth so they can be close to hospitals if required.

A flight from India carrying about 130 people is also expected to arrive this week while an arrival from France stopped for fuel only.

I think in the future you can probably envisage there will be a situation where we test everyone that comes from overseas, Health Minister Roger Cook said.

Schools began term two on Wednesday, with cleaning increased throughout the day as well as staggered starts, breaks and meal times to reduce contact.

Parents can keep their children at home for remote learning for the first three weeks of the term but year 11 and 12 students are urged to physically attend school.

By Michael Ramsey and Angie Raphael
Mr. Kushner rejected the concerns of governors and public health experts who said that testing remained woefully inadequate to justify reopening the country after weeks of lockdown. While Mr. Trumps administration committed this week to helping states be able to test at least 2 percent of their populations each month, experts said that is a fraction of what is needed to map out how far the virus has spread.

Weve done more tests than any other country in the world, so weve got to be doing a lot of things right, Mr. Kushner said.

Mr. Kushner did not address why the president for weeks played down the virus, comparing it to the ordinary flu, predicting that cases would go down to zero and suggesting that the virus would miraculously go away. People close to the White House have said that Mr. Kushner agreed with Mr. Trump early on that the Democrats and media were hyping the virus to damage the president, although Mr. Kushners allies have insisted that the always took it seriously.

In his interview on Wednesday, Mr. Kushner said May will be a transition month as states began reopening. I think youll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal, he said. And the hope is that by July the countrys really rocking again.

Gilead said a drug study showed positive data, but another study found no benefit to severely ill patients.

Gilead Sciences on Wednesday announced that the company is aware of positive data from a federal trial of its experimental coronavirus drug, remdesivir, even as a new study reported that the drug offered no benefit to severely ill patients in China.

Neither Gilead nor officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, sponsor of the federal research, provided further details about the trial sponsored by N.I.A.I.D., part of the National Institutes of Health.

President Trump is expected to discuss the findings at a White House briefing later today. In the past, Mr. Trump has hailed remdesivir as a potential game changer, despite spotty evidence.
BENZIE COUNTY  Benzie Country Central Schools will have some help modernizing its bus fleet thanks to a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the EPA awarded $1,015,000 to replace 52 older diesel school buses in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Nationwide, EPA awarded $11.5 million to replace 580 older diesel school buses, with funds going to 157 school bus fleets in 43 states and Puerto Rico.

All will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new buses will reduce pollutants that are linked to health problems such as asthma and lung damage.

As we continue to celebrate Earth Days 50th anniversary, EPA continues to be committed to providing communities access to rebates to improve and replace aging school buses that will improve air quality across the country and provide children with a safe and healthy way to get to school," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. While many fleets are currently off the road as we all practice social distance during COVID-19, these local school districts will start up again, and EPA is proud to have helped equip them with cleaner running buses.

Benzie Central was the only school district in the State of Michigan to receive the EPA grant this year. Through the grant, the EPA will give the district $20,000 each toward the replacement of up to seven buses, for a total of up to $140,000.

District superintendent Matt Olson said that while they have seven buses that qualify for the grant, he presently expects to replace only three buses, since that is all the district can afford within the budget.

Its great to get that $20,000, but we still have to come up with between $40,000 and $70,000 for a lightly-used or new bus that we would be required to replace it with, Olson said. I cant come up with seven times that amount  We planned on buying two buses this year. The grant is allowing us to buy three for the price of two.

Olson credited mechanic Bowen Hebel and transportation director Guy Sauer for discovering the grant and bringing it to administration.

"They did a lot of the leg work to make this happen," Olson said. "Our people did a great job trying to do right by Benzie Central."

The district originally intended to purchase several more new buses during the next fiscal year, when the grant funds would still be available to them, however, uncertainty concerning the states education budget has Olson doubtful of whether Benzie Central will be able to afford such purchases.

We dont know anything yet, but all signs are pointing to us staring down some pretty significant cuts (to education due to COVID-19s impacts on the economy), Olson said. With concerns over the budget, we are not ready to commit to additional bus purchases at this time. Were going to have to wait and see what happens with the budget.
KENNETT SQUARE  Mayors across Chester County are hopeful their communities will recover from immense ongoing financial losses experienced during the last seven weeks.

The county is home to a plethora of small business enterprises from artisan farm-to-table restaurants to family-owned salons, barber shops and boutique stores.

In downtown Kennett Square, most businesses on State Street remain closed due to the ongoing order by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf that all businesses  deemed non-essential in March  suspend their operations in wake of the coronavirus crisis. Wolfs administration cited the necessity of mitigation action to combat the risks of COVID-19 exposure to the public.

Yet there is hope.

We expect to have some very exciting news, said Kennett Square Mayor Matthew Fetick, about different initiatives to support our businesses and residents.

He said the borough looks forward to providing tools and support to help speed up the recovery.

The community has been incredible, Fetick said. From providing food, shelter, payment assistance for utilities and rent, almost every basic need can be covered through our many different agencies and nonprofits.

Fetick said every Thursday morning more than 40 people take part in a logistical group call with SCCON (Southern Chester County Opportunity Network) to review all the services being provided to the community. No one should go without the basics, he said.

Helping one another is paramount.

The past six weeks have been very challenging for everyone, Fetick said. And the community has really rallied together to support our first responders and our most vulnerable residents. There are organizations providing meals, utility and rent support, health care, shelter, and educational support. While its not ideal, we are working hard to ease the burden that many folks are facing.

West Chester Mayor Dianne Herrin said the boroughs business community is fighting for their employees and their businesses. The borough alongside local entrepreneurs are partnering with the West Chester Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, the Business Improvement District, and elected county, state and federal officials to secure funding through government relief packages and by working with local banks.

This crisis is impacting businesses, government services and nonprofits not only across our country but throughout the world, Herrin said. Here in West Chester, our borough government is working to reduce expenses in the face of loss of revenue, and planning is underway to address the boroughs revenue shortfalls in the months ahead.

The West Chester mayor said she has seen the commitment and passion of local business owners and residents overcome challenges time and time again.

The reason people live and work in West Chester is because we love this town, and the hearts you see in the windows of our businesses are an outward demonstration that we are going to get through this together by advocating relentlessly for what we need, by supporting each other through this, and finding creative ways for our visitors, clients and customers to keep supporting our businesses as best they can, Herrin said on Friday. We will come back strong.

Bells Across Pennsylvania

By order of proclamation, Sunday May 3 is officially Bells Across Pennsylvania Day. Mayors across the state are asking residents and churches to honor or hometown heroes by ringing bells on Sunday at 7 p.m. for three minutes, Herrin announced on her mayoral Facebook page.

The West Chester mayor said the three minutes equate to: one minute to honor ur front-line workers; one minute to show solidarity with everyone who is fighting COVID-19; and one minute to demonstrate the communitys collective resolve that we will prevail and work tirelessly to ensure that our businesses and civic life with thrive again.

I think that for the most part Downingtown is handling this crisis very well, Downingtown Mayor Phil Dague told the Daily Local News on April 8. I could not be prouder of our police department and our EMS staff; their professionalism is beyond impressive. The local business community has banded together to try to weather this storm, and I believe the community has supported them in their efforts. Overall I believe that the citizens of Downingtown have taken social distancing quite seriously, and we are starting to see results as far as flattening the curve.'

Dague said, This pandemic has been a learning experience for all involved. Im sure that when it happens again in the future, Downingtown will do many things differently, but right now, we are holding up as well as can be expected.

Coatesville under curfew

West of Downingtown, the City of Coatesville is the only municipality in Chester County whose government enacted a curfew in wake of the coronavirus crisis.

The residents of Coatesville have been respecting the 8 p.m. curfew that was implemented on April 15, and we appreciate the spirit in which it has been accepted and adhered to, said Michael Trio, city manager for the City of Coatesville. Especially in a densely populated area, this initiative plus careful physical distancing during non-curfew hours will help mitigate the risk to our residents. We are working with state and county officials along with our emergency services team to monitor all COVID-19 related data and will make a determination regarding when to lift the citys curfew based on that information. City business continues to operate in good order.

Coatesville held its first-ever virtual council meeting on Monday which aired live on YouTube.

I want to especially thank all of our first responders which include our police and fire departments, EMTs and essential employees living in Coatesville, said Linda Lavender-Norris, president of Coatesville City Council. You are all making a tremendous difference in this fight.

She said it remained critical for city residents to continue necessary safety precautions to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 in the community including washing hands, practicing physical distancing, and staying home. She also encouraged Coatesville citizens to wear masks outside if you must leave your home.

Earlier this month, the city enacted a soft curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. At present, there is no end-date, however government officials are actively reviewing the measure daily, as previously reported by the Daily Local News.

So far, the cumulative efforts are paying off, and we appreciate everyones hard work, Lavender-Norris said on Friday. Coatesville has always been a close-knit community with residents who support one another, and we will get through this together.

Novel crisis

President Donald Trump issued a national emergency March 13 and Gov. Tom Wolf issued a statewide stay-at-home order for Pennsylvanians on April 1. Since then, its estimated that more than 50,000 Americans have died from the novel coronavirus which sprang from the city of Wuhan, China, toward the end of 2019. Scientists say the plague originated from bats although the exact cause and subsequent transfer of the virus to humans remains unknown or, at the very least, in dispute.

In comparison, 80,000 Americans suffered influenza-associated deaths during the 2017-18 winter season, according to Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during an interview with the Associated Press two years ago.

On a tragic historical note, more than 500,000 Americans died from influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu.

And while a few states such as Georgia and Texas recently reopened some business sectors, including restaurants and beauty salons, Pennsylvania remains under a continuous statewide stay-at-home order  for now.

Across the nation in California, many families spent last weekend on the beach in Orange County, basking in the sun.
On Friday, South Africas national COVID-19 alert level will be lowered to level 4. This means that some activity will be allowed to resume, including food delivery from restaurants.

This is good news for fast-food and restaurant businesses in South Africa, as well as delivery services like Uber Eats and Mr D Food.

These delivery platforms have had to repurpose their solutions to facilitate the delivery of essential goods and services only during the lockdown, listing grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores on their apps after all restaurants were forced to close.

According to the new rules, however, food delivery will only be allowed between 09:00 and 20:00.

Ahead of the shift from COVID-19 alert level 5 to level 4, MyBroadband spoke to Uber Eats and Mr D Food about whether they would resume operations and what limitations or measures they would impose on their delivery platforms.

Uber Eats

An Uber Eats spokesperson told MyBroadband they were still working to understand the restrictions regarding food delivery and would confirm the measures they would take while resuming operations in the near future.

As announced by Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel on 25 April 2020, food delivery in South Africa is authorised to operate daily as of 1 May 2020 under restricted hours from 09:00 to 20:00, during level 4 of the national lockdown.

The company said that it was concerned primarily with the health and safety of its drivers and customers.

We are working to further understand the detailed restrictions put in place by the government regarding food delivery and will announce our measures in due course.

The health and safety of our community come first, and we will do our best to support our community and small businesses during these unprecedented times, Uber Eats said.

Mr D Food

When asked about its plans to re-open operations following the implementation of alert level 4, Mr D Food told MyBroadband that it would release a statement as soon as it could confirm its strategy going forward.

The company is reportedly waiting for the new regulations to be gazetted before releasing a statement on the matter.
A Chinese diplomat gatecrashed a government press conference to discuss COVID-19 and used the opportunity to reject Australia's push for an independent inquiry into the origins of the outbreak.

Victorian China Consul-General Zhou Long arrived alongside billionaire miner Andrew Forrest at the official ministerial event in Melbourne on Wednesday evening.

The pair earlier inked a deal worth $320million to bring an additional 10 million coronavirus testing kits to Australia, increasing the country's capability 20-fold.

But the move blindsided Health Minister Greg Hunt, who did not introduce Mr Zhou.

Mr Zhou was not allowed to take questions, but took the opportunity to praise Beijing's handling of the crisis.

In particular, he credited the 'open, transparent and responsible' manner with which China had worked alongside the World Health Organisation.

Victoria and Tasmania Consul-General of China Long Zhou (centre) departs a press conference where he spoke of the relationship between China and Australia

Mr Forrest (pictured) is understood to have invited the Chinese diplomat to speak

But the move blindsided Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured), who did not introduce Mr Zhou

'The Chinese government has released information related to COVID-19 in open, transparent and a responsible manner,' he said.

'We have worked closely with the WHO and other countries. Including sharing experiences  and providing assistance within our capacity.

'China very much appreciates and is thankful to the compassion, support and sympathy of the Australian people.'

The once-friendly relationship between Australia and China has been waning in recent weeks as the Australian government doubles down on calls for an investigation into the origins of the virus and the dissemination of information.

The deadly respiratory virus has infected more than three million people globally, including 6,729 Australians. So far, 212,000 people have died worldwide.

Mr Zhou said during a speech that COVID-19 could well be 'the biggest crisis faced by mankind since world war two,' before urging people from every nation to work together.

'Solidarity is the only way to overcome this public health challenge. All countries should work together as one,' he said.

The initiative to provide face masks to help the Australian health system will strengthen the friendship between China and Australia during this difficult time, Mr Zhou hoped.

Politicians at the event reportedly said Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) had been 'ambushed' by Mr Long's presence

Vendors wearing face masks as they offer prawns for sale at a market in Wuhan where reports of the virus first emerged in December

Politicians at the event reportedly said Mr Hunt had been 'ambushed' by Mr Zhou's presence.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said Mr Forrest allowed the Chinese Communist party to 'ambush the press conference'.

'Now is not the time for games. Australia must come first,' Mr Hastie said. 'This guy drops out of the sky in his private jet and enables the Chinese Communist Party to ambush a commonwealth press conference. Yeah, we're not happy.'

Mr Forrest is understood to have invited the Chinese diplomat to speak.

China has repeatedly refused to welcome an international investigation into the outbreak, most recently describing the demands of Australia as 'political manoeuvring'.

The nation's ambassador, Jingye Cheng, triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry would lead to a boycott of Australia.

He received a fiery dressing down from the Foreign Affairs Department on his 'threats of economic coercion', which the Chinese embassy then leaked.

China is accused by some of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation. Pictured: A bat in a wet market in Indonesia

New Deloitte Access Economics modelling estimates $8.1 billion could be wiped from the accommodation and food services sector in the months from April to August

Economists believe Australian families and businesses will lose $60 billion by the end of the coronavirus crisis.

American lawyers suing China for $10 trillion claimed up to 95 per cent of the infected global population would have been spared if China acted faster to contain the outbreak.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday vowed not to back down from his efforts to find out exactly what happened.

'We will of course continue to support moves to ensure there is a proper independent assessment of what has occurred here,' he said.

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus could lead to a boycott of Australia

A healthcare worker (pictured on April 1) talks to a man at a pop-up clinic testing for the coronavirus disease at Bondi Beach after several outbreaks were recorded in the area

'It is not a remarkable position. It is a fairly common sense position and one that we don't resile from.'

Mr Forrest, who has enjoyed a close professional relationship with China, refused to comment when asked about his personal opinion on an inquiry into COVID-19.

But he did urge authorities to delay any further investigation until after the American presidential election.

'That would make it instantly political,' he said. 'Australia needs to walk that line where we have a best friend in America, a best friend in China, best friends across South-East Asia.'

Long Zhou used the press conference to praise Beijing for the handling of the coronavirus crisis
While data-center staff have been classified as essential, like medical staff and grocery store staff, construction is taking a bit of a hit. In recent weeks, Facebook, Google, and Apple have announced a slowing of construction of major new data centers in the U.S. and Europe.

The problem, as it turns out, is not because construction is being ordered halted, or even due to a lack of IT equipment, but because other components of the supply chain like fiber optics, batteries, and racks are scarce, according to Rick Villars, vice president of data center and cloud research at IDC.

Weve been talking to people who havent made public statements yet, but the supply chain is the problem, he says. They are not stopping because they want to, but they dont have materials to finish. Thats important but not the same as shutting down or not finishing buildings under way.

The bulk of data center construction in 2020 is hyperscale providers  AWS, Microsoft, etc.  and colocation providers like Equinix and Digital Reality Trust. Enterprise-owned data-center construction is minimal, he says.

And building a data center is not done on a whim. These facilities are huge and run in the billions of dollars. Most of the data centers under construction now have been under construction for six to 18 months, Villars says.

He adds people are more unwilling to break new ground but even that is not cause for alarm because there's an over-abundance of capacity, so issues wont show up until 2021 or 2022.

There has been more data-center space built for cloud and colocation operators in the last three years than in all history, says Villars. They built enough capacity and 2020 wasnt going to be a big year for construction anyway. There is space available and no shortage of bandwidth and capacity. Now if nothing is built in the next two years, then yes, that might be a problem.

Villars said that in addition to all the new capacity, the new hardware is so much better than older gear that data-center operators are getting much more out of each square foot. In a new data center, they can get three to four times as much assets in the same space compared to even a five-year-old enterprise data center. The new capacity is more efficient so there is more cushion, he says,

The bottom line is right now there is a good amount of capacity and if it is managed effectively, operators can accommodate changes in loads right now and going forward.

Japan is the exception



Japan has a healthy IT industry and the third-largest economy behind the U.S. and China, but it has yet to produce its own cloud provider on par with AWS or Alibaba. So American companies are looking at the country as a greenfield opportunity.

Earlier this month Equinix announced a $1 billion joint venture with GIC, a Singapore financing firm, to build three hyperscale data centers in Tokyo and Osaka for the worlds largest hyperscale cloud platforms. Equinix didnt say which, but the big four cloud providers (AWS, Microsoft, Google, IBM) all use Equinix for extra capacity.

And its chief rival, Digital Realty Trust, has been working with Mitsubishi to finance and construct new data centers in Tokyo and Osaka as well.

So life goes on, such as it is in these strange times.
Ukraine's Cabinet appoints new tax chief

15:40, 29.04.20 29975

On April 27, the Cabinet of Ministers announced a competition for the post of head of the State Fiscal Service.
The loss of insulin-secreting beta cells by autoimmune destruction leads to type 1 diabetes. Clinical islet cell transplantation has the potential to cure diabetes, but donor pancreases are rare. In a new study, a group of researchers developed an improved pluripotent stem cell differentiation protocol to generate beta cells in vitro with superior glucose response and insulin secretion. This is a major step towards beta cell replacement therapy.

Human pluripotent stem cells (either human embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells) can differentiate into every cell type of the human body with unlimited self-renewing capacity. Hence, pluripotent stem cells are an optimal source to generate specialized cell types for cell replacement therapy, e.g. beta cells for diabetic patients. However, current in vitro beta cell differentiation protocols are very complex due to the high number of differentiation steps. The process requires almost 20 signaling proteins and small molecules to regulate the growth and differentiation of the cells and lasts for more than four weeks. Within this multi-step process not all cells differentiate into the targeted cells but take wrong differentiation paths. This can lead to a highly heterogeneous cell population with beta cells which are not completely functional. A group of researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Miltenyi Biotec therefore tried to improve the quality of stem cell-derived beta cells.

CD177 quality control

The researchers developed an approach to enrich the stem cell culture with highly specialized pancreas progenitors which might lead to a more targeted differentiation into beta cells. "From developmental biology we knew that pancreatic progenitors are already specified at the endoderm stage -- the first step of differentiation. We needed to find out if this was true also for human pluripotent stem cell differentiation," explains Prof. Heiko Lickert, Director at the Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Professor of Beta Cell Biology at TUM School of Medicine and member of the Research Coordination Board of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).

To investigate on this, the researchers were looking for a possibility to better control the quality of the endoderm and its differentiation into specified pancreas progenitors. In a cooperation with Sebastian Knobel's group at Miltenyi Biotec they identified a monoclonal antibody called CD177 which marks a subpopulation of the endoderm that efficiently and homogenously differentiates into specified pancreatic progenitors. CD177 can therefore function as a quality control. "With CD177 we can already see at an early stage if the cells are on the right differentiation track. This can help save lots of time, efforts and money," says Lickert.

Enriching the stem cell culture with CD177 at the endoderm stage increases the generation of specified pancreatic progenitors. Ultimately, this leads to more mature and more functional beta cells that respond better to glucose and show improved insulin secretion patterns.

Cell replacement therapy, disease modelling and drug screening

Current beta cell differentiation protocols generate very heterogeneous cell populations that not only contain beta cells, but also remaining pancreatic progenitors or cell types from a different lineage. The purification by CD177 will not only improve the homogeneity and quality of the generated beta cells but also increase their clinical safety, as pluripotent stem cells are separated out. This is a crucial step towards the clinical translation of stem cell-derived beta cell replacement therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes.

Furthermore, as CD177 generated beta cells are more similar to beta cells in the human body, the CD177 protocol will help to establish disease modeling systems that can mimic the human pancreas. In addition, a differentiation protocol giving rise to functional beta cells is of highest interest for drug screening approaches.

About this study

This study was a collaboration between Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Miltenyi Biotec. It was funded by the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), the EU consortium HumEN ("Up-scaling human insulin-producing beta cell production by efficient differentiation and expansion of pancreatic endoderm progenitors" -- HEALTH.2013.1.4-1. Controlling differentiation and proliferation in human stem cells intended for therapeutic use. FP7-HEALTH-2013-INNOVATION-1) and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement number 874839.
Back in 2019, Google announced a new version of the Pixel Buds and as promised they are finally making their way to stores. Priced at $179 (Rs 13,500 approx) the new Pixel Buds are now truly wireless unlike the first-gen that had a wire connecting the two earpieces.

While they might look similar to the previous version, they have a new design with rubber ear tips that go inside your canal and a wing at the top to secure the buds. The round surface of the buds is touch-sensitive and you can swipe or tap to perform various functions.

There is a small vent so that you can still hear ambient noise and while these dont come with active noise cancellation, Google has added something called Adaptive Sound. This feature uses the inbuilt microphones to detect your environment and automatically adjust the volume of your music so you don't have to increase or decrease it manually.

Google also highlights the dual microphones which should help in making clearer voice calls, while the built-in accelerometer can detect when you are about to speak by the movement of your jaw. Google Assistant is always on your side and by just saying the Hey Google hotword, you can perform various tasks like setting alarms, reading text messages, asking the weather and so on.

These also boast of a wide connectivity range allowing you to stay connected three rooms apart while indoors. From what weve seen, early reviews confirm these claims, which is great. As for battery life, these offer 5 hours of music playback and 2 hours of talk time on a single charge. The charging case is said to add an additional 24 hours. Speaking of which, the oval charging case offers a really solid design with a matte finish. It can be charged using a USB-C cable or wirelessly. They also pair effortlessly by simply opening the charging case.

The Pixel Buds 2 were announced in four colours- Clearly White, Almost Black, Quite Mint, and Oh So Orange. As of now only the white colour variant is available for purchase. Sadly there is no confirmation whether these will ever come to India. The first-gen Pixel Buds never did, so there is a high chance that these new truly wireless ones won't either. We even reached out to Google but as usual the answers were quite vague.

Google hasnt been that keen or bothered when it comes to the hardware market. It definitely has the capability, but it seems that it has given higher priority to software over selling devices. And it makes sense since a majority of the revenue is earned by the software and the services it offers.
Property management signs advertise student housing for rent on Willington Street near West Oxford Street, a neighborhood adjacent to Temple University, in North Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Concerns abound over housing costs during the economic devastation wreaked by the coronavirus. Read more

As May 1 rent payment approaches, Philadelphia is poised for a potential tenant strike. Rent in the city is still due even though evictions are on hold at least through May 31. The Philadelphia Tenants Union is considering a strike to pressure local, state, and federal officials to cancel rent and mortgage payments for six months, with no debt accrued or back pay required, Anna Orso and Michaelle Bond reported for The Inquirer.

Those calling to freeze rent and mortgages argue its a necessary step to protect a huge population of housing-insecure people. But opponents argue a freeze will further strain the housing market and shift, rather than erase, costs. A political organizer and the head of a property owners association debate: Should Pennsylvania freeze rent and mortgage payments?

YES: Housing was already a crisis that the coronavirus exploded.

By Steve Paul

Because of COVID-19 and the economic emergency were now living in, millions of unemployed people cannot cover rent, make mortgage payments, or even handle most bills. That is why Pennsylvania needs rent and mortgage payment cancellations for the duration of the pandemic and economic crisis.

This emergency is more than a public health crisis. It is also an economic crisis threatening housing security for tens of millions of Americans, including tens of thousands of Philadelphians. If we do not act now, millions of working-class people will lose their homes due to unemployment and illness, neither of which they caused nor control. Black and brown people, working people, and immigrants will bear the worst health effects of COVID-19 even as they take the worst of the economic fallout. When it comes to housing, 55% of black people are cost-burdened  paying more than 30% of income toward rent or a mortgage  as are 54% of Latinx people, higher than cost-burdened rates for Asian and other minority groups at nearly 46% and white people at close to 43%, per a 2019 report from Harvard University.

The nations housing crisis is not new. Before COVID-19, 40% of Americans were one missed paycheck away from having no money, leaving tens of millions on the edge of homelessness. The situation in Philadelphia was especially acute. Over 400,000 Philadelphians live in poverty and, according to city figures, more than half of Philadelphians are cost-burdened. Thats why One Pennsylvania launched the Freedom to Stay campaign, aimed at universal rent control and property tax relief for working families, in particular for low-income renters and homeowners.

COVID-19 has made a bad situation worse. Unemployment claims are at record-breaking levels. More than 26 million people have filed for unemployment in response to the pandemic. And thats just the beginning. No doubt, millions more will lose their jobs in the coming weeks and months.

Some officials have stepped up to help homeowners and tenants by winning eviction and foreclosure moratoriums as well as some mortgage delays. Those solutions, while important stopgaps, are insufficient. Without swift and universal action to cancel rent and mortgage payments, tenants and homeowners will be crushed by mounting bills once COVID-19 recedes. The virus may disappear, but the bills will not  unless we take action.

We cannot just postpone evictions and mortgage payments and think people will be in their homes a year from now. Steve Paul

Thankfully, we have smart legislators in D.C. and in Harrisburg putting forward strong legislation that would protect renters and homeowners in these times of upheaval. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) recently introduced federal legislation that would cancel all rent and mortgage payments and create a fund for landlords and banks to cover losses from the canceled payments. At the state level, champions for working people  including our own State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Phila.), as well as State Reps. Sara Innamorato (D., Allegheny), Summer Lee (D., Allegheny), and Danielle Friel Otten (D., Chester)  are developing legislation to cancel rent and mortgage payments across the commonwealth. These are the kinds of commonsense solutions we need now.

We cannot just postpone evictions and mortgage payments and think people will be in their homes a year from now. Our government has mastered the art of bailing out big business. In 2008, we bailed out Wall Street and the banks after the housing bubble they created burst. This time, we need a peoples bailout. There is no economic recovery if millions are sentenced to eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness. Only complete cancelation and forgiveness will work; no evictions, no mortgage payments, no utility shutoff, and no foreclosures.

Steve Paul is a lead political organizer for One Pennsylvania in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

NO: Freezing housing payments will just worsen our economic crisis in the long term.

By Harvey Spear

Landlords and tenants need each other more than ever in a pandemic. With May 1 rent due, COVID-19 is cutting off many tenants jobs and income. Rent still must eventually be paid, and so must a landlords mortgage, insurance, and utilities.

Thats why HAPCO Philadelphia, the citys largest rental property owners association, has been working with tenants, urging them to speak directly with their landlords if they face financial hardships.

Eighty-five percent of a HAPCO landlords rent pays mortgage, utilities, repairs, and maintenance. If tenants cant pay rent, their landlords cant pay their bills. It is a domino effect that could mean foreclosures on low- to moderate-income rental properties and less affordable housing in Philadelphia. That is not to mention the tax-hit the city will take if landlords go bankrupt while rent and mortgages go unpaid. Thats a scary scenario, considering almost half of all Philadelphians live in rental properties.

Some banks are working with HAPCO Philadelphia landlords to apply for different forms of government financial help, such as the Small Business Administration Economic Disaster Loans, so long as landlords provide proof of hardship. Many tenants are seeking to arrange payment plans and waive late fees. Tenants also need to provide proof of job loss and be proactive in seeking interim financial assistance. The citys United Way 211 system, which connects people with financial services, is but one of many resources. Tenants should also make sure their employers apply for the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other relief aid if they qualify.

 READ MORE: Lawmakers should anticipate avalanche of evictions after coronavirus | Editorial

The CARES Act, PPP, and stimulus monies are benefitting some tenants. However, many landlords are not eligible for PPP funds because of a loophole in the language. Most are Schedule E tax filers and are excluded. HAPCO Philadelphia is asking Congress to expand the CARES Act language to allow landlords to fairly qualify for COVID-19 relief aid.

Some state and local legislators have proposed a state mortgage and rent freeze until COVID-19 subsides. While that may sound like an equitable step, it isnt. There is a big difference between a lenders willingness to forgive a mortgagor, and a landlord forced to not collect rent. Banks have the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to cover a default if they cannot make their payments. Landlords, on the other hand, have just themselves. Banks dont actually forgive mortgage payments  they only agree to forbearance in lieu of foreclosure, which only postpones or reduces payments temporarily. Freezing mortgages for landlords will force them to pay more in the long term due to accumulated interest. Denying them rent in that same period will simply make it harder for them to cover the costs that ultimately make affordable housing possible for their tenants.

The economic and social damage a freeze will cause would be severe and, potentially, irreparable. Harvey Spear

With the promise of continuing federal aid dollars, as well as state and local loans and grants in the works, a mortgage and rent freeze is simply unwarranted. The economic and social damage theyll cause would be severe and, potentially, irreparable.

Tenants need their landlords, and landlords need their tenants. As they face financial strain, they both should make use of temporary aid resources, to hold on until our city and state start transitioning back to our regular economy.

Working together through communication, education, and mediation, Philadelphia landlords and their tenants will make it through this.

Harvey Spear is the president of HAPCO Philadelphia, which represents nearly 2,000 rental and investment property owners in the city. www.hapcoassoc.com
Three more policemen have been suspended in connection with lynching of three people, including two sadhus, in Maharashtras Palghar district, news agency ANI reported.

An Assistant sub-inspector and two head constables of Kasa police station have been suspended in Palghar lynching case. Two police inspectors have already been suspended in the case. Thirty cops were transferred yesterday, ANI reported quoting a statement from Palghar Police.

Two sadhus and their driver were lynched by a huge mob outside Gadhchinchale village, 110 kilometre from Palghar in Maharashtra on April 16. They were attacked on the suspicion of being child-lifters.

It later emerged that the sadhus - 70-year-old Swami Kalpvriksha Giri and 35-year-old Sushil Giri - belonged to Varanasi-based Juna Akhara and were on their way to Gujarat to attend the last rite of their guru Mahant Shri Ram Giri.

Palghar Police have arrested around 110 people, including nine juveniles in connection with the mob lynching.

Asserting that nobody involved in the Palghar mob lynching incident would be spared, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a high-level probe by Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking to transfer the investigation into the Palghar incident to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The petition, filed by Mumbai-based lawyer Ghanshyam Upadhyay, also sought directions to the central government and Palghar SP to submit a report to the NIA with a view to enabling the agency to make a decision about taking over the investigation.
The government has given an in-principle approval to requests from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to send Indian doctors and paramedics to help the two Gulf countries fight the Covid-19 pandemic, a top government official told Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

Kuwait was the first one to seek Indian medical assistance earlier this month when Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah called Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian Air Force had then flown a 15-member military rapid response team.

As this team was wrapping up - it returned on Monday - New Delhi received the request for more medical teams. They were very impressed with the rapid response team, an official said.

By this time, senior government officials said, another request for Indian healthcare personnel had come in from the United Arab Emirates. There are also similar requests pending from Mauritius and Comoros, the archipelago off Africas east coast Comoros, that are battling the disease.

Other Gulf countries have also sounded out New Delhi that they would need Indian medical assistance and are expected to send formal requests shortly.

In response to these requests, the top official said, an in-principle decision has been taken to allow retired military doctors, nurses and technicians to travel to UAE and Kuwait to begin with.

For Comoros and Mauritius, the government has okayed short-term deployment of the militarys rapid response teams. These self-contained teams comprise military doctors, nurses and other paramedics.

The foreign ministry and the armed forces are still working out the mechanics of how the medical teams for Kuwait and UAE would be constituted.

Retired military healthcare professionals - doctors, nurses, lab technicians - who are ready to take up this assignment, can opt to help the Gulf countries, the official said.

On an average, a top military official told Hindustan Times, about 100 doctors, 30-40 nurses and a few hundred paramedics retire from the Army Medical Corps every year.

Since it would not have been possible to spare serving government doctors at this time, the decision attempts to address the urgent needs of the Gulf countries without compromising with the healthcare requirements of people in India.

PM Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who have received numerous requests for Indian assistance from Gulf countries over the Covid-19, had earlier ordered officials to prioritise approvals to their requests for dispatch of millions of paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine tablets.

So far, 45 million hydroxychloroquine tablets and 11 metric tonnes of HCQs active pharmaceutical ingredients have been cleared to be shipped on a commercial basis to six Gulf countries, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Another 22.7 million units of paracetamol were also cleared for Kuwait and the UAE before the government lifted export controls on the medicine on 17 April. Some more consignments of paracetamol were subsequently cleared for the two countries, apart from Iraq and Yemen.

Medical Assistance to Gulf countries UAE - 428 lakh HCQ tablets, 10 tonnes of HCQ active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), 220 million paracetamol tablets Kuwait - 7.7 million paracetamol tablets, injections etc Bahrain - 15 lakh HCQ tablets Jordan - 0.5 tonnes of HCQ API Oman - 10 lakh HCQ tablets Qatar - 80,000 HCQ tablets Saudi Arabia - 0.52 tonnes of HCQ API

Officials suggest India had gone out of its way to cater to the requirements of the Gulf countries at this crucial juncture, gestures that have been warmly reciprocated by the West Asian countries. Like when the UAE was packing off immigrants from every other country following the outbreak of the pandemic, India requested Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to go slow with repatriating Indian nationals because the state governments didnt have the infrastructure to deal with the influx.

This request was accepted though around the same time, the messaging to the rest of the world was that the government could impose restrictions on return of workers later from countries that dont evacuate their nationals.

It is in this context, a foreign ministry official said, that the unseemly controversy over a cabinet note in Kuwait should be seen. The document, which spoke about Muslims being targeted in India, was leaked around the same time that Kuwait was requesting India to make an exception and send Indian doctors and healthcare professionals.

It was an effort by vested interests - possibly linked to pro-Pakistan elements in the kingdom - to influence the narrative around Indias deepening ties with Gulf countries. In any case, a minister in the Indian government said, even at meetings of the Union Cabinet in Delhi, all issues and topics under the Sun are discussed. That does not mean that the view being discussed reflects the stand of the government, he said.

Officials underline how the concerns referred to in the Kuwaiti document echoed the narrative that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had been trying to build for some time.

Foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi had promptly weighed in, calling for a coordinated effort against coronavirus. Unfortunately, what were seeing is that though this virus respects no borders, it doesnt differentiate between ethnicities or religion  yet in India [...] theyre in the grip of Islamophobia, he said, according to a report in Pakistans newspaper Dawns website.

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An Arizona police department is reportedly looking into the death of a man who died last month after his wife said they swallowed chloroquine phosphate, thinking it would help prevent them from catching the COVID-19 coronavirus.

A homicide detective reviewing the death of Gary Lenius confirmed the investigation to the Washington Free Beacon Tuesday after requesting a copy of the Free Beacons recorded interviews with Leniuss wife, Wanda, the online newspaper reported.

After Gary Lenius, 68, died on March 22, Wanda, 61, told several news outlets she and her husband had ingested a substance used to clean aquariums after hearing President Donald Trump tout one of its ingredients, chloroquine phosphate, during his public health press briefings.

NBC News reported the story, and it went viral, feeding into political divisions and criticisms of Trump. But the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative online newspaper, dug into the story and interviewed Wanda and Garys friends, raising questions.

Wanda reportedly told the newspaper that she watched the president tout the virtues of chloroquine on the news, and remembered buying a container of "chloroquine phosphate" years before to clean a fish tank.

"We weren't big supporters of [Trump], but we did see that they were using it in China and stuff," she reportedly told the newspaper. "And we just made a horrible, tragic mistake."

Gary Lenius and his wife Wanda, both in their 60s, drank chloroquine phosphate last month after confusing it for hydroxychloroquine.#Coronavirus #DonaldTrump https://t.co/M5zgdWkA4j  H24 News Ireland (@h24news_ie) April 25, 2020

Wanda reportedly told the Free Beacon that they each consumed one teaspoon and some soda each, which represents at least four times the lethal limit. They both started having severe symptoms within 30 minutes.

I started vomiting, she told NBC News last month. My husband started developing respiratory problems and wanted to hold my hand.

Both were taken to the hospital but the man could not be resuscitated.

The Free Beacon interviewed some of Garys friends who said the story didnt add up.

"What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man, a retired [mechanical] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and I really can't see the scenario where Gary would say, Yes, please, I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner,'" one of his close friends reportedly told the Free Beacon. "It just doesn't make any sense."

The Free Beacon found campaign finance records show that Wanda Lenius had given thousands of dollars to Democratic groups and candidates over the past two years, most recently to the 314 Action Fund. The fund promotes itself as the "pro-science resistance" and has criticized the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The newspaper also reported that Wanda Lenius was charged with domestic abuse assault in 2001 after she allegedly hit her husband and swung a mounted birdhouse at him. Gary Lenius declined to cooperate, testifying that he was not injured or placed in fear of injury. His wife was exonerated.

When the Free Beacon asked Wanda Lenius if she had a conversation with her husband before consuming the laced-soda, she reportedly said: "No. I mean, it was really kind of a spur of the moment thing.

The newspaper said it turned over its recording of Wandas interview to police.

Homicide Detective Teresa Van Galder reportedly told the Free Beacon:

"As this is an active investigation, I cannot go into any details at this time regarding the case," Van Galder said.

Once the newspaper published its story Tuesday announcing the homicide investigation, a police spokesman reached out to the newspaper to emphasize that is normal protocol for the homicide department to investigate all death cases (other than obvious natural causes) and that the death has not been ruled a homicide at this time.

READ: Pa. nursing homes say they need more help from state as deaths climb from COVID-19
Straw Basket weavers in the Upper East Region have been given education on the need for social distancing and personal protective Equipment to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

As a result, they are no longer weaving together in groups at the weaving centers.

Paku Enterprise (PE) Ghana in collaboration with the African Market Baskets (AMB) of the Overseas Connection of United States of America (USA), are among the major partners that are complementing governments efforts at sensitizing the Straw Basket weavers in the region to help curb the spread of Coronavirus(COVID-19).

The two organizations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to more than the ten (10) Straw basket weaver groups valued more than GHS 10,000.

The beneficiaries are from Zorbisi, Bolga-Sherigu, Zaare, Sumbrungu, Sokabisi, Yorogo, Zorko, Nyariga, Yikene and Bolgatang, the regional capital. All the groups received 110 Veronica buckets, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and handwashing soaps.

Speaking at the separate functions, the Coordinator of Social Interventions of the two organizations, Ms Eleanor Anabire, explained that the items, which formed part of her Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was to enable the groups wash their hands with soap under running water and apply the hand sanitizers regularly to help prevent them from contracting the COVID-19 virus.

The Coordinator who educated the groups to observe all the COVID -19 protocols and the Presidents directives of social distancing, public gathering and personal hygiene, entreated the groups to be the ambassadors of the COVID -19 education in their respective communities.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Paku Enterprise Ghana, Mr Paul Akurugu , explained that although the COVID-19 pandemic had affected everybody in one way or the other, the basket weaver groups who are mostly women are among the most vulnerable groups that require immense support to keep them safe from contracting the virus.

He explained that Paku Enterprise is an indigenous firm based in Region that is primarily into production and export of authentic Bolga baskets and other handicraft products.

He stated that the two partners have been working with the basket weaver groups in the region for many years and have been supporting the groups in diverse ways.

He mentioned that annually the two organization as part of their CSR, collaborate with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to register and renew the NHIS subscriptions of all members of the weaver groups, including their children.

He also disclosed that both organizations annually donate educational materials such as reading and text books, pens, pencils, mathematics set, and computers among other to pupils of basic schools within the basket producing communities on an annual basis.

Mrs. Akolpoka Abugre, one of the leaders of the Basket Weaver groups thanked the two organizations for the support and assured them that they would be ambassadors of the COVID-19 education in their respective communities.
Police found patrons 'hiding in the cupboards' of a South Yorkshire pub which has been ordered to shut after breaching lockdown rules.

The Pitsmoor Hotel in Sheffield was found to be in breach of current laws which prevent pubs from opening to customers during the coronavirus lockdown.

After a tip off from concerned members of the public, officers visited the pub on Friday night and found it was still open.

Police raided the Pitsmoor Hotel, pictured, in Sheffield, where officers found patrons hiding in cupboards to avoid the attention of the authorities

John O'Malley, liquor licensing manager at South Yorkshire Police, said: 'On Friday night, officers attended the premises and found a number of people hiding in cupboards, the pub was clearly still open for business'

John O'Malley, liquor licensing manager at South Yorkshire Police, said: 'On Friday night, officers attended the premises and found a number of people hiding in cupboards, the pub was clearly still open for business.

'What makes this more significant, is that the licence holder has already been served a prohibition notice under the legislation for another premise, The Staffordshire Arms on Sorby Street.

'Licenses for both venues are now under review by ourselves and Sheffield City Council, so there could be long-term implications for these businesses.'

The Staffordshire Arms in nearby Burngreave was shut earlier this month with the landlord continuing to 'shamelessly' serve customers.

Both pubs have now been served with prohibition notices.

Mr O'Malley said: 'Right across South Yorkshire we have seen fantastic support, compliance and respect for the restrictions from our licensed premises.

'I want responsible businesses to see that we are taking enforcement action when it comes to venues who are flouting the rules and ultimately putting lives at risk.

'I'd also like to thank the public for being vigilant and reporting their concerns.'

Reports continue to be made these are being investigated. Anyone found to be operating in contravention of the new rules will face enforcement action.

Cllr Bob Johnson, cabinet member for transport and development at Sheffield City Council, said: 'These restrictions are in place to protect everyone from the spread of coronavirus.

'Hundreds of people are still dying in the UK amidst this pandemic and whilst I am heartened by the sacrifices the vast majority of individuals and responsible businesses are making during this lockdown period, it seems some appear to believe they can ignore the regulations and in doing so risk spreading the virus.

'In these cases, as we have shown here, we will follow up on complaints and take firm action.

'This license holder has ignored the restrictions, despite having another premises shut down, and may now face additional consequences around the future of these licenses.

'We ask members of the public to continue reporting their concerns so that we can protect our NHS and protect lives.'


Everyone was shocked when the news of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan's demise surfaced online earlier today. The 53-year-old actor was admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital for a colon infection.

Actress Kriti Kharbanda who made her debut with Raaz Reboot, has worked with Irrfan in Karwaan. Kriti expressed her current state of mind in an interview with Filmfare. She was shocked when she got to know it, she said, It took me about 5 minutes just to comprehend what I was reading, very honestly. It is so unfortunate what happened this morning. I heard about his mothers demises well and I really hope the family is able to cope with it. And I hope God gives them all the strength. I cant even imagine what they are going through. I hope he rests in peace.







Talking about Irrfan the actress said, He is a fine actor, even better human being. And I think he is just one of those people who the camera truly loves and who truly loves the camera. And I know that he is going to be terribly missed by each and every person who has been the part of the industry in the past and who is the part of the industry today. And I know that people will talk about him till the film industry exist. I treally wish him and his family well. I hope his soul is happy wherever it is.



Kriti feels proud that she got to work with the actor, she added, We did Karwaan together. I played a cameo in the film. And hence didnt have the opportunity to work with him a lot. But in all honesty its very hard for me to describe with right words. The pride I feel having shared screen space with him, screen time with him, worked with him an actor who I looked up to all my life who I genuinely admire and adore. I think he is one of the finest actor the industry has. Just makes me very very happy that even if it was a brief moment, that I got to work with him. And be in the same film as him and he will be terribly missed. I honestly cant find the right words to describe what I am feeling now.




Lucknow, April 29 : Afzal Ansari, Member of Parliament from Ghazipur has written a letter to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court highlighting the prohibitory order banning 'azaan' by the district magistrate. 'Azaan' alerts people about the time of prayer, especially 'sehri' and 'iftar'.

He urged the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court to protect the fundamental rights of the people of his constituency and direct that 'azaan' may be allowed since it involves only one person ('Moazzin') The Samajwadi Party MP, who is in Delhi since lockdown, said in his letter that the people in his constituency have been diligently following the lockdown rules and Ramzan prayers were being held in the confines of their homes.

"As per guidelines issued by the government, the prayers and gathering at mosque or any other religious place were/are prohibited and was/is accepted by everyone," he wrote.

The MP said that from April 24, "azaan" in mosques have been prohibited by the Ghazipur administration.

"When people asked for a written order, if any, the police said that they have only received a verbal order from the district magistrate and if anyone dared to make 'azaan' from the mosque, he would be booked under National Security Act. Several FIRs have been registered against some Imams of mosques without any rhyme or reason," he stated.

The SP MP further wrote that he had made efforts to contact the local administration but got no response.
Former NDC Central Regional Chairman, Allotey Jacobs has commended President Nana Akufo-Addo for exercising the right leadership in fighting COVID-19 pandemic.



Allotey Jacobs labeled the President as a ''matured leader'' and was delighted that he has brought his maturity to bear during these trying times.



Coronavirus (COVID-19) has become the bane of the world with nations worldwide finding ways to safeguard their citizenry from the virulent viral disease.



The pandemic has driven leaders across the globe to take tough decisions though inconveniencing their citizens and woefully impacting economies but for a greater cause, such decisions had to be made irrespective.



Of course, President Nana Akufo-Addo has not been spared from making difficult decisions either as he enforced a partial lockdown and restrictions on public gatherings, resulting in the closure of schools, churches and other relevant public activities that inject life into the spines of Ghanaians.



It is however not out of place to say the happiness of many Ghanaians has been sapped, but once again, for the good of the nation and the health of all citizens, the President's decisions have been found necessary to comply with.



Ghana has since recorded 1671 cases of COVID-19 with 188 recoveries and 16 deaths, however, the infection rate is still one of the lowest in the world and this is primarily due to the government's interventions in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the country.



Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' on Wednesday, Allotey Jacobs told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that assessing world statistics on the impact of COVID-19; ''Ghana is doing very well. As a matter of fact, our State institutions confronting this pandemic; they're doing very well, very [very] well ably supported by government because it is the government of the day. You can't run away from that fact. Any measures that it will put in place, State institutions are following that procedure or that measures and it is in the right order...we've gone far''.



He appreciated efforts by President Akufo-Addo to protect Ghanaians, stressing ''we are in a political age of maturity. So, we should look at Ghana first when issues are raised...We had the age of a visionary leader and we're having an age of a matured leader. To sum up, all this is to move Ghana forward. When you explain yourself, it appears the young ones who have come up, I don't know the force pushing them but they will not listen to wisdom or reasoning...This country has to move forward. So, we will speak out if someone does something good. I'm not a Spokesperson for President Nana Akufo-Addo but when he is doing right, I will commend him for it. When it is wrong, I will say it''.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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(Natural News) A health and wellness facility in Michigan that was treating potential Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with intravenous vitamin C has been raided and shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for allegedly committing fraud.

According to Dr. Charles Mok of the Allure Medical Spa, the FBI and HHS took issue with the facilitys decision to offer high-dose, intravenous vitamin C to all essential workers who are exposed to COVID-19, even though this is exactly what China, South Korea, and other countries have been doing to treat their patients.

The two federal agencies reportedly stormed the facility on 26 Mile Road and Van Dyke in Shelby Township just before 8 am on April 23, and proceeded to haul out boxes of medical records and other evidence, sorting it into three makeshift tents. All of those involved with the raid were seen wearing full-body protective gear, including gas mask-type face coverings.

Allegations (are) that the clinic provided fraudulent treatments for COVID-19 and that the clinic did not observe proper protocols to protect patients and staff, stated FBI spokesperson Mara Schneider about the reason for the raid.

This is not a typical evidence response team search, she added. We would not normally do what ends up being more of a document heavy search. But because of the concerns that we dont know what were walking into, we have our specialty teams here with the appropriate personal protective equipment.

Dr. Mok routinely administered IV vitamin C for free to patients who could not afford it

The FBI and HHS were after all records and information about the IV vitamin C treatments administered at Allure, including those that were administered for free. Dr. Mok is apparently well known for helping patients get healthy, even if he doesnt always make money in the process.

According to a fellow doctor at the clinic who wished to remain anonymous, Dr. Mok is ahead of the curve in this type of treatment and has always put the patients health first, often treating them for free. Dr. Mok himself was also heard in an obtained recording stating:

If you qualify (for treatment), we will accept whatever your insurance covers  even if its nothing.

IV vitamin C treatments are widely available at medical facilities across the U.S. for patients in need of an immune system boost. But it is apparently not acceptable for health spas to give them to patients who might have the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), and especially not for free.

Before it was shut down by the Feds, the Allure Medical Spa reportedly had plenty of happy, healthy customers. One woman by the name of Nancy Smith told a local Fox affiliate that she has been going to the clinic for years and always found them to be so welcoming and helpful and informative.

The FBI has indicated that no arrests were made during the raid, and nobody is currently in custody. The agency has, however, indicated that Dr. Mok is facing federal charges of Health Care Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud.

The evidence will further demonstrate that MOK used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to bill insurers for Vitamin-C infusions fraudulently represented as COVID-19 treatments and preventative measures, a portion of the unsealed criminal complaint reads.

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

Fox2Detroit.com

NaturalNews.com

WXYZ.com
Mrs. Thompson (right) was married to Derek Thompson for 42 years. They were the leaders of a church in West Philadelphia. Read more

People Weve Lost Barbara Thompson

61 years old

Lived in Springfield

Her husband of 42 years called her 'one of Gods best More Memorials

The way Barbara Thompson carried herself in her 61 years on Earth has left her husband no doubt that she is at peace in an eternal home.

Mrs. Thompson was an educator, a minister, a beacon of light, and the mother of seven children. The first lady of Enon Chapel Baptist Church at 54th and Sansom Streets, she was always lending a hand.

Mom was my best friend, Gabriella, her only daughter, said. She always used to tell me to live life to the fullest  so that when it is all said and done, you can hold your head up high and say, I did everything I wanted to do. She was a person of wisdom. Lots of wisdom.

Mrs. Thompson taught at numerous schools in the area and was cited by the Mayors Commission on Literacy, according to her daughter. She founded the THINK B.I.I.G literacy program with a slogan, When you think big, there is no small result.

Mrs. Thompson was born in Jackson, Miss., in 1958 and met her husband, the Rev. Derek Thompson, while the two were students at Tougaloo College. Derek, a West Philadelphia native who has been the pastor at Enon Chapel for 18 years, first set eyes on her when she was singing in the choir.

Last December, they celebrated 42 years of marital music.

God gave me one of his best." husband Derek Thompson

Lou Rawls was right, he said of a popular 1976 song, when he said, Youll never find another love like mine.

They traveled internationally with their ministry, including a 2004 trip to the Middle East that included visits to Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and the Gaza Strip, her husband recalled.

One pastor told us we were joined at the hip because he would never see one of us without the other. We did everything together. She was a confidant, a friend, a business partner. You name it. She was all that, Derek Thompson said. And she was gorgeous.

Mrs. Thompson died on Saturday, April 11, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from complications caused by the coronavirus. In addition to her daughter and husband, she is survived by sons David, Jonathan, Brian, Samuel, and Philip, and four grandchildren. A son, Nathaniel, died earlier.

She gave me hope, strength  and, when times were bad, gave me the courage to go on, Derek Thompson said. One thing about my wife is that she knew the Lord. Im satisfied knowing that she is rewarded, and all is well.

God gave me one of his best."

 Ed Barkowitz
Since late in January the world has undergone staggering changes which in many cases may be irreparable. We have given decisions over every aspect of our lives to the judgment of tests and to the projections of computer models for the coronavirus first claimed to have erupted in Wuhan China, now dubbed SARS-CoV-2. With astonishing lack of transparency or checking, one government after the other has imposed China-model lockdowns on their entire populations. It begins to look as if we are being led like sheep to slaughter for corrupted science .

The Dubious COVID Models

Two major models are being used in the West since the alleged spread of coronavirus to Europe and USA to predict and respond to the spread of COVID-19 illness. One was developed at Imperial College of London. The second was developed, with emphasis on USA effects, by the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle, near the home of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. What few know is that both groups owe their existence to generous funding by a tax exempt foundation that stands to make literally billions on purported vaccines and other drugs to treat coronavirusThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In early March, Prof. Neil Ferguson, head of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London issued a widely-discussed model that forecast possible COVID-19 deaths in the UK as high as 500,000. Ferguson works closely with the WHO. That report was held responsible for a dramatic u-turn by the UK government from a traditional public health policy of isolating at risk patients while allowing society and the economy to function normally. Days after the UK went on lockdown, Fergusons institute sheepishly revised downwards his death estimates, several times and dramatically. His dire warnings have not come to pass and the UK economy, like most others around the world, has gone into deep crisis based on inflated estimates.

Ferguson and his Imperial College modelers have a notorious track record for predicting dire consequences of diseases. In 2002 Ferguson predicted that up to 50,000 people in UK would die from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, possibly to 150,000 if the epidemic expanded to include sheep. A total of 178 people were officially registered dead from vCJD. In 2005, Ferguson claimed that up to 200 million (!) people worldwide would be killed by bird-flu or H5N1. By early 2006, the WHO had only linked 78 deaths to the virus. Then in 2009 Fergusons group at Imperial College advised the government that swine flu or H1N1 would probably kill 65,000 people in the UK. In the end, swine flu claimed the lives of 457 people. Ferguson and his Imperial College group have a notoriously bad track record for predicting disease consequences.

Yet the same Ferguson group at Imperial College, with WHO endorsement, was behind the panic numbers that triggered a UK government lockdown. Ferguson was also the source of the wild prediction that 2.2 million Americans would likely die if immediate lockdown of the US economy did not occur. Based on the Ferguson model, Dr Anthony Fauci of NIAID reportedly confronted President Trump and pressured him to declare a national health emergency. Much as in the UK, once the damage to the economy was begun, Fergusons model later drastically lowered the US fatality estimates to between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths. In both US and UK cases Neil Ferguson relied on data from the Chinese government, data which has been shown as unreliable.

Neil Ferguson and his modelling group at Imperial College, in addition to being backed by WHO, receive millions from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ferguson heads the Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium at Imperial College which lists as its funders the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Gates-backed GAVI-the vaccine alliance. From 2006 through 2018 the Gates Foundation has invested an impressive $184,872,226.99 into Fergusons Imperial College modeling operations.

Notably, the Gates foundation began pouring millions into Fergusons modelling operation well after his catastrophic lack of accuracy was known, leading some to suggest Ferguson is another science for hire operation.

University of WashingtonGates too

More recently, the forecast models being used to justify the unprecedented lockdown measures across the United States have been developed at the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle. Its COVID-19 model forecasts deaths and the use of hospital resources such as hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators. At the end of March the model from IHME also predicted up to 2.2 million American coronavirus deaths unless drastic lockdown measures were followed. By April 7 IHME models revised that down to up to 200,000 deaths. Their last down revision puts deaths at just over 60,000. The claim is that the down revisions are informed by actual data. Yet the wildly inaccurate projections were the ones used to impose catastrophic social and economic restrictions across the USA.

Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter questioned the IMHE model: Aside from New York, nationally theres been no health system crisis. In fact, to be truly correct, there has been a health system crisis, but the crisis is that the hospitals are empty, he said. This is true in Florida where the lockdown was late, this is true in southern California where the lockdown was early, its true in Oklahoma where there is no statewide lockdown. There doesnt seem to be any correlation between the lockdown and whether or not the epidemic has spread wide and fast. IHME claims its revisions are result of the lockdown taking effect even though that would take weeks to show up.

Like Neil Ferguson at the Imperial College London, the University of Washingtons IHME is another project of the Gates Foundation. It was created in 2007 with a major grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In May 2015 IHME and the World Health Organization signed a major agreement to collaborate on data used to estimate world health trends. Then in 2017 IHME got an additional $279 million from the Gates Foundation to expand its work over the next decade. That, in addition to another a $210 million gift in 2016 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund construction of a new building to house several UW units working in population health, including IHME. In other words, IHME has been a crucial piece of the Gates global health strategy for more than 13 years.

They have been turning out highly inflated models for state-by-state emergency room demands. Those inflated projections, from New York to California and beyond have wreaked havoc on the entire health care system. When one IHME model predicted need for 430,000 intensive care beds across the US in March, states went into panic mode from New York to California to Pennsylvania and beyond. By the third week of April the reality was that hospital beds were empty and untold numbers of other operations had been canceled to make room for covid19 patients who never materialized.

Faulty Tests

The wide variety of different tests that are supposed to tell whether one is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus have added a crucial element to the perfect dystopian storm that is raging globally. Simply put, the tests are not that reliable.

A leading German laboratory reported in early April that, according to WHO recommendations, Covid19 virus tests are now considered positive, even if the specific target sequence of the Covid19 virus is negative and only the more general corona virus target sequence is positive. This can lead to other corona viruses such as cold viruses also triggering a false positive test result. That means you can have a simple cold and you are deemed coronavirus positive. Little wonder that the tally of coronavirus infected is exploding over the past weeks. But what does that number really mean? We simply dont know. Yet our politicians are glibly shutting down entire economies and causing inconceivable social damage based on false model projections and WHOs dodgy testing guidelines.

In Germany the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the government agency leading the COVID19 response, has deliberately refused to list the actual daily number of persons tested despite requests. Prof. Christopher Kuhbander, author of a detailed study states, The reported figures on new infections very dramatically overestimate the true spread of the corona virus. The observed rapid increase in new infections is almost exclusively due to the fact that the number of tests has increased rapidly over time. So, at least according to the reported figures, there was in reality never an exponential spread of the coronavirus. The reported figures on new infections hide the fact that the number of new infections has been decreasing since about early or mid-March. Yet the uncritical media presentation of endless statistics from the head of the RKI have fostered unprecedented anxiety and fear in the population of Germany.

Californian physician Dr. Dan Erickson described his observations regarding Covid19 in a press briefing. He stated that hospitals and intensive care units in California and other states have remained largely empty so far. Dr. Erickson reports that doctors from several US states have been pressured to issue death certificates mentioning Covid19, even though they themselves did not agree. In Pennsylvania the state was forced to remove some 200 coronavirus deaths after doctor autopsy revealed death from pre-existing causes such as heart or lung diseases.

The more that actual facts are emerging around this pandemic and its consequences, it is becoming clear were are being told to commit economic and social suicide based on wrong methods and wrong information.

F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook
Two policemen were injured after a mob attack on police personnel who were trying to enforce social distancing in Howrah, West Bengal. A huge police team had to be sent to restore order.

The attack took place in Tikipara after a crowd which had suddenly gathered in that area turned violent against the police personnel that were trying to disperse the crowd.

"As soon as the police asked them to return home, a mob pelted them with stones and beat them up. Two police vehicles were also damaged in the incident," a police official said. The policemen were forced to flee to the nearby Tikipara police outpost, but the mob followed them there and also threw stones at the police outpost.

The injured police personnel were taken to a local hospital. Later, a large police contingent, including RAF personnel, reached the spot to control the situation but even they were not spared by the locals.

Only after the deployment of additional forces did the violence finally come to an end.

Rajib Banerjee, TMC leader and Former Forest Minister of West Bengal, criticised the attack on policemen and said strict action would be taken against the culprits.

BJP's Rahul Sinha has criticised the Mamata Banerjee government over its failure to enforce lockdown. Sinha cited the Howrah incident as another example of the government's failure.

Howrah was declared a hotspot district for COVID-19 on Monday as 79 coronavirus cases have been reported there.

Meanwhile, West Bengal has 725 reported active cases of coronavirus (as of 8 am, April 29), according to the Health Ministry. Total deaths stood at 22. As many as 119 patients have been cured or discharged.

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: No lockdown extension in Chennai; states mull exit plan; COVID-19 deaths-1,007

Also Read: 'Gone too soon': Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Arvind Kejriwal mourn Irrfan Khan's untimely demise
Nepal on Wednesday said that three persons, who returned from India after attending a Tablighi Jamaat gathering, have been tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of the COVID-19 patients in the country to 57.

The three men, who were staying in quarantine after returning from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month, have been brought to an isolation ward of Narayani Hospital in Birgunj for treatment, according to a spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population.

The swab samples of the patients -- aged 31, 43 and 46 -- which were tested at Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), came out positive for the COVID-19, the ministry said.

So far, coronavirus tests have been conducted on 11,524 people in the country. Sixteen patients have been cured so far.

Currently, there are 41 active COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at different hospitals across Nepal.

Tablighi Jamaat members have emerged as the prime suspects among potential coronavirus carriers, not just in India, but in Pakistan, Malaysia and Brunei.

In India, the Jamaat has come under severe criticism for defying the lockdown and organising a congregation in south Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz last month.

According to officials in Delhi, as many as 2,100 foreigners visited India for Tablighi activities since January 1 and all of them first reported at its headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin.

Nepal has been under lockdown since March 23. All government services other than essential have been shut down. On Sunday, the government extended the nationwide lockdown till May 7 to stop the spread of the deadly contagion.

Nepal's tourism sector is the worst hit by the pandemic. The Hotel Association of Nepal has projected that the hotel business income will decline by 90 per cent in 2020 and has asked the government to adopt special measures to protect the industry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 7,000 on Wednesday, according to new state figures.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona is 7,202, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday morning in its daily tally. The total number includes people who have recovered.

The state said 304 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19.

Across Pima County, 1,215 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 27 cases from the day before.

Among the 1,215 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pima County:

 365 people ages 65 and older;

 175 people between 55 and 64 years old;

 233 people between 45 and 54 years old;

 413 people between 20 and 44 years old;

 27 people 19 years old and younger.

No age was available for two coronavirus patients in the county.

There have been 80 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department.

There have been 68,813 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with about 9% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says.

The 304 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Arizona include:

 233 people 65 years old and older;

 42 people between 55 and 64 years old;

 20 people between 45 and 54 years old;
While we know of doctors and cops as frontline Covid-19 warriors, there is another army of healthcare staff which is helping the government fight the war against the virus in an unsung way.

Roped in to gather all kinds of feedback, a strong team of 1.60 lakh Asha (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, positioned across the state, has literally become the eyes and ears of the government in the fight against the Covid-19.

Recently we were asked to gather details of Imams of masjids so that they could be asked to appeal to people to offer prayers at home during Ramadan, said Kiran Yadav, an Asha worker posted in BKT block.

We move out, get exposed to the risk, collect information and forward it to the government through proper channel, she said while ruing the little remuneration she gets in return.

It comes out to be a maximum of Rs 73 a day, if we complete the entire set of task assigned to us. Will the work come again depends on many things, she said.

They are contract workers employed by the health department under national health mission and paid incentives based on the number of cases  mostly institutional deliveries  that they take care of.

Usually, on one delivery, a worker gets Rs 650. If the worker completes all the tasks she is paid Rs 2200 per month.

Similar is the story of Kusum Singh posted in Atesua village of Lucknow.

I finish my house chores before 6 am to leave for field to sensitize people about COVID-19. We brave rude behavior of villagers who believe in rumours more than the facts and are very stubborn most of the times, she said.

During the lockdown, since other vaccination has been stopped the Asha workers are left with the task of institutional deliveries and weighing children for which they would be paid not more than Rs 1000 a month.

Still, they are busy in sensitizing people about COVID-19 and checking whether people are quarantined properly or not.

Where this women work force comes in handy is in collecting feedback and doing ground-level work.

Renu, who is a Sangini and supervises work of around 26 Asha workers covering around more than two dozen hamlets with a total population of around 25, 000, said, We have been visiting door to door, listen to their worries, gathering feedback, face different issues and report it to higher authorities.

We face different kinds of people of strong beliefs. We are the closest part of the state machinery but powerless. Some people ridicule us, some try to demean us, she added.

A few days ago Kusum Singh, Asha worker of Atesua village was confronted by a middle-aged woman when asked to cover the face. Jab hamne koi paap nhin kiya to mooh kyun chhupaaye. (When I have not committed any sin, why should I cover my face), She told Asha worker and asked her to leave the house.

Some people will mock us all the time. They call us corona warriors but in the sense of making fun of us. People ridiculed when we wrote these slogans, said Singh.

Belonging to a marginal farmers family, another Asha worker, Manju Devi of Chaturpur village of Lucknow said, When we reach home, we have nothing in hand but a sense of satisfaction that we did our best. But when I see people around, I feel we all deserve better remunerations.

Some of them have adopted innovative ways to reach out to the people by writing slogans on walls, beating drums so that the message to stay safe from COVID19 reach out to maximum people.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, access to safe and affordable housing is increasingly important. Our physical health depends on our ability to isolate ourselves as necessary from our family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues.

Just as importantly, our mental health requires that our housing be stable and good quality. It is essential for governments to ensure that all people have access to housing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to minimize the impact of the accompanying economic downturn.

For the millions of people who have lost income and jobs as a result of the pandemic, housing, and thus health, is now precarious. For those living at the edges of their income, including the 50 per cent of renter households that have less than a months worth of savings, this is nothing new: life was already precarious and now is even more so.

The Government of Canada is working with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and private lenders to help homeowners defer their mortgage payments, and has created supports for rent for small businesses. No similar program has been developed to support renter households.

All provinces  with Ontario among the first  have enacted some kind of eviction prevention to protect tenants losing income from COVID-19 from being evicted during the pandemic. This is an important step, but leaves open the question of what will happen post-pandemic: will tenants, now owing several months rent, simply be kicked out then? It is important to ensure that this does not happen.

The current median market rent in Canada for cities with 10,000-plus people is $1,077 for a two-bedroom apartment. While undoubtedly beneficial, the $2,000 per month Canada Emergency Response Benefit is not enough to make median rents affordable anywhere in Canada.

Manitobas Rent Assist, a housing allowance program launched in 2014, offers a model that could be the foundation of a national or provincial response to support renters.

Rent Assist provides a supplement for housing directly to the tenant, equal to the difference between 30 per cent of household income and 75 per cent of the median market rent. It is universally available to all households in non-subsidized housing, including both households receiving social assistance and those that are not. Rent Assist has enabled tens of thousands of households to better afford housing in the private market and is helping to bring working families above the poverty line.

Households receiving Rent Assist report greater housing stability (including moving out of homelessness), better mental and physical health, and stronger family cohesion. Once their housing is secured, many recipients have returned to school or increased their hours at work. Rent Assist enables tenants to afford their housing without compromising their food or other basic needs budgets, and landlords appreciate their tenants increased stability.

Rent Assist is not perfect. Tenants and housing providers both point to the relatively low benefit provided at 75 per cent of median market rent. Few rental units are available at this price, and landlords and non-profit housing providers find it difficult to maintain units with this level of income. An expanded housing allowance of this type for the COVID-19 context would likely need to be close to median market rents to achieve affordability goals.

In addition, rent subsidies do not address non-financial barriers to good quality housing, including discrimination, a lack of physically accessible housing, and a lack of supportive housing. Strong and renewed commitment to social housing, building on the National Housing Strategy, is required to address Canadas housing affordability challenges over the long term. Investment in social housing is a strong economic stimulus, generating good jobs and valuable assets that last for generations.

COVID-19 highlights and exacerbates housing challenges across the country. Canada must act quickly and decisively to protect the health of all households by ensuring that all have access to good quality, affordable housing for both the short and long terms.

A Canada Rent Assist benefit offers one way to address the immediate challenges of the pandemic. And, for the long term, Rent Assist, along with new investments in social housing, offers a model for keeping Canada healthy and housed into the future.
Roy Kretschmer, Executive Vice President, said While this is a critical time in our business, we know that our industry is resilient and brighter days are coming. In the meantime, we are lighting up purple for the week to visually show our solidarity.

Valencia Hotel Group is honoring National Travel and Tourism Week being celebrated May 3  9, 2020. This annual tradition for the travel community honors Americas travel industry. With the COVID-19 emergency, the travel industry has faced dramatic economic challenges and the theme for this years National Travel and Tourism Week is Spirit of Travel.

The acclaimed portfolio of properties, including Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX, Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose, CA, Lone Star Court in Austin, TX , Cavalry Court and The George Hotel in College Station, TX, Hotel Alessandra in Houston, TX , and Texican Court in Irving, TX are lighting up their exterior and some interiors for the week in purple lighting. Purple has been designated as the official color of hospitality because of its blend of luxurious confident red and relaxing soothing blue. Its also been known to be a favored color among hotel designers, making a bold statement in a sophisticated way. This year more than ever, Valencia Hotel Group wanted to show their support and will stand in solidarity through visually impacting each city to show their Spirit of Travel.

Roy Kretschmer, Executive Vice President, said, While Valencia Hotel Group properties have remained open, we are acutely aware of the devastation that many of our hospitality partners and neighbors have endured. While this is a critical time in our business, we know that our industry is resilient and brighter days are coming. We look forward to when travel resumes, and our teams can get back to doing what they love which is serving our guests. In the meantime, we are lighting up purple for the week to visually show our solidarity.

About Valencia Hotel Group

Houston-based Valencia Hotel Group is a fully integrated hospitality company that provides management, development, branding and repositioning services for independent, full-service hotels owned by the company, in addition to third parties. Exceptional service, style and location have become brand trademarks. Earning both national and international recognition for their distinctive designs, amenities and settings, Valencia Hotel Group properties are destinations and gathering places within their respective communities, some further benefitting from and enriching their space within the cultural heart of a city. The company continues to forge a niche with hotels that anchor and add value to urban, mixed-use environments, which further support or enhance the guest experience with superior residential, restaurant, retail and office components. The Valencia Hotel Group portfolio currently includes the Valencia brands: Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose, CA and Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. In partnership with developer, Midway, include Valencia Hotel Groups The George in College Station, TX and Hotel Alessandra in Houston, TX. The Court concept brands include Lone Star Court in Austin, TX, Cavalry Court in College Station, TX, Texican Court in Irving, TX and coming soon Cotton Court in Lubbock, TX. For more information, please visit http://www.valenciahotelgroup.com
As rumors swirl about the death or incapacitation of Kim Jong Un, the third in a line of reclusive dictators of North Korea, experts who have pored over the limited information available say its likely no one outside the country knows for sure what his current condition is.

Its a tough country to understand in normal times, noted Ken Gause, a senior foreign leadership analyst for CNA, a nonprofit research outfit that frequently works with government organizations. If they want to shut down information coming out of the regime, they will, he told Yahoo News.

South Korean officials have gone as far as denying his death, but Kim has not surfaced publicly in two weeks, despite multiple recent statements being sent out under his name. President Trump on Monday night hinted he knew more about Kims health but would not elaborate.

The initial sign of alarm came on April 15 when Kim, for the first time since he assumed power, failed to show up at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun for his grandfather Kim Il Sungs birthday celebrations, one of the isolated nations most important holidays. Concerns grew following Kims absence and reporting that he had undergone heart surgery, according to the South Korean site Daily NK, known for its connections to North Korean defector networks. Reports from CNN about U.S. officials tracking news of Kims grave health condition and a deleted tweet from an NBC reporter about Kim being brain-dead escalated speculation quickly.

The range of possible scenarios inside North Korea is wide. Kim could be vacationing or recovering from a medical procedure, or isolating himself from coronavirus infection like much of the world.

At the other end of the spectrum is the ultimate nightmare squared, said Harry Kazianis, the senior director of Korean studies at the Center for the National Interest, during a phone interview. That nightmare is a scenario in which the nuclear-armed state collapses and a flood of refugees, possibly infected with the coronavirus, surges into China and South Korea.

Story continues

With such little information emerging from the North Korean enclave, most experts plan on waiting and seeing.

Kim Jong Un in 2019. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The bottom line ... is that we wont know the status of Kim Jung-un until North Korea tells us, wrote Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, the former American special envoy to the six-party talks with North Korea, in an email to Yahoo News.

Extracting information from North Korea, a place that is cut off from the rest of the world, has always been extremely difficult for intelligence gathering. When I was in intelligence, we called North Korea the hardest of the hard targets, said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA officer and a senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation.

Given the lack of information, experts have often turned to satellite imagery to try to get a sense of the situation on the ground. According to imagery published by Korean analysis shop 38 North, Kim Jong Uns personal train has been parked at Wonsan, an elite coastal beach area.

There could be other explanations, noted Gause. Potentially hes trying to avoid the virus, or maybe hes reached a position within his consolidation of power that he no longer has to pay deference to his father and grandfather in order to maintain legitimacy.

If the rumors are true, or even if Kim is temporarily out of commission, the pandemic could make it even harder to understand whats going on and how to send aid. Even smuggling between North Korea and China is cut off, removing one of the methods the regime uses to keep afloat amid crippling sanctions, Klingner noted.

North Korea and China have really closed the border, he said.

Commuters wearing face masks in Pyongyang, North Korea, on March 30. (Kyodo via Reuters)

The potential for a large exodus of North Korean refugees would be of real concern to China, given its 900-mile border with North Korea, wrote DeTrani. Thats where the international community has to help, assuming, of course, that [Kim Jong Un] or any successor permits the international community and NGOs to help, he continued.

Kims death would also have repercussions on the United States, which has around 28,000 forces based in South Korea. Its unclear how those forces might have to respond to chaos within North Korea or to defend South Korea.

In recent years, U.S. and South Korean forces have already cut down on certain military exercises due to now stagnant diplomatic negotiations between Trump and Kim. With the pandemic, those military forces are on lockdown  though their alert status does not appear to have changed in response to rumors about Kims death. Additionally, the U.S. and South Korea have been engaged in intense negotiations over defense payments to reimburse the Pentagon, straining the relationship somewhat. U.S. forces in Korea are currently operating under a state of emergency, with restrictions on movement and proximity. While North Korea has artillery forces amassed at the border pointing toward Seoul, its unclear what a conflict would look like amid a pandemic.

Id be paying attention to what the Chinese are doing and what the U.S. and South Korea are doing, said Gause. If theyre not raising their alert status or preparing to go into North Korea, at most, there might be a transition of power but no crisis.

If Kim is dead or dies, experts believe the most likely successor would be his sister, Kim Yo Jong, whose position in the elite society and political rankings has been elevated over recent years. Her status as a Kim might be more important than her gender.

Kim Jong Un and sister Kim Yo Jong in Paju, South Korea, in 2018. (Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps/Pool/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

I think that someone connected to the Peaktu bloodline is essential for legitimacy, wrote David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a U.S. Army veteran previously stationed in Korea who runs an email Listserv on Korean issues. It will be difficult for a non-blood relative to take power as the entire propaganda narrative will have to be adjusted.

If theres no clear successor and Kims fate is as grim as rumors paint it to be, then things could escalate quickly.

A lot of times, we plan ... then all those plans go out the window as soon as something starts to happen, said Gause. The U.S. would potentially not only be dealing with an insurgency inside North Korea but also potentially a civil war as well as U.S. Forces Korea butting up against Chinese forces, none of whom have communicated beforehand.

One possible upside to the current possible crisis is that if North Korea is simply suffering from the impact of the pandemic, it could offer the intelligence community a rare opportunity, said Joe Nixon, an intelligence and national security researcher.

According to Radio Free Asia, the regime is attempting to educate North Koreans about the dangers of the virus, he wrote, noting that appears to contradict the governments position in early March, when it claimed there were no COVID-19 cases in the country.

This presents opportunities for intelligence gathering, he wrote, or to hold medical aid over their head in exchange for calling off weapons testing or something similar.

People leave after laying flowers before the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on April 15. (Kim Won/AFP via Getty Images)

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Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

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BRISTOL, Tenn.  Around eight volunteers congregated Tuesday in the parking lot of the Haven of Rest Rescue Mission in Bristol, Tennessee, strapped on cloth face masks, applied hand sanitizer and donned disposable gloves in preparation for a new service  free showers.

Showers for Our Neighbors, which launched Tuesday, is a program that will offer showers to community members who are experiencing homelessness. Every Tuesday and Thursday for the next month, those residents can go to the Haven of Rest between 1-4 p.m. and get a free hot shower in one of the stalls of a shower trailer provided by the Appalachian Service Project.

This is something Bristol doesnt have right now, said Melissa Roberts, a program coordinator for Bristols Promise, one of the multiple local nonprofits behind the initiative. We have a committee talking about starting a day center, but that hasnt happened yet. This is one of the ways we can reach out to our neighbors and say, Youre important.

Each resident who uses one of the showers will get a free hygiene kit they can take into the shower with them, Roberts said, and theyll also get a free bag of dental care supplies when they leave. Two employees from Hygienitech, a home cleaning service, will deep-clean each shower stall with industrial-grade cleaning equipment between each shower.

Thats our biggest expense, Roberts said of Hygienitechs services.

As of now, the program will run for four weeks because thats how long the funding for Hygienitech, which was donated by Family Promise, will last, she added.

Showers for Our Neighbors was started by the Bristol Coordinated Community Response Team, a coalition of local groups run by Bristols Promise. Roberts said the group, which includes about 30 members from both sides of the state line and meets weekly, has lately focused on local issues related to the pandemic and the economic recession it triggered. Alongside the shower program, she said, the group has also worked to support local food pantries, get masks to volunteers and help find volunteers for programs that need them.

Roberts said she wasnt sure how many people will show up for the showers.

But we wanted to make this [service] as widespread as we could for as many people as we could, she said.

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Sycamore isnt the only buyer trying to get out of deals, and some are much larger than the one for Victorias Secret. Gray Television withdrew its $8.5 billion offer for Tegna, the former broadcasting arm of Gannett; BorgWarner, an auto parts supplier, has threatened to scuttle its $3.3 billion merger deal with Delphi Technologies; SoftBank withdrew a $3 billion tender offer for shares of the office-sharing start up WeWork; and Volkswagen said it would delay its $2.9 billion bid for the truck maker Navistar. Whether any of them can legally invoke an act-of-God clause depends on the terms of each contract.

But Sycamore faces unusually daunting odds, thanks to clever drafting by L Brands lawyers at Davis Polk & Wardwell. In the acquisition agreement, the lawyers carved out specific exceptions to those acts of God, including a pandemic. That meant that even if a pandemic struck, Sycamore would be legally obligated to complete the deal.

Ive never seen a reference to a pandemic in that context, said Charles Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, the state where the L Brands-Sycamore case is being litigated. Its going to be very tough for Sycamore to get out of that in Delaware. They read that, and they signed it.

Corporate lawyers said references to pandemics had started creeping into merger agreements and other contracts around the time of the L Brands-Sycamore deal. By then, it was not hard to imagine that the novel coronavirus that had surfaced in China at the end of last year could cause economic upheaval. The city of Wuhan had already been shut down, and the first case of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in the United States. The virus was clearly spreading globally, with cases already reported in South Korea, the Philippines, Japan and Italy.

By all accounts, the L Brands-Sycamore contract was the product of hard-fought negotiations, but theres no evidence that Sycamores lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis pushed back against the pandemic language. Should they have?

No one knew then that Covid-19 would bring the global economy to a near halt or that malls and stores would be closed. Still, scenarios like that are what contract lawyers are supposed to anticipate, however unlikely they might seem.

Its hard for Sycamore to argue they should be excused from the deal, said Gail Weinstein, a partner at Fried Frank who has written about material adverse event clauses in contracts. The pandemic was at the forefront of everyones minds. Even before that, it was public knowledge that a pandemic was likely to happen sometime.
A major fire broke out at the



Hindustan Aeronauticals Ltd (HAL) premises near here on Wednesday even as the fire fighters toiled hard to extinguish it.

According to police, the chemical fire was noticed at about 9 am and within half-an-hour there were raging flames billowing thick smoke.

Soon the fire tenders rushed to the spot.

However, till afternoon it could not be controlled.

The magnesium scrap stockpile had caught fire, they said.

Eight fire tenders were pressed into service. The entire area was cordoned off and fire isolated. No casualties are reported, they added.

Later, in a statement, the HAL said the blaze erupted in the scrap yard of its forge and foundry division.

"The scrap included magnesium metal. The fire has now been contained by dry chemical fire extinguishers.

There is no damage to any property and no casualty reported due to the fire. An investigation is on," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As many as 35 policemen of Kasa Police Station have been transferred in connection with the Palghar lynching incident

Palghar: As many as 35 policemen of Kasa Police Station have been transferred in connection with the Palghar lynching incident, police said.

This comes days after a petition was filed in Bombay High Court seeking to transfer the investigation into the Palghar incident, in which three people were killed by a mob, to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The petition, filed by Mumbai-based lawyer Ghanshyam Upadhyay, also sought directions to the central government and Palghar SP to submit a report to the NIA with a view to enabling the agency to make a decision about taking over the investigation.

Palghar Police have arrested around 110 people, including nine juveniles in connection with the mob lynching.

Three people, who were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to Gujarat via interior roads of Palghar, were beaten to death on 17 April by Gadchinchle villagers, who suspected them of being thieves, police said.
Foreign ministry of UN-recognised government says French Rafale jet, tanker aircraft were spotted over Misrata.

Libyas internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) has protested over what it said was an unauthorised flight over territory under its control by a French-built Rafale warplane.

The Rafale and a refuelling aircraft flew over Misrata, 200 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli, and Abu Grein, a combat zone further east, the GNAs foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The French foreign ministry indicated to us that it would contact the French defence ministry and give us details, the GNA said.

The oil-rich North African nation has been mired in conflict since the 2011 overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gadaffi, with rival administrations in the east and west vying for power.

In April 2019, Haftar  who controls much of eastern Libya  launched an offensive to seize Tripoli.

His military campaign was stalled by troops loyal to the GNA, who after launching a counteroffensive in mid-April, expelled Haftars forces from several strategic western cities.

While Paris officially backs efforts for a peaceful solution to the conflict, analysts say it has often acted in support of Haftar.

Shortly after Haftar announced his offensive, GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj accused France of supporting a dictator.

When [French President] Emmanuel Macron called me, I warned him that public opinion was against France. We dont want Libyans to hate France. France still has a positive and important role to play, al-Sarraj said at the time.
Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, columnist and author Thomas Friedman applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to fight the coronavirus spread. Speaking at the India Today E-Conclave Corona Series, Friedman commended India's early intervention and said that while these measures have benefitted India, it still faces a daunting challenge -- of balancing economic stability with curbing the spread of the virus.

Friedman said that the challenge for a country like India is to sustain economically with a long-term lockdown. "It is especially a big challenge for rural India where there is one doctor for 10,000 people, where people are asked to socially distance when they don't even have another room," Friedman elaborated.

Friedman advocated herd immunity for India. Herd immunity is a method that exposes large parts of the population to a disease in order for them to become immune. "It seems to me that PM Modi has done a good job in breaking the chain of transmission initially. However, the trick is to get your people to acquire immunity naturally but only for those who can handle the virus so that the healthcare system is not overwhelmed," he added.

Friedman also said that coronavirus is not a usual crisis. "The enemy here is not another country. When you fight against human enemies you can use terms like win and lose. Mother Nature as a foe is different. You can't win against her," said Friedman. He added that the way to overcome this crisis is not to aim to win against nature but to adapt to it. "The goal is not to defeat her (Mother Nature) but to adapt to her. She rewards not the strongest or the smartest but the most adaptive. Every country has a huge adaptation challenge before it. Sweden went for herd immunity, other countries went for lockdowns and phased exits. It is too early to say who has won," Thomas Friedman added.

The number of cases in India has surpassed 31,000. There are 31,332 cases in the country with 22,629 active cases, 1,007 deaths and 7,695 discharged.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: COVID-19 deaths cross 1,000-mark, 31,332 cases; lockdown 3 or phased exit?

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: Govt allows IT firms to work from home until July 31
Steven Mnuchin has said that relatives of dead people who have received a $1,200 (964) coronavirus stimulus payment should send back the cheques.

Youre not supposed to keep that payment, said the US treasury secretary on Tuesday in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Were checking the databases, but there could be a scenario where we missed something, and yes, the heirs should be returning that money.

The payments were part of the most recent $2.2 trillion (1.7 trillion) coronavirus stimulus package passed by Congress and signed by Donald Trump last month.

It is not clear how many payments were made to deceased people, or what measures the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will use to recover the money.

On Tuesday, Mr Mnuchin suggested that the US Department of the Treasury will check its own databases to trace the payments based on 2018 or 2019 tax returns.

The stimulus checks are legally considered a new tax credit for the 2020 tax year, based on 2018 or 2019 tax returns, meaning some deceased Americans could have been issued with payments.

The Journal reported one case where a woman received a stimulus payment for her husband who died in 2018.

Republican congressman Thomas Massie meanwhile said on Twitter that a friend had received a $1,200 coronavirus cheque about two weeks ago. Ok this is insane, but just the tip of the iceberg, he said.

Opponents of the government have criticised the IRSs failure to check whether or not people had died since their last tax return before issuing the funds.

Some 150 million Americans are awaiting or have received the payments, which have been issued in recent days to those who need financial assistance amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Commenting on earlier reports of IRS payments made to dead people, Donald Trump said on 17 April that the federal government would recover the money.

Everything were going to get back, said the president. But its a tiny amount.

The situation is not unprecedented. During the 2009 financial crisis 0.1 per cent of 71,000 emergency payments issued were sent to people who had died, Politico reported.
Rachel Riley has been seen for the first time since she won the first round in her legal battle against one of Jeremy Corbyn's closest aides.

The Countdown host, 34, looked in good spirits as she partook her daily exercise session under lockdown with her daughter Maven.

Riley placed one hand lovingly on her four-month-old, using the other to stare intensely at her phone as she walked in London on Wednesday.

Pictured: Rachel Riley has been seen for the first time since she won the first round in her legal battle against one of Jeremy Corbyn 's closest aides

The mathematician looked radiant on the stroll as she slipped into a blue midi dress with a colourful floral pattern.

Her golden locks were swept up into a topknot, while she accessorised with circular shades, tan sandals and a Native American print rucksack.

Maven looked adorable in a sun hat that complemented the style of her mother's summer dress.

Riley welcomed her first child on December 15 with husband Pasha Kovalev, two weeks after her due date.

Sweet: The Countdown host, 34, looked in good spirits as she partook in her daily exercise session under lockdown with her daughter Maven

Seen something interesting? Riley placed one hand lovingly on her four-month-old, using the other to stare intensely at her phone as she walked in London on Wednesday

Riley's outing comes amid her legal battle with Corbyn's aide.

A High Court judge ruled that the comments posted online by Laura Murray, head of complaints for the Labour party, against the TV star showed a 'defamatory tendency'.

Mr Justice Nicklin also said the description of Riley was defamatory within common law.

Blue-tiful: The mathematician looked radiant on the stroll as she slipped into a blue midi dress with a colourful floral pattern

Sweet: Her golden locks were swept up into a topknot, while she accessorised with circular shades, tan sandals and a Native American print rucksack.

The legal action followed a Twitter row between Riley, 33, and Murray, after former Labour leader Corbyn had an egg thrown at him outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, London on March 4 last year.

Murray said a post retweeted by Riley compared Corbyn to a Nazi and inferred he deserved to be attacked.

In a tweet that has since been removed, Murray wrote: 'Today Jeremy Corbyn went to his local mosque for visit my mosque day, and was attacked by a Brexiteer.

Blonde beauty: Her golden locks were swept up into a topknot, while she accessorised with circular shades, tan sandals and a Native American print rucksack

Baby joy: Riley welcomed her first child on December 15 with husband Pasha Kovalev, two weeks after her due date

'Rachel Riley tweets that Corbyn deserves to be violently attacked because he is a Nazi.

'This woman is as dangerous as she is stupid. Nobody should engage with her. Ever.'

In response, Riley launched legal action against Murray.

Legal papers lodged at the High Court alleged that the TV star's reputation has been 'seriously damaged' and she has been caused 'substantial anxiety, humiliation, upset and distress' because of Murray's tweet.

Losing the opening round of their legal battle means Murray now potentially faces having to prove that Riley would support violent action against Corbyn to defend the 50,000 libel case.

Riley launched her legal action a year ago as the anti-Semitism row raged within the Labour Party.

The dispute originally began hours after a protester threw an egg at Corbyn outside the mosque last year.

Stepping out in style: Riley's outing comes amid her legal battle with Jeremy Corbyn's aide

Riley, who is Jewish, took to Twitter, having used the social media platform to attack the then-Labour leader over anti-Semitism within his party

She re-tweeted a comment made by left wing commentator Owen Jones two months earlier when a neo-Nazi had an egg thrown at him.

The columnist for the Guardian newspaper wrote at the time: 'I think sound life advice is, if you don't want eggs thrown at you, don't be a Nazi. Seems fair to me.

Riley re-tweeted the comment as a reference to Corbyn being hit by an egg and described it as 'good advice'.

Murray, daughter of trade union leader Andrew Murray, used her own Twitter account to mount what Riley's lawyer said was an 'appalling distortion of the truth'.

Claim: Laura Murray, head of complaints for the Labour party and an aide of Jeremy Corbyn, claimed a post retweeted by Riley compared Corbyn to a Nazi

In his preliminary ruling, Mr Justice Nicklin rejected legal submissions from Murray's lawyers that her tweet was a stating an opinion and not defamatory.

He said the tweet posted by Murray represented a 'statement of fact.'

The judge said in an assessment of the 'natural and ordinary meaning of the tweet' Murray's claim that anti-Corbyn campaigner Riley was 'as dangerous as she is stupid' and that 'Nobody should engage with her. Ever' was indeed opinion - but it was also 'defamatory at common law'.

In his written judgement, Mr Justice Nicklin broke down the Murray tweet sentence by sentence to show what he said was defamatory and what in his opinion was a statement of fact.

He said the allegation that Riley was a dangerous and stupid person who people should not engage with was defamatory as was the claim by Murray that Riley had said Corbyn deserved to be violently attacked.

Damaged: Legal papers lodged at the High Court alleged that Riley's reputation has been 'seriously damaged' and she has been caused 'upset and distress' because of Murray's tweet

The judge rejected the submission by Murrays QC Anthony Hudson that she was simply stating an opinion when she said Riley had called for Corbyn to be violently attacked.

He also ruled that the tweet by Riley did not have to be taken in context with any other material and pointed out the exchange took place over less than six hours.

In the submission he added: Twitter is perhaps one of the most inhospitable terrains for any argument based on the context in which any particular Tweet appeared in a reader's timeline.

Ruling: In his preliminary ruling, Mr Justice Nicklin said the allegation that Riley was a dangerous and stupid person who people should not engage with was defamatory as was the claim by Murray that Riley had said Corbyn deserved to be violently attacked

Defamatory: Mr Justice Nicklin also said the claim by Murray that Riley had said Corbyn deserved to be violently attacked was defamatory

Owen Jones, who had posted the original comment about a Nazi, weighed in on the row at the time and savaged Riley.

He accused her of 'having no moral compass' for comparing an attack on a neo-Nazi to one on Corbyn. Owen also said she was 'in the absolute gutter' over her tweet.

Owen wrote: 'A Brexiteer protester threw an egg at Jeremy Corbyn outside the same mosque which was attacked in 2017 by a far-right terrorist, whose main motive was murdering Corbyn himself.

'The tweet you're quoting refers to Nick Griffin, *an actual Nazi*. You're in the absolute gutter.'

In another tweet, he wrote: 'If @RachelRileyRR thinks it's acceptable to compare refusing to condemn an anti-fascist egging a Nazi with a rightwing protester egging Corbyn - who she is de facto calling a Nazi - outside a mosque targeted by a far-right terrorist who wanted him dead, she has no moral compass.'

More to come? Losing the opening round of their legal battle means Murray now potentially faces having to prove that Riley would support violent action against Corbyn to defend the 50,000 libel case

Riley had to be given extra protection on the Channel 4 game show after a torrent online abuse from her stand against anti-Semitism.

She revealed online trolls had targeted her for speaking out and described the level of abuse as 'shocking.'

Murray was appointed as a political advisor to the Shadow Cabinet in 2016 and later head of complaints.

An avowed socialist she once posed for a photo in the House of Commons with a necklace that spelled out the slogan: F*** the Tories.

Her father is chief of staff of the Unite Union and a former member of the Communist Party.
It is not easy to understand the issues in the Flynn case. It takes some attention to detail, both political and legal. National Review has posted an excerpt of Andrew McCarthys Ball of Collusion on the case. McCarthy explains in his introduction to it: The excerpt contends that that there was no basis in fact or law for the investigation of General Michael Flynn, an argument I began making when reports about the investigation first emerged in early 2017.

McCarthy separately updates his analysis of the case in the NR column Explosive Revelations in the Flynn Case. In the column, McCarthy focused on the contents of the exculpatory evidence delivered to General Flynns counsel this past Friday afternoon.

This past December, Judge Emmet Sullivan denied Flynns various motions seeking the production of exculpatory evidence. Judge Sullivans wild 92-page opinion is posted online here. It was all over but for the sentencing when the government filed a supplemental sentencing memorandum in the case, reversing the governments position that Flynn was entitled to a sentencing reduction for providing substantial assistance to the prosecutors.

Flynn has filed two motions that I believe remain pending before Judge Sullivan. In January Flynn moved for the dismissal of the false-statements case against him on account of egregious government misconduct. Absent dismissal, Flynn also moved to withdraw his guilty plea and contest the charges that might be brought against him.

In his withdrawal motion Flynn claims that he never lied or made false statements to the FBI in the infamous White House interview conducted by FBI agents Strzok and Pientka. See generally Flynns affidavit in support of the withdrawal motion. Margot Cleveland examined Flynns withdrawal motion this past January in the Federalist column Whats Inside The Latest Court Filings In Michael Flynns Case?

In February Attorney General Barr commissioned United States Attorney Jeffrey Jensen to examine the governments file in the Flynn case. This past Friday afternoon Jensens review resulted in the delivery of previously undisclosed exculpatory evidence to Flynns counsel, Sidney Powell. Powell promptly filed this supplement in support of Flynns dismissal motion. Two of the three accompanying exhibits  the documents produced by Jensen  are highly redacted; the third was filed under seal.

According to Powell, the evidence produced by Jensen supports Flynns allegations of having been deliberately set up and framed by corrupt agents at the top of the FBI. It also defeats any argument that the interview of Mr. Flynn on January 24, 2017 was material to any investigation. A false-statements charge must be predicated on a misrepresentation that is material to an investigation.

Powell also claims that the evidence supports the existence of a side deal with prosecutor Brandon Van Grack of Team Mueller not to prosecute Flynns son in exchange for his cooperation. According to Powell, Van Grack required that [the side deal] be kept secret between himself and [Flynns] Covington attorneys expressly to avoid the requirement of [disclosure imposed by] Giglio v. United States.

Margot Cleveland explains and expands on this point in the Federalist column Robert Muellers Case Against Michael Flynn Is About To Implode. Clevelands column includes excerpts from the highly-redacted emails produced by Jensen to Powell that are attached a exhibits to her supplement. The column is extremely helpful for anyone who seeks to understand the issues as they are now presented to Judge Sullivan and Attorney General Barr, but were not done yet. Powell notes in her supplement that the government has advised there is more [exculpatory evidence] to come
A resident presents flowers during a silent tribute to martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and compatriots who died of the disease in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on April 4,2020. (Getty Images)

Victims of CCP Virus in China Begin Lawsuits to Hold Regime Accountable

As the Chinese regime comes under increasing international scrutiny over its mishandling of the virus outbreak, anger and grief are also brewing within Chinas borders.

All across China, people are mourning for their loved ones lost to the virus, which has ravaged the country amid authorities mass cover-up. Researchers estimate that millions were likely infected throughout the country. An untold number have died, some lacking basic care in their final moments.

For those who survived, their livelihoods are at stake: the pandemic has also shuttered businesses and plunged the countrys economy into its first contraction in decades. Economic losses due to the virus was likely 1.3 trillion yuan ($183.7 billion) for the period from January to February alone, according to estimates by Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

The devastation has propelled a growing number of Chinese citizens to launch legal challenges against the ruling regime.

People wearing face masks stand to pay tribute as China holds national mourning for those who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, in Beijing on April 4, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Holding the Regime Liable

On March 6, around two dozen lawyers and rights advocates from nine Chinese provinces joined forces with Chinese dissidents in the United States to offer consultancy for victims who are seeking compensation from the Chinese regime.

The responsibility is on the government. It caused a massive outbreak, deaths, and aftermaths, but now commoners are bearing the losses, Li Fang, a member of the consultancy group, told The Epoch Times.

The group has received at least seven inquiries so far. Two Chinese citizens said their family had lung infections but were unable to get treatment, as hospitals were also overloaded. Both family members died as unconfirmed cases less than two hours after they were eventually hospitalized.

Another claimant, who recovered from the virus, has yet to receive the diagnostic report and is thus unable to file insurance claims.

Fresh chrysanthemum flowers, a traditional Chinese funeral flower, lie on the banks of the Yangtze River on the eve of the Tomb-sweeping Festival in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of Chinas COVID-19 outbreak, in Wuhan, China, on April 3, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Yi An (alias), a Wuhan resident who lost his parents to the virus, accused the government of murder. Poring over internet posts, Yi said he read about countless tragedies mirroring his. There has been no apology  not even a word of condolence from [the government], he said in an interview. He is currently contemplating legal action. Its not for the money. I want to seek an explanation, he said.

Someone has to be held responsible, said Tan Jun, a Chinese civil servant who has filed a lawsuit at the Yichang Xining Peoples Court against the provincial government of Hubei, the region where the outbreak emerged.

The 52-year-old, an administrator at the Childrens Park in Yichang city, Hubei, was the first known person in the country to challenge the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in court for its botched virus response. He blamed the government for allowing the Baibuting community in Wuhan city to go ahead with a 40,000-household potluck, days before the city was placed under lockdown. By mid-February, residents from dozens of apartment buildings in the neighborhood reported infections.

By censoring early warnings from whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang and initially denying that the virus could spread among humans, authorities did not inform the public about the true health riskswith deadly consequences, Tan said. Because of the Hubei governments failings, residents now face discrimination inside their own country, frequently being shunned and even beaten up, he added.

For the lives lost and upended, the Hubei government must issue a public apology on the front page of the local state-run newspaper, Hubei Daily, Tan wrote in his court filing shared with The Epoch Times.

Members of the Chinese Peoples Armed Police march through Tiananmen Square during a national mourning in Beijing on April 4, 2020. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Pressure

The Chinese regime acted swiftly to clamp down on such acts of defiance.

In just over a week after the lawyers group was formed, Chinas justice ministry issued an informal order banning lawyers from creating trouble by getting involved in lawsuits seeking compensation, signing on joint statements, contacting rights lawyers, or accepting interviews from overseas media. It was seemingly a direct response to the groups efforts, Li said.

At least one person withdrew their legal claim after his workplace discovered his plans. He was criticized for making a political mistake.

Yang Zhanqing, a human rights advocate in the group, said local police recently summoned his family in China twice to ask about his activities. They were required to sign a non-disclosure form promising not to speak about their discussions at the police station.

He said that officials will likely do all they canfrom offering small favors to making threatsto discourage such legal action, which motivates the group more to fight for peoples rights. Once its filed, it will be a landmark casewhether the court puts it on hold or processes it, Yang said.

He has drafted a 14-page sample complaint and posted it online with four-step instructions for people to reference.

Many people have received threats from local governments during our communications [with them]  so I thought it might be better if they dont need to make contact with us, he said. A victim should feel entitled to defend their rights. They [authorities] may claim its anti-nation and anti-government, but [peoples rights] are guaranteed by law.

Around 6 p.m. April 13 eveningwithin hours after Tan delivered the lawsuitYichang city police summoned Tan and his supervisor. They demanded him to stop publishing any materials online, lest these be taken advantage of by foreign media, Tan recalled. The supervisor also tried to dissuade Tan, expressing fears of being fined.

Despite the pressure, Tan vowed to carry on. The evidence I collected are all government documents. I didnt make anything up, he said, adding that he has made sure to keep a copy of each document he filed.

Tan knows the risks of offending the regime; in 2008, he was detained for 10 days after writing a social media post that authorities claimed defamed national leaders.

Noting the opaque Chinese legal system that favors Party interests, Tan acknowledged that his chances of winning the lawsuit were slim. He said he is taking it lightly.

They have deployed the national mechanism and exhausted all resources against citizens, he said. Winning the lawsuit or not is no longer important for me  its better if I can win, but I have nothing to regret.
The displacements were a result of a combination of increasing hazard intensity, high population exposure and high levels of social and economic vulnerability, a report says.

IMAGE: Eight tropical storms hit India during 2019. The most severe was Cyclone Fani, which tracked across the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Photograph: PTI Photo

Five million people were displaced in India last year, the highest in the world, due to disasters, including cyclones and monsoon floods, a new report by a monitoring centre said.

The displacements were a result of a combination of increasing hazard intensity, high population exposure and high levels of social and economic vulnerability, the report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre released on Tuesday said.

South Asia recorded 9.5 million new displacements associated with disasters in 2019, the highest figure since 2012 and the floods triggered by the monsoon in India and Bangladesh and cyclones Fani and Bulbul were among the events that forced most people to flee their homes both in the region and globally.

While India reported 50,37,000 displacements, Bangladesh recorded 40,86,520 in the year 2019.

The other countries with new displacements are Afghanistan (5,78,000), Nepal (1,21,000) and Pakistan (1,16,000), according to the data provided in the report by the Geneva-based centre.

'There were thought to be around 5,90,000 people living in internal displacement as a result of disasters across the country as of 31 December, but the figure is highly conservative given the high number of new displacements and the damages and losses recorded during the year,' it said.

IMAGE: The report says that water shortages in Maharashtra between March-June, 2019 displaced about 50,000 farmers. Photograph: PTI Photo

According to the report, 'conflict and violence' triggered about 19,000 new displacements in the country last year.

'Political and electoral violence, primarily in Tripura and West Bengal in the first half of the year, accounted for more than 7,600. Lesser unrest and inter-communal violence continued to trigger displacement in the second half of the year,' the report said.

The year was also the seventh warmest in India since 1901 and the monsoon was the wettest in 25 years.

These conditions helped to fuel the destructive power of the eight tropical storms to hit the country during the year.

The most severe was cyclone Fani, which tracked across the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal in early May, before moving north to Bangladesh.

As it approached the coast of Odisha with maximum sustained windspeeds up to 240 km/h, the government organised the evacuation of more than 1.8 million people, it said.

IMAGE: According to the report, 'conflict and violence' triggered about 19,000 new displacements in the country last year. Photograph: PTI Photo

The states disaster management authorities were lauded for their lifesaving operations.

Another 2,89,000 people were evacuated in Gujarat in June ahead of cyclone Vayu, which changed track and reduced in intensity before making landfall later than expected.

The south-west monsoon triggered more than 2.6 million displacements in the months that followed.

The north-west monsoon continued to trigger displacement in October and November, along with cyclone Maha, which hit Kerala and the Lakshwadeep islands on October 31.

'Cyclone Bulbul struck Odisha and West Bengal 10 days later, triggering 1,86,000 displacements,' it said.

The report said drought displacement was also recorded in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

IMAGE: Cyclone Bulbul triggered 1,86,000 displacements. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI Photo

'Water shortages in Maharashtra between March and June forced about 50,000 farmers and their families to take refuge in cattle camps, displacement sites run by NGOs where livestock is also fed and watered,' the report said.

It said conflict and violence also triggered displacements in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and to a lesser extent in Sri Lanka in 2019 with around 4,98,000 new displacements recorded across the region as a whole.

The annual total has fallen over the past decade, mainly because of the 'de-escalation' of violence in Pakistan, the report said.

Afghanistan's conflict, however, shows little sign of abating, the report said.

Around four million people were living in displacement as a result of conflict and violence as of the end of the year, with Afghanistan accounting for 75 per cent of the regional total, it added.

IDMC says its global report on in internal displacement (GRID) 2020 is the global reference for internal displacement data and analysis and is widely used by policy-makers, national governments, United Nations agencies, international NGOs, jounalists and academics.
Mountain Climber Injured After Falling 150mBut His Dog Lays on Him to Keep Him Warm Waiting for Rescuers
(Root-cause analysis is one of the features least supported by network troubleshooting tools, according to Enterprise Management Associates recent research Network Management Megatrends 2020, that surveyed 350 network-management professionals about these tools. This article by EMA Vice President of Research Networking Shamus McGillicuddy discusses this finding and recommends how management pros should evaluate this feature. A recording of a webinar covering the research is here.)

Troubleshooting is perhaps the most vital responsibility of a network operations team. When IT services are interrupted or degraded, engineers and admins race to diagnose and remediate the problem. Every minute counts, because transactions, employee productivity, and customer satisfaction all suffer while the network team is doing this work.

Given the stakes, network management tools must have well-defined workflows and technical functionality to support the troubleshooting process. Unfortunately, many tools are letting network managers down.

Root-cause analysis (RCA)is the critical aspect of network troubleshooting. Network engineers must form a theory of the problem and test that theory. Only after they have confirmed their theory of the problem can they move forward confidently with a solution.

Over the years, network managers have told EMA that RCA is one of the most time-consuming aspects of their job. Given that network-management tools are clearly failing to support this task, engineers and admins must perform complex calculations themselves. The tools often present dashboards with vast arrays of alerts and time-series graphs that show patterns and indicators of a possible problem, but no clear definition of the nature of the problem. As a result, IT pros have to infer the root cause by looking for patterns of cause and effect. This is no easy tasks, especially given that network managers said that 42.7% of the alerts produced by their tools are false alarms, not indicative of an actionable problem.
Portland Track canceled the Portland Track Festival Tuesday and indefinitely postponed the Stumptown Twilight, two track meets featuring elite athletes that had been scheduled for June at Lewis & Clark College.

The decision was made because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Portland Track Festival had been planned for June 4-5. The Stumptown Twilight had been set for June 12. Both have featured Olympians and Olympic-level athletes in recent years.

Organizers say they hope to stage the Stumptown Twilight as well as additional meets in August.

They wrote in Tuesdays release: As soon as Oregons Stay Home orders are lifted the athletes will need a few weeks on the track and then well be there to host some races. Well rearrange our high performance events for later in the summer and will add additional meets if there is time ahead of the XC season.

-- Ken Goe
According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York state isnt ready to start reopening just yet. I know ... people are feeling emotional, but emotions cant drive a reopening process, Cuomo said Tuesday. We have to separate the emotion from the logic.

Yet that same logic also suggests that most  if not all  of the 15 states now moving to reopen before New York may be even less ready than the Empire State.

This is not to say New York should be reopening sooner. With more than 295,000 total cases and nearly 23,000 deaths, New York is the state hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and one of the most affected regions in the world. Sky-high prevalence demands a proportional level of caution; hospitals could be overwhelmed quickly if the virus spikes again.

Similar reasoning  only in reverse  also seems to be driving the states rushing to reopen. We havent had nearly as many cases as New York, states such as Georgia, Texas and Florida seem to be saying. We have to reopen at some point. So why not now?

The urge is understandable. Lockdown cant continue forever, and the economy matters too. Low case counts make it look like the worst is over.

But reopening now could still prove to be premature.

Why? Because for the most part, residents of states moving to reopen are still dying of the coronavirus at a faster pace than New Yorkers. Testing is also much less widespread in the reopening states than in New York.

Together, these two trends suggest that readiness is not the only  or even the major  reason these states are relaxing stay-at-home orders and partially returning to work.

Consider the death rate. On Tuesday, New York recorded its lowest daily death total in nearly a month: 335, which is less than half the peak number from early April. According to the New York Times COVID-19 database, total coronavirus deaths in New York are now doubling every four weeks. In March, they were doubling every two days.

Deaths are a more useful metric for comparing the path of the pandemic in different locales than case counts, which are highly dependent on how much testing is being done. And while raw numbers can show the scale of an outbreak, rates provide a sense of speed and direction.

Story continues

So lets compare. When it comes to coronavirus deaths, only two of the 15 states that have partially reopened or are planning to let their stay-at-home orders expire at the end of the month have a slower rate of doubling than New York.

Those states are Tennessee, where deaths are doubling every five weeks, and Idaho, where theyre doubling every six weeks. In Georgia, the first state to reopen, deaths are doubling every three weeks; the same goes for Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Florida. (Montana hasnt logged enough total deaths to make the Times list.) In Texas, Nevada and South Carolina, deaths are doubling every two weeks. In Colorado, theyre doubling every 13 days. In Minnesota, theyre doubling every eight.

Jason Godbey hangs a banner over the entrance of Madison ChopHouse Grille in Madison, Ga., on Monday, as the restaurant prepares to shift from takeout-only to dine-in service. (John Bazemore/AP)

Testing is also part of the equation. Having a faster death rate than New York doesnt doom these states to catastrophe upon reopening. But the coronavirus wont contain itself, especially post-lockdown. The more people you can test  for both current infections and the antibodies created by prior infections  the more accurately you can determine whos safe from the virus and whos infecting others. And the more you do that, the more you can intervene, isolate and suppress its spread.

Yet testing capacity in the reopening states also trails New Yorks. According to the COVID Tracking Project, New York had conducted 844,994 tests as of Wednesday morning. Given the states population (19.45 million), thats a per capita testing rate of 4.3 percent.

The testing rate in Georgia? 1.3 percent. Nevadas is the same. Montanas is 1.2 percent. Floridas is 1.7 percent. Texass is 1.0 percent, as is South Carolinas. Oklahomas is 1.5 percent. Minnesotas is 1.1 percent. So is Colorados. Arizonas is 0.93 percent.

The only two states to clear the 2 percent mark are Tennessee (2.3 percent) and Mississippi (2.2 percent). In other words, even the best of the reopening states are testing at only about half the rate of New York.

That makes some sense. The fewer cases youre seeing, the fewer tests youre likely to run. But containing future outbreaks requires widespread surveillance testing, which requires broad testing capacity, and its not clear that any of these states are as prepared for that as New York.

Again, none of this data spells certain disaster. Its possible that people will continue to distance on their own, that warmer weather will slow the pathogen down and that epidemiologists worst fears wont be realized.

But states will have to stay on top of emerging hot spots. If you look at a county-by-county map of where cases are rising the fastest  that is, doubling faster than every seven days  youll see a lot of hot spots within states that are moving to reopen, even if the rest of the state looks relatively unaffected. These are places like Appling (6 days), Hancock (4.5 days), Gilmer (4 days) and Union (6 days) counties in Georgia; Washington (6.5), Walker (6), Lamar (4) and Brown (5) counties in Texas; McMinn (2), Bledsoe (1.5), Hickman (2), Lake (2) and Trousdale (5.5) counties in Tennessee; and Stearns (3.5), Kandiyohi (1.5), Clay (6), Polk (4) and Pine (3) counties in Minnesota.

If not properly surveilled and contained, such counties could spark post-lockdown spikes. A new model prepared by epidemiologists and computer scientists at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in partnership with the Daily Beast provides an estimate of what that might look like in Georgia, where fitness centers, tattoo and massage parlors, bowling alleys and hair salons were allowed to reopen last Friday and restaurants and other businesses began operating on Monday. As of the end of last week, at least 871 people statewide had lost their lives to COVID-19. According to the model, Georgia would have logged a total of between 1,004 and 2,922 coronavirus fatalities by June 15 if it had maintained its pre-Friday lockdown policy. But that range shoots up to 1,604 to 4,236 deaths if approved businesses return to just 50 percent of their pre-pandemic activity (or contact) levels  and 4,279 to 9,748 deaths at 100 percent of pre-shutdown activity.

What we find, no matter what we assume, is that reopening on Monday was just too early, said Jackson Killian, a PhD student at Harvards John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who worked on the model. If you let people go out and have contact again now, you end up causing deaths that could have been avoided.

As reopening proceeds across America, the question wont just be how much of that risk states are willing to shoulder in exchange for the resumption of economic activity. It will also be how ready they are to respond when that risk starts to become real.

Players wearing face masks warm up on the range at Miami Beach Golf Club in Florida on Wednesday. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

_____

Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

Read more:
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Over a month after the National Telecommunications Commission agreed to allow media giant ABS-CBN to continue operations beyond the expiration of its franchise, a television group has aired its opposition to the order.

The Federation of International Cable T.V. and Telecommunications Association of the Philippines, or FICTAP, penned a letter to the NTC, urging the agency not to grant provisional authority to ABS-CBN, which the commission committed to do last March 10.

FICTAP is a group of micro and medium cable TV operators from all over the country, composed of 600 member-operators, including Bohol Cable TV, Buenavista Cable in Antique, and Maguindanao Sky, among others.

The group argued that as mandated by law, broadcasting companies should have congressional franchises in order to operate, citing previous cases. Should ABS-CBN remain on-air after May 4, the date when its franchise was supposed to end, the NTC should issue a show cause and cease and desist order to the network, FICTAP added.

The NTC said it will grant provisional authority to ABS-CBN while its permit renewal is pending, following the advice of the Justice Department.

FICTAP also reiterated its arguments on ABS-CBN's supposed violations such as its alleged unlicensed pay-per-view options. The network shrugged off these claims since regulatory bodies already gave them the go signal to operate even with these services.
Mir, the Siberian cat, gifted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to governor of Japans Akita prefecture Norihisa Satake in February 2012, was put into house quarantine, because these animals are also threatened by the coronavirus infection, the governor said.

"We were very disturbed by the reports that cases of coronavirus infection were registered in house cats in the U.S.," the governor said. "So we made sure Mir does not contact anyone besides our family. We very much hope that this situation ends soon, and the infection threat stops make both people and animals suffer," TASS cited him as saying.



"It has been eight years since Mir has become a part of our family," the governor said. "He has perfect appetite, he is strong and happy, and he has a calm personality," the governor disclosed. "Mir lives perfectly with six other cats that live in our house. This is a special creature for me: my soul rests when I see his face."



In summer 2012, governor Satake gave Vladimir Putin a puppy of the Akita Inu breed, which the prefecture is famous for, as a sign of gratitude for help that Russia provided following the catastrophic natural disasters of March 2011 - the strongest earthquake in the history of Japan, which caused incredibly powerful tsunamis that led to Fukushima-1 Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The puppy was named Yume (Dream).



In response, Moscow gave a furry kitten of grey color, which Japan named Mir. This gift was chosen after Kremlin discovered that the governor prefers cats to dogs. Due to strict Japanese laws, Mir had to undergo his first quarantine in the Tokyos Narita airports special zone in 2012. For six months, employees of the Russian embassy visited the cat, bringing him presents - food and toys. After the quarantine, the cat settled down in the governors house. Mir lives in the governors house, along with other six cats.
Rumour has it that AMD will be bringing up to 505 mm dies to its next-generation "Big Navi" GPUs. Based on the company's RDNA 2 architecture, Navi 21, Navi 22 and Navi 23 all supposedly have larger dies than the RX 5700 XT. The Navi 21 has a larger die than the custom RDNA 2 GPU in the Xbox Series X, too.

Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here

AMD has given fans plenty to get excited about over the RDNA 2 architecture, and now the die sizes of its next-generation GPUs may have been revealed. Published by AquariusZi, a reliable source who posts on PC_Shopping forums, the die sizes have seemingly received approval from KOMACHI_ENSAKA.

According to AquariusZi, the dies of Navi 21, Navi 22 and Navi 23 will measure 505 mm, 340 mm and 240 mm respectively. AquariusZi and KOMACHI_ENSAKA stress that the three die sizes have a margin of error of 5 mm.

Wccftech asserts that a 505 mm die could "easily contain" 80 CUs and 5,120 stream processors, resulting in a performance uplift of "at least 2x" from the RX 5700 XT. There have been other references to Navi 21 having 80 CUs too, so this does not seem wildly absurd.

Naturally, we would not recommend taking these die sizes as fact. However, Microsoft has already offered an insight into how big "Big Navi" will be with last month's Xbox Series X announcement. As we reported, the custom RDNA 2 GPU in the Xbox Series X will have 52 CUs on a die size of 360.45 mm. This is considerably larger than the die of the RX 5700 XT so it seems reasonable to expect AMD to include even larger dies on high-end desktop GPUs.
A man was shot in the leg in Brisbane's outer southern suburbs on Wednesday, leaving a good Samaritan to try to stop the bleeding after the attackers fled the scene.

The group of four men, who remain on the run, had arrived at the Didbrook Street home in Robertson about 7.40pm, where they shot the 38-year-old.

The man suffered "life-threatening injuries", police said. He was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Witness Ray Maninoa said it "wasn't a pretty scene", especially for the victim's partner and kids.
Striving to help advance the global fight against coronavirus on textiles, HeiQ recently launched HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 , an antimicrobial textile treatment proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing, with over 99.99% reduction of virus infectivity in minutes, and lasts least 30 washes. Since its launch the company has been utilizing its full capacity of 145 tons per day in its four manufacturing sites.

In his interview with CNN, HeiQ Group CEO Carlo Centonze expressed the urgent need to maximize the impact of the international textile industry in fighting the global pandemic, even if that meant sharing HeiQ's proprietary technology. HeiQ has since offered to share HeiQ Viroblock to textile industry peers via a free licence, sharing the formula and manufacturing protocol to permit its manufacture and commercialization to meet the regulatory compliance and performance requirement. Licensees will be required to test their treated fabrics with licensed third-party testing institutes to establish efficacy and quality as per HeiQ's standards. Use of the "HeiQ Viroblock" trademark will require trademark authorization directly by HeiQ to ensure truthful and compliant claims.

"We must act now to produce textiles that are more resistant to pathogens. The textile industry must work together in a united effort to reduce the risk and speed of textile-related contamination and transmission," says Carlo Centonze, HeiQ Group CEO. "That is the only way to re-open our economies swiftly and maintain jobs in the textile industry," he added.

Ralf Kattanek, Group Vice President Textiles of CHT Group said, "We believe by using CHT's textile expertise and production capacities globally that we can play a key role in mitigating the impact for the healthcare workers and our industry partners by maximizing our reach swiftly."

David Juang, Chairman of JINTEX Group adds, "We want to show leadership in taking decisive action in a coordinated effort."

"HeiQ has enlisted the Piedmont Chemical Group to help support its North American production and distribution. We are here to join the fight and support our textile industry," says Rick Wilson, CEO of US based Piedmont Chemical Industries.

Full version of this press release: https://heiq.com/news/

About HeiQ

Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), HeiQ is a leader in textile innovation creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance textile technologies on the market today. HeiQ's purpose is to improve the lives of billions of people by perfecting an everyday product: Textiles. Combining three areas of expertise  scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding  HeiQ is the ideal innovation partner to create differentiating and sustainable textile products and capture the added value at the point of sale. With a total capacity of 35'000 tons per year HeiQ manufactures in the USA, Switzerland and Australia serving its chemical specialties in over 60 countries worldwide.

About CHT

The CHT Group, medium-sized global player for specialty chemistry, is worldwide active in development, production and sales. CHT Germany GmbH in Tubingen is the headquarters of the group of companies which focuses on sustainable chemical products and process solutions. TEXTILE SOLUTIONS of CHT improve the quality, functionality as well as look and purity of textiles and optimize their manufacturing processes. By bundling the strengths of the complete group further innovative products, applications or processes are permanently developed and vast technical support is offered within the SCIENCE & SERVICE SOLUTIONS. Highly qualified specialists work in state-of-the art laboratories for development, analytics and application technique in order to work out ideas and solutions that meet the latest requirements. The CHT Group with its own production and sales locations is represented by more than 25 companies worldwide and has around 2,200 employees.

About JINTEX

JINTEX Corporation Ltd is Taiwan supplier and manufacturer in chemical additives industry. JINTEX GROUP has been offering high quality textile auxiliaries, leather auxiliaries, textile wastewater treatment, water chemicals, sustainable chemicals, dyeing process optimization, finishing agents and PFC-free water repellent. A ZDHC contributor and bluesign system partner since 1978, with both advanced technology and 40 years' experience, JINTEX GROUP always makes sure to meet each customer's demand.

About Piedmont

Piedmont Chemical Industries is a subsidiary of Piedmont Chemical Industries Inc., a family owned and operated chemical manufacturer headquartered in High Point, NC. Founded in 1938 to support the local textile industry, the corporation has since evolved into 5 different production sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee with additional manufacturing partners servicing the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia.

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CONTACT

HeiQ Materials AG Ruetistrasse 12 8952 Schlieren (Zurich) Switzerland www.heiq.com Hoi Kwan Lam Chief Marketing Officer Phone: +41 56 250 68 82 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE HeiQ Materials AG
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart wore a CDC-recommended COVID-19 surgical mask, but no protective gloves, to go house-hunting with her real estate agent in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Los Angeles County's stay-at-home order was extended through May 15 due to the 20,996 confirmed coronavirus cases in LA, which has led to 1,002 deaths as of Tuesday - according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Ohio-born 23-year-old blonde wore a pink-patterned mini-dress and white sneakers to search for a new quarantine haven for herself and her dog Milo, whom she adopted from Furever Freed Dog Rescue B.C. in February.

Watch those hands! Riverdale star Lili Reinhart wore a CDC-recommended COVID-19 surgical mask, but no protective gloves, to go house-hunting with her real estate agent (L) in Los Angeles on Tuesday

'Lili and her castmate Cole Sprouse are still together. They haven't been [in quarantine] together but haven't split,' a source told E! News on April 20.

'Their relationship is always up and down but they do talk every day and care very much about one another. Lili and Cole have been trying to be more low-key.'

On April 19, the 27-year-old former Disney Channel star blasted 'rumors and slander' that he cheated on Lili with 18-year-old DNA Model Kaia Gerber via Instastory.

Reinhart and Sprouse originally met in 2016 on the set of the Archie Comics-inspired teen soap, now in its fourth season, which airs Wednesdays on The CW.

Grim: Los Angeles County's stay-at-home order was extended through May 15 due to the 20,996 confirmed coronavirus cases in LA, which has led to 1,002 deaths as of Tuesday

Best time to pack and move? The Ohio-born 23-year-old blonde wore a pink-patterned mini-dress and white sneakers to search for a new quarantine haven for herself and her dog Milo

'It's been an incredibly hard month for all of us,' the mental health awareness advocate - who boasts 27.2M social media followers - wrote on April 17.

'And although this quarantine is isolating and extremely challenging for those of us who struggle with mental health, I have learned a lot about myself during this time. I have learned to cherish the people in my life who have stood by me through my best and my worst.'

Lili will next guest star as Bella-Ella in the May 10th episode - titled 'The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds' - of Fox's long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons.

A source told E! News on April 20: 'Lili and her castmate Cole Sprouse are still together. They haven't been [in quarantine] together but haven't split' (pictured November 25)

'They do talk every day': On April 19, the 27-year-old former child star blasted 'rumors and slander' that he cheated on Lili with 18-year-old DNA Model Kaia Gerber via Instastory

'Chapter Seventy-Five: Lynchian!' Reinhart and Sprouse (not pictured) originally met in 2016 on the set of the Archie Comics-inspired teen soap, now in its fourth season, which airs Wednesdays on The CW

And Reinhart's 240-page debut poetry collection, Swimming Lessons, will be published on September 29.

'It's scary to reveal a part of myself that I don't often show, but I like to consider this book as more of a story rather than a confession of thought,' the Hustlers actress explained last October.

'Strangers, songs, films, fictional characters, love in various forms, and of course my own experiences were my inspiration throughout the creation of Swimming Lessons. This book means a lot to me and I'm very grateful to be in the position to finally share it.'

'The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds': The Hustlers actress will next guest star as Bella-Ella in the May 10th episode of Fox's long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons
CHICAGO, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Post COVID-19, the size of the "COVID-19 Impact on Homeland Security Management Market by Technology (Thermal Imaging, AI-based Solution and Blockchain Solution), End-Use (Cyber Security, Aviation Security, Law Enforcement, and Risk & Emergency) and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", under realistic scenario is estimated to grow from USD 1,035 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 1,081 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 0.9%. As per HLB's global survey of business leaders, multinational companies are not just adopting new technologies but also successfully navigating the pandemic in order to survive. Post COVID-19, new business norms are expected for international structuring and operational strategies. The homeland security departments of several countries have also modified their operating strategies due to COVID-19. The agencies within homeland security departments, such as FEMA, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure, are adopting strategic shifts suggested by their respective governments, such as implementing Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce guidelines and national strategic plans for the effective management of COVID-19.

Request for PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=148348291

"Risk & Emergency to hold a significant share of the homeland security management market in 2020"

The short-term demand for technologies in the HLS segment, such as thermal scanners and drones, is going to increase. However, the demand for long-term demand for technologies such as 5G implementation will see neutral to negative growth in the next 12 months. Extensive implementation of AI-based solutions, such as virtual healthcare assistants (chatbots) to answer questions related to COVID-19, is expected in the risk and emergency services segment. Law enforcement agencies are also using surveillance drones for monitoring public areas during lockdowns.

"AI-based solutions to grow significantly during the forecast period"

COVID-19 patients need frequent monitoring of their lung infections using chest X-rays, but quantifying the extent of the infection is a time-consuming step for already overloaded radiologists. qXR by Qure.ai can detect findings such as ground-glass opacities and consolidation abnormalities that are indicative of COVID-19. This AI-powered solution also helps to detect tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, lung malignancies, and medical emergencies such as lung collapses and cardiac disorders. It can also localize lesions and quantify the volume of an infection.

Browse in-depth TOC on "COVID-19 Impact on Homeland Security Management Market"

19 - Tables

19 - Figures

89 - Pages

Request more details on:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=148348291

"Asia Pacific to hold the largest share of the global homeland security management market during the forecast period"

The Asia Pacific region holds the largest market share in the homeland security industry. Countries such as India, China, and Japan are deploying AI-based security solutions. In India, a Gurgaon-based startup, Staqu, has launched a new thermal camera under its video analytics platform, JARVIS. This cutting-edge technology alerts users of anyone with a body temperature above 37C and examines heat signatures directly through its cameras, enabling authorities to identify and further inspect suspected carriers of the novel coronavirus. At the same time, companies that provide facial recognition solutions are using the outbreak as an opportunity to push the capabilities of their products. As Quartz reported, China's SenseTime now boasts of a software that can identify people without face masks on.

Some of the major players operating in the homeland security and emergency management market are Lockheed Martin (US), Raytheon Company (US), Northrop Grumman (US), Leidos (US), IBM (US), FLIR Systems (US), Thales Group (France), Elbit Systems (Israel), General Dynamics (US), and Unisys (US).

Related Reports:

Smart Airports Market by Application (Landside, Airside, Terminal Side), End Market (Implementation, Upgrades & Services), Type (Airport 2.0, Airport 3.0, Airport 4.0), Operation, System, Airport Size, Technology, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

Aviation Blockchain Market by End Market (Airports, Airlines, MRO, Manufacturers, Lessors), Application (Smart Contracts, Supply Chain Management, Aircraft Maintenance, Cargo & Baggage Tracking), Deployment, Function, Region - Global Forecast to 2025

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - A strong system moving through the Midwest will bring the potential for strong storms overnight moving into Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for highs in the mid 60s tomorrow with rain and thunderstorms likely. Wind gusts could hit 30 mph in some areas.

Rain is expected to continue the rest of the evening and overnight into Thursday with lows dropping to around 50.

Cleveland sunrise - 6:26 a.m.

Cleveland sunset - 8:23 p.m.

Lake Erie water temp: 44 degrees

Extended forecast for Northeast Ohio

Expect rain showers to continue throughout the day on Thursday with highs in the upper 50s. Friday will start out the weekend with the chance of more rain and highs again in the 50s.

Ohio regional radar
New Delhi, April 29 : Specialised automotive component manufacturer Motherson Sumi Systems Limited on Wednesday said that more than 80 of its manufacturing facilities across the world are now operational.

Accordingly, the company has 152 manufacturing facilities across the world. "While 30 per cent of them are now running at more than 80 per cent capacities, rest of them are now running at upto 50 per cent capacities and slowly and steadily gearing up," the company said in a statement.

The company said that it has obtained necessary approvals from the concerned authorities in respective regions in relation with the plant operations. Additionally, the company said that the rest of the plants are being prepared to be in ready state as per post-Covid requirements and "once the permissions are obtained, these plants too will start operating".
Nothing about this is surprising and that's all I'll say.

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let's celebrate this

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I hope he gets sick and dies!

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but not before infecting tr*mp!

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Yes!!! & that he only infects Trump & then Trump dies!!

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He can infect almost the entirety of the White House and Id be fine with it.

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PRAYER CIRCLE!! Lets make this happen lord!!

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But before he meets Trump and Trump [redacted] too

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I said I hope he gets every possible disease, including a raging case of hemorrhoids that everyone assumes he got from gay sex because that would really piss him off. And yes I know thats not how hemorrhoids work. And he pass various diseases to every member of the administration.



Edited at 2020-04-29 04:05 am (UTC)

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please be a god and hear these prayers

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someone infect him

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Edited at 2020-04-29 08:36 am (UTC) c'mon corona-bitch make it happen!! #onelessrepublican

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then we can have a death party post where the usual suspects show up and tell us we should have respect for the dead

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i'm hoping there isn't some weird resurgence of islamophobia bc of corona, the anti-mask rhetoric is literally just "ew the burqa!!!!"

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Uhhhh

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girl wut

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?



Read disasterboss' comment below but also read up on burqa ban discourse. You'll find the rhetoric Pence uses here concerning "seeing faces" and "looking people in the eye" while stupid, to be the same. My concern is legitimizing that sentiment is going to once again inflate distrust towards muslims. It was a huge issue in Canada years ago and still is.

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https://theintercept.com/2020/04/14/coronavirus-muslims-islamophobia/



https://time.com/5815264/coronavirus-india-islamophobia-coronajihad/



no reason to think that that same rhetoric isn't simmering in the us by these far right racists that think covid-19 is taking away their "freedoms".



i'm not sure why you're getting these replies when its clear that bigots all over the world are using covid-19 to justify their islamaphobiano reason to think that that same rhetoric isn't simmering in the us by these far right racists that think covid-19 is taking away their "freedoms".

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Goddamn, man-child. I hope you die.

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i love this lana del rey song

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I definitely read the comment in her singing voice lol

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He didn't want to wear a face mask that covers his nose and mouth because he.... wanted to look people in the eye?



what

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he is very very stupid

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If his own stupidity costs his life then gawd bless! Hes doing the rest of us a favor

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the stupid is strong with this one

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Whew!! The IQ nosedived

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And heres Florida Governor Ron DeSantis putting on his mask... pic.twitter.com/YKLHu7nuBo  Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) April 18, 2020 lol mte! i am just sitting here thinking "do these dummies think these masks cover their eyes?" and then i was reminded of the florida governor who is so dumb that he couldn't work a face mask

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Probably didnt wear it bc if you cover up his shit eating smirk hes unrecognizable, and people would doubt he actually showed up.

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I don't wish [redacted] on people often but boy do I wish [redacted] on Pence and Trump.



Edited at 2020-04-29 03:18 am (UTC)

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you're absolutely right, and it's been a while since a president has been [redacted] too... js

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Richard Marx asking the real questions! 

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I could almost stan for that question alone.

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Sometimes I really don't care for snarky tweets because it's for RTs/likes.



Just give me the direct to-the-point questions and answers! ! 





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i keep saying, rodrigo, that one op with the GOT wife posts, and now this dude are bringing journalism back!

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Exactly, hes putting people at risk by not wearing a mask. It isnt about keeping him safe, the mask is about keeping others safe. Selfish vain asshole.

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Right. IDC if youre the vpotus, no one is allowed in here without a mask.

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So, I've been wearing a mask since the end of March. And I knew the whole point was to slow the spread.



But I didn't realize that wearing a mask doesn't protect me a whole lot from people around me that aren't wearing masks?



Is hand washing, disinfecting, and social distancing the best ways to stay safe?



Are the masks I wear providing me much protection?

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yeah the masks help prevent people with it from spreading it. handwashing, disinfecting (surfaces, not your insides) and social distancing are your best bets.

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Do you think the messaging around safety and precautions were clear for covid?



I've been doing everything 'right' but only recently did that part click.

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The masks aren't providing you much protection. Those for those of us who are touching our faces all the time because we are monsters, they can stop you from that bad habit.



BUT



They slow the spread because you (or like.... everyone you come into contact with) could be an asymptomatic carrier. And it stops THEM (or you if you're an asymptomatic carrier) from spreading it to other people. Does that make sense.



But to protect yourself, hand washing and social distancing is the way to go!

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everyone's answers are good but generally speaking in any infectious disease scenario you always want to be focusing more on actions that you can personally take to prevent you developing enough of a load to cause infection. so that's stuff like washing your hands, disinfecting, social distancing, etc. with masks yes they can lower the possibility of spread but that's entirely contingent on whether the other person's lifestyle choices. you can't guarantee that someone else is also taking care to reduce their chances of contracting a disease, and that's usually wear a lot of risk is calculated.

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It depends on the mask. If its the medical n95 mask then you are very well protected, but those are reserved for medical workers.



Fabric masks provide very little protection, but it somehow still covers your nose and mouth.



I bought masks with pockets inside from Etsy so I can slip in a cut-to-fit filter in between. Aside from using washable masks- I stay home as much as I can and if I do go out I practice social distancing, sanitize my hand if I accidentally touch something, wash my hands as soon as I get back home. I also sanitize my phone and door knobs.

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Not much if people aren't wearing it :(



I am the only person at my job wearing one  but on the off chance I picked covid up id like to minimize the chance i spread it. Even if they can't show that same courtesy

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My friend is ICU nurse and even with the N95 masks he has to have them fitted first. Even if he loses or gains a bit of weight they will make him have the mask refitted so it actually works properly. So most masks aren't giving you much protection but they are helping stop the spread.



Hand washing especially is shown to be the best because it not only kills the virus but the water washes it off your hands. Sanitizer is good but it still stays on your hands so if you miss any it's still there. My friend got me to start disinfecting my groceries because I never know who's been handling them. Social distancing is also good because even when we talk we spray spit at each other 2-3 feet or more. Since the virus isn't airborne but can be aerosolized in our spit, sneeze, coughs, 6 ft apart keeps most of the droplets from reaching another person.

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How the fuck does he and Trump not have this fucking thing yet?



@Covid, what are you waiting for!??!

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I saw a tweet in reference to this -are you a bad enough dude to spit in the Vice Presidents mouth?



Hope someone tried it.

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Lmfao pleeeease



A covid positive dude spit in my friends face in the icu last month, thank god she had a face mask

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Did he get his ass beat?

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i would give that person a golden spittoon for their valiant and patriot action

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Stay out of Minnesota you ghoul.

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My fucking thoughts exactly!!!

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I'm so concerned about states that are opening up again.



Like I saw a stat that Nebraska has doubled its cases every week for the past 5 weeks. Cases are NOT decreasing. And they're reopening????



I'm really scared of what might happen in those states.

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My state was never officially locked down but they're talking about opening everything up. Shit is going to skyrocket because the majority of the people here are selfish idiots or think they can pray-away the plague.



I just want to stay in my hole with my dogs.

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Here in Orlando they're talking about having the theme parks open back up but only allowing 50% capacity... Disney at 50% is still like at least 20,000+ in EACH park. It's fucking nuts.

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50% capacity is still like... you're going to be up in everyone's business waiting in line. You're going to be getting on rides and touching things that others have touched and aaaaaaaugh. That has potential for spread everywhere!

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and you know everyone who is willing to rush back to a theme park as soon as it re-opens isn't taking this shit seriously, so the parks will be filled with morons who likely don't care about personal space or hand washing

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The point of lockdown was not to stop the virus but to not overwhelm the healthcare system with everyone getting sick at once, since we were grossly unprepared. If they are prepared now with the ability to test large amounts of people, trace the source and have enough ppe, beds and ventilators, then they can reopen.

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My home state is opening restaurants on Friday and from what I've seen the majority are remaining closed or only doing delivery/pick-up. You can't enter the grocery store I always use unless you are wearing a mask and I hope and pray that stays. The few salons that have opened up (most are staying closed until late May) require a signed waiver.



But yeah, cases are going to quadruple immediately.

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RIP Texas  my hospital is planning for the worst and Abbott already said his words are above citys' mayors when a few mayors wanted to ignore reopening and continue quarantine 

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live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Gopichand Hinduja, co-chairman of the Hinduja Group, expects oil prices to remain under pressure but sees them returning to $40-50 a barrel once the economic situation stabilises.

In an interview with CNBC, the India-born British billionaire said weakness in oil prices may persist due to lack of consumption and warehousing woes.

"I dont think oil prices are going to change from where they are because the consumption is not there, and the warehousing is not there," he said. "Keeping all this in mind, no sooner that things get settled down, I think the oil prices will go back in the range of $40 to $50."

The Hinduja Group operates in various industries including automotive, oil, and speciality chemicals as well as banking and finance. It runs private sector lender IndusInd Bank in India.

Gopichand, who along with his brother Srichand, is considered one of the wealthiest men in the UK felt that the sharp decline in oil began once Saudi Arabia and Russia failed to reach an agreement on a production cut in early March, but the coronavirus pandemic "made it worse because of no demand."

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The global shutdown of businesses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has wiped off nearly a third (nearly 10 million bpd) of the world's oil demand. While the OPEC and Russia did agree to production cuts earlier in April it was not enough to cushion the unprecedented fall-off in demand.

The price on the futures contract for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 13 percent to $11.11 per barrel, recovering from a low of 25 percent. Meanwhile, Brent crude traded down 4.4 percent at $19.11 per barrel.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday restrictions on citizens movements would be lifted and more shops allowed to reopen from May 4 in a gradual easing of a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Greece has so far registered 2,566 coronavirus cases including 138 deaths, much fewer than many other European nations, thanks partly to the swift imposition of its lockdown on March 23.

But the lockdown has paralysed an economy that only emerged in the summer of 2018 from a decade-long debt crisis, dashing expectations for strong growth this year. The government now expects a deep recession of up to 10% of national output.

This is not the epilogue of our adventure but the continuation. Our emergence from quarantine will be done step by step. No one can rule out the risk of the threat rekindling, Mitsotakis said in a televised address.

A return (to normal life) must not lead to a relapse.

Although most restrictions on Greeks free movement will be lifted on May 4, they will not be allowed to leave their wider region of residence, the conservative premier said.

Some retail stores, including book shops and hair salons, will reopen on May 4 and others later in the month. Schools will open gradually, starting on May 11.

Greece relies heavily on tourism but has seen large-scale booking cancellations because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Its borders remain closed to citizens of non-EU nations including the United States and Britain as well as of Spain and Italy as part of the lockdown measures. The government made no mention on Tuesday of when those restrictions would be lifted.

Greece says it is critical that the European Union adopt a common position soon on travel and reopening borders within the bloc. [L3N2C900W]

Year-round hotels, restaurants, cafes and shopping malls will reopen on June 1, but distance rules will apply and staff will have to wear masks.

The government said it would provide more details later on how it plans to revive the tourism sector, which employs one in five workers in Greece. Last year tourism revenues totalled 18 billion euros on the back of more than 34 million visitors.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Washington

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will not recommend that schools be freed of any of their obligations to educate students with disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic, the Education Department announced this week.

The decision was outlined in a report the department sent to Congress Monday, which recommended that it leave intact the core tenets of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but suggested some flexibility in the law's administrative requirements.

"While the department has provided extensive flexibility to help schools transition, there is no reason for Congress to waive any provision designed to keep students learning," DeVos said. "With ingenuity, innovation and grit, I know this nation's educators and schools can continue to faithfully educate every one of its students."

In the recently passed coronavirus stabilization law, Congress gave DeVos 30 days to recommend whether she wanted the authority to waive parts of the landmark federal special education law.

The closings have significantly altered the ability of schools to provide special education services. Those services, outlined in legal agreements called Individualized Education Programs, can include an array of intensive educational services, like tutoring, behavioral support or occupational therapy.

As school districts grapple with ensuring that the special education population, about 7 million students, receive an education equal to its peers, many have feared being out of compliance with federal requirements, and some have braced for lawsuits from families whose students did not receive the same level of services.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Fearing a backlash, some school districts opted not to educate any children at all for a period, or significantly curtailed the level of instruction offered.

Special education and civil rights groups argued that any waivers from the law would signal to schools that they could write off the nation's most vulnerable students for the remainder of the pandemic.

"DeVos' recommendation is a surprising  but welcome  move from this administration and a win for the disability rights movement," said West Resendes, a Skadden fellow in the American Civil Liberties Union's Disability Rights Program.
The key challenge: learning on the fly

General strategic approaches: enforced comprehensive lockdown (China, New York and many other states in the U.S.), versus selective measures relying primarily on citizen voluntary action (Sweden)

Procurement strategies and coordination mechanisms

Strategy, process and techniques for testing and tracing (national versus localized criteria for testing, pop-up testing labs, drive-thru testing labs, contact tracing through mobile phone apps)

Health-care organization, resources and capacity-building (emergency building of new hospitals  for example: Wuhan, London  fast-tracking of new doctor/nurse recruits)

Stimulus and welfare packages (salary top-ups, welfare bonuses, tax breaks, bailouts for key industries)

Restrictions and closing down/opening up economies (comprehensive proactive shutdown versus targeted incremental closing/opening)

Fundamental strategic change in the direction of the response or recovery effort, for example: shifting from containment to mitigation (and hopefully back)

New legislation/policy requirements/guidelines

Changing organizational structures, process and procedures and infrastructure, for example: working from home measures, new crisis committees and upgrading ICT systems

Facilitating cultural and behavioral change, for example: deciding to publish scientific modelling, managing citizens risk perceptions and expectations via messaging campaigns.

Avoidable pitfalls

How-to-learn recommendations for benefiting from others experiences

1. Local context matters

2. Translate rather than transplant

3. Cast a wide net, compare and benchmark

4. Probe apparent successes and failures when seeking lessons

5. Ensure decision-making safeguards

The devastating COVID-19 outbreak has created a new and common challenge for many governments: how to plan and implement a safe transition from lockdown conditions and reopen societies and economies. Jurisdictions are operating on their own, often with widely varying timelines. Some are still in the midst of the crisis, some are preparing to exit and some have already done just that. Other countries have never been formally locked down. These varying timelines and approaches collectively constitute a rich experience catalogue, but they also share the common purpose of finding a viable path back to normality.Authorities have a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of others, avoiding pitfalls and failures, finding solutions and adopting practices that work.In the COVID-19 crisis, cross-jurisdictional learning may yield valuable lessons including:Learning from the COVID-19 experiences of others seems like an undeniably good idea. In the words of the late Aaron Wildavsky: Learning is a golden concept  everyone is for it.But policy learning is always more difficult than it might appear. Times of crisis produce special challenges (not least because the stakes are high, time is of the essence and uncertainty reigns). The response of every jurisdiction is multi-faceted, and encompasses everything from the strategic values they pursue and narratives they commmunicate, to the policy instruments and regulations they deploy.Jurisdictions implement lessons learned in different ways, from major realignments to minor refinements. They include:Learning from others can be done and should be attempted, but it must be approached with great care. Learning doesnt always mean actively emulating the approach or tactics pioneered by others; it can also mean consciously taking a different path. Furthermore, calculated inaction can also be a means of learning from others; seeing poor outcomes for others as warning signs to avoid replicating their mistakes and possibly ill-judged actions. We believe it is vital for governments to consider the potential pitfalls of crisis learning (as derived from the literature) and below is a set of suggestions that may be helpful in the quest for answers to the COVID-19 dilemmas.While everyone is in favor of learning, there is no universal gold standard or practical rule book for effective crisis learning. As we have noted, seeking to learn from the experiences of others  both near and far  can also pose serious risks. The following pitfalls are best avoided:The complexity and interconnectedness of the shared experiences of hundreds of countries and jurisdictions  combined with their diverse approaches and responses  is dizzying. There is a real danger of being paralyzed by the sheer onslaught of potentially relevant insights. It may seem that for every new idea there is an experience elsewhere to support it and a counterexample to indicate that it is a bad idea.For example, social distancing is voluntary in Sweden. Does that provide others with a quick exit scenario by turning orders into recommendations? Or does the voluntary model require very high levels of public trust and cultural distance already built into a societys normal mode of functioning? Deep systematic thinking is required when choosing models to follow and shun.What works (or does not work) elsewhere is not guaranteed to work (or not work) at "home." Measures that succeed in one place may rely on peculiar local factors for their success, such as surplus health-care sector capacity, citizens level of trust in government, the degree of fragmentation/unity in and centralization/decentralization of public institutions, levels of public-sector funding, ICT capacities, relations with the private sector, demographics, cultural patterns of social interaction, housing, transportation and more. A poorly judged importation of measures from one jurisdiction to another can backfire, in the same way that we would make tragic decisions on blood transfusions if we automatically assumed that everyone had the same blood type.If decision-makers simply use the "evidential" experience of a select country/jurisdiction to legitimate what they are planning to do anyway, they are not actually learning from the experiences of others. They may increase the likely credibility of their proposed response, but without informed assessment of the base rates of success and failure, or thoughtful consideration of the benefits and pitfalls of the policys translatability.In times when public anxieties are profound and lives and livelihoods hang in the balance, it can be tempting to cling to the positive experiences of others and oversell the benefits of how their approach can work for us, without regard for local context or the implementation risks involved. Government leaders should remember that citizens, too, learn from the experiences of others. Attentive citizens, concerned about the crisis and informed by mass and social media with a global reach, will question and benchmark government responses. They are not naive first-graders eager for their first lesson from the headmaster-in-chief and ready to take the government policy rationale as gospel.The flip side of overconfidence in and overselling of an outside example is a stubborn mindset that ignores or defines itself against outside experience. This is the mindset that declares the most valuable lessons are best learned by you and your organization alone. In a crisis, some leaders and quite a few experts cling to routine and familiar ways of working and established evidence bases. This mindset can not only lead to missed opportunities to learn but can also lead to re-inventing the wheel.Twenty-four-hour news cycles, commentaries and opinion on how others are performing, in areas such as the timing of reopening economies, can result in pressure to do the same, or do the opposite. Acting on such pressures may appease critics and be welcomed by those who seek hope amid darkness. But again, the risk of unintended consequences is huge, unless the local context is carefully taken into account and measures are appropriately calibrated and timed.Policymakers and experts may adhere to evidence, priding themselves that they do not follow hunches. While an evidence-based approach may work in a routine setting where politicization is low, "evidence" has a different status in a highly charged crisis environment in which dilemmas are pressing and demand a political decision. Policy advisers who fail to realize that crisis management is inherently political  and that the political dimension looms larger when scientific uncertainty prevails  will likely see their good efforts to "learn responsibly" go to waste. For maximum impact, expert learning must be communicated persuasively to non-expert decision-makers and ultimately to the public.Finding our bearings and learning lessons in this chaotic, emotionally charged "living lab" of global crisis experiences is served best by the following set of principles that we have drawn from the literature:Evidence and experiences from elsewhere can bring useful insights and clues, but they should be treated as heuristic inputs and additional data points to inform problem-solving. Insights from afar should be filtered by an acute awareness of jurisdictional differences in culture, institutions, legal frameworks, policies, funding regimes, training capacities, socio-economic contexts, and other local constraints and possibilities. When seeking to learn lessons from other jurisdictions continually ask yourself: what are the potential benefits and risks for us here?One-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approaches and wholesale adoption of measures from elsewhere rarely work. Instead, be selective and prepare to modify and adapt for local circumstances. Alert adaptation is likely to be a source of strength, as well as being of practical value in fighting the disease (or other parallel threats and hazards) and its consequences.When looking abroad, use the variety of experiences to map out possible solutions to the problems currently in focus. Doing so is not only conducive to creative crisis problem-solving, but also a precondition for being able to make an informed choice from a mature set of alternatives. However, be aware that the optimal approach for your jurisdiction may not yet have been tried elsewhere and may need to be invented or crafted out of a combination of strategies and policies from other jurisdictions.Note that the immediate hot wash assessments coming out of other contexts may be selective caricatures driven by political narratives and limited data. Consider counterfactuals. If the policy intervention makes a positive difference, ask why that was the case and what underlying conditions contributed to it. When a measure seems to have failed also ask why, and if failure was inevitable. Was it a potentially sound approach that failed due to poor preparation, planning, implementation, or lack of fit with the local circumstances?Learning is a collective endeavor. While there may be little time, it is still wise to involve multiple voices and elicit alternative opinions. Decision-making forums should be diverse in composition and views, welcoming balanced critical deliberation that helps uncover risks and avoid overreactions/underreactions to new evidence. This will help in minimizing the risk of being dragged down a crisis mismanagement route by charismatic and powerful leaders desperate for an answer, no matter the source of, or how thin, the evidence.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its social distancing guidelines to include pets after several animals tested positive for the coronavirus.

The agency recommends that people do not let pets interact with other individuals or animals outside their household, keep cats indoors if possible, walk dogs on leashes and avoid parks as well as other public places where large numbers of people and animals are gathered.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people, and others cause illness in certain types of animals, the CDCs website says. Some coronaviruses that infect animals can sometimes be spread to people, but this is rare.

The COVID-19 outbreak, which is believed to have originated at a live animal market in Wuhan, China, has primarily spread from person to person via respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or talking, though reports are growing of mammals carrying the disease.

A small number of cats and dogs have been infected with the respiratory illness, the CDC said, adding that most of the diagnoses were made after the pets had close contact with people with COVID-19.

Two pet cats in New York tested positive for the viral respiratory infection, the federal government announced last week. They were the first confirmed companion pets in the country to contract the virus.

A four-year-old tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo was also diagnosed with the illness, marking the first instance of an animal testing positive for the virus in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CNN reported Wednesday that a North Carolina familys pug, named Winston, may be the first canine in the country to test positive for the illness.

A police dog in Massachusetts was also being monitored for COVID-19 after a pair of security staffers at the Bristol County Sheriffs Office were diagnosed with the virus earlier this month. The officer was expected to limit contact with the animal, though the dog was not showing symptoms.

The K9 officer is taking extra precautions and following CDC guidelines by limiting contact with his four-legged partner, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

During the ongoing health crisis, the CDC is recommending that members of the public treat pets as one would treat humans during the pandemic, despite the risk of animals spreading the respiratory infection to people being low.

Do not let pets interact with people or animals outside the household. If a person inside the household becomes sick, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets, the agencys guidelines say.

People sick with COVID-19 should have another member of their household care for the pet and avoid petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked and sharing food or bedding with that animal, according to the agency.

If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wear a cloth face covering and wash your hands before and after you interact with them, the CDCs website says.

Coronaviruses, like SARS and MERS, were also known to infect animals and spread to humans. Such diseases have been detected in cattle, camels and bats, but transmission from animals to people was rare, according to the CDC.

Other canine and feline coronaviruses were reported to only infect animals and not humans, the agency noted.

More studies are needed to understand how different animals are affected by the coronavirus and how they may spread the disease, according to the agency.

Related Content:
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday rejected interim bail pleas of DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan and his brother Dheeraj Wadhawan, who are in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody in connection with a case related to Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor.

The brothers were arrested on Sunday afternoon by the CBI from their bungalow at Mahabaleshwar in Satara for their alleged involvement in the Yes Bank fraud case. Both are in CBI custody till May 4.

On Tuesday, lawyers of the Wadhawans had sought an extension of the interim order, which was opposed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Incidentally, ED is also probing the case and they want custody of the brothers after their CBI custody will end on May 4.

Kapil Wadhawan was arrested on January 27 this year by the agencies for his dubious dealings with gangster Iqbal Mirchi, who died in 2013, and was booked under provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.He was granted bail on February 21 by a special PMLA court in Mumbai.

The duo, along with 23 other family members, was under home quarantine for 14 days; the court gave them protection till May 5. However, after a photo of them on a holiday in Mahabaleshwar became viral, CBI got the arrest order.
Kansas City Comeback In Style

KC salon owner seeks rules, not guidance, for reopening KANSAS CITY, Mo. - At Skyline Downtown Salon, getting a haircut once stay-at-home orders are lifted will look and feel different. "In a lot of ways, a hair salon now is going to feel probably a lot like going to a hospital," Josh Crumley, who owns Skyline, said.

Golden Ghetto Tech Fight

Overland Park company tracking virus trends with new COVID-19 heat map OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - WellSky, an Overland Park-based health care technology company, is teaming up with Qlik, a data and analytics company, to launch a new COVID-19 heat map resource. It's designed for home health care professionals working all across the nation.

JoCo Hotspot Report

Johnson County reports 114 cases, 26 deaths at nursing homes JOHNSON COUNTY, KS (KCTV) - KCTV5 News as heard a lot about the coronavirus outbreak at Riverbend Rehabilitation and Nursing Home in Wyandotte County. Though, not much has been mentioned about Johnson County nursing homes, until now. Recently released numbers from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment show the majority of COVID-19 deaths in Johnson County come from nursing homes.

Kansas COVID-19 Turnaround

What Kansas Might Do To Reopen After The Coronavirus Shut It Down After six weeks of asking Kansans to stay at home, Gov. Laura Kelly is expected to announce Thursday that the state will start to reopen for businesses and some public gatherings on May 4. Even if people can travel at-will and previously non-essential retailers can open their doors, the governor likely will leave some restrictions in place and maybe enact new rules.

Show-Me Late Pay Outrage

Frustration builds for those having trouble getting unemployment benefits in Missouri (KMOV.com) - Thousands of people are taking to Facebook to express frustration over the process to file for unemployment benefits in Missouri. Many of them say they're still waiting for answers and are starting to run out of hope. It's an issue News 4 has been tracking for weeks.

Kansas Fear Prevents Care

Johnson County, Kansas sees big drop in EMS calls OLATHE, Kan. - Since Stay-At-Home orders took effect, 911 calls for ambulance services have dropped significantly in Johnson County. Ambulance calls and transports are down almost 30 percent here in the last month. That has paramedics and emergency medical technicians concerned that people may be suffering small heart attacks or strokes and not calling for [...]

Retro Cinematic Celebration

KCK schools announce plans for senior graduation at drive-in theater The Kansas City, Kansas Public School District announced graduation plans for high school seniors. The school district has partnered with Boulevard Drive-In to host six graduations for seniors, beginning June 1. Additional details will be announced later.District officials said the set-up will be like a trip to the movies.

Kansas Death Toll Rises

Coronavirus in Kansas: Cases still rapidly growing while daily deaths decrease by: AP Wire Posted: / Updated: TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas has recorded four more coronavirus deaths the same day that Gov. Laura Kelly is set to announce her plan on how to lift the state's stay-at-home order. The latest deaths reported Tuesday brought the total to 124.

Right Wing Pressure Applied

Kansas legislators pressure Gov. Kelly to reopen the economy - The Sentinel On April 27, roughly three-quarters of the Kansas Republican Legislative Delegation sent a letter to Gov. Laura Kelly, pressuring her to reopen the economy as quickly as possible after the May 3 expiration of her stay-at-home order.

Small Biz Pandemic Advocacy

JoCo gym owner: Small businesses shouldn't be lumped with big box chains OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The Johnson County COVID-19 task force is creating a plan to determine when certain businesses should reopen once Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly reopens the state. One gym owner is fighting to have the task force rethink the categories and how businesses are being divided up.

Guv Parson Plan Revealed

Parson's plan to reopen state economy is gradual, includes expanded testing (VIDEO, LINKS TO GUIDELINES) - Missourinet Coronavirus cases in Missouri: 7,171 Deaths: 288 Missouri's businesses, churches, and other public gathering places can open starting on May 4, 2020, with some restrictions. Towns and counties that have stricter orders will be allowed to do what they need, Parson says. Governor Mike Parson explained the first steps of his "Show Me Strong Recovery" ...

Kansas City Coronavirus Self Care Teachable Moment

Kansas City boutique takes alternative approach to wellness during crisis KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- At a time when so many of us have wellness on the mind, Joe and Latoyia Mays are doing what they know best. The Laya Center is a holistic wellness destination in downtown Kansas City. This is where the May's say they reconnect people to nature and healing themselves.

For our beloved late night denizens we share this nightly stat recap and a collection of items worthy of consideration . . .After the jump we share about a dozen local human interest stories and insight on how the pandemic impacts Kansas City.Developing . . .
A cargo plane of Garuda Indonesia (Courtesy of/flyawaysimulation.com)

The associations chairman, Zaldy Ilham Masita, said logistics volume has been down 60 to 70 percent across the board.

Zaldy said business-to-consumer (B2C) and customer-to-customer (C2C) delivery services had experienced growth despite the outbreak but the increase was too small to compensate the sharp drop in the business-to-business (B2B) segment.

The B2C and C2C segments recorded growth due to the increase in demand for food, perishables and medical supply deliveries despite large-scale social restrictions, he said, adding that all three categories had seen a 100 percent increase since March.

He went on to say that during Ramadan, shipment volume usually increased by 30 to 50 percent, adding that however, this year the volume would be down 40 percent from last year.

The prediction is based on lower consumer spending because there have been layoffs everywhere and holiday bonus (THR) cuts, he said.

Zaldy also predicted that the logistics sector would return to normal in the first quarter of 2021. In the meantime, he said, logistics companies could begin digitalizing operations and broaden services, such as catering to more B2C clients to survive the outbreak.

Supply Chain Indonesia (SCI) chairman Setijadi also said spending on tertiary goods such as automotive, electronics and fashion had declined amid the outbreak, while medical supplies and health products were likely to continue their growth trend.

Previously, the SCI estimated the logistics sector would grow around 12.7 percent this year, with a contribution to GDP of 993.9 trillion Rp (63.9 billion USD). However, Setijadi said the SCI would revise the estimate because COVID-19 had severely affected global trade and logistics activities.
Nine elderly patients have died of Covid-19 at a long-term care facility in West Cork where there has been an outbreak of coronavirus, the HSE confirmed this evening.

Officials at the Clonakilty Community Hospital in West Cork confirmed the deaths took place between April 1 and 28.



The families of the deceased were given the opportunity to say goodbye in person, albeit while observing social distancing and wearing protective gear, a hospital spokeswoman told Independent.ie



It is with great sadness that we can confirm that nine residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital passed away with Covid-19 to date this month. We wish to express our sincere sympathies to the families and friends of residents who have passed away.



The hospital conceded that the facility, which caters to elderly patients, is dealing with an ongoing outbreak of the disease.

But it moved to reassure families that it is doing everything possible to provide both compassionate and high quality care to all residents.



Every possible precaution has been taken and continues to be taken to keep residents and staff safe. The dedicated staff at Clonakilty Community Hospital continue to provide every possible comfort and reassurance to residents and their loved ones during these difficult times, the hospital said in a statement this evening.



Where people have sadly approached the end of their lives, whether due to Covid-19 or for other reasons, their family and loved ones have been offered the opportunity to be with them.

"Every possible effort is continuing to keep residents and staff safe, with stringent measures in place to prevent the spread of infection. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect the health of our residents.



The hospital has drafted in nurses from acute hospitals in counties Cork and Kerry to augment staff at the hospital as well as bringing in additional staff.

Meanwhile, local Fianna Fail TD Christopher O'Sullivan offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

"This tragic figure includes the three people who died last week. Im saddened and want to express my deepest sympathy to their loved ones. Nine members of our close-knit, loving community is nine too many," he said.

"These people are more than just numbers and statistics. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends."

He said the local community stands fully behind the staff at the hospital which is unfortunately at the centre of a Covid-19 outbreak in the west Cork area.

"I was assured once again this afternoon there is very little risk of spread to the greater community, and all staff members have been tested. Anyone who has tested positive is self-isolating," he added.
Chandigarh, Apr 29 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced extension of curfew in the state by two more weeks after May 3, while allowing limited lifting of the lockdown in the non-containment and non-red zones from Thursday onwards.

The curfew in the state will now remain in force till May 17, though limited easing of restrictions will be in place from Thursday from 0700 hrs to 1100 hrs every day. The containment and red zones will, however, continue to remain under total and strict lockdown.

Based on the report of the expert committee set up to formulate the states exit strategy, and the inputs received from various sections of the society, the Chief Minister said it was necessary to continue with the lockdown for some more time.

In an address to the people of the state, the Chief Minister said the situation will be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations will be announced thereafter if the pandemic remains under control.

As per the limited relief announced by the Chief Minister, certain shops will be allowed to remain open in certain areas by rotation, for four hours every morning, with 50 per cent staff strength.

The Deputy Commissioners have been directed to work out the rotational schedule for the shops that are allowed to be opened.

The curfew will remain in place after 1100 hrs and people should come back to their homes by that time and maintain social distancing.

All those stepping out during the relaxation period would have to wear masks and maintain a two meters distance from others, the CM said.

More UNI DB PS 1636
The Bradley County Health Department is hosting COVID-19 drive-through testing events for the community on Saturday. Nurses and/or National Guard medics at each site will collect nasal swabs from those who want to be tested, and test results may be available within 72 hours after the samples arrive at the lab, depending on lab volume. You do not have to live in the county to be tested at this event.

Anyone with concerns about their health or the health of a family member is invited to come to one of these locations this weekend to receive testing for COVID-19, said Brittany Hopkins, County Health director. This testing will be provided at no cost to participants, and those who come for testing can remain in their vehicles throughout the process.

Sample collection for testing will be offered at the following locations and times:

Saturday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Cleveland Middle School

3635 Georgetown Road, Cleveland, TN

Those who come for testing will get information on what to expect after their test, and should be prepared to isolate themselves at home while awaiting their test results. This information is also available online at www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/TestedGuidance.pdf.

Everyone wishing to be tested for COVID-19 at these events should be prepared to share their contact information so health department staff members can provide their test results. Everyone who is tested will be contacted about their results, whether they are negative or positive, and given further instructions to protect their health and the health of those around them.

TDH has had high participation in drive-through testing events. Those in line at a testing site by the announced closing time will be served if possible. Please note public restroom facilities are not available at these drive-through testing events.

TDH also offers COVID-19 testing at no cost to patients throughout the week at local county health departments. Learn more about TDH drive-through testing events this weekend and other locations for testing at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/remote-assessment-sites.html

Tennessees Coronavirus Public Information Lines are open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., CDT daily at (833) 556-2476 or (877) 857-2945.

TDH is posting updated COVID-19 case numbers by 2 p.m. CDT each day at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html. Find additional information at www.tn.gov/governor/covid-19.html and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.






04/29/2020

By Ed Brennen

From doubling the number of electric vehicle charging stations on campus to increasing incentives for energy-efficient infrastructure projects, the university is working with its utility provider, National Grid, on new and innovative ways to advance its sustainability and cost-saving goals.

In February, the university and National Grid entered into a strategic energy management partnership, a three-year agreement that earmarks more than $500,000 in incentives for campus projects that help save electricity and natural gas.

And thanks to an additional $95,000 in grant funding and incentives from National Grid, the university recently installed six new dual-head electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in parking facilities across campus: one in the South Campus garage, one in North Campus garage, two in the Hall Street garage (across from River Hawk Village on East Campus) and two in the Tsongas Centers Lot B.

Including the January addition of an EV charging station in the parking lot behind the renovated Coburn Hall, the university now has 14 dual-head stations in nine parking lots and garages across campus. The stations provide charging ports for up to 28 vehicles at any given time.

By doubling the number of charging stations on campus over the past few months, weve made it even easier for students, faculty and staff to commute to campus in environmentally friendly electric vehicles, says Director of Sustainability Ruairi OMahony.

The $95,000 in National Grid funding covers approximately 90 percent of the total cost for the purchase and installation of the six new charging stations. The universitys Office of Sustainability is covering the remaining 10 percent, OMahony says.

The new charging stations will help meet a growing demand on campus. In February, the stations were used 382 times  the highest month on record, according to data from the UCard, Access and Parking Services (UCAPS) Office.

On our peak days, we were seeing about 25 charging sessions a day and 20 unique drivers, says Jon Victorine, director of UCAPS and security technology. With more than 90 percent of our charging ports being used on those peak days, the need for more stations was clear.

Strategic Partnership

Through its strategic energy management partnership (SEMP) with National Grid, meanwhile, the university can reduce its annual utility bill while improving operations and reducing maintenance costs. The agreement doubles the universitys existing incentives for projects that save electricity and natural gas over the next three years.

The incentives are a big pull for us, but National Grid is also providing valuable administrative and engineering support, says UML Energy Manager Dan Abrahamson, who joined the university last summer from the MBTA, where he developed a similar SEMP with the utility provider. Abrahamson compares the program to Mass Save, the utilities collaborative that provides rebates, incentives and energy assessments to Massachusetts residents and businesses.

Abrahamson, OMahony and UML Construction Manager Paul Queeney will work with representatives from National Grid to identify cost-effective projects that the university can implement to achieve two annual energy-saving goals: 400,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 25,000 therms of natural gas.

Each year, the university can earn more than $160,000 in incentives for meeting those goals. Over the course of the three-year program, incentives could surpass $500,000.

Photo by Ed Brennen Photo by Ed Brennen Electric vehicle charging stations on campus, such as this one at University Crossing, were used a record 382 times in February.

By saying that were going to commit to these goals, National Grid is saying theyll commit to helping us by making us a preferred partner, says Abrahamson, who is also part of an executive team with Assoc. Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management and Planning Jean Robinson and Executive Director of Operations and Services T.J. McCarthy that will work with National Grid representatives to oversee the partnership.

The targeted projects can involve both upgraded systems and new construction.

One potential project is improving the efficiency of the campus nearly 800 steam traps, which are valves that capture the condensation from the universitys steam heating system. Abrahamason says over time the traps calcify and begin to release steam, but repairing them requires an expensive auditing process.

Theres new sensor technology, which has never been deployed before, that can connect to the traps that would immediately let us know if they fail, he says. That way we can continually fix them and make sure theyre not losing energy, which is advantageous for National Grid as well.

Last fall, the university proposed a pipe insulation project to National Grid that would decrease energy loss in 23 mechanical rooms across campus. If the university could complete the work on poorly insulated steam line piping, tanks and equipment by the end of 2019, National Grid agreed to subsidize the cost of the $300,000 project.

It was a hustle, but we ended up insulating more than 20 buildings in over a month, says Abrahamson, who notes that the university should see almost $150,000 in annual energy savings over the next decade.

Theres also a tech element to the project. Tags with QR codes were attached along the new pipe insulation, so if a maintenance worker needs to repair or replace a component, they can scan the code to let building operations staff know when and where the work was done.

National Grid created a cloud platform for us so we can pinpoint our efforts on campus, Abrahamson says. Not only does it improve energy efficiency, but it also improves operations efficiency.

For all these recent efforts, Abrahamson never thought hed see the university save energy like it is at the moment: by temporarily closing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the first three weeks of the shutdown, he says the university has curtailed its electric load by 60 percent and its natural gas load by 32 percent.

Were going to be looking at some significant energy savings and cost avoidance in our utility budget, which is one silver lining, he says.
The London Eye, the Big Ben clock tower and the City of London financial district are seen from the Broadway development site in central London, Britain, August 23, 2017.

New research suggests British start-ups have raised 663 million ($825 million) since the coronavirus lockdown began in the country, shrugging off the economic downturn in the process.

The study  carried out by workspace provider Plexal and start-up database Beauhurst  focused on funding rounds between March 23 and April 27, analyzing nearly 30,000 businesses.

It found that British start-ups raised 34% more this year than they did during the same period last year. The rise is thought to be a result of investors allocating additional funding to ensure the survival of start-ups in their portfolio.

A handful of start-ups have raised substantial rounds in the last few weeks, with digital ID verification service Onfido announcing it had raised $100 million from investors on April 15.

"Although uncertainty typically reduces investor enthusiasm, there are areas that are expected to do well and attract disproportionate attention," Onfido CEO Husayn Kassai told CNBC. "So far they seem to be infrastructure companies (payments, identity access, communications) and areas related to security and AI more broadly."

"Start-ups that are proving to be both resilient and even more relevant in an increasingly remote-access world are likely to continue to attract more investment. As well as our $100 million round, it's clear that identity is being seen as having infrastructure value with other identity companies also doing well, such as Okta, ForgeRock and Ping Identity. These will be the critical services as we establish the 'new normal' in the wake of this pandemic," he added.

While established start-ups took the bulk of the funding, some 50.2 million went to start-ups that had never raised significant rounds before.

Those focusing on fintech, AI, security, and blockchain technologies were particularly attractive to investors, according to the research.

Jan Hammer, partner at Index Ventures, told CNBC: "We believe that entrepreneurs will be at the heart of the world's economic recovery as they find ways to address fundamental changes in the way societies live and work. It's vital that they can access the funding they need to get their ideas off the ground.

"Index has just announced $2 billion in new funds to support emerging entrepreneurs and we are continuing to invest. Most of our investments are Series As, backing companies that are only just taking off and will only emerge as large global businesses towards the later part of the decade."

While overall funding was up on the same time last year, the number of deals is widely perceived as a more accurate barometer of investor confidence. Compared to the same time last year, the number of deals is down 39% to 114.

While some start-ups have been able to raise capital, others are really struggling. Almost 1,000 small U.K firms are currently in administration (263) or liquidation (707), according to the research.
The life of Judge Samuel McReynolds, who presided over the Ed Johnson trial, demonstrates how political pressure and threat of mob violence can eliminate the phrase of an independent judiciary which today is defined as a neutral and detached judiciary.

Samuel Davis McReynolds was born on a farm near Pikeville in Bledsoe County on April 16, 1872. He attended local schools and Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tennessee and was licensed to practice law in 1893.

McReynolds originally practiced law in Pikeville and served as an assistant attorney from 1894-1896. He subsequently moved to Chattanooga in 1896 and in 1903 was appointed Criminal Court Judge. McReynolds term of office was ending and he was facing a re-election campaign in two months when the Ed Johnson case came up in February, 1906.

McReynolds succumbed to the ugly situation and made several unconstitutional decisions if we review his actions in light of present day constitutional guarantees, but were acceptable in the atmosphere existing in the South during this era of segregation.

He granted leading criminal lawyer Lewis Shepherds request to be appointed counsel for Johnson but also appointed two other lawyers who had never tried a criminal case. When Johnson was arrested Judge McReynolds performed a noble action of courage when he confronted the angry mob that was gathering at the jail to lynch Johnson.

The Judge faced the crowd and told them to go home and for a while this appeased the citizens trying to take the law into their own hands as was customary in the South during this era. From this point on McReynolds failed as a judicial officer in the high profile case because of his political ambition and upcoming re-election. Amongst the invalid steps he took were:

1) Scheduling a capital murder for trial nine days from date of arrest;

2) Failure to even consider a motion to take the case out of Chattanooga and informed the defense counsel that it would be summarily denied without a hearing;

3) Making numerous pro-prosecution statements and rulings in the trial;

4) Denying a new trial hearing because the appointed lawyers were one day late in filing it;

5) Sentencing Johnson to death and discouraging an appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court

6) Refusing to notify Sheriff Shipp that a lynch mob was surrounding the jail to take the prisoner out and hang him;

When Shepherd and new African American attorneys Noah Paden and Styles Hutchins got a 10-day stay of execution after the trial and the United States Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan granted a second stay, Judge McReynolds was appalled and took the action as a personal insult on him and the state court system.

After Johnson had been lynched on the Walnut Street Bridge and his body shot 50 times, McReynolds was easily re-elected two months later. He served two more terms of office.

After Sheriff Shipp and several others were cited by the United States Supreme Court for contempt of aiding and abetting the lynch mob, McReynolds only narrowly escaped being tried for contempt himself.

McReynolds remained a popular judicial officer in Hamilton County and, upon the unexpected death of former Congressman John A. Moon in 1921, McReynolds became the Democratic candidate for Congress from the Third District and defeated the Republican candidate in the general election. He became one of the most powerful members of Congress.

McReynolds became chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and in that capacity steered President Franklin Roosevelts legislation through Congress. Roosevelt counted on McReynolds to work out compromises with the isolationists in Congress.

McReynolds' political ambition got thwarted on two occasions when Cordell Hulls Senate became vacant when he became Secretary of State, and the Congressman sought the position, but it went to fellow Chattanoogan Nathan Bachman. When Senator Bachman died suddenly in 1937 McReynolds once again sought the appointment, but Governor Gordon Browning appointed relatively unknown labor leader George Berry to the position.

McReynolds was re-elected in 1938 by easily beating Chattanooga Judge L.D. Miller, Sr.

Bad health probably caused McReynolds not to run for the Senate in 1938. He suffered from heart disease and ultimately died in Washington on July 11, 1939 from an attack. He was succeeded in office by Estes Kefauver.

President Roosevelt wrote a personal letter praising McReynolds for his fine personal qualities and public service.

It is doubted that any of Ed Johnsons family concurred in the salutations and favorable compliments towards Congressman Reynolds.

* * *



Jerry Summers

(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
Message to students: Information on student emergency funding options

Spartan Students:

As we enter the end of the spring semester and seven weeks of profound changes affecting our daily lives, we would like to pause briefly to once again thank each of you for your collective hard work, patience and commitment. The coronavirus pandemic is a frightening time in our lives, and we are very proud of how our students have responded to all of the new challenges you are facing.

Wed also like to acknowledge that the pandemic is impacting some of our Spartan students and families harder and in different ways. Here in Michigan and in other states, minority and marginalized groups become even more vulnerable in emergencies such as a health pandemic, including lost employment and income, illness and, for some, loss of loved ones. We urge you all to continue supporting one another, to think about how some members of our Spartan family are affected differently than your own experience.

Student Supports

In addition to all of the above, for some of you, the pandemic has brought on financial hardships. Earlier this month, Congress approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which established the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). MSU will receive approximately $30 million from the HEERF over the coming months, about $15 million of which will be used to provide emergency financial aid grants to our students. These grants will be called MSU CARES4Students, and will be made directly to students for the expenses related to the novel coronavirus. Such expenses include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care.

We are grateful for this funding and the ability to help our students. While MSU hasnt received the funds yet, we have been working on the MSU CARES4Students grant application process so that once we receive the money, we can more quickly provide a measure of financial relief to our students who need it most. Our goal is to get help to students so that you can continue your studies with some peace of mind. The grant application will reside in StuInfo. You can access it there directly or from the Office of Financial Aid website or the MSU coronavirus website.

Unfortunately, the Department of Education put restrictions in place that prohibit MSU from making emergency financial aid grants to students who are ineligible to file FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Any student who has not filed FAFSA but previously applied to the Support Our Spartans Fund, administered by MSU Student Affairs, can be considered, and we will make every effort to prioritize those applications. All MSU students deserve our support during this time, and were working hard to provide emergency finances.

In addition to financial strains, we know the pandemic is also straining your emotional and mental well-being. Mental health is just as important as physical health and we encourage students to seek the support they need. MSUs Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) continues to offer counseling services remotely to meet the needs of Spartan students. In addition, the state of Michigan has set up free support to address this time of high anxiety and stress.

Tuition Freeze Continues

If you did not see the recent notice, the university did announce that we will not be increasing tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year. The rates used for the last two school years will stay in place for a third consecutive year. In freezing tuition rates for the upcoming academic year, we are doing what we can to ensure students can stay in our Spartan family. The core of a land-grant universitys mission is to provide access to quality, affordable education for all  no matter the challenges.

Virtual Graduation

We also announced this week that the university will hold a virtual commencement celebration May 16 for all undergraduate and graduate students earning degrees at the end of the 2020 spring semester. We had previously postponed the May in-person commencement. While we are holding a virtual commencement event, we also still intend to welcome 2020 graduates to a future in-person commencement. From a public health standpoint, its still not safe to hold a traditional ceremony at this time, but the class of 2020 still deserves to celebrate graduation. Its a momentous occasion.

The virtual ceremony will be streamed on MSUs Facebook page beginning at 10 a.m. EDT on May 16. Members of the class of 2020, their friends, families and Spartans everywhere are invited to gather online and make this the largest MSU commencement ever.

Fall Semester

We have not established an exact date for when we will welcome our faculty, staff and students back to campus, and we know that might be frustrating for many of you. And as much as we would like to see everyone back on campus, we are on the viruss timeline to a significant degree. Any decision we make will be grounded in the best available data and what is best for the health and safety of our Spartan community  just as we have been doing. To help assess that, we have appointed a task force to research MSUs return to campus options and to put contingency recommendations in place as we make decisions. This effort will be led by Dr. Norman Beauchamp, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, and Dr. David Weismantel, University Physician. We thank you for your continued patience on this matter.

We wish you well in your final exams this week. As you head out into your careers, internships, summer classes or taking time off this summer, we wish you health and safety. We are proud of the Spartan spirit you each possess and the will to make this world a better place.

Sincerely,

Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.

President

Teresa Sullivan

Interim Provost
As a teenager, Daniel Ednie-Lockett thought his great uncle Alan was just another uncle who came to Christmas.

It was only when Alan Rea was in palliative care dying of cancer that 16-year-old Daniel began recording his life story.

The Rea family, pictured in 1933. (L-R): Herbert, Herbert senior, Robert, Shirley, Alan, Alma and Beverley.

The family recognised he didnt have much time left. Most of my mum and fathers generation knew the stories, but none of the younger ones knew, says Daniel, now 32.

During the Depression, Daniel's uncle Alan made money scooping horse dung from the street and sold it as fertiliser, before joining WWII as a flight instructor.
FILE PHOTO: In this Friday, March 13, 2020 photo, firefighters disinfect a square against the new coronavirus as a man takes film, in western Tehran, Iran. Local media reported Thursday March 26, 2020, that nearly 300 people have been killed and more than 1,000 sickened by ingesting toxic methanol across the Islamic Republic out of the false belief it kills the virus. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  The false belief that toxic methanol cures the coronavirus has seen over 700 people killed in Iran, an official said Monday.

That represents a higher death toll than so far released by the Iranian Health Ministry.

An adviser to the ministry, Hossein Hassanian, said that the difference in death tallies is because some alcohol poisoning victims died outside of hospital.

Some 200 people died outside of hospitals, Hassanian told The Associated Press.

Alcohol poisoning has skyrocketed by ten times over in Iran in the past year, according to a government report released earlier in April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The national coroner's authority said that alcohol poisoning killed 728 Iranians between Feb. 20 and April 7. Last year there were only 66 deaths from alcohol poisoning, according to the report.

Separately, the Iranian health ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour said that 525 people have died from swallowing toxic methanol alcohol since Feb. 20, state TV reported on Monday.

Jahanpour said that a total of 5,011 people had been poisoned from methanol alcohol.

He added that some 90 people have lost their eye sight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning.

Hassanian also said the final tally of people who lost their eye sight could be much higher.

Iran is facing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East with 5,806 deaths and more than 91,000 confirmed case.

Methanol cannot be smelled or tasted in drinks. It causes delayed organ and brain damage. Symptoms include chest pain, nausea, hyperventilation, blindness and even coma.

In Iran, the government mandates that manufacturers of toxic methanol add an artificial color to their products so the public can tell it apart from ethanol, the kind of alcohol that can be used in cleaning wounds. Ethanol is found in alcoholic beverages, though its production is illegal in Iran.

Some bootleggers in Iran use methanol, adding a splash of bleach to mask the added color before selling it as drinkable. Methanol also can contaminate traditionally fermented alcohol.

Story continues

The consumption of alcohol is generally prohibited in Iran. However, minority Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians can drink alcoholic beverages in private.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, Iran's government announced it would issue permission for new alcohol factories quickly.

Iran has currently some 40 alcohol factory that have been allocated for pharmaceutical and sanitizing items.

Already before the outbreak, the Iranian economy was struggling under severe U.S. sanctions blocking the sale of its crude oil abroad.
A romance mystery novelist is accused of killing her culinary instructor husband to get access to more than $1.1million in insurance payments, according to court documents which were filed in opposition to a request seeking her release of from prison due to coronavirus fears.

Nancy Crampton Brophy, 69, has been behind bars since September 2018 after Portland police say she shot Daniel Brophy, 63, her husband of 27 years, at the Oregon Culinary Institute that June.

The case made international headlines after it was revealed that Crampton Brophy once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband.'

Earlier this month, Campton Brophy's lawyers asked a judge to release her from jail and allow her to spend the rest of the coronavirus outbreak at an undisclosed guest house, arguing that she was 'at risk of imminent death in jail.'

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Nancy Crampton Brophy, 69, appeared in court in a face mask on Tuesday for her bail hearing. She has been jailed since September 2019 for the murder of her husband, Dan Brophy (right)

Crampton Brophy is seeking release over her coronavirus concerns, with her lawyers arguing that she is at risk of death in jail

The defense team claimed their clients age and diabetic history require her immediate transfer from the Multnomah County Detention Center to what they described as 'alternate confinement.'

Multnomah County prosecutors have rejected the release proposal outright. On Monday, the District Attorney's Office filed a memorandum in support of the bail denial, laying out the evidence against Crampton Brophy and revealing a possible motive behind her husband's murder, reported KGW8.

The romance novelist once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband' and expressed interest in police procedures and murder

According to the newly released documents, the romance novelist and her husband were struggling to make ends meet, and Crampton Brophy was seeking financial independence and a more exciting lifestyle, which hinged on her desire to travel the world.

'Nancy Brophy planned and carried out what she believed was the perfect murder. A murder that she believed would free her from the grips of financial despair and enter a life of financial security and adventure,' Multnomah County District Attorney Rod wrote in the legal memo.

According to Underhill, Crampton Brophy stood to gain $1.15million from 'numerous' life insurance policies taken out on her husband, of which she was the sole beneficiary.

She was knowledgeable about the insurance industry and sold all the policies to herself in her capacity as an insurance agent.

Crampton Brophy also made an accidental death benefit workers compensation claim because her husband lost his life at his place of employment.

A review of the couples bank accounts showed they appeared to be living month to month and struggled to pay their mortgage, according to court documents.

Despite being in dire financial straits, Crampton Brophy paid a total of $16,000 in life insurance premiums in 2017, the court records stated.

She also spent more than $1,500 on firearms and gun components in less than two months leading up to Dan's killing.

'Dan Brophy was content in his simplistic lifestyle, but Nancy Brophy wanted something more. As Nancy Brophy became more financially desperate and her writing career was floundering, she was left with few options,' Underhill argued.

According to the memo, surveillance video from businesses located near the culinary school placed a minivan that appeared to be the same as Crampton Bruphy's in downtown Portland at the time of her husband's murder.

On the morning of June 2, 2018, Brophy's culinary students found him fatally shot twice in the classroom where he taught.

When asked about her whereabouts around the time of the killing, Brophy's wife told detectives she was home all morning.

Prosecutors believe that Crampton Brophy used a Glock that she and her husband had bought for protection, but swapped some of the original parts with replacements to make it appear as if the firearm has never been used.

This image shows some of Crampton Brophy's romance titles, which have not brought her much success

They said she shot her husband and then reassembled the gun using its original parts, 'presenting a new, fully intact firearm to police that would not be a match to the shell casings that she left at the crime scene.'

During the murder investigation, detectives learned Crampton Brophy wrote an article titled 'How to Murder Your Husband,' which The Oregonian first reported on. Detectives also found a saved article on the couples joint iTunes account titled '10 Ways to Cover Up a Murder.'

The novelist, whose titles include The Wrong Husband and The Wrong Cop, previously spoke about her home life in writer forums, where she said her and Dan's marriage, like any other, had its 'ups and downs'.

The blog post, which she wrote on site Seeing Jane in 2011, began: 'As a suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure.

'After all, if the murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don't want to spend any time in jail, And let me say clearly for the record, I don't like jumpsuits and orange isn't my color.'

It included five potential motives for wanting to kill your husband that were divided into the following categories;

'Financial: Divorce is expensive, and do you really want to split your possessions?'

'Lying, cheating b*****d: This is a crime of passion. In anger, you bash his head in or stab him with a kitchen knife.'

'Fell in love with someone else: Let's say your Church frowns on divorce. You need to be a widow, so you won't fall out of favor with your religion.'

'Abuser: This one is tough. Anybody can claim abuse. What is abuse?'

'It's your profession: Now we're talking. You already possess both skill and knowledge.

'You have the moral ambiguity necessary to carry it off.'

She also gave the reader 'options' on what their murder weapon or technique should be.

She wrote: 'Guns - loud, messy, require some skill. If it takes 10 shots for the sucker to die, either you have terrible aim or he's on drugs.

'Knives - really personal and up close. Blood everywhere. Eww.'

Prosecutors said Crampton Brophy killed her husband of 27 years for financial gain because she was the sole beneficiary of 'numerous' insurance policies in his name

She went on to describe poison as the 'woman's weapon' but described why it was not ideal because it took so long to kill the intended victim.

'Poison - considered a woman's weapon. Arsenik is easy to obtain, worse, easy to trace. It takes a month or two to kill someone. Plus, they're sick the entire time.

'Who wants to hang out with a sick husband? Knowledge of pharmaceuticals would be handy. Availability would be even better,' she wrote.

Though she said she found it 'easier to wish people dead than to actually kill them', she said ominously: 'The thing I know about murder is that every one of us have it in him/her when pushed far enough.'

The bail hearing for Crampton Brophy got under way on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday afternoon.

Crampton Brophy is among a growing number of inmates in Oregon and around the U.S. seeking release from local, state and federal custody amid the coronavirus epidemic, which public health experts say can spread more aggressively within jails than the community at large.
WASHINGTON  Many New York hospitals have been plunged into deficits and left to navigate a confusing and opaque federal aid system after their elective surgery businesses were shut down as thousands of people afflicted with COVID-19 flooded emergency rooms and intensive care units.

In April, the federal government sent $1.4 billion to support New York hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic. An additional $4.4 billion is expected to flow to state hospitals in virus hot spots this week, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

Still, numerous hospitals are desperate for help as they wait for more federal aid to arrive, uncertain when it will come or how much. Hospital associations across the state are frustrated by the lack of transparency, but they disagree over how billions of dollars in aid not yet distributed should be awarded. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which received a total of $175 billion to help hospitals and other medical facilities, has not disclosed its full plans for the remaining money.

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The financial struggles for hospitals are coming in a year when New York lawmakers and a Medicaid Redesign Team have proposed $2.5 billion in cuts to the states Medicaid program, including nearly $400 million to hospitals. Before the pandemic struck, the state had already been facing a difficult fiscal year with a $6.1 billion budget gap mostly attributable to Medicaid overspending.

Even before the crisis, New York hospitals had the lowest operating margins nationally at 1.7 percent, said Cristina Batt, vice president of federal relations for the Healthcare Association of New York State. Nearly 30 hospitals, including some upstate, were on a state "watch list" for possible closure in 2019 because they had less than 15 days cash on hand, raising the specter of bankruptcy.

To respond to the coronavirus, hospitals have had to buy extensive personal protective equipment, expand their bed capacity, shift staffing and provide acute care to patients, driving up costs. Meanwhile, emergency room visits dropped and elective procedures and office visits were suspended under an executive order from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

"New York and its hospitals have been on the frontline of the battle against the virus for over a month now and they are struggling," Schumer said.

Cuomo on Wednesday announced that hospitals in some counties with fewer COVID-19 cases would resume elective procedures if the rate of infection in those communities continue declining and bed capacity remains at 70 percent  allowing space for any sudden resurgence in the infectious disease. Saratoga County was one of the only Capital Region counties identified as capable of having its hospitals resume elective surgeries.

With the most coronavirus patients in the nation, New York City hospitals in particular saw their operating costs skyrocket. The Mount Sinai Health System, New York-Presbyterian and NYU Langone Health spent about $350 to $450 million per month on increased coronavirus responses, said Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Upstate hospitals suffered more from revenue declines as non-coronavirus patients were forced to stay away. A survey of upstate New York hospitals found each hospital lost an average of $250,000 per day (about $7.5 million a month) in March, said Gary Fitzgerald, CEO of the Iroquois Healthcare Association. Those losses are anticipated to have worsened in April.

With insufficient funds coming in, 27 upstate hospitals have furloughed employees, affecting the paychecks of 5,600 employees, Fitzgerald said. The parent company of St. Peter's Health Partners, which has 12,000 local employees at its Capital Region hospitals and doctors offices, announced in early April it would make executives take pay cuts and plans to furlough other workers as a way to stay solvent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing the problem, Congress approved $100 billion in hospital relief in the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill signed into law March 27. That $100 billion is not yet fully spent, but Congress already followed up with another $75 billion in hospital aid last week.

HHS was given broad discretion for how to distribute the money. For a government bureaucracy, it moved relatively quickly to hand out about $50 billion to hospitals and health centers in the month of April.

Four words have informed us here: fast, fair, simple and transparent, said Deputy HHS Secretary Eric Hargan in an interview Monday. A bunch of life lines have been given to the industry so far.

HHS paid $2.5 billion to New York hospitals, health centers and nursing homes in April, Hargan said. About $1.4 billion of those funds went to hospitals, according to the Greater New York Hospital Association.

More than 26,282 New York health care providers have received HHS coronavirus-related payments so far, data from HHS shows. The most recent payments were paid to hospitals and health centers on Friday.

Albany Medical Center Hospital had received $20.4 million as of Monday, according to Schumer's office. St. Peter's Hospital in Albany received $12.3 million. Ellis Medicine in Schenectady received $8 million, Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs received $7 million, Samaritan Hospital in Troy $6.3 million, and St. Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam $3.2 million.

Those first payments were not based on hospitals coronavirus-related needs, however. HHS paid the money to hospitals based on their share of total Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements in 2019  in other words, how much the government paid the hospitals for care of seniors on Medicare insurance. In that formula, childrens hospitals and health centers that dont care for seniors received no funding.

For a second round of payments, HHS revised the formula to account for that issue and adjusted the level of funding hospitals and health care providers received. But the number of coronavirus patients the hospital was caring for was still not considered.

"We were very disappointed with the ubiquitous nature of it," Raske said. "Not only did it scatter money all over the United States and into non-COVID areas or cold spots, it gave them to nursing homes, clinics, things that you wouldn't normally have expected. It was well beyond hospitals."

Throughout the process, hospitals and health care centers have not known what formula would be used or how much money would be arriving in their accounts until the money arrived, hospital association leaders said.

For the new pot of $10 billion for coronavirus hot spots, HHS collected information from hospitals including their number of COVID-19 admissions from Jan. 1 to April 10, and their number of intensive care unit beds. But hospitals said they dont know how the information will be used to calculate what they get.

Right now, I am literally in the dark on it," Raske said.

At the start of April, some Albany-area hospitals, including Albany Medical Center, admitted coronavirus patients transferred from downstate. That may help them access "hot spot" funding, Fitzgerald said. Hospitals with later coronavirus spikes  after April 10  may not qualify for the money, though.

The hot-spot money is expected to flow this week, but on Monday, Hargan did not know when the money might arrive in hospital bank accounts or how many facilities would get the money.

[We] are doing some calculations on that to get the money out, Hargan said. I think we still see that we are on target for this week, a distribution this week of that $10 billion.

Schumer said last week that New York would get more hot-spot money than any other state  $4.4 billion of the total $10 billion. The Trump administration shared that number with Schumer although details of the formula have not been released yet, an aide said.

Another $10 billion of the HHS funding will be paid out to rural hospitals in the coming weeks and many upstate New York hospitals hope to qualify.

HHS has also set aside billions in funding to reimburse hospitals for the care of uninsured COVID-19 patients.

"Upstate is different," Fitzgerald said. "We have less uninsured in most cases than they do in downstate hospitals, so if it's based on uninsured and based on number of COVID patients, those factors don't really allow for upstate hospitals to obtain funding."

The federal funds that hospitals receive must be spent on coronavirus-related costs or to make up for lost revenue connected to the pandemic.

The federal government has also advanced Medicare funds to some hospitals to give them more liquidity during the crisis. The money has to be paid back by August.

In a letter to Congress on Tuesday, the Greater New York Hospital Association requested these advances be turned into grants. GNYHA also requested crisis pay for health care workers, liability protections for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, investments in hospital infrastructure and more state funding to avoid state health care cuts.

HHS has not yet determined how it will distribute the $75 billion for hospitals that Congress appropriated last week, Hargan said. Conversations about how to direct the funds started over the weekend.

Were grateful to Congress for providing that additional funding to support American health care providers, Hargan said. Were going to work very closely with congressional leadership on a bipartisan basis as we have been talking with them before ... as well as the medical and health care sector to see how we should be spending that money.

The Greater New York Hospital Association, representing mostly downstate hospitals, is pressing for that money to go to areas with the highest number of coronavirus cases, Raske said. Meanwhile, the Iroquois Healthcare Association, representing upstate, wants the money to go to hospitals with the most revenue losses attributable to the virus. The Healthcare Association of New York State said both issues should be addressed with the billions in funding.

Unable to get answers about whos getting the hospital money and how its being distributed, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who oversees the HHS budget, said Monday shes likely to call oversight hearings to question HHS officials about it. Her committee scheduled a hearing on the coronavirus response for next week but the witness list is not yet public.

Nobody understands why we didnt prioritize hot-spot funding, DeLauro said. It has been an extremely opaque process. Ive walked away with serious concerns after every call. ... Where the hell is the money?
Vice President Mike Pence as he tours Mayo Clinic facilities supporting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) research and treatment in Rochester, Minnesota, U.S., April 28, 2020.

REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi, Rebecca Harrington/Business Insider

Vice President Mike Pence claimed he didn't have to wear a face mask at the Mayo Clinic because he is regularly tested for the coronavirus.

In a deleted tweet, The Mayo Clinic said it informed Pence of their rule to wear a face mask before his visit.

This isn't the first time Pence did not follow guidance on limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Vice President Mike Pence defended his refusal to wear a face mask at the Mayo Clinic noting he is regularly tested for the coronavirus.

"As vice president of the United States I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus," Pence said, according to NBC. "Since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you."

On Tuesday, Pence visited the Mayo Clinic's headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota, and went against its requirement that visitors are to wear face coverings.

"The Mayo Clinic tweeted but then deleted a message that it 'informed' Pence about its face-mask policy before his visit," Business Insider previously reported.

Per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the clinic has required all patients and visitors to wear a mask or other face-covering since April 13.

Pence, the head of the White House's coronavirus task force, has previously ignored recommendations by health experts on how to limit the spread of the virus.

Pence also did not wear a mask when greeting Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on his way to the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony on April 18 or when visiting a General Electric factory producing ventilators in Wisconsin on April 21.

Story continues

According to The New York Times, the vice president felt that because he tested negative for the coronavirus and had no symptoms that he wasn't required to wear a face mask. However, The Times added that just because he tested negative, doesn't mean he still can't contract the highly contagious virus or even have a false negative test.

"When the face-covering guidelines were developed, it was with the intention to not only protect yourself, but primarily to protect others from asymptomatic spread," Katie Miller, Pence's spokeswoman, told The Times. "Vice President Pence is negative for Covid-19 and is therefore not asymptomatic."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Even as the state copes with the effects of the coronavirus, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz says Connecticut is still well ahead of the national average in responses to the 2020 U.S. Census.

More than 55 percent of Fairfield County has participated, led by Darien at nearly 66 percent, Westport at 65 percent and New Canaan at 63 percent, Bysiewicz said Tuesday during a virtual town hall with local leaders about the census.

Connecticut was well ahead of the national average, Bysiewicz said. We were at 56.2 percent of our households having self-responded, and the national average is 53.4 percent. And we are leading the New England region, so were ahead of the seven states and Puerto Rico that make up the region.

Bysiewicz said all of the participation has been done online or through the census 800-number. She also credited the states Complete Count Committees for the strong start.

One of the reasons that we are ahead of the curve is because weve had 156 local Complete Count Committees across our state, working very hard at the grassroots level to make sure people responded to the census, Bysiewicz said.

She noted the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged municipalities to develop ways of reaching citizens without face-to-face contact.

For every person who is not counted, municipalities forego $2,900 of federal funding per year. Since the census is taken every 10 years, that adds up to nearly $30,000 of missed funding for each person who is not counted.

The major point that all of us need to be making to our constituents is filling out the census is something that we can do that directly can help our communities, Bysiewicz said, Whether its disaster relief, Medicaid and Medicare funding, or SNAP funding, (in) which weve seen an increase demand by four-fold for those food programs.

Jeff Behler, director for the U.S. Census Bureaus New York regional office, said paper questionnaires had been mailed and should reach every household that hasnt responded by the end of the week.

Norwalk, which has a response rate of nearly 56 percent, according to 2020census.gov, faces some unique challenges, according to Mayor Harry Rilling.

Some of the efforts have included hanging banners and posters at the citys 11 food distribution sites during the pandemic, distributing census materials with meals, mailers, working with the NAACP to share information with its outreach bags, and including pamphlets while handing out masks and face coverings.

Norwalk is a very diverse community and we perhaps have challenges that some of the other communities may not have regarding getting our people engaged, Rilling said. But we do have a very effective team of elected leaders, knowledge leaders, business people, clergy, and citizens throughout the community, and were stepping up our efforts.

In addition to Rilling, municipal leaders from Stamford, Westport, New Canaan and Darien participated in the virtual town hall. The meeting also included Sens. Alex Kasser, D-Greenwich, and Will Haskell, D-Westport, state Reps. Caroline Simmons, D-Stamford, David Michel, D-Stamford, and Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford.

Blumenthal encouraged citizens to participate in the census, reassuring them of the confidential process.

The personal information that you share with the census is completely confidential. It is not connected with any other government function, he said. That is a point we need to emphasize to everybody, but especially in places like Stamford where in our immigrant communities because there is some nervousness in those communities about sharing information with the government.
Iraqs prime minister-designate has submitted his government program to parliament ahead of a looming deadline to end a months-long political deadlock in the country.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi is the third candidate tasked this year with forming a new government. Iraqi President Barham Salih named Kadhimi after former Najaf governor Adnan al-Zurfi and former Communications Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi failed to garner enough support in the highly fractured Iraqi Parliament.

Kadhimi, the countrys intelligence chief, has until May 9 to assemble a cabinet hes promised will put the publics interest first.

My Government Program was delivered to Parliament today. The nominees for cabinet positions will follow in the days to come, and within the constitutionally mandated time frame, he tweeted Wednesday. Long live Iraq, the Iraqi people, and our sovereign land.

During a press briefing Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Iraqi leaders to drop the ethno-sectarian quota system that has been used to appoint cabinet positions. Getting rid of the "muhasasa" system has been a primary demand of the protesters who forced Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi out of office in late November.

The Iraqi people need and deserve a government that frees the country from external intimidation, puts the prosperity of the Iraqi people first and tackles the maze of challenges that continue to face Iraq, Pompeo said.

Kadhimi has said his government would work with the United States in the upcoming strategic dialogue between the two countries that is scheduled for June.
In the past few weeks, Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg has issued several stark warnings about the impact of the coronavirus on the insurance business. On a company earnings call on April 22, he said it will be the largest event in insurance history, adding that the virus and its ripple effects will impact both the asset side and the liability side of the balance sheet. In the same call, he explained that business interruption insurance does not cover COVID-19 and Chubb policies will only trigger if theres direct physical loss to property.

This follows Greenbergs warning for policymakers on April 16, where he said the industry would be damaged by any measures to retroactively force insurers to pay out for losses that policies didnt cover and werent priced for. He added that forcing insurers to pay for business interruption losses not covered by policies would bankrupt the industry.

Despite Greenbergs clear stance on the matter, the Simon Wiesenthal Center states in legal documents that insurance policies are not one size fits all. As The New York Times reports, the center is claiming direct physical loss to property on the grounds that COVID-19 can attach to surfaces. The non-profit also argues that while its policy excluded coverage for damage from pollutants such as smoke, vapor, soot, fibers, fumes, acids, alkalis, chemicals, and waste, viruses were not listed as pollutants.

Chubb said it does not comment on client claims or pending litigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 14:24:39|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. smear on China over the COVID-19 pandemic's source and handling has heightened its self-centered and cold-blooded mentality that downgrades its status as a responsible and competent power.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and his administration was conducting serious investigations into what happened.

The same old tune of the Trump administration is nothing surprising but is short of legitimacy. It is shifting blame to China to cover up its own opacity, inability and unaccountability in handling the outbreak in the United States.

China has made it clear what it has done to make information available for the rest of the world on epidemic prevention and control. The issue of tracing virus origins is so complicated, and no tenable conclusion could be made so far. China's transparency and effectiveness in handling the outbreak are endorsed by the global community.

The United States is worst-hit by the pandemic. The Trump administration has drawn domestic criticism for its dereliction in response to the epidemic. Many U.S. media outlets have grilled it for concealing the early death toll, the cause of the 2019 flu influenza, and the reason for the sudden closure of Fort Detrick Base in Maryland.

If the Trump administration is truly responsible for the American people, sensible and capable of responding to the epidemic, it should stop shifting blame to China, and explain to the world what it has done and what happened in the United States.

The pandemic is far from over. China will not be intimidated and will continue to consolidate the progress it has made in epidemic prevention and control until the final victory is secured.

The coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind. It is despicable and futile for the Trump administration to shift blame to China to cover up its own mistakes as the Chinese people and the American people are both victims. The Trump administration should take its due responsibility and never become the common enemy of global public health security. Enditem
Google is giving away free access to its video chat platform as people turn to conferencing services to keep up with friends and family.

The move comes as a variety of companies compete to bring people together on their group video call services.

Rolling out from next month, anyone with a Google account will be able to create virtual meetings of up to 100 people at a time on Google Meet.

There will be a limit of 60 minutes per session for free users, though Google says this won't come into effect until September 30.

Until now, Google has charged for access to its Meet video conferencing service, meaning that it has largely been eclipsed by other tools with free tiers such as Zoom as well as Facebook's Messenger and WhatsApp calls.

Recommended Facebook update brings hosts of new group chat and live features

Such is Zoom's current popularity, even one of Google's own executives was reportedly outed as an apparent user.

According to the New York Times, Google's chief business officer Philipp Schindler was interrupted by his son last month, as he was telling employees on a call about using Meet, only for the child to blurt out how he and his friends enjoy using Zoom to chat.

However, Zoom has not been without its problems, with cases of 'zoombombing' already being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA), in which a stranger accesses a meeting uninvited and displays offensive material - in some cases child abuse footage.

Google's approach does not use passwords to enter chats, but instead video call hosts have controls for who can enter before they can participate, as well as the ability to lock the chat once everyone invited is inside.

Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Show all 13 1 /13 Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Cheryll Mack, 46, a registered nurse in the emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The Covid-19 spread has affected a lot of livelihood, a lot of people's lives. It has created a crisis, death in general. So I would like to ask not one single person, but all people worldwide, to converge and join the platform that this is something that nobody can fight individually," said Mack. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Laura Bontempo, 50, an emergency medicine doctor wears her personal protective equipment she uses when she sees patients, while posing for a photograph after a nine-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moments have actually been separating families from patients, there is a no-visitor policy now and taking people away from their loved ones is very challenging," Bontempo said. "I'm used to treating sick patients. I treat sick patients all the time. It's very different knowing that the patient you are treating, is actually a risk to you as well. That's the main difference here. No one who works in hospitals is afraid of treating sick people. Just want to keep staff safe and the patients safe at the same time." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Ernest Capadngan, 29, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment during the shift was just seeing Covid patients die helpless and without their family members beside them," Capadngan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Martine Bell, 41, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a six-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The hardest thing in all of this, has been taking care of fellow healthcare providers. It really hits home and it's really scary when you see someone that could be you coming in and now you're taking care of them. It's also hitting home that once healthcare providers start getting sick, who is going to be taking care of the public," Bell said. "It's very stressful, everyone is on edge. We don't know who's coming in next, or how sick they're going to be, or if we are going to get a whole bunch of people or if we're not going to get no one. It's a really stressful and just a completely unusual time for all of us." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kaitlyn Martiniano, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital. "We have a lot of patients and they are pretty sick right now but we have not yet been hit as hard as New York or Seattle, so I feel like we are very lucky with that so far. Every day you have to just be optimistic." Said Martiniano. "I think the reason that we are not being hit as hard right now is because so many things are closed, and because so many people are staying at home." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tracey Wilson, 53, a nurse practitioner in an intensive care unit (ICU), poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I had a patient fall out of bed today and I had to call his wife and tell her and she couldn't come see him, even though she pleaded and begged to come see him," Wilson said. "There is a lot of unknowns and with that unknown is a lot of anxiety and stress that we're not used to dealing with." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Meghan Sheehan, 27, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I think the hardest moment has been the fear that lives within all of us. There is a lot of unknown right now. We fear what's going to happen tomorrow, how the emergency department will look next week when we come in. We have fears about our own colleagues, whether they will fall ill. We also fear that we could be asymptomatic carriers and bring this virus home to our families and our loved ones. There has been a lot of fear over our supplies and whether we'll run out. And then obviously there is the fear that we will see patients and not be able to do everything we normally can to help save patients' lives," Sheehan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kimberly Bowers, 44, a nurse practitioner in an ICU, poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was a young woman who died and her family wasn't able to be here with her," Bowers said. "I think right now, it's just frustrating and scary just not knowing what comes next." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tiffany Fare, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "One of the hardest moments was having to see a family member of a Covid patient, say goodbye over an iPad, rooms away. That was a tough one, I can't imagine how hard it would be to be saying goodbye, you can't see your loved one and then they're gone," Fare said. "My team has been really great to me. We've worked really well together and we've really come together in this crisis. We don't really know each other, we all come from different units within the same hospital, so for us to come together and work so well as a team, it's been a journey but I think that's what is giving me hope." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Kyle Fischer, 35, an emergency medicine doctor, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where he works. "Since it's a new virus, we don't have any experience with it. For most diseases I am used to seeing it and taking care of it and this, I don't have any starting place. I know what I'm hearing from New York, I've read all of the papers it seems like, but no one knows what the correct answers are, so there's a huge amount of uncertainty and people are really, really sick. So it's hard to second guess whether or not you are doing the right thing when you think you are but you never quite know," said Fischer. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Julia Trainor, 23, a registered nurse at a surgical ICU, poses for a photograph after a 14-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was having to put a breathing tube in my patient who could no longer breathe for herself and after the breathing tube went in, we called her family and the husband, of course, couldn't visit her because of visitor restrictions at the hospital. So I had to put him on the phone and hold the phone to her ear, as he told her that he loved her so much and then I had to wipe away her tears as she was crying," said Trainor. "I'm used to seeing very sick patients and I'm used to patients dying but nothing quite like this. In the flip of a switch, without the support, they're completely isolated. They're very sick. Some of them recover and some of them don't. But the hardest part, I would think, is them having to go through this feeling like they are alone." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Lisa Mehring, 45, a registered nurse who works in a biocontainment unit with Covid-19 patients, poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works in Maryland. "Seeing these new moms have babies has been the hardest moment along with having do their pumping for the new moms and them not being able to be with their newborn children, it's hard to think of the family that they are missing," Mehring said. Photos Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Jacqueline Hamil, 30, a registered nurse in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital. "The hardest moment of my shift today, I was in charge, and we had a really sick patient that was in a really, really small room and usually, when we have sick crashing patients, we can have a ton of resources and a ton of staff go in and help with the nurse and the doctors that are taking care of that patient. But due to the patient being ruled out for the coronavirus, we could only have five or six people in the room at a time and putting on all the gowns and gloves and masks and face shields to protect us in case the patient does have coronavirus, it takes a while, so the nurse that was in there, ended up being in the room for you know 6, 7 hours with minimal breaks and it was hard being in charge and knowing that she was stuck in the room and really nothing I could do to help her," Hamil said. Reuters

The tech giant says Meet uses encryption and does not process data for advertising, nor share it with any third parties.

Additional reporting by Press Association
State Attorney General Steve Marshall on Tuesday warned Alabama cities not to stray from the state constitution when passing stricter regulations than Gov. Kay Iveys new coronavirus order.

Ivey announced Tuesday that the state stay-at-home order will expire Thursday at 5 p.m. in favor of a so-called Safer at Home order, where general retailers will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity. Some restrictions from the stay-at-home order will still apply, including restaurants relegated to only curbside or take-out orders and bars remaining closed.

Some cities, including Birmingham, adopted new ordinances to help contain the coronavirus amid the governors new order. The Birmingham City Council approved an ordinance mandating residents wear masks when out in public, with exceptions for exercising.

As the state begins to phase out of the stay-at-home order, municipalities are wrestling with individual and, in some cases, unique decisions regarding the preservation of the health and safety of their residents. In light of todays announcement, some municipalities have already expressed their intent to impose or maintain more restrictive orders than the state," Marshall said in a statement. "Though Alabama law grants municipalities broad police powers when it comes to protecting the public health and safety, these powers must be exercised within constitutional parameters. Municipalities are thus strongly advised to carefully balance the constitutional implications of imposing and enforcing more restrictive safety measures against the need for such measures. As case law tells us, the broadness of these police powers is not a license to abuse them.

The attorney generals guidance to cities says any municipality that wants to enact stricter regulations than the state should recite the specific circumstances that make more restrictive measures than similar state orders necessary, be limited in duration, and allow for periodic reevaluation in light of new information."

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfins office could not be reached for comment on Marshalls statement, but Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, who on Tuesday issued a three-phase reopening plan for the city whose first phase mirrors Iveys order, said the city has the authority to put more stringent orders in place.

The city has the ability, if the medical evidence dictates it, to take very decisive action if the reopening of Tuscaloosas economy creates an influx of COVID-19 patients within our healthcare system, the mayor told the city council Tuesday.
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LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Condor Gold (AIM:CNR)(TSX:COG) is pleased to announce that it has been granted an Environmental Permit for the development and exploitation of gold from the high grade Mestiza open pit ("the Permit"). The Mestiza open pit hosts 92 thousand tonnes ("Kt") at a grade of 12.1 g/t gold (36,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 341Kt at a grade of 7.7 g/t gold (85,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. The Mestiza open pit compliments the already permitted La India open pit which hosts 8,377Kt at a grade of 3.1 g/t gold (837,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 883Kt at grade of 2.4 g/t gold (68,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. La India open pit has a robust, economically viable Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") with Mineral Reserves of 6.9 million tonnes ("Mt") at 3.0 g/t for 675,000 oz gold. Following the permitting of the Mestiza open pit Condor has just over 1M oz gold open pit Mineral Resources permitted for extraction inclusive of a Mineral Reserve of 6.9Mt at 3.0g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold.Highlights:1 million oz gold open pit Mineral Resources, including Mineral Reserves permitted for productionThe permitted La India open pit which hosts 8,377Kt at a grade of 3.1 g/t gold (837,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 883Kt at grade of 2.4 g/t gold (68,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral Resource categoryThe permitted Mestiza open pit hosts 92Kt at a grade of 12.1 g/t gold (36,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 341Kt at a grade of 7.7 g/t gold (85,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral Resource categoryMestiza open pit permitted to deliver robust diluted tonnage of 600Kt at 5.76 g/t gold for 111,100 oz goldThe permitted high grade Mestiza open pit adds flexibility to the mine schedule, potentially improving project economics and extending the life of mineMark Child, Chairman and CEO commented:"It is a significant development, after a 15 month process, that Condor has been granted the key Environmental Permit to develop and exploit gold from the high grade Mestiza open pit. When added to the high grade La India open pit, Condor has just over 1 million oz gold open pit Mineral Resources, including Mineral Reserves permitted for extraction. Condor also has the permit to construct and develop a processing plant with capacity of up to 2,800tpd at La India Project. The permitted high grade Mestiza open pit adds flexibility to the mine schedule, potentially improving project economics and extending the life of mine." BackgroundLa India Project, Nicaragua, contains a Mineral Resource of 9,850Kt at 3.6 g/t gold for 1,140Koz gold in the Indicated category and 8,479Kt at 4.3g/t gold for 1,179Koz gold in the Inferred category (See RNS dated 28 January, 2019). Condor's focus has been on developing the open pit Mineral Resources, which are inclusive of a Mineral Reserve of 6.9 Mt at 3.0 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold, into production.Condor has been granted an Environmental Permit to construct and operate a processing plant with capacity of up to 2,800 tonnes per day ("tpd") and develop the associated mine site infrastructure for a new mine at its La India Project (the "Main Permit"). The Main Permit is for development and extraction of ore from La India open pit, subject to certain conditions. Production from La India open pit is estimated to be between 80,000 to 100,000 oz gold per annum. On 22 January 2020, Condor received a letter from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources ("MARENA") detailing an extension, as provided for under the terms of the Permit, to complete the conditions of the Main Permit by 27 July 2021 (See RNS dated 28 January 2020).On 21 November 2019, Condor submitted Environmental and Social Impact Assessments ("ESIAs") to MARENA for the Environmental Permits for the development and extraction of contained gold from the America and Mestiza open pits. Each ESIA is over 600 pages in length, including the appendices and summarises 18 mining, environmental and social technical studies. (See RNS 22 November 2019).Significance of Permitting the Mestiza Open PitThe Mestiza open pit has double the gold grade of La India open pit. The Mestiza open pit is likely to be mined earlier to reduce the payback period on the plant and equipment and improve the internal rate of return. La India open pit has lower quartile industry all-in-sustaining-cash cost of US$690 per oz gold in the PFS which used a gold price of $1,250/oz. (See RNS 14 November, 2014). A second permitted open pit adds flexibility to the mine schedule.The diluted and modified mining model for the permitted Mestiza open pit, undertaken by SRK Consulting (UK) Limited ("SRK"), reported a total diluted tonnage of 600Kt at 5.76 g/t gold for 111,100 oz gold within the 1,500 USD/oz optimized pit shell used in the 2019 Mineral Resource Estimate update. A cut-off grade of 0.75g/t gold was used. (See RNS 4 March 2020).The Mestiza open pit is located withing easy trucking distance and less than 4km from the location of the permitted processing plant.The Permit granted by MARENA for the Mestiza open pit is for an initial 8 year period from the date notification is received by MARENA that production is due to commence and can be renewed for further periods. There are a number of conditions associated with the Permit, ranging from the appointment of an Environmental Manager to adherence to environmental management programs as detailed in the ESIA. For example, priority is to be given to hiring local employees and a reforestation programme will be instigated that plants 10 new trees for every tree cut down. Exploitation is required to commence within 18 months of the grant of the Permit although this can be extended for a further two 18 month periods.The diluted and modified mining model for the permitted La India open pit, undertaken internally by Condor, reports a total diluted tonnage of 7,284Kt at 2.80g/t gold for 656,000 oz gold, excluding low grade material. The total permitted mill feed for La India and Mestiza open pits is 7,884Kt at 3.03g/t gold for 767,100 oz gold. Assuming a 92% metallurgical recovery, gold production is estimated to be 706,000 oz gold.It should be noted that the Company is running a number of mining studies ahead of a constructi
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 17:30 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd505f62 4 National COVID-19,Salatiga,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,Central-Java,traditional-market,physical-distancing,social-distancing Free

Salatiga city in Central Java has shown the world it is possible to maintain economic activity while also following health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with traditional market sellers in the city following physical distancing measures while working at the market.

The Salatiga administration has allowed sellers to open stalls along a major road in the city to ensure physical distancing measures are followed by both sellers and customers. The market operates daily from 1 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, as reported by kompas.com.

Sellers and officials make sure the distance between booths is 1 meter, with the location of each booth marked with chalk.

The mayor, Yuliyanto, issued a regulation requiring sellers and buyers at the market to wear face masks as a precaution. The administration has also assigned security officers to the market to ensure every one obeys the health protocols.

The government doesnt want to kill the economy, Yuliyanto said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Read also: Greater Jakartans show low awareness of physical distancing measures despite PSBB: Survey

Closing down traditional markets will put peoples access to food at risk. The best option is to practice physical distancing and implement health protocols, such wearing masks and providing hand sanitizer.

He added that the administration would take strict action against people found violating the health protocols at the market.

People are not allowed to enter the market if they refuse to wear face masks. We do this for the sake of the publics health, so we can prevent the coronavirus from spreading, Yuliyanto went on to say.

A photo of sellers practicing physical distancing, first published by Kompas daily newspaper, went viral on social media and received praise from Indonesian netizens.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo had also lauded Salatiga for implementing health protocols in its traditional markets.

This is well-managed. [] The residents just need to participate by wearing face masks and gloves, or bringing their own disinfectant, the governor wrote on his official Instagram account @ganjar_pranowo on Tuesday. (dpk)
R yan Murphys revisionist take on tinseltown is set to arrive on Netflix in time for the weekend - but is Hollywood worth watching?

The seven-episode series sees Murphy revisit Hollywoods golden age, merging truth with fiction and asking what a more liberal-minded 1950s tinseltown may have looked like.

When it comes to the cast, no expense has been spared with Murphys frequent collaborators Patti Lupone and Dylan McDermott joining stars including Holland Taylor, Laura Harrier and The Politicians David Corenswet.

The same can also be said of the pricey-looking sets, with lavish recreations of Los Angeles hotspots and sordid parties providing the backdrop for the sensational twists and turns.

Netflix

But was the series worth Netflixs cash? Reviews reveal critics are divided

'A tumescent fantasy about fantasies'

The Standard's TV critic Alastair McKay describes the series as "a fantasy about a fantasy factory" and suggests that is "an onanistic confection designed to be savoured, even as it eats itself."

McKay says the revisionist take on the studio system operates on a "blurry" sliding scale that doesn't always make sense.

"Were all agreed, post Weinstein, post #MeToo, that the casting couch is a bad idea, but its badness seems less pronounced when it relates to equal opportunities," he writes.

As a drama, its spineless

Up next is arguably the most scathing review. The BBCs Hugh Montgomery is not a fan of Hollywood and Murphys rewriting of the towns history. Despite its efforts to construct an industry where minorities achieve the success they deserve, Montgomery argues the result comes across as considerably less rousing, and considerably more megalomaniacal, than they presumably intended.

'More of a fairy tale than an alt-history'

The Hollywood Reporter's critic questions whether revising the 1950s' immoral actions towards groups including older actors and black stars was the right thing to do.

"Hollywood too often comes across as simplistic and naive, though if it causes anyone to research the period depicted, there's value in that," they write, before later adding: "It's an update so rosy it could almost accompany its forward-looking lectures with the Beach Boys' Wouldn't It Be Nice."

Netflix

'The sentimentality of the piece becomes forgiving'

Rolling Stone makes the case for Murphy's sentimental treatment of the lead characters "making Hollywood's weak spots easy to forgive" - but the writer and director doesn't get off scot-free.

"Eventually, the miniseries becomes a bit too self-congratulatory for its own good, even if its intentions are admirable," they add.

Hollywood Trailer - Limited Series On Netflix

'[Hollywood] is less than adept at handling its own complexities'

The AV Club point out the many ironies in the script. For instance, while this is a show about rewriting history to throw the spotlight onto the minority characters, we're introduced to Murphy's Tinseltown by a straight, married, philandering white man (played by David Corenswet).

The cast win praise though, in particular Jake Pickering who plays a version of the real-life star, Rock Hudson.

Noting that sex largely becomes purely transactional (another of the series' interesting manoeuvres), they write: "This strange reupholstering of the casting couch is somewhat balanced by the plight of Rock Hudson."

'The show is never quite sure what it is'

This is perhaps the line that best sums up the critical reception to Hollywood.

Den of Geek write: "While watchable due to its production values, this mismatch of incongruous ideas suffers from the clashing impulses of Murphy and [co-writer Ian] Brennans American Horror Story shock value and their Glee era sentimental snake oil."

'A dreamy fantasy'

Variety's critic is not a fan of the characters themselves, writing that Corenswet's Jack is an actor "burdened more with charisma than backstory, ready for the screen to provide him with a reinvention."

"Murphy remains enough in thrall to the Hollywood myth to do little more with Jacks character than that," they add.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday approved the appointment of the younger son of Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Kohli, who died of COVID-19, as Sub-Inspector in Punjab police.

He will be given the post after he completes his graduation.

ACP (North) Anil Kohli, 52, had succumbed to coronavirus in a Ludhiana hospital on April 18.

Director General of Police DinkarGupta said the conditional offer of appointment of ACP Kohli's son, Paras, had already been signed by him and he would be appointed as a Sub-Inspector in the Punjab Police once he completes his graduation.

The chief minister had been extremely supportive of the health and welfare of the police personnel working on the frontlines, said the DGP in a statement here.

The DGP said he had also proposed to the state government that full salary be paid as pension, till the date of superannuation of the deceased police officer, to the families of police personnel who lose their lives to COVID-19.

Gupta made it clear that there was no dearth of protective equipment or funds for frontline police personnel.

The Punjab Police had sufficient PPEs, and even glass visors for those fighting the COVID-19 battle on the frontline, he said.

The DGP further disclosed that commissioners of police and district police chiefs had been directed to identify additional state house officers to give the existing ones a rest break, which was necessary considering the long-drawn battle ahead.

Pointing to the curfew relaxations announced by the chief minister with effect from Thursday, the DGP asked the force to be prepared to deal with the additional movement, and keep a close watch for any overcrowding or violation of COVID-19 safety protocols, including use of masks and social distancing.

Gupta also asked the SHOs to coordinate with the local administration to work out the rotation scheme for opening of shops from 7 am to 11 am, beginning Thursday.

Citing inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding possible reactivation of some terror outfits, who could target right wing leaders, the DGP directed the officers to identify probable targets and ensure their safety.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stressing on the importance of collaboration and innovation during the coronavirus crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged vaccine manufacturers and national regulatory authorities in its South-East Asia Region to fast track the process of developing COVID-19 vaccine.

The world health body organised a meeting of vaccine manufacturers and national regulatory authorities from the region through a video link on Wednesday and discussed timelines, production capacity and necessary procedural adjustments for early development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

At the virtual meeting, leading manufacturers from India, Indonesia and Thailand discussed timelines and production capacity, while regulatory bodies deliberated on adjustments that would be needed in processes to make COVID 19 vaccines available at the earliest, WHO said in a statement.

Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh said this region is a vaccine manufacturing powerhouse, and it must now play a lead role in overcoming the ongoing pandemic.

Several steps must be completed before COVID-19 vaccine can be used on a large scale. These include pre-clinical and clinical trials, production, licensure, deployment of vaccines and plans for post-marketing surveillance, she said.

Mapping the full landscape of vaccine development activities in the region will help in coordination with global stakeholders and support countries preparing COVID-19 vaccine deployment plans, Singh said.

"We are also working to ensure that once developed, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are available to all of humanity. To do that, we are coordinating expert consultations, developing target product profiles and supporting clinical trials. For the region and for the world, WHO is committed to facilitating and coordinating your efforts," the regional director said.

India, Indonesia and Thailand are among the world's largest vaccine manufacturers. Every day, millions of people of all ages are provided life-saving vaccines produced in these three countries, the WHO statement said.

"As we mark World Immunization Week, we must build on our success and redouble our efforts to ensure all people in the region can access the life-saving benefits vaccines bring. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic is a unique challenge. But I am certain that through collaboration and innovation we can produce a vaccine faster than ever before while maintaining all standards," Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

The global health body in its statement said WHO has mobilised a broad coalition of scientists, researchers and industry partners to develop and evaluate candidate vaccines for COVID-19.

More than 120 potential vaccine candidates have been proposed globally, and WHO continues to track their type and progress. Seven candidate vaccines are already in clinical evaluation and 82 vaccines are in pre-clinical evaluation, it said.

Last week, WHO launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which brings together key global health actors, private sector partners and other stakeholders to accelerate the development and production of COVID-19 essential health technologies, including vaccines, and to help guarantee equitable access.

The launch of the initiative comes in the wake of a UN General Assembly resolution through which the member states called for all countries to have "equitable, efficient and timely" access to any future vaccines developed to fight COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 29, 2020] Smart Data Solutions Postpones 2020 Customer Symposium

ST. PAUL, Minn., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart Data Solutions, a MN-based industry-leading collateral processing and workflow automation technology company, announced today they are postponing their Customer Symposium, which was scheduled to take place September 30th to October 2nd, 2020. This event was also set to commemorate their 20 years of business. "It is disappointing that we have postpone our Symposium, especially when it's such a milestone year for us; however we know this is what's best to keep everyone safe," Susan Berndt, Director of Marketing and Customer Success at Smart Data Solutions, stated. Smart Data Solutions has decided to postpone this event until further notice due to the outcome and continual spread of COVID-19 (Coonavirus) in Minnesota and across the United States. For the safety and well-being of the employees as well as all customers in attendance, Smart Data Solutions is choosing to push back the event to an undetermined date. All parties will be notified once a new date has been set for the Customer Symposium, likely in 2021.



"These are unprecedented times for the world and for our business, but we look forward to celebrating 20 years in business with our team and clients in a different way," Pat Bollom, Co-CEO of Smart Data Solutions, said. "We are still very excited to host our next Customer Symposium, when it is safer to do so," he concluded. About Smart Data Solutions

As a leader in the healthcare industry for applying AI to complex workflows, Smart Data Solutions has been leveraging automation technology to enable cost savings, efficiency and improved quality to meet the needs of healthcare claims managers, for more nearly twenty years. Today, more than 350 TPAs, PPOs, HMOs, hospitals and insurance companies depend on SDS technology and innovations to save money and streamline their business. From paper processing to claims management and EDI, Smart Data Solutions offers the solutions critically needed by today's health care industry. For more information about Smart Data Solutions please visit our website at www.sdata.us or contact us at 651.894.6400.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smart-data-solutions-postpones-2020-customer-symposium-301048407.html SOURCE Smart Data Solutions

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Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman Mourn The Loss Of Irrfan Khan With Heartfelt Notes, Cherish His Legacy
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered meat-processing plants to stay open to protect the food supply in the United States, despite concerns about coronavirus outbreaks, drawing a backlash from unions that said at-risk workers required more protection.

With concerns about food shortages and supply chain disruptions, Trump issued an executive order using the Defense Production Act to mandate that the plants continue to function.

Halted Operations

The worlds biggest meat companies, including Smithfield Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., JBS USA and Tyson, have halted operations at about 20 slaughterhouses and processing plants in North America as workers fall ill, stoking global fears of a meat shortage.

The order is designed in part to give companies legal cover with more liability protection in case employees catch the virus as a result of having to go to work.

John H. Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods, said on Sunday that the food supply chain was breaking and warned of the potential for meat shortages.

Before issuing the executive order, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that signing the order, ... will solve any liability problems, adding, And we always work with the farmers. Theres plenty of supply.

The executive order, released Tuesday evening, said the closure of just one large beef-processing plant could result in 10 million fewer individual servings of beef in a day.

Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency, the order said.

A senior administration official said the U.S. government would also provide guidance to minimize risk to workers who are especially vulnerable to the virus, such as encouraging older workers and those with other chronic health issues to stay home.

Union Demands

Unions were not impressed. Some farmers said it was too late because pigs had been euthanized already instead of the pork going to market.

While we share the concern over the food supply, todays executive order to force meatpacking plants to stay open must put the safety of our countrys meatpacking workers first, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said in a statement.

UFCW, the largest U.S. meat-packing union, demanded that the administration compel meat companies to provide the highest level of protective equipment to slaughterhouse workers and ensure daily coronavirus testing.

The senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said if action were not taken, the vast majority of processing plants could have shut down for a period of time, reducing capacity by as much as 80%.

Little Too Late

The order was little consolation for farmers such as Henry Moore of Clinton, North Carolina, who in recent weeks aborted thousands of unborn piglets and euthanized newly born because of closures of packing plants.

At this point, honestly, its a little too late, Moore said. Theres millions and millions and millions of pounds of pork that will never make it to the market.

Tyson said on Wednesday it was closing two pork-processing plants, including its largest in the United States, further tightening meat supplies following other major slaughterhouse shutdowns.

U.S. meat companies slaughtered an estimated 283,000 hogs on Tuesday, down about 43% from before plants began shutting because of the pandemic, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Processors slaughtered about 76,000 cattle, down about 38%.

Critics of Trumps order made clear that plants were being shut down for a reason.

When poultry plants shut down, its for deep cleaning and to save workers lives. If the administration had developed meaningful safety requirements early on as they should have and still must do, this would not even have become an issue, Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said in a statement.

The White House worked directly with executives from the meat-processing companies to determine what they needed to stay open safely, the administration official said. He said there were enough workers who could safely go to work and ensure the supply chain continued to churn.

20 Deaths

More than 6,500 meat- and food-processing workers have been infected with or exposed to the new coronavirus, and 20 have died, the UFCW said on Tuesday.

Administration officials and some Republicans on Capitol Hill have said that businesses that are reopening need liability protection from lawsuits employees might file if they become sick.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, speaking to reporters on a teleconference on Tuesday that mainly centered on immigrants working in the healthcare sector, was asked about Senate majority leader Mitch McConnells pushing for business liability protections as they reopen their operations.

Is he saying if an owner tells a worker he needs to work next to a sick person without a mask and wouldnt be liable? That makes no sense, Schumer said.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Tom Polansek; additional reporting by Tom Hals, Lisa Lambert, Richard Cowan and Steve Holland Editing by Grant McCool and Leslie Adler)

Topics USA
Russian citizen faces trial in Amur Region on charges of illegal keeping of gold

 flickr.com/ Bullion Vault

12:58 29/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 29 (RAPSI)  A court in the Amur Region will hear a criminal case against a resident of Russias Republic of Ingushetia charged with illegal possession and transportation of nearly 1 kilos of solid gold, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office has told RAPSI.

According to the investigation, in September 2019, the accused purchased in the Amur Region precious metal containing 916,92 grams of chemically pure gold. A week later, the man was arrested when transporting metal he had bought illegally. The gold was estimated at 2.8 million rubles (about $40,000) and seized from illegal circulation, the statement reads.

The Russian resident could face up to 5 years in prison if convicted.




Australia's active coronavirus cases have fallen below 1,000 for the first time in more than five weeks.

Just 986 people were infected with the deadly respiratory virus as of Thursday morning, with 5,670 of the 6,744 cases recovered. So far, 90 people have died.

But the government says an even more important milestone was reached in the 24 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday morning, when just one new case of community-to-community transmission was recorded across the country.

The remaining 13 cases identified on Wednesday were close connections to other known carriers, meaning Australia is successfully tracing the virus and limiting its reach in the community.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt described the statistic as possibly 'the most important' in the fight against COVID-19 so far.

'There was only one case from an unknown source, only one case of community transmission across Australia,' he said.

'That is perhaps the most important figure I have had the privilege of raising since coming into this role and dealing with the coronavirus issue.'

There are less active cases in Australia than there were six weeks ago on March 20.

This graph shows how active cases of coronavirus are dwindling while the number of recovered patients are growing

Despite the strictest restrictions imposed on Victorians, large crowds were seen exercising during on ANZAC Day

Health authorities have repeatedly congratulated Australians for smashing the curve, while urging people not to get complacent.

South Australia hasn't recorded a new case in seven days, while the Northern Territory has reached its own milestone - three weeks without a new diagnosis.

In celebrating the small wins, a handful of states have committed to easing some of the measures in place to slow the spread of the virus.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison hinted almost all restrictions could be lifted in as little as four weeks to jump start the economy, which teeters on the brink of recession.

A plan to reopen restaurants in June will be discussed at a National Cabinet meeting on May 11.

Government officials have repeatedly said allowing restaurants to open their doors would be among the final restrictions to be eased, though it would be many months until international travel and mass gatherings were on the cards.

Mr Morrison believes 'beating' the virus is more than just a health concern. He said reopening schools and workplaces will be crucial victories as well.

The prime minister says the nation's great success in flattening infection rates is not the only end goal.

A sign telling people to 'surf and go' is seen at Sydney's Bondi Beach (pictured on April 28), with residents only allowed on beaches for essential exercise

A large group are seen enjoying the sun at McKenzies Beach on April 25 (pictured) which is still against the rules in NSW as it is neither exercise nor essential

South Australia has enjoyed seven consecutive days with no new coronavirus cases

'We don't want to just win the battle against COVID-19 but lose a broader conflict when it comes to the economy and the functioning of our society,' he said on Wednesday.

The nation's coronavirus death toll rose to 90 on Wednesday after a 12th person died at a western Sydney nursing home.

'If we were to consider our success on COVID-19 as just having a low number of cases, that is not good enough,' Mr Morrison said.

The Liberal leader nominated having protections in place, enabling people to return to work and children attend classrooms as key milestones.

'Of course, there will continue to be additional cases; of course, there will be outbreaks - that's what living with the virus will be like,' he said.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly was confident Australia could handle a potential second wave of infections.

People in NSW are allowed to visit friends at home, in groups of two, or exercise on some beaches. Sunbaking is not allowed (pictured, a woman on Balmoral Beach on April 23)

'If a second wave does occur, we'll deal with it quickly and we'll respond to it,' he said.

Germany's infection rate grew after relaxing lockdown measures last week, as did Singapore's.

In order to lift restrictions quicker, Australians have been urged to download the government's coronavirus tracing app.

In just three days, already three million people have embraced the program, prompting a sincere thanks from the PM.

But that figure is just over 10 per cent of the population, and well short of the 10million target set by the government.

Mr Morrison urged those signing up to encourage two or three people they know to do so as well, likening it to wearing sunscreen outdoors.

'That is Australia's ticket to a COVID-safe Australia where we can go about doing the things we love doing once again,' he said.

Security is seen patrolling Scarborough Beach in Perth on April 27 (pictured), with socially distanced groups of up to ten people now allowed in Western Australia

The Queensland government (pictured, a man in Moreton Bay during lockdown) will ease restrictions from Friday following a successful period in flattening the curve

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

While the app is not compulsory, Mr Morrison said it is the key to easing restrictions quicker, and would only be effective if at least 40 per cent of the population embraced it.

'I know this would be something they might not normally do at an ordinary time but this is not an ordinary time. If you download this app you'll be helping save someone's life.'

While there are positive indications life will begin to return to normal over the coming weeks, the PM broke the hearts of sporting fans from the west coast to east when he admitted allowing live crowds at games would likely be one of the last policies reintroduced.

Cafes and pubs as well as places of worship could re-open and sport could restart - but going to stadiums is a long way off.

He said he 'cannot see' international travel and watching sport in stadiums resuming 'anytime soon'.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the PM said allowing travel would be too risky while other nations suffer high case numbers - although an exception could be made for New Zealand which has almost eliminated the virus.

'I can't see international travel occurring anytime soon,' he said.

'The risks there are obvious. The only exception to that, as I have flagged, is potentially with New Zealand, and we have had some good discussions about that.'

The government is also hoping to expand on COVID-19 testing, after mining magnate Andrew Forrest secured an additional 10 million tests for the cool price of $320million.

There are currently 6,744 known cases of coronavirus, including 90 people who have died

Streets remain basically empty (pictured in Melbourne) as most people follow the rules and stay indoors amid the crisis

Coronavirus-stricken nursing home registers 12th death A western Sydney aged care home at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak has suffered a 12th death. The Anglicare-run Newmarch House reported an additional death on Wednesday after four were reported on Tuesday. Anglicare chief executive Grant Millard earlier on Wednesday said the facility was anticipating more deaths. About 80 residents are still living at the home near Penrith. Twenty registered nurses, 25 carers, 11 cleaners and a GP are working daily at the nursing home where 34 residents and 22 staff members have tested positive to COVID-19. '(It's) really running as a pseudo hospital at the moment,' Mr Millard said. Residents have been isolated since the outbreak on April 11. Advertisement

The billionaire struck a deal with China for the products, which expands Australia's testing capability 20-fold.

National cabinet will on Friday discuss the use of the kits in sentinel testing, which would involve wider screening of the population.

Professor Kelly said the tests would be an important step towards lifting restrictions, noting 544,000 people have been tested nationally.

'We'll be expanding on testing, but we're not testing for testing's sake,' he said.

The meeting of state and federal leaders will also look at the principles for the return of elite and community sport.

During a press conference on Wednesday night, Victorian China Consul-General Zhou Long said he hoped the initiative behind the additional tests would help to ease tension between China and Australia.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation. Pictured: A bat in a wet market in Indonesia

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus could lead to a boycott of Australia

Diplomatic relations between the two nations have dwindled in the wake of Australia demanding there be an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus.

Chinese officials have described the ask as 'political manoeuvring' on Mr Morrison's behalf and threatened to terminate economic trade.

In spite of the backlash, the Australian PM has stood his ground.

Mr Morrison denied the move was directed at Beijing, saying the inquiry would be in the global health interest.

'It is not a remarkable position. It is a fairly common sense position and one that we don't resile from,' he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 08:52:41|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar has risen to 149, with three more confirmed cases reported late Tuesday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

All the newly confirmed cases are from Yangon region and were under quarantine as they were in close contact with previously confirmed cases.

According to the ministry's release, 16 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

Myanmar has reported five deaths of COVID-19 as of Tuesday since the infectious disease was first detected in the country on March 23. Enditem
Stamu Military Airfield is home to a host of helicopters that are responsible for indiscriminately dropping explosives on civilians centers reports Zaman Al-Wasl.

Most regime airstrikes in northern Syria have been carried out from the Stamu airfield in coastal Lattakia province, military sources told Zaman al-Wasl and have provided more details about the strategic base.

The attack helicopter base was created in 2016 after Russian forces seized the Hemeimeem airbase and turned it into a command center and headquarters.

Stamu airfield has an area of 750,000m divided into two sections: the first is a training camp, with an area of around 400,000m, including warehouses that hold ammunition, explosive barrels, aircraft missiles, and naval mines, as well as underground shelters fortified against chemical and nuclear weapons and food and fuel warehouses that would last several months. It is also equipped with electrical generators. The camp has a guard battalion consisting of 300 soldiers from the Fifth Corps, who are not allowed to enter the airstrip, but provide security to the camp from the outside.

The second section is a helipad, with an area of around 350,000m, located southwest of the old camp. It surrounds the training camp in the form of an arc and has its own entrance for airport workers only. The helipad is as well equipped as the camp with more shelters and fortifications.

According to an officer serving at the airstrip, the airport holds 21 helicopters used to bomb resistance-controlled areas, two of which are model Mi-8, 16 Mi-17, and two Mi-25, as well as a Kamov marine helicopter and three Flamingo training aircraft. All of these helicopters are around 50 years old.

There are also training halls and offices for the officers, in addition to small and dispersed fortified warehouses to temporarily store naval mines and barrel bombs, as well as cranes and vehicles for loading aircraft. There are 150 pilot officers who take turns flying the helicopters, and more than 100 technical officers for aircraft preparation, in addition to officers from different specialties and a guard battalion as a first line of defense and to accompany the runway command and pilots during takeoff. The total manpower operating amounts to more than 1,000 military personnel.

The source also confirmed to Zaman al-Wasl that all aircraft are used for bombing indiscriminately with no guided munitions, with the purpose of destroying homes and causing the largest possible number of casualties to coax resistance fighters to leave. Combat orders are issued to the camp command by the Hemeimeem air base and the notorious Brigadier General Suheil al-Hassan, and any insubordination from the pilots is punished by death or arrest.

Colonel Ziyad Hajj Obaid, a pilot who defected, said that all the aircrafts operating in Stamu had been gathered from other airports, to be close to Idleb and the countryside of Aleppo, under Russian protection and command, and far from the Israeli bombing raids. Colonel Ziyad confirmed that most of the helicopters owned by Assads army are old and undeveloped, and are unable to carry out accurate airstrikes because they are not equipped with high-precision weapons, and are limited to indiscriminate executions that target civilians and services centers, civil defense and medical institutions.

Colonel Fayez al-Asmar believes that the Russian air force and the regimes aircrafts were the bloodiest and most used in suppressing the Syrian revolution, killing hundreds and forcing Syrians to flee their homes to be invaded by militias and regime forces to raise their flags of victory over the ruins of cities and villages.

Asmar added that helicopters play a big role in logistics and ammunition, and it is easy to establish airports and airstrips at a low cost, that is why the regime is planning to increase the number of helicopters and to distribute them over its areas of control. Asmar believes that choosing Sitamu as a landing site helps strengthen Russian influence on the coast at the expense of Iran, and brings them close to operations in Lattakia and Idleb.

With the start of the revolution, the university training camp in Sitamu turned into a military headquarters for the regimes National Defense Forces before its dissolution, and after 2016, it became the headquarters of the Fifth Corps and the Air Force Intelligence.

The airport uses Mi-8 aircrafts, which were first made in 1961 in the Soviet Union, and entered service in 1964. The Mi-8 is considered a military transport and combat aircraft, also used as a civilian transport vehicles for passengers and goods. It can carry 28 passengers or 3.5 tons of cargo. Its manoeuvrability is weak, and it cannot fly higher than 5 kilometers. It is not designed for fighting, but for self-defense. It can fly for a range of 465 kilometers with a three-person crew at a speed of 250 km/h. A large number of helicopters of this model were shot down by the Syrian resistance factions.

While still old, the Mi-17 is a newer model than the Mi-8, with the same shape and a similar flying speed, range and height as the Mi-8, but with a better engine and maneuverability. It first appeared in 1981 and can carry between 3,000 and 4,000 kg.

Mi-25 is yet another old model that was first used in 1979, with a speed of 325 km/h and 3.5 tons cargo capacity.

The Kamov Ka-50 is a single-seat attack helicopter first used by the Soviet Union in 1980 with a coaxial rotor and a radar system with a signal of detection that reaches 35 kilometers. It is equipped with Hermes anti-tank guided missiles with a speed of 1km/s, and a fast-firing auto cannon.

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.
"He's p*ssed because he knows he messed up in those briefings," one Republican close to the White House said of Trump lashing out.

Last Wednesday, two days before Trump lashed out at Parscale, his campaign manager and several other top political advisers briefed him on internal campaign and Republican National Committee data showing the President was heading for defeat in key battleground states. Parscale, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and other advisers urged him to scale back his daily, combative news conferences and pointed to data showing that the briefings were hurting him with critical swing voters in those states.

Trump has complained to aides that his restricted travel has hurt his numbers, not the briefings.

One person familiar with the call said the message didn't appear to sink in with the President, who instead changed the subject away from the issue of briefings.

But the next day, Trump's outlandish comments about disinfectant only amplified those advisers' urgings. Even as he erupted at Parscale on Friday evening, during that day's briefing the President took no questions. And the next day he scrapped the briefing altogether.


Quarterly Activities Report

Perth, April 29, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Hastings Technology Metals Ltd ( ASX:HAS ) ( FRA:5AM ) provide the quarterly activities report for the period ending March 2020.Highlights:- Commonwealth Environmental Approvals received to construct and operate an open pit rare earths mine, processing facility and associated support infrastructure at Yangibana.- Drilling along the Auer and Yangibana mineralised trends confirms that mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth beyond the current resource.- Significant new results from Auer including;o 16 metres @ 1.94% TREO including 0.68% Nd2O3+Pr6O11 ando 15 metres @ 1.35% TREO including 0.53% Nd2O3+Pr6O11- Significant new results from Yangibana including;o 3 metres @ 1.28% TREO including 0.64% Nd2O3+Pr6O11 ando 7 metres @ 0.8% TREO including 0.37% Nd2O3+Pr6O11- Cash balance of A$13 million as at 31 March 2020- Cost reduction and conservation measures implemented effective 1 April as a result of COVID-19.- Ongoing review of the Yangibana Project Capital and Operating expenditure with the objective of achieving improved mine economics and robustness in the financial metrics- Schaeffler offtake contact negotiations ongoing despite disruption due to Covid-19 pandemic- Debt financing discussions also ongoing along with additional commercial offtake negotiationsTo view the 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.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that wasnt enough and used an analogy to Australians love of the outdoors to push for 40 percent of the population to sign up, the level government officials say is needed for the app to be effective  holding what Australian officials believe is a critical amount of data to help counter any possible new spread.
The government is looking into the possibility of building smart cities along the Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway that is being built on a new alignment, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.

However, a final decision on this will be taken by the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office, he said.

"The government is looking if NHAI can plan a township along the highway (Delhi-Mumbai Expressway) ... a Cabinet note has been floated for this," Road Transport, Highways and MSME Minister Gadkari said during an interaction with real estate body NAREDCO via a video conference.

The Rs 1 lakh crore flagship Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project is scheduled to be completed within three years and and expected to cut down the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai to just 12 hours.

Gadkari said the government has saved about Rs 16,000 crore on land acquisition front alone on the project on a new alignment and will pass through backward and far-flung tribal areas of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

A large number of road side amenities and other projects can be taken along the highways ushering in development of the areas, he added.

The minister said road construction activities were planned at a higher pace now at least thrice the rate of construction earlier and projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore were likely to be taken in two years.

Most of the 406 stalled road projects worth Rs 3.85 lakh crore have been rolled out barring Rs 40,000 crore worth of projects that had to be terminated, he said.

The senior minister said there are several opportunities in logistics parks, smart cities, smart villages, cold storage, road construction where developers can and should focus and think of something innovative idea to start an economic activity.

He said about 2,000 commercial places like bus stations can easily be converted into bus ports and stressed the need for pre-cast bridges and constructions.

The minister also warned people engaged in cement cartel, cautioning them that if they did not restrain bitumen roads will be built.

"We utilise 40 per cent cement," the minister said and asked cement manufacturers to refrain from such activities.

For Rs 100 lakh crore infrastructure investment, as envisaged by the Prime Minister to make India a 5 trillion economy, he said the present situation should be taken as a 'blessing in disguise' and urged players to plan for exports.

"We will win economic war and corona war," he said and added that focus should also be on capturing global market in the present situation where nations were planning to bring their investments out of China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, April 29 : BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has hit back at Delhi Minority Commission Chairman Zafarul-Islam Khan, demanding an investigation against him after he created a row by "thanking" Kuwait for its "support" to Indian Muslims against what he called "Hindutva bigots".

Stressing on Khan's alleged political affiliation to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the BJP leader and former Union minister said, "I condemn the language used by the Aam Aadmi Party leader; there should be a probe against him." Calling it a "big crime", Hussain alleged, "'Aaj kal kuchh log theka le rakhha hai ke unhone Bharat ko badnam hi karna hai (few people have now taken upon themselves to defame India)." Hitting back at the statement of the Delhi Minority Commission chief, Hussain said, "No nation has the right to intervene in India's internal matters, even if that is an Arab nation. Because worldwide, the largest Muslim population lives in India after Indonesia. And for them, there can not be a better nation than India to live in and a better leader than (Narendra) Modi." Hussain said Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't discriminate among the people. Yet, India is being defamed based on few incidents and no country has the right to intervene in India's internal matters.

Meanwhile, another BJP leader, Shazia Ilmi, has also demanded Khan's resignation. "This bigot must resign immediately," she said.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Khan had said, "Thank you Kuwait for standing with the Indian Muslims! The Hindutva bigots calculated that given the huge economic stakes involved, the Muslim and Arab world will not care about the persecution of Muslims in India." Khan further said, "The bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, and cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage."
The man shot Tuesday by Vancouver police died at a hospital the same day, authorities say.

The Clark County Sheriffs Office said the man will be publicly identified after his family has been notified of his death. An autopsy will determine his official cause and manner of death.

Vancouver police said they were called to a fight involving two men Tuesday morning in the area of Fourth Plain Boulevard and Stapleton Road. Officers arrived and found one man unconscious on the ground, according to police.

He was taken to a hospital, and police found the other man nearby, according to Sgt. Brent Waddell, a sheriffs office spokesman.

The man refused police commands to put down sharpened objects, according to police, so three Vancouver police officers fired at him.

While authorities have yet to clarify details about the shooting, a video posted Tuesday on YouTube shows six police officers pointing guns at the suspect, who appears to be walking around several feet away from the officers, holding what appear to be two stick-like objects in his hands.

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING

About 30 seconds into the 4 minute, 15 second video, an officer appears to fire something, possibly a taser, at the man, but he doesnt seem to be affected.

The man continues to pace about 15 feet away from the group of officers, most of whom are using a car as a barrier between themselves and the man.

The bystanders who filmed the video expressed dismay at various points in the video that the officers were pointing guns at the man and observed that the man appeared to be having a mental health crisis.

Around the 3-minute mark, officers fired at least three shots at the man, and he immediately dropped to the ground.

After they shot the man, the six police surrounded him and continued to point their guns at him. A seventh police officer walked toward the group and also stood around the man.

About 45 seconds after they shot him, the officers knelt on the ground and appeared to be inspecting the mans injuries. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Waddell didnt know what time Tuesday the man was pronounced dead or the condition of the man who was found unconscious.

He declined to comment about the circumstances of the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle issued a statement Wednesday about the fatal encounter.

We are saddened to learn of the news of the death of the suspect in yesterdays incident," she said. "My heart goes out to the families and friends of the deceased, and to everyone in our community affected by this event. I, along with my fellow Councilmembers, want to express our deepest condolences.

-- Jim Ryan and Jayati Ramakrishnan

jryan@oregonian.com; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Poverty drove a grandmother



feed cooked rice water in place of milk to a five-month-old boy, whose mother expired recently and the migrant labourer father is stranded in Mumbai due to coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Moved by the plight of the old woman and the baby in Latehar districts Paharatoli village, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday asked Deputy Commissioner Jishan Kamar to arrange food for them.

The CM had come to know about the matter from the party workers who post such messages on the social media.

The chief minister tweeted asking the administration to arrange food for them after he was informed that the poverty- stricken Bigo Nagesia was feeding 'maad' (water of cooked rice) from the feeding bottle to the baby as her son is held up in the western metropolis during lockdown and daughter-in- law has died.

Ration and milk have been arranged for the two, officials in Latehar said.

According to villagers, the babys mother had died in December last due to some ailment and the villagers used to help the infant with milk. But, due to the lockdown it had become difficult to arrange the baby feed, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jennifer Douglas will become the next chief innovation and technology officer for the city of Boulder, Colo.Douglas, who most recently served as the deputy chief customer officer with the Colorado Governors Office of Information Technology, will assume the position in mid-June, according to a press release by the city. Julia Richman previously held the innovation and technology post until her departure in February 2020. She now serves as chief strategy officer for the state's Office of Information Technology.Douglas brings some 20 years of IT experience to the city, according to city officials.Jennifers strong innovation and strategy experience in both the private and public sectors provides an opportunity for the city to maximize opportunities to rethink government processes to better serve the community and to help the city become more effective and efficient in its use of technology and data, said City Manager Jane Brautigam, in a statement. This position will play an essential role in moving more city services to an e-government environment that is available 24/7.The expansion of broadband technology will be one of the focus areas for Douglas, city officials said."Some of the specifics will be to lead our organizational IT transformation road map and construction of the broadband backbone," said Patrick von Keyserling, communication director for Boulder, in an email.And certainly, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is touching practically every part of city government, affecting services, and putting in place new challenges and opportunities for civic engagement."The role of innovation and technology is amplified," said von Keyserling. "We have an opportunity to learn from our experience of virtual 24/7 environments to increase opportunities for community and workforce engagement."We will use this defining event to help us define service delivery of the future," he added.About 120 applicants were considered for the CIO position, winnowed down to three finalists.
The federal guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19 will not be extended beyond the end-of-April target set in mid-March, with President Donald Trump telling reporters Wednesday that he backed the efforts of governors as they begin a phased reopening of the economy.

Theyll be fading out, Trump said of the guidelines, which included minimizing unnecessary travel, encouraging sick and vulnerable people to stay home and strict social distancing such as avoiding groups of 10 or more and keeping 6 feet away from others in public.

Now the governors are doing it," added the president, speaking with reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. Weve spoken with many, many governors. Theyre explaining what theyre doing. Im very much in favor of what theyre doing. Theyre getting it going. Theyre opening the country again."

Vice President Mike Pence said that Frankly, every state in America has embraced those guidelines at a minimum. Now, our focus is working with states as governors unveil plans to open.

The Trump administration released a roadmap earlier this month encouraging states to relax stay-at-home orders and business closures in phases. Hitting benchmarks, such as 14 days of declines in new COVID-19 cases and expanding health care facility capacities to handle flare ups of the virus, are essential to move through the phases, public health officials said.

If there are embers, well put them out, Trump said.

Some states will be able to open up sooner than others, with hotspots like New York and Massachusetts keeping protective measures in place for now.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker extended the states stay-at-home advisory until May 18, two weeks longer than initially scheduled. Non-essential business closures and the ban on gatherings above 10 people are also extended until May 18, Baker said.

The Trump administration issued the social distancing guidelines in mid-March after the president had previously barred travel from China, where the virus originated, and Europe.

At the time, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, of the White House coronavirus task force headed by Pence, showed Trump epidemiological models indicating that without widespread social distancing measures, the virus, which is 10 times more lethal than the flu, could kill more than 1 million Americans.

The disease has killed more than 60,000 in less than two months and infected more than 1 million Americans, far more than any other country.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:33:46|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Women working in Self Help Groups (SHGs) across India have made and supplied more than 10 million face masks, showing their relentless effort, positive energy and united resolve to fight COVID-19, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs on Wednesday.

The SHGs are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find ways to improve their living conditions. They are community based groups with 10-20 members, who are usually women from similar social and economic backgrounds, all voluntarily coming together to save small sums of money, on a regular basis.

Shubhangi Chandrakant Dhaygude, president of an SHG named "Samrudhhi Area Level Federation (ALF)", located in south-western state of Maharashtra, was quoted as saying that she collected orders through phone and stitched face masks at her home in Titwala town.

According to her, 45 more women are involved in making masks with her and together they had been able to make 50,000 masks till date.

Meenu Jha, member of Savarni SHG in Kota town of western state Rajasthan said that even she did not imagine that this small step can be so inspiring for others. "All of us have unique capability of contributing in this fight even during the lockdown," the minister statement quoted Meenu as saying.

Beginning on March 25, India is under a strict 40-day lockdown. Latest data issued by the country's Health Ministry showed that by Wednesday the number of COVID-19 deaths in India crossed the 1000 mark and cases surpassed 30,000. Enditem
WASHINGTON  Kweisi Mfume, a former Democratic congressman and president of the N.A.A.C.P., won a special election on Tuesday to represent Baltimore in Congress, reclaiming a seat he held nearly 25 years ago to finish the term of his successor, Representative Elijah E. Cummings, who died in October.

Mr. Mfume won the seat in a contest conducted predominantly by mail, with only three polling sites open because of safety concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. A former Baltimore city councilman, he was first elected in 1986 to represent Marylands heavily Democratic Seventh Congressional District, where he served until 1996, when he left to join the African-American civil rights group; Mr. Cummings won election to succeed him.

After winning a crowded Democratic primary, which included Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the widow of the former representative, Mr. Mfume, 71, defeated Kimberly Klacik, a Republican strategist and member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.

Ms. Klacik drew national attention in July after she assailed Mr. Cummings and showed footage of boarded-up houses and trash-strewn areas of Baltimore on Fox & Friends, prompting President Trump to label Mr. Cummings, then the chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee, a brutal bully who represented a district that had become a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.
The following article was submitted to the WSWS by a UK postal worker.

Another British postal worker has died from the coronavirus. Selim Ghebru Gaim, 34, worked in a sorting office in Leeds. He tested positive for coronavirus after showing mild symptoms but was later admitted to intensive care at St. Jamess Hospital. Selim died on April 15.

Selim was born in Sudan and was educated in Russia before joining Royal Mail at Leeds sorting office. His family spoke of their devastating loss. Selims cousin Danait Fikadu said, Our dearly loved son, brother and friend Selim has sadly passed away. He moved to the UK for a better life, where he lived a normal life working and bettering himself. In Selims memory, the family have launched a GoFundMe fundraiser. The money raised will go towards funeral costs. Selim died 11 days after his 34th birthday.

Three other postal workers have already died while over 26,000 postal workers have either contracted the virus or are self-isolating. Three deceased workers have been named: Stefan Haluszczak, who worked at Coventry Parcels Hub, Akie Fenty from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, and Bola Omoyeni, who was employed at the National Distribution Centre in Northampton. Haluszczak, who had worked for Royal Mail for eight years, was well-respected at his depot.

Postal workers are forced to work in unsafe conditions, largely without personal protective equipment (PPE), adequate hand cleansing facilities or social distancing. We are delivering items whose volume is outstripping levels seen at Christmas, with staff from around the UK being asked to work overtime at the most overrun centres in the North East.

Royal Mail still refuses to pay thousands of postal workers who are off sick after possibly being exposed to coronavirus. Workers are forced to take holiday or unpaid leave.

We have two worlds. One world is being habituated by postal workers who are forced to work in conditions that are leading to an early death. Postal workers up and down the country have taken unofficial strike action in defiance of Royal Mail threats and bullying and without the backing of the Communication Workers Union (CWU). In some offices in London, an overtime ban is in place.

Royal Mail will brook no opposition to its profit-making during the COVID-19 crisis. At one of its mail centres it called riot police when two indoor postal workers said they would not cooperate with managements unreasonable demands. CWU officials at the mail centre describe what happened: Royal Mail, over what could easily be described as a petty issue, opted to call the police, who came out with a riot van, to have these members removed from the building. Think about that for a second. your employer called the police to have two of your colleagues physically removed from our workplace.

The dispute occurred when two skilled workers who are trained to operate a sorting machine refused to move to another area. Royal Mail attempted to replace the workers with less-skilled agency workers. The CWU rep said, The fact that a riot van pulled up outside the mail centre made people think, what the hell is going on? It is ludicrous. It seems to be the attitude of some managers at the moment.

The second world is a million miles away from the danger faced by postal workers when arriving at their work, knowing that their lives are in peril each day. That world is occupied by Royal Mails fat-cat executives, whose callous actions have led to even the right-wing Daily Mail newspaper calling for them to behave more responsibly.

Suffice to say Royal Mail have ignored this plea and have ramped up their profit-making by cancelling its final pay-out to investors last month in order to boost its balance sheet during the coronavirus outbreak. It is a move that has meant that shares held by postal workers are becoming virtually worthless. Big shareholders like Schroders, with 15.3 percent, have warned Royal Mail that it expects the pain to be shared by management.

It is understood that the UKs biggest asset manager intends to raise the issue with all the companies it is invested in. Schroders boss Peter Harrison has agreed to donate a chunk of his pay to charities fighting the pandemic. Another big shareholder said, Royal Mail needs to explain how its executive pay arrangements will reflect this change as well as any significant changes made to the pay of its wider workforce.

We should be clear that these fat cat shareholders are not interested in, nor do they care about postal workers, other than to increase their level of exploitation without it provoking large-scale strike action. That is why they are telling Royal Mail executives to behave themselves.

They are going to have to talk very loudly. Not only because the majority of these executives are not even in the countryRico Back, the chief executive, whose salary is around 2.7 million a year, is sitting in his penthouse home worth 2.3 million overlooking Lake Zurich in Switzerlandbut because their privileged existence makes them deaf to all appeals for restraint.

Perhaps a third world should be added, and that is the world of the CWU. Their answer to Royal Mail executives gorging themselves during this crisis has been to call for the company to drop deliveries of advertising mail to ease the pressure. It stated that In conjunction with the government we should look to maximise the opportunity for Royal Mails unrivalled infrastructure to be utilised in helping the country deal with the coronavirus crisis.

The CWU had peddled this line from day one, even after postal workers voted for strike action over job losses and attacks on working condition. The CWU called off a recent national strike after a 94 percent vote in favour of action on March 17. The union then called for a gentlemens agreement which could be negotiated with Royal Mail and the Conservative government. The union offered to set aside our differences with Royal Mail and gain the governments support for turning Royal Mail into an additional emergency service.

I have been a postal worker for over a decade now and the time has come for we Royal Mail workers to take the struggle out of the hands of the CWU bureaucracy and into our own. Rank-and-file committees must be formed. This is now a life and death struggle.
(Bloomberg) --

Samsung Electronics Co. warned earnings may decline this quarter after the coronavirus outbreak hurt demand globally for smartphones and gadgets, wiping out gains from a surge in online activity by people sheltering at home.

South Koreas largest company reported a 4% slide in net income to 4.9 trillion won ($4 billion) in the three months ended March. Samsung, which had reported better-than-expected operating profits earlier this month, said the pandemic continued to hammer demand across an array of markets.

The warning from the worlds largest maker of memory chips, smartphones and consumer appliances underscores the uncertainty gripping global industry. As the pandemic spread in the first months of the year, the technology sector took hits from both supply and demand. Samsung joins peers such as Intel Corp. in cautioning about the impact of a global economic slowdown.

Covid-19 has created unprecedented challenges for the global community. At this point, it is impossible to determine how big of an impact it will have or how long it will affect our society and economy, leading to a period of extremely heightened uncertainty, Ben Suh, executive vice president, said on an earnings call. Considering heightened Covid-19 related uncertainties especially in the second half, we will not be providing any annual guidance at this time.

Read more: Intel Withdraws 2020 Forecast on Significant Uncertainty

The Korean conglomerate said overall earnings are likely to decline from the previous quarter because of the hit to several core products. In particular, Samsung said a drop in smartphone earnings is inevitable in the second quarter because of store closings and other factors, while profits would also slip in mobile displays. Executives on a post-earnings conference call refrained from offering full-year guidance on the memory market but said the company will continue to invest in semiconductor expansions and research.

Story continues

The Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as one of the largest economic shocks in recent years, disrupting both consumer demand as well as supply chains worldwide. Factories in countries such as China were temporarily shut, crimping orders for Samsung components like displays. Meanwhile, retail stores, including those of client Apple Inc., were closed to avoid spreading infections. Thats been offset in part by demand for the memory chips used in datacenters and computers, which allow people to work and study from home. Samsungs shares stood largely unchanged Wednesday.

Samsung Needs You to Stay Home and Watch Netflix: Tim Culpan

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

Samsung Electronics downbeat 2Q profit guidance reflects its smartphone-shipment plunge amid the Covid-19 outbreak. In contrast to a sequential as well as year-on-year increase, according to Bloomberg consensus, Samsung expects 2Q earnings may decline. We expect its memory chip profit will stay sturdy in 2Q since most contracts should have been concluded with customers.

- Anthea Lai, analyst

Click here for the research.

Should the pandemic persist into the second half, the tech giant foresees missing its own 2020 revenue projections by a double-digit percentage, Bloomberg News has reported. A prolonged virus outbreak may also disrupt its supply chain. Delays in marquee events such as the Olympics will prompt changes in marketing plans for TVs, a big revenue generator. A prolonged outbreak could also slow the international rollout of ultra-fast fifth-generation wireless technology, hurting everything from phones to Samsungs own networking business, an executive said on the call.

Predicting the outlook is difficult due to Covid-19 in the U.S. and Europe, said Samsung Securities analyst Hwang Min-seong. But the good news is that China is showing signs of a fast recovery, he said. Still, there are concerns over whether chip demand will be sustainable in the second half despite improved sentiment on server demand.

SK Hynix Inc. and Micron Technology Inc., which control the bulk of the memory chip market together with Samsung, have told investors that strong demand from data-center clients boosted sales and profits and that the trend is expected to continue in the first half.

Read more: Hynixs Sales Rise Most in Year After Lockdowns Boost Demand

Chip companies have projected that the contract prices for DRAM and NAND will remain solid throughout the second quarter. In addition to server expansions, the pandemic is seen as a catalyst for expediting the transition to 5G and autonomous or touchless technology, driving component sales.

Apple and Huawei Technologies Co. supplier Hynix said there was a possibility that even server demand could lose steam if the economic downturn is prolonged. Intel withdrew its full-year sales forecast last week for the year, citing significant uncertainty.

Demand for server and PC to remain solid as more people work from home, but a decline in mobile demand to remain a risk, Samsung said Wednesday in an earnings presentation.

Sluggish sales of Samsungs flagship S20 lineup will be reflected in the current quarter, eroding profitability at the smartphone division, which has been reeling from plant and store shutdowns in some regions.

Its display business had a 290 billion won operating loss after smartphone sales from Apple and Huawei sharply fell in the first quarter. The consumer electronics unit, which includes TVs and appliances, reported operating profit of 450 billion won. Samsungs major overseas appliances plants temporarily shut from March through early April.

Still, some investors hope for a rebound in consumer demand starting in the second half as the coronavirus recedes.

There will be pent-up demand in the second half of the year, or at least in the first half of next year, Claire Kyung Min Kim, a Hana Financial Investment semiconductor analyst, told Bloomberg Television. People want to buy new phones or change to a new 5G phone, and this kind of demand cant be pressured for a long time, over three years or over four years.

(Updates with Samsung executives comments from the fourth paragraph)

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
[April 29, 2020] ProctorU Proposes Student Bill of Rights for Remote and Digital Work

Today, ProctorU announced it has released a Student Bill of Rights in support of academic honesty, privacy, and data security for students who complete remote and digital academic work or assessments. The Student Bill of Rights for Remote and Digital Work, first drafted by ProctorU with input from faculty and academic leaders, is now available for public review and comment from interested parties. Click to Tweet. "This is an unprecedented time when millions of students have been pushed into remote learning almost overnight. Naturally, there are going to be adjustments going forward," said Dr. Amy Smith, Chief Learning Officer of Straighterline, Inc, a college readiness company offering online general education courses. "This Bill of Rights is a worthy start to establishing baseline rights students can expect for online assessment submission, evaluation, tracking, and storage procedures. I look forward to being a part of its evolution." "Taking a test or doing work online should be no different than doing that same work in person, in a classroom," said Scott McFarland, CEO of ProctorU. "There's no reason students should feel their work is more at risk, that the integrity standards are any different or that they hav to surrender any more privacy to be online. Students should be protected in all of those areas."



The Student Bill of Rights for Remote and Digital Work delineates seven areas of rights and expectations for students related to their schools, testing proctors and providers, their fellow students and others. These are: The right to have questions answered The expectation that a student's work is presumed honest and accurate That entities engaged in remote academic work or assessments are compliant with laws and regulations related to student privacy and student data The right to review and understand policies protecting students and their work The right to review and understand policies that keep a student from being disadvantaged by the misconduct of others The right to understand why data is collected and retained and whether it is disseminated The expectation that data collection is specific and limited "All students, online and otherwise, should expect that there are set policies for integrity and privacy and that those policies are designed and used to protect their work, the value of their learning and their privacy," McFarland said. "But more than that, students should be able to see those policies, understand them, and make good decisions. It all starts with open and clear communication."

Find the Student Bill of Rights at StudentTestingRights.org. Input is welcome and those wishing to be involved in a coalition may express that desire on the "contact us" page or via email at [email protected]. About ProctorU ProctorU provides a full suite of online proctoring and identity management solutions for education, professional development and credentialing organizations. With patented, 24/7 live proctoring and a fully-automated platform, both backed by artificial intelligence, ProctorU offers a powerful, convenient and cost-effective alternative to physical test centers. ProctorU increases access to online learning while ensuring exam integrity and accountability for any test-taker. ProctorU.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005620/en/

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Jesper Hoeiland to step down as President and Chief Executive Officer in order to return to Denmark with his family

Jesper will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Company to help facilitate a smooth transition

Kelly Martin has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer

WALTHAM, Mass., April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radius Health, Inc. (Radius or the Company) (RDUS), today announced that Jesper Hoeiland will step down as President and Chief Executive Officer to return, after many years abroad, to his home country of Denmark. In order to assist with the transition, Jesper has agreed to serve as a Senior Advisor to the Company.

On behalf of the Board and all Radius employees, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Jesper for his many contributions to the Company over the past several years. His leadership helped establish TYMLOS as the leading anabolic therapy in the US osteoporosis market in a little over two years, stated Owen Hughes, Chairman of the Radius Board of Directors. His commercial expertise and operational acumen have been instrumental in creating a solid base for long-term growth, inclusive of three ongoing pivotal trials and a path to profitability.

It has been a tremendous personal and professional privilege to serve as the CEO of Radius, stated Jesper Hoeiland. I am proud of the Companys many accomplishments during my tenure and even more so the people that made it happen. I remain enthusiastic about the Companys prospects and its ability to extend and expand its leadership in the years ahead with the advancement of its pipeline and, in particular, the progress being made with the abaloparatide-patch.

Jesper commented further that, after nearly 25 years away from home, my wife and I have decided to return to Denmark to be closer to family and long-time friends. In completing my work here at Radius, I look forward to working with the Board and Kelly to make this transition as seamless and effective as possible.

Story continues

Kelly Martin will assume the role of CEO and President of Radius with immediate effect. The Board is delighted that Kelly is joining Radius. We look forward to working with him  and the entire Radius team  in moving the Company forward, stated Owen Hughes. Kelly added, It is an honor to join the Radius team and build off of the business momentum established by Jesper and the entire organization.

Kelly Martin is a globally experienced executive with a strong track record of success. He spent 22 years at Merrill Lynch and was a member of the Executive Management Committee. Following that, he spent 12 plus years as the CEO of Elan Pharmaceuticals, plc. While at Elan, he completed many innovative transactions that transformed the company to the benefit of shareholders as well as patients. Since Elan, Kelly has been actively involved with a number of public and private healthcare companies.

About Radius

Radius is a science-driven fully integrated biopharmaceutical company that is committed to developing and commercializing innovative endocrine therapeutics. Radius lead product, TYMLOS (abaloparatide) injection, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. The Radius clinical pipeline includes the investigational use of abaloparatide injection for the treatment of men with osteoporosis, an investigational abaloparatide-patch for potential use in osteoporosis; the investigational drug elacestrant (RAD1901) for potential use in hormone-receptor positive breast cancer; and the investigational drug RAD140, a non-steroidal, selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) under investigation for potential use in hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. For more information, please visit www.radiuspharm.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding our expectations regarding achieving profitability and the timing thereof; our expectations regarding the advancement of our pipeline; and our expectations in connection with the transition of our CEO and President.

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 our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These and other important risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2019 and subsequent filings with the SEC, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release.
Gov. Phil Murphy will be joined by other state officials for a daily update Wednesday in Trenton on the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 6,400 New Jersey residents in the past seven weeks.

The 1 p.m. gathering at the Trenton War Memorial includes Dr. Christina Tan, the state epidemiologist, Judy Persichilli, the health commissioner and State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan.

The approximately 90-minute press conference be streamed on the governors YouTubeChannel. NJ Advance Media will add a link when it becomes available.

The officials will field questions from the media. Murphy also usually highlights the lives of a several New Jersey residents who recently died of the coronavirus..

On Tuesday, several hundred protesters marched to the War Memorial to demand the governor reopen the state. Schools and nonessential businesses have been closed for weeks with people being asked to stay home and stay away from others when they must leave their residences.

The press conference is part of a busy day of appearances for Murphy. At 4 p.m. the governor will appear on Yahoo! Finance. Finally, at 5 p.m. Murphy will call in to The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio in New York (98.7 FM).

While more than 113,000 in New Jersey have tested positive for COVID-19 the vast majority have recovered or will soon be out of quarantine, officials have said About 80 to 85% of cases involve mild or moderate symptoms. More than 6,200 remained hospitalized as of Monday night, with about 1,327 on ventilators.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
/ -- Swiss textile innovator HeiQ announces that it offers proprietary formulation technology HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 to its peers, calling for a united effort to help fight the global pandemic.

Striving to help advance the global fight against coronavirus on textiles, HeiQ recently launched HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antimicrobial textile treatment proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing, with over 99.99% reduction of virus infectivity in minutes, and lasts least 30 washes. Since its launch the company has been utilizing its full capacity of 145 tons per day in its four manufacturing sites.

In his interview with CNN, HeiQ Group CEO Carlo Centonze expressed the urgent need to maximize the impact of the international textile industry in fighting the global pandemic, even if that meant sharing HeiQ's proprietary technology. HeiQ has since offered to share HeiQ Viroblock to textile industry peers via a free licence, sharing the formula and manufacturing protocol to permit its manufacture and commercialization to meet the regulatory compliance and performance requirement. Licensees will be required to test their treated fabrics with licensed third-party testing institutes to establish efficacy and quality as per HeiQ's standards. Use of the "HeiQ Viroblock" trademark will require trademark authorization directly by HeiQ to ensure truthful and compliant claims.

"We must act now to produce textiles that are more resistant to pathogens. The textile industry must work together in a united effort to reduce the risk and speed of textile-related contamination and transmission," says Carlo Centonze, HeiQ Group CEO. "That is the only way to re-open our economies swiftly and maintain jobs in the textile industry," he added.

Ralf Kattanek, Group Vice President Textiles of CHT Group said, "We believe by using CHT's textile expertise and production capacities globally that we can play a key role in mitigating the impact for the healthcare workers and our industry partners by maximizing our reach swiftly."



David Juang, Chairman of JINTEX Group adds, "We want to show leadership in taking decisive action in a coordinated effort."



"HeiQ has enlisted the Piedmont Chemical Group to help support its North American production and distribution. We are here to join the fight and support our textile industry," says Rick Wilson, CEO of US based Piedmont Chemical Industries.

Full version of this press release: https://heiq.com/news/



About HeiQ



Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), HeiQ is a leader in textile innovation creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance textile technologies on the market today. HeiQ's purpose is to improve the lives of billions of people by perfecting an everyday product: Textiles. Combining three areas of expertise scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding HeiQ is the ideal innovation partner to create differentiating and sustainable textile products and capture the added value at the point of sale. With a total capacity of 35'000 tons per year HeiQ manufactures in the USA, Switzerland and Australia serving its chemical specialties in over 60 countries worldwide.

About CHT



The CHT Group, medium-sized global player for specialty chemistry, is worldwide active in development, production and sales. CHT Germany GmbH in Tbingen is the headquarters of the group of companies which focuses on sustainable chemical products and process solutions. TEXTILE SOLUTIONS of CHT improve the quality, functionality as well as look and purity of textiles and optimize their manufacturing processes. By bundling the strengths of the complete group further innovative products, applications or processes are permanently developed and vast technical support is offered within the SCIENCE & SERVICE SOLUTIONS. Highly qualified specialists work in state-of-the art laboratories for development, analytics and application technique in order to work out ideas and solutions that meet the latest requirements. The CHT Group with its own production and sales locations is represented by more than 25 companies worldwide and has around 2,200 employees.

About JINTEX



JINTEX Corporation Ltd is Taiwan supplier and manufacturer in chemical additives industry. JINTEX GROUP has been offering high quality textile auxiliaries, leather auxiliaries, textile wastewater treatment, water chemicals, sustainable chemicals, dyeing process optimization, finishing agents and PFC-free water repellent. A ZDHC contributor and bluesign system partner since 1978, with both advanced technology and 40 years' experience, JINTEX GROUP always makes sure to meet each customer's demand.

About Piedmont



Piedmont Chemical Industries is a subsidiary of Piedmont Chemical Industries Inc., a family owned and operated chemical manufacturer headquartered in High Point, NC. Founded in 1938 to support the local textile industry, the corporation has since evolved into 5 different production sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee with additional manufacturing partners servicing the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1161600/HeiQ_Materials_AG.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1134330/HeiQ_Materials_Logo.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A famous Russian businessman Dmitry Potapenko, who regularly criticizes the Kremlin's economic policies, told UNIAN how the "perfect storm" of the global crisis is killing the Russian economy, why are Russian authorities turning the country into a digital GULAG, how easy is it for the Kremlin to suppress any protest movement, and under what conditions could power change in Russia.

High-profile Russian businessman Dmitry Potapenko is never shy about publicly slamming criticism on Russia's economic policies. The last time UNIAN spoke with Dmitry was in 2016 when he said that in Russia the conditional "refrigerator" will never win the fight with the "TV". And, in fact, he turned out to be right. Now he has no doubt about the stability of Putin's regime. In his opinion, ordinary Russians will just have to get by somehow through all hardships as the authorities are not set to address their problems  there's just no need to do that.

Dmitry, now the whole world is in a "perfect storm." Everyone's talking about a recession. Everyone will suffer, but the Russian Federation is a very peculiar country, in the sense that here, two troubles have met. I mean the fall in oil prices and the effects of quarantine, which are killing the economy of any state. So what is worse for the Russian government, Russian state, and Russian political stability?

Based on what we see, this is generally a sublimation of war. When internal tensions arose in any kingdoms and states back in history, some kind of crusade was organized. And here the coronavirus emerged just on time, which almost everyone succeeded in turning into an info-demic to bury their own problems. The same officials who have been feeding off of health care are now being portrayed as saviors of their Fatherland.

Has at least some challenges emerged for the Russian authorities?

No. That's because the Russian government is like a tight knot of kissing snakes. They complement each other, while also slightly annoying each other. Therefore, the tension within the political elites is quite weak. Meanwhile, the so-called people, whom they've always treated exclusively as feed, take no part in this game. And therefore, the authorities couldn't care less about their problems.

We are yet to see a series of pompous funerals

We, in Ukraine, are very keen on discussing and reflecting on the topic that Putin could soon be toppled. It seems to me that it's also important to address this issue so that people don't harbor illusions.

I've also been doing business in Ukraine and regularly record podcasts on the Ukrainian economy, regularly communicating with foreigners, our emigrants, including in the U.S. What I hear is conditionally either pro-Putin or pro-Ukrainian. As the saying goes, a plague a' both of your houses!

The fact is that this is nonsense in both cases. Russia is ruled by a "collective Putin". Once Putin is gone, it will become even worse, including for Ukraine as a state. The reason is very simple  no one is considering the fundamentals of the economy. In Russia, there's state-governed economy. Here, the key is what is happening within the clans. By the way, these are armed clans. They are also mistakenly called oligarchs, which they aren't, in their pure form.

When someone talks about Putin's possible resignation, for some reason they fail to notice what's now happening in Russia. A digital gulag is being created here. To leave home, a person in Russia must obtain a QR code, while government, security and law enforcement officials are allowed to move around completely freely. We get permission to leave home in a non-personalized mode. I'd like to draw your attention  since we communicate with the Ukrainian audience  on the case files of Nuremberg trials. One of the charges there was the assignment of numbers to people and their depersonalization. So, now in Russia, every citizen, including me, has a QR code and a digital imprint. It's no better for us than for prisoners in Nazi Germany. Take note: neither the international community nor the Russian public in any way respond to this.

Such a reaction is perhaps because Europeans believe that this is only for the period of the pandemic...

Russia is introducing the so-called digital passports, combined under the auspices of the tax service. Now, household income and expenses will be consolidated into a single database, into a single register. An exception will be applied to officials. No one has publicly expressed indignation in Europe or America. People there have been living in a completely different paradigm. For them, this is a fetish: if Putin leaves, everything will change. That's not true. Few people understand the underlying reasons for Putin's existence. And Putin is not just a person  in fact, it's the collective management of the country. Therefore, until all layers are analyzed, as long as there's a personification of this evil, there will be no understanding.

Now many economists are watching Russian reserves. It is believed that Putin's stability depends on them. Recently, Deutsche Bank published an outlook: if oil is $15 per barrel, the reserves in the National Wealth Fund will be wasted within two years. If it's $30  six years. If this money runs out, what's next?

I'd like to say send my greetings to Deutsche Bank and say that those who publish such outlooks are idiots. Who told you that this little stash will be touched? This stash is personified, it is owned by the clan that is in control of the country. Why the hell would they suddenly, for no reason, give out these funds to feed anyone? It is necessary to realize that we in Russia all live in tribal relations. It's not even feudalism. We are still far from feudal relations.

Therefore, this is their personal stash, and not a ruble will be spent from it. Meanwhile, we will get tax hikes, higher gas prices, and so on.

Analysts think in a square-nested way, but here they need to look into tribal relations. The stash will be enough for as long as our elite is in power, and they will only be leaving solely for natural reasons. We are yet to see a series of pompous funerals. Another reason is also possible: their internal contradictions, but not the exhaustion of resources. Oil may even drop to negative parameters, but they will simply collect the missing from the slaves. Calculations by Deutsche Bank are absolutely mediocre, they aren't based on realities.

Nevertheless, Putin regularly holds meetings from his bunker to support various sectors of Russian economy. All the time, he keeps repeating the same thesis that the government will help everyone. What can you say about these efforts by Russian authorities?

They tell us: you have to pay taxes. This is a usurious approach. Because of quarantine, businesses have faced problems, but no one else cares about these problems. They offer a loan. You dont have to pay anything back right now, but you can claim your teeth, your family or your dog as collateral. You still have to pay, only later. It's in this manner that our government has been acting.

In terms of money, they promised they would defer payments of around RUB 2 trillion. But here's a question: where do we get the money? Authorities ordered that businesses keep all employees on board and pay them. If you fire anyone, you'll have prosecutors at your door right away. We will be given compensation for salaries, which, in fact, equals our taxes  that's RUB 12,130 per employee. The average salary in Russia is around RUB 35,000. And the tax on this RUB 35,000 is 43%, this very RUB 12,100. That is, I have to support my employee, pay them the conditional RUB 31,000, and my taxes will be in the region of RUB 12,100. That is, the state isn't giving me anything. They only spin the money in a circle and take it all away. So here it is, the basic principle of Russian government assistance.

Once again, you don't need to evaluate numbers  what lays beneath those number is what's important. This is exactly the same as personifying the administration regime by Vladimir Putin specifically.

90% of small businesses will die out

Quarantine, albeit hybrid, is still real. Everything is on lockdown. You say that there will be no consequences for the authorities, but what awaits businesses?

Our quarantine is tough. You go out for a walk and your good neighbors call the police on you. Thank God, they aren't being paid for reports yet. I have a theory: they need to ensure that for every fine the person who called the police is paid at least RUB 200. Given the huge number of unemployed, we will return to 1937 within 15 seconds.

Meanwhile, businesses will be dying out. According to my estimates, 90% of small businesses will die. I had a discussion with my business colleagues  they believe some 20% of legal entities will shut. But there will be enterprises that will die de facto, although formally, legal entities will continue to exist.

Now there's a fall, even for those companies that were originally focused only on goods delivery: they have shrank profits from 30% to 60%. And all the rest, simply put, won't come out of this alive. That is, I expect massive bankruptcies in late summer  early fall.

Usually, when there's nothing to eat, people take to the streets. Unrest has already begun in Vladikavkaz. Why are you so sure there'll be no changes in Russia?

Authorities need to do one simple thing: deport most of the migrant workers. We're already seeing the elderly engaged in food delivery. They already have nothing to eat, and they still have debts. They are given some hope: even a smaller income of some kind of pizza or sushi delivery man, or even a janitor. You can't run from a submarine, right? We have 6 million migrant workers. If the authorities react, they will simply replace migrant workers with our impoverished junior researchers or retirees. That's how we rolled back in the 1990s. I'm 100% sure our authorities "got talents".

This is some kind of ultimate zeroing, a return to the 1990s...

Then these problems had accumulated in one particular country. Problems could be resolved through contacts with other states. And now the whole world has its own problems. Now there is no one to interact with.

By the way, Russian oligarchs also have issues, so we can expect redistribution of assets. This will affect approximately 35% of large businesses. Perhaps average people might be happy from learning that someone will get knocked out from the Forbes list of wealthiest people. I personally don't care about a dozen oligarchs facing troubles. I care about the country. Without money from raw materials, we must survive a period of military and, now, digital junta. I call current developments World Digital War 1. Now there'll be just a digital junta, then there will be a period of war between influence groups in Russia. And only, perhaps, in 2025-2026 is there at least some chance of conditional democratization of governance in the country.

What is your conclusion based on? In 2024, the counter of Putin's presidential terms will be reset to zero, starting his new era of another 12 years.

Let's just say that oil prices are very low, but, nevertheless, they are in place. Next year is a turning point for the economy because easily extracted oil is running out in Russia. They need to acquire technology Russia lacks. And it's usually American technology. There's no such technology even in China. That's what will lead to squabbles between clans. I bet it will be in 2023 or 2024.

Vladimir Putin can rule with almost no limits, but he is aging. This means the young and brazen are emerging. Therefore, I hope that some kind of turning point could occur.

In 2024, Putin may again take office as president. But in 2025-2026, the clans will turn pale, and they will seek new blood. That will be it.

You're talking about clans, but the concept of "Kremlin towers" is also used. Could you elaborate for us?

Some call them "Kremlin towers", I call them clans. The fact is that in every clan has both economists and security operatives. For example, in (head of Rosneft Corporation - UNIAN) Igor Sechin's clan that "everyone loves", he is conditionally an economist, but he's backed up by his own security system. There's a clan that is represented by, say, the defense minister. But it is also backed up by an economic bloc  people with the ministry of economic development.

According to my estimates, there are seven to nine such clans in Russian politics. Moreover, they are transformed regularly. And now there's fermentation in them as some members are turning coats. Take Dmitry Medvedev After Vladimir Putin pushed him aside, he regularly, mind you, sides with him in public rhetoric. And that's the right thing for him to do because he realizes that today, Vladimir Putin is the strongest and most difficult player on this chessboard. Things get messy from time to time between some clans. Take Ramzan Kadyrov (leader of Chechnya - UNIAN) who's in tense relations with Sechin, while Sergei Sobyanin (mayor of Moscow - UNIAN) is with Mikhail Mishustin (Russian Prime Minister - UNIAN).

It is important to understand that these groups are unstable. They don't adhere to any intra-clan connections. There are groups affiliated with the "Ozero" Cooperative, some  with the Foreign Intelligence Service, some, respectively, with the FSB. These clans must be systematized by the number of "bayonets". It shouldn't be assumed that this is only about money. In this case, money plays practically no role.

You say that these clans are actually waging a war between each other that will further escalate. Could Russian authorities attempt to launch some "small victorious war" with an external enemy to reconcile everyone inside? Naturally, the question is in the context of confrontation with Ukraine.

Here, the "litmus test" is Donbas, the so-called "LPR" and "DPR". I believe that whoever gets these territories first will struggle. The reason is very simple: in any case, there will be protest moods in these territories, and they will have to be suppressed. The territory is completely in ruins, so investment is needed. And it's no prize  It's looted junk. Therefore, as you can see, none of the parties to the conflict seeks to escalate. It all boils down to some public tirades. No one is taking any real action, including the so-called West.

Therefore, it's not worth expecting that tanks will be deployed from there toward Kyiv. What's the point? Let me remind you that the first rule of any war, as Comrade von Clausewitz said, is to coerce the adversary to peace on terms favorable to the victor. There is no point in grabbing Donbas. This, in essence, would mean Russia would have to pay the administration's salaries and keep their troops there in full deployment mode.

The so-called sanctions are just - pardon me - a dirty deal

The Russian state pays everyone in the occupied Donbas anyway  both civil servants and the military.

According to my estimates, this is a third of what they would have to pay if it was, conditionally speaking, Russian territory. It is now to the Kremlin an awesome smoldering fire, which actually allows them to speculate on this. It's pretty much the same with Crimea, too. If we proceed cynically from ambition, they would've had to do the same thing they had done in some Ossetia or Transnistria  it's as if they are ours, but not exactly. But what they did in Crimea was they moved the border, built a bridge, and pumped a bunch of dough in there. Even today, there's no longer a consensus on Crimea in Russia as it was before. It is clear why the Crimean operation was carried out. This was done in order for Putin to go down in history as "the unifier of the Russian lands." And now, even this effect is gone, while plenty of money has been spent.

The ruling elites don't give a damn about international sanctions. They fly the world anyway, while Europe welcomes them warmly. I told European politicians that the so-called sanctions are just - pardon me - a dirty deal. See, if they wanted to change something, any sophomore economist would tell them what needs to be done so that the economy collapsed within 15 minutes. They aren't doing any of that. Therefore, let's be honest: the West absolutely doesn't care whose territory should Crimea be. The main thing for them is that nuclear missiles not be launched from the territory of the former post-Soviet space.

Ukraine has long abandoned nuclear missiles.

Actually, it's because there was no nuclear potential in Ukraine that everything happened this way in Crimea. Nuclear capability is an important deterrent. So Kim Jong-il and all his followers, have been doing the right thing when they seek to have own nuclear potential for this small state (North Korea - UNIAN).

Are there any risks to Putins nullification and why should the authorities suddenly, in the midst of a pandemic, change the law on the police, expanding the powers of law enforcement?

Vladimir Putin's "zeroing" plans are facing no risks. They can rewrite the constitution 10 times a day. In the morning we can wake up with one, and then fall asleep the same night with some other edition. As regards the powers of the police, this is actually the right thing (smiles sarcastically - UNIAN). Because when clans clash, if someone shoots civilians, no one will care. You know, before, sometimes slaves were hung on crosses so that other feudal lords would be afraid. Therefore, the task here is for another feudal lord to see that "my guardsmen are stronger", and, "look, they can easily spill the guts of any random peasant."

Roman Tsymbaliuk, Moscow
New Delhi, April 29 : The air pollution has plummeted over many parts of India during nationwide lockdown, but the real challenge will begin after the lockdown, which is likely to end on May 3, when vehicular mobility is reinstated and factories are back in operation. Experts say after lockdown, steps have to be taken to curb air pollution, which also include dust, as high pollution levels would make people vulnerable to coronavirus infection, which manifests itself in the respiratory tract.

Speaking to IANS, doctor Arvind Kumar, Founder and Managing Trustee Lung Care Foundation said if the lockdown had not happened and the pollution levels have not dipped, going by the north Italy experience, the coronavirus would have spread faster.

"Every effort should be made to keep the pollution level low, which also includes dust pollution. High pollution level will contribute towards faster spread of the virus", said Kumar. A study was conducted on the air quality in Italy's northern provinces -- Lombardy and Emilia Romagna -- which found a connection between Covid-19 mortality rates and high levels of pollution.

Kumar, presently Chairman Centre for Chest Surgery and Director, Institute of Robotic Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, "The evidence we have is pretty clear that people, who live in places that are more polluted, over time they are more vulnerable to coronavirus." According to data compiled by IQAir AirVisual's 2019 World Air Quality Report, 21 of the world's 30 cities with the worst air pollution are in India, with six in the top ten. In the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), the air pollution is worsened by geographical and other factors, highest population density area coupled with industrial clusters. According to the WHO outdoor air pollution kills 4.2 million people across the globe each year.

Manoj Goel, Director Pulmonology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said that due to air pollution, patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma can have uncontrolled symptoms, and this group of people can have severe complications due to coronavirus. "Historically pollution levels have been high. We need to keep pollution levels low to contain the spread of coronavirus," added Goel.

A study at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that even small increases in fine particulate matter, PM2.5, have had a big effect in the US. The study said that an increase of just one microgram per cubic metre corresponded to a 15 per cent increase in COVID-19 deaths.

Summer is mostly hot and humid in many parts of the country, if pollution levels are high after the lockdown, then it will further worsen the coronavirus situation in the country. "In humid conditions the chances of survival of coronavirus is high", said Goel.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Is it a conflict of interest for news outlets to accept federal money under the Paycheck Protection Program? Will taking government funds cause them to go soft in their coverage of those in power?

The front page of a recent issue of Seven Days, a free weekly in Burlington, Vt., suggests the answer is no.

On April 3, the paper applied for a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, which is meant to help small businesses through the coronavirus pandemic. Five days later, its front page showed a caricature of President Trump tossing toilet paper rolls labeled CA$H to people in need.

We were joking about that, said Paula Routly, the publisher and co-editor, referring to the dissonance between the papers loan application and its depiction of the man whose signature made the program possible.
U.S. cities and states preparing to reopen their economies have largely been left on their own to figure out how to do so. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants that to change.

On Tuesday, the Chamber sent a letter to governing bodies ranging from the White House to those at the local level, requesting coordination on health and safety guidance for reopening businesses. U.S. Chamber executive vice president and chief policy officer Neil Bradley and Florida Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Mark Wilson explained the rationale on a Tuesday conference call.

"To the extent that there can be coordination amongst federal, state, and local governments," Bradley said, "the smoother the process is going to be for businesses to come back to work, and the more confidence those employees and customers are going to have."

Recipients of the letter include the National Governors Association, the National Association of Counties, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

"We need a true North Star--one common set of guidelines that everybody can follow," Wilson said.

While the guidelines would help localities decide how to reopen, they would not advise when to do so, as different parts of the country have been impacted by the coronavirus to varying degrees. Beyond the general guidance that would apply to all businesses, the Chamber is also advocating for industry-specific guidance.

Bradley and Wilson noted that the Chamber is requesting guidelines, as opposed to enforceable regulations. It would be up to each business to execute on those guidelines. Bradley gave the example of guidance advising businesses to avoid congregations at entrances. A business would then have to decide how to implement the rules, on the basis of factors like the number of employees, the number of entry points, and whether it could stagger arrival times.

Of course, giving businesses the responsibility of policing themselves raises the possibility of companies executing poorly--or ignoring the guidelines entirely.
[April 29, 2020] Tyler Technologies Reports Earnings for First Quarter 2020

Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. First Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights: Total revenues were $276.5 million, up 11.9% from $247.1 million for the first quarter of 2019. Organic revenue growth was 6.4%. Non-GAAP total revenues were $276.8 million, up 11.3% from $248.8 million for the first quarter of 2019. Non-GAAP organic revenue growth was 5.7%.

Recurring revenues from maintenance and subscriptions were $196.1 million, an increase of 17.1% compared to the first quarter of 2019, and comprised 70.9% of first quarter 2020 revenue.

Operating income was $33.9 million, down 1.7% from $34.5 million for the first quarter of 2019. Non-GAAP operating income was $66.8 million, up 6.1% from $63.0 million for the first quarter of 2019.

Net income was $47.6 million, or $1.16 per diluted share, up 73.9% compared to $27.3 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2019. Non-GAAP net income was $51.5 million, or $1.25 per diluted share, up 6.7% compared to $48.3 million, or $1.22 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2019.

Cash flows from operations were $56.7 million, up 136.7% compared to $24.0 million for the first quarter of 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA was $73.2 million, up 5.2% compared to $69.5 million for the first quarter of 2019.

Software subscription arrangements comprised approximately 73% of the total new software contract value in the first quarter, compared to approximately 54% in the first quarter of 2019.

Total bookings were $319 million, up 39.8% compared to the first quarter of 2019. Subscription bookings in the first quarter added $12.6 million in annual recurring revenue.

Total backlog was $1.50 billion, up 19.2% from $1.26 billion at March 31, 2019. Software-related backlog (excluding appraisal services) was $1.46 billion, up 20.1% from $1.22 billion at March 31, 2019.

Tyler repurchased 58,804 shares of its common stock during the quarter at an average price of $263.28. "We had a solid first quarter with a great deal of momentum going into the second half of March, when we began to see the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Lynn Moore, Tyler's president and chief executive officer. "The market was active, and we executed at a high level. Our bookings for the quarter were extremely strong, as they rose almost 40%. Non-GAAP revenues grew 11.3%, our 34th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Subscription revenue grew 21.5%, and recurring revenues made up nearly 71% of total revenues. Cash flow for the quarter was robust, as cash from operations more than doubled and free cash flow quadrupled last year's first quarter, and we ended the quarter with $393 million in cash and investments." Impact of COVID-19 Our primary focus has been on ensuring that our employees and their families are safe and healthy, while supporting our clients who provide essential services to the public. In mid-March, we implemented work from home and curtailed travel for our employees. Our clients faced increasing disruption to their operations as they dealt with the effects of the pandemic on their communities and focused on providing vital services to their citizens. As a result, we began to see delays in some procurement processes and implementation projects. A few sales pushed out of the first quarter, and professional services revenues were also negatively impacted. We estimate that first quarter revenues were reduced by approximately $6 million as a result of COVID-19. "We rapidly mobilized our employees to begin working from home and, as a result, our operations continued without interruption," said Moore. "In addition to continuing to provide ongoing support to our clients, we began online sales demos, delivering implementation services remotely and executing complex go-lives virtually. I couldn't be prouder of how our dedicated professionals have embraced the challenge and are excelling at meeting the needs of our clients during these turbulent times. I'm inspired each day by the spirit, resilience and compassion shown by our team members. "Our annual Tyler Connect user conference, which was scheduled to occur this week in Orlando, was canceled, and the associated costs are included in our first quarter results. However, we are pleased that we will be able to provide a significant amount of valuable content to our clients by offering portions of Connect virtually, and we look forward to gathering with our clients in person in San Antonio, Texas, in April 2021," added Moore. Looking forward We anticipate a greater impact from COVID-19 in the second and third quarters. We have not seen meaningful cancellations, but continue to see delays in procurement processes and lengthening sales cycles, as public sector entities focus on issues related to the pandemic. Although the CARES Act provides approximately $424 billion in economic aid to state and local governments and additional stimulus packages are expected to provide more assistance, many of our clients will face near-term budget pressures. We can deliver the majority of our professional services remotely, but expect to continue to see lower services revenues as some projects are delayed by client availability and billable travel is reduced. Approximately $6 million of revenues classified as "hardware and other revenues" will be also eliminated in the second quarter as a result of the cancellation of our Connect conference. We anticipate that recurring revenues, which comprise approximately 70% of our total revenues, will not be significantly affected. We expect to continue to invest in product development and accelerating our move to the cloud at levels consistent with our initial plans for the year. We value the experience and expertise of our employees and do not expect to eliminate any positions, but anticipate that incremental hiring will be reduced somewhat from our original plans. While we are confident in our long-term outlook, there are significant uncertainties around the continuously evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our operations and those of our clients. As a result, we are suspending guidance until we have more clarity around the ultimate severity, duration and impact of the pandemic. We currently expect to have greater clarity by the time we report our second quarter results. "Tyler has significant strengths that position us to continue to perform well, invest at a high level and strengthen our competitive position during difficult economic conditions," added Moore. "More than two-thirds of our revenues are recurring, with extremely low attrition. Our financial position has never been stronger, with significant cash and no debt on our balance sheet, strong cash flow and additional available liquidity from our $400 million undrawn credit facility. We have a market leading competitive position, strong win rates, and an addressable market that has expanded significantly through investments in a combination of M&A and research and development. "Although we are not immune to the effects of COVID-19 and the slowdown in the economy, Tyler's mission-critical software and services power essential functions of government, and the fundamental demand for our products will remain strong in the long term. This crisis is already highlighting the reliance on outdated technology by large segments of the public sector, and the need for and the benefits of connectivity and cloud services, which are priorities for Tyler. Technology is an increasingly critical factor in helping government function effectively, especially during this time. As a company and as a management team, we have faced difficult times in the past, including the Great Recession, and emerged as a stronger company. We expect to do the same in this crisis, emerging with new, innovative ways of doing business for a client base that is confident in our commitment to them," concluded Moore. Conference Call Tyler Technologies will hold a conference call on Thursday, April 30, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company's results. The company is offering participants the opportunity to register in advance for the conference through the following link: http://dpregister.com/10140947. Registered participants will receive an email with a calendar reminder and a dial-in number and PIN that will allow them to listen to the call live. Participants who do not wish to pre-register for the call may dial in using 844-861-5506 (U.S. callers) or 412-317-6587 (international callers) or 866-450-4696 (Canada callers) and ask for the "Tyler Technologies" call. A replay will be available two hours after completion of the call through May 7, 2020. To access the replay, please dial 877-344-7529 (U.S. callers), 412-317-0088 (international callers) and 855-669-9658 (Canada callers) and reference passcode 10140947. The live webcast and archived replay can also be accessed at https://tylertech.irpass.com/Presentations. About Tyler Technologies, Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) provides integrated software and technology services to the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 26,000 successful installations across more than 10,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. A financially strong company, Tyler has achieved double-digit revenue growth every quarter since 2012. It was also named to Forbes' "Best Midsize Employers" list in 2019 and recognized twice on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Tyler Technologies has provided in this press release financial measures that have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and are therefore considered non-GAAP financial measures. This information includes non-GAAP revenues, non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA. We use these non-GAAP financial measures internally in analyzing our financial results and believe they are useful to investors, as a supplement to GAAP measures, in evaluating Tyler's ongoing operational performance because they provide additional insight in comparing results from period to period. Tyler believes the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing our financial results with other companies in our industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP financial measures discussed above exclude write-downs of acquisition-related deferred revenue and acquired subleases, share-based compensation expense, employer portion of payroll taxes on employee stock transactions, expenses associated with amortization of intangibles arising from business combinations, acquisition-related expenses, and incremental costs associated with COVID-19. Tyler currently uses a non-GAAP tax rate of 24%. This rate is based on Tyler's estimated annual GAAP income tax rate forecast, adjusted to account for items excluded from GAAP income in calculating Tyler's non-GAAP income, as well as significant non-recurring tax adjustments. The non-GAAP tax rate used in future periods will be reviewed periodically to determine whether it remains appropriate in consideration of factors including Tyler's periodic effective tax rate calculated in accordance with GAAP, changes resulting from tax legislation, changes in the geographic mix of revenues and expenses, and other factors deemed significant. Due to differences in tax treatment of items excluded from non-GAAP earnings, as well as the methodology applied to Tyler's estimated annual tax rate as described above, the estimated tax rate on non-GAAP income may differ from the GAAP tax rate and from Tyler's actual tax liabilities. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP measures used by Tyler Technologies may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, which has been provided in the financial statement tables included below in this press release. Forward-looking Statements This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are not historical in nature and typically address future or anticipated events, trends, expectations or beliefs with respect to our financial condition, results of operations or business. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates," "plans," "intends," "continues," "may," "will," "should," "projects," "might," "could" or other similar words or phrases. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. We believe there is a reasonable basis for our forward-looking statements, but they are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from the expectations and beliefs reflected in the forward-looking statements. We presently consider the following to be among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and beliefs: (1) the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its potential effects on the economic environment, our customers and our operations, as well as any changes to federal, state or local government laws, regulations or orders in connection with the pandemic; (2) changes in the budgets or regulatory environments of our clients, primarily local and state governments, that could negatively impact information technology spending; (3) our ability to protect client information from security breaches and provide uninterrupted operations of data centers; (4) our ability to achieve growth or operational synergies through the integration of acquired businesses, while avoiding unanticipated costs and disruptions to existing operations; (5) material portions of our business require the Internet infrastructure to be adequately maintained; (6) our ability to achieve our financial forecasts due to various factors, including project delays by our clients, reductions in transaction size, fewer transactions, delays in delivery of new products or releases or a decline in our renewal rates for service agreements; (7) general economic, political and market conditions; (8) technological and market risks associated with the development of new products or services or of new versions of existing or acquired products or services; (9) competition in the industry in which we conduct business and the impact of competition on pricing, client retention and pressure for new products or services; (10) the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and dealing with the loss or retirement of key members of management or other key personnel; and (11) costs of compliance and any failure to comply with government and stock exchange regulations. These factors and other risks that affect our business are described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the detailed "Risk Factors" contained in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements. (Comparative results follow)







TYLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Amounts in thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 2019 Software licenses and royalties $ 18,737 $ 21,793 Subscriptions 81,723 67,275 Software services 52,133 48,443 Maintenance 114,365 100,152 Appraisal services 5,763 5,214 Hardware and other 3,820 4,189 Total revenues 276,541 247,066 Software licenses and royalties 740 818 Acquired software 8,027 6,682 Software services, maintenance and subscriptions 131,779 117,160 Appraisal services 4,385 3,452 Hardware and other 2,479 2,906 Total cost of revenues 147,410 131,018 Gross profit 129,131 116,048 Selling, general and administrative expenses 67,485 57,766 Research and development expense 22,361 18,941 Amortization of customer and trade name intangibles 5,392 4,850 Operating income 33,893 34,491 Other income, net 990 586 Income before income taxes 34,883 35,077 Income tax (benefit) provision (12,667 ) 7,729 Net income $ 47,550 $ 27,348 Earnings per common share: Basic $ 1.20 $ 0.71 Diluted $ 1.16 $ 0.69 Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic 39,500 38,308 Diluted 41,144 39,585

TYLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Amounts in thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 2019 Reconciliation of non-GAAP total revenues GAAP total revenues $ 276,541 $ 247,066 Non-GAAP adjustments: Add: Write-downs of acquisition-related deferred revenue 160 1,597 Add: Amortization of acquired leases 79 100 Non-GAAP total revenues $ 276,780 $ 248,763 Reconciliation of non-GAAP gross profit and margin GAAP gross profit $ 129,131 $ 116,048 Non-GAAP adjustments: Add: Write-downs of acquisition-related deferred revenue 160 1,597 Add: Amortization of acquired leases 79 100 Add: Share-based compensation expense included in cost of revenues 4,252 3,798 Add: Amortization of acquired software 8,027 6,682 Non-GAAP gross profit $ 141,649 $ 128,225 GAAP gross margin 46.7 % 47.0 % Non-GAAP gross margin 51.2 % 51.5 % Reconciliation of non-GAAP operating income and margin GAAP operating income $ 33,893 $ 34,491 Non-GAAP adjustments: Add: Write-downs of acquisition-related deferred revenue 160 1,597 Add: Amortization of acquired leases 79 100 Add: Share-based compensation expense 17,302 14,416 Add: Employer portion of payroll tax related to employee stock transactions 1,198 123 Add: Acquisition related costs - 695 Add: COVID-19 incremental costs 727 - Add: Amortization of acquired software 8,027 6,682 Add: Amortization of customer and trade name intangibles 5,392 4,850 Non-GAAP adjustments subtotal 32,885 28,463 Non-GAAP operating income $ 66,778 $ 62,954 GAAP operating margin 12.3 % 14.0 % Non-GAAP operating margin 24.1 % 25.3 % TYLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Amounts in thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 2019 Reconciliation of non-GAAP net income and earnings per share GAAP net income $ 47,550 $ 27,348 Non-GAAP adjustments: Add: Total non-GAAP adjustments to operating income 32,885 28,463 Less: Tax impact related to non-GAAP adjustments (28,932 ) (7,521 ) Non-GAAP net income $ 51,503 $ 48,290 GAAP earnings per diluted share $ 1.16 $ 0.69 Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share $ 1.25 $ 1.22 Detail of share-based compensation expense Cost of software services, maintenance and subscriptions $ 4,252 $ 3,798 Selling, general and administrative expenses 13,050 10,618 Total share-based compensation expense $ 17,302 $ 14,416 Reconciliation of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA GAAP net income $ 47,550 $ 27,348 Amortization of customer and trade name intangibles 5,392 4,850 Depreciation and amortization included in cost of revenues, SG&A and other expenses 14,549 12,426 Interest expense included in other income, net 152 464 Income tax provision (12,667 ) 7,729 EBITDA $ 54,976 $ 52,817 Write-downs of acquisition-related deferred revenue 160 1,597 Share-based compensation expense 17,302 14,416 Acquisition related costs - 695 COVID-19 incremental costs 727 - Adjusted EBITDA $ 73,165 $ 69,525 TYLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands) (Unaudited) March 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 301,985 $ 232,682 Accounts receivable, net 318,144 374,089 Current investments and other assets 75,434 66,444 Income tax receivable 16,657 6,482 Total current assets 712,220 679,697 Accounts receivable, long-term portion 21,394 22,432 Operating lease right-of-use assets 17,992 18,992 Property and equipment, net 175,460 171,861 Other assets: Goodwill 840,028 840,117 Other intangibles, net 366,506 378,914 Non-current investments and other assets 85,776 79,601 Total assets $ 2,219,376 $ 2,191,614 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 72,723 $ 90,211 Operating lease liabilities 6,373 6,387 Deferred revenue 365,959 412,495 Total current liabilities 445,055 509,093 Revolving line of credit - - Deferred revenue, long-term 167 199 Deferred income taxes 45,774 48,442 Operating lease liabilities, long-term 15,548 16,822 Shareholders' equity 1,712,832 1,617,058 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 2,219,376 $ 2,191,614 TYLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 2019 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 47,550 $ 27,348 Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operations: Depreciation and amortization 19,985 17,308 Share-based compensation expense 17,302 14,416 Operating lease right-of-use assets expense 1,457 1,165 Deferred income tax (benefit) expense (2,668 ) (4,785 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities, exclusive of effects of acquired companies (26,920 ) (31,495 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 56,706 23,957 Cash flows from investing activities: Additions to property and equipment (9,349 ) (12,320 ) Purchase of marketable security investments (27,271 ) (3,590 ) Proceeds from marketable security investments 18,237 20,276 Proceeds from the sale of investment of preferred shares 15,000 - Purchase of investment of common shares (10,000 ) - Investment in software (1,315 ) (690 ) Cost of acquisitions, net of cash acquired (261 ) (199,130 ) (Increase) decrease in other (48 ) 564 Net cash used by investing activities (15,007 ) (194,890 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Decrease in net borrowings on revolving line of credit - 85,000 Purchase of treasury shares (15,482 ) (17,786 ) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 46,236 6,528 Payment of contingent consideration (5,619 ) - Contributions from employee stock purchase plan 2,469 2,349 Net cash provided by financing activities 27,604 76,091 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 69,303 (94,842 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 232,682 134,279 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 301,985 $ 39,437 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005829/en/

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ELKO  New York City has been the United States epicenter for the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday, 157,713 cases had been recorded along with 11,820 confirmed deaths, according to nyc.gov.

In the midst of it all, four local nurses braved the circumstances, applied for temporary relief jobs, and flew into Ground Zero.

Stacie Richins learned about going to New York City to help with crucial staffing on Indeed and Facebook. She decided to sign up.

Richins works at Golden Health in the urgent care area and in obstetrics at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital. She received her nursing degree from Great Basin College.

Richins has been working at a hotel where Covid overflow patients are handled. The facility receives homeless patients and others who have no place to quarantine.

We had one patient who has been homeless for 30 years, she said.

All the nurses talk to each other where we are staying, Richins said. The stories are true what youre hearing, which makes it even worse. A lot of nurses have left with trauma to themselves. Everything we know and were taught in nursing school and working does not apply here. They call it the Wild West.

Richins said she is staying in Times Square at a hotel for crucial care workers.

Its completely empty. It doesnt look like I feel it should, she said.

In most facilities the patient-to-staff ratio is very high, according to Richins. The care facility where she is stationed does not have oxygen. If a patients health declines, workers have to call 911.

When we started we were told that if a patient requires CPR that we are not allowed to administer it here, Richins said. Even if EMS comes they are most likely not going to administer CPR. The Covid becomes aerosolized. Even if they go to the hospital they dont have enough resources to keep that patient alive. They are only doing limited life-saving measures. They are clearing those beds to put other people in them.

Richins has been working 12-hour shifts for three weeks straight. She signed on for another two weeks, but has been told that she may be going home early.

Quinton Martinez of Spring Creek is another NNRH nurse who made the journey.

I was working at McKinney (Nursing and Rehabilitation Center) in Brooklyn, he said. My experience in New York has definitely made me appreciate my work back home, something I will never take for granted.

While working there I experienced a whirlwind of emotions that only those who have experienced it firsthand will understand. Being a GBC grad, I have only experienced rural nursing, and taking on a pandemic in a completely unfamiliar environment was a little bit of a transition for me. However, I felt it was my duty as a nurse to use my skills somewhere where they needed me most. I will look back and know that I was able to do what I could, which was to provide compassionate care to those who had no one but the ones who were at the bedside taking care of them.

Martinez is scheduled to come home soon.

Nicole Sirotek works in Elko as a home health nurse, but has had experience in ICU with Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital and American Med Flight.

My experiences have been different than Stacie and Quintons because I am in critical care, flight ICU, so I get the harder hit units, she said.

Sirotek was assigned to two different hospitals in New York City.

I have seen a hundred percent mortality rate, Sirotek said. I have never seen anything like this in the United States. When I first came here they assigned me to an impromptu unit that was staffed with all sorts of different types of nurses. They put me specifically on that unit because I was the only one with ventilator experience.

Sirotek said there were critical patients with multi-system failures. Sometimes they come across clotting issues and miscarriages due to the disease.

She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in nursing through UNR, but her residency was suspended during the crisis. She hoped she could go to New York City and make a difference.

Im used to go, go, go, Sirotek said. It was also a way to see something different and make a difference and experience a historical moment for the United States. Honestly, its like combat medicine. Its just insane. Its non-stop. I have sugar packs that I survive off of.

Sirotek said a local restaurant is delivering hundreds of meals to staff at the hospital because the employees are unable to leave once they are in the hospital and contaminated.

She finds it hard to take breaks because that leaves other nurses handling multiple patients at a time.

We pride ourselves as nurses wanting to give the best care we can and evidence-based practice, but I literally just had to stack bodies on top of each other. They would die so fast. Thats something you see on the news someplace else.

At the end of each day she pursues a full decontamination before getting completely into her hotel room.

I almost died of the flu over a year ago, Sirotek said. My own flight team had to fly me to Renown. I am more scared of Covid than the flu.

Sirotek hopes to return home around May 6. She is bringing nothing back but her Ipad, phone, Apple watch and computer. All of her clothing and personal belongings will be thrown away except for a vacuum-packed set of clothes. She said she would not be able to hug her children or husband until she goes through a self-imposed quarantine.

We had three nurses go from here, said Steve Burrows, Northeastern Nevada regional Hospital director of community relations. We really commended their desire to go. We did ask that only three at a time go. We wanted to make sure we meet the needs of the community.

When the nurses return they will undergo a quarantine period. When they are found asymptomatic they will be able to return to work, according to Burrows.

We want to honor them when they come back, he said.

Chayann Porterfield also traveled to NYC to help with the pandemic. She was unavailable for comment.

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As he deployed hundreds more soldiers into Ontario nursing homes on Tuesday, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was determined to avoid comparing his new public health mission to anything resembling a war.

"As a professional soldier, I have a hard time connecting with terms like 'front lines' and 'it's a war zone,'" said Fortin, a veteran of missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, now commanding the military's pandemic response.

"I've seen combat. That's not combat, but that does not mean it is not a super-difficult situation."

Still, it takes courage to fight both wars and pandemics  and Fortin said he's been moved by the bravery and determination displayed by the health care workers facing down disease and death in institutions ravaged by weeks of COVID-19.

"My hat is off to them," he told CBC News.

The military is finalizing plans to extend its existing operations in five Quebec long-term care centres to include up to 20 seniors' residences  a new deployment that begins later this week and ramps up fully by mid-May, said Fortin.

Pandemic hotspots

It may not be a war, but the soldiers taking part in the mission are still taking personal risks by working in pandemic hotspots responsible for an overwhelming number of deaths.

"We've had long discussions about this," Fortin told CBC News  his first media interview since taking over Operation Laser, the military's title for the pandemic response mission.

"There's risks with every military operation. That's how we attack this problem. We know there's risks and we do everything we can to mitigate those risks."

Radio Canada

The question of precautions is an urgent one for the Canadian Armed Forces [CAF] in light of recent instructions from at least one health board in Quebec.

The Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre told physicians volunteering in long-term care centres that wearing an N95 protective mask is required for "aerosol-generating procedures only"  essentially patient care and treatments that generate airborne particles.

Story continues

Those procedures aren't performed very often in seniors homes, the board said in an April 18, 2020 letter obtained by CBC News.

"It is therefore forbidden for doctors to wear the N95 masks for the medical visits, as this generates significant anxiety among staff," said the letter, signed by the board's director of professional services.

Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada

Fortin said CAF won't deploy to facilities "without the proper training and proper equipment  to protect [soldiers] and also to ensure they don't become threat vectors.

"Just like their civilian counterparts in those long-term care facilities, they wear surgical masks. They will wear the appropriate eye protection, the appropriate eyewear. They wear gloves. They wear gowns, or they wear a combination of scrubs with the medical team."

The degree of personal protection worn by soldiers will vary depending upon the amount of interaction they have with residents, he said.

A mission like no other

Many of the troops will be performing manual labour, such as cleaning up and carting laundry. Others are being asked to provide direct care to seniors under the supervision of medical staff. They'll be delivering meals, helping residents walk the halls or arranging phone calls to residents' family members on the outside.

Altogether, it's an unusual military operation, Fortin said  and not one he ever expected to find himself commanding.

The military initially saw its pandemic role as one of helping law enforcement in a non-policing capacity, setting up reception centres and preparing for other domestic emergencies, such as floods.

"I would not have anticipated us getting so heavily involved in those facilities," said Fortin, who added he's seen some trepidation among the troops  due more to the novelty of the mission than to the potential health risks.

"While it is not their trade, they are embracing this task," he said.

"They're eager to help other Canadians in need. They feel very proud to be asked to do something like this. Will they be outside of their comfort zone? Yeah, no doubt."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed some skepticism last week when he was asked whether caring for seniors is an appropriate task for the military, describing it as a stop-gap solution.

As the provinces struggle to find volunteer caregivers to help out in long-term care homes, Fortin said the military leadership is talking to individual provincial governments about next steps.

"Hard to say how long we're going to be there ... Emphasis on 'temporary,'" he said.

An expensive tool to fight a pandemic

The Parliamentary Budget Office said Tuesday that the plan to call up as many as 10,000 military reservists to combat the pandemic could cost as much as $456 million in the current budget year, and possibly another $230 million down the road.

The PBO also offered some caveats that suggest the final cost might be higher.

"As the full extent and nature of CAF operations in response to COVID-19 remains uncertain, this cost estimate concerns only those costs directly associated with the employment, deployment and sustainment of the 10,000 reserve personnel," said the PBO report. "Any costs associated with specific military activities during the deployment are not included."

So far, the federal government has received eight requests for military pandemic assistance from provinces which have resulted in the deployment of troops or equipment.

Three of those requests were answered with Canadian Ranger patrols  two in northern Quebec and one in northern Saskatchewan.

The Rangers have conducted more than 100 patrols since being mobilized on pandemic duty, Fortin said. A military transport also was used recently to send a ventilator to Nova Scotia.
Vice President Mike Pence toured a medical facility in Minnesota Tuesday without a face mask or covering. He and the White House coronavirus task force that he leads have so assiduously canvassed Americans to wear in public places where social-distancing rules are impossible to follow.

The vice-president, who has been a staid and amiable contrast to his flamboyant and scrappy boss, interacted with healthcare workers, officials and and patients, who all wore masks, as is the policy at the facility, Mayo Clinic, which said in a tweet, since deleted, that Pence had been told about it.

Pence defended himself telling reporters later, As vice president of the United States Im tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus. He added that he wanted to to look workers and researchers in the eye and say thank you.

At around that time, the number of reported and confirmed Covid-19 infections in the United States crept past the million-mark. And by Wednesday morning it had gone up to 1.01 million, with 24,385 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Fatalities over the same period went up by 2,096 to 58,368, to cross another grim milestone. The novel coronavirus has now killed Americans than the 58,220 who perished in the Vietnam War.

Face masks or coverings have been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and repeatedly endorsed by Pence and the task force to prevent transmission of the virus by infected but asymptomatic people, specially in public places where the six-foot rule is difficult to observe.

Pences boss, President Donald Trump has been leery of masks from day one and, as he touted questionable cures and therapeutics such as disinfectants most recently, clearly rejected it for himself. It is only a recommendation and I dont see it for myself, he said announcing the measure on April 3, .

Many states, specially the hardest hit such as New York and New Jersey, have since made face coverings mandatory in public places, such as grocery stores. pharmacies.

Face coverings and social-distancing rules will be required increasingly as states begin reopening businesses and are expected to be continued for the foreseeable future.

As the United States seeks to find a way out of the crisis, it has found itself confronting, for the first time during the epidemic, the prospect of food shortages. President Trump on Tuesday used his war powers under a cold-war era law to order meat processing companies to stay open and keep the food supply chains intact and running.

At least 20 plants have closed in recent days due to high incidence of infections and deaths among their workers, according to an analysis by the Washington Post.

The food supply chain is breaking, John H. Tyson, chairman of the board at Tysons, one of the countrys largest meat processors, wrote in a full-page newspaper ad in multiple publications Sunday.
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
Maverick actor Irrfan Khan, who worked in critically as well as commercially acclaimed films, breathed his last on April 29 at the age of 53. Khan is survived by his wife, Sutapa Sikdar and two children. Irrfan, who was conferred the Padma Shri for his outstanding performances in 2011 was active in TV, films and theatre and had a career spanning almost 25 years. He started his acting career with the Mira Nair-directorial Salaam Bombay in 1988. In the critically acclaimed film, he played the role of a letter writer.

But how did a director of Mira Nair's stature spot Irrfan Khan and decided he would be a perfect fit for the role of a letter writer? This story dates back to the time when Irrfan Khan was a student at National School of Drama and was looking to make a mark for himself in the film industry. In 1986, Mira Nair visited the NSD to look for trained actors, who could work with street kids in her upcoming project Salaam Bombay, a film that was based on the lives, trials and tribulations of the street kids in Mumbai.

Nair spotted a 20-year old Irrfan at the basement workshop of NSD. While talking to the writer Anees Chabra for his book on Irrfan Khan titled "The Man, The Dreamer, The Star", Nair said, "I noticed his focus, his intensity, his very remarkable look, his hooded eyes. I clocked him." The interesting fact, however is that initially, Nair had thought to cast Irrfan as one of the street kids, Salim, but his height and physical built got in the way. He couldn't fit in with the actual street kids,who were 'undernourished and wizened little children.'

When Mira picked him from NSD for Salaam Bombay, Khan was the only one from his batch who had a feature film to his credit. Irrfan, however, was shocked when Mira, just two days before the shoot, had to give him a small role.

Also read: 'I trust, I have surrendered': Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passes away at 53

Also read: Breaking News April 29 Live: Actor Irrfan Khan dies at 53; survived by wife, 2 kids
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  The number of health workers who have caught COVID-19 continues to rise, with over 200 more medical frontliners contracting the disease, bringing the total number of infected to 1,552 and the death toll rising to 32, the Department of Health reported on Wednesday.

The agency said 571 nurses, 548 doctors, 97 nursing assistants, 60 medical technologists, 30 radiologic technologists, 18 respiratory therapists, 17 midwives, 11 pharmacists and 200 others such as barangay health workers, administrative aids and utility workers have tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

Some 32 health personnel have also died from the infection - 24 were doctors while seven were nurses.

Meanwhile, there are 232 who have recovered from the viral illness. On Tuesday, there were 1,336 health workers reportedly sickened by COVID-19.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Police are investigating after a dead body was found Wednesday at a grocery store in the citys Mount Pleasant neighborhood.

Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said homicide investigators are responding to the Save A Lot grocery store on Kinsman Avenue and East 143rd Street.

UPDATE: Man found dead inside Cleveland grocery stores air ducts, police say

Ciaccia did not release additional information, including if the body was found inside the store. Messages left with her were not returned.

About a dozen police cruisers, firetrucks, an ambulance and a Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners SUV surrounded the parking lot. An assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor is also at the scene.

Homicide detectives, crime scene investigators and a firefighter focused attention on the roof of the building. Investigators went inside a hatch on the roof of the building. Firefighters used a large electric saw to cut a hole in the roof.

Read more from cleveland.com:

As Cuyahoga County Jail inmates died in record numbers, county investigations into the deaths were minimal, records show

Teen pleads guilty to juvenile charges in crash that killed 13-year-old girl during Cleveland police chase

Parma man indicted in beating death of 94-year-old World War II veteran in Clevelands Old Brooklyn neighborhood
Plans to hold the May 10 presidential election by postal ballot are insufficient to guarantee safety, say critics.

Polish voters should boycott a presidential election set for May 10 out of basic human decency because of the new coronavirus pandemic, Donald Tusk, leader of the centre-right European Peoples Party and a former prime minister, said on Tuesday.

Tusk said a government plan to hold the vote via a postal ballot was insufficient to mitigate safety concerns in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, and accused the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) of subverting the constitution.

The election has become highly divisive in Poland, with the PiS insisting it go ahead on schedule despite a mounting number of deaths from the highly contagious COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Opinion polls show fewer than 30 percent of Poles are likely to cast ballots if the vote is held on May 10 as scheduled.

Basic human decency does not allow us to participate in what is being proposed, Tusk said in a video posted on Twitter, adding that he would not cast his vote.





If you dont know how to act, be decent, he said, citing the late anti-communist activist, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, who is seen as a leading moral authority by many Poles.

Tusk said he thought PiS could be persuaded to work on an alternative election plan that would be safe and fundamentally fair.

Poland currently has 12,089 confirmed coronavirus cases and 570 deaths. Schools and most shops are shut, Poles must wear face masks outside and the countrys borders are closed as part of a lockdown designed to halt the spread of the virus.

Divided

Critics accuse PiS of putting its own political interests ahead of public health concerns, a charge it denies. The party hopes to secure the re-election of its ally, President Andrzej Duda, who is currently ahead in the opinion polls.

Polands opposition remains divided, however, with only the Civic Platform, a centrist grouping once led by Tusk, calling for an outright boycott of the election.

A final decision on the postal ballot rests with parliament, which is only expected to vote on the matter on May 6, just days before the election date.

191213212755951

PiS says it might agree to delay the vote by a week or two, a margin allowed by the constitution. But the government would have to declare a state of emergency or of natural disaster to delay it for any longer, a move PiS has resisted so far.

PiS and its conservative allies hold a majority in parliament but members of its ruling coalition have signalled they could vote against the postal ballot plan and have suggested delaying the election by two years.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday that the current PiS proposal for a postal ballot could disenfranchise some voters abroad and limit the scope for election observers to take part.

Human Rights Watch also urged Warsaw to reconsider.

Polands voting process should protect voters during the pandemic. Its no solution to rush through a potentially flawed voting system or to postpone the election by two years, Lydia Gall, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said.

PiS, well ahead of its rivals in the opinion polls, fears support will erode as the lockdown measures hammer the Polish economy. Losing an ally as president would undermine its efforts to reform Polands judiciary  moves criticised by the European Union  and tighten its hold on power.
The nation's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is confident Australia can handle a second wave of coronavirus infection after the country winds back current restrictions.

Professor Kelly said Australia had moved into a new, "less frightening" phase of the pandemic and an announcement would be made in coming weeks on how to best live in a COVID-19 safe society.

NSW recorded 11 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, which included a four-year-old girl who attended a childcare centre in Cranebrook in Sydney's west. The state's death toll is 40 following the death of another resident at Anglicare's Newmarch House at Caddens, near Penrith. Twelve residents of the western Sydney facility have now died.

Outside NSW there were a further eight infections, with three cases recorded in Victoria and three more in Tasmania.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:48:52|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The ever-growing China-Africa ties has shown vitality and strength amid the common fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, an Ethiopian official has said.

"Africa and China are all weather friends and the Sino-Africa strategic partnership has shown vitality and strength in this time of unprecedented challenges," said Dawit Yirga, Director General of Asia and Oceania Affairs at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The director general's remarks came shortly after the latest batch of massive medical supplies donated by China to 12 African countries that arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa through the Ethiopian Airlines Caro Services on Thursday.

Noting that the Chinese medical team to Ethiopia has came together with medical supplies shortly before, Yirga said that "we are indeed very grateful to China for its support and solidarity at this difficult moment in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Solidarity is indeed the bedrock of this (Africa-China) partnership and when the corona pandemic outbreak happened in China, Africa stood firmly in solidarity with China," he added.

Yirga, expressing appreciation to the "leadership and commitment of the people and government of China in successfully containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic," also stressed that as COVID-19 spreads to across the globe, including in Africa, China is supporting the African continent.

"The support mobilized by the Chinese government and the private sector, including the Jack Ma Foundation, to assist the COVID-19 response efforts in Africa is very much appreciated," the director general stressed.

Noting China's "commendable willingness" in sharing its successful experience by deploying medical teams in Ethiopian and other African countries, Yirga also expressed his confidence that the "Sino-Africa strategic partnership, which has passed the test of time, will once again prove its resilience."

Noting the rapid increase of COVID-19 across different parts of the African continent, high-level officials and experts hailed China's donation for its great contribution to deal with the epidemic across the African continent.

The latest batch of medical supplies from Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation include facial masks, disposable protective clothing, forehead thermometers, medical protective goggles, gloves and shoe covers for medical use, among other equipments, it was noted.

The medical supplies are expected to be transferred to 12 African countries and regions that are Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Djibouti, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Somalia as well as Tanzania's Zanzibar.

Ethiopia has already received medical supplies from China recently, while more is said to be on the way to the East African country, while another batch of China-aided medical supplies has been shipped to some other African countries via Accra, Ghana earlier this month.

According to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent reached 1,521 as the number of confirmed cases hit 34,915 as of Wednesday afternoon. Enditem
Outside Lands promoter Gregg Perloff called in a telling travel tale of an associate who recently flew in from Asia.

He started at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, where they took his temperature and grilled him about where he had been and what he had been doing, Perloff said.

He flew onto Seoul, South Korea, where they took his temperature again, and again asked a number of questions about where he had been and what he had been doing.

Then he flew on to San Francisco International, where they didnt take his temperature on entry, and the only question they asked was if he was carrying more than $10,000 in cash, Perloff said.

But customs officials at SFO apparently did what they were supposed to.

Its important to note that South Korea is not on the list of countries getting enhanced screening upon arrival into the U.S., SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention always has staff on site in our customs facility at SFO. Passengers with symptoms would be directed over to the CDC staff for evaluation, he added.

Also, it should be noted that airlines transmit passenger itinerary data to U.S. Customs electronically, so customs officers already know where a passenger has been, he 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.

Welcome home  the land of the free.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier
UPDATE (4/30): 45K coronavirus cases in Pa., nearly 2.3K dead. How the numbers have changed since April 1

The number of coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania has now eclipsed 2,000 people, pushed by a surge of nearly 500 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Wednesdays daily report from the state health department.

Pennsylvania coronavirus cases rose by 1,102 in the report, bringing the states total to 44,366 people sickened in the pandemic since the first cases were identified here March 6.

(Cant see the map? Click here.)

Meanwhile, the states coronavirus death toll suddenly rose 21% in a day. It now stands at 2,195, up 479 from Tuesday.

However, the deaths did not happen in a single day but over the last two weeks. They were reported Wednesday as the state reconciles its data with local sources like county coroners. The process can take days or weeks, a health department spokesman told lehighvalleylive.com.

The death toll has moved such a degree three other times, all for data corrections. A reporting lag corrected April 19 resulted in 276 more reported deaths. The addition of probable cases  where the patient didnt get tested but had symptoms and other indicators of COVID-19  were included April 21, adding 360 deaths. About 200 probable cases were removed two days later when health officials determined more information was needed.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

In the Lehigh Valley, where at least 150 people have died from the coronavirus, the states report now more closely matches what the counties have said.

Northampton County has at least 85 dead from the virus, according to both county and state reports, an increase of 30 in the states data. (The county says its tally also includes nine out-of-county residents who died there, who are not typically included in state reports.)

Lehigh County has reported at least 75 deaths; the state puts it at 72, up eight from Tuesdays report.

(Cant see the map? Click here.)

Other nearby counties also saw their death counts swell in Wednesdays state report:

Berks County had 25 more reported deaths and is now up to 116.

Bucks County had 21 more reported deaths and is now up to 185.

Carbon County had 1 more reported death, its 14th.

Monroe County had 14 more reported deaths and is now up to 54.

(Cant see the map? Click here.)

Philadelphia and its surrounding counties saw some of the greatest increases in reported deaths. The death toll in the city itself rose 148 to 424. Montgomery County rose by 80 to 329. Delaware County had 63 newly reported deaths.

In terms of coronavirus cases, eight counties now have more than 2,000 each: Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Lehigh, Berks, Luzerne and Northampton.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

In her daily briefing with media, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said that 2,634 of the states cases are in health-care workers, and 7,698 are associated with long-term care living facilities like nursing homes.

There are 2,781 Pennsylvanians hospitalized for COVID-19 and 602 are on ventilators, Levine said.

The state does not track coronavirus recoveries, but does report that 170,517 tests for the coronavirus have come back negative.

(Cant see the table? Click here.)

In neighboring New Jersey, Warren County has at least 880 coronavirus cases and 81 deaths. The statewide case count is up to 116,264 with 6,770 dead.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov and the CDC website.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com.
octors from Beijing's China-Japan Friendship Hospital cheer each others spirits before entering quarantine units for severe patients at Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province on Feb 3. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]

BEIJING -- China's youth organizations awarded May Fourth Medals to 94 individuals and 34 groups Tuesday for their great contributions to the country.

The medals, which are awarded annually, are the top honor for young Chinese. The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the All-China Youth Federation released the list of winners.

Medical teams assisting Hubei Province to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic are among the groups awarded.

Covering a wide range of sectors, the individual winners include firefighters, military personnel, scholars, teachers, engineers, workers and medical staff.

Among the list, 34 were honored posthumously, including those who sacrificed their lives in the fight against COVID-19.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday discussed collaboration in the fight against Covid-19 and the cross-border movement of essential items amid the lockdown in both countries.

Modi, who spoke on the phone with Hasina, assured her of Indias readiness to help Bangladesh in containing the spread of Covid-19 and mitigating the health and economic impact of the pandemic, according to an official statement.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction at continuation of the supply of essential items across the border by road, rail, inland waterways and air. They also expressed happiness at progress in implementing special arrangements agreed on by leaders of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries during their video conference on March 15.

They discussed the regional situation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and briefed each other on steps being taken to mitigate its impact in their countries.

Modi thanked Hasina for contributing $1.5 million to the Saarc Covid-19 Emergency Fund. Hasina thanked him for coordinating efforts to combat the pandemic in the region and for supplying aid to Bangladesh, both in terms of medical supplies and capacity building.

He also greeted Hasina and the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the holy month of Ramzan.

Spoke to PM Sheikh Hasina to greet her & the people of Bangladesh on the Holy Month of Ramzan. We discussed COVID-19 situation & ways India and Bangladesh can collaborate in the fight against it. Our relationship with Bangladesh will continue to be one of our highest priorities.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

Spoke to PM Sheikh Hasina to greet her & the people of Bangladesh on the Holy Month of Ramzan. We discussed COVID-19 situation & ways India and Bangladesh can collaborate in the fight against it. Our relationship with Bangladesh will continue to be one of our highest priorities, Modi tweeted.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar also spoke on telephone with his counterparts from Colombia, Jamaica, Grenada, Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay on Wednesday.

In his call with foreign minister Ernesto Talvi of Uruguay, Jaishankar said he was glad India could make a medical contribution to combating the Coronavirus and explored the possibilities of economic cooperation.

Jaishankar and foreign minister Kamina Johnson Smith of Jamaica discussed the pandemic, and he assured her India would be a reliable provider of medicines, both generally and to combat Coronavirus.

During his call with foreign minister Claudia Blum de Barberi of Colombia, Jaishankar reviewed discussions on trade and energy and expressed our practical solidarity in the fight against Coronavirus. He also said Indian would facilitate the return of Colombian nationals.

Jaishankar and his counterpart from Trinidad and Tobago, Dennis Moses, discussed the upcoming meeting of the joint commission and collaboration on IT and healthcare. He also discussed health cooperation with his counterpart from Grenada, Peter David.

Lebanon foreign minister Nassif Hitti and Jaishankar discussed economic cooperation, including in agriculture. Hitti expressed his appreciation for the Indian contingent in the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
BOSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To better serve middle market businesses and the insurance brokers and agents who support them, Liberty Mutual's National Insurance Middle Market operation recently made three strategic enhancements.

First, it embedded an umbrella underwriting team within its Middle Market operation. This makes it easier and faster to provide whole-account solutions for middle market brokers and buyers. Lisa Gentile, who is based in San Francisco and formerly served as Vice President of Excess Casualty at Travelers, leads the midsize umbrella underwriting team.

Second, Marcus Cooper joined Liberty Mutual and leads a new Midwest division that was created in an effort to better serve area middle market buyers and brokers. Cooper joined from Zurich, where he ran the company's country-wide middle market operation. Cooper is based in Chicago and leads a team of regional underwriters.

Third, it appointed John Schwirtz to lead the Northeast division. Schwirtz joined Liberty Mutual ten years ago and has held a number of important positions, most recently leading a team of Energy underwriters through Liberty's expansion into the Houston market and the utility sector. Schwirtz is based in Boston.

"Liberty Mutual is committed to growing and leading in the midsize commercial insurance market," said National Insurance Middle Market General Manager Matt Waters. "These strategic investments will make us easier to do business with and strengthen the value we provide to our brokers and buyers."

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

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Three weeks ago, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was horrified to hear that people in the UK were reporting their neighbours to the authorities for going on two runs a day or straying too far from their homes.

Confident that kind of petty tittle-tattling wouldn't happen here, Mr Varadkar noted we could not suppress the virus by "becoming the valley of the squinting windows". Fast forward to Friday and Mr Varadkar had suddenly become curtain-twitcher-in-chief, when he issued a stark warning to those breaking the rules.

"People are already starting to be more lax in what they're doing. It's a real worry and it's going to make it harder to end this. Anyone thinking of breaking those restrictions, even just for a few hours bear in mind the consequences could be having to extend the current lockdown by two or three weeks," he said.

By Monday, newspapers were reporting that the restrictions will not be lifted on May 5 and will instead be extended for at least another two weeks.

So, who is to blame? The inference from the Taoiseach is that the responsibility lies with selfish members of the public, who refuse to abide by the regulations and persist in flouting social-distance guidelines.

But, is this really fair? Acres of newsprint and commentary were devoted last week to supposed evidence of the public's increased complacency.

Dublin Bus reported daily passenger numbers of around 59,000 on Wednesday, up from 54,000 on Monday and 56,000 on Tuesday. So, yes, you could say more people were travelling by bus in the city.

Instead of devoting all of our time to raging about marginal increases in bus travel, perhaps we could instead opt to spend more time scrutinising the State's response to this crisis. Mr Varadkar has said public complacency could lead to the lockdown being extended, but it seems likely that a failure to ramp up testing sufficiently will certainly cause restrictions to be extended.

Last week, there was a row between the HSE and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) about the latter's unilateral decision to set a target of 100,000 tests per week. The HSE was concerned about its capacity to deliver as well as a lack of consultation in advance of the announcement. According to chief medical officer Tony Holohan it is essential testing reaches this level so any increases in the incidence of the virus within the community can be detected rapidly. That capacity, we now know, will not be available until at least the third week in May.

Meanwhile, the Irish College of General Practitioners has cautioned that even if testing were to reach that level, without commensurate levels of contact tracing being achieved, there would be "a further inevitable surge in infection rates".

While everyone seems to agree that testing and contact tracing need to vastly increase if life can ever get back to something approaching normality, a fundraising campaign from UCD does not instil confidence in the State's ability to reach these goals. On Monday, the 'Irish Times' reported the university was aiming to raise 1m from the public to "fund the purchase of personal protective equipment and hand sanitiser to keep [its testing] lab running on constantly rotating work shift so as to create capacity to add a further 21,000 tests a week".

Why on earth does UCD have to fundraise for this money? Surely, the funds should be provided by the State as a matter of urgency.

The issue of childcare for frontline workers is also an area where the State has been slow to act. The Government has assured healthcare workers, since mid-March, it was working hard to help with childcare difficulties. Last week, it came up with a solution that the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation derided as "worse than irrelevant" - a plan to provide paid leave to public sector staff whose partners are healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers on the frontline are already sacrificing so much to do their jobs. They should not have the additional stress of worrying about their own childcare arrangements during this crisis.

The area where the State has most questions to answer is in relation to its approach to nursing homes. Of course, it's easy, with hindsight, to pick flaws with an approach and when the pandemic first hit, the State had to make rapid decisions with the best information it had available.

However, it seems extraordinary that, seven weeks later, given 50pc of deaths from this virus are within nursing homes, the sector does not have any direct representation on NPHET where crucial decisions are being made.

Even harder to understand is why the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), which is supposed to be the sector's eyes and ears on NPHET, waited until April 21 to write to nursing homes to assess their ability to deal with an outbreak. On that date, there were already 250 nursing homes experiencing clusters of Covid-19 and hundreds of residents had died.

Why has the State response, when caring for the most vulnerable members of our society, been so slow and so resistant to change?

Raising questions about the State's response does not amount to an attack on public figures or an inference that those on the front line are somehow failing us. It is essential in a democracy, particularly in times of crisis when far-reaching decisions that affect the lives of so many are being made, that governments are as transparent and accountable as possible.

Communication from the Government at the start of this pandemic, with the public, was excellent - which explains why so many were willing to adhere so rigidly with the lockdown.

Now, as restrictions are extended yet again, the Government needs to be honest with the public about its own preparedness and capacity to manage this crisis - and our way out of it.
She encouraged fans earlier in the month to ditch the sweats and play with fashion while in COVID-19 lockdown.

And Olivia Palermo did just that on Tuesday when she was spotted in New York City walking her dog.

The 34-year-old beauty dressed up for the solo outing and accessorized with a designer scarf over her face for added protection.

Fashionista: Olivia Palermo put on quite the stylish display while out and about New York City on Tuesday

Olivia stunned in a black top underneath a statement oversized jacket of a monochrome style.

She teamed the look with a pair of straight leg leather trousers that were cuffed at the ankle.

The fashion designer completed the look with some sneakers, shades, and a scarf over her face to compliment the look.

Keeping it fashionable! Olivia stunned in a black top underneath a statement oversized jacket of a monochrome style

Great time to try new things: The socialite recently took to social media to encourage her six million followers to play around with fashion while being safe during the current global pandemic; on the wall it says The Rich Killd NYC

Olivia's brunette hair was styled back into a loose low bun and she appeared to be wearing a natural amount of makeup.

The socialite recently took to social media to encourage her six million followers to play around with fashion while being safe during the current global pandemic.

'Safety, but make it fashion,' she began.

'Finding creative ways to protect myself on my daily walks with Buddy. Get creative with your closet and make your own covering and leave the professional masks to the healthcare workers.'

Not a great message: Olivia's post was met with mixed reviews. Many followers deemed her message irresponsible

She ended the caption of the outdoor photo with: 'Thankful to everyone helping on the frontlines on #worldhealthday and please #stayhome if you can! '

Olivia's post was met with mixed reviews. Many followers deemed her message irresponsible.

'forget about fashion lol Just wear the medical MASKKK,' one wrote.

Another penned: 'But you have to wear a medical mask, please don't give this type of advise just because of fashion ... Is risky.'

Not seen with her was her husband of nearly six years, German model, Johannes Huebl.

The pair wed in 2014 after first getting together in 2008. They were engaged for six -months before tying-the-knot in June 2014.
Regulatory News:

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) will host a live audio webcast of its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. ET. The meeting will be held in a virtual format only, including closed captioning, and can be accessed at www.pmi.com/2020annualmeeting.

During the meeting, Louis C. Camilleri, Chairman of the Board, and Andre Calantzopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, will address shareholders and answer questions. Only shareholders of record with a valid 16-digit control number will be allowed to ask a question or make a comment.

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 for approximately one year from the date of the meeting at www.pmi.com/2020annualmeeting.

Presentation slides and script will also be available at www.pmi.com/2020annualmeeting.

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 andultimately 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 U.S. 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 March 31, 2020, PMI estimates that approximately 10.6 million adult smokers around the world have already stopped smoking and switched to PMI's heat-not-burn product, available for sale in 53 markets in key cities or nationwide under the IQOS brand. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

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India's OYO Hotels and Homes, backed by SoftBank Group , plans to offload more properties around the world, three sources familiar with the matter said, as the coronavirus pandemic prompts it to speed up a retreat from a rapid global expansion.

The hospitality sector has been one of the worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with global and domestic travel coming to a near-halt.

While OYO does not plan to completely exit any market, it will either terminate or not renew contracts with loss-making hotels, two of the sources said.

A fourth source aware of the plans added that OYO had already ditched a number of loss-making properties as part of a broader restructuring that began last year.

The source also said the company may furlough additional staff in countries where travel curbs to prevent the spread of the virus persist for several months, making it difficult for hotels to operate.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The retreat comes just a year after a heady expansion beyond India and China into Europe, Southeast Asia and the United States, which made OYO one of the world's biggest hospitality brands by room count. However, the push also widened its losses to $335 million last year.

It was not immediately clear how many hotel contracts OYO plans to end nor in which countries, said the sources, who asked not to be named as the discussions were still private.

OYO did not respond to an email seeking comment.

OYO will prioritise business and investment in India, Southeast Asia, Europe, China and the United States while sustaining a presence in places like Japan, Brazil, Mexico and the Middle East, said the fourth source.

The company has $1 billion of cash and the measures, along with other cost-cutting initiatives and furloughs outlined in early April, are aimed at reducing monthly expenses to about $25 million by June from $40 million, the source added.

Other large hotel operators like Marriott International have also abandoned their financial outlooks and furloughed staff to conserve cash.

On April 8, OYO's founder Ritesh Agarwal, said the pandemic had resulted in a 50 percent-60 percent drop in revenues and occupancy levels, putting "severe stress" on the company's balance sheet.

"Given how unprecedented the current situation is, it's natural for OYO to prepare for the worst," said one of the three people cited above.

HEADY EXPANSION

OYO is one of SoftBank's biggest bets with the Japanese group holding a 46 percent stake.

The six-year-old hotel startup had already consulted turnaround specialist Alvarez & Marsal and Accenture Plc last year, two of the four people said, and more recently it tapped human resources advisor Aon Hewitt.

Alvarez and Accenture did not respond to emails seeking comment. Aon Hewitt declined to comment.

Between January and March, OYO cut 5,000 jobs mainly in China and India, leaving it with about 25,000 employees, and amended contracts with hotels to remove revenue guarantees.

It also decided to end contracts with hotels that did not generate annual revenues of at least $100,000, the two sources said. Emerging markets like India, Southeast Asia and Latin America bore the brunt of the cuts, one of the two people said, adding that OYO now operated in 400 Indian cities from 550 previously.

The measures helped OYO halve its monthly costs to $40 million from $80 million in January, said the two people.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
New Delhi, April 29 : Allowing the universities to chart out their own plan of action, the University Grants Commission on Wednesday suggested grading intermediate semester students on internal assessment of the present and previous semesters.

In states where the COVID-19 situation has normalized, there will be exams in July, the UGC recommended.

The UGC-issued guidelines were based on recommendations made by an expert committee to deliberate on issues related to exams and the academic calendar and take appropriate measures for the future of students.

The expert committee was headed by Prof. R.C. Kuhad, Former Member, UGC and Vice Chancellor, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, Haryana along with other members.

The UGC in a statement said these guidelines were only advisory in nature.

According to the guidelines, universities may adopt alternative and simplified modes and methods of examinations to complete the process in a shorter period of time .

"Universities may adopt efficient and innovative modes of examinations by reducing the time from 3 hours to 2 hours. Universities may conduct terminal or intermediate semester or yearly examinations in offline or online mode, as per their Ordinances, rules and regulations, scheme of examinations, observing the guidelines of "social distancing" and keeping in view the support system available with them and ensuring fair opportunity to all students," the UGC statement said.

For the terminal semester or year examinations, the exams will be held in July. "The terminal semester or year examination for postgraduate, undergraduate courses, programmes may be conducted by universities as suggested in the academic calendar. The timing of the examination may be considered appropriately by the universities, and examination may be conducted keeping in mind the guidelines of social distancing," UGC said.

"For intermediate semester or year students, the universities may conduct examinations, after making a comprehensive assessment of their level of preparedness, residential status of the students, status of COVID-19 pandemic spread in different regions or state and other factors," it added.

Elaborating on the grading system based on internal assessments, the UGC said that grading of the students could be composite of 50% marks on the basis of the pattern of internal evaluation adopted by the universities and the remaining 50% marks can be awarded on the basis of performance in previous semester only (if available).

"In situations where previous semester or previous year marks are not available, particularly in the first year of the annual pattern of examinations, 100% evaluation may be done on the basis of internal assessments," UGC said.

It added that the students who wish to improve their grades, can appear in special exams for such subjects during the next semester.

The Commission has also allowed extension of six months' period to the M.Phil. or Ph.D. students and told the universities that they may conduct the Ph.D. and M. Phil. Viva -Voce examinations through video conferencing using Google, Skype, Microsoft Technologies or any other reliable and mutually convenient technology.

"The universities are also advised to establish a cell for handling student grievances related to examinations and academic activities during COVID-19 pandemic and notify effectively to the students. The UGC will also establish a helpline for monitoring student grievances related to examinations and cademic activities during COVID-19 pandemic.
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Germany has seen a worrying rise in its coronavirus infection rate after becoming one of the first countries in Europe to start easing lockdown measures as the continent battles its way back to a sense of normality.

Germany reported 1,304 new cases of the virus on Wednesday - up from 1,144 on Tuesday and 1,018 on Monday - a week after non-essential businesses were allowed to reopen.

Meanwhile Spain's death toll rose by 453 on Wednesday from 301 the day previous, even as the government revealed plans to reopen hairdressers and small businesses starting next month.

The data will be closely watched amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths in Europe - already the world's hardest-hit region - as leaders are forced to end lockdowns in an attempt to salvage their battered economies before a vaccine is available.

Two masked policemen patrol the streets of Dresden, Germany, after the government told people they must wear masks in public as coronavirus lockdown measures are eased

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe summed up the dilemma as he unveiled his own plans on Tuesday, telling parliament: 'I have to choose between bad options.

'We must protect the French people without paralysing France to the point that it collapses. A little too much carefreeness and the epidemic takes off again. Too much prudence and the whole country buckles.'

Here is how European nations are moving into 'phase two' of their coronavirus response...

GERMANY

Germany could have to re-impose tough lockdown measures after the infection rate increased when restrictions were eased.

The coronavirus reproduction rate (R) rose back to 1.0 on Monday, meaning that each patient is infecting one other person on average.

The rate, which had previously fallen as low as 0.7, is closely watched in Germany where officials say it must stay below one in order for normal life to resume.

Yesterday it fell back to 0.9, but politicians including Angela Merkel's economy minister have warned of a second lockdown if there is a new wave of infections.

A woman wearing a facemask gathers groceries at an Aldi store in Dusseldorf, Germany, as the country tries to get back to a sense of normality following a strict coronavirus lockdown

This graph shows the daily number of new coronavirus cases in Germany. Today's figure of 1,304 was a slight increase from yesterday's 1,144

This chart shows the daily number of deaths, which rose to 202 today from 163 the day previous. The peak of 315 deaths in a day was recorded on April 16

Customers, wearing face masks, shop for food and household supplies at a store in Dusseldorf, Germany, as the country eases out of lockdown

Merkel herself has urged Germany's 16 states not to hurry into easing lockdown restrictions, after some shops were allowed to re-open last week.

Germany's latest figures today showed a slight rise in new cases, with 1,304 new infections after 1,144 yesterday.

The rise from 156,337 cases to 157,641 is a 0.8 per cent increase, the third day in a row that the figure has been below one per cent.

The daily death toll (202) was above 200 for the first time in six days, bringing the total from 5,913 to 6,115.

As it attempts to exit lockdown, Germany has ramped up testing capacity to 900,000 per week - with plans to increasing testing among health workers.

Workers sell disposable face masks and surgical masks on the street in Bonn, Germany, after the public were told they have to wear them in order to go outside

People wait in a queue outside an electronics store in Essen, Germany, while observing social distancing

An elderly man purchases face masks from a worker in Bonn, Germany, after wearing them outdoors became mandatory

'Today, we have a theoretically possible capacity of almost 900,000 tests (per week) in Germany already, as long as the materials for these tests are available,' Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin.

Roughly 470,000 tests were carried out last week, suggesting there is spare capacity that could help prevent outbreaks among medical staff at hospitals and care homes.

'I think it's very, very important to see that with what we've achieved together in recent weeks, including through the strong lockdown, the biggest risk for an outbreak is in healthcare,' Spahn said.

Tests should be carried out 'as comprehensively and preventively as possible' among staff, including in care homes, he said.

SPAIN

Two men talk in the street in Barcelona, Spain, while wearing facemasks and observing strict social distancing rules as the country charts its path out of lockdown

A woman sits next to her stall at a empty marked in Barcelona, Spain, as the country attempts to restart the stalled economy following its lockdown - which was one of the strictest in Europe

SPAIN'S FOUR-POINT PLAN Preparatory Phase 0 (May 4-11) - Hairdressers and other businesses that offer service by appointment can reopen. - Restaurants can offer take-away services. - Professional sports leagues will go back to training. - Short walks and individual sporting activities allowed starting on May 2. Phase 1 (about two weeks from May 11) - Small businesses to reopen under strict safety conditions. - Bars and restaurants can reopen their terraces with no more than 30% occupation. - Hotels and other tourist accommodation can reopen, excluding common areas. - Shops and other service providers must set aside preferential times for customers aged over 65 to visit. - Places of worship will also be reopened, limiting the capacity to one third. Phase 2 (about two weeks from late May) - Theatres and cinemas to reopen, filling no more than a third of their capacity. - Cultural centres such as art galleries and museums will reopen, again operating only at a third of regular capacity. - Places of worship will increase their capacity to 50%. - Hunting and sport-fishing will be allowed. - Some schools will reopen, though most will stay closed until September. Phase 3 (around the end of June) - Shops will be allowed to open at half capacity with distancing of 2 meters between clients. - Restrictions on restaurants and bars will be further loosened. - Opening of beaches. Advertisement

Spain's virus death total went up by 453 overnight to a total of 24,275 - though officials said the daily increase was slightly lower at 325 because of a quirk in the way the data is logged.

The number of diagnosed cases rose by 2,144 from Tuesday to 212,917, the world's second-highest tally after the United States, the ministry said.

'The evolution we are seeing is still very favourable and is in line with what we expected,' health emergency coordinator Fernando Simon told a news briefing on Wednesday.

The daily number of deaths has come down sharply from the record 950 seen in early April.

He said the so-called 'R' rate - the average number of infections that one person with the virus causes - stood at below 1 in almost all areas of the country.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced late on Tuesday a four-phase plan to lift one of the toughest coronavirus lockdowns in Europe that would culminate in a return to normality by the end of June.

The implementation will vary from province to province depending on factors such as how the rate of infection evolves, the number of intensive care beds available locally and compliance with distancing rules. These targets are yet to be announced.

The lockdown restrictions have halted public life since March 14 and nearly paralysed the economy.

Data released on Wednesday showed Spanish retail sales fell 14.1% in March from a year earlier on a calendar-adjusted basis, after rising 1.8% in February.

Most stores closed during the second half of last month as part of the lockdown and have remained shut in April.

Mr Sanchez also confirmed Tuesday that for the first time in seven weeks people will as of this weekend be allowed out to exercise on their own as part of plans to gradually lift restrictions on movement.

He has urged everyone to comply with the regulations, saying: 'This virus is highly contagious and if we want to recover spaces of freedom and relief we must protect ourselves and the citizens.

'This virus is killing, especially the elderly and people with pathologies. Let us not underestimate the risk we face and above all, let us show solidarity.'

Spain announced 2,114 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, an increase on the 1,308 reported the previous day even as it begins lifting lockdown measures

Spain saw its total number of deaths rise by 453 on Wednesday to 24,275, though the reported daily total was lower at 325 because of a quirk in the way some figures are reported. Regardless, it has been increasing in recent days

FRANCE

The country will be divided into 'green' and 'red' zones when lockdown measures begin to ease on May 11, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said.

Green zones will be those where the number of daily cases averaged over a week has remained low, where intensive care beds are available and where testing and contact tracing measures are being properly applied.

These zones will be allowed to proceed with the easing of lockdown measures at the rate set by the government, he announced.

France announce 1,065 new cases of coronavirus on April 28 and revised the previous day's figure down to 1,195 saying it had been over-estimated because of the way some data is reported

France also reported 367 new coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, down on the previous daily figure of 437

However, those which stray into the 'red' zone - meaning spike in cases or pressure on hospital or testing services - will be forced to ease restrictions more slowly, or may even have them reimposed.

Nationally, he set a target of fewer than 3,000 coronavirus cases per day for the plan to proceed.

'If the indicators are not good enough, we won't unwind the lockdown on May 11, or we will do it more strictly,' he added.

The number of confirmed new cases dropped below 3,000 on April 15. In the past seven days, the average number of new cases per day has been around 1,500.

'We must learn to live with COVID-19 and to protect ourselves from it,' Philippe said.

Volunteers distribute food among the residents of Clichy-sous-Bois, one of the poorest departments in the whole of France and among the worst-hit by coronavirus

People wearing facemasks queue up for food in the department of Cllichy-sous-Bois, north of Paris, on Wednesday

ITALY

Italy's health police have uncovered more violations in the country's coronavirus-ravaged nursing homes, including one that had no authorization to operate.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on the aged in Italy's nursing homes, with hundreds of dead nationwide in the epicenter of the European pandemic.

It has also exposed serious shortcomings in Italy's patchwork of poorly regulated eldercare facilities, which are run by an assortment of public, private, religious and foundation managers.

Some of the homes are under criminal investigation because of the large number of virus-related dead. Others are being sanctioned, and their managers referred to law enforcement, for a series of violations that have emerged during inspections by the carabineri's health care police.

A sanitation worker disinfects the roof terrace of the Atlantic Hotel in Rome as Italy prepares to start lifting coronavirus lockdown measures, starting on May 4

The Italian coronavirus death toll rose by 323 to 27,682 today, as the number of those currently carrying the virus fell to 104,657 from 105,205 yesterday

The number of confirmed cases, which includes those who have died and recovered, amounts to 203,591, the third highest global tally behind the US and Spain

A restaurant worker sanitises the kitchen of a eatery in Rome as it prepares to reopen after seven weeks in lockdown

The health ministry issued the results from the latest round of inspections, focusing mostly on southern facilities.

The Italian coronavirus death toll rose by 323 to 27,682 today, as the number of those currently carrying the virus fell to 104,657 from 105,205 yesterday.

The number of confirmed cases, which includes those who have died and recovered, amounts to 203,591, the third highest global tally behind the US and Spain.

There were also 1,795 people in intensive care today against a previous 1,863, the Civil Protection Agency added, maintaining a long-running decline in numbers.

Of those originally infected, 71,252 were declared recovered against 68,941 a day earlier.

It comes as the country prepares to start easing lockdown measures from May 4, the same day as Spain.

Parks, factories and building sites will reopen but schools will not restart until September. People will be allowed to move around but not move from region to region.

Takeaways can re-open for not just deliveries. Other services such as hairdressers and churches will remain closed for another few weeks.

Long the world's worst-affected country, Italy has logged a total of 27,359 deaths from coronavirus and a total of 201,505 cases.

DENMARK

Denmark, which is slowly lifting restrictions to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, has brought the disease under control, the prime minister said on Wednesday.

'The infection is under control and the Danish strategy has succeeded in a first, difficult phase,' Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told parliament.

In mid-March, Copenhagen closed nurseries, primary and secondary schools, as well as cafes, restaurants, bars, gyms and hair salons. Gatherings of more than 10 people were banned.

People queue outside an Ikea superstore in Denmark after the furniture retailer was allowed to reopen as the country eases coronavirus lockdown measures

Some of the measures have since been lifted, with reopenings of schools for children up to age 11, as well as small businesses such as hairdressers and tattoo parlours.

A second phase of reopenings is scheduled to begin on May 10.

On April 1, the Scandinavian country widened its testing to include people showing mild symptoms. Previously only those displaying moderate to severe symptoms were tested.

Denmark on Wednesday confirmed a total of 9,206 cases since the beginning of the outbreak and 443 deaths.

SWEDEN

The southern Swedish city of Lund says it is spreading stinking chicken manure on the grounds of a central park to discourage a public celebration there on Thursday.

It's traditionally a big festive day among Swedish students and youth.

Gustav Lindblad from Lund's environmental committee tells Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan that 'we get the opportunity of fertilizing the lawns in the park and, at the same time, it will stink and it may not be so nice to sit and drink beer in the park.'

A man walks across a bridge in Stockholm wearing a facemask in Sweden - one of the few European countries not to enact a full lockdown, though has still implemented social distancing

Swedish officials including State Epidemiologist Svante Werger (centre) speak at a press conference about coronavirus on Wednesday in Stockholm

The city says up 30,000 people from different parts of Sweden - mostly students from Lund University - have in previous years gathered to the Stadspark to celebrate Valborg, a spontaneous fest that marks the arrival of spring for Swedes.

Sweden has maintained relatively relaxed approach to public restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. But the government is strongly urging citizens to practice proper social distancing.

Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has confirmed 19,621 coronavirus cases and 2,355 deaths.

SWITZERLAND

The Swiss government says shops, restaurants, museums, libraries and schools can reopen on May 11.

Switzerland's executive Federal Council also announced measures to support airlines, allow resumption of sports practices and ease some immigration restrictions in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Social distancing rules, such as limits to public gatherings to no more than five people, will remain. Restaurants that reopen will be required to maintain spacing of at least 2 meters between tables.

Officials say bans on large gatherings such as concerts and professional sporting events will remain in place.

A woman wearing a facemask walks past a cinema in Bern, Switzerland, with a sign saying 'back soon' as the country begins reopening non-essential businesses as part of its coronavirus strategy

A private school teacher gives a virtual lesson to pupils in Sion, Switzerland, ahead of classes resuming on May 11 with appropriate social distancing measures in place

Authorities say they plan to resume contact-tracing for all coronavirus infections starting May 11 to monitor the spread. Such tracing had been suspended amid a surge of cases last month.

'The crisis is not yet over, for now, we cannot return to the way we lived our lives before,' said Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga.

'We are going to have to live with the virus for some time, and with the economic consequences,' she added. 'There is no simple solution.'

Switzerland has recorded 29,407 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,408 deaths.

POLAND

Poland is lifting some of its anti-COVID-19 restrictions, with the Monday opening of shopping malls, hotels, libraries and museum.

It will maintain the requirement of wearing masks and of social distancing of at least 2 meters. Restaurants, also those in hotels, and cinemas, remain closed. Starting May 6, nurseries and kindergartens can be opened.

But gatherings larger than 50 people remain banned and social gatherings are still advised against.

People enjoy a walk in Lazienki Royal Park in Warsaw, Poland, after some coronavirus lockdown measures were relaxed. The country now plans to go further, reopening shopping malls, hotels and museums from next week

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says more restrictions will be lifted after another two weeks, but has appealed to the people to observe the rules, saying the pace of reopening the economy depends on that.

Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski advised the reopening of out-patient wards and routine medical procedures.

The nation of 38 million has reported more than 12,400 coronavirus cases and 606 deaths.

UKRAINE

Several hundred small business owners protested in Kiev on Wednesday, demanding the authorities ease anti-virus measures to save them from bankruptcy.

Wearing surgical masks, demonstrators briefly blocked traffic outside a government building in the city centre in defiance of rules against public gatherings, an AFP journalist reported.

'One more day of your protection and we will disappear!' read one slogan.

Small business owners clash with police in Kiev, Ukraine, as they demand that coronavirus lockdown measures are eased to stop their companies from going bust

Ukraine has outlined plans to lift coronavirus lockdown measures in mid-May, but some businesses say that will be too late for them to survive and have taken to the streets

Ukraine has confirmed 9,866 coronavirus cases, including 250 deaths, according to official statistics published Wednesday.

Authorities in one of Europe's poorest nations are hesitant to ease lockdown measures, which critics say do unnecessary damage to the economy.

In March, the government ordered all non-essential business to close, with grocery stores and pharmacies permitted to remain open.

Current lockdown measures are due to be lifted in mid-May.

Public transport has been reserved for employees of essential services, including police and hospital staff.

Almost 40 percent of Ukrainians said they were experiencing financial problems due to the pandemic, and 45 percent that they had exhausted their savings, according to an independent survey published last week.

Local media reports that Mykola Tyshchenko from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party was continuing to run a luxury restaurant in Kiev has fuelled frustrations.

Demonstrators wearing protective face masks take part in a protest to demand support from the government for small businesses and easing of lockdown measures in Kiev, Ukraine
MADISON  Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack announced Tuesday the formation of a Wisconsin Courts COVID-19 Task Force to help Wisconsin courts navigate their way forward amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Wisconsin Courts COVID-19 Task Force will focus on court proceedings and include participants from throughout the state who deal with Wisconsin courts.

The Task Forces first meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

In my administrative capacity as the chief justice, I have established a statewide Wisconsin Courts COVID-19 Task Force to recommend a framework of criteria under which Wisconsin courts throughout the state can safely continue court proceedings, including jury trials, Roggensack said. In addition to county judges from across the state, the Task Force will include medical consultants from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison and those who represent clerks of circuit court, county corporation counsel, district attorneys, public defenders and county sheriffs.

Our mission is easy to verbalize  to provide scientifically-based criteria that promote safe interactions in all courts and court proceedings, Roggensack said. All points of view will be heard.

It is expected that through use of the framework created by the Task Force, circuit courts in each county will create written plans that particularize framework criteria that are consistent with the facilities and resources of each county in order to promote safe court-related interactions.

Although accomplishing our mission may be complex, our service to the people requires concentrated efforts, now, Roggensack said.

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I have some ground rules for ordering takeout during the pandemic. For one, Im trying to stick to small businesses  preferably ones with three or fewer locations, and locally owned.

Im more likely to place an order if theyre family-run and in parts of the city hit harder by the economic fallout of coronavirus. (My favorite takeout so far has come from Taqueria Del Sol, just barely outside of Loop 610 near Hobby Airport.)

Although a questionable part of my monthly food budget is spent on takeout, Ive wondered if it goes far enough to support the restaurants I love, because even if theyre able to open at limited capacity May 1, that wont guarantee success.

I took my questions to Houstons business experts, and heres what they have to say about how Houstonians can keep their favorite restaurants open.

Whats for sale?

More Information What is this? I'm Gwendolyn Wu, and I'm writing "Houston How To," a series on how to navigate the city and its complexities. Humans have an innate drive to improve themselves, and we're always striving to live better, smarter and more efficiently by throwing countless dollars and hours at our problems. The Houston Chronicle wants to simplify that for you. As a reporter, I usually ask the questions, but I can't be the only one wondering how something works. What are things you need to know how to do, Houston? You can find me on Twitter at @gwendolynawu or by email at gwendolyn.wu@chron.com. See More Collapse

To stay afloat when doors are closed, some restaurants have turned to inventive methods of making sales. Every eatery, it seems, is hawking produce boxes, gift cards for future services, online orders, takeout and/or grocery store meal deals. Some are even selling groceries.

MORE HOW TO: Heres how to pick health insurance if youve lost job benefits

Buying whats offered right now is important to ensuring cash flow to pay the rent, suppliers and any workers still employed, said John Story, an associate professor of management and marketing at the University of St. Thomas.

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry, reliant on customers with the capital to spend on good food and freedom of movement.

Researchers estimate that Texas' restaurants will lose $4.2 billion in sales by the end of April, and roughly 61 percent of the state's restaurant workers have been laid off or furloughed.

We really do depend on these businesses, Story said. Once this is all over, were going to want those to be there.

After all, the usual methods of selling a product or a dish to a buyer arent exactly working. If it werent for the public health crisis, Underbelly Hospitalitys Chris Shepherd wouldnt be selling boxed-up tater tot casseroles at H-E-B.

Whether its a gift card for future services or farm-to-table boxes assembled from wholesale suppliers deliveries, any sale helps recuperate costs during a time when not much revenue is coming into a restaturants coffers.

Purchasing those kind of things is supporting those by giving cash now, Shepherd said.

There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 transmission from a takeout container or the food inside, according to the USDA. But its possible, federal officials said, the virus stays on surfaces and objects, so you should follow other food safety precautions .

Staying in their minds

Theres another, cheaper way for consumers to help keep their favorite businesses afloat  engaging in a little influencer marketing.

Some restaurants say that if their food and service stays fresh in peoples minds during quarantine, people are more likely to help with smaller contributions now and will return when things begin to revert back to normal.

Devoted fans could post menus on social media and ask their friends to pick out a favorite dish. Or they could revise and update old business reviews on sites like Yelp, Google Reviews and Facebook.

June Rodil, a partner at Houston restaurant group Goodnight Hospitality, said word-of-mouth advertising to friends and family can provide the boost needed for local businesses until more people have the money to order takeout or other goods.

A lot of these local businesses dont have huge dollars to really put in hands of marketers, she said.

Its an experience unlike the one a restaurant patron gets in-person. That also means asking for forgiveness from customers as they adjust to the new normal, in hopes it doesnt damage whether they want to return when everything is back to where it was before.

Intrinsically, the hospitality industry is all about face-to-face and real-time, in-the-moment relationships, Rodil said.

What works best

Many businesses are balancing two questions right now: how to address their immediate needs, and how to make this sustainable.

Buying something like a gift card can provide instant funds to a restaurant without having to give any product return, Rodil said. But cash will eventually run out if there isnt consistent support.

BACK TO WORK: Houston companies prepare for return to the office

At the very least, she said, do extra research to maximize your dollars. Ordering takeout directly from your favorite BBQ joint rather than using a third-party delivery app will ensure more money goes into that restaurant.

And if it just means scheduling some time to eat or contribute when the restaurant re-opens, thats also an option.

Dont give up on a restaurant for not opening, because theyre probably not opening for a reason, Rodil said.

Is it enough?

Ever the pessimist, though, I worry that typing my credit card number into an online ordering form wont be enough to save our local restaurants. Which led me to ask Story if what I (and many other Houstonians, judging from trending hashtags to eat local and buy takeout) am doing is enough.

We have to keep in mind we may have to spend a bit more to keep these places open, he told me. You cant replicate these places. If it closes, sure, a new one will open up, but its not going to be the same.

And I suppose thats what Im holding onto  the hope that if I put my dollars toward one of these eateries, something will eventually feel the same again.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

twitter.com/gwendolynawu
A couple wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 walk in a park in Montreal on April 25, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

Vermont Records Zero New COVID-19 Cases for First Time in Weeks

Vermont authorities recorded zero new CCP virus cases in the past 24 hours for the first time in more than a month.

The Vermont Department of Health website, which showed the same number of cases on Tuesday and Wednesday, also noted there were no deaths from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus that emerged in China last year.

Gov. Phil Scott told reporters that it was great news but said that one day doesnt create a trend, and we have to look at the trend lines to see where were going.

March 13 was the last time the state reported no cases, according to VTDigger.

Vermont has reported 862 CCP virus cases and 47 deaths, with more than 15,400 people tested for the virus, according to the health departments website.

Eleven people are currently hospitalized for the virus, and 15 people were hospitalized under investigation, while 18 are being monitored.

Health Commissioner Mark Levine said the state is expanding testing to prisons, healthcare workers, and long-term care facilities.

Expanding testing to this essential workforce will not only ensure that we keep our health care heroes safe, healthy and ready to respond as theyre needed, Levine said, referring to healthcare worker testing.

Earlier in April, big box stores like Target, Costco, and Walmart were told to stop in-person sales of nonessential items, becoming the first state to do so.

Large big box retailers generate significant shopping traffic by virtue of their size and the variety of goods offered in a single location, said Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lindsay Kurrle in a statement at the time. This volume of shopping traffic significantly increases the risk of further spread of this dangerous virus to Vermonters and the viability of Vermonts health care system.
- The results of the 2019 Bar Examination was released by the Supreme Court on April 29

- Out of the 7,685 aspiring lawyers, only 2,103 were able to pass the Bar Exam

- The passing rate for this year was 27.36%, this was higher than the passing rate in 2018

- Mae Diane Azores from the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi topped the 2019 Bar examinations with a 91.04% rating

PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed

The results of the 2019 Bar examination taken last year at the University of Sto. Tomas has been officially released on Wednesday (April 29).

KAMI learned that out of 7,685 aspiring lawyers, only 2,103 passed the exam.

As reported by the Inquirer, the passing rate for the latest Bar Exam was 27.36 percent. This was higher than the 22.07% passing rate in 2018.

In a report by CNN Philippines, the result was posted online, as people were advised that no visitors shall be allowed at the Supreme Court.

For those whose names will be included in the List of Bar Passers, congratulations! Kindly wait for further announcements regarding the clearance procedure, oath-taking ceremony, and roll-signing, the High Court said in a statement.

Mae Diane Azores from the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi topped the 2019 Bar examinations with a 91.04% rating. She is followed by Princess Fatima Parahiman of the University of the East who had an 89.523% rating.

You may view the list of all passers here.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen gave a message to the aspiring lawyers before the result was released.

For those who will become lawyers, remember that the profession is not all that you are. Be humble. Resist greed. Learn to sacrifice. Every privilege comes with responsibility. Address inequality. Strive for social justice. Serve the people, he wrote on Twitter.

PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

The 2019 Bar examination was held for four consecutive Sundays in 2019. The examinees were tested based on their knowledge on eight subjects such as Political Law and Labor Law, Civil Law and Taxation, Mercantile Law and Criminal Law, Remedial Law and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises.

Congratulations to all new lawyers!

Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters!

Our host Paula Coling suggested different movies and series that you should watch while stuck at home due to the lockdown. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
UPS delivery drivers are seeing unusually high volumes.

Mark Lennihan/AP

UPS's business-to-consumer deliveries in the US popped by 19% last quarter.

Executives spoke of an "unprecedented shift" to online ordering as stay-at-home orders force many Americans to shop online for essential goods.

But it's a curse in disguise for UPS. It saw a drop in business-to-business deliveries, which are more profitable for the Atlanta-based package giant.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Online ordering, spurred by the closing of many stores, has led to an unusual deluge of packages for UPS delivery drivers.

"We're getting flat-out hammered right now," Brian Lee, a UPS driver, told CNN last week. "No one wants to go to the store; everyone buys everything online."

On Tuesday, the Atlanta-based package giant confirmed that upswing in packages in its quarterly earnings report. In the US, UPS delivered 8.5% more parcels to customers in January, February, and March than the same three months last year. The rise in healthcare deliveries and an "unprecedented shift" toward online ordering drove the package uptick, UPS said.

Drilling in further, business-to-consumer deliveries popped 19% this quarter, Kate Gutmann, UPS's chief sales and solutions officer, said on a Tuesday call with investors. Business-to-business deliveries fell by 2%.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Newman added that as of late March, some 70% of UPS deliveries were residential  an unusually high proportion.

Much of that increase could also be tied to Amazon, which is experiencing Christmas-like demand during a typically slow period. UPS said the Seattle retail giant comprised 11.6% of its revenue compared with 2019.

As stores close, Amazon has gobbled up even more market share in essential goods like household supplies and groceries. Oppenheimer's Jason Helfstein has estimated that Amazon's first-quarter revenue will total $78.6 billion, up more than 30% from 2019.

Story continues

For UPS, the uptick in online ordering is a curse in disguise

UPS

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Business-to-business delivery is a higher-margin business for UPS. As a result, UPS's operating profit was slashed nearly in half, to $364 million in the US in the first quarter. Its adjusted operating margins fell to 3.5% from 6.6% last year.

Deliveries to businesses, rather than homes, generate more profit for UPS because businesses tend to have more packages in a single stop and tend to be more closely grouped together  compare, say, parking a van to deliver packages in an office park with driving and stopping throughout a suburb.

Chris Wetherbee, a senior research analyst at Citi, told Business Insider that an average UPS delivery at a business translated to 3.2 to 3.5 packages per stop. For a consumer, though, the average delivery is about 1.5 packages per stop.

"Think about a Teamster employee stopping the truck, getting out, running up, dropping off packages, running back, getting in the car, driving again, and doing that over and over again  as opposed to stopping and getting a whole pallet and dropping it off," Wetherbee said.

CEO David Abney emphasized to investors on Tuesday that his company's ability to quickly move assets ensured it was equipped to handle the coronavirus pandemic's upending of global supply chains. For instance, he said, UPS was able to scale air cargo in China as its economy began to reopen in March, and on-time deliveries have endured throughout the crisis.

The call was the last of Abney's 46-year tenure at UPS, as he's retiring on June 1. The company also said that it would halt stock buybacks and cut spending but that its goal to get 100% of eligible volume through automated sort by 2022 was unchanged.

For Carol Tome, who will take over as CEO, balancing the shift from commercial deliveries to residential deliveries may endure as a key financial challenge. Some experts have predicted that the norm of more online ordering may continue past the coronavirus pandemic.

The uptick in residential deliveries of, say, groceries or cleaning supplies translates to a reduction in deliveries to stores that might normally sell those things. As the former increases, the latter will decrease  and margins for delivery giants like UPS will tumble.

"I think there's some bigger-picture questions about what this means for the long run of these companies  have we gone past the tipping point where B2C is going to continue to be a substantially larger piece of the business going forward?" Wetherbee said. "And how will they adapt to that?"

Read the original article on Business Insider
GST on textiles will not be increased from 5 to 12 per cent: FM Sitharaman

Sitharaman refutes Rahul Gandhi's claims on loan write off, says Congress misled people

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 29: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claims on corporate loan write off, saying that it is an "attempt to mislead people in a brazen manner".

She also accused the Congress of failing to show any commitment or inclination to stop "corruption and cronyism", neither while in power nor in the opposition.

Nearly Rs 69,000 crore loans including those of Choksi, Mallya written off till Sep 30

She was responding to the opposition's allegations of loan waivers worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs of top 50 wilful defaulters during the first half of the financial year ended March 2020.

In a series of tweets, Sitharaman said that the Congress has attempted to mislead people, and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi should introspect why his party fails to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system.

"Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context.

In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised. "@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," she said.

Highlighting that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, "Wished Gandhi consulted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about".

She also referred to media reports quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan as having said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008 and "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

Coronavirus outbreak: RBI to disburse Rs 50,000 crore to NABARD, CIDBI, NHB

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's 'phone banking'," she added.

In another tweet she said, "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of "Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided." Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on March 16, 2020.

Rahul Gandhi had attacked the ruling BJP after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a list of 50 wilful defaulters accused of cheating banks, saying the government had hidden the list from parliament because it included "friends" of the ruling party.
But a spokesman for the U.S. State Department told Voice of America, "The United States supports inter-Korean cooperation and coordinates with our ally to ensure inter-Korean cooperation proceeds in lockstep with progress on denuclearization." It was a thinly veiled warning not to violate international sanctions against North Korea with any such overtures.

Senior government ministers on Monday marked the second anniversary of a cross-border summit with a ceremony launching a project to reconnect inter-Korean railways, even though North Korea has lost all interest in the stunt. President Moon Jae-in said South Korea "must do even small things" to ensure increased cooperation with North Korea.

The U.S. State Department has rapped South Korea over the knuckles for noisily trumpeted plans to increase cooperation with North Korea.

The barb was particularly embarrassing for Cheong Wa Dae because a senior presidential official here had earlier claimed that Seoul has been "in close consultation with Washington" over the railway plan.

He added that any cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic is not covered by sanctions because it is a humanitarian crisis. "We believe that there'll be no serious restrictions," the official added.

Moon pledged to seek cross-border cooperation in quarantine and health efforts, and press ahead with humanitarian exchanges like reunions of families separated by the Korean War as soon as the epidemic eases.

Meanwhile, the State Department also commented on Seoul's offer to pay the salaries of the U.S. Forces Korea's Korean staff, who have been put on unpaid leave due to the breakdown of defense cost-sharing talks.

A department spokesman told the Chosun Ilbo that Washington has shown significant flexibility in recent weeks in order to reach a "mutually acceptable agreement," and hopes for further compromise from Seoul.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told lawmakers here that the U.S. turned down Seoul's offer to pay the salaries, saying there are no legal grounds for such a move.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has advised farmers to monitor their fields frequently for early detection of Fall Armyworm (FAW) infestation.



The Plant Protection & Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) Secretariat of the MoFA, which issued the alert, explained that early detection was necessary to fast-track the implementation of the necessary management options at the vulnerable stages of the larvae.



Early detection



The directorate acknowledged that FAW was now an endemic pest in the country and would continue to pose a serious threat to food security and livelihood of thousands of smallholder maize farmers.



It, therefore, advised farmers and the general public to report any FAW infestations to the nearest Department of Agriculture office, agricultural extension agents or the head office of the directorate at Pokuase, Accra.



The farmers and the public are to provide the location, including the district/community, date and time of observation and the estimated area infested, the directorate advised.



Surveillance



It said surveillance reports indicated pockets of FAW infestations on maize planted in low land and irrigated fields in some districts in the Ahafo, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra and Western regions.



The secretariat appealed to TV stations, FM radio stations and community information centres to create awareness of the presence of FAW and its threat to food security and the livelihood of smallholder farmers in maize-producing communities in the country as part of their corporate responsibility.



Fall armyworm



Fall armyworms are dangerous trans-boundary insects with a high potential to spread rapidly due to their natural distribution capacity and opportunities presented by international trade.



They earned their common name by eating all plant matter they encounter in their wide dispersals, like a large army.



Research has shown that the FAW feed on more than 80 plant species, including maize, sorghum, soybean, rice and vegetable crops.



The pests are capable of reproducing and spreading quickly, given the right environmental conditions.



It was first reported in Africa in 2016, where it is still causing significant damage to maize crops and has great potential for further spread and economic damage.



It has since spread to 28 countries in Africa, including Ghana, where more than 50,000 hectares of farms have been attacked.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The new coronavirus doesnt care about a blue uniform or a shiny badge. Police, firefighters, paramedics and corrections officers are just a 911 call away from contracting COVID-19 and spreading it.

With N95 masks hanging off their duty belts and disposable blue gloves stuffed in their back pockets, they respond to radio calls, make arrests and manage prisoners. But their training never covered something quite like this  what has been called an invisible bullet.

Its sickened thousands of Americas first responders and killed dozens more.

But many have recovered, and theyre going back to work  back to the crime scene, back into the ambulance, back to the jail. Going back to this deadly pandemics front lines.

They go with a lingering cough and lost weight. They toss and turn at night, wondering if the claims of immunity are true. They fear that picking up extra overtime shifts may expose them, and their families, to additional risks.

And then they pull on their uniforms and go back to work.

Some of their stories:

THE RISK

HOUSTON  In Deputy Ravin Washingtons squad car, risk rides shotgun. The threats she faces on her solo patrols are usually more immediate than reports of some new unseen virus.

On the beat in northwest Houston, Washington, 28, has been in fights and drawn her gun. In 2017, three months after she finished the police academy, her partner at the time was shot in the leg.

But last month, she was following up on a robbery call when it suddenly felt like someone was sitting on her chest. By the time she navigated her cruiser to her sisters apartment, she could barely keep her hands on the wheel. She had no idea what was wrong.

Certainty came a few days later after a nasal swab that felt like it poked her brain. On March 25, Washington tested positive _ one of the first of about 180 Harris County Sheriffs Office employees to be sickened.

In lonely isolation, her temperature spiked. Her stomach roiled. She lost her sense of taste and could barely rise from bed for days.

People dont want to be around you, she said. People dont want to touch you.

When she finally healed, she worried about getting sick again _ about whether her colleagues would want her back.

She returned to patrol this month and found the situation suddenly reversed. Her colleagues gave her hugs. People feel like, `Hey, you have the antibodies. Youre the cure, she said.

Back on patrol, Washington has the familiar weight on her hips of a Taser, handcuffs and gun. But her safety also depends on gloves and a mask.

Its like youre risking your life even more now.

GUILT

NEW YORK  Paramedic Alex Tull of the New York Fire Department feels out of breath after walking up a few flights of stairs and has a cough that just wont quit. After some recent chest pains, an X-ray showed lingering inflammation in his lungs.

As he goes about his days treating coronavirus patients in the Bronx, he thinks about his own battle with the disease and his rush to return to duty late last month before he was fully healed.

At the height, about a quarter of the citys 4,300 EMS workers were out sick. Nearly 700 fire department employees have tested positive for the coronavirus and eight have died, including three EMS workers.

Tull, 38, says he felt guilty convalescing at home for two weeks, flipping through Netflix and Hulu between naps as his colleagues risked their lives. He wondered: Why did this have to happen to me? I want to be out there. I want to get out there and help.

But it wasnt just a matter of loyalty for the 10-year fire department veteran. A policy put in place as the virus ravaged the ranks mandated that personnel who no longer showed symptoms return to work as soon as possible.

I definitely went back to work earlier than maybe I should have, Tull said.

Without definitive proof that hes immune from spreading or contracting the disease, Tull fears his nagging cough might infect his partner or their patients. And with little more than a face mask and gloves for protection, he worries hell come down with the virus again.

Is my body ready for round two? I dont know. It is scary, Tull said.

THE HOTBOX

AURORA, Ill.  Chief Kristen Ziman spent hours in a cramped conference room strategizing on ways to keep her 306 police officers safe from the coronavirus.

Digital roll calls, solo squad cars, detectives running cases remotely  anything to keep them out of headquarters and away from each other.

Turns out, they needed to stay away from the chief.

Ziman, a patrol commander, her wife  a detective on the force  and Auroras mayor all contracted COVID-19 around the same time. They most likely passed the virus during those planning meetings.

The rank-and-file, however, is fine.

If we had to be the sacrificial lambs, Ziman said, putting these plans in place to keep our officers safe, then I will gladly take it any day.

The chief recorded videos from her home, sending them to the officers as part of routine operations plans. She wanted them to comprehend the pandemics reality on the streets of Illinois second-largest city.

This wasnt one of those abstract concepts thats happening to someone else, she said. It was happening to some of their own.

The officers responded with text messages of well-wishes, and a new nickname for the stations third floor _ the home of her office and the infamous conference room _ that makes Ziman laugh even through all this.

Theyre calling it The Hotbox  and avoiding it altogether.

ON THE SIDELINES

NEW YORK  Sgt. Cary Oliva was frustrated watching the news of his coronavirus-stricken city from his sick bed. The 31-year-old New York Police Department officer longed to be back at work helping with what was fast becoming one of the deadliest disasters in its history.

I felt like I was on the sidelines, he said. I was pretty eager to come back as soon as possible, as long as it was safe.

In all, more than 4,600 employees at the nations largest police department have tested positive for the coronavirus. Nearly 2,900 have recovered and returned to full duty. At least three dozen died.

Oliva went back April 6 and immersed himself in a new police mission: educating the public about social distancing measures that experts say are vital to reducing the spread of infection. Protective mask on his face and hand sanitizer nearby, Oliva spends his afternoons cruising by takeout restaurants and other businesses looking for gaps in social distancing protocols.

I dove right back into it, he said.

THE LINE

LOS ANGELES  In jail-speak, its called the line.

For correction officers, it means any duty that requires working directly with inmates. Custody assistant Sonia Munozs line is a 184-bed inmate hospital ward at the Twin Towers jail, with its beige walls and powder blue doors. Its where she most likely contracted the coronavirus. And passed it along to her younger sister and her father.

Right now, Munoz, 38, is safe. Shes 10 pounds lighter, her thick uniform belt is tightened to the last notch, but shes been transferred to an office gig, where she can line up three bottles of hand sanitizer on her desk and work alone.

Still, the line is there.

Any overtime shift could bring Munoz back. Her mother, 3-year-old nephew and 94-year-old grandmother escaped illness last time, but they may not be so lucky again.

Its something her 27-year-old partner, Christopher Lumpkin, worries about.

On March 18, he became the first member of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, which oversees the nations largest jail system, to test positive for COVID-19. He likely passed it to Munoz and three other custody assistants. More than 60 sheriffs personnel county-wide and at least 28 inmates have tested positive for the virus.

Using Facebook Messenger, Lumpkin and Munoz traded stories and symptoms, bedridden in their quarantined homes as the virus spread outside.

I will pray for you guys as well, Lumpkin wrote.

Now, Lumpkin is recovered and back on the line. He changes his gloves and sanitizes his hands each time he works with an inmate and keeps an extra mask hanging off his duty belt.

Munoz takes similar precautions in her office, separate from the inmates.

But she cant avoid the line forever.

I have to go back to the lions mouth.

Associated Press videojournalist Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and senior videojournalist John L. Mone in Houston contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Washington Talent New York Law Enforcement
Photo

Chandigarh: In a bid to seek on the spot feedback from the farmers and Arthiyas about ongoing wheat procurement operations, the six IAS officers visited various mandis across the state to review the on-ground situation to further intensify procurement and lifting of produce.

PhotoDisclosing this here today, an official spokesperson said that all these officers have been mandated to submit their detailed reports positively by tomorrow. On the basis of these inputs, a consolidated report would be submitted to the state government for taking further appropriate steps to accomplish the ongoing procurement operations of wheat within stipulated timeline.

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It may be recalled that said officers were directed to visit mandis in different districts from April 28-29 to check the implementation of the curfew pass system, village-wise arrivals of wheat in the mandis assigned, inspecting the quality of wheat and adherence to COVID-19 protocol.

Meanwhile, the Additional Chief Secretary Development Viswajeet Khanna, who also visited various mandis/purchase centres in Patiala district on April 28 to take stock of the ongoing procurement arrangements besides the implementation of health protocol including social distancing, informed that overall position of the procurement of wheat is satisfactory despite its staggered movement in wake of COVID-19.

PhotoKhanna further said that out of 69.15 LMT of wheat that had so far arrived in various mandis across the state, 67.15 LMT had already been procured. He further said that 9.20 lakh passes had been issued so far by Mandi Board to the farmers through Arthiyas in 4100 designated purchase centres to avoid crowding and congestion as a preventive measure besides sufficient quantity of sanitizers and masks has already been provided in mandis to ensure safety and well-being of all stakeholders.

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Notably, MD Punjab State Warehousing Corporation Nilkanth S Avhad visited Ropar & SBS Nagar districts to oversee the wheat procurement operations while MD MARKFED Varun Roojam (Amritsar & Tarantaran), Director Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Anindita Mitra (SAS Nagar), Secretary Mandi Board Ravi Bhagat (Patiala, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar), MD PUNSUP Rambir (Jalandhar & Kapurthala) and MD PAFC Manjit Brar (Gurdaspur & Pathankot).
Protecting our collective physical health has been Canadians top priority for nearly seven weeks, as we hunker down at home or take to the front lines to battle COVID-19 together.

But the realities of a pandemic  the loss of life, the financial hit, the isolation  can also take a toll on our mental health.

A poll released earlier this week by Angus Reid Institute, which surveyed 1,900 respondents, showed half of Canadians reported their mental health has worsened in the last six weeks, with 10 per cent of respondents reporting their mental health has worsened a lot.

Part of the issue is just when you think youve adapted to this, something comes up, said Dr. Laura Hawryluck, a critical care physician at University Health Network and associate professor of critical care at the University of Toronto. Like, for example, something really simple like you want to cook something and then you realize that youre missing an ingredient, and you realize whats going to be involved in getting that ingredient, if the stores even have it. Things that youve really taken for granted, that you wouldnt even think twice about and now every time that kind of moment comes up you re-experience the loss of life as it was all over again.

Hawryluck and her colleague, Rima Styra, a psychiatrist at University Health Network and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, have observed different emotional stages of the pandemic, some of which Canadians have already or are currently navigating.

And, they say, there are more difficult stages to come, even as the pandemic curve itself flattens and the country considers opening its doors once again.

Heres a look at the psychology of the pandemic in five stages.

Denial

Denial began before Canada was hit by coronavirus, as we started hearing about this new, emerging pathogen and watched it ravage other countries, like China and Italy.

It was a serious situation, but we were going to manage all of this, said Styra. We had been through (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in Toronto so we thought we had kind of lived through this in the past, we were successful in doing so; we tried to minimize the impact that we though might occur in Toronto.

SARS was very different, though, from COVID-19.

Control

When it became clear that coronavirus would touch Canadians, people searched for ways to feel in control, ways to protect themselves. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer and medicine flew off the shelves, as people haphazardly began preparing makeshift survival kits.

We had a lot of anxiety going on, so we did the kind of things that we think would help us. There was all this rushing to Purell and basic needs and, as anxiety grew, we really started hoarding, said Styra. Thats a negative thing, as well.

Social and physical distancing, which continue today, also gave people the sense that they had a handle on the virus.

It was going to protect us, that was so important for us, Styra said.

Uncertainty

As time wears on and reality has now set in, fear, worry and anxiety grow. Things people thought would mitigate the risk might be working, but illness and death tolls continue; financial struggles and isolation persist. So-called normalcy seems out of reach.

Those feelings may only grow as provinces open their doors. For vulnerable members of the population in particular, lessening restrictions may be terrifying, Styra said.

Fear is an appropriate, normal response to the unknown, said Hawryluck, who works in the intensive care unit at Toronto Western Hospital. It is how people handle fear that will be crucial to their mental well-being.

Its OK to be afraid in many ways but  the fear that paralyzes you from living, its not good, she said. Its understanding that yes, we are going to experience this and different people are going to experience it to different degrees for different reasons, but what we do with that fear then becomes really important.

Loss

Loss will also hit people in different ways at different times, said Hawryluck.

She expects the loss of normalcy could become more difficult to accept as we open our doors to a changed world.

I dont think that people are necessarily emotionally prepared for it to not go back to normal, she said.

The bigger loss is the loss of lives. Families and communities who have lost a loved one may not have been able to say goodbye or mourn the way they wanted to. Hawryluck worries the deaths will hit all over again when lockdown restrictions are lifted.

I worry that those people will be somewhat lost as everybody is coming out and emerging  Theyre going to need support that other people wont need and we need to be attuned to that to be able to help everybody she said. That motto of not leaving everyone behind as we navigate this next stage is going to be something that we all need to remember.

Understanding

There will be a choice to make as we continue to manage the outbreak about what we can learn from this pandemic. In critical care, Hawryluck sees people demonstrate love, courage and gratitude every day. She hopes people try to carry that forward in their daily lives.

If, as a society, we learn this from COVID, we will be better, she said. There will be something that comes from all the decimation, what it has done to us.

Innovations, preparedness and how we treat each other are all things to come out of this time that we can be grateful for.

That gratitude may help us heal mentally, said Styra.

Were going to have to focus more on the positives than the negatives, which is easier said, of course, than done.
(Alliance News) - More than 26,000 people with confirmed coronavirus have died in hospitals, care homes and elsewhere in the UK, new figures show.

A total of 26,097 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community in the UK after contracting Covid-19, Public Health England said.

It includes 765 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 5pm on Tuesday.

It is the first time data on the number of deaths in care homes and the wider community has been included in the government's daily updates.

The total reached by the new method of reporting is around 17% higher than previous data showed and includes an additional 3,811 deaths recorded since the start of the outbreak.

Of these, around 70% were outside hospital settings and around 30% were in hospital.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the daily Downing Street press conference: "From today, we are moving to an improved daily reporting system for deaths so that deaths in all settings are included wherever the individual has tested positive for Covid-19, rather than just those in hospitals.

"Those figures show that up to yesterday on the new measure we have recorded an additional 3,811 deaths in total, and I think it is just important to say that those additional deaths were spread over the period for March 2 to April 28 so they don't represent a sudden surge in the number of deaths."

PHE Medical Director Yvonne Doyle said the figure for deaths in care homes may be revised up further.

She said: "In due course, those deaths sadly may occur on death certificates, so we may expect more than we are seeing at the moment, yes."

Separate PHE data shows nearly a third of all care homes in England have reported suspected or confirmed coronavirus outbreaks.

Some 4,516 homes have reported outbreaks since March 17 up until Monday this week a around 29% of the total care homes.

In every region in England more than a fifth of care homes had reported outbreaks.

Raab said 52,429 Covi-19 tests took place on Tuesday a just two days before the date the government set for reaching 100,000 a day.

It brings the total number to 818,539 across the UK.

Earlier, Raab a standing in for Boris Johnson in Parliament following the birth of the prime minister's son a said there was a "joint horror" across the House at the number of people killed in the outbreak.

They included 85 NHS workers and 23 social care workers a a total of 108.

Meanwhile:

a Michael Gove gave the nod for lockdown easing to take place on some island communities in the UK as a way of piloting how it could happen in the rest of the country.

a Cabinet Office staff working on preparing the UK for exiting the transition period with the EU have been seconded to assist with the Covid-19 response.

a The Home Office announced that migrant midwives, social workers, pharmacists, and other frontline health staff will be granted free visa extensions for a year.

a A total of 337 prisoners have tested positive for coronavirus in 71 jails as of 5pm on Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice said.

a Professor Calum Semple, from the University of Liverpool, said Covid-19 is just as deadly as Ebola for people admitted to hospital in the UK, after publishing a major British study of almost 17,000 patients.

a Testing tsar Professor John Newton said he was confident the target of performing 100,000 tests would be met on Thursday.

a Education Secretary Gavin Williamson suggested schools could reopen in a "phased manner" when lockdown restrictions are eased, although there was no fixed date for that.

a The economic fallout of the crisis continued, with retail giant Next warning the impact of the lockdown had been "faster and steeper" than expected.

a The UK's biggest tour operator, Tui extended the suspension of its holidays up to and including June 11.

The impact of the virus on businesses and consequently the public finances has added to the pressure on ministers to set out how lockdown measures might be eased.

Downing Street was forced to deny it had watered down one of the five tests required for allowing the measures to be lifted.

Rather than stating in test five that the government had to be confident any adjustments would not "risk a second peak of infections", the wording was changed to say no weakening of restrictions would be made that risked a second peak that "overwhelms the NHS" a a lower bar.

The lockdown is due to be reviewed on May 7.

The scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) is working on a range of options for easing restrictions while still keeping the reproduction rate of the virus a the number of new cases linked to a single individual a below one in order to stop it spreading exponentially.

Raab said it is vital the UK proceeds "carefully" in lifting lockdown measures as he pointed to the rising transmission rate in Germany.

He said: "This is a very real risk and it is vital we proceed carefully, guided by the scientific advice, so that our next step through this crisis is a sure footed one.

"We mustn't gamble away the sacrifices and the progress that we have made a we must continue to follow the scientific evidence and we must continue to take the right decisions at the right moment in time."

Doyle added that it was "slightly worrying" that Monday saw the highest working day use of motor vehicles since March 23 a the start of the lockdown.

By Jemma Crew, PA Social Affairs Correspondent and David Hughes, PA Political Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Bernie Sanders demanded Wednesday that New York reverse its decision to cancel the state's presidential primary in June as the state continues to be the hardest hit by coronavirus and Joe Biden became the presumed candidate earlier this month.

Although Sanders suspended his campaign, making Biden the only active remaining candidate, the Vermont senator claims getting rid of the election altogether will weaken the fight for a more progressive platform and rules at the Democratic Convention in August.

'This is an outrage, an assault on democracy and must not be allowed to stand,' Sanders said in a note to supporters Wednesday afternoon.

Sanders, 78, also asserts that by taking the move to suspend, rather than end his campaign was meant to give people the ability to cast their votes and express their preferences to delegates regardless of who emerged the frontrunner before their states' primary elections were held.

'No one asked New York to cancel the election,' the Democratic socialist, and former Democratic candidate asserted. 'The DNC did not request it. The Biden campaign did not request it. And our campaign communicated, very strongly, that we wanted to remain on the ballot.

Bernie Sanders demanded Wednesday that New York State's Board of Elections go forward with holding its presidential elections in June after the state announced it was canceling the primary by removing all names except Joe Biden from the ballot

Sanders, who suspended and did not end his campaign, launched a petition where supporters could urge New York to reinstate the elections by in the meantime striping the state of its delegates

Sanders' urging came as Andrew Yang, a fellow former Democratic presidential candidate, filed a lawsuit against New York's election board for canceling the elections

He then shared the link to an online petition urging the Democratic National Committee to strip New York of its delegates until it announces reinstating the elections in June.

'Tell the DNC: strip New York of its delegates if they cancel their presidential primary,' the website reads where supporters can sign the petition.

The move to start the petition comes as fellow former Democratic candidate Andrew Yang, 45, filed a lawsuit against the New York State Board of Elections for canceling the primary elections there.

New York is the state most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 18,000 deaths, making up about 30 per cent of the total deaths in the U.S.  and as of Wednesday morning there are nearly 300,000 cases in the state.

The state said it was canceling the election scheduled for late June due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Yang says it's a former of 'voter suppression.'

'By allowing the other elections to continue, and cancelling the Presidential primary Defendant NYS BOE is Suppressing voter turnout as voters will have less incentive to vote if they cannot cast a vote for the highest office in the land, and thereby negatively impact challenger candidates,' the lawsuit reads, in part.

A new rule only allowing pledged delegates to vote on the first ballot in the nominating process could be affected by the cancellation.

If no candidate reaches the 1,991 delegates needed to win the nomination outright, then superdelegates may vote on ballots, choosing whichever candidate they desire.

With 1,428 delegates so far, Biden has not yet earned the amount needed to outright win the nomination, and New York has a massive 274 pledged delegates up for grabs, which, in theory, would automatically go to Biden if the elections were not held.

Sanders has 952 delegates, and still could technically clinch the nomination  although he has already thrown his support behind Biden and could not earn the pledged delegates needed to become the Democratic candidate.

The progressive senator also said the move to cancel the presidential primary is another move 'to take away progressive voices in this election.'

'At a time when all of us, including Joe Biden, are deeply concerned about Donald Trump's attacks on our democracy, we must fight back against this action in New York state,' Sanders wrote to supporters. 'If states violate the DNC party rules regarding delegate selection, they can lose their ability to send delegates to the convention.'

New York initially was holding its primary election in June 23 and has 274 delegates up for grabs, which would automatically go to Biden if the elections do not go forward as planned

The Board of Elections say it canceled the primary as New York deals with being the hardest hit by coronavirus. Pictured: people wait in line to received free food in the midst of the pandemic

While Andrew Yang, a tech entrepreneur, earned no delegates and dropped out of the race in February, he is still suing New York for canceling the elections.

Yang along with seven New Yorkers who filed to serve as Yang delegates to the Democratic National Convention, filed the lawsuit on Monday.

It argues that Yang's name should not be removed from the ballot because they had met the requirements to be included.

New York effectively canceled the primaries in the state when the two Democratic commissioners voted this week to strip every candidate, except Biden, off the ballot.

The board argued that no other candidate is actively seeking the presidency.

Sanders and Yang both suspended their campaigns but wanted to remain on the ballots.

Sanders says he did so in order to continue being awarded delegates to sway the national convention, which will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August  a month later than initially planned.
With one day to go before Michigans COVID-19 state of emergency is due to expire, its unclear whether theres support in the Michigan Legislature to extend it - but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer maintains Michigan remains in a state of emergency, whether lawmakers approve it or not.

Michigans COVID-19 state of emergency, first ordered March 10, gives Whitmer additional powers to create executive orders and marshal certain resources as needed to respond to the coronavirus without legislative approval. Thats caused friction with the Republican-led legislature, as many Republicans feel her stay-at-home orders have been too restrictive.

On Wednesday afternoon, Whitmers office made public emails between Jeremy Hendges, chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, and Whitmer legislative and public affairs director Jen Flood that showed Shirkey was proposing two one-week extensions of the state of emergency in exchange for a public agreement that future stay-at-home orders be enacted through the legislative process instead of an executive order.

Whitmer rejected that plan, sending back the message: "Michigan remains in a state of emergency regardless of the actions you decide to take or not take.

Its the latest twist in an ongoing dispute over the extent of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers executive authority during an emergency situation. Legislative Republicans say the COVID-19 state of emergency is only valid if its extended by the legislature, while Whitmer contends she still has emergency authority.

Asked about the exchange during a Wednesday press briefing, Whitmer said the question of reopening the economy should be based on facts and data, not political negotiation.

I dont know of any other legislature in the country that has just decided to declare that the global pandemic that killed...103 Michiganders since yesterday is over, she said. It is not over. We remain in a state of emergency until the order is rescinded, and I do not have any intention of rescinding that right now."

Shirkey spokesperson Amber McCann said Shirkey is extremely disappointed he found out the governor rejected his plan via the press.

If there was any interest in his caucus working with the governor, it has evaporated, she said.

Lawmakers havent yet made a final decision on whether to approve any extension for the state of emergency, which is due to expire at the end of the day April 30. Both the House and Senate have been called to session Thursday.

Whitmer asked for a 28-day extension earlier this week, but said it should be longer.

Both the House and Senate were called into session for hours Wednesday without much legislative action. With some members sitting in the gallery to observe social distancing recommendations, the House unanimously approved legislation that lays out a process for first responders to be notified if they might have been exposed to coronavirus on the job.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, previously told MLive there is a possibility the state of emergency doesnt get extended, adding House Republicans were prepared to take it to court if Whitmer pressed forward with unapproved executive powers.

Chatfield spokesperson Gideon DAssandro said Wednesday thousands of people have been hurt by executive orders that went too far, but said the House would continue negotiating for common-sense changes on Thursday.

Strong action is needed to combat this pandemic, but Michigans response has been a national outlier for the amount of harm it has caused and the amount of confusion and uncertainty it has created, he said.

Democrats in the legislature - many of whom have called for remote participation to avoid the risk of COVID-19 exposure from fellow lawmakers - were furious about the lack of action.

The Legislature sat in session for six hours and didnt take one action to help one person, Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said in a statement. "Everyone in this state seems to be taking COVID-19 seriously except for legislative Republicans.

Legislative Republicans arent the only ones concerned about Whitmers state of emergency powers. Protesters were at the Capitol Tuesday and Wednesday to express their distaste for the states stay-at-home order and the proposed state of emergency extension. Three got into an altercation with House sergeants Wednesday morning after being asked to leave the House gallery.

Another protest is scheduled for Thursday.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

Protesters of Michigans coronavirus response removed from House gallery

Whitmer seeks 28-day extension of Michigans coronavirus state of emergency

Whats the difference between Michigans stay-at-home order and state of emergency?

Michigan House Speaker not yet sold on extending coronavirus state of emergency

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extends stay-at-home order through May 15, relaxes certain restrictions

Michigan lawmakers move to limit Whitmers emergency authority, create coronavirus oversight committee
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Amazon has spent years honing the business of packing, shipping and delivering millions of products to doorsteps around the world.

Now it has a captive audience.

With much of the globe in various stages of a lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, the world's largest online retailer has become a lifeline to many shoppers. But it is also grappling with delivery delays and mounting complaints from workers who worry about contagion while on the job.

The company's website hit 2.54 billion visitors for the entire month of March, according to online research company Comscore. That marks a 65 per cent jump from the same period last year. Amazon will report quarterly earnings on Thursday, providing a first glimpse into its financial performance during the pandemic.

Discounters like Walmart and Dollar General that sell essential products have seen their shares soar 8 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. But Amazon has been a standout, with its stock up 22 per cent so far this year.

That's in contrast to the S&P, which has slid 11 per cent. Amazon is also hiring 175,000 more workers at a time when many businesses have cut back and are seeking federal aid.

At the same time, Amazon's vast empire is showing cracks. Deliveries that used to take just hours to arrive can instead take weeks or even months. High demand items like toilet paper and paper towels are frustratingly out of stock.

Probably the biggest issue facing the USD 1.1 trillion company is persistent complaints by warehouse workers of grueling hours of backbreaking work with little protection against catching the coronavirus.

A growing number of infections has increased pressure on the company to take steps that could further slow down operations, including shutting down some of its warehouses and easing productivity quotas.

"Amazon has gone from a nice-to-have to a necessity, said Jon Reily of Isobar, a global digital agency. It's becoming a public utility like the electric company or the water company. But they're putting pressure on workers. And workers are scared.

The most dramatic fallout came in France when a court ordered Amazon last week to stop delivering non-essential products for a month while it works out better worker safety measures. An appeals court upheld the ruling, although it expanded the number of products the company is allowed sell. Amazon responded by closing all its French warehouses, saying it is too complicated to separate out its activities.

Small groups of workers have staged walkouts at Amazon warehouses in New York, Chicago and Detroit, demanding that the facilities be closed for deep cleaning after workers there tested positive for the virus. Kentucky's governor ordered a warehouse in Shepherdsville closed for several days last month after workers there got infected.

Amazon has refused to say how many workers have fallen ill. It says it has stepped up protection measures, ramping up cleaning, implementing temperature checks, racing to distribute masks, staggering shifts and spreading out tables in break rooms. It is also allowing any worker who feels unsafe to stay home without pay through April, while offering a USD 2 hourly pay bump for those who stay on the job.

Amazon also says it's developing an internal lab that could potentially provide coronavirus tests for all employees, even those without symptoms.

It's unclear how many of Amazon's workers are staying home without pay or how many have been put into isolation because of contact with infected workers. But employees at some warehouses say absences are common.

Guiselle Diaz, 23, said she has not reported to her job at the Staten Island warehouse for weeks because she worries her asthma makes her vulnerable and she fears passing the virus to her 81-year-old grandmother, who lives with her.

"A lot of people are afraid, and a lot of people have conditions that stop them from going, Diaz said.

Amazon's competitors have faced similar challenges with delays, product scarcity and worker discontent. Walmart faced calls to step up safety measures after two workers from the same store contracted the virus and died. Some workers at grocery delivery services Instacart and Shipt, which is owned by Target, have walked off their jobs to demand greater safeguards against the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A teenager has lost a Supreme Court appeal after he was refused early release from Oberstown detention centre.

Judges dismissed the appeal today.

This appeal centred on whether children in detention are entitled to be treated the same as adults regarding remission of sentences.

It was previously accepted children in Oberstown are allowed the standard rate of one-quarter remission, if they are well behaved.

But solicitors for this boy claimed he should have been entitled to apply for enhanced remission of one third, as prisoners are.

He was sentenced to three years' detention after pleading guilty to robbery in 2017 - with 20 months suspended.

In 2018, he applied to get out early and be considered for enhanced remission.

He was refused, and his solicitors argued this placed him in a worse position than an adult prisoner and was unfair.

He sued through his mother but, in a Supreme Court judgment today, judges dismissed the appeal.

They say the Children's Act distinguishes clearly between adults and children.
Open-source researchers have linked a top general in Russias main security and intelligence agency to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine.



A report published jointly by Bellingcat and the Russian news site The Insider on April 28 said that Colonel General Andrei Burlaka, of Russias Federal Security Service, is one of the Russian officials whose calls with separatist militia leaders in eastern Ukraine were intercepted and recorded.



Three Russians and one Ukrainian have been identified by Dutch investigators, and a Dutch court began criminal proceedings against them last month. All four are believed to be in Russia.



Most of the 298 people on board MH17 were Dutch citizens. The jet was downed by a Russian-built surface-to-air missile system, which Dutch officials believe was secretly transported across the Russian border into Ukraine.

As part of their investigation, Dutch authorities released intercepted phone calls and called for public help in identifying some of the individuals heard on the calls.



One was a key figure named as "Vladimir Ivanovich." Bellingcat and The Insider identified him as Burlaka, who they said was the chief of operational staff for the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB.



The outlets said that they established Burlakas identity by searching phone records, travel data and comparing his voice from different recordings.



"This FSB general is the highest-ranking Russian official identified as a person of interest in the criminal investigation into the downing of MH17," Bellingcat said.



The Insider said Burlakas position in the Border Guard Service puts him close in the hierarchy to FSB director Aleksandr Bortnikov, who answers directly to President Vladimir Putin.



Burlaka was "in a crucial position to supervise the movement of weapons from Russia to Ukraine, and thus would have had to authorize the transfer of the Russian Buk missile launcher that shot the Malaysian airliner after crossing the border," Bellingcat said.



Russia has repeatedly denied any role in the crash, and refused to turn over the four men to stand trial in the Netherlands.
British dairy products destined for cafes and restaurants will now be going into homes of some of the most vulnerable families in the country.

A new partnership between three food charities and the UKs largest dairy co-operative will see milk and cheese provided to thousands of people who need it the most.

The challenges of coronavirus are hitting the dairy industry hard, with a surplus of milk now being produced on farms across the country.

To combat this, Arla Foods has partnered with FareShare, Food4Heroes, and Magic Breakfast to provide dairy for society's most vulnerable and NHS staff.

Working with Magic Breakfast, a national charity that gives healthy breakfasts for children, farmers who supply Arla will provide enough milk for 4.8m bowls of cereal over the next 12 weeks.

Arla, which has over 2,400 farmer owners, has committed over 35% of its milk produced at its site in Settle, North Yorkshire to the governments care packages for vulnerable people.

The dairy co-op will also expand its partnership with FareShare and support the charity Food4Heroes, supplying products to those most in need and NHS workers.

These donations have contributed in the production of 27,000 meals by Food4Heroes to the NHS every week.

Jonathan Dixon, Vice President of Foodservice for Arla Foods UK, said: To ensure milk isnt wasted, where there are temporarily less foodservice outlets to sell dairy products into, we are redistributing them to where they are needed most; to those being shielded, those on the front line at our hospitals, and the children who are in need of nutritious products to help stay healthy at this time.

Michael Shields, commercial manager at FareShare, thanked farmers who supply Arla for their 'generous donation' of UHT milk, cheese, yogurts and butter.

"Over the last month we've seen almost 500 new charities sign up to receive food from FareShare so our need has never been greater," he said.
As local businesses resume on Friday, the new 202 Main event venue will be making its debut.

An opening event is set for this Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 202 N. Main at the corner of Metcalf and Main streets in downtown Conroe.

The event will also feature businesses in the same building as 202 Main, including Branding Iron Custom Goods, Lone Star Community Radio, Main Street Mercantile and Race Ready Repair Bicycle Shop. Switch Hair Salon is also in the building, but it will open later per state guidelines.

Building owner Janese Sokulski said the businesses are creating a shopping event on the first day that Texas businesses can open again.

We are going to promote people wearing their masks, she said. We will also have masks for sale. Hand sanitizer will be available inside and outside the store.

The shops will also follow the guidelines of limiting customers to the 25-percent capacity allowed by the state.

The music act, Casual Heathens, will perform from 6 to 9 p.m. at 202 Main to showcase the venues sound system. Also, fellow downtown Conroe business Verneless New Orleans Bakery will provide treats for the occasion. Wine and beer will be available as well.

Were trying to make it the best of both worlds, to promote safety, but at the same time promote these businesses that havent been able to work in two months, said Keath Krueger who owns 202 Main along with his wife, Alison.

With this event, theyre hoping to get people comfortable with coming back out, but doing it in a safe way, Krueger said.

Krueger also owns the Branding Iron which has temporarily moved into 202 Main as renovations are taking place at the Crighton Theatre next to the Branding Iron. Alison Krueger owns the Switch Hair Salon that is next to 202 Main.

The venue 202 Main venue will offer indoor and outdoor space that can be used in a variety of ways for many types of different events. At first the capacity will be 100, but that number will later be expanded to 200 people.

The venue is currently booking dates for events. Call 936-788-3177 or email 202MainConroe@gmail.com to book an event.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
Gone are the days when Somalia's Gulf of Aden was considered the most dangerous piracy zone for oil companies and other seafarers.

But now, with offshore oil storage bursting at the seams as a result of a disastrously timed oil price war and the demand-decimating effects of COVID-19, the pirate's treasure trove is shifting.

The Gulf of Guinea, a key oil production hub adjoining no less than eight oil-exporting countries off the western African coast, is now officially the world's deadliest piracy hotspot.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the first quarter of 2020 witnessed a spike in maritime piracy across the globe, with 21 of the world's total of 47 attacks recorded in the Gulf of Guinea compared to the global total of 38 for last year's corresponding period. Seventeen crew members were kidnapped in the attacks, with the northeastern most part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean continuing to live up to its deadly billing.

Last year, the Gulf of Guinea was responsible for 121 kidnappings, good for 90% of the world's total kidnappings at sea.

Source: International Maritime Bureau

Economic Damages

The majority of the incidents occurred in Nigerian territorial waters, especially around the Niger Delta, but to a lesser extent, also in the shipping hub of the Port of Lagos.

Unfortunately, this trend is expected to continue well into 2021.

In a research note, Alexandre Raymakers, senior Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, says a lack of adequate equipment and personnel leaves local security forces unable to deal with the menace effectively. Related: Trump Could Use Nuclear Option To Make Saudi Arabia Pay For Oil War

Verisk cites frustration with the inequitable distribution of the region's vast oil and gas riches, a relatively well-trained militia that has honed its skills fighting in the Delta's secessionist movement, and regular ransom payments as key reasons why the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a rich hunting ground for pirates.

Verisk warns that international oil companies (IOCs) like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Eni and Total with operations out of Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are particularly at high risk of experiencing disruptive instances of piracy in their West African supply chains.

This comes at a dismally bad time for offshore drillers, with the likes of Shelf Drilling, Valaris, Maersk Drilling, and Borr Drilling set to lose up to $3B in lost contracts in the current year due the Covid-19/OPEC/OPEC+ situation.

The economic damages for oil companies and governments from piracy can be devastating.

Three years ago, it was estimated that the Nigerian government was losing 400,000 barrels of crude daily to pirates in the Gulf of Guinea worth some $1.5 billion a month. That worked out to nearly 5% of the country's GDP.

But it doesn't pay nearly as much to steal oil these days, and even pirates are on the losing end of the oil price culling.

With oil prices so low, Verisk says pirates are likely to change tact and resort to abducting crews for ransom.

What the world has learned about pirates since the days when Somali was a key hub is that they are incredibly adaptable to changing times--must more so than the industry or global security forces are.

Reduced Piracy Overall

The world has generally been seeing reduced activity in piracy hotspots of yesteryears, including Somalia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Related: Fleet Of 28 Saudi Oil Tankers Could Send U.S. Oil Prices Crashing In May

For nearly a decade, the Greater Gulf of Aden took the crown as the most dangerous of them all. But remarkably, piracy in Somalia has been virtually stamped out, with only a single failed attempt recorded last year, a far cry from the more than 200 attacks every year during its peak. In fact, no successful hijackings of cargo ships have been recorded in about seven years.

Armed with little more than skiffs, Kalashnikovs, and ladders, khat-chewing villains from Somalia terrorized the region's seas for years, hijacking cargo ships and extracting millions of dollars in ransom. They even managed to capture Hollywood's imagination in the 2013 hit film Captain Phillips. Defeating Somalia's piracy scourge required unprecedented cooperation by navies from different nations as well as concerted efforts to boost stability ashore.

But most importantly, it took a radical break with traditional shipping practices by deploying armed guards on commercial vessels to deter pirates from attacking.

The same strategy seems to be paying off elsewhere, with the IMB reporting that strategic deployment of marine police patrol vessels has mainly been responsible for the continued decline in piracy incidents in most Indonesian waterways and anchorages.

So now, it's time for yet another adaptation by the oil industry in order to avoid costly disruptions that it can't afford right now. That might mean that a military presence on cargo ships could end up being a must-have for the Gulf of Guinea and other hotspots.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Cheryl Robinson could tell the man was dying.

The registered practical nurse called the mans son, who was still hopeful, and suggested he come to Peel Manor in Brampton, where 10 residents with COVID-19 were isolated in the space that was once the adult day program on the ground floor.

When the son appeared on the other side of the glass, she opened the bedside window, allowing his voice to flow in with the breeze. Just a screen separated father and son. The resident could no longer speak, but Robinson believes hearing is the last sense to go. After his son left, she told the man he was loved.

He did not die alone. A personal support worker was with him, holding his hand, speaking softly, until his breathing stopped. After Robinson called his son and waited for the coroner to pronounce the death, she started a new task, something now asked of Ontarios front-line workers: taking care of a body with COVID.

Robinson shaved his face, just to make him look pretty, she said. She put a name tag on his toe. The way they do in crime shows on TV. She wrapped him in the white bedsheet, folding one side over the other before she and two colleagues lifted him onto the gurney, sliding him inside a white plastic body bag.

After closing the zipper, Robinson took a paper sticky tab and with a black pen wrote the word COVID. She taped it to the body bag, which is officially called a pouch, and pushed the gurney outside where the funeral home staff waited.

Robinson went home that night and cried. The next morning, her throat felt tight, from anxiety, she thought. Peel Manor, a Peel Region home, has had three COVID-related deaths, which does not compare to homes where dozens have died, but the trauma staff experience is real.

Across Canada, the emotional devastation from COVID-19 will impact a generation of adult children who could not say goodbye to their parents and the front-line workers who stood in for families, if they had time. Otherwise, women and men died alone.

We are everything for them, Robinson said. When they pass, we just talk to them about their families. And if they dont get to see them, we are glad to be with them, at the end.

There are many reasons why the long-term care system collapsed during the pandemic, among the most obvious is the fact many homes pay minimum wage and limit the workers to part-time hours with few benefits, forcing most to work in two or three homes. That is how a virus spreads.

Government and industry created this workforce of mostly women who are devalued by pay and position within the hierarchy of homes. Staff are expected to chase tasks: changing briefs; washing faces; pushing a wheelchair to dinner then whisking away the plates, all on schedule. They could make the same money in retail.

People in the industry say COVID can give a vicious death. For some, it involves the sensation of drowning as lungs fill up with a pus-like substance. Terrified it will come to her workplace, a registered practical nurse in the Hamilton area watches as it decimates homes nearby.

She said nurses in other homes describe residents drowning in mucus and to relieve their struggle for breath, even in a small way, staff position them upright in bed. Some are so weak they cannot stay up, so they are strapped in place, the nurse said. Then, staff sit with the resident, hold their hand and speak calmly, while they choke to death.

The trauma from that will change you forever, the veteran nurse said. She asked that her name not be used, saying nursing home staff are fired for speaking out.

Even with non-COVID deaths, the little traditions that honour a life are gone. Now, death is dehumanized, she said. All residents bodies are treated the same way under the official directives. Workers bring the gurney to the room, make sure the wheels are locked, the height is right and put the body inside the bag, which is a struggle. Once that is done, workers must wipe the flimsy bag with bleach, their resident inside.

It scares me to think that COVID will come into the building and take these beautiful old souls that I am caring for, the nurse said.

I am close to these people, I dont want to watch them suffer and die. And I dont want to wash them with bleach.

Most nursing home managers wont talk publicly about the suffering. Theres a fine line, said one long-term care leader.

Workers know. Its no surprise that homes are struggling to find staff willing to risk infection and the lasting mental images of COVID deaths, even with Premier Doug Fords temporary $4-an-hour wage increase.

In Ontario, the consequences of a precarious workforce are affecting thousands of vulnerable seniors, including those living in privately operated retirement homes. By the Stars recent count, there are outbreaks in 196 nursing homes and nearly 70 retirement homes.

Before the pandemic, Doris Grinspun, president and CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, said she assumed all seniors living in retirement homes were healthy and strong. I have learned my lesson on that, Grinspun said. Now, in morning telephone meetings with government officials and Ontarios chief medical officer of health, she advocates for seniors in all homes.

Sinai Healths Dr. Samir Sinha started counting retirement home deaths weeks ago, watching the numbers rise as he and researchers at the National Institute on Ageing tried to track COVID in both systems. Nursing and retirement homes are controlled by different legislation, but in reality, both care for seniors in the same state of fragility.

Many seniors are forced to pay for retirement homes because long-term care has no room. In February, the wait for a nursing-home bed was at least two years and probably closer to four, although, as one seniors advocate observed, darkly, There might not be a wait list when the pandemic is over.

Government inspection reports have long detailed systemic problems, providing boundless material for media, which led to stories on residents left in filthy briefs, pressure ulcers that didnt get proper care or people who died alone, strangled on restraints.

Theres another layer of neglect that doesnt appear as an inspection report violation. The loneliness or uselessness of life in long-term care. Age does not change the need for purpose, to participate in life based on an individuals talents or interests, the reason why advocates believe emotion-focused care should be part of any new nursing home strategy.

Ontario has been too timid or uninterested to transform the old ways. Government licences for new long-term care homes still allow the big box version that places 30 or more people in one unit, more like a hospital than a home. That design can also enable the spread of a virus, through one large space.

COVID has created a new recognition of the failed system, which will now include trauma. For families, theres a lifetime of guilt in knowing that a mother died alone. Workers will have ingrained memories of COVID deaths or bagging the bodies of residents they loved.

If politicians dont act on this, advocates say, then we had all better be prepared for a future of misery.

Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a few words on seniors at his daily briefing.

We need to do better. Because we are failing our parents, our grandparents, our elders  the greatest generation, who built this country. We need to care for them properly, Trudeau said.

On April 25, four minutes into Premier Doug Fords prepared statement, he dug into nursing homes.

This crisis has clearly shown the deeply rooted, long-standing cracks in our long-term care system. We need to do better, and we will do better, Ford said.

The federal government has been a tremendous partner to this point, but we really need them to step up. We need a sustained commitment on health care and long-term care from the federal government. We need them to do their part when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable in long-term care because we have a collective duty as a country, as a people, to protect the most vulnerable.

These words are both heartfelt and vague. Lets call them good intentions. The question is, will they disappear over time?

It may not be easy for them to just to slip away. Behind the scenes, advocacy groups, academics and doctors are collaborating to hold politicians to their word. Policymakers will have their feet held to the fire on seniors issues in a way that makes them take action, said Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge.

The conversation about a national long-term care act has gathered momentum since York University professor Pat Armstrong discussed it with reporters a few weeks ago.

Armstrong has previously written on the concept, but during the pandemic the idea of long-term care legislation is gaining traction.

I think there is a lot more appetite for some kind of national program, Armstrong said.

Citing the Canada Health Acts universal medical care, Armstrong recommends legislation that creates a nationally funded long-term care sector. Federal money could be tied to specific requirements of homes. Staffing and wages, for example, could be part of a labour strategy included in the legislation, she said.

The key, she said, is the creation of a workforce that allows staff to flourish, with a living wage and enough workers to spend quality time with residents.

I think we owe it to all those people who suffered and died from this to make it better.
Lucknow, April 29 : The Uttar Pradesh government has clarified that no irregularities had been committed in procurement of PPE kits that were supplied to doctors and para-medical staff of government medical colleges across the state, after start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additional chief secretary Avanish Kumar Awasthi said 3,500 PPE kits worth Rs 3.5 lakh were purchased in October 2019 by the Uttar Pradesh Medical Supply Corporation for doctors and para-medical staff treating the H1N1/SARS patients in medical colleges. The standard of the kits was for protection from H1N1/SARS.

He said that at the time of start of Covid pandemic there was a shortage of PPE kits so the government sent those (H1N1/SARS) kits to the medical colleges.

"After the purchase of kits for protection from Corona, the state government withdrew all H1N1/SARS kits that were dispatched to medical colleges earlier. The H1N1/SARS kits were used by doctors in various medical colleges and there was no report of infection. The old kits were purchased at the rate of Rs 115 per kit whereas the kits for protection from Corona are now being purchased at Rs 1,086 per kit," he said.

The official further said that now the state government was purchasing PPE kits made for protection from Corona from a central government factory in Coimbatore, DRDE in Gwalior, Heavy Vehicles Factory in Tamil Nadu and Small Arms Factory, Kanpur.

Surprise check of the quality of the kits is being done by Small Arms Factory, Kanpur as well, he added.

The official said that no irregularity was committed in the purchase of PPE kits. The then committees of experts, doctors and officers had approved the purchase of kits. They are according to standards and rules set by the state government.

The state government, on April 26, had ordered a probe by the Special Task Force (STF) into the leak of director general (DG), medical education, Dr KK Gupta's letter written to principals of medical colleges, warning them not to use PPE kits since they were of substandard quality. The letter was widely circulated on social media.
Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman, has continued to serve the nation and its cargo customers with eight chartered cargo-only round-trip flights in April.

The airline has flown a total of five round-trip flights to the Indian cities of Mumbai and Kochi to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to Oman, along with three round-trip flights to Guangzhou, China, to collect medical supplies for the Royal Oman Police, Ministry of Health and commercial customers. The flights, using passenger planes cargo capacity, have delivered over 190,000 kg of food and supplies to Oman.

Oman Air is prepared to operate cargo-only flights if they are required, along with any flights that might be needed to bring citizens to Oman, it said.

An Oman Air spokesman said: We fly to serve the Sultanate, whether we are delivering much-needed food and supplies or bringing people home. As we look forward to returning to scheduled passenger flights when it is safe do so, we are working carefully to help the nation in any way we can.

Every element of our ongoing operations is conducted with a commitment to ensure the health and well-being of our crew, all of whom have been exceptional in their professionalism and commitment to safety. -TradeArabia News Service
The government has been told by tenant farmers to pause plans for the upcoming post-Brexit policy change in food, farming and the environment.

With the UKs exit from the EU and the end of the transition period in December 2020, it remains the intention of the government to begin the transition to a new food and farming policy.

However, the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has argued that a 'further period of reflection' is necessary before significant adjustments are made due to the Covid-19 situation.

TFA National Chairman, Mark Coulman, said It feels like the governments strategy for food, farming and countryside policy was set in another era. Everything has changed massively in such a short period.

"We all need time to reflect about how we respond as we re-map what our future looks like, not just domestically but globally.

"It might be the case that we decide to follow the same or a similar strategy, but we must give ourselves the opportunity to reconsider the best way forward.

Much of the farming industry has capitalised on the growth of the food service sector, out-of-home eating, convenience shopping and wider diversification.

But these have all but disappeared in the UK government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, with retailers handed the monopoly on delivering food to consumers.

Panic buying, closed restaurants and takeaways, empty supermarket shelves and restrictions on imported food were unthinkable concepts just a few weeks ago," Mr Coulman said.

He said the Covid-19 crisis has underlined 'just how fragile we are': "We should take the opportunity of looking at ways to build future resilience for our food and environmental security.

"We wont do this through slavish adherence to the plans we laid prior to the current crisis. Neither can we afford to jump to knee-jerk changes without proper consideration.

The first step along the way is to decide whether the Agriculture Bill contains the right framework for developing future policy for food and farming, the TFA suggested.

While there are voices suggesting that the current Bill be scrapped, the group said it does not think that is necessary.

However, it does believe that the government needs to push back the start of policy transition from 2021 to 'at least 2022'.

"At the same time, those aspects of the Bill around food security, the importance of food production, targeting active farmers and the operation of supply chains should be strengthened to be equal with environmental priorities, said Mr Coulman.

"This will give us a firm basis for a resilient food, farming and farmed environment policy for the future.
The minister thanked the organization for its efforts in the release of illegally detained persons in Donbas.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger to use every effort to ensure the release of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia-occupied Crimea and the Russian Federation.

"We cannot forget about our people who were illegally detained in occupied Crimea and in Russia on fabricated charges," Kuleba told Greminger during talks via video link before the first meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, chaired by Ukraine, began on April 29. "Their relatives and friends count on our joint efforts in this matter."

Read alsoZelensky says talks on new prisoner swap with Russia under way

Kuleba thanked the OSCE for its efforts in the release of illegally detained persons in Russia-occupied Donbas.

In addition, the minister briefed the OSCE official on the priorities of the Ukrainian Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation and received assurances that the Secretariat would provide practical support for their implementation.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Labossiere evokes the possibility of a hunger riot

The economist Eddy Labossiere believes that the Covid-19 crisis will worsen the living conditions of the Haitian people and fears that we are not far from having a hunger riot See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30639-haiti-economy-high-prices-accentuate-food-insecurity.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-30631-icihaiti-social-1-million-haitians-suffer-from-severe-hunger.html



DR maintains the strengthening of its border

Members of the Specialized Border Security Corps (Cesfront) continue to strengthen the Dominican-Haitian border, as part of the measures adopted in the state of health emergency.



A woman at the head of the TPI of Croix-des-Bouquets

The Superior Council of the Judicial Power (CSPJ) brings to the knowledge of the public, in general, Magistrates, Lawyers, litigants and the world of the basoche, in particular that it was made choice of Me Grecia Norceus, Judge and Judge of Instruction at the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince, to occupy the post of Dean ai at the Court of First Instance of Croix-des-Bouquets following the vacancy produced at this Dean's office See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30648-haiti-justice-the-dean-of-the-tpi-of-croix-des-bouquets-and-2-judges-laid-off.html



Follow the International Finance Summit live

This Tuesday, April 28, 2020, the Group Croissance and its partners, including the BRH, launched the 10th edition of the International Summit on Finance which is taking place virtually. Follow all the presentations on https://haitisommetfinance.com



5 bandits arrested and weapons seized

Earlier this week in Port-de-Paix, during a routine patrol the Haitian National Police arrested five individuals Absolu Jeff (27), Belizaire Iliobert (36), Jean Louis Michel (38) Sarrete Max Junior (35) and Telcy Walguens (25) and seizure of several illegal firearms : 1 38-caliber pistol, 1 T65 rifle, 1 22-caliber revolver, 1 40-caliber weapon and 1 rifle 12 gauge.



Up to 165 million euros in EU aid...

In Haiti, the European Union will mobilize, in consultation with the Haitian government, the funds that were still available from the bilateral program envelope. This will include support for the Ministry of Health for the implementation of the Covid 19 crisis response plan. In addition to this funding, we will also increase our urgent and humanitarian response through ECHO. The global package of new or redirected actions to support efforts in response to the crisis may total up to 165 million euros.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Starbucks plans to reopen as many of its Canadian stores as possible between now and the end of May, the company announced this week.

Provincial bans on in-room dining remain in place.

For now, the stores will only offer drive-thru, delivery and pickup service, as has been the case at its locations that didnt close due to COVID-19, said Starbucks Canada President Lori Digulla in a letter to stores.

Our open stores have helped us learn so much, Digulla wrote.

She said drive-thru, delivery and takeout orders have increased substantially, and customer orders are larger than what the company experienced before COVID-19.

Digulla said the company will monitor and adjust operations as needed as more stores resume operations throughout May.

She said decisions to open more stores or expand services will be made on a community-by-community basis, working closely with local leadership, health authorities and provincial governments as the environment and regulations change.

The announcement from Starbucks comes as a number of provincial governments announced plans this week to gradually lift restrictions that came into effect to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Digulla said the company has developed a data-rich dashboard to help make decisions on when and where to reopen stores across the country. The dashboard includes government data on confirmed cases and COVID-19 trends.

Mandatory measures previously announced for Starbucks staff will remain in place, including face coverings for in-store staff, taking temperatures before shifts and extra cleaning precautions.

The company said it will also continue to pay catastrophe pay through to June 14 for employees who are self-isolating or may have COVID-19 symptoms, those whose store is closed, and those who cant work due to child-care obligations.

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On April 17, a month after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed quarantine orders across the southeast Asian country, ISIS-linked gunmen opened fire on a military convoy in the remote province of Sulu. They killed 11 troops attempting to conduct an operation against the leader of ISIS in the Philippines, who the armed forces has been tracking since he masterminded a deadly Cathedral bombing in January 2019.

That ambush was just one of several claimed by ISIS in April; two others took place in countries whose governments had never before officially recorded an attack. In the Maldives, soldiers of the caliphate set several boats ablaze in a warning to the Indian Ocean archipelagos apostate government, ISISs weekly Al Naba magazine boasted. On April 24 Mozambican authorities acknowledged for the first time that ISIS was present in their country, after police reported a massacre of 52 villagers in the oil-rich Cabo Delgado region. Like a spate of other recent attacks in Mozambiques northernmost province, the massacre was claimed by a local affiliate of the transnational jihadist group.

The violence offers a stark reminder that ISIS continues to pose a threat far beyond its heartland in Iraq and Syria, even as it wages an insurgency in both countries. It has also raised fears that the jihadist group will capitalize on COVID-19 induced instability to stage a broader resurgence. Since the pandemic started, and weakened the capacity of law or security enforcement around the world, ISIS has persisted in operations across Afghanistan, West Africa, Central Africa, the Sahel, Egypt, and Yemen, says Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online networks affiliated with jihadist and white supremacist organizations. ISIS has specifically exploited the pandemic with attacks in Iraq, the Maldives, and the Philippines, she adds, and aggressively publicized calls for attacks on the West.

Story continues

Those calls have apparently been heeded. On April 15, German police arrested four suspected ISIS members in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, who authorities believe were planning to attack American military facilities in the country. Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that extremist groups are taking advantage of COVID-19 lockdowns to spread hatred and intensify social media efforts to recruit young people spending more time online.

ISIS has now begun its annual barrage of increased incitements for the month of Ramadan, reads an April 21 SITE Intelligence communique. The holy month, which began on April 24, is a time for prayer and reflection for the vast majority of Muslims. But for years, ISIS has attempted to make it one of violence and bloodshed. Heres what to know about the threat the group poses amid COVID-19.

Mourners ride on a hearse during the funeral procession of a victim killed in the Jan. 27, 2019 cathedral bombing in Jolo, Sulu province on the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines. | Nickee ButlanganAFP via Getty Images

What Does ISISs Presence in Iraq and Syria Look Like Today?

In March 2019, American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the Syrian village of al-Baghouz, bringing an official end to ISISs self-proclaimed caliphate that, at its peak in 2015, spanned a land mass over Iraq and Syria that was roughly the size of Britain. Seven months later, a team of U.S. special operatives killed former ISIS leader al-Baghdadi in northwest Syria.

But neither ISISs loss of territory nor Baghdadis death, has prevented the group from functioning. In fact, there are still some 20,000 to 25,000 ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria, according to estimates by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The think tank estimates that another 15,000 to 20,000 fighters are attached to Al Qaeda-linked groups in Syria and Iraq.

ISIS has established safe havens in Syrias Badiya desert and the Jazira region along the Iraqi-Syrian border. From there, it amasses arms and perpetrates guerrilla hit-and-run attacks against local forces. In Iraq, ISIS conducted 34 operations between April 15 and April 21, according to SITE Intelligence. The Islamic State is attempting to restore its networks east and west of the Euphrates River as part of its desert strategy. The goal is to rebuild the movements territorial strength, says Seth Jones, director of CSISs Transnational Threats Project.

The pandemic itself is not likely to seriously aid the militant group, Jones tells TIME. What would boost it is thousands of imprisoned jihadists rejoining the battlefield.

Trumps abrupt pullout of most U.S. troops from northeast Syria last October had already compromised the Kurdish dominated SDFs ability to guard about 10,000 ISIS detainees imprisoned across more than 30 detention facilities in Northern Syria. A local COVID-19 outbreak could further jeopardize their control. On March 30, ISIS detainees overran a much smaller prison in Hasakah city, taking over a floor of the compound before SDF forces were able to quell the uprising. SDF authorities later said that fear of contracting the virus in such cramped quarters had compelled prisoners to stage the breakout attempt, according to reports compiled by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG).

A similar attempt at al-Hol, which U.S. forces have called a ticking time bomb, would add a disastrous new dimension to an already complex humanitarian crisis. Like all other Syrian detention camps, the 66,000 women and children at al Hol most of whom are relatives of ISIS fighterslive without adequate food or reliable medical services, much less soap, hand-sanitizer, and protective gear. Border closures restricting aid shipments have exacerbated already dire conditions amid the failure of western governments to repatriate their nationals. The strain of guarding and feeding tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated detainees is overwhelming the Kurdish administration, says Dareen Khalifa, ICGs senior Syria analyst. Should the virus hit these densely populated camps, we risk being in a position where we are just going to watch people die.

How Has ISIS Portrayed the Pandemic?

While recent articles in ISISs weekly Arabic-language Al Naba magazine stress that Muslims can be afflicted by COVID-19, the magazine initially suggested the virus was divine punishment against communist China. When cases spiked in Iran, Al Naba declared it a warning to Shiite polytheists. In Europe, ISIS said COVID-19 constituted retribution for crusader nations and cautioned its members in the Levant against travel to affected countries while urging those already in Europe to carry out attacks.

Those calls have found echoes around the world. In West Africa, the leader of ISIS-allied Boko Haram claimed the virus is a punishment for those who disobey Islam and proposed piety as a solution; an Indonesian ISIS supporter claimed it was retribution for Baghdadis death and called for attacks against the U.N.; and ISIS-linked accounts in the Philippines have disseminated threats against Muslims who follow government directives on COVID-19.

The uptick in propaganda has corresponded with ramped up efforts to make more English language content available on ISIS channels, monitors say. Although the effect is difficult to quantify, the pandemic has made for conditions very well-suited to recruitment, says SITEs Katz, adding that the pro-ISIS groups are now active on more than a dozen social media platforms.

After high profile IS attacks in recent years in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Nice, etc., there was always an uptick in new jihadi channels and opportunism to get further support, Michael Krona, author of The Media World of ISIS wrote on Twitter on April 27. During Corona in [the] last month there has been a similar significant increase in activity online.

Is ISIS the only extremist group trying to exploit the pandemic?

Far from it. In a recent communique, Al-Qaeda cast the coronavirus striking the Muslim world as a consequence of our own sins and our distance from the divine methodology. In Afghanistan, meanwhile the Taliban has adopted a different approach to COVID-19, increasing its political clout in the process. The group has assisted efforts to limit the spread of the virus, including by declaring ceasefires in areas under its control that have suffered COVID-19 outbreaks, set up quarantine centers, and run public health awareness campaigns, among other initiatives.

Because they control informal economies, groups like the Taliban or Lebanons Hezbollah are better placed to benefit from coronavirus than ISIS, says Nate Rosenblatt, a Middle East and North Africa security expert. A unique set of mostly political circumstances enabled ISIS to emerge in Syria, but for now, COVID-19 is shifting economic paradigms more than political ones, Rosenblatt says, adding that governments in the Middle East are not at imminent risk of collapse; their economies are. That could change if prolonged economic depression induces unrest or new terrorist attacks foment mass panic.

In the U.S., it is white supremacist and far-right nationalist groups who pose the greatest threat to homeland security. Telegram channels associated with white supremacy and racism grew by more than 6,000 users over the month of March, according to data the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue shared with TIME earlier in April, with one channel one white supremacist channel specifically focused on messaging related to COVID-19 growing its user base by 800%.

Does the spike in propaganda mean an attack in the West is more likely?

In the U.S., at least, the risk posed by far-right terrorism has surpassed that of jihadist groups like ISIS, according to CSIS Jones, but Europe is a different ballgame.

Since ISIS emerged in 2014, the group has tried to carry out attacks in the West in line with its official propaganda. Thats been integral to how the group garnered global attention and support. Matching words with deeds has been the centerpiece of the groups efforts to build a power of persuasion, says Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst, and lecturer at Johns Hopkins Universitys Global Security Studies Program. He adds that ISISs ability to follow through on specific threats is one of the factors that has made it much more successful at recruitment that Al Qaeda. ISIS propaganda has in fact been a credible source of information about where we can expect to see the terrorist groups members and supporters attempt to perpetrate terrorist attacks.

While all kinds of extremist groups are ready to exploit citizens grievances over their governments handling of the pandemic, governments themselves can exacerbate those grievances. For Smith, moves towards authoritarianism under the guise of protecting their citizens from COVID-19 will deepen pre-existing societal divisions and almost certainly enhance some peoples receptiveness to calls for support from extremist enterprises. In places like the Philippines, Hungary, Egypt, and Israel, activists say such anti-democratic moves are already underway.

Correction: May 6

The original version of this story misstated the date on which German police arrested four ISIS supporters, as well as where the arrests took place. German police arrested four suspected ISIS members on April 15 in North RhineWestphalia, not on April 12 near Frankfurt.
Victoria's coronavirus caseload has fallen below 50 for the first time in more than a month, yet the pandemic has led to the cancellation of another signature event, the Royal Melbourne Show.

Three new Victorian cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 1354. A woman in her 80s became the 18th person in the state to die of the virus.

Efforts to flatten the curve continue to pay dividends, with the number of active coronavirus cases in Victoria at its lowest since the grand prix cancellation in the middle of March.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 49 active coronavirus cases in Victoria. Eighteen people are in hospital, including nine in intensive care, and a total of 1287 people have recovered.
Eniola Badmus has come out to react after she cane under serious heat from her followers on Instagram for allegedly holding onto a sponsors N500,000.

Eniola Badmus was given the sum of N500k to share with some poor Nigerians to help cushion the effect of the lockdown caused by the deadly COVID-19 in the country and she held onto the money after the sponsor refused to pay her N150,000 for the giveaway services.

The Screenshots of the DM leaked online shows that Eniola Badmus only mentioned the 150,000 charges after the man had sent the money. She had already posted the 500,000 giveaway on her Instagram page before the deal went sour.

To worsen the case, Eniola Badmus has allegedly blocked the sponsor from reaching her.

The actress has now clarified the issue with a new post on her twitter page. She wrote;

I woke up to this and i thought it would be nice to give clarity and clear the air on it. The incident hasnt nothing to do with taking advantage of people or discouraging the need to give out especially using my platform.

This particular person indicated interest to do a five hundred thousand Naira giveaway and i felt there will be extra cost for bank charges and stamp duty, which i wasnt going to bare the transfer charges for that, so i asked he bares it.

But in scenarios where people engage you as an influencer to drive giveaways from a business point of view, then business conversations need to happen.

Meanwhile i posted the giveaway already on my page and his been enjoying the fame because he insisted i put his handle.

We all know sending money to 100 people is quite tasking, is just funny the way people are quick to judge.

The post Eniola Badmus reacts after fans accused her of 500k Giveaway Fraud appeared first on .

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Ever since slaughterhouses became coronavirus hot spots, the meat industry has been asking the Trump administration for help.

Hundreds of employees have been getting sick or not showing up for work for fear of contracting the virus. Labor unions, which had been largely quiet in their dealings with many of the large meat companies before the pandemic, started to hold regular news conferences to highlight the growing number of deaths among their workers.

And in some states, health departments were shutting down meatpacking plants, even as the companies warned that the nations meat supply was in peril.

An industry used to getting what it wants was uncharacteristically on its heels. On Tuesday, President Trump finally gave the meat companies what they were looking for  a broad declaration that the slaughtering and processing of beef, chicken and pork is a critical infrastructure and that federal agencies would now set the criteria for ensuring workers safety amid the pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 00:01:06|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang spoke over phone with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, with both sides expressing commitment to beefing up cooperation to fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

Li said that in the face of the global spread of the epidemic, China and the European Union (EU) have been supporting and helping each other.

Under the current circumstances, China is ready to join hands with the EU to carry forward the spirit of solidarity and boost exchanges and cooperation on the prevention and control of the epidemic as well as on economic recovery, Li said.

China hopes that the EU will continue to provide security guarantee for the Chinese nationals in Europe, he said.

Li pointed out that the virus knows no borders, and both China and the EU advocate multilateralism.

The EU has responded positively to the initiatives of the United Nations and the World Health Organization to carry out international cooperation in combating the epidemic, Li said.

China is ready to work with the EU to actively participate in the research, development and production of vaccines, drugs and diagnostic reagents and provide support to those places where the public health systems are weak, he said.

The Chinese premier expects the international community to make joint efforts and overcome the epidemic at an early date.

Von der Leyen, for her part, said since the COVID-19 outbreak, the EU and China have maintained close coordination to tide over the difficulties.

The response to the global pandemic requires the solidarity and coordination of all countries in the world, she said.

The EU stands ready to reinforce cooperation with China to fight against the epidemic jointly, restore economic development gradually and carry out international cooperation on the research and development of vaccines and drugs, she added.
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Linkedin Curtis S. Chin (The Jakarta Post) Washington, D.C., United States  Wed, April 29, 2020 13:32 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4f3791 3 Opinion ASEAN,Indonesia,COVID-19,pandemic,Harold-Burson,public-relations Free

As Indonesia continues its battle against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, I cannot but help wonder "what might Harold say". That would be the late Harold Burson  a pioneer in crisis management who was recognized by the industry publication PRWeek in 1999 as the most influential PR person of the 20th century.

What lessons might Harold share that would hold true across ASEAN including in nations as diverse as small, wealthy Singapore and Brunei, and the giant, archipelago nations of Indonesia and the Philippines?

Harold, a longtime mentor of mine, passed away this January in Memphis after complications from a fall at the age of 98. And, in February, I traveled from Southeast Asia, where I am based with the Milken Institute Asia Center in Singapore, to New York, to speak at a memorial service for Harold.

His firm Burson-Marsteller  now Burson Cohn & Wolfe  had been engaged by clients ranging from the United States Postal Service, when letters laced with anthrax began appearing in the US mail after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, before, during and after the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), in 2002.

I was part of the US team that worked with the Hong Kong government in its communications surrounding SARS  a disease linked to the SARS coronavirus, SARS-CoV. Hong Kong would go on to bear the disproportionate brunt of the deaths and economic impact outside of mainland China, where SARS first appeared in November 2002 according to the World Health Organization.

Lessons learned during those difficult times have now aided others in their efforts to face the ongoing pandemic of SARS-CoV2, which causes COVID-19.

At the Lincoln Center memorial service, I shared five simple, enduring principles I learned from Harold. All of ASEAN's leaders might also take Harold's wisdom to heart, and come together to deliver and communicate a vigorous, integrated health and economic response to COVID-19 at both the national and regional levels.

Be kind.

With a growing percentage of the world's population in lockdown, tensions driven by close proximity for weeks on end are likely to raise tempers and the chances for conflict. Certainly, be mindful, but let us also remember the power of kindness and compassion.

At a firm with thousands of employees, Harold always made time to offer a kind word, write a note of thanks or send an encouraging email.

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible," the Dalai Lama is famously said to have shared. And Harold would no doubt have agreed, even in these most difficult of times, particularly for the poorest and all those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Be humble.

Corporate titans and presidents  including that other great communicator, Ronald Reagan  took to Harold. Every leader develops his or her style. And for Harold, leadership also meant a steely humbleness.

Think Yoda, more than Gen. Douglas MacArthur. That is something leaders today might also embrace in communications. Past success, including against COVID-19, is certainly no predictor of future outcomes, and leaders will want to not declare "mission accomplished" too soon. And as president Reagan might well have famously reiterated at one of his monthly meetings with Harold, "Trust but verify."

Be accountable.

In building a global business, Harold was no stranger to setbacks or the need to make corrections. He knew though that accountability is not a punishment or simply about water under the bridge. Through accountability comes change and progress.

As Los Angeles-based Fay Feeney, CEO of advisory firm Risk for Good, tells me, "Accountability is an assurance that an individual or an organization will be evaluated in their performance or behavior related to something for which they are responsible." And they will be stronger for it.

Earn trust.

A basic tenet of public relations is echoed in legendary investor Warren Buffett's oft-quoted statement, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'd do things differently."

Reputation, like trust, can be lost quickly. And trust, Harold taught me, like a good reputation must be earned over time. That is true for nations too. Ongoing doubts over the accuracy of COVID-19 case data from China is due in no small part to longstanding doubts about the accuracy over Chinese economic data and how that nation likely misled the Word Health Organization and others during the SARS outbreak.

Tell the truth.

So, how to earn trust in the age of coronavirus? The solution, Harold might have said, is as simple as tell the truth. More than that, ensure a system that encourages and allows others to tell and report the truth.

These might sound like old-fashioned words of wisdom from a century past but they hold true today for all countries, businesses and individuals in Indonesia and elsewhere as we battle the direct and indirect consequences of the ongoing pandemic.

This past Feb. 15, Harold would have celebrated his 99th birthday. He had hoped to make it to 100 years of age  "I'm working on it!" he had said to me but his story is not fully over. He will live on to 100 and beyond through his ideas, his values and through all of us in ASEAN  if each of us embrace his decency, his humanity, his wisdom.

Be kind. Be humble. Be accountable. Earn trust. Tell the truth.

The first few months of 2020 and the spread of COVID-19 underscore that these are 20th century lessons that must not be forgotten in the 21st.

***

Former United States ambassador to the Asian Development Bank; managing director of advisory firm RiverPeak Group, LLC.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
This Is A Priceless Picture

Sr Bachchan revealed that Abhishek had visited the actor in Nepal when he was shooting for the film. He shared a black-and-white picture in which the two of them are seen in life jackets, while sitting on a kayak.

Big B Talks About The Accident

The Brahmastra actor revealed on his blog that he and Abhishek went kayaking in the rapids but "almost drowned there. .. got stuck in the kayak as it turned over and could not turn it around in the rapid waters". He wrote on his blog, "in that little break in the shoot to go kayaking with the little fellow .. Abhishek .. the rapids in Nepal are famous the world over and is a very popular sport among the tourists that come from all over the world."

Big B recalled how their photographer came to their rescue and continued, "Alam, who travelled with me, realised the situation jumped in and turned the boat over and saved me."

The Superstar Regrets Throwing Away His Rimmed Glasses From The Film

Speaking about getting rid of them, he continued in his blog, "it remained with me for some time and then in the spring cleaning of the home got rid of them .. a whole bunch of them just threw them away .. Abhishek almost killed me for doing that because they became the in thing in todays times."

Giving some advice to his fans, Big B said, "if you've been around long enough, or are planning to be around long enough .. NEVER throw out the old stuff .. lessons learnt."

The Superstar Shared A Hilarious Throwback From Mahaan Sets

Amitabh Bachchan left everyone in splits with his funny caption for this throwback picture that read, "Somebody was explaining to me why I was not getting the big numbers on Insta. Unlike all the other youngGEN. He said: 'Because you can't put up a pic in a bikini!' And suddenly this one popped up... not quite a bikini... It's more "bhara hua kini" from my film Mahaan. Triple role... and today 37th year of its release!"
Incumbents in two Lake County races defeated challengers in contests that couldnt be more different.

According to unofficial final results from the Lake County Elections Board, taking nearly 75 percent of the vote in the Republican Primary  with 12,027 votes  was longtime County Engineer James Gills, who soundly defeated Mentor resident Dave Ray, who netted 4,080 votes equaling 23.33 percent of the vote.

There is no Democratic challenger in the November general election.

Gills has served in the position for nearly 20 years and told The News-Herald he looks forward to continuing the work his office has recently undertaken.

In a much tighter race, Lake County Recorder Becky Lynch won the Republican nomination by just 262 votes.

Lynch tallied 8,568 votes, for 50.76 percent of the vote, to Painesville Township Trustee Gabe Cicconettis 8,306 votes, yielding 49.22 percent.

Former recorder Ann M. Radcliffe, who ran unopposed on the Democratic side, lost the position to Lynch in November 2016. The two will face each other again in November.

Citing experience of her first term, Lynch said shes brought responsible, business-minded logic to the Recorders Office since she was first elected in January 2017 and will continue to do so.

In my first year, I secured a vendor refund from a botched 2015 contract, she told The News-Herald. This effort brought back the amount of $108,183 to Lake County. We recycled these dollars into efficiently modernizing land records software systems which were 20 years old. We now offer state-of-the-art service to all our customers.

Lynch also noted that she has recently reopened the Lake County Recorder Records Room on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It will no longer be necessary for land professionals to make a House Bill 197-appointment, she added. Our land professionals need to be able to carry on their business. When the Ohio Legislature passed the bill, some hurdles proved higher than others. Im confident all parties will respect the national, state and local laws and coronavirus health directives in place.

Geauga County

Meanwhile, in three key contested races on the Republican side in Geauga County, voters decided to retain familiar faces while also promoting a longtime employee in the Recorders Office.

There were no Democratic candidates running to face these primary winners in November.

According to unofficial final results from the Geauga County Elections Board, Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri secured 7,494 votes equaling 62.28 percent of the vote over South Russell Township Councilman Dennis M. Galicki.

Sheriff Scott A. Hildenbrand was soundly nominated, netting 10,318 votes for 83.2 percent of the vote over Newbury Township challenger Jimmy Lee Holden, who tallied 2,083 votes (16.8 percent).

A closer race saw Juvenile/Probate Court Judge Timothy Grendell defeat private practice attorney Matthew Rambo 6,580 to 6,109 for 51.86 percent of the vote.

Chief Deputy Recorder Celesta Mullins is in line to become the countys new recorder after securing 6,175 votes for 53.54 percent over opponent Kerry Lynch Quay, who totaled 5,358 votes for 46.46 percent.

Mullins will succeed incumbent Sharon Gingerich, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the unique circumstances of this primary election could lend itself to a higher than usual number of properly postmarked ballots arriving after April 28.

This could mean that results for some races and issues could change in the official count.

Ballots returned by mail containing a postmark on or before April 27 must be received by boards of election by May 8 in order to be counted.
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.
"If the world lives for money, anyone who demonstrates that life can be fulfilled in the gift and renunciation becomes a nuisance for the greed system." The drama of persecution is also the place of liberation from subjection to the worlds success, vainglory and compromises. What do those who are rejected by the world for Christs sake rejoice in? They rejoice that they have found something worth more than the whole world."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "There are many Christians who suffer persecutions in various areas of the world right now" and "today's martyrs are more than the martyrs of the first centuries," reaffirmed Pope Francis in his address for today's general audience, dedicated to the eighth Beatitude: "Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5:10).

During the audience, which also took place today in the private library, greeting the French-speaking faithful, Francis entrusted "the mercy of God to those affected by unemployment because of the current pandemic".

The Beatitudes, the Pope stressed, are "a unitary path". "The poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who thirst for holiness, those who are merciful, those who are pure in heart and those who are peacemakers might experience persecution for Christs sake. But in the end, this persecution is a cause of joy of great recompense in heaven. The path of the Beatitudes is one of a Paschal journey that leads from a life according to the world to one that is of God; from an existence guided by the flesh, that is, by selfishness, to one guided by the Spirit. The world, with its idols, its compromises, and its priorities cannot approve this type of existence. If the world lives on the basis of money, whoever demonstrates that life can be fulfilled through giving and renouncing becomes a nuisance to this system of greed.

When sanctity and a life lived as children of God come to the fore, in that beauty which is uncomfortable because it begs that a position be taken: either one allows oneself to be open to the question and to the good or one rejects the light and hardens ones heart, even to the point of opposition and hounding (see Wis 2:14-15). It is curious, it calls our attention to see how, in the persecution of martyrs, hostility grows to the point of hounding. It is enough to see the persecutions of the last century, of the European dictatorships: how one arrives at this hounding of Christians, against Christian witness and against the heroism of Christians.

But this shows that the drama of persecution is also the place of liberation from subjection to the worlds success, vainglory and compromises. What do those who are rejected by the world for Christs sake rejoice in? They rejoice that they have found something worth more than the whole world. In fact "what advantage is there that a person should gain the whole world and lose his or her own life?" (Mk 8,36). What advantage is there?

It is painful to remember that, at this moment, there are many Christians who suffer persecution in various parts of the world. We must hope and pray that their tribulation will end as soon as possible. There are many of them: the martyrs of today are more numerous than the martyrs of the first centuries. We express our closeness to these brothers and sisters: we are one body, and these Christians are the bleeding members of the body of Christ, which is the Church.

But we must also be careful not to read this beatitude in a victimising or self-pitying key. In fact, contempt is not always synonymous with persecution: just shortly after Jesus says that Christians are the "salt of the earth", He warns against the danger of losing its flavour", otherwise salt "is good for nothing else but to be thrown away and trampled by people" (Mt 5:13). Therefore, there is also a contempt which is our fault when we lose the flavour of Christ and His Gospel.

We must be faithful to the humble path of the Beatitudes, because it leads to being of Christ and not of the world. It is worth remembering Saint Pauls journey: when he thought he was a righteous person he was actually a persecutor, but when he discovered that he was a persecutor, he became a man of love, who happily faced the suffering of the persecution he suffered (cf Col 1.24).

Exclusion and persecution, if God grants us that grace, make us resemble Christ Crucified and, associating us with His passion, are the manifestation of new life. This life is the same as Christs, who for us and for our salvation was despised and rejected by men (cf. Is 53: 3; Acts 8: 30-35). Welcoming His Spirit can lead us to have so much love in our hearts to offer to the world an uncompromising life in the face of its deceptions and accepting its rejection. Compromises with the world are the danger: the Christian is always tempted to make compromises with the world, with the spirit of the world. This - refusing compromises and taking the path of Jesus Christ - is the life of the Kingdom of heaven, the greatest joy, true joy. And then, in persecutions, there is always the presence of Jesus who accompanies us, the presence of Jesus who consoles us, and the strength of the Holy Spirit who helps us to go ahead. Let us not be discouraged when a life consistent with the Gospel attracts the persecution of the people: there is the Spirit who sustains us on this road."
A Washougal man who brought a Make America Great Again hat to an Evergreen Public Schools employee training session on diversity and racial equity has filed a federal lawsuit alleging he was defamed and deprived of his civil rights because of his political beliefs.

Eric Dodge, a former teacher, names former Wyeast Middle School Principal Caroline Garrett and district human resources manager Janae Gomes in the complaint filed in United States District Court. The complaint alleges that Dodge suffered emotional devastation and a recurrence of debilitating stroke symptoms after being verbally attacked and defamed by his new principal for the political opinions he held as a private citizen  specifically, statements in support of President Trump, according to the complaint.

The incident occurred over two days during a series of staff training sessions prior to the beginning of school, including a first-day session on implicit bias, diversity and racial equity, according to district documents. Dodge said in the complaint that he had the cap with him during those sessions but did not wear or purposefully display the hat inside either Wyeast or at a different training session the second day at Evergreen High School.

Public records obtained from the school district offer a more detailed timeline of events, including concerns expressed by multiple teachers about the hat, a district investigation that revealed no wrongdoing and, ultimately, Garretts resignation from her position at the middle school.

Garrett did not respond to a request for comment, and Evergreen Public Schools declined to comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit. The district does not comment on pending litigation.

Dodge was assigned to teach science at Wyeast Middle School for the 2019-2020 school year following a leave of absence after he had a stroke in 2017, according to his lawsuit. The position at Wyeast was new to Dodge, who worked at the district for 17 years.

On Aug. 22, Dodge arrived for racial equity training at the school, and had put on the Make America Great Again hat on his way into the building. In his lawsuit, Dodge said he had previously purchased the hat as a conversation-starter, with the idea of explaining that ordinary and normal people support Trump, despite some of Trumps flaws, and to protect his head from sun damage. Dodge said he removed the hat once he entered the building.

According to an investigation by Clear Risk Solutions, which the district contracts with for risk management services, several teachers expressed concerns to the trainings instructor, as well as to administrators, about Dodge bringing the hat to school. One teacher, Amy Matsumoto, told investigators she was shocked to see Dodge with the hat in a cultural diversity training. She pointed out the schools large population of Latino and Hispanic students who may feel uncomfortable if Dodge chose to wear the hat in class.

According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, about 35.1 percent of the schools 868 students identify as Hispanic or Latino. Trumps comments about Latino people, particularly Mexican immigrants, have been criticized as being incendiary and racist since he first announced his campaign for president.

Following the training, Garrett approached Dodge to ask him about the hat. According to the Clear Risk Solutions investigation, Garrett said she told Dodge she was not concerned about his politics, but about the impact he was having on the learning environment of his colleagues, some of whom felt worried, upset, threatened and intimidated. She advised him to use good judgment in wearing the hat, then left.

The following day, according to the investigation and lawsuit, Dodge left his hat in his car when he went to Wyeast. Later in the day, however, he donned the hat to wear in the parking lot to a training at Evergreen High School.

According to the investigation, Garrett received a text from a teacher concerned that Dodge had again decided to wear the hat at a school event. She approached him later in the day to talk to him.

There, Garrett and Dodges stories split.

Dodge alleges Garrett became aggressive and hostile, demanding to know what is the fing deal with you and your hat? Dodge also claims Garrett berated him, calling him a racist, bigot, homophobe, liar and hateful person.

Garrett, meanwhile, described a more leveled approach to investigators. Garrett said she told Dodge other teachers were offended, worried and confused, and that she didnt want to see him wearing the hat anymore. She further denied calling Dodge a racist or a bigot, and said she didnt remember raising her voice during the conversation.

Dodge filed a complaint to Human Resources, which Dodge claims was handled in a biased and unfair manner.

Dodge said the district asked him to withdraw the complaint but he refused. The district, per its nondiscrimination policy, escalated the complaint to the formal investigation conducted by Clear Risk.

Investigators found that Dodge did not violate district policy by wearing the hat, and also found that Garretts actions did not violate the districts harassment, bullying and intimidation policy. Dodge appealed the complaint to the districts board of directors.

The school board, again, found no violation of district policy, but asked Garrett to attend the next school board meeting to answer outstanding questions about whether you conducted yourself in an appropriate or professional manner, according to a letter the district sent to Garrett.

At its Dec. 10 meeting, the school board met in executive session to discuss the performance of a public employee, an allowed exemption from the Open Public Meetings Act. Ten days later, Garrett, who was hired by the district in 2010, resigned effective April 2, but left her job immediately and took all her accrued vacation and sick leave leading up to the April resignation date, according to district records.

Garrett also received severance equal to her salary from April 2 through June 30. According to the districts salary schedule for principals, Garretts base annual salary was $150,170.

Dodge, who has been on leave from the district since early in the 2019-2020 school year, is seeking lost wages and emotional damages. One of his attorneys, Michael Estok, described the events as textbook violations of harassment, intimidation and bullying policies.

People who are public employees enjoy certain First Amendment rights, Estok said. They shouldnt be targeted or treated differently because they have certain political viewpoints. Thats whats going on here.

 Katie Gillespie, The Columbian
Henry Walker is like many small business owners in the Houston region. The 36-year-old Bayou City native was laid off from an oilfield job more than five years ago and after unsuccessful efforts to find new work, he instead opened his own business  Legacy Barbell, a unique, California-style gym for folks who are very serious about fitness.

The business, which Walker founded four and a half-years ago, didnt just give him a new job and income, he says it saved his life from depression and other health issues.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: University of St. Thomas to reopen, Houston's largest church resumes

Now, less than three months after a relocation into a new 9,000 square foot structure with high-tech air filtration and disinfectant systems, his business has been shuttered since March 18 due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and resulting government mandates to close.

That is changing on Thursday, though, as Walker plans to reopen his facility to the more than 800 dues-paying customers at 8 a.m. He cited the recent comments from Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough who said Gov. Greg Abbotts planned reopening strategy was vague and that until it was tweaked to have more legal teeth, county businesses could reopen on Friday.

We are a gym, an actual true gymsome people mislabel us as a hard core gym that is dirty and dingy. I describe us as a serious place for people who are serious about goals. On March 18, we closed our doors. I said, this is for the betterment of the community and Im closing my doors, Walker explained. The mandate came down from the (county) judge and the county commissioners, so we decided to close.

REOPEN TEXAS: Abbott announces which Texas businesses can and can't open May 1

That closure left not only himself unable to work, but the other six employees on staff, too. Fitness trainers at the gym are independent contractors and the gym has six full-time employees. There are dozens of personal trainers that also work at the gym, however they are classified as independent contractors and not on Walkers payroll. The gym was a dream he had after losing a job in the oilfields five years ago, and, he says it saved his life from severe depression.

The gym was originally located inside a different 4,000 square foot space; but Walker moved into the new location on Hanna Road in Oak Ridge North roughly three months ago. Soon after, he had to close due to restrictions on what businesses were deemed essential and allowed to remain open.

I just did all that (relocation and improvements) and the county said, youve to close. I put a half million dollars into the business and we were open three weeks and they said, close, Walker added, noting that he has been sweating bullets with concern and stress over paying his mounting bills.

PUSHING BACK: Montgomery County commissioners call Abbotts plan to reopen Texas economy vague

Walker also said he is concerned about how government officials define essential businesses, especially designating his gym  what he calls a health facility  non-essential while allowing other stores such as furniture stores to remain open.

I am kind of waiting to see what happens with the governor. It is not a good thing, he is going back on it and changing his verbiage. The judge will then change what he says and well have to figure out what to do, Walker said. Weve all been sitting on our butts for six weeks. You cant tell me were unsafe compared to a movie theater. We clean everything here with barbicide, which kills HIV, all sorts of things worse than cornoavirus.

Walker also said other businesses that may open, like movie theaters cannot be safer than a gym that is cleaned vigorously. He also said the mere act of working out is a form of healthcare, as athletes are active and the workouts aid in making immune systems stronger which in turn leads to healthier people. He was also concerned about how an essential business is defined.

MORNING REPORT: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox

Now, Walker plans to reopen for his remaining members  during the shutdown he said about 20 percent of his monthly membership quit due to financial issues  but with somewhat limited hours. The gym will reopen from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Then 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For someone to tell me I cannot open my business because they dont deem it essential, then I want them to go without a paycheck, Walker said. Spend six weeks in my life where every dream youve built is in jeopardy because someone made decisions with a bunch of big businesses.

jeff.forward@chron.com
[April 29, 2020] Behavox Announces Key Leadership Posts

Behavox, an end-to-end Data Operating Platform that enables organizations to aggregate, analyze and act on their internal data, today announced it has appointed two veteran technology industry executives to help the company capitalize on market opportunities and continue growing at scale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005409/en/ BEHAVOX ANNOUNCES KEY LEADERSHIP POSTS (Photo: Business Wire) Neil Wu Becker was named Behavox's Chief Marketing Officer, and Derek Sidebottom was named Chief Human Resources Officer. Both Wu Becker and Sidebottom will report directly to Behavox Founder and CEO Erkin Adylov. "Both Neil and Derek are high-energy executives with strong, demonstrated experience in fast-growing, pre-IPO technology companies," Adylov said. "They bring their respective expertise to Behavox at an opportune moment of growth for the company as we rapidly scale product, team and geographies. I am delighted to have them both on board as members of our senior leadership team." Wu Becker is an award-winning global marketing leader with a penchant for establishing high-performing teams and creative integrated marketing plans that acceleratedemand for technology companies. His management background is in B2B enterprise marketing for pre-IPO, unicorn, SaaS and public technology companies seeking to grow at scale. Prior to Behavox, Wu Becker held top marketing posts at Apttus, A10 Networks (News - Alert), Micron and Cisco. He will be chartered with growing Behavox's brand awareness and customer demand as it serves enterprises in multiple markets.



"Behavox takes a unique and compelling approach to protecting and promoting business growth for enterprises," Wu Becker said. "Its AI and machine learning galvanize various functional groups to tighten compliance and risk management while spotlighting previously unseen opportunities for improving productivity. I look forward to helping Behavox continue creating, moving, and leading the market by broadening the awareness and demand for its solutions - solutions that are increasingly pertinent as businesses struggle with distributed operations caused by the global pandemic." Sidebottom specializes in workforce strategy, talent acquisition management, analytics and metrics, compensation strategy, M&A and IPOs and building and developing first-rate human resources teams. Prior to joining Behavox, he held HR leadership posts at Dosh, LendingHome, Rocket Fuel, Inc. and Kabam.

"My mission at Behavox is finding, retaining and developing world-class talent for a world-class company," Sidebottom said. "Developing and executing a global talent strategy is imperative at this stage of Behavox's growth, and I'm delighted to lead those efforts." The appointments of Wu Becker and Sidebottom are the latest corporate developments for the fast-growing AI company. Earlier this month, Behavox named several prominent industry leaders to its Board of Directors, and in February the company announced a $100 million investment from the SoftBank Vision Fund 2. ### About Behavox Ltd. Behavox is the leading, end-to-end Data Operating Platform that enables organizations to aggregate, analyze and act on their internal data. As a high-growth technology company, our mission is to organize and make useful all communications data on Earth. Through advanced analytics and machine learning, Behavox is your organization's single-entry point for internal data. Behavox, founded in 2014, is headquartered in New York City, with offices in London, Singapore and Montreal. For more information visit here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005409/en/

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Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital on Wednesday morning.

A spokeswoman for the prime minister and his partner said both mother and baby are doing very well.

The prime minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well, the spokeswoman said.

The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

It is understood Johnson was present throughout the birth.

Symonds was last seen in public on 9 March at the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey. (Getty Images).

Boris Johnson with Carrie Symonds in October last year. (File picture, PA)

The prime ministers father Stanley said he was absolutely delighted and thrilled by the birth of his grandson.

Johnson will take a short period of paternity leave later this year, a Downing Street spokesman has confirmed.

The spokesman told a Westminster briefing: I do expect the Prime Minister to take a short period of paternity leave later in the year, rather than now.

Johnson returned to work in Number 10 following the birth, and was due to speak to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday afternoon.

Boris Johnson's father Stanley with Carrie Symonds. (PA Images)

The new family are planning to live in their Downing Street flat along with their dog Dilyn, the spokesman confirmed.

Downing Street declined to say whether the baby was born prematurely, and the spokesman was unable to provide details of the weight, timing, nature or location of the birth.

Fellow politicians were quick to tweet their congratulations to the PM and his partner.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak tweeted that it was great to hear that Downing Street is getting a new resident.

Great to hear Downing Street is getting a new resident.



Congratulations to @BorisJohnson and @carriesymonds on the birth of their son.  Rishi Sunak #StayHomeSaveLives (@RishiSunak) April 29, 2020

Health secretary Matt Hancock, meanwhile, expressed his unalloyed joy at the announcement.

Story continues

Labour leader Keir Starmer congratulated the couple on wonderful news, and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon wished health and happiness to the wee one.

Johnson, 55, and Symonds, 32, announced in March that they were expecting a baby in early summer, and that they had become engaged at the end of last year.

The news of the birth comes just weeks after the PM was discharged from intensive care, where he had been battling coronavirus.

So thrilled for Boris and Carrie. Wonderful to have a moment of unalloyed joy!  Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) April 29, 2020

Some good news - sending congratulations to Carrie and the PM. And wishing health and happiness to the wee one. https://t.co/V2k1KKqVN7  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) April 29, 2020

He returned to work on Monday to take charge of the UKs coronavirus crisis after recuperating from his own illness at Chequers, the prime ministers country retreat.

Symonds also suffered symptoms of the disease, and described her experience of the illness while pregnant as obviously worrying.

She said on 4 April: Ive spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of coronavirus. I havent needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and Im on the mend.

The PM has previously suggested he intends to take paternity leave, although it is not known if this remains the case given the coronavirus crisis.

Johnson has four children with his second wife, lawyer Marina Wheeler  Theodore, Cassia, Milo and Lara. The couples marriage ended in September 2018 after 25 years together.

In 2013, the Appeal Court ruled that the public had a right to know that Johnson had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while mayor of London in 2009.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 15:19:08|Editor: huaxia

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NANJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronomers will stream a close encounter with a huge asteroid heading toward Earth Wednesday.

Known as 52768 (1998 OR2), the asteroid will fly by Earth at a speed of 8.69 km per second. Web users can watch it live on microblog Sina Weibo and video-sharing app Douyin. Experts from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences will track and share images of it starting at 8 p.m. (Beijing Time) on the two platforms.

Zhao Haibin, an astronomer with the observatory, said given its large size, the asteroid can be observed by telescopes with apertures of 15 cm to 20 cm at the observatory's Xuyi Station, based in east China's Jiangsu Province.

Since the start of this year, Zhao's observatory has reported many asteroids making close passes with Earth. It finds another asteroid is expected to approach Earth on May 1, at a distance of 7.05 million km above the surface.

Frequent asteroid flybys have aroused considerable concern and become a heated topic online. Asteroid-related stories on Weibo have received more than 100 million hits and thousands of comments.

Many netizens ask whether these objects will cause harm to Earth and human beings. Stories about the asteroid 52768 possibly hitting Earth have also appeared online recently.

If the two giant objects were to hit Earth, they might cause global catastrophes, Zhao said. "But fortunately, when they come closest to Earth, they are still 6 to 7 million km away, more than 10 times the distance between Earth and the moon. Therefore, they are not going to hit or cause any harm to our planet."

Zhao also said there is no need to panic, as scientists are developing methods to change the orbits of asteroids and defend against their impacts.

"With continuous sci-tech development, we will find effective defense measures. Human beings will not wait passively like dinosaurs 65 million years ago," Zhao said.

BEYOND OBSERVATION

"Asteroids are not just potential threats, but also offer us rare opportunities to understand and explore the universe," said researcher Ji Jianghui, of the Purple Mountain Observatory.

"Many asteroids were formed when the solar system was born. They are a precious legacy in the universe and 'time capsules' to record the evolutionary history of the solar system, which are also important for us to explore the formation and evolution of our planet," Ji said.

Apart from observation, many countries have proposed asteroid space exploration plans. According to Ji, since some asteroids have been found to possess abundant resources such as water and metals, many European and American companies are preparing to carry out asteroid mining programs.

"In the future, asteroid exploration will even become a symbol of space power," said Ji, also a member of the expert committee for scientific goal argumentation of deep space exploration in China.

In the next few years, China plans to launch a probe to detect the asteroid 2016 HO3 and the Main-Belt Comet 133P, Ji said. Enditem
The wife of a slain Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) jawan, who was killed in a Communist Party of India (Maoist) attack in Bastar district on March 14, has donated 10,000 to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund to fight against coronavirus.

On March 14, two jawans of the Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF), Upendra Sahu and Devendra Singh, were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by the Maoist rebels near Bodli village in Bastar district.

Sahus widow Radhika has donated 10,000 to the CMs Relief Fund to combat Covid-19. Its a heartwarming gesture from a martyrs wife and that too only a month after she lost her husband to a Maoist attack. Were proud of her, said Deepak Jha, superintendent of police (SP), Bastar.

Radhikas good turn has touched a chord among the officials in the tribal-dominated Bastar district.

We tried to impress upon Radhika that instead of donating 10,000 to the CMs Relief Fund, she could have deposited the money in her sons account. But she insisted that there are many kids like her son, whore going without food because of Covid-19, and this meagre sum can come in handy for them. She told us that her late husband always stood for such causes, said Abinash Mishra, a probationary Indian Administrative Officer (IAS), who was present when she donated the money.

The Bastar Police authorities have made a short video clip on her selfless deed.

However, she is unfazed by the adulation. I donated a fraction of what I had received as compensation from the government after my husband was martyred. My late husband always used to help people during their hard times. Im doing what he would have done had he been alive, Radhika told HT.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritesh Mishra State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years. ...view detail
About 76% of Georgia voters support or somewhat support a statewide shelter-in-place order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to a survey conducted by the University of Georgias School of Public and International Affairs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.

Only about 9% oppose or somewhat oppose such an order, the survey showed.

UGA conducted the online survey between April 21 and 25, beginning just a day after Gov. Brian Kemp announced that he would allow certain businesses to reopen starting on April 24. The university surveyed 1,233 registered Georgia voters with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, according to the AJC.

Around 62% of voters disapprove of the governors decision to begin reopening restaurants, theaters, barbershops and other businesses. Some Athens businesses, such as Nails So Dep, announced they would reopen after Kemps announcement, but several remain closed for in-person service, including Pageboy Salon, Pulaski Heights BBQ and Fitness @ Five.

Voters are divided on the steps Kemp has taken to contain COVID-19, with 44% of respondents saying the measures are appropriate and 41% saying the state hasnt gone far enough. About 15% say the state has gone too far, according to the AJC.

Of the respondents, 45% approve of how the state is responding to the pandemic, while about 36% disapprove. Around 50% of voters support the federal governments handling of the crisis, though only about 38% of the respondents are satisfied with the way Congress has handled it, according to the AJC.

Around 75% of Georgians support government mandates requiring certain businesses to close, according to the poll. Almost 80% of respondents said they favor or somewhat favor closing in-person classroom learning for the rest of the academic year, according to the AJC.

Of the respondents, two-thirds said they support the decision to postpone Georgias presidential primary to June 9. About 60% support Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffenspergers decision to send ballot request forms to Georgias active voters, according to the AJC.

About 80% of respondents said they are worried about a family member being exposed, with about 52% being extremely or very worried, according to the AJC. 25% of respondents said theyre working less under the threat of the disease and 13% said they lost their jobs. About 60% say theyre engaging in more social distancing. The majority of respondents reported increased handwashing and use of masks, according to the AJC.

Nearly 40% of Georgians say theyve had no change in their financial saving habits, while about 23% said theyre saving less. 51% reported that theyre ordering more takeout from restaurants than usual, according to the AJC.
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Last week several big companies, including those in the free trade zones (FTZ), resumed work after being shut down for nearly a month as part of the pandemic lockdown. However, these companies have sacked tens of thousands of workers with the backing of President Gotabhaya Rajapakse and his government.

Rajapakse gave the green light for business to open, saying in an interview on April 20, it was necessary to halt the collapse of the economy. Like capitalist governments around the world, he said that threat to lives from the pandemic and the economy should be balanced.

The government is forcing workers back in unsafe conditions as the number of COVID-19 cases takes a sharp upturn. The figure has risen to nearly 700, some 300 of those in the last four days. The relatively low figures are because the government has limited testing, saying the situation is not so serious.

Prior to opening the factories, various industrialists declared that they would have to cut jobs by at least 30 percent as well as slash wages and pension funds.

Last week the presidential media division released guidelines for restarting businesses. These stated: All the state departments, corporations, statutory boards and private sector industries, working places, fish, vegetables and retail stores can also be operated under strict regulations.

It continued: The head of each [private] organization has the freedom to decide who should report to work and the number of employees. This means workers are completely at the mercy of management.

Sri Lanka has 15 FTZs where hundreds of thousands of workers are employed. According to the Investment Board, only 20 percent of factories were opened last week with reduced workforces.

When the government-imposed, country-wide lockdown was imposed on March 20, companies shut down suddenly. However, the government and employers tried to force FTZ workers to continue work. As concerns about the coronavirus spread and workers protested, forcing the closure of factories.

Tens of thousands of workers were stranded in the Katunayake, Biyagama, Mirigama, Horana and Seethawaka FTZs without transport to their hometowns. It was only after workers started protesting that the government arranged transport. Many workers had not even received wages for March and April when they ultimately returned.

Ignoring workers protests over non-payment of their wages, D. L. P. Samarasinghe, the Director of the Investment Board, said he could not do anything because there is no proper complaint against not paying salaries.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardena also refused to take action saying that proper steps would be only taken by the Labour Department after inquiries had been made.

When the Koggala Garment companylocated in the Koggala FTZ in the islands southresumed work on April 20, the workforce had been drastically slashed. Previously it had employed about 1,500 workers but management recalled only 450 workers. Other workers were told not to report for work until further notice. There is no guarantee they will be reemployed.

Workers who reported for work on April 20 were not given their usual noon meal. The companys excuse declared that it was to ensure the good health of workers.

As in most other companies, this factory employs many workers on a casual basis, depriving them of allowances received by permanent workers. Permanent workers were not given their April bonus and will have to wait till the end of the month to find out about their wages. Office staff were not called back to work.

Star Garment, which is one of the countrys oldest garment companies and started up in 1978, employs 8,000 workers in 10 factories, including in the Koggala FTZ.

Its branch in Pinnaduwa in Galle recalled 200 of its 300 workers to complete the unfinished work. They were also not given an April bonus.

About 800,000 garment pieces were being produced by this company, but it is now facing cancellations of orders. A similar situation faces other garment factories.

Vogue Tex, which started in 1984, employs more than 7,500 workers in seven factories. At one situated at Gonapeenuwala in Hikkaduwa, more than 1,000 workers are employed.

A female worker explained: Work was stopped on March 19 and restarted on April 22. Only 250 were called on to work. Letters were sent informing workers who had worked less than six months and who were more than 50 years of age that they were fired. Most workers had worked there less than six months.

Our monthly basic salary is 18,500 rupees (about $US95). The attendance allowance is 4,000 rupees. If one day's leave is taken, 1,800 rupees is deducted out of this allowance. If you take leave for two days the whole amount is slashed. If someone takes leave without giving prior notice, the attendance allowance is gutted.

The government is ready to do everything it can to preserve the profits of investors including risking the lives of workers and their families.

Like investors in all countries, they are terrified that if they do not restart their business they will be driven to the wall in the competition on the international market.

Forty percent of Sri Lankas export earnings comes from the garment industry. The earnings in 2019 were $5.6 billion and the government projected this to rise to $8 billion in 2025. These calculations have now been shattered.

In an interview on Hiru TV, the chief marketing executive of Orange Apparel, Muditha Silva, said that garment companies lost some 350 billion rupees during the previous four months.

Insisting that workers must bear the brunt, he declared: The government cannot deliver relief to people in the country that do not have something to eat. What it has to do is allocate financial assistance to the garment industry, without it being considered as a debt for at least six months.

Trade unions are fully backing big business. On April 22, leaders of the Free Trade Zones and General Workers Union, the Ceylon Mercantile Union and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-controlled, Inter-Company Employees Union (ICEU) met with labour ministry officials and employer representatives to discuss job and wage cuts. Union bureaucrats claim that they demanded compensation but company representatives have not agreed.

ICEU leader Wasantha Samarasinghe told Lankadeepa yesterday that companies are cutting jobs and wages drastically. However, far from mounting a struggle to defend jobs and wages, he declared that the government must provide funds to revive business. At least 300 billion rupees must be released and each company must be supported according to their annual turnover, he added.

In the name of protecting jobs, trade unions, which are thoroughly tied to the state and defend capitalism, are protecting big business.
LOS ANGELESWith a reported rise in digital authoritarianism over the past two years  as documented by a Freedom House study showing a growing number of incidents involving government censorship and control of the internet  a bipartisan group of United States lawmakers are looking for ways to thwart countries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from stifling the flow of online information.

Two Republicans and two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday introduced the Open Technology Fund Authorization Act, a bill that would pour money into projects aimed at getting around government censorship, through the nonprofit Open Technology Fund (OTF), and allow global users access to sites and information online that their governments would otherwise block, according to a report by The Hill.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media has already made significant headway to improve internet freedom globally, Texas Republican Mike McCaul said, as quoted by Radio Farda  which is the Iranian outlet of the Agency for Global Media. This bill will better position the U.S. to help those fighting against this form of tyranny.

The legislation comes about eight months after a Donald Trump executive order that authorized the FCC to explore all regulatory and legislative solutions to protect free speech and the free speech rights of all Americans  an order that digital rights activists said was actually a go-ahead for government censorship in the United States.

Fight For The Future deputy director Evan Greer said that the executive order would allow mass government censorship of online content. In practice, it means whichever party is in power can decide what speech is allowed on the internet.

But China leads the world in internet censorship according to the 2018 Freedom House study The Rise Of Digital Authoritarianism. In addition to the sweeping measures the country has taken to build a digital Great Firewall, blocking any content not approved by the government there, China has more recently come under criticism for blocking information about the spread of coronavirus.

Censorship, harassment and punishment for speaking out are hindering the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, the rights group Amnesty International said in a statement. Many are questioning how censorship may have delayed an effective response to the virus outbreak and put lives at risk.

But according to Democrat Eliot Engel, one of the bills co-sponsors, If a repressive regime builds a wall, the OTF is working to build an even taller ladder."

Photo By Gertalt / Pixabay
Vietnam will end rice export restrictions from the start of May, bringing closure to a month-long saga that sparked fears over food protectionism and caused global prices to spike.

Farmers in the Mekong delta, the country's rice belt, have produced sufficient rice despite a drought, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Shipments will be allowed to return to normal, he said. "As well as food security, it's necessary we ensure food exports are stable and guarantee the rights of rice farmers," he added.

The world's third-largest exporter interrupted the free-flow of exports in late March on fears for its own supplies, placing a quota on how much it could ship and causing thousands of rice containers to pile up at ports. That helped push up prices as concerns grew that Vietnam's decision would prompt more nations to take protectionist measures.

The government faced mounting pressure to end the curbs, with exporters suffering financial losses as shipments were held up at ports. The move also brings relief for farmers as well as traders who shied away from signing new contracts.

"Our farmers are elated with the news," said Tieu Ngoc Loi, director of Nhan Loi Cooperative in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. "It was hard seeing global prices surge, and being unable to offer our full stocks."

Vietnam's decision to halt rice shipments helped send benchmark Asian export prices to the highest since 2013, and triggered complaints from importers in the region, including Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Australia.

Vietnam suspended exports on March 24, before placing a 400,000 ton limit on shipments for April, almost half of what it exported in the same month last year. The government raised the quota by 100,000 tons after the food association said some 300,000 tons stuck at ports faced the risk of spoiling.

The country can ship 13.5 million tons of paddy this year, equal to 6.7 million tons of rice, out of forecast output of 43.5 million tons, the trade ministry said. Still, Vietnam does not rule out halting exports again if shipments are seen as a threat to national food security, according to the premier.

Vietnam's rice exporters will have their export licenses withdrawn if they fail to maintain minimum levels of regular stockpiles equal to 5% of shipments over a six-month period. Also, the top 20 exporters are required to sign commitments with at least one local supermarket chain to ensure they can supply from their mandatory stockpiles when asked.
It is fitted with an audio-visual communication device through which instructions are relayed to the receiver of the contents of the cart.

Chennai: CSIR-CMERI in Durgapur has developed an automated cart, which can be used to transport food and medicines to COVID-19 patients, enabling healthcare workers to maintain physical distancing.

Named 'Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device(HCARD), the trolley which has several drawers that can be remotely opened and closed is manoeuvred from a control station at the nurses booth. The control station consists of a computer and other connected electronic devices that are responsible for the movement of the HCARD.

The automated cart is also fitted with an audio-visual communication device through which instructions are relayed to the receiver of the contents of the cart.

Apart from sending food and medicines to patients rooms, the trolley can be used to send personal protective equipment to healthcare workers coming in for a shift, or to move files and testing equipment from one persons desk to another without the people having to come into contact with one another

The cost of the device is less than Rs 5 lakh and the weight is not more than 80 kg, making it easy to use and affordable for healthcare facilities, Professor Harish Hirani, director of CSIR-CMERI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute) was quoted as saying by PTI.

A spokesperson of the institute said the device can function in a range of 0.5 km and has a battery life of four hours. If the government shows interest, the institute is likely to explore commercial production, the spokesperson indicated.
For the class of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently altered the year they were hoping to have, taking away milestones like senior trips, the final walk out of the school, and prom. While some schools may be trying to reschedule the annual night of dresses, tuxes, and corsages, for some districts thats just not possible.

Conroe ISD is currently still planning to have all of their graduation ceremonies in May, although its very possible they will be altered to fit social distancing guidelines. But earlier this month the district canceled all high school proms.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: University of St. Thomas to reopen, Houston's largest church resumes

Missing memories

The cancellation came as a shock to Madison Washburn, a senior at Oak Ridge High School. This was not how she had envisioned her final year at all, and so many of the memories she was hoping to make were now replaced with social isolation and face masks.

Ive gone to so many different schools throughout my high school career, in different states because weve moved, and I started my high school experience at Oak Ridge and then I came back to graduate with my friends, Washburn said. So, to figure out that I dont get to have a graduation ceremony and everything with them was really sad because I specifically wanted to move back so I could see all my friends graduate for this closing chapter of our lives.

MORE BY JAMIE SWINNERTON: Montgomery County Food Bank partners with Church Project for distribution effort

She had her last day of school in the classroom and she didnt even know it. Shes disappointed she cant say goodbye to her teachers or classmates. At prom, she was looking forward to seeing all the people she grew up with all dressed up, ready to start the next big thing. It helps end the year on a high note. Now, her year has ended on whatever was happening that last day of school.

Disappointing end to year

Her fellow War Eagle Emma Baskin is just as disappointed with how the year has come to a close.

I know its out of everybodys control and you cant do anything about it, but its kind of like the last thing that I had besides graduation, Baskin said. That was the last thing I had to look forward to so its really disappointing.

She had already purchased a beautiful dress in her favorite color, emerald green. She had made appointments to get her hair highlighted, cut, and styled.

For me, ever since I was a little girl and I knew what prom was, I was just really looking forward to going to prom, she said. It was the one thing that I wanted to go to.

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She could take or leave the graduation ceremony. This year she was excited about two major events: showing at the fair, and prom. Both gone.

College Park High School senior Tori Brigman has a different take, being able to walk the stage at graduation still brings her some comfort. But it doesnt take away from the disappointment of not being able to go to prom.

I was pretty disappointed because Ive been waiting for 13 years to go to my senior prom, Brigman said.

For her, it was going to be the last hurrah for her and her friends.

For some students, it wasnt just the actual dance that they were looking forward to, it was everything that came before it. Skylar Harris, a Caney Creek High School senior, had plans to go to prom with a group of her friends and were going to get ready together before the dance.

We all wanted to go dress shopping together and wanted to do all the steps of preparing for prom together. Your hair, your makeup, Harris said. It sucks that were all missing out on that memory.

Creative connections

While some districts are trying to reschedule their proms, CISD will not be, as superintendent Curtis Null made clear in his Facebook Live address on April 27. But the students themselves are already planning their own COVID-19 versions.

Im planning on getting together with friends when its safe to do so and go out to dinner and take pictures and just hang out, said College Park High School senior Mariana Cortes. Or do a virtual one and zoom our prom!

Students are getting creative while trying to stay connected to their friends, and the year they were hoping to have.

Washburn, from Oak Ridge High, believes that this experience could change her generation, making them more creative when it comes to staying connected, and more proactive at creating their own memories.

We get to make our own memories and whether or not you try and put effort into that is how youre really going to come out of this situation, she said.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
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President Maduro removed president of state oil company PDVSA and replaced him with Tareck El Aissami, a confidant who has been indicted by US Justice Department for alleged drug trafficking.

Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro has appointed an alleged drug trafficker as the countrys new oil minister.

Tareck El Aissami was indicted in the United States last month, over allegations he violated sanctions and received payments for facilitating drug shipments. Charges he denies.

The Trump Administration has offered a reward of up to $10m for information leading to his arrest.

Meanwhile, the drop in oil prices, and additional sanctions from the White House, are making life harder for Venezuelans.

Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman reports.
Nicole Kidman told the upcoming issue of WSJ magazine that she 'was a goner' for husband Keith Urban very shortly after they first met.

And on Tuesday, in a conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Urban repaid the compliment, stating he 'definitely married up' when he tied the knot with the actress in June 2006.

The country music star also shared how Kidman's 'fearlessness' has inspired his own artistry during the past five years or so.

Sweet: Keith Urban gushed about his wife Nicole Kidman on Tuesday in an interview on Apple Music, stating he 'definitely married up' when he tied the knot with the actress

'What I've learned from her is to be more fearless in artistry and go for the curious place that you want to go to as an artist. Don't question it,' Urban, 52, explained in the interview he shared via his Instagram Story.

He said that his famous wife has an instinctive approach to music.

He said: 'She's got great taste in music because it's always visceral.'

'It's just like, 'I don't know who the artist is. I don't know what genre it is. I don't know. I just love this song.' Boom. That's all that matters to her.'

His inspiration: 'What I've learned from her is to be more fearless in artistry and go for the curious place that you want to go to as an artist. Don't question it,' Urban, 52, explained

Happily married: Kidman and Urban first met in January 2005 and tied the knot in June 2006. The actress was previously wed to Hollywood star Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001

Urban and Kidman are parents to two daughters - Sunday Rose, 11, and Faith, nine - and they organize their career commitments to make sure that their family doesn't get lost in the hectic lives that come with fame and success.

Kidman, 52, who was previously married to Hollywood star Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001, told WSJ magazine: 'We have a system worked out to keep the family together.'

'When Keith's not touring, it's much easier. He'll be on tour next year, and then I just dont work as much. Literallyit will become imbalanced, and we will change it.'

She added: 'We dont have the answers, but the one thing we do know is that we will not jeopardize us.'
About a week after U.S. Marshals transferred Andrea Circle Bear from a jail in South Dakota to a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, the pregnant inmate was sent to a nearby hospital with a high fever.

On March 28, doctors sent Circle Bear, who was serving a two-year sentence on a drug-related charge, back to Federal Medical Center Carswell, a federal prison equipped to provide medical care to incarcerated women, KXAS reported. Three days later, prison medical staff saw that she had developed a fever, dry cough and other covid-19-like symptoms, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement Tuesday.

She returned that day to the hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator. On April 1, doctors performed an emergency Caesarean section to deliver her premature baby, the bureau said. She tested positive for the novel coronavirus on April 4.

The 30-year-old struggled for air in the hospital for four weeks, before her body succumbed to complications of the viral infection on Tuesday. Federal officials said she had a preexisting condition that made her a high-risk patient but did not say what conditions may have contributed to her death.

A relative confirmed to The Washington Post that Circle Bear's newborn daughter has been returned to the family in South Dakota.

She was the 29th federal inmate to die in the pandemic and appears to be the first woman to die while in a federal prison's custody, based on details the Bureau of Prisons has released on each of the 30 deaths it has reported. Her death is just one in a swell of serious illnesses and deaths caused by the novel coronavirus inside jails and prisons.

Circle Bear had been at FMC Carswell since March 20, after pleading guilty to a charge related to methamphetamine in January. Court records said she rented a home on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, where a confidential informant arranged two drug deals with her in April 2018, but she did not live at the residence. Her formal charge was "Maintaining a Drug Involved Premises," and she was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison on Jan. 14.

The bureau did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday night to explain why Circle Bear was transferred across state lines to the medical prison in Texas amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Before her incarceration, Circle Bear lived in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, an area of the state that has so far been largely untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. Neither the city nor the surrounding county has reported a covid-19 case. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe erected roadblocks at entrances to its nearby reservation in early April to screen for people who might have the virus, and many tribes fear that a coronavirus outbreak could overwhelm the federal Indian Health Services.

But on the other side of the state, Sioux Falls is home to one of the nation's largest outbreaks, which spread inside a pork-processing plant.

According to data published by federal officials, Circle Bear was the only inmate to contract covid-19 at FMC Carswell, which currently holds 1,625 women. As of Tuesday night, 1,313 federal inmates have tested positive for coronavirus, and 30 have died, according to the Bureau of Prisons. More than 300 prison staff have also contracted the virus.

The spread of the coronavirus inside prisons and jails has been an increasing concern for weeks. Social distancing measures are nearly impossible in facilities where people share cells or sleep in beds just feet apart. Soap, hand sanitizer and face masks can also be hard to obtain behind bars. Many state prisons have released inmates facing short sentences for nonviolent crimes, and jails around the country have let out many people held on misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.

The federal prisons have also been reviewing cases to remove high-risk individuals from facilities where social distancing and proper hygiene to disinfect surfaces and hands can be difficult to maintain.

On March 26, Attorney General William Barr wrote a memo to the Bureau of Prisons instructing officials to opt for home confinement for at-risk inmates whenever possible.

"Given the surge in positive cases at select sites and in response to the Attorney General Barr's directives, the BOP began immediately reviewing all inmates who have COVID-19 risk factors, as described by the CDC, to determine which inmates are suitable for home confinement," the bureau said in a statement on its website.

The agency has transferred 1,751 people into home confinement in recent weeks. Because of growing outbreaks in some facilities, the agency has repeatedly expanded the pool of inmates eligible for release to home confinement. But the releases have come in fits and starts, as bureau officials have changed the rules and the process to send people home.
Kylie Jenner was busted by eagle-eyed fans on Tuesday over a 'Photoshop fail' that appeared as if she had altered an image of herself posing in a bikini.

The 22-year-old deleted the image 20 minutes after posting, but it seems that Internet sleuths had already captured the receipts.

Kylie posted a series of shots with the caption 'Taco Tuesday' at her new Holmby Hills mansion, and while some comments asked where the food was, others took note of the strange alterations that had been made to the image.

The warped concrete pool edge is a tell-tell sign an editing app like FaceTune had been used on the photograph.

Oops! This image from Kylie Jenner's Instagram post on Tuesday was taken down after 20 minutes, as fans spotted a strange alteration to the picture. The warped concrete pool edge is a tell-tell sign an editing app like FaceTune has been used

Quite the difference: Kylie recently stunned fans with her make-up free appearance earlier this month, as well getting criticism for moving between homes during lockdown

""Kylie is a master at Facetune and photoshop," one fan wrote, while another confused user said: "I'm trying to work out what she was even editing."

The reality star has been extremely active on social media while under lockdown. Though having moved between properties in the last few weeks, she has also faced criticism.

In fact, several have taken to Twitter to call them out for flouting social distancing rules, accusing them of treating the rules like they don't apply to them.

Sunny day: Kylie captioned the series of images 'taco tuesday' before deleting one of the images

Stunning: The 22-year-old billionaire flaunted her pert derriere and her flat midsection in the tiny Lovewave swimsuit as she posed in her resort-style pool at her home

Governor Newsom of California has encouraged residents to stay home and isolate  which means not meeting up with friends and limiting contact with people outside of one's household.

'Kylie didnt even try to learn the dance also did they forget about social distancing??? [I guess] it doesnt apply if ur a billionaire,' wrote one.

'So everyones talking about kylie jenner making tik toks but not the fact that she just broke the rules of lockdown and randomly let her friend come into her house? great influence,' said another, referencing the fact that Kylie herself has encouraged fans to stay home.

Keeping it (semi) real: Kylie showed off a stunning natural makeup look Sunday

Momager in training: Kylie pictured with her daughter Stormi and ex Travis Scott, who she has been self-isolating with

'I love how social distancing doesn't apply to celebrities,' said another.

This is the second time recently that Kylie has been criticized for this.

On April 19, photos emerged of Kylie getting out of a car at her pal Stassie's house, wearing tie-dye sweats and shockingly little makeup.

Just where ARE you staying? Kylie appears to have been hanging out at two different properties during lockdown

At the time, many were fixated on what Kylie looked like weeks into quarantine, but others called her out for ignoring social distancing rules then, too.

'Honestly perplexed by Kylie Jenner going to hangout with Stassie, while encouraging her followers to stay home, self isolate, and social distance,' wrote one.

'It would be one thing if she was a typical 22 year old but she has a baby girl at home. Thats just irresponsible & she was barefoot??'
China's ambassador is just following orders to play hardball with his outrageous threats to cripple Australia's economy, experts reveal.

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus would lead to a boycott of Australia.

He received a fiery dressing down from the Foreign Affairs Department on his 'threats of economic coercion', which the Chinese embassy then leaked.

China expert Clive Hamilton said China had for many years quietly and insidiously influenced Australian policy and Mr Cheng's outbursts finally brought it into the open.

Jingye Cheng triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus could lead to a boycott of Australia

The Charles Sturt University professor revealed Chinese President Xi Jinping had last year changed his diplomatic strategy to be more confrontational.

This ramped up significantly as China was determined to deflect blame for the coronavirus pandemic believed to have started in a Wuhan wet market.

'China's foreign ministry has instructed its ambassadors to adopt a much more aggressive tone in its international relations,' he said.

'One of these was the extraordinary claim that coronavirus originated in the U.S. and there have been others in Europe who have made extremely aggressive statements.'

At least seven Chinese ambassadors, to France, Khazakstan, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and the African Union have in the past week been hauled by their host countries in to explain themselves.

Accusations ranged from spreading rumours and misinformation to 'racist mistreatment' of Africans living in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation. Pictured: A bat in a wet market in Indonesia

A China expert said China had for many years quietly and insidiously influenced Australian policy and Mr Cheng's outbursts finally brought it into the open

AMBASSADOR'S ECONOMIC THREAT TO AUSTRALIA In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Ambassador Cheng slammed Australia's push for a global inquiry as 'political' and warned Chinese consumers could boycott the country. Answering a question about whether China could boycott Australian iron ore or gas, Mr Cheng instead focused on China's contribution to Australia's agriculture, tourism and education sectors. Mr Cheng said: 'I think if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think why we should go to such a country while it's not so friendly to China. 'The tourists may have second thoughts. Maybe the parents of the students would also think whether this place, which they find is not so friendly, even hostile, is the best place to send their kids to. 'So it's up to the public, the people to decide. And also, maybe the ordinary people will think why they should drink Australian wine or eat Australian beef.' Advertisement

An earlier example was Chinese ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou who in November threatened 'consequences' if dissident Swedish-Chinese publisher Gui Minhai was awarded a prestigious literature prize.

'We treat our friends with fine wine, but for our enemies we have shotguns,' he told Swedish public radio.

Mr Congyou again ignited outrage in January with veiled threats against the Swedish press that prompted calls from politicians for him to be expelled.

'President Jinping has decided that aggression and bullying is the best way for China to pursue its interests, hoping that other nations will back down,' Professor Hamilton said.

'It's certainly worked with smaller nations in the Asia Pacific region that have been bullied into submission.

'But there's been a very strong negative reaction in Australia to China's threats and the government shows no sign of backing down.'

However, he said the ambassador was perhaps really speaking to Australian university vice chancellors, tourism bosses, and company directors.

'He may have been saying 'you are in our sights' so they pressure the government,' Professor Hamilton explained.

'It's a tactic that China has used in the U.S. and Australia before but it seems it's really raising the stakes.

'The test will be if the leaders of those threatened industries will ask the government to take a softer stance.'

Professor Hamilton said another trend was Chinese diplomats writing to newspapers to make strong complaints about their coverage of China.

'The threat that the CCP poses to free speech is coming more into the public eye,' he said.

Outraged Australians have called for Mr Cheng to be sent home, but China experts argue President Xi Jinping (pictured) would just replace him with someone worse

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at American think-tank the Stimson Centre, also said increasingly aggressive Chinese diplomacy came from the top.

'Under Xi, the top-down approach is absolute, meaning that the leader's decision is the order that has to be implemented. The diplomats don't get to make decisions, only implement them,' she told the South China Morning Post.

'For their careers, it makes perfect sense for the diplomats to echo and magnify what they see as the leader's wishes.'

Outraged Australians have called for Mr Cheng to be sent home, but Professor Hamilton argued Beijing would just replace him with someone worse.

'For those who are worried about China's influence in Australia, he's the best thing we have going for us because the mask has fallen away,' he said.

Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times, threw fuel on the fire by making even less veiled boycott threats

'It's important to acknowledge China is hostile to us because so many prominent Australians have fallen for the friendship trap and talk in these dreamy-eyed ways about how China is our friend and we have to behave like friends.

'No, China is not our friend, it is hostile towards Australia and our interests and we should go into negotiations with them understanding that.'

Professor Hamilton said the escalating diplomatic stoush would at least make Chinese covert influence effort more difficult.

'Chinese diplomats have for years been quietly building their support in Australian business, universities, and politics, and they've done well given how many of our elites count themselves as friends of China,' he claimed.

'China has powerful Australians who are essentially doing its work, and that's been extremely damaging to our interests.'

Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times, on Tuesday night threw fuel on the fire by making even less veiled boycott threats.

'Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off,' he said.

Professor Hamilton said Mr Xijin's extraordinary comments helped expose the lie that was China's professed friendship with Australia.

'They show how the the Chinese Communist Party has always thought of Australia,' he said.

China has repeatedly refused to welcome an international investigation into the outbreak, most recently describing the demands of Australia as 'political manoeuvring'.

Chinese Ambassador's long history of provocative statements Jingye Cheng, 61, has frequently ruffled feathers since he was appointed ambassador to Australia in 2016, but escalated from last year. He was more measured in June 2017 when he tried to refute a Four Corners report on $4 million of donations to both the Labor and Liberal parties by an Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing. Mr Wing has links to China's ruling party bu Mr Cheng said it was 'groundless' to claim the donations were aimed at influencing Australian politics. 'In Chinese, we call it 'cooking up the overnight cold rice', which means repeating the same old stuff again and again,' he said. 'Their main purpose, as I see it, is to instigate China panic.' Mr Cheng said such claims risked the 'friendly cooperation' of Australia and China. At a business event a year later he said there should be less 'bias and bigotry' towards China's motives in the Asia Pacific. Mr Cheng in August last year warned Australia to stay out of commenting on its treatment of protesters who had 'grossly trampled on the rule of law and social order in Hong Kong'. 'Foreign governments and entities should strictly abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, not support violent radicals, not interfere in Hong Kong's affairs and China's internal affairs in whatever form,' he said. 'Any attempt to mess up Hong Kong is doomed to fail. A prosperous and stable Hong Kong serves the interests of international community including Australia. 'We sincerely hope that people from all walks of life in Australia will see the real picture of situation in Hong Kong, act in the interests of Hong Kong's prosperity, stability and rule of law.' Hong Kong residents raise their arms as they gather in their hundreds to condemn the police in Tsuen Wan on October 2 Ambassador Cheng then in October took credit for Australia's 28 years of constant economic growth and then-projected budget surplus. 'China's growth and the co-operation between China and Australia in trade, economic and other areas, is a major factor in that growth,' he told The Australian. In December he doubled down, saying: 'Australian jobs depend on trade so if we take this theory, Chinese-Australian trade helped create some 640,000 jobs in this country.' At the same time he dismissed reports of human rights abuses on Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang as 'utterly fake news'. 'The local government has taken tough measures to crack down on terrorism or violence,' he said. He also claimed detention camps were 'vocational and education centres aimed at deradicalisation'. Jingye Cheng, 61, has frequently ruffled feathers since he was appointed ambassador to Australia in 2016, but escalated from last year Mr Cheng in February hit out at the government's ban on Chinese company Huawei being involved in Australia's 5G network on security grounds. 'It is discrimination against a Chinese company. At the same time, it doesn't serve the best interests of Australian companies and consumers,' he said. That same month he demanded Australia end its ban on travellers arriving from China in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. 'We are deeply disappointed by the restrictive measures that have been taken because as I see it they are out of proportion,' he said. Advertisement

The deadly respiratory virus has infected more than three million people globally, including 6,744 Australians, and killed more than 217,000.

China is accused of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation.

Economists believe Australian families and businesses will lose $60 billion by the end of the coronavirus crisis.

American lawyers suing China for $10 trillion claimed up to 95 per cent of the infected global population would have been spared if China acted faster to contain the outbreak.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday vowed not to back down from his efforts to find out exactly what happened.

'We will of course continue to support moves to ensure there is a proper independent assessment of what has occurred here,' he said.

'It is not a remarkable position. It is a fairly common sense position and one that we don't resile from.'

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton censured the ambassador for releasing details of the private conversation with the country's most senior diplomat.

'I think some of the comments are very much out of line and regrettable,' he told 5AA Radio on Wednesday.

'Of course we are not going to be deviating off course from dealing with a very serious issue.

'We aren't going to be held to ransom or succumb to threats from anybody.'

Vendors wearing face masks as they offer prawns for sale at a market in Wuhan where reports of the virus first emerged in December

This photo taken on April 15, 2020 shows a worker wearing a face mask as he throws ice into a pool with fish at a shop at a market in Wuhan where the first reports of the virus emerged in December

The Chinese Embassy had leaked details of the 'please explain' call between Ambassador Cheng and Foreign Affairs secretary Frances Adamson.

'Ambassador Cheng flatly rejected the concern expressed from the Australian side over his remarks during the recent AFR interview, and called on Australia to put aside ideological bias, stop political games and do more things to promote the bilateral relations,' the embassy said.

The embassy said 'the fact cannot be buried that the proposal is a political manoeuvre', and that Australia was 'crying up wine and selling vinegar' in claiming the inquiry would not target China.

Foreign Affairs rebuked Mr Cheng for leaking the details but the embassy fired back, accusing Australia of leaking to the media first.

'As the Australian media report was inaccurate and misleading, the Embassy had no choice but to set the record straight,' it said.

'The Embassy of China doesn't play petty tricks, this is not our tradition. But if others do, we have to reciprocate.'

Ambassador Cheng's original comments to the Australian Financial Review claimed Mr Morrison pushing for an inquiry was 'dangerous'.

'The Chinese public is frustrated, dismayed and disappointed with what Australia is doing now,' he said.

New Deloitte Access Economics modelling estimates $8.1 billion could be wiped from the accommodation and food services sector in the months from April to August

This graph shows the percentage of employees put out of work during the coronavirus crisis according to new modelling

'I think in the long term... if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think 'Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts.

'The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here.

'It is up to the people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?''

Australia's economy would lose billions of dollars in a successful Chinese boycott as it is our biggest trading partner.

China accounts for quarter of Australian exports, worth $153 billion in 2018-19 after growing at 10 per cent a year for the past five years.

More than a quarter of that is in iron ore, the loss of which would also be a huge blow to China's growth, and food exports are worth more than $12 billion a year.

China's ambassador to Australia, Jingye Cheng, poses with a baby crocodile during a photo opportunity with Northern Territory politician Eve Lawler in 2018

China also sends millions of tourists and thousands of students to Australia every year. Chinese tourism is worth $40 billion a year and education $12 billion.

Mr Cheng also denied, in a transcript of the entire interview that included unpublished comments, that Chinese wet markets sold wild animals.

'Of course China's laws and regulations have banned any illegal hunting, trading, transportation or consumption of wildlife,' he claimed.

'And in China, the farmers' markets or those markets which sell live poultry are not places for selling any wildlife or wild animals.

'Selling those kinds of wild animals in those markets are prohibited by law.'
Bemcentinib selected as first candidate to be tested through new ACCORD study

The Phase II clinical trial initiative to rapidly investigate bemcentinib's efficacy and safety in hospitalised COVID-19 patients

Study to be funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and UK Research and Innovation

Study to be managed by CRO, IQVIA

BerGenBio will be hosting a webcast at 10.00 CEST tomorrow (see details below)

BERGEN, Norway, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BerGenBio ASA (OSE:BGBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, selective AXL kinase inhibitors for unmet medical need, announces that bemcentinib has been selected as the first potential treatment to be fast-tracked in a new UK national multi-centre randomised Phase II clinical trial initiative that aims to save lives and get an early indication of bemcentinib's effectiveness in treating the most vulnerable patients with COVID-19.

The AC celerating CO VID-19 R esearch & D evelopment platform (ACCORD) study is being funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). ACCORD brings together a single, UK-wide clinical trial platform provided by the clinical research company IQVIA and the UK's leading research expertise through the National Institute for Health Research, to rapidly test potential drugs through early stage clinical trials and feed them into the UK's large-scale COVID-19 studies such as the RECOVERY trial, currently the world's largest randomised controlled clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment.

ACCORD COVID-19 trial

The ACCORD study is a multicentre, seamless, Phase II adaptive randomisation platform trial to assess the efficacy and safety of multiple candidate agents, the first of which is bemcentinib, for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalised UK NHS patients.

The study, with drug material and trial resources provided by BerGenBio, will rapidly commence testing in 120 subjects (60 hospitalised COVID-19 patients and 60 control group patients receiving standard of care treatment) across 6 UK NHS hospital trusts, with the first patients due to be treated imminently. BerGenBio anticipates that top line data will readout within a few months. Data will be open source and freely available to enable global knowledge sharing and collaboration. If positive results are seen, bemcentinib will advance rapidly into the large-scale Phase III trials currently in progress across the UK.

Bemcentinib's applicability to treat COVID-19

COVID-19 is the clinical disease manifested as a result of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic. Preclinical data suggest that bemcentinib is potentially useful for the treatment of early SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are currently no approved medical treatments for, or vaccines against, COVID-19.

Bemcentinib is a once-a-day, oral, highly selective and potent inhibitor of AXL kinase being developed by BerGenBio. Bemcentinib has previously demonstrated a key role in cancer treatment: preventing immune evasion, drug resistance and metastasis in a variety of cancer trials. The drug has to date been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in hundreds of patients and in many cases taken daily for several years.

Bemcentinib has previously been reported to exhibit potent anti-viral activity in preclinical models against several enveloped viruses, including Ebola and Zika virus. Recent data have expanded this to SARS-CoV-2.1, 2

Bemcentinib selectively inhibits AXL kinase activity, blocking viral entry and enhancing the anti-viral type I interferon response, a key cellular defence mechanism against viral infection.

Richard Godfrey, Chief Executive Officer of BerGenBio, commented: "We are delighted to be part of this initiative which is a ground-breaking partnership between government, academia and industry. We are hopeful that bemcentinib can play a significant role in the global effort to find suitable treatment options for COVID-19 patients, which has had such serious implications for so many people and thereby ease pressures on hospital intensive care units, and ultimately treat thousands of patients. We are poised to commence dosing in the coming days and will provide results as soon as is practically possible."

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: "Currently no drugs in the world have been clinically proven to treat Covid-19. But our Therapeutics Taskforce has identified a number of promising candidates. Currently, six different treatments have been entered into national clinical trials and the first is ready to enter the next stage: a new early phase clinical trial platform that we are launching today. This is a national effort made possible by government, academia and industry working together."

Professor Tom Wilkinson, ACCORD clinical academic lead based at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, said: "There has been a tremendous effort to pull this initiative together so rapidly. ACCORD is a national effort and will be key to developing effective new treatments which are needed so desperately. The ACCORD platform will be able to rapidly test potential new treatments, advancing the most promising through Phase 2 clinical trials into the NHS. This unique national platform for developing new COVID-19 drug candidates will access the world-class expertise and resources of the NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration and allied centres nationwide."

ACCORD is part of a co-ordinated therapeutic development pathway that the Government has put in place, overseen by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and delivered by UKRI, as part of the overall Therapeutics Taskforce.

References

1 Dowall SD et al. Antiviral Screening of Multiple Compounds against Ebola Virus. Viruses 2016, 8:27

2 Meertens L et al. Axl mediates ZIKA virus entry in human glial cells and modulates innate immune responses. Cell Rep 2017 18:324

Presentation and webcast tomorrow

BerGenBio will be hosting a live webcast and Q&A session at 10.00 CEST today, 29 April:

Webcast link: https://channel.royalcast.com/webcast/hegnarmedia/20200429_9/

Dial-in numbers:

NO: +47-2195-6342

UK: +44-203-769-6819

US: +1-646-787-0157

PIN: 569168

The presentation will also be made available at www.bergenbio.com/investors, and the recording will be available shortly after the webcast has finished.

About BerGenBio

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 anti-AXL antibody, tilvestamab, is undergoing Phase I clinical testing. In parallel, BerGenBio is developing companion diagnostic tests 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). For more information, visit www.bergenbio.com

For more information, please contact

Richard Godfrey CEO, BerGenBio ASA

+47-917-86-304

Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA

rune.skeie@bergenbio.com

+47-917-86-513

International Media Relations

Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Welsh, Lucy Featherstone, Carina Jurs

Consilium Strategic Communications

bergenbio@consilium-comms.com

+44-7780-600290

Media Relations in Norway

Jan Petter Stiff, Crux Advisers

stiff@crux.no

+47-995-13-891

Forward looking statements

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

The following files are available for download:
Soldiers on the Mary Rose warship in the 16th century wore chainmail made of high-quality brass, it has been revealed.

Analysis of the links discovered the armour was made of a surprisingly modern alloy of 73 per cent copper and 27 per cent zinc.

The revelation comes from an international team of researchers who continue to analyse artefacts found on the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's favourite ship.

The warship sank during a battle with the French in the Solent, just outside Portsmouth Harbour, on July 19, 1545.

It was fighting with around 500 men on-board, who used around 60-80 guns firing cannonballs at the enemy fleet.

After centuries preserved in the silt at the bottom of the sea, she was raised in 1982 and a haul of almost 20,000 items was recovered.

Scroll down for video

Pictured, a cleaned and conserved link. It is one of the three links found on the Mary Rose and was found to be well-preserved. X-ray analysis found it to be made from an alloy of 73 per cent copper and 27 per cent zinc

Pictured, the three rings with the appearance of copper. However, they are made of brass. The Mary Rose sank during a battle with the French in the Solent, just outside Portsmouth Harbour, on July 19, 1545

The discovery of the Tudor rose from the bow of the Mary Rose The carved Tudor rose - the earliest English figurehead representing the ship's name - was retrieved from the bottom of the Solent more than a decade ago as a small piece of wood. The conserved artefact - which still has its carvings despite years of erosion while languishing in the silt of the sea - has now been officially identified as the flower which was fixed to the bow of the Mary Rose. The rose was found in 2003, after a group of divers working on a Ministry of Defence excavation made what would transpire to be a hugely historic discovery. The divers had been searching the area for the ship's bowcastle and were trying to raise the Tudor ship's stem and anchor after the government applied to widen and straighten the channel. As these pieces were being prepared for lifting, the divers came across a carved wooden artefact, which was about four feet long and shaped like a lollipop. Unsure what it was, the wood was raised and put into a water tank at the Mary Rose Museum where it was kept without investigation. But, more than a decade on, it has now been properly identified as the ship's emblem. Last year, the Mary Rose Trust asked the University of Portsmouth for help to enhance the carvings to see what was there. Advertisement

X-ray analysis led by scientists at the universities of Warwick and Ghent revealed the structure of three rings found on the ship, each around 1cm (0.4inch) in diameter.

It found the rings are well preserved, despite being submerged for more than 400 years.

The small circular brass rings are believed to have belonged to either a sheet or chain of armour, potentially worn by a crew member.

State-of-the-art X-ray technology in Grenoble, called XMaS beamline gave the scientists insight into the state of the chain links.

Emeritus Professor Mark Dowsett from the University of Warwick's Department of Physics, who led the research, said: 'The results indicate that in Tudor times, brass production was fairly well controlled and techniques such as wire drawing were well developed. Brass was imported from Ardennes and also manufactured at Isleworth.

'I was surprised at the consistent zinc content between the wire links and the flat ones. It's quite a modern alloy composition.'

The highly sensitive process also discovered traces of heavy metals, such as gold and lead on the surface. The origin of these metals is currently unknown.

Professor Dowsett says: 'The heavy metal traces are interesting because they don't seem to be part of the alloy but embedded in the surface.

'One possibility is that they were simply picked up during the production process from tools used to work lead and gold as well.

'Lead, mercury and cadmium, however, arrived in the Solent during WW2 from the heavy bombing of Portsmouth Dockyard.

'Lead and arsenic also came into the Solent from rivers like the Itchen over extended historical periods.

'In a Tudor battle, there might be quite a lot of lead dust produced by the firing of munitions. Lead balls were used in scatter guns and pistols, although stone was used in canon at that time.'

After the Mary Rose vessel was raised in 1982, the three artefacts were subjected to different cleaning and conservation treatments to find the best way to prevent corrosion.

One used distilled water, one benzotriazole (BTA) solution and the last method involved cleaning before coating with BTA and silicone oil.

The X-ray scanning method allowed the scientists to assess which method was most effective at preserving these rare artefacts.

It revealed all three methods were effective at staving off corrosion.

In 2018, 1,200 cannonballs found on the Mary Rose were put on display after being treated.

Pictured, one of the rings which was conserved and will not corrode, but it was not cleaned. The ring is believed to have formed part of chainmail armour worn by crew members on the Mary Rose - the warship favoured by King Henry VIII

After the Mary Rose vessel was raised in 1982, the three artefacts analysed by high-tech X-rays were subjected to different cleaning and conservation treatments to prevent corrosion. One used distilled water, one benzotriazole (BTA) solution and the last method involved cleaning before coating with BTA and silicone oil

The Mary Rose (artist's impression) sank in battle with the French, killing more than 500 men. Incredibly, the starboard hull remained intact by being embedded in mud on the seabed, which prevented it from being eroded by tides and bacteria

The cannonballs, which are the largest assemblage of cast iron shot from Tudor England, were kept away from public gaze in low humidity containers.

Researchers performed a variety of experiments on the cannonballs to find ways of removing the chlorine from the sea water which had permeated throughout the artefacts.

If the items were put on display with chlorine still present, it would react with the air and the items would corrode rapidly.

Using a carefully concocted liquid to extract the chlorine, it was successfully removed and the lifespan of all metal artefacts from the Mary Rose extended.

Professor Dowsett says the chlorine extraction was highly effective.

'Analysis shows that basic measures to remove chlorine followed by storage at reduced temperature and humidity form an effective strategy even over 30 years,' he explains.

Professor Mieke Adriaens, Head of the Electrochemistry and Surface Analysis Group at Ghent University said: 'It is fascinating to examine ancient technology using specially developed analytical methods which can then be applied to modern materials too.

'It was also a real privilege to be allowed access to these unique artefacts and to play a part in unravelling their story.'

The Mary Rose sank in battle with the French, killing more than 500 men.

Incredibly, the starboard hull remained intact by being embedded in mud on the seabed, which prevented it from being eroded by tides and bacteria.

The ship went on display in the Mary Rose museum exactly 471 years after it perished in the Solent, just outside Portsmouth Harbour, on July 19, 1545

Scientists previously used powerful X-rays to help preserve 1,200 cannonballs (pictured) found on Henry VIII's ship, the Mary Rose nearly 500 years after it perished near Portsmouth

Since being raised in 1982 - an event watched by 60 million viewers worldwide - the hull has been kept in highly protective surroundings.

For decades, the ship was constantly coated with millions of litres of finely-sprayed, fresh water at a temperature of less than 5C (41F).

That process, along with a series of wax chemicals, were used to stop the wood drying out and to inhibit bacterial activity.

Then, in 1985, the ship was turned upright and titanium props were installed to support the internal structure and work was undertaken to remove as much sediment as possible.

From 1994, active conservation commenced with the spraying of Polyethylene Glycol (Peg), a water-soluble polymer which can penetrate deep into the wood and support the cell walls.

Then, in April 2013, the Peg sprays were turned off and the hull was kept in a state of controlled air-drying phase 100 tonnes of water during the next four to five years.

Once drying was complete, the internal walls surrounding the hull were removed so visitors would be able to see a completely unobstructed view of the hull - a phase that was seen as the culmination of the project.

Small viewing panels were replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony entered through an airlock so the ship can be seen in all its glory.
Veteran actress, Kate Henshaw and ace filmmaker, Omoni Oboli, want the Federal Government to accelerate the fight against piracy to enable the creative sector contribute more to the countrys economy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Henshaw and Oboli both gave the charge during a panel discussion in a teleconference (Webinar), on Tuesday evening.

The teleconference was organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).

It was to commemorate the entry into force of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, adopted on June 24, 2012.

The event was titled: Strengthening Nigerias Creative Sector through Improved Rights for Artistes and Performers.

The teleconference, moderated by Chijioke Okorie, Lead Advisor, Penguide Advisory, brought together top officers of the NCC, representatives of WIPO, and stakeholders in the Nigeria creative sector.

Participants also explored the significance of the Beijing treaty and engaged in discussions and awareness-raising, on the significance of the new rights enshrined in the treaty for the creative industry.

According to Oboli, it is expedient that the Federal Government take urgent steps towards effectively addressing emerging copyright infringements, particularly at this digital age.

She said as Nigeria sought the diversification of its economy, the creative sector was a major source of revenue, only if the opportunities that abound there were harnessed through enabling environment.

The filmmaker said piracy remained a major setback to the growth of the motion picture industry and therefore called for concerted efforts to fight the menace.

This is a sector that can stop Nigeria from going into recession as oil has failed, but the government needs to protect it.

Piracy is our major problem because if my rights are abused as a producer, I am not going to give my best while the pirates make the bulk of money.

We are doing better than before, but we are not making enough money from our works because the current copyright laws do not capture the digital platforms.

Almost every week, I have to write Youtube to take my movie down; unfortunately, most of these movies are yet to be released, but they are already available online for free.

This treaty is great, and if it is signed into law, the producers and all stakeholders will be happy, Oboli said.

Henshaw, on her part, said that the Beijing Treaty was a timely intervention for the creative sector, and therefore commended the NCC for championing its enforcement.

This is a treaty that its time has come because we have waited so long for an efficient intellectual property right management system.

We need this law to go to the National Assembly as soon as possible, and we also urge the Judiciary to effectively do its part, the veteran actress said.

Loss of revenue

In his remark, John Asein, NCC Director-General, said the webinar was to provide initial thoughts on how the balanced application of provisions of the treaty will benefit Nigerias audiovisual sector.

He said that Nigeria had already taken steps to domesticate the provisions of the treaty as part of broader reforms of its copyright system.

Nigeria film industry ranks amongst the top three globally, and this ranking should translate to economic benefits and enhanced status for performers who stand before lights and cameras transforming scripts to action.

The commission is particularly concerned about the loss of revenue in the audiovisual industry.

It will be working with the guilds, associations and collective management organisations in this area, to develop appropriate mechanisms to ensure greater returns on creative investments.

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This might also require looking into various aspects of the industry, including engagement contracts, distribution bottlenecks, online abuses, and rights management issues, he said.

Other stakeholders at the event included Oluwatobiloba Moody, Programme Officer, WIPO Nigeria Office, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Chairman, Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria, and Carole Croella, Senior Counsellor, Copyright Law Division, WIPO.

NAN reports that the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances was adopted by the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances, held in the Chinese capital between June 20 and June 26, 2012.

The treaty encompasses performances of actors in different media, film and television, and also includes musicians when their musical performances are recorded on a DVD or any other audiovisual platform.

It is opened to states members of WIPO and to the European Union, and grants performers economic rights in fixed and unfixed performances, as well as certain moral rights.

The Beijing Treaty was supposed to enter into force three months after 30 eligible parties have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession with the Director-General of WIPO.

It, however, took about eight years for it to come into force, as the required number of 30 states was only achieved in January 2020. (NAN)
Economists are renowned for their impenetrable language. But when it comes to the terrible toll wrought by joblessness, they dont mince their words.

"Scarring" is the term economists apply to the long-term adverse effects of losing a job.

Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit:

Similar to physical scarring, the traumatic experience of losing a job can leave a worker with mental, financial and social scarring for decades to come  if not the rest of their lives.

According to Deloitte Access Economics economist Chris Richardson, if a person is made redundant during a recession and is not rehired within two years, it is likely they will never work again.
Listen to Outbreak Alabama: Stories from a Pandemic, above.

Today, we hear from AL.com reporter Leada Gore.

She covers pretty much everything for the site and has been working around the clock during the coronavirus crisis. In the wake of Gov. Kay Iveys announcement to begin reopening Alabama, we talk to Leada about what this means for the state, and if we can see any light at the end of the tunnel right now.

Outbreak Alabama will release two or three episodes per week, chronicling the experiences of those directly impacted by COVID-19s spread, including health care professionals, business owners, city leaders, artists, AL.com reporters and many others.

If you or anyone you know is affected by the coronavirus and want to share your story, please email bflanagan@al.com, thats b-f-l-a-n-a-g-a-n@al.com. For all of our coverage on the outbreak and how it continues to impact Alabama, visit AL.com/coronavirus.

Listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like the show, please rate it and write us a review. Thank you for listening.

More from Outbreak Alabama:

A coronavirus survivors message to the rest of us

Ivey not ready to reopen just yet

Crime in the age of coronavirus

What role do our churches play?

The absence of sports

Learning from a distance

Walt Maddox on leading Tuscaloosa through coronavirus

Social distancing, or not

Coronavirus early impact on musicians

Alabama restaurants
Syrian refugee Ali al-Aasani was shot dead by police after he ran to avoid a fine for breaking the government-enforced curfew reports Sowt al-Asima.

A young Syrian man was shot dead on Monday by a Turkish police patrol in Adana.

Turkish and Syrian social media said that Turkish police shot directly at 19-year-old Syrian refugee Ali al-Aasani after he tried escaping from the patrol to avoid a fine for breaking the government-enforced curfew, which includes people under 20 years of age, as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Kozal page, which focuses on Syrian refugees in Turkey, said that the mans family had confirmed he was injured in his chestcontrary to some reports on Turkish social media saying that police had shot him in his foot.

The Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee announced that it had contacted officials at the Interior Ministry to obtain details of the incident that led to the mans death. Turkish officials said that the incident happened according to inspection procedures, and without any prior knowledge of the mans identity or nationality.

Interior Ministry officials added that police patrols asked the man to stop and comply with their inspection orders multiple times, and that they fired warning shots, but that the man did not stop, so they fired on him directly.

The Interior Ministry said that it was following up with an investigation and the necessary procedures to find out what happened. Hours later, the province of Adana announced that it had dismissed the police officer who killed the Syrian man, and brought him to justice.

Syrian activists launched a campaign on social media demanding a trial for the killers of Ali al-Aasani, using the hashtag #AliyiOldurenlerNerede (Where are Alis killers?). It became one of the top trending topics on Twitter in Turkey hours after its launch, following a large reaction from Turkish citizens.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:36:43|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese capital will lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the top level to the second level starting April 30, the latest sign of social order restoration as the epidemic conditions have been eased.

The decision was made after the city had seen no new confirmed local or imported COVID-19 cases for 13 consecutive days, said Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, at a press conference on Wednesday.

On Jan. 24, Beijing activated the highest level of public health emergency response to contain the outbreak of the epidemic.

After the response level is downgraded, people from low-risk regions of China will not need to be quarantined for 14 days at home upon arriving in Beijing, Chen said. Those who are undergoing concentrated or at-home observation need not continue.

But the strict management of inbound personnel and those from high- and medium-risk areas and Hubei, the province once hardest hit by the virus, will continue.

Couriers, deliverymen, housekeepers and real estate agents with green health codes will be allowed to enter residential communities, which will remain under closed-off management, Chen said. Relative visitors will also be allowed if their health codes are green.

Libraries, museums and galleries will reopen in an orderly manner with restricted numbers of visitors, and cinemas, karaoke houses and underground gymnasiums and natatoria will remain closed.

Chen said hotels in Beijing will not require nucleic acid test results from guests, with only a green health code needed to check-in.

The response level downgrade will relax travel restrictions between Beijing and other parts of China, which is expected to boost travel and consumption during the upcoming five-day Labor Day holiday.

According to the online travel service provider Qunar, flights booked departing from Beijing rocketed by 15 times within half an hour following the announcement at the press conference, with the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Changsha being the top five destinations.

Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said ordinary people can take off their masks in outdoor public venues if they are not at populated sites like school campuses and stations of public transport. Pregnant women, children and the elderly with poor immunity are still advised to wear their masks on.

Rong Jun, a spokesperson of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, said under the latest emergency response level, the maximum allowable passenger capacity will be raised from 50 percent of full capacity to 75 percent on buses and to 65 percent on subway trains.

Bus services between Beijing and some areas in the neighboring Hebei Province will resume operations in an orderly manner, and inter-provincial long-distance and chartered bus services will gradually be resumed, he said.

The buses and subway carriages need to be disinfected and ventilated regularly and all passengers are required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken.

"Despite the adjustment, the prevention and control measures in Beijing remain the strictest," Rong said.

Beijing's neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province have also announced they will lower the public health emergency response from Level I to Level II starting Thursday, by which time Hubei will be the only provincial region on the Chinese mainland that remains at the highest emergency response level. Enditem
The journalists were broadcasting from the hill in the park opposite the governmental building

Police attack journalist Kutepov hromadske.ua

The police beat and broke equipment of journalist Bohdan Kutepov, who worked during the rally under the Cabinet of Ministers, hromadske reports.

Journalists broadcasted from the hill in the park opposite the building of Cabinet of Ministers. Several tactical response policemen approached them and told them to leave the territory. Kutepov explained that it was his work to film from the place where the protest is better seen. The law enforcement officers called him a "clown" for that.

Kutepov also asked the police why they should leave this place, and the policemen answered: Either you take camera away or I will break it. After this, journalists were attacked and pushed out of the lawn. All this happened live.

After that, law enforcement officers were outraged that the journalist continued filming, threatening to break his camera and broke the stabilizer.

Journalists called the police and wrote a statement about the crime.

Subsequently, the speaker of the Interior Ministry Artem Shevchenko said that he did not know about this incident, but emphasized the need to clarify all the circumstances.

The police explained that they are investigating the circumstances of the incident with the participation of a journalist in Mariinsky Park. The investigative group of Pechersk police department works at the scene. An investigation is being carried out, and its materials will be transferred to the State Bureau of Investigation for a procedural decision.

As we reported, the entrepreneurs are protesting near Ukraines government, demanding to terminate lockdown.
For three years, the City watchdog sat on information about an alleged boiler room operation in which savers were persuaded to transfer millions into risky investments now feared to be worthless.

Blackmore Bond PLC, which issued high-risk mini-bonds between 2016 and 2019 to raise money to develop properties, collapsed into administration last week. Investors, most of whom were ordinary savers, were promised stable returns of as much as 9.9 per cent but have not received a payment since October. They now fear that all of their cash has vanished.

Blackmores products were speculative investments in new house-building projects, which did not offer guaranteed returns and which left investors facing losses of up to 100 per cent.

Accounts show Blackmore collected 45m from investors, from which it paid out at least 9.3m in management and marketing fees. The company also took out a series of mortgages against its properties, most of which remain undeveloped.

Insolvency practitioners Duff & Phelps have been called in to try to recover assets for investors.

Blackmores collapse again raises serious concerns about gaps in regulation that allow risky investments to be marketed to unwitting investors with little protection from authorities.

Repeated warnings

White-collar crime expert, Paul Carlier, who has 30 years experience in the financial services industry, handed the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) allegations as far back as March 2017. The allegations concerned salespeople from an agency called Amyma that was marketing Blackmore Bond. Other investors made complaints in March 2019 but the FCA failed to act.

In emails to the FCA, seen by The Independent, Mr Carlier alleged that Amyma was targeting pensioners and unsophisticated investors, using high-pressure sales tactics and making what he believed to be false and misleading statements about Blackmore Bond.

In August 2018, a year and a half after Mr Carlier first raised concerns, Amyma was still selling bonds claiming to offer guaranteed returns.

He escalated his allegations directly to Andrew Bailey, then head of the FCA and now governor of the Bank of England. Still the regulator took no action against Blackmore Bond or Amyma.

Blackmore Bond stated in its latest accounts that it continued to take in around 1.5m per month of investors money during 2018.

In December, the FCA finally stopped the marketing of mini-bonds  unregulated investments that are effectively IOUs issued by a company  to ordinary investors after the collapse of London Capital & Finance last March.

LCF is now at the centre of a Serious Fraud Office investigation into 237m of missing investors cash.

Blackmores former auditor Grant Thornton cut ties with Blackmore last March. A scheduled interest payment to investors in July 2019 was late and the company failed to file accounts in December.

Blackmore chief executive Patrick McCreesh said he had worked tirelessly to recoup money for the companys investors.

Contact us If you have any further information about Blackmore, its directors, or linked companies please contact us in confidence: ben.chapman@independent.co.uk

FCA asleep at the wheel

Some of Blackmores investors say they would not have invested their money if the Financial Conduct Authority had acted on multiple allegations it had received.

Back in March 2017, before investors had handed over around 45m to Blackmore, Paul Carlier, a former foreign exchange trader who now investigates financial wrongdoing, wrote to the FCAs whistleblowing team to allege that he believed there were major problems with how Blackmores bonds were being sold.

Mr Carliers team of six experts in investigating white-collar crime were renting a co-working space in the City of London when they witnessed staff in a neighbouring office working for a sales company called Amyma clearly targeting pensioners with calls about Blackmores bonds.

Through the glass partition of a WeWork space in Moorgate, Mr Carlier says he saw and heard Amymas salespeople falsely claiming that 9.9 per cent annual returns on Blackmores bonds were guaranteed and that investors capital was protected.

Believing the claims to be bogus, Mr Carlier wrote to the FCAs whistleblowing team about Amyma, saying: They are pushing all manner of these bonds to pensioners citing them as guaranteed by one of the worlds biggest banks.

Their sales spiel is something to behold.

Amymas salespeople would tell clients that their FCA authorisation was being processed, Mr Carlier said.

They are not FCA authorised and laugh between each other when anyone uses that line on a call, he wrote in an email to the FCA.

Mr Carlier, who has worked for several of the worlds leading banks, told the FCA that pensioners were clearly being targeted and said Amymas salespeople would high-five each other when they convinced someone to hand over their money for Blackmores bonds, among other investments they were selling, several of which have also turned sour.

Allegations were sent to the FCA in March 2017 but no action was apprently taken

A week later he wrote again to the FCA: FYI these guys are still pushing this Blackmore Group bond product.

Just overheard the pitch again: 9.9 per cent yield; interest paid quarterly; 75,000 maximum investment; all guaranteed.

A spokesperson for the FCA said the watchdog was not responsible for Blackmore, as its activities were outside its remit. Neither Blackmore Bond PLC nor the mini-bonds they sold are regulated by the FCA, the spokesperson said.

However, the FCA is responsible for regulating the marketing of financial products to the public. It must ensure that claims made about investments meet certain standards including that they are clear, fair and not misleading.

When Mr Carlier discovered  18 months after he first raised concerns  that Amyma was still selling high-risk investments, he escalated the issue directly to FCA chief executive Andrew Bailey and head of enforcement Mark Steward.

Mr Carlier told Mr Bailey in August 2018: Myself and my team all personally witnessed and heard each of [Amymas] phone calls with clients.

The majority were clearly cold calls, and the majority clearly persons that were not sophisticated and they were clearly targeting pensioners and their pensions, all contrary to their website and FCA codes and applicable regulations.

Three weeks later, in September 2018, Mr Steward responded, stating that the FCA was making enquiries. Just two months earlier, Amyma had been approved by the FCA as an "appointed representative" meaning it could carry out regulated activities.



What is a mini-bond? There is no official definition. The name is controversial as it can mean people associate it with fixed-rate savings bonds of the kind offered by banks. Mini-bonds are very different. Returns are not fixed; they depend on the health of the company issuing them and the scrupulousness of the companys directors. Mini-bonds should also not be confused with corporate bonds, which are debt instruments issued by large companies on the financial markets. Firms issuing bonds through financial markets have a credit rating that is publicly available and independently established based on the companys financial health. Once you have bought those bonds, they can be easily sold on to other investors. By contrast, any company can sell a mini-bond. In legal terminology, a mini-bond is often in fact a loan note, a simple IOU from the company to the investor. The purchaser is lending money to the company with the hope that that company will pay it back with interest. If the company goes bust, banks and other secured lenders will get their money back first from whatever can be recovered (often very little), leaving mini-bond holders at the back of the queue with every other unsecured creditors.

Investors in the dark

The Independent has heard from a number of investors who say they were contacted by Amyma and who describe similar sales tactics to those described by Mr Carlier.

Correspondence shared by investors supports the assertion that investors were told their capital was protected.

Brochures issued by Blackmore and archived versions of its website from 2017 and 2018 show that the company claimed to offer simple, fixed-rate returns with income certainty. The fact that capital was at risk was also stated less prominently within the documents.

Investors were told that their money was secured against the value of the properties but Companies House records show mortgages had been taken out on the properties. It is therefore unclear how much equity, if any, would be left for investors when the properties are sold and the mortgages paid off.

Blackmore director Phillip Nunn

Blackmores 2017 accounts  the only ones it has publicly filed  also show that the company paid 20 per cent commission to sales agents who signed up investors.

A further 5 per cent of investors money was paid in fees to a parent company controlled by Mr Nunn and Mr McCreesh for services rendered.

The commissions meant Blackmores developments had to generate at least a 25 per cent return before any profits would be available to pay investors.

In total, at least 9.3m was paid out in marketing and management fees. It is unclear how much money was invested in the properties themselves.

Blackmore chief executive Mr McCreesh repeatedly refused to answer questions about how much mortgage debt the company had secured against the properties or how much investors might recover.

I am the first to hold up our hands and apologise for the business decisions that we made that did not result in success, he said.

We made every effort to succeed, and even personally guaranteed each project showing how much we believed in and worked for the success of the company.

Blackmore director Phillip Nunn (nunn)

A massive cop-out

According to the FCAs register, Amyma did not have permission from the regulator to market any financial products to the public in 2017.

Despite the allegations the FCA had received, and at least three reports about Amyma in May 2017 to the police fraud prevention line, Action Fraud, the FCA granted the company permission to carry out regulated financial activity in August 2018.

The regulator confirmed to The Independent that it did not carry out checks on Amyma, its staff or directors because the company only applied to become what is known as an appointed representative.

Appointed representatives do not have to be directly approved by the FCA. Instead, they only have to find an approved firm that will vouch for their conduct.

The appointed representative can then carry out all of the same activities as the approved firm, despite never having been vetted by the FCA. Crucially, they are also listed on the FCA register, potentially giving the misleading impression to consumers that they have been accredited and are safe to deal with.

Mr Carlier described the FCAs response as a massive cop-out.

My concerns should have been on the record so that when [Amyma] went for authorisation it was flagged someone is culpable. Are the FCA saying that they turned a blind eye?

Amyma since appears to have ceased trading. Calls from investors have gone unanswered and the companys sole remaining director could not be contacted for comment. A former Amyma employee told The Independent that the company followed all compliance procedures and did not cold call clients.

All investors that Amyma signed up self-certified themselves as sophisticated, the person said. This meant they agreed that they understood the risks of complex investments. It also means they were afforded little protection from regulators. He said Amyma only sold Blackmores products for a few months in 2017. Sales and marketing were then taken over by Surge Financial, which also sold London Capital & Finances bonds.

London Capital & Finance

The situation raises further questions about gaping holes in financial regulation that mean consumers may believe they are protected when they are not.

They also add to a growing list of problems that occurred under the watch of Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, who was chief executive of the FCA from 2016 until March 2020.

Mr Bailey has faced criticism for the FCAs failure to prevent thousands of savers losing 237m in the scandal surrounding London Capital & Finance, another issuer of so-called mini-bonds.

LCF bonds were marketed by Surge, an agency owned by former Kent police officer Paul Careless. After allegations of fraud against LCF, the company was banned from taking on new investors in early 2019.

What is the financial regulators responsibility? The Financial Conduct Authority is charged with protecting ordinary savers and investors but UK and EU rules are a mess, leaving large gaps that arent regulated. Some activity is within what the FCA calls its regulatory perimeter but much is not. For example, a mini-bond is not regulated, however marketing financial products to consumers is regulated. Rules for investments are the FCAs responsibility but rules for who can offer an ISA are HMRCs responsibility. The problem is that it is almost impossible for an ordinary consumer to understand all of the overlapping rules and regulations, so it is often hard to know if you are protected. Companies that are not regulated have for years taken advantage of this to avoid scrutiny or consequences for their actions.

Surge had been selling Blackmores bonds since 2017. It continued to sell Blackmores bonds after LCFs collapse, contacting a number of LCFs former clients.

One investor who put a six-figure sum into both LCF and Blackmore told The Independent that they believed parts of Blackmores marketing were a pack of lies, including the claim that his capital was safe.

They said they were initially attracted to LCF by the fact that it was approved and accredited by the FCA. They said they were then targeted by the same salespeople who pushed Blackmore Bond.

They were also encouraged by the fact that Blackmores chair, Kenneth Buzz West, was accredited by the FCA and listed on the watchdogs register as an approved person. Mr West left Blackmore in mid-2019 and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his part.

Blackmore Bond website February 2018 - 'simple fixed-rate returns with income certainty' (Blackmore)

Blackmores brochure also claimed that the company had a strategic partnership with French bank BNP Paribas. The bank told The Independent that its property consultancy arm had undertaken work under a contract for Blackmore but the claim of a strategic partnership was untrue.

Responding to allegations that Blackmores marketing material may have been misleading, Mr McCreesh said: Blackmores material was signed off by independent lawyers and regulated compliance firms, with full independent verification of each statement made and approved.

The FCA also regularly commented and suggested changes to marketing material if they felt appropriate.

The investor said they felt let down by the regulator: I expected a high level of oversight [from the FCA] when in fact I now know there was minimal or none.

I realised there was a risk there but you believe what youre told, what youre sold and what you read. You have a degree of trust in that.

He added: The letter that came with the bonds said your full amount is protected.

Paul Careless, founder of Surge, which marketed investments for London Capital & Finance and Blackmore Bon (Surge)

Mr Carlier said the claim of a guarantee was also what had alerted him and his team to potential mis-selling by Amyma of Blackmore Bond. They were saying that not only were returns guaranteed but the principal was guaranteed by one of the worlds biggest banks, which is simply not true.

If you had a 9.9 per cent guaranteed return and the principal was also guaranteed, that would only be offered to the uber-wealthy. No ordinary investor would get a look-in.

They were also going after peoples pensions, advising people to draw down their pensions, and they were marketing, which has to be regulated.

The FCA said it took action that meant Amymas website was taken down and, in September 2019, Amymas status as an appointed representative was removed. By this time it was too late for many investors.

Blackmore continued to sign up 1.5m of investment per month during 2018, according to its accounts. Investors say that Blackmore and its sales agents were still making claims about guaranteed returns and capital protected in autumn of that year and into early 2019.

A spokesperson for Surge said: Surge Financial is a third-party supplier of outsourced marketing services used in relation to raising investment for many businesses. It has never handled client money at any point.

Blackmore had an FCA regulated partner  Northern Provident  and it signed off all marketing materials and financial promotions prior to publication, as required by The Financial Services and Markets Act section 21."

Investors concerns about Blackmore were heightened by the fact that its two directors, Patrick McCreesh and Phillip Nunn, were also directors of other investment schemes in which pensioners money is now allegedly unaccounted for.

They are directors of Gibraltar-based Aspinal Chase, which advised customers to switch their pensions into another unregulated fund called Blackmore Global, without informing them that they were also directors of that fund.

A separate investigation by the Insolvency Service found that another venture by the pair, Nunn McCreesh LLP, had received almost 900,000 in commissions between March 2012 and May 2014 for generating leads for Capita Oak, a pension fund which has seen investors lose 120m and is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office.

Mr McCreesh said it was completely incorrect to state that Blackmore or Aspinal Chase had ever advised on pension transfers. The shareholders in the Company are institutions, and they have their own individual clients who were advised by independent advisors unrelated to ourselves.

He added: "We advised no clients and were simply a lead provider, and there has never been a suggestion of wrongdoing or any connection to the Capita Oak scheme.
She is known for her glossy come hither makeup style.

And now 25-year-old Instagram sensation Tammy Hembrow has showed fans how they can achieve her signature glow-up during a YouTube makeup tutorial.

In the clip, takes her loyal followers through all the products she uses on her visage.

Want to look like Tammy? Tammy Hembrow has showed fans how they can achieve her signature glow-up during a YouTube makeup tutorial

Tammy reveals she mostly uses Fenty products by Rhianna, along with Nars, favouring the brand's liquid blush and highlighter.

'I love liquid blush and liquid highlighter, especially on days that I am not putting on proper makeup,' she says.

You glow girl! Tammy reveals she mostly uses Fenty products by Rhianna, along with Nars, favouring the brand's liquid blush and highlighter

'You put on a tiny bit of liquid blush and a tiny bit of highlighter and it just boots your natural beauty a little bit.'

She then moves on to skin perfector liquid, which she put on the tops of her cheeks 'for a little bit of glow.' She also pats it in at the top of her lips and brow.

Tammy then turns to the Fenty Beauty matte skin stick in suede.

'I love creams and liquids a lot,' she says, explaining she prefers creams and liquids over powders.

Blending: The blonde then tells her fans that secret behind her signature look is to blend and contour all the products on her face.

The blonde then tells her fans that secret behind her signature look is to blend and contour all the products on her face.

Tammy then moves on to Laura Mercier translucent powder, which she uses to set it all under her eyes and along her jawline.

Turning her attention to her brows, Tammy does the outline shape using her own line of brow pencil. She then uses a brow-setter by Benefit to fill them in.

The eyes have it! She finishes with a peach colour for her eye shadow, along with palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills

She finishes with a peach colour for her eye shadow, along with palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills.

She then switches to a Two-Faced palette, favouring the shade 'peach cream'. She then applies Mecca Cosmetica glitter chrome eye shadow over the top.

Two more similar colours are used under her eyes, and she finishes by using an eyeliner to create her signature wingtip.

Going swimmingly! Elsewhere in the video, Tammy spoke about how Saski Collection was still going to do Miami Swim Week this year

Elsewhere in the video, Tammy speaks about how Saski Collection was still going to do Miami Swim Week this year.

She also complained that she was in desperate need of a manicure and pedicure, as she hasn't been able to get one during coronavirus lockdown. She also said she was finding it difficult to work out at home.

'I find it a bit difficult to workout at home. I get distracted by the kids or I go on my phone in between sets,' she added.
Mr. Hargress died on April 10 at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in Manhattan. He was 84. His son said the cause was complications of the novel coronavirus.

For Mr. Hargress, Paris Blues was quite literally an extension of his home. He lived in an apartment above the bar. Downstairs, patrons found within its wood-paneled walls the comfort and intimacy of a cozy living room, where they would crowd around the bar and fill a row of wooden booths that Mr. Hargress had built himself.

He fostered an egalitarian and family spirit there, employing the sisters Judith Escalante and Esther Stokes as bartenders for many years and making Sue Kelly the day manager. He once had business cards printed listing the names of every employee, including one identified as Disco #1 Man.

Mr. Hargress displayed a chalkboard of his regular customers birthdays, so they could be celebrated with cake and a singalong. Once, after a late night, he went and got his Cadillac Escalade and drove one of the regulars, Enrique Justiniano, home to his wife.

Sam was the custodian of, the soul ambassador of, that culture of community, the chef Marcus Samuelsson said in a phone interview. When Mr. Samuelsson moved to Harlem in 2003 with plans to open his restaurant Red Rooster Harlem, he sought out Mr. Hargress. It didnt matter if you came from downtown, Asia, Africa, Brooklyn, he said. Once you were in the bar, you were in Sams house.
A drop in Google ad sales steadied in April and some consumers returned to using the search engine for shopping in addition to finding novel coronavirus information, parent Alphabet Inc said on Tuesday, sparking an 8% rally in shares. The share rally to $1,329.81 after hours brought the stock almost back to where it started the year.

Some financial and advertising analysts had estimated ad sales declines of up to 20% in the coming quarters, with hotels, airlines, film studios and other big spenders cutting ad buys because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Alphabet said search ads, its most lucrative business, saw revenue decline by a mid-teens percentage in late March compared with a year earlier and that the slowdown did not worsen this month. The company also is working to lure money from advertisers that normally sponsor sporting events canceled by the coronavirus.

"While, obviously, there's an impact on the economy and we're not immune to that, the engagement from advertisers across our products and with our teams has been very robust," Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told analysts on Tuesday.

Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat still warned that she anticipated "the second quarter will be a difficult one" because the early April trends may not hold. But Nicole Perrin, an analyst at ad consultancy eMarketer, said the first-quarter results matched "relatively optimistic scenarios" and left her "cautiously optimistic" about the current quarter.

Alphabet's overall revenue in the first quarter was $41.2 billion, up 13% compared with the same period last year. The average estimate among financial analysts tracked by Refinitiv was $40.29 billion, up 10.87%, expecting the slowest growth since 11.1% in the second quarter of 2015.

Alphabet was the first major U.S. internet services company to report first-quarter results, offering a preview of what other companies might report in coming days. Shares of Google's top rival in ad sales Facebook Inc, which had been down 8.6% this year entering Tuesday, rose 3% after hours. Microsoft Corp rose 1.2% in extended trading after rising 10.7% this year, and Apple Inc rose 0.6% after entering Tuesday down 3.3%. Shares of Amazon.com Inc, up 28.6% this year as shoppers turn to it amid lockdowns, were up 1.25% after Alphabet's results.

VIRUS CHALLENGES

A booming economy and rising internet usage have driven Google to record revenues in the last few years. But the virus has split those two trends, with consumer spending now plunging and reliance on internet services surging.

While Google tools including Duo video chatting and YouTube have become essential to many users this year, the company largely does not charge for them and instead generates revenue selling ad tools as well as links, banners and commercials on its services and those of partners.

But more than 26 million people have filed for unemployment during the last month in United States, Google's largest market for ad sales, erasing all of the country's job gains in the last decade. Google's ads business generated about 83% of Alphabet's revenue last year. It tends to flow with the broader economy, which explains Alphabet's slower revenue growth in the first quarter. Google ad sales in the first quarter were $33.8 billion, with about 73% coming from search and 12% from YouTube.

"YouTube provided an upside surprise, with growth actually accelerating despite the impact on ad budgets from the lockdowns," said James Cordwell, analyst at Atlantic Equities.

Revenue from YouTube grew 33.5%, slightly faster than during the previous quarter. But Porat warned that the growth rate had slowed to the "high single digits" by late March and continued to decline in April for ads that were not meant to immediately spark a consumer purchase. The company did not release the number of paid subscribers for YouTube services, after revealing it had 20 million last quarter.

About 5.5% of Alphabet's revenue last year came from cloud services for which Google charges businesses, schools and governments. This year, the company has extended various free offers to aid customers affected by the pandemic. The cloud business generated $2.8 billion in revenue, up 52% from a year ago.

Alphabet's total costs and expenses rose about 12% from a year ago to $33.2 billion, down from around 20% jumps in recent quarters. Porat said first-quarter expenses included an increased reserve to account for clients unable to pay bills because of the virus. With usage of Google's services up but sales down, the company has pared hiring, marketing, office expansions and other spending plans.

Google just three months ago had said it would be spending heavily to add staff for its cloud business and other areas where it is challenging to unseat dominant competitors. Alphabet's first-quarter profit was $6.8 billion, or $9.87 per share, compared with the analysts' average estimate of $7.21 billion, or $10.40 per share.

Also read: Tariff issue: US cautions India against 'Google tax', asks to 'strongly' reconsider

Also read: Google parent Alphabet Inc paid Sundar Pichai $281 million in compensation in 2019
OMJASVIN M D By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has been testing almost double the number of people for Covid-19 than the nationwide average. A data released by the Chennai Corporation reveals that Tamil Nadu is conducting the tests on 694 people per million of its population as compared to the nationwide average of 363.

The samples tested in the State so far is 1,01,874, with an average of 7,000 samples being tested per day across 41 labs. Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar has said the State aims to raise the daily tests to 10,000 soon. Chennai alone has tested five times more than rest of the State at an average of 3,096 people per million population.

The nationwide average seems to favour Tamil Nadu. However, the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh has done well with 830 tests per million, which is 136 more than Tamil Nadu. Kerala had recorded 588 tests per million (as on April 21). The other high-testing states are Maharashtra with 665, Gujarat with 604 and Karnataka with 438 tests per million.

Health Department officials say the high average could be due to categorically testing all types of patients who come to hospitals. We have been testing people with influenza-like illnesses, Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases, and lately, antenatal mothers too, Director of Public Health Dr K Kolandasamy told Express.

Dr Kolandasamy says tests have been done in an objective criteria across districts wherever they are needed. We have also been monitoring high-risk people and healthcare workers. The strategy is to test, identify, encircle and contain, he adds.

Interestingly, the testing average of most districts in the State has been higher than the national average, with Namakkal, Perambalur, Thirupattur, and Theni districts testing more than 1,000 per million population.

Corporation Commissioner G Prakash says the early micro-level screening has played a huge role in the high testing rate in Chennai.

We now have the daily data of every street of every ward of every zone. Apart from this, for every positive case identified, our team traces up to 30-35 contacts, says Prakash.

He further says all the cases of influenza-like Illnesses (ILI) arriving at Corporation and private hospitals are being tested. People were excellent in their cooperation, except in a few cases.

Moreover, in some cases, certain people were hiding the information, but later came forward for testing, he adds.

Meanwhile, virology experts note that testing needs to be ramped up wherever there is a high risk of infection.

Two months ago, the State was not prepared, but now TN has fared better than many other States, says Jacob John, an expert in the field. He, however, adds a note of caution that the numbers are not adequate but are need-based. If we keep testing more in hotspots, we may find more cases.

A SNIPPET OF AFFAIRS
Doubling the dole has kept a portion of the rental market affordable for the unemployed for the first time in 11 years, while leading economists also expect rent prices in Sydney and Melbourne will drop significantly.

The federal government in March temporarily boosted the JobSeeker allowance by $550 a fortnight to help households through the coronavirus pandemic. The effectively doubling of the benefit is now coinciding with major disruption to the usually tight rental market giving low-income households their first major relief in over a decade.

More homes looking for tenants and a temporary increase in the dole have ensured more homes are considered affordable for the unemployed. Credit:iStock

At the same time, housing experts are seeing early signs of a glut of vacant homes due to Airbnbs becoming standard rentals, home sellers choosing to lease rather than sell and international students staying abroad.

In the past 30 days SQM Research's capital city rental price index has recorded a 3.1 per cent decline for houses and a 2.5 per cent drop for apartments.
(Bloomberg) -- One of the Arab worlds most isolated economies is fast succumbing to the coronavirus pandemic and the unprecedented crash in oil prices.

Algeria, already rocked by a year of anti-government protests after the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, is staring down its fiercest economic challenge yet. While practically unburdened by external debt, hardly any corner of the $173 billion economy will escape the global shockwaves.

The OPEC member cant look to energy revenue for relief any time soon. Once reliant on windfall earnings to help keep the lid on social dissent, Algeria now needs an oil price of over $157 a barrel just to balance its budget. Global benchmark Brent is trading below $30, while oil futures in New York fell below zero on Monday for the first time ever.

Algeria, home to some 44 million people, chose President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a sparsely attended December vote and had been warning of hard times even before the global pandemic struck. It has since reported 2,629 coronavirus cases with 375 fatalities -- the highest death toll in the Arab world -- and rushed to introduce measures to protect Algerians, including cash payments to needy families and deferrals of credit repayments and company tax dues.

The North African country is on track this year to run a budget shortfall of 20% of gross domestic product, with a current-account deficit worse than even defaulted Lebanons, according to the International Monetary Fund. Gross reserves may drop below $13 billion next year, a plunge of nearly 90% since 2017, forecasts published last week show.

The lethality of the outbreak is testing Algerias fragile health-care system, where the density of physicians and hospital beds lags behind Lebanon.

The IMF now predicts the economy will contract 5.2% in 2020, sending unemployment to more than 15%. The outlook underlines the urgency for Algerias rulers, a cabal of army officers and independence-era politicians, as they struggle to placate the peaceful grassroots movement Hirak thats demanding sweeping changes.

Story continues

Its a more critical moment of reckoning than it was a year ago, because here we have three crises -- economic, political and the virus -- potentially converging at a time when the population is still highly mobilized and trust in the state is low, said Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa project director at the International Crisis Group. The patronage system that buys support has never been this weak.

What still sets Algeria apart is its almost complete lack of external debt. After an economic blueprint in late 2019 floated the idea of borrowing from abroad, Tebboune announced in March that the idea had been shelved.

But imbalances in the economy leave it open to other vulnerabilities.

The economic pain is already setting in. The General Association of Algerian Entrepreneurs said in March that 25,000 companies in the construction and public works sector had come to a standstill.

A confederation of industrialists and producers estimated Algerian companies had lost at least 70% of their markets. Italy, France and Spain -- all among the worst hit by the pandemic -- were the top three destinations for Algerian exports in 2019.

The countrys past oil and gas riches may mean it has enough foreign-currency reserves to be a buffer against crude prices of $15-$20 for about a year -- longer if the government introduces curbs on imports, Fabiani said.

This sets up the country, which was engulfed in a civil war for much of the 1990s, for another political showdown when its current restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus lift.

I am sure that Hirak will pick up again as soon as the containment ends, said Mohammed, a 30-year-old engineer at a state owned company whos regularly taken to the streets in the past year and asked to be only identified by his first name for his safety. Nothing will be able to stop it.

(Updates with oil futures in third paragraph)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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WESTPORT  As state officials begin early talks of how to re-open the state, the Board of Education has begun laying the groundwork of what reopening means for the school district.

I believe that this is the most urgent and important work before this board going forward, BOE Chair Candice Savin said on Monday. Having our students back in school is the fondest desire I know of everyone in town.

While state-led organizations may deliver guidance to municipalities, Savin said she expected a lot of guidance to be locally determined.

We need to figure out what works best for Westport, and our community and our expectations, she said.

Savin said factors that needed to be reviewed include health and safety protocols, potential educational remediation for ground lost during the school closure and planning for a resurgence of the virus.

But BOE member Lee Goldstein said she was hesitant to made decisions on topics real experts were still questioning. Goldstein said when schools are re-opened will be within the context laid out at that time.

I imagine there are going to be protocols that are going to be demanded of the schools and well do that, she said.

BOE member Elaine Whitney said the school board should do as much planning as it can to handle potential problems.

Id certainly reiterate the concept of ensuring an exceptional distance learning program is really critical, she said.

Interim Superintendent David Abbey said the administration would look to implement a committee to handle the re-opening.

We would need to define whos part of that committee and it would certainly need to be more broad-based than administrators, he said.

The committee could be composed of parents, members of the community, school officials and health officials, he said.

If implemented, Abbey said, the committee would discuss how to ensure school staff and students are healthy as well as make preparations if the distance learning program has to be continued. He said the committee would also look to see how the current school structure has affected students.

I was thinking if the board wants us to move forward with some of these ideas, to come to the next meeting with a broad framework in terms of what a committee may look like, and what some of the essential questions may look like, Abbey said.

John Bayers, human resources director for the district, said he serves on the towns emergency operations team and conversations are also ongoing about how to re-open the town.

I dont see our two sides having to work separately. It really has to be linked together, Bayers said. My recommendation is it needs to go in both directions because its no way we can operate in isolation.

dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com
Dr. Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a military historian and a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, Fresno. He has written two articles relevant to todays society. Last October he published, Members of Previous Generations Now Seem Like Giants, and he recently wrote, Is America a Roaring Giant or Crying Baby?

In the first article, Hanson starts with some observations and questions regarding the greatness of previous generations compared with todays Americans. He asks: Does anyone believe that contemporary Americans could build another transcontinental railroad in six years? ... America went to the moon in 1969 with supposedly primitive computers and backward engineering. Does anyone believe we could launch a similar moonshot today? Hanson observes: We have been fighting in Afghanistan without result for 18 years. Our forefathers helped to win World War II and defeat the Axis Powers in four years. Keep in mind that the Axis powers (Germany, Japan and Italy) had far greater firepower than the Afghan rebels that weve fought. Hanson also could have asked whether todays Americans could build a 1,700-mile road such as the ALCAN Highway, connecting the lower 48 states to Alaska, whose construction started in March 1942 and was completed in October that year.

In terms of learning, Hanson asks whether anyone believes that a 2020 college graduate knows half of what a 1950 graduate knew. In the 1940s, he says, young people read the works of William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pearl Buck and John Steinbeck. He doubts that todays high school graduates could even finish The Good Earth or The Grapes of Wrath. I attended Benjamin Franklin High School from 1950 to 1954, and our senior English class required reading included Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales and William Shakespeares Macbeth and Julius Caesar. By the way, when I attended Benjamin Franklin High, it was ranked the lowest among Philadelphias high schools.

Hansons second article asks whether our response to the COVID-19 epidemic will be that of a roaring giant or crying baby. We can awaken, just as we did on Dec. 8, 1941, with massive amounts of fight, ready to get on a war footing. For those who were not around then or do not know our history, in 1941 our nation had seven fleet aircraft carriers and one escort carrier. By 1945, it was deploying 27 fleet and 72 escort carriers. In December 1941, we had 2.2 million service members in the U.S. military. By the wars end, there were more than 12 million Americans in the armed services. Thats an astonishing mobilization considering our population was a little over 132 million. Whats even more amazing is that our gross domestic product for 1944 exceeded the combined economic output of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and Germany.

Hanson says that our other choice regarding the epidemic is whether to continue the partisan bickering and blaming. We can ignore the importance of the crisis and instead scapegoat and play the blame game. We can talk not of an America in crisis but of the viruss effects on particular groups. We can decide that to hold China responsible for lying about the virus is mean, racist and, at best, xenophobic.

In other words, Hanson says, The choice is ours whether America awakens as a roaring giant or a crying baby. My prediction is that Americans, left to their own tendencies, will roar together as giants and will ignore the political and media crybabies.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

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Donald Trump on Wednesday backed away from a vow made less than 24 hours earlier that the United States very soon would be able to test up to 5m people per day for coronavirus, falsely contending he never uttered those words.

Right now, theyre testing about 200,000 per day. So that would be a significant increase, the president told reporters in the Oval Office. The answer may be in the timeline and ultimately that might be possible but not in the near term.

He called the question on Tuesday that prompted him to make the 5m tests goal remark a media trap, a new phrase he uses to describe reporters questions that he answers and gets himself into political hot water.

I didnt say it, the president said  falsely. Where did it ... come from? ... Its sort of a setup.

The comment on Wednesday morning was merely the newest example of Mr Trump making a bold claim one day, often when something is brought up by a reporter or aide, then scrambling to distance himself from that very contention the next.

Were going to be there very soon ... Were really doing ... a great job on testing, the president told reporters following an event at the White House when asked if the US could get to 5m tests a day.

On Tuesday afternoon, he also predicted testing guidance he announced on Monday evening will allow his administration to increase it by much more than that in the very near future, saying were going to an even higher number.

But less than 24 hours later, Mr Trump made clear getting anywhere close to 5m test administered each day wont happen anytime soon -- even as more and more states either begin reopening their economies or announce plans to soon begin doing so.

The presidents back down came after one of his top public health officials earlier Tuesday dismissed some experts talk of getting to 5m tests per day.

There is absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even five million tests a day, Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of health, told TIME magazine in an interview Tuesday morning.

The admiral is leading the federal governments Covid-19 testing efforts.

Meantime, the president said he will not extend Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on social distancing and other measures meant to slow or stop the spread of Covid-19. Those are set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday night.

Why?

Mr Trump told reporters the same mitigation steps are baked into other guidance his administration released earlier this month to help governors go through a three-stage process to open their states.

The White House has shifted away from broadcasting messages about the virus itself and the federal governments efforts to fight it to a focus on messaging about opening the country as the economy craters.

Some Democratic lawmakers say Mr Trump has botched the federal response with over 1m confirmed cases and more than 58,000 deaths, according to The Johns Hopkins University.

The Presidents response to this pandemic has been a failure of leadership, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin tweeted.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, tweeted Wednesday that President Trumps failed leadership has left our frontline healthcare workers without needed PPE, testing, & medical equipment.
Quarantine means talking to myself about lunch KC not so Live // Photo by Terry Lindsey We've been asking members of the KC community to submit stories about life under house arrest. If you've got a story you'd like to share, please send it to brock@thepitchkc.com for consideration. Today, Frank Schloegel shares a brief story about his recent experiences inside.

The Pitch started asking for donations a couple of years ago and it seems to be going well. Even better, they're getting just a bit of "buy-in" from readers wanting to help craft content.In the new "voices" section, locals are sending heartfelt and mostlywritten observations about local life under lockdown.This one is better than most if only because of the "emo" sensibilities and middle-class pouting . . . Checkit:
Ukraine not to be able to use mobile applications to control virus spread without mandatory registration of subscribers  CEO lifecell

Ukraine will not be able to use mobile applications to control the virus spread until it introduces the mandatory registration of mobile subscribers, CEO of mobile operator lifecell Ismet Yazici has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"After lockdown was announced, tens of thousands of people returned to Ukraine, mainly from European countries. We see millions of subscribers who are constantly moving, but for us it is just a big mass of unregistered SIM cards. We do not know who they are and with whom someone is in contact. That is why those solutions that are now used worldwide to stop the epidemic in some countries cannot be effectively used in Ukraine," he said.

According to the CEO of lifecell, China, South Korea, Israel and other highly developed countries used technological solutions to control the virus spread. He said that in all these countries there is a registration of subscribers and a clear understanding of who is behind each of the phone numbers in the network.

"This makes it possible to determine the location of subscribers, compare it with their place of residence, and obtain data on their observance of lockdown. Accordingly, the main technology for controlling the virus spread is as follows: determine who is infected, who was in direct contact with the infected person, and limit all further contacts with these persons through their observation or self-isolation," Yazici said.

He also said that the subscribers of Ukrainian mobile operators are conditionally 'absolutely free,' as they have never registered, and the operators do not have any of their personal information.

According to the CEO of lifecell, if Ukrainians use services such as Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook, Alibaba or Amazon, all these international companies have full information about all their payments, about their social circle, etc.

"It is a paradox that on the one hand, Ukrainian subscribers think that they are free because they are not registered. On the other hand, they are absolutely transparent for any other global platforms," he said.

Yazici also said that in lifecell networks voice traffic grew during the lockdown period, while its growth significantly outpaced the consumption of mobile Internet.

"First of all, this can be explained by the fact that people are mostly at home. They do not travel, do not walk and go only to nearby shops, so they use local Wi-Fi networks much more," Yazici said.

According to the company's CEO, during the lockdown period, the number and amount of payments to Paycell (lifecell mobile money service) has increased by more than 40%.

Lifecell is the third largest mobile operator in Ukraine.
Controversial plastic surgeon, Dr Anu has allegedly been freed after being arrested for a failed cosmetic procedure which resulted in the death of a late beauty queen, Onwuzuligbo Nneka Miriam.

The family of the late beauty queen are currently calling for justice after Dr. Anu of Med Contours was freed.

A friend of the deceased, who has been running campaigns on social media to ensure that justice is served, disclosed that the doctor who has been on the run since her facility in Lekki area of Lagos state was shut down, conducted plastic surgery on the late beauty queen same year she graduated from medical school and started her internship.

@justice_for_queen_nneka slammed the Nigeran Medical Association (NMA) over its notice in which it reportedly warned FCCPC officials against invading the doctors property.

The web user also shared a petition against Dr Anus botched surgeries which was described as unethical.

Read Also: I Have Been In Relationships With Both Men And Women  Nadia Rose

It was further alleged that the plastic surgeon, who was freed after being arrested by the family of the deceased, continued taking appointments through social media and performing surgeries.

See the full post below:
Delhi HC asks Centre, Google to respond to mans plea to remove articles on his conviction in criminal case

Who is Saurabh Kirpal? Indias likely to get its first openly gay judge of Delhi high court

Delhi HC dismisses plea to stop publication, sale of Salman Khurshid's book : 'Ask people not to buy it'

Follow SC guidelines, while making arrests in relation to Delhi riots: HC

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: The Delhi High Court has directed that arrests in connection with the recent riots in the national capital, shall be done in accordance with the Supreme Court guidelines related to arrest and detention.

The direction was issued by a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh which also issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government and police seeking their stand on a plea alleging that arrests in connection with the riots were being made during the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic.

15 places including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad identified as high coronavirus case load places

The plea, by an organisation of Islamic scholars called Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, has contended that when the apex court had said there was a need to decongest jails in wake of coronavirus, the police was arresting people "on the pretext of investigation of offences related to the Delhi riots" earlier this year.

The petition, filed through advocate Mohd Taiyab Khan, also contended that if left unchecked, the action of Delhi Police would "frustrate" the top court's order to decongest jails.

The Centre, during the hearing conducted via video conferencing, told the bench that all the arrests made so far and those which would be made in future shall be strictly in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.

"Directed accordingly," the court said on Monday after noting the Centre's submission and listed the matter for further hearing on June 24.

The bench also said that all the individuals who according to the petition have been arrested so far, "are at liberty to institute appropriate proceedings in accordance with law, including seeking regular bail".

The petitioner organisation has claimed in its plea that police "unilaterally and arbitrarily" arrested persons from their homes during lockdown without informing their families the reasons for arrest.

The petition has sought those police officials be restrained from picking up or arresting persons in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots on the pretext of investigation and sending them to jail during the lockdown period.

It has also sought that the investigation into the riots be put on hold till another plea moved by the organisation seeking an SIT probe into the violence is decided by the high court.

The plea also seeks departmental action and contempt proceedings against concerned police officials who allegedly violated the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court regarding arrest and detention of accused persons.
The Saudi-led coalition described the STCs announcement of emergency rule in Yemens south as an escalatory action.

Saudi Arabias cabinet has urged Yemens southern separatist group, which has declared self-rule in the south, to abide by an agreement to end a previous standoff with the Saudi-backed government.

The declaration by the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Sunday, which included emergency rule in southern regions, threatens to renew conflict with the government.

They are both parts of a military alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to battle Yemens Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which overthrew the internationally recognised government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

Any step that is contrary to the Riyadh agreement should be cancelled, the Saudi cabinet said in a statement issued late on Tuesday, referring to a power-sharing deal between the STC and the internationally-recognised government agreed in November.

The STC declaration comes as a peace deal with the government crumbled, complicating a long and separate conflict with Houthi rebels who control much of the north [Saleh al-Obeidi/AFP]

The virtual cabinet meeting was chaired by King Salman. State news agency SPA posted images of the monarch and his son and de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), taking part from separate locations.

The Saudi-led coalition on Monday described the STCs announcement of emergency rule in the south, including the interim seat of government Aden, as an escalatory action at a time when all parties should focus on confronting the novel coronavirus.

The cabinet also lauded the coalition for extending by one month a nationwide ceasefire due to the coronavirus, which Riyadh said would also help alleviate the suffering of Yemenis during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Friday, and support UN peace efforts.

The United States welcomed the coalition ceasefire announcement, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported on Wednesday, citing US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was concerned over the STCs declaration of self-rule, warning such actions threatened efforts to revive talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels.

Such unilateral actions only exacerbate instability in Yemen, Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday.

They are especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by COVID-19 and also threaten to complicate the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to revive political negotiations between the government and the Houthi rebels.

Pompeo also called on the STC and Yemens internationally recognised government to re-engage in the political process provided under the Riyadh Agreement.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the coalition intervened in March 2015 against the Houthis, who control Sanaa and most big urban centres. They have not accepted the truce.

The war has killed more than 100,000 people and pushed millions to the verge of famine.
Toronto must rebuild itself with a bold, green and just recovery plan, that shrinks the growing gap between rich and poor, fights climate change and combats racial inequity, activists say.

We cannot return to what was normal in Toronto, before the COVID-19 crisis shut down much of the city, a coalition of social, labour, housing, race relations and environmental groups wrote to city council in a letter Wednesday.

While successful in many ways, Toronto has problems, including a growing income gap, affordable housing and homelessness crisis, opioid overdose epidemic, climate emergency and systemic racial discrimination, the letter states.

The pandemic crisis has exposed and heightened inequalities between Torontos rich and poor, they wrote, including homeless Torontonians, low-wage earners and non-white citizens most at risk from the disease and its non-medical impacts.

We are writing to encourage you to seize this moment to create a new future for our city, a new normal, underpinned with a bold, green, and just recovery plan, says the letter being sent from: Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre; Parkdale Peoples Economy; Progress Toronto; Social Planning Toronto; Toronto ACORN; Toronto Community Benefits Network; Toronto Environmental Alliance; Toronto & York Region Labour Council; TTCriders; and Urban Alliance on Race Relations.

And we are ready and willing to help you in this, with 10 principles to build a better Toronto.

They include: a transparent, community-led recovery and rebuilding process; evidence-based decisions with data; a new deal for Toronto with fairer funding from provincial and federal governments; keeping workers at the centre of recovery plans; prioritizing low-carbon infrastructure, procurement and equitable local job creation; investing in public and community ownership of land and housing; and maintaining pandemic-triggered boosts in city services, such as homeless shelter spaces.

Michal Hay of Progress Toronto said in an interview that rebuilding Toronto without such principles will leave it vulnerable when the next shock, such as another pandemic or weather emergency, hits the city.

Tory in mid-March announced the formation of an economic support and recovery task force. It includes city councillors of various political stripes reaching out to business, labour, institutional, education and social groups to work on plans.

Last week the mayor announced Saad Rafi will lead Torontos recovery and rebuild office, with public health direction from Dr. David Mowat.

Rafi retired last year as partner at management consultancy Deloitte Canada and is former chief executive of Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Administration Corp.

Previously he led the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee, and held senior civil service posts in the Ontario government.

Tory and councillors are expected to discuss Torontos recovery and rebuild plans Thursday when they meet online so as not to break physical distancing rules that outlaw the gathering of groups that could spread the potentially deadly virus.

That will include dealing with city finances decimated by the shutdown.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos medical officer of health, recently said she believes the city is at or near the peak of infections, but activities must remain locked down, with people spending as much time at home as possible, until infections subside.

David Rider is the Stars City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider

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Pronab Mandal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: With the test reports of a COVID-19 suspect first emerging positive five days ago, then turning negative the next day before again being stated as positive a day before he died on Tuesday, the family members of the deceased are accusing the West Bengal health department of gross negligence.

All of them are now scared that they too have been infected because the man was discharged by a state-run hospital designated for COVID-19 patients on the basis of the "negative" report and he spent more than 24 hours with his family members before he was re-admitted to the same hospital.

The resident of Amherst Street in north Kolkata was suffering from fever since April 18 and he was taken to the fever clinic of a private healthcare unit after four days.

"The doctors at the clinic suggested we take my father to MR Bangur Hospital which has been designated to treat coronavirus patients. He was admitted there. The positive-negative game started on April 25," said the elder son of the deceased.

ALSO READ | 17 districts with no fresh COVID-19 cases in 28 days, but is it really an achievement?

He said a health department official called him that day and said his father had tested positive for COVID-19.

"He instructed us to quarantine ourselves at home. We followed the instructions. Next day, I received a call from the authorities of the hospital MR Bangur where my father was admitted. I was told that my fathers test report came negative and he would be discharged," he said.

After his father was released, "I brought him home. Since, the hospital authorities said my father tested negative and released him, we did not follow the home quarantine norms. But I again received a call from the headquarters of the health department on Monday and was told that the hospital authorities had released my father by mistake and his test report was positive. He also asked me to admit my father to the same hospital immediately. I admitted him and he died there on Tuesday," the son said.

The man said he, his wife and two children had spent more than 24 hours with his coronavirus-infected father.

"It was only because of the callousness on the part of the health department. If me, my wife and children test positive for COVID-19 and meet the same fate like my father, who will be held responsible?" asked the son.

According to sources in the state health department, an inquiry has been initiated to find out how the lapse occurred.
Today the Daily Mail is appealing to its army of readers to support a mercy mission to supply the NHS with vital protective gear.

The paper has launched an independent charity called Mail Force which is spearheading a campaign to deliver the most desperately needed protective equipment to frontline staff.

The Daily Mail is contributing more than 1million to the charity and the first batch of equipment arrived at Heathrow last night. The cost of delivering the personal protection equipment to the NHS is also being covered.

It is being delivered by Daily Mail trucks to the NHS central distribution centre and will be distributed to hospitals most in need.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Cabinet Room inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minute's silence in a tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak

Private benefactors have pledged millions to the campaign and Salesforce, a world-leading enterprise technology provider, have pledged to match the Mail's donation. Mail Force will pay for more batches of personal protection to be flown into the UK in the coming days.

But because of the unprecedented scale of the crisis, more donations are desperately needed to protect NHS staff and care workers fighting the pandemic.

Every donation to Mail Force, no matter how small, will be spent on masks, gowns, and coveralls which the NHS and care workers so urgently needs.

If there is any money left over, the charity will use it to support the NHS and care workers in the best ways it can.

The first batch of PPE funded by Mail Force arrived in the UK hours after millions fell silent at 11am to honour the NHS fallen. Doctors and nurses wearing scrubs and face masks lined hospital corridors and car parks to pay tribute to colleagues.

In Glasgow, Air Ambulance crew stood together to remember the key workers who have died. Hands clasped and heads bowed, some struggled to hold back tears as they remembered those who have lost their lives to the virus while fighting it on the front line

Hands clasped and heads bowed, some struggled to hold back tears as they remembered those who have lost their lives to the virus while fighting it on the front line.

London Underground and bus networks in the capital were brought to a halt, with bus drivers standing in front of their vehicles to honour fallen colleagues. In Glasgow, Air Ambulance crew stood together to remember the key workers who have died.

Outside Salford Royal Hospital, NHS staff wiped away tears as they gathered for the moment of reflection.

Boris Johnson observed the minute's silence at Downing Street. He wrote on Twitter afterwards: 'This morning I took part in a minute's silence to remember those workers who have tragically died in the coronavirus pandemic. The nation will not forget you.'

The minute's silence  held on International Workers' Memorial Day  was organised by Unison union, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Dame Donna Kinnair, RCN chief executive and general secretary, said she was heartened to hear how many people had taken part but called for urgent action to better protect staff and prevent further loss of life.

London Underground and bus networks in the capital were brought to a halt, with bus drivers standing in front of their vehicles to honour fallen colleagues

Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak

NHS staff at Aintree University Hospital observe a minute silence yesterday to pay tribute to NHS workers who have died while helping people with coronavirus. Two of the hospital staff, nurse Liz Glanister and patient discharge planner Barbara Moore, died from coronavirus this month

'All key workers, healthcare staff among them, must be afforded the greatest protection,' she said. So far more than 100 NHS workers and carers have died with the virus.

They include consultants, nurses, cleaners, porters and care assistants. Dozens of transport workers, including bus drivers, have also died.

Campaigners say lives have been lost because frontline staff have lacked adequate PPE.

Among the victims is Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, who died after being diagnosed with coronavirus  three weeks after he warned the Prime Minister that health workers urgently needed more protective equipment.

Most protective clothing should be worn only once because washing them at temperatures high enough to kill coronavirus weakens their effectiveness.

However, a shocking poll by the Royal College of Physicians, reported in the Mail yesterday, found that 27 per cent of doctors were reusing this kit.

Senior NHS managers have agreed that the PPE acquired by Mail Force is vital and meets UK healthcare standards.

The kit is being flown into the UK using passenger aircraft which are otherwise sitting idle. As yesterday's moving scenes across the land confirmed, the need could not be greater.

If you, as one of our loyal army of Daily Mail readers, wish to back this campaign the details of how to donate are printed on the right of this page.
EURUSD Breaks Weekly Chart Downchannel Resistance Tradable Patterns - 1 hour ago The (EURUSD) is consolidating in todays Asia morning after yesterdays roughly 100 pip gain from the days low to its high. Significantly, the EURUSD has broken above the December high and downchannel/descending... ^EURUSD : 1.14447 (+0.04%) FXE : 106.43 (+0.74%)

Shootin' the Bull Swift Trading Company - Wed Jan 12, 4:43PM CST I am going to stick my neck out and say that I believe today may be a tipping point in the next round of inflation. I say that based upon a couple of factors that have been building and are potentially...

Midweek Soy Market Closes in Black Barchart - Wed Jan 12, 4:41PM CST Front month soybeans rallied off the initial report day drops and closed the session with double digit gains of 12 1/4 to 14 1/2 cents. March stayed under the $14 mark by 3/4 of a cent. USDA raised the... ZSF22 : 1391-2s (+1.05%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.5725 (+0.91%) ZSH22 : 1391-2 (-0.57%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.3270 (+1.90%)

Lean Hogs Bounced Triple Digits Barchart - Wed Jan 12, 4:41PM CST Hog futures closed with triple digit gains of $1 to $1.47 in the front months. USDAs National Average Afternoon Base hog price for Wednesday was $66.07 after a 92 cent drop. The CME Lean Hog Index from... HEG22 : 78.850s (+1.28%) HEK22 : 90.975s (+1.34%) KMG22 : 90.725s (+0.78%)

Corn Closes Red on Report Day Barchart - Wed Jan 12, 4:41PM CST Corn futures spiked lower after the data drop early on Wednesday before rallying back just as quick for midday. At the closing bell, prices were 1 3/4 to 2 cents weaker with May above the $6 mark and March... ZCH22 : 597-2 (-0.29%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.8579 (-0.37%) ZCK22 : 599-0 (-0.29%) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%)

Chart of the Day: Sigma Lithium Soars on a Wing and a Prayer Barchart - Wed Jan 12, 4:16PM CST The Chart of the Day is the highly speculative lithium prospector and miner Sigma Lithium (SGML). It is still in the exploratory stage and hasn't brought any mines into production but analysts like... SGML : 11.35 (+1.79%)

Fed survey finds economy growing modestly despite COVID AP - Wed Jan 12, 3:59PM CST WASHINGTON (AP)  The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the economy was growing at a modest pace at the end of 2021 but was still being held back by ongoing supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages.... $SPX : 4,726.35 (+0.28%) $DOWI : 36,290.32 (+0.11%) $IUXX : 15,905.10 (+0.38%)
The Dutch Central Bank (DNB) thinks the eurosystems central bank digital currency (CBDC) should be more programmable than bitcoin.

Saying on Tuesday that cryptocurrencies offer some technological lessons for the banks they seek to displace, DNB wrote that smart contracts could help future proof CBDCs. The 45-page CBDC report is the Netherlands pitch to become a digital currency proving ground for the eurosystem.

A smart contract system with complex logic potentially increases the demand for CBDC and offers opportunities to reduce transaction costs, DNB said. In this way it could contribute to diversity and innovation in the payment market.

Related: Facebooks Scaled Back Libra Proposal Is More Dangerous Than You Think

The striking admission comes as the DNB jockeys for influence in European central bankers growing digital currency debate. Just last month the French seized that discussion with an open call for limited CBDC experiments. The Netherlands, which does not have its own active experiment just yet, went a step further in the report: DNB wants to be a research, development and deployment hub for a European CBDC.

If the decision should be taken within the eurosystem to experiment with some more concrete type of CBDC, we are ready to play a leading role. The Netherlands provides a suitable testing ground for such an experiment, DNB said.

Rise of private cash

That appears to be an imperative for the Dutch, whose 17 million residents are the least likely in the eurozone to pay for goods or services with cash, according to a 2017 European Union report. Three years later Hollands cash aversion has only come into stronger focus: there are fewer ATMs and fewer cash withdrawals each year. On a macro scale, private digital money use  private money being funds tied to a commercial bank account  is growing and Libra, though neutered, is still a threat.

Responding as well to what it said was its own citizens growing interest in CBDC, the DNB said digital currency could help ensure that public money stays alive in a digital future.

Story continues

Related: European Contact Tracing Consortium Faces Wave of Defections Over Centralization Concerns

The report offers a detailed look at what a reasonable eurozone CBDC could be and compares the choices against some monetary benchmarks: Libra, bitcoin, cash, commercial bank money and central bank reserves.

After 10 years of experimenting with private cryptos, the question is whether some techniques have sufficient added value for use in CBDC, DNB mulled. It concluded that smart contracts may be the only technique worth salvaging, in part because its future-forward flexibility could make CBDC more in demand.

It indicated that CBDC should be more programmable to bitcoin and second only to libra.

Centralized coins

DNB divorced smart contacts from another less desirable hallmark feature of cryptocurrency: distributed ledger technology (DLT). DNB roundly rejected DLT as a feature coined by idealists working outside the banking system.

The fully decentralized solution of, for example, bitcoin, with decentralized validation, was partly ideologically driven, DNB said as it argued against bitcoins resource-intensive and potentially cumbersome model of distributed consensus. It seems unnecessary for CBDC to make those sacrifices.

Even so, DNB embraced the need for some anonymity that bitcoin evangelists and cash stalwarts adore. DLT makes bitcoin transaction history completely transparent even while offering users a means to transact pseudonymously.

Conversely, commercial banks, who have full knowledge of their users transaction history, have a market incentive to sell data that central banks do not. DNB therefore said that a CBDC should offer a selective degree of privacy second only to wholly anonymous cash.

Those technical aspects and more build out DNBs uncannily detailed envisioning of CBDC. Coming also with DNBs emphatic call for CBDC to shore up the public money system as the world continues to change, it amounts to a striking endorsement of CBDC  perhaps, as the Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra told parliament Tuesday, the loudest in Europe so far.

In no other euro area has the central bank so clearly expressed a positive attitude towards digital central bank money aimed at the general public, Hoekstra said.

The ball is now in the eurosystems court, he said.



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Im often reminded of the veracity of a John Lennon quote in which he ponders life is what happens when youre making plans for something else.

In some way, this also reminds me of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote something along the lines of this: The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

Or, Ferris Bueller, who noted: Life moves pretty fast. If you dont stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Pink Floyd also chimed in with a timeless ode to the verities of  well  time.

The point being sometimes you just gotta live in the moment, even if that brief moment in time persistently smells of bleach and other disinfectants.

Just as I was settled in with a sheaf of scribbled notes to resume work on a decades-old personal project (a novel), the distractions came fast and furious. Work, of course, is always top priority. As Im one of the lucky ones still gainfully employed, Im not complaining.

Additionally, cool movies and new seasons of old favorite streaming programs beckoned me from the side of my muse.

There are dogs that need to be walked and shown some affection on a regular basis, and warmer weather and the trout season opener also proffered seductive charms. And a delightful woman who for some reason actually seems to enjoy my company keeps distracting me with funny stories.

I was distracted further by a package delivered on my doorstep. New book! This one in particular is a hefty tome on the band 10cc, a British group and its side projects that never really received their due in the United States.

For the most part, Ive been able to resist dedicating all my attention to finish reading it.

But I will say this: Although Frank Zappa is always listed as a key influence on at least half the bands members, 10cc never resorted to Zappas infamous crassness, juvenile scatology, vulgarity and misogyny. And, frankly (forgive the pun), Zappa could occasionally come across as an insufferable jerk.

I would be remiss if I didnt mention convincing a fellow radio and television broadcasting student to play an especially obscene track from Zappas Overnight Sensation on-air back in high school. Most readers know which song Im referring to.

Im what you might call an honest Zappa fan. I appreciate his Mothers of Inventions full-length satirical albums, especially Were Only in It for the Money and Absolutely Free, immensely. Other albums, such as Joes Garage (a business mentioned in a 10cc song recorded six years previous) and Sheik Yerbouti have much musically to recommend, but, ultimately, collapse under the weight of potty humor, literally and figuratively.

But 10cc was funny, clever and satirical as well as instrumentally gifted (and gifted studio engineers and producers on top of all that). One listen to the song Rubber Bullets was all it took for me to be a fan, and subsequent works were equally delightful.

Ill never forget hearing Im Not in Love for the first time on one of the local rock stations. It was mindblowing progressive rock in a pop-music format. Reading a long-form description of the recording of the song 45 years later only adds to my first impression.

Simply put, its one of the best pop music singles of all time, produced by a quartet hitting a creative peak on all five cylinders, with the fifth cylinder being the studio itself. Remember, these were the days before digital recording and sampling, and this group to a man was an embarrassment of studio wizardry and artistic brilliance equaled only at the time by Todd Rundgren.

Stay healthy and safe, dear readers, and welcome the little distractions. You never know where they might lead you.

Bruce Edward Walker (walker.editorial@gmail.com) is a Morning Sun columnist.
Borno State, Nigeria  COVID-19? Yes, they have heard about it.

Staying at home? They fled their homes because of the fighting.

Social distancing? They would be happy to keep their distance, but how?

They wash their hands as often as they can and hope God protects them from this evil after all they have already been through.

The women at the camp for displaced people in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, sit so close to each other that their bodies touch and the bright colours of their hijabs blur. Several dozens share a few square metres of shade under a hay roof.

Every centimetre of space counts here. Jerrycans and cooking pots are stacked on top of each other and clothes hang from the roof.

Outside, the sun bleaches everything into near-white and the midmorning heat stifles all sound and movement.

The women came from towns and villages in war-torn Borno state, where for the past 10 years there has been a conflict between the military and various armed groups. They have joined some two million displaced people in the northeast of Nigeria. New arrivals they call them in Gubio, one of the numerous camps for the displaced in Maiduguri.

Being a new arrival means you have to start your life from zero, and you may not have a place to live.

Over the past few weeks, black plastic water containers for handwashing have appeared around the camp, while green and yellow posters share public health messages about the coronavirus.

But for the roughly 250 families who have arrived at the camp in recent months, following much of this guidance is impossible.

I am scared to think what will become of my children and me

In Bakassi, the oldest of Maiduguris camps, the majority of the residents have been displaced for several years. There are neat rows of identical tarpaulin huts as far as the eye can see. Every family has a shelter. But many people find social distancing difficult to practise here as well.

Aishatu, a 38-year-old widow, shares a four-by-six metres hut with her 10 children. I heard that I should avoid crowds, she says. It makes me nervous because it is very difficult to do.

As the number of COVID-19 cases grows, many Nigerians feel the immediate economic impact of the restrictions on movement. For some of the displaced people, who have lost everything, including their social support networks, the blow is extremely hard.

I am scared to think what will become of my children and me in a time like this, says Rebeca, a mother of six, who lives in one of the informal settlements for displaced people near Yola, the capital of Adamawa state.

Four years ago, Rebeca and her children fled their home in southern Borno when their village was attacked. Until this day, she does not know if her husband is dead or alive.

To feed her six children, Rebeca helps at farms on the outskirts of Yola, earning 200 Naira ($0.5) a day. But when Yola went into lockdown for two weeks at the beginning of April, the family lost this income.

We face constant dilemmas

While the global pandemic is spreading, the long-standing armed conflict has not loosened its grip on peoples lives.

This March, the number of attacks registered by the United Nations was twice that recorded in the same month of the previous two years.

We face constant dilemmas, as we are responding to the humanitarian emergency, and now there is also a global public health emergency that we have to consider, explains Stanley Latani, a hospital project manager for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Maiduguri.

To increase the space between the beds and ensure physical distancing between the patients in its surgical ward, which treats war-wounded people, the ICRC had to review its admission criteria and treat as many cases as possible as outpatients. But as the violence continues and wounded people keep arriving, this standard is difficult to maintain.

Before COVID-19 became part of the equation, 35 percent of the health facilities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states were damaged by the conflict, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As a result of the lack of access to healthcare, people die of preventable and treatable diseases like malaria, measles and cholera.

The potential effect of the coronavirus, which has overwhelmed some of the best healthcare systems in the world, worries many health specialists.

But healthcare workers in the northeast of Nigeria face an additional threat  being attacked.

After all, you can take preventive measures against COVID-19, says Clara Okafor, a nurse in Maiduguri Hospital, [but] you cannot do anything to protect yourself from a blast.
The dispute settlement panel of the World Trade Organisation is unlikely to come out with its report on a case against India's support measures for the sugar sector before the Q2 of 2021 on account of complex procedural and factual nature of the matter, the WTO said on Wednesday.

In 2019, Brazil, Australia and Guatemala dragged India into the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism alleging that New Delhi's sugar subsidies to farmers are inconsistent with global trade rules. Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of sugar in the world.

Due to the complex procedural and factual nature of the disputes and in light of the harmonized timetables adopted thus far, the panel estimates to issue the final report to the parties not before the second quarter of 2021, the WTO said.

The panel on India's measures concerning sugar and sugarcane was established by the dispute settlement body on August 15, 2019.

As per the norms, when a panel considers that it cannot issue its report within six months, it shall inform the dispute settlement body in writing accordingly and indicate the reasons, together with an estimate of the period within which it will issue its report, it said.

According to the understanding on rules and procedures governing the settlement of disputes provides that the period in which a panel shall conduct its examination, from the date that the composition and terms of reference of the panel have been agreed upon until the date the final report is issued to the parties to the dispute, shall, as a general rule, not exceed six months.

"The reports will only be available to the public once they are circulated to the members in all three working languages (English, French, Spanish) of the WTO. The date of circulation depends on completion of translation and the Panels are not in a position to provide an estimated circulation date at this time," it added.

The panel was set up after the request from by Brazil, Australia and Guatemala to review India's support measures for the sugar sector.

India has stated that the measures were consistent with its WTO obligations.

It has stated that the support measures are intended to provide for and avoid the over-exploitation of 35 million vulnerable, resource-poor farmers in the country.

The three countries (Brazil, Australia and Guatemala) had expressed their concerns that India's support exceeds the levels of domestic support allowed to India under the WTO's Agriculture Agreement and that India was granting prohibited export subsidies.

They had alleged that the measures have a negative impact on global market prices for sugar and their sugar producers.

According to rules, a WTO member or members can file a case in the Geneva-based multilateral body if they feel that a particular measure is against the norms of the WTO.

Bilateral consultation is the first step to resolve a dispute. If both the sides are not able to resolve the matter through consultation, either can approach for the establishment of a dispute settlement panel.

If the panel rules against India's sugar subsidies, India can approach the appellate body of the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism.
As many as 36 security personnel from Delhi police deployed in the Supreme Court, which was spooked a day ago when one of its employees tested positive for coronavirus have been quarantined.

According to sources, familiar with development in the top court, an infected employee was in the section IV of Registry, and his last working day was on April 16. The employee had visited the apex court additional building across the road, and he had also worked in the main complex.

"He is a regular employee and not contractual, and currently, he is in a Delhi hospital", said a source.

The infected person had come in close contact with two registrars, who have been also asked to self-quarantine. "We will take further steps after discussing the situation with ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and medical experts. The family of the employee has been quarantined", said the source.

A complete contact tracing was conducted to identify people who had come in contact with this employee. A senior police officer, who is part of the security of the apex court, conducted contact tracing and identified 36 security personnel at various locations on the court complex, who had come in contact with this employee, sources said.

All these security personnel have been quarantined. "For hours, police officers scanned the CCTV footage to identify people who had come into contact with this employee", said a source.

The judges are taking up urgent matters from their residences and through a video-link, petitioners and lawyers participate in hearings. The Registry has been asked to share the video link with the parties concerned.
Trade union OGBL has urged Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Deputy PM Dan Kersch to convene a meeting between representatives of the tripartite once the state of emergency comes to an end.

Luxembourg's "tripartite" social model was implemented in the 1970s and is based on a continuous trialogue between the government, employers, and trade unions. According to OGBL, the tripartite committee of representatives from the three bodies is an important tool in post-state of emergency Luxembourg.

The union hopes that a tripartite meeting will give the representatives the possibility to discuss the exit plan and the fate of the countless employees that have been particularly affected by the ongoing crisis. The union for instance cited cleaners working in private households.

The tripartite committee, OGBL said, should also tackle the question of vulnerable people and precautionary measures to shield them from the virus as lockdown restrictions are gradually lifted.

Purchasing power has to be maintained to prevent jarring inequalities and rising poverty, the trade union stressed.

OGBL added that a meeting with Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot to discuss the impact on Luxembourg's economic sector had already taken place.
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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been in the news a lot lately for having warned how bad the COVID-19 pandemic would get. In April 2018, he said there is a significant probability of a large and lethal, modern-day pandemic occurring in our lifetimes. He cautioned, even in the U.S., our response to a pandemic or widespread bioterror attack would be insufficient. He suggested it might be an unknown pathogen like SARS or MERS, that is capable of killing millions of people, bringing economies to a standstill, and casting nations into chaos.

In January, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and World Economic Forum, conductedEvent 201, which simulated a global pandemic caused by a new coronavirus. The Center for Health Security strangely claimed that it was not meant to predict COVID-19. On February 28, Gates published an article suggesting COVID-19 could be a once-in-a-century pandemic.

But just because Gates predicted COVID-19, doesnt mean he must be trusted on the specifics. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which provided a model at the University of Washington with predictions. Derek Hunter, writing for Townhall, observed that the IHME predicted on April 4 that between 120,963 and 203,436 Americans would require hospitalization. In reality, there were only 18,998 (missing a few numbers from a handful of smaller states that had not been counted yet). Similarly, the model predicted 31,057 ICU beds would be needed on April 4, but only 4,686 were. The IHME was forced to drastically cut its predictions.

On February 28, Gates wrote, [t]he data so far suggests that the virus has a case fatality risk around 1%. The case fatality rate represents the proportion of deaths compared to the number of people diagnosed with the disease. Now we know that percentage was too high, its below 1%. Eran Bendavid, an infectious diseases physician, and Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine, believe the mortality rate is 0.01%. This is one-tenth of the flu mortality rate of .1%. Part of the reason mortality estimates were too high is they were based off samples, not taking into account full populations. This may have been deliberately done to overhype the pandemic.

Gates further angered people by calling for a national tracking system. He wrote on his website, Eventually we will have some digital certificates to show who has recovered or been tested recently or when we have a vaccine who has received it.

This is no surprise, considering in January 2019 Gates expressed support for a worldwide biometric ID. He praised Indias national biometric ID, and was excited to see it expanding to other countries. He said India has the worlds largest biometric identification system and has become a valuable platform for delivering social welfare programs and other government services.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently funded an MIT study which explored implanting vaccination information into a childs skin. The project came about due to a direct request from Gates himself.

One of Gates main projects in recent years has been funding mass vaccinations. He wants to reduce the size of the earths population through that and abortions. In regards to the worlds population being 6.8 billion, he said in 2011, Now, if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by, perhaps, 10 or 15 percent. Apparently his reasoning is that if parents think their children will have a better chance at surviving until adulthood due to vaccines, they will choose to have fewer kids.

And thats not all of the offensive statements hes made. Gates said earlier this month that he doesnt think large gatherings will be able to resume until widespread vaccination has taken place. But he doesnt predict a vaccine becoming available until fall of 2021.

Gates criticized President Trump for halting funding to the World Health Organization while the administration investigates the U.N. entitys dismal handling of the pandemic. The WHO was told by Taiwan on December 31 that COVID-19 could be transmitted from human to human, but hid this information until January 22. Trump also had a problem with the WHOs advice against curtailing international travel. Trump disagreed and halted travel from China and then Europe, which is widely considered to have decreased the severity of the pandemic in the U.S. Trump didnt like the WHOs praise of China, especially since China has very likely issued false, lower numbers of deaths than really happened in the country. The WHO hid and diminished Chinas culpability.

Gates said the move to cut off WHO funding is "as dangerous as it sounds." Gates claimed in a tweet that no other organization can replace the WHO for slowing the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. contributes $400 to $500 million to the WHO each year. China contributes only $40 million. Yet bizarrely, the WHOs treatment of the pandemic has seemed more favorable to China than toward the U.S.

Gates approach to the pandemic would have been a lot more draconian than Trumps had he been calling the shots. While its true he knew enough about viral epidemics to see this coming, it doesnt mean his advice is better than the top experts advising Trump. Gates is a globalist who trusts the U.N. and has no problem letting the WHO dictate the terms of how countries handle the pandemic. His values and goals do not represent those of the U.S. because they are clouded by his internationalism.
BRATISLAVA, April 29 (Reuters) - Slovakia's Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge filed by the centre-left coalition PS/Spolu against the outcome of February's parliamentary election.

The anti-graft Ordinary People (OLANO) movement led by Igor Matovic won the election with a quarter of a vote and on March 21 formed a coalition government with three centre-right parties, thus unseating the centre-left Smer which had ruled the central European country for 12 of the past 14 years.

PS/Spolu won 6.96% of the vote, just few hundred votes below the 7% threshold required for coalitions of two political parties to enter parliament, and demanded an annulment of the election.

Court Chairman Ivan Fiacan said the petition was clearly unsubstantiated.

Fiacan said that PS/Spolu's challenge lacked supporting arguments and remained at the level of hypothetical statements.

PS/Spolu was part of a group of opposition parties during the election campaign, but it did not win any seats.

(Reporting by Tomas Mrva. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) (the "Company" or "PreveCeutical"), is pleased to announce an update to its Non-Addictive Analgesic (dynorphin pain peptide) Program.

Following the identification and shortlisting of a panel of peptides showing promising cell-based activity and extended stability in two distinct types of biological media, the program has identified its first peptide with clear "in vivo" activity in a rat model of inflammatory pain. This pre-clinical peptide has demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating moderate inflammatory pain after administration of a single dose. It is planned to test other shortlisted peptides from the panel for their analgesic activity in the in vivo rat model.

This outcome highlights the potential of appropriately designed, opioid-receptor selective peptides in alleviating pain.

PreveCeutical's President and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Mak Jawadekar, stated, "This novel peptide has the potential for further development as a non-addictive analgesic drug candidate, based on the 'pre-clinical' animal studies that have been conducted so far."

About PreveCeutical

PreveCeutical is a health sciences company that develops innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilizing organic and nature identical products.

PreveCeutical aims to be a leader in preventive health sciences. The Company's current research and development programs include dual gene curative and preventive therapies for diabetes and obesity; the Cannabidiols Sol-gel Program aiming to provide relief across a range of indications from pain, inflammation, seizures, and neurological disorders.; Nature Identical peptides for the treatment of various ailments; non-addictive analgesic peptides as a replacement to the highly addictive analgesics such as morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone; and a therapeutic product for treating athletes who suffer from concussions (mild traumatic brain injury).

For more information about PreveCeutical, please visit www.PreveCeutical.com, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Dr. Makarand (Mak) Jawadekar"

President & Chief Science Officer

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations

IR@PreveCeutical.com

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, matters related to the Company's current and planned research and development programs, including the Research Program, the Company's anticipated business plans and its prospect of success in executing its proposed plans. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will", "plans", "expects", "may", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions regarding the Company, including expected growth, results of operations, including the Company's research and development activities, performance, industry trends, growth opportunities, and that the Company will be able to obtain the financing required to carry out its planned future activities, retain and attract qualified research personnel and obtain and/or maintain the necessary intellectual property rights it needs to carry out its future business activities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including, risks and uncertainties relating to the Research Program, complexities and delays in connection with research and development activities and the actual results of research and development activities, and the inability of the Company, to, among other things, obtain any required governmental, regulatory or stock exchange approvals, permits, consents or authorizations required, including Canadian Securities Exchange acceptance of any planned future activities, commercialize therapeutic and diagnostic technologies, execute its proposed business plans, pursue business partnerships, complete its research and product development programs as planned, including the Research Program, and obtain the financing required to carry out its planned future activities. Other factors such as general economic, market or business conditions or changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the healthcare and cannabis industries in Canada may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, intentions and assumptions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that those statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, intentions or assumptions will prove to be accurate. Readers should consider all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to other periodic reports provided by the Company from time-to-time. These reports and the Company's filings are available at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55086
The hooting of the tawny owl in Maresme, a coastal comarca in Barcelona province, caught the attention of biologist Oriol Lapiedra. A member of staff at the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Lapiedra says it is unusual for this nocturnal bird of prey to leave the Collserola forests or the Sierra del Litoral to nest in built-up areas. But the current coronavirus lockdown, which has been in place since March 14, has turned Spains towns and cities into environments of unprecedented calm that are proving irresistible to some members of the animal kingdom.

But, as Lapiedra points out, the calm will not last forever and the risk is that these tawny owls will grow used to inhabiting an area that will once again threaten their existence.

If birds breed in areas where they didnt breed before, reproduction could fail once activity returns to a certain level of normality Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF)

CREAF, an institute of Barcelonas Autonomous University that is attached to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), warns that the reduced presence of people in open spaces will be an ecological trap for many animals, creating a false perception that cities are suitable places to live.

The possible negative impacts on animals may be exacerbated by the fact that the coronavirus outbreak has coincided with the breeding season of many species, adds CREAF. If, for example, birds take advantage of the lack of human disruption to breed in areas where they didnt breed before, reproduction could fail once activity returns to a certain level of normality, states a report from the center, which warns that aquatic insects, such as the Mayfly, could confuse street tarmac with water and lay their eggs there. When traffic returns to normal levels, the offspring could be destroyed.

Another species that could be attracted to roads are snakes, according to Lapiedra, who explains that the cold-blooded animal may take advantage of the reduced traffic to venture out onto the heat-retaining tarmac. As a result, more snakes could be run over once cars return.

Animals in rural areas are also at risk, says Lapiedra, who warns that the lockdown could encourage adaptable mammals like the wolf to wander closer to residential areas. If we emerge from our homes when the [wolf] litters are being born, there may be an increase in encounters and greater conflict, he says. However, Lapiedra adds that until the end of the quarantine period when scientists are able to resume their fieldwork, it will be difficult to know with certainty how wildlife patterns are changing.

Increased risk at airports

Carme Rosell, director of Minuartia, a consultancy specializing in urban biodiversity management and wildlife conflict containment, confirms that in airports such as El Prat in Barcelona, they have had to increase their efforts to ward off birds like seagulls and cormorants. They are getting the idea that airports are now safe areas for them, she says. And in the case of El Prat, there are canals and marshes with plenty of fish. This creates safety problems when mobility is resumed, both for the planes and the birds. Rosell adds that there are signs that wild boar have also become more acclimatized to residential areas, which could lead to road accidents in the future.

But environmental organizations such as the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO Birdlife) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) stress that the reduced human presence in urban areas will not last long enough to alter the behavior of fauna. It is a very circumstantial situation and there will be a return to normality. The animals will go back into hiding, says Luis Suarez, conservation coordinator for WWF Spain.

A falcon is used as part of a control program to ward off birds at Barcelonas El Prat airport. aeropuerto J. Tarradellas El Prat

Suarez does concede, however, that there may be small animals, such as rabbits, that will rapidly expand their territory as they breed, and this will lead to an increase in wildlife-vehicle collisions. We will have to wait for a complete reproductive cycle, until June or July, before we know the impact of confinement on the fauna, he concludes.

Beatriz Sanchez, head of SEO Birdlifes urban biodiversity program, agrees that changes in the ecosystem take many years. Even if the restrictions [on movement] were extended by two years, it is not enough time for the birds to change their habits, she says.

Sanchez adds that while there could be an impact on birds that have chosen to breed in urban areas, it would be a one-off occurrence. The changes are likely to be ephemeral and most of their consequences will disappear when human activity returns to levels similar to those before the crisis, he says.

According to Jose Ignacio Aguirre, a researcher with the Biodiversity Monitoring Group at the Complutense University of Madrid, In biology, its very difficult to talk in absolutes. The question of whether it is an ecological trap will depend on each species and the length of time human activity is reduced.

Aguirres team has been analyzing how nature adapts to cities and their outlying areas for more than 20 years. Aguirre himself stresses that it will take time before we can begin to compare current data with that of the past, though he doubts there will be much negative impact. Species are very dynamic, he says. They adapt quickly, and even more so if its only a matter of months. When humans return, they will retreat. But as long as confinement is in sync with their biological cycle, rates of reproduction will be higher.

English version by Heather Galloway.
Minister John Halligan has said there is a case for discussion in easing lockdown laws on a regional basis across Ireland.

Mr Halligan said that infection rates are low in counties such as Waterford, which has around 160 coronavirus cases.

He said there is a case to be made in easing restrictions in various counties, adding that Dublin has some of the highest infection rates.

Speaking at Government Buildings, he said: First of all, I think that the decision will be made essentially by the health authority dealing with this with, probably, advice from politicians.

I was making the point that half the cases are in Dublin, regrettably.

If you look at the University Hospital Waterford, we have seven in hospital, two in intensive and about 160 cases.

Expand Close Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys TD and Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development John Halligan (Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA) PA / Facebook

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So theres a case for that discussion to take place, Im not a medical expert so I wouldnt dare say thats what we should do.

But I think there is a case for that discussion as it is being discussed in other countries around the world on a regional basis as to how severe it is and are we likely to get a spike.

I think we should look at that because I am only relating what business people are saying to me.

We have ordinary everyday people saying, Look, we dont have a spike here, its not as severe, so why are we facing the same lockdown?

Now, you could also say were all in this together, and we are all in this together as Irishmen and Irishwomen, and our children and so on.

But I think it is something that may have to be looked at if this was to go on for longer than expected, but again I am not asking politicians to make that decision.

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Meanwhile, Professor Mark Ferguson, director general of Science Foundation Ireland, said that developing a Covid-19 vaccine is very difficult.

He said that while there are more than 80 vaccines under development around the world, it could take up to 18 months to have one ready.

Dr Ferguson said: Its difficult because a vaccine must be very safe. A vaccine is a product that you give to healthy people to prevent them from getting a disease.

Therefore, if that vaccine has any side effects, it is not going to be registered.

The good news is theres an awful lot of effort, I think it would be wrong to say this is an easy thing to do. Its not an easy thing to do and it may or may not happen.

If it doesnt happen, then we need to be prepared for that.
Q: My 13-year-old daughter has discovered a love for politics and political discussion during this past year. I am impressed by her desire and effort to learn about the issues; she researches issues and candidates, and she really thinks about how she feels. On the other hand, I am dismayed by the fact that she wants to talk about nothing but politics, as well as how she now often speaks to her dad and me as though we are somewhat stupid and our knowledge and experience hold little value. (For example, she recently told her dad that he doesn't know what capitalism is, but he has a degree in economics.) I personally don't enjoy discussing or debating politics very much, and to have my intelligence insulted makes it even less enjoyable. Even when we agree on something, she seems to want to turn it into an argument, and she will hunt for any subtle difference in our opinion or understanding in an effort to debate it. Do you have some tips on how I can engage with my daughter in her now favorite activity while also encouraging respectful discourse? I am so proud of her for wanting to be engaged with the issues of the day, but I am also feeling pretty worn out by the nonstop political discussions. Thank you!
That's only "if Russia contributes to real progress toward peace," the report adds.

The Brussels-headquartered International Crisis Group (ICG) NGO says the Russian Federation views the war in Ukraine as "one component of a broader conflict with the West," therefore it is necessary to make Russia "feel far safer," in particular, by easing the sanctions against it over the armed conflict in Donbas and the annexation of Crimea.

"Although any peace settlement will need to address Ukraine-specific matters, it also needs to address broader European-Russian security concerns in order to be sustainable," ICG members said in a report, titled "Peace in Ukraine I: A European War," released on April 28, according to Deutsche Welle.

"The EU, NATO and their member states, including the U.S., should begin exploring new approaches to European security with Moscow, including new arms control measures, even as they support Kyiv's efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine," it said.

Read alsoUkrainian soldier killed in enemy attack in Luhansk region on April 28

A truly sustainable peace should address European security as a whole to make "Russia, its neighbours and the entire continent safer."

According to the ICG, the EU should also consider adopting a "more flexible approach to its sanctions policy, offering incremental relief in exchange for incremental progress by Russia instead of today's all-or-nothing posture."

The Group says European states should engage Russia in discussions of European security, including regional and sub-regional arms limitations. "They should also consider adjusting the current sanctions regime to allow for the lifting of some penalties if Russia contributes to real progress toward peace," the report said.

The authors of the report stress that arming Ukraine does not contribute to the settlement of the war in Donbas, Deutsche Welle said.

The ICG is a think tank headquartered in Brussels. About 120 ICG employees work in many countries, in particular, in Kyiv and Moscow. The report on the war in Donbas was prepared, inter alia, in consultation with officials from Ukraine, Russia, the EU, and NATO, the ICG said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ukrainian government has been insisting that Russia sanctions imposed by Western powers on Russia over the Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine remain in place.

Last week, Ukraine blocked at the United Nations platform another resolution which would lead to the lifting of Russia sanctions.

"Russia drafted another UNGA resolution aimed less at defeating COVID-19, but more at defeating sanctions. We couldn't support it and broke the silence procedure. Ukraine has cosponsored already two UNGA resolutions to fight COVID-19. Let's keep focused on the real response," Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba reported, commenting on the move.
Update: Oregon Coast Closures Extended But Opening Plans Underway, Explained

Published 04/28/2020 at 7:54 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Portland, Oregon)  Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has extended its beach access closure beyond the original possible opening date of May 8. There are now officially no dates for opening accesses, but the tone is perhaps a little more hopeful now that a planning process is in the works.

All camping reservations have been canceled through at least May 25 and fees refunded. While shorelines technically remain open, most means to get to them are closed.

The entire issue is becoming extremely complex and hard to understand, with just about all counties extending their overnight ban, except for Coos County. Even so, the governors order regarding all non-essential travel stands.

At least now OPRD is offering glimpses into a road map for reopening beach accesses. A meeting was held Tuesday between OPRD, federal recreational land managers, regional tourism officials and Travel Oregon, among others. The team will begin laying down a framework for reopening recreational spots around the state, which will depend heavily on what each community feels its ready for. Some beach areas or parts of Eastern Oregon may not open for awhile, for example, while others might.

OPRD communications director Chris Havel spoke with Oregon Coast Beach Connection Tuesday. Openings will be driven by community health, and when and where will be diverse.

Right off the bat, we have no dates on any opening  period, Havel said. Yes, day use will happen before camping. That will be selective and will depend on which areas of the state are ready for visits. Which community is ready to open parks nearby, which parks are ready  if they have staff, if they have cleaning equipment, whatever they need.

In the last week, Clatsop and Lincoln counties extended their ban on lodgings and overnight camping through to May 31, which seals the fate for any Memorial Weekend travel. Tillamook Countys was supposed to expire on April 30, but it was extended to May 15..

On the southern Oregon coast, Coos County is so far letting its lodging halt order expire at the end of April. However, a meeting this week in may extend that. Curry County has their ban in place until further notice.

This means that as of Thursday, Coos County (Bandon, Coos Bay, Charleston, etc) will be open for guests to stay at hotels and rentals. However, most beach accesses and all major attractions are not open. The Oregon's Adventure Coast Group, which promotes tourism in the area, is asking people to stay home for now. An extension decision will happen May 11.



From OPRDs perspective, any opening of beach accesses will greatly depend on input from local communities. For example, Cannon Beach and Manzanita may decide to continue not allowing visitors into their towns, which would cause OPRD to leave those beaches alone.

Part of the arithmetic of opening any park is community support, Havel said. Were checking with communities now, on a county and a regional level and asking are you onboard? If a community is not ready then we wont open camping or day use too. So we move away from that area and to opening an area that will not cause problems locally. If theyre not ready were not going to force them.

For a time, any map of Oregon coast towns and beach areas that are open for visitors may look like a patchwork.

Many people feel particularly outraged by the ban on camping, maintaining that this is the ultimate social distancing.

Thats an illusion as its a much more involved activity than people think. According to Havel, much of the ban has to do with crowd control  like the closing of all beach accesses for now. He said a big problem with camping is that its done by people living two hours away or more, which means various stops along the way there and back. There are also issues involving people crowding around some campsite facilities, like restrooms or wood sheds.

Beach areas will open gradually, with camping coming back in last place. Then, Havel warned, things will be starkly different around state parks and beaches when they do reopen. Prepare for a new world.

If people are thinking that suddenly well see a switch flip, and suddenly well just be like we were before, nahhhh, he said. Were going to have to adapt to things being different than they were before. Youll have to take care of yourself and care about everyone else. Youll have to be self-sufficient.

Havel said youll have to make sure you bring everything you need with you, such as food, hand sanitizer, and youll need to keep social distancing in mind. Youll have to travel close to home, and dont travel if youre sick.

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Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has congratulated the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Incas Diagnostics for their breakthrough in developing a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for COVID-19.



In a tweet, Dr. Bawumia said: "Uniquely, this KNUST RDT is able to detect asymptomatic cases and takes up to 15-20 minutes to produce results.



"I'm proud of our Ghanaian students for this breakthrough".

It is expected that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) would critically examine the medical device and approve it for mass testing for COVID-19 soon.



This is to enhance surveillance testing for COVID-19 towards ending the respiratory disease in the country.



The innovation comes on the heels of a recent announcement by the same institution that it has produced a ventilator.



The College of Engineering of KNUST has already held a demonstration exercise to explain the working operation of the home-made prototype ventilator.



The medical equipment, which is in the advanced stages of development, is a collaborative work between the Colleges Computer Engineering Department and Michigan Technological University.



Ghana's confirmed cases for COVID-19 stand at 1,550 as of Sunday, April 25, with 155 recoveries and 11 deaths, after 100,622 sample test results.

Source: GNA









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Rep. Justin Amash at a town hall meeting on Feb. 23, 2017 in Battle Creek, Mich.

WASHINGTON  Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan took another step toward running for president on Tuesday, saying he has formed an exploratory committee to look into his chances of winning the Libertarian Party's nomination.

Amash, an independent from Cascade Township outside Grand Rapids, announced his intentions on Twitter around 8:30 p.m. In a series of posts, he said, "Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people."

A former Republican who left the party last summer as he called for President Donald Trump's impeachment, Amash said a couple of weeks ago that he was considering running for president and would make an announcement soon.

He has become a frequent foil of Trump's, most recently chiding him for comments in which the president suggested his power over the states was "absolute" in reacting to the spread of the coronavirus. Amash, a constitutional lawyer, has long been a renegade even as a Republican, bolting from his party when he did not feel it was sufficiently committed to principles of the free market and constitutional limitations and balances.

"Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together," he said in another post Tuesday night. "Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president."

By announcing his exploratory committee, which he's calling Amash for America, Amash isn't necessarily committing to a run. The committee allows him to test the waters, doing polling, making calls and taking other steps short of declaring as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission.

Story continues

It also allows him the possibility of jumping back into running for reelection in the western Michigan district he has represented for five two-year terms, though he faces a tough test there as well, running as an independent in a Republican-leaning district.

Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNationals nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people.  Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 29, 2020

Running as a Libertarian candidate gives him a better chance of appearing on ballots in November than running as a true independent, even though his candidacy, at best, could be described as a vast long shot. No third party candidate has ever been elected president.

With the U.S still in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic, however, it's unclear what the process of becoming the Libertarian nominee may look like. As recently as Sunday, the Libertarian Party said on its website that the site of its planned May 20-26 convention in Austin, Texas, had, without notice, canceled all reservations for the event.

Trump suggested a third-party challenge from Amash may help his re-election chances.

"No, I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat," Trump tweeted. "He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway."

Amash enters the race with a certain name recognition, given that he has frequently been cited as a critic of both Trump and of Republicans and Democrats whom he has cited as more worried about wielding political power than following the Constitution.

But there are other candidates running for the nomination who have more of a history with the party, including former California Superior Court Judge Jim Gray, who ran as the party's vice presidential nominee in 2012, and lawyer Jacob Hornberger, who founded the Future of Freedom Foundation, a group that advocates for smaller government and free markets.

USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Six months out, Biden jumps to lead over Trump amid coronavirus concerns

While Amash is often in the news for his criticism of Trump, who he thought should have been impeached for obstructing justice in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, he is far from a liberal member of Congress.

Amash has repeatedly called for reductions in government spending and limits on government involvement in the market, including health care. And while he voted in favor of articles of impeachment against Trump related to his asking the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, Amash has also taken heat for votes such as one this year where he was one of four members of the House to vote against an anti-lynching law.

Amash, who explains his votes on Twitter, said he did so because the law bans an activity which is already illegal under federal law and, at the same time, intrudes on state police powers.

Follow Todd Spangler on Twitter @tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 20120 election: Rep. Amash exploring run for Libertarian nomination
Manipur: Alien fish species pose threat to Manipurs indigenous breeds: Experts

April 29,2020 | Source: Hindustan Times

A fish from the Amazon River basin in South America has been found in Manipur, raising concerns among experts of an invasion of the northeastern states aquatic ecosystem by alien species. This came to light when Amazon Sailfin Catfish, also known as suckermouth catfish, was caught by a fisherman from the Waishel canal in Manipurs Bishnupur district probably for the first time on April 22. Bishnupur district has the largest freshwater lake in the northeast region. Experts said the Amazon Sailfin Catfish was found in the Ganga in Bihars Patna some years ago and also in the Brahmaputra in lower Assam. But this species was not reported from any other northeastern states yet.



Report of catching of such alien species from the water bodies of the state is not a good sign because their presence may demolish the aquatic diversity of the region, Dr Ch Basudha Devi, a senior scientist of the Manipur centres Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said. Subsequently it will affect the regions biodiversity, she added.



The one-foot long fish is said to be a fast-spreading species. As per reports, this alga eating fish, which can grow up to 49 centimetres and weigh up to 310gm, has become a local pest to eliminate fish in a few countries. Above all, they will start expanding and try to occupy the entire habitat and start competing with our native species, which are in low fecundity rate as there is no native predator to control them, Yumnam Lokeshwor, an associate professor with Assam Don Bosco Universitys department of zoology, said.



Manipurs water bodies are increasingly becoming populated by alien fish species. Some of them have been let out for commercial purposes by the state while some have been released accidentally from captivity due to lack of necessary regulations. Yumnam said more than a dozen alien species, including seven authorised exotic food fish, two authorised larvicidal fish, three unauthorised exotic food fish and five other freshwater ornamental fish, were found in the states water bodies after their introduction.



Some of them have already established a good breeding population and have emerged as a threat to the native species, he said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had listed seven native fish of Manipur as endangered freshwater species. Even the state fish, Pengba, has vanished from wild and is only bred in farm ponds.



Therefore the state fishery authority must adopt new policy to monitor the introduction of new species including the aquarium species (exotic) as this hobby has been increasing day by day, Yumnam added. Sharing a similar sentiment, ICAR scientist Basudha also expressed the need to form a state-level assessment committee to monitor the aquarium fish trade and introduction of exotic species. N Gojendro, the newly-appointed director of the fisheries department, acknowledged the recent development. Gojendro said they have appraised the matter to his seniors to formulate a comprehensive guideline for importing, culture and marketing of fishes in the state.
The impact of coronavirus on the aircraft manufacturing industry will be felt for years, Boeing's chief executive has said.

Just a day after arch-rival Airbus said it was 'bleeding cash' and may not survive, Boeing boss David Calhoun said: 'We are in an unpredictable and fast-changing environment, and it is difficult to estimate when the situation will stabilise.

'But when it does, the commercial market will be smaller and our customers' needs will be different. We know we are going to have to borrow more money in the next six months in order to get through.'

Boeing boss David Calhoun said: 'We are in an unpredictable and fast-changing environment, and it is difficult to estimate when the situation will stabilise.

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen airlines parking 2,800 jets.

Boeing was in trouble before the coronavirus outbreak with its best-selling jet, the 737 Max, grounded after two crashes killed 346 people.

The outbreak has added to Boeing's troubles as airlines delay or cancel plans to buy new jets.

It also caused Boeing to shut plants for several weeks, although it has reopened in the Seattle area and will resume production in South Carolina in less than a week.

Boeing is expected to apply for a share of 13.7billion in low-interest loans the US has set aside for defence companies.

Rival Airbus this week said it was furloughing 3,200 workers at its Broughton site in North Wales where it makes aircraft wings.

Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury told staff: 'We're bleeding cash at an unprecedented speed, which may threaten the very existence of our company.'
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

UC San Francisco Health began accepting patients Wednesday at a new Mount Zion medical center ward reserved for COVID-19 coronavirus patients.

The ward includes 46 acute care beds and seven intensive care beds that are outfitted with ventilators. The ward will serve as UCSF Health's primary coronavirus care facility.

Patients with comorbidities will receive more intensive care at UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at UCSF's Parnassus Heights facility. Moving patients to the UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion will also free up beds at the Diller Medical Center for complex procedures like tumor removals and heart surgeries.

"The patients who have been waiting for these specialty procedures have the potential for their disease to worsen while they wait and many have nowhere else to turn for the highly specialized care that UCSF can provide," said UCSF Health Chief Medical Officer of Adult Services Dr. Adrienne Green.

UCSF officials began identifying potential coronavirus inpatient areas at its medical centers in March. They identified a pair of floors at the Mount Zion complex that hadn't been used for inpatient care in more than five years.

In addition to installing ventilators in the intensive care rooms, revamping the two floors included adding video call technology in each room, converting double-occupancy rooms to single-occupancy and resuming hospital food service for patients.

"Our team came together with a goal of achieving in 43 days what normally would have taken more than six months to complete," said Sheila Antrum, a registered nurse who serves as UCSF Health's chief operating officer and chief nursing officer. "This could only be achieved through strong collaboration across clinical departments, support and core services."

UCSF medical workers are working with the Chan Zuckerberg Institute and the city of San Francisco to expand local testing capacity. UCSF Health has also sent nearly 50 doctors and nurses to New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico, which are both major coronavirus epicenters.

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.
Lee Jae-joon, mayor of Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in his office, April 23. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk





By Kim Se-jeong/Kim Eil-chul







On Feb. 20, Mayor Lee Jae-joon of Goyang in Gyeonggi Province sat with his public health department colleagues, directors of local medical centers and infectious diseases experts to discuss how to respond to the fast spread of COVID-19.







A couple of days earlier, the super spreader from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu was confirmed, pushing up the number of new cases fast. In Goyang, people began packing the city's testing centers, with many waiting in long lines to get tested.







"The rooms were too small to house all these people while they were waiting. They were vulnerable to infecting each other. We needed to do something," Mayor Lee said.







During that meeting, a medical expert whose identity is unknown proposed an option of testing people in their cars  he said he had heard about that method at a conference  and city officials decided to follow up on it in a separate meeting.







Over the next six days, city officials drew a blueprint for the drive-thru testing system in which people are interviewed, examined and have samples collected all while seated in their car. With this method, healthcare workers are able to have themselves disinfected separately after collecting specimens from potentially infected patients.







On Feb. 26, the drive-thru testing center, called "Goyang Ansim Car Testing Station," was set up at a city's public parking lot and began receiving people. Ansim means a sense of safety or relief in Korean.







Healthcare workers conduct the COVID-19 test at the drive-thru testing center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Feb. 26. Courtesy of Goyang city government

It turned out to be a great success.







On the first day of operation, 384 were tested  a total of 3,500 were tested there up until April 19 when the installation was shut down due to low demand.







By March 4, the central government took the city's method as the official testing model and inquiries poured into Goyang City from other local governments wishing to benchmark the idea.







The drive-thru also drew attention from overseas as the virus spread across the world. Goyang's example was widely written about by international media outlets, and many governments outside Korea approached Goyang with an interest in benchmarking the city's procedure.







On March 13, U.S. President Donald Trump announced installation of a drive-thru facility to help contain the fast spread of the virus in the country.







Earlier this month, the drive-thru was also mentioned as one of the key pillars in the Korean government's COVID-19 response manual drafted to share its experience with other countries.







But Goyang's initiative was not the first of its kind in Korea. Three days earlier on Feb. 23, Daegu started a drive-thru testing center at the Kyungpook National University Hospital compound, but Mayor Lee said Goyang's facilities had one outstanding advantage.







"In Daegu, the drive-thru testing center ran on a reservation basis. But we were able to take all in as they came."







The facilities have greatly contributed to Korea curbing the number of cases. On Tuesday, Korea reported a total of 10,761 COVID-19 infections, and additional daily cases stood at just nine.







Additionally, the city's response to a mask shortage also drew attention from the central government.







On Jan. 26, one day after the city reported its first cases, the city purchased 600,000 masks, worth 300 million won, and gave them out for free to vulnerable residents. By Feb. 5, the city began cracking down on mask manufacturers for hoarding the product.







On March 2, the mayor proposed an ID check for all mask purchasers, and the central government adopted this idea three days later.







"We're proud that the city's ideas are contributing to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," the mayor said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. "This also reflects how successful my city's response has been."







The mayor said the city government's success could be attributed to strong communication and collaboration with two public and four private large hospitals in the city.







Government officials and representatives from the medical centers have been meeting regularly to share information and devise measures to address the needs of the people.







This also made it possible for the city's 10 testing centers to have enough healthcare workers on duty at all times to examine and collect specimens. Goyang's Medical Doctors' Association sent 104 volunteers to the testing centers and six medical centers sent a total of 102.







Goyang also established a collaborative channel with the neighboring cities of Gimpo and Paju with which it implemented social-distancing campaigns.







Goyang's first case was reported Jan. 25, involving a Korean national resident of Wuhan who visited his family during the Lunar New Year holiday. As of Wednesday, the city has reported 39 cases, with one death. Those under self-quarantine number 867.







As the number of new cases dwindles, the city's response priority has moved to monitoring those under self-quarantine who for the most part have returned to Korea from overseas visits.







The city government picks up residents from the airport then has them tested at the KINTEX Camping site. For those who need a place to stay isolated for 14 days, the city rented caravans and tents and subsidized hotel accommodation fee.







Entertaining self-quarantine patients is also an important task. City officials deliver books from local libraries and give out potted plants. A home exercise video, in particular, drew praise from people for its creative thinking, as the city hired personal trainers who lost their jobs because of the pandemic to create the workout videos.







Lee said he thanked protestant churches in the city for complying with the city government's recommendation to stay closed.







Despite the recommendation, many churches in other parts of Korea kept their doors open for worship services, some of which became breeding grounds for COVID-19 infections.







"In Goyang, the churches started to close in February. We invited their leaders to City Hall. Also, we went out to big churches to persuade them individually," Mayor Lee said.







Goyang Mayor Lee Jae-joon during the interview on April 23/ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

The mayor was positive that the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrates what Koreans can achieve when under pressure.







"It was difficult in the beginning but we have passed through that time together and that demonstrates what we are capable of," Lee said.














NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Roberts & Ryan Investments Inc., a registered broker-dealer, certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), welcomes to the firm U.S. Marine Corps veteran Alexander Mainero as Managing Director of Capital Markets.

Roberts & Ryan Investments, Inc.

Alex joined the Marine Corps during college and was stationed at the USMC headquarters in Washington, D.C. He was assigned recruiting detail and became the face of the Marines. " Alexander Mainero's pride and spirit are evident " described General P.X. Kelly, Commandant USMC, of the cover of the January 1987 issue of "MARINES," the official magazine of the U.S. Marine Corps.

After his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, Alex began his financial services work at Barclays Bank, where he received formal training in credit, risk management and corporate finance. Following Barclays, Mainero became a senior corporate and investment banker working on several transactions worldwide across multiple products and industry sectors at various firms. This includes multiple years with Citigroup where he was based in New York and South America.

Alex has spent most of his finance career focusing on global capital markets, with 32 years of experience in the field. Mainero holds FINRA Series 79, 7 and 63 licenses.

"I have known Alex for over 10 years and had the pleasure of working with him. His extensive experience and distinguished career in global capital markets will be a tremendous asset to our firm. As a fellow veteran, he understands and will be a tremendous advocate for our social mission of supporting veterans and their families. His military and capital markets experience will be instrumental in helping us grow. We are very fortunate to have someone of Alex's caliber join our team," announced Ed D'Alessandro, COO and Head of Fixed Income.

Alex is first-generation American, a product of Argentinian and Italian parents, and fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. He is the first to have served in the military, fulfilling an American dream.

Alex is a graduate of the Universidade Catolica de Santos in Brazil, with a BBA-Bachelor of Business Administration. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Roberts & Ryan Investments Inc. is one of America's first Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVO) Broker-Dealers, having been established in 1987. The firm provides institutional investors equity execution services as well as access to the debt and equity capital markets. Roberts & Ryan has partnered with Citi in the Small Business Administration's Mentor Protege program that provides guidance, assistance and opportunities to small, diverse businesses.

For more information, contact:

Roberts & Ryan Investments Inc.

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NEW YORK (AP)  A coronavirus vaccine is still months or years away, but groups that peddle misinformation about immunizations are already taking aim, potentially eroding confidence in what could be humanitys best chance to defeat the virus.

In recent weeks, vaccine opponents have made several unsubstantiated claims, including allegations that vaccine trials will be dangerously rushed or that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious diseases expert, is blocking cures to enrich vaccine makers. Theyve also falsely claimed that Microsoft founder Bill Gates wants to use a vaccine to inject microchips into people  or to cull 15% of the worlds population.

Vaccine opponents in the U.S. have been around for a long time. Their claims range from relatively modest safety concerns about specific vaccines or the risk of side effects to conspiracy theories that border on the bizarre.

The movement is receiving renewed attention, especially as it aligns itself with groups loudly protesting restrictions on daily life aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. Health professionals say vaccine misinformation could have lethal consequences if it leads people to opt for bogus cures instead.

Only a coronavirus vaccine can truly protect us from future outbreaks, said Dr. Scott Ratzan, a physician and medical misinformation expert at the City University of New York and Columbia University. But what if the effort succeeds and large numbers of people decide not to vaccinate themselves or their children?

While vaccines for diseases such as polio, smallpox and measles have benefited millions, some skeptics reject the science, citing a distrust of modern medicine and government. Others say mandatory vaccine requirements violate their religious freedom.

Rita Palma, the leader of the anti-vaccine group in Long Island called My Kids, My Choice, is among those who say their families wont get the coronavirus vaccine.

Many of us are anxiety stricken at the thought of being forced to get a vaccine, Palma said. I will never choose to have a COVID-19 vaccine. I dont want the government forcing it on my community or my family.

From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine skeptics have tailored several long-standing claims about vaccine safety to fit the current outbreak. When the first U.S. case was announced in January, some alleged the coronavirus was manufactured and that patents for it could be found online.

Thousands of deaths later, vaccine opponents are endorsing unapproved treatments, second-guessing medical experts and pushing fears about mandatory vaccinations. Theyve also latched onto protests against stay-at-home orders in the U.S.

The coronavirus has created this perfect storm of misinformation, remarked David A. Broniatowski, an associate professor at George Washington Universitys school of engineering and applied science who has published several studies on vaccine misinformation.

Last week, an anti-vaccine activist was arrested in Idaho after repeatedly refusing police orders to leave a playground closed because of the pandemic. The woman, who was there with other families, is affiliated with two groups that protested at the Idaho Statehouse against stay-at-home orders.

Facebook groups formed to organize the protests have been peppered with vaccine hoaxes and myths. Perhaps no one plays a bigger role in the conspiracy theories than Gates, who is funding vaccine research. The online movement has centered concerns around a COVID-19 vaccine on false claims that Gates is planning to microchip people with the vaccine or use it to reduce the world's population.

Bill Gates. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP, 2019)AP

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine critic who helped popularize unsubstantiated claims that vaccines can cause autism, said Gates work gives him dictatorial control of global health policy. Roger Stone, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, went further on a New York City radio show, saying Gates and other globalists are using the coronavirus for mandatory vaccinations and microchipping people.

Such wild theories can have real-world effects. False rumors that Gates hoped to test an experimental vaccine in South Africa became mainstream after a news site erroneously reported the claim. One of the countrys political parties then sent a letter to President Cyril Rampahosa demanding answers about deals struck with Gates.

In fact, Gates and his wife are financing a vaccine trial in Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, not South Africa. He also suggested creating a database of people immune to the virus, not implanting microchips.

On Monday, during remarks recognizing World Immunization Week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus criticized vaccine skeptics for spreading misinformation at a time when many families are delaying or skipping routine childhood immunizations because theyre afraid of COVID-19 exposure in doctors offices.

Myths and misinformation about vaccines are adding fuel to the fire, he said.

Health experts have repeatedly said there is no evidence the coronavirus was intentionally created or spread. They also insist that vaccines are not only safe, but essential to global health.

Vaccine researchers and anyone who is a vaccine advocate cares deeply about vaccine safety, said Dr. Paul Offit, a Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia physician and co-inventor of a vaccine for rotavirus, which kills hundreds of thousands of children annually.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

More:

Pa. coronavirus cases top 43,000, and more than 1,700 have died, health department says

Prominent N.Y. doctor who treated countless coronavirus patients, and survived the illness, dies by suicide

Dauphin and York county coroners on COVID-19: This is not like anything we have ever had'

Pa. hospitals get OK to begin dealing with backlog of elective surgeries put off because of COVID-19
China scrambled aircraft and sortied ships to track and expel a frontline US warship from near a Beijing-controlled island chain in the South China Sea on Tuesday, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has said.

Accusing the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry of carrying out a provocative act and violating Chinese sovereignty, the PLAs southern command said the intrusion of the American warship prompted it to track, monitor, verify, identify and expel it.

A Chinese military spokesperson later had a piece of advice for the US military: Focus on Covid-19 prevention at home rather destabilising regional peace and security.

The incident took place off the Paracel Islands, known as the Xisha Islands in China, and the Hoang Sa Archipelago in Vietnam, in the South China Sea.

A cluster of more than 30 islands, they are controlled by Beijing but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea but those claims are disputed by several maritime neighbours including Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia besides Vietnam and Taiwan (which China says is a breakaway region.)

The route taken by the US warship, which also earlier crossed the Taiwan Straits, prompted strong response and reaction from China.

The US provocative actions seriously violated international law and related norms, seriously violated Chinese sovereignty and security interests, and intentionally increased regional security risks, a statement posted on the military units WeChat social media account quoted Li Huamin, a command spokesperson, as saying.

Referring to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Li added that the incident could have easily caused an accident, and is against the context in which the international community is making concentrated efforts to fight the pandemic and the common will of countries in the South China Sea to safeguard peace and stability in the region.

We urge the US side to focus on the epidemic prevention and control on its homeland, contribute more to the international fight against the pandemic and immediately stop military actions against regional security, peace and stability, Li said.

According to the US-based non-profit US Naval Institute, the The FONOP (freedom of navigation operations) from the Japan-based USS Barry closely follows the destroyer transiting the Taiwan Strait twice this month.

A day after Barrys April 22 transit, the Chinese (aircraft carrier) Liaoning Carrier Strike Group also transited the Taiwan Strait. In addition to the presence operations, the destroyer has been active in the South China Sea operating with guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) and amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) off the coast of Malaysia near an ongoing dispute over mineral exploration between Malaysia and China, the USNI said.
Dominic Raab during the daily press conference on Wednesday. (PA)

The death toll from coronavirus has risen sharply to more than 26,000 after the government included fatalities from outside hospitals in its daily announcement for the first time.

It means a total of 26,097 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community in the UK after contracting COVID-19  a rise of 4,419 from Tuesday.

The sharp increase means the UKs toll makes it the second worst hit country in Europe, based on each nations official reporting of deaths, and globally ranks behind only the USs total, which is above 50,000, and Italy.

Previously, the UK government reported deaths taking place in hospitals, with care home deaths in England and Wales later appearing in Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

A bulk of the newly reported deaths happened between March 2 and April 28 so they dont represent a sudden surge in the number of deaths, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said.

There are now 165,221 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, a rise of 4,076 from yesterday.

A slide in Wednesday's briefing showed how the UK is tracking above other European countries' death trajectories.

The absence of those figures has skewed the nations true COVID-19 death toll.

There are also 3.1 million confirmed cases around the world, with 217,000 deaths and 932,000 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Public Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said: Every death from COVID-19 is a tragedy.

Tracking the daily death count is vital to help us understand the impact of the disease.

These more complete data will give us a fuller and more up-to-date picture of deaths in England and will inform the Governments approach as we continue to protect the public.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how coronavirus is spreading

A chart shown during a government presentation on Tuesday included care home deaths, and it displayed how the UKs death toll trajectory was worse than other badly-hit European countries like Italy, Spain and France.

Story continues

Italy has 27,359 deaths and Spain 24,275, according to Johns Hopkins University, although Dr Doyle said there are doubts if Spain adds in its care home deaths.

George Eustice, the environment secretary, told Sky News earlier it may well be that the UK passes the tolls seen in those countries, adding we don't know that at the moment.

A government chart showing the number of daily deaths from COVID-19 in all settings.

The ONS said the new method of reporting provides a count of all deaths where a positive test for COVID-19 has been confirmed, wherever the death took place in England, while comparable figures ... from Public Health Wales, Health Protection Scotland and Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland) are included.

This is the most reliable source for daily reporting for an immediate understanding of the pandemic.

Concerns about a spike in cancer deaths amid the coronavirus outbreak have been voiced.

A study has found 18,000 more deaths due to cancer could happen as patients are not accessing health services.

NHS England cancer clinical director Professor Peter Johnson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I completely understand that people are worried and frightened about leaving the house, about going to hospitals, about going to appointments, but weve taken a huge amount of trouble to make sure that cancer services can be delivered in a safe and protected way.

Of course the numbers of people coming forward have gone down and were very worried about that, were very worried about people being at home with cancers that need to be looked at.

He added that were doing everything we can to avoid a big rise in cancer deaths and added: We anticipated this problem and we expected we would have to deal with this.

The government is trying to ramp up its testing capacity to detect active cases and aimed for 100,000 a day before the end of April.

Professor John Newton, of Public Health England, also told the programme that authorities are pretty confident they will reach that target and would know by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, environment secretary George Eustice has insisted the government had not watered down one of its tests to determine if the coronavirus lockdown could be eased up.

One of the tests says the government should be satisfied the country would avoid a second peak of infections  but reports pointed out that in a government slideshow yesterday, the language had changed to specify the government needed to avoid a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS.

Eustice told Sky News: It has always been the case that we want to avoid that second peak because we want to avoid our NHS being overwhelmed.

It was simply the case that on one slide last week that second part of the sentence was omitted and it was added back in on a slide yesterday.

I think theres a sort of obsession about nothing over this, to be honest.

Coronavirus: what happened today
The way chicken is commonly cooked could be exposing families to nasty food-poisoning bugs, research has found.

Most of us cook it until the meat is no longer pink or until the juices run clear and are no longer bloody.

But scientists found that chicken can change colour at relatively low temperatures before dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter are killed off.

The researchers urged families to check that all surfaces of the meat are cooked as that is where most bacteria are present.

Norwegian research shows chicken can change colour at low temperatures before bacteria, such as salmonella and campylobacter, are killed exposing families to food poisoning bugs

Home cooks should also check the centre of the chicken to ensure that the core meat is fibrous and not glossy.

Norwegian researchers looked at how consumers cook chicken in the UK, France, Norway, Portugal and Romania.

They found that the colour of the meat changes at 60C (140F), which is not hot enough to kill food poisoning bacteria.

Even when chicken fillets were cooked so the centre of the meat reached a temperature of 70C (158F)  sufficient to kill most bacteria  bugs survived on the surface of the meat that was not touching the pan.

Young people, particularly men aged between 16 and 30, were most likely to judge chicken as cooked by looking at the surface, not checking its juices or temperature (stock image)

Study author Dr Solveig Langsrud, from the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture, said: Consumers are advised to use a thermometer or check that the juices run clear to make sure that the chicken is cooked safely.

'We were surprised to find that these recommendations are not safe and not based on scientific evidence.

Study author Dr Solveig Langsrud, from the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture, encourages people to use a thermometer when cooking chicken

Young people  particularly men aged between 16 and 30  were most likely to judge chicken as cooked by looking at the surface rather than checking its juices or temperature.

The researchers surveyed 4,000 households.

They found that many consumers prioritised the juiciness of chicken rather than safety concerns.

The team, whose findings were published in the journal PLOS One, suggest that updated recommendations on cooking chicken should be issued.

They recommend focusing on the colour and texture of the thickest part of the meat, as well as ensuring that all surfaces reach sufficient temperatures, for example by searing the skin of the chicken before roasting.

The UKs Food Standards Agency advises that chicken should be cooked until it has reached 70C (158F) for at least two minutes, that the juices run clear and the meat is not pink.
Serum Institute of India (SII) aims to be ready with the first batch of doses for use by September or October, company's chief executive Adar Poonawalla said. The company is also working on conducting human trials in India in May 2020, Poonawalla also said. "While the clinical trials have already commenced in the UK, we are simultaneously initiating production as well, in the hope that when the trials are successful, we will have the first batch of doses ready for use by September or October," Poonawalla said.

"The decision has been solely taken to have a jump-start on manufacturing, to have enough doses available and the distribution of the doses will commence only once the trials are successful and the vaccine is efficacious as well as safe for use. We are also working on conducting human trials in India in May 2020," he said. Even though too early, the company plans to sell the vaccine, if developed, for just Rs 1,000 per dose, Poonawalla added.

Serum Institute recently launched three critical initiatives for fighting coronavirus - one with UK's Oxford University, one with US-based biotech company Codagenix, and its own recombinant BCG vaccine. "We aim to manufacture 4-5 million doses per month, following which, we hope to scale up production to 10 million doses per month, based on the success of the trials. We are looking forward to produce around 20-40 million doses by September-October," Poonawalla said.

Also read: If trials are successful, Serum Institute to sell coronavirus vaccines for Rs 1,000, says CEO Adar Poonawalla

Meanwhile, the total count of confirmed coronavirus cases breached the 31,000-mark to stand at 31,332 including 22,629 active cases, 7,695 cured or discharged, 1 migrated and 1,007 deaths, according to the latest update by the Union Health Ministry. The country registered 1,897 cases, 73 deaths in 24 hours, steepest rise in deaths in India in one day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is likely to address the nation at the end of this week is likely to extend the lockdown beyond May 3.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Punjab extends lockdown by 2 weeks; country's death toll-1,007; cases-31,332
By Associated Press

SEOUL: South Korea has repeated calls for joint efforts with North Korea to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which it sees as a potential opportunity to improve strained bilateral relations.

A South Korean presidential official, who refused to be named during a background briefing on Tuesday, said Seoul doesn't expect the possible anti-virus efforts to clash with international sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who held three rounds of peace talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, earlier said joint anti-virus efforts could provide a new opportunity for inter-Korean engagement.

But the North has been ignoring the South's calls after it virtually shut down all cooperation with its rival in past months amid faltering nuclear talks with the Trump administration.

The North in late January closed an inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong over virus concerns.

The North has said there hasn't been a single virus case on its territory, but the claim is questioned by many outside experts.

Edwin Salvador, the World Health Organization's representative to North Korea, said in an email to AP last week that the country reported that it tested 740 people for COVID-19 as of April 17 but that all came out negative.

He said the North also said it so far released more than 25,000 people from quarantine since December 31.
CLEVELAND, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Freedonia Group has launched the COVID-19 Economic Impact Tracker to help keep businesses informed as the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Among the markets we are closely tracking are the food processing and foodservice industries, which are seeing some of the most significant impacts.

Consumer food shopping habits changing amid pandemic

Monthly sales data from the US Census Bureau reported that unadjusted retail sales at food and beverage stores posted a 30% increase from February to March of 2020, and a 26% increase over comparable sales in March 2019. This reflects a few main factors related to government stay-at-home orders, including government-mandated closures of schools and restaurants, driving a significant percentage of consumer food spending from eating out to eating at home.

Expect April figures to remain above same-month 2019 patterns but likely not as high as in March 2020, which included a lot of panic buying and stockpiling that will have been reduced in April, when many stay-at-home orders had already taken hold.

Meat suppliers contend with pandemic-related plant closures

On Sunday April 12, Smithfield Foods announced its decision to close a major pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to stem the local impact of an outbreak of COVID-19 infections among at least 238 of the facility's 3,700 employees. Other meat processors have closed plants for the same reason  including Cargill, JBS, and Tyson Foods  and more are likely to close as the virus continues to spread.

Already facing falling demand due to government-mandated restaurant closures, livestock farmers are now finding these limitations in the food processing market. This is likely to affect supplies of retail chains as well; for instance, the closed Smithfield pork processing plant represents up to 5% of US pork production.

Want to learn more?

See these reports from our sister published Packaged Facts  Global Meat & Poultry Trends, Eating Trends: Meat, Dairy, Vegetarian, and Vegan, and The Organic and Clean Label Food Shopper  as well as The Freedonia Group's Meat, Poultry, & Seafood Packaging and Global Food Processing Machinery.

About The Freedonia Group  The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com, is a leading international industrial research company publishing more than 100 studies annually. Since 1985 we have provided research to customers ranging in size from global conglomerates to one-person consulting firms. More than 90% of the industrial companies in the Fortune 500 use Freedonia Group research to help with their strategic planning. Each study includes product and market analyses and forecasts, in-depth discussions of important industry trends, and market share information. Studies can be purchased at www.freedoniagroup.com and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.684.9600

[email protected]

SOURCE The Freedonia Group

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(Alliance News) - Biotechnology company ValiRx PLC on Wednesday confirmed joint venture talks for its non-core intellectual property, GeneICE, TRAC and BioFit.

Shares in the company closed 25% higher at 7.49 pence each in London.

"The company confirms that it is in talks with a third-party in relation to a joint venture. However, there is no certainty the talks will conclude in a successful manner, nor that in the event that the Joint Venture is agreed, that the terms will be favourable to the company," ValiRx said in a statement.

By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Despite a weakened economy, stocks continue to rise on the back of monetary stimulus, which is bound to push gold prices even higher, this, according to Frank Holmes, CEO of U.S. Global Investors.

Stocks are going up because of the trillions and trillions of dollars of money printing from the helicopters of central bankers. The G20 central bankers, the G20 finance ministers, thats a cartel, like OPEC, Holmes told Kitco News.

Fundamentally, golds supply deficit should also provide tailwinds, Holmes said.

Last year, as Ive mentioned, everyone was surprised that palladium could go from $1,000 to $2,700, and I said short-term, why cant gold do that? he said. Were going to see gold pop. $2,700 is easy for me to see that.

Holmes added that the gold miners should also perform exceptionally well during periods of upward bullion price movements.

A lot of the gold mining companies are going to show free cash flow, like the Barricks and Newmonts that have been on a tear, and the generalists buy free cash flow stocks, whereas the S&P 500, because of the coronavirus, these companies are getting beaten up so bad, some are seeing 70%, 80% drop in revenues, he said.

Investors who want to buy individual gold mining stocks should focus on the royalty streaming companies and companies with strong free cash flow, Holmes added.

"There are stocks that have free cash flow. Focus on those. Focus on the royalty companies. They have a superior business model," he said.
The Delhi Police has booked former JNU student Sharjeel Imam under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act near Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year, said his lawyer.

Imam has been booked under section 13 (unlawful activities) of the Act in the case, said his counsel advocate Mishika Singh.

The police had earlier charged Imam with sedition, alleging his speech promoted enmity between people that led to riots.

"He was arrested in two cases of violence at Jamia on December 13 and 15, 2019, for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech on December 13 and based on evidences collected, IPC sections 124 A and 153 A were also invoked," said Anil Mittal, Additional PRO, Delhi Police.

In its supplementary charge sheet, the police had said serious riots had broken out in consequence of the protest march organised by Jamia students against the amended citizenship law on December 15 last year.

The mob indulged in large-scale rioting, stone-pelting and arson, and in the process destroyed several public and private properties while a number of police personnel and people were injured in the riots, the agency said in its final report filed before the chief metropolitan magistrate court.

The cases were registered at New Friends Colony and Jamia Nagar Police Stations.

In the New Friends Colony case, Imam was arrested for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech delivered on December 13, 2019.

"During investigation, on the basis of evidence collected, sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A IPC (promoting enmity between classes) were invoked in the case," a police officer said.

Imam was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28.

He was involved in organising protests at Shaheen Bagh but came into limelight after a video showed him making controversial comments before a gathering at Aligarh Muslim University, following which he was booked under sedition charges.

The Delhi Police had also booked him for an "inflammatory" speech delivered on the Jamia campus.

Another case was filed against Imam in Assam under the stringent anti-terror law for his remark that Assam could be "severed from India, even if for a few months" as a result of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Police in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh had also lodged FIRs against the JNU scholar over his speech in which he threatened to "cut off" Assam and the rest of the northeast from the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Postal Worker Killed Outside Home That Had Mail Blocked: Official

The United States Postal Inspection Service said Tuesday that a $50,000 reward is being offered for information in the shooting death of a postal worker.

The agency said an employee, who was identified as Angela Summers by Marion County Coroners Office, was shot on Monday in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Now, Paul Toms, the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Indianapolis Local Branch 39, told WISH-TV that she was shot outside a home where she complained about dogs running loose. The union said mail was blocked from being delivered to the home for two weeks, forcing residents to pick up their mail from the local post office.

There was an issue with the dogs at that residence, and you give three letters and, on the third one, we curtail the mail, Toms told the news outlet. I started in 1973 and this is the first death to violence of any type that we have had in an Indianapolis post office, Toms added.

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said they found a woman with a gunshot wound, and it added that she was awake and talking before she died, authorities told OurQuadCities.com. They did not provide a description of the suspect or possible charges.

Killing an on-duty federal employee, such as a postal worker, is a federal offense and can carry a life sentence.

Toms asked, Why? How could it happen? She was a wonderful, wonderful person.

Those with information regarding Summers death can call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS or report it to the United States Postal Inspection Service via its website.

The agency is offering $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) who shot and killed a USPS employee, the US Postal Inspection Service wrote in a statement, adding that she was shot at the 400 block of North Denny St.


BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Eurozone economic confidence deteriorated at the fastest pace on record in April amid the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic, survey results from the European Commission showed Wednesday.



The economic confidence index fell to 67.0 in April from 94.2 in March. This was the strongest monthly decline since 1985, and the reading reached near the lowest levels seen during the Great Recession in March 2009.



Among sectors, the crash was particularly marked in services and retail trade.



The industrial sentiment index plunged to -30.4 from -11.2 a month ago. The steepest monthly fall on record resulted first and foremost from managers' crashing production expectations, the survey showed.



The services confidence index slid to a record -35.0 from -2.3 largely due to record-breaking deterioration in expected demand and in the assessment of the past business situation and past demand.



Likewise, the retail trade confidence fell sharply to -28.3 from -8.6 as there was exceptionally strong deterioration in retailers' business expectations.



The consumer sentiment indicator came in at -22.7, in line with the flash estimate, versus -11.6 in the previous month. The stark decline was fueled by households' tumbling expectations concerning the general economic situation and also their own financial situation.



The construction sentiment indicator declined to -12.8 from +2.3 a month ago. The slump reflected managers' marked corrections to their employment expectations and assessments of the level of order books.



At -1.81, the business climate index hit the lowest level since December 2009.



The employment expectations indicator plummeted 30.1 points to 63.7 in April, the lowest level on record.



Bert Colijn, an ING economist, said the biggest concern indicated by the survey is the rapid decline in employment expectations for both industry and services.



Prospects for the coming months are dismal despite announcements of cautious lockdown loosening, the economist added.



Elsewhere, data from the European Central Bank suggested that monetary conditions have loosened significantly. The monetary aggregate M3 expanded at a pace of 7.5 percent annually in March, following a 5.5 percent rise in February.



Annual growth in credit to private sector improved to 4.2 percent from 3.4 percent a month ago.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Jenji Kohan, the creative force behind much-loved shows such as Weeds and Orange Is The New Black, is working on a new concept for Netflix which is all about life in its current bizarre circumstance.

The television writer/producer, 50, has created a new anthology series about life in quarantine along with her team  and the new show is being conceptualized and produced remotely, with every contributor working from his or her home, according to Deadline.

Kohan, who has an overall deal with OITNB's home streamer Netflix, is calling the new show Social Distance.

Wunderkind: Jenji Kohan, the creative force behind much-loved shows such as Weeds and Orange Is The New Black, is working on a new concept for Netflix called Social Distance

Netflix is surely enjoying beefed up viewing numbers during this period of at-home isolation, thanks in no small part to Tiger King.

As reported by Deadline, the production team for Kohan's new series practiced social distancing while creating it, in accordance with ongoing recommendations still in place that prohibit gatherings for social, work-related or any other reasons.

The writers participated in the writing process via remote meetings, with the director also directing talent remotely.

The cast, who have yet to be announced by name, also filmed themselves acting from their respective homes.

Dominating: Kohan has an overall deal with OITNB's home streamer Netflix, which is surely enjoying beefed up viewing numbers during this period of at-home isolation, thanks in no small part to Tiger King

Among those that Jenji is working with on the new show is showrunner and writer Hilary Weisman Graham, who worked on OITNB along with Showtimes Kidding and Foxs Bones.

Diego Velasco is acting as director and co-executive producer.

Velasco had previously directed an episode of Orange, which ran on Netflix from 2013 until last year, and he is also working with Kohan on her other upcoming Netflix series, Teenage Bounty Hunters.

On set: Jenji (upper right) is working with on the new show with several partners from Orange, including showrunner Hilary Weisman Graham and director/co-exec producer Diego Velasco

'Our job as storytellers is to reflect reality, and in this new, bizarre, bewildering reality we are all experiencing, we feel passionate about finding connection as we all remain at a distance,' the Social Distance producers told Deadline.

'Weve been inspired to create an anthology series that tells stories about the current moment we are living through  the unique, personal, deeply human stories that illustrate how we are living apart, together.

'The experience of social distancing is currently universal, but no individual story is the same. Through a broad spectrum of tales and moments, some seismic and some mundane, we hope to capture a moment in time. And we hope that Social Distance will help people feel closer to one another,' the production team concluded.

There is no word yet on when Social Distance is slated for release.

New way of working: Kohan and her production team for the new series Social Distance in fact practiced social distancing while creating it, with everyone doing their part from home
International Dance Day

On International Dance Day the Minister for Culture John Cortes has issued the following statement:

Today is international Dance Day. It is particularly important this year to pay tribute to all dancers, amateur or professional, young and old, present or past.

Dance is an expression of culture, a celebration of the human body, as well as being a form of exercise and is a vitally important part of Gibraltars cultural and social life.

In these difficult times of the pandemic, dancers are not able to perform to public audiences and grace us with their art in this way.

Many of our dance schools and academies however continue their work and their classes through video link. We are seeing some past dance productions on GBC TV or online. But dancers, like other performers, will relish the time when they can once again play to a full house and enrich us all in person. These days will come.

I too look forward to that time. Today on International Dance Day, I pay tribute to all Gibraltars dancers, present and past. I thank them for their contribution to our society and I look forward to better days when we can welcome them back onto the stage.
Photojournalist

Staff photographer at the Arizona Daily Star. Previously at the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming and the Savannah Morning News in Georgia. Honored with numerous awards including those by the NPPA and two time Wyoming photographer of the year.
Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam speaks during a technical briefing, Tuesday, April 28, 2020 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

When it comes to easing restrictions in the time of COVID-19, Canada isnt out of the woods yet according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The latest models show strict guidelines seem to be working, but its way too soon to get back to business.

Trudeau told reporters earlier this week that the countrys current framework doesnt include specific measures as to when Canadians can return to the workplace and classroom, or visit with family and friends again.

This framework will lay out the things that need to happen before taking any next steps, Trudeau told reporters. Restarting our economy will be gradual and careful, and will be guided by science,

Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said that while the spread is slowing down across the country, including in Quebec and Ontario, which have the highest number of cases, Canada must remain vigilant.

She said that chief medical health officers across the country are collaborating on getting the epidemic under control. This involves ensuring the capacity for testing, contact tracing, case isolation and quarantining.

All those factors go into the way they make decisions, she said. Were also collectively looking at when the time is right for each jurisdiction, what those initial measures could be in terms of easing back some of those public health measures.

Different plans across provinces

Plans to reopen the economy and ease restrictions vary across the country. Last week, B.C.s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she wanted to wait until there was "at least a couple of days" without any new COVID-19 cases before that could happen. Alberta hasnt announced any plans to reopen its economy yet or change restrictions.

Saskatchewan will launch the first of a five-phase reopening plan on May 5, allowing medical services like dentists and chiropractors to go back to work, while on May 15, low-risk outdoor activities like camping and fishing will be allowed. Non-essential stores and salons can open their doors on May 19.

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Manitoba said it would unveil its plans next week, but didnt give a date. Ontario announced last week its three-phase plan but didnt release exact dates as to when that will happen. Quebec stated that elementary schools and daycares will reopen on May 11 in Montreal and May 19 elsewhere in the province, but that high schools, colleges and universities wont reopen until September.

Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia have both recently announced there were currently no plans to reopen the economy or lessen restrictions. New Brunswick started to scale back on physical distancing measures last week after one full week with no reported cases of the virus. As of May 1, Prince Edward Island will start easing certain restrictions, including allowing elective surgeries and several outdoor recreational activities.

In the territories, Yukons plan for reopening is under development but wont be ready until late May. Restrictions will continue in the Northwest Territories for another month or so. While there have not been any confirmed cases of the virus in Nunavut, there are currently no plans to reopen the economy.

How the world is re-opening

Around the world, countries are taking different approaches to gradually lift restrictions and slowly reopen economies. Parts of Europe, like Norway, Switzerland, Germany and Iceland have started easing constraints.

In Spain, many non-essential workers returned to work after Easter weekend, a month after the country declared a state of emergency. Italy is in its first phase of a three-phase plan to reopen, allowing places like bookshops and childrens retail stores to get back to business. However, areas like Lombardy and Veneto, which were hardest hit by the virus, remain closed.

Meanwhile, some countries, like New Zealand and Australia, have exit strategies in place, with specific timelines as to how and when to ease out of lockdown. In China, where the virus was first discovered and is now receding, factories have started to reopen again.

What Canada can learn

One expert says that despite whats happening in the rest of the world, Canada wont know when the best time will be to ease back into the life we used to know, until theres widespread testing of all levels.

Until we get a whole lot of testing done, were not going to really know the dynamics or hierarchical curve of the pandemic in Canada, says Ronald Labonte, a professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa. Its a hard one to call.

Labonte says the type of testing that should be widespread is that which finds the presence of infection, even in people who might be asymptomatic. Antibody testing, which shows if a person has built antibodies as a result of already being infected, have not been approved by Health Canada, since it hasnt been proven to be completely accurate.

Labonte says when it comes to other countries' approach to the virus, Canada should observe the results rather than follow their leads.

The more testing we do, the sooner well be able to have a better sense of when it is wise to start to open and how to do that in steps and stages, he says. Because well probably get another wave in the fall.

Another aspect that is being considered worldwide, beyond the medical or clinical side of the pandemic, is the extent of the severity the economic fallouts will have as a result of the lockdown. Labonte suspects that will take an even more devastating toll on many.

The way in which thats imploded on an already fragile, global economy, and how thats going to affect peoples health, will inevitably prove to be much greater than the health impacts of the virus itself, he says.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer speaks during a news conference at the OCDA's office in Santa Ana, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2019. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Orange County Sex Offenders Released Early During Pandemic Despite Parole Violations

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS)Seven sex offenders arrested for alleged parole violations were released from custody, apparently as part of the state Supreme Courts efforts to keep jail populations lower than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office.

The sex offenders were released months ahead of schedule, despite alleged violations such as cutting off their GPS monitors and tampering with their tracking devices, according to Kimberly Edds of the Orange County District Attorneys Office.

California law requires sex offenders who commit such violations serve six months in jailbut many of the sex offenders who have been released during the pandemic served just days before being granted release in court, Edds said.

According to the District Attorneys office, the sex offenders who have violated parole and been released since April 7 are:

Luis Joel Ramirez, 27, of Costa Mesa, who has a history of sexual battery, assault with a deadly weapon, resisting a peace officer, burglary, and possessing a leaded cane, a deadly weapon, and who prosecutors say has violated his parole four times since 2019.

James Franklin Bowling, 50, of Orange, who has a history of lewd conduct in a public place, repeated convictions for failing to register as a sex offender, repeated convictions for being a sex offender on school grounds, possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia, and has allegedly violated parole twice since February.

Rudy William Grajeda Magdaleno, 39, of Anaheim, who has a history of child molestation, indecent exposure, assault, battery, criminal threats, and inflicting injury on an elder adult, and who prosecutors say has violated parole five times since 2017.

Calvin Curtis Coleman, 52, of Santa Ana, who has a history of lewd conduct in a public place, and has allegedly violated parole three times since 2019.

Kyle Albert Winton, 40, of Mission Viejo, who has a history of child molestation, criminal threats to cause great bodily injury or death, resisting a peace officer, DUI, and hit and run with property damage, and has allegedly violated parole once.

Jose Adrian Oregel, 46, of Santa Ana, who has a history of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, oral copulation of a person under the age of 18, great bodily injury, and being a second striker, and who prosecutors claim has violated parole six times since June.

Mario Ernesto Sandoval, 45, of Stanton, who has a history of sexual battery, touching for sexual arousal, indecent exposure, assault on a peace officer, and assault, and allegedly violated parole once this year.

All seven sex offenders were released between April 7 and April 22, according to the District Attorneys office.

These kinds of high-risk sex offenders are the most dangerous kind of criminal and the most likely to re-offend. They are doing everything they can to avoid detection by the parole officers assigned to monitor them so they can potentially commit additional sex offenses. These are not the kind of people who should be getting a break, said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

As a state legislator, I was the author and founder of the State of California Sex Offender Management Boardand the author of Megans Law on the Internetwhich allows the public to see where these sex offenders are, so that they can protect themselves and their families.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes announced April 28 that he had reduced the Orange County jail systems population by about 45 percent since March 7, so theres plenty of room available in jails to handle high-risk offenders such as these seven, Spitzer said.

Barnes said his agency had no role in the release of the seven sex offenders cited by Spitzer.

These inmates were released by court order, and are not in any way connected to the measures I have taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the Orange County Jail, Barnes said.

We have responsibly created the capacity needed in the jail to house sex offenders and other dangerous criminals. I oppose efforts that excuse criminal behavior and jeopardize the safety of our community.

The number of inmates testing positive for COVID-19 has jumped up to 96 as officials expand testing, Barnes said.

Nine of the inmates have fully recovered, he added. Sheriffs officials were previously testing symptomatic inmates, but with the availability of more tests, they expanded it to newly booked inmates and those who were quarantined because they came in contact with sick inmates but didnt have any symptoms.

All three deputies who have tested positive for COVID-19 have fully recovered, Barnes said.

Spitzer Decries Lowered Bail in Fiery, Deadly Crash

On April 27, Spitzer slammed an appointed commissioner who cited the COVID-19 pandemic in lowering the bail of a man charged in an alleged street-racing crash that killed two men in Santa Ana.

The attorney for Damian Chavez, 24, of Bellflower, fired back that Spitzer was engaging in dangerous rhetoric.

Chavez is charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run with death, with sentencing enhancement allegations of leaving the scene of a deadly crash and inflicting great bodily injury on the victims.

The Orange County Superior Court commissioner, whose name was not released by Spitzer, lowered Chavezs $100,000 bail to $20,000 over the objections of prosecutors. Chavez posted bail hours later, prosecutors said.

The commissioner cited the pandemic when lowering the bail, and rejected a second appeal from prosecutors on April 24, according to Spitzers office.

Spitzer has been critical of the states program to lower bail for many defendants to reduce population in the jails, as sheriffs officials throughout the state try to keep a lid on CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreaks.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys cover-up and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Knowing the inherentand potentially deadlyrisks, this individual chose to engage in illegal street racing, which resulted in the deaths of two people, Spitzer said in a prepared statement. The Santa Ana Police Department worked diligently to track down this dangerous driver, and within a few days hes back on the street.

Our law-abiding residents are being ordered to stay home, but dangerous and violent inmates are being allowed to walk out the front door of our jails and right back into our communities on [zero] bail or substantially reduced bail, he said. This pandemic cannot be used to defy common sense. This has to stop.

Chavezs attorney, Robert Helfend, said, While the facts of Mr. Chavezs matter are yet to be litigated, and not to diminish the lives that were lost, it is a danger to our democracy to have government officials criticize this countrys judges.

Chavez was allegedly racing with another driver whose car slammed into a tree in the 3200 block of South Bear Street about 9:15 p.m. on April 20, 2019. The car burst into flames and the victims, 39-year-old Jerman Marquez and 29-year-old Richard Inda, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Education experts warn students in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT face being left behind by their peers in other states already ramping up returns to in-person classroom teaching.

Online learning models in place around the country are considered to be inferior for learning progress, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been leading the charge to get students back into schools.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is among the state leaders cautious about a return to normal teaching. Credit:AAP

The federal government wants a return to more normal operations by the end of May but faces ongoing resistance from Victoria and other governments, which have control of school operations and are opting for a more cautious approach emphasising remote learning.

Jim Watterston, dean of the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education, said online learning was not effective for all students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and divergent approaches across the country would have an impact.
An Australian mining magnate and partner in the government's pandemic response on Wednesday said a global inquiry into the coronavirus should be delayed until after the US presidential election.

Andrew Forrest, who became a billionaire exporting iron ore to China as founder of Fortescue Metals Group, said such an inquiry made common sense, but should be held after the November election so there's not going to be a political dog in this fight.

He told Australian Broadcasting Corp: Sure have a COVID-19 inquiry - not a Chinese inquiry - but let's do it after the U.S. election, because there's a bloke in the White House who really wants to stay there and he's pushing blame as fast as he possibly can to anywhere else but himself and I don't think this should be politically orientated.

Australia announced on Wednesday it has secured an additional 10 million COVID-19 tests from China manufacturers through its partnership with Forrest's charitable Minderoo Foundation that would enable a 20-fold increase in Australian testing by the end of the year.

Australian support for an international inquiry into the origins of coronavirus independent of the World Health Organisation is damaging bilateral relations with China, which accused Australia of parroting the United States.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Florida man suspected of attacking a woman last week experienced a severe headache for what he did. Florida authorities said the suspect was hit in the head by his alleged victim, with a hammer. Meanwhile, another woman stabbed him with a pair of scissors.

The assailant, 40-year-old James Pascoe, was indicted with "two counts of battery" for the attack that took place on April 20. This was according to the Office of the Putnam County Sheriff via a news release.

Moreover, the deputies said, according to the victim, had a heated verbal argument with the suspect that escalated. After that, the victim added, Pascoe, struck her several times in the head. Then, the victim, according to the news release, took hold of a hammer and struck the attacker in the head.

Stabbed Several Times

Another woman, the deputies said, got engaged in the argument as well, and stabbed Pascoe several times in an initiative to help the victim. Pascoe, in return, was able to attack the second woman, having sent her to a dresser.

Additionally, the deputies said, one of the witnesses told them he also helped the victim escape by blocking the path of Pascoe. Also indicated in the news release, the suspect "climbed out of the window of a bedroom and left the scene."

Even though Pascoe had left the place of the incident, the authorities, according to the report, we're able to find him when they got the call that a man, matching the assailant's description, had entered a local hospital for treatment.

Once cleared by the doctor, Pascoe got arrested and was taken to the Putnam County Jail, as indicated in the news release. He was released after he posted bail amounting to $3,000.

Crime Rate in Florida

Florida saw one more year of reduction in its average rate of arrest, even as crimes like murder increased. Substantially, in 2019, Florida's arrest rate dropped by 6.3 percent, marking "the 49th consecutive year," the state has seen such a decline.

Moreover, the 2019 Uniform Crime Report showed as well, 26,128 lesser report offenses than the 2018 report, showing a 4.6-percent drop in total index crimes. Meanwhile, violent crime, according to report, saw a one-percent drop statewide, and property crime declined by 5.2 percent.

Incidentally, Florida recorded about 787 arrests related to murders in 2019, and 710 the other year, which was a 10.8-percent increase. Also, last year, rape arrests declined from 1,937 to 1,765, representing a reduction of 8.9 percent.

The figures are not a representation of the actual rates since a lot of crimes have gone undocumented. Almost 80 percent of rape cases have also gone unreported, based on the US Department of Justice's report.

In Miami-Dade County, murders went up from 198 to 202 the previous year, and documented rape cases went from 916 to 955. And in Broward, reported murders and rapes were up too, from 96 to 111 for rapes, and from 628 to 688 for murders.

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If the US government moves on you I will bring down the entire house of cards, Mr. Stone wrote in a private Twitter message to Mr. Assange. In another message, Mr. Stone said that he was trying to intercede at the highest level of government on Mr. Assanges behalf. Fed treatment of you and WikiLeaks is an outrage, he wrote.

Mr. Assange is now in a London prison, fighting extradition to the United States.

The records shed no new light on whether Mr. Stone, 67, directly communicated with Mr. Assange before the election. Investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, failed to resolve that question at least in part because Mr. Stone refused to cooperate. The team found insufficient evidence to charge anyone associated with the Trump campaign of conspiring with Russia to influence the results of the election.

Questioned by a congressional committee about his contacts with WikiLeaks in September 2017, Mr. Stone lied repeatedly under oath. He was convicted last year of obstructing a congressional inquiry, lying to federal authorities and witness tampering and was later sentenced to 40 months in prison. He has yet to begin serving his prison term, and has repeatedly and publicly implored Mr. Trump to pardon him.

In a statement, Mr. Stone reiterated his protests that he was wrongly prosecuted and said that the documents showed the baseless overreach of the Mueller witch hunt and exonerate me from the crazed left-wing media charges of Russian collusion, WikiLeaks collaboration and the receipt and dissemination of stolen emails, false narratives that ruined my life for the last three years.

The hundreds of pages of search warrants and affidavits were released in response to a lawsuit filed by The New York Times and other news media organizations.
Alex Lopatin, investor, founder of American-Ukrainian company ITW Systems

On April 23, the US Department of Labor published that as of mid-March, 26 million Americans had applied for unemployment benefits. Closing down businesses, losing jobs and sources of income due to quarantine and related restrictions is the second most significant problem in many countries after overcoming the epidemic itself. Now, it is extremely important to have a mechanism at the government level to overcome the consequences.

According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, the unemployment rate in the country is 13.7-15.4%, or 2.5 to 2.8 million people. Small and medium-sized businesses are forced to completely or at least temporarily suspend operations. A number of companies that continue to pay full wages and retain all employees are forced to cut other costs or suffer losses.

It is difficult to predict how the situation will develop in the future, but it is now possible and essential to plan for recovery.

At the moment, anti-crisis measures, such as the allocation and distribution of an anti-crisis budget, in most countries, fall under three main categories of tasks:

 support for the healthcare system;

 support for citizens, especially the needy and those who have lost their jobs;

 support for business.

Of course, completely different amounts are allocated for the implementation of these tasks (for example, from 0.06% of GDP in Hungary, to 4.5% of GDP in Germany, and up to 10% of GDP in the USA). But the key point is not so much the amount of money, but the mechanism and objective - the government must be genuinely interested in helping citizens and businesses, act quickly, cohesively and effectively.

There are a number of countries, such as Moldova, Romania, Georgia, Slovakia and others with GDP not greater than or even less than Ukraine's GDP, but they have undertaken several anti-crisis measures with very positive results. There are several approaches that the Ukrainian government could also adopt, as these measures do not carry a financial burden on the country's budget but are quite effective.

One of such tools for providing support may be to create certain privileges for domestic producers. As international practice shows, such programs are already being implemented in some countries and are proving effective. After overcoming the epidemic, utilizing all means available to save their companies and to help the population, saving jobs in times of crisis, Ukrainian producers have earned the right to expect certain preferences. It does not require any financial investment from the government, yet it will jumpstart the domestic economy and allow businesses to resume work after overcoming the epidemic.

A good example of supporting domestic business is the US energy efficiency program. The basic idea is that on one hand, the government provides financial support to organizations ("green" tariffs, affordable credits) that implement energy-efficient solutions, and on the other - the condition for obtaining support is the purchase of products Made in America. This model works and is supported by taxpayers, as it promotes the development of local/domestic businesses and job creation.

A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the example of Bahrain and its approach to supporting domestic business. During my business meeting with their Minister of Energy, he spoke about the privileges for local producers: when participating in state tenders, if a local manufacturer's offer does not exceed the value of other offers for a similar product by more than 15%, then the preference is given to the local manufacturer. The logic is obvious: local production results in additional jobs, wages, and, through consumer spending, gives additional tax revenue to the budget.

Equally effective is the support and business development measure of capital repatriation tax as an alternative to income tax. If a business does not withdraw funds from the business but instead reinvests them into expansion and development, then these funds should not be treated as profit and taxed as such. Expansion of production means new jobs, purchase of equipment and materials, an increase in turnover, etc. This, in turn, will help grow the budget through other taxes, such as VAT.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic is a tragedy that has affected virtually the entire world. Nobody expected this and as a result, nobody was sufficiently prepared for it. Therefore, the consequences of COVID-19 for the population and the economy depend to a large extent on the timeliness of the government's actions, on the systematic approach, and strategic decisions.
T here is a special place in all our hearts for the three starter Pokemon each game has you choose and a new Pokemon Go event lets you honour them in the right way.

Whether its Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle, every Pokemon game since the original in 1996 asks you to select one before you begin your journey through the Kanto region.

Now with the new Pokemon GO event, the Throwback Challenge is the perfect time to celebrate all our Pokemon journeys together.

From Friday, May 1, to Friday, May 29, youll unlock Throwback Challenge Timed Research lines, with each line having eight sets of three tasks.

These Timed Research lines will appear in the Today View and will feature a sequence of limited-time tasks that you will have access to until a certain date.

An example list of challenges coming in the first week of May / Niantic

There will be new tasks themed around different regions of the Pokemon world each week, inspired by the adventure that some of you might remember from previous games.

Different Pokemon originally discovered in each region will also be appearing more frequently in the wild to help you complete these tasks.

The featured regions will be Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and if you complete all four of these Timed Research sets, youll unlock the Throwback Challenge Champion 2020 Special Research.

For this, you'll be rewarded with Rare Candies, encounters with Genesect, Galarian Meowth and Galarian Stunfisk, Professor Willows glasses as an exclusive avatar item, and more.

Pokemon GO Throwback Challenge schedule: Throwback Challenge 2020: Kanto Timed Research: Friday, May 1, at 1 pm to Friday, May 8, at 1 pm local time Throwback Challenge 2020: Johto Timed Research: Friday, May 8, at 1 pm to Friday, May 15, at 1 pm local time Throwback Challenge 2020: Hoenn Timed Research: Friday, May 15, at 1 pm to Friday, May 22, at 1 pm local time Throwback Challenge 2020: Sinnoh Timed Research: Friday, May 22, at 1 pm to Friday, May 29, at 1 pm local time Throwback Challenge Champion 2020 Special Research unlock and event: Wednesday, June 3, at 1 pm to Monday, June 8, 2020, at 1 pm local time

Throwback Challenge 2020 week 1: Kanto

From Friday, May 1, at 1 pm to Friday, May 8, youll have access to the Throwback Challenge 2020: Kanto Timed Research.

The first week of challenges will look back at the adventures of the beloved Pokemon Red and Blue games.

From catching a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle in memory of one of the most iconic choices Trainers had to make, to taking a snapshot of a Ghost-type Pokemon to celebrate Lavender Town, there's plenty of nostalgia-filled adventures to embark on through Kanto.

Completing all eight sets of tasks in the Kanto Time Research will earn you 10 Rare Candies and an encounter with Mewtwo that innately knowns Psystrike.

While the Throwback Challenge 2020: Kanto Timed Research is available, you can look forward to the following features and bonuses.

Pokemon originally discovered in the Kanto region, such as Venonat and Chansey, will be appearing more frequently in the wild.

Pokemon originally discovered in the Kanto region will also be available to battle in raids.

The following Pokemon will be hatching from 7 km eggs: Venonat, Machop, Onix, Lickitung, Tangela, Scyther, Pinsir, Lapras, and Eevee.

In honour of Charizard being chosen in the Pokemon of the Year vote as the number-one Pokemon originally discovered in the Kanto region, Pikachu wearing Charizard hats will be appearing in the wild!

Increased chances of finding a Shiny Venonat

Event-exclusive Field Research tasks will reward encounters with Pokemon originally discovered in the Kanto region.

Double Catch XP, Raid, and Hatch XP bonuses will be active.

Each day, the Time Research challenges will appear in the Today View during each week, offering a rolling supply of challenges to complete.
Horace Saunders, a Briton by birth and a tailor in the District of Columbia for decades, was an engaging storyteller whose family didn't mind his occasional flights of whimsy. How he met young Violet Gubbay more than 75 years ago, for instance: No one can entirely vouch for the tale of fated love he used to share, with a twinkle in his eye. But it was a marvelous story all the same.

"Very Horace," his granddaughter Natalie Greenberg said.

This was in India during World War II, when Saunders was a British soldier fighting the Japanese in Burma, now known as Myanmar.

"Horace was on a bus in Bombay [now Mumbai] on a brief break from the army, and a man approached him and asked if he was Jewish," Greenberg said in a videoconference eulogy for Saunders, 96, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus and died March 29 in a Maryland nursing home. "Horace said, 'Yes,' and the man invited him to Shabbat dinner that upcoming Friday night."

Sitting at a computer in her New York apartment, Greenberg, 33, hosted a 90-minute, broadband memorial service last week, with dozens of mourners joining in, from California to D.C., from Britain to Israel, in this stay-home season of worldwide contagion.

"Horace politely declined" the invitation, she continued. "But after the man departed the bus, he noticed the man left his nice handkerchief behind. He decided to attend the Shabbat to return it. When he arrived, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen: Violet."

Through the years, listening to her husband's yarns, Vi would often smile and gently chide him when he over-gilded the facts. While Horace was the mayor of every room he walked into - a gregarious chap for whom all life was a performance - Violet, in her quiet, gracious style, "kept him in his place, kept him grounded," Greenberg recalled. If he was holding forth and got carried away, Vi, pleasantly exasperated, might roll her eyes.

"Oh, Horace," she used to say.

Violet, also 96, caught the coronavirus, too, and died April 3, five days after her husband. She was in her room down a hall from his in Pleasant View Nursing Home, in Mount Airy, Maryland, about 40 miles north of Washington.

"In true Horace fashion," Greenberg said, continuing the Shabbat story, "he decided to charm her, but she wasn't having it." Never one to quit, he soon "won her over, and they ended up dating during the brief time he was in Bombay. They fell in love, and Horace said if he survives the war, he is going to come back and marry her."

Survive he did, as a foot soldier in the bloody Burma campaign, in mountainous, triple-canopy jungles, in soggy, smothering heat and monsoon rains. Sickened with dysentery, he returned to India in 1945 and made good on his promise to a pretty girl. True.

Born a week apart, they were 22 on their wedding day; they immigrated to Silver Spring, Maryland, after the war, lived in a tidy brick rancher for 65 years, and died a few months shy of their 75th anniversary.

Nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are hot spots in the global crisis. Although precise stats are impossible to come by, vulnerable residents and their caregivers are believed to account for roughly 20% of the 57,000-plus coronavirus deaths in the United States. At Pleasant View Nursing Home, a 177-bed, for-profit facility, the toll as of Tuesday was 29 fatalities, Maryland health officials said. Scores of Pleasant View patients and staff members are infected with the virus.

Vanishing with the elderly are their tales of long ago. Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, steals not just bodies but the distant past. It murders living memory.

At home in New York's East Village, Greenberg, a hospital social worker handling cases remotely, devoted much of her scarce free time this month to her maternal grandparents, mining online databases and family records, querying relatives and plumbing her own recollections, then typing up a century-long narrative of Horace and Violet for the videoconference memorial, lest their story disappear in a graveyard.

"They were here; they were alive," she said by phone. "They shouldn't be forgotten."

Horace, son of a Jewish tailor, was born May 15, 1923, and grew up in Buckinghamshire, near London. When his country went to war with Germany in 1939, he was a teenager learning the suitmaker's trade. In 1942, months after Japan attacked the British territories of Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaya and Burma, 19-year-old Horace was in uniform, shipping out for Asia with an Enfield rifle.

"A sensitive, loving soul not fit for war" is how Greenberg remembers him, and the misery of Burma left psychic scars that "took him years to overcome."

Violet's ancestors were Jews from Baghdad who settled in colonial Bombay when it was still a fairly new British mercantile hub. She was born May 8, 1923, into an Anglicized family, with parents named Simon and Georgette. She attended an English school, spoke with a crisp English accent and sipped English tea. "She was sweet, even-tempered, polite, proper, and didn't care for excess or opulence," Greenberg said.

Horace - jovial, blustery, animated.

Vi, who would sit and gaze at hummingbirds.

"They were the perfect yin and yang," Greenberg said.

In Silver Spring, they adopted a son and daughter, who eventually gave them a grandson and two granddaughters. Horace owned a tailor shop in Washington, and Vi worked beside him.

"He was always the best-dressed man wherever he went," Greenberg said. In her narrative, she wrote, "He told us he made suits and riding clothes for presidents, governors, members of Congress, including John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey and more." On the phone, Greenberg said she thinks this is true. Some part of it, at least. Maybe.

She laughed. "Here's what they were like," she said, recalling a childhood car trip she took with the couple, Horace at the wheel. "Suddenly he's like: 'Let's go shopping! I want to go shopping! I'm going to buy Grandma a diamond bracelet!' And she just rolls her eyes. She's like: 'No, Horace. We're not.' "

Horace, who talked loudly in restaurants.

Vi, who covered the sofa in plastic.

The aftereffects of his wartime dysentery plagued him. In 1969, suffering from ulcerative colitis, he underwent ostomy surgery. A small hole was opened in his abdomen through which he would expel bodily waste into a pouch for the rest of his years.

"He felt unprepared for how to handle this life change," his granddaughter said.

When he realized that countless others with ostomy bags were struggling as he was, he decided to do something about it. He founded the Metro Maryland Ostomy Association in 1974. In three decades as its president, "Horace visited over 150 hospitals to form patient support groups, and then lobbied for nurses to receive specialized training, in some cases providing scholarship money from his own funds," Greenberg wrote.

She said, "Vi was with him every step."

And they aged together.

Greenberg has a photo of the two when they were 88, dancing at a black-tie gala in 2011, both smiling. It was not long afterward that Vi's mind began to slip. She'd leave the teakettle whistling, lose track of days, forget where she was. For a while, Horace made excuses for her with their adult grandkids, who worried. Then his own senior moments started to worsen, his tall tales growing ever more outlandish.

In the comfy old house, they fell one day and could not get up.

So it was time.

Pleasant View Nursing Home has only a few private rooms. The rest of the suites - the semis, triples and quads - are same-sex. Horace and Vi moved in three years ago, Horace in a suite with two men, Vi with two women.

"They ate their meals together," said granddaughter Kara Saunders, 37, who was the last in the family to visit them, shortly before the pandemic.

"You know, we sat and just talked," she said. "He was going on about something. I don't know what it was. He had a lot of fantasies, and she was still rolling her eyes."

Oh, Horace.

Near the end, he fell and broke a hip.

He was laid up in bed when the virus swept through and took him.

This was a Sunday.

Down a hall, Vi held on until Friday.

"When Horace died," Greenberg said, "I called the nursing home to ask about Vi, and I asked, 'Is she aware that he's gone?' And they said, you know, not overtly. Like, you couldn't tell by looking at her or talking to her whether she knew.

"But who's to say if she could sense it? I mean, they were side-by-side for so long, how could she not?"
Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday.
Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad is likely to begin the evaluation of Class 10 and Class 12 UP Board examination answer sheets from 4 May

Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad is likely to begin the evaluation of Class 10 and Class 12 UP Board examination answer sheets from 4 May.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma informed about the starting date of evaluation of answer scripts after a webinar with the Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal.

Sharma said examinations for the subjects which were postponed due to coronavirus pandemic will be conducted once the nationwide lockdown ends.

The lockdown was imposed by the government from 25 March initially for 21 days. It was later extended till 3 May.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since 16 March as one of the measures to restrict the spread of novel coronavirus.

During the meeting of the HRD Minister with state education ministers, the UP deputy CM said that the UP Board has adopted the NCERT curriculum and may consider limiting the syllabus as a one-time measure, NDTV reported.

After the evaluation, the UP Board will announce the Class 10 and Class 12 board examination results on the its official website upresults.nic.in.

The HRD minister had on Tuesday asked state governments to commence the evaluation process for the board exam papers and facilitate the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the same.

The Uttar Pradesh government has already promoted students of classes 1 to 8 of all government schools without examination in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
When, and how, will Americas schools reopen?

Now that nonessential businesses are starting to reopen in parts of the U.S., many are asking how soon children in those reopening districts can go back to school. But for most of the country, the answer looks likely to be, not until summer at the soonest, and maybe not until fall.

And when they do return, educators say, it may be to a very different school day and classroom experience than they remember.

Administrators are considering having half of their students come in the morning and the other half in the afternoon, or on alternate days, so that desks can be spread out and buses arent packed.

Socially distanced lunchrooms. Teachers and students wearing face masks. Temperature checks at the front door. And forget note-passing, study groups or even recess.
Schools across California face a devastating fiscal future, with a loss in revenue of $1,400 per student  or more, state education experts said Tuesday.

That figure is perhaps optimistic. With the state heading into what could be a severe recession, the loss may be closer to $2,000 per student  a 15% reduction from the current funding level of $13,000.

That will likely mean larger class sizes, layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts and other ways to curb spending, officials said.

All indications are it will be very difficult for California education, said Carrie Hahnel, an independent researcher on education policy, during a webinar hosted by Policy Analysis for California Education, a nonpartisan research center. Schools in California should be bracing for a big hit.

How big is still unknown. With the income tax filing deadline extended until July 15, California officials wont know exactly how much revenue theyll get until later this summer.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to release a revised budget proposal in May with his guess. In January, he anticipated increasing school funding to $84 billion, with $3.4 billion in new revenue.

Everything we knew in January is off the table, said Michael Fine, chief executive officer of Californias Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, which works with the states school districts on financial stability. The bottom line right now is we dont know how far state tax receipts are falling.

As an academic exercise earlier this year, state budget officials provided an analysis of what a moderate recession would mean for the state, estimating a $25 billion revenue hit over each of the next two years, out of a $222 billion budget.

Just months later, with the state essentially shut down, the expected recessionary scenario is now worse than moderate, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Department of Finance.

There are worries that this could be the worst recession since the Great Depression, said Jessie Levin, an education researcher at the American Institutes for Research, a nonpartisan research organization.

The focus right now, said policy experts, should be on the federal government addressing the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, specifically in the form of funding for schools in the upcoming economic stimulus package.

There has rarely been a time when schools needed so much support from the federal government, said Oakland schools Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. This is about ensuring that all school districts can avoid making draconian cuts to their budgets, which will hurt our children for years to come.

I implore our federal leaders to send schools this much-needed money, to ensure that our students can fully access a healthy and robust education system once we move beyond this pandemic.

Philanthropic funding and state rainy-day reserves arent sufficient to cover the need, including the academic recovery required after five months out of classrooms, officials said.

The role of schools in getting through the pandemic is critical and they should be a priority in federal stimulus funds, said Myong Leigh, San Francisco Unified deputy superintendent of policy and operations.

This comes at a time when many of our students and families need even more from schools, including meals, technology access, distance learning and social-emotional support, he said.

Even before the pandemic, the citys school district already faced a budget shortfall, with special education and other costs outpacing state funding increases.

Now, he said,with steep drops in local and state taxes, the threat to our resources is even more grave.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

Yet even as the education funding plummets, districts are facing increased costs, said Richard Barrera, vice president of the San Diego Unified school board.

Shifting to distance learning is costing his district an extra $200 per child, he said. Providing summer school would cost an additional $500 for each of the 100,000 students in the district  or $50 million total.

Yet a $2,000 budget cut per student would take $200 million from the district.

Newsom floated the idea Tuesday of schools opening up early for the upcoming academic year, possibly in late July or early August  something that would also increase costs and require the approval of labor unions.

Such a decision would be up to local school boards, which face a mountain of uncertainty about the future, officials said.

Theres no simple solution here, Barrera said. Our focus right now is how we are going to deal with devastation.

While some districts might have more money squirreled away in reserves than others, budget cuts are expected to be virtually universal, with disadvantaged communities hit the hardest, unable to backfill funding with parent contributions or other resources, he added.

These types of cuts will devastate school districts up and down the state, Barrera said, and the impact will be most felt on the most vulnerable students.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
In light of the expectation that positive cases of COVID-19 will peak in Iowa in the next few weeks, and without an effective vaccine or widespread testing and contact data that justifies a change in course, We simply are not at a place where we can resume our previous prayer practices.

The suspension of the Sunday Mass obligation remains in effect statewide.

All vulnerable persons, the sick and those who may who have been exposed to the virus are asked to look after their own welfare with the support of those who care for them, the letter continues. We ask parish, school and diocesan staff to continue to minister to the faithful, and the faithful to each other, in ways other than meeting in groups during this difficult time of the pandemic."

The Most Rev. Michael Jackels Archbishop of Dubuque; the Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless Bishop of Sioux City; and the Most Rev. William Joensen Bishop of Des Moines; also signed the letter. It encourages parishioners to visit parish and school websites and social-media outlets to stay in touch.
Tyson CEO John H. Tyson recently warned Americans of potential meat shortages due to coronavirus outbreaks in factories around the country.

Many have been forced to close.

Tysons company blog, called A Delicate Balance: Feeding the Nation and Keeping our Employees Healthy, coincided with full-page advertisements in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other outlets Sunday.

Now, Tyson Foods is facing a new set of challenges. In small communities around the country, where we employ over 100,000 hard-working men and women, were being forced to shutter our doors, Tyson said in his blog.

This means one thing  the food supply chain is vulnerable. As pork, beef and chicken plants are forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain. As a result, there will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.

PennLives complete coronavirus coverage

Tyson also warned of a serious food waste issue related to farmers losing trusted buyers across the nation, saying millions of chickens, pigs and cattle will be depopulated because of the closure of processing facilities.

The food supply chain is breaking, he wrote.

Tyson went on to praise employees for rising to the challenge during these difficult times and promoted the companys commitment to providing a safe working environment.

The company formed a coronavirus taskforce in January and added safety measures across the board, such as 150 infrared walkthrough temperature scanners, supplying face coverings, and conducting daily deep cleaning and sanitizing at processing plants.

Tyson also reported that the company is paying approximately $60 million in thank you bonuses to 116,000 frontline workers and company truckers who support their operations.

RELATED NEWS

Trump to sign order to keep meat processing plants open

Will schools reopen to students in the fall?
Lufthansa group on Wednesday stated passengers on board any of its airlines' flights will have to mandatorily wear a mask that covers mouth as well as nose from May 4 onwards.

The German group runs four airline brands - Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Austrian and SWISS.

"The company recommends that passengers wear them throughout the entire journey, i.e. also before or after the flight at the airport, whenever the required minimum distance cannot be guaranteed without restriction," Lufthansa group stated in its press release.

Despite numerous adjustments to service procedures, it is not always possible to maintain the required distance on a flight, the release noted.

"Therefore, this measure serves as additional protection for all passengers. All flight attendants on Lufthansa group flights in direct contact with customers will also wear a corresponding mask," the group stated.

India has been under a lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 1,000 people in the country till date.

All commercial passenger flights have been suspended for the lockdown period.

However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights, and special flights permitted by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are allowed to operate.

All passengers are requested to bring their own mouth and nose cover, Lufthansa group said, adding that while a reusable fabric mask is recommended, all other types of coverings such as simple disposable masks or scarves will work too.

"The airlines will inform their passengers in advance by an SMS or email and on their websites about the new regulation," the group stated.

The obligation to wear the mask will be from May 4 to August 30, it stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE:CLDT), with the analysts making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. This report focused on revenue estimates, and it looks as though the consensus view of the business has become substantially more conservative. Surprisingly the share price has been buoyant, rising 12% to US$7.06 in the past 7 days. Whether the downgrade will have a negative impact on demand for shares is yet to be seen.

After the downgrade, the consensus from Chatham Lodging Trust's three analysts is for revenues of US$185m in 2020, which would reflect a sizeable 41% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Prior to the latest estimates, the analysts were forecasting revenues of US$272m in 2020. The consensus view seems to have become more pessimistic on Chatham Lodging Trust, noting the sizeable cut to revenue estimates in this update.

See our latest analysis for Chatham Lodging Trust

NYSE:CLDT Past and Future Earnings April 29th 2020

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Chatham Lodging Trust's past performance and to peers in the same industry. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 41%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 6.8% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 4.4% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Chatham Lodging Trust is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that analysts cut their revenue estimates for this year. They also expect company revenue to perform worse than the wider market. Overall, given the drastic downgrade to this year's forecasts, we'd be feeling a little more wary of Chatham Lodging Trust going forwards.

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So things certainly aren't looking great, and you should also know that we've spotted some potential warning signs with Chatham Lodging Trust, including its declining profit margins. For more information, you can click here to discover this and the 2 other warning signs we've identified.

Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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.
Sharjeel Imam has been booked under section 13 (unlawful activities) of the Act in the case, said his counsel advocate Mishika Singh.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has booked former JNU student Sharjeel Imam under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act near Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year, said his lawyer.

Imam has been booked under section 13 (unlawful activities) of the Act in the case, said his counsel advocate Mishika Singh. The police had earlier charged Imam with sedition, alleging his speech promoted enmity between people that led to riots.

"He was arrested in two cases of violence at Jamia on 13 and 15 December, 2019, for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech on December 13 and based on evidences collected, IPC sections 124 A and 153 A were also invoked," said Anil Mittal, Additional PRO, Delhi Police.

In its supplementary charge sheet, the police had said serious riots had broken out in consequence of the protest march organised by Jamia students against the amended citizenship law on 15 December last year.

The mob indulged in large-scale rioting, stone-pelting and arson, and in the process destroyed several public and private properties while a number of police personnel and people were injured in the riots, the agency said in its final report filed before the chief metropolitan magistrate court.

The cases were registered at New Friends Colony and Jamia Nagar Police Stations. In the New Friends Colony case, Imam was arrested for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech delivered on 13 December, 2019.

"During investigation, on the basis of evidence collected, sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A IPC (promoting enmity between classes) were invoked in the case," a police officer said.

Imam was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28.

He was involved in organising protests at Shaheen Bagh but came into limelight after a video showed him making controversial comments before a gathering at Aligarh Muslim University, following which he was booked under sedition charges.

The Delhi Police had also booked him for an "inflammatory" speech delivered on the Jamia campus.

Another case was filed against Imam in Assam under the stringent anti-terror law for his remark that Assam could be "severed from India, even if for a few months" as a result of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Police in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh had also lodged FIRs against the JNU scholar over his speech in which he threatened to "cut off" Assam and the rest of the northeast from the country.
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Well, the internet is still obsessing over Netflixs Tiger King. And while most people have been focused on the big cats, Carol Baskin (possibly) murdering her husband and the insane Joe Exotic himself, we've been left thinking about one thingExotics music videos.

Not only was the now-imprisoned tiger handler a self-proclaimed king, but he also revealed himself to be an aspiring country star with two whole albums available for purchase at his gift shop (sorry to disappoint, but those were not his vocals). Joe gave us some instant hits, such as I Saw a Tiger and Here Kitty Kitty.

Immediately, musicians across the world seized the opportunity to cover these classics and weve rounded up our favorites for your enjoyment.

1. Alex Winstons "I SAW A TIGER"

Billboard referred to this one as Joe Exotic meets Lana Del Rey.

Winston gives a sensual, Lana Del Rey-esque veneer to the song about the mystery surrounding Exotic's nemesis, Big Cat Rescue matriarch Carole Baskin. With gently strummed acoustic guitar and Winston's intimate, velvety voice, the ballad of murder and mayhem is transformed into a pop tiger trap, said Billboard. Not to mention, she also released her version of "Here Kitty Kitty, and proceeds from both songs are being donated to charity (Best Friends Society and MusiCares).

2. The Offsprings Here Kitty Kitty

Yup, the punk rock band hopped on the Tiger King bandwagon and also released a cover of Here Kitty Kitty. The Offsprings version comes with a music video (which is much tamer than Joes). And, yes, that is drummer Pete Parada dressed in a full tiger suit.

3. Jared Mitchell Bands I Saw a Tiger

I'm pretty sure it is the number one song in the country right nowat least it is around here, the group's frontman stated during a livestream. Im sorry. No Im not, he joked before they started their quirky performance.

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4. Everyone Dies in Utahs Here Kitty Kitty

Everyone Dies in Utah delivered a metal version of the country song (available on Spotify), which begins with an intimidatingyet absolutely fittingtiger growl. And although theres no actual video, there is cover art featuring a big cat. We hope everyone loves our rendition of Joe Exotic's Here Kitty Kitty from Tiger King, they wrote in the songs description.

5. Matt Heafys "I Saw A Tiger"

TRIVIUM frontman gave it his all in his video cover of the popular song shot from what seems to be a home studio. I want to make this really, really good, he says in the beginning of the clip before showing off his low vocals. Wed say he succeeded.

RELATED: The 20 Best Tweets About Tiger King the Internet Has to Offer
Nigel Farage has defended travelling 100 miles from his home in Kent to film footage about UK migrant crossings.

The Brexit Party leader was filmed at Pett Level, a beach in east Sussex, claiming it was the 'favoured location' for migrants to land in the UK.

He was later also videoed in Hastings where he interviewed members of the public.

Mr Farage was slammed for seemingly flouting the lockdown rules to produce the video - which he shared on both his Twitter page and that of the Brexit Party.

But a spokesman for the Brexit Party leader said Mr Farage was acting in his role as a broadcaster - who have key worker status as they provide public service information.

The Brexit Party was filmed at Pett Level, a beach in east Sussex, claiming it was the 'favoured location' for migrants to land in the UK

The spokesman told the Mirror: 'Nigel was working as a broadcaster. His interviews taken as part of the report were later used on LBC Radio.'

Journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting are indeed considered to be key workers, according to government guidance.

But Downing Street later clarified the rules to say it only applied to those 'informing and communicating with the public on the coronavirus crisis'.

Under the lockdown rules, the government states you should only leave the house for very limited purposes.

This includes shopping for basic necessities, one form of exercise a day, any medical need - and travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home.

During his video, Mr Farage said: 'We've got a sandy beach and we've also got a slipway.

And I think what's happening is boats are coming in here under cover of darkness and they're able not just to unload the crew but get the boats off on trailers as well.

'So we do see some where the border force take people in. There are other people landing, above and beyond the official figures, where the people are being smuggled away and the boats are being taken away too.'

Mr Farage was later also videoed in Hastings where he interviewed members of the public

Another 13 migrants, including a toddler, arrived in the UK after a huge search and rescue operation on Saturday.

The latest arrivals brought the total number of migrants to enter the UK this month to 476 - the highest monthly figure ever recorded.

It comes as Priti Patel today signalled a fresh crackdown on illegal migrants crossing the English Channel as she also vowed to tackle 'vexatious' asylum claims.

The Home Secretary conceded that there are currently higher numbers of people trying to cross the stretch of water.

But she said she is working to agree a scheme with Paris which would allow Britain to return illegal migrants to France after they have come ashore in the UK or if they are picked up while at sea.

She also vowed to focus Home Office efforts on combatting 'vexatious methods' and 'vexatious claims' around illegal immigration and asylum.

The news comes after Mr Farage admitted breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by leaving the house eight times in five days last month.

Nigel Farage has admitted breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by leaving the house eight times in five days towards the end of last month

Mr Farage said on his LBC radio show on Sunday, March 29 that he has been out for exercise on multiple occasions in recent days.

In an exchange with a listener, Mr Farage said: 'I am going to be honest with you, in the last five days I have been out walking eight times.

'So there are three days this week [where] I went out walking early in the morning, and I went out again in the afternoon.

'I didn't see a single person, I wasn't putting anybody else at risk including myself, and I think we just need to apply common sense here.'

A Dungeness lifeboat is pictured on April 25 after picking up an inflatable dinghy which is thought to have been used to carry migrants across the English Channel

He added that if the lockdown continues as expected until June, 'people are going to need to get out for their own mental health'.

Reacting on Twitter, some listeners criticised the former UKIP leader for flouting the rules.

One wrote: 'encouraging people live on air to flout govt guidelines is a low point, even for him. This could literally cost lives, how does he still get airtime?'

Another wrote: 'Generally I have time for @Nigel_Farage but not this morning.

'We have to minimise #risk and think about #actions that could be avoided & that could add to the stretched #EmergencyServices & everyone else who are complying to the national #rules.'

A third just said: 'Nigel farage [sic] just admitted he went walking more than once a day.'
Budget carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday said one of its engineers has tested positive for coronavirus and that all measures are being taken to provide appropriate medical care to the person.

The employee last reported for duty on April 22 and was tested positive on April 27, an airline spokesperson told PTI. As a precautionary measure, all crew and staff who had been in direct contact with him have been asked to self-quarantine by staying at home for the next two weeks, the spokesperson said in a statement.

This is at least the second case of a SpiceJet staff getting coronavirus infection. Earlier, a pilot with the airline tested positive for coronavirus.

"One of our colleagues, an engineer with SpiceJet, has tested positive for COVID-19. He had last reported on duty on April 22 at the Delhi airport. The engineer got tested on April 27," the statement said.

According to the airline, all measures are being taken to provide appropriate medical care to him.

"We have been diligently following the guidelines issued by the government and WHO," it said, adding that all aircraft are being disinfected thoroughly since the end of January and the disinfectants used are as per the WHO standards.

Nearly 30,000 people have been infected by coronavirus and more than 930 people have died due to the infection so far in the country.
RSPO responds to the European Commission communication 'Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World's Forests'

ZOETERMEER, The Netherlands, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has today released a position paper - 'Delivering Deforestation-free Sustainable Palm Oil' - endorsed by the RSPO Market Development Standing Committee, in response to the European Commission's communication, 'Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World's Forests'. RSPO welcomes the introduction of different measures and initiatives that aim to reduce the climate impact of European consumers across various commodities, including palm oil, and to work towards the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN COP21 Paris Climate Agreement.

RSPO and the committee of market members stress that voluntary initiatives such as the RSPO can only go so far, and that the backing of governments is urgently needed to tip the scale for deforestation-free supply chains; for sustainable palm oil to become the norm. Regulatory action is an opportunity for governments to be part of the solution that is already offered by RSPO, and propagate company compliance and due diligence, as well as create a level playing field for the companies. Governments have a critical role to play in educating the public, reframing the palm oil narrative, and meeting voluntary industry commitments. To minimise the risk of further global deforestation, RSPO believes that collaboration across agricultural-commodity industries, supply chains, and with governments and NGOs, is fundamental to halting deforestation and protecting forests, wildlife habitats, and areas of biodiversity.

RSPO's Head of Operations - Europe, Inke van der Sluijs said, "In these uncertain and difficult times, we cannot stray from our sustainability commitments for 2020 and beyond. By advocating for certified sustainable palm oil, governments will encourage deforestation-free supply chains and determine the future of our forests." Working in close collaboration with its members, RSPO will continue to develop the tools and champion innovation that help protect the world's forests and local communities.

To drive the changes so urgently needed, the RSPO, business and governments must proactively work together to respond to emerging challenges as the landscape continually evolves. RSPO welcomes the communication from the EU Commission on 'Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World's Forests' and offers support in addressing the challenges identified by both the Commission and the European Parliament.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a not-for-profit, international, membership organisation that unites stakeholders from the different sectors of the palm oil industry including oil palm producers, palm oil processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, environmental or nature conservation NGOs, and social or developmental NGOs.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160778/RSPO_Logo.jpg
British Airways plans to cut as many as 12,000 jobs in response to the coronavirus crisis that means that passenger numbers will take years to recover, its owner International Consolidated Airlines Group said on April 28.

IAG, which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, reported first-quarter operating losses before exceptional items of 535 million euros ($580 million), compared with a profit of 135 million a year ago. Revenue dropped 13% to 4.6 billion euros. IAG warned it expects results to get worse in a statement also setting out plans for a sweeping restructuring at BA.

Pre-tax profits were hit by an exceptional charge of 1.3 billion euros due to overhedging of its fuel and foreign currency needs for the rest of 2020, it said. Echoing comments from rivals such as Lufthansa, the airline said it will take several years for passenger demand to return to 2019 levels.

Operating losses in the second quarter will be significantly worse than in the first three months of the year given the decline in passenger capacity and traffic despite some relief from government job retention and wage support schemes, it said. It didn't give 2020 profit guidance. British Airways has 45,000 employees, including 16,500 cabin crew and 3,900 pilots, according to its website.

"British Airways is formally notifying its trade unions about a proposed restructuring and redundancy programme," the statement added. "The proposals remain subject to consultation but it is likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them."

The measures come after IAG boss, Willie Walsh, a dealmaker who made his name standing up to unions and cutting costs, last month put off plans to retire to deal with the industry's worst crisis.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Total COVID-19 cases near 30,000, death toll-937; lockdown 3 or phased exit?

Also read: Coronavirus impact: Boeing to borrow more money; does not expect to pay dividends soon
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:

A new draft amendment to Azerbaijani Law on Social Insurance envisions a reduction in the social insurance burden by 2-4 times, Head of Tax Legislation Improvement Department of Main Tax Policy Office of Azerbaijans State Tax Service Elnur Yusifov told Trend.

According to him, starting from September 1, 2019, the minimum monthly salary was increased to 250 manat ($147), which led to a certain growth in the social insurance burden.

Thus, for some business entities carrying out activities without hiring an employee, the burden of social insurance is calculated in the amount of a certain percentage of the minimum salary. It was set at 50 percent in the trade and construction industries and at 25 percent in other sectors. The new amendments proposed to reduce a 50 percent insurance burden by half, and a 25 percent insurance burden by 15 percent from April 1, he said.

Yusifov added that it is also planned to reduce the burden on social insurance of business entities engaged in activities with a fiscal check.

"It is planned to reduce the social insurance burden and the administrative burden on a number of business entities working with fiscal receipts: hairdressers, tailors, organizers of weddings and celebrations," he emphasized.

The division head noted that one of the measures provided for in the state support program aimed at enhancing economic activity is related to the provision of tax benefits and holidays to entrepreneurs.

"The special quarantine regime applied in the country has led to either complete or partial restriction of the activities of most business entities. The draft law envisions providing tax benefits and vacations to all entrepreneurship entities, whose activities are fully or partially limited, and exempting entrepreneurs from income and profit tax in full," he added.

($1 = 1.7 manat on Apr. 29)

---

Follow the author on Twitter: Fidan_Babaeva
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 17:45:33|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, April 29 (Xinhua) -- An experimental COVID-19 vaccine has shown it can stimulate a strong enough immune response to kill the virus in preclinical trials, Australian researchers said on Wednesday.

The vaccine was developed by Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) using its patented "molecular clamp" technology and was recently tested on mice, generating the exact antibodies needed to target the COVID-19 virus.

Project leaders welcomed the results as good enough to keep the project's accelerated development timeframe on track.

"This is what we were hoping for, and it's a great relief for the team given the tremendous faith placed in our technology by CEPI, Federal and Queensland Governments and our philanthropic partners," joint UQ project co-leader Professor Paul Young said.

"We were particularly pleased that the strength of the antibody response was even better than those observed in samples from COVID-19 recovered patients."

Samples from the mice trial were also sent to the Doherty Institute in Melbourne to test its ability at targeting specifically the COVID-19 virus.

Professor Kanta Subbarao from the Doherty Institute found high levels of antibodies in the trial samples, which she said were capable of killing live COVID-19 virus in cell culture.

"This is a very important finding because similar immune responses with SARS vaccines in animal models were shown to lead to protection from infection," Subbarao said.

Meanwhile, UQ's collaborator on the project, Dutch company Viroclinics Xplore, was testing the vaccine's effectiveness and safety in various larger COVID-19 infected animals, the results of which were expected in early June.

"Viroclinics Xplore is investigating in more detail the vaccine's ability to protect from direct challenge by the live virus in multiple animal models, and without this partnership this just wouldn't have been possible in this time frame with the capabilities we have here in Australia," Joint UQ project leader Keith Chappell said.

Although there is no guarantee of success, the UQ team said the support they received by far kept them moving forward at unprecedented speed to bring a safe and effective vaccine to the world. Enditem
The Supreme Court (SC), on Tuesday, asked the Union government to examine the feasibility of implementing the one nation one ration card (ONORC) scheme during the national lockdown. The scheme, which allows beneficiaries to access food grains that they are entitled to under the National Food Security Act, 2013, from any fair-price shop in the country, was announced last June.

The SCs nudge to expedite the ONORC is critical. Millions of out-of-work migrant workers are stuck in host cities due to the lockdown. Many have run out of money to buy food and dont have a proof of identity like ration cards to access subsidised food grains via the well-stocked public distribution system (PDS). States where they are stuck prefer offering relief to their own residents first, and cite the lack of identity documents to deny benefits. And among those states which have opened community kitchens for out-of-job migrant workers, there have been complaints of the quantity, quality and type of food. Some feel that the ONORC scheme will not be of much help during the present crisis since many migrant workers have left their PDS cards in their villages. Instead, the Union government must expand the well-stocked PDS system to cover all individuals, irrespective of whether they have a ration card or not, for at least six months.

While this must be done, the government must also fast-track the ONORC scheme because Indias present rights-based regime is based on the assumption that people are sedentary. This is not true given the high rates of inter- and intra-state migration. Without any safety net, migrants depend either on their employers or labour contractors for food provisions or purchase food in the open market. This increases their cost of living and reduces the additional earnings they might hope to remit to their families. During the lockdown, the crisis has become even more acute. But even after the coronavirus pandemic is over, this will be useful. Migration is bound to restart because of unemployment. When migrant workers again start boarding trains and buses for the destination cities, they must have their PDS cards that are valid across India with them.
Carrie Symonds was last seen with Boris Johnson at the Commonwealth Day service. (Getty Images)

The Queen has sent a private message congratulating the prime minister and his fiancee on the arrival of their baby son.

The monarch sent the message just hours before she and Boris Johnson will have their weekly audience.

The audiences were not held while the prime minister was in hospital, but the pair resumed the weekly talks when he was recovering at Chequers.

Although he missed Prime Ministers Questions, the call, with the Queen in Windsor Castle, is planned for Wednesday evening.

Johnson will postpone his paternity leave until later in the year as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.

Carrie Symonds announced she and the prime minister were expecting a baby in February and she said she was due in early summer.

Boris Johnson on the telephone to the Queen for her weekly audience during the coronavirus pandemic. (Getty Images)

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds meet Anthony Joshua at the Commonwealth Day Service. (Getty Images)

Read more: Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds welcome baby boy

Number 10 announced the birth of their son on Wednesday morning, and said both mother and son were doing very well.

The prime minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well, the spokeswoman said.

The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

It is understood Johnson was present throughout the birth.

The weight and other details of the baby have not yet been released.

Boris Johnson with the Queen and Jens Stoltenberg at the Nato summit. (Getty Images)

Read more: Queen to give second televised address in pandemic as she marks VE Day anniversary

Symonds, 32, accompanied Johnson, 55, to the Commonwealth Day Service at the beginning of March, one of the Queens most important events of the year.

She was understood to then be self-isolating, and at the beginning of April confirmed shed had some symptoms of coronavirus but was recovering.

The Queen also sent a message to the prime minister when he was admitted to hospital  the same evening as her royal message was broadcast on television.

Johnson returned to work at Number 10 on Monday.

Johnson is the 14th prime minister to hold office during the Queens reign.
Ministers may have to 'make the judgement of Solomon' on how to lift lockdown, John Swinney says

Deputy First Minister warns of competing priorities over how to lift lockdown while protecting the health service

John Swinney has warned that there may be competing priorities over decisions such as reopening schools, protecting the NHS and allowing people to see more of their loved ones as the Scottish Government decides how to lift the coronavirus lockdown.

The Deputy First Minister also said the Scottish Government is designing a new system to assess the publics opinion on what should be done to ease restrictions.

But he warned that ministers might have to make the judgement of Solomon between lifting restrictions on civil liberties introduced in the face of pandemic and protecting health services.

Swinney appeared before Holyroods COVID-19 committee to answer questions on the governments handling of the pandemic and the framework for decision making document published last Thursday.

Swinney said that whatever the government does next would have to be guided by public opinion, but that ultimately it would be decided by the infection rate of the virus.

He said that the R0  the scientific term for the infection rate of the virus  is the absolutely critical factor when deciding when lockdown can be eased.

We have to essentially wait until we have headroom from the reduction in the R0 and then have the process of a debate with members of the public about what might be the most important steps to take to move on from where we are today, he said.

The Scottish Government has said that the R0 should be consistently below one before lockdown could be lifted.

Right now it is estimated that the R0 in Scotland is between 0.6 and one, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said it is probably higher than that in care homes.

Swinney talked about the need for there to be headroom between the infection rate and the capacity of the NHS to handle COVID-19 patients.

He said: For example some people would like to...see high street shops open a bit more, and they might say we also want to see the schools open. And there might not be enough headroom between R0 and the point at which the health service is overwhelmed to do both.

So, we have to make judgments and explain why we consider a particular judgement to have been the valid judgement.

But that's where the engagement with the public is so critical, to make sure that we have the opportunity to understand public opinion and to respond accordingly.

On the same point, he later added: So, we may have to make the judgement of Solomon about what will be the priorities that we decide to pursue.

Swinney said that in order to gather public opinion, the government is designing a new mechanism to make sure ministers hear what the public are saying.

He said: This is not a routine government consultation document. We cant wait 12 weeks for members of the public to have their opportunity to feed back.

He added: Its really important we get that direct feedback from the public. We are looking actively just now at mechanisms that would allow that more vigorous public interaction with the document.

We hope to be able to say some more details on that in the course of the next few days so that there is a very detailed channel for members of the public to input their thinking, that we can gather back in a prompt and efficient fashion so that the government can be really closely aware of what members of the public are thinking about the different options with which we are wrestling.

Asked if it was the governments objective to pursue an objective of suppressing the virus or eliminating the virus, as has been successful in countries like New Zealand or Vietnam in the absence of a vaccine, Swinney said the government is trying to do both.

He said: The objective of the government is to ensure that we eliminate coronavirus. The terminology I would use and have used, is to suppress the virus as far as we can and to use techniques such as test, trace and isolate to secure that objective.

Swinney added: There isnt a level of COVID-19 presence in our society that ministers are keen to tolerate, thats not our objective. We want to protect the population from COVID and we will do all that we can through the measures that we take to do so, whether that involves a vaccine or does not involve a vaccine.

He also expressed doubt over the potential implementation of a bubble system to allow people to see up to 10 close friends or family.

He said: I might have my bubble of ten people for Wednesday afternoon, but I might have a different bubble of people for Thursday afternoon, and theres absolutely no way the police can say if Ive got two bubbles or have I just got the one.

So it gets inevitably a bit more complicated and complex. So we have to be very mindful as we take the next tentative steps as that opportunity arises.
The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,007 and the number of cases climbed to 31,332 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union health ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 22,629, while 7,695 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals.

A total of 70 deaths were reported since Tuesday evening of which 31 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, 19 from Gujarat, seven from Madhya Pradesh, five from Rajasthan, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Jammu and Kashmir,Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Of the 1,007 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 400 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 181, Madhya Pradesh at 120, Delhi at 54,Rajasthan at 51,Uttar Pradesh at 34 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

The death toll reached 26 in Telengana, 25 in Tamil Nadu, 22 in West Bengal while Karantaka has reported 20 deaths.

Punjab has registered 19 fatalities so far. The disease has claimed eight lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to the ministry's data.

According to the data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 9,318 followed by Gujarat at 3,744, Delhi at 3,314,Madhya Pradesh at 2,387, Rajasthan at 2,364, Tamil Nadu at 2,058 andUttar Pradesh at 2,053.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to1,259in Andhra Pradesh and1,004 in Telangana.

The number of cases has risen to 725 in West Bengal,565 in Jammu and Kashmir,523 in Karnataka, 485 inKerala, 366 in Bihar and 322 in Punjab.

Haryana has reported 310 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 118 cases. A total of 103 people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 54 in Uttarakhand.

Chandigarh has reported 56 cases, Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases while Assam and Chhattisgarh have registered 38 infections each so far.

Andaman and Nicobar Islandshas33 COVID-19 cases while Ladakh has reported 22infections so far.

Meghalaya has reported 12 cases, Puducherry has eight cases while Goa has seven COVID-19 cases.

Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said on its website.

States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Employees perform tests on semiconductor chips at the production facility of a Nanchang, Jiangxi province-based high-tech company on Feb 13. [Photo/Xinhua]

The US government's proposed new restrictions on exports of certain semiconductor and aircraft components to China would hurt the interests of US companies and further disrupt the global supply chain, experts said on Tuesday.

The comments came after Washington on Monday proposed rules that would expand license requirement controls on exports of certain products to Chinese companies linked to the military.

Bai Ming, a senior research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said, "The global supply chain already risks fragmentation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the latest move from the US government would make things worse."

According to the new rules, published on the official website of the US Department of Commerce on Monday, licenses will be needed for US companies to sell certain items to companies in China that have ties to the military, even if the products are meant for civilian use. They will also remove a civilian exception that allows certain US technology to be exported without a license.

The rules were posted for public inspection and would be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

The new rules blur the line between civilian and military use, which will make it difficult for some Chinese civilian companies to buy products and technologies from US companies. The move will harm the US semiconductor industry and affect sales of civil aviation parts to China, Bai added.

John Neuffer, president and chief executive of the US Semiconductor Industry Association, told Reuters that the industry was concerned that broad rules will "unnecessarily expand export controls for semiconductors and create further uncertainty for our industry during this time of unprecedented global economic turmoil".

Boston Consulting Group said in its latest report that if the US increases restrictions on the semiconductor trade with China, it could endanger its own position as leader in the sector, the report added.

BCG warned that if shipments of US chips and chipmaking equipment to China were stopped, and China were to ban imports of US electronics and software, it could cost US companies 37 percent of their annual sales.

The US government's ban on restricting Chinese tech company Huawei from buying US chip technologies has already weighed on sales of semiconductor heavyweights, including Qualcomm Inc.

BCG found that the top US semiconductor makers have reported a median revenue decline of between 4 percent and 9 percent in each of the three quarters following the Huawei ban in May 2019.

Wei Shaojun, a microelectronics professor at Tsinghua University, said China is one of the world's largest semiconductor markets. In 2019, the nation spent $304.1 billion on imported chips. That marked a decline of 2.6 percent from a year earlier because domestic semiconductor companies have made progress in meeting demand.

Yang Xu, president of Intel China, said earlier this month that the semiconductor industry is highly specialized and needs global cooperation.
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge named the city of Los Angeles winner of its Walk the Walk Award for outstanding water conservation during the past year.

Dynamic Water Technologies CEO Mike Boyko explains how the Dynamic Scale Reactor saves the LA City Hall millions of gallons of water each year. A view of the inside of a Dynamic Scale Reactor (DSR). The reactor chambers are modular and can be adapted to any size system. Los Angeles City Hall as seen with the East Tower in the foreground where Dynamic Water Technologies first installed their system in 2018.

City officials installed an electrochemical treatment system that reduces process water used in cooling towers by millions of gallons of water per year. Developed by Arizona-based Dynamic Water Technologies, the installation is reducing water usage at City Hall East by more than 20 percent on an annual basis. The system has been in place for 21 months and has saved 2.45 million gallons of water to date.

"This project is exciting because it accomplishes multiple goals at once - we are saving water, saving money, and moving away from chemicals," said Mark Roussel, assistant director of the Building Maintenance Division at the City of Los Angeles. "It's a win all around. We are proud to partner with the LA Better Buildings Challenge to share these exciting results."

Saving 2.45 million gallons of water at a single facility has massive implications given recent scientific studies indicating California is in the middle of a megadrought. Scientists with Columbia University studied tree rings throughout the Southwest, and concluded, after years of research, that the current southwestern drought is the worst in 1,200 years and is likely exacerbated by human-caused climate change. Findings were reported earlier in April.

"It's imperative that governments and businesses work together to find innovative solutions to our ever-growing scarcity of water," said Mike Boyko, president and CEO of Dynamic Water. "We must find technologies that allow us to minimize water usage worldwide."

The installation at Los Angeles City Hall East is one of two at government facilities that used DWT's treatment system as part of studies by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a division within the U.S. Department of Energy. A multi-month study at the 242,000 square-foot Juliette Gordon Low Federal Building in Savannah, Ga., produced similar water-saving results as was reported in Los Angeles. The General Services Administration, which issued the study, recommended that DWT's technology be adopted at all federal government facilities.

In Los Angeles, city officials reached the same conclusion after seeing the results from using Dynamic Water's treatment system. They contacted DWT and the system is now being installed at the city's Department of Water and Power's headquarters.

"The General Services Department operates and maintains over 400 City facilities," Roussel said. "Sustainability is a key priority for us, along with controlling costs and providing a safe and healthy environment for our staff and fellow city workers."

Boyko said the data from Georgia and Los Angeles proves how much water can be saved by using a chemical free treatment. The DWT process uses electrolysis to remove bio-contaminants, mineral build-up and other impurities from industrial water. In large cooling towers, this translates to water being used for many additional cycles. Balancing the water produces savings in water & sewer and eliminates the need to add chemicals, which reduces overall operating costs for businesses and governments.

"But most importantly, our most precious resource is conserved," Boyko emphasized. "This is one of the single most important advancements in water treatment because of the scientifically proven results in water savings."

While the city of Los Angeles is receiving one of the area's most prestigious awards for sustainability, it is far from the only impact that Dynamic Water Technologies is having in California. DWT has installations in multiple facilities ranging from luxury hotels to medical research facilities.

SoCalGas, a division of Sempra Energy, selected Dynamic Water's system for its Energy Research Center cooling tower in early 2019. After 90 days of operation, officials at the Downy facility contacted DWT to survey other SoCalGas sites for installation. In October 2019, Dynamic Water Technologies installed systems at SoCalGas' Monterrey Park headquarters facility. Annual water savings are about 40 percent, or 2.2 million gallons a year across both sites.

Another DWT customer, Gilead Sciences Inc., has been in the news frequently of late as its researchers seek treatment options for Covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Gilead is also a leader in sustainability. The company is saving more than 3 million gallons per year at its Oceanside facility after installing the Dynamic Water Technologies system.

ABOUT DYNAMIC WATER TECHNOLOGIES

Dynamic Water Technologies is a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company that provides electrochemical treatment of process water allowing facilities to use the water two to six more cycles than traditional chemical-based approaches. Dynamic Water uses electrolysis to treat the water and release it back into cooling towers onsite without using caustic acids or inhibitors. The system generates a biocide in its reactor system through a continuous halogenation process. End users report significant savings in operational costs by reducing chemicals, not paying for disposal of contaminated water, using less energy than other treatment methods, and reducing water usage between 10-40 percent in cooling systems. Clients worldwide include NASA, Roche Molecular Systems, Los Angeles City Hall, Banner Health, Transwestern commercial real estate company and Gilead Sciences, Inc. Contact Dynamic Water Technologies at [email protected], or call (480) 289-2401.

Media Contact:

Rose Tring

Phoenix Public Relations & Marketing

[email protected]

(602) 373-8371

SOURCE Dynamic Water Technologies
He is 37 and less than 10 years out of law school. He had never tried a case, nor served as co-counsel at trial, when he was tapped last year for Americas federal bench. But he did go on Fox News to push the cause of Brett Kavanaugh when Trumps supreme court pick was mired in sexual abuse claims two years ago.

And now he is bound for the second highest court in the land.

Conservative Justin Walkers nomination to serve as circuit judge on the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit, announced by Donald Trump on 3 April, barely caused a ripple in a world transfixed by a deadly pandemic. But it was a wake-up call for Democrats: the fight for the White House and Senate in November will also be a fight for the rule of law.

The Trump administration has brought a laser-like focus to nominating and winning Senate confirmation for 193 judges  two supreme court justices, 51 circuit court judges (a quarter of the total), 138 district court judges and two US court of international trade judges  at a pace unmatched since the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Ive never in my lifetime seen an election whose stakes were higher, said Laurence Tribe, who was born in 1941 and is a constitutional law professor at Harvard University. The transformation of the federal judiciary into a series of puppets for a very rightwing ideology will have lasting impact for decades.

Trump and Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader in the Senate, aim to guarantee a long-term conservative skew on decisions that affect millions of people, including abortion rights, environment regulations, gun control, immigration rules and access to healthcare (having failed to overturn Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act on Capitol Hill, the administration is now trying to do so in the courts).

The new wave of judges is dominated by young white men often rushed through the Senate with little regard for standard procedure. Critics say the chief criterion for selection is no longer experience or qualifications but ideology.

Story continues

Tribe commented: Hes appointed one person after another, with the cooperation of of majority leader McConnell and a very supine Senate, who would never have been accepted in the past and are not comparable to those appointed by Republicans in the past.

The professor added: Many of them will be there for 30 or 40 years. And so the entire landscape of the federal judiciary as a guard rail against various kinds of abuse and violations of the rule of law has been dramatically weakened for the foreseeable future.

These judges are younger, more partisan, more political and really having a big impact on the lives of Americans

Progressives cite Walker as a prime example. He has only served as a federal district court judge in Kentucky since October. At the time of his appointment, the American Bar Association, which issues ratings on judicial nominees, said he was not qualified to serve because of his inexperience. ,He was eventually confirmed on a 50-41 vote.

Walker is also a former clerk to Kavanaugh, who was narrowly confirmed to the supreme court after claims of sexual misconduct from decades earlier resurfaced. Walker did 162 media interviews, including 35 on Fox News (He is a warrior with a backbone of iron), to defend his mentor, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh at the White House in Washington DC on 8 October 2018. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Christopher Kang, chief counsel for Demand Justice, a progressive advocacy organisation, and who served in the Obama administration for nearly seven years, said: Weve seen over the last three years the kinds of judges that President Trump has put in throughout the judiciary, from district courts all the way to the supreme court. Theyre younger, more partisan, more political and really having a big impact on the lives of Americans.

Overall, with his selection of judges, hes hit it out of the park

But conservatives disagree with this characterisation. Elizabeth Slattery, a legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation thinktank in Washington, who went to school with Walker in Louisville, Kentucky, said: Its true that hes young and new to the bench, but he had a background as an academic and his research was focused on administrative law and separation of powers. It just so happens the court hes been nominated to focuses very heavily on administrative law. So I think hes a great selection because he knows these issues very well.

Slattery contends that Trumps selections haves been based on judicial philosophy rather than political ideology. Many of them are pretty young  a lot are in their 40s  so the expectation is that they will serve on these courts for decades to come, she said. Its perhaps the longest-lasting legacy that any president can have but President Trump has really made this a high priority. Overall, with his selection of judges, hes hit it out of the park.

Progressives, however, fear more Justin Walkers waiting in the wings. He is a member of the Federalist Society, which favours an originalist interpretation of the constitution and has created a pipeline of young conservative lawyers. Its alliance with Trump has helped him win over Christian evangelicals and other doubters on the right. Many pointed to Trumps release during the 2016 election of a shortlist of judges for the supreme court vacancy at the time as a political masterstroke that secured their vote.

The courts barely featured in 10 Democratic primary debates. Even so, liberal supreme court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer will be 87 and 82 respectively at the time of the elections in November.

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has already committed to putting the first African American woman on the supreme court. But Kang said: He needs to go a step further and explain literally who are some of the African American women that hes considering.

There are a lot of fantastic potential candidates out there who could really help excite progressives about how he would view the courts and how he would seek to restore balance and fairness.

But the White House alone is not enough. If Biden wins the presidency and Republicans retain control of the Senate, a long war of attrition looms. McConnell refused to sanction a vote on dozens of Obamas judicial nominees, most infamously his supreme court pick Merrick Garland.

Kang added: People may focus on McConnell blocking Merrick Garlands nomination to the supreme court, which was obviously a horrific display of anti-democracy, but what he did in the lower courts is no less appalling. On the circuit courts, over the last two years of President Obamas term, he only allowed two circuit court judges to be confirmed, which is the fewest since the 1800s.

And judges overall, even if you include district court judges, was 22, which was the fewest since President Truman. Thats very intentional and I think thats exactly what we could see if Republicans maintain the majority and theres a Democratic president.

This year, 23 Republican Senate seats are up for grabs; Democrats only need to flip four to regain control. Such is the courts power to block legislation that much of the Democratic agenda is on the line.

Meagan Hatcher-Mays, director of democracy policy for the Indivisible Project, a progressive grassroots movement, said: Its going to be critically important not just to throw Trump out of office this year, but to also flip the Senate so that we can actually move forward with some of our progressive priorities and that includes judges, because pretty much every single piece of progressive legislation that passes through Congress under a Democratic president is going to be challenged in court by Republicans.

Marge Baker is executive vice-president at People For the American Way, an activist group that has created a web page entitled Vote the Courts 2020 to identify senators whose confirmation votes for unfit judges prove they dont deserve to keep their seats. Baker says: Progressives, independents, the public understands now in a way they havent before the impact that these judges have on their daily lives.

They understand, frankly, because of the role that Mitch McConnell has played, how critical it is that you have not just a Democratic president, but also a Democratic Senate in order to process these nominations.

They see decision after decision, the court rolling back voting rights, putting healthcare at risk, putting reproductive freedom at risk, environmental regulations, workers rights  everything that people have come to depend on is being overturned and upended by the courts.

Such battles are not fought in the supreme court alone. Although Chief Justice John Roberts and colleagues steal the limelight, McConnell himself has noted the importance of the lower courts. Appearing on the Washington Watch podcast with Tony Perkins in April, the majority leader said: Its important for your listeners to know that most litigation never makes it to the supreme court.

Most complex litigation stops at the circuit court level. The level below that is district courts. Theyre also important, but their decisions are, of course, appealable to the circuit courts. 

Democrats are hoping to convince their own voters on the same point. Should the party take both the White House and Senate, it would be no surprise if two dozen judges appointed by Bill Clinton in the 1990s seek retirement or senior status to make way for younger liberals with decades of service ahead of them. This would be a sign that, after four years of the Trump-McConnell onslaught, the pendulum had begun to swing the other way.

In a news and political cycle usually dominated by instant gratification, victory belongs to whoever can play the long game. Hatcher-Mays of Indivisible said: I would like to see Democrats be just as aggressive in getting their judicial nominees confirmed as Republicans have been, even if that means not getting Republican support, because the point is these positions are for life.
In Post-Islamic State Northern Iraq, Demographic Changes Raise Concerns

Members of the NPU stand guard. ( MEE/Adam Lucente) A picture of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stands in a traffic circle in the northern Iraqi town of Bartella. It is a prominent symbol of Shia Islam in a town that has been historically inhabited by Syriac Catholic and Orthodox Christians. In recent years, the population of Shabak people - a heterodox minority who predominantly identify as Shia Muslims - has increased significantly in the town.

Similarly, in nearby Qaraqosh, flags commemorating Imam Hussein - who is revered by Shia Muslims - fly over the houses around the base of the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), a Christian paramilitary group.

Demographic changes in the town, which are perceived by some as forced, have led to frustration for many of the area's Christians and others.

"The problem is Sunnis have the Gulf, Shias have Iran, and the Christians have no one," John Hadaya, head of the Syriac Party, told Middle East Eye.

The Shabak presence in Bartella, Qaraqosh and other historically Christian towns significantly increased in the aftermath of the war with the Islamic State (IS) group, when expelled populations returned to their lands or moved from destroyed villages to larger towns.

Nineveh Plains residents disagree on whether demographic change occurring in the area is forced or not. The issue has pitted people who suffered at the hands of IS against each other. It has also highlighted disagreements over Iran and its militia allies' influence in Iraq.

One Shabak activist spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity out of a fear of pro-Iran militias in the area. He said that Shabak left villages for towns due to poor living conditions in the former.

"The villages have no water, no schools," the activist told MEE. "Where could we live? We needed to be in city centres."

'A result, not a plan'

Both Bartella and Qaraqosh lie in the Nineveh Plains. The area is strategic for the powers in the Middle East. For Iran, it is a connecting area between Shia majority parts of Iraq and Iran's allies in Syria and Lebanon - plus the Mediterranean Sea.

The arable plains are also one of Iraq's official disputed territories claimed by both the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal Iraqi government. IS controlled much of the Nineveh Plains between 2014 and 2017.

The Nineveh Plains showcase an incredible amount of religious and ethnic diversity. The area north of Mosul includes Kurdish, Turkmen, Arab and Yazidi communities, as well as Christian and Shabak.

During the reign of Iraq's President Saddam Hussein, Iraqi authorities forcibly expelled Nineveh Plains residents from their homes and moved Arabs from elsewhere in Iraq there in an "Arabisation" campaign. This also resulted in homes being sold to Arabs from other parts of the country.

Shabak people were among those made to leave their homes. The Iraqi government's perception that they were Kurds resulted in harsh home destructions and expulsions of Shabak, according to the Iraqi website Niqash.

Saddam persecuted Kurds in Iraq during and following the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. After the US invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam, Islamic militant groups also attacked Shabak communities in Mosul.

The Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) - mostly, but not exclusively, Shia militias formed in 2014 to fight IS - played a crucial role in defeating IS, including in areas like the Nineveh Plains that are outside the Shia-majority parts of Iraq. Many PMF groups receive financial, military and political support from Iran.

The PMF presence is clear in Nineveh. The official checkpoint leading to the province from the KRG includes numerous PMF and Imam Hussein flags, as does the road to Bartella.

Graffiti with Shia religious expressions are visible on many of the numerous PMF checkpoints throughout the area. The PMF honours their soldiers who died fighting IS with posters of them carrying the word "martyr" lining the roads.

In the Nineveh Plains, Brigade 30 is one of the main PMF groups and its soldiers are mostly Shabak. Before the IS conflict, the Shabak community had no such military clout.

"After the liberation, Shabak had militias," the Shabak activist said.

Thousands of Christians fled the Nineveh Plains in advance of IS. Others were enslaved or killed. This prompted heavy emigration of Iraq's Christians from the country. The flight of Christians enabled Shabak to move to historically Christian towns, according to the activist.

"Many Christians left Iraq, so areas became Shabak and pictures of Imam Hussein appeared," he said.

The activist said this was not a plan, but a desire to live in areas with better conditions. He blamed the government for the situation.

"It was a result, not a plan. We just wanted water, services, schools for the children," he said. "If the government had given us land, we would've never left our areas."

Even since the areas were liberated from IS control, the Christian population has not returned in the same numbers. This is due to the destruction of homes and the lack of basic services, making the areas almost uninhabitable, while others found work in other regions.

Some Christian leaders in the area also note emigration as a reason the local Christian population has decreased.

"Christians left Iraq, and they accepted this because they had no sources from which to live," Isam Daaboul, the mayor of Hamdaniya, which includes Qaraqosh, told Middle East Eye.

The large size of Shabak families and their practice of polygamy is another contributing factor to their population increase in the Nineveh Plains vis-a-vis Christians.

'Big efforts to change the demographics'

Many Christians from the area believe forced demographic change is taking place. In March, Christian news website ankawa.com published an article on the issue, using the provocative title "Daesh [IS] left and the Shabak came. And dread is there. Why are Christians afraid to return to their homes?".

The article acknowledged Shabak suffering at the hand of IS as well, but accused members of the Shabak community of preventing Christians from coming back to the Nineveh Plains.

"Christians are afraid of returning because of the threat posed by the 'Shabak,'" the article read.

Some Christian politicians use similar language to refer to the situation. Hadaya said that Iran was backing elements of the Shabak community to alter the population makeup of the Nineveh Plains.

"There are big efforts to change the demographics from the residents and the government," he told MEE.

"Shabak people have control and they are close to Iran."

When Iraqis want to change homes, they must obtain papers from local authorities before they can do so legally. This is one way that people affiliated with pro-Iran entities can allegedly receive preferential treatment, thus enabling demographic change.

Christians are fleeing due to security concerns and this apparent power imbalance, and their community's numbers will dwindle if nothing changes, according to Hadaya.

"We have a war against time because emigration is occurring in a non-natural way," he said.

Some advocacy groups for Iraq's Christians also share a concern over demographic change. The US-based Assyrian Policy Institute published a report last year on Christian concerns that proposed new residential settlements would seize their farm lands in Hamdaniya. The proposed areas were under the control of Brigade 30, according to the institute.

Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi unsuccessfully tried to remove Brigade 30 from the Nineveh Plains last year, but their supporters protested against this.

Some in the Shabak community share the concerns about the PMF presence in the area, as well. Dozens of Shabak from the Nineveh Plains protested outside the United Nations (UN) compound in Erbil in January against the PMF presence in their native Nineveh.

Not all Christians believe the rumours that Shabak are taking their properties, though. In a small alley tucked away off Bartella's main road, Sliwa Elias and friends sit outside and talk.

"This isn't happening at all," Elias told MEE. "Christians and Shabak live normal lives as neighbours."

Another member of the group, John al-Sabagh, said that Shabak moving into Christian homes happens for economic reasons because of Christian emigration from the area.

"Our problem is we need money and to sell our houses. Sometimes, other Christians can't buy them," he told MEE.

"The guy who buys them is a Shabak Muslim. If it's being supported by anyone, it's Iran."

'Many empty houses'

Many Shabak and other Shia in Bartella deny anyone in their community is taking houses, including those houses abandoned by Christians who fled IS.

"We are not interested in taking Christian people's homes," Hadi Elias told MEE from his shop in Bartella. "There are many empty houses we don't want to take."

Marwa Hussein is a Shabak activist, also from Bartella. She adamantly denied anyone taking homes in an inappropriate way.

"Christian houses being taken by the Hashd, other militias, or other components is a falsehood," she told MEE. Some Iraqis refer to ethnic and religious communities as "components".

Hussein also attributed the decrease in Christian households to emigration.

"On the contrary, there are Christian families who sell their houses to go to Europe."

Iyad Abbas, a Shabak merchant in Bartella, said communal relations were good in the town.

"We are all brothers," he told MEE.

Qusay Abbas, a Shabak member of the Iraqi parliament from the Nineveh Plains, said he did not think his community had any major problems with local Christians.

"There are no problems between Shabak, Christians and others," he told MEE.

Andy Sarhat contributed Aramaic translation and fixing to this report.
The US Department of Homeland Security revealed to AFP on Tuesday new technical details regarding its highly anticipated study into how ultraviolet radiation destroys the new coronavirus, saying that its experiment had accurately mimicked natural sunlight.

A summary of the research was presented last week at the White House, with some scientists calling for caution until a more comprehensive report was made public.

Track live updates on coronavirus here

US President Donald Trump raised eyebrows last week when he used his daily live national press briefing to ask whether light could become a medical treatment.

"Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous -- whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light," he said. "Supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way."

Trump continued on to suggest that people inject disinfectants to cure the virus, an idea that health experts quickly shot down.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases

DHS official William Bryan had briefed the media that the amount of virus on a non-porous surface shrunk by half in just two minutes when sunlight was present, the temperature was 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit (21-24 Celsius) and humidity was 80 percent.

The amount of virus suspended in air shrunk to half its amount in just 1.5 minutes at room temperature and 20 percent humidity, he added.

These eye-catching results surprised experts because most of the UV light contained in natural sunlight belongs to a subtype called UVA, which causes human skin to tan and age but has not generally been proven harmful to viruses, David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center, told AFP.

On the other hand, a part of the spectrum called UVC is particularly adept at warping the genetic material of animal and virus cells and is widely used in sterilizing lamps, but it is not present in sunlight because it is filtered out by the Earth's atmosphere.

Asked for further details on the type of UV light that was used, Lloyd Hough, a DHS scientist overseeing the test, said: "The spectrum of light that was used was designed to approximate natural sunlight that you would expect to see at noon at sea level at a mid-latitude location (e.g., mid-Atlantic, 40 degrees N) on the first day of summer.

"More specifically, it approximates the wavelengths of light predicted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research's (NCAR) Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible (TUV) Radiation Model for noon at 40 degrees N latitude at sea level on June 21st in range of 280 and 400 nanometer wavelengths."

The wavelengths specified pertain only to long- and medium-wave ultraviolet, also known as UVA and UVB -- the UV components of sunlight that penetrate the atmosphere -- and not UVC.

A DHS spokesman added that the test -- which was conducted at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center in Maryland -- was carried out on droplets of simulated saliva on a stainless steel surface.

Brenner, who is himself performing research into another area of the UV spectrum called far-UVC, which kills microbes without penetrating human skin, said the DHS findings did not comport with previous research.

"There is a peer-reviewed paper in the literature from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) showing the earlier SARS-CoV virus did not respond to UVA light (though it did respond to UVC light)," he said, adding it is "reasonable to assume that all coronaviruses respond roughly the same way to light."

The results as presented were "straining credulity," he added.

But a DHS spokesman said that study would soon be submitted for peer review and published in scientific journals.

"While the results are still undergoing a rigorous scientific review, we felt it important to share information on the emerging trends that are being identified in our tests," the spokesman said.
True animal lovers never fail to go to go the extra mile to save a creature in trouble. And this woman in Arizona is among them. A video thats gone all kinds of viral shows her picking up a snake off the road so it wouldnt get killed by oncoming traffic. And she does all this while talking on the phone. Whats more interesting - shes also pregnant.

The video of the woman was shared by Facebook user Sky Gue on April 24. This is a true Arizonan. Pregnant, on the phone with no hands, picking up a snake out of the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere with her flipflop, reads the caption on the video which show exactly that.

The video has since collected over 3,300 shares and than 800 reactions - and counting.

Arizona what what! She saved that Nope Rope Danger Noodle and made a deposit on the Karmic Bank, comments a Facebook user. She is one brave, crazy lady! writes another.

The woman was later identified as Tawney Kae Rauch. She also dropped in the comments section to share a picture of herself with the snake.

It was the biggest snake Id seen in awhile, Rauch told AZFamily.com about the six-foot-long gopher snake she rescued. These types of snakes are nonvenomous.

It was too pretty of a snake to, like kill, or anything, she added. She, along with her husband, released the snake into the wild later.
Information Minister, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has stated that Governments fight against the novel coronavirus is possible because of the resilient economy it has in the past few years built.



Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, 28th April, 2020, Mr. Nkurmah said Ghanas ability to introduce the various interventions towards the fight against the virus in the country is largely dependent on the strong and robust economy it has built since the Government assumed office in 2017.



On Sunday, President Nana Akufo-Addo announced a policy objective to construct 88 district hospitals in the districts without government hospitals.



Additionally, he announced that building of the hospitals for the 6 new regions is to commence with dispatch aligned to this new program. A further 3 infectious disease centers are be built in the three belts of the country.



However, subsequent to the Presidents address to the Nation, there have been concerns on whether the Government can finance the completion of these hospitals and whether or not the countrys economy is resilient enough to afford the COVID-19 interventions including building these 88 hospitals.



But the Information Minister gave the assurances that our current economic positioning is a major reason for which we are able to marshal the resources to execute a good number of the interventions we are introducing today.



And moving forward, the state of our economy will be key in our ability to introduce the necessary interventions to win the various battles in this war.



He explained that it makes sense why some may question whether or not Ghana can afford all the interventions the President has outlined in the past about 8weeks of the Covid-19 response program. This question is justified because looking at our recent economic position, and the gains made recently as a nation, there is the genuine fear that we may be unable to afford the interventions or may end up overstretched if indeed we push through to execute them all.



Between Jan 2017 and now, however, Ghana has made major strides in correcting the precarious economic conditions it found itself in. Our Fiscal position has improved and our Macro position has significantly improved. The combined effect of improved fiscal position and improved macro position is what enables us to afford the interventions which are being introduced as part of the COVID-19 response program. We have significantly improved national revenues, trimmed our deficit, and yielded a resilient macro position against which we can finance the intervention programs, he added.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin in a file photograph in Washington on Feb. 27, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Mnuchin: Pandemic Stimulus Checks Sent to Dead Relatives Should Be Returned

While there have been reports of people receiving stimulus checks for their deceased relatives, that money should not be spent, according to a top White House official.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Wall Street Journal that families who receive the payments should return them to the federal government, although he did not specify how.

Youre not supposed to keep that payment, Mnuchin told the news outlet. Were checking the databases, but there could be a scenario where we missed something, and yes, the heirs should be returning that money.

Tens of millions of people received stimulus payments up to $1,200 for those who are eligible plus $500 for children under the age of 17. The information used to distribute those payments is based on prior tax returns filed in 2018 and 2019, meaning that someone who died after filing taxes for those two years could still receive a payment.

Its not clear how many payments were sent out to deceased people, and its also not clear what the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is planning to do if someone keeps the money. The agency, which is overseen by the Treasury Department, has not issued any guidance on what to do.

The White House mailed out a letter from President Donald Trump to announce the IRS payments. (The Epoch Times)

A spokesperson for the Treasury Department told CNBC on Wednesday that the agency will be issuing guidance on this shortly.

Of the checks, President Donald Trump said on April 17 that his administration would get them back, without elaborating.

Everything were going to get back. But its a tiny amount, he said at the time.

In one instance, North Carolina woman Heather Frazier told the WSJ that she received a $1,200 direct deposit for her husband, Rob, who died in June 2018.

My husband was a wonderful money manager, and I think he would be happy to know he was still getting a stimulus payment, she said. If they want the money back or whatever, Ill pay it back.

In a high-profile incident, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote on April 15 that a friends father, who died in 2018, also received a $1,200 stimulus payment.

Ok this is insane, but just the tip of the iceberg. This is a direct text to me from a friend. I called to confirm this actually just happened, Massie wrote, including a screenshot of the message.

A Florida-based tax preparer, Adam Markowitz, told MarketWatch that his clients have also reported similar payments to deceased relatives.

There is nothing that the IRS has that is preventing someone who is deceased from receiving this money, said Markowitz.
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They are being tested for possible presence of Covid-19 coronavirus infection

Open source

Two citizens of Ukraine were found dead in a hotel room on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Serhiy Pohoreltsev, the Director of the Consular Services Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced this, as Interfax reports.

"Yesterday, the Department of Consular Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received an appeal from a citizen of Ukraine that her parents, Ukrainian citizens, were found dead in a room in one of the hotels on the island of Bali (Indonesia), where they lived. According to the Ukrainian Embassy in Indonesia, the local police confirmed the fact of death of our citizens and began investigative actions," Pohoreltsev said.

He also noted that the bodies of deceased Ukrainians were delivered to a local hospital. They are being tested for the possible presence of a coronavirus infection of Covid-19. Test results are expected May 3. According to Pohoreltsev, in case of a negative test result, an autopsy will be performed to establish the causes of death of Ukrainian citizens.

He assured that the embassy is now in contact with Indonesian law enforcement agencies and a medical institution in order to establish the circumstances of the case, as well as to organize the repatriation of the dead.

According to Coconuts Bali news agency, two married Ukrainians lived in the Kedonganan Badung area. Police were notified of the situation immediately after the neighbors noticed that they had not left the room all day.

In addition, the local police chief said that law enforcement officers did not find any signs of violence on the bodies of the deceased.

As we reported before, 300 people from Italy, Armenia and Sweden have arrived in Ukraine via evacuation flights.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss his nomination to the state legislative council which has been hanging fire, people aware of the development said.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari is yet to take a call on the state cabinets recommendation to nominate Thackeray to the legislative council.

According to a person familiar with the development who requested anonymity, the Shiv Sena chief, in his conversation with Modi, referred to a possible constitutional crisis should the governor not accept the recommendation.

Thackeray urged the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter, noting that the country is battling the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and that Maharashtra is the state with the most number of positive cases of the disease.

A Shiv Sena leader said on the condition of anonymity that Thackeray apprised the Prime Minister of attempts allegedly being made to create political instability in Maharashtra through non-acceptance of the state cabinets recommendation that he be nominated to the legislative council.

Because Thackeray is not a member of the legislative council or the legislative assembly, the Maharashtra cabinet had recommended to Koshyari that he be nominated to one of the two vacant seats in the states upper house under the governors quota.

The law demands that a chief minister or a minister who is not a member of either of the two houses be elected within six months of being sworn in. Thackeray took the oath as the chief minister in November soon after his Shiv Sena broke away from the Bharatiya Janata Party and forrmed a post-poll alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.The Shiv Sena and the BJP fell out because of differences over power sharing.

Commenting on the development, a senior BJP functionary said the governor had taken time to seek legal counsel on the recommendation.

Section 151A of Representation of the People Act 1951 lists the rules for the governors discretionary power to nominate a person to the legislative council. Legally, election or nomination to vacant seats in the legislative council cannot be done if the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is less than one year, he said.

The BJP functionary, who requested anonymity, declined to comment on Thackerays phone call to Prime Minister Modi.
The meeting comes as part of a general review process to upgrade the justice system in Egypt

The head of Egypt's Judges Club Mohamed Abdel Mohsen has commended President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's meeting with Minister of Justice Omar Marwan to review upgrades of the judicial system, terming the step "very important."

Spokesman of the Judges Club Mohamed Reda El-Sayyed said in a statement Tuesday that Abdel Mohsen asserted that the Egyptian judicial system is outdated but is very well established, noting that Egyptian judges face many obstacles due to the large number of cases and the lack of a proper atmosphere for introducing a mechanised system to use modern ways in courtrooms.

Earlier Tuesday, during the meeting, attended also by Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait and head of the Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel, El-Sisi ordered the facilitation of further procedures for citizens through accelerating the pace of digitisation, amending legislation regulating legal procedures, and increasing the number of notary offices nationwide.

According to a separate statement by presidential spokesman Bassam Rady, the presidential meeting also tackled means of developing judicial and notary work, as well as raising the efficiency of courtrooms across the nation.

Also reviewed were obstacles faced by judges and efforts exerted to automate procedures in courts in coordination with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Abdel Mohsen urged using new methods in handling cases with the aim of maintaining the distinguished position of the Egyptian judiciary and speeding up the justice system.

The statement said that a special committee of the Judges Club has been working over the past two years to outline the problems and weakness points in the system, with the objective of drafting a strategy for developing the judicial system in line with the state's strategy for sustainable development by 2030.

It said the Judges Club has presented this strategy to the Supreme Judicial Council and the minister of justice, to become a starting point for an overall upgrade of the judicial system.

The statement asserted that the Judges Club is confident that the justice system in Egypt will witness tangible progress under Egypt's political leadership.

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One of the oldest disciplines in digital marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has evolved a lot over the years. Vishal Shah, Associate Vice President  SEO, iProspect, and Asad Khan, Associate Vice President  SEO and Performance Content, iProspect, guide us through the shifts that SEO marketing has undergone in the past decade in Adgullys two-part in-depth look at the SEO space.

In Part 1 of the report, we spoke about how digital marketers are approaching SEO strategies depending on the type of client and their business objective. This is the 2nd part of an in-depth report on Search Engine Optimisation.

The Jio launch completely revolutionised the data consumption patterns in India. First, more people than ever were browsing the web via their smartphones. Second, regional populations who were first time smartphone users began exploring the Internet. The most important bit was change in content consumption formats, a heavy shift from text-based content to rich media, especially video consumption. This clearly had implications on search behaviour as well.

Today, mobile phones are driving higher web traffic than desktop in India, which is nearly 80 per cent. Apps have become the go-to destination for mobile users rather than websites. SEO marketers have to adapt to these changes as clients were demanding solutions that were aimed at mobile users.

Asad Khan relates some of the emerging trends, The mobile user is searching for information on the go; many of them prefer to speak to their phones rather than typing (Voice Search). According to Google, India has seen a whopping 270 per cent growth YoY in voice searches. Popularity of Indian languages is growing at much faster pace due growth of search in Bharat (non-metros).

He adds, Now, we are not just building content for our clients, but enabling it to be ready from a voice search perspective. Another strategy is identifying the non-metros that are driving traffic for the brand and providing solutions for regional language content.

Vernacular Search

India has 22 official languages and numerous local dialects. When a user types a query in their local language: 1) the search engine must be able to recognise the query, and 2) the results that are thrown up must be in the language that the user is comfortable with.

Also, the syntax or structure of search queries in regional languages is different from English language, which throws up new keyword trends.

This creates an opportunity for clients to reach new users, as Vishal Shah explains, If people are searching for a keyword in Hindi, ranking for it could be beneficial because not all brands run ads for Hindi keywords. For an English search query, you might see four ads and the organic reach of the ad goes down, which, in turn, impacts the CTR (Click Through Rate). If people are not running ads for vernacular keywords and youre ranked first, then you could drive a lot more CTRs.

Khan states, Vernacular is growing at a faster pace than English search. 50 per cent of vernacular search is in Hindi language; 30 per cent is in Telugu, Bangla and Tamil and the remainder is occupied by other languages.

However, for practical purposes creating content in all regional languages is not always recommended to clients keeping into account the feasibility and scalability aspects.

According to Shah, If you look at search trends, while English queries still dominate a lot of sectors/ niches, theres a substantial contribution by Hinglish keywords as well. When we start optimising for a particular language, the focus is still on English or Hinglish search queries. Even though the intent is to build a lot more content in Hindi, we are still observing that on a relative scale, the search volumes for generic queries using pure Hindi keywords are still lesser in many lines of business. But, of course, theres still a lot more potential for this to increase.

He adds, There are sectors where the data does not support vernacular search from a volume of queries perspective. There are many areas we are not seeing a huge uplift in vernacular search. We initiate such solutions only if the client asks for it or the data tells us to.

Voice Search

As digital marketers come to terms with the limitations of Vernacular search, they become increasingly excited about the combination of Vernacular search and Voice search.

Shah observes, Vernacular search could catch up in the future because Voice search is growing every day, as per Google. If Voice recognition is increasing, then there is no control over the language of the search query. You have the liberty to input a really longish query (a long tail keyword) that could be a mix of couple of languages. And this trend could also gain some traction in future.

Targeting

A search query can be input from a device anywhere across the board. So, how are digital marketers able to drive the right kind of traffic for their clients using SEO?

Shah explains, Search engines can identify global versus local matches of search queries based on the content you create and the signals that your website (domain name especially) provides. Suppose a brand wants to target consumers within India, then it makes sense to have a website with the domain ending with www.example.in. Thats a clear-cut signal that this website is targeted towards audiences in India. If you are catering to customers across the globe, then it might make sense to have a .com website, but with a sub-directory structure like www.example.com/in. Having Geo-specific sub-domains is another option that one can explore. Google Search Console also provides multiple options to pass geo-specific signals which indicate that a domain or a section of pages caters to audience within a specific geography.

Even the content that you create would have to reflect nuances from different regions. Google Search Engine is able to pick up on those nuances.

Shah shares an example, Suppose you have a product that sells in 20 geographies, where the local languages may vary. Fundamentally, it is the same product, but the price and features may vary depending on the region. At least 50 per cent of the content remains exactly the same. To avoid duplication of content, Google has made available tags that allow similar pages relate to one another and helps Google rank the right page in the right geography.

A newer trend is the rise of hyperlocal SEO. With consumers searching on the go, some brands have leveraged hyperlocal search to drive traffic to their physical stores and outlets.

Sharing an example, Khan elaborates, Near Me searches have significantly risen by 75 per cent YoY and this is driving impact for retailers in-store. People typically search for Hotels Near Me, Doctors Near Me, Garages Near Me, etc., and end up visiting retailers offline store. Clients are looking for solutions that make their outlets and stores more accessible to the consumers. Having your brand listed on Google My Business has become hygiene for most brands. To improve the ranking of your business, a SEO strategy could be having a lot of user generated reviews and ratings, which act as a local signal for Googles ranking algorithms.

Delivering targeted SEO solutions for clients requires thinking in three critical areas:

How do I build my content assets from an international and hyperlocal search perspective?

How do I supplement my business listing with 3rd party contributors (reviews/ ratings) from the relevant geographies?

How do I indicate through localised signals (tags) that my content solutions are geography specific?

The Omnichannel experience

The lines between brick and mortar retail and e-commerce have blurred, with retail clients opting for an inclusive omnichannel strategy to reach their customers. Now, every modern retailer wants an omnichannel presence and asks for digital solutions that solve business problems.

Khan shares an example of how iProspect delivered an omnichannel strategy, A growing number of consumers are researching online and purchasing offline. This behaviour is reflected in growing click-to-store-visit ratios in categories like food, groceries, and shopping. However, there are some tactical ways by which brands can convert a visit into a lead. We were approached by a very popular electronics brand that was selling offline to devise an SEO strategy. We designed interactive product brochures for them, which we filled with various technical information pertaining to the product. On the final product page, we created a call to action that prompted the consumer to input their lead details. Our communication said, if you register, we will share the brochure of the product and share details of where you can purchase it from. This way, even if the consumer is not on your site, we can capture their lead details, which can be used to target them in other ways.

Identifying search trends are important, but matching them with consumer purchasing paths is critical for delivering results.

Shah shares an observation, We have an e-commerce client who caters to multiple markets. They have 5-6 stores in Mumbai. The pattern we have seen in India is that the brand sees a lot of online traffic, but the end conversion happens in retail stores. Out of the total organic traffic to the website, US contributes only to a quarter or a bit lesser; but generates high volumes of sales and thereby revenue.

Khan highlights another trend, While search volume is much larger on mobile, yet the transaction volumes continue to be larger on the desktop. Weve observed for a lot of brands that visitors tend to discover products, read product information, add to cart but the final purchase is usually made on the desktop.

App store optimisation

If the web browser is primary real estate on the desktop, then apps are primary real estate on smartphones. Many of the digital brands, especially those players from the OTT space, primarily look at app installs and subscribers on their platforms to measure business growth. Apps that rank high in the Playstore search rankings have a greater visibility and increased chance of getting downloaded.

Shah says, There is a discipline called app store optimisation, where we try to improve visibility on Playstore and App Store. App store optimisation helps us rank for some queries on the Playstore. Google crawler isnt able to crawl through complete app screens the way it is able to do with desktop screens. Increasing visibility on the Playstore is a function of optimising your profile page with critical keywords and play with the title and description keywords.

He adds, Some users try to search for apps on desktop and Google allows them to discover apps by using a method called deep linking and indexing.

For example, you are searching for some show on an OTT platform and input the search query for the show on Google Search (primarily mobile). If you have deep linking and indexation properly implemented, the search results will throw up a result with link to the App with a small indicator saying Installed if you have the OTT app installed. If you dont have the app installed the results will throw up a prompt message to download the app.

Khan observes, Marketplaces are getting a lot of traction, hence moving beyond a website-centric e-commerce strategy is a no brainer. With maximum shoppers choosing to shop on e-commerce marketplace, optimising for sites such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and other discoverability platforms is going to be critical moving forward. Currently, Google and YouTube command >90 per cent of search traffic, but with more than 50 per cent e-commerce searches now taking place on marketplaces, that dichotomy might change soon.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Aspiring lawyers scheduled to take the Bar examinations later this year will have to wait a little longer, with the Supreme Court postponing the conduct of the tests to "sometime in 2021."

Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, who chairs the 2020 Bar examinations panel, issued Bar Bulletin No. 11.S.2020 on Wednesday announcing the postponement of this year's Bar examinations due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Upon the recommendation of the 2020 Bar Examinations Chairperson and in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, as well as the social and economic disruption caused by the pandemic and the resulting enhanced community quarantine, the Supreme Court en banc resolved to postone the 2020 Bar Examinations. This is to give the Court ample time to determine the necessary adjustments and to make adequate preparations for the safe and orderly conduct of the examinations," the bulletin read.

The announcement came on the same day the high court released the list of passers of the 2019 Bar exams.

The exams are held on four consecutive Sundays in the University of Santo Tomas campus in Manila. Results are usually released around March or April of the succeeding year.

The top court said the new schedule for the series of tests will be announced by June 2020 "when the current adjustments to the present pandemic becomes clearer," adding that the examinations will "definitely be held sometime in 2021."

The next round of tests for law students will be held in Manila as well as in Cebu City.
(Newser)  Costco shoppers, gear up for Monday. That's when the retail giant will begin requiring workers and shoppers to wear masks or face coverings, USA Today reports. "The use of a mask or face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing," the company says in a statement. "Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises." But the rule doesn't apply to children younger than 2 and people who can't cover their face because of medical issues. For other rules and related news:

story continues below

Costco has changed its special hours for members older than 60. They'll now have the run of the place Monday to Friday from 9am to 10am, as will people with disabilities. In these cases, no guests allowed.

The food court will be closed during this time but will be open later for take-out, per Fox News.

First responders and healthcare workers will get priority access whenever the warehouses are open.

Walmart tells CNN Business that it will recommend but not require that customers cover their faces. Since March, the retailer has been taking employees' temperatures and offering them gloves and masks.

Some US states already require shoppers and public-transportation riders to wear face coverings. There are seven in all, including Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey. See the rest at CNN.

As for Costco's new rules, you can imagine the tweets. Some include the #boycottCostco hashtag and threaten to cancel their membership; one rages, "I REFUSE to mask up for the low IQ mob that's falling for the propaganda." Others fire back with missives like, "You are all a bunch of crybabies. Where I live we have to wear face masks if we want to go to ANY store!"

(Read more Costco stories.)
T he actor brother of Simon Pegg has said there is no sibling rivalry between the pair - adding he is proud of how the Mission Impossible actor opened up about his battle with alcoholism.

Up-and-coming actor Mike Beckingham is the younger brother of Pegg - the star of Spaced, Hot Fuzz, Sean of the Dead and the Mission Impossible franchise alongside Tom Cruise.

In an interview with Insider, Beckingham - who has starred in Redwood and The Host - said his brother was incredibly supportive of his career, adding he was grateful to be able to use Pegg as a sound board as he navigates the film industry.

The 37-year-old, who is not formally trained and has instead been working on independent films for almost a decade, said: There is no sibling rivalry. I am so proud and lucky to have him as a brother and for him to be in the same industry as me and to be able to use him as a sound board.

"I could phone him whenever and speak to him about certain things. He is incredibly supportive as well.

He said working with his brother, 50, on television series Truth Seekers, which is now in post-production, was the best experience i have ever had.

It was like Simon has been watching what I had been doing for eight years and he came to me and said: 'Look I might have something for you.' It felt very rewarding to get to that stage where we work together, he said.

In 2018, Pegg spoke candidly about his battle with alcoholism - admitting it was a result of depression and other mental health issues he had been dealing with for a number of years.

Beckingham said he was proud of the way his brother, who took his stepfathers surname when their mother re-married, opened up about his issues.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - In pictures 1 /21 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - In pictures Shaun Of The Dead (2004) Spaced Hot Fuzz (2007) Paul (2011) The World's End (2013) Sony Ericsson Empire Film Awards 2008 Dave Benett Actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost attend the "The World's End" party on Day 2 of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California Invision/AP Spaced (1999) Shaun Of The Dead (2004) Hot Fuzz (2007) Hot Fuzz (2007) Paul (2011) Hot Fuzz (2007) Nick Frost and Simon Pegg pose at the after party for the premiere of Focus Features' "The World's End" at the Cat and Fiddle on August 21, 2013 in Los Angeles Getty Images Simon Pegg and Nick Frost pose on arrival for the L.A. Premiere of the film 'The World's End' in Hollywood, California AFP/Getty Images Nick Frost and Simon Pegg attend the World Premiere of 'The World's End' at Empire Leicester Square on July 10, 2013 in London, England Dave Benett

The London-based actor, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, said: With his honest interviews that have come out in the past few years about his own battles - to see him speak out about them to talk about them in the first place is one of the hardest things. I look at that and think: Jesus, how proud am I and how lucky am I to have him as a brother and have that guidance.

Beckingham plays the lead character in thriller The Host, which was released for home streaming this month.

Beckingham takes the lead role in new film The Host / PA Photo/Pearl Pictures Productions/Ashley Kingsbury

The actor plays Robert Atkinson - a banker who ends up involved in one of Europes most powerful, and dangerous, families. It also stars Nigel Barber, Maryam Hassouni and former McFly star Dougie Poynter.

The actor said he and Poynter bonded on set over their mutual love of movie Dumb and Dumber.

He said: Dougie, we hit if off straight away. We had a bond over Dumb and Dumber. We basically sat there in our dressing gowns and watched the movie in Amsterdam.

On the musicians change of career, Beckingham added: He had got to such a level with his music and I have a lot of admiration of him to make that transition. He was really passionate about it and he wanted to get it right. For him to put himself out there like that, it is great.
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Utica, N.Y.  Oneida County has reported another death from the coronavirus, lifting the total dead in that county to 17.

County executive Anthony Picente said there were 12 new positive tests for COVID-19 overnight for a total of 400.

This is the tragic side of what we deal with each day, Picente said in his daily briefing on the virus.

There are 224 active cases in the county, with 159 cases resolved. Picente said there currently are 26 county residents hospitalized in various facilities, and there have been 2,478 negative tests returned.

READ MORE: Oneida County dashboard

Picente also announced that his executive order requiring masks to be worn by any customers entering Oneida County businesses takes effect at noon on Friday.

READ MORE: Potential public exposures in Oneida County

The executive order emphasized that Oneida and other Central New York counties will not be able to reopen as soon as theyd like to if the numbers dont taper off.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Nolan Weidner is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? He can be reached by call or text at 315.247.7419 or via email at nweidner@syracuse.com.
Alabama day cares can open if they keep fewer than 12 kids to a classroom, according to Gov. Kay Iveys safer at home order, announced Tuesday.

But the bigger question for some day care owners is whether parents will feel comfortable sending their kids during the coronavirus epidemic; and if not, whether they can keep their doors open.

If we lose half of our child-care centers, there is no rebooting our economy, said Stephen Woerner, executive director for VOICES for Alabamas Children, a statewide nonprofit works with child-care directors across the state. Child care is an industry that operates on razor-thin margins. They have to be at full capacity to make ends meet.

There was some initial confusion in March from state leadership over whether day cares could remain open only if they cared for children of essential workers, but that requirement was never enacted. Child care is considered an essential service and the fewer than 12 in a classroom rule is the only requirement ever included in a state health order.

Yet only about 14 percent of day cares in Alabama remained open as of mid-April, according to a survey by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which regulates licensed child-care centers and home day cares.

In total, just 353 child-care centers and home day cares out of about 2,500 statewide were open, said Daniel Sparkman of Alabama DHR.

Camille Bennett owns two child-care centers in Florence that primarily serve low-income families. She believes the restriction on the number of children allowed in a room is a good thing, but it may not assuage parent fears.

We dont need to be packed with children during a pandemic, she said. But theres no guarantee that even when were open, parents are going to feel comfortable bringing their children.

That limited capacity could cut our income in half or less.

Bennett said she surveyed parents of kids that attend her centers a few weeks ago, and just 28 percent said they would continue to bring their children if the centers were open.

Even parents who are considered essential workers have told her they dont feel comfortable bringing their kids to a day care center and have made babysitting arrangements with friends or family members, she said.

As day cares wrestle with worried parents, reduced enrollment and laid off workers, any change in COVID-19 rates  including a potential surge in the fall  could bring about a new wave of uncertainty.

This roller coaster is not done yet, said Woerner.

Permanent closures

Woerner believes that COVID-19 could potentially be as catastrophic for the child care industry as it could be for the restaurant industry, with the same long-term effect of significant closures.

Fear and confusion are very real emotions right now, said Woerner. But as a community weve got to make sure were supporting the centers that choose to open, understanding the next few months arent going to be easy.

A survey of Alabama day care owners in mid-March found that 42 percent said they couldnt survive a closure of more than two weeks without significant financial assistance, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Even before coronavirus, child care in Alabama was getting harder to find. The number of providers has fallen by 25 percent in the past decade, according to data reported by VOICES for Alabamas Children and the Kids Count Data Center.

Last month, many day care directors around the state laid off employees so that the employees could at least collect unemployment, Woerner said. But now, without employees on the books, those centers may not be eligible for federal small business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program.

The federal CARES stimulus act included funding earmarked for child care, and Alabama got about $65 million of that to broaden the number of families eligible for government assistance for day care.

But while Alabama DHR has continued to pay 50% of child-care subsidies to day cares that were closed  and 100% for children still in care at open centers  that may not be enough to keep some of them solvent. And it does nothing to help day cares that dont accept subsidies.

Bennett formed the Alabama Child Care Coalition, a group of day care owners who serve primarily black and low-income communities. The group operates under her nonprofit Project Say Something, which works to address racial inequities. The group has been contacting members of the governors COVID-19 task force, as well as legislators and public health officials, urging them to give additional financial assistance to day cares.

Cleaning supplies

Bennett is preparing to open her centers within the next week or two, but still has concerns.

The pink elephant in the room is social distancing, she said. Thats the piece that makes it challenging, knowing that with small children social distancing is not an option, nor is it developmentally appropriate.

That makes disinfection and protective equipment even more important, she said. But its been difficult to find enough supplies like disinfecting spray, gloves, masks and even quality thermometers. She said shes considered asking friends on Facebook to donate supplies.

Woerner said hes seen community groups and families help centers with donations of cleaning products. In some states, partnerships with shuttered public schools have yielded additional supplies.

Day care centers have a wealth of experience in preventing the spread of disease and infection, said Woerner, and deserve support as they begin to reopen. Community groups, additional government funding and other financial resources should be deployed to help centers open safely and soon, he said.

There are no easy answers and there are many challenges, he said. But theres nobody better to take care of your kids than our child care centers. We have a fantastic system and we want to make sure they stay solvent.
But singling out one community is ridiculous, he added in another post. Every neighborhood has people who are being non-compliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, its stereotyping, and its inviting antisemitism. Im truly stunned.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, said the mayors remarks were unfair to the more than one million Jewish people who live in New York City.

The few who dont social distance should be called out  but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews, he wrote on Twitter. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever.

Other people noted the size of the crowds that had gathered earlier in the day across the region to watch a military flyover by pilots from the Navys Blue Angels and the Air Forces Thunderbirds honoring essential workers.

The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council said in a post on Twitter that people failed to social distance at a funeral the same day that thousands of New Yorkers failed to distance for 45 minutes to watch a flyover.

On Wednesday, Mr. de Blasio defended his remarks at a news conference and said he spoke last night out of passion.

I spoke out of real distress that peoples lives were in danger before my eyes and I was not going to tolerate it, he told reporters. I regret if the way I said it in any way gave people a feeling of being treated the wrong way, that was not my intention. It was said with love but it was tough love, it was anger and frustration.
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Switzerlands Rita Productions, producer of Academy Award-nominated My Life as a Courgette, is re-teaming with Frances Silex Films, the company behind France Televisions Slash hit series Stalk, to develop Witch! (Sorciere!).

Aiming to rehabilitate the figure of the witch in contemporary society, doc-feature Witch! is based on the bestselling essay by Mona Chollet, Witches, the Undefeated Power of Women. The essay should hit English-language bookstores later this year.

More from Variety

The doc-feature is being written by TV creator Thalia Rebinsky whose Nina is now in its sixth season on France 2, and documentarian Eve Minault, director for French-German public broadcaster Arte of the prescient Crash: Are You Ready for the Next Crisis?

Pauline Gygax, Judith Nora, Max Karli and Priscilla Bertin will produce. Minault, Rebinsky and Gygax will present the project on Saturday April 25 as part of an RTS Prize: Documentary Perspectives showcase, organized by the French-language broadcaster at Swiss film festival Visions du Reel, which runs online from April 17 to May 2.

Carrying a cash prize of SF10,000 ($10,300), the RTS Prize forms part of Visions April 25-May 2 industry program.

The 90-minute documentary feature sets out to track down modern-day witches worldwide. Having done so, it will analyze their figures in current-day society, enrolling testimonies from thinkers, original archive material and contemporary film footage and creative animation.

Witches are no longer burnt at the stake. Their position in contemporary society, however, is hardly ideal, provoking at best censorship or self-censorship, at worst, hostility and violence, says a film synopsis.

Story continues

Witch! is in early development, with the structure and tone of the documentary established, as well as its main axes of adaptation, and of course the iconographic research, which producer Pauline Gygax at Rita Productions called very dense.

The witch hunt has always been a hunt for free, autonomous and courageous women. The rise of todays new feminism inevitably provokes very strong resistance (defense of the gains of masculinity; questioning of acquired rights such as abortion throughout the world,; homophobia; resurgence of religious extremism), said Gygax.

She added: As Susan Faludi already observed 30 years ago, this is the backlash concept: Today more than ever, witches are visible, but also strongly rejected. Just look at the fate of a smart 16-year-old teenager who allows herself to say that the planet is in trouble.

We were destined to work together with Rita Productions on this new project. Rita is our sister production company in Switzerland, we share the same DNA and had the chance to work with Pauline Gygax and Max Karli in the past on a feature film, said producer Judith Nora at Silex Films.

She added: Silex Films aims to produce projects with strong cultural impact using new visual grammar aimed to a large and international audience. Witch! reflects this ambition perfectly. Mona Chollets insightful essay is a huge hit in France and its success is spreading all over the world. We feel very lucky as this widespread popularity is opening many opportunities for the international market.

Regarding the animation sequences, the producers are exploring various avenues: Bringing still images-archives to life, re-creating witchcraft trials from the Middle Ages but with modern-day witches as defendants, or, as in Judy Chicagos installation The Dinner Party, inventing a dinner that brings together figures of women witches from all eras: Goddess Kali talking with Louise Bourgeois talking with Beyonce talking with Frida Kahlo and so on.

Our motto for the film is: Not one single fixed image, Gygax said.

The producers are looking to shoot in the U.S., Europe and, crucially, beyond,  an aim which will make Witch! a somewhat more substantial budget than most projects being presented at Visions du Reel.

This international ambition is very important to us, to consolidate the resolutely pedagogical aspect of the film and also to get out of a kind of western ethnocentrism that is all too common. This would be particularly unfair here., Gygax said.

Founded by Karli and Gyax in 2003, Geneva-based Rita Productions produced My Life as a Courgette and, teaming with Silex Films, Bettina Oberlis With the Wind, which won the Variety Piazza Grande Award at the 2018 Locarno Festival.

Also in 2018, Rita Productions co-launched Bandita Films, with Ursula Meier (Sister), Lionel Baier (Vanity, Another Man), Jean-Stephane Bron (The Paris Opera), and Frederic Mermoud (Moka) at Lausanne-based Bande a Part Films. The joint venture to make full-on international movies, both fiction and doc-features has Ursula Meiers La Ligne (The Line) near to going into production and Baiers South scheduled to shoot at the need of summer in Italy before the coronavirus crisis postponed these plans.

Based in Paris, and focusing on feature, drama series and 2D animation, Silex Films Jungle, Louise Mootz 52-minute doc-feature Jungle capturing her best friends in northern Paris as they confront their desires, sexuality and condition as women with untamed energy, has been selected for Visions du Reels medium-feature and shorts section.

Silex drama-thriller Stalk, which was released in March on France Televisions Slash service has quickly become the most critically acclaimed of recent YA French TV series, showcased by The Wit at Mipcom and winning last September best director for Simon Bouisson and most promising actor for Theo Fernandez at La Rochelles Festival de la Fiction TV.

Adapting Penelope Bagieus international bestseller Culottees, Silexs 2D animated series Brazen has just been selected for the 2020 online Annecy Intl. Animated Film Festival.

Best of Variety

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Sweden did not lockdown its economy or close its schools in response to the coronavirus. They did ban gatherings of over 50 people. Sweden has been able to keep most of its economy open.

Swedens deaths per million from Coronavirus is lower than Italy, Spain, France, UK, Netherlands and Ireland. Sweden is only slightly worse than the USA and is better than 9 states.

Sweden did protect their seniors by not having visitors to senior centers.

This suggests that targeted lockdowns where the overall economy is open but the vulnerable populations are protected is workable. This is even without extensive contact tracing and testing.

It also shows that the Mayor of New York messed up badly by not canceling major events like Chinese New Year festivities.

It is better to contact trace and have monitored quarantines.

It is also better to wear masks and have better hand hygiene.
Apple Company has unveiled yet a new low-cost iPhone SE 2020. As a result, it features speculations in this device battle and competes with Samsung. It is the latest model in place announced on 15th April 2020. iPhone SE 2020 release date was on 24th April 2020. The device is equipped with an IOS edition. The device comes with the best most affordable features such as A13 Bionic, the fastest Chip, best Single-Camera system, touch ID home button, dust and water resistance-free, and a wireless charging system.

Image: instagram.com, @Apple

Source: UGC

This super classic device is considered the follow-up to the iPhone SE 2016. Unlike the Original iPhone SE that looks alike with iPhone 5, the new iPhone SE 2020 resembles iPhone 8 in terms of design. It is possible to find it whether in a variety of stores, both physical and online. Are you interested in purchasing it? The iPhone SE 2020 comes with different capacities, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Its price in the Philippines starts from P20,200, where it is a 64GB model priced at P20,200, the 128GB model priced at P22,800, and the 256GB model priced at P27800.

Overview

What are the pros and cons of this device?

The good

I have a stunning impressive display

It supports wireless charging

It comes with different internal storage capacities

It has got an excellent impressing camera

The bad

The device has got no memory card slot.

No inbuilt FM Radio

iPhone SE 2020 specs

Here is the iPhone SE 2020 specification summary.

Building material : glass front, glass back, aluminium frame

: glass front, glass back, aluminium frame Dimensions: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in)

138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in) Colors : Pow (PRODUCT Red), white and black colors

: Pow (PRODUCT Red), white and black colors iPhone SE 2020 size display : 4.7 inches 60.9 cm2 (~65.4% screen-to-body ratio)

: 4.7 inches 60.9 cm2 (~65.4% screen-to-body ratio) Screen resolution : 750 x 1334 pixels, 16:9 ratio

: 750 x 1334 pixels, 16:9 ratio Display Resolution density : (~326 PPI density)

: (~326 PPI density) SIM card: Dual sim

Dual sim SIM type: Nano sim / eSim

Nano sim / eSim Weight: 148 g (5.22 oz)

148 g (5.22 oz) Operation system OS : iOS 13

: iOS 13 Processor : Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lighting + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder)

: Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lighting + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) Chipset : Apple A13 Bionic (7nm+)

: Apple A13 Bionic (7nm+) GPU : Apple GPU (4-core graphics)

: Apple GPU (4-core graphics) Front camera : 7 MP, f/2.2

: 7 MP, f/2.2 Front camera video : 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS

: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS Rear camera : 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide), PDAF, OIS

: 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide), PDAF, OIS Rear camera video : 2160p@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, OIS, stereo sound rec

: 2160p@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, OIS, stereo sound rec RAM : 3GB

: 3GB Expandable memory : NO

: NO Internal Storage: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM UFS 3.0

128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM UFS 3.0 Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 1821 mAh

Non-removable Li-Ion 1821 mAh Sensor : Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, three-axis gyro, proximity, compass, ambient light, barometer

: Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, three-axis gyro, proximity, compass, ambient light, barometer Bluetooth : 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD

: 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD WLAN : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot

: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot USB : 2.8 proprietary reversible connector

: 2.8 proprietary reversible connector Connectivity : 4G LTE - yes

: 4G LTE - yes iPhone SE 2020 price: About $399

Image: instagram.com, @Apple

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Samsung Galaxy M31 price, specs, review, release date, all details

Hardware

The iPhone SE 2020 features the following hardware properties.

Design

Though iPhone SE 2020 is identical to the iPhone 8, it is built-in using a durable glass body held firmly by an aluminum band, which gives it a premium impressive seamless appearance of the phone. The top bezel features, front camera, speaker, sensors, and a Touch ID Home button at the bottom covered with sapphire crystal. At the back of the housing is a single-lens rear camera, LED flash, and a microphone. On the side, there is a mute switch, volume buttons, and sleep/wake button. It is available in three colors White, Pow, and Black.

Display

iPhone SE 2020 appears to have an impressive 4.7-inch Retina HD display features that bear a resolution of 1334 x 750 alongside with 326 pixels per inch and a contrast ratio of 1400:1. The display is covered with multi-touch capabilities, 625 maximum brightness, P3 comprehensive color support. The device supports the True Tone feature and also supports Haptic Touch.

READ ALSO: Oneplus 8 pro specs, price, camera, release date, design

Processor, Storage & Performance

iPhone SE 2020 comes with three different storage capacities, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB internal memory that can be sufficient for the users to keep files and data. The expandable storage option is not supported. Compared to the prior models, its equipped with A13 Bionic Chip, referred to as the fastest chip ever and more powerful. The chip helps the device to control and balance performance efficiency, thus improves battery life.

Image: instagram.com, @Apple

Source: UGC

iPhone SE 2020 battery

This handset features an inbuilt Li-ion battery with 1,827 mAh capacity. Battery last for about thirteen (13) hours of video playback, eight (8) hours video streaming playback, and forty (40) hours of audio playback. It supports wireless charging technology that can refill the battery with convenience. The device also supports Fast Charging technology of up to 50 percent in 30 minutes.

READ ALSO: Globe internet plans 2020: Review

Speaker and call quality

The iPhone SE stereo speakers are, comparatively, more impressive, open, clear, and loud.

Software

The iPhone SE 2020 features the following software properties.

OS & features

iPhone SE 2020 runs on IOS (iOS 13 edition) operating system, the most secure mobile system. iOS is faster 2x than before. The device is powered by Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lighting + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) processor and designed to work well on less-powerful devices. It is equipped with an on-screen fingerprint sensor feature.

Camera, video, and image quality

The device adopts some technology to improve the quality of the photography. It has been made easy with the help of a 12MP wide-angle camera lens featuring a 1/1.8 aperture with optical stabilization, full-color capture, and Smart HDR. At the front, it features a 7MP lens, which can capture videos of up to 1080 HD. It allows artful blurring for background when taking portrait photos. Image ad video quality is super classic.

Image: instagram.com, @Apple

Source: UGC

iPhone SE 2020 accessories

The following is packed in the box.

iPhone with iOS 13

iPhone SE 2020 case

EarPods with Lightning Connector

Lightning to USB Cable

USB Power Adapter

Documentation

READ ALSO: Infinix Note 7 price, specs, colors, release date, details

iPhone SE 2020 reviews

Here are some of the comments and reviews made concerning this device.

Verdict

iPhone SE is a premium device that comes with a robust spec-sheet. It offers excellent performance supporting extensive usage. The power backup is also reliable and features both fast charging and wireless refilling support. There are admirable cameras, sufficient storage, and immersive retina display. However, there is no expandable memory slot.

The iPhone SE 2020 is among the best cheapest latest Apple devices in the market. It has captivating features that match its market price. The hardware and software features of this device are fascinating. If you want to enjoy its numerous features and experience, get to experience it all by yourself.

READ ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S10 specs, review, camera, details

Source: KAMI.com.gh
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...
Photo: (Photo : Photo from GoFundMe.com)

A Texas teen, Valerie Xu, donated 11,200 masks to UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas - all in hopes to help fight the COVID-19 and dismiss the bias against Asian-Americans in the United States amid the pandemic.

15-year-old Valerie Xu said that she had no hesitations in taking action when she began to notice a shortage of masks and PPE in hospitals across the U.S.

She also mentioned that the shortage of masks and PPEs, especially in a first world country like the U.S. is something that should not be happening. That is why she expressed that as a citizen of the country, she has a civic duty to try and help the first responders in any way possible.

The urgency to help only increases when they have found out that a family friend of their who works as an ER doctor in Florida had to reuse the same mask and protective gear for multiple weeks. Apparently, their family friend is not the only doctor that needed to do that.

Xu believed that in order for a community to fight the virus, medical responders must be safely protected.

Aside from this, the teen also shared that she was inspired to take action after experiencing racism firsthand.

On March 20, Xu launched a GoFundMe page called, Masks Matter, wherein she asked her friends, family, and community members for donations to buy masks. She also partnered with a local Asian-American-run business in Dallas, that has matched all of her GoFundMe donations.

For only a few weeks, the teen was able to raise a total of $7,500 - $3,130 from GoFundMe and another $3,130 from the company match. To reach her mark of $7,500, Xu donated $1,240 from her own account.

With all those donations, she was able to buy 10,000 surgical masks and 1,200 FFP2 masks - the equivalent of N95s - from a vendor in China that her mother found through their family connections.

Xu admitted that she did not expect her cause to be this big. Her goal was to at least have 5,000 masks but when they notice that the donations kept in increasing, they decided to increase the number of masks that they will purchase. She expressed how thankful she is to everyone who helped out, spread the message, and contributed to her cause.

The teen got to personally deliver the masks to the Dallas hospital staff on Friday morning. Xu said that all the medical responders were working day and night and by doing her campaign, she gets to express her gratitude.

She also mentioned that it meant a lot to her especially for the reason that she wanted to show others that Asian Americans are standing alongside the health workers and are willing to contribute.

Xu also said that she wanted people to know that when it comes to helping people, every action - be it big or little - matters.

Even after donating 11,200 masks, the teen does not plan on stopping. According to Xu, her campaign is still open and receiving donations. She plans to extend her campaign by giving masks to nursing homes and homeless shelters.

To donate to Xu's "Mask Matter" campaign you may check her GoFundMe page.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, for directing his COVID-19 advisory at Christians only while ignoring Muslims in the southeastern state.

Mr Obiano had on Sunday given guidelines to the people of Anambra State as he announced a relaxation of lockdown measures.

He said food markets, bars and restaurants are to reopen for normal business with immediate effect.

However, with regards to religion, he advised Christians and Church leaders to conduct mass and service in strict adherence to the principles of social distancing to ensure that worshippers are not endangered. He said no vigils and crusades would be allowed for the time being.

Mr Obiano did not mention mosques and Muslims in his church.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Director of MURIC, Ishaq Akintola, took a swipe at Mr Obiano for the governors one-sided statement that focused on  Christians and church attendance protocol during lockdown in the state to the detriment of his Muslim subjects.

Read MURICs full statement

The governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, on Sunday 26th April, 2020, gave guidelines to the states residents regarding the relaxation of lockdown in the state. However, an Islamic human rights association has criticized the governor for focusing on Christians and church attendance protocol during lockdown in the state to the detriment of his Muslim subjects.

This was contained in a press statement circulated on Wednesday 29th April, 2020 by the groups director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

We are bemused by the one-sided statement accredited to the governor of Anambra State on his advisory to residents of the state on easing the lockdown. He kept referring to churches and church leaders thereby giving the impression that he only recognizes Christianity in his state.

Obiano said and we quote, With regards to religious groups, leaders of the church should ensure that worshippers comply with the standard protocols of COVID-19 which includes wearing of face masks to church, use of hand sanitisers, social distancing and regular washing of hands.

Church leaders should decide how best to conduct mass and service in strict adherence to the principles of social distancing to ensure that worshippers are not endangered. Please note that there should be no crusades and vigils for the time being.

Political office holders should understand the complex nature of our communities. They should allow liberalism to flow in their speeches and actions. This particular speech of Obiano gives the impression of a governor who will not recognize the presence of Muslims in his state, talk less of granting them their Allah-given fundamental human rights.

There are implications in such utterances. They come from the subconscious. They reflect the belief and attitude of the speaker. The question that comes to mind naturally after reading the governors speech is whether Anambra is also a Christian state. Is it like Wike, like Obiano? We are therefore constrained to ask the governor, Is Anambra State also a Christian state? Do you recognize the existence of Muslims in the state? Who will guide the Muslims in Anambra concerning COVID-19 religious culture now that you have refused to address them? Are Muslims in the state safe under you?

We remind Governor Obiano that apart from the large number of Northerners in the state, there are thousands of Anambra indigenes who are Muslims. These people also yearn for his attention, guidance and care in this difficult period. A governor in the Nigerian context cannot afford to be governor of the Christians or that of the Muslims alone. Once you are governor you are governor over the adherents of all faiths. Obiano is the father of all in Anambra State. He should be impartial and his guidance and assurances should go to all, not to Christians alone.

We therefore call for the governors understanding of the fears of Muslims in his state and across the country. He should clarify his statement. If a governor mentions the church in an official statement, he is expected to mention the mosque also. Obiano is not a church leader. Nigerians know him as a political leader and a sitting governor for that matter.

For the avoidance of doubts, MURIC has no apology for making statements like this. Leaders must be interrogated. Democracy bestows the power of interrogation to every citizen and even more so civil society. We have the right to raise questions. It is democracy in action. Unfortunately what we have these days is parochial democratic practices. The Nigerian society has been compartmentalized into a four legs good, two legs better environment a la Animal Farm. George Orwell must be laughing his head off in the grave. Otherwise why is it business as usual when some individuals and groups make sweeping statements and even threaten the peace of the land but Muslims (particularly MURIC) must not even ask ordinary questions without any hullabaloo?

The aim of our detractors is to portray us as extremists and terrorists. But they have failed woefully because MURIC has never issued threats against anyone. We have never incited anybody to violence. We have always promoted dialogue in keeping with the motto of our organization which is Dialogue, Not Violence.

Only a section of the country can talk without being shouted down even by those who should know better. The common dogma these days is that Muslims must keep their mouths shut. Muslims must not challenge the status quo. MURIC must not ask questions. We refuse to be intimidated. We will never succumb to the whims and caprices of agents of neo-colonialism, political shenanigans and religious demagogues.

Imagine if the governor of any of the Northern states had said half of what Obiano said or if President Buhari mentions mosques without adding churches immediately after, all hell would have been let loose. But nobody said anything about Obianos parochial utterances. They regard it as normal. We challenge this lopsidedness. It is not democracy. It is neither helping civilisation nor promoting the cause of humanity.
The ongoing militarization of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov region and the obstruction of freedom of international navigation will be one of the priorities of Ukraine's chairmanship at the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"We tried to draw up a well-balanced and far-sighted agenda. I must start with a difficult security situation in the Black and Azov Seas, which is marked by continued militarization and an obstacle to the freedom of international navigation. We must begin an exhaustive discussion on this topic. High-ranking officials and speakers from academia should present their points of view by analyzing the implications of these events on a wider region, and the possible steps that we can take to end them," Kuleba said, speaking during an online session on the occasion of the beginning of the Ukrainian Chairmanship of the Forum on Wednesday.

The minister also emphasized that the political and military aspects of the conflict in Donbas should remain the focus of the Forum.

"Six years ago, OSCE member states found the courage to send hundreds of their citizens as international civilian observers to the conflict zone to work in a very dangerous and unpredictable security environment ... We continue to appreciate the contribution of all civilian observers working in the areas affected by the conflict," he said.

Kuleba noted that the priority of Ukraine's chairmanship is the theme of the global coronavirus pandemic, its impact on the armed forces and their role in helping governments deal with this threat.

"Ukraine plans to pay special attention to the topic of hybrid threats and their possible relationship with modern hostilities. These threats affect most member countries," the minister said.

In addition, he added that there would be a security dialogue on the activities and regulation of private military companies. Kuleba drew attention to the fact that the Forum should pay special attention to military exercises, especially taking place near the borders. Also, the priorities of the Ukrainian Chairmanship include an emphasis on the topic of small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition.

"We would like to draw the attention of member countries to the topic of mine action and the role of the OSCE in helping member countries in this area. This topic is especially relevant due to the difficult humanitarian situation in or around some areas of the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine," Kuleba said.

As reported, on April 20, Ukraine began to chair the OSCE's FSC, taking over the baton from Turkey. Ukraine is the first country to chair the Online Forum in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the OSCE, the chairmanship of the Forum changes three times a year and lasts four months.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- District Attorney Michael E. McMahon is urging Staten Islanders to join him in the first Denim Day Virtual Rally at noon Wednesday to support survivors of sexual assault.

Though we cannot be together in person to show our support to survivors, we will still be wearing denim with a purpose while educating the community on sexual assault and the resources available to support survivors, said a news release from the district attorney.

April is sexual assault awareness month, McMahon said on a video supporting the cause.

Denim Day began more than two decades ago when a court in Italy blamed a woman who was sexually assaulted for the crime perpetrated against her simply because she wore jeans, McMahon said.

Here we are 22 years later saying, No, victims of sexual assault are not responsible for what happens to them,' McMahon said. Those who assault them are and we continue to fight these crimes every day here on Staten Island.

Staten Islanders can join the rally and learn more details on the Denim Day NYC website.
Mr. Amash may aid the president by winning right-of-center voters who dont like the president and would have reluctantly supported former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee. But he also could siphon critical votes away from the president by giving small-government conservatives a political home.

What is certain, though, is that Mr. Amashs presence on the ballot in key states could potentially play a pivotal role in November: Mr. Trump won the presidency four years ago thanks in part to the votes captured by third-party candidates.

The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in 35 states to date, but the virus outbreak has made it all but impossible to continue the signature-gathering some states require for ballot access. Whether the party gets on the ballot in the remaining states may ultimately be determined in the courts. And those decisions could prove significant because for now Libertarians do not have a line in such competitive states as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Nicholas Sarwark, the national chairman of the Libertarian Party, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday evening that he had spoken with Mr. Amash earlier in the day and welcomed him to the race. Mr. Sarwark said he was neutral in the nomination contest, but added of Mr. Amash, Im happy that he decided to seek the nomination.

Mr. Sarwark said Mr. Amash, a five-term congressman, would most likely be a formidable candidate to be the partys standard-bearer. He noted that if Mr. Amash changed his affiliation in Congress  from independent to Libertarian  he would be the first member of the House formally aligned with the party. That could give Mr. Amash special credibility, Mr. Sarwark said.
Brian McErlain, who was previously managing director of Genesis Crafty, has launched a new bakery company.

Called Berties Bakery and based just outside Magherafelt, where Genesis Crafty is located, the new firm is supplying baked goods to stores across Northern Ireland.

Following a 1m investment, the new business is operating from a 15,000sq ft site and producing freshly baked products, including bread, rolls, morning goods and cakes. All are hand-crafted and hand-finished.

McErlain was previously managing director of Genesis Crafty, which was founded by his parents in 1968 and had originally been called McErlains bakery. Genesis Crafty was sold in a pre-pack deal in 2018 to the boss of Tayto Group.

Berties Bakery has been funded through private equity and has capacity to become a 15m business, McErlain told British Baker.

He has refurbed an existing premises for the factory, which he described as being fitted out to "a very high spec". The business aims to achieve BRC accreditation soon.

McErlain opened Berties despite the challenge of Covid-19 after realising it would have an important part to play in meeting the surge in demand for fresh food products.

Its early days and the conditions have been challenging, but initial customer and retailer response to our freshness and quality has exceeded our expectations.

McErlain explained the new venture was named after his mother, Roberta.

Her mantra was dont sell anything you wouldnt love to eat yourself and it is that core value which is driving this new venture, he said. We have sourced the very best flours, oils, seeds and grains to produce traditional breads, cakes and snacks and new interpretations of old favourites, such as our wheaten with honey and yogurt, topped with flaked almonds.

Henderson Retail signed up to be the companys first customer, with an exclusive deal to supply 10 company-owned Spar stores and a Eurospar operating in the north west. This has since risen to 23 stores throughout Northern Ireland including some independently owned outlets.

It is core to our business to maximise local sourcing and support local agri-food businesses, said Henderson Group fresh foods director Neal Kelly

Brians extensive knowledge of the bakery sector combined with his commitment to quality, value and innovation are a perfect fit with Hendersons. We look forward to further developing our partnership with the business.
I call upon the world to keep an eye on Beijings oppression. We can all step up for Hong Kong right now, said Joshua Wong this week, in front of a digital crowd of activists from across the globe.

In a highly emotional address, his words came at a pivotal time in Hong Kongs struggle after dozens of pro-democracy activists and opposition politicians were arrested for protests organised and carried out during 2019. Among them was Martin Lee, dubbed the Father of Democracy in Hong Kong.

Such a clampdown would have been utterly unthinkable just a few weeks ago, when such an attempt would have been faced by riots across the city state. Yet in the midst of a pandemic and with little international attention focused on crackdowns on democracy and freedom, Beijing moved swiftly, knowing that its act of force would have lied unmet. Covid-19 has paralysed protesters.

In this situation, campaigners fear the cancellation of the legislative elections due in autumn, or even more nightmarish prospects, such as a move of the legislative council of Hong Kong to mainland China, which would, according to Wong, result in a tremendous erosion of the universal values of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is not an exception. Across the world, governments are using Covid-19 as an opportunity to crack down on rights, democracy, and freedom. In Hungary, for example, the parliament handed unlimited powers to prime minister Viktor Orban, enabling him to rule by decree indefinitely. From intrusive surveillance methods to overstretched police powers, some of the oldest and most established democracies are now considering measures that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.

The battles of 2019 for democracy and freedom across the world seem to be long forgotten. When seeing photos of army trucks removing bodies from hospitals in Italy, mass graves dug in the US, and billions of people quarantined, it became clear that coronavirus had shifted international attention away from crackdowns on rights and democracy.

However, there are consequences to this mass distraction. If public opinion does not hold those who govern under scrutiny, our freedoms might disappear quicker than we think  even in established democracies. At the same time, authoritarians might use this opportunity to continue their grab on power.

For months in 2019, Hong Kong protests gathered international attention and admiration; Wongs face was on the cover of magazines and newspapers across the world, and hashtags of support flooded social media. Thats also because his personal story is quite remarkable: from high school activism to being imprisoned for his beliefs, he embodied the Hong Kong struggle and gave people hope. So even when Edward Leung, one of the localist leaders in Hong Kong, was sentenced to six years imprisonment he kept on hoping that after the storm, the sun would rise again. I am optimistic that Hong Kong will one day enjoy freedom and democracy, and a government elected by people, he said.

Recommended Hong Kong is trying to impose Tiananmen by stealth

In September 2019, Western powers started to listen, and sometimes even act. The US Congress passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, imposing sanctions and linking the former British colonys special trade status to its continued autonomy from Beijing, among other measures. Hong Kong protestors brought the fight to the global stage, and the international community played ball.

But though the spotlight has shifted away from the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and the people singing for universal suffrage during the pandemic, the fact remains that international support and lobbying for the cause was inadequate even before the outbreak of coronavirus. Trade has bound countries to Beijings will with a double knot; many are unable to show any disagreement beyond weak letters of condemnation. Even the UK, the guarantor of Hong Kongs freedoms, has failed to take any meaningful action. Intergovernmental organisations mirrored nation states inability to do anything more than call for investigation, and communicate their uneasiness through letters calling for restraint.

In todays interconnected world, one peoples struggle quickly becomes a global issue. Hong Kongs tireless pursuit of democracy represents the fight for a fairer and freer world. Hong Kongers need the support of the international community, from countries and intergovernmental organisations, as well as from grassroots mobilizations. While citizens from all over the world showed their support online, too little pressure has been applied on governments. It is time for people of the world to pressure their governments to stand firm and safeguard Hong Kongs future, by passing laws all over the world comparable to the US Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. And the clock is ticking.

I hope that Hong Kong can be one of the remarkable cases to inspire people around the world to be the change we want to see, said Joshua, in the aftermath of the latest arrests of those refusing to stand down to Beijings iron fist.

So lets turn inspiration into action. As the hymn of Hong Kong protesters goes: Is there a world you long to see? Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free.

Andrea Venzon and Colombe Cahen-Salvador are co-founders of Now!, a global movement pushing for humanity to work as one to solve the biggest challenges of our time
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) generated sales of $2.543 billion during the first quarter of 2020. This represents growth of 2.0 percent on a reported basis, 3.2 percent on an operational1 basis and a decline of 2.9 percent on an organic2 basis, all compared to the prior year period. The company reported GAAP earnings of $11 million or $0.01 per share (EPS), compared to GAAP earnings of $424 million or $0.30 per share a year ago, and achieved adjusted earnings per share of $0.28 for the period, compared to $0.35 a year ago.

"During this global pandemic, we are grounded in the urgency of providing important medical products and therapies to those who need them--in particular, many patients with acute needs," said Mike Mahoney, chairman and chief executive officer, Boston Scientific. "We continue to balance short-term adjustments to our plans while strengthening our long-term strategy to serve our customers and deliver high performance. I'm confident in our ability to bring meaningful, innovative products to market, and grateful for our team's winning spirit as we navigate the impact of these challenges."

First quarter financial results and recent developments:

Reported GAAP earnings of $0.01 per share. Achieved adjusted earnings per share of $0.28 . On March 30, 2020 , the company withdrew its Q1 2020 sales and EPS guidance, originally provided on February 5, 2020 .

Generated first quarter sales growth/(decline) in our reportable segments 4 , compared to the prior year period:

, compared to the prior year period: MedSurg: 1.1 percent reported, 2.1 percent operational and organic



Rhythm and Neuro: (7.2) percent reported, (6.2) percent operational and (8.6) percent organic



Cardiovascular: 5.5 percent reported, 7.0 percent operational and (2.5) percent organic

Generated first quarter regional 5 sales growth/(decline), compared to the prior year period:

sales growth/(decline), compared to the prior year period: U.S.: 3.5 percent reported and operational



EMEA ( Europe , Middle East and Africa ): (1.6) percent reported and 1.3 percent operational

, and ): (1.6) percent reported and 1.3 percent operational

APAC ( Asia-Pacific ): (6.4) percent reported and (4.8) percent operational

): (6.4) percent reported and (4.8) percent operational

Emerging Markets3: (10.1) percent reported and (5.4) percent operational

Received CE Mark for the ACURATE neo2 Aortic Valve System, a next-generation transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) technology to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis that builds on the clinical performance of the original ACURATE neo platform.

Received FDA approval for the DIRECTSENSE RF Technology, the only tool available to monitor the effect of radiofrequency (RF) energy delivery via changes in local impedance around the tip of a catheter during cardiac ablation procedures.

Received CE Mark for the SpyGlass Discover Digital Catheter, a novel single-use surgical endoscope, for use in diagnostic and therapeutic applications during pancreaticobiliary surgery and percutaneous procedures. SpyGlass Discover enables physician access to the pancreaticobiliary system, allowing them to take a single-stage approach to treating patients with bile duct stones.

Received an expanded indication from the FDA for the VENOUS WALLSTENT Self-Expanding Stent, which can now be used to treat patients suffering from blockages in the iliofemoral veins. Iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) represents approximately one-quarter of all lower extremity DVT cases.6

Announced positive three-year data for the WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device -- the largest real-world analysis of the device to-date with 38,000 patients from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR)-LAAO Registry -- at the virtual meeting of the American College of Cardiology/World Congress of Cardiology and continue to demonstrate the device is safe and effective for a broad population of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Published positive five-year clinical data in The Journal of Urology confirming that Rezum Water Vapor Therapy is an effective, long-term treatment for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and offers sustained improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms and quality of life for patients while preserving sexual function. Only 4.4 percent of patients required surgical retreatment through the five years of the clinical trial, demonstrating the therapy's durability.

Increased available liquidity to approximately $2.6 billion by entering into a new $1.25 billion term loan agreement to refinance borrowings under the company's revolving credit agreement, and enhanced financial flexibility by amending financial covenants in outstanding credit arrangements.

Signed a virtual energy power purchase agreement (VPPA) that represents another key step the company has taken to achieve its goal of global carbon neutral manufacturing and distribution by 2030. The agreement will address the electricity load for the company's U.S. operations, which represents 45 percent of its total carbon footprint.

Launched efforts to help address the global impact of COVID-19, including collaborations with the University of Minnesota and others to develop the Coventor, an emergency resuscitator granted Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA, and a reusable personal respirator, as well as the production of face shields for frontline healthcare workers.

Reached a definitive agreement to divest the company's commercial Intrauterine Health franchise -- comprised of the Symphion Tissue Removal System, the Resectr Tissue Resection Device and the Genesys HTA System -- to Minerva Surgical. The transaction is expected to close in the coming days, subject to customary closing conditions.

1. Operational revenue growth excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. 2. Organic revenue growth excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and sales from the recent acquisitions of Vertiflex, Inc. and BTG plc (BTG), each with no prior year comparable sales. Organic revenue growth also excludes the impact of the divestiture of our global embolic microspheres portfolio, a transaction entered into in connection with obtaining the antitrust clearances required to complete the BTG transaction. 3. We define Emerging Markets as the 20 countries that we believe have strong growth potential based on their economic conditions, healthcare sectors and our global capabilities. 4. We have three historical reportable segments comprised of Medical Surgical (MedSurg), Rhythm and Neuro, and Cardiovascular, which represent an aggregation of our operating segments that generate revenues from the sale of medical devices (Medical Devices). As part of our acquisition of BTG on August 19, 2019, we acquired an Interventional Medicine business, which is now included in our Peripheral Interventions operating segment's revenues from the date of acquisition. 5. As part of our acquisition of BTG on August 19, 2019, we acquired a specialty pharmaceuticals business (Specialty Pharmaceuticals). Subsequent to acquisition, Specialty Pharmaceuticals is now a stand-alone operating segment presented alongside our Medical Device reportable segments. Specialty Pharmaceuticals net sales are substantially U.S. based. Our chief operating decision maker (CODM) reviews financial information of our globally managed Specialty Pharmaceuticals operating segment at the worldwide level without further disaggregation into regional results. As such, Specialty Pharmaceuticals net sales are presented globally, and our Medical Devices reportable segments regional net sales results do not include Specialty Pharmaceuticals. 6. Foley, T. R., Waldo, S. W., & Armstrong, E. J. (2015, November 24). Iliofemoral Deep Vein Thrombosis. Retrieved from https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2015/11/23/13/39/iliofemoral-deep-vein-thrombosis

Net sales for the first quarter by business and region:











Change



Three Months Ended

March 31,

Reported Basis

Less:

Impact of

Foreign

Currency

Fluctuations

Operational

Basis

Less:

Impact of

Recent

Acquisitions /

Divestitures

Organic Basis (in millions) 2020 2019







































Endoscopy $ 442

$ 440



0.5%

(1.0)%

1.5%

%

1.5%

Urology and Pelvic Health 332

326



1.9%

(1.0)%

2.9%

%

2.9%

MedSurg 774

766



1.1%

(1.0)%

2.1%

%

2.1%

Cardiac Rhythm Management 437

491



(11.0)%

(1.1)%

(9.9)%

%

(9.9)%

Electrophysiology 74

79



(6.2)%

(1.0)%

(5.2)%

%

(5.2)%

Neuromodulation 191

186



2.4%

(0.8)%

3.2%

9.8%

(6.6)%

Rhythm and Neuro 703

757



(7.2)%

(1.0)%

(6.2)%

2.4%

(8.6)%

Interventional Cardiology 633

661



(4.2)%

(1.5)%

(2.7)%

%

(2.7)%

Peripheral Interventions 392

311



26.3%

(1.3)%

27.6%

29.7%

(2.1)%

Cardiovascular 1,026

972



5.5%

(1.5)%

7.0%

9.5%

(2.5)%

Medical Devices4 2,502

2,493



0.4%

(1.1)%

1.5%

4.4%

(2.9)%

Specialty Pharmaceuticals5 41

n/a



n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a Net Sales $ 2,543

$ 2,493



2.0%

(1.2)%

3.2%

6.1%

(2.9)%











Change



Three Months Ended

March 31,

Reported Basis

Less: Impact

of Foreign

Currency

Fluctuations

Operational

Basis (in millions) 2020 2019



























U.S. $ 1,452

$ 1,403



3.5%

%

3.5%

EMEA 552

561



(1.6)%

(2.9)%

1.3%

APAC 409

437



(6.4)%

(1.6)%

(4.8)%

Latin America and Canada 89

92



(3.1)%

(6.7)%

3.6%

Medical Devices4 2,502

2,493



0.4%

(1.1)%

1.5%

Specialty Pharmaceuticals5 41

n/a



n/a

n/a

n/a

Net Sales $ 2,543

$ 2,493



2.0%

(1.2)%

3.2%





















Emerging Markets3 $ 267

$ 297



(10.1)%

(4.7)%

(5.4)%





















Amounts may not add due to rounding. Growth rates are based on actual, non-rounded amounts and may not recalculate precisely.





Sales growth rates that exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and/or the impact of recent aforementioned acquisitions / divestitures are not prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Guidance for Remainder of 2020

On March 30, 2020, the company withdrew its sales and EPS guidance for the full year 2020, originally provided on February 5, 2020. Due to the uncertain scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, timing of global recovery and economic normalization, the company is unable to estimate the overall impacts on its operations and financial results for the remainder of 2020.

Conference Call Information

Boston Scientific management will be discussing these results with analysts on a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The company will webcast the call to interested parties through its website: www.bostonscientific.com . Please see the website for details on how to access the webcast. The webcast will be available for approximately one year on the Boston Scientific website.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook .

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our business plans and product performance and impact, the timing of the closing of the transaction to divest our commercial Intrauterine Health franchise, and the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Company's results of operations. If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.

Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, political, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and future business decisions made by us and our competitors. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

Note: Amounts reported in millions within this press release are computed based on the amounts in thousands. As a result, the sum of the components reported in millions may not equal the total amount reported in millions due to rounding. Certain columns and rows within tables may not add due to the use of rounded numbers. Percentages presented are calculated from the underlying numbers in dollars.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

A reconciliation of the company's non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures, and an explanation of the company's use of these non-GAAP financial measures, is included in the exhibits attached to this press release.

CONTACT:







Media: Kate Haranis

Investors: Susie Lisa, CFA

508-683-6585 (office)



508-683-5565 (office)

Media Relations



Investor Relations

Boston Scientific Corporation



Boston Scientific Corporation

[email protected]



[email protected]

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED GAAP RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)



Three Months Ended March 31, in millions, except per share data 2020 2019





Net sales $ 2,543

$ 2,493

Cost of products sold 806

730

Gross profit 1,737

1,763







Operating expenses:



Selling, general and administrative expenses 978

869

Research and development expenses 300

280

Royalty expense 12

16

Amortization expense 201

160

Intangible asset impairment charges 198

67

Contingent consideration expense (benefit) (108)

(28)

Restructuring charges (credits) 10

6

Litigation-related net charges (credits) 

(148)



1,591

1,222

Operating income (loss) 146

541







Other income (expense):



Interest expense (88)

(109)

Other, net (36)

25

Income (loss) before income taxes 22

457

Income tax expense (benefit) 12

33

Net income (loss) $ 11

$ 424







Net income (loss) per common share - basic $ 0.01

$ 0.31

Net income (loss) per common share - assuming dilution $ 0.01

$ 0.30







Weighted-average shares outstanding



Basic 1,397.4

1,387.7

Assuming dilution 1,413.5

1,408.4



BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION NON-GAAP NET INCOME AND NET INCOME PER SHARE RECONCILIATIONS (Unaudited)





Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 (in millions, except per share data)

Cost of Products Sold

SG&A Expenses

R&D Expenses

Operating Income (Loss)

Pre-Tax Income (Loss)

Net Income (Loss)

Impact per Share GAAP net income (loss)

$ 806



$ 978



$ 300



$ 146



$ 22



$ 11



$ 0.01

Non-GAAP adjustments to net income (loss):



























Amortization expense













201



201



180



0.13

Intangible asset impairment charges













198



198



168



0.12

Acquisition / divestitures-related net charges (credits)

(37)



(28)



(12)



(32)



(23)



(36)



(0.03)

Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits)

(15)



(4)







30



30



25



0.02

EU MDR implementation costs

(4)



(1)







5



5



5



0.00

Deferred tax expenses (benefits)





















26



0.02

Discrete tax items





















13



0.01

Adjusted net income

$ 749



$ 945



$ 288



$ 549



$ 434



$ 391



$ 0.28



































Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 (in millions, except per share data)

Cost of Products Sold

SG&A Expenses

R&D Expenses

Operating Income (Loss)

Pre-Tax Income (Loss)

Net Income (Loss)

Impact per Share GAAP net income (loss)

$ 730



$ 869



$ 280



$ 541



$ 457



$ 424



$ 0.30

Non-GAAP adjustments to net income (loss):



























Amortization expense













160



161



143



0.10

Intangible asset impairment charges













67



67



62



0.04

Acquisition-related net charges (credits)

(13)



(12)



(8)



5



(24)



(22)



(0.02)

Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits)

(4)



(2)







12



12



10



0.01

Litigation-related net charges (credits)













(148)



(148)



(127)



(0.09)

Investment impairment charges

















1



1



0.00

Adjusted net income

$ 714



$ 855



$ 271



$ 638



$ 527



$ 490



$ 0.35





























































An explanation of the company's use of these non-GAAP financial measures is provided at the end of this document.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, we disclose certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted net income (earnings) and adjusted net income (earnings) per share that exclude certain amounts, operational net sales, which exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and organic net sales, which exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and the impact of recent aforementioned acquisitions and divestitures. These non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and should not be considered in isolation from or as a replacement for the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Further, other companies may calculate these non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, which may limit the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.

To calculate adjusted net income (earnings) and adjusted net income (earnings) per share we exclude certain charges (credits) from GAAP net income. Amounts are presented after-tax at the company's effective tax rate, unless the amount is a significant unusual or infrequently occurring item in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification section 740-270-30, "General Methodology and Use of Estimated Annual Effective Tax Rate." Please refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report filed on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that we file thereafter for an explanation of each of these adjustments and the reasons for excluding each item.

The GAAP financial measures most directly comparable to adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are GAAP net income and GAAP net income per share.

To calculate operational net sales growth rates, which exclude the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, we convert actual net sales from local currency to U.S. dollars using constant foreign currency exchange rates in the current and prior period. To calculate organic net sales growth rates, we remove the impact of recent aforementioned acquisitions with no prior period related net sales from operational net sales. In addition, to calculate organic net sales growth rates, we remove from prior year, sales from product lines that we divested. The GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to operational net sales and organic net sales is net sales on a GAAP basis.

Reconciliations of each of these non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP financial measure are included in the accompanying schedules.

Management uses these supplemental non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate performance period over period, to analyze the underlying trends in our business, to assess our performance relative to our competitors and to establish operational goals and forecasts that are used in allocating resources. In addition, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to further its understanding of the performance of our operating segments. The adjustments excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures are consistent with those excluded from our operating segments' measures of net sales and profit or loss. These adjustments are excluded from the segment measures reported to our chief operating decision maker that are used to make operating decisions and assess performance.

We believe that presenting adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share, operational net sales and organic net sales, in addition to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides investors greater transparency to the information used by management for its operational decision-making and allows investors to see our results "through the eyes" of management. We further believe that providing this information assists our investors in understanding our operating performance and the methodology used by management to evaluate and measure such performance.

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation

Related Links

http://www.bostonscientific.com


Damages caused by cybercrime are expected to reach more than $27 billion by 2025, according to Atlas VPN estimations.

In 2019, authorities received a record-breaking 467,361 Internet-facilitated fraud complaints, with accumulated losses exceeding $3.5 billion. Yet, in 2020, lockdowns might act as a catalyst for the biggest hacker attack outbreak to date.

Atlas VPN projects that in 2020, there will be a 45 per cent increase in cybercrime damages in comparison to 2019. This means that in 2020, the estimated monetary losses will reach over $5 billion.

Rachel Welch, COO of Atlas VPN, shares her thoughts on the future of cybercrime: Due to the pandemic, people are stuck at home, surfing the web, and working remotely. We can expect a record number of hacker attacks in 2020 since the pool for potential cybercrime victims has never been larger. Also, the latest cybercrime trends show that hackers are focusing on human layer errors more than ever.

In 2014, hackers stole over $800 million from unsuspecting victims; by 2019, the number reached $3.5 billion. The monetary damages caused by cybercrime increased over four times in the last six years.

In 2019, digital crimes that caused most financial damages were business email compromise (BEC), romance fraud, and spoofing. Out of these, BEC accounts for over half of the losses in 2019, with a staggering $1.77 billion. -- Tradearabia News Service
Seed investor CincyTech announced the formation of Kurome Therapeutics ("Kurome"), a preclinical stage company developing novel therapies targeting cancer cells' adaptive resistance mechanisms beginning with hematopoietic, or blood cell, cancers.

Kurome secured the license to develop the therapies from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ("Cincinnati Children's"), a top ranked pediatric medical center and research institution.

Kurome is developing combined IRAK1/4 and panFLT3 inhibitors to target cancer cells that evade the effects of chemotherapy drugs by adaptive resistance, having co-opted immune signaling pathways to survive.

Drug resistant cancers can be deadly for many patients, and Kurome's approach may offer a novel strategy that keeps patients in remission longer and extends overall survival. Kurome's pipeline of IRAK 1/4, panFLT3 inhibitors have demonstrated in preclinical studies to:

Induce rapid and irrecoverable cytotoxicity in cell line models and increase overall survival in patient-derived xenograft models, well beyond that of existing clinical FLT3 inhibitors.

Synergize with and improve potency of Venclexta (Venetoclax).

Maintain complete efficacy even in settings of adaptive resistance to FLT3 inhibitors.

Kurome's initial focus is on improving health in poor prognosis acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly blood and bone marrow cancer with a high mortality rate. Kurome may potentially expand its focus to work across a range of hematopoietic cancers, including pre-leukemic conditions such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Collectively, more than 30,000 new cases of MDS and AML are diagnosed in the United States each year. The median survival time for MDS is only 2.5 years after diagnosis, and the 5-year survival rate for AML is only 27 percent.

Kurome is founded on research at Cincinnati Children's in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).

Principal investigator and Co-Leader, Hematologic Malignancies Program at Cincinnati Children's Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Daniel Starczynowksi, PhD, commented:

It is a personal honor and privilege to have an impact on translating this strategy for cancer drug resistance into a therapy option against AML and cancers that act in similar ways."

CincyTech led the company's seed investment round. "Kurome was created to accelerate the development of novel technology from world class cancer scientists at Cincinnati Children's and NCATS. This pathway approach has the potential to add to a growing arsenal of genetically targeted cancer therapies," said John Rice, PhD, managing director of life sciences at CincyTech.

The company is being led by Jan Rosenbaum, PhD, a drug development professional, chief scientific officer and innovator with more than 25 years of pharma and biotech technical management experience.

Rosenbaum is the former chief scientific officer of Airway Therapeutics, a 2011 spin-out of Cincinnati Children's that is also a CincyTech portfolio company. She also serves as a business development advisor on the Therapeutics Development Team of the Harrington Discovery Institute.
Vietnamese authorities on Tuesday sentenced a young Facebook user to a five-year prison term on charges of spreading propaganda against the state for his online postings amid a deepening crackdown on freedom of expression in the one-party communist state.



Phan Cong Hai, 25, was convicted in the Peoples Court of the central province of Nghe An under Article 117 of Vietnams 2015 Penal Code following a two-hour trial unattended by lawyers. He was the second Facebook user to be jailed in Vietnam this week and the latest in a heavy-handed campaign to censor what the 65 million users of the social platform can write or read.



Speaking to RFAs Vietnamese Service following the trial, Phans father Phan Cong Binh said that he had seen his son only once following Phans Nov. 19 arrest after evading capture by police for almost six months.



I was able to meet my son briefly on Dec. 24, 2019, but we couldnt speak freely because the police were standing right next to us, he said, adding that travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made it difficult to see Phan more frequently.



Now, our family really doesnt know what to do, he said.



According to the indictment filed against him, Phan was identified by Nghe An police as the user of a Facebook account set up under the name Hung Manh which described efforts by Vietnamese youth to offend the image of the government and of Vietnamese Communist Party founder Ho Chi Minh.



The Facebook page came to the attention of the provinces Do Thanh High School in late 2018, and school authorities contacted police who issued a warrant for Phans arrest and began a nationwide search in May last year which ended when Phan returned to his native Ha Tinh province in November after taking refuge in Thailand.



Meanwhile, Vietnams Ninh Kieu District Court in Can Tho City on Monday handed another Facebook user an 18-month prison term for sharing a story on Facebook in January about a deadly government crackdown during a politically sensitive land dispute at the Dong Tam commune outside Hanoi.



Chung Hoang Chuong, better known by his nickname Lucky, was found guilty of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, lawful rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens in violation of Article 331 of the Vietnamese Penal Code.



Facebook under fire



Facebook has come under fire from Vietnamese and international rights activists after the social media giant publicly admitted it has agreed to help communist authorities censor posts critical of the government.



On April 21, two Facebook employees told the Reuters news agency that the companys servers in Vietnam were taken offline for about seven weeks earlier in the year until Facebook agreed to government demands to remove posts considered by authorities to have criticized the communist state.



In a statement condemning Facebooks decision to comply with government demands, Amnesty International Human Rights Advisor William Nee warned that governments around the world will see this as an open invitation to enlist Facebook in the service of state censorship.



The Vietnamese authorities ruthless suppression of freedom of expression is nothing new, but Facebooks shift in policy makes them complicit, he added.



In an emailed statement to RFA on April 22, Facebook spokesperson Amy Sawitta Lefevre defended her companys action, saying that though freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, Facebook risked being blocked by authorities in Vietnam if the company refused to comply.



We have taken this action to ensure our services remain available and usable for millions of people in Vietnam, who rely on them every day, Lefevre said.



Vietnamese activist Tran Bang said that Facebooks decision to bow to government demands will block the ears, mouths, and eyes of Vietnams people, just as if there was no Facebook here at all.



Tens of millions of Facebook users have posted news from many different sources, helping people access truthful information about politics, society, and the economy," he told RFA on April 27.



"By blocking and removing stories in accordance with the authorities requirements, [Facebook] is complicit with the dictatorship in violating human rights and freedom of expression in Vietnam."



This means that Facebook is no different from the communist police, he said.



Refining repression



In a report this year, the media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that as Vietnams citizens become increasingly engaged online, the authorities have been refining their digital repressive methods.



The NGO said Vietnams army has created a 10,000-strong military cyber-warfare department called Force 47, which is tasked with defending the Party and targeting dissident bloggers.



Under a new cyber-crime law that took effect in 2019, foreign online platforms are required to store their Vietnamese user data on servers in Vietnam and surrender it to the authorities when required, RSF added.



Facebook user Dinh Van Hai told RFA that Facebook had been forced to cooperate with authorities to avoid being blocked behind a firewall. But for me, Facebook must continue to prioritize freedom of the news as its top goal, he said.



Though smaller social media networks have recently been set up in Vietnam, these typically block content widely shared on Facebook and are not widely used, Ha Hoang Hopa researcher at Singapores Institute of Southeast Asian Studiestold RFA in a text message sent on April 27.



Vietnamese social networks have not attracted as many users as Facebook, and they cant compete, he said.



No room for dissent



Vietnam, whose ruling Communist Party controls all media and tolerates no dissent, ranks 175th of 180 countries on the 2020 RSFs World Press Freedom Index.



As Vietnams media all follow the Communist Partys orders, the only sources of independently-reported information are bloggers and independent journalists, who are being subjected to ever-harsher harsh forms of persecution, said RSF.



To justify jailing them, the Party resorts increasingly to articles 79, 88 and 258 of the criminal code, under which activities aimed at overthrowing the government, anti-state propaganda and abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to threaten the interests of the state are punishable by long prison terms, it said.



Vietnam has also been consistently rated not free in the areas of internet and press freedom by Freedom House, a U.S.-based watchdog group.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has developed mechanisms for reforming the health system, and will begin to implement them next week, Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"In the near future we will propose specific mechanisms on the way of financing all medical institutions, on the way we will be reforming our medicine. We will not go the way we used to follow. We can develop medicine that we all need. We have already developed appropriate mechanisms which we will start implementing the next week," he said.
The Day of the Sun  the holiday celebrating Kim Jong-uns late grandfather, Kim Il Sung  has long been the most important date on North Koreas political calendar. This year, the supreme leader failed to show.

Kim Jong-uns absence from an event he has often used to signal strength at home and abroad sparked a global search for explanations. Two weeks later, the whereabouts of the 36-year-old leader has become one of the worlds great mysteries, fed by internet rumours, satellite photos and anonymously sourced reports.

Here are some possible scenarios being discussed:

Recovering from surgery

The first credible report that something was wrong with Mr Kim was also among the least alarming. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based news outlet that gathers information from people inside North Korea, reported on 20 April that Kim underwent a cardiovascular surgical procedure the previous week and was now mostly recovered.

The report, attributed to a single unidentified person, did offer several specific details, including that Mr Kim was treated at the Hyangsan Medical Centre on the outskirts of Pyongyang. While no governments have verified the report, South Korean officials later said that Mr Kim was believed to be conducting normal activities in a rural part of the country assisted by close aides, actions that could be consistent with the recovery explanation.

Kim Jong-un is alive and well, Moon Chung-in, a special adviser to South Koreas president, told Fox News on Sunday. Moon, however, added that Mr Kim had been staying in the coastal resort area of Wonsan since 13 April, something that would clash with the Daily NK account.

In grave danger

Hours after the Daily NK article, CNN provided a more worrying assessment of Mr Kims health, reporting that the US was monitoring intelligence that suggested he was in grave danger after surgery. Bloomberg News separately reported that US officials were told that Mr Kim was in critical condition, but were unsure of his current status.

While Donald Trump said on Thursday that he believed the CNN report was incorrect and based on old documents, rumours about Mr Kims deteriorating condition only accelerated on social media. On Saturday, Reuters reported that the Chinese Communist Partys International Department dispatched a team including medical experts to North Korea on Thursday to advise on Mr Kim. The news service, which cited three people familiar with the situation, said it was unclear what the delegation signalled about Mr Kims health.

Chinas foreign ministry, which is separate from the International Department, said only that it had sent reagents for coronavirus testing to North Korea. That is not the same as a medical team, ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters Monday in Beijing.

On Monday, Mr Trump said at a White House news conference that he knew Mr Kims condition, but cant talk about it right now. The president added that nobody knows were Mr Kim is.

Just social distancing

The Chinese medical team could also point to whats now a more common health concern: Covid-19. Although North Korea has disclosed no infections, the country has quarantined thousands of people and the USs top general in South Korea has said he was fairly certain the country has cases. China has been sending experts around the world to help combat the pandemic that began on its soil.

Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Show all 25 1 /25 Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement Korea Summit Press Pool via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Kim Jong-un heads towards Moon Jae-in to shake his hand between the military demarcation line, at the Joint Security Area on the Demilitarized Zone in the border village of Panmunjom in Paju EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold hands as they cross the military demarcation line EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Koreans react while watching a screen reporting the Inter Korean Summit Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chat as they arrive at the Peace House Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un was escorted by bodyguards from the North to the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas to meet with his South Korean counterpart at the truce village AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crosses the military demarcation line to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in shake hands Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after Kim crossing the military demarcation line Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Joint Security Area EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un speak with two South Korean children who presented Kim Jong-un with a bouquet of flowers EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Moon Jae-in Kim Jong-un pose for photographers at the Joint Security Area (JSA) EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signs the guest book as South Korean President Moon Jae-in looks on Getty Images Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns entry in the guestbook. The writing reads A new history starts now. An age of peace, from the starting point of history Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-In and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk during their summit meeting at the Peace House EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un smiles AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo inside the Peace House AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un talks with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in prepare to plant a pine tree near the military demarcation line AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un applaud after planting a tree at the truce village Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un and South Koreas President Moon Jae-in take a walk after they planted a tree AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un talks with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in at a bench on a bridge next to the military demarcation line at the truce village of Panmunjom AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sign on a joint statement Korea Broadcasting System via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in embrace each other after signing on a joint statement Korea Summit Press Pool via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after their joint announcement AP

The Seoul-based JoongAng Daily newspaper reported on Monday that the North Korean leader was in self-quarantine. The paper, citing an unidentified person in China, said that Mr Kim was monitoring his health after one of his bodyguards was confirmed with the coronavirus infection. Thats why China sent some 50 medical staff to North Korea, the newspaper said.

Days before Mr Kim failed to show up for holiday events, his Workers Party of Korea issued social-distancing orders on 11 April requiring members to refrain from gatherings of more than three people, the Hankook Ilbo newspaper reported on Tuesday. The report, which was attributed to an unidentified person familiar with the matter, said Mr Kim may have missed the events to avoid the disease.

Hurt in military drills

The search for Mr Kim has repeatedly led back to the eastern tourist enclave of Wonsan, the site of a palatial family compound and frequent missile tests. Satellite photos analysed by the website 38 North showed that a train resembling the armoured one used by North Koreas leaders was parked at the local railway station last week.

The eastern coastal area saw a burst of military activity, including cruise missile tests and fighter jet manoeuvres, on 14 April  the day before Mr Kim failed to show up for Day of the Sun events about 140 miles to the west in Pyongyang. Ri Jong Ho, a high-profile North Korean defector who now lives in the US, told the Seoul-based DongA Daily newspaper that Mr Kim may have been injured in the exercises.

Still, it would be unusual for North Korean military officials to allow their top leader to get close enough to the action to get hurt. Also, the satellite photos dont confirm the trains presence in the area until 21 April. Images from 15 April show no train.

Seeking attention

Some such as Yoon Sang-hyun, a South Korean politician who heads a committee on inter-Korean relations, have wondered whether Mr Kim devised the disappearance as a way to draw attention to the regime. Mr Yoon speculated that the North Korean leader would have to show up in public in the next couple of weeks to avoid a destabilising debate about his grip on power and potential successors.

If he doesnt, its a real big issue, Mr Yoon told reporters on Monday, according to the DongA Daily. Kim is apparently not running the country as he would normally do now.

Theres also a good chance the world may never get a satisfying explanation. Mr Kim similarly vanished from state media for six weeks in 2014, prompting speculation that he had been sidelined by gout, an ankle injury or was even overthrown in a coup. He subsequently showed up walking with a cane. No reason for his absence has ever been given.

The Washington Post
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British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline plc is planning a sale of its $3.7 billion stake in Unilever Ltd's listed India unit, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

GSK plans to offload part or all of its 5.7 percent holding in Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) through a series of block trades, according to Bloomberg News.

In December 2018, Unilever struck a deal to buy GSK's Horlicks nutrition business for $3.8 billion, boosting the Anglo-Dutch group's position in India. The deal consideration was paid in cash and shares of HUL, and was completed earlier this month.

A GSK spokesman declined to comment on the matter. Hindustan Unilever did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letter was signed by Ralph Nader, a progressive icon; Louis Fisher, a constitutional scholar who served both parties for four decades with the Library of Congress and who now is with the College of William & Mary; and Bruce Fein, an attorney who worked in Ronald Reagans Justice Department and for congressional Republicans. The Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Apple AAPL was one of the first Wall Street giants to warn that the coronavirus was set to impact its sales, back on February 17. The iPhone makers near-term issues have grown far worse since then, after the virus turned into a global pandemic.



So lets see what investors should expect from Apples Q2 fiscal 2020 financial results that are due out after the closing bell on Thursday, April 30.

Quick Earnings Outlook

Amazon AMZN, Microsoft MSFT, Facebook FB, and a ton of other big names join Apple this week, in what could prove to be a pivotal test of the markets surge from its March 23 lows. Meanwhile, governments are deciding how to start reopening their economies as they deal with the coronavirus.

Investors should note that overall S&P 500 earnings are projected to fall 15.3% in Q1 and 31.5% in the second quarter, based on our Zacks estimates. However, some sectors are set to take far larger hits amid the economic downturn, such as energy and transportation. And tech sector S&P 500 earnings are expected to dip just 0.7% in the first quarter (also read: Previewing Tech Sector Earnings).

Q2 & Near-Term Outlook

Apple has helped drive the market for years and it will likely continue to be a safe longer-term investment, given its cash holdings, diverse portfolio, strong management team, and more. That said, the coronavirus looks set to hurt its near-term growth prospects.

AAPL in a February 17 statement said it didnt expect to meet its previously announced revenue guidance, citing production and demand setbacks in China. The company has slowly tried to get back to something close to normal operations in the worlds second-largest economy, but its stores remained close throughout the U.S. and most other markets. And the Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that Apple was pushing back the production ramp-up of its flagship iPhones coming later this year by about a month.

Story continues

Our current Zacks estimates call for Apples Q2 fiscal 2020 sales to sink 7.9% from the year-ago period to $53.44 billion. This estimate comes in 20% below the high-end of its initial guidance that called for between $63 to $67 billion in second quarter revenue. And AAPLs Q2 estimate comes up against the year-ago periods 5% decline in revenue to help highlight the projected decline.

Wall Street will also pay close attention to Apples iPhone sales, which still accounted for approximately 55% of 2019 revenue even though the company has expanded its portfolio. AAPLs flagship smartphone revenue is projected to tumble roughly 16.5% in Q2, based on our Key Company Metrics. Luckily, its growing wearables and services units are expected to climb by 16% and 13%, respectively.

Peeking further ahead, Apples Q3 sales are expected to fall 7.1% to help push its full-year fiscal 2020 sales down by 1.3%. This would mark its second-straight year of declining sales after FY19 dipped 2% below a hard-to-compare 2018. But it is important to remember that Apple is still projected to pull in $256.67 billion in 2020 revenue.

Bottom Line

At the bottom end of the income statement, Apples adjusted Q2 EPS is projected to fall 15.5% to $2.08 a share. This expected downturn looks even worse considering that Apples adjusted EPS also dipped 10% in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. The nearby chart also shows how far AAPLs earnings estimates have fallen recently.

AAPLs third-quarter earnings are then expected to sink 11.5%. But as of now, the tech powerhouse is projected to see its adjusted full-year fiscal 2020 earnings pop 1.3%, and it boasts a strong history of quarterly earnings beats.

Apple stock closed regular trading Tuesday 15% below its 52-week highs at $278.58 a share. And there will likely be a lot of pressure on AAPL shares Thursday afternoon, given its nearly 30% climb from its March 23 lows. Interested investors should pay close attention to its guidance and any coronavirus-focused updates.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.



See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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Ravindra Rao

While volatility in crude oil prices is sky high, other commodities are largely treading water, awaiting fresh triggers. Market players are closely watching efforts by countries to reopen their economies. We are also seeing some positioning ahead of key events and central bank meetings this week.

After a historic drop to sub-zero levels last week, crude oil has continued to trend lower amid concerns that global storage may soon run out of space. Gold has been struggling to hold momentum over $1,700 per troy ounce but remains supported by loose monetary policy stance of central banks.

Industrial metals led by copper have recovered from recent lows amid stable equity markets and supply disruptions but demand concerns have continued to weigh. Natural gas has been stuck in a range as hopes of production cut are countered by weakness across energy sector.

On the coronavirus front, many countries have seen deaths and infections slow and this has helped them bolster efforts to lift restrictions and help their economies recover. Market players, however, remain wary that a rushed reopening could result in a surge in fresh cases, forcing countries to take more stringent measures.

Meanwhile, rising virus cases worldwide and warnings by major agencies and health researchers dont bode well.

As per Johns Hopkins University update, global cases have surpassed the 3-million mark while death toll tops 210,000. Bloomberg reports that Chinas top scientists have said the coronavirus will not be eradicated, joining a growing consensus that the pathogen will likely return in waves.

The World Health Organization expressed concerns about the rising number of cases in Latin America, Africa and some Asian countries, adding the pandemic is far from over.

In the last few days, readings from major economies have highlighted the negative impact from the outbreak.

Focus now will be on US Q1 GDP growth estimate and Chinas manufacturing PMI data due this week.

Forecasts indicate that US GDP will fall sharply in Q1 as virus-related restrictions affected economic activity. A slowdown has been factored in and market will now react to intensity of contraction in the economy.

Chinas manufacturing PMI slumped to record low in February but bounced back above 50 levels in March. Market players want to see whether the recovery has continued. While China has started to reopen its economy, weaker global growth has dampened demand for Chinese goods.

Bank of Japan, at its meeting on April 27, announced additional monetary easing measures, setting the stage for Federal Reserve and European Central Banks meeting later this week.

Both these central banks have taken aggressive measures in the last few weeks to support their economies but fresh measures may not be announced this week. Stability in financial markets may give central banks some room to delay any fresh decision.

The author is VP- Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities.

The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Ten persons were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting policemen enforcing lockdown in the coronavirus red zone of Howrah district last evening.

According to a senior official of the Howrah police commissionarte, a total of 10 persons have been arrested and three cases under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and other penal laws have been lodged against the accused.

The situation in the area remained peaceful during the day as police patrolled the streets to strictly execute the shutdown in the area.

Two policemen were injured after a mob attacked a police party, enforcing lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus at Tikiapara in Howrah district, a 'red zone'.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening when a police patrol reached Belirius Road at Tikiapara, a minority-dominated area, after receiving information that a large number of people were jostling with each other in a local market, violating the shutdown and social distancing norms.

"The police asked them to return home and that led to an altercation and exchange of blows. The locals then pelted stones at the policemen. Two of our personnel were injured and two vehicles were damaged," a police official had said.

Howrah has recently been declared as one of the four districts falling under the red zone. Around 75 per cent of the state's COVID-19 cases were reported from these districts. The other three such districts are Kolkata, East Midnapore and North 24 Parganas.

The incident has triggered a war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.

While the TMC said stern action would be taken against the culprits behind the violence, the saffron party alleged the unpleasant episode was due to the state government's "politics of appeasement".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STAVROPOL, Russia -- A man from Russia's North Caucasus region of Karachai-Cherkessia has been charged with masterminding the financial support of a terrorist organization just as he was to be released from prison after serving a 16-year term for the attempted killing of a law enforcement officer.

Aslan Sanashokov's lawyer, Ramazan Uzuyev, told RFE/RL on April 28 that his client was charged with organizing a cash transfer in 2014 while in custody to a man allegedly linked to a terrorist group in Syria.

According to Uzuyev, Sanashokov was charged on April 22, the day he was supposed to be released from a correctional institution in the Stavropol Krai region after finishing his 16-year term. Instead of being released, Sanashokov was sent to a pretrial detention center until June 22.

Sanashokov rejects the charge, saying it wasn't possible to organize cash transfers to anyone while behind bars. He says officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) fabricated the case against him after they interrogated his wife last year and planted a flashcard in his belongings, the contents of which were later used against him.

In many former Soviet republics, the practice of filing new charges against inmates to keep them incarcerated right before their expected release has been common for years.

The FSB's directorate in the Stavropol Krai refused to comment on the situation when contacted by RFE/RL by phone, saying that the directorate does not have a press service.

The directorate confirmed, however, that it had received RFE/RL's written questions and promised to answer them "in the nearest future."

Karachai-Cherkessia is one of several autonomous republics making up Russia's restive, mostly Muslim-populated North Caucasus, which has long been plagued by criminal violence and Islamic radicals who have mounted frequent attacks against police, public officials, and moderate Muslims in the region.

However, rights activists have criticized security officials and police in the region -- which also includes the volatile republics of Chechnya, Daghestan, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria -- for abuse of power, human rights violations, fabricating criminal cases, torture, and even extrajudicial killings.
The New Jersey Appellate Division upheld a verdict in favor of former corrections officer Shelley Pritchett, on April 24, 2020, to whom a jury awarded an approximately $11.8 million verdict against the New Jersey Department of Corrections in June of 2017.

That jury found that the Department of Corrections discriminated against Ms. Pritchett after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The jury also found the Department failed to provide her with a reasonable accommodation due to the diagnosis. The jury awarded Ms. Pritchett over $1.8 million in economic damages and emotional distress, and $10 million in punitive damages.

The Appellate Division upheld the verdict both as to liability and as to damages. In the Courts opinion, it rejected the States argument that the punitive damage award was excessive, reasoning that the punitive damages award in this case was a single-digit multiplier of the compensatory award, less than 7:1, making it more likely to comport with due process. The Court did remand the case back to the Trial Court for further proceedings on the quantum of punitive damages. The case docket is Docket No. A-001956-17.

Were all very proud of the work of partners Drake P. Bearden, Jr., whose inspired advocacy resulted in this verdict, and Deborah L, Mains, whose brilliant and insightful advocacy and brief work, on appeal, so thoroughly protected our clients result, offers partner Kevin Costello. Justice has been done, and our fight for Ms. Pritchett will continue.
ST. LOUIS  A white station wagon pulled up to a homeless encampment on the northern edge of downtown with enough office equipment and supplies in the back to be a drug treatment clinic on wheels.

Aaron Laxton, the social worker driving, got out and popped the hatch with a renewed sense of purpose courtesy of the federal government. Strict regulations on medications for opioid addiction have been relaxed to keep people out of clinics. Some, like Laxton, see that as a silver lining to the coronavirus outbreak because they can reach a new population of clients.

That has allowed us to be more imaginative, said Laxton, of Assisted Recovery Centers of America, or ARCA.

He recently helped enroll 16 patients into treatment at the encampment, a collection of 12 tents protected by the overhang of an old furniture warehouse at 1333 North Sixth Street. Each were prescribed and delivered a weeks worth of buprenorphine, which helps keep painful withdrawal symptoms at bay and decreases the risk of mortality.

On Monday, Laxton was returning to do follow-up visits, just hours after one of the camp residents overdosed.
Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra, chief minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and other leaders on Wednesday condoled the death of bollywood actor Irrfan Khan.

In his condolence message, Mishra said Irrfan was a natural artist who ruled everyone's heart with his performance. He said the cine world has suffered irreparable loss due to the death of Irrfan.

"Irrfan Khan made his identity in both Bollywood and Hollywood and made the state and the country proud," he said.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he was saddened to know about the demise of the actor.

"I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, Irrfan Khan. My heartfelt condolences to his family friends and fans. May God give them strength," Gehlot tweeted.

Pilot too expressed grief saying Irrfan's contribution to the world of cinema will always be remembered.

"Saddened to know about the demise of acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan. His contribution to the world of cinema will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and fans. May his soul find eternal peace," Pilot tweeted.

Vasundhara Raje, BJP's national vice president and former chief minister of Rajasthan, said Irrfan was an artist par excellence.

BJP's state president and MLA Satish Pooonia said Irrfan's demise was a huge loss to the world of cinema.

The head of erstwhile royal family of Tonk Aftab Ali Khan also expressed condolences.

"We feel greatest sorrow that Actor Irrfan Khan is no more between us. He belonged to Tonk and on behalf of the people of Tonk, I want to share the deepest condolences to his family and all his fans around the world. His work and art will remain with us forever," the titular Nawab of Tonk said.

The actor's parents were from Tonk and later shifted to Jaipur where Irrfan spent his childhood and grew up to become a theatre artist.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 18:30:26|Editor: huaxia

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A tourist visits the Yellow Crane Tower, or Huanghelou, a landmark in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 29, 2020. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, Wuhan's landmark Yellow Crane Tower was partly reopened to public on Wednesday. For the time being, there is still a visitor number limit (300 tourists are allowed into the main building every half hour) and online booking is needed. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Initially, fans were here for handsome police officer Nate Lahey when he hooked up with Annalise Keating in the first season of How to Get Away With Murder. However, viewers started changing their opinions of him after he nearly beat an innocent man to death and killed someone who could have exonerated Annalise.

Billy Brown | Eric McCandless

Nate Lahey killed Ronald Miller in How to Get Away with Murder Season 5

Two guards murdered Nate Laheys (Billy Brown) father during a prison transfer, and Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King) figured out acting district attorney Ronald Miller (John Hensley) called the warden that night.

Mistakenly believing the DA switched the times of the transfer under the orders of Governor Lynne Birkhead (Laura Innes), the former police officer nearly beat Miller to death at Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee) and Oliver Hamptons (Conrad Ricamora) wedding.

Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil) came across the bloody scene shortly later and smothered her almost-fiance to death, with Laurel Castillos (Karla Souza) infant son, Christopher, watching.

It just got personal. #HTGAWM pic.twitter.com/vwblRiXbQM  How To Get Away ABC (@HowToGetAwayABC) April 17, 2020

She then ordered Nate to take the DAs car and dispose of the body, to which he obliged. Later, Bonnie obtained the phone call Miller placed and realized she might have killed an innocent man.

Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber) figured out that Xavier Castillo (Gerardo Celasco) and the governor orchestrated the murder of Nate Lahey, Sr. and Miller attempted to save him. However, he and Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) kept the truth from Nate and Bonnie so they wouldnt beat themselves up over the death.

Nate Lahey killed Xavier Castillo in How to Get Away with Murder Season 6

After the murder of Nates father, he blamed it on Annalise and swore he would avenge the unjust death of his Pops. In the following season, the feds caught the lawyer in Mexico, thanks to Michaelas father, and charged her with the murders of Rebecca Sutter, Emily Sinclair, and her late husband, Sam Keating.

Potentially faced with the death penalty, Annalise asked Nate to testify on her behalf in exchange for the location of Xavier, who Frank intercepted on his way to Brazil.

Nate agreed and went to see his fathers murderer as he wanted Laurels brother to confess on video. Xavier eventually gave up his own dad, Jorge, after the former police officer began torturing him and offered to bring him to Nate on a silver platter. Instead, he snapped Xaviers neck.

Viewers have become increasingly annoyed with Nate and his rash decisions. Therefore, they believe the show might be better without him.

Fans think Nate Lahey ruins everything

Several Reddit users expressed their frustration with the former police officer and called him the worst character on the show and an irredeemable idiot.

Many have come up with a theory that Annalise and Frank trapped Nate into killing Xavier so they could pin the other murders on him as fans want the ex-cop to go down for everything.

Not only do some consider him scummy for cheating on his dying wife with Annalise, but they want him punished for killing an innocent man and someone who genuinely loved Bonnie.

If you could kill off one of the characters because they annoy the hell out of you, who would you choose and why Nate?  #HTGAWM pic.twitter.com/aS6dFzz4g6  jojo (@joshtosays) April 25, 2020

Additionally, many realize the former police officer has been acting like a madman since the murder of his father. One fan believes he made a huge mistake by killing the Castillo son as Xaviers confession and willingness to work with him would have exonerated Annalise.

While some excuse his behavior and recognize his underlying motivations, many fans dont think it makes sense as he was estranged from his father for over 30 years.

They also cant understand why Nate wouldnt turn on Annalise for framing him for the murder of her late husband but flipped on her after his fathers death, as she is the one who helped reunite the two. How to Get Away with Murder airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.
LONDON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's first app that checks mental health and well-being has been launched by The Better App Company on the Google Play and Apple app stores.

Why is the Better app different? It features a unique emotional and wellbeing check that helps users gain a deep understanding of their own real emotional needs, find out where their needs are being met, but importantly how to discover the ways in which they can better their resilience, wellbeing, health and happiness. The Better app offers real tools, enabling the user to design and build a better life.

Better, the world's first app that checks mental health and wellbeing, has launched on the Google Play and Apple app stores.

A free version of the Better app includes the unique emotional needs check that gives a trackable wellbeing score, features to encourage talking and exercising, audio to calm the mind through a simple breathing exercise, and offers the ability to connect directly with a therapist. There is a free seven-day trial on the paid plan within the app, which offers additional 'Life made better' audios and 'Better sleep' audios weekly, recorded by leading British mental health experts.

The Better App Company will donate 10% of profits from the Better app every month to mental health charities all over the world. Translated versions in Spanish, Italian and Chinese will be launching soon.

The health tech company has also launched the world's first white-label mental health app service, powered by the Better app. This enables companies employing 500+ staff to have their own-branded version of the Better app, which they can provide to their staff. The Better App Company is in talks with global brands wanting to provide their own-branded version of the Better app to their customers.

"There are clear and proven benefits for the user - better sleep, better emotional health, better and deeper understanding of the human needs we all have, better physical wellbeing - in brief, how to design and build a better life," said Mr Halker.

"Better is loaded with rich content, supporting the user to find their calm, thinking mind, to settle easily into a relaxed state, to understand healthy and sustainable ways in which their needs can be met, and to sleep brilliantly well, once they know how."

Key features of the Better Stop Suicide app are calming audio files, quick access to key phone contacts, gratitude checklist, built-in alarm clock, better sleep audio file, emotional needs 'quick' check, helpful tasks to feel better, and uniquely the app allows people to record a life-saving message to themselves. Since its launch, the Better Stop Suicide app has been used by tens of thousands of people across the world. It won a Platinum Award in the Health and Wellness category at the prestigious global 2019 DotCOMM Awards.

Download the Better app on the Google Play and Apple app stores. Search: Better app

For more information visit the Better App Company website or to arrange an interview contact John Halker, Co-Founder of the Better App Company, by emailing [email protected]

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Better is a powerful mental health app

Better, the world's first app that checks mental health and wellbeing, has launched on the Google Play and Apple app stores.

better-is-a-powerful-mental-health.png

Better is a powerful mental health app

Better, the world's first app that checks mental health and wellbeing, has launched on the Google Play and Apple app stores.

Related Links

Download Better - Apple App Store

Download Better - Google Play Store

SOURCE The Better App Company
A dad who sexually assaulted his best friend's daughter asked a judge to consider the loss of his valued friendship with her father during sentencing.

The 32-year-old man faced Ipswich District Court this week on five charges of indecent treatment of children under 16 during a camping trip at Lake Maroon near Boonah in Queensland in January 2017.

The court heard the man, from Ipswich, committed the offences on the girl and her school friend, then both 12, in four separate incidences on the same day while holidaying with their parents, his wife, and another couple.

The crimes were exposed when his wife told the mother of one of the girls.

A 32-year-old Ipswich man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his best friend's daughter and her school friend during a camping trip with their families at Lake Maroon (pictured) in 2017

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to a jail term of 12 months, suspended for 18 months after he serves two months, the Queensland Times reports.

Crown prosecutor Alicia Thomas outlined the details of the offences, with two charges involving one girl, and three offences against the other child.

It began when the man entered a tent and tried to touch one girl's breasts, with her telling him to stop and pushing him away.

He then grabbed her hand and placed it on his erect penis before returning back to the other adults at the campfire.

More assaults occurred that night at a boat trailer and again in the tent.

The girls told him to stop and pushed him away and one girl intervened when he tried assaulting her friend.

That night he denied anything had happened but later confessed to his wife.

He did not reveal to her the full extent of the events and blamed his behaviour on intoxication.

Ms Thomas said the assaults were brazen and persistent.

The man was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Ipswich District Court (pictured) this week. The sentence will be suspended for 18 months after he serves two

She scrutinised the claim his actions were induced by intoxication as he stopped when one of the girl's mothers walked toward the tent.

Victim impact statements tendered in court revealed the mental harm the girls have suffered which has had impacts on their schooling.

A written defence submission on penalty noted the man's marriage had ended and he had lost his friendship with the father of one girl.

Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren said to loss a friendship would be a normal consequence and would not be considered exceptional.

He added the man deliberately placed himself in the presence of the girls despite their rebuffs and said intoxication was not an excuse.

'That his best mate is no longer his best mate because he sexually assaulted his daughter,' he said.

'Abuse of children is a gross violation of trust the community generally has in trust against the most vulnerable.

'This would be a normal consequence and not special circumstances.'
"Post Reports" is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you've come to expect from the newsroom of The Post - for your ears.

- - -

In this episode:

Leonard Bernstein reports on what we know (and still don't) about the coronavirus. Laura Meckler explains the changes schools might have to make to reopen in the fall. And Anna Fifield discusses North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, missing in action.
Littleton and Lenzi are also considering what dining out might look like once restaurants are allowed to reopen their dining rooms. We are rethinking a lot of things wed normally do, says Littleton. Will we have a bread basket? Well probably have to get rid of the linen, because wed need to disinfect the tables after every use. Shes also looking to see if she can get antimicrobial gloves for the waitstaff to wear. We are clean freaks, says Littleton. We really pay attention to the details. I know our customers see how clean we are. Its a point of pride for us.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey's car exports to China increased by 0.8 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $11 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend on April 29.

The export of cars from Turkey to China in March 2020 decreased by 56.5 percent compared to March 2019 and reached $4.7 million, the ministry said.

The export of cars from Turkey to the world markets from January through March 2020 decreased by 10 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and reached $6.9 billion.

The export of cars from Turkey makes up 16.3 percent of the country's total export of goods from January through March 2020.

Turkey exported cars worth $2.06 billion in March 2020 which is by 28.5 percent less than in March 2019.

The export of cars from Turkey in March 2020 accounted for 15.4 percent of Turkey's total export.

Turkey's export of cars from March 2019 through March 2020 amounted to $29.8 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
By Peter Nurse

Investing.com - European stock markets edged higher Wednesday, with investors cautiously optimistic ahead of key central bank meetings and as the earnings season continues.

At 4:15 AM ET (0815 GMT), the U.K.'s FTSE index traded 0.7% higher, France's CAC 40 was down 0.2%, while the DAX rose 0.1%. The broader based Stoxx 600 Europe index climbed 0.1%.

The Federal Reserve is set to finish its two-day meeting later Wednesday but, with no change in rates expected, attention will be focused on any guidance the Fed has about the trajectory of the economy.

The focus will then turn to the European Central Bank, which meets Thursday, especially after Fitchs decision to downgrade its rating on Italian debt to BBB-, one notch above junk.

President Christine Lagarde and her colleagues have already ramped up bond-buying of vulnerable nations, but expectations are running high that the central bank will do more Thursday, given how the regions governments are struggling to agree on joint fiscal action.

The corporate earnings newsflow has continued Wednesday, with German car giants Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) and Daimler (OTC:DDAIF) both said that they expect to be profitable this year, despite big falls in sales in the first and second quarters due to the pandemic.

Shares in AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) rose 1.6% after the drugmaker beat estimates for first-quarter profit and reiterated its 2020 outlook on Wednesday.

Barclays (LON:BARC) climbed over 4% despite taking a 2.1 billion pound impairment charge to cover the impact of the virus, saying it was well placed to get through the crisis.

On the flip side, British Airways plans to cut more than a quarter of its jobs in response to the coronavirus crisis, its parent company IAG (LON:ICAG) said, while reporting a first-quarter operating loss of 535 million euros ($580 million), compared with a profit of 135 million a year ago. IAG shares fell 4.5% after the company also flagged further groupwide restructuring measures to come.

Story continues

Planemaker Airbus Group (PA:AIR) on Wednesday posted a 49% slump in first-quarter adjusted operating profit amid the "gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known".

Oil futures bounced back Wednesday, but the recent volatility continued.

At 4:15 AM ET, U.S. crude June futures traded 16% higher at $13.94 a barrel. The international benchmark Brent contract rose 1.7% to $23.13.

Elsewhere, gold futures fell 0.4% to $1,714.60/oz, while EUR/USD traded at 1.0867, up 0.5% on the day.

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Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackerays appointment as a member of state legislative council is in limbo.

Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari is reluctant to appoint Uddhaav Thackeray as a member in State Legislative Council citing technical reasons. Sources in Raj Bhavan said that there are two seats vacant from "governor quota" but the duration of these seats are up to June 10 only.

Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on November 28 and within the six months, he has to become a member of either of state legislative council or assembly.

The deadline for Thackeray to become the member of either of the House is May 28, 2020. If the governor decides to appoint him, Thackeray will be a member for barely 12 days, then again he has to get elected. Therefore governor is holding back the proposal of Maharashtra cabinet appointing Thackeray member from his quota. He is consulting the legal experts on this issue, said a source requesting anonymity.

He further added what if after May 28 if Maha Vikas Aghadi decides to choose Uddhav Thackeray again as their leader and writes governor for the second oath ceremony. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had also discussed this issue with legal experts and there is Supreme Courts judgment in the case of Punjab. The person cannot be given a second-time opportunity to become the chief minister as is a violation of the law. So this window for Mr Thackeray also gets shut down.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had a meeting with Uddhav Thackeray at the ex-mayoral bungalow at Dadar. He had suggested approaching the election commission requesting to issue notification for the nine seats.

This nine-seat election of the state legislative council was earlier postponed due to the lockdown. IN this election, Thackeray can become a member. If the election commission does not respond positively, then we have no option but to go to Supreme Court, said a senior NCP minister requesting anonymity.

A senior Shiv Sena leader said that they are also prepared with the contingency plan B of making Aaditya Thackeray as chief minister for interim period if all doors get closed for his father Uddhav Thackeray. In this case, before the May 28 deadline, the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders will choose Aaditya Thackeray as their leader. But some section is also pushing deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's name but Congress leaders are reluctant about Ajit Pawar and said they no more trust Mr Pawar for interim chief minister post because of his past revolt against his uncle Sharad Pawar, said a source requesting anonymity.

An NCP leader said that BJP may be trying to trouble the Thackeray government in the time of pandemic situation, but in the end, they will accept the cabinet proposal. Uddhav Thackeray has already spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and something will come out soon. BJP will not burn the bridge with Shiv Sena permanently by rejecting his proposal of a member of Upper House through the governor. There are no permanent friends and foes in politics and with the changing times, relationship changes. In the end, Sharad Pawar will also play a role and will use his goodwill, the NCP leader said.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, most countries are trying their hardest to contain the virus and also help the citizens in the best ways that they can. Belgium too is fighting the coronavirus outbreak, with over 47,859 confirmed cases presently. And fighting the virus and holding a lockdown can be difficult to balance at times for a country. For Belgium, the biggest problem the country is facing right now is the huge production of potatoes that are stuck with no place to be stored anymore.

 iStock

Pommes De Frites or Fries are a food staple of Belgian culture, (more popularly known as the french fries to the rest of the world). The government has now petitioned UNESCO to officially name the fry as an icon of Belgian cultural heritage (culinary historians dispute this considering the French claim).



Now, as restaurants are closed or have limited service while most Belgians sit at home, there's been a cascading effect in terms of the drop for frozen potatoes, which accounts for 75 percent of Belgium's potato processing. This is according to Romain Cools, secretary-general of Belgian potato industry group Belgapom, who spoke to CNBC. Cools said that the drastic drop in demand for potatoes has led to a massive inventory build-up, straining the industry's freezer capacity.

 iStock

This has resulted in a straightforward policy decision, A public request by the Belgian government for Belgian citizens to help: eat french fries at least twice a week.



Cools further added, "Were working with supermarkets to see whether we can launch a campaign asking Belgians to do something for the sector by eating friesespecially frozen friestwice a week during the coronavirus crisis. What we are trying to do is to avoid food waste, because every lost potato is a loss."

To think about it, eating fries may not be such a bad idea, as it might help cope with the lockdown stress. Cools further added "We've asked farmers not to plant that many potatoes for the next season because we believe this season will take some extra months away from next year by postponing processing."

When it comes to social distancing norms, some of them have been a little hard to come in terms with like not meeting anyone for a while, and uncertainty for any upcoming life-event like a wedding, or even getting a job for that matter. In times like these, however, eating fries is relatively an easy request that can be adhered to.
Actor Irrfan Khan, died battling colon infection at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was 53 years old. The news of his death was shared on Twitter by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar.

had lost his 95-year-old mother Saeeda Begum in Jaipur three days ago. He could not attend the funeral because of the lockdown in force across the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus.



In 2018, the actor posted on Twitter to say that he was diagnosed with an endocrine tumour, a rare illness affecting cells that release hormones into the bloodstream.



The actor stayed away from public eye as he underwent treatment in the UK. After his return in 2019, he shot for Angrezi Medium, the sequel to his 2017 hit Hindi Medium.



However, his health prevented him from promoting the movie, which hit the theatres in March just before the lockdown that began on March 24.



Khan was born on 7th January,1967 in Rajasthan to a Muslim family. Khan's mother, Begum Khan and his father, the late Jagirdar Khan, were from the Khajuriya village near the Tonk district and ran a tire business.



He was studying for his MA degree when he earned a scholarship to study at National School of Drama in New Delhi in 1984



On 23 February 1995, Khan married writer and fellow NSD graduate Sutapa Sikdar. They had two sons, Babil and Ayan



Irrfan was known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema, in addition to British and American films.



But he started his career with numerous television serials, including Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta, Shrikant (Doordarshan), AnooGoonj on Doordarshan, Star Bestsellers (Star Plus), and Sparsh.



He had received several awards, including a National Film Award and Filmfare Awards in four categories. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour.

He made his screen debut with the Academy Award nominated film Salaam Bombay! (1988). Followed by a series of roles in films that didn't work well.



Then he became critical acclaimed for playing negative roles in the drama films Haasil (2003) and Maqbool (2004).

For Haasil he won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain.



The very popular drama Life in a... Metro (2007) marked a turning point in Khan's career. He received several awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.



He became even more popular with his portrayal of Paan Singh Tomar, a biopic about a top athlete who becomes a bandit, which earnered him the National Film Award for Best Actor and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

His performance The Lunchbox (2013) garnered him universal acclaim by the critics and audiences.

The Lunchbox was nominated for the Best Film Not in the English Language category of the British Academy Film Awards 2015.

He went on gaining critical acclaim as well as commercially success for his roles in Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015) and Talvar (2015).



His highest-grossing Hindi release came with the critically acclaimed comedy-drama Hindi Medium (2017), which became a sleeper hit in India and China, which ranks among highest-grossing Indian films of all time and earned him praise for his performance, winning several awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.



His international breakthrough came in the British-Indian film The Warrior, which won a Bafta.



He was known globally for roles in Slumdog Millionaire which won the Academy Award and Jurassic World.



But, Khan had worked in several international projects such as The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), New York, I Love You (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Inferno (2016).



Khan played the adult version of Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel in Ang Lee's film adaptation of Life of Pi, which became a critical and commercial success worldwide.



May his soul rest in peace.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra  Wed, April 29, 2020 17:41 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd506fbf 1 National Kualanamu-airport,Malaysia,Indonesia,coronavirus Free

As many as 194 Malaysian and Indonesian citizens flew back to their respective homelands on Tuesday via Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra.

Sixty nine Indonesians arrived at the airport at around 4 p.m. on a Malaysia Airlines flight.

Around 45 minutes later, 125 Malaysians flew home with the same airline, Kualanamu airport spokesperson Mulia Rahman said.

The group of Indonesians that returned from Malaysia comprised 13 men, 53 women, two children and a toddler, the majority of whom were migrant workers.

Earlier this month, 513 Indonesian domestic workers arrived from Malaysia at same airport.

All returnees were tested for COVID-19 upon arriving at Kualanamu, with all of them testing negative, authorities claimed.

"Upon arrival at Kualanamu airport, we checked their body temperatures and sprayed them with disinfectant. They all tested negative for COVID-19," the head of the Medan Port Health Office, Priagung Adhi Bawono, confirmed separately on Wednesday.

Read also: COVID-19: Govt repatriates, isolates more than 500 TKIs from Malaysia

He added that all recently repatriated citizens would be quarantined in their respective regions to ensure public health and safety.

Malaysia Airlines station manager Rahmat Iskandar Dinata said the repatriation of the 125 Malaysians from Sumatra was facilitated by the Malaysian government. "The majority of them are students studying in Medan, Aceh and Padang," he said.

The Indonesian government had previously stated that it had no plans to repatriate Indonesian migrant workers and other citizens living in Malaysia, even though the neighboring Southeast Asian country has imposed a lockdown, effective since March 18, to curb the spread of the virus.

The lockdown has reportedly forced thousands of Indonesian workers to voluntarily return home.

Unfortunately, not all workers have used legal means to return. Authorities in North Sumatra and Riau Islands recently caught dozens of Indonesian migrant workers attempting to sneak past border authorities while returning from Malaysia. (vny)
Wednesday marked a black day for Bollywood and film lovers all around the world with renowned actor Irrfan Khan passing away at the age of 53.

The critically acclaimed actor was a delight onscreen and inspiration off-screen. His latest Bollywood release Angrezi Medium went on to show, unfortunately for the last time, the sheer talent that Irrfan was in possession of.

But the powerhouse did not succumb to rare cancer. Irrfan fought against the illness for over two years. Here is a timeline of his war against the neuroendocrine tumour.

March 5, 2018

Irrfan tweeted that he has been diagnosed with a rare disease. He also asked everyone to not speculate but only wish best for him in the meantime.

March 16, 2018 With this tweet, the Maqbool actor revealed that he has been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine tumour and was moving out of India to seek treatment.

March 20, 2018

Bringing much relief in the lives of his fans, Irrfan interacted with them again. This time, in the form of a poem. God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night. These are the words we dimly hear: You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me, read the post.

August 2, 2018 Before the release of Karwaan, the actor spoke to Hindustan Times and revealed that has had four cycles of chemotherapy. August 3, 2018 Karwaan was released and fans got to see Irrfans magic again on screen. It was the last film he finished before being diagnosed. April 3, 2019 Irrfan tweeted to share the news of his return with a meaningful poem. May be somewhere in the pursuit of winning, we forgot how much it means to be loved. In our vulnerability, we are reminded, read the first few lines of his poem.

April 8, 2019

The Life of Pi actor revealed that he will be making a comeback to Bollywood as Mr Champak ji. He made a comeback for the film Angrezi Medium, which also starred Radika Madan in the lead role. Directed by Homi Adajania, the project also featured Dimple Kapadia and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

GMB serving since 1900s Its going to be fun to tell another story #AngreziMedium. Coming soon, with Mr Champakji... Aa Raha Hu phir entertain Karne Sabko #ItsTimeToKnowChampakJi #AngreziMedium  pic.twitter.com/mC3IL2UMpf  Irrfan (@irrfank) April 8, 2019

February 12, 2020 Before the trailer launch of Angrezi Medium, Irrfan interacted with his fans. He said that he wont be able to promote the film the way he wanted to. He also sounded optimistic about his fight of turning the lemons in his life into lemonade.

As we embark on the journey to release #AngreziMedium, heres a small note for you allhttps://t.co/Sr0Pp1x3dv #AngreziMedium trailer out tomorrow!  Irrfan (@irrfank) February 12, 2020

March 13, 2020

Angrezi Medium releases in theatres but has a subdued run owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

April 6, 2020

Irrfan announced that people can enjoy the film Angrezi Medium on OTT platform.

April 25, 2020

His mother Saeeda Begum passed away in Jaipur. Irrfan could not attend the funeral due to the coronavirus lockdown. She was 95.

April 28, 2020

Irrfan was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai due to colon infection. "Yes it is true that Irrfan khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctor's observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of all his well wishers, he will recover soon," read the official statement by Irrfans spokesperson.

April 29, 2020

The actor passed away in the hospital due to a colon infection. Irrfans spokesperson released a statement and it read, "I trust, i have surrendered'; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him.

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The Health Ministry said the novel coronavirus cases in India crossed 30,000 mark with a number of deaths above 1000.

Union Minister of Health Dr Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that of the total number of coronavirus cases only 0.33 per cent people are on ventilators.

Only 0.33 per cent patients are on ventilators, 1.5 per cent patients are on oxygen support and 2.34 per cent patients are in ICU, which reflects the quality of care being provided across the country, said Vardhan during a video conference with Lions Club International.

Highlighting Indias approach in combating COVID-19, he said, This time the hallmark of our approach has been fivefold: (i) Maintaining a continuous situation awareness, (ii) Pre-emptive and proactive approach, (iii) Graded response as per continuously evolving scenario, (iv) Inter-sectoral coordination at all levels, and lastly, but most importantly (v) Creating a peoples movement to combat this disease.

Commenting on Indias strengths in tackling the disease, he said, India has successfully tackled public health emergencies of international concern and pandemics in the past as well.

Our nation has the requisite national core capacities stipulated in the International Health Regulations to manage public health emergencies. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), which is a nation-wide surveillance system for epidemic-prone diseases, has been activated towards COVID-19 response, and is being further strengthened with substantive digital inputs, he added.

Since the last three days, the doubling rate is 11.3 days in the country. Although the global mortality rate is around 7 per cent, India is having a mortality rate of around 3 per cent, of which around 86 per cent deaths are of persons with co-morbidity, said Vardhan.

He also informed that 288 government laboratories are working along with 97 private lab chains with around 16,000 sample collection centres and testing around 60,000 tests per day. Government is working to increase the testing capacity to 1 lakh tests per day within the next few days, he added.

The Health Minister further said that since the development of a vaccine is going to take a longer time, Lockdown and Social Distancing are serving as effective social vaccine.The Ministry of Science & Technology, under my charge, has also been working on innovations and have been funding certain projects which are going to make the testing procedure quite fast, he said.

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Joe Jonas revealed Sophie Turner's hilarious condition at the start of their relationship on Monday's The Late Late Show with James Corden.

'Sophie, she said, 'Look, if we're going to get married' and it was actually, 'If you're going to date me, you have to watch the Harry Potters," the 30-year-old hitmaker joked of his wife's request.

He added: 'Because every Christmas, for those of you that are watching that don't know, every Christmas in the U.K. they just stream and play Harry Potter, all of them.'

Non-negotiable: Joe Jonas revealed Sophie Turner's hilarious condition at the start of their relationship on Monday's The Late Late Show with James Corden

After admitting he 'fell in love' with the hit franchise, based on J. K. Rowling's seven novels, Jonas insisted his wife binge-watch the Lord of the Rings under California's coronavirus lockdown.

During their viewing experience, he told Corden they've built 'plenty of Legos,' which correspond to some of their favorite fantasy adventure films and shows.

'We've done three Lord of the Rings Legos, we've done Hogwarts, the castle, which is like 7,000 pieces, the Batmobile, and Stranger Things. So we're running out of options at this point,' he confessed.

Bliss: The lovebirds, who are reportedly expecting their first child, first sparked dating rumors when they attended a Kings of Leon concert together in late 2016

According to Jonas, Turner is 'the talented one when it comes to Legos.'

The lovebirds, who are reportedly expecting their first child, first sparked dating rumors when they attended a Kings of Leon concert together in late 2016.

Sophie and Joe have been together since late 2016; the pair met through mutual friends and kicked things off by DMing each other.

One year after their first date, they were engaged.

Happy: After he admitting he 'fell in love' with the hit franchise, based on J. K. Rowling's seven novels, Jonas has his love binge-watching Lord of the Rings under California's coronavirus lockdown

During their viewing experience, he told James Corden they've built 'plenty of Legos,' which correspond to some of their favorite fantasy adventure films

Sophie later told Harper's Bazaar: 'We had a lot of mutual friends and they'd been trying to introduce us for a long time.

'We were following each other on Instagram and he direct-messaged me one fine day, out of the blue.'

Rumors that they were an item first swirled when they were seen cozing up at the MTV EMAs in November 2016, pictured on several occasions afterwards at various other events.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Jonas: The pair posed on the hood of a pink Caddy on social media after their Vegas wedding

The pair then made it 'Insta-official' in January 2017, when Sophie shared a snap of Joe smoking a cigar on a boat in Miami.

When questioned at the Golden Globes about it by Extra TV host Mario Lopez, Sophie just said: 'I'm not saying anything... I'm very happy.'

They were seen in March 2017 for Paris Fashion Week, holding hands, and then Sophie spoke about Joe in a chat with Marie Claire, discussing what it's like to be in a celebrity coupling.

Wedding: The British beauty also shared a throwback snap of her larking around in a pool with Joe in Vegas- which appeared to be from her first shotgun wedding

They became engaged shortly after, in October 2017, with Sophie saying in an interview afterwards: 'Its lovely to be engaged.

'Not like I achieved anything, but I found my person, like Id find a house that I love and want to stay in forever,' she gushed. 'Theres a sense of peace that comes with finding your person.'

She told Rolling Stone in March 2019: 'I was fully preparing myself to be single for the rest of my life. I think once you've found the right person, you just know.'

'I feel like I'm much older a soul than I am in age. I feel like I've lived enough life to know. I've met enough guys to know - I've met enough girls to know. I dont feel 22. I feel like 27, 28,' she concluded.

'Not like I achieved anything, but I found my person, like Id find a house that I love and want to stay in forever,' Turner gushed. 'Theres a sense of peace that comes with finding your person'; pictured in January

Ahead of their first anniversary, Jonas told Corden he might recreate the Sin City bash at home.

'We legally got married in Vegas, so it's our Vegas anniversary,' the Grammy nominee said of their first anniversary coming up on Friday, before adding that the couple probably 'would have gone back to Vegas'.

He continued, 'So, if you can keep a secret, I would say I might try to recreate Vegas in our house.'

Corden joked that the couple could have a Zoom call with the Elvis impersonator that officiated their wedding, to which Joe quipped that he would have to make him sign an N.D.A this time after he leaked information about the duo's ceremony to the press last year.
Software and consulting company Xybion Corporation has announced the release of a new cloud-based software application to assist employers in documenting and managing the return to work in post-COVID-19 workplace management.

Xybions Exigency-ERT is built on its existing workplace health and safety platform, Emidence XD. The application will also help employers comply with emerging government mandates and safe-workplace rules in the wake of COVID-19. For healthcare employers, this also provides respirator mask fittings for all healthcare employees.
With kids home from school and college, many are feeling a pantry pinch during this time. KFC recently surveyed restaurant employees to learn more about how it could better assist restaurant-level team members during the crisis, and groceries for employees and their families consistently ranked among the top responses as a preferred means of support.

KFC franchisees all over the country, many of whom are small, local business owners, have been working to support and celebrate their individual teams through bonuses, hourly pay increases, meals for their employees and their families, pay continuation for employees impacted by COVID-19, and a variety of other financial incentives.

Notably, KFC franchisees Dick West (West Quality Foods) and Todd and Justin Stewart (Stewart Restaurant Group), among others, granted a $2 per hour appreciation incentive to employees. Franchisee Brandon Robertson provided all team members with $20 Fill Ups, enough food to feed a family of four, to take home for their families, along with a coupon to share one with someone in need within their local community, while restaurants in the Harman system, KFCs oldest franchisee, provided meals and an appreciation bonus to each of their hourly employees, as well as their restaurant general managers and above unit managers.

"Our team members are going above and beyond to keep America fed and spread goodwill throughout our communities, whether that's by donating thousands of meals to frontline healthcare workers or feeding children missing school meals," said Justin Stewart, board chair, KFC Foundation. "As a small thank you, and in addition to many individual franchisee efforts, we have come together as franchisee leaders to care for restaurant employees through the Grocery Assistance Fund."

The Grocery Assistance Fund is just another way KFC and its franchisees are working to support team members across the country. For this initiative, franchisees and employees in all U.S. restaurants can recommend co-workers in need to receive a grocery gift card from the KFC Foundation, in partnership with the YUM! Foundation. Team members can choose to recommend others for any reason.

In the wake of COVID-19, KFC has also made the following commitments to support its people, communities and franchisees:

Continuing to keep America fed: KFC is open and ready to feed your family. KFC is offering free delivery (minimum $20 order before taxes, tips, and fees) with contactless delivery options in addition to remaining open for drive-thru and carry-out.

KFC is open and ready to feed your family. KFC is offering free delivery (minimum order before taxes, tips, and fees) with contactless delivery options in addition to remaining open for drive-thru and carry-out. Increased safety measures for customers and team members: KFC recently announced new measures across the U.S., including: Distribution of thermometers with infrared contactless temperature scanners to every restaurant, and implementation of temperature checks for every employee before their shift starts. Distribution of non-surgical, disposable masks for restaurant team members across the U.S. Instillation of acrylic front counter shields in restaurants, providing a safety barrier between employees and guests. Using a drive-thru extender payment pad to further limit contact between customers and employees.

KFC recently announced new measures across the U.S., including: Feeding our communities: KFC recently donated one million pieces of chicken to provide relief to communities in need, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the donation, KFC franchisees across the country were able to provide meals to organizations of their choice in their local communities. In addition to the one million pieces of chicken donation, KFC franchisees have been stepping up their relief efforts across the country, donating thousands of meals to frontline healthcare workers, feeding families in need and providing meals to essential workers.

KFC recently donated one million pieces of chicken to provide relief to communities in need, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the donation, KFC franchisees across the country were able to provide meals to organizations of their choice in their local communities. In addition to the one million pieces of chicken donation, KFC franchisees have been stepping up their relief efforts across the country, donating thousands of meals to frontline healthcare workers, feeding families in need and providing meals to essential workers. Supporting children in need: In March, KFC announced a $400,000 donation to Blessings in a Backpack to provide meals to children who may otherwise go hungry due to school closures.

In March, KFC announced a donation to Blessings in a Backpack to provide meals to children who may otherwise go hungry due to school closures. Providing relief to franchisees: KFC will grant franchisees a 60-day grace period on current royalties. KFC parent company Yum! Brands (including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) has also deferred all 2020 capital obligations for remodels and new unit development through the end of this year.

For more information about KFC's efforts to support franchisees, employees and customers during the coronavirus pandemic, please visit www.kfc.com/coronavirus.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe, Extra Crispy, Kentucky Grilled Chicken and Extra Crispy Tenders, Hot Wings, KFC Famous Bowls, Pot Pies, freshly hand prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items. There are more than 23,000 KFC restaurants in 140 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/KFC).

SOURCE KFC

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The Spirit of Truth: God's Unworldly Eternal Presence: an insightful narrative that instills spiritual lessons on Gods benevolence, that idea of sin, and how the sacrifice of Jesus Christ paved a path for mercy and indulgence to bless the world. The Spirit of Truth: God's Unworldly Eternal Presence is the creation of published author Sandra Mackey, an Able Toastmaster, writer, contributor, editor, consultant, and retired Fortune 500 corporation employee.

Mackey shares, Most of the Old Testament is devoted to the story of the nation chosen by God through whom the Messiah would come into the world to bless all nations. The New Testament is devoted to the story of the man that nation produced and how his life, death, and resurrection give hope to sinful humanity through his kingdom. We see the genealogy of the man Jesus tracing his lineage from God through Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

All the Old Testament prophecies and promises came to fruition as recorded in the second chapter of Acts. The apostles were waiting just as Jesus had told them to wait. It was on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem (approximately AD 33) that the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were immersed in the Holy Spirit. They were overwhelmed with the Holy Spiritand they spoke the words of salvation through Jesus Christ to all nations (Acts 2:1-4).

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Sandra Mackeys new book analyzes the biblical prophecies of the Old Testament leading to its fulfillment in the New Testament with the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of souls.

This book truly magnifies the ineffable plan of God for his chosen people by studying and internalizing the teachings of his Word.

View the synopsis of The Spirit of Truth: God's Unworldly Eternal Presence on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Spirit of Truth: God's Unworldly Eternal Presence at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Spirit of Truth: God's Unworldly Eternal Presence, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Lebanon, Colombia, Grenada, Jamaica, Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago and held discussions on strengthening cooperation and partnership as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

In conversation with Lebanon Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti, Jaishankar discussed economic cooperation, including in agriculture.

"Cordial conversation with FM @HittiNassif of #Lebanon. Discussed economic cooperation, including in agriculture. Appreciated his warm words about the Indian contingent in UNIFIL. Thanked him for taking care of the Indian community," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

In conversation with Colombia Foreign Minister Claudia Blum de Barberi, Jaishankar reviewed the ongoing discussions on trade and energy.

"Heard warm sentiments on India from FM Claudia Blum de Barberi of #Colombia. Reviewed ongoing discussions on trade and energy. Hope to expand our ITEC cooperation. Expressed our practical solidarity in the fight against #coronavirus. Will facilitate the return of Colombian nationals back home," Jaishankar said in another tweet.

Jaishankar also spoke to Grenada Foreign Minister Peter David.

"Caught up with good friend FM Peter David of #Grenada. Glad to learn that their #coronavirus response has been effective. Our conversation covered health cooperation and development partnership," Jaishankar tweeted.

The Foreign Minister discussed cooperation in IT and healthcare with Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Minister Dennis Moses.

"Spoke to FM Dennis Moses of #TrinidadAndTobago. Look forward to an early meeting of our Joint Commission. Will work together on IT cooperation and healthcare," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

He also spoke to Jamaica Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith and discussed the coronavirus challenge.

"So nice to talk to FM Kamina Johnson Smith of #Jamaica. A good exchange on tackling the #coronavirus challenge. Assured her that India will be a reliable provider of medicines, both generally and to combat coronavirus," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

"Also committed to the economic recovery of St. Catherine parish. Thank her for taking care of the Indian community," he said.

After talking to the Finance Minister of Uruguay, Jaishankar tweeted, "A congratulatory call to FM @ernesto_talvi of #Uruguay. So glad we could make some medical contribution to combating the #coronavirus challenge. Explored economic cooperation possibilities. Looking forward to welcoming him in India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New research finds a connection between destructive white blood cells and a more severe disease course in patients with COVID-19.

"We found that patients with COVID-19 infection have higher blood levels of neutrophil extracellular traps, also called NETs, which are a product of an inflammatory type of neutrophil cell death called NETosis," says first author Yu (Ray) Zuo, M.D., a Michigan Medicine rheumatologist.

Zuo worked on the study with Yogen Kanthi, M.D., a cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist at the Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and Jason Knight, M.D., Ph.D., a rheumatologist at Michigan Medicine, who study inflammation and neutrophils. The researchers analyzed blood samples from 50 patients with COVID-19 for this publication.

Zuo and colleagues say, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to better understand what causes the inflammatory storm and blood clots triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection -- a storm that leads to respiratory failure and a requirement for mechanical ventilation in many patients. They believe NETs may be relevant to many aspects of COVID-19 research, given that thrombosis and inflammation are hallmarks of severe infection.

This is the first publication to come out of the Frankel CVC's CV Impact Research Ignitor Grant program, which was created to address COVID-19 from both basic science and clinical perspectives.
Researchers in China and the United States have analyzed cases of early severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and their close contacts to provide further insights into the diseases transmission and severity and the effectiveness of control measures.

The study suggests that contact tracing should be supported and that it may be important to focus on children in terms of intervention, even if children do not become ill.

The team says their results provide an evidence-base for estimating the impact of the virus, assessing control measures, and guiding the worldwide response.

This study is, to our knowledge, the first analysis of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19 natural history based on a large primary dataset of cases and close contacts, for which the mode of surveillance (ie, symptom-based versus contact-based) was sufficiently documented and RT-PCR testing was nearly universal, say Tiejian Feng (Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and colleagues.

About the pandemic

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic emerged in Wuhan city, China, in 2019, it has quickly become a pandemic that has since caused more than 216,000 deaths worldwide.

Part of the scientific communitys rapid response has been to investigate and report on the many aspects of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and its natural history, but important questions remain unanswered.

The fast spread of the virus in Wuhan prompted careful surveillance in the city of Shenzhen, which has provided data that can be used to measure transmission characteristics, disease course, and the effectiveness of control measures and screening.

What has the current study involved?

Between January 14th and February 12th this year, the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention identified 391 people with SARS-CoV-2 cases and 1,286 people in close contact with them.

As reported in The Lancet, Feng and colleagues have compared cases that were identified using symptomatic surveillance and contact tracing and estimated the time since symptom onset to key events such as confirmation, isolation, admission to hospital, and recovery. They also estimated transmission metrics and factors that affect the risk of transmission.

We present one of the first estimates of the serial interval, secondary household attack rate, and dispersion (i.e., a tendency towards super spreading) for SARS-CoV-2 based on active surveillance data, writes the team.

Study findings

The average age of cases was 45 years, and the number of infections was balanced between men and women.

On first assessment, 256 of 391 (91%) cases had mild or moderate disease, and 3% had severe disease. By February 22nd, three people had died, and 225 had recovered, with recovery taking an average of 21 days.

This work further supports the understanding of COVID-19 as a disease with a fairly short incubation period (mean 46 days) but a long clinical course, with patients taking many weeks to die or recover, said Feng and team.

Following symptom onset, cases were isolated for a mean of 4.6 days, with this reducing by 1.9 days once contact tracing was introduced.

Household contacts were at six times the risk of becoming infected than other close contacts, and people traveling with a case were at seven times the risk.

The rate of secondary household attacks was 112%, meaning fewer than one in six contacts sharing the same household as an infected person became infected. Children were at no less risk of infection than adults, although their symptoms were less likely to be severe. The observed reproductive number, which is the average number of secondary cases arising from one case, was 04, and the mean serial interval (time between symptom onset in one case and onset in close contact) was 63 days.

Low rates of transmission

We were able to estimate important transmission parameters directly, and show that, at least among observed contacts, transmission rates are low, write the researchers. Estimates of the distribution of time between symptom onset and case isolation by surveillance type reveal that heightened surveillance combined with case isolation could plausibly account for these low rates of transmission.

However, they add that the overall effect of isolation and contact tracing is not guaranteed and much depends on the number of asymptomatic people.

Moreover, the finding that children are at a similar risk of infection to the general population means they should be included in studies of transmission and control, says the team.

These findings are important for understanding the burden of COVID-19 and for strategic planning across the world, concludes Feng and colleagues. The resulting estimates provide important inputs for interpreting surveillance data, evaluating interventions, and setting public health policy.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Just days after the Trump administration set out careful benchmarks for states to meet before reopening their economies, four governors announced plans that basically ignore them.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp will allow many businesses to reopen on Friday. In South Carolina, some retailers and its beaches are already open. The governors of Tennessee and Ohio will begin phased restarts on May 1. Yet all of these states have seen Covid-19 case counts, day over day, jump within the past few days. The White House guidelines call for two weeks of sustained decline.

South Carolina, Georgia and Ohio are in the bottom 10 states in terms of tests run per 100,000 residents  arguably violating a second White House benchmark that says, before reopening, states should be fully ready to test front-line health workers. States are also supposed to have broad coronavirus surveillance systems and track-and-trace programs in place. None of the four states has fully met this mark.

Georgia plans to allow gyms, bowling alleys and other businesses to open this Friday, April 24. Theaters and restaurants can follow three days later. (All will be required to institute distancing measures.) This shift will probably lead to a substantial increase in activity. On Monday, Kemp said his decision comes as new diagnoses in the state appear to be flattening. But Georgia looks as if it may be at a plateau only if you ignore the biggest-ever daily jump in new cases statewide, reported on April 17. The state will be relaxing restrictions within a week of what still isnt confirmed to be a peak of new infections.

There are good reasons that the White House benchmarks call for a sustained case decline: Covid-19 spreads rapidly and sometimes via carriers who have no symptoms. And because the coronavirus has a long incubation period, it can take time for even significant outbreaks to become large enough to discern, unless there is widespread testing. Georgia seems determined to ignore this reality.

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South Carolinas already commenced reopening looks no better. The state is a few weeks removed from its highest reported increase in Covid-19 cases. However, the steepest jump in its daily count came just the other day, on Saturday. And the state hasnt reported more than 2,600 tests in a day since April 9. Governor Henry McMaster says he hopes his plan will help South Carolina recover more quickly than any other state in the country. What he risks is a second outbreak or a worsening, uncontained epidemic.

Tennessee, in contrast, can claim to have reached something that looks like a plateau, based on its positive test data. Yet even with a per-capita testing rate that is the 16th highest in the U.S., Tennessee has not seen a sustained decline. And Governor Bill Lees plan to allow the opening of the vast majority of businesses in all but five of the states 95 counties by May 1 will test any emerging stability.

Among the four state leaders, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stands out for his early action and pragmatism in dealing with Covid-19  for which he has earned much praise. And the phased approach to reopening he now has in mind may prove to be appropriately cautious and flexible. Unfortunately, though, it comes just as the states case count is rising due to an outbreak in a prison. While this may be an isolated incident, it demonstrates how fast, in this pandemic, a seemingly stable situation can deteriorate.

All 50 states are bound to find reopening difficult no matter how carefully they follow public health guidelines. Four states are deliberately choosing to lower their odds of success.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Max Nisen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, pharma and health care. He previously wrote about management and corporate strategy for Quartz and Business Insider.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Yuexiu Property Company Limited (HKG:123) by taking the foreast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. I will be using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Yuexiu Property

Crunching the numbers

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Levered FCF (CN, Millions) CN8.56b CN2.91b CN3.43b CN2.83b CN2.50b CN2.30b CN2.19b CN2.12b CN2.09b CN2.07b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Est @ -17.44% Est @ -11.74% Est @ -7.75% Est @ -4.96% Est @ -3.01% Est @ -1.64% Est @ -0.68% Present Value (CN, Millions) Discounted @ 14% CN7.5k CN2.3k CN2.3k CN1.7k CN1.3k CN1.1k CN891 CN760 CN658 CN575

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CN19b

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We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 10-year government bond rate of 1.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 14%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2029  (1 + g)  (r  g) = CN2.1b (1 + 1.6%)  14% 1.6%) = CN17b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= CN17b ( 1 + 14%)10= CN4.8b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CN24b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of HK$1.4, the company appears about fair value at a 15% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

SEHK:123 Intrinsic value April 28th 2020

The assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Yuexiu Property as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 14%, which is based on a levered beta of 2.000. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldnt be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Yuexiu Property, We've put together three additional aspects you should further research:

Risks: For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Yuexiu Property (1 doesn't sit too well with us) you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does 123's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the SEHK every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a daily COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Kim Se-jeong



The government is seeking to have its drive-thru testing method, which safely sped up testing procedures for COVID-19 here, as an international standard for testing for the respiratory illness.



The health and welfare, and food and drug safety ministries said Wednesday that they would apply to the International Organization for Standardization to get Korea's operational manual for drive-thru testing facilities accepted as a world standard.



The drive-thru testing center allows a possible patient to be questioned, examined and have samples collected while remaining in their car. While the first was deployed at Kyungpook National Medical Center in Daegu, Feb. 23, the central government designated the facility developed by the Goyang City Government in Gyeonggi Province as a Korean standard, March 4.



The drive-thru testing centers immediately drew the world's attention, and journalists, medical experts, diplomats and other countries sent inquiries to the Korean government on the procedural aspects of operating the facilities.



Together with the drive-thru center, the government is also pushing for its operation manuals on non-hospital facilities for the treatment of patients with light symptoms, test kits, walk-thru testing centers, and self-quarantine app to be made international standards.



Fifteen non-hospital facilities normally used as civil servant training centers were used to house 3,025 patients with mild symptoms, drawing positive feedback from infectious disease experts.



To respond to the growing demand for advice on handling COVID-19, the government drafted "K-Quarantine" manuals, explaining how it dealt with the pandemic.



The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported nine new COVID-19 infections, Monday, pushing up the total number of cases here to 10,761.



Among them, five involved people who had recently returned from overseas. The number of patients under treatment was 1,593, down 61 from the previous day.



Two of the new cases were healthcare workers who returned home after working in Daegu, the epicenter of Korea's COVID-19 outbreak.



The government said Wednesday, 507 confirmed patients are eighteen years or younger, 4.7 percent of the total. Boys accounted for 53.6 percent and those between 13 and 18 years old accounted for 58.3 percent. No deaths have been reported among them.



Separately, the KCDC said the COVID-19 pandemic was causing outbreaks of depression and anxiety among younger members of the population, and the number of cases of child counseling was growing fast.



Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said almost 380,000 undocumented workers remain vulnerable to the coronavirus, urging the government to address the issue quickly.



In Singapore, migrant workers' residences became infection clusters, raising the alarm here.



The KCDC said no undocumented worker has contracted the virus so far, but it was fully aware of infection risks among them and said it was coming up with measures to prevent them from becoming infected.


Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The G5 Sahel presidents Tuesday made a solemn appeal for international solidarity to help the sub-region in the fight against the multiple health, military, security, economic and social challenges in a context of global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)
In the early morning yesterday, a group of farmers gathered to help their neighbours with the killing of their flock.

Their support was both moral and practical. The slaughter of 6,000 birds, a free-range flock 10 years in the development with borrowings still to be repaid, was too much for one family to handle alone.

At 8am, a Department of Agriculture vet came to oversee the process. Five hours later, the last of the carcasses was accounted for and for the first time in 30 years, the yard was silent.

Avian flu has struck hard in Co Monaghan which supplies more than two-thirds of the country's eggs and much of its poultry.

Ten farmers have been hit in the last few weeks and half a million birds have been culled.

For the consumer, that means less choice on supermarket shelves with imported UK and Spanish eggs making up the shortfall. For the farmer, it means devastation.

"It was heart-breaking this morning," said the farmer who lost his flock yesterday. "I never went through anything like it in my life before and I hope to never again. It's probably the worst day of my life."

He asked not to be named as there is a fear of stigma or of creating a consumer scare.

H6N1, the strain of avian flu responsible, does not kill birds or pose a threat to humans but it leaves flocks drained with dramatically cut production.

Culling is not mandatory but realistically there is no choice. "You cull so you don't infect the next house along," the farmer said.

As it is not mandatory, there is no compensation from the Department of Agriculture.

Nigel Renaghan, IFA chairman for Ulster/North, said that has to change.

"There needs to be a fund set up with the supermarkets and packers contributing so that we can help farmers in this position," he said.

Environmentalists are concerned about the intensification of poultry farming in the region, warning that concentrating producers, many of industrial scale, is bad planning and results in ammonia emissions that can pollute the air, soil and water.

"And now we see the effect on the farmers themselves," said Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment. "When you have that number of birds so close together, controlling disease is extremely difficult."

Mr Renaghan said farmers take their responsibilities on this front very seriously. "It's in their own interests. Nobody's slacking on that," he said.

The free-range farmer added: "Flu is spread by wild birds too. There has been nobody inside the door of the hen house bar ourselves and we haven't been anywhere. We've done it by the book."

Mr Renaghan said many producers are now re-thinking staying in poultry.

The free-range farmer said he doesn't yet know what to think. The conversion to free-range in 2010 cost 300,000 and the flock just culled was worth 35,000. "There's bank payments to be made and I don't know where the next cheque is coming from. I only know where the next bill is coming from," he said.

Prices haven't risen in 10 years so there is little incentive but he added: "It's like Bord na Mona in the Midlands. If you take poultry out of north Monaghan, there's nothing left."

The Department of Agriculture said it was "working closely with representatives of the sector and flock owners to discuss a number of measures aimed at controlling the current outbreak".
On April 22, Haymarket Books hosted an online event entitled Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus. Additionally sponsored by New Press and Rethinking Schools, the webinar was attended by up to 1,500 people. The speakers were Seattle Public Schools ethnic studies teacher Jesse Hagopian, Cornell professor Noliwe Rooks and University of Washington Bothell professor Wayne Au.

It would be an understatement to describe the event as irresponsibly complacent. The forum was thoroughly indifferent and hostile to the fate of public education, the plight of education workers and students, while peddling divisive identity politics and support to the big-business Democratic Party.

Screenshot from the Haymarket event

Remaking Schools largely ignored the unprecedentedin fact existentialbudget cuts facing education. To the extent that the speakers addressed the cuts, the collective wisdom of the group was spelled out in craven fashion by panelist Noliwe Rooks who posed the problem as What is the least we can accept?

School districts across the US are beginning to announce massive budgetary shortfalls as they confront the transition to online learning, providing laptops or other devices to students, and maintain feeding programs. These measures, while horrific, will be only a down payment as workers and young people are forced to bear the economic brunt of the ongoing bailout of Wall Street. On April 16, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to cut $827 million from the citys education department next year.

Any teachers who may have mistakenly hoped the Haymarket broadcast would put forward a fighting program in defense of public education would have been sorely disappointed. The pseudo-left academics made clear not only that they accept the inevitability of massive cuts, school closures and privatization, butloyal union supporters that they aresimply asked to be consulted in the process. This reactionary pro-capitalist outlook was unsurprisingly combined with the promotion of the right-wing Democratic candidate for president, Joe Biden.

Despite the phony socialist pretentions of the webinar participants, this pro-capitalist stance is par for the course. A longtime union hack, Hagopian heads the Social Equity Educators caucus of the Seattle Education Association and played a despicable role in the betrayals of teachers struggles in 2015 and 2018. A former member of the now-defunct International Socialist Organization (ISO), Hagopian is an editor of Rethinking Schools magazine along with Au. Both have been spokesmen at Haymarkets Socialism Conference. Haymarket Books has operated a conduit of financing from the Democratic Party to the ISO and the pseudo-left ensconced within academia. Rooks, a professor at Cornell, has marketed herself as a black, female expert on race-based theories of public education.

Of course, educators should be very concerned that the ruling class is planning to drastically remake education. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, state tax revenues are anticipated to fall by $500 billion over the next three years as a result of necessary measures taken to halt the spread of COVID-19. In two announcements characteristic of the deep-going measures being adopted nationally, the governor of Hawaii plans to cut teacher pay by 20 percent and the Kentucky state senate has voted to withhold teacher pension funding if educators do not agree to cuts in retirement benefits.

When the overt crisis in New York City came up for discussion, Rooks acknowledged the state is looking at 50 percent in cuts and, Im hearing that story all over the country. But, signaling her terms, she said, given that, we just cant do what we did before. She elaborated, If you are going to consolidate schools, moving teachers around and coming up with experimental techniques, then you need, she explained, folks from the community at the table. Addressing herself to union members, teachers, activists, Rooks said, Now is the time to figure out, what is the least we can accept.  what will we lay our bodies in front of to keep from happening.

Denying the terrible effect such cuts will have on the entire working class, Rooks concluded by promoting her role as spokeswoman for various identities, concluding, we know the kids that will get the short end.

For his part, Hagopian introduced the idea that the current situation is a textbook example of Naomi Kleins shock doctrine, in which billionaires exploit moments of crisis to further line their pockets. But none of the panelists addressed the ongoing bailout of Wall Street to the tune of trillions of dollars or contrasted this endless enrichment of the elite to the mantra that there is no money for schools.

To do so would cut across their support for the unions and the Democrats. The recent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, supported by the Democratic Party, including former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and DSA member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, allocated a mere $30.75 billion for education, or 0.122 percent. Further, a substantial amount of this funding is being made available through block grants, allowing states substantial flexibility in spending these funds, including on charter schools and private and religious schools, or even to shore up other areas of their budgets.

Instead, Rooks expressed gratitude that this did not happen about 10 years ago, when it seemed to me the privatization movement was riding a little higher than maybe it is now. Expressing uncritical support for the Democratic Party, Rooks continued, saying Joe Biden has said very clearly, I think we need to be putting more money into traditional public schools, and not necessarily talking about the charter schools as much, or privatization as much or vouchers as much. About 10 years ago that was not the narrative. This happening then, I think we would have an organized movement for privatizing everything. Indicating once again that she preaches advocating for the least possible, she promotes Biden for not advocating privatization as much as Trump!

Hagopian and Au agreed with this sentiment, with Au saying, This would have been much scarier than it is now, and Hagopian adding, Had this happened a decade ago when they were just gaining steam for all their corporate education reforms, we would have been in real trouble. The pseudo-lefts, of course, deliberately cover over the fact that it was the Obama-Biden administration that spearheaded the privatization drive 10 years ago. Further, Wall Streets current plans for rationing education, including vastly expanding and profiting from online learning, are being ramped up.

Hagopian further falsified the struggles of the last two years, claiming, Over the last 10 years, weve built a massive resistance to that shock doctrine. Weve actually had incredible victories. Hagopian cited the worn-out lie that teachers strikes resulted in incredible victories, claiming inroads against high-stakes testing and support to undocumented students.

This amounts to a cynical cover-up for the role of the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers in betraying the struggles of teachers which arose largely independently of and in opposition to the unions. As the WSWS has extensively reported in the course of these teacher strikes, the unions were instrumental in shutting down the strike wave and pushing through sell-out agreements that failed to address the decades of defunding of public schools. This was done in cities like Chicago and Seattle in the name of social justice unionism, which accepted school closings and poverty pay in exchange for more ethnic studies and phony promises that have not been kept.

The only real demand expressed by these figures is that community membersby which they mean trade union bureaucrats and pseudo-left academics like themselvesbe involved in deciding what gets cut and how education is restructured in the future.

This fact was underscored when the group discussed a New York Times editorial that noted, A learning reversal of this magnitude could hobble an entire generation, the speakers appeared nonplussed. Au said, Part of me is sympathetic to that. Part of me also isnt, in the sense that, were already dealing with a system that was focusing almost solely on tested subjects. So, it was this hyper focus on a particular kind of academics that I dont think was particularly healthy for our students.

Not that Im opposed to folks learning about how to do math, or to read critically, or to write, so dont get that twisted, but its more about what is this whole focus on these very rigid notions of curriculum and things that are focused mainly on passing the test. What does that do to the quality of education overall? In this postmodernist vein, Au continued, Some things might be lost, but theres also going to be some things gained.  What do we feel like is important for us as communities and as people to learn about and be with in terms of knowledge in this world?

Educators, students and parents must reject the bankrupt perspective of this anti-socialist cabal of self-seeking, well-heeled pseudo-lefts. Rethinking Education has performed a service. It has once again exposed the pseudo-left and practitioners of identity politics as unapologetic advocates of capitalism. Teachers should have nothing but scorn for those such as Hagopian, Au and Rooks, who preach capitulation to the bipartisan attempts to destroy public education.

The WSWS Teacher Newsletter urges all educators to assimilate the lessons of the fight against the pseudo-left and begin the struggle to form rank-and-file committees independent of the unions and the two political parties of big business. Only a socialist policy can insure that children can be educated and provided with a future. The vast wealth squandered on Wall Street and the military must be seized and redirected to fund all the social needs of the working class, including halting the pandemic and providing universal access to high quality public education.
Ronan Hughes appeared before the High Court in Dublin via videolink (Handout/Essex Police/PA)

A 40-year-old man facing extradition to the UK on 39 charges of manslaughter and a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration has been described in court as the ringleader of a criminal gang.

Ronan Hughes, from Silverstream, Tyholland in Co Monaghan, appeared before the High Court in Dublin via videolink.

He faces 39 charges of manslaughter and a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration in connection with the deaths of 39 migrants found in a refrigerated lorry container in Essex.

Expand Close Police activity in 2019 at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook

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Hughes was arrested last week in Co Monaghan by police in the Republic of Ireland in response to a European Arrest Warrant.

A solicitor for Hughes made a bail application on Wednesday, which prosecutors made a number of objections to.

The 39 Vietnamese nationals were found in a lorry container parked on an industrial estate in Grays on October 23 last year.

Ten teenagers, including two 15-year-old boys, were among those found dead.

On April 8, Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey in London.

Expand Close Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Maurice Robinson (Elizabeth Cook/PA) PA / Facebook

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He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property at the same court on November 25.

He is due to be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Sergeant James Kirwan, of the Gardas Extradition Section, told the High Court on Wednesday that he had strong objections to Hughess bail.

The court heard that UK authorities described Hughes as the chief organiser of the criminal group involved in bringing illegal migrants into the UK.

The court was also told that Hughes had previous road traffic and smuggling convictions in the Republic of Ireland and in the UK.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling five million cigarettes and evading almost one million euro (873,000) in excise duty.

Sgt Kirwan also said that very large sums of money were involved in bringing illegal migrants into the UK and that Hughes was the ringleader.

The court heard that Hughes had a large number of vehicles and 210,000 euro (183,400) of his money was frozen across 33 bank accounts relating to Hughes and his family.

The officer also said he had the ability to abscond from justice as he had connections across Europe and the financial means to leave.

The court heard he had interest in a villa in Florida and also used an address in Armagh to register his UK licence and mobile phone.

Sgt Kirwan said he was objecting to bail as Hughes would have knowledge of various ports, and had connections across the UK and Europe.

Hughes told the court he would be willing to abide by a curfew and sign in at a garda station every day, and comply with other terms.

The judge is due to give his ruling on the bail application on Thursday.
HUNTINGTON, Ind., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeast Indiana Bancorp, Inc., (OTCQB: NIDB), the parent company of First Federal Savings Bank, has announced that the Corporation will pay a cash dividend of $0.27 per common share. The dividend will be payable on May 28, 2020 to shareholders of record on May 14, 2020.

Northeast Indiana Bancorp, Inc. held its twenty-fifth annual shareholders' meeting April 28, 2020. The shareholders selected Dr. J. David Carnes and William A. Zimmer as directors of the company for terms to expire in 2023.

The book value of NIDB's stock was $35.43 per common share as of March 31, 2020. The last reported trade of stock at the close of business on April 28, 2020 was $29.25 per common share and the number of outstanding shares was 1,210,327 as of the same date. The annualized dividend yield is currently 3.7% when annualizing the current quarter cash dividend of $0.27 per common share against the April 28, 2020 closing price of $29.25 per common share.

Northeast Indiana Bancorp, Inc. is headquartered at 648 N. Jefferson Street, Huntington, Indiana. The company offers a full array of banking and financial brokerage services to its customers through its main office in Huntington and five full-service Indiana offices in Huntington (2), Warsaw and Fort Wayne(2). The Company is traded on the OTC Markets Group, Inc. (www.otcmarkets.com) utilizing the OTCQB platform under the symbol "NIDB". Our web site address is www.firstfedindiana.bank.

SOURCE Northeast Indiana Bancorp, Inc.

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LONDON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Forex broker FXTM has picked up the coveted title of Best Trading Experience at the 2020 World Finance Forex Awards. Founded in 2011, the company has established a reputation for innovation and global collaboration.

Since its inception, FXTM has adopted a forward-thinking, client-centric approach. In recognising that there has been a shift in trading behaviour as the popularity of mobile trading continues to increase, the company aspires to continue to innovate and expand on the adaptation of different cutting-edge technologies to meet the needs of different traders.

In an article published in the latest edition of World Finance magazine, the company shared the benefits of adopting a true mobile-first approach and the importance of engaging with clients in the product development process. The company routinely invites real users to participate in the design and usability testing of new products and services, and shared a recent case study showing the commercial benefits of following this approach.

Lex Webster, CCO of FXTM, commented, "As a company, we always strive to delight our customers with innovative solutions built around their needs. The 2020 World Finance Award for Best Trading Experience is a testament to the hard work of our teams and such recognition motivates us further to provide our clients with exceptional experiences."

The firm also received praise from the World Finance judges for its transparency, particularly concerning risk. FXTM always informs clients that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage, with 73 percent of retail investor accounts losing money when trading CFDs with FXTM. At all times, you should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

To read more about FXTM's case study and its expected developments in the forex market, pick up the latest copy of World Finance magazine, available in print, on tablet and online now.

www.worldfinance.com

World News Media, the parent company of World Finance, is a leading publisher of quality financial and business magazines, which enjoys a global distribution network that includes subscriber lists of prominent decision-makers around the world.

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Barclay Ballard

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+44-(0)-20-7553-4177

barclay.ballard@wnmedia.com
(TNS)  The COVID-19 pandemic has fanned public concerns that the coronavirus could be transmitted by handling cash, according to a recent report by the Switzerland-based Bank of International Settlements, prompting merchants and members of Congress to contemplate more sanitary, hands-off digital payment systems.Although the BIS report says the scientific evidence suggests the probability of coronavirus transmission through banknotes and coins is low compared with other frequently touched objects, consumer anxiety about physical forms of currency could speed up the trend towards cashless, touchless payments.The pandemic has already led one of Congress most prominent proponents of innovative financial technology to introduce legislation that would reduce the physical contact a consumer must make with payment terminals and related objects when making an in-store purchase.Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., a member of the House Financial Services Committees Task Force on Financial Technology, last month proposed legislation that would establish that any swipe, dip or tap transaction at a merchant point-of-sale terminal wouldnt trigger a signature requirement.Republicans on the Financial Services Committee said in a memo when the legislation was introduced March 12 that innovation in credit and debit transaction verification means that signatures for such transactions are no longer necessary, and eliminating the practice can cut down on the spread of the virus.The purpose of my legislation is to lessen the amount of direct person-to-person contact that happens during point-of-sale transactions to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Hill toldlast week. He said he hopes the bill will not only help the short-term effects of the pandemic, but can also have longer-term impacts by bringing awareness and potential modernization to our current payment infrastructure.Hills legislation has the support of the Financial Services Committees top Republican, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry of North Carolina.We cant take on a new threat with old tactics, McHenry said in a written statement when the bill was introduced. We need to take a 21st century approach to combating the impacts of a public health crisis in our modern world.The BIS report notes that because the novel coronavirus survives best on nonporous materials, such as plastic or stainless steel, debit or credit card terminals or PIN pads could transmit the virus too.The Electronic Transactions Association, an advocate for public policies that foster financial technology, points out that experts believe the coronavirus can remain viable as many as five days on plastic and four days on paper, which raises issues about the use of credit cards, terminals, cash and receipts.Public curiosity and concerns about the role of paper money have manifested in online activity. The number of internet searches referencing both cash and virus is at record highs, according to the BIS report.The United States, along with Australia, France, Singapore, Switzerland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Jamaica and Kenya have had the highest recent search interest.Some nations have taken steps to reduce the amount of physical contact consumers must make at the point of sale. Financial authorities, banks and card networks in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and elsewhere are making more transactions eligible for contactless payments, according to BIS researchers. Contactless card payments, which have been rising sharply in European and Asian countries over the past few years, dont require entering a PIN for small transactions.In the United States, the payments industry has spotted an accelerated shift away from cash and a trend towards contactless payments, ETA CEO Jodie Kelley toldShe pointed to a survey by the association that found 27 percent of small businesses that accept contactless payments  meaning payments by mobile phone apps such as Apple Pay or contactless debit or credit cards  saw increases in their use after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey of merchants was conducted between March 27 and March 30.A widespread move towards a contactless, cashless payments system raises some concerns, however, about the impact on lower-income consumers, often members of minority groups who do not have access to mobile payment capabilities or credit and debit cards.A realistic assessment of the risks of transmission through cash is particularly important because there could be distributional consequences of any move away from cash, the BIS reports cautions. If cash is not generally accepted as a means of payment, this could open a payments divide between those with access to digital payments and those without. This in turn could have an especially severe impact on unbanked and older consumers.Kelley acknowledged the concerns, noting that there are 55 million unbanked or underbanked consumers in the U.S. But she said the payments technology industry is committed to bringing digital payments and other financial services to underserved consumers, citing efforts by companies such as Amazon and PayPal.She said the move toward contactless payments will outlive the current health crisis and become a permanent fixture in the payments ecosystem. As consumers increasingly use contactless forms of payment, we think theyll find the user experience to be positive, and well see contactless take off in this country, she said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had an intimate 'catch up' over the phone with the Queen last night.

The country has just relaxed parts of its coronavirus lockdown and Ms Ardern said the Queen was 'interested in what's happened here'.

The prime minister posted a picture of herself on the phone on Instagram on Tuesday night, detailing how the Queen showed her 'affection for New Zealand' during the call.

Ms Ardern posted a picture of herself on the phone to Instagram on Tuesday night, detailing how the Queen showed her 'affection for New Zealand' and interest in what's happening there

Queen Elizabeth II (left) and NZ PM Jacinda Ardern (right) at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018. The pair had an intimate 'catch up' over the phone about New Zealand's progress with COVID-19 on Tuesday night

'A few days ago we got a wee note to say that the Queen wanted to catch up and see how everyone in New Zealand was getting on in the midst of COVID-19,' Ms Ardern wrote in the post caption.

'It was such a treat to speak with Her Majesty tonight. Her affection for New Zealand, her interest in what's happening here and her memory of places and events that are special to us never ceases to amaze me.'

The Queen last visited New Zealand to share her Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, stopping at Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington along the way.

Despite last visiting the country 18 years ago, Her Majesty still has a 'memory of places and events that are special to us', according to Ms Ardern.

The NZ PM announced on Monday that her country has 'achieved elimination' of coronavirus within its borders.

'There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand,' Mr Ardern declared. 'We have won that battle.'

The Queen visited New Zealand to share her Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002. Despite last visiting the country 18 years ago, Her Majesty still has a 'memory of places and events that are special to us', according to Ms Ardern

New Zealand moved from alert level 4 to Llvel 3 of lockdown on Tuesday, meaning that shops and schools can re-open while public gatherings of 10 people are now allowed for weddings and funerals.

There were also huge queues outside restaurants and cafes - including McDonald's - as they reopened on Tuesday morning.

Borders could soon be re-opened between Australia and New Zealand under a 'travel bubble' scheme being discussed by Ms Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

New Zealand has suffered only 1,124 confirmed cases and 19 deaths - including just two new cases in the last 24 hours - after moving quickly to impose a lockdown in March.

Meanwhile in Australia, there have been 6,729 confirmed cases of coronavirus, which have resulted in 89 deaths, as of Wednesday.
Most Chandigarh schools are not in favour of resuming classes in May even if the lockdown is relaxed.

The response comes a day after the UT education department sought inputs from schools on whether they wanted reopen on May 3 or May 15, maintaining social distancing among students.

District education officer, Alka Mehta, said, 90% of the schools in Chandigarh informed that they were not in favour reopening in May as it was difficult to ensure social distancing among students. A few schools informed that they might think of resuming classes of senior students appearing for board examinations but in a phased manner.

Sources also hinted at the prolonged closure of schools in the city because of increasing number of Covid-19 positive cases. The total number of positive Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh on Wednesday evening stood at 68.

Officials said schools may resume working in July. Mehta said the admission process will be initiated in June after and the classes will start in July.

She said admissions will follow a normal course of action.

The UT education department has chalked out a proposal to allow specific schools to collect monthly fees if the lockdown is extended. Education department had earlier instructed the schools to display their balance sheets on their websites.

Officials said that the schools with tight purses will be allowed to collect monthly fees so that they can pay their staff and meet obligatory expenditure. However, the proposal awaits nod of higher authorities.

The proposal comes days after the Independent Schools Association (ISA) wrote to UT administrator VP Singh Badnore seeking withdrawal of the directive on delayed fee payment.

Rubinderjit Singh Brar, director school education, Chandigarh, refused to comment on the matter.
Local poultry farmers have called for concrete interventions by the government to strengthen the industry and keep businesses alive.

Ghana spends over 350 million dollars annually to import poultry products.

As a result, the government has mooted an idea to increase local production and ban importation by the year 2023.

The President of the Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association Michael Nyarko-Ampem, in a Citi News interview, assured that they have the capacity to produce for local consumption once these interventions are made.

The farmers are really ready and we can ramp it up. It takes only about six (6) weeks to eight (8) weeks to get a broiler ready for the market. Once the market is assured, making it possible to get the birds to the market is not a problem at all. It is very achievable, he said.

Poultry farmers beg gov't to reduce chicken imports

The Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana (GAFPA) called on government in November 2019, to reduce the importation of chicken ahead of the festive season to save the local poultry industry.

The Association said then the local poultry farmers incur losses as consumers opt for imported chicken over the broilers produced in the country.

Vice President of the Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana, Michael Ampem said The imported chicken has been with us for more than two decades. It is affecting us and the money people have to pay in engaging workers. The importation doesn't employ people. It rather employs people in other countries. It is just the end products which are the birds that come. So if we reduce the importation, it will create employment.

Data

In Ghana, data shows that in 2017, over 135,000 tonnes of frozen chicken, which is about 112 million birds, was imported from the European Union.

The figure was a 76 percent increase over what was imported in the previous year.

Estimatedly, there is an annual increase in chicken consumption of about six percent in the country.

---citibusinessNews
BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Wednesday that it received reports of 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, of which 21 were imported.

The other new case was domestically transmitted in Guangdong Province, the National Health Commission said in a daily report.

Two suspected cases imported from abroad -- one in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the other in Shanghai -- were reported.

No deaths were reported Tuesday on the mainland, according to the commission.

Altogether 23 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery Tuesday, while the number of severe cases remained unchanged at 50.

As of Tuesday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 82,858, including 647 patients who were still being treated and 77,578 people who had been discharged after recovery, the commission said.

Altogether 4,633 people had died of the disease, it said.

By Tuesday, the mainland had reported a total of 1,660 imported cases. Of the cases, 1,107 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 553 were being treated with 22 in severe conditions. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported.

The commission said that 10 people, including seven from abroad, were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

According to the commission, 8,283 close contacts were still under medical observation after 627 people were discharged from medical observation on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, 26 new asymptomatic cases, including five from abroad, were reported on the mainland. One domestic asymptomatic case was re-categorized as confirmed case, and 29 people, four of whom were from abroad, were discharged from medical observation, according to the commission.

The commission said 993 asymptomatic cases, including 131 from abroad, were still under medical observation.

By Tuesday, 1,037 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 45 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 429 in Taiwan including six deaths.

A total of 811 patients in Hong Kong, 33 in Macao and 307 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery.
The Operation Re-Open Chattanooga protest will be held on Sunday from 12-2 p.m. on Market Street from 4th Street to Frazier Avenue.

"In the past six weeks since The Great Shutdown started, weve flatted the coronavirus curve and kept hospitals from being overwhelmed," said Brendan Jennings with the Chattanooga Tea Party. "That was the primary reason given for the shutdown. The president and governors listened to medical experts. For the first time in history, the healthy were quarantined as well as the sick.

"Now, Governor Lees started Phase One of a three-phase statewide reopening. But many businesses remain closed and the governor has yet to determine when things will get back to 'normal.' In the meantime, a lot of collateral damage has occurred.

"It all happened so quickly and easily. So we are gathering to help persuade local and state leaders to expedite the complete reopening and restoring of our full constitutional rights.

"Please help us urge Governor Lee and local leaders to completely Re-Open Tennessee, Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Write or call local and state leaders to reform quarantine powers of the governor and mayors to require approval/input from legislative bodies after a defined duration. Our system is built on checks and balances that were not actively engaged."

Walkers and drivers are asked to bring signs and practice safe distancing.

For more information, visit https://www.chateaparty.com/.






Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 28, 2020) - Pima Zinc Corp. (OTC Pink: RAEWF) (the "Company"), is pleased to announce the appointment of new directors to the board and the appointment of a new executive management team for the Company. The new team is comprised of Daniel Nauth and David MacMillan, as directors of the Company, Albert Contardi as Chief Executive Officer and director of the Company and Mr. Arvin Ramos as Chief Financial Officer.

In connection with the foregoing, the Company announces the resignation of John Dyer as Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Company, Brian Stecyk as Chief Executive Officer and Directors and the resignation of Conan Taylor as a Director of the Company. The Board of Directors and management would like to thank Messrs. Dyer, Taylor and Stecyk for their contributions to the Company and wish them every success in their future endeavors.

About the New Management Team and Directors

Brief biographies of the members of the newly appointed Board of Directors and management team of the Company are as follows:

Daniel Nauth, Director - Mr. Daniel Nauth practices U.S. securities and corporate law and advises both public and private issuers on U.S.-Canada cross border capital markets, M&A and corporate/securities transactions and regulatory compliance. Mr. Nauth holds a J.D. from Queen's University and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) from York University. Mr. Nauth is a licensed Foreign Legal Consultant in the Province of Ontario. Mr. Nauth has extensive advisory experience in a range of industries, including mining and oil/gas, emerging biopharmaceutical and medical devices, medicinal cannabis, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

David MacMillan, Director - David Macmillan is an entrepreneur with extensive experience building start-ups using public markets across multiple industries. Mr. MacMillan holds an MSc in International Economics from the University of Glasgow, where he graduated first in his class. He also holds a BA in economics from McGill University and is a CFA charterholder.

Albert Contardi, Chief Executive Officer and Director - Mr. Contardi is a consultant/adviser with over 15 years of legal, investment and capital markets experience. He is currently President of Generic Capital Corporation, a Toronto-based EMD finance firm. Mr. Contardi's expertise involves advising and structuring corporate finance transactions in the mining, tech and bio-tech sectors to maximize the value of projects/assets. He has been called to the Ontario Bar and is a graduate of Queen's University Law School.

Arvin Ramos, Chief Financial Officer - Mr. Arvin Ramos holds a degree in commerce and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. Mr. Ramos has over 17 years of business experience, having supported a broad range of industries, including mining, technology and banking. Mr. Ramos serves as CFO of several junior mining companies.

In addition, the Company intends to participate in the blanket relief program announced on March 18, 2020 (the "Blanket Order") by the Canadian Securities Administrators (the "CSA") extending deadlines to file financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"), the Company confirms that is relying on the relief therein in respect of its annual 2019 financial statements and MD&A, which it expects to file by the end of May. Until the Company has filed such financial Statements and MD&A, insiders of the Company are subject to the Company's share trading and black-out policy.

Other than as previously disclosed by the Company, there have been no material business developments since the date of the interim financial statements that were filed on November 29, 2019

About Pima Zinc Corp.

Pima Zinc Corp. is a Cayman Island based exploration company listed on the OTC Market (OTC Pink: RAEWF) and is focused on zinc exploration and development.

For further information, please contact:

Arvin Ramos

Chief Financial Officer

aramos@resourcesgroup.ca

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55070
In the wake of an Oregon Supreme Court ruling last week that overturned long-standing precedents declaring campaign contribution limits in Oregon elections unconstitutional, Portland election officials say they will enforce a voter-approved $500-per-donor limit starting Monday.

The high court said contribution limits dont violate Oregonians right to free speech, but asked lower courts to decide if $500-per-donor limits, approved first by Multnomah County voters and then by Portland voters, are too low.

Portland city election officials say theyll begin enforcing the voter-approved $500-per-donor limit after the Oregon Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned a Multnomah County Circuit judges decision declaring campaign contribution limits in city elections unconstitutional. But they wont retroactively enforce the cap, according to Deborah Scroggin, city elections officer.

It opened the door and its what we needed to enforce the contribution limit, Scroggin said. The news comes three weeks before the May 19 primary election.

Portland voters in 2018 approved Measure 26-200, which amended the city charter to limit individual or political committee donations to $500 per election cycle in city races, limit campaign spending and require campaigns to disclose the main funders behind ads and other campaign messages as well as impose other restrictions.

Multnomah County voters approved a similar measure in 2016.

Honest Elections Oregon, a political action committee, organized both measures.

Groups including the Portland Business Alliance challenged both voter-approved rules in court, saying they violated the Oregon Constitutions prohibition on limiting free speech.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Eric Bloch in March 2018 struck down parts of the county rule including on contribution limits and did the same to parts of the Portland rule in June 2019, saying they were unconstitutional.

Honest Elections Oregon and the county appealed the first ruling to the Oregon Court of Appeals, which subsequently referred the case to the Oregon Supreme Court.

Honest Elections Oregon and the city also appealed Blochs ruling in the Portland case to the Oregon Court of Appeals, which decided in December to suspend the challenge until there was a ruling in the Multnomah County case.

Portland officials initially said the county ruling had no bearing on the city because the Portland-specific limit was still being appealed.

But attorneys for the city and members of Honest Elections Oregon filed a motion Friday with the Appeals Court asking for the case to be sent back to Multnomah County Circuit Court for reconsideration in light of the Supreme Court ruling.

Portland elections officials had previously dismissed campaign finance complains made by Ron Buel, an Honest Elections Oregon member, against Mayor Ted Wheeler, mayoral challenger Ozzie Gonzalez and city commissioner candidate Jack Kerfoot for accepting contributions of more than $500. The limits were not in effect due to the court ruling, they ruled.

Wheeler announced in November that he would limit contributions from individuals to $5,000 and from organizations to $10,000. On Friday, Wheeler said in a statement that his campaign would limit contributions going forward to $500 overall in light of the Supreme Court ruling. He also called on state lawmakers to establish uniform campaign contribution rules in 2021.

The reality in our state is that we operate under different sets of rules and limits at the state, city and county levels, Wheeler said in the statement. This injects a unique complexity into our elections that makes it difficult for campaigns and unfair to voters who want to know that the elections they participate in are run with integrity and transparency and without unlimited sums of money.

Wheeler was found in violation of new city elections rules last Monday by the city auditors office for not properly disclosing his largest campaign contributors on his re-election website or two campaign social media accounts. City election rules that took effect with this election cycle require candidates to prominently list the top five donors whove given more than $1,000 on campaign communications.

Later that night, Wheeler during a televised mayoral debate on KATU said his campaign was trying to get more clarification about the rules from the auditors office, a query which the auditors office later said his campaign hadnt made. Wheeler also erroneously said, every single one of the candidates here today is in violation of the rules.

Records show that most other mayoral challengers havent raised $1,000 from a single donor and one of his debate competitors, Sarah Iannarone, is enrolled in the citys public campaign finance program and cant accept more than $250 from a single donor.

Scroggin said since Sunday, her office has received more than 120 new campaign finance complaints. She said her office is still organizing and processing the complaints, but the city does not plan to not issue violations for contributions over $500 received before Monday.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Fujian Province of China sends gift of personal protective equipment (PPE) for Oregon healthcare professionals and frontline workers

WILSONVILLE, April 28 (People's Daily Online)  Chinas Fujian Province, which has been Oregons sister state since 1984, is gifting the state with 50,000 medical face masks. The masks will be delivered to Oregons Office of Emergency Management (OEM) for distribution to counties, which will allocate them to frontline workers.

The 50,000 masks are in addition to 12,000 masks recently provided by Ambassador Wang Donghua, Consul General of the Peoples Republic of China in San Francisco, as a gift to the people of Oregon.

The Oregon China Council (OCC)  a non-profit association dedicated to supporting economic, educational, and cultural exchanges between Oregon and China  facilitated the receipt of these masks. Before Governor Kate Browns Stay at Home Order went into place, OCC frequently hosted forums and exhibitions on Oregon-China topics and sent trade delegations annually to China to champion Oregon goods.

We are thrilled to receive this generous and critically-needed safety equipment from our friends in China, said Jin Lan, Oregon China Coalitions long-time President. This humanitarian aid is unprecedented and truly is the culmination of many years of relationship-building.

The masks are provided and delivered at no cost to Oregonians through the generous financial support of the Heren Charitable Foundation. Fujian-based Xiamen Airlines flew masks from the Fujian Province to Los Angeles, where they will be routed to a Wilsonville distribution center by truck.

This pandemic has served as an important reminder that were all in this together, said Andrew Phelps, Director of the Oregon office of Emergency Management. This generous gift is evidence that international friendships are vital and mutually beneficial, especially in times of crisis. We hope to pay it forward in the future.
Boeing Co is working with investment banks on a multibillion-dollar bond-fueled financing package, aiming to shore up its balance sheet amid a sharp travel downturn from the pandemic, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The preparations reflect Boeing's confidence that it can tap the capital markets to strengthen its finances, even as the largest US planemaker weighs seeking government aid.

Boeing has lined up investment banks to potentially market an offering to bond investors in the coming days, provided that market conditions are favorable, the sources said, cautioning that the exact timing and size of the offering had not been decided. The proceeds could amount to $10 billion or more, depending on investor demand, one of the sources added. The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Boeing declined to comment. The company is expected to elaborate on its funding options when it unveils its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Boeing has also considered applying to the U.S. Treasury Department for aid under a $17 billion program for companies that are critical to national security, according to the sources. But Boeing's chief executive, David Calhoun, has been wary of the strings attached to such aid, especially the possibility that the company would have to give the government an equity stake.

Boeing is also examining the funding support available to companies from the Federal Reserve, one of the sources said. One of Federal Reserve's newly established programs, the Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility, will provide support to companies issuing bonds without placing any strict conditions on them, such as limits to dividend payouts or executive compensation.

Calhoun told investors during the company's annual shareholder meeting on Monday that the company would need to borrow more over the next six months.

Credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service Inc estimated this month that Boeing's funding needs could top $30 billion in 2020. The company secured about half of this by drawing down on a $13.8 billion credit line in March, Moody's said. Boeing also suspended its dividend.

Boeing is trying to bring its 737 MAX jet back into service after two fatal crashes, even as the aviation industry is hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has dried up demand for passenger air travel.

The 737 MAX jet is expected to remain grounded at least until August, as the manufacturer continues to grapple with software issues, people briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

Boeing's first-quarter deliveries were a third of the 149 seen a year earlier and the lowest since 1984 for the first quarter.

The Chicago-based company also canceled a $4.2 billion deal for Embraer SA's commercial aviation division over the weekend, prompting the Brazilian company to initiate arbitration.

On Monday, Boeing unveiled new voluntary layoff offers (VLOs) to employees. Boeing spokesman Bernard Choi said on Tuesday that "several thousand employees taking VLO or retiring is our expectation."

Also read: Banks borrow only Rs 2,000 crore from RBI's Rs 50,000 crore liquidity facility for MFs on Day 1: Report
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended overhauling the structure of television audience measurement agency, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), saying there were concerns over the neutrality and reliability of the existing system.

The ministry of information and broadcasting notified the policy guideline for television rating agencies in India on January 10, 2014, under which the industry-led body BARC was accredited to carry out the ratings in India.

In a statement issued by TRAI secretary SK Gupta, the regulator said several concerns relating to neutrality and reliability of the existing rating system have been raised by stakeholders, which necessitated a need to review the existing television audience measurement and rating system.

After a consultation process involving all stakeholders, the broadcasting sector regulator recommended that structural reforms are required in the governance of BARC to mitigate the potential risk of conflict of interest, improve credibility and transparency.

The composition of BARC Indias board should be changed as part of the proposed structural reforms, TRAI said. It recommended that the board should have at least 50% independent members which should include one member as a measurement technology expert, one statistician of national repute from among the top institutions of the country and two representatives from the government or regulator.

The restructured board of BARC India should provide for equal representation of the three constituent industry associationsAdvertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA)and with equal voting rights irrespective of their proportion of equity holding.

TRAI also recommended that the tenure of the members of the BARC India board shall be for two years. Active participation of representatives of the advertisers and the advertising agency will bring more accuracy, transparency, credibility, and neutrality in the system, due to their inherent need of advertisers to reach viewers accurately, it said.

The constituent industry associations shall be entitled to nominate their representatives to the board membership subject to the condition that a cooling period of four years shall be applicable between two consecutive tenures.

BARC should be at an arms length from its own subsidiary, Meterology Data Pvt Ltd, which is the sole data collecting agency for BARC, as of now; so that the entire process of measurement is carried out independently to ensure inherent checks in data inconsistency, the regulator said.

The rating agency should be mandated to increase the sample size from the existing 44,000 to 60,000 by the end of 2020, and 100,000 by the end of 2022 using the existing technology, it added.

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As the nationwide lockdown hits supply chains, more than 12 consumer goods companies have begun selling directly to consumers.

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) majors Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Mondelez, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Dabur, and Colgate are improving last-mile delivery by breaking traditional supply chains, The Economic Times reported.

FMCG companies have tied up with ecommerce companies such as Dunzo, Scootsy and Swiggy, the report said. The companies' sale staff has even reached out to resident welfare associations (RWAs).

"These partnerships are a vindication of the power of collaboration as no brand alone has answers to fulfil the needs of the nation during these unprecedented times," B Sumant, executive director at ITC, told The Economic Times.

India is currently in a nationwide lockdown till May 3 to contain the spread of COVID-19. Only essential items can be manufactured and sold during this period.

Several FMCG companies and retailers have faced supply chain disruptions due to delays in the movement of trucks and shortage of staff.

Dabur has tied up with online delivery services to improve supply to retail stores and households.

"Our sales officials are reaching out to RWAs across the country and ensuring the availability of our range of immunity boosters," Mohit Malhotra, chief executive of Dabur, told the publication.

ITC, P&G and Modelez have partnered with Swiggy. ITC has also formed arrangements with ApnaComplex, NoBroker, MyGate, Dunzo, and Zomato, the report said.

While retailers had begun partnering with ecommerce companies in the initial days of the lockdown, FMCG companies have started doing so only recently.

Mondelez has also partnered with Delhivery and Scootsy, while P&G has also formed arrangements with Dunzo and Zomato, the report added. Dunzo also has a tie-up with Britannia
KUDO Introduces Managed Private Cloud Solution KUDO started as a SaaS product back in 2018, but we soon realized the need for Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution for a select number of high-profile clients is paramount and we invested in product and engineering to make it possible.

KUDO Inc., the leading Language-as-a-Service platform for online meetings, has introduced a new and fully secure solution with dedicated cloud infrastructure in support of multilingual online meetings.

KUDOs Managed Private Cloud (KMPC) has the security and privacy of meetings as its core concern and is designed to meet the most stringent requirements for enterprises, organizations, and government agencies. KMPC infrastructure is monitored 24 hours per day, seven days of the week, to guarantee the confidentiality, integrity, and availability for the client and their meeting data. All data in the platform  in transit or at rest - is encrypted using the latest and most secure encryption algorithm (AES-128 and AES-256), using the client's own encryption key. This will ensure end-to-end encryption (E2EE), dedicated SSL, IP Whitelisting, and regional cloud infrastructure based on the client's compliance needs. We currently support USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia as optimized regions for servers, media, and storage. KUDO platform is compliant with GDPR.

KUDO started as a SaaS product back in 2018, says Parham Akhavan, CTO and co-founder of KUDO. But we soon realized the need for Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution for a select number of high-profile clients is paramount and we invested in product and engineering to make it possible., he adds.

KUDO promises clients a smooth deployment of this new infrastructure, in full compliance with relevant internal policies and a variety of services such as DNS coordination, configuration, subdomain or domain alias, SSL import, and more.

Fardad Zabetian, CEO and co-founder of KUDO says the company is investing time and resources in streamlining this process, due to increased demand. Our engineering team can design, deploy, and deliver KUDOs Managed Private Cloud to any client in under two weeks.

KUDO still offers its SaaS-based multilingual web conferencing solution on a global scale with high security with end-to-end encryption.

About KUDO

KUDO is a cloud-based collaboration platform that enables web meetings and live conferences with real-time multilingual language interpretation. KUDO supports effective and inclusive meetings by allowing people and businesses to overcome communication barriers and speak their own language. Accessible from anywhere, on any device, KUDO redefines possibilities in global communication. KUDO, Inc. is a New-York based technology startup founded and managed by language and conferencing industry insiders looking to bring people together. More info at http://www.kudoway.com
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Russia's hybrid military forces used proscribed 152mm and 122mm artillery systems.

A Ukrainian soldier was killed in an attack mounted by Russia-led forces in Luhansk region on April 28.

"Despite the [post-Easter] period for remembering the dead, enemy troops deployed in a residential area of the village of Holubivske [violated the ceasefire], using 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, which are prohibited by the Minsk agreements. They also used automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and rifles to attack our defenders," the press center of the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook on Tuesday evening. "The invaders deployed near the city of Pervomaisk opened fire from 152mm artillery systems. Two shells exploded near Zolote disengagement site No. 2."

"Unfortunately, as a result of the shelling, one serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine received a fatal shrapnel wound," it said.

Read alsoUkraine's foreign minister speaks in favor of regular meetings of Normandy Four ministers

The Joint Forces' Command expressed deep and sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the killed soldier.

"Such criminal actions by the Russian invaders are carried out deliberately on the eve of a video conference of Normandy Four foreign ministers," it said. "It is clear that the invaders want to make the Joint Forces fire back so that they could accuse the Ukrainian army of disrupting the peace agreements."
The show must go on.

Thats the philosophy of the Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF), which due to the pandemic has switched to a virtual format for its sixth annual event.

Online subscribers will be able to access 29 films, including feature-length movies, documentaries and Connecticut-connected shorts, from May 1-3. They also will have access to video messages and online panel discussions with filmmakers. Later this year, in-person events such as a gala and additional screenings and panels are expected to take place.

Ginger Stickel, GIFF executive director, said the decision to move forward with this years festival was made in mid-March, after all programming and locale details had been finalized for a physical festival set to begin in late April.

Our goal is to make it as user-friendly as possible for the general public and filmmakers, Stickel said of the virtual approach.

This can be particularly important for filmmakers, who are allowing their passion projects to be accessed on a platform unfamiliar to them. Its important to have a secure environment that filmmakers have complete trust in, she said.

For subscribers, the new format offers more flexibility than having to attend screenings at special times and locations. People can log in when convenient for them and watch from the comfort of their homes, Stickel said.

The three-day festival includes films from eight countries. Many focus on societal issues such as bullying, sex abuse, suicide, post-traumatic stress syndrome, psychiatric drug impact, criminal justice and family relationships.

The nonprofit GIFF was founded by all women, has an all-female staff and seeks to highlight topics involving human rights, education, the environment and health care.

More Information GIFF screenings Documentaries: "Bastards' Road" directed by Brian Morrison "Bullied" directed by Thomas Keith "Driven to Abstraction" directed by Daria Price "The Euphoria of Being" directed by Reka Szabo "For Walter and Josiah" directed by Jamie Elias "The Hoy Boys" directed by Dave Simonds "Medicating Normal" directed by Lynn P. Cunningham "Music Got Me Here" directed by Susan Koch "A Peloton of One" directed by Steve Mallorca and John Bernardo "Women of Earth" directed by Isadora Carneiro "Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations" directed by Andrew Goldberg Narrative features "Another Year Together" directed by Dan Simon "The Bellmen" directed by Cameron Fife "The Black Emperor of Broadway" directed by Arthur Egeli "Family Matters" directed by Stanley Kolk "High Tide" directed by Veronica Chen "Team Marco" directed by Julio Vincent Gambuto "Time Is Precious" directed by Miguel Molina "Woman of the Photographs" directed by Takeshi Kushida Connecticut shorts "Caro in 10 Minutes" directed by Caroline Johnson "Conviction" directed by Jia Wertz "Elvis" directed by Connor Rog "Greta" directed by Sparkman Clark "Mommy's Nightmare" directed by Jonathan Wayne Napolitano "Morning Mourning" directed by Dana Greenfield "The Old Man" directed by Devin Peluso "The Other Side" directed by Josh Leong "This Body Has No Text" directed by Sophie Bardos "Wax Paul Now" directed by Val Bodurtha, Rebecca Shaw and Sophie Mann See More Collapse

Our lineup of films will inspire viewers, Stickel said. We love to entertain but our primary focus is promoting positive change.

Half the featured directors this year are women. We place an emphasis on seeking out and supporting female talent, Stickel said.

The festivals year-round events traditionally attract about 10,000 people, including celebrities, film distributors, prospective financiers and film industry rising stars.

The top GIFF award for Best Social Impact Film Award comes with a $10,000 prize. Other awards are for Best Connecticut Shorts Film and, based on subscribers votes, the Audience Award.

Arthur Egeli, director of the feature The Black Emperor of Broadway, said hes impressed with all the work done by festival organizers to put together the virtual format. If this is the new normal, Im in, he said.

Egelis film is about Charles Gilpin, a black actor who achieved theatrical fame and respect in the 1920s despite bigotry but remains largely unknown today. Gilpins career went downhill after an artistic disagreement with playwright Eugene ONeill. Gilpin didnt like using the n-word in the successful ONeill play he starred in and was replaced in the role.

Its about the battle between two great artists  one who wrote something and the other who interprets it, Egeli said. Which is the most important?

The movie, based on a play, is one of five films nominated for the Best Social Impact Award. Its not a feel-good movie but a tragedy, he said.

Egeli lives on Cape Cod and previously made a film about ONeill. Hes directed multiple movies, sold screenplays and is an award-winning painter.

Newtown native Dana Greenfield directed Morning Mourning, one of the 10 short films with Connecticut affiliations. Greenfield directs plays throughout New York City and this is her first film. It tells the story of two odd sisters grieving their mothers death at her gravesite and was filmed at a cemetery near Greenfields home in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Its a sweet and unexpected portrait of two girls coping with tragedy and right now, more than ever, we need to find how to deal with difficulties with love, she said.

Stamford resident Val Bodurtha is co-director of the short mockumentary Wax Paul Now, focusing on an attempt to get Madame Tussauds in Times Square to display a waxed statue of actor Paul Giamatti. She led the movement with friends Sophie Mann and Rebecca Shaw, her co-directors, receiving national media attention in the process. Bodurtha is a humor, TV and film writer, stand-up comedian and author.

Bodurtha said Giamatti, who appears in the film, is mostly supportive of the cause. He has always been very warm to us but that shouldnt be mistaken for overly enthusiastic, she said in apparent jest.

This years festival will include an interview with Matthew Heineman, an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker who grew up in Darien and New Canaan.

Heineman has made films and docu-series on a legendary war reporter, the horrors of ISIS, Mexican drug cartels, the opioid crisis and Alzheimers disease.

A 2020 virtual pass costs $175, or $100 for seniors, students, healthcare workers and first responders. More expensive tickets are available that include gift bags, gala tickets and future screenings. Subscribers will receive a unique user log-in they can use to watch films and other content on their computer or TV.

Some GIFF proceeds are used to promote the arts locally and support charities.

Stickel credited the GIFF team for working quickly to put together the virtual festival, noting everyone also was dealing with personal challenges due to the pandemic.

The staff has since been contacted by other film festivals about how to put together an online format. Its nice being a trailblazer, Stickel said.

For information about the festival, visit greenwichfilm.org.
By Express News Service

TPURAM/KANNUR: As the state is making preparations for bringing back non-resident Keralites stranded in foreign countries because of the Covid-19 spread to the state, the Kochi-headquartered Air India Express, as well as airports, have expressed their readiness for evacuation. While Kannur International Airport Ltd MD V Thulasidas has said the airport is ready to receive the people from abroad, Air India Express has communicated to the state government that its aircraft are ready to take off if the Centre gives the nod for evacuation as suggested by the state, according to government sources.

The budget airlines parent company, Air India, in fact, has a history of evacuating people from Beirut during the Lebanon crisis and Amman during the Gulf War. Air India Express had recently switched its passenger aircraft to cargo flights, after the DGCA nod, to meet its operational revenue. The last time Air India took off for evacuation was during the time of Covid-19 itself in January this year for bringing back Indians from Wuhan in China and Rome in Italy.

As many as 18 aircraft of Air India Express are now stationed in the four airports in the state, which can be pressed into service anytime if the Centre gives the green signal for evacuation, a source said. The airline, which operated 28 arrivals and 28 departures from the four airports in the state daily before the lockdown was declared, can bring around 5,000 passengers from the Gulf at one go.

Plans at Kannur airport

The Kannur airport authorities, meanwhile, held a meeting with revenue and health officials on Monday to discuss about the arrangements to be made at the airport. Three airline companies have expressed their willingness to start their operations to the UAE, said Thulasidas. The airlines have been asked to schedule their operations according to the directions from the Central government after the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

As per the discussions held on Monday, the passengers who arrive would be checked at the airport itself. Apart from the thermal scanning, they would also be subjected to detailed examinations. The passengers who show symptoms would be shifted to the Covid treatment centre and their baggages disinfected. Passengers who show mild symptoms would be shifted to the temporary Covid surveillance centre which would be set up near the airport.

Those who show no symptoms would be sent to their houses with quarantine instructions. They will have to spend 14 days in home isolation. Police and health workers would be entrusted with monitoring their movements. Those who land at the airport would be categorised based on their district and taluk. The details of people would be collected at the local body level and scrutinised at the district level.
The Associated Press/ Civilian Office of Police Accountability

Video released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability have shown the moment Chicago police shot an unarmed man twice at a subway station.

The footage from the Chicago Transit Authority and police body-cams demonstrate in detail how the shooting of Ariel Roman took place on 28 February after he was pulled up for violating a city ordinance.

In the most graphic moments of the footage, cameras reveal how police shot Mr Roman once at the foot of a subway escalator and then again with his back turned to officers while he tried to run away.

Mr Roman, 33, survived the incident but was severely injured. The officers involved have been stripped of their police powers pending the outcome of an investigation.

Before the shooting unfolds Mr Roman is seen changing transit cars through the carriages gangway doors, a violation of city ordinance, before being confronted by two officers and being asked to leave the car.

In later security footage after Mr Roman has wrestled with officers, he is seen running up to the top of the escalator after the first shot is fired. While his back is turned one of the officers shoots him again in the back and he collapses to the floor.

The first bullet damaged his small intestine and bladder, and the second one entered his buttocks and lodged near a sciatic nerve, according to Mr Roman's lawyers.

A video of the incident posted on social media in February taken by a bystander, showed the officers tackling Mr Roman to the ground and a different perspective of the short-order cook running from officers up the escalator.

The shooting brought into question whether the states police department is complying with a multifaceted court-monitored reform plan aiming to reduce excessive force from officers.

While managing the Covid pandemic is the top priority, Mayor Lightfoot must address another crisis in Chicago and that is the use of excessive and lethal force by Chicago police officers, Andrew M Stroth, one of Romans Chicago lawyers, said.

Story continues

At the time Chicagp Mayor Lori Lightfoot branded the shooting extremely disturbing, based on initial bystander footage

The officers involved could face criminal charges if the shooting is deemed unjustified during the investigation.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

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In Syria rebel stronghold, building makeshift ventilators to fight virus A volunteer wearing gloves builds a prototype ventilator to help combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the rebel-held Idlib city

By Khalil Ashawi

IDLIB, Syria (Reuters) - A team of volunteers in Syria have cobbled together prototypes of a ventilator and a testing machine - homemade equipment to fight the new coronavirus if it hits the last rebel stronghold, where hospitals lie in ruins after nine years of war.

The group of 12, mainly technicians and engineers, hope to build hundreds of makeshift machines to combat the pandemic in Syria's northwest, where an army advance made nearly 1 million people homeless this year.

"If coronavirus cases start to surface here, it will spread widely," said Ayoub Abdul-Karim, a 20-year-old graduate who specialized in medical equipment. "We're working on this today because there won't be enough machines. We suffer in the hospitals from a big lack of ventilators."

His homemade ventilator is assembled inside a brown wooden box, with white plastic hoses sticking out to help the patient breathe.

Doctors worry that people in overcrowded camps would be impossible to protect if an outbreak hits the area. The region, home to 3 million people many of whom fled other parts of Syria, has no confirmed cases so far, but little testing has been done. There is only one machine to run a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect the virus.

The volunteers have so far tried out their prototype ventilator at a hospital and have the green light from local doctors. They hope to get funding or equipment from aid agencies in the northwest and across the border in Turkey to produce hundreds of the breathing machines - critical to keeping COVID-19 patients alive.

While the virus has forced the world's big cities into lockdown, Syrians crammed in refugee camps and makeshift settlements face grave risks. Clean water is often scarce, illnesses are rife and social distancing is nearly impossible.

A truce that Russia and Turkey brokered in March has brought some calm, halting the army's offensive.

"There are very few ventilators, much less than the need if the coronavirus spreads, and this had us very worried," said Yamen Abu al-Walid, 37, who helped set up the team to bring together expertise and try to meet the region's needs.

"The infrastructure is destroyed. We risk having many deaths if the disease strikes if there's no preparation."

(Reporting by Khalil Ashawi in Syria; Writing by Ellen Francis in Beirut; Editing by Peter Graff)
South Africa reported its highest daily coronavirus infection in a 24-hour cycle Wednesday, just a day before the countrywide lockdown moves down to the phase-4 of a five-phase plan to combat COVID-19.

There had been a 73% daily increase in confirmed COVID-19 infections, with 354 new cases taking the total to 5,350, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Wednesday evening.

There were also 10 deaths overnight, raising the toll toll to 103.

The Health Department attributed these large figures to a proportionate increase in the number of tests conducted.

"The total number of tests conducted to date is 197,127, of which 11,630 were done in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of tests done in a 24-hour period, representing a 66% increase relative to the previous day's tally.

"Additionally, we have also recorded the highest COVID positive result yield from a 24-hour cycle of testing at 3%," the statement said.

The department also expressed concern that that the number of new cases in the Western Cape Province had almost doubled from 133 on Tuesday to 264 on Wednesday.

"In the past 24 hours, the Western Cape contributed to 75% of the total new cases nationally, while only contributing 30% of total tests over the same period.

"These concerning trends have prompted us to plan for additional support to be deployed to the province to help contain the spread of COVID-19. The province has been asked to recruit additional personnel and 30 Cuban doctors will also be sent to reinforce the human resource capacity."



As many as 200 doctors from Cuba who arrived in South Africa on Monday are currently in quarantine before being deployed to assist local medical personnel across the country.

South Africa has been on an extended 45-day national lockdown that ends on April 30.

From May 1, the country will be on the phase-4 of the lockdown, during which there will be slight changes, mainly allowing prepared food deliveries and the sale of cigarettes, both of which were previously prohibited.

Some industries will be allowed to gradually start operating again, with strict restrictions regarding number of workers, social distancing and PPE availability.

A decision which was expected this week on the reopening of schools and other educational institutions has been deferred to an indefinite date amid reports that many schools will not be ready for the required social distancing and sanitisation processes; as well as concerns raised by both parents and teachers about the risks involved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana has offered to Delhi some of its complexes there to house the state's residents employed in the national capital and having to to commute daily from there amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij j on Wednesday said state Chief Minister M L Khattar had a telephonic talk with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday evening during which he raised the matter with him.

Asked if Haryana has offered some of its complexes, including those of Irrigation Department and PWD flats in the national capital to accommodate state residents employed in Delhi, Vij said, Yes, the chief minister had a word in this regard while speaking to Kejriwal over phone. We have offered some of our complexes...

Vij said the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation should also make use of several other guest houses, hotels and other complexes to accommodate the employees.

In Haryana too, we are currently using hotels, state government tourism complexes and rest houses to accommodate various categories of government employees. They can also do the same, said Vij, who is also the state's health minister.

Vij reiterated that many of the coronavirus cases in Haryana's NCR districts, including those in Sonipat, Gurgaon and Faridabad, have their origins in infections emanating from the national capital.

He said the daily movement of employees working in Delhi to their residences in Haryana increases the risk of the COVID-19 spread.

He said the state's borders with Delhi were sealed with essential services allowed but stricter restrictions imposed on those coming in from the national capital.

We are not going to give any kind of relaxation and stricter measures will remain in place for the time being, he said.

Notably, in the wake of rising coronavirus cases, authorities in Faridabad on Wednesday ordered restrictions over movement of government employees and regular people from other districts or states.

According to an order issued by Faridabad's Deputy Commissioner Yash Pal, those government employees and regular people who commute daily from other districts or states, their movement has been stopped with effect from 12 pm on April 29.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union (AU) and the Government of Rwanda have decided to postpone by one year the second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2020) in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fair was set to take place from September 1 to 7 in Kigali, Rwanda.

This decision was endorsed by the IATF2020 Advisory Council during its sixth meeting held virtually on April 26, after careful assessment of the situation, said a statement.

Organised by Afreximbank in collaboration with the AU, the second IATF will still be hosted by the Government of Rwanda and is now scheduled to take place from September 6 to 12 in Kigali. It will now be dubbed IATF2021.

Afreximbank President Prof Benedict Oramah said the continuing Covid-19 pandemic situation was not conducive to holding such an important pan-African event.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced governments, corporations and individuals to take unprecedented measures to ensure public safety, he said. It is our responsibility to comply with these measures to protect our host country and ensure the health and safety of all delegates, exhibitors and participants who have confirmed or expressed interest in taking part in the second edition of IATF.

Stressing the need to enable participants to fully benefit from the opportunities offered by the trade fair, Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union, said that the postponement would allow stakeholders to focus on the urgent collective task of responding to the pandemic.

We are facing an unprecedented health crisis. This is the time to join efforts to also mitigate the impact of the pandemic on African economies. We have agreed that the second IATF needed to take place in a more favourable context to enable African countries and companies to take full advantage of the Trade Fair, which will now become an element of their recovery strategy, said Muchanga.

Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda, reiterated the commitment of the Government of Rwanda to the success of the trade fair.

The reality we are confronted with today as we fight the spread of Covid-19 has prompted us to look at various factors which will undoubtedly impact African businesses and investors this year. In partnership with Afreximbank and the AU Commission, Rwanda is looking forward to the second IATF in 2021 to boost intra African trade, which is more than ever crucial to the development of our continent, Hakuziyaremye said.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, IATF Advisory Council Chairman and former President of Nigeria, said: We offer sincere condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those who have lost their lives because of the coronavirus. We also wish all those who have been affected by the virus speedy recovery. We hope that this pandemic will soon be overcome to enable normal businesses to resume and underpin the forthcoming trade fair."

The Advisory Council also decided to postpone the third edition of IATF from 2022 to 2023 to be in line with the two-year intervals between IATF events. - TradeArabia News Service
Published on:

28 April 2020



Bilal Bin Saqib outside a hospital in London Bilal Bin Saqib outside a hospital in London

Bilal Bin Saqib studied Business Management at Queen Mary and graduated in 2011. He went on to found BBS&Co, a digital marketing agency, and Tayaba.org, a non-profit organisation that helps water-deprived communities in Pakistan. This year, Forbes named him among their 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs for Asia.

One Million Meals

Bilal founded One Million Meals with his brother Momin Saqib, restaurateur Suleman Raza, and corporate thought leader Arif Anis after being moved by stories of NHS staff going hungry during long shifts.

One ambulance unit said that they were without food for hours, with no time to go out to grab a meal and unable to order food deliveries due to the lockdown, said Bilal.

We almost cried after receiving these messages. People believe that the NHS has billions of pounds and the staff can afford meals as they are well paid. However, they forget that they are on the war front and it is not a question of affordability  it is a question whether we are standing by those who are putting their lives on the line, he added.

Overwhelming demand

So far, the campaign has fed over 5,000 meals to staff at more than 47 hospitals in the UK, with local restaurants contributing meals and companies like Innocent, Biotiful and Yakurt donating their products. There has been an overwhelming daily demand from over 70 hospitals, and this looks set to rise even further.

One Million Meals are accepting donations via GoFundMe to help them meet the demand, and are encouraging people to raise awareness of the initiative among their local communities and restaurants.

People can do this from the safety of their homes as they isolate themselves, while we at One Million Meals will work with our partners to deliver meals to the hospitals, Bilal said. With your support, we can continue to feed our frontline heroes daily.

More information
Officials say move will create more than 60,000 jobs as govt aims to help those who lost jobs due to COVID-19 lockdown.

When construction worker Abdul Rahman lost his job to Pakistans coronavirus lockdown, his choices looked stark  resort to begging on the streets or let his family go hungry.

But the government has now given him a better option: Join tens of thousands of other out-of-work labourers in planting billions of trees across the country to deal with climate change threats.

Since Pakistan locked down on March 23 to try to stem the spread of COVID-19, unemployed day labourers have been given new jobs as jungle workers, planting saplings as part of the countrys 10 Billion Tree Tsunami programme.

Such green stimulus efforts are an example of how funds that aim to help families and keep the economy running during pandemic shutdowns could also help nations prepare for the next big threat: climate change.

Due to coronavirus, all the cities have shut down and there is no work. Most of us daily wagers couldnt earn a living, Rahman, a resident of Rawalpindi district in Punjab province, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He now makes 500 rupees ($3) a day planting trees  about half of what he might have made on a good day, but enough to get by.

All of us now have a way of earning daily wages again to feed our families, he said.

The ambitious five-year tree-planting programme, which Prime Minister Imran Khan launched in 2018, aims to counter rising temperatures, flooding, droughts and other extreme weather conditions in the country that scientists link to climate change.

Big risks

The Global Climate Risk Index 2020, issued by think-tank Germanwatch, ranked Pakistan fifth on a list of countries most affected by planetary heating over the last 20 years  even though the South Asian nation contributes only a fraction of global greenhouse gases.

As the coronavirus pandemic struck Pakistan, the 10 Billion Trees campaign was initially halted as part of social distancing orders put in place to slow the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 14,880 people in Pakistan, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

But earlier this month, the prime minister granted an exemption to allow the forestry agency to restart the programme and create more than 63,600 jobs, according to government officials.

A recent assessment by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics found that, due to the lockdown, up to 19 million people could be laid off, almost 70 perfect of them in the Punjab province.

Abdul Muqeet Khan, chief conservator of forests for Rawalpindi district, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the planting project is in full swing.





Much of the work is happening on 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of land near the capital Islamabad, he said, as well as on other tracts of state-owned forest land around the country.

This year, the programme is employing triple the number of workers it did in its first year, said Malik Amin Aslam, climate change adviser to the prime minister.

Many of the new jobs are being created in rural areas, he said, with a focus on hiring women and unemployed daily workers  mainly young people  who were migrating home from locked-down cities.

The work, which pays between 500-800 rupees ($3-5) a day, includes setting up nurseries, planting saplings, and serving as forest protection guards or forest firefighters, he said.

All the workers have been told to wear masks and maintain the mandated two metres (six feet) of social distance between them, he added.

This tragic crisis provided an opportunity and we grabbed it, Aslam told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

Nurturing nature has come to the economic rescue of thousands of people.

Extended help

According to Germanwatch, Pakistan reported more than 150 extreme weather events between 1999 and 2018  from floods to heatwaves  with total losses of $3.8bn.

Environmentalists have long pushed reforestation as a way to help, saying forests help prevent flooding, stabilise rainfall, provide cool spaces, absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions and protect biodiversity.

According to green group WWF, Pakistan is a forest poor country where trees cover less than 6 percent of the total area.

With 7.5 billion rupees ($46m) in funding, the 10 Billion Trees project aims to scale up the success of an earlier Billion Tree Tsunami in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the government has been planting trees since 2014.

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About 30 million Indigenous saplings have been planted in Punjab since the start of the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami  including mulberry, acacia and moringa  said Shahid Rashid Awan, project director for Punjab province.

This year, the project hopes to hit 50 million trees, he said.

Planting season usually ends in May, Awan noted, but programme organisers plan to extend the initiative to the end of June, to keep workers employed for longer.

We can absorb all the unemployed labourers and workers who have fled the cities and returned to their villages in the past few weeks. This is unskilled work, he said.

Recovering with dignity

Rab Nawaz, of WWF-Pakistan, said the governments move is a very good idea to create green jobs and get people employed.

But he cautioned that planting trees is just one tool in the fight against climate change, saying there also needed to be an investment in improving the ability of farmers and city dwellers to adapt to the effects of a hotter planet.

The government should be very selective on how it spends money, and focus on resilience, he urged.

For Aslam, the green jobs initiative is a way to help Pakistans workers recover from the coronavirus crisis with dignity and avoiding handouts.

This has taught us the valuable lesson that when you invest in nature it not only pays you back, but also rescues you in a stressed economic situation, he said.
Edwin Poots has revealed how he struggled to deal with his profound grief following the death of his 90-year-old father last week.

Charles Poots was one of the founder members of the DUP, but his son received condolences from across the political spectrum.

The Agriculture Minister told the Belfast Telegraph he would miss his beloved dad's friendship, company and advice.

"I saw him virtually every day in life. You just don't anticipate him not being there and it comes as a bit of a shock to the system whenever it happens," he said.

Mr Poots, who lost his 64-year-old mum Ethel when he was 30, said he believed he would have been more prepared for his father's death.

"You think you are sort of prepared mentally, but it transpires that you're not," he added.

"I found it very difficult to deal with my mother's death because we had a very close relationship and it was a real wrench," he said.

"I thought with dad, because his whole body was worn out and he was ready to go, that it wouldn't be as difficult, but it was very difficult.

"When someone is in your life for 54 years, it's very hard. Dad reared me, we worked together and he was at our house virtually every night for his dinner, particularly after my mum died."

Mr Poots was in recent years helping his ailing father to bed three nights a week. He has found it "strange not having to do that" since his death.

"It's hard that we don't have his company or his friendship any more. His direction and advice are all gone. It's harder to hold a family together when you lose both parents," he said.

Mr Poots, who lived in the family farmhouse close to his dad's bungalow, added: "I just miss his presence. He's not at home anymore."

The late Mr Poots had been receiving treatment at the Ulster Hospital after falling at home earlier this month.

His death last Thursday morning came just a day after the death of Jim Donaldson, the father of DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

Mr Poots recalled how his father, who was being cared for in a non-Covid ward, had been doing well in terms of recovery but then took a turn for the worse.

It brought him some comfort to be able to say goodbye in person.

"We got to be with him in his final hours, which was very important," he said.

"It made me all the more acutely aware of what people who are losing loved ones with Covid are going through. (They) haven't the opportunity to properly express their goodbyes.

"They can't hold their hand and kiss their forehead and do all those things that you would normally do when you're losing a loved one - and that's extremely sad."

The Lagan Valley MLA said a funeral service was held at home last Saturday.

"Four of my dad's grandchildren were overseas and my son, Samuel, who's a missionary in Brazil, led the ceremony online, which was at 7.15am for him," Mr Poots said.

"Another nephew was in Australia and it was at 8.15pm for him.

"There were others in South Africa who were all able to attend the funeral too in that way. That was a very precious time."

"Our minister was there, but it was almost exclusively family who participated in the service. My son reflected on various stories about Dad and that made it very intimate, very personal and very special."

Praising his father for being a "very determined and resilient man", Mr Poots said he "implanted that same determination and resilience" in his children.

"Whenever something was difficult or tough, he wasn't the type of person who would give up or who would let you give up," he said.

"I remember one day being out on the farm and we were driving in posts.

"It was on the side of a hill and the wind was blowing and the rain was coming down sideways.

"I complained about the weather in the hope that we would just pack up the tools and go home.

"And he said, 'You're neither sugar nor salt, son. You'll not melt. Get on with it'. "

Mr Poots added: "It was tough love and it was all about staying the course when the going gets tough."

The former Health Minister said he had been touched by the kind words he had received from across Northern Ireland.

Mr Poots also stressed that he believed there were areas of life in which people could go beyond politics.
The CARES Act, which set aside about $14 billion for higher education, reserved money for universities and colleges based on the number of students it enrolled and how many of them came from low-income backgrounds. Half of the money that schools received must be used to offer students emergency financial aid grants, and the rest of the money can be put toward other costs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The High Court has heard that a Monaghan man is alleged to be "the ringleader" and "chief organiser" of an organised criminal group who trafficked 39 migrants found dead in a lorry container in Essex last year.

The court was told today that haulier Ronan Hughes is alleged to have "organised, paid for the travel and controlled the drivers who collected the migrants."

Evidence was heard at today's bail hearing that 200,000 had been frozen in 33 bank accounts linked to Mr Hughes and his family and that the accused had last year bought a 2019 BMW X5, valued at 108,000, which has since been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Mr Justice Paul Burns will deliver a decision tomorrow on whether the owner of the haulage firm will be granted bail ahead of his extradition hearing.

Mr Hughes (40), of Leitrim, Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan is wanted by authorities in the UK to face 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Mr Hughes was arrested on the evening of April 20 at his home in Co Monaghan following the endorsement of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by the police in Essex.

Mr Hughes and his younger brother Christopher (34) have been wanted in connection with the deaths since the beginning of the investigation, with Essex Police making an extraordinary live appeal last November for the siblings to hand themselves in. Their trucking firm is based in Tyholland, about 7km from the Armagh border.

The eight women and 31 men had arrived in England last October on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium. The youngest of the victims were two boys aged 15.

The haulier was joined by video-link from Cloverhill Prison today and wore a face mask for the two-hour hearing. He is the second man from Northern Ireland to be arrested here on a EAW as part of the Essex police investigation.

At todays bail hearing, Detective Sergeant Jim Kirwan of the Garda Extradition Unit told counsel for the State Ronan Kennedy SC that gardai were strongly objecting to bail due to the seriousness of the charges.

Reading from the warrant, Det Sgt Kirwan said it is alleged that Mr Hughes had unlawfully killed 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found dead in the back of trailer in UK between October 22 and 24, 2019. It is alleged the migrants had been brought into the UK illegally by Mr Hughes and his co-conspirators. Vietnamese nationals require a visa to enter the UK and given the circumstances in which the victims were transported it followed that those involved were aware that they had no right to enter the UK, he said.

Mr Hughes, it is alleged, had also conspired with others to facilitate the illegal entry of people including the 39 deceased persons into the UK between May 1, 2018 and October 24, 2019. Migrants were allegedly smuggled into the UK from Belgium in commercial trailers owned or operated by Mr Hughes, said Det Sgt Kirwan. He said it was alleged that "Mr Hughes organised, paid for the travel and controlled the drivers who collected the migrants".

Continuing to read from the warrant, Det Sgt Kirwan said: "On October 15 2019 [Ronan] Hughes arranged for his driver Maurice Robinson to deliver trailer number GTR128D to Mr Eamon Harrison in France. On October 16, 2019 Hughes travelled to Essex.

"On October 17 2019 Harrison collected cakes and biscuits in Belgium and drove to Dunkirk, France. There was no legitimate reason for him to have travelled to France. He then drove to Zeebruge where it travelled by sea to the UK. [A named man] collected the trailer and drove to Collingwood Farm.

"[A named man] and Hughes also travelled to the farm at the same time. After leaving the farm [a named man] and Hughes travelled together to an industrial site where attempts were made to disguise the fact that people had been in the trailer. When [a named man] delivered the load to the intended recipient it was rejected due to signs that people had been in the container. Later that day Hughes returned to a hotel in Essex where he met Robinson and [a named man]. [A named man] was seen to give Hughes a bag. Later that day Robinson took the trailer GTR128D to Purfleet where it travelled to Belgium and was collected by Harrison.

"On October 22 2019 Harrison takes the trailer GTR128D to Dunkirk, France where a witness saw people entering the trailer. As on October 17 Harrison had no legitimate reason to travel to France. Before taking the trailer to Zeebruge Harrison makes two stops in Belgium. Temperatures within the trailer suggest that the doors were opened during these stops. The trailer travelled to Purfleet by sea.

"When booking the ferry Hughes falsely declared that the trailer as carrying a load of biscuits. On 22 October 2019 Robinson is waiting in Purfleet and is taken to Collingwood farm. Robinson then collects the trailer from the port in Purfleet. In order to enter the port he used a pin number provided to Hughes by the ferry company. Robinson drives a short distance before opening the rear doors and discovering the occupants. 39 Vietnamese men and women are dead. Robinson first telephones Hughes and the emergency services who arrive at 01.49 and declare that all 39 migrants are dead.

"The deceased died from lack of oxygen caused by being sealed within a container with insufficient air to sustain life. The ferry entered UK territorial waters at 19.43. An expert witness concludes that taking into account the temperature increase and phone usage by the victims, they all died between 20.00 and 22.00 hours," he concluded.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes is alleged to be the "chief organiser" of the organised criminal group involved in bringing illegal migrants into the UK. Essex police said this group was organised for the purposes of financial gain, he added.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes faces a life sentence in prison if convicted of the offences and he has the means and ability to flee at the appropriate time. He had been identified by Essex police as the organiser and there was extensive phone and CCTV evidence, he indicated.

He said Mr Hughes has previous convictions in this jurisdiction and the UK for road traffic offences and smuggling convictions. He said Mr Hughes was sentenced to 30 months in prison for evading almost 1 million worth of excise duty for smuggling five million cigarettes into the UK.

The witness testified that Mr Hughes was alleged to have previously visited Maurice Robinson at his home and paid him 25,000. Det Sgt Kirwan said this was what Mr Robinson had told police in relation to the conspiracy.

Det Sgt Kirwan said that very large sums of money are involved in this business and drivers are paid large sums of money to deliver people. He described Mr Hughes as the alleged "ringleader", who had allegedly made a substantial amount of money from this illegal activity.

He said it was believed that the respondent has access to quite a large number of vehicles and has "extensive business interests". Det Sgt Kirwan pointed out that 200,000 had been frozen in 33 bank accounts linked to Mr Hughes and his family. He owns a time-share in a villa in Florida and has an address in Armagh.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes has "huge connections" throughout Europe, has trailer units registered to him and his haulage business is registered in Bulgaria. "Given the nature of his work, he has great familiarity with various ports throughout Europe and how to exit and enter them and he has the whereabouts to flee the jurisdiction at the appropriate time," he indicated. The court also heard that he bought a 2019 BMW X5 valued at 108,000 last year, which is now in possession of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

The witness also indicated that not all vehicles associated with Mr Hughes had been located by CAB and it was believed that vehicles were removed from his yard at Tyholland on October 24, 2019, when the bodies of the migrants were discovered. His family home in Monaghan is on an individual site adjacent to his father's house, finished to a very high standard and it was financed without a mortgage.

Det Sgt Kirwan said Mr Hughes had the ability to abscond and it was the belief that should the High Court grant bail and then order his surrender, he would not present himself to be handed over to the UK authorities.

Under cross-examination, Remy Farrell SC, for the respondent, put it to Det Sgt Kirwan that his client had not left the jurisdiction since he became the subject of the investigation despite having ample opportunity. In reply, Det Sgt Kirwan said that "the bar has been substantially raised" since he was called upon for questioning by police and there was now a "greater incentive" for Mr Hughes to flee the jurisdiction as he was now being sought to be charged.

Mr Farrell said the warrant had not described Mr Hughes as the chief organiser of this operation. "It says he is the organiser and the owner of this company," he replied.

Mr Hughes gave evidence today via video-link. He told Mr Kennedy that he had told his solicitor to make contact with gardai and the PSNI last October to let them know where he was living and that he was ready to cooperate with them through his legal team. He said he knew there was going to be a EAW for him.

The respondent told Mr Kennedy that he looks after his father, who is not well with a lung disease and is not fit to do anything for himself. He agreed that he would surrender his passport, observe a curfew and sign on at Monaghan Garda Station on a daily basis if granted bail.

Mr Hughes said he understood that Det Sgt Kirwan considered him a very significant flight risk and agreed that they were serious offences. He further agreed that he had declined to come forward as part of a public appeal by UK authorities to speak to police.

Mr Hughes said he had been involved in his haulage business since 2009 and he was aware it was a very substantial operation. He said he had travelled extensively as a driver and agreed he had got a Northern Ireland driving licence some years ago. He said only some of the 200,000 which had been frozen by CAB belonged to him. He said his business had turned over 500,000 or 600,000 in 2017 and denied he had a time-share in Florida. Mr Kennedy asked Mr Hughes if he was making a substantial profit from his business and he replied: "The haulage business isnt very profitable".

Mr Justice Burns will deliver his decision on the bail application tomorrow morning at 10.30am.

Last week, Det Sgt Jim Kirwan told Mr Kennedy that he arrested Mr Hughes as part of a planned operation at 5.15pm on April 20 at Leitrim, Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan on foot of the warrant and cautioned him.

Eamon Ronald Harrison (22), of Mayobridge, Co Down has already appeared in court here and has been granted leave to appeal his pending extradition to the UK in May under the terms of the EAW. He is wanted to face 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Last Friday, the Court of Appeal was told by Mr Kennedy that a charge of conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act had been withdrawn by UK authorities against Mr Harrison. The court heard that this would shorten the appeal hearing on May 7.

It is alleged that Mr Harrison delivered the trailer, in which the bodies of eight females and 31 males were found in an industrial park in Grays, Esssex on October 23 last, to a Belgian port before its onward journey to Britain. The cargo was recorded as biscuits.

Earlier this month Maurice Robinson (25), of Craigavon, Co Armagh, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property. He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property. He will be sentenced at a later date.

The High Court in Dublin has heard that the sealed refrigeration unit was not turned on and that the people inside died from oxygen starvation. Temperatures inside the unit rose to 38.5 degrees before it steadily reduced, and police discovered bloody hand prints inside.
Nurses are being redeployed from to a private nursing home on the Laois Offaly border where eight residents tested positive for Covid-19 but did not have the staff to cope, according to the operators.

Oakdale Nursing Home, Portarlington issued a statement about the shortage of nurses following a meeting with the HSE.

It said a meeting took place to address the situation between Valerie Moore, the General Manager, Mary Dunne, Assistant Director of Nursing in Oakdale and the Director of Nursing from Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise and a representative from the HSE, arrangements are now in place for the HSE to relocate staff to Oakdale.

"I am pleased to confirm that a successful meeting took place in our Nursing Home this morning and nurses are being redeployed from both hospitals in Portlaoise in Tullamore," said Ms Moore.

"This is a welcome development as it will guarantee the continuation of our standards of care for all our residents and give our own hard-working and caring staff an opportunity to have a few days off and recharge batteries. It will help re-assure families that their loved ones can remain in Oakdale and be cared for as normal," she said.

She thanked Sandra McCarthy and her colleague Karen Cliffe from the HSE for their help in providing with nurses. She also thanked local GPs, the consultants in Portlaoise hospital for their advice and guidance and the HSE for Public Health and PPE support.

"Finally, to confirm that our eight residents who tested positive for Covid 19, continue to improve in our isolation unit and to thank our wonderful staff for their ongoing efforts. Thanks to the many volunteers and well-wishers young and old and the local community in Portarlington and prayer groups for being so supportive to us during these stressful days," she said.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group has been asked for a comment.
(Alliance News) - Trident Resources PLC on Wednesday said it intends to cancel the trading of its shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

The company - which was formed in 2018 to look for mining assets in either the advanced exploration, pre-production, or production stage - said it expects the last day of trading on the main market to be May 29. The company was admitted to trading on the main market in October.

In March, Trident said it would move into mining royalties as it announced the AUD7.0 million acquisition of a 1.5% free-on-board mining royalty at the Koolyanobbing iron ore mine in Western Australia.

The company said it wants to move from the main market to AIM and will be renaming itself to Trident Royalties PLC.

Shares in Trident are currently suspended as the Koolyanobbing acquisition is deemed a change in strategic mandate.

By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Come Monday morning, Linda and Quent Cordair will do something that six weeks ago was considered quite harmless.

They will open their doors for business at their downtown Napa art gallery Quent Cordair Fine Art on First Street.

What makes this particular Monday noteworthy is that by doing so the Cordairs are publicly defying the countys order that non-essential businesses remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were prepared to risk fines, arrest, or jail, said the couple in an open letter to the public. But, We are facing financial ruin if the gallery is not able to reopen, said Quent Cordair on Monday during a phone interview.

While the couple is able to sell art online, We have no income coming in from walk-in visitors, he said. Every day that we are not open will make it harder for us to recover.

The gallery is joining the debate playing out nationally with states and cities trying to decide when and how to restart the economy while the COVID-19 virus still moves through communities, taking lives.

According to the couples letter, dated Monday, there is no emergency in Napa County and no evidence of an imminent crisis from COVID-19. Our hospitalsKaiser, the Queen, Adventist Healthare all fine.

As of Tuesday, there had been two deaths and 66 cases in the county.

The letter was posted on social media, sent to elected representatives and ran on the Registers opinion page on Tuesday.

Napa County has not come anywhere close to being overwhelmed by COVID-19, Quent Cordair said in an interview. If we all continue to be careful, theres no reason that local retailers cant operate in the same way that Target, Walmart and even realtors are permitted.

Its past time to start re-opening the local economy, with care, sensible precautions, continued and increased testing, and attentive monitoring, their letter stated.

Quent Cordair said their plan to admit a limited number of customers into their downtown Napa gallery will be as safe or safer than venturing to big box retailers or the supermarket  all of which are permitted and highly trafficked.

The majority of the couples Facebook friends seemed to support their decision.

I would visit if I lived closer! wrote Facebook user Tamara Caggiano.

Fantastic! wrote Facebook user Laurie Weleff. Good luck to all and I hope other businesses join you.

Good move! wrote Facebook user Bryan Heller.

Not everyone agreed.

Quent Cordair gallery is one shop I will not come to visit any time soon, said a Facebook comment from a user named Kathy Thomas. And I AM a lover of fine art. But Im not going to support this kind of action in our community where people are putting their lives on the line.

How exactly is this responsible? asked Facebook user Gregory Twachtman.

The decision to reopen is a matter of survival, said Quent Cordair.

Thirty artists and their families rely on the gallery for their own support, he pointed out. There are gallery employees and bills to pay.

Weve worked too hard and fought too long to bring our business to life, to keep it alive, and to grow it over the past 24 years to sit passively and watch it die, the letter said.

Napans should be able to work and live on their own terms  and deal with any marginal risk at their own judgment, they wrote.

The gallery will observe reasonable precautionary measures, Quent said, such as masks, disinfecting any touched surfaces and limiting the number of visitors.

We welcome other Napa business-owners willing to join us in re-opening next Monday  but well open alone if necessary, said the letter. Were prepared to defend our right to live, work, and interact freely, and we will defend our right to do so.

The current economy, is scary as hell, for both their own business and downtown Napa, said Quent Cordair in an interview on Tuesday. This is all very much in jeopardy.

Quent Cordair said that instead of their public declaration, they could have just quietly reopened the art gallery.

But they wanted to give authorities the chance to recognize the reality of the challenge that were up against and to be able to respond in such a way that its not just one business doing it furtively, he said on Monday.

If the entire community cant get back on its feet it doesnt matter if we are open or closed in the long run. We need all of Napa to get back to being Napa.

Somebody had to do it, said Linda Cordair. Were being honest instead of hiding.

As one of the last fine arts galleries in Napa Valley, This is a sanctuary for many, she said.

Our business is as important as any other business out there, she said. To her, the essential business classification is an opinion, made by people who are likely not small business owners. To the Cordairs and their customers, art is essential.

Some of those that criticize their decision have absolutely no idea what it means to own a small business, said Linda Cordair.

Its our right to run our business in a safe manner, she said. This isnt about causing trouble, its about finding a beginning to the recovery of our economy.

A representative from the county of Napa could not be immediately reached to comment on this story.

COVID 19 has had an impact none of us would have imagined, and the Cordairs frustration is understandable, said Craig Smith, executive director, Downtown Napa Association.

The good news is that business groups like the Napa Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Napa Association and others are working with the county to help formulate a way for businesses to open as soon as its safe for employees and the public, said Smith.

We arent there yet, but everyone involved understands the need to be nimble and to move quickly. We all want to be able to shop, dine and enjoy wine tasting again, as soon as its reasonable to do so.

Napa city Councilmember Doris Gentry said that she personally supported the Cordairs decision to reopen against the county order.

If Quent Cordair can do the same kind of social distancing at the gallery that the other places can, shouldnt they be able to open, she asked?

Our hospitals are not overwhelmed, pointed out Gentry. We dont have 1,000 people dying in Napa. I think that healthy people should be practicing good social distancing. If youre sick, stay indoors.

Yet we dont want an influx of tourists, heading to Napa during this pandemic, she acknowledged. Thats not going to help.

Napans have done a good job of sheltering in place, said Napa Mayor Jill Techel. At the same time, I think a lot of people are frustrated, she acknowledged. Everybody is trying to do the right thing.

Techel said she doesnt want to spread a message that there are non-essential businesses open in the city of Napa at this time.

Our (COVID-19) numbers are so low, I dont want to introduce visitors, from other counties with much higher infection rates, said Techel.

This is about everyone doing something for the common good, she said. We all have to do our part.

Shes afraid that if businesses decide individually to reopen before the county amends the closure of non-essential businesses, people will get the message that they dont need to shelter in place, said Techel. Thats downright scary.

Most of Napa is following the rules, said Techel. Weve done the right thing, and its worked.

Yet, Here Ive got a Lone Ranger who wants to create different rules and I think its important that we stay the course.

Editors note: Because of the health implications of the COVID-19 virus, this article is being made available free to subscribers and non-subscribers alike. If youd like to join us in supporting the mission of local journalism, please visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join/

You can reach reporter Jennifer Huffman at 256-2218 or jhuffman@napanews.com

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Turkey has accused Libyas eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar of seeking to create a military dictatorship and vowed to defend the government in the capital Tripoli.

Haftars withdrawal from a landmark 2015 United Nations-brokered agreement to unite the country  which Haftar termed a thing of the past on Monday  showed his true intentions, Turkeys foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

With this announcement, Haftar has once again demonstrated that he does not seek a political solution to the crisis in Libya, does not support international efforts in this regard  and aims to create a military dictatorship in the country, the Turkish foreign ministry said.

In April 2019, Haftar launched an offensive to wrest control of the capital from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

On Monday, after his self-styled Libyan National Army was expelled from several western cities, Haftar said he accepted the will of the people and vowed to create a new government.

The political agreement destroyed the country. We will work to create the conditions for building permanent civic institutions, he said in a televised address.

In late November, Turkey and the GNA had signed two agreements relating to enhanced security cooperation and maritime border demarcation.

GNA officials say those deals enabled their ground forces to retake large swathes of territory from Haftar, who in turn has the backing of, among others, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The ministry said the international community should respond, without further delay, to this person, who undoubtedly exposed his intention to establish a junta regime in Libya.

Turkey  will definitely continue to stand by the brotherly Libyan people in defending the Government of National Accord and all other legitimate institutions of Libya established with the Libyan Political Agreement and to support the efforts for a political solution.
All three judiciary instances in Georgia have recognized Saakashvili guilty of corruption-related criminal offenses, the Georgian leader recalls.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has expressed great concern over the prospects for the appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili to a position with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

In a statement published on her official website, the Georgian president has noted that the cooperation between Georgia and Ukraine is based on common interests and aspirations, "however, our partner country is now considering for a high political position a candidate recognized guilty by all three [judiciary] instances in Georgia."

"As head of state, I am well aware that it is unacceptable to interfere in the internal affairs and personnel policies of another country, but it is also unacceptable and completely incomprehensible to hand a government post to someone whose criminal actions are confirmed not only by the Georgian judiciary, but also by relevant decisions of the European Court for Human Rights. That's not to mention the fact that he is accused of grave corruption crimes," Zurabishvili said.

Read alsoGeorgia's Foreign Ministry recalling ambassador from Ukraine

The president added that she does not want to undermine cooperation with Ukraine in joint efforts toward protecting territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"I can't even imagine how anyone could be so important as to jeopardize long-term relations between our states, neglect our institutions and insult our society," the Georgian leader said.

Zurabishvili added that she would like to be mistaken about the lack of trust between the two partners, and that she hoped to protect Georgian interests, which would become more important than narrow political ambitions and calculations.

"I hope that the joint past, present, and future of our fraternal nations will never be called into question," the Georgian president said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 22, Saakashvili stated that he had received an offer from President Volodymyr Zelensky to become vice prime minister for reform.

On April 24, Saakashvili met with deputies with the Servant of the People party. According to media reports, after long negotiations, the parliamentary faction only managed to collect some 140 to 170 votes to back Saakashvili's appointment, which isn't enough.

After that, the Cabinet withdrew from the Verkhovna Rada the relevant submission on Saakashvili's appointment.

The Ukrainian president has not publicly commented on the Saakashvili issue.
ATHENS, Greece - A military helicopter operating off a Canadian frigate taking part in a NATO operation in the Mediterranean crashed into the sea between Greece and Italy, the Canadian military said.

Greek state TV reported ERT said debris from the crash and one body were located late Wednesday, leaving the five others aboard the aircraft missing.

The Cyclone helicopter was deployed on board the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton and was participating in a NATO exercise off the coast of Greece when the incident occurred, according to the Canadian Armed Forces.

``Search and rescue efforts are currently underway,? the military said in a statement. ``As this is evolving, we have no further information to provide at this time.?

The Royal Canadian Air Forces Cyclone helicopters carry a crew of four, including two pilots, a tactical operator and a sensor operator with space for several passengers. They are primarily based on naval vessels and used for hunting submarines, surveillance and search and rescue.

The Canadian military only started using them on missions in late 2018 after more than a decade of developmental challenges, delays and cost overruns. It is also likely to raise questions about the aircraft.

The military was originally supposed to have received 28 Cyclones from manufacturer Sikorsky starting in November 2008. But the first helicopter wasnt delivered until June 2015 and even then, they were missing vital equipment and software and only suitable for training.

Greek authorities said they had not been asked to help as the area is far off the Greek mainland and outside the area where the country has responsibility for search and rescue operations.

A NATO statement said only that there was an incident involving a helicopter from a ship under NATO command. It said a search and rescue operation was underway.
Chief executive officer of Barclays, Jes Staley, takes part in the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York

By Lawrence White

LONDON (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic could permanently change how many bankers make the daily trudge into tightly packed city centre offices, Barclays CEO Jes Staley said on Wednesday.

The bank, which like companies worldwide has seen the majority of its staff work from home or backup sites, will not revert fully to its pre-January working habits, Staley said.

"There will be a long-term adjustment in how we think about our location strategy...the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past," he told reporters after the bank reported a fall in first-quarter profits.

Staff including investment bankers could work instead from branches as well as other locations, he said.

Barclays plans to reopen its Hong Kong office first before other Asian hubs such as Singapore and Tokyo, and then Europe, Staley said.

Social distancing rules will limit how many workers can return and impose restrictions, such as limiting elevators to two people at a time, he said.

The comments by the head of one of Britain's biggest banks show how business leaders are contemplating making possibly permanent alterations to work methods.

Banks worldwide have in recent years increasingly shifted many staff away from expensive skyscrapers in financial hubs, but Barclays and its rivals still pack thousands of workers each into single offices in London's Canary Wharf financial district.

(Reporting by Lawrence White; editing by Jason Neely)
A doctor wearing a protective mask walking outside Mount Sinai Hospital during New York's coronavirus outbreak.

Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

Two medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fight in New York died by suicide in the past week: Dr. Lorna Breen, of NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, and John Mondello, an emergency medical technician.

Medical workers face grueling workloads, unprecedented stress, and steep death counts during the pandemic.

Psychologists say stress for frontline workers could flare into chronic psychological problems if it's not managed.

There are ways to support workers in such high-pressure roles, but Dr. Shauna Springer, a licensed psychologist and trauma-recovery expert, advocates not calling them heroes. "There's an invisible pressure that comes with that," she said.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The US Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds dashed across the clear blue sky above New York on Tuesday, honoring the people working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Two medical workers didn't get to experience the tribute.

Dr. Lorna Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died Sunday from self-inflicted injuries. She was 49.

"Of my four children  well I guess now I've only got three  no one would've predicted that Lorna was having a hard time," Dr. Philip C. Breen, her father, told Business Insider. "She would not even be on that list."

Weeks of treating COVID-19 patients, some of whom died before they could be transferred from the ambulance into the emergency room, took a toll on Lorna, her father said.

The case was similar for John Mondello, a 23-year-old in the New York City Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services. He'd been on the job less than three months before he killed himself on Friday, the New York Post reported.

As the pandemic has left millions of people under lockdown and triggered deep loss and widespread grief, medical workers and emergency responders like Mondello and Breen have faced the brunt of the crisis with grueling workloads, unprecedented stress, deep uncertainty, and a steep death count.

Story continues

But while the situation is grim, mental-health professionals say the situation is far from hopeless. There's a lot that medical workers can do to help themselves  and many ways for the rest of us to help them.

'They carry a heavy burden of responsibility'

Dr. Shauna Springer, a licensed psychologist and trauma-recovery expert at the Stella Center in Illinois, said that medical workers today are battling an invisible enemy that's also upended their lives and forced them to step away from their own support systems.

"We're relying on a small number of people who can do what nobody else can do," Springer told Business Insider. "They're working really long hours, they're seeing these traumas that are burning into their minds, and they have very limited time to release."

She added that medical workers were drawn to the profession to alleviate suffering and protect their patients. During the pandemic, however, the virus has in many cases robbed them of the ability to achieve either goal.

They're like "warriors in the war zone, taking risks, seeing their colleagues fall ill and potentially die, losing patients," Springer said.

"They tell me that they carry a heavy burden of responsibility when they lose a patient," she added, and that every life lost "can feel like a moral injury."

A first responder takes a break outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York on April 5.

Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Mondello had graduated from the EMS Academy in February and worked as an emergency medical technician at Station 18 in the Bronx. His friends described him as upbeat and outgoing but said it was jarring for him to see so much death and destruction.

"He told me he was experiencing a lot of anxiety, witnessing a lot of death; he'd feel it was a heavy experience when he'd fail to save a life," Al Javier, Mondello's friend, told the Post.

EMS workers have faced an unprecedented loss of life lately.

Before the pandemic, the average daily emergency 911 call volume was about 4,000 per day, with about 50 to 70 of those being cardiac arrests.

At the height of the first surge in cases, however, the FDNY EMS units fielded 5,000 to 7,000 calls daily. More than 300 were for patients experiencing cardiac arrest, about 200 of whom died outside of hospitals each day. (Some EMS leaders have said the death toll could have been lower if the industry had solved its chronic issues of turnover and retention before the crisis.)

Anthony Almojera, the vice president of the FDNY's Local 3621 union in Brooklyn, said first responders were struggling to "compartmentalize" the nonstop tragedies they're witnessing.

"I'm fighting this war against an enemy that's going around randomly killing people, and it makes me feel hopeless. How do I shake that?" Almojera, a 17-year veteran paramedic, previously told Business Insider.

Helping those who protect us all

Laurie Nadel, a psychotherapist and author, characterized the coronavirus as an "equal-opportunity destroyer" that's forcing frontline medical workers to go "mano a mano with mortality on a larger scale" than ever before.

In the short term, she said, they face a greater risk of acute stress, which can trigger insomnia, exhaustion, loss of appetite, and mild depressive symptoms.

"Just like people get sick if they're overexposed to this virus, people also become psychologically ill if they're overexposed to the kinds of stressors" that healthcare professionals deal with every day, Dr. Charles Marmar, the chair of the department of psychiatry and the director of the PTSD research program at New York University, previously told Business Insider.

But he said it's necessary for healthcare professionals and first responders to manage their stress to protect themselves from more "chronic psychiatric problems," including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Not doing so can also prompt occupational, marital, and parental difficulties, he added, and make them vulnerable to stress-related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

An emergency medical technician adjusts his personal protective equipment as he gets back in an FDNY ambulance after responding to a call in Brooklyn on April 14.

Lucas Jackson/Reuters

For the rest of us not on the front lines, Springer, the author of a forthcoming book titled "Warrior: How to Support Those Who Protect Us," said we could help those we know embroiled in such work.

She advised listening to whatever a healthcare worker may want to share without offering advice, as well as not asking what they need but anticipating what may help them  and stepping up to provide it when possible.

"Trauma is destabilizing in and of itself. And so they don't have time to even think about what they need," she said. "Those of us who are doing social distancing, we can actually do things that will lighten their load so they can do things no one else can do. We could be asking ourselves: Could we take care of their kids or a beloved pet? Could we get groceries and drop it off?"

She added: "There is no reason why we should be sitting at home doing nothing that helps the people on the front lines if we have skills and ability to help."

'People are resilient until they're not'

Both Springer and Marmar highlighted "peer-to-peer support" among workers as an effective support system, advocating five- to 10-minute huddles to "share their pain, sadness, or frustration" with others who face similar situations.

People on the front lines also need adequate time to "stand down" between shifts, whether it's to sleep, eat, exercise, meditate, or connect with their family and friends, Marmar said.

Nadel agreed.

"Trying to save people's lives in wartime conditions forces emergency medical teams to make triage decisions multiple times during a given shift," she said. And even though this isn't an actual war, Nadel added, the pandemic is their battlefield, and "shortages of lifesaving equipment and split-second life-and-death decisions can become overwhelming."

The type of chaos unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic not only triggers an adrenaline rush to save patients, Nadel said, but "overrides unwanted emotions, which can resurface after the crisis has been resolved."

Springer said it's important for anyone on the front lines of any emergency not to become convinced that they are superhuman  and for the rest of us to avoid labeling them as such.

"We mean well when we call them heroes, but there's an invisible pressure that comes with that," she said. "People are resilient until they're not. And so people who are called out as resilient are often more reluctant to acknowledge human struggles and to reach out when they need help."

A healthcare worker sits on a bench near Central Park in Manhattan on March 30.

Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Philip Breen, a retired trauma surgeon and burn surgeon, knows firsthand how horrible it feels when patients die.

He recalled nurses who worked in the burn unit alongside him experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, and depression because of the conditions of some people they treated.

"When you have a patient who you can save, that's the highest high you can imagine," he said. "And when they die with your hands in them, that's the lowest low you can imagine."

As a doctor, Lorna Breen gave of herself fully, despite facing trauma frequently and from up close, her father said.

"I want her to be remembered as someone who did everything she could until it killed her," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to issue an ordinance empowering it to deduct salaries of its employees to mobilise funds to fight Covid-19 in the state.

The move comes a day after the high court had stayed an order of the Left Front government for salary cut of its employees, observing that it lacked legal backing.

The G.O had said the state government employees' salary for six days every month would be deducted for the next five months as part of raising funds for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

Announcing the cabinet decision, Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac told reporters that as per the ordinance, the state government has been empowered to defer 25 per cent of the salary of its employees in the event of a disaster.

"As per this ordinance, the state government has been empowered to defer 25 per cent of the salary of the government employees, in case of a disaster.

The state government can take a decision on giving back the deferred amount within six months. These are the two operative provisions," Isaac said.

The minister, however, made it clear that 25 per cent of the salary would not be deferred and the state government would go ahead with the earlier six-day cut.

"The state government has taken the decision on the ordinance as per the Kerala high court order. We could have gone for an appeal. But, the court said that the government order on deducting salary does not have a legal backing. So, we have decided to make it legal," he said.

He also pointed out that while other states have cut more than 30 per cent salary of its employees salary, Kerala's ordinance allows to deduct six days' pay.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the deducted amount will be given back to the employees when the financial condition of the state improved.
An Australian mining magnate on Wednesday unveiled a deal to import 10 million coronavirus tests from China to Australia, despite a bitter diplomatic spat between the two countries. Andrew Forrest, head of mining giant Fortescue, said he had used contacts to secure an order for the tests with Chinese genomics firm BGI Group at a significantly lower cost than from rival providers, amid fierce competition. Australia, which has been one of the most successful countries in containing COVID-19, has so far carried out around 500,000 tests in a population of 25 million people. Delivery of the new tests would dramatically improve the country's track-and-trace programme and help build the kind of monitoring needed to reopen the country's economy, said Health Minister Greg Hunt. "What that says to Australians is we have the supply lines, we have the health capacity and we have the pathway back (to normality)," he said. The deal comes with Australia and China at loggerheads over the pandemic. China's ruling Communist Party has angrily dismissed Australian calls for an independent investigation into the spread of the disease from the Chinese city of Wuhan. Beijing's ambassador Down Under this week threatened a trade boycott if calls for an investigation continued, leading to a public rebuke by Australian authorities. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has piled pressure on China over the pandemic, waded into the dispute Wednesday as he sarcastically said that Australia upset Beijing through its "temerity" to ask questions. "Who in the world wouldn't want an investigation of how this happened to the world?" Pompeo told reporters in Washington. "The solution to this crisis will come from freedom-loving people around the world. I'm very confident that authoritarian regimes are poorly designed to deal with the kind of crisis that this pandemic has engendered," he said. Just hours after the latest verbal volley between Beijing and Canberra, the Chinese consul general in the state of Victoria, Zhou Long, spoke at the announcement of the testing deal -- calling it a tribute to the "friendship and the cooperation between our two countries". China had released information related to COVID-19 in an "open, transparent and responsible manner", he said. Australia's vast mining industry is deeply reliant on Chinese business and China has depended on Australian resources to fuel its rapid economic and infrastructure development. Forrest said his Minderoo Foundation had set aside Aus$320 million ($210 million) to assist the project, which will eventually be paid back by the taxpayer. Australia has confirmed more than 6,700 COVID-19 infections and 90 deaths, with the number of new cases falling below 20 per day for the past week. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said the country was "not too far away" from easing social-distancing measures in place for more than a month. Andrew Forrest, head of mining giant Fortescue, says he used contacts to secure an order for virus tests with Chinese genomics firm BGI Group at a significantly lower cost than from rival providers, amid fierce competition
Re-use of disposable gowns, masks and goggleswill be investigated by a new taskforce as Australia wrestles with a global shortage of protective equipment due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Healthcare workers at the state's busiest hospitals have been told to store their single-use personal protective equipment for scientists to investigate "potential future use".

Healthcare workers are being told to reuse single-use gowns, goggles and masks Credit:AP

Federal and state authorities have increased efforts to buy more protective equipment in recent weeks. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Sunday said more than 10 million gloves, 16 million surgical masks, 2 million N95 masks, 5 million gowns and more than 2 million face shields and eye protection would arrive in Melbourne within a fortnight.

In his first update to health networks last week, Victoria's Chief Medical Officer Professor Andrew Wilson advised staff on how to store "unsoiled PPE for potential future use".
The National Police Association offered a $5,000 reward Wednesday for information leading to arrests and convictions of those involved in an incident in which shots were fired at a Waco police officer and then later said in a tweet a suspect had been identified.

Someone inside a black Jeep Commander opened fire on a Waco police officer on the evening of April 14 after a fight at the Estella Maxie Place Apartments at 1809 J J Flewellen Rd.

The officer wasnt injured, but one of the shots struck his patrol unit, Officer Garen Bynum said.

Officers were in the area of the complex when the fight broke out at around 7:30 p.m. on April 14, Bynum said.

During the fight, shots were fired by multiple people, including one with a rifle, he said.

No one was injured.

The Jeep from which the shots were fired left the scene of the fight, but the unnamed officer spotted it and began to follow it.

At least one of the SUVs occupants opened fire on the officer from inside the vehicle.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to call the Waco Police Department at (254) 750-7500 or Crime Stoppers at (254) 753-HELP.
A convoy of Saudi military vehicles patrols in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, on April 26, 2020.

The United States welcomes the announcement by the Saudi-led coalition of a ceasefire in Yemen, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV channel reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker.

The Dubai-based channel also cited him saying that the government of Lebanon has to prove its commitment to reforms in order to receive economic aid.
TriMark Legal Funding LLC, one of the nation's leading pre-settlement funding companies since 2003, announced today that, due to overwhelming popularity, it has extended its financial relief initiative originally launched on March 24th to provide $3,500 in immediate cash assistance to people nationwide who are currently involved in civil lawsuits and have been negatively impacted by Coronavirus/COVID-19. No ending date has been set.

Plaintiffs nationwide are strongly encouraged to apply for risk-free pre-settlement funding from TriMark to take advantage of this truly unprecedented, automatic-approval initiative.

Tens of millions of Americans have involuntarily become unemployed due to mandatory stay-at-home quarantines and millions of business closures. TriMark Legal Funding is committed to helping every eligible person by providing $3,500 automatic-approval pre-settlement loans. There are no credit checks, no employment requirements, and no out-of-pocket expenses and lawsuit funding approval is based on the merits of an underlying lawsuit.

This offer is available nationwide to plaintiffs in civil lawsuits who need cash now, before their cases settle.

To apply right now, please visit https://tlfllc.com/coronavirus-pre-settlement-funding or call (877) 932-2628 and one of our friendly representatives will be happy to assist you. Due to much heavier than normal call volume, the fastest way to receive immediate approval is to apply online.

How Coronavirus Lawsuit Loans Work

Plaintiffs with qualifying cases* and no prior funding can apply for an immediate $3,500 no-documentation, automatic-approval lawsuit cash advance. Existing clients and anyone with prior settlement loans from any other company are ineligible for this offer. TriMark has eliminated its documentation requirements and has also waived its normal underwriting fees.

Here is what TriMark needs:

1). Completed application

2). Copy of plaintiffs drivers license or state-issued ID

3). A brief conversation with plaintiffs attorney

Pre-settlement funding agreements are executed electronically via DocuSign and funds can be wired directly into a plaintiffs checking account or sent FedEx Overnight in as little as 24 hours.

TriMark can provide non-recourse settlement funding from $500 up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on an individuals case and financial needs.

For requests over $3,500, accept the $3,500 first, then request additional funding. Documentation and case evaluation are required for additional funding requests, all requests over $3,500, and all requests requiring the buyout of prior advances.

T Thomas Colwell, CEO of TriMark Legal Funding commented, Many plaintiffs involved in pending litigation were already struggling financially before the Coronavirus pandemic. Now, after nearly 6 weeks of mandatory quarantines and with no real end in sight yet, many of those same people are out of money, out of time, out of options, and they are scared. To make matters worse, months of court closures are going to cause an already lengthy legal process to take even longer. TriMark created this program to be a lifeline to plaintiffs who are in dire financial straits right now and need help immediately.

TriMark Legal Funding can consider funding on most personal injury lawsuits including car, truck, motorcycle, drunk driving, and motor vehicle accidents and train, subway, and pedestrian accidents. Catastrophic injuries like crush injuries, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. Premises liability cases like dog bites, nursing home abuse, slip and fall accidents, and serious injuries on commercial property. Product liability includes cases like dangerous drugs and defective medical devices such as IVC filters, recalled hip replacements, and hernia mesh. Civil rights violations include police brutality, police misconduct, sexual abuse or assault, prison staff misconduct, and wrongful imprisonment. TriMark also considers employment lawsuits like discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, wrongful termination, and sexual harassment in the workplace, plus work-related injuries like construction accidents, Jones Act maritime injuries, and FELA railroad workers injuries.

Disclaimer  TriMark Legal Funding offers non-recourse lawsuit cash advances. While commonly referred to as lawsuit loans, settlement loans, lawsuit settlement loans, etc., they are not technically loans. A non-recourse lawsuit cash advance requires no monthly payments and repayment is contingent upon a successful settlement or jury verdict. If the case is lost or does not settle, the plaintiff does not repay the advance.

*Residents of some states are ineligible for this offer due to state laws or internal funding restrictions. Please see https://tlfllc.com/coronavirus-pre-settlement-funding for restrictions and exclusions.

URL: https://TLFLLC.com

Contact Information:

TriMark Legal Funding LLC

1056 Green Acres Rd #102 Eugene, OR 97408

Email: Info@TLFLLC.com

Phone: (877) 932-2628

T Thomas Colwell
Photo: Phillip Pessar/Flickr

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Miami.

SW Dade family safe after overnight house fire

The Red Cross is assisting a southwest Miami-Dade family after a fire ripped through the garage of their home and left smoke damage throughout the house.

Read the full story on CBS Miami.

Two detained after bullet-ridden car arrived at Jackson Memorial Hospital

Miami police questioned two people after a bullet-ridden car showed up at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Read the full story on CBS Miami.

Miami coronavirus testing site now open to asymptomatic residents

A COVID-19 testing site in the city of Miami is now open to asymptomatic residents who are at least 18 years old.

Read the full story on Graham Media: WPLG Local 10.

Union challenges Miami-Dade Transit director to endure shift on bus amid coronavirus crisis

The Transport Workers Union of America is challenging Miami-Dade County Transit Director Alice Bravo to endure one shift on a county bus under the conditions drivers are under each day amid the coronavirus crisis.

Read the full story on Graham Media: WPLG Local 10.

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.
Signing up

(TNS)  Scores of Salem, Mass., students who aren't able to get online at home can get hooked up to high-speed internet for free for the next six months thanks to a new partnership between the school district, Comcast and a local nonprofit.City officials announced a program Monday afternoon that will bring six months of free internet connectivity to households in need. The program specifically targets homes where 213 Salem Public Schools students live but are unable to get online to keep up with the district's remote learning efforts.The offering takes advantage of Internet Essentials, a Comcast program that provides high-speed internet at a discounted rate for low-income households and opens up with an introductory two free months. After that, the service is $9.95 a month, offering up to 25 megabits-per-second download speeds to those who qualify.On top of that, Salem Children's Charity  a decades-old nonprofit in Salem that helps Salem schoolchildren in need  has pumped $10,000 into the effort to cover the cost of the first four months of paid service to those households, according to the announcement."Salem Children's Charity exists to meet the needs of Salem schoolchildren," said Brendan Walsh, the organization's treasurer and a former School Committee member. "It's usually individual families, where we might provide food cards to Market Basket or something, cards to buy clothes at TJ Maxx, stuff at Walmart."But right now, homes are getting hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unemployment has hit record highs, but the bills are still mounting up for many people. This has all created what Walsh described as "a surreal universe.""We have no schools," he said, "but we still have kids with needs."Recent internal conversations have focused on money the organization has stored up over the years through fundraisers and donations. At some point, the organization built up enough cash for "a rainy-day situation, in case for instance we had a major fire with six or eight families in need," he explained."Guess what? It's pouring," Walsh said. "The rainy day arrived, and there are a lot of kids who need a lot of things  so we're just trying to do what we can."Bilingual staff members will begin reaching out to families who the district already knows don't have this resource. Qualifying families will be provided a code to use when applying, and district staff will assist families with the application process. The deadline to sign up is program is May 13.If your family is in need of internet access or has questions about eligibility, call 978-219-6689 and a Salem Public Schools staff member can assist you.
LANSING, MI -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says front-line workers keeping Michigan running during the COVID-19 crisis should receive a tuition-free college education.

The plan, announced Wednesday by Whitmer, is known as the Futures for Frontliners program and would provide a tuition-free pathway to college or a technical certificate for those essential workers who dont have a college degree. The program is inspired by legislation passed following World War II in which returning soldiers were provided educational opportunities.

Historically when Americans put their lives on the line to defend the rest of us from a foreign enemy, we have shown our gratitude by giving them educational opportunities to improve their lives, Whitmer said during her press briefing Wednesday. Our enemy in this instance is a virus. But our frontline workers are just as heroic. And thats why its important for us to extend some gratitude, and some opportunity, once we are beyond this moment.

The release mentioned the types of workers who would benefit from the plan include those who are: staffing our hospitals and nursing homes, stocking the shelves at grocery stores, providing child care to critical infrastructure workers, manufacturing PPE, protecting public safety, picking up trash, or delivering supplies.

The Futures for Frontliners program is our way of saying thank you to those who have risked their lives on the front lines of this crisis. This program will ensure tuition-free college opportunities and give these dedicated Michiganders an opportunity to earn a technical certificate, associate degree or even a bachelors degree, Whitmer said in a press release. I want to assure all of our workers we will never forget those of you who stepped up and sacrificed their own health during this crisis. Youre the reason were going to get through this.

Jeff Donofrio, Director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity said the program will be vital to ensuring the future economic success of the state.

Its going to be something we have to engage in because, making sure that they are successful over the long term for individuals who struggle, already to make family sustaining wages, will be critical to the future of our state, Donofrio said. By investing in them again we ensure our states future economic success.

While she didnt go into details, Whitmer said the program would be funded through federal available to the state in two separate programs. One source of funding is through the CARES Act, while another portion of the money will come through programs designed to improve the skills of workers. Information on who would be eligible and when the program would begin was not given.

In the press release announcing the plan, the governor said she was looking forward to working with lawmakers on the bipartisan legislative coalition that helped pass Michigan Reconnect, which provides grants for students over 25, last month.

The state budget is projected to take a hit due to the economic impact of the coronavirus.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

Protest over Michigans state of emergency to go on, despite Facebook removing 2 events

Whitmer seeks 28-day extension of Michigans coronavirus state of emergency

U.P.s painful dilemma: Almost no coronavirus now, but at what cost?

Wednesday, April 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
TYSONS, Va., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Appian (APPN) today announced the United States Marine Corps (USMC) has included Appians low-code automation platform on its list of approved Platform as a Service (PaaS) tools for application development within the organization. According to the USMC, standardizing the PaaS offerings authorized and used within the Marine Corps is key to ensuring operational effectiveness, cybersecurity, and investment management of Marine Corps resources. Appian has been working with Department of Defense (DoD) customers for almost two decades, offers impact level 4 (IL4) compliance, FedRAMP certification as well as a number of additional security requirements for the DoD.



Receiving this authorization affirms both the value of the Appian platform and the relationship between Appian and the USMC. Working together over the last several years, the Marine Corps has leveraged Appian to deliver mission critical capabilities in two functional areas - Manpower and Logistics. For Manpower, the Marine Corps approved the selection of Appian for their enterprise recruiting system (MCRISS II), replacing a legacy system that was in place since 2001. The Appian system manages the entire recruiting process for thousands of Marine Corps recruiters and support staff, and will facilitate the recruitment and accession of approximately 40,000 new Marines, annually. In Logistics, the first Appian implementation is delivering the USMC enterprise Item Master capability to support configuration management and enhanced integration for the fleets ground equipment, as well as to provide enterprise distribution of the Marine Corps technical publications.

Appian has an extensive history of building and deploying mission-critical applications for organizations within the DoD, said Jason Adolf, Industry Vice President - Public Sector, Appian. We are honored to work with the USMC and being named to this list is a testament to the quality of our technology, people and processes. We look forward to continuing working with the Marine Corps to enhance their business application strategy and deployment.

Story continues

In addition to working with the USMC, Appian supports many efforts within the DoD, including the U.S. Air Force Contracting-Information Technology (CON-IT) program, a mission-critical system run on Appian and hosted in an Impact Level 4 (IL4) cloud. The low-code solution has replaced seven legacy contract writing systems and standardized acquisition contract writing across the Air Force, drive efficiency for the acquisition/contracting communities, reduce costs, and provide a platform to make functionality enhancements and statutory changes faster.

Government agencies depend on Appian as a trusted partner to deploy scalable low-code solutions in secure cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. The Appian platform allows customers to choose where to deploy their systems without limiting functionality or flexibility and is available as a fully managed service.

To learn more about Appian's work within the public sector, click here .

About Appian

Appian provides a low-code development platform that accelerates the creation of high-impact business applications. Many of the worlds largest organizations use Appian applications to improve customer experience, achieve operational excellence, and simplify global risk management and compliance. www.appian.com

For Information Contact:

Nicole Greggs

Director of Media Relations

+1 703-260-7868

nicole.greggs@appian.com
KY AG Rebukes Beshear in Church Lawsuit

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Liberty Counsel

April 29, 2020



LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 29, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a compelling amicus brief in support of Liberty Counsel's federal lawsuit, on behalf of Maryville Baptist Church and Pastor Jack Roberts, against Governor Andy Beshear for violating their religious freedom by targeting churchgoers on Easter Sunday and banning religious services.

AG Cameron's amicus brief strongly addresses Governor Beshear's March 19 and March 25 executive orders issued that "impose a sweeping prohibition against religious activity throughout every corner of the Commonwealth...despite the First Amendment and Kentucky's own uniquely strong protections for religious liberty." The governor "has failed to adopt neutral or generally applicable laws to address the current crisis, instead choosing to target religious organizations for disfavored treatment. It is, 'beyond all reason,' unconstitutional" (emphasis added).

Governor Beshear banned Kentuckians from participating in all religious services of any kind, and he has refused to define religious activity as "life-sustaining" for those residents with sincerely held beliefs about communal worship. The brief also states, "What does Governor Beshear consider life-sustaining? Media, is one example, which he defines as, newspapers, television, radio, and other media services. Also included on the list are law firms, accounting services, real estate companies, liquor stores, and hardware stores, but not churches, synagogues, or mosques. These restrictions apply no matter how large the gathering might be, no matter where the people might get together, and regardless of whether they practice safe social-distancing and good hygiene. This is unconstitutional. But it does not have to be this way. The freedom to practice one's faith is a defining feature of American liberty." (emphasis added).

The brief states, "Governor Beshear has offered no explanation as to why it is necessary to prohibit religious activities that pose exactly the same risk as similar, non-religious activities."

On the Saturday between Governor Beshear's Good Friday threats and Easter Sunday enforcement actions, a federal court enjoined the mayor of Louisville from "enforcing, attempting to enforce, threatening to enforce, or otherwise requiring compliance with any prohibition on drive-in church services at On Fire." The court issued the restraining order because the mayor threatened churches with criminal enforcement of Gov. Beshear's COVID-19 orders. There, the mayor said that he would "use the police to deter and disburse" religious gatherings, had requested that the police "record license plates of all vehicles in attendance," and threatened that individuals would be contacted by public health officials informing them to self-quarantine under the threat of criminal sanction. The court found that such threats and actions were unconstitutional because the government "may not ban its citizens from worshipping." The court admonished, "Louisville ought not to view the limits of this injunction as a green light to violate the religious liberty of non-parties."

What the mayor of Louisville only threatened to do, and the federal court enjoined as unconstitutional under the First Amendment, Gov. Beshear did by dispatching the Kentucky State Police to Maryville Baptist Church on Easter Sunday to issue notices of mandatory quarantines, and to record license plates for follow-up enforcement.

On that same Sunday, the parking lots of Kroger, Walmart, liquors stores and other commercial operations within minutes of the church were packed with cars. These businesses were jammed with people. Not one received a quarantine notice. Gov. Beshear targeted churchgoers parked in a church parking lot to intimidate and isolate them.

On Thursday, anyone whose car was in the parking lot on Easter Sunday received a letter from Gov. Beshear that stated, in part: "You are receiving this letter because your vehicle was documented to have been parked where a mass gathering was held on Sunday, April 12, 2020 at Maryville Baptist Church.... If you and/or someone in your household attended the above gathering, following the guidance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, you are advised to restrict movement to home while self-monitoring with public health supervision for 14 days from attending the mass gathering."

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "Kentucky Attorney General Cameron understands that the First Amendment does not disappear during a crisis. Governor Beshear has clearly discriminated against every church in the Commonwealth and violated the First Amendment and Kentucky law."

Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



Related Links



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The Zimbabwean government has ordered landlords to stop collecting rentals until the current coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown is lifted.

According to the state-owned Herald newspaper, the government says mortgage entities would also be expected to stop taking any legal action against landlords delaying to pay the required installments.

The newspaper quoted Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa as saying this action was taken at a Cabinet meeting in Harare yesterday.

Further measures taken include the following, that His Excellency the president consider promulgation of Presidential Regulations to give relief to both tenants and landlords during the lockdown period. That both residential and commercial properties be afforded a moratorium on evictions in respect of applicable lease obligations due for the period from April to the end of the lockdown including payment of rentals due for those months.

Rent deferrals should be free of any interest or penalties of whatever nature, continued the recommendation. Home owners and landlords who, as a result of delayed rent, had to delay repayments of mortgage obligations would be entitled to the same relief under the same conditions.

Zimbabwe has been under a coronavirus lockdown for more than three weeks amid concerns of increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in the country.

The country has so far recorded 32 cases of people who have tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19. Some of them have died.

More details to follow
ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump have spoken on the phone, discussing the coronavirus pandemic, bilateral relations and regional developments.

According to an account of the phone call shared by the Turkish presidencys office on Sunday, the two leaders agreed to continue their close cooperation against the threats posed by the coronavirus on public health and the economy. This would be a necessity of the spirit of solidarity required by being NATO allies, the message said.

The two leaders also spoke on the phone at the end of March.

The U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19 infections in the world and Turkey now ranks seventh, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys data on the coronavirus pandemic. They have both surpassed China, where COVID-19 emerged, the figures show.

Turkeys health minister said that a total of 2,017 people have died of the coronavirus in the country, with 127 new deaths in the last 24 hours. Fahrettin Koca, in figures tweeted Sunday, said 3,977 new infections were confirmed in the past day, bringing the total number to 86,306.

Confirmed cases in Turkey have surpassed the rates in neighboring Iran, according to John Hopkins Universitys data.

The minister also said 11,976 people have recovered so far in Turkey, including 1,523 in the past 24 hours.

A weekend lockdown in 31 Turkish provinces is nearing its end, after which people between the ages of 20 and 65 can move around. But the government has urged people to stay at home and hopes the rate of infections will reach its peak in the coming days.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

___

Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
As NASA has been keeping a close track of the C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) comet for a while now, on April 28, the US space agency informed that its Hubble Space Telescope was able to capture some of its rare interstellar processes.

While taking to Instagram, NASA Hubble released a video of the doomed comet which were taken on April 20 and 23. The space agency informed that the video shows the sharpest views yet of the comets solid icy nucleus bursting into as many as 30 pieces.

Take a look at it here:

READ: NASA To Laser Check Moon's Darkest Craters For Signs Of Water Before Artemis Mission

According to the press note on the NASA website, the comet C/2019 Y4, also known as ATLAS, was first discovered on December 29, 2019. It was discovered by the ATLAS robotic astronomical survey system based in Hawaii and its fragmentation was confirmed by amateur astronomer Jose de Queiroz, who was able to photograph around three pieces of the comet on April 11.

David Jewitt, professor of planetary science and astronomy at UCLA, Los Angeles and leader of one of two teams that photographed the doomed comet with Hubble, said, Their appearance changes substantially between the two days, so much so that it's quite difficult to connect the dots.

He added, I don't know whether this is because the individual pieces are flashing on and off as they reflect sunlight, acting like twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, or because different fragments appear on different days.

READ: NASA Posts 'feel Good' Space Click Of Madagascar Coast With Sapphire Water, Pink Sediment

Closest approach to Earth on May 23

As the comet moved towards the inner solar system and got brighter, NASA also anticipates that it might be visible to the naked eye in May; however, the comet is now abruptly starting to get dimmer instead of brighter. The astronomers speculated that the icy core may be fragmenting or disintegrating.

According to the NASA website, when the latest Hubble observations were taken, the disintegrating comet was approximately 146 million kilometres from Earth.

READ: NASA Shares Sparkling Night View Of Earth From Space With Endearing Message Amid Pandemic

Furthermore, the astronomers also believe that if any of the disintegrated pieces survive, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth on May 23 at a distance of about 116 million kilometres. Moreover, the space agency also anticipates that eight days later the comet will also skirt past the sun at 40 million kilometres.

Even though the comets might fully disintegrate and wont be visible from Earth, another leader of the Hubble observing team said that the whole observation was really exciting because such events are super cool to watch and because they do not happen very often. He further added that most comets that fragment are too dim to see; however, such events at such scale only happens once or twice a decade.

READ: NASA Celebrates 30 Years And 1.4 Million Observations Of Hubble With 'Cosmic Coral Reef'
Denise Richards had been filming the medieval drama series Glow And Darkness in Madrid, Spain when the coronavirus outbreak forced the production to be shut down in mid-March.

And on Tuesday, after some six weeks of home quarantine, The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star and husband Aaron Phypers headed out on a grocery run in Malibu wearing protective masks.

The couple stuck close to each other during the afternoon excursion, walking arm-in-arm on a number of occasions.

It takes two: Denise Richard, 49, and husband Aaron Phypers, 47, walked arm-in-arm during a grocery run in Malibu on Tuesday afternoon

Richards, 49, kept it sporty and casual in the fashion department in grey leggings and a pink hoodie over a white t-shirt.

She also donned white sneakers and had her dyed blonde tresses styled long in the back and pushed back off her face in the front with hair tie.

Phypers, 47, kept it casual in denim blue jeans with a grey t-shirt and sneakers.

Sporty: Richards, 49, kept it casual in grey leggings and a pink hoodie that she removed to reveal a white t-shirt underneath

Opting for safety first, they both decided to keep their masks on even when they got outside walked through the parking lot.

Phypers took the lead and pushed the shopping cart that was stacked with full bags of groceries.

By the time they reached their SUV, Richards decided to pulled off her pink hood and tie it around her waist.

Going strong: The couple have been married since September 2018; they are pictured together in February 2020

'I got out a day in time,' the Illinois native told Extra last month of her mad dash to get out of Spain and back home to Los Angeles when the COVID-19 crisis reached a fever pitch.

'It took me two days to get home. I went through London and, landing in LAX, I will say they were screening. It took quite some time to get out.'

Richards, fellow 007-Bond girl Jane Seymour and John Davison are among the international cast for Glow And Darkness that's being directed by Jose Luis Moreno.

Filming was also scheduled to take place in Italy, France, Egypt and Morocco, before the coronavirus crisis resulted in much of the world going into lockdown.
A 15-year-old boy was in a serious condition in hospital after he was allegedly attacked by a gang of up to 15 youths.

The teenager was jogging around the grounds of a primary school on Greaves Street, Werribee, 32km south-west of Melbourne, at 4.15pm on Monday when he was allegedly attacked.

Several members of the gang, described as being African in appearance, allegedly assaulted the jogger.

The teenager's mobile phone and shoes were reportedly stolen during the alleged attack - but have since been returned.

The teenager was jogging around the grounds of a primary school on Greaves St, Werribee, 32km south-west of Melbourne, at 4.15pm on Monday when he was allegedly attacked (Google street view)

He was rushed to hospital in a serious condition after the alleged viscous attack but he has since been released.

Victoria Police said they have identified those allegedly involved.

'Investigators from Taskforce Wayward have now identified the parties involved in the reported assault in Werribee on Monday and are now investigating whether they were known to each other,' a statement said.

'Belongings taken from the victim during the incident have since been returned and the 15-year-old boy has been released from hospital.'

Anyone with information regarding the attack have been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Rajasthan High Court has issued a notification directing that the caste of any person, including accused, should not be mentioned in any judicial or administrative matter noting that this is against the spirit of the Constitution.

It has been observed that the caste of accused and other persons is being incorporated by the officers/officials of Registry of this court and presiding officers of subordinate courts/special courts/tribunals in judicial and administrative matters, which is against the spirit of Constitution of India and not in consonance with the directions of Rajasthan High Court issued vide order dated July 4, 2018, Rajasthan High Court Registrar General said in a standing order issued on Monday.

Therefore, it is enjoined upon all concerned to ensure that the caste of any person including the accused is not incorporated in any judicial or administrative matter, the standing order added.
Health Minister Robin Swann has warned that any change in advice about the wearing of face masks in public could lead to a false sense of security.

His comments come after the Scottish Government recommended wearing masks in "limited circumstances", prompting SDLP leader Colum Eastwood to call on the Executive to issue similar advice.

Mr Swann said the issue had been discussed by Stormont ministers this week, "but it's a conversation that will be had within the Executive, supplied by medical advice and guidance".

"One thing that would concern us is that face coverings actually lead to a false sense of security and we could see other measures with regards to good hand hygiene, social distancing start to become less prevalent.

"People could rely on face coverings more than they do on the advice and guidelines we have been following for the last number of weeks, advice that has been working."

The Republic's chief medical officer also said last night that use of face masks in public is being considered. Dr Tony Holohan said they were "one of the measures we are giving consideration to".

Foyle MP Mr Eastwood, however, called on Stormont to follow Scotland's example and advise people to wear face masks or coverings in enclosed public spaces where social distancing is difficult.

"It's important that people are provided with the best advice to help them contribute to the effort to prevent further transmission of Covid-19 and help save lives," he said.

"The Scottish Government has now issued clear advice that members of the public should wear face masks in enclosed spaces where social distancing is unavoidably difficult to achieve, like in small shops.

"Our Executive should consider offering the same advice to people in Northern Ireland, the vast majority of whom are abiding by lockdown restrictions and want to help beat this outbreak. It's no silver bullet, but it will help prevent transmission where people are in close contact.

"We have all experienced worry in enclosed spaces when people are unintentionally closer together than they'd like to be. Masks or coverings will help.

Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said any benefit from wearing face coverings would be "marginal at the very least".

"What we must not lose sight of is the important message that if you are symptomatic, you and your entire family need to self isolate. That is the most important point. It's hugely important that we still adhere to the guidance to stay at home and only in limited circumstances should you leave your home," he added.

"The most important thing to do when you leave home is to adhere to the advice on physical distancing and on good respiratory and hand hygiene.

"Wearing a mask must not be seen as a substitute for adhering to that advice.

"There is some limited evidence that if you are in an enclosed space and unable to adhere to the advice on social distancing, the wearing of some form of face covering may be of benefit, but the benefit is marginal, to say the very least."

The recommendation on face masks issued by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday appears to contradict earlier advice from Scotland's national clinical director.

Professor Jason Leitch said on April 3: "The global evidence - and we've looked properly, I promise you - is that masks in the general population don't work.

"People don't wear them properly, they're hard, they're difficult and they're uncomfortable."
Hollywood stars can expect massive changes to movie and TV sets when productions recommence in the coming months.

According to a report running in The Los Angeles Times Wednesday, studio executives, producers and government agencies are all holding urgent talks to map out safe ways to resume filming amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But with no coronavirus vaccine on the horizon, new rules are likely to come into place that will transform the film-making process for the short-term future.

Hollywood insiders told the Times that social distancing protocols will mean that 'stars accustomed to in-person wardrobe departments may have to dress themselves'.

Additionally, 'makeup artists and hair dressers who usually touch up actors between takes will probably have to observe shoots from iPads'.

Jeffrey Greenstein, president of LA movie studio Millennium Films, told The Times: ''There's a lot of uncertainty, but the thing we need to all be thinking about is being as responsible as possible.'

According to The Los Angeles Times, Hollywood stars can expect massive changes to movie and TV sets when productions recommence in the coming months

Meanwhile, insiders are predicting there will also be stricter safety rules on set, and all crew could be required to wear masks and other forms of PPE.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it was not unusual for up to 300 people to crowd onto a set. However, in future, only 75 people may be allowed on location at a single time.

In order to reduce the number of people on a set, some people may be forced to double up on roles. For example, a director may also have to work as a cinematographer.

Meanwhile, some work may shift to being done entirely remotely.

Elsewhere, studios are reportedly preparing to increase budgets for sanitation crews and are considering quarantining cast and crew in hotels close to set.

Insiders predict that smaller movies and TV sitcoms will be the first productions to resume, given they present less of health and safety hazards.

I dont really imagine youre going to be doing giant scenes with thousands of extras right off the bat,' Tom Rothman, chair of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, told the publication.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it was not unusual for up to 300 people to crowd onto a set. However, in future, only 75 people may be allowed on location at a single time

There are also concerns that Los Angeles could be slow to restart productions, causing long-lasting damage to city's film industry and its economy as a whole.

Los Angeles is at the center of California's coronavirus outbreak, with more than 20,00 confirmed cases and 1,000 deaths.

Last month, it was report that more than half of LA residents were out of work due to the outbreak, and it's believed that many productions will not recommence in the city until the fall.

In the meantime, studios and streaming services appear to be moving their focus away from Hollywood.

There are fears a prolonged shutdown of film and TV sets could cause long-term damage for Hollywood. More than half of the city's residents are reportedly now unemployed. A deserted Hollywood Boulevard is pictured on Monday

Netflix is currently filming shows in Iceland and South Korea - two places that have easier access to COVID-19 tests.

The shift away from Hollywood is said to have caused some anxiety among execs and city officials.

'The film industry has always been a massive piece of the economy of this region, so figuring out a safe way to bring filming back is going to be critical to recovery, FilmLA President Paul Audley told The Times.

Meanwhile, Rothman says he is optimistic about restarting Hollywood productions.

'If theres reliable testing, and people can come to work and be given a decent amount of social distance, I believe protocols will evolve to create workplaces where crews, who are hungry to get back to work, will feel safe.'
A new study from Pakistan suggests 'smart sample pooling' using population grouping with algorithms as a solution to the unavailability of test kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes COVID-19 disease. The paper is published on the preprint server medRxiv on April 28, 2020.

Countries all over the world are suffering from the unavailability of diagnostic tests, as cases continue to rise. Large-scale population screening as a preventative for community spread of the disease is not possible due to these shortages. The disparity between the required number of reagent kits and the actual number available has obstructed the efforts of health officials to identify and isolate infected individuals. In most, test kits are restricted mainly to symptomatic cases, with the vast number of asymptomatic cases going undetected.

Study: Smart Pooled sample Testing for COVID-19: A Possible Solution for Sparsity of Test Kits. Image Credit: Evgeniy Kalinovskiy / Shutterstock

Using pooled samples

This new study from Lahore University suggested pooling a large number of samples from multiple suspected cases and testing them collectively, rather than individually. The exact number of samples to be pooled per test depends on the community.

"...the optimum number of samples to be pooled for a single test may be determined based on the total positivity rate of the particular community," the researchers said.

COVID-19 infection is diagnosed with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on the patient's nasal or bronchial secretions. The test requires specific expertise and equipment, a challenge that has severely limited the ability of health authorities to mass-screen the population, especially in developing countries.

The research team says the new strategy has twin benefits - optimizing the reagent kits available and reducing the workload on laboratory staff.

The paper cites data showing that the majority of people tested across the world have tested negative for the virus. It suggests that sample pooling might help eliminate large groups of negative cases.

The issues with pooled sample testing

There are two potential issues with this strategy - one, that a positive sample may test negative when diluted with many negative samples. However, the study refutes this limitation, stating that a PCR test can identify even a small viral load and that positive specimens generally have a high number of viral particles. It cites data suggesting that a PCR test can detect a positive case even when it is diluted with up to 64 specimens.

The other concern is that a single positive specimen in a group may make it necessary to repeat tests on all the individuals in that group, and hence lead to more tests being needed. The researchers say this is where the algorithm comes in - it helps narrow down the number of repeat tests until the positive specimen or specimens are identified.

Divide and conquer

The strategy proposed is called "divide and conquer." Suppose a group of eight people is tested collectively, and their combined result is positive. The eight will be divided into groups of 4 each, and again tested. If one group tests negative, the other group will be further divided in half and tested, and so on till all the positive cases are found.

The idea is simple - if one group tests negative, the other is by default considered to be positive without testing. If one tests positive, the other is also tested to rule out the possibility of both being positive.

The number of samples to be tested in one sample pool depends on the community, researchers say. To find this, they used a simulator to analyze different countries to find the Test to Positive Ratio (TPR) or the ratio of the number of tested cases to the number of positive cases.

The results showed that if a country had a high TPR, it would require a higher number of test kits, while low TPR required a lower number of test kits.

Simulation results

The simulator showed that the strategy would be most effective in reducing the number of test kits for every 10,000 people in countries with a TPR below 30. Larger group size could be used for countries with a TPR below or around 10, while a group size of 2 was better for a TPR above 15. The strategy was not recommended for countries with a TPR above 35, stating that it would require more tests than individual testing methods.

The final message

The research team suggested that employing sample pooling based on TPR might significantly reduce costs associated with the pandemic while keeping test outcomes unchanged. The use of algorithms to identify how many specimens should be pooled for a single test would help screen communities for COVID-19 at less cost without compromising on efficiency.

Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where supermarkets do not have access to a database which would enable them to offer the elderly and vulnerable priority online delivery slots.

The situation means that some of the most vulnerable here are being disadvantaged in comparison to those elsewhere in the UK - more than a month since the lockdown started.

Vulnerable and elderly people here are missing out as they cannot leave their home because Stormont has been unable to get a workable database to supermarkets, the News Letter newspaper reported yesterday.

As demand for online delivery slots increased, many people could not book deliveries due to the unprecedented levels of demand on supermarkets.

In response, supermarkets in England were given access to a database of the elderly and vulnerable by the government in London.

The devolved administrations - Cardiff, Edinburgh and Stormont - could not act as quickly because their systems are different to that used in England.

However, while the Scottish and Welsh governments have now brought themselves into line with England, Northern Ireland has not.

A number of supermarkets have been able to use some of their own data to prioritise the vulnerable, but it is far less complete than government data.

Last week, Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe wrote to customers outlining the varying positions across the UK.

"We continue to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers for online delivery and have offered over 725,000 elderly and vulnerable people access to slots so far," he explained.

"We identified 450,000 of these customers based on our own data and from customers registering with us."

He continued: "We have also been able to match over 275,000 additional customers in England, Scotland and Wales based on government data and we are contacting these customers to arrange priority home delivery.

"We will be in touch with more customers based on the database we receive from Northern Ireland as soon as we can."

Meanwhile, Stormont Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has implemented a scheme which sees food deliveries made to the most vulnerable here.

Her department explained in a statement that progress is being made to ensure supermarkets will receive data information "as soon as possible", stressing that a number of data security measures have to be put in place before the information can be provided to retailers.
The OnePlus 8 Pro ushers in a bunch of firsts for the humble Android phone maker. Its the first OnePlus display with a hole-punch camera and a 120Hz refresh rate. Its the first OnePlus phone with wireless charging and a quad-camera. Its the first time OnePlus has made Wi-Fi 6 and 5G standard. Heck, its even the first OnePlus phone with IP-rated water resistance.

Its also the first OnePlus handset to top a thousand bucks (with tax), more than three times the cost of the original OnePlus One. To be fair, things have changed quite a bit since 2014, when Samsungs flagship Galaxy S5 cost just $650 off-contract. But even though OnePlus can claim the 8 Pro costs $300 less than the closest apples-to-apples comparison Galaxy phone, a four-figure sticker price is still much more shocking on a OnePlus phone than a Samsung one.

Michael Simon/IDG The OnePlus 8 Pro Ultramarine Blue color doesnt reflect light like the 8s Interstellar Glow, but its a beauty in its own right.

While the 8 Pro is a fantastic phone that continues to shine a light on just how expensive premium Android phones have become, the light is less illuminative this time around. By throwing out its own playbook to give diehard fans everything they wanted, the OnePlus 8 Pro has joined the ranks of the phones it was supposed to undercut.

OnePlus Pro 8 Design: Big and beautiful

The design of the OnePlus 8 Pro doesnt deviate much from that of its predecessor, the OnePlus 7 Pro. Its dimensions are a touch bigger, and its a bit lighter (199 grams vs 210 grams) and thinner (8.5mm vs 8.8mm). Theres one noticeable deviation: The curved display now has a hole in the upper left corner for the selfie cam, rather than the delightful pop-up cam introduced on the 7 Pro.

Its probably for the best that OnePlus removed the moving and inherently breakable parts, but Id be lying if I didnt say I missed it. The pop-up selfie cam might have been a little gimmicky, but it gave the 7 Pro a unique feature that set it apart from other premium Android phones. The hole-punch camera gives it a sameness that makes it feel less special, amplified by the fact that the bezels havent really shrunk much either.

Michael Simon/IDG The OnePlus 8 Pro (right) might look similar to the OnePlus 8, but its better in every way.

But while the overall look may be a little on the safe side, the OnePlus 8 Pro is still a very nice phone. My chief complaint is the rather bulbous camera bump, which is once again centered and vertical but noticeably thicker, making the OnePlus 8 Pro all but impossible to use on a flat surface. Its better with one of OnePluss bumper cases, but with such a beautiful, fingerprint-repelling frosted glass finish in Ultramarine Blue or Glacial Green, you wont want to cover it with a slab of silicone.

OnePlus 8 Pro display: Pixel perfection

While there are plenty of pro components inside the OnePlus 8 Pro, none of them matter more than the display. OnePlus isnt often at the forefront of screen techits first OLED screen didnt arrive until late 2015, in factbut the Fluid Display on the 8 Pro is on the absolute cutting edge of smartphone screen tech, belying the seemingly minor spec-sheet improvements over the 7 Pro:

OnePlus 7 Pro: 6.67-inch 31201440, 516 ppi, 19.5:9, 90Hz refresh rate OnePlus 8 Pro: 6.78-inch 31681440, 513 ppi, 19.8:9, 120Hz refresh rate

Were talking about a tenth of an inch more screen, a slightly taller aspect ratio, 30 more hertz of refresh, and 3 fewer pixels per inch. Taken together, though, all those small changes make a huge difference. The faster refresh rate is the most noticeable, with simply effortless scrolling and super-smooth transitions. But even when youre not touching the screen, the brightness, refined motion interpolation algorithms and HDR Boost are noticeable. My only complaint is with edge rejection, which is a constant nuisance on a phone this size.

Michael Simon/IDG The matte frosted glass on the OnePlus 8 Pro (right) looks even classier next to the glossy OnePlus 8.

The brightness of the display helps the optical fingerprint scanner. On the whole, its speedier and more reliable than the S20s ultrasonic sensor, but despite conscious effort from OnePlus to improve the experience, its still very hit-or-miss. All things being equal, Id much rather have 3D facial recognition like the Google Pixel 4s Face Unlock, even if that meant a return to a notch.

Biometrics aside, the OnePlus 8 Pro isnt just the best screen OnePlus has madeits the first Ive used that rivals the latest from Apple and Samsung. The brightness, color gamut, and color accuracy truly raise the bar. But Im not sure anyone who would consider a OnePlus phone necessarily needs a screen this good. Its not that OnePlus customers arent discerning, but when faced with a $1,000 price tag, I wonder how many would-be buyers would just pick up a Galaxy or an iPhone instead. Besides, the display on the $499 OnePlus 7T is very good too.

OnePlus 8 Pro performance: Plenty

With the Snapdragon 865 processor and next-gen Wi-Fi onboard, the OnePlus 8 Pro is every bit the screamer youd think it is. I regularly topped 10,000 in PCMark Work 2.0 benchmarks, and my gigabit home internet with an Orbi WiFi 6 System delivered consistently fast speeds better than 600Mbps (versus 450Mbps on the OnePlus 7T). The S20 Ultra benchmarked a little better overall, but the 8 Pro is insanely fast.

I didnt get a chance to test the 5G modem because Im a Verizon customer (Verizon is supporting 5G only on an exclusive OnePlus 8), but my experiences with T-Mobiles 5G network on the S20 left much to be desired. T-Mobile might be able to boast that it has Americas first nationwide network, but for the most part, its not all that much faster than LTE. Were still years away from super-fast 5G being anywhere near as ubiquitous as 4G, so the extra expense for the 5G modem in the OnePlus 8 Pro wont pay off for a while.

Michael Simon/IDG The camera bump on the OnePlus 8 Pro is quite large.

Whats more impressive about the 8 Pro is the 4,500mAh battery. Its a good size, but it performs like its much bigger. Even with the 120Hz screen turned on, I was able to make it through a full day of heavy use with juice to spare, rivaling the performance of the 5,000mAh battery in the S20 Ultra. Benchmarks bore this out, topping 10 hours in PCMarks tests, an impressive feat for a battery under 5,000mAh in an Android phone.

The OnePlus 8 also introduces wireless charging for the first time. Its a welcome addition, even though third-party charges are only supplying slow 5W charging. Youll need to buy a separate Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger for $70 to get the full 30 watts of power that the OnePlus 8 pro is capable of, but most people should probably skip it. Not only is it pricey, but the built-in fan is so loud that OnePlus built a configurable bedtime mode that limits the charger to 10 watts, so it wont disturb your sleep.

Michael Simon/IDG If not for the OnePlus logo on the back, you might mistake the 8 Pro for a Samsung phone.

Helping the speed and power management is OnePluss delightfully minimal Oxygen OS. The new parts are relatively slightmost notably dark mode has been enhanced a bit, and Live Caption makes a welcome appearancebut as usual, OnePlus skin is less about features than functionality. For example, the system can detect when youre less likely to use the screenwhen youre playing a movie, for instanceand effectively lower the refresh rate to 60Hz to preserve battery. Conversely, the touch sampling rate is bumped to 240Hz when you are using the screen, so tapping and scrolling feel even faster than they look.

However, OnePlus is still only promising bi-monthly Android updates with the 8 Series, a schedule thats not going to cut it for a thousand-dollar phone. To be fair, updates could arrive sooner than that, as OnePlus has a robust beta program to make sure the final release is free of bugs. But when Samsung and Google are pushing out system updates near the beginning of every month, OnePlus update schedule seems stuck in the past.

OnePlus 8 Pro camera: Great expectations

With such a high price tag, the expectations for the OnePlus 8 Pro are high as well, and no other component will be more scrutinized than the camera. On paper, the OnePlus 8 Pros camera is top-notch, sporting four lenses including a novel color filter camera and a new Sony IMX689 image sensor with a 1/1.43-inch sensor.

In a general sense, the OnePlus 8 Pro takes great pictures, and anyone who uses one to snap a landscape or a portrait in good-enough lighting will be happy with the results. However, it still feels like a generation or two behind the smartphone leaders. Just like last years 7T Pro was bested by the iPhone 11 Pro and Galaxy Note 10+, the 8 Pro isnt quite at the level of its newest peers when it comes to processing, particularly with night mode and action shots.

With solid hardware, the 8 Pros camera abilities could change with updatesand as such, a mid-review update did improve the speed of autofocus and quality of low-light shotsbut its unlikely that the 8 Pro will see a significant leap. You can argue that the issues Ive outlined below are nitpicky, but at $1,000, the OnePlus 8s camera should stand up to those in other like-priced handsets.

Michael Simon/IDG In pitch blackness, the Pixel 4 (right) was still able to pull the correct colors and some detail, while the OnePlus 8 pro, left, and OnePlus 8 (center) struggled with white balance and focus.

Take night mode. While OnePlus has done a fine job with improving its phones low-light abilities over the years, the OnePlus 8 Pro still doesnt quite measure up to Googles stellar output. In the image above, both phones are able to pull out an impressive amount of detail from pitch blackness. The Pixel 4 handled the color properly, however, and captured far greater detail than either OnePlus phone. That advantage served the Pixel 4 in typical low-light conditions as well: Googles processing engine did a better job with sussing details and preserving the integrity of the scene.

Michael Simon/IDG In dark lighting, the OnePlus 8 Pro (left) outduels the OnePlus 8 (center), but the Pixel 4 does a better job with both exposure and clarity.

OnePluss inferior processing is evident with action shots as well. While OIS and Super Steady mode do well to keep videos stable, the photo engine struggles to capture clean motion even in brilliant sunshine. In the photos below, the 8 Pro (left) was able to lock in on my sons face, but his feet and hands are blurry, and the badminton birdie and racket are barely recognizable. The Pixel 4, on the other hand, snapped the whole scene as if everything were perfectly still.

Michael Simon/IDG When capturing motion, the OnePlus 8 pro (left) and OnePlus 8 (center) both struggled, while the Pixel 4 (right) was able to perfectly freeze the moment.

OnePlus most unique camera feature is its fourth lens, which introduces a color filter lens for snapping Instagram-worthy shots at the source. In a world where filters are a dime a dozen, its a little gimmicky, especially considering there are only four options to choose from, and the 5MP image quality is quite low compared to that of the main lens.

Michael Simon/IDG You can have some fun with the filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro (from left, Photocroma, Vivid, B&W), but ultimately its a useless gimmick.

Granted, these are smallish problems, but for the price, good enough isnt good enough anymore. If OnePlus is going to compete in this space, its going to need a camera that challenges the Pixel and iPhone in the areas where they excel. The OnePlus 8 Pro just isnt on their photography level yet.

Should you buy a OnePlus 8 Pro?

Theres no denying that the OnePlus 8 Pro is a great phone. It can hold its own against any other Android flagship when it comes to performance, and in an apples-to-apples comparison, you wont find a better price for a phone with these specs.

Michael Simon/IDG The OnePlus phone is as powerful as Galaxy phones prices hundreds of dollars more.

That said, the $899 starting price isnt the same bang-for-your-buck deal that the $669 7 Pro was, especially when you consider that its limited to just one color, green. If you want the OnePlus 8 Pro in black or blue youll need to swing for the $999 model with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Thats still less than the $1,200 S20+ or the $1,400 S20 Ultra, but the value isnt nearly as apparent as it once was.

OnePlus had an opportunity to expose how excessively expensive high-end Android phones have gotten. All it has proved with the 8 Pro is that building a cutting-edge 5G phone in 2020 is expensive.
Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on July 10, 2019. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Justin Amash Considers Running For President as a Libertarian

Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) announced late Tuesday that he would explore running for the presidency as a libertarian.

Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNationals [the Libertarian Partys] nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people, Amash wrote on Twitter.

Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together, he added. Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.

Amash, a member of Congress since 2011, left the Republican Party and became an Independent in July 2019 after becoming the only Republican to call for President Donald Trumps impeachment. He joined Democrats to vote to impeach Trump. Trump was acquitted in February after months of impeachment proceedings.

The 40-year-old Amash had helped found the House Freedom Caucus but left the group in June 2019 because most of its members are loyal to Trump.

Earlier this month, Amash hinted that he was looking to run for president. On Twitter at the time, he wrote Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option, referring to the 2020 presidential race.

Only Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democrat nominee, are currently in the race.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh rose to 2,560 on Wednesday after 173 more people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours while the death toll has gone up to 130, according to the state governments bulletin.

In another development, the government has stopped giving information on the total number of samples collected in the state for the past three days prompting public health experts to demand comprehensive data from the government daily.

Out of the total 173 positive cases reported in the past 24 hours 104 cases were reported from Indore alone. Indores tally rose to 1,476. A total of 65 people have died of Covid-19 in Indore.

In the state capital Bhopal which is the second worst hit district in the state, 35 cases were reported in the past 24 hours to take its tally to 483.

Fourteen people have died of Covid-19 in Bhopal. At least 12 of the deceased had survived the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

Rachna Dhingra of Sambhavna Trust said, At least 13 of the 14 deaths reported in Bhopal were of Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims. The state government and the central government should immediately swing into action to protect the lives of tragedy survivors.

The third worst hit district by Covid-19 is Ujjain with 127 cases and 23 casualties.

Out of 31 districts affected by the disease, there are 12 such districts which have the number of Covid-19 patients in double digits.

Public health experts Amulya Nidhi and SR Azad in a joint statement said, It is alarming to see that the death rate in Madhya Pradesh is the highest in the country.

Indias Covid-19 mortality rate is 3.21%, whereas the fatality rate in Madhya Pradesh is more than 5%. The death rate has been stagnant at around 5% for the last 2 weeks. The death rate in Delhi is 1.62%, Maharashtra 4.29%, Gujarat 4.79%, and in Rajasthan 2.11%. In the last 3 days, there have been deaths in 3 new districts namely Khandwa, Raisen and Ashoknagar.

Demanding a comprehensive bulletin every day the statement ssid, The state government bulletin has stopped providing the total number of test samples and pending test results since April 27. Till April 26, there were 8,439 pending test results. A lot of patients have been waiting for numbers of days for their test results. But now, as there is no data being given on pending test results and availability of test kits, there is no transparency around the testing situation of MP.

The additional chief secretary of health Mohd Suleman could not be reached for his comments.

However, a department official who did not want to be named said, The health minister Narottam Mishra himself has gone on record saying that there would be a jump in the number once or twice and then the situation will improve. As far as the data of total number of samples is concerned its not to hide from the public but the department is getting information from the districts in a piecemeal manner, hence its difficult to give a clear picture as to how many samples have been collected across the state.

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Transfer funds electronically. Hundreds of governments still are not using technology such as Automated Clearing House. They could implement automated payments overnight, reducing both virus-spreading touches and the costs of handling cash and checks.

Discover and address the real pain in your services. When an application for food assistance must be reworked multiple times, you lose the capacity to serve another person. Update your processes to make sure you do not require multiple pointless reviews for the same application.

Identify more services that could be moved online. Work with your technology teams to update your websites and your call-center information frequently with the goal of eliminating the need for your residents to make a trip to your office.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded across the country, closing many government offices in the name of social distancing, cities and counties have been forced to find new ways to continue to serve their citizens. What they've been able to accomplish  and how quickly they've been able to accomplish it  has been nothing less than spectacular.In less than three days, for example, Pittsburgh created an internal voice-over-IP IT service desk to support the city's employees while at the same time moving all of the service-desk employees to their own homes. It took about four days for Miami to test and then conduct a city commission meeting using video-conferencing software.For years, Baltimore employees pressed the city to allow electronic signatures on contracts. Today, electronic signatures are a reality, a change that will help reduce contracting times by days if not weeks. Port St. Lucie, Fla., has long provided new employees with a full-day, in-person orientation and onboarding class. Since April 6, however, a virtual, online orientation program has allowed new hires to hit the ground running  or in this case, hit the ground running by working at home.Success stories like these will be talked about for years. At some point, however, as the coronavirus pandemic subsides, we'll begin hearing calls to "get back to normal," with government returning to its traditional ways of doing business. Government innovators must respond with a forceful no. We should take this opportunity to permanently transform our services, transactions and regulatory systems.Let's be candid: Before the pandemic hit, "normal" meant that 85 percent of services were done in person and by hand using legacy technology. It meant a customer spending hours at the DMV to get a driver's license. Or perhaps a requirement for 17 approval signatures for an internal hiring process. Or printing out multiple copies of an RFP and making sure each was signed by hand and notarized. Only 50 percent of the residents coming into a permitting office to get a business license were leaving with one.It took a pandemic for some courts to start doing conference calls instead of convening unsafely in stuffy courtrooms. It took a pandemic to get city council meetings online and interactive. As we move forward post-COVID-19, we must continue to reach for spectacular results. We've proved what is possible, and there are powerful reasons to keep today's innovation surge going.To slash costs, for one thing. With revenues plunging, the coming months  and perhaps years  will be some of the toughest that government budgets and programs will ever have seen. Denver recently announced a $180 million budget shortfall; not even in the Great Recession did revenue losses go that deep. The city of Boulder, Colo., already announced that it would lay off more than 700 employees. Nearly every city, county and state will be rolling out hiring freezes, furloughs and layoffs.But when we find ourselves on the other side of this global tragedy, the dust will clear. Our focus will move from public health and the safety of our residents to economic revitalization and recovery. Applying innovation principles to how governments work going forward will be key to driving the recovery.To do this, we will need to completely rethink how we design and deliver our services. Even before COVID-19, the city of Las Vegas worked to speed up the bail-bond process by creating electronic documents to share among the finance office, the sheriff, the courts and bond providers. And the city of Peoria, Ill., found a way to ensure pest abatements without sending an inspector and exterminator.With that same ingenuity, we must challenge ourselves to continue to transform government's services. Here are three practical ways to quickly improve service delivery:As Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti put in his recent State of the City address, "We must ask of our city and our nation at this time, is 'normal' really what we want to come back to?" We should never go back to normal.GoverningGoverning
The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has donated Ghc50,000 to the COVID-19 Trust Fund.

The Association made the donation on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at the Information Ministrys press briefing.

The Association said the donation is in recognition and appreciation of the governments efforts in the fight against the pandemic.

The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) hereby presents its widow's contribution to the COVID-19 Fund in recognition and appreciation of the Government's commendable efforts geared towards combating this pandemic. Admittedly, this amount is a drop in the vast ocean of resources that the Government needs to fight this virus.

The Association said it could have done better if all was well with its members.

And if all was well with private schools, we could have done a lot better than donate this paltry amount. But all is not well with private schools, it added.

Associations request to government

However, the Association opened up about the difficulties its members were facing due to the closure of schools by the government following the COVID-19 outbreak.

The advent of COVID-19 in Ghana, with the attendant closure of schools that followed on its heels has dealt a heavy blow to private schools across the country. Private school education is at a crossroads. Should this pandemic persist a few more months, many of our schools will collapse. Today, many private school proprietors have sleepless nights thanks to the clamour of our unpaid staff for their salaries which blends with threats of prosecution from banks, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to which school owners are indebted, the association said in a statement.

It also called on the government to extend portions of the interest-free loans to the private schools to help them keep their institution running and also be able to pay their staff.

Government must consider extending some interest-free loans to private schools to pay their staff and keep the institutions running until schools reopen. The loans could be repaid over a period of time when schools reopen. We also welcome the government's intervention to persuade SSNIT, GRA and banks to which private schools are indebted, to postpone repayment of these statutory obligations and debts until our businesses reopen. We believe this is not too much to ask of Government.

---citinewsroom
Bidens campaign has not yet made available any records related to Reades employment, which could include any complaints she may have filed. His Senate papers, originally slated to be released two years after he left the vice presidency, now will not be available until two years after he retires from public life, according to new terms the University of Delaware posted on its website shortly before he began running for president.
South Yorkshire bakery chain Staniforths has delivered almost 1,000 packs of essential food items to customers during the coronavirus crisis.

At the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, the business closed eight of its 18 stores in central locations, as it expected footfall to be impacted.

It also introduced social distancing measures to adhere with government guidelines at its remaining 10 stores, its bakery, and head office. And it streamlined its product range, due to furloughing bakery team members.

Staniforths also launched a drop bag service, delivering initially to two areas around its main bakery. Priced 10.50, the bags contain a white sliced loaf, baps, tarts and three sausage rolls, plus essential groceries including milk and ham.

The service proved a massive hit with local consumers and has been extended to a wider area. Up to and including this Monday (27 April), Staniforths had delivered 948 bags to local people.

Our customers are so thrilled with the service, that they are ordering weekly and spreading the word to their family and friends, said a spokesperson for the company.

They are finding the whole process so easy, from ordering the drop bags to receiving the deliveries  from a safe social distance  from our drivers.

Staniforths has also started offering a treat bag after an Easter version was a success, with the company delivering 182 drop bags and Easter treat bags on Good Friday alone. Priced 10, the treat bag contains items such as scones, gingerbread men and cupcakes.

Our teams in our shops, bakery, packing, office and our drivers are extremely committed to our company and are working selflessly every day to provide for our community, added Staniforths.

Staniforths was founded by John Fredrick Staniforth in 1939. Lindsay Hans, granddaughter of John, is now the managing director of the business.

British Baker recently reported on how a number of businesses have launched delivery services during the coronavirus crisis.
South Australia has not recorded a new case of coronavirus in seven days, joining the Northern Territory in appearing to flatten the curve entirely.

Just 438 of the Australia's 6,744 known cases of COVID-19 were registered in SA, and only 14 of those remain active.

Only two people are being treated in intensive care, and four have died since the deadly respiratory infection spread to Australia in late January.

South Australia is still reluctant to loosen current lockdown restrictions despite its success in slowing the spread of coronavirus.

South Australia has recorded no new cases of coronavirus in seven days and only 438 in total

South Australian police haven't been required to enforce social distancing measures as stringently as in other states

But the laws introduced in SA were never as restrictive as some of the more populous states, like Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

A two-person rule was never enforced, but residents were 'strongly discouraged' from hosting gatherings of more than two people.

National parks are also open for locals to visit.

Residents can meet with more than two people as long as they keep a distance of 1.5 metres, while gatherings of more than 10 people are banned entirely.

Officials are still telling residents to stay at home unless it's necessary to go out, which includes grocery shopping, medical care, work, education and exercise.

There are currently 6,744 known cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 90 deaths

Children's playgrounds will remain closed, though further announcements on restrictions will be made within the next month. Pictured: signage outside a playground in Redlands on Thursday

While there are no restrictions on travel within SA, any non-essential travel within the state is discouraged.

Anyone entering the state are required to undertake a 14-day quarantine.

'While you will see some states starting to adjust the restrictions, it's worth bearing in mind that South Australia didn't regulate to the same degree,' SA Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said.

Schools are also reopening in the area.

People aged over 70 or 60 with pre-existing conditions, and Indigenous people aged over 50 have been advised to stay home wherever possible for their own protection.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

The Northern Territory is doing the opposite, and will be looking to lit restrictions after determining it was the 'safest place in Australia'.

After three weeks of no new cases, Chief Minister Michael Gunner will allow residents to visit parks and reserves from Friday, so long as they maintain social distancing.

Commonwealth-owned parks like Uluru and Kakadu National Park will not be open.

Gatherings are still limited to two people, while weddings are limited to five and residents are encouraged to stay home unless it is absolutely necessary.

'Re-opening our parks is not a free for all,' the chief minister warned. 'We are still safe, but until there is a vaccine the threat is still out there, we are not immune.'

The territory plans to reopen cafes, pubs and restaurants in June.

'In the coming weeks, the Territory will gradually transition to a 'new normal' where Territorians can get back to business, back to work, and back to enjoying the Territory lifestyle, while also staying safe from coronavirus,' he said.

'Easing restrictions will actually increase responsibility on all Territorians to keep doing the right thing.'

'That will be our new normal. And we can't afford to go backwards or do it all again.'

A women is seen cleaning traffic lights in Melbourne (pictured on April 28) as Victoria continued with its coronavirus lockdown restrictions
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - InterDigital Inc, a developer of digital mobile and video technology, said on Tuesday it has entered a worldwide patent licensing agreement with China's Huawei Technologies Ltd, and that the companies have settled all litigation against each other.

Shares of InterDigital rose as much as 19.2%.

In a regulatory filing, InterDigital said the licensing agreement runs through 2023, and covers royalties from the sale of some of Huawei's 3G, 4G and 5G wireless telecommunications products.

InterDigital said the companies have also ended more than 15 months of litigation in China and the United Kingdom.

Huawei had sued InterDigital in January 2019 in the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in China, claiming that the Wilmington, Delaware-based company was licensing its patents on unfair terms, according to a separate regulatory filing.

InterDigital countered in December 2019 with its own action before the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, accusing Huawei of infringing five patents related to industry standards for 3G, 4G and 5G telecommunications.

Talks to renew an earlier Huawei license had broken down, and the UK court would serve as a "neutral venue" to address the dispute, InterDigital said at the time.

Patent royalties accounted for about 96% of InterDigital's revenue in 2019. InterDigital said a typical royalty might be $1.15 on a 3G or 4G smartphone that costs $500.

Terms to resolve the disputes were not disclosed. Huawei had no immediate comment.

In afternoon trading, InterDigital shares were up $7.85, or 15.7%, at $58.00, after earlier rising to $59.79.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
VIENNA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexogen GmbH, a Vienna based Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and transcriptomics company, receives funding from the Austria Research Promotion Agency (FFG) for the development of a novel SARS-CoV-2 test method for mass screening.

The company has already developed and commercialized multiple methods for high throughput RNA analysis and will base the test on its QuantSeq-Flex Targeted RNA-Seq platform. The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) test will enable true mass screening of tens of thousands of samples in parallel.



"Identifying the newly infected on a broad scale will allow to isolate entire infection clusters at an early stage and help fight the present pandemic as well as reoccurring infection waves. It will also enable us to screen hospitals and retirement homes and test especially first responders and front-line workers on a daily basis, helping to keep these essential facilities open and safe," explains Alexander Seitz, CEO and founder of Lexogen.

The company will also provide a test for tracking the evolution (mutations) of the virus, that is important for prediction of future epidemics and vaccine development as well as a diagnostic panel to differentiate the new corona virus from other common respiratory pathogens helping doctors to provide the right therapy.

The funding is provided by the Austrian government and managed by the FFG, Austria's national funding agency for industrial research and development, as part of its "Emergency Call to research COVID-19 in the wake of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2".

About Lexogen:

Established in 2007, Lexogen is a transcriptomics and Next-Generation Sequencing company, focusing on the development of innovative methods for RNA analysis. Its portfolio includes multiple innovative and well-established protocols for RNA sequencing sample preparation, external RNA spike-in controls, as well as bioinformatics tools and sequencing services. Lexogen is a privately held company, headquartered in Vienna, Austria with a subsidiary in New Hampshire, US.

For more information about Lexogen visit www.lexogen.com and follow @lexogen.

Contact person at Lexogen:

Jekaterina Aleksejeva

Senior Marketing Manager

Tel.: +43 (0) 699 1023 8946

E-mail: jekaterina.aleksejeva@lexogen.com

www.lexogen.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/472869/Lexogen_logo_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.lexogen.com



SOURCE Lexogen
(Natural News) While much of the world continues to deal with life under lockdown, life has been pretty close to normal for people in Sweden. Take a look at photos online, and youll see people crammed into bars, sitting in outside restaurants, and standing in long lines for ice cream in parks.

Younger children are still attending school  although universities are now using distance learning  and businesses like hair salons remain open there. The only restrictions put in place there are bans on gatherings of 50 people or more and visits to care homes for elderly people.

Its a markedly different approach from nearly every other place on Earth at the moment. The world has been watching Sweden carefully, and on the surface, it might seem that deaths there arent significantly higher than places with stricter measures. However, thats assuming that the numbers being reported are accurate  and we now have every reason to believe theyre not.

The numbers being officially reported place Sweden among the top 20 in the world in total case numbers, and theyre mainly testing just those with more severe symptoms. However, a recent analysis carried out by the Financial Times showed that Sweden saw 1,300 more deaths than usual during the time period of the coronavirus outbreak, which is a rise of 18 percent. This means the number of deaths there from the disease could well be a lot higher.

In fact, the Financial Times analysis found that the coronavirus death toll around the world could be as much as 60 percent higher than what official counts indicate. They looked at the mortality statistics of 14 countries and several urban areas during the pandemic and compared them to the numbers seen in recent years. They found 122,000 deaths overall in excess of normal levels, which means the global death toll may be as high as 318,000.

Although Sweden hasnt instituted a full lockdown like other places, many residents are choosing to act sensibly and are doing their best to practice voluntary social distancing. Many are avoiding domestic travel, and travel was down over the Easter weekend, with public transport use also dropping significantly. Many people there are now working from home, and the BBC reports that nine out of ten Swedes report staying at least a meter away for others, which is up from seven in ten who did the same one month ago, despite no requirements being put in place for them to do so.

Meanwhile, Swedens neighbors Denmark, Norway and Finland have all closed schools, restaurants, bars and hair salons in addition to banning large events. Denmark has noted just above seven deaths per 100,000 people, while Norway and Finland have registered less than four deaths per 100,000 people; Sweden has seen a death rate of 22 per 100,000 people, which is far higher.

Many experts are strongly opposed to Swedens anti-lockdown approach

Late last month, 2,000 Swedish researchers, including Nobel Foundation Chairman Carl-Henrik Heldin, signed a petition calling for the countrys government to take steps to comply with World Health Organization recommendations immediately. They called for measures like those seen in other countries to be put in place as quickly as possible with severe limits on contact between individual as well as a rise in the capacity to test people for the virus. They added that trying to build herd immunity has low scientific support.

Its clear that Sweden is far from the success story some people originally believed it would be by ignoring lockdowns. Unfortunately, the true extent of the damage their policies have caused might not be clear for quite some time.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

FT.com

Edition.CNN.com

BBC.com
The "Boylernaya" Telegram channel, citing its source in Russian law enforcement agencies, reported that on April 25, the Federal Security Service officers, together with the customs service, seized a consignment of smuggled cigarettes at the Krasnodar airport, according to Novye Izvestia.

Forty tons, or 2,700 boxes, of cigarettes with Armenian excise duty labels were confiscated from a plane, and the latters flight had originated from Yerevan. The approximate market value of this cargo is more than 300 million rubles.

According to Boylernaya, the detained plane was en route from Armenia to Afghanistan with planned stopovers in Krasnodar and Dushanbe.

According to the Telegram channel, the plane, with all its contents, will remain in Krasnodar during the investigation.
When Chiru Lashed Out At Ram

In a TV interview, Ram Charan revealed that when he was 8 years old, his dad beat him with a belt gifted by his grandfather. The Rangasthalam actor said, "He has beaten me only once in childhood. I was 8 years old and I noticed my driver and security were talking to each other near the gate. I didn't understand a few of their words. I went inside the house and asked Naga Babu uncle. My father had just returned home from shooting. My uncle took me to his room. He told my father that I have learned some words from his friends or someone. Then my father sent him outside. I didn't understand the reason and I had to give an explanation. My grandfather had gifted a belt to my father after his retirement. He took that and beat me. He told me that those were very bad words and never use them in your life. I didn't talk to Naga babu for many days."

Ram Charans Wife Upasanas Bond With Chiranjeevi

When asked about his wife Upasana's bond with father-in-law Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan replied, "My father is the best friend for Upasana in my family. I hesitate to sit with him and talk to him for a couple of minutes. But Upasana will go to him directly and ask him about his health."

Ram Charan On Upasanas Telugu Language Skills

Ram Charan's wife Upasana can't speak Telugu perfectly. Chiranjeevi had also asked her to learn it. Speaking about it, Ram Charan said, "She is not perfect in speaking Telugu. She mixes both Telangana and Andhra dialects. Her language will be a kichadi. My father has asked to learn it. That's how they have become good friends. She has got more support than me."

Chiranjeevis Behaviour At Home

Chiranjeevi is quite a jolly, fun-loving person at home. Ram Charan said, "The megastar will be totally opposite of what others see him on screen. He will be very comical on screen, but he never cracks jokes at home. Naga uncle is the funniest man in my family. He entertains a lot and makes everyone laugh. I have never seen my father dancing at the home. He might have done a couple of steps to encourage Bunny (Allu Arjun), but he has never taken initiative to do it. He is total absorbed person. He is not reserved, but he is normal and gels well with everyone. I guess his roots are like that, as his mother and father have followed such a way of life."
Willoughby-Eastlake Schools levy was approved by district voters in the 2020 Ohio Primary Election.

But a levy for Fairport Harbor Schools was rejected by voters in that district.

In the Willoughby-Eastlake School District, a 10-year, 4.94-mill additional operating levy passed 9,313 to 7,120, according to unofficial, final returns from the Lake County Elections Board tabulated on April 28.

Willoughby-Eastlake Schools Superintendent Steve Thompson thanked voters for their support and attributed passage of the levy to volunteers who informed the community about the issues importance.

The funds generated by this levy are monumental and will allow our students to engage in meaningful extracurricular activities as well as ensure that they will receive a quality education, Thompson said. Willoughby-Eastlake will continue to work hard to make our community proud of the opportunities offered to our students and will remain steadfast as good stewards of our taxpayers dollars.

This levy will cost property owners about $172.90 annually per $100,000 residential property valuation, according to the Lake County Auditors Office.

Meanwhile, the five-year, 4.47-mill additional levy for Fairport Harbor Schools failed 308-234, according to unofficial final returns from the county Elections Board.

The levy would have generate $250,000 annually, and cost taxpayers $156.45 per $100,000 in property valuation, according to the county Auditors Office.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the unique circumstances of this primary election could lend itself to a higher than usual number of properly postmarked ballots arriving after April 28.

This could mean that results for some races and issues could change in the official count. Ballots returned by mail containing a postmark on or before April 27 must be received by boards of election by May 8 in order to be counted.
T he Duchess of Cornwall has revealed she has taken up ballet and is practising her poses and positions to keep fit in lockdown.

Camilla told how she and four friends had been enjoying weekly Royal Academy of Dance Silver Swans classes for around 18 months.

The sessions, specially designed for older learners, are aimed at improving mobility, posture, co-ordination and energy levels. They are led by teachers who have been trained to safely adapt ballet techniques for over 55s.

Sharing her exercise regime during the coronavirus pandemic in a video call with former Strictly judge Dame Darcey Bussell and broadcaster Angela Rippon, Camilla said: "I do a combination of a bit of Silver Swans and a bit of Pilates and a lot of walking which I love."

The Duchess of Cornwall watches students dance during a visit to the Royal Academy of Dance in Battersea, London / PA

She added: "We've all got to keep active If we don't we'll seize up and won't be able to get out of bed in the morning."

The duchess, 72, who was announced as the new vice-patron of the Royal Academy of Dance on Wednesday, confessed she had always loved dancing, but never tried ballet.

"Sarah, the wonderful teacher, said to me 'Would you ever consider having a lesson?', so I got a group of ancient friends together and the four of us sort of clatter around, and when we're in London, we do it once a week and it makes all the difference," Camilla said on the video chat.

The Duchess of Cornwall (bottom) in conversation with with former Strictly judge Dame Darcey Bussell (right) and broadcaster Angela Rippon (left) / PA

She added: "I thought it was going to be very funny and I was going to laugh at everybody toppling over next door to me, but I think we concentrate so hard we don't even know what our friend next door is doing.

"When I stand there I think to myself, 'Drop your shoulders, breathe deeply, don't hunch'.

"It's those sort of things which you have ingrained in your memory."

She joked about her future potential as a ballerina, saying: "I'm very, very much a beginner and probably will always remain a beginner, but I do feel after a year, or 18 months, of doing it that maybe I've improved a tiny bit.

"But I'm certainly not going to be taking to the stage.

"I shall keep it in my own home very privately."

Camilla watching the Silver Swans dancers during an active elderly engagement at the Salvation Army Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand / PA

It is not known whether the duchess has been participating in online classes while in lockdown from Birkhall in Scotland.

But RAD is offering free Silver Swans sessions every Wednesday at 1pm on its website and social media channels.

The duchess visited the Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in Battersea, London, in February 2018, and declared at the time: "I want to be a Silver Swan."

She also watched a group of "Swans" demonstrate their steps while on a royal tour of New Zealand, and has since participated in classes herself.

Camilla told Dame Darcey, who is patron of RAD, and Silver Swans ambassador Ms Rippon that the sessions with her friends had been "really good fun".

She added: "It gives you a certain amount of confidence in yourself.

"It's just a bit of discipline there, which I think we all need in our lives.

"You might groan a bit afterwards, and huff and grunt and everything else, but you do feel so much better."

Camilla also described being in lockdown as "very peculiar", but said her "workaholic" husband the Prince of Wales was carrying on being busy.

"He will work wherever he is, so he's sitting at his desk now working away," she said.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., April 22, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/Pool via Reuters)

Classic Communist Disinformation: Pompeo Hits Back at Beijings Claim That US Is Lying About Pandemic

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out the Chinese foreign ministrys accusation that American politicians were playing tricks to deflect blame surrounding the pandemic, calling the comments classic communist disinformation.

They know that this happened in their country. This is classic communist disinformation. This is what communists do, Pompeo said during an interview with Fox on April 29. He was referring to recent remarks made by Geng Shuang, spokesperson for Chinas foreign ministry, who accused politicians in the United States of lying through their teeth.

Geng said at a Tuesday press briefing: We advise American politicians to reflect on their own problems and try their best to control the epidemic as soon as possible, instead of continuing to play tricks to deflect blame.

Pompeo pointed to the Chinese regimes efforts to silence doctors who tried to sound the alarm about the outbreak during its early stages.

Those are the kind of things that communist institutions do. We all know them from the Soviet days. We know the kinds of things that communist parties do to try and manage information inside of their own country and around the world, he said.

Gengs criticism came after President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the United States could seek substantial compensation from the Chinese regime for causing the pandemic.

There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable, Trump said. We are not happy with China.

Pompeo in the Fox interview echoed Trumps remarks, saying, America needs to hold them [the regime] accountable.

The state secretary was recently attacked by Chinese state media over his repeated calls for Beijing to be transparent about the outbreak. A recent commentary by hawkish Chinese state-run outlet Global Times called Pompeo an enemy to world peace after he said the Chinese regime will pay a price for what they did in its cover-up of the crisis.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also directly criticized Pompeo during its prime-time news bulletins on Monday and Tuesday.

In his position as a top U.S. diplomat, Pompeo has shown no professionalism or responsibility whatsoever, CCTV said.

Instead, he spreads a political virus of estrangement through falsehoods. He has turned himself into an obstacle setting back all humanity. One could say, he is an accomplice to the coronavirus.

A growing number of countries have called for greater transparency and accountability from the Chinese regime over its handling of the outbreak, which resulted in the global spread of the virus.

Recently, Australia called for an independent review into how Beijing handled the crisis. Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye then threatened an economic boycott on Australian goods if the government did not back down. Australias Foreign Minister Marise Payne condemned the regimes threats of economic coercion, and repeated calls for the probe.

Pompeo said he was heartened to see Australia and other countries demand an investigation into Beijings handling of the outbreak, because while we know this started in Wuhan, China, we dont yet know from where it startedAnd in spite of our best efforts to get experts on the ground, they [Chinese regime] continue to try and hide and obfuscate.
A new test for the coronavirus is so simple and straightforward, almost anyone could do it: Spit a glob of saliva into a cup, close the lid and hand it over.

While not as fast to process as the speediest swab tests, saliva tests could transform the diagnosis of Covid-19. If manufactured in enough numbers and processed by enough labs across the country, they could alleviate the diagnostic shortages that have hampered containment of the pandemic and offer a less onerous way for companies to see if workers are infected.

The first saliva-based test, already being offered in parts of New Jersey, detects genetic material from the virus, just as the existing tests do, but it avoids a long swab that reaches disturbingly far up a persons nose. For the saliva-based, health care workers do not need to wear and discard precious gowns and masks. And early evidence suggests it is just as sensitive, if not more so, than the swabs.

Because the saliva test relies on equipment that is widely available, it also offers the hope of a nationwide rollout without encountering the supply problems that have plagued the swabs.
West Bengal Chief Minister



Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged private hospitals of the state not to refuse any patient approaching them for treatment of coronavirus infection.

The chief minister's appeal came after allegations were raised that some private facilities are refusing to treat patients with symptoms of coronavirus.

"We have collaborated with 51 private hospitals (to treat Covid-19 patients). Do not forget that the state government is bearing all the expenses of their treatment. But other hospitals also can treat coronavirus cases by taking necessary precautionary measures. I appeal to everybody to provide treatment to them," she told reporters at the state secretariat.

"But we also have to look after the vaccination of the children, dialysis of patients, pregnant women and cardiac patients. We will soon issue an advisory for private hospitals so that they keep their facilities operational and do not refuse the patients coming for treatment (of Covid-19)," she added.

Banerjee also urged doctors to reopen their chambers and start providing treatments strictly following the social distancing norms.

Meanwhile, in order to normalise services at hospitals after the lockdown is revoked, the health department has issued a directive asking the state-run facilities to draw up a blueprint for crowd management.

"While there is lack of clarity on when and how the lockdown will be lifted, it is certain that we will have to normalise hospital services in a phased manner, commensurate with the evolving situation," the directive said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SAO PAULO, April 29 (Reuters) - The Brazilian agriculture ministry has closed a poultry and pork processing plant operated by BRF SA, the company said in a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday, citing problems with the plant's water supply system.

The plant in Rio Verde, in the center-western state of Goias, is one of the company's largest.

BRF said it is taking all measures and carrying out revisions of its water supply protocols with the expectation of safely resuming activities at the plant "as soon as possible."

The ministry of agriculture did not have an immediate comment on the order to temporary close the plant.

(Reporting by Ana Mano; editing by Jason Neely)
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is gearing up to launch a series of video-dialogues with public intellectuals, and the first to feature in this series is renowned economist and Indias former Central bank governor Raghuram Rajan.

The dialogue with Rajan, which is over an hour long, includes a detailed discussion on the state of the economy and how to revive it in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The discussion has been done in English via video-conferencing, Congress functionaries told Hindustan times.

Congress social media head Rohan Gupta told Hindustan Times that Gandhi will be speaking to Rajan and the video will be launched tomorrow. He (Gandhi) will be speaking to Raghuram Rajan. The discussion is about the fallout of coronavirus crisis and how it will impact the economy. They also discuss how to convert it into an opportunity, Gupta added.

This is the first in a series of videos dialogues that Gandhi will be conducting with intellectuals, including public health specialists and activists working on the grass root level across the world, a Congress functionary said.

The dialogue is pre-recorded and will be disseminated by the Congress on social media over the next couple of days.

This is different, said a second Congress functionary. He (Gandhi) is not talking about the BJP at all. The entire conversation revolves around the state of the economy.

The two discuss solutions that may be viable in the post-Covid world, the second functionary added with the primary issue being the economy of the country.

States are facing huge losses, said the first functionary. The issue of loss of revenue, GST payments not coming in, all play a part in the discussion.

A slew of changes in the party has recently been interpreted by many Congress leaders as a sign of Gandhis return to presidency. Most recently, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi constituted an 11-member consultative group under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs leadership to deliberate on matters related to the Covid-19 pandemic and to formulate the partys views on them.

The group also includes Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Singh Surjewala, KC Venugopal, P Chidambaram, Manish Tewari, Jairam Ramesh, Praveen Chakravarty, Gaurav Vallabh, Supriya Shrinate and Rohan Gupta. This is the first time Rahul Gandhi has become a member of a party panel since he stepped down as the Congress chief last year. The group has been holding extensive meetings and offering suggestions to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on how to address the Covid-19 crisis.
Chris Stylezz, who was fired as host of Dusse Palooza after allegedly being sexually coercive toward several women. Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for TIDAL

Dusse Palooza, a popular hip-hop party that originated in New York City, has fired one of its hosts after he was accused of coercive sexual behavior. Formerly Henny Palooza, the event is now named after Jay-Zs part-owned cognac brand and has drawn attention from Swizz Beatz, Pusha T, Rick Ross, YG, and Wale. The multicity event held its largest event to date at Brooklyns Barclays Center this past December. On April 27, photographer CheyMillz tweeted that Chris Stylezz had made unwanted advances on her one night. He was trying to kiss me. Trying to pull at my clothes. Trying to get me to give him head while hes driving, she wrote. Later, she wrote, Stylezz took CheyMillz to his home without telling her. Once there, he tried to take her clothes off and have sex with her, but she told him no. A Twitter account called @Predatorsanon was created on April 28 to document additional allegations against Stylezz.

Imma only speak on my story ONE TIME.

And i dont give a FUCK what yall got to say about it: pic.twitter.com/TLDctOYJlv  Chey the Shooter  (@CheyMillz) April 27, 2020

My friend doesnt have twitter but wanted to add to the conversation about her experience.  pic.twitter.com/wwqfQxW2dR   Stina Snow (@XoXoEstina) April 27, 2020

Stories of women experiences with Christylezz that with reason, did not want to be harassed: pic.twitter.com/GnG5GjsCGk  Venting with a Venti (@ventingconventi) April 28, 2020

The afternoon of the allegations, Dusse Palooza tweeted that it was investigating the situation and placing Stylezz on leave. With that said, we have always made safety for our consumers, talent and staff our top priority, the organization wrote. We pride ourselves in creating a very safe and enjoyable environment for all. That will remain our focus moving forward into our future shows and events. But one Twitter user, @ventingconventi, alleged that Dusse Palooza general manager Rory Farrell, who also co-hosts The Joe Budden Podcast, had been aware of Stylezzs alleged behavior since early March. Ive come across a couple women that had similar experiences of him being coercive and manipulative, a Twitter user messaged Farrell, according to screenshots, proceeding to detail behavior consistent with the current allegations against Stylezz. Okay thank you for the heads up, Farrell replied.

We are aware of the allegation made against one of our staff members. We are currently conducting an internal investigation around this allegation. Until the investigation has been concluded, that staff member has been placed on indefinite leave  Dusse Palooza (@DussePalooza) April 27, 2020

With that said, we have always made safety for our consumers, talent and staff our top priority. We pride ourselves in creating a very safe and enjoyable environment for all. That will remain our focus moving forward into our future shows and events.  Dusse Palooza (@DussePalooza) April 27, 2020

Rory was aware of the accusations on Christylezz prior to him being exposed today. pic.twitter.com/Gatgqyf3B5  Venting with a Venti (@ventingconventi) April 27, 2020

Dusse Palooza tweeted that it had fired Stylezz on April 28, a day after his alleged behavior came to light. He will not work with the group in the future, according to its tweet. It has always been our goal to create and maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, Dusse Palooza wrote. We adamantly reject any instance where women are made to feel otherwise. Stylezz, meanwhile, spoke on his Instagram Live that night, claiming to apologize to the victims and maintaining that hes not a rapist. Ive always just operated from a standpoint of whatever, you know, it is what it is, he said, explaining his past sexual behavior. Looking back, he said he noticed he was being an asshole, straight up. He said PR told him not to go on Instagram Live and gave him a statement with the word coercion, which he looked up the definition of. Ive never done that. Ive never threatened somebody. Ive never sat there and someone has to have sex with me in order to  no, that has never happened. If I ever raped anybody, please, bring me to justice, he said, asking victims to talk to the police. Im owning up to the many women. Im owning up to disrespecting them, he said. But Im not owning up to forcing them to do things, and I would never own up to forcing myself into them.

After further consideration, we have decided to sever ties with the staff member who was initially put under internal investigation. Effective immediately, said staff member is no longer a part of the Palooza team and will not host any of our events going forward.  Dusse Palooza (@DussePalooza) April 28, 2020

It has always been our goal to create and maintain an environment where everyone feels safe. We adamantly reject any instance where women are made to feel otherwise.  Dusse Palooza (@DussePalooza) April 28, 2020

The Joe Budden Podcast posted a new episode addressing the allegations the morning of April 29. I dont fuck with Chris nor his inexcusable actions with women, and my thoughts are only with them, Farrell tweeted.

We had a really honest conversation, which was in real time, prior to his IG live bullshit, lets clear up any grey area right now ... I dont fuck with Chris nor his inexcusable actions with women, and my thoughts are only with them. https://t.co/qprMuE9Od5  Rory (@thisisrory) April 29, 2020

Correction: This story has been edited to clarify the setting of CheyMillzs encounter with Chris Stylezz. An additional allegation and tweet not referring to Stylezz has been removed from this story.
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The Global Surgical Retractors Market held a market value of USD 1,103 Million in 2017 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period.

Increasing number of surgical procedures leading to increase demand of surgical retractors. Surgical retractors are one of the important surgical instruments which is used to separate the edges of the wound or surgical incision.

Due to increasing prevalence of obesity across the globe many of the companies are in the race to introduce better treatment for obesity. Companies are using a trend of strategic alliance and acquisition to gain the market and minimize the competition in the market.

Additionally, the growing research and development expenditure by the government as well as private sector is likely to contribute to the market growth. As per the data by the Office for National Statistics, in 2016, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) was Euro 33.1 billion (USD 35.2 billion) in the UK. However, the cost of surgery and surgical products may hamper the market growth during the assessment period.

Regional Analysis

On regional basis, the Americas is anticipated to dominate the global surgical retractors market owing to the growing R&D budgets by both government as well as commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies and increasing adoption of advanced technologies in the region.

Europe is expected to hold the second largest position in the global surgical retractors market owing to the presence of strong academic & research base and availability of funding for research in the European countries. Asia Pacific has served an opportunity for developing surgical retractors market in this region due to increasing demand for the better treatment and devices and increasing prevalence of disease like diabetes and obesity.

The Middle East & Africa has the least share of the global surgical retractors market. Moreover, the major market share of the region is expected to be held by the Middle East region owing to the increasing government initiatives for the healthcare sector.

Intended Audience

 Surgical Retractors Manufacturers and Distributors

 Contract Research Organizations

 Academic and Research Institutes

 Government Associations

Segmentation

The Global Surgical Retractors Market has been segmented into product type, design, product usage, application, and end user.





 By product type, the market has been segmented into hand retractors, self-retaining retractors, table-mounted retractors, wire retractors, and accessories.

 Based on design, the market has been segmented into fixed or flat frame retractors, angled or curved frame retractors, and blade or elevated-tipped retractors.

 Based on product usage, the market has been segmented into tissue handling and dissection and fluid swabbing.

 Based on application, the market has been segmented into obstetric & gynecological, urological, abdominal, cardiothoracic, orthopaedic, head, neck, and spinal, aesthetic surgical, and others.

 The market, by end user, has been segmented into hospitals and surgical centres, ambulatory care centres, and others.

Key Players

 Terumo Corporation

 Henry Schein, INC.

 Johnson & Johnson

 Medtronic

 Becton

 Dickinson and Company

 Stryker Corporation

 Globus Medical, INC.,

 B. Braun Melsungen AG,

 Teleflex Incorporated,

 Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation,

 The Cooper Companies, INC.,

 RTI Surgical, INC.,

 Arthrex, Inc.,

 Invuity, Inc.,

 Medline Industries, Inc.

Browse Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/surgical-retractors-market-7019

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.
A delivery driver who was so drunk on tequila managed to avoid a drink-driving charge because of a bizarre legal loophole.

Hefeng Li, 30, was found asleep at the wheel on Padstow Road at Eight Mile Plains, in Brisbane's south, by police at about 11pm on March 21.

He was so drunk that he was unable to do a breath test despite five attempts by police and was charged with failing to submit a breath test instead of drink driving.

Holland Park Magistrates Court (pictured) heard on Wednesday that Hefeng Li would have returned a high-range reading, but did not complete the breath tests

Li has only lost his licence for six months rather than two years because of the loophole in the legal system, Courier Mail reported.

Failing to submit a breath test carries a mandatory disqualification of six months rather than two years for high-range drink driving.

Holland Park Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday that Li would have returned a high-range reading.

Li pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of failing to submit a breath test, has lost his licence for six months and was fined $1,000.

According to Police prosecutor Sgt David Low when he was found in his car Li had bloodshot eyes, 'was unsteady on his feet, slurring his words and smelt strongly of alcohol'.

Hefeng Li, 30, was found asleep at the wheel on Padstow Road at Eight Mile Plains, in Brisbane's south, by police at about 11pm on March 21 (stock image)

Li told police he had been drinking tequila shots with a friend but could not remember leaving and was taken to Upper Mount Gravatt Police Station.

While there he could not give a breath sample for lab analysis despite trying five times.

Li on Wednesday told the court it was his first time drink-driving as Magistrate Simon Young said failing to submit a breath test was the 'lesser of two evils'.
WASHINGTON  A network of conservative leaders, donors and organizations has launched a legal onslaught against state and local restrictions intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus, pushing to allow churches to hold services, businesses to reopen and people to be able to visit with family and friends.

They have been emboldened in recent days by increasing signs of support from a powerful ally: The Justice Department.

Justice Department officials have spoken on conference calls with leaders of conservative groups, who have flagged individual cases as worthy of the departments review. Some cabinet officials have signaled that they back the effort by participating in private calls with conservative allies, according to multiple people involved with the calls.

This week the Justice Department delivered the clearest show of support yet when Attorney General William P. Barr issued a memorandum directing two of his departments top lawyers to lead an effort with other federal agencies to monitor state and local policies and, if necessary, take action to correct those that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.
People are seen gathering on the Corona del Mar State Beach in Newport Beach, Calif., on April 25, 2020. (Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

Newport Beach City Council Votes Against Proposal to Close the Citys Beaches

The city council of a Californian city blocked a proposal that would have closed its beaches amid an ongoing public relations battle between Gov. Gavin Newsom and local officials.

The 5-2 vote by the Newport Beach City Council rejected an ordinance that would have closed beaches for the next three weekends.

There were over 1,000 emails sent to city officials expressing views on the matter before the vote, including 664 asking for beaches to stay open and 391 wanting them closed.

The council asked city workers to ramp up enforcement of social distancing measures, which include people staying six feet from individuals they dont live with. More police officers and lifeguards will be on the beaches in the coming days, the city said in a press release.

The vast majority of the beach visitors this weekend were practicing social distancing, but many were not, the city said in its statement.

According to statistics shared during the council meeting, some 90,000 people went to beaches over the past weekend.

A lifeguard wears a mask as he keeps watch over a newly opened beach during the outbreak of the CCP virus in Encinitas, Calif., on April 27, 2020. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

San Clemente, where some beaches are also open, delayed taking action on a similar proposal. The city announced beaches were reopening on April 25.

To reduce overcrowding, the City is requesting that non-residents abide by the Governors stay at home orders, due to limited parking availability, it said in a statement. Others should follow social distancing guidelines, which included the barring of beach chairs and volleyball nets.

Crowds gathered on the beaches on April 25 and 26 as temperatures soared and many beaches nearby remained closed, including Los Angeles County beaches and most in San Diego County.

Newsom, a Democrat, reacted to photographs showing throngs enjoying the sand, calling them an example of what not to see and what not to do if state residents want to continue making progress against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The reality is we are just a few weeks away, not months away, from making measurable and meaningful changes to our stay-at-home order, the governor said, referring to his harsh mandate that has largely kept people confined in their homes since mid-March.

This virus doesnt take the weekends off. This virus doesnt go home because its a beautiful sunny day around our coasts, he added.

People are seen gathering on the Corona del Mar State Beach in Newport Beach, Calif., on April 25, 2020. (Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

Newport Beach is in Orange County.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors last week voted to keep the countys beaches open.

Most city beaches in the county remain closed.

Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen in a letter had asked the board to close all beaches in the county prior to the vote.

Some beaches in Huntington Beach are open.

The city said in a statement that fire department workers and police officers have been patrolling the beach and reminding people to refrain from congregating with individuals from outside their household.

Despite whats being reported, the majority of our beach goers are complying to social distancing. Please enjoy the rest of your weekend, stay safe, and continue to social distance as everyone has been doing, the city said in a statement on Sunday.
This April, instead of submitting tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as usual, many Americans were waiting for the IRS to send them cash payments as part of a coronavirus relief package. On April 14, The Washington Post broke the news that the U.S. Treasury Department had made an "unprecedented" decision that stimulus checks sent via postal mail would carry the words "President Donald J. Trump" printed on the memo line - the first time in U.S. history a president's name appeared on an IRS check.

House and Senate Democrats objected; some reporting suggested adding the president's name might delay the checks.

Trump's tactic of literally putting his name on a government benefit was familiar to many observers of lower- and middle-income democracies. Social scientists have studied the many ways in which politicians in these countries routinely try to personalize government programs, funds, and benefits.

- Politicians around the world regularly try to put their names on government benefits

In the U.S., we are used to seeing mayors' and governors' names on welcome signs on highways and at airports, and on commemorative plaques in places like parks. Elsewhere, some politicians place their names directly on government benefits that run from the small to the substantial.

In Argentina in 2001, a governor distributed 800,000 pairs of children's shoes with his name printed on the tongue; more recently, a mayor put her name on the city's 40 new police cars. In India, political scientists Adam Auerbach and Tariq Thachil found city politicians tag local public goods with their names - like water tanks located at busy intersections - to claim credit for delivering them and thus win more votes. In Mexico, controversy erupted when a mayor in the state of Hidalgo tried to name a street in the town for himself. And in Bolivia earlier this year, a governor's signature appeared on checks his state distributed through a small business loan program.

Presumably, these politicians, including Trump, want to see their names on government benefits and services in part because they believe that will help them at the ballot box. Are they right?

- Do they win votes by claiming credit for these policies?

While no one has directly studied the effects of politicians literally putting their names on government benefits, scholarship does find evidence that politicians win votes when they claim credit for policies - even if they're not actually responsible for those projects. For example, political scientists Cesi Cruz and Christina Schneider show mayors in the Philippines try to link themselves to World Bank-funded infrastructure projects. These projects are distributed according to a formula.

Nevertheless, mayors of cities that receive such projects are more likely to be reelected than mayors of cities that just missed the cutoff for receiving these projects. Similarly, economists Raymond Guiteras and Mushfiq Mobarak find Bangladeshi politicians visit NGO-funded programs to try to claim credit for them. They also find citizens reward politicians for these programs - even when the projects were randomly assigned rather than obtained through the mayor's initiative.

- Personalizing policies can set off a voter backlash

On the other hand, voters may punish politicians who personally label government benefits.

Consider studies of "clientelism" - a practice in which politicians or parties offer goods and favors in exchange for electoral support - in Argentina and Eastern Europe. Some citizens disapprove of such transactions and will vote against politicians who engage in them. Similarly, citizens may view efforts to personally name programs and policies as a signal that politicians are focused on improving their reelection chances, rather than governing effectively. That's especially true for citizens who do not benefit directly from the policies.

While politicians might benefit from claiming credit they didn't earn, accurate information can diminish their political gains. In the Bangladesh study described above, when researchers told constituents taking the survey that the NGO programs had actually been randomly assigned, the newly informed citizens stopped crediting local politicians. If Democrats are eager to claim credit for the stimulus package, they may wish to clarify that Congress passed the stimulus bill, which was paid for with taxpayers' money.

So will having Trump's name on the stimulus checks influence the election? Research from other countries suggests that will depend on whether voters react by giving Trump credit or by recoiling from his attempt to claim it. And that may depend on whether Trump or the Democrats are more successful in shaping the public narrative.

- - -

Oliveros (@VirOliveros) is associate professor of political science at Tulane University and 2019-2020 visiting fellow at the Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame.

Weitz-Shapiro is associate professor of political science at Brown University and author of "Curbing Clientelism in Argentina: Politics, Poverty, and Social Policy" (Cambridge University Press, 2014).

Winters (@MSWinters1) is associate professor and associate head for graduate programs in the department of political science at the University of Illinois.

For other commentary and analysis from The Monkey Cage, an independent blog anchored by political scientists from universities around the country, see www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage
Hamilton mosques will soon be able to broadcast daily calls to prayer during the pandemic lockdown that prevents gathering at places of worship.

City council approved a motion from Coun. Jason Farr Wednesday to allow symbolic twice-daily broadcasts of the call to prayer, or adhaan  once at noon and again a half-hour before sunset  until the close of Ramadan May 24.

Essentially, they want to chime their church bells, said Farr, comparing the broadcast to the regular ringing of bells in Christian places of worship across Hamilton.

It is not meant to be an actual call to gather in person at local mosques, which are closed along with all places of worship by provincial order to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Imam Sayed Tora said he was thrilled council was open to the request from the downtown and Mountain mosques. The Mountain mosque leader said the pandemic lockdown is particularly hard on members forced to stay apart during Ramadan, a time when local mosques are normally buzzing beehives of activity.

This will give members of the Hamilton Muslim community a great sense of unity, tranquility and peace, he said.

Tora said each broadcasted call to prayer in Arabic will last about two or three minutes.

While such calls traditionally happen five times a day, the imam said community leaders wanted to avoid neighbourhood disruption. Many people are probably still sleeping at dawn, he said with a chuckle.

Other regions in Canada and worldwide have also temporarily allowed the calls to prayer to be broadcast via outdoor speakers, including Peel, Halifax and cities in Germany and the Netherlands.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger praised the idea, noting he previously asked Christian churches to ring church bells in solidarity with front line health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

The citys permission is needed for a noise bylaw exemption, an exception that already exists for Christian churches.

Eisenberger said the city will alert the public to the plan in a release and at an upcoming virtual town hall because the unfamiliar broadcast might catch some people by surprise.
Since the announcement of the Artemis programme in May 2019, NASA has been preparing for its ambitious mission to send the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. With the Artemis programme, which has been dubbed as 'Humanity's Return to the Moon', scientists aim to explore the lunar surface using innovative technologies with sustainable architecture. Now, in a recently published paper, NASA has detailed its plan to explore possible water resources on the surface of Moon with a Lunar Flashlight.

In the paper, published in the April 2020 issue of a scientific journal, NASA scientists described the Lunar Flashlight as a small satellite that will search for water ice exposures in Moon's permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the poles. About the size of a briefcase, the small satellite can detect naturally-occurring surface ice that is believed to be at the bottom of darkest craters and has never seen sunlight.

Water is a heavy and therefore expensive resource to launch from Earth, and astronauts during the Artemis mission to Moon could need water for rocket fuel, if not for drinking purposes. Scientists have suspected the existence of water in the form of ice molecules inside the coldest and darkest craters on Moon but previous quantitative measurements have been ambiguous. The Lunar Flashlight will help NASA ascertain the amount of usable water ice exposures on Moon before the mission takes from Earth.

Read: NASA Celebrates 30 Years And 1.4 Million Observations Of Hubble With 'Cosmic Coral Reef'

Finding Water of Moon

Over the course of two months, the Lunar Flashlight will beam its laser over Moon's south pole into permanently shadowed regions and probe the surface for water ice exposures. Found near the lunar poles, these dark craters have been identified as 'cold traps' that accumulate molecules of water ice among other ice compounds. These molecules could have come from comets and asteroids impacting the lunar surface or could be a product of solar wind interactions with the lunar soil.

Barbara Cohen, a scientist on the mission, explained in the paper "The Sun moves around the crater horizon but never actually shines into the crater. Because these craters are so cold, these molecules never receive enough energy to escape, so they become trapped and accumulate over billions of years."

The Lunar Flashlight will beam near-infrared wavelengths that are readily absorbed by water. If the lasers hit bare rocks in the dark craters, the light will reflect back to the satellite but if the light is absorbed, it would confirm the presence of water ice in these lunar caves. The greater the absorption, the more widespread ice at the surface.

Read: NASA Shares Sparkling Night View Of Earth From Space With Endearing Message Amid Pandemic

The Lunar Flashlight

As detailed in the NASA document, the Lunar Flashlight has been developed by the American space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and seeks to achieve several technological firsts, including being the first mission to look for water ice exposures using lasers. It will also be the first spacecraft to use a 'green' propellant, which is safer to transport and store than Hydrazine.

John Baker, Lunar Flashlight project manager at JPL, added that the Lunar Flashlight is a lower-cost technology demonstration mission that can fill gaps in present scientific knowledge, better prepare the astronauts for a possible extended stay on the Moon and test key technologies that may be used in future space expeditions.

Read: NASA Develops Special 'high-pressure Ventilator' In Just 37 Days For COVID-19 Patients

Read: NASA Posts 'feel Good' Space Click Of Madagascar Coast With Sapphire Water, Pink Sediment
The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called upon the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to give further extension in the last date for the submission of Sales Tax Returns (STRs) of March 2020 in the current circumstances

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2020 ) :The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called upon the Federal board of Revenue (FBR) to give further extension in the last date for the submission of Sales Tax Returns (STRs) of March 2020 in the current circumstances.

Most of the businesses and industrial units were closed, and it was difficult for business community to submit ST Returns of March 2020 within due date, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce (ICCI) Industry Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said in press release issued by ICCI here on Wednesday.

He said FBR had extended the last date for the submission of ST Returns of March 2020 till April 30, 2020, however, due to the Covid-19 issue, most of the business and industrial institutions were still closed.

He said the ST returns were directly related with sale/purchase activities, but at a time, when majority of businesses were closed, how was it possible for business community to submit ST returns within due.

He urged that FBR should give at least one month's further extension in the last date for submission of ST Returns of March 2020.

He further emphasized that keeping in view the difficulties of business sector due to Covid-19, government should defer the submission of ST Returns for next 6 months that would provide great relief to the business community.

The ICCI president said according to Section-8B of Sales Tax Act 1990, a registered person shall not be allowed to adjust input tax in excess of ninety per cent of the output tax for that tax period.

However, he stressed that during this crisis period caused by Covid-19, government should allow business community to adjust input tax of the 100 percent of output tax.

He further said that the government should remove this discrepancy in input and output tax and in the next budget, should allow 100 percent adjustment of input tax against output tax that would be a great facilitation for the business community.

Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that government has provided a good incentive to construction industry by giving it exemption from Sec-111 of ITO as it would promote investment in the construction sector.

He further said that government should remove 3 percent further tax on non-registered customers for purchase of all products as it tended to increase product cost and was affecting business activities as well.

He said that removal of further tax on non-registered customers would reduce product cost and give boost to business activities.
Several behind the scenes photos of the filming of MasterChef Australia have emerged, and show a very different side to the reality show.

Contestants are seen taking a break on the floor outside of the Melbourne studio earlier this year, after filming for the program reportedly lasted 'up to 12 hours a day'.

The stars looked exhausted as they collapsed on the grass, with Hayden Quinn even removing his shoes and socks to take the weight off his feet.

The side of MasterChef you DON'T see on TV! Several behind the scenes photos of the filming of MasterChef Australia have emerged, and show a very different side to the reality show. Contestants are seen taking a break on the floor outside of the Melbourne studio earlier this year, after filming for the program reportedly lasted 'up to 12 hours a day'

Eliminated star Harry Foster is seen laying down, looking at his mobile phone.

Meanwhile, Khanh Ong, Dani Venn and Sarah Clare all look somewhat defeated in the pictures, which were shared by their co-star Simon Toohey on Tuesday.

Simon's uploads provide a brief glimpse into what it takes to make the Channel 10 show. Viewers rarely see what goes on outside of the kitchen.

Earlier this month, Now To Love reported that although challenges only last 60 minutes on TV, in reality they can take 12 hours to film, from start to finish.

Taking the weight off! The stars looked exhausted as they collapsed on the grass, with Hayden Quinn even removing his shoes and socks to take the weight off his feet

Behind-the-scenes! Also on Tuesday night, several stars uploaded more behind-the-scenes pictures of the show. Hayden shared a photo of himself in a Melbourne bar with co-stars Jess Liemantara, Harry and Brandan Pang after filming Tuesday's episode back in February

Also on Tuesday night, several stars uploaded more behind-the-scenes pictures of the show.

Hayden shared a photo of himself in a Melbourne bar with co-stars Jess Liemantara, Harry and Brandan Pang after filming Tuesday's episode back in February.

'We all needed a beer after that one,' he wrote after Harry was eliminated.

Tasty! Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that before coronovirus restrictions the cast spent their downtime away from the cameras putting their skills to the test at private dinner parties. Pictured: Poh Ling Yeow

Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that before coronovirus restrictions the cast spent their downtime away from the cameras putting their skills to the test at private dinner parties.

When they weren't cooking for the judges, the likes of Poh Ling Yeow, Brendan Pang and Reece Hignell took turns making meals and desserts for each other.

The cast would host private dinner parties in their apartment hotels in Melbourne, where they were put up by producers throughout filming.

MasterChef: Back To Win started filming in January with all 24 contestants. It is now in the final stages of production, with just a few finalists remaining in Melbourne.

Secret challenges? When they weren't cooking for the judges, the cast took turns making meals for each other. Pictured (left to right): Jess Liemantara, Sarah Tiong, Rose Adam, Poh Ling Yeow and Sarah Clare
The Health Secretary last week announced that some 18,000 staff will be put in place as part of the mass-testing scheme

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night admitted that Britain may not hire its 'army' of 18,000 contact tracers until mid-May.

Ministers last week announced a three-step battle plan to ease the UK out of lockdown, which included ramping up a contact tracing programme.

But when asked about the topic in last night's Downing Street conference, Mr Hancock said he did not expect the tracers to be ready until mid-May.

He revealed that the Government hopes to have them in place either before or at the same time as the NHS app is ready to be rolled out.

Mr Hancock also did not know how many had already been recruited. MailOnline today asked the Department of Health for an update on recruitment but has yet to hear back.

Mr Hancock said: 'We hope to have the contact tracers in place before or at the same time as the app goes live. We're expecting that to be ready by the middle of May.'

He also said requirements must be put in place for anyone who comes into contact with an individual who has tested positive as part of the plans.

The successful implementation of 'test, track and trace' is viewed as key to easing the current state of lockdown and to preventing a second peak. The World Health Organization says tracing is the 'backbone' to curbing any epidemic.

But Mr Hancock has previously admitted that there was 'no automatic link' between this setup being ready and lockdown coming to an end.

Health experts have already hit out at the scheme, saying the UK will need as many as 100,000 tracing staff to replicate the success of countries like South Korea.

But New York appears to be following similar maths to Britain - state governor, Andrew Cuomo, said he would look to employ 30 tracers for every 100,000 residents - a total of around 5,700 for the 19million people who live there.

The same calculation for the UK's population of 66million would lead to a requirement for 19,800 contact tracers - 1,800 more than the Government's target.

Mr Cuomo said existing civil servants would be used but more people would have to be employed for the purpose, the Wall Street Journal reported.

He said: 'This is something that no one has ever done before.'

It comes amid growing concern ministers will fail to reach their pledge of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests each day.

Only 43,000 were conducted on Monday, the most recent day for which figures are available. It means Britain is not even halfway to reaching the target.

Yesterday it was revealed the long-awaited NHS coronavirus contact tracing app for smartphones could be ready in a fortnight.

The Government will launch a widespread contact tracing scheme to track down people who have been in touch with infected patients

HOW WOULD AN NHS CONTACT-TRACING APP WORK? According to researchers, the app being developed by NHSX would likely work as follows: Users install the app on their smartphones. The app logs every time the device comes into close proximity of another app user's phone. Users exhibiting coronavirus symptoms self-report on the app. The app tells these users to self-isolate, along with their household. It also notifies any other users logged as having recently come into contact with them/ These users also isolate, along with their households, and so on. Advertisement

The app will notify users if they have been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient. It is currently being trialled at a Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire.

Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX - the health service's tech arm - said tests were going well and it could be rolled out nationwide in two weeks.

Users self-report coronavirus symptoms or log they have been officially diagnosed, and the app alerts everyone who has come into contact with them.

Mr Hancock said last night: 'The more people who download the app and keep their Bluetooth on, the more effective the app is going to be.'

Pressed on how many people would need to use it for it to work, he added: 'There is no answer other than as many as possible. If everybody downloads it, it will just be more effective at spotting who people have been in contact with.'

The app - a key part of Number 10's 'test, track and trace' initiative - will help play a role in easing the draconian lockdown and getting Britons back to work.

Epidemiologists have warned that the app will need at least 60 per cent of the UK - or 40million people - to sign up for it to be effective.

But downloading it will not be mandatory, so there are no guarantees that enough Britons will use it for it to have any effect.

'SILENT CARRIERS' OF COVID-19 MAKE UP A FIFTH OF ALL THOSE IDENTIFIED THROUGH CONTACT TRACING Silent carriers of coronavirus make up a fifth of those identified using contact tracing, researchers have found. Experts said having such a high proportion of virus carriers with no idea they are infected makes contact tracing programmes essential to controlling the pandemic. A detailed description of a contact tracing project in the Chinese city of Shenzhen reveals 19.5 per cent of close contacts who tested positive for coronavirus had no symptoms. The researchers, from Johns Hopkins in the US and Shenzhen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said these silent carriers could easily pass on the virus without knowing they had it. The contact tracing scheme - one of several being considered as Britain draws up its own test, track and trace programme - reveals such an approach rapidly increases the speed at which new cases are identified. Experts say this is key to controlling the spread of the virus as lockdown measures are lifted in the coming weeks. The Shenzhen programme, described in a paper in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, revealed contact tracing increased the speed at which new cases were identified by two days - 3.2 days with contact tracing, down from 5.5 days previously. Researcher Dr Ting Ma said: The experience of Covid-19 in the city of Shenzhen may demonstrate the huge scale of testing and contact tracing thats needed to reduce the virus spreading. We urge governments to consider our findings in the global response to Covid-19. Advertisement

The NHS app will work by recording every time two people are within a certain distance of each other for a prolonged period of time using Bluetooth technology.

When one user registers themselves as being infected, or experiencing tell-tale symptoms, the app will automatically ping notifications to everyone who they could have passed it to.

It might advise them to self-isolate or get tested, depending on their age and vulnerability.

NHSX says the alerts will be sent anonymously so users do not know who may have infected them.

Similar approaches have been used with success in Singapore and South Korea but there are concerns about privacy and that not enough people will sign up to use it.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said state officials there will also rely on contact tracing as an essential element of emerging from coronavirus lockdown.

The state, which is battling one of the world's worst COVID-19 outbreaks, will also set up a 'circuit-breaker' alert system which could signal for authorities to bring back lockdown restriction if the virus reappears.

If hospitals become over 70 per cent full or the rate of spread rises above a one-to-one ratio in public, the government would be alerted that it needed to tighten up social distancing regulations again, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Contact tracers will be essential to tracking people who might have the disease.

The job of tracers is to quiz anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus about who they have been in contact with.

Infected people are also asked about where they were around the time they became ill and the days before it.

Tracers make a list of people considered to have been put at risk by the patient, and those people will be notified that they might have the coronavirus.

If contacted, people will be asked to self-isolate and to be vigilant about changes in their health and about social distancing. If they become ill they will be tested.

If a contact tests positive, then the exact same process will be conducted on them and their social network.

The idea is to keep track of how the virus moves through social circles and to try to stay a step ahead of it and prevent wider spread.

Council staff and civil servants are expected to be at the frontline of this effort.

NHS Confederation, a body that represents healthcare organisations, said contact tracing will 'help us track and control' the virus when lockdown is eased.

Its chief executive Niall Dickson said: 'The recruitment of an army of 18,000 tracers will be critical, though any strategy will need to be linked into local organisations.'

In the US, campaigners have raised concerns about the way apps such as these could breach people's privacy.

It would have to share location data to be able to work, they said.

The American Civil Liberties Union said: 'The systems must be widely adopted, but that will not happen if people do not trust them.

'For there to be trust, the tool must protect privacy, be voluntary, and store data on an individuals device rather than in a centralized repository.'

NHSX has been working with Google and Apple to develop the app for both main smartphone operating systems - Android and IOS.

But the NHS app is set to use a different model to the tech giants, despite concerns raised about privacy and performance.

The NHS will use a centralised database to store users' information and send alerts when there has been a match.

This is at odds with Apple and Google's 'decentralised' approach - where the matches take place on users' handsets.

The tech firms believe their effort provides more privacy because it limits hackers or authorities from tracking specific individuals exact footsteps.

But UK health bosses believe their centralised system will give the more insight into the spread of the virus.
President Donald Trump said he will take executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nations food supply.

The order will use the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure and mandate plants stay open to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers health.

More than 20 meat packing plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nations largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, said Tuesday that 20 food-processing and meatpacking union workers in the U.S. have died of the virus. An estimated 6,500 are sick or have been exposed while working near someone who tested positive, the union says.

As a result, industry leaders have warned that consumers could see meat shortages in a matter of days. Tyson Foods Inc., one of the worlds largest food companies, ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times and other newspapers Sunday warning, The food supply chain is breaking.

As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain, it read.

Tyson suspended operations at its pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa after a slew of infections, and Smithfield Foods halted production at its plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after an outbreak infected 853 workers there.

The 15 largest pork-packing plants account for 60% of all pork processed in the U.S., and the country has already seen a 25% reduction in pork slaughter capacity, according to UFCW.

A senior White House official said the administration was trying to prevent a situation in which a vast majority of the nations meat processing plants might have temporarily closed operations, reducing the availability of meat in supermarkets by as much as 80%.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before its release, said the White House was also working with the Labor Department to provide enhanced safety guidance for meatpacking workers. That will include trying to minimize the risk to workers who may be prone to serious complications from the virus, including strongly recommending those over the age of 65 and with preexisting conditions stay home.

The five-page order, which was developed in consultation with industry leaders including Tyson and Smithfield, is designed, in part, to provide companies with additional liability protections in case workers get sick.

Trump on Tuesday described the issue as a legal roadblock. The order, he said, would solve any liability problems where they had certain liability problems and well be in very good shape.

But UFCW International President Marc Perrone said that more must be done to protect the safety of workers.

Simply put, we cannot have a secure food supply without the safety of these workers, he said in a statement, urging the administration to immediately enact clear and enforceable safety standards and compel companies to provide protective equipment, make daily testing available to workers, and enforce physical distancing, among other measures.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said the administration should have acted earlier to put safety measures in place.

We only wish that this administration cared as much about the lives of working people as it does about meat, pork and poultry products, he said.

And Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, which represents 3,000 workers at the JBS meat processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, said the order will only ensure that more workers get sick, jeopardizing lives, familys income, communities, and of course, the countrys food supply chain.

The administration is working with companies to help them secure protective equipment, like face shields and masks, and ramp up testing, the official said.

Protecting workers at meat processing plants can be especially challenging. They typically employ thousands of people who often work side-by-side carving meat, making social distancing all but impossible. Some companies have been working to reduce infections by checking workers temperatures, staggering breaks and altering start times. Owners said they have also done more to clean plants, slowed production lines so workers can spread out, and added plastic shields between workstations.

When outbreaks have happened, local public health agencies have pushed in some cases for temporary closures so they can limit wider outbreaks in communities and conduct mass testing to determine who is carrying the virus. Some plants have also briefly closed for deep cleaning and to install new safety measures.

Yet concerns about working conditions persist and have led some to walk off the job. In central Minnesota, some workers at the Pilgrims Pride poultry plant walked out Monday night to protest the companys record on worker safety.

Mohamed Goni, an organizer with Greater Minnesota Worker Center, said workers have complained the company is not sharing information about sick colleagues, has not implemented social distancing on the line, and that workers who were sick returned after just two or three days, and some workers who developed symptoms were not allowed to leave when they asked to go home.

The company refused, saying there would be a shortage of workers, Goni said, adding that 80% to 85% of the plants workers are Somali.

They have other family members living with them  elderly, children, people with underlying conditions. So if one of them brings that to their homes, its going to be more worse and a more serious problem, Goni said.

Cameron Bruett, head of corporate affairs for JBS USA and Pilgrims, said in an email that employees are never forced to work or punished for an absence due to health reasons.

We will endeavor to keep our facilities open to help feed the nation, but we will not operate a facility if we do not believe it is safe. The health and safety of our team members remains our number one priority, Bruett said.

In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem has said she hopes to see a reopening plan for Smithfield this week, but sidestepped questions Tuesday about whether she agreed with Trumps order, which might have prevented the Sioux Falls plant from shutting down if it had been in place earlier.

We need to keep (plants) running, but we also need to protect people, Noem said.
(Newser)  Disney has owned the Star Wars franchise since 2012, and fans are now accusing it of trying to take ownership of Star Wars Day as well. The company faced a backlash after a Monday tweet in which it asked fans to share their favorite Star Wars memory using the #MayThe4th hashtag, and added that anybody sharing the message using the hashtag was agreeing "to our use of the message and your account name in all media and our terms of use here," the BBC reports. Copyright lawyers called the move dubious and users quickly pushed back. "By having my tweet in your thread you hereby waive all your copyright to the public domain," joked one.

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Copyright experts said it was "risky and presumptuous" for Disney to assume that people using the hashtag would have seen its tweetand, in any case, Twitter policy states that users own the content they post. Disney later backtracked and added a disclaimer: "The above legal language applies ONLY to replies to this tweet using #MayThe4th and mentioning @DisneyPlus. These replies may appear in something special on May the 4th!" May the 4thas in "May the Fourth be with you"has long been known as Star Wars Day, but Disney has stepped up celebrations since buying the franchise andin normal yearsholds major events at its theme parks on the day, Newsweek reports. (Read more Star Wars stories.)


Quarterly Activities Report

Sydney, April 29, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Empire Energy Group Limited ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ) continues to progress the development of its 100%-owned 14.5 million acre shale petroleum project areas in the Beetaloo-McArthur Basins of the Northern Territory led by fresh 2D seismic interpretations. As a result of the process of building capital and team strength over the past year and capital raised in late 2020, the Company is well positioned to weather current economic conditions affecting global markets.Highlights of the Quarter include:- Empire is actively progressing its work programs while reducing all non-essential expenditure to make best use of the company's cash and maintain a stable balance sheet- Enhanced interpretation of recently acquired Beetaloo Basin 2D seismic data confirms that Empire holds a material Beetaloo Sub-Basin acreage and resource position geologically continuous with the strata of adjoining operators- Northern Territory Government Ministerial consent for the drilling of Empire's first well in EP187, 'Carpentaria-1', has been received. Approvals are valid for 2 years- Timing for drilling remains fluid given evolving COVID-19 situation. The company is committed to progressing its work programs while maintaining the health and safety of local communities, including Traditional Owners, on whose land Empire operates- Agreement with Macquarie Bank (lender and major shareholder) regarding credit terms in the company's credit facilities for all quarterly financial covenant tests until 31 December 2020 (inclusive)- US Appalachia business operations well hedged for gas price exposureDuring the Quarter, major operators in the Beetaloo-McArthur Basin reported material developments. Santos confirmed a gas discovery in EP161 after successfully flow testing the Middle Velkerri B and booked a maiden contingent resource of 22 mmboe. Origin Energy announced that it had agreed to acquire an additional 7.5% working interest in its Beetaloo Basin tenements from its joint venture partner, Falcon Oil & Gas, implying a look through valuation for those properties of A$333m.Comments from Managing Director Alex Underwood: "The economic impact of COVID-19 and the flow on effects to oil & gas markets over the course of 2020 has been dramatic, characterised by significant global oversupply of oil and corresponding low commodity prices, and reduced equity valuations for upstream oil and gas companies including Empire. In the face of this, Empire is well placed to emerge strongly once economic conditions improve. Following actions taken in 2019 to substantially reduce debt and increase cash holdings, we have recently taken further steps to protect our balance sheet, and we are minimising non-essential expenditure to preserve our cash holdings. This report details for you the high level of activity being sustained internally in readiness for when Empire emerges into a reactivated economy. With volatility comes opportunity, and Empire's expanded technical and management team has been working to hold and build momentum. A solid platform is being established to prepare for a recommencement of Beetaloo-McArthur Basin work program activities by Empire and its neighbours in the periods ahead."*To view the full quarterly report, please visit:About Empire Energy Group Ltd

Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) (OTCMKTS:EEGUF) holds over 14.5 million acres of highly prospective exploration tenements in the McArthur and Beetaloo Basins, Northern Territory. Work undertaken by the Company since 2010 demonstrates that the Eastern depositional Trough of the McArthur Basin, of which the Company holds 80% has very considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The Beetaloo sub-Basin, in which Empire holds a substantial position, has independently assessed world class hydrocarbon volumes in place with a major ramp up in industry activity underway to appraise substantial discoveries already made by major Australian oil and gas operators.

Empire Energy is an experienced conventional oil and gas producer with operations in the Appalachia region (New York and Pennsylvania). Empire has been successfully developing and producing oil and gas since 2006.
New Delhi, April 29 : A whopping 94 per cent of Indians in Metros are using a digital payment method, more so in these social distancing times, and similar to China, metro India has leapfrogged the credit-card stage to the digital retail payment riding on young consumers, a new report has emphasized.

Top two digital payment companies currently are Paytm and Amazon Pay in India and Paytm is serving over 35 crore consumers in the country, according to the report titled 'The state of digital retail payments in Asia Pacific' by global market research firm Forrester.

Forrester forecasts that the number of online buyers in India will grow at a compound annual rate of 17 per cent from 2018 to 2023 -- the fastest-growing online retail market.

"The rise of ecommerce has driven digital retail payment usage in the country, even though cash will remain king for the foreseeable future," Meng Liu, Forrester analyst, told IANS.

"India's younger generation likes using digital retail payments. For example, 68 per cent of consumers under 25 have used Paytm for retail payments recently," he added.

Older generations still prefer to use cash on delivery and hesitate to pay digitally when shopping online.

"They do not trust online sellers and are concerned about the quality of goods and the risk of payment fraud via digital channels," Liu noted.

The fast growth of digital retail payments in India should be credited to the country's advanced digital retail payments infrastructure.

Examples include UPI and BharatQR standardized QR code which provides merchants low-cost transactions without having to install expensive POS (point of sale) terminals.

"In addition, India's Open API Stack leverages the Aadhaar biometric identification programme to make digital transactions cheaper and more efficient," said Liu.

Global eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Walmart (which owns Flipkart) and local players like Paytm Mall have embedded digital retail payment services accompanied by heavy financial incentives (like cashback) that appeal to price-sensitive Indian consumers.

"Our survey found that four eCommerce-backed digital wallets - Paytm, Amazon Pay, PayPal, and Walmart-backed PhonePe - were among the five most used digital payment methods in metro India," Liu told IANS.

"These digital wallets will continue to grow; overall eCommerce is still tiny compared with traditional retail and has plenty of room to grow in the future.

Cross-border eCommerce has also created a fertile ground for digital retail payments growth in India.

In 2019, 37 per cent Indian online shoppers purchased an item from a website outside of their home market.

"Of the six geographies we examined, usage of digital retail payments is highest in mainland China and in India, it's rising fast," informed Liu.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A lone worker cleans a pedestrian walkway devoid of the usual crowds in Las Vegas. (Associated Press)

In the broadest measure so far of COVID-19's economic damage, the government said Wednesday that total U.S. output in the first quarter fell at a 4.8% annual pace  faster than at any time since the Great Recession.

But economists quickly noted that even this decline was likely the tip of the iceberg because the first-quarter number included January and February, and reported coronavirus cases did not begin to surge until March. The full dimension of the pandemics economic damage will not be visible in the data until the second quarter.

"Overall economic activity will likely drop at an unprecedented rate in the second quarter," said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. He vowed strong policy action from the central bank and said that Congress needed to do more to support the economy.

This is an extraordinary, extraordinary shock, unlike any thats happened in my lifetime, Powell said at a video news conference Wednesday following the Fed's policy meeting.

Wednesdays economic report left little doubt that the nations record 10 years of economic expansion has come to an abrupt end, with profound political and economic repercussions.

A recession poses serious challenges to President Trumps reelection strategy, which was designed to capitalize on now-vanishing prosperity.

The pandemic also creates potential problems for Democrats hoping to rely on traditional campaign rallies and other methods of building support.

Two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the gross domestic product  a tally of all goods and services produced in the nation  are usually considered a recession. And the U.S. economy got much worse in April as businesses across the nation shut down, millions of workers were laid off, state governments imposed lockdowns, and claims for unemployment benefits skyrocketed.

Economists have projected the GDP will crater in the second quarter by a record annual rate of 30% or more.

Its just the first leg of our journey, Joel Prakken, chief U.S. economist at IHS Markit, said of Wednesdays report from the Commerce Department.

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The research firm now sees a 37% annualized plunge in GDP for the current quarter. The steepest quarterly drop during the Great Recession was 8.4% in early 2009.

This is going to blow that out of the water, Prakken said.

The GDP grew at a moderate 2.1% pace in the fourth quarter of last year and by 2.3% for all of 2019. The numbers are adjusted for inflation.

In one hopeful sign, Prakken and others said the second quarter could very well turn out to be the bottom for the economy because some states already have begun to allow businesses to reopen, and eased up on lockdowns and restrictions for public gatherings.

The economy should also be getting a lift from the nearly $3 trillion in various relief spending by Congress  including more than $650 billion aimed at small businesses  and trillions more in lending and credit programs orchestrated by the Fed.

The Fed responded swiftly to the coronavirus outbreak, slashing its benchmark interest rate to near zero in mid-March and announcing multiple lending facilities, including support for budget-strapped states and cities, to limit business failures and job losses.

Powell told reporters that Fed officials are "not going to be in any hurry" to raise rates or withdraw other policy support for the economy.

Stocks rallied Wednesday as investors were buoyed by hopes that a drug would soon be developed to treat COVID-19. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 532 points, or 2.2%, to close at 24,634.

Stock markets have made a strong recovery in recent days as more states have moved to relax lockdowns and reopen the economy. Many analysts, however, said that the outlook for the economy and corporate earnings does not support the price gains.

Equity market investors are whistling by the COVID graveyard, said Diane Swonk, chief economist at the accounting firm Grant Thornton in Chicago.

You really get the sense that the stock market, Wall Street, has disconnected from Main Street entirely, and is looking at a much more robust recovery than can occur, even in the best-case scenarios.

Even if easing of social distancing rules does not trigger a secondary surge of infections that forces another pullback, a short-lived downturn does not necessarily mean a quick return to pre-pandemic times.

"The ongoing public health crisis will weigh heavily on economic activity, employment, and inflation in the near term, and poses considerable risks to the economic outlook over the medium term," the Fed said in its policy statement Wednesday. Powell described the medium term as a year or a little longer.

Although the U.S. economy could start growing again this fall, most economists see a halting recovery given the uncertainty of the medical situation and the magnitude of the financial losses to businesses and consumers, who account for the bulk of U.S. economic activity.

Consumer spending in the first quarter tumbled at a 7.6% pace as purchases of cars and other big-ticket items tanked in March, as they did for travel and a host of services, including visits to restaurants and dentists and doctors offices.

The April consumer confidence index by the University of Michigan saw the biggest drop in nearly half a century. The survey found, for example, that Americans now view home-buying less favorably than at any time since 1984  despite unusually low interest rates.

Its not going to be easy to turn the economy back on like a light switch, said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York. The harder the sales fall, the harder to get consumers reengaged with the economy and get spending back to prior levels.

Recovery after the Great Recession of 2008-09 was slow because it took years to restore and repair the financial condition of households and institutions deeply scarred by the financial crisis and the bursting of the housing bubble.

This time, many would-be consumers are likely to emerge from the pandemic with heavy debts and other liabilities.

The current economic troubles have no clear historical precedents, but the severity of the downturn, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the health threat, suggests that businesses and households will be cautious for many months down the road.

"You'll still be left with probably a level of caution on the part of people who will worry and probably keep worrying for some time," Powell said.

After the Great Recession ended in June 2009, it took about two years for the economy to regain the output level before the downturn.

An economic recovery from the health crisis could take as long, although IHS Prakken said the employment situation would be particularly tricky to forecast because of the sudden collapse in jobs and unusual incentives in the aid package to retain or rehire workers.

I think you could see a quicker decline in unemployment and a quicker increase in employment in this recovery, he said.

In the first quarter, the pace of business capital spending and investments fell 5.6%. And many company owners are eyeing the future warily.

Parker Boiler in Commerce, Calif., was certified as an essential business and has remained open. Co-owner Greg Danenhauer said the manufacturer has kept all 65 employees on the payroll at its 50,000-square-foot plant.

But even with a backlog to keep production workers busy, Parkers sales were off 10% in the first quarter, and Danenhauer said the company could be looking at a 30% to 40% fall in revenue in the current quarter.

His customers include dry cleaners, hotels, breweries and hospitals. Some of them are closed, others cannot get permits now, and still others have decided to put off or cancel their orders.

My salesmen all tell me the same thing, said Danenhauer. People are not doing new projects. The mechanical engineers, or steam kettle manufacturers, the guys making presses or rubber baskets  theyre not quoting new things or designing them.

He added: I can tell you, when Trump got elected in November [2016] more people started calling in and started doing projects. There was just a level of optimism at that point. Right now, everybodys sort of like, lets wait and see whats going on.




Sting, space and music will collide online tonight (April 30) when the rock icon headlines a free virtual concert "Space Songs: Through the Distance" for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Tested's Adam Savage, whom fans will remember from his role on the iconic television series "Mythbusters," will host the free, virtual concert. Beloved musician Sting, who first made major headlines with the 80s hit-machine "the Police," will headline the show. He will share the virtual stage with surf rockers, emo heartthrobs and even smaller, independent acts.

The concert will stream live here on YouTube, starting at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT).

Related: Best Space Music Videos Ever: A Rockin' Chart Countdown

Sting will share the virtual stage with Clipping, Bethany Cosentino from the band Best Coast, Dan Deacon, Ben Gibbard from the band Death Cab for Cutie, Valerie June, Lukas Nelson, Grace Potter, John Roderick and Vagabon.

Space Songs: Through the Distance," hosted by Tested's Adam Savage, will feature performances from a number of beloved musicians. (Image credit: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum)

During the concert, musicians will film themselves performing at home as they socially distance along with most of the world to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. "Space Songs" is being produced by the museum in collaboration with Grammy award-winning graphic designer and art director Lawrence Azerrad and BYT (Brightest Young Things) media.

This concert will highlight the talent and creativity of these musicians while shining a spotlight on "the creativity and community that can be found in distance and isolation, in both music and spaceflight," the museum said in a press statement .

"Space exploration is an extraordinary expression of humanity and an illustration of how extreme circumstances can bring out the very best in us all, as individuals and as a community," Ellen Stofan, the director of the museum, said in the same statement. "Although our locations in Washington and Virginia are temporarily closed, we wanted to continue our mission to engage the public with stories of people doing their very best work, wherever they are on Earth  or off of it."

So, if you're a space fan looking to get inspired and jam along to some incredible musicians, be sure to tune in tomorrow night for "Space Songs."

Visit Space.com Thursday for a live simulcast of "Space Songs" from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
Prince Charles has warned that coronavirus 'threatens to run riot and wreak utter havoc' in vulnerable populations as he delivered a video message in support of a humanitarian organisation.

Speaking from his Aberdeenshire home of Birkhall, the Prince of Wales, 71, said 70 million refugees and displaced people in places such as Syria and Cameroon are most at threat from the disease.

In a video message, the heir to throne, who has recently recovered from coronavirus, said that the 'situation is desperately grave' in areas of 'conflict and crisis' where hospital beds are a 'rarity' and 'livelihoods are precarious even without the additional threat of this disease'.

The prince's comments were made in support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), founded by Albert Einstein, which aims to help people survive and recover after their lives have been disrupted by conflict and disaster.

Prince of Wales, 71, warned that 70 million refugees and displaced people in places such as Syria and Cameroon are most at threat during the coronavirus pandemic

Charles, who is the UK patron of the IRC, has also donated an undisclosed amount to its coronavirus appeal.

In the clip, Prince Charles said: 'In these places, the situation is desperately grave. Some 70 million refugees and displaced people are vulnerable in ways few of us can imagine.

'Just think for a moment: How do you socially distance in a crowded, sprawling refugee camp?

'How do you protect yourself, and your family, from this virus when you don't have basic access to soap and water?

Prince Charles has lent his support to the International Rescue Committee, donating an undisclosed amount to their cause (pictured, with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 72, Berlin, Germany, last May, where they met with participants of a project involving women's refugees managed by the International Rescue Committee)

The prince added: 'How do you keep up hope when doctors and nurses are nowhere to be seen?

'The answer lies in organisations with the experience, the expertise and the determination to help in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.'

He continued: 'The International Rescue Committee is working in those countries where the situation is most grave, where people are the most vulnerable and where this virus threatens to run riot and wreak utter havoc - if we let it.'

A new report by the IRC has estimated that without swift action, the world could see up to one billion infections and 3.2 million deaths due to Covid-19 over the course of the pandemic in 34 crisis-affected countries where the IRC works.

Charles, who is the UK patron of the IRC has also donated an undisclosed amount to its coronavirus appeal

While in self-isolation during his recovery from Covid-19 last month, Charles held a meeting over the phone with David Miliband, president and chief executive of the IRC.

Speaking after the call, the former foreign secretary said Prince Charles was 'very engaged' with the crisis people are facing in the UK.

Mr Miliband said: 'He was in very good spirits, he was obviously very engaged with the situation facing people in the UK.'

He added: 'I was very struck about how he was very concerned about the global picture as well as his first priority being in the UK...'

Prince Charles shared the video from his home Birkhall in Aberdeenshire where he is currently isolating with Camilla

The IRC responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises with the aim of restoring health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

Laura Kyrke-Smith, executive director of the IRC in the UK, said: 'There remains a small window of time to mount a robust response to Covid-19 while it is still in early stages in fragile countries.

She added: 'Which is why we are so grateful to have the Prince of Wales's support at this crucial time and would ask those who can to join him in supporting our work.'

Charles was made patron of the IRC in January, and became the first UK patron after opening its first office in the country in 1997.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The mayor called a gathering in Williamsburg on Tuesday night for a prominent rabbi frustrating and said the Jewish community has been given enough warnings.

What appeared to be hundreds of Hasidic men and women gathered in the streets to mourn Rabbi Chaim Mertz, who succumbed to the coronavirus at age 73.

Tipster says this is the Williamsburg funeral today of Rabbi Chaim Mertz who died from COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/wsTvCrlzpb  Reuven Blau (@ReuvenBlau) April 29, 2020

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he went to make sure the crowd was dispersed as soon as he heard about the gatherings and sent out a number of tweets condemning the behavior after the incident.

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed, de Blasio tweeted. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.

The mayor said he understands the need people feel to mourn those who weve lost, however, large gatherings will only multiply that by leading to more deaths and mourning.

NYPD TO TAKE ZERO TOLERANCE APPROACH TO GATHERINGS

He said hes instructed the NYPD to take a zero tolerance approach and that the next gathering will be met with more summonses and arrests without any additional warnings.

During Wednesdays daily press conference, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said what happened in Williamsburg simply cannot happen.

That event last night never shouldve happened. It better not happen again, Shea said.

The commissioner said nearly a dozen summonses were issued for failure to disperse and violating social distancing orders.

Hizzoner said hes worked with community leaders and given numerous warnings about large gatherings, even if its for religious services.

What is so frustrating to me is after all those messages were so clear that so many people would still choose to gather and I understand that they lost someone very dear and important to them but this is still a pandemic and peoples lives are put in danger when people gather, de Blasio said.

MERTZS CONGREGATION RESPONDS

The congregation responded to Tuesdays incident with a letter, saying it was regretful the way the funeral ended.

Our Rabbi was revered by thousands as a holy, humble and caring person, and they wanted to participate in the funeral, the letter, written by Secretary Jacob Mertz, said.

Mertz said the closure of streets in the neighborhood was meant so that mourners could keep social distancing requirements while wearing masks, the same way other New Yorkers have been doing while outside.

Unfortunately, this didnt pan out and NYPD had to disperse the crowd, the letter said.

He said he understand the mayors concern was for the health and safety of the community, but it hurts that this lead to the singling out the Jewish community.

JEWISH COMMUNITY LEADERS RESPOND, DISAGREE WITH DE BLASIO

World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder said he recommends the entire WJC disagree with the mayor, stating he painted the entire Jewish community as lawbreakers and unconcerned about spreading COVID-19.

I agree with the Mayor that social distancing is vitally important  and last nights gathering was not appropriate, Lauder said. But to blame the entire Jewish community is the type of stereotyping that is dangerous and unacceptable at any time, and particularly pernicious while the world is gripped in fear and the worst among us are looking for scapegoats.

Lauder said there have been a rise in anti-Semitism, hate, and rhetoric during the pandemic and the Mayor is placing harmful stereotypes on the Jewish community and feeding into the agenda of white supremacists and anti-Semites around the world.
Press Release

29 April 2020

With cases in China starting to plateau, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Europe to be the new epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in March, fueled by the rapid expansion of the virus across Italy and Spain. This prompted governments across the region to scale up the measures to contain the spread, and several lockdown and quarantine orders ensued.

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The consequences on the European hotel industry were swift and devastating. Gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) in March 2020 plummeted by 115.9% compared to the previous year to -8.33. This is the first triple-digit year-over-year decrease in profitability ever recorded in the HotStats database for Europe, as well as the first time GOPPAR turned negative in the region.

Driving this profitability slump was a massive contraction in demand. Occupancy in March plunged by 44.8 percentage points YOY to 27.4%, which in turn drove RevPAR down by 66.2%. A further 65.6% decline in total F&B revenue per available room contributed to the sharp 61.6% YOY fall in TRevPAR.

In response to this top-line nosedive, undistributed expenses on a per available room basis fell across the board, resulting in a 25.3% YOY decrease in overhead costs. Total labour costs also adjusted downwards by 28.8% YOY. However, these flex efforts were not enough to offset the lost revenue, and profit margin in Europe was recorded at -13.1% in March 2020, placing 45.7 percentage points below the same month of the previous year.

The March results are in stark contrast to the two previous months, as both January and February had recorded YOY GOPPAR growth, up 0.7% and 1.2%, respectively. However, the severity of the downturn in March made the first quarter of 2020 the worst performing Q1 in Europe recorded by HotStats since it started charting the region's data. The YOY contraction in GOPPAR for Q1 2020 was 49.9%, amply surpassing the previous record set by Q1 2009, when profit per room fell by 22.2%, the result of the Global Financial Crisis.

HotStats

Italy was the hotspot of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe in March, as cases in the country increased from 400 at the end of February to more than 53,000 barely one month later. Lombardy, Italy's most affected region, was the first to be placed under forced quarantine. As early as March 8th, the Italian government prohibited anyone from entering or leaving the northern region and its capital, Milan. Hoteliers in the city had already faced a profit per room contraction in the month of February, with a 27.1% YOY fall in GOPPAR. In March, the spread of the pandemic and the containment measures associated with it severely deepened this trend, resulting in a record 182.1% YOY GOPPAR drop to -64.96.

Lost demand was at the heart of the top-line slump. Occupancy in the city marked an all-time low in March at 1.7%, a 69.5-percentage-point decline compared to the same month of the previous year. Average rate followed suit and was slashed by 21.5% YOY. As a consequence, RevPAR recorded a YOY contraction of 98.1%. F&B revenue was cut by 96.2% YOY on a per-available-room basis, and with the rest of the revenue centres sharing in this same downward trend, TRevPAR plunged by 96.2% compared to March 2019.

Expenses were slashed across all operated and undistributed departments to compensate for the precipitous revenue decline. Total overheads per available room were down by 49.4% YOY, and labour costs dropped by 53.8% YOY. However, this was not enough to prevent the erosion of profit margin in March, which placed 600.9 percentage points below the same month of 2019, at -574.1%.

Profit & Loss Performance Indicators - Milan (in EUR)

HotStats

Spain was another epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in the month of March, as the country increased its number of confirmed cases from 430 to more than 70,000 in the span of just a few weeks. Madrid was the hardest hit, spurring the regional government to decree the closure of all educational institutions and galleries on March 11th. Three days later, a nationwide quarantine order was enacted.

After consecutive upticks in the first two months of the year, profit per available room took a massive hit in March, and GOPPAR was reduced by 127.7% YOY to -17.12. Plummeting occupancy, down 59.7 percentage points YOY, fueled the 78.9% YOY drop in RevPAR. Further declines in non-rooms revenue added to the top-line plunge, and TRevPAR placed 75.8% below the previous year.

Hoteliers in the Spanish capital managed to flex overheads (down 31.9% YOY) and labour costs (down 33.4% YOY), but the unprecedented top-line contraction still resulted in a loss of 79.3 percentage points of profit margin YOY to -42.3%.

Profit & Loss Performance Indicators - Madrid (in EUR)
WASHINGTON  Bernie Sanders may have endorsed Joe Biden, but almost a quarter of the Vermont senators supporters arent jumping on board just yet, according to a new poll.

Nearly 1 in 4 Sanders supporters (22%) said they would vote for a third party candidate, vote for President Donald Trump, not vote in November or were undecided about who to vote for, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll. When broken down, 2% said they would vote for Trump, 8% said they would vote for a third party candidate, 2% said they would skip voting and 8% are still undecided.

However, the vast majority of Sanders supporters (77%) said they will vote for Biden in the general election in November.

Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee after Sanders suspended his campaign in early April. Less than a week after dropping out, Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, went on to endorse Biden, who is a more moderate Democrat. The Vermont senator has since been emphatic about his supporters backing Biden, and he is working with the former vice presidents campaign via several policy working groups related to more progressive stances.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, left, embraces Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a Democratic presidential primary debate, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, hosted by ABC News, Apple News, and WMUR-TV at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Support for Big Government rises to record levels amid coronavirus crisis

I believe that its irresponsible for anybody to say, Well, I disagree with Joe Biden  I disagree with Joe Biden!  and therefore Im not going to be involved, Sanders said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Despite Biden and Sanders working together to win over the Vermont senators supporters, the majority of them are not enthused by Biden.

A combined 60% of Sanders supporters are not very or not excited at all for Bidens impending nomination, according to the poll, while a combined 38% said they were very or somewhat excited.

This potentially impacts not only fundraising and volunteer support, but the all-important ground game necessary to win in November  even a digital ground game in the shadow of the novel coronavirus, David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University Political Research Center, said in a statement.

Story continues

Paleologos noted that Biden is likely struggling to win over Sanders voters because of disagreements on priorities for the general election. While 57% of Sanders supporters said defeating Trump is more important than standing up for policy proposals like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, about one-third (34%) said standing up for policy proposals was more important than beating Trump.

David Barker, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, said that it's common to see a large percentage of disgruntled supporters from other primary challengers at this point of the electoral cycle.

Barker noted that as late as August 2008, many Hillary Clinton supporters were still expressing that they wouldn't vote for Barack Obama, and there was a similar situation with "never Trump" voters in 2016.

More: New York cancels 2020 presidential primary, angering Bernie Sanders campaign

"In the end, though, most voters tend to come around because the dynamics of the campaign tend to 'bring people home,'" Barker said.

However, Barker said that 2016 was a contradiction to this rule among Democrats, adding that "we cant be too sure that they wont do the same thing in 2020."

But unlike Clinton, Barker said, Biden is less of a polarizing figure and is making more overtures with progressive voters than Clinton did in 2016.

"The loathing that many on the left had for (Clinton) is hard to understate, and it is not matched by their lack of enthusiasm for Biden," Barker said. "They may not love him, but they do not loathe him ... in the same way they did Clinton."

The survey was conducted from April 18 to 25, with 638 Sanders voters contacted by mobile and landline phone. There was a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bernie Sanders supporters not yet on board with voting for Joe Biden
A free nose mask and educational project, courtesy the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey; has been initiated to support communities fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.



This initiative is a third of a series of social support undertaken by the legislator amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve the health of residents and offer the best experience of personal and communal hygiene.



The first phase of this laudable social support was the distribution of over two hundred veronica buckets and packets of sanitary items to public places in communities within the constituency; the second of which, witnessed the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment and other logistics to health facilities in the area, including the Essikado Government Hospital.



In pursuit of this goal, the Constituency Executives on behalf of the legislator, visited the Sofokrom community to educate residents on the disease, and the use of nose masks.



Hundreds of locally sewn-reusable nose masks were shared among residents of the community today. Other communities will in the ensuing days benefit from the initiative.



Constituency Secretary for Essikado-Ketan of the New Patriotic Party, Thomas Amoah who led the exercise, explained that the production and distribution of these nose masks, coupled with the sensitization of constituents on the novel coronavirus, seek to support communities in nurturing behavior of wearing these protective gear.



Our MP value lives, and cannot ignore the responsibility he owes his constituents in this trying times. Today, the wearing of nose masks has become a mandatory practice in communities where the disease is most profound but then, we also have to learn to use it to prevent the spread of the virus here, he added.



Community Healthcare Nurse at the Essikado Hospital, Grace Amissah who facilitated an educational session on the use and importance of nose mask, shared that, the public need to identify with the threat the pandemic poses to human life and society. She noted that each and every person, as a matter of concern should adapt to the wearing of nose mask, especially in public.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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In this photo illustration Coronavirus tracking applications logos, Healthlynked Covid-19, Covid Symptom Tracker, Apple Covid-19, Covid-19 tracker, are seen displayed on a smartphone on April 10, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia.

A coronavirus contact-tracing app that alerts users when they have come into contact with people infected with Covid-19 will be ready in two to three weeks, according to a senior National Health Service (NHS) official.

Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, the digital arm of the NHS responsible for developing the app, told members of parliament Tuesday that the unnamed app will be tested locally before it is rolled out to the wider public.

"We are, I hope, on course to have the app ready for when it will be needed, at the moment when the country looks for the tools to come out of lockdown safely," Gould told the U.K. parliament's science and technology committee.

"I would expect it technically to be ready for a wider deployment in two to three weeks," he said.

The U.K. government has said the NHS app will play a vital role in easing the country's lockdown restrictions. In order for it to be effective, however, testing will need to be ramped up significantly and thousands of manual contact-tracers will need to be hired.

Last week, it emerged that the NHS app was already being tested at a British Royal Air Force base in the North of England.

The app uses short-range Bluetooth signals to detect when two or more people have been in close proximity for a specified amount of time.

Automated alerts are sent to people who have come into contact with fellow app users who have tested positive for the virus. The alert will advise the app user to take a coronavirus test or self-isolate. To protect privacy, the recipient won't be told the name of the person who triggered the warning.
" " Kheel Center /Flickr ( CC BY 2.0 Former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, left, with Eleanor Roosevelt at the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in March, 1961.

The first time author Kirstin Downey heard about Frances Perkins, it was within the context of a joke  a pretty lame one at that. "I worked as a reporter at The Washington Post for 20 years and when I got there, I took a bus tour of the city," she recalls. "We had a guide who was making little jokes and when we passed one big building he said, 'What American woman had the worst childbirth experience?' It was quiet for a moment, there was a pause. Then he said, 'Frances Perkins. She spent 12 years in labor.'"

This is where you'd cue the "ba dum tss" sound of a cheesy comedy club rimshot. Except to even politely guffaw at the tour guide's joke requires some basic understanding of who Frances Perkins was  and as Downey soon found out, that piece of history has largely been omitted from the books. "I thought it was kind of a funny, stupid joke even though the feminist part of me got really irritated," says Downey, an award-winning journalist and author of "The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR'S Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience." "But I remembered that because FDR [President Franklin Delano Roosevelt] got elected four times, she was our secretary of labor for 12 years."

The joke may have fallen flat, but it got Downey thinking. And as the world prepares for the economic aftermath of the current COVID-19 crisis, many others are thinking about the work of Perkins as well  even if they're unaware that she's the one responsible for some of the most important programs currently keeping Americans afloat. "Her name stuck in my head as someone who was interesting and it bothered me that she was just a joke," Downey says, noting that during her time at the Post, she covered a diverse range of business news stories that all seemed to lead back to one single person. "I got assigned to cover all kinds of things about Social Security and unemployment and I noticed over a period of time that when I'd write a paragraph in each news story about how current Social Security and unemployment insurance programs started, Frances Perkins was responsible for all the key parts of our social safety net  but no one had ever heard of her."

Perkins, nee Fannie Coralie Perkins, was born in Boston in 1880 but had roots in Maine. Yet as Downey learned while reporting her book over the course of a decade, even residents of Perkins' hometown of Damariscotta, Maine, didn't seem familiar with her legacy. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 1902, Perkins pursued a career as a social worker and later continued her education at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce of the University of Pennsylvania and then at Columbia University, where she earned an M.A. in social economics in 1910. For the next two years, she served as the executive secretary of the Consumers' League of New York where she successfully lobbied for improved wages and working conditions, particularly for women and children.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

It was during that time that Perkins witnessed a life-changing event that would shift the course of her own professional life, as well as the future of American labor conditions. On March 25, 1911, Perkins was having tea with a friend in Manhattan when a commotion broke out nearby. It turned out to be what is now known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, one of the deadliest U.S. workplace disasters of all time. The fire claimed the lives of 146 workers, many of whom were immigrant women who were burned alive or jumped to their deaths.

"She had already been investigating workplace problems as a young social worker in Manhattan but was in the neighborhood having tea with a friend when the fire broke out," Downey says. "They ran across Washington Square Park and got there just as the first people started jumping out of the windows and hitting the ground. She was already thinking about workplace abuses and, because she was the key person administering the New York State Factory Investigating Commission, that led to the creation of all our fire codes. By the time she was in her early 30s, she had crafted legislation in New York that led to exit signs, occupancy limits on rooms, sprinklers, fire escapes, and how wide doors had to be to escape safely."

Following the horrific fire, Perkins grew even more resolute about revolutionizing the country's dysfunctional labor system. From 1912 to 1917, she served as the executive secretary of the New York Committee on Safety and from 1917 to 1919, worked as the executive director of the New York Council of Organization for War Service. In 1919, New York Governor Alfred E. Smith appointed Perkins to New York's State Industrial Commission and four years later, she was named to the State Industrial Board, becoming chairman in 1926.

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First Female Cabinet Member  FDR's Secretary of Labor

It was Smith's successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who partnered with Perkins to push for lasting changes to the labor system. In 1929, he appointed Perkins as the Industrial Commissioner of the State of New York and when the stock market crashed that year, Perkins was the one who encouraged FDR to take swift and serious action. When FDR created a committee on employment, he appointed Perkins to head up the efforts. "So it made perfect sense that when FDR was elected president [in 1933], she went to be his secretary of labor," Downey says. By the time he became president, she had already known him for 20 years. She was a close, trusted friend of FDR's."

However, despite Perkins' impressive achievements over the course of her career to that point, the American public was less than welcoming when she arrived in Washington. "When FDR picked her, there was a huge backlash," Downey says. "A lot of people were appalled that he named a woman to his cabinet. Remember, women didn't get the right to vote until 1920 when Frances Perkins was 40 years old. So she had a whole career to age 40 doing all these important things and didn't even have the right to vote. When FDR was elected president, it was only 12 years after women got the right to vote, so you can see why people were shocked about it."

According to Downey, one particular group was especially turned off by the prospect of Perkins serving as the secretary of labor. "The unions opposed FDR naming her because a lot of unions didn't permit female members, and were particularly insulted because they wanted a 'good union man' to be secretary of labor," she says. "Frances Perkins had a background as a government administrator and a social worker and they were suspicious. But in fact, because of the things she did, she was able to essentially reshape the labor movement, which was dying when she became secretary of labor. By the time she died, unionized employees made up one-third of the American workforce."

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The Social Security Act

Perkins had a lot on her agenda when she made the move to D.C., but one of her biggest ideas has proven to have a lasting impact on Americans to this day  especially today. "She went to Washington with a set of plans in her head and things she wanted enacted," Downey says. "Among them was Social Security and unemployment insurance and within two years of getting to Washington, the Social Security Act passed. Enacted in 1935, the Social Security Act created a system of transfer payments that relies on younger, working people supporting older, retired people. Since it passed during FDR's administration, the law has been responsible for providing aid for jobless citizens through unemployment insurance, dependent mothers and children, victims of work-related accidents, the blind and physically disabled and more. The law was part of FDR's Second New Deal initiatives to help Americans cope with social and economic changes in the wake of the Great Depression.

"Perkins had a particular approach to public service and was not a politician and never held public elective office," Michael Chaney, executive director of the Frances Perkins Center, dedicated to preserving the Perkins Family Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, says via email. "She was a policy expert in the field of worker safety, just compensation, and the safety net when injured or no longer able to work because of age  her lasting legacy, Social Security."

"She is the one human being  and everyone involved in the legislation, and even the people administering it say it  most responsible for the Social Security Act passing," Downey says. "FDR didn't run saying he'd do that and it wasn't anything he really cared about hugely as he had a bunch of things on his plate. Without Frances Perkins, Social Security would've never happened and that means both traditional pension and unemployment insurance. Basically Frances Perkins created the lifeline we're using today.

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Unemployment Insurance, Fair Labor, Minimum Wage and Child Labor Laws

"Unemployment insurance is a national network of state unemployment systems and is the mechanism we're using to get money to people across America who've lost their jobs [through] no fault of their own," Downey says. "We've got 50 states and some territories using the same basic mechanism. Even if the federal government authorizes additional money, the first line of defense was this state unemployment insurance system that was organized into a federal confederation because of legislation that Frances Perkins got enacted. So almost all of the existing social safety network has her imprint. She set up all these programs that spun off into other departments but were [there] because of her handiwork."

Perkins also helped craft the Fair Labor Standards Act, which Congress enacted in 1938, a law establishing a minimum wage and maximum work hours and banning child labor. By the time FDR died in 1945, Perkins was the longest-serving labor secretary and one of only two cabinet secretaries to serve the entire length of the Roosevelt presidency. "Frances Perkins wrote in 1945: 'These social and economic reforms of the past 12 years will be regarded in the future as a turning point in our national life  a turning from careless neglect of human values and toward an order  of mutual and practical benevolence within a free competitive industrial economy,'" Chaney says.

The next year, Perkins published a bestselling biography of FDR titled "The Roosevelt I Knew," and served as head of the American delegation to the International Labor Organization in Paris. President Harry Truman then appointed her to the United States Civil Service Commission, a position she held until 1953. According to the Frances Perkins Center, by that point, Perkins "had accomplished all but one of the items on the agenda she had presented to the newly elected President in February of 1933: universal access to health care."

After leaving government service, Perkins was active as a teacher and lecturer at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University until her death in 1965 at age 85.

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The Resurgent Legacy of Frances Perkins

So if Perkins is responsible for such significant, lasting change, why have so few of us ever heard of her? "A lot of men were writing New Deal histories in the '70s and '80s and wrote her out entirely," Downey says. "I went back to the archives to recreate what actually happened. In fact, some New Deal histories don't even mention her name at all. It was wild  there are maybe two references reflecting on something about her work with FDR, but it's extraordinary how quickly she was neglected and written out of the story."

Part of the reason for her glaring absence from history may be due to Perkins' reluctance toward life in the spotlight. "Frances Perkins didn't run around currying favor or chasing publicity  she got things done and moved on to the next thing," Downey says. "Many of the men who wrote books about events in which Frances Perkins was a key player don't even mention her name."

"Frances Perkins was a pioneer," Downey says. "She was the first woman to hold a high profile position in Washington and blazed the trail for Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren, both of whom have said she's inspired them every day by what she did. Elizabeth Warren even had campaign events in Washington Square Park to remind people of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. People casting votes to give more money to unemployment insurance are voting in support of Frances Perkins' handiwork."

As for the ways in which America will adjust to life in a post-pandemic world, Downey says Perkins' legacy will continue to have a major impact and leave a lasting legacy. "One thing that's super cool about it is that one of the first economic bills that just passed to give people money in addition to the money from the federal government's unemployment insurance was passed almost unanimously," she says. "So what we ended up with in 2020 was this incredible ringing bipartisan endorsement of her handiwork. When seeking out ways to help people through misery, Republicans and Democrats both turned to the tool crafted by the person who I think is the single most important progressive in American history  male or female. That's the thing I learned in the book, is that she did more to create a social safety net than anyone else."

Perkins' lost legacy is finding new life, thanks to the social and economic similarities to post-Great Depression America that may emerge as the world continues to cope with COVID. "Frances Perkins' handiwork is the system we're using right now to relieve the distress of hundreds of millions of people," Downey says. "The bottom line is that Frances Perkins' life's work was recognizing that in the course of human events, bad stuff happens, and it's predictable that it happens, and what you want to do is create a system of elasticity that helps you have a solution to fix it."

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Now That's Sexist When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Perkins for the $10 bill, she was pushing for something unprecedented in this century: A woman has not appeared on U.S. currency in over a hundred years. Pocahontas appeared on the back of the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869 and on the $20 bill in 1875. Martha Washington was the only other woman to appear on U.S. federal paper money, showing up on the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891 and on the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896, though she shared that honor with her husband.
While the legislature gave itself an express oversight role in some aspects of emergency management through the Emergency Management Agency Act, the fact that the section that gives the governor the power declare disasters contains no such language demonstrates that it intended to grant the governor the authority to issue disaster proclamations and use his emergency powers without the limitations suggested by Bailey, according to the attorney generals office.
New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering the stand of various Chief Ministers to extend the nationwide shutdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday jumped the gun to tweet that the PM had decided to Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, April 29 : The Delhi government is in touch with other state governments and will take a decision on the movement of migrants in a day or two, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday.

"The Union Home Ministry issued an order on the migrants on Wednesday. We are talking to other state governments. We will inform you in a day or two after all the planning. Until then, stay at your home and follow the lockdown," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday said stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, and students will be allowed to move with conditions during lockdown, directing the states to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending the stranded persons.

An MHA spokesperson said: "All persons to be medically screened at source and destination; and kept in home/institutional quarantine on arrival", as per the guidelines of Union Ministry of Health.

Thousands of migrants were stuck due to sudden announcement of lockdown.

The 21-day nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25, which has now been extended till May 3.
WASHINGTON  As restaurants across Texas struggle to stay afloat during the coronavirus outbreak, restaurateurs say the federal loan program meant to keep them and other small businesses alive is of little help.

They fear they can't meet the stringent requirements for the so-called paycheck protection loan to be forgiven  which would force them to spend double what they typically would on labor costs, even as they make a fraction of their usual sales  and they face having to pay it back within two years, when the industry may still be "limping along."

"They're going to have to rethink the whole thing if they dont want the industry to collapse," said Tracy Vaught, who with her husband Hugo Ortega owns and operates Houston restaurants Hugo's, Backstreet Cafe, Caracol and Xochi.

A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL: Coronavirus forces 1 in 50 Texas restaurants to permanently close

And while the government works to bail out big businesses such as airlines, restaurant owners across the state are wondering why their industry  the second largest private employer in the nation  is stuck working within the bounds of a program with rules they say make little sense for them as they compete for federal funding that has already run out once.

The Texas Restaurant Association estimates half of the states restaurants missed out on the first batch of federal stimulus money. Some 688,000 restaurant jobs could be lost by the end of the month, the group expects, as 1 in 50 Texas restaurants have shut down for good. And cities like Austin have already lost longtime institutions, including Threadgills and the original Magnolia Cafe, to the outbreak.

We are part of the fabric of every community in America, said Pete Cortez of San Antonios La Familia Restaurants, which owns Mi Tierra, Mi Familia, La Margarita and others. We are generally the first place where people come to celebrate, to mourn, when they need a contribution for the school event. But yet, theres not a program thats tailored to the needs of our industry and the unique nature of our industry.

It's the latest problem to surface with the popular paycheck protection program, which has emerged as a hallmark piece of the historic $2 trillion stimulus package Congress passed last month, but has faced similar complaints from other small business owners that it was supposed to help. The program provides loans of up to $10 million that can be forgiven if 75 percent of the proceeds go toward keeping workers on the payroll and paying eight weeks of wages.

Congress last week replenished the program, now totaling more than half a trillion dollars, before many small businesses had a shot at a loan. By the time the initial allocation ran dry, $28.5 billion in loans had been approved for 134,737 Texas businesses, according to Small Business Administration data. That was the second most of any state in the nation, yet only a fraction of the eligible businesses in Texas received the loans, which can be forgiven if they keep workers on the payroll. The state has more than 546,000 businesses that could have qualified, according to the most recent data from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The number of restaurants I talk to who are saying they're hanging on by a thread  its a lot, said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Central Texas Republican whose district, which stretches along I-35 from Austin to San Antonio, is home to the most restaurants per capita in the state.

CORONAVIRUS LATEST: Keep up with COVID-19 news as it happens

Among the problems restaurants owners say they face with the paycheck protection loans is a requirement that they spend 75 percent of the loan on payroll  which typically accounts for just about 30 percent of their expenses  for it to be forgiven. And they have to show theyre paying out that much in wages over the first eight weeks they have the loan, a time when even those offering takeout are doing about a third of the business they typically do.

Those that have had to lay off staff, meanwhile, say theyre struggling to get them to come back because theyre now making more on unemployment than they did waiting tables or washing dishes after Congress boosted the maximum unemployment benefit by $600. And even as Texas gears up to loosen restrictions so some restaurants can open, theyll open be able to do so up to a quarter of their capacity  and several are unsure its worth it at this point.

And if they dont meet the requirements to have the loan forgiven, they have to pay it back in two years  when many are still unsure when theyll be back to business as usual.

Cortez said a restaurant that received a $1 million loan  a tenth of the maximum under the program  would have to pay $55,000 a month over the 18-month repayment window, if it isnt forgiven.

You almost have to decide whether youre going to spend the money or even just give it back, Cortez said. That is a huge amount of money, absolutely huge amount of money.

Im afraid to spend it, Vaught said. If I were to go deeply into it and then have to pay it back in two years, I think that could hurt our business.

If we have to spend the money in way where its gone before we even have a chance and then were barely able to break even and its owed in two years, then were in bad shape, said Lonnie Schiller, co-owner of The Grove and Lake House restaurants in downtown Houston.

ALL WE NEEDED WAS THAT STUPID LOAN: Congress replenishes small business funding as frustration grows

Now Playing: 'COVID-19 in 60': Houston coronavirus news in a minute Video: Houston Chronicle

Cortez said he was blessed to get a loan in the first round of applications.

Its a lifeline in a lot of ways, he said. But were having to spend a lot of time trying to navigate all the rules when the reality is, it would be fantastic if they would quickly understand how this could be made better.

The state restaurant association has been working with Roy and others in Congress, including U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, a Houston Democrat, to tweak the rules for the program. Roy said he believes there is growing bipartisan support to do so.

But the House wont be back in D.C. until mid-May at the earliest. And Anna Tauzin, chief Chief Revenue and Innovation Officer at the Texas Restaurant Association, said Weve basically been told by congress theyre not going to take this up again. She said the group is working with lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, to get the Trump administration to make what changes it can without congressional approval.

Roy said something needs to be done quickly.

Were doing serious longterm harm to some small businesses and restaurants, Roy said. Youre rolling the dice you can get all or part of the loan forgiven if you meet certain requirements you cant meet.

ben.wermund@chron.com
In a heartwarming gesture, the



wife of a martyred policeman in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district donated Rs 10,000 to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to fight coronavirus.

Recognising her contribution, the Bastar district administration made a short video clip on her.

"My husband would often tell me that we must do whatever we can to help the needy. In the present scenario, I decided to follow my husband's appeal to help others," Radhika Sahu (32) told PTI over the phone.

Upendra Sahu, a head constable with the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), was one of the two policemen killed in a naxal attack at Bastar on March 14.

Sahu lives with her two sons, aged 10 and six, in a rented house in Jagdalpur town and is surviving on the initial compensation given to the kin of martyrs.

So far, the state government had given her a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh, Sahu said, adding that she donated Rs 10,000 from it to the CMRF on Tuesday to fund the battle against coronavirus.

Hailing her contribution, Bastar superintendent of police Deepak Jha said, "We were overwhelmed by her noble gesture. However, initially, we discouraged her as she has to take care of her two sons, but she insisted and the district administration had to accept the donation."



The process was underway to provide her a job in the department on compassionate grounds, he said, adding the remaining ex-gratia amount will be transferred to her at the earliest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Politicians dont like saying sorry  unless on behalf of long-dead predecessors who can be made to carry the can from beyond the grave. Tony Blair was a past master at that.

Apologising for present mistakes goes against the grain. Ministers fear it looks weak. They dread their opponents making political capital out of any show of contrition.

But there comes a moment when the capacity to reach out and communicate with fellow human beings trumps political calculation. On Tuesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock was offered two opportunities to express his regret and accept some responsibility. He flunked them both.

First he was asked by Dr Abdul Chowdhurys 18-year-old son Intisar to apologise for his fathers recent death from the coronavirus, which he reasonably attributes to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Before his death, Dr Chowdhury had written to Boris Johnson urging him to supply adequate PPE. Mr Hancock told Intisar that he was really sorry, but couldnt bring himself to admit fault.

The Health Secretary was later pressed by a reporter to apologise for the catastrophe unfolding in care homes. The journalist wanted to know why testing had not started sooner in these places, and why visitors werent told to stay away from them until as late as March 16.

Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrives at Downing Street for a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on April 29

Here was a chance to go beyond a robotic expression of sadness whenever he or other ministers recite the latest fatality figures. The neglected deaths of thousands of older people in these homes  alone, confused, often unattended by doctors and separated from those they love  is an unspeakable tragedy.

However, what Mr Hancock did was to claim that testing had taken place in care homes at an early stage (maybe, but only on a tiny scale) and to say that the authorities had taken the view that having visitors was a bulwark against loneliness and a boon for longevity and mental health.

Well, I think that most of us, offered a choice between being denied the company of virus-carrying visitors for a couple of weeks and dying, would very likely choose the former.

Why is he even more reluctant to apologise than your averagely self-righteous politician? I suppose he is terrified of having the failures of testing, shortages of PPE and the calamity of care homes pinned exclusively on him, so that his once-promising ministerial career comes to a juddering halt.

I also expect that, like other ministers, he has been instructed by Government lawyers not to admit to any error in case doing so should open him up to legal action by complainants, as well as censure from the official inquiry that will one day take place.

His conduct may make political sense. But isnt he a caring human being? Cant he also see that people would forgive his mistakes in a terrifically challenging job if they were afforded evidence that he has a heart?

Dr Abdul Chowdhury, pictured, had written to Boris Johnson urging him to supply adequate PPE before his death earlier in the month

I dont want to pick on Matt Hancock, who Im sure is a capable minister and a decent person. Other ministers less obviously in the frontline are also loath to take responsibility for cock-ups. The Government has hardly donned sackcloth and ashes.

There have, lets face it, been all kinds of errors across the board, which is not perhaps very surprising given that Covid-19 is a new disease, and that inexperienced senior ministers, having been preoccupied with Brexit, were unprepared for this ordeal.

I certainly dont think we want a Government forever beating its breast and wailing about its inadequacies. That would be demoralising. But wouldnt it be reassuring if ministers betrayed more awareness that they have made mistakes?

Two weeks ago, President Emmanuel Macron apologised on French television for his governments failures in tackling the crisis. There have been as many criticisms in France about PPE shortages as in this country.

At least Mr Macron, who is about as far from being a shrinking violet as is possible for a politician, acknowledged that not everything had gone swimmingly. No senior minister has dared do that here.

The inability to apologise doesnt simply imply a lack of human feeling. Without contrition there is unlikely to be awareness of error, and without an awareness of error there wont be change.

Let me suggest two seemingly ineradicable shortcomings which dog the Government, and remain unaddressed because ministers are unwilling to admit that they exist.

The first is the lumbering nature of the Department of Health, Public Health England and the NHS. These vast bureaucracies are staffed by executives and managers who are unused to rapid decision-making, often prone to watching their backs, and unschooled in the disciplines of the private sector.

Medical Director at Public Health England Professor Yvonne Doyle, left, pictured with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab during a media briefing in Downing Street giving the government's daily coronavirus press conference, April 29

How one galvanises such naturally unadventurous bodies is admittedly far from clear. Look at the testing fiasco. In a way, one sympathises with Mr Hancock. But he could have made it easier for himself if he had imported a dynamic figure to knock heads together and get things done.

The second failing is ministers tendency  Boris Johnson is as guilty as anyone  to defer to the godlike qualities of scientists, by whose advice they undertake always to be guided.

Isnt it clear that Public Health England and the mysterious advisory outfit called Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) have at times offered some pretty questionable counsel?

Experts advised against closing the borders to flights from China and other virus hotspots, citing Italy and the United States, which banned flights to no apparent effect. But Australia and New Zealand  perhaps the most successful countries in suppressing the contagion  were admirably quick to put up the shutters.

In early March, we were told by experts that closing schools would offer only a marginal benefit. Then they were closed. If the advantage was so small, why cant they now be opened?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to Downing Street from the hospital after the birth of his son with partner Carrie Symonds, April 29

Churchills oft-quoted maxim about scientists was that they should be on tap, not on top. Of course we need them, but politicians shouldnt hide behind them. A tap can be turned off.

The latest idiocy concerns masks. In most countries they are encouraged. Their usefulness is endlessly debated but it is surely obvious that anyone standing on the Tube next to someone with the coronavirus would want that person to be wearing a mask.

If the reason the Government is havering is that it knows there arent enough masks to go around, it should be honest and say so. Admit that masks are beneficial, and we can make our own until the authorities come up with better ones.

More common sense and greater decisiveness on the part of our politicians is the order of the day, and less hiding behind the advice of scientists, who not infrequently disagree.

It all comes back to acknowledging error. If the Government could only admit it has made mistakes  and occasionally apologise  it would have a better chance of putting things right.

As for Matt Hancock, should he fail to meet his self-imposed target of 100,000 daily tests by tonight, he must say sorry  which would be a first. No fiddling the figures, please.

But it works both ways. If he does achieve his challenging goal, I shall be the first to take my hat off. All of us should be delighted whenever the Government does better.
David Cameron apologised for not leaving a cot in Downing Street this morning as he shared a joke with Boris Johnson over the birth of his new son.

Mr Cameron, the former Tory leader, was the last prime minister to become a parent again while in office and suggested there might still be a climbing frame in the No 10 garden as he led congratulations.

Messages of support poured in from across politics for Mr Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds this morning after their baby boy's birth was announced, including from new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Adding his own best wishes Mr Cameron, whose wife Sam had daughter Florence in 2010, tweeted: 'Heartfelt congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds on your wonderful news today.

'Sam and I are thrilled for you both! Sorry we didn't leave the cot - but the climbing frame should still be in the garden!

The as-yet unnamed boy was born in a London hospital this morning, just days after the Prime Minister, 55, and his wife-to-be, 32, had returned to Downing Street from his Chequers recuperation from coronavirus

Adding his own best wishes Mr Cameron, whose wife Sam had daughter Florence in 2010 (pictured), tweeted: 'Heartfelt congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds on your wonderful news today'

The as-yet unnamed boy was born in a London hospital this morning, just days after the Prime Minister, 55, and his wife-to-be, 32, had returned to Downing Street from his Chequers recuperation from coronavirus.

The baby is Ms Symonds' first child, while Mr Johnson is known to have fathered five.

Sir Keir had been expecting to face Mr Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon, but since yesterday Downing Street has been unwilling to confirm the PM would take part - now revealed as because Ms Symonds was in labour.

After the news broke this morning, Sir Keir tweeted: 'Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.'

Appearing at Prime Minister's Question's opposite Dominic Raab he referenced the recent poor health of Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds, saying: 'Whatever differences we have in this House, as human beings I think we all recognise the anxiety that the Prime Minister and Carrie must have gone through in these past few weeks - unimaginable anxiety.

'I really hope that this brings them incredible relief and joy.'

Congratulations poured in from across the political spectrum after this morning's announcement

Appearing at Prime Minister's Question's Sir Keir Symonds said: 'Whatever differences we have in this house, as human beings we all recognise the anxiety that the Prime Minister and and Carrie must have gone through in the last few weeks ... I hope this brings them incredible relief and joy'

Mr Johnson's Tory colleagues were also quick to join in, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeting: 'So thrilled for Boris and Carrie. Wonderful to have a moment of unalloyed joy!'

The couple announced in March that they were expecting a baby in 'early summer', and that they had become engaged at the end of last year.

The news of the birth comes just weeks after the PM was discharged from intensive care where he had been battling coronavirus.

Ms Symonds also suffered symptoms of the disease.

Mr Johnson has previously suggested he intends to take paternity leave, although it is not known if this remains the case given the coronavirus crisis.

The new arrival is the third baby born to a serving prime minister in recent history.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: 'Such happy news amid so much uncertainty  2020 is certainly a year they will never forget'

Tony Blair's wife Cherie gave birth to son Leo in May 2000, three years after her husband's first election victory, and David Cameron and wife Samantha welcomed daughter Florence in 2010.

The last babies born to prime ministers before Leo and Florence arrived more than 150 years ago.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: 'On behalf of everyone in the House of Commons, may I say congratulations to the Prime Minister and Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son.

'Such happy news amid so much uncertainty  2020 is certainly a year they will never forget.'

Chancellor Rishi Sunak tweeted: 'Great to hear Downing Street is getting a new resident.

'Congratulations to @BorisJohnson and @carriesymonds on the birth of their son.'

Sir Ed Davey, the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, tweeted: 'Many congratulations to the PM & Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son!'

From further afield there were congratulations from Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who tweeted: 'Congratulations @BorisJohnson and Carrie on the birth of your baby boy.

;Nothing better than being a dad, an absolute blessing and even more so after the tough time you've had recently.'

And Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe tweeted: 'My dear friend, @BorisJohnson, warmest congratulations on the birth of a sweet baby boy!'
(Natural News) In the last week alone, the reported number of COVID-19 cases in Africa rose by 43 percent. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the African continent, home to over 1.3 billion people, is poised to become the next epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The world currently has over 2.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 198,668 deaths. The whole African continent doesnt even account for one percent of this, as they only have 21,470 confirmed cases and 865 deaths. The majority of cases come from South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon and Ghana. The continent reported its first COVID-19 case in Egypt on February 13.

So far, only the archipelago nation of Comoros and the landlocked kingdom of Lesotho havent reported any COVID-19 cases.

African coronavirus cases may skyrocket within weeks

Michel Yao, WHO Africas program manager for emergency response, told reporters in a teleconference that if the number of cases in the continent continue to multiply per week, many African countries could face a huge peak in cases soon.

WHO has even said that if the continents rate of infection isnt properly contained, there could be 10 million COVID-19 cases in Africa within the next three to six months. Worse, the hardest hit communities in Africa will be those that are already suffering from health conditions such as malnutrition and HIV.

Testing is perhaps the main concern that Africa faces. More than likely, there are more actual COVID-19 cases in the entire continent than reported ones.

For example, Ethiopia, a country of over 109 million people, has only conducted 10,000 coronavirus tests. South Africa has so far only managed to test 73,000 people out of a population of 57 million. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, with over 190 million inhabitants, has only tested 5,000 people.

African countries may need to rely on a strategy based around mass testing. This could allow them to minimize lockdown restrictions, which are very difficult to handle, especially for parts of the African continent that depend on a daily income to survive.

If you dont test, you dont find, said John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). And if you dont test, you are blinded. It is an uphill battle to build health systems while you need them That is what we are actually doing now. We are playing catch up and that is a very, very tough thing to do.

Virus is spreading beyond densely populated regions

While African nations do need to focus on testing, it cannot be limited to its urban capital regions. Matshidiso Moeti, WHOs regional director for Africa, has warned that Africas coronavirus cases are beginning to creep out into the continents rural areas.

Moeti adds that tackling COVID-19 in rural areas is going to be difficult, especially if the region already lacks the proper health systems to deal with an outbreak in its urban centers.

This lack of health infrastructure is particularly troubling, as WHO reported that 43 African nations have less than 5,000 beds in ICUs available for current and future COVID-19 cases. This accounts for around five beds per one million people. The report also found that there are fewer than 2,000 working ventilators in public health centers across 41 African nations.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, and a native Ethiopian, said that while Africas COVID-19 cases are still very low, they are growing fast, and without strong and decisive help and action, Africas poor and vulnerable communities could be devastated by an outbreak.

The World Bank is already warning that if the continent isnt able to handle the coronavirus pandemic, it could spark a food security crisis due to a potentially substantial decline in food production and food imports.

Hopefully, a lot of the aid coming into the continent can help vulnerable countries deal with the crisis. A senior government official told reporters that the United States has provided almost a billion dollars across the continent. Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa and chairman of the African Union (AU), said that the AUs COVID-19 Response Fund, established to direct resources to bolster the continents response, has so far raised $61 million, which will mainly go to support the work of the Africa CDC. (Related: South Africa goes into lockdown as the country struggles against coronavirus.)

Many countries across Africa have already imposed a variety of policies to combat the spreading pandemic, such as curfews, lockdowns and even mass testing drives, such as the case in Senegal, which is developing a 10-minute testing kit that will sell for less than one dollar each.

While WHO has noted that its possible for Africa to contain the pandemic, the threat is still there, and it remains to be seen whether policies enacted by countries all over the continent will be effective.

Sources include:

ABCNews.go.com

WHO.int [PDF]

Rappler.com

AlJazeera.com

Metro.co.uk

Bloomberg.com
A functioning healthcare system depends on caregivers having the right data at the right time to make the right decision about what course of treatment a patient needs.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic and the acceleration of the consumer adoption of telemedicine, along with the fragmentation of care to a number of different low-cost providers, access to a patient's medical records to get an accurate picture of their health becomes even more important.

Opening access to developers also could unlock new, integrated services that could give consumers a better window into their own health and consumer product companies opportunities to develop new tools to improve health.

While hospitals, urgent care facilities and health systems have stored patient records electronically for years thanks to laws passed under the Clinton administration, those records were difficult for patients themselves to access. The way the system has been historically structured has made it nearly impossible for an individual to access their entire medical history.

It's a huge impediment to ensuring that patients receive the best care they possibly can, and until now it's been a boulder that companies have long tried to roll uphill, only to have it roll over them.

Now, new regulations are requiring that the developers of electronic health records can't obstruct interoperability and access by applications. Those new rules may unlock a wave of new digital services.

At least that's what companies like the New York-based startup Particle Health are hoping to see. The startup was founded by a former emergency medical technician and consultant, Troy Bannister, and longtime software engineer for companies like Palantir and Google, Dan Horbatt.

Particle Health is stepping into the breach with an API -based solution that borrows heavily from the work that Plaid and Stripe have done in the world of financial services. It's a gambit that's receiving support from investors including Menlo Ventures, Startup Health, Collaborative Fund, Story Ventures and Company Ventures, as well as angel investors from the leadership of Flatiron Health, Clover Health, Plaid, Petal and Hometeam.

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Image via Getty Images / OstapenkoOlena

"My first reaction when I met Troy, and he was describing what they're doing, was that it couldn't be done," said Greg Yap, a partner with Menlo Ventures, who leads the firm's life sciences investments. "We've understood how much of a challenge and how much of a tax the lack of easy portability of data puts on the healthcare system, but the problem has always felt like there are so many obstacles that it is too difficult to solve."

What convinced Yap's firm, Menlo Ventures, and the company's other backers, was an ability to provide both data portability and privacy in a way that put patients' choice at the center of how data is used and accessed, the investor said.

"[A service] has to be portable for it to be useful, but it has to be private for it to be well-used," says Yap.

The company isn't the first business to raise money for a data integration service. Last year, Redox, a Madison, Wis.-based developer of API services for hospitals, raised $33 million in a later-stage round of funding. Meanwhile, Innovaccer, another API developer, has raised more than $100 million from investors for its own take.

Each of these companies is solving a different problem that the information silos in the medical industry presents, according to Bannister. "Their integrations are focused one-to-one on hospitals," he said. Application developers can use Redox's services to gain access to medical records from a particular hospital network, he explained. Whereas using Particle Health's technology, developers can get access to an entire network.

"They get contracts and agreements with the hospitals. We go up the food chain and get contracts with the [electronic medical records]," said Bannister.

One of the things that's given Particle Health a greater degree of freedom to acquire and integrate with existing healthcare systems is the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016. That law required that the providers of electronic medical records like Cerner and EPIC had to remove any roadblocks that would keep patient data siloed. Another is the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, which was just enacted in the past month.

"We don't like betting on companies that require a change in law to become successful," said Yap of the circumstances surrounding Particle's ability to leapfrog well-funded competitors. But the opportunity to finance a company that could solve a core problem in digital healthcare was too compelling.

"What we're really saying is that consumers should have access to their medical records," he said.

Isometric Healthcare and technology concept banner. Medical exams and online consultation concept. Medicine. Vector illustration

This access can make consumer wearables more useful by potentially linking them -- and the health data they collect -- with clinical data used by physicians to actually make care and treatment decisions. Most devices today are not clinically recognized and don't have any real integration into the healthcare system. Access to better data could change that on both sides.

"Digital health application might be far more effective if it can take into context information in the medical record today," said Yap. "Thats one example where the patient will get much greater impact from the digital health applications if the digital health applications can access all of the information that the medical system collected."

With the investment, which values Particle Health at roughly $48 million, Bannister and his team are looking to move aggressively into more areas of digital healthcare services.

"Right now, we're focusing on telemedicine," said Bannister. "We're moving into the payer space... As it stands today were really servicing the third parties that need the records. Our core belief is that patients want control of their data but they dont want the stewardship."

The company's reach is impressive. Bannister estimates that Particle Health can hit somewhere between 250 and 300 million of the patient records that have been generated in the U.S. "We have more or less solved the fragmentation problem. We have one API that can pull information from almost everywhere."

So far, Particle Health has eight live contracts with telemedicine and virtual health companies using its API, which have pulled 1.4 million patient records to date.

"The way it works right now, when you give them permission to access your data its for a very specific purpose of use they can only use it for that one thing. Lets say you were using a telemedicine service. I allow this doctor to view my records for the purpose of treatment only. After that we have built a way for you to revoke access after the point," Bannister said.

Particle Health's peers in the world of API development also see the power in better, more open access to data. "A lot of money has been spent and a lot of blood and sweat went into putting [electronic medical records] out there," said Innovaccer chief digital officer Mike Sutten.

The former chief technology officer of Kaiser Permanente, Sutten knows healthcare technology. "The next decade is about 'let's take advantage of all of this data.' Let's give back to physicians and give them access to all that data and think about the consumers and the patients," Sutten said.

Innovaccer is angling to provide its own tools to centralize data for physicians and consumers. "The less friction there is in getting that data extracted, the more benefit we can provide to consumers and clinicians," said Sutten.

Already, Particle Health is thinking about ways its API can help application developers create tools to help with the management of COVID-19 populations and potentially finding ways to ease the current lockdowns in place due to the disease's outbreak.

"If youve had an antibody test or PCR test in the past we should have access to that data and we should be able to provide that data at scale," said Bannister.

"Theres probably other risk-indicating factors that could at least help triage or clear groups as well has this person been quarantined has this person been to the hospital in the past month or two things like that can help bridge the gap," between the definitive solution of universal testing and the lack of testing capacity to make that a reality, he said.

"Were definitely working on these public health initiatives," Bannister said. Soon, the company's technology -- and other services like it -- could be working behind the scenes in private healthcare initiatives from some of the nation's biggest companies as software finally begins to take bigger bites out of the consumer health industry.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump announced in a tweet late Monday night that he plans to suspend immigration to the United States, a move he said is needed to safeguard American jobs and defend the country from coronavirus pandemic, which he called "the Invisible Enemy."

"In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" the president wrote, announcing the plan at 10:06 p.m.

Trump, who is running for reelection on his immigration record and his effort to build a wall on the Mexico border, has long been frustrated with the limits on his ability to seal off the United States by decree. An executive order suspending all immigration to the country would take the president's impulses to an untested extreme.

Two White House officials said that an executive order is being drafted and that Trump could sign it as soon as Tuesday. The order, which was discussed among senior staff members Monday, would suspend nearly all immigration under the rationale of preventing the spread of infection by foreigners arriving from abroad.

The United States has more confirmed coronavirus cases, by far, than any other country, with more than 775,000; the next highest country is Spain, with 200,000 cases. The United States also has far more confirmed virus-related deaths - more than 42,000 - than any other nation; Italy has recorded more than 24,000 deaths and Spain just fewer than 21,000.

It remains unclear what exceptions Trump could include in such a sweeping immigration order, or whether would-be immigrants could reach the United States by demonstrating that they are free of the virus. The White House officials said they thought the order would not be in place long-term.

The president's announcement caught some senior Department of Homeland Security officials off guard, and the agency did not respond to questions and requests to explain Trump's plan late Monday.

The United States already has placed broad restrictions on travel from Europe, China and other pandemic hot spots, while implementing strict controls at the country's land borders. International air travel has plummeted.

Halting immigration to the United States could affect hundreds of thousands of visa holders and other would-be green card recipients who are planning and preparing to come to the United States at any given time. Most of them are the family members of Americans.

For Trump's executive order to work, it would have to direct the State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to immediately stop the issuance of immigration visas. Such a move appears to have no modern precedent and would potentially leave the fiances, fiancees, children and other close relatives of U.S. citizens in limbo.

The State Department issued about 460,000 immigration visas last year, and USCIS processed nearly 580,000 green card approvals for foreigners who applied for permanent residency, the latest U.S. statistics show.

Alex Nowrasteh, the director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said the president likely does have the authority to issue such an order during a time of crisis.

Nowrasteh said there are at least two legal justifications for Trump to close the border to all immigration: Title 42 of the U.S. Code enables the president to halt immigration for health reasons, while a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding his travel ban gives him legal precedent.

If such an order were signed, it would be unprecedented in American history, Nowrasteh said. During the height of the 1918 flu pandemic, the United States allowed more than 110,00 immigrants to enter the country.

And during World War II, the United States accepted more than 170,000 immigrants with green cards and more than 227,000 temporary agricultural workers, mostly from Mexico, on the bracero guest worker visa program.

The president already has largely halted most forms of immigration into the United States, Nowrasteh said. This latest move continues his restrictionist immigration policies and takes them to a new level, using the pandemic as the reasoning.

On March 18, the State Department canceled most routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments at its offices overseas, effectively shutting down almost all new kinds of travel into the United States. The State Department also stopped all processing for refugee resettlement.

Later that week, however, authorities resumed processing H-2A visas for seasonal guest workers. The country's agricultural laborers have been officially declared "essential workers," including hundreds of thousands of people who enter the country under that temporary visa.

Nowrasteh said he was surprised that it took Trump so long to use the pandemic and the cause of public health as justification to achieve one of his highest policy priorities.

"The president has been opposed to legal immigration for his entire administration," he said. "This is an opportunity to close it down entirely, and this is about as legitimate as you can get in terms of a broad justification for doing so."

Trump already has cited the health emergency to enact the kind of enforcement measures at the U.S. border with Mexico he has long extolled, moves that have essentially closed the border to asylum seekers and waved off anti-trafficking protections for underage migrants. During the past few weeks of the coronavirus crisis, U.S. border authorities have expelled 10,000 border crossers in an average of just a little more than an hour and a half each, which has effectively emptied out U.S. Border Patrol holding facilities of detainees.

U.S. border authorities say the measures are in place to help federal agents, health-care workers and the public by preventing potentially infected migrants from crossing into the United States, while minimizing the population of detainees in U.S. immigration jails.
The test is similar to other blood tests you may have had before: A sample of blood is taken from the patient and is then analyzed to determine the presence of antibodies. Most tests will generally return results within a few days, but that may vary, as some tests can return results in a few hours.

If I have antibodies, Im immune, right?

Not necessarily.

The antibody test does not test for immunity to Covid-19. There is no test yet that can tell if you are immune. It is simply too early to know if the presence of antibodies confers immunity, as this is a new virus, meaning weve never seen it before.

But experts generally agree that, based on experiences with other viruses, including SARS, the presence of antibodies most likely does confer some level of protection, though we dont know to what extent or for how long.

The difficult thing is we do not have clinical evidence yet of whether the presence of antibodies actually prevents the individual from getting the disease again, Dr. Jhang said, adding, I think most people believe that the presence of antibodies in most cases would confer some protection given our experience with other viruses.

But we really have to wait to see some evidence of that before we can be confident in being able to say that these antibodies can be protective, he said.

If I get an antibody test, can it tell if I have the virus?

An antibody test is not the same thing as a diagnostic test for Covid-19, and it will not diagnose whether you currently have it.

Remember that antibodies take time to develop, so a lack of antibodies may just mean your body hasnt had enough time to develop them postinfection.
Priyanka Chopra has led the tributes to Life Of Pi star Irrfan Khan who has died aged 53 following a battle with colon cancer.

The pair starred together in movie Khoon Maaf and the actress, 37, wrote: 'The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic.

'Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family.'

Screen star Freida Pinto also shared a touching message in remembrance of her former Slumdog Millionaire co-star, praising the late thespian for 'his grace and dignity along with his monumental talent as an artist.'

Irrfan was rushed to a Mumbai hospital for treatment on Tuesday after suffering a kidney infection and was placed in intensive care and died a day later.

He had been battling the tumour since 2018. He is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Babil and Ayan Khan.

Losing a friend: Priyanka Chopra has led the tributes to Slumdog Millionaire star Irrfan Khan, 53, following his death from colon cancer on Wednesday

Paying tribute: Priyanka, who worked with Irrfan on Khoon Maaf, shared two touching posts about the acclaimed star

Sad news: The Bollywood icon passed away in Mumbai, surrounded by his loved ones, following a two-year cancer battle

His spokesperson said he had 'spent his final hours surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about.'

They wrote in a statement: "I trust, I have surrendered, these were some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer.

And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen.

'Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away.

A look back: Irrfan starred as the police inspector in 2008 movie, Slumdog Millionaire (right) alongside Dev Patel (left)

Acclaimed: (L-R) Irrfan, Dev, Freida Pinto, who has also shared a tribute, and Anil Kapoor with their prizes for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture for Slumdog Millionaire at the 2009 SAGs

'After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it.

'Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own.

'We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, "As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it".'

The day before, Irrfan's spokesperson had said: 'Yes, it is true that Irrfan Khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection.

Support: Irrfan's son Babil was comforted by well-wishers outside the hospital while wearing a protective facemask amid the coronavirus pandemic

Upsetting: Friends and family gathered round to offer their support at such a tragic time

Loss: Irrfan is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Babil and Ayan (pictured at the film premiere of Tere Mere Phere in Mumbai in 2011)

'We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctor's observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of his well wishers, he will recover soon.'

Hours after the tragic news broke, Indian actress Freida, 35, took to Instagram with a heartfelt post about her dear friend.

Alongside an image of the pair at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2009, where they won the Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture prize for Slumdog Millionaire, she penned: 'This one has hit me hard. A VOID that can NEVER be filled because there was simply no one like Irrfan Khan.

'His grace and dignity along with his monumental talent as an artist, actor - a portrayer of humanity in all it's shapes and forms made me not only have deep admiration for him but I instinctively wanted to emulate that grace in my career as well.'

'A VOID that can NEVER be filled because there was simply no one like Irrfan Khan': Screen star Freida, 35, also shared a touching message in remembrance of her Slumdog Millionaire co-star

'There is a picture from the SAG awards( Irrfan, Dev, me and Anil) that sits on my book shelf in Mumbai and everytime I look at it, I am taken down a memory lane of all things so beautiful and joyous about Slumdog Millionaire and the awards celebrations.

'And in all of it I have this one beautiful and powerful memory of Irrfan - Unfazed by the glitzy glamour, no matter which Hollywood icon walked past us. Quiet but not silent- his responses to every interviewer were so meaningful and never lacking humour.

'He was representing India with achingly high levels of grace and dignity. He stood grounded in reality on every world stage, every red carpet- Grateful and so collected! How lucky was I, a complete little mess of a newbie, to have him as a role model!

'For those who know of his talent, you know it cannot be replaced. For those who have not yet been introduced to his talent...Oh, do not deprive yourselves please! His repertoire has something for everyone.

'Warrior, Namesake, Piku, Maqbool, Life of Pi, The Lunchbox, Paan Singh Tomar and ofcourse Slumdog Millionaire. Start somewhere, anywhere! I promise you...Irrfan Khan will be FOREVER carved in your memories too!' [sic]

It has been widely reported that Irrfan had been diagnosed with an neuroendocrine tumour in March 2018.

Last year, Khan had posted a video about his cancer battle.

He had said: 'One doesnt have any other choice but to remain positive. Whether you are able to make lemonade in such situations is entirely up to you.'

Incredible role: Irrfan starred as the Adult Pi Patel in 2012 movie Life Of Pi (left)

He also acknowledged his battle with a train ride in which he reached the wrong destination.

He had said: 'I had been in a different game, I was travelling on a speedy train ride. I had dreams, plans, aspirations, goals, was fully engaged in them. And suddenly someone taps me on my shoulder and I turn to see.

'"Your destination is about to come. Please get down."

'I was confused. "No, no, my destination hasn't come." [They said]. "No this is it, this is how it comes sometimes".'

Sadly, Irrfan's mother, Saeeda Begum, also passed away at the weekend aged 95, and Irrfan had attended her funeral via a video link.

Kind: Sonam Kapoor shared this poignant tribute to her friend

British actor Riz Ahmed tweeted: 'Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan. 'I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others'

Khan had starred in Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 alongside Dev Patel. He also also appeared in The Darjeeling Limited, Life of Pi and Jurassic World.

British actor Riz Ahmed tweeted: 'Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan.

'I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others. His work was consistently transcendent, he was a guiding light for so many of us.'

Sonam Kapoor wrote on Instagram: 'Rest in peace @irrfan sir. You have no idea what your kindness and encouragement meant to me at my lowest. My condolences to your family and loved ones.'

Twitter was also flooded with tributes from his fans on Wednesday.

They wrote: 'RIP - Legend. #IrrfanKhan. You will be missed badly and Your work always be Remembered Sir! May you Rest in Peace.'

'We are deeply pained at the tragic passing away of Irrfan Khan, an exceptional artist and human being.

'Our condolences to his family, loved ones and everyone who admired his work. May his soul rest in peace.'

'Oh Lord! One of my favorite Bollywood Actor. RIP Irrfan Khan.'

'Well, I was not ready for this... RIP! What is this 2020 doing to the world?

I suppose in the end, the whole of #life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say #goodbye.'
Albuquerque MMA fighter Ray Borg has found a spot on the UFCs return extravaganza in May.

Borg (13-4) is matched against Ricky Simon (15-3) of Vancouver, Washington on May 13  the second of three UFC shows scheduled within eight days in Jacksonville, Florida.

Oh boy this is gonna be fun as hell! Borg posted in Instagram, confirming the fight.

Borg had no fun at all in April, when his scheduled fight against Marlon Chito Vera was canceled along with the rest of UFC 249 due to coronavirus precautions. UFC President Dana White had intended to stage that card on April 18 at Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California, but those plans were scrapped after objections from Disney, ESPNs parent company, and the state of California.

Not to be denied, White then made plans for the three cards (May 9, 13 and 16) at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. Both ESPN, the UFCs primary TV/streaming partner, and the state of Florida are on board.

Borg last fought on Feb. 15 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, defeating Brazils Rogerio Bonterin by unanimous decision on a UFC card. Borg failed to make the flyweight limit of 125 pounds for that fight and as a result forfeited a percentage of his pay. The Borg-Simon fight has been made at the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds.

The UFCs return (its most recent card was held March 14 in Brazil with no fans in attendance) also includes New Mexico fighters Donald Cowboy Cerrone and Michelle Waterson. Both are scheduled to fight May 9 on a resuscitated version of UFC 249.

Cerrone (36-14), coming off an admittedly humbling loss by first-round TKO to Irelands Connor McGregor, is scheduled to face another nemesis  Anthony Pettis (22-10), who defeated Cerrone by first-round TKO in January 2013.

Waterson (17-7) was to have fought Californian Carla Esparza (15-6) in Portland, Oregon on April 11. That card having been cancelled, the same two fighters are scheduled to face each other on May 9.

DonTale Mayes (7-3), an Indiana heavyweight who now trains in Albuquerque at Jackson-Wink, is scheduled to face Brazils Rodrigo Nascimento (7-0) on the May 16 card. Former Jackson-Wink heavyweight Alistair Overeem (45-18) of the Netherlands is scheduled to face Alabamas Walt Harris in the main event.
Dominic Raab has issued a plea for patience on lifting the coronavirus lockdown, warning that the UK stands at a delicate and dangerous moment with the risk of a second wave of infection inflicting more deaths and prolonged economic pain.

The first secretary was speaking as new statistics showed the UK moving into third place for Covid-19 deaths globally with 26,097, behind only the US and Italy, as fatalities outside hospitals were included for the first time.

And Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle warned of a worrying rise in car use to its highest since the lockdown began five weeks ago, in an apparent sign of more people ignoring the governments stay-at-home message.

Weve seen up to now very dramatic falls in most modes (of transport) but there has been an uptick in motor vehicles, said Prof Doyle. The message here really is that we are still passing through this peak and this use of motor vehicles is the highest working day since 23 March and we really have to be vigilant.

Most people are making huge efforts to stay at home and save lives. This is slightly worrying, so please do stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.

Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Show all 30 1 /30 Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute's silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Shoppers observe a minute's silence in Tescos in Shoreham Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Firefighters outside Godstone fire station PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Salford Royal Hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Salford Royal Hospital PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute's silence at University College Hospital in London AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A school children's poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute's silence Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A man holds a placard that reads "People's health before profit" outside St Thomas hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute's silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus University College Hospital, London Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute's silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus London An NHS worker observes a minute's silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London AFP via Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Belfast, Northern Ireland NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Plymouth NHS workers hold a minute's silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute's silence Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Mater Infirmorum Hospital People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Waterloo Station, London AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew's House in Edinburgh to observe a minute's silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus London Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy's Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Royal Derby Hospital PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Leicester, NHS workers during a minute's silence outside Glenfield Hospital Getty

Cabinet meets on Thursday for the first time since Boris Johnson returned to work declaring that he wanted to set out within days a route to refining the social and economic restrictions imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus.

But his second-in-command, Mr Raab, left no doubt that there would be no significant moves to ease lockdown at the meeting, revealing that ministers have not yet received advice from the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) on whether his five tests for triggering the second phase have been met.

Sage also meets on Thursday, but will not deliver its verdict until days before the three-weekly review of lockdown measures on 7 May, he said.

Ministers will be pulling out all the stops to hit Matt Hancocks Thursday deadline of achieving 100,000 daily coronavirus tests, with the health secretary even writing to Conservative party supporters urging them to take up the new facilities for home-testing kits and drive-through sites.

But with capacity standing at 73,000 and just 53,429 tests conducted on Tuesday, it looked likely that the target will remain out of reach, though confirmation will probably not come until Friday or later because of the lag in tallying up totals.

Figures released by Public Health England showed that 765 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded inside and outside hospital in the 24 hours to 5pm on Tuesday.

Yvonne Doyle (PA)

The daily statistics had previously included only deaths in hospital and the new method meant an additional 3,811 fatalities were added to the running total.

It came just hours after Labour leader Keir Starmer challenged Mr Johnsons claim that the governments strategy had been an apparent success in the House of Commons, telling MPs that the death toll was truly dreadful and could lead to the UK ending up as the worst-hit country in Europe.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing, Mr Raab said there continued to be evidence of a flattening in the graph of deaths and infections, while hospitalisations have failed 16 per cent over the past week to 15,356.

But he warned: We are still coming through the peak, and this is a delicate and dangerous moment in this crisis.

I know that a lot of people have made a lot of sacrifices, which is why it is so important that we dont let up now and risk undoing all of that hard work.

He pointed to Germany, where the partial lifting of lockdown restrictions has been followed by deaths edging higher, with Chancellor Angela Merkel believed to be mulling a second shutdown.

Mr Raab said ministers were working on all the potential options for relaxation of restrictions.

But he said: A second spike would be harmful to public health, resulting in many more deaths from Covid-19.

Keir Starmer told the Commons that the UKs death tally was truly dreadful (UK Parliament/AP)

That itself would lead to a second lockdown, inflicting further prolonged economic pain on the country That would not just be economically dangerous, it would inflict a serious blow to public confidence.

This risk is very real, and it is vital that we proceed carefully, guided by the scientific advice, so that our next step through this crisis is a sure-footed one.

We mustnt gamble away the sacrifices and progress weve made.

He added: There is light at the end of the tunnel  whether you are an NHS worker on the front line working tirelessly shift after shift, or a parent at home with young children.

But we need to be patient and careful as we come through this moment of maximum risk.

Labours social care spokeswoman Liz Kendall welcomed the move to daily reporting of deaths outside hospitals, but added: These devastating figures show that further action is urgently required to reduce the spread of the virus and keep care users and staff safe.

More needs to be done to ensure all care staff get the PPE they need and to ensure social care is properly funded to deal with the extra costs of the pandemic. The Government must also introduce a strategy for intermediate care, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by people who are discharged from hospital and help struggling care homes.

And acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: As we finally see the Governments revised figures of how many people have tragically lost their lives to coronavirus, the sheer scale of this human disaster is becoming clearer. Tens of thousands of people right across the country will be mourning the loss of a loved one, and not only do they deserve answers, but the government must ensure lessons are learnt.

The case for an independent public inquiry once this crisis is over could not be stronger. The British public deserve to know the truth, including precisely how many people have died. There is no excuse for the Governments refusal to commit to an official review into their response to this pandemic.
A New Jersey appeals court on Tuesday upheld the conviction and sentence of a man who crashed his pickup into a Passaic County farmers market, killing a woman, while he was high on an aerosol chemical.

James Woetzel, 53, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the Aug. 10, 2014 death of Donna Wine, 58, of Hawthorne, who had been buying tomatoes at the market when she was killed.

Evidence at trial showed Woetzel drove his pickup through barricades at the open-air market in Hawthorne, injuring pedestrians and killing Wine, who was dragged about a third of a mile.

Wine, a hair stylist and mother of two, was pronounced dead at the scene.

When police arrived, they found Woetzel mumbling, saying hed blacked out and claiming he did not know what happened, according to court documents. He was sweaty, experienced difficulty breathing, had a fast pulse and was agitated, police reported at the time.

Investigators said preliminary tests indicated no drugs or alcohol were present in Woetzels system.

However, they later determined he was under the influence of difluoroethane, a chemical found in Dust-Off, a compressed air cleaner. Woetzel had purchased the cleaner from a computer store in Paterson shortly before the crash, according to court records.

When police asked Woetzel if they could test his blood, he readily agreed and insisted that there was nothing in it that related to the investigation, according to court documents.

Donna Wine, of Hawthorne, was 58 when she was killed.File

In Woetzels appeal, his lawyers stated that the blood-test results showing the presence of difluoroethane should have been suppressed at trial because the chemical is not a controlled, dangerous substance under New Jersey law.

Testing his blood for the chemical exceeded the scope of his consent, the attorneys stated.

The attorneys also argued that evidence of a 2012 car accident in Bergen County allegedly caused by Woetzels intoxication was inadmissible because prosecutors were not able to determine why the crash occurred.

They also called Woetzels 20-year prison sentence  of which he must serve 85%  manifestly excessive.

In a 43-page decision on Tuesday, judges in the states appellate division found that searching Woetzels blood for the aerosol cleaner was objectively reasonable.

The judges also said the 2012 crash was admissible at trial because a can of difluoroethane was found in his car at that time.

The judges also noted that Woetzel had purchased at least 15 cans of difluoroethane from July 2012 to August 2014.

The appellate judges also agreed with the trial judge that a 20-year sentence would be appropriate to deter others from driving under the influence.

They also noted that Woetzel had only one mitigating factor in his favor  that he lacked a prior criminal record.

Woetzel is serving his sentence at the South Woods State Prison in Cumberland County. He is eligible for parole on Aug. 9, 2031, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com.
A member of Tehrans City Council has revealed that during the first two months of the coronavirus outbreak the overall death toll in Iran's capital increased by 3,700, compared with the same period last year.

Iranian officials have not released the epidemic toll in Tehran, but the nationwide death toll they have announced is just 6,000; too low to account for the increased number of deaths in the capital.

Meanwhile, the Sharq newspaper reports that the number of people who died of other causes during the epidemic, such as road accidents has substantially decreased. Therefore, even more of the deaths in the capital can be attributed to Covid-19.

Earlier, a member of the Tehran City Council, Nahid Khodakarami, had said that between seventy to 100 deaths from coronavirus were buried in the city's cemeteries each day.

Therefore, it can be estimated that between 4,000 to 7,000 have died of the epidemic in Tehran alone since the outbreak in February.

Daily Sharq also reported that since the outbreak of coronavirus in Iran, the Civil Registration Department has "surprisingly" stopped announcing the number of new deaths in the country.

Earlier, on April 12, Tehran's deputy mayor for municipal services, Mojtaba Yazdani, had announced that a new plot of land had been prepared for the victims of the deadly coronavirus in Tehran's main cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra, and that 10,000 new graves had been excavated so far.

Nonetheless, the Islamic Republic Ministry of Health still insists that the number of people fallen victim to COVID-19 nationwide is around 6,000.

In the meantime, daily Sharq asserts that the statistics of the Ministry of Health are only based on the number of people who have visited the medical centers and tested for coronavirus.

According to daily Sharq, only 442,590 corona tests have so far been performed in Iran.

Earlier, some members of Majles (Iranian parliament) and Tehran City Councilors had accused the Ministry of Health of secrecy, and covering up the data related to the victims of COVID-19.
Tanity Carey (pictured) argues smacking children should be banned in England

YES

By Tanith Carey, Parenting author and mum of two

Now that Jersey has brought in a complete ban on smacking, with Scotland and Wales to follow, its a national embarrassment that Englands leaders havent done the same.

It makes us one of only four countries left in Europe where smacking is legal.

Our children are the most vulnerable members of society. They are almost completely dependent on our love and understanding to become emotionally healthy adults.

Arguing that smacking is the only language kids understand is like saying its acceptable to hit an elderly person with dementia, who also cant be reasoned with.

Children cry or misbehave because they dont have the words to express difficult feelings, and havent yet developed control over their behaviour. So its vital parents show how to marshal angry feelings, not give in to them.

Nor is there any sliding scale (It was only a little tap) that makes smacking OK. It humiliates a child and makes them feel unsafe.

It also doesnt work. A recent study found smacking makes children more likely to disobey their parents, and more aggressive to others. I can still remember the look on my daughters face the one time I smacked either of my children  the shock that the grown-up she relied on would use violence against her.

Lily was four. She hated having her hair washed and was standing up at the end of the bath, screaming like a banshee. After a long day, I just wanted her to stop so I could rinse the shampoo out. So I gave her a brisk smack on her bottom, hoping it would make her stop.

Lily did stop  but only to fix me with a look of utter confusion at my betrayal of her trust.

Its part of our evolution into a more decent society

Legally, of course I was within my rights to use reasonable chastisement to discipline my own child. Its a deep irony that my small daughter was the one person in the world I was allowed to strike.

I wish I could rewind to that night, perhaps counting to ten first so I could better calm my child.

A complete UK ban on smacking is not criminalising parents, as some claim. Its part of our evolution into a more decent society, such as when it became an arrestable offence in 2004 for a husband to hit his wife.

Just as we now cannot believe that was ever allowed, we will surely look back on the fact adults could legally hit children in 2020 with the same utter incredulousness.

NO

Kathryn Knight (pictured) says a total ban would feel like unnecessary authoritarian grandstanding

By Kathryn Knight, mother of one

On an infamous family holiday in Croatia, my then three-year-old girl, Connie, had the mother of all tantrums.

They were not unfamiliar, but on this occasion it was unfolding half a mile from shore in a small dingy my husband and I had hired for the afternoon  and Connies hysterical foot-stomping was in danger of capsizing the boat.

We all had life-jackets, but I didnt relish the prospect of flailing in 10 ft of the Adriatic while trying to haul ourselves back into the vessel.

So, with all the usual threats in my armoury exhausted, I resorted to something I had never done before: I smacked my daughters bottom. Just once and not hard, but it worked. Connie was stunned into silence, replaced by tearful wailing.

The whole incident  which she, thankfully, doesnt remember directly  has passed into family folklore. But what isnt mentioned is how ropey I felt, long afterwards, about effectively losing control. I never smacked her again.

What next? Outlaw giving kids junk food?

So you might assume I would be in favour of Jerseys decision to outlaw smacking. On the contrary, Im both irritated and discomfited by it; the former because it feels like unnecessary authoritarian grandstanding, and the latter because it shows worrying interference in the way parents raise their children.

The new law comes wrapped in the language of child safety, and its always hard to mount an argument against that. But the key question here is: is it necessary? Laws already exist to prosecute parents who harm their children, and the kind who do are unlikely to be deterred by this latest legislation. What this does instead is potentially criminalise a vast number of loving parents who use a smack as a well-managed final reprimand when all else has failed  among them my own parents, who were not averse to giving me a sharp tap on the back of the legs (worse in the anticipation than the delivery) when I had put myself at risk.

Even if you robustly disagree  and I understand the argument that it normalises violence, although by that reckoning ten minutes watching cartoons does much the same  it raises uncomfortable questions about the extent to which we let the state tell us how to be parents.

Theres a vast gulf between not condoning smacking, which encourages parents to think twice about it, and making it illegal. We all want to raise good citizens. But where we can, we must avoid legislating on it.

What next? Outlawing giving our kids junk food?
Richter also contacted Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sarah Neben for other areas which were in need, Neben indicated the child care providers were in need of sanitizer.

Richter reached out to Worth, saying Chief had hand sanitizer available for child care providers.

Worth spoke with five different child care providers in Lexington who were still open and serving children of essential workers, who indicated they had a need for hand sanitizer.

The Lexington child care providers who benefited from the donation were Amanda Berry, Carol Hinrich, Megan Sorenson, Ranae Lux and Vickie Unterseher.

Megan Sorenson currently cares for four children and was the one who picked up the sanitizer from Chief and delivered it to the other child care providers.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Sorenson said she was down to only half of her last bottle when she got the donation.

We would definitely like to thank Rick at Chief Ethanol for reaching out to Shonna about donating this hand sanitizer to daycare providers, Sorenson said,  Its great to see the ethanol plants helping out with this storage. Also, Pacha Soap in Hastings helped make and donate these as well.
President Donald Trump has threatened to bill China a substantial amount for damages caused by the coronavirus. Trump revealed t...





President Donald Trump has threatened to bill China a substantial amount for damages caused by the coronavirus.





Trump revealed this at a press conference at the White House.





When asked if he has considered seeking money from Beijing for its response to the pandemic, Trump said he had a much easier idea.





According to him, he was planning on obtaining much more than what the Germans were suggesting.





A German newspaper had published a mocked-up bill of a $160billion invoice for the impact shutdowns have had on the economy following the spread of the infection from Wuhan to Europe.





According to Daily Mail, he said, We have ways of doing things a lot easier than that, Trump told a coronavirus press briefing Monday in Washington DC.





Germanys looking at things, and were looking at things, and were talking about a lot more money than Germanys talking about.





We havent determined the final amount yet. Its very substantial, Trump added.
Florida's Nassau County Sheriff's Office is asking for help naming two new "team members" - bloodhound puppies.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  Need a distraction from this pandemic, a Florida sheriff's office asks?

Calling it a case of "cuteness overload," the Nassau County Sheriff's Office is asking for the communitys help in naming their new four-legged team members  two female bloodhound puppies.

Name suggestions started this month and are being accepted through Thursday on the Sheriffs Offices Facebook page.

A local family donated two 6-week old female bloodhounds to the Nassau County Sheriffs Office K-9 unit, the Facebook post said. We are asking our citizens to help us name the pups.

One bloodhound is black and tan; the other is red. As of Tuesday, there were more than 1,400 suggestions.

Have a good name for this puppy? Florida's Nassau County Sheriff's Office is looking for ideas.

One person suggested Erica and Olivia for the late Nassau County Deputy Eric Oliver, who was fatally struck by a car in 2016 while chasing a suspect . Versions of Olivers name appeared in other suggestions.

One responder had a silly streak, saying that if the sheriffs office doesnt name the dogs Corona (Rona) and Quarantine (Teenie), youre missing an epic opportunity!

Another said their suggestion was showing my age by proposing Cagney and Lacey, the title of a 1980s TV police show.

Others were more serious, like a suggestion for Hope and Faith: We have Faith in Bloodhounds and they give us Hope, the person wrote. They are the cutest.

The sheriffs office said it will announce the names once they are chosen.

Post by NassauCountySheriff.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida sheriff's offices seeks name suggestions for K-9 puppies
The coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating impact on every section of the working population.

According to a recently published survey by Americans for the Arts, fully 95 percent of arts workers in the US have lost income due to the current crisiswith 62 percent now out of work. Sixty-seven percent of those polled reported unanticipated expenses related to COVID-19 which, taken together with lost income, have resulted in an average loss per arts worker of $21,000 over the past three months.

The arts workers surveyed included visual artists (51 percent), musicians (22 percent), theater and performance artists (17.5 percent), writers and media artists (15 percent each), as well as community-based artists (27 percent), and a variety of other artistic disciplines. A significant proportion (30.5 percent) work as teaching artists and/or teachers in elementary through graduate level education.

The impact of the pandemic has laid bare the already precarious economic conditions in which most artists live, as well as the inequality that exists between a handful of top-tier artists with gallery connections and wealthy collectors versus the majority who cobble together a living from multiple gigs. The latter include working in arts-related jobs that may or may not involve their own creative work (i.e., working in a gallery, museum or other arts organization, etc.) or in non-arts jobs (servers in restaurants, Uber drivers, etc.).

Americans for the Arts survey

Before the pandemic, almost 40 percent of arts workers earned $35,000 or less a year, while another 37 percent made between $35,000 and $75,000. Given that more than half live in urban areas such as New York City or Los Angeles where the cost of living is extremely high, this means three-quarters of artists face significant financial challenges at the best of times.

Since the shutdown in the US beginning in March, most art workers jobs have been suspended or terminated. Every museum and gallery from major institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and the National Gallery in London to thousands of small non-profit art spaces, theaters from Broadway to Lincoln Center, and hosts of prestigious art fairs and festivals like Art Basel and Cannes have either closed, postponed or cancelled their programs for the foreseeable future, many through the end of the 2020 season. This will continue to have a direct impact not only on the artists whose income and employment depends directly on these institutions for sales and commissions, but on a far larger number of related jobs, from museum staff to art-handlers, program designers to custodians for months if not longer.

Katie Schuessler, a visual artist in Brooklyn, New York spoke with the World Socialist Web Site. Prior to the pandemic her entire income came from work as a teaching artist with two different non-profit arts organizations in four different middle and elementary schools. Before the New York City public school system was closed in mid-March, she worked with more than 300 students, putting both her and her students at risk of contracting or spreading the virus, she felt. One of her jobs paid her for an additional two weeks remote work in March, but she has not been paid since April.

Katie Schuessler

Because of budget cuts on the city and state level, everything is on hold, no arts partnerships are able to continue for the foreseeable future because there is no funding. she said. While she was lucky to get onto unemployment before the system started to be overloaded, she has gotten by only paying half her rent in April and May, hoping her landlord wont take action because, I dont have thousands of dollars to repay with. Like the 52 percent of arts workers in the Americans for the Arts survey, she has no savings.

While lucky not to have student loans to repay, Schuessler does have significant credit card debt. She had just gotten health insurance in February through Obamacare, but says it is more like catastrophic coverage, with a $6,000 deductible and 50 percent copay. We should have socialized medicine! she said.

If schools reopen in the fall, she anticipates that her teaching residencies will resume since the organizations were able to get funding through the small business loans program. Like many artists surveyed, Schuessler has used the period of unemployment to develop online means of disseminating and selling work, though whether this will translate to a significant revenue source remains an open question. She got one commission for $200, but after shipping and cost of materials that doesnt amount to much.

The pandemic has influenced her work in other ways. Right at the beginning of the pandemic she was seriously ill, ironically not with COVID-19, but that led to a lot of epiphanies. The pandemic is pushing me to foster deeper connections with my collectors and followers on social media trying to bring some measure of possibility and sense of community.

Basically, the pandemic has revealed that the arts are incredibly undervalued in society, as per usualas per education, were pushed to the back. Right now, artists are doing what they can to cope with the pandemic, but I hope this will push artists to demand more and for that more people become aware of how arts and artists are treated in society.

Azikiwe

Azikiwe, another Brooklyn artist has been nickel-and-diming since his restaurant job as a server ended in March. Though qualified, he was unable to enroll in unemployment because the system kept freezing; after waiting on the phone for hours, he got disconnected and doesnt know who else to call. He also hasnt received any stimulus check because he hasnt been able to file his taxes. At the beginning it was better, I was able to sell some small pieces for $100-$200 that I could ship. That allowed me to eat and pay small bills. But Im running out of resources. I didnt pay rent for April and dont have it for May. Its kind of a scary situation. If I get behind and have to catch up, thats a huge debt.

He doesnt feel that the pandemic has influenced his work except insofar as he now is just painting pieces he thinks will sell. And he cant sell them for too much, because other people are struggling too, they dont have $300-$400 for a painting, they need to buy food.

Although Azikiwe needs to get back to work to earn money, he does not think opening businesses back up without the government taking proper measures to sanitized workplaces is wise. The virus is still out there, its a gamble. People arent necessarily going to go back, theyre afraid. Its kind of scary.
(Newser)  It was a race in Maryland "dramatically reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic," and one man has easily emerged victorious, per NBC News. Democrat Kweisi Mfume, 71, who was the head of the NAACP for nearly nine years, defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in a special election held Tuesday to fill the 7th Congressional District seat left vacant by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in October. It won't be the first time for Mfume in this role: Cummings replaced him when Mfume left for the NAACP in 1996 after serving five terms in the House of Representatives. Among the competitors Mfume beat out, per the New York Times: Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Elijah Cummings' widow.

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Mfume ran on a platform of stronger gun-safety measures and health care, among other issues. The Maryland election was one in which constituents were highly encouraged to send in their votes by mail, especially after the hubbub that took place in Wisconsin, where voters waited for hours to cast ballots amid the pandemic. Mfume wore a mask on election night, as did his wife and other supporters, the AP reports. "I want all of you to know that from day one, all of my attention, all of my energy, and all of my focus in the United States Congress will be on using science, data, and common sense to help get our nation through this dark hour in our history," he said. Mfume will serve in the seat at least through January; he'll run in Maryland's June 2 primary for a chance to be the nominee for a full term. (Read more Elijah Cummings stories.)
A dentist who is carrying out emergency treatment during the Covid-19 crisis turned up at his clinic to find the locks had been changed by the landlord.

Hungarian Dental, of Letterkenny, Co Donegal took an injunction against the landlord Gall Investments after workmen locked them out of the surgery this week.

Letterkenny Circuit Court heard how the clinic is the only dental surgery in Letterkenny offering emergency dental treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic and has a contract with the HSE for such work.

Barrister for Hungarian Dental, Mr Ivan Toner, told the court how four patients were due to have essential extractions at the clinic this Saturday.

The patients are currently on medication in advance of their planned treatment.

Mr Toner said that a dentist working at the clinic arrived on Monday morning last to find workmen changing the locks.

The workers would not allow the dentist into the building at 11, Main Street, and also removed notes from the door.

Mr Toner said his client had been a tenant of the original owner Patrick J Doherty since November, 2011 and had paid 866 in rent each month.

However, in May, 2017 the building was put into liquidation and was bought by a vulture fund before being bought by an investment company, Gall Investments of Pearse Road, Letterkenny.

There had been discussions between the new owner and the landlord over a continuation of the lease but nothing had been agreed.

Mr Toner argued that the manner of the closure was entirely wrong and that it was imperative that the clinic re-open to allow for the treatment of patients.

He also said that because workmen had been at the clinic, the premises would now have to be sanitised in advance of the patients coming in for their dental treatment.

There was no appearance on behalf of Gall Investments.

Judge John Aylmer said he agreed and granted the injunction to allow Hungarian Dental to reopen the clinic.

He adjourned the matter until the next sitting of the circuit court in Carrick-On-Shannon and will decide the matter of costs on that date.
And what its exceptional and unexceptional exceptions tell us about the future.

The urge to predict the post-pandemic future is irresistible and it seems to often accompany major outbreaks.

As scholarly and literary works on plagues are making a massive comeback these days, I decided to open up Daniel Defoes A Journal of the Plague Year. At some point Defoe takes aim at the plague prophets:

Nay, some were so enthusiastically bold as to run about the streets with their oral predictions, pretending they were sent to preach to the city; and one in particular, who, like Jonah to Nineveh, cried in the streets, Yet forty days, and London shall be destroyed. I will not be positive whether he said yet forty days or yet a few days. Another ran about naked, except a pair of drawers about his waist, crying day and night, like a man that Josephus mentions, who cried, Woe to Jerusalem! a little before the destruction of that city. So this poor naked creature cried, Oh, the great and the dreadful God! and said no more.

The genre of post-plague predictions may have shed some of its past dramatic expressions, but it persists. The vastly divergent scenarios put out there all share the same realisation  that the world will not be the same. Most fear it will change for the worse.

For example, the Bulgarian philosopher Ognian Kassabov fears that working from home will spell the end of the eight-hour working day.

Others, like British academic Philip Cunliffe, offer bleaker scenarios, as if taken from the typical dystopian anime about the world after thermonuclear war: a powerful corporation lords over an atomised citizenry which works and communicates from home, while a wretched underclass staffs the unvirtualisable professions (deliveries, farming ) and exposes itself to contagion. Such an order precludes mass organising for progressive ends, cementing an alienated capitalist future infinitely worse than what neoliberalism had on offer.

This hinges on an understanding of the lockdown and social distancing as both temporally and spatially complete.

Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben fears it will usher in a state of exception and permanent curtailment of rights. Some authoritarian responses to the crisis certainly lend themselves to such interpretation: Hungary, for one, just completed its transition to fascism.

The left worries that the consequences of the lockdown will extend far into the future. Leftist scholar Anton Jager augurs the postponement of history in words connoting finality and death: We will see little to no mobilization, and probably no counter-hegemonic subject. The death of face-to-face sociability is unlikely to give a fresh impetus to new organizations.

I, however, beg to differ. It seems to me the old normal is very much still present in various pleasant and unpleasant ways. It is also too early to despair and conclude that the emergency will be a permanent fixture of our lives. The lockdowns are neither so sweeping everywhere, nor do the ongoing mobilisations allow us to speak about the death of face-to-face sociability  for now.

Except for the exception, everything is normal

Throughout March most countries in Europe enforced hasty and little-thought-out lockdowns, issued state of emergency declarations and closed the borders.

However, it quickly transpired that in some places the panicked and supposedly draconian state of exceptions is less than exceptional.

In my native Bulgaria, the lockdown is enforced by exorbitant fines for smoking in the park, but one can go to work, go shopping for food and stop by the pharmacy. As a friend of mine joked, Isnt that where the majority of working people go during normal times anyway?

In some German cities, park usage more than doubled since the introduction of the lockdown. In fact, Germany has already started relaxing restrictive measures and so has Austria. Sweden, on the other hand, did not even impose a lockdown.

In April, the pre-corona normality irrupted even more forcefully and demanded open borders for cheap labour. Harvest times approached for asparagus and strawberries and Western European countries rushed to break travel bans.

On April 2, Germany announced it would fly in 80,000 agricultural labourers, mostly from Eastern Europe via emergency green corridors. Shortly after thousands of Romanian workers from the countrys worst-hit regions crowded into buses and boarded charted flights for various German states. Many had to face appalling work conditions and exploitative, sub-minimum wages, and little protection from the virus. At least one of them has already died of a coronavirus infection.

The UK has also made overtures to the East and its endless reserves of cheap agricultural workers. It has gone as far as calling Bulgaria our little beacon  a country in that same Eastern Europe with its pesky Polish plumbers and welfare scroungers which the Brits were so eager to break with in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Unfortunately, Bulgarians like Romanians are also eager to risk contagion, hard pressed by the galloping unemployment and the fact that the Bulgarian state hasoffered workers no social protection during the crisis.

Austria has also looked East to fill in its pandemic-induced labour shortages. It has alreadybrokered charter flights for Bulgarian and Romanian care workers urgently needed to fill vacancies in nursing homes. In the free European labour market, sought-after medical workers go to the highest bidder. Not even a pandemic lockdown can upend the competition. It makes it all the fiercer.

The problem is that the East has haemorrhaged medical staff for so long that its capacity to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak may be seriously diminished. In Bulgaria, where doctors and nurses receive their education for free before they emigrate, the median age of the remaining medical staff is so high that a large chunk of them falls within the high-risk category.

Thus, these very partial lockdowns, under relentless (and successful) attack from capitalists, have left enough space for exploitative practices from the status quo ante to continue unabated. Radical changes after corona are not (yet) the problem; the rapid return of pre-corona normality is.

Exceptional exceptions

Be that as it may, it will be a massive simplification to claim that everything is going on as before between our porous lockdowns. But those who mourn the death of organising fail to register that a lot of organising has been going on already.

New terrains for class-based intervention are breaking open to address the abysmal failure of states not only to prepare for but also handle the pandemic.

In the US, workers in a General Electric plant walked off the job and demanded to make ventilators. In France, McDonalds workers occupied their workplace and turned it into a free food distribution point.

Tenants facing eviction are organising, too. (See Kim Moodys excellent compilation of successful instances of class struggle.)

Polish women staged a pro-abortion protest from their cars  an ingenious way of protesting without breaching lockdown restrictions.

Even in self-isolation, some organisation is still possible. Macedonians and Serbs have turned their homes into factories and make personal protective equipment (PPE) with their 3D printers and distribute them for free to hospitals. A pizzeria in Chicago rekindled its ovens to make medical helmets.

Such practices reveal the extent to which the lockdown depends on mobilisation and consensus from below, which disproves a lot of the totalitarianism-inflected theorising.

The crisis has also upended the limits of the possible in neoliberalism. While austerity was the preferred solution of the previous great economic crash, today staple items from left-wing recipe books like direct monetary transfers, unlimited spending on healthcare, temporary debt freezing, rent and mortgage caps compete with traditional fiscal conservatism.

Socialist solutions are unceremoniously imposing themselves. Britain effectively nationalised the rail. New York City put an abrupt end to years of helpless hand-wringing that not much can be done about homelessness by housing thousands of homeless people suffering from COVID-19 in hotels.

Portugal suspended the byzantine asylum categorisation regime and afforded its refugee population residency benefits. California set up a disaster relief fund for undocumented migrants.

US cities are restoring water access to households falling behind on their bills. And who would have expected that Donald Trump, of all people, would roll out a variant of universal basic income for a few months?

Countries that are highly dependent on global trade like Singapore are starting to produce food locally. The staggering shortages and PPE bidding wars have made it abundantly clear that globalisation and free trade have failed us.

Developed countries realise they must bring the production of essential goods back from cheap labour destinations. The global reach of COVID-19 has incidentally imposed natural limits to neoliberal globalisation. Will this result in its rollback? It remains to be seen but the free trade regime, previously invulnerable even to the threat of climate change, has never seemed more dented.

So even though we lost important electoral battles over the past few years, to paraphrase American writer Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, reality itself has endorsed our agenda.

Capitalism has never looked more vulnerable. A few weeks of work stoppages proved enough to trigger a crisis which makes the Great Depression look like an economic upturn. Unemployment is at a historic high while the price of oil has tanked into unprecedented negative realms.

Capitalism is obviously ill-prepared to deal with external shocks which was hardly the case with state socialist countries efficient elimination of infectious disease. A temporary pause in a publicly owned economy could not trigger the cascading crisis of credit crunch, stock market meltdown and historic unemployment.

Despite its monarchist name, this coronavirus is a rapidly growing argument for socialism.

Social class  a vilified category of analysis is making a comeback, thanks to the outbreak. After decades of being told that we are self-help entrepreneurs and human capital, suddenly class categories such as essential worker become the main way the lockdown gets operationalised (while actual entrepreneurs ride it out at home).

Meanwhile, the violence and inequality created by the capitalist system has transcended obscure social theory seminars to become a major discussion in mainstream media and urban policy.

The Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev has argued that the crisis is wiping out nostalgic populism and is forcing us to confront the future. It is ironic that at the precise moment the neoliberal consensus takes a tumble globally, a leftist scholar like Jager prophecies the non-return of history while the liberal political scientist seems excited to see a crack through which history slips back.

I am tempted to indulge in the fantasy that the coronavirus war economy could dethrone the citizen-consumer and ordain the warrior-citizen, and thus embolden them to make demands on a state that explicitly admits how dependent it is on their labour and sacrifice.

This is not to sugarcoat the ugly reality of heavily pro-business skewed stimulus packages across the worlds major and lesser economies. It is not to deny that the coronavirus response can enormously buttress the repressive arm of the state.

But alongside the digital surveillance state arises the spectre of renewed class politics that puts welfare and healthcare centre stage. I doubt that healthcare budget cutbacks will be palatable any time soon.

All told, some progressive solutions have become possible in the pandemic, even if to shore up capitalism. And these new possibilities are the true exception in the state of exception. They are welcome exceptions to neoliberalism, if even in potentia. Can the left seize and make them more permanent? Can we radicalise them?

It is time to fight for food sovereignty which alone can loosen the chokehold of multinational agricorporations on food production and supply, and simultaneously end their role in proliferating deadly zoonotic viruses in the process.

As Walter Benjamin said a propos fascism, the state of emergency in which we live is not the exception but the rule [] It is our task to bring about a real state of emergency.

In the mobilisation against COVID-19, Benjamins injunction has lost none of its relevance.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Police not caught up in emergencies will stop to pay tribute to their fallen comrades in powerful displays of solidarity.

The first of four police officers killed last week will be farewelled in Melbourne on Thursday by a handfull of friends and family.

But thousands of officers across Victoria will pause to honour them after their private services have ended.

Senior Constable Kevin King (pictured, far left), Constable Glen Humphris (second from left), Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor (second from right) and and Constable Josh Prestney (far right) all died in the crash last Wednesday night

Colleagues carry Constable Rodney Millers coffin at the funeral service in 1998. Police lined the road for more than a kilometre to honour him in death

Flinders Street Station was lit up in blue to the four police officers who lost their lives on Wednesday last week

Leading Senior Constable Lynnette Taylor will be the first officer laid to rest with the funeral of Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Kevin King taking place the following day.

All three will be held at the Victorian Police Academy in Glen Waverley and be live-streamed to family, friends and colleagues who cannot attend.

The funeral for Senior Constable Josh Prestney will take place at Xavier College on Monday.

At the close of each service, a message will be transmitted across all channels via the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority broadcast system which will alert emergency workers to down tools and observe a minute's silence.

Police are expected to be seen forming guards of honour outside police stations across the state while others working the street will halt and stand at attention.

Those stationary in police vehicles will turn on their headlights while others will gather inside police stations to stand in silence.

At the Police Academy will be bathed in blue light from Thursday through to Monday night when the last of the four officers is laid to rest.

It is likely that other Melbourne businesses will follow suit as they did last week when some of Melbourne's most iconic buildings, including Flinders Street Station, were lit in blue light.

All four of the officers were killed when the driver of a refrigerated chicken truck ploughed into the them on Wednesday last week.

Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller were gunned down in Moorabbin in 1998. Police lined the streets for more than a kilometre to farewell them

Officers form a guard of honour for Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller who were gunned down in Moorabbin in 1998

Australians hoping to join in the live stream will be denied access after a request by the families for privacy.

The media has also been banned from attending the services and denied access to the live stream.

Instead, the public may get a chance to see the hearse being driven out of the police academy.

Police command has supported the private services and have committed to holding a public memorial as soon as possible.

'We understand and appreciate the public interest following this incident and you can be reassured we will provide media with filming opportunities on the day of each funeral in line with the families wishes,' a police spokeswoman said.

The private services are a far cry from those that have come before it.

Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton is keen to take part in the upcoming funeral services for four officers who were killed in the line of duty last week

When Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller were gunned down in Moorabbin - southeast of Melbourne - in 1998, police lined and marched the streets in their honour.

At Sergeant Silk's service at the Police Academy, then police commissioner Neil Comrie was the first to salute as the coffin passed the Honour Guard of thousands of police that stretched for more than a kilometre.

It was a similar scene 10 years earlier when Constables Damian Eyre and Steven Tynan were gunned down in Walsh Street, South Yarra, in 1988.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said due to the coronavirus gathering restrictions, the four officers would be farewelled in small gatherings limited to 10 people.

Mr Ashton will be attending all four funerals as the Officer in Charge and will assist in officiating the ceremonies with the police chaplin.

Police march in their thousands behind the hearse carrying the body of Senior Constable Rod Miller in 1998

Police officers honour Rodney Miller in 1998. Victoria Police plan to honour four officers killed on Wednesday as soon as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted

Mohinder Singh Bajwa (left) is accused of killing the four police officers after crashing his truck into the emergency lane of a Melbourne freeway. Police had just pulled over alleged mongrel Richard Pusey (right) who is accused of filming and taunting a dying police officer

Mr Ashton said the dead officers would be honoured in full once the distancing restrictions were lifted.

'We've got to stick at it at the moment. We've got to make sure that we're still doing the right thing so that we don't encounter reinfection rates that make this an even more tragic emergency than it already is,' he said.

Mr Ashton said he could not provide a date or a month as to when the formal ceremonies would be held.

Mohinder Singh Bajwa, 47, has been charged with four counts of culpable driving over the deaths.

Richard Pusey, 41, also faces charges amid allegations he filmed the dying officers before fleeing the scene.
The number of Midlanders charged with family violence in the last month has increased by 33 percent compared to the previous year, according to data provided by the Midland County Sheriffs Office.

Arrest reports show 17 individuals were charged with either family violence or aggravated assault against a family member in the past week; nine individuals were charged with these crimes last weekend alone.

The rise in domestic violence cases is not surprising to Lee Anna Good, director of development for Safe Place of the Permian Basin. She suspects the numbers are actually higher because most incidents of domestic violence go unreported.

Statewide, theres been a 40 to 70 percent uptick in reports of domestic abuse, depending on the region and the day, Good said. Law enforcement officials in San Antonio and Houston have seen a spike in these crimes, according to news reports.

Sheltering at home is not always safe for everybody, Good said. Its really not.

She said coronavirus shutdowns and subsequent oilfield layoffs have created a perfect storm of stressors in the Permian Basin leading to a predictable rise in violent offenses.

Between the virus, having kids home from school and the extreme downturn in the oil industry  distress is intense, she said.

A Safe Place --Anyone experiencing a domestic violence emergency should call 9-1-1 or Safe Place of the Permian Basin's 24-hour hotline at 432-570-1465 or 1-800-967-8928. --More information about Safe Place of the Permian Basin can be found at safeplacenow.com. --Safe Place is not currently accepting in-kind donations because of coronavirus precautions. Monetary donations can be made on their website. See More Collapse

Calls to Safe Places emergency hotline have increased significantly, as have requests for counseling, according to Good. Safe Place serves 15 counties throughout the Permian Basin, including Midland and Ector counties.

Their 66-bedroom victims shelter is near capacity, Good said, though she emphasized they still have space for victims and their children. If there ever is a time that they dont have room in the shelter, theyll connect victims with other services, she said.

Good said staff at Safe Place are taking extra precautions amid coronavirus concerns, including diligently cleaning the shelter and wearing protective equipment. Theyve also set aside two rooms to be used for quarantining if needed, though Good said no one in the shelter has experienced symptoms of the virus.

The nonprofit is planning to transition into a larger shelter with nearly double the capacity. Good said Safe Place has raised about 93 percent of the capital needed to break ground on a 112-bed facility.

When emergencies like this come up and with uncertainties in the oil industry, we want to make sure we can serve everybody when they need it, she said.

Even after the coronavirus pandemic passes and sheltering guidelines are lifted, Good expects domestic abuse incidents will continue rising dramatically as the economic repercussions persist. In the 40 years Safe Place has been in operation, she said theyve noticed a pattern of families flocking to the Permian Basin during boom times only to have a relationship turn abusive during downturns.

The families are usually living in small quarters and one partner  often the abuser  is working in the oil field, Good said. The relationship might be stable while the abuser has a job, but that dynamic can quickly change, and victims who moved to the area with their partners and dont have a support system outside of the relationship can end up feeling isolated.

When you get to a position where someone has lost a job, suddenly the person in the abusive situation has nowhere to go, Good said.

She said theyve secured bus tickets and other modes of transportation for victims who want to go back home or stay with family members. Most victims experience domestic violence several times before theyre able to leave the relationship, Good said.

The truth is that on average  around the country, actually  it takes a victim of violence seven times leaving the abuser until theyll actually stay gone, if in fact theyre fortunate enough to live through the situation, she said. Its something that has to take some time sometimes because people have to understand that its not their fault.

Domestic abuse takes on many different forms and can also occur outside of romantic relationships, Good said. She said elderly parents living with a son or daughter may become targets of violence, and the elderly often feel guilty because they believe the abuse stems from being a burden on their children.
Young Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto were considering a design directive far ahead of their time back in 1929: wellness. Alvarwho worked closely with his wifehad won a commission to create a tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio, Finland (a project that would usher their name onto the world stage), and they would craft every detail, from door handles to sinks to seating, to benefit body and mind.

Photo: Matthieu Salvaing

One chair in particularthe bent-plywood Armchair 41, nicknamed the Paimio, which was lined up in long rows in the common roomgained praise outside the sanatorium when it was shown at Milans 1933 Triennale. A collaboration with manufacturer Otto Korhonen, it featured a seat that gently curled at head and foot, positioning patients at an angle to promote easy breathing. (For healthy individuals, it was also just plain comfortable.) Instead of using a tubular steel base, the Aaltos opted for something more organictwo closed-frame, bent-wood armrests supported the seat. Another version, Armchair 42, sported a cantilevered base. Both lacked upholstery, which meant little maintenance was required.

Photo: Courtesy of  Artek

The Paimio encapsulates everything that is Aaltomastery of the curve, says Andrew Duncanson, of Stockholms Modernity gallery. At press time, he had one Paimio-era original as well as a rare version in curly birch. The originals, which were painted black, were first produced in beech and later in birch by Korhonens factory. When Artek was founded in 1935, it took up production; today, new versions cost $4,785.

Photo: Joachim Wichmann + Studio. Donald Judd Art  2020 Judd Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Fans have ranged from artist Donald Judd, who lived with two versions in his New York City home, to the late Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani, who kept one in Paris. The Aaltos version of modernism transcends the International Style, which had much harder edges, says Lee F. Mindel, of AD100 firm SheltonMindel, who has used Armchair 41 in projects and lives with one in Southampton. He speculates: In Finlanda country without a monarchynature really was their king. hivemodern.com

Photo: Pablo Zamora

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
A Dural man is expected to be charged on Wednesday over the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl.

It is alleged Brett Callaghan, 37, was seen leaving the Thornleigh Skate Park with the pre-teen girl on Tuesday afternoon.

Brett Callaghan has been arrested over the alleged incident. Credit:Police Media

The girl left the park with the man willingly "thinking she was in the care and custody of somebody... she felt safe with", child abuse and sex crimes squad boss Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec said on Wednesday.

"We will allege that once they left in the car and went to a home at Dural, she was sexually assaulted."
With 325 new confirmed deaths from coronavirus, Spain on Wednesday witnessed a slight rebound in fatalities for a total of 24,275 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Infections stand over 212,000, although the Health Ministry's figure only includes the cases confirmed by the most reliable laboratory tests that are not being conducted massively.

Authorities want to come out from a near total freeze of social and economic life in stages and at different speeds depending on how its provinces and islands respond to the health crisis.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday announced his plan and called it a road to a new normal, but one without a GPS system.

Individual exercise will be allowed from Saturday, as well as haircuts and other personalized services with an appointment. In most places, some shops will open on May 11, and socializing will be permitted in outdoor cafs, bars, as well as services in churches and mosques at one third of their capacity.

Territories that by that point keep the epidemic at bay will be granted further relaxation of restrictions in restaurants, cinemas, theatres and museums by the end of May. Preschools will reopen then but only for parents who need to work, since in-classroom education won't resume until the new school year in September.

Barring any worsening of the outbreak, capacity in venues will be increased toward mid-June and beaches will open before gradually settling into a new normal that will allow domestic travel. International travel still needs to be sorted out by the European Union, Spain says.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sommelier Sean Beck launched his career at the Backstreet Cafe two decades ago and became the citys original Iron Sommelier in 2007. In fact, he won the Periwinkle Foundation-sponsored wine competition for the first three years before retiring undefeated in order to help coordinate the event.

Iron Sommelier evolved into the perfect showcase for the depth and breadth of wine-service talent in the Houston area and, to be sure, the Periwinkle folks remain hopeful theyll be able to stage the event this fall. But it remains unclear how many sommeliers who have vied for the title in recent years will even have jobs by then with the carnage the novel coronavirus is wreaking on their employers.

Many of our high-end kitchens have stayed in the fray rather than throw in the towel by offering takeout, but the profits are lean at best, and the somms who have continued to work are doing so in unfamiliar roles. For example, Beck points out that Julie Dalton, who, in 2018, became the first woman to earn the Iron Sommelier designation, has pitched in to handle home deliveries for Mastros.

Were built to entertain people, Beck said. When you cant do that, it hurts.

Though his job with the H-Town Restaurant Group (Backstreet, Hugos, Caracol, Xochi) is as secure as anyones in the hospitality industry can be these days, that only makes him more empathetic for the plight of so many of his peers. As a gesture of solidarity, and with funding assistance from several Periwinkle board members, Beck is serving Backstreet meals on Saturdays to recent Iron Sommelier participants who have been furloughed because of COVID-19. Some 25 families, totaling about 60 people, are regular recipients.

Its impossible for a restaurant to continue to pay everyone under these circumstances, he said. Im trying to do my small part to help.

When restaurants were required to close their dining rooms, he was among the first to aggressively push wine out the door with the food, and hes now offering six-bottle Sommelier Starter Kits for $85. At first, the idea was to turn cellar inventory into emergency cash flow  multiple spots are offering discounts of up to half off their wine-list prices  but Becks sales have been brisk enough to afford him the luxury of some surgical reordering.

Also, because many of Becks regular customers have continued to seek his wine counsel, he was further inspired to put together slightly more up-market Explore Your Palate three-packs for $75 to $85. Intended originally as a one-off promotion for Easter weekend, its a concept thats gaining traction, he says, as is the virtual wine dinner, conducted through Zoom. When Beck initially inquired through Facebook about possible interest in same, he was inundated with positive responses.

Hes also regularly making videos with local wine mavens. Master Sommeliers Steven McDonald and Jack Mason, both furloughed by Pappas Bros., and Southern Glazers Guy Stout have made appearances.

I dont know if fun is the right word, Beck said of the nonstop brainstorming required in these strange times, but it is a good distraction for me, a way to continue to engage people. As long as youre going to be stuck at home, you might as well have an adventure in the glass. Were not going to crush the numbers like in normal times, but everything helps.

Other restaurants are being similarly proactive. Bistro Provence hosts its first Zoom wine dinner  four courses with pairings from French Country Wines for $68 plus tax and gratuity  on Thursday night (bistroprovence.us). The Rainbow Lodges Marc Borel has been assembling At Home Wine Tasting Kits for Two, paired with chef Mark Schmidts small bites (order on Friday, pick up the following Wednesday), and he just launched Facebook Live tastings (facebook.com/RainbowLodgeHouston).

Double Decanteds owner, Kelly Prohl, has partnered with Impero Wine Distributors to offer 12 bottles from boutique Italian producers for only $200 plus tax. Email kelly@doubleecanted.com to see what she has on offer. And aBouzys Shawn Virene has found pairing a value-priced wine with his daily dinner feature to be a huge hit. One recent pairing: New York strip Bolognese with capellini pasta for two, including salads and garlic bread, with the Massolino Barbera dAlba for $42 (abouzy.com).

Were selling out the special every day, Virene said.

Anyway, when I asked Beck to dazzle me with an Explore Your Palate three-pack, he succeeded. His selections follow.

2017 Mestizaje Mustiguillo

This Spanish white from El Terrerazo in Spains Valencia region is 60 percent merseguera, a locally indigenous varietal so obscure that it isnt listed in Oz Clarkes reference-standard Encyclopedia of Grapes. The blend also includes viognier (35 percent) and malvasia. The 87-acre vineyard, planted in 1999, is at nearly 3,000 feet. The wine undergoes cold maceration before spending eight months in stainless steel.

My take: This refreshing, floral gem was perfectly paired with an April sunset breeze. Who knew merseguera rocks?

2016 Ca del Baio Vallegrande Barbaresco

A fourth generation of the Grasso family now presides over the Ca del Baio cellar in an underrated corner of the Langhe. The cru is a mix of old and new vineyards blessed with perfect hillside exposure to the southwest at about 1,000 feet of elevation. This classic Barbaresco earned scores of 94 points from James Suckling and 93 from Vinous Antonio Galloni: Easily one of the most polished Barbarescos I have tasted from Ca del Baio, and, frankly, what Barbaresco is all about.)

My take: Im all in with Gallonis assessment. Its a subtle, refined classic expression of nebbiolo from that neighborhood.

Francois Diligent Rose Epiphanie

A 91-point Wine Spectator wine, its representative of a new era for this producer, winegrowers for four centuries in Buxeuil. The brand dates to 1927 and was long considered to be a lower-cost French supermarket wine, but Francois Moutards leadership has lifted the Diligent bubbles into a much higher-quality realm. Six of the seven grapes grown in Champagne found their way into whats said to be a one-of-a-kind rose blend. Only 25 cases wound up in the U.S.

My take: Biscuits, brioche and cooked red fruit dominate. Ill do the next bottle  if theres one to be found  with brunch.

sportywineguy@outlook.com
PHILADELPHIA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrated Ventures Inc. (OTCQB: INTV) ("Company") is pleased to disclose an execution of Non-Disclosure Agreement ("NDA") with AltVenture Capital, Inc, for the purpose of evaluating a Material Business Transaction.

This NDA will allow both parties to obtain certain confidential information, in regards to current financial condition and operations about each other, to exchange business related documents and to facilitate negotiations, in regards to a potential transaction, involving a purchase of assets or business merger.

Steve Rubakh, CEO, comments: "We continue to target and evaluate synergetic and opportunistic business opportunities. Due to the current economic downturn, there are valuable assets available that are priced below its true market value. Company believes that combination of AltVenture Capital's fully build-out 5.7 meg facilities with a low electricity pricing structure, represents a very timely and cost effective acquisition opportunity, designed to supplement current mining operations."

* Integrated Ventures, Inc - Technology Driven, Portfolio Holdings Company with focus on Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency Mining.

For more details, please visit company's web at www.integratedventuresinc.com.

* AltVenture Capital, Inc  Located in Winnipeg, Canada, the Company operates 4 crypto currency mining facilities with combined power capacity of 5.8 meg.

For more details, please visit company's web at www.altventurecapital.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, and various other factors beyond the company's control.

Contact:

Steve Rubakh

+1-(215)-613-1111

[email protected]

SOURCE Integrated Ventures Inc.

Related Links

https://www.integratedventuresinc.com


A public hearing to consider the possible parole of Michael Danforth, #256170

A public hearing to consider the possible parole of Michael Danforth, #256170

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Chris Gautz, Public Information Officer

517-335-2316

The Michigan Parole Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. to consider the possible parole of Michael Danforth, #256170. The hearing will be conducted via video through Microsoft Teams Meeting and can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Those planning to access the hearing must call 517-335-1736 no later than June 2, 2020 to confirm attendance.

Michael Danforth is serving a Life sentence for the crime of Murder 2nd Degree. He was sentenced on May 6, 1997 out of Genesee County.

Jerome L. Warfield, Member of the Michigan Parole Board, will conduct the hearing under the provisions of the Lifer Law, MCLA 791.234.
Underlying conditions that increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 are much more common among Black, Native American, and lower-income people in the United States.

The new coronavirus does not discriminate, but discrimination and inequality have shaped the risk of severe illness and death, according to a new Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, finds that black, Native American, and lower-income people are much more likely to have one or more of the risk factors for severe or deadly COVID-19 illness identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), such as asthma, diabetes, or being pregnant or over 65 years old.

In many respects, COVID-19 is the latest chapter in the book about how structural disparities shape the burden of disease in America." Mr. Matthew Raifman, a doctoral student in environmental health at BUSPH and study's lead author

"Decades of structural inequities in education, employment, housing, stress, and other factors have shaped disparities in the burden of chronic diseases by race, ethnicity, and income," says study co-author Dr. Julia Raifman, assistant professor of health law, policy & management at BUSPH (the two authors are married). "Now, these structural inequities have created a context in which people who are black, American Indian, or lower income face additional risk of death if they contract COVID-19," she says.

The researchers used 2018 data on over 330,000 people from the nationally-representative Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and looked at the prevalence of the COVID-19 risk factors. They estimated that 43 percent of American adults--approximately 97 million people--have at least one risk factor, and 18 percent--approximately 40 million people--have two or more.

Among those under 65 years old, 33 percent of black and 42 percent of Native American adults had at least one risk factor, compared to 27 percent of white adults. And 11 percent of black and 18 percent of Native American respondents had multiple risk factors, compared to 8 percent of white respondents.

For those 65 years old or older, 69 percent of Native American and 61 percent of black respondents had one or more additional risk factors beyond age, compared to 54 percent of white respondents.

The researchers found that at least 25 million people living in low-income households have at least one risk factor. Among those under 65 years old, low-income respondents were almost twice as likely to have one or more risk factors than high-income respondents, and more than twice as likely to have multiple risk factors. Low income respondents over 65 years old were also more likely to have multiple risk factors beyond age.

The authors note that the inequities that contribute to chronic conditions also make these populations more likely to work in jobs that cannot be done remotely, and to live in crowded, multi-generational homes, increasing their risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

"People who are black, American Indian, or lower income are both more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 and more likely to develop severe illness if they contract the virus," Mr. Raifman says.

"As society considers return-to-work policies and recovery efforts, it's important to recognize that risk of exposure and the severity of COVID-19 is not uniform across America," he says. "There's a real risk that the rising tide of recovery will not lift all boats equally--and, worse, that it might further exacerbate disparities in health for minorities and the least affluent among us."

Policies that reduce inequities can also help fight the coronavirus, and vice versa, Dr. Raifman says.

"Policies such as freezing evictions, rent, and mortgage payments for people affected by COVID-19 may help people stay in their homes, and expanding SNAP benefits may help people have enough to eat," she says. "As COVID-19 compounds existing health disparities, it highlights the importance of policies that support more equitable health over the long term."
Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge emerge from Westminster Abbey after the wedding ceremony. (Getty Images)

Its been nine years since Prince William married Kate Middleton.

Their wedding captivated the nation, with 25m people watching in the UK, and 23m in the USA.

Since then, they have welcomed three children - Prince George, now six, Princess Charlotte, now four, and Prince Louis, who turned two a few days before their anniversary.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the couple has had to put aside some of their usual work in order to respond and reflect the health crisis.

With Prince Williams grandmother, the Queen, and father, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, both in the governments age bracket of being high risk, its been a new time for the couple to shine.

While they would usually celebrate their anniversary privately, this year, they have no choice.

They shared a photo from the big day on Instagram and thanked followers and fans for their congratulatory messages.

Read more: Royal fans split over who Prince Louis most looks like - so is it George, Charlotte or someone else?

As they mark their copper anniversary Yahoo UK reflects on the big day and the nine years since.

Claudia Joseph, who has written several books about the duchess, recalled her favourite moments of the day.

She said: I was working for ITN and was in the crowd outside Buckingham Palace when they kissed on the balcony. The atmosphere was electric.

I loved the moment when William drove his new wife up the Mall to Clarence House in his fathers convertible Aston Martin DB6 with the number plate JU5T WED.

As a new royal reporter, Victoria Murphy said it was unbelievable to cover such a huge event.

It was the unexpected moments that stole the show, such as when they came out of Buckingham Palace in that Aston Martin with William driving. The car was decorated with balloons and an L plate and a number plate saying 'Just Wed' and that really set the tone that this is a couple who, yes, are royal and who have just had a hugely lavish wedding but they are also in so many ways also relatable.

Story continues

And I think that's a balance that William and Kate have continued to strike really successfully throughout their marriage, she told Yahoo UK.

Prince William and Kate drive from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House in a vintage Aston Martin. (Getty Images)

Read more: Princess Beatrice speaks about 'challenging time' as her wedding is still in doubt

Long time royal reporter Phil Dampier, whose first royal wedding was Prince Andrew and Sarah Fergusons, said: My abiding memory is that it really increased interest in the royals worldwide.

Before that, they were really in the doldrums. It was nothing compared with the days of Diana.

The interest was down and then the moment that Kate came on the scene, it exploded, and it has been massive ever since.

He also said Kates appearance in the Royal Family led to more media attention from the US, with American news stations appearing at media points alongside British papers.

Much has changed over the last nine years. From newlyweds, the Cambridges have grown to a family of five, and have had to juggle their busy working diaries with their desire to be hands-on parents.

William and Kate with their bridesmaids and page boys. (Reuters)

Read more: Coronavirus: Prince William and Kate launch 'Our Frontline' to support key workers' mental health

Joseph said: I think William and Kate have really grown into their roles in the past decade. They never put a foot wrong and are a great support to the Queen. When they got married, they were living on the island of Anglesey and were not full time Royals. Now they are great ambassadors for Great Britain.

I think they have managed to get a balance between their life in the spotlight and their family life. They have brought up their children out of the public eye as much as possible but have given us a glimpse of them growing up on occasions such as royal tours and the childrens first days at school.

They have been a tower of strength for the monarchy during the current lockdown, clapping each week for the NHS - Williams Blackadder spoof last week was genius.

Murphy added: Over the years they have slowly taken on more patronages, more responsibilities, made more appearances, done more travel, but it has been very gradual.

I think for me a key moment was when they announced that George would go to school in London which very much signalled I think that the had accepted the capital would now be their main base whereas before it had appeared to be Norfolk which was where he went to nursery.

The family has made changes to their working life since coronavirus. (BBC/Getty Images)

Read more: How the Queen became a symbol of stability in the chaos of coronavirus

No shift in their work so far could have been as large as the coronavirus pandemic, as they, like the rest of the nation, have had to work from home and avoid travel.

They went back to Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home where they spent part of the early years of their marriage.

Dampier said: [Their role] has come into sharp contrast in the last three to four months, because of Harry and Meghan, for want of a better word, quitting. As their popularity has gone down, in the UK anyway, William and Kates has gone up.

They have not put a foot wrong since the coronavirus outbreak. I thought he was quite a good actor actually, that will come in handy.

William seems quite natural with people.

He added: They have done things as a family, given access to the kids.

They are happiest when they are living in Norfolk, where they can give the kids a relatively normal upbringing, go to the beach and to the forest.

Prince William and Kate at Westminster Abbey during their wedding service. (Getty Images)

For commoner Kate, her world was turned upside down, but along with William, they have been keen to ensure a level of normal life is maintained at home for their children.

Murphy said: One of the things that I have always been really impressed by with William and Kate is that they genuinely do seem to have managed to create as normal an environment as possible for their children despite their extraordinary circumstances.

Having grown up seeing his mother pursued by photographers William was adamant that he didn't want that for his family and they have largely successfully managed to draw a line between their public and private life. They understand there is interest in their family and will release pictures of their children from time to time, but moments such as their first days at school have been managed differently to previous generations with only a small number of media physically present.

I think Kate's upbringing and influence is a big driving force for how they have shaped their family life - in so many ways she is emulating her own childhood with hands-on parenting and lots of time outdoors. She married into this life in a goldfish bowl that is absolutely not normal, but she has somehow managed to stay incredibly grounded and bring very strong influences from her own upbringing into royal life.

More than 2,000 guests attended William and Kates wedding at Westminster Abbey, and the Queen gave them the duchy of Cambridge as their wedding gift.

The day featured two dresses, two receptions, a carriage procession through central London, flypasts and two kisses on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Despite two mine closures Alamos Gold (TSE:AGI) produced 110,800 ounces of gold, down just 12% from the same period a year prior.

Alamos faced mine suspensions when COVID-19 restrictions were implemented. Two of its mines were placed on care and maintenance.

"At Island Gold, operations were suspended on March 25, 2020 given the unique set up of the operation with a large portion of the workforce operating on a fly-in, fly-out basis and being housed within a camp located directly within the local community," wrote the company.

"Operations at Mulatos were suspended in early April following a mandate by the Mexican government to suspend all non-essential businesses in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The original suspension period has been extended to May 31, 2020; however, the government is reviewing the possibility of lifting restrictions in certain regions on May 18, 2020, provided those regions remain without positive cases."

The company said it expects Island Gold to be up and running in early May.

The company reported a net loss of $12.3 million or 3 cents a share. Adjusted net earnings were $29.4 million, or 8 cents a share, which includes adjustments for unrealized foreign exchange losses of $41.9 million, of which $36.8 million is recorded within deferred taxes, partially offset by other one-time gains of $0.2 million.

The company drew down $100 million from its credit facility, leaving it with $400 million undrawn as of March 31, 2020.

Early this month the company withdrew guidance.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:26:01|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) voiced on Wednesday worries and concerns over the rapid escalation of tensions between the protesters and the army in Lebanon.

"These escalations raise extreme worries and concerns," Assistant Secretary General of the AL Hossam Zaki said.

Zaki, who has been delegated to Lebanon on November 28, 2019, to follow the conditions, warned against "the critical conditions in Lebanon in general and in the streets in particular," urging the army and the security bodies to act wisely to prevent the whole country slipping into unknow destiny.

He added that the financial, economic and banking crisis in Lebanon require decisive and immediate treatment, calling on all parties to adopt a spirit of national responsibility.

The Lebanese government should swiftly take practical steps for achieving economic reform and meeting the legitimate demands of the Lebanese people, added Zaki.

The Lebanese army announced that 54 soldiers were injured during clashes with protesters in different areas of the country late on Monday night.

Nationwide protests have resumed in Lebanon given the dire living conditions of citizens who cannot afford enough food to feed their families. Enditem
Donald Trump made fun of Justin Amash's candidacy for president on Twitter Wednesday, claiming he would make a 'wonderful candidate' after the independent congressman left the Republican Party last year.

'No, I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat,' Trump said of the lawmakers who represents Michigan's 3rd congressional district.

'He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway,' the president tweeted Wednesday morning. 'I like him even more than Jill Stein!'

Trump made the post in response to a tweet from conservative political strategist Rick Wilson who posted a Washington Post op/ed claiming Amash's candidacy would help Trump's chances at winning reelection.

Former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh's Post article is titled: 'You can't win, Justin Amash. You can only help Trump get reelected'.

Amash, 40, announced Tuesday night that he is launching an exploratory committee in preparing a run for president in 2020 as a third-party candidate.

If he decides to run for the presidency in November, Amash would be seeking the Libertarian Party nomination.

Both parties did not receive Amash's announcement well, a reaction he responded to on MSNBC Wednesday morning.

'We really need to be honest about this. If people want to vote for someone, they should vote for that person. And if they don't want to vote for that person, don't vote for that person,' Amash said.

'But don't attempt voter suppression essentially by denying people more candidates on the ballot. That seems really ridiculous and, frankly, anti-American,' he continued in validating his decision to launch a campaign.

Donald Trump sarcastically quipped that Justin Amash 'would make a wonderful candidate' for president, as he slammed the independent congressman for 'always' siding with Democrats

Justin Amash announced that he launched an exploratory committee to run for president as a third-party candidate. He left the GOP last year after claiming he was felt isolated within his party by Trump's presidency

Amid backlash that he could take votes from Trump or Biden, Amash said 'If people want to vote for someone, they should vote for that person. And if they don't want to vote for that person, don't vote for that person'

Trump mocked that Amash would be a better candidate than 2016 Green Party nominee Jill Stein, who prevented Hillary Clinton from winning Amash's home state of Michigan by earning 1.1 per cent of the vote there as Trump only beat Clinton by .3 per cent in the swing state

Trump won Amash's state of Michigan in 2016 by only .3 per cent, leading many to blame Green Party candidate Jill Stein for taking votes away from Hillary Clinton.

In 2016, Trump earned 47.3 per cent of the vote in Michigan, while Clinton earned 40 per cent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson earned 3.6 per cent and Stein only amassed 1.1 per cent.

But if that 1 per cent went to Clinton instead of Trump, she would have won the 16 Electoral College votes from the swing state.

Amash, 40, left the Republican party last year amid frustrations with Donald Trump's presidency and then voted for his impeachment earlier this year.

'Let's do this,' the independent lawmaker from Michigan said in announcing he had launched an exploratory committee, a strong sign he will make a long shot bid for the White House.

Amash, an independent since quitting the GOP last July, seeks the nomination of the Libertarian Party, which promotes civil liberties and limited government.

'Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people,' he said on Twitter.

'We're ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together.

'I'm excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.'

Amash would jump into a race that already features its main protagonists with incumbent Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Amash announced on Twitter Tuesday that he had launched an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for the presidency in 2020

Amash has been a vocal critic of Trump and quit the Republican Party in July 2019

Amash, an independent and former member of the GOP, has the potential to pull votes from both Republicans who do not support President Donald Trump and Democrats unhappy former Vice President Joe Biden presumed candidacy

A third-party victory would be highly unlikely, but Amash has the potential for reshaping the race should he be on the ballot in November, but it remains unclear whether he would have a greater impact on Trump or Biden.

He could draw support from Republicans or independents frustrated with Trump, but could also earn votes from Democrats who are unhappy about Biden's candidacy.

In 2016, Stein drew thousands of votes from Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson earned about three percent of the national vote.

'There are millions of Americans who aren't represented by either Donald Trump or Joe Biden, who aren't represented by the Republicans or the Democrats,' Amash told MSNBC in describing why he would be a good addition to the race.

'And those millions of Americans deserve a choice on the ballot. And it's pretty silly to say, well, we shouldn't allow another candidate to be on the ballot,' he continued. 'We can always say the next election is the time or the one after that. But the truth is, the system will never change unless people step up.'

Amash has long been a vocal Trump critic.

Elected to Congress in 2010, he often pushes for a more open legislative process, including input from rank-and-file members, greater government accountability and reduced federal spending.

Amash has served as a representative for Michigan's 3rd district since 2011 and an aide indicated he is running for reelection for his seat in 2020  that is if he isn't on the ballot for president.

The representative became a middle-of-the-line voice last year, and could potentially appeal to many Democrats and Republicans in a national election.

Amash officially left the party via a Washington Post opinion piece, which was published on July 4, 2019.

Amash announced Tuesday night he was launchign the exploratory committee, and would run as a Libertarian

He said he was becoming an independent because he was 'frightened' by what he was seeing in the GOP, and indicated he was 'declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party' on the day the U.S. celebrates its independence from Britain.

'I'm asking you to join me in rejecting the partisan loyalties and rhetoric that divide and dehumanize us,' he plead at the time for others to join him in ending partisan politics.

Although Amash has been highly critical of Trump, he said last summer that the president wasn't the only reason he was becoming an independent.

'I've had concerns with the Republican Party for several years.' the Michigan congressman said in July.

'I don't think there is anyone in there who could change the system. It's pretty rigid,' he continued.

The 2020 presidential race has been flooded with big-name candidates from the start  with a total of 28 Democrats running at one point or another.

Trump also faced some long-shot challenges from three different candidates, but none even came close to posing a real threat to Trump's renomination chances.

The reemergence of Amash considering a run for the White House could also harm the campaign of presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who is facing heat for sexual assault claims made by a former aide.

Tara Reade filed an official criminal complaint against the now presumptive Democratic presidential frontrunner on April 9, accusing Biden of shoving his hand under her skirt and penetrating her with his fingers while they stood in a senate corridor.

Biden's campaign has explicitly denied Reade's accusation - but there are fresh calls for him to address it personally, with several new sources corroborating the ex-staffer's account in media reports this week.
Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront to watch the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over Camden City and Philadelphia to honor coronavirus responders Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

People gathered together and looked to the sky.

They tried to stay a social distance apart but all wanted to see the show.

From the George Washington Bridge, Newark, Trenton, Camden, and places in between, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels delivered a show of support and a roar of appreciation.

Twelve military aircraft crossed the state in a salute to health care workers fighting the coronavirus.

Scroll below to see some of the photos of the flyover across New Jersey and past well-known landmarks.

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People watch as the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over the Ben Franklin Bridge, as seen from Camden City. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Thunderbirds and Blue Angels over Newark. Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over Camden City to honor coronavirus responders. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - Medical personnel from the Henry J. Austin Health Center in Trenton step outside to watch a flyover by the U.S Navy Blue Angels. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force's Thunderbirds fly over Bayonne and Newark. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Thunderbirds and Blue Angels over Newark. Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force's Thunderbirds fly over Port Newark. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

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Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront to watch. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Med

The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over Camden City to honor coronavirus responders, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force's Thunderbirds fly over Bayonne and Newark. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly beyond the Trenton Makes Bridge. The Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge, commonly called the Trenton Makes Bridge, is a two-lane Pennsylvania (Petit) through truss bridge over the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania,Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Thunderbirds in formation. Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over the Ben Franklin Bridge, as seen from Camden City. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Medical personnel from the Henry J. Austin Health Center in Trenton step outside to watch a flyover Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over the Ben Franklin Bridge to honor coronavirus responders. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Crowds gather along the Camden waterfront. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Pham Khanh Linh, 27, the founder of Logivan, has been named on Forbes Vietnam's list of 30 Under 30.

Pham Khanh Linh (standing) presents at a forum.  Photo courtesy of Khanh Linh

The list features the 30 most prominent faces under 30 years old in Vietnam.

Linh said her journey into the field of logistics was accidental because she studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University.

Returning to Vietnam in 2017 after seven years of studying and working in England, Linh joined the family business. She studied information technology but her family's company worked on plant protection drugs, not related to her expertise. But she still wanted to have the opportunity to gain experience to understand the traditional industries in Vietnam, from which to observe and find shortcomings to put technology into practice and slowly change.

That year I was hatching a new venture after a previous failed project. The idea came from witnessing the huge inefficiency of 10 trucks in the Long An factory where I worked for a year. And thats only 10 trucks! What about the hundreds of thousands, nearly a million trucks in Vietnam? Linh said.

Then she decided on the name Logivan for her company.

It was the only name that made people on the street think of logistics  and it even sounds like a Logitem copycat, said Linh.

A month later we were frantically talking to as many shippers and truckers as possible. We set out to understand the market thoroughly, knowing the number one reason a start-up fails is a lack of a genuine problem in the first place. And we noticed the fragmentation facet that dominates the trucking industry in many single landmass countries, with Vietnam included, she said.

Linh found that 90 per cent of trucking companies had fewer than five trucks, and their capacity was extremely underutilised.

No co-ordination. No optimisation. Nothing. Just pure inefficiency. Pure waste, she said.

So she thought about creating an Uber platform for trucks. It made complete sense.

The market was rife with small players, and arbitrage had become rampant. The truck owners had lost all their independence and bargaining power to the agents. But technology could solve this information asymmetry. A technology solution could unify the ecosystem of small independent truckers, giving them the power to control their businesses and eliminate the cutthroat brokerage layers, said Linh.

Over the past two years, the biggest difficulty that Logivan has encountered is the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.

The company, as well as the domestic road transport industry, has suffered severe impacts with the transport and circulation of goods restricted, and clients reducing their production scale.

In order to cope with this difficult time, Logivan was trying to focus its resources and solutions on the most core issues while ensuring the customers' transport cycle was not interrupted, said Linh.

With the advantage of 50,000 trucks - 300 times larger than the largest transport firms, Logivan is still able to provide smooth services in all 64 provinces and cities during the pandemic. In provinces where there are restrictions on transportation, the company transports from truck to transshipment area, and then uses trucks in restricted areas to load and continue the journey.

Pham Khanh Linh (centre) cuts the ribbon to launch an enterprise connecting programme.  Photo courtesy of Khanh Linh

In March 2018, Logivan won the Uber Exchange startup contest and a ticket to Silicon Valley. It also overcame more than 800 teams from around the world at the Asia Technology Summit. A month later it received an additional US$1.75 million Series A round investment led by Ethos Partners, Insignia Venture Partners and VinaCapital Ventures.

Its achievements also include Pitch @ Palace Global 2018 first prize organised by Prince Andrew - Duke of York in December the same year.

Linh said that the Forbes' 30 under 30 award was recognition and great encouragement to her and Logivan.

"If I waited until everything was perfect, Logivan would still be at zero today. So just do it," she said.

Logistics is a very complex industry and requires in-depth operational knowledge. So far, the human element has played a leading role in all activities of this process.

Logivan will continue to devote time and resources to continue developing technological solutions to maintain its current pioneering position.

Young people, especially women, should be confident when they have an idea for a startup. Confidence is an important factor leading to success. Besides, always try your best to study and use your skills, said Linh. VNS

Thu Trang

Startups benefit from enabling environment The digital economy has been key to the development of Vietnam's startup community.
Parking enforcement is coming back to Bethlehem, so get your car out of the North and New street garages on May 4 or risk a hefty parking bill.

The Bethlehem Parking Authority began a free parking program in the two garages on March 20 amid the COVID-19 outbreak and stopped the majority of its parking enforcement.

The authority hoped to ease parking woes in the surrounding neighborhoods as residents heeded Gov. Tom Wolfs stay-at-home order and not to add to anyones financial burden.

With areas of the state starting to reopen on May 8, the parking authority plans to start a phased roll-out of parking enforcement starting on May 4 with parking meter, residential parking permit and street sweeping violations returning.

Wed prefer a phased roll out of the enforcement of city parking ordinances early so we can reeducate the public," authority interim Executive Director Steven Fernstrom said. Well begin with courtesy warnings before we start ticketing, we feel this is a fairer approach.

Since the garages were not used much, the authority is also ending the free garage parking program. Vehicles will have 24 hours from 8 a.m. on May 4 to exit or theyll be charged for their full stay.

It showed us that our residential parking permit system works," Fernstrom said. We saw very limited pressures to the system where residents needed to use the North and New street garages as overflow parking during this time of stay at home orders.

The authority also plans to expand its free 15-minute parking space pick-up program, which it enacted as Bethlehem businesses shifted to a takeout and pick-up model.

Weve received a lot of great feedback from this program, as we begin to enforce the metered spaces, we feel its important to not only keep this program running, but to increase the number of bagged meters for businesses, said Fernstrom.

Any business that wants to learn more about the program is encouraged to contact the Bethlehem Parking Authority at 610-865-7123 or email, info@bethpark.org, for more information.

The authority also announced a promotion for new monthly account pass holders starting June 1, offering three months of discounted parking rates June-August for city garages and lot monthly passes. Certain restrictions will apply, see the authority website for additional information.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.
A man has been arrested for allegedly taking a 12-year-old girl to a property and sexually abusing her while her frantic loved ones searched for her for 11 hours.

Police allege the 37-year-old left the Thornleigh Skate Park in north-west Sydney with the girl on Tuesday afternoon.

She was reported missing at 5.30pm after she failed to meet her parents at Hornsby Westfield.

Detectives eventually arrested a 37-year-old man at a house in Dural just after 1.15am on Wednesday morning.

Police allege she left friends at the Westfield earlier in the afternoon to meet the man and a young child at the park, meaning she was missing for around 11 hours.

The 12-year-old girl had been at Thornleigh's skate park (pictured) when she went missing on Tuesday afternoon

'We will allege that once they left in the car and went to a home at Dural, she was sexually assaulted,' child abuse and sex crimes squad detective superintendent John Kerlatec said on Wednesday.

He said police believed the 12-year-old left with the man 'thinking she was in the care and custody of somebody she felt safe with'.

Det sup Kerlatec said the family of the pre-teen girl were 'distraught'.

Police allege the young girl was found in the home and was taken to hospital for assessment.

Child abuse and sex crimes squad detective superintendent John Kerlatec said on Wednesday the family of the young girl were 'distraught'

A crime scene was established at the home and a vehicle was seized a short distance away, which will be forensically examined.

The man was taken to Hornsby Police Station, where charges are expected to be laid.

The other child remains in the care of family.

The search was conducted by detectives from the State Crime Commands Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, with assistance from Kuring-Gai Police Area Command.
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FILE photo - Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesBy ELLA TORRES, ABC News



(NEW YORK) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio vehemently condemned a large funeral for a Orthodox rabbi Tuesday night amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and received staunch criticism in return for his comments.



In a series of tweets, de Blasio wrote that his "message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed."



The mayor said he instructed the New York City Police Department to immediately summon or "even arrest" those who gather in large groups. New Yorkers have been told to maintain social distancing, or keeping 6 feet away from others, to stop the virus's spread.



"This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period," de Blasio wrote.

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.  Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020

The funeral on Tuesday night was for Rabbi Chaim Mertz, who died from COVID-19 , according to The Yeshiva World. More than 2,500 people in the Hasidic Jewish community were in attendance, police said.



The mayor's comments drew ire from some, who criticized him for singling out the entire Jewish community and invoking arrests.



No arrests were made at the funeral, according to police, but 12 summons were issued.



Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, a nonprofit, called his comment "bad judgment."



"You're inviting the antisemitic targeting of Jews & ordering a dangerous escalation of policing, all at once," according to a tweet written by the organization.



Brad Lander, a New York City Council member who represents the 39th District in Brooklyn, responded to the mayor on Twitter, writing it was a "really bad response."



"Both for stereotypically lumping together & singling our the Jewish community for criticism AND for threatening arrests, as though over-policing is the solution," he wrote.

The funeral in Williamsburg last night was totally unacceptable, but this is really a bad response from @NYCMayor  both for stereotypically lumping together & singling our the Jewish community for criticism AND for threatening arrests, as though over-policing is the solution. https://t.co/3qhUnh0kwO  Brad Lander (@bradlander) April 29, 2020

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said there are more than 1 million Jewish people living in New York City.



"The few who dont social distance should be called out  but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews," Greenblatt wrote on Twitter.

Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC. The few who dont social distance should be called out  but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever. https://t.co/jcYO9QQred  Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 29, 2020

De Blasio responded to the criticism at his daily briefing on Wednesday. While he apologized for offending anyone, he said he did not regret calling out the funeral.



"I spoke last night out of passion. I could not believe my eyes," the mayor said. "It was deeply, deeply distressing."



He also refuted the notion that the funeral was similar to the New Yorkers who have been gathering in parks.



"It's not like people gathering in the park. ... It was thousands of people. Can we just have an honest conversation?" the mayor said, adding that he would not tolerate any anti-semitism.



Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said members of the Jewish community in Williamsburg contacted police Tuesday afternoon about Mertz's death and what to expect for a memorial. Shea said that officers were at the scene "in the unlikely event that large numbers came."



When large crowds did surface, the commissioner said they were dispersed in a short time.



"What happened last night simply cannot happen," Shea said at the briefing.



Calls to the synagogue that Mertz led were not answered. The secretary for the synagogue, however, said in a statement to The Yeshiva World that the synagogue regrets that the funeral "ended in chaos and in controversy."



The secretary, Jacob Mertz, noted while the synagogue came up with a plan to have streets closed and encourage social distancing, it "didn't pan out."



"As said, we thought that the procession will be in accordance with the rules, and we apologize that it turned out otherwise," he said in the statement. "It also hurts that this led to singling out the Jewish community, and for that we apologize to all Jewish people. Health and live takes precedence to anything else, and we shall all follow those rules."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Clarence Walker, 25, was fired last fall by District 116 as soon as allegations of inappropriate touching of fifth-graders at Leal Elementary School came to their attention.
W&M students stay to help fight pandemic in Williamsburg hospitals

Called to serve: Ali Crawford 20 started out as a volunteer firefighter at 16 before being certified as an EMT. She currently serves as an EMT at Riverside Doctors' Hospital in Williamsburg. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption

The easy choice would have been to stay home in Richmond after spring break while the world battled a growing COVID-19 pandemic, but Gillian Gaunt 21 had an important job waiting for her back in Williamsburg.

She was called back to serve on the front lines of the medical community during this trying time.

As a scribe at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Gaunt provides valuable assistance to emergency room physicians by tracking the providers interactions with patients and other medical staff and keeping copious records of those exchanges.

My first shift going back into the hospital after everything happened, I said to myself, OK, this is the choice that Ive made. I am not going home for the foreseeable future. Im going to stay here and help in the smallest way possible, Gaunt said.

Theres no overstating the significance of Gaunts work and the work of several other William & Mary students who elected to return to Williamsburg to serve at area hospitals.

These are some of our best people, said Beverly Sher, a senior lecturer in chemistry who serves as W&Ms chief health professions advisor.

I know Ive had to delay assignments for some folks because what theyre doing is more important than class, Sher continued. Theyre going to get the work in, but I think its important that they have the energy that they need to put that extra scribe shift in or do that extra EMT run or whatever it is. This is real life. It matters.

For all of the students currently working in the medical profession, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging yet valuable experience that could help them as they continue on tracks they hope will lead to full-time careers in the medical field.

Im seeing the sacrifices the physicians, nurses and the scribes are having to make, and I think choosing to continue with it sets the tone for my career in medicine, Gaunt said. I am willing to do this now when I dont really have any stake in it, but this is important to me.

OK, its here. This is really happening.

When patients come into the emergency room at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, their names and medical status go up on a tracking board.

Jonah Finkel 20, a scribe at Sentara, did a double take when he saw the words Suspect COVID on the board for the first time.

It was sobering and definitely scary, like, OK, its here. This is really happening. Its right here where Im living.

Finkels job used to require working alongside medical providers in examination rooms, but that changed soon after the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the area.

Sentara went to a tele-scribing method in which scribes keep notes from separate rooms as providers tend to patients. The information is documented by listening to the doctor-patient interactions via iPad tablets.

Recently, Sentara has allowed Finkel and other scribes to work from home. The tele-scribing process might be effective, but Finkel says it is no substitute for doing the work in person.

This all has shown me the unspoken power of human connection, Finkel said.

Area emergency rooms understandably saw a spike in patients during the first days of COVID-19 in the area. Any of the symptoms associated with the virus  fever, cough, shortness of breath  often led worried persons to the ER to get checked out.

But those with mild symptoms were sent home because of a shortage of tests.

Ali Crawford 20, who works as an EMT at Riverside Doctors Hospital in Williamsburg, said in those first days patients were only admitted if they had breathing problems, were older or met other criteria that put them at risk.

Others were sent home and told to come back if any serious complications arose.

That didnt stop some from calling in a panic thinking they contracted COVID-19. Crawford said one patient checked his temperature every 10 minutes and called when it deviated by a fraction of a degree.

It was a lot to deal with because we were so busy with all the patients coming in, and then we had to deal with people calling us for things like that, Crawford said.

Definitely a sense of panic and scare

Rachel Akers 21, a scribe at both Riverside hospitals in Williamsburg and Newport News, knows a physician in Newport News who was exposed to COVID-19 in March and was quarantined away from her husband and children for 14 days.

That was such a struggle for her, coming home and not being able to hug her kids or having to keep them away from her, and theyre young and dont really understand what the virus is and why its such a danger, Akers said.

I think that really made me realize how serious of an issue this was and how my work helps with physician burnout so that they can go home and decompress and they dont have to worry about charting as much, Akers continued. Thats when I really thought that I should keep doing what Im doing, and quitting wasnt an option for me monetarily.

The early cases of COVID-19 made for some tense environments in area hospitals.

There was definitely a sense of panic and scare, Akers said.

Akers still accompanies doctors for some exams while wearing a surgical mask. At other times, she scribes from a separate room.

Before COVID-19, Akers worked three to four shifts a week scribing at Riverside Doctors Hospital in Williamsburg. During the pandemic, she added shifts at Riversides facility in Newport News and now works five days a week.

Her workload comes with some big sacrifices, not the least of which is being away from her parents in northern Virginia. Sometimes FaceTime calls arent enough to cure her homesickness, but her job is important to her and she finds a way to make it work.

My dads 60th birthday was April 21st, but I wasnt able to be around because I didnt want him to get sick, Akers said.

Being away from home is hard for Crawford, too. Easter is a big time for her family back home in the Roanoke area. It was tough for her to miss that time with her loved ones.

Crawford is compelled to serve, particularly in areas where medical attention is scarce. She started out as a volunteer firefighter at 16 before being certified as an EMT, and she went on a medical mission trip to El Salvador.

Crawford works the night shift four days a week. Recently, she worked consecutive 60-hour weeks, splitting time between working in an area cordoned off for COVID-19 patients while also assisting with other emergency situations.

Its all I know, she said. Its something thats always been a calling.

A better grip on it now

Its much quieter in area emergency rooms these days. COVID-19 is still a major threat, but social distancing measures combined with a better understanding of testing and treatment methods have lowered the number of panicked patients pouring into hospitals.

We still have a lot going on, but I think theres a better grip on it now, Gaunt said.

The prospect of contracting the virus has kept patients with non-life threatening ailments out of the emergency room as well.

I think people are starting to realize if they dont have it and freak out and go to the hospital, the likelihood of them getting it is so much higher, Crawford said. People are finally starting to put it together.

The medical staffs at area hospitals have rallied around each other to provide support while they do this difficult work.

Crawford said workers at Riverside Doctors Hospital periodically write inspirational messages on the hospitals exterior brick walls, and the community has donated food and masks as a show of support.

Akers said a GoFundMe page was set up by one of the volunteer coordinators at Riverside to help pay local restaurants to deliver food to the emergency department.

Many people, including W&M students, are sacrificing time and resources to help during this difficult time.

I think William & Mary has always been a school known for work ethic and community trust, and thats really coming out more in this pandemic, Akers said.
29.04.2020 LISTEN

The world as we know it is reeling under the effects of the global pandemic that is COVID 19. The highly contagious, still mysterious disease, has found its way into almost every single corner of the world and though it seemed to take its time, in the beginning, it has now brought its brand of havoc to African shores and to Ghana. The scariest thing about COVID 19 is how fast it spreads and how quickly it can move among a population, this is why in most countries measures being taken to manage the virus have included movement restrictions of varying degrees in an attempt to minimise the populations risk of exposure and keep public health systems from being overwhelmed.

Some of these restrictions have included bans on social gatherings including religious meetings, closure of all educational facilities, and in some extreme cases closure of businesses and all movements deemed as non-essential in a total lockdown scenario. These measures have achieved some level of success in slowing down the spread of the virus in individual countries but the need to keep them in place for a prolonged period of time has led to the search for alternative ways of doing things so time isnt wasted completely, businesses are experimenting with work from home models and schools are trying to complete academic cycles using online tuition.

While it is a great way to work around the restrictions imposed by COVID 19 while we wait for things to clear up, online classes, especially in these parts of the world, are definitely not ideal. Online tuition requires students to first, have access to electronic devices that will allow for smooth participation.

Students also need reliable internet access which especially is neither readily available nor easily affordable in these parts of the world. 100MB of data costs on average Ghc 1.50 while the typical online class will require anywhere between 100 and 500MB of data depending on the medium. This is a huge challenge to students and creates additional obstacles in an already tough learning process, the situation is even worse for foreign students.

Foreign students who have been unable to return to their home countries during this crisis face an extremely tough reality in these times. All the issues posed by online classes, mentioned above, are felt even more acutely by foreign students as they dont often have the buffer of family to help out here. In addition, they are more likely to be psychologically affected by the pandemic given how far away they are from home. Some of them whose parents and guardians are under strict lockdown conditions are also hampered by a cut in the flow of funds either due to a shortage of funds due to restrictions on business, or an inability to transfer funds due to restrictions on movement.

Either way, these students are having to constantly decide between other basic necessities like food, water, etc. and acquiring the needed tools to partake in online classes, which are mostly compulsory. Reports received by Stephen Krah-Mensah Junior , the SRC president of Jayee University College, from some foreign students in the school indicate that the situation really is taking a huge toll on these students.

In light of this, we entreat embassies to take special notice of their citizens who might fall into this category and provide help where possible. Help could come in the form of financial assistance of some sort of help with some basic needs like food. For some embassies who have a large number of student citizens in the country, which makes it difficult to single out students for help, the best way to ensure that no one is left out is for students of a common nationality to come together and form unions or groups which can represent them in interactions with their respective countries embassies. This would aid in a fair distribution of resources the embassies can spare to alleviate the plight of foreign students which will assuredly be received with enormous gratitude.

BY Nadia Agyeiwaa Atiemo ( Deputy Speaker Of Parliament, Jayee University College SRC)
HONG KONG, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- China Mobile Limited (the "Company") (HKEx: 941) (NYSE: CHL) announced today that it has filed its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the "2019 Form 20-F") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The 2019 Form 20-F is available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.chinamobileltd.com and on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Shareholders may also request a hard copy of the Company's complete audited financial statements, free of charge, by contacting the Company at Investor Relations Department, China Mobile Limited, 60/F, The Center, 99 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong (Email: [email protected]; Telephone: 852-3121-8888; Fax: 852-2511-9092).

SOURCE China Mobile Limited

Related Links

http://www.chinamobileltd.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.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus cases among Department of Veterans Affairs employees rose to 2,153 as of Tuesday, an 11% increase in less than a week. But the number of deaths remains unchanged, at 20, a bit of good news for employees at the nation's largest health care system.

According to figures released by the department, the cases span 114 VA facilities, but with infections affecting less than 1% of the VA's total workforce, the rate is lower at VA than at several large health care systems, including a 4.4 percent infection rate at University of Washington Medicine and 2.1 percent of the Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, said VA spokeswoman Christina Noel Tuesday.

"VA's personal protective equipment practices have helped limit Veterans Health Administration COVID-19 employee infection rates," Noel said in a release.

VA locations with 100 or more staff members diagnosed with the coronavirus include Jamaica Plain, Mass., the Bronx and Manhattan, New York, VA medical centers, East Orange, N.J., and New Orleans.

Those locations are among the highest treating veterans with COVID-19. On Tuesday, 7,481 VA patients had been diagnosed since the start of the epidemic and 461 had died. As of Wednesday, 7,925 VA patients had been diagnosed since the cases and 482 deaths had been reported, an increase of more than 400 new cases in a single day. Locations with the most cases include the Bronx, with 471 cases, New Orleans, with 466 cases and New York Harbor Health System, with 560 cases. Locations surpassing more than 200 cases include Washington, D.C., Chicago and Boston.

Related: VA's $16 Billion Electronic Health Records Modernization Plan Is Failing, IG Says

Last month, the American Federation of Government Employees sued the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the Bureau of Prisons seeking hazardous duty pay for the agencies' federal workers. They are seeking a hazard pay 25% differential.

AFGE members last week took to the streets at VA locations around the country, including Baltimore, Maryland; Salem, Virginia; and Carrollton, Georgia, to protest working conditions and demand broader testing for COVID-19 and additional personal protective equipment.

Union members also are planning a virtual town hall Wednesday with several Democratic members of Congress, including House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., on the AFGE Facebook page.

Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Read More: Navy Expands Sea Duty Pay As Deployed Ships Battle Virus Outbreaks
In 2018, Spencer joined PCA as chief operating officer, leading key transformation projects across the region. He has over 25 years of senior management experience across life and non-life insurance and asset management in Asia, Europe, North America, and the UK. He had previously served as CEO for international at NN Group and CEO for UK & Ireland at Aviva General Insurance.

The appointment, which is subject to regulatory approval, follows Prudentials signing in March of a strategic, long-term bancassurance partnership with TMB Bank in Thailand, offering life, health, and savings products to the banks nine million customers. The partnership complements TMBs established relationships with Prudentials asset management joint ventures in Thailand  TMBAM Eastspring and Thanachart Fund Eastspring. According to Prudential it has a 12% share of the countrys mutual fund market.

I am delighted to announce that Robin will take on the important role of CEO of Prudential Life Assurance (Thailand), Nicandrou said. Our partnership with TMB is strategically important to our business. It is part of our significant investments to broaden further our footprint and presence in Thailand, the second-largest life insurance market and the largest mutual fund market in ASEAN. With his extensive skill set and track record, Robin is exceptionally well-placed to lead Prudential Thailand to even greater success."
Netflix and other streaming companies have found themselves in a position to sweep the next Oscars due to newly implemented rule changes.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which governs the awards ceremony, announced on Tuesday that it had changed its rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cinemas have shut down due to the crisis, which has also put many of the biggest upcoming releases on ice.

As a result, films released on a streaming service without a theatrical run will be eligible for this years Oscars, the Academy announced on Tuesday.

The organisation also said it will condense the two sound categories, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, into one.

DVD screeners for the 2022 Oscars will be forbidden, in an effort to limit the ceremonys carbon footprint.

Oscars eligibility has been a major question since stay-at-home and social distancing orders led to both the cancellation of major film festivals and the closure of cinemas.

Previously, a film needed to have a minimum seven-day theatrical run in a Los Angeles County commercial theatre in order to be considered. Now, films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are made available on an on-demand service may qualify for Best Picture and other categories.

Were dealing with the unfolding reality of an unanticipated, unprecedented global health crisis and trying to be responsive to whats going on in the world and at the same time support our filmmakers who are in a circumstance beyond their control, Film Academy president David Rubin told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

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Dawn Hudson, the CEO of the Academy, said that they have been in constant conversation with all parts of our community from studios to filmmakers to theatre owners to make decisions that support all.

Earlier this month, the Film Academy donated $6m to help motion picture employees and their families during this crisis.

Our primary message is take care of yourselves, Hudson added. Well be flexible on our rules this year because we understand how unprecedented and devastating this is.

The Academys board noted, however, that when theatres reopen, the rules exemption will no longer apply.

It remains unclear when cinemas can hope to reopen across the US, with each state relaxing its lockdown measures on a different timeline.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that the states cinemas would reopen in a matter of months, not weeks.

In the event that cinemas reopen nationwide, the Academy will expand the qualifying theatres beyond Los Angeles County to include venues in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta.

The theatrical experience is the DNA of the Academy and that communal experience of the movie theatre is something we feel is intrinsic to movies, said Hudson.

Other changes included combining the Sound Mixing and Sound Editing categories into Best Achievement in Sound.

This is something long in the making and generated by the experts in the sound field. They wanted to propose this change after reviewing a long history of overlap, Rubin said. They wanted it to be reflective of how the sound industry works together today.

Additionally, all Film Academy members are now able to vote in the first round for International Feature Film, the category formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film.

The board also said for a film score to be eligible in the Original Score Category, it must have 60% original music. For sequels and franchise films, there must be a minimum of 80% new music.

Rubin and Hudson said that the Film Academys response to Covid-19 will continue to be fluid. The 93rd Academy Awards are still a go, scheduled to be held in Los Angeles on 28 February 2021.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 06:48:53|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that China is actively cooperating with Syria to combat COVID-19, calling on other countries to do the same.

"China is actively cooperating with Syria to combat the virus. The first batch of medical supplies and assistance have arrived in Syria two weeks ago in Damascus," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria via video-teleconference.

The ambassador said that China pays close attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria, in particular the impact of COVID-19 on the economic and social development in Syria.

"We take note that the Syrian government takes a series of active measures in healthcare, education, transportation, food production, and many other aspects to prevent and contain the spread of the virus," said Zhang, adding that China appreciates these efforts.

Noting that conflicts for years have undermined Syria's capacity to cope with the pandemic, the envoy said that the international community must not stand by.

Talking about bilateral cooperation in the fight against the virus, Zhang said that last week, one renowned Chinese hospital held a video meeting with the Syrian Ministry of Health. Chinese medical experts shared their views with their Syrian colleagues on combatting the pandemic.

"We are willing to continue providing assistance within our capacities to Syria and call on other countries to do the same," said the ambassador.

"We encourage the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other international humanitarian agencies to make more efforts in supporting Syria to respond to the pandemic in various forms," said Zhang.

"The humanitarian issue in Syria is interlinked with political, economic and the security issues and must be managed in the integrated and impartial way," the envoy noted.

"The role of the Syrian government should be brought into full play," he stressed.

Zhang said that it should be acknowledged that the Syrian government has demonstrated the political will to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

"With regard to the issue of cross-border humanitarian assistance, full respect must be given to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We call for continued coordination and cooperation between OCHA and the Syrian government to find a sustaining solution together," Zhang added.

With regard to the Board of Inquiry, China reserves its concern over the way it was founded, and also its working method, said the ambassador.

Zhang said that unilateral sanctions undermine Syria's capacity to combat COVID-19 and destroy the livelihoods of civilians. "There is no means to justify unilateral sanctions, and we are firmly against them."

"China reiterates its support for the appeals of the secretary-general and high commissioner for human rights to lift these sanctions," he said.

"We urge relevant parties, relevant countries to respect the legitimate rights and the lives of all people affected by the pandemic and immediately lift unilateral sanctions against the countries concerned," the envoy stressed.

"It has to be pointed out that the humanitarian issue in Syria is closely related to the political process," said Zhang, adding that China calls on all parties to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and push forward the Syrian-led and Syria-owned political process.

"We support the United Nations and the good offices of the special envoy in the hope that we can jointly promote peace and the stability of Syria and of the region," he said.

"China is also seriously concerned over the civilian casualties caused by yesterday's tragic event. We extend our deep condolences to the families of the victims. We also call on the parties to respond actively to the ceasefire call and appeal of the secretary-general of the United Nations," the envoy noted. Enditem
The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), one of the prominent public sector undertakings (PSU) in Uttarakhand resumed its operations on Wednesday after about a month amid the lockdown, officials said.

The development came a day after chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat held a meeting with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to discuss the revival of Industrial activities in the state.

The two units of BHEL including Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant (HEEP) and Central Foundry Forge Plant (CFFP) had received permission from the Haridwar district magistrate C Ravishankar on Monday to resume operations.

Operations resumed with less than half the total workforce in adherence to the government guidelines amid Covid--19 pandemic.

Employees who have been called for duty will work on two shifts so that social distancing norms are strictly followed.

BHEL manufactures gas turbines, turbo generators, condensers and related auxiliary while its CCFP plant primarily makes large size castings, forging of steel alloys and super critical grade steel.

According to BHEL officials both the factory units, workplace, administrative blocks and equipment were thoroughly sanitized before the operations resumed.

Sanjay Gulati, executive director of BHELs Heavy Electricals Equipment Plant (HEEP), Ranipur said that as per the guidelines of Central government and the district administration, BHEL has opened its twin plants.

Gulati said, Through indigenously developed portable electrostatic disinfection machine, the whole BHEL township including hospitals, factories, guest houses, administrative blocks, parks and roads are also being disinfected on a regular basis.

Earlier on Tuesday, CM Rawat held a meeting with CII and other state industrialists to discuss the measures for economic activities and industrial operations in the state which have been largely affected by the lockdown caused by the pandemic.

Rawat said, The state is gradually resuming the industrial activities for revival of the economy. Under the initiative, we have started a single-window system to give permission to industries and factories to resume operations. Since April 20, we have given permission to about 1,171 industries to resume operations mainly in Haridwar and Rudrapur which host major industrial areas of the state which together comprise about 1000 factories.

The CM had also said that at least 1,884 factories related to pharmaceutical and food processing sectors were already operational in the state. Bigger units like ITC, HUL, Nestle and others have already resumed their production.

Those from the automobile industry like Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors are soon going to start their production, Rawat had said.
In a webinar event hosted by the Economic Club of Washington, DC, Trump administration coronavirus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci told an online audience that the US should prepare for the virus to return and hit hard later this year.

However, he also said he was cautiously optimistic that a vaccine for Covid-19 can be developed, and that provided measures put in place to limit the viruss spread are adhered to, the worst effects of a winter resurgence can at least be mitigated.

Im almost certain it will come back, he said, because the virus is so transmissible, and its globally spread. Remember, all kinds of viruses like this when people are indoors and congregated in the cold dry weather, they tend to do better than when youre in a warmer climate.

I dont know whether thats going to make a major difference here, but what we do know is that right now, as we start to stabilise, southern Africa, places like KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and Cape Town and other places are starting to see the emergence of cases. So its not going to disappear from the planet.

Whereas Donald Trumps stated prediction is that the virus is going to go away, and that should it come back in the autumn the US will be equipped to put out spurts, Dr Faucis forecast for the later part of 2020 were much more cautious.

When we get into next season, in my mind its inevitable that we will have a return of the virus, or maybe that it never even went away. When it does, how we handle it will determine our fate.

If by that time we have put into place all of the counter-measures that you need to address this, we should do reasonably well. If we dont do that successfully, we could be in for a bad fall and a bad winter.

Dr Fauci has lately been absent from the presidents coronavirus press briefings, where he had been a consistent presence for many weeks. His near-disappearance from the podium met with speculation that Mr Trump and some of his advisers had started to lose patience with their medical adviser's growing media profile, which he uses to correct and contradict the presidents various false, misleading and sometimes dangerous statements about the pandemic, the future of social distancing, the virus itself, and potential treatments.

Dr Fauci addressed the webinar just as the US crossed the milestone of 1 million reported coronavirus cases, with the overall death toll now higher than the total number of American fatalities in the Vietnam War.
MG Motor India on Wednesday said it has joined hands with Vadodara-based MAX Ventilator, a part of AB Industries, to increase ventilator production.

This collaboration with Max Ventilator, which is among the top 25 ventilator brands in the world and caters primarily to private hospitals, is focussed on assisting the overall production of ventilators by addressing specific areas of the supply chain, IT system and manufacturing processes, MG Motor India said in a statement.

The production capacity would be increased five times to 300 ventilators per month in Phase I, which should be completed within next eight weeks, it said.

"In Phase II, the production capacity can be enhanced up to 1,000 ventilators per month, depending upon the demand, especially from the government hospitals to help meet the shortage of the life-saving medical devices in the country," the company added.

Commenting on the partnership, MG Motor India President & Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said, "we understand that ventilators are the most critical requirement at this time, and we would do our best to enhance ventilator production.

"The collaboration comes as a result of aligned core values of both organisations and is designed to work towards the common goal of serving the communities around where our operations are based."



AB Industries MAX Ventilator Managing Director Ashok Patel said in such times of need, it is an admirable thing for all those capable to come forward and help in some way.

"As a manufacturing company of respiratory ventilators, this collaboration with MG Motor will help us to scale-up the production with our teams working together hand in hand. Collaborations like these will guarantee that we meet the requirements to treat the rising COVID-19 cases in India," he added.

MG Motor India had earlier stated that it was in talks with three medical device makers to produce ventilators at its Halol facility to help meet demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

Apart from developing ventilators in-house, the company had also announced a Rs 10 lakh support through grant to youngsters and young engineers who could design a low-cost ventilator.

Moreover, the company had pledged donation of Rs 2 crore to government hospitals and health institutions in Gurugram and Halol (Gujarat), where the carmaker's facilities are located, to fight coronavirus pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The top budget official in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration is stepping down, just weeks before an expected special session on the states increasingly gloomy budget situation.

Finance and Administration Secretary Olivia Padilla-Jackson notified the Governors Office of her decision this week and will be leaving the administration at the end of May, a Lujan Grisham spokeswoman said.

Padilla-Jackson told the Journal she has accepted the position of vice president for finance and operations at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque.

She also said her decision to resign was based on family considerations and described serving in the governors administration as an honor.

I know the state will see tough times ahead, but it has never been in a better position to weather this storm with plenty of reserves and smart, long-term investments, Padilla-Jackson said.

In addition to her role as secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, which functions as the states financial clearinghouse, Padilla-Jackson is also chairwoman of the states Complete Count Commission. That commission oversees state-level planning for this years U.S. census.

Before being appointed to Lujan Grishams Cabinet in December 2018, Padilla-Jackson was the budget officer for the city of Albuquerque.

She also has previous state government experience, including a stint as the director of the state Board of Finance.

As DFA secretary, Padilla-Jackson helped draft the governors budget recommendations before the last two legislative sessions and pushed for the creation of a $325 million early childhood trust fund that lawmakers approved during this years 30-day session.

She also urged lawmakers to maintain cash reserves of 25% as a financial buffer  and roughly $1.9 billion is currently projected to be in the states various reserve accounts.

However, the states budget situation has changed dramatically over the past two months, as plummeting oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused projected state revenue collections to dip by as much as $2 billion, according to one top legislator.

Lujan Grisham has said she plans to call lawmakers back to Santa Fe, likely in mid-June, for a special session to make changes to a $7.6 billion spending plan thats scheduled to take effect in July.

An economic relief package for New Mexico businesses and workers affected by the coronavirus outbreak could also be part of the special session agenda.

Deputy Secretary Debbie Romero, who is also the agencys budget director, will serve as acting DFA secretary, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said.

Meanwhile, State Personnel Office Director Pam Coleman will take over Padilla-Jacksons role leading the states Complete Count Commission.

Both individuals are eminently qualified to serve in those leadership roles, and we look forward to their continued service, Sackett said in a statement.

The Governors Office did not immediately say whether a national search would be launched for a new DFA secretary.

Meanwhile, Padilla-Jacksons departure marks the latest turnover in Lujan Grishams Cabinet.

At least two Cabinet secretaries were either fired or resigned last year, including Karen Trujillo, the governors initial pick to run the Public Education Department. Three weeks after Trujillo was dismissed, the governor appointed Ryan Stewart, an executive with a national education nonprofit group, as her successor.
A beloved Brooklyn schoolteacher died from complications of COVID-19 after she was initially denied coronavirus tests, her family said.

Bushwick Ascend Middle School hailed Rana "Zoe" Mungin, 30, as a "one-of-a-kind educator" who had a "transformational impact on her students and colleagues," according to a campus statement issued Tuesday.

IMAGE: Rana Zoe Mungin (via Instagram)

She died Monday from the pandemic that has ravaged the world and brutalized New York City.

"It's just a tough one to swallow right now," her sister and housemate, Mia Mungin, a nurse, told NBC News on Wednesday. "I really thought she was coming back home. She was doing so much better."

The family believed that Mungin had been improving in recent weeks before she took a sudden turn for the worse.

"It was so crazy. I got to see her on Friday. We FaceTimed, and despite everything, she looked well," Mia Mungin said. "But the next day we FaceTimed her, it was like a different person. She was like a deer in headlights. You could just tell.

"We FaceTimed on Sunday. That's when I broke down," Mia Mungin continued. "She was tired. You know, it is only so long the body could take a beating.

"The next day she was gone."

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

The veteran nurse said she's bitter, feeling let down by the industry she has worked in for two decades.

"I just feel like the health care system failed her on so many levels," Mia Mungin said. "The health care system failed us, something that I stood for for 20 years."

Zoe Mungin was a 2011 graduate of Wellesley College, where she majored in psychology.

"Rana touched the lives of so many members of our community during her time here at Wellesley, and beyond," school President Paula Johnson said in a statement.

"As her family has shared, Rana's battle with COVID-19, is a painful example of the disproportionate impact COVID-19 is having on African American and LatinX families across the country. Racial and gender disparities in healthcare are a moral and systemic failure. We can and must do better. "

Story continues

Zoe Mungin felt her first symptom, a fever, on March 12, Mia Mungin said.

She first went to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn on March 15 and was told that she couldn't have a coronavirus test, according to Mia Mungin.

Zoe Mungin's condition worsened, and the family called 911 on March 19. But even after getting to Brookdale that day, she was again denied testing, according to loved ones.

"She said to me, 'Mia, they still don't want to test for me this virus,'" Mia Mungin recalled her sister saying. "'He keeps telling me that my lungs are clear, even though I'm still short of breath.'"

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

Following the 911 trip to Brookdale on March 19, Zoe Mungin was allowed to go home  and was then rushed back to the hospital the next day, the family said.

"They intubated her in the ambulance," Mia Mungin said. "They told us she was intubated and the sickest in the hospital and that we need to be prayerful."

A Brookdale spokesman confirmed Wednesday that Zoe Mungin was treated at the facility's intensive care unit before being transferred to other hospitals in Manhattan and New Jersey. The spokesman declined to discuss her treatment.

Mia Mungin said she fears she's the one who passed the virus to her sister.

"She wasn't working, you understand? I was the only one that was getting up to go to work," with exposure to people with the virus, Mia Mungin said. "I believe Zoe got sick from me."
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Linkedin Trevor Hunnicutt (Reuters) New York, United States  Wed, April 29, 2020 08:12 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4d3639 2 World Hillary-Clinton,Joe-Biden,US-presidential-election,US-presidential-race,Democratic-party Free

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton endorsed fellow Democrat Joe Biden's campaign for the office she once sought on Tuesday.

"This is a moment that we need a leader, a president like Joe Biden," she said during a joint event online with the former vice president.

The endorsement, while no surprise, marks the latest in a series of high-profile Democrats lining up behind Biden ahead of what is expected to be a tight Nov. 3 election rematch between their party and Republican President Donald Trump.

Clinton, a onetime US secretary of state, former senator from New York and wife of past President Bill Clinton, lost the 2016 presidential race against Trump in an election that is still the source of anger and consternation among many liberals who expected to elect the first female president but also wrestled with whether they chose the right candidate.

The endorsement came at a Biden campaign town hall focused on the impacts of the novel coronavirus on women, who are expected to play a critical role in the most competitive swing states in the election. Biden introduced Clinton as the woman who should be president now.

Biden is already his party's presumptive nominee after his rivals dropped out, including Senator Bernie Sanders, who bitterly clashed with Clinton when they contested their party's 2016 primary.

Biden was Barack Obama's vice president, and Clinton his first secretary of state. Both simultaneously considered presidential runs, but Biden ultimately decided against mounting a campaign then as he grieved over the death of his son Beau. Obama endorsed Biden's current campaign two weeks ago.

Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a statement, "There is no greater concentration of Democrat establishment than Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton together. President Trump beat her once and now he'll beat her chosen candidate."
Bayer said the economic downturn and the need to preserve cash means it is taking a tougher stance in talks to settle claims over accusations that its glyphosate-based weedkillers cause cancer, even as its earnings rose.

The pandemic has significantly slowed the mediation process, the German drugs and pesticides company said in a statement on Monday.

The company will consider a deal only if it is financially reasonable and puts in place a mechanism to resolve potential future claims efficiently, Chief Executive Werner Baumann said.

This applies now more than ever, he added, citing a looming recession and considerable liquidity challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of U.S. plaintiffs blaming its glyphosate-based weedkillers for their cancer reached 52,500, up from 48,600 in February, the company added.

Bayer denies claims that Roundup  or its active ingredient glyphosate  cause cancer, saying decades of independent studies have shown it to be safe for human use.

The economic environment could be a catalyst here, said Ingo Speich, a fund manager at mutual fund firm Deka Investment.

It will certainly not be easier for Bayer to agree to an expensive settlement. That should also be clear to the plaintiffs, he added.

The company said first-quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 10.2% to 4.39 billion euros ($4.76 billion), surpassing average analyst expectations of 4.17 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

Bayers shares were up 4.5% at 62.22 euros by 1340 GMT, beating a 2.3% gain in the wider German market.

While the company would not be drawn on when and for how much it would settle, finance chief Wolfgang Nickl told an analyst call that a deal with plaintiffs is unlikely to have an impact on future dividends.

Bayer, which is due to hold its annual shareholder meeting in a virtual format on Tuesday, warned that it was unable to assess the impact of the pandemic on results this year.

The first-quarter beat was driven by a 14% gain in earnings at the agriculture division from higher sales of crop chemicals and corn seeds. Earnings were further underpinned by a 19% increase in revenue from stroke prevention drug Xarelto.

Bayer also pointed to the stockpiling of drugs as consumers purchased over-the-counter products and patients sought additional prescriptions as a safety net as the coronavirus spread.

Operating cash flow, however, fell to an outflow of 189 million euros, down from an inflow of 1 billion a year earlier, as it brought forward the settlement of agriculture payables and receivables were paid later.

($1 = 0.9223 euros) (editing by Thomas Seythal, Emma Thomasson, Kirsten Donovan and Pritha Sarkar)

Topics COVID-19 Agribusiness Drugs
Germany is extending its worldwide travel warning until mid-June, saying the coronavirus situation is too dire to change the guidance.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says the warning, due to expire May 3, would be extended to June 14 because there has been no change to the danger posed by the pandemic. Maas says he will discuss the matter with European partners in the coming weeks.

He says, naturally we all hope we won't need this travel warning after June 14.

Among other things, the official warning means that Germans who had booked vacations for the dates can get refunds, another likely blow to the European travel industry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Exposing brain injury patients to a range of smell can determine whether they are going to recover, according to researchers behind a 'sniff test' study.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge presented patients with smells including shampoo and rotten fish then monitored their reactions via a nasal tube.

In the new study, researchers looked at patients with brain injury showing very minimal or no signs of awareness of the world around them.

All of the patients who reacted to the sniff test went on to regain consciousness with more than 91 per cent still alive three and a half years after their injury.

The cheap and simple test could held doctors accurately diagnose and determine treatment for patients with impaired consciousness, the authors claim.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge presented patients with smells including shampoo and rotten fish then monitored their reactions via a nasal tube. Stock image

Lead study author Dr Anat Arzi, from the University of Cambridge, said the accuracy of the sniff test was remarkable.

It is often difficult for doctors to determine a patient's state of consciousness after a severe brain injury and mistakes in diagnosis are made in 40 per cent of cases.

A patient that is minimally conscious differs from one in a vegetative state and their future outcomes are different.

An accurate diagnosis is critical because it informs treatment strategies such as pain management and can affect end-of-life decisions.

Professor Noam Sobel, from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said sense of smell is a 'very basic mechanism' relying on structures deep in the brain.

'The brain automatically changes the way we sniff in response to different smells,' said Sobel, who was a lead author on the study.

'For example, when presented with an unpleasant smell we automatically take shorter, shallower breaths.

'In healthy humans the sniff-response happens in both waking and sleeping states of consciousness.'

Scientists carried out their research on 43 severely brain injured patients.

The experimenter first explained to each patient that different smells would be presented to them in jars and the breathing through their nose would be monitored using a small tube called a nasal canula.

Researchers had no indication whether the patients had heard or understood.

Next a jar containing either a pleasant smell of shampoo, an unpleasant smell of rotten fish or no smell at all was presented to each patient for five seconds.

Scientists use a deep mechanism in the brain to create a 'sniff test' Our sense of smell is a core and basic mechanism - it relies on structures deep within the brain. In fact the brain automatically changes the way we sniff in response to different smells. For more unpleasant smells such as rotten fish we take shorter, shallower breaths. Researchers used this mechanism to create their sniff test in patients who can't respond in any other way. They presented patients with a smell in a jar using a nasal tube. The team then measured how much air the patient sniffed into their nose. Advertisement

Study author Dr Yaron Sacher from the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital in Israel, said each jar was presented ten times to the patient in a random order.

They then took a measurement of the volume of air sniffed by the patient.

Minimally conscious patients inhaled significantly less in response to smells, but did not discriminate between nice and nasty smells, findings revealed.

Patients also modified their nasal airflow in response to the jar with no smell which suggests awareness of the jar or a learned anticipation of a smell.

Vegetative state patients varied. Some did not change their breathing in response to either of the smells while others did.

Scientists later found 91 per cent of patients who had a sniff response shortly after injury were still alive in a follow up investigation three and a half years later.

While 63 per cent of those who had showed no response had died.

The researchers were able to measure how well deep-seated brain structures were working by measuring the sniff-response in severely brain injured patients.

All of the patients who reacted to the sniff test - of both shampoo and rotting fish - went on to regain consciousness with more than 91 per cent still alive three and a half years after their injury. Stock image

Across the patient group they found that sniff-responses differed consistently between those in a vegetative state and those in a minimally conscious state, providing further evidence for an accurate diagnostic.

'We found that if patients in a vegetative state had a sniff response, they later transitioned to at least a minimally conscious state,' Arzi said.

'In some cases, this was the only sign that their brain was going to recover and we saw it days, weeks and even months before any other signs.'

In a vegetative state the patient may open their eyes, wake up and fall asleep regularly and have basic reflexes, but they don't show any meaningful responses or signs of awareness.

A minimally conscious state differs because the patient may have periods where they can show signs of awareness or respond to commands.

Dr Tristan Bekinschtein, from the University of Cambridge's department of psychology, said when the sniff response functions normally it show the patient might still have some level of consciousness even when all other signs are absent.

'This new and simple method to assess the likelihood of recovery should be immediately incorporated in the diagnostic tools for patients with disorders of consciousness,' he said.

The findings were published in the journal Nature.
New Delhi, April 29 : Irrfan Khan was one of the few Indian stars to seamlessly transition from Bollywood to Hollywood, while breaking the stereotypical barriers reserved for brown people in the West with his unconventional acting skills.

From pivotal roles in big budget tentpoles like "Jurassic World", "Inferno" and "The Amazing Spider-Man" to critically acclaimed and successful crossover dramas such as "The Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Life of Pi", Irrfan was India's first and biggest export to Hollywood. And he did all this without making any clamour about invading the West, and instead let his work do the talking.

He was the actor who matched the Oscar-winning Tom Hanks' on-screen thunder. He was the star who turned down offers to work with Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott without breaking a sweat. He was the actor who retained his identity as an Indian while escaping the stereotypical traps, sometimes as a police inspector in "Slumdog Millionaire", sometimes as a doctor in "The Amazing Spider-Man", sometimes as a powerful businessmen in "Jurassic World" and sometimes as the head of an enigmatic international organisation known as 'The Consortium' in "Inferno".

While promoting "Inferno", actor Tom Hanks said he wants to be cool like Irrfan.

"Here's what I hate about Irrfan Khan... I always think I'm the coolest guy in the room, and everybody's hanging on to every word I say and everybody's a little intimidated to be in my presence. And then Irrfan Khan walks into the room. And he's the coolest guy in the room," Tom Hanks said about working with Irrfan.

After carving a name for himself in Hindi cinema, he has gradually established himself in the West too. But there was a time in the 1990s when Irrfan was contemplating leaving the glitzy world of showbiz.

British filmmaker Asif Kapadia's "The Warrior" in 2001 gave a much-needed fillip to his career and an exposure to the West that opened new vistas. From there on, there was no looking back.

In an interview with IANS in the past, Irrfan had shared how his move to tread the Hollywood path was initially met with criticism.

"When I entered Hollywood, most of my colleagues and industry people used to say that 'Hollywood mein kya hai', 'Taxi driver aur waiter ke role hi hote hain'. But fortunately things have changed. Now, nationality is not important," he said, going on to use his character in "Inferno" to further elaborate his point. For me in 'Inferno', nationality doesn't matter, or like in 'Jurassic World', where I played the role of Simon Masrani -- he could have been an Indian Sindhi or an Italian. So that is how things are changing. Your nationality doesn't really become a limitation," the National Award-winning star had said.

He also starred in the 2017 film "The Song Of Scorpions", and 2007 movie "A Mighty Heart", which also featured Angelina Jolie, besides the Indo-German short film "The Cloud Door" (1994).

After working on the small screen, Irrfan made his film debut with a cameo in 1988 through Mira Nair's Oscar-nominated "Salaam Bombay". The actor passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday. He was 53.

The actor, diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, was still recovering from the disease after extensive treatment in London.

The actor was taking baby steps back into the acting world. He recovered well enough to complete the shoot of "Angrezi Medium", which was incidentally the last film to hit the screens in India before the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

Here's a look at some of his iconic work in the West

The Warrior (2001) Directed by British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, the movie featured Irrfan as a warrior in feudal Rajasthan and chronicles his journey to give up the sword. The 2001 film won a BAFTA that year.

A Mighty Heart (2007) In Michael Winterbottom's "A Mighty Heart", which narrates true story of the kidnap and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, Irrfan got on board for the role of a Pakistani intelligence officer known only as Captain, and impressed all with his skills.

Inferno (2016) In the thriller film, directed by Ron Howard, Irrfan is seen as Harry "The Provost" Sims, head of The Consortium, who is helping Zobrist in his mission to reduce the Earth's growing population. It also features Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Omar Sy, Ben Foster and Sidse Babett Knudsen.

The Namesake (2006) He collaborated with Mira Nair for the film based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. The film narrates the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan and Tabu) as first-generation immigrants from trying to find a place in the US while raising their children.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Danny Boyle's Oscar winning film was a game changer for Irrfan, and propelled him into the big league. In the film, he featured as a police inspector who gets caught up in the main storyline -- about Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) who becomes a TV sensation after winning the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?".

Life Of Pi (2012) The Ang Lee film is about an Indian man named "Pi" Patel, who is narrating his life story to a novelist. It's about how at 16 he survives a shipwreck and is adrift in the ocean on a lifeboat with a tiger. He essayed the older Pi Patel in the adventure drama. The movie was a huge success both critically and commercially.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) In the superhero film by Marc Webb, he was seen as a super scientist named Rajit Ratha. He featured alongside Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Rhys Ifans and others.

Jurassic World (2015) Irrfan joined Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the sci-fi film to essay the role of Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World. It was a commercially successful project, and ensured more visibility for the actor in Hollywood.

Puzzle (2018) The drama film directed by Marc Turtletaub follows the life of a stay-at-home mother Agnes who enters a puzzle building competition. Irrfan starred as the puzzle partner of Kelly Macdonald's character Agnes.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Moodys Analytics, a leading provider of financial intelligence, is pleased to announce the launch of its new SolvencyWatch solution, which helps insurers efficiently monitor their key solvency metrics.

Powered by Moodys Analytics award-winning modeling capabilities, the SolvencyWatch solution provides fast valuation of an insurers assets and liabilities. Chief risk officers can then monitor their solvency position in real time and answer what-if questions related to changes in the market.

Insurers need solutions that provide senior management with timely and actionable financial analytics, said Jack Cheyne, Senior Director at Moodys Analytics. These metrics are increasingly important in the current environment, so its very pleasing to see customers are already using SolvencyWatch to deliver management information that can help firms navigate business through uncertain times.

Click here to learn more about the Moodys Analytics SolvencyWatch solution.

About Moodys Analytics

Moodys Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moodys Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200428005420/en/
A new poll shows that most Americans aren't willing or can't use apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19.

According to a recent survey by Washington Post-University of Maryland, three out of five Americans are either unable or unwilling to use contact tracing technology that uses a phone's Bluetooth signal to track the spread of COVID-19.

The survey casts doubt on the efficacy of COVID-tracking technology being developed by Google and Apple for use by governments and health authorities.

Specifically, the companies are providing access to their application programming interfaces (APIs) so governments can interface with Google and Apple's data banks and build out their own contact tracing apps.

Respondents to a recent survey say they are unable or unwilling to use coronavirus tracking apps enabled by technology from Google and Apple (stock)

While the technology could help monitor and track the spread of COVID-19, the recently conducted poll suggests that adoption could create an obstacle for its viability.

Among the barriers is the fact that one in six Americans does not own a smartphone, meaning they don't have the means to use or contribute to virus-tracking technology.

Additionally, the poll which surveyed a little more than 1,000 adults mostly through mobile phone calls, suggests that willingness to use a contact tracing app among Americans with smart phones was split at about 50 percent with half of the respondents saying they 'probably or definitely' would not use a tracking app.

According to The Washington Post, the likelihood that one would use a tracking app is based partly on whether they consider the virus to be a threat to their safety.

Willingness to use a tracking app is also higher with Democrats who report being more worried about a COVID-19 infection than with Republicans who are less worried about being infected by the virus.

Respondents also noted a general distrust of big tech companies like Google and Apple who are providing the backbone for virus-tracking technology.

According to The Washington Post only 43 percent of respondents said they trusted Google and Apple while 57 percent said they had a 'good deal' of trust in public health agencies.

Contact tracing technology will be made available to governments earlier than previously expected according to Apple's CEO Tim Cook (stock)

According to a separate study cited by The Washington Post, the tepid response to COVID-tracking technology could spell failure for apps.

A recent study by Oxford researchers suggests that 60 percent of a country's population would need to adopt the technology in order for it to monitor the spread accurately.

Regardless of an eventual app's efficacy, tech companies and governments plan to move forward with their plan to release an opt-in technology to the public imminently.

Last week, Apple's CEO Tim Cook revealed in a call with European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton that technology to support contact tracing apps would be made available on April 28, which means that apps could be ready within the next week.
Ven. Wonhaeng, right, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, makes a bow at the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhist History and Culture in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



Leaders of major religious groups stressed the importance of seeking unity between religions and people amid the COVID-19 pandemic when commemorating Buddha's Birthday, which falls Thursday.



Ven. Wonhaeng, leader of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, read the statement of Ven. Jinje, the spiritual leader of the Jogye Order that stated: "To overcome the difficulties we face today, we need to stop confronting each other and pave the way to unify for the new future By forgiving each other and seeking unification, we can overcome this national disaster wisely Commemorating Buddha's Birthday, people and Buddhists need to seek world peace by lighting up the lotus lanterns so that the coronavirus can be eradicated."



Emphasizing that Jogye Order's temples are providing space and accommodation for medical staff who have been fighting COVID-19, he urged Buddhists to abide by the spirit of the founder of Buddhism and act responsibly.



Earlier, the Jogye Order decided to delay the Buddhist holiday to May 30 to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections.



Meanwhile, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung delivered a congratulatory message Tuesday to the Jogye Order to commemorate the ceremonial event. "As a citizen, I appreciate your decision to delay the event for Budda's Birthday," he said.



Cardinal Andrew also highlighted the importance of religious groups joining hands to overcome the difficulties.



"I think Buddhism and Catholicism share the same religious values praying for people's happiness and looking for forgiveness. Let's join hands to be an example to spread the values of mercy, peace and love throughout the world instead of spreading distrust, resentment and rage created by the infectious disease."



The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), a liberal group of Protestant churches, also released a congratulatory message Wednesday to celebrate the birth of Buddha, stressing cooperation between religious groups to tackle the disaster.



"Amid the crisis of the spread of COVID-19, I realize that Buddhists and Christians are organically connected in this universe, affecting each other," Rev. Lee Hong-jung, general secretary of the NCCK, said in a statement Wednesday. "It is fundamentally the same what Buddha did to the world to save people and what Jesus did for the love of people. If Buddhists and Christians work together, we will make a harmonious world where justice and peace can be combined."



A scaled-back version of the Lotus Lantern Festival, which is the one of the largest yearly events for Buddhists held on the sidelines of other birthday events, will be held Thursday in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, participated in by 50 monks without citizens to prevent the spread of the infectious disease. Some 50,000 lanterns will be hung throughout Seoul to pray for an end to the pandemic.


Never Have I Ever is one of the most trending shows that Netflix has to offer currently. The show revolves around an Indian-American teenager who faces usual teen problems. The series is created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher and was released on April 27, 2020. Since then, the show has been getting a lot of positive response from the fans as well as the critics. This is all because of the cast of the series, Never Have I Ever. Here are some of the stars who are a part of Netflixs Never Have I Ever.

Also Read | Subhash Ghai Opens Up About Original 'Khalnayak' Cast And Its Possible Sequel

Also Read | Mirzapur 2 Cast's Massive Net Worth; From Kaleen Bhaiya To Guddu Pandit, Read Details

Never Have I Ever cast

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a Tamil-Canadian actor who has gained mainstream popularity by portraying Devi in the Netflix series, Never Have I Ever. She was born in the year 2001 and was raised in Mississauga. By descent, Maitreyi is of Eelam Tamil descent. Ramakrishnan also reportedly identifies herself as Tamil and Canadian and doesn't want to be identified as Sri Lankan. This is because she and her family had to reportedly leave Sri Lanka and reach Canada as a refugee during the Sri Lankan civil war. Ramakrishnan graduated from Meadowvale Secondary School and always had a knack of acting as she was always a part of school plays since Grade 10.

Also Read | This Is How The Cast Of 'Mirzapur 2' Would Look If The Show Was Made In Hollywood

Darren Barnet as Paxton Hall-Yoshida

Darren Charles Barnet is a well-known American actor who is popular for his work as Paxton Hall-Yoshida in Never Have I Ever. Reportedly, the actor has also managed to bag a lead role in the upcoming series, American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules. The actor also has a guest role in the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Also Read | 'Money Heist' Cast: Know The Relationship Statuses Of The Actors In Real Life

Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar

Poorna Jagannathan is a popular Indian-American actress and a film producer born in Tunisia. She has been a part of some popular series like Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated show, The Night Of and has also been a part of the Bollywood cult comedy film, Delhi Belly.

Also Read | Chhoti Sardarni Cast: List Of Actors And The Characters They Play

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.
Lady Luck shined twice on a man from Colorado, in the US as he hit the jackpot twice in the same day after playing the same numbers for 30 years. According to media reports, the man identified as Joe B by Colorado officials won $1 million Powerball jackpot twice on March 4. Meanwhile, Colorado continues to be torn between protestors demanding 'Free America' and the authorities.

Bought from 2 different shops

According to reports, both the winning tickets were sold in Pueblo at different stores at two different times, but on the same day. Colorado lottery's Communications director, Meghan Dougherty, spilling further details said that Joe B had bought one ticket in the morning and the other in the evening from two different shops, separated by a distance of 1 mile.

Read: UK Woman Wins 500k Farmhouse After Purchasing 2 Raffle Ticket

Read: UK Teenager Wins 2,40,000 On Scratchcard Raffle Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

Colorado has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic with over 14,316 positive cases and 736 fatalities. According to reports, the Colorado lottery received approval earlier this month to process all the winning tickets above the value of $10,000 at the touch-free, drive-in claims office. To claim the prize money, all winners are supposed to make a prior appointment.

In a similar incident, a 7-year-old Indian national living in Ajman hit the jackpot of $1 million on March 18 when his name was drawn at the Dubai Duty-Free raffle. Kapilraj Kanakaraj, a grade 1 student, held ticket 4234 in series 327, which was bought by his father on February 21. Kanakaraja, the father, hails from Tamil Nadu and has been an Ajman resident for 27 years, as per reports.

Expressing his happiness of winning the cash prize, Kanakaraja reportedly said he could not believe that he became a millionaire. He was thankful for the wonderful blessing bestowed on his family. As far as the cash is concerned, Kanakaraja reportedly said that part of the prize money will go to his furniture shop business and the rest for his sons future.

Read: 7-year-old Indian Wins $1 Million Jackpot At Dubai Duty Free Raffle

Read: UAE: 1-year-old Indian Baby Wins $1million Jackpot In Raffle Draw

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.
The 2004 Year Group of Wesley Girls High School has donated some Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to the Cape Coast Regional Hospital, as part of the groups contribution to the fight against Covid-19.



The items included gowns, goggles, shoe covers, aprons, N95 masks, infrared thermometers and disinfectants.



The disinfectants were donated by Multi Commerce Limited, producers of Dee Multi Surfaces Sanitiser, other cleaning detergents and soaps.



Presenting the items at the Cape Coast Regional Hospital on behalf of the WGHS 2004 Year Group, Ms. Esther Egyir, said they are to give back to a facility that took care of them whilst in school and hoped that the donation would complement the governments efforts in this fight.



Present during the donation was the Head of the Obstetrics and Gyaenecology Department, Dr. Sebastien Ken-Amoah, who first expressed his deepest appreciation to the Year Group stating that The department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is indeed grateful for this kind donation towards us by the group.



This will go a long way in the fight against Covid -19. God bless you, and wherever each one took from, may it be replaced a thousandfold, he added.



Speaking to the media, President of the Year Group, Ms. Beatrice Anowah Brew stated: When Dr. Neeta Asamoa-Manu, a staff of the Obs and Gynae department and also a member of the WGHS 2004 year group made the appeal to the Year Group, we all pitched in to help.



The appeal was also in line with the collective commitment to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 3, which targets the reduction/ eradication of maternal mortality, communicable diseases and preventable deaths, amongst others.



The year group got to work to raise some money to support the cause. As a Year Group, we recognise the added risks Covid-19 pose to both staff and patients, particularly mothers and their babies, Ms. Brew added.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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ALBANY  A judge has tossed the second-degree murder indictment against Paul Barbaritano, whose temporary release from jail while he was charged with fatally stabbing a woman became a rallying cry for opponents of the states new bail reform law.

State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin dismissed the indictment against Barbaritano, 53, on Tuesday because of a prosecutorial error that occurred when the case was brought before a grand jury.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares office can bring the case before another grand jury, Breslin ruled.

Barbaritano was initially arrested on a charge of second-degree manslaughter. The grand jury later indicted him on the second-degree murder charge that was dismissed. Police are expected charge Barbaritano -- who is being held in the Albany County jail -- on a new warrant for second-degree murder. Soares spokeswoman Cecilia Walsh said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no grand juries are meeting.

Prosecutors allege Barbaritano choked 29-year-old Nicole Jennings using a nylon-style belt around her neck, tightened it and stuck a knife into her throat inside 8 Brevator St. in Albany. She was found July 5. Barbaritano's defense contends he and Jennings had a sexual encounter that involved erotic asphyxiation, and Barbaritano stabbed Jennings while desperately trying to cut the belt from around her neck.

Barbaritanos attorney, Assistant Public Defender Rebekah Sokol, filed the motion to toss the indictment after inspecting the minutes of the grand jury and declaring it defective. The judges decision and Sokols motion included a transcript of the secret grand jury proceeding.

It shows that a prosecutor asked grand jurors if any of them recognized Barbaritanos name.

I think I do," a juror answered.

As somebody you know? Assistant District Attorney Jennifer McCanney responded.

Yeah, the juror responded. Yeah. The guy at the VA told me the other day that this guy, Paul, cut his girlfriend's throat or something.

The prosecutor asked the juror if he had any preconceived notions about the case or information that would make him unable to weigh only the evidence presented to the grand jury.

No, the juror responded. He just happened to tell me that the other day  he asked me the other day, 'Do you remember Paul? Do you know he cut his girlfriend's throat?' And that was the end of the conversation. There was no more than that. I don't know any of the details.

McCanney answered: Okay. I think its important to know  so that's information you learned second-hand from another person?

Yes, the juror answered.

When the prosecutor asked the juror if he could be fair and impartial, the juror said, Yes. Absolutely.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Sokol argued in a Feb. 26 motion that McCanney did not go far enough: There was no inquiry about the person who spoke to the juror only days earlier at the VA hospital where, Sokol noted, Barbaritano was a patient at the time in a psychiatric unit.

"The record is silent as to where this information came from, or what if any further conversation was had on the subject. The prosecution did not inquire," the defense stated in the motion.

"The prosecutor never questioned the rest of the grand jurors about the impact of that juror's revelations on their analysis of the case, nor was there any effort to see if they could listen to the evidence presented after hearing about Mr. Barbaritano 'cutting his girlfriend's throat' from one of their fellow jurors," Sokol stated.

In his ruling, Breslin said when presenting a case to a grant jury, a prosecutor's duty of fair dealing is to bring any potential bias to the judge's attention, or excuse the juror or even the entire jury.

"In this case, at no time did the prosecutor limit her colloquy with the grand juror at issue from the remaining jurors," the judge stated, "Thus, from the inception of the presentation all grand jurors were exposed to highly prejudicial commentary regarding the ultimate issue they were empaneled to resolve. While the prosecutor made some attempt to discern the extent of the relationship between the grand juror and the defendant, the court finds such inquiry inadequate to dispel the apparent likelihood of prejudice to the defendant."

In her motion, Sokol mentioned that Soares spoke to reporters after Barbaritano's court appearance on Jan. 1 before Albany County Judge William Carter.

At the time, the state's new bail and discovery reforms had just begun, and were the subject of considerable controversy. Prosecutors, police and lawmakers were expressing outrage at the changes enacted into the state budget deal in 2019. State Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan and others mentioned Barbaritano's case specifically.

Barbaritano's initial second-degree manslaughter charge, under the bail reform, was no longer a bail-eligible offense. (The latest state budget has changed that.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

Trend:

There are currently old, inherited from the past problems in the banking sector of Azerbaijan that cover only 3-4 percent of the sectors assets, that is, they are not systemically significant, Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Elman Rustamov said in an interview to the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (AzTV), Trend reports.

CBA appointed administrators to four banks on April 27, and on April 28, licenses of two of them were revoked. One of them was AtaBank OJSC that had problems for a long time and depositors could not return their money. I have repeatedly expressed my opinion about this bank and said that as soon as the law on full deposit insurance is extended, depositors will be able to return their money, Rustamov noted.

Another bank is Amrahbank OJSC. Of course, problems of these banks are not new, and have nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and with the decline in oil prices. The problems of banks were discussed by Financial Stability Council, and CBA made certain recommendations, on the basis of which we revoked the licenses. We will provide the population with access to their deposits in a short time, transfer money to one of the country's stable banks, and people will be able to keep their money with the banks or withdraw it, said the chairman.

The return of deposits of these banks will not be carried out at the expense of the state budget. Both banks are members of the Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF). Refunds will be made from paid membership dues. This issue is a consolidated obligation of banks. We will give them temporary loans. Closed banks will repay loans from the funds received from the sale of assets. It is possible to repay loans in 4-5 years," Rustamov added.
The government cannot violate our clients Fifth Amendment right to due process and Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The judge recognized the danger posed by this virus and the risk to Mark N. if he continued to remain in custody.

An Illinois man ("Mark N.") who had a history of criminal charges was awaiting sentencing in a California jail when his legal matter radically changed. Mr. N. promptly found himself released from federal custody.

Following 16 months of litigation that resulted in a plea bargain, Mark N. was awaiting sentencing (Case #1:18-cr-00219-DAD-BAM) in federal lockup inside the Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, CA, when three fellow inmates and five correctional guards tested positive for COVID-19.

Mark N.s defense attorneys, Ken Rosenfeld of The Rosenfeld Law Firm and Allen Sawyer of The Law Offices of Allen Sawyer, immediately interceded on their clients behalf to United States District Judge Dale A. Drozd of the Eastern District of California, insisting Mark N.s personal safety was at risk within the virus-infected congregate setting. When Judge Drozd denied the attorneys initial motion for extraordinary relief, Sawyer filed a motion for reconsideration. On April 10, Judge Drodz reversed his decision, ordering the immediate release of Mark N.

The government cannot violate our clients Fifth Amendment right to due process and Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, said Sawyer. The judge recognized the danger posed by this virus and the risk to Mark N. if he continued to remain in custody.

The event of Mark N.s release stands as the first occasion in California in which a federal inmate facing sentencing has been released from custody during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We appreciate Judge Drozd for valuing our clients rights, said Sawyer. This was a case of first impression for California, and the Court got it right.

His attorneys having secured their clients release, Mark N. was immediately transferred out of Kern County Jail. He is currently quarantined in California, but will thereafter return to Chicago, where he will remain under house detention.

About California Criminal Defense Attorneys Ken Rosenfeld and Allen Sawyer

The Rosenfeld Law Firm and The Law Offices of Allen Sawyer are located in Sacramento, Stockton, and San Jose.

As California criminal defense attorneys, Ken Rosenfeld and Allen Sawyer aggressively defend a wide range of cases, from first-degree murder to driving under the influence (DUI defense), with a specialty in sex offender defense and political corruption cases.

As criminal law commentators, Rosenfeld and Sawyer have each made a number of appearances on television and radio, including national media. Attorney Ken Rosenfeld can be regularly seen on KTXL TV, FOX40's Ask An Attorney. Their criminal defense law firms practice federal criminal defense and juvenile defense, as well as appellate law, prison law, and mental health law. For more information, please contact the lawyers directly:

Ken Rosenfeld: (916) 447-2070 (http://www.therosenfeldlawfirm.com)

Allen Sawyer: (209) 645-0556 (http://www.allensawyer.com)

Press release writing by WebSiteText and Proofreading Services by The Proofreaders.
Visual artist Jennifer Murphy has done some of her best work in a live-work space she has been renting at 17 Paton Rd. for the past 12 years.

Fellow tenant Claude Wittmann  a scientist, performance artist and part-time bicycle mechanic  has found peace and community in the former ladies garment factory near Bloor St. W. and Lansdowne Ave.

Dorota Dziong has a lifetime of paintings and other artwork stacked in the spacious second-floor studio apartment she has called home since 2009 and wouldnt know where to start if she is forced to move.

The trio are among about 20 artists living in the four-storey building in the citys west end that Toronto Fire Services has declared a fire trap.

And although an order to evacuate the building May 10 was recently extended to July 31, Murphy and her fellow tenants wonder how they are supposed to look for a new, affordable live-work space during a housing crisis  compounded by a global pandemic.

Instead of throwing them out, the tenants want the city to work with their landlord to ensure the 15-unit building is brought up to fire- and building-code standards while remaining affordable for artists who are being priced out of Toronto by redevelopment.

If their landlord is unable to do the necessary work, the tenants say city hall should help them convert the building into co-op housing to preserve their tight-knit creative community and keep rents affordable for future artists.

As paralyzing as this feels right now, this pandemic could be an opportunity, said Murphy, 46, who pays $1,200 a month for her spacious 1,300-sq.-ft. unit. The whole world has an opportunity to rethink how we live together.

Josh Barndt, executive director of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust is also hoping the global lockdown offers the city, the tenants and the landlord time to pause and reconsider.

This is a chance for the city to collaborate with the tenants and the landlord to bring this property into community ownership and stop the erasure of our cultural landscape, Barndt said. In the absence of government funds to buy land and buildings for affordable residential and commercial use, the trust was formed in 2014 to turn properties ripe for redevelopment into long-term community assets.

Italian immigrants Sam and Pina Costanza bought 17 Paton Rd., a red-brick Edwardian-era garment factory, in the early 1970s and manufactured womens clothing there under the Eden Creations label until the early 1990s. After the factory closed, the couple rented it as work space for artists, who despite the buildings industrial zoning soon began to live in their studios to cut costs.

We built this from nothing. We are attached to this place, said Pina Costanza, 80, who continues to visit the building every morning with her husband Sam, 84, who has dementia. We dont want to sell. My husband is not well. But we are not terminal.

Pina Costanzas younger brother Anthony Delcore says the family is not the enemy. They want to fix the fire-safety issues and maintain the status quo. They have no interest in selling to the land trust, which Delcore says is offering less than half what a private developer would pay.

My sister and brother-in-law are simple people. They came here and worked hard. They run a good, clean building for the tenants and have not raised the rents. It is not a fire trap, he said. They want to continue running the building and providing affordable homes to these artists.

But he says the citys ruthless evacuation order, which includes a directive to hire two security guards to monitor the building around the clock and help tenants escape in case of fire, has put the family behind the eight-ball. They cant begin to address the safety issues until the provincial state of emergency is lifted, and they cant afford to continue paying more than $40,000 a month for security guards while monthly rents barely amount to $16,000.

If were put in a corner, we might have to do something that is unacceptable to all of us, Delcore said. We might have to sell to a developer, which we dont want to do.

Chief Toronto building official William Johnston said the city is doing everything it can to preserve affordable housing but that can never be done at the expense of residents safety.

And since the building lacks a second exit for the units  a fundamental safety requirement  the city issued the evacuation order, he said.

The trouble began during a January cold snap about two years ago when the buildings sprinkler system froze, causing a flood and a visit by Toronto Fire Services. When fire officials saw beds in the units, they notified the city building department, which slapped the Costanzas with a list of code violations to address immediately.

The Costanzas nephew Gino Delcore, an electrician, repaired the sprinkler system and installed a new monitored fire-alarm system, emergency lighting and other safety items.

My uncle and aunt spent a quarter of a million dollars on fire-safety improvements, the nephew said in an interview outside the building last week. I did everything that the city asked. And then I get an email saying all the tenants have to leave within 60 days, and I have less than 24 hours to put a fire watch on the building. It was unbelievable.

The March 10 order  issued a day before the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic  said the landlord had failed to address numerous safety issues raised in an order issued Dec. 19, 2019. Most serious is the lack of a second exit for the units.

The order was also a shock to the tenants who were aware of the fire-safety concerns and believed their landlord was genuinely trying to fix the problems.

The city has known about us for two years, said visual artist and clothing designer Eli Langer, 52, a tenant since 2016. He pays $1,200 a month for his 1,000-sq.-ft. unit which he says is one of the most beautiful, well-maintained places he has ever lived.

We just dont understand the reasoning behind this, he said. Weve been living here for years. We are all adults. There are no children in the building. We are all here by choice. We are aware of the situation. And its actually safer than it was.

Wittmann, 56, who pays $800 for his 600-sq.-ft. apartment, said the uncertainty has taken a toll on everyone in the building.

We feel we are yet another group of artists and cultural workers who have become collateral damage in the catastrophic lack of creative and innovative thinking on the part of city council, city planning and city regulators, added Wittmann, whose rent eats up most of his $1,169 monthly Ontario Disability Support Program cheque.

In response, the tenants in March launched an online petition, now signed by almost 5,000 people, urging the city to help the tenants remain in the building. They produced a video showing the fire safety measures in the building, including the new fire-alarm system and updated sprinkler. And they gathered more than 30 letters of support from prominent arts community leaders and others.

Area Councillor Ana Bailao, chair of the citys planning and housing committee, said she supports the tenants quest to save their homes as well as the landlords attempts to fix the building, but she wont question city fire officials.

This is a four-storey building with no second exit. I have had people die in fires in my ward because of situations like this, she said. I am not going to challenge the chief building official and the fire chief when they say there is a safety issue.

She said the city is willing to consider proposals to reduce the cost of security guards until the Costanzas are able to build the additional exit.

But ultimately, Bailao notes the couple has been collecting residential rents for years without having paid rezoning or development charges to convert the building for residential use.

We cant be rewarding bad landlords, she said.

If the Costanzas decide to throw in the towel and sell, Bailao said the city is looking at what kind of assistance we can provide to help the land trust buy the building so the tenants can turn it into an artists co-op.

City real-estate officials have appraised the property and say the landlords value estimates are high, she said. It means the land trusts offer might not be unreasonable, Bailao added.

The land trust doesnt want to publicly disclose what it has offered the landlord to avoid sparking a bidding war, Barndt said: We can only afford to pay what the property is worth as affordable housing.

This is a building where there is at least $2 million of work to be done to make it safe for its current use, he said. There is no rational reason to pay full value, pretending those conditions dont exist. Thats not the way the market works. Any developer will see, in their due diligence, all these conditions as risks and that will drive down the price.

Marit Stiles, MPP for the surrounding riding of Davenport, says she, too, hopes the pandemic provides time to save 17 Paton Rd. as safe, affordable live-work space for artists.

This building is increasingly unique and rare in our community. Weve seen a massive exodus of artists ... and we want to work really hard to keep them here, said the New Democrat. We have put off the eviction (until July 31) but at the end of the day, how do we make sure folks on Paton Rd. dont lose the roofs over their head in six or 12 months?

What this moment has shown us is that governments can do all kinds of things when faced with a challenge, she said. So for me, it opens the doors for lots of possibilities. Government can be flexible. We can be nimble and find solutions. And that gives me some hope.

Murphy, who has shown her nature-infused collage/sculptures in galleries in Toronto and Montreal, says she and the other artists at 17 Paton Rd. are counting on the creative alchemy of the city, their landlord and the land trust to come up with a solution.

We cant keep pushing artists out of the city, she said. We need art  and artists  now, more than ever during these uncertain times.
New Delhi, April 29 : President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here on Wednesday, condoled the death of noted film actor Irrfan Khan, terming it a big loss to the world of cinema.

"Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Irrfan Khan. A rare talent and a brilliant actor, his diverse roles and remarkable performances will remain etched in our memories. A big loss to the world of cinema and millions of film lovers. Condolences to his family & admirers," the President tweeted.

Prime Minister also took to Twitter to express condolence over demise of the vasatile actor. "Irrfan Khan's demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," the Prime Minister tweeted.

One of Bollywood's finest actors, Irrfan Khan had worked in several famous Bollywood films, like "Piku", "Sunday", "The Lunchbox", "Aan: Men at work", and "Ghaath".

He had won over millions of fans with his roles in international and Indian films.

His acting career spanned 30 years, encompassing Indian, Hollywood and British films. He was last seen in "Angrezi Medium", which hit screens before the nationwide lockdown in mid-March.

A National School of Drama (NSD) alumnus, Irrfan Khan shifted his base to Mumbai and acted in numerous television serials, including Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta, Shrikant (Doordarshan), AnooGoonj, Star Bestsellers and Sparsh.

Having made his big screen debut with the Mira Nair's Academy Award-nominated film Salaam Bombay! (1988), Irrfan Khan came into his own with grey characters in films, like Haasil (2003) and Maqbool (2004).

A national award for Paan Singh Tomar (2011) and accolades for mainstream outings, like Hindi Medium (2017), were only some feathers in the actor's cap.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Meghan Markle is moving forward with her case against the British media. Interestingly though, the Duchess of Sussex decided to hire a lawyer who has represented several high profile British clients, including the late Princess Diana.

Taking After Princess Diana

Meghan is taking a page out of Princess Diana's book as she faces a massive legal battle against British tabloids. According to the official website of the 5RB law firm, the Duchess has decided to hire David Sherborne to be her legal representative in the lawsuit she filed against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.

Sherborne has been known to take on cases from high-profile celebrities, including Meghan's late mother-in-law Princess Diana. He also handled the legal battles of several British celebrities like Elton John, Harry Styles, and power couple David and Victoria Beckham.

In a statement describing Sherborne's official profile, it confirmed that Meghan has indeed hired the hot-shot lawyer.

"He is also acting for HRH The Duchess of Sussex in her misuse of private information, breach of data protection, and infringement of copyright action against Associated Newspapers," the staement said.

Meghan sued Mail On Sunday and its publisher for publishing excerpts of her private letters to her father in 2018. The Duchess of Sussex claimed that the publication maliciously published the letter with the sole intent to malign her and manipulate the readers' opinion of her.

According to her lawyer, the act is a clear violation of copyright, privacy, and data protection laws enforced in the United Kingdom.

The intense scrutiny that both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got from British tabloids was one of the driving factors that led the couple to their decision to resign as senior members of the royal family.

While they are trying to start a new life in Los Angeles, away from the eagle-eyed British media, Meghan decided to continue her case against them. With the help of the lawyer who represented the late Princess Diana, Markle is hopeful that she will win the case.

Finally, she would be able to leave a strong statement for the British media to take. She may not be born in royalty, but she definitely deserves a spot in the Palace.

Taking A Stand

While in quarantine in their home in Los Angeles, Harry and Meghan's legal representative have been acting on their behalf. They have recently released an open letter from the Sussexes saying that Harry and Meghan will no longer engage with chosen British media organizations.

The list includes "The Sun," "Mirror," "Daily Mail," and "Express.'' The statement claimed that these publications have been described to have a certain style of reporting that made the royal couple uncomfortable.

However, the law firm representing Meghan and Harry also clarified that the statement they are making is not that the couple is trying to avoid criticism. Rather, it was about giving themselves protection from those who want to harass them.

"This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It's not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting," the couple wrote in their letter.

They also emphasized they understand that the media are free to express their opinion of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. However, they are hopeful that it would be based solely on the truth.

"Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can't be based on a lie," the statement from their reps furthered.

According to a source close to the Sussexes, should Meghan win the case, she intends to donate the damages that will be collected from the lawsuit to a charity organization pushing for the anti0bullying cause.
More than 300 Russians are expected to be evacuated by Aeroflots flight from New York to Moscow today, official spokesman for Russias consulate general in New York, Alexei Topolsky, who arrived at JFK International Airport, said.



"The total number of passengers is nearly 320," Topolsky said, noting that among them are "elderly and ill people as well as schoolchildren." The consulates diplomats are currently monitoring the situation at the airport. "We will stay here until the registration ends." "We have taken with us protective masks and handed them over first of all to children and elderly people," TASS cited him as saying.

Aeroflots flight is scheduled to take off from JFK International Airport in New York at 19:20 on Tuesday local time (02:20 Moscow Time on Wednesday). The plane is due to land at Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport at 11:45 Moscow Time on Wednesday.



Russias Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on April 3 that more than 2,000 Russians staying in the United States had informed diplomats about their wish to return home. Two Aeroflots evacuation flights from the US to Russia were arranged to this aim.
Aircraft from the US militarys elite flight demonstration squadrons saluted first responders, healthcare professionals and other essential workers in a flyover of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

At lunchtime on Tuesday, 12 fighter jets  six from the Navys Blue Angels, and six from the Air Forces Thunderbirds  streaked across the skies above New York City, Newark, Trenton, and Philadelphia.

US Air Force Lt Col John Caldwell, Thunderbird 1 and mission commander for the flyover, said in a statement: We hope to give Americans a touching display of American resolve that honours those serving on the frontline of our fight with Covid-19.

We are incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to salute those working on the frontline of the Covid-19 response, we are in awe of your strength and resilience, added Cmdr Brian Kesselring, US Navy Blue Angels commanding officer and flight leader.

Thank you to all of those in essential industries keeping our nation moving forward. We will get through this. We are all in this together.

The flyover is the first of several planned over the coming weeks across the country, part of the America Strong tour as a tribute to those on the frontline of the nations response to the pandemic.

People wanting to watch were reminded to do so from home, maintaining social distancing guidelines, and not to travel to landmarks or hospitals or gather in large groups. That instruction was only moderately successful.

Reaction online was mixed. Many enjoyed the display, acknowledged the spectacle, and took the opportunity to thank those on the frontline of the pandemic response.

Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers Show all 6 1 /6 Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over New York in a salute to health care workers on 28 April, 2020 Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers The Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Manhattan to pay tribute to the front line workers fighting Covid-19 Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers The Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge to pay tribute to the front line workers fighting Covid-19 Cindy Ord/Getty Images Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds perform a flyover of New York City to salute healthcare professionals, first responders, and essential workers Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds perform a flyover of New York City to salute healthcare professionals, first responders, and essential workers Reuters/Mike Segar Military flyover of New York to salute healthcare workers The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds perform a flyover of New York City to salute healthcare professionals, first responders, and essential workers Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

Many others questioned how much personal protective equipment they might have bought for the cost of the display, how many tests could have provided, or how much funding could be given to food banks.

Unless the Blue Angels are dropping N95 masks and PPE for New Yorks doctors and nurses, that was a subpar way to fight #Coronavirus, said one tweet.

A senior military official told The Washington Post that the cost of the flights comes from money already in the Pentagon budget. President Trump said that the idea came from members of the military to show their support to American medical workers.

On Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US topped one million, and the death toll stood at approximately 58,400.
The spread of the new coronavirus has stalled economic activity, halted travel and locked down some cross-border trade. Another sector thats feeling the pinch is criminals trafficking illegally in poached wildlife.

Security is too heavy at the border. Products cant go out, said a person in Vietnam involved in the trade. That person spoke to an undercover investigator who was involved in a new report on the state of the illegal wildlife trade.

The pandemic has prevented organized criminal gangs in Southeast Asian countries from moving large quantities of ivory and pangolin scales into China. But any limits on the illegal wildlife trade are likely to be temporary.

Theres too much money to be made from these products, and theres too many people involved for this to have a significant long term impact, said Sarah Stoner, a co-author of the report and director of intelligence at the Wildlife Justice Commission, an international foundation based in The Hague, Netherlands, that works to dismantle illegal wildlife trade.
29 Apr 2020, 1:51 PM

Coronavirus crisis: Govt allows IT firms to work from home until July 31

The central government has allowed the information technology sector and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies to continue their "work from home" policy till July 31 in the wake of coronavirus crisis. Earlier, the Centre had allowed the software professionals to work from home till April 30. The announcement was made by Union Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Wilful defaulters' list: Congress misleading people in 'brazen manner', says Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has slammed Congress party and Rahul Gandhi regarding the wilful defaulters list issue, saying they "attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner". She also accused the Congress of failing to show any commitment or inclination to stop "corruption and cronyism", neither while in power nor in the opposition.

Breaking News April 29 Live: Actor Irrfan Khan dies at 53; survived by wife, 2 kids

Google revenue up 13%; Alphabet warns of difficult quarter as consumers search pandemic, not shopping

Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) on Tuesday beat analysts' estimate for quarterly revenue as its Google unit posted double-digit advertising growth despite the economic slowdown from the novel coronavirus. Shares of Alphabet rose 4% to $1,282 following the after-hours release of financial results. Alphabet shares were down about 8% this year at Tuesday's close. A booming economy and rising internet usage have driven Google to record revenues in the last few years. But the virus has split those two trends, with consumer spending now plunging and reliance on internet services surging.

Failure to tame coronavirus at origin led to 184 countries 'going through hell': Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals. Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it.

'I trust, I have surrendered': Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passes away at 53

'Good job by PM Modi but India still faces huge challenge,' says Thomas Friedman

Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, columnist and author Thomas Friedman applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to fight the coronavirus spread. Speaking at the India Today E-Conclave Corona Series, Friedman commended India's early intervention and said that while these measures have benefitted India, it still faces a daunting challenge -- of balancing economic stability with curbing the spread of the virus. Friedman said that the challenge for a country like India is to sustain economically with a long-term lockdown.

Coronavirus lockdown: Anand Mahindra warns of 'painfully slow' industrial recovery

As the government gears up to lift the nationwide lockdown, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra has pointed out the complex challenge of planning an exit strategy from the coronavirus lockdown. Citing an example of a roadside 'dhaba' and truckers who depend on them for their foods, he explained all supply chains and elements of the economy are intricately interrelated. In a series of tweets, industrialist Anand Mahindra said that if the government opts for a sequential opening then economic recovery will be slow.

Coronavirus India Live Updates: Lockdown 2.0 to end in 4 days, PM Modi address likely this week; cases-31,332




Nigerians from all backgrounds have taken to Twitter to express their opinions over the arrest of Mubarak Bala, a man alleged to have blasphemed Prophet Muhammad.

As earlier reported by Naija News, the Police arrested Bala for alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post.

He was arrested at his residence in Kaduna followed a petition against him by a group of lawyers to the Commissioner of Police in Kano State.

Following the arrest, Nigerians have taken to Twitter to trend the #FreeMubarakBala. See some of their comments:

Okay lets break this down.

1. Blasphemy is a religious offence.

2. Religion is a matter of personal beliefs.

3. Our Constitution allows for freedom of speech, thought & expression.

4. Mubarak is not a Muslim & should not be subject to Sharia laws. #FreeMubarakBala  Moe (@Mochievous) April 29, 2020

Mubarak Bala is an Atheist. Why should he be tried in a Sharia Court? Hes no Muslim #FreeMubarakBala  Maryam (@elharsh) April 29, 2020

Criminalising blasphemy under national laws rather than leaving it as a sin under personal beliefs is part of what Boko Haram stands for. Dont be like Boko Haram. #FreeMubarakBala  Ayo Sogunro  #Transformist (@ayosogunro) April 29, 2020

#FreeMubarakBala reminds me of some very naive people in Southern Nigeria who insist that Nigeria stands for a coherent set of values  or that it is possible to build a Nigeria with a coherent set of values. If you dont know what Nigeria is, you will learn.  Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) April 29, 2020

Theres no punishment for blasphemy in the Quran (The word of Allah), all the punishments you see are laws made by different leaders to oppress their people..You dont have to take Allahs battles #FreeMubarakBala pic.twitter.com/gcjVEmnHSJ  Y.O. (@yojora) April 29, 2020

I can choose to worship a stone & propagate that Jesus & Mohammed are frauds. So far I harm no one. Its fine. Its an indictment on society & govt to admit that the opinion of anyone about religion can lead to violence & murder in 2020. This is Stone Age thinking #FreeMubarakBala  Ayo Bankole (@AyoBankole) April 29, 2020

Before you call for the arrest of someone whom you claimed insulted your prophet, do understand that your religion is not the constitution for all of humanity. Muslims please take note.#FreeMubarakBala  Adunni Achebe (@_Adadioramma) April 29, 2020

This is Mubarak Bala, hes an indigene of kano. He was arrested this evening in Kaduna for blasphemy against Islam. What i cant get here is when has blasphemy become a crime in Nigeria? I dont know why black Muslims always fighting Allah battle #freemubarakbala pic.twitter.com/qZ7WuBPDd1  IFA FUNSHO (@funshographix) April 28, 2020

All the police officers who claim Jesus is a mortal man should arrest all the police officers who claim Jesus is God and vice versa. And then both sets should be arrested by all the police officers who claim Jesus never even existed. Since we are all mad. #FreeMubarakBala  Ayo Sogunro  #Transformist (@ayosogunro) April 29, 2020

Speak up against Religious persecution and tyranny. Its Bala today, it may be you tomorrow, we are not an Islamist state, people have their GOD GIVEN right to freedom of Speech. #FreeMubarakBala  Jack Robinson (@MrFeral_) April 29, 2020

If Blasphemy is a crime in Nigeria, every Christian and Muslim Leader/Teacher should be in Jail because everyday they blaspheme against the gods of the traditionalists #FreeMubarakBala  Jack Robinson (@MrFeral_) April 28, 2020

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The coronavirus pandemic has escalated religious persecution against Christians and other minority groups abroad.

Before the coronavirus became a global health crisis, more than 60 countries were already rife with mass surveillance, forced marriages, and violent attacks targeting religious minorities. But while much of the world grinds to a halt during stay-at-home orders, religious persecution is escalating at an alarming pace. The coronavirus is becoming a catalyst for faith-based discrimination internationally.

Days before COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China; I was in that region on a fact-finding mission where I witnessed firsthand the outsized efforts of the Chinese regime to curtail the spread of religious ideas they deem threatening. Mass surveillance placed a target on the backs of minorities, including Christians and Uighur Muslims, by reducing their access to education and employment as punishment for their perceived disloyalty.

Christians in China were worshipping under government cameras long before the pandemic began, but now their resilience is tested further. One Wuhan pastor reports they are rising to the challenge of worship and community service under quarantine. A virus cant stop us, he said to Open Doors USA.

My research mission is one of many conducted by Open Doors USA to track religious persecution worldwide. The findings in China are consistent with those in North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan, where Christians are consistently treated as second-class citizens, traitors, and infidels. Now, as the coronavirus ravages the health and livelihoods of all people, Christians and other religious minorities in Asia are facing a new punishment: discriminatory distribution of emergency relief and medical care.

Asia isnt the only offending region. In another hostile country where our organization operates covertly due to religious violence, Christian nurses  who are seen as more expendable  are being assigned to the riskiest coronavirus cases.

We are dispensable, one Christian relief worker told Open Doors. It is very painful to see people neglected and ignored because of their faith. She goes on to explain how she is classified as one of the filthy people because she wears a cross necklace. Health care employees considered loyal to the state-sponsored religion, on the other hand, are assigned the less contagious patients in her facility.

In Somalia, an Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab said, as reported by the BBC, that COVID-19 spreads by the crusader forces who have invaded the country and the disbelieving countries that support them. Their message  that religious minorities are somehow responsible for the outbreak  incites violence toward anyone suspected of disbelief in Islam, in Somalia and surrounding countries.

Open Doors reports that economic discrimination is the second-most prevalent form of persecution toward men in the Middle East and North Africa. As a result, many Christians in the region are forced into low-paid jobs due to religious discrimination. Additionally, those who convert to Christianity from other faiths are often disowned by their families, leaving them without a financial safety net or support system.

Christians in India are under similar pressure. Many were day laborers before the 21-day lockdown, but now they are struggling to even feed their families. The coronavirus crisis has caused significant job loss, leaving many of them without income. The result is a large number of people in urgent need of food, shelter, and medical care.

In total, 25 of the countries currently reporting cases of COVID-19 are on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the worlds worst persecutors of Christians. In each of these contexts, religious minorities face additional barriers  from health care discrimination to reduced access to social services  in battling COVID-19.

Theres no gentle way to say this: Religious persecution is multiplying exponentially in the wake of coronavirus. Yet its critically important to distinguish between religiously-motivated discrimination and the U.S. governmental restrictions to contain the virus.

While this unprecedented suspension of civil rights has businesses, religious leaders, and human rights advocates rightfully wary, the stay-at-home orders appear to be equally shared across all parts of society. For churches and Christians in the U.S., coronavirus isolation is an opportunity to look to persecuted people of faith as a model of how to respond.

The religious minorities that our organization seeks to protect rarely respond defensively, but rather strive to show compassion. They treat the sick, shelter those at risk, provide food to their neighbors, and offer spiritual encouragement to each other  in secret and from a distance  as they have always done.

Perhaps the faith-infused response is for American Christians to use this period of quarantine to remember the more than 200 million Christians worldwide who worship in isolation  before and after the coronavirus. To listen to their cries and learn from their stories. And most of all, to resolve support and advocacy for the beautiful souls who are doubly vulnerable in times of crisis and scarcity.
Days after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said his country is using its intelligence services track and trace system to combat the coronavirus pandemic, confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, continue to rise.

The rise came days after Khan eased lockdown restrictions ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and said the country will eventually move toward a smart lockdown by deploying a surveillance system developed by its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to track terrorists.

Track and trace is the best way [to combat the virus], Khan said during an April 24 fundraising campaign on television. This is the only way if you want to restart your businesses, he added. The ISI has given us a great system for track and trace. It was originally used against terrorism, but now it has become useful against the coronavirus.

Faisal Sultan, Khans personal physician and focal person on the coronavirus, explained to the BBCs Urdu Service how they are now using information from the spy services to prevent the spread of infections.

The intelligence agencies and mobile phone network operators have information about peoples addresses and other [personal] data, which is helping us to determine how much the virus has spread around an infected individual, he said. We then collect the information of people in close proximity so that we can prevent [infection] hot spots from forming.

But there are no apparent signs of the coronavirus outbreak abetting in Pakistan.

Two months after the first cases were reported, infections continue to rise across all parts of the country. On April 29, the country of 210 million had more than 15,500 cases. More than 800 were recorded on April 28 -- the single highest daily figure. At least 20 people died from COVID-19 the same day, which was also the highest daily death toll. Overall, the disease has killed more than 340 people in Pakistan so far as the number of confirmed infections has somewhat consistently increased.

Despite government claims that the rise indicates increased testing, many in the country are worried their nation of more than 210 million is muddling through the pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 people globally.

Opposition politicians and doctors have repeatedly criticized the governments approach to the crisis. In the initial days of the outbreak, they pointed out insufficient or faulty quarantine procedures and facilities at the borders and airports. Khans reluctance to impose a lockdown prompted the military to move in to enforce such a measure last month.

Since the beginning of the crisis, doctors have pleaded with authorities to provide them with sufficient protective equipment and reverse easing lockdown restrictions. Now the governments decision to keep mosques open during Ramadan to appease the countrys powerful Islamic clerics is coming under fire.

It is not just about the power of the pulpit; its more to do with the culpability of an inadequate leadership unable to take charge, journalist Zahid Hussain noted. For the leadership, matters of faith appear to take priority over the lives of the believers.

Hussain wrote that the governments argument about the potential devastating impact of a prolonged lockdown holds some merit. But it is always better to take hard decisions for long-term gains, he argued in a recent op-ed. The next few weeks are going to be extremely critical and one can only hope that the worst is over soon.

Zafar Mirza, a healthcare adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan, however, said the number of deaths from COVID-19 infections in the country has been stable for two weeks.

The data on deaths [in an outbreak] is critical because it gives you the true picture of the outbreak in Pakistan, he told journalists on April 28. You can then base your decisions on [such an understanding].

Carefully choosing his words, Mirza warned against abandoning caution, particularly in the run up to iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan at dusk.

Many places are being thronged by shoppers while many mosques are not acting on the standard operating procedures [outlined by the government] regarding social distancing, he noted.

It is now in our own hands. If we act on this [advice regarding social distancing], the disease will not spread and fade away quickly, he said in an apparent attempt to create some wiggle room for the government if the outbreak worsens.

But if these violations [of social distancing rules] continue, we might need to impose more lockdowns in the future, Mirza concluded.
WASHINGTONEarly Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump was asked about the federal government delivering aid to the states in response to the COVID-19 crisis. He didnt commit to anything, but contemplating such aid, he brought up one thing he thought he might demand in return.

I think sanctuary cities are something  it has to be brought up, where people that are criminals are protected  theyre protected from prosecution, Trump said. I think its one of the problems that the states have. I dont even think they know they have a problem, but they have a big problem with it  the sanctuary city situation.

At a glance, this seems a weird thing for Trump to hone in on. Specific cities policies toward delivering services to undocumented immigrants may not seem to have much to do with the financial burdens of massive statewide economy shutdowns and public health-care costs in a pandemic.

But from the beginning of his presidential career, Trump has defined himself by his opposition to immigration. As a candidate, his supporters chanted Build that wall! In his first days in office, he fought over orders to ban many Muslims from entering the country. He tightened restrictions on visas even for skilled workers and foreign students.

And the coronavirus crisis has not distracted him from that obsession with shuttering borders and choking off immigration  if anything, it has sharpened his focus on it. His very first big speech to the public on the virus, delivered from the oval office directly to the American public, focused on shutting borders to travellers from other countries. The provision in the North American border agreements that raised the most eyebrows in Canada was the suspension of Safe Third Country Act provisions about refugees.

Trumps most recent high-profile announcement, signed April 22, was a sweeping suspension of most legal immigration for at least the next 60 days.

All of these have been justified as efforts to stop the spread of the pandemic. But like Trumps suggestion of tying financial help to states toleration of sanctuary-city policies, these measures mostly seem like grindstones on which he can sharpen his anti-immigration axe.

Trumps adviser and speech writer Stephen Miller has long been known as a xenophobic obsessive labouring behind the scenes to steer Trumps immigration agenda. (This is all I care about. I dont have a family. I dont have anything else. This is my life, Miller is reported to have once told an administration meeting where he pushed hard against refugees, according to the New Yorker.)

Last week Miller told White House supporters on a phone call that Trumps coronavirus immigration measures were a longer-term effort to turn off the faucet of immigrant labour permanently, according to the Washington Post.

As the Post reporters note, the formal name of the presidents executive order makes plain that the rationale behind the suspension of immigration has less to do with the spread of the disease than with the assumed economics of the job market: Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak. (Some experts argue that limiting immigration is more likely to hurt the U.S. economy than help it, though Trump and his supporters dont agree.)

Normally, Trumps emphasis on limiting immigration is opposed by a vast majority of public opinion in the U.S. In 2019, Gallup found that 35 per cent of poll respondents wanted to decrease the level of immigration, versus almost two-thirds who wanted to keep it at current levels or increase it.

But today the coronavirus crisis has created an opportunity. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released Tuesday showed that 65 per cent of Americans support Trumps temporary ban on immigration during the coronavirus outbreak  the measure drew majority support even from groups normally very supportive of immigration, including people of colour, women, and youth.

His presidential career so far has shown Trump doesnt need an excuse to turn virtually every topic into a way to restrict immigration. Even when those policies were generally unpopular, he defined himself by them. The coronavirus has not only provided further focus for him, as a justification to implement stricter measures, but it has delivered popular support for those measures in an election year. In that way, at least, this is a good crisis for Trump  one hes shown he wont let go to waste.

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An academic army has assembled in the Bay Area over the past several weeks, shifting research efforts to combat the coronavirus and its far-reaching impact.

The endeavor, composed of thousands of scientists, researchers and scholars, is a historic and virtually unheard of effort, with some of the biggest brains in the world dropping whatever they were working on to focus their expertise on the disease.

The Bay Area, home to one of the highest concentrations of Nobel laureates and advanced degrees, has become a hub of coronavirus activity. The efforts so far include a technique to make medical masks modeled after cotton-candy machines, an algorithm to search billions of tweets for signs of community clusters of coronavirus-fueled depression and an early-detection system to locate COVID-19 conspiracies and misinformation on social media.

As engineers and scientists, we take the oath, said Manu Prakash, a bioengineering professor at Stanford University, who worked on the cotton-candy medical mask concept. When there is a challenge, if were not going to rise to the occasion, who else is going to solve these problems?

The crisis has created an environment of cooperation and communal sharing of discoveries and ideas, which is very rare in the scientific community. Scientists and researchers, often at competitive odds, typically guard their studies and discoveries from their peers until they can claim credit.

Research and discovery, which can take years to fund and execute under normal circumstances, is taking weeks, with international cooperation fueling progress and funders fast-tracking grants.

The global crisis has spurred an unprecedented call to action in academia, experts say.

A lot of the finest minds of the world have turned to COVID-19, said Hany Farid, UC Berkeley computer science professor.

Their efforts are already paying off.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Prakash had just returned to Stanford University in early March from a scuba diving trip in France where the coronavirus was already hitting hard and immediately went into quarantine in his room.

The bioengineer had seen the fallout of the disease in Europe and anticipated impending doom in the U.S., with shortages of protective medical gear. Confined with his possessions, he stared at the full-face snorkel mask that he hadnt stored away after the trip.

What if, he thought, it could be converted into a reusable medical mask? As he waited for any symptoms to show up, he got to work, designing a way to attach viral filters. It worked, tested to function at the highest standards. The goal now is to work with a coalition of partners to produce 50,000 reusable Pneumasks for distribution around the world, with a $20 to $30 cost to produce each one.

His Stanford lab focuses on frugal science, or research focused on ways for even the poorest communities to access health care and other resources, including a 50-cent, paper microscope.

The coronavirus has created an urgency to this work, he said, an exclamation point on the expression, Necessity is the mother of invention.

All my students are working on these projects, he said. Theyve dropped everything to engage.

Farid also shifted his research to the coronavirus. Hes been studying the spread of misinformation and conspiracies on social media for years.

The coronavirus has made past conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns look small by comparison. This is global, people are scared, and they are on social media, he said.

The perfect sstorm, he said.

This is why we have people drinking bleach thinking theyre going to be cured, Farid said, referring to social media posts recommending the dangerous idea. We need to undo the stupidity thats out there.

Farid developed a large survey last week, asking 500 people to read 40 coronavirus-related headlines, 20 not true, 20 true, asking if they had seen them, believed them, or knew someone who would believe them.

Preliminary results shows 15% of those surveyed said they know someone who would believe that gargling bleach to prevent or cure coronavirus was legitimate.

Thats shocking, he said. Now the question is whats next.

Farid is developing early detection systems to identify these types of conspiracies or misinformation campaigns online and flag it for social media companies.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

We have to be able to disrupt these campaigns at the beginning, he said.

Coronavirus has been a call to arms, said Julia Schaletzky, executive director of the UC Berkeley Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases.

Everybody has eyes on goal, she said. Its kind of amazing to see that.

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.

Schaletzky used her fundraising skills to create a $1 million COVID catalyst fund to seed research without the usual long application and review process. The first batch of cash went out Thursday, funding researchers working on an at-home coronavirus diagnostic based on an agricultural testing tool.

I havent had a weekend since we started and the same is true for most of my colleagues, she said. Everybody is trying, and there is a true commitment to do something about this disease.

Johannes Eichstaedt, a Stanford assistant professor in psychology, is also looking to mitigate the effects of the virus, tracking the digital traces of depression, despair and other psychological impacts of the coronavirus.

Now Playing: The top of Salesforce Tower is illuminated with artist Jim Campbells contribution in support of medical workers and first responders fighting Covid-19 with video of clapping hands and prayer flags. The artists Day for Night, video show atop the tower, changed at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with clapping hands taking its place, then changed at 8:30 p.m. to prayer flags until 12:30 a.m. Video: Carlos Avila Gonzalez

The idea is to detect hot spots of mental health crisis in communities or counties, to create some visibility into these psychological shifts, he said. The general assumption is that you can only improve what you can measure.

His algorithm is sweeping billions of tweets.

The algorithm is currently analyzing the prevalence of 10,000 words, phrases and emojis, words like alone, expressions of hostility, cursing, anger, complaining about headaches or their bodies.

The results could help push for federal or local emergency funding to direct more therapists or mental health resources into communities, Eichstaedt said.

Lots of people are going to struggle a lot, he said. Im not sure we are helping them.

Experts around the world, say the current crisis is a novel moment in human history, a global laboratory ripe for research and solutions to a host of problems related to the virus.

This is the bread and butter of the life of a researcher, Farid said. This is what we do every day, except now were just doing it in a crisis-mode situation.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the type of mask converted for medical purposes.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
Looming Meat Shortages Highlight Over-Regulation of Small Farmers, Processors

In an odd twist brought upon by shutdowns triggered by the CCP virus pandemic, farmers and ranchers around the country are killing off livestock, dumping milk, and breaking eggs even as warnings emerge about impending meat shortages.

The problem lies with a handful of giant meat processing companies that take in pigs, cows, and chickens from farms to slaughter, butcher, and package the meat that Americans eventually buy in grocery stores. Outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, have forced some companies to shutter some plants, while others are operating at a reduced capacity as some workers call in sick and others stay home in fear of being infected.

As a result, the national capacity to process pork was down 41 percent on April 28, according to Steve Meyer, an economist with Kerns and Associates. Beef capacity was down roughly 25 percent and chicken down by 7 to 8 percent.

The resulting bottleneck is leaving some ranchers with few options for dealing with livestock that processors cant handle. Some have resorted to culling their herds and flocks to conserve feed and make space for new animals, resulting in food going to waste amid warnings of food shortages.

While the backlog could be relieved on a local scale by smaller meat processors, years of consolidation due to economies of scale in the meat processing industry have resulted in a handful of giant companies handling the vast majority of the business. Meanwhile, federal regulations, including the requirement for a full-time U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspector on site, make it nearly impossible for smaller meat processors to stay in business without scaling.

Theres a bridge between the farmer and the supermarket, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told The Epoch Times. Over the years, weve decided to reduce it down to one bridge, and that bridge is breaking and crumbling. There are smaller bridges, and we need to divert the traffic across those smaller bridgesthat would be the thousands of custom processors in the country. The pipeline is broken between the farm and the supermarket.

Unlike other staples, meat is uniquely vulnerable to supply chain disruption due to intense consolidation in the industry. By contrast, bakeries around the nation remain small, localized operations due to the difficulty of shipping fresh bread over large distances. As a result, if workers at one bakery fall sick, another bakery can pick up the extra business, according to Christine Cochran, executive director at Grain Foods Foundation.

In this particular pandemic, baking has a hedge in terms of their risk. Even if you have to take one bakery down because of a labor issueCOVID-19you have all these other bakeries where you can ship production to, Cochran told The Epoch Times. But in the meat industry, there is a lot more consolidation. You have these really big processing facilities.

While experts differ on the scale of the meat shortages that may take place, all agree that at least some shortages are likely to occur in some places. Massie believes the shortages will be broad and nationwide, saying, You cant shut down 25 percent of production and expect for there not to be shortages.

Meat section in a Netcost supermarket in Brooklyn on April 28, 2020. (Petr Svab/The Epoch Times)

Others, like Meyer and Gregory Conko, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, expect the shortages to be localized and limited in time. The United States has hundreds of millions of pounds of meat in cold storage, Conko pointed out, adding that even more supply is coming to the market from the foodservice industry, which has been allowed to repackage meat for consumers.

I dont think were going to have hungry people that we dont already have, Meyer told The Epoch Times. I do think that were going to have times and places that dont have fresh pork in grocery stores.

Theres unlikely to be a shortage of meat in the United States, Conko said. But what we can expect are some supply disruptions, which means that in some grocery stores at various points over the next six to eight months, were very likely to seeall of a suddenthis grocery store doesnt have pork chops, this other grocery store doesnt have enough ground beef, and things like that.

Currently, supply for poultry products exceeds demand, Gwen Venable, vice president of communications at the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, told The Epoch Times. There are also adequate supplies in cold storage.

In response to concerns about meat shortages, President Donald Trump on April 28 signed an executive order invoking the wartime Defense Production Act to compel meat processing plants to remain open amid the pandemic. The president delegated the execution of the order to Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue. The USDA didnt immediately release details on how the order would be implemented. In a statement, Perdue suggested that the federal government may assist plants with keeping employees healthy amid the pandemic.

Our nations meat and poultry processing facilities play an integral role in the continuity of our food supply chain, Perdue said. Maintaining the health and safety of these heroic employees in order to ensure that these critical facilities can continue operating is paramount.

According to Massie, who is a farmer himself and owns 60 head of cattle, the executive order doesnt resolve the fundamental vulnerability in the meat supply chain.

Their response is to add more government to a problem that the government has exacerbated, Massie said.

Instead, the congressman pointed to a bill he has introduced for the past three years that would allow local meat processors to sell meat to local grocery stores under the inspection requirements of their respective states rather than the burdensome USDA mandates. Massie views the bill as a state rights issue as long as the meat products dont cross state lines.

The pandemic has drawn attention to a battery of regulations that have stifled the nations response. The Trump administration has already waived dozens of rules to give more flexibility to federal agencies and the private sector.

Weve seen throughout this crisis, one after another after another, regulations that dont really do all that much to help the public, which had to be waived or suspended or rolled back in order to facilitate an effective response to the crisis, Conko said, adding that Massies bill would help solve the current roadblock in the meat supply chain.

A handful of major plants have shut down indefinitely due to major outbreaks of COVID-19 among the workers. In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hundreds of workers from a Smithfield Foods plant tested positive for the virus. Smithfield is owned by a Chinese food giant with ties to the CCP. The Epoch Times previously reported that representatives from the parent company regularly visited the plant, with the most recent visit occurring one month after Trump imposed a travel ban on China. Two weeks later, Tyson Foods closed its biggest pork processing plant due to an outbreak.

Employees and family members protest outside a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on April 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves File)

Both industry leaders and media reports tend to refer to looming meat shortages as food shortages, but the problem is so far limited strictly to pork, chicken, and beef. Of the three, pork is the most vulnerable because pork producers have less flexibility. Cows have a longer life expectancy and can graze for sustenance. Chickens have a short production cycle and producers began to adjust weeks ago.

Beyond fresh meat, there are no signs of current or potential shortages with other staples.

In the United States, we dont have a problem, Cochran said, in relation to grain staples such as soybeans, wheat, and corn. We had very robust crops. Much of the grain can be stored.

Some countries have imposed export bans on staples in response to the pandemic. Russia stopped wheat exports and India halted exporting rice. The export bans should prompt the Trump administration to review if halting some food exports is necessary, according to Meryl Kennedy, CEO of Kennedy Rice Mill.

The executive branch should make sure that we do have food security, Kennedy told The Epoch Times. Its not OK just to shut down a pork plant and import pork. We need to find ways to be able to produce that in our own country.

Similar to the panic-buying of toilet paper during the early days of the pandemic, news of food shortages can easily lead to consumers hoarding food. Meyer suggests Americans stick to buying only what they need.

Dont hoard the limited supply that is there. Buy what you need and leave some for somebody else, he said.

Massie, who has warned his followers on Twitter that food shortages are coming, hopes his prediction doesnt pan out. I really hope Im wrong.

There are a small number of people who told me that Im irresponsible for telling the truth because I will cause the problem to become worse, Massie said. But my belief is you tell the people the truth and let them work around it and solve the problems.
Gayle King wasn't able to celebrate her son Will Bumpus Jr.'s 33rd birthday in person, but that didn't stop her from paying tribute to her youngest child on his special day.

The CBS This Morning host took to Instagram on Tuesday to reminisce about the day she welcomed her 'favorite son' into the world over three decades ago, sharing a sweet throwback snapshot of herself in the hospital with her baby boy shortly after he was born.

'Do you know what you were doing 33 years ago today?? I do I do,' the 65-year-old mom wrote. 'Fav son @willgb3 was born & this is his first official pix ... swipe left hes changed a bit ... Happy birthday Will!'

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Paying tribute: Gayle King, 65, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a throwback photo of herself on the day she gave birth to her son William Bumpus Jr. in honor of his 33rd birthday

Memories: Another photo in the birthday tribute shows Will as a smiling little boy

Earlier this year: Gayle ended the tribute with a picture of herself posing with her son in Mexico in January during a family vacation

Taken in 1987, the first snapshot shows a 32-year-old Gayle sitting in her hospital bed, cradling her newborn son. The mom looks radiant in a white frock that matches the swaddle her baby boy is wrapped in.

There are flowers and balloons sitting on the radiator behind them as well as a number of takeout containers on the desk.

In the next photo, Will is a little boy smiling for the camera while posing for a picture outside. Gayle ended the tribute with a picture of herself posing with her son in Mexico in January.

Gayle's daughter Kirby Bumpus was in the original photo with her fiance Virgil Miller, but she cropped them out when posting her son's birthday post.

Virtual party: Per family tradition, Will was treated to Red Lobster on his birthday, though his mom had to join in via a Zoom call while they were quarantined apart

Joining in: The anchor had her own Red Lobster takeout, and she posted photos of the spread in her kitchen and plated next to her computer screen

All smiles: Will donned a Red Lobster bib and a face mask while eating outside with his family and friends

Together: Gayle's daughter Kirby Bumpus and her fiance Virgil Miller were with Will on his birthday amid the coronavirus pandemic

Six feet apart: Will's birthday guests all practiced social distancing while celebrating outside

The journalist shares both children with her ex-husband William Bumpus, whom she was married to from 1982 until 1993.

Per family tradition, Will was treated to Red Lobster on his birthday, though his mom had to join in via a Zoom call while they were quarantined apart amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Gayle shared photos of the Zoom call, which included pictures of the birthday boy enjoying his lobster with his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law while practicing social distancing.

The anchor had her own Red Lobster takeout, and she posted photos of the spread along with snapshots of her children on her computer screen.

The proud mom couldn't resist posting a video of everyone singing 'Happy Birthday' to Will before Kirby presented him with a cake.

Celebration: Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to Will before Kirby presented him with a cake

Birthday boy: Kirby ended the virtual party by having everyone give Will a round of applause

Looking back: Kirby and Virgil were also on the family trip with Gayle and Will earlier this year

Family: Gayle shares both children with her ex-husband William Bumpus, whom she was married to from 1982 until 1993. She is pictured with her kids in 2016

'Our first Zoom birthday!' Gayle said in the clip.

In another video, Kirby ended the virtual party by thanking everyone for dialing in to celebrate Will on his birthday.

'Thank you all for joining. This concludes our ceremonies for this evening. We have gathered today in celebration of Will. Let's all give him a round of applause,' she said, prompting everyone to clap for her younger brother.

'Thanks for the Zoom party Kirby,' her mom told her. 'Good job!'

Gayle explained in her post that Will has been eating Red Lobster on his birthday for the past 25 years.

'Fav son @willgb3 continues his @redlobster birthday tradition!' she wrote. 'Altho this is a first ... a zoom bd party ny-la-San Fran & @redlobster delivers! Wills been eating @redlobster on his bd since he was 8 ... hes now 33! Its the cheddar biscuits.'
Oil clawed back its recent heavy losses as output cuts from major producers seek to stymie an unprecedented global glut.

Futures rose by almost $2 in New York to around $14 a barrel. Russian oil companies will cut output by about 19% from February levels, the nations Energy Minister, Alexander Novak told the Interfax news agency. Even at $10 a barrel, some countries are having difficulty selling their oil, highlighting the collapse in demand globally.

There have been tentative signs of a recovery in European physical oil markets. Key pricing contracts in the North Sea and Russia have rallied in recent days, though there are still concerns that the world is on the brink of filling its storage capacity. Major producers were due to start output cuts on May 1, but some, including Saudi Arabia, are now curbing output early.

There is some extra bargain hunting by investors who believe that we may have seen the floor in oil prices, said Hans Van Cleef, senior energy economist at ABN Amro. Because of the low base, double-digit price gains or declines seem to be the new normal.

Storage capacity is being tested as a worldwide glut of fuels and crude expands due to the destruction of demand by the coronavirus. Still, there are tentative signs of a fledgling recovery in demand. Spains pipeline operator saw more moderate consumption declines than the previous week, while U.S. gasoline sales rose in the week ending April 18, according to OPIS.

Crude prices in New York fell below zero for the first time ever last week, causing indexes and funds to shun nearby contracts, spurring further volatility.

The S&P GSCI commodity index, a popular investment product tracked by pension funds and other global investors, said it would roll all of its June WTI contracts to July on Tuesday. The cumulative effect of all the funds reshuffling their position -- including the S&P GSCI Index -- is that about 46% of the June contracts open interest has evaporated in the past six trading sessions.
Would you know if your teen was swiping sedatives from a family medicine cabinet, and then taking them at school? Could you spot a vaping pen  used for smoking pot  in your students pencil bag?

Parents asked themselves these questions during a presentation on drug and alcohol abuse at Escondido High School Thursday night.

School officials organized the event after a spate of recent incidents at three campuses in which students became ill after taking the drug Xanax. The discussion covered the types of substances trending now, their potential side effects, and the avenues through which students are exposed to both street and prescription drugs.

I have been out of the loop on all of this because I work full time, said Melissa Navarrete, whose 15-year-old son attends the school. This whole thing is new compared to when I was in high school. As there are more mental health issues among adults, (prescription drugs) are more available to kids.

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In September, five students at San Pasqual High School in Escondido became ill after taking pills that authorities believe to be Xanax, a sedative used to treat anxiety. A month later, two other groups of Escondido students  from Rincon Middle School and Del Lago Academy  were also sickened after apparently taking the prescription drug.

Authorities said the pills they popped could be the actual medication Xanax or a counterfeit  and potentially more dangerous -- version being sold on the street.

Known as handlebars, planks, brick, Xannies and other nicknames, the drugs are dispensed in individual tablets or in multi-dose bars that can be split into individual pieces, said Yesenia Martinez, community organizer for the Escondido Drug-Free Community Coalition. Teens experimenting with the drug sometimes take the entire two-milligram bar  equivalent to four standard doses. Symptoms of Xanax use include slurred speech, shallow breathing, sluggishness, fatigue, disorientation and lack of coordination, she said.

Counterfeit versions are also up for sale. Those could be essentially inert, she said, or more potent and deadly than pharmaceutical pills.

Some pills contain little alprazolam (the active ingredient in Xanax) or more than two milligrams, Martinez said. Some can be laced with Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid thats fatal at small doses.

Some students, including high achievers, also abuse stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall, using them to stay awake or boost study sessions, she said. Once they become addicted, users sometimes crush the tablets and snort or inject them.

Marijuana, now legal, is available in myriad forms, including edible varieties attractive to kids, such as chocolate, soda and even gummy candy. It can also be consumed in vaping devices, some of which are designed to look like pens or flash drives.

Some of the kids have stuff in plain sight, she said. They hide vaping pens with their markers, so at first glance you dont see it.

Students surveyed about marijuana say pot is easier to get than alcohol and many believe it has no harmful side effects, she said. Thats in contrast to studies that show risks ranging from mental health issues to lung cancer, she said.

Those dangers are familiar to Lourdes Osornio, an Escondido High School parent who said her brother began using drugs at age 11. With three children of her own, ages 18, 15 and 11, Osornio said she came to the presentation to stay a step ahead on substance abuse.

I grew up in a neighborhood in Mexico where little kids used drugs, she said. When I grew up, I said I dont want it in my house.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man with a face mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks in front of Miraitowa and Someity, mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics at a park in Tokyo Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expanded a state of emergency to all of Japan from just Tokyo and other urban areas as the virus continues to spread. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

TOP OF THE HOUR:

Putin extends Russia's shutdown to May 11.

Britain working on virus contact tracing app.

France aims for 700,000 tests each week starting May 11.

France, Spain reveal lockdown exits.

BEIJING  China on Wednesday reported a jump in imported cases of coronavirus, but no new deaths from the disease it causes.

Out of 22 new cases, 21 were brought from abroad and one was a result of local transmission in the southern industrial province of Guangdong, the National Health Commission reported. China, the source of the worldwide pandemic, now has just 647 registered cases of COVID-19, along with just over 1,000 people under quarantine and monitoring for being suspected cases or having tested positive for the virus without showing symptoms.

China has registered a total of 4,633 deaths from the virus among 82,858 cases. Authorities have relaxed social distancing restrictions, but have maintained strict quarantine rules on those coming from abroad or other parts of the country to ward off a second wave of virus cases as summer approaches.

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DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska  Officials have opened a portion of the 92-mile road into Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Earlier this month, the park, citing travel restrictions imposed by state officials in response to coronavirus concerns, closed public access to the road. The restrictions have since been modified, and the National Park Service said Tuesday the road will be open to mile marker 12.

Further opening of the road is expected as conditions and staffing allow, the agency said in a release.

The state last week eased restrictions on travel within Alaska to allow for recreational activities. When travelling, only household members are to be in a vehicle, and stops along the way are to be minimized.

The national park is about 240 miles north of Anchorage.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. Security Council has taken no action after discussing the humanitarian situation in Venezuela behind closed doors, but its European Union members are warning the coronavirus pandemic risks having a devastating human impact in a country grappling with an already grave economic, social and humanitarian situation.

A statement by France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia and former council member Poland issued after Tuesdays meeting reiterated their concerns about the sharply deteriorating crisis in Venezuela and its destabilizing effects across the region, including its severe humanitarian consequences.

The members noted the European Union is the largest donor to Venezuelas humanitarian crisis, providing more than half of all funding, and they called for stepped up efforts to respond to the countrys underfunded humanitarian emergency.

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French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe presents his plan to exit from the lockdown at the National Assembly in Paris, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has outlined a stringent plan to fight coronavirus in France by automatically testing everyone who's come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19. (David Niviere, Pool via AP)

WASHINGTON  The Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs departments are defending their response to the coronavirus outbreak.

In a joint statement, the agencies say they have worked with FEMA to ship 4.3 million respirator masks and 1 million surgical masks along with 1.5 million gloves and 14,000 face shields to VA facilities across the country. They say an additional 1 million surgical masks will ship this week.

The VA also has made 1,500 acute and intensive care hospital beds available to non-veteran patients and is helping to provide support to state Veterans homes and private nursing homes.

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LOS ANGELES  Los Angeles County has reported 59 new COVID-19-related deaths, raising the total to 1,000.

LA County has hit the tragic milestone of 1,000 people dying from COVID-19, county public health director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. Please know that if you are grieving the loss of loved ones who have died from COVID-19, our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family, and your friends.

Los Angeles County, the nations most populous with 10 million residents, also reported 597 new cases, raising its total to 20,976.

The number of deaths in institutional settings rose to 462 and the majority were residents of skilled nursing facilities, the county said.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  After waiting more than a month to have their unemployment application processed, many Floridians were shocked this week to find their eligibility rejected even when they thought they had met the requirements.

The states CONNECT website to check status of claims was down for maintenance over the weekend, further frustrating thousands waiting for assistance after losing their jobs because of business closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak. It functioned erratically Monday, with many users getting repeated error messages.

Many who filed on the states outdated website in March have been waiting five or six weeks with their claim stuck in pending status. Many were deemed ineligible this week, despite believing they had met requirements, including proofs of prior income.

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BOSTON  Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a central Massachusetts home for aging veterans. State and federal officials are trying to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S.

While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care while the states top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action.

Sixty-six veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Monday, and the cause of another death is unknown. Another 83 residents and 81 staff have tested positive.

The homes superintendent, whos been placed on administrative leave, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were unaware of the scope of the problem there.

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NAIROBI, Kenya  Kenyas Interior minister Fred Matiangi has announced a ban on movement into and out of two of Africas largest refugee camps in a measure to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The ministers statement did not provide details, but aid organisation CARE said the camps have no capacity to deal with a possible outbreak of the virus.

CARE said in a statement that Dadaab refugee camp, in Kenyas east, has a quarantine facility for 2,000. It has more than 270,000 refugees mainly from Somalia, and a further 20,000 refugees living with the host community.

A classroom stands empty at the Fe y Alegria school in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Classes have been suspended in Venezuela since March 13, due to the quarantine decreed to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Kakuma camp in Kenyas north hosts 60,000 refugees mainly from South Sudan.

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AUGUSTA, Maine  Maine will begin reopening its economy in phases this week on a schedule that is more ambitious than most of the rest of the hard-hit Northeast.

The state will extend its broad stay-at-home order until May 31 but also begin lifting restrictions Friday, said Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat. The first stage will give residents access to personal services like barbers and drive-in churches. Later phases, to spread across the summer, will reopen restaurants, hotels, summer camps and bars.

Maine has reported over 1,000 cases of the virus and more than 50 deaths.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California schoolchildren could return to their classrooms as early as July though there likely will be modifications.

No formal decisions have been made, but Gov. Gavin Newsom is acknowledging there have been learning losses as parents have sought to teach their kids from home. Most schools and classrooms have been closed since March, when Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Districts and families have struggled to adapt to at-home learning. Starting the new school year earlier would make up for some of that lost time, Newsom says.

But schools may look radically different than before. Newsom previously said schools may launch with staggered start times to limit the number of students in the school at one time and make changes to recess, lunch and other normal school gatherings that draw large groups of students together.

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SALEM, Oregon  Facing steep budget shortfalls, the state of Oregon is furloughing workers in order to save money.

A state economist predicted that Oregons leaders will have to grapple with balancing limited revenues with increased need for programs to help Oregonians impacted by the economic shutdown to stem the coronavirus pandemic.

Things wont bounce back overnight after the restrictions are lifted, Josh Lehner, who is helping produce Oregons economic and revenue forecast, said on a webcast.

Labour Commissioner Val Hoyle announced late Monday that managers in the agency she directs, the Bureau of Labor and Industries, must take one unpaid furlough day per month through June 2021, the end of the budget cycle.

The coronavirus pandemic has collapsed our economy, Hoyle said.

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MOSCOW  Russian opposition activists have staged an online protest against lockdowns.

Participants in Tuesdays video call charged that the government has used the coronavirus outbreak to impose illegal restrictions violating peoples rights.

Opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov denounced an electronic pass system introduced in Moscow as a digital concentration camp. He also criticized the Kremlin for failing to offer tangible support to private businesses.

A partial economic shutdown ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin has kept most Russians home since late March. The measure was to expire Thursday, but Putin extended it through May 11.

Amanda Johnson buys food at Market Center in Sitka, Alaska, Friday, April 24, 2020, as Stephanie Larsen works behind a sheet of plexiglass. Many workers and shoppers are wearing face masks during the coronavirus pandemic as they go through their daily routines. (James Poulson/The Daily Sitka Sentinel via AP)

Russia has recorded 93,558 coronavirus cases and 867 deaths.

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MOSCOW  Russias prison service says it has registered more than 300 coronavirus cases.

The Federal Penitentiary Service says 271 of its personnel and 40 inmates have tested positive for the new coronavirus. It says it has conducted nearly 19,000 tests.

The announcement marked the first official acknowledgement of the contagion in Russias sprawling prison system that holds more than 600,000 inmates. Activists have warned the outbreak could quickly engulf Russias overcrowded prisons, noting the authorities failure to observe the necessary precautions and the lack of protective gear.

The prison service insisted in Tuesdays statement that it has conducted extensive medical checks of prison personnel and inmates and quarantined new arrivals.

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PRAGUE  The lower house of Czech Parliament has agreed to extend the state of emergency at the request of the government amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawmakers approved the extension to May 17. The government argued it needed the expansion until May 25 because its last restrictive measures to contain the pandemic will expire by that date. But the opposition said it didnt properly explain its demand.

The state of emergency gives the government extra powers to respond to the outbreak, including a power to limit basic rights.

Almost 7,500 people have been tested positive for the coronavirus in the Czech Republic, according to government figures released on Tuesday, 225 have died.

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FRANKFORT, Ky.  Its no joke  Tupac Shakur lives in Kentucky and needs unemployment benefits to pay his bills.

The Lexington mans name was brought up by Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday night as he spoke about how the state is trying to process all unemployment claims filed in March amid the coronavirus pandemic by the end of April.

According to Beshear, a few bad apples, including a person who filed an unemployment claim under the name of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, are responsible for slowing down the states unemployment processing.

But the Lexington Herald-Leader reports Tupac Malik Shakur, 46, who goes by Malik, lives in Lexington and worked as a cook before restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus shut down restaurants.

He filed for unemployment March 13 and has been waiting to receive his first check.

Ive been struggling for like the last month trying to figure out how to pay the bills, Shakur said.

Beshear called Shakur personally on Tuesday to apologize and Shakur said he appreciated the gesture and forgave Beshear.

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LONDON  The parent company of British Airways says the airline plans to make up to 12,000 workers redundant.

IAG says the British flagship carrier, which employs some 42,000 people, will look into a restructuring and redundancy program until demand for air travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.

The proposals are subject to consultation but they will likely affect most of BAs employees, the company said.

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UNITED NATIONS  Human Rights Watch says medical supplies to prevent and treat the new coronavirus are not reaching northeast Syria because of restrictions imposed by the Syrian government and the Kurdish regional government.

The international rights organization urged the U.N. Security Council to immediately adopt a resolution reopening the Al Yarubiyah border crossing from Iraq into the northeast, where Syrian Kurds established an autonomous zone in 2012. The crossing, which was used primarily to deliver medicine and medical supplies, was closed in January at the insistence of Russia.

Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director for Human Rights Watch, stressed at a video press briefing that this is not a political question, its a humanitarian question, (and) very easy for the Security Council to move quickly.

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MADRID  Spains prime minister says he hopes his country can scrap restrictions on movement because of the coronavirus by the end of June, after eight weeks of a phased relaxation of the rules.

But Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warns the path to loosening limits will lead to a new normal, with safeguards such as wearing masks and strict hygiene rules staying in place until a vaccine is found.

In an address to the nation, Sanchez presented a blueprint for easing restrictions based on four phases. The process begins May 4 and there will be at least two weeks between each phase as experts assess the consequences.

It is highly recommended that people wear face masks until further notice, Sanchez said.

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LUXEMBOURG  As part of its lockdown exit strategy, Luxembourg plans to test the whole of its population for COVID-19.

The Luxembourg government says tests will be conducted on a voluntary basis and aim at avoiding a second wave of infections. As of Tuesday, 3,741 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in the tiny country of 600,000 inhabitants, including 89 deaths.

The Grand Duchy government says 17 test stations will be set up across the country, where cross-border commuters can also be tested.

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LONDON  An official says the British governments virus contact tracing app will be ready in two to three weeks.

Britain and many other countries are developing mobile apps to help reduce infections after they ease lockdown restrictions.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Matthew Gould, CEO of the National Health Services digital transformation unit, says a San Francisco-based software company Pivotal Labs has done most of the work building the app.

He told Parliaments science and technology select committee the rollout will be part of a wider post-lockdown strategy that includes expanded testing.

The app will use Bluetooth signals to anonymously log when a user comes into close contact with others. The data is kept on devices. But if users later develop COVID-19 symptoms or get positive test result, they can choose to upload the data to a central server so those contacts can be alerted.

Gould says such an approach would maintain user privacy while allowing authorities to see any patterns in the movement of the virus.

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Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Clay County Sheriff's Office deputy accused of sexual assault of inmate KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Clay County Sheriff's Office is investigating allegations of a sexual assault by one of its deputies. The department said the deputy was placed on administrative leave April 25 after an inmate said the deputy sexually assaulted him inside the Clay County Jail.

Nasty Northland allegations for this enclave where political control is up for grabs among some of the very worst suburbanites . . . Read more:
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April 29, 2020 Pangilinan: Hasten release of P3B financial aid to rice farmers, decentralize disbursement from Land Bank Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Wednesday suggested that the government fast-track the release of financial aid to COVID quarantine-affected farmers by decentralizing disbursement from Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). Malacanan's fifth report to Congress submitted 27 April 2020 showed that the Department of Agriculture's financial subsidy to rice farmers (FSRF) reached only 53,881 (or 9.11%) out of 591,246 targeted farmers, and P645 million of FSRF's P3 billion has been utilized. "The disbursement of the FSRF has been painfully slow because it is still centralized with Land Bank. The Bayanihan Law was passed with so much urgency precisely to fast-track help to those who need it most," Pangilinan pointed out. To overcome the long process of printing cash cards and Land Bank's limited banking hours and branches, the farmer-senator suggested that government also use third party partners like the Development Bank of the Philippines, countryside financial institutions, cooperatives, telecommunications companies, remittance centers, rural banks-managed ATMs, and other similar entities. The government-imposed lockdown on logistics and public transport has clogged the food supply chain, causing the absurd situation of hungry Metro Manila residents and a glut in agricultural crops in food-producing areas. "The use of other disbursement options is already allowed under the Bayanihan Law," said Pangilinan, citing Section 4 of the law authorizing the President to exercise powers that are necessary and proper to carry out the declared national policy. Pangilinan has also called on local government officials to directly buy their for-distribution food packs from farmers. He noted that the Government Procurement Policy Board of the Department of Budget and Management has allowed direct purchase with minimal documentation requirements. "Pwede nang diretsong mabilhan ang mga magsasaka kahit na certification lang mula sa mga barangay na siya nga ay magsasaka," he said. Pangilinan said a system of direct purchase will benefit everyone: the consumer with lower food cost and the farmer with guaranteed, and possibly increased, income.
MUSKEGON, MI  Bishop Nathaniel Wyoming Wells Jr., a stalwart community leader who advocated for affordable housing and led his Muskegon congregation for more than four decades, was among Muskegons earliest victims of the novel coronavirus.

Wells, who presided over Muskegons Holy Trinity Institutional Church of God in Christ, 2140 Valley St., died on March 24, according to an announcement shared by his denomination, of which he was a general board member.

Wells cause of death was COVID-19, his son, Elder Nathaniel Wells III, told MLive. He was one of several dozen clergymen affiliated with the Church of God in Christ who have died of the virus in recent weeks.

It was really surprising, said the younger Wells. It caught us all by surprise.

Wells, 78, was one of the first two coronavirus-related deaths announced in the county by the Muskegon County health department on Friday, March 27.

An advocate for the poor

Bishop Wells was a leading community advocate for the poor throughout his ministerial career. He served as senior pastor for the Muskegon Holy Trinity church for almost 44 years.

He envisioned ministering just not to the spiritual side of human beings, but to the natural, or physical, side and to the emotional strengthening of people, said his son, Elder Wells.

It was that belief, and Bishop Wells establishment of programs in education, housing, transportation and child care, that led to his Total Man Ministry that was adopted nationally by COGIC.

We have always spiritualized our people, but we have never done total man ministry," he told the Muskegon Chronicle in 2000. "We dont minister to the mind and body as well as the spirit.

In 1991, he founded the Trinity Nonprofit Housing Corporation, which built and operated affordable housing developments in Muskegon County, as well as Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor, Saginaw and Chicago, Ill., among other places.

Bishop Wells also was founder of the Tri-Valley Academy charter school in 1995, which closed in 2008.

Bishop Nathaniel W. Wells, Jr. of Holy Trinity, right, hugs the Rabbi Alan Alpert of Congregation B'nai Israel before the start of a meeting with Gov. Jennifer Granholm at Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ in 2005.

He received numerous community awards, including the Most Influential Person of the Year in Muskegon in 2003, the Muskegon County Economic Development Award in 2000, the Muskegon Bar Associations Liberty Bell Award in 2000 and the statewide Jeanne Peterson Award in Affordable Housing in 1999. In 1975, he was named an NAACP Man of the Year.

Wells also was a significant leader in the national denomination, for which he was a general board member for 19 years. COGIC is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States.

He earned a doctorate degree in theology from Midwest Theological University in 2014.

My father was just a great guy, said Elder Wells. Very honest man, loved his wife, loved his family. His family was his world. And then, of course, the church ministry was also his world, too.

He touched a lot of lives, said Elder Wells III. So many people, just not locally, but so many people nationally just really loved my dad.

A "shocking loss

The illness beset Wells quickly, said Glen Douglas Gray, who oversaw communications for Wells, and who described him as a father figure.

In early March, just as coronavirus was beginning to ramp up in Michigan and elsewhere, the two men flew to Connecticut for a conference of his denomination, and then to Chicago for another meeting.

Shortly after they returned to Muskegon, Gray came down with a horrible illness, he said.

I felt pain I never felt before, he said, including chest pains, muscle aches, a sore throat and shortness of breath. I thought somebody was standing on my chest.

Gray said he received a presumed confirmation that he had COVID-19, and recovered the weekend of March 20. He spoke with Wells that Sunday, he said.

Then, on Tuesday, March 24, he received word that Wells had died.

It was horribly shocking, Gray said.

Outside the Holy Trinity Institutional Church of God in Christ on Valley Street in Muskegon, Michigan, on Thursday, April 23, 2020. Alison Zywicki | azywicki

Bishop Wells death reflects a disturbing pattern in the course of COVID-19: its disproportionate effect on black communities.

Although the novel coronavirus has affected people of all backgrounds, African Americans have been diagnosed at disproportionate rates nationwide. In Muskegon, at least 40 percent of coronavirus patients are African American, although African Americans make up only 14 percent of all county residents.

This pattern is reflected statewide: African American comprise about 14 percent of the total Michigan population, but account for 32 percent of confirmed cases and 41 percent of COVID-19 deaths.

On Thursday, April 9, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the creation of a task force dedicated to studying and addressing the virus racially disparate impacts, calling deaths among African Americans staggering."

This virus is holding up a mirror to our society and reminding us of the deep inequities in our country, Whitmer said at the time. From basic lack of access to care, to access to transportation, to lack of protections in the workplace, these inequities hit people of color and vulnerable communities the hardest.

Those disparities are likewise reflected among the ranks of Wells denomination, the Church of God in Christ, which is predominantly African

American.

Wells was among at least 10 Michigan clergymen affiliated with the church who have succumbed to COVID-19.

First Assistant Presiding Bishop Philip A. Brooks, who occupied the denominations second-highest leadership post, died of the disease on April 9, according to the Detroit News,

Between March 25 and April 3, Flint-based Bishop Robert Earl Smith Sr., Pastor Kevelin Jones and Elder Philip Parish died of COVID-19, MLive reported earlier. All the men belong to the COGIC national denomination.

Other Michigan COGIC pastors who have died from COVID-19 include Bishop Robert L. Harris, John D. Beverly, Leon R. McPherson, Sr., Myron Lett, all of Detroit, and Paul E. Hester, Sr., of Southfield, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.

Sign outside the Holy Trinity Institutional Church of God in Christ on Valley Street in Muskegon, Michigan on Thursday, April 23, 2020. The church's pastor, Bishop Nathaniel W. Wells, Jr., died last month from COVID-19. Alison Zywicki | azywicki

Nationwide, as many as 30 church leaders have died of COVID-19, according to the Washington Post. That outlet has reported that two major, regional meetings of the denomination, held in mid-March, as well as funerals held within the church, may have sparked the sudden spread.

In a statement released March 25, the day after Wells death, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., the denominations leader, issued a statement stating that we have now experienced losses of both leaders and laity within our denominational body due to coronavirus. He called for a day of fasting and prayer.

Wells congregation heartbroken

Wells, survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Ann Houston-Wells, had six children, 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren, according to his churchs website.

His son, Elder Wells, has taken over leadership of his fathers church while continuing to also serve as pastor for another congregation in Benton Harbor, where he lives.

Bishop Wells also leaves behind a heartbroken congregation, his son said  a community that relied upon him for wisdom and support. The loss is especially great at a time when so many people are looking for comfort and community.

The last month and a half has been real different from anything Ive ever been through, said Gray, whose solemn duty, as the Bishops communications manager, was to inform Wells congregants that the pastors final homegoing ceremony would be postponed because of social distancing guidelines. You cant grieve properly.

Elder Wells was able to preside over a small graveside burial for his father in Benton Harbor, where he was laid to rest next to his parents. When the state of emergency passes, there will be a national ceremony to celebrate the life of Nathaniel Wyoming Wells Jr.

If theres any message that I have tried to convey, its that we are all in this together, said Elder Wells. We will continue to move forward his vision, and keep his legacy going and alive.

Follow MLives complete coronavirus coverage here

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

Read more on MLive:

Five Flint coronavirus deaths linked by church and family

The coronavirus was tailor made to devastate densely populated black Michigan communities

Muskegon health worker on front lines of coronavirus fight: Theyre 'declining so fast
One of Northern Ireland's leading trade unions has hit out at a "disgraceful" plan by one of our local councils to axe 73 jobs.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council informed all agency and short service staff on Tuesday that they are proposing to lay them off due to financial pressures caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.

They were informed by email - a copy of which has been leaked to the Belfast Telegraph - sent and signed by Andrea McCooke, the Director of Organisation Development with the council.

The letter stated that at a council meeting on Monday "an emergency financial plan was agreed and some very difficult decisions have been made".

It continued: "As a matter of urgency and to reduce costs, it is proposed that all agency and short service staff that are not essential to the operation of the Council, will be terminated with one week's notice from the date on which the final decision will be made and communicated to those directly affected.

"Your manager may have already contacted you by phone to explain that because you have short service, of less than one year, it is proposed to end your contact with the Council."

This is a disgraceful approach by council officials and threatens to leave 73 workers without any income, facing immediate deprivation in the middle of the worst public health crisis in generations Kieran Ellison, Unite Regional Officer

The missive states that the council has "commenced consultation with the trade unions regarding our proposals" and that it is set to close at 5pm on Tuesday.

Kieran Ellison, Unite Regional Officer with responsibility for members working for the council, warned that they would be challenging the approach taken by management and their plans for a large-scale lay-off of workers on permanent, fixed term and agency contracts. He said: "Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council management has given the trade unions, Unite, GMB and NIPSA, effectively 48 hours' notice of plans to dismiss 73 workers in response to a pending financial squeeze.

"We will be challenging the council robustly on their interpretation of the consultation.

"At a meeting last night (Monday), council officials effectively provided elected representatives a fait accompli in regard to the need for job losses.

"The plans are to dismiss by the end of the week: 27 agency workers, 17 workers on temporary fixed-term contracts and 29 permanent workers with less than one year's employment - all workers with no redundancy entitlement.

"This is a disgraceful approach by council officials and threatens to leave 73 workers without any income, facing immediate deprivation in the middle of the worst public health crisis in generations."

A councillor was asked to comment but he said members were unable to do while the consultation takes place and because the meeting was held in camera.

In her email Mrs McCooke said she was sending it "with regret" and that the decision was made because "a budgetary review has been completed to help secure our future financial stability" during the pandemic.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be conducting all remaining examinations of 29 subjects for Class 10 and Class 12 students after assessing the situation once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be conducting all remaining examinations of 29 subjects for Class 10 and Class 12 students after assessing the situation once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

CBSE shared a press release on their official Twitter handle where they revealed that there is no change in their position of holding board examinations.

CBSE clarified that adequate time of around 10 days will be given to all stakeholders before starting the examinations.

In a tweet, earlier in the day, CBSE said: Recently there has been a lot of speculation regarding 10th CBSE Board exams. It is reiterated that the board's decision to take board exams for 29 subjects of Class 10 and 12, stands the same as mentioned in circular dated 1.4.20.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had urged the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry to cancel the pending exams for Class 10 and 12 and promote students on the basis of internal examinations.

Sisodia recommended a 30 percent reduction in curriculum for the next session and said that exams like JEE, NEET be conducted on the basis of reduced syllabus.

According to a report in NDTV, subjects for which exams for Class 12 are set to be conducted are Computer Science, Geography, Hindi, Sociology and Business Studies.

For Class 12 students of Delhi's northeast region where exams had stalled due to the violence that broke out in February, subjects like English (elective and core), Economics, Mathematics, Biology, History and Political Science too are to be assessed.

Students of Class 10 from northeast Delhi, will similarly sit for Hindi, English, Science and Social Science exams.
HOLYOKE, Mass., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- During a remote public hearing on Thursday, April 30, a coalition of registered nurses with the Massachusetts Nurses Association, along with patients, families, advocates and other healthcare unions will urge the Department of Public Health to deem essential and halt the closure of Trinity Health-owned 74 child and adult psychiatric beds at Providence Behavioral Health Hospital and a methadone clinic in Springfield that serves approximately 600 patients.

DPH Hearing Info

Timing: Thursday, April 30, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

How to Join: Members of the public and other interested parties may join the hearing by phone using the following information: Phone Number: 888-390-5007, Passcode: 2972720

Written Comments: May be submitted to the Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification, Attn: Closure Coordinator, 67 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752 or by email to [email protected] .

Process: Will begin with an introduction to the process by DPH, and then a brief opening statement from the hospital. Following comments by elected officials, DPH will take comments from callers who wish to speak, using the operator to do so. As with other hearings, DPH will ask callers to limit their remarks to three minutes or less so that they can hear from as many people as possible that evening.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, a non-profit grassroots organization founded in 1982, issued this statement about the proposed closure: "NAMI Mass opposes the closing of the beds and services Providence Hospital provides at a time when we see those with acute behavioral health conditions being boarded in hospital emergency departments for several hours to several days waiting for bed to open. And this is even worse for children and adolescents, where there is a severe shortage of services in Massachusetts for these, our most vulnerable family members."

"These proposed closures would devastate an already strained mental health system," said Cindy Chaplin, RN at Providence and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "Right now, we need to maximize capacity in emergency departments and other hospitals units, not decrease services. When everyone else in Massachusetts agrees we should be making it easier for patients to get high-quality mental healthcare, Trinity Health is going in the opposite direction."

Michelle Reardon, Vice President of UAW Local 2322 and a recovery specialist at Providence Hospital, said, "The decision by Trinity Health to close Providence Hospital's psychiatric units in the middle of a public health emergency is heartless and irresponsible. Our members are concerned about our patients being stranded in emergency departments or in the community, where they are in danger of catching and spreading COVID-19. Trinity's license comes with a duty to serve the community, not just its bottom line."

Mental health is public health and the closure of these services would have a devastating impact on our communities. The lack of quality inpatient mental health services and the impact of that shortage on patients, their families and communities has been widely documented. The child psychiatric beds in particular are extremely essential. The closest inpatient child mental health services to Providence Hospital are more than an hour away in Worcester.

Trinity's plan would also put additional strain on a system facing a public health crisis in COVID-19. As guidance from DPH has stated, "the surge in volume of patients with possible exposure to or symptoms of COVID-19 illness" could "overwhelm the capacity of emergency departments" (Circular Letter DHCQ 02-03-701). Patients should not have to choose between seeking mental healthcare in an emergency department full of potential COVID-19 patients and not receiving care at all.

The way Trinity has responded to COVID-19 has exacerbated the risk associated with closing these beds. Trinity has not provided proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to staff, has not appropriately isolated COVID-19 positive patients and suspected COVID-19 patients, and has cancelled or laid off staff rather than provide fair redeployment and paid time off protocols. These failures mean that patients receiving inpatient care at Providence could re-enter the community as a result of the closure and spread the virus.

The coalition is also asking Trinity to stop its own plan to close these essential services. Trinity's purported reason for closing is that it cannot find psychiatrists. Our understanding is that Trinity had planned to close the beds and psychiatrists learned of this decision and found other patient care opportunities. We know of qualified psychiatrists in the area who were never asked by Trinity to staff the beds at Providence, despite Trinity's claim that it could not find them.

In 2017, Trinity closed 12 of 24 beds in the child and adolescent psychiatric unit at Providence Hospital for renovations. Trinity has since refused to re-open the beds and instead cut staff who care for children. They did not officially close these beds. They are currently licensed and among those proposed for closure on June 30. Trinity is claiming its census is low on the 74 beds it wants to close, except it already unofficially closed 12 of those beds. Whatever census numbers it provides are artificially low.

Trinity does not appear unable to keep the beds open for financial reasons. Operating 92 hospitals and 106 continuing care facilities in 22 states, Trinity has annual operating revenues of $19.3 billion, and assets of $27 billion, according to Trinity's own public statements.

The federal government and Massachusetts have also committed to assisting hospitals as they face the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Charlie Baker announced a plan on April 7 to send an additional $800 million to healthcare providers. Asked about the furloughs of nurses at St. Vincent Hospital during a press conference April 16, Gov. Baker said the state has provided almost $1 billion to the health care industry to ensure financial stability. Congress has also approved $100 billion in funding for hospitals in response to the pandemic.

Massachusetts Mental Health Crisis

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has documented this problem at https://www.mspcc.org/boarding-crisis.

The Boston Globe has reported that "Some patients with mental illness, particularly children, are spending days stuck in tiny windowless rooms in hospital emergency departments waiting for treatment..." https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/07/17/long-waits-persist-for-children-mental-health-crises/iD2trxkXIlYtqmsuoqTWII/story.html

The National Council on Aging reports that "Two-thirds of older adults with mental health problems do not receive the treatment they need. Current preventative services for this population are extremely limited." https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/healthy-aging-facts/#intraPageNav2

The DMH details the long wait times for mental health treatment for children, many of whom wait days in emergency departments for inpatient care. Children wait 4 or more days for inpatient mental health care 3 times as often as adults: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dmh/publications/acute-inpatient-services-special-populations.pdf

A 2013 New England Journal of Medicine article noted the "silver tsunami" of aging adults who will have mental health problems but a lack of treatment availability: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1211456#t=article

A MassLive.com article describes the mother of a 6-year-old in Berkshire County struggling to find timely mental health services for her son and details statewide data showing psychiatric patients face long waits for treatment: https://articles.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/12/massachusetts_children_with_me.amp

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses  Instagram.com/MassNurses

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association

Related Links

http://www.massnurses.org


LONGPORT  Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Brigid Callahan Harrison marked Israels national Day of Independence Tuesday by announcing detailed positions in support of Israel and a two-state solution for peace with the Palestinians.

The date marked the 1948 Israeli Declaration of Independence and establishment of the State of Israel, Harrison said in a news release.

Part of the two-state solution should include the creation of a dual-capital city in Jerusalem, and the negotiation of mutually agreed upon land swaps that would make both Israel and the Palestinians whole based on the 1967 armistice lines, Harrison said.

NJEA endorses Amy Kennedy in 2nd Congressional District race The New Jersey Education Associations political action committee has endorsed Amy Kennedy, 

Harrison is one of several Democrats running for a chance to unseat Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew in November. New Jerseys primary is July 7.

She said the U.S. should discourage unilateral actions that would undercut the two-state solution, including the Israeli occupation of and expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the destruction of Palestinian communities to facilitate settlements; the support of terrorism by Hamas; and the use of divisive rhetoric by Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
New Delhi, April 29 : Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday exhorted the electronics industry to explore the new opportunities that are arising out of adversity and make the country the global hub of electronics manufacturing.

During a meeting with electronics industry associations, chambers and prominent industry players, Prasad asked the electronics industry to take advantage of the opportunity and new schemes notified by the ministry, attract global investment and strengthen the sector. He emphasised the role of the medical electronics industry that is at a point of a complete turnaround.

The ministry officials presented the current Covid-19 situation and it was announced that the Aarogya Setu app has reached around 8 crore mobile phones in the country.

The efforts made by the the ministry to handle the situation in the short term, medium term & long term perspective to minimise the effect of Covid-19 were presented during the meeting.

It was also mentioned that major electronics manufacturing clusters are facing local restrictions because of their presence in high risk zones like Noida, Greater Noida, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh.

Officials also appreciated the support received from the industry in formulation of new schemes for promotion of electronics industry and SOP Guidelines for Covid-19.

The Union Minister apprised the industry that the requests regarding broadening the definition of essential goods to ICT products, retail/online sale of ICT essential goods, authorised sales and services of ICT essential goods has already been taken up with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Under the newly notified schemes of the MeitY to promote electronics manufacturing, the Central government will provide a financial support of Rs 50,000 crore for ESDM industry. Further, he mentioned that MeitY's initiatives like Aarogya Setu, Aadhar, Digital payments etc. have played a very important role in fighting against Covid-19.

Industry representatives presented the "Restart, Restore and Resurgence" model to capture the global opportunity in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector.

The majority of the participants appreciated the new trilogy of schemes of MeitY, namely, PLI, SPECS and EMC2.0; to support the electronics manufacturing sector. Industry raised various issues related to working of factories, logistics, export, supply chain disruption and demand shock due to Covid-19.

Prasad instructed the ministry officials to extend full support to the industry and liaison with states/UTs for reopening of electronics manufacturing facilities.

The meeting was attended by major associations i.e. Manufacturers Association for Information Technology (MAIT), Indian Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA), Consumer Electronics & Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA), Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA), Electric Lamp and Components Manufacturers Association of India (ELCOMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMED), Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India (TEMA), PhD Chambers, and Indian Telephone Industry Ltd (ITI).

It was also attended by various Industry leaders in mobile, consumer electronics, telecom and other segments of electronics manufacturing such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Foxconn, Lava, Wistron, Oppo, Flex, Sterlite, Micromax, Deki Electronics, Tejas Networks Ltd, Panasonic.
As Ireland enters a crucial phase in the fight against the virus, the three principal response agencies that make up the South East Regional Steering Group (An Garda Siochana, the HSE and the five local authorities) have thanked people for their work on stopping the spread of Covid-19.

Ahead of the May Bank Holiday weekend, representatives of, An Garda Siochana, the HSE and Kilkenny County Council are appealing to everyone in Kilkenny to continue their impressive efforts.

In an effort to deter people from travelling more than two kilometres, local authorities have closed car parks at many amenities and attractions. Colette Byrne, Chair of the Regional Steering Group and Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council has urged people not to allow everyones hard work to be undermined and to #Stay Safe and, where possible, #Stay at Home.

Kate Killeen White, Chief Officer South East Community Healthcare chairs the HSE Crisis Management Team (CMT) has acknowledged that the collective actions of communities in the region is clearly making a difference but it is crucial that everyone keeps up those efforts:

We know its hard, especially in terms of being apart from families and friends but it is helping to protect and keep our communities - especially vulnerable people and healthcare workers - safe. I want to particularly appeal to young people - we in the healthcare community need you to keep that effort going for another while.

Dominic Hayes, Garda Chief Superintendent for the Carlow/Kilkenny area, warned that there will be a very visible Garda presence across both counties and the South East this weekend  making sure that no one is travelling more than two kilometres from home without a valid reason:

Our members will operate an extensive network of checkpoints across both counties this weekend, to ensure public compliance with the travel restrictions in place as part of Covid-19 public health guidelines," he said.

"There has been very good compliance with the travel restrictions and we want to thank the public for this. However, it is vital that this continues over the coming days and weeks. It will save lives. In particular, we would ask people who are thinking of travelling to parks, tourist locations or holiday homes outside of the two kilometre limit this weekend not to do so. If you are stopped at a checkpoint, you will be turned back.

The South East Regional Steering Group urges everyone to please play their part and #Stay Safe, # Stop the Spread this May Bank Holiday weekend.
Jerri-Lynn here. Not content with pushing his judicial nomination agenda alone, Mitch McConnell has allied with the usual tort reform suspects here, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to further circumscribe corporate immunity for certain COVID-19 claims.

This program is one that many Democrats could get on board with. I note that when George W. Bush was President, some Democrats voted in favour of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005  including a certain then-junior Senator from Illinois. This was part of a broad agenda of statutory and procedural measures that pushed the balance away from plaintiffs towards corporate defendants (further reinforced by judicial selection).

See the similar waffling from Sen. Chuck Schumer mentioned in this short piece. What will he ultimately do? I wouldnt bet on him and other congressional weasels, Republicans and Democrats, doing the right thing here and shutting down these mooted changes to the existing tort law framework, thus leaving workers who get sick as a result of corporate negligence without any legal recourse.

By Jake Johnson, staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding that Congress use the next Covid-19 stimulus bill to shield corporations from legal responsibility for workers who contract the novel coronavirus on the job, throwing his support behind a proposal pushed in recent weeks by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other right-wing organizations.

The Kentucky Republican said in a statement Monday that companies could be hit with years of endless lawsuits if Congress doesnt provide employers with liability protections as states begin reopening their economies.

McConnell wants to immunize companies from liability when they make their workers go back to work, and those workers inevitably get sick, tweeted The Atlantics Adam Serwer.

In a Monday interview on Fox News Radio on the heels of his statement, McConnell said he considers liability protections for companies a non-negotiable demand for the next coronavirus stimulus legislation. Progressives are calling for a package that provides more protections for frontline workers and the unemployed.

Thats going to be my red line, McConnell said. Trial lawyers are sharpening their pencils to come after healthcare providers and businesses, arguing that somehow the decision they made with regard to reopening adversely affected the health of someone else.

Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, tweeted that McConnell is arguing that companies should have the right to be negligent, and suffer no consequences for negligence that kills their staff.

At the present moment, do we want to tweak incentives to make employers more negligent, or less negligent? Wolfers asked.

Heres the argument: Tort law makes employers liable for being negligent with the lives of their workers and customers. McConnell is arguing that they should have the right to be negligent, and suffer no consequences for negligence that kills their staff. https://t.co/tX3eDTjnRP  Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) April 27, 2020

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) called McConnells demand for corporate immunity subterfuge in an interview on MSNBC Tuesday morning, but did not rule out the proposal as part of a broader relief package.

Drew Hammill, deputy chief of staff for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), told Politico that the House has no interest in diminishing protections for employees and customers.

McConnells comments came a week after President Donald Trump said the White House is looking for ways to protect companies from legal action by workers who are infected with Covid-19 on the job.

We are trying to take liability away from these companies, Trump told reporters during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last Monday. We just dont want that because we want the companies to open and to open strong.

The Washington Post reported last week that the Trump administration is exploring the possibility of issuing through executive action a liability waiver that would clear businesses of legal responsibility from employees who contract the coronavirus on the job.

In recent days, the White House has considered whether the liability waiver should apply to employees, too, for instance to include a waiter who fears being sued by a customer, the Post reported. This idea would require congressional approval, and its fate among Democrats is unclear.

Debbie Berkowitz, director of the worker safety and health program at the National Employment Law Project, called the push for a liability waiver for corporations horrible.

The idea companies can be held accountable is absolutely crucial to protecting workers, Berkowitz told the Post. The proposal to shield companies from liability, she said, is one of the most appalling things Ive heard in the context of this crisis.
104 new cases of coronavirus



infection were reported in Pune district since previous night, taking the tally to 1,595, a health official said on Wednesday.

With deaths of three COVID-19 patients reported on Wednesday, the death toll in the district reached 86.

"In Pune Municipal limits, a total of 93 new cases of infection were reported in the last 24 hours taking the city total to 1,413. In PCMC (Pimpri Chinchwad), seven COVID-19 cases were reported. In rural part of the district, the number has gone up to 72 with four more cases," said a health official.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sabry Ghobriel and Ragaa Taodros have been married for 45 years.

They immigrated legally from Egypt nearly three years ago to be closer to their three children and eight grandchildren who live in the U.S. and Canada.

Ghobriel, 76, said he worked two jobs before the coronavirus pandemic hit, one as a school bus aide in Newark and the other as a security guard.

I would wake up at 5 a.m. every morning to pick up kids for school and go home, sleep for a couple of hours and then go to my second job from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. to avoid running out of money, he said.

He lost both jobs on March 13.

Taodros, 65, worked as a school bus aide, too. She also lost her position on March 13.

The Lyndhurst couple has been living for 48 days without a penny of income.

Well, almost.

They both filed for unemployment benefits. Neither has received what they were hoping to get.

Ghobriel first filed when he lost the jobs. But on March 20, his security guard employer asked him to work for one day. He reported it to unemployment and that lowered his unemployment benefits so he received one benefit check of $54. He has yet to get additional unemployment benefits based on his past two jobs.

After that week, I have been filing my claim every week and I'm not getting anything. It says you are eligible for $0 every week, he said. We don't deserve this. We are hard workers that paid taxes. We were on W-2 and paid taxes every year.

His wife hasnt had it any easier. Her claim was denied.

Im trying to be calm but this is very disappointing and frustrating, Taodros said. If at least one of us got benefits  that would have helped  but to have both of us without any answers is adding more stress to both of us.

They are both permanent residents  green card holders  so that makes them eligible for the CARES Act stimulus payment. But that hasnt come through yet, either.

Most people their age would be eligible for Social Security benefits, but the couple hasnt worked here long enough to qualify.

They said they havent been able to pay their bills.

I am depending on my children for funds. They paid my rent, medical insurance and car insurance last month and they agreed to pay them again this month, he said. But this is a loan. I have to pay them back when I go back to work or get my unemployment.

Ghobriel said the Labor Department could do better. Should do better.

New Jersey has let them down, he said.

At the time I need them most, the least they could do is answer our phone calls or set up a system that allows us to communicate with them and resolve our issues, but we feel we are talking to a wall, he said.

He said the phone lines are always busy or he gets a message saying representatives are busy and he should call back the next business day.

If you are understaffed, authorize overtime. Work seven days a week to resolve our issues, he said. Extend the staff hours. There are solutions.

What's even more frustrating is the state of denial and the fact that we don't know when this will get resolved, Taodros added. And what if they dont pay us?

Thursday will be day 49.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at bamboozled@njadvancemedia.com.
Hong Kong's Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a jailed Hong Kong politician who advocated "separation" between the former British colony and mainland China, upholding his six-year jail term for "rioting" during the 2016 "fishball revolution" in Mong Kok.



Edward Leung, who is widely regarded as the "spiritual leader" of the pro-democracy and anti-extradition protest movement, once headed the now-defunct political group Hong Kong Indigenous, which campaigned for Hong Kong to be allowed to maintain its separation from mainland China.



He is credited with coining the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution in Our Time," during his 2016 Legislative Council election campaign, a cry which became the rallying cry of the protest movement that rocked the city for several months beginning last June.



The Court of Appeal said the sentence was not excessive, "given the circumstances surrounding the riot at Argyle Street, including the fact that for no reason, and when there was no confrontation, the assembled crowd attacked police officers with no anti-riot gear from behind and also the severity of the violence used."



The clashes came after Hong Kong Indigenous mobilized people to gather in the area Feb. 8, 2016, in support of unlicensed hawkers who had been raided by police in Mong Kok.



The court said Leung's personal beliefs that Hong Kong should maintain its separate identity didn't lessen his culpability.



It also dismissed appeals from fellow defendants Wong Ka-kui and Lo Kin-man, who are serving three-and-a-half and seven-year jail terms respectively. Lo's lawyer said he would appeal to the Court of Final Appeal.



Support continues



Leung, who was convicted of "assaulting a police officer" and "rioting" during the Mong Kok unrest, didn't appear in court on Wednesday, but a crowd of supporters gathered outside the building with banners, shouting slogans.



A supporter who gave only his surname Chan said he was disappointed with the judgment, and that he believed Leung should have gotten a reduction in sentence.



"I'm very disappointed," Chan said. "Maybe the judge disapproved of his methods at the time, and he was perhaps due for a punishment, but I don't think it should have been so long."



Chan said support continues for Leung even while he is in jail.



"I want him to know that he is not alone," Chan said. "Many people remember him, even though he's in jail."



"Maybe his methods aren't acceptable to the average person ... but I want to thank him for his efforts."



Civic Party lawmaker Alvin Yeung said the decision might herald a new era of much tougher sentencing for people convicted of rioting by Hong Kong's courts.



"Of course it's a shame that young people who care passionately about Hong Kong are facing such long sentences," Yeung said. "But the sentencing guidelines given by the Court of Appeal have to be followed by the lower courts, which will likely set an unshakeable precedent."



Pressure from Beijing



Hong Kong Indigenous was founded to campaign for the maintenance of a separate identity for Hong Kong since the 1997 handover to mainland China, but Beijing has put pressure on Hong Kong officials in recent years to ensure that no one advocating greater independence or autonomy for the city can take part in public life.



Plans by Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam to allow the extradition of alleged criminal suspects to face trial in mainland China sparked mass street protests starting in early June that were soon followed by widespread public anger at police use of force against peaceful demonstrators, and demands for fully democratic elections.



Lam has since formally withdrawn the hated amendments to the city's extradition laws, but has stopped short of meeting protesters' demands for an amnesty for arrestees, an independent public inquiry into police violence and abuse of power, an end to the description of protesters as "rioters," and fully democratic elections.



A January opinion poll by Reuters found that most of Hong Kong's residents supported the five demands of the protest movement, with more than one third of respondents saying they had attended a protest.



Only 30 percent said they were opposed, compared with 59 percent of those polled who supported the movement.



Reported by Lau Siu-fung for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Stacey Hampton was recently forced to defend her frequent flights between Adelaide and Melbourne during the coronavirus pandemic, insisting they are 'essential travel' for work purposes.

And on Tuesday, the Married At First Sight star gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her latest business trip - and it's very glamorous to say the least

Stacey, 26, is currently staying at the five-star Crown Towers Melbourne with her best friend, Bitcoin investor Anthony Hess.

All work, all play! Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton, 26, is staying at the five-star Crown Towers hotel with her friend Anthony Hess (pictured together on Tuesday). The reality star flew from Adelaide to Melbourne earlier this week on what she describes as an 'essential' work trip

Anthony has been documenting their trip on social media, posting elevator selfies with Stacey, photos of expensive champagne, and videos of their luxury suite.

He also shared a photo of all the room service they had ordered, including fries, chicken nuggets, sandwiches, steamed vegetables, risotto and more.

Earlier that day, they had arrived at the hotel in a brand new Range Rover.

Cheers! The blonde businesswoman sipped champagne in the hotel lobby in this photo shared to Instagram by Bitcoin investor Anthony Hess

Power couple: Anthony has been documenting their trip on social media, posting elevator selfies with Stacey (left) and videos of the law graduate strolling through the lobby (right)

Since March 21, Stacey has flown almost 6,000km on four round trips - but she insists they are all 'essential travel'.

The law graduate turned aspiring influencer told Daily Mail Australia she has been following the government's advice on business trips and self-isolating in hotels during any downtime.

'I've been travelling to Melbourne for my charity and I also do essential service work for a transport company every second week,' Stacey said on Tuesday.

Bottoms up! Anthony and Stacey ordered a bottle of champagne to their luxury suite

'I'm only travelling to and from business locations, otherwise I'm isolating in my hotel until I return. I do the legal and accounts for the transport company [in Melbourne].'

The mother-of-two supposedly has 'clearance' to travel for work during the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of Australians stay at home to help flatten the curve.

Stacey, who lives in Adelaide with her two sons, Kosta and Kruz, was pictured in Melbourne on March 21, returning to her luxury Crown Towers suite.

Feast: Anthony also shared a photo of all the room service they had ordered, including fries, chicken nuggets, sandwiches, steamed vegetables, risotto and more

The queen has arrived! Earlier that day, they'd arrived at their hotel in a brand new Range Rover

She was then spotted shopping for a Mercedes in the Victorian capital on April 4.

On April 14, she was photographed strolling around Port Melbourne joined by a male friend and a personal security guard.

On Monday, Stacey made the 750km journey from Adelaide to Melbourne yet again, which means she will have travelled 6,000km in five weeks once she returns.

Driving in style! Before heading to the hotel, Stacey posed for this photo inside the Range Rover she was driving while in Melbourne

Stacey announced on Saturday she was launching a nonprofit postnatal depression charity called Not Alone, Always Here Inc., based in Melbourne.

She said of the new venture: 'I have started my own charity. It's for postnatal depression.

'It's to target people who don't understand the symptoms, they don't understand what they're enduring and going through.'

Essential travel: 'I've been travelling to Melbourne for my charity and I also do essential service work for a transport company every second week,' Stacey explained on Tuesday

Stacey, who suffered postnatal depression herself, added: 'I think there is a much greater need for it, now more than ever because of this pandemic.'

She has previously spoken of her reluctance to work a full-time job, saying that motherhood is her main priority.

'My mum worked two jobs to make sure we had a good life, I never saw her, so I want to be that mum who is home for the children. My kids come first,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Kicking back! The aspiring influencer enjoyed a relaxing a bubble bath during a previous work trip to Melbourne (pictured)

'A lot of people ask why I'm not using my law degree, but not many law firms like to take on people who only want three days a week.

'If I did five days a week then I feel like I'm not being fair on my children and I'm not there for them.'

She added: 'Being a single parent has impacted me quite a lot, but I'm also so blessed and wouldn't have my life any other way.'
SRG Announces Sale of Oregon Advisor With some broker-dealers now offering buy-back programs for desperate advisors, providing a fraction of the value and no definitive answer on who would serve their clients, we felt compelled to provide an alternative. - David Grau, Jr., President of Succession Resource Group

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Succession Resource Group (SRG) is committed to bringing awareness to the topic of planning for the unexpected, offering a free contingency plan template to financial advisors during the month of May 2020, to help ensure advisors put a plan in place in the event of their death or disability (permanent or temporary).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those age 65 and older are the high-risk demographic for severe illness from COVID-19, and given that the average financial advisor is 55 years old, there is a significant amount of advisors in the high-risk demographic, or precariously close to it. Based upon a recent poll conducted by SRG, it found that 62.5% of advisors lack a contingency plan. Given the data, David Grau Jr., President of SRG, urges all advisors, but specifically those age 50 and above to start their planning early to prevent any unnecessary loss to their business due to any unforeseen tragedy.

We are looking to give back to the community by offering our contingency plan template to advisors for free, we just want to remove one more barrier for advisors  we know advisors are busy and this is the last thing they want to think about right now, Grau said. Hopefully by doing so, we can help increase the awareness and kickstart the process for advisors, especially in times of need like this.

In addition, Grau recommended advisors using this free contract to keep an updated annual business valuation to truly make the contingency plan turnkey.

Contingency planning, unlike long-term succession planning, focuses on unexpected transitions, and requires advisors to actively monitor and update their plan and value. Grau adds. With some broker-dealers now offering buy-back programs for desperate advisors, providing a fraction of the value and no definitive answer on who would serve their clients, we felt compelled to provide an alternative.

For an example of effective contingency planning in action, Succession Resource Group recently shared the story of a deceased Hawaii advisor in this press release, Succession Resource Group Announces Sale of Hawaii Advisory Practice.

About Succession Resource Group

Succession Resource Group, Inc. (SRG) is an award-winning succession consulting firm with decades of combined industry experience. SRG possesses a unique combination of skills, resources, and expertise to provide turnkey solutions helping advisors understand the value of their business, develop strategies to improve that value, protect the value with proper agreements and plans, grow through M&A, and create/execute their exit strategy.

For more information, visit http://www.successionresource.com.
Political scientist Aghasi Yenokyan wrote the following on his Facebook page:

Lets briefly recall what has happened over the past two years.

- Lavrov is still waiting for a response stating that Nikol Pashinyan has lied about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Russian-Armenian relations

- thousands of citizens power has been cut off

- a real battle took place in Gavar, leaving 4 victims, and this took place in the presence of the police

- UComs shareholders have declared that the authorities want to take their business away from them

Response of the authorities:

- There is no response to Lavrov, meaning Nikol accepts the fact that he has lied

- In regard to utility bills, Nikol declared that he had said people dont have to pay their utility bills, but he didnt take an oath, meaning he accepts the fact that he has lied

- Two deputies of the National Assembly offend each other for no reason

- Nikols spokesperson issues statements on Mikayel Minasyan, the oligarchic regime, corrupt officials and criminals, but no corruption case has been revealed for the court to confirm over the past two years.

This means the authorities are completely unaware of the countrys problems, dont give adequate responses to the developments unfolding in the country, constantly lie and are busy introducing phony agendas through slander and shows in this critical situation.
A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair in the Olympia exhibition center in London on June 13, 2013. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Alaska School Board Removes 5 Books From Classrooms, Including The Great Gatsby

A school board in Alaska has voted to remove a number of famous books from district classrooms after they were deemed controversial and could potentially harm students, according to NBC News.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison were all taken off an approved list of works that teachers in the Mat-Su Borough School District could use for instructing students.

Members of the school board voted 5-2 to remove the books last week, citing that if they were read in a corporate office environment today, they would be dragged into an equal opportunity complaint.

If I were to read these in a corporate environment, in an office environment, I would be dragged into EO, or equal opportunity complaint proceeding, school board vice president Jim Hart told NBC News on Tuesday. The question is why this is acceptable in one environment and not another, he added.

The school board released a list (pdf) of the banned books in a document along with the reasons for their removal. According to the document, The Great Gatsby is being challenged due to language and sexual references, while I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was deemed to have sexually explicit material, such as the sexual abuse the author suffered as a child, and anti-white messaging.

Invisible Man was banned due to language, rape, and incest, while Catch-22 contains a handful of racial slurs, the characters speak with typical military men misogyny and racist attitudes of the time, and there are scenes of violence both hand to hand and with guns, and violence against women. Finally, The Things They Carried was challenged due to profanity and sexual references.

Dianne K. Shibe, who serves as president of the Mat-Su Education Association teachers union, told NBC News that parents and her members were surprised by the school boards vote.

Most of the community didnt respond because these books had been used forever, Shibe said. Now in retrospect, its like duh, I could have seen this coming.

However, she said the move is not set in stone and that her union would push board members to reconsider their vote, adding that the union is all about educating students, and this flies in the face of educating students.

Hundreds of protesters have since joined a Facebook group to express their opposition to the removal of the books from the curriculum, and one local bookstore owner claims to have received an outpouring of donations from members of the community who want students to get the books for free, according to CNN.

There has been a huge response from the community, Fireside Books owner Mary Ann Cockle said. The outpouring of support and concern about banning and censorship has been quite a surprisebut in a good way.

The board also voted to remove The New York Timess The Learning Network as a mentor text and creative writing teaching resource. The newspaper is still part of the school districts journalism curriculum.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria will not help Lufthansa <LHAG.DE> and its Austrian Airlines operation without receiving something in exchange and is looking to secure jobs within its borders, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said shortly before a meeting with the German group's chief executive.

"We have very clear interests in Austria - that is Austria as a place to do business and jobs in Austria. We will begin talks on that, but we will certainly not provide measures to support a German company without getting an advantage out of it as a republic," Kurz told a news conference.

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by David Goodman)
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, pictured here in March 2020, have announced the birth of a son. (Getty Images)

Boris Johnson, 55, and his fiancee Carrie Symonds, 31 have announced the birth of their first child, a son.

A statement released by the couples spokesperson said both mother and baby were said to be doing very well after the birth in an NHS London hospital on Wednesday morning.

A Taurus baby

The date, April 29, 2020, indicates the babys star sign will be Taurus, but what does this mean for his future?

Taurus [is] so readily associated with money and wealth it is an astrological cliche, renowned astrologer Justin Toper told Yahoo UK. In truth, Taurus loves the process of organising the physical assets of the earth, whether or not it makes them rich.

Stability is really important too.

Taurus is also a very physical sign, he said, which means plenty of affectionate touching and an intense response to anything that's nice to touch, beautiful to look at, delicious to taste or lovely to smell.

Toper went on to reveal that Taureans can often be possessive and stubborn, saying: You may have heard about the famous Taurean possessiveness. This is indeed a possessive sign. Not to mention stubborn! But for loyalty, steadfastness, and calmness, they are hard to beat.

According to Astrology.com, children born in the Taurus window have other certain traits in common, including patience, love of comfort, frugality, and practicality.

Babycentre.co.uk has also looked into the characteristics of each baby star sign and says Taurus babies are traditionally good in nature and likely to be sweet, affectionate and cuddly.

He is also likely to be strong and cheerful, the site says.

Read more: Carrie Symonds reveals she was 'worried sick' as Boris Johnson battled coronavirus

The bull is the animal associated with Taurus. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

As well as being affectionate, Taurus babies also tend to have a love for the great outdoors.

Children of the Bull experience the world through their senses, the site continues. They like the way things taste, feel, sound and smell.

And they also love their food.

Another interesting insight from the parenting site is that those born in the Taurus star sign are often practical and good with money, but they love to feel safe.

Story continues

Some Taurus children are clingy, while others develop an attachment to an item that reminds them of home, like a cuddly toy, the site says.

And Taurus children dont like to be rushed. In fact, they're pretty slow, the site says.

Zodiacsigns-horoscopes.com reiterates that Taurus children can be highly emotional, but also very loving.

They take a little while to warm up to new things because they dont like change, the site says. They can be emotionally sensitive at times, especially when they arent getting their way.

Another characteristic is stubbornness. But that just makes them more determined to complete their goals.

Read more: Carrie Symonds wraps up baby bump in camel coat

The couple announced they were expecting a baby back in February. (Getty Images)

Other famous Taureans

The PMs son is in pretty good company as a Taurus.

With Princess Charlotte born on May 2, 2015, and Prince Louis born April 23, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have two little royal bulls on her hands.

READ MORE: Carrie Symonds shows off baby bump for the first time in floral Anthropologie dress

And they arent the only members of the Royal Family to be raising a young bull (well former members of the royal family). Born 6 May, 2019, Archie Harrison, the first child of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, is also a Taurus.

Prince Harrys uncle, Earl Spencer, brother to the late Princess Diana, pointed out Archies zodiac sign in his congratulatory message on Twitter.

Really very lovely news today  many, many, congratulations! (Good to have another Taurean in the family....), he wrote.

Taureans seem to be commonplace in the Royal Family  the Queen, born 21 April, also shares the star sign.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday held a meeting with various associations related to auto, taxi and others.

I urge the government to announce a special stimulus package for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in society. The government must immediately provide help to daily wagers. Many farmers too have lost their livelihood and the government must come to their aid. If the government does not take the above suggestions seriously. I will take to the streets and protest soon once this crisis is over, Siddaramaiah told media after the meeting.

He said he has demanded many times that the state government should supply free food to these families which may cost around Rs 15 to 20 crore.

In Karnataka, there are more than 20 lakh organised workers, out of which only 12 lakh workers have got Rs 2,000, he added.

Siddaramaiah mentioned that these people are getting food packets only in BJP-ruled constituencies. He also alleged that BJP is doing vendetta politics.

Labourers who depend on daily wages need economic stimulus. Commercial vehicles seized during lockdown should be released, he further said.
The West Bengal government will come up with a six-month long economic rehabilitation plan involving Rs 1.5 lakh crore to deal with the crisis arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday.

I want to congratulate the economic task force I had set up. It has prepared a six-month long economic rehabilitation plan involving Rs 1.52 lakh crore. The task force headed by the state finance secretary has prepared the plan and it is now being examined by the state government, Banerjee said, without divulging further details.

Banerjee had earlier urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spend at least six percent of the GDP to fight the crisis and announce a National Economic and Health Package worth Rs 10 lakh crore for the state governments. The state has also been demanding its due of Rs 50,000 crore.

The chief minister said that around 2500 people from Bengal who are stranded at Kota in Rajasthan were being brought back in 101 buses. It will take three days for them to reach Bengal.

The government is also planning to allow stand-alone shops to reopen from Monday. Economic activities such as construction work, certain factories and public transport are also expected to start in districts that come under a green zone the chief minister said.

The local police will do a survey and decide on which shops could be reopened. Eight districts of the 23 districts in Bengal are in the green zone while four are in the red zone.

The Centre had asked states to allow shops to reopen while at the same time asking them to strictly maintain the lockdown. There is a lack of clarity. We had approached the Centre and are waiting for clarity, she added.

Coming down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party, without naming the saffron party, for repeatedly attacking the Trinamool Congress-led government on various issues, Banerjee said that they were like vultures, which wait for people to die so that they can make an issue out of it and play politics.

I am also a human being. I am not getting any sleep. I am having severe headache since yesterday. Whom shall I tell all these things to? We are doing overtime and double duty. I condemn those who are resorting to such things, she added

Banerjee also challenged the BJP leaders to come down to the streets and sweep the roads and clean hospitals.

Keep the roads and hospitals clean. Work like Florence Nightingale. Stay beside Covid-19 patients and help the health department and police, she said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pledged Ksh705 million ($6.6 million) to the Kenyan government for coronavirus(COVID-19) activities in the East African country.

The U.S. Embassy in Kenya said in a statement on Tuesday that these additional funds will be used for surveillance, laboratory supplies and strengthening, and surge staffing costs.

Just a couple of days ago, President Trump made his first call to Africa, and the big news is that that call went to President Kenyatta, Ambassador McCarter said.

We have a special friendship, they have a special relationship and Kenya is special to the United States. You know we are working on a free trade agreement, we are working on helping with Covid-19, and we are going to be spending Ksh 705 million on Covid, he added.

Nearly $1.8 million (Ksh.192 million) will be immediately released to support critical needs for the COVID-19 response in Kenya, the Embassy said.

The funds will be used in procuring diagnostic sampling and testing supplies, provide county-level support, expand surveillance of COVID-19, and support health care workers in infection prevention and control practices among other key activities.

This funding builds on CDCs long-standing global investments to control HIV, TB and malaria, eradicate polio, prepare for influenza and other pandemic diseases. For more than 40 years, CDC has supported Kenyas Ministry of Health (MOH) to improve health security, which have laid foundations to rapidly and effectively prepare for emerging disease threats, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. With an annual investment of more than Ksh60 billion in annual support to Kenyas health sector, USA Marifiki has been committed to the health of Kenyans well before COVID-19.

However, our commitment goes beyond funding  its in our contribution to national policies, to investing in the healthcare workforce and to strengthening health systems. We have been working alongside Kenyas public health officials for more than five decades and continue to stand with Kenya throughout this crisis, said U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Kyle McCarter.

Since early January 2020, CDC has deployed nearly 50 Kenya-based technical experts to support Kenya to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The U.S Embassy said these CDC employees work side-by-side with Kenyan health officials at the national laboratory, county government offices, and the Public Health Emergency Operations Center in a range of activities.

These include:
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Manitoba, Susan Hiebert feared it would impair her eight-year-old autistic sons ability to communicate.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Manitoba, Susan Hiebert feared it would impair her eight-year-old autistic sons ability to communicate.

Her son, Emerson, a Grade 2 student in Portage la Prairie, had been attending weekly in-person sessions with a speech therapist for six months, but those visits were cancelled by restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

SUPPLIED PHOTO Emerson, a Grade 2 student in Portage la Prairie, had been attending weekly in-person sessions with a speech therapist for six months, but those visits were cancelled by restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"We missed a few appointments and we thought, Oh no, this is not going to be good. We were wondering what would happen without seeing the speech therapist in person," said Hiebert, a preschool educator.

Variety, the Childrens Charity of Manitoba, came riding to the familys virtual rescue, ensuring Emersons desperately needed therapy sessions could continue through the Zoom video-conferencing platform.

For the past four weeks, the young boy, who lives with autism and severe anxiety, has been able to remotely connect with his therapist from the safety of home.

"We were relieved we could keep having the services, and happy we could do it so easily. He (Emerson) can just use his iPad," Hiebert said. "It (the Zoom sessions) are giving him what he needs. This has changed Emersons life, having speech therapy. Its made such a huge difference for him.

"She (the therapist) has been able to help him articulate his words much clearer. Hes improved a lot of his sounds. And its given him confidence in being able to speak to people. Were very grateful."

Emersons case is just one example of how the pandemic has forced Variety to dramatically change the way it offers programs and services to economically disadvantaged children and youth living with special needs.

"We are still very much providing therapies to help kids," Jeff Liba, Variety chief executive officer, said in an interview. "Those therapists offices are closed, so we are using technology to allow us to still deliver those therapies. We want to still try to help as many kids as we can while COVID-19 is going on."

Liba said the families Variety support were at a financial disadvantage before the pandemic began, and are among those hardest hit by the economic devastation caused by the global outbreak.

"Every family we help is a family that experiences economic disadvantage... in times that are normal, they are unable to make ends meet," he said. "Put into the world something like whats going on now and it creates even more stress.

"We feel we need to do everything we can to ensure the specialized programs and services and equipment we provide these families, we can continue to do that. Its more important than ever, but its more challenging. Its really forced us to adapt."

With classrooms around the province shuttered, Variety has had to cancel the dental outreach program it offered at 17 schools in Winnipeg, and music therapy at 22 schools around the province.

Its annual fundraising dinner, the Gold Heart Gala, initially set for Saturday at the RBC Convention Centre, also had to be scrapped. The gala generates one-third of the charitys annual income.

"Over 80 per cent of those who bought tickets agreed to let Variety keep the money, but that only represents half of the revenue from the event. We still have to raise close to $250,000 to make ends meet," Liba noted.

The fate of Camp Brereton, the accessible wilderness summer camp Variety operates in Whiteshell Provincial Park, remains up in the air amid the crisis.

"If nothing changes in terms of social gathering size  if that doesnt loosen up  we wont be able to operate camp this year," the CEO said. "Ten people or less  thats not much of a camp. And we still have costs to operate that facility whether there are kids there or not."

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Along with technical solutions for delivering services, Variety is turning to technology to help it find new ways to raise funds during a time of self-isolation. It plans early next week to unveil a new virtual feature on its website (varietymanitoba.com) to showcase children in need and allow online donors to decide how to help.

"What were doing is launching a child-sponsorship program... where people can go to read stories about the kids we help and commit to funding part of that childs request," Liba said. "This has been a huge undertaking.

"Weve adapted because of COVID-19 and the fact we cant have face-to-face meetings with donors and yet, we still need to raise money to help these kids. We are 100 per cent dependent on the generosity of the community to fund our work. We are not funded by government."

Such generosity offers a lifeline for families coping with special needs, Hiebert said.

"Varietys programs are indispensable," the Portage mom said. "So many people in Manitoba use them. Families with children with special needs have enough to struggle with without the worry of financial burden."

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca
- The foreign ministry of Taiwan released a statement regarding calls for the deportation of the Filipina caregiver who was critical of President Duterte, particularly on how the government is handling the pandemic

- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated that foreign workers in their country enjoy "citizen treatment"

- The statement also emphasized that the rights of foreign workers are protected by laws, including freedom of speech

- It stated that she will not be deported without consultations between the Philippine government and the Taiwanese government

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The foreign ministry of Taiwan released a statement regarding the calls for the deportation of the Filipina caregiver who criticized the response of the Philippine government in fighting COVID-19.

KAMI learned that Taiwan News Online made public the official statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), maintaining that foreign workers are given citizen treatment and that they also enjoy the freedom of speech.

It also highlighted that there shall be no person or institution that could pressure the Pinay caregiver, her employer, or broker. It also stressed that she will not be deported if there are no consultations between the government of Taiwan and the Philippines.

"Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country where foreign workers enjoy 'citizen treatment,' and their rights and interests are protected by relevant laws and regulations, including freedom of speech, which should be respected by governments of all countries... No person or institution, in this case, has the right to pressure her, her employer, or broker, nor shall she be deported without consultations held between both governments."

In ABS-CBN's report, Angelito Banayo, the chairman and resident representative of Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) stated that deportation is a process that comes within the sovereign rights of the Taiwanese government.

According to GMA, Labor Attache Fidel Macauyag claimed that the actions of the Pinay caregiver "amounted to a crime for which she might be prosecuted both in Taiwan and the Philippines."

However, based on the statement released by Taiwan's foreign ministry, the country is backing the Filipina and maintains that she enjoys the freedom of speech.

Taiwan rejects deportation of Pinay caregiver critical of Duterte

Source: Facebook

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In a previous KAMI report,the Philippine government wanted the Pinay caregiver to be deported because of the statements she made on Facebook, which were critical of the President.

Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters!

A young boy made a difference by being very generous to others. He is Jhon Rellores. You will find how truly inspiring the story is through the video that we created just for you. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
Russia's oil sector has been at the center of virtually all developments in its modern history. Imperial Russia already produced oil in the early days of the industry from the iconic fields on the shores of the Caspian in present-day Baku, Azerbaijan. More recently, oil and gas sales provided funding for the reconstruction of the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Therefore, the continuation of the sector is essential for Moscows strategy to maintain its position as a major power. The Arctic is at the center of its plans, but the COVID-19 crisis could be a game-changer.

The production of oil and gas has gradually moved to the north when the capacity of the Caspian proved insufficient. The discovery of massive oil fields in Western Siberia in the sixties and seventies increased Russias capacity. An elaborate pipeline infrastructure was constructed to reap the benefits of Siberia and the Caspian. Russias Arctic region, however, doesnt have the same level of development.

Most fields are quite mature, meaning the long-term potential for production is low. The Arctic, however, is a promising region that contains significant reserves according to geologists. Approximately 5.9 percent of the worlds yet to be discovered oil and a whopping 24.3 percent of gas are potentially located in the north. Russia could see a doubling of proves reserves for both oil and gas.

Considering the level of maturity of most of Russias major fields, the Arctic is of vital importance. At the beginning of March, the Kremlin announced its decree to develop the north called The basics of state policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period until 2035. It contains Moscows strategy to exploit the potential of the region. While the energy industry is at its heart, the plan also includes other parts of the economy that could lead to tens of thousands of jobs along the Northern Sea Route.

Premium: 2 Stocks To Consider As Oil Nears $15

Production in the Arctic is relatively expensive and technologically demanding due to its remoteness and harsh conditions. Furthermore, the absence of existing pipeline infrastructure increases the cost even further. Russia's oil and gas sector was hit hard by Western sanctions after it annexed Crimea. Several locations that were being developed by Western companies such as Exxon were shelved which delayed the projects.

Under the new 15-year strategy at least 40 Arctic vessels will be ordered, four regional airports upgraded, and additional railways and seaports constructed. A significant part will be funded by Moscow that will focus on public infrastructure. Energy companies are incentivized to invest by tax-breaks. According to government estimates, the measures could lead to 216 billion investments in the Russian Arctic zone until 2035. This was the case before the COVID-19 crisis.

Western sanctions have increased Russias dependence on Chinese financing. Close political relations between Moscow and Beijing benefit the joint development of the Arctic. Novateks flagship Yamal LNG project was finished because of Chinese financial support. The Russians sent the first cargo to China, free of charge, as a token of gratitude. The de facto alliance is unsettling the U.S. as it increases Beijing's presence near American shores and provides well-needed funding to Moscows ambitions.

Premium: The Oil Sector That Will Suffer The Most

Although Russias intentions in the Arctic are well reported, the timing of the official strategy couldnt have come at a worse moment just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertainty created by the crisis could have a lasting effect on the global oil and gas industry. Already the pandemic has wiped-out approximately 20 million barrels of demand until March which could increase even further in the coming months. Also, the gas industry is strongly affected as consumption has decreased dramatically.

The unprecedented situation has delayed projects and investors are reconsidering certain decisions. This is particularly the case for Arctic projects with high breakeven costs. Large and complex energy projects are not only money guzzlers, but also have a long lead time to start production. Therefore, early decision making is necessary for Russia to supplement falling production from its aging brownfields in primarily Western Siberia.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

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The United States Oil (NYSEMKT:USO) exchange-traded fund (ETF) has been making big news lately. As the largest exchange-traded fund with direct exposure to the price of U.S. oil, shares have fallen nearly 83% so far this year. When benchmark WTI crude oil prices turned negative on April 20, the fund found itself in an uncomfortable position.

Over the last two weeks, the fund has made some extraordinary changes to its portfolio, including dumping all its current oil futures contracts in favor of longer-term investments. And even though USO is just one investment instrument in a big industry that includes heavyweight stocks like ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX), this is still a big deal for investors. Here's why, and what you should do about it.

The price of oil

Basically, the United States Oil fund is designed to offer a way to invest in U.S. oil without having to purchase futures contracts on a mercantile exchange yourself, or buy stock in a specific oil company like Conoco or Chevron.

The fund's entire goal, according to its prospectus, is "to reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of the spot price of light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, [aka WTI Crude] as measured by the daily changes in the price of a specified short-term futures contract on light, sweet crude oil called the 'Benchmark Oil Futures Contract.'"

In other words, the USO fund is supposed to track the current price of WTI crude (which is dictated by the nearest-term futures contract). But that's not what's happening now.

How it used to work

Prior to April 17, USO's purchasing guidelines were straightforward: The fund invested in "crude oil futures contracts ... in the near month contract to expire (or "front month"), except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it invests in the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire (the "second month")."

In other words, at the beginning of March, USO bought futures contracts for April delivery (the shortest-term contracts available). It didn't buy any other contracts until the April contracts were within two weeks of expiration, and even then it only bought May contracts. Not two or three months out -- USO was focused on the current crude price.

But on April 17, that changed. The fund's manager, USMC Investments, filed a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that due to "market conditions and regulatory requirements," it would invest 80% of its portfolio as normal, but would allocate 20% of its portfolio to "second month" contracts. In other words, it was starting to invest in contracts that were further into the future than normal, a sign that oil prices might fall in the short term.

Fall they did. On April 20, the May contracts fell to negative $37.63 per barrel as low demand caused an oversupply that outstripped the nation's oil storage infrastructure. Luckily for the USO, it was already investing in June and July contracts by that point, but over the next week, the fund made four more changes to its portfolio:

WTI Crude Futures Contract Month Estimated % of USO portfolio, as of 4/17/2020 As of 4/21/2020 As of 4/22/2020 As of 4/24/2020 As of 4/27/2020 June 2020 80% 40% 20% 20% -- July 2020 20% 55% 50% 40% 30% August 2020 -- 5% 20% 20% 15% September 2020 -- -- 10% 20% 15% October 2020 -- -- -- -- 15% December 2020 -- -- -- -- 15% June 2021 -- -- -- -- 10%

As you can see, on April 27, the USO announced it was exiting its positions in the current June contracts entirely. That caused the price of those contracts to drop 26.7%. It also announced an intention to invest in contracts as far out as June 2021. Fully 40% of the fund's portfolio is now going to be for contracts more than three months out.

Why it happened

In less than two weeks, the largest U.S. oil ETF -- which has the stated objective of tracking current oil prices -- went from 100% investment in June 2020 WTI futures contracts to 0%.

Some of these changes -- but not all -- were made to comply with regulatory requirements and maximum limits on the number of contracts a fund can hold. That's right: WTI crude prices are now so low that if the fund had invested the bulk of its portfolio in the June contract, it would have exceeded the Exchange's limit on the number of contracts it could own. But the fund's managers didn't just put money into the nearest-term contracts they could access; they're buying contracts up to a year out, indicating they aren't expecting a swift resolution.

They also had this to say in their April 27 8-K filing: "While it is USO's expectation that at some point in the future it will be able to return to primarily investing in the Benchmark Futures Contract or other similar futures contracts of the same tenor based on light, sweet crude oil, there can be no guarantee of when, if ever, that will occur."

Yikes.

What it means for oil investors

When the United States Oil fund isn't actually investing in the current price of United States oil, it's a huge red flag that U.S. oil prices aren't likely to recover anytime soon. That makes sense: There's a massive supply glut that will take months (if not years) to ebb.

And for companies like Chevron and ConocoPhillips, which produce about 30% of their oil in the continental U.S., that outlook should worry investors. It's yet another reason to steer clear of the oil industry for now.
Hyderabad, April 29 : Two policemen were injured and a police vehicle was damaged as restless migrant workers resorted to violence on Wednesday at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad.

Over 2,000 migrant workers from various states began the protest when they were asked to join the work at construction sites on IIT campus at Kandi in Sangareddy district near here. They refused to resume the work unless they were paid wages for the last four months. They also demanded that they be sent back to their homes.

As the tension mounted, protesting workers resorted to stone pelting on police. Two policemen sustained minor injuries while a police vehicle was damaged, an official said.

Additional forces were rushed to the area and the situation came under control after district administration began talks with the leaders of the employees, who belong to states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

The issue was resolved after the construction company agreed to pay wages for March on Thursday without any deductions towards Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The district officials also agreed to provide fresh vegetables and other essentials to the workers. Talks will be later on whether they want to join the work or return home after the lifting of the lockdown.

The trouble began when representatives of a construction company asked the workers to resume the work, which was stopped last month after the lockdown came into force. The workers, who were staying in makeshift camps near the construction sites, started demanding that they be sent back to their homes. They questioned how the company can make them work without paying wages for the last four months.

According to police, 1600 workers were working at a site by L&T while over 800 were engaged in construction at another site where the work is being executed by Shapoorji Pallonji.
Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  For those of us who are lucky to stay home in a pandemic, the days may seem long, and work, inconsequential. But for others whose services are deemed essential in this new economy, a single day tells a different story.

Doctors, grocery workers, market vendors, policemen, military personnel, delivery riders, and other frontliners not only serve for extended hours, but also around the clock. They expose themselves to the virus every day. Yet without them, life as we know it  already hampered by a quarantine  will grind to a complete halt.

CNN Philippines Life interviewed some of these individuals who may not have always chosen to lay their lives on the line, but nevertheless do so. Heres what a day in their lives looks like.

Waking up at 2:30 a.m., the day starts early for market vendors like Janet Villarin. Photo by JL JAVIER

Before the quarantine, Villarin procured from Malabon (among other locations) the fresh seafood she sells at the market. Photo by JL JAVIER

Villarin sells fresh seafood the Sierra Madre Market in Mandaluyong. Photo by JL JAVIER

6 a.m.

Market vendor Janet Villarin has already laid out a blanket of pusit, bangus, bisugo, tulingan, tilapia, and galunggong in front of her stall at the Sierra Madre Market in Mandaluyong. As of 6 a.m., residents have formed a line outside the market, eager to select the ingredients for a days or a weeks worth of meals.

Villarin has been awake for four hours now. By 2:30 a.m., she rises from bed, then at 3:15 a.m. she is already at the bagsakan at Nueve de Pebrero Street, procuring supplies to be sold at her stall. By 4:30 a.m., she is let in by the guards at the market. She wears a mask to protect herself.

Before the quarantine, Villarin procured from Malabon (among other locations) the fresh seafood she sells at the market. She also used to buy in bulk. Mahirap bumiyahe pag sa malayo ka kukuha, she says. Paunti-unti na lang kinukuha ko ngayon, kilo-kilo na lang, hindi na sa banyerakaunti lang naman ang diperensya. Bente o sampu lang ang patongokay na rin, kaysa mamasahe.

What profit she makes as a market vendor is reserved for her three adoptive children. Ako lang ang naghahanapbuhay, says Villarin. Thankfully, her eldest  aged 18  can be trusted with childcare while shes away. Sila ang naghahanda ng pagkain ko. Tasty [bread] at piniritong itlog, ilalagay sa plastic, which she takes to the market as her breakfast.

This week, she expects some cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Di lang naman kami ang ininterview ng DSWD, she says. Sa dami ng kapitbahay, tinapos nila yung interview ng lahat-lahat. Dapat matapos muna iyon.

At 53 years old, and as a market vendor who works outside almost all week (except Monday, which is sanitation day), Villarin is more vulnerable to COVID-19 than most. By 1 p.m., she closes shop, then cleans her stall for one or two more hours before going back home, spending roughly 12 hours exposed to the virus outside.

Siyempre, kinakabahan ako, she says, pero dasal lang posiguro naman babalik tayo sa dati, kasi galing naman sa China ang virus na yan. Nasa atin naman ang pag-iingat.

Serving at the front lines as a grocery worker, Rocelyn Perillo makes it a point to stay protected for her family's sake. Photo by JL JAVIER

Perillo sometimes needs to walk for 40 minutes to get to her place of work. Photo by JL JAVIER

Strict safety measures are practiced in public establishments such as the grocery where Perillo works. Photo by JL JAVIER

7:30 a.m.

Grocery worker Rocelyn Perillo is on her way to work, after having breakfast with her family and ensuring her children are taken care of. Some days, she waits for free shuttle services, provided both by the local government and the supermarket she works for. But when they do not arrive by 7:40 a.m., Perillo begins the 40-minute walk from Purok 13, Sitio Pag-asa, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, to her place of work.

Shes there around 8 to 8:20 a.m., donning protective gear and arranging fresh seafood by her station before customers arrive. Lalong dumami ang mga mamimili namin, yung tipong hindi sila nauubusan ng pera, she observes. Nakakatuwa sa pakiramdam dahil merong iilan na nagpapasalamat dahil andito pa rin kami nagtatrabaho, at meron din nagsasabing mag-ingat kami.

She appreciates the gratitude. All things considered, Perillo enjoys an extra allowance on Saturdays and everyday meal allowances from the agency that employs her, on top of free lunches and merienda provided at the supermarket. Her workplace also provides face shields, DTI I.D.s (for travel ban-exempt workers), and free transportation.

In Purok 13, where she lives, quarantine measures are strictly enforced and volunteers pitch in to help the community. Hindi sila nagpapasok ng hindi taga-sa amin at hindi rin basta-basta nakakalabas kung walang mask o I.D. Nagtulong-tulong din sa barangay namin katulad ng pag-solicit para makabili ng chlorine or Zonrox din, para pang-disinfect sa aming lugar.

By the end of her shift at 6 p.m., she again waits for the shuttle. May libreng sakay naman po kami, kaso limited lang po kaya mas madalas naglalakad talaga akong umuwi, she says.

Yet Perillo worries despite observing protective and precautionary measures to prevent herself from contracting the virus. Bilang isang empleyado nakakabahala kasi kami yung na-e-expose sa kung sino-sinong costumer lalo nat may mga anak ako, she says.

Kaya ginagawa ko nalang yung dapat gawin, katulad ng pagsusuot ng mask, face shield, gloves, paghuhugas ng kamay at sanitizer, then pag nakauwi ng bahay linalabhan ko na lang yung sinuot ko para mas makaiwas na rin, she adds. Bago lumapit sa mga anak ko,  which she does by 7:30 p.m.  nagpapahinga muna ako.

Lorenz Cabrera continues to serve as a food delivery driver in Pasay amid the quarantine. Photo by JL JAVIER

Following new protocol on handling of orders, delivery drivers are faced with bigger responsibility. Photo by JL JAVIER

While traffic may have cleared up to facilitate deliveries, riders like Cabrera dont exactly have it easy. Photo by JL JAVIER

10 a.m.

Lorenz Cabrera, a food delivery rider, is off to pick up his fifth delivery of the day. His seventh month on the job was greeted by a quarantine, but it does not dampen his spirits.

Every week pumi-pick ako ng shift na gusto ko, kasi pwede ka pumili kung anong oras at araw mo lang gusto magtrabaho, he says. All around Pasay, he picks up requests for orders and delivers them to households rendered restless by the lockdown and availing of free delivery promos.

Sobrang daming orders lalo na sa lunch at dinner time, he adds, tapos after ng shift ko ni-re-remit ko yung na-collect kong cash sa nearest remittance center.

This quarantine, his food delivery company opted to provide their salaries weekly. Malaking tulong sa aming mga riders yung ginawa [nila] na yun, he says. Even before the quarantine, he also has the liberty to choose his own shift. Kahit na hindi ka duty ng 8 hours, basta masipag ka, maganda ang kikitain. At dahil doon nabibili ko yung mga kailangan sa bahay at nakakatulong ako sa pamilya ko, he adds.

While traffic may have cleared up to facilitate deliveries, riders like Cabrera dont exactly have it easy. Mahirap lang is yung mga saradong daanan at ayaw magpapasok, tumatagal ang deliver  Kaya umiikot kami kahit malayo para lang madala yung foods.

In compliance with curfew periods, Cabrera rides home by 6 p.m., as opposed to his usual 10 p.m. before the quarantine. He notes that while some areas in Pasay strictly observe the lockdown, others do not.

Riding around the city, Cabrera observes the lack of enforcement of physical distancing in public areas as of our interview date. Marami akong nadadaanang lugar dito sa Pasay na hindi nag-social distance, sige pa din ang kumpulan sa talipapaat may iilan din akong nakita na mismong frontliners ng barangay ay walang face mask.

Sa palagay ko, mas okay kung talagang wala munang lalabas, he says. As in totally lockdown. Marami kasi talagang matitigas ang ulo.

Captain Alexis Tuazon is one of the front liners running a checkpoint in Kawit, Cavite. Photo by JL JAVIER

Checkpoints are manned by either police or military personnel. Photo by JL JAVIER

Tuazon takes it as his duty to ensure safety in his area of assignment through strict enforcement of the quarantine. Photo by JL JAVIER

4 p.m.

Captain Alexis Tuazon stands at a checkpoint in Kawit, Cavite to strictly enforce the terms of the quarantine. Umaga, tanghali at gabi, ako ay nag-iikot sa aming area of responsibility upang masiguro na ang aking mga tao ay sumusunod sa mga deriktiba ng Inter Agency Task Force at ng higher head quarters ng Philippine National Police patungkol sa enhanced community quarantine.

A quarantine is a time of great confusion, in which law enforcers are tasked to clarify what citizens may or may not do. Noong nagsimula ang enhanced community quarantine, says Tuazon, maraming motorista ang naguluhan dahil sa pagbabago ng kanilang araw-araw na pamumuhay sapagkat naging limitado na ang kanilang mga kilos.

In the Philippine response to the COVID-19, police and military personnel like Tuazon take on a greater role: to fulfill the marching orders of the president. Para sa akin, ang pagsasailalim ng ating pangulo sa enhanced community quarantine ay isa sa pinaka-epektibong paraan upang mapigilan ang pagkalat ng nakamamatay na virus, he says. Malaking tulong na tanging mga mahahalagang serbisyo ang pinapayagan na magtrabaho at lumabas sa kanilang mga tahanan.

Yet, even as he has to apprehend violators within his community, a pandemic is also a time when social inequalities are made more apparent  a matter not lost on Tuazon. Noong nagsimula ang enhanced community quarantine sa kabuuan ng Luzon, nasaksihan ko ang kahirapan ng mga nawalan ng trabaho na umaasa na lamang sila sa ayudang ibibigay ng pamahalaan at ibang pribadong sektor upang makakain ang kanilang mga pamilya at mairaos ang kanilang pang araw-araw na pamumuhay, he says.

The police force has been praised for holding the line and, most recently, also criticized for abuses of power of its erring officials. In his checkpoint in Kawit, Tuazon keeps to his sworn obligation to serve the people despite the circumstances, and even as he fears for his own life and for his family. By 11 p.m., he calls it a day and rests, spending roughly 15 hours on duty since 7:45 a.m.

But he does not go home. He sleeps at the police station most days, believing that doing so lessens the risk that his family will contract the virus from him.

Bilang isang normal na tao na miyembro ng pambansang pulisya ng Pilipinas ay natural lamang na makaramdam ako ng takot sa aking araw-araw na pagtatrabaho, sapagkat ang kinakaharap natin na kalaban ngayon ay hindi natin nakikita, he says. Subalit ito ang aking sinumpaang tungkulin, na mapanatiling ligtas at payapa ang ating pamayanan.

Barangay executive officer Andrew Ledesma takes his responsibility seriously, especially at this time. Photo by JL JAVIER

Ledesma says that people sometimes give the barangay officials and volunteers food at the checkpoint so they can continue carrying out their tasks. Hindi nawawalan ng pagkain dyan, He says. Photo by JL JAVIER

During the quarantine, barangay officers like Ledesma have no notion of shifts. As much as possible, he must always be in the frontlines. Photo by JL JAVIER

8 p.m.

Barangay Hagdang Bato Libis is at the crossroads of Mandaluyong and San Juan, with convenient shortcuts for motorists  making it a busy passageway for deliveries, quarantine or not.

Not all deliveries are allowed to enter the barangay, however. Barangay executive officer Andrew Ledesma takes his responsibility seriously, especially at this time. Pag delivery, strict kami, he says. Minsan may galing ng Rizal, so dito, pinapa-stop namin sila, sinasabi namin sa delivery, pakitawagan yung customer, papuntahin dito. Rizal has implemented its own lockdown since April 6. Meron isang instance na nagcomplain, kasi senior daw siya [at may delivery sa kanya], he adds, sabi na lang namin, ipautos na lang sa ibang tao [at kunin dito sa checkpoint].

Barangay officers like Ledesma play a flexible, but definite role in all this: they help ensure quarantine rules are followed, and contain troubles on the ground by way of responding to various complaints. Most of the time, they just help out in any way they can. Kung merong papasok dito, like senior citizens, kami na nagbubuhat, tinatanong namin, saan kayo nakatira, dadalhin na namin sa bahay nila, he says.

Ledesma especially remembers that time he drove a person suspected of COVID-19 to a nearby hospital. May nag-radyo sa akin [last month], emergency. So yung tao, talagang no pulse, no breath, he says. Na-shock ako.

Pagbalik ko [sa bahay], napaisip ako Kasi siyempre hindi ko alam yung sitwasyon ng patient, saan galing, history niya, he says. Iniwan ko yung sasakyan, tumakbo ako sa amin, naligo ako. Thankfully, the patient did not test positive for COVID-19.

At these times, barangay officers like Ledesma have no notion of shifts. As much as possible, he must always be in the frontlines. Noong lumabas ang COVID, actually wala kaming tulog eh, he says. Konting tulog [na lang], three to four hours, bangon na naman, duty na naman.

He has no idea how a new normal looks like after quarantine restrictions are lifted. For now, he complies with official directives and helps other people do the same. Tulungan lang, kung may problema, tulong-tulong muna, he says. Tigil muna ang pulitika.

Dr. Jarylle Chu from the Makati Medical Center handles cases of COVID-19. Photo by JL JAVIER

Her shift would start at 7 a.m. and end the same time on the next day. Photo by JL JAVIER

Doctors like Chu have tight rotational duties. She spends one week at the hospital then one week at home. Photo by JL JAVIER

7 a.m.

Dr. Jarylle Chu, a nephrology fellow at Makati Medical Center, is on her way home after a week of duty in the hospital. Her ride home, as with her rides to and from the hospital these days, is care of Grab Ben.

Makati Med has its own drop-off shuttle service, but Grab Ben (as she fondly calls him) or Mang Ben, is the driver of Dr. Claver Ramos, Chus consultant for her fellowship.

A month ago, Chu did not know how to get home when the quarantine was suddenly implemented during her shift. Luckily, Ramos immediately offered her free rides to and from work for the duration of her quarantine duty. Medyo nakakahiya, pero this season, wala akong way, he says. Not everyone is privileged to have those generous people.

If not for Ramos offer, maglakakad ako pa-EDSA, 30 minutes or so, says Chu. Tapos aantayin ko yung bus, na sana maabutan ko, kasi pag di mo maabutan yung bus, another three hours ang sunod niyang daan.

That first day of the quarantine and the early days of the spread of COVID-19, a lot of things were uncertain. The challenge came because it was an unknown disease. It was something we did not know how to handle, says Chu. For those who came in sick, talagang malala sila nung dumating, talagang walang nakakahanap ng [support], she adds. Lahat ng specialties nag-chip in sila to find support.

Those days, when someone was intubated, the prognosis was bleak: they were seen as good as dead. Eventually, things improved, at least in Makati Med. Mas marami na ang nakakauwi ngayon na di nakatubo, says Chu.

The improvements came because doctors and medical personnel were constantly learning and on their feet. Chu herself has a tight rotational duty, where she spends one week at the hospital then one week at home. Since walang masakyan at nakatira ako sa Mandaluyong, tumira ako sa call room ng Makati Med, so sa 10th floor lang ako...so technically, nakatira ako sa Makati Med, she says with a laugh.

Her shift (for COVID-19 cases, which now take precedence over her regular shift in the renal care services / kidney unit) starts at 7 a.m. in Covidlandia. After examining endorsed cases and receiving protective gear, she eats breakfast, but doesnt drink much water. Iihi kasi kami. The hazmat kasi is very expensive and dino-donate siya ng most people. Kulang kasi, eh ang dami naming nasa loob.

For a 12-hour shift, preserving the hazmat suit ideally means no bathroom breaks for the same number of hours. Pwede namang lumabas, says Chu, pero alam mo yung guilt na, sayang to eh...natapon ko. The hazmat suit also takes 30 minutes to wear, and another 30 minutes to take off: If mali ang pagakasuot mo, youre as good as infected, she says. Medical personnel also have the bear with the heat while inside it.

By the end of her shift at 7 a.m. the next day, Chu is heavily burdened not only by the weight of the hazmat, but by sheer physical, mental, and psychological exhaustion. She spends the whole day resting on the 10th floor, and then its time to put on the suit again.

It helps that we talk to friends in the medical world, she says, as a way of keeping her spirits up. Pinagtatawanan na lang [namin] ang pinagdadaanan [namin]  Kung sino na lang kasama mo diyan, kausapin mo doon Pare-pareho naman kami, yung mga nurses at tagalinis, pare-pareho naman kaming nagtatrabaho.

Arguably, medical personnel carry the heaviest burden in curbing the tide of the pandemic, as they do not only deal with human lives; any available data arising from their work should also guide policy making. They have thus been valorized as heroes (among other frontliners) in the media.

Its a label that may have lost its meaning. Siguro nga during those early times, sinasabi na... suwerte ka because you died for your country. Kasi those times, di naman talaga tayo handa. Walang handa sa pandemic, says Chu. Now that were approaching two months in quarantine, she says, di na siya dapat nangyayari.

For Chu, the bottomline is that no doctor should die. At the very least, not anymore.

***

Frontliners have been thanked all over the world in many different ways: through songs sung in balconies, through tribute videos, through generous donations of protective gear, among others. No matter how big the gesture, however, expressions of gratitude are for naught if not repaid in kind. This does not merely mean providing for substantial hazard pay.

Just by way of example, for doctors and the medical community, this should also mean additional funding for important research. For market vendors, street vendors, and other workers in the informal economy, this means inclusive social security and social safety nets from both national and local government. For contractual workers, like delivery riders or grocery workers, it means tilting laws in their favor to avoid exploitation by some employers. Government workers and volunteers also need to have ample benefits and incentives for their public service, and their efforts must not be derailed by bureaucratic red tape.

All these go beyond the parameters of a crisis, let alone a pandemic.

Out of the six interviewees, only Ledesma, the barangay officer, and Tuazon, the police captain, expressly stated that they receive hazard pay. It is highly unlikely that a market vendor such as Villarin would be entitled to it, even though her work is as crucial and hazardous as the others. Chu has not had the opportunity to check if she receives one, in light of her long duty hours.

Setting aside financial considerations, Ledesma implies that being a frontliner entails helping freely and without thought of repayment. Nasa puso ang pagtulong, he says.

In his barangay, four have tested positive for COVID-19 as of our interview date. All were asymptomatic. All were frontliners.

At home, Ledesmas wife and five children could only hope for his good health, and safe return.

***

Produced by ELIZABETH RUTH DEYRO and DON JAUCIAN

Cover design by THE PUBLIC SCHOOL MANILA
Good to see 10 has partnered with the Queensland Department of Education for an educational program [email protected].

This follows from 7Queensland also using broadcast for local education purposes.

[email protected] is an educational program (disguised as fun) that will teach children the science of computer programming over a five week period.

Hosted by Toasted TVs Lia Walsh, Scope scientist, Isla Nakano, and Totally Wilds Stacey Thomson (aka Ranger Stacey), [email protected] will focus on the skills of coding. Wednesday shows will be aimed at primary school students, and Friday shows for secondary students.

ViacomCBS chief content officer and EVP, Australia and New Zealand, Beverley McGarvey, said: We are really pleased to be working with the Queensland Department of Education to deliver [email protected], ensuring that Queensland students can continue their coding learning during this time.

Digital literacy skills will play a role in whatever they do and [email protected] provides a fantastic resource for students to maintain their studies.

Queensland Education Minister, Grace Grace said learning about coding teaches students vital skills they can use throughout their life.

Thats why this program will be aimed at children from grade three to grade ten, she said.

It also aligns perfectly with our existing programs in schools like the Premiers Coding Challenge which aims to encourage an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Queensland students.

It is fantastic to team up with Network 10 to develop this program, which will be a tool for teachers to use not only during this global pandemic but also in the classroom well into the future.

As children embark on their home learning journey, parents all over the country are gaining a new appreciation for their kids teachers. Take a break from playing classrooms and outsource some learning to 10 Peach.

Over five weeks, using the Premiers Coding Challenge as a basis, the show will offer lessons featuring tips, skills and information for students to complete their own coding project.

The project will see children code an interactive and innovative digital solution to raise awareness of cyber security. Students will develop an app, games, website or robotic prototype and must submit a short video showcase to present their project.

[email protected] will also be available via the Queensland Department of Education online platforms.

Every Wednesday & Friday at 11.30am on 10 Peach and streaming on 10 Play.
- Vic Sotto turned 66 years old yesterday, Tuesday, April 28, in his house amid the enhanced community quarantine

- His wife, Pauleen Luna-Sotto, shared photos of the setup she prepared for Vics birthday celebration

- Pauleens Instagram photos show a blue-themed party for the 66-year-old showbiz legend, complete with balloons, lanterns, and a printed birthday greeting

- Vics birthday party might have been simple but the comedian seemed to be filled with joy nonetheless

PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed

Vic Sotto celebrated his 66th birthday yesterday, Tuesday, April 28, in his house amid the enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

KAMI learned that his wife, Pauleen Luna-Sotto, shared photos of the setup she prepared for Vics birthday celebration.

The pictures show a blue-themed party for the 66-year-old showbiz legend, complete with balloons, lanterns, and a printed birthday greeting.

Bossing Vics birthday party might have been simple but the comedian seemed to be filled with joy nonetheless because his loved ones were there to celebrate with him.

Yesterday's mini setup for my main man!

Thanks to everyone who sent their greetings on social media, Pauleen wrote on Instagram.

Swipe to the left to see all of the photos in Pauleens viral Instagram post:

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KAMI previously reported that Vic finally decided not to have his hair colored amid the lockdown.

Vic Sotto is a famous comedian and TV host in the Philippines. He is married to his Eat Bulaga co-host Pauleen Luna. Vic has a daughter named Talitha with his wife Pauleen.

Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters!

Our host Paula Coling suggested different movies and series that you should watch while stuck at home due to the lockdown. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
Irrfan Khan Dies, NSD Batchmate And Actor Rohitash Gaud Shattered, Says 'He Was My First Family When I Came To Mumbai'
The restrictions will apply to areas including Magaluf, which are popular with tourists (PA)

An Irishman has died after falling from an apartment balcony in Magaluf.

Anthony Ennis (30s), believed to be from Mullingar in Co Westmeath, died after falling from the balcony of his apartment on the Spanish island of Majorca in the early hours of this morning.

Local media reports that emergency services rushed to the scene at around 5am this morning to his apartment block in the S'Olivera Avenue.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Independent.ie that it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.

Mr Ennis was from Mullingar Town and his family still live there locally.

Green Party Cllr Hazel Smyth paid her tributes to Mr Ennis' family.

"It's a huge shock and it's desperately sad for everyone in Mullingar," she said.

"He was a young man in the prime of his life and it's another added sorrow to the sadness of the pandemic.

"He had been living in Spain for a couple of years and him and his family were very well liked in the town and I extend my condolences to them."

Mr Ennis worked in popular tourist Stereo Bar in Magaluf and his friends paid tributes to his death on social media.

I am still in shock and I cant believe you have gone, one of his friends wrote on Facebook.

You are one of a kind, so caring and funny with the biggest heart! Everyone that knows you loves you and you will be forever missed," she added.

Absolutely heartbroken, wrote another friend.

Thank you for being one of lifes gentlemen. Thank you for the hugs when I needed them.

You probably have no idea of how loved you really are. You will be missed everyday and my nights in Stereo will never be the same.
The Victorian government will pour $45 million into supporting international students suffering during the coronavirus lockdown.

It hopes the offer of $1100 relief payments to students will protect the future of Victoria's $12.6 billion international education sector and stave off worldwide competition for students on the other side of the pandemic.

Italian Giovanni Calandro is one of 40,000 international students in Victoria expected to receive a $1100 payment. Credit:Simon Schluter

The number of international students in Victoria has dropped from 250,000 last year to about 150,000, with universities estimating they have already lost $5.8 billion  or about 50 per cent  in annual international student revenue.

The $1100 grants, the equivalent of two weeks of JobSeeker payments, are expected to be taken up by about 40,000 students from universities, TAFEs and private colleges who demonstrate economic hardship, said Tourism Minister Martin Pakula.
The panic buying that went on during the early days of the coronavirus lockdown has largely subsided, so why are some food items  flour and eggs, for example  still hard to come by six weeks later?

The supermarket shelves still seem besieged by random shortages in some aisles. Meanwhile other items, such as potatoes, mushrooms and pork, are in such abundance that potato and mushroom farmers are throwing out valuable crops due to lack of storage, while pork producers are euthanizing pigs they cant sell for slaughter.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the sudden closure of restaurants across the country  which has never before happened  and its having a huge impact on the way we eat and how we shop, food industry experts say.

In short, everybodys baking bread and nobodys eating french fries.

None of these issues are supply based, says Michael von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph. Theyre all demand based. These are all driven by the fact that restaurants are closed and were eating different volumes of different products in different places.

The shift in demand from the food service sector to retail has strained supply chains that arent easily reconfigured, creating both surpluses and shortages. Were also doing bigger grocery shops in fewer trips, which can make it more difficult for retailers to keep a steady supply.

In some cases, an empty shelf might have more to do with a lack of packaging than a lack of product, because food producers package their products differently for grocery stores than for the food service industry, and in different volumes. The supply chain is still working to catch up with the heightened demand, von Massow said.

Were not short of wheat. Were not short of milling capacity. Were short of getting the wheels going so that we get the wheat to the stores in the volumes that people want.

Even if the overall demand for a product is technically the same today as it was prior to the pandemic, it can be difficult to shift the supply that would have been sold to restaurants or food-service companies to grocery stores. Take eggs, for example. The average grocery store customer buys a carton of a dozen in their shells, while the food service sector might want large quantities of liquid eggs in a bag.

I suspect that most people underappreciate the tsunami created by the fact that restaurants all closed almost at the same time, says Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie Universitys Agri-Food Analytics Lab. Charlebois said restaurants make up about 40 per cent of the agri-food economy at retail, and while many are still doing takeout and delivery, its still a massive shift in spending from one sector to another. And the consumer walking into a restaurant is certainly not the same person as someone who walks into a grocery store.

Egg sales in retail outlets were up by 27 per cent last month, according to the Egg Farmers of Canada. But Burnbrae Farms, one of Canadas largest egg producers, says its overall sales are basically the same as usual, with increases at retail offset by declines in the food service sector.

Shifting their supply from one stream to the other hasnt been easy, however. In an email, company president Margaret Hudson said packaging has been a big issue. Burnbraes fibre carton supplier has struggled to keep up with the demands of the North American carton market, Hudson wrote. As a result, Burnbrae plans on reintroducing plastic packaging, which we had eliminated due to concerns around plastic waste.

Some grocery stores are also now selling 30-egg trays, which typically would only be sold to restaurants.

Earlier this month the Canadian Food Inspection Agency relaxed some of its labelling requirements to allow food products that would normally be used only by hotels, restaurants and institutions to be sold in grocery stores. This will help to support the economy, alleviate supply disruptions in Canadian grocery stores, and avoid food waste, the agency said in a statement.

To keep up with the surge in demand, Robin Hood has started selling its all-purpose flour in white or brown bags with less-colourful branding. Weve temporarily dressed down, but whats inside has stayed the same, the company wrote on its official Facebook page.

The food we make for ourselves at home is also different than what we order when we eat out. Three-quarters of all french fries are eaten in a food service setting or restaurant, said Simon Somogyi, a professor of food business at the University of Guelph. The supply chain that delivers fries to restaurants is different than the one that delivers them to grocery stores, which has led to an oversupply of potatoes.

Its the underlying wicked nature of taking out one end of the food supply chain and then having to then try to push it all into the other end of the supply chain to meet that demand, Somogyi said.

Consumer behaviour has also changed. The home-baking trend has made flour and yeast the golden tickets of the grocery aisles.

Anything involved with baking is in great demand, said Jason McLinton, vice-president of the Retail Council of Canada, which represents retailers, including grocery stores.

There is yeast here and there, Charlebois said. You just need to work a little harder to get it.

On the bright side, Charlebois said, the price of bread has gone down in many stores.

While all of the experts interviewed for this story said Canadas food supply is robust, one area of concern is the recent closures of meat-processing plants due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

McDonalds Canada announced Tuesday it will start importing beef as a result of slowed production in the beef supply chain.

Canadas grocery stores are not anticipating significant shortages, McLinton said, but its something were keeping a very close eye on.

Charlebois said the closures  namely Albertas Cargill and JBS meat-packing plants, which process 75 per cent of Canadas beef  could reduce the beef supply, but shouldnt lead to a major shortage. (Cargill said Wednesday it would be reopening its plant on Monday.)

You may not have your favourite cut waiting for you at the grocery store, Charlebois said, but there will probably be plenty of meat.
A medical official (C) wears a protective suit, amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, as he checks the vital signs of a migrant worker at a school in Phnom Penh, April 20, 2020.

Authorities in Cambodia are using the coronavirus to carry out arbitrary arrests of opposition supporters and government critics, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday, noting that at least 30 people have been detained for spreading fake news and other offenses since the start of the pandemic.

In a statement, the New York-based rights group urged Cambodias government to immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against all those accused of crimes in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and association.

While the number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has held steady at 122 with no deaths for more than two weeks, Cambodias one-party parliament recently approved legislation authorizing a state of emergency to contain the spread of the virus that observers have warned could be used to unnecessarily increase already heavy restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Acting head of state and Senate president Say Chhum signed the Law on Governing the Country in a State of Emergency into effect on Wednesday on behalf of King Norodom Sihamoni, who is undergoing an annual medical exam in Beijing.

Prime Minister Hun Sen is busy tightening his grip on power and throwing political opposition figures and critics in jail while the world is distracted by COVID-19, said Phil Robertson, HRWs deputy Asia director.

Peaceful political activity and criticizing the government are not crimes, including during a pandemic. The authorities should drop the bogus charges and release those detained.

HRW said it had documented 30 arbitrary arrests between late January and April 2020, including a dozen people with ties to the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was banned by the Supreme Court in November 2017 for its role in an alleged plot to topple the government.

The ban on the political opposition, along with a wider crackdown by Hun Sen on NGOs and the independent media, paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.

According to HRW, fourteen people remain in pretrial detention on what it called baseless charges, including incitement, conspiracy, incitement of military personnel to disobedience, and spreading false information or fake news.

Among those arrested in addition to the opposition activists was a journalist quoting a speech by Hun Sen, and ordinary Cambodians who criticized the governments response to the outbreak.

A map shows the latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases throughout Asia as of April 29, 2020. RFA Using the virus

Meanwhile, HRW noted that the absence of recent cases in Cambodia raises concerns that either the government is not testing for the coronavirus or that medical workers fear reprisal for reporting results.

The group said provisions in the state of emergency law that raise particular rights concerns include possible indefinite renewals of the state of emergency, the wide scope of unfettered martial powers granted to the executive without independent oversight, and unqualified restrictions on civil rights that allow for arbitrary surveillance of private communications and silencing of independent media outlets.

HRWs assessment of the law came weeks after Rhona Smith, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, warned of its broadly worded language and said that a state of emergency should be guided by human rights principles and should not, in any circumstances, be an excuse to quash dissent or disproportionately and negatively impact any other group.

HRW noted Wednesday that while international human rights laws allow for restrictions of some rights in the context of serious public health threats, they must have a legal basis, and be strictly necessary, based on scientific evidence and neither arbitrary nor discriminatory in application, of limited duration, respectful of human dignity, subject to review, and proportionate to achieve the objective.

It cited a group of United Nations human rights experts who on March 16 said that emergency declarations based on the COVID-19 outbreak should not be used as a basis to target particular groups, minorities, or individuals. It should not function as a cover for repressive action under the guise of protecting health ... and should not be used simply to quash dissent.

The state of emergency law will be a disaster for the human rights of the Cambodian people, who face having their civil and political rights stripped away, Robertson said.

Foreign governments and donors should demand the Cambodian government prioritize public health at a time of crisis rather than further repressing basic rights.

Cambodian Ministry of Justice spokesman Chhin Malin could not be reached for comment in response to HRWs statement on Wednesday but had previously told RFAs Khmer Service that the government will not be able to carry out arbitrary arrests if a state of emergency is enacted.

Instead, he said at the time, the law will be used to target anyone who seeks to provoke chaos in Cambodia while such a state is in effect.

The government isnt targeting the opposition party or dissidentswe will implement the law against those who breach the law, he said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
They called to us, Banks will recount, very loud in a harsh-sounding language of which [we could not understand] a word, shaking their [spears] and menacing, in all appearance resolved to dispute our landing to the utmost though they were but two and we 30 or 40 at least. Loading Warra warra wai! the warriors yell at them. WARRA WARRA WAI! If the exact translation is not apparent, at least the sentiment is: Leave! Leave our land! Leave us! After 25 minutes of failing to move them without violence, Cook, employing the cruelly barbaric method of the time, personally takes up a musket and fires lead shot at the warrior on the left.

In response, the warriors throw spears but in the end must fall back, whereupon the armed Englishmen land and, well ... here we all are, 250 years later, still not sure as a people what to make of it all. For a very few, such an anniversary is one to celebrate wildly. For others, it marks a day of shame for the invaders and misery for the invaded. For me, as one who did a biography on Cook last year, it is most of all a day to commemorate, to reflect, to take pause to at the very least try to understand what this day meant in the life of the land beneath the Southern Cross. For the traditional owners of the land, it marked the opening of a long era of mind-boggling misery. For the English, it would lead to the arrival of Governor Phillips First Fleet 18 years later, which led to the entire continent being settled, which led to Federation which led to . . . us, yes, still going around in circles, trying to work out what kind of a people we are when the act of conception for the modern nation was so brutal, so devastating. And it really was. In all of my work in this field, the most haunting thing came in a letter one of my researchers found that was written five months after the arrival of the First Fleet by one of the mates on HMS Sirius, Daniel Southwell, to his uncle in Chelsea: On June 23 ... the Kings birthday was celebrated with great state and solemnity, and large bonfires  we had plenty of wood  were burning all night. The ships saluted at sunrise, noon and sunset, which must have frightened the warra warras, for so we call the blacks, from their constant cry of warra warra at everything.

Can you imagine? So often did the people of the First Nations say Warra Warra! Leave! Leave our land! that is what they became known as. Such stories highlight the horror of what happened to those people of the First Nations, and while many Australians will bitterly decry those who say that today should be a day of sorrow, Ill cite one dead Englishman who wouldnt. Loading That would be Captain Cook himself. On his second expedition four years later, Cook returned to New Zealand, where he was devastated to see something of the trade going on between the previously chaste Maori women and visiting European sailors  their sexual services in return for such things as a single spike nail. Such are the consequences, Cook wrote with bitter regret, of a commerce with Europeans and what is still more to our shame, civilised Christians. We debauch their morals ... and we introduce among them wants and perhaps diseases which they never before knew and which serves only to disturb that happy tranquillity they and their forefathers have enjoyed. If anyone denies the truth of this assertion let him tell me what the natives of the whole extent of America have gained by the commerce they have had with Europeans. These were hardly the words of an enthusiastic imperialist.

We will see today furious assertions that Cook never discovered Australia, as was claimed for decades. Let the record show who said that first. That would be Captain Cook. [I] therefore may land no more upon this eastern coast of New Holland, he wrote upon turning west from the tip of Cape York, and on the western side I can make no new discovery, the honour of which belongs to the Dutch navigators. Still others will assert the act of Cooks landing was an invasion. The person who said that first? That would be Captain Cook, referring to all his party's landings in the Pacific. We enter their ports without their daring to make opposition, he wrote. We attempt to land in a peaceable manner, if this succeeds it's well, if not we land nevertheless and maintain the footing we thus got by the superiority of our fire arms, in what other light can they then at first look upon us but as invaders of their country; time and some acquaintance with us can only convince them of their mistake. The shock-jocks will tell you the First Nations people were living primitively, and today is the glorious anniversary of Cook coming to save them and bring them civilisation. But who is this caller on the line right now? Why, it is Captain Cook, and I would ask him to repeat the line he wrote at the time of the people he found.
The Rev. Melvin Floyd, 85, a former Philadelphia police officer who started a street ministry, preaching against violence, died Monday, April 20, from complications of dementia at his Philadelphia home.

After a 13-year career, Mr. Floyd resigned from the police force in 1972 to work full time for his Neighborhood Crusades ministry.

He regularly cruised the city in a black van with a coffin on the top, to reinforce his message: Getting involved in drugs can lead to an early death.

To his three daughters, however, that van was also the family car.

Mary Floyd Palmer, his eldest, recalled being mortified when he dropped her off at school.

When he pulled up in front of Girls High  the kids would giggle and laugh, she said. It was hard.

Mr. Floyd was born in 1935 to Arthur and Sallie Mae Floyd, the youngest of five children. He grew up in North Philadelphia.

His parents separated when he was young, and he joined the 12th and Oxford Street gang as a runner when he was about 11, his daughter said. At 12, he found religion after a young man stopped to preach to him on the street. After the encounter, he joined a nearby church and later left the gang.

A chaotic family life led the young Floyd to drop out of Benjamin Franklin High School in the 11th grade. He joined the Army and served in the Korean War from 1953 to 1955.

Afterward, he held several jobs, including cabdriver, before joining the police force in 1959.

In 1962, he married Elizabeth Anderson Floyd, whom he met at church. They were wed for 53 years until her death in 2015.

Mr. Floyds past as a gang member served him well when he walked a street beat in North Philadelphia, Palmer said.

My dad had such a reputation, that even the old heads had respect for him, she said.

If word got out a major gang fight was brewing, then-Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo sent Mr. Floyd.

He could walk between the two leaders before anything started, and nobody would touch him," his daughter said. They trusted him. He would say: I dont have a gun. Six boys died this week. One could have been your brother, or your cousin. Is it worth it? 

After several assignments, he became a Juvenile Aid and Gang Control Officer and began speaking in schools.

At 40, he earned his high school diploma in night school, then followed with a bachelors degree from Antioch College, his daughter said. He studied at Temple University and the Philadelphia College of Bible, before obtaining a masters degree in education from Antioch Graduate School of Education.

In interviews, Mr. Floyd said his wife encouraged him to do more about street violence.

The turning point was in the summer of 1968, when eight young people were killed in one week.

That began his mission to the streets. He and his wife later started Teen Haven, at 19th Street and Susquehanna Avenue, which offered ping-pong and other games, with a mix of Bible verses.

By 1987, the Floyds started a church, Agape Christian Chapel at Greene and Seymour Streets in Germantown.

Mr. Floyd also produced four films: On Patrol for God (1968), The Last Trip (1972), The Gangs All Here (1976), and The Last Trip II (1986).

Before leaving the Police Department, Mr. Floyd in 1969 was named one of the 10 Best Policemen in the World and one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in America." He also won the Philadelphia Award in 1975.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Floyd is survived by daughters Ruth Naomi Floyd and Esther M. Sawyer; a brother; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

A service was held Monday, April 27.
Layla de Luria (right) of Centro de Apoyo Comunitario in Upper Darby, and Antonio Escobar pack food-donation boxes for five needy families onto a truck in Wynnewood. The group is helping people who lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

Theres a perception problem about the suburbs. As though it is a Land of Plenty. Where bum luck happens only on Netflix in the living room of a detached house with a fenced-in yard.

But coronavirus economic carnage is piling up beyond Philadelphia proper. Now would be a good time to ditch the stereotype of suburban largesse and make sure our charitable donations match the reality of the need that surrounds us.

The suburbs need your help. Now. Especially the one many of us know best as Delco.

Delaware County is the poorest of the four counties that border Philadelphia, one of the nations most populous cities. One in 10 people were in poverty in Delco before the recent calamitous shutdown of economic activity in our region due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people dont know this.

With the county as home to many service-sector workers whove lost Philadelphia jobs due to the pandemic, the situation has only become worse, it seems.

Intense efforts are underway to raise money for people facing catastrophe.

If only raising the money, however, were easier than its shaping up to be.

Food banks from Chester to Upper Darby are dealing with growing lines filled with faces theyve never before seen. The county itself, with its relatively meager commercial tax base, had to furlough 400 government workers a few weeks ago due to the pandemic.

Charity is essential right now. But the perception that donors have  and the ways they typically spend their charity  often means that this county of 567,000 is not among the first, or the last, to get charitable checks.

I think people who are comfortable have no idea how much poverty there is in the county and how many people there are who literally do not have a dime in savings and not through any fault of their own. They may be working a minimum-wage job. Minimum wage is not even $10 an hour in Pennsylvania, said Frances Sheehan, who as president of the three-year-old Foundation for Delaware County has established a Delaware County COVID-19 Response Fund to help with immediate food aid in recent weeks.

 READ MORE: Through a cracked-open window, food and hope for the economic casualties of coronavirus | Maria Panaritis

I think there are some really frightened people who do not know if theyre going to make it through the next month, she said.

The emergency fund has raised more than $500,000 in less than two months. Its goal is to turn that money around quickly into grants that get put to use on the ground immediately.

its a nice sum, but not when you consider the need. Tens of thousands of Delco residents were in poverty on a so-called good day  before the pandemic shutdown that has caused potentially Great Depression levels of unemployment and economic catastrophe.

Institutional donors, including even some businesses, tend to overlook the county when writing checks. They do not quite grasp the scope of need if it bleeds beyond Philadelphias or their own small towns borders.

Historically, people in Delaware County have either given hyper-locally to their local fire company or their library, or there are affluent communities [such as Swarthmore] that are very generous in Chester, Sheehan said. There are many people in Delco who may give to Philadelphia or to their church or their alma mater. But they dont realize the incredible opportunity to make a difference in their own county.

 READ MORE: With government offices shuttered by COVID-19, Delaware County temporarily furloughs 400 workers

COVID fallout has been intense in the city of Chester and neighboring towns along the river, and communities closer to West Philadelphia, where people who held janitorial and restaurant jobs in Center City are now living, with no unemployment checks, in small houses or apartments at the end of the Market-Frankford Elevated line in Upper Darby.

Were struggling in Delaware County, said social worker Layla de Luria, whose volunteer-led group in Upper Darby has seen a surge in families needing food.

She runs Centro de Apoyo Comunitario. A few days ago, the group received a Delco COVID emergency fund grant to expand on a food bank de Luria had already begun for families whose breadwinners have lost jobs in Philadelphias service economy.

On Tuesday, de Luria bought groceries, hauled them to her home in Wynnewood, Montgomery County, packed them into boxes in her garage, and set to deliver them one town, and county, over in Upper Darby.

De Luria was pleased to hear I was writing about the plight of the needy  and the foundations who need money  in Delco. The reason: There is frustration in the suburbs over the fact that charitable givers and media organizations tend to overlook the degree of economic suffering there.

Just getting the attention of donors is hard, de Luria said.

In Delaware County, 10% of 567,000 residents are in poverty. In Philadelphia, a quarter of its 1.6 million residents are. In Montgomery County, 6% of its 830,000 are impoverished.

Which means the time is now to donate to the Delco fund.

There are a lot of desperate people out there, Sheehan said.

Out there in suburbia. Of all places. Yes.
Thanks to the self-isolation regulations brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic, life has migrated from 3D to Zoom. The video conference platform, whose stock rose 275% in early March, has replaced IRL birthday parties, meetings, happy hours, and casual chitchat, changing the tenor of contemporary communication along the way. In Malmo, Sweden, the brothers behind menswear store Tres Bien have found something else you can do on Zoom: window-shop. A couple of weeks ago, Hannes and Simon Hogeman launched a virtual version of their store on the platform, where fans of the pairs ahead-of-the-curve aesthetic can call in and talk to sales associates one-on-one. What makes this concept special? Theres no shopping to be doneat all.

Theres no shopping involved; its more of a connection, says Hannes, who joined me and his brother to discuss the conceptwhere else?on Zoom. Its meant to be a community thing more than a shopping experience, because you cant actually buy something over Zoom.

Simon continues: Weve kind of always been remote in the industry and weve always had customers spread out across the globe. I think its a way for anyone to visit our store that normally only people here [in Malmo] can visit.

The virtual store can be accessed from the Tres Bien site and runs during normal store hours. When connected, you can speak directly to a sales associate inside the shop. Its getting quite popular, says Simon, with Hannes adding, During opening hours, theres always someone in line. (In this case, in line means in a virtual waiting room.)

Hop on the Zoom line and youll find a sales associate at the stores large desk with a rack of clothing behind him. Most people want to talk about corona, says Niklas, the salesman on call when I cue up for the Zoom, comparing the conversations he typically has on Zoom to what people window-shopping or perusing the store IRL might say. Other than that its

Story continues

Kiko Kostadinov! the brothers exclaim, referencing the white-hot star of the menswear world right now.

Photo: Courtesy of Tres Bien

Even if customers are inquiring about new products and drops, the Tres Bien Zoom hotline remains a place for community building and milling about. Some people stay for 30 minutes, others might stay for just 30 seconds. Interestingly, they say a couple of industry friends from other brands have popped in too. Theres marketing directors from other brands who have called in to see what this is all about, says Hannes. Its also industry people coming by just to check it out.

Whats the benefit of having a digital one-on-one hangout that doesnt immediately connect to a sales platform? I think people think its nice that we have opened up and are transparent. Were a small, independent company, so they can actually talk to someone who is one out of 20 people who work in the company and get a connection, begins Hannes. As evidenced by Vogues recent Global Conversations, that element of community will be crucial to retailers trying to stay afloat during the pandemic.

And perhaps, for the Hogemans, it already has proved its worth. Online sales right now are not bad. It hasnt improved, but it hasnt decreased, says Simon. The bad days are maybe a little bit worse now, but were definitely staying afloat. If it continues like this we wont have to let anyone go. Under the circumstances, were really lucky and happy.

Launching the one-to-one Zooms has also inspired the brothers to consider new initiatives, both online and off. Their recently opened (and then shuttered due to lockdowns) London store might offer virtual tours when it reopens. Their Zooms could feature special guest appearances from the Tres Bien extended family. The entire industry is stressing a bit now because it needs to change, Simon says. Consider this bit of retail community building a crucial and exciting place to start.

Originally Appeared on Vogue
Bajaj Healthcare on Wednesday said it will acquire several stressed assets, including land and factory building, in Maharashtra and Gujarat from Saraswat Cooperative Bank for Rs 61 crore.

The company has agreed to acquire stressed assets from Saraswat Cooperative Bank by way of cash consideration of Rs 61 crore subject to closing adjustments, Bajaj Healthcare said in a regulatory filing.

The company is buying land and factory building at Tarapur industrial area in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Besides, the company will acquire two vacant flats at Jogeshwari (East) in Mumbai.

Further, Bajaj said it will buy vacant industrial land at Dahej in Gujarat.

The targeted assets have installed capacity of 111 metric tonnes per month and are capable of manufacturing bulk drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) like mefenamic acid, artemether, lumefranrine, aceclofenac albendazole and nimesulide.

These APIs are used in pain management, tapeworm infection and anti malarial drugs.

"The existing product portfolios of these assets are highly complementary to the current priorities and future focus of the



company. This transaction will enable the company to access additional portfolio opportunities going forward," Bajaj Healthcare said.

The company believes that this acquisition will be profitable in long term through a combination of top line growth, margin accretive and building newer synergies and consolidation of its presence in the local API market, it added.

The transaction is expected to close by October this year, Bajaj Healthcare said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While human travel has become severely restricted in recent months, the movement of goods has remained a constant priority -- and in some cases, has become even more urgent. Today, a startup out of Switzerland that builds hardware and operates a logistics network designed to transport one item in particular -- pharmaceuticals -- is announcing a significant round to fuel its growth.

SkyCell -- a designer of "smart containers" powered by software to maintain constant conditions for drugs that need to be kept at strict temperatures, humidity levels, and levels of vibration, which are in turn used to transport pharmaceuticals around the globe on behalf of drug companies -- is today announcing. that it has raised $62 million in growth funding.

This latest round is being led by healthcare investor MVM Partners, with participation also from family offices, a Swiss insurance company that declined to be named, as well as previous investors the Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund (managed by Credit Suisse and UBS), and the BCGE Banks growth fund.

The company was founded in 2012 Switzerland when Richard Ettl and Nico Ros were tasked to design a storage facility for one of the big Swiss pharma giants. The exec charged with overseeing the project brainstormed that the work they were putting in could potentially be applied to transportation containers, and thus SkyCell was born.

Today, Ettl (who is the CEO, while Ros is the CTO), said in an interview that the company now works with eight of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies and has been in validation trials with a further seven. These use SkyCell's network of some 22,000 air freight pallets to move their products around the world.

The new capital will be used to expand that reach further, specifically in the U.S. and Asia, and to double its fleet to become the biggest pharmaceutical transportation company globally. With 30 of the 50 biggest-selling drugs in the world being temperature sensitive (and some generics for one of the biggest-selling, the arthritis medication Humira, now also coming out), this makes for a huge opportunity.

Story continues

And unsurprisingly, several of SkyCell's customers are working on COVID-19 medications, Ettl said, either to help ease symptoms or potentially to vaccinate or eradicate the virus, and so it's standing at the ready to play a role in getting drugs to where they need to be.

"We are well positioned in case there is a vaccine developed. Out of the six pharma companies developing these right now, four of them are our customers, so there is a high likelihood we would transport something," Ettl said.

For now, he said SkyCell has been involved in helping to transport "supportive" medications related to the outbreak, such as flu shots to make sure people are not falling ill with other viral infections at the same time.

SkyCell is not disclosing its valuation but we understand that it's in the many hundreds of millions of dollars. The company had raised some $36 million in equity and debt before this, bringing the total outside funding now to $98 million.

In a market that's estimated to be worth some $2.8 billion annually and growing at a rate of between 15% and 20% each year, there are a number of freight businesses that focus on the transportation of pharmaceuticals. They include not only freight companies but airlines themselves, which often buy in containers from third parties. (And for some more context, one of its competitors, Envirotainer, was acquired for over $1 billion in 2918; while another, CSafe, has raised significantly more funding.)

But there was virtually no innovation in the market, and most pharmaceutical companies factored in failure rates of between 4% and 12% depending on where the drugs were headed.

One key differentiator with SkyCell has been its containers, which are able to withstand temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius or as low as -35 degrees Celsius, and have tracking on them to better monitor their movements from A to B.

These came to the market at a time when incumbents were only able to (and some still are only able to) guarantee insulation for temperatures as high as 40 degrees, which was not as pressing an issue in the past as it is today, in part because of rising temperatures around the globe, and in part because of the growing sophistication of pharmaceuticals.

"We've found that the number of days where [one has to consider] temperature extremes has been going up," Ettl said. "Last year, we had 30 days where it was warmer than 40 degrees Celsius across our network of countries."

On top of the containers themselves, SkyCell has built a software platform that taps into the kind of big data analytics that are now part and parcel of how modern companies in the logistics industry work today, in order to optimise movement and best routing for packages.

The conditions it considers include not only the obvious ones around temperature, humidity and vibration, but distance and time of travel, as well as overall carbon emissions. SkyCell claims that its failure rate comes out at less than 0.1%, with CO2 emissions reduced by almost half on a typical shipment.

Together, the hardware and software are covered by some 100 patents, the company says.
Kazakhstan is in talks with the companies operating its two large oil projects to reduce total output by 22 percent in compliance with the latest OPEC+ production cut agreement.

The Central Asian countrys cut quota under the OPEC+ deal was 390,000 bpd, from a total daily production of some 1.7 million bpd, to 1.3 million bpd, most it coming from the Tengiz field onshore and the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea, which last year accounted for a combined daily output of 900,000 barrels of crude.

The situation is sort of unique since the consortia operating Tengiz and Kashagan are led by a supermajor. The majority partner in Tengizchevroil, which operates the Tengiz field, is U.S. Supermajors Shell, Total, and Exxon are partners in the North Caspian Operating Company, developing Kashagan. Until now, the two companies have not been involved in production cuts. This time, however, they were not just asked but were about to agree, according to Reuters sources.

Kazakhstan is not alone in this unprecedented position of negotiating production cuts with private field operators. Neighbour Azerbaijan with whom the country shares the Caspian Seas oil riches, asked the BP-led consortium that operates the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli offshore field system to start reducing its output from May. Last year, the ACG group produced some 542,000 bpd. Now, BP and its partners would need to reduce this by between 75,000 bpd and 80,000 bpd to fill the countrys reduction quota, which stands at 164,000 bpd.

OPEC and its partners, which besides Russia also include the Central Asian oil producers, agreed early this month to reduce its combined production by 9.7 million bpd to counter a dramatic drop in oil prices. The amount to be cut, however, is nowhere near the loss of demand resulting from travel banks and lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting that along with deliberate cuts, there will be a lot of forced well shut-ins as barrels produced remain unsold and with storage space running scarce on a global scale.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
OTTAWA - As some provinces considered staggered steps Wednesday towards reopening their economies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear some of them may ease restrictions at different speeds.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadian Members of Parliament are shown on a monitor during a virtual session of the House of Commons Tuesday April 28, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - As some provinces considered staggered steps Wednesday towards reopening their economies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear some of them may ease restrictions at different speeds.

Trudeau also stressed that all will follow the guidelines their premiers and the federal government drafted collaboratively to ease the physical distancing that was instituted to combat COVID-19  a joint effort that he branded as an unusual success in Ottawa's sometimes strained relations with the provinces.

"Every region, every province, every territory is facing a very different situation right now with different industries, different-sized cities, and different spread of COVID-19. That's why we needed to make sure that the foundational elements were there, that we could all follow as Canadians, but recognize that different jurisdictions will act differently," Trudeau said Wednesday.

"But there is a common desire right across the country from all premiers to ensure that we're doing this right."

Those differences were starkly illustrated by the fact that Quebec and Ontario, the country's two largest provinces, were taking different approaches to easing restrictions amid federal projections released this week that thousands more people would likely contract COVID-19 and hundreds more could die in the coming week.

Canada's two most populous provinces account about 80 per cent of the country's known cases of COVID-19, a sharp contrast with other regions, where some light seemed to be appearing at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

Manitoba said it would start easing its physical distancing measures on Monday and allow dentists, physiotherapists, retail stores, hair salons and restaurant patios to open at no more than half capacity.

Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, April 29, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases Wednesday. But P.E.I. said it will remain closed to outsiders for the foreseeable future.

Quebec remains Canada's hardest-hit province, announcing 79 new deaths on Wednesday for a total of 1,761, and 837 cases for a total of 26,594. But the province is nevertheless pushing forward with plans to ease restrictions.

The province said Wednesday that stores outside the Montreal region could start re-opening on Monday and in the city a week later, while primary schools and daycares are also to re-open starting May 11.

The province also said it will remove roadblocks throughout May to certain regions outside Montreal, but not Gatineau, which is on the Ontario border with Ottawa. The nation's capital has more cases than six other provinces.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said her provincial and local counterparts are being "extremely cautious" as they weigh what to do in their individual regions.

"They will look at how they cautiously do any of these relaxations, including schools," Tam said.

"It's best to discuss, of course, with Quebec but as I understand it, they're not looking at Montreal. They're looking at elsewhere first and the epidemiology is different in different parts of Quebec as well."

Ontario has said schools will stay closed until at least the end of May and Premier Doug Ford has been adamant that re-opening depends on getting the spread of the virus under firm control.

On Wednesday, Ontario reported 347 new COVID-19 cases, and 45 more deaths, bringing the province to a total of 15,728 cases. That was a 2.3 per cent increase over the previous day, the lowest growth rate in weeks.

"Provinces have the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their citizens while they look at re-opening and we are comfortable that these guidelines lay out a road map that everyone can follow, the principles that will allow them to put in the measures that will keep their citizens safe while looking at re-opening various parts of the economy, carefully," Trudeau said.

Trudeau was speaking ahead of a session of the House of Commons intended to give rapid approval to legislation authorizing $9 billion in promised financial assistance for students facing bleak summer job prospects in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the aid package, Trudeau said the federal government plans to provide between $1,000 and $5,000 for students who volunteer to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House has been adjourned since mid-March, except for three single-day sittings to pass emergency aid legislation.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

It met Wednesday with a skeleton crew of MPs in the chamber in the first of what is to be a once-a-week, in-person sitting, supplemented by one and eventually two virtual sittings each week, all intended to allow opposition MPs to continue to hold the Liberal government to account as the pandemic drags on.

The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois accused the government of being evasive about whether it will provide emergency financial support to companies registered in foreign tax havens. They have called on the government to deny federal funding to those companies. Trudeau said the government will continue to fight tax evasion and avoidance, and those companies will face severe consequences.

Trudeau also spoke Wednesday with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission and they stressed the need to co-operate internationally to battle COVID-19.

Trudeau's office said he "welcomed the European Union's leadership in hosting an international pledging effort as of May 4th to promote co-operation on urgent efforts to develop effective COVID-19 diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2020.

 with files from Canadian Press reporters across Canada.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/29/2020



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alum Jamie Otis has revealed she has tested negative for the coronavirus after her doctor recommended she take a test just as a precaution since she could go into labor any day now.Jamie, 33, is 38 weeks into her pregnancy and shared with fans on Instagram she can follow through with her plan to have a home birth because she has a low-risk pregnancy and tested negative for coronavirus.Jamie, who is expecting her second child with husband Doug Hehner, took to Instagram on Monday with the good news."Almost fully loaded AND MY CORONA VIRUS TEST RESULTS ARE BACK! I'm COVID-19 NEGATIVE! AHH, such a RELIEF!" shared Jamie, who is already mom to daughter, Henley Grace, 2. "Thanks again for all your love and support!"Along with the caption, Jamie shared two photos of herself in the same red bikini. One photo is her current baby bump at nine months pregnant with her son, and she compared it to a picture of her body nine months into her first pregnancy with Henley."I SWEAR I am way bigger this time, but I don't know if you can see in these pics?" Jamie wrote."Even with all the discomfort (Hemerrhroids are huge, back & hips are in constant pain, can't sleep, pee all the time....) I'm still not 'ready' for him to come! I never felt 'ready' for Gracie either. Does anyone ever feel *READY* for their baby to come?!!"This past weekend, Jamie admitted she was stressed out waiting for the results of her coronavirus test to come back."My midwife said we can't do a home birth until my covid-19 test comes back negative. Ah, stressful! Esp since I was only 'recommended' to take it by my primary doc (which of course I agreed its best to know in case I'm a 'silent carrier' & spread to my newborn). I have ZERO symptoms so I'm 99.99% sure I'm not positive!" Jamie shared."I woke up with more mild contractions (this to me didn't freak out, i just got in the tub, drank lots of water, and bathed in lavender oil! I keep telling this little guy that as much as I want to meet him he's gotta stay in there until that test comes back NEGATIVE!"Jamie also thanked everyone for their support when she was an "emotional wreck" two days prior, when Jamie posted a video on Instagram of herself crying in the car after going through with her COVID-19 test."Officially FULL TERM & just got tested for COVID19!" Jamie captioned the video, adding, "If you're a pregnant mama worried over everything and anything right now aaaaand you feel kinda psycho with your emotions -- girl, I GET IT."Jamie cried in the video, "The swab hurt really bad, and I'm like, 'If I can't handle the swab going up my nose, how am I going to handle an unmedicated childbirth?' I think I'm just a little overwhelmed and I feel so annoyed with myself for being such a wimp about this.""This is a nightmare, it really is," she continued, "but I'm trying to stay positive... I'm so fortunate I'm able to stay home and quarantine and I have a low-risk pregnancy and can do a home birth. I know all of these things and am trying to be thankful for them."Jamie, Doug and Henley traveled to Sarasota, FL, in March in search of a second home and she later apologized on Instagram for putting her family and others at risk of contracting coronavirus.Jamie took precautions on her flight back to New Jersey by sanitizing and wearing gloves and masks, but she admitted she was "ashamed" of herself for taking such a risk. Jamie assured her followers that she and her family followed up their trip with 14 days of quarantining at home.Jamie and Doug starred on Season 1 of , and they're excited to welcome a new addition to their family considering they've suffered through multiple miscarriages Jamie and Doug revealed in November 2019 they have a baby boy on the way who's due to arrive in May 2020.Following their stint on 's first season, Jamie and Doug co-starred on : The First Year, a spinoff which continued to follow the two MAFS Season 1 couples who opted to remain together during their first year of marriage.Jamie and Doug also later starred on : Jamie and Doug Plus One, their own spinoff which premiered in December 2017.Jamie now serves as the host of : Unfiltered, the show's post-episode discussion show that also airs on Lifetime, and she and Doug often appear on : Couples Couch, which features former MAFS couples offering commentary on encore broadcasts of the show's tenth-season episodes.Jamie and Doug will be sharing an update on their relationship and Jamie's pregnancy with fans on Lifetime's two-hour special : Where Are They Now? airing Wednesday night at 8PM ET/PT.The "ultimate series reunion" will feature cast members from previous seasons sitting down or videochatting with host Kevin Frazier to discuss the latest on their relationships or single lives, according to Lifetime.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet approved 180 billion baht (4.44 billion pounds) worth of additional cash handouts on Tuesday to help protect farmers and workers against the coronavirus pandemic that is driving the country towards recession.

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, which has recorded 2,938 virus infections and 54 deaths, stands to shrink the most since the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98 and lose up to 10 million jobs because of the outbreak.

The government agreed to provide cash of 150 billion baht for 10 million farmers. Each farmer will get 15,000 baht, government spokeswoman Naruemon Pinyosinwat told reporters.

It also increased the number of eligible workers to 16 million from 14 million. That swells the total handout by 30 billion baht. Each worker will receive 15,000 baht.

With economic measures to limit the impact of the pandemic running into billions of dollars, the government plans to borrow 1 trillion baht to help fund them.

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Cooped up inside with an endless ocean of content to choose from? Heres a look at Primes current offerings that made the critics swoon.

This article was first published on Stacker
County Mayor Jim Coppinger said Hamilton County has been "very fortunate" in the limited extent of coronavirus cases.

He said the county has been averaging about nine patients per day in local hospital and about three in ICU.

The county mayor noted, "Not all nine are from Hamilton County."

He said the 152 coronavirus cases here thus far represent 1.5 percent of total cases for the state of Tennessee.

There were some 1,400 people tested over the weekend with only testing positive, he said. Of those, two were showing no symptoms. Those two had family members who had earlier tested positive, he stated.

Of the 13 who have died from coronavirus here, all had underlying health issues.

County Mayor Coppinger told members of the County Commission on Wednesday morning that he has been "receiving more calls from people wanting to open back up, including an angry one this morning."

He said that is going forward, "but we need to keep in mind that we still have a pandemic. You don't want to let your guard down."

He added, "We can do both" - be cautious while restarting the local economy in a prudent, phased way.

There was little discussion about the county school budget. School board member Steve Highlander earlier said an update was expected dealing with declining revenue.

Commissioner Tim Boyd did say that school officials should present a "no growth" budget.

He said, "I don't want to see any adjustment over the amount they got last year. With so many small businesses facing what they are going through, it would be awful to be spending any more money than that."

The school presentation is next week.

The School Board is set to meet on Thursday to vote on the budget, which is not asking for a tax increase. However, the request is up from $410 million to $420 million.
Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here!

(Kitco News) - Los Filos Mine in Guerrero State, Mexico, saw its suspension of non-essential activities until May 30, 2020, with the potential for earlier start-up on May 18, 2020 in areas with low or no cases of COVID-19.

Mine owner Equinox Gold made the announcement Tuesday. The company said it has continued processing solution from the Los Filos heap leach pads and producing gold at a reduced level during the temporary suspension.

Operations in Brazil and California are uninterrupted.

I an analyst note Haywood anticipated no further complications.

"Equinox continues to push ahead on their goal to reach 1 million ounces of production in 2023. Mining at Los Filos should resume in early June assuming no further complications from COVID-19 in the area around the mine," wrote Haywood.

Equinox also said warrants held by Pacific Road Resources Funds were exercised for net proceeds to Equinox Gold of approximately C$20.7 million.
There is a lot of discussion about how the coronavirus pandemic might create new normals in behaviours and in industry landscapes. For property landlords, that combination could create very significant and quite unpleasant structural changes.

When Westpac announced its $1.6 billion of COVID-19-related provisioning this week, it specifically called out, not just a fall in residential property prices, but a decline in commercial property values.

The bank is more sensitive to developments in the commercial property sector than most, given that its triple exposure to those markets through the bank and its finance arms, AGC and Bill Acceptance Corporation, drove it to a $1.6 billion loss in 1992  the biggest loss in Australian history to that time  and the brink of collapse.

A near-empty Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne on March 20. It's commercial suicide to keep trading when there are no customers but it's creating headaches for landlords. Credit:Joe Armao

If there are to be problems within the commercial property sector, it isnt hard to pinpoint the most stressed segments nor that much of a stretch to see them as something other than a temporary phenomenon.
Hockenheim has emerged as a potential race host on F1's new 'corona calendar' for 2020.

Germany was not scheduled to host a race this year, but the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper says Hockenheim circuit officials were recently approached by F1 chiefs.

"There was a request from FOM, including questions about the necessary lead time for a race," the report stated.

Liberty Media is keen to organise at least 15 races this year amid the pandemic, in order to satisfy lucrative contracts with television broadcasters.

"It is true that we are always in a casual exchange with representatives of Formula 1," Hockenheim boss Jorn Teske confirmed to SID news agency.

"Of course we are also talking about the effects of the corona crisis on the Formula 1 calendar."

Hockenheim could not reach a financial deal with Liberty Media for a race on the original 2020 calendar, but Teske says that "everything is conceivable" now "if it makes economic sense and is within the legal framework".

"If they want to talk to us about such an idea in concrete terms, we are happy to help," he added.

Teske said that as a permanent circuit, Hockenheim would not need much lead time ahead of a 2020 race.

"But even in that case, many questions would have to be clarified and the legal framework applicable on 'day x' must be taken into account," he added.

"It is clear that we are not the only circuit that Formula 1 can speak to, but we will not take economic risks for Formula 1. We cannot afford to spend money to lose money - especially in these times."

(GMM)
In the wake of rising Covid-19 cases, the chemists association has decided to not dispense medicines specific to cold, cough, and fever to anyone without a prescription. Several states have also approached the medical shops to keep a record of phone numbers and addresses of customers who buy such medicines for surveillance. There has been no government notification in this regard.

However, we feel that it is safe to not dispense medicines for cold, cough and fever over the counter now. We have asked the chemists affiliated with us to recommend the patient to visit a ...
Just recently, the South Korean crime-thriller film Time To Hunt released its global premiere on Netflix after deciding to postpone its release on theaters due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

Initially, the film was scheduled to be released in theaters on February 26, but it was indefinitely postponed due to the pandemic. Then, on March 23, the production released the announcement that Netflix would release the film on April 10.

After the announcement that the film would be premiering on Netflix, Contents Panda filed an injunction against Little Big Pictures, the distributor of the film, since Contents Panda was unilaterally notified of the termination of the contract. Also, none of the overseas distributors concluded an exclusive distribution agreement with the streaming site Netflix.

On April 16, all parties have reached an agreement of compensation deal with distributors, and the Court injunction was lifted. The film was premiered on Netflix last April 23.

Time To Hunt tells the story about the dystopian South Korea, where Jun Seok, portrayed by Lee Je-hoon, got out of prison for the past crime he and his friends mishandled. And the current currency of the Korean Won has crashed big time that resulted in a haul of their last job effectively worthless.

However, Jun Seok recommended one last heist to his friends Jang Ho and Ki Hoon. They have to do this crime for the three of them to escape from their unfortunate situations. The target of their mission is a gambling house, which keeps huge stacks of US dollars. For them to accomplish the mission, they hired Sang-Soo, who currently works in the gambling house.

Then, after planning hard, the team proceeded with their plans and was able to take a large sum of cash, including the gambling house's surveillance hard drives, which contains footage of illegal dealings between the gambling house's owners and various criminals. This made the gambling house's owners angry, and they hired killer Han to track down the four burglars and retrieve the stolen hard drives.

The drama released a sneak peek of the film's set unveiling some behind-the-scenes stills. The photo showed the tight relationship between the actors who evidently became close even before the filming started. The cast produced positive energy on the set while filming and they encouraged and relied on one each other like the close friends they portray in the film.

Actor Lee Je Hoon expressed that the filming experience was really fun and joyful. Ahn Jae Hong gave his comment stating that this is a project they made while counting on one another. Further, Park Jung Min stated shared his thoughts, saying that he really felt happy and excited about going on the set. And lastly, Choi Woo Shik added that there were a lot of improvisations, and the scenes wouldn't be achieved successfully without excellent teamwork.

The actors ended their talk by sharing a message of gratitude to Director Yoon Sung Hyun, stating, "There were no communication issues, and he allowed us to be really playful and free."
Market Overview The fruits and vegetables market in Saudi Arabia was valued at USD 11. 86 billion in the year 2018 and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4. 4% over the forecast period (2019-2024).

New York, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Saudi Arabia Fruits and Vegetables Market a Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865921/?utm_source=GNW

The increasing presence of superstores and hypermarkets has increased access to high-quality fruits and vegetables for the Saudi population. As many of these retailers adopt strategies, including optimal pricing strategies to capture the market, the demand among consumers is increasing. The urban population is gradually becoming brand conscious and is becoming aware of the origin and type of food consumed. Self-sufficiency in the food supply is one of the key focus areas of the Saudi government.



Scope of the Report

The Saudi Arabia Fruits and Vegetables Market is segmented by type into fruits and vegetables. The report provides insights into the domestic production, consumption, market size, and trade of fruits and vegetables. The imports and exports have been elucidated both in value and volume terms. In addition, the report offers an analysis of the international price trends of 16 most commonly traded fruits and vegetables in Saudi Arabia. A section on competitive analysis in the market, as well as an analysis of the distribution network and retail market in the country, is being provided as part of the report.



Key Market Trends

Aiming for Self-Sufficiency in Vegetable Production



Adverse climatic conditions such as high temperatures and prolonged dry spells have meant that Saudi Arabia is highly dependent on the imports of fresh produce such as vegetables. In the year 2017, Saudi Arabia imported 661,246 metric ton of vegetables, valued at USD 395.4 million. In aiming for self-sufficiency in vegetable production, the Saudi government has been promoting technologies such as drip irrigation and protected cultivation. The country aims for self-sufficiency not only by effectively managing its scarce water resources but also by targeting investments abroad, by enabling private investors to acquire land in countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mozambique, and Ukraine. These initiatives are expected to reduce Saudi dependence on imports and the imports are projected to register a CAGR of -1.5% over the forecast period.



Dates Dominate Fruit and Vegetable Trade



Dates are one of the most traded commodities in Saudi Arabia and the country produces one-sixth of the dates grown all over the world. Saudi Arabia exported 161,996 metric ton of dates, valued at USD 201.4 million in the year 2018. Although the country is a major exporter of dates, imports are also significant and necessary to meet the domestic demand. Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Turkey are the major export trade partners of Saudi dates. The region of Madina Tayyiba grows Ajwa dates, which are known for their luscious and fruity taste and fine texture. The demand for dates has been considered to be inelastic to a degree because of the fruits prominent role in Ramadan fasting tradition and Islamic culture as a whole. Saudi traders stand to benefit from a growing international demand for dates and the exports of dates are projected to register a CAGR of 4.9% over the forecast period.



Reasons to Purchase this report:

- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

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Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865921/?utm_source=GNW



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A marketing company may not be able to save lives, but Marty Fisher, CEO of Sherpa Marketing, figures he can at least try to save the livelihoods of some others out there.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A marketing company may not be able to save lives, but Marty Fisher, CEO of Sherpa Marketing, figures he can at least try to save the livelihoods of some others out there.

Fishers 25-person digital marketing firm  which also has an office in Kitchener, Ont.  had to shut down like every other non-essential business six weeks ago and his own revenues started to dry up.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Marty Fisher, CEO of Sherpa Marketing, is offering the firms help to a worthy company.

"We are not exactly busy," Fisher said laughing. "Thanks, COVID."

With a sense of goodwill, he thought he would offer up his firms services to a deserving company and quickly lined up a half dozen of his peers who agreed to take up the challenge.

Like any good marketing campaign, it needed a good name  Adopt-A-Business.

He thought about what he could do to help a business get their pump primed for when it is allowed to have customers again. He set up a website (www.sherpamarketing.ca/adopt-a-business) for companies to "apply" for assistance and started the Adopt-A-Business challenge.

The idea is that the support will be delivered by the end of the year. Fisher said the amount he chose to make available was enough to be able to make a difference.

"It had to be significant enough for us to do something meaningful," he said. "We will give them until the end of the year to work off the retainer but we dont want it hanging around into the next year. We want to have some boundaries. That creates urgency for both parties."

Sherpa will provide about $25,000 worth of expertise and partner companies will offer varying amounts of support. All told, the free products and services could top $100,000 and could help even more companies.

 Tripwire Media group will provide full production of a 30-second video sizzle reel, about $10,000 worth of work;

 Direct Focus Marketing Communications Inc. will provide about $25,000 in marketing services and will likely choose its own target to assist;

 PivotTurn Consulting Ltd. will do a customized virtual corporate training initiative or strategic planning session;

 Rodio will provide copywriting services and design and broadcast production supervision;

 Arialys will do a Shopify website setup and training to help a business to get an e-commerce operation going; and

 McKim, inspired by Sherpa, has started its own initiative to help groups in the Winnipeg performing arts community.

Doug Darling, CEO of Tripwire, a busy commercial film and video and digital media production company, said that he didnt hesitate when asked to help.

"When Marty asked if Im in, I figured how could I not be," Darling said. "I got in this business to help people and this is a great way to stay focused on the positive in some pretty challenging times."

This week more than a dozen companies have already applied to get in on the free marketing assistance, from an ice cream shop to a company that sells and installs eco-friendly lighting systems.

Sherpa has a committee set up to look at the applications to determine who the lucky recipient will be. Fisher said there has to be a good fit between the two.

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.

"I dont want to be gauche, but kind of like Tinder, if we are going to hook up we have to like each other," he said.

Of particular concern to Sherpa Marketing are all the small local businesses that add character to the community.

"A life without our favourite family restaurants, boutique shops and cutting-edge companies is one I (and most of you) would prefer not to face," said Fisher.

Fisher does not expect anything in return.

"You just a put a whole bunch of karma in the karma bank and whatever comes out of it, so be it," he said. "There is no real endgame other than just trying to help a few business have a better chance of coming out of this pandemic."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
(Adds detail)

NAIROBI, April 29 (Reuters) - Safaricom, Kenya's

biggest telecoms operator, posted a 13.3% jump in annual

earnings before interest and tax to 101.5 billion shillings

($949.5 million) on Wednesday.

The growth was driven by higher revenue from internet

provision and its mobile financial services business M-Pesa, as

well as a first ever drop in operating expenses, said finance

chief Sateesh Kamath.

Revenue from M-Pesa, which allows users to transfer cash,

make payments, borrow and save, jumped 12.6% to 84.4 billion

shillings, a third of Safaricom's service revenue.

Mobile data, where Safaricom has been aggressively fighting

for market share by offering internet bundles without expiry,

rose 12.1% to 40.7 billion shillings.

The company, which is part-owned by South Africa's Vodacom

and Britain's Vodafone, proposed a dividend of

1.40 shillings per share and said the coronavirus pandemic has

made it impossible to issue guidance for the year to March 31,

2021.

"We are operating in unpredictable times," new CEO Peter

Ndegwa told investors on an online briefing.

($1 = 106.9000 Kenyan shillings)

(Reporting by Duncan Miriri

Editing by David Goodman)
Help India!

TCN News

Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) welcomes the report on religious freedom issued by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placing India among the top violators of religious freedom.

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India being categorized as a top violator of religious freedoms while unfortunate, is expected and justified, said IAMC President Ahsan Khan. IAMC endorses the annual report by USCIRF where it has designated India as taking a sharp downward turn in 2019 in terms of religious tolerance and treatment of minorities. USCIRF, which is an independent policymaking body, has been reviewing global religious freedom for the US President and Congress and had previously put India other Tier 2 which was the list of countries with the second-worst of religious freedom violations. Owing to the increasing incidents of growing intolerance in the country, the report has expressed concerns regarding the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), calling out the national government for using its strengthened parliamentary majority to institute national level policies violating religious freedom across India.

The report has spoken about NRC and CAA being deeply repressive measures, simultaneously condemning the massive atrocities of the Indian government against Muslims in India following its revocation of Kashmirs special status; the legislation of the anti-Muslim law; and the State-sponsored pogrom of Muslims in Delhi; hence launching it to Tier 1. It has also accused the BJP of building a national government that allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity, and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence.

IAMC President Khan expressed that as a part of the Indian diaspora, the Council wishes well for the country and even though this international acknowledgement is painful, it is necessary given the escalating level of persecution of minorities. IAMC, along with its partners, International Christian Concern (ICC) and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) had written to USCIRF in March urging it to bring India to its worst offenders of violations in the world. The letter was co-signed by dozens of other individuals and organization working for religious tolerance, including Genocide Watch, Jewish Voice for Peace, Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church of American and others.

Several other bodies had later resounded support for the same  Alliance for Secular and Democratic South Asia, Organization for Minorities of India, Muslim Public Affairs Council, India Civil Watch, Council on Minority Rights in India and many more. Responding to the wide international uproar, USCIRF, in January end, held a Congressional Briefing to speak out against the ongoing National Register for Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India.

IAMC has extended its full support for the USCIRFs three key recommendations for growing human rights violations and religious intolerance in India. The recommendations mandate India be designated as CPC for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious religious freedom violations as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA); imposing targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations by freezing their assets and barring entry into the US and strengthening US Embassies and consulates engagement with religious communities as well as local officials to enhance US partnerships with Indian law enforcement to build capacity to protect religious minorities.

Speaking about the recommendations, Khan has expressed that those would mark a turning point in the treatment of religious minorities as well as the caste oppressed in India.
The modalities of taking the approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is being worked out, official sources said. Stating that the mode of treatment in Covid-19 is still at an "experimental stage", Guleria stressed on the need to have good and well-conducted research trials before its benefit, and this mode of therapy can be recommended for routine use ...

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Digital Editor
A bidding war has broken out over British make-up brand Charlotte Tilbury, with beauty giants Unilever, LOreal and Estee Lauder in the running to buy it.

It is thought that the brand, founded by make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, 47, could fetch more than 1billion.

Others said to have expressed an interest include Puig, the firm behind Penhaligons and Paco Rabanne perfumes, Japanese cosmetics-maker Shiseido and private equity firms.

It is thought that the make-up brand, founded by make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, 47, (pictured to the right of human rights lawyer Amal Clooney) could fetch more than 1bn

Make-up artist to the stars Tilbury (pictured above right with human rights lawyer Amal Clooney) could choose a winning bidder as early as May, Bloomberg reported, although talks are ongoing.

LOreal and Unilever, which are among the worlds biggest sellers of beauty products, declined to comment.

Unilever has been snapping up niche and premium brands to attract younger customers.

It splashed out 400million for San Francisco skincare brand Tatcha and added French brand Garancia to its line-up last year.

LOreal recently bought skincare brands Cerave and La-Roche Posay.
The family of a black man who was out jogging earlier this year when he was shot dead by a man who said he believed the 25-year-old was a burglar is demanding justice.

Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia, just after 1pm on February 23.

According to Glynn County Police, officers responded to the area as a result of a 911 call, but by the time they arrived to the scene Arbery had been shot by a white man identified as 34-year-old Travis McMichael.

Travis and his father, Gregory, 64, a retired Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney investigator, had seen Arbery, who was unarmed, running in the area and armed themselves before chasing him down in a pickup truck.

Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia, just after 1pm on February 23

According to Glynn County Police, officers responded to the area as a result of a 911 call, but by the time they arrived to the scene Arbery had been shot by a white man identified as 34-year-old Travis McMichael (right). The other man was identified as Travis' father, Gregory (left)

According to The New Brunswick News, 911 dispatchers received two calls about Arbery being in the neighborhood.

About 50 seconds into one of the calls, the dispatcher interrupted the caller and said: 'I just need to know what he was doing wrong.'

During the chase, the McMichaels yelled for Arbery to stop because they wanted to talk to him, according to The New York Times.

They then pulled up to Arbery, and Travis got out of the truck with the shotgun.

Gregory claimed that Arbery started to 'violently attack Travis' and the two men started fighting over the shotgun.

That's when Travis fired one shot and then 'a second later there was a second shot'.

More than two months later and neither Gregory nor Travis McMichael have been charged with Arbery's death.

Arbery's family has started a Facebook page called I Run with Maud that serves as an outlet for relatives to advocate for justice.

'On Feb. 23rd 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was wrongfully chased and killed by two individuals who took the law into their own hands after they thought Ahmaud 'looked suspicious' because he was 'running' down the street.

'Join us in bringing light to this tragedy as we demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery,' the page reads.

During the chase, the McMichaels yelled for Arbery (pictured with his family) to stop because they wanted to talk to him. They then pulled up to Arbery, and Travis got out of the truck with the shotgun

Gregory said Arbery (pictured with his family) started to 'violently attack Travis'. That's when Travis fired one shot and then 'a second later there was a second shot'. More than two months later and neither Gregory nor Travis McMichael have been charged with Arbery's death

In mid-April, the family shared a statement from the office of Jackie Johnson, the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District attorney, announcing that she had recused her office from the case because Gregory served as an investigator within the office.

Arbery's case was then sent to George E. Barnhill, the district attorney in Waycross, Georgia.

But he also had to recuse himself from the case after Arbery's mother argued that Barnhill had a conflict because his son also works for Johnson.

According to the Times, before Barnhill gave up the case, he had argued that there was not sufficient probable cause to arrest Arbery's attackers.

Barnhill claimed that the McMichaels were within their rights to carry their firearms under Georgia's open carry law and had the right to pursue a 'burglary suspect'.

Under Georgia law, Barnhill had argued that if Arbery attacked Travis, he was 'allowed to use deadly force to protect himself'.

Barnhill also claimed that Arbery had mental health issues and prior convictions, which include shoplifting and violating probation.

Arbery's defender, Michael J. Moore, called Barnhill's statements 'flawed', noting that the McMichaels were the ones who appeared to be the aggressors.

'The law does not allow a group of people to form an armed posse and chase down an unarmed person who they believe might have possibly been the perpetrator of a past crime,' Moore said, according to the Times.

Arbery's cases will now be handled by Tom Durden, the district attorney for Atlanta Judicial Circuit.
A couple wearing protective facemasks as a prevention measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus walk at a nearly empty shopping mall in Beijing on February 27, 2020. Nicolas Asfouri | AFP | Getty Images

BEIJING  As businesses try to boost sales to during the coronavirus slump, one of the hottest trends in marketing has created plenty of buzz  but it has yet to prove its worth on a macro level. In the months since Covid-19 prompted millions of people in China to stay at home, plenty of people  from celebrities to government officials and automakers  have jumped on the livestreaming bandwagon that was already taking off. They are now selling directly to consumers via what can be hours of live video. In fact, the number of e-commerce livestreaming sessions topped 4 million in the first quarter, according to China's Commerce Ministry. More than 100 government officials participated to promote local products, the ministry said.

To me, (livestreaming) is going to be a new normal channel to drive new sales, create new revenue streams. Jialu Shan International Institute for Management Development

Online platforms such as Alibaba's Taobao marketplace, Kuaishou and Pinduoduo have reported an explosion in livestreaming activity. Taobao said the number of new merchants using the site's livestreaming platform surged by more than eight times in one month  from January to February, while transactions grew more than 160% year-over-year in March. "Before the pandemic, livestreaming was only seen as an option for brands to reach Chinese consumers," Jialu Shan, economist and scholar in Asian and Emerging Markets at the International Institute for Management Development. "But now it (has) become very integral to how people shop, she said. "To me, it is going to be a new normal channel to drive new sales, create new revenue streams. But that is not to say that every foreign brand should (jump) into livestreaming without doing everything else."

Limited share of sales

At least for the first quarter, the impact on Chinese consumption was minimal. Retail sales still plunged nearly 20% from a year ago, with sales of big-ticket items such as autos tumbling further, official data showed. Online sales of physical goods grew 5.9% from a year ago to 1.85 trillion yuan ($264 billion), accounting for just over a fifth of retail sales overall, according to the data. Within e-commerce generally, livestreaming-driven sales likely only account for about 2%, estimated Bruce Pang, head of macro and strategy research at China Renaissance. For Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, he expects the figure is near 5% and will rise this year. Other industry estimates range closer to 10%. Official data wasn't available.

"Despite the popularity of livestreaming sessions, the product return rate is two to three times higher than the brands' official e-commerce purchase (channels)," said Bob Wang, vice president, strategy, social and customer relationship management, at Ogilvy in Shanghai. He noted much of the purchases are impulse buys, and that generally people still enjoy going to physical stores much more than shopping online.

Forced to experiment with the unknown

Covid-19, which has infected more than 3 million worldwide, has killed over 217,000 people since it first emerged late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The domestic outbreak has stalled, but the virus has spread overseas in a global pandemic. Attempts to contain the virus have severely disrupted economies around the world. Businesses in China have had to adapt quickly. Barcelona-based skincare brand Isdin shifted an offline promotional event in March to a livestream session with internet personality Li Jiaqi and Chinese rapper, Lil Ghost. The company said nearly 15 million tuned in, compared to a few hundred that an in-person event might draw.

I think this market has just begun. E-commerce livestreaming will become a daily (aspect) of a merchant's brand, a new kind of brand marketing scenario. Zhang Guowei head of JD Live

Monthly sales topped 100 million yuan for the first time in March, the company added, pointing out it ran promotions online for weeks ahead of the livestream. As is the case for many brands, Isdin said its overall spending wasn't much different from that for a more traditional strategy.

Model is 'hard to predict'

A key challenge for brands looking at livestreaming is managing their relationship with personalities known as key opinion leaders  or KOLs, and agencies known as multi-channel networks (MCNs). "If there's a livestream without a (key opinion leader), then it can't really last," said Xu Lei, a spokesperson for Xiaohongshu, a social media site popular with the fashion crowd. French luxury brand LVMH held its first livestream on the app last month; Givenchy has one set for Wednesday evening. But it's very expensive to hire an internet personality for a livestream, and consumers tend to be more loyal to the KOL than a brand, analysts said. Relationships with stars like Li Jiaqi can also tend to be expensive one-offs, rather than longer-term partnerships.

In some instances, the host was unable to sell the prepared inventory, or the stock ran out, said Gao Huan, a senior director focused on retail and manufacturing at consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal in Beijing. "It's just really hard to predict." "I don't think a lot of people have established a business model to calculate a (return on investment) for this one," she said. Training salespeople to do livestreaming presentations could reduce costs, analysts said. But brands still need to consider how to stand out given the slew of streams available.

Longer-term trend
Gilead Sciences (GILD, $78.67) reprised its goal as one of Wall Street's most-watched health care stocks on Wednesday after announcing positive results from trials for its COVID-19 treatment remdesivir.

Gilead announced that its COVID-19 treatment remdesivir met its primary endpoint in a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) clinical study. It also provided encouraging data from an open-label Phase 3 trial.

The Phase 3 trial focused on severely ill patients and found similar results for those who took five- or 10-day dosing durations, with "more than half of patients in both treatment groups (being) discharged from the hospital by Day 14."

"The study demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir," Gilead Chief Medical Officer Merdad Parsey said in a release. "This is particularly important in the setting of a pandemic, to help hospitals and healthcare workers treat more patients in urgent need of care."

Later Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was in "sustained and ongoing" discussions with the drugmaker over making its COVID-19 treatment available "as quickly as possible, as appropriate." The New York Times reported that a senior administration official said remdesivir could get FDA authorization for emergency use as soon as today.
By Howard Schneider and Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A handful of mostly southern U.S. states will begin loosening economic restrictions this week in the midst of a still virulent pandemic, providing a live-fire test of whether America's communities can start to reopen without triggering a surge that may force them to close again.

The Republican governors of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio all announced on Monday they would begin peeling back the curbs on commerce and social activity aimed at stopping the coronavirus outbreak over the next two weeks. Colorado's Democratic governor said on Tuesday he would open retail stores on May 1.

Georgia has been hardest-hit of these states, with 19,000 cases and nearly 800 deaths, including a dense cluster in the state's southwest. Amid a national debate over how to fight the virus while mitigating the deep economic toll, these moves are the first to test the borders of resuming "normal" life.

None of the states have met basic White House guidelines unveiled last week of two weeks of declining cases before a state should reopen. Most are weeks away from the timing suggested in modeling by the influential Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), based on the virus's spread and social distancing.

With farmers, small business owners, and larger industries teetering on the edge, "I see the terrible impact on public health as well as the pocketbook," Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said.

Stacey Abrams, Kemp's Democratic rival in a closely fought gubernatorial race in 2018, warned of the dangers faced by lower-wage workers called back into businesses that may not follow the rules, serving customers who may not abide by them.

Around the country, the pandemic has taken a greater toll on poorer Americans and minorities. As of Monday, 412 of Georgia's 774 COVID-19 fatalities were black, or more than 53% compared to the 31% black share of the state's population.

Story continues

"We're not ready to return to normal," Abrams told CBS's "This Morning" on Tuesday. "We have people who are the most vulnerable and the least resilient being put on the front lines, contracting a disease that they cannot get treatment for."

TATTOO PARLORS AND NAIL SALONS

Republican President Donald Trump, who has been eager to end a lockdown that has crushed the U.S. economy in an election year, has called for Democratic governors in big states to "liberate" their citizens from the stay-at-home orders.

In Georgia, where the growth in cases and deaths from the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus has slowed in recent days, Kemp said he would allow a broad swath of businesses from barbershops to tattoo parlors to reopen on Friday under enhanced rules for hygiene, distancing among employees, and use of masks.

The industries employ thousands in Georgia, but are not top contributors to the state's overall GDP, which is led https://apps.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/action.cfm by finance and insurance, followed by professional and business services. Retail stores and fast food chains are top employers.

Graphic: Georgia moves to reopen - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/xlbpgadypqd/eikon.png

(See a graphic of Georgia's economy https://reut.rs/3eBy40W.)

On Monday, movie theaters, restaurants and private clubs in the state will be allowed to open, with some restrictions. Bars, music clubs and amusement parks will remain closed for now.

Some questioned the wisdom of opening up service industries that operated with such high levels of human contact.

"Gyms, nail salons, bowling alleys, hair salons, tattoo parlors  it feels like they collected, you know, a list of the businesses that were most risky and decided to open those first," Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, told CNBC on Tuesday.

"Unlike other businesses, these entities have been unable to manage inventory, deal with payroll, and take care of administrative items while we shelter in place," Kemp said on Monday.

Georgia was one of the best-prepared U.S. states to weather an economic downturn before the COVID-19 crisis hit, Moody's Analytics noted in an April report, with a "rainy day" balance of 10.9% of 2019 revenues on hand. Only six other states had more.

NEXT STEPS

With stepped-up testing and monitoring, "we will get Georgians back to work safely," Kemp said.

Leaders of the other states offered similar rationales, arguing that caseloads had eased, testing and monitoring had expanded, and hospital capacity was now adequate to take what Kemp called a "small step forward" in resuming normal life.

Some health experts have suggested activity should remain restricted until near universal testing is available.

Death rates in Georgia, Colorado and Ohio are close to the national average, but their testing rates are among the lowest in the United States, according to a Reuters analysis.

Just 83,000 tests have been conducted so far on Georgia's more than 10 million residents.

Graphic: Flying blind - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/jznpnrgkplm/eikon.png

(See a graphic of state testing rates https://reut.rs/34Ui1Xv.)

"We've got to get more testing done before we make any public health decisions," said Dr. Boris Lushniak, dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Opening is a gamble in a situation where much is still unknown about the virus' presence in people who show no symptoms, incubation periods within the body, and transmissibility, health experts say.

Economists and epidemiologists who have studied past pandemics warn https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-reopen-analysi/the-u-s-weighs-the-grim-math-of-death-vs-the-economy-idUSKBN21H1B4 that reopening too quickly could both cause unnecessary deaths and cause worse damage to the economy over the long run.

Unknown as well is the public's tolerance for potential exposure, critical in determining whether reopening at this point provides true economic relief or simply a pathway for the virus to surge - whether confidence, in other words, rises before the infection rate.

Guidelines issued by the IHME at the University of Washington as of Monday recommended Georgia keep restrictions in place until June 15, South Carolina until June 1, Tennessee and Colorado until May 25, and Ohio until May 18.

(Reporting by Howard Schneider and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Additional reporting by Heather Timmons in Washington and Ann Saphir in Berkeley, Calif.; Editing by Heather Timmons and Sonya Hepinstall)
A day after a BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh was caught on camera urging people not to buy vegetables from Muslim vendors, another BJP lawmaker rebuked a vegetable vendor on coming to know of his Muslim identity.

Brajbhushan Rajput, MLA from Charkhari, in Mahoba, also warned the vendor to not sell vegetables in the area despite the fact that the BJP served a showcause notice to Suresh Tiwari, its MLA from Barhaj constituency in Deoria for a similar behaviour.

The incident took place in Vishal Khand area of Gomti Nagar where Rajput lives.

None is allowed to play with Hindu sentiments. I asked for the vendors name but he lied. I asked for their identity card which too wasnt provided. There have been reports of Muslim vendors spitting on fruits and vegetables to spread coronavirus. Naturally there is fear. What is the need for Muslims to cite Hindu names? the Charkhari MLA said.

Asked about the need to ask vendors name, the MLA appeared unrepentant and continued to play up the fact that the vendor tried to hide his identity.

Udit Rajput, the MLAs cousin and his assembly representative, felt the entire incident was being blown out of proportion.

Many vegetable vendors were found to be infected with coronavirus and had infected others. Also, there have been videos of many Muslim vendors spitting on fruits and vegetables. We need to be cautious and in a democratic country one is free to decide from whom to buy, he said.

The vegetable vendor, an elderly person, fumbled when asked for his name. He initially said he was Rajkumar but when the MLA asked in a stern voice, he said he was Habibur Rehman. Thats when the doubt arose, he said.

The BJP had on Tuesday served showcause notices to two of its UP MLAs  Suresh Tiwari, the lawmaker from Barhaj, for a video urging people not to buy vegetables from Muslim vendors and to Shyam Prakash, the lawmaker from Gopamau (reserved) assembly segment for asking refund of the amount he gave from his MLA fund and for levelling corruption charges against Hardoi health authorities in purchase of medical equipment.

Our national president had clarified that immediate action will be taken against BJP members who say anything like this. State chief too took immediate action against them. No one has the right to say anything which divides the society, said BJP leader and UP minister Sidharth Nath Singh.

These are part of a carefully thought out strategy to polarise the society even further. For BJP politics comes first even during coronavirus pandemic, Samajwadi Party leader IP Singh said.

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Think of the fall of Saigon, and think of that photograph. The one of people scrambling to the tower atop the United States embassy, desperate to clamber aboard the helicopter perched there as North Vietnamese troops close in on the city. Except, of course, it wasnt the US embassy, it wasnt a military helicopter and they werent US personnel. But as an image that defines the desperate life-or-death scramble to depart the encircled city following the defeat of the United States and South Vietnam after 20 years of war, it still resonates today.

The photograph was taken 45 years ago today by Hubert van Es, a Dutch photojournalist working for United Press International. The following day Saigon was overrun and the Vietnam War was over. Panic had defined those final days and news reports had emerged of the wretched crush outside the US embassy. The CIA had been scouting rooftops for potential helicopter escape routes and the embassy was indeed selected. Which is probably how the myth grew that the photo was of embassy staff and Vietnamese refugees scrambling their way towards safety. But other sites were pickup points too and Van Es was close by an apartment block at 22 Gia Long Street. Somebody shouted to him that there was a helicopter on top of the apartment building and a snaking line of people climbing their way towards it. The Dutchman began to take photographs.
(CNN)  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the US intends to take action to extend a conventional weapons embargo on Tehran that is legally set to end under the Iran nuclear deal, provoking anger and disbelief from European allies who point out the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and have not participated in any meetings related to it since then.

Speaking at the State Department Wednesday, Pompeo told reporters that the US would work to stop the small arms embargo from sunsetting in October 2020, as outlined by the pact.

"We're not going to let that happen," Pompeo said. The administration is urging the E3 -- Germany, France and the United Kingdom -- "to take action which is within their capacity today," he said.

"We'll work with the UN Security Council to extend that prohibition on those arms sales," Pompeo continued. "And then in the event we can't get anyone else to act, the United States is evaluating every possibility about how we might do that."

The five-year expiration on the arms embargo was part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Trump administration withdrew from that deal in May 2018 to launch an ongoing "maximum pressure campaign" against Tehran that has led to increased regional tensions and strained relations with European allies who remain in the agreement.

Now, Pompeo is asserting that the US can still participate in decisions about the embargo as well as the deal and use a provision of the pact to "snapback" sanctions on Iran if the arms embargo ends.

'Either you're in or either you're out'

The US position has caused eyebrows to be raised. Peter Stano, the European Commission spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, pointed out that the "US has not participated in any meetings or activities within the framework of the JCPOA " since withdrawing in May 2018, but said in a statement to CNN that they "do not comment on reports of possible positions the US, or other UN members might take, regarding the JCPOA."

A European source said the sunsetting arms embargo is a concern, given regional tensions, but stressed that countries still in the agreement cannot support the US proposal because the arms embargo's expiration is a formal and legal part of the treaty.

"You won't see the E3 signing up for that because the arms embargo end is a legitimate part of the JCPOA," this source said.

An Iranian official told CNN that "any US claim of being a participant in the JCPOA is basically rejected by the international community. Even every freshman student of international law or relations do not subscribe to the alleged US position."

Other parties to the treaty, including Russia and China, did not respond to requests for comment, but many diplomats shared their disapproval on the condition of anonymity.

"The US pulled out of the JCPOA," one European diplomat said. "Either you're in or either you're out. You cannot cherry pick. ... Either you implement it or not."

A source familiar with administration discussions on Iran said State Department lawyers have prepared a legal argument that the language in the Iran nuclear deal and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrined the pact, leave room for the US to argue "that they still are a party even though they've withdrawn."

That interpretation allows the US to say that if the arms embargo isn't extended, Washington can still use a provision of the nuclear deal that allows for sanctions to be snapped back.

The European diplomat dismissed the idea that the US could actually make this plan work, noting that "you will always find a lawyer that tells you what you want to hear."

'Unambiguous'

On Wednesday, Pompeo insisted that the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was "unambiguous" about the US right to participate.

"UN Security Council Resolution 2231 is unambiguous where the United States is a participant in the UN Security, it's just there in language, there is nothing magic about this. There is no fancy -- someone suggested this is fancy lawyering. It's just reading," Pompeo said. "We are going to make sure that come October of this year, the Iranians aren't able to buy conventional weapons."

In December, President Donald Trump's special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, showed a draft UN Security Council resolution on the arms embargo to a few countries and it has been shared since with a few more.

The first European source noted that conversations with Pompeo and Hook are "still in the brainstorming space" with a focus on making sure "the Iranian proliferation of arms is managed."

"Come October, it's not a free for all for Iran," said this European source, pointing out that Tehran will still be under other arms embargoes, including a comprehensive European Union arms embargo that lasts until October 2023 and a UN measure on missile technology that also lasts until 2023.

The source familiar said that Pompeo has been hoping the UK would take the lead in bringing a resolution to the UN "at the appropriate time," given that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken a firmer line on Iran. If they can't get the UK to act, the Trump administration will do it on its own and "there will be a huge fight at the UNSC," they said.

'A policy based on coercion only will not make it'

Some countries are trying to work with the US to clearly understand the challenge and walk through the ramifications of a move to snap back sanctions. However, US officials don't expect other parties to the deal -- France, Germany, the European Union, Russia and China -- to agree with the US proposal.

Those countries have signaled displeasure with the US maximum pressure campaign, which has levied heavy sanctions against Iran. In the time since the Trump administration's campaign began, Iran has pulled away from its commitments under the deal, exceeding uranium enrichment levels and resuming use of centrifuges at the Fordow facility for enrichment. Tehran has said it will return to compliance as soon as the US returns to the treaty and lifts its unilateral sanctions against Iran.

Many diplomats also say the US pressure campaign as driving increasing tensions in the Mideast, where Iran has used asymmetric attacks on tankers and oil facilities to try to generate leverage.

"A policy based on coercion only will not make it," said a second European diplomat, speaking about the looming embargo deadline and sanctions regime. "It has been two years now and the expectation has been that Iran will just realize that they should get back to the table and accept a broader and more intrusive and demanding deal and they have not."

This story was first published on CNN.com "US splits with allies again as it looks to extend Iran weapons ban"
As school shutdowns continue, the big event in question is graduation.

Its still uncertain for many. Bethlehem Area School District pushed theirs deep into July, hoping itll be safe to hold then. Many high school seniors are just desperate to have one final chance to be among their classmates, no matter how late in the year it is.

And while graduation is the most symbolically important event to get rescheduled for seniors, its probably not the most fun.

Prom has become one of the many lost events due to coronavirus. William Allen High School Principal Shannon Mayfield said in an email back in early April that prom and other senior activities were most likely a wash. But with some prom prep finished before the coronavirus hit, some students are holding makeshift dances via Zoom or photoshopping pre-dance pictures together as a way to salvage one of the most important high school rites of passage.

Over the last month, lehighvalleylive.com has been asking readers for everything from their workspace to go-to quarantine meals. Now, we want to see how seniors are celebrating proms.

However students are putting together a virtual prom with their friends, we want to see the photos and hear the stories. Dressed up for a dance party via Zoom? Asked someone to a non-existent prom in a socially distanced manner? Photoshopped a group of students in their prom outfits together? We want to see all of it.

Send any photos or stories to clagore@njadvancemedia.com for consideration, and well choose a selection to appear on lehighvalleylive.com.

Please provide your name, town and high school.

To see more reader-submitted photos in this series, check out these links: Home improvement projects, Quarantine cuisine, A view from your window, At-home workspaces and Quarantine hair-dos.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
Washington: When law enforcement agencies want to gather evidence locked inside an iPhone, they often turn to hacking software from the Israeli firm Cellebrite. By manually plugging the software into a suspects phone, police can break in and determine where the person has gone and whom he or she has met.

Now, as governments fight the spread of Covid-19, Cellebrite is pitching the same capability to help authorities learn who a coronavirus sufferer may have infected. When someone tests positive, authorities can siphon up the patients location data and contacts, making it easy to quarantine the right people, according to a Cellebrite email pitch to the Delhi police force this month.

This would usually be done with consent, the email said. But in legally justified cases, such as when a patient violates a law against public gatherings, police could use the tools to break into a confiscated device, Cellebrite advised. We do not need the phone passcode to collect the data, the salesman wrote to a senior officer in an April 22 email reviewed by Reuters.

A Cellebrite spokeswoman said the salesman was offering the same tools the company has long sold to help police enforce the law. The company is also offering a version of its product line for use by healthcare workers to trace the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, but the tools can only be used with patient consent and cant hack phones, she said.

Cellebrites marketing overtures are part of a wave of efforts by at least eight surveillance and cyber-intelligence companies attempting to sell repurposed spy and law enforcement tools to track the virus and enforce quarantines, according to interviews with executives and non-public company promotional materials reviewed by Reuters.

The executives declined to specify which countries have purchased their surveillance products, citing confidentiality agreements with governments. But executives at four of the companies said they are piloting or in the process of installing products to counter coronavirus in more than a dozen countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia. A Delhi police spokesman said the force wasnt using Cellebrite for coronavirus containment. Reuters is not aware of any purchases by the U.S. government.

So far, Israel is the only country known to be testing a mass surveillance system pitched by the companies, asking NSO Group, one of the industrys biggest players, to help build its platform. But the rollout of NSOs surveillance project with the Israeli Ministry of Defense is on hold pending legal challenges related to privacy issues, an NSO executive said. A spokesman for Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said NSO was involved in the project but did not provide further details.

Surveillance-tech companies have flourished in recent years as law enforcement and spy agencies around the world have sought new methods for countering adversaries who now often communicate through encrypted mobile apps. The firms argue that their experience helping governments track shadowy networks of militants makes them uniquely qualified to uncover the silent spread of a novel disease.

I really believe this industry is doing more good than bad, said Tal Dilian, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now a co-chief executive officer of Cyprus-based Intellexa, a cyber-surveillance firm that works with intelligence agencies in Southeast Asia and Europe. Now is a good time to show that to the world.

Yet some technologists remain skeptical that spying tools reliant on phone location data can be used to effectively combat a virus.

Its not precise enough, thats the point. Its not nearly going to get you down to whether you're next to a certain person or not, said Michael Veale, a lecturer in digital rights and regulation at University College London.

While the methods for location tracking and accuracy vary, surveillance companies say they can narrow down a persons coordinates to within three feet, depending on conditions.

PRIVACY RIGHTS VS HEALTH CONCERNS

Privacy issues loom. Civil liberties advocates fear that virus tracking efforts could open the door to the kind of ubiquitous government surveillance efforts they have fought for decades. Some are alarmed by the potential role of spyware firms, arguing their involvement could undermine the public trust governments need to restrain the spread of the virus.

"This public health crisis needs a public health solution - not the interjection of for-profit surveillance companies looking to exploit this crisis, said Edin Omanovic, advocacy director for the UK-based civil liberties group Privacy International.

Claudio Guarnieri, a technologist with the human rights organization Amnesty International, said any new surveillance powers embraced by states to combat the virus should be met with high scrutiny.

New systems of control, from location tracking to contact tracing, all raise different concerns on necessity and proportionality, said Guarnieri.

Cellebrite, for one, said it requires agencies that use our solutions to uphold the standards of international human rights law.

Government officials have sought to address such concerns by pointing to the unprecedented nature of the crisis. Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, has so far infected more than 3 million people worldwide, killing over 210,000.

In South Africa, for example, after the government last month announced it would use telecom data to track the movements of citizens infected with Covid-19, a communications minister acknowledged concerns about loss of privacy.

We do respect that everyone has a right to privacy, but in a situation like this our individual rights do not supersede the countrys rights, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, the communications minister, said at a press conference for South Africas COVID-19 command council this month.

The South African Health Ministry declined to comment on details of the program and whether it had contracted with any of the intelligence firms.

A number of countries are developing and deploying Covid-19 contact-tracing apps that do not rely on location data. Instead, these apps, already in use in Singapore, India and Colombia, tap the smartphone connectivity technology Bluetooth to sense and record when other devices are nearby. When someone tests positive for coronavirus, typically, everyone that person made contact with is notified.

Christophe Fraser, an epidemiologist at Oxford Universitys Big Data Institute, said this approach, if implemented properly, could save lives and shorten lockdowns. The idea is to try and maximize social distancing practices of those at risk of infection and minimize the impact on all the other people, he said.

This app-based approach to contact tracing is considered, by its advocates, as more privacy friendly because people voluntarily download the app and sensitive personal data are visible only to health authorities. This method of containing the disease is the focus of a rare collaboration between Apple Inc and Alphabet Incs Google to quickly deploy the Bluetooth-based technology for use in the United States and elsewhere. But the approach relies on widespread adoption of the apps, and its accuracy remains unproven.

Apple says its plan is designed to help amplify the efforts of the public health authorities and that many factors will help flatten [infection] curves  no one believes this is the only one. A Google spokesman referred to a prior statement, which said each user will have to make an explicit choice to turn on the technology.

By contrast, deploying a mass surveillance platform like Intellexas means everyone would be under collection right away; no one needs to opt in, nor could anyone opt out. Such a setup can be done remotely in a matter of weeks, said an executive at NSO Group, which is also offering its wares to fight the coronavirus.

PUBLIC HEALTH SPY TECH

The surging spyware business is estimated by research firm MarketsandMarkets to be worth $3.6 billion this year.

But the industry has been dogged by legal and ethical concerns. Human rights groups have accused some companies of helping undemocratic governments target dissidents and activists. The companies say they help governments prevent terrorism and capture criminals.

Last year, for example, Facebooks WhatsApp unit accused NSO Group of helping governments hack 1,400 targets that included activists, journalists, diplomats and state officials. NSO denies the allegations, saying it only provides the technology to government agencies under strict controls and is not involved in operations.

Intellexas Dilian fled Cyprus last year after an arrest warrant was issued for him, on accusations that he used a surveillance van to illegally intercept communications in the country. Dilian denies the allegations, returned to Cyprus last month and said he is cooperating with authorities. A Cypriot police spokesman told Reuters the investigation is active.

Now, industry executives, investors and analysts say the coronavirus crisis offers intelligence firms the possibility of billions of dollars in business while burnishing their reputations.

India is among the courted countries. In April, New York-based Verint Systems asked Indian officials to pay $5 million for a years subscription to a host of services designed to track and surveil people with coronavirus. Those included a cellphone tower geolocation platform and a program to monitor social media activity, according to documents seen by Reuters and a person with knowledge of the negotiations. No sale has yet been agreed in India, the source said.

A Verint spokesman declined to answer questions, instead referring to an April 16 press release which said unspecified products were being used by an unnamed country to help respond to Covid-19. Indias Ministry of Interior said it had not purchased a system from Verint.

NSO Group and Intellexa are also both pitching Covid-19 tracking platforms to countries across Asia, Latin America and Europe. Their technology could allow a government to track the movement of nearly every person in the country who carries a cellphone, sucking up a continuous trove of location data. Installed within telecom providers, the technology functions through the analysis of call records, said NSO and Intellexa executives.

When a person tests positive, the systems would allow authorities to input the result, tracking those who made contact with the patient in the past few weeks. Those exposed would receive a text message encouraging them to get tested or self-isolate. NSO said the systems administrators would not see the identity of individuals.

Revelations in 2013 that the US National Security Agency had collected this kind of mobile phone data about Americans to track national security threats created a storm of controversy and fueled new restrictions on surveillance.

Suzanne Spaulding, a former US intelligence community lawyer and senior Homeland Security official, described this potential Covid-19 tracking approach as among the most privacy-invasive. Thats because it envisions all of the data about everyone's movements, not just infected individuals and their known contacts, going to the government.

South Korea, Pakistan, Ecuador and South Africa have all indicated in public statements they were rolling out contact tracing systems using telecom data to track infected citizens, though the details havent been released.

South Korean officials say any loss of privacy from surveillance must be weighed against the disastrous economic consequences caused from a long-term shutdown.

It is also a restriction of freedom when you ban free movement of people in crisis, Jung Seung-soo, a deputy director at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, told Reuters. The country is not using outside surveillance vendors, the official said.

Intellexa is in the process of installing its system in two Western European countries, Dilian said. He declined to name them.

In an interview with Reuters, NSO employees responsible for the product said the company is piloting the approach in 10 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, but declined to name them.

Three other Israeli companies, Rayzone Group, Cobwebs Technologies and Patternz, are offering countries coronavirus tracking capabilities. These largely rely on location data gathered from mobile advertising platforms, according to company promotional documents reviewed by Reuters and people familiar with the companies.

Rayzone Group declined to comment. Requests for comment to Patternz went unanswered. Omri Timianker, president and co-founder of Cobwebs Technologies, said his company is working with five governments to help track the spread of the virus, but declined to identify them.

While some experts say advertising data isnt precise enough to combat the spread of COVID-19, the documents reviewed by Reuters suggest the three firms are marketing technology which they contend can ingest and process advertising data into a form thats useful for narrowly tracking individuals.

Intellexas Dilian said his companys platform will cost between $9 million and $16 million for countries with large populations. He believes COVID-19 tracking will be just the beginning. Once the pandemic ends, he hopes countries that invested in his mass surveillance tool will adapt it for espionage and security. We want to enable them to upgrade, he said.
Its not time to go hog wild in the supermarket meat aisle.

As coronavirus outbreaks force the temporary closures of some of the nations biggest slaughterhouses, some grocery stores are bracing for limited supplies of pork, chicken and beef.

The food chain is breaking, wrote Tysons board chairman John Tyson in a full-page ad on Sunday.

In the ad published in The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and via a letter posted on the companys website, Tyson warned: There will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.

As plants close down, farmers with no place to sell their livestock, are making difficult decisions to dispose of their animals.

Millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the nations food supply, Tyson said.

READ MORE:

The warning came as the company closed plants last week in Waterloo, Iowa, and Logansport, Indiana, as well as one of its beef processing plants in Pasco, Washington and its chicken plant in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

It joins others including Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls, South Dakota facility, where at least one worker died from the virus, as well as JBS pork processing plant in Worthington, Minnesota.

The disruptions are likely to trickle down to grocery stores already hard hit by shortages of high-demand items such as toilet paper and cleaning supplies.

However, President Donald Trump on Tuesday was expected to sign an executive order meant to stave off a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on American supermarket shelves.

According to the Associated Press, Trump told reporters that theres plenty of supply, but that supply chains had hit what he called a road block. Its sort of a legal roadblock more than anything else," he said.

In central Pa., meat selection appears spotty at some stores, depending on the day and time. Grocers anticipate a few hiccups in the coming weeks related to inventory and pricing.

There will be meat to buy. The customers may just need to make a few adjustments, said Scott Karns, CEO and president of Karns Foods.

Specifically, he shared some pre-packaged items such as sandwich steaks, sausage and cold cuts are out of stock. In addition, he said Karns stores are setting purchase maximums on some in-stock chicken and burger items.

Karns and other grocers warn shoppers shouldnt stockpile or hoard meat. In fact, he said the more news about potential meat shortages is reported, the more shoppers buy.

"We feel that some items will become short-supplied but only for a short term. Currently, we dont think the shortages will be long term and customers need to limit purchases to weekly needs or more shortages will occur, Karns said.

At Giant, limits have not been initiated, but company spokeswoman Ashley Flower emphasized while meat is available, shoppers might not always find a full assortment.

Were working closely with our supplier partners and even working with alternative suppliers to secure product. And we continue to encourage customers to buy only what they need, she said.

Weis Markets spokesman Dennis Curtin said its stores are in good shape and have secured a significant amount of beef, pork, ground beef and poultry. He added they are monitoring the processing plant closures and heard some are scheduled to reopen in the near future.

Supply issues arent the only challenge shoppers will face. Meat prices also are expected to rise.

While Karns said prices are level this week, it will be a different story by next week.

He anticipates hikes on high-demand items such as chicken wings and tenders, steaks and burgers as supplies dry up due to reduced production. In addition, he said as restaurants reopen, the demand will increase pushing up prices.

Karns noted the problem will continue until plants are all back in operation at full capacity.

Please remember, we have the product out on farms. It just needs processed and that may take a few weeks to return to normal. America has loads of meat, produce and food. We are going to get through this issue. It will just take a little creativity and patience, he said.

Since the start of the pandemic, many shoppers have been gravitating to local purveyors, including butcher shops to buy meat.

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In January, when the world was starting to learn about the new coronavirus, Vietnams leader likened it to an enemy the nation must fight. Tens of thousands of people were quarantined in state-run facilities over the following months and entire villages locked down in response to even small clusters of infection.

Three months after its first case was detected, the Southeast Asian country appears to have beaten back the virus, at least for now.

Vietnam has reported just two new infections in the last 10 days, both students who returned from Japan last week. The country of more than 95 million people hasnt reported a single death from the virus. Most of its 270 confirmed cases have recovered.

Stores and restaurants began reopening Thursday after the government eased three-week-old restrictions on movement. Cafes in the capital Hanoi offering noodle soup and coffee with condensed milk welcomed slow streams of patrons. Ride-hailing services became available again, while most of the countrys schools and karaoke bars popular among locals remained shut.

We should not forget that we have only won individual battles, not the whole fight, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said Friday as some countries, including Singapore in the region, confront new waves of infection after early successes.

Already a top choice for global manufacturers looking to diversify out of China, Vietnams response so far is likely to further boost its credibility, said Julien Brun, Ho Chi Minh City-based managing partner at CEL, which advises multinationals on emerging-market investments. Although factories in the country exporting clothes and shoes are currently reeling from massive cancellations of orders, more production across different sectors could move to Vietnam longer term, he said.

The developing countrylacking Singapore or South Koreas resourceshas tested more than 210,000 samples. That is a moderate number in relation to its population but high in the context of the size of its outbreak. Vietnam has conducted more than 780 tests per confirmed case, a higher figure than New Zealand or Taiwan, showing a vast proportion of its tests are coming back negative.

Crucial to preventing a large outbreak in Vietnam was an aggressive quarantine regime that involved housing tens of thousands of people in military barracks, university dormitories and other state-run centers. When a person was confirmed to be infected, many of their close contacts, including those showing no symptoms, were quarantined in state-run facilities or hospitals rather than their homes where they might infect elderly family members.

All those who returned to the country from overseas in the last month were also required to stay in these places for 14 days.

In early April, when the country had reported less than 250 cases, nearly 45,000 people were quarantined in government facilities. That number is now down to about 11,000, while just over 40,000 are isolated in their homes, comprising largely of the contacts of a confirmed patients close contacts.

The system relies on contact tracing to identify all those an infected person may have exposed. Health authorities publish widely read details of the persons activities on government websites, newspapers and social media, for instance which restaurant they visited and how much time they spent at a market, urging people to come forward if they think they may have come into contact.

Vietnam took very early and drastic actions, said Le Hong Hiep, a fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. The reason, he said, was that Vietnam, a one-party state similar to China, better understands the workings of its neighbors political system and suspected early on that the coronavirus outbreak may be severe.

Last month, after a number of cases were linked to Hanois Bach Mai Hospital, the facility was put under total lockdown for two weeks. Around 5,000 staff and patients were tested, as were thousands of others who had visited the hospital. Late March, Vietnam imported 200,000 rapid test kits from South Korea to ramp-up capacity.

At least 45 cases were found linked to the hospital and a company that supplies food to it.

When authorities learned a man from Hanois outskirts had visited the hospital and tested positive, they sealed off the area where he lived and stationed law-enforcement personnel at entry points. His close contacts were dispatched to government facilities. Around 11,000 residents were tested, of which 13 came back positive.

That community is still under lockdown, among a handful of areas that arent yet returning to normal. Elsewhere, reopening rules differ from place to place. In some big cities, social gatherings of 20 or more remain prohibited.

A mall in southern Hanoi was open for business Friday, with the citys recently inaugurated Uniqlo storeits firstattracting customers. Nguyen Huyen Trang, 25, who lives a short ride from Hanoi, stopped by to shop and later get some bubble tea nearby. With entry restrictions into the capital eased, she had ventured in for a medical checkup unrelated to the coronavirus, but the virus was on her mind.

I dont want to go out to the streets a lot around this time because I think its still dangerous, Ms. Nguyen said. If I let my guard down, the epidemic could come back any time.


The Department of Labour has published updated directives for companies to protect their workers from the coronavirus, as South Africa prepares to ease the national lockdown to level 4.

According to the new regulations, employers will need to implement a host of new measures to ensure their workers are protected and limit the risk of the coronavirus spreading.

Mandatory screening of employees to see if they exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms and ensuring those returning to work are protected by providing free masks, hand sanitiser, and work spacing of at least 1.5 metres apart are some of the rules.

These directives will be mandatory for as long as the national disaster is in effect.

Large companies  more than 500 employees  will also need to perform a risk assessment to guide their application of the directives. A record of this must be supplied to the government.

Screening

Employees who present symptoms of the coronavirus must be kept away from work, and if they are diagnosed positively, the government must be informed.

Employers have also been directed to screen workers for the virus at the time that they report for work. This is for observable symptoms associated with COVID-19, namely: fever, cough, sore throat, redness of eyes or shortness of breath.

At the same time, every worker is required to report whether they suffer from any of the following additional symptoms: body aches, loss of smell or loss of taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, or tiredness.

If any of these symptoms are screened, workers must be prevented from returning to work, or if they are at work already, must be isolated.

Small businesses

If a company has less than 10 employees, they are exempt from the more administrative-heavy directives, and are only subject to the following:

They must arrange the workplace to ensure that employees are at least 1.5 metres apart or, if not practicable, place physical barriers between them.

Employees that present symptoms of the virus are not permitted to work.

They must provide cloth masks or require an employee to wear some form of cloth covering their mouth and nose.

They must provide each employee with hand sanitizers, soap and clean water to wash their hands and disinfectants to sanitise their workstations.

They must take any other measures indicated by a risk assessment.

A designated inspector is empowered to conduct assessments of businesses. Punishments for being found in contravention of the regulations include fines and possible jail time.

The new regulations are shown in the Government Gazette below.

BusinessTech

Now read: Google Meet video chat software is now free
New Delhi, April 29 : BJP's West Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya has shot off a 6-page letter to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of "manipulating death counts" due to COVID-19.

The subject of the letter reads -- "Manipulating the reporting of death count due to coronavirus in West Bengal, confrontationist attitude with Honourable Governor and the central government and high handedness against BJP leaders".

The letter comes days after Mamata Banerjee tried to block the inter ministerial team sent by the Centre to the state to assess the ground situation as far as tackling the Coronavirus is concerned.

Vijayvargiya said, "On one hand, the people of West Bengal are suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, you have been playing dirty politics." The BJP leader, in a no holds barred accusation, charged the TMC-led government with "abject failure". "Your behaviour is not geared up towards making things better in West Bengal. To the contrary, your behaviour is making things much worse in the state," alleged BJP general secretary while mentioning the Bengal government versus the IMCT saga.

He alleged that the TMC-led government is manipulating COVID death counts. "Is human death mere statistics to you? The day when you announced 18 deaths in West Bengal, your officers admitted in front of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) sent by the central government that the real number was 57," Vijayvargiya wrote to her.

He even raised the issue of a viral video of Tuesday where police personnel were seen being attacked by a mob in Howrah district, one of the worst affected in the state. He alleged that the attackers belonged to a particular faith and the perceived inaction is due to the "vote bank politics". "It is high time that you stop the vote bank politics and immediately act against those who attacked the police force," he demanded.

The letter also raked up other incidents of violence or attacks. He also raised the issue of public spat between the Bengal Governor and the Chief Minister.

Calling the testing in the state "shamefully inadequate", he compared Bengal's low testing with Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and even Andhra Pradesh. By giving a state specific break ups on confirmed cases and deaths, Vijayvargiya claimed Bengal's neighbouring states fare way better than it.
A 22-year-old scrap dealer who allegedly sprayed a yet to be identified substance into the eyes of a police officer at Zongo Junction in Accra during the partial lockdown has been admitted to bail by the Accra Circuit Court.



Osman Amadu was Wednesday granted bail in the sum of GH50,000 with two sureties to be justified, meaning they must show proof that they have property worth the bail sum.



The court presided over by Ms Afia Owusuaa Appiah also demanded that the sureties must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court, while Adamu must also report himself to the police every month.



Alleged crime

Adamu allegedly sprayed the unknown substance into the face of a female police officer who was enforcing the partial lockdown at Zongo Junction on April 10, 2020.



He has pleaded not guilty to failure to comply with the restriction imposed by the President pursuant to the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), and causing harm.



The court has forwarded the said substance allegedly used by Adamu to commit the offence to the Ghana Standards Authority to confirm what it is.



Hearing continues on May 27, 2020



Prosecutions facts



The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Gulliver Tenkorang, told the court that in April 10, the policewoman was on COVID-19 duty enforcing the restrictions imposed by the President.



"In the course of the duty, a taxi cab was stopped with the accused on board. He was questioned about his movement but he became furious and without any provocation, sprayed a liquid substance which was in a small plastic bottle into the eyes of the policewoman, the prosecutor said



Chief Inspector Tenkorang said the policewoman suffered severe injuries as a result of Adamus action

Source: Daily Graphic









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Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the testing benchmark will be aspirational, and stressed that it will be one of many factors in deciding which counties or regions can safely begin to relax restrictions on May 8. Read more

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HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania officials on Friday will unveil the states goals for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, standards the Wolf administration has so far shied away from specifying despite insisting that a robust system is key to its plan to reopen the state.

Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the testing benchmark will be aspirational, and stressed that it will be one of many factors in deciding which counties or regions can safely begin to relax restrictions on May 8.

There will be a number of statistical and public health measures that well be looking at, Levine said Tuesday, adding that the administration will also announce by Friday which areas of the state will be the first to reopen.

As states increasingly seek to end stay-at-home orders and resume economic activity in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts say that vastly expanded testing and rigorous tracing of how people became infected is needed to prevent future outbreaks.

After announcing its plan to begin reopening Pennsylvania starting May 8, the Wolf administration said counties or regions must have adequate testing for new coronavirus cases in place. However, it stopped short of specifying what it defines as adequate.

State officials have also appeared to struggle to formulate a plan to hire more contact tracers  people who connect the dots between someone with the virus and whom else they might have infected  saying as recently as last week they were still considering their options.

Krys Johnson, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Temple University, said she welcomed the news that the Wolf administration would be setting benchmarks.

"We need testing, Johnson said. We have needed testing for a long time. So if this is what makes testing happen I'm 100% behind it."

Based on a recent Harvard estimate, Johnson said Pennsylvania would probably need to conduct 19,000 tests per day. By contrast, over the last week, Pennsylvania has averaged about 5,500 per day  less than a third of Harvards benchmark.

We are woefully behind, Johnson said.

The reluctance among Pennsylvania officials to detail testing goals underscores how difficult it has been for states to lay out a clear plan to gradually and safely resume economic activity.

The difficulty has been exacerbated by testing shortages, a lack of coordination at the federal level, and widely divergent proposals among think tanks and public health experts over how much testing the nation should be doing.

The American Enterprise Institute, for instance, has proposed that the nation should be conducting roughly 400,000 tests per day. Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard have released at least two different proposals, one of which calls for conducting as many as 20 million tests each day by late July.

Don Burke, an epidemiologist and former dean of the University of Pittsburghs Graduate School of Public Health, said the challenge for public health officials in setting benchmarks is that its still not well understood what percentage of the population shows no symptoms when theyre infected with the coronavirus.

In order to know how widely the population should be tested, thats a key piece of information.

We are just beginning to get a clear view of the magnitude of the spread, Burke said.

Under Wolfs three-tiered system for reopening Pennsylvania, counties or regions with few cases can begin moving out of the red phase on May 8. Levine said officials on Friday will announce the first areas that will be allowed to enter the yellow zone.

In that phase, many businesses would be allowed to call back employees to work, as long as they provide masks and ensure social distancing. But gyms, theaters, and schools would remain closed, and large gatherings would still be prohibited.

If cases remain low in those areas, they could then enter the green zone, which could still require certain safeguards, such as wearing masks in public.

But in all those stages, one thing remains constant: adequate testing and contact tracing.

At the moment, local health departments and the states public health nurses  whose ranks have been decimated by years of budget cuts  are tasked with the work-intensive job of figuring out how a person might have been infected, and who else they might have contacted.

Levine said earlier this week that the state is developing "a robust method on contact tracing," which she will circulate by Friday.

She provided only a broad outline of the plan, which she said will be led by public health nurses and also include county and municipal health departments, private health systems, and new hires and volunteers. She did not provide numbers on staffing levels.

Johnson, of Temple University, previously told Spotlight PA the state needs at least 2,000 contact tracers. The state Health Department, responsible for 60% of the states population, employs just 131, though it has enlisted an additional 16 employees to assist with tracing.

New York recently announced that it will hire 1,000 to do this vital work, while Louisiana, Texas, and Kentucky are undertaking similar efforts.

100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Limited fashion retail brand born in Ohio would now be and appropriate moniker for Governor Mike DeWines plan to reopen Ohios economy in staggered stages, excluding bars and restaurants, which he announced Monday.

May 1: Responsible Restart Ohio starts for all health care procedures that do not require an overnight stay. Included in this first stage are dental and veterinary care.

May 4: manufacturing, distribution, construction and general business offices can reopen. It should be noted, the majority of construction work never actually closed.

May 12: consumer retail and services are allowed to reopen.

The two biggest omissions from the reopening plan are bars and restaurants. Governor DeWine is taking a wait and see approach to those and over 15 other types of businesses such a salons, barbershop, tattoo parlors and movie theaters. DeWine will reassess based on the rate Covid-19 spreads in Ohio during the first three phases of reopenings. That will be a difficult assessment given Coronavirus has a two week incubation period on average.

At the time of Mondays announcement, 752 people in Ohio had died from the Coronavirus and 16,325 were infected.

Each business that reopens and the public that visits them must also abide by safety requirements, which is primarily wearing face masks, even if youre Vice President Mike Pence.

Governor DeWines plan is a wise compromise between Conservative Ohio legislators and business people seeking an immediate, full, unfettered reopening and others advocating continued complete lockdowns.

The safety first gradual reopening is actually a grand way to begin closing shutdowns.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection is planning to accelerate the integration of Ukraine with the European power grid ENTSO-E.

Acting Energy Minister Olha Buslavets said this during online discussion of the implementation of Annex XXVII to the Association Agreement.

"A very important area is technical synchronization with the European ENTSO-E system. There is a government-approved action plan that allows for technical synchronization. The date has been set - 2023. We will work to shorten this deadline," Buslavets said.

She stressed that not only technical but also market integration is important for Ukraine.

"It will allow us to open borders and really develop competition," Buslavets emphasized.

As reported, Ukrenergo has implemented almost all major technical measures for the integration of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) into the European power grid ENTSO-E in 2023.

ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, is the organization that united the electrical networks of ATSOI, BALTSO, ETSO, NORDEL, UCTE and UKTSOA in July 2009.

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What happened

Shares of mall landlord Macerich (NYSE:MAC) jumped as much as 10% in the early minutes of trading on Wednesday, April 29. Pennsylvania REIT (NYSE:PEI) took a little longer to get started, but by 10 a.m., it too was up more than 10%. Although other mall real estate investment trusts (REITs) also saw gains, they didn't rise quite as much as this pair. That said, Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) gained nearly as much as Macerich, which makes complete sense.

So what

The big problem for the enclosed malls and factory outlet centers that Macerich and Simon own is pretty simple: They have been shut down because of COVID-19-related social distancing mandates. That's led many tenants to push back on rent, with some even refusing to pay. REITs have their own bills to deal with, so collecting less than their full rent rolls could quickly become a problem. Heavily leveraged Macerich, for example, swiftly trimmed its dividend by 33% (most of it to be paid in stock) to preserve cash. Penn REIT, which doesn't have as strong a portfolio of assets and is even more heavily leveraged, took its dividend down to a token $0.02 per share per quarter (a 90% cut).

However, over the last week or so, a handful of states have either begun allowing nonessential businesses to reopen or have started to discuss plans for eventual reopening. Simon, the largest name in the mall REIT sector, has taken the lead. According to a CNBC report, it intends to reopen 49 malls in 10 states where limits on social distancing are being eased. The entire mall sector will be watching what Simon does, but it has notable implications for Macerich. That's because the two landlords have similarly high-end-focused portfolios. If Simon is taking initial steps to reopen, Macerich probably won't be far behind. And the sooner it opens, the more likely it is to muddle through this difficult period.

That's doubly true for Penn REIT, which is struggling to deal with an even more heavily leveraged balance sheet. Although its malls aren't quite as well situated as Macerich's or Simon's, getting the doors open again could mean the difference between severe financial pain and survival. Although that might sound like hyperbole, Penn's financial debt-to-equity ratio of roughly 4.3 times (at the end of 2019) was more than three times larger than Macerich's 1.3 times and around 8 times that of Simon, which leads the sector with a ratio of just 0.5 times.

It's notable that Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) and Taubman Centers (NYSE:TCO) didn't join in the early-day rally. Because of its strict focus on outlets, Tanger's outlook isn't the same as REITs with enclosed malls. It may take some company-specific updates from the REIT to get investors excited again.

Taubman, meanwhile, has agreed to be acquired by Simon. Since that all-cash deal still appears to be progressing, the future is inherently limited here. With Taubman stock currently trading around $45 per share and the deal price set at $52.50, investors shouldn't expect much upside here. In fact, based on the uncertainty in the mall space today, the discount from the deal price looks reasonable. Until it is consummated, there is always a risk that Simon could call off the acquisition.

Now what

The reopening of malls is, unfortunately, just the first step of the process. Each retailer within a mall will have to make its own call on whether to reopen. And customers still might not show up, given that the United States is likely to fall into a recession in short order, and fears about COVID-19 remain top of mind for many. So it is too early to decide if Macerich, Simon, Penn REIT, or any of the other mall landlords will see a quick return to something resembling normal operations. That said, the future is clearly starting to look much brighter, and investors are taking note. At the very least, it looks like tenants refusing to pay rent because the malls aren't open won't be able to use that as an excuse for much longer.
Delhi-based rooftop solar energy platform Mysun on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 32 crore from existing investors in a structured equity deal as part of its pre-Series A round of funding.

The company is looking to raise Rs 250 crore over the next few quarters, it said in a statement.

The company plans to use the capital to further improve its technology infrastructure, scale up the service offerings, and expand to newer geographies, both in India and globally, including parts of Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, it said.

With this investment, MYSUN will also foray deeper into its in-house small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) financing solutions, catering to the unique solar financing needs of SMEs/ MSMEs and individuals making solar ownership a hassle-free experience, it added.

Gagan Vermani, Founder and CEO of the company said, Our focus continues to use technology as a backbone of our business and to unlock the huge underserved consumer segments like SMEs and homes.

As the energy landscape, as well as the overall economic landscape, is changing rapidly due to the recent global events, Vermani foresees higher and higher demand for independent solar energy systems across the business-to-business and business-to-consumer segments around the globe over the next many years.

Mysun is an end-to-end solar solutions and services company which provides tailor-made solar solutions and financing solutions to the industry, SMEs and MSMEs in particular, and homes/ residential customers.

Its proprietary demand generation and aggregation tools already make it the largest online solar platform in India, it claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Only Finland has officially contacted the Ukrainian government.

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers is ready for negotiations with European countries that would like to officially invite Ukrainian migrant workers for seasonal works during the coronavirus pandemic.

"An important prerequisite is legal employment for a period of three months in compliance with all social guarantees and working conditions for Ukrainians," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a meeting with Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine and head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas and U.S. Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Kristina A. Kvien.

Read alsoRemittances from labor migrants to Ukraine amount to $16 bln  World Bank

"This effort will be coordinated by the government office for European and Euro-Atlantic integration," Shmyhal said on April 29, according to his official channel on Telegram.

The Ukrainian government has not received any official requests from countries other than Finland, he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's airlines, UIA, had to cancel its PS1118 flight from Kyiv to London on April 29 over a ban issued by the State Aviation Service of Ukraine. Ukrainian citizens who have long-term contracts with a U.K.-based employer were expected to fly to London on that day. The flight was chartered by the employer.
Cameroon admits soldiers, 'vigilantes' killed 10 kids, 3 women in massacre Human Rights Watch identifies the 'vigilantes' as suspected armed ethnic Fulani herdsmen

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Authorities in Cameroon have admitted that soldiers were involved in the killing of three women and 10 children in a mid-February attack in the civil war-stricken Northwest province in which 21 people were killed and several homes were pillaged.

After initially claiming that allegations of soldiers being complicit in the massacre in Ngarbuh village on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 were false, the Cameroonian government announced last Tuesday that three soldiers are on trial for their role in the killing of innocent civilians and burning of homes in the majority Christian Anglophone region.

The government released the findings of a joint commission of inquiry investigation launched following reports that soldiers teamed up with Fulani militants in a nighttime attack that was said to have claimed the lives of at least 13 children and one pregnant woman.

Following an exchange of gunfire, during which five terrorists were killed, and many weapons seized, the detachment discovered that three women and 10 children had died because of its actions, a lengthy statement released by President Paul Biyas communication unit reads.

According to the statement, Major Nyiangono Ze Charles Eric of the 52nd Motorized Infantry Battalion in Nkambe ordered a reconnaissance mission on Feb. 12 to Ngarbuh, a village of the Ndu subdivision of the don Mantung area that is known to be where secessionist terrorists regrouped.

Throughout the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, some farming communities are supportive of rebel groups that began fighting for independence in 2017 because they feel underrepresented by the French-speaking central government. Over the last few years, fighting has spread across the Anglophone regions with thousands being killed and some churches seized.

In Ngarbuh, the government claimed that rebels were engaged in all sorts of abuses against the local population, such as cattle rustling, rape, assaults. The government claims that such abuses warranted intervention by the military.

On Feb. 13 around 10 p.m., a team of soldiers headed by Sgt. Baba Guida left for their base for Ngarbuh. But according to the government, the men stopped along the way to enlist 17 members of a local vigilante committee.

While the local vigilante committee has not been identified, a Human Rights Watch investigation suggests that armed ethnic Fulani were involved in the attack. The Christian Post reported on allegations last year that government actors have encouraged and even armed ethnic Fulani to carry out attacks against separatist-supporting farming communities. Such attacks claimed the lives of two Bible translators last year.

In Ngarbuh, the team split up once they entered the village.

The governments report said that Guida, along with Gendarme Sanding Cyrille, Pfc. Haranga and 10 members of the vigilante group launched an attack in Ngarbhu neighborhood No. 3 based on information provided by a repented terrorist and farmer from the area.

After engaging in gunfire, the government claims that the soldiers tried to conceal the facts that they had killed innocent women and children by starting fires. Upon returning to the military base, Guida was accused of filing a deliberately biased report to superiors.

According to the investigations findings, it was Guidas initial report on which the government had previously issued a statement calling the allegations against the soldiers false.

The government said there will be disciplinary proceedings against Eric and all soldiers involved.

Arrests orders have been issued for Guida, Cyrille and Haranga, who will be subject to the Yaounde military tribunal. The government's statement claims that the members of the vigilante community involved in the attack are being tracked down and have not been identified.

In addition to filing false reports, the government accuses Guida of involving armed civilians in a military operation, failing to control his troops and ordering the destruction of homes. Eric is accused of failing to properly supervise the operation despite knowing how sensitive the Ngarbuh area is.

Arrests have been ordered for Guida, Cyrille, Haranga and 10 members of the vigilante community who have not been identified and need to be tracked down.

Biya ordered the corpses of the victims to be exhumed and given a proper burial at the cost of the state. The presidency also ordered the state to pay compensation and indemnities to the families of the victims.

[The president] reiterates his firm instructions to the relevant officials and the various levels of the hierarchy of the Defense and Security Forces to ensure, with increased determination, that they always perform their duty with professionalism, they particularly ensure the protection of civilians and see to it that allegations of any exactions are systematically investigated and where necessary properly punished, the statement adds.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the governments findings are the first step in establishing the truth around the killings of civilians by government forces. However, HRW notes that the governments release diverges in significant detail from the facts of the events at Ngarbuh established by Human Rights Watch and corroborated by others, including the U.N.

HRW found that members of the Rapid Intervention Battalion and armed ethnic Fulani killed 21 civilians in addition to burning five homes, beating residents and pillaging "scores of other properties."

"The armed Fulani may be the 'local vigilance groups' referred to in the government news release," a HRW update contends.

HRW believes that the governments report at least establishes that Cameroonian soldiers attempted to cover up the truth around the killings and includes a government pledge to work with human rights organizations.

The commissions findings into the Ngarbuh massacre, while flawed, are an important first step toward justice for these serious crimes, HRW Central Africa Director Lewis Mudge said in a statement. But this report should not be a stand-alone action. A more in-depth investigation is needed to establish a clear timeline of events and to identify all those responsible, including anyone further up the chain of command, for the purposes of prosecuting them.

The U.S. Embassy in Yaounde tweeted that it's pleased to see Cameroon take steps toward transparency.

We welcome the news it plans to hold to account those suspected of carrying out this action and trying to cover it up, the tweet reads.

The Ambazonia Governing Council, a separatist group that has declared independence, is not so pleased with the findings.



Accepting culpability in Ngarbuh while presenting false justification of the systematic killing of civilians is a political masquerade, Ambazonia Governing Council leader Ayaba Cho Lucas said, according to Radio France Internationale.

Cameroon was added to Open Doors USAs annual World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted in 2020.
Throughout 13 years of experience in design thinking, analytics and customer service, Bansal most recently was AVP and Service Manager for Barclays USA. At SEI Investments, she specialized in technology, global operations and client services, where she was responsible for building a superior customer service culture while integrating key efficiencies. She led initiatives to promote women into technology and leadership roles as well as knowledge enrichment programs. As SVP of Human Resources and Communications, Bansal will be instrumental in leading NewDay USA's growth to 1,000 team members over the next year. She will develop programs and systems for the hiring, selection and development of new and existing team members.

"Pooja is coming to NewDay at a pivotal moment in the company's history," NewDay USA Chairman Rear Admiral Tom Lynch said. "She is exceptionally accomplished, and I know that having her on our leadership team will contribute significantly to our growth over the next year."

Bansal will assist in leading NewDay's efforts to increase productivity and enhance its global efficiencies. She graduated with a BTech degree in Information Technology from Kurukshetra University and earned an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

"It's a privilege for me to join the NewDay USA team," Bansal said. "NewDay offers all its team members the opportunity to serve a noble purpose and to be a part of something larger than themselves."

NewDay USA is dedicated to making homeownership possible for all of our nation's servicemen and women, veterans and their families.

About NewDay USA

NewDay USA is a nationwide VA mortgage lender focused on helping active servicemembers, veterans, and their families achieve homeownership and a financial plan for their future. The company was named a Best Military Lender by National Mortgage Professional. NewDay is a Ginnie Mae (GNMA) approved issuer/servicer, and also earned the designation of having delegated authority to close VA-guaranteed loans. The company employs best practices in mortgage lending and career growth for mortgage professionals.

Consistent with its mission, NewDay is a philanthropic partner of numerous organizations focused on assisting military veterans and their families in need. The NewDay USA Foundation provides four-year scholarships to the children of fallen and severely disabled military veterans to attend JROTC military high schools across the nation. The company is also a philanthropic partner of the Medal of Honor Foundation, the USO, Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness, and has been a major sponsor of the Military Bowl. Community service and giving back in the form of volunteerism also play a significant role among the NewDay USA workforce. NewDay USA is a registered trade name of New Day Financial, LLC (NMLS # 1043), which is a key holding of Chrysalis Holdings, LLC, a private investment company focused on the financial services industry. For more information about NewDay USA, visit www.newdayusa.com.

SOURCE NewDay USA

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Earlier this month, many Americans anxiously refreshed their mobile banking apps and checked their mailboxes in search of their economic stimulus checks from the IRS.

Last Friday, the mailbox at Albert Reyna's Northwest Side apartment was the landing place for someone else's check, which was mailed to a former tenant of the apartment Reyna now lives in.

Reyna did not open the envelope, but could see through the window that a check was enclosed. While millions of Americans received their payments through previously used IRS direct deposit information, those who did not have their bank account details listed where mailed their checks to their last known address.

Though the name of the rightful owner was a common one, Reyna employed the help of Facebook friends to return the money that so many residents are depending on during the pandemic.

READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio

What Reyna didn't anticipate was the number of people with the same name as the recipient trying "desperately" to trick him into giving them the relief check. He said the messages and comments were non-stop in the days-long search for the rightful owner

"It was a shame how money hungry they were," he said.

By the time the previous tenant reached out to retrieve his mail, Reyna said he was frustrated by all of the other attempts to commit identity theft. He was also more suspicious.

"I wanted this check to go to the right person," Reyna added. "I needed proof."

Even an ID, old pieces of mail, which bore the right name and apartment address, didn't suffice for Reyna to hand over the check. It wasn't until the claimant correctly answered questions about the apartment landlord that Reyna said he was able to confidently put the envelope in the right hands.

"I could see him walking back to his car, so happy," he said.

Reyna said the young man started tearing up and offered him a tip for returning the mail. He said he wasn't expecting anything in return, but the gesture was "more than enough" for some tacos to celebrate his birthday on Saturday.

Reyna hasn't received his check, but said he's not bothered by it.

"I have my place, I have food and my car is paid for," he said. "God is providing for me regardless."

He deleted the Facebook posts once the search for the right person was complete. He said the signal boost picked up a viral amount of shares, comments and incessant messages for both himself and the family the check belonged to. Though Reyna is disappointed in the number of people who tried taking money that didn't belong to them, he is looking at the experience as a positive.

"It was a good deed," he said. "We just happened to see what kind of people are really out there and that's never going to change."

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:
The doctors and nurses on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak in New York are waging a battle they did not choose to fight. The tragedy came to them, arriving abruptly in their workplace and turning their lives upside down.

But there are some who ran towards the fight. They chose to leave their families behind to volunteer in overwhelmed hospitals at the epicentre of the global pandemic, and in doing so put themselves in harms way.

Im terrified of catching it, absolutely, says Dr Gretchen Winter, 37, who came from Birmingham, Alabama to volunteer. But I was scared in Alabama, too. Im scared everywhere that Im going to catch it. Thats not a reason not to help.

Dr Winter is among thousands of volunteer doctors from across the country who have flooded into New York in the past few weeks to treat coronavirus patients. They are very much in need: More than 17,000 people have lost their lives to the deadly disease across New York state. Although the rate of infections are slowing, it is still seeing around 1,000 new hospitalisations and more than 300 deaths a day.

The volunteers live a Spartan-like existence, thousands of miles from home. Every day they file out from the hotels in Manhattan that have become their temporary homes and spread out across the city to the intensive care units and emergency wards.

When Im not at work, Im in my hotel room alone, says Dr Winter. I go home, do a decontamination process, take off my masks and clothes. Then I shower, order delivery, do a little workout, eat dinner and go to bed.

Speaking to The Independent after her first week on the New York frontline, Dr Winter describes a hospital system that is still struggling, even as the city has managed to make some progress.

The patients are very sick. Most are on some form of life support. Some people are on more than one form of life support. Its well above capacity, she says.

Her day job prepared her well for this crisis. Dr Winter works as a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She was already treating coronavirus patients there, but saw colleagues struggling in New York and wanted to help. In February, hospitals in the city were sending out calls for volunteers to medical professionals across the US.

She decided to go to help patients, but also because she wanted to provide some relief to those doctors and nurses who have been fighting the outbreak for months.

The doctors who live here have been working overtime for forever trying to take care of this and they're just completely exhausted, she says. I want to give them some time to rest and recuperate.

Many of the volunteers are unpaid for their work. They have to deal with the stress and danger of treating coronavirus patients during the day, and the isolation that comes with working so far from family and friends in the evening.

Honestly, the hardest part for me isnt the medicine  I can do that no matter where I am. It has been being alone in that hotel room at night, she says.

Normally at home, when I finish in the ICU, I go home and I have my piano to play and I can spend time with my loved ones. It adds stress to an already stressful job. You dont have that support system.

According to some estimates, more than 30 healthcare workers have died in New York since the outbreak began. The volunteer doctors and nurses, like all those working on the frontlines of the coronavirus, have had to make some sobering decisions since putting themselves in the firing line.

All the healthcare professionals I know are making wills and sorting out our life insurance, says Dr Winter. Were preparing for the worst because healthcare workers, nurses, doctors, sanitation workers are dying at an alarming rate from this disease.

One of the biggest issues for medical staff in New York during the worst days of the crisis was a lack of protective equipment for frontline staff. Many doctors and nurses reported having to reuse face masks  which put them at greater risk of infection.

Dr Winter says the dangers that come with treating coronavirus patients is different from anything else.

We didn't sign up to be heroes. You know, cops sign up to work in dangerous conditions. Firefighters sign up to work in dangerous conditions. Soldiers sign up to work in those conditions knowing that they are putting their lives on the line. And those people are heroes. But health care workers, we don't sign up to be a doctor thinking that our lives will be on the line, she says.

Because of the seriousness of this virus, we are now facing the dilemma of protecting our own health or protecting patients. And most healthcare workers are driven to help others. We are willing to put our own health at risk to care for these patients. But it is a trade-off that most of us wish we didn't have to make.

But there are some silver linings to the work. On Monday, Dr Winter extubated her first patient, who had been on a ventilator for two weeks. And everything she is going through today, she says, could well serve her and her patients in the future.

I think dealing with struggle sometimes gives you more strength and compassion. You gain it through those experiences. And I think ultimately it will make me a better doctor and better able to serve my patients.
[April 29, 2020] Digital Point-of-Sale (POS) Startup Moka Shares Business Strategy, Data Trends to Aid SMEs in Facing Covid-19 Pandemic During Ramadan in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Moka, a digital Point-of-Sale (POS) startup in Indonesia, introduces the latest business insights and data during the month of Ramadan amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Access to data and interactive discussions will provide three major business insights, namely the spending habits of the F&B industry, retailers and services during Ramadan; anticipation and strategies by brands amid the COVID-19 pandemic; and the changing behavior of consumers due to COVID-19. In line with Moka's drive to grow and develop together with SMEs, the first educational webinar themed A Cup of Moka (ACOM) is expected to provide SMEs the insights to boost their business performance, particularly during this challenging period. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, daily revenue losses in several industries are unavoidable. In the F&B industry alone, daily business revenues were down more than 40 percent, with one out of every three F&B businesses in Indonesia suffering significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, data from Moka show that delivery services were up by as much as 30 percent. Based on consumption trends during Ramadan prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been up to a 67 percent rise in the amount of F&B outlets operating between 2 and 4 a.m. During these hours, consumers would tend to choos practical food for their sahur (pre-dawn meal) and purchase up to five products during each transaction for group servings. In the fashion retail industry, there had been up to a 50 percent revenue increase, where the most popular items sold during Ramadan would be tunics, hijabs and Islamic gowns, which would see sales gradually decline after Ramadan. In contrast to the retail industry, beauty services would instead enjoy higher revenues by up to 54 percent one month after Ramadan. This shows that the public tends to seek beauty treatments once Ramadan concludes.



Although consumption patterns in Indonesia will change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, trends during last year's Ramadan cannot be entirely disregarded. Moka Data Analyst Hutami Nadya said that one strategy that merits focus is online shopping. To maximize shopping that makes use of delivery services, whether in the F&B as well as the service and retail industries, businesses can innovate by issuing special delivery menus that can be processed and cooked by the consumers themselves, thereby ready at specific moments such as sahur and when breaking-the-fast with the family at home. This also applies in the retail and service industry, where businesses can introduce special packages to drive consumers to purchase online and allow for services to become products that can be used by consumers at home. "Businesses may take note of trends in society. For instance, for the purpose of cooking at home, F&B merchants are shifting to provide ready-to-cook food ingredients while providing the option of delivery services to support social distancing. Additionally, Ramadan is the right moment to share with those who need more. We can start by adding the option of a menu to be donated to those in need. To record positive cashflow, merchants may also apply the pay-it-forward scheme for customers." Pay-it-forward is a scheme that allows customers to purchase in advance product or service packages from a business, where the benefits can be enjoyed until a certain period ahead. Businesses would usually offer price reductions in the form of coupons for customers. This scheme is expected to assist businesses to book positive cashflow for such purposes as rent, employee salaries, business capital installments, insurance, supplies of raw materials, repairs and other expenses.

About Moka:

Trusted as the operating system of 40,000 merchants across 200 cities in Indonesia, Moka provides businesses of every size with powerful tools to run and grow, with an end-to-end solution that consists of POS, payments, loyalty, accounting, ingredient procurement, and business loans. On the back-end, Moka creates sales and gross profit reports across multiple outlets, tracks inventory, receives feedback from customers, and provides analytics to track top-selling items, store peak hours, product availability, employee activities, customer behavior, and much more. At the storefront, Moka provides a point-of-sale platform and an integrated digital payment solution for cashiers and storekeepers that can be downloaded on Android and iPad. Owners can access this data anytime and anywhere, so they always have up to date analysis at their fingertips. Moka was founded in 2014 by Haryanto Tanjo and Grady Laksmono. The company provides a complete suite of products encompassing Moka Pay, Moka Fresh, Moka Capital, and Moka Connect to complement its POS services designed for MSMEs and large enterprise users. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200429/2789721-1 SOURCE PT MOKA TEKNOLOGI INDONESIA

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Piglets in one of the two barns for piglets only at Leman Farms in Eureka, Ill. on Friday, April 24, 2020. 2,000 piglets capacity in the two barns for piglets only. COVID-19, coronavirus For story about how meat plant closures are having a ripple effect on the supply chain. Leman has seen a 75% drop in demand for his hogs since meat processing plants have started to close because of worker COVID-19 illnesses. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
PORTLAND, Ore.  Oregon public health officials have identified 31 new cases of the new coronavirus in the state as of 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28.

The state also reported that seven more deaths have occurred due to COVID-19. At present, 99 deaths have been attributed to the virus.

We want to keep you informed about #COVID19 in #Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. For more information, visit https://t.co/HOiXqGkygF. pic.twitter.com/tqGs442Jh9  OR Health Authority (@OHAOregon) April 28, 2020

The Oregon Health Authority said that there are now a total of 2,385 people in the state who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through a positive test. 49,857 have tested negative for the virus.

RELATED: Klamath County reports one new COVID-19 case, boasts high testing rate

OHA reported new cases in the following counties: Clackamas (1), Coos (1), Harney (1), Klamath (1), Linn (2), Marion (9), Morrow (1), Multnomah (13), Umatilla (1), Wasco (1), Yamhill (1).

In a weekly report, OHA offered a new total of recovered cases in the state. Of 2,253 surviving cases at the time of the report, 860 (38.2 percent) were considered recovered, and 785 (34.8 percent) were not yet recovered. 607 cases (26.9 percent) have yet to be assessed by the agency.

"A person is considered recovered once they are free of fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication), cough, shortness of breath, and diarrhea for 72 hours," OHA said. "If they are not yet recovered, public health staff will call back weekly until the person is recovered. COVID-19 cases without symptoms are considered recovered 7 days after the last positive test."

The median recovery time for cases who had symptoms was 15 days, while the median recovery time for those who were hospitalized was 19 days.

Though Oregon is now reporting recovered cases by county, the lower numbers than those reported by local southern Oregon counties suggests that the report is somewhat dated compared to what counties are now offering on their own.

SPECIAL SECTION: Coronavirus Watch

Public health officials gave the following information about the latest reported fatalities:

Oregons 93rd COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old female in Clackamas County, who tested positive on April 17 and died on April 27 in her residence. She had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 94th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old man in Marion County, who tested positive on March 30 and died on April 26 at Salem hospital. He had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 95th COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Marion County, who tested positive on April 20 and died on April 25 at Salem hospital. He had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 96th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old female in Multnomah County, who tested positive on April 17 and died on April 26 at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center. She had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 97th COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old female in Multnomah County, who tested positive on April 17 and died on April 23 at Adventist Medical Center. She had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 98th COVID-19 death is a 72-year-old man in Multnomah County, who tested positive on April 24 and died on April 26 at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 99th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old man in Yamhill County, who tested positive on April 25 and died on April 26 at Providence Newberg Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.

OHA weekly report provides information on 'underlying medical conditions' for COVID-19 deaths

In a weekly report issued on Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority for the first time released some of the kinds of underlying conditions found in people who have died from COVID-19. The vast majority  if not all  of Oregon's deaths have had some sort of pre-existing condition.

The most common underlying conditions included diabetes, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and neurological or neurodevelopmental disorders. More than half (58.9 percent) had cardiovascular disease. A relatively small percentage were obese, had liver disease, or were current smokers  although 24.7 percent were former smokers.

"There have been a total of 92 deaths among COVID-19 cases. We have obtained comorbidity data for 73 of the deaths from case interview or medical records review," OHA wrote in the report.
New Delhi, April 29 : In his last-ever interaction with IANS, Irrfan Khan had expressed his wish to cherish life more, saying that health would be his top priority once he recuperated.

Irrfan told us that while recovering, he was not restless about getting back to work, but about getting fit and fine.

"Work was never my anxiety. I'm restless to be fine, to be comfortable with myself," Irrfan had said.

The actor had been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, and had been under medical attention for the same. Irrfan said battling the disease had brought a new meaning to life. There is something almost sadly prophetic in his analysis of the situation.

"Unnecessary worry vanished. We miss out on life thinking, 'let this happen and then I will enjoy'. But that never comes if you don't enjoy now," Irrfan had said.

The actor was still under treatment when he returned to the acting world with "Angrezi Medium", a follow-up to his 2017 hit, "Hindi Medium". He was away from the big screen since the release of "Karwaan" in 2018 -- the year he was diagnosed with the ailment.

Irrfan's final film, incidentally, has also been Bollywood's last film to release in theatres for now, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a total lockdown of the nation. In "Angrezi Medium", he played a smalltown father who will go to any extent to fulfil his daughter's dream of a foreign education, so much so that he lands in a hilarious mess.

What did the film mean to him? "(It was about) Connecting back to reality, (about) Being a father. (It was about) The pleasure of letting go," he had replied.

He left us with a brilliant punchline when we asked if he wanted to take it slow professionally, now that he was returning to the studios despite his illness.

"Life first!" he replied with gusto.

We will miss that verve, on the screen and off it.
New Zealand reports 28 new community cases of Covid 13 Jan 2022 | 9:55 AM Wellington, Jan 13 (UNI/Xinhua) New Zealand reported 28 new cases of Covid-19 in the community on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country's current community outbreak to 11,236. see more..

Malaysia reports 3,198 new Covid cases, 15 deaths 13 Jan 2022 | 9:33 AM Kuala Lumpur, Jan 13 (UNI/Xinhua) Malaysia reported another 3,198 Covid-19 infections as of midnight Wednesday, bringing the national total to 2,795,233, according to the health ministry. see more..

Pakistan: PDM meet to discuss no-confidence option 13 Jan 2022 | 9:31 AM Islamabad, Jan 13 (UNI) President of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has convened a meeting of the heads of component parties of the alliance on January 25 to discuss options to dismantle the present set-up under the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) which include tabling of a no-confidence motion against the government, the Dawn reported on Thursday. see more..

Nigerian govt ends 7-month suspension of Twitter 13 Jan 2022 | 9:09 AM Abuja, Jan 12 (UNI/Xinhua) The Nigerian government on Wednesday ended its suspension of Twitter, seven months after it halted the operation of the California-based microblogging platform in Africa's most populous country. see more..
The government and the opposition Congress sparred over technicalities of dealing with Indias bad loan mess and economic offenders on Wednesday.

Top leaders in the BJP camp contended that the central government did not waive loans of wilful defaulters, while the Congress stuck to its guns and alleged that the governments handling of the issue benefited economic fugitives such as Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

Information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has sought to corner the government over the issue, should take economics lessons from his party colleague and former finance minister P Chidambaram.

The Narendra Modi government has not waived off any loan (as alleged by the Congress). Write-off (what has been done) is a normal accounting process. It doesnt stop recovery or action against defaults, Javadekar said.

According to a finance ministry official who did not want to be named, such write-offs are a technical necessity to keep banks books in order. It should not be anyway construed that the government has waived these loans. In fact, legal actions have been initiated against all the wilful defaulters, this person added.

But veteran Congress leader Chidambaram wondered why the government wrote off loans of embattled businessmen Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya, who are fugitive economic offenders.

You can technically write off the loanOne is not denying that there is such a ruleBut why do you apply that rule to wilful defaulters who have fled Indiathat is the question, he told reporters.

Chidambaram said he asked the government in Parliament to divide non-performing assets, or NPAs, based on three periods  given before 2004 in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, between 2004 and 2014 (in the Congress rule) and after 2014 (in the present government). He said he did not get any answer.

The controversy erupted on Tuesday after the Congress party alleged that the Centre waived loans worth ~68,607 crore of 50 top defaulters, including Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya. Citing a right to information (RTI) reply from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Congress said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in power waived loans worth ~6.66 lakh crore after coming to power in 2014 till September last year.

Explaining the difference between writing off and waiving a loan, Pavan Kumar Vijay, the founder of legal and corporate advisory firm Corporate Professionals Group, said: Waiving is like a loan amnesty where a borrower has no liability against the loan. Write-off is an accounting procedure in case of a bad loan where a lender (bank) takes a hit only in its book but the liability of the borrower continues.

A loan account is declared NPA if a borrower is unable to service the loan for over 90 days, Vijay said. In that case, the lender has to make a provision in its book for accounting purpose as per RBI IRAC (Income Recognition and Asset Classification) Guidelines. As per RBI, in case of insolvency the minimum write-off is 50%. But, the liability of borrower or the defaulter continues in full, he said.

Defending her government, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to Twitter late on Tuesday, detailing the action taken against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya. She too argued that no loan was waived.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are facing legal action for a ~13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud. Vijay Mallya, who is facing extradition proceedings in London, defaulted on loans worth ~9,000 crore and fled India in March 2016. Modi is too is facing extradition proceedings in London.

Sitharaman said the government attached or seized properties worth ~18,332.70 crore in cases involving the three fugitive economic offenders. The government is pursuing wilful defaulters, and has filed 9,967 recovery suits and 3,515 first-information reports (FIRs) against such offenders, she added in a series of tweets.

Sitharaman said the Congress attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner, adding that its typical of the party that resorts to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context.

@INCIndia and Shri. @RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism, Sitharaman said.

She said commercial banks wrote off ~145,226 crore between 2009-10 and 2013-14, when the Congress-ruled United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power. Wished Shri. @RahulGandhi consulted Dr. Manmohan Singh (who was then the prime minister) on what this writing-off was about, she said.

Referring to media reports and quoting former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, she said a large number of bad loans originated in the 2006-2008 period in the Congress rule, and too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans...

Her response triggered a series of tweets by Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. He asked whether the RTI reply from RBI to activist Saket Gokhale stated the facts, and questioned why the government was writing off bank loans of absconders and frauds.

And @nsitharaman ji, Cleaning the Banks of peoples money by writing off loans of absconders & fraudsters is not called cleaning the system. ... Its called weakening the entire Bank architecture fiscally & imprudently, if not maliciously, Surjewala said.
A transgender man has today lost a Court of Appeal challenge over being registered as 'mother' on his child's birth certificate.

Freddy McConnell, who was born a woman but transitioned into a man, gave birth to his baby boy, but wants to be registered as 'father' or 'parent'.

He says forcing him to register as the 'mother' of the baby, identified only as YY, breaches his human right to respect for private and family life.

Freddy McConnell has today lost a Court of Appeal challenge over being registered as 'mother' on his child's birth certificate

He took the issue to court and lost after a High Court trial before launching a legal challenge to the Court of Appeal.

Mr McConnell is a single parent who was born a woman but now lives as a man following surgery.

Freddy McConnell, a multimedia journalist who works for the Guardian, wants to be registered as 'father' or 'parent'

Ten days after he legally became a man, he accessed sperm from a donor and because he had decided to keep his womb, was in the position of being a pregnant man.

Mr McConnell, a multimedia journalist who works for the Guardian, was biologically able to get pregnant in 2017, and when he gave birth in 2018, was legally a man when his child was born.

He wanted to be registered as father or parent but a registrar told him that the law required people who give birth to be registered as mothers.

Mr McConnell took legal action against the General Register Office, which administers the registration of births and deaths in England and Wales.

He then mounted an appeal after a judge ruled against him in September, following a High Court trial in London.

Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Division of the High Court and the most senior family court judge in England and Wales, concluded that people who have given birth are legally mothers, regardless of their gender, and said there is a 'material difference between a person's gender and their status as a parent'.

Three appeal judges upheld Sir Andrew's ruling today.

Mr McConnell (pictured left as part of a BBC documentary) is a single parent who was born a woman but now lives as a man following surgery

A judge said any change to the law is a matter for Parliament, and not the courts and refused to grant Mr McConnell (pictured) permission to take his case to the Supreme Court

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, the most senior judge in England and Wales, sitting with Lady Justice King and Lord Justice Singh, said: 'The legislative scheme of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) required Mr McConnell to be registered as the mother of YY, rather than the father, parent or gestational parent.

'Recognition that Freddy is a father is important': Lawyer calls for law change after court ruling A lawyer has called for a change in the law after Freddy McConnell's legal challenge at the Court of Appeal was rejected. Michael Wells-Greco, who is based at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said after the ruling by appeal judges: 'Freddy McConnell's plight demonstrates just how important this recognition is, for him, his family, and his child. 'Maintaining the label of 'mother' may in the future force the child to disclose his or her procreational history, which should be a private matter. 'Some will say a birth certificate, 'it's just a piece of paper', but that undermines its enormous significance.' He added: 'Beyond the law, society says he is the child's father, and it's time for UK law to recognise this for all purposes of law.' Mr McConnell's lawyer, Karen Holden, and campaign organisation Stonewall, made similar calls after a High Court ruling last year. Advertisement

'That requirement did not violate his or YY's Article 8 rights (to private and family life, as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights).

'There is no incompatibility between the GRA and the Convention. In the result we dismiss these appeals.'

The judges said any change to the law is a matter for Parliament, and not the courts.

They said the Government and MPs could be lobbied by anyone with an interest, and legislators could acquire information from the widest possible range of opinions.

'We have no idea, for example, whether all trans men object to the use of the word 'mother' to refer to them when they have given birth to a child,' they said.

'Moreover, we do not have evidence before this court as to how other members of society would feel if they were no longer to be referred to on their child's birth certificate as a mother or a father but simply as 'Parent 1' and 'Parent 2'.'

The Court of Appeal refused to grant Mr McConnell permission to take his case to the Supreme Court, although he may still pursue an appeal there.

Mr McConnell had previously applied to the court to have his identity  and that of his child  kept out of the public domain.

But after it was revealed that he had made a film about his path to parenthood  inviting the cameras into the delivery suite where he had his baby in a birthing pool  a judge lifted the reporting restrictions applying to Freddy himself.

Mr McConnell had previously applied to the court to have his identity  and that of his child  kept out of the public domain. Pictured: Freddy McConnell at the High Court.

The judge explained that he could not expect to remain anonymous while simultaneously inviting media scrutiny.

As previously reported by MailOnline, A Court of Appeal hearing began in March after Mr McConnell challenged the ruling of Sir Andrew McFarlane.

Speaking at the beginning of the hearing, solicitor Scott Halliday, a family litigation specialist based at law firm Irwin Mitchell, urged the Appeal Court judges to be on the 'right side of history'.

He said: ''The current argument used to resist change in the law is seemingly to allow transgender people to assume rights in their acquired legal gender only in some circumstances. It is a piecemeal approach and extremely problematic.'

'The transgender community will be looking at this case as a measure in how the law understands their needs and fundamental rights; a cherry-picking policy simply cannot be endorsed going forward, and the courts should recognise this when they hear the case.'
The new acting Navy secretary has ordered a deeper look into the controversial firing of Capt. Brett Crozier, delaying his possible return to command and potentially opening other leaders up to scrutiny.

Acting Navy Secretary James McPherson said on Wednesday that he has "unanswered questions" about the preliminary inquiry into his predecessor's decision to remove Crozier from command. Those questions "can only be answered by a deeper review," he said.

"Therefore, I am directing [Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike] Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation," McPherson said in a statement. "This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events, actions, and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt."

Related: Top Navy Leaders Want Crozier Reinstated as Roosevelt's Commanding Officer: Report

Gilday last week recommended that Crozier be reinstated as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. The Roosevelt has been sidelined in Guam for a month as leaders deal with a health crisis on board after nearly 1,000 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, spread among its crew.

Almost the entire crew has since been moved off the ship and into isolation as the carrier is disinfected. Crozier had warned Navy leaders about the situation in a letter that was published last month by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly first said the captain wouldn't be punished unless leaders determined he had leaked his letter to the paper. Modly fired Crozier 24 hours later, despite saying he had no proof the captain sent the letter to the newspaper.

The situation has caused a firestorm for the Navy that ultimately led to Modly resigning from his position.

Many questions remain about what Crozier did to inform his chain of command about concerns over the coronavirus cases onboard his ship before he sent the now-famous letter, and whether leaders acted on those warnings. Questions also remain about the military's decision to have the carrier make a port call in Vietnam in early March as coronavirus was spreading across the Asia-Pacific region.

A wider investigation is likely to examine some of those topics.

Navy officials have said it's unclear how the coronavirus began spreading among the crew. There were confirmed cases at a hotel in Vietnam that some of the crew members had visited, though officials later said those sailors tested negative for the virus.

Leaders have since turned their attention toward air crews who flew deliveries out to the ship from Japan, the Philippines and other locations in the region, but officials stress they may never know how the outbreak started.

Politico first reported McPherson's decision to widen the investigation. That's after Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley advised Defense Secretary Mark Esper to defer a decision on approving the Navy's push to reinstate Crozier until there was a broader probe, according to Politico.

Esper on Friday got a verbal update from McPherson and Gilday on the preliminary inquiry. The defense secretary wanted to review a written copy of the report before deciding whether to approve the recommendation, his spokesman said last week.

Milley was "not against Crozier being reinstated," Politico reported, "just that a larger investigation should be conducted."

Navy officials have not offered a timeline for when the new investigation is expected to be completed.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Read More: Navy Believes Delivery Flights, Not Vietnam Port Stop, Brought Virus to Carrier
The Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has tasked the IRGC with making Persian Gulf islands "habitable", IRGC Naval Force Commander Alireza Tangsiri has said in an interview with the Iranian state-run radio on Wednesday April 29.

Announcing this, Tangsiri warned that the IRGC would not allow "the presence of foreign warships in this region."

During the first half of the 1990s the administration of President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was preoccupied with the idea of making Persian Gulf islands habitable and economically dynamic in order to establish Iran's presence in a region that was partly disputed by ambitious littoral Arab states.

Rafsanjani turned Kish and Qeshm Islands into free trade zones and established several flights every day to those Islands, encouraged businessmen to open malls and trading offices there and erected many new buildings including recreation centers. Both of these islands had good infrastructure thanks to the development plans of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Other islands including Siri, Farour and Bani Farour (Farourgan) remained largely arid with very little signs of human presence and wildlife.

Revealing Khamenei's plans to develop the islands, Tangsiri did not elaborate on why and when the ayatollah issued the order. But his interview was carried on the Iranian radio on the occasion of the national day of the Persian Gulf.

While warning foreign warships, Tangsiri also added "Foreigners have no place in this region. They should leave." Although it was taken as a comment about Western fleets in the Persian Gulf, but he could have been also talking about Arab residents of Abu Musa island.

The General Headquarters of the Islamic Republic Armed Forces warned U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf Monday that any "illegal and provocative move" will be met with the crushing response of Iranian forces,

Abu Musa, one of three islands that have been the subject of dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates is partly inhabited by Gulf Arabs and Iran's previous attempts to encourage Iranians to migrate to the island have not been significantly successful. The UAE has been claiming that it owns the three islands of Abu Musa, as well as the Greater and Lesser Tunbs since early 1970s, but Iran rejects the claims.

Posts on social media have also noted that the area is hardly habitable. Radio Farda's Iran analyst Reza Haqiqatnejad noted that Khamenei's order is unlikely to make any difference for the region as long as Iran's major foreign policy problems remain unsolved.

Tangsiri called the U.S. military presence in the region illegitimate, mindless of the fact that it was Iran's aggressive moves including attacks on civilian navigation in international waters in 2019 that prompted U.S. allies in the region to call for the presence of European and U.S. fleets.

He said when Khamenei wants to make the islands habitable, "this means that we want to make the region secure." He added that the IRGC has built international airports in Abu Musa and the Greater Tunb Islands and another island has been constructed in the Lesser Tunb.

Recently, after Iranian gunboats harassed a U.S. naval ship in the regional waters, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces in the region to retaliate against any intruding vessels in the future.

Wednesday morning, President Hassan Rouhani addressed "U.S. leaders" and told them to stop conspiring against the Iranian people.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 00:13:02|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's state-run tourism watchdog said on Wednesday it has come up with 10 strategies aimed at continued promotion of the country's tourism industry amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Thomas Mihayo, the chairman of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), said the 10 strategies are aimed at saving the tourism industry in the east African nation from total collapse following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID-19 has immensely affected the tourism sector across the world. This should not make us lax. We have to make sure that the sector doesn't succumb to oblivion," Mihayo told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

He said one of the strategies was for TTB to work closely with tourism stakeholders in the country in putting in place plans aimed at mitigating the impact caused by the disease, including promotion of the country's tourist attractions through advertisement in international media outlets.

"The strategies will also involve the participation of world celebrities and the country's missions abroad in promoting our abundant tourist attractions and destinations across the world," said Mihayo.

He added that TTB in collaboration with the Tanzania National Parks and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority have signed a deal with the Great Migration Camp, a tourist organization, for airing a program known as "Serengeti Live Show."

Mihayo said the program will be aired by TTB media outlets with the intention of supporting Tanzania's tourism sector beyond its borders.

Tourism is one of the largest foreign exchange earners of Tanzania, contributing an average of 2 billion U.S. dollars to the country annually, which is equivalent to about 25 percent of all exchange earnings, according to the government data. Enditem
OTTAWA - Ontario Conservative MP Derek Sloan held to his leadership campaign slogan of being "Conservative without apology" and refused Wednesday to heed the demands of his fellow MPs to apologize for remarks questioning the loyalty of the country's chief public health officer.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Conservative MP Derek Sloan attends a Conservative caucus retreat on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA - Ontario Conservative MP Derek Sloan held to his leadership campaign slogan of being "Conservative without apology" and refused Wednesday to heed the demands of his fellow MPs to apologize for remarks questioning the loyalty of the country's chief public health officer.

Sloan dug in at the same time as the group organizing the party's leadership race was deciding to resume the contest, but with revisions that will likely see a successor to Andrew Scheer named in late August.

Sloan, the MP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington, is one of four candidates in the race, but his place within the Conservative caucus was challenged this week.

A motion had been put forward by other Conservative MPs from Ontario during a meeting Tuesday afternoon demanding he apologize or retract his comments, two sources told The Canadian Press. Otherwise, some of the very MPs he wants to lead were prepared to try to get him kicked out of caucus, said the sources, who were granted anonymity in order to discuss confidential caucus matters.

But just after the 6 p.m. Eastern time deadline they'd set for him to apologize, Sloan issued a statement suggesting his remarks about Dr. Theresa Tam had been "deliberately" mischaracterized by the Liberals.

"I did not  and am not  questioning Dr. Tam's loyalty to Canada," he said.

Sloan drew national attention late last week when, in an email to supporters, he criticized Tam's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, citing her association with and reliance upon data from the World Health Organization.

The WHO has come under scrutiny after it emerged that China, where the outbreak of the novel coronavirus began, potentially underreported the extent of illness in that country, in turn tainting the guidance the UN's health agency was providing to other countries.

Sloan asked whether Tam was working for "China or Canada."

She was born in Hong Kong, and that question prompted accusations that Sloan was being racist in his approach, as challenging someone's loyalty is a historical racist trope.

In his statement Wednesday, Sloan said he never once mentioned Tam's race or sex in his remarks. He said it is obvious she is employed by Canada, not China, and while she is affiliated with the WHO, doesn't work for that agency.

"I am sure that she wants what she thinks is best for Canada," Sloan said.

But Sloan said she is relying on flawed data from the WHO and China, and while ultimately the prime minister is responsible for following her advice, she should still step down for making decisions that have cost Canadian lives.

Sloan was condemned across the political spectrum for his initial remarks, including by some of his fellow MPs who used social media last week to highlight their opposition.

Among them, Conservative Michael Chong. His father immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong.

"While I might not agree with every decision she's made, I've no doubt about her loyalty to Canada," he wrote of Tam on social media.

"We're in this together and each one of us is doing their best."

Chong did not bring forward the motion to kick Sloan out. But it is a piece of legislation that he brought forward several years ago that gives MPs the power to oust one of their own.

The Reform Act, which became law in 2015, gives MPs, and not a party leader, the ability to decide whether a fellow parliamentarian stays or goes.

To remove Sloan, written notice is required from 20 per cent of MPs requesting his membership be reviewed.

Then, a majority must vote to expel him  a vote that must be held by secret ballot.

MPs have been meeting via video or teleconference since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most in-person gatherings across the country. How a secret ballot could be conducted to oust Sloan is unclear, nor is whether it would pass.

Sloan is one of only two MPs in the running for the leadership. The other is Ontario MP Erin O'Toole. Two sources told The Canadian Press that O'Toole was not in favour of the motion. His campaign did not return a request for comment.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the party had planned a convention to declare a new leader on June 27. In March, with the viral outbreak worsening, organizers suspended the official race.

Wednesday night, the group announced the competitors can return to raising funds, and the May 15 deadline to sign up new members remains unchanged.

The balloting is to be conducted by mail, as the Conservative constitution requires, with votes now due by Aug. 21.

"The result will be announced as soon as those ballots can be properly processed and examined by scrutineers while respecting any health guidelines in place at that time," the organizing group said. It hopes to be more specific "in the coming weeks."

Besides Sloan and O'Toole, the other candidates are former MP and cabinet minister Peter MacKay, and Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis.

MacKay leads in endorsements from current MPs, and O'Toole and Lewis also have some declared supporters among elected Conservatives.

Sloan and Lewis, however, do both have the backing of the influential socially conservative group Campaign Life Coalition.

The organization circulated an email to its membership Wednesday asking for help to "save" Sloan.

It said a refusal by Scheer, the current leader, to publicly back him, and the fact that other potential leadership candidates were disqualified for controversial comments, does not bode well.

"We cannot allow the party establishment swamp to eliminate a third socially conservative leadership candidate," the group wrote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2020.
After weeks in quarantine or isolation on the island of Guam, hundreds of members of the Roosevelt crew are beginning to move back onto the ship in a transition that will take several days. According to the Navys 7th Fleet, the more than 4,000 sailors who have tested negative will return to the ship in waves. The roughly 700 sailors who have been running the ship while it has been in port will move ashore and into quarantine.
New USC research reveals how APOE4, a genetic culprit for Alzheimer's disease, triggers leaks in the brain's plumbing system, allowing toxic substances to seep into the brain areas responsible for memory encoding and other cognitive functions.

The damage is linked to future problems in learning and memory, even when the disease's signature sticky plaques have not appeared. The findings suggest that the smallest blood vessels in the brain, which form the blood-brain barrier, might be a potential target for early treatment.

The study appears today in Nature.

"This study sheds light on a new way of looking at this disease and possibly treatment in people with the APOE4 gene, looking at blood vessels and improving their function to potentially slow down or arrest cognitive decline," said senior author Berislav Zlokovic, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "Severe damage to vascular cells called pericytes was linked to more severe cognitive problems in APOE4 carriers. APOE4 seems to speed up breakdown of the blood-brain barrier by activating an inflammatory pathway in blood vessels, which is associated with pericyte injury."

Scientists have long known that the APOE4 gene - which occurs in up to 14 percent of the population - increases the probability of developing Alzheimer's disease. Until now, it's been unclear how different pathologies determine the course of the disease in its early stages, or what underlying mechanisms lead to cognitive decline in APOE4 carriers.

Zlokovic's previous research shows that people who develop early memory problems also experience the most leakage in their brain's blood vessels - independent of amyloid plaque or tau, two common contributors to Alzheimer's. The leakage starts when cells called pericytes, which line the walls of blood vessels in the brain and maintain blood-brain barrier integrity, are damaged. These injured pericytes can be detected with a unique biomarker, developed by Zlokovic's lab in 2015, which shows up in cerebrospinal fluid.

For this study, scientists used standard memory tests to check the participants' cognitive abilities and their neuropsychological performance. They also used advanced neuroimaging and employed the biomarker that indicates damage to the brain's blood vessels.

In participants who had the APOE4 gene, researchers found damaged capillaries in the brain's memory center, the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe. The damage correlated with increased levels of a protein that causes inflammation, cyclophilin A - an early sign of the disease in people already at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Zlokovic, who became director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute in 2012, pioneered the concept that a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier contributes to cognitive impairment and dementia. The Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute opened at Keck School of Medicine in 2003 with a $20 million donation from Los Angeles businessman Selim Zilkha, who later contributed $10 million more to the effort.

###

In addition to Zlokovic, other authors are: Axel Montagne, Daniel A. Nation, Abhay P. Sagare, Giuseppe Barisano, Melanie D. Sweeney, Ararat Chakhoyan, Maricarmen Pachicano, Elizabeth Joe, Amy R. Nelson, Lina M. D'Orazio, John Ringman, Helena C. Chui, Yining Chen, Judy Pa, Meng Law, Peter S. Conti, Arthur W. Toga and Lon Schneider, all of the Keck School; David P. Buennagel and Michael G. Harrington of Huntington Medical Research Institutes; Tammie L. S. Benzinger and Anne M. Fagan, John C. Morris of Washington University School of Medicine; Eric M. Reiman of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute; Richard J. Caselli of the Mayo Clinic; and Julia TCW of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The study was supported by a combination of grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer's Association, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, the Foundation Leducq Transatlantic Network of Excellence for the study of Perivascular Spaces in Small Vessel Disease and Open Philanthropy.

Additional support came from L.K. Whittier Foundation and National Institute on Aging, the state of Arizona, and from Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., owned by Eli Lilly and Company.
As workplaces around the nation start reopening for business with the lifting of some requirements meant to limit the spread of coronavirus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control on Wednesday released a tipsheet to help people properly clean and disinfect public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools, and homes to kill the virus.

In Oregon, medical and dental offices are being allowed to resume nonurgent procedures starting Friday, which will lead some of those offices to reopen.

A statement from EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler said the cleaning and disinfecting protocols would help ensure the health and safety of everyone in homes, schools, offices and businesses.

Proper and effective cleaning and disinfecting are important to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, added a statement from CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. As our nation reopens, this guidance is critical to help Americans return as safely as possible to work, school, and other daily activities within their communities.

The guidance released Wednesday suggests developing a specific plan for preparing spaces to reopen, and revising it as necessary. It recommends thoroughly cleaning surfaces where germs might and dirt might accumulate, and disinfecting the surfaces after theyve been cleaned to further lower the spread of infection.

The guidance notes that frequent disinfection of surfaces and objects touched by multiple people is important. EPA also released a list of disinfectant products that can be used against COVID-19, cautioning that all are for use on surfaces, not humans. When EPA-approved disinfectants are not available, the guidance says alternative disinfectants can be used, such as a mixture of 1/3 cup of bleach and 1 gallon of water, or 70% alcohol solutions.

Dont mix bleach or other cleaning and disinfection products together because they can produce fumes that may be dangerous to breathe, the guidance says, adding that disinfectants should be kept out of the reach of children.

The guidance suggests always wearing gloves appropriate for the chemicals used while cleaning and disinfecting, as well as continuing to practice social distancing, wearing facial coverings, and following proper prevention hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently and using alcohol-based (at least 60% alcohol) hand sanitizer when soap and water arent available.

Here are some of the frequently touched surfaces and objects that the guidance suggested will need routine disinfection following reopening:

Tables

Doorknobs

Light switches

Countertops

Handles

Desks

Phones

Keyboards

Toilets

Faucets and sinks

Touch screens

ATMs
S ir Keir Starmer has urged the Government to publish an exit strategy for the coronavirus lockdown amid warnings the country could "fall behind" without one.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, the Labour leader warned that England would lag behind other nations, including Scotland and Wales, if plans to ease social distancing were not released soon.

Although he said he was not calling for the lockdown to be lifted, he said the Government needed to be "open" with the British public about "what comes next".

But Dominic Raab refused to lay out a time frame and date, saying it was not possible without the evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

Sir Keir said: The public need to know whats going to happen in the next phase and on exit strategy.

"I want to be absolutely clear with (Mr Raab), I am not asking for lockdown to be lifted. We support the Government on lockdown and well continue to do so, so Im not asking for that.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons / PA

Im not asking for a time frame - he Government says it cant give a time frame, I accept that and we support the Government on that. I said I wouldnt ask the impossible and I wont."

But he added: "What Im asking for is for the Government to be open with the British people about what comes next.

Mr Raab responded that a timeframe and date cannot be given "until we have the Sage evidence".

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. / PA

"If he thinks theres things that we could be announcing, whether its workplace which he referred to, schools, or otherwise, feel free to propose those things," he added.

Sir Keir then said reiterated his calls, warning England was taking a different approach to other countries with the lack of strategy.

He said: France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and Wales have all published exit plans of one sort or another.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

"(Mr Raab) said, well what are the proposals, what should they cover?. If you look at those plans, as hes done and Ive done, its clear that there are common issues such as schools reopening, business sectors reopening.

These are the issues that, if he wants me to put them on the table, I absolutely will.

He added: Delay risks not only falling behind other countries, but also the successful four-nation approach so far.

Mr Raab responded by saying that Scotland "had not set out an exit strategy". "I read through very carefully their 25-page document, it was eminently sensible and it was grounded in the five tests that I set out on April 16," he said.

Sir Keir said he was still expecting to speak to Mr Johnson on Wednesday afternoon regarding the coronavirus lockdown measures.

The Labour leader's spokesman said: "When we were informed that Dominic Raab would take PMQs No 10 did confirm that the 1.30pm call was still going ahead."

Sir Keir will question the Prime Minister on testing and greater support for social care.

Pressure has been building on ministers to begin thinking about a way out of lockdown after Scotland set out its own path towards a new normal.

Nicola Sturgeon said the restrictions to tackle the coronavirus outbreak are doing damage to Scotland but that a return to "normal" was "not on the cards".

Describing how the country needed to find a better "balance", Ms Sturgeon warned that social distancing measures will be "a fact of life for a long time to come", possibly even "beyond the end of the year".

She made the comments during a briefing about a paper, published on Thursday, which discusses the plan for how Scotland might work towards easing lockdown regulations.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 29, 2020 - 08:55 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Reservations for domestic and international flights for Japan's Golden Week holidays through early May have plunged amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, transport ministry data compiling booking figures from major airlines showed Tuesday.

During the eight-day holiday period from Wednesday to May 6, the data show 192,250 domestic flight bookings as of Tuesday, down 92.9 percent from a year earlier, and only 12,674 reservations for international flights, down 97.7 percent.

Although Japan has not implemented a strict lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the government has urged the public to avoid non-essential outings and stay home as much as possible.

Japan has also imposed an entry ban on many countries including China, South Korea, the United States and all of Europe. While Japanese citizens are able to re-enter the country, they are required to be tested for coronavirus and self-isolate for two weeks.
: The spread of COVID-19 in Tamil



Nadu is "largely under control" due to the implementation of various government guidelines, but the contagion is "easily" spreading in this city due to its large population, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Wednesday.

Palaniswami, who indicated resuming manufacturing in the Green Zones, also rued people not strictly following social distancing norms and urged the respective district administrations to ensure this principle is adhered to.

Addressing a review meeting on Coronavirus with District Collectors, he also patted the officials for leading the fight against the pandemic and said government's measures in stemming its spread has largely borne fruit due to their efforts.

"Barring Chennai, the spread is largely under control in other districts," he said and credited the collectors for strictly enforcing various guidelines in the fight against the deadly virus.

"Chennai is a big city. More people reside here. Further, many visit the city. Moreover, there are narrow streets where a large population lives and due to this, the virus easily spreads from one person to another. This is the reason for the increased spread of the disease here," he said.

As on Tuesday, the state capital has the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in the state, 673 out of the 2,058.

Incidentally, of the 121 fresh cases reported on Tuesday, the city had 103 infections.

Palaniswami said that irrespective of an area being a city or rural one, the pandemic can be controlled if the government guidelines were strictly implemented and lauded the Collectors for doing so with the aim of contolling the spread.

The district heads were diligently implementing the government's various measures, including availability of essential commodities, even as the coordinated work of various departments like Health, Police and Revenue, among others, had helped prevent the spread, he said.

However, social distancing was not being strictly followed by the people, especially in ration shops and vegetable markets and the officials should ensure it was duly followed, he said.

Compared to the struggles of many developed nations and super powers, the state was ensuring better delivery of public services, including on the food front, he said.

The flagship Amma Canteens, which are providing free meals to the needy and poor, was proof of this, even as migrant workers living here, among others, were being taken good care of.

The police should ensure nobody enters or exits a containment zone, he added.

On resuming or starting businesses, Palaniswami said the government would advise Collectors accordingly on allowing such activities in the respective green zones.

Those industries that could be given the green signal include cement, sugar, sago, steel and medical equipment, as allowed by the Centre, the Chief Minister added.

Proper cleaning and maintenance of public toilets, strict implementation of all ongoing lockdown norms and keeping an eye on border districts were the other points stressed by Palaniswami as part of the virus control plan.

Efforts should be to turn the Red zones in the state to Orange, while the latter should become Green and normalcy across the state should be ensured gradually, the Chief Minister told the officials.

According to the government's virus hotspot categorisation, Red Zone denotes over 15 cases or those with a doubling time of less than four days while the Orange means districts with less than 15 infections.

Green Zones are those with no new cases in the last 28 days.

As of April 28, Krishnagiri district is the only Green Zone in Tamil Nadu, of the total 37 districts in the state.

As many as seven are categorised as Orange, while the rest, including Chennai, are listed as Red Zone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brett Callaghan, above, was arrested and charged with allegedly detaining and sexually assaulting the 12-year-old

Police have taken DNA samples from a father who allegedly abducted a 12-year-old girl from a skate park and sexually assaulted her in front of his own daughter.

Brett John Callaghan, 37, is accused of approaching the girl at Thornleigh Skate Park in north-west Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, before luring her to his home in Dural.

The girl was seen leaving the park alongside a man, allegedly Callaghan, and his own young child. He did not know the alleged victim.

Police allege he sexually assaulted the girl on the drive home and again when they returned to the granny flat, on the same property where his parents also reside.

The child was reported missing at 5.30pm after she failed to meet her parents at Hornsby Westfield. Detectives from the State Crime Command's Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad eventually arrested Callaghan just after 1.15am on Wednesday morning.

The alleged victim was taken to hospital for an assessment and the other child is now in the care of relatives.

The 12-year-old girl was allegedly taken to Callaghan's granny flat in Dural (pictured) on the back of his parent's property

The 12-year-old girl had been at Thornleigh's skate park (pictured) when she went missing on Tuesday afternoon

Police released images of the offender being taken into custody on Wednesday

Police allege the schoolgirl left friends at the Westfield earlier in the afternoon to meet Callaghan and his child at the park, meaning she was missing for about 11 hours.

'We will allege that once they left in the car and went to a home at Dural, she was sexually assaulted,' child abuse and sex crimes squad detective superintendent John Kerlatec said on Wednesday.

Callaghan has been charged with three separate offences, including aggravated sexual intercourse, and sexually touching another person without consent, as well as another count relating to the alleged abduction.

A police prosecutor told Parramatta Local Court on Thursday that police had obtained DNA samples from Callaghan under an interim order, but were seeking the final approval of the court.

Callaghan's Legal Aid lawyer signalled he would fight that order in court in two weeks' time. Callaghan will consider applying for bail.

He did not appear in court on Thursday and bail was formally refused.

A crime scene was established at his home and a vehicle was seized a short distance away, which will be forensically examined.

Detective Superintendent Kerlatec told reporters police believe the 12-year-old left with the man 'thinking she was in the care and custody of somebody she felt safe with'.

'We sense seeing the other young girl may have given her a sense of comfort, a sense of safety,' he said.

'There is concern for all parents at this time when restrictions are being lifted that we have people preying on vulnerable children.'

Police are also investigating whether Callaghan was under the influence of drugs at the time of the alleged assault, and if he drugged the child, 9News reported

Detective Kerlatec said the family of the pre-teen girl were 'distraught'.

Police allege she was found in the home and was taken to hospital for assessment.

A crime scene was established at the home and a car was seized a short distance away, which will be forensically examined.

Callaghan was not known to the girl.

The man was taken to Hornsby Police Station, where charges are expected to be laid.

The other child remains in the care of family.

The search was conducted by detectives from the State Crime Command's Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, with assistance from Kuring-Gai Police Area Command.
A local Domino's franchise is supporting its community as it battles the coronavirus pandemic by handing out free pizzas to struggling families.

Domino's in Mandurah, on Western Australia's south-coast, is encouraging locals who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak to contact the restaurant for a free meal.

As the coronavirus crisis wreaked havoc on the economy last month, the restaurant updated it customers on Facebook saying it would remain open as long as possible to continue 'serving the community and supporting those in need'.

Domino's in Mandurah, in Western Australia's south-coast (pictured) is handing out free meals to residents who have lost their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic

The act of kindness is in addition to Domino's nationwide initiative to support frontline workers during the pandemic

In an incredible act of kindness, franchisees Raja and Payal Kataria asked those who were struggling financially to get in touch with the restaurant for a free pizza.

'We would also like to donate 100 pizzas today to those doing it tough; who have lost their job or had a business close,' they said in a Facebook post.

'The first 50 people to email will receive 2 free pizzas for pick up tonight.'

Within hours, the restaurant received hundreds of emails from people in search of a hot meal, Mr Kataria told the Mandurah Mail.

'We quickly got to work responding to each message and confirming every order, and by the end of the night, we had prepared more than 150 piping hot pizzas for 75 hungry locals', he said.

Franchisees Raja and Payal Kataria updated its customers last month saying they were dedicated in giving back to its community in times of need

'In this time of extreme uncertainty, where some people may not know when or where their next paycheck is coming from, the offer of a hot meal is the least we can do to help'.

The franchisees said they have also contributed to frontline workers in the region, donating more than 500 pizzas to people working in health centres, supermarkets, fire stations and police checkpoints in recent weeks.

Mr Kataria said the restaurant is planning to do another free pizza hand-out on Friday, May 1, following the success of last month's.

The act of kindness is in addition to Domino's nation-wide initiative to support frontline workers during the pandemic through its charity Give for Good, which has donated more than 22,000 pizzas across the country so far.




VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: ROCK) (OTCQB: RRRLF) (Frankfurt: RR0) (Rockridge or the Company) announces that it has completed nine diamond drill holes in a 2,070-metre diamond drilling program at its Raney Gold Project located southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada (the Raney Gold Project or Property). Assays have been received for the first six holes, with a highlight intercept of 28.0 g/t gold over 6.0 metres (uncut).



Raney Gold Project Location Map:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/maps/location_map_raney.pdf

Highlights:



The Raney Gold Project is a large prospective gold property covering 1,417 hectares located ~110 km southwest of the prolific gold district of Timmins, ON

The drilling program entailed 2,070 metres in nine diamond drill holes; logging and sampling of the core has been completed, and assay results have been returned for six holes

Assays pending for the remaining drill holes with visual indications of mineralization in the drill core

The program tested the mineralized gold system along a strike extent of 225 metres, with the deepest hole at the 260-metre level

RN 20-06 intersected 28.0 g/t gold over 6.0 metres (uncut) at a shallow vertical level of 95 metres

This newly discovered high grade zone is 75 metres west of a historical drill hole that returned 6.5 g/t gold over 8.0 metres

Gold mineralization is associated with broad intervals of higher concentrations of narrow quartz veins; the quartz veins are hosted in a steeply dipping alteration zone dominated by intermediate volcanic rocks consisting of lapilli tuffs and bedded argillites, with lamprophyre dikes

The broad alteration zone (structural corridor) that hosts the mineralization is open for expansion; historic mapping and surface sampling data show that the alteration zone may extend over several hundred metres, with no drilling completed over a large extent of this corridor

A notable disruption in the airborne magnetic data approximately 2 km west of the current drilling and in line with the projected structural corridor provides a compelling target area for future exploration

Property has excellent access and infrastructure; accessible by paved and forestry roads

Newmonts newest gold mine (Borden) located ~35km west and IAMGOLDs Cote development project is ~75km southeast

Plan Map Showing Exploration Potential Along Extensive Alteration Corridor:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/tk_raney_comp2020_mag.pdf

Rockridges CEO, Grant Ewing, commented: The Raney drilling program was completed in a very timely and cost-effective manner. The high grade intercept in hole six is highly encouraging, as is the fact that the broad alteration zone where the current drilling program was concentrated may extend for several hundred metres. No drilling has been conducted over a large extent of this corridor. The next steps regarding evaluation of the project will be determined following analysis of the complete assay results from the program.

Jordan Trimble, Rockridges President, commented: Hole RN 20-06 represents the best drill intercept ever on the Raney Gold Project and further illustrates the high grade, robust geological potential at the project. We successfully tested a new geological model and are excited to continue drill testing the project later this year.

2,070 metres in nine diamond drill holes were completed in the program:

DDH # East (UTM) North (UTM) Elev Az Dip Depth (m) RN-20-01 365715 5303608 391 25 -45 179 RN-20-02 365715 5303608 391 25 -65 276 RN-20-03 365789 5303516 391 25 -45 291 RN-20-04 365753 5303549 391 25 -45 306 RN-20-05 365753 5303549 391 25 -58 320 RN-20-06 365673 5303615 391 25 -45 176 RN-20-07 365731 5303580 391 30 -45 237 RN-20-08 365698 5303656 387 25 -45 113 RN-20-09 365622 5303667 387 30 -45 174

Raney Gold Project 2020 Drill Hole Plan Map:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/tk_raney_comp2020_mag_2.pdf

Detailed logging and sampling of the core has been completed. A summary of assay results for the first six holes are reported below:

Hole RN 20-01 returned 0.83 g/t Au over 8.9 m from 126.1 m to 135.0 m

Hole RN 20-02 returned 0.63 g/t Au over 8.5 m from 77.5 m to 86.0 m; and 1.39 g/t Au over 13.0 m from 102.0 m to 115.0 m, including 3.72 g/t Au over 3.0 m from 103.0 m to 106.0 m

Hole RN 20-03 returned 0.52 g/t Au over 23.0 m from 239.0 m to 262.0 m

Hole RN 20-04 - no significant assays

Hole RN 20-05 returned 6.45 g/t Au over 1.0 m from 110.0 m to 111.0 m; and 1.28 g/t over 2.0 m from 295.0 m to 297.0 m

Hole RN 20-06 returned 27.98 g/t Au over 6.0 m from 125.0 m to 131.0 m, including 2.93 g/t Au over 1.0 m from 125.0 m to 126.0 m, 71.28 g/t Au over 2.3 m from 128.7 m to 131.0 m, and 326 g/t Au over 0.5 m from 130.5 m to 131.0 m

True widths are not estimated at this time. See the Companys website for the full assay tables. The balance of the assay results will be reported when they become available.

Drill Program Summary:

A total of 2,070 metres in nine diamond drill holes were completed during the program to assess the potential of the Raney Gold Project. The drill program focused on the main zone over a strike extent of approximately 225 metres that produced the best historic intercept of 6.5 g/t gold over 8.0 metres. The deepest hole of the current program tested down to the 260-metre level.

Silicification and minor carbonate alteration were recognized, however gold mineralization appears to be closely related to intervals of high quartz vein density. The quartz veins are hosted in a steeply dipping alteration zone dominated by intermediate volcanic rocks consisting of lapilli tuffs and bedded argillites, with lamprophyre dikes. The quartz veins crosscut and run parallel to a weak fabric, and range in thickness from 0.5 cm to 20 cm in width.

An upper zone of increased vein density has been noted where the historic visible gold intercepts occur. The high-grade intercept of 27.98 g/t over 6.0 metres from the current program was the fourth drill hole on the Property to intercept visible gold, and all these occurrences were in the main zone near the 100-metre level.

The broad alteration zone that hosts the mineralization is up to 125 metres wide and extends well beyond the area tested by drilling. Historic mapping and surface sampling data show that the alteration zone may extend over several hundred metres. No drilling has been conducted along this alteration corridor except for the ~225-metre-long main zone. A notable disruption in the airborne magnetic data approximately 2 km west of the current drilling and in line with the projected structural corridor provides a compelling target area for future exploration.

Raney Gold Project Geology and History:

Historical drilling at the Raney Gold Project focused on identifying near-surface gold mineralization along an extensive alteration zone. Three sub-parallel and closely spaced mineralized zones of quartz-carbonate alteration with quartz veining, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and occasionally visible gold were outlined. The drilling to date suggests the possibility of steeply plunging shoots of mineralization with reasonable widths in a broad alteration zone that is open along strike.

Previous exploration on the Property from 1972 to 1991 consisted of prospecting, mapping, sampling, trenching, winkie drilling, ground geophysics, stripping, and some limited diamond drilling. This was followed by exploration work during the 2009 to 2010 period. The best intercept returned from historical drilling was 6.5 g/t gold over 8.0 metres.

The property is underlain by mafic volcanics to the north, and felsic to intermediate volcaniclastics to the south. The felsic volcaniclastics are host to the gold zones. Quartz feldspar porphyry dykes and sills and minor mafic intrusives occur throughout the Property. The porphyries are generally massive but may be sheared and hydrothermally altered and veined in places.

A 100 metre-wide intensely sheared and altered quartz-feldspar porphyry body is located just to the south of the main Raney gold showing. Gold mineralization exposed on the surface and intersected in drill holes on the property is typical of the lode gold class of gold deposit which is the dominant gold deposit type in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Gold mineralization on the property is associated with the intensely sheared and altered zones within the felsic tuffs, and higher grades tend to occur where quartz veining is present.

The Property is in the Archean Swayze Greenstone Belt, thought to be the southeast extension of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, which hosts the world-class Timmins and Kirkland Lake gold districts. Numerous gold occurrences occur throughout the district and several world-class mines have been developed. These deposits are responsible for a significant portion of the worlds cumulative gold production and are often characterized by gold enriched quartz vein systems associated with supracrustal belts in low to medium grade metamorphic terranes. Gold mineralization at the Property is typical of the mesothermal lode gold deposit model.

Rockridge holds an option to earn a 100% interest in the Raney Gold Project.

Qualified Person:

Todd Keast, P.Geo., a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and the Raney Gold Project Manager for Rockridge Resources Ltd., has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control:

Core samples were prepared using the PREP-31b package in ALS's Timmins facility. Samples are then shipped to ALS's North Vancouver facility for assay procedures. Fire assay ALS code AU-AA23 using a 50 g sample was completed. For samples with visible gold, AuScr 24 was completed. A QA/QC program included laboratory and field standards inserted at approximately every 20 samples. At least one field blank is inserted in every batch of 20 samples, with additional blanks inserted following samples with visible gold.

About Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Rockridge Resources is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties in Canada and other mining-friendly jurisdictions. The Companys Raney Gold Project is a high-grade gold exploration project located in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world-class Timmins and Kirkland Lake lode gold mining camps. The Company's Knife Lake Project is in Saskatchewan, which is ranked as the #3 mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface copper-cobalt-gold-silver-zinc deposit open along strike and at depth. Rockridges goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Additional information about Rockridge Resources and its project portfolio can be found on the Companys website at www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com . Rockridge currently has 33.9 million shares issued and outstanding.

Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Grant Ewing



Grant Ewing

CEO

For further information contact myself or:

Jordan Trimble, President or

Simon Dyakowski, Corporate Development



Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Telephone: 604-687-3376

Toll Free: 800-567-8181

Facsimile: 604-687-3119

Email: info@rockridgeresourcesltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Information

Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, expects and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Companys future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.
In the backlash over large companies getting millions in coronavirus relief loans intended as a lifeline for small businesses, Taco Cabanas parent company said Wednesday it will return $15 million in loans it received.

Dallas-based Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. will return $10 million that went to the Taco Cabana restaurant chain and $5 million loaned to Pollo Tropical restaurants under the Paycheck Protection Program.

On ExpressNews.com: A Taco Cabana heirs fortune allegedly squandered

News that large public companies benefited from the program sparked outrage among small-business owners, particularly those unable to secure a loan to save their business. Glitches and overwhelming demand have hobbled the Small Business Administration program.

Fiesta Restaurant joins more than a dozen other public companies that have pledged to give back the loans since the firestorm erupted. Other companies include: AutoNation, the countrys largest car-dealership chain, which received $77 million in loans; the company behind Ruths Chris Steak House, $20 million; and Shake Shack, $10 million. The Los Angeles Lakers said they would return $4.6 million.

Fiesta Restaurants decision to give back the loans came a day after Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said large companies could face criminal liability for keeping the emergency loans.

The purpose of this program was not social welfare for big business, Mnuchin said during a national television appearance. The purpose of this program was to help small businesses.

After it became public that large companies obtained PPP loans under the initial $349 billion program, the SBA last week issued new guidance that said companies with other sources of cash probably would not qualify for a loan.

Borrowers must certify in good faith that their PPP loan request is necessary. Borrowers who falsely made the certification would have criminal liability, Mnuchin said.

The guidance added that it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required required certification in good faith, and such a company should be prepared to to demonstrate to SBA, upon request, the basis for its certification.

The Treasury Department intends to audit loans above $2 million. The loans were meant for businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

Fiesta Restaurant last week revealed in a securities filing that it was reviewing the guidance. It said if it determined it was appropriate to keep the loans, Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical would use the money for payroll costs and related benefits.

Fiesta Restaurant has a market valuation of about $205.7 million and it reported $13.4 million in cash on its balance sheet as of Dec. 29. It lost $84.4 million on $658 million in revenue in its last fiscal year. It had almost 10,500 employees at the end of 2019.

Taco Cabana obtained its loan on April 14, while Pollo Tropical got its loan on April 8  before the new guidance was issued. Both loans were obtained through JPMorgan Chase.

Taco Cabana was founded in 1978 in San Antonio by Felix Stehling, who built the Tex-Mex chain into a local success story. The first Taco Cabana opened at Hildebrand and San Pedro avenues and pioneered the Mexican patio cafe concept.

The chain went public in 1992 and was sold to Carrols Restaurant Group for $154 million in 2000. Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical were spun off by Carrols in 2012.

Taco Cabana operated 164 restaurants  all in Texas  at the end of last year, before it announced in January it was closing 19. It reported earnings before taxes and other items of $7.9 million on almost $298 million for the year ended Dec. 29.

On ExpressNews.com: Taco Cabana closing 19 underperforming restaurants in Texas

Only one San Antonio public company has reported receiving a PPP loan. Usio Inc., which provides electronic payment processing services to businesses, including for credit and debit card transactions, obtained an $814,000 loan.

A Usio spokesman said Friday it is compliance with the guidelines and is keeping the money. The company reported it had about $2.1 million in cash and was debt-free at the end of last year. It has a market value of about $25 million.

The $349 billion in emergency loans for small businesses was depleted in less than two weeks. An additional $310 billion was added last week. The low-interest PPP loans will be fully or partially forgiven if businesses use the funds to retain or rehire employees and pay bills.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. To read more from Patrick, become a subscriber. pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD
RIP Irrfan Khan: Big B, Taapsee, Shoojit Sircar And Others Mourn The Loss Of One Of Bollywoods Finest Actors
A construction worker has been jailed for three years for his part in a relatively sophisticated tax fraud scheme.

Sligo born Martin Stokes (35) was one of five people identified as having registered as contractors and stating that they would make tax payments on behalf of sub-contractors working for them.

Revenue issued nearly 107,000 in tax refunds and credits in relation to the named sub-contractors but the tax payments were never subsequently made by Stokes. Revenue issued the monies into a number of bank accounts which were controlled by another man.

This money was withdrawn at various ATMs soon after it went into the bank accounts, Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Stokes, of Belgrade Road, Tallaght, Dublin was one of five people investigated by Denis O'Connell, a principal officer with the Revenue Commissioners, as part of a large scale probe by Revenue's major investigations unit.

Detective Garda David Coyne from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau told the court that Revenue had issued 67,736 in tax refunds and 39,156 in tax credits in relation to the named sub-contractors.

He told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that the bank accounts were controlled by another man.

In April 2016 Stokes pleaded guilty to a number of charges under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act, including forgery and deception. The offences took place on dates in 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Stokes, with a former address at Woodford Heights, Clondalkin, Dublin failed to appear for a sentence hearing in June 2016 and a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest. The father of three had gone to Australia and then to the UK, Det Coyne told the court.

He was arrested a fortnight ago while travelling around during the Covid-19 lockdown and remanded into custody for sentencing today.

Seamus Clarke SC, defending, put it to Det Gda Coyne that his client's life had no lavish signs of wealth and he was not driving a flashy car. The detective replied he had a very nice car.

Mr Clarke provided the court with a number of character references including one from the local school principal who described Stokes as a good father who contributed to an after school club and to a school road safety campaign. Counsel said Stokes had worked as a plasterer and a bricklayer.

Judge Martin Nolan said Stokes was a bright man who spotted an opportunity to defraud Revenue. He said it was a relatively sophisticated scheme that took advantages of weaknesses in the contractor tax system.

There is no such thing as a system that cannot be defrauded, he said. He said if a system is to be of any use to people it will have weaknesses.

He said Stokes was a good family man who had made contributions to the community and he reduced an indicative sentence of five years imprisonment to three years.

The court heard that Stokes has previous convictions for dangerous driving, deception and using counterfeit currency.

Keith Spencer BL, defending, previously told Judge Nolan that his client could not be brought to court because he was being held in quarantine as part of Prison Service policy cocooning all new prisoners for 14 days.
Wall Street shakes off bad economic news as data on antiviral drug lifts hopes.

Stocks rallied on Wednesday, bolstered by indications that a drug being tested as a possible treatment for Covid-19 could be showing progress, and as investors pinned their hopes on the gradual reopening of the worlds major economies.

The S&P 500 gained nearly 3 percent, while shares in Europe were also sharply higher.

The rally came despite data that showed the U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter of the year by the most since 2008. Earnings reports from Volkswagen, Samsung, Airbus, Boeing and other giant businesses were also grim.

But investors have been shaking off bad news on the economy for weeks as they focus on progress on efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. A steady climb has lifted the S&P 500 by more than 31 percent since its March 23 low. With nearly half that gain coming in April, the month is on track to be the best for stocks since 1974, according to data from Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst for S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The trading on Wednesday had all the hallmarks of a rally fueled by hopes of a return to normal, with shares of airlines and cruise operators  both industries that are dependent on the end of restrictions and the return of travelers  among the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500. Oil producers also rallied as the price of crude oil surged.
LONDON, Apr 29, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - As blockchain technology is taking the market by storm and creating exponential growth, Africa would not be exempted. Delivering blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) and AI enabled SaaS designed to increase the efficiency of marine services and land department real estate services for government agencies, blockchain startup Domineum.io and its founder, serial entrepreneur Geoffrey Weli Wosu, managed to create more than US$5 million for several African governments during the final 11 months of fiscal 2019.What makes blockchain technology so powerful? Blockchain's data structure, immutability and tamper detection, data protection, distributed ledger technology, relative user anonymity, the promise of ever-increasing IT spend, to name a few. Blockchain technology is already changing the way many segments operate, while its technology market is expected to grow from US$1.2B in 2018 to US$23.3B by 2023, an annual growth rate of 80.2%.Ken Griffin, Citadel founder and philanthropist, says, "Blockchain's a very interesting technology that will have very profound applications for society over the years to come." Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, says, "Whereas most technologies tend to automate workers on the periphery doing menial tasks, blockchains automate away the center. Instead of putting the taxi driver out of a job, blockchain puts Uber out of a job and lets the taxi drivers work with the customer directly."Blockchain technology allows users to participate in peer-to-peer transactions without involving central mediators, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) logically emerged as an early adopter. But many believe the true value of this revolutionary technology will be best felt across the developing world. From elections to international remittances, energy services to alternatives to banking, many issues could potentially be solved by a few principles inherent to blockchain: transparency and decentralization.As a distributed ledger, or blockchain, technology company, Domineum Blockchain Solutions was established to assist Governments and Companies integrate Blockchain into their operations. Headquartered at Level39, London, with an R&D unit in San Francisco, a technology resource centre in Tallinn, and a current operational base in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Domineum aims to disrupt several sectors in the emerging markets and leapfrog the current infrastructure with blockchain technology.Domineum.io has quickly become a major developer of AI-enabled Blockchain Solutions for government agencies, financial institutions, and real estate and marine authorities interested in achieving the agility and capability needed to compete in current and future markets. In 2019, Weli Wosu and Domineum signed strategic Government alliances with Sierra Leone and Nigeria's Abia State, producing revenues of more than $5 million within the fiscal year for the Government agencies.No stranger to the markets, Geoffrey co-founded Voguepay.com, a payment processing platform established in 2012 with over 100,000 global merchants today; and invested (Level39) in Analytics Intelligence, an artificial intelligence (AI) technology start-up that provides solutions for data collection and analysis to a wide variety of customers in Europe, America and Africa.Geoffrey studied Business (2006) and Law (2009) at the University of Bolton in the UK, he's an Associate Member of the British Computer Society (AMBCS), Member of Level39, and author of "E-Government Solutions for the Developing World", "How to Simplify the Work of Governments in Developing Countries", and "Combining Blockchain and AI to Grow the Global Digital Economy" (ref: academia.edu).For more information on the project pipeline, or to enter the discussion, please visit:Website: https://www.domineum.ioTwitter: https://twitter.com/domineumLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/domineum/Telegram: https://t.me/domineumMedia Contact:Geoffrey Weli-Wosugeoffrey.weliwosu@domineum.iowww.linkedin.com/in/geoffreyweliwosuLevel39, One Canada Square,Canary Wharf, London, UK.Source: DomineumCopyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Press Release

April 29, 2020 Bong Go urges national government, LGUs to prepare attractive trade and industry policies in preparation for "Balik Probinsya" after COVID-19 crisis Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go on Wednesday, April 29, urged the national and local governments to begin drawing up a stable and conducive policy environment that will entice stakeholders and investors to start businesses in the provinces to support the plan for the implementation of a "Balik Probinsya" program after the country overcomes the COVID-19 crisis "Habang patuloy nating nilalabanan ang COVID-19, pinaghahandaan na rin natin ang 'new normal' kung saan kaya nating harapin ang epekto ng krisis na ito sa ekonomiya at sa pang-araw araw natin na buhay. Nais nating siguraduhin na makakaahon ang bansa at magiging mas handa sa anumang krisis na darating," Go said. According to Go, motivating city dwellers and incentivizing businesses to relocate to the provinces will be the long-term goal. Key programs of different agencies that can help promote the "Balik Probinsya" initiative must be identified and prioritized. "Bukod sa gusto nating umuwi sa probinsya ang mga Pilipino mula sa mga siyudad, tulad ng Metro Manila, isa sa mga layunin ng proposed na 'Balik Probinsya' program ang pagsigurong handa at kaaya-aya ang mga probinsya para sa mga bagong negosyong ipapatayo ng mga mamumuhunan," Go said. "Para maabot natin ang hinahangad na kaunlaran, dapat nating simulan na ang pagpaplano ng national at local government units na gumawa na ng trade and industry roadmap at konkretong polisiya para tiyak na makukuha nating mag-invest ang mga negosyo sa probinsya," the Senator added. Go said that the policies may complement the objectives of the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act or the CITIRA bill, now pending in the Senate. The bill, which seeks to reform the corporate income tax and incentives system in the country, will provide a fair ground of tax collection and incentive for urban and rural areas, and benefit local and rural communities with the new investments coming in. It is primarily authored by Senator Pia Cayetano and was certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte last March. Acting National Economic and Development Authority Director-General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua says that the grant of tax incentives can be more targeted to the provinces since the present system grants the same incentives regardless of the location of a business in the country. And by giving more incentives for new business in the countryside, Chua believes that investors can invest outside of Metro Manila and other metropolitan areas. Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Chua believe that passage of Senate Bill 1357 or the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA) will reinforce the "Balik Probinsya" program where more incentives will be given to business in the provinces. "Sa pamamagitan ng CITIRA na sana'y maaprubahan na rin ng Kongreso, kapag may mas maraming industriya at nakakapagtrabaho sa mga probinsya, ang mga dagdag na buwis na makokolekta mula rito ay magagamit para sa dagdag na serbisyo ng lokal na pamahalaan at mas magandang imprastruktura," he explained. The Senator also encouraged government agencies to determine skills that squarely match the requirements of the new businesses to be put up. He suggested that a specialized Balik Probinsya jobs fair may also be organized with skills and job matching between BPP beneficiaries and new investors. "We need to scale up our policies to the standard that it will also be fair for both investors and the community. I ask the concerned government agencies, such as DSWD, CHED and TESDA to map out the skills of proposed BPP beneficiaries in order to match them with possible investors," Go highlighted. With the plan, Go hopes that Filipinos will not have to leave the countryside and be separated from their families as job opportunities are created right in their localities. "Ang layunin naman natin dito sa BPP ay hindi lamang para ma-decongest ang Manila. Gusto natin makabalik ang mga Pilipino sa piling ng kanilang mga pamilya sa probinsya at hindi na mawalay sa isa't isa," Go said. Government agencies and leaders from the private sector have recently signified their support to the proposed "Balik Probinsya" program. Admitting that this is a long-term plan to decongest Metro Manila and other big metropolitan areas, as well as to accelerate socio-economic development in the countryside, the Senator hopes that this program will usher new opportunities for a brighter future even for ordinary Filipinos now grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. "This plan aims to decongest urban areas as congestion proves to be a significant factor in the high number of COVID-19 cases. It also aims to boost rural development and create livelihood opportunities in the countryside to encourage city dwellers and businesses to move to the provinces. As the President mentioned in his past statements, starting fresh in the provinces would give Filipinos HOPE for a better future after COVID-19 crisis," Go explained.
Oil Price Rallies 10 Percent as US Crude Build Slows

WTI jumps 22 percent but volatility still a risk

Crude oil prices rallied by over 10 percent in Wednesday trading as U.S. crude storage builds grew more slowly than expected and gasoline drawdowns surprised analysts by increasing.

The rally in prices coupled with tentative indications of recovery in European physical oil markets boosted optimism that fuel consumption will recover as U.S. states and some European countries reopen their economies.

Crude prices collapsed in early April as global fuel demand sank over 30 percent due to lockdown measures meant to control the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

President Donald Trump helped negotiate a deal in mid-April between the OPEC+ cartel (including Russia), the United States, Mexico, and other oil-producing nations to reduce oil production by almost 10 million barrels per day (bpd). Since then, oil majors and unconventional drillers across the United States have slashed production in an effort to reign in costs.

According to Reuters, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped $2.72 to close at $15.06 per barrelan increase of 22 percent. Brent crude oil futures finished up $2.08or over 10 percentat $22.54.

American crude oil inventories expanded by around 9 million barrels last week to some 527.6 million barrels, which the Energy Information Administration said was around 7 million less than their record level. At 9 million barrels, the build was lower than the 10.6 million barrels analysts said they expected in a recent Reuters oil-industry poll.

According to Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Americas in New York, the development has bought the oil industry in the United States some timeor at least postponed the advent of a severe storage crisis. The crude oil number is a big number at the end of the day, but its not as big of a number that we had for the last three weeks, he said.

According to the data, U.S. gasoline stockpiles had been drawn down to the tune of 3.7 million barrels from their record highs of last week, as an uptick in refinery production was offset by increasing fuel demand.

Demand for gasoline over the past month is down some 44 percent over the same period last year, and the drawdown is being viewed as a sign that declines in consumption may have reached their lowest point. The overall demand for fuel has declined by 28 percent over the past month.

Based on the record-low price of oil, the United States will be adding as much as 75 million barrels to our strategic reserves. pic.twitter.com/AauLngg1h1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 20, 2020

As storage facilities across the U.S. fill rapidly and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) edges toward capacity, production cuts by conventional drillers and U.S. shale producers are slowing flows into storage facilities. According to Rystad Energy, cuts in production could amount to some 300,000 bpd in May and June.

As long as we see openings in the economy, we will not see plunges like we saw a week ago, said Gene McGillian, market research vice president at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Conn. But markets heading back up to pre-crisis days are going to be tough to come by.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 15:04:54|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The first-quarter operating profit of Samsung Electronics, South Korea's tech behemoth, grew as the COVID-19 outbreak increased demand for IT products, the company said Wednesday.

Consolidated operating profit expanded 3.43 percent from a year earlier to 6.45 trillion won (5.3 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-March quarter.

Revenue gained 5.61 percent to 55.33 trillion won (45.4 billion U.S. dollars), but net income fell 3.15 percent to 4.88 trillion won (4 billion U.S. dollars).

The earnings beat market expectations of about 6 trillion won (4.9 billion U.S. dollars) for operating profit and 54.7 trillion won (44.9 billion U.S. dollars) for revenue.

The better-than-forecast earnings came as the coronavirus pandemic encouraged people to stay and work at home, shop online and attend online classes, leading to higher demand for semiconductors.

The semiconductor business recorded an operating profit of 3.99 trillion won (3.3 billion U.S. dollars) on revenue of 17.64 trillion won (14.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the March quarter.

The revenue advanced 21.9 percent from a year earlier, but the operating profit went down 3.2 percent on a yearly basis. From three months earlier, the operating profit was up 15.7 percent.

Demand for DRAM chips from datacenters was solid on the rising usage of streaming services and online shopping, while demand for DRAM chips used for PCs remained steady on the back of the increased virtual meetings.

Mobile demand for NAND flash memory chips was robust on the expanded products adopting high-density storage, while demand for server solid state drive (SSD), mainly from datacenters, continued to grow alongside rising demand for high-volume content.

Samsung forecast that demand for DRAM memory chips would be firm in the second quarter due to robust growth in server demand, caused by the rapid expansion in remote working, online education and streaming services.

The NAND flash memory market was expected to stabilize in the second quarter as the impact from lower demand for smartphones is to be offset by growing SSD demand from datacenters.

Earnings for the system LSI business increased in the first quarter on higher demand for 5G mobile processors and high-resolution image sensors for smartphones, but it was forecast to contract in the second quarter owing to the fading effects of the flagship smartphone launches and weak consumer sentiment amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The display panel business posted an operating loss of 290 billion won (238 million U.S. dollars) on revenue of 6.59 trillion won (5.4 billion U.S. dollars) for the first quarter.

The revenue grew 7.7 percent from a year earlier, but it was down 18.1 percent from three months ago. The display panel unit logged an operating profit of 220 billion won (181 million U.S. dollars) in the previous quarter.

Profit for panels used for mobile phones saw a decline because of slower sales and lower factory utilization amid weak seasonality, while large displays' operating loss narrowed thanks to favorable foreign exchange movements.

Samsung expected mobile display earnings to shrink further in the second quarter on falling demand in the United States and Europe, driven by the COVID-19 outbreak, forecasting that earnings from large displays would be weak owing to the market slump accelerated by the delayed mega sporting events.

The IT & mobile communications division, which produces smartphones, logged an operating profit of 2.65 trillion won (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) on revenue of 26 trillion won (21.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter.

The revenue diminished 4.4 percent from a year earlier as the COVID-19 outbreak weakened smartphone demand across the globe, but the operating profit jumped 16.7 percent on higher sale of premium products.

Samsung forecast that mobile phone demand would drop sharply in the second quarter on the back of an economic downturn, driven by the coronavirus pandemic.

Earnings from the networks business improved in the first quarter thanks to the expansion of 5G commercialization in South Korea and other markets, Samsung noted.

The consumer electronics division posted an operating profit of 450 billion won (370 million U.S. dollars) on revenue of 10.3 trillion won (8.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the March quarter.

The revenue was up 2.6 percent from a year earlier, but the operating profit tumbled 16.7 percent on lower global demand and weak seasonality.

Samsung expected the sale of TVs to decline in the second quarter on weaker consumer demand and the canceled major sporting events, prompted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Enditem
Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a phone conversation with State Secretary to Prime Minister of Sweden Karin Wallensteen, the presidents press service has reported.

The interlocutors exchanged information on the measures taken by Ukraine and Sweden to counteract COVID-19 and agreed on the need to coordinate appropriate steps to protect the health of the citizens of both countries.

They noted the importance of organizing flights to return Ukrainians to their homeland, the last of which was made the day before. The Ukrainian party thanked Sweden for its contribution to the fight against coronavirus, including via the WHO channels, the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19 and the EU structures.

Sweden's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and the inappropriateness of using the pandemic to weaken sanctions and restrictive measures applied as a result of their violation were highly appreciated.

Ihor Zhovkva informed Karin Wallensteen of the current situation in Donbas, paying special attention to blocking and non-implementation of a number of important steps: ceasefire, disengagement of troops, ensuring full access of the OSCE SMM to the temporarily occupied territories and access of humanitarian organizations to detained persons.

The Ukrainian party thanked the Kingdom of Sweden for providing important technical assistance at the bilateral level and informed of the latest steps in the reform of the Ukrainian legislation.

The parties also agreed to intensify the bilateral political dialogue after the end of the pandemic and to facilitate the active development of trade and economic cooperation.

ish
Coronavirus has wreaked havoc with health systems and torn global economies to shreds but in that darkness some of the best of humanity has shone through.

In Western Australia that has become evident through individuals and businesses putting their unique talents to use in the fight against the virus.

The scuba engineer

As a petroleum engineer and keen diver of 27 years, Perth man Ian Sharky Jones is always planning against worst-case scenarios.

And in a world where COVID-19 could overwhelm hospital oxygen supplies, he combined his love of diving with his technical expertise to come up with two simple 3D printable parts  the oxy-wai and oxy-sai  that fit in scuba or welding tanks, unlocking the oxygen for medical use.
Direct Relief last week began delivering the packs to hospitals in some of the states hardest hit by Covid-19, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California. Direct Relief coordinated with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) to prioritize hospitals for distribution of the ICU medication modules.

"SCCM was very pleased to partner with Direct Relief on the distribution of these valuable medications and equipment for intensive care professionals on the front lines of this pandemic," said David J. Martin, CAE, CEO/Executive Vice-President of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. "Direct Relief was there when our hospitals and ICUs were overwhelmed with critically ill Covid-19 patients, and we can't thank the organization enough for their dedication and commitment to supporting the critical care community during these unprecedented times."

Shipments of ICU medications began in early April, and have since arrived at hospitals across the world, including in Spain and Italy, that are dealing with surges of ICU patients due to Covid-19.

With no vaccine or proven treatment available yet for Covid-19, hospitals treating severely ill ICU patientsincluding those on ventilatorsneed medication for sedation and to address some of the secondary complications that may arise, including bacterial pneumonia and septic shock.

Until the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Direct Relief had focused its U.S. efforts on nonprofit safety-net clinics rather than on hospitals. But by March, Direct Relief had established relationships with dozens of U.S. hospitals that needed personal protective equipment and other supplies that had become unavailable through their usual supply chains.

Lessons from China: Direct Relief's January work supplying N95 respirators and other PPE to hospitals in and around Wuhan, China, as they attempted to stop the initial Covid-19 outbreak prompted the development of the ICU medication modules and stocking of other items, such as oxygen concentrators, which had become keenly needed for recovering patients to be safely discharged and free up ICU beds for new patients as infections spiked. Direct Relief subsequently purchased 3000 portable oxygen concentrator units, which also have started being distributed.

Direct Relief Pharmacist Alycia Clark, anticipating a surge in US hospitalizations and the potential for medication shortages to arise like the severe shortages of PPE that occurred, led the development of the ICU Medication push pack that could be assembled, stockpiled, and rapidly deployed.

Clark used a medication-estimating tool she had developed for Direct Relief to determine how much medicine an ICU would need to treat each Covid-19 patient per day and began working with critical care specialists to confirm specific items and volumes, as well as with pharmaceutical manufacturers to secure the supplies.

"We were asking for products for ICUs when the first cases were just hitting the U.S., and we had to take a risk," Clark said. "Now hospitals are stocked out, pharmacies are stocked out, and manufacturers are stocked out."

Direct Relief has received products from Pfizer, Mylan, Sandoz, Teva, Merck and others.

"Amid this global health crisis, we understand the need for immediate and significant philanthropic and private sector contributions to help sustain partners who are working on the front lines to save lives," said Caroline Roan, President of the Pfizer Foundation and Vice President, Global Health & Patient Access, of Pfizer Inc. "At Pfizer, we believe it is our responsibility to help protect the most vulnerable from this disease and are putting the full weight of our resources behind our comprehensive Covid-19 response."

The ICU Critical Supply Modules include antibiotics such as azithromycin and ceftriaxone, vasopressors such as norepinephrine, and respiratory medications like albuterol inhalers. Some of the medicines in the Modules have become scarce in U.S. hospitals, including dexmedetomidine and norepinephrine, as well as inhalers and, at times, even acetaminophen.

Hospitals that have already received the ICU Modules include Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital, Bellevue Hospital, and SUNY Downstateas well as the 17-bed Mammoth Hospital on the remote Eastern slope of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.

"The extra meds are a big deal for us," said Dr. Chris Hummel, emergency department director at Mammoth Hospital, in an email to Direct Relief. "The ICUs at many of our receiving hospitals are filling up, and the day could come very soon when we are unable to transfer anyone out. With your help, we feel that we're now in a much better position to care for our community."

About Direct Relief

A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in needwithout regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org.

SOURCE Direct Relief

Related Links

http://www.directrelief.org


New Delhi, April 29 : The government has directed the Indian Navy to get their big sailing engines ready to bring back citizens stuck in the Gulf countries due to the coronavirus induced lockdown.

India has imposed a travel ban both within the country and oversees till May 3 to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

The directions were issued last week during a meeting of three service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Cabinet members.

Navy and Air Force were briefed to get their machines ready in order to bring back the Indian citizens from the Gulf countries.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had stated that the missions in the Gulf countries were liaisoning with local authorities to move Indian citizens to one place. The Indian missions there have opened the registration process for Indians who want to return.

The Indian Embassy in Qatar tweeted: "We are collecting data about the people requesting repatriation to India.... At this stage, the purpose is only to compile information. No decision or details yet on resumption of flights to India." It further stated that as and when a decision is taken, the Embassy will make a clear announcement. "Please note that the form has to be filled separately for each individual, even if they are members of a family," the Embassy tweeted.

INS Jalashwa, an amphibious assault ship, and two Magar class tank-landing ships are being readied for the evacuation purposes.

These ships have started making arrangements as per the standard protocols laid out to deal with suspected Covid-19 cases like social distancing and sanitisation.

The Indian Navy has started removing non-essential equipment in order to accommodate the evacuees.

These three ships can bring back around 2,000 people while maintaining social distancing.

The Indian Air Force has been evacuating citizens from countries affected by Covid-19 frequently since January, which includes flights to China, Japan, Iran, Kuwait and Italy. The force has stated that it has kept C-17 Globemaster and C-130s on standby which can be used whenever they are required.

Apart from them, Air India flights are also being kept on standby to pick up stranded Indians from the Gulf countries.

Earlier, the Navy had carried out evacuation efforts in war-torn areas like Lebanon (2006) and Yemen (2015). Before that, evacuation was carried in 1990 during the first Gulf War between Iraq and Kuwait when around 1.5 lakh people were evacuated.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
(Natural News) When you hear the statistics on coronavirus deaths from other countries, you might wonder what some places are doing to see such low numbers. In Ecuador, for example, just 245 official coronavirus deaths were reported in the Guayas province from March 1 and April 15. That sounds pretty good, right?

Not so fast. Whether its intentional or not, many places are vastly underreporting their coronavirus deaths. This was the topic of a recent expose in the Financial Times, who took a look at the overall deaths during the pandemic across 14 countries to make some interesting  and rather upsetting  comparisons.

Overall, they found that the death toll from the virus could be as much as 60 percent higher than official counts show, but some places greatly exceed that. According to the mortality statistics in their reports, there were 122,000 deaths above the normal levels in the locations studied, which is far higher than the 77,000 official coronavirus deaths reported in those places at those times.

To reach their numbers, they compared the deaths from any cause during the weeks of the locations outbreak during March and April of this year to the average seen during the same period from 2015 to 2019.

Getting back to the 245 official coronavirus deaths in Guayas, Ecuador, its clear that the number is not exactly representative of whats actually going on there. Total death data shows that 10,200 more people died during the period studied  that of the coronavirus outbreak  than the same period in a typical year. This represents an increase of 350 percent!

In the country overall, just 503 deaths had been reported by the government by April 15; The New York Times reported that the number was likely 15 times higher than that, which would make it one of the highest in the world. Their analysis of official death registrations uncovered 7,600 more coronavirus deaths.

Coronavirus is the most plausible explanation for all these extra deaths

Something has to be killing all of these people in greater numbers than usual, and the virus is the most likely culprit. There havent been any natural disasters to speak of, and its also important to keep in mind that even these elevated death numbers are likely conservative as the lockdowns were seeing have caused other deaths, like those from car accidents and occupational injuries, to go down. This means it is very possible that a rather high percentage of the excess deaths seen are related to the virus.

On April 23, the health minister of Ecuador even admitted that their COVID-19 case total was twice as high as previous reports had indicated, saying that 11,000 new infections had been revealed by delayed testing. Guayaquil, the biggest city there, which is found in the Guayas province, is the scene of dead bodies lying in the street as they run out of places to store them. A further 24,000 test results were pending at the time.

Authorities there were reportedly calling relatives of those who had recently died to ask if they had displayed any coronavirus symptoms; a lack of testing there made it difficult for them to make conclusive assessments on the cause of death for many individuals.

Like many places, Ecuador is suffering from a serious shortage of ventilators, along with understaffed hospitals exacerbated by a recent exodus of doctors from the country. The economy is already in crisis and political unrest has been growing, and the pandemic is only likely to make Ecuadors problems a lot worse.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

FT.com

KDAL610.com

USNews.com


By Carl P. Leubsdorf





House Democrats had hoped last week to establish a proxy voting system that would enable it to act when a crisis like the current COVID-19 pandemic prevented many members from meeting safely in person at the Capitol.



But Republican opposition prompted Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay action pending a bipartisan study of Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern's plan to let House members designate fellow members to cast their votes if they were unable to attend.



The impasse shows how partisan gridlock and resistance to institutional change make it hard for Congress to deal with any but the most urgently needed measures. The Republican-controlled Senate isn't even considering proxy voting.



And McGovern's proposal did not even address the far bigger and more serious potential problem: an epidemic or terrorist attack that wipes out a majority of House members, making any business impossible to transact.



Unlike proxy voting, this is uniquely a problem for the House of Representatives. The Constitution gives governors the authority to name temporary replacements for Senate vacancies, pending the next general election or, in some cases, a special election.



But it provides no way for quick naming of House replacements, stating that "when vacancies happen in the representation of any state, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies."



Under current procedures, if a disaster wiped out more than half of the House, the necessary special elections to restore its membership would take an average of four months, and many states would take longer. For example, the special election to fill the California seat that Rep. Katie Hill resigned last November is scheduled May 12, leaving the district unrepresented for six months.



It's been nearly two decades since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks first focused public attention on this problem. One of the four hijacked planes was headed for the Capitol building before passengers forced it off course and it crashed in Pennsylvania.



In 2003, the bipartisan Continuity of Government Commission, co-chaired by former Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming, a Republican, and former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler, a Democrat, called for procedures to allow temporary replacement of House members in the event of mass incapacity.



Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, subsequently introduced a constitutional amendment giving governors the option of replacing killed or incapacitated members by special election, emergency interim appointments or selection from a so-called "living will" of potential successors prepared by each sitting House member.



Congressional leaders showed little interest in the idea, so nothing major happened. In 2005, Congress did pass a House amendment as part of an appropriations bill that calls for special congressional elections within 49 days if 100 or more members are killed or incapacitated.



But Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, who has long championed the need to deal with the problem, said the measure's specifics make it "virtually impossible to carry out and would still leave the chamber inoperable for a critical 45 days after a devastating attack."



In a 2017 book on secret government plans for dealing with emergencies, "Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself _ While the Rest of Us Die," author Garrett Graff said one explanation for the failure of lawmakers to confront the issue of a decimated House of Representatives may be that secret plans already exist to deal with it.



"One informed theory holds that the secret procedures have a specific, defined role for a small, preselected set of congressional leaders _ perhaps as small as the four party leaders of the two houses _ who would serve as a 'rump' or 'skeleton' Congress until a full group could be established months later and would, in the absence of the larger body, serve to approve or disapprove legislation and executive actions," Graff wrote.



He likened them to the "gang of eight" congressional leaders who are supposed to be kept regularly apprised of top-secret intelligence and military developments.



Whatever the reason, nothing has been done. In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Ornstein and fellow political scientist Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed hope that "this jolt will finally trigger a desire among lawmakers" to act. But House GOP resistance to the McGovern proposal and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's flat rejection of the idea shows how hard this will be.



Interestingly, many foreign governments have already addressed this problem. A recent report by the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Library of Congress concluded after studying 36 foreign jurisdictions that legislatures in "a vast majority of countries surveyed ... have adopted preventative measures in response to the public emergency posed by the COVID-19 pandemic."



One problem here is that lawmakers regard these issues as less immediate than the need to help people or businesses that have suffered from the health or economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.



While that is understandable, one can hope that, once the immediate crisis passes, both parties will address these issues and try to enact a solution. Unfortunately, the history of the two decades since Sept. 11 offer little hope that will happen.





Carl P. Leubsdorf (carl.p.leubsdorf@gmail.com) is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. His commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency.




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Amid the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, there is some good news for bank customers. If the customers are out of cash and want to withdraw money or want to deposit their money in the bank, they do not need to visit ATMs or banks. Banks are offering doorstop cash delivery to its customers especially living in coronavirus hotspots areas.

Many leading banks in India are offering doorstep cash delivery to its customers. The banks includes State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Indian Bank and others.

Banks that are offering doorstep cash delivery have some terms and conditions for this offer.

Here is all you need to know

ICICI Bank

ICICI Bank offers cash, cheque pickup and delivery. This service is completely online. To avail ICICI Banks doorstep banking services, customers can contact their Solution Manager or call Corporate Care or SMS DOORSTEP (city name) to 676766. The bank's agent will come to the customers' given place and, after everything is done, the agent will give acknowledgement. After all the procedures, the transaction will be successfully completed. This service by ICICI Bank is available at select cities and it is a chargeable service.

The bank offers the following services:

>>Fixed Beat Mode of Operation  Ideal for clients who have large number of transactions on a daily basis. >>On Call Service  Request for service as and when required

>>Customized Solution  Ideal for traders, mandis, etc.

State Bank of India

The registration for Doorstep Banking (DSB) Services should be done at the home branch. The amount of cash withdrawal and cash deposit is restricted to Rs 20,000 per transaction per day .Service charges per visit for Non-financial transactions is Rs 60+GST and Rs 100+GST for financial transactions. Withdrawals will be permitted using cheque or withdrawal form with Passbook. The delivery would be completed on a best effort basis but not later than T+1 working day (holidays excluded).

The following Doorstep Banking Services are available at select SBI branches:

>>Cash pickup. >>Cash delivery. >>Cheque pickup >>Cheque requisition Slip pickup. >>Form 15H pickup. >>Delivery of Drafts. >>Delivery of Term Deposit AdviceDelivery of Term Deposit Advice >>Life Certificate Pickup

>>KYC documents pickup

HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank claims that the Doorstep Banking Service is convenient, safe and hassle-free. The bank performs multiple verifications and identification to ensure security. The list of agency personnel is shared with customers to ensure easy identification. Customers can check photo ID proof of pick-up person before transacting. HDFC Bank has dedicated courier agencies for cheque pick-up and specialised CIT agents for cash pick-up. Customer transactions are further protected by comprehensive insurance. For more information on this service, customers can contact the nearest HDFC Bank branch.

Axis Bank

Axis Bank's doorstep banking lets customers call a Phone Banking Officer and request a service that customers would like at their comfort. Axis doorstep banking offers services like cash pickup, instrument pickup and delivery of cash and demand drafts. The best part is that the service customers require is only a call away. The doorstep banking is a convenient way to do basic banking tasks easily. Follow the simple procedure as guided by the Phone Banking officer and avail services at doorstep. Customers can use Axis Bank's debit card number and debit card PIN to avail this service.

Axis Bank offers you the facility of Doorstep Banking. Call on the bank's Phone Banking Numbers and speak to a Phone Banking Officer for any of the following services:

>>Pick up of Cash >>Pick up of Instruments

>>Delivery of Cash/ Demand Drafts

IndusInd Bank

IndusInd Bank offers cash delivered, cheque pickup and cash pickup facilities. Customers can request for doorstep banking services on any of the addresses registered with the bank. To avail Axis Bank's Doorstep Banking service, simply contact the 24X7 phone Banking and place a request. Requests received before 11 am would be processed and credit will be provided to the customer on the same day. For requests received after 11 am  request would be processed and credit would be provided on the next working day and similar procedure with cash delivery request and cheque collection request.

Indus Classic/ Indus Privilege/ Indus Privilege Active/ Indus Privilege Max/ Indus Privilege Plus/ IndusOnline / IndusStox Indus Maxima/ Indus Maxima Comfort/ Indus Maxima Plus (comfort) Indus Select/ Indus Comfort Select Indus Exclusive/ Indus Comfort Exclusive Indus Pioneer Cheque Pickup 1 request free per day (Min consolidated value- Rs. 10k) 1 request free per day (Min consolidated value- Rs. 10k) Unlimited Free (Min consolidated value- Rs. 10k) Unlimited Free (Min consolidated value- Rs. 10k) Unlimited Free (Min consolidated value- Rs. 10k) Cash Delivery Rs. 50 per request (10k-1L) 1 request free per day. (10k-1L) Thereafter- Rs. 50 per request 1 request free per day. (10k-1L) Thereafter- Rs. 50 per request 1 request free per day. (10k-2L) Thereafter- Rs. 50 per request 1 request free per day. (10k-4L) Thereafter- Rs. 50 per request Cash Pick up Rs. 130 per request (10k-1L) 1 request free per week. (10k-1L) Thereafter- Rs. 130 per request 1 request free per week. (10k-1L) Thereafter- Rs. 130 per request 1 request free per day. (10k-2L) Thereafter- Rs. 130 per request 1 request free per day. (10k-4L) Thereafter- Rs. 130 per request

Charges for Doorstep Banking:

Indian Bank

Eligibility This facility is offered to full KYC complied customers. Senior citizens of more than 70 years of age, differently abled or infirm persons, including visually impaired persons, can also avail this facility. Services Offered Exclusively to Senior Citizens & Differently-abled Persons Pickup and Delivery of Cash Pickup of Cheques/Drafts/Instruments for clearing Delivery of Drafts Pickup and delivery of FD/MMD receipts for renewal and payment Pickup and delivery of SB/RD passbooks Pickup of Life Certificate Pick up of KYC Documents Pickup of 15G/15H forms Charges for Senior Citizens & Differently-abled Persons category Rs. 100/- + GST for financial transactions Rs. 60/- + GST for non-financial transactions

The following doorstep banking services are available at Indian Bank branches.
The Republic of Germany said it had granted Nigeria debt relief amounting to N8.9bn (22.4m) on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, the German government said it had successfully campaigned for the G20, the Paris Club and creditor countries in favour of a debt moratorium for nations heavily affected by the economic impact of COVID-19.

The European economic powerhouse stated this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, while announcing the provision of additional 5.5m (N2.2bn) to the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund managed by the United Nations to continue life-saving aid in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

It said the fund was for the drilling of wells, construction of sanitation facilities, rehabilitation of buildings or construction of shelters for internally displaced persons and other victims of insecurity in the North-East.



This brings Germany s contribution to the NHF to a total of more than 29m since it became operational in May 2017, making Germany a major donor to the NHF over the past three years, the German mission said in the statement.

It noted, In 2020, the German treasury relieves Nigeria of debt repayments amounting to  22.4m (N8.9bn). This comes in addition to Germanys support to the COVID-19 response on a global level and the support provided by the European Union to partner countries in Africa worth 3.25bn (N1.3tn).

On April 27, Germany pledged  300m (N120bn) to the global humanitarian response plan launched by the United Nations to fight COVID-19.

Germany also said it had pledged a total of 12m (N4.8bn) in support of the West Africa Health Organisation, the regional health institution of ECOWAS.

The new allocation, Berlin said, was earmarked for the purchase of vital medical supplies and laboratory equipment, training measures and more generally, cooperation in pandemic prevention at the national and regional levels.

Clearly, the current crisis goes beyond national and even continental borders and can only be fought effectively in a cooperative way. We need more international cooperation, not less, German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, stated.

The statement further said the procurement of protective materials and hygiene articles such as hand disinfectant, protective clothing, surface disinfectant, KN95 face masks, contactless clinical thermometers and gloves valued at 20,000 (N8m) for the Nigeria Police Force had started through Germany s implementing agency, GIZ.

It noted that the materials would be handed over shortly in Abuja.

Germany explained that it had supported the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control with the introduction of a Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System which, as of August 2019, was implemented in 200 local government areas.

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There is no doubt that the country has felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For almost 50 days now, the Philippines has put out measures from the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) to help flatten the curve. While some provinces or cities have recorded static or declining numbers of infections, the target is to eliminate new infections and increase the number of recoveries.

[Update: The Governor of Cavite, Jonvic Remulla, has made a statement that they will defer the implementation of a total lockdown in Cavite. Instead, the provincial government will exercise "minimum tolerance" and penalize quarantine violators with fines.]

The province of Cavite, following the announcement of Governor Jonvic Remulla, wants to do just that, and so the Governor has come up with the idea of 14-Day Calibrated Quarantine Operations (CQO) that cover the entire province of Cavite.

The Strict Quarantine will begin at 12:01 AM on May 1 and will last until 5:00 AM on May 15, 2020. The governing guidelines are as follows:

24-Hour Curfew

A strict curfew will be implemented in the entire province of Cavite. Those exempted will only be individuals with quarantine passes  they will be allowed outside only until 6:00 PM. Other individuals who are likewise exempted from the curfew are health care front liners, food handlers (those who work in wet markets, groceries, etc.), banking and financial service workers, and those involved with relief operations.

Essential Businesses will remain open

Businesses dealing with financial services as well as the disbursement of fuel will be allowed to operate during the CQO. Restaurants are also allowed to continue operations, albeit only on delivery and to-go basis. Food establishments are not allowed to accept dine-in customers.

No individuals are allowed to stay outside their premises

In the vernacular, no tambay is allowed under any circumstances. This covers even officials who man checkpoints as only a maximum of four (4) people will be allowed, excluding forces of the PNP / AFP. A quarantine pass is only acceptable if an individual is out to take advantage of the above-mentioned services; otherwise, citizens will be subject to fines and/or apprehension. Yes, that means no jogging, brisk walking, or even group Zumba sessions are allowed.

Face masks are mandatory

When going outside one's residence, the use and wearing of a face mask are now deemed mandatory. The province of Cavite has deemed this a non-negotiable part of the CQO and violators will be fined, no questions asked.

Government employees must bring IDs at all times

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) will still be under the jurisdiction of the National Government. Government employees must bring their identification cards with them at all times.

Seniors allowed outside but encouraged to stay home and be safe

In exceptional circumstances that a senior citizen is the only one with a quarantine pass for essential services, he/she will be allowed to go outside. They are, however, encouraged to stay at home unless (already) absolutely necessary and to take great care when out and about.

-

Specific areas in the country are either observing ECQ or GCQ, both of which seem to help in flattening the proverbial curve. With the addition of the Calibrated Quarantine Operations put in place, Cavite may be a strong benchmark on the effectiveness of proper quarantine protocols and the enforcement of rules and laws. Lets hope the good Governor is right.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The politics over Tuesday's killing of two sadhus in Bulandshahr has intensified after the office of UP CM Yogi Adityanath responded strongly and curtly to the Twitter attack launched by Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and spokesman Sanjay Raut here on Wednesday.

The Sena leader, in a series of tweets, had made an oblique reference to the Bulandshahr killings comparing it with the recent lynching of two sadhus in Palghar in Maharashtra. He had said that it was his appeal that there should be no attempt to communalise the sadhus killing in Bulandshahr the way it was attemped in the case of the Palghar lynching.

In a strong rebuttal to Rauts tweets, the UP CM office handle posted that the expression of concern by him on the gruesome killing of the sadhus smacks of politics. UP CM had called up Maharashtra CM in connection with Palghar lynching as it pertained to the sadhus belonging to Nirmohi Akhara. Just think, who is doing politics? said the tweet.

In another tweet tagging @myogiadityanath, it said that rule of law was prevailing in UP under CM Yogi Adityanath. Here the law breakers are dealt with strictly. In Bulandshahr incident, speedy action was taken and the culprit was arrested within a few hours. Be focused on Maharashtra, dont be concerned about UP, UP CM office said in another tweet.

Further, in the next tweet, the UP CM office said Raut's comment calling the UP CMs concern over Palghar lynching as politics is a manifestation of his changed political ideology. The comment is a show of your deteriorating moral values and your changed political orientation. Undoubtedly, it is the threshold of the politics of appeasement, said the tweet.

Earlier, in a tit-for-tat like gesture, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had called up UP CM Yogi Adityanath to express his anguish over the killing of the sadhus in Bulandshahr on Tuesday. Notably, after the lynching of the sadhus in Palghar, the UP CM had called up Thackeray appealing to him to bring the culprits to book soon.

Even the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had threatened to reach Maharashtra to protest the lynching of the sadhus.
>>> Over US$82.6 million to support COVID-19 fight



>>> Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases on April 28



>>> Vietnam to increase air and rail services during holidays

However, Patient 151, who was previously given the all-clear, tested positive again on April 28, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

She is the wife of Patient 207. Both were previously discharged from hospital and placed under quarantine at home for an additional 14 days. However, when her husband was found to have relapsed into the disease on April 27, she was immediately sent to the COVID-19 hospital in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Although the test result on April 27 showed that she was negative, another test on the following day indicated she was positive again.

Among the 270 cases, 130 are imported cases and have been quarantined upon arrival in Vietnam. So far, 221 patients have fully recovered.

Of the 49 patients still receiving treatment, 11 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once and eight tested negative at least twice.

The National Steering Committee said experts have carried out the re-culture of virus samples from five cases who were re-tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after recovering, but the viruses did not develop.

* The Hanoi People's Committee just issued a decision approving a plan to allocate VND650 billion from the capital citys budget to support the poor and policy beneficiary families to access loans to restore production, with priority given to sectors and fields affected by COVID-19.

On April 28, Hanoi City People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung signed the promulgation of Directive 07 on the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures in the new situation, in order to effectively boost preventive measures, restore socio-economic development and ensuring social security in Hanoi.

* Also, on April 28, various localities across the country decided to send students back to school after a long break due to the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Grade 12 students at Lap Vo 2 High School in Dong Thap Province return to school after a long break due to COVID-19. (Photo: NDO/Huu Nghia).



Schools across Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre Province will begin welcoming students back on May 4, while all training institutions under the Vietnam National University in HCM City system will re-open from May 18.

Dong Thap Province has allowed students in Grades 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and students of vocational education institutions to return to their schools from May 4, while preschool and elementary students may resume operation from May 11.

On the same day, the Ministry of Education and Training issued a set of 15 criteria to assess the safety of the prevention and control of COVID-19 in schools, focusing on preventive measures being applied before, during and after students return to school.

* On April 28, Fast Retailing Group (which owns the Uniqlo fashion retail brand), in collaboration with partners in Vietnam, presented 500,000 face masks made by Uniqlo to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee. This is part of a project to donate 10 million masks implemented by Fast Retailing worldwide to prevent and combat the pandemic.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Microsoft reported third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, beating analyst expectations as it reported $35 billion in revenue and $10.8 billion in net income.

Microsoft said the coronavirus crisis had "minimal net impact" on company revenue.

Cloud usage increased related to the crisis, Microsoft said, while there was a "slowdown in transactional licensing, particularly in small and medium businesses, and a reduction in advertising spend in LinkedIn."

Shares were up about 1 percent in after-hours trading to more than $179 per share at the time of writing.

Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

Microsoft reported third-quarter earnings after the market closed on Wednesday, beating Wall Street expectations. Shares were up about 1 percent in after-hours trading to more than $179 per share.

Here's what the company reported:

Revenue: $35 billion (Wall Street expected $33.66 billion), up from $30.6 billion in the same quarter last year.

Earnings: $1.40 per share, compared to analysts' estimate of $1.26 per share.

Net income: $10.8 billion, up 22 percent.

Microsoft's overall commercial cloud business  which includes Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform, Office 365 and other cloud services  reached $13.3 billion in sales for the quarter, up 39 percent year over year.

The division Microsoft calls "More Personal Computing"  which includes Windows, search, Xbox and Surface, was $11 billion, up 3 percent from this time last year. Microsoft in February lowered its sales forecast for that business, citing issues with its supply chain and "uncertainty related to the public health situation in China."

Despite the supply chain issues, Microsoft said revenue from Windows and its Surface devices benefitted as more people started to work remotely. Its gaming division also got a boost, with Xbox content and services revenue up 2% year-over-year.

Story continues

Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" business, which includes Azure, server products, enterprise and cloud services, brought in $12.3 billion in revenue, up 27 percent from the same quarter last year.

Microsoft said Azure revenue grew 59 percent compared to the same quarter last year, but the company doesn't report actual revenue figures for the platform.

Revenue for Microsoft's "Productivity and Business Processes" business unit, which includes Office products for businesses and customers, LinkedIn revenue and Dynamics products and cloud services, increased 15 percent to $11.7 billion.

Microsoft said the coronavirus crisis had "minimal net impact" on company revenue. Cloud usage increased  especially for the Microsoft 365 bundle of cloud applications including Teams, Azure, Windows Virtual Desktop, advanced security solutions, and Power Platform.

Meanwhile, Microsoft said there was a slowdown in transactional licensing, especially for small and medium business, and a reduction in LinkedIn advertising spend during the quarter.

Microsoft's business seems on solid footing amid the pandemic, but there are already signs that the company is adopting a strategy of caution as doubts swirl over the global economy.

The company has experienced an unprecedented surge in usage as remote workers turn to its software and its cloud platform powers many of the apps and websites they use. The increase has created capacity challenges for Microsoft and it's having a hard time keeping up with the demand. In its earnings release, Microsoft said it delayed cloud infrastructure spending because of supply chain constraints.

Are you a Microsoft employee or customer? Contact this reporter via email at astewart@businessinsider.com, message her on Twitter @ashannstew, or send her a secure message through Signal at 425-344-8242.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Clarification from the HSE that nurses and midwives will not be discriminated against because they have children to care for has been welcomed by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association.

However the trade union, Forsa, said the HSE guidance on childcare supports for essential workers fell far short of what was required to assist essential health staff and to maximise the numbers available in hospitals, community health services and nursing homes.

INMO general secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said that while they were still awaiting alternative childcare recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team they welcomed "clarification from the HSE which states that frontline healthcare workers will be treated equally to other public servants.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha went on: The HSEs document sets out that managers must be extremely flexible, using rostering and other means to ensure that workers can safely balance childcare and work.

Where thats not possible employees may be assigned alternative duties at home. This would allow them to continue to work, but also to take care of their children.

They will be paid their full salary and allowances, and will be considered available for duty  not forced to use any form of leave.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha said it was a welcome step to ensuring that frontline nurses and midwives were not discriminated against simply because they have children to care for.

Trade union, Forsa, said the HSE had confirmed that it was essentially following Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidance on childcare supports for essential workers.

However, this fell far short of what was required to assist essential health staff and to maximise the numbers available in hospitals, community health services and nursing homes.

It had been widely reported that the HSE was considering paid leave for staff with childcare responsibilities, clarification from the health authority confirmed that this would not happen.

To avoid confusion among health workers, Forsa sought clarification on the grounds that such a proposal seemed to contradict official Department of Public Expenditure and Reform advice, the union stated.

It was also unclear how it would be compatible with providing essential services during the Covid-19 public health crisis, it added.

General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha from the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) trade union attending the discussions. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

While health unions have pressed the Government to deliver on its commitment to provide childcare supports, Forsa did not seek the proposal floated by the HSE on Tuesday.

The staff panel that represents all health unions has repeatedly sought a solution where the HSE provides direct childcare support to essential workers and/or meets the costs of the childcare arrangements that individual staff members put in place for their children.

Forsa told the HSE that the unions position remains unchanged and urgent action by the Government was now needed.

It is almost seven weeks since the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar announced the closure of all schools and creches.

At the time Forsa and other health unions were assured that the Government would quickly put childcare supports in place for essential healthcare staff.

According to the guidance issued by the department states that there is no special paid leave available for Covid-19 caring arrangements during this time and that all forms of flexible working must be considered including working from home and/or working adjusted hours to facilitate employees to balance work and caring responsibilities.

Childcare representative body, Seas Suas, wants guidance to be provided quickly to address the immediate challenge of providing practical and workable childcare provision for healthcare workers and also childcare provision generally in the weeks and months ahead.
The digital tax, inserted into budget amendments passed in March, caught the industry off guard as it was not part of the main proposals finance ministry had presented in Parliament a month earlier

New Delhi: Nine lobbying groups including the US Chamber of Commerce have urged India to delay a new digital tax that will hit firms such as Facebook and Google as they are battling the fallout of the coronavirus, a letter seen by Reuters showed.

From 1 April India imposed a new 2 percent tax on foreign billings, or transactions where companies take payment abroad for digital services provided in India. The tax also applies to foreign e-commerce transactions on sites such as Amazon.com.

The tax would also apply to advertising revenue earned from companies overseas if it eventually targets a customer in India, the government said.

The tax, inserted into budget amendments passed in March, caught the industry off guard as it was not part of the main proposals finance ministry had presented in Parliament a month earlier.

The nine groups, from the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, wrote a joint letter to Indias finance minister on Wednesday, urging that the tax be delayed by nine months and for an industry-wide consultation before implementation.

The time frame within which this expansive new measure was approved and entered into force allowed for neither the dialogue nor the significant structural changes that would be necessary (for companies to comply), said the letter.

India is a critical market in which many of our members are deeply invested, it added.

Other than the US Chamber of Commerce, signatories also included the Washington-based Information Technology Industry Council, the Asia Internet Coalition and DigitalEurope.

The governments new tax is seen to be aimed at taxing foreign companies which have a significant local client base in India but were billing them through their offshore units, effectively escaping the countrys tax system.

The tax also applies to advertising revenue earned from companies overseas if those advertisements eventually target customers in India.

Google is particularly concerned that it will not be able to swiftly identify countries where advertising arrangements were in place to target Indian users, increasing technological and compliance requirements, one of the sources told Reuters.

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Everyone is grappling. In the current downturn, the focus is on protecting the business hit due to coronavirus, said the source who works for a global technology company and described the tax as a big, big headache.

The tax further risks souring Indias trade relations with countries such as the United States that had already been concerned with New Delhis stricter rules for sectors such as e-commerce.

The new levy came out of nowhere ... It will disrupt Indias trade relations perhaps in ways the drafters of the levy did not anticipate, said Roger Murry of the Alliance for Fair Trade with India, a group of US trade associations.

India-US tensions

The extent of possible compliance disruptions caused by the tax, a so-called equalisation levy, was not immediately clear, nor was how much India could garner from the tax.

Indruj Rai, a partner at law firm Khaitan & Co, told Reuters earlier that the governments move appeared aimed at taxing foreign companies which had a significant local client base but were billing them through their offshore, or foreign, units.

The timing of the introduction of the levy appears to be an attempt to increase revenue collections during the pandemic, Rai added.

The new tax was inserted in the 2020-21 budget amendments passed last week, giving companies only a few days to prepare. The levy was not part of budget proposals first presented on 1 February.

India and the United States remain at loggerheads over a wide array of tariffs.
Divyanka & Vivek

Divyanka Tripathi: Can't believe that you are no more with us! We have lost our brightest star. #IrrfanKhan you have made sure that you won't be forgotten...ever! #RIP

Vivek Dahiya: With his creative genius he crafted a new path for himself and took the Indian cinema to another dimension. A huge loss for the industry, for all us. Gone too soon. #RIPIrrfanKhan

Rithvik Dhanjani

Rithvik Dhanjani shared a note which read, "@irrfank sir, you were a fighter, you granted life and light through your work and inspired millions, we were blessed to have you walk this planet amongst us, may you find peace, love and light where ever you are... You will be missed for ever and ever And god shall take care of your family and loved ones here."

Nia Sharma & Niti Taylor

Nia Sharma: You were and shall always remain my most favourite actor! Bidding goodbye With an extremely heavy heart, Rest in Peace #Irfankhan 

Niti Taylor: RIP Irrfan Sir India just lost one of its finest actor. So heartbroken on the demise of Irrfan khan. We are all so shocked and so sad. My condolences to the family. #RIP

Mahhi & Gauahar

Mahhi Vij: If it's true it's breaking my heart I could not meet you #IrrfanKhan Sir.

Sidharth & Sanaya

Gauahar Khan: Life is too short to be anything but happy ! #reminder ! May Allah grant u peace , #IrfanKhan gone too soon. In this holy month of Ramadan , may Allah have his mercy n choicest blessings on u ! #FanForever.

Sidharth Shukla: Shocked to hear the demise of Irrfan Khan.. that's a tragic loss to the Artistic World'! How unpredictable is life! Rest In Peace!!

Sanaya Irani shared Irrfan's picture and captioned it as, "RIP  Irfaan Khan"

KRK & Vrushika

Kamaal R Khan: RIP #IrrfanKhan! Allah Usko #Jannat Naseeb Kare!!

Sunil Grover & Karan Tacker

Vrushika Mehta: Still in shock. Rest in peace sir #IrrfanKhan

Sunil Grover: Deeply saddened and shocked to know that Mr. Irrfan khan passed away. No words to express my grief. Prayers. .

Karan Tacker: This is just Heartbreaking ,an actor who I have always admired for his craft is no longer amongst us, never had an opportunity to meet him but his work just resonated so much love. He's really left a vaccum , and will always be missed . ! #IrrfanKhan.
Samera al-Huri's fellow activists were disappearing, one by one. When she asked their families, each gave the same cryptic reply: She's traveling. A few of the women re-emerged. But they seemed broken and refused to say where they had been for months.

Al-Huri soon found out.

A dozen officers from the Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen snatched her from her home in the capital, Sanaa, at dawn.

They took her to the basement of a converted school, its filthy cells filled with female detainees. Interrogators beat her bloody, gave her electrical shocks and, as psychological torture, scheduled her execution only to call it off last-minute.

Women who dare dissent, or even enter the public sphere, have become targets in an escalating crackdown by the Houthis.

Activists and former detainees described to The Associated Press a network of secret detention facilities where they are tortured and sometimes raped.

Taiz Street, a main avenue in Sanaa, is dotted with several of them, hidden inside private villas and the school where al-Huri was held.

Many had it worse than me, said al-Huri, 33, who survived three months in detention until she confessed on camera to fabricated prostitution charges, a grave insult in conservative Yemen.

Long-held traditions and tribal protections once guarded women from detention and abuse, but those taboos are succumbing to the pressures of war.

As men die in battle or languish in jail in a conflict now dragging into its sixth year, Yemeni women have increasingly taken political roles. In many cases, women are organizing protests, leading movements, working for international organizations or advocating peace initiatives all acts the Houthis increasingly view as a threat.

This is the darkest age for Yemeni women, said Rasha Jarhum, founder of the Peace Track Initiative, which lobbies for women's inclusion in peace talks between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government.

It used to be shameful for even traffic police to stop a woman. ___



Systematic arrests and prisons rife with torture have been central to war efforts by both sides, the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition trying to oust them, the AP has found.

Yet the intimidation campaign against women, observers say, is unique to rebel-held areas.

Estimates of women currently detained range from 200 to 350 in the governorate of Sanaa alone, according to multiple rights groups. The Yemeni Organization for Combating Human Trafficking says that's likely an undercount.

Other provinces are more difficult to pin down. Noura al-Jarwi, head of the Women for Peace in Yemen Coalition, estimates that over 100 women are detained in Dhamar province south of the capital, a major crossing point from government-controlled areas into Houthi-run territory.

Al-Jarwi, who runs an informal support group in Cairo for women released from Houthi detention, has documented 33 cases of rape and eight instances of women debilitated by torture.

The AP met with six former detainees who managed to flee to Cairo before the coronavirus pandemic grounded flights and closed borders. Their accounts are supported by a recent report from a U.N. panel of experts, which said sexual violations may amount to war crimes.

One woman, a former history teacher who asked not to be identified to protect family in Yemen, was swept up in a crackdown on protests in December 2017.

She was taken to a villa somewhere on Sanaa's outskirts, though she didn't know where. At night, all she could hear was barking dogs, not even the call to prayer.

I was so far away, like I'd fallen off the earth, she said.

Around 40 women were captives in the villa, she said. Interrogators tortured her, one time tearing her toenails out. In more than one case, three masked officers told her to pray and said they would purify her from sin. They took turns raping her. Female guards held her down.

The Houthis' human rights minister denied the torture allegations and the existence of clandestine women's prisons.

If this is found, we will tackle this problem, Radia Abdullah, one of two female Houthi ministers, said in an interview.

She acknowledged many women had been arrested in a recent anti-prostitution sweep of cafes, apartments and women's gatherings. They were accused of aiming to corrupt society and serving the enemy, she said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition.

A parliamentary committee created last fall to probe reports of illegal detention discovered and released dozens of male detainees in its first weeks of work.

It planned to pursue the issue of women as well. But a Feb. 16 internal memo obtained by the AP complains that the Interior Ministry pressured the committee to end its investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The United States has tightened its export control regulations to prevent companies from sending products and technology to China that could strengthen its military.

The new rules, which were made public in a filing by the US Commerce Department on Tuesday, broaden the scope of products that must be reviewed by national security regulators before being shipped overseas.

Now included are any products that can be used to support or contribute to military operations and the installation, maintenance, repair, overhaul, refurbishment, development or production of military items. Sellers of products in the list will now be required to apply for licenses.

The restrictions also apply to US shipments to Russia and Venezuela.

The changes give the Commerce Department more power to stop exports in the semiconductor, aircraft and sensor industries, and other sectors that could bolster the countries' military capacity. They would also restrict shipments to any Chinese company that has direct or indirect involvement with the People's Liberation Army.

"Certain entities in China, Russia and Venezuela have sought to circumvent America's export controls, and undermine American interests in general, and so we will remain vigilant to ensure US technology does not get into the wrong hands," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday.

The tightening of export restriction are part of a shift in national security and foreign policy objectives undertaken by the Trump administration.

In the National Security Strategy report issued by the White House in 2017, the administration said that countries such as China and Russia challenged "American power, influence and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity."

"They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence," the report said.

Story continues

The passage of the US Congress' 2019 defence spending bill provided the legal basis for the regulatory changes regarding export controls as well as expanded authority for the inter-agency committee that oversees foreign investments.

The new rules apply to chemical products, toxins such as hydraulic fluids, electronic devices, computers, telecommunications and marine or terrestrial acoustic equipment capable of detecting or locating underwater objects.

Also included is equipment related to nuclear material handling and processing as well as airborne communication equipment, aircraft navigation systems, vessels, marine systems or equipment, space vehicles and gas turbine engines.

The Trump administration has been increasingly worried about China's strengthening of the PLA by the acquisition of advanced foreign technology. In 2015, China proposed a military-civilian fusion initiative as part of its five-year plan.

The policy "aims to spur innovation and economic growth through an array of policies and other government-supported mechanisms, including venture capital (VC) funds, while leveraging the fruits of civilian innovation for China's defense sector", according to a congressional report published by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

"The breadth and opacity of military-civil fusion increase the chances civilian academic collaboration and business partnerships between the United States and China could aid China's military development," the report said.

Industries affected by the new rules expressed concern.

The president of the Semiconductor Industry Association, John Neuffer, said on Monday: "While we understand military-civil fusion trends demand smart and targeted national security responses, we are concerned these broad rules will unnecessarily expand export controls for semiconductors and create further uncertainty for our industry during this time of unprecedented global economic turmoil."

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.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), JetBlue Airways Corp (JBLU.O) and Spirit Airlines (SAVE.N) on Tuesday asked the U.S. Transportation Department for approval to suspend flights to more than two dozen U.S. airports.

U.S. travel demand has fallen by more than 95% because of the coronavirus pandemic and airports are trying to cut costs to stay in business.

JetBlue wants to halt flights to 16 U.S. airports, including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit through Sept. 30.

Delta wants to suspend flights to nine airports including Lansing, Flint and Kalamazoo in Michigan, and Worcester, Massachusetts, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Pocatello, Idaho, Brunswick, Georgia and Melbourne, Florida. Delta argues passengers can other use nearby airports.

Delta says between April 1-April 22, just 1 to 14 passengers daily flew on the airlines planes each way from those 9 airports.

Spirit Airlines Inc (SAVE.N) asked the department for approval to suspend flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Portland and Phoenix, arguing requiring the flights during a period of almost zero demand is against the public interest as it wastes scarce financial resources while adding virtually nothing.

The airlines must maintain minimum service levels in exchange for getting cash grants from the U.S. Treasury to assist in payroll costs unless the department issues a waiver.

JetBlue said it fully intends to gradually resume service to the levels prescribed (by the Transportation Department) at each of these airports as soon as it is both safe to do so and when even the slightest customer demand re-emerges.

Earlier this month, the department rejected most of Spirits requests to halt flights and said Spirit had to resume flights to the New York City area and to other tri-state airports after it suspended service to all New York, New Jersey and Connecticut airports it serves.

The department earlier also required JetBlue to keep flying to nine destinations, including Portland, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis.

On Monday, the department said it rejected most requests by United Airlines (UAL.O) and Frontier Airlines to suspend some flights.

United had sought to suspend flights to more than a dozen airports including Santa Fe, New Mexico, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Frontier asked approval to suspend service to 33 U.S. airports through June 10 and the department approved just three requests for service to Detroit, Charlotte and the Boston area.

United and Frontier declined to comment.

(This story corrects name of one city Delta wants to suspend service to from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo in paragraph four)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  That didnt take long.

One day after U.S. Rep. Justin Amash announced hes launching an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Partys presidential nomination, President Donald Trump lashed out at the Republican-turned independent congressman from Cascade Township.

Trump tweeted that Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat. He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway, Trump said. I like him even more than Jill Stein!

No, I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat. He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway. I like him even more than Jill Stein! https://t.co/V8kutnfvIj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2020

Stein was the Green Partys 2016 presidential candidate.

This isnt the first time Amash, the first member of the GOP to call for impeachment proceedings against Trump, has drawn the presidents wrath.

In July, after Amash announced he was leaving the Republican Party, Trump tweeted: Great news for the Republican Party as one of the dumbest & most disloyal men in Congress is quitting the Party. No Collusion, No Obstruction! Knew he couldnt get the nomination to run again in the Great State of Michigan. Already being challenged for his seat. A total loser!

Amash announced his exploratory committee Tuesday evening, April 28 on Twitter. He said the U.S. is ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together. He also said Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people.

Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president, he said.

Speculation has swirled for months that Amash would throw his hat into the presidential race. Amash announced on April 15 that he was pausing his reelection campaign for the 3rd Congressional District as he considered whether to run for president.

Amash, who was elected as a Republican, has represented the West Michigan congressional district since 2011. He has described himself as a constitutional Republican and a Libertarian.

Read more:

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash pauses his congressional campaign to consider presidential run

Michigan Congressman Justin Amash launches exploratory committee for presidential bid

Meet Justin Amash: Michigan congressman exploring presidential bid as Libertarian
White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that data from a coronavirus drug trial testing Gilead Sciences' antiviral drug remdesivir showed "quite good news" and sets a new standard of care for Covid-19 patients.

Speaking to reporters from the White House, Fauci said he was told data from the trial showed a "clear-cut positive effect in diminishing time to recover."

Fauci said the median time of recovery for patients taking the drug was 11 days, compared with 15 days in the placebo group. He said the mortality benefit of remdesivir "has not yet reached statistical significance."

The results suggested a survival benefit, with a mortality rate of 8% for the group receiving remdesivir versus 11.6% for the placebo group, according to a statement from the National Institutes of Health released later Wednesday.

"This will be the standard of care," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added. "When you know a drug works, you have to let people in the placebo group know so they can take it."

"What it has proven is a drug can block this virus," he said.

U.S. health officials are expected to release the full results of a drug trial conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases later Wednesday. Gilead Sciences announced earlier in the day that the study had met its primary endpoint but did not provide further details.

Gilead also released preliminary results from its own study, showing at least 50% of the patients treated with a five-day dosage of remdesivir improved. The clinical trial involved 397 patients with severe cases of Covid-19. The severe study is "single-arm," meaning it did not evaluate the drug against a control group of patients who didn't receive the drug.

The Food and Drug Administration, in the meantime, has been in "sustained and ongoing" discussions with Gilead to make remdesivir available to Covid-19 patients "as quickly as possible, as appropriate," said FDA senior advisor Michael Felberbaum.

Shares of Gilead were up by more than 5% at close and by more than 2% in extended hours trading.

There are no proven treatments for Covid-19, which has infected more than 3.1 million people worldwide and killed at least 217,569 as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. U.S. health officials say producing a vaccine to prevent the disease will take at least 12 to 18 months, making finding an effective drug treatment soon even more crucial.
London: No child has been found to have passed coronavirus to an adult, a review of the evidence in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatrics has found.

Major studies into the impact of COVID-19 on young children suggest they "do not play a significant role" in spreading the virus and are less likely to become infected than adults.

Not spreaders of coronavirus. The latest thinking suggests children pose no risk for adults. Credit:Belinda Pratten

While experts insist that more evidence is needed, they note there has not been a single case of a child under 10 transmitting the virus, even in contact tracing carried out by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Public health officials in Switzerland have announced that under-10s can hug their grandparents again because they pose them no risk.
Public health nurse Jennifer Morgan, right, checks-in via phone with a patient self-quarantined at home who had some risk of exposure to the coronavirus as University of Washington epidemiology student Erika Feutz observes at the public health agency for Seattle and King County. Read more

Pennsylvania and New Jersey need to hire many more contact tracers to investigate coronavirus cases as economies in both states look to slowly reopen.

Contact tracing is a process in which officials identify whom an infected person may have exposed and warn them to self-isolate to reduce the spread of the virus. The National Association of County and City Health Officials says 30 health workers per 100,000 people is a good benchmark during a pandemic, although the number is an estimate that is up for debate.

Pennsylvania employs 160 staffers  or 1.2 per 100,000 residents  with no plans to expand the staff as of Wednesday, according to an NPR survey. The same survey noted New Jersey has 300 on staff  or 3.5 per every 100,000 residents  with plans to hire 10 additional staff as of Wednesday.

Pennsylvania is putting the final touches on a contact tracing program that is set to be unveiled Friday, along with the list of which counties can begin to reopen, officials have said.

While they have kept much of the details under wraps, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Wednesday the excellent plan will supplement state health workers with county and municipal employees, as well as the staff of health-care systems across the commonwealth.

 READ MORE: What is contact tracing and why is it back in vogue for tracking coronavirus?

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the city would take the lead for contact tracing of all Philadelphia cases, and the state would focus on tracing for other counties that do not have health departments.

But the city, state, and other counties would work together because tracing will cross jurisdictional lines, he said; for example, city officials could identify a case in which an individual had contact with people living in other counties.

Farley said the city would not be able to do contact tracing until they had fewer than 50 new cases of the coronavirus per day  one of the reasons, he said, why he does not think the city should reopen its economy until it reaches that point.

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

Even then, he said, a contact tracing effort would involve a lot of people. He said the city is working to increase its capacity to do that work, and has also received offers from local hospitals offering some of their staff members to assist.

Clearly theres an awful lot of labor involved in contacting 50 people per day and then contacting the people who may have been exposed," he said.

 READ MORE: Pa. to set coronavirus testing, contact tracing benchmarks just days before gradual reopening is set to begin

Meanwhile, a crucial element to New Jerseys six-point strategy for reopening is to enlist an army of personnel for robust contact-tracing efforts, so officials can quickly track and manage the inevitable spread of infections that will arise once New Jersey starts to resume normal life.

We only want to have to do this once," Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. Whenever a new positive COVID-19 test is returned, we must be able to leverage  that individuals recollections.

Murphy outlined New Jersey needs upward of 1,300 to 7,000 contact tracers to meet CDC guidelines of 15 to 81 individuals engaged in contact tracing per 100,000 residents.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health said Wednesday more information was forthcoming.

Murphy noted it is a daunting task to hire so many individuals in a short amount of time and is hoping to use technological advances to minimize the number of human tracers to be hired.

We are also actively engaging a number of technology companies in a search for innovative solutions that can assist in this massive undertaking, Murphy said, and not only make the work of human contact tracers more efficient. But perhaps mean that we need fewer of them.
Warren County on Tuesday announced the release of twice-weekly data reports on cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus illness.

Slated to come out on Tuesdays and Fridays, the Warren County Health Department reports detail the numbers of confirmed cases and where theyre occurring, as well as the demographics of who has fallen ill and data on fatalities. All 22 municipalities have seen cases of the viral disease.

For example, of 878 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, 303 (34.5%) were in long-term care facilities. Of 80 COVID-19-related deaths reported to the department, 62 (77.5%) are associated with one of the countys seven such facilities.

The youngest person to have been confirmed to have COVID-19 was 7 months; the oldest was 102 years. The youngest person to have died was 41, with the 102-year-old representing the oldest.

About one in four cases (26%) have resulted in hospitalization, with 7% requiring treatment in intensive care.

As cases are reported to the Warren County Health Department, they are investigated as quickly as possible, Tuesdays report states. Cases are interviewed about their symptoms, risk factors and close contacts, including their place of employment and coworkers when applicable.

An average of 32 new cases per day have been reported in the past seven days, according to the report.

By comparison, across the Delaware River in Northampton County, there were 1,970 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday -- including 136 new cases in the past 24 hours. Northampton County reported 80 deaths, 72 of whom were county residents and eight who lived elsewhere.

Northampton County offers an information dashboard about its COVID-19 data at northampton.maps.arcgis.com. Bethlehem, which has its own health department, offers a similar dashboard at bethlehem-pa.maps.arcgis.com.

Statewide, Pennsylvania has seen at least 43,264 COVID-19 cases and 1,716 deaths attributed to the new coronavirus. New Jersey  one of the nations coronavirus hotspots  has reported at least 113,856 cases of COVID-19, with 6,442 deaths.

Following is Warren Countys data report from Tuesday. Click here to view it at co.warren.nj.us if its not displaying.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov or covid19.nj.gov and the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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PHILADELPHIA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lannett Company, Inc. (NYSE: LCI) today announced that it will report financial results for its fiscal 2020 third quarter on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, after the market closes. Lannett management will host a conference call that same afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to review the company's performance and answer questions.

The conference call will be available to interested parties by dialing 800-447-0521 from the U.S. or Canada, or 847-413-3238 from international locations, passcode 49654451. The call will be broadcast via the Internet at www.Lannett.com. Listeners are encouraged to visit the website at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the scheduled presentation to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A playback of the call will be archived and accessible on the same website for at least three months.

About Lannett Company, Inc.

Lannett Company, founded in 1942, develops, manufactures, packages, markets and distributes generic pharmaceutical products for a wide range of medical indications. For more information, visit the company's website at www.lannett.com.

Contact: Robert Jaffe

Robert Jaffe Co., LLC

(424) 288-4098

SOURCE Lannett Company, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.lannett.com


I never thought my junior year at UTC would end this way. Instead of the study of my sorority house, I am writing this from my childhood bedroom in Memphis, Tennessee, with the confidence that one day well be able to help our kids with their history homework about the year 2020.Journal Entry #1March 25, 2020In the new world of social distancing, safer-at-home orders and self-quarantines, we are supposed to be safe from the novel coronavirus, at least physically. Alone together is a phrase that keeps getting posted on social media, but does it really make anyone feel less isolated?Are Facetimes with friends and Zoom classes with professors enough to keep college students from failing mentally and academically? For many, it may not be.Much to the annoyance of my friends, I express love through physical touch; meaning every time I hear six feet apart a piece of me cringes.I never thought I would be deprived of a hug or holding hands. Although necessary for my physical health, it has affected my mental health. Every video chat is a reminder that I cannot be in the presence of people and every video class is a reminder that I do not have the same academic opportunities that I normally would. Something that is supposed to help us feel connected brings light to the reality of how far apart we are.It is equally important to protect our bodies and our minds. Ensuring the mental health of the national is vital to the reopening of business and the return to everyday life once all of this is over. This sudden pause to a usually fast-paced society does not have to mean a pause in every aspect of our lives. In this fight against COVID-19, a well mind can go a long way.Eventually, we will be able to hug, kiss, shake hands and be near each other again. That is a day worth looking forward to, but until then, I will strive to learn contentment in the waiting. This pandemic, as much as it has taken, will not take our sanity.For resources on how to combat anxiety and stress during this time, visit https://www.utc.edu/counseling-center/index.php or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html.Journal Entry #2April 1, 2020The concept of home has shifted in many ways in the past three weeks.Before college, life around me remained pretty much the same. The same house. The same school. The same church. Not a lot ever really changed.Chattanooga began to feel like home during my freshman year of college. I remember how weird it felt to call my dorm home. I remember feeling like I had betrayed Memphis somehow. Home had become different for the first time in 18 years. They say home is where the heart is, but my heart had been split. Its stayed that way ever since.I traveled back to Chattanooga this weekend, the first time since all this began. As I packed up the remainder of my belongings, I began to wonder, Where was home? Was my heart still split between two places?Home no longer looks like going to Cookout with my friends at 1 a.m., but it also doesnt look like going to the grocery store with my family after church on Sundays. Home suddenly feels like a concept that I no longer have a grasp on. Being kept out of one and holed up in another, there is no longer a warm, fuzzy feeling with home.That warm, fuzzy feeling does come though. It comes when the neighbor running down the opposite side of the road gives me a smile. It comes when I get a random phone call from a friend. It comes when my whole family sits down to eat a home-cooked meal together.Home isnt my roommates empty closet or the annoyance that comes with every member of my family trying to navigate working in a confined space. Home is no longer Chattanooga or Memphis for me. It is the sense of community I feel when seeing a sign reading THIS TOO SHALL PASS. Home is people. If home really is where the heart is, then my home is definitely split in more than two pieces.I, personally, cant wait for the time when all the pieces of my heart are together again  the time when we are all back home.Journal Entry #3April 9, 2020For many, the week leading up to Easter is a week filled with hope, celebration and liveliness. Being the fourth week of quarantine makes it hard to feel any of that.The unexpected fluctuation of rain and shine is a reflection of the seemingly never-ending roller coaster of emotion that we are stuck on.During the weeks leading up to Easter, Memphians place crosses in their front yards. The cross is a symbol of the hope that is supposed to be felt during this time. Our small crosses serve as a reminder for what Jesus did on the big one. Seeing the crosses pop up over the past few weeks brought a sense of normalcy to this completely abnormal time.Underneath the dreadful sense of monotony and uncertainty flows a restless river of hope. I feel it each time a new email comes in about an event that is being planned for sometime in the future. We are still planning and working and hoping toward the end of this. Being unaware of when this will end does not stop us from looking forward to when it does.Our lives are still moving, no matter how much they have slowed down. Registering for classes is just one small, hopeful reminder that by this time next year I will be a month away from my college graduation.The slow-motion crawl through life that we are all experiencing right now has allowed me to take a closer look at the signs of hope that I would normally miss.My parents relocating our outdoor furniture and grills to the garage as our backyard gets redone reminds me of the hope they have to be able to share their new outdoor space with friends soon. The crosses sprinkled throughout my neighbors lawns remind me to have enough hope to still celebrate Easter, even if it looks different. Watching my mom sing and lift her hands while wearing pajamas reminds me of the hope that one day we will all be able to gather together again.Something as simple as a sunrise, the flowers blooming or the ducks swimming in the lake in my neighborhood, remind me of the hope that the earth has not given up. The planet is still hopeful. Even the rainy days bring hope by washing away the darkness and bringing new life to the planet.Of all the things that have been lost, hope, although sometimes hiding beneath the surface, is still present.Meet the Storyteller:Amanda Brooks is a junior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga majoring in communications, with a minor in theatre. She is a writer, photographer and proficient public speaker. She is a great problem solver because of her work during the Disney College Program. She is passionate about highlighting stories of the community around her and the people within them. She can be contacted at bny637@mocs.utc.edu.
Liutex is a new physical quantity discovered by Chaoqun Liu et al at University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in 2018 to describe fluid rotation, which is same important as velocity, pressure, temperature, vorticity for fluid dynamics. The discovery of Liutex probably is one of the most important breakthroughs in modern fluid dynamics especially for vortex science and turbulence research. Vortex is ubiquitous in nature and the building blocks and muscles of turbulent flow. However, vortex had no mathematical definition before, which is a bottleneck of modern fluid dynamics, causing countless significant confusions in vortex and turbulence research.

According to Liu, there are three generations of vortex identification. In 1858, Helmholtz first defined vortex as vortex tube composed by so-called vortex filaments which are really infinitesimal vorticity tubes. It is classified as the first generation of vortex identification that vortex is defined as vorticity tubes. Science and engineering applications have shown that the correlation between vortex and vorticity are very weak. During the past three decades, many vortex identification criteria, like Q, , _2 and _ci methods for example, have been developed, which are classified as the second generation of vortex identification. They are all based on the eigenvalues of the velocity gradient tensor. They are all scalars and then completely dependent on so-called threshold, which is man-made and arbitrary, to show the iso-surface as the vertical structure. In addition, they are all contaminated by stretching (compression) and shearing. Liutex and the third generation of vortex definition and identification were developed by Liu and his students at UTA. Liutex is defined as a vector which uses the real eigenvector of velocity gradient tensor as its direction and twice of local fluid angular speed as its magnitude. The major idea of Liutex is to extract the rigid rotation part from fluid motion to represent vortex. After almost two hundred years of struggle, human being first time found a physical quantity to represent fluid rotation or vortex. Liutex is defined as R ?=Rr ? and  ??r ?>0 where:

R= ??r ?-?(( ??r ? )^2-4_ci^2 ) ,

 ? is the vorticity, _ci is the imaginary part of the eigenvalue and r ? is the real eigenvector of ?v ? .

After that, a number of vortex identification methods are developed by the UTA team including Liutex vector, Liutex vector lines, Liutex tubes, Liutex iso-surface, Liutex-Omega methods, Objective Liutex and, more recently, Liutex Core Line methods, which can more accurately visualize the vortical structure in turbulent flow, proved by countless users and research papers. Liutex Core Line, which is defined as a special Liutex line, where the gradient of R is parallel to Liutex vector, is unique and threshold-free.

In addition, the existence, uniqueness, stability, Galilean invariance of Liutex have all been proved. A new R-NR tensor decomposition is developed to replace the traditional Cauchy-Stokes (Helmholtz) decomposition. A new vorticity decomposition to Liutex and shear (RS decomposition of vorticity) is developed to reveal non-dissipative rigid rotation and dissipative shear for fluid dynamics. Liutex (rigid rotation) similarity in turbulent boundary layer is also discovered. Liutex dynamics and modified Navier-Stokes equations which can govern both laminar and turbulent flow without models are under development.

Vortex identification has six core elements including (1) absolute strength, (2) relative strength, (3) local rotational axis, (4) vortex rotation axes, (5) vortex core size, (6) vortex boundary, which are touchstones against examination of the vortex identification methods. It is confirmed with illustrative examples that only the Liutex system is able to give precise information of all six core elements in contrast to the failure of the first and second-generation methods in vortex identification.

Liutex, which is the exact quantity of fluid rotation, opens a new era of quantified vortex and turbulence research to replace traditional qualitative turbulence research which is in general based on observations, graphics, visualizations, approximations, assumptions, and hypotheses.

Liutex-based and Other Mathematical, Computational and Experimental Methods for Turbulence Structure is a new book published by Bentham Science and edited by Chaoqun Liu and Yisheng Gao. The core of this book is a collection of papers presented in the 13th World Congress of Computational Mechanics (WCCM2018), Symposium 704, Mathematics and Computations for Multiscale Structures of Turbulent and Other Complex Flows, New York, United States on July 27, 2018. This book also collects quite a number of other research papers working on the vortex definition, vortex identification and turbulence structure from different insight angles including mathematics, computations and experiments. Of course, the priority is dedicated to an accurate and mathematical definition for vortex, (Liutex). Besides Liutex, this book also publishes a lot of efforts of analysis on turbulence structure by unobjectionable mathematics, incredible DNS computations, and marvelous experiments.

###

The software of the third generation of vortex identification methods has been published online. Please visit: https://www.uta.edu/math/cnsm/public_html/cnsm/cnsm.html for free download with a short agreement for users to sign. Users can also contact the editor at cliu@uta.edu for more information.

About the Editors:

Dr. Chaoqun Liu is currently a tenured and distinguished professor and the director of Center for Numerical Simulation and Modeling at the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, USA. He has worked on high order direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large eddy simulation (LES) for flow transition and turbulence for over 30 years, since completing his Ph.D. in applied mathematics (1989) from the University of Colorado at Denver, USA. He has worked as a principal investigator on multiple federally funded projects for NASA, US Air Force and US Navy, among other organizations. He has published 11 professional books, 120 journal papers and 145 conference papers. He is the founder and major contributor of the third generation of vortex identification methods including the Omega, Liutex/Rortex, Liutex-Omega, Modified Liutex-Omega, Liutex Core Line methods, RS vorticity decomposition and R-NR velocity gradient decomposition.

Dr. Yisheng Gao is a professor at the Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. Dr Gao received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in aircraft design and engineering (2007), Master of Engineering degree in fluid mechanics (2009) and Ph. D. degree in fluid mechanics (2016) from the same university. His research is concerned with computational fluid dynamics, including direct numerical simulation and discrete adjoint methods.

Keywords: fluid dynamics, Liutex, Vortex, vorticity, velocity gradient, Mathematical Sciences, turbulent flow
KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Costco will soon begin requiring all shoppers to wear a face mask inside their warehouses, the company announced this week.

The policy, which goes into effect on May 4, will mandate that all guests "must wear a mask or face covering that covers the mouth and nose at all times while at Costco," according to a post updated Wednesday morning on the company's web page. Exceptions will be made to those under 2 and who are unable to wear a mask due to a medical condition.
It's been more than a month since the children of Puerto Rico stopped going to class following strict coronavirus lockdown measures. Local institutions decided to switch to online learning. However, not everyone can join in.

Haydee Del Valle, a mother of two students, said her sons could not attend online classes due to the lack of internet and the latest cellphone models. Her family lives in San Salvador---a remote neighborhood in Caguas. Her home is situated twenty miles away from the capital, making it harder for the signal to reach them.

According to a nonprofit organization, a quarter of the island's children do not have access to the internet. More than half do not have their own computers. While they do have cellphones, the functions needed to attend classes require more powerful devices, said Amanda Rivera---the organization's director.

Difficult Circumstances

Del Valle described her sons' transition to virtual learning "very difficult." Their cellphone service has been cut off after they were unable to pay the bill. The COVID-19 lockdown severely affected their source of income---selling homemade goods and produce.

After getting their connection restored, Del Valle received calls from her sons' teachers. They asked why her sons hadn't passed homework. She then realized the attachments they sent didn't go through.

"My son is scared of going back to school," she said. "He's scared they might ask him why he didn't do anything."

Remote Learning Challenges

According to Eligio Hernandez, the island's education secretary, online classes will end during the first two weeks of May. All public school students will go on to their next grade. Schools will test their progress and learning in the upcoming academic calendar. However, students living in rural or underserved areas have faced challenges in remote learning.

Local officials are now working to calculate how much students with no access to the internet were able to learn virtually. They are also waiting for a report from social workers to identify whose learning capacity was hindered by poverty.

There are nearly 600,000 children in Puerto Rico. An overwhelming 71 percent live in impoverished areas or are on the verge of becoming poor. Almost 38 percent live in extreme poverty, with yearly income amounting to only $3,950.

Half of Puerto Rico's youth are enrolled in the public school system. Their families' financial conditions, however, means less access to good-quality schools and tools that are crucial to a good education.

Learning Resources

Eligio Hernandez, the education secretary, has made it possible for schools to transition to distance learning through a series of resources smoothly. These include online modules and virtual classrooms using conference apps such as Zoom and Google Classrooms.

Puerto Rican officials also pulled $787 million from their emergency reserve fund created after the devastating 2017 Hurricane Maria. Over $250 million were given to the island's Education Department. The budget will be used to buy tablets and software necessary to improve remote learning.

The Education Department acquired nearly 160,000 tablets with 20,000 more expecting to arrive in June. They also hope to purchase 30,000 laptops for local teachers.

The Department of Education has not made any formal statement on graduations. Officials modified requirements, including community service hours and laboratory hours, to help students complete their semesters.

Despite the challenges, Del Valle hopes to see his sons graduate alongside their classmates.

"That's our greatest dream," she said, "to see them wearing their graduation gowns and caps."Want to read more? Catch the latest news here:
Stephanie Lum Ho lost half her work hours when the coronavirus pandemic forced UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital in Walnut Creek to halve the number of its physical therapy patients this month and send the rest to telemedicine.

Lum Ho and hundreds of other workers at UCSF Childrens Hospitals, Stanford Health Care and Marin General Hospital have lost hours and pay as business has dried up during the shelter-in-place order, hospital executives and workers unions said. The University of California said it may begin laying off employees at the end of June.

Im living day to day wondering  am I going to be homeless, am I going to have groceries to feed my family? said Lum Ho, who authorizes insurance payments for the physical therapy office. The unknown is the most troublesome part of this.

Since mid-March, Bay Area hospitals have delayed most surgeries and turned away many face-to-face visits with nonemergency patients. The mandatory safety measures cost the medical centers their primary source of revenue as they prepared for the COVID-19 surge that, for the most part, never came.

Stanford Hospital postponed more than 3,000 surgeries and saw patient numbers drop in half. President and CEO David Entwistle said the hospital lost more than $135 million in March and April. He said he hopes the hospital will recoup its losses by the end of the fiscal year in September.

In San Francisco, UCSF Health is incurring significant costs due to this crisis and reduced patient numbers that which affected revenue, said spokeswoman Jennifer OBrien. She said it is too early to project the financial impact.

Now Playing: The top of Salesforce Tower is illuminated with artist Jim Campbells contribution in support of medical workers and first responders fighting Covid-19 with video of clapping hands and prayer flags. The artists Day for Night, video show atop the tower, changed at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with clapping hands taking its place, then changed at 8:30 p.m. to prayer flags until 12:30 a.m. Video: Carlos Avila Gonzalez

At UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland, which employs its own staff, some surgical technicians havent worked a day in six weeks, said Vanessa Coe, a coordinator with the National Union of Healthcare Workers. At least 300 other workers, including hearing specialists and medical assistants who screen patients, are working as few as one or two days a week, the union said.

Dr. Michael Anderson, the hospitals president, said in an April 16 letter to employees obtained by The Chronicle that the financial impact and consequences of reducing the number of patients have been extreme.

During the next few months, we will need to make difficult choices to regain financial stability, Anderson said in the letter. This is the challenging reality that hospitals throughout the country must address.

At Marin General Hospital, more than 50 medical technicians lost hours and pay for a day of work per week, said Matt Artz, spokesman for the National Union of Healthcare Workers. Cardiac sonographers and MRI techs lost more days, he said.

The hospital was hit with a significant decline in revenue from delaying surgeries and has spent $4 million for coronavirus prep and patient care, spokeswoman Jamie Maites said last week.

Stanford Health Care has 14,000 employees, most of whom had to make an unwelcome choice on Monday: take a 20% pay cut for 10 weeks or use paid time off. Nearly everyone took the time off, said CEO Entwistle.

The reason were doing this paid time off ... is to have no layoffs, Entwistle said.

The pay cut to nurses may be more or less than 20%, depending on the number of patients they care for, said Kathy Stormberg, a union vice president.

The cut will be especially hard for nurses supporting family members who have lost their job during the pandemic, Stormberg said. It was hard to support them on a full salary.

Stanford Health Care is a separate corporate entity from Stanford University, which sits on a $27.7 billion endowment, Entwistle said.

We stand on our own financial feet, he said. The endowment of the university does not come into play.

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.

Now Playing: Jessica Boykin, 32, had stuck plenty of people with needles by the time she graduated from the nursing school at Los Medanos College in 2018, but nothing prepared her for the coronavirus pandemic. Now she's an ER nurse on the front lines, where equipment and staff are short. Many nursing students who are just inches away from graduation are hoping to join her, and begging the state to bend its licensing rules so they can work. Video: SFGATE

At Sutter Health, hundreds of employees donated paid-time-off hours into a leave-sharing program to help impacted co-workers, a spokeswoman said. Partly because of that program and another disaster relief fund, the hospital system is still paying employees, even when hours are cut, she said.

UCSF halved Lum Hos hours in early April. She hoped UCSFs policy of paid leave for employees impacted by COVID-19 would cover her, but because her hours were cut due to lower patient numbers, rather than a direct COVID-19 impact  such as a colleague testing positive for the coronavirus  she said her request was denied.

Lum Ho and hundreds of co-workers wrote a letter to management on April 8, asking that leave be made available to those who lost hours because of the outbreak. A week later, Anderson, the hospital president, sent the letter explaining difficult choices. He declined the workers request.

Coe, with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, said UCSF created a labor pool so that workers could sign up for five shifts at a time, but there werent enough for everyone. When Lum Ho logged into the online portal two hours after it opened on Friday, only a couple of spots were left on days she was already scheduled to work.

Like many of her colleagues, Lum Ho has used 40 hours of continuing education provided by UCSF and most of her paid time off in this crisis: sick days, holidays, vacation. Just 50 hours remain, she said. It means she wont visit her family in Hawaii this year. She and her husband will miss his sisters wedding. Plans to attend a baptism are out.

Last week, she applied for unemployment for when her paid time off runs out, but hasnt heard back yet.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A clinical trial now underway is looking at whether blood plasma donated by people recovered from 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could be used to treat other people with the pandemic virus.

Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Montefiore Health System, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the trial will seek to determine whether "convalescent plasma," if injected into patients' blood, can keep them from developing the most severe forms of respiratory distress.

Plasma treatments contain antibodies, blood proteins which are part of the immune system. Shaped such that they can attach to viruses, antibodies glom onto and tag them for removal from the body, researchers say. Immune cells make antibodies that are specific to each infection, such that the body is readier the next time it encounters a virus. Vaccines work by triggering such reactions, but "passive" treatments like plasma inject antibodies pre-trained to attack the virus in question.

"Infections like the new coronavirus that jump into humans from animals are dangerous because we have no antibodies against them, so we hope to learn if supplying them can save lives," says co-lead study investigator, Mila Ortigoza, MD, PhD, an instructor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology at NYU Langone Health. "Vaccines may not be available for more than a year. In the meantime, and given the lack of natural immunity and available vaccines, plasma therapy may help to provide the body what it needs to fight the infection."

Beyond emergency care, there are no proven treatment options for COVID-19, the infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Convalescent plasma becomes a more viable treatment option as the numbers of recovered people continue to grow, says Dr. Ortigoza. While researchers do not know exactly how much antibody is needed, the theory is that plasma taken from one patient may be enough to treat one to three patients.

Such plasma treatments were shown to be useful against SARS-CoV-1, the 2003 "SARS" epidemic that caused nearly 800 deaths, and against Ebola during in the 2013 African epidemic, researchers say.

The current, randomized phase I (safety) trial seeks to enroll 300 hospitalized patients aged 18 years or more across 7 hospital centers. The trial is designed to focus on patients within a tight time window (three to seven days after symptom onset), during which they are sick enough to be hospitalized, but before the onset of overwhelming respiratory distress driven by systemic inflammation.

The goal of the trial is to see whether plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 can improve oxygenation and reduce the requirement for mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death. Eligible subjects will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either anti-SARS-CoV-2 plasma or placebo (saline solution), with the former donated by people at the New York Blood Center (NYBC).

Within the NYU Langone arm of the trial, much of plasma was donated by employees, including frontline healthcare workers, who have recovered from the infection. After NYU Langone administration issued a call for plasma on April 4, roughly 300 employees volunteered to donate within days. Many have gone to NYBC to donate.

"At this point, almost everyone in New York has a friend or loved one who has been diagnosed with COVID-19," says Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine principal investigator Liise-anne Pirofski, MD, chief of infectious diseases at Montefiore and Einstein and a leader of the national COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project. "The clinical trial provides an opportunity for people who have recovered from this devastating disease to help others in need. We are humbled by the outpouring of donors who have come forth to provide their plasma and honored to have the opportunity to determine scientifically if convalescent plasma is a treatment option for COVID-19 amid this unprecedented pandemic."

Also study investigators from NYU Langone are David Kaminetzky, MD; Gillian G. Baptiste, MD; Tania Kupferman, MD; Rabi Upadhyay, MD; Stephanie Sterling, MD; Lalitha Parameswaran, MD; Shadi Yaghi, MD; Aaron S. Lord, MD; Mary K. O'Keeffe, MD; and Anthony Corcoran, MD. These efforts have been led and supported by Corita R. Grudzen, MD, vice chair for research in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, and Judith S. Hochman, MD, the Harold Snyder Family Professor of Cardiology and senior associate dean for clinical sciences at NYU Langone.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com

Media Contacts: Greg Williams

Phone: 212-404-3533

[email protected]

SOURCE NYU Langone Health

Related Links

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The coronavirus cases in Nepal have reached 57 after three new patients, who returned from India, tested positive for the COVID-19, a health official said on Wednesday.

The three persons, who returned from a Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population.

They have been brought to an isolation ward of Narayani Hospital for treatment.

According to officials in Delhi, as many as 2,100 foreigners visited India for Tablighi activities since January 1 and all of them first reported at its headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin area.

So far, coronavirus tests have been conducted on 11,524 people.

Sixteen patients have been cured so far.

Currently, there are 41 active COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at different hospitals across Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday a funeral for an ultra-Orthodox rabbi that drew thousands of mourners in Brooklyn "was absolutely unacceptable," and he warned that police will start issuing summonses or arrest violators at similar gatherings. "It was a large gathering, again, tragically thousands of people. The amount of danger created by that kind of gathering is inestimable," de Blasio said at a press conference. "People will die because of it, which goes against everyone's values." Jewish organizations blasted the mayor's comments. Police didn't issue any citations at Tuesday night's funeral for Rabbi Chaim Mertz, but that will change, a police spokesperson said. De Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said they are done warning people who violate social distancing guidelines. The rabbi died of Covid-19 at age 73, NBC New York reported.

Shea said "probably several thousand people" gathered on one block for the funeral, which was broken up by the NYPD. "That event last night never should have happened, it better not happen again," Shea warned. "You are putting my cops' lives at risk and it's unacceptable." On Tuesday night, de Blasio sent police to Brooklyn where a massive crowd of people could be seen in the streets attending the funeral. The mayor sent a series of tweets scolding the gatherers, saying he went to the scene himself to ensure the crowd dispersed.

De Blasio said he understood the instinct to gather and mourn, but he has now instructed the NYPD to take a "zero tolerance" policy to large gatherings.

The mayor's actions, however, also drew criticism on Twitter for singling out the Orthodox Jewish community. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said the mayor's comments were "outrageous, especially when so many are scapegoating Jews." Greenblatt tweet The American Jewish Committee tweeted: "We deserve better from our leaders than generalizations and fingerpointing." American Jewish Committee tweet The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council accused the city of having a double standard because police did not break up large gatherings of spectators viewing the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds honoring essential workers on the same day as the funeral. Orthodox Council tweet Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said "Laws should be enforced neutrally (without) targeting religious faith."
Two prominent business groups have united to urge co-operation and co-ordination across the Irish border to tackle the consequences of coronavirus.

With both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic in virtual lockdown, CBI and Ibec have written a joint letter to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and Northern Irelands First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill.

The groups said it is in everyones interests to have experts across the island regularly communicating on their respective plans for economic revival and recovery.

They have also recommended that parallel conversations to take place between the two islands, with the North/South Ministerial Council along with the British-Irish Council providing appropriate formal frameworks.

Earlier this month, the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland administrations signed a memo formalising their co-operation in the battle against coronavirus.

The letter, signed by CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn and Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy, welcomed that memo.

It goes on to detail one of their areas of most immediate concern as being supply chains for essential goods such as medicines and pharmaceuticals.

To support these supply chains and ensure that the measures taken in the recovery phase, help to sustain the wide range of business activity between the two jurisdictions we will need the highest level of co-operation, co-ordination and joined-up thinking, they have written.

A return to daily movement of workers and goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland (and across the two islands) will depend on the easing of current restrictions and alignment with medical advice.

To support and re-energise the strong economic linkages, Ibec and CBI believe it is important and in everyones economic interests to have the experts on both sides of the island of Ireland regularly communicating on their respective economic restart plans.

Indeed, it would also be helpful and worthwhile for parallel conversations to take place between the two islands, with the North/South Ministerial Council along with the British-Irish Council providing appropriate frameworks for such discussions.

In this regard, CBI and Ibec are together asking the UK and Irish Governments, along with the Devolved Administrations, to work together and co-ordinate their efforts in emerging from this pandemic. Such co-ordination, particularly around economic revival, will provide us with the best chance of protecting public health and restoring the prosperity of our people.
Workers at 40 Chicago-area nursing homes announced they have set a May 8 strike date over wages as many of the facilities are treating patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Members of the Service Employees International Union, which represents more than 10,000 workers at 100 nursing homes, most in the Chicago area, are negotiating with the Illinois Association of Healthcare Facilities to replace a contract that expires April 30.

Shaba Andrich of the unions nursing home division said many of the workers are making little more than Chicagos minimum wage of $13 an hour while taking care of societys most vulnerable members, adding they are seeking at least $15 an hour and hazard pay for working during the pandemic. The workers are also demanding improved staffing, better training and more personal protective equipment.

They were already struggling to take care of their families, Andrich said. Were asking nursing homes to step up and do whats right.

The strike threat comes a day after Illinois officials announced a jump to 625 deaths from the coronavirus of people who live or work at long-term care facilities. The Illinois Department of Public Health says the state has about 1,200 long-term care facilities. As of Friday, at least 278 facilities had 4,298 cases of residents and workers testing positive for COVID-19.

The association representing nursing home operators say they have offered an 11% pay hike, stable employee health insurance contributions, earlier access to sick time during the pandemic and creation of a training fund among other contract enhancements.

Bob Molitor, the CEO of The Alden Network of nursing homes, says the homes offer is fair and equitable.

We sincerely hope the union is not using this once-in-a-lifetime crisis to incite a walk-out and put our seniors at even greater risk, he said in a letter to state lawmakers.

Topics COVID-19 Illinois
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis pledged Wednesday to nearly triple the number of coronavirus tests being administered each day across the state by the end of May, a goal that will require the state to "aggressively" track down adequate supplies from private and federal sources.

When the novel coronavirus first touched base in Colorado, the state lab was only able to perform 140 tests each day, the governor said at a news conference. As of Wednesday, the state has the ability to do 3,000 tests per day, but health officials want to increase that load to 5,000 by early May and 8,500 by the end of the month, Polis said.

The state lab has the ability to perform 10,000 tests a day, Polis said, but can't because of supply shortages.

Lab test turnaround has quickened to 24 hours, the governor said. Last month, some tests would take up to a week to get the results back.

Testing is an important puzzle piece to Colorados response to this pandemic and the state continues ramping up our testing capability, infrastructure, and epidemiological work and will continue to aggressively seek resources through the private sector and federal government," the governor said.

The daily case growth rate of COVID-19 is "continuing to decline" Polis said, down to 2.8% as of Tuesday. Still, the cumulative tallies are on the rise, as 14,758 Coloradans have tested positive for the disease as of Wednesday and 766 others have died, data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment show.

"The virus is out there," Polis said, "but we've avoided an immediate crisis in our hospitals by taking the bold steps that we've taken."

As of Wednesday, Colorado hospitals reported to the state health department that 82 coronavirus patients had been discharged or transferred to lower-level care since Tuesday afternoon.

State epidemiologists say they identify and formally isolate about one-third of symptomatic patients within two days, the governor said. He added recent modeling done by the Colorado School of Public Health calls for that number to increase 5% each week for successful containment.

The governor also announced that Colorado has 15,000 swab tests secured, 20,000 extraction reagents for tests and 100,000 detection reagents for tests, the governor said. By the end of May, the state expects to have 195,000 of each of those supplies with the help of the federal government, he said.

The need for nasal swab testing is "critical," Polis said, as it's the only coronavirus test that reveals if someone is currently infected. Colorado still faces other equipment shortages associated with testing including gloves, masks, medical gowns, extraction and detection reagents, Polis said.

"Testing is complicated and supplies are limited," Polis said. "That's why this has been such a challenge for Colorado and for America to get where we know we need to be on testing."

Ramping up testing efforts is just one aspect of a four-part strategy the state is using to combat the disease, the governor said. In addition to the safer-at-home guidelines and wearing face masks, the governor said the state is building a robust program to prevent hot spots at senior and long-term care facilities.

Senior residents and people with compromised immune systems have been identified by public health officials as some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. As of Wednesday, the state health department is investigating 157 outbreaks  when more than two people in one facility are infected  across Colorado, according to the state's data.

Recent testing at four senior facilities found 99 positive cases out of the 1,171 tested, Polis said. Of those, 33 were asymptomatic, he said.

The state is partnering with Colorado State University to test 45,000 nursing home workers in the coming moths, a statement from the health department said.
In 2017, a series of tweets by Rihanna and Kim Kardashian West turned the campaign to commute one young womans life imprisonment into the global hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown. The new Netflix documentary Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story is the long-form version of that narrative, and a moving reflection of what criminal justice reform means in personal terms.

In 2004 at the age of 16, Brown was arrested on charges of shooting and killing Johnny M. Allen at his home in Nashville. Brown (who has since married and goes by the name Cyntoia Brown-Long), under pressure from her then boyfriend and pimp, met the 43-year old real estate agent outside a fast-food restaurant, where he was soliciting sex. Brown testified that she acted in self-defense when she thought Allen was reaching for a gun. She was tried and convicted as an adult and eventually sentenced to life in prison. In November of 2017, in the midst of the #MeToo movement, a Nashville local TV news story about the case went viral, drawing the attention of celebrity activists and the governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam. In one of his last acts in office, the Republican leader granted Brown clemency and commuted her sentence.
A garda superintendent is seeking to bring a High Court challenge to what he says are "preposterous" and false allegations which have led to his suspension from the force for a year.

Supt Edmund Anthony O'Neill, 53, who was part of the team of officers who secured five murder convictions in the Limerick city gangland feud, was arrested and questioned in May last year over allegations that he leaked confidential information and was in the presence of another senior officer who allegedly snorted cocaine.

He says the allegations are "preposterous and mischievous in the extreme."

Today, Mr Justice David Keane granted Louis McEntagart SC for Supt O'Neill, permission to serve at short notice proceedings seeking to lift his suspension on the Garda Commissioner and the State.

The application was made on a one-side only represented basis and comes back before the court next week.

Supt O'Neill, who is stationed in Roxboro Road, Limerick, says he was awoken in his bedroom on the morning of May 15 last year to find several gardai around him.

He was taken on a 122-mile trip to Athlone Garda Station where he was questioned in what he said was a "shambolic" interview process.

There were headlines in the national media that day about the arrest and he was later released and served with a suspension notice.

It was alleged he disclosed information whereby he allegedly told a garda being investigated by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) that a listening device had been placed on his car.

That garda has since been charged with serious criminal conduct.

Supt O'Neill says he never did so and fully co-operated with that investigation in relation to the alleged leaking.

He says the failure of the Commissioner to establish the truth is inexcusable.

He says, in an affidavit, the leaking allegation does not form any part of the disciplinary case against him and it must be now clear to the Commissioner that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

It was also alleged he was present in the Hurler's Bar on January 9, 2019 when a garda inspector colleague was alleged to have taken cocaine in his presence.

In relation to the Hurler's Bar allegation, he says the other officer did not take any cocaine and that officer was "the least likely candidate to take or ingest an illicit substance."

CCTV camera footage showed that height of what is alleged against the other officer is that he is seen wiping his nose.

The officer has not been charged and it was reasonable to conclude there was no evidence of cocaine use, he says.

Not "a shred of evidence exists" to substantiate the original allegations but he was now aware the NBCI had approached senior members of the Limerick hurling panel in relation to the quashing of "speeding and minor road traffic matters."

Supt O'Neill has been involved for a long time in the GAA and in 2017 was appointed one of the county hurling team's back room team.

Attempts are now being made to justify the "wild and completely disproportionate manner in which my arrest and investigation was handled.

"Simply put, the matters now in controversy do not live up to the headlines (about his arrest) in the national media, the source of these headlines being the defendant, his servant or agents."

In his action he seeks an injunction restraining his continued suspension which he claims is affecting his financial and physical health.

He also seeks a number of declarations including that the Commissioner failed to promptly investigate the allegations and that the disciplinary proceedings amounted to misfeasance in public office and/or were vexatious and/or were an attempt to interfere with his professional character and reputation.
Faridabad deployed close to 5,000 police personnel to seal its five borders with Delhi on Wednesday, putting in place an indiscriminate ban on anyone coming from the national Capital in what led to a significant dip in the supply of fresh produce and hitting the movement of people involved in essential services.

The ban is meant to stay till the weekend, according to the order issued by Faridabads deputy commission Yashpal Yadav late on Tuesday night, and no person  including doctors, nurses and banking staff, will be allowed to enter Faridabad starting 12pm on Wednesday. The sealing is in response to Covid-19 infection that officials say were contracted by patients in Delhi.

According to Azadpur market traders, the volume of arrivals in the market on Wednesday dropped by a third of the average daily arrivals over the past week.

Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage

The market accounts for roughly 80% of vegetable and fruit supply in the city, with farmers arriving from UP, Rajasthan and Haryana  most of whom need to cross Faridabad or Gurugram. Delhi Police made arrangements for over 600 of its personnel from Faridabad to stay at hotels in Delhi, while the Delhi administration began making similar provisions for civic and health care staff. The sealing is also likely to hit industries in Gurugram that were scheduled to resume shortly.
There still arent enough people on its flights connecting Chicago to Boston, New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to make them sustainable, JetBlue said. Load factors, or the percentage of seats sold, have averaged below 10% so far in April. Last Wednesday, a flight from Boston to Chicago had five passengers. On the way back, it had eight, the airline said.
NEW CANAAN  Police are urging residents to be vigilant and lock their vehicles after two unlocked vehicles were stolen from driveways early Wednesday morning.

Around 9 a.m., police got a call about a 2019 Volvo XC90 that was taken from the driveway of a Rosebrook Road home. Police said the vehicle had been left unlocked and the key fob was left inside. The car was later recovered in Waterbury.

Then, around 12:20 p.m., police got a call about a 2016 Ford Edge that was stolen from the driveway of a Parade Hill Road home. Another vehicle in the driveway was entered and cash was taken from it, Police said.

Both of these vehicles were unlocked, police said. The owner does not know if the key/fob was left inside the stolen vehicle, or if the criminal obtained the key by entering through an unlocked mudroom door.

Despite the times that the crimes were reported, police said they happened during the early morning hours Wednesday.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal gangs are active throughout Fairfield County, police said. In the past, some of the vehicles stolen in Fairfield County were used in violent crime.

Police said residents need to be more cautious and practice good crime prevention strategies.

This carelessness is putting our entire town at risk police said.

The department stressed the importance of ensuring a home is well-lit and that vehicles are locked and keys and key fobs taken out of them. Police also urged any residents who could afford it to invest in an alarm system and surveillance cameras.

Any suspicious activity can be reported to New Canaan police at 203-594-3500.
By Trend

As of April 27, 22,976 taxpayers appealed for state support to pay a certain part of the salaries of employees, while 73,760 private (micro) entrepreneurs appealed to receive the financial support, the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry told Trend on April 28.

In total, 96,736 taxpayers working in the spheres affected by the pandemic appealed for financial support.

The appeals were received as part of the measures to support entrepreneurship. The measures are being carried out in accordance with the action plan approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in connection with the implementation of paragraph 10.2 of the presidential decree on a number of measures to reduce the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and the sharp fluctuations caused by it on the world energy markets and stock markets, on the Azerbaijani economy, macroeconomic stability, issues of employment in the country and business entities.

The appeals received from 19,061 entrepreneurs concerning the payment of part of the salaries of 178,587 hired employees were considered, approved and transferred to the Ministry of Finance to transfer these funds to the taxpayers' bank accounts. The appeals of other taxpayers are under consideration.

The amount of financial support on the currently approved appeals is 80.7 million manat ($47.5 million), including the amount of funds to be paid at the first stage is 40.4 million manat ($23.8 million).

As of April 27, the State Treasury Agency of the Ministry of Finance ensured the transfer of funds in the amount of 38.5 million manat ($22.6 million) to 17,568 taxpayers for paying salaries to 168,778 hired employees.

As part of the program to render financial support to private (micro) entrepreneurs, 73,760 appeals were received, 67,497 of which were approved and submitted to the Ministry of Finance for transferring the allocated funds to taxpayers' bank accounts.

The volume of financial assistance upon the approved appeals is 44.4 million manat ($26.1 million). As of April 27, the State Treasury Agency of the Ministry of Finance ensured the transfer of funds in the amount of 40.03 million manat ($13.8 million) to 59,148 private (micro) entrepreneurs.

The ministry stressed that the information on the results of filing applications within the financial support program and the transfer of funds to a bank account is sent in the form of notifications to the e-cabinets of taxpayers in the internet tax office (www.e-taxes.gov.az ) and SMS to the mobile phones.

In case of any questions, taxpayers may contact the call center via "195" of the State Tax Service and local tax authorities, in which they have been registered.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The move came following the Prime Ministers decision to further ease travel restrictions as there have been no new cases of Covid-19 in the community for nearly two weeks.

The number of return flights on the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route will increase to 28 per day while services between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will expand to eight flights per day from April 29 to 30.

For the following two weeks, airlines may operate a total of 36 flights per day between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, while the frequency of flights between Da Nang and the two cities will increase to 12.

Starting from May 16, daily services will be further expanded to 52 flights for the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route and 20 for the Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang route.

Rail services between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will also be increased to five trains per day for the April 29-May 3 period.

Inter-provincial bus services between low-risk localities are also permitted to operate at 100% capacity while services to and from medium-risk localities are restricted at 50% capacity.

Despite the easing of travel restrictions, safety measures against Covid-19 remain in place and passengers must still report on their health, have their body temperature checked, wear face masks and sanitise their hands, among others.
MANDEVILLE, La., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking for a fun night in? Painting with a Twist, America's original and largest paint-and-sip franchise, is giving families an entertaining way to have creative fun straight from their living rooms with the introduction of Twist at Home  customized step-by-step painting events from the comfort of home.

Guests can sign up for a Twist at Home paint kit one of two ways. If their local studio is offering curbside pick-up or local delivery, they can place an order directly through the studio's website. The company has also launched an online store to have the painting kits shipped directly to guests' doors nationwide when their local studio is not able to offer the service.

A Twist at Home kit comes with everything needed for a relaxing paint night at home. Inside the kit, guests will find a canvas, paint, paint brushes, step-by-step written instructions and some kits even include a video tutorial for extra assistance. Paintings are available for adults and kids. The cost for the kits ranges from $29 to $49.

Many studios are also hosting Virtual Live Events where guests can paint while an artist-entertainer walks them through the step-by-step process live. Details of participating studios can be found on the Painting with a Twist website.

"We know everyone is itching for some fun and a mini-escape from what's happening right now, which is why we're excited to offer the experience of Painting with a Twist in the home for adults and kids to enjoy," said Katherine LeBlanc, CMO of Painting with a Twist. "This is a family-friendly activity anyone can participate in, since we're providing the supplies and tools to create inspiring art at home."

Painting with a Twist was founded in 2007 by New Orleans-area natives Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a way to lift the spirits of their local neighbors who'd been affected by the storm. At Painting with a Twist today, the same sentiment holds true  guests come to experience a fun night out and create memories  not masterpieces  with friends in a welcoming environment.

About Painting with a Twist

Painting with a Twist, based in the New Orleans, Louisiana metropolitan area is the original and leading paint and sip franchise with approximately 300 studios open or in development in 39 states. Nationally, guests have painted more than 10 million paintings at studios throughout the country since Painting with a Twist started franchising in 2009. The company maintains a strong focus on giving back to the local community, and was recently recognized by the International Franchise Association's Franchise Education & Research Foundation's Franchising Gives Back Awards. To date, Painting with a Twist has donated more than $5 million through its charity arm, Painting with a Purpose. As the fastest-growing franchise in the category, Painting with a Twist has been ranked the No. 1 Paint and Sip franchise as part of Entrepreneur magazine's annual Franchise 500 edition for the past seven years. For more information about Painting with a Twist, visit https://www.paintingwithatwist.com.

Media Contact: Sara Faiwell, Fishman Public Relations, 847.945.1300 or [email protected]

SOURCE Painting with a Twist

Related Links

https://www.paintingwithatwist.com


~ Vehicle owners advised on taking precautions and secure their vehicles.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Anna Richardson has issued a call on residents on both sides of the island to properly secure their vehicles as there is a spike in vehicular thefts.

Minister Richardson said that the French and Dutch authorities are working on the cases and that an arrest was made on the Dutch side and one on the French side.

The Minister of Justice further said during the Council of Ministers Press Briefing on Wednesday that police will be arresting more persons that were involved in the lockdown jump up. Richardson said police issued hefty fines to the six persons that were arrested and confiscated vehicles and sound systems.

The Minister urged the people of St. Maarten to cooperate with the government during this lockdown period. She said the government and police are not working against the people but instead is working towards protecting the health of everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I'm not alone when I say that I've never been through anything like this and didn't see it coming. I had no way of imagin...
The coronavirus outbreak burning its way through the United States has taken a different kind of toll on staff at the center of the nations response.

Officials here, at the Health and Human Services department headquarters, have worked around the clock since mid-January to first prepare for the possible Covid-19 outbreak and then manage the pandemic it became. But the Trump administrations repeated stumbles have provoked a daily deluge of attacks, watchdog probes and open speculation about the future of the departments leader, Secretary Alex Azar, culminating in a spate of reports about how White House officials were discussing Azars potential replacements this past weekend.

While President Donald Trump swiftly rejected those reports and praised Azar, more than 15 current and former staff who spoke to POLITICO described an atmosphere of exhaustion and dysfunction  capped off by White House efforts to weaken the health secretary.

I dont think people appreciate how tired the department is, said one former Trump HHS appointee. Your effectiveness wears down after youve been in a fight  and for 100 days, HHS has been kicked in the teeth.

The white-hot spotlight has ensnared multiple top officials like Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, as critics dissect their past predictions  such as Redfields reassurances about test development, and Adamss advice against wearing masks  and seize on new gaffes. Congressional probes have been launched into claims of Covid-19 wrongdoing, including the ill-timed ouster of the departments vaccine chief, Rick Bright. Meanwhile, the president pushed the department to prioritize unproven malaria drugs, rattling career officials who said that politics were taking precedence over public health.

Azar  who brimmed with confidence at the crisis start in January, said three people who were around the health secretary at the time  has been significantly marginalized by the White House, which has also directed the hiring of several top appointees and key projects.

Story continues

One of those appointees is newly installed public affairs chief Michael Caputo, a Trump loyalist who has brawled with media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and CNN in the past week alone and fed critical comments to conservative outlets.

Every fake news shot at a cabinet secretary is an attempt to destroy the president, and Im just not going to stand for it," Caputo told POLITICO in response to questions for this story. "Were focused on getting the job done and not on palace intrigue."

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a coronavirus task force meeting at the Department of Health and Human Services, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In tweets widely suspected to be encouraged or even written by Caputo, Azar also has taken to rejecting critical coverage as fake news  using the term on Twitter four times in the past two weeks after never using it in his first two years.

While the #FakeNews media and their leaker allies collude to destroy this President, his Administration is following his leadership 24/7 to protect Americans and end a global health crisis, Azar tweeted on Sunday. Caputo declined to comment on whether he played a role in Azars tweets.

The sentiments expressed in the tweets may endear Azar to Trumps loyal base but have unsettled many career officials and some political appointees, too.

That doesnt even sound like him, said one senior career official, who said hes respected Azars department leadership but is alarmed by the secretarys recent turns of phrase. That sounds like a Trump rally.

Health chief loses ground inside agency

The uncertainty over the future of Azar  largely seen as a stabilizing force at HHS, after Trump fired former Secretary Tom Price in September 2017 over a charter-jet scandal  comes at a pivotal moment for the hard-hit department, as officials try to juggle the Covid-19 response on a dizzying number of levels. Various arms of HHS are urgently searching for a vaccine, implementing an amorphous new payment scheme to subsidize hospitals for coronavirus treatment, determining whether to approve new drugs under intense pressure from Trump, and trying to jumpstart the perpetually behind-the-curve testing system.

HHS' top spokesperson acknowledged the intense workload but compared it to challenges across the economy.

"Today Americans are taking care of their families and home schooling their children while working from home. HHS staffers are no different," said Caputo.

Azars own internal weakness also has shifted his governing style over the 80,000-person department. Gone are the days when the health secretary ushered out staff for rude or conspiratorial tweets. Now Caputo  who penned comments like millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer and eat the ass out of anteaters, just weeks before assuming his new HHS post  freely uses Twitter to amplify attacks on Democrats and rivals.

Caputo stood by his deleted Twitter posts in a recent interview with CNN and last week re-shared some of his deleted retweets that had been flagged by CNN, including one that featured a photo of billionaire George Soros and claimed he was the real virus. Caputo is now working to bring in allies from his time in political communications, said three people with knowledge of his recruitment efforts. A spokesperson said only that Caputo is working to fill long-vacant slots in the HHS communications shop.

The tougher stance against critics has rallied some Trump appointees, who appreciate Caputo's willingness to spar with the media after months of damaging headlines. But others worry that Caputo is set to politicize the department's communications at a time of a public health crisis, noting his weeks of attacks on China and Democrats' handling of Covid-19 before joining HHS this month.

"I don't want my team's work to get on Caputo's radar" and be potentially spun, said one public-health official.

Azar also was unable to prevent White House-directed changes to the health departments refugee office, including the ouster of the refugee chief that hed installed to fix the troubled office after the disastrous 2018 family separation crisis. The moves signal a possible return to the hardline immigration policies that sparked lawsuits and condemnation by public health advocates  and caused so many problems for Azar and the department during the 2018 crisis.

Meanwhile, Azars feud with deputy Seema Verma  a battle that defined the department across 2019 and attracted attention across Washington  has been largely settled: Verma has won, for now. The Medicare chief has been feted by industry groups and gotten bipartisan acclaim for her quick actions to roll back regulations and speed funds to hard-hit hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Verma also has become one of the Trump administration's more frequent speakers at coronavirus briefings, underscored by a C-SPAN tracker thats been passed around by some department officials, while Azar has failed to appear at a White House press briefing since April 3, despite leading the internal task force across January and most of February.

Its a stark reversal from Vermas shaky status last year, after the departments inspector general and four congressional committees launched probes into Vermas use of taxpayer funds on personal publicity, following a POLITICO investigation. Those efforts have been slowed by the Covid-19 outbreak. A spokesperson for the inspector general told POLITICO this week that the watchdog report on Vermas spending would arrive by late spring.

Verma's ascendance has cheered her allies, who maintain that her rivalry with Azar last year was driven by the secretary's unhappiness that Verma had cultivated her own line to the White House and was attracting her own media. "She's just trying to do her job and isn't looking for any of this crap," said one former official.

But Azar's simultaneous sidelining has frustrated many officials inside HHS, who worry that the secretary's weakened position is further destabilizing the department  and what's next.

"Im of two minds, said one senior career official. Why is he still there after all the attacks? But why would he stay? Hes been treated so badly.

If he goes, I hope we dont get Seema, the official added.

Explosive claim by vaccine expert also wears on department

A more recent complication: Last weeks ouster of vaccine expert Bright, which attracted national attention and prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats to demand an investigation. Bright has alleged that he was removed as chief of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority because he raised concerns about Trumps push to acquire unproven malaria drugs, and his high-powered legal team  who also represented Christine Blasey Ford, accuser of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh  have vowed to file a whistleblower suit.

The vaccine experts removal in the middle of the quest to find a Covid-19 vaccine also became a cable TV staple  This is like the Patriots pulling Tom Brady in the 4th quarter with the team down by 6, Andy Slavitt, Vermas Obama-era predecessor, said on MSNBC last week  and sparked some bipartisan concerns. Rick Bright was an outstanding partner to me, to FDA, and to our shared public health goals, tweeted Scott Gottlieb, Trumps former FDA commissioner.

Inside the department, Bright is viewed as an important avatar of career officials' frustration over the malaria-drug episode. "I'm glad that someone is finally saying bluntly what [infectious-disease expert Anthony] Fauci can't, which is how ridiculous it is that president was touting these drugs" despite scant evidence, said one HHS official.

But HHS leaders have been frustrated with the way Bright's ouster has been portrayed. Their assertion: Transferring the vaccine chief was driven by personality conflicts and management style that predate the Covid-19 outbreak, and previous attempts to move him were complicated by his status as a career civil servant. POLITICO also learned about those efforts before the Covid-19 outbreak. Two former officials and one current official compared the relationship between Bright and his boss Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, to the fraught dynamic between Verma and Azar.

HHS leaders have maintained that they will be vindicated when probes find that the story of Brights ouster is more complicated, adding that there are internal documents showing that Bright himself supported the acquisition of malaria drugs  but for now, they warily wait for his whistleblower complaint, having tossed his email for damaging snippets.

Beyond the scrutiny on senior leaders, health department officials have grown concerned about lower-level staff getting caught in the crossfire, as a growing number of HHS officials become the subject of investigative reports, talking-points on cable TV and even fodder on social media.

"It's tough to do this job on a normal day," said one official. "Now I've got to worry that [MSNBC's Rachel] Maddow is going to dig through my resume."

Regardless of what happens next, it's clear what won't: a return to the agenda that Azar carefully laid out in early February at the HHS state of the department address, a new ritual he began last year, modeled on Trump's own State of the Union address that week.

"In the year to come, and the five years I hope I have ahead, we have our work cut out for us," Azar said on Feb. 6, having listed out goals to lower drug prices, address serious mental illness and other public-health aspirations that have been largely shunted aside by the pandemic's demands.

"In other words, we have lots to do  but the entire HHS family should be very proud of what we've accomplished so far," Azar said. "I can't wait to get to work with all of you on our important goals this year."


Sebastian Vettel may decide to reject Ferrari's "immoral" contract offer and instead switch to McLaren.

That is the view of Sascha Roos, the commentator for Sky Germany.

"He has just received an immoral offer from Ferrari, with a big drop in salary and probably not with number 1 status," he said.

"Perhaps they have given him an offer that he will not sign. Then his place would be free for Carlos Sainz."

And Vettel, Roos suggested, may switch to McLaren to replace the Spaniard.

"Sebastian and Andreas Seidl know each other very well from their time together at BMW," he said.

Roos thinks that while the low sum offered by Ferrari may one reason Vettel leaves, it would be more about the message that the contractual demotion gives him.

"Sebastian Vettel is not about money," he said. "He is interested in having a successful car with the status he likes within the team.

"McLaren is also going to have a Mercedes engine, which is not a bad thing. It could be a reason that is attractive for Vettel, rather than having poor terms and being the less popular choice at Ferrari.

"It may be that the conditions he has at McLaren would be better than staying at Ferrari as the number 2 behind Charles Leclerc," said Roos.

(GMM)
With Governor Greg Abbotts stay-at-home order set to expire this weekend, churches around Southeast Texas are left with a looming choice  resume services or keep their doors closed amid ongoing coronavirus concerns.

Its a decision that varies among local congregations. While most Baptist churches in Southeast Texas will wait at least another two weeks before reopening, two such churches in Orange County will host services Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Diocese of Beaumont remains undecided on the issue, still mulling over options for Catholic churches to best fit the pandemics restrictions.

For churches choosing to reopen like Trinity Baptist in Vidor, pastor Marvin Fuller said its about regaining a lost sense of community. His congregation only consists of about 25 active members, but theyre ready to worship together.

A church is like a family, he said. We havent been able to be with them. We want to be able to come together and worship. It will help us maintain our faith and strength. I had been doing weekly messages through Facebook. Were a small congregation and we have a big sanctuary, so we have an opportunity to stay distant.

Rose City Baptist Church was one of the first places to reopen its doors, holding a service this past Sunday. The churchs pastor Tony Wilcoxson said that will continue this coming Sunday and in future weeks.

Other options like a drive-in service and continuing to stream services online were discussed, but the in-person worship was decided to be the most conducive for members.

We dont have a parking lot that is conducive to doing a drive-in service, he said. Weve been doing it online, but with (the attorney generals guidelines that came out last week), weve decided to go back to in-person services. On Sunday mornings, we have a senior service. Anyone that is age 60 and up can come to the morning service. Sunday evening is our young adult and children services.

Wilcoxson said the church has added a verbal screening policy at the front door to ensure attendees are in the right service and have not been sick within the previous two weeks.

With the separate groups, we are able to social distance better, he said. It worked for us for this Sunday and well do it again this next Sunday. My assistant pastor will be at the front door to engage anyone, especially if they are new to let them know of the policies.

Hes confident that his congregation is following social distance practices in their personal lives, but also said visitors are welcome, provided they also go through the verbal screening. The sanctuary is sanitized after each service.

Wilcoxson said both services averaged 25 people Sunday despite the church having roughly 250 members. Even so, he felt they were much more meaningful services than any online stream could offer.

The issue with online streaming is that you are watching somebody else worship, he said. We are not created to watch somebody else worship. We are created to worship, ourselves. The church service is more than sitting and listening to me preach. There is interaction and so much more. We dont want to put anyone at risk. Weve followed all of the recommendations that have come down the pipe so far. We havent fought against anything.

Similar precautions are being taken at Fullers Trinity Baptist Church in Vidor. Chairs will be spread out to ensure social distancing, and members will be requited to wear masks inside the sanctuary.

Fuller said the church is still rebounding from Tropical Storm Harvey and Tropical Depression Imelda, both of which flooded the building with 2-4 feet of water.

We felt like we needed to come back together and encourage one another through the rest of this, he said. Its tough. We are still rebuilding the second time and we need each other to be encouraged.

Not all local churches are so eager for a return to in-person services. Golden Triangle Baptist Network Executive Director Jiim Turnbo said holding off another two weeks is the most prudent course, although he acknowledged churches arent bound to his opinion.

He spent Monday reviewing Abbotts executive order and the attorney generals guidance piece before coming to his conclusion on the matter.

My advice to our churches is that we continue as we are until we get a revised order from our governor, Turnbo said. The reason I am advising that is that the attorney generals guidance asks us to continue doing things as remotely as possible. The spacing requirements we are asked to comply with, if we do meet, which we totally understand, significantly reduce the capacity of many of our worship spaces.

Decision-makers within the Diocese of Beaumont are still consulting whether or not to hold services, according to Director of Stewardship and Communications Letty Lanza.

Bishop Curtis Guillory is meeting with Episcopal vicars and priests to figure out a safe timeline to resume worship in churches while they monitor guidelines from government and health officials, she said.

During part of Tuesdays Beaumont City Council meeting where members of the governing body gave comments, Councilman and pastor Randy Feldschau encouraged members of the community  particularly pastors  to be cautious when reopening.

Please, pastors, please be careful how we do this. We know better than anyone that churches are a breeding ground for viruses because of the very nature and culture of what we do.

He specifically mentioned shaking hands, hugging peoples necks and praying over one another. Feldschau added that the safety of the parishioners and residents is priority.

Wilcoxson said his decision to open the doors was influenced by the fact that no confirmed cases had been reported in Rose City. As of Monday, Orange County had 70 confirmed coronavirus cases and one death.

Many members of the Rose City church are still choosing staying home, Wilcoxson said.

We have senior folks that are immune-compromised, he said. They are staying home. Those that have lung issues or cancer and things of that sort are still staying home. We have some young children that have palsy that are staying home and watching it online. We are not just opening it up for anyone that wants to come regardless of the condition you are in. We are telling all of our folks that have underlying issues to stay home.

Kaitlin Bain contributed to this story.

chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com

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mfaye@beaumontenterprise.com

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BERLIN TWP., MI - The driver of a Dodge Challenger police caught on I-75 in Monroe County wasnt going 110 mph.

Thats how much he surpassed the highways 70 mph speed limit.

And his 180 mph actual speed is also the fastest speed one Michigan State Police trooper said hed ever seen on the highway.

The Ohio man was behind the wheel of a southbound 2016 black Dodge Challenger when the trooper stopped him at 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 19, on I-75 near Sigler Road, in Berlin Township, 12 miles northeast of Monroe, police said.

The fine for exceeding the speed limit by more than 26 mph is $180, officials at 1st District Court in Monroe said. Despite exceeding the speed limit by more than four times the maximum speed allowance, the fine remains at $180 unless it is coupled with a separate moving violation, court officials said.

The man is only charged with speeding, not reckless driving, police said. Exceeding the speed limit by at least 16 mph means four points added to a drivers license, according to the Michigan Secretary of State.

Highways have been less congested with people staying home during the coronavirus pandemic, police said. But, troopers advise motorists to still follow the law and practice safe driving -- because they are out watching.

Read more from MLive:

Felon with guns arrested after high-speed pursuit in Jackson, police say

Garage fire causes $20K in damage at Ypsilanti Township home

2 Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office dispatchers test positive for COVID-19
The Uttar Pradesh government is confident that US companies keen on shifting base from China following the coronavirus pandemic would prefer the state as their business destination.

Minister for MSME Siddhartnath Singh, who held a webinar with US-based firms under the aegis of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum on Tuesday, said the interaction had been encouraging.

"The US has significant investment in China. Our Prime Minister and Chief Minister want to use the opportunity where industries are moving out of China and see how they can be brought to India, especially to UP. Video-conferencing was held with over 100 American companies...They've shown interest," Singh said on Wednesday.

The participating companies were told about the sector-specific policies, mainly in the defence, pharmaceuticals, food processing, electronics and education sectors, he said.

The representatives of the US companies said they would definitely prefer Uttar Pradesh as their next business destination as the state has a strong customer base and adequate skilled manpower, besides a conducive working atmosphere, the minister said.

Besides Singh, senior officials, including Principal Secretary MSME and Exports Navneet Sehgal, took part in the webinar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- with reporting from Noel Baker

One of the countrys deadliest Covid-19 clusters has emerged in Corks Clonakilty Community Hospital.

A total of nine residents have died in the past three weeks.

When the Irish Examiner reported on the Covid-19 outbreak last week, it was believed at least two residents had died.

But the HSE has now confirmed the shocking extent of the outbreak and that a much higher number have died.

A spokesperson for the HSE said: It is with great sadness we can confirm that nine residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital passed away with Covid-19 to date this month. We wish to express our sincere sympathies to the families and friends of residents who have passed away.

This is a very difficult time for families, for the community and for the staff caring for the residents at Clonakilty Community Hospital.

Management and staff wish to reassure the community that they are continuing to provide both compassionate and high-quality care to all residents.

Every possible precaution has been taken and continues to be taken to keep residents and staff safe.

They added: Where people have sadly approached the end of their lives, whether due to Covid-19 or for other reasons, their family and loved ones have been offered the opportunity to be with them.

Every possible effort is continuing to keep residents and staff safe, with stringent measures in place to prevent the spread of infection. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect the health of our residents.

As a result of infection in the hospital, a crack Covid-19 team of experts from the Department of Public Health and the Department of Occupational Therapy, Infection Prevention and Control was drafted in to handle the outbreak earlier this month.

All residents and staff have already been tested for Covid-19 and a plan is in place to handle the situation.

The HSE confirmed last week there is a level of Covid-19 infection at the hospital and it confirmed staff had also tested positive.

What has also not been disclosed yet is just how many patients and members of staff have tested positive.

Also not clear at this stage is how many patients at the hospital had been transferred there from bigger hospitals before the first community transmitted case in the country was reported, on March 5.

The case was discovered in Cork University Hospital, and at the time there were a total of 13 confirmed cases in the country.

Just four days later, it was reported that two nurses at Bons Secours Hospital in Cork tested positive.

The first confirmed Covid-19 death in Cork was first reported on March 26, and since then there have been at least 40 deaths in Cork and Kerry.

The current restrictions started on Friday, March 27. They mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to: Shop for essential food and household goods;

Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;

Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;

Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people

Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice physical distancing

Newly-elected Cork South West TD, Christopher OSullivan said: Im saddened and want to express my deepest sympathy to their loved ones.

These people are more than just numbers and statistics - they are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends.

He said that he has been in contact with senior figures in the HSE who assured him all that can be done is being done.

He said he has been assured this includes bringing in extra nurses and staff into the hospital.

I want the staff and management at Clonakilty Community Hospital to know the people of Clonakilty and West Cork continue to stand with you in solidarity, he added.

I was assured there is very little risk of spread to the greater community, and all staff members have been tested.

Anyone who has tested positive is self-isolating.
French envoy Emmanuel Lenain expressed his grief over the untimely demise of Irrfan Khan who breathed his last at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Mumbai on April 29. Recalling the collaboration between France and India for co-production of film Lunchbox, Ambassador of France to New Delhi said that the Irrfan stood out in every role.

Deeply saddened at untimely demise of actor par excellence #IrrfanKhan

A beloved international face of Indian cinema, the acclaimed actor stood out in every role he essayed, incl. the memorable Lunchbox, the first official co-production between India and France shown at Cannes pic.twitter.com/fy5dw0MJGe  Emmanuel Lenain (@FranceinIndia) April 29, 2020

The untimely demise of Irrfan has caused an outpouring of grief and Bollywood celebrities are extending their condolences to the actors family. Irrfan had announced in 2018 that he was suffering from neuroendocrine tumour, a type of cancer. He was under treatment in the UK before his return to India last year.

Read: Actor Irrfan Khan Passes Away In Mumbai Hospital; Team Releases Statement

Irrfan had shot to fame with Mira Nairs Academy-nominated Salaam Bombay in 1988. The turning points in his career, however, were the critically acclaimed roles in Haasil and Maqbool at the start of the millennium. Irrfan Khan had won the National Award for his work for Paan Singh Tomar. He was known for his numerous other acclaimed works in films like Haasil, Maqbool, The Namesake, The Lunchbox, Talwar, Piku and Hindi Medium that fetched him numerous awards.

Read: Hrithik Roshan Condoles Irrfan Khan's Death, Says 'I Will Miss You'

Here's the statement released by Irrfan's team that confirmed the tragic demise:

I trust, I have surrendered; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.

Read: Irrfan Khan's Demise: 'Angrezi Medium' Co-star Kareena Kapoor Khan Mourns The Loss

Read: Irrfan Khan's Dialogues From 'Piku' That Made Fans Fall In Love With His 'lovable Self'

(Image: Twitter / @FranceinIndia)
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday told members of Rajya Sabha that the next session of Parliament depends on the situation on the ground and hoped for a normal schedule saying efforts to contain coronavirus were showing results, according to sources.

The Rajya Sabha chairman was interacting with the MPs as part of his 'Mission Connect' during which he has been talking to a large number of parliamentarians as well as former presidents and prime ministers, present and former chief justices of India, governors and chief ministers, besides leaders of political parties.

The sources said when some members of Rajya Sabha asked Naidu about the next session, he told them that it "depends on the situation on the ground".

He further said that with intensive virus containment efforts being mounted across the country and results showing on ground, one may hope for normal schedule, the sources add.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 05:48:23|Editor: huaxia

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RIO DE JANEIRO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government announced on Tuesday the appointment of Andre Mendonca as the country's new minister of justice and public security, and Alexandre Ramagem as the new head of the Federal Police.

The announcement was made in Tuesday's edition of the Official Journal, which publishes all government decrees.

Mendonca previously served as Attorney General, a position he had held since the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration. In addition to his legal career, Mendonca is also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

The previous justice minister, Sergio Moro, left the government on Friday over disagreements with President Jair Bolsonaro over the changing the leadership of the Federal Police. He accused the president of trying to interfere in confidential Federal Police investigations to protect his allies.

Bolsonaro denied Moro's accusations and accused the former minister of demanding a nomination to the Supreme Court in exchange for changing the head of the Federal Police. On Monday evening, the Supreme Court authorized investigations into both Moro and Bolsonaro's accusations.

The choice of Alexandre Ramagem to head the Federal Police has been widely regarded as potentially problematic, given his close ties to the president's family. Ramagem was Bolsonaro's chief of security during part of his presidential campaign and is a longtime friend of the president's sons, who are also politicians.

Earlier in the day, opposition federal deputy Marcelo Freixo filed an action to prevent Ramagem from taking office until the end of the investigations into Moro's accusations against the president. Enditem
Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan dies after long battle with cancer

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Apr 29: Irrfan Khan, one of the most versatile actor in Hindi cinema passed away on Wednesday at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai while battling rare cancer. He was 54.

The "Maqbool" actor, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, lost his mother in Jaipur just four days ago. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

Irrfan Khan's filmmaker-friend Shoojit Sircar broke this news on Twitter and wrote, "My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute."

His family issued an official statement that read, "I trust, i have surrendered"; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away," the statement said.

"Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it," it added.

"Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, "As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it," it further said.

Irrfan, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, is survived by his wife Sutapa and his sons Babil and Ayaan.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

The EU Strategy for Central Asia, which envisages partnership in the security, trade and economic, transport and energy fields, was discussed during an online meeting with Peter Burian, EU special representative for Central Asia, arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Trend reports with reference to Zolotoy Vek (Golden Age) newspaper.

Peter Burian stressed that Europe welcomes the policy of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his international initiatives aimed at strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas.

The dynamics of the development of relations between Turkmenistan and the European community was noted, and joint projects and programs in the field of education, environmental protection, economy, support for the development of the private sector and agriculture were discussed.

The parties expressed willingness to expand the partnership and emphasized that Turkmenistan and the EU members states will enhance their relationship.

The EU strategy for Central Asia was adopted in 2007. This strategy represents the European Union's long-term commitment to regional and bilateral cooperation with its partners form Central Asian countries.

---



Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
The health and safety of buyers and sellers to carry on their business is the single outstanding consideration for car dealers

Dire forebodings haunt the jobs and businesses associated with cars. Everyone is struggling. Sales have dried up; short and long-term support is being called for. Echoes of the recession years resound.

Yet in the midst of it all, distributors and individual garages are trying to look ahead.

There is no point, they say, in looking back because we've never had a systemic shutdown of such ferocity.

So they are trying to visualise what motoring post-virus survival will be like and require.

Central to it all is the old adage of the customer always coming first. Everything has to revolve around that.

Whatever expansive or limited shape the re-start takes, the health and safety of buyers and sellers to carry on their business is the single outstanding consideration.

It starts with a massive drive to allay customer and staff fears of picking up a virus infection in cars, dealerships or workshops.

This week, in his own fashion Opel Ireland chief James Brooks sums up the challenge: "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. We recognised very quickly during our business continuity planning that to be best prepared to reopen our network post lockdown we needed to put in place extra controls to protect our customers and employees."

Their network, like so many others (Renault detailed preparations publicly this week too) will apply "stringent measures" to ensure social distancing and hygiene protocols are adhered to.

They are employing specialised experts so customers get a deep clean of their vehicle after repair work or before taking a test drive, for example. It is designed to "instil a little more confidence" in people to visit their dealer - for whatever reason.

So they have contracted Sanity Systems to "deep clean" all new and used vehicles in the network. The company uses ozone gas to scientifically kill 99pc of bacteria and viruses in vehicles and air-con system.

Paddy Magee of Renault Ireland also gave insight into the new disciplines they are insisting on to ensure the safety of all concerned.

A directive outlines what must be followed.

As with other brands, it includes staff rotas, limiting numbers in the showroom at any one time, solo test drives, contactless payments, sanitised cars and much more.

Also, like so many others, they are coming up with ways to lessen the potential impact of purchase and ownership with deals and offers.

Examples include a no-extra-cost three-month deferred repayment.

More pointedly - and as reported in our Business section yesterday - Mr Magee is appealing for a short-term 3,000 reduction in VRT to give people an incentive to buy new and help to lower emissions.
The police in California discovered a severed head in a refrigerator on April 26. They were also investigating a missing person case. Multiple sources told KTVU that offers made the horrifying discovery while executing a search warrant at an apartment in San Francisco, California.

Missing person case that led to the discovery

The sources also claimed that the search at the apartment on April 26 was related to an ongoing missing person investigation which started after Justin Silvernale, carjacking suspect, stabbed an off-duty San Francisco police officer on April 12. The 35-year-old suspect led police on a high-speed car chase which ended with his shooting death when he approached an officer while carrying a knife.

It is not immediately known who was reported missing and how the missing person investigation led the police to the San Francisco apartment but sources say that the missing person is 41-year-old Catano Perez, who lived in the apartment. His family last had contact with him back on April 10.

Even though it is not clear how the fatal carjacking is tied to the missing person report, sources stated that the victim is associated with Silvernale. Sergeant Michael Andraychak, a San Francisco police spokesperson confirmed to the news station that a body was discovered at the home. The private investigator says he was last seen around the Great Highway and was officially declared missing on April 20.

Also Read: El Salvador Prisoners Interlock Bodies Together in Jail Lockdown After Spike of Gang-Related Murders

Other incidents

Back in 2014, a woman's head was found in the woods in Pennsylvania. Until today, the woman's identity remains a mystery. Although the police do not have any suspects, they do have a leading theory. They believe the head may have been severed by a so-called body broker, someone who sells body parts from a cadaver donated to science.

What made the case complicated is that bodies and parts can be bought, sold, and even leased across America with relative ease. That makes tracing the origins of remains like the head found in the Economy difficult if not impossible. After the head was found, authorities used cadaver dogs to scour the area and they asked for DNA from the woman, but their efforts did not result in anything. The case of the woman, whom they call Jane Doe, went cold.

In 2017, a man whose severed head and charred body were found in separate locations died from decapitation. The police in Mississippi stated that they identified the dead man as Jeremy Jerome Jackson, a 30-year-old man. Authorities released his autopsy results and stated that he also suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to the leg.

The police offered a $20,000 reward for an arrest and conviction in the killing but to no avail. Lee Vance, Jackson Police Chief, stated that he requested federal help with the case and the killing of the victim who was shot during daylight hours while working at a kids' barbershop.

Jackson's severed head was found the morning after on the front porch of a home. A few hours later, his headless burned body was discovered less than a mile away. The residents told CNN affiliate WLBT that a group of children found the body in a wooded area.



Related Article: Former Professor Killed Wife After She Planned on Leaving Him

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Kate Middleton will someday become Britain's queen consort and people assume that she is perfect for the role. The Duchess of Cambridge has a specific way of carrying herself, especially when she is mindful that the world is watching.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to denounce their roles as senior members of the British royal family had a profound impact on The Firm. The Cambridges are both full-time working members of the royal family and their plate is now fuller, shouldering the Sussex's workload. The senior royals have been under remarkable pressure since the announcement of the resignation with everyone working relentlessly to figure out how things would be handled.

The duchess has been the epitome of calmness since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declared their stunning decision. However, her measured response to Megxit is not quite what it seems.

All eyes have been on Prince Harry and Markle for months. As of March 31, 2020, the Sussexes have officially been independent and have relocated into their new home in Los Angeles, California.

On Middleton's reaction on Megxit, according to a royal source, "She, Harry, and William were once such a happy trio, she thinks what has happened is all very sad."

Aside from the additional royal duties, she is well aware that she is being watched more closely than before as it is her turn to shine.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said Prince William and Middleton as the future King and Queen Consort are aware that the future "inner core" of the royal family lies with them and their children.

Also Read: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Rumored to be Going Broke?

A source close to the duchess said that the effect has been for the best in the duchess' case.

"Someone who knows Kate well said 'the atmosphere since the Sussexes left has noticeably improved,'" a royal insider remarked. "Kate does not feel she has to compete now. She has gone back to a much simpler style. Kate feels very much more relaxed now."

Now that Middleton, 38 and Prince William, 37, are often seen out performing royal duties on behalf of the Queen, a body language expert interpreted Middleton's change behavior since the royal exit.

Body language expert Judi James evaluated recent outings of the duchess following the announcement.

She assessed that Middleton has made changes to make the impression that she is the more "fun" in the family.

Also, Middleton reportedly used to feel the weight that would come naturally with the public's constant comparisons between the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister-in-law Markle.

"She most definitely went through a phase two years ago where she seemed slightly intimidated by Meghan," according to the source. "She was afraid of comparisons being drawn between them and that Meghan was the one who looked glamorous and popular for a while."

James said that the duchess is regularly being seen trying to make her husband laugh in public and wallowing in frequent bouts of laughter herself when she is making royal visits.

James explained, "It could be a conscious decision, i.e. that the royal firm don't want to be seen as the 'stuffy royals' now that the two glitziest and spontaneous members have left."

Related Article: Prince Harry Secretly Met With Former Girlfriend Chelsy Davy

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
D onald Trump has said the high number of Covid-19 cases in the United States is due to the country's testing being "sooo much better' than anywhere else in the world.

The US has reported more than 1 million confirmed cases and 59,266 deaths, accounting for almost a third of the world's death toll.

Despite the figures, many American states have been pushing to relax lockdown restrictions. California reopened beaches last weekend, with thousands of sunbathers flocking to them.

Mr Trump defended his administration's efforts in a late night tweet.

"The only reason the U.S. has reported one million cases of CoronaVirus is that our Testing is sooo much better than any other country in the World (sic)," he said.

"Other countries are way behind us in Testing, and therefore show far fewer cases!"

Earlier, the president defended his administration's handling of the pandemic as he met with Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis and promised to help states safely begin reopening their economies.

Mr Trump, seated next to mr DeSantis in the Oval Office, insisted that the United States was doing enough testing to protect Americans reentering the workforce. The administration has been sharply criticised for not overseeing widespread testing, but Mr Trump said no amount would ever be good enough for critics in the media.

New York's Coronavirus outbreak - In pictures 1 /34 New York's Coronavirus outbreak - In pictures The Supermoon rises behind the Empire State Building while it glows red in solidarity with those infected with coronavirus as the outbreak of the disease (COVID-19) continues in the Manhattan borough of New York City Reuters A nearly empty Times Square AFP via Getty Images Riders, some wearing masks and gloves as a protective measure over coronavirus concerns, enter a New York City subway train AP People try to keep a social distance while they enjoy a sunny day at Central Park Reuters Nadia, a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo, that the zoo said on April 5, 2020 has tested positive for coronavirus disease WCS/Handout via Reuters People wear face masks AFP via Getty Images A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan Reuters US President Donald Trump looks on during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on March 31, 2020, in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images Felix Hassebroek waves to his classmates, who he has not seen in 2 weeks through a livestream video meet up during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Brooklyn, New York Reuters Friends and neighbors, Sarah and Elizabeth, talk about their weekends from opposite sides of the road as they maintain social distance in a neighborhood in Syracuse, New York Reuters Light morning traffic seen on the FDR drive on March 24, 2020 in New York City AFP via Getty Images A subway customer uses a tissue to protect her hand while holding onto a pole AP Workers construct what is believed to be a makeshift morgue behind a hospital during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Manhattan borough of New York City Reuters Beds separated by black fabric are set up as a temporary field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Queens, New York AFP via Getty Images New York's Hart Island where the department of corrections is dealing with more burials Reuters Medical workers wait for patients at a special coronavirus intake area in New York Getty Images Patients wear personal protective equipment while maintaining social distancing as they wait in line for a COVID-19 test at Elmhurst Hospital Center AP The One World Trade Center tower in Manhattan is seen illuminated in blue light Reuters Pictures drawn by children as part of the Quarantine Rainbow Project in Brooklyn, New York Reuters U.S. Army National Guard personnel load boxes of free food provided by multiple New York City agencies into a taxi for distribution to local residents in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID19) in New York Reuters Traders work during the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 17, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City AFP via Getty Images A man in a wheelchair crosses a nearly empty 7th Avenue in Times Square in Manhattan Reuters Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images REUTERS

The president dismissed suggestions that the administration was slow to respond to the threat of COVID-19, including reports that it was mentioned in his daily intelligence briefing in January and February.
Three militants were killed and as many security forces personnel injured in an overnight encounter between the ultras and the forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.

Based on an input about the presence of militants in Melhoora area of south Kashmirs district, a cordon and search operation was launched by security forces on Tuesday, a police spokesman said.

He said during the search operation, the militants fired upon the search party of the forces, who retaliated, leading to an encounter.

In the ensuing gun fight, three militants were killed, the spokesman said.

The identity of the militants killed is being ascertained and their medico-legal formalities are being done, he added.

The spokesman said three security forces personnel also sustained injuries in the encounter and they were rushed to a hospital.

Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of the encounter, he said.

Police have registered a case and initiated a probe into the matter, he added.

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Deborah Birx, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, is often called upon to moderate President Trump's speculations about COVID-19 remedies. (AFP/Getty Images)

In olden times, it was fairly easy to identify the sources of misinformation and cultural ignorance: They were either commercial entities that profited from misleading the public, such as tobacco companies, or conspiracy theorists and other inhabitants of the lunatic fringe.

"When it comes to misinformation, I normally tell people not to trust information unless it comes from a trusted source," says Mark Dredze, an expert at Johns Hopkins University on how health-related misinformation and disinformation spread via social media. "Don't take your health information from random websites and don't take any medication without talking to your doctor.

"But how do you tell people to trust the federal government, but don't pay attention to the president of the United States?"

Misinformation spreads rapidly, especially in a time of great fear. That's always been true, from the burning of witches on up to hydroxychloroquine.

Robert N. Proctor, Stanford University

That's the question posed by a paper by Dredze and collaborators from Harvard, Oxford and UC San Diego published Wednesday by JAMA Internal Medicine.

The authors studied Google searches seeking information on how to buy chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, the drugs touted by high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and President Trump as possible treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

They found that immediately after Musk and Trump began promoting the drugs as effective treatments for COVID-19, searches for purchasing information soared.

In just the two weeks after Musk first mentioned the drugs as possible treatments March 16, followed by a Trump tweet March 19, searches for purchase information rose by more than 200,000 over the average level before the COVID-19 crisis.

Even after news reports surfaced March 23 of a fatal chloroquine poisoning of a Phoenix man, searches remained elevated  more than 200% higher than the pre-COVID period for chloroquine, and 1,167% higher for the related drug hydroxychloroquine.

Story continues

The lesson, according to the authors, is that "in times of public health crises, therapies not supported by adequate evidence should not be touted by public figures."

Those words need to be reinforced consistently in the current crisis, when the loudest megaphone in the country is in the hands of Trump, a repeat violator of the principle. "We want to emphasize that speech really matters," John W. Ayers, an epidemiologist at UC San Diego and coauthor of the paper, told me. "These collateral consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic can be very severe. The question is what can we do about it?"

"I was hoping that we had moved on  hydroxychloroquine was two or three weeks ago already, and it's not relevant anymore," Dredze says. "But if anything, it's become clear that this is a pattern of behavior and not a one-time thing."

Searches for how to purchase hydroxychloroquine soared after Elon Musk and President Trump started touting it as a possible treatment for COVID-19. (JAMA Internal Medicine)

Indeed, just days ago, Trump's public discussion about injecting disinfectant to kill the coronavirus inside the body alarmed the entire healthcare establishment and even prompted the makers of Lysol and Clorox to issue consumer warnings against ingesting or using their products internally in any way.

Among the other research issues already under scrutiny by scientists, the novel coronavirus has become a fertile subject for experts in "agnotology," defined as the study of the cultural production of misinformation.

"This is a great time for agnotology, living as we do in the golden age of ignorance," says Robert N. Proctor, a professor of the history of science at Stanford and one of the pioneers in the field.

"Misinformation spreads rapidly, especially in a time of great fear," Proctor says. "That's always been true, from the burning of witches on up to hydroxychloroquine. When people are faced with a crisis, they become desperate."

Proctor cut his agnotological teeth by studying Big Tobacco's public relations campaign against the anti-smoking movement.

"The tobacco industry knew that cigarettes caused cancer, and they knew with their iimmense resources they could get journalists to say there's two sides to every story, that we need more research. Their genius was to fund immunology and genetics and genomics, all to give the impression that something besides cigarettes was causing cancer. It was really an obfuscation campaign to hide the truth."

But that's different from what's coming from the White House. "Even to call Trump's thing 'misinformation' is odd," Proctor says, "because in what way is it information at all? It's more like 'mis-speculation.' He's just kind of talking out loud. He's not providing evidence." Unlike the tobacco industry, he says, "I don't think Trump is deliberately trying to fool anybody. He's just ignorant."

Still, ignorance issuing from such a high level produces entirely new challenges for anyone trying to keep the public from being misled. The threat is not only to the public's understanding but also to the trust in the government itself.

"We see examples of the bully pulpit at the state level, of governors using the platform they have, because they're governors, to be a central resource for informing people," Dredze says.

"That's really what the White House and the president do. Because the president commands national attention, he can bring important information to people. What we see here is that the bully pulpit is being used to convey conspiracy theories, medical misinformation, and information that's flat-out dangerous and that sucks up time and attention from other important issues. This is really unprecedented."

Meanwhile, the dearth of hard information about the epidemiology of the disease has created a vacuum that has been filled by pseudoscience wearing the mantle of expertise. Medical doctors have claimed to have found effective treatments for COVID-19 or come to unwarranted conclusions about its prevalence or lethality rates based on dubious evidence.

Often, these assertions aim to support an early reopening of businesses, even though epidemiological experts counsel against the premature lifting of stay-at-home policies. But the claims are spread widely via social media or on Fox News.

Fighting the tide of misinformation and ignorance may never have been harder. Ayers points out that Google has placed an information box on search pages for "coronavirus" that directs users to information about symptoms, testing, prevention and other issues, though it doesn't do so on search results for chloroquine. Government health officials could aggressively contradict Trump's musings about COVID-19 cures, but some have been loath to do so, given his mercurial nature.

By applying political pressure to federal science agencies, moreover, the Trump administration has undermined their position as trusted sources. Early in the crisis, Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, was sidelined as a public source after she spoke forthrightly about the social changes that the pandemic would force on Americans.

The Food and Drug Administration, which is tasked with overseeing the safety and efficacy of drugs, issued an exceedingly rare emergency use authorization for prescriptions of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, a step likely to be interpreted by laypersons as an endorsement, and one it would probably not have taken if Trump hadn't turned the drugs into his personal hobbyhorses. To date, clinical trials across the world have failed to validate them as treatments for COVID-19.

Debunking misconceptions about COVID-19 or purported treatments is tricky. "In denying something," Proctor says, "you bring attention to it, and some portion of the public will mishear that" as an endorsement.

The fundamental problem is that our inundation by information of all sorts coming through social media has fueled the old adage that "a lie can go halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on" with steroids.

"One of the goals of Russian disinformation campaigns is to erode trust in the federal government," Dredze says. "When we start talking about whether we can trust what the CDC is saying, or are they being suppressed, on the one hand that's a really good question. On the other hand, that is the outcome that disinformation campaigns wanted in the first place. It's very unhelpful when the underlying claim that you can't trust your government turns out to be accurate. How do we combat that?"
Target owner Wesfarmers is considering selling the department store chain or converting some stores into Kmarts in a bid to save the struggling retailer from extinction.

Chief executive Rob Scott has revealed the company is looking to make changes for Target to become 'commercially viable', following a worse than expected slump in sales from the coronavirus lockdown.

The department store's revenue and profits have taken a 'significant' hit during the pandemic, which have left shopping centres deserted as retailers temporarily close their doors.

Wesfarmers said Target store closures were 'inevitable' after highlighting its 'unsatisfactory' financial performance in a trading briefing to investors on Tuesday.

Target could be sold or coverted into Kmart stores after the department store's revenue and profits took a 'significant' hit during the coronavirus pandemic

While sales have slumped for Target, in-store momentum has moderated in popular discount department store chain Kmart (pictured), despite the coronavirus lockdowns

But despite the grim prognosis for this financial year, Mr Scott said he is still confident 'there is a future' for the retailer and 'all options are on the table'.

The company is open to selling the chain or may consider downsizing if landlords are willing to agree on rent reductions.

'There will be some stores where it might be viable to retain a Target or convert it to a Kmart if there is some landlord support,' he told the Business Daily.

'But in the absence of support from landlords, it is likely to be a much smaller network.'

While sister department store chain Kmart remains profitable in deteriorating trading conditions, Target's earnings have slumped significantly.

The sharp sales decline prompted a planned review into Target's operations to be accelerated, which will be completed by June 30.

Wesfarmers says a decline in in-store sales will continue declining sales is expected to persist while social distancing and isolation measures remain in place. Pictured are shoppers in Sydney's deserted Pitt Street Mall on Monday

'These plans include a review of a range of actions to improve shareholder returns and assessment of strategic options for a commercially viable Target,' Mr Scott told investors.

He has since confirmed store closures are possible.

'The strategic review is considering all options for the Target business including an accelerated store closure program, the conversion of some stores to Kmart and other structural options for the Target business,' Mr Scott told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

'The review is an opportunity to review the network, the number and size of stores, to ensure it is fit for purpose.'

'We are getting very strong growth in online in Target, it's a great brand, with loyal customers, and a very engaged and loyal team - so there are assets of value we can work with but we need to get the property structure and network right to ensure the cost base is right for the future.'

In February, Kmart swung to a 5.5 per cent first-half comparable sales growth from a 0.6 per cent decline a year ago, with revenue at the discount department store up $241million or 7.6 per cent to $4.99billion.

Target's comparable sales went the other way, though, falling 2.3 per cent compared with 0.5 per cent growth a year ago as it recorded a worse-than-expected $67million sales slump.

'In recent weeks, in-store sales momentum has moderated in Kmart and has declined in Target, reflecting the broader decline in customer footfall shopping centres and ongoing weakness in discretionary categories, particularly apparel,' Mr Scott told investors.

The current trend of declining sales is expected to persist while social distancing and isolation measures remain in place.

'Given the high degree of fixed occupancy costs, a sustained decline in sales momentum will have a material impact on the profitability of Kmart and Target,' Mr Scott said.

'Margins have also been impacted by higher levels of clearance activity and the increased cost of online fulfillment.'

The coronavirus lockdown has left shopping centres deserted as retailers temporarily close their doors. Pictured: Westfield Parramatta

The sales figures were much better for Bunnings and Officeworks, which have experienced significant growth demand in the last two months due to the large numbers of Australians holed up at home.

The demand contributed to Wesfarmers maintaining a strong balance sheet, despite the pandemic crisis.

'COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our way of life and business operations and the actions we are taking with our balance sheet and in our businesses are focused on sustaining performance in an uncertain future,' Mr Scott said.

Target is Australia's largest department store chain with 284 stores across the country.

Established in 1926, the retailer was originally known as Lindsays until 1968, when Myer Emporium bought the chain of 16 stores across Victoria, which were renamed Lindsay's Target.

The retailer was renamed Target Australia in 1973.
The Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department on Monday reported the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cedar County. Additional cases also were reported in Dixon, Wayne and Thurston counties.

Nebraska health officials on Tuesday reported 16 new cases, increasing the state's total to 3,374.
Each year, San Antonio and Bexar County are home to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, groups big and small, that reach out to help the community in a myriad of ways.

Like businesses, those groups have been hit hard by the coronvirus pandemic, as nonprofit revenues steeply decline and the army of volunteers who normally show up to help get the work done stay home to shelter-in-place.

A new online tool created by United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County aims to fill that void, chiefly by providing opportunities for those who want to volunteer, either remotely or in a safe, socially distant manner.

The website, https://saunited4good.org/ gathers such volunteer opportunities in one place. It also provides nonprofits an outlet to tell their stories and document how the pandemic  in lost dollars and volunteer hours  is affecting how they do their work.

The pandemic has upended the local nonprofit world, including the cancellation of crucial fundraisers, said Chris Martin, president and CEO of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.

On ExpressNews.com: Mayor says its too soon to reopen

People still want to help, but in this COVID-19 era, theyre just not sure how or where to go to find opportunities, he said. This new website is a rallying place for nonprofits to be able engage volunteers in important and meaningful ways.

The product of a Cincinnati-based nonprofit technology provider, the new virtual volunteering platform will help nonprofits respond quickly to current needs and will better position them for a faster recovery in the aftermath, Martin said.

One example on the site is the American Red Cross Serving Greater San Antonio, which describes a range of online volunteer opportunities, from handling paperwork related to blood donations, becoming a disaster casework volunteer and doing data entry of government information.

The nonprofit also needs social media ambassadors, as well as those who can collect and create impact stories from Red Cross volunteers, input data on volunteering and help in a collaborative mapping project on humanitarian efforts around the globe.

On ExpressNews.com: How San Antonians can help during the virus

The volunteer spots are open to those with differing levels of computer skills, even minimal ones. Online training is provided.

Volunteers are the heart of the American Red Cross, said Executive Director Michael Vela. This initiative will help us continue to provide vital services to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.

Sandra Morales, head of House of Neighborly Service, said her nonprofit, which right now is focusing most heavily on its food delivery service to the elderly, needs in-person volunteers for its work.

We need people who can help in our curbside meal pickups and also do actual deliveries, she said. Weve gone from delivering 35 meals a day to 75, and I expect to hit 100 soon.

The nonprofit, which also provides child development and family support services, has seen a steep drop in revenue, she said.

Weve lost at least $200,000 in our funding, and its probably going to be a lot more, Morales said.

In March, the San Antonio Area Foundation and the United Way jointly launched the COVID-19 Response Fund, which, along with gifts from other donors, is now over $5 million. More than 100 nonprofits have since received grants.

And the Big Give SA, normally a once-a-year, 24-hour online giving drive, has become the Big Give Emergency Relief, launched by the Nonprofit Council. People can donate directly to one of 500 nonprofits in San Antonio and the surrounding counties.

But even with these two major funding efforts, many groups still need help. The new platform includes nonprofits that dont belong to the United Way partnership network, Martin said

After the virus-related restrictions subside, he said, the new site will evolve into an ongoing, communitywide guide to volunteer engagement.

Martin noted that the decline in nonprofit revenue comes right as needs in the community increase because of the virus, from food distribution for impoverished families to heightened services required for housebound people, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

The new site keeps safety top of mind, he said, both for volunteers and those they help. Safe volunteering opportunities include such tasks as drivers for food delivery, writing notes of encouragement to Boys & Girls Club kids or sharing a photo or video with essential workers.

One bright spot in these otherwise dreary times is the civic-mindedness permeating our community, said Brandyn Moore-Rodriguez, vice president of community relations and volunteer initiatives for United Way.

We understand that for many, these times may be uncertain and scary, she said. But in spite of those feelings, many volunteers have still been moved to ask, How can I help?

Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. To read more from Melissa , become a subscriber. mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje
Steve Backshall has called for closure of markets that sell live animals, and says we 'have to address' the way animals are sold around the world following the coronavirus crisis.

The TV presenter and nature expert, 47, from Bagshot, Surrey appeared on Good Morning Britain today where he told that diseases caused by the multi-billion trade are harming humans and 'not just wildlife'.

It is thought that the new coronavirus first made the jump from animals to humans at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, which is where the earliest cluster of cases was detected.

Steve Backshall (pictured) has called for closure of bushmeat markets and says we 'have to address' the way animals are sold around the world on Good Morning Britain

It is believed coronavirus originated at 'wet market' Huanan seafood market in Wuhan. Pictured, meat hanging in the seafood market in Huanan, China

Host Susanna Reid said: 'On the current information, we understand this virus may have started in one of the wet markets in China, can you just describe what your view is?'

Steve explained: 'They are not necessarily wildlife markets, they may contain wildlife, but it's more about wet produce as such.

'It's very important to know this is not just a Chinese problem, the bushmeat trade, the illegal trade in wildlife is one of the biggest in the world, after people, guns and drugs.'

He went on to insist that we 'have to' address the way we trade animals around the world because of the human impact.

Host Susanna Reid asked Steve: On the current information, we understand this virus may have started in one of the wet markets in China, can you just describe what your view is?

Steve told that diseases caused by the multi-billion illegal trade are harming humans and 'not just wildlife'

'This is a multi-billion trade across the world and some of the biggest diseases don't come from China, so surely this has to be a time we address the trade in wildlife.

'It's not just harming wildlife, it's harming us, we have to address the way we trade animals - particularly bush meat from around the world.'

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in January that the coronavirus had been passed onto humans by wildlife sold as food in the Wholesale Market, which sold dead and live animals including fish and birds.

A further 639 coronavirus deaths were announced yesterday, with the official death toll now standing at 21,731 in Britain.

The presenter went on to explain his personal link to the virus, as his own sister is working as an oncology sister while his brother and sister-in-law are working in the ICU at a hospital in Stoke

The presenter went on to explain his personal link to the virus, since his own sister is working as an oncology ward sister while his brother and sister-in-law are working in the ICU at a hospital in Stoke.

He told how his sister is being forced to go home to her children knowing she doesn't have proper PPE, and says her bravery is something he can 'barely comprehend'.

Speaking of his sister, he said: 'They're doing an incredible job with youngsters who have cancer.'

'I hear the stories directly from my family, how they're struggling, and my sister is going home to young children thinking she has to make her own PPE.

'It's a constant concern and worry to her and the bravery she exhibits every day is something I can barely comprehend myself.'
Billionaire miner Andrew Forrest has been accused of ambushing the Australian government after he parachuted one of Chinas top diplomats into an official event, blindsiding Health Minister Greg Hunt.

Mr Forrest, the Fortescue chairman, surprised Mr Hunt by inviting Chinas consul-general for Victoria Zhou Long to speak alongside him on Wednesday after he secured 10 million coronavirus tests from China, a 20-fold increase in Australias testing capacity.

Health Minister Greg Hunt walks away from Chinese consul-general Zhou Long and Andrew Forrest after the press conference. Credit:AAP

The audacious bid to mend a deteriorating political relationship between Beijing and Canberra follows increasing pressure from corporate leaders for Australia to back down on its public threats to pursue Chinas role in the coronavirus outbreak.

Beijing has spent the past week accusing Australia of being a bully pushing US interests in the region and warned Chinese consumers could walk out on Australian brands if it continues to lobby for a global independent inquiry into the disease.
GREENWICH  The number of coronavirus patients at Greenwich Hospital dropped slightly Wednesday, as hospital officials announced that a planned new cancer center would be delayed in town.

The hospital was treating 73 patients diagnosed with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, which was five fewer patients than Tuesday and the same number as Monday. The number of hospitalization is down from a peak two weeks ago of 114 patients.

Its good to see that, First Selectman Fred Camillo said. We try not to get too up or down with these numbers and just stay the course. When we have a spike were not going to get too down. Our goals and guidelines remain the same.

Greenwich Hospital has discharged 361 coronavirus patients, an increase of 11 since Tuesday. Yale New Haven Health System, of which Greenwich Hospital is a part, released its 1,500th coronavirus patient on Wednesday as Charles Moore of New Haven went home from Yale New Haven Hospital.

But the Yale New Haven Health System also announced the bad news that the financial costs of the coronavirus pandemic have forced it to delay two major projects, CEO Marna Borgstrom said.

A $838 million neuroscience building, planned for the St. Raphael campus in New Haven, will be delayed along with a new cancer center planned for Greenwich Hospital.

The losses that are being experienced in hospital-based health care are staggering and ours are no exception, Borgstrom said.

Yale New Haven spokesman Vincent Petrini said, We have put all major projects on hold as we care for patients impacted by the COVID pandemic, which is our most important priority at this point.

Greenwich cases slow

In Greenwich, the number of residents diagnosed with coronavirus surged Tuesday, but that slowed going into Wednesday. From Monday to Tuesday, the number went from 630 to 667, an increase of 37. The increase from Tuesday to Wednesday was six, bringing the total number of residents who have tested positive up to 673.

Town Director of Health Caroline Baisley said several factors could have lead to that surge, including more testing being done and family members of patients with the virus taking inadequate steps to protect themselves.

The employees in the town Department of Public Works have continued to work, and Camillo said they have been given masks, gloves, sanitizers, safety glasses and other protective equipment. Some have also brought masks in from home, too, he said.

We are concerned about safety and we are not only reaching out to private businesses about protocols and guidelines but also practicing it ourselves, Camillo said. Guidelines from the state call for all workers to wear masks on the job, and for the public to wear them when going into buildings or when near other people.

The town continues to run its Greenwich Comes Together program in which residents can make donations of either protective gear or money to help purchase it. The programs goal is to focus on the towns first responders as well as hospital employees.

Anyone who wants to be a part of it, were not only welcoming it but were encouraging people to do it, Camillo said. Interested residents should contact Town Hall to make a donation.

Staff Writer Ed Stannard contribute to this story.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Australians should brace themselves for a horror winter ahead which may see a resurgence in the coronavirus outbreak, leading researchers have warned.

Australia and New Zealand's science, research and innovation sectors have banded together in a recently formed strike task force to help governments respond to the pandemic crisis.

Led by chairman and Australia's chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel, the Rapid Research Information Forum gets together to field questions from government ministers as the pandemic evolves.

The panel has already warned we may face an annual winter coronavirus season.

Expers have warned of a possible resurgence in coronavirus cases as winter approaches. Pictured is a man and woman wearing face masks at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market

While there's no compelling data that demonstrates a link between winter and increased coronavirus cases, current research suggests a spike in virus transmissions in cooler climates.

'Research suggests there will be some influence of winter on the spread and severity of COVID-19, as lower humidity and air temperature can increase the viability and virulence of the virus and therefore its infectivity,' the forum's report briefing to federal health minister Greg Hunt states.

'Viral respiratory infections generally worsen in winter because lower air temperature and humidity increase both the survival of viruses and viability of aerosols and droplets  which spread the viral particles through the air.

'Current evidence demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted via respiratory droplets.'

Experts part of a recently formed strike task force say current research suggests a rise in coronavirus transmissions in cooler climates. Pictured is Melbourne on Wednesday, where temperatures dropped to 12C

Experts also warned of a possible resurgence of the deadly virus each year.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'The most likely time for it to recur is in winter,' Westmead Institute's Centre for Virus Research director Professor Tony Cunningham wrote.

'We don't know, but these are all things we have to be wary of.'

However, the report also stresses that human behaviour is a dominant contributor to the transmission of coronavirus and social distancing has more impact in controlling the outbreak than a change in seasons.

'It's something to be concerned about but not something to be worried about. [It's] something to be managed,' Dr Finkel wrote.

'It appears that in Australia, public policy will play a more dominant role than the arrival of winter on the viability and virulence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.'

A recently formed strike task force is helping the federal governments respond to the pandemic crisis as it evolves. Pictured is a mobile testing clinic at Bondi on Saturday

The forum has also responded to questions as to whether coronavirus patients can be re-infected and the feasibility of monitoring wastewater for early detection.

In the coming weeks, the forum will address minister's questions regarding online schooling, the impact of the pandemic on Australias research workforce and its view on vaccines/treatments currently being developed.

The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving quickly. The RRIF is enabling timely responses to be provided to policymakers based on the best available multidisciplinary evidence,' Dr Finkel said.
A Texas woman has been issued hit with multiple temporary restraining orders for keeping her hair salon open in defiance of city, county and state orders.

Shelley Luther has opened the doors of her Dallas business Salon a La Mode, since Friday, even though Gov. Greg Abbott's Open Texas plan hasn't allowed salons to open yet.

On Friday she was hit with a cease and desist letter to close her shop, followed by a $1,000 citation. Police served her temporary restraining orders on Tuesday and yet again on Wednesday, to no avail.

On Wednesday, police were seen at the salon demanding Luther shutter her salon according to the restraining order issued by district court judge Eric Moye, which mandates she close until March 12.

But Shelley is continuing to defy the legal action and is daring officials to arrest her.

'I'm still here, I'm standing for your rights and Salon A La Mode is open for business,' she said in a Facebook Live on Wednesday.

Texas woman Shelley Luther is defying lockdown orders by opening her Dallas hair salon called Salon A La Mode, even though Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hasn't allowed salons to open yet. Pictured above Friday in front of her salon

'I'm still here, I'm standing for your rights and Salon A La Mode is open for business,' she said in a Facebook Live on Wednesday

Luther's supporters pictured outside her business on Wednesday

Dallas Police and local prosecutors have once again approached the Salon A La Mode to serve a temporary restraining order to close which owner Shelley Luther told them she will not comply with. The owner says she expects to be arrested soon. pic.twitter.com/YafP0fkrqz  J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) April 29, 2020

In the Facebook clip she wears a mask and speaks with her supporters with the Open Texas anti-lockdown movement who gathered outside her business.

'Apparently there's a very good chance that I'm getting arrested today and I will do everything I can to keep the shop open because I'm not closing the store. If they arrest me I have someone that will keep the store open because it's our right to keep the store open. It's our right for those women to earn income for their families,' she said to the crowd outside her salon Wednesday, according to CBS.

Texas is currently reopening in incremental phases.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday the first phase of plans to reopen businesses across Texas where restaurants, retail shops, malls and movie theaters can open at 25 percent capacity starting Friday, but salons and barbershops must remain closed.

On Friday, April 24 Luther made headlines when she said she would open her salon even if it violated state lockdown rules designed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

She was hit with an $1,000 citation and Judge Clay Jenkins sent a cease and desist letter on Friday - but Luther said she still intended to be open.

Salon owner Luther holds a citation and speaks to media after she was cited by City of Dallas officials for reopening her Salon A la Mode in Dallas on Friday

City of Dallas officials pictured issuing a citation to Luther for reopening Salon A La Mode in Texas on Friday as hair salons have not been cleared to reopen in Texas

Luther says that her business needs to be open because her hairstylists need to work to provide for their families. She argues that her salon is a safe and clean environment that doesn't pose a threat in spreading COVID-19. A customer is pictured getting her nails done in the salon

A man carrying a rifle and Texas flag stands with salon owner Shelley Luther, left, and others in front of her salon on Friday

An exterior view of Luther's business Salon A La Mode pictured above

Luther says Judge Jenkins is abusing his power and she's rallying for all businesses to be opened.

'All I know is he's abusing his power he's got to be stopped somehow,' Luther said.

Over the weekend at an Open Texas rally to reopen businesses in Frisco, Texas she ripped her cease and desist letter that was issued Friday into pieces before a cheering crowd.

Luther says that her business needs to be open because her hairstylists need to work to provide for their families. She argues that her salon is a safe and clean environment that doesn't pose a threat in spreading COVID-19.

'I can't afford to not stay open, and my stylists can't afford to stop working anymore,' Luther said to ABC13 over the weekend. 'We're about to lose everything and haven't gotten any help, so I had to make a decision.'

Luther pictured speaking at an Open Texas rally in Frisco, Texas on Sunday where she ripped up the citation the state issued her for opening her salon

Luther is one of many Texans who are rallying for the state to completely lift all closures and lockdown measures to reopen the economy. Pictured Sunday speaking at Open Texas rally in Frisco

On Tuesday she shared a Facebook Live saying: 'If I have to  go to jail to prove a point that what they're doing is totally unconstitutional, then that's what happens. I'm not scared.'

Officials for the City of Dallas say that if the salon doesn't shut down immediately local residents 'will suffer irreparable injury'.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says it has received multiple complaints against Salon A La Mode.

'We actually have received more than 50 complaints, but we've opened 10 cases,' TDLR spokeswoman Tela Mange said to WFAA on the Dallas salon.

A hearing on the restraining order is scheduled at 1pm on May 11.

There have been widespread protests to lockdown measures in Texas, with hundreds calling on Gov. Abbott to full open the state despite his incremental opening plan.

In Texas there are more than 26,900 cases of COVID-19 and 743 deaths.
A case has been registered



against a man for allegedly uploading a "derogatory" post against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a police official said on Wednesday.

The accused has been identified as Pushparaj Meshram, a resident of Kamptee, the official said.

"He had uploaded a derogatory post about these political leaders on Facebook. Based on a complaint, a case was registered against Meshram under IPC sections 505 (2), 500 (defamation), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy)," inspector Narendra Hiwre of Lakadganj police station said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Notre Dame de Paris, Richard Cocciante and Luc Plamondon's hit 1998 adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel, has delayed its New York premiere at Lincoln Center by almost two years.

Originally scheduled to run September 9-13, 2020 at the David H. Koch Theater, the production will now land in New York City July 13-17, 2022. The production, will be performed in French with English supertitles, a live orchestra, and a cast of 30.

"It gives me great excitement to bring this classic tale to the New York stage," producer Nicolas Talar said in a statement. "Almost two centuries after the novel captured imaginations, we have now been fortunate enough to share this extraordinary story to audiences worldwide for two decades and I am tremendously excited to bring this show to New York for the existing American fans and hopefully new ones."

The music is composed by Cocciante, with lyrics by Plamondon. Gilles Maheu directs, with choreography by Martino Muller.
SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon.com said it will donate $3.9 million to provide virtual computer science curriculum and training to 500,000 students and 12,000 teachers in 700 underserved and underrepresented communities across the southeastern U.S. state of Virginia amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The targeted schools are in rural regions like the Eastern Shore, the Tobacco Commission service region and Appalachia that may otherwise lack access to such education. The donation, from Amazon Future Engineer program, was made to CodeVA to expand computer science education for those who are now learning from home for the remainder of the school year. CodeVA is a statewide nonprofit organization with a mission of broadening participation in computer science by expanding access for all students to computer science literacy across the Commonwealth. Amazon has donated the first of three $1.3 million installments to CodeVA, and these funds will help CodeVA make virtual computer science curriculum and training available to students to develop critical workforce skills while they learn from home and once they transition back to the classroom. The retailer has already invested more than $50 million to increase access to computer science/ Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and has donated more than $20 million to organizations that promote computer science/STEM education across the country. In early April, Amazon.com had announced plans to donate 8200 laptops, worth more than $2 million, to elementary students in Seattle Public Schools (SPS) in Washington State to help towards the continuous learning plan during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
New Delhi: Business in Delhi Azadpur Sabzi Mandi is not usual on Wednesday (April 29) as 14 traders have been tested positive for the coronavirus. This has affected traders as well as labourers, who are busy unloading goods from trucks, as they are worried about their health.

So far, 600 people have been screened and of these 50 had symptoms of the COVID-19. Their samples have been sent for examination. The traders here are living in the shadow of fear after the demise of one businessman Bholanath on April 21 due to coronavirus.

The administration has sealed as many as 14 shops, but traders working here are facing a dilemma of facing the crisis of livelihood due to the deadly virus.

Azadpur is also known as Asia's largest fruit and vegetable market witnessing the arrival of 12000 metric tons of goods in normal days, but now this has reduced to merely 5000 metric tons.

Similarly, Okhla Mandi is also facing more or less the same situation. It used to have Onion trade of 300 tonnes in a day but the same has reduced to merely 80 tonnes. The business here reduced to 25% of the business it used to have in the normal days.

At Ghazipur market also, traders are facing the slum. They want the coronavirus test of all the people working here. The norms of social distancing have left with the people who come here.

Azadpur Sabzi Mandi continues to operate 24 hours during the lockdown as the government has exempted all essential services from restrictions. The Mandi is working so that the supply of fruits and vegetables continue to reach at the residents of Delhi.
Irrfan Khan passed away today at a hospital in Mumbai, where he was admitted for colon infection, yesterday as was confirmed by his spokesperson. The 53-year-old actor had been battling cancer since 2018 and was rushed to the hospital yesterday where he was kept under observation.

Filmmaker Soojit Sircar has taken to Twitter to express his condolences remembering the great actor and his dear friend.

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.  Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

The official statement from Irrfan Khan's team of his passing away has also come out.

I trust, I have surrendered; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.

TOI

Rest in peace, Irrfan Khan. You were and will always be one of the finest actors of our time.




SHANGHAI, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Tours to all of Shanghai's top tourist attractions should be reserved during the upcoming five-day May Day holiday in a bid to avoid people crowding to contain the spread of COVID-19, local authorities said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, 84 major tourist attractions in Shanghai have reopened and 5,200 hotels have resumed operation.

Museums, art galleries, public libraries, cultural centers and community cultural activity centers which are fully prepared will reopen by the end of April.

Yu Xiufen, head of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, said tourists are required to wear face masks, show their health QR codes and have their body temperatures taken.

Shanghai ranks both the largest tourist destination as well as the largest tourist source for the upcoming holiday, according to booking data from Trip.com Group.
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While the coronavirus continues to overwhelm Europe, transgender people in my country, Hungary, are now facing an additional threat. A new law, which will almost certainly be implemented when parliament will vote next month, will mean that all official documentation, from passports to ID cards and credit cards, can no longer recognise adopted genders, and must revert to sex assigned at birth.

Anti-trans abuse is already common in Hungary, and this targeted discrimination by the government will make things much worse.

Our countrys authoritarian government is effectively using the pandemic as an excuse to seize power and erode human rights. Indeed, earlier this month, Hungarys parliament gave Prime Minister Viktor Orban the power to rule by decree for an indefinite period, an unprecedented affront to democracy in an EU member state.

Last week, the president of the parliamentary justice committee interrupted MPs to say that it doesnt matter what those concerned  trans people think about the amendment to end legal gender recognition  even though it will erode trans peoples rights in significant and insidious ways.

It was clearly not a coincidence that the Hungarian deputy prime minister chose 31 March, Transgender Day of Visibility, to submit the omnibus bill, which includes an amendment to the Hungarian Registry Act narrowly defining gender as biological sex based on primary sex characteristics and chromosomes assigned at birth. If the parliament adopts this amendment, it would effectively make it impossible for people to legally change their gender.

Recommended Hungary government moves to end legal recognition of trans people

Hungarys public health system is underfunded and poorly equipped to handle a full-blown coronavirus outbreak, and the countrys capacity to test for the virus remains low. And yet, in this time of crisis, Orbans government has chosen to focus its attention on denying trans people their rights.

Hungary is one of only a handful of states without proper legal measures to regulate legal gender recognition. For years, trans people have faced numerous obstacles in trying to adjust their names and gender on identity cards and other legal documents. Their requests have been indiscriminately ignored or denied. Indeed, even Hungarys constitutional court ruled that the lack of a quick and accessible legal gender recognition procedure undermined the dignity and human rights of trans people.

Yet Orbans government failed to comply with this ruling, and 23 trans people who were unable to legally change their name and gender took the matter to the European Court of Human Rights. Two weeks ago, the court gave the Hungarian government until 4 June to resolve this issue. How did the government respond? By taking advantage of the global pandemic to quash the rights of trans people by legally denying their existence.

Civil society organisations now have a crucial task to perform in Hungary and around the world. They must closely monitor governments to ensure that the coronavirus crisis does not turn into a human rights crisis. They must step up to protect the basic human rights  including the right to health  of marginalised groups such as the Roma, migrants and refugees, people with mental illnesses and physical disabilities, ethnic and racial minorities, and trans people.

 Hungarys far-right government pulls out of Eurovision song contest because it is too gay

As a non-binary trans person, I worry that if I were to go to a clinic to get tested for the virus, I would be discriminated against based on my appearance and identity. Fear of discrimination and distrust in medical staff are key reasons why 60 percent of Hungarys trans people have avoided or delayed seeking medical care. With ventilators in short supply, I am terrified that exhausted ICU doctors might overlook trans patients, choosing instead to intubate those whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex.

Provisions must be put in place to protect members of marginalised groups, including trans people, from the negative impacts of lockdowns. In Hungary, where closed quarantine facilities are used to isolate those affected by Covid-19, it is crucial the government develops policies to protect trans people from discrimination and violence.

We must also be proactive in addressing the increase in domestic violence during lockdown. Hotlines and designated shelters should be established to support victims, and special consideration must be taken to protect trans people who might be at increased risk of abuse.

Governments should also consider transgender and other marginalised people in designing economic packages that will provide adequate assistance to people struggling to make ends meet, so that people do not have to choose between their health or basic sustenance.

Orban has seized on this unprecedented crisis as an opportunity to do what he has long wished to: curb the rights of trans people. Now, more than ever, civil society organizations must mobilise to defend those rights  in Hungary, and around the world.

Krisztina Kolos Orban is vice-president of the Transvanilla Transgender Association and co-chair of Transgender Europe.
A: Its not so much that people were putting a gun to my head or a knife to my throat. It was more like just constantly treading on thin ice. There was one danger out in the countryside dealing with narco-militias.  But in terms of dealing with the cartels, there was this generalized sense of dread around these men and women, it was just constant. When I finished writing this book and got out of that world, it felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off my shoulders. These are men that kill at the drop of a hat. My constant fear was that, as long as I was in the city (Medellin) and something happened to them, like a bad coincidence, they would blame me. They trusted me up to a point, but does anyone get far in the world of cocaine being 100% trusting? No.
LEHI, Utah, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Young Living, the global leader in essential oils, today announced its donation of $100,000 to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for its vital COVID-19 response efforts.

Young Living's donation will be used to support the IRC's response to the COVID-19 crisis in refugee camps and vulnerable communities throughout the world, including securing protective gear for frontline health workers and training them on how to isolate and prevent further spread of the virus. In addition, the donation will ensure people have access to accurate information by translating CDC directives into hundreds of languages and tribal dialects to help people stay safe. The IRC also distributes hygiene kits, food supplies and educational kits and sets up handwashing stations within refugee camps.

The IRC's mission is to respond to some of the world's worst crises, delivering aid that saves lives while paving the way for long-term recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic adds further complexity and danger to those already experiencing vulnerability from conflict, violence, food insecurity and nonexistent health systems in their home countries. It's imperative that survivors have the protection and education they need to remain healthy. That's an undertaking that is seeing new heights of difficulty, as refugee camps that were initially set up to accommodate 6,000 displaced people are currently seeing five times that number, making social distancing and quarantining a critical challenge.

"Quarantining is challenging for even the most privileged of us. Imagine trying to remain healthy in an impacted refugee camp with limited resources, where isolation is impossible," said Jacquelyn Skinner, executive director of global philanthropy for The D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation. "Our hearts go out to those who have this additional challenge on top of the traumas they've already faced. We're honored to be able to contribute during this time."

"We are grateful to Young Living for their support towards our efforts to combat COVID-19 around the world," said Lauren Gray, Senior Director of Institutional Philanthropy and Partnerships at the IRC. "We know that refugees and displaced people are among the hardest hit by this outbreak, and commitments from companies like Young Living are needed to prevent further catastrophe. This donation will help provide vital resources to our teams on the frontlines and help them to continue to care for those who need assistance most during the current global pandemic."

About Young Living Essential Oils

Young Living Essential Oils, LC, based in Lehi, Utah, is the world leader in essential oils, offering the highest-quality oil-infused products available. Young Living takes its industry leadership seriously, setting the standard with its proprietary Seed to Seal quality commitment, which involves three critical pillars: Sourcing, Science, and Standards. These guiding principles help Young Living protect the planet and provide pure, authentic products that its members can feel confident about using and sharing with friends and family. Young Living's productswhich all come from corporate-owned farms, partner farms, and Seed to Seal-certified suppliersnot only support a healthy lifestyle but also provide opportunities for over 6 million global members to find a sense of purpose and whole-life wellness by aligning their work with their values and passions. For more information, visit YoungLiving.com, follow @youngliving on Instagram, or like us on Facebook.

About the IRC

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. Learn more at www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Twitter & Facebook.

SOURCE Young Living Essential Oils

Related Links

https://www.youngliving.com


The American writerso goes the transatlantic stereotypeaddresses the general public deliberately and democratically. Rapidly clarifying her argument and the research or experience behind it, she (over)emphasizes how little she takes this audiences trust and attention for granted. By a contrasting convention, the European essayist makes his genre and theme seem almost accidental.  Public Books
WELLSBORO  The Tioga County district attorney has ruled state police were justified in killing a man who had shot at them during a 14-hour standoff in December near the New York State line.

District Attorney Krista Deats on Wednesday announced her decision but did not provide any details.

Delos Lowe, 68, had barricaded himself in his Nelson Twp. home and fired at troopers numerous times. They shot and killed him around 2 a.m. on Dec. 11.

Troopers went to the home to check on Lowe because he had not been seen in a while. They said they announced themselves and when there was no response entered an unlocked door.

When they called out again a single shot was fired and they said they retreated and requested backup.

One trooper was wounded and a second suffered a leg injury in the incident that occurred in a sparsely populated area.

A neighbor told police Lowe suffered from mental illness and had stopped taking his medication.

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / HSBC (contact: 'synd manager'; telephone: +44 207 992 8066) hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities

The securities: Issuer: PepsiCo, Inc. Guarantor (if any): na Aggregate nominal amount: EUR Benchmark / EUR Benchmark Description: Fixed due May 2024 / Fixed due May 2028 Offer price: TBC / TBC Other offer terms: Stabilisation: Stabilising Manager(s): BNP Paribas, Deutsche, HSBC Stabilisation period expected to start on: 29th April 2020 Stabilisation period expected to end no later than: 5th June 2020 Existence, maximum size & conditions of use of over-allotment facility [1] : 5% of the aggregate nominal amount Stabilisation Venue(s) Over the counter (OTC)

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, there is no assurance that the Stabilisation Manager(s) will take any stabilisation action and any stabilisation action, if begun, may be ended at any time. Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State.

Story continues

This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom.

[1] Please note that the existence and the maximum size of any greenshoe option, the exercise period of the greenshoe option and any conditions for exercise of the greenshoe option must also be disclosed, if such option exists. In addition, the exercise of the greenshoe option must be disclosed to the public promptly, together with all appropriate details, including in particular the date of exercise and the number and nature of securities involved

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: PepsiCo, Inc





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/587548/PepsiCo-Inc-Announces-Pre-Stabilisation-Notice




New York has been the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the US, where some states have begun lifting lockdown measures (John Minchillo/AP)

The number of coronavirus cases in the US has passed a million, accounting for nearly a third of the total cases worldwide.

The figures, from tracking at Johns Hopkins University, show a worldwide death toll of more than 210,000, though the real numbers are likely to be higher owing to limited testing and differences in counting deaths.

US states are beginning to lift their restrictions as the death toll from Covid-19 passes the 58,220 service personnel killed in Vietnam.

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Despite the huge death toll, President Donald Trump defended his administrations handling of the pandemic as he met Florida governor Ron DeSantis and promised to help states safely begin reopening their economies.

He insisted that the United States was doing enough testing to protect Americans re-entering the workforce.

The administration has been sharply criticised for not overseeing widespread testing but Mr Trump said no amount would ever be good enough for critics in the media.

The president dismissed suggestions that the administration was slow to respond to the threat of Covid-19, including reports that it was mentioned in his daily intelligence briefing in January and February.

He praised his decision to restrict flights from China  although more than 40,000 travellers from China still made it to the US afterwards  and said: Whether it was luck, talent or something else, we saved many thousands of lives.

Countries in Europe are also beginning to loosen their lockdown restrictions, and France, Spain and Greece are among the latest to put forward road maps for restarting their economies.

But uncertainty remains about what people should do to protect their health after they emerge from lockdown.

In the US, this was highlighted in Georgia after businesses such as barber shops and tattoo parlours were given the go-ahead to reopen.

Savannah mayor Van Johnson said people could find the changes perplexing, adding: In reality were under a stay-at-home order until April 30.

Expand Close Businesses being open has confused residents of the southern city of Savannah, its mayor says (Russ Bynum/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Businesses being open has confused residents of the southern city of Savannah, its mayor says (Russ Bynum/AP)

Yet you can go get your nails done, you can go get a tattoo, you can go to movie theatres, you can go to bowling alleys. Its those kinds of things that leave people confused.

Mixed messages are also coming from Congress.

The House of Representatives is scrambling for ways for members to work from home after a revolt over convening during the pandemic, and said they would not return to the Capitol on Monday. The smaller Senate plans to convene there.

The decisions people make are likely to vary widely depending on where they live, and how close that puts them to known virus clusters.

Expand Close Bondi Beachs famous stretch of sand remains shut though surfers and swimmers are able to go in the water (Rick Rycroft/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Bondi Beachs famous stretch of sand remains shut though surfers and swimmers are able to go in the water (Rick Rycroft/AP)

Elsewhere around the world, New Zealand reported just three new infections on Tuesday as the government loosened its lockdown.

Surfers hit the waves at dawn, builders returned to construction sites and baristas fired up espresso machines.

In Australia, hundreds returned to Sydneys Bondi Beach, though it was open only during daylight hours and social distancing was mandatory.

Emily Landon, who leads infection control at the University of Chicago Medical Centre, said: I think everyone still needs to use their judgment. Im not having a book club in my house. Im going to my doctor for an allergy shot because thats safe to do.

You can try and make it political, make it about freedom, but its a virus. Its biology. Biology doesnt negotiate.
APRIL 29, 2020  UTSA is responding to the COVID-19 outbreak with a commitment to supporting the safety of the university community while enabling the academic progress of students. Here is your digest of university news and tips.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

When we say Roadrunner Strong, we are always proud of how committed Runners are to supporting each other. Today millions of people across the world will wear denim with a purpose, and the PEACE Center at UTSA is hosting Denim Day on social media to virtually support survivors ofand educate the community about all forms ofsexual violence. Wear denim with a purpose to help raise awareness during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

VIRTUAL EVENTS



HOT THIS WEEK: UTSAs expert faculty and staff are a brain trust of knowledge and are ready to share their insights and recommendations. Our Trainings, Webinars and Town Halls page is where we bring them togetherfor you to watch livestreams and view or rewatch recorded streams.

Beating COVID-19: How Close Are We?: The next town hall in the Community Conversations series takes a look at efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic. Many of our nations top scientific minds are focused on developing solutions to combat COVID-19, including several UTSA faculty who are actively working to develop predictive models, drug therapies and vaccines. A Q&A session with panel experts will be included. Wednesday, April 29, noon.





Research from Home with UTSA Libraries: Need help with papers and projects? Taking summer classes and wondering how to access the library? Even though the buildings are closed, the UTSA Libraries are here to help. Tune in to this town hall for tips on using online resources and mastering remote learning. Thursday, April 30, 2 p.m.

COMMUNITY NEWS

We want to express appreciation for all the students, staff, alumni, faculty, and community partners who dedicated time to community service this year. UTSA Volunteers and VOICESwith a total of 2,476 hours served. Community service develops an increased sense of social responsibility and a passion for giving back and helping others.

ONLINE LEARNING & TELECOMMUTING

FINAL EXAM PREP: For faculty wondering how to administer a final exam online, meet Proctorio. This academic integrity software, available in Blackboard, has state-of-the-art facial detection technology. Its the only remote monitoring platform that ensures end-to-end learning integrity before, during and after the assessment. Learn more about Proctorio and find online final exam best practices.

PREPARE FOR SUMMER ONLINE: The new default Blackboard shell includes enhanced features to make it easier to build and access online course content. It has been checked for both accessibility and mobile compatibility. Watch a video tutorial and review instructions to copy your course into Blackboard.

And dont miss Academic Innovations weekly webinars and Q&A sessionsor watch recordings of past sessionsand use this Online Course Design Checklist to guide you through the process. If you need assistance, email academicinnovation@utsa.edu or call 210-458-4520.

The Staff Senates Remote Resources page includes video sessions and links to articles related toYou can also follow the Staff Senate on YouTube and Facebook.
PARIS (Reuters) - Europes recovery plan should be ready to kick in in the second half of the year and not drag on until December or later, European Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Wednesday.

In an interview with French newspaper Les Echos, Gentiloni, a former Italian foreign minister, said the recovery plan, which EU leaders are still discussing, will be formed of a mix of grants and loans to the hardest-hit countries.

In my view, this recovery strategy should start in the second half of 2020, and not in December. It is urgent, Gentiloni was quoted as saying. Waiting for a year is out of the question, he added.
NEW HAVEN  The financial costs of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced Yale New Haven Health System to delay its neurosciences building along with its other major projects, CEO Marna Borgstrom said Wednesday.

The $838 million project, which is planned for Yale New Haven Hospitals St. Raphael campus off George Street, received approval from the City Plan Commission on April 15. The decision also delays a new cancer cener at Greenwich Hospital.

The losses that are being experienced in hospital-based health care are staggering and ours are no exception, Borgstrom said during the weekly online press conference.

Even with the federal moneys that have been approved  they arent enough to bring us back to where we were before. So a big part of what were all going to be dealing with is figuring out how to reintroduce our businesses and reintroduce greater financial stability in our health system. We have major investments in Greenwich in an extension of the Smilow Cancer Center. In New Haven, weve put a hold on a big neurosciences project. You cant just go back and begin business as usual.

Research in the neuroscience building would focus on Parkinsons disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and stroke. The hospital has estimated that the project will contribute more than $1 billion to the state economy as it is built over the next five years.

Yale New Haven spokesman Vincent Petrini issued a statement after the press conference, stating, We have put all major projects on hold as we care for patients impacted by the COVID pandemic, which is our most important priority at this point. While we had hoped to break ground for the project within the next couple of months, and we are very appreciative of the citys support, we are in the midst of assessing the financial impact of responding to the pandemic and that will ultimately impact timing of the project.

Petrini said furloughs of health system employees are not being considered at this point. On Tuesday, Stamford Health furloughed 375 employees who are not involved in direct patient care.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
A Japanese island has been struck by a second wave of coronavirus after having lifted its lockdown.

The northern region of Hokkaido lifted its lockdown on March 19 so that businesses and schools could reopen.

This came as the result of the number of new cases falling to one or two per day.

Now though, only 26 days later, the island has re-enforced its lockdown as 135 new cases were reported in one week.

The Japanese island of Hokkaido has been struck by a second wave of coronavirus after having lifted its lockdown. Pictured: People walk through Sapporo, Hokkaido, wearing face masks

Dr. Kiyoshi Nagase, chairman of the Hokkaido Medical Association, told TIME: 'Now I regret it, we should not have lifted the first state of emergency.

'It really may not be until next year that we can safely lift these lockdowns.

The local government had assessed the impact immigration would have on the spread of coronavirus on the island but had not taken into account domestic migration.

Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor of infection control at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido said that with hindsight, the lockdown lift was too early.

'At the time, we didn't have enough information and we did not have an adequate understanding of this disease.

Lockdown restrictions were eased on the island so that businesses and schools could reopen. Pictured: Hokkaido's indigenous Ainu pray to expel the plague god

'And, given the information that was available - that new cases were down to one or two a day - it could be argued that the governor made the right decision in lifting the state of emergency.

'We know that was the wrong move now, but then it seemed the best thing to do,' she told The Telegraph.

She said: 'These lockdowns and states of emergency will have to be lifted eventually, but the lesson is to wait as long as possible, to get accurate data on infection numbers and to be very, very cautious when the rules are relaxed.

'And the authorities have to be ready to move quickly and put the restrictions back in place at the first sign of another surge.'

Hokkaido reported 38 new cases on Tuesday, bringing its total number of infections to 688, fifth highest in Japan.

One person also died from the virus taking the island's death toll to 27.

Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki (right) reinstalled a state of emergency on the island following a second wave of coronavirus

The island of 5.3million people had been a case study in virus-management before they lifted the lockdown, but now experts hope to learn lessons from lifting measures too quickly.

The island's coronavirus cases can be traced back to its Sapporo Snow Festival in February, before the initial lockdown was in place, which attracted two million people.

One Chinese tourist was being treated on the island for coronavirus during the festival after contracting it in Wuhan.

118 people were being treated for the virus by March 12, making Hokkaido the worst-hit of all Japan's 47 prefectures.

Japan has 13,576 cases and 376 deaths and is currently maintaining its lockdown until May 6, but Nikkei business daily reported that the government is planning to extend this by another month.
Theres a lot of information that we dont have ... but everybody here feels its coming from the meatpacking houses, said South Sioux City Mayor Rod Koch. Were not very happy about it. We wish there could have been testing a lot earlier than what was done, and we want more transparency about cases coming out of those places.

The hits kept coming Monday for Nebraskas meatpacking plants, with more workers testing positive in Fremont and Crete, too, prompting one plant to temporarily halt its operations.

The Smithfield Foods pork plant in Crete appears to be the first major meatpacker in Nebraska to close because of the coronavirus.

Pat Lopez, the interim Lincoln-Lancaster County health director, said Monday afternoon that the plant is closing. Crete Mayor Dave Bauer said the plant, which employs about 2,000 people, will close Wednesday.

Its too bad that it had to come to this, but I do applaud them for what they are doing to keep the employees safe and to be able to get on top of it before it gets worse, he said.
An ABC News anchor has defended himself after going viral for appearing on a Good Morning America segment without wearing pants.

On Tuesday, Will Reeve appeared on GMA to discuss pharmacies using drones to deliver medications to people living in a retirement home in Florida.

At the beginning of the segment, Reeve appeared to be fully dressed, seen wearing a suit jacket and shirt from the waist up.

However, at one point during the segment, the camera angle moved and captured Reeves bare leg.

Almost immediately after the interview, a screenshot of Reeve's seemingly pants-less appearance on GMA was shared to Twitter, where it was captioned: Hey put some pants on my guy.

The tweet has since been liked more than 47,000 times.

Others joked that Reeve embodied everyone who is working at home amid the coronavirus pandemic during the interview.

Recommended Tom Ford explains how to look good on video calls

Will Reeve just living everybodys truth during this pandemic. Everyone I know that has been doing zoom work meetings has been taking them like this, another person tweeted.

But, according to Reeve, the son of late actor Christopher Reeve, he wasnt actually not wearing pants - as he has claimed he was wearing shorts for the interview.

Trying to be efficient I got ready for a post-GMA workout a little too soon this morning, Reeve wrote in a statement shared to Twitter. The camera angle, along with friends, family, and several hundred strangers on social media made me rethink my morning routine.

The news anchor then jokingly asked people wearing a belt, trousers and shoes during work calls for tips, before concluding: Now, back to work. Wearing pants.

Reeve captioned the Twitter Statement: When WFH goes wrong (or, your self-framed live shot goes too wide). Hope everyone got a much-needed laugh.

Despite clearing up the confusion, many people thanked the 27-year-old for the amusement and relatability.

You made all of us, sitting around in underwear for the last two months, feel normal again. Thank you for that and for having an awesome sense of humour, one person wrote.
Tunisian officials on Wednesday announced a partial easing of lockdown measures in place to curb the spread of novel coronavirus, although schools will largely remain closed until September.

Education Minister Mohamed Hamdi, Health Minister Abdellatif Mekki and other officials told a joint news conference that work was expected to resume with reduced staffing in some sectors from Monday.

A broader relaxation is planned for June 14 but will depend on how the health situation develops, officials said, warning of the risk of a second wave of infection.

People aged over 65 and those suffering from chronic illnesses were among those not covered by Wednesday's easing of restrictions.

Students in their final year of high school are set to restart classes on May 28 and sit their end-of-year exams in July, the education minister said.

Other students will return to school for the new academic year in September.

Schools in Tunisia have been closed since mid-March.

Medicine and pharmacy students will return to university on May 11, with other departments opening later, said Higher Education Minister Slim Choura.

Tunisia has officially declared 975 cases of novel coronavirus including 40 deaths, and has put strict social distancing measures in place, including a night-time curfew.

Tunisia's Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh had said earlier this month that lockdown measures would be progressively eased after May 3.
New Delhi: Indian cinema's legendary actor and one of the finest finds, Irrfan Khan left this world too soon. He breathed his last on Wednesday morning, April 29, 2020. He was rushed to Kokilaben hospital due to colon infection a day before. The actor par excellence battled a rare form of cancer - Neuroendocrine Tumour for two long years and had shared the news of his illness first on social media.

As soon as the unfortunate news of his demise broke online, celebs, fans and well-wishers thronged social media to offer their condolences. Actress Lisa Ray, who is a cancer warrior herself, mourned Irrfan's death and also revealed that he used to listen to the popular Hindi film song 'Lag Ja Gale' during his cancer treatment.

She tweeted: Very sad to hear of Irrfan Khans passing. An artist who set new standards in cinema in India and aboard. Lag jaa gale ki phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho, shayad phir is janam mein, mulakat ho na ho is the song he listened to during his cancer treatment and a reminder for us all.

Very sad to hear of Irrfan Khans passing. An artist who set new standards in cinema in India and aboard. Lag jaa gale ki phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho, shayad phir is janam mein, mulakat ho na ho is the song he listened to during his cancer treatment and a reminder for us all.  Lisa Ray (@Lisaraniray) April 29, 2020

The iconic song from 'Woh Kaun Thi' starring Manoj Kumar and Sadhna has been sung by the Nightingale of India - Lata Mangeshkar.

Irrfan Khan's untimely demise has sent shockwaves across the nation. PM Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and other political leaders mourned his death and offered condolences to family and friends in this hour of grief.
W Energy Software customers benefit from a complete circle of protection, from the data center to our hardened application infrastructure monitored 24/7 by a dedicated security team, all certified to the SOC 1 standards

W Energy Software, the emerging leader in upstream and midstream oil & gas ERP solutions, today announces the successful completion of a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1 Type II Audit examination for their Financial and Transaction Management Software System. W Energy Software retained international CPA and business advisory firm, Skoda Minotti, for its SOC 1 audit work. Skoda Minotti was selected after an intensive search based on their reputation as a leading risk advisory and compliance firm.

The successful completion of our SOC 1 Type II examination audit provides W Energy Softwares clients with the assurance that the controls and safeguards we employ to protect and secure their data are in line with industry standards and best practices, said Michael Tetzlaff, Chief Operating Officer at W Energy Software. Safeguarding customer data is in our DNA, which is why we have partnered with Amazon Web Services to leverage their SOC 1 certified physical and digital controls as well as ensure our staff are fully certified with the latest AWS skills and tools, he said. Tetzlaff added, W Energy Software customers benefit from a complete circle of protection, from the data center to our hardened application infrastructure monitored 24/7 by a dedicated security team, all certified to the SOC 1 standards.

Ben Osbrach, CISSP, CISA, QSA, CICP, CCSFP partner-in-charge of Skoda Minottis risk advisory group says, we were excited to continue our audit relationship with W Energy Software on the completion of their 2019 SOC 1 Type II. Michael and his team strive for improvement in their controls year over year; taking their responsibility for maintaining a well-controlled and secured environment seriously.

SOC 1 engagements are performed in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants SSAE 18, Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No. 18, Reporting on Controls at a Service Organization. The SOC 1 Type II examination is performed by an independent auditing firm and is intended to meet the needs of the management of user entities and the user entities auditors, as they evaluate the effect of the controls at the service organization on the user entities financial statement assertions. These reports are important components of user entities evaluation of their internal controls over financial reporting for purposes of complying with laws and regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the user entities auditors as they plan and perform audits of the user entities financial statements.

Skoda Minottis testing of W Energy Softwares control environment included examination of their policies and procedures regarding physical security, computer operations and data communications. Upon completion of the examination, W Energy Software received a Service Auditors Report with an unqualified opinion demonstrating that their policies, procedures, and infrastructure controls were suitably designed and operating effectively to achieve the related control objectives throughout the examination period.

About W Energy Software

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, W Energy Software (formerly Waterfield Energy) offers the oil & gas industrys only unified ERP solution built for the cloud that is relied on by more than 100 upstream and midstream companies to accelerate business performance, improve operational efficiency, and drive costs down. W Energy Software combines precision-built software in one extendable cloud-based workspace with an intimate understanding of the oil & gas business to deliver solutions that offer flexibility, affordability, and continuous upgrades. Unlike other ERP software that loosely ties together a mix of legacy solutions and fragmented technologies, W Energy Software designed a unified upstream and midstream ERP platform to seamlessly track oil, gas, and NGL from the wellhead through transportation and marketing, eliminating data silos as well as the burden and costs of maintaining multiple systems. With W Energy Software, oil & gas companies stay lean and agile with the tools they need to adapt to market changes and meet evolving customer needs head on, all while gaining the confidence that their business is running on the latest technology. For more information, please visit https://WEnergySoftware.com.

About Skoda Minotti

Skoda Minotti is a Certified Public Accounting Firm based in Cleveland, OH offering a variety of tax, finance, and business advisory services in virtually every area of business. The Risk Advisory practice specializes in SOC Reporting, PCI DSS Compliance, HIPAA Compliance and HITRUST validation, FISMA, NIST, ISO 27001, Vulnerability and Penetration Testing, and other regulatory information security assessments. Staffs in Skoda Minottis Risk Advisory hold several industry certifications including Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), and GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT). For more information about Skoda Minottis Risk Advisory Services, please visit skodaminotti.com/risk.
The number of coronavirus cases in Midland County and at the Midland Medical Lodge increased Wednesday.

The city reported case No. 76  a male in in his 80s  was tested by Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. The man is a resident at Midland Medical Lodge and is isolating in the facilitys isolation wing. The city reported he is 40th resident or staff member to have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 34 live in Midland County.
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan will seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for president, ending months of speculation that the former Republican would run as an alternative to President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

"Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people," Amash tweeted Tuesday evening. Two weeks earlier, he had tweeted that he was looking "closely" at a run, after denouncing a comment Trump made about presidential authority.

Amash, who turned 40 this month, was elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave and grew increasingly distant from Republicans as the decade went on, fending off a primary challenge from a business-backed conservative in 2014. He was deeply critical of Trump's 2016 campaign, and even more critical of what the GOP did with control of the legislative and executive branches.

"Things have really taken a turn for the worse, in terms of the growth of libertarianism in Congress," Amash told The Post in a 2018 interview. "You have some bright spots here and there. But for the most part, the party's become more nationalistic, more anti-trade."

In 2019, Amash became the only Republican to call for Trump's impeachment. Not long after, he left the party, and continued to vote against spending bills while opposing many White House priorities. He faced a tough reelection in his Grand Rapids-based district, with Republicans and Democrats both filing against him.

At the same time, Amash faced pressure from members of the Libertarian Party to run for their nomination. The party hit a record high of nearly 4.5 million votes in 2016, with former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson leading their ticket. But there was no obvious favorite for this year's nomination, with former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee ending his bid this month and former Judge Jim Gray, the party's 2012 nominee for vice president, probably their best-known candidate.

Johnson welcomed Amash's candidacy.

"I think it's terrific," said Johnson in a text message. "I'd have to think that his candidacy will garner a lot of attention which will be great for the Libertarian Party."

It's unclear if an Amash bid would have a greater effect on Biden or on Trump. In 2019, a Detroit News poll found Biden leading Trump in Michigan, a state that has grown rockier for the president, by 12 points. With Amash added as an option, Biden's lead shrunk to six points, with some independents and Republicans moving away from the Democrat. But national polling of Amash has been sparse, and it's unclear how many states the Libertarian Party will attain ballot access in as the pandemic makes traditional signature-gathering impossible.

The Libertarian Party is set to meet in Austin over Memorial Day weekend to pick its presidential nominee, with the convention making its choice on May 25. While the coronavirus pandemic has canceled many political events, the LP had not moved the convention, and earlier this week Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the state would "reopen" on May 1.
The government of Bahrain has launched a virtual mall, allowing local businesses to sell their products online to shoppers who are isolating at home.

Featuring items from more than 100 brands, the site launched April 23 with a range of products, including clothes, home goods and electronics and is meant to be a central hub for Bahrainis to shop online amid the pandemic.

According to Bahrains state-run news outlet, the portal was created in response to COVID-19 market disruptions, which has motivated local enterprises to reconsider how they transact business online.

Compared with the rest of the Gulf region, Bahrain has reported a relatively low number of coronavirus infections. The kingdoms Ministry of Health has confirmed 2,810 cases of the coronavirus, and a death toll of eight.

Beginning April 9, shopping malls and some nonessential shops were allowed to resume business as long as employees and customers wear face masks and adhere to social distancing practices.

Last week, Bahrain became the latest Gulf state to announce spending cuts to offset the economic impact of COVID-19 and crashing oil prices worldwide.

The Bahraini government said it would reduce spending by 30% at government agencies, and postpone a number of construction and consulting projects to allow for virus-related emergency spending.

Earlier this month, Oman slashed its state budget by $1.3 billion and told all government agencies to reduce their operating budgets by 10%. Saudi Arabia announced a $13.3 billion stimulus package to support the private sector and has also indicated that it has plans to cut government expenditures.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Qatars finance minister said the countrys sovereign wealth fund will be very active, focusing on health and tech deals during the pandemic.
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

Whats happening

Paying rent on the first day of the month can be a daunting challenge for many in the United States even in normal times. The economic impacts brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have turned that ongoing concern into a potential crisis. Stay-at-home orders have shuttered businesses, causing an unprecedented spike in unemployment.

Without money coming in, millions of Americans are struggling to pay their bills. Nearly a third of renters failed to pay on time in April. As the outbreak continues, the number of people who cannot make rent is likely to increase.

Lawmakers have taken some steps to address the problem. Many states have imposed temporary bans on evictions, meaning people cant lose their homes for missing rent payments. The $2.2 trillion stimulus bill passed by Congress included mortgage relief provisions that could allow landlords to offer tenants a break on rent.

These steps, while welcome, arent nearly enough to avoid a national rental crisis, housing advocates say. The only way to prevent millions of people from losing their homes in the coming months, they argue, is for rent to be canceled for the 44 million rental households in the U.S., as long as the economy is closed.

Why theres debate

Supporters of a rent freeze say its unfair to expect renters to keep up with payments when lockdown orders prevent many from earning an income. Banning evictions helps for now but may lead to a mass wave of evictions when the bans are lifted and rental debt becomes due, housing experts say. The costs of having millions of newly unhoused people relying on government assistance and unable to socially distance would be far greater than the expense of canceling rent, advocates argue.

Plans for rent cancelation call for the government to cover rental costs either by paying landlords directly or by compelling banks to offer landlords mortgage relief. One estimate suggests this would cost roughly $66 billion a month  though that number could be reduced significantly by targeting relief to landlords who own a small number of properties or who rent to low-income tenants. A formal rent cancelation policy would help protect landlords from the chaos that could ensue when tenants suddenly cannot pay or if they coordinate to hold a rent strike.

Story continues

Opponents of a rental freeze say it would deny landlords of income they need to pay their own expenses. If a property owner goes into foreclosure because of unpaid rent, their tenants will likely lose their homes as well, some argue. That possibility of that pattern repeating at a national scale raises fears that rent cancelation could lead to a mortgage crisis similar to the one that caused the 2008 financial collapse.

Programs like unemployment insurance, payroll tax relief and direct cash payments are a more effective way to help struggling renters than a rent freeze, some argue.

Whats next

The idea of a rent freeze has gained popularity, but theres limited support among lawmakers currently. Rent strikes are expected at the beginning of May in several parts of the country, including high-cost areas like New York and California.

Perspectives

Freezing rent would prevent a catastrophic surge in evictions

This would be a bailout for people  for the countless families already facing difficulties making their next rent payment and who soon will face the real prospect of eviction. If we do not act now, people will lose their access to housing. The social impact of evictions on individuals, families and communities will be brutal.  Gianpaolo Baiocchi and H. Jacob Carlson, New York Times

Its better to boost other benefits without passing risks along to landlords

Many tenants will be cushioned by unemployment benefits and stimulus checks. Politicians who want to help them even more shouldnt do so at the expense of another struggling group.  editorial, New York Post

Its unfair to ask people to keep up with bills when theyre unable to work

The government was right to call for a shelter-in-place for communities being affected by coronavirus. But you cant shut down the free market, close businesses and mandate that your citizens stay home without providing a remedy to the devastating harm those orders cause.  San Francisco Board of Supervisors members Matt Haney and Hillary Ronen, San Francisco Chronicle

Landlords need rent money to stay afloat

Landlords are just as cornered by this crisis. Commercial property owners with deeper pockets and credit options likely can weather the storm. But many landlords need the steady flow of rent revenue to make mortgage payments on the properties they own.  editorial, Chicago Tribune

Canceling rent could help prevent a financial crisis

If commercial tenants dont pay rent because of a lack of cash, then property owners might be squeezed and default on their mortgage payments. The same goes for homeowners. That could bring the problem squarely onto the balance sheets of large U.S. banks, which will suffer steep losses on their loans.  Brian Chappatta, Bloomberg

Any rental relief needs to be paired with protections for landlords

We cannot advocate to cancel rent as a singular measure without considering the unintended, yet foreseeable, harm to other marginalized groups.  Canceling rent without other protections in place could hurt small landlords, many who share the same demographic as affected tenants: Black and Latino people with low-income.  Rose Marie Cantanno and Jonathan Fox, City Limits

Housing prices could go up if rental income disappears

The financial toll caused by lost rental income could prompt landlords to sell their properties in droves, which could trigger a real estate market crash. Or it could also hasten the ongoing shift from mom-and-pop landlords to investment firms. Advocates say that shift, which accelerated after the last recession, has already resulted in the loss of older, more affordable apartments as investors buy up properties to remodel and raise the rents.  Kerry Cavanaugh, Los Angeles Times

Delaying payments isnt enough, the debt must be voided

A nationwide rent pause would help, but eventually, the rent will be due. We cant leave it up to tenants and landlords to suffer the losses. We need federal assistance to help people pay rent and stabilize the housing market.  Mary Cunningham and Laurie Goodman, the Hill

Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com.

Read more 360s

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Tom Brenner/Reuters
Vice president Mike Pence toured the Mayo Clinic without wearing a face mask, despite being told by officials it was a requirement.

On Tuesday, Mr Pence toured the clinic, an academic medical centre, in Rochester, Minnesota, but chose not to wear the protective mask.

The clinic is forcing everyone who enters, whether as a guest or a patient, to wear a face mask while at the facility, to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

A video clip shot by a journalist at the visit, showed that everyone else around the vice president was wearing a mask.

CNBC reported that Mr Pence was also not wearing a mask when he greeted officials at the airport in Rochester, before travelling to the clinic.

In a now deleted tweet, the clinic said that officials had told Mr Pence prior to his visit that a face mask is a requirement at the facility.

Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today, the tweet read.

The clinic deleted the tweet after about 30 minutes, according to the outlet.

In early April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommended that everyone in the US wear a face mask, or cloth face covering.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, their guidelines read.

Despite the guidance, president Donald Trump made it clear in early April that he will not wear a face mask in public, because the guidelines are voluntary.

I just dont want to wear one, he said. Somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute desk ... I dont see it for myself, he added.

The attitude has been adopted by some supporters of the president, who feel that by not wearing a mask, they are showing their support for Mr Trump.

Mike Pence told reporters after the visit that because he has tested negative for the virus, he does not need to wear a face mask.

As Vice President of the United States Im tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus, he said.

And since I dont have the coronavirus, I thought itd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you, the vice president added.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, nationally there are now upwards of on million people who have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 57,812.

The Independent has asked Mr Pences team for comment.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A different kind of virus is creating beer supply chain issues in Manitoba.

Western Canadas largest beer supplier, Brewers Distributor Ltd., was hit with a computer virus at the end of March that has upended the companys order and delivery system and slowed the flow of beer to vendors and liquor marts in the province.

At the Norwood Hotel, beer vendor staff have been dealing with manual order forms and fielding phone calls from regular customers for the last month.

"Most of them have been understanding," said Jane Snow, the Norwood's general manager. "But theres definitely some that are calling repeatedly and kind of waiting for stock to come in."

For the hotel, the issue runs deeper than customer satisfaction. Room reservations have plummeted and the onsite restaurants and VLTs have been shuttered, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the Norwood Hotel Beer Store, they've unplugged seven fridges with no stock to fill them. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

"The vendor is a significant source of revenue for us right now, so not being able to have the full product range is frustrating," Snow said. "Its an unnecessary disruption at a time when everything else is complicated."

The Manitoba Hotel Association has created signage explaining the product shortage for its roughly 200 members with retail beer vendors. Association president and chief executive officer Scott Jocelyn wants to reassure the public that vendors still have brews in their coolers  although some stock is limited.

"The whole system is not down, there are some distributors that havent been impacted at all," Jocelyn said. "Depending on the day, depending on your location, you may not see the same stock that you have seen."

BDL is owned by Labatt Breweries of Canada and Molson Breweries and most of the products affected by the computer virus are larger domestic labels. To simplify the manual ordering process, the company has reduced the number of available brands and package sizes, Jocelyn said.

Many hotels have turned to local and independent breweries to make up for the shortfall.

"Hotels would have been carrying (craft beer) long before this, but perhaps some new relationships are being created," Jocelyn said.

Mercedes Hall, acting manager of the Norwood Hotel Beer Store, shows empty shelves in the back room. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

John Heim is the president of Torque Brewing and a member of the Manitoba Brewers Association. As a result of the BDL issue he says Torque has seen a 30 to 40 per cent increase in orders from beer vendors and Manitoba Liquor Marts, which have also been impacted by the supply distribution problems over the last few weeks.

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"It has actually bolstered sales quite a bit," Heim said. "It's led to empty shelves where people would find their traditional big beers, which is forcing them to either go without or to look at other options and, with almost 20 local brewers now, there's plenty of local options."

Thanks to the uptick in demand, Torque has been able to bring back some staff members who were laid off in March.

It's unclear what caused the computer virus and how long the supply chain disruption is expected to last. BDL did not respond to Free Press requests for comment.

Bottle-return programs have been been paused at some Winnipeg beer vendors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Manitoba Hotel Association is encouraging customers to call ahead, as it is up to individual vendors to decide whether they will continue accepting empties.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday suggested promoting the Class 10 and 12 students on the basis of their internal exams performance as it will not be feasible to conduct the remaining board exams anytime soon.

Sisodia made the suggestion during a video conference hosted by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' with state Education Ministers.

In a series of tweets, Sisodia also said that for the next year, the entire syllabus should be reduced by at least 30 per cent.

"The NCERT and CBSE should reduce the syllabus of the next academic cycle by 30 per cent in all the classes. The reduced syllabus of class 12 should also be applicable on the entrance exams for the session 2021-22," he said.

Sisodia said for the next academic year, all the assessments should be conducted from the 70 per cent syllabus that will be taught to the students.

"Same 70 per cent syllabus should be the basis of entrance exams like JEE, NEET, etc for their competitive exam in 2021."

Noting that at least 83 papers, including 26 important papers for the board classes, were remaining, he said: "It will not be possible to carry out the remaining exams of Class 10th and 12th in CBSE, so children should be passed on the basis of the internal exams as the children of Class 9th and 11th have passed."

Seeking to explain the rationale of not conducting any further board exam this year, Sisodia said that due to the need of social distancing, it will not be feasible to conduct remaining exams for Class 10 and 12 students even in May-June. "Having exams thereafter will heavily delay the next academic cycle."

Other states have their own state boards but Delhi has the CBSE as its board. Most students of CBSE come from Delhi, he said.

"Therefore, I appeal to the Union HRD Minister that CBSE be asked to take a similar route for promoting the students as it proposed for classes 9 and 11," Sisodia said.

Students up to class 8 have been promoted to the next class on the basis of the Right to Education Act.

The Delhi government has also asked for three hours time daily on Doordarshan and AIR FM so that the teachers of Delhi government can run an on-air class for all children.

"The impact of the Corona virus on education and the economy will last long, we must prepare to minimise damage," Sisodia added.

The HRD Minister had called a meeting with the Education Ministers of the states and the Union Territories to take stock of the status of the ongoing online education system for the students amidst the lockdown and shutdown of schools due to the COVID-19.

During the discussion, Sisodia highlighted that the Delhi Education Department is working with best organisations in the education domain to smoothly transition into online mode of education.

"We are using the online medium and collaborating with the best organisation to conduct online classes for our students. But I would further want to request the MHRD to provide us with Doordarshan and AIR slots for broadcasting our own classes."

Sisodia urged for separate slots for elementary, secondary and senior secondary education.

"If you grant us the slots, we will have our teachers on board to conduct the classes and air as per our lesson plan," he said.

Sisodia said in the Delhi Government schools, among secondary and senior secondary grades, about 68 per cent students have access to smartphones at their home.

"As soon as the lockdown reduces, then I doubt that even those 68 per cent students will have access to a smartphone. So it is very important for us to reach the parents and the students through the medium of Doordarshan and All India Radio with our classes and content," said Sisodia.
Jared Kushner claimed the US is ready to begin opening back up amid the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting in a new interview we have all the testing we need  as experts said the exact opposite.

The senior White House adviser and son-in-law to Donald Trump told Fox News on Wednesday morning: I'm very confident we have all the testing we need to start reopening the country.

Everyones talking about testing, the 39-year-old said. I have to say the work thats been done over the last 60 days on testing has been absolutely extraordinary.

"I think what youll see in May as the states are reopening now is May will be a transition month, youll see a lot of states starting to phase in the different reopening based on the safety guidelines that President Trump outlined on April 19," he added. "I think youll see by June that a lot of the country should be back to normal, and the hope is that by July the countrys really rocking again."

Mr Kushner also claimed the US had conducted more tests for Covid-19  by far the most in the world  than any other country, adding: Weve fulfilled all the orders that the governors have, they have excess capacity in their states.

Meanwhile, medical experts have said there are nowhere near enough testing kits distributed throughout the country in order to begin reopening states. Harvards Global Health Institute placed the daily rate of testing needed to reopen the country at 500,000, while the US currently conducts about 150,000 tests each day.

Thats a much lower estimate than others, which have suggested the US needs to conduct as much as 10 to 20 million tests daily in order to prevent a deadlier second wave from potentially sweeping over the country come the fall.

Dr Asha Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said in a statement: Testing is really at the centre of the entire strategy for how we keep the virus at bay as we reopen the economy.

Mr Kushner noted previous claims from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who said earlier this week he had more testing capacity than he has demand, according to the adviser.

However, health experts in Florida have said the state sorely requires more Covid-19 testing.

Steve Bahmer, president of a a major trade association representing nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Florida, said in a statement to Tampa Bay Times: Expanding testing is exactly the right way to go and the only way we get ahead of this. The challenge is, it isnt enough, especially as we look to reopen the state.

Countries with test positivity over 10 per cent are likely not providing effective infection control, according to guidelines from the World Health Organisation.

The US currently maintains a positive testing rate of about 20 per cent, according to US News and World Report, while countries like South Korea  which confirmed its first case of the novel virus on the same day as the US  have rates as low as 3 per cent. Germanys positive testing rate reportedly stands at 7 per cent.

Still, Mr Kushner has continued to push the idea that current testing capabilities are enough to reopen the country.

Were really doing quite well with testing, Mr Kushner concluded. The leading indicators on testing are extraordinarily positive.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Iran suspended the import of defense industry products from Turkey in March 2020, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend on April 29.

The export of defense industry products from Turkey to Iran increased by 14.08 percent from January through March 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $933,000.

The export of Turkish defense industry products to the world markets decreased by 21.5 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of last year, amounting to $482.7 million.

The export of the Turkish defense industry products accounted for 1.1 percent of the country's total export from January through March 2020.

Turkey exported $141.8 million worth defense industry products to the world markets in March 2020, which is 49.8 percent less than in March 2019.

The export of Turkish defense industry products in March 2020 amounted to 1.1 percent of the country's total export.

Turkey exported defense products worth $2.6 billion from March 2019 through March 2020.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
It took two weeks for a woman living in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra to get to an abortion clinic in South Mumbai after finding out she was pregnant. The journey usually takes about 2-3 hours.

After finding out she was pregnant, the woman got an appointment at the abortion clinic. But by the time she could arrange for a vehicle amid the lockdown, she had already crossed the seven-week limit to get a medical abortion and instead had to undergo a surgical one. "She was one of the lucky ones," a doctor who works at the hospital said.

India has declared abortion an 'essential' service, but medical experts and health professionals say one and a half million women will not be able to access safe abortion services during the lockdown.

"You would see a spike in childbirths next year," said VS Chandrashekhar, CEO at Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India (FRHS). Chandrashekhar, with a team of health experts, has conducted a study on the expected number of pregnancies that is likely to be the result of the lockdown, shifting focus to the containment of Coronavirus, lack of access to transport and unavailability of contraceptives.

The FRHS estimates that disruption to its services due to the Coronavirus could lead to nearly 2-3 million unintended pregnancies, 700,000 unsafe abortions and a steep increase in pregnancy-related deaths.

"In the best-case scenario, we expect 24.55 million couples being unable to access contraceptives due to the impact of the pandemic," said CEO of the largest provider of clinical Family Planning in the private/NGO sector in India.

Even as the World Health Organization has been urged to declare abortion as an essential service during the Coronavirus pandemic, women's access to abortion has become one of many healthcare provisions thrown into jeopardy. Abortion provider Marie Stopes International, which operates across 37 countries, predicts that up to 9.5 million vulnerable women and girls risk losing access to their contraception and safe abortion services due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "The consequences would be devastating," it said in a statement.

Future Gloom: What The Numbers Tell

In Ajmer, a couple on their way to an abortion clinic was stopped by the police. They were threatened to be arrested as they didn't have any 'evidence' for their essential doctor's visit. Only after an Asha worker intervened after spotting them in the middle of a scuffle that they were allowed to go. In Bareilly, a woman who lives 45 kms away from the FRHS clinic took three days to find transport in order to reach the clinic.

In their analysis, FRHS India, an affiliate of Marie Stopes International, found out that 24.55 million couples in the country won't be able to access their preferred modes of contraception during the pandemic. The NGO works towards improvement in accessibility and availability of quality family planning services in the states of Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh through public-private partnerships with the state governments.

"There's also a lack of family planning during this time," said VS Chandrashekhar, CEO, FRHS India. There are many reasons for that. While chemists are open, the footfall is low. Then there's the stigma part. When people buy over the counter contraception, they prefer to buy from a store that's away from their neighbourhoods. With the lockdown, that option is gone. "The organisations that sell and distribute these drugs to the chemist, they have not been able to function because of the lockdown leading to a shortfall of supply at stores," said Chandrashekhar.

The FRHS estimate pegs the number of unintended pregnancies at 1.5 million. "Half a million childbirths is predicted because of the lack of family planning and access to contraceptives. Another half a million are expected because of the lack of access to this 'essential' abortion services. An estimated 1.1 crore Oral Contraceptives, 8 lakh Emergency Contraceptives and 260 million condoms that would be sold normally won't be because of the lockdown.

The number of unsafe abortions is predicted to be at 900,000 and an additional 1,400 pregnancy-related deaths is also feared. "Maternal deaths is co-related to safe abortions. More unwanted pregnancy would lead to more unsafe abortions," said VS Chandrashekhar.

The estimates have been made by FRHS India based on services provided in the past years by the government and sales of over the counter contraceptives by social marketing organisations and private sector.

A large number of abortions are provided using medical methods and these drugs are usually available at chemists. While pharmacies are open, the health expert believes that it will be difficult for a lot of women to go to one. He said that some of them may be able to access abortion services after the lockdown but that would also imply that some of them would have exceeded the 20 day gestation period and moved to the second trimester. "With our current laws, many of them will be forced to continue their pregnancies," he said.

As the focus of the healthcare has shifted to the pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory to states recommending that intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD), sterilisation and other chemical methods of birth control should not be provided during this time. Almost all states have stopped providing sterilisation services since 20th March. This would also imply more unwanted pregnancies. The data shows that 5,50,000 sterilisations and 7 lakh IUCD services that would normally be done during this period won't be available.

Sterilisation, in fact, has played an important role during crisis situations. Rather, reverse sterilisation. Dr Suchitra Dalvie, Coordinator for Asia Safe Abortion Partnership points out that in crisis situations and emergencies, people want to have more children. "It happened after the Tsunami," she said. Hundreds of women who were sterilised before as part of a government-sponsored family planning scheme aimed at cutting India's soaring population growth, reversed the operations. This was after the Tamil Nadu government announced to pay for surgery, bringing fresh hopes to those who had lost their children to the Tsunami.

"The impact of the lockdown and lack of access to birth control will not be visible immediately," Chandrashekhar said.

Across the world, the numbers paint a similar and bleak future. A recent report from the Guttmacher Institute shows that a 10% decline in contraceptive use would leave an additional 49 million women without access to modern contraceptives. And, the researchers say, if 10% of safe abortions become unsafe because women cannot access safe abortion services amid lockdowns and clinic closures, there would be an increase of 3 million unsafe abortions and 1,000 more maternal deaths.

Why It's So Hard To Get an Abortion

It's the messaging, believes Dr Suchitra Dalvie, Coordinator for Asia Safe Abortion Partnership. "Most women, especially from rural areas, think abortion is not legal," she said. The government's message against 'female foeticide' is lost in translation. In communicating the message of 'kanya bhrun hatya', the word is often dropped and left with 'bhrun hatya'. This, Dr Dalvie says, is confusing a lot of women who then believe that abortion is a crime.

Even without the lockdown, maintaining the secrecy and getting access to abortion services has been a big challenge for women across the country, said Dr Dalvie. The idea of a woman having control and rights over her own body is considered to be shameful, and it's not limited to India. "Women are told that the ultimate aim is to be a mother," she said, adding that this same idea has led to violence and deaths.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Coordinator for Asia Safe Abortion Partnership has been receiving desperate calls for help from Jordan, Bhutan and Mumbai. "It was always difficult to access abortion services, with the lockdown, it's doubly challenging."

A day before the lockdown was imposed, a woman from Mumbai called Dr Dalvie to seek an abortion. She had just found out she is pregnant. "But she didn't have any transport to get to the clinic," said Dr Dalvie.

"We don't even know where they are going to get abortion services," said Sangeeta Rege of the Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT).

In many states, small clinics and nursing homes have not been functional during the lockdown. In Bihar, almost all the private facilities are shut down. Increasingly, OPD services have gone down and doctors are being reallocated to Covid-19 facilities. With limited access to the world outside, women are not even safe inside the confines of their own homes. An increase in domestic violence is evidence of that. "Women are unable to negotiate-- even about safe sex," said Rege.

Rege's organisation had to intervene to help a 19-year-old rape survivor get an abortion after she found out she is pregnant-- just as the nationwide lockdown began.

'Essential' But Not Available

"India, relatively a step ahead, declared abortion as an essential service. But essential doesn't translate into accessible," said Shwetangi, a medical student currently working as an intern in Cama Hospital, Mumbai.

Experts and medical professionals believe the listing of abortion services as 'essential' is not enough to protect women from violence and health risks.

Shwetangi has just been shifted from the gynaecology department and deployed in the Covid-19 ward of the hospital. "We are running routine OPDs but very few people are coming in," she said. "Many of them will not know who to reach out for help, and a lot of them won't be able to access it because of the unavailability of transport or means to get to a clinic," she explained.

Ayesha Bashir, Communications Officer at Asia Safe Abortion Partnership, said that the calls to helpline numbers have increased. "A woman who was late on her period cycle by a few days called the helpline asking what she can do if she is pregnant. There's also the added anxiety of not knowing how to get help," she said.

Telemedicine, Shwetangi said, is perhaps the solution. In the UK, women requiring an abortion during the UK lockdown can access a pills by post system, in which, the medication required will be sent to their mailboxes. The service is being offered by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) to women who are up to 10 weeks pregnant.

"But the practise of tele-medicine isn't enough in India and most women are not aware of the helplines," she said

The 22-year-old is a part of India Safe Abortion Youth (ISAY), an advocacy group of doctors and medical students, who sensitize the youth on issues surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights. Their current fight is against the MTP Act which they say is "far from being pro-choice in the framework itself". There were new amendments proposed to the Parliament that, ISAY believes would widen the duration up to which a woman could seek an abortion with the intention of increasing the access to safe abortion. However, the Coronavirus pandemic disrupted the Parliament and any discussion on the MTP Act.

Now, ISAY has started a social media campaign on their proposed amendments to the Act. They are hopeful it will help people become more aware of their rights to reproductive healthcare facilities and the Parliament will pick it up in their Monsoon Session in July.

"There are multiple reasons why public sector hospitals don't even report as many abortions. One of them is that don't have enough equipment for it. One thing to look at would be how to increase safe abortions in the public sector," said VS Chandrashekhar.

The other issue with the Act, he said, is that in its current state very few doctors can legally provide abortion in India. "For long we have been advocating for expanding the base of the providers so that Ayush doctors, trained nurses can provide medical abortions. This is practised by a number of countries, in accordance with the WHO guidelines. Unfortunately, we have not been able to make that policy change," he said.

Perhaps a pandemic will be able to make the government amend the MTP Act and change its policies on abortion.
Russias Prime Minister extends entry restrictions for foreigners

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

14:38 29/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 29 (RAPSI)  Restrictions to the entry into Russia for foreigners imposed because of the coronavirus outbreak are extended by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin until the epidemiological situation improves.

There is no certain date for lifting the restrictions, he has said during the meeting of the governments coordination council for combating coronavirus in Russia.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin prolonged the self-isolation regime in the country until May 11 over the spread of coronavirus infection.




The Armenian government has allowed two textile plants employing about 3,000 people to resume their operations suspended last month due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The permissions given on Tuesday to the Gloria and Sarton companies based in the northern city of Vanadzor are conditional on their compliance with anti-epidemic measures required by a government body enforcing the coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia.

With some 2,600 workers, Gloria is the countrys largest textile factory. Its owner, Bagrat Darbinian, said on Wednesday that he has pledged to have its premises disinfected twice a day and to provide all workers with hand sanitizers, medical masks and rubber gloves. Darbinian said company buses transporting his employees to work and back home will also be disinfected on a daily basis.

Some of those workers interviewed by RFE/RLs Armenian service said, however, that they cannot wear masks and gloves all day long and will frequently wash their hands and avoid physical contact with each other instead.

Despite the continuing spread of the virus, the government has gradually reopened various sectors of the Armenian economy in the last two weeks. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on April 12 that the domestic textile industry should also be able to restart its activities despite being the main driving force of coronavirus cases recorded in the country at that point.

Hundreds of such cases originated in one textile factory located in Yerevan. Health authorities believe that its workers were infected by a visiting Italian specialist in early March.

Following Pashinians statement, the government task force set concrete social distancing rules and other precautions for the export-oriented sector. Darbinian claimed that those requirements are too strict as Glorias employees defied the government ban and returned to their workplaces on April 21.

The mostly female workers said they want the factory to immediately resume its work because they cannot support themselves and their families after the month-long lockdown. Authorities shut it down again the following day.

Darbinian told his protesting workers at the time that they should not be afraid of contracting COVID-19, the potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by the virus. If we get infected, well recover, he said. There are 2,600 people here, and [the disease] is so widespread that someone may catch it.

Neither I nor anybody else can give you guarantees. So you must be prepared for that, added the companys owner.

Pashinian announced on Tuesday that his government is planning to reopen all remaining businesses, including cafes and restaurants, within the next 10 days.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Ministry of Health reported 65 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday morning. The total number of people who have tested positive for the virus in Armenia thus reached 1,932. Thirty of them have died from the disease so far, according to the ministry.

Speaking to RFE/RLs Armenian service on Sunday, Health Minister Arsen Torosian warned that due to the daily number of new infections the authorities will soon be unable to hospitalize or isolate most infected people.
Taylor has been documenting each week of her third trimester with a photo of herself at the hospital

The ER staffer has had to continued going to work, which she finds especially scary because she is pregnant

Taylor Poynter, 27, is expecting her first child with her husband Gene in June

A physician's assistant working on the front lines fighting coronavirus has been documenting her pregnancy while working in the ER.

Taylor Poynter, 27, is expecting her first child with her husband Gene in June  but as the pandemic rages on, she has continued to go to her job at a hospital in Joliet, Illinois.

That's given Taylor the opportunity to share some particularly striking pictures of herself, in which she shows off her growing baby bump while simultaneously outfitted in masks and other protective gear.

Special time: A physician's assistant working on the front lines fighting coronavirus has been documenting her pregnancy while working in the ER

Expecting: Taylor Poynter, 27, is expecting her first child with her husband Gene in June

Taylor has offered periodic updates, sharing snaps of herself in scrubs and masks, hazmat suits, and hair nets.

She's also offered updates on life and pregnancy in the ER.

'It's such a multi-fold thought process when it comes to being pregnant and a healthcare worker right now,' she told Motherly. 'I definitely don't think my Instagram posts cover a full aspect of what moms are feeling right now.'

At 31 weeks pregnant, she posted for a photo in a full protective hospital gowns, gloves, and a mask.

'There is a lot of fear and anxiety that comes with being a mom on the front line right now,' she wrote.

'On a national level, PPE is officially limited, supplies intermittently are running low in certain areas, and we are reusing our masks for the purpose of conservation.'

Bumping around: Taylor has offered weekly updates during her final trimester, sharing snaps of herself in scrubs and masks, hazmat suits, and hair nets

A week later, she shared another post, in which she explained 'how most of us pregnant mommas feel right now.'

'We dont want to work closely with these patients,' she said. 'We dont choose to put ourselves or babies in harms way. We would prefer to be sitting at home.

'We deeply want to protect our child that we have yet to meet. We have heightened anxiety and fear compared to people staying home. We are emotional.

'We dont go into work thinking, Wow, Im such a hero. We grieve the unknown.

'Some of us are the main income source,' she added. 'We dont get to stay home. Some women are being told they arent allowed to work due to being pregnant, and then are told they cant use their PTO.

'Some of us cant use our PTO now and afford maternity leave. We dont have the luxury of staying home.

'It's such a multi-fold thought process when it comes to being pregnant and a healthcare worker right now,' she said

'There are a lot of reasons pregnant women are still working, but none of us are doing it because we want to put our child in harm's way.'

Most recently, at 33 weeks pregnant, Taylor said she was 'celebrating my first pregnancy gowned up, sweating, and with a tight N95 cutting into my face.'

'Pregnant mommas on the frontline post pictures to celebrate their pregnancy the only way we can right now,' she said.

'We dont post pictures of ourselves to brag about working while pregnant. We dont post to be proud. We post to remember our pregnancy, our experience, our time with our little ones. We post these pictures to find laughter in chaos, to celebrate in the midst of anxiety and fear.'

Taylor told Today that she initially started posting the photos to document and celebrate her final trimester, but she now thinks they have told a story to other people.

'We dont want to work closely with these patients,' she said. 'We dont choose to put ourselves or babies in harms way. We would prefer to be sitting at home'

'I also think it really gives people a clear picture of what our lives look like right now  this is as real as it gets, all summed up in one photo,' she said.

'Regardless of what stage of pregnancy you are in, no woman wants to look like that: tired and sweating with skin breakouts from our masks,' she added.

'I feel passionately about standing up for pregnant women working on the front lines and that includes making people aware of all the emotions we battle that we should never have to walk through.'

She added that her approach to patient care has changed because she is pregnant during a pandemic. Before, she would often care for patients without gloves or a mask, and was content just washing her hands. Now, she'd never go in without PPE.

She also knows that childbirth will be different than she expected.

'No one will be able to visit us at the hospital, or so I anticipate, and I doubt we will allow people to freely come into our home after the delivery,' she said. 'All around, this is just not what I expected with our first baby.'
IN LINE with its commitment to be of service to the Filipino public, hospitals and government during the coronavirus pandemic, SM Foundation Inc. recently donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to hospitals in Visayas and Mindanao.

SM Foundation also gave N95 and surgical masks, gloves, raincoats, goggles, alcohol and hygiene kits to the hospitals. The donations were part of the P170 million that SM had allocated for this purpose.

In the Visayas area, these were donated to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City and the West Visayas State University Medical Center in IloIlo City. Fifteen other hospitals in the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo and Samar, and the cities of Bacolod, Dumaguete, Roxas, Tacloban and Ormoc City also benefited.

In Mindanao, the beneficiaries included the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City and the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City, the Amai Pakpak Hospital in Marawi City and Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City.

Other initiatives of the SM Group in response to the crisis are the waived rentals of all tenants of SM Supermalls nationwide, continued compensation of employees, and the extension of an Emergency Financial Assistance to its frontliners, security guards and janitorial staff during the enhanced community quarantine period.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Experts have cautioned people against over-reliance on the governments Aarogya Setu application (app), a primary contact-tracing tool for the COVID-19 outbreak in the country with over 75 million downloads, saying that it may not be as effective as being projected in the Indian context.

The government has been making a lot of effort to popularise the app after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on April 14, requested to people to download and use it on their mobile phones to combat the pandemic.

The call, said official sources, has been a major endorsement to the initiative and has seen a massive spike in downloads ever since.

The app, the government claims acts as a one-stop solution for spreading awareness about the COVID-19, helping self diagnose users, provide latest updates and even to store and display e-pass, but its main task is to trace contacts and create a reliable network for the government to identify potential coronavirus patients. There are other variants of the app too, with more than 30 being tried in several states.

Officials have explained that once a user sets up his/her account on the app, it asks for continuous Bluetooth access and even location data. The app then asks for some basic information that helps build data about the user.

The information includes age, gender, name, health status and also, asks for the countries that the user has been to in the past few weeks. The app also asks if the user belongs to any one of the exempted categories of professionals. Then, it asks if the user will be willing to volunteer in times of need, explained an official in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In the next step, comes a self-assessment test where the user is asked about their current health and whether they are showing any of the symptoms of the virus.

The user is also asked if he/she has had any travel history or if the user is a doctor, it asks if he/she is exposed to coronavirus patients. Depending on the response, the app suggests a way forward. In case youre a doctor, the app will ask if you were exposed to coronavirus patients. Depending on the answers, the app suggests what to do next.

Secretary of the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics Dr Oommen John pointed out that when a user is tested positive or declares symptoms of the disease in the self-assessment survey, it triggers a series of actions, including notifications to others app users who have been in contact.

While this is an extremely innovative approach, It relies on a number of user-initiated actions, and if there are any gaps in users understanding of the standard operating procedures, the intended function will be compromised, he said.

He also said the collection of personal details for registering such apps might be counterproductive in the context of the stigma associated with the disease.

A senior executive with the WHO in India said the most vulnerable people  those above 60  are least likely to use the tool, and that can be a major shortcoming of the initiative.

Thats why I am warning against relying on it as a major way of contact tracing, he said.

Dheeraj Sanghi, an expert in IT and director of the Punjab Engineering College, said the app should be more user-friendly.

Not everyone keeps the Bluetooth or GPS on, so the app should send a notification to switch it on when someone is moving out of the home and likely to come close to others, he suggested.
BioNTech test comes a week after clinical trials by Oxford University scientists in the UK.

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech has begun testing a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus on volunteers.

BioNTech, which is working with the US-based Pfizer, said on Wednesday that 12 participants of a clinical trial in Germany received doses of the vaccine candidate BNT162 since April 23.

Numerous pharmaceutical companies are racing to deliver a vaccine for the virus that has caused a pandemic and led to more than 215,000 deaths worldwide and sickened at least three million people.

BioNTech said in a statement that in the next step, it will begin increasing the dose of BNT162 in a trial involving about 200 participants aged 18 to 55.

The company said it expects to receive regulatory approval to begin trials in the United States soon.

While a safe, effective vaccine is still more than a year away, researchers are rushing to repurpose existing drugs and non-drug therapies as well as testing promising experimental drugs that were already in clinical trials.

Even moderately effective therapies or combinations could dramatically reduce the crushing demand on hospitals and intensive care units, changing the nature of the risk the new pathogen represents to populations and healthcare systems.

New drugs, together with new diagnostics, antibody tests, patient- and contact-tracing technologies, disease surveillance and other early-warning tools, mean the anticipated next wave of the global pandemic does not have to be nearly as bad as the first.

As many as 100 potential COVID-19 candidate vaccines are now under development by biotech and research teams around the world, and at least five of these are in preliminary testing in people in what are known as Phase 1 clinical trials.

Scientists in the United Kingdom began clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine on April 23 as other vaccine developers across Europe stepped up work on experimental shots.

The team at the UKs Oxford University dosed the first volunteers in a trial of their vaccine  called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19  while Italys ReiThera, Germanys Leukocare and Belgiums Univercells said they were working together on another potential shot and aimed to start trials in a few months.

The UKs GSK and Frances Sanofi have announced a similar agreement to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, with trials starting in the second half of the year.
Armenias Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan on Wednesday visited the Gavar Medical Center where those wounded in Tuesdays incident in the town were taken.

Torosyan noted that there are many injured who are under medical supervision in various medical centers. "And law enforcement is clarifying the circumstances of the incident," he added, in particular. Our only concern after this incident is the restoration of the normal work of the Gavar Medical Center, for which I have visited here. Fortunately, there are no injuries among the medical staff."

The minister said the injuries of some of the wounded were life-threatening.

An attack took place on Gavar Medical Center on Tuesday. Police have already denied reports that a person was killed during the attack.

According to the respective police statement, there are two casualties and wounded as a result of the shootings that took place Tuesday in Gavar town, a criminal case has been, and there are detaineesboth in connection with the shootings and the hospital attack.

Vendetta in Armenia's Gavar, relatives of victim enter hospital and slit throats of wounded citizens
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Claims that the novel coronavirus came from China's National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were groundless and contradict all available evidence, said lab director Yuan Zhiming in a recent written interview with Reuters.

Yuan said "malicious" claims about the lab had been "pulled out of thin air" and contradicted all available evidence. "The WIV does not have the intention and the ability to design and construct a new coronavirus," and "there is no information within the SARS-CoV-2 genome indicating it was man-made," he told Reuters.

Some conspiracy theories were fuelled by a widely read scientific paper from the Indian Institute of Technology, since withdrawn, claiming that proteins in the coronavirus shared an "uncanny similarity" with those of HIV, the story said.

Most scientists now say SARS-CoV-2 originated in wildlife, with bats and pangolins identified as possible host species. The scientific consensus is that the coronavirus evloved naturally, according to Reuters.

"More than 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases originated from animals, especially wild animals," Yuan told Reuters.

Scientists say that all seven known human coronaviruses have origins in bats, mice or domestic animals.

The lab director also rejected theories that the lab had accidentally released a coronavirus it had harvested from bats for research purposes, saying the lab's biosecurity procedures were strictly enforced, Reuters said.

"High-level biosafety labs have sophisticated protective facilities and strict measures to ensure the safety of laboratory staff and protect the environment from contamination," he said.

He said that his institute was committed to transparency and would share all available data about the coronavirus in a timely fashion.

As for the origin of the virus, Yuan told Reuters that there were "still no answers" about it.

He cited a paper by British and German scientists published this month suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating in the United States was a more "primitive" version of the one in China, and might have appeared there first.
Staying home to stay safe during COVID-19 has forced us to rethink whats important. And that includes a better understanding of the definition of quality time, the comforts of slowing down and the need to show appreciation for those we love.

Choosing the perfect Mother's Day gift this year comes with the added curve ball of making sure it's suitable for a social distancing time. A gift that straddles the fence of being both practical in isolation and an indulgent pleasure that will take her somewhere faraway, if only for a moment.

Below, we've rounded up 18 thoughtful gifts that do just that, in lieu of the brunch outing she so deserves. Scroll down for everything from sustainable sneakers to silky sleepwear.

Candle by Gascoigne and King

Provide some fresh ambience via Surry Hills-based brand Gascoigne and King. These hand-made candles offer a subtle scent without being overpowering. They're also inspired by actual locations around the world  so pretty much as good as a holiday. Price: $55 at gascoigneandking.com.
Francisco Marquez in his Provincetown, Mass., studio, quarantined past his residency's April 30 end date. (Francisco Marquez)

Out on the tip of Cape Cod, Mass., in the 300-year-old community of Provincetown, some 2,900 year-round residents weather the deep freeze long after droves of summer people have departed. Embedded within this once-bohemian, colonial-era spit of land are 20 artists and writers who arrive every October and remain past the final frost. This year is no exception for the fellows of the Fine Arts Work Center (FAWC), even though most other artist colonies in the United States have shuttered in the wake of COVID-19.

Founded in 1968, the seven-month-long residency is meant to give its recipients time and space to produce work at what can some days feel like the end of the world. Writers like Michael Cunningham, Denis Johnson, Ann Patchett and Jacqueline Woodson have attended. To accept, many fellows must rearrange their lives entirely  find subletters, leave jobs, put relationships on hold. On March 18, the FAWC administration put protocols in place for residents to self-quarantine beyond the official end of the program  April 30  until June 15.

Joy Priest, a poet at FAWC, wakes up each morning and handwrites her daily schedule on notebook paper in neat blue ballpoint pen. Its something shes always done  she chalks it up to being a Capricorn with a Virgo moon  but lately its felt even more necessary. Most mornings she walks her dog, Luna, along the Capes dunes. In the afternoon she works and afterward, instead of going to Governor Bradford, a restaurant where drag queens and fisherman share the bar, or to one of the fellows little cottage kitchens for a potluck, she logs into Zoom for readings with other writers across the country.

Ironically, I already felt like I was in quarantine, says Priest. If you come to Provincetown for a winter, you should have some understanding of what that implies. Its isolating. Even so, she misses sharing meals and seeing residents along Commercial Street. Its unclear how long shelter-in-place orders will last or what happens if they extend beyond the new departure date.

Story continues

If you arent familiar with the residency model, it may sound like a cushy retreat in the woods or a beach vacation  creative summer camp for adults. At the most competitive residencies, room and board and sometimes modest stipends are included. Getting stuck there in a pandemic could be construed as the artists corollary to that now-infamous honeymooning couple stuck in the Maldives. But the reality is these retreats constitute a support system for artists and writers struggling to cobble together a livelihood. Most of this seasons  and likely next seasons  resident-hopefuls, who would otherwise be making travel plans, will not be going anywhere. And even those stranded at the tip of Massachusetts are unsure of where theyll go next.

Akiko Jackson, a visual artist, arrived in Provincetown fresh from the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Foundation in New Mexico. For a decade, shes subsisted without a home base, traveling from one long-term residency to another to maintain a career. She says her summer schedule was filled like a puzzle with short-term residencies from June to September. As each fell through, along with three exhibitions, shes scrambled to apply for assistance, a convoluted and time-consuming process.

Raul De Lara, a sculptor from Mexico at FAWC, is unsure where hell go next. His DACA status expires on May 7 and with immigration offices closed, he is unable to renew his papers. I feel safe here, he says of FAWC. Its a place I dont have to be very exposed. Though De Lara, who at 28 has been in the U.S. for 16 years, was awarded a relief grant, its unclear if hell be able to access the funds. Hes applied for a second year at FAWC but has yet to hear back; his studio is full of pieces he cannot move, and his art handler is closed. If all else fails, hell caravan to Texas with Priest.

A few hours north of Provincetown in New Hampshire is MacDowell, the storied 450-acre colony founded in 1907. Its where James Baldwin wrote Giovannis Room and Thornton Wilder set down Our Town. Residents have been awarded 91 Pulitzers, 844 Guggenheim Fellowships and nine Academy Awards. The board decided to cancel arrivals and begin sending residents home on March 11. Through the Spanish flu and both World Wars, MacDowell has never before cut its season short.

David Macy, MacDowells longtime resident director, explained the very real economic value of a residency. The colony spends $12,000 per artist per month or $450 a day. The 35% to 40% of residents who qualify for stipends earn, on average, $18,000 a year, not far from the U.S. poverty threshold.

Theres a lot of value you cant describe easily, Macy says, recounting the evening ritual of residents  sculptors, architects, poets, novelists, playwrights  gathering for dinner at MacDowells main house. Theres a cross-pollination that happens organically.

When the virus hit, the writer Wei Tchou was up at MacDowell completing an eight-week residency while working on a memoir. Out there in the woods, the threat of COVID-19 felt distant to her. She spent her first six weeks struggling to write, trying to figure out what it meant to identify as an artist apart from the mechanics of validation and economic survival in her New York home. Two weeks before the end of the program, Tchou finally hit her stride  just before Macy gave an emotional speech announcing the closure. The universe has a really good sense of humor, she says.

But the consequences of the closures are serious. The lack of federal support for arts in the United States has relegated all but blue-chip artists to the fringes of society, often without the resources to operate within the formal economy. Its said that great art comes from struggle, but poverty bears little fruit. Residencies are a crucial stopgap.

Nearly a century ago, after the Great Depression, the country did put artists and writers to work. The Works Progress Administration employed tens of thousands of writers, musicians, artists and performers. Today, those who wish to devote themselves to their vocations without entering academia or the gig economy must undertake hundreds of hours of legwork to patch together enough residencies and fellowships to get by.

Its such an ecosystem, says Sharon Dynak, the executive director of UCross, a residency on a 20,000-acre ranch in Clearmont, Wyo. UCross has hosted writers like Annie Baker, Karen Russell, Colson Whitehead and Annie Proulx. On March 16, with only three reported COVID-19 cases in Wyoming, UCross closed, helping to facilitate its residents safe passage home  as far as the Netherlands and Germany.

Noreen Tomassi, the executive director at the Center for Fiction in downtown Brooklyn, says she fears for the effect the pandemic will have on literature. Were all supposed to do yoga six times a day and write the great American novel, she says. But imagine if youre a writer living in [New York]. You have two or three kids under the age of 8, youre worried about your kids, youre worried about your parents, youre stuck in an apartment thats way too small. For many writers and artists with families, the daily escape hatch of a few uninterrupted hours has vanished.

We cant use the tools of corporate models if we want artists and writers to survive this moment, says Priest, speaking from her cottage in Provincetown. Some of these organizations loss of profit means they can collapse in a single cycle. She says that at one point, residents received notice from FAWC that they would be charged rent past April 30, but after an organized effort, FAWC reversed its stance. Executive Director Richard MacMillan confirms that charging rent was one measure discussed, but ultimately It wasnt a match for our identity. Theyre here as a continuing gift.

Priest grew up in a working class family in Kentucky and says her disabled mother relies on Social Security. Her first opportunity to leave home came when she was awarded a fellowship in 2015, and shes relied on them ever since to protect her time and work. This summer, shes weighing whether to head back to her parents in Lexington or go straight to Texas, where shes pursuing a PhD at the University of Houston. But until shelter-in-place orders lift in Massachusetts, shell continue copying out her schedule each day, tracing the strange warp in time from a place that right now feels strangely permanent  but definitely isnt.

Pariseau is a writer and editor in New Orleans.
When the coronavirus became an issue early this year there was much loose talk about it being no more than a cold.

But with deaths at more than 27,000 in the UK (including care homes), and worldwide infections at above 3m, this is a human tragedy beyond imagination.

Similarly, it was easy to regard the economic impact as transitory. The snapshot of Britain from the latest batch of financial updates, however, looks devastating.

Covid impact: The snapshot of Britain from the latest batch of financial updates, however, looks devastating

Barclays boss Jes Staley has demonstrated that his battle to keep investment banking as a key part of operations is working, with income up 44 per cent.

The rest of the message is deeply disturbing, with provisions for bad debts ramped up to 2.1billion. Staley is not mincing his words, arguing that the fallout is worse than the financial crisis.

Coming from a banker in the frontline at JP Morgan in New York in 2008-09, that is quite a declaration.

In parallel, the picture from the US, Britains biggest single trading partner, is calamitous. After a decade of growth, GDP tumbled 4.8 per cent in the first quarter and the forecast is for a 40 per cent loss of output in the current period.

The massive fiscal stimulus of 2.4trillion is all that stands between the US and a catastrophe which would dwarf the Great Depression.

In Britain, aerospace and airlines are among the most troubled industries. After a 49 per cent slump in first-quarter profits, Airbus described the meltdown as the gravest crisis the industry has known.

These words came hard on the heels of BAs decision to slash 12,000 of its 42,000 workforce in spite of sitting on a cash cushion of 6billion. BAs action reflects a trend. Scandinavian carrier SAS is dismissing 5,000 from its much smaller workforce.

Bringing retail back also is going to be an enormous challenge. Nexts full-price clothing sales fell 52 per cent in the last three months and it warns the impact of the pandemic will be felt far longer than anticipated, with a sales drop of 30 per cent over the full year.

This, from the group regarded as the pin-up of the fashion sector because of the way it harnessed online sales.

Not so long ago, retail analysts would discuss with great reverence whether an extra day of Easter shopping would make a difference to the numbers.

Now the debate is about if and when the lockdown is lifted, social distancing and whether sales and earnings can ever be brought back.

When coronavirus hit there was much talk of a V-shaped rebound for output. The issue now is how deep, long and disruptive the slump is going to prove.

It is a frightening moment.

Booster shots

Amid the wreckage we can be thankful for big pharma.

Both Astrazeneca and Glaxosmithkline are putting their shoulders to the wheel in the fight against Covid-19, jointly expanding testing capacity and separately working on palliative treatments and, in Glaxos case, ramping up the science and production capacity for vaccine manufacture.

Away from the immediate crisis, Astra boss Pascal Soriot is making an amazing fist of meeting the sales and targets some people thought were impossible at the time of the rejected Pfizer bid in 2014.

In the first quarter, sales climbed 17 per cent to 5billion. The Cambridge-based health giant has come through the Covid-19 dark tunnel in China and out the other side

Astras blockbuster lung cancer treatment tagrisso is sweeping all before it.

There are promising compounds for prostate cancer and there is a pipeline filled with opportunity. It is now in a tussle with oil giant Shell to be the UKs most highly valued stock.

Glaxo is boosted by its vaccine for shingles, coronavirus stock-building and demand for pain relief medicines. It recorded a 19 per cent in overall sales boost.

The UKs science-based economy is sparking.

White dame

If Sharon White finds retail at John Lewis hard, she is not showing it.

In her new role, management at Waitrose has been bolstered by hiring Sainsburys refugee James Bailey, food deliveries have been ramped up ahead of the Ocado divorce and John Lewis is doing well online. Reopening stores will be a different ball game.

But White is infectiously optimistic.
Varanasi, April 29 : Twenty-eight Nepalis have been detained and quarantined in Sarnath while they were found walking along the railway tracks. The group included one woman.

Station House officer (SHO) Vijay Bahadur Singh said that the group was walking along the railway track from Sasaram in Bihar and were trying to reach Gorakhpur.

One of those detained, Basant Kumar, told reporters that they were working in a fertilizer unit and had been turned out of their houses by the landlord because they could not pay the rent.

The members of the group are residents of Bhojpur, Sirha, Rothar, Singhvi, Kotang and Bada districts in Nepal.

The SHO said that the group would remain at the quarantine center for 14 days after which they would be allowed to move to their destination if the lockdown is lifted by then.
Many of the measures to fight the COVID-19 include using water. Access to clean drinking water is a must in order to stay safe and have a fighting chance against the virus. But billions of Indians do not have the luxury of clean water, and are falling prey to the virus due to lack of basic water access. How then, can we as the citizens of India help curb the virus crisis by also fighting the water crisis at the same time?

We cant get away from using water for our own safety. But we can try and balance the equation by doing certain things right. In this manner, not only do we sanitize ourselves, but also ensure that water isnt wasted. After all, we are all working from home, which gives us the liberty to do away with certain things that can help us save water.

Washing hands for 20 seconds? Cut down your bath time to 5 minutes.

20 seconds of hand-washing per family member is a lot of water per day, even considering the tap is turned off while scrubbing the hands. What you can do is try and minimize your bath time to a maximum of 5 minutes, in order to make up for the extra water that we are using nowadays. We are all at home, we do not have important meetings to go to, and most of the people attending video calls are dressed in pyjamas and shorts over formal shirts. We are not advocating to become slobs, but you can help save a lot of water by cutting down to the bare minimum to stay hygienic, and not more.

No meetings and parties Means lesser laundry

You are not travelling in the heat anymore. You are not dressing up for occasions anymore. You dont have a flight to catch and dress up for the airport anymore. All of these things mean there is much lesser laundry washing in our lives for now. Take advantage of this fact and wait for 4-5 days to do your laundry. Let it fill up to a full load and then press the start button, and that too on the quickest mode so as to lose less water.

Your plates dont need a shower a sponge bath is great!

Take some dishwashing liquid, dilute it in water, and soak the sponge to rinse the pile of dirty utensils you accumulate throughout the day. Clean all of them properly, and then rinse the soap of the sponge. Now we have a wet clean sponge, that you can again use to rinse off the soap off the dishes. Did you realize that there is no running tap in this scenario? Well, that is saving water!

Also take this time at home to educate yourself about Harpic News18 Mission Paani, one of the best initiatives for water conservation. Check it out here and spread the word.
New Delhi: Superstars Sridevi and Dev Anand have starred in some of the best projects of Indian cinema and continue to rule hearts. Sridevi died at the age of 54 in 2018 while Dev Anand breathed his last in 2011. Both of them are considered as the greatest and most successful stars in the film industry. Recently, renowned American photographer Steve McCurry gave us a chance to relive the old memories after he shared some million-dollar behind-the-scene pictures of these stars on the sets of their films. The post also has photos of Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla.

In the post, Steve McCurry has also explained where the photos were taken. Sridevis picture is from the sets of Laadla. She shares the frame with actor Anil Kapoor, who is also her brother-in-law.

Dev Anand, on the other hand, can be seen directing an action sequence on the sets of a 1993 film. Juhi Chawla and Rishi Kapoor have been pictured while prepping for a scene and Amitabh Bachchans close shot is a decade old.

Take a look at the pictures here:

Anil Kapoor too shared the photo with Sridevi and wrote, Had no clue at the time that I was being shot by such a talented man! Steve Mccurry, thank you for capturing us and for bringing back memories with Sri ji...always a perfectionist.

Had no clue at the time that I was being shot by such a talented man! #SteveMccurry Thank you for capturing us and for bringing back memories with Sri ji...always a perfectionist pic.twitter.com/FepUkZ7RhB  Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) April 28, 2020

Sridevi died in February 2018 in her hotel bathtub in Dubai. She was married to filmmaker Boney Kapoor. Actress Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi are the couples two children.
Many descendants of the people who were relocated as a result of the construction of the Danjiangkou reservoir are devoting themselves to ecological conservation in a wetland national nature reserve in their hometown.

Workers patrol the Danjiang Wetland National Nature Reserve. (Photo courtesy of the Danjiang Wetland National Nature Reserve)

The reservoir is the water source of the central route of China's south-to-north water diversion project, and is included in the Danjiang Wetland National Nature Reserve located in Xichuan county, central China's Henan province.

Forest ranger Ma Wei is one of them. His hometown is Taohe township in the county, where his grandfather worked on the construction of the reservoir. In 2009, his family was resettled in the province's Luohe city.

Eight years later, the then 26-year-old Ma chose to work at the management office of the nature reserve, becoming the youngest staff member there.

Ma and his colleagues face the daunting task of carrying out regular patrols of the reserve, which covers an area of over 64,000 hectares. During patrols in summer, they face getting stung by scoliid wasps as their nests are usually difficult to see.

As there are still over 90,000 residents in the reserve, Ma often explains to them the importance of water ecology protection by telling stories of their ancestors. "Protecting the local ecological environment and the reservoir also brings benefits to us," Ma said, adding that more and more young people have joined them in their efforts.

35-year-old Chai Erhu is a member of the law enforcement team that protects the reserve's water surface area of more than 33,000 hectares. He served as a submariner for five years, and joined the team 12 years ago after retiring from the army.

Local authorities have implemented extremely rigorous environmental measures to ensure water quality for the south-to-north water diversion project, including bans on aquaculture and floating restaurants.

In the past, waste water and rubbish were directly discharged into waterways by several floating restaurants. Together with officials from the local fishery department, public security and governments, the team has used all means at their disposal to ban these restaurants.

"A 20-meter-long small boat with dining tables could earn about 10,000 yuan per day," Chai said, adding that banning them initially proved to be a very difficult task.

While imposing tough punishments, the law enforcement team tried to persuade the restaurant owners to be proactive. Subsidies were offered to owners of large boats, and administrative orders were issued to let owners of small boats change their jobs. After two years of efforts, all floating restaurants were removed.

Another example is Jia Guoheng, who is responsible for collecting floating objects in the water.

During the flood season or water-retention period, numerous floating objects appear, which will affect water quality and must be handled promptly, according to Jia, adding that he and his colleagues contribute to some degree to keeping the reservoir water clear.

Jia said he had to salvage floating objects from the water hundreds of times a day. "Sometimes I feel bored, but I was filled with a sense of accomplishment at the sight of the clearer water," he added.

Thanks to their efforts, the water in the reservoir now meets Grade II standards or above all year round.
A Delhi Court will pronounce on May 1the order on the bail application of corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar, arrested in a money laundering case related to receiving foreign funding illegally.

Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar reserved order after hearing the arguments from the Enforcement Directorate as well the accused.

While opposing the bail application the ED told the court that Talwar was accused of serious economic offence and if granted the relief, he may flee from justice.

The accused was already absconding from justice prior to his arrest and he had to be brought from Dubai, it said.

While seeking bail, Talwar told the court that no purpose will be served by keeping him in custody in the matter.

He told the court that he was the only accused arrested in the case and the probe is already over.

He said all the evidence in the case was documentary in nature and has been recovered by the probe agency.

There was no chance that the investigation could be hampered, he said.

A Delhi court had earlier dismissed the interim bail application by Talwar, moved on medical grounds in view of coronavirus, noting that he was lodged in Tihar central jail here where all the facilities were available.

According to the ED, Talwar was the founding member of NGO Advantage India that had received foreign contribution of Rs 90.72 crore from MBDA England, a leading European missile manufacturer, and Airbus France under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funding between 2012-13 to 2015-16.

"Investigation has revealed that the NGO booked 'bogus' expenditure under various heads to show that foreign donation was utilised for various purposes," the agency had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"We believe that the Blacks and the Jews are taking over America, and it's our job to take America back for the White race," Patton testified at trial, describing his beliefs while carrying out the crime  beliefs he said he no longer held.

Banjo CEO Damien Patton has admitted to being a Neo-Nazi skinhead in his youth. But until today, the extent of his activity had not yet been reported, in part because of multiple spellings of his name used over the years.

At Medium.com's One Zero, a report claims that Patton, CEO of a Softbank-backed surveillance technology firm, has in the past identified as a Nazi, and was involved in a drive-by synagogue shooting with a KKK leader.

"Patton's association with racist groups extended into adulthood; in testimony he provided against Brown, Patton admitted to fraternizing with skinheads while serving in the U.S. Navy."

The Utah Attorney General's Office will "fully review" a massive state contract with @Banjo after a news report showed its founder, Damien Patton, was once an active participant in a white supremacist group and was involved in the shooting of a synagogue.https://t.co/NnxAdA8t1g  The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) April 28, 2020

Clients including the state of Utah ditched Banjo today after the revelations were published.

Maybe we shouldn't have U.S. city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies entering into multimillion dollar contracts

with sketchy extreme right wing figures who run dystopian spyware and machine intelligence firms [AHEM CLEARVIEW AI] to built a vast panopticon and pandemic surveillance system?

Just a thought.

Excerpt:

In grand jury testimony that ultimately led to the conviction of two of his associates, Patton revealed that, as a 17-year-old, he was involved with the Dixie Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. On the evening of June 9, 1990  a month before Patton turned 18  Patton and a Klan leader took a semi-automatic TEC-9 pistol and drove to a synagogue in a Nashville suburb. With Patton at the wheel, the Ku Klux Klan member fired onto the synagogue, destroying a street-facing window and spraying bullets and shattered glass near the building's administrative offices, which were next to that of the congregation's rabbi. No one was struck or killed in the shooting. Afterward, Patton hid on the grounds of a white supremacist paramilitary training camp under construction before fleeing the state with the help of a second Klan member. Patton was charged with  and pled guilty toacts of juvenile delinquency in connection to the incident, while the two Klansmen were charged with conspiracy to "prevent or hinder" the free exercise of another person's constitutional rights, which is a federal hate crime, and accessory after the fact. One of the Klansmen, Leonard William Armstrong, took a plea agreement. Another, Jonathan David Brown, went to trial and was convicted of accessory after the fact to a conspiracy to violate civil rights, as well as two counts of lying to the grand jury. During testimony prior to Brown's trial, Patton admitted to having been a member of the Nashville-area Dixie Knights. He also admitted to being a skinhead, a group that acted as "the foot soldiers for groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations," Patton said. Patton also admitted to participating in white supremacist talks and meetings, where, according to his own testimony, speakers advocated for the elimination of Blacks and Jews, among other beliefs built around racism and religious discrimination.

Read more at onezero.medium.com:

CEO of Surveillance Firm Banjo Once Helped KKK Leader Shoot Up a Synagogue

[Matt Stroud, Apr 28, via Techmeme]

The grossest of ironies: the banjo is an instrument whose roots lie in West Africa. https://t.co/VwerLeUsWu  I'Nasah K. Crockett (@so_treu) April 28, 2020

Damien Patton, the CEO of a SoftBank-backed surveillance company called Banjo, is a former neo-Nazi who pled guilty to charges connected to a violent hate crime. Read the story on @ozm https://t.co/vDMIrBiICw  Damon Beres  (@dlberes) April 28, 2020

We desperately need to reckon with all the ways in which white supremacy has infiltrated law enforcement. https://t.co/v05EggSfix  Eric Geller (@ericgeller) April 28, 2020

Hi, Damien. Hi, everyone with a racist, violent past. No, you don't get to apologize and explain away and walk away from your history. It's your story. But we all get to decide whether your story should be part of *our* collective story. I decide: fuck no.  Ryan Block (@ryan) April 28, 2020

Please do not ignore the deep connections between Nazis and the surveillance industry. This story makes those connections even more clear. https://t.co/7AB9lF3glj  SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN (@sivavaid) April 28, 2020

Add this to a growing list of surveillance tech companies with white supremacist/reactionary right origins. https://t.co/4JMAHcyh1F  Sarah Myers West (@sarahbmyers) April 28, 2020

Here's the context on what this person is building. Feeds of cameras etc into a system to tell cops of events before they realise https://t.co/tbi3NfGhtY  Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) April 28, 2020

weird how every law enforcement-backed surveillance company is manned by a white supremacist huh https://t.co/522WG2oXuX  Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) April 28, 2020

The CEO of a SoftBank-backed surveillance company is a former neo-Nazi who pled guilty to charges connected to a violent hate crimehttps://t.co/3uckoeEJBe  Dave Gershgorn (@davegershgorn) April 28, 2020

The Utah Attorney General's office will suspend the use of a massive surveillance system after news reports surfaced that the founder of the company was once an active white supremacist and was involved in the shooting of a synagogue. https://t.co/6E2dcnWYpy  The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) April 28, 2020

NEW: The CEO of Banjo, a surveillance firm that sells to law enforcement agencies nationwide, was once actively involved in white supremacist groups, and participated in a shooting of a synagogue in his youth, documents show. https://t.co/6CyL26TM5D  OneZero (@ozm) April 28, 2020

Turns out the CEO of Banjo, a tech firm we covered that is creating a vast surveillance system in Utah and also previously made fake apps to trick people into handing other social media data, was involved in the shooting of a synagogue; was a Neo Nazi https://t.co/5uolSauZNK  Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) April 28, 2020
Boeing Co said on Wednesday it would cut its 160,000-person workforce by about 10%, further reduce 787 Dreamliner production and try to boost liquidity as it prepares for a years-long industry recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that drove its second consecutive quarterly loss.

Planemakers, airlines and suppliers have been left reeling by the pandemic, which has crippled passenger travel and catapulted major economies into recession.

"Our industry is going to look very different as a result of this pandemic," Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told investors. "We will be a smaller company for a while."

Chicago-based Boeing burned through $4.7 billion in cash in the first quarter, but said it was confident of getting sufficient liquidity to fund its operations, sending its shares up 7.7% to $141.37.

Many of the job cuts, to be completed by the end of year through voluntary and involuntary layoffs as well as natural turnover, will be at the company's commercial aircraft division, where it was already grappling with a production freeze and year-long grounding of the 737 MAX following two fatal crashes.

Boeing expects to resume 737 MAX deliveries in the third quarter following regulatory approvals, CFO Greg Smith said, with production re-starting at low rates in the second quarter before gradually increasing to 31 per month during 2021.

Further gradual production increases will correspond with market demand. Meanwhile, Boeing will focus on delivering jets that it has already built in order to unlock frozen cash.

With few people flying, key 737 MAX customers like Southwest Airlines Co are deferring their deliveries.

The pandemic has also aggravated a slump in demand for wide-body jets like the 787, sapping a key remaining source of cash for Boeing as the 737 MAX remains grounded.

Boeing plans to reduce production of the 787 to seven a month by 2022 - half the planned rate of just a year ago when it was implementing a record monthly rate of 14. It had already progressively reduced the target to 10 on the back of U.S.-China trade tensions. It will also reduce the 777/777X combined production rate to 3 per month in 2021 from 5.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Boeing is working with investment banks on a potential bond deal worth at least $10 billion. Last month it drew down its entire $13.8 billion credit line and is also weighing seeking government aid.

Analysts said the quarterly cash burn was not as bad as feared and that the company might be able to avoid raising capital from the U.S. Treasury, although Seth Seifman of J.P. Morgan said the path forward for Boeing still remains "quite challenging."

The planemaker ended the quarter with $15.5 billion in cash.

The company's adjusted loss stood at $1.70 billion, or $1.70 per share in the first quarter, compared with a profit of $1.99 billion, or $3.16 per share, a year earlier.

Over the weekend, Boeing canceled a $4.2-billion deal for Embraer SA's (EMBR3.SA) commercial aviation, prompting the Brazilian company to initiate arbitration.

It is also facing lawsuits related to the 737 MAX crashes and federal prosecutors aided by the FBI, the Department of Transportation's inspector general are investigating the aircraft's certification. Reuters reported Tuesday 737 MAX approval is not expected until at least August and could be pushed back later.

European rival Airbus (AIR.PA) on Wednesday posted a 49% slump in first-quarter core profit and called for an industry-wide campaign to restore confidence in flying.

In a memo to employees, Calhoun said: "The aviation industry will take years to return to the levels of traffic we saw just a few months ago. We have to prepare for that."

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: MHA to announce lockdown relaxation on May 4; 1,813 cases, 71 deaths in 24 hrs

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: AirAsia to not take new aircraft deliveries this year
LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - Britain's market regulator has ended a civil investigation into former Barclays executive Roger Jenkins over how the bank secured billions of pounds of emergency funding from Qatar during the credit crisis, Jenkins' lawyer said on Tuesday.

"The FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) investigation of Roger Jenkins is over," Brad Kaufman, the co-president of law firm Greenberg Traurig who has been representing Jenkins since 2012, told Reuters.

"The FCA has discontinued their warning notice as simply unfair to Mr Jenkins after all these years and all he has been through." (Reporting by Kirstin Ridley, editing by Sinead Cruise)
Once things settle down, were going to be starting our every five years community needs assessment process, Charley said. I think, as a large group and community, we have to look at this data and really determine what steps we can take as a municipality, with the resources we have, to reduce the number of African Americans that are disproportionately affected by diseases like this. Just the fact were seeing the data the way were seeing it, it certainly needs to be a priority for the village, moving forward.
LONDON  Prime Minister Boris Johnsons life has always had a you-cant-make-this-up quality to it, never more so than this month, when he went from desperate coronavirus patient, kept alive by oxygen, to the proud father of a baby boy  his fifth, sixth or seventh child, depending on whos counting.

The announcement by Mr. Johnson and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, that she gave birth to a healthy baby at a London hospital on Wednesday added a joyful milestone to a year of dizzying highs and lows: an election victory, a divorce, an engagement and a life-threatening illness  not to mention Brexit and a world-altering pandemic, which has killed more than 26,000 people in the country Mr. Johnson leads.

The latest twist in the Boris chronicles deprived political commentators of an important, if less anticipated moment: the prime ministers first scheduled face-off in Parliament with the Labour Partys new leader, Keir Starmer, at a time when the governments handling of the virus has come under intense fire.

Mr. Johnson, who returned to work on Monday, skipped the session because of his sons birth. Mr. Starmer raised difficult questions about the rising death toll and the lack of testing or protective masks for health workers, but he prefaced them with congratulations to Mr. Johnson, 55, and Ms. Symonds, 32, who also suffered symptoms of the virus but was reported to be healthy.
April 29, 1930: Boys nominated for alderman positions during the Boys Week program included Elmo Koen, Billie Dysert, Jack Madison, L.G. Pierce, Dudley Hill, Kent Jackson, Herman Carter and Perry Bowser.

--Birdsley K. Barker, Cecil D. Gibbs and Elmer Eastridge of Floydada and H.M. Curtis of Plainview were voted into membership of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

April 29, 1950: A new building for J.C. Stoval is to be started in the 1400 block of Date. The building will house a tire and body shop

--The PHS band won regional sweepstakes honors in Canyon. Mary Lynn Booker won a first-rating in twirling.

April 29, 1960: Fryar Calhoun, son of Mr. and Mrs. Flip Calhoun and a PHS senior, has been awarded an honorary merit certificate by the Science Research Associates.

--James Parker, Plainview FFA, has been nominated for a state office in the organization.

April 29, 1990: Clinton Kennedy was named director of the year by Farmers Home Administration.

--Tanya Hembree, daughter of Gene and Frankie Hembree, was named Girl of the Month by BPW Club.

April 29, 2010: The recount results are in, and the manual counting produced no change in the final outcome of the Hale County judge election.

Bill Coleman defeated incumbent Dwain Dodson by 12 votes in the Republican runoff on April 13, and while Wednesday mornings manual recount of the electronic voting numbers showed a minor discrepancy, the margin of victory stayed the same.

--When a crowd of people wearing black shirts with a white and pink logo, Fond of Vonda, crossed the finish line at the 2010 Susan G. Komen Tarrant County Race for the Cure last weekend, most were honoring their mothers, grandmother and mother-in-law. Others were family friends. It was the third year Vonda Boergers children walked and ran in the Fort Worth race first in her honor, now n iher memory.

--Plainview native Liz Lawson and her husband Hank recently returned home after a week of flight delays caused by Icelands volcano eruption.

The Lawsons caught a flight back to Texas on Sunday  nearly a week after they were scheduled to get home from a tour of Israel.
The United States said that it is concerned with Yemens southern separatists claim of sole control over Aden breaking peace deal with the internationally recognised government. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said in a statement that such unilateral actions only exacerbate instability in Yemen, especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by COVID-19.

Pompeo said that the announcement of self-rule by Yemens Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the regional capital Aden threatens to complicate the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to revive political negotiations between the government and the Houthi rebels. The top diplomat called on the STC and the Republic of Yemen Government to reengage in the political process provided under the Riyadh Agreement.

On April 27, STC declared a state of emergency in Aden and said that it would "self-govern" the key southern port city and other southern provinces. The tensions soared after authorities in five southern provinces rejected the group's claim to self-rule. Yemen has been marred with internal conflicts for years in which the factions are backed by external forces like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Read: China 'will Pay A Price' For Causing 'huge Challenge' For Global Economy, Says Pompeo

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened in the conflict on request of former Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and the continued fighting has caused disproportionate suffering for the civilians. Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an appeal for an immediate global ceasefire fearing a collapse of health systems in war-ravaged countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read: Mike Pompeo Threatens To Never Restore WHO Funds, Hints At Alternative Body

'Comprehensive settlement'

Guterres called upon the Government of Yemen and Houthis to follow through on their commitment to immediate cessation of hostilities. He also urged both parties to engage with each other in good faith and without preconditions in the negotiations facilitated by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.

Only through dialogue will the parties be able to agree on a mechanism for sustaining a nation-wide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic confidence-building measures to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, and the resumption of the political process to reach a comprehensive settlement to end the conflict, said the UN chief in a statement.

Read: COVID-19: Mike Pompeo Asks China To Permanently Shut Wet Markets

Read: Mike Pompeo On Israel's Plan To Annex West Bank: It's Up To Them To Decide

(Image: AP)
Technavio has been monitoring the hydrolyzed plant protein market and it is poised to grow by USD 440.9 mn 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/20200429005028/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Roquette Freres SA, and Tate Lyle Plc, are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Increased use of hydrolyzed plant protein in F&B has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market is segmented as below:

Product Hydrolyzed Soy Protein Hydrolyzed Pea Protein Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Others

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America



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=IRTNTR31878

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein 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 hydrolyzed plant protein market report covers the following areas:

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market Size

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market Trends

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies increased application of hydrolyzed soy proteins in cosmetic products as one of the prime reasons driving the hydrolyzed plant protein market growth during the next few years.

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the hydrolyzed plant protein market, including some of the vendors such as Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Roquette Freres SA, and Tate Lyle Plc. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist hydrolyzed plant protein market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the hydrolyzed plant protein market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the hydrolyzed plant protein market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of hydrolyzed plant protein market vendors

Table Of Contents :

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PRODUCT

Market segmentation by product

Comparison by product

Hydrolyzed soy protein Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Hydrolyzed pea protein Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Hydrolyzed wheat protein Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by product

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Rising popularity of clean-labeled ingredients

Increased application of hydrolyzed soy proteins in cosmetic products

Increased emphasis on powdered hydrolyzed plant proteins

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Archer Daniels Midland Co.

Cargill Inc.

Kerry Group Plc

Roquette Freres SA

Tate Lyle Plc

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

Definition of market positioning of vendors

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

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/20200429005028/en/

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Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

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Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/
That is often the case with young African Americans. Your societal experiences arent like those of white kids. Of course, they are just as reckless. But the stakes are much higher for you. The consequences of your improper behavior are much more severe, and the repercussions can follow you the rest of your life.
OTTAWA - As some provinces considered staggered steps Wednesday towards reopening their economies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear some of them may ease restrictions at different speeds.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadian Members of Parliament are shown on a monitor during a virtual session of the House of Commons Tuesday April 28, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - As some provinces considered staggered steps Wednesday towards reopening their economies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear some of them may ease restrictions at different speeds.

Trudeau also stressed that all will follow the guidelines their premiers and the federal government drafted collaboratively to ease the physical distancing that was instituted to combat COVID-19  a joint effort that he branded as an unusual success in Ottawa's sometimes strained relations with the provinces.

"Every region, every province, every territory is facing a very different situation right now with different industries, different-sized cities, and different spread of COVID-19. That's why we needed to make sure that the foundational elements were there, that we could all follow as Canadians, but recognize that different jurisdictions will act differently," Trudeau said Wednesday.

"But there is a common desire right across the country from all premiers to ensure that we're doing this right."

Those differences were starkly illustrated by the fact that Quebec and Ontario, the country's two largest provinces, were taking different approaches to easing restrictions amid federal projections released this week that thousands more people would likely contract COVID-19 and hundreds more could die in the coming week.

Canada's two most populous provinces account about 80 per cent of the country's known cases of COVID-19, a sharp contrast with other regions, where some light seemed to be appearing at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

Manitoba said it would start easing its physical distancing measures on Monday and allow dentists, physiotherapists, retail stores, hair salons and restaurant patios to open at no more than half capacity.

Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, April 29, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases Wednesday. But P.E.I. said it will remain closed to outsiders for the foreseeable future.

Quebec remains Canada's hardest-hit province, announcing 79 new deaths on Wednesday for a total of 1,761, and 837 cases for a total of 26,594. But the province is nevertheless pushing forward with plans to ease restrictions.

The province said Wednesday that stores outside the Montreal region could start re-opening on Monday and in the city a week later, while primary schools and daycares are also to re-open starting May 11.

The province also said it will remove roadblocks throughout May to certain regions outside Montreal, but not Gatineau, which is on the Ontario border with Ottawa. The nation's capital has more cases than six other provinces.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said her provincial and local counterparts are being "extremely cautious" as they weigh what to do in their individual regions.

"They will look at how they cautiously do any of these relaxations, including schools," Tam said.

"It's best to discuss, of course, with Quebec but as I understand it, they're not looking at Montreal. They're looking at elsewhere first and the epidemiology is different in different parts of Quebec as well."

Ontario has said schools will stay closed until at least the end of May and Premier Doug Ford has been adamant that re-opening depends on getting the spread of the virus under firm control.

On Wednesday, Ontario reported 347 new COVID-19 cases, and 45 more deaths, bringing the province to a total of 15,728 cases. That was a 2.3 per cent increase over the previous day, the lowest growth rate in weeks.

"Provinces have the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their citizens while they look at re-opening and we are comfortable that these guidelines lay out a road map that everyone can follow, the principles that will allow them to put in the measures that will keep their citizens safe while looking at re-opening various parts of the economy, carefully," Trudeau said.

Trudeau was speaking ahead of a session of the House of Commons intended to give rapid approval to legislation authorizing $9 billion in promised financial assistance for students facing bleak summer job prospects in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the aid package, Trudeau said the federal government plans to provide between $1,000 and $5,000 for students who volunteer to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House has been adjourned since mid-March, except for three single-day sittings to pass emergency aid legislation.

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.

It met Wednesday with a skeleton crew of MPs in the chamber in the first of what is to be a once-a-week, in-person sitting, supplemented by one and eventually two virtual sittings each week, all intended to allow opposition MPs to continue to hold the Liberal government to account as the pandemic drags on.

The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois accused the government of being evasive about whether it will provide emergency financial support to companies registered in foreign tax havens. They have called on the government to deny federal funding to those companies. Trudeau said the government will continue to fight tax evasion and avoidance, and those companies will face severe consequences.

Trudeau also spoke Wednesday with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission and they stressed the need to co-operate internationally to battle COVID-19.

Trudeau's office said he "welcomed the European Union's leadership in hosting an international pledging effort as of May 4th to promote co-operation on urgent efforts to develop effective COVID-19 diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2020.

 with files from Canadian Press reporters across Canada.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Many of us are shaking our heads at images of Americans protesting in the streets to open up the country in the middle of a pandemic.

For people who love their freedom so much, its surprising Americans havent pushed for the right to grow and smoke pot without getting thrown in jail. In fact, keeping cannabis on the wrong side of the law is to the countrys fiscal detriment.

Legalizing cannabis across the U.S. would be a major financial boon for the country. Analysts from Cowen & Co. estimate the U.S. cannabis market is worth about $56 billion  and about 90% of sales are going untaxed in the illegal market.

For those states lucky enough to have legal markets, retail stores are in a major slump. After seeing strong sales at the start of the shutdown  similar to Canada where consumers stocked up at the start of isolation  stores are now struggling without tourists flashing their debit and credit cards.

The major disconnect between the legal states and a federal government that still considers the whole industry as illegal means legal cannabis companies, declared in some areas as an essential service in the pandemic, cant access any federal aid.

Cannabis sales in Colorado have reportedly tumbled more than 20 per cent compared to a year ago, and in Nevada theyve dropped about 15 per cent. Analysts expect sales to get even worse before they get better, especially with U.S. unemployment claims hitting about 26.5 million.

It seems counterintuitive, but COVID-19 may end up being a catalyst for federal legalization.

The chairman of Curaleaf, a major U.S. cannabis company, said there happens to be a precedent-setting event.

Boris Jordan told CNBC that right after the Great Depression, the U.S. government put a priority on tax revenue generation.

They lifted prohibition on alcohol and therefore started to tax it  and it became a major revenue generator for both the federal and the local governments around the country, he said.

Jordan said post-COVID-19, governments will again be looking for ways to generate revenue. And cannabis is a significant revenue generator that is largely untapped in the U.S.

There is of course a major barrier to federal legalization across the border  politicians.

Still, if theres one thing that can make a staunch politician more pliable its an election year. With the U.S. set to vote on Nov. 3, cannabis is likely to be a key issue.

There have been rumblings that President Donald Trump is considering making federal legalization one of his pet election issues.

On the other side of the spectrum, Democrats have selected one of their least cannabis friendly candidates as the presumptive nominee: former vice president Joe Biden.

Hes spent much of his political career as a general in the war on drugs, insisting that cannabis is a gateway drug. In 2010, he told ABC News it would be a mistake to legalize.

Now with an election looming and Bernie Sanders having a large chunk of support within the party, Biden has softened his stance. While he continues to oppose legalization, Biden said he does support more modest reforms such as decriminalizing possession, expunging past records, allowing medical cannabis and letting states set their own laws without federal interference.

What is clear right now is that laws across the U.S. are a hazy unfair patchwork  in some states, people are incarcerated for selling weed, and in others, people are getting rich off it.

For it to truly be the land of the free, that has to change.

Email [email protected]
A nurse who 'gave her life' to the NHS and fell ill with coronavirus just three days before she was to retire is one of four more health workers to have been killed by the disease.

Janice Glassey 66, was engaged to be married and was known for the passion she showed to her job, looking after people receiving end-of-life care for 14 years.

The mother-of-three, from Widnes, Cheshire, died on Friday and has sparked hundreds of tributes.

Janice Glassey, pictured, was just three days away from retiring when she tragically fell ill with coronavirus

Her distraught daughter, Kerri Glassey, 44, begged the public not to get complacent about coronavirus, saying people should not assume it wont take one of their loved ones from them.

People need to realise that this is happening, Miss Glassey, an office manager, from Coulsdon, south London, said.

They shouldnt be complacent, or think that it cant happen to them, because it can and it will. The lockdown has been put in place for a reason and people who are abusing it are putting their lives and everyone elses at risk.

Her mother fell ill on Monday March 23  the day Britain went into lockdown. She had done a night shift the day before.

She fell ill the day after Mothers Day, Miss Glassey said. I was calling everyday but she kept telling me she was fine, that was the mum in her, I dont think she wanted to worry us.

'But I was worried because I could hear the cough and she told me she had no energy and had stopped eating. She was so poorly by the time she got to hospital that they took her straight to intensive care.

My mum was amazing. She was born in Widnes, lived all her life in Widnes and worked in Widnes  she knew so many people. She absolutely loved her job and just wanted to care for and help people.

'She worked for the NHS for 14 years but was a care worker in the community with a private care firm for many years before that.

'We have been comforted by all the messages weve had from people saying how she cared for their loved ones at the end.

Nobody had a bad word to say about her, she adored all her family and loved the bones of her three children and grandchildren.

Miss Glassey said her mother had found happiness four years ago with a new partner after divorcing her father 20 years ago, and was engaged to be married.

'She was also excited about the arrival of her other daughter, Colettes new baby, her third grandchild, Alaia, six weeks ago.

We are grateful that mum was able to meet the baby, Miss Glassey added. She was at the birth and was the first one to hold her. She was very much looking forward to spending time with her new grandchild  my children are 22 and 15  but she was looking forward to fussing over a new baby and showering her with love, just like she did my two girls.

Others also paid tribute on social media, as one user wrote: 'This woman has spent her life saving and caring for the ill, then this happens.

'Just before she should be retiring and spending her life relaxing and going on holidays. It is heartbreaking.'

Another added: 'She's given all her life and saved people and this is what happens.

'My thoughts and prayers are with her family.'

Janice was initially treated at Whiston Hospital, on Merseyside, where she spent a week on a ventilator, before being transferred to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, where she'd battled the virus for about fortnight.

The Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: 'We are deeply saddened to report the death of our colleague Janice Glassey who was a much loved and valued member of the Halton Out of Hours District Nursing team.

An NHS flag was at half mast yesterday outside Whiston Hospital, pictured, where Janice was initially treated, in honour of key workers who have lost their lives to Covid-19

'Janice was a Heath Care Assistant and gave 14 years of dedicated service to the people of Halton and tragically passed away on 24 April.

'Janice had tested positive for Covid-19.

'Our thoughts and condolences at this most difficult time are with Janice's family, friends and those who have worked with her for many years.'

The family are raising money for the Liverpool hospital where she spent her last few days. Click here donate.

Her death comes as news emerges of three more health workers falling victim to the killer bug.

Maintenance worker Graham Thorne, 58, lost his battle with the virus on April 20 after spending two weeks in intensive care.

His partner Debbie Cox, a medical secretary at Bedford Hospital where he also worked, described him as a 'quiet, kind, considerate and loving man.'

David Carter, the Chief Executive of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'It is with extreme regret that I confirm the sad news that we have lost another of our colleagues.

'Graham worked at Bedford Hospital for four years as a Maintenance Craftsman and was a well-respected member of our Estates Team.

'Graham fell ill at the end of March and self-isolated. A few days later his condition worsened and he was admitted to Bedford Hospital, where he tested positive for Covid-19.

Graham Thorne, pictured, was remembered by his partner as a 'quiet, kind, considerate and loving man'

'Graham was a quiet and friendly member of the team who was incredibly diligent at his work and who will be greatly missed.

'We are saddened to lose another much loved member of the Bedfordshire Hospitals family and our thoughts and condolences are with Graham's family and colleagues at this incredibly sad time.

'We ask that the family's privacy is respected at this time.'

Tributes have also been paid to community staff nurse Fiona Anderson who died on Sunday after contracting Covid-19.

The 48-year-old worked at Grindon Lane Primary Care Centre, in Sunderland.

Her sister Sarah Anderson said: 'We are incredibly proud of Fiona.

'She died doing what she loved, working for the NHS and caring for those in need.

'Always in our hearts and never forgotten.'

Sarah Anderson told ITV News her sister was admitted to hospital on the same day as their father, adding: 'Dad improved; Fiona didn't.'

She said Fiona loved her three Chihuahuas, was 'scarily intelligent' and a big fan of Brussels sprouts and mushy peas.

'I think people would describe her as a little bag of crazy,' she said.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) announced Ms Anderson's death on Tuesday 'with immense sadness and a very heavy heart'.

Speaking on behalf of her community nursing colleagues, manager Kath Henderson said: 'We are all absolutely devastated that we have lost our valued friend and colleague Fiona.

Fiona Anderson, pictured, loved her three Chihuahuas, was 'scarily intelligent' and a big fan of Brussels sprouts and mushy peas, her sister said in a tribute

'There are no words that can describe the loss we are all feeling but we take comfort in knowing just how much Fiona loved her job and how incredibly proud she was to be part of the community team and the important work we do caring for patients.

'She brought pride and passion to her work every single day and made such an incredible difference in the lives of so many people in South Tyneside and Sunderland. We will miss you dearly Fiona and will think of you always.'

In a statement, the STSFT said: 'Fiona devoted her life to helping others.'

It said that Ms Anderson joined the trust in 2007, working as a staff nurse at Sunderland Royal Hospital and South Tyneside District Hospital before joining the community team as a staff nurse in 2019.

It said: 'Fiona was a passionate and highly committed nurse who cared for thousands of patients in both Sunderland and South Tyneside, many of whom will be deeply saddened with the news of her passing.

'Today is a very sad day for the NHS in South Tyneside and Sunderland and an incredibly difficult time for Fiona's family, friends and of course her STSFT family and wider NHS colleagues.'

Anujkumar Kuttikkottu Pavithran, known as Kumar, pictured died at Boston Pilgrim Hospital, Lincolnshire, where he worked, on Monday

A fourth health worker to die from the virus in recent days was staff nurse Anujkumar Kuttikkottu Pavithran, who passed away at Boston Pilgrim Hospital, Lincolnshire, where he worked, on Monday.

A fundraising page has been set up for the family of Mr Pavithran, known as Kumar, as tributes have flooded in.

Andrew Morgan, chief executive of the United Lincolnshire's Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'He was a very well liked, professional, respected member of the team and will be greatly missed.

We are all sending our heartfelt condolences to Kumar's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.'

Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to a 'kind and cheery' intensive care nurse who died after testing positive for Covid-19.

Father-of-two Adekunle Enitan died in hospital on Friday after being cared for by the NHS team he had worked with for five years

Father-of-two Adekunle Enitan died in hospital on Friday after being cared for by the NHS team he had worked with for five years.

Known to his colleagues as Ade, he worked at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.

The 55-year-old's family say he will 'never be forgotten' and a permanent memorial is to be arranged at the hospital.

More than 100 frontline NHS and care workers are confirmed to have died during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Enitan's wife Temitayo, son Martin and daughter Divine paid tribute to him, saying: 'Adekunle was a great father and husband who cared deeply for us as well as others around him.

'We are all very thankful for the memories that we shared with him. He is now gone but he will never be forgotten and his spirit will always be beside us.'

He will be remembered as a kind and caring nurse and much respected colleague, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said.

Yvonne Davis, ITU senior sister and Mr Enitan's PhD mentor said: 'We are deeply saddened to lose Ade. He was an excellent nurse and a kind and cheery soul with a dry sense of humour. He could always make me laugh.

'He worked hard for his patients and in his studies. He cared deeply about what he did, coming in on his days off to help develop a new garden for our ITU patients. I am proud to have called him my friend. We will all miss him greatly.'

Susan Acott, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals said: 'Ade was a very experienced intensive care nurse and valued member of the ITU team.

'My deepest condolences to Ade's family, friends and colleagues on behalf of everyone at the Trust. We are immensely proud of Ade's service with us, going above and beyond to care for some of our sickest patients.

'My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in Ade's care, particularly his ITU colleagues who are today grieving the loss of one of their own.'
People are seen gathering on the Corona del Mar State Beach in Newport Beach, Calif., on April 25, 2020. (Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

Newport Beach Rejects Plan to Close Beaches Temporarily

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (CNS)The Newport Beach City Council on April 28 rejected an emergency motion to shut down its beaches for the next three weekends, despite a scolding from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The council voted 5-2 against shutting down the beaches, with Councilwoman Joy Brenner and Councilman Jeff Herdman in the minority.

Instead, the city will close the parking lots to the beaches, and have directed police to beef up patrols to enforce social distancing. Also, popular spots such as the Oceanfront Boardwalk, Newport and Balboa piers, and the Wedge will remain closed.

Newport Beach City Councilman Kevin Muldoon led the effort to fend off the proposed ordinance, arguing that the state should be looking to relaxing quarantine conditions before more damage is done to the economy.

I know businesses in Newport Beach that will never open again, Muldoon said. Scare tactics are not the solution  This is America and people have the right to free movement.

Brenner proposed allowing access to the beaches, but only if it involved active uses like jogging and walking, with no sunbathing.

Brenners motion initially won support from Herdman, but he changed his mind when he heard Police Department Chief Jon Lewis and City Manager Grace Leung said they thought it would be difficult to enforce.

There are some real concerns for us, Lewis said. How do we define what is active?

Brenner said she didnt see the beaches as the problem.

The problem is, Im not convinced the measures were going to take will do the job, and Im really concerned about the manpower it will take from our public officials, Brenner said.

Brenner said by leaving the citys beaches openwhile so many others in the Southland are closedmeans we have a sign out, welcome you all. Come down to Newport Beach.

Said Herdman: A day at the beach is not essential right now.  The beaches themselves are not so much the problem here. Its the convergence of people on our city, and what happens in their getting to the beach, that is the issue here.

Herdman said he visited the beaches on April 24 and April 25, but received so many emails from constituents that he spent April 26 replying to them.

There was just one violation after another, with people not being in compliance with social distancing, Herdman said. If everyone in this state and our cities were cooperating with the governor and staying at home, we could bring this quarantine to an end.

People are supposed to be sheltering at home, and 40,000 people did not do that this past weekend.

Herdman argued that closing the beaches for a few weekends would save the city a great deal of expense on staff costs and resources.

Most importantly, we dont place a lot of our staff in jeopardy, he said.

Muldoon argued that news reports about the size of the crowds and lack of social distancing were inaccurate.

The move to close Newport Beachs shorelines came as soaring temperatures encouraged throngs of beachgoers to converge in that city and Huntington Beach this past weekend.

Options for beachgoers have shriveled, as Los Angeles and San Diego counties, and Laguna Beach, closed off shoreline access.

At his April 27 daily briefing, Newsom repeatedly criticized the large crowds at Orange Countys beaches, and warned that large gatherings would slow the states efforts to reopen businesses and relax stay-at-home orders.

Those images are an example of what not to see  what not to do, if were going to make the meaningful progress that weve made in the last few weeks extend into the next number of weeks, Newsom said.

The reality is we are just a few weeks away, not months away, from making measurable and meaningful changes to our stay-at-home order.

That is a very optimistic point to emphasize, however, thats driven by data. Thats driven by behavior. And as we change our behavior, we can impact the science, the health, and the data. This virus doesnt take the weekends off. This virus doesnt go home because its a beautiful sunny day around our coasts.

If Newport Beach had closed the citys beaches, it could have had a domino effect on Huntington Beach.

If Newport Beach closes all of its beaches and that crowd decides to come here, well have to make some serious decisions to make sure that doesnt happen, said Huntington Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric McCoy.

The Laguna Beach City Council, which closed its beaches last month, voted April 28 to reopen them for active use only on weekdays beginning May 4, according to Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jim Cota.

The beaches will be open from 6 a.m.-10 a.m. weekdays, Cota said. The beaches would remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Beachgoers will have to keep 6 feet apart, and will be prohibited from sitting down, or putting a beach towel or chair on the sand, Cota said. Only active uses, like running or swimming, are allowed.

Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett was concerned that a shutdown of beaches in north county would spur beachgoers onto the beaches in Dana Point, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano.

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel told reporters on the afternoon of April 27 that she thought beachgoers were properly social distancing  In the city of Huntington Beach, people who came to the beach kept their distance from each other.

Its important to take care of our mental health as well, Steel said. We want our neighbors to get exercise. This plays a big role in mental health, which is why we encourage our residents to safely spend time outside. Their local beaches are an ideal place to do so.

Orange County Parks Director Stacy Blackwood said the county controls 16 percent of the shoreline.

Blackwood said the turnout was pretty typical of what we see in summer weekends. She estimated it at about 6,000 people during peak hours across the major beaches.

Dr. Nichole Quick, the countys health officer, said, We encourage residents to recreate in their general neighborhood.  Mass gatherings are not allowed under the governors orders.

Quick encouraged family outings, but added, If you need a car to reach a place to recreate, then youre going too far.
(RNS)  An initiative that seeks to financially help small and struggling churches in the wake of COVID-19 has raised more than $400,000 and received over 1,000 applications for funding.

Through the Churches Helping Churches Initiative, a relief fund was set up to provide $3,000 grants to churches at risk of closing due to a decrease in financial giving during the pandemic. The initiative is led by the AND Campaign, with support from other organizations such as the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Pinkston and the Pinetops Foundation.

As part of this effort, national Christian groups are urging larger and more stable churches to contribute and help keep these small churches open.

Organizers hope to raise at least $500,000 in April through help from Christian donors, foundations and large churches. They will continue to fundraise money through May, Pinkston Vice President D.J. Jordan said.

An application process opened April 6 for small churches to apply for the grants. Through the relief fund, 68 churches have each been granted $3,000, Jordan said. About 980 applications have been submitted.

Deliverance Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland, Hold the Light COGIC in Detroit, Plantando Iglesias in Minneapolis and Union Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago are among the churches that have received funding.

Jordan said they'll still be accepting applications in May, but those that have been submitted in April will take precedence.

This initiative is targeted toward congregations of 25 to 150 members in low-income communities in urban areas that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 economic shutdown. Rural churches in low-income communities will also be considered.

Data across the nation show that blacks and Latinos have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

In California, black and Latino residents who are ages 18 to 64 are dying more often of COVID-19 than their white and Asian counterparts relative to their share of the population, a Los Angeles Times analysis found.

In Michigan, 40 percent of deaths from COVID-19 have been among African Americans, though they represent 13.6 percent of the states population, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Justin Giboney, president of the AND Campaign, said small churches play a big role in their neighborhoods, whether it be by providing meals for those in need or by simply establishing a community presence.

A lot of these communities are dependent on these smaller churches, Giboney told Religion News Service in a previous interview.

To qualify, churches must be registered as religious nonprofits. The application must be submitted by an officer, such as a pastor, of the church. Churches will not be told how to spend the money.

Organizations, churches and individuals who want to give to the fund can do so through the National Christian Foundation, which is administering the grants. Pastors of small at-risk churches can submit applications at ChurchRelief.org.

READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM.

Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: Pixabay
City of Laredo and Webb County officials confirmed nine new cases of the novel coronavirus in Laredo in their daily update. The added cases bring the city's total to 358.

Health Department Director Dr. Hector Gonzalez said one of the new positive cases is a 10-year-old child who was in close contact with another person positive for coronavirus.
At least a dozen banks torched and vandalised as fiery protests against economic hardships continue across Lebanon.

Beirut, Lebanon  At least a dozen Lebanese banks across the country were torched and vandalised during the second consecutive night of angry protests fuelled by frustration over the national currencys unfettered depreciation.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets from Beirut to southern Sidon along with Nabatieh, the Bekaa Valley, and Tripoli and Akkar in the north.

While it was unclear how many civilians were hurt, 81 security personnel were injured across the country during attempts to contain the riots, including 50 in Tripoli, the military said.

The largest and most violent protests took place in the northern city of Tripoli  Lebanons second-largest, and poorest, city, after protester Fouaz al-Semaan died on Tuesday from wounds sustained while protesting the night before.

The 26-year-old mans sister, Fatima, said the Lebanese army shot him. The military expressed its regret over the killing without directly claiming responsibility and said it launched an investigation.

Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday the armys heavy-handed response to the protests had inflamed tensions. It called for a transparent investigation into al-Semaans death, the results of which it said should be made public.

Protesters in Tripoli began setting banks on fire on Tuesday afternoon after the al-Semaan was laid to rest, and clashes continued into the early hours of Wednesday as they were chased through the streets by soldiers.

In southern Sidon, a branch of the central bank was pelted with at least half a dozen petrol bombs, with cheers going up from the crowd of demonstrators each time a Molotov hit its mark.

     pic.twitter.com/PLRoepOEqt  Paula Naoufal (@PaulaNaoufal) April 28, 2020

Banks were also set on fire in Beirut and the southern city of Nabatieh.

At a Sidon commercial bank, protesters broke in and set a fire. They then gleefully sang happy birthday outside.

    @Bankmedleb       happy birthday to you#__ pic.twitter.com/vy371lpo1o     (@msmasref) April 28, 2020

Protesters are furious over the rapid slide of the Lebanese pound, which has plummeted in value by more than 50 percent in about six months.

They have lashed out at banks throughout the demonstrations because of harsh capital controls that have entirely phased-out withdrawals in foreign currencies, which were previously standard, and even limited withdrawals in the pound.

Poverty, already at about 50 percent earlier this year, worsened during a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown that has been in place since mid-March.

Social Affairs Minsiter Ramzi Mousharafieh estimated 75 percent of the population require aid in a country of about six million  but that aid has been meager and slow to come.

Massive anti-government protests that began in October and paused during the lockdown are now returning angrier and more desperate.

While Lebanese flags and signs with elaborate slogans used to be ubiquitous in mixed crowds of families with children, increasingly it is young men and women who are taking to the streets, rocks and Molotov cocktails in hand.





The Lebanese Red Cross said it had treated 30 injured people in Tripoli on Tuesday and took six to the hospital. Dozens were injured the day before, some by live fire and others by rubber-coated bullets.

The Lebanese army has not yet released figures from Tuesday night, but said 54 soldiers in total had been injured across the country during attempts to unblock roads and quell protests the day before.

Tensions with the army

While the Lebanese military is one of the countrys few respected institutions, perceived to be above the sectarian bickering that permeates the rest of the state, attitudes on the streets have been shifting.

Protesters previously handed out roses to soldiers, but there have been no such acts of kindness over the last few days.

The army are not our brothers, a woman told a local news reporter as she marched through the streets of the capital Beirut. They are shooting at us to protect the politicians.

In Tripoli on Monday night, people pelted soldiers with rocks and other projectiles as protesters were chased through the streets. The sound of pots and pans being banged rang through narrow alleyways, in a sign of support for the demonstrators that has become popular during Lebanons uprising.

Earlier Tuesday, protesters smashed the windshield of a military vehicle, leading the soldiers aboard it to bail out as it rolled backwards, hitting a pole before coming to a halt.

Chaotic moment soldiers in #Lebanon abandon a military jeep during a clash with protesters in northern Tripoli. pic.twitter.com/xXKkCU7a2b  Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) April 28, 2020

A military vehicle was set on fire in Tripoli on Monday night in the middle of Tripolis al-Nour square, the main scene of clashes that just a few months ago had been filled with jubilant, thousands-strong demonstrations that became famous for loud music spun live by DJs.

On the southern highway near the town of Naameh, protesters threw stones at soldiers, leading them to quickly retreat and shoot live rounds into the air. Twenty-one troops were injured in the violence.

Still, protesters say their issue is not with the army itself, but with the politicians they say it is protecting.

To Army Commander Joseph Aoun, we say that you should stand with the people, not in our face, a protester told another reporter in southern Sidon.

In Tripoli, soldiers and protesters suddenly became a single front when an unknown gunman, apparently part of the security detail of a local lawmaker, shot at demonstrators from a rooftop, wounding one.

Protesters and soldiers rushed towards the source of the shooting side by side.

The army and the people have become one hand, glory to the army, a man shouted. In a single moment, the people have turned back to the army.

Nineteen protesters were arrested in Tripoli, as was the man who shot at demonstrators.
Imran Khan speaks to Bill Gates; discusses COVID-19 crisis

International

pti-PTI

Islamabad, Apr 29: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to Microsoft Founder Bill Gates and discussed the latest developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, his office said on Wednesday.

Pakistan's coronavirus cases have climbed to 15,348 while the death toll from the pandemic has reached 335. During the telephonic conversation on Tuesday, Khan said that Pakistan was "making all efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic with a robust and coordinated response".

He emphasized that Pakistan was facing a dual challenge of overcoming the pandemic and saving people, particularly the most vulnerable segments of the population, from hunger due to lockdown. "Steps taken by the government have helped in containing the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan, he said, highlighting the lockdown and economic package announced by his government.

Gates, who is also co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Khan also discussed the important role that Pakistan's polio staff and infrastructure are playing in the fight against COVID-19.

The polio teams are supporting the training of frontline polio health workers on COVID-19, and using contact tracing, testing and communications methods to curb transmission.

Khan also appreciated the support provided by the Gates Foundation and other international partners during this unprecedented crisis.
A pug in North Carolina has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first dog to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 in the United States, according to WRAL-TV.

Winston the pug was tested as part of a study at Duke University after the whole family tested positive for the coronavirus. The familys mother, father and son all tested positive.

Heather McLean, the mother of the family, told WRAL-TV that Winston was experiencing mild symptoms before the test. While sick, the dog was coughing and sneezing, and even seemed like he was gagging, McLean said. One day, it didnt care to eat.

(The dog) licks all of our dinner plates and sleeps in my moms bed, and were the ones who put our faces into his face. So, it makes sense that he got (coronavirus), McLeans son, Ben, told WRAL-TV.

The family has three other pets along with Winston: a dog, a cat and a lizard. The two dogs and cat were all tested as part of the study, but only Winston tested positive.

Winston was sick for just a few days, but is feeling better now, the report said.

Hopefully well learn more through the research study, and I think because theres not a lot of studies and sampling pets, we just dont know yet," McLean said to the media outlet. My advice is just not to get too worried about it.

Last week, two cats tested positive for the coronavirus. That marked the first instance of a household pet testing positive. Earlier this month, seven tigers and lions tested positive for the virus at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.

U.S. authorities say that while it appears some animals can get the virus from people, theres no indication the animals are transmitting it to human beings.

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The Delhi High Court has refused to stay the decision of National Board of Examination (NBE) to extend the training of doctors, who are in the final year of training of the Diplomate of National Board (DNB), on the ground that it has been adversely impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The high court, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, said there is a qualitative and quantitative difference between functioning of hospitals and imparting of training to DNB/Fellowship National Board (FNB) students there and the workload on doctors during the pandemic period cannot be remotely compared with the work handled by them in normal times.

The NBE, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was established to improve the quality of medical education and it conducts postgraduate and postdoctoral examinations. The degree awarded by NBE is called Diplomate of National Board.

DNB is a postgraduate or postdoctoral diploma in which the training lasts for three years and FNB is a fellowship in a sub-speciality where the training lasts for two years.

Justice C Hari Shankar, while rejecting the interim plea to stay the operation of the notice, said The mere facts that hospitals and medical establishments continue to functioning during the COVID pandemic, therefore, does not, ipso facto (by the fact itself), lead to the conclusion that training of DNB residents is not adversely impacted, or belie the averment, to that effect, as contained in the impugned public notice, dated April 4, 2020.

This, in fact, constitutes the main ground of challenge in the writ petition. Prima facie, I am not convinced.

The court said, Given the necessity for optimum availability of doctors during the present COVID pandemic and bearing in mind the interests of patients, the balance of convenience would also militate against grant of interim relief to the petitioners.

The petitioners are resident doctors in the third /final year of the training of the DNB course, conducted by the NBE. They joined the DNB course between April and June 2017 and were scheduled to complete their training between April and June this year.

The doctors have challenged the NBE's notice which states that their training has been adversely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and it has been decided to extend the period of training of all DNB/FNB students, whose tenures were ending between April 1 and June 30, 2020, in all specialities, by six weeks and until further notice.

The court, in its order passed on April 27 and uploaded on website on Wednesday, issued notices and sought response of the Centre and NBE on the petition and listed the matter for further hearing on May 14.

The court said given the pan-India impact of the NBE's notice, it would be appropriate to seek the authorities' response.

The plea said the two orders issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on March 24 and April 15 clarified that there would be no discontinuance of work in hospitals or treatment of patients, during the COVID-19 pandemic or imposition of lockdown by the government.

The petitioners' counsel said therefore, the main ground on which the notice was issued by NBE that training of DNB/FNB residents has been adversely impacted by the pandemic, is a sham ground.

The court said functioning of hospitals during the COVID-19 lockdown or the pandemic cannot be equated with the manner in which hospitals function at other times.

It is a matter of common knowledge that several hospitals have had to discontinue their normal activities and restrict their activities to treatment of COVID patients, with many hospitals - such as the Trauma Centre, AIIMS and LNJP Hospital being designated as dedicated COVID Hospitals. Moreover, the workload on doctors, during the period of the present COVID pandemic, cannot even remotely be compared with the workload being handled by them in normal times, it said.

The judge said it is not possible for the court to return a finding that there is no adverse impact on training of DNB/FNB students merely because even during the currency of the COVID pandemic, hospitals continue to function.

The extent to which imparting of training to DNB and FNB students stands impacted by the COVID-2019 crisis, and the altered workload and manner of functioning of hospitals during the currency thereof, is entirely within the province of knowledge of the respondents (NBE and Centre), the court said.

The court was informed by the Centre's counsel that the availability of petitioner doctors in the hospitals, where they are undergoing training, was essential at this time because if their training is allowed to be completed, there will be an exodus of 3156 doctors.

The counsel said it could adversely impact the treatment of patients, be it COVID sufferers and others, during the pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Experion Holdings Ltd. (the "Company" or "Experion") (TSXV:EXP)(OTCQB:EXPFF)(FRANKFURT:MB31) is providing an update on the Company's AGM and the status of the filing of its annual financial statements for the year ended November 30, 2019, and its first quarter 2020 financial statements for the period ended February 29, 2020.

Virtual AGM Access

To proactively deal with the unprecedented health impact of coronavirus disease, also known as COVID-19; to mitigate risks to the health and safety of our communities, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders; to comply with current government directives and advice to which we will continue to adhere, we will hold our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at 11:00AM Pacific Time in a virtual only format, via live audiocast.

Registered Shareholders and duly appointed proxyholders can attend the Meeting online where they can participate, vote, and submit limited questions during the Meeting's live webcast. Shareholders can find instructions on how to register on their voting instruction form found in the management information circular relating to the annual general meeting.

2019 Annual Report and Q1 2020 Filing Update

On March 18, 2020, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) announced that they will provide issuers with a 45-day filing extension for filings required on or before June 1, 2020 to allow issuers the time needed to focus on the many other business and financial reporting implications of COVID-19. Experion will rely on this exemption with respect to the Annual Filings in accordance with BC Instrument 51-515, Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements.

The Company is continuing to work diligently and expeditiously with its auditors to file its financial statements, the accompanying management's discussion and analysis and the related CEO and CFO certifications, for both the full year 2019 and first quarter 2020 results on or around May 11, 2020 and by no later than May 14, 2020.

In the interim, management and other insiders of the Company are subject to a trading black-out policy that reflects the principles in section 9 of National Policy 11-207, Failure to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions.

The Company confirms that since the filing of its interim consolidated financial statements for the three months ended August 31, 2019, there have been no material business developments other than those disclosed through news releases.

About Experion Holdings Ltd.

Experion Holdings Ltd. is the parent company of Experion Biotechnologies Inc., a Health Canada licensed cultivator and processor of Cannabis, based in Mission, BC.

Experion Holdings Ltd. is invested in a portfolio of products to address a wide spectrum of consumer needs' including Adult-use, Wellness and Therapeutic, and Medical products.

Experion trades on the TSX Venture Exchange as a Tier 1 issuer under the symbol "EXP" on the OTCQB Venture under the symbol "EXPFF" and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "MB31"

For further information, please visit the Company's website www.experionwellness.com or contact Investor Relations, Email: IR@experionwellness.com

Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Although the Company believes that such information is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

Forward looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, forecast, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to: the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities; recent market volatility; the Company's ability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; the risks identified in the Filing Statement, and other risks and factors that the Company is unaware of at this time. The reader is referred to the Filing Statement dated September 25, 2017 and/or the most recent annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects, copies of which may be accessed through the Company page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies ofthe TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Experion Holdings Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587567/Experion-AGM-Annual-and-Quarterly-Filing-Update
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday criticized South Africa and Qatar for accepting doctors from Cuba to battle the coronavirus, accusing the communist island of profiting from the pandemic. Cuba's globe-trotting doctors have long been a source of diplomatic soft power and pride for Havana, but Washington says the medical workers only benefit the government and has encouraged them to defect. "We've noticed how the regime in Havana has taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue its exploitation of Cuban medical workers," Pompeo told reporters. "We applaud leaders in Brazil and in Ecuador and Bolivia and other countries which have refused to turn a blind eye to these abuses by the Cuban regime and ask all countries to do the same, including places like South Africa and Qatar," he said. "Governments accepting Cuban doctors must pay them directly. Otherwise, when they pay the regime, they are helping the Cuban government turn a profit on human trafficking." South Africa, which like Qatar has friendly relations with the United States, on Monday announced that 217 Cuban doctors had arrived in the country, which has the highest number of coronavirus infections in Africa. Cuba has sent doctors to more than 20 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic including hard-hit Italy as well as Mexico. France has also authorized Cuban teams to help in its overseas territories. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel reacted to Pompeo on Twitter, writing: "The United States is being deliberately deceitful by attacking Cuba's international medical cooperation with lies and slander." "Cuba's solidarity further isolates the aggressive policies of the United States," he said as he shared articles from Cuban state media. Cuba has made health care a societal pillar despite the poverty of the island, which has been subject to US sanctions for six decades. Former president Barack Obama sought to reconcile with Cuba, calling the isolation policy a failure, and ended a program in which Washington encouraged Cuban doctors to defect and resettle in the United States -- whose capitalist medical system offers exponentially higher incomes. President Donald Trump's administration has snapped back US pressure sharply and has imposed visa restrictions on Cuban officials involved in medical missions. Cuba says it earned $6.3 billion from its medical dispatches in 2018 and used the proceeds to finance its own universal health care coverage. One of the staunchest critics of the program is Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right ally of Trump, who kicked out 8,000 Cuban health workers as he took office. Cuba's health system briefly became an issue in the US presidential election as opponents of leftist Bernie Sanders assailed his past praise for Havana's record on medical care and literacy.
Beijing announced the date for its long-delayed annual legislative session on Wednesday, after the first disruption of China's most important political event for decades, in a display of confidence that the new coronavirus outbreak is under control. EPA-Yonhap




LOWELL, Mass. and MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Biologics and Astarte Biologics, together the leading provider of research- and clinical-grade human immune cells, blood products, and related services to the biopharmaceutical industry, today announced the launch of an IRB-approved initiative to support the research, therapeutic, and vaccine communities with much needed access to blood products collected from COVID-19 convalescent donors. As the world leans on its most brilliant researchers to develop much needed treatments, vaccines, and cures in the COVID-19 crisis, Key Biologics is joining the fight and supplying critical materials across the U.S. and globally.

"Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 can provide a small amount of their blood to support critical research that may help others who acquire the infection have a greater chance of recovery or lead to development of effective vaccines to prevent it," said Dr. Edward Scott, Chief Medical Officer.

Patients recover from COVID-19 because their immune system develops effective responses to the virus. The immune system is comprised in part of special types of white blood cells that sense the presence of the virus and generate and deploy counter measures designed specifically against components of the virus. These counter measures include production of antibodies that travel through the blood and directly bind to the virus to limit its spread and speed its clearance.

The special group of white blood cells created during the infection remain in a patient's blood for a period of time, where they are capable of responding to additional challenges by the virus. When these white blood cells are collected from a recovered individual along with a small amount of his/her antibody-rich plasma, they provide a view of the entire spectrum of the immune response to the virus.

"Mononuclear cells and plasma collected from convalescent donors may provide an opportunity for researchers to more completely evaluate the range of immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, ultimately leading to important advancements in the development of therapies and vaccines to combat this virus," said Dr. Scott

"We have received many requests for COVID-19 blood products, and we understand how critical these materials are to researchers in their quest to develop treatments and cures," said Jeffrey Allen, President and CEO. Allen continued, "We are excited to join the fight against COVID-19 in this time of great need and launch this new initiative in both our Memphis and Lowell locations. Life-saving research starts with access to the right high-quality materials, and we are focused on leveraging our expertisebuilt through years of supplying clinical-grade cell therapy productsto best support the evolving needs of our scientific community in the fight against COVID-19."

Key Biologics is seeking COVID-19 convalescent donors to donate white blood cells and plasma. Qualified donors will be compensated for their time. Interested, fully-recovered individuals should visit www.covid19research.study for more information. Blood products will be collected in the Key Biologics' Memphis, TN and Lowell, MA facilities.

ABOUT KEY BIOLOGICS

Key Biologics and their sister company Astarte Biologics are focused on advancing life science from discovery, through R&D, and into curing disease. Key Biologics provides research- and clinical-grade human cells and blood products and related services to pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and academic institutions around the world. Astarte Biologics has the largest selection of characterized immune cells and reagents to help researchers in immunology, inflammation, and cell therapy accelerate their immune system research and discovery programs. All products are well characterized, tested negative for blood borne pathogens, and searchable by donor blood type, gender, age, ethnicity and disease state. Astarte also offers comprehensive research services to aid in immune system research. Key Biologics and Astarte Biologics were acquired by Ampersand Capital Partners in 2018. For more information, visit www.keybiologics.com and www.astartebio.com.

SOURCE Key Biologics
The 2005 regulations pushed on the World Health Organization by the United States and the Europeans hampered the WHOs ability to declare an emergency and a pandemic.





by Vijay Prashad / Independent Media Institute





When U.S. President Donald Trump cut off his governments funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of his grievances was that the WHOunder Chinese tutelagefailed to declare the global coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic soon enough. Not long after the virus brought patients to Hubei Provincial Hospital, the Chinese medical and public health authorities brought it to the notice of the WHO. The WHO investigated the virus over the course of early January, sending a team into Wuhan and making public whatever credible information it could report.









The WHOs International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee met twice in January, first on January 22-23 and then again on January 30 ; in the first meeting, the committee felt it had insufficient evidence to declare an emergency, but at the second meeting it took the decision to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This is the penultimate step for the WHO; on March 11, after it became clear that the virus was spreading across borders, but not before the WHO made many warnings to governments, the WHO declared a global pandemic.





Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden , as well as a host of other U.S. politicians, made the argument that the WHO did not act fast enough with its declaration. Whatever problems posed to the United States by the virus were not the responsibility of the U.S. government, they suggested; the fault lay with the Chinese government and with the WHO.





Our investigation finds that this argument has little foundation. The WHOs reporting mechanisms are sound, but the WHOs own ability to make these formal declarationsa public health emergency and a global pandemic, which come with serious financial consequences for member stateshas been circumscribed; those who have constrained the World Health Organizationthe United States and European nationsare the very same countries whose leaders are now complaining about Chinese influence over the WHO.





Revisions





By the 1990s, it had become clear that the WHOs old International Health Regulationsoriginally issued in 1969, with only a few minor updates and new editions over the two decades after thatwere inadequate. For one, these regulations were produced before the emergence of very infectious, lethal, and recurrent infections such as Ebola and the avian influenzas. Secondly, these old regulations were made before air travel began to move about 4.3 billion passengers per year, the scale of air traffic now making the movement of viruses so much easier.





In May 2005, the 58th World Health Assembly revised the 1969 regulations, pointing out that the new regulations would prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.





The North American and European states, in particular, insisted that the declaration of a PHEIC or global pandemic only be made after it was clear that air travel and trade would not be unduly interrupted. This restriction, essentially the core foundations of globalization, has constrained the WHO since 2005.





The 2009 Test





The new WHO regulations were tested when a new influenza emerged out of Mexico and the United States in mid-April 2009. This H1N1 was a combination of influenza virus genes that had links to swine-lineage H1N1 from both North America and Eurasia (thus the 2009 outbreak was commonly known as swine flu). It was first detected on April 15 . On April 24, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uploaded a gene sequence onto a publicly accessible influenzas database. On April 25, ten days after the first detection of the virus, the WHO declared the 2009 H1N1 outbreak a PHEIC. On June 11, the WHO said that a global pandemic was underway.





In 2020, the WHO took a month to declare a PHEIC for the coronavirus and took an additional two months after that to pronounce a global pandemic. It was slower to announce the emergency, but it took the same time to declare a global pandemic.





By July 2009, the dangerous H1N1 virus had a less lethal impact than the WHO had feared. However, for the full year from its first detection, 60.8 million people were infected and 12,469 died.





Almost immediately, the WHO was attacked for the June 11 description of the outbreak as a pandemic. When the WHO declares a pandemic, governments are expected to do a variety of things including mass purchase of drugs and vaccines. These are costly.





That December, members of parliament in the Council of Europe opened an inquiry into the WHO declaration. Fourteen members of the Council charged the WHO with what was essentially fraud. They said that pharmaceutical companies have influenced scientists and official agencies, responsible for public health standards, to alarm governments worldwide. They have made them squander tight health care resources for inefficient vaccine strategies and needlessly exposed millions of healthy people to the rise of unknown side-effects of insufficiently tested vaccines. The definition of an alarming pandemic, they wrote, must not be under the influence of drug-sellers.





The criticism of the WHO stung. It had declared a pandemic, but the virus had stabilized very soon after the declaration. The WHO responded to such criticism with humility. Adjusting public perceptions to suit a far less lethal virus has been problematic, the WHO responded . Given the discrepancy between what was expected and what has happened, a search for ulterior motives on the part of the WHO and its scientific advisers is understandable, though without justification.





Trumps Attacks





A WHO official told one of us that the agency had been shaken by the assault in 2009. Over the past ten years, the agency has struggled to regain its confidence, working through the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and then Zika in 2016. In neither of those cases was there a need to make any global declaration.





This year, the WHO declared a global pandemic within three months of the first cases. But there is no doubt that the attack on the WHO a decade ago has made an impact. Former WHO employees tell us that fear of being attacked like this by the main donors seriously hampers the independence of the WHO and its scientific advisers. Trumps current attack is going to weaken further the ability of the WHO to operate at its own pace and with credibility.





The World Health Organization is not the first UN agency to face the wrath of the U.S. administration. The Trump administration sent its budget to Congress with zero dollars for a line item called International Organizations and Programs. Under this line item comes United States funds for UN Development Program, UNICEF, UNESCO, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women, and UN Population Fund. In 2018, the United States stopped funding the UNs Palestine agency (UNRWA). When the UN is useful, the United States uses it; when the UN goes against United States interests, it will lose its funding.





When Trump said that the WHO is China centric, he offered no evidence; he did not have to.





No doubt that the United States is currently facing the wrath of the global pandemic. If the U.S. government had begun to plan effectively after the WHO declared a public emergency on January 30 or even when it declared a global pandemic on March 11, the problems would not be so grave. But there was no planning at all, which is distressing. As George Packer put it in the Atlantic, the United States in the months after January was like a country with shoddy infrastructure and a dysfunctional government whose leaders were too corrupt or stupid to head off mass suffering. From Trump, the U.S. citizenry got willful blindness, scapegoating, boasts, and lies. This sums it up. Part of the scapegoating was directed at China ; it is far easier to blame Chinaalready part of a dangerous trade war and a simmering regional struggle in Asiathan to accept responsibility oneself.





(This is the second part of a two-part series, which is fully available here.)





This article was produced by Globetrotter , a project of the Independent Media Institute.




People wearing masks walk on a street in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on March 18, 2020. (Photo by Nedim Grabovica/Xinhua)

"China's experience and knowledge about COVID-19 are very useful and timely for BiH, and we will make reference to them in our future work."

SARAJEVO, April 28(xinhua) -- Chinese medical experts had in-depth exchanges with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) scholars on Tuesday on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 at a video meeting.

Wang Guangfa, head of the department of pulmonary medicine at Peking University First Hospital, introduced China's experience in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. More than 40 experts and scholars from BiH health system attended the meeting.

With a large number of first-hand data and charts, Wang made a detailed introduction on the treatment of patients, the criteria of discharging patients and asymptomatic infection, psychological support for patients and self-protection on the part of medical staff, etc.

"China's experience and knowledge about COVID-19 are very useful and timely for BiH, and we will make reference to them in our future work," said Aida Gavranovic, a doctor with the Emergency Service of Sarajevo Canton, adding that Wang's report is very comprehensive and offers answers to all questions she has prepared.

The meeting was organized by the National Health Commission of China and the Chinese Embassy in BiH at the request of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH.

To date, BiH has reported 1,585 coronavirus cases and 63 deaths.
- The Euro-Dollar exchange rate is 0.32% higher @ 1.086715

- The Euro-Pound exchange rate is +0.23% higher @ 0.8731790

- Fitch downgraded Italys debt to BBB- but importantly this is still investment grade.

- The S&P held their rating at BBB and Moodys is expected to do the same next week.

- This buys Italy (and the EU) some time to address the coronavirus crisis and rising debt levels.

- However, there are still big risks to Italy (and the Euro) in the medium-to-long-term.

Its another bullish start for many markets on Wednesday with the FTSE leading the charge in Europe with a gain of over 1% taking it above 6000 for the first time since the mid-March crash. US stocks are also flying higher after Alphabet (GOOGL) impressed with its earnings report and sentiment is positive ahead of reports from other heavyweight Tech companies such as Facebook, Apple and Amazon who are all due to release earnings this week. Oil is also higher, building on Tuesdays recovery.

The risk-on tone continues to push the US dollar lower and Wednesdays FOMC meeting is also weighing on the greenback as a dovish tone is expected from the Fed. Dollar weakness has helped the Euro-Dollar climb back to 1.086 with a gain of around 0.4%, but the Australian dollar continues to be the best performer and AUD/USD is back above 0.65 with gains of over 0.6%.

Euro Steady despite Negatives

The Euro also made some gains against the British Pound and EUR/GBP is up over 0.3% to the mid 0.87s where it seems equilibrium has been set over the last month or so. Last nights unscheduled Fitch rating announcement delivered a downgrade to Italys credit rating but didnt prompt much movement in the Euro. Italys debt is now just one notch above junk according to Fitch, but at BBB- it can still be considered investment grade which is what really matters to investors. Fitch cited the rising debt levels as the reason behind the downgrade but concluded the outlook remains stable given the actions of the ECB.

Fitch has been the hardliner of the three major rating agencies, (it also downgraded the UK recently) and has gone against the S&Ps review last week which affirmed the BBB rating. This prompted a rally not only in Italian bonds but in other Southern European bonds too. Spanish and Portuguese 10-year yields dropped around eight basis points each.

Moodys is also due to review Italys rating next week and the communication suggests that it will keep the BBB on hold. This would mean Italy remains investment grade at the three major agencies for the next 3-6 months and would offer a decent yield on Italian debt considering the rating. For now at least the situation in the EU looks under control and sentiment is vastly improved as the lockdowns are easing and markets are rising. However, there are plenty risks in the medium to long-term. More easing may be required by the ECB and the divisions in the EU are more prominent than ever. Then theres the risk of a second wave of the coronavirus which could be as bad or even worse than the first. It is therefore understandable that the S&Ps outlook on Italy is negative, indicating that downgrades are possible going forward.

The outlook for the Euro and especially EURUSD is in a way similar to the outlook for Italy in that it looks clear, even bullish for the next 3-6 months, but longer-term there are too many headwinds to really call a new uptrend.

ECB Bank Survey Published

Tuesday saw the ECB publish its quarterly bank lending, which understandably showed a surge in credit demand. As Danske Bank point out,

The surge in loans and credit lines is unsurprising given the strain COVID-19 has put on firms' liquidity situation. Looking ahead, the ECB's TLTROs should address this but with yesterday's data we now see a risk that our initial EUR650 forecast for the June TLTRO is too low. Also, more generally we think it is too early to rule out more ECB easing.

More easing is unlikely to be announced in Thursdays ECB meeting, but there is growing speculation that it could come by June.
Umm Haroun and Exit 7 spark anger among Palestinians, who say the series promote normalising ties with Israel.

Palestinian factions and figures have slammed a Saudi TV drama series that promotes normalising ties with Israel, a state regarded as an illegal occupying power under international law.

The shows, Umm Haroun and Exit 7, are being broadcast by the Dubai-based Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC), a Saudi TV network.

They are among many dramas and soap operas that air each night during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip, said TV dramas should be expressive of the people and their ideas and not the other way round.

Some Arab dramas that were produced this year do not respect this matter, and they tend to spread strange ideas that call for coexistence with the occupation, and dare to question the Palestinian cause, he told Anadolu news agency.

Qassem affirmed that Israel is a threat and will always remain the first enemy of the Arab nation.

Musab al-Braim, the spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, also condemned the broadcast, terming it a historic blow to all Arabs and Muslims.

It reflected the mentality that governs the institutions and states behind such productions  It appears that they have been stripped of all their moral principles, he said.

Normalising ties

Salama Marouf, head of the Government Press Office in the besieged Gaza Strip, said the use of television this way demonstrated the desire to change the impressions of Arabs towards the Palestinian cause.

The call to establish normal relations with the Israeli occupation is a moral and ethical downfall, especially since it came out of the countries and parties that should be primarily among the first advocates of Palestinian rights, he said.





Saudi officials have yet to comment on the matter.

Unlike Jordan and Egypt, both of which signed peace treaties with Israel, other Arab states officially deny having relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which traditionally championed the Palestinian cause, have moved closer to Israel in recent years as they see Iran as a bigger regional threat.

When Untied States President Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East plan, Arab states presented divided reactions. The absence of a unified, firm rejection of the plan, analysts have noted, signals some Arab states willingness to normalise relations with Israel.

At the time, Saudi Arabia said it appreciated Trumps efforts and called for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Trumps proposal sidelined Palestinians and is in violation of UNSC Resolution 242 that called on Israel to withdraw its forces from territories it had occupied in the Six-Day War, as well as the return of refugees.

It envisions the Israeli annexation of large swaths of the occupied West Bank, including illegal Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley, giving Israel a permanent eastern border along the Jordan River.
A composite image showing how the Sutter's Mill meteorite fell in California in April 2012. In 2020, researchers uncovered evidence of what is most likely the earliest recorded incident of a person being hit and killed by a meteorite in what is now Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on Aug. 22, 1888.

Researchers have uncovered the earliest evidence of a person being hit and killed by a meteorite falling to Earth.

A group of Turkish researchers made the discovery while searching through Turkish state archives and they found that the event, which killed one person and injured another, occurred in what is now Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on Aug. 22, 1888.

There have long been claims and stories of people being hit by meteorites. However, many of these stories are not substantiated by sufficient evidence, be it a written report or some other historical marker. "This issue might be due to the fact that either the manuscript was written in a language other than English, or there is not enough interest in historical records," the researchers wrote in a new study announcing the findings.

Video: The story of Ann Hodges and the meteorite that hit her

But, in this study, the researchers searched through Turkish state archives. "Almost every single event was recorded in the archives. I mean, if you sneeze, it was recorded somehow. Natural events, financial issues, governmental messaging, etc," lead author Ozan Unsalan, an associate professor in the physics department at Ege University, told Space.com.

Amidst this wealth of documents, they found letters written by local authorities shortly after a meteorite fell to Earth, barreling into a hill in what is now Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on Aug. 22, 1888. The report stated that one man was killed and another paralyzed by the impact. In total they found three letters, written in Ottoman Turkish, that described the event. They also found evidence that the event was reported to Abdul Hamid II, the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

According to this report, the meteorite that killed and severely injured two men was one of many that fell to Earth during a 10-minute period of time. Additionally, people in a nearby city reported witnessing a fireball falling to Earth.

Now, this team of researchers is still working to find additional written and physical evidence of this impact event. "We need to find a possible reply from Abdul Hamid, the sultan himself. Also, we are very curious and need to find that real sample [of the meteorite] delivered to the museum," Unsalan said. "After that, we will classify the sample type according to the scientific criteria." Unsalan added that they intend to continue searching through the archives for incredible records such as this.

Related: How often do meteorites hit the Earth?

More recently, in 1954, Ann Hodges , a resident of eastern Alabama in the United States, was also hit by a meteorite and miraculously was (relatively) fine. She was asleep on her living room couch when a softball-sized, 8.5-lb. (3.8 kilograms) fragment of a larger meteorite barreled through her ceiling and struck her.

Hodges was surrounded by neighbors and, soon, the media and was ultimately rushed to the hospital. However, while she did end up with a pretty gnarly bruise, she was only mildly injured.

Even more recently, in 2009, Gerrit Blank, a 14-year-old German boy, was also struck by a meteorite. A pea-sized meteorite struck him, only mildly injuring him but surely scaring him.

The findings from this new study were published on April 22 in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the Health Ministry not to reduce the number of COVID-19 tests on weekends and holidays.

The head of state said this at a daily conference call to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the presidential press service reported.

"On weekends and holidays, the number of tests should be the same as on weekdays, so that the day after the holidays we did not 'lose' new patients and then get outbreaks. The timely detection of infection is assistance to patients and prevention of the spread of the disease. This year, the holidays really require the observance of rules from the authorities and the people. But this is only to ensure that we can all enjoy the holidays in the coming years," Zelensky said.

It was noted at the meeting that the number of patients in Ukraine per 24 hours still exceeds the number of those who recovered, and therefore the number of patients with COVID-19 continues to grow. In particular, 456 new cases have been reported in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, and 111 people have recovered.

The Chernivtsi, Ternopil regions and the city of Kyiv remain the leaders in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases.

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said at the meeting that 11 patients who died in the past 24 hours had serious comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and lung problems. This complicated the course of COVID-19 and led to death. The minister also said that the average course of illness in Ukraine from the moment of detection to a negative PCR test, i.e. recovery, lasts 18-21 days.

A total of 9,866 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Ukraine as of early Wednesday, April 29. In particular, 250 patients died of the disease, and 1,103 patients recovered.

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Nation awaits PM Modi's clear exit strategy from lockdown: Congress

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 28: The Congress on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spell out a clear exit strategy for coronavirus lockdown after May 3, saying the nation is awaiting it. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the prime minister is expected to lead the nation in crises like these.

"We once again appeal to the prime minister to come out with a clear exit strategy for the lockdown, to state the roadmap for economic revival and to deal with the health pandemic post May 3, as also restrict the lockdown only to hotspot zones," he told reporters at a press conference through video conferencing.

He also urged the prime minister to gradually revive the economy and the economic cycle with appropriate social distancing and other measures, so that people are not pushed towards starvation. Surjewala said chief ministers requested the prime minister to tell the nation what is the exit strategy from the lockdown.

"What is the government's strategy on the health front and the economic front in terms of post-lockdown period. What is the roadmap for the future after May 3. "How is the prime minister going to come out with financial action plan 2 as Sonia Gandhi has demanded and so have many experts, be it for starvation, migrant labour, or be it for kickstarting the economy or the small and medium enterprises," the Congress leader said.

Surjewala said party leader Rahul Gandhi has said lockdown is a pause button to temporarily stop the virus, but it cannot end the virus. "So, what is the government's strategy on health front and economic front in terms of post lockdown period," he asked.

The Congress leader said that no one has yet heard from the prime minister about the exit strategy or the roadmap and that is an area of serious concern. "Prime Minister, the nation awaits your reply to the exit strategy and roadmap post May 3, 2020," he asked.

The appeal comes a day after Modi met chief ministers of various states through video-conferencing and sought their views, while also spelling out the government's strategy on tackling COVID-19. Most of the chief ministers have demanded extension of the lockdown and urged prime minister to take a call on the exit strategy, while asking him to have a cautious approach in opening it.
Jayanta Roy Chowdhury By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Once the lockdown ends, the way the world does business is set to change drastically with countries keen to break free from China-dominated global supply chain. However, this doesnt mean India will gain big from Chinas loss. Given its high tax rates, regulatory stranglehold and higher production costs, India may lose out on opportunities thrown up by this tectonic shift.

There will be a scramble to diversify supply sources so that dependence on one or a few countries reduces significantly. This will create enormous churn in investment patterns, said Pronab Sen, economist and former chairman of National Statistical Commission. Sen says firms will shift mostly to east and southeast Asia as nothing has changed to make India more attractive.

SAIL chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary agrees. Post-Covid, businesses will reorganise their processes and operations across countries.A recent Nomura study notes that out of the 56 firms shifting out of China, only three preferred India, while 26 went to Vietnam, 11 to Taiwan and eight to Thailand. India suffers from high cost of production, high capital costs, high electricity tariffs, higher incidence of taxes and regulatory red tape. We have tried to turn attractive but in last five years, companies that shifted out of China went elsewhere, said former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg.

To make India more attractive for investors, the Centre has been working on a package that could include tax and duty incentives, besides fast-tracking clearances both at Central and state levels. However, there is skepticism on the packages timing and ability to mould business decisions.

Sen feels that in the Indian context, the pandemic is likely to give further impetus towards protectionism. Demands for self reliance will become more strident and I am afraid the government will go along whole-heartedly. India experimented with self reliance in the 1960s, which reduced industrys competitiveness and pushed up prices.

Economic revival will have to be gradual and calibrated and depends entirely on the process of relaxation of lockdown rules, warned Sen. Garg said the entire goods economy  farming, mining, construction and manufacturing  along with transport and distribution sectors should reopen from early next month, subject to social distancing and health checks. He also advises continuation of lockdown for the services sector even as the digital economy is encouraged, to stagger the number of humans out on streets.

India Inc too wants manufacturing to be reopened along with transportation and distribution channels in areas other than hotspots. But they say that without ease of movement for trucks and reopening of sales channels, the economy cannot be jumpstarted.You cannot manufacture just to create inventory, said ITC chief Sanjiv Puri.
ALAMEDA, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE: PEN) today announced that its management team is scheduled to present at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2020 Health Care Conference on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.

Event: Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2020 Health Care Conference Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Time: 2:20pm EDT / 11:20am PDT

A webcast of the presentation will be available by visiting the investors' section of the company's website at www.penumbrainc.com. The webcast will be available on the company's website for at least two weeks following the event.

About Penumbra

Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra sells its products to hospitals and healthcare providers primarily through its direct sales organization in the United States, most of Europe, Canada and Australia, and through distributors in select international markets. The Penumbra logo is a trademark of Penumbra, Inc. For more information, visit www.penumbrainc.com .

Investor Relations

Penumbra, Inc.

510-995-2461

[email protected]

SOURCE Penumbra, Inc.

Related Links

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New Delhi: The Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, Zafarul-Islam Khan, has raked up a big controversy with his latest Facebook post, where he threatened "Hindutva bigots" of complaining to "Arab countries and the Muslim world" about the "hate campaigns and lynchings and riots in India". The DMC Chairman also said that "bigots will face an avalanche".

In one of his social media posts on Monday, Zafarul-Islam Khan wrote, "Tablighi inmates and many others have completed 28 days in corona isolation, rather detention centre, which is twice the mandatory 14 days quarantine period for corona suspects as per US and WHO guidelines. Keeping people in isolation, who tested negative and spent twice the mandatory period in corona isolation centres, is tantamount to illegal detention."

In another post, he wrote, "Govt happy to take plasma of Tablighis but lock them inside flats like hardcore criminals." He also termed quarantining Tablighi Jamaat workers as "illegal detention".

Tablighi Jamaat members have drawn flak for the alleged spread of coronavirus to different parts of the country after the religious sect organised a congregation in Delhi`s Nizamuddin area last month.



On Tuesday, Khan wrote in his recent social media post, "Thank you Kuwait for standing with the Indian Muslims! The Hindutva bigots calculated that given the huge economic stakes involved, the Muslim and Arab world will not care about the persecution of Muslims in India."

"Bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage," Khan added.

Mentioning names like "Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, Iqbal, Abul Hasan Nadwi, Wahiduddin Khan, Zakir Naik", Khan said they are "respected household names in the Arab and Muslim world."

Warning "Hindutva bigots" in his post, the DMC Chairman said, "Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche."

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit out at Zafarul Islam for his controversial post on social media.

BJP spokesperson Sonkar Shastri said that Zafrul Islam is trying to tarnish India`s image in the Arab world. He demanded from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal removal of Islam from the post of chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Pravin Shankar Kapoor today wrote a letter to Commissioner of Delhi Police SKN Srivastava, drawing his attention to a Facebook post written by DMC Chairman Dr Zafurul Islam Khan, demanding legal action against Khan.

In the complaint sent by e-mail, Kapoor has been said that Khan in his Facebook post has called all Hindus fundamentalists and haters as well as murderers.

Kapoor stated that such social media posts of a person holding a constitutional post like the chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission can provoke people from both Hindu and Muslim communities, which can affect the law and order situation of Delhi.

BJP MLA Vijendra Gupta has written to LG demanding immediate expulsion of Zafarul-Islam Khan, Chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission for spreading hate and bigotry and misusing his constitutional office for anti-India activities.

In a statement issued today, the DMC chief, however, said that he has not complained against his country to any foreign government or organisation, nor does he intend to do so in the future.

"This tweet is in the background of how the issues of Muslims have been dealt with in our country, be it lynching, riots, media-bashing or redressal of their problems in political and administrative processes," Khan said, adding that while he never complained about India to any other country, he was vocal about the problems in the country.

Notably, Khan had earlier written to the Delhi chief minister about the discrimination being meted out to the Tablighi Jamaat members at quarantine centres.

In the past, the DMC Chairman had termed the Triple Talaq Bill as "wrong" and a "great injustice" to the Muslim community in India, especially on the Muslim male population.
The Good Report evaluated 673 agencies from 76 markets producing 1108 campaigns for 882 brands (321 commercial brands, 444 not-for-profit, 117 governmental bodies). This report is produced in collaboration between ACT Responsible the international non-profit association and largest global source of the world's best ads on social and environmental issues, and the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) - a global authority for evaluating the effectiveness of media campaigns around the world, and the body responsible for publishing WARC Creative 100 Rankings, which is the most prominent global standard for creative excellence in the advertising sector.

Commenting on this prestigious achievement, Abeer Alessa, Founder and General Manager of Bold Communication Agency & Member of the Chamber of Commerce 'Advertising Committee' said: "As an independent Saudi agency, we feel very proud to have obtained this global classification, which constitutes a strong impetus for us to achieve more progress and accomplishment in our future work. I want to thank all members of the 'Bold' family for their great efforts, which reflect the ability of Saudi youth to compete in the local and international arena."

Alessa continued, "Since its foundation, Bold has strived to identify Saudi talent to harness and grow their potential to deliver quality work for our partners. Saudi Arabia is rich with local talents and with today's unlimited support within the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030, opportunities to showcase their capabilities on the global stage have been amplified."

Since its launch in 2012, Bold has received several prestigious awards. The agency managed to win three awards during the Dubai Lynx Festival, including Independent Agency of the Year (2016) in the MENA region. It is the first independent Saudi agency ever to win this title. The agency also presented several philanthropic campaigns, the most prominent being Tweet for Heat - a joint campaign with Alwaleed Philanthropies and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Alessa added, "This achievement is a testament for what local communication agencies are capable of. Despite these unprecedented times with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge strain being placed on brands, it is crucial for communication agencies to work with their clients to redefine their communication strategies, adding more focus on CSR programs that deliver the brand's message in a responsible, relevant and impactful way."

It's important to note, Bold have always focused on knowledge transfer as part of its responsibility in supporting the government's efforts to boost the advertising sector in Saudi Arabia. Among these prominent efforts is funding of the first research on developing creative economy in Saudi Arabia, with Nuqat, developing workshops and initiatives with several universities and educational institutions plus leading and funding Balaconah events in Riyadh, to support and develop Saudi talent in advertising.

About Bold Communication Agency

Founded in Riyadh in 2012 with a vision to create an integrated communication approach, Bold is an independent, award-winning, multi-disciplinary communication agency of passionate talents. The Bold team's diverse backgrounds and shared values of integrity, curiosity, and ownership, combined with unrestrained creative thinking and technology are what set them apart in the market (the Bolders). Bold has partnered with tens of local, regional, and global brands across different industries with varying objectives; to deliver powerful, evocative and truly unforgettable campaigns to the world, leveraging cultural insights found at the intersection of human truth and brand value; all while attracting awards and appreciation acknowledgments throughout the journey since the start.

About Act Responsible

ACT Responsible is a Swiss-based non-profit organization created in 2001. ACT stands for Advertising Community Together. The association mission is to federate the Advertising Communications industry around Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development and share good practices. Today, ACT Responsible has created, hand in hand withAdForum.com, a large and unique database of campaigns gathered worldwide, highlighting outstanding work and showing how the advertising industry is playing its role raising awareness on crucial issues. ACT Responsible has built a network of committed agencies, media, production companies, advertisers, institutions, NGOs and corporations all over the world, who believe responsible advertising is an essential focus of modern communications. The association is part of the United Nations Global Compact.

About WARC  A global authority on marketing effectiveness

WARC is part of Ascential: the path-to-purchase company that combines intelligence, data and insights to drive growth in the digital economy. We do this by delivering an integrated set of business-critical products in the key areas of product design, marketing and sales.

For over 30 years WARC has been powering the marketing segment by providing rigorous and unbiased evidence, expertise and guidance to make marketers more effective. WARC services include 18,000+ case studies, 90,000+ best practice guides, research papers, special reports and advertising trend data, webinars, awards, events and advisory services; has 1,200+ client companies, 21,500+ active users in 100+ markets; collaborates with 50+ industry partners; has offices in the UK, US, China and Singapore.

SOURCE Bold Communication Agency

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SDi, part of Science and Medicine Group, is the leading research and advisory firm covering the analytical instrumentation market. In their latest report, Pharmaceutical Market Opportunity 2020, SDi evaluates the global analytical instrument market for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry amid the COVID-19 crisis.

SDi predicts pressure on pharmaceutical companies stemming from disruptions in the supply chain of active pharmaceutical ingredients in addition to a decrease in new drug development from reduced lab research activity. However, investment into COVID-19 research will drive growth during this period.

With the virus originating in China, closures among major producers of active pharmaceutical inputs (APIs) squeezed the supply of inputs by between 10-20%. India also suspended the export of key ingredients causing shortages around the world and especially in the United States.

The United States responded with legislation designed to encourage the production of domestic APIs. The Securing Americas Medicine Cabinet Act (SAM-C) expands the FDAs Emerging Technology Program and authorizes $100 million to build centers of excellence for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing to help therapeutic development and manufacturing in the US.

The combination of pressure from COVID-19 will affect the market on both ends. Research will be limited from the closure of labs. Bioinformatics, the leading research and advisory firm covering the life sciences market, recently conducted a survey showing that 12% of global research labs are fully operational. Half of all research labs are shut down while the rest are running at a reduced capacity. This survey also includes pharma and biotech labs, which are at the forefront of R&D for this industry. Therefore, many drug discovery processes are also hindered by the global outbreak.

However, all is not lost. The race to find a cure for COVID-19 through the development of a reliable vaccine has begun. Currently, there are 155 medicines and 70 vaccines for the novel coronavirus in the development pipeline. Genetic vaccine platforms using DNA/RNA manipulation seems to be leading the race. This type of vaccine can potentially be developed and produced more quickly than traditional vaccines. As SDis report shows, all of this would not be possible without analytical instruments at the heart of each discovery.

SDis newly published report, titled The 2020 Pharmaceutical Market Opportunity, evaluates the global analytical instrument market for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. The report covers 74 different analytical techniques, categorized into 10 technological segments. The goal of this report is to provide a strategic perspective on the current situation and projected potential for analytical techniques used in pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Amid the coronavirus chaos, the pharma/bio sector is a unique market, as it is both hindered and stimulated by this pandemic. This report will examine the future direction of laboratory sales to pharma/bio, and how they being affected by this sudden macroeconomic impact, at least in the short term.

The 2020 Pharmaceutical Market Opportunity report can be found at https://strategic-directions.com/product/the-2020-pharmaceutical-market-opportunity-report/.

About Strategic Directions International

Strategic Directions International (SDi), part of Science and Medicine Group, is the leading business intelligence firm in the highly specialized field of analytical and life science instruments. Its client list includes virtually every major analytical instrumentation company in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Founded in 1981, the Los Angeles-based company has published hundreds of market reports and provided proprietary consulting services for a multitude of clients.
T he winners of the annual Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year for 2020 have been announced, with London restaurants and a pair of tattooed pigs trotters among the images to receive accolades.

The competition accepts entries from all around the world for a variety of categories, with 11 Brits taking top prizes this year. This included Sandy Woods winning image in the food at the table category, which sees a group of Instagram influencers working to light a dish at a dark restaurant table so they can take a photo of it.

Fellow winners from the UK include Nicole Herft who took the Food Stylist award for her work with Soho Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Chotto Matte among others, and Jonathan Minster won for his eerie photograph of a pair of pigs trotters tattooed with the words Love and Hate on the knuckles, in a comment on the uneasy relationship many meat-eaters have with contemporary farming practices.

The countrys photographic future seems in good hands as Scarlett Blanch won in the Young  10 and Under category for her photograph of traders selling apples at Stroud Farmers Market, while Alex Forbes came in first place in the Young  11 to 14 category for his image of fruit swimming in mulled wine.

'Looking Too Good to Eat (Just Yet)': A photo of eager Instagrammers won the Intercontinental Food at the Table category / Sandy Wood/Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2020

Many images, of course, took a more serious look at the food world. Bangladeshi photographer K M Asad was named the overall winner of the competition for his photograph of a queue of Rohingya refugee children holding empty bowls as they queue for food, which was also the winning image in the Politics of Food category.

Other striking images include Xueping Dus photograph of a woman stretching noodles by whipping them round her head like a lasso at a street food stall, Azim Khan Ronnies phone photo of an iced pile of hilsa fish in Bangladesh, and a night time food market in Yangon, Myanmar, shot by Zay Yar Lin.
Ranjani Madhavan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Are women more immune to coronavirus than men? At least the data collected on the total number of patients in Karnataka till Tuesday seems to suggest that. Till date, 366 men have been infected with COVID-19, while only 154 women have contracted the virus. The graph shows a similar trend in Tamil Nadu, where 1,393 men and 665 women are infected, and also in Kerala, where 66.7 percent of the cases are of men. While the exact reasons are not known, doctors said that women generally mount a better immunological response to any disease than men.

It is a national and global phenomenon and holds true for deaths too. The storm of cytokines, which are small proteins released by the body as a response to Covid-19, is much higher in men that can lead to multiple organ failure or even clotting in blood vessels, said Dr Murali Chakravarthy, Chairman and Managing Director, Central Infection Prevention and Control Committee, Fortis Hospital. Women are generally in good health and have lesser comorbidities. As compared to men, a lesser number of women smoke, have diabetes and BP and enjoy longevity.

The XX chromosome is said to be more protective as opposed to the XY chromosome present in men. This response is similar in female animals as well, he said. The presence of estrogen in women is known to ensure a better blood flow, reducing the risk of heart attack among women.

The hormone also plays an important role in fighting COVID-19. Men, who produce testosterone, suffer clots in lungs and peripheries such as fingertips and toe tips, doctors said. But there are also social aspects to a lesser number of women getting infected, says Dr Pradeep from Nimhans, who is also in the committee to study the epidemiology of corona cases reported in Karnataka.

Generally, men are more mobile than women. Culturally, in times of crisis, we tend to shelter women, who are generally more comfortable staying at home. But men are not used to being confined at home. Both men and women have the same propensity to acquire the virus, but studies show that sociological factors play a role in Covid-19 infecting more men than women, he said.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Shanghai, China  Wed, April 29, 2020 15:01 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4fa572 2 Food kfc,chicken,plant-based-chicken,China,food,restaurant Free

With business returning to normal in parts of China following the pandemic, KFC has announced plans to pilot faux chicken in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The plant-based chicken nuggets will be made available for just three days beginning yesterday and ending tomorrow of this week.

To test the newest product, the chain released pre-sale coupons on the KFC app last week. In Shanghai, the coupons sold out within one hour, says KFC.

The nuggets are made with soy, wheat and peas to simulate the taste of chicken and locally sourced water chestnuts.

The launch in China expands on the US release of Beyond Fried Chicken, in partnership with the plant-based faux beef brand Beyond Meat. Earlier this year, KFC launched the vegan fried chicken in response to the growing popularity of eco-friendly faux meat alternatives among US consumers.
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AFAW) has challenged Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministries, Auchi, Edo State, to heal anyone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and get a thousand US dollars from the group.

In a statement made available to DAILY POST by the founder of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, Leo Igwe, on Tuesday, the group said it is challenging Suleman to heal, not two or three persons, not ten or fifteen patients, but just one person with the viral infection and he would be rewarded with a thousand dollars.

READ ALSO  Nigerians Drag Apostle Suleman For Saying He Can Cure COVID-19 Patients

This is coming up days after Apostle Suleiman pleaded with the Federal government to allow pastors with the gift of healing to visit the isolation centers to heal COVID-19 patients.
The French government will tighten restrictions on foreign investments from outside Europe in French companies to limit foreign control over strategic sectors and technologies, the finance minister said on Wednesday.

Currently non-European investments in French companies do not need government approval as long as the stake is 25% or less.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he would lower the threshold to 10% for investments in large companies until end of the year.

"In this period of crisis, some companies are vulnerable, some technologies are fragile and could be bought by foreign competitors at a low cost. I won't let it happen," Le Maire told LCI television.

The government already at the start of the year tightened controls on non-European foreign investments, in particular by lowering the threshold for state-vetting to 25% from 33% previously.

Le Maire also said that he would add biotechnology companies to a list of sectors that requires government approval for an investment from outside Europe to go ahead.

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ABC News(ROCHESTER, Minnesota) -- BY: ELIZABETH THOMAS and MICHELLE STODDART



When Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the nation's coronavirus task force, visited the Mayo Clinic Tuesday in Minnesota and greeted patients, he did so without wearing a face mask, even though everyone else around him did.



And that's despite his office being made aware of the Mayo Clinic's policy requiring all patients and visitors to wear face coverings, according to a clinic statement.



Pool video of Pence's visit showed him shaking hands with at least one patient and coming closer than the six feet of separation recommended by White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.



Afterward, Pence responded to a pool reporter's questions about why he didn't wear a mask and how often he was tested.



"Well, let me say, as vice president of the United States, I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus, and when the CDC issued guidelines about wearing a mask, it was their recognition that people that may have the coronavirus could prevent the possibility of conveying the virus to someone else by wearing a mask," Pence said.



"And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and and say thank you."



ABC News has asked Pence's office how often he is tested "on a regular basis."



Health experts, including those on Pence's task force, note that you can test negative for the virus one day, and then become infected the next, possibly without symptoms, and are capable of spreading the virus.



You wear a mask, they say, to protect others.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The Human Rights Defender of Armenia established round-the-clock monitoring right after the incident that took place in the Armenian town of Gavar.

By the assignment of the Human Rights Defender, rapid reaction groups were sent to police stations, Gavar town, Gavar Medical Center and Noratus village.

In Gavar and Noratus the Ombudsmans representatives will have meetings with the people whose relatives are at police stations.

Police officers have already held personal talks with the apprehended and detained persons and examined the grounds for deprivation of liberty.

Several citizens have sounded alarms by calling the hotline of the Office of the Human Rights Defender, and necessary measures are being taken within the limits of the Ombudsmans jurisdiction.

As reported earlier, according to the police statement, there are two casualties and wounded as a result of the shootings that took place Tuesday in Gavar town. Subsequently, an attack took place on Gavar Medical Center.
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Linkedin Musthofid (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 30 2020

Serving up light: Intan Pradina (right) and Noro Ardanto pose with their decorative lamps. (Courtesy of Lampu Runa)

Indonesia celebrated April 21 by immortalizing the spirit of womens empowerment, education and emancipation as pioneered by Raden Ajeng Kartini, a woman of a noble family living in the 19th century in Central Java.



Kartinis struggle for women to have equal education was considered daring in the wake of the colonialization period and, as a result, many see her as an inspiration and role model.



I admire Kartini because in her day it was very rare that women possessed an independent spirit. Ibu Kartini is an inspiration because her courage and enthusiasm can make a big difference in the lives of Indonesian women today, Intan Pradini, a craftsmanship entrepreneur, told The Jakarta Post.



With her husband Noro Ardanto, Intan runs a business in decorative lighting products under the brand of Lampu Runa.



Their products are not just ordinary lamps but works of art that function to light a room.



Intans venture in the business began in 2012 when she decided to resign from her job as editor-in-chief of a Jakarta-based magazine in order to devote more time to her family.



She was working as a freelance editor when she and her husband had the idea to start a business in the field of handicrafts given their background and passion in the design world.



They started the business in 2013 with a view toward preserving Indonesian wood craftsmanship.



We believed the contemporary lamp designs were still very expandable. And we had an original design idea that we thought was quite unique and we had never found in Indonesia, she said.



They showcased the inaugural design at the Vietnam Lifestyle exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City before joining a bazaar in Jakarta in 2013.



They found welcoming responses from the market on both occasions.



From there we were determined to develop our business. We began to make products other than lamps like ornaments made from light bricks combined with wood. Our distinctive feature is its unique, arty, personal and handmade design, she said.



Lampu Runas products have a niche market and are highly segmented with customers mostly being art lovers.



They have a workshop in Cileungsi in Bogor, West Java, where they employ two crafters and two painters. However, in the case of high demand, the crafting work will go out elsewhere under a partnership program.



The challenge in the business is how they can meet the expectations of customers, especially in customized products.



The demand for customized designs is greater than the regular, ordinary lamps. Because it is customized, it automatically takes longer to make because it has to be in accordance with the design expected by the customer, Intan said.



She and her husband work together as a couple, both in the household and at the office, with Intan focusing on promotions and her husband on production.



For me, Kartinis emancipation spirit does not mean that women must compete with men, because it is obvious that women and men are different. Women are not created to compete with men but to complement each other and synergize to become one strength, she said.



Do not stop learning and continue to develop and establish cooperation and collaboration with other parties.

Kartini lamps: Dara Manis (Pretty Girls) are among the products created by Lampu Runa. Customers also refer to them as Kartini lamps because of the figures kebaya attire. (Courtesy of Lampu Runa)



Womens dignity



The spirit of self-empowerment has also catapulted Diajeng Lestari to a respected perch among womens entrepreneurs.



Almost a decade after running a Muslim fashion business called Hijup, she now reportedly has a turnover of billions of rupiah.



Kartini is a role model who fought for the dignity of women, especially to advance the colonized nation at that time, she told the Post.



In the present context, in which Indonesia has gained independence, we can win the struggle of mothers.



We are fighting for economic independence, overcoming poverty and pursuing other goals that have been summarized in 17 Sustainable Development Goals, she said.



Fighting for economic independence can be done whenever and wherever, as shown by Diajeng, who started her business when she was an employee of a company.



Luckily for her, she has an enterprising spouse in husband Achmad Zaky, CEO of online shop Bukalapak.



She emphasizes honesty and motivation in business.



We, for example, have aspirations to become entrepreneurs. When experiencing obstacles, in fact we are again tested for honesty. Do you really want to be an entrepreneur? she was once quoted as saying on detik.com.



Motivation, she said, was the fuel needed by someone looking to enter the business world.



The Muslim fashion marketplace business she pioneered has teamed up with hundreds of local partners in Indonesia, as well as in Southeast Asia.



Through the portal hijup.com, Diajeng has also penetrated the world market and has customers from various countries.

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Khan, who fought a long battle with cancer, carved out a stellar career in Bollywood, Hollywood and other Western films.

Acclaimed Indian actor Irrfan Khan, whose international movie career included hits such as Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi and The Amazing Spider-Man, has died aged 53, his publicist said.

Khan, who was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, died on Wednesday after he was admitted in a Mumbai hospital for colon infection. He was 53.

Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him, his publicist said in a statement.

He spent his final hours surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, a statement released by his family said.

The actor had spent several months last year in the United Kingdom undergoing cancer treatment.

His mother Saeeda Begum died four days ago on April 25.

Deeply saddened to learn that #Irffan Khan passed away this morning. Gone too soon .. such a powerful actor and how valiantly he fought back the cancer. Its a big loss not only to his family but to the entire film industry. RIP  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) April 29, 2020

He is survived by his wife, TV producer Sutapa Sikdar, and sons Babil and Ayan.

One of the best crossover actors

Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan on January 7, 1967, Khan discovered an early passion for acting and studied at the elite National School of Drama.

But his training in Shakespeare and Chekhov did little to ease his entry into the Hindi film industry, which was largely focused at the time on churning out formulaic song-and-dance blockbusters.

Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

Even as he landed a role in 1988s Salaam Bombay  directed by first-timer Mira Nair  his part was slashed to a cameo.

He sobbed for hours when he found out about the cuts, he told Indias Open magazine. It changed something within me. I was prepared for anything after that, he said.

Khan poses with his Best Actor trophy during the Asian Film Awards in Macau on March 27, 2014 [Philippe Lopez/AFP]

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Television roles followed, along with a handful of bit parts in Bollywood, where producers routinely dismissed him as looking too unconventional to play the lead.

By the time British director Asif Kapadia cast him as a mercenary in The Warrior, he was ready to quit acting, frustrated over the direction of his career.

But, in a sign of the global success that lay in wait, the 2001 film racked up awards and won Khan praise  including in India, where a new generation of directors was eager to experiment with fresh storylines.

His drama school training came in handy when he was cast in Maqbool and Haider  contemporary Hindi adaptations of Macbeth and Hamlet.

But he also charmed audiences in lighter fare such as Piku, featuring Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, and The Lunchbox, in which he played a lonely accountant in love with a housewife.

An incredible talent

The tall and lanky actor won Indias national award for his performance in Paan Singh Tomar. He was also awarded with Padma Shri, one of the countrys highest civilian honours.

Too soon to leave @irrfank Ji. Your work always left me in awe. Youre one of the finest actors I know, I wish you stayed longer. You deserved more time. Strength to the family at this time.  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 29, 2020

Khan was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark in Western cinema, following earlier crossover pioneers like Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth and Om Puri.

He featured in several award-winning international films such as The Warrior, Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi. In Hollywood, he worked in The Amazing Spider-Man, Inferno and Jurassic World.

Khan consciously sidestepped traditional Bollywood tropes, focusing on the subtleties of his craft.

This allowed him to carve out a stellar career in Hollywood as well, where he collaborated with Oscar-winning directors such as Danny Boyle and Ang Lee and appeared in the HBO show In Treatment.

The actor was last seen in Bollywood comedy, Angrezi Medium, which was released in March.

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2020

An incredible talent, said Amitabh Bachchan in one of many Twitter tributes.

A gracious colleague. A prolific contributor to the world of cinema left us too soon creating a huge vacuum, said the veteran actor.

Filmmaker Karan Johar said, Thank you for raising the bar as an artist  Thank you for enriching our cinema We will miss you terribly, Irrfan.
The prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, stated that the country has stopped the widespread, undetected community transmission of COVID-19, as tough lockdown restrictions are scheduled to ease on April 27.

Ardern said that New Zealand had avoided the worst in the coronavirus pandemic but they still must continue to fight the virus. She said that there is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand and they have won the battle. But she is still asking the public to remain vigilant if the country wants to keep the situation that way.

New Zealand's lockdown

On April 27, New Zealand will lift its level-4 lockdown which has been in place for more than four weeks. During that time, almost all businesses have been closed, along with schools with the people who have been asked to remain in their homes for all but grocery store visits and short walks.

The prime minister said that there was no way of knowing what may have happened without the level-4 lockdown. However, she warned that in level 3, there were new risks, namely people coming into more contact with others.

Level 3 means that retailers, restaurants, and schools will be allowed to reopen on a smaller scale. Schools will reopen on April 29 for children up to Year 10 who can't study from home, or whose parents need to go back to work.

Also Read: New Coronavirus Symptom: Red Rashes Appearing on Coronavirus Patients

Workers will also be able to resume on-site work, provided that they have a COVID-19 control plan, with appropriate health and safety and physical distancing measures. On April 28, it is expected that one million people will return to work. However, Ardern warned the public of bringing too many people into expanded family bubbles.

Ardern reminded people that the government will reopen the economy, but they will not reopen the social lives of the citizens yet. Ashely Bloomfield, the director-general of health, stated that the transmission of the virus had been eliminated. This does not mean that they have zero cases but that the health officials knew where all new cases were coming from.

Low transmission rate

The transmission rate in New Zealand is now under 0.4 compared to the average overseas transmission rate of 2.5. The transmission rate is the number of people each infected person can pass the virus to.

Bloomfield said that COVID-19 was a tricky virus and that New Zealanders needed to remain vigilant. He reported one more coronavirus-related death on April 27. The nation's 19th victim was a woman in her 90s.

Ardern said that New Zealand would remain at level 3 for two weeks before the cabinet decided on whether they can move to level 2. She added that she was hopeful that New Zealand and Australia might be able to create a trans-Tasman bubble at some time in the future.

Despite the optimistic numbers, bot Ardern and Bloomfield warned against complacency. Ardern said that in order to succeed the country must hunt down the last few cases of the virus. A contract tracing app for COVIF-19 would also be available in the next few days.



Related Article: More Than 700 Killed in Iran for Fake Coronavirus Cure

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TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday told the United States it "should not plot against the Iranian nation every day", amid fresh tensions between the arch foes in the Gulf.

Tehran and Washington have traded barbs over a spate of incidents in the past year involving their forces in the sensitive waters of the Gulf.

Their latest high-seas confrontation came on April 15, when the United States said 11 Iranian boats harassed its navy ships in what it described as the international waters of the "Arabian Gulf".

President Donald Trump then tweeted that he had ordered the US Navy to "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea".

Iran's president on Wednesday replied that "the Americans should know that this gulf is called the Persian Gulf, not the New York Gulf or the Washington Gulf".

"They must understand the situation by that name and by the coastal nation that has protected this waterway for thousands of years," Rouhani said in a televised address during a cabinet meeting.

"They should not plot against the Iranian nation every day.

"The soldiers of our armed forces in the guardians of the Revolution, the army, Basij (paramilitary organisation) and the police have always been and will be the guardians of the Persian Gulf."

Iran and the United States have been at loggerheads for decades.

Tensions between them have escalated since 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a multinational accord that froze Iran's nuclear programme and reimposed crippling sanctions on its economy.

The arch enemies have appeared to come close to a direct military confrontation twice since June last year, when Iran shot down a US drone in the Gulf.

On that occasion, Trump cancelled retaliatory air strikes at the last minute.

Trump also opted not to take any military action in January after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq.

Iran launched the missiles after a US drone strike near Baghdad airport killed Qasem Soleimani, the general who headed the Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations arm, the Quds Force.
New Delhi, April 29 : The National Commission of Minorities (NCM) has slammed Zafarul Islam, the chief of the Delhi Minorities Commission, over his controversial post about the persecution of Muslims in India. NCM chairman Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi said that Muslims in India are happy and there's no Islamophobia in the country.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Rizvi said, "He should not have made such comments. The language is threatening. People belonging to all faiths live in this country peacefully. An Arab country has bestowed our prime minister Narendra Modi with the highest honour, the 'Order of Zayed'." Rizvi termed the remarks made by Zafarul Islam as childish and absurd and demanded action against him from the Delhi government.

Zafarul Islam in his Facebook post had said, "Thank you Kuwait for standing with the Indian Muslims! The Hindutva bigots calculated that given the huge economic stakes involved the Muslim and Arab world will not care about the persecution of Muslims in India.

"The bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage... Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche." Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra has also slammed Zafarul Islam for his controversial post. "He should be removed from the post of chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission immediately. He supports Zakir Naik. Such a person with bigoted mind has no right to be on that chair," said Mishra.
Doctors and nurses from across the continent recount experiences of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic on the front lines.

With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rising in many African countries, healthcare workers across the continent have been at the forefront of the response to the disease.

As in other parts of the world, many of these doctors and nurses are confronted with challenges in the face of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, while others remain optimistic about the systems within which they operate.

Here, they share their stories of fighting the pandemic on the front lines. Some have chosen to remain anonymous.

Dr Bernard Hammond, president of Ghana Association of Doctors in Residency, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana

With more confirmed cases every day, most of us are apprehensive about the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). There has been a general shortage of basic protective equipment like facemasks, leading to reuse and prolonged use by health staff.

We are, however, quite resolute in fulfilling our duties, even in times like these.

The governments announcement that health workers will be exempt from paying taxes for three months and a 50 percent salary raise for those who routinely come into contact with confirmed cases have indeed served to boost morale. Our concerns regarding equipment also seem to be generating some favourable response from the government, evidenced by their promotion of the local manufacturing of PPE and other logistics to meet our needs in the clinical setting.

The government has established health insurance packages for healthcare workers and protocols have also been established at the facility level for the isolation and testing of any staff exposed in the line of duty. During the period of isolation, arrangements have also been made for them to be taken care of.

COVID-19 in Ghana (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 1,671  Recoveries: 188  Deaths: 16

Workers at an Accra factory use sewing machines to assemble masks for coronavirus front-line health workers [Nipah Dennis/AFP]

Dr Olusegun Olaopa, former president of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors  University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria

Healthcare workers in Nigeria face challenging working conditions with no life insurance, inadequate pay and constant burnout. Thus, this pandemic has put more pressure on an already overwhelmed workforce already struggling with low morale.

With the spread of the virus, it is not enough to only provide protective equipment to those at the isolation centre, we need some form of it at all hospitals. Particularly because some doctors in the country that have been exposed to the virus were treating patients who had other ailments and had not been diagnosed with COVID-19. Meanwhile, politicians are using sophisticated protective gear.

We just need encouragement and appreciation so that we know our sacrifices will not be in vain. My department, which is a surgical specialty, has started adopting self-help to adapt makeshift protective materials.

On a positive note, the government has done well in raising awareness, closing borders and imposing a lockdown in three states. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is also working tirelessly to ensure the pandemic is being contained.

COVID-19 in Nigeria (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 1,532  Recoveries: 255  Deaths: 44





Professor Moussa Seydi, head of infectious diseases department, Hospital Center University De Fann in Dakar, Senegal

The COVID-19 response unit has been well catered for, as the government provided us with enough equipment which they had procured in time. We also received sufficient training and instructions on procedures to follow.

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Thus, here in the treatment centre, we feel safe. If we see a huge surge in cases then perhaps this could change.

I believe the government really has done its best; they also announced that healthcare workers will be given bonuses which many of them have already received.

COVID-19 in Senegal (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 823  Recoveries: 296  Deaths: 9

Doctor in Bamenda, Cameroon

Authorities have done very little in ensuring our safety. Many districts in Cameroon have not received sufficient training, educational materials and PPE.

200422134140013

I learned about safety procedures online, however, many healthcare workers do not have access to the internet. Health workers also do not have access to priority testing  this is both dangerous to them and their patients.

As I speak, official figures suggest at least five doctors have died of the 44 deaths related to COVID-19.

No pay or extra financial support, coupled with constant power cuts at some hospitals, means morale is very low.

COVID-19 in Cameroon (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 1,806  Recoveries: 915  Deaths: 59





Public health official in Liberia

The government partially considered the safety of health workers but there has been little commitment to see this through.

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For example, health workers have not received hazard pay for months and many are demotivated and even considering strike action or quitting.

One front-line responder died after contracting the virus and we are yet to get any information regarding an insurance package which was supposedly set aside for the family.

COVID-19 in Ghana (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 141  Recoveries: 45  Deaths: 16

Carol, a hospital nurse in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

I am horrified at the lack of action taken by the government  little direction, no transparency, they have refused to implement measures like lockdowns or close places of worship.

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As front-line workers, we are simply being ignored and it is terrifying. We are being treated like collateral damage.

COVID-19 in Tanzania (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 480  Recoveries: 167  Deaths: 10

Members of a privately-funded NGO working with county officials wearing protective carry their gear during the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the Kenyan government [Luis Tato/AFP]

Dr Thuranira Kaugiria, secretary-general of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Nairobi branch, Kenya

To give credit where credit is due, an isolation and treatment facility for healthcare workers has been set up at Kenyatta National Hospital and the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital in Nairobi.

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Furthermore front-line workers at these hospitals that have been in contact with COVID-19 patients  from security staff to doctors  are being tested. This is also the case at Mombasa Coast General Provincial Hospital.

But it is not enough, the government has taken the PR path. They thank us in their speeches, but where is the PPE? Why are healthcare workers being harassed during curfew hours? When will we have comprehensive medical cover?

COVID-19 in Kenya (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 384  Recoveries: 129  Deaths: 14

Mary, a hospital nurse in Nairobi, Kenya

A month ago, we downed tools at my hospital due to a lack of training. This has since been rectified.

200402125719150

Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a welfare package for healthcare workers  Im sure it is in good faith but the politicians in this country have never appreciated us.

Regardless, we are committed to our jobs and to dealing with this pandemic.

Perhaps COVID-19 will finally lead to people valuing us; perhaps they will remember that we sign up to save lives  we dont sign up to kill ourselves in the process.





Surgical registrar in Harare, Zimbabwe

The relationship between this government and medics in the country has never been good, with many of us on strike since November 2019.

200409173206798

Ultimately, even during this pandemic, the government has shown us it does not care.

Earlier this month, the High Court ruled that the government must provide PPE for healthcare workers, yet many still do not have it. In March, we called for sufficient risk allowance and their $37 response was laughable.

There is no screening or priority testing for healthcare workers, and neither is there any insurance package.

My wife and I are both doctors, we have two young daughters and sometimes you wonder whether going to work is even worth the risk. At this point it feels like a choice  dont go, dont get paid and die from starvation; go, contract the virus and risk dying from that.

COVID-19 in Zimbabwe (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 32  Recoveries: 5  Deaths: 4

Junior doctor at a COVID-19 ward in South Africa

My hospital is better off than many others, yet I cant say I feel fully safe as I am concerned that as cases rise so will the shortage in equipment. This is something we are already seeing in the country.

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Already between four of my colleagues and I, we only have three special visors which we share and reuse. Also, on the ward, there are often only two or three doctors dealing with very sick patients who have to wait 48 hours to get their results, and this is overwhelming.

The governments decision to enforce a lockdown and ban sales of alcohol was a good move on their part, though due to socio-economic factors the lockdown has meant there are people who are really suffering.

COVID-19 in South Africa (as of April 29)  Confirmed cases: 4,996  Recoveries: 2,073  Deaths: 93

Health workers fill out documents before performing coronavirus tests on other health workers at the screening and testing tents set up at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg [Michele Spatari/AFP]

Junior doctor at surgical ward in South Africa

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As soon as the country reported its first cases, authorities were quick to provide the hospital with information regarding how the outbreak would be managed.

In terms of front-line workers, as soon as you enter the hospital, you are screened and your temperature is checked. If you feel even one of the symptoms, they test you and send you home and our results are fast-tracked, so we get them within 24 hours.

One big concern is the impact this situation can have on the mental health of front-line staff, especially those that have to isolate from family or live alone.

Some of the interviews have slightly been edited for brevity
A Kansas man has been arrested and jailed after allegedly violating a quarantine order amid the coronavirus pandemic. Barton County officials said in a Facebook post that Sheriff Brian Bellendir informed county commissioners of the arrest during Monday's commission meeting. The sheriff said that a resident was uncooperative with the county health department and refused to follow orders.
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The World Health Organization is holding a briefing Wednesday on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 3.1 million people worldwide, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.

WHO warned on Monday that children across the world will die as some countries temporarily halt vaccinations for other deadly diseases such as polio. At least 21 countries are reporting vaccine shortages due to travel restrictions meant to stop the spread of Covid-19, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Tedros urged member countries to ensure vaccination programs are full funded. "When vaccination coverage goes down, more outbreaks will occur," he said.

Last week, the World Health Organization advised world leaders that they will need to manage around the coronavirus for the forseeable future as cases level off in some countries, while peaking in others and resurging in areas where the virus appeared to be under control.

"Make no mistake, we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time," he said.

--CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report.

Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Don Emery oversees an ICU at Chester County Hospital that is occupied only by COVID-19 patients. His career began in San Francisco in the 1980s, at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. Read more

Don Emery was inching close to 30 when he got into medical school in the 1970s. The work was daunting, and he seemed a good bit older than everyone else in his classes at Thomas Jefferson University, but he was struck by a comforting thought: He knew what hed be doing with the rest of his life. Other people might have to change careers like pairs of shoes. He was going to be a doctor.

Emery is 70 now, and has spent the last 14 years at Chester County Hospital, working for much of that time as the medical director of the intensive care unit. At this point, he could probably make the 20-minute drive, from his house in Malvern to the hospitals parking lot, in his sleep.

But thats where the predictability ends.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life, down to the steps Emery must complete before he can set foot inside the ICU. First, he has to slip a mask over his closely cropped white beard, and then an employee takes Emerys temperature to ensure hes not feverish.

The ICU looks like a regular ICU  24 single-bed rooms, a team of floor nurses and nurse practitioners  but the beds on the second floor are occupied only by the sickest of coronavirus patients. Doctors initially thought it did its greatest harm to victims lungs, but have since discovered it can cause blood clots and strokes in even young patients.

Something else is different, too.

Its quiet, Emery said.

No family members are allowed to visit COVID-19 patients in the ICU, to whisper words of encouragement or quiz doctors and nurses in the hallway. Those conversations now play out over the phone, emotionally devastating exchanges that can last hours.

I just cant imagine being on the other side of that call, Emery said. I always thought I couldnt imagine being a patient. But now I cant imagine being someone who hasnt seen their spouse in 10 days.

Emery is uniquely qualified to be in the thick of such a fraught moment, when everyone is desperate to understand and overcome a lethal new virus. Hes still clocking 100-hour weeks at the hospital, even though he belongs to an age group that is especially vulnerable.

But then he found his footing as a physician under the cloud of another unsettling public health crisis, a generation ago.

From Salem County to San Francisco

Emery laughs at the image he has of himself as a boy, growing up in Salem County, N.J., which felt a time zone away from Philadelphia.

I was really a rural, backward kid, he said. All my friends were farmers. I spent a lot of time on farms. ... My parents didnt have much money, and I didnt think Id go to college.

Villanova University gave him an engineering scholarship, and an introduction to the wider world. But after graduating in 1971, Emery realized he didnt have much interest in an engineering career. Becoming a doctor, getting a chance to help people? That had allure.

Emery landed a job in Wilmington as a respiratory therapist, and started taking pre-med courses at night. He got into medical school in 1977, when he was 27, and started dating a fellow student, Christine, who would later become his wife.

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A post-medical school training program took the couple to Boston, and then the Bay Area, where Emery began a pulmonary fellowship in 1984 with the University of California, San Francisco.

AIDS, which had started appearing on the medical communitys radar just a few years earlier in small numbers, was coming into sharp focus as an epidemic; the number of reported deaths in the United States would grow to nearly 6,000 by the end of 1984.

Emery worked at San Francisco General Hospital, where he found a mentor in John F. Murray, a pioneering pulmonary physician known for his work diagnosing a lung disease known as acute respiratory distress syndrome. Emery was tasked with performing bronchoscopies on patients who were displaying some AIDS symptoms  weight loss, skin lesions.

For a four-month period, I was personally diagnosing every case of AIDS in San Francisco, he said. I was giving 10 to 12 people a death sentence every day.

Christine Emery, who works as a radiologist at Christiana Hospital in Delaware, recalls the darkness of that era. I lost many people that I knew, as did Don, she said.

There have been plenty of echoes from the early days of the AIDS epidemic during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic  the race for a cure, the creeping sense of paranoia, the challenge medical professionals face in trying to persuade the public to avoid spreading the virus.

The reason it feels similar is that [COVID-19] was something that came out of the blue, and we dont really know all of what were dealing with, Don Emery said. We see different manifestations every day.

His wife worries about the risk he takes each time he ventures into the ICU to care for coronavirus patients, but Emery sounds unfazed. I think we know how to protect ourselves, he said.

A phone call in late March offered Emery a somber reminder that physicians are mortal, too. A friend told Emery that Murray, his former mentor, had died in France at age 92.

Murrays death was attributed to the same respiratory illness hed once diagnosed  brought on by COVID-19.

A song before I go

Emery felt a sense of dread shared by many other doctors and nurses when early forecasts suggested as many as 2.2 million people in the U.S. could die from the coronavirus.

Now there is talk of states gradually reopening, of some areas taking tentative steps back toward some semblance of normalcy, because hospitals arent overrun everywhere, and the curve of new cases is flattening.

We think we have a much better handle on whats coming, Emery said.

The ICU at Chester County Hospital has had, at most, nine coronavirus patients at once. While some of those patients might need to remain on ventilators for three weeks  instead of, say, five days, like patients with other illnesses  Emery said the hospital has 100 ventilators, and is prepared for the possibility of another surge in cases.

He finds it difficult to tear himself away from his patients and their perilous recoveries. Several times a day he finds himself peering at his computer, checking his patients vital signs and lab results, even when hes off.

When I started out in medicine, one of my mentors said, Don, medicine is a jealous mistress,  Emery recalled.

I bring a crossword puzzle when we go out to dinner, his wife said, because I know Im going to be eating alone.

But nothing lasts forever. He plans to retire at the end of June, just before he turns 71, and focus more on his hobby: playing the guitar.

Emery has a dozen of them, and when he gets home from a particularly draining shift at the hospital, he pours himself a nice Scotch, picks up one of his acoustic guitars, and picks his way through some jazz or blues.

Lately, hes been learning a new song, something from Metallica.

Its called Nothing Else Matters,  Emery said. It feels appropriate.
We asked some of the top travel experts to share their favourite pictures of Australia, and explain why

GREAT OCEAN ROAD, VICTORIA

Andy Squirrell, MD of Titan

Ancient yet relentlessly modern, metropolitan yet wildy exotic, laid-back yet fast-paced, Australia is one of the worlds great destinations. Its not so much one country as a collection of cultures, tastes and landscapes so diverse, you cant visit just one region. Enjoy the simple things, such as walking along the Yarra River in Melbourne, soaking up the atmosphere and people-watching, and the once in a lifetime moments, too. Ill never forget the freedom of driving along the Great Ocean Road  the stunning coastline and wonderful towns along the way.

ULURU, NORTHERN TERRITORY

Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel

One of the landmarks that many of our customers want to visit is Uluru, and often, after seeing it in real life, people return feeling even more overwhelmed than they thought they would. For so many, the recognisable landmark embodies so much about Australia and why they chose to visit it. Theres a magical aura that captures peoples spirits. Its ability to make visitors pause and respect its power and significance to the local people is profound. It is one of the most treasured experiences that travellers who visit Australia take back with them.

KATHERINE GORGE, NORTHERN TERRITORY

Toby Kelly, CEO of Trailfinders

Ive been to Australia three times, first as a backpacker nearly 25 years ago. In a country with so much variety, its a challenge to pick one favourite  I loved a four-day cruise with my wife from Cairns up to Cooktown: diving, eating great food and retracing Captain Cooks steps was amazing, pre-kids. For my top pick, I will hark back to my halcyon backpacker days, camping, trekking, swimming and getting a bit lost in Katherine Gorge  glorious countryside in a magnificent country.

KIMBERLEY WATERFALLS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Paul Melines, MD of APT

The Kimberley really is Australias final frontier. Almost double the size of the UK, the Kimberley is relatively untouched, and has a fascinating history dating back more than 40,000 years. Natural phenomena such as Horizontal Falls, where the tide is forced through gorges giving the appearance of a flat waterfall, and the orange and black sandstone domes that are the Bungle Bungles, are remarkable. Perhaps my favourite is a helicopter flight over the Mitchell Falls, a plateau of tiered waterfalls, where the views are sensational. To me, the Kimberley is the eighth wonder of the world.

GHAN TRAIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY

Simon Whittle, MD of Distant Journeys

Australias food and wine is one of its best kept secrets. Its chefs and wine-makers draw on influences from all over the world, and revel in creating big, bold flavours using local produce. And when this superb food and wine are accompanied by amazing natural landscapes or spectacular city settings, even better. Like many Distant Journeys customers, my greatest Aussie dining experience was the 24 hours I spent watching the Outback unfold as I sampled fantastic cuisine and great local wines on board the legendary Ghan train. I cant wait to go back and do it all again!
Halliburton Company HAL recently announced that it will halt its primary operations in Venezuela following the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department on U.S. oil and gas companies operating in the country.

The new regulations ban U.S. oil and gas companies from drilling, lifting or processing of oil, transporting it, or providing any equipment for use in Venezuela. The only operations Halliburton will be permitted to carry out are transactions and activities essential for safety or preservation of its assets in the South American nation.

If the company decides to exit entirely, Venezuela will likely expropriate Halliburtons assets as it will not be able to remove them. Oil majors ExxonMobil XOM and ConocoPhillips COP left the country a decade ago after which Venezuela seized control of their assets.

Halliburton is not the only oil company to suspend its activities in Venezuela . Last week, CA-based Chevron CVX was forced by the federal government to reduce operations in the country. However, it was unwilling to exit Venezuela, given its investment of roughly $2.6 billion in the country to date. Also, withdrawing would cede U.S. share in Venezuela and provide an opportunity for Russian and Chinese players to influence the Latin American market. Nonetheless, amid the recent oil price woes and bleak oil demand scenario, exiting the country might prove to be more beneficial for Chevron.

The new license, which essentially freezes U.S. companies activities in the country, is also likely to affect other U.S. oilfield service providers like Schlumberger Ltd., Baker Hughes Co. and Weatherford International Plc.

About the Company

Houston, TX-based Halliburton is one of the largest oilfield service providers in the world, offering a variety of equipment, maintenance, and engineering and construction services to the energy, industrial and government sectors. Founded in 1919, Halliburton employs more than 60,000 people and operates under two main segments: Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation.The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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MANISTEE COUNTY -- While communities throughout the county are experiencing the economic and health impacts of coronavirus, the region's native population is facing their own challenges amid the outbreak.

Larry Romanelli, ogema of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (LRBOI) addressed tribal members from his home via video, following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's announced extension of the state's stay at home order recently.

LRBOI officials have coordinated their efforts with the state's other 11 tribal governments, Romanelli said.

"We're working with the other tribes in the state of Michigan," Romanelli said in the video. "We meet by way of telephone calls to  see how we can survive this in the best way."

While Romanelli can't say for certain when the Little River Casino Resort will fully reopen, he anticipates that some of the current restrictions will remain in place.

"The changes happen continually, we think that when we get going again there's going to be changes," he said."We'll probably keep the 6 foot distancing. Right now we're requiring masks for the employees who are working and also using the sanitizers."

As the head of a sovereign government, Romanelli has exercised his authority to issue executive orders for LRBOI tribal members during the outbreak. While tribal territory is not subject to Whitmer's stay-home order, Michigan tribes have followed the state's directive to shut down all nonessential business, including the Little River Casino Resort.

The coronavirus pandemic and stay-home order has been particularly difficult on tribal governments that rely on large gatherings and casino revenues. Due to the hardship incurred as a result of COVID-19, the tribe has been awarded a grant for $1,250,319 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) act earlier this month.

Payments to tribal governments are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and Indian Tribes, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury website.

While nonessential businesses remain closed for the time being, food security remains a primary concern for tribal leadership during the outbreak.

The tribe's Food Distribution Office has remained open with reduced hours, to serve those who may be struggling to afford food. The food pantry is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, and 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. between Tuesday and Friday.

The Food Distribution Office is still processing new participant applications and taking orders, according to supervisor Ken LaHaye.

LRBOI officials have also canceled cultural events and celebrations which include the 24th annual Pow Wow and this year's Anishinaabe Family Language and Culture Camp.

LRBOI officials anticipate that the Little River Government Center may reopen in a limited capacity by May 15.

For more information on tribal affairs during the pandemic, visit lrboi-nsn.gov.
He stood for the entire argument, as he would in court, but he didnt put on a suit and tie. Im not going to tell you just how disheveled I might have been, Jay said.

Being invisible to the justices has other advantages, too.

Ian Gershengorn, who will be at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, to argue in an Indian lands case, said he will probably hear from colleagues by text before he wraps up his arguments. If he were arguing in court, they might instead pass him a yellow sticky. And Gershengorn, who is making his 16th argument, said he won't memorize his opening as he usually does, because the justices won't be able to tell if he's looking at notes. Reading from a prepared script is frowned upon in the court's arguments guide for lawyers.

Some things won't change, including Gershengorn's muffin and Diet Coke on the morning of arguments. He'll try to relax. But instead of looking around at the courtroom's marble columns and friezes and thinking this is pretty awesome that I get to do this for a living, he expects he'll be at the desk in his guest bedroom. What will he think?

This is a really weird way to do this, he said. "Hopefully that will relax me too.
A calm mindset and rapid response are important factors helping beverage maker Tan Hiep Phat deal effectively with the Covid-19 crisis, says Deputy CEO and board member Tran Uyen Phuong.

Phuong told VnExpress that effective management of cash flow and expenses as well as ensuring employee well-being have helped maintain stability in the groups operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

How has your group been affected by the Covid-19?

The food and beverage industry, especially soft drinks, has been severely impacted by Covid-19, and Tan Hiep Phat is not an exception. At the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, we were very confused, especially when lacking clear information about the illness.

At the same time, we noticed signs of disruption in both raw materials supply and consumption. The double pressure of ensuring health and safety for thousands of employees and maintaining manufacturing prompted us to come up very quickly with a "reduce shock" strategy.

Can you elaborate on that?

In February and March, goods was delayed as foreign suppliers also suffered from the Covid-19 crisis. Identifying the biggest problem, which was to maintain manufacturing and business operations, we came up with alternative plans for different scenarios. Any break in the "chain" had to be addressed immediately with an alternative solution to prevent supply disruption.

That also led to a change in inventory management. The provision for raw material reserves was immediately pumped up - to ensure that Tan Hiep Phat would not run out of goods, especially heath and immunity-boosting products, for at least seven months.

We assumed that purchasing power would diminish, especially as the country experienced three weeks of social distancing. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which account for the highest proportion of our revenue, half the shops and agents closed. Traditional channels in other provinces and cities remained stable. In particularly, our Zero Degree Green Tea with Lemon experienced good sales thanks to its function of boosting resistance.

To minimize loss, we simultaneously implemented a series of solutions in the spirit of "quick response without haste" on "all fronts", from cash flow management, upgrading employees capacity, optimizing costs to ensuring a stable employee mentality, boosting morale and motivation of thousands of people who all are parts of Tan Hiep Phat.

Tran Uyen Phuong, Deputy CEO and board member of Tan Hiep Phat.

What were the practical steps in deploying this strategy?

I think the crux of the issue in responding to the crisis is mentality. The actual impact on revenue is not as disturbing as what we had feared. As soon as the Covid-19 broke out, we set up a quick response committee, working fast every morning or whenever necessary. Each day, division heads had to report in as much detail as possible their teams performance, problems and possible solutions that we could discuss and and align to a plan.

There are two psychological issues at play: fear of coronavirus infection and fear of income decline. To resolve these, I requested that all information, even rumors, has to be verified and corrected if false. Meanwhile, we promoted official information from the Ministry of Health, updates on the situation of the pandemic and recommendations on prevention while fully and thoroughly applying measures to ensure the health of employees. The company also invited doctors to talk and answer questions in dealing with employees' anxiety.

After two weeks, we were pleasantly surprised that the staff became familiar with the "new normal," wearing masks, using sanitizers and adopting other preventive measures. Everyone became more comfortable. Information processing and internal interaction became more effective than before. The strengthening of communication contributed to increased motivation and performance from the whole team.

In terms of income, at Tan Hiep Phat, any intervention in the employee's salary fund will be the last step after optimizing other expenses. Thousands of employees are close to us like a family, with us through success and hardship. Therefore, it is our principle that optimizing costs must come together with employment guarantee.

What about Tan Hiep Phat's digital response during the pandemic, with consumers preferring to shop online?

Online selling is not a "magic wand" for all businesses, especially in the beverage industry. For low-cost products, large weights can boost logistics costs to exceed the product price itself.

In addition, consumers do not have the habit of buying soft drinks online, but mainly at traditional shops and channels. Therefore, we prioritize solutions to promote consumption, such as marketing on TV and promoting products at points of sale, while pushing traditional channels and optimizing costs by reducing marketing costs in ineffective channels in the short term, such as big events and campaigns.

How has internal governance been changed by the crisis? How will it continue to affect the company in the future?

As I remarked earlier, our motto is "quick response without hurry". A standard crisis-handling process will be ready to be activated for situations like Covid-19. This pandemic has negative impacts, but it also presents opportunities to reaffirm our right development strategy towards healthy products.

For instance, we organized an internal contest for employees to learn the uses of different types of products, thereby better understanding the strategic direction of the company and feel more connected to our "big family".

This is also an opportunity for Tan Hiep Phat to "sharpen its knives and scissors", improving our contingent, fine-tuning management processes and reviewing our entire development plan.

What would you say is the most important quality of an entrepreneur in times of such a crisis?

In any crisis, calmness and confidence of the leader are important. If the leader is bewildered and confused, the team will have no one to rely on. What you need to do is stay calm, collect enough data and information, identify key issues and find solutions.

I think it is the attitude as well as the courage and resilience of the Vietnamese people that have helped us control the epidemic well. In our weekly online interactions, foreign entrepreneurs, have praised the effectiveness of disease prevention in Vietnam, and the way Vietnamese businesses have dealt calmly with difficulties. I tell them funny stories about "1001 ways to fight the epidemic" of Vietnamese people. Perhaps the optimistic spirit is the very weapon that will help us defeat the pandemic.

What is the lesson you have personally drawn from this pandemic?

I still keep my fundamental viewpoint: "Nothing is impossible". Not many businesses that have gone through upheavals in 25 years, are still able to withstand and even grow tremendously. Starting with empty hands, Tan Hiep Phat has grown thousands of times and restructured itself 4-5 times, counting just large-scale adjustments. Each restructuring is a completely different challenge, and each time we have proved nothing is impossible. Every time we go through a crisis, we become stronger, addressing weaknesses and continuing towards more sustainable development.

Therefore, Covid-19 is just a new challenge, and an opportunity to help businesses "uncover" the holes that need to be "patched" and find ways to continue renewing themselves. That way, we can gradually achieve our aim to become a global corporation with a strong position in the international market.

I believe that, once an enterprise has identified a long-term development strategy with a long-term vision and developed good basic values, a pandemic will only be a short-term difficulty. If we believe "nothing is impossible", all problems will have solutions. With courage and steadfastness, we will certainly overcome the pandemic, even witness more dramatic changes for the better.
Natasha Thornton, right, and Khadijah Moore, left, work together to administer coronavirus tests to the subjects in the long line of cars, many that had waited for over two hours, at the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Family Health Service Center in Philadelphia. Read more

Confirmed cases of covid-19 in the United States rose above 1 million Tuesday, representing about a third of known cases worldwide, as President Donald Trump continued to defend his administration's record on providing tests the country will need to reopen safely.

The grim milestone was expected, even as some states move to lift restrictions meant to slow the spread of the disease.

The 1 million mark and a U.S. death toll of more than 57,000 so far suggest that closures of schools, businesses and public spaces in many parts of the country over the past two months have helped. Some public health models had projected about 100 million cases in the United States by May and an eventual U.S. death toll above 2 million if no measures were taken to prevent the disease's spread.

"It will go down to zero, ultimately," Trump said when asked about the caseload Tuesday, and about his prediction in February that U.S. cases would quickly dwindle to zero.

The United States has the world's highest number of confirmed cases, but Trump suggested Tuesday that the figure is misleading because "we're doing much, much more testing than anybody else in the world."

The number of covid-19 tests performed per 1,000 people in the United States is below the average of the 36 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to figures released Tuesday by the international body.

The United States had conducted 16.4 tests per 1,000 people, compared to Iceland, at the top of the list, which had tested 135 people per 1,000.

The United States was behind the OECD average of 23.1, and behind Spain, the country with the second-highest number of confirmed cases. U.S. testing per capita was roughly half that of Italy's, the OECD found. Italy has the third-highest number of confirmed cases after the United States and Spain.

Trump also ordered meat production plants to remain open to head off a food supply shortage, despite mounting reports of plant worker deaths due to covid-19.

Governors of Texas, Ohio, Michigan and several other states laid out plans to begin relaxing coronavirus restrictions and allowing some businesses to reopen. But stay-at-home orders are being extended in other parts of the country, including the San Francisco area and hard-hit Louisiana.

Americans overwhelmingly support state-imposed restrictions on businesses and the size of public gatherings to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

Americans also back a temporary halt to immigration, as ordered by the president, to deal with the crisis, the survey found.

The poll finds that Americans' concerns about becoming seriously ill from the virus have not eased in the past week. It also shows that they continue to give their governors significantly higher ratings than they offer Trump, who still draws mostly negative reviews for his handling of the crisis.

Around the world, New Zealand's month-long lockdown ended Tuesday, after officials said they had almost entirely eradicated the coronavirus, while Russia extended its non-working period until May 11 and announced a record 6,411 new cases.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered the government to come up with a package of new measures to soften the economic impact. The pandemic is testing Putin's leadership as he plans to remain in office for another 16 years. He has postponed a constitutional referendum that would lend legitimacy to his plan to dispense with a presidential two-term limit.

"Of course, I would like forced inconveniences to end sooner. I will reiterate that it would be careless and even dangerous to believe that the threat has declined and will definitely not affect us now," Putin said, warning that Russia has not yet reached the peak of the crisis.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a tentative plan to lift what would be a two-month coronavirus lockdown starting in May.

"Never has the country been confined as it is today," he said. "And, obviously, this cannot be sustainable."

In the United States, Vice President Mike Pence received a covid-19 treatment update at the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota, where he was photographed meeting with staff and a patient while not wearing a protective mask. Doctors and others giving the vice president a tour were all wearing masks. In a since-deleted tweet, the clinic said Pence had been informed ahead of time about the facility's policy of wearing masks.

Trump has said that despite the recommendation of his top health experts, he himself did not plan to wear a face mask. Neither he nor Cabinet officials and experts who have briefed the press in recent weeks have worn masks while doing so.

Leaders of the Democratic-controlled House abandoned plans to return to Washington next week, less than 24 hours after members were told to prepare to meet, while the Republican-led Senate reiterated plans to return.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md., said the change was made in light of advice from the congressional attending physician and as the coronavirus continues to spread in Washington and its suburbs.

"The numbers in the District of Columbia are going up, not down," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had announced Monday that his chamber would return next week to "conduct critical business in person." In a tweet Tuesday, a spokesman said, "the Leader's statement from yesterday stands."

A coalition representing the nation's hospitals, health insurers and businesses called on Congress on Tuesday to provide additional financial help for the growing number of Americans during the coronavirus pandemic who are losing health coverage as they lose jobs.

More than 30 organizations - largely trade groups from across the health-care industry, providers of care and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - sent a letter to the four top congressional leaders, proposing several ways to increase access to health insurance during the crisis.

The groups are hoping to influence another relief package being debated on Capitol Hill. The options, which industry leaders call a "menu," include new subsidies to employers to help them preserve health benefits during the pandemic, as well as helping more Americans afford to buy health plans through Affordable Care Act marketplaces by subsidizing premiums up to a higher income threshold.

Trump, an opponent of the ACA, has resisted that idea.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Tuesday that the Trump administration is "studying very carefully" the possibility of another round of stimulus checks beyond the one-time $1,200 payments sent to many Americans.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Hassett raised the possibility that additional payments could be included in the next round of legislation responding to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think that that's something we're studying very carefully that I know that people in the House are as well," he said. "I expect that it's very likely there will be a phase four deal, and we're going to be speaking with the president throughout the week about what he thinks should be in there."

Recipients of federal stimulus money began receiving letters summarizing the transactions this week, and some were surprised or dismayed to see that the communications were signed by Trump.

The rush to get money to tens of millions of people has resulted in payment errors, including several detailed by Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary on Tuesday.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act, signed into law March 27, provides a $1,200 refundable tax credit for individuals and $2,400 for joint taxpayers. The Treasury Department and the IRS reported last week that an initial 88.1 million payments worth nearly $158 billion had been issued.

The law says a letter listing the payment amount and method, among other details, should be mailed to a taxpayer's last known address 15 days after a stimulus payment is sent. It didn't read like a standard letter from the IRS.

"Just as we have before, America will triumph yet again - and rise to new heights of greatness," Trump wrote.

He introduced individual information about the stimulus payment by writing, "I am pleased to notify you . . ."

While the envelope says it comes from the Treasury Department and the IRS, once it has been opened, the letterhead says, "The White House."

The Treasury didn't immediately respond to questions about complaints that the letter was inappropriate.

For a fourth day in a row, Trump did not lead a coronavirus task force briefing. As he did Monday, Trump instead appeared at economic-themed White House events.

Trump and his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump invited a group of small-business owners and employees who have participated in the Paycheck Protection Program, which Trump claimed has saved thousands of jobs and is now processing a second round of loans.

A handful of publicly traded companies say they aren't planning to return loans received from the small-business rescue program, despite pressure from the Trump administration to repay the funds.

Companies in the hotel, cruise ship and medical device sectors said they are qualified to receive the money under the Paycheck Protection Program and need the funds to stay in business. Their resistance comes days after the Small Business Administration suggested dozens of publicly held companies with substantial market value were not the intended recipients of the funds.
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation (NYSE:AP), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.

See our latest analysis for Ampco-Pittsburgh

Ampco-Pittsburgh Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Independent Director, Carl Pforzheimer, sold US$60k worth of shares at a price of US$3.09 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of US$3.60. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. It is worth noting that this sale was only 47% of Carl Pforzheimer's holding.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 33.28k shares worth US$122k. But insiders sold 34500 shares worth US$108k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Ampco-Pittsburgh insiders. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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NYSE:AP Recent Insider Trading April 29th 2020

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Are Ampco-Pittsburgh Insiders Buying Or Selling?

Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider selling at Ampco-Pittsburgh. insider Mario Gabelli sold US$13k worth of shares in that time. But the good news is that there was purchasing too , worth US$4.8k. While it's not great to see insider selling, the net amount sold isn't enough for us to want to read anything into it.

Does Ampco-Pittsburgh Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Our data suggests Ampco-Pittsburgh insiders own 3.4% of the company, worth about US$1.6m. But they may have an indirect interest through a corporate structure that we haven't picked up on. I generally like to see higher levels of ownership.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Ampco-Pittsburgh Insiders?

We note that there's been a little more insider selling than buying, recently. But the difference isn't enough to have us worried. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think Ampco-Pittsburgh insiders are doubting the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Ampco-Pittsburgh. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Ampco-Pittsburgh you should know about.

Of course Ampco-Pittsburgh may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have developed a new visualization platform, underpinned by bioinformatics algorithms originally used to analyze the human genome, to pinpoint differences among the thousands of genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

The more we know about this virus, the better armed well be to fight it, said Dr. Larry Marshall, Chief Executive of CSIRO.

This highly complex analysis of the genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has already helped to determine which strains of the virus are suitable for testing vaccines underway at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong, the only high biocontainment facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

As the virus evolved, the genome becomes increasingly important, effectively because it holds instructions about the behavior of the virus and what kind of disease it can cause, said Dr. Denis Bauer, CSIROs bioinformatics team leader and a researcher at Macquarie University.

Globally there is now a huge amount of individual virus sequences. Assessing the evolutionary distance between these data points and visualizing it helps researchers find out about the different strains of the virus  including where they came from and how they continue to evolve.

The first 181 published SARS-CoV-2 genomes were analyzed to understand how changes in the virus could affect its behavior and impact.

This RNA virus is expected to evolve into a number of distinct clusters that share mutations, which is what we have confirmed and visualized, said Professor S.S. Vasan, CSIROs dangerous pathogens team leader and a researcher at the University of York.

At this time, we do not expect it will affect the development and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines, therapies and diagnostics, but it is important information to monitor as preclinical and clinical studies progress.

To enable this, we are calling on the international research community to share de-identified details of case severity and outcome, and other relevant meta-data such as co-morbidities and smoking status, alongside the genomic sequences of the virus.

This study shows the importance of cross-collaboration between the established and emerging disciplines of bioinformatics, genomics, vaccinology and virology.

Following the scientific process of peer-reviewed open publication such as this one is a vitally critical component of the CSIROs response, said Dr. David Hansen, CSIROs Australian e-Health Research Centre CEO.

The teams paper was published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.

_____

Denis C. Bauer et al. Supporting pandemic response using genomics and bioinformatics: a case study on the emergent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, published online April 19, 2020; doi: 10.1111/tbed.13588

This article is based on text provided by CSIRO.
Anil Kapoor joined Punjab Police's Main Bhi Harjeet Singh campaign named after the police personnel whose hand was chopped off on duty during coronavirus lockdown

Joining Punjab Police's 'Main Bhi Harjeet Singh' campaign named after the police personnel whose hand was chopped off on duty, actor Anil Kapoor on Tuesday paid tribute to the frontline warriors who are fighting against COVID-19.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

The superstar took to Twitter to express solidarity and laud the frontline workers.

"Here's a salute to our front-line warriors! You have our full support and we stand in solidarity with you in this war!" Kapoor tweeted and adding hashtags #MainBhiHarjeetSingh and #MainBhiPunjabPolice to his tweet.

Check out the tweet here

Heres a salute to our front line warriors! You have our full support and we stand in solidarity with you in this war!#MainBhiHarjeetSingh #MainBhiPunjabPolice  Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) April 28, 2020

"Main Bhi Harjeet Singh" - Personnel of Punjab Police on Monday sported name badges of their colleague, whose hand was chopped off while he was trying to impose COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the state.

The initiative was part of a day-long campaign launched on Monday by Dinkar Gupta, DGP Punjab to display solidarity towards Sub-Inspector Harjeet Singh, who was part of police team that came under attack allegedly by a group of Nihangs who were asked to show their curfew passes at a vegetable market in Patiala on 12 April.
A faded UAW Local 22 logo is seen outside the United Auto Workers Union hall that services the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Detroit

By Nick Carey

DETROIT (Reuters) - As Detroit's automakers seek to restart their U.S. plants during the coronavirus pandemic, two health experts advising Michigan's governor and the United Auto Workers union warned against an over-reliance on masks and face shields to keep workers safe.

"We always put protective equipment last (on the list of options)," Rick Neitzel, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan, told Reuters. "Not because it's ineffective, but by the time you get down to that level you're relying on the worker to understand how and when and where to use that protective equipment."

Neitzel and Marisa Eisenberg, a University of Michigan associate professor of epidemiology, are part of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's task force on economic recovery. They are also among the experts the United Auto Workers has sought advice from as it negotiates with General Motors Co <GM.N>, Ford Motor Co <F.N> and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) <FCHA.MI> <FCAU.N> on restarting assembly plants.

Last week, UAW President Rory Gamble hit the brakes on the automakers' plans to restart some plants as soon as May 4. Gamble said it was "too soon and too risky" to reopen auto plants and Michigan's economy in early May, citing insufficient scientific data and coronavirus testing to assure workplaces are safe.

The union is in discussions with the companies, but has not made public an agreement for a restart date.

Whitmer's task force is expected to issue soon a set of "best practices" for manufacturers in Michigan to reopen safely. Neitzel and Eisenberg say they have recommended a series of measures ranging from increased ventilation and staggering shifts, to separating workers wherever possible.

Distancing workers is not always easy in an industry where many assembly tasks are done in very close quarters.

Story continues

"If we have three people inside a car trying to get a door on, that's a very dense workplace," Neitzel said. "Just giving them PPE is not going to cut it."

PPE is an acronym for personal protective equipment.

Auto workers are accustomed to wearing steel-toed shoes, safety goggles and gloves on the job. But most have not had to wear face masks or worry about social distancing until now.

Virtually all U.S. automotive production ground to a halt in March as the number of COVID-19 infections grew rapidly.

Automakers are under immense financial pressure to restart. They have tapped short-term credit facilities and cut costs to offset cash outflows as their most profitable plants have sat idle.

The automakers have also been keeping a close eye on the health of their suppliers during the shutdown. Many will start running out of money in early May.

Talks between the automakers and the union have focused on issues ranging from having workers pass through scanners to check their temperature, erecting welding curtains or Plexiglas between work stations and the thorny issue of allowing workers who feel sick to self quarantine without losing pay.

Gerald Johnson, global head of manufacturing for GM, told Reuters in an interview last week the company is transferring safety procedures from operations in South Korea and China that have been running for weeks, and more recent U.S. production operations established to make ventilators and masks.

"Weve learned through our execution of those protocols with over 40,000 people globally," Johnson said. "All these employees are operating with these new protocols in place, with absolute success."

Trying to separate people who work in close quarters could slow down production line speeds - reducing factory capacity and eating into profits, the University of Michigan experts said.

But the experts and UAW leaders said slowing the line and spreading out jobs is necessary.

At Fiat Chryslers assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, where Jeep Wrangler SUVs and Jeep Gladiator pickup trucks are built, workers can get very close together on the line, said Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW Local 12, which represents the plants hourly workers. Installing seat belts could find three or four workers together in the confines of a car interior, he said.

Its not about a date, he said of restarting production. Its about the conditions on the shop floor. They could start tomorrow if everything is safe. The seat belt installation could be done by one person, he said. But it would take longer.

A spokeswoman for FCA said the company is "evaluating all workstations" to see which ones need to be redesigned to maintain proper social distancing.

A GM spokesman said the automaker's safety measures include enforcing social distancing guidelines and using PPE to "protect workers at jobs where physical distancing is impossible."

(This story has been refiled to add dropped word "of" in 3rd paragraph).

(Reporting By Nick Carey, additional reporting by Joe White in Warren, Mich. and Ben Klayman in Detroit)
CAIRO  In what free expression advocates described as another blow to press freedom in Egypt, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation imposed harsh penalties April 22 on the local Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper over op-eds calling for the independence of the Sinai Peninsula.

In addition to ordering the papers owners to pay 250,000 Egyptian pounds (about $16,000) as a fine, the council referred the issue to the prosecutor general to investigate the intent behind the articles.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation, an independent authority, said in a statement that Al-Masry Al-Youm's editor-in-chief, Abdel-Latif el-Menawy, was ordered to delete the articles in question from the newspapers portal.

The newspaper was ordered to publish a clear, explicit apology addressed to the public over its alleged violations. The controversial column written by a pseudonymous Newton will be halted for three months. The column usually discusses a variety of topics related to politics, society and economy.

Menawy was referred to a disciplinary committee at the press syndicate and ordered not to give any statements to any local or foreign media outlets for a month.

In the statement released after almost four hours of interrogation with the newspapers founder and co-owner, Salah Diab and Menawy, the media regulator said the freedom of press in Egypt was not ultimate.

Newton had recently written several articles in the daily newspaper that called for transforming the Sinai Peninsula into an autonomous region. He said that an independent ruler should be assigned to run the region, which would operate as an international free zone after successful models in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Newtons first controversial article was published on April 12 under the headline, The introduction of a job, in which he suggested that a new position of Sinai ruler be introduced. The ruler, according to Newton, would be required to be entirely independent of the prevailing laws  the states budget and bureaucratic regulations pertaining to investment.

The region  will only be affiliated with the state with regard to foreign policy and  border security, Newton wrote.

The Sinai Peninsula, the sole part of Egypt located in Asia, borders with Israel and the Palestinian territories. It is divided into two provinces, North Sinai and South Sinai.

Newtons suggestion was met by uproar among social media users and journalists who referred to Sinai as a red line for Egypts national security.

One Twitter user, Ahmed Elhoseny, called for boycotting Al-Masry Al-Youm. Salah Diab is [the one who writes] Newtons column.  He himself brings such sick minds to disseminate their ideas and poison among people, he tweeted.

Another, Reda Salah el-Khyat, tweeted, Sinai, the land of turquoise, is part and parcel of our beloved Egypt, and whoever says otherwise should be tried for high treason.  Why did he name himself after a scientist who created a scientific revolution and [would have been] the last to cause an ideological mess that affects national security.

Writer Khaled Miri wrote in his column for state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper April 14, We have the right to question this Newton about suspicious deals taking place over the land of Sinai.

My question is to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation.  Isnt it our right to know who this Newton is  who is behind what was written and why? Miri wondered in his article, headlined Suspicious deals.

It has long been known within Egypts press community that Newton is indeed Diab, who confirmed it a few hours before being interrogated by the media council when he signed a "Newton" op-ed for the first time with his real name.

The op-eds may have reminded Egyptians of earlier conspiracy theories raised by local and international journalists during the reign of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Many believed that the Muslim Brotherhood, now deemed a terrorist group in Egypt and several other countries, would hand over North Sinai to the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip to resettle and build their own state during the reign of the ousted president.

Nevertheless, Newton defended his proposal in the first article, writing, Anybody who thinks of this as a conspiracy to divide the state has bad intent. He went on, There is no room for giving up any part of this region [where] Egyptian blood was shed, in reference to the wars between Egypt and Israel back in 1967 and in 1973 over Sinai.

Menawy attempted to defend the newspaper. A few days before being interrogated by the media council, the editor said in a telephone interview with talk show host Amr Adeeb, I run this institution  and the operations there.  I know very well who writes what. He went on, Following this fuss, I reviewed every single article written within the past two years that involved Sinai, especially those by Newton. I only found a few mentions of Sinai about the war on terror  development and anniversaries of the restoration of Sinai.

In a report titled Sinai in the heart and conscience, Diab attempted to make amends by implicitly apologizing for his earlier views, just a few hours before he was interrogated by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation on April 22.

I have been following with great interest the stirred controversy about what I wrote on the development of the Sinai Peninsula, this precious spot of Egypts soil [for which] Egyptians paid  their souls and money throughout history, he wrote. The reactions read like a survey that confirmed the attachment of each and every Egyptian heart to Sinai, even though some of those reactions [were extreme] one a way or another or involved accusations only God knows I am innocent of.

Diab retracted his earlier thoughts as well, writing, I could say that despite aiming for new ideas by what I wrote that have to do with an intellectual contribution, I have come to realize that the words ruler and region were not the right ones reflecting what I meant.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis reaction to the controversy was unexpected. During the inauguration of national projects east of the Suez Canal on April 23, Sisi said the ideas mentioned in recent articles on Sinai were appreciated. His statement came one day after the media council had imposed the sanctions against Al-Masry Al-Youm.

I wish the one who wrote these articles were aware of what we did for Sinai over the past six years, Sisi said, adding that up to 600 billion Egyptian pounds (around $38 billion) were spent on the peninsulas development.

According to Sisi, those who responded to the articles should not accuse those whose views are different from their own of having personal agendas.

The Newton debate raised concerns over a lack of freedom of press and expression in a country where 20 journalists are currently behind bars. The World Press Freedom Index of 2019, released by Reporters Without Borders, ranked Egypt No. 163 out of 180 countries in press freedom, down two spots from 2018.

Fahd el-Banna, an Egyptian lawyer who volunteers to defend journalists, believes the measures taken against Al-Masry Al-Youm were unusually severe.

Newton wrote about a specific case, adopting an investment-wise point of view. If they were just [verbal] reactions to what he wrote, it would be normal. But the disciplinary measures taken against the newspaper were extreme, Banna told Al-Monitor. An opinion should be responded to with another opinion, not with legal action or penalties  as long as the newspaper did not incite violence or strife, he said, adding that Diab did not call people to violate the public order or morals.

Khalid el-Balshy, former head of the freedoms committee at the press syndicate, agrees with Banna.

Though Im against Newtons ideas about Sinai from a political viewpoint, I believe that anyone has the right to present [his or her] thoughts, and at the same time, any person can refute them.  A word for a word and an idea for an idea.  Ideas should be discussed, not punished, the outspoken journalist told Al-Monitor, adding, The columnist is not a policy-maker. He presented a suggestion that could only be carried out by the state itself.

The council that regulates media and press in Egypt, which is not an executive authority, decided to investigate the intentions of the newspaper  [even though] the head of the state did not reject Newtons ideas, Balshy concluded.
CRPF jawans are being posted in three shifts at Ranchis Covid-19 hotspot Hindpiri locality to ensure that people strictly follow lockdown rules, an official said on Tuesday.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Residents of Hindpiri are not allowed to enter or leave the area, Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray said.

The administration would provide ambulance in case of any emergency medical requirement, he said.

Ray held a meeting with the CRPF and district officials on Tuesday, a day after the Jharkhand government decided to deploy personnel from the central para-military force amid rising coronavirus cases, mostly in that locality.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Anish Gupta said action would be taken if any person flouts the lockdown guidelines.
A huge swarm of small black and red insects were recently seen in a town called Kabarnet, in western Kenya.

Debate has been been raging in the local media about what to call the insects: Nairobi fly, Kenya fly, narrow bee fly? There is no official name but Nairobi fly seems to be the most commonly used. Other parts of the world have their own local names.

In fact, the insects are neither flies, nor bees. They're beetles. They belong to the genus Paederus which contains about 600 described species and is part of the beetle family Staphylinidae, commonly known as rove beetles.

They are well known, and feared, for the burns  or dermatitis  that they can cause on human skin.

The genus Paederus was described by the Danish entomologist Johann Christian Fabricius in 1775, though it was known to Chinese medicine over 1,200 years before this. An insect called ch'ing yao ch'ung was described in 739 A.D: It contains a strong poison and when it touches the skin it causes the skin to swell up.

But not all species of Paederus contain the toxin. Only about 20 species of the beetle are known to cause the burns.

The two species of rove beetles known as Nairobi fly, and many other species of Paederus, are obvious due to their red and black colouration; warning colours of their toxicity. They also have a very long body, typical of rove beetles.

They do not bite or sting. Burns are caused when the beetle is slightly or completely squashed. This releases the 'juices' from the haemolymph, the invertebrate equivalent of blood.

The toxin causing these burns is a called pederin. It is produced by a symbiotic bacteria that lives inside the beetles.

Severity of the dermatitis depends on each individual case, the dose of pederin and duration of contact. Mild cases of dermatitis consist of a slight redness of the skin. Moderate cases will start itching after about 24 hours and develop blisters at about 48 hours  these usually dry out and don't leave scars. More severe cases could happen if the toxin is more widespread over the body and could cause fever, nerve pains, joint pains or vomiting. When pederin comes into contact with people's eyes, because of hand rubbing, it can cause conjunctivitis  also known as Nairobi eye  and potentially temporary blindness.

Despite the name of the beetle, it is not restricted to Kenya. Cases of dermatitis caused by Paederus are known to occur in several African countries such as Sierra Leone and Tanzania and other tropical and temperate countries through the world.

In some years the beetles do particularly well and emerge in huge numbers, usually following the rainy season. This is probably due to the high levels of moisture which prevent the beetles from drying up and dying. It is difficult to predict how long swarms persist.

Why so toxic?

There are over 64,000 types of rove beetles, most of which hunt other small insects in leaf litter and other terrestrial habitats all over the world. These beetles are important components of our ecosystem since they actively hunt other small insects that could, for example, be harmful pests of crops.

The beetles often occur in and around agricultural fields and are attracted to light. This is probably the main reason they accumulate in such large numbers around residential areas, where house lights and street lights beam throughout the night.

Rather remarkably, whether a beetle contains pederin or not makes very little difference to their predators. The exact reason why some Paederus contain pederin is not known. The most obvious explanation would be to repel predators, but then we would expect the beetles to produce the pederin without being partly or fully squashed. An additional problem with this idea is that the acid present in the stomachs of predators that are likely to feed on Paederus has been shown to destroy pederin. Paederus dermatitis at neck. TisforThan/Shutterstock

What to do?

The main preventative measures to reduce contact with Paederus rove beetles include the use of bed nets, long-sleeve clothing and avoiding sitting under lights at night.

If a beetle does land on your skin it should be blown or gently brushed off and not crushed. If your skin does come into contact with juices from the beetles, wash the affected area with soap and water.

One of the problems is when the beetles are in someone's bed and get crushed by the person moving in their sleep. Placing sticky traps around light sources may help to manage the numbers of Paederus.

There's also evidence that beetle toxin might eventually help us. Preliminary research on mice suggests that the pederin inside the beetles has the potential to slow the growth of cancerous tumours.

This highlights the need for further research on these incredible little beetles, specifically the symbiotic bacteria and the pederin the bacteria produces and its potential in anti-cancer treatments.

Even the evolutionary relationships between Paederus rove beetles is not well known and would be an important first step in understanding where and how to look for pederin among the hundreds of described and undescribed species.

Josh Jenkins Shaw does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Josh Jenkins Shaw, Systematic Entomologist, Chinese Academy of Sciences
When Georgias governor announced that the state would allow some non-essential businesses to reopen, everyone had an opinion. What I heard and read most often, however, was how his lifting of restrictions was, reckless and irresponsible.

I see a glimmer of hope in Governor Iveys recently issued Safer at Home Order as it lessens some restrictions on individuals, families, and businesses, but we must do more to quickly return to a sense of normalcy, normalcy which is rooted in individual liberty and free choice. Friends, having the freedoms granted to us by our Creator, recognized by our founding fathers, and protected by our Constitution, is not irresponsible.

Its not hard to see why people might think so, though. It seems that over time, culture has disconnected the relationships between freedom, safety and responsibility.

Freedom and safety are inversely related. The more choices you have the more likely you are to be impacted by the consequences of those choices. The consequences could be abundantly good or disastrously bad, but the freedom to make those choices is key.

Responsibility for consequences has to reside with the one making the choice. If you have the freedom to make a financial, health or spiritual choice, you must be responsible and accountable for the consequences of those choices. You cant make bad health choices and expect to be shielded from the impact of those decisions. Likewise, if you are an entrepreneur and your business does well, you should be the primary benefactor from that success.

Unfortunately, culture has ceded some freedoms in the quest for safety/security. The government has become the one making more choices for us and now bears more of the responsibility for them. Think of the explosion in bureaucratic regulations over the last 50 plus years and the resultant need for more and more administrators to keep us in compliance by limiting our choices so we dont hurt ourselves.

With time this mindset becomes presumptive: if the government still allows this choice, it must not be harmful, right?

This is not how we should live. The government does not and should not have the primary responsibility for your health. And that is a good thing. The more responsibility for our well-being that we sacrifice to the government, the less free we, the people, become. And for what? At best, the illusion of safety?

The government does not infringe on our right to eat a dozen donuts every day. This is a freedom we have. Soon enough, whether it is in two weeks or the month after next, the government will return our right to eat out at restaurants, go to the movies, and congregate in larger numbers again. Allowing these things is not irresponsible. In fact, the main duty of our government is to protect these fundamental rights.

The very fact we are depending on the government to return our rights is problematic. The government does not give us our rights, it only protects them; the government cannot take or give back that which doesnt belong to it.

Governor Kemp and others are not forcing businesses to open and accept customers just as they do not force people to eat 12 Krispy Kremes. What the government of Georgia is saying, and what Governor Ivey is saying as well, although measured, is that the burden of responsibility should be back on the people where it belongs.

So, when our health and that of our family and friends is chiefly our responsibility again, how should we act? Should we do everything the government says is legal? Absolutely not. We must take our freedoms and actually be responsible with them.

Look at the data and infection rates in your county and city and determine whats best for you. Maybe hold off on going to the gym for a bit? If youre a small business owner, find creative ways to encourage social distancing in your store. If youre a pastor, consider ways to start in smaller groups before congregating together fully as new cases continue to fall. In other circumstances, if youve had COVID-19 and recovered, for example, this could be an opportunity to help stimulate the economy by getting back to work or by serving those in the community who are most vulnerable.

America is built on the idea that individuals, not the government, are best suited to determine which freedoms they should exercise and how, and in when to be cautious with those freedoms. The truth is, regardless of what the government says, it is still up to us to make our own decisions of what is best for us, our families, and our communities as we look toward getting back to normal.

And we know that day is coming.

Things will be, in some fashion or another, normal again. There is a lot at stake here.

Thomas Jefferson may have said it best when he said, We act not for ourselves but for the whole human race. The event of our experiment is to show whether man can be trusted with self-government."

In that vein we must remember that during this interim it is our responsibility, not the governments, to use our freedom in a way that is responsible and furthers the continued success of our state and nation.

Caleb Crosby, a veteran of the George W. Bush administration, including a stint at the White House, has been president of Alabama Policy Institute since 2013. API is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to free markets, limited government, and strong families, learn more at www.alabamapolicy.org.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 03:31:10|Editor: huaxia

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Healthcare workers wave to thank people for taking part in a cars parade outside the Eatonville Care Center in Toronto, Canada, on April 28, 2020. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 49,815 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada while 2,852 people have died from the disease. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that the country's public health measures are working to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"The measures we have taken so far are working. In fact, in many parts of the country, the curve has flattened. But we are not out of the woods yet," Trudeau said at his daily press conference in Ottawa.

Trudeau also warned that easing restrictions too fast could wipe out the progress made to date.

"We are in the middle of the most serious public health emergency Canada has ever seen, and if we lift measures too quickly, we could lose the progress we've made," he said.

Canada's chief public health officer Theresa Tam said that there is some positive pandemic news in the country's new modelling data which was released on Tuesday.

The new modelling shows that while the number of new cases was doubling every three days previously, it is now doubling every 16 days.

It predicts between 53,191 and 66,835 cases by May 5, and between 3,277 and 3,883 deaths by that date.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 49,815 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada while 2,852 people have died of the disease.

The Trudeau government released its first COVID-19 modelling on April 9. The projections included a number of scenarios and long-term forecasts, including a death toll of between 11,000 and 22,000 over the course of the pandemic even with ongoing physical distancing and other disease control measures.

Tam warned that public health measures will need to remain in place until there is a high level of immunity or a vaccine to avoid future epidemic waves, saying that Canadians must continue physical distancing, contact tracing and quarantine measures.

The new modelling shows that senior Canadians and males are at a greater risk of severe outcomes from contracting COVID-19.

Nearly 80 percent of all deaths are linked to long-term care facilities and seniors' homes. Enditem
Queenslands education minister says a move by the Commonwealth to award funding to private schools who defy the state and reopen to students "reeks of desperation".

Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week offered independent and Catholic schools a 25 per cent advance on next years federal funding if they ensure at least half their students are back in classrooms by the start of June.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the media during a press conference on Wednesday Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Morrison said on Wednesday he had not made the offer to bypass states including Queensland and Victoria, which have remained steadfast that schools remain closed to all except the children of essential workers.

"We are working together. That doesnt mean we dont from time to time have a different view about particular issues. It would be extraordinary if we didnt," Mr Morrison said.
A woman Maoist was killed and two security personnel were injured during a gun battle in Chhattisgarhs Narayanpur district on Wednesday morning, officials said.

DM Awasthi, Chhattisgarhs director general of police (DGP), said the encounter took place in the morning under Chhotedongar police station area, when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was on an area domination exercise.

Near Kademeta police camp, Maoists first triggered an IED (improvised explosive device) and started firing which led to the encounter, Awasthi said while speaking to HT.

Two security personnel, one belonging to DRG and another of CAF were injured while the team of police recovered a body of woman Maoist, the top police official added.

Police have also recovered one SLR rifle and a 12-bore rifle from the spot.

Awasthi further said the team is still in the jungle and more details are awaited.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritesh Mishra State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years. ...view detail
(CNN)  With nearly all kids out of school in the United States and in many other places around the world, and large numbers of workers telecommuting, many houses are more crowded than usual.

And bathrooms are perhaps the one crucial point in the house where all humans  and therefore microbes  pass through. So during the present pandemic, keeping your toilets, sinks, counters and showers as germ-free as possible is key to keeping you and your family healthy.

The novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, is known to live on hard surfaces for up to three days, according to data published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Your bathroom has plenty of those.

"We'd be mostly concerned with the inanimate surfaces," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"Any household disinfectants will work against this virus," he said. "And soap and water work perfectly well."

We've got a guide to help you think about the area of your house that could become ground zero of the fight against coronavirus.

Make sure you follow the right steps

As you get ready to clean your bathroom, start by making sure to wash your hands.

If you're using disinfectants, you should pick higher-quality ones. The US Environmental Protection Agency released a five-page list of disinfectants -- including Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and certain Lysol sprays -- which are strong enough to defeat "harder to kill" viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

It's important to focus on cleaning "high-touch" areas of your bathroom including light switches, door knobs and the sink areas in particular. That can also include less obvious areas everyone in the house likely touches, including shower heads, shower curtains and around the toilet seat.

Anything that people touch should be cleaned, whether they have symptoms or not. That includes hair dryers, electric toothbrushes, shavers or other appliances in the bathroom. (You may not have touched razors recently if you're trying to grow out a gnarly quarantine beard.)

We know you would never forget this, but just a friendly reminder not to forget to make sure devices are assuredly unplugged and turned off before you embark on a deep clean.

You should consider placing a wipeable cover on electronic devices if you can, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises, and try to use a solution that's at least 70% alcohol.

It pays to be thorough, because droplets capable of carrying the virus can really get around within your bathroom.

For instance, one study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology showed that particles and droplets can be spread up to 6 feet when you flush with the seat up.

Follow the cleaning product maker's directions

"You don't have to panic clean," said Brian Sansoni, a spokesman for the American Cleaning Institute. But he emphasized that you need to make sure you're cleaning correctly.

After you wipe down hard surfaces like sinks and counter tops, make sure to leave them wet for 3 to 5 minutes. Who knew? Turns out, the professionals do. The American Cleaning Institute recommends letting the surfaces air-dry, and then rinse them with water.

People aren't aware of the need to wait, said Sansoni, who noted that's important to give the cleaning products time to actually work and thoroughly kill germs or viruses.

Think there's no way you're doing it wrong? Sansoni cited findings from an Ipsos poll his organization commissioned, which found that 42% of Americans weren't cleaning or disinfecting the right way -- and could be leaving themselves vulnerable.

Many people aren't following directions printed on product labels, including allowing cleaning products enough time to work, he said. Please make sure you're abiding by the instructions on your products, and that you're using them as the manufacturer intended.

Use separate bathrooms if a family member is sick

If a family member or roommate living with you is showing Covid-19 symptoms, it's important to assign them their own specific bathroom and to separate that person from others.

If you don't have more than one bathroom, have the person with symptoms clean surfaces they've touched after they use the bathroom, according to the CDC.

If they're too sick to clean, your second option is to have a healthy person clean the area. Wait as long as you can before entering, wear a mask and gloves to clean and wash the mask and your clothes after cleaning. (Toss the gloves.)

That might not be an option if your patient needs help using the bathroom.

"You may have to help the person use the facilities," Schaffner said. "You can assign one person in the family to help them and to establish their routine."

If you're in close quarters with someone showing Covid-19 symptoms, you absolutely must protect yourself with a mask at minimum, he emphasized.

Protect yourself if you're helping a sick family member

In addition to a mask, Schaffner recommended wearing gloves and some sort of other garment over your regular clothes if you're caring for an ill person in the bathroom. "Watch the person, see what they touch, and wipe that off," he said.

That could include the toilet seat, which may receive a lot of action since diarrhea and vomiting are common Covid-19 symptoms.

As an additional precaution, Schaffner also recommended placing any sanitizing wipes you use in a plastic bag and throwing that in the garbage. Then change your clothes after you're done cleaning the bathroom or helping someone else use it.

If someone in your home is sick, it's especially important to wash any of their towels or dirty clothes separately.

For towels, bath mats, cloth shower curtains and other soft materials, the CDC recommends laundering them according to the manufacturer's directions with the "warmest appropriate water setting." Then dry those items completely.

Soap can work even better than disinfecting products

"By now you know that viruses, including the coronavirus, can live on surfaces for awhile -- several hours, even several days -- which means we have to be cleaning all the time," CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said in a video.

That gets complicated when you're burning through disinfectants and sanitizing wipes, and store shelves with those products are all to often bare.

But you may already have soap at home, and it could be easier to find in a supermarket. And the good news? "Many scientists argue it's actually a better alternative," Gupta said.

There's scientific backing for this thinking: At a microscopic level, the novel coronavirus is surrounded by a "lipid envelope." Soap works on the virus by tearing through that layer of lipids that surrounds the proteins inside and breaking apart the virus.

The process is similar to how dish soap eats away at grease on a pan in ways that plain water can't.

Finish the job correctly

Finishing the cleaning job right is crucial.

Gupta explained that you don't necessarily have to wear gloves as you clean.

But if you do, make sure when you're done to remove them by sliding your finger in underneath their opening so you don't touch the exposed outer side with your bare hands.

And then wash your hands one last time after you've thrown away your gloves.

This story was first published on CNN.com "How to clean your bathroom to protect against coronavirus"
The virus sweeping the world has ended globe-trotting diplomacy but virtual gatherings have flourished, as leaders swap notes on the battle against a virus. The G20 meeting was convened via a video link by Saudi Arabia on April 7 and it turned into a piece of performance art, vividly illustrating the limits of technology and the glaring flaws in the current crop of premiers, presidents and prime ministers.

The technical glitch came when a still hale Boris Johnson began to speak and no one could hear him. Either his microphone was muted or some other gremlin had infected the narrowcast but, whatever the cause, London wasnt calling. The chief complaint with some of the other presentations was you could hear what they were saying. If this is the best the world has to offer then we are doomed, one witness noted.

The big problem lies with the heavyweights, the United States and China. Anyone who muses about injecting disinfectant should not be leading a boy band let alone a superpower. Even if he was fit for purpose, Donald Trump has never had any interest in leading the world. His chief political skill is in polarising domestic opinion and harvesting enough of it to win power.

But the enduring genius of America is its freedom. Powerful governors, academics and a vibrant media arent afraid to push back against the President. We know Americas flaws in vivid detail because Americans shine a spotlight on them every single day.
Hillary Clinton, who was defeated by President Donald Trump in 2016, has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden to challenge him in November in a much-changed environment.

"I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president," Clinton told him on Tuesday.

Clinton was among the last holdouts among Democratic Party leaders in endorsing Biden, the only major candidate left standing in the party race for the nomination to run in the presidential election this year.

By inserting herself into the race for the Democratic Party nomination with the backing of the party establishment, the former secretary of state had blocked Biden's chances of running in 2016 after having served two terms as vice president.

Now she said, "I wish he were president right now but I can't wait until he is -- if all of us do our part to support the kind of person that we want back in the White House."

Biden responded, "I really appreciate your friendship. What a, just a wonderful personal endorsement."

They spoke from their homes at a virtual town hall meeting on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women during which Clinton made the endorsement.

Before the meeting, Clinton tweeted cryptically, "A little hint about who the surprise guest will be for @JoeBiden's 3pm ET (US East Time) town hall today: (She's excited.)"

Criticising Trump, she said, "Out of this terrible tragedy of the pandemic and the loss of life and loss of income and everything else that we're suffering through, this is a moment of reckoning,"

Former President Barack Obama endorsed Biden, who was his vice president, on April 14.

Biden has received the endorsements of all the major challengers in the race for the Democratic Party nomination, who have all dropped out.

When the last rival standing, Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign and endorsed him on April 8, Biden sealed his nomination with only a formal endorsement at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Recognising this fact, the New York State Elections Board cancelled the state's primary scheduled for June.

Although he has endorsed Biden, Sanders stays on the ballot in the intra-party elections and wants to use his showing as a bargaining chip in drafting the party's election manifesto.

Sanders campaign adviser Jeff Weaver called the cancellation, an "outrage, a blow to American democracy, and must be overturned."

Despite the protest, more significant than Clinton's are the endorsements by Sanders, a self-described socialist, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, another candidate from the left for the party's nomination, who dropped out.

Their endorsements could rally the party's left-progressive ranks around Biden, the centrist establishment candidate like Clinton was.

The party leaders have to figure out how to conduct the convention scheduled for August during the coronavirus pandemic.

Party Chairman Tom Perez has said, "We expect to hold an in-person convention in Milwaukee. We are planning for that.a

But he added, "At the same time, we do not put our public health heads in the sand."

Anthony Fauci, the nation's foremost expert on the COVID-19 pandemic, has said that it is possible to hold the covention that was moved from July to August by taking several precautions with the physical presence of delegates.

Tuesday's town hall meeting was an attempt by Biden to get media airing, which has been monopolised by Trump through the daily briefings by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

In performances running as long as two hours, Trump has diverged from the pandemic to political and campaign-style statements.

Criticising Trump's media show, Clinton said, "Think about what a difference it would make if we had a real president, not just one who played one on TV."

Democrats have yet to come up with a strategy to counter Trump's media play while alternating between trying to stop the media from airing them and hoping that they would lead to Trump self-destructing from outlandish claims like injecting household cleansers could be a treatment for COVID-19.

According to the RealClear Politics aggregation of polls, Trump's job approval peaked at 47.4 per cent on April 1 but has come down to 44.9 per cent on Tuesday.

His job approval on handling the pandemic hit 50.6 per cent on March 27 and slid to 46.4 on Tuesday.

Nationally, Biden held a 6.3 per cent lead with 48.4 per cent to Trump's 42.1 per cent as of Saturday.
The Supreme Court has rejected claims that, when detained in Oberstown Children Centre, a teenager was entitled to be considered for enhanced one-third remission on the same basis as adult prisoners.

The five judge court said it could not accept that the penal regime that applies to all children should be compared with that established for adults.

The presumption of the legislature, that the differences between adults and children call for different regimes, has not been shown to be factually incorrect or unfair in principle, it ruled in a unanimous judgment today.

Giving the judgment, delivered electronically, Ms Justice Iseult OMalley noted the appellant pleaded guilty in 2017, when he was a teenager, to one count of robbery.

He was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three years detention, backdated to May 2017, with 20 months suspended, in Oberstown Children Centre.

Arsing from a High Court judgment in other proceedings concerning an unjustified distinction between two categories of young offenders, he was entitled to ordinary remission, one quarter of his total sentence, with the effect his detention was due to expire in May 2018.

He appeared to have made good progress while in detention and his solicitor sought in early 2018 to have him considered for enhanced remission.

When the Director of Oberstown noted in a reply the Department of Children and Youth Affairs was considering the commencement of provisions of the Children Act 2001 providing for remission in children detention schools, the solicitor asked the Oberstown authorities to consider making rules that would permit his client to apply for enhanced remission.

When no substantive answer was received to that request, the applicant took judicial review proceedings against the Director, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Ireland and the Attorney General.

After the High Court rejected his case, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal on the basis the issues might affect a significant number of individuals.

In its judgment, Ms Justice OMalley said the appellants core claim is that he has not been treated equally vis-a-vis adults who, he claimed, are objectively in the same situation as him in that they are undergoing custodial sentences.

This claim was not well founded and could be successfully maintained only if the rationale of the Children Act 2001, which distinguishes clearly between children and adults, were to be challenged and undermined.

Children are still in the process of development and the policy of the legislature and courts was to assist in that process in a positive way where practicable, she said.

This appellant had not provided any factual basis upon which the court could compare the regime to which he is subject in Oberstown with that applicable to adults.

It had not been argued the system of incremental incentives and planned release under the Oberstown regime was not more suitable for the reality of dealing with young persons than the system of long term incentives available to adults.

While it was true release from Oberstown into the community, under the terms of the Children Act, does not fully equate with the unconditional liberty of a person whose sentence has expired, that should be seen as part of the process leading to the ultimate objective of reintegration into the community.

The court could not accept the penal regime that applies to all children should be compared with that established for adults, she said.

A case such as this raised the issue of "under inclusivity as the appellant wished to get a benefit available on a statutory basis only to a category of persons to whom he does not belong.

He was essentially seeking an order to be included in a statutory scheme which by its terms excludes him.

That raised issues concerning the separation of powers which, while not necessarily fatal to this claim, had simply not been addressed in these proceedings.

On foot of those and other findings, the appeal was dismissed.
Till Wednesday, around 640 cases have been lodged across the country for allegedly spreading rumours and fake news via social media on the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic since the government enforced nationwide restrictions --- first, on March 25 for three weeks, and then for another 19 days till May 3 , according to the information provided by police officers from various states.

Free speech activists, however, took exception to these nationwide arrests, as they contended that the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Disaster Management Act, 2005, has been randomly invoked to curb criticism against authorities in the name of the health care emergency.

The colonial pandemic law gives sweeping powers to a state government, including arresting people for spreading misinformation, while the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is stricter against any kind of dissent, activists argued.

Sometimes criticism of lack of preparedness or of certain local issues has also resulted in people being booked. Some of these social media posts fall within the permissible limit of freedom of speech under the Constitution. However, state governments are using a high degree of power that goes beyond public health issues to serve the governments political objective. This is a matter of grave concern, said Apar Gupta, a lawyer and internet freedom activist.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was also booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, when he had criticised the then British government for its lack of preparedness to deal with the Spanish flu in 1918-19, Gupta said.

On April 15, Maharashtra Police arrested a local journalist for airing a story claiming that railways had arranged special trains for migrant workers to return home, which led to commotion among labourers at Mumbais Bandra station. The reporter, who is based in Osmanabad, Maharashtra, was booked under various sections of IPC and Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, the police said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the police are preparing a charge sheet against a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and a former member of Parliament (MP) for allegedly spreading misinformation about the viral outbreak after a video surfaced purportedly showing him ridiculing the Yogi Adityanath-led state governments social distancing advisory.

Triveni Singh, superintendent of police (SP), Azamgarh, said the video was an apt case of spreading misinformation and misleading people amid the pandemic. The police would file a charge sheet against the ex-MP shortly, Singh said.

In West Bengal, over 100 people have been arrested for spreading fake news and rumours related to Covid-19. Many, however, have been let off after a warning, West Bengal Police officials said.

The arrested people include homemakers, students, school teachers, government employees, and traders. The police are scanning social media pages for incriminating posts, said Gyanwant Singh, the inspector general (law and order), West Bengal Police.

In Manipur, which doesnt have a single Covid-19 case at present, the police have lodged cases against 27 people, including a person who allegedly mocked PM Modis nine-minute blackout call at 9 pm on April 5, claiming it would result in a breakdown of the national grid, a concern that was also raised by several experts. We booked the person for spreading false information, said K Meghachandra, SP, Imphal West.

In that district, two office-bearers of the Youths Forum for Protection Human Rights were booked for issuing a statement questioning the location of a proposed quarantine facility by the state government. Later, they were released on bail, said a police officer.

In Assam, the police registered 87 cases against people for spreading fake news on social media related to Covid-19. Altogether, 46 people have been arrested till date. While 12 of them have been released on bail, 16 others have been released under section 41A of the code of criminal procedure (CrPC).

Police have removed nearly 1,000 posts from social media that allegedly spread misinformation on Covid-19 over the past month in Assam. Hundreds of youth, who have posted or shared those posts, have also been counselled, a police officer said.

The Assam government also filed a case against Jugasanka, a Bengali daily published from Silchar, for carrying a what it said was a false news report about the states first Covid-19 positive patient. While the patient was still admitted at Silchar Medical College Hospital, the news story mentioned that he had recovered. It stated that the second test carried on the patient was found negative.

The Assam government has constituted a five-member committee for monitoring and checking of fake news in all forms of media.

In Madhya Pradesh (MP), where the Covid-19 positive cases have crossed over 2,000, 108 cases have been registered against people for spreading rumours and misinformation via social media posts. There is no case against any high-profile person in MP, said D Sreeniwas Verma, the Covid-19 in-charge and inspector general of police (IGP), MP.

On April 18, Telangana Police filed cases under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, against two Telugu television news channels and their reporters for carrying a report that stated a person, who had tested Covid-19 positive, was staying in Neredmet area in Medchal-Malkajgiri district because he wanted to evade treatment.

Both the Telugu channels ran the report for a while, quoting the local police authorities but withdrew it after they failed to confirm the news source.

Telangana Working Journalists Union state general secretary Virahat Ali said it was not proper to register the cases against the channels and journalists who had carried the report based on the information they had got from the authorities concerned.

According to Rajasthan government official data, 177 first information reports (FIRs) were registered in which 251 people were named and 179 have been arrested for spreading misinformation and fake messages.

In Himachal Pradesh, 53 people have been booked for spreading false information and fake news via social media posts, said the states director-general of police (DGP), Sita Ram Mardi
The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed that she starts the day with ballet lessons and a 'little bit of pilates' to keep fit during the coronavirus lockdown.

Camilla, 72, let slip her secret in a video call to mark International Dance Day with Darcey Bussell, the Royal Ballet's former principle dancer and president of The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), and former newsreader Angela Rippon.

The Duchess revealed that she has secretly been taking ballet lessons at home with a group of friends for the last 18 months and also opened up about her and Prince Charles' experiences of lockdown.

Camilla, who is in Birkhall, Scotland with Prince Charles, admitted: 'Well it's very peculiar.

'My husband is a workaholic so it's work wherever he is. We try to do something for our charities most days.

Camilla, 72, shared her love of ballet in a video call to mark International Dance Day with Darcey Bussell, the Royal Ballet's former principle dancer and president of The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), and former newsreader Angela Rippon

She revealed that she has secretly been taking ballet lessons at home with a group of girlfriends for the last 18 months

'We've got to keep active otherwise we will all seize up and we won't be able to get out of bed in the morning. It doesn't matter if it is ten minutes. It doesn't matter if it is ten minutes or 20 minutes, it just starts off the day. '

Camilla revealed that she starts her day 'with a bit of Silver Swans and a bit of Pilates.'

'And a lot of walking, which I love,' she added.

Prince Charles, 71, was struck down with the virus at the end of last month, though he made a full recovery.

He described the coronavirus pandemic as a 'strange, frustrating and often distressing experience' after recovering from the infection.

Camilla didn't discuss her husband's battle with the illness in the conversation, though she did open up about her previously secret ballet practice.

The Duchess said: 'I had certainly never done ballet before, and it doesn't matter whether you have done ballet or not, it's something that will make you feel better.

The Duchess of Cornwall watching the 'Silver Swans' dancers at the Salvation Army Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand in November last year

Camilla, who is in Birkhall, Scotland with Prince Charles, also opened up about the 'very peculiar' coronavirus lockdown. Pictured are the couple taking part in the weekly national clap for carers event last week

It gives you a certain amount of confidence in yourself, it's just a bit of discipline.'

Recalling how she first started, Camilla, who visited the RAD headquarters in Battersea in 2018, said: 'My visit there was so memorable, first of all because of the Silver Swans, but actually meeting everybody. It had a wonderful feeling of comradeship and also, it's such a happy place.

'I think dancing makes you happy!'

She admitted, however, that when told she was going to see a Silver Swans class, she thought: 'Oh dear! What on earth is this going be? I thought it was going to be a lot of very ancient people like me wobbling about on one leg! [But] I couldn't believe how good everyone was.

'I mean they were so impressive.'

According to Camilla, the 'wonderful' dance teacher, a lady named Sarah, asked if she would ever consider trying it.

'So I got together a group of of ancient friends together. The four of us sort of clatter around. When we are in London we do it once a week and it makes all the difference,' she said.

'I've always loved dancing but I'd never, never done ballet. [I enjoy] the feeling that we are all in it together.

Darcey Bussell, the Royal Ballet's former principle dancer and president of The Royal Academy of Dance, spoke with the Duchess

Angela Rippon is an ambassador for the RAD's 'Silver Swans' initiative, encouraging older people to stay fit and healthy through ballet classes

'We thought at first it was going to be very funny and I was going to laugh at everybody toppling over to me next door, but we concentrate so hard that we don't even know what our friend next door is doing. When I stand there I think to myself 'drop your shoulders, breathe deeply, don't hunch'. It's those sorts of things you have ingrained in your memory.

'You don't have to have any experience with ballet before. It's just something that makes you feel better. Which I think we all need in our lives. '

She added: 'You might groan a bit afterwards and cough and grunt and everything else, but you do feel better. It's fun, it's really good fun. I am very much a beginner and will always stay a beginner but after 18 months of doing it I do feel I've improved a tiny bit.

'But I'm certainly not taking it to the stage, shall we say. I'm keeping it in my own home, privately.'

The RAD developed Silver Swans in response to a growing demand for ballet classes for older people.

During the coronavirus crisis the RAD have launched free online classes for the over 55's, with a new video available every Wednesday via their website and social media channels.

And Camilla, it seems, loves her new pastime so much that she has agreed to become vice patron of The RAD.

The Queen has been patron of the academy since 1953.

'It's a real honour for me to be asked,' she said.

Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the RAD, said: 'We are utterly delighted that The Duchess of Cornwall is going to be the Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance.

'Ballet is a brilliant tool that you can use in every part of your life; it's perfect for improving stability, posture, your core. It was fantastic to hear how The Duchess has benefited from dancing, and I hope she continues to enjoy her Silver Swans ballet classes.'

The Royal Academy of Dance received its Royal Charter from King George V in 1936.

Angela Rippon is an ambassador for the RAD's 'Silver Swans' initiative, encouraging older people to stay fit and healthy through ballet classes designed to improve mobility, posture, coordination and energy levels.
Another COVID-19 patient has retested positive for the new coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease following her recovery in Ho Chi Minh City, raising the total number of relapses in Vietnam to nine.

The steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control in the southern metropolis confirmed on Tuesday evening that patient No. 151, a 45-year-old Brazilian woman living in District 2, had suffered a relapse after a recovery from COVID-19 on April 18.

This is the third relapse case in Ho Chi Minh City and the ninth in the country so far.

Her husband, a 49-year-old Brazilian man and Vietnams patient No. 207, previously retested positive for the virus on Monday, following his hospital discharge on April 18.

The couple were both brought to a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 treatment in outlying Cu Chi District for quarantine and further monitoring on Monday.

Patient No. 151 tested negative for the novel coronavirus on Monday, but a second test came back positive on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health has recently ordered hospitals in the country to treat all relapse cases similarly to how they would approach a fresh COVID-19 case.

All COVID-19 patients who have finished their treatment in Vietnam are to undergo a 14-day quarantine period at local infirmaries or medical centers.

They can also opt to self-quarantine at home if meeting certain requirements set by local health authorities.

During this isolation period, the recovered patients are tested at least twice on the seventh and 14th days.

Aside from the Real-time PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) screening technique, the health ministry has recommended that antibody tests be performed on recovered patients to assess their immune response.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 3.13 million people and killed more than 217,900 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnam has confirmed 270 cases so far, with 221 having recovered.

No death from the disease has been recorded in the country.

Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 54 patients, of whom 50 have recovered.

Three out of four active cases in the metropolis are relapses.

The remaining patient is a 43-year-old British pilot, who is still in a critical condition and requires a ventilator and outside-body life support.

His vital signs are currently stable, according to the citys health department.

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Police will interrogate the prime suspect in the Padarayanapura mob violence until May 1. The third additional city civil and sessions court remanded him in police custody on Tuesday.

Irfan, a resident of Arafat Nagar in Padarayanapura, is said to have been associated with a controversial outfit called the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD). He was arrested from a relative's house in KG Halli on Monday and is accused of leading the attack on the Covid-19 checkpoint in the western Bengaluru locality on April 19.

Police said he instigated the local residents and went absconding after that. Police produced him before the court through video conference. The public prosecutor contended that the mob violence was "well-organised" and that Irfan had "close links" with a local politician whose role needed to be probed.

Police said Irfan underwent a Covid-19 test and the result is awaited. A total of 126 people were previously arrested for the violence.
Haryana has begun granting conditional permission to some industries outside containments zones to start operating with requisite precautions, Chief Minister M L Khattar said on Wednesday.

Permissions are being given to industries to start their operation in a phased manner so that the economic activities in the state can be spurred as per the Centre's guidelines, said Khattar.

He said nearly 2.07 lakh workers have already started working in brick kilns.

Industrial activities are being re-started in a phased manner with due adherence to all the guidelines and our estimate is that nearly 5.5 lakh employees and other workforce have started to work in various units, said the chief minister.

Khattar said the state has been divided state in two parts for economic activity with 15 districts being those where impact of coronavirus is less, he said.

But seven other districts -- Gurgaon, Faridabad, Palwal, Nuh, Sonipat, Panipat and Panchkula -- are those which have bore the brunt of the deadly virus this month, he added.

In these seven districts, we will formulate policy as per the block-wise and town-wise situation, but for other districts, the policy will be formulated taking the entire district as one unit, Khattar said during a televised address to the people updating them about the COVD situation in the state.

There will, however, be no relaxation in containment zones, he said.

Standalone shops have been given permission to function in cities while in villages, all shops have been opened up, he said.

The industrial units, which can run with 50 per cent workforce while following social distancing norms, have been allowed to increase their working hours from 8 hours to 12 hours, but they will have to pay their workers for four hours of extra work, said Khattar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A lot of vehicles could be heard honking their horns for a brief stretch outside of Mapleview Country Villa on the afternoon of April 28.

But the barrage of beeps didnt seem to bother anyone at the skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility on South Street in Chardon.

After all, the tooting was intended as a tribute to Mapleview Country Villa staff during a Honk for Heroes vehicle parade that started at 2:30 p.m.

In addition to Mapleview Country Villa, similar processions were held in northern Ohio at nine other skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, all of which are owned by Legacy Health Services.

Legacy, which is based in Parma, organized and sponsored the parades to honor employees at the 10 facilities for working hard to keep residents healthy and safe during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The company also chose to hold the processions on National Superhero Day, which Legacy felt was an appropriate occasion to salute employees at its skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities.

Every department has shown extraordinary strength and dedication to our residents during this time, and they all deserve a #Superhero thank you, said Legacy CEO Eliav Sharvit, in a news release.

Mapleview Country Villas employees  medical, administrative and support staff  took on the appearance of superheroes for the occasion by attaching small, colorful cloth capes to the upper half of their regular work uniforms. Many of the employees assembled outside of the front and rear entrances of the building to watch the procession, while residents observed the parade through windows in their rooms.

A caravan of about 15 vehicles, comprised of fire trucks, police and sheriffs cruisers, and vehicles driven by family of staff and residents, took one lap around the facilitys circular driveway.

Sirens from the emergency vehicles were activated, mixing in with the spurt of honking horns.

Some of the vehicles also were adorned with signs bearing messages such as You guys rock! Thanks for all you do and Youre all heroes.

Mapleview Country Villa Activity Director Alecia Thornton, who wore a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt along with a green cape for the parade, said the event was enjoyed by staff and residents.

I thought it was outstanding to see so much love and care from our community  from the family members, she said.

Mapleview Admissions Director Kelly Shannon said she thought the parade was great.

I love when the community comes together for our residents and our staff, she said. Its a tough time right now.
The same day the Texas Supreme Court decided to extend the states temporary moratorium on evictions, one San Antonio landlord is accused of locking out an estimated 50 tenants from their apartments.

Just before noon Monday, police were called to Olmos Club Apartments, a complex about 5 miles north of downtown, after someone reported that multiple tenants had been barred from entering their apartments, even as residents of Bexar County had been ordered to stay home whenever possible.

The landlord locked tenants out for failing to pay rent on time  a move that directly contradicts guidance from apartment industry executives and government leaders who have urged landlords to work with families struggling to pay rent with the local economy at a standstill.

One tenant, who declined to give his name, said he and his neighbors were given no warning that their landlord planned to fasten exterior locks onto their front doors Monday morning, blocking them from entering or leaving the apartments.

Honestly, its intimidation, he said.

Texas landlords arent allowed to lock their tenants out unless they go through a specific process first.

Sandy Rollins, who runs the Texas Tenants Union, said under the state law, a landlord must mail a notice to a tenant warning of a lock-out at least five days before doing so. Or, landlords can hand-deliver or post the notice on the inside of the front door at least three days ahead of time.

Now Playing: The eviction process begins when a landlord delivers a notice to vacate to the tenant. Video: Mike Fisher

When the landlord locks the tenant out, they must put another notice on the front door and provide the tenant with a key to enter the apartment within two hours, no matter what time of day or if the tenant pays rent. If landlords dont follow the law, tenants can sue for one months rent plus $1,000, in addition to other damages such as court costs and attorney fees.

Neither the property manager nor owner of the Olmos Club Apartments responded to requests for comment Tuesday.

San Antonio City Councilman Roberto Trevino said his staff is working to help the tenants through the citys Right to Counsel pilot program, which was launched this year to provide legal help to renters at risk of eviction.

The apartment complex has a federally backed mortgage, which means its tenants also fall under the protection of the CARES Act, according to a data collected by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The March 27 CARES Act bans landlords with federally backed mortgages from filing evictions and penalizing tenants for 120 days if they fail to pay rent on time.

Texas tenants also are protected by state and local suspensions of eviction hearings.

Locked Out? Do you think you've been illegally locked out of your apartment? Visit Bexar.org/3168/Self-Help-Packets. To find help paying rent, visit: Sanantonio.gov/NHSD/Programs/FairHousing. See More Collapse

This is the first really flagrant violation weve had of that, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said of the Olmos Club Apartments move to lock tenants out. Weve asked the district attorney and other law enforcement to look into it and see what kinds of options we may have against the company that did that.

On Monday, the Texas Supreme Court extended its order postponing most eviction hearings through May 18.

In Bexar County, District Attorney Joe Gonzales said local justice of the peace courts will wait until after June 1 to hear eviction cases, unless theres a serious criminal threat or danger of physical harm.

Gonzales said his office doesnt investigate complaints but would review the case addressing the Olmos Club Apartments if law enforcement submits one.

My hope is that apartment owners and managers voluntarily agree to be part of a temporary solution to stopping the spread of COVID-19, said Gonzales. Keeping people in their apartments until a more permanent solution can be found keeps our community safer.

Have you been threatened with an eviction notice or struggling to pay rent? We want to hear from you. Marina Starleaf Riker is an investigative reporter for the San Antonio Express-News with extensive experience covering affordable housing, inequality and disaster recovery. marina.riker@express-news.net | Twitter: @MarinaStarleaf
They were part of Bergman's group which blew up six bridges in Luhansk and Donetsk regions

State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained two members of the terrorist group under the leadership of Valeriy Bergman, nicknamed the German, that blew up six bridges in Donbas. This was reported by SBUs press service.

"The secret service staff documented that Germans group seized 1.2 tons of ammonite explosive at the Melnikov mine in 2014. Terrorists used explosives to blow up four bridges in the settlements of Zakotne and Siversk of Donetsk region, two bridges in the towns of Rubizhne and Lysychansk of Luhansk region, two more bridges in Lysychansk were also mined," the statement said.

Bergman was detained in the Lysychansk area on September 8, 2019. In the course of investigative actions, he provided "details of the crimes that were committed by the group, the location of the explosive ordnance, and information on other members of the terrorist group he heads."

As we reported earlier, on April 14, the counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained Major General of the service Valeriy Shaitanov who planned the murder of volunteer Adam Osmayev on the assignment of the Russian special services.
Whatfix | Headcount: 350 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2014 | As remote work becomes the norm and more businesses go online, Whatfix sees strong tailwinds going ahead, LinkedIn said. (Representative image)

Money transfer apps, which allow you to quickly pay friends and family through your smartphone, have grown in popularity in recent years. And the coronavirus pandemic has only expanded their use  to pay gig workers, make donations or simply avoid using cash.

The apps have even been promoted as a way to receive government stimulus checks.

But linking the mobile apps to your credit cards may get more expensive, thanks to a payment industry change.

To track all live updates from the coronavirus pandemic, click here

To use an app for cash transfers, customers typically connect it to an outside payment source. Most users link their debit card or a bank account, since in most cases that lets them transfer money without charge. A few apps, however, also give customers the option to link to a credit card and pay a small fee (about 3 percent) for peer to peer payments, like splitting the dinner tab. Those apps include PayPal and its Venmo arm, as well as Cash App, which is owned by Square. (Zelle, the app backed by traditional banks, doesnt accept credit cards.)

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

But there has been a change in the way the money transfers are coded as they zip from your phone and move through the Visa and Mastercard payment networks. That change enables banks to also charge their own, separate cash advance fees  typically $10 but sometimes much more  for payments made using credit cards on those networks. The fees dont apply when customers make a purchase.

Justin Higgs, a spokesman for PayPal and Venmo, said the change had been driven by industry requirements that the apps had to comply with to offer peer-to-peer credit card payments.

In other words, card-issuing banks asked that the apps and payment networks flag cash transfers to distinguish them from purchases. In the credit card world, cash advances are considered riskier and carry higher fees. Credit cards typically charge the fees when customers use the cards to obtain cash from an ATM or to transfer money using services like Western Union. Credit cards also charge a much higher rate on the amount advanced, and theres no grace period before the interest starts growing.

The change formally took effect in September last year after months of talks so that payment apps could give advance notice to their customers, said William Stickney, a Visa spokesman.

Its not yet clear how many banks are now charging for the cash transfers. A spokesman for Cash App said in an email that it appeared that very few banks and cards are choosing to charge the fee.

But some customers are seeing unwelcome charges on their credit card statements.

Lisa Colli is one of them. A public relations consultant in Boston, Colli said she had long used PayPal, including its peer-to-peer payment service, and had also begun using Venmo in January.

In mid-April, she was surprised to see cash equivalent fees of $10 for Venmo and PayPal transactions on her Bank of America credit card statement. The charges totalled $40 for four payments.

Colli said she had connected the payment apps to her credit cards because she was wary of linking her bank account and possibly exposing it to hacking or fraud. Im not comfortable with the security yet, she said. The service fee charged by the apps  usually a couple of dollars because the transactions were generally small  seemed an acceptable price for greater peace of mind, she said.

Colli complained to Bank of America, which removed the fees and accrued interest. She said she was pleased with the banks response, but felt it should have done more to notify her about the cash advance fees.

The bank representative, she said, told her that the fees were not new. Instead, peer-to-peer transactions are now being properly coded so that banks can identify them and apply appropriate charges.

Bank of Americas sample credit card agreement states that the bank considers cash equivalents, including person-to-person money transfers, to be cash advances.

The potential for extra bank fees, Higgs said, is clearly spelled out within the PayPal and Venmo apps before a customer proceeds with a transaction. Users have also been told about the fees online. Things could add up! Venmos website says. Be sure to check with your card issuer on the fees they may charge.

Colli said that she recalled seeing a pop-up message in the app when making a payment, but that it didnt say how large the fee might be. (The banks set the fees, so the apps dont have those details, Higgs said.)

She said she considered the fees excessive. Im going back to using cash, I guess.

Here are some questions and answers about payment apps:

A: Not necessarily. Justin Higgs, a spokesman for PayPal and Venmo, said the digital payment services welcome working directly with any credit card issuers that may want to prevent their customers from being charged a fee.

Chase is not charging its credit card holders the cash advance fee for peer-to-peer payments, a spokesman said. Citibank is charging the fees when the transactions are classified as a money transfer. Other big banks that issue credit cards, including Capital One and Wells Fargo, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Discover, which issues cards and operates its own payment network, treats app transfers as regular merchandise transactions, so there is no additional fee, said a spokesman, Robert Weiss. American Express is also not charging a fee.

A: Generally, the easiest way to avoid fees is to link the app to a bank account or a debit card, and to use standard wait times to move funds from the app into your linked bank account. Venmo and Cash App charge no fee for standard transfers, which can take a day or two, but charge a fee for instant deposits, which move money into your linked account in minutes.A: Security issues surfaced initially with some payment apps, which deliver payments rapidly via text or email and may offer little recourse if funds are sent to the wrong person. The Federal Trade Commission cited Venmo in 2017 for misleading customers about its security and privacy features. (The agency and PayPal settled the complaint in 2018.) Zelle has also faced concerns about lax consumer protections.

A study in October by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that worries persist: About 30 percent of consumers said they avoided using mobile payments at least sometimes because of concerns about a loss of funds.

But the apps have improved their security and are generally safe to use, said Christina Tetreault, Director of Financial Policy with Consumer Reports. An analysis by the magazine in late 2018 found that five popular payment apps used an acceptable level of data encryption.

Its still best to use the apps with people you know, Tetreault said. She also advised using any optional extra security features the apps make available, like adding a PIN or fingerprint identification each time you open the app on your phone. Venmos website notes that it doesnt offer buyer or seller protection, and advises against using payments for high risk goods like tickets and Craigslist items.

c.2020 The New York Times Company
BERLIN - German authorities say a police SWAT team member was shot and killed during a drug raid in the western city of Gelsenkirchen.

Police there said the 28-year-old officer was entering an apartment Wednesday morning to search for drugs when the suspect fired two shots at his team. One hit the officer, who died about an hour later in the hospital, the dpa news agency reported.

The 29-year-old suspect was arrested and the investigation is ongoing.

Further details werent immediately available.
New Delhi, April 29 : Citing considerable pendency in testing reports in National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) in Noida, the Delhi government has decided not to send more COVID samples to the autonomous organization under the Union Ministry of Health.

In an order, the government said the pendency in the NIB is hindering the effective containment of the disease.

"No Samples will be sent to NIB till May 3 and the samples shall be distributed among the other government and private labs so as to ensure that the results are received within a day of submission of the sample to the respective lab," the order said.

The government also directed all the labs in Delhi to provide the reports to the 'Integrated Disease Surveillance Program, Delhi' via email, in addition to the line list that all the labs are sending to IDSP.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is a threat to the well-being of people in Delhi. Testing and tracking all fresh positive cases as well as the tracking of repeat samples is critical for the state to ensure immediate monitoring of all cases. If this information is not collected from laboratories in a time-bound manner, it will lead to a delay in tracing new positive cases. This could be a serious threat to public safety," the order said.

Also, a unique code has also been assigned to each Covid Care Centre (CCC), Covid Testing Centre (CTC), Covid Health Centre (CHC) and each Containment Zones (CZ), while alphabetic code has been assigned to all the 11 districts in the city.

"In view of the large number of COVID-19 related activities being undertaken across the state, the need has arisen for instituting a system of nomenclature that can be used to tag all the facilities where Covid patients are being housed or treated, and containment zones notified to prevent outbreak." As per the Delhi Health Department, a total of 43,370 samples have been taken since the outbreak of the infection of which 3,295 reports are pending.

Delhi has reported 3,314 COVID cases so far.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
There is an eerie silence in the country today. Something that was being 'speculated' or brushed off as a mere 'rumor' turned out to be the worst news of 2020.

Irrfan Khan is no more.

This line itself can tear any cine-lover apart.

Twitter

Irrfan Khan wasn't just an actor, he was a brand in himself who established an irreplaceable place in the film industry merely by the power of his work. He didn't belong to any fancy Bolly clan and neither did he only pick roles that would satisfy his bank balance because all that mattered to Irrfan was the zeal to do good work.

Irrfan Khan

In a film career spanning almost thirty years and featuring in more than fifty domestic films, Khan has received numerous awards, including a National Film Award and Filmfare Awards in four categories.

Media covered Irrfan Khan with prefixes like: 'Finest', 'Brilliant', 'Versatile' because only these adjectives could possibly do justice to the magic that Irrfan was.

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

One of the finest actors in Indian cinema, Irrfan Khan will always be known for his versatile and natural acting. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honor for his contribution to the field of arts.

Master Of All Trades

His versatility was his biggest USP. With a filmography that boasts of films like Maqbool, Life Of Pi, The Lunchbox, Life In a Metro, Rog among others, no actor could ever match up to the brilliance of Irrfan Khan, the actor.

He was India's most valued export to Hollywood:

Irrfan Khan/twitter

Be it Inferno Or Life Of Pi, Irrfan made his presence felt in the west with his work. Even with a minor role in a film like 'Slumdog Millionaire', Irrfan Khan kept raising the bar for himself.

Twiiter

He played the police inspector in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he and the cast of the movie won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

irfan khan

Talking about how it felt by working with him, Director Danny Boyle said, "He has an instinctive way of finding the 'moral center' of any character so that in Slumdog, we believe the policeman might actually conclude that Jamal is innocent." Comparing Irrfan to an athlete who can execute the same move perfectly over and over, he further added, "'It's beautiful to watch.'"



An inspiration to everyone around, Irrfan will forever be remembered for his zeal and determination

Twitter

Apart from being one of the finest actors we ever had, Irrfan was a human being whose life revolved around compassion, humility, and kindness. The relations that he built over the years in the film industry have always come across as organic and real.

Facebook

His close ones remember him as an 'enthusiast', who has always given his 100% to everything. Be it his wife Sutapa, who stood by him like a pillar of strength or his co-actor Deepak Dobriyal, who worked with him in his last film 'Angrezi Medium'- everyone only has kindest words for the actor who fought till his very last breath.

His close-friend Shekhar Kapur took to Twitter and wrote:

"An actor that every director wanted to work with. A human being that gave his best in every role. Indian films most successful export to Hollywood. A man loved by all. Sad to see #IrrfanKhan leave us, after what we thought was a successful fight against cancer. God bless you Irrfan!"



Let's bid an honest ode to Irrfan, the actor, who will have left a legacy of his spectacular work that we are going to fondly remember him for. Here are 20 of Irrfan's greatest roles and TV performances (Not in any particular order) that are nothing short of being perfect.

1. The Warrior

Life Of Pi

In this award-winning 2001 film by British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, Irrfan played Lafcadia, a warrior in feudal Rajasthan who attempts to give up the sword. The film is in Hindi and was filmed in Rajasthan, India. The film was an important one for Irrfan as it convinced him that he shouldn't give up on the dream of becoming an actor. The Warrior was produced by companies from the UK, Germany, and France. At the BAFTA Awards, it won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. The film was also short-listed for UK's official entry for the Academy Awards but was, later on, it was dropped on failing the eligibility criteria as the language was not indigenous to Britain.



2. Maqbool

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

In 2004, Irrfan gave life to Vishal Bhardwaj's literary gem. He played the title role in the critically acclaimed Maqbool, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.



3. The Namesake

Name Sake

IThe Namesake is a 2006 English-language drama film directed by Mira Nair and written by Sooni Taraporevala based on the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Irrfan was appreciated for his performance and his and Tabu's chemistry was praised as well.

4. Rog

Rog movie

Rog released in 2005 was his first break in mainstream cinema. His performance was praised by critics. A critic even wrote: "Irfaan's eyes speak louder than his words and every time he is in the frame, be it talking to his buddy Manish or arguing with Suhel, he shows his capability as an actor".



5. Maano Ya Naa Mano (Star One)

Irrfan Khan/Rog

India's most bizarre, yet convincing Mano Ya Na Mano (English: Believe It or Not) was a docu-style eality show based on real incidents that took place in various places in India.



6. Qissa

Irrfan Khan

In 2013, Irrfan Khan starred in an Indian-German drama film in Punjabi written and directed by Anup Singh. The film was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Netpac Award for World or International Asian Film. The film revolved around the desire of a Sikh man towards having a son to continue the family lineage.



7. 7 Khoon Maaf

Pinterest

Irrfan Khan starred in a film that gave India's one of its finest black-comedies. A film like we had never seen before, Irrfan Khan played one of Priyanka Chopra's husbands in a film that told the story of a femme fatale, Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes, an Anglo-Indian woman who causes seven deaths in an unending quest for love. 7 Khoon Maaf was an official adaptation of the short story Susanna's Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond.

8. Paan Singh Tomar

Twitter

In 2012, Irrfan headlined an Indian biographical film based on the true story of the athlete of the same name. A soldier in the Indian Army, he won a gold medal at the Indian National Games but was forced to become a rebel against the system.

Helmed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and produced by UTV Motion Pictures, Irrfan played the title role along with a stellar support cast and actors including Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.



9. Life In A Metro

In 2007, Irrfan played one of the central characters in Anurag Basu's film that narrated the lives of nine people living in Mumbai. The film unfolded stories of people who navigate extramarital affairs, explore the sanctity of marriage, and love.



10. Life Of Pi

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

Irrfan Khan played the adult version of Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel in Ang Lee's film adaptation of Life of Pi. It went on to became a critical and commercial success worldwide.



11. Piku

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

Irrfan Khan played Rana in Deepika Padukone's Piku. This Shoojit Sircars slice-of-life film was a special one for all Irrfan fans because Irrfan, like always, managed to showcase the frustration and thoughts of a middle-aged Delhi man. While falling in love for not a part of his plan, he still falls in love with Piku. The music of the film is also special for all Irrfan fans.



12. Haasil

Irrfan

Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role for playing the role of Ranvijay Singh in the movie.



13. The Lunch Box

Twitter

In 2013, he starred in The Lunchbox, which won the Grand Rail d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and received a BAFTA nomination and became his highest-grossing Hindi film up until then. His camaraderie with Nawazuddin Siddiqui was heartwarming.



14. Talvar

Irrfan Khan in Talvaar

In 20015, Irrfan did Talvaar, based on the 2008 Noida double murder case involving a teenage girl and her family's servant.

Also co-starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi, the film revolves around investigation of a case from three different perspectives in which her parents are either guilty or innocent of the murder charges by the police investigation, the first Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and an investigation by a different CBI team. The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in the special-presentation section and was screened at the 2015 BFI London Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. It was later released in India on 2 October 2015. Vishal Bhardwaj received the Best Adapted Screenplay Award for Talvar at the 63rd National Film Awards. Irrfan once again won hearts with his screen presence.

15. Hindi Medium

Hindi Medium

In 2017, Irrfan starred in an Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Saket Chaudhary. Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar played lead roles and actors Deepak Dobriyal and Dishita Sehgal were seen in supporting roles. The film was a family drama with a plot that centers on a couple's struggle to get their daughter admitted to a prestigious English-medium school so that they could be accepted by society.



16. Haider

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

Irrfan Khan's extended Cameo in Haider remains an important turning point in the film.

17. Inferno

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

In 2016, he played an important role alongside Tom Hanks in the 2016 adaptation of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon thriller Inferno.



18. Star Bestsellers

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

Irrfan starred in Star Plus' anthology series where he played pivotal roles in three episodes. In one of the episodes titled Ek Shaam Ki Mulakaat, he played the role of a shopkeeper who mistakenly assumes that his landlord's wife is trying to seduce him, only to find out that his own wife was cheating on him.



19. Road To Ladakh

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

Irrfan starred in a suspense film where his character falls in love with the wrong kind of mysterious stranger near the borders of India and Pakistan. This road-movie boasted of multi-national European crew on an overly ambitious project that many times, several disasters almost compelled the team to leave the project.



20. Qarib Qarib Singlle

Irrfan Khan/Twitter

Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvothu came together for a film and that in itself was enough to excite the audience. The film revolved around the story of Jaya Shashidharan, a widow, who lives alone and works at an Insurance Policy company and how her life turns into a topsy-turvy adventure after she meets Yogi, on an online dating website called abtaksinglle.com. They decide to meet all of his three ex-girlfriends, during which they fall for each other.






By Victor Ing,

Special to The Post

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced on April 22, 2020 that, effectively immediately, international post-secondary students who are providing essential services will be authorized to work full-time while attending school. This rule change will be in effect until August 31, 2020 and will allow international students to help contribute to the nations COVID-19 response in areas of critical need such as health care and ensure that Canadians will continue to have access to critical goods and services during this difficult time.

International post-secondary students in Canada are normally restricted to working part-time hours of up to 20 hours per week during the academic school year, and they are only allowed to work more than 20 hours per week during regularly scheduled school breaks. These restrictions are in place to ensure that international students are primarily focused on their studies when they are in Canada, while still allowing them the opportunity to gain work experience in the Canadian labour market.

As COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, international students began to face school closures and many of them started to transition to online distance learning. Since then, not many formal announcements have been made by IRCC on how COVID-19 will affect the immigration status of students already in Canada. The first concrete information that IRCC made available was an announcement on March 13 to reassure international students that their eligibility to obtain a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) would not be affected if they were required to start taking online courses due to COVID-19. Normally, a student would be disqualified from applying for a PGWP if most of their course credits were earned through online distance learning.

IRCCs latest announcement now clarifies that international post-secondary students who are providing an essential service will be able to work more than 20 hours per week during the regular academic semester. A list of essential services has been prepared by the federal government, which may differ from the services deemed essential by the provinces and territories. For the detailed list of essential services applicable to the new COVID-19 rules for students working in Canada, please refer to the following resource:

https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/crtcl-nfrstrctr/esf-sfe-en....

It is important to note that school disruptions caused by COVID-19 are not considered by IRCC to be regularly scheduled school breaks that would authorize a student to start working more than 20 hours per week. Therefore, any students who are not providing an essential service will not benefit from the new rules.

IRCCs latest announcement is a positive step designed to ensure that we are making the most of the capable workforce that international students represent, including thousands of students enrolled in health-care programs across the country who may be willing and able to help. Many of these international students, especially those studying in post-graduate programs, are mature students who have a diverse set of skills and experience that Canada could benefit from. During these unprecedented times, we need to have all hands on deck to ensure that Canadians get the critical goods and services they need to weather the crisis.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi wrote a letter to Telangana Health Minister Etela Rajendra and Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rao sharing details of 32 Covid-19 recovered patients who are willing to donate plasma.

In his letter to the minister, Owaisi wrote: I am attaching herewith the names of 32 recovered patients who are willing to donate their plasma and contribute in helping patients who are currently affected by Covid-19.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that currently there are no approved, definitive therapies for Covid-19 .

Currently, there are no approved, definitive therapies for #COVID19. Convalescent plasma is one of several emerging therapies. However, there is no robust evidence to support it for routine therapy. @US_FDA has also viewed it as an experimental therapy (IND), ICMR tweeted.

Cautioning about the risks of using plasma therapy, ICMR further tweeted: #COVID19 convalescent plasma therapy comes with its own share of technical challenges, like antibody titer testing. There are also several risks of using this therapy including life-threatening allergic reactions and lung injury.

According to the latest update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of coronavirus cases in Telangana is 1004, of which 321 have recovered/migrated and 26 deaths have been reported.
(Natural News) Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been around for centuries. This ancient system of medicine involves not only the use of medicinal herbs and formulations, but also of different mind and body practices, such as acupuncture and tai chi. While medicinal herbs are taken orally to address various issues from within, mind and body practices deal with conditions from the outside and are said to be most effective for relieving pain.

Over the years, numerous studies have explored the efficacy of different TCM approaches, and most have reported promising results. For instance, studies have found that acupuncture can help reduce some symptoms of cancer, as well as the negative side effects of chemotherapy. Research also suggests that many herbal remedies used in TCM are effective treatments for common ailments, such as fever, constipation and microbial infections.

In a recent study, researchers at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine examined the role of TCM in the maintenance of good health and the prevention of diseases. They put particular focus on how TCM promotes personalized medicine; TCM prescriptions are always tailored for each individual and no two patients receive the same treatments despite having the same conditions. The researchers full report on this was published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

TCM constitution theory supports the use of personalized medicine

TCM continues to be widely used in many countries around the world. It regards each person as unique, hence all therapeutic and preventive approaches involving TCM are personalized. Personalized medicine, also known as precision medicine, is an emerging medical paradigm that points to a new direction for future medical development.

The TCM constitution theory focuses on studying an individuals holistic body condition, which is influenced by inborn and environmental factors. The theory considers body constitution as the foundation of disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

According to this theory, people are predisposed to develop certain diseases based on their constitution type; hence examining a persons body constitution can lead to effective disease management and enhance the effects of personalized medicine significantly.

In the last decade, modern techniques have been developed to evaluate the health status of individuals. The TCM constitution theory reflects the current status and future trends of human health in four aspects: individual differences, life processes, psychological condition and adaptability to natural and social environments. This theory is currently being applied in Chinas public health management and has so far produced promising outcomes.

The researchers believe that the TCM constitution theory provides a new approach for health maintenance and disease prevention.

The safety of TCM

Today, TCM is often used as a complementary treatment to serious conditions, such as conventional cancer therapies. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of modern medicine can be amplified when it is used together with TCM approaches. For instance, herbal formulations that not only relieve pain, but also have anti-cancer effects, are very popular among cancer patients. Randomized controlled trials have shown that these formulations often produce synergistic effects with modern drugs that help reduce some symptoms or the severity of the disease itself.

On the other hand, some studies have also reported that the ingredients used in TCM formulations are sometimes mislabeled. Extracts from toxic plants or endangered animals have been found in some TCM herbal remedies instead of their advertised ingredients. Besides these potentially harmful compounds, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) have also identified drugs like blood thinners and anti-inflammatory painkillers, heavy metals, pesticides and sulfites as contaminants in some Chinese herbal products.

When it comes to mind and body practices, healing arts like qi gong and tai chi appear to be safe. However, complications like infections and injuries to the central nervous system have been associated with the use of non-sterile needles and improper administration of acupuncture therapy. These reports highlight the need for caution on the part of patients when seeking TCM-based treatments. Patients who opt for these complementary approaches are advised to consult with a trusted natural health practitioner first and to seek treatment only from licensed or certified TCM practitioners.

Sources include:

Science.news

NCCIH.NIH.gov

CancerResearchUK.org

WorldScientific.com

News-Medical.net
Chaos deepened over the use of face masks to tackle the spread of coroanvirus today as the mayor of London threatened to 'unilaterally' order their use.

Sadiq Khan warned he might take the step as Boris Johnson's Government continued to insist that the evidence of their effectiveness was 'weak'.

But Westminster's stance has already been undermines by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who yesterday told Scots face coverings should be used in enclosed spaces where social distancing is hard to maintain.

Britain is to stockpile face masks for commuters and shoppers to wear in public, with Michael Gove revealing last night that a Treasury minister is leading a 'domestic effort' to ensure that enough are available if there is a u-turn in advice.

However, Mr Khan warned that he may pre-empt any change in the capital, telling ITV News: 'If it's the case that despite all our lobbying and the emerging scientific evidence the government doesn't change its guidance, I may well decide unilaterally to instruct Londoners to do that.'

Sadiq Khan warned he might take the step as Boris Johnson's Government continued to insist that the evidence of their effectiveness was 'weak'

face masks are already being worn by some people in the UK but their use is not widespread or compulsory as in some other nations. Pictured is a man walking in London this morning

A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves in Westminster this morning, following Mr Khan's threat to take unilateral action

Number 10 said on Tuesday that the UK Government has not decided on its approach after receiving evidence from the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) last week.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said that ministers 'are considering the advice they have been given and once a decision has been reached then we will announce it publicly'.

Later on Tuesday, Professor Angela McLean, the deputy chief scientific adviser, said Sage had recommended that there is 'weak evidence of a small effect' that wearing a face mask can prevent an infected person spreading the disease.

She told the daily Downing Street press conference: 'The answer is clear that the evidence is weak and the effect is small, and we have passed that on to our colleagues in Government with which to make a decision.'

Cabinet Office Minister Mr Gove had earlier been challenged by his Labour shadow Rachel Reeves on face mask supplies for the public in case the government recommends they should be worn in public.

Mr Gove said any stockpiled masks would not be the 'high-spec surgical face masks' used in the NHS but ones that could be used in particular settings.

He said: 'I can confirm Lord Agnew, the joint Cabinet Office and Treasury minister, has launched a domestic effort to ensure we produce just such masks and that is part of the broader effort that Lord Deighton is leading on ensuring we can bolster the production of personal protection equipment.'

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, warned that a change in guidance on face masks could result in panic-buying however - as some Britons try to get their hands on the higher-spec masks.

He said: 'There is bound to be a question in some people's minds about what form of face covering provides the greatest protection.

'The scientific evidence is clear - the fluid repellent surgical masks used by healthcare workers offer greater protection because of the significantly smaller pore sizes in the material they use.

'It therefore seems likely that some people will seek to purchase these masks.'

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) said face coverings should be used in enclosed spaces where social distancing is hard to maintain

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the daily Downing Street press conference yesterday that the evidence in favour of wearing face masks was 'weak'.

He added: 'The UK Government's position has not changed, not least because the most important thing that people can do is social distancing as opposed to the weak science on face masks, so that is our absolute priority.'

Ministers have been coming under growing pressure to provide clear guidance on the use of face masks amid hopes it could encourage the public to go back to work and help get the economy back on track. The Mail revealed earlier this month that ministers were considering the move.

In her daily Covid-19 briefing yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said her government was now advising the limited use of face coverings made of cloth, including scarves, for everyone above the age of two.

Pictured: A man, wearing a protective face mask, checks his mobile phone during a lockdown imposed to slow the rate of coronavirus in Paris

Pictured: A young woman wears a protective mask as she waits for the tram in Brussels

She added: 'We are recommending that you do wear a cloth face covering if you are in an enclosed space with others where social distancing is difficult, for example public transport or in a shop.'

The use of the more general term 'coverings' differentiates them from medical-grade masks amid concerns greater public uptake could lead to a shortage for NHS staff.

Miss Sturgeon did not make their use mandatory, conceding evidence over their use is 'still limited', but said there are benefits in wearing coverings to reduce transmission from individuals who are not yet exhibiting symptoms.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said ministers 'are considering the advice they have been given and once a decision has been reached then we will announce it publicly'.

No 10 insisted Mr Johnson wanted to maintain a UK-wide response as far as possible.

Pictured: A woman wears a face mask as she walks on Oxford Street, London amid the Covid-19 crisis

Downing Street said the Government has not yet decided whether to follow suit in the rest of the UK after receiving evidence from the Sage scientific advisory group for emergencies last week

Asked whether it was helpful for Miss Sturgeon to break ranks from the four-nation approach to the lockdown, the spokesman said: 'There have been points in the response so far where announcements have been made at ever so slightly different times.

'But by and large we have moved forward in a single four-nation approach. The devolved administrations have all said that they hope that continues to be the case and we would agree with that.'

Dame Angela McLean, the UK's deputy chief scientific adviser, has said: 'The recommendation from Sage is completely clear that there is weak evidence of a small effect in which a face mask can prevent a source of infection. We passed that on to colleagues in Government with which to make a decision.'

Mr Gove stressed the importance of easing any lockdown restrictions in 'as united a way as possible' across the UK.

Challenged in the Commons on whether the UK had enough face masks for non-NHS workers, he stressed the difference between surgical masks and 'face coverings' but added that Lord Agnew, the joint Cabinet Office and Treasury minister, 'has launched a domestic effort to ensure that we produce just such masks'.
To be in with the chance of winning the designer Chanel Trendy CC bag and a 100 gift voucher for MSC the Store, go to 'My Sister's Closet Blog' on Instagram and Facebook for all the information

It is only a few months since Anita Ross's world came crashing down after a cancer diagnosis and already she is giving something back. Together with her sister Donna Ross, the girls - who run popular local fashion boutique My Sister's Closet - have raised over 40,000 in just 48 hours for the local charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI through an online raffle that has gone viral.

The Dungannon sisters, who are known for their style, have bought a luxury Chanel handbag worth almost 5,000 which is up for grabs for the charity.

That Anita is thinking of others while still in the early stages of recovery from 12 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy treatment will not surprise her many thousands of followers on social media.

Throughout the trauma of the past six months, the 36-year-old who was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma last September, has been inspiring others through her popular My Sisters Closet blog on Instagram and Facebook.

In what has been a very personal and honest account of a traumatic time, Anita has been heartened by the many messages she has received from people about how her blog has helped them.

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It was through reading accounts of other patients going through lymphoma on Instagram which helped Anita to cope after the shock of her diagnosis.

She says: "I had never heard of lymphoma and I had no idea what the symptoms were. When you are first told you have it, it is extremely tough and you experience a whole myriad of emotions. I went online and found people on Instagram who were starting their journeys, others who were in the middle of it and some who had ended theirs. I was able to see the whole journey and people made videos and talked about things like hair loss and it really helped me.

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"I had lived my life through blogging for the past six years.

"I knew my whole appearance was going to change and I was starting a massive chapter in my life so I decided to repay the debt of those people who helped me on Instagram by talking about my experience through my blog.

"To me if it made things easier for one person down the road, then it would be worthwhile."

Anita, who is originally from Donaghmore, is married to press photographer Matthew Mackey (34) and now lives in Belfast.

She and her sister Donna were about to extend their boutique in Victoria Square and open a new pop up shop in Dublin last summer when Anita took ill.

Her symptoms presented as swollen glands in her neck and then she developed a very itchy rash.

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She recalls: "It was around June when I found lumps in my neck and that same day I went to my GP who told me it was a normal way for my body to fight infection. He wasn't concerned but told me to come back if it didn't go away or I had any pain.

"It didn't feel right to me and then I got this serious itch when I had a bath. My legs would flare up and it got to the point when I could have ripped my skin off it was so itchy. I also started to get pins and needles in my left arm."

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Three weeks after her first GP visit, she returned to the surgery and another doctor red flagged her to see an ENT consultant. Within a matter of days she had an appointment with an ENT consultant who immediately told her she could have lymphoma. She says: "My mum had come to the hospital with me but I went in to see the consultant on my own because I wasn't expecting it to be anything too serious.

"When he told me I didn't cry, I was just shocked. A week later I was brought in to have one of the lumps removed from my neck for a biopsy and as I have always been petrified of needles, I was very apprehensive."

Anita then faced an agonising two week wait for the results when her worst fears were confirmed and she was told she had Hodgkin Lymphoma.

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Ten years earlier she watched her best friend die from leukaemia at the age of 24 and memories of that terrible time came flooding back as she was given her own diagnosis.

She says: "My first thought was of my best friend. I lived with her and saw her go through treatment and a bone marrow transplant before she passed away.

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"The doctors said that what I had was nothing like leukaemia. They said that lymphoma was curable if caught early like mine and that if you had to choose a cancer it would be the one to choose.

"My second question was if I was going to lose my hair and I was told I would be completely bald after my second round of chemo. I went home to mum and dad's house and lay down on the bed and just cried."

Treatment started straight away and Anita was grateful that while her long, thick hair did start to fall out, she didn't lose it all.

She bravely posted a picture of herself on her blog showing the shortened, much finer hair she was left with after chemo. As a newlywed, she was also advised to undergo IVF to freeze embryos, a process which, because of her needle phobia, proved particularly tough for her.

Expand Close To be in with the chance of winning the designer Chanel Trendy CC bag and a 100 gift voucher for MSC the Store, go to 'My Sister's Closet Blog' on Instagram and Facebook for all the information / Facebook

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Whatsapp To be in with the chance of winning the designer Chanel Trendy CC bag and a 100 gift voucher for MSC the Store, go to 'My Sister's Closet Blog' on Instagram and Facebook for all the information

In total, Anita had 12 chemo sessions, the last one on March 13, just before the UK lockdown was announced.

With a weakened immune system due to treatment, she was advised to go home and isolate immediately.

Since lockdown, her blog which also features some home fashion tips and cocktail making, has continued to inspire and even save lives.

She explains: "I had one girl get in touch to say she had swollen glands in her neck, but because of Covid-19 and the pressure facing the health service she felt she couldn't go to her GP. She asked my advice and I told her it would be better to get it checked out than worry about it.

"She did go to her doctor and has been referred for a biopsy. She told me she was going to put it off until this is all over and I am so glad she didn't.

"As horrible as it was to go through the cancer, if it does some good and raises awareness of lymphoma then I will be grateful.

"Everyone knows the symptoms of breast cancer and bowel cancer, but I never knew the symptoms of lymphoma and I just want to raise awareness as early detection saves lives."

A trip to Paris with 18 friends on April 3 to celebrate the end of her treatment was cancelled and Anita has been confined to home for the foreseeable future.

However, she is feeling grateful to be cancer free, fully aware people are facing tough times because of the virus.

It is why she wanted to give something back and together with her sister Donna bought the exquisite Chanel handbag to raffle online to raise funds for Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI.

She adds: "I feel very lucky to be cancer free and I wanted to do something to say thank you.

"I had never experienced NHS care before because I had never been sick and I couldn't say enough about how quickly and efficiently they treated me, they were amazing.

"Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI do research which helps find treatments and cures for people all over the world, not just here in Northern Ireland.

"Because of the current situation their fundraising events have been cancelled and all the money they normally get in donations has stopped, so my sister and I hope to be able to make up some of that through the raffle.

"We also wanted to thank our loyal followers for the support we have both received over the last six months and give something back. "

The girls posted pictures on their social media accounts of a number of luxury handbags inviting followers to vote for their favourites.

A Chanel Trendy CC handbag won the vote and the sisters then had trouble getting their hands on one as it was sold out in London and Paris and in Ireland.

They finally tracked one down in New York with a price tag of $6,000 and had it shipped over.

Now for a minimum donation of 5 you can enter a draw to win this stunning designer bag.

Anita says:"We wanted something that is not readily available, a once in a lifetime purchase, a bit of luxury and a dream bag.

"Donna and I bought it using our own money. At the beginning of my journey, I set up a JustGiving page which has raised over 12k since September.

"We launched the competition on Sunday at 3pm and we've been blown away with the response.

"In the first 12 hours, over 20,000 in donations was made which is just amazing and 24 hours later that had reached 40,000. We are hoping to raise as much money as we can for this fantastic local charity."

Win a designer handbag and 100 gift voucher

To be in with the chance of winning the designer Chanel Trendy CC bag and a 100 gift voucher for MSC the Store, go to 'My Sister's Closet Blog' on Instagram and Facebook for all the information.

A winner from each platform will be announced next month and a toss of a coin posted live on social media will decide which one walks away with the luxury new bag.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  The Department of Labor and Employment on Wednesday announced that 300,000 more formal sector workers currently processed under the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) will receive financial aid as the agency realigned 1.5 billion of its 2020 budget.

CAMP, which was first implemented on March 23, provides each worker 5,000 in cash, which willl be processed through the payroll systems of their respective companies.

The department suspended applications for the program on April 16 due to its funding getting "close to being depleted."

"With internally sourced funds, DOLE will now be able to assist around 650,000 workers with P3.24 billion in total CAMP assistance," said the agency.

According to the department, there are 87,301 establishments that reported over 1.6 million of their workers have been affected by temporary closures amid the enhanced community quarantine, while 797,729 are on alternative work arrangements.

The DOLE said around one million workers are "still unserved under the special amelioration program."

"The requests for assistance submitted by their employers had already been processed," it said.

So far, 407,300 workers have been provided assistance through CAMP, it added.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison talks to the media at a press conference in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 12, 2019. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Australia Wont Succumb to Threats From an Anxious China

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton remain unmoved as Chinese diplomats abandoned diplomatic decorum because of Australias unapologetic push for an international inquiry into the origin and handling of the CCP virus outbreak in Wuhan.

Australia will continue to pursue what is a very reasonable and sensible course of action. This is a virus that has taken more than 200,000 lives across the world. It has shut down the global economy, Morrison told reporters on April 29. We dont lightly form the views that we do on these things. We hold the position that we have.

While in an interview on 5AA Radio the same day, Dutton said, Of course we are not going to be deviating off course from dealing with a very serious issue. We arent going to be held to ransom or succumb to threats from anybody.

The comments came after the Chinese embassy in Canberra leaked its version of an April 28 conversation between high-level Australian diplomat Frances Adamson and Chinas Ambassador Cheng Jingye.

In addition to the inquiry, Australia has been seeking international support for reform of the World Health Organisation in order to prevent any future repeat of actions that contributed to the Wuhan outbreak becoming a global pandemic. This includes the United Nations organisations dissemination of the catastrophically incorrect information that the virus was not transmissible from human-to-human.

Hours after the Chinese embassys leak to Australian media, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) released a statement expressing regret for the embassys choice to breach long-standing diplomatic practises. It said for its part, DFAT would continue to act according to the highest standards of professionalism, courtesy, and respect.

The following morning on April 29, the embassy released a response that accused Australian officials of leaking information and the contents of the phone call to the media.

The embassy said that China doesnt play petty tricks, but then went on to contradict this statement by saying, But if others do, we have to reciprocate.

The Chinese regime has increasingly been vocal in its complaints about Australian public officials and media who speak and report about the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

Related Coverage Australia Echoes US Calls for Investigation Into CCP Virus Outbreak

Tensions escalated this week after Cheng told the Australian Financial Review in an April 26 interview that the Chinese public may boycott Australian products and universities if it probes the virus origins. This has been seen as a threat by many in Australia.

I think some of the comments are very much out of line and regrettable, the home affairs minister told 5AA Radio.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Chinas latest criticisms of Australia are ludicrous.

Its prudent and sensible for there to be an independent and transparent investigation to the origins of this global pandemic, he told Sky News on April 28.

We wont bow to economic coercion, we will continue to talk up in Australias national interest, and we wont trade off health outcomes for economic outcomes.

Read More Australian Home Affairs Minister Stands Firm on Virus Inquiry

Former Labor minister Stephen Conroy told Sky News that the embassys leak of some edited comments from a conversation with the Secretary of DFAT was to their own advantage and demonstrates theyre not interested in returning to the status quo. He said the CCP want to bend Australia to its will.

Conroy said Australia sent a strong message that it would not be bullied.

The Stakes for China

Michael Shoebridge, director of the Defence and National Security Strategy and Policy program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said Chinas actions are anxiety masquerading as strength.

The stakes are high for the Chinese government not just internationally but domestically, because a credible international inquiry into the pandemic and events and actions within China at the start will undercut Beijings rewriting of history that is trying to tell us the Party is triumphant over COVID, he told The Epoch Times via email on April 29.

Chinas Australian embassy is acting no differently to other ones around the world. Shoebridge said several ambassadors have been called in by their hosting governments over similar aggressive behaviour.

This behaviour by Ambassador Cheng and the Chinese Embassy shows the enormous pressure that Beijing is under because of their failure to be transparent about the beginning of the pandemic in Wuhan and the Chinese authorities roles in the early part of what is now a global public health and economic crisis, Shoebridge said.

Chinas Economic Threats

A successful trade relationship with China will depend on its respecting Australias sovereignty and independence, Morrison told reporters.

Morrison believes Australia and China can maintain its strategic partnership, even as the virus origins are investigated.

Related Coverage Australia Not Afraid of Chinas Economic Threats As It Pushes for Independent Investigation

He also doesnt appear to be afraid of Chinas threat of economic consequences.

Australia will find markets, as we have now for a long time, all around the world, he said.

The predominance of our trade relationship with China is obviously resources based, and I see no reason why that would alter in the future. The thing about our relationship with China is its a mutually beneficial one.

Call to Reset China Relations

Crossbench senator Rex Patrick said in a press release on April 29 that Australias relations with China needed a reset following Chengs threat of a Chinese boycott.

The Ambassador revealed Chinas true diplomatic face and confirmed concerns about Chinas preference for control and coercion rather than partnership, said Patrick.

Australia is at a strategic, diplomatic, and economic turning point in our relations with China, he said.

Patrick will try for a sixth-time to establishing a parliamentary inquiry into relations with communist China when Parliament sits next month.
Dr Prathap Tharyan and Dr T Jacob John By

Indias economy was shut down on March 24, the collateral damage of the precipitous lockdown to control Covid-19. It was extended to May 3, with interim plans to relax restrictions to mitigate human hardship and initiate economic recovery.

No relaxation is envisaged in districts identified as COVID-19 red zone hotspots, based on the number and clustering of infected persons. They may be redesignated to non-hotspot orange zones if no new infections occur over 14 days, or green zones if this lasts 28 days. Even Kerala, well ahead of other states in reducing new infections while alleviating economic distress, has six hotspot districts, illustrating the value of zoning.

Public participation is critical to prevent new hotspots and expedite phased restarting of lockdown-restricted economic activity. Averting further lockdowns is essential for sustained economic and social recovery. Effective social mobilisation is a powerful antidote to the lack of control that citizens under lockdown perceive over their lives and livelihood. It is a catalyst for facilitating and expediting mitigation measures and government-driven post-lockdown economic recovery plans. It is most effective when society owns and drives it, hence the benefits must make sense to everyone.

Everybody needs to understand that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is highly infectious. Many infected people are asymptomatic, and hence unlikely to be tested. They infect others (for up to three weeks) and contaminate commonly used objects through coughing, sneezing, or even talking. Infected people develop immunity as they recover; currently, it is unclear how robust and durable immunity is. Most people who develop COVID-19 symptoms recover. Some with severe symptoms need intensive care. Around 2% to 3% die, especially if they are elderly and/or have coexisting medical conditions. Co-morbid conditions associated with COVID-19 deaths (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases) are common among younger adults in India. Most young people without co-morbidity recover, but potentially after infecting others.

Preventing infections requires everybody to: maintain physical distance from others; wear face masks in public; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser after touching potentially contaminated objects or surfaces, and regularly disinfect surroundings.

A sustained decrease in new infections will save lives and permit the resumption of economic activities until effective treatments (that reduce viral loads, prevent deaths, reduce further infections) or a preventive vaccine become available.

Government-designated colour-coded zones are district-wise infection control areas. It follows that infection control measures have to be part of everyday life in villages, towns and cities, across each district, for the foreseeable future. If not, when new infections emerge, the locality and district could be re-designated as hotspots and have severe restrictions or a total lockdown reimposed. It is in everyones best interest to ensure that neighbourhoods and districts remain infection-free green zones.

The private sector (formal and non-formal) is the backbone of the Indian economy, accounting for the vast majority of Indias workforce. Its enormous potential must be unshackled and harnessed effectively in government-citizen partnerships to combat this epidemic of economic downturn and restart sustainable economic recovery.

Since hotspots and containment zones are district-level designations, each district urgently needs a Covid-19 Task Force with representatives of: district administration, civil society, health, educational, agricultural, business and industry establishments, and NGOs. This task force (aided by implementation units at taluk, block, municipality, panchayat, township and even neighbourhood levels) should identify and collaborate with institutions planning to resume activities (whenever permitted) that cannot be done online or by working from home, to formulate a strategic plan and have standard operating procedures in place at the earliest.

Directives for establishments permitted to currently function are provided in the Ministry of Home Affairs order (No. 40-3/2020-DM-I(A)) dated April 15. Infection-control measures are also embedded in the operating guidelines provided to industries for the post-lockdown resumption of activities by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). They should be incorporated in all SOPs.

Establishments wishing to resume operations early could repurpose some or all of their activities to those considered essential or permitted by the MHA order. Innovative use of manpower and technology can be directed to developing affordable, reliable and efficient ways to: disseminate accurate information; counter misinformation; aid case detection and contact tracing; test for infection and immunity; ensure infection-control directives are not breached; protect frontline workers and the public; ensure treatment of critically ill patients; continue routine immunisation and antenatal care; ensure financial and food security, particularly for the vulnerable. Such a collaborative endeavour has huge potential for immediate and long-term economic and social benefits.

Every establishment needs to identify facilitators and barriers to adopting safe practices, to ensure employees have the knowledge and resources to observe recommended infection-control measures at work and outside, and to keep their families and neighbourhoods infection-free. This requires district-wide coordinated action and collaboration with contiguous districts, where some of their workforces may reside and supply chains may be located.

Rotary, Lions and other service groups are invaluable partners to disseminate accurate information and facilitate welfare measures. They can involve people from all sections of society in their spheres of influence, to ensure the greening of affected India, district by district.

District-level government-civil society collaborative platforms have the potential to shape the narrative regarding the nature of future economic activities: redressing socio-economic inequity and any communal disharmony, and mitigating even the deleterious effects of climate change and future pandemics. These collaborations are vital for a salubrious social revolution.

Dr Prathap Tharyan

Adjunct Professor, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, CMC, Vellore

Dr T Jacob John

Retired Professor of Virology

(Email IDs: prathaptharyan@mail.com, tjacobjohn@yahoo.co.in)
China has decided to hold the annual meeting of its ceremonial parliament late next month after postponing it for weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday said the National Peoples Congress would open in Beijing on May 22, according to a decision made by its standing committee, which handles most legislative affairs outside the annual two-week session of the full body.

The convening of the full session, which would encompass about 3,000 members, indicates Chinas growing confidence that it has largely overcome the pandemic that was first detected in China late last year.

The meeting normally held in March involves bringing delegates from across the country by plane and train to Beijing, where they first meet to hear a state of the country address from Premier Li Keqiang, seated shoulder-to-shoulder in the colossal auditorium at the Great Hall of the People.

It wasnt clear from the report whether delegates would be meeting in person or virtually and there was no word on any meeting of the congress advisory body that meets around the same time.

China on Wednesday reported a jump in imported cases of coronavirus, but no new deaths from the disease it causes.

Out of 22 new cases, 21 were brought from abroad and one was a result of local transmission in the southern industrial province of Guangdong, the National Health Commission said. China, where the pandemic began, has registered 4,633 deaths from the virus among 82,858 cases.

Authorities have relaxed social distancing restrictions, but have maintained strict quarantine rules on those coming from abroad or other parts of the country to ward off a second wave of virus cases as summer approaches.

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KAMPALA  In the continued fight against COVID-19, Airtel Uganda has on Wednesday, April 29 contributed UGX1. 25b to the ministry of health.

According to the companys Managing Director VG Somasekhar, the contribution handed over to Ministrys Permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine is to primarily support health workers on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.

We are really grateful for the work that the Ministry has done when it comes to health care and we have no doubt that you have done your very best in this fight so far, said.

He added that, However, Airtel being a responsible corporate citizen, we want to ensure that we are able to stand with the country and support you, hence, our contribution of 1.25 Billion Uganda shillings.

Dr. Atwine said Airtel right from the time the outbreak began, they have been with us. They have been supporting our policies and messages, helping disseminate the right information to our people, opened special channels for donations, and so much more and we are grateful for the support.

Airtels Board Chairman Mr Hannington Karuhanga commended the government, ministry of health and other stake holders for being at the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.

It is a privilege and honor as corporate citizens, we felt that as part of the community, we make our presence known with a humble token of contribution for the Ministry of Healths efforts which we applaud, associate with and continue to appreciate the Ministry itself, as well as the government for being at the frontline in helping the country and region generally in making sure that we contain this challenge,  said Karuhanga.

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NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE A s someone who spent her career working for Democratic politicians and advocating liberal causes, Tara Reade was shocked by the treatment shes received from her co-partisans since publicly accusing Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her when she worked as a staff assistant in his office in 1993.

Reade, 56, claims that in the spring or summer of 1993, a senior staffer told her to meet Biden in a Capitol corridor to deliver a duffel bag. While there, she says, Biden forced her against the wall and penetrated her with his fingers. She first made the allegation during a podcast with political reporter Katie Halper last month and has since described the alleged ordeal in interviews with the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Business Insider.

Reade told National Review in a Tuesday phone interview that, since coming forward, shes been subjected to shocking treatment from those she had expected to come to her aid: the very people who championed a womans right to be believed during the Kavanaugh confirmation episode two years prior, which Reade confirmed she followed at the time.

Bidens guilt has by no means been established. But the candidate himself has yet to be asked about the allegation at all  despite sitting for interviews with a host of prominent reporters over the past month. His campaign spokeswoman has re-upped a single categorical denial when asked for comment following each new development.

Two women, one a former neighbor and the other a former coworker, recently told Business Insider that Reade described the incident in separate conversations two years after it allegedly occurred. Reades brother and one friend have also said she told them about the assault soon after it happened. But other former Biden staffers, including several that Reade says she had told about the incident, have denied her account.

Reade initially claimed in 2019 that Biden had touched her back and neck in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, but she didnt say anything about sexual assault. She now attributes that apparent inconsistency to fear about the repercussions of making such an extreme claim about a presidential nominee.

Story continues

I was too frightened to come forward at first, Reade said, adding that she nearly overcame her initial trepidation in the fall, but stopped short of publicizing the allegation after receiving a death threat.

Reade emphasized that when she came forward with her allegation, she didnt expect the reaction that Democrats, journalists, and Me Too activists displayed during the Kavanaugh confirmation  just the minimal level of respect accorded to women alleging sexual assault in more normal circumstances. (Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford was unable to present a single contemporaneous witness to support her account.) I was just hoping to get a fair and equal treatment, Reade says, but because its Joe Biden Ive been silenced or smeared.

Immediately after her appearance on Halpers podcast, Reade claims, the Biden campaign dug through her private Instagram account and scoured her years-old online writing, in which she praises Russia and Vladimir Putin, and sent the results to the New York Times in order to cast doubt on her allegation. She also alleges that the campaign used bots to spread the narrative that she was a Russian agent. National Review was unable to confirm either accusation. Much of the ensuing coverage by left-leaning and mainstream publications  the same outlets that credulously accepted Fords allegation as fact  has included descriptions of Reades past Putin flattery and emphasized her support for Bernie Sanderss primary candidacy, raising the possibility that Reade had ulterior motives in escalating her allegations against Biden to include sexual assault.

While the Biden campaigns hostile response to the allegation constituted an understandable damage-control effort from a man on the cusp of the presidency, Reade thought she might at least get a hearing from prominent female Democrats who have championed sexual-assault survivors in the past. Before she went public with the allegation, in an effort to secure a platform to tell her story, Reade sent letters to senators Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.) in the fall of last year, laying out the allegation and asking for help in publicizing Bidens conduct. Warren, who argued on the floor of the Senate that Blasey Fords allegation was sufficient to disqualify Brett Kavanaugh, responded with a form letter informing Reade that she couldnt help because Reade was not a constituent of hers and suggesting that she reach out to her own representatives. Harris, who similarly insisted on the veracity of Blasey Fords claim despite the lack of evidence, didnt respond to Reades letter at all.

Why would you not call me or reach out to me directly? What do you really believe regarding harassment because you say we should stick up for vulnerable people. I was vulnerable, I was just a staff assistant, Reade said when asked what message she would like to convey to Harris and Warren. Are they going to allow me to continue being smeared or are they going to stand up for me?

Since going public on Halpers podcast, Reade has reached out to the offices of senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.). She said she was particularly disappointed with Ocasio-Cortez, given the freshman congresswomans past comments about gender disparity in the workplace and the importance of amplifying the voices of sexual-assault survivors.

I watched AOC give a speech about protecting people being taken advantage of in the workplace, Reade said. Where does she stand now? She endorsed Joe Biden. Why are you endorsing my rapist?

Ocasio-Cortez, Warren, and Harris all failed to respond to a request for comment by press time. Their fellow Democrats have been similarly mute  save for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who once urged an FBI investigation into Kavanaughs conduct. She said she stands by Biden when asked Tuesday about Reades claim. Hes devoted his life to supporting women, and he has vehemently denied this allegation, she told reporters on a conference call.

Reade  who, in addition to working for Biden, worked for Representative Leon Panetta and California state senator Jack OConnell, both Democrats  says she has left the Democratic Party for good and will never vote for another Democrat at the national level. I think the DNC is a sham and their silence around what happened to me as a Democratic staffer is unconscionable, she said. I was on the job when I got raped. They are complicit in rape.

More from National Review
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission has revised its traditional support programs, including those targeting Eastern Partnership countries, Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General, European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission said, Trend reports.

Mathernova made the statement during a press conference held in video-format.

She said that the corresponding decision was made in order to provide support relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that in this regard, three ways of support were considered: firstly, humanitarian and medical assistance, secondly, institutional support to the medical organizations and healthcare in general, and thirdly, support for the economy and prevention of the economic crisis.

We took measures early on. Thus, on April 8, 2020 we published a plan, within the framework of which it became possible to mobilize and redirect about 10 billion euros. In turn, for the countries of the Eastern Partnership, we managed to mobilize almost one billion euros, including through bilateral and regional financing, which was allocated through financial institutions, she said.

Mathernova clarified that among the main support measures provided by the European Commission is the financial support of WHO in the amount of 30 million euros, which were directed not so much to solve all the problems that arose in the Eastern Partnership countries amid pandemic, but to asses and solve immediate problems like purchasing the necessary protective equipment in a centralized way.

We have also allocated approximately 80 million euros for short-term humanitarian assistance, which has been directed both to WHO and to support the most vulnerable groups of society, she said. Thus, Mathernova noted, one of the support measures provided by the European Commission in Azerbaijan was the provision of food packages to almost 500 families.

Talking the future of the Eastern Partnership, Mathernova reminded that on March 18 this year, the Joint Communication: Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020: Reinforcing Resilience was approved, which has become very important and useful in the current conditions.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
OTTAWADerek Sloan is facing a potential showdown with his fellow Conservative MPs after the leadership candidate refused to apologize for questioning the loyalty of Canadas chief public health officer.

In an emergency regional caucus meeting Tuesday night, Ontario MPs voted to demand an apology from the rookie MP for asking if Dr. Theresa Tam worked for Canada or for China. If he refused, two Conservative sources told the Star MPs were prepared to call for a vote to kick Sloan out of caucus.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Sloan decided to take that chance.

The question regarding whether she works for Canada or for China was a rhetorical one, Sloan wrote in a letter posted to his social media feeds.

I am not questioning Dr. Tams loyalty to Canada, and of course Justin Trudeau is ultimately responsible for following her advice. But, in both cases, I am questioning their judgment and their competency to do the job, not their motives.

Sloan, the MP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington, has faced widespread criticism  including from within his own party  for questioning Tams loyalty to Canada.

In a video posted to social media last week, Sloan suggested Tam was spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, accused her of parroting lines from the World Health Organization, and asked if Tam  who was born in Hong Kong  was working for Canada or working for China.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer initially refused to condemn Sloans comments when asked about them last week. However, he told reporters on Monday that he didnt agree with them.

I believe it is not appropriate to question someones loyalty to their country, Scheer said. I believe that is a very serious accusation that you have to have some very substantial evidence to make.

The push by Ontario caucus members to have Sloan apologize  and his refusal to do so  could put pressure on Scheer to take a stronger stand. But one Conservative source told the Star last week that Scheer may be reluctant to be drawn into a conversation about the candidates vying to replace him.

Sloan is one of two socially conservative candidates running for the party leadership  the other is Leslyn Lewis  in a four-person contest thats widely seen as a two-way race between former cabinet ministers Peter MacKay and Erin OToole.

Multiple sources suggested that leadership politics was playing a role in the debate Tuesday night. The Ontario caucus includes at least 12 MPs and two senators who have endorsed MacKay.

MacKay was the last leader of the Progressive Conservative party before its merger with the Canadian Alliance. He has previously raised the ire of social conservatives by referring to their causes as a stinking albatross that hung around Scheers neck during the 2019 election.

OTooles campaign has repeatedly made the point that all types of conservatives would be welcome under his leadership. Four sources confirmed OToole participated in the Ontario caucus meeting Tuesday.

The MacKay campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for OToole said they dont comment on matters of caucus confidentiality.

While both Scheer and Stephen Harper repeatedly vowed not to reopen debate on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, the so-cons still carry considerable weight  and organizing power  within the Conservative movement.

In an email to supporters earlier this week, the anti-abortion lobby group Campaign Life Coalition urged its supports to save Sloans candidacy and his place within the Conservative caucus.

At first, Andrew Scheer brushed off media suggestions that Sloan should be ejected from the Conservative Party caucus and blocked from continuing to run as a leadership candidate  Good for Andrew, so we thought, the organization wrote.

But after a few days of intense hounding by journalists, Scheer finally cracked  Scheer refused to say whether or not he would expel Derek Sloan.

Campaign Life urged its members to call Conservative MPs to demand that they defend Sloan against any effort to either disqualify him from the leadership race or expel him from caucus.

Sloan, meanwhile, blamed the whole episode on Liberal MPs and media outlets for pushing a deliberate mischaracterization of my critique of Dr. Tam.

Conservative caucus is expected to meet via video conference next Wednesday.

Read more about:
Kry  known in English-speaking markets as "Livi"  offers an app that connects patients with family doctors. Kry

Swedish digital health start-up Kry has launched a video consultation platform in the U.S., marking the firm's first expansion beyond Europe. The Stockholm-based company is one of Europe's largest digital health care providers, facilitating 1.8 million consultations to date. Its closest competitor is Britain's Babylon, which has racked up over 2 million consultations. Kry  known in English-speaking markets as "Livi"  isn't bringing its main app to the States. Instead, it's rolling out Livi Connect, a free video consultation platform with less features, in response to a spike in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Johannes Schildt, Kry's CEO and co-founder, said a full launch could be a potential revenue driver for the company down the line, but added such a move would depend on how well its Livi Connect product performs "post-pandemic."

Johannes Schildt, co-founder and CEO of Swedish health tech start-up Kry. Kry

"It's an entry point," Schildt told CNBC in an interview. "It's not a full market launch in terms of launching the full product offering, but an extension of our already-existing product with the U.S." "It's needed at times of crisis," he added. "Every single consultation that can be done online should be done online. There's a lack right now of safe and secure tools that are built for this."

Kry is one of several telemedicine start-ups that have witnessed rapid growth thanks to the coronavirus outbreak. With citizens across the globe sheltering in place due to lockdown restrictions, patients are being encouraged to instead undergo triage and see their doctors remotely over the phone or online. Babylon also has ambitions to expand in the U.S., with CEO and co-founder Ali Parsa having recently told CNBC the company aims to lure as much as 5% of the country's population to its telehealth platform.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has slammed Congress party and Rahul Gandhi regarding the wilful defaulters list issue, saying they "attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner". She also accused the Congress of failing to show any commitment or inclination to stop "corruption and cronyism", neither while in power nor in the opposition.

The Finance Minister clarified that provisions were made for NPAs (non-performing assets) as per the four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the Reserve Bank of India. "Upon full provisioning being done, banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower. No loan is waived off," she explained. She said that those defaulters who did not repay despite having the capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission were categorised as "wilful defaulters". "They are those well-connected promoters, who benefitted from UPA's 'Phone banking'," she alleged.

@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism. Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 28, 2020

Sitharaman, citing former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan's words, said: "A large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008...Too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans...Public sector bankers continued financing promoters even ...while private sector banks were getting out. RBI could have raised more flags about the quality of lending... RR Rajan. (Source: @IndiaToday Sept 11, 2018, and many other print & electronic media)."

She said from 2015, PSBs were asked by the Centre to check all NPAs that were greater than Rs 50 crore for 'wilful default'. Talking about the actions taken by the Modi government, Sitharaman said in the Nirav Modi case, immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore were attached or seized (attachment Rs 1,898 crore and seizure Rs 489.75 crore). "This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK," she added.

In the Mehul Choksi case, the FM said the attachments worth Rs 1,936.95 crore had been done, including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore and seizures of Rs 597.75 crore. "Red notice issued. Extradition Request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as Fugitive Offender is in progress," she said.

The FM said that in the Vijay Mallya case, the total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. "Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. "Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, the UK High Court has also ruled for extradition," she added.

The FM said as many as "9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking the Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now". The total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya was Rs 18,332.7 crore, she revealed.

In his reaction, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters but the finance minister did not answer his question. Now, the RBI has given out the list which includes Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJP's "friends", he said. On this, the FM said: "Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically or prudentially written off, pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Rahul Gandhi on March 16."

The Congress party on Tuesday hit out at the Modi government over the RBI's list of wilful defaulters. As per details provided by the Reserve Bank of India to an RTI query, banks have "technically" written off a whopping Rs 68,607 crore in outstanding loans of top 50 wilful defaulters, including of firms belonging to fugitive economic offenders Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya, till September 30, 2019. The Congress party also alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore from 2014 till September 2019.

Also read: E-Conclave Corona Series: 'Good job by PM Modi but India still faces huge challenge,' says Thomas Friedman
Now you can give a tube of blood at a Quest Diagnostics service center and get a test to check for coronavirus antibodies  a sign of immune response. You don't need a prescription from your doctor, but you do need to pay upfront. Read more

Wondering whether you, like countless others, have had a coronavirus infection but didnt realize it because you had no symptoms?

Now you can get a Quest Diagnostics test that checks for antibodies  a sign of immune response  to the virus, and you dont even need an order from your doctor.

Theres a catch: If you are insured and you go through your doctor, youll pay nothing out of pocket. But if you request the same test on your own, Quest, a leading diagnostics company, will charge you $113, plus a $10.30 service fee.

Thats because of a gray area in the new federal law, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. It requires diagnostic and antibody tests ordered by a health-care provider  including telemedicine providers  to be covered by health insurers without cost-sharing.

The law says nothing about direct-to-consumer sales, or whether the physician ordering the test can be employed by the testing company. Under Quests setup, the consumer requests and pays for the test online, a Quest physician orders the test after making sure its appropriate, then the consumer has a tube of blood drawn at one of Quests 2,200 patient service centers. The results take a day or two to come back, and a Quest physician can discuss the results via telemedicine.

With the introduction of this test and service, Quest is making it easy for people to access quality testing for antibodies, with access to physician interpretation and steering into needed care, Quest chief medical officer Jay Wohlgemuth said in a statement Tuesday.

A Quest spokesperson said the new service does not fall under the federal law because its a different offering. Its consumer-driven.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work, and life? Ask our reporters.

Asked about direct-to-consumer sales of coronavirus antibody tests, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesperson said it is allowed as long as the testing is still prescription-based, with collection done at a collection site by trained health-care providers, with testing done in a high-complexity lab.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the Health and Human Services Department did not respond to The Inquirers questions about whether such tests are exempt from the cost provisions of the new federal law.

The value of testing for antibodies after an infection ends remains to be seen. Scores of companies are now marketing tests. Quests version has received emergency authorization from the FDA, but most have not. Many private and government entities around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are rushing to test various groups.

Although accuracy has been a problem, the hope is that the technology can help define the scope of outbreaks, the rate of asymptomatic transmission, and identify people with immunity. In theory, they could safely go back to work without social distancing. However, as Quests news release warned, we do not yet know whether the development of antibodies provides protection from reinfection, or how long such protection lasts.

The FDA has explicitly said that antibody tests may not be used as the sole basis to diagnose or rule out COVID-19.

Diagnostic testing for the coronavirus continues to require molecular analysis of a nasal swab sample collected from a patient.

In announcing the consumer-initiated antibody test, Quest stressed that it is not for people with an active infection or symptoms, and they may not visit Quest patient service centers, which are not equipped to collect respiratory specimens.

LabCorp, another diagnostics company with patient service centers across the country, recently launched an antibody test but is so far sticking to the traditional ask your provider sales model. There are no upfront out-of-pocket costs to people who receive an order for a test through a doctor or health care provider, the company said in a news release.
Libya: EU Irini mission operational in coming days Agreement reached between countries

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, APRIL 29 - Irini, the new European naval mission to monitor a UN arms embargo on Libya, will be operational in the coming days, explained Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. An agreement was reached yesterday among member states for the provision of the first vessels, airplanes and satellites necessary to start the operation and ''the vast majority of countries has pledged to allocate personnel and means for the mission in the short term. This will enable Irini to have an initial operational cabability quite soon'', said the spokesman.



(ANSAmed).




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Linkedin Beh Lih Yi (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Wed, April 29, 2020 18:50 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd50d08a 2 World Japan,same-sex-couples,same-sex-partners,same-sex-relationships,same-sex-marriage,business,loan,LGBTQ,LGBT-rights Free

A Japanese charity has won the backing of businesses from banks to insurers for a new scheme offering digital partnership certificates that allow same-sex couples to tap into the same staff benefits as heterosexual ones.

The Famiee Project said it wanted to spur change by tapping into growing business support for LGBT+ rights in socially conservative Japan and aims to sign up 100 businesses by the time it launches the scheme in July.

Gay marriage is illegal in Japan and although about two dozen cities, towns and wards issue same-sex partnership certificates, they lack legal standing and prejudice persists.

"If we have a big network of corporations that support us, we can persuade the government to change the law," said Famiee Project founder Koki Uchiyama.

"That kind of movement is already happening in Japan," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Tokyo, referring to the growing business support for LGBT+ rights.

The scheme has so far been endorsed by 17 companies including banking firm Mizuho Financial Group, insurer Sompo Japan and Hotto Link, a public-listed data firm where Uchiyama is the chief executive.

Some of the 17 firms have already recognized certificates issued by local authorities, but these documents can only be used in the area they are issued.

Famiee Project said its digital certificates will use blockchain technology and QR codes for record and verification, making it easier for nationwide use.

The project aims to get 100 companies on board by July to provide same-sex couples with benefits such as marriage or parental leave.

It also wants the firms to accept the certificates for services such as opening joint bank account or naming insurance beneficiaries.

The Justice Ministry and Welfare Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Japan's laws on LGBT+ issues are relatively liberal compared with many Asian countries, with same-sex relations legal since 1880, but being openly gay remains largely taboo.

About a third of Japanese companies have measures in place to support gay couples, but discrimination is still common, according to Nijiiro Diversity, which campaigns for LGBT+ rights in the workplace.

"This certificate alone is not effective. The government should give more support to companies working towards measures on LGBT+ rights," said the group founder Maki Muraki.

Activist Ai Nakajima said she hoped the scheme would spur government into action.

"Companies are changing, but the government is not changing. So tax benefits or health insurance benefits are still not possible," said Nakajima, who was among 13 same-sex couples to sue the government over the right to gay marriage last year.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has said that same-sex marriage was "incompatible" with the constitution, although public polls showing growing acceptance in recent years.
Photo: (Photo : pixabay.com)

Police are investigating what seems to be a murder-suicide case in San Antonio, Texas.

The case involves a boy who is only three years old, his sister, five years old, their grandmother, 69 years old, and mother, 38 years old, who also turns out to be the suspect.

In a statement by the chief of the San Antonio Police Department, William McManus, the incident was described as tragic and is beyond words.

The Investigation

The initial investigation by the San Antonio Police Department reveals that the mother shot to death her kids and their grandmother, later turning on the gun to herself, taking her life.

The police initially responded to a call about a dead person. It was in the apartment complex in the gated Sedona Ranch, which is at 17655 Henderson Pass.

The father of the children made the call to the police. He peeked through the window of the apartment and saw the bodies in the rooms.

He had been trying to contact the mother of his children but could not reach her for days. He decided to check the apartment on Monday, April 27; a horrific scene met him.

The police found four bodies inside the apartment. The bodies were in two different rooms.

Authorities are still investigating the possible number of days the bodies have been there. Medical examiners have already conducted their investigation on the crime scene.

The Possible Reason Behind the Killing

Chief McManus has already ruled out the connection of the shootings to the stress brought by the coronavirus because the father shared with authorities the possible reason behind the case.

Chief McManus shared with the media that "according to the father, she [mother] had lost custody of the children very, very, very recently, and this was the terrible end result of that."

Although the incident ended in a very terrible way, the now estranged husband shared with the police that his wife had no prior manifestation of violence.

Recorded Murder-Suicide Cases

Chief McManus, in his briefing, shared that they have seen other cases with the same scenario. When a parent loses custody of his or her children, whatever the reason is, this parent could resort to murder and then suicide.

In May 2018, a case similar was also recorded in Texas. Three children, including their mother and her boyfriend, were shot by the father, in their house in Ponder, Texas. The mother survived the shooting and said that she had warned authorities about the mental state of her former husband, but she claims no one heard her out. She and her husband divorced in 2017.

Also, just recently, in March, a boy was killed by his father in California. The father shot his 10-year-old boy after losing the custody battle over the child against the mother. The perpetrator has expressed suicidal thoughts since 2016. That was also the reason why the mother of the child was granted temporary sole custody. The gun used by the father was legally purchased after mental professionals cleared him.




Southfield, Michigan, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sun Communities, Inc. (SUI) (the Company), a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates or has an interest in manufactured housing and recreational vehicle communities, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of 3,600,000 shares of its common stock. The Company expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 540,000 shares of its common stock.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to repay borrowings outstanding under the revolving loan under its senior credit facility, to fund possible future acquisitions of properties and for working capital and general corporate purposes. Citigroup, BofA Securities, BMO Capital Markets and RBC Capital Markets are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 telephone: (800) 831-9146; by contacting BofA Securities, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte NC 28255-0001, Attn: Prospectus Department or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com ; by contacting BMO Capital Markets, 3 Times Square, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10036, Attention: Syndicate Department, Telephone: (800) 414-3627, or by email at bmoprospectus@bmo.com ; or by contacting RBC Capital Markets, LLC, 200 Vesey Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10281-8098; Attention: Equity Syndicate; Phone: 877-822-4089; Email: equityprospectus@rbccm.com. The underwriters may offer the shares of our common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the NYSE, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.

Story continues

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale is not permitted.

Sun Communities, Inc. is a REIT that, as of March 31, 2020, owned, operated, or had an interest in a portfolio of 424 communities comprising nearly 142,000 developed sites in 33 states and Ontario, Canada.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Company intends that such forward-looking statements will be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will," "may," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believes," "intends," "should," "plans," "estimates," "approximate," "guidance," and similar expressions in this press release that predict or indicate future events and trends and that do not report historical matters.

These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and financial performance, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related stay-at-home orders, quarantine policies and restrictions on travel, trade and business operations; national, regional and local economic climates, the ability to maintain rental rates and occupancy levels, competitive market forces, the performance of recent acquisitions, the ability to integrate future acquisitions smoothly and efficiently, changes in market rates of interest, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, the ability of manufactured home buyers to obtain financing and the level of repossessions by manufactured home lenders. Further details of potential risks that may affect the Company are described in the Companys periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the "Risk Factors" sections of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to provide public updates, revisions or amendments to any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect changes in the Company's assumptions, expectations of future events, or trends.

For Further Information at the Company:

Karen J. Dearing

Chief Financial Officer

(248) 208-2500

www.suncommunities.com
Outbreak at local nursing homes results in multiple deaths

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Churches prepare to reopen

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Southeast Texas' new normal

Click through this photo gallery to see how Southeast Texans have adjusted during the coronavirus pandemic. See more here.

Beaumont residents address mayor nail salon visit

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By the numbers

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Filing Toxic Exposure Claims During the COVID-19 Pandemic. How Does it Work?

You may be entitled to asbestos compensation. Find out if you are eligible.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply influenced every aspect of our lives and will probably continue doing so for months to come. As it continues to spread at a fast pace throughout our country, we cannot help but ask ourselves what the future holds and what is going to happen if we get infected.

This anxiety, these questions, the fear of the unknown are all normal reactions to what is happening right now. While some might have already experienced war, recession, epidemics and even hunger, some are just now facing the reality of how fragile the human being actually is, of how fast we can lose what yesterday we took for granted. However, we are all noticing how lucky we are that despite all the gloom that has unexpectedly covered the entire world, we still have all this information and technology that helps us support each other while we get through this.

But while this crisis is keeping the headlines right now, we must not forget that there are still thousands of people discovering that they suffer from a serious illness every day. The American Cancer Society estimates that this year, over 4,000 people will receive a cancer diagnosis daily, with almost 2 million new cancer cases in total until the end of the year. Many of these patients are and will be former industrial workers or veterans who have served in various branches of the military and have been exposed to toxic agents. For them, this period is even more difficult as this virus has the potential to be even more dangerous than cancer itself. This is why its advisable to file a claim for workers compensation sooner rather than later.

What Are the Eligibility Conditions for Occupational Asbestos Exposure Claims?

Between 1940 and 1980, numerous manufacturers have exposed their workers to carcinogenic toxic agentsknowingly or unknowingly. In part, this was because they did not offer efficient protective gear and because some were not even well-informed on just how harmful these agents can be for human health. Some have intentionally concealed evidence that their use of toxic agents was putting workers at high risk for developing serious diseases.
Recap: Google has notoriously struggled in the social networking sector. Its most famous example, the aforementioned Google+, launched in 2011. After getting off to a promising start, however, the social network ultimately failed to compete with rival Facebook and other budding platforms like Instagram.

Google has announced that it is shutting down experimental social networking app Shoelace.

Developed by Googles experimental workshop, Area 120, the app launched in mid-2019 shortly after the consumer arm of Google+ was sunset. As The Verge recounts, the hyperlocal social networking app was designed to help users organize local activities and events. It rolled out on an invite-only basis in New York City where it remained for the duration of its short run.

In a recently updated FAQ, Google said that given the current health crisis, they dont believe now is the right time to invest further in the project. As such, it will be shut down on May 12 at which time all user accounts will be deleted and the apps backend will be removed from Googles servers permanently.

Interested parties can download an exported version of their user data here.

Google said it has no plans to reboot Shoelace in the future. Thats not uncommon considering many of Area 120s projects are short-lived, only run in order to test ideas and hopefully to learn something new.

Masthead credit: carroti
Katy ISD is looking to hire approximately 230 positions for the 2020-21 school year through an upcoming virtual job fair over the digital conference platform, Zoom.

Registration for the job fair runs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4 - 5. Zoom interviews for selected applicants will be held on May 6-8, according to a news release from the district.
The measures will be considered at the government's next meeting.

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers will consider new steps to ease quarantine-related restrictions for businesses.

"At the next meeting, we plan to consider a number of decisions on easing quarantine restrictions," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Facebook on April 29.

Read alsoPM Shmyhal reveals quarantine format change after May 11

"I have already instructed ministries and departments to develop criteria for facilities that will be gradually opening. As we will not only have to open shops, hairdressers and cafes, we should create conditions under which people's visits there do not translate into a new outbreak of the [coronavirus] disease," he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers on April 29 supported the criteria enabling food markets to re-open amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Continuation Virtual Plenary Public session on April 28, 2020. The Public meeting is a continuation of the meeting which was adjourned on April 27, 2020. The continuation meeting will be reconvened today, April 28, 2020, at 11.00 hrs. The Council of Ministers will be in attendance.

The agenda points is:

Ontwerp van Landsverordening tot vaststelling van de Begroting van het land Sint Maarten voor het dienstjaar 2020 (Landsverordeningbegroting 2020) (ZJ 2019-2020-136) (IS/764/2019-2020 d.d. 20 april 2020)

Draft National Ordinance establishing the Budget of the country of Sint Maarten for the financial year 2020 (National Ordinance Budget 2020) (Parliamentary 2019-2020-136) (IS/764/2019-2020 dated April 20, 2020)

Due to measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19), the House of Parliament is currently closed to the general public until further notice.

The parliamentary session will be held virtually and will be carried out live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 www.pearlfmradio.sx, via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten
Pakistani media mogul



Mir Shakilur Rehman, arrested on charges of illegally obtaining government land here over three decades ago when Nawaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab province, has been sent to jail on judicial remand after the country's anti-graft body did not seek his further custody.

Mir Shakilur Rahman, the editor-in-chief of the Jang group which owns some of Pakistan's widely circulated newspapers and the Geo television network, was arrested on March 12 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and was in its custody till April 28.

An accountability court on Tuesday sent Rehman to jail on judicial remand till May 12 after the prosecutor said the NAB did not need him anymore for investigation, the Dawn reported.

The charges against Rehman relating to the purchase of several plots of land in Lahore go back to 1986 when Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab province.

The NAB alleged that Sharif allowed Rahman illegally acquire more government-owned-land than he was allowed by law.

On April 27, the anti-graft body had issued an arrest warrant against the embattled former prime minister Sharif in the land corruption case.

The 70-year-old supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is currently in London for medical treatment.

According to NAB officials, Sharif illegally leased the land to Rehman.

At the outset of Rehman's remand hearing on Tuesday, NAB Special Prosecutor Asim Mumtaz told the court that he could not be brought for the hearing as he was admitted to a private hospital owing to bad health.

He also submitted a medical certificate of the hospital to the court. The prosecutor asked the court to send the suspect on judicial remand as the bureau did not need him anymore for investigation.

However, Presiding Judge Jawadul Hassan expressed displeasure over the bureau for not presenting the suspect before the court and also refused to entertain the medical certificate of a private hospital, the daily reported.

Later, the NAB brought Rehman to the court in an ambulance from the hospital. The prosecutor requested the court to permit Rehman to stay at the hospital during the judicial remand.

The judge turned down the request and observed that the NAB itself had the power to keep an under-trial prisoner at hospital.

Judge Hassan entrusted the custody of Rehman to superintendent of district jail with direction to produce him on May 12.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BOSTON, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Mutual Group Inc. ("Liberty Mutual") today announced the commencement of two related transactions to repurchase five series of its outstanding notes: its 6.500% Senior Notes due 2042, its 7.000% Senior Notes due 2034, its 6.500% Senior Notes due 2035, its 4.850% Senior Notes due 2044, and its 4.500% Senior Notes due 2049 (the "existing notes").

Exchange Offers

The first transaction consists of five separate private offers to exchange (the "exchange offers") any and all of each series of existing notes for newly issued notes of Liberty Mutual (the "new notes") and cash, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the offering memorandum dated April 28, 2020 (the "offering memorandum"), the eligibility letter and the accompanying exchange offer notice of guaranteed delivery (together with the offering memorandum, and the eligibility letter, the "exchange offer documents"). Only a holder who has duly completed and returned an eligibility letter certifying that it is either (1) a "qualified institutional buyer" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, as amended (the "Securities Act")); or (2) a person located outside the United States who is (i) not a "U.S. person" (as defined in Rule 902 under the Securities Act, (ii) not acting for the account or benefit of a U.S. person and (iii) a "Non-U.S. qualified offeree" (as defined below), is authorized to receive the offering memorandum and to participate in the exchange offers (such holders, "exchange offer eligible holders").

The new notes being offered in the exchange offers will be a further issuance of, and will be in addition to and form a single series with, the $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 3.950% Senior Notes due 2060 that Liberty Mutual priced earlier today (the "original notes"). The new notes are expected to be fungible with the original notes.

Each of the exchange offers will each expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 5, 2020 (the "exchange offer expiration date"), unless extended or earlier terminated. Tenders of the existing notes may be withdrawn at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 5, 2020, subject to extension, but will thereafter be irrevocable except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law.

The following table sets forth information regarding each of the exchange offers:















Composition of Hypothetical Total Exchange Consideration(1),(2),(3) CUSIP No. /ISIN Title of Security Principal

Amount

Outstanding Acceptance

Priority

Level Reference U.S.

Treasury Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page Fixed

Spread

(bps) New Notes Amount Cash Amount 53079EAZ7/US53079EAZ79 U52932AS6/USU52932AS62 6.500% Senior Notes due 2042 $269,852,000 1 2.375% U.S.T. due

11/15/2049 PX1 +240 bps $1,000.00 $438.08 53079EAE4/US53079EAE41 U52932AD9/USU52932AD93 7.000% Senior Notes due 2034 $152,647,000 2 2.375% U.S.T. due

11/15/2049 PX1 +220 bps $1,000.00 $395.23 53079EAG9/US53079EAG98 U52932AE7/USU52932AE76 6.500% Senior Notes due 2035 $301,113,000 3 2.375% U.S.T. due

11/15/2049 PX1 +220 bps $1,000.00 $359.30 53079EBF0/US53079EBF07 U52932AX5/USU52932AX57 U52932AY3/USU52932AY31 4.850% Senior Notes due 2044 $613,922,000 4 2.375% U.S.T. due

11/15/2049 PX1 +240 bps $1,000.00 $201.10 53079EBH6/US53079EBH62 U52932BE6/ USU52932BE67 U52932BF3/ USU52932BF33 4.500% Senior Notes due 2049 $350,000,000 5 2.375% U.S.T. due

11/15/2049 PX1 +245 bps $1,000.00 $150.29

--------





(1) To be paid in new notes and cash per $1,000 principal amount of existing notes validly tendered at or prior to the exchange offer expiration date and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the exchange offer withdrawal deadline of May 5, 2020, or in connection with the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth in the offering memorandum and in the exchange offer notice of guaranteed delivery, and whose existing notes are accepted for exchange, which cash amount is subject to adjustment upon the terms and conditions contained within the exchange offer documents. The cash payment excludes accrued and unpaid interest. Accrued and unpaid interest, if any, will be paid on the existing notes up to, but not including, the exchange offer settlement date (as described below), which will be reduced by the interest accrued from May 7, 2020, the initial issuance date of the original notes, up to, but not including, the exchange offer settlement date, if any. The first interest payment for the new notes will include accrued interest from May 7, 2020, if any. (2) Hypothetical cash amounts are shown for illustrative purposes only. Prices will be determined on the price determination date of May 5, 2020. (3) The Total Exchange Consideration in respect of the 4.500% Senior Notes due 2049 will be calculated based on December 15, 2048, the par call date for such series of existing notes.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the exchange offer documents, exchange offer eligible holders who validly tender existing notes at or prior to (i) the exchange offer expiration date or (ii) 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the second business day after the exchange offer expiration date (such date and time with respect to an exchange offer, as the same may be extended with respect to such exchange offer, the "exchange offer guaranteed delivery date") pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the offering memorandum (the "exchange offer guaranteed delivery procedures"), and who do not validly withdraw tendered existing notes, and whose existing notes are accepted for exchange by Liberty Mutual, will receive the applicable total exchange consideration for each $1,000 principal amount of such existing notes, which will be payable in a principal amount of new notes and cash. The "exchange offer settlement date" is expected to be May 7, 2020, which is the second business day following the exchange offer expiration date, for existing notes validly tendered in the exchange offers; provided that the exchange offer settlement date for any existing notes validly tendered in connection with the guaranteed delivery procedures pursuant to a notice of guaranteed delivery and accepted for exchange is expected to be May 8, 2020, which is the third business day following the exchange offer expiration date. Accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Existing Notes tendered for purchase will only accrue up to, but not including, the initial exchange offer settlement date of May 7, 2020.

In each of the exchange offers, Liberty Mutual is offering to exchange, for each $1,000 principal amount of the existing notes validly tendered at or prior to the exchange offer expiration date, or at or prior to the exchange offer guaranteed delivery date pursuant to the exchange offer guaranteed delivery procedures and not validly withdrawn, and accepted for exchange, the applicable "total exchange consideration", which, with respect to each series of existing notes, will consist of (i) a principal amount of new notes as applicable to such tendered series of existing notes and (ii) a cash amount determined as set forth in the offering memorandum, plus a cash payment representing unpaid interest, if any, that has accrued from the most recent interest payment date in respect of such existing notes up to, but not including, the applicable exchange offer settlement date as described herein; provided, that, if the accrued and unpaid interest that is due and payable on the applicable exchange offer settlement date on the new notes, if any, exceeds the accrued and unpaid interest that is payable on the applicable exchange offer settlement date on the existing notes, if any, then the cash amount, as applicable, payable to existing holders will be reduced by the difference between such amounts, and exchange offer eligible holders will not receive accrued and unpaid interest on the existing notes that is due and payable on the applicable exchange offer settlement date, if any.

The total exchange consideration for the existing notes of each series will be calculated at 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 5, 2020 (subject to extension), and will equal (rounded to the nearest cent), with respect to a series of existing notes, the discounted value on the applicable exchange offer settlement date of the remaining payments of principal and interest per $1,000 principal amount of such existing notes through the maturity date or par call date of such existing notes, using a yield, as calculated by the lead dealer managers, equal to (i) the sum of (A) the bid-side yield on the applicable Reference U.S. Treasury Security (as set forth in the table above), as of such determination date (or any recognized quotation source selected by the lead dealer managers in their sole discretion if such quotation report is not available or manifestly erroneous) plus (B) the applicable fixed spread specified in the table above, minus (ii) accrued and unpaid interest on such existing notes to but not including the applicable exchange offer settlement date.

The aggregate principal amount of the new notes issuable in the exchange offers is limited to $500,000,000 (the "new notes issuance limit"). If, at the exchange offer expiration date, the aggregate total exchange consideration payable for all validly tendered existing notes of a particular series (together with the aggregate total exchange consideration payable after exchanging all validly tendered existing notes of each series with a higher acceptance priority level (with acceptance priority level 1 being the highest)) is greater than the new notes issuance limit, then Liberty Mutual will not be obligated to accept for exchange, or issue any new notes in exchange for, such series of existing notes and may terminate the exchange offer with respect to such series of existing notes and each series of existing notes with a lower acceptance priority level. Either all validly tendered existing notes in an exchange offer will be accepted or no existing notes in a particular exchange offer will be accepted. There will be no proration of any series of existing notes.

Liberty Mutual's obligation to complete any exchange with respect to a given series of existing notes is also conditioned on the completion of the corresponding cash offer (as defined below) for such series of existing notes (with respect to each exchange offer, the "cash offer completion condition"). Liberty Mutual will terminate the exchange offer for a given series of existing notes if it terminates the cash offer for such series of existing notes, and it will terminate the cash offer for a given series of existing notes if it terminates the exchange offer for such series of existing notes. The termination of a cash offer for a series of existing notes will not impact the exchange offer for any other series of existing notes. If Liberty Mutual extends the cash offer for a series of existing notes for any reason, Liberty Mutual will extend the corresponding exchange offer for such series of existing notes. The cash offer completion condition cannot be waived by Liberty Mutual.

Consummation of the exchange offers is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of other conditions including the absence of certain adverse legal, accounting and market developments, as described in the exchange offer documents.

Global Bondholder Services Corporation will act as the information agent and the exchange agent for the exchange offers. Questions or requests for assistance related to the exchange offers or for additional copies of the exchange offer documents may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (866) 470-4300 (toll free) or (212) 430-3774 (collect). You may also contact your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the exchange offers. The exchange offer documents can be accessed at the following link: http://www.gbsc-usa.com/eligibility/liberty.

Cash Offers

The second transaction consists of five separate offers to purchase for cash (the "cash offers") any and all of each series of existing notes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the offer to purchase dated April 28, 2020 (the "offer to purchase"), the certification instructions letter and the accompanying cash offer notice of guaranteed delivery (together with the offer to purchase, and the certification instructions letter, the "tender offer documents"). Only holders who are not exchange offer eligible holders ("cash offer eligible holders") are eligible to participate in the cash offers. Holders of existing notes participating in the cash offers will be required to complete the certification instructions letter and certify that they are cash offer eligible holders.

CUSIP No. /ISIN Title of Security Principal

Amount

Outstanding Acceptance

Priority

Level Reference U.S.

Treasury Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page Fixed

Spread

(bps) Hypothetical

Total

Consideration

(1)(2)(3) 53079EAZ7/US53079EAZ79 U52932AS6/USU52932AS62 6.500% Senior Notes due 2042 $269,852,000 1 2.375% U.S.T. due 11/15/2049 PX1 +240 $1,438.08 53079EAE4/US53079EAE41 U52932AD9/USU52932AD93 7.000% Senior Notes due 2034 $152,647,000 2 2.375% U.S.T. due 11/15/2049 PX1 +220 $1,395.23 53079EAG9/US53079EAG98 U52932AE7/USU52932AE76 6.500% Senior Notes due 2035 $301,113,000 3 2.375% U.S.T. due 11/15/2049 PX1 +220 $1,359.30 53079EBF0/US53079EBF07 U52932AX5/USU52932AX57 U52932AY3/USU52932AY31 4.850% Senior Notes due 2044 $613,922,000 4 2.375% U.S.T. due 11/15/2049 PX1 +240 $1,201.10 53079EBH6/US53079EBH62 U52932BE6/USU52932BE67 U52932BF3/ USU52932BF33 4.500% Senior Notes due 2049 $350,000,000 5 2.375% U.S.T. due 11/15/2049 PX1 +245 $1,150.29

_____________

(1) To be paid in cash per $1,000 principal amount of existing notes validly tendered at or prior to the cash offer expiration date or the cash offer guaranteed delivery date pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures, and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the cash offer withdrawal deadline of May 5, 2020. The total cash offer consideration excludes accrued and unpaid interest. We will pay accrued and unpaid interest on the existing notes up to, but not including, the cash offer settlement date (as described below). Interest will cease to accrue on the cash offer settlement date for all existing notes accepted in the cash offers, including those tendered pursuant to guaranteed delivery procedures. (2) Hypothetical amounts are shown for illustrative purposes only. Prices will be determined on the cash offer price determination date. (3) The Total Consideration in respect of the 4.500% Senior Notes due 2049 will be calculated based on December 15, 2048, the par call date for such series of existing notes.

The cash offers will each expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 5, 2020, unless extended or earlier terminated (such date and time with respect to a cash offer, as the same may be extended with respect to such cash offer, the "cash offer expiration date"). Existing notes tendered for purchase may be validly withdrawn at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 5, 2020, subject to extension, but not after such time (except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law). The "cash offer settlement date" will be promptly following the cash offer expiration date and is expected to be May 7, 2020, which is the second business day following the cash offer expiration date; provided that the cash offer settlement date for any existing notes validly tendered in connection with the guaranteed delivery procedures pursuant to a notice of guaranteed delivery and accepted for exchange is expected to be May 8, 2020, which is the third business day following the cash offer expiration date. Accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the existing notes tendered for purchase will only accrue up to, but not including, the initial cash offer settlement date of May 7, 2020.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the tender offer documents, cash offer eligible holders who validly tender existing notes at or prior to (i) the cash offer expiration date or (ii) 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the second business day after the applicable cash offer expiration date (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "cash offer guaranteed delivery date") pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures and who do not validly withdraw tendered existing notes, and whose existing notes are accepted for purchase by Liberty Mutual, will receive the applicable total cash offer consideration for each $1,000 principal amount of existing notes, which will be payable in cash.

The total consideration payable by Liberty Mutual for each $1,000 principal amount of a series of existing notes, validly tendered for purchase and accepted by Liberty Mutual, (the "total cash offer consideration") will be determined in accordance with the formula set forth in the offer to purchase, as illustrated by the hypothetical pricing example included in the offer to purchase, and, with respect to a series of existing notes, will equal the discounted value on the cash offer settlement date of the remaining payments of principal and interest per $1,000 principal amount of such existing notes through the maturity date or par call date, as applicable, of such existing notes, using a yield, as calculated by the lead dealer managers, equal to (i) the sum of (A) the bid-side yield on the applicable Reference U.S. Treasury Security (as set forth in the table above) as of the cash offer price determination date (or any recognized quotation source selected by the lead Dealer Managers in their sole discretion if such quotation report is not available or manifestly erroneous) plus (B) the applicable fixed spread specified in the table above, minus (ii) the accrued and unpaid interest on such existing notes from and including the immediately preceding interest payment date for such existing notes to, but excluding, the cash offer settlement date. The cash offer will be rounded to the nearest cent per $1,000 principal amount of existing notes. The "cash offer price determination date" means 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 5, 2020, unless the cash offer expiration date is extended, in which case a new cash offer price determination date may be established with respect to the cash offers.

Liberty Mutual will announce the applicable total cash offer consideration for each series of existing notes as soon as practicable after they are determined by the lead dealer managers on the cash offer price determination date. The total cash offer consideration has been determined by Liberty Mutual in its reasonable discretion to approximate the value of the total exchange consideration payable in new notes in the corresponding exchange offers.

In addition to the applicable total cash offer consideration, cash offer eligible holders whose existing notes are accepted for purchase will be paid accrued and unpaid interest on such existing notes from and including the immediately preceding interest payment date for such existing notes to, but excluding, the cash offer settlement date. Interest will cease to accrue on the cash offer settlement date for all existing notes accepted in the cash offers, including those existing notes tendered through the guaranteed delivery procedures.

Liberty Mutual's obligation to accept any series of existing notes tendered in the cash offers is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions applicable to the cash offer for such series as described in the offer to purchase, including, among other things, (i) maximum total consideration condition (as defined below) and (ii) the exchange offer completion condition (as defined below). Liberty Mutual expressly reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to waive any and all conditions to any cash offer, other than conditions described by Liberty Mutual as non-waivable.

The maximum aggregate amount of cash that Liberty Mutual will use to purchase all validly tendered existing notes in the cash offers is $25,000,000 (the "maximum total consideration amount"), unless waived by Liberty Mutual as provided in the offer to purchase. If, at the cash offer expiration date for a particular cash offer, the aggregate total cash offer consideration payable for a particular series of validly tendered existing notes is greater than the maximum total consideration amount (after accepting for tender and paying the aggregate total cash offer consideration for all validly tendered existing notes of each series with a higher acceptance priority level (with acceptance priority level 1 being the highest)), then Liberty Mutual will not be obligated to accept for purchase such series of existing notes and may terminate the cash offer with respect to such series of existing notes and each series of existing notes with a lower acceptance priority level (the "maximum total consideration condition"). Either all existing notes in a cash offer will be accepted or no existing notes in a particular cash offer will be accepted as a result of the maximum total Consideration condition. There will be no proration of any series of existing notes.

Liberty Mutual's obligation to complete any cash offer with respect to a given series of existing notes is conditioned on the completion of the corresponding Exchange Offer for such series of existing notes (with respect to each cash offer, the "exchange offer completion condition"). Liberty Mutual will terminate the cash offer for a given series of existing notes if it terminates the exchange offer for such series existing notes, and it will terminate the exchange offer for a given series of existing notes if it terminates the cash offer for such series of existing notes. The termination of an exchange offer for a series of existing notes will not impact the cash offer for any other series of existing notes. If Liberty Mutual extends the exchange offer for a series of existing notes for any reason, Liberty Mutual will extend the corresponding cash Offer for such series of existing notes. The exchange offer completion condition cannot be waived by Liberty Mutual.

Global Bondholder Services Corporation will act as the Information Agent and the Tender Agent for the cash offers. Questions or requests for assistance related to the cash offers or for additional copies of the tender offer documents may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (866) 470-4300 (toll free) or (212) 430-3774 (collect). You may also contact your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the cash offers. The tender offer documents can be accessed at the following link https://www.gbsc-usa.com/liberty.

For additional information contact:



Edward Pena

Senior Vice President and Treasurer

Liberty Mutual Group

857-224-6655

[email protected]

Richard Angevine

Public Relations

Liberty Mutual Group

617-574-6638

[email protected]

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance
Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Wednesday that millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine could be available in the fall to be used in human trials.

It could be "enough to use in large-scale studies if you have an outbreak in American city where you might deploy the vaccine in an experimental protocol but deploy it nonetheless," Gottlieb said on "Squawk Box."

The hope would be to try to contain the outbreak and "validate whether or not the vaccine is truly safe and effective for mass inoculation of the population," the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner explained.

Gottlieb, who sits on the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina, stressed that for the vaccine to be used in such a scenario, it must have cleared early stage clinical trials, demonstrating it was both safe and potentially effective.

The comments come one day after Pfizer reported first-quarter earnings, with the drugmaker saying Tuesday that it's taking steps to accelerate its work on a vaccine for Covid-19.

Pfizer, which is developing the vaccine alongside German firm BioNTech, hopes to begin human trials by the end of this month. Pfizer said it could potentially have millions of doses ready by year's end.

Gottlieb, who prefaced his answer about vaccines on CNBC by pointing to his Pfizer board role, said, "I'll be careful about saying too many specific things about Pfizer in particular."

"I think that there's going to be a number of companies that have substantial doses available in the fall," he said.

In addition to the pursuits of Pfizer and BioNTech, companies such as Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19, which has infected more than 1 million people in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Manufacturing capability remains a key hurdle to widespread deployment of a potential Covid-19 vaccine across the world, said Gottlieb, who also is a CNBC contributor.

It will be "well into 2021 until anyone is going to have a vaccine available in the kinds of quantities that would be required to inoculate the entire United States or the entire European continent or other countries, low and middle-income countries," he said.

"We are a ways off in terms of having a vaccine available at .. that kind of scale," he said. "But in doses of millions, it could be available much sooner than that."

Gottlieb made his remarks on vaccine development Wednesday shortly before Gilead Sciences said it is aware of "positive data" from one of its studies looking at antiviral drug remdesivir as a potential treatment for the coronavirus.

 CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 12:36 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4ef02a 1 National murder,taxi-drivers,Bandung-regency,West-Java Free

Four women have been arrested and charged in connection to the death of a taxi driver in Bandung regency, West Java.

Bandung Police chief Sr. Comr. Hendra Kurniawan said the suspects  identified as KSA, KEZI, AS and IK  allegedly beat the victim, former civil servant Samiyo Basuki Riyanto, to death with a wrench after refusing to pay the taxi fare on March 30.

Hendra said suspects IK and AS had ordered the taxi through an app in Jakarta and personally booked a trip to Pengalengan district, Bandung regency, with the driver.

On their way to Bandung, IK and AS picked up their friend, RK, in Bogor. They later made another stop in Pengalengan to pick up their friend RM, Hendra added.

At that point, the driver had asked for the Rp 1.7 million (US$110.44) fare previously agreed to for the trip. However, the suspects could not afford to pay the fare, Hendra said.

Because they were unable to make payment, one of the suspects suggested that they murder the victim, he said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

He said one of the suspects allegedly went to take a wrench stored in the car and hit the driver on the back of his head and chest multiple times, killing him.

One of the suspects hit the victim on the back of his head eight times. His body was then [thrown off] a cliff in Pengalengan, Hendra said.

Bandung Police general crimes unit head Adj. Comr. Agtha Bhuwana Putra said the four suspects were arrested in their respective homes between Friday and Sunday.

Agtha confirmed that the victim had died due to blunt force trauma.

Based on autopsy results, the victim died because of broken ribs, he said, adding that the police had seized the victims minivan, a wrench, a grey shirt and black sweater as evidence.

The suspects face multiple charges stipulated under articles 338, 340, 55 and/or 365 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

One suspect who is still considered a minor will be dealt with under the juvenile justice system, Agtha said.

The police are still investigating the case. (rfa)
Irrfan Khan death news, Irrfan Khan death reason, age, photos: Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan is no more. Aged 54, the actor was admitted in Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday because of colon infection. He was recently seen in Homi Adajania's film Angrezi Medium alongside Radhika Madan and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Irrfan Khan death news, Irrfan Khan death reason, age, photos: Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan on Wednesday has passed away at the age of 54. The actor was admitted in ICU at Mumbais Kokilaben Hospital on Tuesday because of colon infection. Earlier, in March 2018, the actor had announced that he is suffering from neuroendocrine tumour and was in London for quite some time for treatment.

Director Shoojit Sircar shared his condolences on Twitter for Irrfan Khan and said he will always be proud of him for putting up a tough fight. Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who shared the screen space with Irrfan Khan in Piku, condoled his death and called him an incredible talent, a gracious colleague and a prolific contributor to the world of cinema.

The actor was recently seen in Homi Adajanias film Angrezi Medium that was released on March 13, 2020, just before the coronavirus lockdown. In the film, Irrfan Khan was seen alongside Radhika Madan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Due to the films limited time on the big screen, the film recently premiered on Disney Plus Hotstar. Irrfan Khan attended the digital premiere of Angrezi Medium on video conferencing with the entire team.

Also Read: Bhula Dunga: Sidharth Shukla, Shehnaaz Gills song achieves another milestone, counted amongst top 40 most commented videos on YouTube

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.  Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

Speaking about his fight against neuroendocrine tumour, Irrfan Khan had earlier penned that he was travelling on a speedy train ride of dreams, plans, aspirations and goals. After learning about the disease, it appeared to him that the only thing certain in life is uncertainty. This realisation made him submit, surrender and trust irrespective of the outcome and his concerns took a back seat. People around the world have been praying for him and he feels all their prayers have translated into one big force, filling him with wonder, curiosity and happiness.

Also Read: Irrfan Khan admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben hospital ICU for colon infection

Some of Irrfan Khans most notable performances include Salaam Bombay, Life In A Metro, Ye Saali Zindagi, Paan Singh Tomar, The Lunchbox, Piku, Talvar, Gunday, Hindi Medium and Blackmail.

T 3516  .. just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. 

An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..

Prayers and duas   Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 29, 2020

Thank you for those indelible movie memories.thank you for raising the bar as an artist thank you for enriching our Cinema.we will miss you terribly Irrfan but will always always be immensely grateful for your presence in our lives..our cinema.we salute you  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) April 29, 2020

Such terrible newssaddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time   Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 29, 2020

Nothing can be more heartbreaking and tragic than the news of passing away of a dear friend, one of the finest actors and a wonderful human being #IrrfanKhan. Saddest day!! May his soul rest in peace. #OmShanti  pic.twitter.com/QSm05p7PfU  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) April 29, 2020

When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) April 29, 2020

Really heart broken.. Still cant believe this sad newsmay Allah give you the best place in heaven..you will be an inspiration, always. 

RIP #IrrfanKhan  Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub (@Mdzeeshanayyub) April 29, 2020

Very sad to hear about Irrfan Khan .

May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  #IrrfanKhan  Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol) April 29, 2020

Rest in peace @irrfank you have no idea what your kindness meant to me at a time I was at my least confident . My condolences to your family and loved ones.  Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) April 29, 2020

Also Read: After Ramayan, Arun Govil played Jeetendras younger brother in this mythological film

Has Irrfan Khan died? Yes, Irrfan Khan has died. Indian National Award-winning actor Irrfan Khan, who is best known for his phenomenal acting skills, died in Mumbai on Wednesday morning after suffering from colon infection. When did Irrfan Khan died? Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died on 29 April 2020, Wednesday morning in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. What is the reason of Irrfan Khan's death? After suffering from neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, Irrfan Khan returned back to India in 2019 after getting treated. Though he then appeared in Angrezi Medium, he could not be a part of the promotions due to his health conditions. Some days back, Irrfan Khan was admitted to the ICU of a Mumbai hospital for a colon infection and died today morning. Where did Irrfan Khan died? Hindi Medium actor Irrfan Khan died Wednesday morning in Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital after suffering from colon infection. What is the age of Irrfan Khan when he passed away? Irrfan Khan passed away at the age of 53 after suffering from colon infection. Some days back, Irrfan Khan was admitted to the ICU of Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. What is name of Irrfan khan's wife? Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passed away in Mumbai on Wedneday. The actor died in the presence of his familyWife Sutapa Sikdar and his sons Ahan and Babil. Moreover, the couple tied knots in 1995 and completed 25 years in 2020.

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The phase three clinical trial of the antiviral drug remdesivir, led by a team of investigators including an Indian-American physician, for the treatment of the coronavirus patients has shown positive results, an American pharma company announced on Wednesday.

The California-based pharma company Gilead Sciences said that the preliminary results showed that 50 per cent of the COVID-19 patients treated with a 5-day dosage of remdesivir improved and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks. A phase three clinical trial is said to be the final step in the process of the drug approval.

"Certainly, it's a positive it's a very positive event," Trump told reporters in response to a question on the latest result of the clinical trial of remdesivir.

The White House described the development as "quite good news".

The pharma company also said that it is also aware of positive data emerging from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) study of the investigational antiviral remdesivir for the treatment of the COVID-19.

"We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that NIAID will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing," it said.

Remdesivir is not yet licensed or approved anywhere globally and has not been demonstrated to be safe or effective for the treatment of the COVID-19.

The study sought to determine whether a shorter, five-day course of remdesivir would achieve similar efficacy results as the 10-day treatment regimen used in multiple ongoing studies of remdesivir, the company said.

"These data are encouraging as they indicate that patients who received a shorter, 5-day course of remdesivir experienced similar clinical improvement as patients who received a 10-day treatment course," said Aruna Subramanian, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Chief, Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, and one of the lead investigators of the study.

"While additional data are still needed, these results help to bring a clearer understanding of how treatment with remdesivir may be optimised, if proven safe and effective," Subramanian said.

The company said it will share additional remdesivir data from the company's open-label Phase three SIMPLE trial in patients with severe COVID-19 disease shortly.

Dr Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, told reporters at a media briefing with Trump that Gilead results from the remdesivir clinical trial for treating the disease showed "quite good news".

"So that's something that will go with 31 per cent improvement, doesn't seem like a knock out, 100 per cent, it is a very important proof of concept," Fauci said.

"This is very optimistic, the mortality rate trended towards being better in the sense of less deaths in the REM designate group. Eight per cent versus 11 per cent in the placebo group. So bottom line. You're going to hear more details about this this will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal, and will be peer reviewed appropriately," said Fauci.

In an earlier interview to Stanford Medicine, Subramanian said that during normal times, a phase three clinical trial typically takes months of planning, after years of research before it is underway.

"But these aren't normal times. With a fast-moving pandemic bearing down and no approved treatments available, researchers are, like everyone else, desperate for answers, and they have ramped up their efforts to find solutions. Remdesivir jumped to the top of the list of potential treatments in part because it was farthest along in the approval process," Subramanian said.

By the end of February, as the virus spread in the United States, there were at least five clinical trials of remdesivir underway.

China initiated the first two studies in February, followed later that month by the Gilead trials for severe and moderate patients and the NIH trial. By the end of March, Gilead had expanded to 100 testing sites both in the United States and abroad, and the NIH trial had expanded to 60 sites, 50 of those in the United States, Stanford Medicine reported.

A coronavirus infection occurs when the germ enters the body's airways through the nose, mouth or eyes, then lodges in the cells in the lining of the lung's airways, where it quickly starts to make millions of copies of itself, wreaking havoc on the lungs, Subramanian told the Medical publication.

The virus makes copies of itself by inserting its own genes into the human cell's genetic machinery, basically hijacking the replication process of the human cell.

Remdesivir, like other anti-virals, is designed to target the system the virus uses to replicate, acting as a cap that prevents the virus from making new copies of itself or infecting other cells, she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals and an innovative leader in photovoltaic mounting and solar tracker solutions, announced today that the company is celebrating 10 years of solar projects successfully installed with the company's solar tracker and mounting solutions. In December of 2009, Solar FlexRack installed its first fixed tilt racking solution and since then has reached a solar tracker and racking install product footprint of over two and a half gigawatts across 40 states and five countries. The company has over 100 megawatts installed in the Georgia REDI program and over 200 solar tracker installations completed or in construction across North America.

One of the first solar projects installed with Solar FlexRack's original racking technology is a 39-megawatt project in Ontario.

"We've overcome a lot of challenges in the past ten years by partnering with our customers and listening to their needs. We created products and services to give them a competitive edge in the solar market. Our commitment to our clients, and the reputation we have earned because of it, have been the cornerstone of our business. We'd like to commemorate this milestone by thanking our customers and committing to another 10 years of partnering together for their success," commented Ken Mack, CEO of Solar FlexRack.

The company supplied its first solar racking solution with original racking technology that offered the optimal combination of steel and aluminum to produce the lightest possible rack while maintaining maximum strength. In the last 4 years, Solar FlexRack has expanded its product offering with value-engineered product designs that include a series of solar tracker models, and a scope of foundation solutions from pre-cast and cast-in-place (CIP) ballasts to ground screws. The diverse selection of racking products provides EPCs and utility and commercial installers with more choices to precisely meet their system requirements. The company has earned a reputation for delivering reliability not only in its solar tracker and racking products but through its engineering and project services that can reduce project risks and costs.

Last year Solar FlexRack made significant changes to its supply chain resulting in meaningful cost-efficiencies that they were then able to pass on to customers. The company has focused on scaling their business to better serve the utility-scale market. Solar FlexRack supplied over 500 MW of solar tracking and mounting products in the last year including a 105 MW project in North Carolina, a 50 MW project in Connecticut, and a 28 MW landfill solar project in New Jersey.

About Solar FlexRack

Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, is an integrated solar company that offers custom-designed, fixed tilt ground mount and single-axis solar tracking systems in the commercial and utility-scale solar mounting industries. Solar FlexRack also offers full turnkey packages, including engineering, geotechnical, pullout testing, field, layout, and installation services to address the actual site conditions of an installation and provide a full scope of services from design to delivery and installation. Solar FlexRack has completed over 2 GW of solar racking installations in 40 states across America and five countries globally. For more information, go to www.solarflexrack.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Solar FlexRack media inquiries, please contact:

Staci Lombardo

[email protected]

330-799-1855

SOURCE Solar FlexRack
Several people returning to their homes in Faridabad from Delhi were turned back amid chaos and confusion on Wednesday while vegetable supplies to Azadpur mandi were severely disrupted as Haryana sealed all its border points with the national capital citing emergence of fresh coronavirus cases in its districts adjoining Delhi.

Maintaining that prevention is better than cure, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said tough measures were required at the state's border points with the national capital. "We will not allow this (coronavirus) infection to enter our state from Delhi".

In a televised address, Khattar said COVID-19 cases are either linked to those who are employed in Delhi, their family members or their contacts.

Prevention is better than cure... bitter medicine is important to cure the disease and we will have to stop this cross-border movement.

If we do not do this, then we will not be able to contain the spread of coronavirus," he said, adding 28 cases have been detected in the past six days in the districts of Sonipat, Jhajjar, Gurgaon and Faridabad, which are part of the NCR(National Capital Region).

Haryana will be in a comfortable position as far as COVID-19 cases are concerned if the borders stay sealed for 15-20 days, according to Home Minister Anil Vij, who is also the state's health minister.

He said the daily movement of employees working in Delhi to their residences in Haryana increases the risk of the COVID-19 spread.

At the toll plaza on the Haryana side, there was heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel to ensure that the restrictions are in place.

Allowed to enter the national capital in the morning, several people were stranded by evening on the Delhi-Faridabad border, as they waited to go back to their homes after the Haryana government sealed the entry and exit points of the satellite city.

Those among the stranded at Badarpur in southeast Delhi included civic body staffers, ones with valid movement permissions, while a few also had medical emergencies.

With no accommodation options, many faced the difficult question of where to stay for the night.

Faridabad resident Kuldeep (23), who works in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), said nobody stopped him in the morning when he made an entry into Delhi.

"When I came to my office in morning around 9 am, nobody stopped or informed me about the sealing of the bordering area. Now, when I want to go back to my home in Faridabad, the police are not allowing us to pass through the border.

They are sending me back to Delhi where I have no option of accommodation," said Kuldeep, who has been working with the SDMC for the last three years.

With no other choice, Kuldeep, who goes by his first name, said he was heading back to his office.

Like Kuldeep, Ramanand (51), who works as an accountant in Delhi, said he too was stuck in the national capital and he had no place to stay.

"The authorities should have informed us before sealing the borders. We were not aware about this move earlier. I live in Faridabad and work in Delhi. I have no one here where I can go and stay for a while. I will wait at the border till the time police allow us to go to my house," he said.

Avdesh Kumar (38), who works in an Indian Oil gas agency, said he lives near the border and was waiting for police to let him go.

"This is happening due to lack of coordination. I work in the area which falls under essential category. I was asked to come to the office.

"The authorities should understand and at least let us go to back to our residences as we have no place to stay here(Delhi)," Kumar said.

Faridabad district has reported 46 coronavirus cases and is closely behind other worst-hit districts in Haryana-- Gurgaon (51) and Nuh (57).

According to an order issued by Faridabad's Deputy Commissioner Yash Pal on Tuesday night, movement of government employees and regular people who commute daily from other districts or states has been stopped with effect from 12 noon on April 29.

"Doctors, paramedics, bank employees and police are allowed to enter the district only till 12 pm of April 29 with their valid identity cards after which no relaxation for movement will be given," the order said.

Those working in neighbouring places like Delhi that includes doctors, paramedics, bank employees and police personnel will have to make arrangements to stay at their workplace, it said, adding the directions will remain applicable till May 3 when the coronavirus-induced national lockdown is due to end.

However, ambulances, vehicles transporting essential supplies and those involved in banking and gas services will be allowed to enter the district.

Adil Ahmad Khan, chairman of Azadpur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, said there was no supply of vegetables from Sonipat to Asia's largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables.

"On Wednesday, 5,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables were supplied to Azadpur mandi. Since the lockdown has been announced, supply of 7,000 to 8,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables per day was being recorded at the mandi," Khan said.

Vij said the Haryana government has offered to the Delhi government some of its complexes in the national capital to house the state's residents employed there and having to commute daily from Faridabad.

Vij said Chief Minister Khattar had a telephonic talk with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday evening during which he raised the matter with the AAP leader.

Asked if Haryana has offered some of its complexes, including those of Irrigation Department and PWD flats in the national capital to accommodate state residents employed in Delhi, Vij said, Yes, the chief minister had a word in this regard while speaking to Kejriwal over phone. We have offered some of our complexes...

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More recently, her husband was working with a friend on the histories of the Nadelhoffer and Greene farms, she said. She has all his notes and plans to see the project through to completion, she said.
P rime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of their baby boy.

A spokesperson for pair confirmed Ms Symonds delivered a "healthy baby boy" earlier this morning.

Both mother and child are said to be doing well, and it is understood that the Prime Minister was present at the time of birth, despite current restrictions in place.

But who is Carrie Symonds? Here's a closer look...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds on has given birth to a "healthy baby boy" / AFP via Getty Images

Who is Carrie Symonds?

Ms Symonds was born March 17, 1988 in south west London, to Matthew Symonds and Josephine Mcaffee.

Her father is the co-founder of The Independent, while her mother is a lawyer.

Carrie comes from a line of journalists and media specialists, as her paternal grandfather is former Labour MEP and newspaper editor John Bevan, Baron Ardwick, while her parernal grandmother Anne worked as a BBC World Service journalist.

Carrie went to study art history and theatre studies at Warwick University, before graduating in 2009.

She works as a senior adviser at Oceana, an ocean conservation charity. She had previously worked for the the Conservative Party as a press officer, rising to be head of communications.

Carrie was also one of taxi driver John Worboys' victims, and campaigned to keep him in prison.

When did Carrie and Boris Johnson get engaged?

The pair's relationship was confirmed in mid-2019, when Carrie supported Boris during his leadership bid.

She moved into Downing Street with him when he became Prime Minister.

While Mr Johnson is still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler, it was announced on February 20, 2020, that the Prime Minister was engaged to Carrie, and that they were expecting a baby together.

Carrie revealed the couple had got engaged a few months earlier, at the end of 2019.

Style File: Carrie Symonds - In pictures 1 /34 Style File: Carrie Symonds - In pictures October 2019 Wearing & Other Stories Getty Images March 2020 Wearing sustainable British brand Isabelle Fox to the Commonwealth Day Service 2019 Getty Images March 2020 Wearing sustainable British brand Isabelle Fox to the Commonwealth Day Service 2019 Getty Images March 2020 Wearing sustainable British brand Isabelle Fox to the Commonwealth Day Service 2019 Getty Images March 2020 Wearing a 69 Marks & Spencer coat to the Six Nations AFP via Getty Images December 2019 Wearing a 69 Marks & Spencer coat to the enter Downing Street, after Johnson's victory in the 2019 election Getty Images December 2019 Wearing a 69 Marks & Spencer coat to the enter Downing Street, after Johnson's victory in the 2019 election Getty Images December 2019 Wearing a 69 Marks & Spencer coat to the enter Downing Street, after Johnson's victory in the 2019 election Getty Images November 2019 Symonds wore a 149 Marks & Spencer coat to attend the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial in November Chris Jackson/Getty Images November 2019 Wearing Temperley London's "Noa" coat to the Royal British Legion Festival - WPA Pool/Getty Images November 2019 Wearing Temperley London's "Noa" coat to the Royal British Legion Festival - WPA Pool/Getty Images November 2019 Wearing Temperley London's "Noa" coat to the Royal British Legion Festival - WPA Pool/Getty Images October 2019 Wearing a Mango dress and a statement headband to the State Opening of Parliament Getty Images October 2019 Wearing & Other Stories at the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Getty Images October 2019 Wearing & Other Stories at the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Getty Images October 2019 Wearing & Other Stories at the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Getty Images Wearing & Other Stories at the 2019 Conversative Party Conference AFP via Getty Images October 2019 Wearing & Other Stories at the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Getty Images Wearing & Other Stories at the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Jeremy Selwyn September 2019 Wearing Whistles on day two of the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Getty Images September 2019 Wearing Whistles on day two of the 2019 Conversative Party Conference Getty Images September 2019 Wearing the Isabelle Fox "Amelia" coat whist arriving at the 2019 Conservative Party Conference Getty Images September 2019 Attending a military reception at 10 Downing Street wearing another floral frock Getty Images August 2019 Wearing ethical brand Justine Tabak for an appearance at sustainable conference, Birdfair Getty Images July 2019 Wearing Ghost for her first appearance at Number 10 Getty Images Wearing Ghost for her first appearance at Number 10 Jeremy Selwyn

When did she give birth to their baby boy?

A spokesman for the couple said both mother and child were doing well.

It is understood that the Prime Minister was present during birth.
By Trend





Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 24 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on April 29.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
By David Brogan

Since the COVID-19 crisis began and extreme social distancing was implemented seven weeks ago, the apartment industry has been on the front lines helping over 1 million renters get through their daily lives in this new stay-at-home environment.

We worked with tenants who needed help and we have maintained our properties so the people who live there can live safely and comfortably. However, as this crisis continues, the economic impact on both tenants and landlords will continue to grow and something needs to be done.

Many view landlords as having unlimited resources, but it simply isnt the case. And while much of the focus has been on tenants, the apartment owners are grappling with revenue shortages; increased demands on staffing; a shortage of goods and services that feed the apartment industry and in some cases, hefty bills that will come due in a matter of months.

Furthermore, people must understand that the apartment industry supports a multifamily ecosystem that in turn, feeds our economy. Specifically, through the rent revenue from tenants, the apartment industry supports over 50,000 jobs including maintenance technicians, leasing agents, property staff and porters.

We support businesses that provide goods and services to apartment communities, and as an industry, we pay over $1 billion in property taxes in New Jersey. That is why rent revenue is so important and without it, property staff will be laid off, properties will deteriorate, property taxes wont be paid, and ultimately the quality of life for tenants will worsen.

Senate President Steve Sweeney and Sen. Brian Stack have championed legislation (S-2332) that would create a $100 million rental assistance program for New Jersey tenants who have been impacted by COVID-19. The New Jersey Apartment Association is extremely supportive of this legislation and we believe that this funding is absolutely critical.

As written, this legislation would not only aid low- and moderate-income individuals but also middle-income New Jerseyans and those in workforce housing. This assistance would be provided before a tenant is facing eviction, allowing a large number of New Jerseyans to avail themselves of much needed rental assistance. This would help both tenants and landlords alike.

Gov. Phil Murphy has said at his press conferences that as New Jerseyans, we are in this together. I couldnt agree more. One thing that I would ask renters in this state to recognize is that if we are truly in this together, then those who have the means to pay rent, should do so, this allows landlords to have the resources necessary to work with other tenants who are truly in need. Simply put, tenants who pay rent are helping those who cant.

This crisis will end at some point, until that time comes, landlords need to work with their tenants; tenants who can pay their rent should do so and the state and federal governments should provide any assistance they can. Working together, we will persevere. But there needs to be an understanding that both tenants and landlords alike need assistance to make it through these difficult times.

David Brogan is the executive director of the New Jersey Apartment Association (NJAA). The NJAA represents the owners and managers of over 220,000 apartment units throughout New Jersey.

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Amazon.com Inc has bought cameras to take temperatures of workers during the coronavirus pandemic from a firm the United States blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. China's Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co Ltd shipped 1,500 cameras to Amazon this month in a deal valued close to $10 million, one of the people said. At least 500 systems from Dahua - the blacklisted firm - are for Amazon's use in the United States, another person said. The Amazon ...
YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST

A Biography of George Washington

By Alexis Coe

Read by Brittany Pressley

Given that we are now a nation of armchair epidemiologists, it felt eerily relevant to learn that George Washington survived the following diseases, among others: smallpox, malaria (six times), diphtheria, tuberculosis (twice), dysentery and tuberculosis at the same time (four times), and pneumonia.

We generally take it for granted that Washington was an impressive man, but to triumph over this many illnesses at a time when cures ranged from draining your blood to draining your blood again seems near superhuman. Even more so when the ailments are presented in list form with symptoms (including words like excruciating, bloody, pustules) and treatments (sometimes just prayer), as they are in You Never Forget Your First, Alexis Coes new biography of the man and president we only thought we knew.

As this historian illustrates, most of what we do know is either untrue  no child would chop down a cherry tree in order to make mischief; wood would be an exceptionally bad material for dentures  or less interesting than what the existing history books have overlooked.

Image

The table of diseases (hard to follow in the narrator Brittany Pressleys audiobook version, in which the jolting transitions between narrative and sidebar detract from the experience) isnt there just for fun; it is a stealth fighter in Coes battle against the existing canon of Washington biographies. The physical obstacles the man has overcome, she argues, are better evidence of his strength and resilience than the details that other popular biographers have focused on: namely, his thighs. She nicknames these historians, Ron Chernow first among them, the Thigh Men of Dad History, i.e. men (and they are all men) who write history about men for men. To her, their reflexive focus on Washingtons stereotypical masculinity means that they neglect other things that are more important: his shortcomings and contradictions, the textures of 18th-century life. The nickname makes me cringe, but its effective.
As the Centre put in place a mechanism for the inter-state travel of stranded people to their homes, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday said transporting them on buses may not be sufficient and sanitised trains should be used to move large numbers while CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury found fault with the Narendra Modi government for passing the buck to states.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a ruling BJP ally who has earlier criticised the Uttar Pradesh government move to transport students in Rajasthan's Kota, also welcomed the decision.

Chidambaram, also a Rajya Sabha MP and former Finance Minister, welcomed the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying this has been his party's demand since mid-April.

However, he said buses alone will not be sufficient and suggested that "it is better to run sanitised trains point-to-point to move the large numbers who desire to migrate back to their home states".

Yechury said as it has been the practice, the Modi government has once again passed the buck to the state, making it solely responsible for the well-being of people.

"Finally after a month of imposing agony, hunger and deprivation on crores of migrant workers, the Narendra Modi government has now permitted their return to their homes. Once again it has passed the buck to the states instead of liberally financing them. Now, the states have to arrange for the buses and fund entirely the responsibility of providing health facilities while the Modi government does not help the states, which are actually on the battle front," he told DH.

He said the crisis was due to the manner in which Modi announced the lockdown giving no time for the states or the workers to prepare themselves. "The Modi government has to liberally finance the states," he said.

CPI General Secretary D Raja said the Centre was abdicating the responsibility and shifting the whole burden on the states. "Is this cooperative federalism?" he said.

He also asked the Centre to ensure that the states also accept returning migrant workers as some have earlier expressed reservations.

The Bihar Chief Minister said it was Bihar government's wish that these people return to the state and the Centre has now taken a decision in its favour. "This is a huge relief for stranded people," Kumar was quoted as saying in a statement.

He said the decision is in people's interest and all should adhere to it.
UP Open University (UPOU) is one of the prestigious centers of higher learning in the Philippines. The institution offers various formal and non-formal courses and accepts students from all over the world. With quality at its forefront, the center's popularity has spread far and wide.

Image: facebook.com, @UPOU

Source: UGC

As a top institution in the country, it is a study destination for so many students, both local and foreign. Here is what you need to know about the institution, courses, application procedure, tuition fees, and location.

What is UP Open University?

The institution is a public research and distance learning center. It was established on February 23rd, 1995, as one of the constituent colleges of the University of the Philippines system.

The center provides a learning opportunity for people who are aspiring for improved higher education but are unable to enroll using the traditional mode of study. It delivers its courses through distance learning.

Teaching and learning are done through the use of technology like videos, audios, print, and the internet. Lecturers and students are separated by time and space.

How does UP Open University work?

The institution offers its courses and programs through ODEL (open and distance e-learning) mode. In this mode of teaching, the facilitator and students have no physical contact. The students have access to designed learning materials, and they learn in an independent self-learning style.

Where is UP Open University?

The center has its headquarter at Los Banos in Laguna. UP Open University location is just next to the International Rice Research Institute. The major landmark of this particular institution is the Oblation sculpture, which stands the Oblation Plaza.

UP Open University Diliman serves as a satellite office. It is located at the National Computer Center Building. Additionally, the institution has several other learning centers in strategic locations within the country.

UP Open University courses

The UP Open University programs cover a range of areas. It has three faculties Education, Information & Communication Studies, and Management and Development Studies. These faculties offer certificate, diploma, degree, masters, and Doctor of Philosophy courses.

READ ALSO: Our Lady of Fatima University courses, admission, tuition fee, address (2020)

UP Open University courses offered are as follows.

Faculty of Education

The diploma courses offered are;

Diploma in Science Teaching.

Diploma in Mathematics Teaching.

Diploma in Language and Literacy Education.

Diploma in Social Studies Education.

Degree course offered are;

Associate in Arts.

Bachelor of Education Studies.

Faculty of Information and Communication Studies

Diploma course;

Diploma in Computer Science.

Degree course;

Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies.

Faculty of Management and Development studies

Diploma courses;

Diploma in Environment and Natural Resources Management.

Diploma in International Health.

Diploma in Land Valuation and Management.

Diploma in Research and Development Management.

Diploma in Land Use Planning.

Diploma in Social Work.

Diploma in Women and Development.

UP Open University graduate school

UP Open University masters, graduate certificates, and Doctor of Philosophy programs are offered here.

Faculty of Education

Graduate certificates;

Graduate Certificate in Distance Education (within the Master of Distance Education).

Masters;

Master of Distance Education.

Master of Arts in Language and Literacy Education.

Master of Arts in Social Studies Education.

Image: facebook.com, @UP Open University (UPOU)

Source: UGC

Doctor of Philosophy;

Doctor of Philosophy in Education.

Faculty of Information and Communication Studies

Masters;

Master of Development Communication.

Master of Information Systems.

Doctor of Philosophy;

Doctor of Communication.

Faculty of Management and Development studies

Graduate certificates;

Graduate Certificate in ASEAN Studies.

Masters;

Master of Arts in Nursing.

Master of ASEAN Studies.

Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management.

Master of International Health.

Master of Land Valuation & Management.

Master of Public Management.

Master of Social Work.

The institution also offers non-formal courses. The list is as follows.

Caring for the Special Child.

Caring for the Elderly.

Introduction to E-Commerce.

Health Research Methods.

Online Teaching and Learning.

Continuing Professional Education Program on Land Valuation.

New Enterprise Planning.

Organic Agriculture.

Personal Entrepreneurial Development.

Professional Teaching Certification.

Simplified Accounting for Entrepreneurs.

Community Mental Health.

UP Open University online courses

The institution, which prides itself as a learning and distance education center, has offered to help other institutions of higher learning to offer their programs online.

It has a set of five courses that are helpful to teachers, administrators, and support staff. The courses include;

Designing Learning in ODeL.

Content Development for ODeL.

Assessment of Learning in ODeL.

Teaching and Learning with Modern ICTs.

Technologies in ODeL.

How much is the tuition fee in UP Open University?

UP Open University tuition fee varies depending on several factors. Some of these determining factors include the program under study, and the nature of student (resident alien, non-resident, or local).

The fee structures of UP Open University master courses, diploma, degree, or Doctor of Philosophy can be found on the institution's website.

READ ALSO: University of San Carlos admission, contact, courses, scholarship (2020)

The institution has scholarship programs available to its students. There are numerous UP Open University scholarship programs you can choose to apply for.

UP Open University application

The institution receives applications from all over the world. However, only interested applicants with the required qualifications are accepted into this prestigious institution.

What are UP Open University requirements?

UP Open University admission requirements vary depending on the program. Before making an application, the applicant is advised to check on the requirements of his program of choice. It will help him avoid the disappointment of being left out.

How to apply in UP Open University

The application procedure is straightforward. It involves the following steps.

Visit the institution's admission website. Click on Admission. Select the program (Associate, bachelor, masters, etc.).

Each program has a set of requirements and application procedures. You should proceed as guided.

How to enroll in UP Open University

The enrollment of courses is done via the Online Registration System. The system can be accessed using the UP Open University student portal.

The Online Registration System (ORS) is accessible from the first to the last day of enrollment time. Only those who have fully paid the enrollment fee can register.

Image: facebook.com, @UPOU

Source: UGC

UP Open University careers

The institution is always on the lookout for a competent workforce to reinforce its staff. Most of their job vacancies are announced through their career website. You can always keep yourself updated with new job opportunities by visiting the site.

UP Open University contact number and address

In case of any formal inquiries, UPOU allows you to call or write a letter. The following are the reliable contact information you can use.

UP Open University address:

Office of the University Registrar,

UP Open University, Los Banos, Laguna,

Philippines, 4031.

Registrar:

Email address : registrar@upou.edu.ph

: registrar@upou.edu.ph Telephone number: +6349 536 6001-06 loc. 101

Registration / Enrollment:

Email address : registration@upou.edu.ph

: registration@upou.edu.ph Telephone number: +6349 536 6001-06 loc. 102/106

Student Records:

Email address: records@upou.edu.ph

records@upou.edu.ph Telephone number: +6349 536 6001-06 loc. 103/104

Admissions:

Email address : admissions@upou.edu.ph

: admissions@upou.edu.ph Telephone number: +6349 536 6001-06 loc. 441/199

Since its establishment, the institution has produced several graduates who are contributing significantly to the development across the world. Some of the notable alumni of the center include Jejomar Binay, the 13th vice president of the Philippines, Richard Gomez, a famous actor, Sharon Cuneta, the Filipino actress and many more prominent people.

UP Open University is a study destination for many students around the world. The institution offers various formal and non-formal programs. If you are looking for a center of higher learning that has a flexible studying mode to suite your busy schedule, look no more.

READ ALSO: Trinity University of Asia location, application, courses, tuition fee (2020)

Source: KAMI.com.gh
Cows are seen in a stable during the lockdown imposed by the Belgian government to slow the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, in Braine-le-Comte, Belgium April 28, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman

EU plans to help the dairy sector weather the coronavirus crisis by storing surplus milk have come under fire from milk producers as prolonging rather than solving the problem.

The European Commission proposed last week financial support for storage costs for milk powder in private facilities in response to the COVID-19 crisis. It also allowed the milk sector collectively to plan production, exempting it from certain competition rules for up to six months.
Massachusetts officials are reexamining recent deaths that were not linked to the coronavirus to determine whether some should have been added to the states COVID-19 death toll, following the release of federal data suggesting a possible undercount in several states.

I think most people believe that COVID-19 death rates are probably undercounted because it was here ... before people truly understood and appreciated what it was, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday afternoon. People have gone back and started to do some work to try and figure out if there are cases where people presented with what would have been deemed as COVID-19-type symptoms and possibly were categorized in some other way.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show overall death rates have been higher in Massachusetts and six other states. The preliminary data is based on death records processed by the National Center for Health Statistics.

A data analysis by the New York Times suggests that Massachusetts had 1,200 more deaths than average between March 8 and April 11. Massachusetts recorded 686 deaths related to the coronavirus during that time.

As of Wednesday, Massachusetts has recorded more than 60,265 coronavirus cases, including 3,405 deaths.

In New York City, some people who died at home and were suspected of being infected with the coronavirus were not initially included in the citys death toll. The city reversed its policy after reporting revealed those deaths were not included.

The Massachusetts examiners office told MassLive in early April that the state has tested several dozen people who died at home. At the time, one case was positive.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former state legislator Christina Hagan of Alliance on Tuesday appeared to be on her way to winning Northeast Ohios most crowded congressional primary, defeating six other Republicans who sought the chance to oust Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohios 13th congressional district.

Preliminary results indicated Hagan had won 66 percent of the vote. Campbell businessman Louis G. Lyras and Austintown food services supervisor Robert Santos each had more than 11 percent. The other candidates - furniture store owner and non-denominational pastor Duane Hennen of Warren, semi-retired imaging technician Richard A. Morckel of Akron, semi-retired health insurance agent Donald Truex of Rittman, and Jason Mormando of Austintown, all had less than five percent.

The unofficial results of this years primary could change when the official canvass is completed in three weeks. Much of this years balloting was conducted by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the tally released Tuesday excludes ballots postmarked by April 27th that will be counted if they arrive at election boards by May 8.

Hagan represented Ohios District 50 in the state legislature between 2011 and 2019. She filed to run for Congress in the neighboring 16th congressional district in 2018, but lost the GOP primary to Anthony Gonzalez, who went on to win the seat.

We won!



Thank you to all my supporters who have worked tirelessly over the last several months. I am so honored & humbled to be the people's candidate in this historic race for OHs 13th Congressional District.



We cant wait to help rebuild Americas economy & NEOHs future! pic.twitter.com/fLgC2hOR72  Christina Hagan (@RepHagan) April 29, 2020

When I kicked off this campaign, it was because, like most of the people in Northeast Ohio, I knew Congress was no longer working for the people," said a statement from Hagan. "We need real leaders who will work with the White House to rebuild Northeast Ohio, not resist as Tim Ryan has done over the last four years. If elected, I plan on working to bring back jobs to this area and work to bring our supply chain back to the states to ensure we are truly an independent country.

Ryan has represented the congressional district that includes all of Mahoning County and chunks of Portage, Summit, Stark and Trumbull counties since 2003. After spending much of 2019 traveling the country to campaign for president, he dropped out of that race and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Ryan and a Libertarian candidate for the congressional job, Michael Fricke of Kent, did not have primary opponents.

Ive been focused on helping the people and families in our communities like Akron, Ravenna, Warren and Youngstown and all the places in-between with the challenges we are all facing together with the coronavirus," said a statement from Ryan. We need to make sure the front line heroes we are celebrating are not forgotten in the months to come. We need to ensure people are financially secure and we get our economy working again."

The district theyre contesting was drawn to favor Democrats, and Ryan won 61 percent of the 2018 vote.

4th District

Shannon Freshour, a litigation paralegal who lives in Marysville was leading in last nights Democratic contest to take on incumbent Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Champaign County, a high profile defender of President Donald Trump who is currently the top Republican on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees.

Early results showed Freshour with 48 percent of the vote. Jeffrey Sites of Lima, an assistant manager at a warehouse for an auto parts company had 29 percent and Mike Larsen, a television writer and former congressional aide who lives in Union Countys Plain City, had 23 percent. Larsen and Sites both released statements to congratulate Freshour.

Thank you for trusting me to represent you, said a statement that Freshour posted on Twitter, which pledged to work with her primary opponents to beat Jordan.

Jordan didnt face a primary in the in a duck-shaped congressional district that that includes Allen, Auglaize, Shelby, Logan, Champaign, Union, Crawford, Seneca and Sandusky counties, and parts of Huron, Erie, Lorain, Mercer and Marion counties. The district was drawn to favor Republicans, and the seven-term incumbent who co-founded the House Freedom Caucus won 65 percent of the general election vote in 2018.

Libertarian candidate Steve Perkins of Pataskala and independent Chris Gibbs, a former chairman of Shelby Countys Republican party, also did not face primary contests.

Thank you so much to everyone supporting our fight and to the voters of the OH-4, thank you for trusting me to represent you.



Thank you @MikeLarsenOH and @Sites4Congress for a great race and I look forward to working with you to beat Jim Jordan. https://t.co/QjNmq4U4Ry  Shannon4OH (@ShannonFreshour) April 29, 2020

9th district

Complete results werent available Tuesday night for the four congressional districts that include Cuyahoga County because its board of elections received a much larger than anticipated number of ballots. A press spokesman said its count wouldnt be done until after midnight.

Early results showed Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has represented the congressional district that stretches between Cleveland and Toledo along Lake Erie for 38 years, easily defeating primary challenger Peter Rosewicz of Lakewood.

Attorney Rob Weber of Henrietta Township had a significant lead in the Republican primary to face Kaptur in November, with roughly 60 percent of the vote. Retired Cleveland firefighter Tim Corrigan had 21 percent, Charles W. Barrett of Cleveland had 8 percent and Tim Connors of Avon Lake had 11 percent.

The district was drawn to favor Democrats, and Kaptur won 68 percent of the vote in 2018.

11th District

Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, who has represented the 11th district in Congress since winning a 2008 special election for the seat, was far ahead of the Democrats who sought to oust her in the Democratic primary: Michael Hood of Shaker Heights and Clevelands Tarik K. Shabazz and James Jerome Bell.

In the Republican primary, businesswoman Laverne Gore of Cleveland had 48 percent, non-profit operator Jonah Schultz of Cleveland had 41 percent and corporate marketer Shalira Taylor of Cleveland had 11 percent, after Cuyahoga Countys ballots were recorded.

The district, which was drawn to strongly favor Democrats, includes the east side of Cleveland and many of its eastern suburbs, as well as parts of Akron. Fudge won re-election with 82 percent of the vote in 2018.

Thank you #OH14 for once again entrusting me as your Republican nominee. I look forward to continuing to fight for Northeast Ohio families in Congress. pic.twitter.com/dGMYeqmB3T  Just Dave (@DaveJoyceOH14) April 29, 2020

14th District

Incumbent Rep. Dave Joyce of Bainbridge Township was on track to defeat retired Stow carpenter Mark Pitrone of Stow in the Republican primary for the 14th district, which encompasses all of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, and parts of Cuyahoga, Portage, Trumbull and Summit counties. Attorney Hillary Toro OConnor Mueri, a former naval flight officer from Painesville, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. The district was drawn with a slight tilt toward Republicans. First elected in 2012, Joyce won 55 percent of the vote when he was re-elected two years ago.

16th District

In the 16th district Democratic party primary to take on freshman Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River, Westlake physicist Aaron Godfrey had 67 percent, with 33 percent for Parma Heights electronic security technician Ronald Karpus III. The V-shaped district they want to represent includes parts of Cuyahoga, Medina, Summit, Portage and Stark counties and all of Wayne County. It was drawn to favor Republicans, and Gonzalez won 57 percent of the 2018 vote.

This story has been updated to include tallies from Cuyahoga County that werent available until after midnight Wednesday morning.

Good luck everyone! Win or lose, you should all be proud of yourselves for standing up for what you believe and taking a leap into the dark.



But maybe tomorrow we can all start working together on strategies to win together and make Ohio blue! https://t.co/A9ke8w92FW  Aaron Godfrey (@GodfreyForOH16) April 28, 2020

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When Alice Wu wrote and directed her 2005 debut, Saving Face, she knew it wasnt going to be your typical Hollywood rom-com. Other than the Last Emperor star Joan Chen, cast wildly against type as a frumpy (until she isnt), mysteriously pregnant mom, the ensemble consisted largely of unknowns. Much of the film was set in Flushing, Queens, and not even the neighborhoods prettiest parts; and the story itself focused on a budding lesbian relationship between two Chinese-American overachievers.

I was trying to make the biggest romantic comedy I could on a tiny budget, with all Asian-American actors, and half of it in Mandarin Chinese, she said.

Even so, Saving Face, years away from the successes of either The Joy Luck Club, in 1993, or 2018s Crazy Rich Asians, has had an outsized impact on Asian-American filmmakers and cinema. Ali Wong (Always Be My Maybe) has said that seeing it as a young girl made her believe that Asian-Americans were capable of creating great art. Last year, it was named one of the 20 best Asian-American films of the last 20 years by a collection of critics and curators assembled by The Los Angeles Times.

Stephen Gong, executive director of San Franciscos Center for Asian American Media (host of the film festival CAAMFest), went one better, placing it in his Top 10 of all time, alongside Wayne Wangs 1982 indie Chan Is Missing and Justin Lins Better Luck Tomorrow.
Letter was sent along with a planeload of PPEs that Turkey donated to the US, which has reeled from the COVID-19 crisis.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to stand in solidarity with the United States in its struggle against the coronavirus pandemic as it recovers from the outbreak.

In a letter sent to President Donald Trump, Erdogan also said he was following with appreciation the US presidents efforts to control the outbreak.

The letter was sent on Tuesday along with a planeload of personal protective equipment that Turkey donated to the US. It was made public on Wednesday.

I hope that this humble assistance will assist your fight against this pandemic and contribute to the speedy recuperation of your citizens who contracted this virus, Erdogan wrote.

You can be sure, as a reliable and strong partner of the US, we will continue to demonstrate solidarity in every way possible, the Turkish president added.

Turkey sent 500,000 surgical masks, 4,000 overalls, 2,000 litres (528 gallons) of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks and 500 face shields.

A Turkish military plane landed at Joint Base Andrews last night to deliver medical supplies and other donated items to the United States, our friend and NATO ally, to assist the American peoples fight against the coronavirus, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Turkey on Wednesday for sending the protective equipment, and added his country was grateful for Turkeys support.

During times of crisis, @NATO Allies must stand together. We thank Turkey for their generous donation of medical supplies and protective equipment to help us fight #COVID19 in our hardest hit areas. Americans are grateful for your friendship, partnership and support. pic.twitter.com/5ePVaRdMlf  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) April 29, 2020

Turkey has sent similar medical equipment aid to a total of 55 countries  including the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.

Turkey-US relations have also been soured in recent years by disagreements over Syria, notably US support for a Kurdish militia there, and the US conviction of a Turkish bank executive.

Earlier this month, Turkish officials said Ankara held talks with the US about possibly securing a swap line from the US Federal Reserve and discussed other funding options to mitigate the pandemics economic fallout.
Boeing Co. will reduce its global workforce by 10 percent and cut the output of the 787 jet it makes in South Carolina and on the West Coast in half in response to a dramatic slowdown in air travel that could take five years to play out.

Both measures announced Wednesday come as the entire aerospace industry struggles to weather a health crisis that has drastically reduced demand for commercial planes.

CEO David Calhoun told employees in a letter that the pandemic has dealt a "body blow" to the aviation business.

Boeing reported a first quarter loss of $641 million and a 26 percent drop in revenues.

The aerospace giant employs about 160,000 workers worldwide and 7,000 in South Carolina, making it one of the Lowcountry's largest employers.

Calhoun said during a conference call that the company's commercial jetliner production sites in Washington state and North Charleston, as well as services locations spread throughout the country, will "bear the brunt of the adjustments."

While the cuts will amount to 10 percent of the overall workforce, the commercial airplanes and services segments will lose about 15 percent of their employees, Calhoun said. At the company's South Carolina operations, that's equal to about 1,000 positions, though the actual number of job cuts will depend on a number of variables.

The company has already started to offer voluntary layoffs to offset costs, but this new restructuring phase will most likely require involuntary layoffs if enough workers do not take offers to leave on their own terms, Calhoun said.

"I know this news is a blow during an already challenging time," he said in his letter. "I regret the impact this will have on many of you. I sincerely wish there were some other way."

Demand for airline travel has "fallen off a cliff," Calhoun said. Commercial carriers are expected to lose $314 billion in revenue this year. Current passenger levels are down 95 percent, which the Boeing chief called "remarkable" during an interview Wednesday on CNBC.

"The ramifications are big," he told the cable business news network, estimating it could take three years for the industry to get back to where it was in 2019 and another two years before it starts growing again.

Boeing's cost-cutting measures  and Calhoun's warnings about the impact on the business  have only escalated as the pandemic has dragged on. Last month, it was a hiring freeze and cutbacks on overtime and business travel.

Then the company suspended its dividend and said Calhoun and board chairman Larry Kellner would forgo pay until the end of the year. Early this month, Calhoun announced the voluntary layoff program.

Now, commercial airplane production is being slashed.

"We will be a smaller company for a while," Calhoun told investors.

The company outlined rate cuts for the wide-body 787 Dreamliner and 777 programs. Both models are built in Everett, Wash., but production of the 787 is also split with Boeing's North Charleston plant.

This marks the third consecutive Boeing earnings report that included a rate cut announcement for the Dreamliner. In October, the company said it would reduce the rate to 12, citing trade tensions with China. Then in January, another cut was announced, from 12 to 10.

Now, the company plans to drop to a rate of 10 per month this year and to seven by early 2022. Boeing will be "continuing to evaluate the rate after that," Calhoun said.

Asked whether the reduction to seven per month could prompt company officials to shutter the 787 line in Everett, Calhoun said that they "haven't made any decisions on the 787 in particular" in regard to the two sites.

He said that both lines would "certainly" be running when output is lowered to 10 Dreamliners per month this year. The reduction to seven by 2022 is still well off in the future, he said.

"We have plenty of time to figure out exactly the way to go about that in a smart way," Calhoun said. "Were not going to get ahead of ourselves."

The Everett site and the North Charleston plant assemble the first two versions of the 787, but only Boeing South Carolina builds the third and longest model, the 787-10.

The North Charleston plant also makes all of the mid- and aft-body sections for every Dreamliner, including those that are assembled in the Pacific Northwest.

Boeing also plans to scale back production of its still-grounded 737 Max. When production of that jet resumes, the company will gradually build up to a rate of 31 per month in 2021, assuming Boeing can secure the necessary approvals from regulators.

The company is still working on returning the troubled Max to the skies following two deadly crashes. Calhoun said Wednesday he feels "confident" the plane will be returned to service in the third quarter of this year.

Calhoun described a brighter outlook for the 737 than for Boeing's fleet of wide-bodies.

Narrow-body jets will "lead the way to recovery," Calhoun said during Wednesday's earnings call, while demand for the larger 787 and 777 models will be depressed for a longer period because of sustained declines in long-haul international flights.

"The international route structures are going to come back much slower than the domestic ones and, as a result, the (787) suffers for that," Calhoun said.

But he went on to say that Boeing still feels "good about the airplane," describing the Dreamliner's performance in the marketplace as "amazing."

Just weeks before the coronavirus outbreak escalated worldwide, Boeing netted a critical order for a dozen 787s for Japan's All Nippon Airways. All but one will be the South Carolina-made "Dash 10" version.

The 787 accounted for 29 of the 50 deliveries completed in the first quarter.

As of Wednesday, Boeing's North Charleston plant has been closed for three weeks because of the pandemic. The company announced this week it would bring workers back early next week, with most returning Sunday or Monday.

Production was shut down at the Washington state factories, too. Those facilities reopened last week, after about three and a half weeks of suspended operations.

Disruptions in the supply chain  a key reason for the temporary closures, in addition to concern for employees' safety  continue to be a challenge as production resumes, Calhoun said.

Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of the Dreamliner program, said in a statement Monday said the company took the necessary steps to "ensure a steady supply base" for operations to resume in North Charleston.

The workforce reductions and production cuts Boeing announced Wednesday may be the last major adjustments announced for some time.

The measures are meant to carry the company through 2022, Calhoun said. But a possible resurgence of the virus later this year, which some health experts have said is likely, wasn't factored into the plans.

"If there is another spike down the road, that's a different scenario," he said.

Calhoun made it clear Wednesday that the company is still weighing its options about whether it will seek financial aid from the federal government. Billions of dollars are up for grabs for companies like Boeing that meet the definition of "businesses critical to maintaining national security."

A deadline to apply for the funds is set for Friday.
It may not be the first industry anyone has thought of amidst the economic devastation triggered by coronavirus, but summer camps have watched the pandemic unfold with a specific fear: that camp might not open.

We dealt with H1N1 and SARS, we had cases of both, but I never in my 40 years of working in camps was worried about whether camp would open at all, says Mark Lipof, director of Camp Micah, a co-ed camp in Bridgton, Maine. And that is terrible, and all camp people are thinking the same thing.

Most sleepaway camps, as of now, are saying they aim to openwith extreme changes to their usual structures in order to safeguard campers and staff.

Those changes would make many camps look very different: eight-week and seven-week camps possibly shrinking their season to five weeks or four weeks; testing staff and campers when they arrive; hiring extra medical staff; fully isolating camp for the whole summer, which means no outdoor trips, no intercamp sports, no dances with other camps, and no staff nights out; adding extra meal shifts to have fewer kids in the dining hall at once; and potentially shrinking the number of beds per bunk.

Such changes will end up costing most camps more than usual, even with a shorter season, but it beats the alternative.

Summer camp is an $18 billion industry that serves more than 20 million kids and employs more than 1 million people each summer, according to the American Camp Association (ACA), a nonprofit industry group with more than 3,000 member camps all over the country.

Campers watch a marine science demonstration on July 11, 2017, at Fish Camp in South Portland, which is closing after its 39th summer. (Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images.)

As some states like Florida, Georgia, and Texas are already beginning to reopen their economies, the camp landscape will not look uniform nationally: some states already know they can have camp go on as usual, while other states have to wait and see.

We are looking forward to guidance that will help camps to be the best public health partner possible this summer, says ACA president Tom Rosenberg.

Aiming to decide by May 15

Story continues

Maine is home to the oldest camps; it has the most 100-year-old camps in the country, and they are some of the most expensive, with tuition ranging from $800 to $1,800 per week (nearly $13,000 for the summer at some of the highest-end camps). Around 40,000 kids go to camp in Maine every summer, according to the nonprofit Maine Summer Camps (MSC), and Maine camps have an estimated $200 million economic impact on the state each year, so it behooves the state to give camps the green light for this summer.

With U.S. coronavirus cases now heavily concentrated on the East Coast, Maine camps are particularly anxious as they await official camp guidelines from the state and the CDC, widely expected to come by May 1. Based on that timing, many Maine camps expect to make final decisions on whether and when theyll open by May 15, since thats around when they have to start placing bulk orders of food and supplies.

Some camps didnt want to wait in order to share their thinking with parents. Camp Takajo, an all-boys camp in Naples, Maine, already notified parents they can opt for a full refund if camp doesnt open, or even if camp opens but they dont feel comfortable sending their kids this summer. (Not all camps have that luxury; some plan to encourage parents to put their tuition toward next year.) I didnt want this decision to be driven by finances, says Takajo owner Jeff Konigsberg, who also owns the all-girls camp Tripp Lake in Poland, Maine.

Konigsberg has also already told parents his plan is to delay the start of both camps to July 11, according to an email a Takajo parent shared with Yahoo Finance. (Most camps usually start around June 21.) Even with camp condensed to five weeks, he says hell compensate staff for the usual full season.

U.S. coronavirus cases as of Apr. 29, 2020. (David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

Anxiety over different approaches

Maine camp owners and directors are on weekly Zoom calls in which they discuss the latest news and share their updated thinking. Some are concerned that the guidelines coming from the state and the CDC wont give a clear yes or no but will leave it up to the individual camps to make their own choice about opening. That will mean some camps open and some dont.

There are already camps that have said theyre definitely opening, and that was stupid, because the guidelines arent out yet, says Lipof of Camp Micah. If you open camp, and others dont, and you wind up having to close, then youre an idiot and everyone else is smart. The flip side is if almost everybody doesnt open, and a few do and they have a fine summer, then the rest of us look like we were wrong. So theres a lot of anxiety with not just our own own decision, but what the rest of the industry does.

Some of the changes required to open this summer could be cost-prohibitive for many camps.

We are approaching the summer assuming well have the virus at camp, says Konigsberg of Camp Takajo. That means planning to isolate some campers or staff within the already-isolated camp. (Camp Modin, an all-boys camp in Belgrade, Maine, has told parents it proactively ordered masks, gloves, and other PPE equipment two months ago.)

Theres also the likelihood that international staff wont be able to fly to the U.S. in time for the start of camp; many camps hire a large number of staff from countries like Poland. We are not expecting to get our international staff, says Konigsberg. If flights open up, we would love to get some of these guys back. But we are getting some terrific counselors from the U.S. instead, some of whom were not able to commit earlier because they had internships or jobs lined up, and now some of those internships or jobs have fallen by the wayside.

Then theres the issue of getting the kids to camp safely in the first place: Jay Jacobs, owner of Timber Lake Camp in New York, says he is considering chartering a private plane to bring campers from Florida.

Another pain point is the possibility that Maine will say camps can open but with no activities involving groups of 50 or more. That rule alone might be a deal-breaker for some camps, since it means no assemblies or other all-camp gatherings.

Camp is the opposite of social distancing, says Lipof.

On April 28, Maine Gov. Janet Mills released her plan to restart Maines economy. It involves a Stage 1 starting on May 1 that still prohibits gatherings of 10 or more people and encourages anyone who can work from home to continue doing so; Stage 2, starting on June 1, would allow gatherings of up to 50 people, but not more than 50 people; Stage 3, starting on July 1, still contemplates maintaining the prohibition on gatherings of more than 50 people but would allow for some degree of opening for summer camps.

That update still does not begin to have the answers that Maine camps need, says Ron Hall, executive director of Maine Summer Camps, so camps are still waiting for further guidance from the state. The governors office did not return a request for comment from Yahoo Finance.

What is clear is that parents, generally, want camp to happen. Most directors and owners say they havent had cancelations yet, apart from a few parents of children with preexisting health conditions.

If camps can open, its really important to the reemergence into society that kids are going to be doing, says Hall. Camps provide a great environment for kids to grow and develop social skills, develop independence, and those will all be really good assets for them to have when they reenter school in the fall.

Disclosure: The author worked as a counselor at Camp Micah for one summer in 2007.



Daniel Roberts is an editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite.

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Coronavirus puts 'extreme pressure' on all three pillars of Disney's business
Nearly nine in ten people are staying home rather than going out, despite a rise in bus users, according to new government research.

The poll, carried out by Amarach Research, found that 89% of people are not leaving home during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The findings of the poll were announced by Assistant Secretary at the Department of Taoiseach Liz Canavan at the daily health briefing at Government Buildings.

It found that 89% of people are staying home rather than leaving the house, 94% are washing their hands more often, 90% are socially distancing in queues and 78% are now coughing into their sleeves.

The poll of 1,100 people was carried out on Monday.

Ms Canavan revealed that the number of people using Dublin Bus this week has risen on the three-week average.

On Tuesday, 57,858 people used buses in the capital - a 3.5% rise on the average since April 8. On Monday, the figure was 57,700.

"It is important to note that strict social distancing provisions are in place on Dublin Bus," she said.

Ms Canavan said that over 50,400 businesses had signed up to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, with some 652 million having been paid out to almost 400,000 employees thus far.

Today, Revenue has generated a further 52.2 million in payments, which will land in company accounts tomorrow.

Ms Canavan said that gardai had used enforcement powers under Covid-19 legislation 76 times since April 8.

All of these matters go to the Director of Public Prosecutions, she added.

"It's important to acknowledge that the majority of people are complying with the regulations."

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Humanity would have been better prepared to fight the coronavirus with a vaccine had research not dwindled when past epidemics died down, a new report claims.

During the the Sars outbreak between 2002 and 2004, several vaccine candidates were identified, the British Society for Immunology (BSI) has said.

The Sars outbreak was also caused by a type of coronavirus, but research petered out when the epidemic died down, BSI said in a report published on Wednesday.

Long-term strategic investment in vaccine research is now crucial to securing global health against current and emerging diseases, the society claims.

While the response from the research community to SARS-CoV-2 (pictured) has been 'impressive', the BSI says, the world needs to be better prepared for the next pandemic

'The response from the research community to COVID-19 has been impressive, but it has also highlighted that the world needs to be better prepared for the next pandemic, whatever it may be,' the report reads.

'If intensive research into coronavirus infections like Sars and Mers had continued in the wake of past outbreaks, we might have been better equipped for tackling COVID-19 today.

'There is an urgent need to support and fund global capabilities in immunology, modelling, diagnostics and vaccination against all infectious diseases  including the ones we dont even know about yet.'

The Sars outbreak of 2002 to 2004 was caused by the SARS-CoV-1 virus strain which was first identified in Guangdong, China in 2002.

While the outbreak killed less than 1,000 people, SARS-CoV-2 has taken the lives of more than 217,000 people and counting.

The 'lethal ferocity' at which SARS-CoV-2  the coronavirus responsible for the illness known as COVID-19  has spread has shown science it can't afford to make the same mistake again, whether or not it's in the public eye.

'Consistent investment in immunology and vaccines is the best way to prepare for the next epidemic, but once an outbreak is out of the headlines, the funding for research often dries up,' the report says.

'It is also essential not to overlook the impact that the pandemic will have on progress against the many other infectious diseases that still cause death and misery around the world.'

The report, entailed 'Protecting the World: Celebrating 200 years of UK vaccine research, said that the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 was not a 'complete surprise' to science.

It also advises that despite social distancing and lockdown efforts, protecting the population through widespread vaccination 'will be the only way to beat the disease in the long term'.

From tracing new outbreaks to developing novel vaccines in a timely way, 'we must always be on our guard for the next threat', the BSI has said in its new report: 'Protecting the World: Celebrating 200 years of UK vaccine research'

Professor Arne Akbar, president of the British Society for Immunology, said that the UK had been at the forefront of vaccine research for the past 200 years, but warned that 'we cannot be complacent'.

'With our world becoming ever more interconnected, we must continue to innovate and support our world-leading institutions and researchers in their efforts to develop vaccines against a wider range of diseases,' he said.

'We are sure to face more outbreaks of new infectious diseases in the future.

'To put us in the best position to respond quickly, we need to continue to invest now and fund a wide variety of vaccine research so that should the worst happen, the UK and the world is ready to respond.'

At least 70 vaccines are in development around the world for SARS-CoV-2, according to the WHO, including at the University of Oxford, which began human trials this week.

But the BSI report said that even after a safe and effective vaccine is found, manufacturing it at scale would be a 'very serious challenge'.

'Next come the challenges of scaling-up manufacturing and larger clinical trials involving hundreds or thousands of people before widespread roll-out.

'This will be no small feat  vaccines are commercially risky investments for pharmaceutical companies and production facilities are generally designed to produce one specific vaccine.

'The scaling up of infrastructure to manufacture any new vaccine will be a very serious challenge.'

Because large clinical trials for a vaccine can cost millions of pounds and there is a chance it will not be effective or cause unacceptable side effects it was 'commercially risky'.

This left many promising vaccine candidates stuck in a 'death valley' between early stage testing and large scale trials, it added.

The global health community could pull policy levers to shift financial incentives to encourage investment in vaccine development from pharma companies and their investors.

Professor Robin Shattock, of Imperial College London's Department of Infectious Diseases, is leading a team attempting to develop a coronavirus vaccine, which is set to start clinical trials in June.

'COVID-19 has been a wake up call for how unprepared we are for the speed of a pandemic,' he said.

'It's not so much a technology gap as an investment gap.

'As we recognise the deficiencies of our response to date, we need to ensure there is long-term investment to build and sustain the research, infrastructure and technologies that can provide global and equitable vaccine response capability.

Even after a safe and effective vaccine is found, manufacturing it at scale would be a 'very serious challenge'

'COVID-19 is not the last pandemic, but work needs to be done to ensure it's the last pandemic for which we were unprepared.'

Professor Shattock's vaccine contains genetic instructions encoding both the virus spike protein  the part most likely to induce an immune response  and RNA copying machinery.

This enables the vaccine to self-replicate inside cells and generate a greater protective immune response.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the first real test of this technology, and progress has been very fast.

'We were able to go from having the virus genetic code to building a prototype vaccine and our first animal experiments within three weeks,' Professor Shattock writes in the report.

'In animals, the vaccine induced very potent neutralising antibodies with a single immunisation.'
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide an effective way of supporting the development of the next generation of high-performance rechargeable batteries, according to research led by the University of Birmingham.

The technique, which was developed to detect the movement and deposition of sodium metal ions within a sodium battery, will enable faster evaluation of new battery materials, and help to accelerate this type of battery's route to market.

Sodium batteries are widely recognised as a promising candidate to replace lithium ion batteries, currently widely used in devices such as portable electronics and electric vehicles. Several of the materials required to produce lithium ion batteries are critical or strategic elements and, therefore, researchers are working to develop alternative and more sustainable technologies.

Although sodium appears to have many of the properties required to produce an efficient battery, there are challenges in optimising the performance. Key amongst these is understanding how the sodium behaves inside the battery as it goes through its charging and discharging cycle, enabling the points of failure and degradation mechanisms to be identified.

A team, led by Dr Melanie Britton in the University of Birmingham's School of Chemistry, has developed a technique, with researchers from Nottingham University, that uses MRI scanning to monitor how the sodium performs in operando.

The research team also included scientists from the Energy materials group in the University of Birmingham's School of Metallurgy and Materials, and from Imperial College London. Their results are published in Nature Communications.

This imaging technique will enable scientists to understand how the sodium behaves as it interacts with different anode and cathode materials. They will also be able to monitor the growth of dendrites - branch-like structures that can grow inside the battery over time and cause it to fail, or even catch fire.

"Because the battery is a sealed cell, when it goes wrong it can be hard to see what the fault is," explains Dr Britton. "Taking the battery apart introduces internal changes that make it hard to see what the original flaw was or where it occurred. But using the MRI technique we've developed, we can actually see what's going on inside the battery while it is operational, giving us unprecedented insights into how the sodium behaves."

This technique gives us information into the change within the battery components during operation of a sodium ion battery, which are currently not available to us through other techniques. This will enable us to identify methods for detecting failure mechanisms as they happen, giving us insights into how to manufacture longer life and higher performing batteries.

The techniques used by the team were first designed in a collaboration with researchers at the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre at University of Nottingham which was funded by the Birmingham-Nottingham Strategic Collaboration Fund. This project aimed to develop MRI scanning of sodium isotopes as a medical imaging technique and the team were able to adapt these protocols for use in battery imaging. The development of novel materials and analytical characterisation is a primary focus of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage and Birmingham Centre for Critical Elements and Strategic Materials within the Birmingham Energy Institute.

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BA has announced a wave of job cuts. (Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)

British Airways has been accused of heartless behaviour by slashing thousands of jobs during the coronavirus crisis, after it said 12,000 workers could face redundancy.

Unions rounded on the company after its owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG.L) warned it had run out of other ways to save cash as the pandemic has hammered its revenue.

Analysts said its 535m (468m, $581m) first-quarter loss was its worst quarter since the 1980s, and warned of more job losses across the sector with recovery likely to take years.

The shock announcement on Tuesday night sparked fury from unions, which had negotiated deals to secure workers jobs and pay through the government furlough scheme in recent weeks.

READ MORE: British Airways announces 12,000 staff at risk of redundancy

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, said the announcement would be felt like a stab in the back by staff. He said many had worked heroically and unnoticed throughout the pandemic on repatriation flights, putting their own health at risk.

"They simply do not deserve to be treated as a commodity to be disposed of in this way, he said. This is a heartless decision in a time of national crisis.

Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilots union Balpa, said pilots were devastated by the news. This has come as a bolt out of the blue from an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID storm and declined any government support.

Unions said staff should have been kept on furlough. Millions of UK workers including 22,000 BA staff are on paid furlough leave through the governments emergency job retention scheme, with HMRC refunding 80% of staff wages up to a 2,500 cap until at least June.

McCluskey called job losses a conscious choice rather than an inevitability, arguing other European airlines, unions and governments were collaborating to save jobs. We simply cannot understand as to why [BA CEO] Alex Cruz is not doing the same, he said.

Story continues

Major US airlines have received bailouts worth $25bn, while France KLM and German airline Lufthansa are both likely to receive significant state support.

The Unite leader added: "To reject government support but then expect their own staff to pay the cost of such a misjudgement is irresponsible, dangerous and destructive and utterly at odds with the mood of the country at a time of crisis.

READ MORE: BP keeps dividend despite plunging profits as oil price sinks

Labours shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon warned aviation workers were key to the UK economy, and should not be laid off by leaders who have reaped the rewards from their hard work. He also said the UK government should have stepped in sooner to save jobs, with the chancellor so far rejecting calls for an industry bailout and dubbing it a last resort.

But the BAs CEO laid bare the challenges facing the airline in a post on its website on Tuesday. Cruz wrote that with revenues plummeting, the company was trying to renegotiate contracts and reviewing its fleet, but such measures alone would not save enough cash to weather the storm.

Cruz paid tribute to staff still working during the crisis, but said the outlook had deteriorated further in recent weeks, with no certainty when lockdowns and border restrictions would lift. There is no government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face. 

Analysts and unions alike fear more job losses in the sector. The industry had already faced significant challenges before COVID-19 hit, from overcapacity to two tragic Boeing 737 Max crashes leading to the grounding of the plane. Monarch, Thomas Cook and Flybe have all collapsed in recent years.

READ MORE: Airbus warns of gravest crisis in aerospace history

Michael Hewson of CMC Markets said the key long-term issue was now how consumers hold back and change their behaviour in the wake of this crisis.

He said IAGs announcement suggested it wanted to get in front of this challenge, with Hewson sharing the companys expectation that a full recovery in aviation and travel could take years. Airlines are unlikely to need as many aircraft and staff in the months ahead even if more flights resume, as demand may remain significantly lower.

Hewson said airlines would struggle to resume normal service when social distancing could remain for some time without a vaccine. Cabins may have to be reconfigured to increase space between passengers, potentially pushing up fares and curbing demand further.

State bailouts may merely delay some tough decisions, according to the analyst. It needs to be done in the knowledge that some of these loans may well never be repaid, and that job losses are likely to happen anyway to ensure that the airline remains viable, unless governments intend to renationalise them completely.
Children who experience trauma, abuse, neglect and family dysfunction are at increased risk of having heart disease in their 50s and 60s, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Results from the study showed people exposed to the highest levels of childhood family environment adversity were more than 50 percent more likely to have a cardiovascular disease event such as a heart attack or stroke over a 30-year follow-up.

The longitudinal study of more than 3,600 participants is among the first to describe the trajectory of cardiovascular disease and death based on family environment ratings from young adulthood into older middle age.

The findings were published today, April 28, in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Children who experience this type of adversity are predisposed to higher rates of lifelong stress, smoking, anxiety, depression and sedentary lifestyle that persist into adulthood. These can lead to increased body mass index (BMI), diabetes, increased blood pressure, vascular dysfunction and inflammation.

This population of adults is much more likely to partake in risky behaviors - for example, using food as a coping mechanism, which can lead to problems with weight and obesity. They also have higher rates of smoking, which has a direct link to cardiovascular disease." Jacob Pierce, a fourth-year medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and first author

Adults who were exposed to these risk factors as children may benefit from counseling on the link between coping with stress and controlling smoking and obesity, but more research is needed, Pierce said.

"Early childhood experiences have a lasting effect on adult mental and physical well-being, and a large number of American kids continue to suffer abuse and dysfunction that will leave a toll of health and social functioning issues throughout their lives," said senior author Joseph Feinglass, research professor of medicine and of preventive medicine at Feinberg. "Social and economic support for young children in the United States, which is low by the standards of other developed countries, has the biggest 'bang for the buck' of any social program."

The study used the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, a prospective cohort that has followed participants from recruitment in 1985-1986 through 2018, to determine how childhood psychosocial environment relates to cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality in middle age.

To get a broad idea of what a study participant's family environment was like during their childhood, participants answered survey questions that asked questions such as, "How often did a parent or other adult in the household make you feel that you were loved, supported, and cared for?" or "How often did a parent or other adult in the household swear at you, insult you, put you down or act in a way that made you feel threatened?"

The most predictive of cardiovascular disease later in life was "Did your family know what you were up to as a kid?" Pierce said.

While the study didn't specifically address attentiveness of parents, the findings indicate parents' involvement in their children's lives could impact their health later in life.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka crossed the 600 mark on Wednesday, as the country's top health officials expressed concern over the growing clusters of those infected with the virus.

The Ministry of Health said that 12 more persons have tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, bringing the cases tally to 611.

Sri Lanka saw the highest daily surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday with 65 new infections.

According to the Epidemiology Unit's tally, 470 active cases of coronavirus are currently under medical care at selected hospitals.

The island nation has confirmed 7 deaths due to the disease.

"We have taken all necessary steps and precautions in order to contain the virus," said Dr Anil Jasinghe, the director general of health services.

Jasinghe said the health personnel and national intelligence personnel are tracing the immediate contacts of the Sri Lanka Navy infected cluster.

Some 226 sailors have been infected with the novel coronavirus. Some 147 sailors from the Navy's Welisara detachment were infected after they had conducted an operation to send drug addicts to quarantine on suspicion of being infected.

Another group of sailors had been infected after they went home on leave. This forced the government to cancel the leave of all security forces personnel to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Defense Ministry Secretary Kamal Gunaratne appealed to the public not to ostracise Naval personnel following complaints that sailors and their immediate families had been subject to condemnation.

Sri Lanka has been under a 24-hour curfew since March 20 to combat the deadly viral infection.

However, there has been intermittent lifting of the curfew in selected areas which were not seen as dangerous for the spread of the deadly virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Little, Brown and Co. / Little, Brown and Co.

When stay-at-home orders went into effect in Houston and across the country, stoves and ovens lit up everywhere. Perhaps they were already well-worn, perhaps they hadnt been used in a while, or perhaps this was their very first time in action. Cooking at home is now a necessity, but for many of us, it has also brought solace.

To fuel this pandemic pastime, we compiled some of our favorite cookbooks  old and new and for every mood  as well plenty of recipes from their pages. They can be cooked during quarantine or whenever we find ourselves on the other side.

BUY LOCAL: Shop Houston's indie bookstores

Cookbooks may also help in other ways. Penguin Random House will publish Family Meal as an e-book, a collection of more than 40 recipes from food stars such as Samin Nosrat, Alison Roman, Kwame Onwuachi, Dan Barber and Bobby Flay. All of the proceeds will go to the Restaurant Workers COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. The e-book will be available May 5.

In the meantime, here are our cookbook recommendations.

ESSENTIALS

French Provincial Cooking and Italian Food by Elizabeth David (Penguin Classics, 1999; first published in 1962 and 1954, respectively)

For soups, I pore through Davids old Penguin paperbacks from the 60s and 70s for inspiration. She cooks and writes recipes in a loose, template fashion that suits my own cooking so well. Ive been making her minestrone variants forever.  Alison Cook

Pasta Fresca: An Exuberant Collection of Fresh, Vivid and Simple Pasta Recipes by Evan Kleiman and Viana La Place (William Morrow, 1988)

This classic has so many simple, easy ideas that I can bounce off depending on what Ive got on hand. I love the authors first collaboration, Cucina Fresca (1985), for the same reasons; its great for quick and easy vegetable salads and small plates. The goat cheese marinated in olive oil and herbs has been a standby for me for decades, and it works with mozzarella and other cheeses, too.  A.C.

Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman (Clarkson Potter, 2019)

The New York Times columnist, she of viral recipes #thestew and #thecookies, can friggin cook. Her recipes typically have most elements I crave: citrus, crunchy-crispy bits, celery, briny things, loads of fresh herbs, cheese and a touch of heat. The best part? Resulting flavors and textures are complex, instructions are not.  Jody Schmal

Recipe: Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Tumeric

Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus and Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers by Julia Turshen (Chronicle Books, 2018)

In her introduction, Turshen admits this book was meant to be entirely about leftovers (called Its Me Again). She decided instead to tell home cooks what to make in the first place, but her initial concept is peppered throughout: The Its Me Again pages give suggestions for how to easily repurpose surplus food. Yesterdays tortilla soup is todays spicy pozole, and dont sleep on the seven things to do with section in the back.  Emma Balter

Recipe: Stuffed Mushrooms with Walnuts, Garlic and Parsley

Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat (Simon & Schuster, 2017)

I recently rediscovered Nosrats cooking know-how through her new podcast, Home Cooking. It made me pick up Salt Fat Acid Heat again. Though there are recipes in the latter half, its not so much a cookbook as it is a book that will teach you how to cook  pretty much anything, no recipe needed.  E.B.

FOR THOSE WHO BOUGHT FLOUR IN BULK

Bianco: Pizza, Pasta and Other Food I Like by Chris Bianco (HarperCollins, 2017)

The Phoenix-based chef is easily the best pizzaiolo in America. And yes, you can make amazing pizza crust at home. The key to his basic, but nuanced, recipes for dough and tomato sauce? Its all about the ingredients.  J.S.

Recipe: Pizza Dough

The Pancake Cookbook by Myra Waldo (Bantam Books, 1963)

For some reason, I am finding pancakes supremely comforting right now, and this little book  its so old the price on the cover is 50 cents!  has so many variations to play with. Its really fun. A.C.

The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook by Jim Lahey with Maya Joseph (Norton, 2017)

With rustic baking all the rage during our coronavirus quarantine, its good to remember this encouraging cookbook dedicated to the pleasures of sourdough starter-breads. With his first My Bread cookbook, Lahey changed the world with his no-knead bread primer. Sullivan Street pushes the home baker into new yeasty directions.  Greg Morago

Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford (Clarkson Potter, 2017)

My mom recommended this book. Its perfect for novice/lazy bread-bakers  based on one rustic, no-knead bread-loaf recipe, and from there jumps into other recipes in which you can use whatever additional ingredients you have on hand.  J.S.

HEALTHFUL COOKING

Its All Easy: Delicious Weekday Recipes for the Super-Busy Home Cook by Gwyneth Paltrow (Grand Central Publishing, 2016)

Hear me out: Sometimes you need easy but also healthful-ish. Paltrows recipes are surprisingly delicious. Try the Cauliflower and Kimchi Fried Rice, or turkey meatloaf, or miso turnips, and tell me Im wrong.  J.S

Recipe: Dairy-free Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Saladish: A Crunchier, Grainier, Herbier, Heartier, Tastier Way with Vegetables by Ilene Rosen with Donna Gelb (Artisan Books, 2018)

I furiously cooked through this cookbook all spring and summer of last year. At times, the recipes are a little involved, but Ive always come out at the end of it wondering by what stroke of genius Rosen thought to put these flavors and textures together. The various dressings and sauces in the recipes can also be made on their own for other uses. Since I got into Saladish, all my carrot tops have been destined for the carrot-top pesto. The allium couscous will also return to my rotation now that weve entered spring.  E.B.

Recipe: Couscous and Spring Allium Mix

Eat Your Vegetables by Arthur Potts Dawson (Mitchell Beazley, 2012)

A wide variety of farm-fresh vegetable dishes spanning more than 300 pages. Love that some of the recipes have only a few ingredients but make a big impact, such as a simple salad of buttered peas, lettuce, red pepper and mint.  J.S.

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL COOKING

Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian (Flatiron Books, 2018)

Im a newbie when it comes to cooking Persian food, but this book has me craving tahdig twice a week. With drool-worthy images that leap off the page, and recipes that arent too labor intensive and dont require unattainable ingredients, Im smitten.  J.S.

Hey There, Dumpling! by Kenny Lao and Genevieve Ko (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2015)

A couple of years ago, I spent New Years Eve with just one dear friend. I wanted a fun cooking project, so we chose to conquer the folds of the humble dumpling, using Lao and Kos book. The illustrations by Sebit Min guide even the least dexterous cook to master several different dumpling shapes. Our pork and chive potstickers tasted and looked great. Hey There, Dumpling! also includes dozens of recipes for noodles, salads, soups and more.  E.B.

Piatti: Plates and Platters for Sharing, Inspired by Italy by Stacy Adimando (Chronicle Books, 2019)

Adimandos southern Italian heritage inspired her first solo cookbook. She builds on the traditional antipasti and expands the genre to create recipes that prove Italian cuisines main tenet: that just a few simple ingredients are needed to make high-quality produce and meats shine. Ive made her seared mushrooms with dried currants, radishes and kale dish more times than I can remember.  E.B.

Recipe: Broccolini Frittata with Torn, Oil-Packed Anchovies or Grated Cheese

Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen by Adeena Sussman (Avery Publishing, 2019)

In Hebrew, sababa means everything is awesome. Indeed, Sussmans bright, flavorful Israeli recipes are easy to execute and emphasize fresh produce. I can think of few things better than a homemade hummus or green shakshuka to transport me somewhere outside my four walls right now.  E.B.

Recipe: Tahdig

AROUND TEXAS

The Austin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Deep in the Heart of Texas by Paula Forbes (Abrams, 2018)

Austin writer Forbes offers classic, unfussy recipes from popular restaurants around her hometown  yes, that means brisket, breakfast tacos and Bob Armstrong dip  as well as shows her own considerable know-how.  J.S.

Recipe: Gingerbread Pancakes

Cook Like a Local: Flavors that Can Change How You Cook and See the World by Chris Shepherd and Kaitlyn Goalen (Clarkson Potter, 2019)

Shepherds shtick is championing Houstons vibrant and diverse food scene. His first cookbook serves as a kind of codification of his philosophy. Through six core ingredient categories  fish sauce, chiles, soy, rice, spices and corn  he brings us in the kitchens of the immigrant cooks who make the citys culinary patchwork what it is, through stories, explainers and, of course, delicious recipes.  E.B.

Recipe: Papaya Salad

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mckay (Ten Speed Press, 2015)

The first serious Texas barbecue cookbook from barbecues first international superstar remains a glorious inspiration for all those backyard warriors who chase smoked-meat nirvana.  G.M.

Recipe: Aaron Franklins Regular Barbecue Sauce

Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family by Priya Krishna (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)

Priya Krishna is one of my MVPs in the kitchen, both in and out of quarantine. Indian-ish, as its name suggests, is not an Indian cookbook but rather a showcase of what one Indian family living in Dallas cooks and eats. The mostly vegetarian recipes come with fun and voicy commentary from Krishna, who will also teach you invaluable essentials, such as chhonk, the process of tempering spices in oil. I have permanent bookmarks on her dal and the roasted aloo gobhi (potatoes and cauliflower).  E.B.

Recipe: Roasted Aloo Gobhi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)

Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes by Adan Medrano (Texas Tech University Press, 2014)

For a local cookbook that speaks to Houston, I really like this one. Serious comfort food that I need on a regular basis. Plus I admire Medranos depth of research and thinking on a topic dear to my heart.  A.C.

Recipe: Fried Chile de Arbol Salsa

With Gratitude, Johnny Carrabba: Celebrating 30 Years of Recipes, Stories and Family by Johnny Carrabba (Carrabbas Family of Restaurants, 2016)

The founder of the Carrabbas chain, who operates the original on Kirby along with new ventures Mias Table and Graces, produced a gorgeous cookbook to celebrate his restaurants 30th anniversary. The recipes here are delicious, approachable  now fans can make Carrabbas house salad and Chicken Bryan at home.  J.S.

Recipe: Chicken Bryan Texas

FOOD BOOKS FOR THE READER

Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin (Clarkson Potter, 2019)

You should cook from Jubilee. But you should also read it cover to cover. Tipton-Martin aims to broaden peoples perceptions of African-American cuisine by reclaiming it as a manifestation of black achievement, freeing it from the confines of poverty, survival, and soul food, she writes in her introduction. Tipton-Martin studied hundreds of cookbooks to synthesize the vast canon of black cooking in Jubilee; each section opener, each headnote, each aside tells the story behind its many contributions.  E.B.

Cod: A Biography of Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kulansky (Walker Publishing, 1997)

Kurlansky launched a series of single-subject food books (including milk, salt and oysters) with this groundbreaking exploration of codfishs role in human history. From the Vikings to New England fishermen, codlandia is parsed in fascinating, scholarly detail. His new book, Salmon, published in March, is an environmental manifesto that takes up where Cod left off.  G.M.

NEW COOKBOOKS

The Batch Lady: Shop Once, Cook Once, Eat Well All Week by Suzanne Mulholland (William Morrow, 2020)

Although the coronavirus has allowed for a more leisurely acquaintance with the kitchen, saving time in meal prep and production  especially for busy families  will never go out of style. The gist here is economical, big-batch cooking that yields multiple meals. Music to a home cooks ears.  G.M.

Recipe: Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken

Milk Street Fast and Slow by Christopher Kimball (Little, Brown and Company, 2020)

Instant Pot cookbooks are ubiquitous, so it would take a truly inspired cookbook to set the bar higher for that countertop gadget that has taken the world by storm. Leave it to the Milk Street creator to take a bold new step with sophisticated recipes for both fast and slow modes.  G.M.

Recipe: Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Browned Butter and Yogurt

Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa Martin (Artisan Books, 2020)

Its heartening that Martin  a Louisianan who grew up with leftover gumbo in the fridge and an oil rig drilling just outside my window  is preserving a beloved culture whose food is prized. Recipes, including seven types of gumbo, tell an evocative story of the Cajun way of life. Her book already has been named one of the best of 2020 by Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Epicurious, and NPRs Splendid Table.  G.M.

Recipe: Shrimp Boulettes

La Vida Verde: Plant-Based Mexican Cooking With Authentic Flavor by Jocelyn Ramirez (Page Street Publishing, 2020)

If youre among those who believes lard and braised meats equal Mexican authenticity, La Vida will change your mind about the delicious possibilities of meatless cuisine. These are recipes the author grew up making alongside her abuelita  queso fresco, tortillas, jackfruit carnitas tacos, mushrooms in green mole and tortilla soup with cream. And salsa, salsa, salsa.  G.M.

Recipe: Salsa de Tomatillo

food@chron.com
Chandigarh, April 29 : Twenty-three more people, who returned to Punjab after a 1,750-km odyssey from the Sikh shrine in Nanded, Maharashtra, on Wednesday tested coronavirus positive, taking their total to 34.

As per official figures, nearly 3,500 pilgrims are expected to arrive from Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded where they were stranded due to the lockdown. They are reaching Punjab in batches in the government-arranged buses.

A majority of them would return in the next two days, a Punjab government official told IANS.

The Health Department has decided to quarantine all returnees from outside the state for 21 days.

"The pilgrims returning from Sri Hazur Sahib is a big challenge. The Maharashtra government didn't take steps to prevent the Covid-19 spread by testing those who were embarking upon the journey to Punjab," Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said.

"We are taking all the necessary steps to contain coronavirus by examining and testing of all the returnees to Punjab. It's our duty to bring them back," he said.

Meanwhile, the Bathinda district, which had no case so far, on Wednesday reported its first coronavirus cases with two pilgrims testing positive.

After non-resident Indians (NRIs), foreign travellers and Tablighi Jamaat attendees, it's now the pilgrims returning from the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib that is posing a serious challenge to the state administration, said an official.

The state government has ordered all the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib returnees -- who returned to the state on their own -- to report their whereabouts to the nearest police station or face criminal prosecution.

The concealing of such information would lead to criminal case, an official said.
The coronavirus pandemic may be ravaging the world, but it proved the ultimate boon to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The public health emergency helped Netanyahu delay his corruption trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust until late May. And it created the pressures that enabled the wily prime minister to break the main opposition alliance against him, end the political paralysis that followed Israel's third election in less than a year, and form the country's 35th government with him, once more, at the head.

My Washington Post colleagues reported last week on the complexity of the unity government forged between Netanyahu and former adversary Benny Gantz. "The painfully negotiated structure is both divided and multiplied, with power split between two hostile camps and the number of ministries inflated to create the largest bureaucracy in Israeli history," they wrote. "Netanyahu and Gantz would rotate the prime minister's role, with Netanyahu taking the first 18-month term. Each would serve as the other's deputy, requiring parallel staffs and a second official state residence."

Questions abound about the capacity of this team of rivals to govern and how Netanyahu's trials will affect Gantz's credibility. "From being the moral voice for the last 15 months by calling for the removal of an indicted prime minister, Gantz is now the indicted prime minister's chief protector and defender," wrote Haaretz columnist Anshel Pfeffer.

And then there is the question of annexation. Nestled in the agreement between Gantz and Netanyahu is a clause to advance plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, along with the historic river valley that borders Jordan, starting as soon as July 1. This has long been in the works: With the blessing of the Trump administration's widely-derided "vision" for "peace and prosperity" in the region, Netanyahu and his allies in the Israeli right hope to extend Israel's sovereignty over at least some of the 128 Jewish settlements that now dot the West Bank.

Such a move, while cheered by pro-settlers groups in Israel and President Donald Trump's evangelical base in the United States, may be a non-starter for Israel's Arab neighbors and is staunchly opposed by much of the international community, foreign policy grandees in Washington and major voices in Israel's security establishment.

"Unilateral annexation has the potential to ignite a serious conflagration," read a letter addressed to Gantz, a former military chief himself, and signed by some 220 former high-ranking officers in Israeli security agencies. "Any partial annexation is likely to set in motion a chain reaction over which Israel will have no control, leading to the collapse of the Palestinian security agencies and of the Palestinian Authority. This, in turn, would require Israel to take full control over the entire West Bank, and assume responsibility for the lives of its 2.6 million Palestinians."

That's a scenario with troubling implications for those who want Israel to be a Jewish-majority and democratic state. "If there is no Palestine, Israel will be doomed to become a binational state rather than a Jewish one, or else adopt an apartheid system in which millions of Palestinians are ruled by Israel but lack full political rights," noted Jackson Diehl, The Post's deputy editorial page director.

But annexation is not yet a fait accompli. Gantz is "lukewarm" on annexation, said Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, in a virtual briefing held by the centrist Israel Policy Forum, though he added that it's unlikely Gantz "could or even would throw himself in front of that train" when Netanyahu sets it in motion.

Still, Shapiro argued that the "actual implementation" of any form of annexation "is impossible without a very intense technical process," one that may be difficult for the Israeli government to sort out before the U.S. presidential election in November - when Netanyahu may see Trump, who encouraged Israel down this path, defeated by a rival who would want to yank the prime minister back.

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential hopeful and former vice president, has warned against annexation and Israeli's pursuit of policies that would jeopardize bipartisan support, especially from younger Democrats whose views of Israel have soured under Netanyahu's long rule.

Critics on the left argue such consternation is too late. Trump's predecessors, they say, didn't do enough to halt the expansion of Israeli settlements nor face up to the reality of Palestinian disenfranchisement that already exists.

"For decades on end, it was the international community that did not 'miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity' to make an actual difference, offering words but no action through years of feigned concern," wrote Hagai El-Ad, executive director of B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group. "Now, once again, concern is being expressed over 'preserving the eventual possibility of a two-state solution.' It is difficult to imagine framing the matter in weaker, vaguer, or more ambiguous terms."

Jeremy Ben-Ami, head of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel organization in Washington that supports a two-state solution, lamented how even Israel's now much-diminished Labor party threw its lot in with Netanyahu, signaling the extent to which the political gravity is on the right.

"We are deeply disappointed that there hasn't been a vocal opposition to what the government of Bibi Netanyahu is doing," Ben-Ami told Today's WorldView.

In the United States, it's a different story. "For Democrats, the positions they are staking out" - particularly in opposition to annexation - "are the traditional bipartisan positions, the positions that Republican administrations used to take," Ben-Ami said. But now, he added, Israel is no longer "outside the partisan maelstrom," and has become for Republicans an object of America's polarized culture wars.

"Between Netanyahu and Trump, they have made Israel a partisan wedge issue and are destroying decades of bipartisan support," he said.
This content is from: Corporate

A moratorium proposed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on US mergers will have a negative impact on the market, according to sources
All insurers are being warned they must not seek to profit from the pandemic. The industry is expected to pay out more than 1.2 billion due to the virus, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

But firms are already facing legal action after refusing payouts to crippled businesses, while others are expected to profit from a fall in claims elsewhere.

James Daley, of Fairer Finance, says: 'Insurers must make it clear that they will do the right thing by their customers, and that this isn't just an opportunity to bolster their bottom line.' Here Money Mail runs the rule over where households could lose out

Squeeze: The industry is expected to pay out more than 1.2 billion due to the virus, according to the Association of British Insurers

Travel cover

Premiums are up by more than 20 per cent compared to last year, while the number of products available is down by a third.

It comes as the ABI said it expects insurers to pay a record 275 million to customers whose trips have been cancelled due to coronavirus.

The cost of an average single trip policy has increased from 26 to 31 over the year to March, according to GoCompare.

One Money Mail reader said her annual premium had soared from 63 to 212, even though she had not made a claim.

Customers are also out of pocket due to costly cover they no longer need.

Retired Royal Marine Bruce Myles paid 458 for cover with Staysure, but it is now worthless because his trip to Hurtigruten in Norway on March 21 was cancelled.

Bruce, 79, and his wife Anne, 77, from Plymouth, Devon, have been able to rebook the trip, but Staysure refused to transfer the policy or provide a refund. Instead, the insurer has offered a 22 voucher or 20 per cent off his next policy.

Bruce says: 'I have lost 458, a sum I can ill afford to lose, as a pensioner.'

Staysure says its underwriters are not allowed to cover customers for more than 13 months after the policy was sold and the rebooking falls outside this window, but it is working to improve its offer.

Business owners left in lurch Brokers are being sent scripts to help them fob off businesses making claims due to the coronavirus. One script obtained by insurancejustice.co.uk tells brokers to say: 'There isn't any cover under the business interruption. 'There are specific exclusions relating to pandemics which totally contradict [the Chancellor].' That is despite the Association of British Insurers saying it expects to pay out 900 million in business interruption claims due to the pandemic. But UK Hospitality says 71 per cent of its members have had claims rejected, with just 1 per cent of its members having any success with claims. And more than 450 small firms are planning to launch separate legal actions against Hiscox and RSA after the insurers said they would not pay out on coronavirus losses. Pub and B&B owner Rhiannon Maguire, 40, says she has been trying to make a claim for six weeks with no success, despite paying 850 a year. She says: 'I can only assume if they pay everyone out, then they will bankrupt themselves. So is the better option to allow businesses to go bankrupt instead?' Her insurer, China Taiping, says it is committed to paying out all valid claims and will confirm its position within the next couple of days.

Driving bill

Insurers are expected to make huge savings from a drop in motor claims as drivers are warned against all non-essential travel.

The industry could make an extra 1 billion in profits if claims fall by 50 per cent over three months, according to pay-as-you-go insurer Cuvva.

Last week Admiral said it would give 25 back to each of its customers, piling pressure on others to follow suit.

But insurer By Miles estimates that drivers could be up to 58 out of pocket by the end of a two-month lockdown.

Meanwhile, motorists with 'telematics' or 'black box' policies, which offer lower premiums for driving safely, are losing out because they are no longer using their cars.

Quinn Mitchell, 18, from St Neots, Cambs., is paying 1,329 per year to insure his Kia Picanto with Adrian Flux.

He would normally get a 67p discount for every day he didn't drive, as a reward for lowering the risk he posed. But days after the lockdown was announced, this was cut to 42p, then to 18p the following day.

Quinn's dad Dean, 50, says: 'It feels as though they are trying to make a profit from the coronavirus lockdown.'

Adrian Flux says it is trying to amend its programming and will return savings to safe drivers.

Health costs

Pressure is mounting to compensate health insurance customers after private facilities were handed over to the NHS.

Peter Gant, 83, pays 322 per month for a medical scheme with Axa PPP. The pensioner says he fully supports prioritising the NHS, but questions why premiums have not been reduced to reflect restricted access.

Peter, from Newport, Shrops., says that 'minor benefits' offered by Axa, such as online access to doctors, are no substitute for access to private medical treatment.

Axa expects claims to level out after the pandemic is under control and customers catch up on treatment. It has vowed to pass on any overall cost reductions, but customers may have to wait until March 2022 for any refunds.

At home

Home insurance claims could fall during the lockdown as more people stay indoors, according to comparethemarket.com.

Aviva says it has already seen a drop in claims for burglaries, accidental damage and water leakage, as homeowners are able to fix problems more quickly.

Private landlords claiming for unpaid rent are also being rejected due to small print. 'Rent protection' or 'rent guarantee' is usually sold as extra cover on a standard landlord insurance policy.

But while many think it will pay out if a tenant can't afford rent, small print usually insists an eviction must be in progress or have taken place. Most policies exclude claims that arise as a result of government action.

An ABI spokesman says: 'Many [business] insurers have extended unoccupied premises conditions.

'Additional help includes motor policies being extended to cover volunteer driving, travel insurance being extended to travellers stuck abroad, and enhanced online medical services under private health insurance.'

m.dilworth@dailymail.co.uk
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Mosaic Capital Corporation (TSXV: M) (TSXV: M.DB) ("Mosaic") intends to release its first quarter 2020 financial results on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, after market close.

FIRST QUARTER 2020 EARNINGS CONFERENCE CALL

A conference call to discuss the results will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 8:00 AM MT (10:00 AM ET). All interested parties are invited to join the conference call by dialing 1 (800) 952-5114 from within Canada or the U.S., then entering the participant Code 8147363#. Participants will need to provide the operator with the Service Confirmation number 4326428. A recording of the conference call will be made available on Mosaic's website at www.mosaiccapitalcorp.com.

ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

The Company also wishes to announce that its Annual and Special Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:00 PM MT at the offices of Mosaic Capital Corporation located at 400, 2424 - 4th Street SW, Calgary, Alberta. Due to the current public health crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the requirement for social distancing, the meeting will be conducted by way of conference call and shareholders should refrain from attending in person. The timing and process for voting by proxy remains the same as prior years and is described in detail in the Information Circular that was mailed to shareholders on April 14, 2020.

Additional attendance restrictions may be added due to the changing nature of the public health advisories related to COVID-19. In the event that more people choose to attend in person than the government-imposed restrictions on mass gatherings, the meeting, by necessity, will be rescheduled to a later date.

A live audio of the meeting will be available by conference call by dialing 1 (855) 353-9183 from within Canada or the U.S. or (403) 532-5601 from Calgary or internationally, then entering the participant code 63121#. Please dial in 15 minutes prior to the call to secure a line. A recording of the conference call will be made available on Mosaic's website following the meeting. Mosaic will not be providing a corporate presentation at the meeting.

ABOUT MOSAIC CAPITAL CORPORATION

Mosaic is a Canadian investment company that owns a portfolio of established businesses which span a diverse range of industries and geographies. Mosaic's strategy is to create long-term value for its shareholders through accretive acquisitions, long-term portfolio ownership, sustained cash flows and organic portfolio growth. Mosaic achieves its objectives by maintaining financial discipline, acquiring businesses at attractive valuations, performing extensive acquisition due diligence, utilizing optimal transaction structuring and working closely with subsidiary businesses after acquisition.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Cam Deller

Vice President, Corporate Development

Mosaic Capital Corporation

400, 2424 - 4th Street SW

Calgary, AB T2S 2T4

T: (403) 930-6576

E: cdeller@mosaiccapitalcorp.com

www.mosaiccapitalcorp.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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55131
Aryan Khan case an attempt by BJP to move Bollywood out of Maharashtra: Malik

How OTT filmmakers like Suravi Patnaik are driving the game away from Bollywood

Amiee Misobbah slaying the elegant bride look in her latest music video with veteran Padmini Kolhapure

Magnificent actor of our times: India mourns Irrfan Khan's death

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Apr 29: Bollywood's legendary actor Irrfan Khan, who had been battling a rare form of cancer since 2018, has passed away at 53 in Mumbai. His sudden departure comes as a shock for the film industry and millions of his fans. People from all walks of life paid tribute to the extraordinary actor.

The Piku star battled a tumour for several months and returned to Mumbai some months ago after being treated in London.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted, "Irfan Khan was a versatile actor. Sorry to hear about his demise. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti."

Condoling his death, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Irrfan Khan is "one of the most exceptional actors of our time".

"I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & TV stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief," top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

"Saddened beyond measure by the passing of a human being I had never met, but who gladdened my heart and the hearts of millions with his incandescent talent. RIP @irrfank, gone when he had so much more to give," Congress MP Shashi Tharoor wrote on Twitter.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday condoled the death of actor Irrfan Khan, describing him as one of the country's most versatile actors.

In a tweet, Gehlot said, "I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, Irrfan Khan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength". "May his soul rest in peace," he said.

The "Maqbool" actor, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, lost his mother in Jaipur just four days ago.

The actor was admitted to the intensive care unit of Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.
Several people protesting the states handling of the COVID-19 pandemic were forcibly removed from the Michigan House gallery Wednesday morning after being told the space was being reserved for lawmakers and press to maintain social distancing guidelines.

The area is typically open to members of the public, but the House is planning on taking votes later Wednesday afternoon and needs additional space for lawmakers to maintain social distancing guidelines, House Clerk Gary Randall said.

Members of the public wishing to witness session have been directed to the Speakers Library to watch a live stream, he said.

Three women were removed from the House gallery. One of them could be heard shouting, Youre not allowed to touch me" from outside the House chambers, and another fell to the ground after being pushed out. A video from the political newsletter MIRS taken from inside the gallery shows several sergeants and a member of the Michigan State Police were involved in removing the women from the chamber.

Protestors forcefully removed from House gallery, which is closed to public today to allow for space to be given to members and press. pic.twitter.com/3ZVsa13oik  MIRSnews.com (@MIRSnews) April 29, 2020

Once the protesters were removed from the House gallery, they continued to speak with police and House sergeants, alleging their constitutional rights were violated. One of the women, who was visibly upset, requested an ambulance and was removed from the scene in a stretcher.

Audra Johnson, one of the three people kicked out of the chamber, said she and her friends were assaulted for trying to exert their Constitutional rights to witness legislative proceedings.

Our government has no right to impede on our Constitution, they have no right to keep people prisoners in their own homes, she said. We have the right to know whats going on beyond those doors.

Randall declined to comment on the assault claims.

Michigan State Police First Lt. Darren Green said officers are interviewing those involved and plan to review video footage of the situation to create a report. One of the women said she hit her elbow when she was pushed out the door of the House gallery, and a photograph was taken of her arm as evidence, Green said.

Our job is to just come in and gather facts and obtain video footage and statements to help paint a very accurate picture of what happened, and put that down in legible form, he said.

Green said the report will be forwarded to the prosecutors office to determine if charges are warranted against anyone involved.

Both the House and Senate were called into session Wednesday, and have another session date scheduled for Thursday if necessary.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus
New Delhi, April 29 : Congress' former President Rahul Gandhi has asked the External Affairs Ministry to take note of unfollowing of Twitter account of the President and Prime Minister by the White House.

"I'm dismayed by the "unfollowing" of our President and PM by the White House. I urge the Ministry of External Affairs to take note," he said in a tweet.

The tweet comes in wake of reports that the White House is now longer following the Prime Minister on Twitter.

The Congress has raised the issue after the government claimed that India has better ties than the US after two successful events - 'Namaste Trump' here in February this year and 'Howdy, Modi!' event in the US.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
Investors who are looking for ways to diversify a traditional investment portfolio can turn to alternative assets like commodities and related exchange traded funds.

I think the diversification angle is starting to be more of a concern for people, John Love, President, Chief Executive Officer, USCF, said at the Inside ETFs conference.

Were starting to get asked the question more, you know, is this the time to start diversifying more, and so were telling people, you know, I think thats always the case.

Investors who are interested in broad commodities exposure to diversify a portfolio can look to something like the United States Commodity Index Fund (USCI A-) as a way to gain exposure to the asset class.

USCI eschews rolling front month contracts, which can lead to underperformance, especially in a contangoed market, rebalancing each month and selecting the most-backdated contracts and then the seven highest-returning contracts.

Specifically, the commodities ETF tries to reflect the performance of the SummerHaven Dynamic Commodity Index Total Return Index, which consists of 14 commodity futures. The index is reformulated each month from 27 possible futures contracts. The 14 selected contracts are equally weighted and represent six sectors: Energy (WTI crude oil, Brent crude oil, natural gas, heating oil, gasoil, RBOB gasoline), Precious Metals (gold, silver, platinum), Industrial Metals (aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, tin, zinc), Grains (corn, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, wheat), Livestock (live cattle, feeder cattle, lean hogs) and Softs (coffee, cocoa, cotton, and sugar).

I think having your portfolio diversified in lots of different asset classes, including commodities, is a smart move, Love added.

Additionally, many traders have included targeted commodity exposures, such as the United States Oil Fund (USO A), which tracks West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures, for tactical plays to capture short-term moves.

Story continues

Watch John Love discuss Diversification of Portfolios:

This article originally appeared on ETFTrends.com.

Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.
WASHINGTON  A week ago, President Trump chastised Georgia for starting to reopen. Its too soon, he said. But on Tuesday, he cheered Texas as it began resuming business. Great job, he said. And Florida may be next as the president welcomed its governor to the Oval Office.

White House guidelines urge states to retain coronavirus restrictions until they meet certain criteria, but Attorney General William P. Barr is now threatening to sue them if he deems those limits too strict. And even as the president talks about opening the country, he has ordered it closed to immigration, even suggesting on Tuesday that flights from Brazil be banned.

With more and more states ready to resume some semblance of normal life, the messages from Mr. Trump and his administration at times have sounded contradictory and confusing. The president is anxious to get the stalled economy running again as the election grows nearer, and he has encouraged protests against restrictions in some states even as parts of his own government counsel caution for fear of rushing into a second wave of the disease.

The contrast was on display on Tuesday even as the number of cases in the United States surpassed one million and the death toll of 52,000 approached the total American military casualties of the Vietnam War. Mr. Trump hosted Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida at the White House to talk about reopening a state that has stirred deep concern because of its disproportionate population of retirees and the crowded public beaches that remained open long after experts recommended they be closed. The president later staged a ceremony in the East Room with small businesses to talk about getting back to work.
[April 29, 2020] Silverton Partners Raises $144M to Invest in the Next Generation of Texas Startups

Silverton Partners, a leading early-stage investment firm, has closed $144M in capital. The oversubscribed fund will designate $17M toward the formation of an Opportunity Fund for pro-rata investments in some of the firm's highest potential portfolio companies. Austin has been America's fastest-growing city by population for eight of the past 10 years, and Silverton is the longest-standing active venture firm in Texas. Fund 5, raised in 2017, netted $108M. In the past two years, Silverton's seed-funded startups have exited for a combined $3.2B. Notable recent exits include Sailpoint, Ping Identity, TrendKite, Favor, WPEngine, Watermark and SpareFoot. Doubling Down on Texas with an Eye on Emerging Markets Fund 6 will deploy capital primarily in Texas, with 25-30% allocated for out-of-state investments. Silverton has recently funded startups in emerging markets like New York, Southern California and Utah. The Oppotunity Fund, a first for Silverton, enables investments in later-stage funding rounds for existing portfolio companies, partnering with marquee firms, without diluting Silverton's core focus of Seed and Series A investing.



"Texas remains one of the nation's most interesting and fastest-growing tech markets, with Austin leading the way," said Silverton General Partner Morgan Flager. "We're pleased to have the capital to deploy not only in our home state of Texas but in other up-and-coming markets. And since some of our most successful exits were forged during the 2008 financial crisis, we are excited to help build the next generation of companies that can withstand difficult times and emerge stronger." Silverton Partners-led by GP's Kip McClanahan, Mike Dodd, and Morgan Flager-expects to add 20-25 companies to the Fund 6 portfolio, and up to eight positions in the opportunity fund. The firm has been growing steadily, with Tina Dai joining as a Principal from First Round Capital; Roger Chen, whose previous experience was with Genacast Ventures, promoted to Partner; and Alyssa Dadoly, formerly VP Finance, promoted to CFO.

About Silverton Partners The Silverton team partners with entrepreneurs who are dedicated to tackling growth markets and building lasting companies. In partnering with Silverton, companies benefit from its vast network and expertise from decades of growing and investing in successful businesses. Founded in 2006, Silverton Partners is based in Austin, TX, and was the initial institutional investor for Sailpoint, WP Engine, SpareFoot, TrendKite, TurnKey Vacation Rentals, The Zebra, AlertMedia, SpyCloud, Self Financial, Billie, and Aceable among others. For more information, visit www.silvertonpartners.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005516/en/

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A special CBI court in Mumbai on Wednesday extended till 1 May the custody of DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan and his brother Dheeraj, accused in a corruption case against former Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor, officials said

New Delhi: A special CBI court has extended the custody of DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan and his brother Dheeraj till 1 May in connection with a corruption case against former Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor in which both are accused, officials said on Wednesday.

The duo was arrested from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra on Sunday and sent to the CBI custody till 29 April by the court, they said.

On Wednesday, they were produced before the special CBI court, which extended the custody with the agency till 1 May, the officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is questioning both the accused about alleged property deals and business transactions between DHFL, RKW developers in which Dheeraj is the director, and Kapoor and his family members, they said.

Several deals between DHFL and Kapoor and his family members' company are under the CBI's scanner, the officials said.

According to the CBI, Kapoor, 62, allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with the Wadhawans for extending financial assistance to DHFL through Yes Bank in return for substantial undue benefits to himself and his family members through companies held by them.

The agency has alleged that between April and June 2018, Yes Bank invested Rs 3,700 crore in short-term debentures of the tainted Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL).

In return, the Wadhawans allegedly paid kickbacks worth Rs 600 crore to Kapoor and his family members in the form of loans to DoIT Urban Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Kapoors' wife and children, the CBI had said after registration of an FIR on 7 March.

"Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan were absconding since the beginning of the investigation and evaded joining probe," Agency spokesperson R K Gaur said after their arrest on Sunday.

The agency had procured non-bailable warrants against them from the court on 17 March yet they did not appear before the CBI or the court, he had said.

They were held by the Satara police earlier this month while allegedly violating the prohibitory orders related to lockdown when a carcade carrying Wadhawan family members was stopped at Panchgani in Maharashtra.

They were kept at a quarantine facility in Mahabaleshwar by the district administration before the CBI took them into custody on 26 April, he had said.
Tony Foster, managing partner of the Vietnam office at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP,

For much of the quarter-century that we have assisted foreign companies investing in Vietnam, the government has made bold and often brave changes to its economy when needed. Over these years there have been two mutually-reinforcing underpinnings.

The Vietnamese government was trying to attract foreign investment and many companies, in a rapidly globalising world, were genuinely interested in looking at Vietnam as a possible destination for their investments.

The current coronavirus pandemic is shaking these foundations. They will not re-emerge unshaken from the earthquake. Ever-increasing globalisation of investment during most of the last 25 years had already begun to trend in the opposite direction, and this will probably increase in speed as younger generations come to the fore.

There are an endless number of conjectures that can be made about the future. But the fact is that all over the world, businesses and people will be re-evaluating priorities. A distant destination like Vietnam if you are looking at things from, say, New York or London, may not score highly on the priority list.

Bizarrely though, Vietnam has an opportunity. Much of the world is too deeply entrenched in its way of doing things to be able to change, whereas Vietnam is young and agile.

The Vietnamese people have proven adaptable in the past. In 1994, Vietnam was still effectively closed, with a slim law on foreign investment with provisions one could master in an afternoon.

It gradually set up a legal framework for a civil code and laws on commercials, enterprises, and securities. And then the government proved its bravery with a bilateral trade agreement with the US and all the changes that this entailed.

It did not rest on its laurels  it followed up with another brave stand, which was accession to the World Trade Organization. Again, numerous changes were needed to the legal framework as investment poured in.

The International Monetary Fund is forecasting the biggest economic recession or depression since the 1930s. Vietnam could avoid the worst effects if it swiftly moves the investment world forward a decade to 2030, while other countries are stuck in the present.

The response in Vietnam should be quick, sending a strong message to the business world, and involve should consider the following suggestions as a priority.

The environment

Poor air quality is rapidly changing Vietnams attractiveness and Western investors interest in Vietnam. The current slowdown is an opportunity to pass and enforce national legislation to protect citizens from death or disease brought on by filthy air, just as it has been protecting them so well from death or disease in the form of the coronavirus.

This will cost money, of course. If carried out correctly, it will spur Vietnamese investment into a new range of businesses, and it will tell the world and its own citizens that Vietnam is a place that cares, responds, and adapts. More and more investors will have environmental commitments to live up to after this pandemic and if Vietnam does not meet basic environmental criteria, foreign investment will be harder to attract.

The country could prioritise incentives for working at home to reduce commuting; an effective environmental protection agency; and a Vietnam clean air law.

Property development

The growth in demand for office (and probably retail) space, particularly in central business areas, will decline. Not many people will be rushing to rent more office space.

City planners should implement an effective law on zoning, green space regulations, and strict green building rules. These cost money in the short-term but investors and the next generation, both of whom are forward-looking groups, will reward them.

Innovation

The current situation is throwing up all sorts of opportunities with education technology and telehealth. Regulations should not be the sole province of the ministries of education and health. The Government Office itself should lead the way with appropriate legal frameworks for the private sector, which could ultimately benefit the public sector.

The government has demonstrated how to do this in the context of renewable energy: appropriate financial rewards attracted legions of investors. Pilot structures for telehealth and education tech should be next. The government could save large amounts of money, quality would improve, and investment would flow.

Fast-track processes for the Government Office would provide a sandbox for innovators to play in; pilot projects for related innovations would benefit the public sector; and issuance of a cybersecurity decree is required that achieves its goals without damaging business.

Capital

As always in a downturn, capital will become harder to raise. It will flow to where it is most appreciated and where the obstacles to cross-border investment are the least. Vietnam should aim to top that list.

The new Law on Securities was a missed opportunity, as it simply tinkered at the edges. The pending amendments to the Law on Enterprises and the Law on Investment would be a dismal repeat  the drafts should be reviewed from a vigorous and more lateral perspective to avoid setting Vietnams investment sector back several years. The bravery of prior years should be invoked to make quantum leaps forward and to avoid the trap of just tinkering.

Examples for priority in this area include treating investment by domestic and overseas entities as the same; allowing investment upon self-executing registration (except for a few identified strategic or sensitive sectors); and encouraging innovation through more flexible employee share option regulations.

Supply chains

Private sector manufacturing, originally started by foreign-invested companies, is now dominated by Vietnamese business and it has been critical to the countrys economic development over the last 25 years.

There are convoluted arguments around whether the pandemic will benefit Vietnam as international companies further diversify their supply chains away from China, or whether these foreign companies will reduce the length of supply chains altogether. Regardless of the answers, Vietnam should assume the worst.

A myriad of impediments stymies manufacturing companies in Vietnam. A list of problems is discussed on a regular basis with the government through the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF). One example, a perennial thorn, is the time and cost of customs clearance. Urgent and decisive action will help Vietnam preserve its attractiveness. If boards of directors see a country that is determined to treat investors well, they will be more able to take a pro-Vietnam decision against the range of alternatives that other countries will be offering to attract investment.

Infrastructure and energy

Public investment might be the only viable way of maintaining normalised historical rates of growth for Vietnam, but it will have an adverse effect on state finances and a pernicious effect on private investment in infrastructure.

Private investors in infrastructure have never had an easy time in Vietnam. Most have walked away quietly as projects took too long and were insufficiently rewarding. If, to boot, the public sector begins to be even more favoured, foreign investors pressured to invest at home will increase the speed of the walk.

Vietnam should quickly implement a liquefied natural gas-to-power project with a credible international sponsor in a manner that enables it to be project financed  and with this, the markets will notice.

Public-private partnerships

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) were not working even before the present situation. An example of the difficulties is the recent proposal to switch the status of eight sub-projects in the eastern cluster of the North-South Expressway from PPP to public investment.

The draft law is not a magic bullet. The governing law requirements alone will preclude international non-recourse project financing for major projects. The draft law on PPP should be looked at again, starting from the premise that investors with cash will be scarce. It is the last chance for such partnerships.

Enterprise restructuring

Contingent liability risks associated with legacy issues at large state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are a weakness for Vietnams public finances. SOEs dominate numerous sectors and deter investment.

SOEs should be looking at longer-lasting reforms or restructuring in order to carry things out differently. BIDV has recently shown how to attract substantial investment by making appropriate undertakings. Others, such as Vietcombank in its life insurance deal with pan-Asia insurance firm FWD, have shown how to monetise subsidiary assets.

There are no easy answers here as this is fundamentally a political issue. If politics does not work, swathes of the Vietnamese economy will not attract investment. Therefore, government leaders today should be as bold as their predecessors.
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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 18:52 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd50d8fb 1 Business Nahdlatul-ulama,NU,online-course,career-center,Cooperative-SME-ministry,State-owned-Enterprises-Ministry Free

Nahdhalatul Ulama (NU), Indonesias largest mass Muslim organization, has launched online career center NUcareer.id to help its member apply for jobs and improve their skills, according to the organizations officials.

The online platform was established through a collaboration between the organizations professional association, NU Circle, and career center developer TopKarir Indonesia, and is designed to prepare NUs youth members to enter the workforce.

We hope that through this platform, santri [Islamic boarding school students] and former santri will have the same employment opportunities as others, NU Circle talent development head Bayu Janitra said during the platforms online launch on Wednesday.

The platform provides job search and posting features, information of scholarships and internships and an online training and certification center.

Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Teten Masduki, who also participated in the launch ceremony, expressed hope the platform would help pesantren (Islamic boarding school) graduates gain employment in the formal sector.

During my visit with President Joko Jokowi Widodo to local pesantren, many kyai [Islamic teacher] expressed hope their students could have professional careers. Hopefully, the career center can develop the skills of our santri, Teten said.

The application uses the TopKarir platform but is operated by NU and prioritizes NU members, although the website is accessible for the general public, NU Circle chairman Gatot Prio Utomo said.

In addition to launching the career center, Bayu said the organization was also developing an end-to-end programming training course for santri in collaboration with state lender Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) and the Indonesian Islamic Economy Expert Association (IAEI).

Were developing the Santri Developer program to provide online and offline end-to-end training for our santri. We hope the State-Owned Enterprise Ministry and the cooperatives ministry can support the initiative, he said.

NU claims to have around 60 million members across the country and has had a major influence on the countrys politics and government since its founding in 1926.

Maruf Amin, a senior cleric within the organization, was elected as the countrys vice president in 2019.
She's the bizarre Married At First Sight bride who dumped fan favourite John Robertson because she only wanted to marry 'a Polynesian man'.

And now, almost four years after her infamous stint on reality TV, Deborah Brosnan has emerged from hiding with a surprising new career.

The 56-year-old is now a published author, having released her first children's book late last year.

Remember me? Married At First Sight's Deborah Brosnan (left), who dumped John Robertson (right) in season four because he wasn't Polynesian, has resurfaced. Pictured in 2017

Deb released Fairyland... It's Not What You Think! High Above the Clouds in September, after taking a whopping 20 years to finish the book.

The novel is based on her experience working as 'The Indian Fairy' at the Eumundi Markets in Queensland, which she has done since 1996.

For the past 24 years, Deb has dressed as a pink fairy at the markets, where she sells merchandise and does face painting with children.

Wordsmith: Deb, 56, released her first children's novel in September. Pictured in March

'It's been more than two decades now and children and parents from all over the world still faithfully return to visit the fairy, listen to stories, have faces painted and photos taken,' she told the Noosa Times in September.

'I guess the Indian Fairy has helped to keep children away from technology thus creating an innocent world of make-believe, dress-ups, mystery, stories and fun in a good old fashion way.'

The former Gold Coast model shocked viewers on the fourth season of Married At First Sight in 2017 when she requested to be matched with a 'Polynesian man'.

Magical! Deb's novel is based on her experience working as 'The Indian Fairy' at the Eumundi Markets in Queensland, which she has done since 1996

She was less than impressed after being matched with single dad John Robertson, a typical Aussie bloke who is Caucasian.

'When I first went up there, I was a bit confused,' she told producers after meeting John at the altar.

'I didn't know if he was my husband or not,' she added.

'I was expecting a Polynesian person from the islands, so I was a bit taken aback that he wasn't that.'

'A dear friend of more than two decades': Deborah shared this photo on Facebook of herself with a friend at a launch party for her children's book in March

Before her wedding, Deb had specifically told the relationship experts that she wanted a Polynesian husband and wouldn't settle for anything less.

'I like [men] to be different, to be exotic,' she told Dr Trisha Stratford during the matching process.

'In the past I have had one relationship, with someone that was from the South Pacific islands, the Polynesian islands.'

Flashback: The former Gold Coast model dumped fan favourite John Robertson on season four of Married At First Sight because she only wanted to marry 'a Polynesian man'

Deb and John split after a disastrous honeymoon, making them one of the first couples to leave the experiment that season.

John later returned to Married At First Sight the following year, where he was successfully matched with journalist Melissa Walsh.

The couple fell in love and made it to the end of the experiment, but decided to split months later because neither of them was prepared to relocate for the other.
With over 4,200 positive cases and 220 deaths - numbers that are only increasing day by day - and revenue expected to take a massive hit due to the 40-day lockdown, Maharashtra, the worst-affected state in the Covid-19 pandemic, is in desperate need of funds for testing, lab equipment, quarantining and other relief work.

It is not alone.

States across the country will need to be handheld in terms of funds, with resources pooled in from across Central and state ministries to help tackle a pandemic of this proportion. The question then is, are there dedicated funds to address the situation?

The Options Available

The focus currently is on the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), a new trust constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mobilise resources through donations to fight the coronavirus outbreak. However, the Centre and states already have a separate fund - not dependent on donations but budgetary allocations - for relief and rehabilitation work in case of a disaster. The fund has two parts - the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Together, they have a size of Rs 32,000 crore, of which close to Rs 29,000 crore is with states under SDRF.

While SDRFs comprise the bulk of the fund allotted by the Centre for disaster management, donation-based funds such as the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund are other sources.

Take the example of Maharashtra. The state is staring at a serious fund crunch - Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection has already plunged by Rs 27,000 crore in March itself, and State Home and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar has written to Prime Minister Modi, demanding a Central grant of Rs 10,000 crore a month for the next five months.

Maharashtra received around Rs 1,611 crore, the first instalment of the Centre's share of the SDRF, on April 3. Besides, it has made a provision of Rs 10,744 crore for expenses towards natural calamities, a part of which can now be used to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Apart from that, in the last two months, the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund has received donations worth Rs 200 crore.

SDRFs and NDRF: Responding to Disasters

So, in India, states and the Centre share the responsibility of disaster risk financing, with states playing the main role in responding to such situations through relief, rehab and reconstruction work, and the Centre providing support in the form of additional funding and assistance. State governments bear most of the disaster-related expenses through SDRFs, and these funds are "augmented and replenished" through NDRF.

The allocation to SDRFs is decided by the Finance Commission, and the contribution is made by the Centre and states in a 75:25 ratio. For hilly areas, the Central government's contribution is 90 per cent. The allocation to SDRFs depend on factors, including expenditures incurred by states on disaster management, and area, population and risk prople of individual states.

The total allocation to SDRFs is Rs 28,983 crore for 2020/21, according to the 15th Finance Commission, of which the Centre's share is Rs 22,184 crore. The Centre's share of SDRFs comes from home and finance ministries as part of their Budget allocations under the head - Relief on Account of Natural Calamity.

The NDRF draws a part of its fund through direct transfer of the National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD) levied by the Centre on certain goods such as tobacco, tobacco products and petroleum products. In 2020/21, the government has budgeted Rs 2,930 for transfer to the NDRF through the NCCD.

"Whether a disaster happens or not, this money is always available with state governments to combat a possible crisis," says GVV Sarma, Member Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the nodal agency that coordinates with State Disaster Management Authorities and develops a strategy for prevention of disasters.

Sarma told Business Today that the home ministry has already asked for a part of SDRFs to be utilised for coronavirus-related works. It has also relaxed certain restrictions on the use of SDRFs, including the criterion of using 40 per cent funds for response and relief work, 30 per cent on recovery and reconstruction and 10 per cent on preparedness and capacity building. Also, the first instalment of the Centre's share of SDRFs - Rs 11,092 crore - for 2020/21 is being released earlier due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Centre normally releases its contribution in two instalments.

Explains Sarma of NDMA: "If a calamity or a disaster of a very big nature happens, state governments normally prepare a memorandum and send it to Central government. The Centre will send an inter-ministerial panel chaired by the home secretary to the affected state, which will then give its recommendations. After this, another committee is formed under the home minister, which will make recommendations for further allocations (to states) through the NDRF. In case of Covid-19, we have not come to that stage yet."

Donations to Relief Funds

The PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) as well as the CM Relief Funds are public charitable trusts governed by the Public Trust Act of states and the Indian Trusts Act, 1882. Most CM Relief Funds are governed by state trust acts. The Maharashtra CM's Relief Fund, for example, is governed by the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.

According to its website, the resources of the PMNRF are utilised primarily for offering immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities such as floods, cyclones and earthquakes, and to victims of major accidents and riots. In the last five years, the PMNRF has received annual donations to the tune of Rs 450-900 crore, and incurred annual expenses of Rs 250-600 crore. The excess fund is invested in bonds and fixed deposits (FDs). The PMNRF had a balance of Rs 3,800 crore at the end of March 2019.

Due to the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, the Centre constituted the PM CARES Fund. It has been set up as a public charitable trust, which will receive donations from the public as well as institutions, and the money will be used only to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

While many have questioned the need for an exclusive fund for coronavirus despite the existence of the PMNRF, Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, says the new fund was created since there were several representations for an exclusive fund (to fight Covid-19).

The criticism surrounding the PM CARES Fund is primarily because the government is yet to come out with any details about the fund, except that it has been set up as a public charitable trust, and the prime minister is the chairman of the trust with the defence, home and finance ministers as members.

Besides, its similarities with the PMNRF - both have been constituted as charitable trusts and through an Act of Parliament, both have the Prime Minister as the chairman of the trusts, donations to both are eligible for tax exemptions and their corporate social responsibility (CSR) status - makes it, according to a number of people, only a clone of the PMNRF.

Preeti Malhotra, who is currently chairing the ASSOCHAM National Council on corporate affairs, corporate governance and CSR, says there was no need for a separate trust, and a separate fund for coronavirus could have been created within the PMNRF.

In fact, there are different heads under some CM Relief Funds. The Maharashtra CM's Relief Fund, for example, collects funds for specific purposes, including coronavirus, Jalyukta Shivar, Farmers Fund, Drought Fund, etc. Even the Kerala CM Distress Relief Fund asks for donations under different heads such as Covid-19, floods, etc.

However, some find the criticism unfounded. "Coronavirus has impacted people across the country, and the PM CARES Fund attaches a cause to it. Everyone is feeling for this cause. An earthquake in Andaman or a storm in Odisha is not something for which people would have the same level of concern as that of a pan-India disaster like coronavirus. Hence, a separate fund for relief measures makes perfect sense," says Mohit Chaudhary, a Supreme Court lawyer and managing partner of law firm Kings and Alliance.

Helping Hand from Global Agencies

International agencies, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), also provide support in case of a calamity or disaster of severe nature. Both institutions have already extended financial support in the country's fight against the current pandemic.

The World Bank recently approved a $1-billion financial support to help "India prevent, detect, and espond to the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness". This, according to the statement issued by the World Bank, is the largest ever health sector support from the lending agency to India. ADB is also preparing a $2.2-billion assistance for the Indian health sector.

"All these multilateral agencies provide additional funds, a part of which also goes to states," says Arindam Guha, Partner, Deloitte.

Sometimes, states themselves also raise funds directly from these global agencies through their respective State Disaster Management Authorities in case of a disaster of a very severe nature. For exa-mple, the reconstruction and rehabilitation work after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake was funded by both the World Bank and ADB. The two agencies had together pooled in over $900 million.

According to Guha of Deloitte, states can also explore insurance as part of their overall disaster risk financing strategy, especially in cases where calamities such as cyclones are common.

So, given the severity of natural and man-made calamities and their frequent occurrences, it is only pertinent and prudent to have a robust funding system for disaster management, which does not only depend on donations or debts. A higher allocation to SDRFs, better monitoring of fund use, and exploring newer avenues would make for a fool-proof disaster management financing strategy for any country, including India.

@dipak_journo
LANSING, Mich., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Connected Nation (CN) honored Robin Ancona, Director, Telecommunications Division, Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) yesterday with the 2020 Broadband Visionary Award. This prestigious national award recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional and innovative leadership in the application of broadband and related technologies.

"Robin has worked tirelessly to find innovative solutions for connecting more families and businesses across Michigan to high-speed internet (broadband)," said Eric Frederick, Executive Director, Connected Nation Michigan. "Our nonprofit has worked with her since 2009. In that time, I've seen her use her role at the Commission to advocate for all Michiganders by implementing the State Broadband Initiative program, advising the 21st Century Infrastructure Council and the Michigan Consortium of Advanced Networks, contributing significantly to the 2018 Michigan Broadband Roadmap and the Connecting Michigan Communities grant program, among other accomplishments."

She was honored during a virtual ceremony that included remarks from Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist and was attended by CN staff members. Ancona has spent her 40-year career dedicated to public service. She began working for MPSC in 1979 as an auditor, and later transitioned to the Technical Services Division, where she worked on the yearlong audit of the break-up of AT&T, and then the Communications Division, where she worked on federal and state issues.

Ancona then moved to the Telecommunications Division where she was assigned to projects related to the implementation of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. She was promoted to manager of the newly created Broadband Section in 2002 and then served as manager of the Rates and Financial Analysis Section and the Licensing and Competitive Issues Sections. In January 2008, Ancona became Director of the Telecommunications Division  a position that she has held for the last 12 years.

"Our organization has had the pleasure of knowing and working with Robin for more than a decade," said Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO, CN. "In that time, we have been inspired by her leadership and influence in matters of broadband policy, at all levels of government. She is the consummate public servant and is driven by a keen understanding that behind her work is a person, a community or a business whose life will be better because of her effort to make technology more accessible. Connected Nation is a stronger organization and Michigan is a better-connected state because of her tireless efforts."

Past honorees of the award include former Iowa Governor and current U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, who received the award in 2017, and Colonel M. Blaine Hedges, USA (Retired), who was honored last year. The governor worked to expand broadband accessibility and was among the first in the nation to establish a state broadband communications network. Col. Hedges recognized how broadband could address chronic employment challenges facing military spouses and veterans and championed the expansion of Digital Works training for the military community in Kentucky.

SOURCE Connected Nation

Related Links

https://connectednation.org


Dublin, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Asia Pacific Hand Sanitizer Market to 2027 - Regional Analysis and Forecasts by Type; Product form; Application, and Country" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The hand sanitizer market in APAC was valued at US$ 501.6 million in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 10,198.0 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 43.6% during 2019-2027.



Hand sanitizer is a liquid that is used to decrease infectious agents present on the hands and palm. Different forms of hand sanitizers such as foam sanitizers, gel sanitizers, wipes, and spray sanitizers are available in the market. Most of the market players offer both the alcohol-based and non-alcoholic hand sanitizers. These sanitizers kill 99.9% of infectious germs and keep the hands clean. Some of the manufacturers are offering foam sanitizers coupled with gel sanitizers that contain vitamin E and shea extract, which kills most of the common germs & leaves hands feeling soft & clean. The gel-based hand sanitizers are generally used in hospitals, restaurants, educational institutions, household, shopping malls, and movie theatres, which helps in killing disease causing germs.



Based on type, the hand sanitizer market in APAC is segmented into product form, application, and distribution channel. Based on product type, hand sanitizer market in APAC is bifurcated into alcoholic, quaternary ammonia, and triclosan. The alcohol-based hand sanitizers are mostly preferable along with hand washing with soap and water in most situations in the healthcare setting. This type of hand sanitizer is generally more effective at killing microorganisms. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain some combination of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol), or n-propanol. Products that contain 60%-95% alcohol are most effective. Alcohol rubbing kills many different kinds of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria and TB bacteria. The optimum concentration of alcohol required to kill bacteria in healthcare sector is 70-95%.



Based on region, the hand sanitizer market in APAC is segmented into Australia, China, Japan, India, and Rest of APAC. China holds the largest share of the hand sanitizer market in APAC, which is followed by Japan and India. The demand for hand sanitizer is expanding in China, due to the growing concerns related to health and hygiene. Increasing prevalence of infectious diseases is creating awareness among the population to be more inclined towards personal hygiene. Additionally, the government is introducing common public health initiatives to promote hand washing and to improve the quality of life by avoiding diseases. Considering the current pandemic situation of coronavirus, there is a huge demand for all types of hand sanitizers among the consumers of China, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and other Asia-Pacific countries, which in turn is propelling the growth of the hand sanitizer market in APAC.



Henkel AG & Company, KGaA, Unilever, The Himalaya Drug Company, 3M, Godrej Industries Limited, GOJO Industries, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Procter & Gamble., S.C. Johnson & Son, and Ecolab are among the key players present in the hand sanitizer market of APAC.



The overall Asia-Pacific hand sanitizer market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source. The research process begins with exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the hand sanitizer market in APAC. Also, multiple primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specialized in hand sanitizers



Reasons to Buy:

Story continues

Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.

The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Asia-Pacific hand sanitizer market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.

Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.

Scrutinize in-depth the market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.

Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1 Scope of the Study

1.2 Report Guidance

1.3 Market Segmentation

1.3.1 Asia-Pacific Hand sanitizer Market - By Type

1.3.2 Asia-Pacific Hand sanitizer Market - By Product Form

1.3.3 Asia-Pacific Hand sanitizer Market - By Application

1.3.4 Asia-Pacific Hand sanitizer Market - By Distribution Channel

1.3.5 Asia-Pacific Hand sanitizer Market - By Country



2. Key Takeaways



3. Research Methodology

3.1 Coverage

3.2 Secondary Research

3.3 Primary Research



4. Hand Sanitizer Market Landscape

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 PEST Analysis - Asia-Pacific

4.3 Expert Opinions



5. Hand Sanitizer Market - Key Industry Dynamics

5.1 Market Drivers

5.1.1 Growing awareness among consumers towards maintaining health and hygiene

5.1.2 The growing demand of hand sanitizers due to the spread of coronavirus in some countries

5.2 Key Market Restraints

5.2.1 Stringent regulations against the use of triclosan in hand sanitizer

5.3 Key Market Opportunities

5.3.1 Growing demand from Asia-Pacific region

5.4 Key Future Trends

5.4.1 Demand for non-toxic, paraben-free, organic, and phthalates-free sanitizing products

5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints



6. Hand Sanitizer - Asia-Pacific Market Analysis

6.1 Asia-Pacific Hand Sanitizer Market Overview

6.2 Asia-Pacific Hand Sanitizer Market Forecast and Analysis

6.2.1 Asia-Pacific: Hand Sanitizer Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

6.3 Market Positioning - Asia-Pacific Market Players Ranking



7. Asia-Pacific Hand sanitizer Market Analysis - By Type Overview

7.1.1 Asia-Pacific: Hand Sanitizer Market, by Product Form

7.1.2 Asia-Pacific: Hand Sanitizer Market, by Application

7.1.3 Asia-Pacific: Hand Sanitizer Market, by Distribution Channel



8. Hand sanitizer Market - Country Analysis

8.1 Overview

8.1.1 Asia-Pacific: Hand Sanitizer Market, by Key Country

8.1.1.1 China: Hand Sanitizer Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.1.1.2 Australia: Hand Sanitizer Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.1.1.3 India: Hand Sanitizer Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.1.1.4 Japan: Hand Sanitizer Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.1.1.5 Rest of APAC: Hand Sanitizer Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



9. Company Profiles

9.1 Henkel AG & COMPANY, KGaA

9.1.1 Key Facts

9.1.2 Business Description

9.1.3 Products and Services

9.1.4 Financial Overview

9.1.5 SWOT Analysis

9.1.6 Key Developments

9.2 Unilever

9.3 The Himalaya Drug Company

9.4 Ecolab

9.5 3M

9.6 Godrej Industries Limited

9.7 GOJO Industries

9.8 Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc

9.9 Procter & Gamble

9.10 S.C. Johnson & Son



10. Appendix

10.1 About the Publisher

10.2 Glossary



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rdhabi

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: 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
A suicide bomber on Wednesday targeted a base belonging to Afghan special forces on the southern outskirts of the capital, Kabul, killing at least three civilians and wounding 15, officials said.

The government blamed the Taliban for the attack, which took place a day after the country's defense minister and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan visited the facility.

The bombing happened outside the base for army commandos as civilian contractors working in the facility waited outside to get into the base, said a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to brief media on the attack.

Tareq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the site of the bombing was in the Chahar Asyab district and blamed the Taliban for the attack, calling it a crime against humanity.

The target was likely the base itself, but the bomber failed to reach his target and instead killed innocent civilians," Arian said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and its surroundings and have repeatedly targeted military and civilian targets.

The attack came a day after the Afghan defense minister, General Assadullah Khalid, and the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, US General Scott Miller, visited the base, praising achievements of the Afghan commandos and their dedication in defending the country.

The Taliban are continuing to attack security outposts, even as the US and NATO proceed with a full troop withdrawal that is set to be completed next year under a deal signed at the end of February between US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Newser)  Before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Trolls World Tour was set for release on April 10. But with theaters closed, Universal Pictures made a decision the Wall Street Journal notes has "[paid] off handsomely": The studio behind the animated film made the sequel available to rent digitally that day instead and has since brought in almost $100 million, more than the original movie made in five months in the theaters. The move has gone so well that once theaters reopen, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said some films will be released on both formats simultaneously. Not everyone is on boardnotably, AMC Theatres, which is now slamming the studio for trying to "have its cake and eat it, too." Those words came via a letter from AMC CEO Adam Aron to Universal Chair Donna Langley, in which Aron accuses Universal of "breaking the business model" between the two.

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There was "zero concern on Universal's part as to how its actions affect us," Aron writes. The chain says it will no longer host Universal movies in its US, Europe, or Middle East theaters, and that it will do the same to other studios that follow suit. Aron says the studio left AMC "with no choice" in the matter, per USA Today. CNN Business notes the development is a "serious escalation" of a long-simmering issue among theaters and studios revolving around the "theatrical window"the time period in which a movie plays in theaters before it's available via other platforms. Universal pushed back in its own statement: "We absolutely believe in the theatrical experience. ... As we stated earlier, going forward, we expect to release future films directly to theaters, as well as on [premium video-on-demand] when that distribution outlet makes sense." (Read more AMC stories.)
Sen. Josh Hawley calls for a criminal antitrust probe into Amazon Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is calling on federal prosecutors to open a criminal antitrust investigation into Amazon, as laid out in a letter released on Tuesday. In his letter to Attorney General William Barr, Hawley presses the Justice Department to open an investigation into Amazon's data tactics that were detailed in a report from The Wall Street Journal last week.

Possibly the power play of the week as this MAGA crusader takes on one of the biggest corporate giants in the world . . . Best roundup here:
DALLAS, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE: J), as part of CH2M Hill BWXT West Valley, LLC (CHBWV), a Jacobs-led joint venture, was awarded a contract extension from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

DOE-EM estimates the 39-month contract extension modification to be valued at $243 million, bringing the new contract value to a total of $836 million.

"The Jacobs team has performed impressive and impactful work at the site and around the West Valley, New York community for the past 10 years," said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions North American Nuclear Senior Vice President and General Manager Karen Wiemelt. "I'm confident in our ability to continue to perform and exceed expectations throughout the contract extension."

The purpose of the more than three-year extension is for the CHBWV team to safely and compliantly complete the deactivation, demolition and removal of the last major facility remaining at the site, the Main Plant Processing Building (MPPB), as well as other facility disposition activities.

The CHBWV team has completed 98% of the deactivation work required before the MPPB can be demolished. The team also has demolished 44 of 47 site facilities to date, in addition to significantly improving infrastructure to support the cleanup efforts at the site, both current and future. Jacobs reached major milestones late 2018 when crews completed the demolition of the 10,000-square-foot vitrification plant and disposition of legacy waste, the largest and most complex environmental cleanup at the site.

The West Valley Demonstration Project is an environmental remediation project at the site of a former commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing center located about 40 miles south of Buffalo, New York. Since taking control of the site to carry out the first phase of decommissioning activities that began in August 2011, the Jacobs-led team has been conducting cleanup and facility demolition activities and is actively engaged in removing radioactive waste, contaminated equipment and obsolete structures from the 200-acre site.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:

Kerrie Sparks

214.583.8433

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Ramu Patil By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The lockdown may have been the best bet to contain the spread of Covid-19, but the collateral damage on the Karnatakas economy has been huge. In the last four weeks, the state lost around Rs 10,000 crore in revenue, which includes collections from Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as the states own sources.

The state may be staring at empty coffers even as it has started easing restrictions outside containment areas to bring the economy back on track in a phased manner. Those privy to the states financial situation termed it as very grim. In fact, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had, on several occasions in the recent past, admitted that the states financial position is not good and that they are considering various measures to shore up revenues.

For now, the government is only focused on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and managing the administrative machinery. All other works have been put on hold. Only urgent and essential works will be taken up, that too after the state overcomes the health crisis.

In one month, we could have expected around Rs 10,000 crore revenue, which includes the GST collections and the states own source of revenue. But that has not come due to the unforeseen situation, B T Manohar, member, GST Advisory Council to the State Government, told TNIE. We are expecting final instalments of GST reimbursements for 2019-20. It may come to around Rs 4,500 crore.

This apart, the state is also expecting a Rs 5,495 crore special grant recommended by the 15th Finance Commission. The CM has discussed it with the Union Finance Minister and we may get it soon, sources in the government said.

While funds from the Centre are yet to come, the states revenue sources too have completely dried up. Tax collection has completely stopped and the state is now carrying on by optimising resources available with different departments. Once the situation improves, funds will be redirected to those departments, said a senior government functionary.

Fuel sales tax to see 40% dip this month

motor vehicle tax and registration of properties are among the major sources of revenue for the State Government. The sub-registrar offices have opened from Tuesday, but it may take time for operations to normalise, while revenue from fuel sales is likely to be much less than expected for the month. According to estimates, the State Government gets around Rs 1,200 to 1,300 crore per month from sales tax on fuel. This month, it is unlikely to get even 40 per cent of that due to restrictions on movement of vehicles within and outside Karnataka. State excise is the other major revenue source.

In the budget, the government had fixed the target at Rs 22,700 crore for 2020-21, which works out to around Rs 1,891 crore a month. Not even a fraction of that can be expected as liquor shops continue to remain shut since a month and are unlikely to open any time soon.

While the State Government is looking at measures like auctioning of 12,000 corner sites in Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) jurisdiction, with a potential to generate around Rs 30,000 crore, and schemes like Akrama-Sakrama for revenue generation, the process may take time. Sources in the government said that for now, they are hoping to get assistance from the Central Government before considering the option of external borrowing to keep the system going till the economy bounces back.
In a sharp reaction to Union minister V Muraleedharan's jibe that Kerala's "over confidence" in handling COVID-19 cases had led to a spurt in infections in two districts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the remark shows his "ignorance."



"I don't believe that a central minister will say this.If he has said so, it shows his ignorance.

Such a response is totally unbecoming ofan Union minister.I do not believe he will say something like that.

The state has taken a decision on the zones after serious discussions," Vijayan told reporters here.

Muraleedharan had in a Facebook post on April28 made the allegation that 'over confidence of Kerala" in handling the pandemic had led to spike in COVID-19 cases in Idukki and Kottayam districts.

Earlier in the day, state Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran, wanted Muraleedharan, minister of state for External affairs, to insteadevaluate the situation in Gujarat,Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, where coronaviruscases are on the rise, and to concentrate on bringing back expatriates stuck in various countries.

In thepost Muraleedharan had saidthat Kerala was "on cloud nine" when it declared Idukki andKottayam as two districts in the green zone.

"However, hours after this we saw a spurt in fresh cases in these districts.The government was not cautious andinstead went applauding themselves and landed in trouble.

Instead of engaging in PR activities, they should have concentrated in handling the pandemic," he stated.

Slamming the union minister and BJP leader for his comments, Surendran asked him to urge other states to follow the Kerala model.

"Gujarat is the home state of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and COVID-19 cases are on the rise there.

Most of the major cities in the country are badly affected by the pandemic.

The national capital Delhi is right under their nose.They have all the power and authority to do whatever they want.Still thecontagion is uncontrollable there," Surendran told reporters.

If there were some shortcomings on Kerala's part in handling the COVID-19 fight, anyone, including the union minister, can point it out, Surendran said.

Most districts in Kerala share borders with other states, Surendran said and referred to Idukki which has numerous forest paths to the state from Tamil Nadu.

"Some of the people who are affected in Kerala came from other states.There are many cases in Ahmedabad.

Is it because that city is not under lockdown?"Surendran asked.

The Union minister should have understood the reality before making such comments, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aer Lingus owner IAG has warned that it will have to implement "group-wide restructuring measures" after predicting that a return to 2019 passenger levels will take "several years" following the coronavirus pandemic.

And it said that 12,000 staff at British Airways (BA) are likely to be made redundant. BA employed 45,000 people before the crisis hit. Aer Lingus, meanwhile, employs more than 4,000 people.

Releasing first quarter results this afternoon, IAG said that it incurred a 1.3bn exceptional charge in the period due to the "ineffectiveness" of its fuel and foreign currency hedges for the remainder of 2020. Those hedges would have been made based on normal operating conditions.

IAG, which is headed by chief executive Willie Walsh, also owns British Airways, Iberia, Level and Barcelona-based budget carrier Vueling.

The company said that passenger capacity on its airlines from June will depend on the timing of the easing of lockdowns and travel restrictions by governments around the world.

It said total revenue fell 13pc to 4.6bn in the first three months of the year, while before exceptional items it made a 535m loss. That compared to a profit of 135m in the first three months of 2019.

The carrier group will release detailed first quarter results on May 7.

"The operating result in the first two months of 2020 was similar to that of last year, despite the suspension of flights to China due to Covid-19 from the end of January," noted IAG.

It said that the all the reduction in its operating result for the first quarter came in March, while the majority of that reduction was incurred by British Airways, followed by Iberia and Aer Lingus. It said Vueling experienced a modest increase in operating loss.

"In light of the impact of Covid-19 on current operations and the expectation that the recovery of passenger demand to 2019 levels will take several years, British Airways is formally notifying its trade unions about a proposed restructuring and redundancy programme," said IAG.

"The proposals remain subject to consultation but it is likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them."

IAG's passenger capacity fell 10.5pc in the first quarter, while passenger traffic in terms of revenue passenger kilometres was 15.2pc lower.

Seat load factor - the percentage of available seats sold to passengers - declined 4.3 percentage points to 76.4pc.

"The group expects its operating loss in the second quarter to be significantly worse than in the first quarter, given the substantial decline in passenger capacity and traffic and despite some relief on employee costs from government job retention and wage support schemes," IAG added.
The US Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Falcon Stadium during an airshow after the US Air Force Academy class of 2019 graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 30, 2019.

US Air Force photo/Bill Evans

12 fighter jets from the US Navy Blue Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds flew over New York City, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

The planes flew a 35-minute path across the Northeastern states as a part of "Operation America Strong" to honor essential workers.

Here are some videos of the planes flying overhead New York City if you missed the spectacle.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you live on the East Coast and heard the roar of a jet engine above your house or apartment Tuesday afternoon, there's a decent chance it was the US Navy Blue Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds.

The two demonstration squadrons flew over of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania during a 35-minute flight to honor essential workers and the medical workers fighting on the front lines against COVID-19.

The flight, which President Trump announced would be called "Operation America Strong," was the idea of a senior military officer in the Pentagon, according to the Washington Post.

"This is a tribute to them, to our warriors because they're equal warriors to those incredible pilots and all of the fighters that we have for the more traditional fights that we win," Trump said.

The symbolic gesture was meant as a nonpartisan statement, according to The Washington Post.

However, the expense to fly the planes could draw scrutiny as they cost a minimum of $60,000 per hour, according to The Washington Post. But the paper reported the expense was drawn from money already in the Pentagon's budget.

Observers were encouraged to maintain social distancing and health guidelines as the six F-16 Fighting Falcons from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and six F/A-18 Hornets from Pensacola, Florida, screamed across the skies.

More flights are planned over the next few weeks, according to the Post.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A group of workers who lost their jobs at the Debenhams store in Newbridge today held a demonstration outside the premises in protest at losing their jobs.

The twelve ex employees social distanced as they stood outside the outlet in Whitewater Shopping Centre.

The workers called on the government to assist Debenhams in reopening the store which employed 150 people.

Separate protests are being mounted in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford ahead of a liquidation hearing for the Irish arm of Debenhams tomorrow.

Spokesperson Denise Mosses, who worked in Debenhams in Newbridge for 14 years, said the store was profitable and should be reopened.

She called on the government to give assistance to the company to enable it to open its doors after the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

She said: "Debenhams was a big part of our lives and our customers' lives and it was a profitable store.

"The company should reconsider its decision to close and the government should step in to offer assistance in order to bring the employees back to work."
At least three Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel and a Jammu and Kashmir policeman were injured on Wednesday in a grenade attack in Nowhatta area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, said officials.

The injured were shifted to the Police Control Room (PCR) hospital for treatment, said the police. Police said that the terrorists hurled a grenade towards police personnel in downtown Srinagar in the evening, resulting in the injuries. The attack took place near the main gate of Jamia Masjid, an official said.

Soon after the incident, the area was cordoned off and a search was launched to nab the attackers.

This is a developing story. More details are awaited.
Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday its operating profit for the first three months of 2020 rose 3.4% from a year earlier driven by increasing demands for computer chips.

However, the company predicted its profit would decline in the current quarter with the coronavirus pandemic eating into global sales of smartphones, TVs and other products.

The South Korean technology giant said it reported an operating profit of 6.4 trillion won ($5.2 billion) for the January-March quarter. The company's revenue rose 5.6% from a year earlier to 55.3 trillion won ($45.4 billion).

Samsung, which has dual strength in parts and finished products, has seen the demand for chips used in computers and servers increase as broadening outbreaks have force more people around the world to work from home.

However, the company said its profit will likely decline in the April-June quarter with the pandemic pushing down the sales of mobile and household devices.

Sales and profits of set products business, including smartphones and TVs, are expected to decline significantly as COVID-19 affects demand and leads to store and plant closures globally, the company said in a release.

Memory demand is expected to remain robust for servers and PCs as more people work from home, but it is possible the mobile market may soften. Earnings from OLED screens are likely to be weaker due to a stagnant smartphone market, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 28 agreed with the Ministry of Industry and Trades proposal to resume rice export from May 1, in accordance with Decree 107/2018/ND-CP on rice export business.

During a Hanoi meeting with leaders of ministries, departments, localities in the Mekong Delta and major food companies, PM Phuc asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to ensure food security and more effective food export.

The MoF was assigned to purchase rice for national reserves while the General Department of Customs must create favourable conditions for the export of the grain.

Meanwhile, the MoIT was required to coordinate with the MoF and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on rice harvest, consumption and export.

The MoIT and localities must ask rice exporters to seriously follow the Governments Decree 107 on the maintenance of the minimum rice circulation reserve and sign a deal with at least one supermarket to supply the grain when requested.

It must amend and supplement Decree 107, including paying attention to the role of the Peoples Committees of major rice production localities, especially those in the Mekong Delta and the Red River Delta.

According to the MoIT, the country is projected to have 43.5 million tonnes of rice this year, nearly 30 million tonnes of which is expected to be used for domestic consumption, and the rest for export./.
Thiruvananthapuram, April 29 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, here on Wednesday, cautioned the media in the state not to air fake news.

Vijayan was addressing the media after chairing the daily Covid-19 review meeting.

"It has come to our notice that there are some wrong news in the media about a community spread in the state. This is not true. The media has to ensure the veracity of the news. From now on strict action would be taken against fake news," said Vijayan.

The Vijayan government has set up a fake news detection unit to curb such items.
A week after President Donald Trump publicly slammed Georgias governor for reopening that state too fast, he had a very different take on Gov. Greg Abbotts plan announced on Monday.

Trump on Tuesday morning took to social media to praise Abbott for a great job in coordinating the Texas reopening.

Texas to open businesses in phases beginning Friday, Trump tweeted. Great job being done by @GregAbbott_TX.

His tweet came less than 24 hours after Abbott announced retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls can re-open starting Friday but must limit operating capacity to 25 percent as part of phase one.

If after two weeks, there are no flare-ups, Abbott said those places could move to phase two, and have up to 50 percent operating capacity. But Abbott said bars, hair salons and gyms are not ready yet for the same approach. He said hes working with health professionals on strategies for how they can safely resume, perhaps later in May.

That appears to be a key difference between Abbotts plan and that of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who allowed nail salons, massage therapists, bowling alleys and gyms to open as of last Friday.

Although the Washington Post reported that Trump initially supported Kemps plan, during a White House briefing on Wednesday Trump said he opposed Kemps move.

"I told the governor of Georgia Brian Kemp that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities which are in violation of the phase one guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia," Trump said.

Trump continued: I want him to do what he thinks is right, but I disagree with him on what he's doing but I want to let the governors do (what they want).

Abbott on Monday said he ran his re-opening plan directly by Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator.

I sent her a copy of it, Abbott said. And she said the Texas plan was great.

Abbott also was sure to praise Trump and his administration during the Monday briefing.

They truly have been available to us on a 24/7 basis, Abbott said.

At a White House briefing on Monday, Trump also mentioned the progress he said Houston has made in stemming the spread of the coronavirus.
Nine prisoners have been killed during a prison riot in Peru over demands for better living conditions after several inmates died from the coronavirus.

The inmates were shot during a clash with authorities at the Miguel Castro Castro prison in Lima on Monday, the Associated Press reported.

An investigation has been launched into who fired the deadly shots.

Protesting inmates managed to climb to the roofs with the aim of preventing access by (security forces) by throwing stones and other blunt objects at them, the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) said in a statement.

They attempted to escape but were not successful, the INPE added. Around 200 security officials managed to get the riot under control later in the day.

Pictures showed hundreds of inmates gathering around the bodies of two of the dead in a common space of the prison late on Monday afternoon.

Another showed a large sign made from black cloth with white letters reading: We want Covid-19 tests, we have the right to life.

The prisoners, who rioted over demands for better sanitary measures and medical care amid the coronavirus crisis, also called for pardons.

At least 13 prisoners have died and more than 600 have been infected by Covid-19 in Peru. Over 100 prison workers have also fallen ill.

Last week, the Latin American country approved a decree allowing its president, Martin Vizcarra, to grant humanitarian pardons to prisoners to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the countrys jails, which are at more than double capacity.

Peru has nearly 30,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, the second highest in the region, following Brazil. The health ministry says 782 have died.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 29.04.2020:

 The criminal cases on the murder of two people and the infliction of gunshot wounds on four people, as well as on the mass clashes by a group of people in Gavar town have been accepted into proceedings, Investigative Committee reported.

Five people have been detained in this regard.

In the meantime, Armenias health minister Arsen Torosyan visited the Gavar MC to see the wounded.

Torosyan noted that the injuries of some of the wounded were life-threatening.

According to the police statement, there are two casualties and wounded as a result of the shootings that took place Tuesday in Gavar town. Subsequently, an attack took place on Gavar Medical Center.

 At the request of the Georgian side, Armenia will open its land border for three days for Georgian citizens wishing to return to their homeland from Europe, News-Georgia news agency reported, citing the country's Foreign Ministry.

In particular, on May 1, 8, and 15, the aforesaid Georgian nationals will have the opportunity to fly to Yerevan from Europe via Minsk and then will travel to Georgia by buses provided by the MFA.

 The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 1,932 in Armenia, no new deaths have been recorded.

According to the latest data, 900 COVID-19 patients34 people in the past dayhave recovered thus far, whereas 30 others have died in Armenia from the disease.

 The plane that was en route from Armenia to Afghanistan has been detained in Russia and a consignment of smuggled cigarettes on board have been seized.

Forty tons, or 2,700 boxes, of cigarettes with Armenian excise duty labels were confiscated from a plane, and the latters flight had originated from Yerevan. The approximate market value of this cargo is more than 300 million rubles.

The plane, with all its contents, will remain in Russias Krasnodar during the investigation.
The hot climate of India may help



contain the spread of coronavirus but social distancing is absolutely essential, scientists at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) said on Wednesday.

The government-run research institute recently conducted a study of correlation between environmental factors and the spread of the contagion using data from Maharashtra, Karanataka, Kerala,Srinagar and New York.

"The study found that the dependency of virus spread on the environmental factors such temperature and relative humidityindicates that hot climate of India may prove to be beneficial in containing the spread," scientist Hemant Bherwani said.

The finding was consistent with previous studies of other viruses which tend to lose efficacy in high temperature areas, he said.

But the relation with relative humidity was not that straightforward, Bherwani said.

It was observed that in average humidity ranges, which are generally found in ambient atmosphere, there were high chances of the spread of the virus, he said.

"Social distancing measures far outweigh the benefits of environmental factors. In cities of Kerala and in Chennai, which are high humidity areas, the virus spread is controlled because of possibility of strict social distancing measures, as against the trend being seen in Mumbai," he said.

More study was required to understand correlation of environmental factors, and a "single model or one prediction methodology may not fit to understand the impact of environmental factors for all the cases of such a geographically large and diverse country like India," Bherwani added.

Dr Rakesh Kumar, director, NEERI, said the spread of the virus slows down as temperatures increase.

"But it is also true that temperature factor should be supported by social distancing, then only it will be favourable. If you don't maintain that then all the benefits that you are getting, which other countries could not get that much, we will lose that benefit," he said.

NEERI scientists who also studied the impact of social distancing found that even a slight slip in social distancing measures may lead to widespread community spread of the virus.

It was found that in a weak lockdown scenario, the number of cases increased exponentially. "This indicates that social distancing is absolutely important," Bherwani said.

"The research indicates that Government of Indias enforcement of social distancing and lockdown early during the spread was absolutely essential and crucial," Bherwani said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British filmmaker Danny Boyle on Wednesday paid rich tributes to the "wonderful actor" Irrfan Khan, who died in Mumbai aged 53, describing him as a "pivotal" figure in the making of his 2009 Oscar Award-winning directorial venture Slumdog Millionaire.

Boyle recalled that though the role of the police inspector played by Khan was not a huge one, the actor saw the potential in it and also went on to reassure an important partner on the project by his decision.

"Irrfan was a wonderful actor and a pivotal figure in the making of 'Slumdog Millionaire'," Boyle told the BBC.

"It wasn't a huge role and in fact on paper it was even less rewarding looking. But Irrfan saw the possibility of guiding our audience with his dignity, his grace, his charm, his intelligence and his calmness, through this crossword puzzle of an idea of a film," he recalls.

The film, which went on to win a record eight Oscars in 2009, including one for musician A R Rahman for 'Jai Ho' song.

"He [Khan] also reassured one of our most significant partners on the film, Peter Rice of Fox Searchlight, who as a friend before he was involved in the film told me to cast Irrfan Khan in it, whether there was a role for him or not. He said, just get that guy," Boyle recalled.

"Then he ended up buying the film and releasing it to put it on its trajectory towards the Academy Awards, and he was no doubt partly enticed by the fact that indeed we had got Irrfan Khan," he said.

Referring to Rice and Khan as a "match made in heaven", Boyle expressed his gratitude to the actor for his contribution to the project and to the cinema.

Khan died of a rare form of cancer in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was buried at the Versova graveyard in the afternoon. Political leaders across the party lines mourned the demise of Khan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Six Texas voters are suing the state, claiming its law allowing anyone over 65 to vote by mail regardless of their personal circumstances discriminates against young voters.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. district court in San Antonio, argues that the restriction violates the 26th Amendment, which states that the right of anyone 18 and over to vote cant be denied or abridged.

It is the latest in a series of legal battles Democrats have sparked in Texas seeking to expand voting rights leading up to the November general election. Most recently, with the pandemic threatening to curb in-person turnout, the suits have honed in on vote-by-mail accessibility.

Under the law, voters under 65 may only vote absentee if they meet certain criteria, such as if they will be absent from the county where they are registered to vote for the entirety of election day, are confined in jail but otherwise eligible to vote or have a sickness or physical condition preventing them from voting in person. Fewer than 7 percent of Texas voters mailed in ballots in 2018.

RELATED CASE: Texas judges ruling expands vote-by-mail amid pandemic

Having opted to make mail-in voting an option for voters in Texas, Defendants may not constitutionally choose to restrict access to the franchise to voters for no other reason than the fact that they are 18 years old, 25 years old, or 64-and-a-half years old. Period, the suit states.

The voters are represented by the National Redistricting Foundation, an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and whose chair is former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. They argue that this issue will be exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.

While the absentee ballot age restriction would be unconstitutional under any event, in the current circumstances its application is unconscionable, it states, adding that the rule will force millions of voters into an untenable position, choosing whether to forego their most fundamental right or having no choice but to vote in person, at what are likely to be understaffed and overcrowded polling places, putting their own health at risk, and needlessly exacerbating the spread of the virus.

Earlier this month, a state district court judge in Austin sided in favor of Democrats and civil rights groups in their suit aiming to allow voters to qualify as having a disability and vote by mail if they are concerned about catching coronavirus at the polling place, though the case is far from over and headed for appeal.

Around the same time that the state district judge ruled, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a legal advice letter saying fear of the coronavirus is not an acceptable excuse to claim disability to vote by mail and warning that such requests could lead to criminal charges.

Mail ballots based on disability are specifically reserved for those who are legitimately ill and cannot vote in-person without needing assistance or jeopardizing their health, Paxton said.

The Texas Democratic Party also filed a similar suit in federal court. On Wednesday, the party amended its suit and requested a preliminary injunction to force the state to allow any Texan to receive a mail-in ballot prior to the July 14 primary runoff, saying Paxtons letter had caused confusion.
[April 29, 2020] Cancer Testing and Diagnosis Suffers Sharp Downturn, finds Diaceutics

Diaceutics PLC, (AIM: DXRX), the precision diagnostic commercialization company, today announces research results from its COVID-19 oncology tracker, which shows the impact of the crisis on cancer testing and diagnosis in the US. The analysis, based on real-time data taken from the organization's data lake, shows that there has been a sharp downturn in both biomarker testing and cancer diagnosis rates between February and March of this year. The figures, which have been tracked monthly since January 2019, provide an insight into the impact that COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown measures being implemented across the United States are having on cancer patient care. Diaceutics found that compared to the month of February 2020, March saw a 31% drop in the number of patients being diagnosed with lung cancer. Testing rates for related biomarkers also decreased, with reductions ranging between 7% (KRAS) and 13% (EGFR). With regard to EGFR, Diaceutics estimates that there were nearly 4,000 fewer tests performed in March alone when compounding the reduced number of patients diagnosed and reduction in testing rates. Diaceutics' COVID-19 oncology tracker also revealed a 14% drop in the number of new patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer during that same time period. The insights show that testing rates for biomarkers related to this form of cancer decreased as well. BRAF was down by 9%, while MSI (News - Alert)/MMR was down by 8% and RAS was down by 6%. In the hematological setting, there was a 14% drop in newly-diagnosed patients with acute myeloid leukemia between February and March, with FLT3 (12%), IDH1 (11%) and IDH2 (12%) testing rates all dropping. Diaceutics found that the number of newly-diagnosed breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients decreased by 8.4% and 8.6% respectively during this period. The information upon which these findings are based is a representative dataset from Diaceutics' data lake, which includes community, commercial and academic laboratories. Diaceutics defines newly-diagnosed cancer patients as those wo have undergone a biopsy and surgical pathology testing and have not been recorded in the company's database previously.



Jordan Clark, CCO, Diaceutics, said: "These insights highlight the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having on cancer patients, from both a social distancing and healthcare system capacity viewpoint. Our research shows that laboratories are receiving fewer samples and hospitals are performing fewer biopsies. In fact, one community hospital laboratory reported that molecular oncology testing had slumped by 25%. "Of course, the downturn in rates varies across the different types of cancer, with lung cancer being the worst affected. We suspect that this is because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, so the symptoms that patients would normally consult their doctor about are potentially being mistaken for the novel coronavirus.

"On the other hand, in the case of acute myeloid leukemia, patients tend to be very sick by the time of diagnosis and need to be immediately hospitalized, so these people are more likely to enter the healthcare setting despite the pandemic. "The reality of the situation is that fewer people are going for regular screening, or attending medical appointments to get symptoms checked out. In addition, we have seen social distancing and repurposing of labs' resources to tackle COVID-19 testing impact their ability to process oncology testing. This means that fewer people are getting diagnosed and therefore tested for specific biomarkers. Optimal companion diagnostic testing is vital for getting precision medicine therapies to as many patients as possible. Our research shows that COVID-19 is having a detrimental impact on the already fractured testing ecosystem, which means that even more cancer patients are missing out on getting the treatment that is right for them at the right time. "While this data relates to the US, the COVID-19 pandemic is a global issue so there is no doubt that the same trends are emerging elsewhere and that this decline will continue in the weeks to come." -Ends- Note to the editor: The COVID-19 oncology tracker draws on real-time data from labs that Diaceutics has agreements with and includes claims data from both commercial and public payors. Within this data, Diaceutics tracks the patient testing journey from diagnosis to advanced biomarker testing. To determine the cancer diagnosis rates, Diaceutics uses relevant ICD and procedures codes to identify a patient population which is then normalized to the National Cancer Institute's incidence rates within its Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. To determine the biomarker testing rates, the company compares the N of diagnosed patients vs those who got biomarker testing, using claims data and data from their lab network. The numbers Diaceutics have tracked in the last month offer a window into the impact lockdown rules and fears over SARS-CoV-2 infection may be having on the US health system's ability to diagnose new cancer patients. About Diaceutics Diaceutics PLC is the precision diagnostic commercialisation company for global pharmaceutical companies. The Company, quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange, is enabling pharma to accelerate their market penetration and achieve a better return on precision medicine therapies by helping them to revolutionise patient testing. By generating insights from its data lake of clinical laboratory testing data and other data, Diaceutics helps pharma understand and leverage the diagnostic landscape through initiatives that improve patient testing, leading to better treatment outcomes. The Company works with more than 35 global pharmaceutical companies across hundreds of precision medicine projects. The Company employs a leading global group of experts from the laboratory, diagnostic and pharmaceutical industries. www.diaceutics.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005104/en/

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Upali Sedere writes about education and serves as an advisor to Sri Lankas Ministry of Education. He notes that online learning is available to children and adults in many areas, but not others.

"One section of the population is enjoying online learning, with virtual classrooms, with all kinds of apps, whereas recently the UNESCO indicated a total of 826 million students are kept out of classrooms - and only 43 percent of this number has access to some form of [online] learning today.

The numbers he gives come from the International Task Force on Teachers, also called The Teachers Task Force. The group is an international alliance of educators and organizations under UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The divide between the haves and have-nots is very clear in developing countries, especially those south of the Sahara Desert. There, 89 percent of learners do not have a household computer and 82 percent have no internet connection.

Some learners have mobile phones where they find information and can connect with their teachers and other learners. About 56 million learners live in places without mobile technology. Half of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.

How can young people and adults continue learning in the current coronavirus crisis if they cannot go online?

Audrey Azoulay is UNESCOs Director General. She notes the value of other technology, including the use of community radio and television broadcasts, and creativity in all ways of learning.



Lack of electricity in Afghanistan

Ahmad Tameem is an online language teacher in Kabul, Afghanistan. He notes that the Afghan National Television is broadcasting educational programs for students who are not able to attend school. They are staying at home to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus.

Since internet access in Afghanistan is costly, Tameem noted, few students can spend much time learning online. He heard that some teachers are using phone apps to send study materials to students. He said that he does not believe online learning will continue after the coronavirus pandemic ends because students enjoy the social contacts and friendships they make at school.

Martha Young is Director of Educational Programs at the Professional Development Institute of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. She spoke with principals of private Afghan high schools where all the subjects are taught in English. She found only one who was sure that every student has a computer at home. Afghanistans public education system teaches children from kindergarten through high school. These public schools are not attempting online learning.

Young notes that some universities are trying to support online learning programs. But it has become nearly impossible for them to continue because of Taliban attacks on power stations in and around Kabul. Before the attacks, each neighborhood received enough power for only four hours a day. Now electricity is available for even shorter periods.

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

James Onyango is an education officer with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. He helps educators working in the Rohingya refugee camps at Cox's Bazar.

Onyango says these educators have "developed some guidelines to support caregivers and parents in facilitating some learning in their homes while the facilities remain closed."

He told VOA that the UNHCR acknowledges that parents cannot take the place of teachers for their children.

We are not trying to convert the households into schools.

Instead, he said, the UN agencys guidance is more about general ideas for what a parent can do.

"For instance, encouraging the parents to try and assist their child to spend between one to two hours per day on education using the workbooks that they have been provided. If they could, identify an adult who is in their household who could work with these children for between one to two hours in a day in the home."

Helping children with their workbooks requires an adult who can read.

Onyango said the ability to read, while important, is not always the only way to help children learn.

"In terms of the younger children we are encouraging the parents to tell them stories or play with them just as a way of ensuring that during this period children are meaningfully engaged... It also has a positive effect in terms of further facilitating the desired social distancing."

The teachers who live in the refugee camps help to pass information along to families in their neighborhoods using megaphones. Islamic clergymen have been sharing information in messages broadcast from religious centers. In some areas, large signs are hung where people can see them.

Sri Lanka's public television joins with VOA

Education writer Upali Sedere spoke with VOA about conditions in Sri Lanka.

"The statistical department of Sri Lanka has done a household survey that indicates only 24 percent of our homes have got a computer at home. Particularly the digital literacy  somebody is able to use social media, Facebook and things like that  about 78 percent of the youth can use it. But not necessarily computer literacy, ability to do something with the computer, is much lower than that - it's about 43 percent in general."

Even families who have a computer or a mobile device may not be able to use it for online learning. Sedere said the less costly service plans they have do not offer them enough data for learning online.

The internet access in Sri Lanka is very low. I think about 27 percent of the rural population, 46 percent to 50 percent in the urban societies, you get internet facility at home.

The solution to distance learning for Sri Lanka may be found in existing technology. The countrys president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has asked educators to use television (TV) more as a teaching tool. Through a deal between the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education and Voice of America, Learning English videos are now shown daily on Channel Eye, one of two national TV broadcasters.

"What is widely available in Sri Lanka is the television and the radio.  TV is available to over 90 percent of households. Generally a child has the privilege to watch that."

Sedere adds that he thinks the VOA programs will prove useful to Sri Lankas educators as well as to the general population.

Im Jill Robbins.

Jill Robbins reported on this story for Learning English with additional information from UNESCO. George Grow was the editor.

Quiz - Only Half of World's Learners Able to Take Part in Distance Learning Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

app  n. a software application for an electronic device

access  n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

mobile  adj. able to move from one place to another

principal  n. the person in charge of a school

kindergarten  n. a school or class for very young children

pandemic  n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

facilitate  v. to make (something) easier; to help cause (something)

literacy  n. the ability to read and write

acknowledge - v. to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of (something)

encourage  v. to make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen

positive  adj. good or useful

megaphone - n. a cone-shaped device used to make your voice louder when you speak through it

statistical  adj. using a number that represents a piece of information

data  n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

rural  adj. of or relating to the country and the people who live there instead of the city

How are children learning from a distance in your country? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
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Thousands of stunning pictures of food from over 70 countries around the world were submitted for an international photography competition.

Scenes depicted by the entrants included Rohingya children queuing for food, a beekeeper in China carefully removing a honeycomb from a hive and fishermen casting their nets for the harvest in Myanmar.

The judges of the annual Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards whittled down the almost 9,000 images to come up with the overall winner.

A heart-wrenching picture of refugee Rohingya children in Bangladesh waiting to collect food was handed the crown of the prestigious award.

Divided between a dozen categories, the overall winning shot - titled After Exodus by Bangladeshi photographer KM Asad - was taken in the vast Rohingya refugee camp, which is home to more than one million people in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh.

The image showing 13 youngsters cramped together in a line, holding metal bowls while waiting for their next meal, also won the Politics of Food category.

This image won third place in the competition, winning the Bringing Home the Harvest category. It shows fishermen casting their nets on a lake for their morning catch in Myanmar

The sheer colours of vegetables are shown in this overhead shot of a vegetable stall at a night market in Myanmar which got Zay Yar Lin his second category win in the Winterbotham Darby Food For Sale category

Snow-covered vineyards at Castiglione Falletto in the Langhe district of Piedmont, Italy, that was entered into the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year

Second in the overall winner category was a shot of a bee keeper carefully removing the bees from their hives in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

Food Photographer of the Year 2020, overall winner shows Rohingya children queuing for food at a refugee camp in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Founder and Director of the Awards Caroline Kenyon said of the winning shot: 'The world is in the grip of COVID-19 and normal life, whatever that may be, has stopped for all of us. This moving image really speaks to our times. These Rohingya refugee children remind us of the fragility of life, that our need for food for survival connects us all around the world. We are all the same'

Other category winners included luscious shots of prepared food, rustic wine sampling and stacked-up frozen fish taken on a mobile phone.

Fishermen casting their nets on a lake for their morning catch in Myanmar by Zay Yar Lin bagged the Bringing Home the Harvest category, with a honeycomb surrounded by bees in China declared the winner for Xiaodong Sun in the Food in the Field.

Due to coronavirus, the awards ceremony was streamed live online and hosted by former Blur guitarist-turned artisan cheese-maker Alex James.

More traditional depictions of food came with the winner of the Food Stylist section with beautifully presented pale colours of halibut and radish by Nicoe Herft

This rough and ready image was the winner of the On the Phone category by Azim Khan Ronnie from Bangladesh, with this amazing shot of a pyramid of frozen piled up Hilsa fish, a type of herring, at Chittagong fish market

Muslims preparing a feast before the Friday prayer in a field close to the congregation ground during the first day of the three-day long Muslim Congregation, Biswa Ijtema, at Tongi near Dhaka, Bangladesh. This image was also taken by KM Asad

The wine is certainly running over in this shot by Patrick Desgraupes that won the Errazuriz Wine Photographer - Produce section as they collect wine samples for testing at the Clos Saint Patrice vineyard in France, renowned for its Chateauneuf-du-Pape (left). This image (right) of juicy baked figs with walnuts, honey and fresh thyme by Liam Desbois won the Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture category

During a trip to Uganda with the charity Tearfund, photographer Jason Wain was frequently welcomed into the home of a pastor, along with half the village, where the group would be served a feast - almost identical each time - featuring goat or chicken, rice, gnut sauce, boiled potatoes, kidney beans and more
WASHINGTON - The Smithsonian Institution will cut the pay of some executives and impose salary and hiring freezes for some workers to cover $22 million in estimated losses resulting from the ongoing closure of its museums.

The salaries of 89 senior-level executives - all nonfederal employees - will be cut by 10 percent for 12 months, starting May 24, with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III and Deputy Secretary Meroe Park taking 15 percent cuts. The senior executives include museum and science directors and officials overseeing investments, security and facilities and 19 employees in Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating arm of the institution. These employees also will lose salary increases and performance awards that would have been made in January 2021.

The majority of the institution's 6,300 employees are federal workers and will not be affected.

The cuts are the first steps toward stabilizing the institution's finances during an open-ended crisis, Bunch said. The Smithsonian estimates $22 million in lost revenue through May 31.

"The goal is to try to eliminate the possibility of furloughs," Bunch said in an interview withThe Washington Post on Wednesday. "Our hole (if closures extend until fall) could be $20 million to $50 million. This is part of a process that will allow me to control the deficit. We don't know how long this will go for."

The Smithsonian's 19 museums and the National Zoo have been closed since March 14, following social-distancing recommendations by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Bunch won't speculate on when they will reopen.

"I'm not going to say a date. We don't know," he said.

Bunch has convened two groups to work on the details of reopening operations and explore how the institution will adapt to a post-coronavirus landscape.

"We will never return to the way it once was," Bunch said, noting that some surveys of audience behavior have found about half of audiences are unlikely to return until a vaccine is available. "So, rather than adjust on the fly, let's think about this in a careful way. What does social distancing in a museum mean?

"The most important thing, as a historian, is knowing what the questions are," he continued. "I'm comfortable we know the questions and now we're working on the answers."

In the meantime, the 10 percent cuts to nonfederal salaries and operations will "get me close" to covering the current shortfall, he said. Other institutions, including the Kennedy Center, have made more drastic moves. Kennedy Center President and CEO Deborah Rutter is forgoing her salary, which is $1.2 million a year, until the center reopens, and senior staff are taking 25 percent cuts. The Smithsonian won't release Bunch's compensation, but his predecessor David J. Skorton earned $896,345 in 2018, according to the institution's most recent tax filing.

"I think it's fair,"Bunch said of his salary reduction. "I want to make sure I take the heaviest cut. We're all experiencing pain. I want to experience a little more."

Two-thirds of the Smithsonian's $1.5 billion annual budget comes from the federal government, with the remaining $500 million derived from grants and contracts, memberships, interest on its endowment and income from its shops, restaurants, movie theaters and programs, including lectures, art classes and concerts.

The Smithsonian's free admission policy and its federal appropriation protect it from the payroll crises faced by other cultural institutions, Bunch noted. Still, it faces serious shortfalls as the closures stretch into the peak summer season. Its popular summer camps have been canceled, museum sleepovers won't happen for the rest of the year and the ticketed events presented by Smithsonian Associates are on hold indefinitely.

A hiring freeze for nonfederal positions will be part of the effort to trim 10 percent of expenses from the privately funded operations. Bunch said officials are evaluating the institution's contributions to retirement plans and exploring a targeted buyout offer for nonfederal employees.

"Many things have to be on the table," he said.

The Smithsonian received $7.5 million from the federal government's first coronavirus relief bill, which was passed last month, but those funds are targeted for coronavirus-related expenses such as protective equipment and supplies and technical upgrades to enable its employees to telework.

The District's other federally supported cultural institutions have responded differently to the financial stress of the long-term closures. The National Gallery of Art, for example, continues to pay the full salaries of its 1,100 employees, including those who cannot work off-site, a spokeswoman said.

The Kennedy Center has furloughed or laid off about 1,000 employees and reduced the salaries of the musicians in the National Symphony Orchestra. The center has canceled hundreds of events and has extended its closure through May 22.
On Thursday, 23 April 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation regarding the easing of the national lockdown, which will come into effect on 1 May 2020. At the end of his speech, he picked up a mask to demonstrate and encourage South Africans to continue exercising safety measures by wearing a mask whenever leaving their homes. But his demonstration ended up in a masking mishap that saw South African social media users respond in an infamously humorous fashion.

What a grew t way to end a speech  yuuh this part eased the stress #Ramaphosa pic.twitter.com/QxCPYRr6W4  Phindii (@Phindii11) April 23, 2020

President trying to warn us about Level 7 of Corona #ramaphosa pic.twitter.com/ishW4PBmnF  The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) April 23, 2020

Total media exposure, in numbers, for #cyrilfridays (blue), #FaceMaskChallenege (green) and #Ramaphosa (orange) between 17 April and 28 April 2020 click to enlarge

Social media sentiment analysis, in numbers, on #Ramaphosa during April 2020 click to enlarge

It's remarkable to see a nation speak so well of their President... For once. Despite the humour this evening we still think you're doing a good job. #Ramaphosa  Bridget Pike (@brigda) April 23, 2020

Social media sentiment analysis, in numbers, on #Ramaphosa during April 2020 click to enlarge

Social reach vs social volume of #CyrilFridays between 21 April and 28 April 2020 on social media click to enlarge

Leadership is an action, not a position. - Donald McGannon



Fellow South Africans, we are led.  Thank you Mr President @CyrilRamaphosa. Thank you.  #CyrilFridays pic.twitter.com/T74q48t40b  Hulisani Ravele (@HulisaniRavele) April 24, 2020

Mr president, you have risen to the challenge during a difficult time. You have navigated a complex situation while uniting your people. There is still a long road to go and its not going to get any easier. Because you have our backs, we have yours. #CyrilFridays  Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) April 24, 2020

Top posters, by reach, on social media for #CyrilFridays in April 2020 click to enlarge

[ON-AIR] President Cyril Ramaphosa responds after his mask blunder goes viral. Courtsey #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/u9LK29q9wQ  eNCA (@eNCA) April 24, 2020

With a new challenge born, and some light-hearted humour to cheer up South Africans, Meltwater, the global leader in media intelligence, analysed social media conversations surrounding this moment, the #facemaskchallenge that emerged and the posts that still showed nothing but respect for our president.Following the moment where Ramaphosa appeared to struggle with putting on his mask on Thursday evening, social media was abuzz with the quick reactions and memes that soon followed.The face mask soon became an eye mask in the eyes of South African Twitter, prompting many users to make reference to a scene of Sandra Bullock in, as well as joining in on the humour by creating more memes from the masking moment.The hashtag, #Ramaphosa, has been mentioned just over 11,000 times on social media since the start of April, but the hashtag was used the most after Ramaphosas national address on Thursday evening. Other hashtags that emerged from this were #CyrilFridays and #FaceMaskChallenge.While #Ramaphosa mentions on 23 April 2020 showed predominantly negative feelings among online users, as indicated by the data below, this was largely due to the @PresidencyZA Twitter account relaying Ramaphosas speech on the impact of the coronavirus in the country, as well as negative reactions from South Africans regarding the cigarette ban being lifted.But 23 April 2020 also saw #Ramaphosa received the highest number of positive reactions among social media users in South Africa within the month of April. From the easing of restrictions to the memes that emerged that evening, it was clear that South Africans have taken note of Ramaphosas leadership during this time.Out of this moment emerged the social media challenge, #facemaskchallenge, which caused a humorous stir on social media right after Ramaphosas speech. Garnering a social reach of nearly 66,000 Twitter users on 23 April 2020, the social media platform was, indeed, flooded with #facemaskchallenge posts from South Africans, as one user mentioned #CyrilMaskChallenge also emerged as an engaging hashtag on social media on Friday 24 April, with just under 2,000 mentions and South African Twitter users sharing their unique ways of accepting the new challenge.But while the challenge emerged following Ramaphosas national address to South Africa, other African countries have also engaged with the challenge and hashtag. Nigeria is the number one country to use #facemaskchallenge (44.94%) mainly to encourage others to participate in the challenge and share images of how users are incorporating face masks into their everyday outfits. The Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa round up the top three, respectively at 18.54% and 16.29%.Despite the mask mishap that Ramaphosa experienced, South Africans still showed respect within the humorous moment, as #CyrilFridays trended the day after his address to the nation. Just under 8,000 social media posts mentioned #CyrilFridays and the hashtag had a social reach of 36.4 million people on social media on 24 April 2020.A number of South Africans, including prominent influencers, used the trending hashtag to show respect and kindness to Ramaphosa as a leader during the current global pandemic. At least 66% of social media posts that included #CyrilFridays spoke positively about Ramaphosa, thanking and praising him for his leadership in a time of uncertainty.By reach, the top social media posters to mention and engage with #CyrilRamaphosa is Eyewitness News and Briefly - South African News on Facebook, and @CityofJoburgZA and @djsbu on Twitter.In response to all the mask memes that circulated on social media, the humour was not lost in Ramaphosa, who addressed his viral moment in true South African style - by joining in on the jokes and poking light hearted fun at himself.On Friday, some of the trending themes to emerge from #cyrilfridays on social media included best president and leadership referring to online users praising Ramaphosas leadership skills throughout the current pandemic; long road, complex situation and backs referring to the high engagement received from influencer, Khaya Dlangas tweet ; and position and commitment referring to users not taking the presidents role lightly but acknowledging the commitment they see in him to ensure that South Africa overcomes the current crisis.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/29/2020



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Jorge Nava said he's "definitely" ready to return to reality television once he's freed from prison next month."Going back to reality TV is [a conversation] that I've been having since the day I came into prison," Jorge told In Touch Weekly through his attorney Brad Rideout.Jorge, 31, began serving a 22-month prison sentence in September 2018 after pleading guilty to a felony charge of marijuana transportation."Some of [my] plans when I get released are just being able to get myself back on my feet... I'm still exploring different avenues to get back into the legal marijuana business, and, hopefully, I am able to do that [despite] being a felon now," Jorge revealed.Jorge explained a network may find it interesting to document his life as a felon following incarceration, especially since he had a huge physical transformation.Jorge -- who was admitted into prison weighing 275 pounds and now weighs about 190 pounds -- said he's "trying to build a positive image for everybody" given he has influence over fans. He wants to show there is "light at the end of the tunnel" even during the darkest times."I'm getting released soon, and all [the] positive feedback that I'm getting from strangers, like on social media and stuff like that... it's just giving me this really good hope, this really good feeling... about my new beginning, really," Jorge told In Touch."The one thing I'm looking forward to the most is... being able to [make] my own choices, finally. I'm trying to.... stay away from any criminal activity and, hopefully, get all of my goals and ideas executed."On the Monday episode of TLC's new spinoff : Self-Quarantined, Jorge phoned in from Arizona State Prison Complex, where he had been behind bars for one year and eight months.Jorge said he hasn't seen his wife, Anfisa Arkhipchenko , in person since the day he surrendered to prison."The night before I came to prison, we had an argument and things were not going well. I thought we were going to try to make things work, but they didn't -- and that was it. " Jorge shared in the episode."Probably about two months after I went to prison, she told me that she wasn't going to be with me anymore and was telling me that she wished I got 12 years in prison. She was basically trying to get rid of me."Jorge claimed he and Anfisa continued talking on the phone and he tried to work on their relationship, but things ultimately fell apart."Right now, we are technically married, but I ended up finding out throughout the Internet that she was actually with somebody else, and that definitely hurt. It really broke my heart, but there is really no way for me to do anything from in here," Jorge said.Anfisa apparently entered a new relationship with a man named Leo Assaf while Jorge was behind bars, and the pair recently went Instagram official when Anfisa posted a photo of Leo embracing her."I couldn't call her because she blocked my calls. It was just a mess. But that's the past and I overcame that. It definitely made me stronger," Jorge said, before insisting he had been willing "to do anything for love" but finally saw Anfisa's "true colors."Jorge claimed he's already told Anfisa that he would like to file for divorce following his prison release.Jorge insisted earlier this month his dramatic 128-pound weight loss definitely contributed to his breakup with Anfisa."I think she was just jealous of the attention that I was getting," Jorge previously explained to the magazine. "The news about my weight loss didn't sit with her very well."Jorge was a 27-year-old from Riverside, CA and Anfisa was a 20-year-old from Moscow, Russia when Anfisa arrived in America on a K-1 visa to be with her love.Anfisa didn't exactly deny she was in the relationship for Jorge's money, but she believed he, in turn, was dating her primarily for her looks. Regardless, the pair got married in a simple courthouse ceremony.Jorge was arrested at age 28 in February 2018 with nearly 300 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of his car.Jorge claimed around that time his prior criminal record -- which includes two previous convictions for cultivation of marijuana -- is why he didn't receive a lighter sentence to begin with."With the charges against me, I was looking at around 24 years or something like that. [It was] some ridiculous number," he told TMZ in 2018."But luckily, my lawyer was able to work out a plea agreement and I got the charges dropped and I ended up pleading to a class 4 felony in Arizona."Recreational marijuana (especially 300 pounds of it) is still not legal in Arizona.After originally appearing on Season 4 of , Jorge and Anfisa -- who met on Facebook -- were also part of the cast of Seasons 2 and 3 of : Happily Ever After?.Jorge and Anfisa, however, confirmed in October 2018 they wouldn't be returning to .Anfisa dedicated her time to fitness while Jorge spent his time in prison, and she has since become a competitive bodybuilder."To fill the void that I felt after Jorge was sentenced and I was left on my own I decided to try to stay busy and do what I enjoy the most and it was working out," Anfisa previously said on Instagram.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our webpage!
(Photo : Pixabay)

Nintendo has confirmed a huge hack that allowed access to 160,000 people's bills on its online services.

Rumors of a hack had spread in recent days as gamers said suspicious logins and unauthorized purchases being made from their bank accounts.

Now the company has confirmed those bills were hacked, Nintendo's Japanese website said.

ALSO READ: Nintendo Switch Resellers Use 'Bird Bot' to Steal Your Switch Right Before You Purchase It

How did the hacking go?

Nintendo said that hackers have been capable of accessing online logins that have been made available elsewhere on the internet. The company gave no details of ways the details were stolen or how widely they had been used.

Nintendo showed that some users had used the logins for unlawful purchases in its stores. It asked users to report such incidents themselves, try to cancel the payments, and tell Nintendo about the incident. - Although the company warned, it might not be able to respond right away.

ALSO READ: New Nintendo Switch Units Come With Hardware Patches To Make Them More Hack-Proof

The hackers had been thieving Nintendo Network IDs - which are used as login usernames on the net service - and passwords, The Verge reported.

While those NNID accounts give access to a few personal data, including birthdate and email deal with, many people additionally use the same login on their Nintendo account. The details could be used in the Nintendo Store or its online eShop for games.

In response to the hack, Nintendo said it will take away those NNID logins, asking human beings to signal in using their email deal with instead.

Nintendo also said that it had reset people's account passwords and that they will need to register a new one. It asked people not to apply the same password as on any other site.

Reports earlier this week said some accounts have been breached, and those had been the used to shop for digital gadgets like bundles of Fortnite VBucks.

Nintendo did not give an explanation for how the hack was possible. However, it insisted that it had not anything to do with a breach in databases or servers. The organization declined to divulge more information in worry that it'd encourage more unauthorized logins.

"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and concern to our customers and related parties," it said in the post, which appeared in Japanese. "In the future, we will make further efforts to strengthen security and ensure safety so that similar events do not occur."

Hacking incident drew flak online

Nintendo users took to social media to whinge that hackers were accessing their Nintendo accounts after it 'automatically' bought Fortnite currency and other Nintendo games.

One Twitter netizen said he was on his way home from work, and during the drive home, his Nintendo account was hacked and spent 300 dollars on Fortnite.

Another Twitter netizen was #shookt after a hacker hacked the user's PayPal account and spent $200 on Nintendo games.

CNET's employee, Sean Buckly, expressed his frustration on his Twitter account over the hacking incident. He said the hacker charged $99 to his PayPal account to buy V-Bucks for someone else's Fortnite account.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A leading Hindu lawmaker from Pakistan's Sindh province has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

Rana Hamir Singh, a member of the Sindh provincial assembly from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was elected from the Tharparker district in 2018.

Tharparkar Deputy Commissioner Dr Shahzad Tahir told reporters that Singh has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

He recently met Abdul Rasheed, a provincial lawmaker of right-wing Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal party, at the inauguration of a MEDICAL ventilator room in Mithi, the main town of the district.

Later, Rasheed was tested positive, which prompted the authorities to take samples of Singh and 25 others who had come in contact. Officials said that only Singh has tested positive.

Singh is the 26th Rana of Amarkot' where his clan is settled. His father Rana Chandra Singh served as a federal minister in the Cabinet of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the 1990s.

Hamir Singh's son, Kanwar Karni Singh, was married into the Kanota Rathore royal family of Jaipur in 2015.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases in the country have climbed to 14,885 while the death toll has reached 327 with 26 more fatalities, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"During these unprecedented times, NISA wanted to be part of the coalition helping St. Louis families, nonprofits, and local communities manage through and begin to recover from the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic," said David G. Eichhorn, President and Head of Investment Strategies of NISA. Jess Yawitz, CEO and Chairman of NISA, added, "In the months ahead, we look forward to expanding upon our corporate giving efforts with the newly established NISA Charitable Fund, which complements the long history of philanthropic activities of NISA principals."

The St. Louis COVID-19 Regional Response Fund was awarded a donation of $300,000 as part of NISA's commitment to the greater St. Louis area. The COVID-19 Regional Response Fund is an initiative focused on providing grants to nonprofits in the St. Louis area already serving vulnerable populations in the St. Louis area that are also affected by the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout. These groups include the elderly, children, the unhoused, and those dealing with mental health issues. The Gateway Resilience Fund was the recipient of $100,000 to provide short-term financial assistance to employees and owners of small businesses adversely affected by COVID-19. The St. Louis Community Foundation oversees both funds.

"St. Louis is fortunate to have companies like NISA Investment Advisors that are committed to the well-being of the bi-state region," said Amelia Bond, President and CEO of the St. Louis Community Foundation. "NISA's support for both the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and the Gateway Resilience Fund will go a long way toward delivering services and relief to those most in need during this time of uncertainty."

In addition to the charitable activities above, NISA instituted a $1,000 employer-match program focused on the local COVID-19 response to leverage the charitable activities of its over 300 employees. "We are deeply committed to the well-being of the St. Louis region and the local communities that most of our employees call home," added Mr. Eichhorn. "Indeed, we are humbled to be able to provide support to the greater St. Louis community in this time of great need."

The NISA Charitable Fund will initially focus on local and regional programs in the greater St. Louis area that assist those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

About NISA Investment Advisors, LLC

NISA manages assets for some of the largest institutional investors in the U.S. The firm is 100% employee-owned and based in St. Louis, Missouri. Client portfolios include investment-grade fixed income, derivative overlay, and equity investments. As of December 31, 2019, NISA managed $225 billion in physical assets and $155 billion in derivative notional value in separate account overlay portfolios. NISA's Pension Surplus Risk Index, or PSRX, is a forward-looking estimate of the funded status of U.S. corporate defined benefit plans and is published monthly. For more information, please visit our website at www.nisa.com and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.

About St. Louis Community Foundation

A nonprofit foundation, founded in 1915, the St. Louis Community Foundation granted $101.3 million to nearly 3,000 nonprofits in St. Louis and around the world in 2019. The foundation also received more than $78 million in charitable gifts from its donors during the same period.

The foundation is composed of more than 750 charitable funds with total assets in excess of $500 million. Each fund represents a unique charitable giving partnership between an individual, family, or business and designated nonprofit recipients. For more information, please www.stlgives.org and be sure to follow them on Facebook.

Contacts:

Media: Michael Herley for NISA Investment Advisors, LLC, [email protected] or 203-308-1409

NISA Charitable Fund Director: Eriko Clevenger Pope, [email protected]

St. Louis Community Foundation: Neosha Franklin (Marketing and Communications Manager), [email protected] or 314-880-4959

SOURCE NISA Investment Advisors, LLC

Related Links

http://www.nisa.com


Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 14:31:15|Editor: huaxia

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by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Cuban general practitioner Yamilet Castaneda has taken up the challenge to confront COVID-19 outbreak far from home doing what she can best do: saving lives.

The 47-year-old doctor said she did not hesitate to say yes when asked about whether she could combat the rampant virus in South Africa.

"We receive training in working under pressure in highly risky areas. We are ready to make decisions in the field depending on the complexity of circumstances," Castaneda told Xinhua before heading to South Africa.

Up to date, South Africa has reported than 4,990 coronavirus cases with 93 deaths.

Castaneda is one of the founding members of Cuba's Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade specializing in disaster and medical relief. She has rich experience in working abroad, including Pakistan, Venezuela and Brazil.

Founded in 2005 by then Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, the Henry Reeve Brigade was created to provide health services to Americans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the U.S. city of New Orleans, only to be refused by the George W. Bush administration.

The Brigade was named after a young U.S. doctor who died in the 19th century fighting for Cuba's independence from Spanish colonial rule.

Rigoberto Adrian Castro, 30, a health technician from the central Cuban province of Camaguey, is also one of the Henry Reeve Brigade. He joined Castaneda to lend a hand in South Africa.

Castro said they are not superheroes, but people committed with the defense of values and principles such as solidarity and friendship, adding that "all lives matter."

Jorge Hidalgo, director of the Cuban Central Unit for Medical Collaboration, said the reputation of Cuban doctors and nurses is based on the development of Cuban preventive health system as well as the efforts and sacrifices they have made under very difficult conditions abroad.

Currently, 2,030 Cuban health professionals from the Henry Reeve medical contingent are working in 22 Latin American and Caribbean nations as well as in Africa and Europe to help fight the coronavirus.

The island country has called on the international community to beef up cooperation rather than isolation against the pandemic.

Earlier this month, Cuba criticized the United States for "threatening governments that request Cuba's medical assistance."

Cuban orthopedist Ana Maria Machado was part of the Henry Reeve medical brigade that helped the Chinese people 12 years ago after the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake occured in southwestern China's province of Sichuan on May 12, 2008.

She said she is ready to join her colleagues to work abroad to battle the virus.

"We can go where requested, even to the United States. Solidarity does not recognize borders," she said.

Cuban authorities confirmed on Monday that 51 countries have requested medical assistance from the Henry Reeve medical contingent. Enditem
KAMPALA  The Ministry of Health has on Wednesday 29 confirmed two COVID-19 positive cases, taking Ugandas tally to 81.

Both cases are male 24 year old Ugandan and 21 year old Burundian refugee who were drawn from 299 samples tested among the community and individuals under quarantine.

Ministry said the duo who is at Rakai Hospital is a contact of a confirmed Burundian refugee.

Today, we got 2 positives out of 2002 cases tested .These were under quarantine at the time of testing .These were the contacts of one positive .The total number is now at 81, Ministry of Health PS Diana Atwine Tweeted.

A day before, health officials had tested a total of 2400 samples which all returned negatives results.

Uganda has registered 81 cases of coronavirus by Wednesday, April 29.

A breakdown of this statistic includes 53 Ugandans, one Canadian, one Indian resident, two Chinese, two Burundian, nine Kenyans and 13 Tanzanians.

About 15000 people tested in Uganda have been found to be negative of coronavirus.

Related
WASHINGTON - The United States for the first time added five of Amazons overseas operations to its list of notorious markets where pirated goods are sold. The e-commerce giant dismissed the move as part of the Trump administration's personal vendetta'' against it.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2019 file photo, people stand in the lobby for Amazon offices in New York. The United States for the first time added five of Amazons overseas operations to its list of notorious markets where pirated goods are sold. Trade Representative on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 added the Amazon domains in Canada, France, Germany, India and the United Kingdom to its annual blacklist. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

WASHINGTON - The United States for the first time added five of Amazons overseas operations to its list of "notorious markets where pirated goods are sold. The e-commerce giant dismissed the move as part of the Trump administration's "personal vendetta'' against it.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Wednesday added the Amazon.com Inc. domains in Canada, France, Germany, India and the United Kingdom to its annual blacklist.

USTR cited complaints from U.S. businesses that consumers cant easily tell who is selling items on the Amazon platforms and that the e-commerce companys procedures for removing counterfeit goods "can be lengthy and burdensome.

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Amazon fired back with a statement Wednesday: "We strongly disagree with the characterization of Amazon in this USTR report. This purely political act is another example of the administration using the U.S. government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon.'' The Seattle-based company said it has taken aggressive steps to combat counterfeiting and to vet sellers. The company said that last year it weeded out 2.5 million potential bad actors before they could start selling.

President Donald Trump has clashed repeatedly with Amazon. The companys founder, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post newspaper, which has written critical stories about Trump and his business dealings.

Amazon sued the U.S. Defence Department last year after losing a lucrative cloud computing contract to rival Microsoft. Trump has also said he wont approve a $10 billion loan to the U.S. Postal Service unless it dramatically increases the rates it charges Amazon and other big shipping companies.

Last October, the American Apparel & Footwear Association urged the trade representative to add Amazon operations in those five countries to the notorious markets list. The association praised the trade office's decision in a statement Wednesday but did not mention Amazon.

Chinese e-commerce colosses Alibaba Groups Taobao.com online marketplace also remained on the list.

USTR also said Wednesday that Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Venezuela remained on its "priority watch list of countries that do not adequately protect intellectual property. It removed Kuwait from the priority list, saying the country is updating its intellectual property laws and stepping up enforcement against piracy.
Ramsay Health Care is working towards inking deals with other states for ongoing treatment of public patients amid the COVID-19 crisis after finalising an agreement with Victoria that will last until at least the middle of the year.

The $13 billion private hospital operator, which earlier this month made a pitch for $1.4 billion in fresh equity, is seeking to deal with the effects of restrictions on elective surgery procedures while supporting the public health system in its fight against the coronavirus.

Private hospital operator Ramsay said Victoria could 'restart' an agreement for its sites to treat COVID-19 patients if new cases arise. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Victoria is the first state to agree to terms with Ramsay after the federal government struck a deal with the states over helping to cover the costs of private hospitals during the pandemic.

Ramsay Health Care has been providing its facilities and capabilities to the public health system since the federal government announced in early April that it would guarantee the viability of private hospitals as long as they made their workforce, essential medical devices and protective equipment available to the states during the pandemic.
A school board in Alaska has removed a collection of classic novels from classrooms over "controversial" themes like language and sexual references.

The Mat-Su Borough School District, north of Anchorage, took some of the world's best known authors and novels off the approved list of works teachers could use for instructing students. According to members of the school board, which voted 5-2 to remove the books, if they were read in a corporate office environment today, they would be dragged into an equal opportunity complaint.

The list of works, authors and the reasons for removal include:

The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald for "language and sexual references".

Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison for "language, rape and incest".

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou for "sexually explicit material, such as the sexual abuse the author suffered as a child, and its 'antiwhite messaging'".

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller for "a handful of racial slurs, the characters speak with typical 'military men' misogyny and racist attitudes of the time. There are scenes of violence both hand to hand and with guns, and violence against women."

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien for "profanity and sexual references".

School board vice president Jim Hart told NBC News on Tuesday the content could potentially harm students.

"If I were to read these in a corporate environment, in an office environment, I would be dragged into EO," an equal opportunity complaint proceeding, Mr Hart said. "The question is why this is acceptable in one environment and not another."

Dianne K Shibe, president of the Mat-Su Education Association teachers union, said parents and her members were stunned.

"Most of the community didn't respond because these books had been used forever," Ms Shibe told NBC News. "Now in retrospect, it's like 'duh,' I could have seen this coming."
NAPA, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fitch Ratings has affirmed its "A" (Strong) Insurer Financial Strength ratings for The Doctors Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, collectively referred to as The Doctors Company Group. Fitch also announced that the rating outlook for all ratings is "Stable."

The ratings are based on Fitch's current assessment of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, including its economic impact.

Fitch noted that The Doctors Company has a strong business profile as the number two writer in medical professional liability insurance in the United States. The Doctors Company is one of the few companies in its industry positioned to meet the trend of healthcare providers moving from independent and smaller group practices to employment with hospitals and larger medical groups, Fitch noted.

Fitch commented that The Doctors Company's year-end 2019 capital position "was very strong" and also pointed out that the company's loss reserve position is a positive factor to the rating.

The "A" with "Stable Outlook" ratings include:

The Doctors Company, an Interinsurance Exchange

TDC Specialty Insurance Company

TDC National Assurance Company

The Doctors Company Risk Retention Group, a Reciprocal Exchange

About The Doctors Company

Founded and led by physicians, The Doctors Company ( thedoctors.com ) is relentlessly committed to advancing, protecting, and rewarding the practice of good medicine. The Doctors Company takes the mal out of malpractice insurance by helping hospitals and practices of all sizes manage the complexities of today's healthcare environmentwith expert guidance, resources, and coverage. The Doctors Company is the nation's largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, with 82,000 members and over $4.5 billion in assets, and is rated A by A.M. Best Company and Fitch Ratings. To learn more about data-driven insights and to stay up to date on industry trends, follow and subscribe to The Doctors Company on Twitter(@doctorscompany), YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

SOURCE The Doctors Company

Related Links

http://www.thedoctors.com


Dallas, TX, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sealy & Company, a fully-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company and recognized leader in the industrial real estate market, announces the acquisition of five modern, Class A distribution warehouse facilities in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma totaling 196,000 square feet. The off-market transaction was made on behalf of Sealy Industrial Partners, L.P. (SIP) for an undisclosed amount and completes a string of three acquisitions totaling over $100 million of volume in the last week.

Located in Oklahoma Citys premier airport submarket, these assets are situated only two and a half miles from the Will Rogers World Airport. This area has steadily solidified itself as an emerging logistics hub and a leader in the region due to its expanding population, skilled workforce, steady job growth, and a below-average cost of living.

Sealy & Company is familiar with the area, as it has owned several properties adjacent to the newly acquired buildings in the past. The Class A buildings acquired, which range from 15,000 to 80,000 square feet, provide varying features and office finishes to the diverse range of credit-worthy tenants who currently fully occupy them.

The deal was led by Scott Sealy, Jr. and Jason Gandy of Sealy & Companys Investment Services team and facilitated by Brett Price of Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort. This deal is the final of three acquisitions, totaling 1,775,927 square feet, that Sealy & Company has executed in one week, including one in Kansas City, Missouri and another in Memphis, Tennessee.

We have been consistently and carefully sourcing deals for many years and have been fortunate to familiarize ourselves with some of our top target markets. These Class A properties are in an ideal location in which we have previously owned and managed assets, and we are excited to establish more market presence here, says Sealy & Companys Managing Director of Investment Services, Jason Gandy.

For more news and information regarding Sealy & Company, please visit the companys website at www.Sealynet.com.

About Sealy & Company

Sealy & Company, a fully integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company, is a recognized leader in acquiring, developing, and redeveloping regional distribution warehouse, industrial/flex, and other commercial properties. Sealy provides a full-service platform for high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors through our development, management, and brokerage divisions. Sealy & Company has an exceptional team of over 100 employees, located in eight offices, with corporate offices in Dallas, TX and Shreveport, LA. and is the sponsor of Sealy Industrial Partners, L.P. (SIP).

Attachments
Mr. Cuomo called on the authority, which he effectively controls, to tell him what steps needed to be taken.

[Governors dont do global pandemics: Cuomo faults others over virus.]

Virus admissions at states hospitals have fallen 70 percent.

The number of coronavirus patients newly admitted to hospitals in New York State has fallen more than 70 percent since the outbreaks peak this month, according to statistics that Mr. Cuomo cited on Tuesday.

The number reported Tuesday was below 1,000 for the first time in over a month, down from more than 3,000 reported on April 4  further evidence that the outbreak was waning.

Deaths from the virus remained flat  335 more people died on Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo said, an almost identical figure to the 337 deaths reported on Monday.

[Coronavirus in New York: A map and the case count.]

New York City changes the grading system for public schools.

Six weeks into a profoundly disrupted semester, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced a new grading system effective through the end of the school year for the citys 1.1 million students.

Students across the system will not receive failing grades, the mayor said as he laid out the policies:

Elementary school: Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be graded either as meets standards or needs improvement. Because summer school plans are still being worked out, it is not yet clear whether children will be held back if they fall behind academically.

Middle school: Students will be assessed using the same marks but can also receive a grade of course in progress, if teachers need more information to determine whether a student has mastered a classs coursework. Those students will get priority for remedial help during the summer and fall.
Colombo, Apr 28 (UNI) Sri Lanka on Tuesday repatriated around 50 Pakistan nationals, who were stranded in the country, due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus.

The Pakistan citizens took the flight from here at 0700 hrs and thanked their government and High Commission for making the all arrangements.

The island nation has so far reported 588 cases of the fatal virus, out of which 126 have recovered and seven lost their lives.

UNI JAL PS 1703
BERLIN  After nine years of delays, Germanys third-largest airport, in Berlin, is set to open  just as the global coronavirus pandemic is vastly reducing air traffic.

It has been a long, difficult road until the final approval from the building authorities, said Germanys airports chief, Engelbert Lutke Daldrup.

But the Berlin Brandenburg Airport project has been riddled by so many delays, some government officials sound a bit skeptical that the new opening date  Oct. 31, with large airlines to begin service in November  will hold firm.

The new airport, in the southeast of Berlin, will replace several smaller airports that serve the city. Planning began in 1996, with an opening originally envisioned for 2006. But with the beginning of construction delayed, the first tentative opening was scheduled for the fall of 2011.
Over the course of the Covid-19 crisis, healthcare workers have made up one-in-four cases of the virus, with the HSE and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) advising workers to avoid shared accommodation in order to protect loved ones and housemates.

In the face of issues surrounding accommodation for frontline workers practicing social distancing away from the workplace, property website Daft.ie has unveiled a new initiative to match healthcare workers with hosts temporarily donating their properties for free.

The website is asking anyone with a suitable property, specifically homes vacated by the dwindling short-term lets market in city centres, to visit housingheroes.daft.ie to register their interest in hosting frontline workers for the Housing Heroes programme.

Furthermore, home insurance firm Liberty Insurance has partnered with the popular property-browsing service on the initiative, and is now offering workers and their hosts free contents insurance for the duration of their day, agreed via digital contracts.

Daft.ie communications manager Raychel O'Connell said, "We know a lot of healthcare workers are facing serious hardships during this time and Daft is working around the clock to source properties where they can stay for free.

"We have already had many generous offers from people across the country, but with so many healthcare workers falling ill they need much more. We are asking people if they, or anyone they know has an empty property to consider offering it to one of our healthcare heroes, so they can continue to fight this battle for us all."

The Housing Heroes project has now been live on daft.ie for three weeks, and over 100 properties have been offered to the programme so far, with 80% of properties being filled with doctors and nurses in 13 counties across Ireland.

The properties themselves have received more than 800 enquiries, and have been viewed over 25,000 times, with 8 times more demand from frontline healthcare personnel than available supply at present.

For more information, visit housingheroes.daft.ie, or email support@daft.ie.
Uncertainty prevails over the timely start of Mansarovar Yatra' through the Lipulekh pass this year, with preparations for the annual pilgrimage yet to begin.

The pilgrimage begins by the second week of June every year and the preparations for the yatra usually begin two months in advance, but the COVID-19 induced lockdown has delayed the process.

The officials of Kumaun Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), the nodal agency for the yatra, have serious doubts about the beginning of the yatra on time amid the continuing lockdown.

Even if the yatra gets the go-ahead of the Indian and Chinese governments and starts on time, the nodal agency feels it will not get enough time to prepare for the pilgrimage, KMVN General Manager Ashok Joshi said.

"It is getting too late to remove snow from the trek route if the yatra is to begin in June," he said.

Snow covers the entire route of 35 km from the Bundi camp to Lipulekh pass and it will take more than a fortnight to remove it," the official said.

Moreover, it is not in the hands of the Government of India alone to hold the yatra, the Chinese government's consent is also needed, he said.

The Kailash Mansarovar yatra, through the 17,500 feet Lipulekh pass, begins by the second week of June every year for which preparations are made by the KMVN, Pithoragarh district administration and the ITBP.

"However, none of the agencies involved in preparations for the yatra have been given any instructions by the Centre this year, so it is a situation of total uncertainty," Joshi said.

Even a preparatory meeting held by the Ministry of External Affairs with facilitators of the yatra, including KMVN, ITBP and the district administration, usually in the month of February, is yet to be held, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) One of the leaders and organizers of a North Carolina-based anti-lockdown group that launched protests against the states restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has tested positive for the virus, TV station WNCN reported Tuesday.

Audrey Whitlock, one of the organizers of ReOpen NC, revealed that she has contracted coronavirus, which has infected 9,000 people in North Carolina and killed 306, through a post in the groups private Facebook page.

In her post, Whitlock explained that she had not attended any of the groups previously organized demonstrations, as she had been self-quarantined in her home ever since she tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Whitlocks Facebook post, the restrictions that have been put in place by the state government to address the COVID-19 pandemic violated not just her First Amendment rights, but also her 5th and 14th Amendment rights.

The reality is that modern society has not been able to eradicate contagious viruses. A typical public health quarantine would occur in a medical facility. I have been told not to participate in public or private accommodations as requested by the government, and therefore denied my 1st amendment right of freedom of religion, Whitlock said on Facebook.

Whitlock, who described herself as an an asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patient, added that while it has been insinuated by others that she could be arrested for denying a quarantine order if ever she decided to go out, doing so would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination by employers, places of accommodation, and state and local government entities where do we draw the line? Whitlock said.

As of this writing, breaking a state or federal quarantine is considered a criminal offense, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Whitlock, in a separate Facebook post, said two other people in her household have contracted COVID-19.

Whitlock is one of seven organizers mentioned on the Facebook page of ReOpen NC, a peaceful action group, which currently has around 70,000 members.

The group has vowed to hold rallies in Raleigh outside the Capitol and legislative buildings and the Governors Mansion every Tuesday until North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper lifts a stay-at-home order that has effectively shut down all non-essential business and banned public and private gatherings within the state. (Related: Belgium looking to lift coronavirus restrictions despite the highest death rate in the world.)

The group, according to their Facebook profile, claims to be made up mostly of business owners and employees who, because of the lockdowns, are now allegedly losing their income, as well as being denied their right to provide for their families.

We have come together to demand action from their elected officials, the group, which has referred to the stay-at-home order enacted in the state as an abuse of power, said.

Last week, several hundred protesters, some, holding handmade signs with slogans like My Rights Are Essential and ReOpenNC, marched through downtown Raleigh while chanting Freedom Now. Based on video footage and photographs captured by local media during the event, most of the people present were not wearing masks and were ignoring the CDCs social distancing guidance to keep 6 feet apart.

In addition to the protests, the group has also created a petition online, demanding legislative action from NCGA Republicans and Lt. Gov Dan Forest to re-open the state by May 1.

North Carolinas stay-at-home order is currently in effect until May 8.

As of press time, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of 59,266 Americans, and infected 1,035,000 others, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

CBS17.com

FoxNews.com

Insider.com

Coronavirus.JHU.edu
Webby Awards This podcast is both gripping and informative. I will never see internet dating the same again! Past News Releases RSS

Contact: Jules Hannaford

Phone: +852 60190322

Email: juliehannaford@hotmail.com

"Fool Me Twice" Nominated For Best Writing In Podcasts In the 24th Annual Webby Awards

Fans Can Vote Online to Help "Fool Me Twice" Win Internets Top Honor: http://wbby.co/pod07

Hong Kong: 29/4/2020

Following an announcement today, "Fool Me Twice" True Crime podcast has been nominated for Best Writing in podcasts in the 24th Annual Webby Awards. Hailed as the internets highest honor by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet. IADAS, which nominates and selects The Webby Award Winners, is comprised of Internet industry experts including Instagram Co-founder Kevin Systrom, Mozilla Chairwoman Mitchell Baker, 23andMe Co-Founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki, PBS CEO Paula Kerger, Headspace Founder Andy Puddicombe, The dtx Company Founder Tim Armstrong, News Not Noise Founder Jessica Yellin, R/GA US Chief Creative Officer Tiffany Rolfe, The Ringer Founder Bill Simmons, and Target CMO Rick Gomez, Girls Who Code Founder & CEO Reshma Saujani, and Pineapple Street Media Co-founder Jenna Weiss-Berman.

Fool Me Twice is an exposition of the world of sweetheart scams and the ugly side of online dating, seen through the lens of the very real experience of Jules Hannaford, who was caught in a scammers web while searching for lasting love. The story was turned into a podcast by her daughter, writer Zara Hannaford, who wanted to understand how her mother became involved in such a dangerous situation, as well as what motivates scammers and their victims. The podcast uncovers the psychology, risk factors and peculiar patterns seen time and time again in dating scams.

Nominees like 'Fool Me Twice' are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet, said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 13,000 entries we received this year.

Zara Hannaford says, It has been really special to create something like this with my mother. It was incredibly humbling to dive into the stories of people who have been scammed. I had my assumptions challenged over and over again, especially when I learned that victims are often just normal people who are experiencing loneliness, and have hope for finding connection. And the real coup was getting to interview a real scammer.

As a nominee, Fool Me Twice is also eligible to win a Webby Peoples Voice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. From now until May 8th, 'Fool Me Twice' fans can cast their votes at http://wbby.co/pod07

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, and honored in an Internet Celebration on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Winners will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards famous 5-Word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include: Steve Wilhites Its Pronounced Jif not Gif; NASAs Houston We Have A Webby; and Solanges I Got Five On It.

Fool Me Twice True Crime podcast featured on Auscast Network is created by Jules Hannaford and Zara Hannaford. Sound design is by Shayde Furlong. You can find Fool Me Twice on our website https://www.foolmetwicepod.com or https://www.auscastnetwork.com/ and on all podcast platforms.

Find The Webby Awards Online:

Website: webbyawards.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards

Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards

Instagram: @TheWebbyAwards

Snapchat: TheWebbyAwards

YouTube: youtube.com/webby

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Hailed as the Internets highest honor by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps, Mobile, and Voice, Social, Podcasts, and Games. Established in 1996, this years Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: WP Engine, Monday.com, Slack, YouGov, BASIC, KPMG, Adweek, Fast Company, The New Museum, and Social Media Week.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 09:38:00|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Australia's private schools have been offered three billion Australian dollars in incentives to re-open amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Dan Tehan, minister for education, on Wednesday offered to bring forward about 3-billion-Australian dollar (2 billion U.S. dollars) of recurrent government funding for independent and Catholic schools if they return to face-to-face teaching by June.

Tehan has been pushing for schools across the country to re-open as the coronavirus crisis eases in Australia but has faced pushback from some state governments, teachers' unions and private school bodies.

"It's safe for our children to be at school learning and safe for our teachers to be teaching them with the right protocols put in place," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television on Wednesday morning.

He said that Catholic and independent schools approached the Federal Government and said that some schools were experiencing cashflow issues and were asking the government to bring forward the July payment which the government would normally make to them.

Under the two-stage incentive scheme, private schools will get the first if they commit to have a plan in place to have teachers back in the classroom teaching all year levels by the end of May.

And then if they achieve 50 percent of students at a minimum attending schools at the end of May they'll get the second instalment, according to Tehan.

"The studies released on Monday have shown if we don't do that, it's going to be those children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, from Indigenous backgrounds, from rural and remote backgrounds, where English is spoken as a second language in the home, it's going to be those students who miss out on learning literacy and numeracy they need," Tehan said on Wednesday.

"So that's why we want to incentivize all schools, all non-government schools, to get back open and get that teaching done in the classroom." Enditem
In an interview with The Associated Press in 2018, Khan said: Ive seen life from a completely different angle. You sit down and you see the other side and thats fascinating. Im engaged on a journey.
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

The Albatross Pub has been an enduring fixture in Berkeley ever since the early 1960s as its entertained guests with live music, board games and a selection of beers on tap. But amid the ongoing shelter-in-place orders, the pub is holding on by a thread.

Since March 15, The Albatross Pub has been temporarily closed to the public and hasnt reopened in any capacity as some bars have done across the Bay Area. Nearly a month later, the pub launched a GoFundMe campaign with the hope that it can remain open.

ALSO: Bartenders concoct ways to serve and survive by mixing things up online

At a time when many iconic Berkeley businesses are already left vulnerable to rising property rates & rents, the lockdown is a kick in the pants that could close our doors for good, Andrew McGee, co-owner of The Albatross Pub, wrote on the GoFundMe page.

McGee is asking for $25,000 he plans to use for immediate staff relief and rent through the duration of shelter-in-place orders which were just extended to the end of May. By Wednesday afternoon, more than $8,400 has been raised.

ALSO: Northern California breweries report 42% decrease in sales

Founded in 1964, The Albatross Pub is the oldest pub in Berkeley and has been a popular destination for students and locals alike.

McGee couldnt be reached for comment by the time of publication.

The Albatross Pub is located at 1822 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley.

Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3

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BOSTON - U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III is edging out U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in the race to stockpile campaign funds ahead of the Sept. 1 Democratic primary election for a Massachusetts Senate seat.

As of the end of March, Kennedy reported more than $6.2 million in cash on hand in his campaign account, compared with $4.4 million for Markey.

The coronavirus pandemic has radically altered how the candidates have campaigned, with Kennedy and Markey relying on virtual town halls and online appeals.

The race pits two well-known Democratic politicians against each other, with Kennedy hoping to unseat the longtime incumbent.

Markey, 73, has served in Congress for decades, first in the House and later in the Senate. The 39-year-old Kennedy, who represents the 4th Congressional District stretching southward from the Boston area, is a member of the nations most storied political family.

Kennedy is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, who was attorney general in his brother John F. Kennedys White House before being elected senator.
A trio of Labrador retriever puppies and their handlers have started training to become the latest K-9 teams of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The newest K-9s will be trained to detect the scents of deer, elk, bear, turkey and waterfowl. They also will learn to find objects with human scent, such as live or fired shell casings, firearms, bows, knives, phones, wallets and more.

Overt Special Investigator Shawn Barron and K-9 Ayla will be serving the commissions Southwest Region. Overt Special Investigator Steve Brussese and K-9 Kya will be serving the Southcentral Region. And Overt Special Investigator Tyler Kreider and K-9 Cali will be serving the Southeast Region.

The commission now has six K-9 teams, one in each of the agencys regions, to assist game wardens with cases across the state. All six K-9s can detect articles, discover evidence, and track humans and wildlife.

New K-9 team for Pennsylvania Game Commission: Overt Special Investigator Tyler Kreider and Cali.

The commission re-established the K-9 program in 2015.

The teams aid game wardens in locating and retrieving physical evidence related to game law violations statewide.

During fiscal year 2017-18 the teams were deployed 120 times and completed 275 investigations.

The call volume for the K-9 teams has increased every year, and call volume from other agencies requesting the commissions K-9 teams has increased as well.

In one case, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources requested a K-9 team to assist in a hunting-related shooting incident. The K-9 team was able to locate evidence linking a suspect back to the scene of the crime.

New K-9 team for Pennsylvania Game Commission: Overt Special Investigator Steve Brussese and Kya.

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.
SAN ANTONIO  Today marks the start of WOAI- TVs and KABB Fox 29s two-day Feeding San Antonio campaign to raise $4 million for the San Antonio Food Bank, which is feeding thousands of food-insecure families during the coronavirus pandemic.

Local businessman and philanthropist Harvey Najim heads a list of donors that has issued a $2 million challenge to the community.

Donations can be made to virtual phone banks by calling 210-610-6590 during the stations news broadcasts from 5 p.m. through 10:30 p.m. today and Thursday and by accessing FeedingSA.org.

The first 1,000 telethon donors each night will receive a free No. 1 Whataburger meal.

The list of donors joining Najim include Carlos and Malu Alvarez, Lacie and Joe Gorder, Gordon Hartman, the Kronkosky Charitable Fund, the Mays Family Foundation, Nu Star Energy and the Greehey Family Foundation and the Whitacre Family Foundation.
National Health Mission (NHM) employees on Wednesday called off their strike after the Punjab health department announced an 18% hike in salaries of all 13,500 employees to appreciate their work in tackling the Covid-19 crisis.

The employees were scheduled to start their strike from Wednesday morning. But on Tuesday night, state health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu held a meeting with the Punjab wing of the National Health Mission Employees Union, which lasted till 9.30 pm, and announced a hike in their salaries.

He also announced the process of regularizing their jobs will be initiated once the Covid- 19 crisis is over. There are 13, 500 NHM employees, including doctors, staff nurses and midwifes, working in the state.

The health minister shared the announcement on Facebook. He posted, Meeting was held with union of NHM officials/employees, who are fighting a war with Corona virus, in which announcement was made to give 18% increment. After the Corona war, the process of regularisation of their jobs will also be initiated.

The NHM (National Health Mission) employees union welcomed the announcement.

Amarjeet Singh, state president of the union, said, We had decided to go on strike from Wednesday to demand a pay hike. We had also worn black ribbons to work on Monday and Tuesday as a mark of our protest. However, the health minister held a meeting on Tuesday night and announced a hike in our salaries. We are now waiting for an official letter in this regard.
'Everybody should be given rations. Nobody should be excluded.'

'Without an income, the present ration quota is not enough.'

'They should increase it so that one person can eat adequately for a month.'

IMAGE: People queue to get free rations in Patna, April 15, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo

"Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. Our country has a buffer stock of grain. At this time of crisis, the government should universalise ration, only then is it possible to cater to the demands of people at a short notice," Saurabh Kumar -- regional manager, ActionAid for Bihar and Jharkhand which has been providing dry rations to people in certain districts in those two states -- tells Archana Masih/Rediff.com.

Migrants are been among the most vulnerable groups affected by the lockdown.

What is the best way for the government to provide food and rations to migrants stranded in different parts of the country and to those who have managed to return home?

This is an extraordinary situation and extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures.

Our country has a buffer stock of grain. At this time of crisis, the government should go for universalisation of ration, only then is it possible to cater to the demands of people at a short notice.

How can that be done? Should ration be given to all for free?

No, the minimum stipulated rate of Rs 2 or Rs 3 a kg should be charged, but at least ration should be provided to anyone who is coming to procure it at the ration shop.

Firstly, the dealer who brings the ration to a village has a fixed quota. Suppose he has a quota of 50 or 80 quintals, he will first have to satisfy the demand of his existing ration card holders and will only sell whatever remains to those who are left out.

If the dealer cannot procure extra grain from the Food Corporation of India and bring it to the village, how will he be able to sell to those who don't have ration cards and hence fall outside the purview of the public distribution system?

This group of people will have no access to the ration.

So that is a question that needs to be answered and the government has to have some provisions for this.

This is the second phase of lockdown and many are complaining about insufficient food.

The problem is about those out of the purview of the ration card.

IMAGE: Women walk with bags of food material on their heads in Patna, April 18, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo

So what you are saying is that every person who comes to a ration shop should not be given ration even if s/he does not have a ration card?

Many of those who ran egg roll stalls, pani batasha thelas or meat walas have not had any income for over a month and are in great distress.

If people from this group don't have ration cards, they are falling deeper into distress.

Everybody should be given rations. Nobody should be excluded.

We must understand that people like you and me will not go to a ration shop, only those who need it most will queue up outside a ration shop.

Even if there are 5% people who are not eligible and misuse the provision which is basically for the poor, it will not do much harm to the nation.

But in the attempt to keep those 5% out, we cannot risk depriving others who need it most.

If people start dying because of hunger that will be a greater challenge and shame for the nation.

To save some money, the government would have negated the herculean effort it is making to feed people.

Hence, the government should not exclude but include all as far as providing ration is concerned.

How much ration should be provided at this time of crisis?

Should the government increase the stipulated quota per person since people can't access the market or earn a living during the lockdown?

The extremely impoverished families get 35 kg grain per month, the rest get 5 kg per person -- like 3 kg rice and 2 kg wheat -- depending on the number of names included in one ration card for a family.

If a family member's name gets left out, s/he is not entitled to the 5 kg of grain.

The stipulated quota is 5 kg per person per month. The government should increase the per person quota because these are unusual circumstances.

When people have earning wages, they have means to supplement their food requirement with that income.

But without an income, the present ration quota is not enough. They should increase it so that one person can eat adequately for a month.

IMAGE: Needy people maintain physical distance and consume food in Patna, April 28, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

What should be done for those who do not have ration cards or have some problem related to their names and are thus being deprived of ration?

Those outside the purview of ration cards are being enumerated right now, but it will take some days before it gets ratified by the block.

It does not help if this relief comes ten days later when people need it right away.

The difference between providing ration and a cash transfer is that when you transfer ration, you can see how much a person has picked up, but with cash transfer you don't know whether s/he has access to the local market and what are the prices the food grains are available for.

As it is, the price of food has gone up these days.

The government has a well-constructed system of midday meals in villages. There are cooks and kitchens in school buildings. If the government provides ration, then it can use this existing infrastructure to feed people.

With a little monitoring, this can be done effectively.

Those in quarantine and isolation centres get two meals a day, which is mostly khichdi. Adequate ration should be provided so that they can get at at least three good meals.

Being away from home with no TV or radio, these migrants are already morose, the least we can do is provide them good food.

The other point about quarantine centres is whether it has separate provisions for women and is disabled friendly. If it has proper toilets facilities separate for men and women and is clean.

You have to provide for them adequately and with dignity if you want them to stay put and not run away.

Another aspect is whether the rural health infrastructure is equipped to deal with the current crisis.

Vaccinations and routine health activities have disrupted and affected. All this should have continued with social distancing.
NAPA VALLEY, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- House of Saka, Inc., producers of the first and only alcohol-free, cannabis-infused beverages made from select vineyards within the iconic Napa Valley appellation, announced today that its award winning line of cannabis beverages are now available for home delivery throughout the entire state of California.

"Online, direct to consumer delivery platforms have always been the priority sales channel for our Saka Vinfusions," notes House of Saka, Inc. CEO, Tracey Mason. "The convenience, combined with a stigma-free shopping environment, provides the most ideal opportunity for both our traditional consumers and the emerging new consumer."

"The ability for us to be able to bring our product directly to our consumers presently sheltering safely at home during this crisis was critical," expressed Sue Bachorski, House of Saka COO & CFO. "We are both excited and extremely grateful to have partnerships in place with such a respected and far reaching group as Driven Deliveries and their popular platforms Ganjarunner.com and budee.org. Their organization is professional, dependable and respected. These are the attributes that we seek in our relationships."

In the age of social distancing, it is now more important than ever to expand consumers' access to cannabis while limiting one's potential exposure to COVID-19. Partnering with Driven Deliveries, California's fastest growing online cannabis retailer and direct-to-consumer delivery platforms, means House of Saka is available in 92% of California; including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Orange County, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Sonoma and Napa Valley.

"Delivering the industry's highest quality and most desired brands to the doorsteps of consumers throughout the state of California is our number one priority, especially during this time of quarantine," expressed Christian Schenk, CEO of Driven Deliveries, Inc. "Partnering with the House of Saka to distribute their brand on both their website and our platform was a natural fit. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with their team."

House of Saka's award-winning selection of luxury-infused cannabis beverages include:

Saka PINK - House of Saka PINK is made from a Rose of Pinot Noir from Napa Valley.

Saka WHITE - House of Saka WHITE is made from Napa Valley Chardonnay (Coming June 2020).

For both varietals, the grapes are traditionally fermented and aged in stainless steel before the alcohol is gently removed and replaced with Saka's proprietary THC:CBD formulation.

Saka PINK, and the new Saka WHITE coming in June, can be purchased through House of Saka's website (https://www.houseofsaka.com/) as well as GanjaRunner.com and Budee.org.

About Driven:

Driven Deliveries, Inc., is the first publicly traded cannabis delivery service operating within the United States. Founded by experienced technology and cannabis executives, the company provides e-commerce solutions, online sales, and on-demand cannabis delivery, in select cities where allowed by law. Driven offers legal cannabis consumers the ability to purchase and receive their marijuana in a fast and convenient manner. By 2020, legitimate cannabis revenue in the U.S. market is projected to hit $23 billion. By leveraging consumer trends, and offering a proprietary, turnkey delivery system to its customers, management believes it is uniquely positioned to best serve the needs of the emerging cannabis industry and capture notable market share within the sector. For more information, please visit www.DRVD.com and review Driven's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

About House of Saka, Inc:

Based in Napa Valley, California, the House of Saka creates and manufactures infused luxury products targeting the female consumer. Their portfolio includes the Napa Valley, alcohol-free luxury infused beverages, Saka Vinfusions, and a pending line of infused beauty and wellness products under the banner House of Saka Beauty. The company boasts an all-female leadership team guided by an all-female advisory board with more than 100 years of collective experience in wine, cannabis and luxury branding. For more information, please visit houseofsaka.com or follow us on social media @InfusedSaka and @InfusedLuxury.

SOURCE House of Saka, Inc.

Related Links

www.houseofsaka.com


Guwahati: After facilitating return of 391 students from Kota in Rajasthan, Assam government is now mulling bringing back 859 patients from the state who went outside for treatment and are now stranded due to the lockdown.

Assam health and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed on Wednesday that the state government is consulting with the union civil aviation ministry and various airlines to try and bring back the patients by flight.

Most of these patients have already completed their treatment and have expressed desire to return to the state. But since they are not fully recovered, it wont be possible to bring them back by road, he said.

This Sunday, 391 students who were studying in various institutes in Kota were brought back in 17 buses covering a distance of nearly 2,000 km. While the students paid for the journey, the state government provided 8 police officials to accompany them and facilitate their journey.

We are in talks with the civil aviation ministry and private airlines to try and evacuate these patients and their relatives. At this moment it seems we will not be able to do it before May 3, but our efforts are on, Sarma said.

Most of these 859 patients are stranded in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Vellore. The state government has already provided them Rs 25,000 each as financial aid.

Sarma informed that plans are also underway to bring back people from the state now stranded in Uttar Pradesh and other northeastern states.

We will have to undertake this exercise in a very careful manner so that the present scenario in Assam doesnt aggravate, he said.

Assam has recorded 37 positive Covid-19 cases till Wednesday. While 1 patient has died, 29 have been discharged and 7 are still under treatment.

Besides financial aid to patients stranded outside, the state government has paid Rs 2,000 each to 2.15 lakh workers from the state who are stranded in other states and 1000 USD each to 52 persons from the state stranded abroad.

Since April 25, the state government has allowed inter-district movement of people stranded across Assam due to the lockdown. This window will be available till May 2.

Till Wednesday, nearly 49,000 persons have used their own vehicles to avail this benefit while more than 20,000 others have been transported free of cost by 1274 buses belonging to Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).

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MINNEAPOLIS - A member of imprisoned former Liberian President Charles Taylors security forces has been deported from the United States back to the West African country, immigration enforcement officials said.

Alexander Mentol Zinnah, 56, had been living in Minnesota. Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported him Tuesday and flew him to Liberia, where he was turned over to Liberian law enforcement.

In 2017, federal agents based in St. Paul arrested Zinnah for immigration violations. Zinnah was a member of a rebel group led by Taylor, who was Liberias president from 1997 until he resigned in 2003, ICE said. Taylor is serving a 50-year prison sentence for war crimes related to atrocities in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

According to ICE, Zinnah was a member of Taylors National Patriotic Front of Liberia, which sparked a civil war that left more than 200,000 civilians dead. Zinnah also was a member of the Liberian National Police and served as a commander in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia, while Taylor was president of Liberia, ICE said.

An immigration court ordered Zinnah deported in May 2019. An immigration appeals board denied his appeal in January and his petition to be released from custody was dismissed by a U.S. District Court in February.
The bail hearing for a romance mystery writer charged with murdering her chef husband in Portland will carry into another day after prosecutors spent Tuesday laying out all the reasons they thought Nancy Crampton Brophy shouldnt get out of jail amid the coronavirus pandemic as shes requested.

Crampton Brophy, 69, appeared at the Multnomah County Justice Center wearing a black blouse and blue surgical mask. The courtroom crowd was kept to a minimum to exercise social distancing.

Prosecutor Shawn Overstreet spent more than four hours detailing the alleged killing and Crampton Brophys attempts to cover it up. Defense lawyers will present their arguments starting Wednesday.

Crampton Brophy has been behind bars since September 2018 after police say she gunned down Daniel Brophy, her husband of 27 years, in a kitchen at the Oregon Culinary Institute that June. Daniel Brophy had been a beloved instructor at the school in downtown Portland for more than a decade.

The case became international news after The Oregonian/OregonLive revealed Crampton Brophy once wrote an essay titled How to Murder Your Husband. Her self-published titles include The Wrong Husband and Hell On The Heart.

Prosecutors allege the author stood to collect nearly $1.5 million from her husbands death and concocted an elaborate scheme to carry out the fatal shooting. The couple had struggled financially in the past, court documents show.

Crampton Brophys last court appearance was in November 2018, more than 17 months ago.

Earlier this month, her lawyers argued their clients age and history as a diabetic spelled her imminent death should she remain held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in downtown Portland as the coronavirus outbreak in Oregon continued to spread.

As an alternative, they proposed Crampton Brophy be allowed to stay at an undisclosed guest house in the Portland area.

Circuit Judge Christopher Ramras ruled the defendant would have to seek a bail hearing if she wished to be released from jail pending her trial in September. Crampton Brophy had previously waived her right to have one.

Please check back Wednesday for a full report on the hearing and ruling.

-- 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
By Associated Press

PARIS: France and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, were laying out separate roadmaps Tuesday for lifting their lockdowns, while signs emerged the virus has been all but vanquished in New Zealand and Australia.

But on the other side of the globe, Brazil is emerging as a new hotspot for infections.

And new doubts were raised over whether Japan would be able to host the already postponed Summer Olympics next year without the development of a vaccine.

In Europe and elsewhere, the key question of when to reopen schools loomed as nations seek to ease lockdowns and restart their battered economies.

Although the coronavirus seems to affect children far less seriously than adults, many officials, teachers and parents are concerned about the health risks that school openings pose.

Some point to the difficulties of ensuring that children stick to social distancing and frequent hand washing, and teachers themselves fear risks to their own health.

But many parents would struggle to return to work without schools being open, hampering efforts to restart the economy.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron wants schools to start reopening May 11, but teachers, parents and even some mayors are raising alarms. The government says it will be up to parents to decide whether to send children back to class, with details expected to be released by the prime minister later Tuesday.

Joel Wilmotte is among a growing number of French mayors refusing to re-open their schools, at least for now.

"I am not against the reopening of schools," he said in a video on the Facebook page of his northern town of Hautmont.

But he listed seven reasons why he's not ready to do so. Among them: Teachers don't know how to make sure every child respects protective gestures and a poll suggests most French parents oppose school reopenings.

Cleaning staff are afraid and under-equipped to do constant disinfection. So Wilmotte said he's keeping the six schools in his town closed 'until further notice.'

Greece, which so far has managed to keep its coronavirus death toll low, at 136 people, was also releasing more lockdown easing details Tuesday but the issue of schools remained tricky.

Schools will be reopened "gradually, with conditions" and subject to constant review, said the Health Ministry's virus spokesman, infectious diseases specialist Sotiris Tsiodras.

The team of experts he is on has not recommended a date.

Scientists agree that children are less at risk from the virus and appear to transmit it less than adults, said Tsiodras, a father of seven.

"This is not an experiment where we want something bad to happen to our children. It is a scientific proposal. We propose, the state will decide."

In the United States, which has the world's highest death toll at more than 56,000, President Donald Trump said states should 'seriously consider' reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens already have said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or fall.

"Some of you might start thinking about school openings because a lot of people are wanting to have the school openings. It's not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we've all gone through," Trump said.

Trump also admitted the number of virus deaths could reach 70,000 in the U.S., after citing 60,000 several times this month. The number of confirmed infections in the U.S. has risen to nearly 1 million and the confirmed death topped 211,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The true toll of the pandemic is likely much higher because of limited testing, mild cases that are missed, flaws in counting the dead and governments that may be trying to conceal the extent of their outbreaks.

Italy, Spain, France and Britain accounted for more than 21,000 virus-related deaths each.

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has insisted that COVID-19 is just a 'little flu' and there is no need for the type of restrictions that have slowed the infection's spread in Europe and the U.S. but upended their economies.

Brazil, Latin America's most populous country with 211 million people, has reported 4,600 deaths and 67,000 confirmed infections.

But the true numbers are believed to be vastly higher given the lack of testing and the many people who haven't sought hospital care.

Medical officials in Rio de Janeiro and at least four other major cities have warned that their hospital systems are on the verge of collapse or are too overwhelmed to take any more patients.

There are also signs that a growing number of Brazilian victims are dying at home.

"We have all the conditions here for the pandemic to become much more serious," said Paulo Brandao, a virologist at the University of Sao Paulo.

Bolsonaro has said Brazilians need to resume their lives to prevent an economic meltdown but most state governors have adopted restrictions to keep people home and slow the spread of the virus.

New Zealand reported just three new infections Tuesday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said people had done an incredible job of breaking the chain of transmission but cautioned they needed to remain vigilant.

"There may still be some smoldering ashes out there, and they have the potential to become a wildfire again, if we give them the chance," she said, quoting a microbiologist.
TICKERS: MRO; MLRKF

Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (4/29/20)

Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable discusses the latest news from Millrock Resources with the company's CEO.



Maurice Jackson: Today we will provide an update on Millrock Resources Inc. (MRO:TSX.V; MLRKF:OTCQB), as we will discuss their initial assay results on the Aurora targets located in the prolific Tintina gold province in Alaska. Joining us for our conversation is Gregory Beischer, the CEO of Millrock Resources.

Gregory, for someone new to Millrock Resources, please introduce the exciting opportunity the company presents to the market and, in particular, the 64 North Project.

Gregory Beischer: Millrock Resources is an early-stage generative mineral explorer or early-stage exploration geologist with a multitude of projects that we finance by making agreements with other exploration and mining companies that increases our chance of finding an ore body to the great benefit of our shareholders and reduces the risk involved in early-stage exploration.

A lot of money is spent looking for new gold and copper deposits, but discoveries are pretty rare. But it looks like Millrock might be onto something at the 64North Project where we're drilling just to the west of the Pogo gold mine.

Maurice Jackson: And speaking of that, can you walk us through the Aurora target?

Gregory Beischer: The Aurora target is just to the west of the Pogo gold mine and the Goodpaster deposit. The letters GP indicate the Goodpaster deposit. That's in our neighbor's ground, Northern Star Resources Ltd. (NST:ASX), and our ground is shown in blue. The dark blue dots on the map are the approximate locations of the two holes we've drilled so far, and the red ones are ones that are planned for the immediate future.

We did complete hole 20AU-001, and we got started on hole 2, but as announced previously, the drill contractor elected to pull off in light of the risks posed by the coronavirus and potential travel restrictions that might have trapped his drillers here in Alaska. They're from Idaho.

So prudence was the right thing, and so it was best to pull off. But now we know that we can go back soon and we're quite anxious to drill hole 2 to its planned depth of 600 meters. We stopped that at 194 meters.

Maurice Jackson: Readers should note that Millrock Resources [was] about 25% into the drill program, and then, as COVID-19 approached us, drilling had to stop. So based on that, can you share with us the assay results?

Gregory Beischer: Yes. We did produce the assay results for the top two-thirds of Hole 1, and I'll be frank and say, Maurice, that we had hoped for better. Honestly, looking at the drill core, it was quite well altered with dolomite and cerussite, telling us that a lot of fluid had moved through the rock and we'd seen the typical pathfinder minerals, pyrite and arsenopyrite, and eased within a little bit of bismuth sulfidewhich is a very good indicator, next door at Pogo, that you're in or close to a gold deposit.

We had rather expected higher gold values but we didn't get them. So it's a geological problem that we have to solve and we do know a couple of things.

In many ways this hole, even though it didn't have the gold grades that we all hoped for, did have a lot of good signs. We know now that the shear zone that we targeted is the same shear zone, we believe, that hosts the Pogo mine and the Goodpaster deposit next door. It comes over on to Millrock's claims. It's a shallow, northwest-dipping fault zone, which we thought we had detected through geophysical methods and now that's confirmed. We drilled through the conductive zone, observable through the geophysical survey, and sure enough, the rocks were faulted and were mineralized with a little bit of quartz and pyrite and arsenopyrite. We know now that this geophysical tool works and we can, therefore, plan our hole depths accordingly, and we can work our way drilling holes, piercing that fault sound in various places and thereby get a vector toward the gold-bearing part of the system.

Maurice Jackson: You somewhat alluded to my next question. Based on the results, are there any changes that will be made in the drill program based on what we know right now?

Gregory Beischer: Not as it stands right now, no. We'll continue with the plan. These holes are spaced out a little ways. The next one we'll drill actually is one immediately to the north of Hole 1 that's about 450 meters away, and it's closer to a potential heat sourcea magmatic intrusion that perhaps would have some control on where gold is deposited. So it'll be interesting if we get a vector. If the gold grade starts to increase as we drill holes for the two north, that'll be a good sign and we'll continue to follow up that way. So that's the plan and the plan is to get back to work pretty soon.

Maurice Jackson: Can you walk us through the strip log?

Gregory Beischer: Sure, sure, I could. Yes. It's quite interesting to see the correlations on this log. You've got lithology, or rock type, on the far left, alteration on the next column, presence of minerals in the next, and then the values of gold, then arsenic, and then bismuth on the next three histograms. And then, finally, the magnetic susceptibility of the rock. And you can see some particularly interesting correlations between gold and arsenic and bismuth, in particular. We don't have it on this one, if you were to plot tellurium up as well, you would see it in anomalous concentrations, and that's a good sign. Sometimes, if we were to see just arsenic and bismuth together but no gold, then that would be a good indication that we're close by to something.

In this case, we did get some gold, you can see from those histograms. But it would have been better if it was a substantially higher gold content. Nevertheless, it tells us we're in the right area, and you can see from those histograms that there's at least three distinct levels below surface. The depth is indicated on the far left side, depth below surface. And so you can see there's at least three zones where there's pathfinder elements, plus some gold mineralization.

These are interesting patterns that we'll chase out. But right now we've only got part of the very first hole in the program to learn from. We're getting a lot out of it, but it's not possible to get a vector from just one point. And so it's a good start and we will look forward to continuing.

Maurice Jackson: I like to share with my children that when you're drilling it's like playing hide-and-go-seek, and right now you're very warm, but you want to be hot.

Gregory Beischer: Exactly. That's the goal.

Maurice Jackson: Sir, any updates on when drilling may resume?

Gregory Beischer: Sure. It's an evolving process, but we've established a way to proceed that we believe will be perfectly safe and protective of the drill contractors' employees and Millrock's own employees. We've got those protocols and procedures planned out, and honestly, we'd already be back drilling right now except in Alaska, we're right in the middle of the spring thaw and the snow is melting away quickly. Everything's really soaking wet. The new drill road that we installed last fall is a mucky mess right now and it'll take a couple more weeks for it to dry out and become usable again. And so we're just waiting impatiently for that, and then we'll make an effort to get back drilling again. We're targeting the last week in May for the resumption.

Maurice Jackson: All right. In closing, Mr. Beischer, what would you like to say to shareholders?

Gregory Beischer: Well, I think we've got a great start here, and stay tuned for further news. We've got more assay results coming from the holes. We've drilled the bottom part of the first hole, and the part that we did complete out of the second hole. We'll hope for some good surprises there. But then the next round of results will probably be coming in June or early July.

Maurice Jackson: And what does that say about Millrock Resources, when you had trading volume probably at a historic high when the news release came out, but the share price really remained resilient?

Gregory Beischer: It's possible the market got a bit ahead of itself, and I thought, well, it'll pull back strongly since these results aren't as strong as we'd hoped they'd be in terms of gold content. The price didn't pull back too much. A lot of shares traded, but that means a lot of new shareholders bought at $0.16 or $0.18, and I hope and think that those new shareholders are going to do very well.

Maurice Jackson: And, just for the record, we have not sold our position in Millrock Resources. We look to add to our positions. If we see a decline in the price any further, we will try to be as aggressive as we can. Mr Beischer, for someone listening that wants to get more information on Millrock Resources, please share the contact details.

Gregory Beischer: By all means. Just check our website, www.millrockresources.com, and you can get in touch with Melanie Henderson at investor relations, and she can answer many questions of current and future potential shareholders. If there's anyone that has direct questions of me, I'd be glad to provide answers.

Maurice Jackson: Millrock Resources trades on the TSX.V:MRO | OTCQB:MLRKF. Millrock Resources is a sponsor of Proven and Probable, and we are proud shareholders for the virtues conveyed in today's message.

And as a reminder, I'm a licensed representative for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments where we provide a number of options to expand your precious metals portfolio from physical delivery, offshore depositories and precious metal IRAs. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900, or you may email [email protected].

Finally, please subscribe to http://www.provenandprobable.com where we provide mining insights and bullion sales; subscription is free.

Gregory Beischer of Millrock Resources, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable.

Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

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4) This 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. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own shares of Millrock Resources, a company mentioned in this article.

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ELKO  Mayor Reece Keener agreed Tuesday to sign a letter to Gov. Steve Sisolak begging the state to do what it can to relieve the backlog of unemployment claims that are affecting families who cannot get their claims filed.

Assemblyman John Ellison, R-Elko, requested the letter when he spoke to the Elko City Council, and he also told the council he is hearing from people saying they have to close their businesses because of the coronavirus restrictions.

The governor is supposed to address the issue of gradually reopening Nevadas economy either Wednesday or Thursday night, and we are keenly interested, Elko County Manager Rob Stokes told the council in a phone-in report.

Sisolaks pandemic restrictions are set to expire April 30 unless he announces otherwise.

Ellison said he is getting tons and tons of calls from people who cant get the help they need filing for jobless claims, including one woman who was on hold 36 hours and never got through to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

He also told the council that he is hearing from people whose families wouldnt have anything to eat if it werent for the Elko County School District feeding program, and people are just begging for help. The money is there, but the system is broke getting it out to the people.

Ellison told the council he has written to the governors office about the claims issue, and he would forward the mayors letter.

Stokes told the council that Sen. Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, also has received many calls and messages from people who cant get through to file their unemployment claims, and the state senator will be reporting on that issue at a special county commission meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

DETR got a new director this week, Keener told the council, commenting that city officials also have heard horror stories about the long waits to file claims and the system crashing. Heather Korbulic is replacing Tiffany Tyler-Garner as the number of claims reach roughly 370,000, according to news reports.

Commissioners also will be considering a declaration that Elko County is in compliance with state and White House requirements for phase one reopening of the economy, and Stokes said both the city and county have been receiving calls pleading for small businesses to be allowed to reopen.

He also said the county sent a letter to Sisolak asking that he not issue a one-size fits all policy for reopening the state but allow for some local determination.

Elko County Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi, who is on the economic recovery task force for the county and its cities and communities, told the city council that the task force is going through the process to implement a program.

We would like to have a regional recovery plan, he said.

Andreozzi said Elko Countys COVID-19 cases are fairly low.

Elko Countys COVID-19 number is 15 as of Tuesday, but three cases added Monday were from March in West Wendover. The patients were treated in Salt Lake City, so the paperwork didnt get to Elko County until now, Elko Fire Chief Matt Griego told the council. The county has had one death from the coronavirus, a woman in West Wendover.

Gary Pinktson, president of Meridian Pacific, which owns Elko Junction shopping center and developed Kohls across the street in the former Kmart building, told the council that Nevadas coronavirus restrictions are stricter than those in other states where Meridian Pacific has businesses, including California and Hawaii.

He said every day that stores are closed, the more damaging it is to businesses.

The biggest can survive, but it is killing the smaller guys, he said.

The mayor said that we really feel your pain, and he told Pinkston he has sent a letter to Sisolak urging him to allow businesses in Elko to open in a cautious and methodical manner. However, he said he suspects big gaming will be the driving force behind reopening decisions.

Pinkston also asked what Elkos law enforcement reaction would be to smaller businesses reopening ahead of lifted restrictions, and the mayor said he wouldnt want to put law enforcement in harms way to enforce directions that are unpopular in Elko. Businesses might receive documents stating they are in violation, Keener said.

Ellison warned that the state cosmetology board has said it would revoke permits if cosmetology businesses reopen before the governor allows. Councilman Chip Stone said people have asked him about the state revoking other types of professional and tax licenses if they open ahead of time.

The assemblyman said he believes it could happen.
The spread of the novel coronavirus has ravaged the global energy industry. Even before the spectacular oil price crash that sent the West Texas Intermediate benchmark to nearly $40 below zero, the global demand for oil had plummeted as COVID-19 pressed the pause button on economies around the world.

Despite the desperate plunge in oil demand, however, a spat between Russia and Saudi Arabia pushed both countries to produce more oil in an oil-price war that has caused a historic global crude glut that has maxed out a vast amount of storage capacity and has oil sitting in tankers around the world as the glut continues to grow. If no one is buying oil and global storage is already edging toward maximum capacity with the potential to push the Brent international crude benchmark into negative pricing territory, why is oil still being produced at an alarming rate?

The short answer is that production is decreasing  just not fast enough, reported National Public Radio on April 22. "The crude markets move in slow motion," said vice president of market intelligence for Enverus Bernadette Johnson in an interview with the public broadcasting company last week. "So what we're seeing is almost a slow-motion train wreck."

Part of the problem is that the infrastructure of the crude oil trade itself moves at a snail's pace. Crude in a pipeline can take weeks to reach its destination, which means oil purchased in mid-March could still be in transit in mid-April. This spring, the world completely transformed faster than some oil could finish that trip.

Premium: The Oil Sector That Will Suffer The Most

Then there is the issue of oil producers, who are loath to reduce their production at a time when they sorely need cash. In fact, running a well at a loss, in many cases, can be the right economic decision for a company thats thinking long-term. As long as prices are greater than zero (an unusual disclaimer for these unusual times), a well will still bring in some money. And oil companies have fixed costs they have to cover. Even if they're taking a loss overall, it may be better to keep a well running than to bring in no money, reported NPR. Quite simply, many firms have yet to reach their shut-down price.

And many oil companies are holding out hope for the future. While it seems that the worst is almost certainly still to come for the oil industry, demand and prices are expected to bounce back eventually. Estimates for when and how much markets will recover are all over the board, but some optimistic analysts predict that the current shutdown of oil companies and production capacity will leave the shale industry stronger than ever and could actually push oil up to $100 a barrel.

Any hope for the future of oil prices rings eternal in the oil patch, where the economics often favor hanging tough through the economic downturn. An oil well is not like a light switch you can flick on and off, reported NPR. A well that has been shut down can be hard to turn back on. Whats more, if an active well is shut down and then a firm decides to get it up and running again, "it is almost guaranteed you will have to invest more money in the well to get it to produce at the same level," Elizabeth Gerbel, CEO of oil and gas consulting firm EAG Services, was quoted by NPR. And then there are legal contracts to consider, on top of all the other complications of shutting in a well.

Despite this fact, plenty of producers have begun to shut down production as the price of oil plummets, and many more are likely to meet their shut-down price in the near future if markets continue to be as dismal as they have been in the past months. And that is seeming very likely.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The key hire was also with specialist insurer Hiscox for over six years, more than two of which were spent in Bunyans capacity as head of IT for Europe and Guernsey.

Meanwhile Des Burke, who has been interim global CIO & head of change at Lloyds since July 2019, will continue as interim chief technology officer.
Exxon Mobil Corp. froze its dividend for the first time in 13 years as the lowest oil prices in a generation strain the companys financial underpinnings.

Exxon will pay 87 cents a share in June, unchanged from Marchs outlay, the Irving, Texas-based company said in a statement on Wednesday. Before now, Exxon had an uninterrupted streak of April increases going back to 2007.

The Western Hemispheres largest oil company was slammed by Covid-19 lockdowns that obliterated energy demand and forced Exxon to scale back an ambitious investment program. The explorer slashed its 2020 capital budget by $10 billion to conserve cash, but in light of the continued deterioration in energy markets, it wasnt enough to support higher payouts.

The freeze may not derail Exxons multi decade streak of annual increases. Even if the company maintains quarterly payouts at the current level for the rest of 2020, the annual outlay will be $3.48 a share, or 1.5% above 2019.

Its definitely a sign of the times and to be expected given the price environment, said Jennifer Rowland, an analyst at Edward D. Jones & Co. The payout is secure because the company has capacity to take on debt to fund it, she said. On an annualized bases, the dividend will cost Exxon almost $15 billion this year.

After trimming capital spending, Exxon had few levers left to pull to protect the dividend. Unlike rivals such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA that are saving cash by crimping share buybacks, Exxon sacrificed those during the last crash in 2016.

Norways Equinor ASA became the first large oil company to cut dividends amid an historic, virus-drive market rout. Most analysts expected the worlds largest Western supermajors, including Exxon, to defend their dividend at almost any cost given how important the payouts are to North American investors.

Before today, Exxon was the third-largest dividend payer in the S&P 500 Index behind Microsoft Corp. and AT&T Inc., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Joy is visible during the pandemic, just not with the usual, recognizable cues.

Is a laugh or smile any less heartwarming if its hidden from view? Are eye crinkles the new prompts of a smile covered by a mask?

SELECTIVE OPENINGS: Abbot announces which Texas business can and cant open

Associated Press photographers, tasked with reporting on the crisis, have looked for bliss, as well. And amid so much heartache and anxiety, theyve found it.

Theres no mistaking the kinship between humans and pets in the image taken in Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asuncion, Paraguay. Dumas the Labrador doesnt know the passenger heading to Miami, but they greet paw to hand and nose to nose.

Just being able to inhale deeply is a universal theme of contentment. In Beijing, after two months of staying inside, a man pushes aside his mask and throws his arms wide as he stands alone to enjoy spring among the cherry blossoms in Beijings Yuyuantan Park.

There is joy in marking milestones -- and in the ingenuity it takes to do so, under the circumstances. Husband and wife in Annapolis, Maryland, marking their 56th wedding anniversary with a quiet at-home day of isolation, are surprised by family and friends with a honking convoy to celebrate.

REOPENING REACTIONS: Social media reacts to Abbott reopening Texas

And there remains joy in routine. Separated by balconies and ground-floor shouting distance, employees at the Vi at the La Jolla Village retirement complex in San Diego maintain nearly daily aerobics sessions. Senior residents participate from their patios, stories above.

There are other moments of exultation specific to this time: the ovations with which the public rewards health care workers for their kindness and courage, and their grateful response. Long after the words social distancing fade from memory, the sound of that applause will resound.
The killer of Jason Corbett has been refused temporary release from a US prison because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tom Martens (69), who was convicted along with his daughter Molly Martens (35) of the second degree murder of father-of-two Mr Corbett (39), formally sought temporary release on bond from a North Carolina prison at a special custody hearing yesterday.

Martens, who did not attend the special custody review, supported his application with testimonies including his FBI career and his status as a model inmate at Alexander Correctional Institution at Taylorsville since 2017.

However, his application for temporary release was opposed both by North Carolina prosecutors and by Mr Corbett's Limerick-based family.

Last night North Carolina prison officials indicated that the submission had been denied.

The former FBI agent will remain behind bars pending the hearing of his joint appeal, with Molly Martens, against his conviction by the North Carolina Supreme Court.

It is understood the application was rejected on the basis consideration was only being given to offenders convicted of non-violent crimes.

Mr Corbett's sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, said they were "relieved and delighted" with the ruling.

"We have always put our faith in the justice system in North Carolina and, once again, our faith has been justified," she said.
Oil prices surged more than 10 per cent on Wednesday after US crude stockpiles grew less than expected and gasoline posted a surprise draw, feeding optimism that fuel consumption will recover as some European countries and US state ease coronavirus lockdowns. Crude prices crashed earlier this month, with global fuel tanking roughly 30 per cent due to efforts to slow the spread of the virus. To ease the growing glut, major oil producing-nations agreed in mid-April to cut output by nearly 10 million barrels per day. Shale producers and oil majors are also reducing production. US ...
Willi and Margarete Kleemeier have spent nearly two-thirds of their lives in North County, but the Escondido retirees say it was the hardships they endured in Germany in the World War II era that shaped their characters.

Willi, 97, and Margarete, 93, came of age as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power in the mid-1930s, sowing fear and suspicion in their native country.

During the war, Willi was drafted into the Germany army and spent three years in prison camps, while Margarete slept virtually every night in a bomb shelter. Then things got worse. In post-war Germany, food and material goods were so scarce that people dropped dead in the streets from hunger.

By comparison, the Kleemeiers say, America has been a paradise of opportunity where they were able to start a business, build their own home and freely express their opinions against war and prejudice.

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But they say theyve watched with concern the rising tide of anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi thought in this country. The couple say, however, they dont believe Americans will ever surrender their democracy to a dictatorship.

Americans have a revolutionary spirit. They dont like to be told what to do, he said. The people saying these things are a small group. The majority of Americans are liberal, and thats a good thing.

The Kleemeiers married 62 years ago in Montreal, Canada, where both had immigrated from Germany in 1952. To escape the Northern cold, they picked the furthest spot south on the California map and moved to San Diego in 1960.

They settled in Solana Beach, where they opened and ran a Jolly Kone restaurant on Highway 101 for 20 years. In 1999, they moved to Escondidos Redwood Terrace retirement community, where they live today.

Their sunny condominium is filled with paintings, etchings and photographs of their German hometowns and relatives. But they havent had the urge to go back and visit in 50 years. They dont belong there anymore.

Willi and Margarete Kleemeiers wedding portrait from 1952. They met through her brother, who worked with Willi at a factory in Montreal. (Courtesy )

Willi Kleemeier was born in 1921 in the northern German city of Herford, where his father worked in a furniture factory. Margarete Muckenfuss, whose nickname is Gretl, was born four years later in the southern German town of Bretten, where her dad ran a stove and washing machine factory.

Both say they remember how their parents generation initially liked Hitler for his building campaign that brought jobs, prosperity and pride back to Germany. But as the Nazi Party imposed increasingly strict laws on freedom of speech, assembly, race and religion, the public was gradually frightened into silence.

Margarete remembers seeing Jewish neighbors closing their shops and moving away and one Jehovahs Witness family disappeared overnight without a trace.

Willis mother was also a Jehovahs Witness, a religious sect persecuted by the Nazis. One day, the Gestapo arrived at their home and took her to prison, where she was held for six months.

At 13, he said he tried to defy his schools mandatory Heil Hitler morning salute and was forced into compliance. Four years later, he remembers emerging from a movie theater one November evening to see a rampage of vandalism under way against Jewish-owned businesses, a pogrom known as kristallnacht (the night of broken glass).

Work was scarce and menial for young people like Willi and Margarete who didnt join the Hitler Youth organization. She couldnt find a job in Bretten, so she ended up out in the country, working 12-hour days as a maid for a Nazi party doctor.

When she finally returned to her village, she faced near-nightly bombing raids. As the war dragged on, the military draft took more and more men until even the grandfathers were pressed into service. By 1946, there were virtually no men left in Bretten, she said.

Willi Kleemeier while he was in the German army in Tobruk, Libya, in 1941. He was 20 years old. (Courtesy )

Willi was drafted at age 19 into the German army infantry corps. After boot camp, he was sent to fight in Libya. Hes still haunted by the memory of seeing an Army buddy emerge screaming from his foxhole with his internal organs spilling out of his chest and abdomen.

By the time his company surrendered in Tobruk to advancing British troops in 1943, hed seen enough carnage for a lifetime.

War is no good, he said. Theres no point to it. It never solves the problem. It just makes it worse.

He would spend two years in a Canadian prison camp and another year in an English camp before returning to Germany in 1946. He was shocked by the devastation he found. Until the Marshall Plan was enacted in 1948, Germanys cities were rubble, there was no infrastructure, no jobs, no food and the German currency was worthless.

I had a 1,000 (marks) bill in my pocket and it wouldnt buy a pack of cigarettes, he said. People were so hungry that farmers stood shotgun over their potato fields every night to keep people from stealing what they had.

Once a month, German families were given ration cards for supplies that lasted only a few days. One day, Margarete got permission from occupying forces to walk three miles to a farm to pick up her familys ration of 2 pints of milk. But she missed curfew by a few minutes and the soldiers poured her milk out in the street.

The Kleemeiers said they were both surprised to learn after the war about the German concentration camps, but by that time theyd seen so much cruelty toward Jews and other atrocities that they were virtually numbed to the sight of suffering.

You have no idea what the human body is able to survive, he said, and thats something you cannot explain to anyone unless theyve experienced it for themselves.

By the time Willi and Margarete married in Canada in 1955, they were in their 30s and owned little more than they could carry in a suitcase. They felt they were too old and too poor to start a family. Instead, they found solace in each other and their adopted countries of Canada and especially the United States.

America has treated us very well, Margarete said. I get so mad when I hear people complaining about this country. Everyday I say people who dont like it should go live somewhere else. Every place has its drawbacks, but this place has given us a good life.

Portrait of Willi and Margarete Kleemeier at their home in the Redwood Terrace retirement community in Escondido. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune )

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
T he full impact of coronavirus on the UK is set to be revealed as the Government prepares to publish the country's death toll for care homes on a daily basis.

Experts fear that once care home and community deaths are factored in, the UK could end up with the highest casualty rate anywhere in Europe.

There is currently an 11-day time lag for the Office of National Statistics' (ONS) data on the number of people who have died in care homes and their own homes after contracting Covid-19.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the public would receive up-to-date figures to go alongside the number of hospital deaths as of Wednesday.

Matt Hancock challenged on care home deaths

The Department of Health and Social Care said figures dating back from early March up to April 28 would also be declared.

A Government graph showed that, once community and care home deaths were factored in, the UK could end up with the highest casualty rate in Europe, including Italy, Spain and France.

Speaking at the Number 10 press briefing on Tuesday, Mr Hancock said there has been an effort to "bring as much transparency as possible" to the death figures.

It comes as 21,678 patients have now died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday, up 586 on the day before.

Analysis showed some 24,243 deaths involving coronavirus have been formally registered across the UK, though the true toll is thought to be far higher.

ONS figures released on Tuesday showed around three in 10 of all Covid-19 deaths are now occurring in care homes.

TODO: define component type apester

Elsewhere:

- British Airways said that it was set to make up to 12,000 workers redundant.

- An NHS contact tracing app could be ready for deployment in the next three weeks, Mr Hancock confirmed.

- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon advised people in Scotland to use face coverings in places where social distancing is difficult, although the advice remains unchanged in England.

- More than 100 NHS and social care workers are now known to have died in the UK, according to analysis.

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Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, said more coronavirus deaths could now be occurring in care facilities and in homes than in hospitals.

He told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "I think we can be very confident that our deaths in English hospitals peaked around April 8 - we had about 850 deaths and now they are down to around 400 deaths a day occurring in English hospitals - a steady but slow decline.

"However, we've now just got new data that the Care Quality Commission have been reporting on notifications from care homes about deaths from Covid.

"They receive those really quite up to date, only a couple of days' delay, but that goes right up until April 24 - just a few days ago - when they were getting 400 notifications a day of deaths in care homes from Covid.

"When we add on deaths at home from Covid, makes me - slightly sticking my neck out - believing that recently that more deaths occurring from Covid out of hospital than in hospital."

Questions on care homes, the lockdown and the Government's target of carrying out 100,000 Covid-19 tests per day are likely to be raised at Prime Minister's Questions.

Number 10 refused to confirm whether Boris Johnson, who only returned to work on Monday following his close brush with coronavirus, would make an appearance.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is due to talk with the Prime Minister over the phone later in the afternoon to discuss concerns over the lockdown.

All you need to know from the April 28 UK coronavirus briefing

It comes as Downing Street was forced to deny it had watered down requirements for allowing the lockdown to be lifted.

No 10 came in for questioning following Tuesday's press conference after it was noted that its "five tests" for easing the lockdown featured altered wording.

This sparked speculation that ministers are preparing to lift some restrictions next week.

One minute silence to NHS heroes who lost lives to the Coronavirus 1 /25 One minute silence to NHS heroes who lost lives to the Coronavirus London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Staff stand outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Shoppers queue in the rain outside Costco in Thurrock during a minutes silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA A minute silence in honour of key workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 Sky News London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA A staff member reacts outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Members of the public, NHS staff, and Police offices, some wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) of a face mask as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, pause for a minute's silence to honour UK key workers AFP via Getty Images A police officer observes a minute silence in honour of key workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 outside 10 Downing Street, Reuters London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA A minute silence in honour of key workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 Sky News London Ambulance Staff observe the minute silence today at their HQ in Waterloo Road Jeremy Selwyn Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Staff stand inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA National Shop Stewards Network protesters outside St Thomas' Hospital in London, during a minute's silence which was to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew's House in Edinburgh to observe a minute's silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA

Rather than stating in test five that the Government had to be confident any adjustments would not "risk a second peak of infections", the wording was changed to say no weakening of restrictions would be made that risked a second peak that "overwhelms the NHS".

Mr Hancock has repeatedly said that the NHS managed to cope with the first peak of infections, which is understood to have occurred around Easter.

Asked about the alteration, No 10 insisted no change had been made to the tests and pointed to comments made by First Secretary of State Dominic Raab on April 16, in which he used similar phrasing.

The lockdown is due to be reviewed on May 7 and ministers are under pressure to lift some social distancing restrictions in order to kick-start the economy.

In a sign that the Governments position could be softening, non-essential goods retailers were told click-and-collect services could continue to operate as long as customers do not have to enter stores to pick up their purchases.

"Stores can operate click-and-collect services as long as orders are taken online, by telephone or via post, and customers remain outside of the store to collect their goods," said a Government spokesman.

TODO: define component type apester

Testing will be more widely rolled out, Mr Hancock has confirmed, to allow those who need to leave the house for work to be tested for coronavirus.

Furthermore, as part of a massive expansion of testing as the Government tries to hit 100,000-tests-a day by Thursday, the Cabinet minister said care home residents and staff, together with NHS patients and staff, can now get a test whether they have symptoms or not.

Older people over the age of 65 plus anyone in their households are also eligible, but only if they have symptoms.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast
After Continental Resources suspended drilling in North Dakota and started shutting in operating wells, now another company has followed: Oasis Petroleum.

Reuters quotes unnamed sources that said the company has started to halt drilling operations in the Bakken shale, which spans North Dakota, Montana, and two Canadian provinces. Within several weeks, the sources told Reuters, all drilling will cease.

The news was only to be expected after Continentalthe largest oil producer in North Dakotastarted shrinking production. With prices close to historic lows, it was only a matter of time before well shut-ins and frac holidays began.

North Dakotas oil production has fallen by about 300,000 bpd so far, and counting. Earlier in April, official data from the states administration showed a quarter of all oil wells had been shut in, cutting production by some 260,000 bpd. That was before the Continental news came out.

Oasis is a much smaller producer. At the end of 2019, its daily average stood at 87,400 bpd of oil equivalent. In its latest financial report, the company calculated its operating costs at $6.95 per barrel, which was substantially below its earlier guidance. In the current situation, however, it was not low enough.

Oasis also has a substantial debt burden, at over $2.7 billion and Moodys has already warned that the company might run into debt refinancing problems because of the oil price context.

While Oasis cash flow deteriorates due to low commodity prices, the company will also face increasing debt refinancing risk, a Moodys analyst said in a note earlier in April. The agencys outlook on Oasis is negative, revised from stable.

More production cuts may be on the way in the North Dakota portion of the Bakken: energy regulators from the state have scheduled a meeting for May 20 to discuss whether continuing to produce oil at current prices does not constitute a waste of resources.

WTI traded at $14.34 a barrel at the time of writing.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The state of Idaho has launched a nationwide search for its next chief information security officer.Lance Wyatt, who has served as CISO with the Idaho Department of Information Services for the past three years, said he has stepped back from the role, taking the role of information security engineer.The switch happened "over the past few weeks," said Wyatt, adding that he will likely be aiding the incoming CISO in a deputy capacity. In the meantime, his new role will probably involve "a lot of the same activities" as the old one, he said.Wyatt took over from former state CISO Thomas Olmstead in January of 2017, subsequently helping to implement a number of changes to the state's cybersecurity framework. Those changes included the adoption of the CIS 20 Security Controls and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, while also assisting the Secretary of State's office with election security efforts.Wyatt said that the CISO's office is being re-tooled overall, explaining that the shifts come as part of a broader IT modernization effort launched by Gov. Brad Little.Little took office in January 2019, promising to modernize the government's IT and make security more consistent across state agencies. In his 2020 State of the State address , Little said he was committed to strengthening "the states IT infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing state."
ALTON  Unemployment rates right now are the highest theyve ever been as most of the country continues to battle the global coronavirus pandemic.

But area residents are also finding that theres no shortage of ways to give back to their communities and take care of peoples needs.

Morrisons Irish Pub, at 200 State St., Alton, is no exception. A legend among Altons small businesses for its resilience in surviving several regional floods, Morrisons has now built a small 24-hour food pantry where residents can take what they need and give what they can, at will.

It kind of goes back to what a pub is, said owner Mary Morrison. A pub is really a public house and its meant to be part of the community. We were looking for a way we could help and my daughter, Katie, came up with this idea.

Wanting to give back to the community that has done so much for them, Morrisons owners and staff built the pantry last weekend and quickly set out to stock it with a variety of non-perishable items.

When weve fallen on hard times, said Mary Morrison. This community has given us so much love and support and we were just looking for a way that we could give back to the community too and help the community out.

We just painted it yesterday and stocked it, and we had an overwhelming response  mostly from a lot of people who know us and come to the pub wanting to donate, also, she said.

Not only has the group stocked the pantry with paper products, cleaning supplies and canned goods, but contributions from others have been pouring in since construction of the pantry was posted on Morrisons social media account.

Weve been trying to figure out what people need and stock up, said Mary Morrison. This morning I got a phone call from one of our regulars and she asked me if she could bring masks down since shes been making masks.

Unlike a traditional community food pantry that may have limited open hours, Morrisons pantry is available and accessible at any time of the day for people to give and take responsibly as they see fit. Under the states stay-at-home order, Morrisons Pub remains closed for business.

We are not open and arent going to police this in any way, shape or form, said Mary Morrison.

If you need something, please come get it, she said. Were just hoping we can bring a little love and some things to people who need them.
A former Morris County priest who was defrocked in 2003 after he admitted abusing a dozen child parishioners in Mendham and Pompton Plains over the course of 14 years, died last week, officials said.

James T. Hanley died at a nursing home, Paterson Diocese attorney, Kenneth Mullaney, confirmed, adding that the diocese was informed of his death last week.

Mullaney did not say which nursing home Hanley was at at the time of his death or if he died from coronavirus as so many others across the state have over the last few months.

Hanley had been receiving a stipend from the church, Mullaney said.

The former priest, who served as a pastor at St. Josephs Church in Mendham for 10 years, had been accused of victimizing several more children and in 2004, the Diocese of Paterson settled lawsuits with 21 of Hanleys accusers for nearly $5 million.

He was one of the first priests to be defrocked for sexually abusing children in the aftermath of a national Roman Catholic Church scandal.

Hanley also pleaded guilty in 2008 to a bail-jumping charge stemming from a missed December 2007 court date in an assault case.

The assault charges were filed against Hanley after a March 2006 incident at a Secaucus motel. Hanley pleaded guilty in 2006 in that case, to the reduced charge of unlawful possession of a weapon. He admitted using an aluminum bat to intimidate three employees at the Extended Stay Hotel.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Chairman and managing director of Lee Engineering Group and Allied Companies Limited Chief (Dr) Leemon IKPEA has consoled with President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of his Chief of Staff Mallam Abba Kyari.

Mr Kyari died from Covid-19 related complications last week and his death has drawn flood of sympathy messages within and outside the country.

In a condolence letter signed by Chief Ikpea to the President, he prayed God to grant the dead paradise and asked God to grant Mr President and the Kyaris family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Chief Ikpea wrote While we share your grief in this difficult time with deep sympathy and condolences, your excellency should be consoled that Alhaji Abba Kyari lived an exemplary life of integrity, hard work, and was an accomplished Nigerian, who gave his best in the service to our country till his very end on Mother Earth. There is no doubt, his death has created a big vacuum which will be difficult to fill especially now in the governance of our country.

He continued We know that he was a devout Muslim, and Allah will give his immediate family members and your excellency the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, as we pray for the repose of his soul.

While we continue to pray for peace and stability in our country under your able leadership, permit me your excellency, to use this opportunity to renew to you the assurances of my esteemed consideration alway, he further stated.
When Gov. Kate Brown participated in a videoconference last week with more than 1,000 businesspeople to discuss her plans to reopen Oregons economy, she was very direct about reducing the burden on businesses of complying with the billion-dollar tax for education that took effect at the start of the year.

We have been very, very clear, she said in response to one participants question. We are asking people to do the best that they can. And we will not be issuing any type of penalty for this reporting period.

The message wasnt exactly what businesses wanted to hear. They have been pushing for Brown to suspend the tax altogether for at least six months as businesses struggle with the deep economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. But it was something: no penalties of any type during the first quarter.

Two days later, however, they say Brown backtracked on that pledge.

In a letter last Friday to Sandra McDonough, the chief executive of Oregons largest business association, Brown said she had communicated new expectations about the tax to the Department of Revenue to ensure the agency acted consistently as it transitions to new leadership.

Brown said she was doubling the threshold for businesses that are required to file quarterly estimated corporate activity taxes. Under the new rule, businesses subject to the tax but owing less than $10,000 will not have to make quarterly estimated payments and will not have their CAT payment due until April 15, 2021. The previous threshold was $5,000.

The department will also not assess penalties for underestimated quarterly payments or for not making a quarterly payment if businesses dont have the financial ability to make the estimated payment, Brown wrote.

House Democrats applauded the move. Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene and chair of the House Committee on Revenue, said the rule change found an important middle ground in protecting the education taxes and the services theyll support while providing flexibility for the states smaller businesses.

This flexibility provides the relief that these businesses have been asking for while not requiring unnecessary budget cuts for the critical services Oregonians rely on, like health care and education, she said in the news release.

Businesses, however, arent feeling the love.

Some businesses must still make the payment or face a penalty. Brown said the department would honor good faith efforts to comply and that agency staffers would determine if that good faith effort had been made. She advised McDonough that business should retain documents that support their inability to pay, their inability to reasonably calculate a liability, or inability to calculate a quarterly payment.

McDonough said Wednesday that there are still major issues around the tax.

The rules havent been finished governing some of the calculations. The department isnt fully staffed at the top with the recent resignation of its executive director. And with businesses facing major operational disruptions and potentially massive financial losses, it just makes sense to suspend any penalties, she said.

We really wanted her to delay the start of this tax, McDonough said. Shes not supportive of that. But it just makes sense to give businesses a little room. Its a very small thing. Theyre going to end up paying it anyway. Its just the penalty. Why put this extra burden on them?

The other issue is thats what she said she was going to do, she said.

Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton and the chief architect of the tax, wrote to Brown Monday saying he agreed. He said the House Revenue Committee had passed out a bill in February that contained technical changes to the tax, and one of the provisions gave flexibility to the Department of Revenue to waive penalties as we worked out the bugs on the new tax.

He acknowledged the department was still writing the rules and that unresolved technical issues might make it difficult for some taxpayers to accurately estimate first quarter payments. The bill died as a result of the Republican walkout, he said, but I believed then, and I strongly believe now, that in the midst of this pandemic we need to cut taxpayers some slack on penalties.

Its not clear whether Brown misspoke last week or is backtracking on her blanket assurances. She may be concerned about the states cash flow and trying to get some revenue in the door after delaying the filing deadline for personal and corporate income taxes until July 15.

Charles Boyle, a spokesman for her office, said Tuesday that Brown had doubled the filing threshold in recognition of the business uncertainty from the pandemic. But he said shed been clear in her meeting with business leaders that a good faith effort to make the payment was required, and those who can show they made it wont be penalized.

These are clear and reasonable requirements that businesses impacted by COVID-19 should be able to meet, while maintaining accountability to the Oregon public, Boyle said.

In his letter to Brown, Hass said he though she had it right the first time when you said there would be no penalties during this difficult time.

I urge that we acknowledge the unforeseeable problems inherent with this first quarter (tax) payment and make it clear that there will be no underpayment penalties, he wrote. This would go a long way toward easing tensions and engendering goodwill.

-- Ted Sickinger; tsickinger@oregonian.com; 503-2218505; @tedsickinger

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
By Trend

Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), vice-president of the OSCE PA Azay Guliyev has recently participated in a meeting of the organizations Bureau in a video conference format, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani parliament on April 28.

The views on the activity of the OSCE PA during COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic were exchanged at the meeting. The reports of the chairpersons of the committees and subcommittees, a treasurer and special representatives were also made.

The reports were made by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Albanian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edi Rama, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic during the meeting.

While delivering speech during the discussions, Guliyev emphasized that it is necessary to focus on such issues as the prevention of the global consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the economic crisis, conflicts, racism, illegal migration, the conditions of refugees and internally displaced people and others.

The Azerbaijani MP suggested holding the OSCE Summit with the participation of heads of state and government of member-states of the organization to discuss the most pressing issues.

Guliyev emphasized that the grave consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the territories of the OSCE member-states can be eliminated only as a result of a unified strategy, effective coordination and joint activity of the heads of state and government.

While reminding that the recent OSCE summit was held 10 years ago, in 2010 in Astana, the MP stressed the importance of holding the next summit.

During the discussions related to the activity of the OSCE PA General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, the MP thanked the bureau members for the adequate assessment given to the illegal "presidential and parliamentary elections" held on March 31, 2020 in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia and urged to intensify the efforts to prevent such events.

During the event, Guliyev emphasized the importance of monitoring in connection with the implementation of the requirements of the Biological Weapons Convention amid the pandemic.

An agreement on the cancellation of the annual summer session planned to be held in Vancouver and the autumn session of the OSCE PA planned to be held in San Marino, the extension of the powers of bureau members, including the president of the structure, until July 2021, as well as organizing of online meetings of the standing and general committees were discussed during the meeting.

---

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ANN ARBOR, MI -- Protesters will demand protections for undocumented essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic in a drive-by caravan rally across the state on Friday.

The May 1 caravan taking place in Ann Arbor, Detroit and Grand Rapids is part of a nationwide rally through Movimiento Cosecha, an immigrant rights group.

The Ann Arbor protest, calling for improved conditions for undocumented workers during the pandemic, begins at noon at Pioneer High School. The Grand Rapids rally also begins at noon at Lincoln Park, 1120 Bridge St. NW, and the Detroit caravan begins at 3 p.m. at Patton Park, 2301 Woodmere St.

This country has always relied on immigrants," Sergio Hurtado, a volunteer with Cosecha in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, said in a statement. "Now, with Michigan and states across the country under quarantine, immigrants make up a large percentage of essential workers risking their lives to sustain the country. Its time they get the support and protections they deserve.

Supporters are also pressing for financial help for immigrant workers and families who do not qualify for state or federal aid, including spouses who are citizens. Movimiento Cosecha has launched a national Undocumented Worker Fund for those affected by the pandemic. The fund raised more than $700,000 and distributed resources to immigrants across the nation, including Michigan, according to a news release.

Protesters will also demand releasing detained immigrants held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency reported 360 detainees tested positive for COVID-19 with five cases at the St. Clair County Jail in Port Huron.

Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here

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Seven weeks into our new, hunkered-down lives, the commercial heart of Center City looks suspended in time, like a noir-ish freeze-frame shot from a bygone era.

In the windows of Walnut Streets fashionable shops, the brightly colored blazers and flowery spring dresses already seem dated. The evidence of a hasty retreat is starkly visible. Several stores have removed all merchandise, leaving empty display cases in disarray. Windows have been boarded up to deter vandals, and those temporary canvases are now covered with an impasto of graffiti, giving them an aura of permanence.

Apart from some determined panhandlers and the occasional jogger, the sidewalks are deserted. There are so few customers at the AT&T store on the corner of 15th Street  one of the rare businesses to remain open during the crisis  that employees pass their time playing cards.

This unnatural stillness wont last forever, of course. Once people start returning to work, Center City will awake from its enforced slumber, office workers will gradually return to sanitized cubicles, and pedestrians will again roam the sidewalks. Whats unknown is whether Philadelphias eclectic downtown will ever recapture the same level of activity and dynamism that existed before we learned to say COVID-19.

Seeking answers, I reached out to a dozen policymakers, urban planners, economists, retailers, businesses, and real estate developers. Much depends, they agree, on how long the lockdown continues, and how quickly people migrate back to their workplaces once restrictions are relaxed. Gov. Tom Wolf has come up with a color-coded, three-phase schedule for resuming normal life over the next few months. Mark Zandi, of Moodys Analytics, is less optimistic and argued in a recent Inquirer column that the recovery wont really begin until there is a vaccine, probably in 2021.

Whatever the pace, its already clear that our habits have been profoundly altered after just a few weeks of home confinement. Many people have grown comfortable working in their dens and basements and having lifes necessities brought to their doorsteps. The longer the closures go on, the more likely that Center Citys struggling retailers will finally succumb to the delivery economy. Department stores, retail experts say, will cease to exist or become historical anomalies, like pay phones.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

The restaurant renaissance looks as if its over, too. Many of the citys 6,000 eateries will be unable to reassemble their old staffs, even if they manage to restart their kitchens. And dont believe the happy talk about restaurants spreading out diners in social-distanced pods: No eatery can make a profit serving even half of its usual customers. A Harvard Business School study forecasts that 65% of small businesses will lack the cash to make it through the end of the year.

Because so much of Philadelphias economic life is concentrated in Center City, its likely to bear the brunt of the virus aftershocks. If people have fewer reasons to make the trip, can downtown remain the democratic meeting ground it has always been, where people of all incomes and backgrounds come together to work, shop, bank, eat, be entertained, visit doctors, and just gawk at other humans?

What happens to our society when you dont have those opportunities for random encounters, wondered Lauren Gilchrist, director of research in Philadelphia for JLL, a commercial real estate broker. Will there be more stratification, more me, myself, and I?

Not that any serious economists expect significant numbers to flee the city anytime soon. While there has been much chatter about the connection between dense living and the severity of the virus outbreak, American cities have faced three major existential challenges in the last 20 years  terrorism, the Great Recession, and the opioid epidemic  and each time theyve soldiered on. There is a reason we agglomerate in dense places. Theyre exciting, productive places to be, observed Joseph Gyourko, a Wharton economist specializing in real estate.

That said, things will look very different in the near future. The issue for Center City isnt whether residents will leave, but whether outsiders will continue to pour in in the same numbers before a vaccine exists. Will the daily tide of daily commuters coming from the citys outer neighborhoods and the suburbs be diminished? Will tourists, who dropped $7 billion on the citys economy in 2018, visit for conventions and sightseeing? Will anybody dare attend events in theaters and concert halls?

In a recent article in the Atlantic, Derek Thompson argued that chains will proliferate while many mom-and-pop dreams will burst. But experts like Jacob Cooper, managing director at MSC, a retail broker, predicted the opposite outcome. Because so many chains sell standardized goods that fall into the category that historian Daniel Boorstin dubbed the repeatable experience, there is little to gain from buying those items in a store. The brick-and-mortar retailers who survive, Cooper argued, will be those offering a unique or curated experience.

The coming retail contraction will completely alter how Center Citys commercial buildings are inhabited. Since the late 19th century, downtowns have been defined by the presence of dense commercial streets, lined with ground-floor shops. Those rows of stores may become a thing of the past, replaced by islands of retail. Cooper predicts a drastic streamlining, with retailers shrinking their physical footprint and reducing the amount of merchandise they display. They may partner with competitors to share space, in a retail version of co-working. They will also demand shorter leases and lower rents. Many storefronts will be converted to offices or apartments.

Surprisingly, two of Center Citys best known independent retailers, Joan Shepp and Boyds, remain undaunted about the future.

Ellen Shepp, who runs the Chestnut Street clothing boutique named after her mother, has used her downtime to rethink the business. The store is known for its personal service, and she expects to focus even more on individual consultations. Boyds Kent Gushner, who has kept all 125 employees on the payroll thanks to a federal loan, has been beefing up his e-commerce site, in an effort to grow sales from 5% to 15%. Although known for dressy, designer clothes, both stores are ordering mostly casual wear for the fall.

The first three months back will be challenging. People arent going to run out into the world just because the government says its OK, explained Gushner. But one reason Im optimistic is that there is a movement toward shopping locally. Were perfectly positioned to be the middle, between the small store that cant make it, and the big store that sells the same things as everyone else.

Still, the loss of downtown businesses, and the decline in the office population, will reverberate far beyond Center City. Tax revenues could plunge by nearly $650 million this year, according to a report by Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. If suburbanites continue to work at home, the city will lose their wage tax. Retail and hospitality workers contribute 12% of the wage tax the city collects. The hotel tax will be almost nonexistent. Since online retailers dont pay sales tax on the first $100,000 in sales, the city could lose revenue as residents transition to e-commerce.

The sharp decline prompted Richard Voith, president of Econsult, to wonder in an essay whether cities will drastically cut public services, prompting a redux of the vicious cycle of population loss amid a return to suburbanization, as they did in the 1970s and 1980s. He concluded the answer was no. But that history has been on the minds of city officials, said Mayor Jim Kenneys chief of staff, Jim Engler.

Even though city departments have been asked to look for ways to trim their budgets  as much as 20%  he insisted the city will not gut crucial services or amenities, like schools and parks. The disinvestment of the 70s was one of the great mistakes the city made. We will not do that again, Engler said.

Because of its diversified economy and strong medical section, Philadelphia could be in a better position than some places to weather the economic downturn, noted Gilchrist. Her firms clients have not rushed to cut office space  just the opposite. To keep workers healthy, theyre talking about giving employees room to spread out. Philadelphia, still affordable relative to other big cities, could pick up new residents looking to cut expenses.

Brent Toderian, the former Vancouver chief planner, is convinced that this crisis does not spell the end for downtowns. Over the years, he said, "smart cities have made a social compact with their residents. People will agree to give up a backyard and live in dense places in exchange for walkable neighborhoods, great parks, and playgrounds.

He may be right. Even with shops and restaurants shuttered, the crisis has shown that we still want to gather  maybe too much  in Center Citys public spaces. Our lives today may be the prototype for how downtowns will look in the future.

Note: This story was updated to clarify how much revenue Philadelphia receives in sales tax from online retailers.
Related Kemet Boutros Ghali awards to be announced in November

As the Kemet Boutros Ghali Foundation for Peace and Knowledge launched its first series of webinars, Ahram Online interviewed the foundations executive president, Ambassador Moushira Khattab.

The Kemet Foundation was established by a group of eminent individuals to build on the legacy of my role model Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali, explained Khattab.

The foundation, established a little over a year ago, was created by students and colleagues of Dr Ghali to promote dialogue, the free access to information as well as peace and knowledge.

Ghali (1922-2016) was the first Arab and African to serve as UN secretary-general in 1992, a period of great global challenges that faced the international organisation.

His tenure was a turning point in developing the organisation's work mechanisms and its methods of intervening to resolve conflicts peacefully.

He also developed the concept of preventative diplomacy and peacemaking, and he made great efforts in establishing an agenda for peacekeeping and maintaining it on the ground after the resolution of conflicts.

I was a student of Boutros Ghali and my first encounter with him was at the faculty of political science in Cairo university when I was 16. He was teaching us about international law and international organisations, and he really epitomised what a mentor should be, someone who leads by example, she said.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Kemet Foundation has conducted three webinars.

The first addressed the general impact of the virus, the second focused on its impact on peace within the family, and the third addressed the impact on refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people.

The foundation brings together key decision makers and thought leaders both at the national, regional and international level.

Among the activities of the foundation is promoting scientific thinking among the youth and issuing awards for scientific excellence in international law and international regulation; scientific excellence in African studies; a prize for new diplomatic attaches at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; outstanding scientific contribution in the field of peacemaking and peacekeeping; and achievement in the fields of conflict resolution, democracy, and human rights, to name but a few.

When you have access to knowledge, you will know that we are all equal and entitled to enjoy our human rights without discrimination based on religion, sex, ability, geographic location, education, or any other ground. So, this foundation really carries the message that Botrous Ghali promoted all his life, she said.

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According to intelligence data, two members of Russia-led forces were wounded on April 28.

Russia's hybrid military forces on April 28 mounted 17 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA).

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 17 times on April 28. One Ukrainian soldier was killed as a result of enemy shelling," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said in an update posted on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on April 29.

The enemy engaged Ukrainian positions with 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles.

Read alsoBellingcat: Key MH17 figure identified as senior FSB official

Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the town of Popasna, and the villages of Kamianka, Opytne, Pavlopil, Starohnativka, Krymske, Khutir Vilny, Orikhove, Novoluhanske, Novotoshkivske, and Zaitseve.

In addition, the enemy shelled disengagement site No. 3 Bohdanivka-Petrivske twice, using heavy machine guns and small arms. The Ukrainian military did not return fire, thus adhering to truce agreements.

According to intelligence data, two members of Russia-led forces were wounded on April 28.

"Since Wednesday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions twice near the villages of Verkhniotoretske and Novotoshkivske, using tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns, an anti-aircraft gun, an 82mm mortar, and heavy machine guns," the update said.

No casualties were reported on Wednesday.
Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will be taking strong action against China as he ordered investigations into Beijing after claiming they knew about the coronavirus threat earlier than let on and could have done more to stop the pandemic.

'We're coming up with a very distinct recommendation. But we're not happy with it,' Trump said of potential economic consequences against China.

'There's nothing positive about what happened in China having to do with this subject. Nothing positive at all,' the president continued while speaking to reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

Louisiana is one of the states hardest hit by coronavirus after a hot spot emerged in New Orleans following the massive Mardi Gras celebrations in late February.

'We're lucky that we stopped it in January flowing into our country from China,' Trump said, lauding his decision to shut down travel from China to the U.S. earlier this year  aside from allowing U.S. citizens to return home.

The president said the World Health Organization was acting like it worked for China, and said he would be issuing a 'recommendation' on how to deal with WHO and China.

Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is considering recommendations on how to retaliate against China and the World Health Organization as he claims both entities hid the truth about the severity of coronavirus from the rest of the world and exacerbated the outbreak

'We're coming up with a very distinct recommendation. But we're not happy with it,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Democratic Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards

Donald Trump has blamed China for the virus spreading, claiming it would have been less severe if Beijing was transparent about the virus from the start. The U.S. has reported the most confirmed cases of any other country, surpassing 1 million this week. But the Trump administration has claimed China has been dishonest in its reporting

He already demanded earlier this week that Beijing pay reparations for the damages caused by coronavirus in the U.S.  insisting that China was secretive and hid the severity of COVID-19 early on in the outbreak when it was still contained to Wuhan, where the virus originated.

A Wednesday morning report revealed that the White House ordered intelligence investigations into whether China initially downplayed and hid the emerging coronavirus threat, a Wednesday report revealed, as Donald Trump continues to place blame for the size of the pandemic.

'It's coming in and I'm getting pieces already,' Trump said of the investigations by the NSA, CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency. 'And we're not happy about it.'

'We are by far the largest contributor to WHO  world health. And they misled us,' he said, confirming he feels WHO also lied about what they knew early on about the virus. 'I don't know  they must have known more than they knew.'

'We knew things that they didn't know  either they didn't know or they didn't tell us,' he continued. 'Right now they're literally a pipe organ for China. That's the way I view it. So, we're seeing and we're looking and we're watching.'

'Again we give $500 million  we have over the years  from $400-$500 for a long time, for many years. And China is giving $38 million, and yet they seem to work for China,' he lamented.

Intelligence agencies received directives from the White House last week seeking information on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, including communication intercepts, human source reporting and satellite imagery reviews from China and WHO, current and former officials familiar with the directions told NBC News.

One official revealed that the 'tasking' was sent last week to the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, which includes the National Center for Medical Agency.

The CIA also received a similar request, the officials said.

Trump appeared to make reference to the orders during his Monday press conference at the White House.

'We're doing very serious investigations,' the president said during his nearly-daily briefing. 'We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world.'

The CIA, NSA and Defense Intelligence Agency were tasked by the White House with investigating whether China initially hid what it knew about the coronavirus threat earlier on in the outbreak. Current and former officials say the agencies were told to conduct communication intercepts, human source reporting and review satellite imagery

'We're doing very serious investigations,' Trump said Tuesday of China. 'We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world'

Trump has praised his administration for stopping travel from China early on in the outbreak, claiming it would be much worse if he had not done that

The president continues to deflect blame for the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., claiming it would have been less severe if Beijing were more forthcoming with the severity of the virus in China toward the end of last year.

He has also often showered praise on himself and his administration for shutting down travel from China in the early stages of the outbreak.

Trump blaming China for America's economic struggles has proven effective with his political base as the president struggles to campaign without his stadium-filling rallies.

'The president is now running against China as much as anyone,' a person close to the president told NBC.

This week, the U.S. surpassed 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, which is more than any other country has reported and about one-third of the amount of cases worldwide. As of Tuesday night, there are more than 58,000 deaths in the U.S. from coronavirus.

Trump insists that Beijing is not accurately reporting the number of cases and deaths coming from China, claiming if they were honest, their numbers would be much higher than any other country.

He has also suggested that China compensate the U.S., and possibly other countries, for coronavirus damages. The disease originated in Wuhan, which is in China's Hubei province, and began spreading to the rest of the world earlier this year.

Coronavirus originated in Wuhan and spread to the rest of the world earlier this year, but intelligence has revealed the threat of the virus was known in China before its widespread infection rate

Lawmakers have begun pushing for sending the bill to China as well while the U.S. continues to slip into a depression with record-high unemployment levels with over 26 million people filing for benefits in five weeks and a staggering market loss over the past two months.

Chinese officials, however, claim demanding China pay for the virus' impact is 'blackmail.'

'Asking China to make reparations for these kind of claims  they have no legal basis. There is no international law that support blaming a country for simply being the first to report a disease,' China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister told NBC News in an interview that aired Wednesday morning.

As part of the administration's instructions, intelligence agencies were also tasked with determining if the World Health Organization knew about any labs studying coronaviruses in Wuhan.

Trump has accused the WHO of hiding the severity of the pandemic in early January when it reported no evidence of human-to-human transmission. By mid-January, the WHO stopped making that claim as the virus spread beyond China.

Earlier this month, the president suspended $500 million in U.S. funding to the WHO as he accused it of allowing China to exercise influence over the agency.

When asked during his Tuesday briefing to clarify what intelligence officials told him in January and February, Trump said: 'I would have to check.'

'I want to look to the exact dates of warnings,' he continued.
Toto Wolff says he will not attend every race once the 2020 season finally gets up and racing.

Last year, the Mercedes team boss turned heads by not travelling to Brazil - the first time he had skipped a race since 2013.

Since then, the Austrian has bought into Aston Martin, whose new chairman Lawrence Stroll intends to re-brand the Racing Point team from 2021.

Wolff says he is staying at Mercedes for now.

"For 2020 I am the team principal at Mercedes, even if I may divide my time differently and not be at every race," he told Osterreich newspaper.

"I want to do my part to ensure that Lewis Hamilton wins the seventh title."

It is believed that reigning world champion Hamilton is currently holidaying in Bali during the corona crisis.

"He was used to travelling a lot but now there is a standstill for him too," said Wolff. "But he knows how to use the situation positively.

"He will come back with even greater motivation than before and he assures me of that in every phone call."

(GMM)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Parmas Democratic mayor is worried. Plunging income tax revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic has left Ohios seventh largest city with a $5.5 million shortfall in this years budget, with the shuttering of many of its retailers and its largest employer, a General Motors plant.

Income tax revenue supplies around 63 percent of the citys budget, and Mayor Tim DeGeeter expects the financial hardships that have already forced the city to lay off 47 workers and stop filling vacancies will persist next year because as we get less people working this year, those income tax returns will also be reduced for 2021.

The Republican mayor of Lancaster, outside Columbus, has similar worries. Already, hes had to dismiss 18 firefighters and 15 police officers as COVID-19-related shutdowns and layoffs have put a $2 million to $4 million hole in his city budget. Lancaster Mayor David Scheffler predicts that will result in service reductions and slower emergency response times. Like DeGeeter, he hopes the federal government will be able to provide relief in its next coronavirus package.

It seems weve bailed out the airlines, the universities, the hospitals, public transit, small business, the unemployed, and the direct stimulus payments to the city of Lancaster residents we estimate to be $36 million, Scheffler told reporters on Wednesday. Were hopeful for some assistance.

Although the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided $4.5 billion to Ohios state and local governments to weather the crisis, Scheffler and DeGeeter say that money must all be spent on activities and programs to specifically address the virus, so it cant be used to fix the problems that they and many other local governments in Ohio are experiencing.

The key for us is loss of revenue, not COVID-19 expenses, DeGeeter said.

According to a study released last month by the center-left Brookings Institution think tank, municipalities in states like Ohio that get much of their revenue from income taxes are being hit harder by coronavirus-related shortfalls than those in states where local governments are funded through property taxes. The study said four of the top five cities likely to be hurt most financially by the coronavirus pandemic are in Ohio: Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Cleveland, with Akron coming in at number 13.

Cities in Ohio rely heavily on the flat income tax, which correlates immediately to changes in employment, the study said.

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown says hed like the next package of coronavirus-related aid from the federal government to include a dedicated, flexible source of funding for towns, cities and counties whose ability to provide critical services has been strained by coronavirus-related revenue shortfalls. Along with Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman, hes asked Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to immediately release guidance that makes explicitly clear that funding from the CARES Act Fund is allowed to be used to replace lost revenue.

Portman told reporters on Tuesday that the cuts and furloughs imposed by municipal governments throughout Ohio have been very difficult, to the point that public safety is now in question.

I dont think anybody in Congress would want to see public safety compromised in the middle of this crisis, said Portman, who also wants the next coronavirus funding package to provide money to state and local governments.

Although Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has expressed reservations about providing more funding for cities and states, on Monday he said the next legislative package Congress passes to address the coronavirus will probably include extra money for state and local government relief.

Brown predicts that House and Senate leaders will soon begin negotiating a bill with Mnuchin.

Im hopeful that starts sooner rather than later, Brown said Wednesday. Every city needs these dollars sooner rather than later.

More coverage:

Christina Hagan on track to challenge Rep. Tim Ryan: See who won Ohios congressional primaries

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Rep. Jim Jordan, refusing to wear mask at contentious hearing, calls proposed coronavirus oversight subcommittee a Democratic plot to attack Trump

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Whats in President Trumps three-phase plan for reopening the country, and will it work for Ohio?
(Photo : Fernando Zhiminaicela from Pixabay ) A Kawasaki-like disease is being linked to COVID-19 in young patients.

A few months into the novel coronavirus outbreak, experts are still learning new about the virus and the disease it brings. Now, experts from the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as other countries in Europe, fear that a rare inflammatory syndrome known as Kawasaki disease is linked to COVID-19 and attacking young coronavirus patients.

Rare Inflammatory Syndrome in Young COVID-19 Patients

According to a report by CNN, a small but rising number of young patients are being diagnosed with the rare inflammatory condition, reporting gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain, as well as cardiac inflammation.

An "urgent alert" from the Nation Health Services England (NHS) and the Pediatrics Intensive Care Society (PICS) warned of these children exhibiting "overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease with blood parameters."

Many of these young kids have tested positive for novel coronavirus.

With that, experts fear that Kawasaki disease might be linked to SARS-CoV-2 or the COVID-19 virus and seen as a possible complication of the viral infection.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) also added that if it is not the novel coronavirus that causes the appearance of this rare syndrome, it could be another unidentified pathogen that might be causing them.

Nevertheless, doctors in Europe are still trying to confirm if the inflammation of the arteries and the gut is indeed linked and a possible complication of COVID-19.

Read Also: COVID-19: 6 New Symptoms Associated With Coronavirus Revealed by CDC

Cases in the U.S.

As of writing, three young coronavirus patients in New York, ranging from ages six months to eight years old, are also being treated with the inflammatory syndrome, according to a specialist treating them.

"Right now, we're at the very beginning of trying to understand what that represents," Dr. Mark Gorelik, a pediatric rheumatologist and immunologist from Columbia University Medical Center told Reuters.

The three new cases from New York follow an initial report by the Stanford University in California wherein a six-month-old baby was admitted to a hospital for Kawasaki disease and was soon tested for COVID-19.

The baby did not exhibit any respiratory symptoms, but she was fussy and had a fever.

Additionally, doctors spotted a small, white spot in her mid-lung after a chest X-ray was done, so her doctors sent her to the emergency room where she was given high-dose aspirin and intravenous immunoglobulin, which is a standard treatment for Kawasaki disease.

After two weeks, the young patient was discharged.

Not Kawasaki Disease?

Kawasaki disease is mostly undetected in the U.S., based on the report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

No one knows where Kawasaki disease comes from

But, many experts believe it could stem from pathogens, including human coronaviruses, but it is treatable, and children can usually recover from it without any issues.

However, it can also be deadly.

Nevertheless, Gorelik believes that the inflammation syndrome found in the young COVID-19 patients is not Kawasaki disease, but only something similar, according to FOX News.

The U.K.'s health secretary, Matt Hancock, said that it could be a new disease caused by coronavirus or COVID-19, but since some who were diagnosed with it did not test positive for the virus, they can't be 100% sure.

As of now, they are doing a lot of research, so he urged everyone, especially parents, to not panic.

Read Also: Promising COVID-19 Vaccine Has Protected Monkeys From Coronavirus According to Study

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Many hotel owners are having to weigh up selling off or trying to continue in business, Photo: Le Toan

Hotels across the country have had to shut down permanently during the COVID-19 crisis due to lack of revenue, with many being offered up to new owners. According to Sohovietnam, an agency specialising in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the hospitality sector, the demand for such deals has been increasing recently, with interest coming from many domestic and foreign investment funds, as well as capable financial investors.

Sohovietnam president Phan Xuan Can told VIR that at present, the company has a portfolio of dozens of mini hotels, more than 12 mid-sized hotels, and eight high-end hotels which are being offered to buyers. Of those, two high-end hotels are attracting great interest from overseas buyers.

By my estimation, a sum of VND8-10 trillion ($347-434 million) is ready to be invested in completed or under-construction hotels and resorts in key tourism destinations such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Hoi An, and more, Can said.

The most favoured hotels by buyers are typically 4-star with upwards of 100 rooms, with investment capital ranging around VND400-500 billion ($17-21 million) each.

Can said if the pandemic is prolonged and the social distancing measures are tightened, it is likely that many hotels will find it difficult to tread above water.

Among those, smaller hotels are most likely to be acquired because their owners have been forced to sell them as distressed assets due to being unable to burden heavy losses. However, the difficulty endured by these investors is an opportunity for others.

Talking about which cases are most likely to sell their assets at this time, Can pointed to investors who had rented some hotels, or even a chain of 10-15 small- and medium-sized hotels in city centres to do business. These investors are now facing a lack of cash flow because of the shutdown order.

Second are those investors who had bought out a whole hotel but had to take up loans and now have to sell off their hotels to pay the debt.

Investors who are owners of hotels but are under no financial pressure would rather close hotels, cut costs, and wait for the pandemic to pass. Those investors would be last on the list of those being forced to sell.

The pandemic has been offering opportunities for both buyers and sellers, with prices dropping towards the real evaluation of assets value. However, the actual price in the context of the crisis that these investors accept to pay is falling through the roof, by 20-30 per cent compared to the prices fixed before the pandemic came into view.

In financial analysis, hotel performance data is often assessed by investors through the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA).

In the past, when tourism was at its peak, hotels doing very well with high occupancy and revenue were paid around 11- or 12-fold of their EBITDA in hotel M&A deals. Those prices are currently offered at about 8-fold of EBITDA only.

Buyers are now aiming at hotels with owners facing financial difficulties, including those who have loans from banks or institutional organisations and have to pay due debts.

Along with looking at EBITDA, buyers also consider many other factors such as the location and the quality of human resources available at the targeted hotels.

One type of hotel owner targeted by buyers more often than not are those who have invested in a hotel as an extra business only. During difficult times such as these, they must centralise all of their capital sources back to their core business, and then must consider selling off hotels.

Foreign investors are now most interested in high-end hotels in the central business districts of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City where they can utilise meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition services, when resorts are preferred in coastal areas of the country.

This is a time for real demand from both buyers and sellers, therefore, I would not doubt that successful deals could be seen in the coming time, Can of Sohovietnam said.

According to JLL Vietnam, both international and domestic investors are showing a difference in tastes. While foreign investors are actively seeking opportunities with higher returns in Vietnam via operating hotel assets with in-place cash flow, the majority of domestic equivalents are interested in developing hotels and resorts from vacant land banks.

Vietnam has become an alluring destination for many financiers, largely due to the countrys friendly policies encouraging foreign direct investment, along with its political stability and strong economy. As a result, Vietnam remains one of the most favoured destinations for foreign investment in the region.
Countering many predictions of economic doom, Moore and Laffer find that "with the right national policy prescriptions and most states reopening their economies next week, we will see a very sharp contraction this summer with high unemployment followed by a strong recovery will arrive within three to six months."

The authors compared the sharp economic contraction from the coronavirus with other sharp economic collapses, including the Great Depression, and found that the key market indicators, such as the stock market and the gold price, point to a fast pick-up in growth when the economy gets back on its feet.

"There is just no indication of anything like a Great Depression, says Dr. Laffer, who has advised several presidents and recently was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump.

The study also predicts a "very uneven" recovery "with some states and regions of the country advancing at a much faster pace than others." Because states are taking the lead in opening up the economy, some regions of the country will do much better than others. States such as New York, Connecticut, and Illinois in the northeast and Midwest are expected to lag because the governors in those states aren't opening right away. "The recovery will be led by states in the south like Florida, Georgia and South Carolina and western states like Arizona and Colorado  all of which are starting to open immediately."

Contact: Alexandra Preate

[email protected]

SOURCE Laffer Associates
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  What New York Citys frontline workers have seen inside of hospitals and on the frontlines is comparable to whats seen in combat.

To provide first responders with the support and services they need, the city will partner with the Department of Defense (DOD) for mental health support.

When the emergency field hospitals and morgues close, when the TV crews leave and the clapping stops, our soldiers, our healers, go home. And we have to wonder how do these healers manage their stress after seeing so much death and suffering, First Lady Chirlane McCray said.

McCray called the emotional state of the citys frontline workers a crisis within a crisis.

The Army, Airforce and Navy are experts in dealing with combat stress and are able to provide insight on how to deal with that stress.

Through the DOD with the three branches of the nations armed forces, they will train 1,000 behavioral health staff through Helping Healers Heal program that is already in place in the Health + Hospitals system. That training will then trickle down through the Health + Hospitals system, Greater New York Hospital Association, and FDNY and EMS workers, she explained.

Private hospitals will also be included, she said.

Assessments, advance decompression and wellness strategies will be shared, as well as resources for combat stress management.

McCray said the partnership with the DOD is a critical piece of what we are doing for essential frontline workers in NYC.

Trauma specialists will look at individual hospitals, as well as the systems as a whole, to assess what the specific emotional and mental needs are.

The plan is currently underway and it will be ramping up in May and fully-operational by June, McCray said. The program will be incorporated into existing mental health services that are offered in hospitals so the help will always be available at a large-scale for the workers.

This is not the time, or is it appropriate, to hide the level of stress that is experienced by our nurses, doctors, and medical technicians and we have to face this head on, she said, adding that this is not something to be secretive about.
Priyanka Chopra has revealed that she and husband Nick Jonas were quarantined immediately amid the coronavirus outbreak due to his Type 1 diabetes.

The actress, 37, said she first heard about the Covid-19 pandemic at the World Economic Forum in January as the outbreak was taking hold in China.

She told Vogue: 'Nick and I made quick decisions about the most responsible things to do, and made sure our family was taken care ofwe checked in on people and explained what the coronavirus was...

Dynamic duo: Priyanka Chopra has revealed that she and husband Nick Jonas were quarantined immediately amid the coronavirus outbreak due to his Type 1 diabetes

'Nick is a Type 1 diabetic, so we felt it was important to go into quarantine almost immediately.

'I'm so grateful we're together at this time, and that we weren't stuck in different parts of the world because we both travel so much.'

The couple cut their trip to India short, where they had flown for Holi, and returned to America after fearing that the borders would be closed.

Priyanka added that they were now using their free time to work on their creative skills including learning the piano, joining hip-hop dance classes and writing a book.

Colourful: The couple cut their trip to India short, where they had flown for Holi, and returned to America after fearing that the borders were being locked down

The Quantico star has been hunkering down in her Los Angeles home with her husband Nick Jonas, whom she married in her native India in 2018.

Recently she posted an Instagram video in which she demonstrated a hair care routine that her mother Madhu taught her.

She mixed some full fat yogurt in a bowl with a teaspoon of honey and an egg, saying the result should be applied to the scalp for dryness or dandruff.

'Let it sit in your hair for 30 min and rinse with warm water,' she wrote, adding that 'while this works wonders (for me), it doesn't smell the best.'

Priyanka, who is known to her Indian fans by the nickname PC, shared: 'You may need to shampoo twice to remove all the yogurt, and then condition as usual.'

'I'm so proud to partner with them': She announced this Tuesday she is working with Crocs to donate 20,000 pairs of the company's shoes to medical staff

Priyanka has also used social media to share how she has been working to help ameliorate the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

She announced this Tuesday she is working with Crocs to donate 20,000 pairs of the company's shoes to medical staff.

Half of those pairs will go to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and the other half will go to government hospitals in India.

Priyanka has also been working with the UN's controversial World Health Organization, including as a part of last weekend's star-studded livestream fundraiser concert One World: Together At Home curated by Lady Gaga.

Good Samaritan: Priyanka has also used social media to share how she has been working to help ameliorate the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Rafael Ayala was riding high this past year.

Six months after opening Blue Habanero in 2018, his Gordon Square eatery won the Northeast Ohios Best Mexican Restaurant contest on cleveland.com last May.

Ayala knew what a feat that was since he grew up in the restaurant business. His family started, and still runs, Tres Potrillos restaurants in Fairlawn, Medina and Beachwood.

Stepping away from the family business to explore his own creativity in the food industry was daunting. New restaurants often struggle to turn profit in the first year, but Ayalas cantina thrived.

We were only open a few months when we won the contest. After that, business exploded, he said. We were doing triple what was expected of us in the first year. We were pulling in numbers each week that would have taken two to three years of growth for most places. I was very proud  and so was my family.

Related: Results of the Blue Habanero taste test from Best Mexican Restaurant contest

Ayala said he knew he had a winner when changes to the menu were met with good-natured kick-back from regulars. So rather than taking things off the menu, original items were restored, and new dishes were added every couple of months.

On March 15, Ayala was looking at a full dining room when news came that Governor Mike DeWine just ordered all of Ohios bars and restaurants to shut down dine-in service by 9 p.m. that day.

All of a sudden, we were in a fight to survive, he said. Ayala and staff hunkered down for a couple of days to figure out a system, then flung open their virtual doors to curbside and delivery service, offering the eaterys full menu to go.

Now, more than a month into the pandemic-forced shutdown, Blue Habanero is in better shape than I would have ever expected back in March.

Ayala credits the loyalty of his customers with keeping the restaurant in business. He said that while we are limping, we are still walking and I believe we will come out the other side of this pandemic in much better shape than many will. I as so grateful that people believed in us enough that they keep coming back.

31 Blue Habanero Street Tacos and Tequila

Now he faces new challenges.

Every day is a new craziness, he said with a chuckle. We keep the restaurant hours, but it seems everyone wants to order between 5-8 p.m. During those hours, no one can even stop to take a deep breath. But I cannot complain. I guess that is a good problem to have.

DeWine allowing restaurants to serve to-go alcohol with food orders has helped boost tabs, which has allowed Ayala to keep most of his staff on the payroll. He has had to cut back to serving only traditional margaritas. The fresh fruit recipes his restaurant is known cannot be served because the fruit spoils too quickly to make them profitable.

For now, Ayala is trying to figure out what Cinco de Mayo will look like at his restaurant this year. He plans to offer his full menu -- including his homemade quesadillas -- as well as at least one special for the day.

His biggest worry: being able to accommodate all the orders he hopes to receive.

Even though we are not going to be able to host the big, traditional fiesta we were thinking we would, I am hopeful we will be able to bring some smiles and normalcy to our customers at-home celebrations, Ayala said. I think it is important that we hold tight to our traditions right now. They are comforting and they are what will get us through this.
John Tyson, the billionaire whose family business reigns as the largest meat processor in the U.S., took out ads in national newspapers to complain about a "breaking" food supply chain.

No one would argue that supplies aren't an issue right now. Even President Donald Trump is invoking the Defense Production Act to secure meat production. But the roots of this problem go back to decades of consolidation that Tyson's own company helped lead. Tyson Foods and its top two rivals -- JBS and Cargill -- control today about two-thirds of America's beef, and the large bulk of it gets processed in a few dozen giant plants. Pork and chicken are similarly dominated.

While Tyson pointed out that the pandemic has affected businesses of all sizes, the producers, which also include Smithfield Foods, have such a stranglehold on output that it leaves the supply chain with few remedies when even just a handful plants are down. There have been about 12 closures at U.S. slaughter plants this month because of coronavirus outbreaks among employees who are jammed together on processing lines.

That's wiped out roughly 25% of pork-processing capacity and 10% for beef -- enough for analysts to say that the country was weeks away from shortfalls. Meat prices are already surging.

"This is 100% a symptom of consolidation," said Christopher Leonard, author of "The Meat Racket," which examines the protein industry. "We don't have a crisis of supply right now. We have a crisis in processing. And the virus is exposing the profound fragility that comes with this kind of consolidation."

In his plea to the public, Tyson, the company's chairman, suggested meat plants should keep running, despite the outbreaks. Late Tuesday, Trump signed an order for the facilities to stay open amid the pandemic. The move drew sharp criticism from unions and activists who want to protect workers that find it extremely difficult to practice social distancing in the cramped factories.

"This pandemic has affected businesses across our nation, in every sector of the economy, regardless of size, service, location, or ownership," Tyson said in emailed response to questions from Bloomberg. "It's also affected thousands of farmers and ranchers, whose continued viability is extremely important to us."

"The safety of our team members is our top priority," Tyson said. "We've been screening worker temperatures, requiring protective face coverings and conducting additional cleaning and sanitizing." The company is "also implementing social distancing measures, such as installing workstation dividers and providing more breakroom space."

Smithfield and JBS didn't respond to requests for comment on industry consolidation. Cargill declined to comment.

There's a reason meat is so cheap in America compared with the rest of the world. A big part of that is the rapid consolidation that's allowed meatpackers to operate on huge economies of scale and run lines at lightning speeds that continue to increase.

The number of slaughtering plants has plummeted about 70% since 1967, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A huge chunk of that consolidation came in just the past few decades. In a 2019 report, Tyson lists an acquisition or a consolidation for almost every year of operation starting from 2001, though some of those deals were in packaged food and sometimes made outside the U.S.

In Europe, it's a different story. The top 15 companies account for less than a third of the European Union's meat production, and the region has seen far fewer disruptions to supply.

In normal times, the U.S. concentration is touted as a hallmark of a successful industry that's become extremely efficient at pumping out huge amounts of affordable meat -- something that's reaped rewards for the companies and investors alike. Tyson clocks in annual net income of about $2 billion and its shares have surged about 60% in the last five years, bringing its market value to about $23 billion.

But in the virus era, the vastness of these companies is a crucial point of vulnerability for U.S. food supply.

Huge plants are responsible for processing thousands of animals per day. Employees are jammed into elbow-to-elbow processing lines. And low-paying jobs also mean workers face tough living conditions at home, where multiple families are sometimes sharing the same dwellings.

"We work to ensure our team members receive fair compensation," Tyson said. "We provide our team members and families with affordable health, life, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits."

Advocacy groups like Food and Water Watch have long called for a break in the concentration, and they say the pandemic makes that more important.

"The highly consolidated, industrial food system is in fact less resilient than the regional, diversified systems it replaced," Amanda Claire Starbuck, a senior food researcher at Food and Water Watch, said in a posting on its website. "We need smaller, more diverse crop-and-livestock systems and regional food hubs."

But it's hard to say if Americans would actually go for that, since it would also undoubtedly bring an increase in meat prices.

"There's a moral obligation to bring low-cost food to American consumers as not everyone can afford to buy grass-fed beef or antibiotic-free pork," said Steve Meyer, an economist at Iowa-based Kerns and Associates.

"They're not that way by accident, and they're not that way by conspiracy," he said of the consolidated meat companies. "Americans really like their food, but they want to buy it for as little as they can."

Practically every food company has announced increased measures to protect employees, including meat giants like Tyson, Smithfield and Cargill. Companies are enforcing hand washing and spraying down plants and break rooms. Shifts are staggered and lunch breaks are taken alone.

Still, it's been hard to stop the spread of the disease in massive plants where hundreds of employees show up for each shift. Twenty workers in U.S. meatpacking and food-processing plants have died and at least 6,500 have been directly impacted by the coronavirus, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, America's largest private-sector union.

Plants that remain open are also facing a worker crunch as employees call in sick and deal with child-care issues and the other complexities the virus has unleashed. Meat processing plants require a lot of labor to disassemble, trim and de-bone carcasses.

While some companies have stepped up hiring, it's not easy to find workers, even with rising unemployment. The industry has struggled with a reputation of difficult conditions since the days of Upton Sinclair, the American author who wrote of abuses in his 1906 novel, "The Jungle." Producers often rely heavily on immigrant workers to fill jobs that Americans shun.

The problem of consolidation isn't limited to the U.S. Nearly all the beef sold in Canadian grocery stores and exported from the country comes from just three meatpacking plants. A halt at one of those facilities is forcing McDonald's Corp's Canadian unit to start importing.

"I do expect for the U.S. and Canadian governments to look very closely at how things are done today and how we need to do it differently to protect the national interest, so if and when such an event happens again, we're better prepared for it," said Kevin Kenny, chief operating officer of Decernis, an expert in global food safety and supply chains.
New York: At Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York, emergency calls were a soundtrack of suffering for Dr Haydee Brown.

They came over the loudspeakers several times an hour to summon help for severely ill COVID-19 patients, some of whom she might have admitted hours earlier. Each one tore at her. Then, two weeks ago, her own brother-in-law became one of the more than 17,500 people to die from the disease in New York City. Brown helped her sister arrange a memorial service and navigate backed-up funeral homes and crematoriums  all while grieving herself.

Lorna Breen, a top emergency room doctor at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died on Sunday. Credit:Columbia University Medical Centre

"Sitting at home and thinking about it is intolerable for anyone," Brown said. "We're in such a state. We're like, alive-dead."

Officials are frantic to keep healthcare workers on the right side of that divide. On Sunday, the director of emergency medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, Dr Lorna Breen, died by suicide after treating virus patients and falling ill herself.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:05:09|Editor: huaxia

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HANGZHOU, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Jack Ma, founder of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group, joined in a special webinar late Tuesday night that paired medical practitioners in Africa and China to discuss ways of combating COVID-19.

Sharing knowledge, experience and best practices are of the utmost importance to combating COVID-19, Jack Ma said.

The webinar was hosted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Health. By midnight, Beijing Time, nearly 3,400 medical personnel had either participated in the live webcast or watched the playback.

"Over the past three months, I have spent each and every day following the pandemic. And during our donation efforts, we realized in addition to medical supplies, frontline experience is also needed to fight the virus," said Ma. "The solution is not isolation, but cooperation."

During his webinar presentation, Ma recognized the outstanding efforts and dedication of all medical experts and health workers, including those in Africa, in the fight against the global pandemic.

The webinar series is the latest of several initiatives the Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundations have implemented to provide support in the global fight against COVID-19. Five webinars between China and Africa were held prior to this one. Over 3,000 African clinicians have participated in the six webinars. Enditem
President Donald Trump will force meatpacking plants to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic over fears about the stability of the US food supply in months to come.

The president planned to invoke the Defence Production Act by listing the plants as critical infrastructure to the country, which would force companies to remain open instead of shutting down locations.

An executive order would be signed on Tuesday to make it official, Mr Trump announced during a press briefing earlier that day. There will be two parts to the order: forcing plants to remain open and providing liability protections to employers if an employee was to get sick from Covid-19, NBC reported.

Protection for these plant employees has been a huge concern across the US with hundreds of workers testing positive for Covid-19 and some dying.

In Colorado, JBS reopened its pork processing plant on Friday after shutting it down for two weeks. More than 120 workers contracted the virus and five have died.

Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 7, criticised JBS for reopening its plant and putting an estimated 6,000 employees at risk.

I think the workers are being sacrificed, Ms Cordova told Denver7. I think that this could potentially be a death sentence.

The plant reopened with protections in place, including onsite testing for any symptomatic employees, social distancing measures, and all workers wearing face masks.

JBS was not the only company to experience problems when attempting to run day-to-day operations.

Tyson Foods placed a full-page ad in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday to address plant closures across the US.

The food supply chain is breaking, Tyson Chairman John Tyson wrote. The company warned it had a limited supply available to stock grocery stores while some of its facilities were forced to close.

Smithfield Foods, a Virginia-based company, also temporarily closed a plant in South Dakota after more than 300 workers tested positive for the virus.

At least 22 meatpacking plants have closed after workers tested positive, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

The Trump administration ordering plants to remain open could put more workers at risk in an attempt to maintainn food supplies.

The government will provide more protective gear for employees, CNBC reported, but despite these additional measures, union leaders were quick to criticise the administrations move to keep plants open.

We only wish that this administration cared as much about the lives of working people as it does about meat, pork and poultry products, Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said in a statement.
DALLAS - Southwest Airlines posted its first quarterly loss in nearly a decade and said Tuesday that the downturn in air travel that began in late February shows no signs of letting up.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This July 17, 2019 file photo shows Southwest Airlines planes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Southwest Airlines posted its first quarterly loss in nearly a decade and said Tuesday, April 28, 2020 that the downturn in air travel that began in late February shows no signs of letting up. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

DALLAS - Southwest Airlines posted its first quarterly loss in nearly a decade and said Tuesday that the downturn in air travel that began in late February shows no signs of letting up.

The airline said trip cancellations have pulled back from a peak in March but remain at levels that Southwest has never seen, as customers scrap plans to travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

Southwest expects revenue to drop by 90% to 95% in April and May compared with a year ago, with only 5% to 10% of seats on its planes filled. With little revenue coming in, Southwest is burning through $900 million in cash a month.

Bookings for April, May and June are weak, and they have been outnumbered by cancellations. Southwest hopes that as states ease their stay-at-home orders and some businesses and tourist destinations reopen, more people will want to fly  maybe by midsummer, the traditional vacation season.

We have decent bookings in place for July," CEO Gary Kelly told reporters. We just have no way to predict what cancellations will be.

Airlines for America, a trade group for the leading U.S. carriers, said the average domestic flight in the past week had 17 passengers  although there have been incidents of crowded planes with many passengers not wearing face masks.

Airlines are starting to think about how to make passengers feel safe when the numbers rise.

Kelly said Southwest is considering temporary measures including leaving all middle seats open, which would limit its planes to two-thirds of their normal capacity. Anything more, he suggested, is impossible without raising fares.

Southwest and other airlines say they encourage passengers to wear masks. JetBlue said late Monday that it will be the first airline to require masks, beginning next week. Airlines say they are stepping up cleaning of planes between flights. The airline industry is lobbying to screen passengers to prevent them from getting on a plane if they have a fever.

President Donald Trump said his administration was discussing the idea of screening passengers on some inbound international flights for both fever and the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Were looking at doing it on the international flights coming out of areas that are heavily infected, Trump said at the White House.  We will be looking into that in the very near future.

Trump said it has not been determined whether the federal government, the airlines or both would conduct the testing.

Kelly said screening would help people feel comfortable about flying again.

For now, passenger traffic is virtually zero, Kelly told employees a few days ago. He said again Tuesday that if traffic doesn't begin picking up by summer, Southwest could become a much smaller airline. That was a stunning statement, coming from the leader of an airline that says it has never laid off employees in 49 years of flying.

Dallas-based Southwest has never reported a full-year loss, but analysts expect that streak to end in 2020. Southwest has cancelled thousands of flights, asked employees to take unpaid time off, grounded many of its planes, and negotiated for $3.2 billion in federal aid to help cover payroll costs through September.

The company has borrowed $6.8 billion this year, including the federal loan it has already received. Southwest said it plans to apply for a second round of federal help, a secured loan of $2.8 billion, and is shopping for money from other sources.

As of last week, Southwest said, it had cash and short-term investments of $9.3 billion and mortgageable assets  mostly planes  worth nearly $8 billion to ride out the coronavirus crisis. With no immediate need for more planes, Southwest is overhauling its order book with Boeing.

Southwest took another step to raise cash on Tuesday, disclosing plans to issue 55 million new shares of stock with underwriters getting an option for another 8.25 million shares, and issue $1 billion in debt that can be converted to stock.

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Those moves, which surprised analysts, sent Southwest shares lower initially, but they rallied to close up 2%  although down 45% since the start of the year. Shares of Delta, American and United soared higher by between 9.8% and 11.4%.

Southwest swung to a first-quarter loss of $94 million from a $387 million profit in the same period last year. The airline last reported a quarterly loss in September 2011.

The loss, after excluding some items, was 15 cents per share -- not as bad as the loss of 48 cents per share that Wall Street expected, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research.

Revenue dropped 18% to $4.23 billion, as the number of passengers fell 21% -- three times faster than Southwest cancelled flights. The average flight  including the halcyon days of January and most of February  was 68% full, an extraordinary drop of 13 points from early 2019.

___

Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 18:15:32|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to strengthen coordination with Singapore to explore the establishment of "green channel" for personnel exchanges and emergency supplies delivery, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday in a telephone conversation with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan.

Noting that Singapore had offered support and help when China was in the depth of the COVID-19 outbreak, Wang said as Singapore is facing new epidemic challenges, China will continue to provide it with medical supplies and offer conveniences to Singapore in the process of inspection, quarantine and customs clearance.

As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Singapore diplomatic relations, the two countries should maintain political mutual trust and push for the better development of bilateral ties, Wang said.

He said it is reassuring that Singapore has in recent days effectively contained a further spread of the disease with decisive anti-epidemic measures, adding that he believes under the leadership of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the country will win a complete victory against the virus in the end.

Noting that there are a large number of Chinese nationals studying and working in Singapore, Wang said the Chinese government cares much about their health and safety, and believes that Singapore will provide them with timely testing and treatment, and safeguard their lawful rights and interests.

China stands ready to enhance coordination with Singapore to explore the establishment of an "express line" to ensure the necessary exchanges between the two peoples, and a "green channel" to guarantee the fast and convenient delivery of much-needed medical supplies, Wang said.

As epidemic prevention and control becomes a regular practice, the two countries should not only cherish their accomplishments already achieved in the anti-coronavirus fight and prevent a resurgence of the epidemic, but also secure positive economic cycles in East Asia and smooth functioning of industrial and supply chains, Wang said, adding it is in line with the common interests of all East Asian countries, including China and Singapore.

Noting that leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and South Korea (ASEAN Plus Three, or APT) have successfully held a special meeting on combating COVID-19 and reached important consensus, Wang said that all parties should fully implement the outcomes of the meeting, and that foreign ministers from the APT should hold an extraordinary conference as soon as possible.

For his part, Balakrishnan said that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and that Singapore expresses deep gratitude to China, which, as a trusted friend, has showed solidarity with Singapore and offered a helping hand without hesitation.

It is admirable that China successfully coped with the challenges posed by COVID-19 and pushed ahead with the resumption of production and work, which brings hope to the world in defeating the pandemic, Balakrishnan said.

Singapore is currently dealing with a new wave of infections, and has attached great importance to the health and safety of Chinese nationals in the country, with effective measures already in place to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests, he said.

The country will adhere to the one-China policy and allow no changes on this matter of principle, he said.

Balakrishnan said Singapore stands ready to actively promote the building of an "express line" for people-to-people exchanges and a "green channel" for the transportation of medical supplies between the two countries.

The two sides should work on the coordination of the standards for COVID-19 testing reagents and secure smooth industrial and supply chains, so as to set an example for ASEAN countries, APT countries and even the rest of the world, he said.

Singapore is also willing to join hands with China to uphold multilateralism and remove trade barriers, so as to safeguard the global free trade system with the World Trade Organization at its core, he stressed, adding the country agrees to hold an APT foreign ministers' meeting as soon as possible to promote the implementation of the consensus reached at the leaders' meeting. Enditem
Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress best known for playing Wonder Woman, has just about every attribute to make her the perfect hero: shes smart, strong, talented, compassionate, and to top it all off, she has some seriously kick-butt combat skills. What Gadot also has, that may be less obvious, is a strong sense of grounding in her family. While many of her Hollywood contemporaries are in tabloids for their famous pairings and splits, Gadot was married long before fame struck, and the story of how she met her husband Jaron Varsano is beyond adorable.

Yaron Varsano and Gal Gadot | David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Jaron Varsano knew he wanted to marry Gal Gadot by their second date

As part of her cover story interview for a recent issue of Vogue, Gadot and Varsano shared details of how they first met. Gadot was still in the military at the time, and Varsano was a real estate developer whom Gadot described as too cool for school. They met in the desert at an event that was part party, part chakra/yoga retreat.

Varsano recalled: We were in a very unique laboratorya desert retreat in the south of Israel. And both she and I were at a stage in our lives where we were thinking about what is love and what is a relationship. We started talking at 10 p.m., and we kissed at sunrise, and we held hands on the drive back to Tel Aviv. At that moment, we were just glued together. It was beautiful.

Gadot said she was already eager for a date when she returned home from the trip, and by the second date, Varsano told her: Im going to marry you. Im going to wait for two years, but were going to get married. Gadots response? Fine. The two were married in 2008.

After Gal Gadot was cast as Wonder Woman she made a big decision

In the interview, Gadot explained that after the initial excitement of getting cast, (she called Varsano and they were shouting and screaming) she pivoted the topic of conversation to family: After I shoot the movie? I want us to have another baby. They already had their eldest daughter, Alma, together at the time.

The decision prompted Varsano to think of Gadot as a kite, the higher she goes, the more she wants to be tied to the ground. This is played out over and over again in Gadots humble and down to earth nature.

Things didnt quite go according to plan with having her second child after filming, however. The story of her pregnancy during shooting is well known now, especially because she had to do reshoots with a green-screened belly while five months pregnant, but during the initial filming of The Justice League she hid it from everyone. After filming wrapped, her second child, Maya was born.

Gal Gadot and Jaron Varsano are now developing movies together

While Gadot was pregnant and finishing up The Justice League, Varsano and Gadot decided to make the move to LA permanent. He sold all of his real estate properties and needed to figure out what to do with himself stateside when Gadot told him, Youre a developer. Develop movies. Thats exactly what they did, and named the company Pilot Wave.

Pilot Wave will create content that promotes the perspectives and experiences of unique people and produce impactful stories aimed at igniting the imagination, the couple told Deadline.

The website for the company is just a simple one-page introduction to the company and message statement, as of now, but there are 14 projects reported to be in development. At least three of the upcoming projects, Irena Sendler, My Dearest Fidel, and a yet unnamed limited series about Hedy Lamarr, are all inspired by true stories and will star Gadot.
Thai Airways airplanes are parked at the tarmac of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok

BANGKOK (Reuters) - State-owned Thai Airways International Pcl <THAI.BK> will press on with a project to build a $339 million maintenance facility east of Bangkok after partner Airbus <AIR.PA> dropped out due to the coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said on Monday.

Airbus has asked not to participate in the investment, citing the impact of the COVID-19 situation on air travel, Deputy Secretary-General for Infrastructure in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Chokchai Panyayong told a news briefing.

The project to build the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility is a necessity for Thai Airways and so it will move forward, either on its own or with a partner, Chokchai said, adding that Airbus would still cooperate on technology.

The European planemaker on Monday issued a bleak assessment on the impact of the coronavirus, telling the company's 135,000 employees to brace for potentially deeper job cuts.

Some 2.97 million people are reported to have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 205,948 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

"We are in discussions with our partners in Thailand regarding the most suitable way forward for all parties," Airbus said in an e-mail to Reuters about the maintenance project.

"The content of discussions with partners and customers alike remain confidential."

There is still time for Thai Airways to find a new partner as the navy is only just beginning construction on the facility's hangar, which will take up to four years.

"By then, the COVID situation will have eased. There is an opportunity for either Airbus or Boeing to come in," Chokchai said.

The facility was estimated to cost 11 billion baht ($338.9 million), of which about 7 billion baht would come from the navy's budget.

Thai Airways was also in separate discussions with the government for liquidity support.

Thailand on Monday extended a ban on incoming passenger flights until May 31. The Southeast Asian country has reported 2,931 cases and 52 fatalities from the coronavirus.

Story continues

The maintenance hub is part of the governments project around the joint civil-military U-Tapao Airport, 150 kilometers east of Bangkok.

The government expects to sign a 290 billion baht agreement with BBS Joint Venture next month for the development of the airport and aviation city, EEC Secretary-General Kanit Sangsubhan said.

The group, selected in February, comprises Bangkok Airways Pcl <BA.BK>, train operator BTS Group Holdings Pcl <BTS.BK> and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Pcl <STEC.BK>.

It has chosen Japans Narita International Airport Corporation as U-Tapao's operator.

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Orathai Siring; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Private schools will be given financial rewards to restart classroom teaching within four weeks under a federal plan to use an advance from the sector's $13 billion in annual funding to demolish resistance to face-to-face learning.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will offer independent and Catholic schools a 25 per cent advance on next years federal funding on the condition they have at least half their students in classrooms by June 1.

Independent and Catholic schools will get a financial incentive to open their classrooms up by June 1. Credit:Louie Douvis

The dramatic offer, made to school groups on Tuesday night, intensifies pressure on state governments to hasten the end of online learning at home as Australia curbs growth in coronavirus cases.

Many NSW private schools are already planning a faster return to the classroom than their public education counterparts.
Libyas renegade general Khalifa Haftar has officially declared he was withdrawing from the UN sponsored political agreement signed in Moroccos Skhirate in 2015.

Haftar declared himself military ruler of Libya with a popular mandate from the people, while scrapping the UN deal as obsolete.

The deal between the warring factions led to forming a national unity government, which is now defending the Capital Tripoli from an offensive of forces loyal to Haftar.

The attack on Tripoli shattered hopes for a political solution as now Haftar declared himself military ruler of Libya with a popular mandate from the people, while scrapping the UN deal as obsolete.

We announce our acceptance of the peoples will and mandate and the end of the Skhirat Agreement, he said in a speech recently.

A counteroffensive by GNA-aligned troops in late March resulted in Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) being expelled from several key western cities.

Haftar is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia and the GNA is backed by Turkey and Qatar.

The GNA urged the eastern based Parliament to stand against Haftars authoritarian power grab.

Haftar has once more exposed his authoritarian intentions to the world. He no longer seeks to conceal his contempt for a political solution and democracy in Libya, Mohammed Ali Abdallah, an adviser to the GNA said in a statement.
Deutsche Bank has set aside 260 million euros ($282 million) to deal with potential loan losses as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the bank said Wednesday, as it reported its first-quarter results for 2020 in full.

It comes after the German lender pre-released some figures for the last three months on Sunday.

It has now confirmed that net income was 66 million euros in the first quarter  down from the 201 million euros reported in the first quarter of 2019. Revenue came in at 6.35 billion euros, almost exactly the same a year ago.

Here are other key metrics released in the report:

Total non-interest expenses were 5.6 billion euros versus 5.9 billion euros a year ago

5.6 billion euros versus 5.9 billion euros a year ago CET 1 ratio hit 12.8% versus 13.7% a year ago

The bank also set aside a total of 506 million euros in provisions for credit losses, which included about 260 million euros related to Covid-19. This is a figure that is being closely watched by investors this earnings season as banks prepare for the financial impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.

For the the full-year, the German bank said it expects provision of credit losses of 35-45 basis points of loans.

Speaking to CNBC Wednesday, James von Moltke, CFO of Deutsche Bank, said: "We think the provision is appropriate for the risk in our loan book."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:25:27|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed into law a bill amending Ukrainian legislative acts on farmland turnover, which was passed by parliament on March 31, the president's press service said on Tuesday.

The law stipulates that from July 1, 2021, only citizens of Ukraine can acquire ownership of agricultural land up to 100 hectares (1 million square meters). From Jan. 1, 2024, legal entities owned by Ukrainians will also get the opportunity to buy up to 10,000 hectares of land. The sale of state and communal land is prohibited.

Ukrainian parliament voted to lift the ban on the sale of farmland during an emergency session on March 31. This is expected to help the country to overcome the economic shock caused by the pandemic by allowing 6.9 million plot owners to dispose their property.

According to the signed law, the question of whether to grant foreign nationals the right to buy land will be decided through a referendum.

The ban on farmland sales was introduced in Ukraine in 2001. Since 2002, the moratorium has been extended repeatedly.

Passing the land market law and banking reform bill are requirements of the International Monetary Fund to open a new three-year extended financing program much needed by the country. Enditem
Experts say that the number of COVID-19 cases in Mexico is 30 times higher than the reported data, which makes Mexico second to the United States.

COVID-19 Cases in Mexico

The number of COVID-19 cases in the world has reached more than 3 million and claimed the lives of more than 217,000, according to worldometers. The number of infected persons does not include those who were not diagnosed by the hospitals.

In Mexico, there are approximately 16,752 cases and a death toll of more than 1,500 as of today. They are below Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador in Latin America. However, Mexico has the highest ratio of COVID-19 cases and the death toll in the region, according to Statista.

Across the globe, the United States still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases that have already reached more than 1 million and claimed the lives of more than 59,000. Spain follows them with more than 232,000 and a death toll of more than 23,000, according to worldometers.

COVID-19 Cases in Mexico is 30 Times Higher Than the Reported Data

Experts say that the real picture of COVID-19 cases in Mexico is 30 times higher than the reported cases. This means that if the number of cases is multiplied by 30, that gives a picture of more than 380,000.

This simply means that Mexico is second to the United States around the globe. This was also supported by Mexico's Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell but in another figure.

Gatell said that to get an idea of the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, cases should be multiplied by eight. That means that there will be approximately 134,016, which makes Mexico as the 7th country with the highest COVID-19 cases and putting them 1st in Latin America.

Either it should be multiplied by 30 or eight, Gatell said that many unaccounted cases in Mexico are related to COVID-19. The growing number of symptomatic persons forced some hospitals to turn away those patients without being correctly diagnosed.

COVID-19 Cases That Were Not Counted in the Country

The severe acute respiratory syndrome has spiked to 50 percent this season compared to the data last year. This means that the present figure of COVID-19 cases in Mexico is far too low.

Alejandro Macias, the former national commissioner for influenza in Mexico during the H1N1 outbreak, said that there is no doubt that the jump of COVID-19 cases this year is expected, and this is because of the flu is on its way out this time of year.

It is a common knowledge to everyone that COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. This is the reason why experts questioned the strategy of the Mexican government of selecting only as to who will be tested for the virus.

Those who have severe acute respiratory syndrome were not tested, and the experts described this situation as "Mexico is walking blindly through the woods."

Dr. Jose Luis Alomia, Director-General of Epidemiology at the Health Ministry, agreed as well that there is evidence that COVID-19 has taken the place of the flu since the country monitors flu cases in the country every year.

Health officials were not surprised when the severe acute respiratory syndrome has spiked to 59,440 during the first week of April and 67,397 a week after. Experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico or UNAM already warned the peak of COVID-19 using two epidemiological models that are also used in the United States, Italy, and Russia.

Carlos del Rio, an epidemiologist at Emory University in Atlanta, said: "It's possible that those so-called cases of influenza are in reality Covid-19."

Read a related article: COVID-19 Outbreak in Mexico Could Peak By Late April, Says Scientists
(Alliance News) - Amiad Water Systems Ltd on Wednesday said it raised GBP17.6 million through an open offer.

Shares in the water treatment & filtration systems firm were untraded on Wednesday afternoon in London, last quoted at 240.00 pence each, giving it a market capitalisation of GBP55.4 million.

Amiad said it received valid acceptances from shareholders in respect of 3.6 million open offer shares as well as applications for a further 3.4 million shares under its excess application facility.

Israeli private equity firm & significant shareholder FIMI Opportunity Funds subscribed for 6.8 million shares, taking his stake in the company to around 40%.

Following admission of the new shares, Amiad's issued share capital will comprise 30.4 million shares.

By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Burma Sixth Myanmar COVID-19 Death Reported in Yangon

A neighborhood in Botahtaung Township on April 28 where some COVID-19 patients live is under lockdown. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar saw its sixth death from coronavirus on Wednesday, while confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 150, with 16 recoveries.

A 63-year-old man from Botahtaung Township, Yangon, was found with coronavirus on April 19 as the 110th case after he had close contact with some who were infected at a religious gathering at a church in Yangons Mayangone Township. He became the second death related to the gathering.

The man was treated at Yangons South Okkalapa Hospital from April 20.

He had hypertension and diabetes and was transferred to

intensive care two days later and died on Wednesday morning, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

It said the man died of respiratory tract damage due to severe pneumonia, a bacteria infection to the respiratory tract and kidney damage.

The victim had close contact with a 41-year-old COVID-19 patient (case number 50), who tested positive on April 14 following contact with two previously confirmed patients, a 32-year-old man and 56-year-old woman, who were infected at a religious gathering in Yangon.

The victims 18-year-old son (case 125) tested positive on April 23 but his wife and relatives tested negative.

They were held in quarantine before being tested and the man died due to existing illnesses, said U Thet Tun Win, the Botahtaung Township lawmaker in the Yangon parliament. Four township residents have now tested positive for COVID-19.

Yangon has the most coronavirus cases with more than 100 patients at Waibargi Infectious Diseases Hospital and South Okkalapa Specialist Hospital.

Last week, the health ministry said more than half of Yangons transmission is from the religious gathering in the city.

But as of Wednesday, nearly 90 of the COVID-19 cases are related to the gathering.

Myanmar reported its first COVID-19 death on March 31. The 69-year-old man had been undergoing stage-four cancer treatment and died with multiple ailments, including coronavirus.

Two more COVID-19 patients died on April 8, a 47-year-old man who had been treated at Pyay General Hospital in Bago Region and a 63-year-old woman who had diabetes as an underlying illness.

On April 12, an 85-year-old COVID-19 patient with underlying hypertension, diabetes and heart disease died while in isolation at Yangon General Hospital.

On April 18, a 78-year-old man with hypertension and diabetes died of COVID-19 after contact with a member of the religious gathering.

Myanmar has tested over 7,200 people as of Tuesday and put nearly 48,000 people in hospital and quarantine.

COVID-19 patients age from 18 months to 87.

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Myanmar State Counselor Says State Will Care for Family of Deceased COVID-19 Patient

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By Ben Klayman and Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co on Tuesday posted a $2 billion first-quarter loss due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and said it expected its loss in the second quarter to more than double as it weathers a shutdown of its North American plants. 'We believe the company's cash is sufficient to take us through the end of the year, even with no additional vehicle wholesales or financing actions,' Chief Financial Officer Tim Stone said in a statement. According to Stone, 'todays economic environment remains too ambiguous' for the No.

By Ben Klayman and Nick Carey

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co on Tuesday posted a $2 billion first-quarter loss due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and said it expected its loss in the second quarter to more than double as it weathers a shutdown of its North American plants.

"We believe the company's cash is sufficient to take us through the end of the year, even with no additional vehicle wholesales or financing actions," Chief Financial Officer Tim Stone said in a statement.

According to Stone, "todays economic environment remains too ambiguous" for the No. 2 U.S. automaker to give a full-year 2020 earnings forecast.

The company has slashed costs during the COVID-19 outbreak to weather the shutdown, including cutting salaries of executives and white-collar employees.

Ford shares were down more than 6% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.

Ford had preannounced the pandemic-fueled loss earlier this month. That warning came the same day the Dearborn, Michigan-based company raised $8 billion from corporate debt investors.

Last month, Ford moved to hoard cash on its balance sheet, drawing down $15.4 billion from two credit lines and suspending its dividend, in a move to bolster reserves to ride out damage to its business. It also abandoned its 2020 financial forecast.

Virtually all U.S. automotive production ground to a halt in March as the number of COVID-19 infections grew rapidly. However, with President Donald Trump pushing for Americans to get back to work and several U.S. states beginning to reopen their economies, the focus in the auto sector has shifted to when production can be restarted.

Ford's captive finance arm posted $30 million in first-quarter pretax earnings, down $771 million versus the same period in 2019. This included $600 million in additional-loss reserves, plus higher depreciation of former lease vehicle sales and expected lease defaults  in preparation for the estimated future impact of the coronavirus on the finance unit's performance.

Ford, General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) are aiming to resume production some time in May, and are negotiating with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which represents their U.S. hourly workers, about how to safely resume vehicle production. FCA and GM are scheduled to report quarterly results on May 5 and 6, respectively.

Last week, the UAW said it was "too soon and too risky" to reopen auto plants in early May.

Ford, whose credit rating has been downgraded to "junk" status by Standard & Poor's, has not said when it plans to reopen in North America. It previously had hoped to resume production in April at plants that make its most profitable vehicles but subsequently backed off those plans.

Ford said Tuesday it will restart most of its European manufacturing starting on May 4. It has already resumed operations in China, where the pandemic began and where sales fell 35% in the first quarter. U.S. sales fell 12.5%.

Prior to the bond deal, Ford told investors that absent new funding and a restart of production, it had cash to last until the end of the third quarter. It also said revenue in the first quarter would finish at about $34 billion.

Ford also warned that production of high-priced versions of pickups and SUVs could be hurt due to damage caused by a tornado at parts supplier BorgWarner Inc's South Carolina factory. That facility makes transfer cases for some of Ford's most profitable vehicles, such as four wheel-drive large F-series pickups and large SUVs.

Once production resumes, the question will be how fast U.S. demand bounces back.

Earlier in April, Ford's U.S. sales chief, Mark LaNeve, told Reuters the automaker believed some level of government stimulus for the U.S. auto sector will be needed for consumers once the pandemic recedes.

During the Great Recession of 2008-09, the U.S. government rolled out a "cash for clunkers" program that offered consumers rebates of up to $4,500 to trade in older gas guzzlers.

Ford said its cash burn rate has remained high because it pays suppliers with a lag of 45 days. The company said its cash outflow will fall substantially after early May as Ford catches up with bills through to when it shut down in March.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman and Nick Carey in Detroit; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Matthew Lewis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday touted the results of trial examining an experimental drug treatment for the novel coronavirus, calling it "good news" as he spoke in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump.

A randomized, international trial of the drug remdesivir had resulted in "quite good news," shortening the period patients experienced symptoms and potentially slightly reducing the mortality rate, according to Fauci, a member of the White House's coronavirus task force and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsored the trial.

"What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus," Fauci said, calling the development "very optimistic."

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

The trial had 1,063 patients spread across 22 countries, including the U.S., and the first participant was an American who had been quarantined on the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship wracked by the virus that was docked in Japan earlier this year, according to the NIAID.

It had not yet been peer-reviewed but was being submitted to a journal for review, Fauci said as he previewed the results. Experts interviewed by ABC News urged caution until the full data was released.

MORE: Remdesivir could be promising drug candidate to treat coronavirus

Fauci said the data so far showed the drug, made by the biotech company Gilead Sciences, had "a clear-cut, significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery."

For those who took the drug, Fauci said, it took less time to recover, averaging 11 days compared to 15 days for those in a control group who received a placebo.

Fauci said the data represented "a very important proof of concept" -- showing that a drug could, in fact, "block" COVID-19.

Story continues

PHOTO: One vial of the drug Remdesivir is viewed at the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) in Hamburg, northern Germany on April 8, 2020, amidst the new coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (POOL/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

He also said the mortality rate trended lower for those who took the drug -- 8% compared to 11% for those who did not -- although he noted that trend was not yet statistically significant, and the results will undergo further analysis.

Announcing the results was accelerated because of the ethical obligation to let patients in trial control groups know about this drug "so that they can have access," Fauci said.

Moving forward, he said, "this will be the standard of care."

MORE: Coronavirus updates: 'We're not out of the woods yet,' Cuomo says

The president, who in the past repeatedly encouraged COVID-19 patients to seek out a different, anti-malarial drug despite no strong evidence it helped, said that the results of the remdesivir trial were "good news." Trump has praised remdesivir in the past, too.

"It's a beginning, it means you build on it," Trump said Wednesday. "I love that as a building block -- you know, just as a building block, I love that. But certainly it's a positive, it's a very positive event from that standpoint."

PHOTO: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases speaks as President Donald Trump meets with Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, April 29, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Remdesivir, which is delivered through an intravenous infusion, was initially developed by Gilead to treat Ebola. Although initially promising, it didnt prove as effective as other Ebola treatments, so research was halted.

However, laboratory studies found remdesivir might work against SARS, a close cousin to the virus that has caused the current COVID-19 pandemic. Because of its promise, governments around the world acted quickly to set up formal studies to answer the question: Does remdesivir help patients with COVID-19 get better faster?

Experts said today's results were hopeful but that more study was needed.

MORE: Democrats question accuracy of new coronavirus antibody tests

The news about remdesivir might get us jumping for joy today but we need to see the data and continue to study this for a definitive answer," Jay Bhatt, an ABC News contributor who was until recently the chief medical officer of the American Hospital Association, noting the "rigor" of the study did give him "hope."

William Schaffner, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University and expert on infectious diseases, told ABC News the results were "very encouraging."

"These are the first data from a controlled trial," he said. "Even though the trial had to be truncated, this data would indicate we have a drug that can benefit patients. Its not a miracle drug, but seems to reduce hospitalization duration and death rates. These are very, very important.

Sony Salzman, Angela Baldwin and Dr. Chloe E. Nunneley contributed reporting.

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: coronavirus map

This report was featured in the Thursday, April 30, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast.

"Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Trump, Fauci tout 'good news' from remdesivir drug trial in treating COVID-19 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Alice Bacon walks into the garden and waves with a smile at her daughters Mary Watson and Joyce Parker, standing outside a climb-proof fence, talking into a single mobile telephone.

The 93-year-old is terminally-ill. Now she has COVID-19 too. She has told her daughters she is "living in hell".

Newmarch House, which houses Ms Bacon, has become the most notorious hotspot for the deadly disease after the outbreak aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

And on Wednesday, the 12th resident at the Anglicare facility at Caddens in Sydney's west died from the disease, six of these deaths occured over the past two days.
Update: Winston was not infected with the coronavirus, the U.S.D.A. said in June.

A pug in North Carolina named Winston has tested positive for the coronavirus in what is apparently the first known case in which the virus was detected in a dog in the United States, researchers at Duke University said on Tuesday.

The dog belongs to a Chapel Hill family participating in a research study at the university, in which researchers were trying to understand how humans respond to different types of infection. Three of the family members, Dr. Heather McLean, Dr. Samuel McLean and their son Ben McLean, were also infected by the virus.

The dogs symptoms lasted only a few days and were mild, according to members of the family  he was sluggish, sneezing and breathing heavily. Most telling of all, they said, he didnt finish breakfast one morning.

Winstons preliminary test results, if confirmed by the U.S. Agriculture Department, will raise broader questions about how susceptible animals are to the coronavirus. Experts have said that there is no evidence that pets can transmit the virus to people, and that people should not worry about giving the virus to their pets.
Pilot unions have slammed British Airways who announced plans to make one quarter of their staff redundant in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

The firm, which is owned by the International Airlines Group, said it is planning to lose 12,000 jobs after claiming demand will not return to 2019 levels for several years.

Brian Strutton, General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association said he did not expect BA's announcement, and said his union would fight the planned job losses.

He asked why IAG planned to slash 12,000 jobs in BA while leaving its other airlines such as Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus 'untouched'.

British Airways has announced plans to reduce the number of staff by 12,000 as it plans its response to the collapse in demand following the Covid-19 lockdown

Chief Executive Willie Walsh of International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways, said there was no prospect of a bailout of BA from the British government

Unite's General Secretary Len McCluskey described the plan as 'heartbreaking' and a 'stab in the back' for BA staff.

Mr Strutton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'You have to ask the question why the French government is bailing out Air France, why are the Germans bailing out Lufthansa, why is IAG itself not doing anything in its other flag carrier airlines, only British Airways.

'That is the question you have to ask. Why in our country is our aviation industry getting hammered?

'Other countries are supporting theirs. The Americans have put in $25bn in supporting their aviation industry.'

Mr Strutton said in its letter to its employees and unions yesterday, BA highlighted the lack of government support.

He said: I suppose that is one of the reasons you see the IAG group which owns British Airways, targeting BA, but leaving its other companies, Aer Lingus, Vueling, and Iberia untouched.

Mr Strutton said there was no justification for the loss of 12,000 jobs.

He said: 'British Airways and its parent company IAG said it had sufficient cash reserves to weather the storm of the Covid crisis.

'In their announcement yesterday they highlighted that they have nearly 10bn in cash and near cash reserves so why they are having to take such draconian steps now when the lie of the land ahead is so unclear. It baffles me and we will be testing their arguments very very thoroughly indeed to protect all these jobs.'

Mr Strutton said he agreed it will take several years for aviation demand to return to pre-Covid levels.

Will air travel get more expensive? According to analysis by US-based Dollar Flight Club, we can expect lower airfare prices in the short term, before prices rise dramatically by 2025. Through to 2021, the flight deals service found there would be a 35 per cent decrease in prices on average, as airlines desperately attempt to draw customers back in. But over the next four years, prices would then rise by over a quarter above pre-crisis levels as demand outstrips a significantly reduced supply. The data indicates more severe drops and subsequent price hikes than were experienced either during 9/11 or from the financial crash. 'Passengers in smaller or short-haul markets can expect significant cuts in scheduled air service as airlines downsize operations,' read the report. 'This will make it significantly more expensive and harder for these passengers to travel. In these markets, we can expect train and bus travel to see significant growth.' The club found that over the next year, customers could get a roundtrip from Los Angeles to London for $329, or a roundtrip from New York to Amsterdam for $278. Advertisement

He continued: However, this is a reduction of a quarter of their workforce. It is at a time when their rivals and competitors are still working out what they are doing. I dont think anybody knows what the future market is going to be like at this stage.'

Mr Strutton said it is inevitable the governments furlough scheme will be extended as many companies will not be able to return to normal.

He said failure to provide sufficient support will lead to an unemployment cliff edge. He said many industries, including aviation, will need government assistance to secure their futures.

He added: 'I would like the chancellor to keep his promise. He said in March there would be a bespoke package to help the aviation industry, we havent seen it yet and we desperately need to see it now.'

Environment Secretary George Eustace defended the government's handling of the crisis facing the airline industry.

He told Sky News: 'It's a very difficult situation for many parts of our economy, we recognise that, we've not taken these decisions on lockdown lightly. Whole sectors such as catering, hospitality and, yes, airlines have suffered financial distress.

'We're very sad to hear this news about British Airways considering these redundancies. We put in place a very wide range of packages to support businesses through this time.

'If there's a specific case for a specific airline the Treasury has always been clear that they stand ready to look at any other individual case.'

The GMB union also condemned BA's announcement.

Unions have asked why IAG is cutting jobs at British Airways while leaving other airlines that form part of the group untouched

Gary Pearce, GMB London Regional Officer said 'This announcement from BA is jumping the gun. The company cannot know with any certainty what the future is in terms of how soon airline passenger numbers will recover.

'The company should withdraw this statement.

'Instead it should join with unions to discuss with Treasury the promised government support package for the Aviation sector and an extension of the furlough scheme beyond end June as the aviation sector gradually returns to normal.'

Shares in airline group IAG fell three per cent after the airline group launched a plan to shrink its main British Airways business, axing staff numbers by a quarter as it warned of a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

With no end in sight for the travel bans which have brought flying to a near-halt, airlines across the world are facing deep uncertainty and heavy future losses, and no visibility on how and when operations can restart.

British Airways could make up to 12,000 staff redundant, its parent company said on Tuesday, as it forecast that passenger numbers will take years to recover from the crisis. BA has 45,000 employees, including 16,500 cabin crew and 3,900 pilots.

British Airline Pilots' Association's response: BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton said: 'BA pilots and all staff are devastated by the announcement of up to 12,000 possible job losses in British Airways. 'This has come as a bolt out of the blue from an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID storm and declined any Government support. 'BALPA does not accept that a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one.' Advertisement

Traders said that IAG's shares fell due to the warning over demand and after first quarter results came in worse than expected. Its stock has lost 64 per cent of its value in the last three months.

The radical shake-out planned at IAG to help it survive the coronavirus crisis contrasts with moves at rival big European airline groups Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, which are both hoping that government bailouts will see them through.

Lufthansa said on Tuesday could seek some form of protection from creditors while talking to the Berlin government about a 9 billion rescue package.

But IAG's chief executive Willie Walsh has long-opposed state-backed rescues for airlines and BA said on Tuesday that there was 'no government bailout standing by for BA'.

IAG, which owns Iberia and Vueling in Spain and Aer Lingus in Ireland as well as BA, has, however, used government furlough schemes to help pay staff who have been temporarily suspended while planes are not flying.

Yesterday, the airline said: 'The proposals remain subject to consultation but it is likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them.'

BA Chief Executive Alex Cruz told staff the airline was taking every possible action to conserve cash to weather the storm in the short term, including renegotiating contracts and looking at options for its fleet, but it would not be enough.

He said: 'In the last few weeks, the outlook for the aviation industry has worsened further and we must take action now.

'There is no government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face.'

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: 'This devastating announcement comes on the day that BA staff joined together to lay to rest one of their own, a long-standing and much-loved cabin crew member who tragically died from the coronavirus, contracted while carrying out his duties bringing home loved ones from overseas to reunite concerned families.

'This announcement will be felt as the stab in the back it undoubtedly is by the close-knit BA family.

'We say to BA's boss, Alex Cruz, that this is a heartless decision in a time of national crisis.

'With the majority of BA's workers on furlough, we would have expected him to work with both us and the Government to honour the spirit of the Government's job retention scheme.

'Governments across Europe, in Spain, Germany and France are working with trade unions and airlines to rebuild the industry, keeping people in work while the sector recovers.

'To reject government support but then expect their own staff to pay the cost of such a misjudgment is irresponsible, dangerous and destructive and is utterly at odds with the mood of the country at a time of crisis.

'This workforce has worked tirelessly, heroically and unnoticed throughout this crisis, in dangerous circumstances on the global transport front line.

'They simply do not deserve to be treated as a commodity to be disposed of in this way.'-

Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: 'The Government should have stepped in sooner and done more to protect their jobs.

'The aviation industry is critical to the UK economy but workers should not be being laid off by those at the top who have reaped the rewards from their hard work.'

Airlines around the world face a struggle to survive due to the pandemic.

Sir Richard Branson has warned that Virgin Atlantic will collapse unless it receives Government support.

It emerged on Monday that most of Norwegian's aircraft will remain grounded for a year.
For the next three Saturdays, Coconino County Health and Human Services will join other Arizona health departments and private providers in a statewide initiative to test up to 60,000 Arizonans for COVID-19.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Coconino County had 435 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 63 in Flagstaff and 313 within tribal communities. Among all tests completed, about 20% have been positive, County Epidemiologist Matt Maurer said in a press briefing.

Through the blitz, for the first time, testing will be open to anyone who suspects they have been exposed to and could be infected with COVID-19  symptoms and a doctors note are no longer required.

Two testing sites in Flagstaff, at Fort Tuthill and the Countys King Street building, will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At this time, the County will not be setting up a blitz testing site in outlying areas; however, private groups are able to do so. Canyonlands Healthcare in Page has already registered to offer the testing for the three-week duration of the blitz.

The tests are the same as previous COVID-19 tests offered by the County, using nasal swab specimens, and will show if an individual currently has COVID-19. They are not antibody tests and will therefore not reveal whether an individual has developed an immunity to the coronavirus.

They just need to think that theyve been exposed to someone with COVID and, quite frankly, since we have statewide and community transmission, anybody fits that criteria, said Marie Peoples, County Incident Commander and Deputy County Manager, in a COVID-19 update to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Peoples said testing supplies remain limited; if the two sites are inundated with individuals seeking testing this weekend, County staff and volunteers may have to turn people away.

As of Tuesday, the County had 800 testing kits in stock and has anticipated being able to accommodate about 400 people seeking tests this weekend, allowing some of the testing supplies to be saved for ongoing testing of those with qualifying symptoms at Fort Tuthill, which has been averaging about 30 tests a day.

For the blitz, tests will be administered on a first-come, first-serve basis, regardless of symptoms or vulnerable populations. Peoples said this aligns with the guidelines from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the state organization leading the blitz.

We know that rapidly identifying cases, conducting case follow-up, and performing contact tracing will help slow the transmission of COVID-19 in our communities, ADHS Director Cara Christ said in a press release Monday. Success in these areas requires an increase in our testing capacity, and the Arizona Testing Blitz will help allow those who want to be tested, get tested.

Although ADHS will pay participating organizations for their involvement in the blitz to cover costs like staffing and security  for the County, an approximate $15,000 per site for the three weekends  Peoples said the state has not yet provided any additional testing kits or personal protective equipment (PPE) for use during this event.

Peoples said the County team is also seeking guidance from ADHS about testing individuals who are from other locations outside of Coconino County, such as visitors from Maricopa County, to determine how testing kits will be reimbursed and results correctly reported.

Though ADHS did send the County a rapid COVID-19 testing machine last week, Peoples said it will not be used for the blitz because it only came with 24 testing kits.

Until were able to receive more kits, were not able to deploy it in a meaningful way, said Peoples, who said the current plan is to bring the machine into facilities like nursing homes to do testing there, once the County receives the additional kits it has requested.

Coconino County plans to communicate additional information about the upcoming blitz throughout the week on its website and social media. When possible, individuals seeking testing are asked to preregister through the ADHS website, www.azhealth.gov/TestingBlitz, which will allow participating groups to prepare for the number of people who will arrive at testing sites. For more information and updates from Coconino County, visit www.coconino.az.gov/2294/COVID-19-Information.

Kaitlin Olson can be reached at the office at kolson@azdailysun.com or by phone at (928) 556-2253.

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The victim was extricated from a fire that was reported about 5 p.m. in a townhouse in the 14800 block of Hatfield Square in the Centreville area, the fire department said. The victim was described only as female; no name or age was given.
The PPP was backed by $349 billion from the federal stimulus package passed last month. Through the program, a business with fewer than 500 workers could get a loan of up to $10 million. That money has already been exhausted, but lawmakers have agreed to replenish the coffers with an additional $320 billion, according to the Observer. So far, banks have reportedly collected more than $10 billion in fees from the program.

Banks make between 1% and 5% in fees on each PPP loan, depending on size, according to the Observer. For loans under $350,000, banks pocket a 5% fee, while they make 1% for loans between $2 million and $10 million. For a $10 million loan, banks pocket $100,000. On a $100,000 loan, banks make $5,000.

Data released by the Small Business Administration seemed to show a trend in PPP loans submitted to the agency. On April 13, 30% of the loans processed by the SBA were for more than $150,000  meaning they were for larger small businesses, according to the Observer. That figure fell to 26% on April 16, as the PPP ran out of money.

Ji-In Lee Houck, a lawyer with the Stalwart Group  the firm behind the lawsuits  said that trend showed that the banks were prioritizing larger loans.

Theres plenty of evidence so far already that these were not taken in order and larger loans were processed ahead of smaller ones, she told the Observer.
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

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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

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3 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh

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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

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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

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Human Rights Defender: Azerbaijani troops open fire on Armenian sovereign territory

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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

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India imposes one-week quarantine even for vaccinated tourists

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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

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WILLIAMSPORT  A federal judge has blocked alleged anti-union efforts by a Clinton County company that claims to be the East Coasts leading producer of high-strength rail steel.

U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Wednesday granted an injunction sought by the National Labor Relations Board against Jersey Shore Steel Co. that has plants in Avis and outside Montoursville.

The decree prevents Jersey Shore from withdrawing recognition of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy Allied Industrial and Service Worker International Union Local 490-04.

The company is required to bargain in good faith, rescind any unilaterally implemented decreases in wages or changes in terms of employment and reinstate three union officers who had been terminated.

Jersey Shore also may not discharge or suspend employees for supporting the union, threaten reprisals, solicit withdrawals from the union and make changes in employment conditions without notifying the union.

The order impacts the approximately 50 workers at the companys steel fabrication plant outside Montoursville whose collective bargaining agreement expired Dec. 2, 2017.

The union rejected a new contract five days later. Bargaining did not resume until the following March 21.

The NLRB alleges this is what happened next:

Jersey Shore on Dec. 12, 2018, presented a new proposal the union agreed could be presented to the membership without it commenting negatively on it.

The Local president, recording secretary and union griever were accused of making negative comments about the proposal as they were distributing it and were ordered out of the plant.

President Zachary Taylor, recording secretary Ryan Stout and griever Adrian Brown were terminated Feb, 7, 2019, for allegedly harassing employees and providing false information.

During mandatory employee meetings in late 2018 and in 2019, workers were told:

The union was responsible for the companys inability to provide wage increases.

The company planned to take its management right to have an open shop utilizing union, non-union and contract employees and threatened to close the Montoursville area plant if there was a strike.

Last Aug. 30 the company presented the union with a proposal that contained a wage increase but changed or omitted many terms on which there had been agreement and added a more sweeping management rights clause.

The same day, without seeking union permission, it presented the proposal to employees at a mass meeting.

On Sept. 6, the union protested the proposal claiming it was regressive and objected it having to drop unfair labor practice charges including those related to the firings of Brown, Stout and Taylor.

After receiving a disaffection petition signed by 31 employees, Jersey Shore notified the union Sept. 11 it was withdrawing recognition.

It told employees it was implementing the wage and bonus provisions in the August proposal along with terms and conditions of employment in a new handbook.

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Other recent PennLive stories by John Beauge

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Farming businesses have been advised by an agricultural safety expert to introduce masks for those working in close proximity to other staff or contractors.

Safety Revolution, founded in 2003 by farmer Oliver Dale, has made the recommendations as the Covid-19 crisis continues to impact the UK.

The purpose of wearing a mask is to restrict the outward projection of droplets from the wearer, thereby reducing the amount of virus in the atmosphere and its travel distance, Mr Dale explained.

Wearing a mask also restricts the wearer from touching their nose and mouth and thereby reduces the likelihood of them transferring any virus from their hands.

Safety Revolution recommends that masks should be worn when any farm vehicles are used or shared, given the stated ease with which the virus spreads and the length of time it could survive on surface.

"We advise that you introduce masks for those persons working in close proximity  close proximity in this case being less than six meters," Mr Dale advised.

"Please ensure that masks are not reused or shared, and that soiled or damaged masks are disposed of in a manner that avoids cross contamination and that staff follow the basic good hygiene practices currently advocated by the government."

Safety Revolution recommends mask specification for farmers and farm workers should be FFP3, which is the most filtering mask of the FFPs.

Advice for farmers has also been issued by the government on how farming businesses should continue to operate safely during the coronavirus pandemic.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his charm offensive on President Donald Trump, with a letter praising his coronavirus measures and calling for stronger collaboration between the NATO allies.

The letter accompanied Turkey's shipment of a military cargo plane carrying medical supplies to the U.S. to boost its fight against the pandemic, in a gesture of solidarity after years of fractious relations. The donation ordered by Erdogan included 500,000 surgical masks, 40,000 protective overalls, disinfectants, goggles and face shields.

"I am following with appreciation your determined struggle to control the pandemic in the U.S., and I am very pleased to observe that, thanks to your measures, America has taken the first steps towards normalization by achieving a downward trend in the number of new cases," Erdogan said in the letter, according to a statement by the presidency in Ankara.

Erdogan told Trump that Turkey will continue to be a "reliable and strong partner of the U.S." to meet basic needs during the outbreak and normalization process thereafter. He underlined the importance of collaboration between the two countries on measures to restore order, saying he looks forward "to exchanging ideas and suggestions on this issue at the earliest convenience."

The U.S. and Turkey have been at odds over a series of flashpoints, most recently Turkey's purchase last year of a Russian missile-defense system that the U.S. says could help Moscow gather critical intelligence on NATO systems. Erdogan's personal relationship with Trump has remained publicly warm despite the disputes, even as Washington threatened Turkey with sanctions if it deployed the S-400 missile batteries.

Turkey has "slowed down" the planned April activation of the missiles, top defense industry official Ismail Demir told state-run TRT television on Tuesday.

Erdogan said he hopes Congress and media also understand the strategic importance of the relationship between the two countries and "act in a way that our common fight against our common problems necessitates."
In a bid to contain further outbreak of Covid-19 at Kurla and Sakinaka slums in L ward, which is becoming a hotspot after densely populated slums like Worli Koliwada and Dharavi, Sakinaka and Powai police are taking a slew of measures to ensure people follow lockdown orders and social distancing norms.

Ankit Goyal, DCP of zone 10 which covers Jogeshwari (East), Andheri (E), Sakinaka and Powai, said, The slums in Sakinaka are dense and congested. Most of the residents there are labourers. As most rooms in these slums are shared by a number people, our officers are trying to convince them to stay in their houses. There are many containment zones here; hence we ensure vegetables vendors, grain sellers drive their vehicles till the entry points of the containment zones, thus making it easy for the residents.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

Kishor Sawant, senior inspector from Sakinaka police station, said, In my jurisdiction there are 89 positive patients and 45 containment zones. I have deployed police teams in markets, junctions, containment zones and have asked them to send us pictures of the areas every two to three hours to update me with the situation. If a team reports that people are not listening to them, we send additional men to handle the situation.

We have additional hands to help the needy people as well as us in maintaining law and order. The 8 corporators in my jurisdiction and their men help us round the clock by distributing food to migrant labourers. In addition, more than 59 masjids and madrassas and 15 non-government organisations (NGOs) are helping the needy by giving them food, water and grains on a daily basis, said Sawant.

111 FIRs on Tuesday against 165 people

The Mumbai Police lodged 111 FIRs against 165 people and arrested 99 people on Tuesday for lockdown violations. A maximum of 56 cases were in central region and 34 in west region, the worst-affected areas in the city. A maximum of 40 FIRs were for not wearing masks, 31 for gathering in one place and 24 for illegal use of vehicles. The remaining cases were against shops/hawkers operating illegally.

6 cops from Vakola test positive in special drive for cops

An assistant police inspector from Sahar police station and five constables from Vakola police station tested positive in a special testing drive for cops wherein around 100 policemen were tested. Shashikant Mane, senior inspector of Sahar police station, said After our API tested positive we quarantined eight policemen from Sahar police station.

Till Wednesday evening, 106 police personnel have tested positive while three constables succumbed to the disease.

141 positive in state police, 11 recovered

A total of 141 police personnel, including 16 officers and 125 men, across the state tested positive. However, of them, five officers and six men have recovered from the disease.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

Meanwhile, a total of 83,156 FIRs have been registered and 16,897 people were arrested across the state for lockdown violations. A total of 49,802 vehicles were seized and 2.94 crore was collected in fines. Police helpline 100 has received 80,617 calls from across the state for Covid-19 related issues.

Duo booked for using Vidhan Sabha logo to roam during lockdown

Matunga police booked two people for using a sticker of Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Member on their car to avoid being stopped at Nakabandi points. The father-son duo has been served with a notice for violating lockdown norms.

According to the police, the incident was reported on April 28 when the accused Kamlesh Shah, 54, was stopped by cops at a Nakabandi and could not give any evidence to prove he was a member of the Vidhan Sabha. The accused were later released, said Vijay Singh Ghadge, senior inspector, Matunga police station.

Man clings out of a window of a quarantined building

The Mumbai Police was informed through a Twitter post that a person was clinging out of the window at a quarantine centre in Kanjurmarg (west) on Wednesday. The user posted pictures of the man outside the window and complained to the police stating the man was doing stunts. The police said they have started a probe into the incident.

(With inputs from Pratik Salunke, Faisal Tandel, Jayprakash S Naidu)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 18:13:10|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a huge impact on the global economy, China's agriculture sector delivered a robust performance in the first quarter of 2020, which analysts say is the foundation of the economic stability and enabled the country to cope with the epidemic headwinds.

World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley recently warned of a hunger pandemic across the world in tandem with the coronavirus pandemic. According to WFP projections, unless swift action is taken, the economic impact of COVID-19 could cause the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity to rise from 135 million in 2019 to 265 million in 2020.

In the first quarter of 2020, China recorded a 3.5 percent year-on-year increase in the added value of the planting industry, and the breeding sows in stock expanded by 9.8 percent from the end of 2019, said Wei Baigang, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tuesday.

The stable performance of the agricultural sector has provided strong support for China's epidemic control and overall development, Wei said, pledging efforts to ensure the country's annual grain output reaches over 650 billion kg and restore the hog production to the normal level by the end of this year.

In addition, multi-pronged measures have been taken by the government to restore rural consumption, create jobs and provide more financial support for businesses.

As China has effectively got the domestic virus situation under control, domestic consumption demand was expected to be unleashed. With fresh air, good ecology, open space and low cost, rural tourism enjoys an edge in the country's tourism industry resumption.

Provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang have provided vouchers and coupons to encourage leisure tours in rural areas. The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have selected 122 typical cases of rural tourism to share the experience of absorbing social investment and mitigating the epidemic impact.

Meanwhile, many grassroots level officials have turned to livestreaming to help local farmers and entrepreneurs sell their products.

Fifty-four counties in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have joined the live sales hosted by government officials and attracted over 30 million viewers in early April, according to the regional commerce department.

"The trend of going digital in the agricultural sector and among relevant firms will continue even after the outbreak, and it will become an indispensable part of the industry," said Shen Bing, chief information officer of the agricultural branch of Sinochem, China's leading operator of fertilizer, seeds and agrochemicals.

To help migrant workers staying in their hometowns obtain employment locally or in nearby areas, the government has issued a guideline to pool resources to guide migrant workers to engage in agriculture, create jobs by implementing rural infrastructure projects, nurture innovative business models and support startups.

Rural homes have always provided an alternative for China's migratory workers. Some of them have returned home to farm the land amid the epidemic, generating additional output for the agriculture sector, said He Xuefeng, dean of the School of Sociology of Wuhan University.

For family farms, rural cooperatives and people returning or moving to the countryside to set up businesses, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission recently underscored in a circular that further financial assistance should be offered.

The commission encouraged commercial banks to strengthen financial support for grain production, circulation, processing, storage, import and export and consumption, and offer good financial services to the animal husbandry industry.

"Agriculture is the ballast of economic and social stability that requires special attention in the face of risks," Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said during an extraordinary virtual meeting of the G20 agriculture ministers on April 21.

China's agricultural sector has withstood the test of the COVID-19 outbreak, Han said, adding that the country will continue to coordinate anti-virus efforts and agricultural production and go all-out to secure a bumper harvest for this year. Enditem
: Telangana Chief Minister K



Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday said the state is becoming the rice bowl of the country due to record paddy being cultivated following improvement in irrigation facilities.

He said a strategy is being worked out to ensure reasonable support price for the agricultural produce in view ofthe increase inyield and acreage.

Rao, who held a meeting on agriculture-related issues, also favoured the cultivation of crops in a regulated manner in which the farmers should cultivate crops that would have a demand in the market, an official release said.

He told the officials concerned to construct godowns with an additional capacity of 40 lakh tonnes.

About 1300 TMC of water in Godavari and Krishna would be used soon as the government has prioritised irrigation projects, the Chief Minister said.

Besides, availability of water for irrigation improved due to works taken up to revive tanks under Mission Kakatiya scheme and also due to the 24-hour-free power supply to farm sector, he said.

Under projects related to wells and borewells, there is a possibility of having two crops in 1.45 crore acres and three crops in 10 lakh acres. Then Telangana will become the rice bowl of India. The yield will be doubled in the years to come. It is our bounden duty to finalise a strategy to get the support price, he said.

Observing that the state government is now buying each and every morsel produced by farmers as the farmers are in distress due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, Rao said the farmers should similarly get their support price in future too.

Favouring the civil supplies department to buy paddy, pulses, and mill them into rice and pulses through food processing units and supplying them to people, he said such a move would help farmers get proper support price.

The civil supplies department should prepare an action plan in this direction, he said.

The Chief Minister also favoured the farmers going for crops as per market demand.

The practice of every farmer going for the same crop should be done away with. Farmers should go in for crops which have a demand in the markets. The agriculture department should suggest which crop should be grown in which area. Farmers should go in for crops as suggested by the Agriculture department. The government should procure the yield, he said.

Procurement should also be done in a regulatory manner and the government is ready bring in a legislation if need be in this regard, he said.

Noting that there is more demand for fertilisers and pesticides and seeds in view of rise in cultivation of crops, he said there is a need for 22.30 lakh tonnes of fertilisers in the coming monsoon season. Arrangements are being made to keep the fertilisers available for farmers.

Saying that godowns with a capacity of 22.5 lakh tonnes are available in the state, he favoured construction of godowns with an additional capacity of 40 lakh tonnes.

He suggested that the Rythu Bandhu Samitis (farmers coordination panels) plays an active role in helping the farmers.

He further said the government is taking stern action against sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

According to official sources, the estimated production of paddy during the current season is around one core MTs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Johannesburg (AFP) - South African hairdresser Sandy feared for her life when a five-week coronavirus lockdown trapped her indoors with her abusive husband.

"He has threatened to break my business and destroy me," said the 42-year-old, who did not wish to use her real name.

"It started the first day of lockdown and it just got worse."

Sandy's was far from an isolated case.

More than 12,000 victims rang the national helpline for abused women and children in the first three weeks after the lockdown started on March 27 -- double the usual volume of calls.

"The country battles another deadly epidemic of gender-based violence," the Daily Maverick newspaper warned last month as it became clear the virus had hit South Africa hard.

At least 4,996 coronavirus cases have been recorded so far -- the highest in Africa -- including 93 deaths.

South Africa had been grappling with the scourge of violence against women long before the coronavirus lockdown was imposed.

A woman is killed every three hours in South Africa, according to police statistics -- a rate five times the world average. Half are murdered by men with whom they had a close relationship.

Official statistics suggest that more than 110 rapes are reported to the police per day.

Stay-at-home measures have only made things worse for women stuck in abusive relationships.

"If they are abusers naturally, the lockdown is a great opportunity for them," said Kathy Cronje, who heads a shelter for domestic violence victims named Safe House.

Families are hardest hit in overcrowded township houses, said Shaheda Omar, head of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children.

"In normal circumstances, parents can tell the children to go and play outside," Omar told AFP, adding that not being able to work was also a trigger.

"People lose their jobs," she explained.

"Not knowing when the next supply of bread is going to come from is an other contributing factor to the flare up of tensions."

Story continues

- Fear of reprisal -

"You have your disputes and spats and your disagreements, which are normal," said Sandy.

"But when you're in a confined space, you don't get that opportunity to just get in your car and take a drive," she explained. The result: "A volcanic explosion."

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the surge in domestic violence "during a time of such difficulty for our country".

"It is disturbing that... women and girls are being terrorised inside their own homes, forcing them to make desperate calls for help," Ramaphosa said in a emailed weekly note.

The anti-sexual violence TEARS Foundation received 30 percent more text messages and calls over the past month, said its founder Mara Glennie, a GBV assault survivor.

But victims who manage to seek help are only the tip of the iceberg.

"When the police come to your door and your abuser is with you, it is very hard to say I need help," Glennie told AFP.

"They (the victim) might be standing in front of you with a black eye, a bloody nose -- they still deny."

- 'Suffer in silence' -

Victims who are able to break free would still be unable to travel far due to lockdown restrictions.

Glennie explained that they would first need to apply for a permit in court, adding another layer of complication.

The nature of the lockdown has made us suffer in silence," women's rights militant Brenda Madumise-Pajibo told AFP.

Cronje noted victims did not immediately reach out to Safe House once the lockdown started.

"We were wondering why," Cronje said. "The fear of corona(virus) was maybe bigger than the fear of staying at home."

"As soon as they heard that the lockdown was extended," she added. "They realised what they had gone through and said: (we) can't stand it anymore."

Safe House has since been struggling to find enough shelters and the national helpline is overwhelmed with calls.

"After 10 minutes someone is picking up the call, and then music for another 10 minutes," Omar complained, adding that the time spent waiting "could be a matter of life or death".

Last year Ramaphosa announced a 1.1 billion rand (around $59 million) emergency plan to fight GBV.

But rights groups have been disappointed by the lack of action, claiming they have not received any government support since the announcement.

"The pledge made last year by the president has not been given," said Glennie.

"It is a shame, an absolute shame, at a time when we need it the most."
Lima, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lima, PERU, April 28th, 2020  Credicorp Ltd. announces to its shareholders and the market that its 1Q20 Earnings Release Report will be released on Thursday May 07th, 2020 after market close.



Credicorps Conference Call to discuss such results will be held on Friday May 08th, 2020 at 10:30 am EST (9:30 am Lima, Peru Time). The call will be host by: Walter Bayly, CEO, Alvaro Correa, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Gianfranco Ferrari, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Reynaldo Llosa, Chief Risk Officer, Cesar Rios, Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations Team.

To access the call, please dial:

1 877 271 1828 within the U.S.

1 334 323 9871 from outside the U.S.

Participant Code: 643525

The conference call will also be webcast live, to accessed please visit our website:

www.credicorpnet.com

An accompanying presentation will be posted prior to the call / webcast, in section:

Investors / Financials / Conference Call: Q1 2020. To replay the call, a webcast replay audio file will be posted on the companys website approximately in the afternoon on the same day of the conference call.

Credicorp reminds you that we filed our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 2018 (2018 Form 20-F) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30th, 2019. The 2018 Form 20-F includes audited consolidated financial statements of Credicorp and its subsidiaries as of December 31st, 2017 and 2018 and for the years ended December 31st, 2016, 2017 and 2018 under IFRS. Our 2018 Form 20-F can be downloaded from Credicorps website: www.credicorpnet.com . Holders of Credicorps securities and any other interested parties may request a hard copy of our 2018 Form 20-F, free of charge, by filling out the form located on the link mail request on Credicorps website.





About Credicorp

Credicorp Ltd. (BAP) is the leading financial services holding company in Peru with presence in Chile, Colombia and Bolivia. Credicorp has a diversified business portfolio organized into four lines of business: Universal Banking, through Banco de Credito del Peru - BCP and Banco de Credito de Bolivia; Microfinance, through Mibanco and Encumbra; Insurance & Pension Funds, through Grupo Pacifico and Prima AFP; and Investment Banking & Wealth Management, through Credicorp Capital, Wealth Management at BCP and Atlantic Security Bank.

Story continues

For further information please contact the IR team:

investorrelations@credicorpperu.com

Investor Relations

Credicorp Ltd.

Attachment
Audio Attachment: Listen to Allotey Jacobs on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' program.

Social Commentator, Allotey Jacobs, has admonished the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to cease its verbal attacks against President Nana Akufo-Addo over the latter's pledge to construct 88 district hospitals in the country.



Addressing the nation in his 8th update on COVID-19, President Nana Akufo-Addo disclosed some deficiencies that need in the health sector.



President's Promise



He disclosed that the threat of COVID-19 has however aided the government to identify certain health needs that must be put in place to ensure the nation beefs up the health sector.



"Just as the virus has disrupted our daily lives, it has also exposed the deficiencies of our healthcare system, because of years of under-investment and neglect. Whilst maternal, new-born, adolescent health and nutrition remain our top priorities, we must pay increased attention to chronic, noncommunicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and asthma, which have proved to be the common risk factors for the eleven (11) deaths we have recorded from the virus".



In view of this, the President indicated his "government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure, the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing eighty-eight (88) hospitals in the districts without hospitals. It will mean ten (10) in Ashanti, nine (9) in Volta, nine (9) in Central, eight (8) in Eastern, seven (7) in Greater Accra, seven (7) in Upper East, five (5) in Northern, five (5) in Oti, five (5) in Upper West, five (5) in Bono, four (4) in Western North, four (4) in Western, three (3) in Ahafo, three (3) in Savannah, two (2) in Bono East, and two (2) in North East Regions. Each of them will be a quality, standard-design, one hundred bed hospital, with accommodation for doctors, nurses and other health workers, and the intention is to complete them within a year. We have also put in place plans for the construction of six (6) new regional hospitals in the six (6) new regions, and the rehabilitation of the EffiaNkwanta Hospital, in Sekondi, which is the regional hospital of the Western Region".



But hours after the President's remarks, the leadership and members of the NDC sought to question the viability of the projects within a year, and further slam the President for taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to rehash his campaign promises.



Rehash of "pretentious" 2016 campaign promises



NDC Member of Parliament for Juaboso constituency and Ranking Member on Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in an interview on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show asked the President to be "cognizant of his status as a President when addressing the nation on the state of the COVID-19. We are obliged to listen to the President and help him fight the COVID-19, but the moment he switches into political promises then there will be issues because when it comes to political campaign promises, the President has a certain pedigree...So, if the President comes to paint a picture as if he has now seen the need to build district hospitals due to the COVID-19, then it is not true, the President was not truthful to us because there was no COVID-19 in 2016. He should prove me wrong if he didnt promise this to Ghanaians in the party's manifesto''.



Criticisms Premature



However, speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' program, Wednesday, Allotey Jacobs opined that it would have been best for the NDC to adopt a wait-and-see approach for awhile to know whether the project could even be rolled out, before attempting to shoot it down entirely.



To him, it is 'premature' for the NDC to cast doubts over the feasibility of the President's promise in improving the health sector because it was not captured in this year's budget.



"If he says he will construct them, we have to exercise patience and watch him. Where is he going to get the funds? How is he going to start? Should he claim to have started one or two, bear in mind that the residents in whose districts the hospitals are being constructed can bear witness or otherwise. So, for me, it is premature for him to be criticized because you're even urging him on to even find resources to start the projects . . . If he can do it or not, what is important is that 88 districts in this country needs hospitals.



''When it's getting close to elections and he hasn't begun, then you can call out his bluff, but it's too early to even say that it will be difficult or impossible to find the resources to complete it," the former Central Regional Chairman of the NDC stated.



Watch Video Below





Social Commentator, Allotey Jacobs, has admonished the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to cease its verbal attacks against President Nana Akufo-Addo over the latter's pledge to construct 88 district hospitals in the country.



Addressing the nation in his 8th update on COVID-19, President Nana Akufo-Addo disclosed some deficiencies that need in the health sector.



President's Promise



He disclosed that the threat of COVID-19 has however aided the government to identify certain health needs that must be put in place to ensure the nation beefs up the health sector.



"Just as the virus has disrupted our daily lives, it has also exposed the deficiencies of our healthcare system, because of years of under-investment and neglect. Whilst maternal, new-born, adolescent health and nutrition remain our top priorities, we must pay increased attention to chronic, noncommunicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and asthma, which have proved to be the common risk factors for the eleven (11) deaths we have recorded from the virus".



In view of this, the President indicated his "government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure, the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing eighty-eight (88) hospitals in the districts without hospitals. It will mean ten (10) in Ashanti, nine (9) in Volta, nine (9) in Central, eight (8) in Eastern, seven (7) in Greater Accra, seven (7) in Upper East, five (5) in Northern, five (5) in Oti, five (5) in Upper West, five (5) in Bono, four (4) in Western North, four (4) in Western, three (3) in Ahafo, three (3) in Savannah, two (2) in Bono East, and two (2) in North East Regions. Each of them will be a quality, standard-design, one hundred bed hospital, with accommodation for doctors, nurses and other health workers, and the intention is to complete them within a year. We have also put in place plans for the construction of six (6) new regional hospitals in the six (6) new regions, and the rehabilitation of the EffiaNkwanta Hospital, in Sekondi, which is the regional hospital of the Western Region".



But hours after the president's remarks, the leadership and members of the NDC sought to question the viability of the projects within a year, and further slam the President for taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to rehash his campaign promises.



Rehash of "pretentious" 2016 campaign promises



NDC Member of Parliament for Juaboso constituency and Ranking Member on Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in an interview on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show asked the President to be "cognizant of his status as a President when addressing the nation on the state of the COVID-19. We are obliged to listen to the President and help him fight the COVID-19, but the moment he switches into political promises then there will be issues because when it comes to political campaign promises, the President has a certain pedigree...So, if the President comes to paint a picture as if he has now seen the need to build district hospitals due to the COVID-19, then it is not true, the President was not truthful to us because there was no COVID-19 in 2016. He should prove me wrong if he didnt promise this to Ghanaians in the party's manifesto''.



Criticisms Premature



But speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' program Wednesday, Allotey Jacobs opined that it would have been best for the NDC to adopt a wait-and-see approach for a while to know whether the project could even be rolled out, before attempting to shoot it down entirely.



To him, it is 'premature' for the NDC to cast doubts over the feasibility of the President's promise in improving the health sector because it was not capture in this year's budget.



"If he says he will construct them, we have to exercise patience and watch him. Where is he going to get the funds? How is he going to start? Should he claim to have started one or two, bear in mind that the residents in whose districts the hospitals are being constructed can bear witness or otherwise. So, for me, it is premature for him to be criticized because you're even urging him on to even find resources to start the projects . . . If he can do it or not, what is important is that 88 districts in this country needs hospitals.



''When it's getting close to elections and he hasn't begun, then you can call out his bluff, but it's too early to even say that it will be difficult or impossible to find the resources to complete it," the former Central Regional Chairman of the NDC stated.



Watch Video Below

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Just two months ago, the Richmond-based technology staffing and training company Daybreak IT Solutions was operating in a hot business environment.

"The IT space was strong and companies could not hire fast enough," said Sonny Gupta, who co-owns the firm with Vinnie Wright. "There was a talent shortage in Richmond."

Then the coronavirus pandemic descended and "things just changed so quickly," Gupta said. "It's tough."

The firm's eight-member staff has been working remotely for seven weeks. "I want to say it has been about six weeks since we had much to work on," Gupta said. "A few of our clients are still looking to hire contractors, but the majority of them have kind of hit the pause button."

Gupta said about 60 of the firm's IT contractors who work for various clients still have jobs, but about 10 were laid off as businesses around the region have cut back because of the economic slowdown.

"It is just flat as far as new activity, but I am thankful that the majority of our field team is still able to work," Gupta said, adding that he is still optimistic about an economic rebound, though it remains uncertain when that will happen.

Gupta's sentiments are reflected in the results of a new business survey released this week by the Virginia Council of CEOs and the University of Richmond's Robins School of Business.

The survey of 100 top executives of small- and medium-sized businesses in central Virginia, conducted April 20 to 23, showed that 77% of CEOs expect their company's sales to decline over the next six months.

That is actually a slight improvement over the last survey, conducted in mid-March, when 87% of CEOs said they expected sales to decline over the next six months.

The economic outlook survey is normally conducted every three months by the Robins School and the Virginia Council of CEOs. The two organizations now are planning to conduct the survey monthly to help gauge the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Virginia.

In the most recent survey, 37% percent of CEOs said they expect their companies to cut jobs in the next six months, and only 10% said they expect to add jobs.

That was down from 54% who were expecting job cuts in the March survey.

The results remain a dramatic turnaround from the survey conducted in December, before the pandemic hit, when more than 70% of CEOs were expecting to see sales increase over the next six months, and more than half were expecting to add jobs.

These results confirm what Ive been hearing from CEOs  that we may have hit bedrock, and many businesses can begin clawing their way out of this hole, said Scot McRoberts, executive director of the Virginia Council of CEOs. What is unclear is how long their businesses will be at the bottom, and how quickly they can climb out.

The survey included CEOs from multiple industries including construction, manufacturing, finance, insurance, and retail. The companies had an average of about $20 million in revenue for the most recent 12-month period, and average employment of about 52.

About 64% of the CEOs in the most recent survey said they believe that they will continue to operate without significant layoffs, but 5% believe that significant layoffs are probably likely while 8% said definitely likely. Almost 34% were still uncertain.

CEOs who responded to the survey also gave differing opinions over how quickly the government should move to lift restrictions and allow businesses to start re-opening. CEOs were split on a go slow versus move fast, approach to re-opening, with some recommending a cost/benefit approach.

McRoberts said some CEOs argue that businesses should be able to make decisions about re-opening based on their own risk analysis and whether their customers feel comfortable. For a lot of businesses this is an existential crisis, and the longer it extends the closer they are going out of business, he said. "If there is way to get the economy moving again to get people buying and consuming, I wish we would find it."

Gupta of Daybreak IT Solutions said he certainly wants to see a re-opening of the economy. "It is not sustainable for us to stay in the state we are in now," he said. "With that said, I think we do have to be responsible about how we reopen. My fear is if we rush it, the time we have all spent at home will be for nothing."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus plan to annex the Jordan Valley is not just a far-right wish, but the fulfillment of long-standing Israeli security objectives.

Further, despite alarms by Netanyahu's critics in the United States and elsewhere about the plan, there is actually widespread agreement among Israelis about the strategic importance of the valley. Thats why Blue and White leader Benny Gantz could sign off on the deal to form an emergency government. The consensus extends to Labor and even members of the opposition to the new national unity government. The extension of Israeli law to the Jordan Valley is in accordance with former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's strategic tenets (the Allon Plan). Notably, more Israelis view the Jordan Valley as an indispensable defensible border than the Golan Heights.

Defensible borders are particularly necessary considering that the threats to Israels population centers and its strategic installations have increased in the 21st century. Iran hopes to establish a Shiite Crescent from the Gulf, via Iraq, Lebanon and Syria to the Mediterranean. Irans objective is to turn Syria, Lebanon and Iraq into launching pads for missile and terror attacks against Israel. Iran also plans to destabilize the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and create a land bridge to the Palestinian Authority (close to Israel's heartland) in order to enhance its ability to harm Israel.

The Jordan Valley is the only available defensible border on the eastern front, and the closest to Israels heartland  the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Haifa triangle. This area holds 70% of Israels population and 80% of its economic infrastructure. The distance between the Jordan River and Jerusalem is only 30 kilometers (19 miles).

Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley allows control over the very few roads going westward through a mountainous region, enabling a small defending force to easily block an armored invasion of the Land of Israel by placing anti-tank weapons at the entrance of these roads in the valley.

The strategic imperative is complemented by demographic realities. Relatively few Arabs live in the unhospitable desert-like valley. Therefore, inclusion of this area into Israel does not burden the Jewish state with a demographic problem.

Some analysts claim that Israel no longer needs the Jordan Valley as a shield against aggression from the east. They argue that the peace treaty with Jordan neutralizes the threat of the eastern front and its proximity to Israel's centers of population and economic infrastructure. Moreover, they argue that the demise of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, the weakening of war-torn Syria and the impressive stability of Jordan amid turmoil in the Arab world renders the eastern threat a thing of the past.

Yet this perspective ignores the immense potential for political upheaval in the Middle East, as demonstrated during the so-called (and mislabeled) Arab Spring upheavals. The destabilization of Hashemite Jordan and Saudi Arabia and the rise of a radical Syria are not far-fetched scenarios. Moreover, the American disengagement from the Middle East allows greater freedom of action for Islamist elements to take over American allies. The reemergence of the eastern front as a security threat could become a reality.

Advocates of turning over the Jordan Valley to the Palestinians discount its topographical importance by referring to current military technology that allows precision strikes from a distance. They argue that the ability to launch defensive strikes from the coast eliminates the strategic need for the Jordan Valley. Yet such an argument overlooks the history of military technology, which shows a clear oscillation between the dominance of offensive or defensive measures over the centuries. The belief that modern technology, which indeed temporarily reduces the importance of topography, will remain unchallenged constitutes a dangerous strategic fallacy. Designing stable defensible borders in accordance with current but transient technology and political factors is strategically foolish.

If Israel wants to maintain a defensible border along the Jordan Valley it also needs to secure the highway from the valley to the coast via an undivided Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Maaleh Adumim. This is the only west-east axis with a Jewish majority and the only safe route through which Israel can mobilize troops from the coast (where most Jews live) to the Jordan Valley in case of emergency.

Maaleh Adumim (established by Labor in 1976 under Rabin) serves as the linchpin in establishing a line of defense along the Jordan Valley against aggression from the east. Connecting Maaleh Adumim to Jerusalem through construction in E-1 (5 kilometers, or 3 miles, of empty desert land) will secure the road to the Jordan Valley and prevent the division of Jerusalem. Jerusalems importance to the Jews is not only historical and religious, but also strategic. It controls the only highway from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River Valley along which Israelis can travel safely.

Political circumstances seem ripe for an Israeli decision to incorporate the Jordan Valley. This position, which commands the support of a majority of the Israelis, will likely be backed by the Trump administration, adding an important layer of international legitimacy to Israel's insistence on secure borders. The Trump peace plan recognized Israel's needs for defensible borders by recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, and by suggesting the incorporation of the Jordan Valley. So those backing annexation are hopeful the United States will give the OK.

Most Arab states are unlikely to make a fuss about the Israeli move. Faced with the threat from Iran and the possibility of the United States pulling troops from the region, Israel remains a regional bulwark against Iran's aspirations to achieve regional hegemony.

Despite formal statements, Jordan prefers Israeli permanent presence in the Jordan Valley, fearing a neighboring Palestinian political entity that could develop into another Hamas-controlled Gaza. Since the signing of the peace agreement in 1994, Jordan's dependence on Israel has increased. Israel supplies increasing quantities of water, far beyond its obligations, and also supplies natural gas. In addition, the Israeli lobby in Washington is working overtime to secure US economic aid to Amman.

Amman does face domestic opposition to bolstering its relations with Israel. But Amman's political ability to handle the prevailing anti-Israeli sentiment in Jordan cannot be discounted. Unlike other Arab nations, Jordan weathered the Arab Spring well, so the government can be trusted to manage its affairs and remain in power. Jordan even signed a peace deal with Israel that annexed East Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is considered more important than the Jordan Valley.

Palestinian opposition to an extension of Israeli law to the valley is irrelevant. The lengthy negotiations with the Palestinians have led nowhere and there is Israeli consensus that the Palestinian national movement is not ripe for accepting a historical compromise with the Jewish state. Their procrastination in adopting a realistic compromise with the Zionist movement has left them so far invariably with less territory than had previously been offered to them.

The current national unity government has an opportunity to realize Israel's security needs for a defensible border in the east with the support of the world's top superpower. In one of the ironies of history, Netanyahu might implement Rabin's strategic legacy.

For a different take on this issue, check out Ben Caspits latest piece.
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, spoke to Business Today's Nirbhay Kumar on how the government plans to restart key projects. Edited excerpts:

Over the past five years, road building has picked up pace. How would government ensure the growth momentum continues despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic?

The government focus on developing a robust infrastructure has been paying dividends. In 2014, the highways sector was in a bad shape with construction falling to 4 km per day in the last quarter of the fiscal. Huge NPAs were staring at concessionaires, there was delay in land acquisition, and various statutory approvals had multiplied problems. However, after removing bottlenecks, fast-tracking decision making, and introducing innovative models like Hybrid Annuity Model, confidence of contactors and concessionaires has been boosted. The pace of construction has risen to 30 km per day.

The National Highways sector is not isolated from the challenges posed by the global coronavirus pandemic. Right now the big challenge is to ensure construction starts at the earliest. I have spoken to our stakeholders and they have made adequate arrangements to face this challenge. Workers at sites have been provided necessary health and hygiene protection and food. I am confident that within a short span of time we may be able to overcome this crisis.

There are apprehensions that government may shift its focus to health and disaster management in the short term, and the highway programme could suffer. Is that likely?

While I agree partially that the government will have to focus on health infrastructure and disaster management, that doesn't mean doing so will impact the highways programme. In fact, highways are the lifeline of communication and connectivity in most parts of India and disaster management requires good infrastructure and connectivity; so both are important. In the north-east, we need to build good infrastructure to deal with disaster and medical emergency. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed innovative models to raise finances. LIC and State Bank of India have offered large long-term loans to NHAI. The first bundle of TOT (toll-operate-transfer) has been a great success. We are looking at securitising our completed public funded or EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects.

I believe there are people who convert opportunities into problems and others who convert problems into opportunities. We have accepted this challenge as an opportunity.

Bank support, timely release of funds to private developers would be key to bidding for new projects. What steps would you take to ensure that projects are not held up for want of funds?

Timely availability of funds is key to completing projects on time. I have already directed NHAI, NHIDCL and MoRTH through the state PWD to release any legitimate dues that may be pending against any ongoing project. We have developed a legitimate conciliation mechanism of retired judges to resolve any contract disputes or claims. I have advised NHAI to expedite this so that liquidity is available with concessionaires. I, along with the finance minister, had a detailed meeting with bank chiefs just before the lockdown; they gave the assurance that banks will continue to support the infrastructure sector, and highways in particular.

Will bidding for new projects be affected as banks and developers go for reassessment of risks and projections in view of the pandemic?

I have asked NHAI and MoRTH to complete approvals and desk work during the lockdown. As soon as it's over, we will be able to start bidding of projects. We already have bids under evaluation for more than 1,300 km, which can be awarded immediately. Another 1,500 km is ready for bidding. For banks also, highways sector offers great deal of opportunity, so I am very much confident that they will support us.

Do you see NHAI's asset monetisation program-me getting hit by the pandemic and its impact on the economy?

Asset monetisation is one of the instruments to raise funds and I am sure it will do well. But we will continue to explore all other possibilities like long-term loans, securitisation, bonds, etc. We may also have to think about some new and innovative ways of financing. We have done it earlier, and I am sure we will do it in future as well.

What is the governments assessment of the coronavirus impact on the highways sector?

The pandemic has thrown challenges to almost all sectors, including highways. Construction work at all places has stopped. It has an immediate impact on workers and labour, though we had advised highway developers to ensure adequate food, healthcare and stay facilities for them. It will impact the pace of construction. It is difficult to quantify at this juncture, but we will do so in due course of time.

Given that several highway projects are of national significance, should they not be identified and construction allowed, following standard social distancing norms?

Yes, many projects are of national importance and immediate start of work on these is very important. We also understand the intensity of this pandemic. The government has no other option but to go for complete lockdown.

Last week, I had reviewed these issues with highway sector officers . We are working on a business continuity plan. Wherever we can, we will open construction work in identified zones with permission of local administration. However, we are only looking at allowing the work to start in areas where standard social distancing norms can be followed and highest standards of hygiene and safety are adhered to.
Ukrainian, German, French, Russian foreign ministers will discuss Russian aggression in Donbas on April 30

The decisions of the Normandy Format summit in Paris are being delayed, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on April 28. "And we need to give impetus to their implementation so as to open the way to the next summit in Berlin," he said, adding that "we need to move towards the end of the war, the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories and, finally, to the cessation of Russian aggression in general."

On the eve of foreign ministers' meeting

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced the ministerial meeting on the Internet on April 22. "We agreed and are very pleased that a ministerial-level videoconference will take place," Maas said, adding that such an agreement was reached in a phone call between the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia.

The ministers are maintaining contact, and the German government is working on this subject at the expert level, in particular, with French colleagues, according to German deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer. The theme of contacts is to establish a true ceasefire and create new disengagement areas. It was reported that Russia had offered resistance to the negotiations until the last moment but had agreed to them under pressure from Germany.

On April 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: "We are now exchanging proposals on what should be the agenda for this video contact scheduled for the end of the week, as far as I know." At the same time, according to Lavrov, the proposals of the German Foreign Ministry put on the agenda do not suit Russia: "Everything there is only about a new exchange of detained persons, about mine clearance, ensuring security, ensuring access for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission." And, of course, Russia wants decisions on legalizing puppet quasi-entities "DPR" and "LPR."

Normandy Format

The Normandy Format is four-party meetings (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia) between the heads of the four states or ministers where they discuss Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. The name comes from a meeting of the heads of the four states held on June 6, 2014 in the town of Benouville, Normandy, France, to mark the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord, the landing operations of anti-Hitler coalition forces in 1944.

The Minsk-1 agreements were approved and signed in September 2014 with the participation of the OSCE. The next (second) meeting in the Normandy Format took place in Milan, Italy, on October 16-17.

The third meeting took place in Minsk, Belarus, on February 11-12, 2015. The negotiations lasted for 17 hours and resulted in the signing of a declaration in support of a set of measures to implement the Minsk agreements. They have not been implemented so far because Russia refuses to fulfill the security part of the agreements, insisting on the priority of the political part (holding elections in occupied territories).

The withdrawal of armaments of a caliber less than 100 mm to a distance of 15 kilometers from the contact line was agreed upon at the Normandy Four meeting in Paris on October 2, 2015.

In Berlin, on October 19, 2016, the leaders of the Normandy Four countries agreed on the development of a road map for the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Ukraine's unwavering position is that the fulfillment of security conditions, the ceasefire, the withdrawal of foreign troops, adherence to the regime of disengagement of military hardware, ensuring unhindered access for OSCE representatives, the release of hostages must precede the transition to the implementation of the political part of the agreements.

On December 9, 2019, Paris hosted a summit with the participation of the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia. The meeting was held after a three-year pause and was the first one for President Volodymyr Zelensky. The purpose of the summit was to approve a new sequence of the implementation of the Minsk agreements and to discuss the so-called "Steinmeier formula."

The Paris meeting brought some success, first and foremost, in the exchange of prisoners. The Normandy Four also agreed to extend the mandate of the OSCE observation mission, in particular, to conduct observation not only in the daytime because Russian troops mainly shell Ukrainian positions at night.

The participants in the summit signed a summary document entitled "Paris "Normandie" Summit - Common Agreed Conclusions." These agreements imply, in particular, the incorporation of the "Steinmeier formula" into the Ukrainian legislation.

'Steinmeier formula'

The Steinmeier formula is an action plan proposed back in November 2015 by then-German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (now the federal president of Germany) to settle the war in eastern Ukraine. It is to determine the sequence of local elections conducted there under Ukrainian law and under the supervision of the OSCE.

The 'formula' does not say whether the withdrawal of Russian troops from Donbas and the return of control to Ukraine over its state border should precede elections. Therefore, the Russian side interprets this as a permit to keep their troops and armaments in Donbas, although their withdrawal is envisaged by the Minsk agreements. Ukraine cannot a priori consider the holding of elections by "OSCE standards" if they took place in non-government-controlled areas. And even with the changed demographic structure there: during the war, about a million Ukrainian citizens were forced to move from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while the local self-proclaimed authorities transferred their abandoned apartments to an unknown number of Russians by handing them documents of unrecognized "republics."

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor considers the "Steinmeier formula" a bad idea. According to him, it is necessary to get the Russians out of Donbas as soon as possible. "Mr. Putin knows how to get a ceasefire. He knows how to end the sanctions. He knows how to make himself better off in these new times, in these new circumstances. And it is to withdraw from Donbas. So those are the kinds of things that he needs to recognize and will," the diplomat said.

Implementation of agreements

Two points of the agreement reached during the Paris summit - on the exchange of detained persons and the disengagement of troops and military hardware from the contact line - have been partially implemented.

Effective attempts to withdraw troops from the contact line were made by the Ukrainian leadership before the Paris summit.

On June 26, 2019, the Ukrainian military left their positions near the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint. On October 29, 2019, the disengagement of troops and military hardware started on both sides at area No. 2 near the village of Zolote-4 in Luhansk region. The disengagement of troops at area No. 3 near Bohdanivka and Petrivske in Donetsk region began on November 9, 2019.

No arrangements on new disengagement areas have been made since then. According to Ukraine's representative in the security subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group, Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces Operation Bohdan Bondar, said that the proposals are "being blocked by the Russian side in order to disrupt the implementation of agreements reached at the previous Normandy Format summit of December 9 and prevent the prospect of a new meeting of the leaders of the four countries."

At the same time, according to the main intelligence department of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the invaders lay additional mines on potential disengagement areas. In addition, they hide D-30 122mm howitzers and Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers in this area.

Military expert Valentyn Badrak said that "as soon as the concessions and the disengagement of troops began, we actually saw Russian aggression growing and, as a result, we have more casualties, constant shelling, constant attacks, and acts of sabotage."

Since the beginning of the year - after the Paris summit - 47 Ukrainian soldiers have already been killed, and several servicemen have been wounded every day.

The main obstacle to reaching agreements is Russia's reluctance to recognize itself as a party to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that during his term in office he will be able to end the war in Donbas. He stated this in a film titled "The Year of President Zelensky," which premiered in the first year of his election.

"There might be partial victories, but we will wait for the full result when we really return our territories to Ukraine. We need a little more time," the president added.

Former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said at the online Kyiv Security Forum on April 24 that Zelensky's position and his intention to take concrete steps to achieve peace in Donbas are a manifestation of tactical wisdom as it does not give Russia grounds to blame Ukraine for disrupting the Minsk agreements and demanding that the West lift the sanctions. "We can all see that it's really Russia that is failing to implement the Minsk agreements [...] We all know that it's really in Russia's hands whether they choose to bring peace to eastern Ukraine or not," Volker said.

Expert assessments

Senior Expert on Eastern Europe and the European Neighborhood Program "Europe's Future" Miriam Kosmehl expects "certain but minor further steps" from a virtual meeting of the Normandy Format ministers. She expressed hope that it would be possible to achieve really important things only at the next summit. However, such a summit seems to be "far away" as little has been realized from what was agreed upon in Paris in December 2019, except for the exchange of detainees, which is, of course, very important.

What worries the expert is that the ceasefire is violated again and again.

Susan Stewart, an expert at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), who studies the Minsk process, also said that most of the points agreed upon at the Paris summit in 2019 have not yet been completed. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine what can be achieved at a ministerial videoconference, "except to repeat the statements of the will of all parties to continue to work on the implementation of these points."

The most worrying thing, she said, is the worsening humanitarian situation in the conflict zone, especially in the occupied territories.

"Russia's agenda on Ukraine has not changed, and Putin and his foreign policy elite have been very adept at using the weaknesses of others," the analyst said.

A Ukrainian analyst, Yevhen Director of the Institute of World Policy Yevhen Mahda, believes that the meeting of foreign ministers of the Normandy Four countries will not bring any breakthrough in the process of resolving the situation in Donbas. Lavrov, according to the expert, is expected to insist on the introduction of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine for the sake of securing the "special status of Donbas", but this requirement is unacceptable for Ukraine. There will also be the debate around the conclusions adopted after the Normandy Format summit in Paris, and each of the negotiating parties will propose their own interpretation of the sequence of implementation of these agreements.

"I would venture to say that a meeting of the Normandy Format leaders will not take place this year, as public contradictions remain insurmountable. However, this does not mean that Moscow is ready to leave Donbas or abandon its desire to impose its own game on Ukraine without any mediation," Mahda said.

Oleksandr Volynskyi, Olha Tanasiichuk
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Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 15:27 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4fc5cc 1 Business consumer-behaviour,MMA,Ramadan-2020,spending-behaviour,THR,survey,Idul-Fitri Free

Many people still plan to buy Islamic goods and fashion items for the Ramadan fasting season despite an overall decline in consumer spending caused by growing financial insecurity amid the COVID1-19 pandemic, a survey has indicated.

While fashion items remain on consumers' shopping lists, purchases of recreational and luxury items such as jewelry and smartphones are expected to decline sharply, according to the survey conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and SurveySensum.

SurveySensum founder and CEO Rajiv Lamba said that the overall value of the consumers Ramadan shopping basket was expected to go down by 32 percent with lower spending on leisure travel partly as a result of the decline in earnings and Idul Fitri holiday bonuses (THR).

People are postponing buying discretionary items until after the epidemic is over. This could be bad news for the automotive, electronics and also retail categories to some extent, he said in a webinar on Monday.

The trend is especially true for big cities which are impacted the most by job cuts, he continued, adding that the middle-income group in the Greater Jakarta area was reportedly reducing its spending by 36 percent, compared with 27 percent outside of the region.

Consumers are increasingly worried as they expect the situation be the norm for 3.2 months, compared with the two months expectation they had last month. As such, the survey also revealed a 6-percentage point increase in consumer worries over financial security to 44 percent in April from 38 percent last month.

Lamba went on to say that 67 percent of respondents believe their current Ramadan budget will be much less than last year with an average budget reduction of 43 percent. Meanwhile, 20 percent say they will spend the same amount and only 13 percent of consumers say they will spend more this Ramadan.

He said that spending in the digital category was expected to bloom as both upper- and middle-income respondents say they will be spending more on mobile data and home internet subscriptions, as well as moving the holiday shopping toward e-commerce and other digital platforms.

What we already see happening is a lot of Ramadan activities such as breaking-of-the-fast gatherings are moving to online platforms, he said, adding that consumers in the upper social economic sector would also spend more on gaming and movie streaming services.

In order to seize the opportunity, Lamba said that businesses could start by adapting to social and conversational commerce. The global MMA data showed that 63 percent of Asia Pacific consumers interact with businesses through social commerce. This percentage was higher than in Latin America (58 percent), Europe and the Middle East (42 percent), and North America (35 percent)

Brands are connecting with these customers through Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other omnichannel social apps, which will be the thing of the future, he said.

He added that businesses could learn to innovate by continuing to engage in research and development even though they are cutting costs to survive the pandemic. Lamba said that during the 2008 recession, companies that spent money on R&D showed a much better return on investment and growth post-recession.

The MMA questioned 500 people in 10 major cities namely Jakarta; Bandung, Bekasi, Bogor and Depok in West Java; Tangerang, Banten; Surabaya, East Java; Semarang, Central Java; Yogyakarta; and Medan, North Sumatra, from April 18 to 20.
New Delhi, April 29 : A day after Delhi Minority Commission (DMC) Chairman Zafarul Islam Khan warned the "Hindutva bigots" of an "avalanche" over their "hate campaigns, lynchings and riots", Khan called himself a patriot to the core who always defended India abroad.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, he also said that he has not complained against his country to any foreign government or organisation, nor does he intend to do so in the future.

In a long social media post on Tuesday, Khan had warned the "Hindutva bigots", saying that Indian Muslims have not complaint to the Muslim world about the "lynchings" and "riots" in India.

"Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about the hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche," Khan had said.

He also said that the "bigots forgot that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world for their services over centuries to Islamic causes, excellence in Islamic and Arabic scholarship, cultural and civilisational gifts to world heritage." On Wednesday, he said that nothing more should be added to his post.

"This tweet is in the background of how the issues of Muslims have been dealt with in our country, be it lynching, riots, media bashing or redressal of their problems in political and administrative processes," he said.

Khan said that while he never complained about India to any other country, he was vocal about the problems in the country.

"I have not complained against my country to any foreign government or organisation nor I intend to do so in the future. I am a patriot to the core and I have always defended my country abroad. However, at the same time, I have always been vocal about the problems in our country like any other country, but I also believe that we and our political, constitutional and judicial system are capable of tackling them," he said.

Khan also said that he always defended India in the Arabic media.

"According to my knowledge, Indian Muslims have never complained against their country to outside powers. I, like other Indian Muslims, believe in rule of law, the Indian Constitution and the fine institutions our country has," he said.

The DMC chairperson also said that he was never a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in Delhi.

"The Commission I head is a statutory and independent body governed by the Delhi Minorities Commission Act, 1999. AAP or its government in Delhi do not run the Commission and are not accountable for what the Commission does," he said.

Saying that his views have been distorted and many false statements and opinions have been attributed to him, Khan said he "will take appropriate legal steps available to me."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 10:53:59|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Australia has marked the 250th anniversary of the arrival of British settlers in the country.

Captain James Cook arrived at Botany Bay in Australia's east coast near current-day Sydney on April 29, 1770.

While the planned celebrations and festivities have been delayed amid COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the milestone was an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Australia's indigenous people, one of the world's oldest continuing living cultures.

"The day Cook and the local Indigenous community at Kamay first made contact 250 years ago changed the course of our land forever," Morrison said in a statement.

"It's a point in time from which we embarked on a shared journey which is realized in the way we live today.

"We honor the resilience, wisdom, custodianship and stewardship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Indigenous culture is a fundamental element of modern Australia."

A replica of Cook's ship, the HMS Endeavor, was set to circumnavigate Australia to mark the anniversary but the voyage was suspended in March.

Cook's arrival in Australia paved the way for the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in January 1788, which marked the beginning of British colonization of the continent.

Indigenous Australians have objected to any celebration of Cook's arrival, saying it was the beginning of the genocide of their people by European settlers.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said that Cook's arrival was an important chapter in the 65,000-year history of indigenous Australians.

"The anniversary represents an opportunity to reflect upon the impact and changes felt by Indigenous Australians, and also to gain a better understanding of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lived prior to European settlement," Wyatt, the first indigenous person to serve as the minister, said. Enditem
The Irish Independent editorial on April 15 hailed the agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to enter into government as full and equal partners as "a political rubicon crossed for the nation's good".

In the same edition John Downing wrote: "Even if the coalition does not happen, this move is still seismic  as it drew a line under 98 years of political history rooted in the brutality of the Civil War in 1922-23."

While the agreement is truly historic, the current fraught situation presents the opportunity for another shift in the tectonic plates of our politics that arguably will have greater long-term implications.

For more than a century the dominant paradigm uncritically adopted to differentiate political parties has been in terms of left-centre-right and different shades along that spectrum.

People Before Profit is 'hard left', Fine Gael 'centre-right', the Green Party 'left-leaning' and so on. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe recently urged us to "salvage the political centre, or face a bleak future". The recent General Election saw a "surge of the left".

The world is littered with as many catastrophic failures of left-wing ideology as of right-wing regimes, with ordinary people suffering most in all cases. But the centrist politics epitomised by decades of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael-led governments is not the answer either because their populist programmes, designed to please everyone and upset no one, have meant serious problems facing the country have been repeatedly put on the long finger.

The legacy of centrist politics is, for now, a successful economy but also a two-tier society in our systems of justice, education, health and pension provision, as well as a degraded natural environment, large-scale homelessness, inadequate care for our most vulnerable citizens, boom-to-bust economic cycles and the highest per person public debt in the world.

The way forward will not be some sweet spot along the left-centre-right spectrum. It is to be found in a construct that transcends these ideologies, namely sustainability. But the adoption of sustainability as the cornerstone of a political programme poses huge challenges to the inherited political culture.

It will involve persuading beef farmers to abandon an unsustainable business model and way of life; winning public support for new taxes to reduce carbon emissions; and getting everyone to contribute more to their pensions.

Higher taxes will be needed to pay for the necessary improvements in public services and to make a dent in the ballooning national debt.

Powerful vested interests in the legal profession, which successfully resisted the efforts of the Troika to secure reform, will have to be confronted, as will those who stand in the way of access to medical care on the basis of need rather than ability to pay. Morally-reprehensible tax avoidance by large corporations will have to be reined in.

Sustainability policies require leaders with the capacity to craft an ambitious but credible vision and to rally support for the policy programme needed to fulfil it. Most importantly, leaders must win and retain the people's trust, the most precious political commodity in times of crisis.

In this context what are we to make of the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael agreement?

It is just not credible, promising everything we could dream of and all without austerity or higher taxes. Even if it is only a framework for discussion with other parties, it already fails a vital test - the management of people's expectations.

Though met with incredulity by practically every commentator, Mr Donohoe stoutly defended the agreement when questioned by a sceptical Sean O'Rourke on RTE radio on April 17.

He repeatedly cited the performance of the government "of which I was a part" in restoring public finances and achieving full employment.

This is the same minister who defended as "prudent" the budgets of 2017, 2018 and 2019 that were deemed anything but by the OECD, the Central Bank, the ESRI and other commentators. Against all the advice of these independent voices, and most especially the public pleading of the Fiscal Advisory Council, the government spent billions of "windfall" corporate tax revenue, putting aside nothing for a rainy day. Now the minister is saying "trust me, just look at my track record".

The agreement has been greeted with relief that we in Ireland can now adopt the "normal" differentiation of national politics into left versus right camps. This dichotomy is redundant. We have seen in the UK and elsewhere what it leads to.

The measure of good politics from now on has to be sustainability. The people of Ireland have demonstrated that when told the unvarnished facts by a trusted source, and when everyone is treated fairly, they can grasp the complexities involved and will make the necessary sacrifices.

The good news is that in their handling of Brexit and the Covid-19 crisis so far, our political system has shown it has the capacity to provide the kind of leadership to navigate a very challenging decade.

Let's hope that these values become the "new normal" because, in addition to managing the ongoing demands of Brexit and the virus, we have yet to come to grips with the full implications of climate change and the injustices of our two-tier society, which is the biggest threat to sustainable economic and social progress.

Eddie Molloy is a management consultant
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A nonprofit art organization has honored those on the front lines during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak with a massive mural.

Projectivity Executive Director Christian Penn sketched and painted the colorful 75-foot-long mural outside Staten Island University Hospitals emergency department in Princes Bay.

Besides delivering masks to local hospitals and nursing homes, Ive wanted to figure out how else I could be of service during this time, Penn wrote on social media. Projectivity was asked to donate some art. Here is a mural I painted at Staten Island University Hospital South. Please consider sharing with anyone that would appreciate this.

The Simple Act of Caring is Heroic," which took four days to create, was painted in bright rainbow colors and included a floral design.

Penn credits Justin Rinon, a nurse manager in Staten Island University Hospitals emergency Department, for helping the project come to fruition. Members of the hospital staff, and their mutual connections, helped raise the money for Projectivity to create the artwork, Penn said.

One of the most important things to me as a leader is team morale, said Rinon. I felt a need to add to that. It was necessary to do something that would be relevant past the pandemic. I hope its something that will last a long time and will put a smile on both staff and patients."

Projectivity has put out a call out to other essential workers in hopes painting more murals at other facilities.

This isnt the first time the organization has helped spread positivity through art on Staten Island. The Department of Transportation and Projectivity joined forces last summer to commission Andrea von Bujdoss to create a 150-foot-long color gradient on one side of Richmond Avenue and a colorful variety of geometrical art on the other.

In 2018, Projectivity opened Project Lab, a space on the North Shore that offers workshops, cyphers and open mics.
The office refrigerator? Better take it away. The office coffee pot? Ditto. Even shared copiers and printers have become biological hazards, thanks to the spread of the coronavirus.

Workplace culture as we knew it in January is disappearing as Monday morning rolls around and some offices prepare for employees to get back to their desks.

Many companies have focused on separating employee workstations so workers remain 6 feet apart to comply with government social-distancing recommendations. Theyre also buying masks and gloves to prevent the virus from spreading. But what about not-so-obvious dilemmas, such as whether to station someone on each floor to help maintain distancing in office elevators. And what to do about the germ-covered door knobs on bathroom doors?

Its the simple things, like unfortunately and sadly, maybe eliminate the handshake, Jason Habinsky, an employment lawyer with Haynes and Boone, told employers this week during a telephone seminar. Instead, maybe workers could point and a nod at each other, a manner that before the conoravirus pandemic might have been awkward but now makes sense.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave the green light for many nonessential businesses to open Friday and companies are scrambling to put new rules into place to reduce the risk of infection among employees going back to work.

BACK TO WORK: Houston companies prepare for return to office after Abbott reopens Texas economy

Employees should sanitize their hands upon entering buildings and stay at least 6 feet apart, according to Abbotts order. If they cant do that, then other measures, such as proper cough etiquette and the use of face coverings, should be enforced.

Employers also should screen employees for symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, before they come in, according to Abbotts order.

Issues remain, however: How can employers do a safety screening without causing employees to bunch up at the entrance, or take their temperatures safely while respecting privacy, especially if a worker with a fever needs to be pulled aside.

Dont rush into it without thinking it through, Matthew Deffebach, an employment lawyer with Haynes and Boone told employers on the conference call.

EXPLAINED: Gov. Abbotts order to reopen the Texas economy

The governors order also requires employers to send anyone home who has been infected or been in contact with anyone who has been infected. There is no provision for paid sick leave, a hot-button issue in Texas business and political circles.

But a prominent business group that has developed guidelines to reopen businesses recommends that Houston employers provide paid sick leave to employees who have symptoms of the coronavirus. More than 150 companies have signed on to the idea, said president and CEO Bob Harvey.

Were not trying to get into the big paid sick leave debate that pre-existed the virus and will be around after the virus, he said. But removing a barrier so employees can be honest about potential symptoms is important.

Some of the most innovative ideas to prevent infection have come from companies considered essential from the beginning and that have been forced to improvise with material shortages. One federal recommendation for the construction industry is aggressive hand washing to prevent the spread of disease.

Construction contractors typically bought hand-washing stations at big box home-improvement stores, which quickly ran out of stock, said Steven Schultz, president of the South Texas chapter of the construction trade group Associated Builders and Contractors in San Antonio.

One contractor told his competitors in an industry meeting how he solved that problem: He bought a fish cleaning station at a sporting goods store, hooked it up with a hose and it became the construction sites new hand washing site.

The industry, which is normally very competitive, has come together to exchange best practices, Schultz said.

That just impressed the hell out of me, he said.

lynn.sixel@chron.com

twitter.com/lmsixel
Stratford High School came home the big winners in the Theatre Under The Stars 2020 Tommy Tune Awards which were announced during an online ceremony on Tuesday, April 28.

The awards are given to the best high school musical theater in the greater Houston region. The awards have previously been doled out during a gala ceremony at the Hobby Center since 2002 but the COVID-19 pandemic.
HOUSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Corporation (NYSE: KRA) (the "Company") today announced that its 2020 Annual General Meeting of Stockholders ("Annual Meeting") will be hosted as a virtual-only meeting. Due to the public health impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and to support the health and well-being of the Company's stockholders, employees and their families, the Company will not hold an in-person meeting.

As previously announced, the Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, May 22, 2020 at 1:00 p.m., central time. However, the Annual Meeting will no longer be held at The Sheraton North Houston, 15700 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032. Instead, the Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual meeting format only, via webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/KRA2020.

As described in the Company's proxy materials previously distributed for the Annual Meeting, stockholders at the close of business on March 23, 2020, the record date, are entitled to participate in the virtual-only Annual Meeting. To participate in and/or vote at the virtual Annual Meeting stockholders must visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/KRA2020 and enter the control number included in the proxy materials previously delivered to stockholders.

The Company is filing a Notice of Change in Location of the Annual General Meeting of Stockholders (the "Notice") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the change to a virtual meeting. Additional information regarding stockholder participation at the Annual Meeting is provided in the Notice.

Whether or not you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, the Company urges you to vote and submit your proxy in advance of the meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting.

ABOUT KRATON CORPORATION

Kraton Corporation (NYSE: KRA) is a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products. Kraton's polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving and roofing applications. As the largest global provider in the pine chemicals industry, the company's pine-based specialty products are sold into adhesives and tire markets, and it produces and sells a broad range of performance chemicals into markets that include fuel additives, oilfield chemicals, coatings, roads, construction, metalworking fluids and lubricants, inks, and mining. Kraton offers its products to a diverse customer base in numerous countries worldwide.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, are all trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC or its affiliates.

For further information:

H. Gene Shiels

Director of Investor Relations

(281) 504-4886

SOURCE Kraton Corporation

Related Links

http://www.kraton.com


The leadership of House of Representatives on Tuesday paid a solidarity visit to Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for the commitment and resilience he has shown in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 in the state.

He promised to stand with him at by him in this trying times of Kano state, just as they urged the Federal Government to give Kano state all the necessary support it requires to win the battle against the dreaded COVID-19.

The House of Representatives also showed solidarity with Ganduje on the efforts he as so far made to unravel the mystery behind the unusual deaths being recorded mostly within the eight Local Government Areas within Kano metropolis.

The Leader of the House, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa who led a high-powered delegation inaugurated by the Speaker of the House, on a solidarity visit to Kano state also hinted that earlier on Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a Motion demanding I have that the Federal Government immediately provide financial, technical and materialistic support to tackle the health challenges facing Kano.

According to him, during Special Session on Tuesday, the House of Representatives deliberated seriously on the Kano issue, where every member believed that, Kanos problem is Nigerias problem.

Doguwa further stated that on Monday three senators and 24 House of Representatives members from Kano, jointly wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, demanding that the Federal Government should take urgent steps to support Kano in this critical time.

He further stated that, with me is a high-powered delegation under the leadership of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, as a result of a resolution made in the House. The delegation is home-bound because it is made up of members from Kano state.

We were sent by the leadership of the House to convey our solidarity to Governor Ganduje, Kano state government and the good people of Kano state.

We are here to convey to you our concern over what is happening in Kano. We are here on behalf of the Speaker to register our solidarity to Your Excellency.

Apart from COVID-19, we are also aware of another killer disease that has been killing our people, particularly, in eight Local Government Areas within the metropolis.

Doguwa further stated that, today (Tuesday), the House during a Special Session deliberated on the Kano issue. All the members in the House believe that Kanos problem is Nigerias problem.

We took a Motion to urge the Federal Government to provide financial, technical and material support to Kano.

On Monday, three senators and 24 House of Representatives members from Kano jointly wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on Kano issue. We appealed to him for the Federal Government to collaborate with Kano state government to bring to an end to is problem of COVID-19 and other health issues facing the state.

We are proud of the commitment and resilience Governor Ganduje has shown to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ganduje, while responding thanked members of the National Assembly, particularly, the Hose of Representatives for their concern and support to Kano state government and the people of Kano state.

He added that, we are grateful to Kano state caucus of the National Assembly for worrying President Muhammadu Buhari to give Kano special attention.

Also, we thank them to have convinced the House of Representatives to pass a resolution, urging the Federal Government to give Kano a special attention. I thank them and I believe something positive will come out of it.
Real estate developers are proposing that Vietnam eases existing limits on foreign ownership to facilitate investment and reduce inventory of premium apartments.

The foreign ownership cap of 30 percent in an apartment project limits developers' ability to meet rising demand from foreigners, the Vietnam Association of Realtors (VARS) says.

Many foreigners are interested in premium projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which are most often too expensive for domestic residents, it says.

The unsold inventory in this segment has been increasing in recent years and more ownership room for foreigners will help reduce it, the association adds.

Vietnam allows foreigners to buy property, except land, but not more than 30 percent of a residential quarter or an apartment project, as long as the project is not located in areas deemed vital to national security.

As the country attracts rising foreign direct investment, which reached a decade-high $38 billion last year, industry insiders say there is rising demand among expats to own property in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Su Ngoc Khuong, senior director of real estate service firm Savills Vietnam, said that there was large demand from workers of South Korean and Japanese companies that invest in Vietnam, and of the Vietnamese diaspora in Europe and the U.S.

Many apartment projects in District 2, HCMC have reached the 30 percent foreign ownership cap, he said.

"Expats who have long-term projects in Vietnam and those with Vietnamese spouses prefer buying a house to renting, while the Vietnamese diaspora with money consider property in their home country an investment," Khuong said.

Industry insiders say that a premium apartment in HCMC typically costs 20-30 percent less than Hong Kong and Singapore. Foreign investors see Vietnam as one of the fastest-growing economies in the region with potential for development in various sectors including manufacturing and tourism.

"As Vietnam seeks more foreign direct investment, it should give high-skilled foreign laborers more opportunity to own property," Khuong said.

But the ownership cap is limiting developers in making this happen, said Han Suk Jung, CEO of HCMC-based SonKim Land.

He said that the 30 percent ratio makes it challenging for the company to meet foreigners demand, which has been rising in recent years. He proposed that the ratio be increased to 49 percent.

Since the latest foreign ownership law took effect in July 2015, just 800 foreign individuals and companies had registered ownership of properties in the country as of November last year, according to a National Assembly report.

Although there are concerns that more foreign ownership means less opportunities for local residents to own property, Tran Minh Hoang, deputy director of VARS, said that Vietnamese and foreigners have different real estate interests.

Most Vietnamese look for affordable real estate, while foreigners are more into the premium and luxury segment, he said.

Vietnam is seeing an oversupply in the premium segment. A recent report by the Ministry of Construction says that although up to 80 percent of buyers demand is for affordable property, there is a shortage of supply in this segment, while there is an oversupply of premium properties.

The report also estimates unsold real estate inventory nationwide, dominated by the high-end segment, at VND104 trillion ($4.4 billion).

"Selling property to foreigners does not mean that there will be less asset for locals. They are different groups of customers," Hoang said.

Other industry insiders said that as foreigners are already buying property via proxies, an increase in the cap will help increase transparency in the market.

Meanwhile, some industry insiders have also expressed need for caution with the proposal to allow increased foreign ownership.

A senior leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA), who asked not to be identified, said that there could be national security implications if there were too many foreigners living in an apartment project.

Furthermore, too much investment in the premium segment can take away capital from the affordable segment thats much needed for Vietnamese citizens, he said.
The UK's biggest tour operator, TUI, has extended the suspension of its holidays for the next six weeks, having previously suspended operation until May 14.

The company announced that all trips would be cancelled up to and including June 11, and warned customers wanting cash refunds that their call centres are 'incredibly busy'.

Meanwhile, thousands of British holidaymakers are owed 7billion for trips cancelled because of the global coronavirus pandemic with banks and airlines flouting the law by refusing refunds, it was revealed today.

There is growing anger that the Government has not intervened when lenders and travel firms are illegally withholding cash that should be paid within a week for flights and 14 days for package deals.

The Competition and Markets Authority has revealed that four out of five complaints it is getting every day is from British consumers being denied travel refunds and the UK watchdog will soon announce a new crackdown.

Airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and TUI have been accused of flouting the law and pushing customers to accept credit-note vouchers which have little consumer protection and could prove worthless if a carrier went bust.

Ryan Simmonds, 40, and Jo-anne Harold, 30 had to rebook their wedding TWICE - and are now being asked to pay an extra 10,500 to secure their flights and accommodation

Ryan proposed outside the Cinderella Castle, Disneyworld Florida in September 2018 and they planned to have their wedding there this August before the event was cancelled due to coronavirus

British Airways said yesterday it is making up to 12,000 workers redundant and last week Richard Branson asked the government to bail out for his struggling Virgin Atlantic company, for around 500million.

While travellers who booked breaks using credit cards are also struggling to get cash back from banks, despite Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act enshrining refunds in law.

Instead lenders have told their own customers they are not eligible for cash refunds, or demanded they pursue the cash from the travel firm first, which is not a legal requirement.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) has even been lobbying ministers to relax rules requiring airlines to issue refunds within a set timeframe  although most have ignored them anyway and appear to have been using underhand behaviour to avoid paying.

How airlines bend the rules British Airways: The refund option has been removed from its website but the option to claim a voucher remains. The customer service line is frequently engaged or puts callers on hold for hours. Customers are being encouraged to apply for a voucher equal to the value of their flight but must pay more if it ends up being more expensive. BA says customers should call to rebook, refund or choose a voucher. Refunds can be requested up to 12 months after the original departure date. EasyJet: The refund option was taken off the website, but reinstated after customer complaints. The airline is trying to refund customers within 28 days, but admits it could take longer. A spokesman says: 'We assure customers these entitlements will be available long after their cancelled flight was due to fly.' Ryanair: Offered full reimbursement within 30 working days, then did a U-turn and is 'highly recommending' customers apply for a voucher instead. Says customers will be able to exchange vouchers for cash after a year. A spokesman says: 'Customers who choose a voucher but don't redeem it within 12 months may still apply for and obtain a refund. Customers who choose not to accept a free move or voucher will be refunded in due course, once this crisis is over.' Virgin Atlantic: Credit notes are being issued but can be rejected in favour of a full refund, with claims processed within 90 days. A spokesman says: 'The credit [equal to the value of the cancelled flight] can be used to rebook on alternative dates, allowing for a destination and name change, for travel until May 31, 2022. If the rebooked date is before November 30, 2020, we'll waive any fare difference.' Refunds will take longer than normal. Tui: Customers can choose a refund or credit note but can only apply for their money back once their refund credit has been received  up to four weeks after the departure date. A spokesman says requested refunds will take about four weeks. Jet2 is offering cash refunds but with delays because of an 'unprecedented' number of calls. Advertisement

Jo-anne Harold, 30, and Ryan Simmonds, 40, are two of many people to be out of pocket thousands after they had to cancel their wedding TWICE.

They were colleagues at Birmingham Airport for 11 years before they started dating and are now being asked to pay an extra 10,500 to secure their flights and accommodation.

After Ryan proposed outside the Cinderella Castle, Disneyworld Florida in September 2018, the pair knew it was the only venue for their wedding, scheduled for August 25 this year.

But the pair from Wednesfield, Wolverhampton have had to rebook their 80-person wedding twice, thanks to the collapse of Thomas Cook and coronavirus.

Now they are being told they have to pay an extra 10,500 to secure their flights and accommodation for their wedding in April 2021.

Jo-anne said: 'British Airways just don't want to help us - they are saying that we're not getting refunds, we won't get flight vouchers.

'And if we want to transfer to April, we've got to pay the fare difference which is currently 1600 per person.

'We only paid 518 to start with.'

Money has also been demanded to secure the villas in April.

Jo-anne said: 'I don't think they can be arsed to deal with it - they've taken our money, got their commission from the first flights we paid for, and then they don't want to deal with us.

'Then the person who we booked the villas through, she then tried to charge us another 10,500 on top if we want to go in April.'

Pamela Harold, 65, Jo-anne's mum, booked the original flights and villas with Thomas Cook.

Jo-anne said: 'Originally my mum went to the travel agents and booked all 80 guests - she sat in the travel agents for seven hours - on the same flight, got villas on the same complex, and everything was sorted through Thomas Cook.

'We paid 40,000, in full.

'We had to go on a waitlist for a year to get our slot for Disney and once we got that, everything was sorted.

'Then Thomas Cook went bust and we had to rebook the whole thing again.

'I was on nights at work and so I knew Thomas Cook had gone bust so I waited up after my night shift - I called BA straight away.

'I got all 80 guests rebooked again, and then I spent a good few hours - because of the time difference in America - contacting America to get all the villas rebooked.

'All of it was sorted, and now this has happened.'

The pair said Disney has been really helpful, changing their wedding from August 25 this year to April 5 2021.

But they claim British Airways have not been so supportive. All 80 guests are still booked on flights for August 2020.

Jo-anne said: 'When I rang to enquire, [British Airways] basically said 'we're not giving refunds, we're not giving vouchers.'

'We've been calling up for a month because they keep saying call in a week, the flights will be in.

'We've been calling for over a month now and everytime we ring back, they're like 'the flights are not in yet.'

'But they are, because they are selling them online on British Airways.'

Pensioners Paul and Wendy Cary have been left badly out of pocket after their BA break was cancelled - thousands of Britons are in the same boat

Pensioners Paul and Wendy Cary, from Hampshire, are thousands of pounds out of pocket after their British Airways holiday to Barbados was hit by the travel ban.

The couple feared they would be stranded in Barbados when BA cancelled their return flight on March 23, a week before they were due to travel and say the airline is ignoring their complaints.

The last BA flight back was on March 26, so they knew they had to get on one before then. Paul, 72, could not get through to customer services. His BA online account did not show any available seats on another flight. BA offered a voucher for the cancelled flight but it could not be redeemed for the next seven days.

Finally the couple, from Hook, Hampshire, tried booking as new customers and found two economy seats on a flight leaving on March 25, costing $3,671 (2,958). Their original flights cost 1,821 return. Paul says: 'We had to pay. The apartment we were staying in was closing down.'

Back home, the Carys filled out an online complaint form but the airline will only offer vouchers for the original flights it cancelled. Paul says: 'This has really left us struggling financially. We are both on a state pension.'

Sarah Durling, 31, a police officer for Cheshire Constabulary, is owed 600 in refunds for a holiday booked with Hoseasons

Sarah Durling, 31, a police officer for Cheshire Constabulary, had booked herself a holiday with her two young children, Harry, four, and Ollie, two, to stay in a chalet in Penrith, Cumbria.

She was planning to meet up with two school friends, and had planned the holiday months in advance - finding a rare window when they could all take the week off.

Sarah, from Upton, Merseyside, booked the 600 holiday with Hoseasons, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic - and so far she has been unable to get her money back.

She said: 'I planned to see my friends, we never get to see each other because we all have our own lives.

'We've been best friends since we were 15 and we finally found some time where we could all take it off.

'It was cancelled due to the coronavirus. I don't begrudge Hoseasons for that decision, but I haven't been able to get my money back.

'I've called and emailed but I've had no reply. They've said we can rebook, but I don't want to do that - I want the money back.

'They've just ignored me. That money could be used to feed the kids or pay the bills. My partner, Gareth, has just been laid off too so the money would be helpful now.'

She planned the holiday with her two young children, Harry, four, and Ollie, two, to stay in a chalet in Penrith, Cumbria

Joanne Skitt, 49, booked a two-week break in Turkey for herself and her partner, Steven Carrington, 48.

They paid over 2,000 for the holiday with Tui, and so far all they have been offered since the cancellation is a refund in company credit.

She said: 'We were told not to contact them because there was so much going on, and we hadn't heard anything by the date we were due to fly.

'The next day we read online that everything was cancelled and we could get a credit note from Tui.

'We don't want a credit note, holiday's are the last thing on our mind right now and that money could be used elsewhere.

'I'm also worried the company could go bust so the credit will be worthless.

'We were looking forward to the holiday, we had been planning it for months. We always like to book in advance so we have something to look forward to.'

Steven Carrington, 48, and Joanne Skitt, 49, booked a two-week holiday to Turkey for 2,000 but have been unable to gain a refund

Simon Joyce, 55, was due to go on honeymoon to Nashville and New Orleans with his wife on April 9, but had his American Airlines flights cancelled.

He went to the tourism agency Gullivers Travels to ask for a refund but was offered a credit not or to rebook the flight instead.

Simon, from Preston, said: 'I insisted that I wanted my money back as I am legally entitled to it and was told that refunds where being dealt with in date order and to wait until 72 hours before I was due to fly.

'By now we would have had our honeymoon and been back home  and we still have not been offered our money back  I have now been told that it may take American Airlines up to 8 weeks to have my request processed and still may not get a refund.

'I was told to claim on my travel insurance to get a refund but when I pointed out that there would be an excess there was no offer to pay that and why should the insurance company pay me  it's the travel agents and airlines who owe this refund.'

Pensioner Nathalie Franks saved up for three years to go on the 'holiday of a lifetime' with friends to Israel.

Her tour company cancelled the trip and because she booked her flight last October to get the best price possible, she is not eligible for British Airways flight vouchers.

She was told she could only receive the vouchers if she booked between March and May this years and is now out of pocket 549 for the flights alone.

Ms Franks said: 'I am so disheartened. I feel abandoned by the system.'

Simon Joyce, 55, from Preston, booked a honeymoon to Nashville and New Orleans with his wife on April 9 but was denied a refund from the travel company after his American Airlines flight was cancelled

Airlines are using underhand tactics to make it almost impossible for holidaymakers to claim refunds for cancelled flights.

Hundreds of readers have contacted us to complain major airlines are illegally withholding refunds that should be paid within a week.

Many say they have been goaded into accepting credit-note vouchers which have little consumer protection and could prove worthless if an airline went bust.

Others describe refund processes as unclear, complex or time-consuming, forcing them to give up.

Will the rules be changed on refunds? Industry insiders have suggested that the Department for Transport (DfT) is set to make an announcement on the issue after weeks of inaction. The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) has been lobbying ministers to relax rules requiring airlines to issue refunds within a set timeframe  although most have ignored them anyway. They want credit notes to retain Atol protection, giving reassurance to holidaymakers who fear their money will disappear. The situation has been worsened by uncertainty about when flights will resume. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that the industry is facing an 'apocalypse' and more than half the world's carriers could go bust. EasyJet has received a 500 million emergency loan from the Treasury. But the future looks less hopeful for Virgin Atlantic, whose request for state aid was refused. Even BA boss Alex Cruz has warned that the nation's flag-carrier faces a fight for survival. In a dramatic announcement to staff yesterday, the company said it was making up to a quarter of them  12,000 people  redundant. But an Abta spokesman says: 'Customers whose holidays have been cancelled because of the pandemic absolutely have the right to a refund, and where cash refunds are requested they should be given as soon as possible.' Advertisement

Last night, the powerful Commons transport committee of MPs confirmed plans to investigate the issue in a series of hearings with aviation bosses next week.

Under EU law, passengers are entitled to a full refund on the cost of a cancelled flight within seven days, or 14 days if they have booked it as part of a package.

But carriers are delaying issuing refunds for fear of going bust  so holidaymakers' cash is essentially being used as interest-free loans for crisis-hit airlines.

This is having a knock-on effect on package holiday companies, who are also waiting for airlines to repay them before they can issue their own refunds.

Critics say a lack of government action on the issue has turned the travel industry into the Wild West, leaving families out of pocket at a time when many are under financial strain. Industry estimates suggest companies are sitting on 7 billion in unpaid refunds.

The committee chairman, Tory MP Huw Merriman, said: 'Yes, airlines have a need for cash but this should be drawn from their lenders, not from passengers who are legally entitled to a refund.

'Many people have their own financial worries and may not be able to use a future travel voucher.'

BA has been accused of acting disgracefully by removing a refund option from its website, while retaining the option to receive a credit-note voucher towards a future flight.

Passengers are told to call a customer service number  but the line is frequently blocked. When we called this week, it played an automated message, then cut out.

EasyJet customers have also described endless waits to speak to customer service. It is, however, easy for customers to claim a credit note valid for a year.

Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and TUI are also offering credit notes automatically. These can be rejected in favour of a full refund.

However, Ryanair has warned that passengers who want their money back will be 'placed in the cash refund queue until the Covid-19 emergency has passed'.

Virgin Atlantic is in crisis and could collapse at the end of May unless a buyer is found. This would render any credit notes worthless, unless the Government steps in to protect vouchers under Atol. Then, even if an airline folded, customers would get their money back.

Wizz Air has resumed flights from Luton to several destinations in Europe this week, meaning passengers who do not wish to travel are denied the right to a refund.

Consumer champions Which? say the move was 'nothing more than a cynical cash grab'.

'It's not right that they are hanging on to my money, collecting the interest for themselves, while I am forced to spend the 1,000 even if I don't need to or want to'

Hazel Smith, 58, from Weymouth, says British Airways refused to refund her flight to Tokyo

A mother has told how British Airways used a loophole to avoid giving her a refund for her flight to Tokyo.

Hazel Smith, 58, from Weymouth, was due to fly to Japan tonight to visit her grown-up daughter who lives and works there.

With the coronavirus pandemic grounding aeroplanes around the world, she phoned BA customer services to request a refund of the 1,000 she had paid.

But she was told that the flight was a 'codeshare' agreement, meaning that although it was sold by BA, it was actually run by Japan Airlines.

That company had not cancelled the flight but was only allowing Japanese nationals to travel, meaning that there was no way Mrs Smith could fly.

'British Airways told me that since the flight was technically not cancelled, I wouldn't be getting my money back,' Mrs Smith told MailOnline.

'It felt like a total cop-out. BA was fully aware that British citizens couldn't fly on the Japan Air flight, but they were using a loophole to avoid refunding my money.

'They offered me a voucher. But I have no use for a voucher as my daughter might be moving back to Britain and I wouldn't need another flight.

'It's not right that they are hanging on to my money, collecting the interest for themselves, while I am forced to spend the 1,000 even if I don't need to or want to.'

A British Airways spokesman said: 'Our Book with Confidence policy has been updated to offer even more flexibility, details can be found on our website.'
Police arrested a 19-year-old Portland man following a string of armed robberies near the same North Portland intersection.

The suspect, Jarone Walker Jr., is accused of committing four robberies near the intersection of North Albina Avenue and North Blandena Street. Police said he used a handgun to threaten a total of seven victims during the robberies. Three robberies happened over a two-week span earlier in April, and the first robbery took place Sept. 29.

Three of the robberies occurred during meetings arranged through Facebook Marketplace to buy or sell property, police said.

Walker was arrested Friday at his home, about one block from where the robberies occurred, and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. Police said they found a loaded handgun at his home.

He is charged with four counts of first degree robbery with a firearm.

Police are investigating whether Walker was involved in additional robberies. Officers asked anyone with information about robberies near North Albina Avenue and North Blandena Street to call Det. Rachel Baer at 503-823-0323.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar toured the first ever temporary mobile hospital for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Sister City.

Garcia Cabeza de Vaca said seven other hospitals will also be deployed in Reynosa, Matamoros, Ciudad Victoria, El Mante, Altamira and Tampico.

In Nuevo Laredo, we delivered one of eight temporary hospitals for COVID-19. Fully equipped, theyll operate in seven municipalities to amplify our capacity to render aid to serious and critical patients due to coronavirus, Garcia Cabeza de Vaca said.

Tamaulipas Secretary of Health Dr. Gloria Molina Gamboa and Hospital General personnel took part in the tour to check out the equipment.

Rivas Cuellar pointed out that this is the first clinic for COVID-19 patients delivered by the governor in the state.

It is a space with 40 beds for patients who are in a critical situation. The facilities are first class and eliminate the risk of contamination in hospitals by positive patients of COVID-19, Rivas Cuellar said.

This mobile clinic was placed in front of the emergency area of Hospital General on Calle Lerdo de Tejada.

Equipment includes a sanitizing nebulizer tunnel, a triage or assessment area where medical personnel will receive patients and determine if they should be hospitalized, and the 40-bed area equipped with oxygen intakes and respirators, officials said.

Luis Alberto Zuniga Bernal, undersecretary of the National Union of Workers of the Ministry of Health, mentioned that nine health care workers are ready to man the clinic. By May, 10 doctors and 20 nurses are expected to arrive.

Rivas Cuellar added that patients who test positive will undergo care at the mobile clinic even if they dont have social security. Patients have an option to ask for private health care, Tamaulipas officials said.

Rivas Cuellar stressed that this unit will attend to positive citizens, regardless of whether they have any type of social security. He said the clinic will remain in Nuevo Laredo after the pandemic has passed.

As of Tuesday evening, Nuevo Laredo had 46 confirmed cases, 182 negatives, nine under investigation, four recovered and three deaths. Meanwhile, the state recorded 444 confirmed cases, 1,578 negatives, 150 under investigation, 39 recovered and 19 deaths.
ATHENS, Greece, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TOP Ships Inc. (the Company) (TOPS) announced today that it has entered into a placement agency agreement with Maxim Group LLC relating to the sale of the Companys common shares (the Placement Agency Agreement). Pursuant to the Placement Agency Agreement, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors in connection with a registered direct offering of an aggregate of 29,500,000 common shares at a public offering price of $0.186 per share (the Registered Offering). The aggregate gross proceeds of the Registered Offering is $5.5 million. The Registered Offering is expected to close on or about April 30, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.



Maxim Group LLC is the sole placement agent in connection with the offering.

The common shares are being offered pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-234281) previously filed and declared effective by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed by the Company with the SEC. When filed, copies of the prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying base prospectus, can be obtained at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov or from the offices of Maxim Group LLC, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10174, Attn: Prospectus Department, or by telephone at (212) 895-3745.

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 these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Any offers of securities will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus.

About TOP Ships Inc.

TOP Ships Inc. (TOPS) is an international owner and operator of modern, fuel efficient ECO tanker vessels currently focusing on the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products.

Story continues

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intends, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, may, should, expect pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

For further information please contact:

Alexandros Tsirikos

Chief Financial Officer

TOP Ships Inc.

Tel: +30 210 812 8107

Email: atsirikos@topships.org
Villagers cut open a crocodile and pulled out the bloody remains of their friend after he was eaten while fishing in Indonesia.

The 13ft crocodile dragged the man into the Lakar River delta on Sunday night and savaged him while his friend screamed for help.

Rescue teams began a search for the 55-year-old, whose name was Syafri, and found a severed leg the following morning before trapping the crocodile in nets.

After shooting it dead, they cut open the reptile's body and pulled the gruesome body parts out of its stomach.

Villagers in Indonesia pull the remains of their friend from the stomach of a crocodile which they had trapped and killed after it attacked the man in a river

Shocked residents from Teluk Lanus village helped to trap the creature after reporting the crocodile attack to police.

Syafri's friend Toha managed to scramble up the muddy banks to safety after witnessing the reptile attack at close quarters.

Locals snared the saltwater crocodile on Monday morning and dragged it along a dirt track to retrieve the body parts while people chanted.

Heru Sutmantoro, head of the Riau province Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said the man's death was a tragedy.

However, he also criticised the local villagers for killing the protected crocodile.

Heru said locals had been warned in June 2019 not to go fishing in the crocodile infested swamps connected to the delta, but it was not clear if Syafri knew this.

The crocodile was cut open by local villagers and rescuers while a crowd watched on, after the reptile was trapped in nets and shot dead

Rescue teams began searching for the 55-year-old, whose name was Syafri, after the attack and found a severed leg the following morning before trapping the crocodile in nets

'We received the information that the attack happened on Sunday night,' Heru said.

'We have long warned the public to avoid saltwater crocodile habitat and be careful around that area.

'This was not the first attack, similar attacks have happened before around the Lakar River.

'The victim probably did not know the area was a habitat for saltwater crocodiles.'

Heru said that wildlife officials were powerless to act against the villagers who killed the crocodile, but he vowed to increase patrols to map the habitat of the crocodiles.

He added: 'Saltwater crocodiles are among the wild animals protected by the law. It is the authority of the Police or the Environment and Forest Ministry's law enforcement centre.'
A Rohingya refugee was killed in a police shootout in Cox's Bazar's Ramu upazila on Wednesday, the police said.

The deceased, identified as Abdur Rashid Prakhash Khorshed, 30, was a resident of Kutupalong Rohingya camp C-2 block, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The incident took place on Ramu-Naikhongchhari Road in the Rubber Bagan area of Joarianala Union on Wednesday morning, said OC Manas Barua from the district's Detective Branch of Police.

A team of detectives occupied the Joarianala Rubber Bagan area after being notified about the arrival of a consignment of yaba tablets there, according to OC Barua.

"Police went to the location upon getting information about someone smuggling yaba via a motorcycle. When the police indicated to stop the motorcycle, Khorshed started shooting at the police, which led to police firing back in self-defence," Barua said.

"Police recovered the dead body along with the yaba pills from the location afterwards," he added.

Khorshed's body has been sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar hospital for post mortem and a case is being filed under the appropriate law.

The police rushed the wounded man to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared him dead.

Some 3,000 yaba pills, a locally made LG gun and a motorcycle were later recovered from the site, the police claimed.

(ANI)

Also Read: China's day of reckoning is coming: Global experts
Bournemouth Airport will become the first UK airport to start checking passengers for signs of coronavirus in a fresh blow to the Governments decision to not screen arrivals.

Bosses have installed thermal fever detection cameras that are capable of recording body temperatures and alerting border guards to anyone with a fever.

The tripod-mounted cameras have been fixed to the airports staff entrance but will soon be installed at every entrance to the airports departures and arrivals terminals.

Bournemouth Airport will become the first UK airport to start checking passengers for signs of coronavirus. Pictured here is one of the thermal fever detection cameras installed at the airport's staff entrance

The system will automatically alert border staff to any passenger showing signs of a high temperature, allowing them to intercept and isolate travellers before they board a plane.

It is hoped the technology will help airlines by removing the need to enforce social distancing  a move that industry leaders have warned could push up ticket prices 50 per cent.

The action by Bournemouth Airport  which is used by 800,000 passengers a year  marks a significant departure from the Governments controversial decision to not screen travellers.

The system will automatically alert border staff to any passenger showing signs of a high temperature

It comes after the Daily Mail revealed that the boss of Heathrow had written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock calling for a set of stringent screening measures, which could include temperature checks, antibody tests and a requirement that all passengers carry health passports proving they are medically fit.

Ministers say around 15,000 passengers arrive into the UK every day. Incredibly, none are tested for signs of the virus but are simply handed information leaflets about symptoms.

Critics say the lack of tests threatens the health of the nation and makes a mockery of the lockdown conditions opposed on the rest of the country.

The action by Bournemouth Airport  which is used by 800,000 passengers a year  marks a significant departure from the Governments controversial decision to not screen travellers

Heathrow executive John Holland-Kaye wants an internationally-agreed set of screening measures to restore confidence in air travel.

The airports executives also want Public Health England (PHE) to release evidence proving ministers claims that temperature screening is ineffective.

PHE has insisted that screening measures are futile against a virus that can have an incubation period of up to 14 days.

However, airport bosses are anxious that the total lack of tests makes the UKs airports appear more dangerous than others around the world, where strict controls are in place to identify and isolate passengers displaying symptoms.

The Mail understands that at least two other airports are interested in installing the same thermal fever detection cameras that are being used at Bournemouth.

Last week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the screening policy around airports is under review and may change in the future.

Gatwick Airport has also confirmed that it is working with the Department for Transport (DfT) on possible screening measures, which may include mass temperature checks.

A spokesman for SCC, the IT firm supplying the thermal cameras, said: By deploying this technology as part of a range of measures, airports can begin to reopen for business safely, reducing the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 cases and protecting passengers and employees. Thermal fever detection could also help airlines by removing the requirement to undersell occupancy to enable social distancing on flights.
Two residents have died and two others are hospitalized after an outbreak of COVID-19 at Life Care Center of Athens.

Jeffery Ricks, executive director, said, "We are working closely with the Tennessee Department of Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration and the local health department to ensure we are taking the appropriate steps at this time.

"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, we have been following the latest guidelines, from both state and federal authorities, including the CDC. Our primary concern is for the health and safety of our residents, nursing staff and other care providers. They are on the front line of this unprecedented outbreak. Our staff is trained in proper use of PPEs and are following all relevant guidelines in infection control. They are putting in heroic efforts to ensure that our patients are receiving the best care.

"Well continue to provide regular updates to state and local officials, as well as to family members who are concerned about the health and safety of their loved ones.

"Here are the latest details from our facility:

- On April 27, we announced results from 100% resident testing:

- 58 residents tested positive for COVID-19 (This includes the original four cases that were transferred to the hospital.)

- 37 residents tested negative for COVID-19

- Two residents are hospitalized; we remain in consistent communication with our medical director and local hospitals to ensure our residents are transferred if more acute care is needed. We are also checking in with their families frequently and providing as much support possible.

- Our other residents are receiving care in our COVID-19 isolation area from a dedicated staff.

- Two residents have died.

- Testing has been made available to all associates. As of now, there are 12 positives. If an associates tests positive they are only allowed to return to work when CDC guidelines for returning to work are met.

"Both the state and local health departments have been extremely supportive, and we extend our sincere thanks. As of now, patients who test positive are separated from those who test negative.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the residents who have passed away as the result of COVID-19. Our facility is a family, and were all working together to take care of our residents and each other. We remain committed to providing quality care as we fight COVID-19."
Curious just how far your dollar goes in Hidden Cove?

Finding a the ideal spot can be a challenge if you're looking for an apartment with a specific price range in mind. Fortunately, Hidden Cove has plenty of current local listings to give you a snapshot of your options. And according to Walk Score, this San Antonio neighborhood is car-dependent, has minimal bike infrastructure and has a few nearby public transportation options.

We took a look at local listings for apartments in San Antonio via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to find out what apartment seekers can expect to find.

Read on for a roundup of the latest rental listings that you can snag for no more than $1,400/month. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.)

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

Standing Rock Street

Listed at $1,365/month, this three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom unit is located at Standing Rock Street.

You can expect to see hardwood flooring in the residence. The building offers garage parking and outdoor space. Animals are not welcome.

(Take a look at the complete listing here.)

4934 War Horse Drive

Next, there's this three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit situated at 4934 War Horse Drive. It's listed for $1,375/month for its 1,425 square feet.

Amenities offered in the building include garage parking. You can also expect to find a dishwasher, hardwood flooring and a walk-in closet in the unit. Both cats and dogs are welcome.

(Take a gander at the complete listing here.)

8202 Tesoro Hls

Here's a 1,407-square-foot three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom unit at 8202 Tesoro Hls that's also going for $1,375/month.

Look for hardwood flooring, a walk-in closet and a dishwasher in the unit. When it comes to building amenities, anticipate garage parking. Luckily for pet owners, both dogs and cats are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

(Take a look at the full listing here.)

War Cloud Street

Next, check out this 1,777-square-foot three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom unit that's located at War Cloud Street. It's listed for $1,375/month.

When it comes to building amenities, expect garage parking and outdoor space. You can also expect to find hardwood flooring in the residence. Pets are not welcome.

(See the complete listing here.)

Sweet Maiden Drive

Located at Sweet Maiden Drive, here's a 1,425-square-foot three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom unit that's listed for $1,375/month.

Neither cats nor dogs are welcome.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Additionally, read on for five marketing tips for real estate agents to showcase local market expertise.

Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
[April 28, 2020] IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023 | Launch of NTP to Boost Growth | Technavio

Technavio has been monitoring the IT market in Saudi Arabia and it is poised to grow by USD 5.85 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 9% 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. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200428005823/en/ Technavio has announced its latest arabia research report titled IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Accenture, Ejada, IBM (News - Alert), Microsoft, and Oracle are some of the major market participants. The launch of NTP will offer immense growth opportunities. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Launch of NTP has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023: Segmentation IT Market in Saudi Arabia is segmented as below: End-user Government Telecommunications BFSI Oil & gas Others

Component Hardware Services Software

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR0123



IT Market in Saudi Arabia 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 IT market in Saudi Arabia report covers the following areas:

IT Market in Saudi Arabia Size

IT Market in Saudi Arabia Trends

IT Market in Saudi Arabia Industry Analysis This study identifies increasing demand for e-governance as one of the prime reasons driving the IT market growth in Saudi Arabia during the next few years. IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the IT market in Saudi Arabia, including some of the vendors such as Accenture (News - Alert), Ejada, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the IT 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 IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist IT market growth in Saudi Arabia during the next five years

Estimation of the IT market size and its contribution to the parent market in Saudi Arabia

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the IT market in Saudi Arabia

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of it market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER Market segmentation by end-user

Comparison by end-user

Government - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Telecommunications - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

BFSI - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Oil & Gas - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by end-user PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY COMPONENT Market segmentation by component

Comparison by component

Hardware - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Services - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Software - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by component PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers

Market challenges PART 11: MARKET TRENDS PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview

Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Accenture

Ejada

IBM

Microsoft (News - Alert)

Oracle PART 14: APPENDIX Research methodology

List of abbreviations PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO 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/20200428005823/en/

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Lata Mangeshkar health update: Veteran singer still in ICU, but there has been a slight improvement

Maharashtra likely to see rise in COVID-19 hospitalisations by Jan-end or early Feb

COVID-19: CRPF battalion sealed after personnel dies in Delhi

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 29: The death of a 55-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel died of coronavirus on Tuesday in Delhi has set alarm bells ringing in the largest Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

This is the first death due to the pandemic among the about 10 lakh personnel strong Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) or the paramilitary forces that function under the Union Home Ministry for upkeep of internal security and border guarding.

The assistant sub-inspector (ASI) rank official was admitted to the Safdarjung hospital a few days back after being detected positive for the virus.

"The personnel died on Tuesday due to COVID-19 infection. He was posted with the 31st battalion of the force based in Delhi," a senior official said.

The battalion has so far seen 46 CRPF personnel have tested positive for Covid-19. The results of 257 others are awaited. An entire battalion of nearly 1,100, meanwhile, has been quarantined and sealed.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed grief over the trooper's demise.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Bahadur Sub-Inspector Mohammad Ikram Hussain. He fought heroically with the coronavirus epidemic until the end. His contribution to the service and internal security of the country inspires all of us," Shah wrote in a tweet.

The CRPF is country's largest paramilitary force with about 3.25 lakh personnel in its ranks and it is designated as the lead internal security force apart from the mainstay for anti-Naxal operations and counter-terrorist duties in the Kashmir valley.
In a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau has expressed his appreciation for the help extended by New Delhi in the process of repatriation of Canadians stranded in India during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In fact, the welfare of citizens stuck in each others nations formed a major component of the telephonic dialogue between the two leaders. Modi tweeted that he had a warm exchange with Trudeau and that he Thanked him for looking after Indian citizens in Canada in these difficult times.

Over three lakh Indians, including nearly two lakh students, are in Canada at this time, and the Indian Government, through its High Commission and Consulates, has been working with the Federal Government as well as provinces and universities to ensure their well-being. Meanwhile, nearly 40,000 Canadians were similarly situated in India and New Delhi has helped facilitate 14 special flights so far, the latest of which departed from Kolkata. This flight was to fly from east India.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Trudeaus call also came as a consignment of five million tablets of hydroxychloroquine from India is expected to arrive in Canada by the end of this week. Trudeau expressed his gratitude for Indias commitment to the continued export of key pharmaceutical products, according to a readout issued by the Canadian PMO.

Both countries are also looking at upping cooperation over the crisis, as Modi added, in his tweet, Collaboration and partnership between India and Canada is vital to fighting the pandemic including through medical research and supply chain management. This was echoed in Trudeaus statement which noted they agreed to continue cooperating closely and noted the value of the important people-to-people ties between the two countries.

The conversation also focused on the need for global coordination, including through the G20, on pandemic response and to stabilize the global economy and for increased international cooperation to accelerate the development of diagnostics, treatments, and potential vaccines while keeping supply chains for medical equipment and critical items open globally. They discussed cooperation during the pandemic under the rubric of the G-20 group of nations of which both are members.

Modi also offered his condolences to Canadians over the killing of 22 persons during a shooting rampage, the worst on the countrys soil, in the province of Nova Scotia last week.
Compliant conservatives, such as Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, earn positive coverage and ruthless campaigns targeting their opponents. Rupert Murdochs declaration to Kerry Stokes in mid-2018, never denied, that "Malcolms got to go" reveals who signed the death warrant of an Australian prime minister. In a democracy, thats for voters to decide. Turnbulls book reinforces the case for a royal commission into abuses of media power.

Wherever I go, foreigners are astounded that Murdoch commands 70 per cent of Australian newspaper circulation. In Queensland, a key electoral battleground, he owns 14 of the 15 daily newspapers. This media monopoly is a cancer on our democracy. Turnbulls thesis echoes my own: News Corp behaves like a political party in alliance with the Liberal right. Leaders who resist Murdoch, or outlive their usefulness, are destroyed.

With every political memoir comes a barrage of salacious headlines, often obscuring the forest for the trees. Malcolm Turnbulls book is no exception. While I disagree with him on many points of fact and policy, Turnbulls major contribution is his account of the Murdoch medias pernicious role in Australian politics. Hence, News Corps relentless denigration of both the book and its author, even leaking it before publication.

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First, his chapter on broadband is a shocker. It opens with Liberal folklore about Labor designing the NBN on a beer coaster mid-flight to Brisbane (or was it a napkin flying to Darwin?) and then claims his subsequent butchery saved $30 billion. Hogwash. The facts are: Turnbull's copper NBN is now three years overdue, $21 billion over-budget and ranked 62nd in the world for speed. His claim that Labors NBN was secretly over-budget is political fantasy, akin to Barnaby Joyces prediction of $100 lamb roasts under climate action. If Turnbull had kept our full-fibre plan, the rollout would virtually be finished, costing about $45 billion instead of $51 billion, with speeds around 100Mbps.

Second, Turnbulls claim he never backed me for UN secretary-general is fiction. Malcolm personally urged me to run while visiting my New York home just before his leadership challenge in 2015. That November, we discussed it in his Canberra office, where he sought a list of countries to lobby. He authorised a full diplomatic campaign, which I then planned over several meetings with Australias UN ambassador and her staff. As Julie Bishop confirms, she was "told to campaign quite heavily" and "worked very hard to promote" my candidacy. Turnbull also asked New Zealands then prime minister, John Key, to release Australia from Tony Abbotts earlier commitment to Helen Clark, which Key then did publicly.

Turnbull backflipped at the last minute to avoid a cabinet revolt by the far right. This duplicity was disappointing because, while prime minister, I selected conservatives for many senior roles, sending Brendan Nelson to Brussels, Peter Costello to the Future Fund and Tim Fischer to the Vatican. Malcolm also seems to have forgotten how, after Abbotts ascension, I asked him to become ambassador for the environment (mere months after he falsely accused me of corruption during the "Utegate" affair). Prime ministers shouldnt be afraid to reach across the aisle.

Third, Turnbull claims Labor damaged relations with India by cancelling the quadrilateral security dialogue with it, Japan and the United States in February 2008. Wrong. It was John Howard who withdrew from the "quad". Defence minister Brendan Nelson announced in June 2007: "I have reassured China that the so-called quadrilateral dialogue with India is not something we are pursuing." Japan cooled on the quad after changing leaders in September 2007, while Indias prime minister Manmohan Singh rejected it in January 2008.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 16:00 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4fd6bd 1 Health COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,health-ministry,patients,death,immune-system Free

Recent official data has shown that the COVID-19 outbreak has taken a greater toll on Indonesian men than women, with twice as many men testing positive for the disease.

According to data from the Health Ministrys disease control and prevention directorate-general on Monday, 394 male COVID-19 patients have died as of April 26, compared to 176 women.

In hindsight, men make up about 59 percent of the nationwide COVID-19 cases, National COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo said on Monday.

In addition, 518 patients who have recovered are men and 366 are women.

Read also: Men in East Java more prone to COVID-19 with 61% of cases, 77% of deaths

Health authorities have recorded 9,511 confirmed cases across the country as of Tuesday, with 773 deaths and 1,254 recoveries.

The Health Ministry also revealed that men between 18 and 65 years old make up the highest number of COVID-19 cases compared to other age groups, with 3,405 patients.

The ministry claimed this was mainly caused by the age groups productivity, mobility as well as other socio-economic factors.

Read also: 30 to 59-year-olds make up highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Indonesia: Health Ministry

Although a similar trend had been observed in other regions such as China, Italy and the United States, scientists have yet settled on a scientific explanation for the higher COVID-19-related deaths in men.

Some experts say women have a better chance of fighting the disease because they have a stronger immune system.

James Gill, a locum doctor and honorary clinical lecturer at the Warwick Medical School in the United Kingdom said one hypothesis was that women "may have a more aggressive immune system, meaning a greater resilience to infections", as quoted by AFP.

Another, he said, was "the assumption that men simply don't look after their bodies as well, with higher levels of smoking, alcohol use [and] obesity", adding that the answer may be a mixture of both biology and environmental factors.
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Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 18:36 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd50c3f9 1 National COVID-19,domestic-absorption,military-hardware,defense,state-budget,modernization,defense-ministry,PT-Dirgantara-Indonesia,PT-Pindad,Research-and-Development Free

The government has high hopes that local arms manufacturers can step up their production capacity to facilitate its efforts to modernize Indonesias primary weapons defense system amid delayed plans to acquire foreign arms as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Entering the third and final phase of its long-term modernization program this year, the Defense Ministry has moved to leverage the role of domestic players in developing the national defense industry, amid the continued shortfall in overseas defense spending.

Procurement for our weapons defense system will focus on developing the local industry by way of transfers of technology with principal [manufacturers], Deputy Defense Minister Wahyu Sakti Trenggono told The Jakarta Post recently.

As part of the ministrys key programs this year, Wahyu said that state-owned companies in the defense sector would focus on pioneering products as set out in the ministrys defense roadmap.

In presentations to the House of Representatives' defense commission last year, the ministry unveiled plans for a multi-billion-dollar investment in assets including fighter and transport aircraft, tanks, air defense systems and surface combatants to support the last phase of the Indonesian Militarys (TNI) Minimum Essential Forces (MEF) program.

Wahyu said PT PAL Indonesia would be developing naval vessels, while PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) made propeller aircraft and helicopters and artillery specialist PT Pindad manufactured land combat vehicles.

The ministry is the only government agency to hold on to more than Rp 100 trillion in funds from the 2020 state budget, following the reallocation of state expenditure for the COVID-19 response.

According to Presidential Regulation No. 54/2020, the ministry still has the lions share of its budget with Rp 122.44 trillion (US$7.97 billion), despite incurring a cut of almost Rp 10 trillion.

But in spite of the focus on defense spending, the ministry has yet to acquire any foreign military hardware since Prabowo Subianto took the helm last year.

Minister Prabowo, a one-time rival to President Joko Jokowi Widodo, had set out on an extensive trip overseas not long after assuming his post at the start of Jokowis second term, presumably to survey the global market for arms.

Among his destinations were the United Arab Emirates, China, Russia, Turkey, South Korea and France.

But the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has further dampened the prospects of arms acquisitions, with experts saying that the country will require substantial foreign loans to support the rest of its modernization drive.

PT DI, which specializes in aircraft manufacturing, is in the process of developing a missile to complement its 70-millimeter folding fin aerial rocket launcher, which has been fitted onto the Air Forces F-16 jets, said president director Elfien Goentoro.

The missile is being developed by a consortium led by the company and includes other SOEs such as PT Len Industri, PT Pindad, PT TRESS and explosives maker PT Dahana.

This program is only in its second year [...] the aim is to design several systems such as flight control systems, warheads and jet engines, among others, Elfien told the Post.

The firm is also developing a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle dubbed the Elang Hitam through another consortium involving the Defense Ministry and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

The combat UAV is expected to enter production in 2024, even though Jokowi requested in February the fast-tracking of the development to 2022, which would raise the investment cost to Rp 1.1 trillion.

But Elfien said it was unlikely to meet the target, considering that many of the existing budget items, including PT DIs own programs, were reallocated for the COVID-19 response.

Meanwhile, PT Pindad will be modernizing its production line to ramp up its ammunition-manufacturing capacity to 1 billion rounds per year, up from the current 250 million rounds per year, said president director Abraham Mose.

The company was also instructed to modernize its production line for combat vehicles and small arms production.

The Defense Ministry had already agreed to act as an off-taker for PT Pindads ammunition and combat vehicle products, Abraham said, which helped the company in seeking loans to upgrade its manufacturing capacity.

Going forward, we expect vendors to be willing to build a factory in Indonesia to manufacture the [vehicle] engines, he said.

In nominal terms, Indonesia spent $7.66 billion on military expenditure last year, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), making it the second-largest military spender in Southeast Asia.

However, the figure only represents 0.7 percent of Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP), slightly behind its neighbors Malaysia, Philippines and Timor Leste, all of which have allocated spending equal to 1 percent of their GDPs.

Experts have said that the country is likely to seek to finance its acquisitions through a guns and butter approach  trading arms for commodities such as palm oil or coffee  as it has done in previous phases of the modernization program. But the current viral outbreak has weighed heavily on the available options.

The big players cater mostly to local clients but have also sold equipment to other countries. However, they have yet to meet the local demand as their products are not equipped with the most advanced technology.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) defense researcher Diandra Mengko underscored the importance of investing in military research and development, urging the Defense Industry Policy Committee (KKIP) to take a leading role in coordinating stakeholders to develop the domestic defense industry.

The key to its development is technology. The problem with that is it isnt cheap to conduct research, she said.

Such things should be considered by the KKIP when charting an industry strategy.

Military expert Khairul Fahmi from the Institute of Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) expressed similar views, as he called on the Defense Ministry to increase spending on research and education to bolster the domestic industry. The first thing we need is a blueprint to keep upstream and downstream [sectors] in sync, he said.
The stay-at-home order Gov. Greg Abbott put in place because of COVID-19 on March 31 ends this week. At Mondays news conference in which he announced the first phase of his reopening of the states economy, Abbott said, Its hard to get rid of this virus because it is so contagious. So, were not just going to open up and hope for the best.

This was the governors assurance to Texans that his reopening plan is well-thought-out with health as his priority. We appreciate Abbott adopting a measured approach, but its because COVID-19 is hard to get rid of and its contagious path is still uncertain that we worry this reopening is too soon and may lead to more infections, even as we hope for the best.

Beginning Friday, under the plan outlined by the governors task force, retail stores, malls, restaurants and movie theaters can reopen but only to 25 percent of their regular capacity. Food courts and play areas remain closed. Rural counties with less than five confirmed cases are allowed 50 percent capacity.

Local governments can decide if libraries and public museums can reopen.

If two weeks of data confirm no increase of infections, capacity can expand to 50 percent and more businesses, like bars, gyms, barber shops and beauty salons will be allowed to open.

We share the governors eagerness to get the economy going again and to allow people to work, dine, be social and begin the process of returning to some semblance of normalcy.

We dont share his confidence that this is the time. Abbott said the stay-at-home order has done its job to slow the growth of COVID-19.

Why not allow it to continue to work and slow the virus even more?

April has seen a slowing of the spread of COVID-19 in Texas but the number of new cases still climbs and we dont know if theyve peaked. Compared with other states, Texas is also near the bottom nationally in COVID-19 testing per capita.

Abbotts plan includes more testing and hiring more contact tracers to contact people who met the infected. But the scarcity of testing and lack of contact tracers coupled with a narrowing of social distancing is a dangerous combination.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg, in a meeting with the Editorial Board, credited Abbott for operating in a methodical way distinct from the recklessness of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who reopened his state over two days. He also praised Abbott for his assistance when San Antonio was caring for evacuees, but he said some of what Abbott is doing is too soon and a risk we dont need to take in an uninformed manner.

Abbotts decree supersedes all local orders and undercuts mayors, like Nirenberg, who wish to proceed more cautiously in reopening businesses. Included in this undercutting of local control is Abbotts decision to no longer mandate the wearing of masks.

His spoken words recommend people wear masks, but his written words will likely encourage more people to discard them. Today, in San Antonio, a person not wearing a mask could be fined. Tomorrow, that same person can dine in a restaurant or go to a movie without a mask.

We agree with the mayor when he says that he hopes that Abbotts plan works but that we wont know until three weeks from now.

All of us can only hope for the best.
Her young patients are at home because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but Cheryl Westmoreland, head nurse for the Deer Park Independent School District, and her team are still busy safeguarding students health.

Weve been reaching out to teachers and talking about kids and their health and what they might be worried about, she said, adding that the nursing team is using the districts school lunch pickup service as a way to be in contact with parents and students. Were also working on health and dental lessons for the kids and sent out 1,000 hand-washing fliers. Its a new world, and were just trying to keep up with our goals in a different way.

As Westmoreland put it, adapting is just what nurses do.

For a school nurse, her focus is always on keeping kids healthy and safe and ready to learn, she said.

To that end, Westmoreland hosted a Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center blood drive for the community on April 28 at Bonnett Junior High School. Nurses are also calling parents to conduct wellness checks and learn of any needed resources, especially related to food and health care.

We have a list of resources with real information from the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the Texas Department of Health Services that we can share with our parents, she said. The nurses are also working with counselors and teachers to buy and deliver food (to families that need it).

What were missing the most

A nurse by training and a teacher at heart, Westmoreland said the sudden loss of student contact created by the pandemic has been difficult on nurses, who are adept at assessing problems based on what they see.

Nursing is so physical. From the moment we see a kid, we are looking at their expression, their mood and their bodies, she said. Now, thats what were missing the most. We can talk to them and answer emails, but its not the same when we cant see them.

Because of the distance, Westmoreland said she and her colleagues are worrying about some kids.

We worry about the ones (for whom) school is their meal or their happy place, she said. We worry about the ones who are medically fragile.

In addition to administering medications and determining physical problems, Westmoreland said she and her team of 15 registered nurses also offer emotional support when needed.

We see a lot of kids when theyre not at their best; so then we play a different role, she said. We offer a counselors ear, we teach, we comfort. Sometimes we see kids who just want someone to smile at them and give them a hug. With those situations, our goal is to steer them back to the classroom with a smile.

Despite the current challenges and shift in how they execute their duties, the Deer Park ISD nursing team is already looking ahead to how school clinics and nurse care will look when students return to campus.

Westmoreland said theyve pondered what, if any, changes will be in place in their clinics. Will there be isolation rooms for COVID-19 patients? Will there be separate entrances and spaces for sick and well children? Will there be temperature checks on campus?

We also need to think about what type of education well need to do for students and staff when we come back, she said. Im energized by the challenge and know that, with the right guidance from health officials, well be able to keep our focus on the health of our kids and staff. Every nurse in this district will do their part to protect our patients.

I truly hope that the evidence and data evaluated over the summer will show that it is safe for the students and teachers to return, she said.
The portals of the Kedarnath temple were opened on Wednesday with the first puja performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and only members of the shrine's committee and administrative officials attending it amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

The doors of the eleventh jyotirlinga at Kedarnath in the Garhwal Himalayas were opened at 6.10 am. The temple was decorated in a grand way with 10 quintals of flowers, temple committee officials said.

The portals of the four famous Himalayan shrines -- Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri -- are opened every year between April and May after a six-month closure during which they remain completely snowbound.

The Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines were opened on April 26 on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. The Badrinath shrine will open on May 15.

The first 'rudrabhishek' was performed on behalf of Prime Minister Modi, a Kedarnath temple committee official said.

The pujas were performed by Shivshankar Ling in the absence of the chief priest, Bhimashankar Ling, who is in 14 days of quarantine.

Only priests of the temple, and officials of the temple committee and administration were present during the puja. Due to the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, pilgrims are not being allowed to visit the temple, an official said.

The portals of the temple have been opened so that priests can offer prayers regularly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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By late Monday afternoon, Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives had decided they would join the Senate in reconvening Congress, as scheduled, in a week. By Monday night, those same Democratic leaders had changed their minds.

Starting on May 4, the Republican administration will be in Washington, the Republican Senate will be in Washington, and the locus of Democratic power in Washingtonthe House of Representativeswill be at home.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, speaking to the press in a conference call Tuesday morning, said he had changed his mind after speaking with the Capitol attending physician Monday evening. He cited the still-rising number of coronavirus cases in D.C., along with the hot spots of neighboring Prince Georges and Montgomery counties. Further, he said, the next major relief package that House Democrats are draftingCARES 2, as theyre calling itwouldnt be ready for a vote anyway.

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Theres more to it than a dispassionate late-night chat with the attending physicianwhos also the Senates attending physician, by the way, and whose medical advice apparently didnt scare off Mitch McConnell from reconvening his own body. Internal Democratic politics were a factor. Numerous Democrats, as Politico reported Monday, were outraged by Democratic leaders original decision to return during the caucus Monday conference call. Some, like Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, described the idea as dangerous, while others questioned how they would take care of their families during extended stays in D.C.

Some members, Hoyer said, are very, very concerned if theres not a major piece of legislation ready for a vote, then the House ought to wait until it is ready, rather than stay [in Washington] for some period of time. Democratic leaders are still hoping to reach a deal with Republicans that would allow for proxy or remote votingand, crucially, remote committee meetings and briefingsin certain cases, after tabling their plan to vote on such a proposal last week. Instituting that, however, would require members to come back to vote on it.

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McConnell has more pressing reasons to call back the Senate than Pelosi and Hoyer do the House. The Senate, unlike the House, is in the personnel business, and McConnell needs his conference back to return to the peoples work of confirming unqualified young people to the most powerful federal appellate court in the country. Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, sent McConnell a letter Tuesday respectfully urging him to have the Senate focus on COVID-19 related matters and oversight of all COVID-related legislation enacted by Congress, rather than unrelated nominations. Surely McConnell will take Democrats concerns to heart.

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Hoyer repeatedly emphasized that members werent slacking while away from the Capitol, and that in some respects they were busier than theyd ever been with the work of managing coronavirus concerns in their districts. But staying away indefinitely, without remote voting and committee hearing options in place, puts Democrats at a disadvantage.

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No matter how often House Democrats try to prove to the public that Democrats really are working hard from a distance, its a tough message to sell to nurses, doctors, workers at meat-processing plants, grocery store workers, or any other essential workers whove been asked to put their own health on the line. (Not to mention the unemployed.) Plenty of House Republicans, particularly the old and sickly ones, are privately pleased that they dont have to return to Washington. Publicly, however, they wont miss an opportunity to label their Democratic colleagues derelict cowards.

At a time when the American people are looking to their government leaders for guidance and confidence, it sends a horrible signal that Democrat leadership cant even manage an announcement on returning to business without completely reversing their decision in less than 24 hours, a House Republican leadership aide told Politico. How do they explain to the American people why the Republican White House and Republican Senate can be in Washington to carry out their work on behalf of their constituents, but House Democrats cannot?

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Democrats could withstand Republicans taking easy dunks if that were the only consequence. But Democrats will weaken their hand in negotiating the next legislation if the Senate is the focal point of coverageas it naturally will be, by being in Washington. McConnells Senate took the lead while the House was in recess in drafting the CARES Act, with Speaker Pelosi only flying back to Washington late in the process to jump into negotiations. The product, despite some Democratic gains in the bargaining, reflected that.

And it cant be overstated how critical the need for oversight is right now, as trillions of dollars of loose money slosh around the executive branch to cover for a pandemic that the executive branch missed in the first place. Obviously, there are a lot of things going on with how this money is being spent that are clearly not in keeping with the spirit of what we intended, Washington Democratic Rep. Denny Heck told the Washington Post in a story about House Democrats frustrations with their barely functioning body. And its harder for us to exercise oversight when were all at home in our war rooms.

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Theres a way for the House to resolve this dilemma while abiding by their pledge to follow the advice of medical experts. They pass a rule change allowing for a remote voting option for those members who are either sick, immunocompromised, or caring for family member, while the House is otherwise in session. Committee hearings and markups, as well as votes, can be conducted in person while adhering to social distancing recommendations, with those who have an excuse Zooming in. There can be a hard expiration date on the emergency protocol so it doesnt become a precedent. This is the sort of hybrid deal that House is hoping to reach with bipartisan buy-in. It should have been reached a month ago.
People of Asian descent throughout the world have experienced an increase in acts of racial aggression since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. A website, Stop AAPI Hate, created in mid-March to track such incidents received 650 reports during its first week online. And that only included acts reported by people who knew about the new website. In one month, almost 1,500 acts of verbal or physical hostilities had been reported on the site.

Examples of anti-Asian bias in Texas range from attempted murder to stereotyping and hate speech. On March 14, a Burmese father and his young sons (ages 2 and 6) were attacked and stabbed in a Midland Sams Club by an assailant who said he targeted the family because he thought they were Chinese and infecting people with coronavirus. In early March, while standing in line at an early voting site in Irving, a Vietnamese-American veteran of three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan coughed after taking a sip of water and began to choke. The woman ahead of him chastised him for being sick and told him, All you Asian people are spreading that coronavirus. Here in Houston, on April 8, a woman pushing a shopping cart through a Kroger parking lot on Buffalo Speedway began screaming at an Asian-American couple to Get out of our country! Get out of the United States, you ugly [expletive]! The couple, owners of a restaurant in the same strip mall, was shocked, terrified and humiliated. And, indeed, they were in their own country.

The rise in anti-Asian rhetoric and violence related to COVID-19 is tacitly fueled by elected officials at the highest levels who refer to the virus as the Chinese virus or blame China and Chinese people for being the source of a lot of these viruses like SARS, like MERS, the swine flu, and now the coronavirus. Never mind that MERS is an acronym for Middle East respiratory syndrome and the swine flu began in North America.

As the pandemic threatens the wellbeing of virtually everyone on the planet, this is a good time to remember that were all in this together. People of good conscience can help their Asian and Asian-American neighbors by becoming allies to them.

The first step is recognizing that we are all members of the human race, a category that is vastly bigger than any one racial, ethnic, language, religious or other sub-group. Indeed, we are far more alike than we are different. The second step is to try a few of these suggestions when the opportunity arises or when you feel moved to seek out the opportunity yourself:

Say something when someone is being targeted or demeaned for their race or ethnicity. This takes courage, tact and quick assessment. Obviously, you dont want to endanger the targeted person, yourself or anyone else. A recent online workshop jointly organized by Hollaback!, a nonprofit that works to end harassment, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) offered a number of actions that could be used by bystanders when they observe harassment. They include:

Causing a small distraction, such as dropping your purse, your phone or a handful of change or asking for directions. Just something to distract the harasser and break the tension.

Enlisting the help of someone nearby, such as the person sitting next to you or someone in a position of authority (a bus driver, salesperson, etc.). Although its best not to call 911 or a law enforcement officer without asking the victims permission first.

Whenever possible, if someone else has stepped in to help, try to capture a video of the situation (you can pretend youre checking your emails). When the situation calms down, ask the person being harassed if they would like a copy of the video.

When the situation is under control, check in with the person who was being harassed, Im sorry that happened to you. Would you like me to sit with you, or can I help you with anything?

Reach out to Asian and Asian-American friends, neighbors and co-workers to express your support for them. Tell them youve read about racist acts and comments related to the coronavirus. Ask if theyve been targeted and let them know you support them.

Educate yourself about the Asian and Asian-American experience in the United States, especially about the history of anti-Asian discrimination. The Chinese were the first major wave of Asian immigrants to come to Texas in the mid to late 1800s, leaving the U.S. west coast following the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Emancipation had also left southern landowners and businesses without a source of cheap labor, and the Chinese were reputed to be industrious and docile. In Texas, as was the case throughout the United States, they and subsequent Asian immigrants were shunned and mistrusted for their appearance, language, culture and all manner of suspicions about them.

Examine your own biases with respect to Asian people and cultures. Dont be ashamed to admit to yourself that you have biases. We all have them. You cant grow up in a racist society without them.

Take action, no matter how small, to counter racism in any way you can.

Steinwender and Gallier are co-executive directors of the Center for the Healing of Racism, a Houston nonprofit founded 31 years ago.
Since launching my campaign in May 2019, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout New Mexicos Third Congressional District, an area nearly the size of Florida, and listen to the issues concerning members of our diverse communities. Whether in our rural, urban, retired or working-class communities, I hear the same themes repeated time and again: We need to improve our education system, expand our economic opportunities and protect our environment.

In short, New Mexicans want to keep their families happy, healthy and safe. Its just one reason why I decided to put down roots and raise my family here, and today, its the reason why Im calling on all of us to play our part in stopping the spread of COVID-19. What we do today to stop the surge in cases will determine the well-being of our society for generations to come.

As of April 29, 110 of us have died as a result of COVID-19. Over 2,900 of us have been infected and counting. I stress the word us because these arent just statistics on individuals battling against a disease. These people are essential threads in the fabric of our community; what happens to them affects all of us. What happens to them happens to us.

And the tough reality is that those numbers only show a tiny sliver of the pandemics devastating impact on our lives; considering unprecedented levels of unemployment, looming health care costs and uncertainty over if or when well ever return to normal, many of us are feeling sad. Angry. Helpless.

I feel sad that my kids are missing out on a large part of their sophomore year in college. I feel angry that I must wear a mask to go grocery shopping. I feel helpless when I cant meet with all the people throughout the district I wanted to before the June 2 primary. But I also know that we can get through this. New Mexicans fight hard for what they believe in, and we understand the need to protect our history, our culture and our communities.

So how do we do that, both in the short-term and in the long-term?

We know for certain that the most effective way to save lives is to stay at home and practice social distancing. It is critical to decreasing the number of COVID-19 cases and flattening the curve. And while we may be tempted to ignore the directive  even for a few minutes  and let the kids have a play date, sneak a coffee with our neighbor or meet a colleague for a quick face-to-face meeting, we must remember that there are people counting on us: health care workers and at-risk populations. We must remember that staying in the comfort of our own homes is a privilege that many New Mexicans simply cant afford.

The fact of the matter is that members of our own communities dont have equal access to information, testing, or treatment. This pandemic is shining a light on existing disparities within our political, economic and social infrastructures: health care, housing, education, employment, the environment  you name it.

Social distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic will be temporary, but these inequalities wont be unless we work to address them, too. As the dust settles, and we emerge from our homes, we need the right leadership to take a serious look at the policies that have failed us and pave a new path forward. If I am fortunate enough to be your next congresswoman, I will confront these hard truths and stand up for every citizen of New Mexico, with the goal of keeping all of our families happy, healthy, and safe.

While in the CIA, I worked to protect Americas national security. I managed top-secret covert programs designed to keep terrorists and rogue nation states from acquiring nuclear weapons. And now, during one of the most pivotal moments in our countrys history, I am ready to serve again. This is a different kind of threat, no doubt, but I have the training and experience to protect and serve the people of New Mexico during, and beyond, this crisis.

Together, we will come out of this more unified than ever before. Im sure of it. As much as I would love to give a hug of support to every member of our district during this stressful time, I know keeping physical distance is what is healthiest for all of us. I look forward to earning your vote on June 2. Stay well!
Kelly Duvendack stopped accepting clients at her small Lake Oswego acupuncture clinic after Gov. Kate Brown banned all non-essential medical procedures on March 19 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The ban is set to end Friday.

Over a month after closing her business, Duvendack has yet to receive any financial relief. She was unable to secure funding through the federal loan programs offered to small businesses, is still waiting for her unemployment claim to be processed and has yet to see her stimulus check.

With no income coming in, Duvendack asked the company that holds her mortgage to put a pause on payments for her Northeast Portland home.

Im trying to look ahead and do damage control, Duvendack said. But we all need money and help right now to get through this.

Duvendack is one of an estimated 3.5 million mortgage borrowers currently in forbearance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, which represents the real estate finance industry. Forbearance means a lender has allowed homeowners to pause or temporarily reduce their payments.

The number in forbearance ballooned over the last month as millions of Americans lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis. As of April 19, just under 7% of mortgage borrowers were in forbearance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That is up from just 0.25% during the first week of March.

The federal governments CARES Act gave homeowners who have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis the right to request a forbearance on a federally-backed loan for up to 180 days. That federal legislation also put a 60-day moratorium, beginning March 18, on foreclosures in cases where loans are federally backed.

But the short-term relief has done little to ease the concerns of homeowners who remain worried about the long-term financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

Homeowners in forbearance will still be asked to make up their missed payments over a specified period. Also, homeowners who are not employed or are in forbearance cannot refinance their mortgages.

They can request a forbearance and not make payments for a couple of months, but then they agree to catch those payments up in a period of time, said Susan Brown, senior vice president and construction loan production manager at Umpqua Bank. Maybe I choose to forgo three payments, but then in the following three months, I double my payments to get current again. Those terms are negotiable, depending on the servicer.

Christopher Pothier, a self-employed artist, and his wife Kathy, a wedding photographer and fitness instructor, lost the majority of their income due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They have dipped into their savings to continue to pay the mortgage on their home in The Dalles and support their two younger sons, who moved back due to the COVID-19 crisis.

They spoke to their bank about entering into forbearance to help ease their stress over the next few months, but ultimately decided against it once they learned that they would be required to make up the missed payments over a three-month period after the forbearance ended.

When we went through the recession in 2008-09, I lost all my business for a few years, Pothier said. Since then, Ive been really conservative with money and I keep money aside for real disasters, like this. But obviously, that money doesnt last forever either. Im good for a few months, but I dont know where Ill be in four months or five months. Im looking at September and October being a real issue for us.

Oregon senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, successfully pushed to receive an extension from the U.S. Treasury Department this week to allow Oregon to continue to use funding from its Hardest Hit Fund. The fund was created following the 2008 financial crisis to provide assistance to struggling homeowners.

The senators estimated that 2,000 Oregon homeowners would be able to receive assistance thanks to the extension of the program. The senators are now calling on the Treasury Department to allow the state to tap into the programs $25 million reserves to help fund administrative costs.

Sonia Capece, director of the Home Source Program at NeighborImpact, which serves economically disadvantaged residents in central Oregon, said that the federal government took a step in the right direction by addressing foreclosures and forbearance in the CARES Act and allowing Oregon to continue to tap into its Hardest Hit Fund.

But the fallout for homeowners from the COVID-19 crisis may not be clear for months and Capece said that additional resources will likely be needed to help homeowners stay in their homes.

We had people that were unstably housed before this went down and now with the economic impact of the pandemic, that number is definitely going to increase, Capece said. I hope some of the funding that the government is dedicating to stabilize communities goes to homeowners to help them pay their mortgages. I do think resources to help homeowners will be very important.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland was arrested on several charges Tuesday in South Carolina, including possessing marijuana or hash, driving with an open container of alcohol and resisting arrest.

A deputy reportedly saw him and two other men smoking marijuana at a gas station around 11 am. Breeland allegedly attempted to flee the scene multiple times and police needed to first aim a taser gun at him and then a real firearm before he could be handcuffed, according to TMZ.

The 28-year-old Breeland was being held at the York County Jail, according to the facility's online records.

Breeland was charged by the York County Sheriff's Office with driving without a license, driving with an open container of alcohol, possession of less than 28 grams of marijuana or 10 grams of hash and resisting arrest.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland was arrested on several charges Tuesday in South Carolina, including possessing marijuana or hash, driving with an open container of alcohol and resisting arrest

He described himself as a 'marijuana enthusiast' to police, according to TMZ. Breeland was reportedly found with a 'large marijuana blunt' weighing about 3.2 ounces.

Breeland also allegedly had incriminating messages on his phone.

'Bashaud Breeland had several messages to dealers placing orders of large quantities of marijuana in bags like what was found in his driver's door,' read the police report obtained by TMZ.

Breeland started 15 of 16 regular-season games and all three postseason contests for Kansas City this past season. He recorded seven tackles and an interception in the Chiefs' 31-20 victory over San Francisco in February's Super Bowl.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound defensive back from Allendale, South Carolina played for Clemson from 2011-13 before leaving after his junior season. Breeland played four seasons with Washington before moving to Green Bay in 2018 and then the Chiefs this year.

Breeland recently re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year deal worth $3 million in salary and bonuses. The former fourth-round pick has earned just over $7 million in his career.

He previously had a marijuana charge dismissed in Virginia when he played for the Redskins in 2014. Breeland was also pulled over for driving with a suspended license while he attended Clemson in 2013.
India has kept three warships on standby to bring back thousands of Indians stuck in West Asian countries as New Delhi works towards implementing an evacuation plan that will also include special flights amid the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Wednesday.

These warships are INS Jalashwa and two other amphibious warships, the officials said. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) is steering the plan. The navy is prepare, one official said.

As reported by HT on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spelt out the ground rule for the evacuation  Indias blue collar workers stranded abroad will get the first seats in the special flights that will be run by the government to get them home.Students will be next, followed by everyone else, including those who were travelling for work, or pleasure.

The officials said that the MEA is also in touch with the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has conveyed how it can contribute and what assets can be deployed to bring back the stranded people. The officials said the IAFs C-17, IL-76 and C-130J aircraft could be pressed into action but it would make more sense for Air India to send its aircraft as they are better configured to carry passengers and cargo. Nothing has been finalised yet, a second official said.

MEA officials refused to comment on the matter.

The three warships can accommodate around 1,500 people in all. The Jalashwa can bring back around 800 and the warships can together accommodate 700, the officials quoted above said.

The warships can carry more people but social distancing norms will have to be followed during the proposed evacuation, one said.

A navy spokesperson refused to comment on the development.

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies, said, The military has time and again shown that it has the capabilities to come to the aid of stranded diaspora. We saw that in Yemen recently and in Libya and Kuwait evacuations earlier. With the available capability, we can actually declare ourselves to be a regional HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) provider.

The armed forces have played an important role in the fight against Covid-19, setting up quarantine centres, providing healthcare facilities and evacuating Indian nationals from other countries.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 28, 2020) - Philippine Metals Inc. (TSXV: PHI) ("PMI" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following corporate update.

The Company has been advised by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") that it does not currently meet the Continued Listing Requirements for a Tier 2 mining Issuer in accordance with Exchange Policy 2.5, Section 2.1. Therefore, the Exchange may place the Company on notice to transfer to NEX in the future, if the Company continues to not meet Tier 2 Continued Listing Requirements.

In the interim, the Company is taking several steps to meet Tier 2 Continued Listing Requirements. Firstly, in an effort to secure value for its Philippine-based precious metals projects, which are currently facing various legal challenges, the Company is seeking to sell its Philippine subsidiary in exchange for a royalty interest in the underlying projects. This would allow a new owner to advance the projects at no cost to PMI, while at the same time providing PMI with exposure to the underlying projects via a royalty interest. No agreement has been reached in connection with a possible sale, but the Company is in talks with several potential purchasers.

Secondly, the Company is actively pursuing new business opportunities to grow its asset base. This may include the acquisition of new mining properties, or possibly assets in a new industry. The Company's management and board have a broad range of expertise in finance, mergers and acquisitions, mining and other industries, and is confident that one or more new business opportunities can be secured.

On another note, the Company will be holding is Annual General Meeting on June 3, 2020 in Vancouver, BC.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements 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 transactions, concurrent financings or any contemplated change to the Company, 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 are risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations.

Story continues

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. As a result, the Company cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and 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 only update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Craig T. Lindsay"

Chief Executive Officer

For additional information, please contact:

Craig Lindsay

Tel: (604) 218-0550

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as 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 sell any 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 "US Securities Act") or any State securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to US Persons unless registered under the US Securities Act and applicable State securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55073
Farmers have raised concerns that the UK could be edging closer to losing the domestic oilseed rape crop if an effective alternative to neonicotinoids is not in place soon.

The National Farmers Union is seeking urgent discussions with the government on the future of British oilseed rape.

The valuable crop is a key ingredient for many products, from rapeseed oil and margarines to mayonnaise and salad dressings.

It is also an important break crop in the UKs arable rotation, helping to increase organic matter in soils and providing a key source of sustenance for pollinators.

However, the ban of neonicotinoids has meant growers can no longer control cabbage stem flea beetle populations, which are decimating the OSR crop across the country.

The pesticide ban, covering all outdoor crops in the EU, was agreed by the European Commission in 2018 as a move to become more environmentally friendly.

Concerned with the ban's consequences on food production, the NFU is now urging Defra to provide support for growers until an effective alternative to neonics is achieved.

NFU combinable crops board chairman, Matt Culley said the UK is going through a turbulent time with the Covid-19 crisis, and farmers are doing 'all they can' to produce food.

The union has heard from OSR growers across the country that the risk of losing the crop is becoming too great, and many plan to stop planting it at all.

Without government support, we could see domestic production dry up which would leave us with no choice but to import these products from other countries," Mr Culley said, adding that other countries may still use the very neonics which are banned in the UK.

A more joined up approach from Defra and the farming industry is needed if we are to find a way to protect the future of OSR, and more specifically, to protect it from cabbage stem flea beetle."

In his first address as prime minister, Boris Johnson highlighted that the government would support the development of new plant breeding techniques, a move welcomed by industry bodies as a step forward for farmers in building crop resilience.

But Mr Culley said it was 'absolutely crucial' that a 'long term, sustainable solution' was found by the government as 'quickly as possible'.

Farmers need to know that short term financial support will be available to mitigate the risks of growing OSR," he added.
"Sabdhane thak noile ami eshe niye jabo" (Stay safe or I will come and take you away), hollers 'Yamaraj', the lord of death, his handlebar moustache twitching and bloodshot eyes popping out menacingly.

"Ghar chala ja nahin toh Gabbar aa jayega" (Go home or else Gabbar will come), yells another man in olive green military uniform at a milling crowd in a Dumdum market, before breaking into a wicked smile.

Men dressed like 'Yamraj' and 'Gabbar Singh', the darling devil character of iconic Hindi film 'Sholay', are striding the streets of Kolkata issuing dire warnings to lockdown violators and those not following the social distancing norm.

Several community clubs in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas districts have hired burly men to dress and act like mythical and fictional characters to spread awareness about the necessity to remain indoors and, at the same time, lift the spirits of the people under lockdown.

Donning the role of 'Yamraj', 23-year-old Abhijit Sadhukhan visits markets in Bon Hooghly area every morning.

Besides explaining to people the hazards of aimlessly loitering during the coronavirus outbreak, he also hands over masks to those moving around without covering their faces.

Sadhukhan, an out-of-job bouncer at a bar, makes Rs 600 for a two-hour performance. He has to feed a family of six.

"I became jobless after the bar I was employed at shut due to the lockdown. It was my only source of income. I was looking for another job when a local man offered me the role of Yamraj.

"I readily agreed as I could earn some money and also serve the society," Sadhukhan, a resident of Khardah in North 24 Parganas district told PTI.

In the last one month, Sadhukhan, with his beefed up body and baritone voice, has been hired by quite a few clubs in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas for playing the role of 'Yamraj'.

"Before becoming a bouncer, I had acted as demon in several plays in my neighbourhood and now the experience has stood me in good stead," he said.

Babu, a member of a club that has hired Sadhukhan, said, "I knew him for a long time and pitched the idea to my club in Bon Hooghly which readily agreed to my proposal. This was part of our initiative to create awareness among people, but with a touch of humour."



Thirtyeight-year-old Ashok Dey, who has donned the role of Gabbar Singh, is a part-time artiste and acts in local plays.

For him, too, his new role has opened up an avenue for earning money in these troubled times.

"Ever since the lockdown was imposed, I was looking for an alternative source of income as staging plays stopped completely. I was contacted by a local club to dress like Lord Hanuman and Gabbar Singh to enact scenes from movies and TV soaps outside apartments in the locality to create awareness and lift people's spirits at the same time," Dey said.

The character of Gabbar Singh and his dialogues became instant hit, he said.

"I get Rs 500 for a one-hour trip in the morning. I am hired once or twice a week," Dey said.

With a cartridge belt hanging on his shoulder, 'Gabbar Singh' stands atop a vehicle and delivers frightful dialogues over the public address system usually around 10 am when the shops are open in the locality.

On other days, Dey also plays 'Mogambo', the fictional character made famous by Amrish Puri in 'Mr India'.

"I tell people to maintain social distancing while shopping as it makes Mogambo happy," he said, laughing heartily.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Houston photographer Barbara Perlick has been using the COVID-19 pandemic to capture the city from different angles, showcasing how different it looks since the shelter-in-place order was put into effect and unnecessary travel ceased.

"What I wanted to do was go to typical places that show every day life. Downtown Houston during business hours, the airport during the middle of the day, University of Houston student center in the middle of an afternoon. Just to really exemplify how everything is different," she said.

Perlick has had a passion for taking photos her entire life and founded Barbara Perlick Photography in 2017.

"I have been very fortunate to where people have always recognized my ability and encouraged me to do it professionally," Perlick said.

She has a unique perspective, keen eye and natural talent to a capture a moment. She tells stories through her photographs that evoke emotion, creating special pieces that people cherish forever.

"The event we're living in currently is just so surreal. I saw so many beautiful photographs showing healthcare workers selflessly helping others,but I wanted to document what the average person is experiencing and how different life is today, at this moment" she said. "It's truly the antithesis of where we were a month ago."

STUCK AT HOME? Here are the best movies to stream on Prime, according to critics

The series of photos shows everything from empty parking lots to lines at grocery stores.

Perlick said one of her favorite photos from the series was shot at the airport. It shows a man sitting on a luggage weight scale, hopelessly gazing off. "You can see from the reflection of the building that there are no cars, no people. But he is still sitting there waiting to do his job, with nothing to do."

Five years from now, Perlick said she hopes people look back at her photos when remembering the times we are living in today. "I think a lot of times people forget what really is," she said. "Which is what inspired me to take these photos to begin with."

ALSO ON CHRON.COM: West U photographer tells story trough art

Perlick recalled listening to her grandparents talk about what it was like growing up in the Great Depression, and visualizing in her mind to the best of her ability what it must have been like. That's why, she said, it's important for her to capture these moments.

"People are never going to really remember how desolate things were here, how different things were. I just wanted to document the reality of the times," she said.
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Linkedin Carlos Mandujano (Agence France-Presse) Lima, Peru  Wed, April 29, 2020 08:42 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4d7c92 2 World Peru,prison-riot,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,infection Free

Nine inmates were killed and dozens of guards wounded when rioting broke out at a prison in Lima after two inmates died from COVID-19, authorities in Peru said Tuesday.

The riot broke out on Monday at the city's Castro Castro prison. By nightfall, authorities said the situation had been brought under control, giving an initial toll of three dead before gradually revising the figure upwards to nine.

"As a result of the riot, the death of nine inmates and 67 wounded was recorded," the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) said in a statement.

It said police had been called in to help guards quell the riot, the objective of which was to "facilitate a mass breakout".

Many of the dead are believed to have suffered gunshot wounds. Police said their bodies had been taken to the city's central morgue for examination.

A total of 60 prison guards were wounded in the fighting, as well as five police officers and two inmates, the INPE said.

The riot began after the death of two inmates from the coronavirus the previous day.

The prisoners burned mattresses and hung signs demanding their release from the overcrowded prison out of fears they could contract the disease.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, inmates at Lurigancho prison in the north of Lima -- the country's biggest -- were staging a protest demanding effective protection measures against COVID-19.

"We are dying. Don't let us die infected. We need medicine," a banner held up by some of the prisoners read.

The notoriously overcrowded Lurigancho prison was built to house 2,500 inmates but is currently believed to have more than 10,000.

The INPE said in a statement it would be "inflexible towards any act of indiscipline that violates the security of the prisons and exhorts the prison population to maintain a peaceful coexistence, especially as we find ourselves in a national emergency."
Home is where the heart is, in



life and in death, too.

The 23-year-old Raphael AVL Malchhanhima was a distraught man when his friend Vivian Lalremsanga died of suspected heart attack on April 23 in Chennai.

The lockdown had shuttered the city and cluttered his mind.

The post-mortem was conducted and the local authorities suggested that Lalremsanga's last rites be performed in Chennai, over 3,000 km away from home, as transporting his body was out of the question.

Lalremsanga had recently completed a course in hotel management and was waiting to collect the certificate, and hoping to start a career in an induustry which held great promise before the coronavirus sank it into an unfathomable abyss.

But fate willed otherwise and his body was found outside his rented apartment.

Despite the authorities in Chennai suggesting that Lalremsanga be buried at a cemetery there, Malchhanhima could not bring bring himself to accept the idea of leaving his 28- year-old friend miles and miles away from home.

It was then that 'Tlawmngaina', the Mizo code of ethics, which espouses the moral of self-sacrifice for the common good, showed him the way. He had made up his mind. His friend's lifeless body will not remain in the bowel of earth in faraway land.

The Mizoram government and the Chennai Mizo Welfare Association stepped in.

"The body was at the mortuary of a hospital and we were thinking of ways to transport it to Mizoram amid the lockdown. Two ambulance drivers saw our plight and came forward to help us, saying they had earlier been to Assam as lorry drivers," Chennai Mizo Welfare Association secretary Michael Lalrinkima told PTI.

The drivers, however, insisted that somebody from Mizoram accompany them. Malchhanhima volunteered.

And then began Lalremsanga's journey homeward, embalmed and enshrouded, in an ambulance with his caring friend and the two good samaritans--Chinnathanbi and Jeyanthiran--through deserted highways and bleak landscapes on April 25.

"The thought of my friend being buried far away from his home troubled me. My father, a preacher, also encouraged me to accompany the mortal remains of my friend withstanding the difficulties of the journey," Malchhanhima, a native of the remote Hmawngbu village in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, told PTI.

He said they were stopped by police at several places and would travel long hours at a stretch without food as most highway eateries were shut. When they would find one, they were asked to wait outside and collect the packaged food which they ate inside the ambulance.

Before reaching Mizoram on Tuesday, after a four-day back-breaking and emotionally draining journey, they were screened at Vairengte check-gate on the state's border with Assam.

Once in, the pervasive sombreness of the occasion lifted momentarily, when people greeted and thanked them for bringing back Lalremsanga home, among his own people, before he joined the invisibles.

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! You've just shown what every Mizo heartbeat means when it comes to the term 'Tlawmngaihna'," Chief Minister Zoramthanga tweeted.

Malchhanhima has been put under quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, while his friend Lalremsanga rests in everlasting peace at a cemetery near his home in Aizawl's Model Veng.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The USS Barry conducts operations in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, April 28, 2020.

Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET on 2020-04-29

A guided missile cruiser sailed through the Spratly Islands on Wednesday, the U.S. Navys second freedom of navigation operation in two days amid heightened tension in the South China Sea.

The innocent passage maneuver by the USS Bunker Hill followed a separate operation by the destroyer USS Barry on Tuesday near the Paracel Islands, which lie farther north, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.

Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight and the right of innocent passage of all ships, spokeswoman Cmdr. Reann Mommsen said.

It was the latest in a series of challenges by Washington to what it calls unlawful claims in the South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over most of the area, despite competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Chinas military claimed its navy and air forces on Tuesday had expelled the USS Barry from the area. The Peoples Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, responsible for Chinas military presence in the South China Sea, accused the U.S. ship of trespassing into Chinese territorial waters.

The U.S. Navy disputed Chinas account of what happened. USNI News, a publication associated with the U.S. Naval Institute, cited a U.S. Navy official as saying that the USS Barry left the area peaceably after completing its freedom of navigation operation, and that no nearby ships or aircraft acted in an unprofessional way.

China has been accused of a spate of bullying behavior in the South China Sea this month, including involvement in the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat and then sending a survey ship and China Coast Guard escorts into Malaysian and Vietnamese waters to pressure Malaysia out of energy exploration within its exclusive economic zone.

That prompted diplomatic protests from other claimants and shows of force by the U.S. Another American warship, the USS Gabrielle Giffords, sailed near the site of this survey on Tuesday and U.S. warships participated in a joint exercise with the Royal Australian Navy in the same area on April 18.

Vessel-tracking software shows the Chinese survey ship was continuing its operations off Malaysia on Wednesday, alongside a small fleet of China Coast Guard ships and Peoples Armed Forces Maritime Militia. The survey has moved to an area jointly claimed by Vietnam and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, ships from Vietnams Fisheries Resources Surveillance agency moved close to the area Tuesday.

Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst for the U.S.-funded RAND Corp. think tank, said the U.S. Navys recent activity in the South China Sea is tied to Chinas perceived opportunism in the region while other claimants are distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. clearly believes the coronavirus offers Beijing the ability to distract while consolidating gains in the South China Sea. Hence, we have witnessed a recent uptick in U.S. naval activity in the form of FONOPs in the region  two in just this week, Grossman said, using the abbreviation for freedom of navigation operations.

As is typically the case after such maneuvers, the U.S. 7th Fleet said the FONOPS were not aimed at any one nation.

Mommsen said Wednesdays operation, upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

China has been demonstrating its military might in various ways of late. The Liaoning aircraft carrier and five other warships sailed this week through the Miyako Strait into the East China Sea, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry statement Tuesday identifying the ships.

The Philippines recently protested over Chinas navy reportedly training a radar gun  used for target acquisition  on the Philippine Navy ship BRP Conrado Yap while it traversed the South China Sea. The Philippine defense secretary this week downplayed the February incident, although its foreign ministry recently submitted a diplomatic protest to China over the incident.
A few weeks ago, Apple and Google announced a partnership to create standard APIs that use Bluetooth connections on smartphones for COVID-19 contact tracing. The companies will release apps based on the new technology on May 1, and it will get deeply integrated into iOS 14 and Android 11. Now, a story has shined the light on how this technology came to be and how it was developed.

A new report from CNBC details the development of Apples and Googles contact-tracing technology. The original idea for this technology originated in mid-March 2020 at Apple by a small group of engineers who were brainstorming ideas to curb the spread of COVID-19. People in the team knew that smartphones could be vital to loosening stay-at-home restrictions.

According to the report, the speed at which the idea was transformed into an under-development project was lightning. Within weeks, at least a dozen Apple employees were working on the project codenamed Bubble. The companys software chief Craig Federighi and COO Jeff Williams were supporting the project. Jeff is also the head of healthcare technologies at Apple.

The new team included employees from the healthcare division, location services team, and various software experts inside Apple. Eventually, two cryptography experts joined the team to improve the privacy aspect of the technology. More employees started pitching in their additional time.

The initial Bubble solution included a Bluetooth-based system that was strictly opt-in and sent anonymous alerts all the nearby devices within the range. It also stored the data in a decentralized manner. All these features eventually became a part of the final product that will be released next week. It was also crucial for the system to work in the background, something that isnt possible in iOS by default.

At the same time, Google was working on its own contact-tracing technology codenamed Apollo. Google reportedly got on board and joined Apples hands by the end of March 2020 when Dave Burke, Vice President of Android at Google, got in touch with Apple about the project. In the end, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai met virtually to apply their seal of approval on the project.

The COVID-19 contact tracing technology developed by Apple and Google will work across Android and iOS devices. It will work on all iPhones starting with iPhone 6s and later. Government authorities could also use the technologys APIs across the world if they plan to integrate it into their own apps. While some countries have decided to use the system, countries like the UK have decided not to use it.

[Source: CNBC
By Joanna Plucinska WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish voters should boycott a presidential election set for May 10 out of 'basic human decency' because of the new coronavirus pandemic, Donald Tusk, leader of the centre-right European People's Party and a former prime minister, said on Tuesday. Tusk said a government plan to hold the vote via a postal ballot was insufficient to mitigate safety concerns in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, and accused the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) of subverting the constitution. The election has become highly divisive in Poland, with the PiS insisting it go ahead on schedule despite a mounting number of deaths from the highly contagious COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus

By Joanna Plucinska

WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish voters should boycott a presidential election set for May 10 out of "basic human decency" because of the new coronavirus pandemic, Donald Tusk, leader of the centre-right European People's Party and a former prime minister, said on Tuesday.

Tusk said a government plan to hold the vote via a postal ballot was insufficient to mitigate safety concerns in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, and accused the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) of subverting the constitution.

The election has become highly divisive in Poland, with the PiS insisting it go ahead on schedule despite a mounting number of deaths from the highly contagious COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Opinion polls show fewer than 30% of Poles are likely to cast ballots if the vote is held on May 10 as scheduled.

"Basic human decency does not allow us to participate in what is being proposed," Tusk said in a video posted on Twitter, adding that he would not cast his vote.

"If you don't know how to act, be decent," he said, citing the late anti-communist activist, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, who is seen as a leading moral authority by many Poles.

Tusk said he thought PiS could be persuaded to work on an alternative election plan that would be "safe and fundamentally fair".

Poland currently has 12,089 confirmed coronavirus cases and 570 deaths. Schools and most shops are shut, Poles must wear face masks outside and the country's borders are closed as part of a lockdown designed to halt the spread of the virus.

DIVIDED

Critics accuse PiS of putting its own political interests ahead of public health concerns, a charge it denies. The party hopes to secure the re-election of its ally, President Andrzej Duda, who is currently ahead in the opinion polls.

Poland's opposition remains divided, however, with only the Civic Platform, a centrist grouping once led by Tusk, calling for an outright boycott of the election.

A final decision on the postal ballot rests with parliament, which is only expected to vote on the matter on May 6, just days before the election date.

PiS says it might agree to delay the vote by a week or two, a margin allowed by the constitution. But the government would have to declare a state of emergency or of natural disaster to delay it for any longer, a move PiS has resisted so far.

PiS and its conservative allies hold a majority in parliament but members of its ruling coalition have signalled they could vote against the postal ballot plan and have suggested delaying the election by two years.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday that the current PiS proposal for a postal ballot could disenfranchise some voters abroad and limit the scope for election observers to take part.

Human Rights Watch also urged Warsaw to reconsider.

"Poland's voting process should protect voters during the pandemic. It's no solution to rush through a potentially flawed voting system or to postpone the election by two years," Lydia Gall, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said.

PiS, well ahead of its rivals in the opinion polls, fear support will erode as the lockdown measures hammer the Polish economy. Losing an ally as president would undermine its efforts to reform Poland's judiciary - moves criticised by the European Union - and tighten its hold on power.

(Reporting by Warsaw bureau, editing by Justyna Pawlak and Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Kim Jae-heun



Samsung Group has offered to aid expansion of face mask production facilities amid supply shortages. The company is sharing its experience in building smart factories with small- and medium-sized businesses to help them increase the production output of face masks.



Starting from March, Samsung has been sending manufacturing experts to three mask makers: E&W, Evergreen and Loesstech. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Federation of SMEs recommended the three companies to receive the advisory assistance.



The experts aim to streamline processes by giving instructions on techniques to improve manufacturing procedures that will ultimately maximize output without requiring additional equipment.



Companies have had difficulty securing resources needed to manufacture masks, leading Samsung to decide to provide assistance to the firms.



Samsung developed the necessary manufacturing components at its production facility in Gwangju Metropolitan City and distributed them to the mask manufacturers in order to avoid delays in imports.



Prior to this, Samsung had already sent its smart factory experts to another mask maker HJ Tech in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, in February and it saw a drastic increase in product output from 40,000 to 100,000 masks per day.



Samsung secured 330,000 masks overseas from global business partners and donated them to the city of Daegu through the Korea Disaster Relief Association.



A total 284,000 of the masks were sourced through its oversea branches in Canada, Colombia, China and Hong Kong.



Samsung Electronics' semiconductor clients in China originally sent the remaining masks  close to 50,000  to be supplied to employees here. But the company instead decided to donate them to the Daegu Medical Association which was in dire need of the gear.



The group is also working to secure more masks from other countries.



"We have decided to give out masks to those who are in more desperate need of them than us. They are medical staff in Daegu who are devoting themselves to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic," a Samsung Electronics official said.


A Circuit Court in Accra has sentenced a mason to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling his 13-year-old stepdaughter and impregnating her in the process.



Eric Kofitse Wednesday pleaded guilty to defilement and was sentenced on his own plea by the court, presided over by Mrs Christiana Cann.



A test conducted on the girl revealed that she was 7 weeks pregnant.



Defilement

Per the facts presented by the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Kofi Atimbire, Kofitse had defiled her stepdaughter on numerous occasions since 2019.



The girl could not stand the ordeal any longer so she reported it to her mother.



According to the prosecution, the mother promised to talk to her husband to stop, but Kofitse still continued to defile the girl.



The mother then decided to send the girl away to live with her sister, however she could not live with the auntie so she returned to her mother.



Kofitse then returned to his old habit and continued to defile the girl.



The prosecution added that the girl could not stand the persistent sexual attacks from her stepfather any longer so she ran to her biological father who lodged a complaint with the police after the girl informed him of the sexual attacks she had suffered at the hands of Kofitse.





Source: Daily Graphic









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The stock lost some of its gains after Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood issued the guidance on the company's Wednesday conference call with analysts.

With respect to guidance, Microsoft expects $35.85 billion to $36.80 billion in fiscal fourth-quarter revenue, or $36.33 billion in the middle of the range. That implies 7.7% growth  which would be the slowest growth since the first quarter of 2017  and the forecast is higher than the $36.42 billion Refinitiv consensus estimate. The company sees quarterly revenue declines search excluding traffic acquisition costs, Enterprise Services and its on-premises server business.

Microsoft's revenue grew 15% from $30.57 billion on an annualized basis in the quarter, according to the statement.

The results, along with Alphabet's on Tuesday and Facebook's on Wednesday, show that the mega-cap tech companies have held up so far, at a time when unemployment broadly is skyrocketing and the economy is shrinking. Alphabet and Facebook both indicated that ad prices are stabilizing after a steep drop in March.

Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected $1.26 in adjusted earnings per share on $33.66 billion in revenue for the quarter, which ended on March 31. Net income rose 22% to $10.8 billion.

The company said in a statement that the coronavirus "had minimal net impact on the total company revenue" in the quarter and that "effects of COVID-19 may not be fully reflected in the financial results until future periods."

Microsoft shares rose as much as 5% in extended trading on Wednesday after the company reported fiscal third-quarter sales growth of 15%, fueled by its cloud business.

In the fiscal third quarter, the More Personal Computing segment, containing Bing, Windows, Surface and Xbox, delivered $11 billion in revenue. That's up 2.9% and above the $10.46 billion consensus among analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Microsoft said in February that it didn't expect to meet the quarterly guidance it had provided for More Personal Computing. Hood had told analysts in January that the segment would generate revenue in the quarter of $10.75 billion to $11.15 billion.

The Productivity and Business Processes unit, which includes Dynamics, LinkedIn and Office, recorded $11.74 billion in revenue, up 14.7% and higher than the FactSet analyst consensus of $11.53 billion.

There were 39.6 million consumer subscribers to the Office 365 bundle of productivity apps, up about 16% from last year  the fastest growth since the third quarter of 2018. The Teams communication app now has over 75 million daily active users, up from over 44 million in mid-March, and there were over 200 million meeting participants in one day this month, CEO Satya Nadella told analysts on the conference call. Installed bases across the Office franchise grew in the quarter, and Microsoft picked up more revenue per user as commercial customers opted for the E5 package that includes additional security features, Hood said on the call.

Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud segment, featuring Azure, GitHub and server products, including SQL Server and Windows Server, posted $12.28 billion in revenue, up 27% and more than the $11.79 billion consensus.

The initial impact of Covid-19 on the business was mixed. Cloud products like Teams and Azure saw increased usage as "customers shifted to work and learn from home," Microsoft said. But on the downside, "In the final weeks of the quarter, there was a slowdown in transactional licensing, particularly in small and medium businesses, and a reduction in advertising spend in LinkedIn," the company said.

As Microsoft had predicted, revenue from Surface devices and Windows licenses from device makers saw gains as people rushed to work and learn from home. That was somewhat offset, though, by supply chain constraints in China that got better at the end of the quarter. Infrastructure spending, to support Azure and other offerings, was delayed in the quarter because of supply chain constraints, Microsoft said. Delays in consulting projects impacted Enterprise Services revenue, Hood said on the call.

"I don't think it came as a surprise that sales were up but 15% in the quarter" though it's "pretty significant, given the market environment," said Carter Henderson, portfolio specialist and director of institutional development at Fort Pitt Capital Group, which counts Microsoft as its top holding. "I think it's really amazing to see all the segments of the overall business can perform in really any environment."

Henderson said the firm itself has relied on Teams in recent weeks following shelter-in-place orders across the U.S. He said he expects Azure to remain in strong demand even after people return to work and take more share from market leader Amazon Web Services.

"If you step back and ask yourself, say, two years from now, is there going be more being done in the public cloud or hybrid cloud or less? The answer is more," Nadella said on Wednesday's call.

Earlier this month, IDC estimated that PC shipments fell about 10% in the quarter because of reduced supply from China, where the coronavirus had its first major outbreak. Microsoft also ended support for Windows 7 in the period.

Microsoft shares are up 12% for the year, while the S&P 500 is down almost 9%. Based on Microsoft's after-hours price, the stock is less than 4% below its record high from February.

WATCH: Microsoft president on handling increased demand during coronavirus
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The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has received the third round of medical equipment and supplies donated by the Jack Ma and Alibaba foundations in support of Africa's fight against the spread of COVID-19.

The latest batch of the donation arrived in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa late Monday through an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight.

The third-round donation to Africa from the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation mainly includes 4.6 million masks, 500,000 swabs and test kits, 300 ventilators, 200,000 sets of protective clothing, 200,000 face shields, 2,000 temperature guns, 100 body temperature scanners, and 500,000 pairs of gloves. The donation is expected to come in more batches in the coming days.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed his appreciation to the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation on Twitter for "continuing to show solidarity with Africa."

"The world cannot afford the unthinkable consequences of a COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The crisis is proving to be more difficult and longer lasting than any of us had expected. We must make every effort to get prepared," said Jack Ma, Founder of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group, in a statement.

"As members of the global community, it would be irresponsible for us to sit on the fence, panic, ignore facts, or fail to act. We need to take action now," said Jack Ma.

Meanwhile, the Jack Ma Foundation is also collaborating with Africa CDC to hold a special webinar entitled "Global MediXChange for Combating COVID-19 (GMCC): The Experience of China" on April 28. The GMCC platform was launched in March to facilitate open knowledge sharing and online communication to combat COVID-19.

Thousands of medical staff from African countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe have participated in its live exchange sessions.

Last week, the African Union (AU) Commission commended the Chinese tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, Jack Ma, following his latest announcement of the third-round donation.

"These vital supplies will enhance the Africa CDC's strategic stockpile to assist member states in the COVID-19 fight," AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said.

The AU Commissioner of Social Affairs, Amira Elfadil, also commended the latest batch of massive medical equipment donation from Jack Ma in support of Africa's fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it "a true solidarity with Africa".

Ahmed Ogwell, Deputy Director of Africa CDC, also hailed the donation made by Jack Ma, saying that "this is a partnership that works. The Africa CDC values friends of Africa."

On Tuesday, the Africa CDC disclosed that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent reached 1,423 as the number of confirmed cases hit 31,933 as of early Tuesday.

On March 22, the first batch of massive medical supplies donated by China's Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation arrived in Africa. The massive medical supplies, soon after its arrival in the Ethiopian capital, had been transferred to 54 African countries.

On April 6, the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation made the second round of donation, which went to all 54 countries in Africa as the continent grapples with the pandemic.
China's Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming said at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries on Tuesday that the two governments will soon announce a mutual fast-track entry program for businesspeople.

Korean businesspeople could visit China again as early as May under an agreement between the two countries to lift strict coronavirus curbs for them.

He said Seoul and Beijing agreed "in principle" and are now only fine-tuning the details. "I expect the announcement to be made possibly this week," Xing said.

China has banned all foreign arrivals since March 28 but made exceptions, including for some 200 Samsung Electronics semiconductor technicians who arrived on a chartered flight.

Xing said China has issued only 108 visas since the ban, and "a significant number" of them were for Koreans. "China considers bilateral economic exchanges with Korea very important," he added.

Korean businesspeople have called for an urgent easing of entry barriers to China.
Tesla said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that rather than paying high premiums for it, the company would forego an important type of business insurance policy this year. The decision leaves current and future board members at Tesla reliant on CEO Elon Musk to pay for their legal defense and settlements in a range of high-stakes cases.

This type of policy-- "directors and officers liability insurance" (also known as D&O) -- protects a company, its board members and executive officers from having to pay for their own defense, settlements or judgments against them, when they face costly lawsuits.

Allianz Global Corporate & Strategy senior underwriter Sunil Bangali, who declined to comment on Tesla specifically, added that D&O insurance can also function as a recruiting and retention tool for board talent, especially in the litigious business environment of the United States.

Here's how Tesla explained its decision in the filing:

"Tesla determined not to renew its directors and officers liability insurance policy for the 2019-2020 year due to disproportionately high premiums quoted by insurance companies. Instead, Elon Musk agreed with Tesla to personally provide coverage substantially equivalent to such a policy for a one-year period, and the other members of the Board are third-party beneficiaries thereof."

In the filing, Tesla also promised that the new arrangement would not impair "the independent judgment of the other members of the board" working alongside Musk. Musk is CEO and a board member of Tesla and was previously its chairman. He resigned from the chairman role in October 2018 to settle SEC charges.

A professor of corporate governance at the University of Delaware, Charles Elson, doubted Tesla's board members could be truly independent at this point.

"Having the CEO provide D&O personally for the directors is highly problematic because it is meant to protect them from decisions they make about him, among other things. Usually D&O gives them an ability to make decisions without fear of personal liability when they act appropriately," Elson said. "It's just a bad idea, in my view."

Tesla is in the midst of defending itself in shareholder and other lawsuits.

A federal judge decided earlier this month that Tesla and Musk will have to face a lawsuit over the CEO's infamous $420 tweets. Shareholders claim that Tesla misled them in 2018 when Musk said on Twitter that he was considering taking Tesla private for $420 per share, and had secured funding for the transaction. Shares skyrocketed, trading was halted and volatility followed.

In January, all board directors of Tesla besides Elon Musk settled a shareholder lawsuit over the company's $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity in 2016. They paid $60 million for their part of the settlement. But Musk is due to stand trial as a last defendant against claims he used Tesla to bail out a failing solar installer, which he co-founded and ran with his first cousins, Lyndon Rive and Peter Rive.

Tesla's history in court, no doubt, contributed to the company's ability to obtain D&O Insurance at an acceptable price.

While the decision to self-insure is unconventional, it's not unheard of, according to the managing member of Hirzel Law in Detroit, Kevin Hirzel.

He said that organizations that eschew D&O insurance, including several universities with large endowments, are confident they have enough cash on hand to pay their legal costs, settlements and any judgments rendered against them.

"If they think they will not get hit with big judgments, or have a lot of legal costs, large companies could hang on to some of their money instead of paying out insurance premiums this way," Hirzel said. "And they don't have to argue with their carrier over what is covered. But typically, any organization doing this would create a separate indemnification trust to keep a level of independence there."

Hirzel agreed with University of Delaware's Charles Elson.

"I'd be concerned if I were on the Tesla board. One part of the job is to monitor Elon Musk. It's difficult to do that if you have this financial tie to him," Hirzel said.

--Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
12500 N.E. Tenth Place  Bellevue, WA 98005  JPFO.org  800-869-1884  info@jpfo.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  April 29, 2020  Contact: Floyd Neeland

Wuhan Flu isn't the only communist threat

With your name, address, full ID, birthdate--your gun owner info

That's the data on your 4473 federal gun paperwork

JPFO warned everyone early: Repeal GCA and 4473 federal gun form

"The 4473 doesn't fight crime." Other gun-rights groups "woke" late in the game.

Communist's theft potentially exposes all gun owners

Feb. 2020U.S. Dept. of Justice files charges in massive Equifax hackas usual, mess media missing in action, got some of the headlines, missed gist and consequences.

According to C-Net, Equifax has paid government agencies for the breach, to be sent to harmed individuals (147.7 million people per court filings), whose names, Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses were stolen by the commies. Can we say commies, or is it offensive, insensitive and derogatory to the thieves who stole our secret personal data?

The threat across the board is unimaginably hugebut thankfully our deadly communist enemies are prevented from downloading and matching the data to lists of gun owners. This is because we've stopped U.S. government power grabs and domestic socialists from making gun-owner registry lists that our own agents (or commies) want and could abuse.

According to Forbes, "Four members of the Chinese military have been indicted over the huge hack of credit agency Equifax, which led to the personal data of nearly 150 million Americans' information being stolen in 2017. Named defendants are Wu Zhiyong, Wang Qian, Xu Kei and Liu Lei, allegedly members of China's People's Liberation Army.

"They're charged with breaking into an Equifax 'dispute portal.' The four spent several weeks determining how to break into the Equifax database behind that portal website, making as many as 9,000 queries to obtain U.S. citizens' data, the Justice Dept. announced." https://preview.tinyurl.com/y8rdzxwr. USA Today, a typically unreliable source, opined it is "nearly impossible to insulate yourself" from communist Chinese and similar hacking like this, and stolen data such as driver's license numbers can be used, "to impersonate you and wreck your financial record," along with other fear mongering that added little to the story: "If your identity is stolen, it takes time to prove you're a victim. In the meantime, your credit cards can be denied, collection agencies may harass you and you can get turned down for mortgage applications." USA Today expressed no concern the communist Chinese or their customers might try any of that, all of which is illegal.

The FBI added significant info: "Investigators had previously discovered and announced the type of malware that allowed the hackers to harvest data on approximately 145 million Americans (omitting that Equifax failed to act on the announcement)... The indictment on 2/10/2020 charged that members of the People's Liberation Armythe armed forces of the People's Republic of Chinawere behind that malware attack... the four co-conspirators allegedly used servers in multiple countries and approximately 40 different IP addresses to disguise the origin of the attack." The communist dictatorship denied all charges and made counterclaims, alleging that the U.S. also works to hack foreign interests. https://preview.tinyurl.com/y9q5qj26

JPFO Warns: You should use this loss of Social Security and personal data secrecy to insist that no gun registry is safe from communist dictators' hands. Any government database of gun-owner information is a mortal threat to the safety and security of Americans. The ability to keep and bear arms must remain immune from any government threat, foreign or domestic. Repeal use and storage of 4473 or any similar forms, in any manner or place. Heed these words: Gun ownership in America is a strictly private affair. Keep it that way.

Read about an excellent substitute for background checks, the Blind Identification System, BIDS, http://www.gunlaws.com/BIDSvNICS.htm, that works like Wanted Posters, with no federal record keeping of innocent gun purchases. BIDS stops hardened criminals from buying guns at retail and paying sales tax. Criminals will still arm themselves as they have throughout history. Decades of background checks have not prevented that, everyonecops, dems, reps even crooks know it. No known program, not even magic, will stop that, all the more reason to get trained and arm yourself. Join JPFO to keep the information coming, and help keep authorities on their toes.
[April 29, 2020] Wolters Kluwer Announces CCH Tagetik Smart NOW Cloud Apps for Planning to Help Clients Manage During Economic Uncertainty

CCH Tagetik, part of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting and a global provider of market-leading software solutions and information services for finance professionals, today unveiled a new set of financial planning and analysis applications - CCH Tagetik Smart NOW - available on the cloud. The new planning apps provide the office of the CFO with the agility, real-time information access, and collaborative ability to improve planning and manage economic uncertainty in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. CCH (News - Alert) Tagetik Smart NOW cloud planning apps were developed to help businesses assess business impact, create alternative scenarios and choose innovative ways forward. Designed to evolve planning processes to better handle market uncertainty, the new, on-demand apps have been created based on market feedback to provide the capabilities that matter most right now for organizations dealing with today's turbulent market conditions. CCH Tagetik Smart NOW Cash Flow Planning Risk Adjusted Planning Driver Based Planning Workforce Planning Capital Expenses Planning

This new smart cloud planning offering will allow organizations to: Adopt the planning solution they need to reforecast the business, available through a rapid deployment and ready to use

Get the finance team connected and equipped with remote access and secure high performing collaboration tools ensuring availability

Take advantage of the power of a leading CPM software solution in the market and unparalleled domain experts to help you accelerate planning processes and improve speed of thought with a highly capable easy to use solution CCH Tagetik Smart NOW applcations are high-performance, cost-effective, ready to go, and easy to deploy solutions allowing organizations to adapt rapidly to changing needs. The solutions will be available on the CCH Tagetik cloud starting later in May with a special 2020 offering to help organizations speed up the planning process.



"We have been meeting virtually with many finance executives around the world, all navigating the Covid-19 pandemic and calling for optimized access to critical performance management information to understand the impact on their business while reforecasting for 2020 and the long term," said Ralf Gartner, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corporate Performance Solutions, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. "At CCH Tagetik, we work side by side with customers and provide expert solutions, expertise, and support so that they can increase confidence in their decision-making process. That is why we developed CCH Tagetik Smart NOW applications, so that more companies can immediately take advantage of our innovative planning capabilities." Full descriptions of the CCH Tagetik Smart NOW cloud apps can be found here.

About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technologies and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY). For more information about our solutions and organization, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005400/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
International students who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will receive one-off tax-payer funded $1,100 payments.

The Victorian Government on Wednesday announced the $45million relief fund which will assist up to 40,000 of the state's 150,000 international students.

A number of international students had jobs in the hospitality industry, which ground to a halt last month to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Jobs Minister Martin Pakula said the payment of up to $1,100 per student is effectively the equivalent of two weeks' worth of JobSeeker payments.

The Victorian Government on Wednesday announced the $45million relief fund which will assist up to 40,000 of the state's 150,000 international students. Pictured: Monash University in Melbourne

The payment of up to $1,100 per student is effectively the equivalent of two weeks' worth of JobSeeker payments

Victorian universities are chipping into the relief package to 'maintain Victoria's reputation as a great place for international students to come and study'.

'They're making significant support payments available but it's not enough and they made it very clear that one of the most important things that the Government could do to provide appropriate support for international students,' Mr Pakula said.

Scott Morrison previously encouraged international students who couldn't financially support themselves through the pandemic to 'make their way home'.

'As much as it is lovely to have visitors to Australia in good times, at times like this if you're a visitor in this country, it is time, as it has been now for some while to make your way home and to ensure that you can receive the supports that are available in your home countries,' the prime minister said on April 3.

The funding announcement comes as hundreds of Australians offered to open their homes to struggling international students.

The Australian Homestay Network says more than 300 families have signed up in the past two weeks to become hosts of international students following a call-out.

A number of international students worked jobs in the hospitality industry, which ground to a halt last month to combat the spread of COVID-19

Founder David Bycroft says Australians have a responsibility to step up and look after the students.

'The prime minister has told international students to return home if they can't afford to support themselves but the reality of the situation is it isn't that simple,' Mr Bycroft said in a statement.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'For many students, going home is not an option.'

Some want to go home but can't due to the lack of flights, funds or border restrictions, while others have built lives and families in Australia.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, international education contributed $37.6 billion to the economy in the 2018/19 financial year and employs 240,000 people.

'When you hear someone saying Australians need to be looked after first, they don't understand that international students actually support Australian livelihoods,' Mr Bycroft said.

For a weekly fee of $160, students are provided with accommodation and three meals a day as part of the initiative.
Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, said today lawmakers dont yet know enough about the scope and duration of the coronavirus pandemic to pass state budgets over the next three weeks.

Daniels gave a statement and took questions via Zoom today. The press conference was streamed live on the Facebook page of the Alabama House Democratic caucus.

The Legislature has not met since March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sen. President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, set Monday as the day for lawmakers to return. Marsh and McCutcheon said the main purpose will be to pass education and General Fund budgets for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

But Daniels said there are more questions than answers about the pandemics impact on public health, business, education, and state finances.

The state budget is pivotal to combating and ultimately beating the coronavirus," Daniels said. "Its also going to play a crucial role in Alabamas recovery. But we cant mount a strong battle against this virus when there are more questions than answers.

We have a duty to pass a budget that puts all Alabamians on a path to a successful recovery, not one hastily thrown together in the heat of the moment.

The legislative session must end by May 18.

Daniels said it would be better for the Legislature to return in July when more is known about how the economic slowdown caused by the virus is affecting tax revenues.

We have to evaluate those tax receipts in order to make an informed decision, Daniels said. Right now, were budgeting in the blind. And this is just totally fiscally irresponsible.

Republican leaders said Tuesday they believe its important to go ahead and pass budgets to give school systems and state agencies a basis for planning next year. They said budgets could be adjusted this summer in a special session if necessary.

Weve got to get the state budgets passed, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said Tuesday. Thats the responsibility of this Legislature. Departments of the state rely on those budgets. Education relies on those budgets.

Marsh said the remainder of the session would be limited in scope, with the focus on the two budgets, local bills that have already been advertised, and a bond issue for capital projects for schools, colleges, and universities.

The Senates General Fund committee met Tuesday and approved a budget that would boost spending by $167 million over this year, to $2.4 billion. Thats about $170 million less than what Gov. Kay Ivey proposed before the pandemic, which is reducing tax revenues. The budget still has to pass the Senate and House.

This years budget isnt about checking a box, Daniels said. Its about assembling a strategic and comprehensive plan to cut back the coronarvirus and launch our recovery. Lets make the most of our limited resources in this unprecedented situation. Lets focus on fighting the virus and jump-starting our economy, instead of rubber stamping a budget that was put together with limited information and input.

Updated at 2:50 p.m. with comments from Daniels. Updated at 3:20 p.m. with additional comments from Daniels. Updated at 3:33 p.m. with comments from Marsh.
GENEVA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TWISPER, the social travel app revolutionizing the online recommendations industry, has launched a global campaign, in collaboration with renowned 2-star Michelin Swiss chef Philippe Chevrier, to help hospitality and gastronomy businesses worldwide that are currently facing the COVID-19 crisis.

True to its core values of positivity, fairness & solidarity, the Swiss company has launched an unprecedented campaign worth nearly 4 million euros via TWISPER Business, its platform for business owners, to help them overcome these challenging times through positive digital word of mouth.

TWISPER offers 10 000 Pro subscriptions with 1-year free access to all its premium features, which include a zero-commission booking button added to the business profile on TWISPER, an all-in-one business listing manager that automatically updates business details across more than 20 platforms, and a customer messaging feature to improve client engagement. Businesses that are interested can simply use the promo code "POSITIVE" upon signing up on TWISPER Business.

"Unlike major online recommendation platforms making huge profits by selling user data and creating lots of fake or bad reviews, our unique digital word-of-mouth platform helps businesses attract new clients through TWISPER's community of users and their friends", says Antonio Canton, CEO of TWISPER. "Today businesses can take back control of their online image and get ready for a strong comeback."

TWISPER ambassadors working in the gastronomy sector are also bringing positivity to their communities, as they themselves endure hardships during this shutdown. Philippe Chevrier is providing 1000 premium burgers to Geneva's intensive care hospital workers at Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve (HUG). The personnel can use a special voucher to get their free meal at the distinguished Chez Philippe grill house in Geneva. Also, Cocktail Genius and owner of Bar Am Wasser in Zurich, Dirk Hany has started an entertaining Youtube channel on how to make amazing cocktails at home.

TWISPER Business video (link)

ABOUT TWISPER

TWISPER connects people with friends they trust and businesses they love to bring back fairness, authenticity and positivity in the world of online recommendations. A Swiss start-up founded in 2018, TWISPER is used in more than 90 countries and in 6 languages, and employs more than 50 employees in Geneva and Lisbon.

As an ad-free platform that protects and does not sell user data, TWISPER Business empowers hospitality and gastronomy businesses to take back control of their online image and benefit from digital word of mouth.

For more information visit www.twisper.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160990/TWISPER_campaign.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160991/TWISPER_Business_platform.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160992/TWISPER_Logo.jpg
The first to be let go from restaurants, bars and hotels were migrants, who have no protection from social safety nets and can be fired more easily. In the food and beverage industry, many of these foreign laborers are from the Nepali ethnic minority in neighboring Myanmar.

Mr. Khosla set up an online campaign for donations and switched from serving neo-Indian cuisine at his restaurant to the next day churning out meals for out-of-work migrants and, later, poor Thais as well.

Today, the restaurant, in a leafy warren of lanes in residential Bangkok, looks more like a food distribution station at a refugee camp than the native habitat of concasses and sabayons. Chilies dry on a tabletop, while bags of rice are stacked up near the entrance to the urban farm where Mr. Khosla nourishes herbs and salad greenery with recycled rainwater.

Food is food, said Vishvas Sidana, the director of food and beverage at Haoma, who trained as a sommelier. We cook whats needed.

Restaurants famously operate with unforgiving profit margins. But Mr. Khosla says an understanding landlord, who waived his rent, and generous customers, who donated to his online campaign, have shielded him from having to fire any of his 32 staff.

Each banana leaf meal from his kitchen costs around 60 cents to make and distribute. To guard against the tropical heat, the food contains chilies and other aromatics that act as natural preservatives, he says. He avoids meat, which spoils easily.




Gombe State government, following the report by the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday, April 28 which has it that 195 new cases of Coronavirus have been recorded in Nigeria, has affirmed to the 10 records credited to the state.

Confirming the new update a few moments ago, the Special Assistant on Media and publicity to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Ismail Umisilli, noted that one of the patients previously credited to the state has now been transferred to Borno State.

He said, Gombe State government comfirms additional 10 cases.

Gombe State has 46 #COVID19 cases. One case previously reported in Gombe has now been recorded as Borno State case.

Total confirmed case, 46, discharged 0, death 0.

Meanwhile, the Personal Assistant on New Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad has assured Nigerians that the country will one day record a big victory against Coronavirus pandemic.

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced extension of curfew in the state by two weeks after May 3, while unveiling steps for limited lifting of the lockdown restrictions from Thursday in the non-containment and non-red zones with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Based on the report of the expert committee set up to formulate the state's exit strategy, and the inputs received from various sections of society, the Chief Minister said it was necessary to continue with the lockdown restrictions for some more time.

The curfew or lockdown in the state will now remain in force in Punjab will May 17, though limited easing of restrictions will be in place from Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day.

The containment and red zones will, however, continue to remain under total and strict lockdown.

In an address to the people of the state, the Chief Minister said the situation will be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations will be announced thereafter if the pandemic remains in control.

As per the limited relief announced by the Chief Minister, certain shops will be allowed to remain open in certain areas by rotation, for four hours every morning, with 50 per cent staff strength.

The Deputy Commissioner (DCs) have been directed to work out the rotational schedule for the shops that are allowed to be opened in line with the Chief Minister's directives, which have come four days after the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs came into effect.

The curfew will remain in place after 11 a.m., as usual, said the Chief Minister, appealing to people to be back in their homes by that time, and continue to maintain social distancing.

All those stepping out during the relaxation period would have to wear masks and maintain a two metres distance from others, he said, adding the relief has been provided only for the convenience of the people and should not be used for interactions with friends, etc.

"If the situation improves after two weeks, we can take more steps," said Amarinder Singh.

The limited relaxations announced by the Chief Minister from Thursday include permission for opening of all registered shops, except those in multi-brand and single-brand malls, with 50 per cent strength of workers from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In urban areas, all stand-alone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are allowed to open during this period, as per the new directives, which make it clear, however, that establishments dealing in services like saloons, barber shops, etc., would continue to remain closed.

Further, e-commerce companies will continue to be permitted to deal in essential goods only during this period.

Expressing his government's keenness to open up the industry, the Chief Minister urged all those who could accommodate the workers or had workers staying in the vicinity to start opening up in order to help revive the state's battered economy.

Referring to the large number of Punjabis stranded in other states due to the lockdown, the Chief Minister said it was his government's duty to bring them back but they would have to be quarantined for 21 days.

The state had made arrangements for their quarantine in all district, he said, adding the problem had aggravated in Punjab due to the large number of NRIs who came home, followed by the attendees of the Nizamuddin event.

The state, he said, could not afford to let those coming from outside again let things spiral out of control. The quarantine for those coming home from other states was essential for the protection of the people, he said.

Earlier, the Chief Minister said the relief announced was for the benefit of the people who had been under severe curfew restrictions for the past 38 days.

Describing it as a difficult time for the people, who had sacrificed a lot for themselves, their families and the state at large, Amarinder Singh said it had been necessary to control the pandemic, which had so far infected 330 people in the state.

While various experts were coming out with different opinions, there seemed to be an indication that the coronavirus crisis could continue till July-August, or even September, said Amarinder Singh, terming it a long-drawn battle.

Pointing out that no country had escaped the coronavirus, he observed the disease had claimed lots of lives across the world, with nearly 50,000 people dying in the US, which had reported 10 lakh cases so far.

He cited the examples of the UK, Germany and Canada to underscore the need for continued caution.
TipRanks

Shares of electric car upstart Lucid (LCID) lit up on Tuesday, surging 9% in response to a what was actually a pretty even-keeled report by Charles Coldicott at UK research shop Redburn. Coldicott initiated coverage of Lucid Group with a "neutral" rating and a price target of only $39, but by the time trading was done for the day, Lucid stock had topped $45 a share. Why did investors have such an enthusiastic reaction to what was essentially a "hold" rating on the stock? Well, let's take a look.
Deirdre Morley with husband Andrew McGinley and their children Carla, Conor and Darragh

A MOTHER accused of murdering her three young children has been deemed fit to plead by a psychiatrist, a court has heard.

Deirdre Morley (43) was charged after the bodies of her sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7) and daughter Carla (3) McGinley were discovered in the family home at Parsons Court in Newcastle, west Dublin on January 24.

Today was her fifth court date on the charges and Judge Grainne Malone remanded her further in custody in her absence after hearing she was unable to attend as she was still unwell.

Defence solicitor Jonathan Dunphy told Dublin District Court a psychiatrists report was available and his client had been deemed fit to plead and give instructions, so the matter can go through the normal procedure.

It was stated the accused, who is detained in the Central Mental Hospital, was acutely unwell and would benefit from continued treatment.

The court heard the prosecution had no issue with the accuseds absence due to hospital treatment.

Judge Malone said although there was no sick note in court, there was an explanation as to why the accused was not present.

Mr Dunphy said he understood the investigation file would be submitted to the DPPs office in the next seven to 10 days.

State solicitor Mairead White confirmed that the investigation file had not been received yet.

Judge Malone adjourned the case to May 13.

Ms Morley had been previously remanded in custody in her absence for continued medical and psychiatric assessment.

On an earlier date, Mr Dunphy said there had been an issue in relation to his client's fitness to face court.

At her first court appearance, Detective Sergeant Dara Kenny, of Clondalkin garda station said when the charge was put to Ms Morley, she made no reply.

The accused, who has worked as a nurse at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin, was found by a taxi driver near her home shortly before her childrens bodies were discovered. She was treated for several days at Tallaght University Hospital.

The childrens father, Andrew McGinley, arrived home at the same time gardai and paramedics reached the house. When they went inside they found the three children dead.

A funeral for the McGinley children in Rathcoole on January 31 drew some 1,000 mourners.
If theres one industry continuing to suffer even during a market rally, its oil stocks. Energy companies have been battered within an inch of destruction thanks to a number of factors. About two years ago, we saw the start of the oil and gas glut in the Canadian oil patch.

This led to a decrease in oil and gas prices for Canadas already discounted oil. Here at the Fool, we thought that period was the best time to get in on these massive dividend producers before prices climbed back up.

However, 2020 hit and so did a market crash. This crash started with Russia announcing it wouldnt be cutting back on production of its oil, and Saudi Arabia announcing it would actually increase its production. Then, of course, came the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the market to a crashing halt. Oil stocks slumped to lows not seen in years.

But now the market is starting to rally. Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to cut back on production, and more cuts could be coming in the future. So does this mean its time to buy up oil stocks and reap the rewards of strong dividends?

Stick with pipelines

There are ways to get in on oil stocks with at least a little less risk, and thats by looking at pipelines. These stocks are the solution to the current gas glut, as pipelines would finally be able to bring crude oil across the country and throughout North America.

As of now, gas prices are at an all-time low, with West Texas Intermediate selling for an incredible US$13.75 per barrel as of writing. Thats a drop of over 75% since January, when the market crash hit.

With pipelines, as soon as even one opens up, oil stocks should begin to rebound again. So if youre looking for one stock to buy up in the hopes of a sooner rebound rather than later, its Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB)(NYSE:ENB). What Enbridge has going for it  on top of its dividends  is the company is already supported by multiple secured long-term contracts.

This will keep cash rolling in and earnings reports steady even during this downturn, thus keeping its dividend safe. This includes the Canadian Mainline system, which represents about 70% of Canadas pipeline capacity. But the company is looking beyond the next few years.

Story continues

On top of current projects, Enbridge has billions set aside for secured growth projects. Once all is said and done, not only will Mainline be running at full capacity, but so will the companys new pipelines. This oil stock has analysts bullish for decades over the potential growth of Enbridge, yet it still trades at about 40% potential upside just to reach fair value.

That leaves investors with a whopping 7.87% in dividends each year as of writing, with the company promising even more years of continued growth. Right now, a $10,000 investment would bring in $790.56 while you wait for a rebound.

The dividend oil stock king

While Enbridge might be a great stock youre familiar with, Pembina Pipeline Ltd. (TSX:PPL)(NYSE:PBA) is so undervalued its almost painful, especially because of this oil stocks excellent dividends the company has distributed monthly for years.

Pembina is similar to Enbridge in that it has a solid portfolio that it is currently in the process of expanding. Like Enbridge, Pembina is supported by secured long-term contracts with a growth portfolio of $5.6 billion as of writing. The company will expand its Peace Pipeline Expansion, with phases 6, 7, and 8 after the success of its earlier expansions.

With these expansion projects underway, this and other oil stocks should see a significant rebound, and would clearly also see a growth in its dividends. As of writing, the stock offers an incredible 8.87% dividend yield with a strong history of quarterly growth.

Yet again, the stock is highly undervalued. While other oil stocks might need some time to rebound, analysts are bullish about this stock coming up sooner as opposed to later.

Right now, there is a potential upside of 21% to reach fair value, but some analysts believe the stock will double within a year. As for dividends, a $10,000 investment would bring in $899.64 as of writing.

The post 2 Top Oil Stocks for Big Gains and Dividends appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe owns shares of ENBRIDGE INC and PEMBINA PIPELINE CORPORATION. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends PEMBINA PIPELINE CORPORATION.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
Wande on release of first major EP Exit amid COVID-19 pandemic: It reminds us were not in control

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Reach Records' first female hip-hop artist and rapper Wande officially made her label debut with the release of her highly-anticipated album, Exit, and says the timing of her release aligning with a national lockdown is Gods timing.

Wande, who's of Nigeria descent, was born to a Christian mother and Muslim father. She grew up in Austin, Texas, and has been working behind the scenes for Lecrae's Atlanta-based Christian label for some time. She's now introducing her rapping talents to the world with her EP, Exit. Her singles Happy and Be The Light'' are already generating buzz with fans and have been added to Hot AC and CHR Radio formats.

Wande was dubbed the top Christian hip-hop rapper to know in 2019 by USA Today, and has already had music placements on ESPN and BET.

In a previous interview with The Christian Post, the young rapper described herself as a multifaceted" and "energetic" artist who likes to have fun. Like everyone else at the label, the new signee is a devoted Christian and unashamedly shares her faith.

The following is an edited transcript of Wandes interview with The Christian Post where she discusses her new EP, her religious background, and how shes navigating life as people worldwide make it through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christian Post: Whats behind the title EXIT for your first release on Reach Records?

Wande: My project is titled "Exit" because ironically, in this season, God taught me that every exit is an entrance. In life we have seasons and you must exit this current season in order to move on to the next phase of who God is calling you to be.

Exit fear, exit the infancy stage of your walk with God. Being aware of that opens your eyes to actively being present and learning the lessons that God is trying to teach you in this current season so youll be prepared for the next. This album walks through every lesson I learned before each exit point in my journey of growth with God.

CP: How was it for you coming to your own faith in Jesus in a family where your parents believed different things?

Wande: The first few years of when I was saved it was very difficult and there was a lot of tension in our home.

I had to wake up at 5 a.m. to read my Bible in secret, go to work with my mom every other Sunday so my uncle could take me to church, and even had to keep my baptism a secret with only my mom knowing.

Throughout my life, however, God has been faithful, so it left my family to have no choice but to respect the God I serve and know Hes powerful.

CP: How are you managing life during the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus outbreak?

Wande: I am processing everything through the lens of the word of God. Fear and anxiety are natural things that might arrive in times like these. But as I remember Gods word and how He tells me not to fear and reminds me Hes my provider, I am able to move forward in peace.

CP: How has releasing an album during a pandemic impacted your music release?

Wande: I think releasing during a pandemic definitely affected things post-release, such as a release party and a celebration. However, it also alternatively put many people in a mindset that is searching for hope. With my music being filled with encouragement and the word of God, it definitely made it very timely.

Its been great to see the response of the album. Many people have loved it and it debuted as No. 5 on iTunes Hip Hop albums chart.

CP: What do you think is the spiritual message behind a worldwide pandemic?

Wande: I think a spiritual message in a worldwide pandemic is that we are not in control. Many times as we grow and accomplish things we fall into the illusion that we were the ones that made these things happen. A worldwide pandemic puts us back into the mindset that we truly need God and Hes the only one who never changes.

CP: What's it like being the first female artist at Reach Records?

Wande: Its an awesome experience and Im grateful that Gods given me the grace to fulfill this role. Its been great to hear feedback from many women feeling like I have inspired them to pursue life with God and follow their dreams. I am also grateful that Im able to speak on certain topics that affect women. Overall, Ive been intentional on working with many talented women as well and bringing more opportunities for them into our space.

CP: You are so creative and vibrant, where do you draw your inspiration from?

Wande: Ultimately, I derive my inspiration from God. He truly made me a creative person and Hes the ultimate example of creativity. I also surround myself with people who are like-minded, so were always having conversations on how to grow and our eyes are catching things that bring us new ideas. It flows naturally.

CP: How would you like to influence this generation?

Wande: I would like to influence this generation to be on fire for God and to live out the purpose Hes called them to do.

Im grateful for God choosing me to do this career and I want to show the world what can happen when you seek God and live a life of excellence. I want to be unashamed and bring the Gospel into untraditional spaces. This has started with ESPN playing "Exit" almost every day on various shows. People get to hear the glory of God proclaimed in a nontraditional setting.
I will not ask why is it that we did not relocate the Beetham Waste Disposal (garbage) site 
(CNN Philippines, April 30)  Two priests have joined the roster of the countrys new lawyers, according to a CBCP News report.

Rev. Fr. Victor de Guzman of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando, La Union and Salesian Fr. Abundio Bacatan recently passed the 2019 Bar Examination, along with more than 2,100 others.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando, La Union took to Facebook to congratulate Rev. Fr. de Guzman.

CBCP News said Bacatan is assigned at Don Bosco Dumangas in Iloilo province while de Guzman does not have any parish assignment at the moment after taking a study leave due to the Bar exams.

Mae Diane Azores, a certified public accountant, got the highest overall rating of 91.049 percent. The top five passers were all women, according to a list released by the top court around noon.

READ: 2019 Bar exam results out
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Export of wood and furniture from Turkey to Uzbekistan dropped by 22.4 percent from January 2020 through March 2020 compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $9.2 million, Trend reports citing the Turkish Trade Ministry on April 29.

In March 2020, Turkeys export of wood and furniture to Uzbekistan decreased by 57.6 percent compared to March 2019, making up $2.4 million.

In the 1Q2020, export of wood and furniture from Turkey to world markets increased by 3.9 percent compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $1.3 billion.

Meanwhile, Turkeys wood and furniture export amounted to 3.1 percent of the country's total export.

In March 2020, Turkey exported wood and furniture worth $427.8 million to world markets, which is 9.3 percent less compared to the same month of 2019. Turkeys export of wood and furniture amounted to 3.2 percent of the country's total export.

From March 2019 through March 2020, Turkey exported wood and furniture in the amount of over $5.5 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, whose pension and benefit funds invest in Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC), today urged other shareholders to reject the company's "Say-on-Pay" proposal over lavish executive pay, at the health care company's annual meeting on May 28. Since becoming CEO two years ago, CEO Ron Rittenmeyer has taken home $42 million in restricted stock, on top of lucrative cash compensation, with his 2019 pay topping more than $24 million. The Teamsters are raising the alarm over the company's huge pay packets to its top executive officers while it has furloughed 10 percent of its workforce without pay during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tenet claims those furloughs were necessary as elective surgeries are put on hold, but has failed to meaningfully rein in executive pay at a time when working people are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis. On top of these job cuts, nurses say they are fearful of contracting the coronavirus and worry they will be fired or disciplined for talking about understaffing and shortages of protective gear.

Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall said in a letter to shareholders that the problem with the pay packages is not just "its optics."

Even without the added stress of COVID-19 on the business, "it should be clear that the very culture of accountability that CEO Rittenmeyer claims to be instilling is missing in the compensation structure of the two most senior executives. CEO Rittenmeyer's decision to give up 50 percent of his base salary (circa $400,000) for three months is a gesture towards shared sacrifice. However, it is only a gesture and one that is cushioned by the board's recent decision to boost CEO Rittenmeyer's future annual base salary. Gestures are no substitute for comprehensive pay reform that matches executive pay with performance," Hall said.

The Teamsters represent 50,000 health care workers at facilities across the United States. Teamster affiliated pension and benefit funds have more than $100 billion invested in the capital markets and are long-term shareholders in Tenet.

In the letter, the union highlighted CEO Ronald Rittenmeyer's series of lucrative employment extensions providing $42 million and COO Dr. Saum Sutaria has, similarly, been awarded $12 million in sign-on grants and a $4 million long-term incentive opportunity. With these agreements relying on time-vesting awards, Tenet has made its two most senior executives the least exposed to corporate performance.

The letter also highlights eye-popping consulting agreements the company has signed with the executives for their retirements. Along with his 2019 contract extension, Rittenmeyer has a two-year post-retirement consulting arrangement that pays $750,000 a year (plus benefits) for advisory services not to exceed eight days per month.

"Frontline workers are going to battle every day against this virus to save lives. They are in desperate need of PPE and safe workplace conditions but corporate hospital executives are focused on ensuring they can get tens of millions of dollars in bonuses and consulting fees for their retirement," said Teamsters Health Care Division Director Nina Bugbee, who spends her days advocating for doctors, nurses, respiratory technicians, EMTs and other medical workers who are toiling around the clock to help COVID-19 patients across the industry. "These executives should be on the hospital floor NOT holed up in their yachts or mountainside vacation homes."

The union is also introducing a proposal to have independent board leadership and separate the functions of CEO and Chair of the Board.

"We appreciate Tenet's board has a lot on its plate at the moment, but that does not justify giving a free-pass to a pay structure that reserves the least accountability for the highest paid individuals. In fact, rightsizing this structure, along with enhancing the independence of the Board's leadership, becomes ever more critical amid the current pandemic. For these reasons, we urge shareholders to join us in voting against the company's Say-on-Pay for our resolution to appoint an independent chair," Hall said.

You can read the full letter to shareholders here

The Teamsters Health Care Division represents more than 50,000 workers. Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Kara Deniz, (202) 497-6610

[email protected]

Zoe PiSierra, (603) 339-0042

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


By SeaWestNews

Providing food to those in need can be difficult at the best of times for Canadas food banks. With COVID-19, this task just got harder.

Food Banks Canada says demand at the 3,000 food agencies it represents across the country, could surge to 30 to 40 per cent because of COVID-19s devastating economic impact. Prior to the pandemic, the food agencies averaged 1.1 million visits per month.

In British Columbia, food banks help nearly 100,000 individuals  one in three a child - and the increase in demand is expected to last beyond the pandemic as the economy slowly bounces back.

In some instances, numbers have already doubled and were seeing line ups grow longer, yet food donations are down. Some people who were donors are now food bank recipients, said Laura Lansink, Executive Director of Food Banks BC.

Its a very stressful situation for our food banks and we anticipate we will feel the repercussions of this for one or two years into the future.

To boost the continued supply of nutritious protein to those in need, the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) today announced the creation of a salmon donation initiative with Food Banks Canada and Food Banks BC to feed families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cermaq Canada, Grieg Seafood BC, Mowi Canada West, Creative Salmon and Golden Eagle Aquaculture are donating around 60,000 pounds of salmon to food banks that are seeing increased demand. Together, this industry donation will supply the equivalent of over 200,000 meals to British Columbians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BC salmon farmers donation will include:

 86,000 cans of Atlantic salmon: Cermaq and Grieg have donated fresh Atlantic salmon, which has been processed and canned by St. Jeans Cannery & Smokehouse in Nanaimo, to Food Banks BC. From there, the salmon will be distributed to food banks on Vancouver Island and throughout the province.

 1,000 pounds of Atlantic salmon per week: Each week Mowi is distributing 1,000 one-pound portions of Atlantic salmon to food banks in Campbell River and Port Hardy. They have partnered with a Port Hardy company, Hardy Buoys Smoked Fish, to produce the portions for weekly delivery for the length of this crisis.

 Canned Pacific salmon: Golden Eagle Aquaculture is donating multiple cases of canned land-grown coho salmon to food banks. Creative Salmon, which farms organic Chinook salmon off Vancouver Islands west coast, is also donating canned salmon to help support food distribution efforts in the Tofino and Ucluelet area.

 Transportation. Aquatrans Distributors Inc. is donating most transportation costs of the salmon to St. Jeans for canning and to five BC food bank hubs for distribution.

I have been with Food Banks BC for almost a decade and I have never received a donation like this before, Lansink said.

Protein donations truly are hard to come by, so we are so grateful to BC salmon farmers for stepping up, particularly at this time of COVID-19 when food, and especially protein, is in such short supply. This donation will make a tremendous impact on the individuals, families and children who simply cant always afford to put food on their tables.

John Paul Fraser, Executive Director of the BCSFA said : This is a time for all industries to step up and support those most affected by COVID-19, and thats exactly what BCs salmon farmers are doing.

This is not the first time, BC salmon farmers are coming to the fore in the fight against COVID-19.

In March, Cermaq, Grieg and Mowi donated barrels of Hydrogen Peroxide to Shelter Point Distillery to help create hand sanitizer for frontline workers on the North-Central Island

Vancouver Islands Shelter Point Distillery, which is world renowned for its artisanal whisky, vodka and gin, has suspended its distilling operations in order to switch production to manufacturing medical grade sanitizer.

Hydrogen peroxide or H2O2 is a chemical compound thats a combination of hydrogen and water. It is one of the longest-running and most widely solutions used for delousing treatments employed by salmon aquaculture. When hydrogen peroxide hits the sea, it breaks down into its natural components  hydrogen and oxygen  making it one of the most environmentally friendly solutions available.

Earlier this month, Canada said it will pump $62.5 million into the wild and farmed fisheries sectors and the seafood production industry to ensure the collective food security of the nation.

Shawn Hall, the spokesperson for the B.C. Salmon Farmers, said his association is awaiting details to understand what opportunities and resources will exist for the provinces salmon fishery.

The pandemic has created economic challenges, and our production has shifted, he said.

In typical times, many BC salmon farmers sell a significant amount of fish into restaurants and hotels, which are necessarily curtailing business at this time.

However, retail sales are stable and actually increasing in some markets as families look for healthy meals to cook at home. That does not make up for declines in restaurant sales, but it helps. The situation is challenging, but we are resilient.

Consistently ranked as the 4th largest farmed Atlantic salmon producer in the world, farmed salmon is B.C.s highest valued seafood product, the provinces top agricultural export and generates over $1.5 billion towards the B.C. economy.

There are approximately 7,000 total full-time equivalents (FTE) positions supported by the B.C. salmon farming industry. In B.C., 86% of the provinces salmon harvest salmon comes from farms.

The 196,300-tonne commercial fishery 2018 harvest generated a total landed value of $476.4 million  up 19.7percent over 2017.

Across Canada, about 72,000 people are employed by the fishing industry in primary harvesting, aquaculture or processing. In 2018, Canada exported a whopping $6.9 billion in fish and seafood products to nearly 140 countries worldwide.
A Dahua Technology thermal imaging camera is seen during a demonstration of the camera at an office in San Francisco, Calif., on April 24, 2020. (Nathan Frandino/ Reuters)

Amazon Turns to Chinese Firm on US Blacklist to Meet Thermal Camera Needs

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCOAmazon.com has bought cameras to take the temperature of workers during the CCP virus pandemic from a firm the United States blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Chinas Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co. Ltd. shipped 1,500 cameras to Amazon this month in a deal valued close to $10 million, one of the people said. At least 500 systems from Dahuathe blacklisted firmare for Amazons use in the United States, another person said.

The Amazon procurement, which has not been previously reported, is legal because the rules control U.S. government contract awards and exports to blacklisted firms, but they do not stop sales to the private sector.

However, the United States considers that transactions of any nature with listed entities carry a red flag and recommends that U.S. companies proceed with caution, according to the Bureau of Industry and Securitys website. Dahua has disputed the designation.

The deal comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned of a shortage of temperature-reading devices and said it wouldnt halt certain pandemic uses of thermal cameras that lack the agencys regulatory approval. Top U.S.-based maker FLIR Systems Inc has a weeks-long order backlog, forcing it to prioritize products for hospitals and other critical facilities.

A Dahua Technology thermal imaging camera is seen during a demonstration of the camera at an office in San Francisco, Calif., on April 24, 2020. (Nathan Frandino/Reuters)

A temperature screening area is set up in an office to demonstrate the use of Dahua Technologys thermal imaging cameras in San Francisco, Calif., on April 24, 2020. (Nathan Frandino/Reuters)

Amazon declined to confirm its purchase from Dahua, but said its hardware complied with national, state, and local law, and its temperature checks were to support the health and safety of our employees, who continue to provide a critical service in our communities.

The company added it was implementing thermal imagers from multiple manufacturers, which it declined to name. These vendors include Infrared Cameras Inc., which Reuters previously reported, and FLIR, according to employees at Amazon-owned Whole Foods who saw the deployment. FLIR declined to comment on its customers.

Dahua, one of the biggest surveillance camera manufacturers globally, said it does not discuss customer engagements and it adheres to applicable laws. Dahua said in a statement that it is committed to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 through technology that detects abnormal elevated skin temperaturewith high accuracy.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, which maintains the blacklist, declined to comment. The FDA said it would use discretion when enforcing regulations during the public health crisis as long as thermal systems lacking compliance posed no undue risk and secondary evaluations confirmed fevers.

Dahuas thermal cameras have been used in hospitals, airports, train stations, government offices, and factories during the pandemic. International Business Machines Corp placed an order for 100 units, and the automaker Chrysler placed an order for 10, one of the sources said. In addition to selling thermal technology, Dahua makes white-label security cameras resold under dozens of other brands such as Honeywell, according to research and reporting firm IPVM.

Honeywell said some but not all its cameras are manufactured by Dahua, and it holds products to its cybersecurity and compliance standards. IBM and Chryslers parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV did not comment.

The Trump Administration added Dahua and seven other tech firms last year to the blacklist for acting against U.S. foreign policy interests, saying they were implicated in Chinas campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups.

More than one million people have been sent to camps in the Xinjiang region as part of Chinas campaign to root out terrorism, the United Nations has estimated.

A provision of U.S. law, which is scheduled to take effect in August, will also bar the federal government from starting or renewing contracts with a company using any equipment, system, or service from firms including Dahua as a substantial or essential component of any system.

Amazons cloud unit is a major contractor with the U.S. intelligence community, and it has been battling Microsoft Corp for an up to $10 billion deal with the Pentagon.

Top industry associations have asked Congress for a year-long delay because they say the law would reduce supplies to the government dramatically, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that policies clarifying the implementation of the law were forthcoming.

Face Detection and Privacy

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, has infected staff from dozens of Amazon warehouses, ignited small protests over allegedly unsafe conditions, and prompted unions to demand site closures. Temperature checks help Amazon stay operational, and the camerasa faster, socially distant alternative to forehead thermometerscan speed up lines to enter its buildings. Amazon said the type of temperature reader it uses varies by building.

To see if someone has a fever, Dahuas camera compares a persons radiation to a separate infrared calibration device. It uses face detection technology to track subjects walking by and make sure it is looking for heat in the right place.

A Dahua thermal camera takes a mans temperature during a demonstration of the technology in San Francisco, Calif., on April 24, 2020. (Lewis Surveillance/Reuters)

An additional recording device keeps snapshots of faces the camera has spotted and their temperatures, according to a demonstration of the technology in San Francisco. Optional facial recognition software can fetch images of the same subject across time to determine, for instance, who a virus patient may have been near in a line for temperature checks.

A Dahua thermal camera takes a mans temperature during a demonstration of the technology in San Francisco, Calif., on April 24, 2020. (Lewis Surveillance/Reuters)

Amazon said it is not using facial recognition on any of its thermal cameras. Civil liberties groups have warned the software could strip people of privacy and lead to arbitrary apprehensions if relied on by police. U.S. authorities have also worried that equipment makers like Dahua could hide a technical back door to agents of the Chinese regime seeking intelligence.

In response to questions about the thermal systems, Amazon said in a statement, None of this equipment has network connectivity, and no personal identifiable information will be visible, collected, or stored.

Dahua made the decision to market its technology in the United States before the FDA issued the guidance on thermal cameras in the pandemic. Its supply is attracting many U.S. customers not deterred by the blacklist, according to Evan Steiner, who sells surveillance equipment from a range of manufacturers in California through his firm EnterActive Networks LLC.

Youre seeing a lot of companies doing everything that they possibly can preemptively to prepare for their workforce coming back, he said.

By Krystal Hu and Jeffrey Dastin. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Chennai, April 29 : Fleeing of 98 fishing workers from here to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, their home states, has surprised both the authorities and the local fishermen.

"They know the sea, the climate and the wind. For them sea is nothing new. What's surprising is the use of fibre boats, not known to travel such long distances and for long duration," K. Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, told IANS.

Around 250 fishermen families from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are living here. They work in big fishing boats and their income depend on catch per trip. Boat expenses are met by the boat owner.

"Money was not a problem for them. They pooled money to buy nine fibre boats for Rs 1.5 lakh a boat," Bharathi said.

They return to their home towns during the fishing ban season. But this time, the Covid-19 lockdown had confined them to the shore. It was followed by the fishing ban season.

The workers were putting pressure on boat owners to send them home. But the Fisheries Department and the police didn't allow them to travel during the lockdown.

Finally, they bought nine fibre boats and sailed out some five days ago, Bharathi said. The Coast Guards might have missed the boats, sailing not far away from the shore.

They had stocked food and fuel before setting sail. The fishermen from Andhra Pradesh disembarked at Srikakulam, while others proceeded to Odisha.

The Fisheries Department officials said they were not aware of their journey till the news broke out.
As states shuttered businesses in the final three weeks of March to limit the spread of coronavirus, the U.S. economy absorbed a hit sufficient to drop overall output in the first quarter by 4.8 percent.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis includes the sold value of both goods and services in its quarterly estimates of gross domestic product. BEA will not publish until the end of July GDP estimates for the second quarter, reflecting the full impact of the pandemic closures prompted by the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus.

Connecticut closed out 2019 with among the weakest rates of growth in the nation, with GDP gaining less than 1 percent to best only New Jersey among Northeast states, against a U.S. gain of 2.1 percent. BEA is scheduled to publish state-by-state estimates for the first quarter in the first week of July, and for the second quarter in October.

The health care sector absorbed the single biggest hit of any major industry category tracked by BEA, with GDP dragging overall GDP down more than 2.2 percent as hospitals and clinics postponed all but emergency care in order to devote all available personnel to handling the crush of coronavirus patients. A 1.6 percent drop in restaurant service was offset partially by a 1.1 percent gain in food sales by markets.

New York has pledged to coordinate its policies for allowing businesses to reopen with those of Connecticut and New Jersey. On Tuesday, however, Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out a general plan for a phased approach to jumpstarting portions of the New York economy in installments according to industry and geography, in advance of details being hashed out by a business committee of nearly 120 leaders that includes Hearst Corp. CEO Steve Swartz and insurance executive William Berkley, founder of the Greenwich-based insurance carrier W.R. Berkley who chairs New York Universitys board of trustees.

Speaking Tuesday in Syracuse, Cuomo noted the growing pressure from many for the state to ease restrictions on businesses to stem layoffs and begin the process of economic recovery. The initial New York plan sets hospital capacity of at least 30 percent of hospital and intensive care unit beds being available after the resumption of elective surgeries before any one region can launch a formal reopening plan.

I get it, we cant sustain being closed  the economy cant sustain it, individual families cant sustain it, Cuomo said. We want to reopen, but we want to do it without infecting more people or overwhelming the hospital system. ... You can  factually, with data  design a system that does just that.

New York will focus an initial resumption of economic activity with construction and manufacturing industries that in Connecticut have been allowed to continue mostly uninterrupted with precautions to protect workers. Cuomo will then prioritize businesses considered more essential with inherent low risks of coronavirus transmission as his office worded it, followed by others. Attractions will not be allowed to reopen in the initial vanguard if they draw large numbers of visitors from elsewhere.

On Monday, Lamont declined to give details in advance of recommendations from his own committee, which is being led by Indra Nooyi of Greenwich, the former CEO of Pepsico in Purchase, N.Y. In an informal Hearst Connecticut Media poll of establishments that readers want to see opened first, hair salons and barbers were the choice of 23 percent of respondents.

This is why I have a task force of business and scientific folks who are looking at this every day, Lamont said Monday. They are asking all the folks in industry what are their best ideas in terms of how they can provide services safely.

Includes prior reporting by Viktoria Sundqvist.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Friday Night Movie Club Spend an evening with Vulture, every Friday at 7 p.m. ET on Twitter. Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Photo: Miramaz

Every week for the foreseeable future, Vulture will be selecting one film to watch as part of our new Friday Night Movie Club. This weeks selection comes from our film critic Alison Willmore, who will begin her screening of The Talented Mr. Ripley on May 1 at 7 p.m. ET. Head to Vultures Twitter to catch her live commentary, and look ahead at next weeks movie here.

The last time I really left the house was on March 10, when I went to a friends book event and then for drinks after, enjoying the end of that interlude in which doom seemed imminent but also abstract. Ive been outside since, sure, strapping on a mask to scurry to the grocery store or take furtive walks around the block for some air, but that evening marked the end of going out for the enjoyment of it, a concept that now feels as distant as the moon. The pandemic has had a way of making little liberties  like sipping a coffee outside a cafe, or browsing through records at a shop  seem in retrospect like wild extravagances. Its turned bigger ones into something almost inconceivable  imagine the decadence of going on vacation! Imagine heading abroad to, say, Italy, and finding it scenic and sunny and not staggering back from its own bouts with the virus.

Now, imagine doing that all on the dime of a shipping magnate whos under the mistaken impression that youre the right person to convince his playboy son to return to his obligations in the U.S. Yes, our spirits may be drooping, our hair may be unwashed, and our clothes may be even more so, but thats exactly why its the right time in which to partake in The Talented Mr. Ripley, an already impossible travelogue that now feels as heady as a nitrous hit. Anthony Minghellas 1999 film, adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel, provides equal parts delirious pleasure and simmering dread  because whats escapism without a streak of something darker to give it zest? The pleasures it offers up are beyond anyones grasp, like a 1950s Venice yet uncluttered by influencers, or an idyllic coastal town of Mongibello thats actually a fictional invention. Fitting for a movie thats all about wanting what you cant have, whether thats a person, a wardrobe, or a decadent expat existence.

To covet the luxury The Talented Mr. Ripley puts onscreen isnt just expected, its thematically appropriate  and holy hell is its luxury covetable. There is, for instance, much to desire about the airy coastal villa in which Dickie (Jude Law) turns out to have ensconced himself, though personally, I prefer the leafy courtyard outside Marges (Gwyneth Paltrow) place, the one that also serves as her writing nook. Not to be underestimated are the lavish Rome apartment that the scheming Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) rents and the crumbling Venice mansion he later makes his own  and thats just the housing. Where to begin with the clothes  all those fine linens and sharp suits, the high-waisted bikinis and leopard-print coats that earned costume designers Gary Jones and Ann Roth an Oscar nomination? Then theres the scenery, like the pristine beach at Mongibello, and the deep-blue ocean as seen from Dickies boat, and the sprawling plazas in whose outdoor cafes intrigues unfurl.

And, of course, the cast. As Dickie, Law is as beautiful and dangerous as a big cat, while as his beleaguered lover Marge, Paltrow is exquisitely patrician with a steely core. Damon, meanwhile, eases his character into affluence like its a warm bath he then doesnt want to get out of, as infatuated with Dickies lifestyle as he is with the man himself. Plus Cate Blanchett, and the much-missed Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Philip Baker Hall in a final-act appearance  its a movie whose abundance of riches rivals the ones its characters grew up with. Those riches have shaped and, in some cases, seriously warped the adults theyve become, which doesnt stop Tom from wanting to be like them. Which is the ultimate reason you should join me for The Talented Mr. Ripley  because its about how seductive the idea of being on an endless vacation might be, never having to get serious and go home, but in the end it ruins everyone. Were the lucky ones, shut up at home, waiting to someday reemerge into the light. And if you squint hard enough while watching the movie, you might even be able to believe it.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is available to rent on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.
Over a dozen people were bitten by



stray dogs in a single day at a village in Thane district of Maharashtra, a health official said on Wednesday.

The incidents occurred at Zidke village near Ambadi Phata area in Bhiwandi taluka on Tuesday, the official said.

Medical officer of Ambadi Phata Rural Hospital, Dr Mahesh Wargade, said that at least 13 persons were bitten by stray dogs on March 29.

"All those who were attacked by the dogs were treated one after the other at the rural hospital. They were from Umbarpada Colony in Zidke village," he said.

After a sudden rise in dog-bite cases, Dr Wargade wrote a letter to the local police, in which he requested them to take appropriate measures so that such incidents do not recur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian stock market following its Asian peers are trading on a handsome note as several countries eased coronavirus-induced lockdowns while oil prices advanced.

Sensex is up 266.31 points or 0.83% at 32380.83, and the Nifty gained 77.20 points or 0.82% at 9458.10.

Nifty Metal is the outperforming sector, up over 2.5 percent led by Jindal Steel & Power which jumped 5 percent followed by Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Vedanta, Hindalco Industries and Coal India.

At 11:02 hrs Hindalco Industries was quoting at Rs 112.40, up Rs 3.65, or 3.36 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 112.95 and an intraday low of Rs 108.50. Jindal Steel & Power was quoting at Rs 88.90, up Rs 5.00, or 5.96 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 89.80 and an intraday low of Rs 83.35.

Tata Steel was quoting at Rs 284.50, up Rs 10.95, or 4.00 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 284.90 and an intraday low of Rs 271.40.
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash says hes launched an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Partys nomination for president of the United States.

Amash made the announcement late Tuesday, April 28, in posts to his Twitter account.

Amash, a former Republican turned independent and critic of President Donald Trump, paused his congressional re-election campaign in mid-February and, at that time, said he was discussing a potential presidential run with his family, his friends, his team, and others."

In posts to Twitter on Tuesday, he said that Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people.

Related: U.S. Rep. Justin Amash pauses his congressional campaign to consider presidential run

Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together. Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president, he wrote.

Speculation that Amash, I-Cascade Township, would jump into the presidential race has swirled for months.

If Amash officially enters the race, it would add particular intrigue in Michigan, a key swing state where Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by just over 10,000 votes in 2016.

Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNationals nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people.  Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 29, 2020

Amash created a web page, AmashforAmerica.com, to explain his platform and offer an opportunity for supporters to donate.

His statement begins with Were Ready and ends with Lets do this.

Amash describes himself as a constitutional conservative and a libertarian, and has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. He was elected as a Republican but left the party in July, and is serving out the remainder of his term as an independent.

Amash drew national headlines in May when he became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. He said he made the comments after reviewing U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into 2016 election interference.

READ MORE:

Isolated in GOP, Congressman Justin Amash considers third-party presidential run

Libertarian Party courting Justin Amash for third-party presidential run

Im looking at it closely, Trump-critic Congressman Justin Amash says of presidential run
Issa ga o! Prime Minister Nuno Nabiam of Guinea-Bissau and several other senior officials have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Lusa news agency reported on Wednesday that Nabiam and at least three other members of his government are infected, citing Health Minister Antonio Deuna as the source of information.

A government source told Lusa that the other infected officials are Interior Minister Botche Cande and two secretaries of state, Mario Fambe and Monica Buaro.

The cases are related to a senior Interior Ministry official who has died, Lusa reported.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
A federal judge on Wednesday approved a $14 million settlement in a landmark class-action lawsuit that accused the retailer of discriminating against its pregnant employees by denying them necessary workplace accommodations.

The case, seven years in the making, marked one of the first pregnancy accommodation cases in the nation to settle as a class action, according to the National Women's Law Center, one of the organizations representing the pregnant workers.

The settlement, approved by U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle, of the Southern District of Illinois, will be divided up among 4,000 women who were denied pregnancy accommodations while working at Walmart between March 2013 and March 2014. It will also cover the legal fees and other costs involved in reaching the settlement.

"This sends a clear message to employers across the country about why pregnancy accommodations have to be a focus, and why pregnant workers' health and safety is a key issue for businesses," said Emily Martin, a lawyer at the National Women's Law Center and part of the legal team that represented the workers.

Walmart, which has since overhauled its pregnancy accommodation policies, admitted no wrong doing as part of the settlement.

"We're happy both sides could come together to reach a resolution," the retailer said in a statement as part of a joint news release with the organization A Better Balance, which represented the workers along with the National Women's Law Center and Mehri & Skalet, PLLC. "Walmart has had a strong policy against discrimination in place for many years and we continue to be a great place for women to work and advance."

Until March 2014, Walmart explicitly excluded pregnant employees from accommodations it offered to employees with disabilities or injuries that prevented them from performing certain jobs. The policy described pregnancy as a medical condition that was not eligible for a reassignment to a lighter-duty job or the transfer of certain tasks to other employees.

The policy meant that Talisa Borders, an employee at an Illinois Walmart, was not allowed to hand off heavy-duty lifting to other co-workers when she was pregnant in 2013.

Early in her pregnancy, Border had slipped off a ladder during a shift. Worried about the safety of her baby, she asked other co-workers to help with tasks that required lifting heavy objects or climbing a ladder. After a supervisor noticed, and even after Borders brought in a doctor's note saying she could not lift more than 25 pounds or climb ladders, Walmart forced her to take an unpaid leave of absence, according to the complaint in the case.

Similarly, in 2013, a Walmart supervisor refused to accept a doctor's note that Otisha Woolbright, an employee at a store in Jacksonville, Florida, should avoid heavy lifting. Woolbright had experienced pain and bleeding early in her pregnancy, and had been told she was at high risk for miscarriage and should avoid strenuous work. Woolbright says she was told: "If you can't do [heavy lifting], you can walk out those doors."

It was only after Woolbright was injured on the job, while kneeling down and carrying 50-pound trays of rotisserie chickens, that she was given a reprieve, according to the complaint. And after she asked about Walmart's policies related to parental leave, she was fired.

In January 2014, Borders filed a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying Walmart discriminated against her, in violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Then, in April, Woolbright filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, saying Walmart had discriminated against her because of her sex.

The two women, along with a third plaintiff, Stacey Lewis of West Virginia, are members of a class of thousands of women who will each be compensated an average of $2,200, about seven weeks of pay for the average Walmart employee who works less than 40 hours a week.

In Wednesday's court hearing, held via teleconference, attorney Ellen Eardley said she was proud to return wages to these workers, even if it took seven years.

"It was worth the wait to help others and bring them relief," Eardley said.

When the women first brought their claims in 2014, workplace pregnancy discrimination was a "lower profile issue," said Martin, who is vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women's Law Center. But in the years since, numerous states have passed bills expanding protections for pregnant workers. In 2015, the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Young v. UPS made it easier for pregnant workers to bring claims under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.

Martin said the case will likely resonate with pregnant workers nationwide, including many who are essential workers in low-wage jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic and are raising questions about how to best protect their health and that of their baby.

She also said she hopes the settlement will help build momentum for a federal law that would establish a pregnant worker's right to reasonable workplace accommodations. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires an employer to provide pregnant women with the same accommodations as other people limited in their ability to work, it places a heavy burden on pregnant workers to demonstrate that an employer discriminated.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, would lift that burden from employees. In past years the bill faced limited bipartisan support, with some lawmakers raising concerns about the burdens on employers.

But, Martin said, "I think that world is quickly changing."
DETROIT (AP)  City employees make critical visits to the Detroit health department for a coronavirus test. On the other side of the long cotton swab: medical students in protective gear who have volunteered to be on the front line of the fight.

Well just go in about an inch, swirl around a couple times, Michael Moentmann calmly explained before swabbing the nostril of water department employee Leon Wheeler.

Moentmann, 23, had planned to watch surgeries as a medical student at Wayne State University in Detroit, but then a highly contagious virus disrupted everything this spring. So he signed up in one of Americas hardest-hit communities, testing police officers, firefighters, bus drivers and others who keep the city running.

Indeed, a fleet of medical students has been vital in Detroits response to the coronavirus and the sometimes deadly COVID-19. Cloaked in gowns, masks and face shields, they spend hours swabbing people and running tests through rapid-response machines. The results determine whether key staff can work or go home to recover.

What better way to launch a medical career than helping with a pandemic? We couldnt do this without them, said John Zervos of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, who recruited roughly 80 students from medical schools at Wayne State, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

Med students are pitching in elsewhere, too. In Richmond, Virginia, they have volunteered to care for the children of health care workers. Students at a Chicago-area medical school, Midwestern University, are offering to screen patients at clinics, deliver food to exhausted doctors and even check pets.

In Detroit, students have swabbed or run tests on more than 6,000 people, including nursing home residents who had an infection rate of roughly 25%. The information is important for stopping the spread of the coronavirus. The city has 6% of Michigans population but 27% of the states COVID-19 deaths.

Mayor Mike Duggan repeatedly has praised the students, saying it was remarkable to have them in the labs at 1, 2 in the morning.

Lucia Luna-Wong, a fourth-year student at Wayne State, said she didnt hesitate when offered a chance to join a crash course in public health. She wants to specialize in infectious diseases.

This is so valuable, from bedside manners to learning about health disparities in the city. This is just an unbelievable experience for me. Im going to be a better doctor, said Luna-Wong, 38, a native of Peru.

Moentmann, a third-year-student, said he tries to help anxious people regain control.

Im not qualified right now to be a critical care pulmonologist, but I am qualified to swab someones nose.  I am arguably at the most appropriate place that I can be right now as a medical student, the place where I have the most face time with patients, the place where I get to experience that provision of care in our little 13-minute interaction, he said.

Moentmann said his mother in Lancaster, Ohio, asked about his safety when he told her about his work against the virus.

I sent her a picture of me in the full garb, he said. A little bit of convincing, but shes all good.

Moentmann and Luna-Wong speak to people privately when they discuss test results. Wheeler, the water department employee, looked relieved when he emerged from the room.

Im good, he said.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: A number of marriages have been postponed amid the lockdown induced by COVID-19, but a youth from Pauthiya village of Hamirpur district was determined not to wait, pedalling 100 km on a bicycle to get married in a temple.

The groom, Kalku Prajapati, travelled to Puniya village in Mahoba district where his bride, Rinki, lived. Sources said Kalku's marriage was fixed for April 27 but the administration had denied him permission to take a baaraat procession to Mahoba.

Kalku was adamant to marry on the date that had been fixed so he took his one-man baaraat to his sasural (in-laws' place) on a bicycle after his bid to ride a motorbike was also turned down.

He started his journey on April 27 morning and brought home the bride the same evening. The two were married at Baba Dhyanidas Ashram. Kalku said he and his wife wanted to make their marriage a celebration to be remembered but although there were no festivities, the lockdown made it a memorable occasion nevertheless.

After Kalku returned with his bride, all the vedic rituals were performed in his village to make it a complete affair.

The Bundelkhand region is replete with unusual stories of tying the nuptial knot under the lockdown. While some are taking a five-member baaraat, others are following the health protocol by welcoming the baaraatis with a sanitizer instead of rose water.

Similarly, baaraatis are also being made to put on masks. Physical distancing is being followed while taking pheras around the fire and jai mal (garlands) are being sanitized before exchanging vows.
Calling him a "bold, progressive leader," the local chapter of an organization spun off from the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign is throwing its support behind Andrew Romanoff in Colorado's Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

In its endorsement, announced Wednesday, Our Revolution Metro Denver said it found Romanoff's progressive bona fides "unmatched among Colorado candidate for U.S. Senate," citing his advocacy for "addressing the climate crisis, rebuilding our broken healthcare system, and getting big money out of politics at every level."

The group also pointed to Romanoff's "unique blending of a progressive vision for our country with his extensive legislative experience," noting the former speaker of the Colorado House won national recognition as a top public official.

"Andrew is a bold, progressive leader with a visionary platform and the experience necessary to have a big legislative impact in Washington," said Gary Kahn, one of the group's leaders, in a statement. "We believe he is the candidate most able to beat Cory Gardner in the general election."

Romanoff is one of three Democrats on the ballot in a primary that also includes former two-term Gov. John Hickenlooper and Michelle Ferrigno Warren, an immigrant rights advocate and first-time candidate.

A fourth candidate, nonprofit executive Lorena Garcia, is pursuing a spot in the June 30 primary in court, arguing the coronavirus pandemic prevented her from collecting the required number of petition signatures.

Gardner, seeking his second term, is one of only two Republican senators running this year in a state won by Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Romanoff told Colorado Politics that current events bolster his progressive platform, including his support for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

"This pandemic makes clear what Our Revolution knew all along: 'normal' isnt good enough. We need health care for all and an economy that works for everyone," he said in a text message.

Sanders, who suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Joe Biden earlier this month, won Colorado's Super Tuesday primary in March with 37% of the vote, following up on his 19 percentage point margin over Clinton in the state's 2016 precinct caucuses.

The national Our Revolution organization has a mixed record when it comes to endorsements. Last cycle in Colorado, it backed former state Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, in the Democratic primary for attorney general, but he lost in a close race to Phil Weiser, who went on to win election.

Nationally, the data analysts at FiveThirtyEight found that only about one-third of the candidates endorsed by Our Revolution won their primaries, though the site determined the group helped pull Democratic candidates to the left in many races.
While we continue to take COVID-19 protective measures, the blues community is working to keep in contact with its fans. Artists are finding different ways to bring their sounds to use. You can help by attending some of these virtual concerts and purchasing their CDs. You can help by supporting the venues that play live music. Take-out orders, gift certificate and advance tickets will all help.

Blues-rock guitarist Mike Zito is another artist presenting a live, online electric band blues concert from his website, www.mikezito.com/live-stream. Many performers are doing concerts with a donate button. This is one way that performers can reach the public and make up for all the shows that have been canceled.

Zito recently recorded an album, Quarantine Blues, available for free download at https://soundcloud.com/mikezitoofficial/sets/quarantine-blues. Quarantine Blues was recorded with Zitos touring band (Matt Johnson, Doug Byrkit and Lewis Stephens) when their 30-city, spring European tour was canceled due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Anthony Geraci wrote to his Connecticut friends, As you probably know my gig next week at Cafe 9 has been postponed. Hopefully well reschedule to sometime in the fall.

If you want to hear his music, order and check out his new CD Daydreams In Blue from his website: https://www.anthonygeraciblue.com/store.

One of the biggest supporters of the blues in Memphis is Eric Hughes. The Eric Hughes Band had an online album-release party, which included specially-recorded performances, messages from the band and music videos for some of the new, original songs from their new album, Postcard From Beale Street. This was an online debut of the album, available digitally at www.endlessblues.com.

Postcard From Beale Street contains ten original songs based on the stories and adventures gleaned from Hughes four-thousand-plus shows in the clubs on Beale Street over the last nineteen years, and vary widely in musical style. More than a mere collection of 12-bar shuffle tunes, Postcard From Beale Street definitely pushes way past the traditional blues genre boundaries, dabbling in soul, rock, jug-band, and ballad directions.

The Briggs Farm Blues Festival, a favorite for area fans, has been putting together virtual concerts to spice up the weekend. Tune in to their Facebook Page and check out what they have to offer. They are looking forward to the festival season.

Tas Cru reports that the 2nd book of myhis three book series is coming along nicely. The Doggone Blues Band will be available this summer. The series will be complete with Muddy the Waters scheduled for late fall.

Heres the scoop on this one: In this second book of my Blues Dogs Trilogy, Bad Dog Bubba, the bulbous-nosed, ninety-nine and one-half pound blue bred Blood-Rhymes-With-Dude Hound is on a mission to form an all dog blues band. Bubba enlists help from his blues-loving buddy, Scooter and Bclef, the young bass playing woman from his very owners blues band. Bclefs experience and more important, her ability to talk dog will prove vital to making Bubbas dream a reality as will Scooters upbeat energy and unleashed enthusiasm! Bubba has proven himself to be a skilled blues song writer, but does he have what it takes to make and lead a blues band? Bubbas recruiting pitch to his would-be blues dog bandmates  The blues is like a half-eaten sandwich you find laying on the sidewalk. Give it a sniff  you might like it!

Fairfield Theater Company writes, Together, although apart, we can make a difference. When enough of us come together to advocate for the greater good, as we do on Earth Day, we can all more clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel.

One way to support the venues is through purchases and FTC has just launched an online merchandise store to provide a fun way to support FTC. As we have celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day this year, today, theyre highlighting the most sustainable product line in its store. Check it out at: https://fairfield-theatre-company.square.site/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_camp.

They are offering MiiR designed products, beautiful, simple, and sustainable. They make premium stainless steel vessels all kinds of liquids. They set aside a portion of revenue to fund projects focused on clean water, a healthy environment and strong communities. And every purchase helps support FTC (and the planet). With your support, FTC is here to stay.

Welcome to Daddy Jacks Cooking With The Blues. Jack (Daddy Jack) Chaplin and Family have put together a Patreon Membership. The idea is all about sharing his knowledge of 45 years in the Culinary Arts. The objective is to combine the passions of music and food, hence Cooking With The Blues.

This channel encompasses both art forms and appeals to all five of our basic senses. He feels he has been truly blessed in my experience with YouTube, and again being a part of the Patreon Family. It is an amazing journey, being given an incredible opportunity to be connected with so many great people. Become a Member Of Cooking With The Blues by going to https://www.patreon.com/CookingWithTheBlues?fan_landing=true.

As schedules and times change, it is good practice to call the club and confirm. Get the complete Blues Beat schedule on Thursday at the blog http://bluesbeatnews.wordpress.com/. Any questions or comments should be sent to Domenic Forcella at TWBlus@aol.com.
The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) announced its first ever virtual Ramadan eMajlis, to be held via video conferencing technology on April 29, 2020.

The initiative, in line with iGAs commitment to social distancing during the current pandemic, aims to strengthen its communication with citizens, residents, and specialists in the IT field. Participants in the casual conversation will be encouraged to share their suggestions on how to improve the services offered by the iGA, and develop the role of technology in a post-Coronavirus world.

The eMajlis provides the public an opportunity to communicate directly with senior iGA officials, including Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed.

Al Qaed said: We are committed to advancing our eServices and enhancing the user experience of all our beneficiaries. Improving the quality and efficiency of these services will support the governments digital transformation process, making them accessible through different online channels, platforms and smartphone applications.

iGA eMajlis will be via the Zoom Video confernecing platform if you are interested in participating, please follow @igabahrain on social media for the majlis link .

iGA welcomes public participation through this new platform to help it better meet the demands of the public and pledges that comments and suggestions offered during the eMajlis will be taken into consideration and studied by specialists to determine their applicability. -- Tradearabia News Service
Tom Hanks is giving back.

On Wednesday, the actor shared a picture of his donated plasma after discovering that he and wife Rita Wilson, who both recently recovered from COVID-19, carry antibodies for the deadly virus.

"Here's last week's bag of plasma," he captioned his post, where he proudly displayed his donation. "Such a bag! After the paperwork, it's as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx."

Earlier this week, Hanks announced that he and Wilson were donating blood and plasma during his interview with NPR's podcast Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, where he shared that they had "just found out that we do carry the antibodies," adding, "We will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine."

Hanks also opened up about how they've been doing since testing positive for the virus and returning home after being quarantined in Australia.

Stars With Coronavirus

"We are just fine, dandy," Hanks shared. "We had all of the flu-like symptoms. My wife, Rita, was a little worse off than me. She had a very high temperature. And we were isolated so that we would not give it to anyone else."

Back in March, the Sleepless in Seattle stars revealed their shocking diagnosis. At the time, Hanks was filming Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis Presley biopic in the land down under when he and Wilson began experiencing COVID-19- related symptoms. Nearly three weeks later, the couple returned home to the United States and have been practicing social distancing.

"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches," Hanks wrote via Instagram on March 11. "Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

Story continues

Hanks' plasma donation isn't the only good deed that he's made headlines for lately. On April 23, news broke that the Saving Private Ryan star donated one of his typewriters to an 8-year-old boy who wrote to him and Wilson after learning of their COVID-19 diagnosis.

"Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful," Hank wrote to the young fan. "Thank you for being such a good friend. Friends make their friends feel good when they are down. I saw you on TV, even though I was back in the USA alreadyand all healthy. Even though I was no longer sick, getting your letter made me feel even better."
Citizens from Gbi-Dzigbe (Hohoe) residing abroad have donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Hohoe Municipal Hospital in fighting the novel corona virus disease.



The group christened Gbi-Dzigbeviwo Abroad donated ten packs of N95 nose masks, 45 packs of surgical gloves, 45 packs of examination gloves and 22 packs of disposal coveralls at an estimate of GH15,000.00



Togbe Awalie III, a sub chief of Gbi Bla and Madam Innocentia Gidi, presented the items on behalf of the group. They said it formed part of the groups support to the hospital in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.



We hope these items will complement what government and other corporate organizations are doing, Togbe Awalie III said.



"We also commend the management of the hospital for its efforts in curbing the spread of the disease.



He called on the hospital to make best use of the items, adding that the group would offer support when the need arose.



Receiving the items, Acting Nurse Manager of the hospital, Madam Rita Botsoe expressed gratitude to the group for their support. She said the items would help the hospital in the fight of the virus since they were needed to help frontline health workers.



We are appealing to other groups and well-meaning Gbi citizens to emulate what Gbi-Dzigbeviwo have done, she said.



We cannot do this alone.



Hohoe has recorded two cases of COVID-19. Both cases were reported at the hospital.



Gbi-Dzigbeviwo is a group of citizens from the Hohoe traditional area in various parts of the world who have come together to help in the development agenda of the area.

Source: Edward Williams









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At Luxe Seafood, Axel Garcia, left, and Alex Chavez load a van with orders to deliver. During the coronavirus shutdown, Luxe is doing its best to survive by offering home deliveries of sushi-grade seafood that had previously been sold to restaurants. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Two weeks ago, a delivery driver in a white sprinter van arrived at my house with two cardboard boxes packed with ice. Inside was an oceanic treasure trove: 10 pounds of Scottish salmon, a 5-pound filet of yellowtail from Japan, a 2-pound chunk of ruby-red Bigeye tuna from Hawaii, frozen jumbo shrimp and a jar of pearlescent orange trout roe.

The previous day Id placed an email order with Luxe Seafood, a high-end seafood distributor that sells to some of the citys most respected sushi bars and restaurants, including Sushi Gen, Mori Sushi, Hayato, Providence, Spago and 71Above.

Like most restaurant suppliers, Luxe Seafood saw its business fall off a cliff once dining rooms closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since mid-March, wholesale orders have been down at least 80%, Chief Executive Thomas Chen said.

The majority of our customers are the premium sushi and white-tablecloth restaurants, and theyve been hit hardest by the closures, he said.

But are home deliveries viable for business? Not even close, Chen said. Each transaction is so much lower than a restaurant, its not really possible to make money.

When restaurants are operating normally, questions of product margins and delivery logistics are hidden, or at least obscured, from the average diner, who sees a final price on the menu and judges accordingly. The realities of the pandemic, though, have revealed the rickety framework underneath.

Everything about the industry is being reshaped, and I dont think anyone can say when it goes back to normal, said Steve Grandjean, owner of Gourmet Imports, a cheese and specialty food distributor in Alhambra. But right now it's showing that food and labor have been undervalued for a long time.

But with few revenue opportunities on the table, many wholesalers are giving direct-to-consumer a go.

A few weeks into the shutdown, Luxe announced on Instagram it would begin offering home delivery of seafood and grocery items across L.A. County and parts of Orange County. Theres a $100 minimum per order; $150 gets you free delivery.

Story continues

Chen said that although Luxe has always sold to the public, it wasnt a popular option. Individual customers werent seeking fresh and frozen seafood in bulk and it wasnt practical for the company's fleet to make deliveries meager in comparison to what the average restaurant orders. The shutdown, however, changed all that.

Jesus Morales lifts a yellowfin tuna at Luxe Seafood in Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Home delivery gave us something to do, honestly, Chen said. It helped keep our drivers on the payroll, and it provided people with a way to get seafood and vegetables without going to the market. I think our product is much better quality than supermarket grade.

Third-generation family-run wholesaler Natures Produce is offering items such as artichokes, seedless watermelon and mangoes on its website  order minimum $50  for will-call pickup at its warehouse in Vernon or delivery via DoorDash.

Meat purveyors including Rocker Bros., Premier Meat Co. and West Coast Prime Meats  places that supply restaurants such as Bestia and Animal  are selling Kumamoto A5 Japanese Wagyu and dry-aged rib-eye via delivery, pickup and shipping.

Chefs Warehouse, a distributor that supplies some 35,000 restaurants around the country, recently announced that for the first time it would sell its products  meat, seafood, olive oils, bread and dairy  online and offer free home delivery for orders over $250 (local pickup is available for orders over $100).

For some vendors, opening warehouses to retail customers is a straightforward way to meet growing demand for groceries and offset losses. But for others, selling to the public offers more drawbacks than benefits.

Grandjean said he had considered selling to the public initially but decided doing so would infringe on the many local cheese shops he supplies.

I dont want to compete with people that buy from me, especially in a landscape thats already devastated, he said.

Home delivery is also cost-prohibitive for most distributors, he said.

Our standard calculation is that it takes a $250 order minimum just to break even. For restaurants thats no problem, but for an individual customer its less likely.

Due to the decline in business, Grandjean furloughed 80% of Gourmet Imports workers on March 26. The few drivers he still employs are mainly doing drop-offs to the handful of restaurants that have transitioned into markets.

Chefs that might only take whole animals before, now theyre looking for prosciutto thats presliced, prepackaged. Thats what customers are buying now, he said.

Amid what Grandjean called economic pain in every direction, companies like Gourmet Imports find themselves in an unenviable situation. Their future depends almost entirely on restaurants, the same businesses that are least capable of paying them right now.

Vendors usually get the short end of the stick. We get paid last, he said. If youre a chef, you have to take care of staff and rent first, I understand that. But we also have to pay our staff.

Grandjean said that after speaking with his companys accountant, he believes a quarter of the money currently owed to his company will never be recouped or is otherwise "uncollectible."

Matt Parker, who owns gourmet mushroom distributor Shiitake Happens, said he currently has $60,000 to $90,000 in invoices he expects will never be paid.

If a restaurant isnt able to pay, whats our option? Not sell to them? It becomes this massive game of financial chicken, Grandjean said. "Relationships you've spent years building will be tested."

For home consumers, however, connecting with wholesalers has its upsides: scoring premium ingredients  such as sushi-grade fish  at wholesale, or near-wholesale prices, while saving money and supporting a small businesses.

A home delivery order is prepared at Luxe Seafood in Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The total for my order at Luxe Seafood ended up around $200, providing enough fish to divvy up with friends. Even then, I still had plenty to make spicy tuna hand rolls, shoyu poke, baked salmon and homemade gravlax. Despite my lackluster slicing skills, it was pretty awesome.

The response has been great so far, Chen said. The people who buy from us know what were trying to do. Theyre sharing pictures of what theyre cooking, how theyre using the product. Its encouraging.

But as benevolent as my intentions were, the fish only arrived at the expense of others along the food chain: the fisherman, the importer, the delivery driver, even the hypothetical sushi chef on furlough. I couldnt help but wonder: Was I supporting that system or taking advantage of it?

I asked Chen of Luxe Seafood if he thought, once stay-at-home orders had lifted and restaurants were allowed to reopen, hed see more customers ordering his products directly instead of dining out. He considered for a minute, then demurred.

I hope not, he said. Unless you are perfectly skilled at cutting tuna, most people would rather have a professional do it. Thats why we go to restaurants in the first place.
Mumbai, April 30 : Bollywood veteran Rishi Kapoor was hospitalised on Wednesday, after complaining that he was not feeling well.

According to reports, the 67-year-old actor has been admitted to Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai. Rishi's wife Neetu Kapoor is with him. The hospitalisation has been confirmed by Rishi's elder brother, actor Randhir Kapoor.

"He is hospitalised. Neetu is by his side. He is not well," Randhir told indianexpress.com in the early hours of Thursday.

In 2018, Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, following which the actor was in New York for nearly a year to undergo treatment. He returned to India in September 2019 after recovering.

Incidentally, Kapoor, who is known to regularly tweet on social media, has not done so after April 2.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
One store in Philadelphia doubled the price for a pack of face masks to $50. Another charged $16 for 24 bottles of water that typically sell for less than $10. In Chester, a grocery store hiked the price for a six-pack of paper towels from $7 to $10.

Those are just some of the almost 4,500 complaints that Pennsylvanians have filed with the state Attorney Generals office claiming price gouging during the coronavirus pandemic. In New Jersey, consumers have filed more than 3,900 price-gouging complaints, almost all alleging unlawful increases on essentials such as food, water, and cleaning products.

Weve never received this many comments or tips about a specific subject matter, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a recent interview. He called the volume of complaints extraordinary.

Price gouging has emerged as the top consumer gripe during the pandemic, as shoppers see costs rise for items they need to stay healthy at home. State attorneys general have sprung into action, sending subpoenas and cease-and-desist letters to retailers. But many price increases arent actually illegal, as merchants face higher costs to deliver goods.

The price hikes have been particularly egregious online, where third-party sellers using Amazon, Craigslist, Facebook, and other sites have sold masks and hand sanitizer at sky-high levels

A recent report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a consumer advocate, found prices up at least 50% for some hand sanitizers and face masks from sellers on Amazon. In one case on Craigslist, a two-liter bottle of hand sanitizer cost $250  10 times the regular going rate, according to a March letter from 33 state attorneys general.

 READ MORE: Hundreds in Philly could lose coronavirus relief money because stimulus checks arent safe from debt collectors

Its wrong for companies to engage in price gouging at a time when people have enough to worry about," said Emma Horst-Martz, of Pennsylvania PIRG. Referring to the platforms sellers use such as Amazon and Facebook, Horst-Martz added: "We believe they have the ability to stop it and protect consumers at such a vulnerable moment.

The tech and retail giants say theyre removing bad actors from their platforms and working with authorities to combat price gouging. Amazon said it turned over information to Shapiros office about almost 100 unreasonably high-priced items from more than a dozen local sellers.

While enforcement is not perfect, we have put several automated detection mechanisms in place to block or remove this material from our platform, a Facebook spokesperson said.

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey have laws that restrict price increases during a state of emergency. Pennsylvania prohibits companies from charging more than 20% above the average price of a good sold in the week before the emergency declaration. New Jerseys law bans price increases that are more than 10% higher than what was charged during the normal course of business  unless the increase is due to higher costs to provide the product.

Pennsylvanias law applies to retailers, wholesalers, and distributors, and doesnt have exemptions or exceptions, Shapiro said. Still, he has advised his office to avoid long legal battles and contact merchants to resolve issues quickly, telling retailers to cut it out if complaints are true.

Most of the time, the retailers do.

You'll know it when you see it, Shapiro said of his advice to consumers. You'll see something where the price seems very high. And we want you to report that to us.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus canceled their plans. They want their money back, but they cant get it.

As of Friday, the New Jersey Attorney Generals office had issued 92 subpoenas seeking additional information from retailers and online marketplaces over alleged unfair price increases and sent 731 cease-and-desist letters warning businesses. Pennsylvania had sent 377 cease-and-desist letters as of Tuesday.

Businesses contacted by Shapiros office have cited higher prices theyve faced from wholesalers or distributors, and broader price fluctuations for certain goods across the country, such as eggs.

Supply shortages and over-purchasing by consumers have contributed to price hikes, said Paul Martino, of the National Retail Federation, a trade group. The pandemic has also created more operational costs for merchants, as retailers clean stores more and install plexiglass or other fixtures to follow social-distancing guidelines, he said.

Where the prices really are a reflection of the market, thats not by definition price gouging under state laws and shouldnt be under federal laws, Martino said.

Pennsylvanias and New Jerseys price gouging laws were designed for regional short-term emergencies such as hurricanes, not a global pandemic that disrupts the national supply chain for a longer time, said Jeffrey Jacobson, a former director of the New Jersey Division of Law who is now a defense lawyer in consumer fraud cases at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. Anticipating lawsuits, hes calling for regulatory guidance from states.

The problem is its not just attorney general investigations, he said. Youve got plaintiffs lawyers who have all the time in the world.

The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office is asking consumers to send price-gouging complaints to pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov. In New Jersey, report complaints at https://covid19.nj.gov/violation
Stocks in the news today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus in Wednesday's trading session based on latest developments. Investors will also be taking cues from the latest released March quarter earnings.

Key highlights on share market; check the latest stock market news

- Sensex and Nifty have risen 4.82% and 4.45% in one week, 7.71% and 8.32% in one month. Since the beginning of this year, both bourses have fallen over 22% each.

- On Tuesday, Sensex ended 371 points or 1.17% higher at 32,114 and Nifty rose 98 points or 1.06% to 9,380.

- Indian rupee, the local currency rose from early losses and settled at the day's high of 76.19 per dollar on Tuesday.

- The total number of cases in India has reached 29,974, including 7,026 recoveries and 937 deaths, after 1,594 cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

Axis Bank Q4: Banks' operating profit for the quarter was Rs 5,851 crores, up 17% YOY from Rs 5,014 crore in Q4FY19. Net loss for Q4FY20 stood at Rs 1,388 crore. Bank's Net Interest Income (NII) grew 19% YOY to Rs 6,808 crore during Q4FY20 from Rs 5,706 crore in Q4FY19. Company board has also authorised the Bank to raise funds by issue of debt Instruments up to an amount of Rs 35,000 crore.

ATUL Q4: The company reported 26 % rise (YoY) in consolidated net profit to Rs 141 crore during the quarter ended March 31, 2020 as against Rs 115 crore, recorded in a year-ago period. Total income fell 5.77%(YoY) to Rs 1,001 crore in the January- March quarter of the current fiscal as compared to Rs 1,062 crore in the same period last financial year.

JK Paper: Company board has board approved buyback upto Rs. 130 crore through open market purchase.

NLC India Limited (NLCIL): The company announced that for the first time, it commenced production of Coal on April 26, 2020. The coal produced from Talabira II and III mines in the state of Odisha, which was allotted to NLCIL in 2016 with a capacity of 20 million tonnes per annum will be used to meet its requirement of its existing and future coal-fired power plants, the filing added.

Thomas Cook India: Company informed the exchanges that it has reopened 6 branches

PNB Housing Finance: The Company has announced that Sanjaya has stepped down from his role as Managing Director and CEO of the company and Neeraj Vyas has been appointed for the role of interim MD and CEO until a successor is announced.

L&T: Company board has issued and allotted 25,000 7.70% Rated listed unsecured redeemable non-convertible debentures of Rs 10 lakh each aggregating to Rs 2,500 crore which will mature on April 28, 2025. The said Debentures are proposed to be listed on the National Stock Exchange of India, the filing added.

Biocon: The company and Mylan N.V. has launched Fulphila, Biosimilar Pegfilgrastim, in Canada

Hindustan Zinc: Company board plans to announce Q4, FY20 results, dividend on May 21, 2020

Varun Beverages: Company board plans to approve quarterly results on May 5, 2020

JM Financial: Company board plans to consider dividend, Q4, FY20 results on May 6, 2020.

Kansai Nerolac Paints: Company board plans to announce Q4, FY20 results, dividend on May 6, 2020.

Hexaware Technologies: The company will be reporting its March quarterly results today.
Fact check: Is that Kim Jong Un lying dead in a coffin?

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: With absolutely no clarity on North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, rumours have sparked off about his whereabouts and health.

There is a viral image that claims to show Kim Jong lying in a coffin. The image is a doctored one. The funeral is that of his father, Kim Jong II, who died in 2011 from a heart attack.

The viral image shows the man covered in a red blanket with his head resting on a pillow.

Fake News Buster

The image is being attributed to the Japanese Network JNN and Hong Kong Satellite TV. It may be recalled that a similar doctored image of the leader in the coffin was first shared on Twitter in October 2017.

North Korea has been claiming that he is fine and even released a letter said to be written by him on the construction of a holiday resort. It has also been claimed that he sent a message to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

There has been a frenzy of speculation about Kim in the absence of any image that has been released by North Korea. The viral image, however, matches a picture from his father's funeral after his death in 2011.
Peace Corps volunteers and other national service participants who lost their positions during the coronavirus pandemic will now be eligible for unemployment benefits as part of the $2 trillion economic relief plan, according to guidance released by the Department of Labor this week.

In previous years, people returning from serving with the Peace Corps were not eligible for regular unemployment benefits because the Department of Labor considered them volunteers who were not in a legal employee-employer relationship.

But the pandemic has caused the Peace Corps to temporarily suspend its operations for the first time in its nearly 60-year history. The agency evacuated over 7,000 volunteers from posts in more than 60 countries. The evacuees described shock, confusion and heartbreak as they raced home, jobless in the middle of a pandemic and economic shutdown.

The relief plan, the largest stimulus measure in modern American history, was approved on March 25 and included an additional pandemic unemployment assistance program for people who were unemployed because of a coronavirus-related reason. It provides up to 39 weeks of benefits.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:17:39|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have disclosed that precipitation was more important for soil moisture changes in the karst areas of China than temperature.

Soil moisture is a crucial factor in karst ecological restoration and construction. Researchers from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences hoped to understand its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics in the countrys karst areas.

Based on reanalysis and ground station data, they found that soil at different depths in the karst areas was experiencing a drying trend from 1982 to 2015, according to their recent research article published in the Journal of Hydrology.

The soil moisture in southern Chinas karst areas was high but decreased in speed the fastest, while the soil moisture in the karst areas of northern China was low and declined quickly.

The changes of soil moisture in these areas were mainly affected by rainfall, or precipitation, said the article, followed by temperature.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the soil moisture in karst areas in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and southern China was overall higher than that in non-karst areas when under low vegetation levels of some climate zones.

The results demonstrated that the spatiotemporal distributions of soil moisture also differ within the karst areas because of factors like climate and vegetation.

The researchers suggested that the soil drying trend and climate changes should be fully evaluated during ecological restoration of karst areas. Enditem
Grading at schools is becoming easier, fair, and more accurate, thanks to AI-led plagiarism checks

 Manual Estimation: Estimation for testing efforts continues to be a manual effort despite the use of tools for test management. This creates bottlenecks in Agile projects where things need to move quickly. I expect the use of AI tools to estimate the time required for testing quickly.

 Test Status Reporting: This is a necessary evil, and despite not many people reading these reports they have to be sent out. Much manual effort is required to create these status report and I expect that AI tools should be able to send reports and show intelligently what changed to the right stakeholders. There is much scope in this area not only for QA but the overall tech industry.

 Manual Documentation

 Repetition of Test in multiple browsers, device or environments

QA jobs that will be Transformed:

 Automation Testing: If I have to choose one area where AI will have the most significant impact, it will be automation testing. This will be an area that has already seen a huge transformation, but I expect this to continue evolving. AI can revolutionize automated testing making it more accessible to non-technical team members and reducing the amount of Maintenence activity that drastically reduced the ROI on automated testing.

 Security Testing: As we are making progress with making our applications and data more secure, so are hackers using the same technological advancements to exploit security vulnerabilities. Ensuring security cannot remain limited to regular scans or manual penetration testing. AI will make inroads in security testing to make it more diligent, robust, and create stronger protection. However, it should be noted that this will be a journey that we will continue to play catch on.

 Auditing and Compliance: Despite so much advancement made in software development processes and tools, auditing still seems to be a manually intensive task. AI can help dramatically in this area by making the process more automated and reliable reporting.

 Perception of Quality: As the pace of software development intensifies, tech-savvy people have more and more appetite to accept a Beta software than ever before. The idea that everything has to be perfect in terms of quality is shifting, and this will also translate into more emphasis on risk-based testing approaches.

New QA jobs that will be created:

 Test Strategist: Traditionally, we have Test Managers on the projects. With automation assisted with AI becoming a norm, I expect a new role of Test strategist tasked with determining where AI-assisted tools should be used and where human intervention is required. Since the adoption of AI will be a journey, this role will be crucial to help companies transform their QA operations.

 QA Data Scientist: I have already seen this happening; the vast amount of data available to QA teams needs to be harvested, analyzed and used to improve Quality Assurance. For us to make the best use of tools at our disposal, the QA data scientist will help us make decisions based on data and not gut feeling. Every QA team should have one data scientist on-board and we dont have to wait even for AI; this just makes sense.

 AI Model Trainer: The requirements for these roles are already on the rise as more and more companies are taking on their own AI projects. What is noteworthy is how naturally QA professionals will be fit for this role. With the mindset of finding flaws in software QA, professionals can easily pivot on these roles and help make the AI model more robust and ready for real- world.

 AI Model Tester: This will be one of the most contested but crucial roles that will continue to define itself. There are a lot of open questions, and there is no straightforward answer on how to test an AI model. Do we use training data for testing or testing data for training? Nobody will still be fully confident because real-world data can be unexpected. Take for an example Microsoft twitter AI Bot TAI that had to be terminated within 16 hours of its launch because it started throwing racist twist and guess what it learned it from real Twitter users. So no matter how much effort Microsoft spent on training the model, the realworld corrupted it in hours.

 Crowd Testing for AI Models: There are so many examples of bias of creators or trainers getting introduced in the AI model, and that has an impact on real-world people. Be it an example of self-driving cars that are biased to the color of pedestrians skin or recruiting softwares AI model screen out women and minority groups. It only points to the importance of being inclusive when training the model. Crowd testing of AI models for this inclusion is not only recommended but might become a regulatory requirement as more biases are exposed.

 More jobs in the Regulatory Roles: We are still scratching the surface in terms of governments being prepared with the impact of AI interacting with the public everywhere. There are few regulations enacted but certainly will intensify, and more regulatory bodies will have to think about including AIs impact on how to monitor them.

 More jobs in Security testing roles

 More jobs in testing Smart hardware: More and more hardware around us is using AI. From your robot vacuum to self-driving cars, from smartphone assistant to robotic pets. We are surrounded by AI-enabled hardware, and it will require testing.

Impact of AI on Global Economy:

Machine learning engineers are already one of the highestpaid professionals in the US, and job growth has been a staggering 344% in this field. There are many open positions for AI and Machine learning professionals where there are no qualified candidates available, making it one of the hottest jobs in the market. The scarcity of the candidates to fuel the future AI growth is contingent on re-skilling efforts. Many large companies have already begun working on re-training their employees. For example, Amazon is working on a plan to spend $700 Million to retrain 100,000 employees in the next six years. As per an IBM Survey on AI, 120 Million people will need re-training in the next three years alone due to an increase in automation and robotics around the globe.

We cannot ignore AI anymore. The situation can best be summed up from a famous quote from Paul Allen, the late cofounder of Microsoft: The promise of artificial intelligence generally vastly outweighs the impact it could have on some jobs in the same way that, while the invention of the airplane negatively affected the railroad industry, it opened a much wider door to human progress.

As per PWC global Artificial Intelligence survey, AI will contribute nearly $15.7 trillion to the economy by 2030, and it is expected to give a boost of 26% to the economy.

Technology professionals will have to be proactive and invest in learning to be relevant and not only survive but thrive in the future.

The danger of Bias with AI:

The danger of bias being introduced in the algorithm will become a significant issue in the future. Microsoft launched a bot for twitter in 2016, which had to be killed in 16 hours because it quickly started spitting racist tweets learning from humans.

As per a study done by the Georgia Institute of technology, there is a higher risk of an autonomous car running over someone with darker skin as the algorithm might not detect them as a pedestrian. These are direct results of unintentional bias entered in AI by the creators and AI model trainers.

These roadblocks in AI progress also brings new opportunities for Technology professionals, as we will see many openings for people who understand human psychology, AI model trainers who can help train the AI algorithm to remain unbiased, testers who can test the AI model, mathematicians who can help create the algorithms and much more.

Final Thoughts:

AI is here, and its going to be part of our lives for a long time to come. This is an opportunity of our lifetimes, which will transform economies, make our lives easier, and bring more jobs for people who are prepared for it.

I will summarize with a final quote from Amit Rays book, Mindfulness Meditation for Corporate Leadership and Management: As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.
On the eve of unveiling plans to start reopening the province for business, the premier announced Manitoba is ramping up coronavirus testing as restrictions loosen to keep the public safe.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the eve of unveiling plans to start reopening the province for business, the premier announced Manitoba is ramping up coronavirus testing as restrictions loosen to keep the public safe.

"We are expanding our testing criteria to any Manitobans who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19," Premier Brian Pallister said Tuesday.

"Even mild symptoms  including a cough, a runny nose, a sore throat, a fever  would allow you to be tested to better determine the spread of the virus in Manitoba," he said.

Private laboratory company Dynacare has been performing COVID-19 tests since early April out of its lab in Ontario to supplement the capacity of Manitoba's Cadham Provincial Laboratory, Pallister said. The province and Dynacare are partnering to double the number of tests that can be done in the short term and tripling capacity by the end of summer to as many as 3,000 tests per day. Dynacare will be setting up a second COVID-19 testing lab in Winnipeg.

"We will have much more ability to test more broadly to give Manitobans the confidence they need to have, that they're not carrying the disease, that when they move around, when they shop, they're able to do so safely," the premier said. "To know that's the case so they can be confident."

The plan for reopening Manitoba will be announced Wednesday, he said.

Making sure that everyone with symptoms can be tested for the coronavirus will allow public-health officials to act quickly when positive cases appear, Pallister said before chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced no new cases in Manitoba.

As of Monday, 23,857 tests had been performed in Manitoba since early February, with 272 lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases. In the last two weeks, just 29 new cases have been reported as the province's COVID-19 curve has flattened.

"A critical element of our flattening efforts so far, and what's contributed to Manitoba's success, are our high levels of testing, of tracking and of self-isolation practices," Pallister said, urging people to remain vigilant with hand-washing and physical-distancing.

"It's necessary we continue to increase our testing so we can ensure the health and well-being of Manitobans through effective monitoring of COVID as we look towards a strategy of restarting our economy.

"We want to stay ahead of this virus and we do not want to start chasing it again. Expanding testing will cost the province less than $10 million and is a necessary step toward people feeling comfortable about patronizing businesses again. (It's) making sure that we're confident when we go into a store for example, to know the staff there is not carrying COVID, or we won't go into the store in the first place."

Pallister's announcement that the government is giving more work to a private lab when the province is cutting public-sector jobs rankled the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, which represents Shared Health laboratory technologists and assistants.

"We asked Shared Health last week if they were planning to privatize COVID-19 testing and received a response just this morning that gave no indication the Dynacare announcement was coming," president Bob Moroz said.

"Our question is, why Dynacare and not Shared Health when we have a fully functioning public laboratory system?"

Manitoba has a low proportion of positive cases and Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, said he expects ramped-up testing will see that number fall even further. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

When the question was asked at the daily COVID-19 briefing, Roussin responded, rather than Shared Health's nursing chief Lanette Siragusa.

"It was probably the most expeditious way to go," he said. "They're certified and linked into our testing system. We can move quite quick."

If Manitoba does see a surge in cases or an outbreak as restrictions lift, health officials need to be able to respond quickly, he said. They'll be keeping a close eye on test results, as well as seven-day running averages of people with flu-like symptoms showing up at hospitals and how many patients need to be hospitalized.

For now, though, Manitoba has a low proportion of positive cases, and Roussin said he expects ramped-up testing will see that number fall even further.

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"I would expect our test-positive proportion to go down as we're testing lower-risk people," he said.

While Roussin wouldn't hint at what's included in Wednesday's plan for lifting restrictions, he did say what it won't include: wearing masks won't be a requirement. Wearing one in public does not protect someone from getting the virus, he said.

There won't be any signs or placards at businesses indicating whether staff and proprietors have been tested for COVID-19.

"We want to assure Manitobans that whoever has symptoms can be tested," he said, adding that for the time being there is no plan to use any apps, either.

"As we look to loosen our public-health restrictions, certain technologies may help us," said Roussin. "If there's one that fits the Manitoba picture, we will certainly consider that."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Photo: Wang Lunyi/EyeEm/Getty Images

A month ago, Andrea Circle Bear gave birth while on a ventilator after catching the coronavirus behind bars. On Tuesday, the 30-year-old died, making her the first woman in federal prison to be killed by COVID-19, according to press releases on the Bureau of Prisons website.

When the COVID outbreak happened, she should have been released, said Jessica Brand, the founder of a social-justice consulting firm, the Wren Collective, and a former public defender. She was high-risk, and she was pregnant. But instead, they transferred her from jail to prison. Its a totally avoidable tragedy.

As the coronavirus continues to ravage the U.S., prisons and jails are among the worst places to be. People are packed into cells and dorms where they sleep mere feet apart without proper access to masks, hand sanitizer, or medical care. These facilities are hotbeds for an outbreak, and in the jails on Rikers Island, the disease is spreading eight times faster than in New York City, the coronavirus epicenter of the world. So far, 30 people detained in federal prisons have died from the disease, and that number jumps to more than 200 in state prisons and jails.

Circle Bear, a Native American woman who lived on a reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, was sent to a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 20. She was serving a 26-month sentence for a drug-related charge. Roughly 10 days later, Circle Bear was placed on a ventilator at a local hospital after developing a fever and dry cough. She had a preexisting medical condition that made her more vulnerable to the coronavirus, according to the BOP, which did not give any more details about her health in a press release.

On April 1, Circle Bear had a C-section. Three days later, she tested positive for the coronavirus. A BOP spokesman said the agency would not answer questions about the babys condition for privacy reasons.

More than 12,000 women are in federal prison, and at least 3% are incarcerated when they are pregnant. The prenatal care in these facilities ranges from poor to nonexistent, with detained mothers being handcuffed on the way to the hospital or, in some cases, forced to give birth without any medical help.

Criminal-justice advocates have been calling for jails and prisons to release people behind bars to help stop the virus spread, especially those who are elderly, have health issues, or who are locked up for nonviolent offenses. While some states have taken action, the BOP has dragged its heels on letting people out, and a federal judge called the release process Kafkaesque.

Though U.S. Attorney General William Barr recently sent a memo urging the agency to immediately maximize the release of prisoners, the BOP has been prioritizing people who have served at least 50% of their sentences. Under that criteria, even women like Circle Bear, who are pregnant, suffer from health conditions, and who were arrested on nonviolent defenses, must stay in facilities where the coronavirus is running rampant.

Brand said the justice system is more focused on punishment than trying to solve a global health pandemic. She shouldnt have been locked up in the first place, said Brand. And now that we know its a public-health crisis, she should have been sent home.
Last week he celebrated his stepmom Anne Douglas turning 101.

And four days later, Michael Douglas was spotted on a walk in upstate New York.

The actor, 75, cut a casual figure in jeans with a jacket as he enjoyed a break from quarantine for some fresh air on Monday.

Stroll: Michael Douglas was spotted on a walk in upstate New York on Monday

Micheal donned his dark hued coat over a white T-shirt and sneakers.

Michael wished Anne a happy 101st birthday on Instagram Thursday, along with an image of himself posing with Anne and his father Kirk Douglas.

Kirk, a movie star icon, died on February 5th at the age of 103.

Michael wrote: 'Happy birthday Anne Douglas! The best stepmother a stepson could hope for!,' adding a heart emoji.

Stepping out: The actor, 75, cut a casual figure in jeans with a jacket as he enjoyed a break from quarantine for some fresh air on Monday

He also shared a snap from his niece Kelsey Douglas' Instagram slideshow of Anne; Kelsey is the daughter of Michael's half-brother Peter Douglas and Lisa Schroeder.

He accompanied the image with a thoughtful caption: 'My stepmother Anne Douglas on her 101st birthday, celebrating and saying hello to all of her friends who drive by to wish her a happy birthday! #101.'

Michael's wife, actress Catherine Zeta Jones, also shared a sweet tribute to Anne on Thursday along with a picture of the two of them.

Catherine, 50, wrote: 'Happy Birthday to my extraordinary step mother in Law. Our Queen, our Oma. You personify everything that is good in a woman. I admire you and love you so very much.'

Family: Michael wished her a happy birthday on Instagram Thursday, along with an image of himself posing with Anne and Kirk; pictured January 14, 2002 in NYC

So thoughtful: He wrote a sweet note as well to Anne

Birthday queen: He also shared a snap from his niece Kelsey Douglas' Instagram slideshow of Anne; Kelsey is the daughter of Michael's half-brother Peter Douglas and Lisa Schoeder

Adding: '101 years young today. Anne Douglas thank you for everything that you have done for people in our world,' with a heart emoji.

Oma means 'Grandma' in German.

Michael's son Cameron Douglas, 41, drove to Anne's house to take part in a car parade to wish her happy birthday.

Love: Anne's husband movie icon Kirk Douglas died February at the age of 103; pictured September 24, 2013 in Beverly Hills

Cameron was in the drivers seat with partner Viviane Thibes and their daughter Lua, two, in her car seat.

Carys, Michael and Catherine's 17-year-old daughter, shared a black and white photo of Anne with Kirk, writing 'Happy 101st birthday to my wonderful Oma!! Your beauty, intellect and grace is my inspiration. I love you so much.'

Michael and Catherine, who have been married since 2000, also share son Dylan, 19.

Michael had son Cameron with his first wife Diandra Luker; they were married from 1977 until 1995.

Happy occasion: Her grandson Cameron Douglas documented the happy occasion as he stopped by her home to wish her a happy birthday

Thoughtful: Michael's wife, actress Catherine Zeta Jones, also shared a sweet tribute to Anne on Thursday along with a picture of the two of them

Tribute: Carys, Michael and Catherine's 17-year-old daughter, shared a black and white photo of Anne with Kirk, writing 'Happy 101st birthday to my wonderful Oma!! Your beauty, intellect and grace is my inspiration. I love you so much'

Family: Michael and Catherine share two kids Dylan, 19, and Carys, 17; pictured March 1, 2019 at The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama 2019 Gala

Anne was married to actor Kirk Douglas for almost 66 years, until his death on February 5 at age 103.

They wed on May 29, 1954 after meeting in Paris while he in the city for the film Lust for Life, and had two children together: Peter, 64, and Eric, who died at age 46 from an accidental overdose.

Kirk was previously married to Diana Dill; they wed November 2, 1943; they welcomed two kids together - Michael and Joel, 73, - before they divorced in 1951.

Family is everything: Michael Douglas with son Cameron Douglas, dad Kirk Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta Jones; seen November 6, 2018 at Michael's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony

So cool: Kelsey shared even more snaps from the birthday festivities for her grandmother Anne
By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

Azerbaijan exported 859 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey in February 2020, local media reported with reference to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority of Turkey (EMRA) on April 27.

The volume of gas imports of Turkey from Azerbaijan in February decreased by 86 million cubic meters compared to January.

It should be noted that in February, Azerbaijan was the third largest gas importer to Turkey, after Russia (1.1 billion cubic meters) and the United States (931 million cubic meters).

In addition, the authority reported that for the period of January-February in the current year, Azerbaijan transported 1.804 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey.

Note that in 2019, Turkeys natural gas imports from Azerbaijan amounted to 9.593 billion cubic meters.

Turkey imports natural gas from Azerbaijan via the South Caucasus Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) and TANAP (Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline).

Launched in late 2006, South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) currently supplies Shah Deniz gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

The combined daily average capacity of the SCP and the extended SCP is 29 million cubic meters. Last year, about $48 million in operating and $34 million in capital expenditures were spent on SCP activities.

The pipeline has two operators - BP is the technical operator responsible for the construction and operation of the SCP facilities, and SOCAR is the commercial operator responsible for the SCP's business performance.

The investors of the South Caucasus Pipeline Company are: BP (operator  28.8 per cent), TPAO (19.0 per cent), AzSD (10.0 per cent), SGC Upstream (6.7 per cent), PETRONAS (15.5 per cent), LUKOIL (10.0 per cent) and NICO (10.0 per cent).

As for TANAP, it is a natural gas pipeline in Turkey, which is the central part of the South Gas Corridor (SGC) and connects the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Construction of the pipeline, which began in 2015, was completed in 2018.

The first gas supplies to Turkey via the TANAP gas pipeline, which was commissioned in Eskishehir on June 12, 2018, began on June 30, 2018.

The second phase of the TANAP pipeline was put into operation on November 30 in 2018.

The TANAP pipeline has been ready to transport Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe since July 1, 2018.

It is expected that TANAP will transport 4 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey in 2020 and 6 billion cubic meters in 2021.

Some 51 percent of TANAPs shares belong to Southern Gas Corridor CJSC, 7 percent to STEAS, 30 percent to BOTAS, and 12 percent to BP.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz




VETERAN broadcaster Peter Johns who died in the United Kingdom on Monday has been mourned by peers and Zimbabweans with many saying the nation had lost the finest broadcaster that the country has ever produced.





Johns, 60, died at a hospital in London after battling three strokes and a heart operation.





Affectionately known as PJ Your DJ or The Radio Driver, Peter Johns hosted the Midday Jam, Monday Mellow Madness, UK Top 40 and Hit-Pick on Radio 3 (now Power FM). He left the station in 2002.





On television, he was popular for the show Coke on the Beat that he presented with Patricia Mabviko.





PJ influenced people like Bulawayo socialite Johny Njobvu who is now based in Zambia, to enjoy their adolescent years and their early 2000s in Bulawayo.

Njobvu said he was pained by PJs death.





Im literally hurt because that guy really made my teenage years and 2000s rock. He was in a class of his own. Even his radio shows, people would wait for them as he knew his crowd and how to keep us moving in the club, said Njobvu.





He said he remembered PJs shows at Visions Night Club like it was yesterday.





Back then, Visions had a schedule and they had a bunch of DJs, but youd know PJ used to come every month-end. Id go to Visions to see PJ every month-end.





There were other DJs such as Davies Mugadza and Tich Mataz, but the atmosphere when PJ would come, youd know. Its like he wasnt a Zimbabwean artiste. It felt as if it was Oskido coming to Bulawayo and Id wish that hed come every weekend.





Veteran DJ Joe tha OG who used to warm the decks for PJ at Visions Night Club described the late DJ as a warm and professional person.





PJ as a DJ was dope. He knew how to entertain and knew his stuff in terms of fresh music. PJ had a huge following in Bulawayo and he used to come to Visions almost every month-end.





Youd know that the club will be packed with all races. Most of us young DJs then, used to look up to him. I personally used to listen to his radio shows almost daily, said Joe tha OG.





While mourning PJ, DJ Fresh from South Africa retrieved a Tweet he posted in 2017 showing how PJ influenced him.





I am so sad to hear of the passing of Peter Johns!! Condolences to all the Zim and SADC #RadioHeads he created!!!





The 2017 Tweet by DJ Fresh read: A trip to Zimbabwe in 1989/90 changed my life and made me even more resolute that it was #RadioOrDie! Guys like #TheHitman #PeterJohns #TichMataz on #Radio3 made it seem so easy!! Yall were Radio Gawds, and I salute you for the inspiration!!





Patience Musa, a presenter on ZiFM Stereo tweeted: I will always remember the Monday Mellow Madness hour . . . you will always be remembered . . . RIP Radio Driver.





MisRed, another presenter from the same station tweeted: He made radio so much cooler for people like me to want to pursue it! Thank you for setting the bar so high on purist radio practices . . . you were beyond your time! The Radio Driver #RIPPeterJohns.





Buttler Nhepure of ZBCs Classic 263 described PJs character and influence on and off air with this tweet.




Health care workers and other essential personnel on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic are considered heroes. Now Mattel is making it official with a new line of action figures and toys.

The Barbie and Hot Wheels toymaker has a new roster of #ThankYouHeroes Fisher-Price action figures and Little People figurines starring doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, grocery workers and delivery drivers. The toys, available for preorder now through May 31 at www.mattel.com/en-us/playroom-thankyouheroes, are expected to ship to consumers by year's end.

The 16 action figures ($20 each) of doctors, nurses, EMTs and delivery drivers come in various genders and skin colors. In addition to the action figures, Fisher-Price is also offering a special five-character Little People set (also $20) of a doctor, nurse, EMT, grocery store worker and delivery driver.

Mattel's new Fisher-Price action figures and Little People figurines fund COVID-19 charities and honor medical, delivery and grocery workers. The figures include emergency medical technician and delivery driver (left to right, back row), and nurse and doctor (left to right, front row).

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The net proceeds ($15) from each sale will go to #FirstRespondersFirst, an effort to support health care first responders started last month by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, behavior change technology company Thrive Global and the CAA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of talent firm the Creative Arts Agency.

Mattel's Fisher-Price "is an iconic brand and the products speak to something deep inside of us," Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington told USA TODAY. "Its wonderful to see that connection bringing joy to the children but also giving all of us one more way to honor (the frontline responders). I dont think we can have enough ways to honor them."

The Huffington Post founder left the media company in 2016 to start Thrive Global, which joined with the Harvard school and the CAA Foundation to create #FirstRespondersFirst last month.

Mattel's new toys will eventually be given to children at the child care centers #FirstRespondersFirst is opening (seven have opened so far). The toys can help children cope with the pandemic's effects by fostering "conversations about how they are feeling. This is a very hard and unsettling time for children.," Huffington said.

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Mattel's new Fisher-Price action figures and Little People figurines fund COVID-19 charities and honor medical, delivery and grocery workers. This special five-character Little People set ( $20) includes an emergency medical technician, delivery driver, doctor, grocery worker and nurse.

These new Fisher-Price toys are part of what Mattel calls its new "Play It Forward" toy initiative to support communities in times of need. Mattel also has donated cloth masks to medical personnel and is now producing 500,000 face shields to donate.

Mattel is promoting the toys now to give consumers "who want to give back" an option and will send them directly to homes after they are produced, said Chuck Scothon, senior vice president of Fisher-Price and Mattel's global head of infant and preschool. For now, these toys and action figures will be exclusive and are not planned to be available in stores, he says.

Fisher-Price and Mattel created the toy line to "honor and support those who are coming forth and fighting, from health care (workers) to the everyday heroes," Scothon said. "What better way to do that than to actually create toys that really provide both consumers an ability to say 'Thank you,' immortalize those heroes on the front line, and raise money to give back and make an even bigger impact?"

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Pandemic front-line workers depicted as action figures
An avid photographer for years, Manish Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India and South Asia, recently started sharing his travel experiences through #ShotStories - a compilation of photos and videos that portray his perspective on cultures, histories and heritages. Working for the Japanese conglomerate, Sharma often travels to the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan tops Sharma's list when it comes to capturing natural beauty and enjoying hospitality. "Places such as Hakone, Matsuyama and Mount Fuji are surreal. They share uncommon natural beauty such as hot springs and fantastic views combined with Japanese architectural marvels - a picturesque delight for photographers. I am drawn to pictures that tell stories, that portray not just the beauty of the moment but also the magnitude of the past," he explains.

Within India, Sharma finds a spiritual connection with popular pilgrimage sites of Vaishno-Devi, Shirdi and Tirupati, which he tries to revisit. But his favourite travel destination is London - a place he loves to go back to. He believes that London offers a beautiful combination of new world innovation, history and old-world architecture.

Sharmas interest in history is not limited to photography and travel; he also enjoys collecting antiques. "Antiques never fail to get my attention. They are a reflection of heritage and values passed through generations, building priceless memories."
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Jean Boehme still remembers the number of the Nazi concentration camp block where he lived as a child: 31C.

He went to school in block 33, and recalls that a nearby watchtower was transformed into a makeshift bistro.

Boehme, now 73, grew up on the site of Dachau, the concentration camp just outside Munich which was liberated 75 years ago on Wednesday.

Although it remains a less well-known story of the Holocaust, Dachau was one of several Nazi camps which were repurposed after the war.

Faced with a housing shortage elsewhere, the Allied forces and later the new West German government transformed them into barracks and temporary accommodation.

The son of a French woman and a German soldier who had been stationed in France, Boehme was around five years old when he moved into his new home in Dachau, he told AFP.

His father, who had returned home after Germany's defeat in World War II, persuaded Jean's mother to join him in the town of Dachau with their two sons.

"What a shock it was for my mother when she arrived and realised we were going to live in a former concentration camp!" Boehme sighed.

- German refugees -

Housing was scarce in post-war Germany, where many towns had been partially destroyed.

The former camp at Dachau, which was built in 1933 and served as a model for all the other concentration camps in Europe, was put to use by the local Bavarian government.

It provided temporary housing for refugees, primarily for Germans who had been forced out of territories in eastern Europe following the defeat of the Third Reich, but also for special cases such as Jean Boehme's family.

According to the Dachau memorial centre, around 2,300 people lived in the former camp between 1948 and 1965.

"In the beginning, we shared one room, but later we got two rooms," Boehme told AFP.

The family rarely left the site, which was almost self-sufficient.

"There was a school, a bakery, a grocery, a bar, a doctor, a tannery to provide people with work, a Catholic and a Protestant church. There was even a brothel!" Boehme said.

Story continues

He and his brother hated school, but spent long hours playing with other refugee children between the camp buildings.

"We just didn't realise," he said.

One carefully kept photograph shows Boehme as a child next to one of the lodgings, a shy smile on his face and a dog at his side. Behind him, laundry airs on a wire strung between two buildings.

In another picture, he is sat next to a decorated pine tree -- his "first Christmas in Germany".

- 'No right to live here' -

Only his mother grasped the gravity of the situation, Boehme said.

"She repeatedly told my father that we had no right to live here, in a former concentration camp."

Yet the family spent around three years on the site of the camp.

"We were very happy to leave," said Boehme, who nonetheless went on to live for many years in the town of Dachau.

"When I had visitors, I would take them to see the camp. It was inescapable. I wanted them to see what happened, what this country was capable of."

Boehme still thinks about his childhood, especially when he reads articles about modern refugees who have recently arrived in Germany.

"When you have to live in crowded conditions where there is not much space, there are always going to be conflicts," he said.

"That was the case in Dachau, and it is still the case in today's refugee centres."

"There is not much left" of his childhood home in Dachau today, Boehme said, though the memories and the trauma remain.

"My mother never recovered from it. She was never happy here. It haunted her until she died," he said.
New Delhi, April 29 : India's apparel export industry has urged the Centre to extend the interest equalisation scheme for a minimum of two years at a rate of 5 per cent.

The scheme aims to boost exports, particularly from the MSME sector, by providing interest subvention rate on pre- and post-shipment credit basis.

In a letter to Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Chairman A. Sakthivel said: "Given the extremely volatile and uncertain cash flow situation of the apparel exporters, we request you to kindly announce continuity of the interest subvention scheme which expired on 31 March 2020." "It is further requested that this enhanced 5 per cent 'Interest Equalisation Scheme' so far available to MSMEs may also kindly be extended to all the apparel exporters for at least two years up to 31 March 2022 to enable the industry to have affordable access to credit. In the absence of any announcement on this scheme, the banks are debiting the accounts of the exporters." Besides, Sakthivel requested the Centre to include extension of packing credit and forward contract by 6 months without penal interest and waiver of penalty imposed on forward covers by some banks.

He also called for an increase in working capital limits by minimum 25 per cent without any additional collateral.
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Video footage from Vice President Mike Pences Tuesday tour of the Mayo Clinic runs like a Sesame Street segment. A patient, a few health care providers, some men in suitstheyre all wearing surgical masks, in accordance with the clinics COVID-19 regulations. But one of these things is not like the others! Pence, the chair of the White Houses coronavirus task force, is speaking and breathing freely, his respiratory droplets floating around the room and landing wherever they pleaseincluding, in all likelihood, on the many men standing within a foot or two of his spewing maw.

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This bizarre behavior is both shocking and expected now. Since the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Pence and President Donald Trump have made a big show of flouting the public health guidelines other Americans have been urged to follow. Long after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. surgeon general told everyone to stop shaking hands, Pence was still beginning meetings with rounds of flesh-pressing. Trump grabbed the hands of several CEOs on live television as he declared a national emergency over the very contagious coronavirus.

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At the beginning of April, in response to studies that showed coronavirus transmission through asymptomatic carriers, the CDC began recommending the use of face coverings in places where social distancing is difficult, such as grocery stores. Trump said he wouldnt be following the guidance, since it would be unseemly to be sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, greeting presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens while wearing a mask. But the Mayo Clinic is not the Oval Office. Nor is it a grocery storealthough, it should be said, many grocery stores are currently turning away customers without face coverings. Masks are not recommended at health care facilities during a pandemic; theyre required. In a since-deleted tweet on Tuesday afternoon, the Mayo Clinics account stated that the center had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today. Pence disobeyed the doctors orders and toured the facility barefaced.

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Its infuriating, and not just because of the exceptionalism it demonstrates. The White House ignored warnings of the coronavirus for weeks, played down concerns for months, and passed up its only opportunity to save the country from this medical and economic meltdown, on the off chance that it could keep public fears quelled and the markets chugging. Now, rather than admit they were wrong, and that something is wrongthat there is a virus to fear and vital precautions to be taken, lest the devastation thats befallen New York City and elsewhere be visited on communities across the countryPence and Trump are continuing to serve personal image over public safety, as if the responsible people wearing masks and keeping their hands to themselves are merely scaredy-cats overreacting to a minor blip in in the flu season.

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In the Trump White House, wearing a mask or turning down a handshake would puncture the hypermasculine bluster that helped propel the president into office in 2016. Admitting ones personal vulnerability to illness (and the countrys vulnerability to a pandemic) would contradict the impulse toward overconfidence and short-term self-preservation thats been drilled into every two-bit businessman in America. And in the GOP death cult, taking minor precautions to prevent the spread of a dangerous virus is a betrayal of the notion that profits must be preserved at all costs to human life.

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When Pence and Trump continued shaking hands after the rest of the country had been told to stop, I thought there was a part of them that wanted to be seen as courageous, boldly courting the little-understood virus with their daily greetings. Refusing to wear a mask is different. Face coverings help keep your own droplets from reaching others; they are far less effective at keeping others droplets away from you. Thats why the CDC only began recommending them for everyone once scientists discovered that asymptomatic carriers could be breathing droplets all over their communities without ever knowing they were sick. Masks arent self-protection. Theyre an act of good-faith community defense.

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With no selfish reason to wear a mask, and knowing everyone else would be wearing one to protect him, Pence seems to have had no reason to model considerate behavior at his highly publicized tour. His ostentatious barefacedness was a turn of reckless vanity, the likes of which Americans have come to expect from the Trump administration. More surprising, and perhaps more troubling, is the Mayo Clinics decision to let the vice president break pandemic protocol, then delete its tweet confirming the breach. The White House has a massive platform for its life-threatening coronavirus missives, and the countrys most famous health care facility isnt willing to contradict it.
Army veteran Zhang Lifa went to a Wuhan hospital in January after breaking his leg. On February 1, he died of COVID-19.

Shenzhen, China  Zhang Hai is one of the thousands in China unable to hold a proper funeral for his father when he died from the novel coronavirus. But his sadness is mixed with anger because he blames the authorities in Wuhan for their mishandling of the situation.

Zhang Hais 76-year-old father Zhang Lifa died of the disease, also known as COVID-19 on February 1 at a hospital in the city where 3,868 others have officially died of the disease.

It was in Wuhan where the first cases of the mysterious new pneumonia that became a global pandemic first emerged late last year.

Now back home in Shenzhen, Zhang Hai is demanding answers and accountability from local officials over his fathers death.

I blame the Wuhan government for their lies and cover-ups, but I have my full support for the central government, which was lied to twice by the Wuhan officials when they sent two teams to Wuhan to investigate, Zhang Hai said.





As soon as the central government realised the magnitude of the outbreak, they acted swiftly and transparently and have done a good job containing the outbreak.

About 11 million people were locked down in Wuhan on January 23, when the central government sealed off the city.

What concerns Zhang Hai is that in the weeks before that lockdown very little was being said about the outbreak and few people were being warned to stay away from Wuhan, where his father had been living for more than 20 years.

Unusual pneumonia

On December 31, 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission first officially notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about a cluster of unusual pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan.

On January 14, the WHO said it was seeing the first human-to-human transmissions of these cases and warned that the risk of a wider outbreak was possible. It also said that more human-to-human transmission could be on the rise based on past experience with SARS, MERS and other respiratory illnesses.

The Wuhan Health Commission, meanwhile, issued a statement the following day saying it did not have clear evidence of human-to-human transmission  and that although the possibility could not be ruled out, the risk was still low.

China held a nationwide mourning on April 4 for people who died due to the coronavirus [File: Roman Pilipey/EPA]

Zhang s father had been living in Wuhan, but after a fall last year and the onset of dementia, he had brought him to Shenzhen.

On January 15, Zhang Lifa fell again, breaking his leg; an injury that required hospitalisation.

By this time, Zhang Hai had left his job to care for his father and was running short on funds.

Peoples Liberation Army veteran

Zhang Lifa had served as a Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) soldier and worked on nuclear bomb development and testing in the 1960s. This had left him deaf in one ear and in poor health as he was exposed to radiation. His service and health conditions meant that he could claim disabled veteran benefits and free medical treatment in Wuhan.

Going to a hospital in the city at that time seemed like a sensible idea.

At the time I quit my job to better look after my father so the financial burden as a result of his treatment was pretty heavy, Zhang Hai said during an interview in Shenzhen where he returned to earlier this month when the Wuhan lockdown was lifted. So I decided to take him back to Wuhan, where he could enjoy free treatment as a local resident. We didnt know about the outbreak.

The pair drove straight from Shenzhen to Wuhan and directly to the hospital on January 17. His father had surgery three days later and woke up from sedation three days after that.

The surgery had been very successful and he was in good condition, Zhang Hai said. But soon, he began to have fevers frequently and before long his condition worsened and he went into a coma.

Zhang Hai says that had he been aware of the emergence of the virus then, he would not have risked taking his sickly father back to Wuhan.

I didnt know anything about it when I went back, he said of the virus. If the Wuhan government had been transparent, then perhaps all of this wouldnt have happened and thousands of lives would have been saved.

My heart sank

I have nothing against the Party, this country or the central government  in fact, Im a die-hard supporter  Im only speaking for myself and hope that the Wuhan officials who had a part in telling lies to the public get what they deserve, he said.

On January 29, medical staff suspected Zhang Lifa had contracted the virus and although testing kits were scarce at the time, one was procured for him.

It was inside the hospital that my father was infected, Im sure, Zhang Hai said. The surgery went very well and he would have been fine. So I blame this on the Wuhan government. Its because of their initial cover-ups, lack of transparency and lies that led to the tragedy.









The next day Zhang Hai was told his father had COVID-19.

My heart sank after hearing that, Zhang Hai said. Up till that time my father had been in the orthopaedics department, and I was allowed to be with him but on February 1, the medical staff told me that I should get his things in order. So I decided to go out and buy him some new clothes.

By the time Zhang Hai returned to the hospital his father had been relocated to a COVID-19 ward, and while he was allowed into that ward later, a nurse told him that his father had passed away before he had a chance to see him one last time.

Unacceptable

About 10pm that evening workers came to collct his fathers body to take to a local funeral home because of a (policy mandating immediate cremation for COVID-19 victims.

Compounding the upset, Zhang Hai said he had not been able to collect his fathers ashes because of a rule requiring a representative of the deceased persons work unit accompany family members  in this case, the college where his father previously worked.

You cant do that by yourself, Zhang Hai said, explaining why he had been unable to collect the urn.

Its my familys business, why would I want an outsider to be a part of it? Where were they when my father was suffering in the hospital? I think this is extremely unacceptable.









But this is the policy for everyone now, as I have learned from a government worker, if the deceased person has an organisation he was associated with, then their family members should be accompanied by a representative; if not, they will be accompanied by a representative from their neighbourhoods committee. This is all unacceptable.

Asked what his favourite memory of his father Zhang Lifa was, the younger Zhang said it was a fairly recent one.

On October 1 last year when the country was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China with a nationally televised parade, his father got to his feet to salute the flag during the playing of the March of the Volunteers, the countrys national anthem.

The most important thing I learned from him is that he taught me to maintain my moral integrity, to always show love to others and to treasure life, Zhang Hai said.

Thats why for a short time I volunteered to help families with infected members to get to hospitals at the height of the crisis [after my father died], even though I knew I could put myself in danger.
Men and women are at equal risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, but men are more likely to suffer severe effects of the virus and die, according to a study which suggests that older male patients with COVID-19 may need additional supportive care.

While the elderly and those with certain pre-existing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure were reported in earlier research to be at greater risk of death due to COVID-19, the new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, examined gender differences in patients infected with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

In the study, scientists, including Jin-Kui Yang from the Beijing Tongren Hospital in China, assessed trends among COVID-19 patients who died.

"Early in January we noticed that the number of men dying from COVID-19 appeared to be higher than the number of women," said Yang.

"This raised a question: are men more susceptible to getting or dying from COVID-19? We found that no-one had measured gender differences in COVID-19 patients, and so began investigating," he added.

According to the researchers, it is still not completely understood why some people are more severely affected by the virus than others.

But based on their observations, they said that additional care may be required for older men or those with underlying conditions. Yang and his team analysed several patient datasets to see if there were differences in how men and women respond to COVID-19.

This included data on 43 patients who the doctors had treated themselves, and a publicly available dataset on 1056 COVID-19 patients.

Since the virus responsible for COVID-19 is similar to the virus behind the 2003 SARS outbreak, and attaches to the same protein, called ACE2, on the cells it attacks, the doctors also analyzed a dataset of 524 SARS patients from 2003.

Among the COVID-19 patients, the scientists noted in the study that older people and those with specific underlying conditions tended to have more severe disease and were more likely to die.

They said the age and numbers of infected men and women were similar, but men tended to have more severe disease. Analysing the largest COVID-19 dataset, the scientists also found that over 70 per cent of the patients who died were men, meaning that men may have almost 2.5 times the death rate of women.

They said being male could be a significant risk-factor for worse disease severity, regardless of age.

In the SARS dataset from 2003, the researchers found a similar trend of significantly higher mortality rate amongst males compared with females.

Yang and his team explained that the levels of ACE2, the protein involved in the viral attack in both SARS and COVID-19, tends to be present in higher levels in men, and also patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, all of whom have worse outcomes in COVID-19.

However, the scientists said further research is needed to determine why men with COVID-19 fare worse than women.

Citing the limitations of the study, the researchers said it had a small sample size, and larger studies are needed to confirm the results.

But they added that the current research is the first preliminary indication that male gender could be a significant risk factor for COVID-19 severity and death.

"We recommend that additional supportive care and prompt access to the intensive care unit may be necessary for older male patients," Yang said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Grass Valley, California--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Rise Gold Corp. (CSE: RISE) (OTCQB: RYES) (the "Company") announces the achievement of a critical milestone in the processing of the Use Permit application to Nevada County for the re-opening of the historic past-producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine.

On April 28th, 2020, with a vote of 5-0, the Nevada County ("County") Board of Supervisors approved the contract for Raney Planning & Management Inc. ("Raney") to prepare the Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") and conduct contract planning services on behalf of the County for the proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine Project.

Raney will begin work immediately to review the technical studies submitted by Rise with the Use Permit application and initiate preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Report ("Draft EIR").

The County selected Raney after a robust bidding and selection process. A panel of County staff as well as staff from the City of Grass Valley reviewed submitted proposals independently and the two most qualified consulting firms were interviewed by the County.

Raney's primary services include California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, air quality and greenhouse gas analyses, land use planning, and contract planning services. Raney has completed over 1,000 CEQA, NEPA, and planning related projects, ranging from unique and complex projects necessitating the management of a multi-disciplinary team of experts to publicly controversial projects requiring involvement and coordination of project stakeholders and concerned citizens. Raney will be supported by highly qualified sub-consultants, including West Yost Associates, a California-based firm specializing in water, groundwater and water treatment.

The details of the Use Permit application were previously discussed in the news release dated November 21st, 2019.

https://www.risegoldcorp.com/uploads/content/Nov21RiseGoldSubmitsPermitApplicationtoReopenIdahoMarylandGoldMine.pdf

A general outline of remaining milestones in the process to approval of the permit is outlined as follows;

1) County planning staff and Raney prepare a Draft EIR which includes holding a public scoping meeting and public comments on which issues should be covered by the EIR;

2) Draft EIR is published for public comment;

3) Raney publishes a Final EIR which includes responses to public comments on the Draft EIR; and

4) County decisionmakers review the Final EIR, certify the environmental document and consider approval of the Use Permit and Reclamation Plan at a public hearing.

The Company's original estimate of the timeline for the Use Permit process (as previously discussed in the news release dated November 21st, 2019) is unchanged and the remaining timeline to approval ranges from December 2020 to May 2021. Ancillary construction and operational permits would follow as needed.

All technical reports required for the Draft EIR have been submitted to Nevada County.

As previously discussed in the news release dated March 17th, 2020, the submitted technical reports conclude that the Idaho-Maryland Mine Project has less than significant environmental impacts after incorporation of mitigation measures. In accordance with CEQA, Raney, the County's 3rd party independent consultant, will peer review the technical studies and conclusions of the technical reports and prepare the Draft EIR. The Draft EIR will provide a description of existing site conditions, project operations, and how the project may impact the existing environment. Accordingly, the final judgement of the significance of impacts and mitigation measures are determined by the County in consultation with its independent consultant, Raney. Based on the results of the technical studies, the Company believes the Draft EIR will arrive at similar conclusions.

https://www.risegoldcorp.com/uploads/content/March17RiseGoldTechnicalReportsShowNoSignificantEnvironmentalImpactsforIdahoMarylandMineProject.pdf

About Rise Gold Corp.

Rise Gold is an exploration-stage mining company incorporated in Nevada, USA. The Company's principal asset is the historic past-producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine located in Nevada County, California, USA. The Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine produced 2,414,000 oz of gold at an average mill head grade of 17 gpt gold from 1866-1955. Historic production at the Idaho-Maryland Mine is disclosed in the Technical Report on the Idaho-Maryland Project dated June 1st, 2017 and available on www.sedar.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Benjamin Mossman

President, CEO and Director

Rise Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

RISE GOLD CORP.

333 Crown Point Circle, Suite 215

Grass Valley, CA, USA 95945

T: 530.433.0188

info@risegoldcorp.com

www.risegoldcorp.com

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are 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.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, obtaining all necessary approvals, meeting expenditure and financing requirements, compliance with environmental regulations, title matters, operating hazards, metal prices, political and economic factors, competitive factors, general economic conditions, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information contained in this release. Rise undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55079
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia is committed to a suppression strategy on COVID-19 and not a more hardline push to eradicate the virus, after a report from leading researchers laid bare the trade-offs of the two approaches.

Mr Morrison said he could foresee relaxation of nationwide restrictions to allow people to go out for meals and travel domestically and go to New Zealand, but warned it would not be situation normal. Most international travel and mass gatherings remain a distant prospect.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the government is committed to a suppression strategy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

More than 100 leading researchers from the Group of Eight universities contributed to a "Roadmap to Recovery" report handed to the government this week, presenting both an elimination strategy that could keep strict lockdowns in place until June and a "controlled adaptation" or suppression strategy allowing for restrictions to be eased in May.

Researchers backing the elimination option argued maintaining restrictions for longer could drive a 50 per cent greater economic boost by minimising risk and giving people more confidence to re-engage in the economy. Both strategies backed border restrictions for at least six months, with the potential for travel to New Zealand and other countries under bilateral deals if they had successfully contained the virus.
The Chinese foreign ministry accused U.S. politicians of telling barefaced lies regarding Chinas handling of the coronavirus pandemic, after President Trump suggested that the U.S. might seek damages from China because of the outbreak, National Review reports.

American politicians have repeatedly ignored the truth and have been telling barefaced lies, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press conference. They have only one objective: shirk their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and control measures, and divert public attention.

U.S, politicians should reflect on their own problems and find ways to contain the outbreak as quickly as possible, Geng added.

President Trump, who initially praised Beijings handling of the virus, on Monday said the U.S. could seek to hold China accountable for the outbreak.

We are not happy with China, Trump told reporters at the White House. We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source.

The coronavirus has infected at least 3,000,000 people worldwide since it originated in Wuhan, China. According to one study, China could have prevented or at least slowed a wider outbreak of coronavirus if it had quarantined at-risk populations several weeks earlier.
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Linkedin Rita Ariyana (The Jakarta Post) Bandung  Wed, April 29, 2020 10:05 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4e07df 3 Opinion #COVID19,#coronavirus,COVID-19-test,COVID-19,coronavirus,COVID-19-in-Indonesia Free

Indonesias COVID-19 test ratio is still very low, leading to possibly misleading perceptions of a relatively low number of infections compared to those of other countries. This risks complacency on the part of the government and citizens.

At the urging of various experts President Joko Jokowi Widodo has requested 10,000 swab (polymerase chain reaction/PCR) tests to be conducted daily so the government can better asses the magnitude of infection, which has now reached almost the entire archipelago.

However, as expected, almost all countries are rushing to access the necessary testing kits and extractors. At the very least, the government can solve the issue of laboratories and the time lag between testing and results.

As of April 18, when confirmed cases numbered 6,248 in Indonesia, the number of tests conducted was only 39,422 with a case-pertest ratio of 144 tests per million according to Worldometers. In comparison, total cases in Singapore were 5,992 with 94,796 people tested  16,203 tests per million people, while South Korea had 10,659 tests per million people.

Until mid-March COVID-19 sample testing was conducted solely by the Health Ministrys Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes) in Jakarta, as testing could only be conducted at a minimum standard biosafety level (BSL) 2 laboratory. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and several state universities had laboratories ranging from BSL 2 to 3, with BSL 4 as the highest level of pathogen protection.

The test results take two weeks, but with the rapid increase in suspected cases, fast, early detection through swab tests is urgent for quicker and more effective handling of suspected carriers and patients under surveillance. In several cases, patients died before their test results were known.

The length of the testing process is indeed an obstacle, both for hospitals as they treat patients and for the government as it tries to isolate and track suspected carriers. Moreover, the results of all rapid tests (using antibody-based kits) have to be validated through a swab test using PCR.

As the number of patients and the need for tests increased, the government eventually increased the number of laboratories allowed to test for COVID-19. By mid-April the government COVID-19 spokesman, Achmad Yurianto, said the Health Ministry had a nationwide network of 32 laboratories that could run a total of 5,000 tests daily but with a declining supply of reagents, a necessary substance in the testing process.

Does Indonesia really lack testing facilities?

Indonesia actually has the most testing facilities in Southeast Asia. The National Accreditation Committee (KAN) lists 1,366 testing laboratories and 71 medical laboratories. All of these laboratories have implemented competency standards adopted from international standards.

Unfortunately the COVID-19 testing can only be performed in the officially designated laboratories. Many laboratories are actually competent in supporting COVID-19 examinations. Most biochemical and biotechnology laboratories in tertiary education institutions have PCR tools for research purposes since the PCR technique is often used in gene analysis of humans, plants, animals, bacteria and viruses. Private biotechnology research laboratories are certainly more sophisticated.

So how can we have many more testing facilities that support COVID-19 examination?

Mapping laboratory competencies is the first prerequisite to answering this question. We need to identify existing resources before deciding whether to build, reconstruct or just equip a testing facility up to standard. The results of this mapping can be used as the basis for the appointment of more COVID-19 testing laboratories.

Collaboration is another solution to the lack of testing facilities. In addition to health centers and hospitals, the government should involve university and private laboratories. Collaboration can be more cost-effective compared to the provision of new laboratories and the new equipment that needs to be considered for their sustainability when the pandemic ends.

Also, collaboration in providing human resources is essential, as laboratory personnel for PCR testing are still very scarce. All personnel need to be equipped with personal protection equipment.

Third, the validity of the test results needs to be considered. As implemented by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, testing laboratories are required to first conduct self-assessment on examination of COVID-19 specimens, to ensure that the test results are accountable.

COVID-19 samples are very risky. At the very least, the testing facility must fully understand and implement laboratory biorisk management to minimize the danger both to laboratory workers and the safety of the specimen.

However, given massive demand for COVID-19 testing, countries around the world are scrambling for cartridges, reagents and raw chemical materials to perform tests. Indonesias current stock is said to be able to last to just one week, although the government ordered at least 23,000 cartridges earlier this month from the US.

Laboratory mapping may help to resolve this shortage. The government needs to identify which laboratories are competent to make reagents for the tests and to perform the diagnostic tests, allowing for variations in technique that should help protect the country against global shortages of reagents and equipment. Reagents and testing method validations are the key. Research and development must adapt accordingly.

If we knew our potential, we could probably meet our own needs. We could make reagents and perform COVID-19 diagnostic tests with different testing methods, possibly through collaboration between the government and biotech industries, as we cant rely on other countries in this crisis.

Increasing the number of COVID-19 testing facilities will facilitate access to testing in various regions, enabling real-time transparency of results. Indonesias test ratio would thus improve. Increased testing of the population will lead to much more informed and targeted policymaking regarding the likelihood of the next phases of the pandemic.

We know that one of the keys to handling COVID-19 is the number of tests. As World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said test, test, test so that countries will not fight this pandemic blindfolded. Hopefully, Indonesia can become a pilot country in rapid testing within Southeast Asia, where the number of tests will hopefully be proportional to the number of fully equipped testing facilities and personnel.

***

Postgraduate student in biomanagement at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and an employee at the National Standardization Agency (BSN). The views expressed are her own.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The evening of May 3 is about to get loud.

Houses of worship across Pennsylvania will be coming together at 7 p.m. on Sunday to express gratitude for the front-line workers fighting the spread of the coronavirus, and that gratitude will be coming in the form of bells.

As the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the state continues to rise, health care workers and other employees on the front lines have done thankless work to both mitigate the virus and keep life running as smoothly as possible. Bells Across Pennsylvania aims to ring out Pennsylvanians collective praise for those workers, and give them the thanks they deserve.

The initiative, from the Pennsylvania State Mayors Association, is encouraging those houses of worship  though surely anyone with a set of bells lying around is welcome to join in  to ring for three minutes.

Allentown Mayor Ray OConnell, in a news release Tuesday, encouraged local houses of worship to participate in the three-minute ringing, and the release also provided some symbolism for the length of time:

Pennsylvania State Mayors Association President Jim Norwalk says the first minute will recognize and honor first responders, health care workers and employees of grocery stores, pharmacies and other life-sustaining businesses who have maintained essential services to the general public while at risk of infection from COVID-19, and deserve to be celebrated as hometown heroes.

"The second minute is intended to show solidarity with elected officials and residents of municipalities across the Commonwealth, all of whom are fighting COVID-19 on the front lines together in their communities.

The third minute is to demonstrate a collective resolve that Pennsylvanians will prevail over COVID-19 and work tirelessly to ensure that their businesses and civic life will thrive once again."

Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez in a proclamation Monday encouraged all churches across the city to take part, stating since the days of the American Revolution, the bell has served as an instrument for expressing communal gratitude, camaraderie and resolve and is a means well-suited for Pennsylvanians sheltering in place, to demonstrate such values.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said Tuesday hell be reaching out to the citys churches to encourage their participation as a show of solidarity.

Be sure to keep your windows open on Sunday night in order to take in the choir of gratitude.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
Governor extends closure of Phuket airport to May 15

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has extended the closure of Phuket International Airport for another 15 days from May 1 through to midnight on May 15.

COVID-19Coronavirustransport

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 29 April 2020, 07:26PM

The news was announced in a notice posted on the official Facebook page of the Airports of Thailand (AoT) management at Phuket airport at 5:50pm today.

Governor Tavipatana explained in the notice that the extension of temporary suspension of operations at the airport was an extension of his request for AoT to cease operations at Phuket airport from April 10 to April 30.

That notice explained that the purpose of the formal notice was to inform the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and other tourism-related offices so they could make preparations for the closure.

The notice today explained, From the meeting today (Apr 29), the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee all agreed to extend the closure of Phuket International Airport for 15 days, from 00.01am of May 1 until 23.59pm of May 15.

According to COVID outbreak situation, Phuket has the second-highest number of infected people in the country and the highest infection rate (per capita) in the country. Even though the rate of infection is falling, we still have new confirmed cases every day [sic] in many areas of Phuket [sic], the notice said.

So we still have to screen and observe for people at risk, it added.

Hence, the Phuket Government still has necessary reason to control the port [airport] in order to prevent any outbreak, the notice explained.

The extension of the closure will be in effect for 15 days from 00:01am May 1 through to 23:59pm May 15, the notice confirmed.

We would like to inform the relevant officials to prevent local people and tourists from being affected, and other relevant sectors, who may be affected by this order, the notice assured.

If any relevant officials [are affected] and need to do anything that involves this order, please inform the Phuket Government as quickly as possible so consideration can be taken, it added.

AirAsia and Nok Air had already committed flights  and taken bookings  for flights to and from Phuket ahead of the nationwide ban on domestic passenger flights ending on Friday (May 1).

The move to relaunch services came before any clear resolution by the Phuket Governor whether or not he intended to lift the Tambon Lockdown, banning all non-essential travel between the 17 subdistricts on the island, or whether to extend the closure of the airport.

A customer service staffer at Nok Air told The Phuket News on Monday (Apr 27) that Nok Air intends to operate its daily flight regardless of the Tambon Lockdown in effect in Phuket  the only province in the country with such a restriction.

The customer must figure out what the Phuket Governor has ordered. We cant tell what each customer needs to account for as the [COVID-19 health] requirements depend on each provinces policy, she said.

AirAsia and Nok Air have yet to issue any public statements about the current status of their planned limited flight services now that the airport has been requested to close for two more weeks.
As Americans continue to seek answers about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Stephen Colbert offered some advice Tuesday night: Maybe it's time to stop listening to Vice President Mike Pence.

Just hours earlier, Pence, who leads the White House's coronavirus task force, prompted collective outcry when he was spotted speaking to staff and patients at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, without a face mask. Many, including Colbert, noticed that Pence seemed to be the only person at the medical center who wasn't wearing some sort of face covering - an apparent violation of the clinic's policy and a move that appears at odds with federal guidelines dictating best practices for stemming the spread of the novel virus.

"Hold on, I've got a mask for you right here," Colbert said on his CBS show, staring defiantly into the camera while appearing to make a crude gesture with his hand, which was wrapped loosely in a surgical mask.

[Nearly 70 dead in 'horrific' outbreak at veterans home]

Colbert wasn't the only person who objected to seeing the lower half of Pence's face Tuesday. The late-night host was joined by fellow TV comics and medical professionals, all of whom roundly criticized Pence for failing to set the right example amid the pandemic by knowingly disregarding the hospital's masking policy.

By early Wednesday, Pence's name and "Mayo Clinic" were trending on Twitter as critics slammed the vice president for promoting "completely irresponsible public health messaging."

Videos and photos of Pence's visit to one of the country's premiere hospitals began circulating widely on social media Tuesday afternoon. In one clip from PBS NewsHour, a barefaced Pence could be seen elbow-bumping and chatting with multiple people inside the clinic. Everyone else visible in the video was sporting a mask, adhering to the clinic's recently instituted requirement that all patients and visitors wear a facial covering while on the premises.

[Find out first: Get breaking news sent directly to your inbox, plus Chron.com's top morning and afternoon headlines.]

The Mayo Clinic wrote in a now-deleted tweet that Pence and his team were aware of the masking policy ahead of Tuesday's tour.

Pence later defended his decision to go mask-less, telling reporters that he and everyone around him are regularly tested for the virus. Pence, President Donald Trump and other officials have regularly appeared at White House coronavirus briefings often standing close to one another without masks, even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance earlier this month encouraging people to use the face coverings in "public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain."

[New face mask guidance comes after battle between White House and CDC]

"Since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health-care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you," Pence said Tuesday. (It is unclear how wearing a mask, which usually only covers the lower half of a person's face, would have obstructed Pence's vision.)

But Pence's explanation did little to quell the backlash.

On CNN, Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist who treated former vice president Dick Cheney, ripped Pence's actions as "so wrong, so tone-deaf."

"The vice president wouldn't disrespect a synagogue and not wear a skull cap when he walked into a temple or he wouldn't refuse to remove his shoes when he walked into a mosque," said Reiner, a professor at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "Hospitals are our new holy places and he's completely disrespecting the sacrifice that the nurses and the docs and the staff in hospitals make by not wearing a mask. What is he saying to them?"

Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, was equally irked.

"It's a hospital in the middle of a pandemic," Gupta told anchor Chris Cuomo with a wry chuckle. "That is the time when you wear a mask."

Gupta also pushed back against Pence's response, noting that a negative test result doesn't mean complete certainty that a person isn't contagious.

"When you get a negative test, that is a point in time," the doctor said. "If he's getting tested periodically that's great, but you don't really know. You could have another exposure and potentially harbor the virus in your body, have no symptoms."

Other doctors rushed to condemn Pence's decision on social media.

"I have already had #COVID19, am documented PCR negative and I have antibodies," tweeted Dara Kass, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. "I still wear a mask around other people. Be like me, not the VP."

Another doctor described Pence's behavior as "pompous, arrogant + self-absorbed," adding, "It's anti-science."

The criticism of Pence continued well into Tuesday night as TV comics dissected the controversy for their audiences.

"I guess he was just like, 'It's OK everybody, I don't believe in science,'" Trevor Noah quipped on Comedy Central. "Dude, come on, what are you doing? Wear a mask."

On CBS, Colbert pointed out that not long after Pence was "saying it and spraying it" at the Mayo Clinic, the medical center seemed to publicly call out the vice president in the tweet, soon deleted, which explained that he was well aware of the rules.

"Wow, that must have been harsh for Mike Pence to get roasted by his idol, mayo," Colbert joked.

Meanwhile, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel suggested an alternative theory for why Pence entered the hospital without a mask.

"You know the only reason he didn't wear a mask is because Trump won't wear one, right?" Kimmel said.

Kimmel later added, "I don't know, maybe Mike Pence wants to catch it already and be put out of his misery."

But even amid all the outcry, Pence wasn't without his defenders Tuesday - namely Fox News host Laura Ingraham and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

"The media obsession with Mike Pence wearing a mask is really just ridiculous," McEnany said Tuesday night in response to Ingraham's question about "mask-shaming."

"Instead of focusing on mask palace intrigue, perhaps they can focus on delivering news to the American people," McEnany said. "I think that's what the American people deserve."
In case of individual outbreaks in certain regions, the government will be strengthening quarantine in said areas exclusively, without extending action across country.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said one of the government's steps to prevent coronavirus may be to apply quarantine measures in certain regions of Ukraine after May 11.

"Yesterday, we talked with leading economists at the Economic Development Council. They backed the government's plan and agreed with the proposal that adaptive quarantine should be applied. This means that in case of outbreaks of infection in certain regions, we will be strengthening quarantine there, not across the whole country," PM told a government meeting on Wednesday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoCoronavirus update: Ukraine confirms 456 new cases in past day

According to Shmyhal, these are the steps that could be taken after May 11.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on March 11, the Cabinet of Ministers imposed a nationwide quarantine, which was later extended until April 24, and then until May 11.
A mating date for two polar bears went badly wrong at a Russian zoo when the male suddenly killed the female as she rejected him as they were poised to copulate.

Aurora had been moved 1,900 miles from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia to Izhevsk in the Urals to be introduced to giant male Baloo.

Perhaps there was a clue of trouble ahead in their first meeting when a video shows how she inspected the male, before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

Pictured: Aurora, the female polar bear, arrives in Izhevsk, in the Urals, prior to meeting Baloo

Pictured: Aurora clambers around inside a rusty red-coloured cage after travelling 1,900 miles

Pictured: the large male polar bear Baloo, seen here floating in a pool of water eating a melon

Yet during a two-week 'courtship' they played, basked in the sun, and swam together, and it appeared Aurora was 'receptive'.

Keepers watched and waited for the key moment - but it ended in tragedy.

Head of Royev Ruchey zoo in Krasnoyarsk, Andrey Gorban, said: 'At the very moment he mounted her, something went wrong.

'Aurora showed her character, and Baloo was furious.'

The aggressive attack is believed to be the first of its kind in captivity.

Pictured: the female bear Aurora seen here laying down on the blue ice at Royev Ruchey zoo

First meeting: the large male Baloo strolls over to greet Aurora who is laying out in the cool air

The next moment, the pair are nose-to-nose, inspecting one another at the Royev Ruchey zoo

Zoo staff threw water and shot a sedative at Baloo but it was too late.

In seconds he had savaged and killed the smaller female.

'He fell near Aurora but she was already dead,' he said.

'Everything happens in nature, but in zoos this is the first case, and we will carefully study what happened, both for ourselves and for science,' said Gorban.

'I haven't studied it thoroughly so far, but world-class specialists cannot remember such cases in zoos.

'It was a completely unexpected outbreak of aggression.'

A male could kill a female for food but 'not during estrus' - the period of sexual receptivity and fertility in female polar bears.

Pictured: Aurora the female bear, seen here floating in the water playing with a large red cube

Aurora the bear, with a full thick white coat, is seen in this picture eating a juicy watermelon

He told zoo visitors on social media: 'It is unbearably hard to report this tragic news.

'Our Aurora is gone.

'Just the day before yesterday we were happy that our white giants found each other, loved each other.

'We were hoping to see the offspring.

'Spacious enclosures for little cubs were already being built in (our zoo).

'But the sudden conflict crushed our hopes. only emptiness is left.'

A statement from Izhevsk Zoo said: 'The reason for the conflict between two recently completely peacefully coexisting polar bears Aurora and Baloo remains a mystery.'
The bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has singled out Iran and several other countries for criticism in its annual report released on Tuesday, April 28.

Referring to the continuing violations of religious freedom by the clergy-dominated Islamic Republic government, the report calls on the United States to sanction officials responsible for serious violations of religious freedom.

The commission cites the continued persecution of religious and other minorities such as Baha'is, Christians, Sunnis, dervishes, as well as women and political dissidents.

It also reports that USCIRF has collected documents proving the persecution of Baha'is who serve in the public sector.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government advisory entity. The U.S. congress created the USCIRF to monitor, analyze and report on threats to freedom of religion.

The commission insists that the government in Iran continues to spread hatred against Baha'is and other religious minorities through state-run mediums and social media.

Meanwhile, the report has highlighted the situation of Iranian women who protest the so-called Islamic dress code and compulsory hijab in the country.

In 2019, the report says, all women who peacefully protested the compulsory hijab were summoned for questioning and many arrested.

The commission has urged the U.S. government to impose sanctions on government institutions and officials responsible for violating religious freedoms in Iran, freeze their assets and ban them from entering the United States.

Furthermore, USCIRF has called on the U.S. government to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic to release all prisoners of conscience across Iran.

"Iranian officials and clerics regularly call for the elimination of the State of Israel, and members of the Jewish community have been targeted based on real or perceived ties to Israel", the report notes, adding that "In December 2018, a group of Evangelical Christians were also arrested and charged with promoting Zionist Christianity."
Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud told National Public Radio that the school plans to resume on-campus classes in the fall unless its instructed not to by public health officials.

Syveruds comments came on an episode of the podcast Swing State that was published on April 26. The podcast was titled Are Universities Screwed? Will We Reinvent Higher Ed and The American Dream in Coronavirus Time?

Syverud noted that re-starting on-campus classes is going to require changes to how the school has traditionally done things, something he also discussed in a recent letter to the university community.

The comments on the podcast were first noted locally by the Daily Orange, the schools student newspaper.

Unless public health officials say we cant, Syracuse University will open in the beginning of the fall, Syverud said. We will open with the best public health advice we can get. We feel like thats how we help fulfill our mission. That will be financially hard and thats going to require a lot of people to work hard to do things differently."

The comments are in line, but bolder and more detailed, than what Syverud offered in a letter to the Syracuse University community earlier this month.

In those comments, he noted that the school was planning for on-campus classes to resume in the fall out of cautious optimism but that bold actions would need to be taken. He has said that the coronavirus has already cost Syracuse $35 million.

He pointed out the importance of the schools opening not only for its own financial interests but the for Central New York community.

In Upstate New York its the educational and medical institutions that are maintaining the economy and the jobs and the people, including the low-income people in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, Syverud said. Us starting in the fall is not of interest just to the higher-education theorists. Its of interest to everyone in this town.

On the podcast, Syverud detailed some changes that likely need to take place to resume classes on campus.

He noted that the school would have to spend money to increase the amount of testing that can be done within the university community in order to keep any potential cases of coronavirus from spreading. He noted that while the coronavirus can impact individuals of all ages, it was especially critical to protect older staff members and those who were more vulnerable.

Syverud said the school could conduct large lecture classes virtually, with students participating in smaller in-person discussion groups, but he noted that the school had to create opportunities for in-person learning to justify the price tag of college.

Given how the coronavirus can spread quickly in areas of high density, Syverud said that figuring out how dormitories could operate safely is likely the biggest challenge for universities in bringing students back. He also noted that similar challenges exist in other classroom settings across all levels of education and suggested assistance from the federal government would be appropriate.

All of those things, he noted, will require investment.

(Dorm life is) the biggest set of changes we need to prepare for over the summer, Syverud said. We have a lot of people working 24-7 and it is going to involve change. Part of college is interacting with all kinds of people. The key thing is testing. The key thing is being ready with better testing quicker and better treatment and better ability to separate and contact monitor. If all schools, including K through 12 are going to open in the Fall, I think as a country we should have a Marshall Plan that says we need to enable education to start again in the fall and we need to make the tough decisions and the commitment of resources to make that happen.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Chris Carlson anytime: E-mail | Twitter | 315-412-1639
The couple married in 1997, with a courthouse celebration, then again the next year, in a church in front of family. In the 23 years since tying the knot, they spent nearly every moment together, traveling and going on long walks, and ensuring their two sons, Lawrence, 21, and Derrick, 19, saw the world. At the end of each business day, Le Blanc would close a store he owns on the West Side and open the door of their Darien home, eager to hear the sound of the boys and his wife.
If you think you're having a bad start to your day, think no more - as this reporter went live on TV with no pants on.

It's Not on Purpose!

ABC News reporter Will Reeve went live on air on "Good Morning America" wearing a suit jacket. However, he may not have fixed his self-framed shot because he revealed to millions of viewers something that wasn't intended for people to see.

The reporter was there to talk about pharmacies in the US that started using drones to deliver prescriptions to patients in a Florida retirement village during the coronavirus pandemic.

Reeve, who is the son of the late "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, used a wide camera angle that revealed he wasn't wearing anything underneath - a pair of, particularly short shorts.

His camera may have also shifted, unknown to him, who continued the interview on "Good Morning America" for ten minutes straight with his shorts on view.

Viewers were quick to notice that he appeared to have forgotten to put on his pants. One Twitter user said, "Nice room. Nice shorts. 7/10."

"The quarantine is already affecting my vision. Nobody sees something strange at the end? Or am I the only who sees reporter Will Reeve without pants?" one person tweeted, along with the video of the interview.

"While reporting, maybe wear pants? Or don't. #quarantinelife," said another.

As photos and videos of him started doing the rounds of the internet, Reeve assured people that he had his shorts on. He replied to one tweet, saying, "I will not be getting hired as a camera operator anytime soon."

In a separate tweet, he joked, "I have ARRIVED... in the most hilariously mortifying way possible."

The news reporter explained that he had started to get ready for a "post-GMA" workout a little too soon, but how now started to rethink his morning routine.

"Any sartorial tips from these people who are wearing a belt, trousers, and shoes during their work video calls at home are most welcome."

Reeve joked, "Now, back to work, Wearing pants."

Superman Didn't Have Pants Also.

But a lot of people can actually relate to Will Reeve.

Some said that he's a "national hero now," for the first-ever person to be busted with no pants on.

"You are now the most relatable person on television and my new favorite news anchor," said one Twitter user.

And the best part of the story is... "Reeve totally OWNING no pants."

Some people even shared their work from home video setup, which showed them in front of a camera wearing a blazer and shorts.

Other social media users are thanking him for a laugh early in the morning.

To ensure that you don't show anything out of the ordinary, here are some tips on how to properly frame your webcam or camera like a pro.

Position your body for a head a shoulder shot.

Ensure that your camera is at eye level or slightly above it.

Adjust the light in the room by adding lamps or sitting near a window.

Make sure that you clear up any clutter in the background, or it will show.

READ MORE: Gigi Hadid PREGNANT: Throwback Photos On Zayn Malik Romance Before Baby News
125 Most Wholesome Rescue Pet Photos Of This Month (April Edition) Bored Panda

Gides judgment New Criterion

Supreme Court rules Georgia cant put the law behind a paywall Ars Technica (The Rev Kev)

Palaeontologists Think They Have Found The Most Dangerous Place in Earths History Science Alert. chuck l: Perhaps future archeologists will find something similar when they dig up Wall Street some millions of years hence.

#COVID-19

Science/Medicine

Pets

Serfs Revoit

Class Warfare

If youre a news outlet who spent time &effort covering protesters demanding we risk workers lives for a root touch-up, consider spending time on the #CantPayMay strikes across the country &ask what Congress is doing to protect ppl from foreclosures + evictions. Just a thought! https://t.co/kwr3q3WziS  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 28, 2020



China?

Is Americas Antibiotic Supply at Risk? The Wire China

Big Brother IS Watching You Watch

Europe

Europe begins to consider emerging from lockdown Al Jazeera

France

Italy

India

Syraqistan

Exclusive: OPCW insiders slam compromised new Syria chemical weapons probe Gray Zone (The Rev Kev)

Waste Watch

We throw away far too much clothing TreeHugger

Trump Transition

2020

Antidote du Jour (via):

And a bonus video, birds performing an aria from one of my favourite operas (lanikai):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
A controversial immigration judge, who posed nude for a calendar and was recently cleared of attacking two hunt saboteurs, has retired.

Judge Mark Davies stood down last Friday after a 44-year career in law, including the last 18 as Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).

Mr Davies, 67, famously stripped naked with only a concertina to spare his blushes for a 2007 calendar to raise funds for the Pennine Hunt.

Underneath the racy photo  in which he was billed as Mr July - was a caption which read: Would you like a squeeze?

The photo of Judge Mark Davies, who posed as Mr July, was published with the caption 'would you like a squeeze?'

He plays and collects concertinas and has toured the country playing and singing folk music

His 67-year-old wife, Joan, also bared all for the calendar as Miss February. She posed behind a Shetland pony under the caption: She was feeling a little horse.

Afterwards, he was reluctant to talk about the 10 calendar and said: I want nothing to do with that calendar. Theyve all sold and thats the end of it as far as Im concerned. No more being produced and I dont want any publicity for it.

The racy shoot  which the couple had initially been reluctant to pose for  is not the only bum note of his career.

In December 2018 he was disciplined for 'prejudicial remarks' he made about Iranians and in January he appeared in court charged with two counts of assault.

He had been accused of approaching two hunt protesters at a New Years Day Hunt in the Peak District last year in which he was said to have approached the men 'snarling with gritted teeth' before grabbing one by the throat and tackling another into a bramble bush.

Following a two day trial Mr Davies was cleared of assaulting the men after a district judge accepted his claims he had acted in self-defence to protect himself and his wife.

After the verdicts Mr Davies, who is chairman of the historic Barlow Hunt, slammed both Derbyshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for the 'deplorable' way he had been treated.

He and Joan, who is Joint Master of the Hunt and a former South Yorkshire Police Superintendent, crossed paths with members of the Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs' Group.

The couple were observing the annual event while anti-hunt campaigners were monitoring the area to ensure no foxes were harmed.

Mr Davies clashed with protesters, Austin Jordan and William Robinson, in a field near Highlightley Farm in the Derbyshire village of Millthorpe.

However, he claimed he had only reacted after being attacked by Mr Jordan, suffering a bloody nose.

Giving evidence, Mr Davies, of Bradfield, South Yorkshire, described both saboteurs as anarchists and class warriors out to intimidate good decent people.

Members of the Barlow Hunt on horseback during the New Year's Day event where Judge Mark Davies crossed paths with members of the Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs' Group

The trial attracted interest from animal rights campaigners with more than 40 protesting outside Chesterfield Magistrates Court in Derbyshire.

Speaking after the verdict Mr Davies said he planned to submit complaints to Derbyshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service:

He said: 'The Derbyshire Constabulary and the CPS should hold their heads down in shame, considering the evidence seen during the course of this trial which clearly showed I was brutally assaulted.

'It's deplorable they chose not to arrest the person who had assaulted me. Despite all the evidence five months later I was told I would be prosecuted.

'As a victim I have a right to review, but the CPS made it perfectly obvious that was not going to be the case.

Mr Davies added: 'I'm pleased to say I am due to retire shortly and I will do so with my good character intact.

'The mob outside this court anarchists and thugs who have no interest in animals whatsoever.'

The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary announced that Mr Davies retired on 24 April 2020.

A statement read: Judge Davies (67) was admitted as a Solicitor in 1976. He was appointed an Immigration Adjudicator in 1990 and a salaried Immigration Judge (now known as a Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in 2002.
New Delhi: The video Rahul Gandhi posted on Twitter last night -- of him making a demand in Parliament for release of the list of willful loan defaulters -- there are cutaway shots of Nirmala Sitaraman. Shes made to look shifty-eyed as Rahul Gandhi makes the point that the government is deliberately trying to shield its friends who are in that list.

The RBI has now released, in response to an RTI petition, that list of willful defaulters, who together were given writeoffs amounting to Rs 68,000 crore in the last financial year.

In the telling of the Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala, it is full of Friends of the BJP, such as:

Top of the list is fugitive jeweler Mehul Choksi of Gitanjali Gems with a whopping writeoff of of 5,492 crore.

This is followed by entities REI Agro with 4,314 crore and Winsome Diamonds with 4,076 crore.

Rotomac Global Private Limited has an outstanding of 2,850 crore which has been technically written off.

Ruchi Soya Industries Limited, now owned by Ramdev's Patanjali, with 2,212 crore.

Somewhere in the list theres Vijay Mallya too.

As expected a tu tu main main has erupted between the feisty finance minister and the Congress. As is the norm whenever loan incompetence of Indias banks is shown up, Sitaraman walked us back to the days of UPA rule to say that the rot began there and shes only trying to clean it up.

In a series of tweets, Sitaraman put up a stout defence of how her ministry has handled the issu.

All the willful defaulters, she said, were in fact beneficiaries of the phone banking' system that was rampant in the UPA regime 2009-2014. That apparently how the powerful secured loans running into several thousands of crores: just phone up bank and asked the money to be sent over.

The finance minister said the Congress is now trying to mislead people, and asked Rahul Gandhi why he wont play a constructive role in cleaning up the system.

She said between 2009-10 and 2013-14 scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, trying to make the present Rs 68k writeoff look small in comparison.

She also took the support of Raghuram Rajan -- whose creds as an economist she once dissed. She quoted the former RBI guv as saying that back in 2006-2008 "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

And she concluded, "Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's phone banking'.

In another tweet she purported to say that her ministry never tried to keep the list a secret.

She tweeted: "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided.

Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on March 16, 2020.

The finmin emphasised that it is the Narendra Modi-led government that is pursuing cases against the wilful defaulters and 9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking of the Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now.

The total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya is about Rs 18,332.7 crore, she said.

Sharing details case by case, she tweeted: "Vijay Mallya Case: Total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, UK High Court, has also ruled for extradition."

Mehul Choksi: "attachments of Rs 1,936.95 crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore. Seizure of Rs 597.75 crore. Red Notice issued. Extradition request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as fugitive offender is in progress."

Nirav Modi: "Immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore attached/seized. (Attachment Rs 1,898 crore and Seizure Rs 489.75 crore). This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK."
San Francisco, April 29 : Apple and Google on Wednesday released the very first version of their exposure notification (earlier called contact tracing) Application Programming Interface (API) to select developers associated with public health authorities (PHAs) around the world.

This is a developer-focused release and is consistent with both the companies deliver beta copies of their software at the same time.

Aimed at helping developers begin testing in anticipation of the API's release in mid-May, another goal of the release is to encourage feedback that will help improve the various features, the tech giants said in a statement.

"Collaboration and transparency have been two key principles of the project for both companies. Additional details will be announced on Friday," they added.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told the EU Commissioner Thierry Breton last week that the API would arrive shortly.

On April 10, Google and Apple announced a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of COVID-19 through contact tracing, with user privacy and security core to the design.

Amid the growing debate over privacy and security around contact tracing technology, the tech giant last week announced new updates to allay such fears, saying the Bluetooth-driven exposure notification system to enable iOS and Android phones trace the spread of coronavirus is completely safe.

Apple and Google representatives said they are encrypting metadata associated with Bluetooth. The tech giants said that the 'Exposure Notification Bluetooth Specification' does not use location for proximity detection. It strictly uses Bluetooth beaconing to detect proximity.

Google and Apple have already released documentation on the Bluetooth and cryptography specifications as well as an API framework.

In addition, Apple is releasing Beta 3 of iOS 13.5, the first pre-release version of iOS to contain the code needed to run apps built using the exposure notification API.

Similarly, Google has delivered its beta Google Play Services update with the exposure notification API and the accompanying SDK privately to select developers who can begin testing using Android Developer Studio.

On Friday, both companies will release additional information including sample code to aid developers in understanding how the exposure notification system will operate, and specific criteria for developing apps.
Of the horses that comprise the 2020 TROT Magazine Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book Top 10, which one are you most looking forward to watch race in 2020?....read on
Three labourers, including a



woman, who were sleeping by the roadside during their return journey to Madhya Pradesh from Rajasthan, were run over by a speeding truck on Unhel-Mohanpura Road in Ujjain district, a police official said.

Due to the lockdown, a group of 12 labourers were returning from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. They were dropped till the Madhya Pradesh border by the Rajasthan government, from where they boarded another vehicle to reach their village- Mohanpura, in-charge of Bhairavgarh police station Jaishi Ram Barde said.

As the vehicle they boarded dropped them about 20-25 km away from their village, they decided to sleep along the road during the night, he said.

"While three of them slept by the roadside, others decided to take rest a little away from the road, which saved them," he said.

Around 3 am, a speeding truck ran over them, killing all three of them on the spot, Barde said.

The deceased were identified as Vikram (55) Badri Banjara (35) and Dhulibai (55), the official said, adding that after their autopsy, the bodies were handed over to their relatives.

A case under section 304 A (causing death by negligence) was registered against the truck driver, who fled from the spot but left the vehicle behind.

The state government has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the three victims, Ujjain Collector Shashank Mishra said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On April 27, in response to the news that Infiniti had made a massive layoff in China, an executive of Dongfeng Infiniti replied that Infiniti has kept its employees at around 200, as required by both shareholders. It is normal to see staff turnovers at this time of year, he said.

According to previous reports, Infiniti is in the process of massive layoff in China, with the number of employees cut down from 300 to 170. At the same time, the four regional divisions in China were all abolished. Offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu were closed, only Beijing headquarters remaining to operate.

"The above information is not accurate. In fact, the new leader has made some adjustments. Infiniti will not quit the Chinese market," the brand said to local media.

The above-mentioned Infiniti executive also said, "The reports are totally untrue. Three offices are in normal operation. We have no plans to close them at all, and there will be new offices in Shanghai to be redecorated and opened next month. The layoff is said to save costs, and we are slimming down to run faster and allocate resources properly. It is really ridiculous to say that Infiniti is withdrawing from China. "

In addition, there are also some reports said that, Infiniti would probably become a business division of Dongfeng Nissan. According to the reports, Nissan revealed that the headquarters of Dongfeng Infiniti may be integrated into the headquarters of Dongfeng Nissan in Guangzhou Huadu district. "A new building, also a new office for Dongfeng Infiniti and Dongfeng Venucia, has been built next to the headquarters building of Dongfeng Nissan.

Infiniti responded that Dongfeng Infiniti and Dongfeng Renault are under two systems, and Dongfeng Infiniti will not merge with Dongfeng Nissan.

The Infiniti QX50, equipped with Nissan's latest driving assistance system of ProPILOT, hit the market April 15. Besides, during the epidemic period, a 14-day loan repayment delay is provided for owners under repayment pressure, and the monthly target assessment on dealers has been cancelled, as a response to the concerns about Infiniti's status quo in China.
A teenager has been charged with the murder of a father-of-one who was stabbed to death in the West Midlands during a weekend of bloodshed.

Tyrell Harris, 19, from West Bromwich, has been remanded in custody to appear before magistrates in Wolverhampton tomorrow over the death of Karl Gallagher.

The 31-year-old suffered a stab wound to his heart in a knife attack outside West Cross Shopping Centre in Smethwick at around 4.40pm on Sunday.

Despite the best efforts of medics, Mr Gallagher was pronounced dead at the scene, with a post-mortem examination due to take place later.

Tyrell Harris, 19, from West Bromwich, has been remanded in custody to appear before magistrates in Wolverhampton following the death of Karl Gallagher (pictured)

Police today confirmed three other men who were arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail while the investigation continues.

Another three men arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender have been released pending investigation, as has a man arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.

In a tribute released through the police, Mr Gallagher's family said: 'Karl was a very dearly loved son, brother, nephew, cousin and partner.

'He was also a proud and loving father. His friends and family are devastated.'

Detectives have warned people not to share footage of the stabbing, which has been widely posted on Twitter, as they may be committing an offence.

Officers have raided six addresses since Mr Gallagher's death and are continuing to examine CCTV and mobile phone footage.

Mr Gallagher (pictured) suffered a stab wound to his heart after a knife attack outside West Cross Shopping Centre in Smethwick at around 4.40pm on Sunday

Pictured: Stains mark the ground after Mr Gallagher's death outside the West Cross Shopping Centre in Smethwick on Sunday

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro, of West Midlands Police, said yesterday: 'We've made significant progress over the past 24 hours and are building up a clearer picture of the events of Sunday afternoon.

We're very much aware that video has been widely shared on Twitter. We have contacted them and have asked them to remove it, but to date we know that the footage remains visible.

'I'd urge people not to share the footage, and to report it to Twitter whenever they see copies of it.

'It's very distressing for Karl's family to know that his final moments have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

Pictured: Police near the scene in Smethwick after the father-of-one was killed on Sunday

Detectives have warned people not to share footage of the stabbing, which has been widely posted on Twitter, as they may be committing an offence

'It's also important to remember that proceedings are now active, and that anyone who does share it is potentially committing a criminal offence.'

The Smethwick attack was one of a series of violent confrontations to take place over the weekend, which left three people dead and a 16-year-old boy fighting for his life.

Hospital worker David Gomoh, 24, was fatally wounded in a knife attack on Sunday, seconds after leaving his home in Canning Town, east London.

Mr Gomoh was a supply chain worker for the NHS at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, while his mother Marian works as a labour ward matron at Newham University Hospital.

Hospital worker David Gomoh (pictured) was fatally wounded in a knife attack on Sunday, seconds after leaving his home in Canning Town, east London

His tragic death came days after the death of his father Ken, who is thought to have died from COVID-19, with the family due to hold the funeral tomorrow.

Mr Gomoh had just left home on Sunday evening and was attacked by a masked gang barely 100 metres away at 10.25pm.

He managed to return to his family's terrace home shouting for help and neighbours, hearing the commotion, ran out and administered first aid.

Also on Sunday, a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two teenagers were stabbed in broad daylight in Solihull.

Dramatic footage of the incident shows a group of youths fighting near Marston Green Park moments before the attack.

A 16-year-old boy was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and a 19-year-old victim was at the time said to be stable.
Sean Hannity has been the king of Fox News for two and a half years, the highest-rated host on the highest-rated cable news channel. His dominance has withstood network management changes and the vicissitudes of a news cycle driven by President Trump, the anchors close political ally.

In April, however, Mr. Hannity slipped back.

For the first time since moving to the 9 p.m. time slot in October 2017, Hannity ranked second in Fox Newss prime-time lineup. Tucker Carlson Tonight ranked ahead, with an average nightly audience of 4.56 million viewers, outpacing the 4.39 million who tuned in for Mr. Hannity, Nielsen said on Tuesday.

It is difficult to pinpoint the reasons for a shift in ratings, which are closely inspected by TV executives and anchors (not to mention Mr. Trump). But this month, coronavirus lockdowns and the presidents freewheeling White House briefings profoundly altered viewer dynamics at Fox News.

In April, the networks daily viewership  which usually peaks in prime time  surged in the hours when Mr. Trump spoke from the White House. Bret Baiers newscast, Special Report, drew a whopping 5.26 million viewers, topping all of Fox Newss prime-time hosts for the first time and even beating general-interest TV fare like ABCs Shark Tank.
German health workers protest a lack of PPE by going nude.

Blanke Bedenken

A group of German doctors working on the front lines of the coronavirus are nakedly protesting a lack of personal protective equipment.

One of the doctors told Arztezeitung, a German magazine for doctors, the nudity was a symbol of how vulnerable health workers were without personal protective equipment.

As of April 28, Germany had 158,758 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 6,126 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University data.

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A group of German doctors, concerned over a lack of protective healthcare equipment, is baring it all to protest their lack of protective equipment.

The group calls itself Blanke Bedenken, which translates to "Blank Concerns" on Google Translate, but according to The Guardian it's also known as "Naked Qualms." The group was started by German healthcare workers who were worried about the country's lack of personal protective equipment, as they treat people with the coronavirus, according to The Guardian.

The equipment is necessary to protect workers from the coronavirus, and the group said they were frustrated after spending months requesting equipment only to be ignored by the government. So they threw off their clothes in protest.

One of the doctors in the group named Ruben Bernau told Arztezeitung, a German magazine for doctors: "The nudity is a symbol of how vulnerable we are without protection."

Another doctor said she was "trained to sew up wounds" according to The Guardian, and asked: "Why am I now having to sew my own face mask?"

German doctors pose nude to protest lack of healthcare equipment.

Screenshot / Blanke Bedenken

As of April 27, Germany had 158,758 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 6,126 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University data.

On March 5, after pressures grew for PPE in Germany, the government banned exporting medical protection gear so the country wouldn't run out of masks, gloves, and suits.

But that wasn't enough for Blanke Bedenken, which took aim at Germany's government on its website. The group claimed Germany's government said it was prepared for the coronavirus in February, but protective clothing, disinfectants, and disposable masks had since been used up.

Story continues

German health workers protest a lack of PPE by going nude.

Blanke Bedenken

It also claimed that despite concerns about inadequately being able to protect themselves healthcare workers continued to provide care in Germany.

The campaign was inspired by a French doctor named Alain Colombie, who photographed himself naked in his practice and called the outcome "cannon fodder."

Read the original article on Insider
Vietnam starts fifth day without new Covid-19 case, one patient relapses

Doctors at HCMC Hospital of Tropical Diseases test samples for the new coronavirus, April 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Vietnam has gone five days in a row without a new coronavirus infection and 13 days straight with no community transmission.

The Health Ministry confirmed zero fresh cases Wednesday morning, keeping the nations Covid-19 tally at 270 since Friday evening.

But one more relapse was recorded late Tuesday. "Patient 151," a Brazilian woman in HCMC, tested positive after being discharged and was transferred to the Cu Chi field hospital for further monitoring.

The new relapse raised the number of active cases in the country to 49, 11 of whom have tested negative once and eight twice.

The ministry announced Tuesday that examination of samples taken from five other relapse patients showed the virus was "inactive" in their bodies, which theoretically meant the chance of them spreading the infection to others was "very low."

Addressing a government meeting Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that at this point, with an infection rate of 270 among more than 95 million residents, Vietnam has "basically put the pandemic under control."

So far, the country has conducted 213,743 new coronavirus tests, and Wednesday morning marks the 13th day that it has not recorded any infection caused by community transmission.

By Friday morning, Vietnam had gone eight straight days without reporting any new infection, but two new cases were confirmed that evening, both Vietnamese students returning from Japan.

Of the 270 patients recorded so far, 221 have been discharged.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 210 countries and territories, and more than 217,700 deaths reported.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30) - An infectious disease expert said the government must work harder on getting the number of COVID-19 infection cases right to come up with a better strategy to fight the disease.

Dr. Benjamin Co of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital said he noticed that the data on some of the coronavirus infection cases come in as late as two weeks, which explains why the daily figures reported by the Department of Health (DOH) are not real-time.

We need quality data. Without quality data, none of these numbers will make sense," Co said in an interview with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Tuesday. "There is no reason why we have an exit plan because theres nothing to base the exit plan on."

To me latency of data is forgivablebut you find a way wherein the data is provided to you not too late," he added. "Some of them are too late. Some are late as two weeks, more than one week on recoveries and deaths."

Co also said that data on the patients condition also takes time to be reported.

"In any audit, You need to make sure the numbers are right because that's the only way you can plan anything in the future," he said.

We should get as much test as possible, the question is how many testing centers do we have and whether we have a good turnaround time as well," he added. "Because if you look at the data of the DOH, we have a lot of patients of posthumous diagnosis, they die and reported dead after a few days later from COVID.

Last week, there was a confusion when Cebu City announced 139 new coronavirus cases, while the DOH announced 111 new cases nationwide.

The DOH said the difference on the data that day was due to the late transmission of information from the local government. The report from Cebu City was only sent to the Health Department after its press conference.

The DOH explained that daily figures are not real-time as cases have to be validated before reporting.

Co said local and national government should coordinate and come up with better reporting system.

He also suggested having a daily cut-off or deadline in reporting cases.

There are also differences in the number of people tested, and the number of confirmed cases.

Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergerei explained that data from other local governments are incomplete.

Meron tayong hinahabol na forms. Ang problema natin sa forms na yan coming from LGUs, they do not complete it. Minsan pangalan lang, age, walang address, incomplete.Minsan naman ay may age wala ang ibang detalye. We need to cmplete it para makapasok sa system namin. That is what our encoders are doing right now, Vergeire said.
Some 17 hours after a 36-inch water main ruptured, there are many in Jersey City with no water or low pressure, residents are saying.

In a 7:50 a.m. update, Suez Water officials the company is investigating outages at locations across the city. The 3-foot main, near Route 7 and the Charlotte Circle in Jersey City, was reported broken at approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday after contractor was conducting non-utility work and hit the water main that feeds Jersey City.

Suez shut off some valves in the area of the break overnight so it could begin repairs on the 36-inch main and divert water to customers. Suez also said it found valves that need to be replaced.

The water main break has also affected a number of residences in Hoboken. For those that have water, officials say it should be boiled for a minute before consumption.

Still no water in areas of Journal Square (St. Pauls, Tonelle, Skillman, Liberty, Dey). @StevenFulop please divert tankers here as residents going on 17+ hours without water, one Jersey City resident told Suez in response to the latest update. Other residents in that area also complained of having no water.

Suez Water sent three water tankers Tuesday night: one at Duncan and West Side avenues, another at 20 Riverside Drive South, both in Jersey City; and the third at Fourth and Jackson streets in Hoboken.
Development of the 227km first segment of the Mayan Train project, Mexico's most ambitious infrastructure project that will traverse the Yucatan Peninsula, will commence on April 30, Mexico's National Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonatur) has announced.

The winning consortium in charge of the construction is led by Mota Engil, Mexico Union's Lumat consortium, China Communications Construction Company, Gavil Ingenieria, Eyasa, and Grupo Cosh which placed US$622.18 million bid.

According to a recent article, the first phase consists of the Palenque, Chiapas - Escarcega, Campeche section of the line, and includes upgrading the existing Chiapas - Mayab line.

Following President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's order of continuing priority to mitigate the economic consequences of COVID-19, safety measures are already in place to protect the workers.

Mota Engil Mexico, the Mexican subsidiary of Portuguese infrastructure, engineering, and construction giant Mota Engil, has over 70 years of history and presence in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

Aside from the upcoming Mayan Train project, its ongoing projects in Mexico include the "Siervo de la Nacion" highway in the State of Mexico, the Cardel-Poza Rica highway, and the Tuxpan-Tampico highway, according to its website. It is also the consortium behind the expansion of Guadalajara's light rail infrastructure, a bypass in the Acapulco highway, and the Perote-Xalapa highway.

Meanwhile, China Communications Construction Company's projects in Mexico include the construction of an industrial park with manufacturing capabilities in the state of Jalisco.

Lastly, Eyasa, Grupo Cosh, and Gavil Ingeniera are all smaller regional Mexican infrastructure companies, although Eyasa has previously collaborated with Mota Engil in some projects.

In a statement to the local press, the National Chamber of Consulting Companies (CNEC) President Marco Gutierrez expressed his dismay over the excessive presence of foreign companies and minimal presence of Mexican companies to merely fulfill national content requirements in the bid.

Gutierrez explained, "Eyasa is from Xalapa and too small to participate in what will be this administration's biggest project. Grupo Cosh is dedicated to construction in the state of Queretaro and is also small. We have no idea who Gavil Ingenieria is. It is not coherent with what our country's president has been talking about regarding more being made in Mexico by Mexicans."



Funds "Should be Redirected"

In another article, a recent virtual strategic meeting between governors of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Durango and Michoacan with more than 2,000 business people virtually, has led to the drafting of a proposal addressed to the Federal Government to cancel infrastructure projects Mayan Train and the Dos Bocas Refinery.

They claim that the resources are needed to be redirected to the reactivation of the economic activity in different regions of the country.

"There are proposals for the Federation to cancel non-priority projects for Mexico, such as the Tren Maya and the Dos Bocas refinery, so that these resources can be used for the economic reactivation of regions that will need them. Thousands of jobs will be lost that will not be recovered with the construction of the Mayan Train, thousands of companies and businesses are at risk," said the governor of Nuevo Leon, Jaime Rodriguez Calderon.

Fonatur has not yet issued a response to this opposition.

The winning bidder for the second segment of the Mayan Train project will be announced on April 30.

Check these out!
PEOPLE talk about...

[1] TED LOCSIN'S BRAVE WORDS. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., on a Chinese vessel reportedly pointing a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship in the West Philippine Sea, "Don't even dream of pointing anything at my country. Wanna point then fire away. Let's see where that takes us."

The response was to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana's explanation that it was merely a test and China wanted to see how the Filipinos would react. Well, the government reacted, on Twitter.

2013 to 2018: Cebu topped

Cebu law schools may have broken their "Top 10" winning streak in the bar examinations. For six years straight -- from 2013 to 2018, a Cebu-based law school, sometimes more than one, managed to occupy the topnotchers ladder in the premier government professional exams in the country. At times, there were two or three Cebu law schools that filled the top places, at one time the first place (in 2016) and three times the second place.

In the 2019 bar exams, however, in the year of Covid-19 -- whose results were released Wednesday, April 29 -- not one bar examinee from a Cebu school made it to the Top 10. University of Sto. Tomas got the top spot and two other places (UST-Legaspi among the topnotchers), with University of the East, San Beda College-Alabang, University of the Philippines, among the others. Palawan State University is No. 5.

During the banner years preceding the 2019 competition, three Cebu schools stood out: University of San Carlos (14), University of Cebu (three) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (one) with USC leading the pack with one first place and two No. 2 spots:

* [2013] two: Tercel Maria Mercado-Gephart (USC), fifth place; Manuel Sarausad (UC), sixth place;

* [2014] one: Michele Liao (UC), fifth place;

* [2015] two: Athena Plaza (USC), second place; Jecca Jacilab (USC), eighth;

* [2016) four: Karen Mae Calam (USC), first place; Fiona Cristy Lao (USC), third, tied with Andres Bonifacio College bet; Anne Margaret Momongan (USC), seventh place; Jefferson Gomez (USC), eighth place;

Story continues

* [2017] five (with listing expanded from Top 10 to Top 20): Christianne Mae Balili (USC), second place; Ivanne D'laureil Hisoler (USC), fourth place; Rheland Servacio (USC) 7th place; Stephanie Claros (USJ-R), 15th place; Ella Mae Mendoza (UC), 17th place.

* [2018] four: Marcley Augustus Natu-el (USC), second place; Mark Lawrence Badayos (USC), third place; Jebb Lynus Cane (USC), ninth place; Alan Joel Pita (USC), 10th place.

Next year in Cebu too

If USC, UC or USJR wants to get back in the Top 10 column, it may not be in November this year.

The 2020 bar exams have been rescheduled because of the "increasing number of Covid-19 cases" and the "social and economic disruption caused by the pandemic." The office of the 2020 bar chairperson, Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, said in Bar Bulletin #11 (series of 2020) dated April 29 the new schedule will be announced in a separate bulletin by June this year but "it shall definitely be held sometime in 2021."

Leonen also disclosed that the Supreme Court en banc, acting on the bar chairperson's proposal, resolved that "the next examination shall be held in Manila and Cebu."

Cebu law schools, led by then University of the Visayas law dean Portia Alino-Hormachuelos, had lobbied for the holding of bar exams in Cebu, besides Manila.

Virus aided examinees

The passing rate of 75 percent in the 2019 bar was lowered to 74 percent "in the light of, among other considerations, the discerned need for younger and technologically adept lawyers to help different fronts of society as we meet the peculiar challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and transition to the new normal."

That's what Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas Bernabe, the bar chairman, said Wednesday in her announcement of the results of the 2019 bar tests. The passing rate of 27.36 percent is higher than the 2018 passing rate.

Those who initially scored 74 percent may be called Covid-19 lawyers, with a lot of thanks for the coronavirus that made their dream to become members of the bar possible.

***

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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.
"Were focused on creating strategies that deliver results for our clients. Our campaigns are designed to maximize ROI for our partners, creating synergistic strategies that transcend traditional advertising, PR and social media campaigns."

Scottsdale-based digital marketing firm the spr agency has been ranked as a top advertising agency by Ranking Arizona for 2020.

Its the latest honor for the agency, which consistently ranks as one of Phoenixs top 25 social media and public relations firms. The agency was also named No. 1 Best Workplace Culture: Advertising/Marketing Agency by Ranking Arizona in 2019 as well as Ranking Arizonas No. 1 Public Relations Agency in 2017.

Christy Stevens, co-founder of the spr agency, said her agency strives to provide solutions that meet the needs of its clients.

Were focused on creating strategies that deliver results for our clients, Stevens said. Our campaigns are designed to maximize ROI for our partners, creating synergistic strategies that transcend traditional advertising, PR and social media campaigns.

The spr agency provides full-service business marketing, public relations, digital marketing, advertising and social media services to companies throughout the United States. Previous clients have included national homebuilders, premier master-planned communities, electronics manufacturers, top-rated lawyers and healthcare companies.

Founded in 2008, the spr agency has garnered a reputation for creating and implementing successful digital marketing campaigns for some of todays leading brands.

The spr agency is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, please call (480) 648-1770 or visit https://thespragency.com/.

About the spr agency

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the spr agency provides full-service business marketing, public relations, digital marketing and social media services to a host of successful companies throughout the United States. Currently, the company works with clients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. For more information about the spr agency, please visit https://thespragency.com/.
Tara Reade said she had told at least four people about the incident, including her deceased mother and her brother.

The presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, is under increasing pressure to substantively address allegations by a former staffer in the United States Senate that he sexually assaulted her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building when she worked in his office in the early 1990s.

The clamour comes even as the former vice president clinched another primary victory in the state of Ohio on Tuesday, inching closer to locking down enough delegates to secure the nomination at the partys convention in Milwaukee in August.

Biden has denied the accusations from former aide Tara Reade, and many Democrats insist they are politically motivated but the drip of news is now forcing his supporters, among them potential vice presidential candidates, to step up and defend him.

US Senators Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar  both potential vice presidential selections  avoided the issue when asked about Reades allegations in recent interviews and instead praised Biden personally, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, one of the most outspoken advocates of the #MeToo movement, said in a call with reporters on Tuesday that she stands by Biden.

Hes devoted his life to supporting women and he has vehemently denied this allegation, Gillibrand said.

In an interview with The Associated Press news agency earlier this month, Reade said she had told at least four people about the incident, including her deceased mother and her brother, who has spoken publicly about the matter. One individual told the agency on the condition of anonymity that Reade told them about the alleged assault when it happened, and another said Reade told them in 2007 or 2008 about experiencing sexual harassment from Biden while working in his Senate office.

Earlier this week, Lynda LaCasse, who was Reades neighbour in the 1990s, says Reade also told her about the alleged assault around the time it happened. LaCasse said that when they were neighbours in 1995 or 1996, Reade told her about the senator that she had worked for and he put his hand up her skirt.

She felt like she was assaulted, and she really didnt feel there was anything she could do, LaCasse told Business Insider.

A second woman, Lorraine Sanchez, worked with Reade for California state Senator Jack OConnell from 1994 to 1996. Sanchez told Business Insider that Reade said she had been sexually harassed by her former boss while she was in DC and was fired for voicing her concerns.

Reade did not respond to questions from the AP about why she did not mention the women in earlier interviews as people who could corroborate her story. She said that she had been asked not to share the womens contact information with news organisations.

The Biden campaign declined to comment on the new interviews, pointing to an earlier statement from deputy campaign manager and communications director Kate Bedingfield. The statement said that while sexual assault claims should be diligently reviewed by an independent press, what Reade alleged absolutely did not happen.

Reade said in past interviews that Biden pushed her against a wall in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building, groped her and penetrated her with his fingers. She said after telling her supervisors in Bidens office that she had been sexually harassed by the then-senator, her concerns were not taken seriously and she was eventually told to find another job.

Two of those staffers have said in interviews that they did not recall Reade or any such incident. The third issued an on-the-record statement denying Reades claim.

Late last week, the Intercept unearthed a 1993 video clip that shows a woman Reade says was her mother calling into CNNs Larry King Live. In the clip, an unnamed woman from San Luis Obispo, California, tells King that her daughter just left Washington, after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.

Early in 2019, eight women, including Reade, came forward with allegations that Biden made them feel uncomfortable with inappropriate displays of affection. Biden acknowledged the complaints and promised to be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future.

The AP spoke with Reade about those complaints in April 2019. During that interview, Reade alleged that Biden rubbed her shoulders and neck and played with her hair, and that she was asked by another aide in Bidens Senate office to dress more conservatively and told Dont be so sexy. The AP declined to publish details of the interview at the time because reporters were unable to corroborate her allegations and aspects of her story contradicted other reporting.

Reade came forward in March with the additional allegation of assault during a podcast interview with Katie Halper.

Joe Biden addressing supporters as his wife Jill looks on during his Super Tuesday night rally in Los Angeles, California, US [Mike Blake/Reuters]

The Republican National Committee and other allies of President Donald Trump have been highlighting Reades allegations against Biden, though the president has not raised them himself. Trump has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault, allegations he denies. He also apologised during the 2016 campaign for comments he made during an interview with Access Hollywood in which he bragged about using his celebrity to assault women.

Reade, a longtime Democrat who supported both Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in the primary, said she will not be voting for Trump or Biden in November. While Trump has faced allegations of sexual assault that are more severe and numerous, Reade said she felt either was a similarly bad option.

Its sad statement about our own culture that we are having to choose between two men that have allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment and a history of misogyny, Reade said.
Sara Sampaio is looking on the bright side after gaining a little weight during quarantine.

'Do you know one thing they don't tell you about gaining weight? It's that your boobs get bigger,' she said on her Insta Stories this Tuesday.

'So I'm just trying to understand - what do I want more abs or boobs?' the 28-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel wondered.

Musings: 'Do you know one thing they don't tell you about gaining weight? It's that your boobs get bigger,' Sara Sampaio said on her Insta Stories this Tuesday

Earlier this week she shared on Instagram that she was having a 'Self care day' lounging in the bath with some facial scrub on.

A scented candle stood at the rim of the tub and a dazzling view of trees and the sky could be seen out the window behind her.

Last week she explained on Instagram how she is managing her mental health issues during the coronavirus lockdowns.

Dilemma: 'So I'm just trying to understand - what do I want more, abs or boobs?' the 28-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel wondered

When you got it: Sara is pictured strutting her stuff in November 2018 during what turned out to be the last Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Sizzling sensation: Sara modeled multiple outfits during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which was held in New York City

'I actually deal with anxiety and depression on a regular basis so I gotta be honest, the first few weeks I was the least anxious I've ever been.'

The Portuguese fashionista, who was born in Porto, confessed: 'But these past two weeks I've been a little bit more down and anxious.'

She also got candid about managing her trichotillomania, a disorder characterized by a powerful drive to pull one's own hair out.

Relaxation: Earlier this week she shared on Instagram that she was having a 'Self care day' lounging in the bath with some facial scrub on

'I've been having it since I'm 15 and I still do it. There are times where I pick more than others,' the supermodel revealed.

There was a few couple of weeks during quarantine that i was just ripping them off,' Sara told her more than seven million Instagram followers.

She has learned that 'when my nails are short I don't tend to pick as much and that helps them growing back, so I've been trying to keep them short during the quarantine, but sometimes it's hard to because it feels so good.'
Kenya's cement consumption recovers in January

29 April 2020

Kenyan cement consumption reached a 17-month-high in January 2020, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Demand hit 528,904t during the month and marked the second straight month of recovery. The last time consumption was above this level was in August 2018 at 531,119t.

The recovery is expected to relieve pressure on cement producers in the country which has seen new capacity come onstream despite declining demand.

Bamburi Cements Managing Director, Seddiq Hassani, described the January figure as a surprise, as December and January are generally low months for the industry.

"I dont see what could be the driver of such high consumption in January because there were no specific big projects to deliver such a number given even the standard gauge railway project stopped," said Mr Hassani.

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Yes, Donald Trump has made some rather bold and strategic moves in his time as the US President, however, he has also had his fair share of foot-in-the-mouth moments.

Case in point, his recent video where Trump rather gave an unorthodox suggestion to 'inject' disinfectant to try and kill Coronavirus.

Trump asks if he can inject people with disinfectant to get rid of coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/UQEiNwPYrh  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 23, 2020

Since this statement came out, there has been widespread disbelief and also a backlash from doctors and professionals stating that all this information is purely misleading.

Following all the heat, Trump claimed that he had made a 'sarcastic' comment. I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you, just to see what would happen, Trump told reporters Friday afternoon. Yea, right, Mr President!

Well, clearly not a great move him.

 iStock

What happened later is something even more unimaginable as a man from Kansas followed Trump's 'sarcasm' quite seriously.



He literally drank the whole disinfectant over the weekend after hearing Trump's loud speech of ingesting cleaners as it appeared to be a remedy for him.

Lee Norman, who is the state health officer said: "the head of the Kansas Poison Control Center reported a more than 40 per cent increase in cleaning chemical cases." He further added "Were doing what we can to counter-message against that kind of remedy, Norman said.

 Getty Images

Kansas has seen a spike in the number of inquiries related to consuming disinfectant and all this has led to a lot of confusion. Maryland Gov Larry Hogan from the state's health officials also said that the emergency hotline number is filled with calls, asking if Clorox or alcohol cleaning products will help fight the virus.



He also added that a warning sign has been put out to ensure that people are not doing something stupid that could be fatal.

Even the Food and Drug Administration is making sure that the manufacturing of sanitizers is given utmost importance and that they do not smell nice or taste good, as it could be fatal if ingested.

Hand sanitizers are not proven to treat COVID-19, and like other products meant for external use, are not for ingestion, inhalation, or intravenous use, said Stephen Hahn said, FDA Commissioner.

This isn't the first time Trump has done something so outrageous, endangering the lives of many.

Yep, Arizona couple drinks Chloroquine, Fish Tank Cleaner. Husband died. Yep, they watched Trump on Fox News. Wife was last reported in hospital for poisoning. https://t.co/o5bXmSQGFc  SavannahBayBVI #SaveAllAnimals #WWF (@SavannahBayBVI) April 24, 2020

All this has obviously made people on Twitter quite furious. Check out some of these reactions.

Have you heard a man from Kansas drank a cleaning product during the weekend!



Do you think he's a Trump supporter?#MAGA  Joyce Ann (@TruthWins22) April 28, 2020

One less trump voter  Rebecca (@2ndWifeinCA) April 29, 2020

Trump wants to kill off his nation so that human-to-human virus transmission becomes impossible https://t.co/oJt8Z8TGpp  Think Smarter (@corevaluehk) April 29, 2020

This could be another court case involving trump waiting to happen . https://t.co/UFOx99Ntud  Ben Dover (@governmentsuck) April 28, 2020
COLUMBIA, S.C., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Verde Leaf  held its first educational workshop of the year on February 19, 2020. The one-day interactive session provided updates on research, technology, safety, and production in the agricultural hemp space.

The workshop included panel discussions and a facilitated networking session. Demonstrations of various production systems and planting methods were covered while addressing issues faced throughout the growing season. The focus of Verde Leaf  and The Farming Network  is to create a support system for our farmers which enriches and empowers, while guaranteeing sales channels. With the assistance of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, we were able to cultivate a positive environment that allowed members to meet, exchange information, properly complete hemp applications, and forge lasting alliances both with the SCDA and Verde Leaf .

"The agricultural hemp space has unique obstacles. In recognition of the challenges we wanted to provide new farmers resources that would not only empower them but provide them with an arsenal of information to understand the rule and laws in the industry," said Dr. Jackson Garth, President & CEO of Verde Leaf .

Additional workshops will be available later in the summer 2020.

ABOUT VERDE LEAF 

Verde Leaf  is one of the hemp industry's first vertically integrated hemp companies, that created solutions for the farmer, business owners, and consumers. We solve some of the key challenges in the emerging hemp industry by assisting farmers with license acquisition, hemp cultivation and processing, and filling the knowledge gap with our network of seasoned hemp farmers and specialists across the Southeast. Moreover, by securing exclusive contracts with farmers, Verde Leaf  ensures that hemp product consumers have unprecedented clarity, consistency, and data about the hemp products they are purchasing. By controlling our supply chain, Verde Leaf gives assurance and confidence to the superior stands of our consumable and non-consumable product lines.

SOURCE Verde Leaf

Related Links

http://www.verdeleafgroup.com


GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Annual General Meeting (the "AGM") of Concordia Maritime AB (publ), held on 29 April 2020, the AGM decided to re-elect Carl-Johan Hagman, Stefan Brocker, Henrik Hallin, Mats Jansson, Helena Levander and Michael G:son Low as members of the Board of Directors, in accordance with the proposal of the Nomination Committee. Carl-Johan Hagman was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Further the AGM decided that the remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors elected by the AGM shall be the following:

SEK 400,000 to the Chairman of the Board of Directors

to the Chairman of the Board of Directors SEK 225,000 to the other members of the Board of Directors elected by the AGM

The total remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors amounts to SEK 1,525,000.

Election of auditor and fees to the auditor

KPMG was re-elected as auditor of the company. KPMG has announced that the current authorised auditor of the company, Jan Malm, will continue as the main responsible auditor. The AGM also approved that fees paid to the auditor shall be according to invoice approved by the company.

Distribution of dividend

The AGM decided that no distribution of dividend should be made for the financial year of 2019.

Appointment of Nomination Committee

The AGM decided to appoint a new Nomination Committee for the AGM in 2021 in accordance with proposal from the Nomination Committee, which is essentially the same as the proposal from the previous year.

Guidelines for remuneration

The AGM adopted the Board of Directors' proposal regarding guidelines for remuneration for senior executives.

Amendment of the Articles of Association

The AGM decided to amend the Articles of Association in accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors, regarding, among other, the record date for participation at General Meeting.

For more information, please contact:

Kim Ullman

CEO, Concordia Maritime AB

Tel +46-31-855003

Mob +46-704-855003

Email: [email protected]



Ola Helgesson

CFO, Concordia Maritime AB

Tel: +45-88938661

Mobil: +46-704-855009

Email: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/concordia-maritime/r/resolutions-at-the-annual-general-meeting-of-concordia-maritime-ab--publ--held-on-29-april-2020,c3100448

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/1948/3100448/1238956.pdf Resolutions at the Annual General Meeting of Concordia Maritime AB (publ) held on 29 April 2020 (PDF)

SOURCE Concordia Maritime
Its enough that the group is now shifting to supply businesses requesting protective masks for their workers.

Were looking now at essential workers outside of health care, said Reyes, who noted that H-E-B, Trane and H & B Packing had asked for masks.

For Reyes and her mother, sewing masks was a way of helping a community that had helped them. Her family had immigrated from Mexico in 1979 and Reyes remembered the Waco community helping them as they got their feet on the ground.

I feel a sense of responsibility to this community. Caritas is one of the organizations that helped us. I remember receiving a box of food and gifts at Christmas time, said Reyes, who serves on the Caritas board.

Reyes, now head of a social media marketing business, also worked 10 years as a trauma nurse for Hillcrest Medical Center and was in the emergency room when patients from the 2013 West explosion began arriving. Its no surprise that sense of responsibility kicked in when she heard of a need for cloth masks for local medical and public health care workers anticipating a coronavirus patient surge.
India on Tuesday rejected a report by a US panel on religious freedom that said the country was violating religious freedom of minorities as biased and tendentious.

In its 2020 annual report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that India be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.

The panel cited the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees fleeing persecution from neighbouring countries, and nationwide campaigns of harassment and violence against religious minorities as its reasons for the move.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava rebuffed the report.

We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF annual report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels, he said.

The watchdog has also recommended that the US government should impose targeted sanctions against Indian government agencies and officials responsible for religious freedom violations, freeze their assets in the United States and ban them from entering the country.

India, which was on the commissions Tier 2 list of countries to be watched in 2019, was among the 14 countries that the USCIRF asked the US state department to designate as CPC over increasing assaults on religious minorities.

Nine countriesMyanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistanwere designated as CPCs in December 2019. Five others included India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam, USCIRF said.

It could not be immediately ascertained if the recommendation were binding and whether the Trump administration would indeed accept those meant for the US government.

(With inputs from agencies)
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Toxicology in the field of biology, chemistry and medicines, deals with the study of adverse effects caused to living organisms due to certain chemicals. Toxicology testing involves detection, identification and also the measurement of approximate quantity of drugs and other foreign compounds in biological and related specimens to help in the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment of poisoning. The importance for their evaluation lies with their potential to cause birth defects, cancer and other adverse health hazards. Toxicologists working in the toxicology laboratories are specialized scientists or medical persons with knowledge of symptoms, mechanisms, treatment and detection of toxins. Advances in biotechnology, and molecular biology have paved the way for major improvements in evaluation of health risks due to potentially toxic chemicals. These advances are also reducing need for animal testing by developing more laboratory tests based on human cells. The toxicology laboratories may reside in hospitals or as a separate facility. Toxicity studies primarily conducted for new pharmaceutical applications to be submitted to FDA require human subjects, but under strict ethical considerations. Various regulatory agencies such as U.S. FDA in the U.S. and EMEA in Europe provide guidance documents for toxicology studies.

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The global toxicology laboratories market can be segmented based on test type and application. Test types majorly include blood testing and/or urine testing. Various applications include drugs of abuse, medicines, foods additives, industrial and agricultural chemicals and also forensic toxicology analysis. Drugs which can be detected by toxicology screening include alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, phencyclidine and methadone. Geographically, the global toxicology laboratories market can be segmented into four major regions namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. Additionally, there are various types of toxicity studies carried out using animals to evaluate acute, chronic, sub-chronic, carcinogenicity, reproductive, developmental, dermal, ocular, genetic and neurotoxicity. New high through put technologies developed by the pharmaceutical companies provide toxicology laboratories to use efficient automated methods for testing of effects of chemicals on biological activities.

Bioinformatics and rapid assay technologies are helping researchers to better understand the cellular networks in the human body which is the key to maintaining health. Gene expression profiling is also being used to predict toxicity since gene expression is known to rapid change on toxin exposure. Toxicogenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics aim to investigate the adverse biological effects induced by toxic compounds. Toxicology laboratories make use of genomic information since it plays a n important role in determining toxicity response by a biological system. The prediction of toxicity based on non-invasive urine and blood samples is a promising achievement, since multiple sampling over a long time period allows the monitoring of chronic toxicity. Increasing number of drug developments and technological advancements such as computerized testing methods are expected to drive the global toxicology laboratories market in the near future. However, there are various factors which affect chemical toxicology and thus standardization of toxicity testing becomes difficult. These factors include drug dosage, route of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, skin exposure) and other factors such as age, species, sex, health and individual characteristics.

The industry leaders such as Quest Diagnostics offer services such as general toxicology, metals testing, therapeutic drug monitoring, and prescription drug monitoring. The laboratory is known to conduct approximately nine million drug tests per year. Some of the toxicology laboratories include Agilent Technologies, Alere Laboratories, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Pacific Toxicology Laboratoies AIT Laboratories, Cardiff Toxicology Services, Aeon clinical laboratories, Quest Diagnostics, Gene Logic, Inc., Molecular Toxicology, Inc., and Covance, Inc .

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Key geographies evaluated in this report are:

North America US Canada

europe France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK Eastern Europe ARE YOU THERE

APAC china India japan Australia Others

Latin America Argentine brazil Others



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Key features of this report
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Wednesday to use all means available to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran, including working through a nuclear accord that President Donald Trump has trashed. A ban on selling conventional weapons to Iran ends in October under a 2015 Security Council resolution that blessed the denuclearization accord negotiated by former president Barack Obama. "We're not going to let that happen," Pompeo told a news conference. "In the event we can't get anyone else to act, the United States is evaluating every possibility about how we might do that." Pompeo said he would ask the UN Security Council to prolong the ban. But China and particularly Russia, which stand to win major new arms contracts with Iran, are certain to oppose an extension. They only agreed to the five-year ban in 2015 as a compromise reached with the Obama administration. There is one way to avoid a veto by China or Russia -- a participant in the nuclear deal can trigger a return of sanctions by declaring Iran to be in violation. Pompeo said that the United States will seek action from Britain, France and Germany -- which remain part of the nuclear accord. But the US allies are critical of the US approach, saying that Europe still has a ban on arms exports to Iran and that the nuclear issue is more important. Pompeo confirmed that the United States was ready to argue that it is itself a participant because it is listed as one in the resolution from 2015, even though Trump has repeatedly said that Washington has bolted the "worst deal ever" after he took over. "There's nothing magic about this," Pompeo said. "It's unambiguous, and the rights that accrue to participants of the UN Security Council resolution are fully available to all those participants," he said. "We're going to make sure that come October of this year, the Iranians aren't able to buy conventional weapons that they would be, given what president Obama and vice president Biden have delivered to the world in that terrible deal." Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee expected to face Trump in November elections, days after the scheduled expiration of the arms embargo. UN inspectors said Iran complied with the nuclear deal and drastically reduced its program as it sought promised sanctions relief. But Trump, who is close to Iran's rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel, said the goal should be to reduce the clerical regime's regional activities and slapped sweeping sanctions.
By Trend

A unique system on conducting tests for coronavirus has been created in Azerbaijan, Minister of Health Ogtay Shiraliyev said in an interview to the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (AzTV), Trend reports.

The minister noted that the fight against the pandemic is being carried out orderly and decisively.

The introduction of a quarantine regime was announced timely. However, it also creates serious problems for the economy of countries. At the meeting held on April 28, I once again noted that President Ilham Aliyev unequivocally stated that the most important thing for us is the people's health, and the next is the epidemiological situation. Our epidemiologists can conduct tests to detect the virus, Shiraliyev added.

Other hospitals will open soon. Our regional hospitals also comply with modern standards. As a result, when an infected person is detected in the regions, there is no need to deliver him to Baku, since all necessary measures are being taken on the spot. This is important to prevent the spread of the epidemic throughout the country, said the minister.

Shiraliyev added that the mechanism of protection from the virus is different in each country.

As known, the health situation has caused problems in many countries. States faced such serious problems as a large number of patients, lack of places for their accommodation, lack of beds, transportation of patients to other countries and others. This has become a big problem in many countries. One reason for this was that preventive measures in these countries were not taken in time. We can say that we did not encounter these problems, and the number of infections was many times lower than in other countries, the minister emphasized.

Each country has its own characteristics. The disease spreads differently in various countries, and the mechanism of protection against the virus is also different in every country. I think that our country was able to cope with these problems in a timely and flexible manner, and now we all see the results, he stressed.

He also emphasized that 5,000 tests are conducted in the country every day.

Even after the disease is detected, tests are carried out two more times to make an accurate diagnosis. All ongoing work on fighting COVID-19 pandemic is aimed at improving the situation, Shiraliyev said.

---

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HONG KONG, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CNOOC Limited (the "Company", SEHK: 00883,NYSE: CEO, TSX: CNU) today announced its key operational statistics for the first quarter of 2020.

The Company achieved a total net production of 131.5 million barrels of oil equivalent ("BOE") for the first quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 9.5% year-over-year ("YoY"). Production from China increased by 9.7% YoY to 87.1 million BOE, mainly attributable to commencement of new projects and the acquisition of China United Coalbed Methane Corporation Limited. Overseas production increased by 9.0% YoY to 44.5 million BOE, mainly due to production contribution from new projects including Egina oilfield in Nigeria and Appomattox oilfield in the US Gulf of Mexico. For the new projects planned this year, Liza oilfield phase 1 in Guyana came on stream ahead of schedule in December 2019, and other projects progressed as scheduled.

During the period, the Company made two new discoveries and drilled 21 successful appraisal wells. In offshore China, Kenli 6-1 oil and gas bearing structure was successfully appraised and became the first large-sized oilfield in Laibei lower uplift, which further proved the huge exploration potential of the Neogene lithologic reservoir in Laizhou Bay. In Guyana, the 16th new discovery of Uaru was made in the Stabroek block.

For the first quarter of 2020, the Company's average realised oil price decreased by 19.3% YoY to US$49.03 per barrel, which was in line with the trend of international oil prices. The Company's average realised gas price was US$6.38 per thousand cubic feet, decreased by 7.3% YoY, primarily due to the declined gas price in North America. The unaudited oil and gas sales revenue of the Company reached approximately RMB 39.95 billion during the period, down only 5.5% YoY, mainly due to the combined effect of lower realised oil price and increased oil and gas sales volume.

The Company's capital expenditure reached approximately RMB 16.90 billion for the first quarter of 2020, up 20.1% YoY, as a result of the increased workloads.

Under the current low oil price environment, the Company has adjusted its operating strategy promptly and implemented more prudent investment decision to ensure its long-term sustainable development. The Company has reduced its annual net production target for 2020 from 520-530 million BOE to 505-515 million BOE and total capital expenditures for 2020 from RMB 85-95 billion to RMB 75-85 billion.

Mr. Xu Keqiang, CEO of the Company, said, "The global oil and gas market was facing an unprecedented situation in the first quarter of 2020 as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and sharp drop of international oil prices. In response to an increasingly complex external environment, CNOOC Limited took proactive measures to face the challenges and strived to mitigate the impact. For the rest of the year, we will continue to implement more stringent cost controls, and further strengthen our cash flow management."

Notes to Editors:

More information about the Company is available at http://www.cnoocltd.com .

*** *** *** ***



This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expected future events, business prospectus or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the expectations and predictions of the Company depends on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition to differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to those associated with fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, macro-political and economic factors, changes in the tax and fiscal regimes of the host countries in which we operate, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industry, the exploration and development activities, mergers, acquisitions and divestments activities, environmental responsibility and compliance requirements, foreign operations and cyber system attacks. For a description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please see the documents the Company files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 20-F filed in April of the latest fiscal year.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations.

*** *** *** ***

For further enquiries, please contact:

Ms. Jing Liu

Manager, Media & Public Relations

CNOOC Limited

Tel: +86-10-8452-3404

Fax: +86-10-8452-1441

E-mail: [email protected]

Ms. Ada Leung

Hill+Knowlton Strategies Asia

Tel: +852-2894-6225

Fax: +852-2576-1990

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE CNOOC Limited
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam has basically pushed back the COVID-19 pandemic as no new cases of community infection have been reported in the past 12 days, but people should still stay vigilant.

Tourists at Bai Dinh Pagoda in the northern province of Ninh Binh on the first day of reopening on Monday. PM Phuc said local authorities can promote tourism for the National Reunification Day holiday on April 30 but the gathering of large number of people should continue to be banned. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Duc

At a Government meeting on the pandemic on Tuesday, he said Vietnam is among the countries with the lowest infection rate. Vietnam has so far recorded 270 cases and no fatalities. No new cases have been reported in areas classified as high-risk over the past few days.

The result was thanks to the drastic measures taken by society. Countries, international organisations and more than 100 non-governmental organisations in Vietnam had praised the Vietnamese Party, Government and people for their efforts in combating the pandemic, he said.

He urged the public to continue preventive measures like washing hands regularly and wearing masks even as social distancing policies had been eased.

It is not time to neglect preventive measures because there are still positive cases or relapsed patients, he said.

PM Phuc asked localities to resume social activities and restart economic sectors with high safety levels while strictly following pandemic prevention plans.

He assigned chairpeople of Peoples Committees of provinces and cities to ease restrictions on business and services sectors to boost business and production.

Local authorities can promote tourism for National Reunification Day holiday on April 30 but gatherings of a large number of people should continue to be banned, he said.

The PM also asked localities to take measures to ensure students are safe when they return to school.

He also asked that sectors severely affected by the pandemic such as tourism, services, and aviation be given assistance.

The Government leader urged localities to address negative phenomena and corruption in medical equipment purchasing, saying such acts must be taken to investigation agencies.

The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control and relevant agencies need to continue implementing the strategies adopted to combat COVID-19, he said, stressing that pandemic prevention work must continue at full capacity. VNS

Holistic support to reboot business After months of proposals, domestic and international businesses are expected to have an unprecedented online dialogue with the Vietnamese prime minister this week to discuss the most effective incentives to ease their difficulties
A Victorian food safety regulator is investigating allegations that milk products from dairy giant Saputo have been transported by an unlicensed trucking contractor in unclean tankers also used to carry food waste and animal stockfeed.

Canadian-owned Saputo Dairy Australia, which is behind some of Australias best known milk and cheese brands including Coon and Sungold, said it takes the allegations extremely seriously and is conducting its own investigation.

Metal filings alleged to be from beer cans found in a BLC dairy tanker.

Staff at Saputos Leongatha plant last month discovered a large amount of metal filings and mud inside a tanker belonging to a trucking contractor. Photographs of the metal filings, believed to be residual aluminium from crushed beer cans, have been sent to Dairy Food Safe Victoria and Saputo management.

Investigators have also received photographs of curdled milk which is said to have been found inside one of the contractors tankers in January. Most of the milk products transported by the contractor are used in baby formula and whey protein.
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Linkedin Sausan Atika and Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:14 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4d9f16 1 National COVID-19-curve,COVID-19,Jakarta-psbb,PSBB,doni-monardo,data,lockdown,anies-baswedan Free

The government has claimed that Jakarta, the countrys epicenter of COVID-19, has flattened the curve of transmission, but experts say further studies are necessary before coming to such a conclusion.

We can explain in the latest development that, particularly for Jakarta, the new cases have rapidly slowed down and flattened, said COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo after a meeting with President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Monday.

Doni, who also heads the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in the capital city had contributed to that outcome.

"Pak President asked all of us to work even harder and encourage communities to be more disciplined and officials to be stricter, so we can start going back to a normal life in July, Doni added.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said last week that the city administration had observed an "increase of COVID-19 cases at a rate that is relatively constant" for the past days.

He further said that there had been a significant decline in the number of burials using COVID-19 protocol, claiming it had subsided from more than 50 to between 30 and 40 burials per day. Jakarta's data on burials based on COVID-19 protocol, however, show that from April 12 to 14 as well as April 18 and 22, when Anies made the statement, such burials reached 50 and above daily.

Was it a temporary slowdown or a permanent trend? We will keep monitoring [the data]. Hopefully, this is a trend that is permanent, which means that [COVID-19 infections] have been declining, he said.

Central government data on the city's daily reported cases, meanwhile, show that the number has rather been fluctuating. On Monday, when Doni made the statement, the city recorded 71 new cases. It recorded 133 new cases on Tuesday.

While acknowledging that the PSBB might be helping to slow down transmission, experts have warned against taking data on new confirmed cases at face value, mainly because the country's lack of PCR testing capacity might lead to low and late reporting of new cases.

A biostatistic researcher at the University of Indonesia's (UI) School of Public Health, Iwan Ariawan, said that without further information on the number of tests being carried out and the time gap between the collection of swab samples and the announcement of test results, interpreting a decline in reported COVID-19 cases was subject to a high risk of bias.

"For instance, with a reduced number of tests being carried out, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases will automatically decline as well. [And that would not be] because of a decline in cases among the population, but rather because of a decline in the number of people being tested," he said.

COVID-19 cases (JP/Swi Handono)

Iqbal Ridzi Fahdri Elyazar, disease surveillance and biostatistics researcher at the Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, said any good news on a decline in new cases in Jakarta had to be supported by accurate data, which would largely rely on the country's testing capacity to reveal new cases in a timely manner. He said a systematic epidemiology study that met scientific standards was needed, aside from ensuring a wide testing scope.

"Vietnam tests 2.17 per 1,000 people, while Indonesia tests 0.21 per 1,000 people. That means the testing scope in Vietnam is 10 times that of Indonesia. Vietnam's claim of a decline in new cases, then, is more reliable, because it is testing more people at risk," Iqbal said.

Indonesia has only tested 62,544 people as of Tuesday, resulting in 9,511 testing positive. Data compiled by the Post from the government's daily briefing showed that the country tested an average of 2,300 new people daily in the past week.

Iwan of UI said that, based on his team's estimation, Indonesia would need to carry out PCR test on 3 million people to detect and isolate cases, but as massive testing was difficult, the PSBB could be the intervention the country needed to suppress infections.

Iwan said his team had tried to evaluate the efficacy of Jakarta's PSBB by using Google's data, which showed that the proportion of people staying at home had indeed seen a spike compared to January and February. He said that, according to the data, about 59 percent of people in Jakarta had stayed at home on April 19.

"However, modeling in Australia shows that 80 percent of the people need to stay at home to deflate the epidemic curve," he said, referring to modeling by Sydney University published on preprint website arXiv.

According to his team's modeling, Iwan said that with the currently imposed intervention, Jakarta would see its peak of cases in mid-May and if the PSBB was to bear success, the capital could gradually loosen up its restrictions starting from July. He warned of lifting the restrictions too early to avoid a second wave of infections.

Another epidemiologist at UI, Tri Yunis Miko, had doubts that Jakarta would return to normal in July, urging the authorities not to lift restrictions before there were zero new cases reported. He believed, however, that Doni's statement could instil hope among the people and rally support for everyone to work together in curbing transmission, including by following the PSBB rules.

Karina M. Tehusijarana and Budi Sutrisno contributed to this story.
Weeks before the coronavirus hit South Carolina, Marinella Griffith was already dealing with the enormity of the pandemic, thinking about her elderly parents in Italy.

The country was one of the first areas outside of China initially hit hard by COVID-19, and there was no way for Griffith to get to Italy from Charleston to help her parents because of travel restrictions.

"I was waking up with a knot in my stomach every morning," the College of Charleston professor said.

Griffith is among Palmetto State residents who've had to manage through a pandemic while worrying for several family members living in faraway cities and countries with much higher death rates associated with the virus.

In this unique pandemic era, residents have been struggling with things like shipping needed supplies to family members in China and managing funeral services for lost loved ones in other states. When South Carolina was reporting its first two cases of the virus, countries like Italy and China were already seeing hundreds of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.

"It has been very hard," Griffith said.

More awareness

Davide Mazzola, 47, lives in Mount Pleasant, where he owns Amalfis restaurant in the Belle Hall area. Hes originally from Naples, Italy, and most summers he and his wife and two children spend a month in Italy visiting family.

When the new coronavirus swept through Italy, Mazzola kept in touch with his family by phone and video-chat, and worried.

The thing that worried me the most was that, if any of them had been infected, I could not go and help them," he said.

Mazzola is from the south of Italy, where the pandemic hasn't been as bad.

For Griffith, it's been the same. She speaks with her mother, who is in her late 70s, twice a day. Her family lives in Calabria, a southern province in Italy. But she's also heard about cities like Milan seeing higher case numbers.

Italy in general was hard hit, with more than 26,000 deaths, and has had the longest lockdown anywhere, National Public Radio reported.

Italians are known for being on the streets all the time, socializing and drinking espresso for hours," Mazzola said.

Mazzola already had tickets to fly to Italy in June. Now, hes not sure when hell be able to safely visit his 84-year-old father and other relatives this year. Griffith also had plans to see her parents during the summer, but they had to be canceled.

"It was devastating for me," she said.

One thing she notices as far as the differences between her Charleston experience and her family's experience is with masks and gloves.

Griffith said she remembers sending a picture of herself to her family in Italy when she finally found toilet paper. She thought they would all laugh since they were confused about Americans having trouble finding it.

But they all reprimanded her for not having on a mask in the grocery store.

"That kind of gave me more awareness," she said.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced April 27 that restrictions would begin to ease in May.

In Italy, I feel like the worst is over, Mazzola said.

Getting a head start

During the pandemic, Buist Academy eighth-grader Harry Ding, his family and other members of the Charleston area's Chinese community got attention after they banded together to donate supplies to the Medical University of South Carolina.

Those resources included hundreds of masks and medical gloves and $4,000.

Some of those supplies were sent over from family members living in China. Harry said having family in China gave them some perspective on how bad the pandemic could be and what supplies would potentially be important.

We kind of knew the danger of this pandemic before," he said. That kind of motivated us to prepare."

Harry's father Wei said although they didn't have family in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus was first discovered, his mother and brother do live in a city that is close.

In the earlier days of the pandemic when talking with family, he said, they were all hearing different rumors about the virus. Sometimes it was difficult to figure out what was true. There was also a lot of panic with families only being able to eat things like ramen noodles, he said.

You could feel the different emotions compared to us," he said. Everybody was scared.

He even attempted to send some supplies to his brother that they were having trouble finding in China. They ended up getting lost in the mail.

Now with the pandemic touching American soil, Harry said the worry has shifted. Before, they were reaching out to family to see if they were OK. Now those same family members are checking on their relatives in the United States.

But Wei is happy to see small improvements like more people in the Charleston area using masks.

"At least we learn and improve every day," he said.

'It kind of made it feel real alien'

Brenda Stukes and Vera Hoffarthharper are New York City-based sisters who, along with their two other siblings, spent at least 10 years living between Charleston and New York City.

They describe their 89-year-old mother, Celestine Stukes, as the ultimate caregiver. She was a nurse and they say she never hesitated to help family, even if it meant risking her own health.

She always made sure everybody had everything they needed," Stukes said.

On top of trying to manage during a pandemic, the sisters recently had to organize a Charleston funeral for their mother, who died April 6 from the coronavirus.

Stukes said the social distancing really made the service difficult. It had to be done outdoors with a limited number of people. So it was hard.

Because you can't hug anybody," Stukes said. It kind of made it feel real alien.

Chardale Murray, the Lowcountry-based funeral director who oversaw Stukes' services, said since the pandemic they've had to rely more on virtual services and funeral home walkthroughs to manage social distancing.

Some of their coronavirus cases have been for New York-based families.

"We just play it by ear," said the Murray's Mortuary director. "Every case is different."

Jim Dobbins, founder of Simplicity Lowcountry Cremation and Burial, said with the pandemic there have also been small delays with transferring bodies out of state. They had to transport a body to Greenville recently since the airport in Charleston wasn't able to move a body for them.

Dobbins said there have been six confirmed coronavirus deaths at his funeral home. But he wants the public to understand that even though funeral directors see a lot of death, it doesn't mean they are immune to feelings around it. They also aren't immune to pandemic worries.

A lot of his family is still in Michigan, and he has had a family member contract the virus. Seeing all of the deaths puts it at the front of a lot of directors' minds, he said, especially for those whose family isn't all in the area.

"You do start thinking about your own parents," he said.

David Slade contributed to this report.
ALBANY  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo lashed out again Wednesday at congressional foes he said are questioning efforts to draft another federal stimulus bill to aid state and local government agencies.

He accused U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of "playing politics" at a time when Americans are dying and suffering as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I just hope the political leadership of this nation understands how good we are as a people," Cuomo said. "Sometimes the people lead, and the politicians follow, and that's where we are today. ... Politicians, try to be half as good as the American people."

The governor said that a regional reopening of the state remains the plan, but that large attractions including the state fair in Syracuse and the Saratoga Race Course would be hard to open this year unless New York and adjacent states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, open businesses statewide.

"You cant open an attraction that will bring people from across the state," Cuomo said. "I dont think you can open those unless you do it statewide. If you open the Saratoga racetrack ... you will have people from the entire northeast region driving to the Saratoga racetrack just because they want to get out of the house."

As Cuomo has portrayed New York's fiscal situation as dire, he has not publicly stated whether furloughs or layoffs for state workers may be necessary. He has said that federal aid is critical to pay teachers, firefighters, health care workers and police officers.

The State Police, which has more than 5,000 sworn troopers, have seen their caseload plummet during the pandemic, as have most of New York's law enforcement agencies.

While overall calls for service are up this month in comparison with a year ago, vehicle and traffic citations dropped from more than 85,000 to 10,212. Crashes investigated by troopers fell from 4,928 a year ago to 2,232 this month, and arrests fell from 4,727 to 2717.

Cuomo, during his daily coronavirus task force briefing at the Capitol, unveiled a large collage of homemade masks that he said the state  and his office  has received from people across the country. He said the collage demonstrates the "love" Americans have for one another.

"This is just people's way of saying 'we care and we want to help,'" the governor said. "This is what Americans are about. A little bit more of this and a little bit less of the partisanship and the ugliness and this country would be a better place."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The governor's tone Wednesday was more abrasive and he used charts to demonstrate that Florida and Kentucky, where congressional leaders oppose doling out trillions of dollars to states and local governments, receive tens of millions of dollars more in federal aid than they contribute annually. New York, he said, pays $39 billion a year more to the federal government than it gets back.

"They are numbers and they are facts," Cuomo said. "I dont care what the news media does to try to distort these facts. Its the Washington double speak. They want to fund the airlines, the hotels, the big corporations."

The state of New York is facing a roughly $13 billion deficit that Cuomo said could balloon to $60 billion by 2024 without federal intervention.

"This political patina, this politicization of what were going through in this country is extraordinarily dangerous.  Were dealing with a situation that we dont really understand and we dont know how to deal with. This is uncharted water."
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Tom Hanks says the blood he and his wife, Rita Wilson, donated after recovering from coronavirus should go toward a Hank-ccine. He and his wife also hope to donate plasma to COVID-19 patients.

They were the first celebrities to test positive for a disease that has now infected more than three million people and killed more than two hundred thousand. Their illness is a reminder that this virus knows no status and is restricted to no social class.

Their story came to mind when I read Isaiah 24 recently and found this description of Gods judgment: And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word (vv. 23).

I do not read these verses as predicting the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, interpreters typically consider them to be apocalyptic descriptions of the end of history and Gods judgment against sinful humanity.

But I did notice the degree to which such judgment will be administered equally, from people to priest, from slave to master, from buyer to seller. This fact shows that Gods sovereignty transcends every division and classification of human history. He is truly Lord over all.

Trusting Gods sovereign love with our needs

There is another side to this principle: just as God can judge all who sin, he can pardon all who seek his forgiving grace (1 John 1:9). Just as he can punish all who transgress, he can forgive all who repent.

Jesus encountered no illness he could not cure, no need he could not meet, no leper he could not cleanse, no corpse he could not raise.

In other words, our God is more than able to meet every need we bring to him (Philippians 4:19). If he does not answer your prayers in the way you wish during this pandemic, it is not because he is unable to do so or because he does not know or care about you. There are times when his timing is not ours. There are mysteries to his divinity that humanity cannot unravel on this side of glory (Isaiah 55:89; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

But we know this: we can give him our needs and know that he hears us and that he loves us. He is both our sovereign King and our loving Father.

Why do you need him to be both today?
Albany, N.Y.  Republicans opposed to federal aid for states and cities should take a cue from the thousands of Americans who have helped New York over the last two months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

Cuomo spent much of his daily press briefing again criticizing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his opposition to more funding for the states during the coronavirus pandemic. He also singled out Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who has also questioned the need for federal aid for states.

Scott and McConnell are both Republicans. Cuomo, a Democrat, has traded nasty words with Scott before.

But after lecturing them both for about 10 minutes, he turned to his admiration and appreciation for Americans at large.

He spoke again of the farmer in Kansas who sent one of his few remaining N95 masks to the state. He unveiled a mosaic of some of the thousands of other masks the state has received during the pandemic.

He noted 95,000 health care workers from across the country volunteered to help New York at the height of the crisis.

"This is just people's way of saying we care and we want to help," Cuomo said. "This is what this country is about. This is what Americans are about. A little bit more of this and a little bit less of the partisanship and the ugliness and this country would be a better place.

"The best of America is beautiful."

Testing

New York is now conducting about 30,000 coronavirus tests a day, Cuomo said. He previously announced a goal to double daily testing in the state from 20,000 to 40,000.

He also said a round of antibody tests for police officers in New York City came back 10.9% positive.

Over 17% of firefighters and emergency medical technicians in the city tested positive. The higher rate is likely because EMTs face a much higher risk of exposure to the virus, Cuomo said.

The average positive rate for antibody testing Downstate is about 18%.

The state plans to test 1,000 transit workers for coronavirus antibodies as well.

Elective surgeries

Cuomo said he plans to issue an executive order today allowing some hospitals to restart outpatient elective surgeries. Facilities in Onondaga, Madison, Oswego and Oneida counties are eligible, but those in Cayuga, Cortland and some other counties are not.

Elective surgeries can only restart if a county meets certain benchmarks on the severity of the pandemic there.

Individual hospitals must then meet additional requirements. Facilities in Syracuse have said they still have too many virus patients to restart the procedures.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
Inside Hook

Its understandable to look to crises of the past when confronting a crisis in the present. Looking at how infectious diseases spread in the past can offer some insight into the present moment, for instance. And in seeing how others coped with life during a plague, we might be able to derive some inspiration from their actions. Its an understandable reason to delve into history.

A new article by Edward Watts at Smithsonian Magazine travels back to the time when smallpox ravaged through the Roman Empire. Watts writes that it began in the year 165, and is generally known as the Antonine Plague. From there, Watts writes, the epidemic waxed and waned for a generation, peaking in the year 189 when a witness recalled that 2,000 people died per day in the crowded city of Rome.
U K hospital trusts have been advised to "risk-assess" black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) members of staff and make "appropriate arrangements" as data emerged suggesting they are disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

A letter sent by NHS bosses Simon Stevens and Amanda Pritchard on Wednesday outlined steps for the "second phase" of the health service's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Part of those recommended steps includes taking a "precautionary" measure to risk-assess BAME staff who might be at potentially greater risk of contracting the virus.

The Government has said it will launch a review into why people from ethnic minority backgrounds appear to make up a large number of Covid-19 cases.

The letter to hospital trusts says: "Emerging UK and international data suggest that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are also being disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

"Public Health England have been asked by Department of Health and Social Care to investigate this.

"In advance of their report and guidance, on a precautionary basis we recommend employers should risk-assess staff at potentially greater risk and make appropriate arrangements accordingly."

NHS England also said it expects to still be looking after several thousand Covid-19 patients over the coming weeks, but it hopes it will continue to decrease week-on-week.

Bosses said "the pressure on many of our staff will remain unprecedented".

NHS workers in PPE at Queens Hospital / Getty Images

"Sadly coronavirus looks set to be with the us for some time to come, so we will need continuing vigilance," the letter says.

"We are, however, now coming through this peak of hospitalisations, as seen by the drop of nearly 5,000 in the daily number of confirmed Covid-19-positive patients in hospitals across England over the past fortnight."

The letter also takes the opportunity to praise the "unparalleled commitment and flexibility of NHS staff".

"Despite real concern going in to the pandemic  following difficult international experience  every coronavirus patient needing hospital care, including ventilation, has been able to receive it," it says.

"This has largely been possible as a result of the unparalleled commitment and flexibility of NHS staff, combined with the publics social distancing which remains in place to cut the spread of the virus."

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

Bosses also noted that the number of non-coronavirus patients attending hospitals has dropped sharply in recent weeks, and warned of a "likely rebound in emergency demand".

"Last week emergency hospital admissions were at 63 per cent of their level in the same week last year," the letter says.

"There is therefore considerable uncertainty as to the timing and extent of the likely rebound in emergency demand.

"To the extent it happens, non-elective patients will potentially reoccupy tens of thousands of hospital beds which have not had to be used for that purpose over the past month or so.

"This means we need to retain our demonstrated ability to quickly repurpose and surge capacity locally and regionally, should it be needed again."

Government Press Conference Response About Effect Of Coronavirus On BAME Communities

It comes as NHS services including cancer care and mental health support which were paused due to the outbreak will be restored this week, Matt Hancock announced on Monday.

The letter reiterates: "Over the next six weeks and beyond we have the opportunity to begin to release and redeploy some of the treatment capacity that could have been needed while the number of Covid-19 patients was rising so sharply.
One of Norway's richest men has denied murdering his wife and faking her kidnapping after he was arrested on Tuesday.

Property tycoon Tom Hagen, 70, 'forcefully maintains that he had nothing to do with' the disappearance of his wife Anne-Elisabeth Hagen in 2018, his lawyer said.

A pre-nuptial agreement made in 1987 shows that Anne-Elisabeth was entitled to only 15,000 of his 156million fortune along with a plot of land and a Citroen car if the couple divorced.

However, lawyers say the agreement was so lopsided that it might have been 'ripped apart' by a court.

Norwegian property tycoon Tom Hagen (pictured left) has denied 'murder or complicity in the murder' of his wife Anne-Elisabeth (pictured right), who disappeared in 2018

According to public broadcaster NRK, the marriage agreement stated that Hagen's fortune remained his separate property and would not be split if they divorced.

All she would receive is a 'cabin plot' north of Oslo, 200,000 kroner (15,000) in cash and a Citroen BX or a car of equivalent quality.

Hagen, the second eldest in a farming family of 12 children, first struck it rich in the property business in the late 1980s and founded electric company Elkraft in 1992.

He founded electric company Elkraft in 1993 and currently holds a 70 per cent stake in the firm, which operates throughout Scandinavia.

His fortune is estimated at around 1.9billion Norwegian kroner (156million), making him one of the 200 richest men in Norway.

The agreement says that 'all that Tom Hagen acquires in the future either by inheritance, gift, salary or return, or otherwise, belongs to his peculiar property'.

In addition, the agreement was amended in 1993 to give Tom Hagen control over a property that Anne-Elisabeth had inherited from, her parents.

A Norwegian police investigator and a police dog at Tom Hagen's home in Lorenskog yesterday after the property tycoon was arrested

A masked investigator is seen through the window yesterday during a search of Tom Hagen's home near Oslo

Policemen search Tom Hagen's workplace in the Futurum building in Lorenskog yesterday

Lawyers told Norwegian media that the agreement was so extraordinary that it may well have been thrown out by a court if they divorced.

'I have seen many marriages through my practice, but rarely seen a marriage that appears so unbalanced,' one lawyer said.

'If she had tried to challenge this marriage agreement as part of a request for divorce, her husband would have been ripped apart by a court,' said another.

Anne-Elisabeth vanished without trace from the couple's home near Oslo on October 31, 2018 - 49 years after they married.

A poorly-written ransom note containing threats and a demand for 9million in crypto-currency was discovered at the scene.

A police cordon outside Tom Hagen's home in January 2019, when police first went public with news of Anne-Elisabeth's disappearance

Police block off the residence of the Hagen couple yesterday after Anne-Elisabeth Hagen's husband Tom Hagen was arrested in a police action in Lorenskog

Authorities made contact online with people who appeared to be the 'kidnappers' - initially supporting the theory that she had been abducted.

However, police now suspect that there was no kidnapping and that Hagen staged the abduction to cover up murder.

'The case is characterized by a clearly planned deception,' chief investigator Tommy Broeske told a news conference Tuesday in Oslo.

'As other hypotheses have been weakened, suspicions against Tom Hagen have gradually been strengthened.

Broeske told reporters: 'There was no kidnapping, no real negotiating counterpart or real negotiations.'

Hagen was arrested yesterday on suspicion of 'murder or accessory to murder', commissioner Ida Melbo Oystese said on Tuesday.

Tom Hagen's lawyer Svein Holden arrives at a police station near Oslo yesterday. He says his client 'forcefully denies' involvement in his wife's disappearance

Police said the case 'had traces of a clear, premeditated misdirection' but did not speculate about the motive.

Prosecutor Aase Kjustad Eriksson said authorities would seek to have Hagen held for four weeks in pre-trial custody and that more arrests were possible.

Authorities had initially kept the disappearance quiet in 2018, but hundreds of tips poured in after they finally went public in January 2019.

Murders and kidnappings are rare in Norway, which prides itself on low crime rates, and the case has gripped the public imagination ever since.

Hagen's lawyer, Svein Holden, later said his client denied the accusations against him.

'He forcefully maintains that he has nothing to do with this,' Holden told reporters outside the police station after meeting Hagen.

Hagen has not been formally charged, a step which usually comes much later in the legal process under Norwegian law.
An Ivory Coast court on Tuesday sentenced exiled former prime minister Guillaume Soro to 20 years in jail on charges of embezzlement and money laundering.

Soro, a former rebel leader and a candidate in presidential elections this October, currently lives in France.

Soro was accused of buying a house in Abidjan in 2007 with public money.

The Abidjan court on Tuesday fined him nearly seven million euros, ordered the confiscation of his Abidjan home and barred him from civic duties for five years.

It also issued a fresh arrest warrant for Soro, who is also the former parliament speaker and who is now effectively barred from contesting the election.

The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights had recently ordered Ivory Coast to suspend an arrest warrant against Soro, who had taken his case to a Tanzania-based court last month.

Soro was also ordered to pay three million euros in damages and interest to the state.

Analysts viewed Soro as a serious challenger to his erstwhile ally President Alassane Ouattara, whom he helped to power in 2010 amid political violence which cost 3,000 lives.

Soro went on to serve as prime minister under Ouattara, then parliamentary speaker until last year.

But the two fell out progressively and Soro by last year harboured his own presidential ambitions.
Irrfan Khan's Last Message To His Last Film- Everything The Actor Left Us To Remember Him By
Wendy Williams is an unconventional television host. John Oliver is known for discussing all sorts of unconventional behaviors on his show. In a weird way, Williams and Oliver were made for each other.

On an episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver discussed everything from Williams unusual eating habits to her Betty Boop memorabilia. Ultimately, Oliver said he was a fan of Williams new show Wendy @ Home. Williams liked the episode Oliver discussed and, in turn, interviewed Oliver on her program.

Wendy Williams with her hands on her hips | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Vulture Festival

Wendy Williams unusual eating habits

On the aforementioned episode of Wendy @ Home, Williams ate some peculiar snacks. For example, she ate caviar and Doritos. She said caviar brings her up high while Doritos keep her exactly where she needs to be. She also ate bacon with blue cheese smothered in hot sauce and maple syrup.

In his segment on her, Oliver poked fun at Williams habit of eating on camera. However, now he got the chance to act like Williams on TV. From quarantine, Oliver broadcast himself speaking to Williams and eating one of her new signature snacks.

John Oliver gets some gifts from Wendy Williams

First, Williams expressed her gratitude for Oliver featuring clips of her on his show. Oliver revealed Williams sent him a painting of herself. Specifically, the painting shows her about to eat a lamb chop. If only it showed her eating her trademark mix of bacon, blue cheese, hot sauce, and maple syrup!

Then, Oliver tried a mix of caviar and Doritos which Williams sent him, even though thats not something hed eat otherwise. He explained You sent caviar and Doritos. I dont like either of these foods separately, so Im not sure how I will like them together.

He tried some and said it tasted like every flavor imaginable combined. Wow, its a lot. Its not just one flavor, Wendy its almost all of the flavor.

John Oliver on his show and his wife

Williams asked why Oliver discussed her on his show. Oliver said his team was looking for clips of other shows broadcasting from home. Oliver liked Wendy @ Home because Williams seemed like she gave no f*cks.

Williams, in turn, asked Oliver about his habit of swearing. She wanted to know if his children mimicked him by swearing. Oliver said he hoped they didnt. He also said that, if his children remember the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, theyd remember their father would go to a room and scream while filming his show.

Williams also said Olivers wife is beautiful. Oliver said he met his wife  a medic  after she came back from Iraq. Oliver said he hopes his wife would be able to fix any medical issues he has during the quarantine.

John Oliver and Wendy Williams dish on The Real Housewives of New York

NEW YORK, NY  JUNE 11: TV personality Sonja Morgan and her dog Milou attend the 2012 Bideawee Gala at Gotham Hall on June 11, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Williams noted that, like her, Oliver is a fan of The Real Housewives of New York. She asked which housewife is his favorite. Oliver said he likes Sonja Morgan and other housewives he feels are close to being sociopaths. Williams also said she likes Morgan.

Oliver signed off and Williams said shed like to see him when the quarantine is over. Hopefully, theyll guest star on each others shows. Fans feel the two had chemistry as entertainers.

Also see: Wendy Williams: Taylor Swift Proves Life in General Is Getting Worse
The Hikvision headquarters in Hangzhou, China, on May 22, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Surveillance Company Hikvision Hides Human Rights Abuses

WASHINGTONThe worlds largest camera manufacturer, Hikvision, which has come under increased scrutiny for its role in Chinas human rights violations, is systematically hiding evidence about its operations, a new report reveals.

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, the company behind Chinas mass surveillance system, continues to work on large-scale projects at its research and development (R&D) center in Chinas western Xinjiang region, according to IPVM, a surveillance research firm.

Hikvision has systematically deleted evidence showing their R&D base and activities in Xinjiang, hiding them, amidst U.S. human rights abuse sanctions and increased scrutiny, an IPVM report stated.

Hikvision was placed on a trade blacklist by the U.S. government in 2019 for its involvement in rights violations in China, including mass detention and surveillance. The company has come under severe criticism for providing its technology to the Chinese communist regime to repress Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

IPVM discovered that Hikvision deleted a map on its website that showed the location of its research facilities, including the one in Xinjiang. When IPVM asked why the map was deleted, the company responded, Hikvision does not have a research institute in Xinjiang, and has corrected any information to the contrary on its website.

The research company also found that Hikvision deleted all job ads posted on various websites soon after IPVM reached out for comment. Dozens of job postings have been deleted, according to IPVM.

One of the ads stated that the company was looking for a senior system integration design engineer for large-scale projects in its branch office at Urumqi, Xinjiangs capital.

The company released its first environmental, social, and governance report in 2018 to address the concerns of stakeholders.

Hikvision respects the human rights, the report stated, adding that it hired Arent Fox LLP, a U.S. law firm to conduct a review of operations to better protect human rights.

The Epoch Times reached out to Hikvisions press office for comment about the IPVM report but received no response.

A Chinese state-owned enterprise, China Electronics Technology Corp., owns nearly 42 percent of Hikvision through two subsidiaries, according to a report by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

The report, released in November 2019, stated that Hikvision was directly involved in the construction, operation, and ongoing maintenance of a centralized system that aggregates and analyzes large amounts of individuals data in Xinjiang.

The Chinese government may have arbitrarily detained individuals flagged by the system in the internment camps or other detention facilities, the report noted.

Foreign suppliers such as Intel, Ambarella, and Nvidia reportedly sold computer processing chips and graphics chips to Hikvision, and the U.S. data storage company Seagate provided the company with custom storage solutions for its surveillance systems, the report added.

Hikvision supplies total surveillance and racial profiling, which is providing an absolute horror to the Uyghur people; its creating a prototype for total surveillance elsewhere in China and potentially throughout the world, Louisa Greve, director of global advocacy at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, a Washington-based nonprofit, told The Epoch Times.

Up to 1.8 million Uyghurs have been detained since the spring of 2017 in so-called re-education camps where they have been subjected to torture and brainwashing, according to Adrian Zenz, senior fellow in China Studies at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Zenz predicts that there are as many as 1,400 internment camps in the region.

Americans Unwittingly Fund Hikvision

Hikvision is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange and is one of the Chinese companies that index provider Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) included in its emerging markets index.

Many U.S. investment funds hold shares of Hikvision and hence, U.S. pensioners are unaware that theyre funding the company.

Two of the nations largest public pension funds, the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS), hold large shares of Hangzhou Hikvision.

CalSTRS, the nations second-largest public pension fund, held 4.1 million shares worth $16.5 million as of June 30, 2019, according to the latest disclosure available. NYSTRS also held 81,802 shares of Hikvision as of June 2019.

CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the United States, came under fire recently for holding $3.1 billion worth of shares in 172 different Chinese companies, including those that are involved in the Chinese Communist Partys rights abuses. The fund held 24,800 shares of Hikvision worth $99,586 as of June 30, 2019.

The funds other Chinese investments include China Shipbuilding Industry Corp., the largest manufacturer of Chinas navy ships, and China Communications Construction Co., which is the largest builder in Beijings Belt and Road Initiative.

CalPERS defended its investment in Chinese stocks on its website, stating that the MSCI and Financial Times Stock Exchange indexes remain the most popular indexes for U.S.-based institutional investors investing in overseas equity markets.

In an interview for The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program in March, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said most state pension funds are guilty of investing in Chinese companies that build up the Chinese military.

So this is a ripe moment for our nations governors to pull state pension funds out of dangerous Chinese investments. I hope that our governors will heed that call. California is the biggest offender of this, he said.
SEACOM has launched a new consumer fibre Internet service provider, called WonderNet.

The ISP will offer uncapped and unthrottled fibre products with speeds ranging from 10Mbps to 1Gbps.

All WonderNet packages will include a standard Wi-Fi router and will be available on a month-to-month basis. There is also no fair usage policy (FUP) and no contention ratios.

SEACOM said it has developed a digital platform for the ISP  which will go live in May 2020.

Prices for WonderNet fibre packages start at R559 and are heavily dependent on the location and last-mile service provider, SEACOM said.

Until the WonderNet interactive app and coverage map are available later in May, customers can email [email protected] for a quotation.

SEACOM said that WonderNet leverages the quality of the companys connectivity to offer consumers the capacity they need.

By responding to the growing needs of consumers across the country, WonderNet supports homebound families with a full turnkey solution that makes things easier, faster, and more reliable, SEACOM said.

Linked to one of Africas leading Internet service providers, WonderNet provides superior service and comes from a heritage of quality.

Mobile app and digital support

SEACOM said it has invested in its digital support infrastructure for WonderNet, which will provide customers with fast and efficient support.

Consumers require a simple, fast and effective way to do business and connect themselves and more importantly, their families, with the digital world, said SEACOM head of FTTH and SME Matthew Campbell.

Traditional methods of doing business dont cater to the consumer anymore. This is how the WonderNet concept was born.

Our mobile app-driven, one touch-point architecture allows consumers to easily check their usage, invoicing, and how their order is progressing.

This platform will also allow customers to log support tickets, perform speed tests, and access 24/7 support without the frustration of sitting on calls.

Launching in a competitive market

SEACOM chief commercial officer Steve Briggs acknowledged that the fibre-to-the-home space in South Africa is competitive, but added that WonderNets superior customer experience and automated systems would give the new ISP an edge.

Its a very competitive space, but ISPs that plan to have a long-term play in FTTH will be those that offer superior customer experience and automated systems with great digital interfaces, Briggs said.

Importantly, weve invested in a digital platform, including an app, to enable a seamless self-service.

We want to create a great consumer product and an even better customer experience, he said.

WonderNet is focused on keeping things simple, while at the same time ensuring the continuity of home connectivity in South Africa.

Now read: Afrihost IPC graph reveals how the lockdown changed Internet usage in South Africa
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 19:31:41|Editor: huaxia

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KIGALI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- This year's Intra-African Trade Fair, initially scheduled to take place in Rwanda in September, has been postponed to next year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said in a statement on Wednesday.

The event, co-organized by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union (AU) and the Rwandan government, will be postponed to Sept. 6-12, 2021, in Kigali to ensure the safety of the host country and the participants, said the statement released by Rwandan Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The organizers had said the second edition of the biennial trade fair, aimed at boosting the intra-African trade, will target the execution of intra-African trade deals worth more than 40 billion U.S. dollars.

In partnership with Afreximbank and the AU Commission, Rwanda is looking forward to the second trade fair in 2021 to boost intra-African trade, Rwandan Minister of Trade and Industry Soraya Hakuziyaremye said in the statement.

The first Intra-African Trade Fair was held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in 2018. Enditem
The original plan in Washington, D.C., was for both the Senate and the House to reconvene on May 4. News broke on Tuesday, though, that the House will not be returning to work. It turns out that so many members of the House panicked at the thought of working once more for the American people that House majority leader Steny Hoyer was forced to announce that the House would remain closed next week (emphasis added):

We made a judgment that we will not come back next week but that we hope to come back very soon," Hoyer told reporters on a press call. Hoyer said he and Pelosi made the decision to halt plans to return after consulting Monday evening with the Capitol's attending physician, who warned that lawmakers could be at risk given the still-rising number of coronavirus cases in the Washington, D.C. area. Nearly 4,000 people have tested positive in D.C., as of Monday, plus thousands more in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. "We had no choice. If the Capitol physician recommends that we not come back, then we have to take that guidance," Pelosi told reporters on a separate call Tuesday afternoon. Pelosi's statement that "we had no choice" is a load of bull manure. All over America, people have been making choices to keep the country functional: health care workers, truckers, factory workers, store clerks, sanitation workers, and many more. The list is endless.

Writing at Disrn, Adam Ford took a moving, really very important, look at the choices American people make:

First, we reported on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The darling of the "just left of Marx" camp, in an interview with Vice, stated that once the economic lockdowns are lifted, Americans should simply refuse to go back to work. [snip] Next, we reported on factory workers at a company called Braskem America in Pennsylvania. More than 40 employees made the collective decision in March to leave their families and live at the factory for 28 days, where they would eat, sleep, and take turns working 12-hour shifts to produce protective equipment for healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic. They clocked out yesterday after their month-long shift.

When it comes to the House of Representatives, the Capitol physician didn't  indeed, he couldn't  bar the door. He's just an excuse. What really happened is that a noisy or sizable percentage of our 435 representatives were too afraid to go to work and decided that their responsibilities to the American people are so limited, even meaningless, that no one would care about their absence. In essence, as Pradheep J. Shanker tweeted, House members just declared that they are non-essential workers:

First of all, the House should never have left DC in the first place.



This is a time of crisis. If these 400 plus Americans are not essential, let them resign.



Are they really less essential than grocery store clerks?? Apparently.  Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) April 28, 2020

And using the Capitol physician is nonsense. Every essential worker faces a risk. We all know this.



Are they essential, or not?https://t.co/P3CNJhTY0R  Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) April 28, 2020

Members of the House are paid $174,000 per year. (Pelosi is paid $223,500, which is nothing compared to her $160-million net worth.) If they're not working, we should not be paying them. The taxpayers shell out almost $76.7 million annually to pay House members. Given that House members work an average of only 160 days per year, that's around $48,000 per day. If they're sitting at home for thirty days, we Americans are entitled to a $1.4-million refund.

While you're thinking about paying the House all that money, keep in mind that the only thing the House accomplished in 2020 was a faked up impeachment that managed to distract too much of the nation's attention from the rising threat in the streets of Wuhan, China. When it came to helping the American worker, their first instinct was to help that Democrat party. They had to be shamed into helping ordinary Americans. If that's not the definition of non-essential, I don't know what is.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Cocaine Mitch McConnell is made of sterner stuff. He's insisting that the Senate return to work on May 4:

McConnell announced on Monday that the Senate would return to session on May 4 for its first full week of legislative business after the CARES Act passed in late March. And he has not been shy about his desire to start confirming judges as soon as his chamber is back in session. "I haven't seen anything that would discourage me from doing that. And as soon as we get back in session, we'll start confirming judges again," he told Hugh Hewitt in a recent interview.

The fact that McConnell believes that the Senate ought to do the job that citizens pay it to do has enraged Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), whose tweet bleeds unseemly fear as well as partisan fury:

McConnell is calling the Senate back in, ignoring DC's stay at home order and putting thousands of Capitol employees at risk.



Not to do oversight of Trump's pandemic response.



Not to pass a new relief bill.



But to ram through more conservative judges.https://t.co/EbdFTO5z8R  Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2020

What's become clear throughout the Wuhan virus panic is that Democrats have an overwhelming fear of death and a pathological lust for power. All other Americans, the normal people, have an overwhelming fear of societal collapse. Come November, Americans would do well to remember those distinctions.
By Alasdair Pal and Danish Siddiqui

JUGYAI, India (Reuters) - Most days, you can find Dayaram Kushwaha and his wife, Gyanvati, hauling bricks for stonemasons in a booming northern suburb of New Delhi. They bring their 5-year-old son, who plays in the dirt while they work.

But now a hush has come over the clattering construction site, silenced by India's nationwide order to shelter in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Site managers no longer come to the intersection where Dayaram and many others stand, hoping to pick up work.

And so, with no way to feed his family or pay the rent, Dayaram hoisted his son Shivam onto his shoulders and began to walk to the village where he was born, 300 miles away.

He tried not to worry about what would happen once he got there, with empty pockets instead of the money he usually sent home to help support those left behind. At least he would have a home.

By dusk on the second day, Dayaram and around 50 others from his extended family had reached a deserted expressway running south out of the capital.

The family were hungry, thirsty and tired, and the police were never far away. Every time they stopped to rest, officers would shout at them to keep moving in single file, to maintain distance from one another to avoid spreading the virus. Officers are under orders to enforce the lockdown, but on that day they were allowing people to move.

Dayaram, 28, looked around. Thousands of other migrant workers were doing the same thing, in one of the biggest mass movements of people in the country since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947.

It began to rain. Dayaram's thoughts turned to his other son, 7-year-old Mangal, who had been left behind in the village with elderly relatives because it was too hard to care for two children while he and his wife worked. He missed him.

In the middle of a pandemic, there was one consolation: "At least I will be with him."

PUSH AND PULL

Story continues

For decades, villages across India have been emptying out.

To many people, the decision is one of simple arithmetic: to earn $6 per day instead of $3 back home. In areas like the parched Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh state, home to Dayaram's ancestral village, living off the land has become increasingly difficult as rainfall recedes.

Others seek something more abstract: the prospect of escape that pulls anyone toward a big city.

But after the shutdown, the cities themselves began to empty. Dayaram and his family were among the first to move. As the days went on, and the situation became more desperate, hundreds of thousands of migrants emerged from factories and workplaces in search of a way home.

Indian officials say the shutdown is necessary to beat coronavirus in the densely populated country of 1.3 billion people, with a health infrastructure that can ill afford a widespread outbreak.

But for Dayaram and many of India's estimated 140 million migrant laborers, the epidemic is much more than a threat to their health  it endangers their very economic survival.

In the shutdown, India has banned domestic and international travel, and factories, schools, offices and all shops other than those supplying essential services have been shut. Taken together, the measures amount to one of the harshest lockdowns in the world.

Cases here have spiked to nearly 17,000, with more than 500 deaths. On April 14, the government extended the curbs until at least May 3, prompting clashes between police and migrants trying to leave India's financial capital, Mumbai.

Migrants are the backbone of the urban economy. Construction workers such as Dayaram are a necessity for India's rapidly expanding cities. Others clean toilets, drive taxis and deliver takeout. They predominantly earn daily wages, with no prospect of job security, and live in dirty, densely populated slums, saving money to send back home.

That money is essential to the young and elderly left behind in villages. Around $30 billion flows from urban to rural areas in India each year, according to government and academic estimates.

Now that infusion of money, transferred through rural banks or in worn stacks of rupees borne home on rare visits, has come to a halt.

TURN BACK TIME

The journey from New Delhi deep into rural India is one not just of distance, but of traveling back in time.

Skyscrapers and well-paved toll roads give way to fields of wheat and okra. Bare-backed men till the land with buffalo; an elderly shepherd herds his goats down a dusty lane.

After four days of walking and hitching lifts on a series of goods trucks, Dayaram, Gyanvati and Shivam reached their family's two-room concrete hut in Jugyai, a farming village of 2,000 people.

In a dingy room in the house filled with sacks of grain and clothes, an unframed poster hangs on the wall. It depicts a handsome red-roofed house on a lake, sun setting behind snow-capped mountains. A pair of mallard ducks fly overhead.

"I want to turn the clock back to when people lived in small villages and took care of each other," it says.

Though he can't read the English text on the poster, Dayaram agrees with the sentiment. He misses this village that can no longer sustain him.

"It's not that I love Delhi," he said. "I need the money to survive. If we had it, we would have stayed here. This is home."

His mother, 53-year-old Kesra, is more practical. She too had gone to New Delhi with her family, leaving the village behind.

"Home is wherever the family is," she said. "At least in Delhi there is money to buy food."

But now they are all back, and there is no money to buy food. Making it even worse, suspicion is never far away. The returnees must deal with new prejudice from villagers who used to be their friends.

"I am scared," said Sai Ram Lal, a neighbor who works in a soybean-oil factory here.

"It was spreading in Delhi, and I am worried that they have brought it here. We keep our distance. We don't interact with them like we used to before."

For Dayaram, that has left him an outsider in his own village.

"WE ARE LIKE GARBAGE"

The Bundelkhand region is famous for the towering 16th century sandstone temples and mausoleums of nearby Orchha. It has its own distinct culture, and young men still listen to high-tempo music in the local Bundeli language on their mobile phones.

The region used to get up to 35 inches of rain per year, according to the India Meteorological Department, but over the last decade, that has almost halved.

For many of the villagers, who have traditionally earned their living farming, it is a slow-motion disaster, forcing most able-bodied men and women to migrate in search of work.

It is early April, and even before the full onset of the fierce Indian summer, where temperatures climb toward 50 degrees Celsius, or 120 Fahrenheit, the air is already uncomfortably dry.

In a neighboring village where the majority of Dayaram's extended family lives, two dozen men stood idling by the road.

Only one, 62-year-old Lal Ram, has never been to Delhi. "I had some money, so I never went," he said with a shrug.

He's also the only one with a ration card, a sore point for those who migrated to Delhi. The Targeted Public Distribution Scheme allows India's poorest to purchase 5 kilograms of subsidized grains per month each. But because the migrant workers are no longer permanent residents, they're left without access to the food doled out from a nearby grain silo.

"Nobody listens to us," one of the men said bitterly. "We are like garbage."

Harshika Singh, the top government official in the district where both villages lie, didn't respond to requests for comment on the migrants' case.

After this story was published, Indian government spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia issued a statement to Reuters on Friday outlining measures being taken to assist the poor during the pandemic. The government was offering food and cash for essential supplies to poor and marginalized people, Dhatwalia said, and relief camps have been set up in different parts of the country.

Dayaram's father, 58-year-old Takur Das, was the first in the family to set off for New Delhi in search for work when it became increasingly difficult to make a living off the parched land.

That was a decade ago. Eventually, he sent for his son, too. The work there was hard, but it was steady.

"We can get some money for your wedding," he told Dayaram.

Many people in New Delhi would struggle to find Alipur, the Delhi suburb where they settled, on a map. It rarely makes the national news but for misfortune involving laborers: 25 children rescued by authorities in a series of warehouse raids; four men, including two brothers, crushed to death by sacks of rice.

Dayaram says his heart sank when he saw the crowded, tarpaulin-roofed slum where the family slept 12 to a room. His first thought was to run away back to the village.

But he stayed. What else could he do?

Dayaram talks continuously about fate. His marriage, his move to New Delhi, his flight back home  all were decisions made not out of choice, but necessity.

Dayaram's maternal aunt played matchmaker when it came time for him to marry. He and Gyanvati were from the same Kushwaha caste, from a lower rung of India's ancient social order who traditionally worked in agriculture.

They first met a month before their wedding day.

"She was OK," Dayaram said, a smile briefly crossing his face, remembering their meeting.

"But whatever is in my fate is fine, whether it is good or bad."

After Mangal was born, Gyanvati stayed behind in Jugyai to look after him. When he was 1, she came to New Delhi with him, too.

But after Shivam was born, they were faced with a choice: take Mangal, too, or leave him in the village.

"It's easier to carry one child while working, but two is too difficult," Gyanvati said. "So we had to leave him behind."

NO ALTERNATIVE

The family's return this month coincided with harvest of the winter wheat crop. One morning, after a night on a rope-strung bed under the light of the pink supermoon, Dayaram put on a shirt ripped at the left armpit and headed to a nearby field.

His sons trailed behind, picking unripe berries from a bush. Shivam, wearing the same faded shirt in yellow checks as when he left New Delhi, put his hand on his elder brother's shoulder.

Dayaram, Gyanvati and three other relatives began cropping stalks by hand with well-worn scythes. After three days there, harvesting almost a ton of wheat, they received no payment  just 50 kilograms of the crop to take to the village flour mill.

The family's basket of lumpen potatoes would last a week. When that ran out, they would have to survive on bread alone.

In good months in New Delhi, they were able to save 8,000 rupees, or about $100, a month to send back home, and to repay a loan taken out when Gyanvati fell sick early in their marriage.

But soon, Dayaram said, he would be forced to borrow again from local money lenders, charging interest at 3% a month  a rate that can quickly spiral into unpayable debts.

Despite being separated for months at a time, Mangal and Shivam are still close. Both have their father's broad nose and mother's lively eyes, the same matching bowl haircuts with unevenly shorn sides.

"They cut each other's hair," said Gyanvati, laughing. "That's why they look like that."

Both boys shrugged when asked if they wanted to go school, as if the issue had never really been discussed.

Dayaram worries that the shutdown will end any hope of providing his children with an education.

"No parent wants their child to work as a laborer," he said. But there is no alternative, he said: "They will have to do what I have done."

Beneath the brilliant red blossoms of the Indian coral tree, the family finished the field on the stroke of midday, a white sun directly overhead.

Mangal and Shivam were tired from chasing dragonflies through the freshly cropped stubble, and sat quietly watching cartoons on a mobile phone. Dayaram came over to where they were sitting. He wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at his boys and smiled.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Danish Siddiqui; editing by Kari Howard)
OMalley Dillon has been running the campaign for nearly seven weeks, during an unprecedented time of social distancing, and continues to craft a general election strategy, according to people familiar with the move. She replaced Greg Schultz, Bidens first campaign manager, who now coordinates operations between the campaign and the national party.
Art is longer than life - Lee Strasberg

The horror, the horror...the elongated, rattling gasp of a dying Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now encapsulates the shaken feelings of an Indian cinema lovers at the tragic passing of Irrfan Khan. Fifty-three short years of which many were spent doing long, arduous and magical hours in front of the camera to give India, a land of many masks, shades, roles and guises, grand personas that stayed permanently etched in the consciousness of the Indian cinema-goer, from Muzaffarnagar to Muvattupuzha.

An actor, said Marlon Brando, is at most a poet and at least an entertainer. Irrfan remained, through his three decades of cinematic life, a poet and, when Bollywood embraced him wholeheartedly, an entertainer with whom the poet was always brawling. Against Irrfan, anyone seemed very ordinary. It was like pitting a blockbuster like Sholay against a dud like Kalank.

Bollywood has a battery of glittering stars, but their stilted performances at times can even put a chronic insomniac to sleep. Against Irrfan, these stars looked more like blips on a polluted Delhi sky. Indistinct and hardly visible. Irrfan perhaps made them remember their Beckett. Youre on earth. Theres no cure for that. Flying high, these stars crashed miserably to earth pitted against Irrfan.

Some years before India liberalised, Irrfan made the idiot box his second home. He had a blink-and-miss role in Salaam Bombay, Mira Nairs paean to the squalid streets of Bombay and its indomitable street children. Cinema blinked, but TV did not. It was a creative medium, the Indian television, at the time. We too had our Sopranos movement, but it all dissipated when Americas great wars started and the cacophony of news started riding the airwaves.

India started globalising rapidly, but Indian cinema, especially the Hindi films churned out with a nauseating regularity, sadly sank into a deep rot. In a globalising, interconnected world, India did not find its Almodovars and Malicks. It produced shallow, blingy double entendre films by Dhawans and Johars. Irrfan, who treated life as his proscenium, found himself on the fringes in the strobe-lit world of Bombay and stuck to TV, doing a variety of shows from Shyam Benegals Bharat Ek Khoj to Tony Singhs Banegi Apni Baat.

You have no idea, said Elia Kazan, how fragile an actors self-worth is. Before Irrfans self-worth started to crumble, he found some solid anchors in the new breed of Indian directors who were looking to make meaty, realistic films and were willing to give trained actors, not puffed-up stars, a chance. These were guys who had grown up in the boondocks and wanted to capture the bluster and badinage of mofussil India. They took to Irrfan like a weak, feverish bee to a juicy, nectary hive.

Haasil came. Irrfan played an upcoming student leader who was a goon with a revolutionary bent of mind. His handling and essaying of that role brings to mind Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan, the Dalit leader of Bhim Army who always plays hide and seek with the police. Coming from the real tediousness of Tonk to the reel turbulence of student politics in Allahabad, Irrfan lost no time in shedding his Rajasthani colours to wear the gamchha-donning chutzpah of the heartland and spoke the street argot of the heartland like a man who has seen nothing but the dirty and winding streets of Allahabad all his life.

His love affair with foreign film directors had started early. Before he began to establish his presence in the bylanes of Bollywood. Asif Kapadia, the British-Indian film director, had made The Warrior with him. Irrfan played a warrior in feudal Rajasthan who desperately tries to give up his sword. It was not as accomplished a performance as Toshiro Mifunes in Seven Samurai, but it was a powerful role that established him as an Indian samurai of acting.

Mira Nair, who was now the torchbearer of middle-class India after Monsoon Wedding, gave Irrfan a full-throated role in her adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiris The Namesake. Irrfan became a Bengali gent with a panoply of bhadralok manners who could perhaps, if a Bengali from Ballygunge could have asked him in all sincerity, tell his rohu from his pabda. Tabu, that understated performer who again was not used properly in overhyped Bollywood, played his wife.

They paired up for Vishal Bhardwajs Shakespearean dramas too in Maqbool and Haider. Irrfans simmering intensity and Tabus understated ardour for him became a silver-screen special for a generation that was tired of watching DDLJ rehashes. They brought to romance the restrained poetry of Sahir Ludhianvi, not the screaming, in-your-face, bubblegummy, Guccified love that Bollywood was so intent to display to the world to prove that Indians weren't arrivistes, but had really arrived.

But that was an arrival at a wrong destination. Indian films were taking a train to nowhere. The settings were magical, the stations were surreal. It was as if Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt had ceded space to an insane Andy Warhol. A Warhol that mixes the warm and bright palette of Rajasthan with LVMH knock-offs. You of course see Manhattan, but you see its patina covering a sooty Mumbai. It was as if Antonio Banderas had walked out of Almodovars set of The Skin I Live In and given Mumbai a different skin that had the magnificence of Manhattan, but not its mania and mysteries.

When a man cannot choose, said Stanley Kubrick, he ceases to be a man. But Irrfan chose, and remained an actor. In films such as Piku, that breezily detailed the Bengali banter over gastric disasters, and Hindi Medium, which humourously accumulates the Indian angst and troubles over kindergarten admissions, he continued to perform roles that made him commonplace with the modest streak of a genius who does not want the world to know his prodigious gifts.

There are no small parts, said Konstantin Stanislavski, only small actors. Sadly, many Bollywood actors dont follow that adage. Even in big parts, some of them are no more than small actors. In fact, they arent even actors. They look like controlled and dolled-up mannequins who stumble and stilt through their parts. Hindi cinemas problem is a great paucity of stories. Things have got so terrible that they are now rehashing songs and calling them remixes. The songs they picked earlier were from the golden era of Hindi cinema; now, because the talent tap has dried up completely, they happily filch songs of films made in aughties and embellish them with electric beats and present them as remixes in films to which a skimpily dressed girl, having starry aspirations, happily gyrates into national consciousness.

A real story, with some heft and gravitas, is hard to come by, and when it is on the market actors like Irrfan are a shoo-in for the role of the protagonist. But it has to be a real story. And real stories are as hard to come by in Bollywood as people on Corona-struck streets of an Indian city. There are a few actors who, like Irrfan, convey a lot with their magical and magnificent eyes. The true, says Robert Bresson, is inimitable, the false untransformable. For a film actor, the truth dances in the gleam and glaze of his eyes. It did in Irrfans case. It does, on a much smaller scale, in the case of Soubin Shahir, the Malayalam actor. The truth their eyes convey, as Bresson says, is matchless.

Irrfan leaves behind many clones. Guys who grew up watching him essay his varied roles on the silver screen and aspired to be the next Irrfan. That is his biggest contribution. That he has become an aspiration. Few attain that status in Bollywood.
New Delhi, April 29 : With the aim to make the country self-reliant amid the lockdown crisis and simultaneously accelerate the economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trusted aides A.K. Sharma and Tarun Bajaj have been tasked to take over crucial roles in the economic apparatus.

While Bajaj has been appointed as Secretary, Economic Affairs, in the Finance Ministry, Sharma has been given the role of Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) -- both major economic sectors which need excellent management during the crisis developed due to Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant countrywide lockdown.

Both senior IAS officers of the 1988 batch were on April 26 moved out of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), where they were Additional Secretaries, in a major reshuffle in the top bureaucracy of the modi government. The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by the Prime Minister.

A Haryana cadre officer, Bajaj has will take over on superannuation of incumbent Atanu Chakraborty, while Sharma, a 1988-batch IAS of Gujarat cadre, will succeed Arun Kumar Panda, who also superannuates on April 30.

Bajaj was appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in April 2015 and since then, got promoted to Additional Secretary during his five year stint due to his ability.

Officials familiar with his functioningtold IANS that he earned a key place in the PMO because of his major role in overseeing finance related matters before his current elevation. As Bajaj has served as a Director and then as Joint Secretary in DEA overseeing the insurance division between 2006 and 2011, and then as Joint Secretary in the DEA between 2014 and 2015 overseeing multilateral institutions, the Prime Minister decided to hand him over the crucial role again when the country is passing through an economic rough patch.

For Bajaj, his third stint in the Ministry of Finance will perhaps be the most eventful and challenging as the DEA is one of the most important policy-making divisions, overseeing critical segments like financial markets, infrastructure policy, currency and coins, the budget, investment and public debt management and international relations.

As its Secretary, Bajaj will vet all important proposals to revive the economy. In his new role, he will need to work closely with the Reserve Bank of India and capital markets regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to ensure quick steps are taken in the interest of financial stability.

The DEA will also be at the forefront of talks with states to ensure they have adequate funding to battle the Covid-19 disease.

Meanwhile, Sharma, who was promoted in August end last year has been in PMO since May 2014, being one of the first people to be sent on central deputation after Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister.

Sharma was part of the key team of officials who managed the Vibrant Gujarat summit as Chief Executive Officer of Gujarat State Infrastructure Board. He also served as Additional Principal Secretary in Chief Minister's Office in Gujarat in 2001 when Narendra Modi helmed the state.

Sharma has since served with Modi for continuous 18 yearsa -- through Modi's three stints as Chief Minister and his first term as Prime Minister. On central deputation, he has been given proforma promotion to the grade of Additional Chief Secretary in Gujarat last year.

As Secretary MSME, Sharma will handle a key area that the Prime Minister wants to focus on to make India self-reliant.

As Additional Secretary in the PMO, Sharma was in charge of infrastructure and was promoted as full Secretary early this month. He was the key official who handled the Prime Minister's monthly PRAGATI exercise that reviewed key Central government programmes and Centre-state projects.

Sharma's transfer as Secretary MSME is stated by officials in the Union Ministry as part of the Prime Minister's plans for India's economic revival in the post-lockdown scenario.

The MSMEs, which employ 120 million Indians, account for 33.4 per cent of India's manufacturing output and 45 per cent of overall exports, are in the doldrums following the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

TAnd it is here, that the Prime Minister wants to take advantage of Sharma's expertise in industrial and infrastructure areas as he did in Gujarat and in the PMO. ( Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)
MAC Ghana, distributors of GM and Isuzu vehicles in Ghana has made a donation of 10 Chevrolet Cobalts to the Covid-19 National Trust Fund to aid in the fight against the coronavirus the endemic in Ghana.



Making the presentation on behalf of MAC Ghana, Mr Maneesh Raseen, Head of Sales and Marketing said that the group has been moved and motivated by the exemplary leadership effort and decisions of the President of Ghana in the fight against Coronavirus.



The President has been leading the fight against the virus and we at MAC Ghana will want to support the President and government in that direction, Mr. Maneesh Raseen indicated.



The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare who received the cars on behalf of the National Trust Fund thanked MAC Ghana for the kind gesture and promised that the cars will be put to good use.



I can assure MAC Ghana that these cars will be put to good use and used for the right purpose, the Chief of Staff said.



Integrating with the efforts exerted by the government to face the crisis, Mr Aditya Arora CountryGeneral Manager, MAC Ghana stated that this contribution will be used for providing transportation services for members of medical and health teams in these difficult times.



Also present at the donation ceremony on behalf of MAC Ghana was Mr Sherif Shohdy, the Finance Manager.







Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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- Christopher de Leon proved that he is more than just a great dramatic actor but a compassionate human being as well

- The actor focused his attention on helping other people after he recovered from COVID-19

- He did that by going to St. Lukes Medical Center in Taguig to donate plasma, as revealed by his wife, Sandy Andolong

- The veteran star also posted on his Instagram account to share some of his photos taken at the hospital

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Christopher de Leon proved that he is more than just a great dramatic actor but a compassionate human being as well.

KAMI learned that Christopher focused his attention on helping other people after he recovered from COVID-19.

He did that by going to St. Lukes Medical Center in Taguig to donate plasma, as revealed by his wife, Sandy Andolong.

Done. Hubby donated his plasma this afternoon.

Thank you to all the doctors & staff of St. Lukes Global for your help & assistance. All honor & glory to GOD, Sandy wrote on Instagram.

Christopher also posted on his Instagram account to share some of his photos taken at the hospital.

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KAMI previously reported that Christopher shared his experience at the hospital after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Christopher de Leon is a veteran actor, considered one of the best in the Philippines. He is currently one of the cast members of the Kapamilya drama series entitled Love Thy Woman.

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Delhi Minority Commission chairman Zafarul Islam khan's post on Facebook on Tuesday was beyond any doubt provocative, communal and divisive. In different circumstances, his post may have passed off as yet another social media post by a radicalised element, something the law of the land would deal with in due course of time.

But the problem here is different, firstly because the post comes at a time when tensions between the Hindu and Muslim community in the country is high, thanks to the Tablighi Jamaat incident, the anti-CAA-NRC protests and the growing religious identity consciousness among Hindus at large. Khans message is only going to add fuel to the fire.

Note what he posted on Tuesday: Thank you Kuwait for standing with the Indian Muslims! The Hindutva bigots calculated that given the huge economic stakes involved the Muslim and Arab world will not care about the persecution of Muslims in India.

He then goes on to name some Indian Muslims who have contributed to the Islamic culture and civilisation, and in this connection he names Zakir Naik, a fugitive offender, as a respected household name in the Arab and the Muslim world.

There is a red corner notice by Interpol on Indias request against Naik who fled to Malaysia. He is booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), wanted in money laundering and terror-related cases. His properties in India have been attached by official agencies. But Khan holds him in very high esteem.

His concluding lines are even worse: Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face an avalanche.

Second, Khan did not make that hateful post as an individual but as the Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission. Not only does that Twitter account mentions his official position but he has signed off his post declaring it as posted by Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission.

Third, as Delhi Minority Commission chief, Khan holds a statutory quasi-judicial post  in his official capacity he has powers of a civil court trying a suit. He can summon and enforce attendance of any person and examine him on oath, require discovery and production of any document, receive evidence on affidavits, requisitioning any public or institutional record, or, copy thereof, from any office or institution of the government.

Fourth, his salary, official car and other perks, equivalent to that of a secretary level IAS officer are paid by the taxpayers money.

Fifth, it should be noted that the chairman of the Delhi Minority Commission is a nominated by the Delhi government to lead the quasi-judicial body.

The onus is now on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, if or not he would like to let Khan continue to hold this high sounding post or remove him immediately. Its a difficult choice for Kejriwal.

Consider some facts:

Khan assumed the Office of the Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission on 20 July, 2017. As per the provisions of Delhi Minority Commission (DMC) Act, his term is of three years from the date he assumed office. He, thus, has another three months to go in the present office. He had for long been the head of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations. His bio on commission website boasts Dr Khan frequently appears on top Indian and foreign television channels on issues related to the Subcontinent and the Muslim World".

Since Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party has not reacted to Khans controversial message, it is not immediately known how the Delhi chief minister and the AAP convener felt about the DMC chief and the issue. Its also not known whether or not their relations have become strained for some time.

Khan surely has embarrassed Kejriwal and the Delhi government. The provisions of the DMC Act are such that it is not easy for Kejriwal to sack Khan from his current post. He will have to use extraordinary powers to sack him. Also, the AAP chief may have to bear a political cost, Khan's sacking may antagonise sections of AAP's Muslim support base.

The Act provides that the chairman of the DMC can be removed only if he becomes an un-discharged insolvent; is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offence which in the opinion of the Central Government involves moral turpitude; become of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court; refuses to act or becomes incapable of acting; has, in the opinion of the Government of National Capital Territory, so abused the position of chairperson or member, as to render that persons continuance in office detrimental to the interests of minorities or the public interest: Provided that no person shall be removed under this clause until that person has been given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in the matters.

Khan's post on Tuesday was not an exception as the DMC chief has been consistently tweeting in a manner that gives a peep in his thought process. He had been a vocal supporter of the Tabligi Jamaat, calling the prolonged quarantine of the Jamaatis as "illegal detention" and supportive of CAA protests. He also gave a call to "all freedom-loving and godi-media-hating citizens to boycott IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir until they lift the ban on Kunal Kamra".

In one post he takes on Uttar Pradesh chief minister by saying, Yogi Adityanath who leads an illegal militia Hindu Yuva Vahini which terrorises people in eastern UP is running UP like a fief and his rant goes on.

The question is whether Khan who heads a statutory quasi-judicial body and thrives on taxpayers money be allowed to publicly pronounce his hateful feelings and get away with that.
A top financial ratings service has listed western Wyoming gas drillers Ultra Resources and Jonah Energy among issuers of top bonds of concern whose securities could face imminent default.

Fitch Ratings named the two companies that operate in the Pinedale Anticline, Jonah Field and Normally Pressured Lance, or NPL Field in an April 13 report detailing broader energy industry woes. Together the companies provide hundreds of jobs and generate hundreds of million of dollars in tax revenues from Sublette County operations annually. The energy sector is among those that are expected to drive the high-yield bond default rate past 4 percent, Fitch reported.

Ultra Petroleum Corp., which is a parent guarantor of the Ultra Resources bonds, reported April 14 that its independent accounting firm had substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern.

Ultra Resources, which suspended drilling on the Pinedale Anticline last fall, operates 2,703 wells in Sublette County, according to Drilling Edge. Jonah Energy operates 2,700 wells in and near Sublette County and has received BLM approval to develop the 3,500-well NPL field there.

The coronavirus pandemic and related economic shock has led to rapid and material deterioration in credit quality among the most-affected high yield issuers, Eric Rosenthal, senior director of leveraged finance, said in a Fitch non-rating action commentary. Energy  was especially impacted by the decline in crude oil prices as well as the material increase in supply.

Jonah issued $600 million in bonds in 2017, according to Market Insider, which tracks such financial data. Bond values have plummeted, however. Market Insider valued a Jonah bond that sold for $1,000 upon issuance two and a half years ago at $28.50 on April 24.

Ultra Resources stock that sold for $1 in 2006 closed at five cents on April 23, Markets Insider reported. In 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved Ultra Resources request to sell $700 million in securities, due to be repaid in 2022, and another $500 million due in 2025.

Ultra Petroleum Corp, organized under Yukon Territory laws, along with UP Energy Corporation, a Delaware corporation, are parent guarantors of Ultra Resources, for the securities, according to the SEC filing. Ultra Petroleum stock was valued at more than $190 a share at its peak in 2008, but closed at 3 cents Friday.

Storm clouds

Despite the financial storm clouds, the natural gas industry will continue to play a significant role in the economy of western Wyoming, wrote Ryan McConnaughey, communications director for the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. Gas industry troubles reflect those seen in the oil patch  a steep drop in demand related to COVID-19, he said in an email.

PAW continues to work with our state and federal partners to enact common-sense measures to better position the industry as it emerges from the current situation, he wrote.

Representatives from Ultra and Jonah did not return messages seeking comment. In its April 14 report, Ultra Petroleum wrote that it had engaged with some debt-holders about out-of-court financial restructuring, but such negotiations are no longer occurring. Other negotiations regarding in-court financial restructuring are ongoing, the report stated. Ultra Petroleum may have to file for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the company report says.

In a letter to Sublette County Commissioners, Jonah also said it faces problems. We are confronted with a historically challenging price environment and necessary need to stabilize the adversity we are under, Jonah Energy Vice President Paul Ulrich wrote in an undated letter that commissioners considered April 7.

Fitch Ratings painted an industry-wide picture. The Top Bonds of Concern rose 23 percent, up to $44.1 billion from $35.7 billion last month, the company said. Energy makes up 60 percent of the volume.

Bonds of concern are those where there is serious doubt about borrower ability to make good on the payments, University of Wyoming Associate Professor of Finance Ali Nejadmalayeri wrote WyoFile. A top bond of concern is the most worrisome.

Whiting Petroleums bankruptcy filing April 1 was a harbinger of the disruption, Nejadmalayeri wrote. One of the leading fracking companies in the Bakken shale field, its bankruptcy was a signal that this time around the shale operator cannot sustain the storm of COVID-19 plus Russian-Saudi oil war, he wrote. Ultra and Jonah play in the shale-gas market.

Fitch projects the 2020 energy default rate to reach 17 percent by the end of this year, closing in on the record 19.7 percent mark set in January 2017.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing to release natural gas from shale and tight sands formations such as those found in Sublette County, will become less important in the oil and gas market, the University of Wyomings Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute wrote in an April 21 release. A focus on conventional oil and gas reservoirs is key for survival of the states oil and gas industry during the current economic downturn, the statement said.

Horizontal wells drilled in unconventional [fracked] reservoirs experience rapid production decline and are only economic at relatively high oil prices, the EORI statement reads. As long as oil prices remain low, there will be little, if any, significant drilling of unconventional reservoirs in the foreseeable future. Without new wells to offset the rapid production declines characteristic of these wells, tax revenues from unconventional reservoirs will decrease substantially.

Operators should focus on enhancing production from existing conventional [non-fracked] oil fields, the statement continued. [C]onventional reservoirs are the key to Wyomings oil and gas future, the statement reads.

Wyomings Oil and Gas Conservation Commission should immediately change several well-bonding and -idling rules, the institutes statement reads. The current bonding policy relies on the erroneous assumption that every idle well will become the states responsibility, the statement said.

Jonah tax relief?

As the gas market founders, the Sublette County Attorneys Office is reviewing a request from Jonah Energy for tax-payment relief, County Clerk Carrie Long wrote WyoFile on Monday. Ulrichs letter to commissioners asked that they let the company continue with the old tax payment schedule that allows energy companies to pay county ad valorem taxes many months after production.

That traditional schedule allows ad valorem payments  essentially property taxes  to be made from between 11 to 23 months after production, according to a fiscal note the Legislative Service Office attached to House Bill 159, Monthly payment of ad valorem taxes. Lawmakers passed the bill, and sped up the payment schedule, earlier this year.

The bill, Enrolled Act No. 78, requires the ad valorem payments within months of production, phasing in the new schedule over several years. The law is designed to ensure counties are not left holding the bag in the case of bankruptcies or other financial problems, and was prompted in part by coal bankruptcies. The measure, which went into effect last month, allows companies to seek relief from counties, which Jonah Energy did April 7.

The relief is critical as it demonstrates the understanding of the [L]egislature that in some cases a taxpayer in good standing should not be required to shoulder additional unnecessary financial burden, Jonah Energy vice President Paul Ulrich wrote. He asked that Jonah be allowed to continue with the existing, delayed payments.

Jonah Energy is a taxpayer in good standing, his letter reads. We contributed approximately $118 Million in tax revenue to Wyoming in 2019. $30 Million in Ad Valorem taxes alone in 2019.

One of [the] clearest actions to stabilize and demonstrate certainty is allowing Jonah Energy to remain on the historical Ad Valorem payment schedule. Ulrichs letter reads.

Jonahs entire investment is in Wyoming, the letter says. We are dedicated to Sublette County and Wyoming, it reads.

Jonahs headquarters are in Denver. TPG, also known as Texas Pacific Group and among the largest private equity firms in the world, owns Jonah Energy. It has offices in Texas and around the world.

The Sublette Examiner first reported the letter and commissioners reaction. Ulrich said Jonah would provide addition[al] guarantees, such as a first lien, that are a better protection for the county, the newspaper reported.

Jonah has more than 200 employees, according to Ulrichs statements reported by the Examiner.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
NOT SO TOUGH

U.S. coronavirus deaths total more than any country in the world. Nearly half of all COVID-19 cases are in New York. Tough Guy says Cuomo and deBlasio should suck it up and not whine like babies asking for help. Trump declared a national emergency in March. He should have taken the lead in fighting COVID-19, but he didnt. Thankfully without federal help infections and deaths were kept below CDC projections. Self-proclaimed Tough Guy cant comprehend this because hes all bravado and no brain.

OLD MEDIA MUSTANG

WOES OF JOE

Why is Joe Biden lying about the November election, saying Trump will try to delay it? Biden isnt prepared for an election. Hes afraid of a debate with Trump. Hes scared to death to face him. Biden does have a shady past. Being on the verge of dementia is the least of his problems. Democrats will definitely try to replace him.

SKIRTING THE ISSUE

Only two presidential candidates in the history of America have nominated a woman to be their vice presidential candidate. Walter Mondale picked Geraldine Ferraro and McCain picked the girl the governor of Alaska. Neither one of these candidates helped their cause. Biden better be extremely careful in selecting a woman to be vice president. And Donald Trump can forget trying to change the election date. That is something in our Constitution that has to be done by the Congress.

THE PRIMOS POLITICIAN

ALL NANCYS FAULT

MF Westbrook, this is an answer to your Sound Off in Sundays Delco Times. You are the one who needs a reality check. Pelosi is a power-hungry power-mad egoist. She has led the Democrats and the Democratic Party down a ruinous path. When the Trump administration was first aware and investigating the COVID-19 virus Nancy was leading the Democrats through impeaching Trump, ignoring the virus threat. Nancy had gold-plated pens inscribed with her name to hand out when she signed the articles of impeachment. After President Trump gave his State of the Union speech she ripped it up, right on television for all to see. When President Trump closed our ports and airports to any entry by Chinese citizens, she led the claim to call the president a racist. Wake up, MF. Quit drinking the Kool-Aid.

JONES

LOST IN THE FUN HOUSE

Id like to Sound Off about the rabid followers of Donald the Milquetoast Trump. There used to be a set of mirrors off on the boardwalk in Wildwood that were very hilarious. One made you look like a pencil-neck geek and the other one made it you look fat as a bowling ball. Another one made you feel thin like a pencil. This is how Trumps followers see life. They they see a distortion. They they cant possibly see life as it is today in 2020. You know, they just arent getting it and I cant wait until Joe Biden mops up the floor with Trump in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a solid Biden state.

BABY BOOMER IN BOOTHWYN

TRUST BUT VERIFY

Not that you probably print this, but I want to give a Sound Off to Pat from Aston blaming China. Its beyond me how you can come up with a figure and say that we lost over 900,000 people due to a virus when CNN and the AP reported at 9:35 a.m. on Monday 26, the death toll worldwide was 203,000. As of today your newspaper states are 53,000 cases in the United States. So I dont know where Pat from Aston got the information but youd think that as a newspaper you would verify that information before you print it.

WHAT ABOUT JOE?

This is to the Delco Daily Times Sound Off. Why is there a cut off by the Daily Times regarding Tara Reades sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden? These allegations are much more credible than those against Justice Kavanaugh. The Daily Times did not hesitate to give maximum coverage of the clearly contrived stories by Christine Blasey Ford. Biden should not get a free pass. Maybe if the Daily Times really did their journalistic work it can regain its credibility and readership.

CHECK IT OUT
Rotunda Rumblings

The Joe must go on: Ohios never-ending primary finally ended Tuesday night, albeit in the most predictable way possible for the presidential race, cleveland.coms Seth Richardson reports. Former Vice President Joe Biden will walk away with the majority of Ohios 136 delegates to the Democratic National Convention after being the presumptive nominee since the beginning of April.

Statehouse state of mind: With unofficial results totaled Tuesday, here are the apparent outcomes of some of the state legislative races were watching. State Rep. George Lang was leading comfortably in Ohios 4th Senate District primary over state Rep. Candice Keller and a third candidate. State Rep. Bill Reineke held a big lead over Melissa Ackison, leading her to concede the heated 26th Senate primary. State Rep. Mark Fraizer was narrowly leading Thad Claggett 51%-49%, seemingly on his way to holding his appointed seat. Some counties, including Cuyahoga and Hamilton County, got tens of thousands of ballots Tuesday and were late reporting their vote totals. Check the latest results here.

Ryans rival: Former state lawmaker Christina Hagan appeared to be on her way to winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, reports cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton, who also sums up other congressional contests.

Off to the races: Before the end of voting Tuesday, cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer took a look at the top Ohio legislative primary races to keep an eye on. As he notes, the winners of especially close races might not be known for at least another 10 days, as local elections officials will wait until May 8 for mail-in ballots to arrive.

Not easy winning Greene: Despite a famous ballot name and the backing of a deep-pocketed dark-money group, Alice DeWine was losing the Greene County prosecutors race to David Hayes 59%-41% at the end of Tuesday. Hayes, an assistant county prosecutor, was endorsed by outgoing prosecutor Stephen Haller and County Sheriff Gene Fischer. Alice DeWine is the governors daughter.

Up close and personal: Ohioans across the state showed up at county board of elections to cast their ballots in Ohios vote by mail extended primary. As cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias reports, hundreds cast provisional ballots in person at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, although its unclear how many could attest their mail ballots hadnt shown up, making it more likely that their votes would count.

Job count: Ohios back-to-work plan could potentially return thousands of Ohioans to their jobs. How many? The first wave on Friday includes dentists. There are 7,461 dentists, 8,728 hygienists and 14,796 assistants licensed in Ohio. On Monday, construction and manufacturing gets the all-clear. There are nearly 1 million Ohioans in those industries, some of which continued to work the last few weeks. Cleveland.coms Rich Exner explores the numbers for different segments of the economy.

Ohio now blanketed with coronavirus: Vinton County for almost two weeks had been the lone Ohio County without a coronavirus case reported by the state. Now it has three. But why was Vinton last? Exner offers some ideas. Its Ohios smallest county with 13,085 people. Its biggest town, McArthur, numbers just 1,658. There are no hospitals or major medical facilities countywide. And its remotely located well off the interstate highway system.

Almost 800: By Thursday, 799 Ohioans were dead from coronavirus, and 16,769 were infected, cleveland.coms Laura Hancock reports. At his daily briefing, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that hes putting together groups to explore when hair salons, barber shops and restaurants can reopen.

Trend setting: Two pieces of encouraging data on coronavirus come from the Ohio Hospital Association daily survey. COVID-19 patients in ICUs across Ohio numbered an estimated 439 Tuesday, down from 509 a week ago. And total coronavirus patients in hospitals Tuesday was reported at 1,068, down from 1,086 a week ago. Exner examines those trends and in his daily map and data story.

Masking nicely: DeWine on Tuesday walked back a Monday announcement that masks would be mandatory for employers and employees at manufacturers and retailers, Tobias writes. Citing backlash, DeWine said Tuesday theyre just strongly recommended, but the decision whether to require them is up to companies. The governors office later said they still will be required for employees, unless wearing a face covering is not advisable by a health care professional, goes against industry best practices, or is not permitted by federal or state laws and regulations.

System of a gown: In-person school graduation ceremonies can be held this year if proper social-distancing precautions are taken, DeWine said. As Pelzer reports, the governors comments come after the Ohio Department of Education last week urged schools to hold graduations remotely.

Portman not behind Barr: Sen. Rob Portman has urged the federal government to increase the number of COVID-19 tests it sends to the sole federal prison in Ohio, cleveland.coms Eric Heisig reports. The lack of sufficient COVID-19 testing at FCI Elkton is unacceptable, Portman wrote in a Monday letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal. It threatens the lives of the FCI Elkton inmates as well as Ohioans in the greater northeast Ohio region.

No E-Sigs: A Franklin County judge denied a request from two state issue campaigns to allow electronic signature gathering among other loosening of state ballot rules for proposed constitutional amendments during the coronavirus pandemic. As Tobias reports, Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections, which joined Ohioans for Raising the Wage in the case, said they are considering whether to appeal or file a lawsuit in federal court.

Acton figure: Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton has joined DeWine in getting her own signature bobblehead, writes cleveland.coms Marc Bona. The Acton model was released by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame.

ICYMI: Axios Alexi MacCammond late last week described an online focus group featuring Obama/Trump voters from Stark County. DeWine/Trump comparisons came up. I would just encourage President Trump to do the same thing that DeWine is doing and get rid of the politics. That just hogs up too much of the spotlight and it just becomes much more divisive, said one voter, identified as Michael H.

Headed to the Hill: Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, along with other U.S. Conference of Mayors members, will give virtual testimony today to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, discussing how the federal government can help cities deal with the coronavirus.

Full Disclosure

Five things we learned from state Rep. Niraj Antanis Feb. 18, 2020 financial disclosure. Antani, a Dayton-area Republican, is running for the Ohio Senate.

1. In addition to his legislative salary of $50,000 to $99,999, he reported $25,000 to $49,999 in IRA beneficiary income.

2. Hes a voluntary board member of the Republican State Leadership Committee and a vice president of the Miamisburg High School Alumni Association.

3. He has numerous mutual funds and stock. He invests in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.

4. He owed at some point last year at least $1,000 to Ford and Fifth-Third Bank.

5. He reported receiving gifts from the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the Success Group, the Dayton Development Coalition and Ohio House Speaker Larry Householders campaign committee.

On The Move

GOP political consultant/ex-Ohio House Chief of Staff Mike Dittoe and his wife, Erica, welcomed their fourth child, Claire, on Tuesday morning.

Birthdays

Brittany Warner, CJR Group lobbyist/ex-communications director for the Ohio GOP and Mike DeWines 2018 gubernatorial campaign

Straight from the Source

Its so refreshing  its how governing should work. Thats a testament to DeWine, really.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, to the New York Times, describing a daily morning call DeWine conducts with a group of Democratic Ohio mayors.

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.
Told off for using abusive language, the inebriated husband of a sitting Congress sarpanch shot dead a school bus driver in village Khara on Tuesday.

The accused, Manbir Singh, the husband of sarpanch allegedly began hurling abuses outside the house of the victim, Dilbag Singh, around 11pm.

In his statement, the victims son, Jagroop Singh said, My father went outside to pacify Manbir, who was inebriated but he started misbehaving with my father and then shot him with a double barrel gun.

We rushed outside when we heard the gunshot and found my father lying in a pool of blood, he said.

We rushed him to the civil hospital in Batala where the doctors referred him to Amritsar. However, he succumbed to his injuries, he said.

Jagroop said there was no rivalry between the families. Manbir was highly inebriated and started hurling abuses outside our house with no rhyme or reason, he said.

Station house officer Lakhwinder Singh said a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act against Manbir Singh, who was arrested from his house.
Rajasthan's Labour Department has intensified the psychological counselling of stranded migrant workers staying in different shelter homes as many states including West Bengal, Telangana and Bihar have refused to allow their residents to return from other parts of the country, officials said.

Stuck in shelter homes for over a month during the nationwide lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic and with some states refusing to facilitate inter-state transfers of people, migrant workers are increasingly being affected by distress, fear and anxiety, they said.

"West Bengal and Bihar have refused inter-state transfer of migrant workers whereas other states have agreed. With several leaving shelters for their homes, fear and anxiety has increased among those who are left out. We have intensified counselling to assure them that they will be sent back to their homes soon," Labour Minister Tikaram Jully told PTI.

He said till Tuesday about 3.75 lakh migrant workers stranded in other states registered with the Rajasthan government to return to their homes in this state whereas about 1.25 lakh workers stuck in Rajasthan want to move to their respective states.

The Rajasthan government had started registration of migrants and labourers willing to return home on the helpline number 18001806127, eMitra Rajasthan portal, e-Mitra mobile app or at e-Mitra Kisosk. After registration of the workers, the state government would obtain consent from the concerned governments of the registered workers' states of residence.

About a fortnight ago, the Labour Department had asked the officials in the districts to start counselling of migrant workers. It has now asked them to pay special attention to the counselling of migrants as many have left for their homes and the remaining are developing anxiety.

"We knew that such circumstances may arise. So, a fortnight ago I had asked the officials in the districts to start counselling of migrants. Now, there is fear and anxiety in workers who are left out as a few states are not ready to accept inter-state transfer, said Niraj K. Pawan, Principal Secretary, Labour Department.

Pawan, who has a clinical psychology background, said a large number of migrants from Bihar and Telangana are stranded in Rajasthan and want to go back to their homes and do not eat food. In such a case, the department is counselling them and assuring the workers that soon they will also be able to go their homes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ARISS school contact on YouTube from Virginia, USA

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Northern Virginia Schools Group, Woodbridge VA on 30 April.

The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 13:35 UTC, which is 15.35 CEST. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

The contact will be a Multi-Point Telebridge between NA1SS and AB1OC.

A multi-point telebridge contact means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own home. The contact should be audible over the state of New Hampshire and adjacent areas. U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink.

The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Watch for live stream at: https://youtu.be/Cu8I9ose4Vo

We are students from Northern Virginia. We are ages 5-10 years old and we are in K-5th grade, in Woodbridge VA, just outside of DC. Our school year was ended on March 13th and we have been home learning many things using distance learning methods. We have been learning how to get along in small spaces with little contact with the rest of our community. We are learning quickly how it must feel to be on the ISS!

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. What does the sun look like from outer space?

2. How comfortable is it to sleep in space?

3. What is one thing you want to eat when you get back to earth?

4. I've heard that stars are red, yellow and blue. Can you see those colors in space when you look at the stars?

5. Besides your family, what do you miss most while being in space?

6. What are your thoughts on our Covid-19 situation right now? Does the Earth look differently over the last 3 months now that many people are inside and not creating pollution?

7. How often do you get to go out of the ISS? Have you been on any space walks?

8. Who makes the rocket that takes you to the ISS?

9. What does it feel like to float all the time?

10. Do you use flashlights on space walks?

11. How do you exercise in space?

12. How do you get out for space walks safely without the air from the ISS coming out into space? How does it feel to walk in space?

13. What do you wear in the space station?

14. How did it feel when you first got to space?

15. How is space different from Earth?

16. What do you study in school to become an astronaut?

17. What do you like the most about being in space?

18. Were you nervous when you launched into space?

19. How do you communicate with loved ones while you are in space?

PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:

Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS).

To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status

About ARISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).

In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio.

For more information, see www.ariss.org.

Thank you & 73,

David Jordan AA4KN
Passengers facing cancelled flights and lockdowns are having trouble receiving refunds as airlines burn through cash.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Yeow Pooi Ling and her husband were looking forward to visiting family in Finland in May  a cooler respite from the year-round heat of Malaysia, and a trip that they had booked months ago. But the coronavirus pandemic has left them stuck with return tickets they will not be using.

We usually buy our air tickets early to secure the cheapest fares, which dont allow any refund or cancellation. My husband is now checking with the airline on our options, Yeow told Al Jazeera.

Yeow is far from alone. Her predicament reflects the troubles that millions of other travellers around the world are also facing, just as redundancies and pay cuts place enormous financial burdens on household budgets everywhere.

And government-mandated border shutdowns aimed at stopping the spread of the virus have dealt a hammer blow to airlines forced to ground their fleets. The global industry is bleeding billions of dollars in cash, with some carriers already facing bankruptcy and others seeking government help. United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz have both said the crisis is worse than the one the aviation industry faced in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

But the jury is out as to whether the assistance that governments are offering will be enough to save all the carriers facing financial hardship. And such measures are reopening the debate over whether public funds should be used to rescue companies and their shareholders.

More than half of the worlds fleet of passenger aircraft has been grounded because of travel bans, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline industry group.

The industrys outlook grows darker by the day, Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO, said in an April 14 statement.

Burning through cash

IATA estimated in late March that industry passenger revenues could plummet by $252bn, a 44 percent decline from 2019, assuming that travel restrictions will last for up to three months. In its latest assessment in mid-April, the association projected an even bigger loss in revenue of $314bn in 2020, a 55 percent year-on-year decline.

The huge drop in expected revenues this year will likely wipe out much of the profits global airlines made in the last decade, Karsten Benz, professor for aviation management at Frankfurt University, told Al Jazeera.

And the grounding of so many flights is threatening the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the airlines themselves and related industries.

Virgin Australia Airlines did not receive a bailout from the Australian government despite asking for funding [File: Loren Elliott/Reuters]

IATA also predicts that global airlines could burn through $61bn of cash reserves in the second quarter alone, putting at risk 25 million jobs.

One of the highest-profile airline casualties of the pandemic so far has been budget carrier Virgin Australia. The countrys second-largest airline after Qantas said on Tuesday that it has entered into voluntary administration, a form of bankruptcy protection.

The complete collapse of Virgin Australia would affect the 10,000 people directly employed by the airline, and potentially another 6,000 people indirectly. Management consultants at Deloitte who are acting as the airlines administrators have said they have no plans to make any of the staff redundant.

But airlines on every continent have been laying off staff in the thousands.

British Airwayss (BAs) parent company, International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), said on Wednesday the United Kingdoms largest carrier plans to cut more than a quarter of its 45,000 employees. Earlier this month, BA reached a deal with its union to suspend more than 22,600 staff in one of the industrys biggest such moves since the coronavirus outbreak began in late December.

In another large-scale measure, Air Canada said it is temporarily laying off 16,500 of its staff, about half its workforce.

The pain has spread to aircraft manufacturers.

US-based Boeing, which was already suffering from the fallout of two fatal crashes involving its 737 MAX aircraft, said this month that it is planning to trim its workforce by 10 percent.

And the CEO of its European rival Airbus, Guillaume Faury, said in a statement revealing a 49 percent plunge in earnings for the first quarter of 2020: We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known. The company had already placed about 6,000 workers on furlough.

Governments to the rescue?

Government intervention has helped to cushion the blow, though not for everyone.

British Airways, for instance, is using a UK government job retention scheme to pay up to 80 percent of the salaries of its furloughed staff. And under a special deal, staff pay will not be capped at 2,500 British pounds ($3,102) per month, unlike the standard terms of the scheme.

But in announcing the permanent layoffs, Chief Executive Officer Alex Cruz told staff: There is no government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face.

Air Canada is also taking advantage of its governments wage subsidy programme.

Singapore Airlines is receiving a $13bn lifeline from state investment firm Temasek.

But no airline rescue package is as large as the one the US is rolling out for its carriers.

Last month, the US Congress passed laws to set aside $58bn to support passenger and cargo carriers as part of a $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package to cushion US people and companies from the economic fallout of the outbreak.

But will it be enough to see the US aviation industry through until business returns to normal?

The $25bn in grants that are part of the package cover payrolls through the end of September. But there is no guarantee that the pandemic will be over by then, or that people will be willing to travel in the same numbers as before it began even if new infections have been completely halted by that date.

United Airlines, for one, is warning its staff to brace for job losses if its planes remain grounded for a prolonged period.

If the recovery is as slow as we fear, it means our airline and our workforce will have to be smaller than it is today, the company told its staff in a letter on March 27.

And in the case of Virgin Australia, that countrys government has refused to throw the company a lifeline.

Meanwhile, Virgin Group founder Branson asked the UK government for help keeping his other airline, Virgin Atlantic, in business.

Customs officers in protective suits are seen near a Sichuan Airlines aircraft on the tarmac of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, China following a global outbreak of the coronavirus disease [File: Third party via Reuters]

In an open letter earlier this month, Branson said the UK-based company would need British government support to keep the airline going.

He pointed to the 600-million British pound ($74m) loan the UK has extended to rival easyJet as a possible model for government support for his firm.

But environmental and social activist group Greenpeace has harshly criticised state aid for British airlines, including easyJet.

Airline companies have always had strong links to the government, with a very strong industry lobby. Together with international agreements governing flying, this has enabled airlines and airports to avoid taxes (fuel tax and VAT, for example) and get state support, Greenpeace said in a statement.

Wrong-way bets and refunds

The recent crash in oil prices should theoretically be giving airlines some cheer. US crude prices briefly fell far below $0 earlier this month and remain around two-thirds below their level in February.

But some companies had committed themselves to buying jet fuel when prices were higher on the assumption that prices could go higher still, a process known as hedging. But these hedges have now become wrong-way bets.

For those airlines that are hedged, the losses this year will be exacerbated, Brendan Sobie, founder of aviation analysis company Sobie Aviation, told Al Jazeera.

Keep in mind hedging is a normal strategy and a way to keep fuel costs relatively steady over the long run by enabling airlines to post gains when fuel prices are high while incurring higher costs when fuel prices are low, he said.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, which has grounded most of its aircraft through May, said this month that its profit for the financial year just ended on March 31 will be eroded by an estimated 300 million euros ($325m) of fuel-hedging costs.

A sign asking for people to observe safe distancing measures is displayed at a deserted Sydney Airport in Australia [File: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg]

And all the trouble that airlines are facing means the likelihood of passengers like Yeow and her family getting refunds for tickets is also a dimming prospect.

Airlines globally have about $35bn worth of sold, but unused, tickets that are due for refund in the second quarter, according to IATAs estimates. But the industry cannot afford to refund these tickets because airlines urgently need to hold on to cash to pay salaries and other fixed costs, IATAs de Juniac said this month.

Tan Kok Liang, President of the Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations, said airlines have a duty to provide refunds since the services that consumers paid for are not rendered.

Consumers bought tickets for flights they havent flown on. Why cant they have the money back? You cant use these funds to run your operations, Tan told Al Jazeera. This is not right. Its not helping to bring back consumer confidence when travel demand recovers.
Romita Banerjee By

BENGALURU : India went into lockdown five days before my intended return to India from my mini-vacation in the US, ahead of a busy work week at Lendingkart, Bengaluru. The hasty execution became a matter of concern not just for its estimated 1.3 billion citizens in the country, but also for those on foreign shores on account of work, education or leisure. Airline offices, airport authorities, travel agents, and even the external affairs ministry failed to provide clarity on a game plan to cope with this situation.

Thoughts anxiously ran across my mind  were Indian nationals like myself going to be airlifted too, like they did a month ago for Keralite nurses in Wuhan? Was I going to be home quarantined, once back in India?

However, the stark reality of my situation unquestionably remained. I, like thousands of other Indians, was in a foreign land amidst a global crisis; with a visa for a limited period; in a country that was fast developing into another epicentre for the pandemic; with no medical insurance because it was not a mandatory pre-requisite for my visa.

The authorities (in India or the USA) had no information for assistance besides feeble reassurance to stay put; and my home country was observing lockdown mode with all travel shut down. So I was stuck with nowhere to go. Indefinitely. When I learnt that the Indian authorities had done a commendable job of arranging charter flights to safely return foreigners to their respective countries, I wondered if the USA was going to extend a similar hand. Unfortunately, I had no such luck. I can only assign some of this chaos to the deplorable state of collaboration or lack of joining forces between nations.

As of today, Indian authorities have only spoken of lifting lockdown post May 3 but there are no guidelines for those stranded in foreign countries. While I optimistically await credible instructions, I pray that each Indian international airport is compliant to the new health and safety parameter practised in countries like South Korea or Taiwan. Previously, India has shown tremendous leadership in rescuing its own kin and others in times of calamities. Certainly the expectations run high for my nation to put its best foot forward, now, more than ever.

(The author is a Bengaluru-based corporate communications professional, currently in USA)
(CNN)  Investigators from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation told a judge that Trump political adviser Roger Stone orchestrated hundreds of fake Facebook accounts and bloggers to run a political influence scheme on social media in 2016, according to court documents from the Mueller investigation unsealed on Tuesday.

The disclosure came as the Justice Department on Tuesday made public dozens of search warrants from its investigation into Stone, after CNN and other news organizations sued for access to the files.

Stone's assistant, interviewed voluntarily by former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators, said that, as part of his work for Stone, he bought "a couple hundred fake Facebook accounts" and that bloggers working for Stone sought to build what looked like real Facebook accounts to push information about the 2016 Russian hack of the Democrats, a search warrant unsealed on Tuesday stated.

In 2016, Stone had wanted to push WikiLeaks content online that could help then-candidate Donald Trump, including content from stolen emails from accounts belonging to John Podesta, the then-campaign chairman of Trump's rival Hillary Clinton, the warrant alleged. The warrant that mentioned the fake accounts sought data from Facebook for three accounts, two of which were registered to the handle "rogerstone."

At least one of the suspected Stone accounts was used from October 2016 to March 2017 to buy advertisements to push stories related to Russia and WikiLeaks, according to the warrant. Some social media messages from the accounts rebutted that the Russians were behind the online pseudonym Guccifer 2.0, which the US intelligence community has said was operated by Russian intelligence to disseminate hacked materials aimed at damaging Clinton's campaign.

The ads allegedly purchased shared messages on Facebook such as: "Roger Stone talked about WikiLeaks, Donald Trump, ... " and "Stone Rebuts Charge of Russian Collusion" and "ROGER STONE - NO consensus that Guccifer 2.0 is a ... "

Stone said in a statement Tuesday that the newly released documents showed "baseless over-reach of the Mueller witch hunt" and exonerated him from any accusations of "Russian collusion, Wikileaks collaboration and the receipt and dissemination of stolen e-mails." He has not yet begun serving his sentence of 40 months in prison and has been publicly advocating for a pardon from Trump.

"Although there are private communications contained in the warrants, they prove no crime. I have no trepidation about their release," Stone said Tuesday. "There is, to this day, no evidence that I had or knew about the source or content of the Wikileaks disclosures prior to their public release."

The newly released documents offer a more detailed version than was previously known of how Mueller and other federal investigators aggressively collected evidence about Stone, a close Trump friend and political adviser, by traversing the country for access to his digital data before charging him with obstruction and other crimes.

The warrants, taken on the whole, give a portrait of Stone's extensive digital life.

For instance, Stone, under the threat of prosecution, allegedly moved his home computer data to a private server.

Stone was so afraid of being hacked or being tracked by the government in spring 2018 that he moved data from his home computers to a private server, an assistant voluntarily told prosecutors, according to one warrant application.

"Stone was concerned with his business and work if his computers were seized and he did not have access to them, and he wanted to be able to continue to work, write, and get the word out in that event," the court document said.

His wife had also sent a text in March 2018 that said he was moving to use the server "because of his issues with government agencies." He was arrested in January 2019, and Mueller had clearly been pursuing him for months.

Stone had been paying about $500 a month for a server, according to his assistant.

Stone was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. He was also investigated for hacking, wire fraud, conspiracy and illegal foreign campaign contributions, according to the warrants, but he was never charged with any of those crimes.

According to prosecutors, Stone discussed with his contacts trying to coordinate with WikiLeaks about its releases of hacked emails, and he was in touch with a Twitter persona operated by Russian hackers. Mueller didn't accuse anyone of illegally working with the Kremlin.

The warrants released Tuesday highlighted just how extensively Stone discussed the WikiLeaks drops in 2016. The warrants also noted that, in their searches, "Stone in fact communicated via private direct messaging with WikiLeaks during the Campaign" despite him claiming publicly he had not.

Stone was also in contact with WikiLeaks the following year. One warrant mentioned messages between Stone and WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, who since then has been indicted in the US for computer crime and is facing extradition from the United Kingdom.

On June 4, 2017, a month after Mueller's appointment to investigate Russian influence in the election and coordination with the Trump campaign, Stone messaged Assange on Twitter, the warrant said.

"If the US government moves on you I will bring down the entire house of cards. With the trumped- up sexual assault charges dropped I don't know of any crime you need to be pardoned for," Stone wrote.

Six days later, Stone messaged WikiLeaks, writing, "I am doing everything possible to address the issues at the highest level of Government. Fed treatment of you and WikiLeaks is an outrage. Must be circumspect in this forum as experience demonstrates it is monitored."

Much about the Stone investigation is still redacted in the Mueller report. That's because the report was released before Stone went to trial last year, so the Justice Department redacted almost everything about him in the 448-page report.

The documents released Tuesday but still have some redactions of their own, which were made to protect third parties, financial information and details of other pending criminal investigations.

This story has been updated with additional information from the warrants.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Mueller investigators said Roger Stone orchestrated hundreds of fake Facebook accounts in political influence scheme"
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for saying the list of wilful defaulters released by the Reserve Bank of India was not presented in Parliament because it contained friends of the ruling party.

She accused Gandhi of trying to mislead people in a brazen manner.

Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised, Sitharaman said in first of her 13 tweets which she posted on Tuesday night.

Todays attempt of @INCIndia leaders is to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans & write-offs. Between 2009-10 & 2013-14, Scheduled Commercial Banks had written off Rs.145226.00 crores. Wished Shri @RahulGandhi consulted Dr. Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about, she said in another tweet.

Also read: BJP govt waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore, helped defaulters, says Congress

The finance minister further said that those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without banks permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPAs Phone banking, Sitharaman said.

She also quoted former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan who had said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008.

Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised.  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 28, 2020

Sitharaman also listed the cases of Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya and said that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government is pursuing these wilful defaulters.

She ended her long Twitter thread by asking Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to introspect. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism.

Gandhi had said on Tuesday that he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters, but the Finance Minister did not answer his question.

Also read: Cong slams Centre, asks how it can afford to waive bad debts worth Rs 68,607 crore

Now the RBI has given the names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJPs friends in the list of bank frauds. That is why this truth was held back from Parliament, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner argued Wednesday the federal response to the coronavirus has been a 'success story' as economic growth plunged and the death toll exceeded that of the Vietnam War.

'We're on the other side of the medical aspect of this, and I think that we've achieved all the different milestones that are needed,' Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, told 'Fox & Friends.'

'The Federal Government rose to the challenge and this is a great success story,' he added. 'I think that that's really, you know, what needs to be told.'

He predicted by July the United States would be 'really rocking again.'

'May will be a transition month. You'll see a lot of states starting to phase in the different reopening based on the safety guidelines that President Trump outlined on April 19, and I think you'll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal. And the hope is that by July the country's really rocking again,' he said.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner argued Wednesday the federal response to the coronavirus has been a 'success story' and predicted country would be rocking by July

Death toll from coronavirus in the United States reached 59,061, which is more than the number of those who died fighting in Vietnam

Kushner's remarks came as the death toll in the United States reached 59,061 on Tuesday night, meaning more Americans have died of coronavirus than casualties suffered by the U.S. in Vietnam between 1955 and 1975.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States has passed the 1 million mark.

On Monday, President Trump was asked if a president, when losing as many Americans as died during the Vietnam war, deserves to be reelected.

'We're probably heading to 60,000, 70,000 [dead],' Trump said. 'It's far too many. One person is too many for this.'

Then he touted his coronavirus response.

'I think we've made a lot of really good decisions,' he said.

'I will say this - one person is too many,' Trump concluded, ending his press conference.

More bad news hit the Trump administration on Wednesday when the Commerce Department announced the U.S. economy shrank by 4.8% in the last quarter as businesses shut down as part of plans to contain the disease.

The Commerce Department estimated that GDP, the total output of goods and services, posted a quarterly drop for the first time in six years.

But Kushner painted a sunny picture when he talked about the administration's work combating the virus. Kushner has led a shadow coronavirus task force in the White House, which has worked on coordinating the private sector with the government's response to the disease.

'The goal here is to get people back to work,' he said. 'The eternal lockdown crowd can make jokes on late night television, but the reality is is that the data's on our side and President Trump has created a pathway to safely open up our country and make sure that we can get our economy going and get America back to a place where it will be even stronger than it was before.'

Governors from both sides of the aisle, however, have expressed caution about reopening states too soon. Medical experts have warned a second wave of the virus could hit if life returns to normal too quickly.

President Trump is banking his re-election campaign on the country having a strong economy.

Jared Kushner leads a shadow coronavirus task force tasked with coordinating the private sector with the government's response to the virus

Governors also have requested additional testing capabilities before ordering businesses to reopen and life to cautiously resume normal activities - with social distancing stances expected to be maintained.

Some states have begun the slow reopening process but others have extended stay-at-home orders through May.

'I'm very confident that we have all the testing we need to start opening the country,' Kushner said.

But that could be a few months.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Tuesday night that everyone who wants a coronavirus test should be able to get one by the end of May or early June.

'Hopefully we should see that as we get toward the end of May, the beginning of June,' Fauci said.

'That's what I'm being told by the people who are responsible for the testing,' Fauci said.

President Trump has focused his energy on reopening the country's businesses and painting an optimistic picture for how the virus is being handled.

On Tuesday, the president was asked about his remarks in February that the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. would be close to zero' by now, to which he responded: 'It will go down to zero, ultimately'.

While some early coronavirus hotspots are now showing signs that the outbreak has been contained, rural America is showing alarming growth in rates of cases, as is Los Angeles County and Chicago.

There were more than 1,300 new cases in Cook County, Illinois, on Monday along with nearly 1,000 in Los Angeles County.

Trump also claimed the nation would soon surpass 5 million coronavirus tests per day  even though it has only tested about 6 million people during the entire coronavirus pandemic.

President Trump was asked Tuesday when the U.S. would be giving 5 million coronavirus tests per day and responded it would be 'much more than that in the very near future'

The president took an optimistic tone when asked if and when the nation would be able to reach 5 million daily mark  with the administration's own experts shooting for numbers that are far lower.

'It will increase it and it'll increase it by much more than that in the very near future,' Trump said when asked about testing at a press event on Tuesday.

'We are way ahead on testing. We are the best in the world on testing. We've tested much more than anybody else times two, or every country combined, we've tested more than every country combined and they keep talking South Korea. and I'm very friendly as you know with President Moon who just had a great victory, a new victory, which we are happy about,' Trump said.

But he complained: 'we haven't been given the press in terms of I think fairness of the press, but that's okay.'

The U.S. has currently tested fewer than 6 million people, according to the COVID tracking project.
Hitting out at the Congress party, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues

New Delhi: Hitting out at the Congress party, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues.

She was responding to the opposition's allegations of loan waivers worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs of top 50 wilful defaulters during the first half of the financial year ended March 2020.

@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism.  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 28, 2020

The Finance Minister, through a series of tweets posted late night on Tuesday, said that the Congress has attempted to mislead people, and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi should introspect why his party fails to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system.

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"Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised.

"@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," she said.

Highlighting that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, Wished Gandhi consulted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about.

She also referred to media reports quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan as having said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008 and "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having the capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well-connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's phone banking'," she added.

In another tweet she said, "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided."

Bank-wise details of the aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on 16 March, 2020.

However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters, but the Finance Minister did not answer his question.

"Now the RBI has given the names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJP's 'friends' in the list of bank frauds. That is why this truth was held back from Parliament," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019.

Sitharaman said this is an attempt of Congress leaders to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs.
A pioneering heart surgeon and a dedicated nurse who volunteered to treat Covid-19 patients are among the latest Londoners to die with the virus.

Ken Lambatan, a cardiac research nurse who worked at St Georges Hospital, died on Monday night after about 10 days on a life support machine.

His death came shortly after the loss of retired consultant cardiovascular surgeon Mohan Adiseshiah, 78, from Cricklewood, a former head of the department of vascular surgery at University College London Hospital, who also passed away with the virus.

Today, Mr Adiseshiah was praised for his work which former colleagues said had led the way in changing global practice. Michael Jenkins, a consultant at St Marys Hospital in Paddington and vice-president of the Vascular Society, said Mr Adiseshiah had been both a ground-breaking doctor and a lovely, humble man.

Achievements: Mohan Adiseshiah was described as a giant of heart surgery

I worked with Mo as a trainee at the Middlesex Hospital in the Nineties and he really was a pioneer in endo-vascular surgery at a time when only a handful of people were doing it in the UK, he said, describing a less-invasive method to fix damaged blood vessels.

It was difficult to do and unproven  it couldnt be repeated today  but he persevered and it has become a global mainstream procedure. The benefits for patients are a much shorter hospital stay, much less stress to their bodies. He was also a lovely man. Very caring towards patients and colleagues. He was very humble and probably didnt sell himself. Many others who made his contribution would have shouted from the rooftops.

Others also described Mr Adiseshiah as a true giant of heart surgery, adding that he nurtured generations of surgeons across London hospitals.

His family described him as a dedicated doctor, brave surgeon, a gentleman, unfailingly generous, wickedly witty and so loved by us and many family, colleagues, students and friends across the globe.

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Meanwhile, tributes were also paid to Mr Lambatan, who moved from the Philippines in 2017 to work in the NHS. His sister Marilou Lora said the family was connected via videolink as he succumbed with the disease in St Thomas Hospital. Ken had volunteered to work with Covid patients, thats the kind of person he was. We were worried, but his view was that this was his calling. He had ambitions to become a doctor.

She added: His sunny personality drew people to him like a magnet.
Plymouth, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc. (CSE: PRT) (OTCQB: PLRTF) (FSE: 4XA) (WKN# A2N8RH) ("Plymouth Rock", "PRT", or the "Company") a leader in the development of cutting edge threat detection technologies, announced today that Douglas Smith, a member of the advisory board, and a director of the operating subsidiary Plymouth Rock Technologies (USA) Inc., joined the board of directors of the public entity, Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc., to take a more active role in the development of the company.

Douglas Smith is the former Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Douglas is currently the Managing Partner of Kent Strategies and brings over two decades of international experience in business development, communications, coalition building, public policy, and creating and managing public-private partnerships among Federal, State and local governments, and private industry. He has managed large-scale special projects and initiatives both within and outside of government. Douglas is a frequent public speaker both domestically and internationally and regularly appears on national television as an expert on national security and managing crisis.

"I am honored to have Douglas join the board of Plymouth Rock Technologies at this critical time in our company's growth cycle. His expertise has been invaluable to the management team. His input and participation as a board member will broaden the scope of his current role." added Dana Wheeler, CEO & President of Plymouth Rock Technologies.

Vivian Katsuris will step down as a director to accommodate Douglas Smith's appointment but will remain as the Company's Corporate Secretary. The Board of Plymouth Rock on behalf of the shareholders wishes to thank Ms. Katsuris for her service as a longstanding board member.

About Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc.

We are on a mission to bring engineering-driven answers to the most critical problems that threaten our safety. We work with government, law enforcement and military to innovate solutions for national security, defense and space systems. The Company is developing the next generation of threat detection solutions, The PRT X1 is a purpose built multirotor Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The unit contains an integrated sensor package that combines Thermal detection with 4K HD real-time air-to-ground streaming. Our advanced threat detection methods fuse artificial intelligence with augmented reality interfaces to eliminate human operating error. Plymouth Rock products, both airborne and land-based, will scan for threat items at greater "stand-off" distances than current existing technologies. Our unique radar imaging and signal processing technology creates new opportunities for remotely operated, none intrusive screening of crowds in real time.



Plymouth Rock's other core technologies include: (1) A Millimeter Remote Imaging from Airborne Drone ("MIRIAD"); (2) A compact microwave radar system for scanning shoe's ("Shoe-Scanner").

www.plyrotech.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dana Wheeler

President and CEO

+1-603-300-7933

info@plyrotech.com

Investor Information:

Tasso Baras

+1-778-477-6990

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55067
Gurugram, April 29 : The Gurugram district administration has decided to bring back students stranded in foreign countries.

Vijay Verdhan, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Haryana, has written letters to all District Magistrates to collect data of such students.

To help those students, Amit Khatri, District Magistrate of Gurugram, issued an email id -- covid19gurugram@gmail.com -- during the day.

"As Gurugram comes under the national capital region, the numbers of students studying in foreign countries are high. Since Covid-19 crisis emerged, such students' parents sought the Chief Minister's help to rescue them. With this email, the parents can contact us by mentioning overseas support. Following that, we will send a Google form where students can upload their information and concerns," Khatri said.

"We have started collecting details of Haryana students stranded in foreign countries to reach out to them with the central government's support," Khatri said.
Horses break from the gate during a race at Santa Anita Park. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Santa Anita has plans to resume live racing without spectators in mid-May, though local authorities would need to allow it.

In a letter to major stakeholders Wednesday, Santa Anita said on Thursday it would release a condition book, where planned races are open for future entries, and planned to resume racing on May 15, when the safer-at-home order expires. The move comes after Gov. Gavin Newsoms remarks that he plans to relax restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 virus.

As businesses throughout the state are preparing to gradually reopen, horse racing is unique as we cannot literally open the doors the moment orders are relaxed, Aidan Butler, acting executive director of California racing for the Stronach Group, said in a letter to the leaders of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, California Thoroughbred Trainers and Jockeys Guild. The letter was reviewed by The Times.

Horsemen need time to plan, which is why the tentative date is being put forth. It would be derelict of us not to give you as much notice as possible with your understanding it is still a contingency plan.

Santa Anita did not immediately comment on the letter or plans to reopen.

The track has been closed since March 26, after failing to convince the L.A. County Public Health Department that it was an essential business.

Santa Anita has argued that there are far more people involved in morning training, which is allowed, than would be needed to conduct live racing. On Tuesday, workers from the track conducted a drive-by protest by the building where the L.A. County Commissioners were located.

Butlers letter said, This resumption would be subject to the stringent restrictions which were included in the plan and protocols currently under consideration 

Santa Anita has even proposed a jockey colony that would be sequestered at the track.

There is a population of around 700 workers that live on the backstretch of the track and have limited access outside the area. There have been no known COVID-19 positives among workers at the track.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens as President Trump talks about the coronavirus response Tuesday at the White House. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

President Trump's public musing last week that doctors should consider injecting household disinfectant  a known poison  into coronavirus patients set off a political shockwave so severe that aides and allies scrambled to rein in his prime time nightly news conferences.

For the first time since mid-March, Trump took a two-day break from the podium over the weekend. On Sunday, he tweeted what seemed a decision, writing that the televised briefings  often lasting two hours or longer  were "not worth the time & effort."

But the former reality TV star has refused to leave the stage.

On Tuesday, as U.S. deaths from COVID-19 topped 58,000 and confirmed cases exceeded 1 million, Trump appeared before the cameras twice, for 90 minutes total. He didn't offer any dangerous new medical advice, but still managed to berate reporters, air familiar grievances and shower himself with praise.

Polls show Trump's approval rating has fallen in recent weeks. Some of the president's allies in Congress and elsewhere have pleaded with him, both publicly and privately, to defer more to the experts on medical cures, stop scrapping with reporters and focus on reviving an economy that is effectively in a coma.

As a result, rather than one long, disjointed turn at the podium, Trump's appearances Tuesday were more narrowly focused and relatively short. Each was designed to portray him as a leader of a nation in crisis, even as he claimed dubious achievements, made false claims and courted a state he desperately needs in November.

The change, such as it was, reflected the futility of trying to manage Trump, who remains obsessed with his TV ratings and image. In hopes of avoiding further damage to his reelection campaign, his aides didn't deny him access to the cameras. They just removed him, for the moment, from prime time.

Trump invited TV cameras into the Oval Office on Tuesday morning while he met with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has taken heavy criticism for belatedly closing beaches and businesses in his state. Although Florida saw its largest single day of reported deaths on Tuesday, DeSantis said he would announce plans to reopen the state on Wednesday, when his current order expires.

Story continues

Trump praised DeSantis, a Republican and strong supporter, for doing a spectacular job in Florida, and said he enjoys "very high popularity."

Approval ratings for most governors have soared during the coronavirus crisis. DeSantis has seen his support plummet, however. One poll found he rated as the country's third-worst governor at handling the crisis.

By most accounts, Trump can't win reelection without Florida, which he won in 2016, and polls show his support there has ebbed. Two polls conducted in the last week by Fox News and Quinnipiac University showed Trump trailing the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, by 3 and 4 points, respectively.

Trump took time to snipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who he claimed was at home "eating ice cream."

If the reference seemed random, Pelosi recently appeared on James Corden's "Late, Late Show" and showed her kitchen. The Trump campaign produced an attack ad that accused her of owning an expensive fridge filled with fancy ice cream while Americans are going hungry during the coronavirus crisis.

Pelosi fired back in a TV interview Tuesday. "I have ice cream in my freezer," she said. "I guess it's better than having Lysol in somebodys lungs."

Highlighting specific governors' plans to reopen their economies is one of the new elements of the White House's effort to give Trump's public appearances more focus, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The idea, the official said, is to limit Trump's meandering and often self-sabotaging performances in the briefing room. The White House will instead try to present actions by friendly governors as responses to presidential directives, but still give Trump enough political distance to deflect blame if reopening beaches and businesses backfires and COVID-19 deaths climb again.

On Tuesday afternoon, Trump stood at a lectern in front of golden drapery in the East Room to tout the Paycheck Protection Program, which on Monday began distributing $310 billion in additional loans to small companies struggling to survive in the economic crash.

According to a statement from the White House, Trump's "own remarkable business experience has made protecting small businesses a personal initiative for him." In his comments, Trump claimed the bill "supported or saved 30 million American jobs at least."

But the online portal for bankers to file applications to the Small Business Administration, which is running the program, has crashed repeatedly, creating chaos and widespread frustration among both lenders and borrowers.

Many went on social media to complain about the administration of the program, under which small businesses, typically with fewer than 500 employees, can apply for forgivable loans of up to $10 million.

The first version of the program quickly ran out of its allotted $342 billion, in part because the SBA gave much of the support to large corporations, not just the coffee shops, barber shops, dry cleaners and other small businesses for which the money was intended.

During his many hours at the podium since the pandemic began, Trump has rarely expressed sympathy for those stricken or killed. As the nation's COVID-19 death toll since February exceeded that of the entire Vietnam War, he was asked whether he had spoken to anyone who had lost a loved one.

I have. I know many stories. I've spoken with three or four families unrelated to me. I lost a very good friend. Also lost three other friends, two of whom I didn't know as well but they were people I did business with, he said.

Given the polling data and the potential fallout for down-ballot Republicans in November, more Republicans have encouraged Trump and new Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to end the nightly briefings.

One former administration official described a general sense inside the White House and shared by outside allies that the benefit of Trump's long, often self-praising and acrimonious appearances has "run its course."

"He's overexposed," the former official said, acknowledging that Trump had long dismissed these concerns from friends and staffers, pointing to his high ratings.

There's eyeballs and he wants to go to the eyeballs and feels this reflexive  view that his work on this is not being covered or approached or treated fairly," the former official continued. "But I dont think him battling with the press is what anyone wants to see right now. They don't have enough to justify several hours' worth of content."

Asked about reports that the White House planned to shift away from his nightly news briefings, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday he thought the move was "probably a good idea."

"Certainly what the American people are most interested in is the advice from health professionals about how to conduct their daily lives safely," McConnell said in a radio interview.

Trump also signed an executive order Tuesday evening, without any reporters present, to use the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing plants as critical infrastructure in order to keep them open amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases at some facilities that could threaten the nations food supply.

Times staff writer Noah Bierman contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Justin Sink (Bloomberg) New York, United States  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:23 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4dacfa 2 World Mike-Pence,COVID-19,Mayo-Clinic,visit,Trump-effect Free

Vice President Mike Pence disregarded a Mayo Clinic policy requiring face masks as he discussed the coronavirus outbreak with top doctors at one of the nations leading hospitals on Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended wearing face coverings in public, and Pence has repeatedly implored Americans to follow public health guidance. But he was conspicuously the only participant in a round-table discussion at the hospital on Wednesday who didnt wear a mask.

After photographs of Pence talking with masked health workers circulated on Twitter, the Rochester, Minnesota-based hospital tweeted: The Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today.

The tweet was later deleted.

Heres a photo of Mike Pence touring Mayo Clinic, ignoring their rule that all visitors must wear masks. Hes the perfect ambassador for a dangerous president who thinks hes above the law. pic.twitter.com/UuYUEXZkuh  Eli Beckman (@elihbeckman) April 29, 2020

As Pence toured the hospital before the discussion, the only people not seen wearing masks were the vice president and some of his staff. Other participants, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, were all masked.

Marc Short, Pences chief of staff, followed his bosss lead early in the day, but was later seen complying with Mayos policy.

Pence chairs the White Houses coronavirus task force and is regularly tested for the disease. He plays a prominent role in White House news conferences and frequently encourages Americans to follow guidelines from medical professionals about how to slow the spread of coronavirus.

There have been nearly 1 million cases of covid-19 in the U.S. and more than 57,000 deaths, the largest outbreak in the world.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended people wear face masks in public areas. And at the White House briefings, top medical advisers have explained that wearing a face mask isnt intended to protect the person who wears it, but the people around them.

But Pences boss has likewise declined to set an example for Americans looking for guidance from their leaders on how to curb the outbreak. President Donald Trump has said he doesnt intend to wear a mask.

The White House has defended the decision by Trump and other senior administration officials to forgo masks by noting that they are tested regularly for coronavirus infection. Members of the vice presidents entourage in Minnesota -- including reporters who accompanied him aboard Air Force Two -- were tested for infection before the trip.
Not every idea hatched during a night of drinking in place turns to gold. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis idea ended up selling more wine in one morning than a lot of Oregon wineries sell in a year.

Inspired by an evening of wine appreciation at home, Ashton Kutcher called Andrew Harding in mid-March with an idea. Kutcher and Kunis wanted to help create a wine and contribute 100% of the profits to COVID-19 relief efforts. Harding, who co-owns Nocking Point Wines in Walla Walla, Washington, with actor Stephen Amell, was in the perfect position to help.

"My wife, Jen, and I hang out with Ashton and Mila on a fairly regular basis. They've always loved the Nocking Point wines we've shared with them," Harding said in a telephone interview.

But why an Oregon wine? Why not something from Washington or California?

"I grew up in Walla Walla, but Oregon pinot noir is my favorite wine in the world to drink. I didn't, however, want to unduly influence Ashton and Mila's decision," Harding said.

Harding instead sent Kutcher and Kunis samples of several red wines, ranging from cabernet sauvignon and merlot to pinot noir. Then Harding and his wife joined Kutcher and Kunis for a blind wine tasting via FaceTime. Without knowing the identities of the wines, everyone named the wine made with Willamette Valley pinot noir grapes their "wine of the night."

This was good news for Sarah Cabot, who makes Oregon wines for Battle Creek Cellars, a subsidiary of Seattle-based Precept Wine. Cabot made the wine sample that became Kutcher and Kunis' 2018 Quarantine Pinot Noir.

"I've been making wine for 14 years, and personally, 2018 was my best vintage so far. Everything clicked. I'm proud of this wine in every way possible," Cabot says.

Harding says he called Precept Wine in the first place because he knew that with Kutcher and Kunis supporting the project, he was going to need a lot of pinot noir to meet demand. Precept Wine is the largest privately held wine producer in the Pacific Northwest, with approximately 5,000 acres of vineyards in several states at their disposal.

"We also work with Sarah on another Oregon pinot noir for Nocking Point, so she was a natural fit for this project," Harding says.

Harding recently placed two-bottle sets of the 2018 Quarantine Pinot Noir for sale on the Nocking Point website at $50, which includes shipping.

"The first morning, we sold over 2,000 cases worth of wine. We were getting 2-3 orders per second, and at one point, we had 5,000 people on our website at the same time. The traffic was constant all day long. It was mind-blowing," Harding says.

A strong sales response is to be expected when you combine "That 70s Show" star power with a nicely priced Oregon pinot noir. The Quarantine wine has the added advantage of tapping into a sense of community.

Kutcher and Kunis wanted their wine sold in two-bottle sets so people could share either virtually or in-person  a bottle with friends and family. Kunis even designed the blank slate label to encourage people to communicate by adding their own messages, poems and drawings to the bottle.

Most important of all, the Quarantine wine raises money for America's Food Fund, Direct Relief, Give Directly and the Frontline Responders Fund. These organizations do everything from getting personal protective equipment and medical supplies to health care workers to providing food and money to those hardest hit by the coronavirus. Their efforts are national in scope, with ties to organizations in Oregon, such as the Oregon Food Bank.

Kutcher and Kunis initially set a goal of raising $250,000 for these organizations.

"We hit that number the first morning," Harding says. The new fundraising target is a cool one million dollars.

Can Cabot and Battle Creek Cellars keep up with the demand?

"I made 7,500 cases of the 2018, so let's just say I'm optimistic. And if I'm allowed to roll into my 2019 wines, I'll be happy because I have a lot of nice options to work with," Cabot says.

There is one thing Cabot is confident of: thanks to Kutcher and Kunis COVID-19 efforts, a whole lot of people will be drinking Oregon pinot noir for the first time.

 Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Toby, a 9-year-old Pomeranian-poodle mix, had to be euthanized after he was shot last year. Toby is pictured here with Marissa Cook, granddaughter of the dog's owner, Robert Cook. Read more

A 64-year-old South Jersey man is to be sentenced to five years in state prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to weapon possession and animal cruelty for shooting a neighbors therapy dog, a 9-year-old Pomeranian-poodle mix named Toby.

As part of his plea, William Stroemel, of Fifth Avenue in Maple Shade, is also prohibited from having contact with the dogs owners and must make restitution for its veterinary care, authorities said.

The plea hearing was conducted online before Superior Court Judge Gerard Breland, who set sentencing for July 29, according to Joel Bewley, spokesperson for the Burlington County Prosecutors Office.

Neither Stroemel  who is not in custody  nor his attorney could be reached by phone Wednesday.

The dog was shot after he escaped from his home Sept. 17. His owner, Robert Cook, a Vietnam War veteran, was in his garage when he heard the dogs sharp cries and raced down the street to find the dog lying near the curb.

The dog helped relieve Cooks post-traumatic stress disorder, his family has said. A veterinary examination showed that it had been shot in the head, and he had to be euthanized the next day.

The investigation revealed that Stroemel, a heavy-equipment operator known as Wild Willie, shot the dog with an air rifle as it was passing his home in the street, the Prosecutors Office said.

Cook could not be reached Wednesday. His granddaughter, Marissa Cook, 22, who grew up in Maple Shade and lives in Marlton, said of the expected sentence: Im happy hes getting time.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement: There are few criminal acts as callous as shooting an innocent dog that is the beloved pet of one of your neighbors. But Toby was not just a family pet, he was also a therapy dog and helped relieve the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by a Vietnam War veteran. Such flagrant disregard for life and the impact of ones actions demands serious punishment, and we believe this plea agreement reflects that.
[April 29, 2020] MIAMI REALTORS Selects Remine's Front-end and SSO Solutions for Its 52,000 Total Members

Remine, a leading real estate technology company, announced today that MIAMI Association of REALTORS (MIAMI) has decided to adopt Remine Pro as an alternative front-end and to implement Remine's Single Sign On (SSO) solution to better serve their more than 50,000 total members. "Remine Pro is an innovative, alternative front-end solution with tax, consumer engagement, and much more. Our members deserve best-in-class technologies to help them serve consumers with exceptional comprehensive solutions," said Teresa Kinney, CEO of MIAMI REALTORS. Eager to provide members with the best available features, the largest local REALTOR Association in the U.S. quickly transitioned members to Remine Pro after the recent release of Remine Live. This in-app live streaming feature helps maintain the important connection and real-life experience associated with property tours. "Remine's MS platform consists of eight cohesive products designed to unify customers and real estate professionals through one integrated experience," said Leo Pareja, President and Co-Founder of Remine. "Having MIAMI REALTORS adopt our front end, and SSO products reflect the importance and necessity for end-to-end solutions."



Remine SSO provides real estate professionals with an easy way to access MLS and broker solutions from a central location. The modern and simplistic dashboard enables in-app messaging and features that help promote the adoption of third-party applications. "After an in-depth analysis of our SSO needs, it was clear that we needed more association, MLS, broker, and team lead controls," said Teresa Kinney, CEO of MIAMI REALTORS. "From the seamless workflow to the full reporting capabilities, Remine SSO is the best solution on the market."

Remine's SSO solution supports OAuth, OpenID, and SAML. It includes a robust security suite, modern dashboard design, full reporting, multi-factor authentication, time-based passwords, multi-level access control, in-app messaging and content management, and supports MLS and broker applications. Remine SSO is scheduled for next year. About Remine From search to keys, Remine has revolutionized the home buying and selling experience by developing a seamless product suite, effectively creating a digital real estate journey. Established in 2016, Remine is a fast-growing technology company that serves over 1,000,000 real estate professionals in both the U.S. and Canada. Today, Remine leads the market in innovation with best-in-class technology that efficiently connects mortgage lenders, real estate agents, and consumers in one streamlined experience. The privately held company is headquartered in Northern Virginia, with offices in Seattle, Toronto, and Irvine, California. About MIAMI REALTORS MIAMI Association of REALTORS is comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, MIAMI REALTORS Commercial, the Broward MIAMI, A Division of MIAMI REALTORS, JTHS-MIAMI, a Division of MIAMI REALTORS in the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound area, MIAMI REALTORS YPN, our Young Professionals Network Council and the award-winning MIAMI REALTORS Global Council, and it represents more than 50,000 real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S. and has official partnerships with more than 220 international organizations worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005700/en/

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MEXICO CITY - Nicaraguas government has not only failed to enforce laws that protect its indigenous peoples and their communal lands, but is actively promoting illegal land grabs and granting concessions to mining and timber companies, according to a report released Wednesday.

Since 2015, more than 40 members of these communities along Nicaraguas northern Caribbean coast have been killed and many more wounded and kidnapped, according to The Oakland Institute, a California-based think-tank . The complaints in many ways echo recent reports of U.N. and regional rights agencies.

Residents say non-indigenous settlers known as colonos have been responsible for the killings, but in many cases police do not even come to investigate.

The violence has increased in recent years, obscured first by the governments crackdown on protests that began in April 2018 and more recently by the worlds attention being diverted by the coronavirus pandemic. So far this year, eight people have been killed in these communities, said Anuradha Mittal, the institutes executive director and author of the report. Four of those deaths came in late March.

Violence is escalating when the world is focused on Covid, Mittal said The people are like, forget about dying from Covid, we are dying from land invasions.

A request for comment from the Nicaraguan government on the contents of the report was not answered.

The spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned attacks that occurred in late January when dozens of settlers attacked the Mayangna community inside the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve.

Most of the violence has been carried out by settlers as they seek to force indigenous people from their ancestral homes and use their lands for illegal logging and cattle farming, the U.N. agencys spokeswoman Marta Hurtado said in early February.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned that attack and said the government failed to protect the indigenous peoples and their territory. It noted such attacks had been occurring for years and called on Nicaraguas government to adopt policies to protect the rights of indigenous peoples to life, integrity and territory.

On paper, Nicaragua appears to be one of the better countries in terms of protecting its indigenous people and their land. A pair of laws were lauded internationally for guaranteeing these communities rights to their land and their right to manage it. One law includes a provision calling for the clearing of indigenous territories of settlers and outside corporations who are there without legal title.

But the government has failed to enforce these laws, and instead colludes with business interests and plays an active role in the colonization of the protected lands by outsiders, the institute said. A constant stream of settlers, central government interventions, forestry and extractive industries, threaten their lands, economic well being, and political autonomy.

The communities have had success in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, but the government has not backed up those decisions from the regional court.

The situation is further complicated by the personal business interests of the family of President Daniel Ortega. The report outlines the familys ties to one of the most active timber companies working in protected areas.

The government has also promoted international mining opportunities that have advanced with government backing despite local resistance.

The forest cover in Nicaragua has dropped from 76 per cent in 1969 to 25 per cent today, the report said.

Ortegas 2018 repression of street protests caused more than 328 deaths, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. More recently, the government has faced international criticism for not implementing social distancing measures and even promoting mass gatherings despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nicaraguas indigenous communities have turned to international courts, because they found no redress in Nicaraguas justice system, Mittal said.

It becomes a responsibility of the international community to hold individual governments accountable, she said. And that is what the intent of the report is, to drag this dracula out into the sunlight and let international attention be poured over it.
While the speculations around the whereabouts of Kim Jong Un have intensified, experts suggest that the North Korean leader has been residing at his favoured resort near Wonsan. According to experts and satellite images, the recent movement of luxury boats indicates that he or his entourage may be in the Wonsan area.

Amid contradicting reports, a South Korean minister reportedly said that Kim Jong Un may be trying to avoid exposure to coronavirus. Unification Minister Kim Yeon-Chul, who oversees engagement with Pyongyang, reportedly told legislators on April 28 that the absence of North Korean leader from ceremonies was not unusual given his recent records.

The last reported presence of Kim was during a Politburo meeting on April 11 and since then he has missed key events that paved the way for speculations around his medical condition. The North Korean legislature held its third session on April 12 in the absence of its Supreme Leader. Kim also remained absent from commemorations of his grandfathers birth anniversary, triggering speculations around unusual break away from traditions.

The South Korean minister highlighted that many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns. He said that there were at least two instances since mid-January when the North Korean leader remained out of sight for nearly 20 days, adding that the absence is not particularly unusual due to coronavirus crisis.

Read: South Korea Says Kim Jong Un May Be Trying To Avoid Coronavirus, Nothing 'unusual'

Unusual silence of state media

However, North Koreas state news agency KCNA has been unusually silent on the condition of Kim which is palpable in its reports. While it has mentioned about the North Korean leader issuing orders and taking other actions as if business as usual, it has neither disclosed the location nor clarified on his health condition.

Read: Why Is Han Kwang-Son Banned By Kim Jong-Un From Playing In EPL And Taking Interviews?

US media had earlier reported that Kim contracted COVID-19 from a Chinese doctor who had flown in to help him with a cardiovascular procedure. Contradictory reports have been emerging since then in which some suggested 'stable condition' while some claimed that the North Korean leader went brain-dead after surgery.

Read: South Korea's Continued Hush-hush Piles Intrigue Over North Korea's Kim Jong-un's Health

Read: Trump Piles Confusion On Kim Jong-un's Health; Says 'I've A Good Idea, But Can't Tell'

(Image credit: AP)
CINCINNATI, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Bell Inc. (NYSE:CBB) ("Cincinnati Bell"), today announced that leading proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS"), Glass Lewis & Co., LLC ("Glass Lewis") and Egan-Jones Ratings Company ("Egan-Jones") have all recommended that Cincinnati Bell shareholders vote FOR the proposed merger whereby a controlled subsidiary of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners ("MIP") has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Cincinnati Bell pursuant to a plan of merger (the "Transaction").

The terms and conditions of the Transaction are further described in an 8-K Cincinnati Bell filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 13, 2020 and the Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on March 25, 2020 (the "Proxy Statement").

Lynn A. Wentworth, Chairman of the Cincinnati Bell Board of Directors, said, "We are very pleased that ISS, Glass Lewis and Egan-Jones have all recommended our shareholders vote in favor of the transaction. The support of these leading proxy advisory firms underscores the compelling all-cash, premium consideration to be received by our shareholders, as well as the robust and disciplined process that we conducted to ensure maximum value creation for our shareholders. We remain confident that this transaction is in the best interest of our company and our shareholders."

Proxy Advisory Firm Recommendations

In making its recommendation FOR the Transaction, ISS concluded, among other things, that:

"Shareholders are receiving a 100.8 percent premium to the unaffected price. The auction process was thorough and the resulting bidding war after the initial merger announcement between Brookfield and MIP resulted in a $5.00 per share or 47.6 percent increase over the initial merger agreement with Brookfield. Lastly, the cash consideration provides shareholders with liquidity and certainty of value and there is downside risk of non-approval due to the market downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic."

In making its recommendation FOR the Transaction, Glass Lewis noted, among other things, that:

"given the current industry and competitive environment in which Cincinnati Bell operates, taking into consideration the Company's recent and prospective financial performance, we see more than a sufficient basis to conclude that the proposed all-cash acquisition currently represents the best alternative for stockholders to realize the value of their Cincinnati Bell shares.the purchase price agreed to likely represents the highest price that any potential acquirer is currently willing to pay for the Company."

In making its recommendation FOR the Transaction, Egan-Jones noted, among other things, that:

"Based on the review of publicly available information on strategic, corporate governance and financial aspects of the proposed transaction, Egan-Jones views the proposed transaction to be a desirable approach in maximizing shareholder value. After careful consideration, we believe that approval of the merger is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and its advantages and opportunities outweigh the risks associated to the merger."

Special Virtual Meeting of Cincinnati Bell Shareholders on May 7, 2020

The special meeting of Cincinnati Bell shareholders to vote on the Transaction will be held online via live webcast on May 7, 2020, at 11:00 am, Eastern Daylight Time. There will not be a physical meeting location. The special meeting can be accessed by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CBB2020. Cincinnati Bell has chosen to hold a virtual, rather than an in-person, meeting in light of public health concerns associated with the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.

For Cincinnati Bell, the completion of the Transaction is subject to, in addition to other required approvals, the approval of shareholders holding at least two-thirds of the outstanding Company common shares and 6 3/ 4 % preferred shares. It is very important that all holders of Company common shares and 6 3/ 4 % preferred shares vote promptly. The Cincinnati Bell Board of Directors has unanimously recommended that Cincinnati Bell shareholders vote FOR the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and the other proposals to be voted on at the special meeting. Additional information about the special meeting and the proposals to be voted on at the special meeting can be found in the Proxy Statement.

How to Vote

To ensure that their Company common shares or 6 3/ 4 % preferred shares (or depositary shares representing interests in such 6 3/ 4 % preferred shares) are voted at the special meeting, Cincinnati Bell recommends that shareholders provide voting instructions promptly by proxy, even if they plan to attend the special meeting, using one of the following three methods:

Vote via the Internet. Follow the instructions for internet voting shown on the proxy card mailed to them.

Vote by Telephone. Follow the instructions for telephone voting shown on the proxy card mailed to them.

Vote by Proxy Card. If shareholders do not wish to vote by the Internet or by telephone, they can complete, sign, date and mail the proxy card mailed to them along with the Proxy Statement in the envelope provided.

Shareholders may contact Innisfree M&A Incorporated, Cincinnati Bell's proxy solicitor, for any questions:

Innisfree M&A Incorporated

Shareholders Call Toll-Free: 877-825-8971

Brokers Call Collect: 212-750-5833

About Cincinnati Bell Inc.

With headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Bell Inc. (NYSE: CBB) delivers integrated communications solutions to residential and business customers over its fiber-optic and copper networks including high-speed internet, video, voice and data. Cincinnati Bell provides service in areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Hawaii. In addition, enterprise customers across the United States and Canada rely on CBTS and OnX, wholly owned subsidiaries, for efficient, scalable office communications systems and end-to-end IT solutions. For more information, please visit www.cincinnatibell.com. The information on Cincinnati Bell's website is not incorporated by reference in this press release.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed merger. In connection with the proposed merger, Cincinnati Bell has filed relevant materials with the SEC, including the Proxy Statement mailed to holders of Cincinnati Bell's common shares and 6 34% cumulative convertible preferred shares (the "shareholders") beginning on March 31, 2020. Shareholders are urged to read all relevant documents filed with the SEC, including the Proxy Statement, because they will contain important information about the proposed merger and the parties to the proposed merger. Investors and shareholders are able to obtain the documents (once available) free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov , or free of charge from Cincinnati Bell at investor.cincinnatibell.com or by directing a request to Cincinnati Bell's Investor Relations Department at 1-800-345-6301 or [email protected] .

Participants in the Solicitation

Cincinnati Bell and its directors, executive officers, other members of management and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders in favor of the proposed merger. Information regarding the interests of these participants which may, in some cases, be different than those of the shareholders generally, is included in the Proxy Statement, Cincinnati Bell's Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for its 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 19, 2019, and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with the SEC on February 24, 2020. These documents may be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

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Certain of the statements in this communication contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and results that are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "predicts," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "continues," "endeavors," "strives," "will," "may," "proposes," "potential," "could," "should," "outlook," or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of future financial performance, anticipated growth and trends in businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) the risk that the proposed merger may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; (ii) the failure to receive, on a timely basis or otherwise, the required approval of the proposed merger by Cincinnati Bell's shareholders; (iii) the possibility that competing offers or acquisition proposals for Cincinnati Bell will be made; (iv) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the merger may not be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive any required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on such approvals); (v) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger, including in circumstances which would require Cincinnati Bell to pay a termination fee or other expenses; (vi) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the merger on Cincinnati Bell's ability to retain and hire key personnel, its ability to maintain relationships with its customers, suppliers and others with whom it does business, or its operating results and business generally; (vii) risks related to diverting management's attention from Cincinnati Bell's ongoing business operations; (viii) the risk that shareholder litigation in connection with the merger may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; (ix) risks related to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 (more commonly known as the Coronavirus), including the risk that the receipt of certain approvals required to consummate the proposed merger may be delayed; and (x) (A) those discussed in Cincinnati Bell's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and, in particular, the risks discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Item 1A, and (B) those discussed in other documents Cincinnati Bell filed with the SEC. Actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Cincinnati Bell undertakes no, and expressly disclaims any, obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by applicable law.

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The Government has announced 26 new Covid-19 research and innovation projects.

The new projects will complement existing third-level research activity and include attempts to produce PPE using 3D printers and creating reagents to enabling large scale-testing.

The projects will receive 5m funding under the newly-established national, coordinated research and innovation response to the pandemic.

The 26 projects cover a huge range of areas including:

Creating a secure, reliable supply of high-quality reagents to enable large-scale testing

Producing PPE for frontline health staff using state-of-the-art 3D printing equipment.

Tracking the genetics of the Covid-19 virus in Ireland

Online resources to support healthcare professionals who have answered Irelands call for Covid-19

Why dont we keep our distance? Evidence for more effective communication in the pandemic

Getting a measure of silent infection: a key to Covid-19 recovery planning

Research, development and innovation will play a significant role in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, said Business Minister Heather Humphreys.

The projects announced today are part of a national drive to find solutions to the challenges we face.

Right across the country, our research community in our higher education institutions and businesses, both indigenous and foreign owned, have mobilised to address these key issues.

The projects announced today, which take in health and social care as well as policy and industry, will help to address how we can ease the restrictions over time and get the country back up-and-running again.

The initiative is being overseen by overseen by a coordinated Rapid Response Research, Development and Innovation programme established by the Health Research Board (HRB), Irish Research Council (IRC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

Minister for Health Simon Harris added: Research and development is critical to supporting Irelands National Action Plan in response to Covid-19 and in navigating a way forward for individuals, communities and society as a whole.

In these extraordinary circumstances,I am delighted to see such collaboration and coordination in a collective battle against Covid-19.

These projects have real potential to have an impact on the health and wellbeing of patients, families, healthcare workers and the healthcare system.

In particular, having suitable treatments or vaccines is the best exit strategy from Covid-19 and the related restrictions we are living with so I am committed to ensuring a coordinated and proactive approach is taken to ensuring that Covid-19 patients across all settings in Ireland have access to new and emerging treatments as part of clinical trials.

The research projects are part of a broader initiative to tackle the pandemic by unlocking the potential of Irish based researchers and innovators, and to complement similar work around the world.

All of the projects were internationally peer-reviewed at the assessment stage.

Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan said innovation would play an important role in tackling the virus.

I want to acknowledge the ongoing support from the higher education institutions and researchers across the country that have undertaken a vast array of actions to support and deal with the challenges we face.

Research, development and innovation will have a significant role to play in our response to Covid-19. Governments around the globe have also rapidly mobilised research in tackling the crisis, and the opportunities being provided to our research community will ensure a coordinated and meaningful contribution to solving some of the challenges we are presented with during the current crisis.

It is through sustainable investment in research that we will beat Covid-19 and future pandemics, as well as generate the insight and understanding to support responsive social, economic and cultural policies.
A series of 'wobbles' come before giant earthquakes, a new study discovered, and it could help scientists predict when future disasters are going to happen.

Scientists from Ohio State University found that months before Japan's strongest ever quake in 2011 land masses in the country underwent an enormous 'wobble'.

The 2011 earthquake unleashed a tsunami that killed thousands of people and scientists say the wobble that preceded it lasted for months.

The team behind the latest discovery hope future wobbles could alert seismologists to upcoming disasters and give countries time to prepare but would require all 'at risk countries' to install a large and robust sensor network.

Although the tiny shifts were 'imperceptible', they were 'obvious' in data measured by more than 1,000 GPS stations dotted around the country, the scientists say.

Scientists from Ohio State University found that months before Japan's strongest ever quake in 2011 land masses in the country underwent an enormous 'wobble'

The study, published in the journal Nature, looked at the data surrounding the 9 magnitude Tohoku-oki earthquake on March 11 that killed 15,500 people.

A strange shift in the ground jerked the country's landmass from east to west, and back again, in a 'wobble' lasting months, the Ohio team found.

Study co-author Professor Michael Bevis said what they found in Japan was an enormous but very slow wobble - something never observed before.

'But are all giant earthquakes preceded by wobbles of this kind? We don't know because we don't have enough data,' the Ohio State researchers said.

'This is one more thing to watch for when assessing seismic risk in subduction zones like those in Japan, Sumatra, the Andes and Alaska.'

The new research found that Japan's land masses repeatedly shifted the equivalent of just a fraction of an inch per month over a period of five to seven months before the 2011 earthquake.

Scientists from Germany, Chile and the United States, analysed that data and saw a reversing shift in the land.

They found it was reversing by a fraction of an inch to the east, then to the west, then back to the east.

Those movements were 'markedly' different from the steady and cyclical shifts the Earth's land masses continuously make, the team explained.

'The world is broken up into plates that are always moving in one way or another. Movement is not unusual. It's this style of movement that's unusual,' Bevis said.

The earth sciences expert said the wobble could indicate that in the months before the earthquake, the plate under the Philippine Sea began a 'slow slip event.'

The catalyst to the quake, Bevis explained, was a relatively gentle and 'silent' underthrusting of two adjacent oceanic plates beneath Japan.

This silent shift eventually triggered a massive westward and downward lurch that drove the Pacific plate and slab under Japan, generating powerful seismic waves that shook the whole country.

The study, published in the journal Nature, looked at the data surrounding the 9 magnitude Tohoku-oki earthquake on March 11 that killed 15,500 people

Japan was devastated by the natural disaster which permanently shifted large parts of Honshu, the country's main island, several meters to the east.

It launched tsunami waves more than 130ft high destroying the homes of 450,000 people and sending several nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into meltdown.

A steady stream of toxic, radioactive materials spewed into the atmosphere and forced thousands nearby to flee their homes.

Researchers try to pinpoint the approximate magnitude of the next large earthquakes and predict where and when they might occur.

But the 'when' is much harder than the 'where', according to the Ohio team.

Unfortunately, the benefits of this study are not widespread because not all countries are equipped with Japanese-level GPS technology.

Japan was devastated by the natural disaster which permanently shifted large parts of Honshu, the country's main island, several meters to the east

Study lead author Dr Jonathan Bedford, a researcher at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, said it is not possible to apply the findings to other vulnerable subduction zones.

Many countries in zones vulnerable to earthquakes lack the technology available in Japan, which has one of the largest GPS monitoring systems in the world.

That cutting-edge system provided ample data, allowing the research team to identify the land mass swings that happened many months before the earthquake.

Other countries, including Chile and Indonesia, which were hit by devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in 2010 and 2004, respectively, had much less-comprehensive systems at the time of those disasters.

The researchers analysed similar data from the 2010 Chile earthquake, and found evidence of a similar wobble.

Dr Bedford said the data was 'only just good enough to capture the signal.'

He added: 'We really need to be monitoring all major subduction zones with high-density GPS networks as soon as possible.'

The research has been published in the journal Nature.
As Americans continue to seek answers about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Stephen Colbert offered some advice Tuesday night: Maybe it's time to stop listening to Vice President Mike Pence.

Just hours earlier, Pence, who leads the White House's coronavirus task force, prompted collective outcry when he was spotted speaking to staff and patients at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, without a face mask. Many, including Colbert, noticed that Pence seemed to be the only person at the medical center who wasn't wearing some sort of face covering - an apparent violation of the clinic's policy and a move that appears at odds with federal guidelines dictating best practices for stemming the spread of the novel virus.

"Hold on, I've got a mask for you right here," Colbert said on his CBS show, staring defiantly into the camera while appearing to make a crude gesture with his hand, which was wrapped loosely in a surgical mask.

Colbert wasn't the only person who objected to seeing the lower half of Pence's face Tuesday. The late-night host was joined by fellow TV comics and medical professionals, all of whom roundly criticized Pence for failing to set the right example amid the pandemic by knowingly disregarding the hospital's masking policy.

By early Wednesday, Pence's name and "Mayo Clinic" were trending on Twitter as critics slammed the vice president for promoting "completely irresponsible public health messaging."

Videos and photos of Pence's visit to one of the country's premiere hospitals began circulating widely on social media Tuesday afternoon. In one clip from PBS NewsHour, a barefaced Pence could be seen elbow-bumping and chatting with multiple people inside the clinic. Everyone else visible in the video was sporting a mask, adhering to the clinic's recently instituted requirement that all patients and visitors wear a facial covering while on the premises.

The Mayo Clinic wrote in a now-deleted tweet that Pence and his team were aware of the masking policy ahead of Tuesday's tour.

Pence later defended his decision to go mask-less, telling reporters that he and everyone around him are regularly tested for the virus. Pence, President Donald Trump and other officials have regularly appeared at White House coronavirus briefings often standing close to one another without masks, even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance earlier this month encouraging people to use the face coverings in "public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain."

"Since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health-care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you," Pence said Tuesday. (It is unclear how wearing a mask, which usually only covers the lower half of a person's face, would have obstructed Pence's vision.)

But Pence's explanation did little to quell the backlash.

On CNN, Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist who treated former vice president Dick Cheney, ripped Pence's actions as "so wrong, so tone-deaf."

"The vice president wouldn't disrespect a synagogue and not wear a skull cap when he walked into a temple or he wouldn't refuse to remove his shoes when he walked into a mosque," said Reiner, a professor at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "Hospitals are our new holy places and he's completely disrespecting the sacrifice that the nurses and the docs and the staff in hospitals make by not wearing a mask. What is he saying to them?"

Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, was equally irked.

"It's a hospital in the middle of a pandemic," Gupta told anchor Chris Cuomo with a wry chuckle. "That is the time when you wear a mask."

Gupta also pushed back against Pence's response, noting that a negative test result doesn't mean complete certainty that a person isn't contagious.

"When you get a negative test, that is a point in time," the doctor said. "If he's getting tested periodically that's great, but you don't really know. You could have another exposure and potentially harbor the virus in your body, have no symptoms."

Other doctors rushed to condemn Pence's decision on social media.

"I have already had #COVID19, am documented PCR negative and I have antibodies," tweeted Dara Kass, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. "I still wear a mask around other people. Be like me, not the VP."

Another doctor described Pence's behavior as "pompous, arrogant + self-absorbed," adding, "It's anti-science."

The criticism of Pence continued well into Tuesday night as TV comics dissected the controversy for their audiences.

"I guess he was just like, 'It's OK everybody, I don't believe in science,'" Trevor Noah quipped on Comedy Central. "Dude, come on, what are you doing? Wear a mask."

On CBS, Colbert pointed out that not long after Pence was "saying it and spraying it" at the Mayo Clinic, the medical center seemed to publicly call out the vice president in the tweet, soon deleted, which explained that he was well aware of the rules.

"Wow, that must have been harsh for Mike Pence to get roasted by his idol, mayo," Colbert joked.

Meanwhile, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel suggested an alternative theory for why Pence entered the hospital without a mask.

"You know the only reason he didn't wear a mask is because Trump won't wear one, right?" Kimmel said.

Kimmel later added, "I don't know, maybe Mike Pence wants to catch it already and be put out of his misery."

But even amid all the outcry, Pence wasn't without his defenders Tuesday - namely Fox News host Laura Ingraham and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

"The media obsession with Mike Pence wearing a mask is really just ridiculous," McEnany said Tuesday night in response to Ingraham's question about "mask-shaming."

"Instead of focusing on mask palace intrigue, perhaps they can focus on delivering news to the American people," McEnany said. "I think that's what the American people deserve."
Technavio has been monitoring the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry and it is poised to grow by USD 7.22 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of about 31% 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/20200429005020/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Amazon Web Services Inc., FANUC Corp., General Electric Co., Google LLC, H2O.AI Inc., IBM Corp., KUKA Aktiengesellschaft, Microsoft Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., and SAP SE are some of the major market participants. The use of industrial IoT will offer immense growth opportunities. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Use of industrial IoT has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023: Segmentation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry is segmented as below:

Application Predictive Maintenance and Machine Inspection Production Planning Quality Control Others

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR32119

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 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 artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry report covers the following areas:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry: Size

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry: Trends

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry: Industry Analysis

This study identifies increasing human-robot collaboration as one of the prime reasons driving the artificial intelligence (AI) market growth in the manufacturing industry during the next few years.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry, including some of the vendors such as Amazon Web Services Inc., FANUC Corp., General Electric Co., Google LLC, H2O.AI Inc., IBM Corp., KUKA Aktiengesellschaft, Microsoft Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., and SAP SE. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in Manufacturing Industry 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist artificial intelligence (AI) market growth in manufacturing industry during the next five years

Estimation of the artificial intelligence (AI) market size in manufacturing industry and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth the vendors in the artificial intelligence (AI) market in manufacturing industry

Table Of Contents:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION

Market segmentation by application

Comparison by application

Predictive maintenance and machine inspection Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Production planning Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Quality control Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by application

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 10: MARKET TRENDS

Advancements in AI related to intelligent business process

Increasing human-robot collaboration

Growing demand for generative designs

PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Amazon Web Services, Inc.

FANUC Corp.

General Electric Co.

Google LLC

H2O.AI Inc.

IBM Corp.

KUKA Aktiengesellschaft

Microsoft Corp.

Rockwell Automation Inc.

SAP SE

PART 13: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

Definition of market positioning of vendors

PART 14: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

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/20200429005020/en/

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Website: www.technavio.com/
(Bloomberg) -- Qualcomm Inc. gave a solid sales forecast for the current quarter and said demand is close to returning to normal levels in the biggest market for smartphones -- China.Revenue will be $4.4 billion to $5.2 billion in the period ending in June, the San Diego-based company said Wednesday in a statement. Analysts, on average, estimated $4.77 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Profit, excluding some items, will be 60 cents to 80 cents a share, the company said.

Youre going to see improvements coming out of June, if China is any model, Chief Executive Officer Steve Mollenkopf said in an interview. In China, smartphone demand is very close to the level it would be normally but the mix of 5G is better than we expected.

Investors are looking to Qualcomms projections for an indication of how quickly China, the worlds most populous nation, can get back on its feet after locking down much of the country earlier this year. The signs from China may provide clues for how the European and North American markets for phones will emerge from those regions efforts to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sales in the worlds largest market for those phones plummeted an unprecedented 22% during the quarter after the Covid-19 outbreak forced brands to shut stores and created nationwide supply bottlenecks, according to Counterpoint Research. Mollenkopf said the supply issue has largely been fixed and future sales will depend on consumer spending levels.

Shares rose about 3% in extended trading after closing at $78.97 in New York. Qualcomms stock has dropped 10% this year.

Qualcomm said fiscal second-quarter revenue increased 4.7% to $5.2 billion, landing in the middle of the companys earlier forecast and topping estimates. Net income fell to $468 million, or 41 cents a share, from $663 million, or 55 cents, a year earlier. Excluding certain items, profit was 88 cents, compared with Wall Streets average estimate of 78 cents.

Story continues

Chinese Smartphone Sales Fall a Record 22% Though Huawei Shone

The company has tied its success to the roll out of fifth-generation, or 5G, networks. The promise of a leap forward in data speeds has prompted many consumers to hang on to existing handsets longer and wait for the improvements. The chipmaker has cautioned demand for 5G phones wont kick in until the second half of the year.

Spending on the build out of the new networks is strong in China and has been maintained in North America, Mollenkopf said. In some parts of Europe it has been slowed by efforts to fight the virus. Still, the company is maintaining its annual prediction of from 175 million to 225 million 5G phone shipments. Those handsets require more expensive Qualcomm chips.

Qualcomm is the largest maker of the processors and modems that are the main components in smartphones. It has repaired a once-fractured relationship with Apple Inc. and will be returning to a role in the iPhone models likely debuting later this year. The company, however, has lost share in China as Huawei Technologies Co., the No. 2 maker of smartphones globally, has focused on its home market and built devices with its own chips.

The company gets the bulk of its profit from licensing patents that cover the fundamentals of modern phone systems. Qualcomm charges a percentage of the selling price of each handset, payable by phone makers regardless of whether they use its chips. The company generates the majority of its revenue from processors and modems, which convert radio signals into data and voice.

Qualcomm is emerging from years of legal disputes and regulatory proceedings that threatened its licensing model. It still has to reach an agreement in a patent-fee standoff with Huawei and is seeking to overturn a sweeping U.S. antitrust decision against the company.

Previously, Qualcomm disclosed in a filing that it received a request for information on Dec. 3 from the European Commission, which is investigating whether the company engaged in anticompetitive behavior by exploiting its position in baseband processors to gain an advantage in the 5G radio-frequency chip market.

(Updates with comments from CEO in the third paragraph.)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Costco is implementing new safety protocols to keep its customers and employees safe from the ongoing threat of coronavirus. Effective Monday, May 4, all guests must wear a mask or face covering in the store at all times, and it must be covering the nose and mouth. Keep you and your family in good health by knowing how to wear a face mask properly.

When Each State Could Consider Easing Coronavirus Social Distancing, According to Study

The new rule does not apply to shoppers under the age of 2 and people who are unable to wear a mask for medical reasons. That said, face masks should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing. As recommended by health officials, its important to stay 6 feet away from other people in all directions.

Some grocery stores like Target and Trader Joes have temporarily suspended the use of reusable bags because germs from the bag could spread, but Costco says that unless prohibited by local mandates, it will allow customers to bring them into the store as long as they pack the bags themselves.

All stores are expected to return to normal operating hours with a 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekday slot for seniors only, but no more than one shopper per membership card will be allowed in Kentucky, Puerto Rico and El Paso, Texas. No more than two people per membership card will be allowed in all other U.S. stores.

For the time being, healthcare workers and first responders including pharmacists, police officers, EMTs and firefighters with a membership will be allowed to move to the front of any line to enter the store, as long as they show proper work identification and are not accompanied by a guest.

Regardless of who you are  an essential worker or a citizen in self-quarantine  it's important to have a plan before you head out to replenish your fridge and pantry. Play it safe with these shopping tips to make the most of your grocery trip.
Press Release

April 28, 2020 Statement - Senator Bato Dela Rosa on PRRD's pronouncement to cancel the peace talks with the CPP-NPA "Since day one of my military service up to the last day of my police service, never did I experience an ounce of sincerity from the NPA regarding peace talks. They just use peacetalks to outsmart the government and gain grounds."
The S&P/ASX 200 closed 80 points higher at 5393.4 on Wednesday, the highest level since 17 April. This represented a gain of 1.5 per cent, including a 15-point jump during settlement.

Banks and casinos were among the biggest risers with Crown Resorts gaining 10.9 per cent to a seven-week high of $9.54 after major shareholder Melco sold its 9.9 per cent stake to a US private equity firm.

Star Entertainment, which runs Star casino in Sydney, tagged along for the ride, closing 10.2 per cent higher, New Zealand casino operator Skycity gained 6.9 per cent, and Tabcorp gained 7 per cent.

"Whenever there is corporate activity inside a stock, the sector does get uplift,'' says senior investment advisor and Shaw and Partners, Adam Dawes.

But the banks really drove the ASX on Wednesday, with NAB and ANZ both rising more than 6 per cent, Westpac up over 5 per cent, and Commonwealth Bank up 4 per cent.

"Traders don't think that ANZ or Westpac need to raise any capital. And the banks have not taken part in this latest rally from the low three weeks ago, so it is a little bit of catch up,'' Mr Dawes explained.

And NAB's gain of 6.3 per cent to $16.29, following a 2.8 per cent fall on Monday, after it announced a $3.5 billion capital raising, is thanks to transparency. ANZ reports its half-year results on Thursday, Westpac on Monday, and Macquarie Bank delivers its full year results next Friday.

"Is there any more skeletons in the closet? Probably not, and the market was happy to get behind the banks for that.''

Meanwhile Coles was punished by the market with its share price falling 4.4 per cent to $15.51 despite reporting a 13 per cent increase in sales during the panic buying March quarter. Investors are worried about future sales and costs.

And the energy sector out-performed, up 4.9 per cent, on expectations that the $US10 per barrel price seen over the weekend will be the floor and prices will rise back up to $US50 per barrel in the next year.

Corporate Travel gained 10.5 per cent even though it is likely to be some time before normal travel resumes.




Germany has granted Nigeria a debt relief worth 22.4 million (N8.9bn).

Naija News recall that it was reported on Tuesday that the European nation gave out an additional 5.5million to Nigeria.

In a further development, in a statement on Tuesday, Germany, which has Europes largest economy, said the debt relief comes in addition to its support of the pandemic response globally.

In 2020, the German treasury relieves Nigeria of debt repayments amounting to 22.4 million (N8.9bn), the statement said.

Germany also noted it has pledged a total of 12 million (N4.8bn) in additional support to the West Africa Health Organisation, the regional health institution of the ECOWAS.

The debt relief from Germany comes after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the sum of $3.4 billion as requested by the Nigerian government for emergency support.

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The central team, which recently



visited Maharashtra to assess the COVID-19 situation, has concluded that the mortality rate of coronavirus positive patients in Mumbai is less than the state's average, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday.

The team also found that the doubling rate of coronavirus cases in this megapolis is lower than what is registered by the state and the country, the civic body said.

In a release, the BMC said that the doubling rate of coronavirus positive cases in the city has increased to 10 days from 8.3 days between April 11 and 27, and the mortality rate of patients declined to 3.9 per cent from 6.3 per cent in the same period.

Claiming that the central team praised the efforts of the civic body in containing the spread of the virus, the BMC release said that the doubling rate in the country is 9.5 days, while the same on the state level is 8.9 days, whereas the mortality rate in the state is 4.3 per cent.

The central team concluded that the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients in Mumbai is less than the state's average and the doubling rate is less than that of the state and the country, the BMC said.

The central team, led by Manoj Joshi, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, had last week visited the state, including Mumbai, to monitor the testing efforts, management of lockdown and supply chain issues in the state.

The first coronavirus positive case was found in Mumbai on March 11 and the number of such cases in the city has now crossed the 6,000-mark.

The BMC claimed that it is taking all possible efforts to contain the spread of the disease and till April 26, it has searched 1,29,477 contacts including 21,053 high risk contacts of the positive patients since the first patient was found in the city.

The corporation said that the contact tracking helped it to find 1,647 coronavirus positive cases.

According to BMC release, the city also tops in the number of tests done to find out coronavirus positive cases.

The BMC has conducted 66,000 tests, which calculates to 5,071 tests per lakh population, while in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, New Delhi and Kerala states conducted 2624, 1220, 794 and 684 tests per lakh population respectively, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fifteen South Carolinians with COVID-19 have died since Monday, the highest number of patient deaths since the pandemic reached the Palmetto State. Another 123 people have tested positive, bringing the state to a total of 5,735 known cases.

No fewer than 192 people have died from COVID-19 in South Carolina, with more than one in five of them coming from residents or workers at the states nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to data released by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

More critically, known outbreaks among the states nursing homes, rehab centers and other long-term facilities grew to 595 cases at 62 locations. Those numbers included a striking jump to 44 deaths.

And for the first time, DHEC identified every nursing home and similar facility where a death was confirmed.

Midlands Health and Rehabilitation Center is Columbia is host to the deadliest known outbreak, with seven deaths. The 88-bed nursing home also tops the state with 78 confirmed cases.

Heartland Health and Rehabilitation Care Center in Hanahan has 76 known cases and six deaths. The Post and Courier reported Sunday that the facility didnt begin testing for the virus until the first week of April. And a nurse who contracted the virus told the newspaper he wasnt given special protective gear and had to wear the same thin paper mask for weeks.

Among the 19 long-term facilities with deaths confirmed by DHEC, six had three or more fatalities.

DHEC officials stressed that they are working closely with the states nursing home administrators, ensuring they follow federal guidelines for controlling the spread of infections.

State health officials are investigating every COVID-19 case at each of these facilities. That work includes advising each facility on the use of special protective gear and interviewing patients and staff.

This virus is taking its toll on many of our state's most vulnerable, including our friends and family who reside in long-term care facilities, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, a DHEC physician.

The information released Tuesday offered the clearest picture yet of the toll the virus has taken on the states nursing homes, where the elderly and disabled rely on round-the-clock care.

For weeks, state health officials provided a daily toll of the virus spread without releasing details on nursing home outbreaks. When other states shared that information early on, it provided a crucial glimpse at how the virus preyed on the vulnerable, helping spur authorities into action.

South Carolina health officials have stressed that there was no requirement for the information to be reported to them, so they needed time to compile it. The Department of Health and Environmental Control first publicly identified long-term care facilities with positive cases on April 21.

During the lapse, The Post and Courier attempted to gather statewide information from the facilities directly.

Reporters requested basic information from nursing home administrators on the number of cases and deaths per facility and what safety precautions staff have been taking.

Using contact information published by DHEC, the request was sent to each of the states 196 nursing homes, allowing each of them a week to compile the information. Two administrators responded.

Still, at facilities where the virus has clustered, stories began to trickle out.

At the Heartland facility in Hanahan, a 60-year-old resident told The Post and Courier he became infected after some nurses tended to him without wearing masks.

Then, the newspaper interviewed the nurse who had to reuse the then paper mask for weeks. The nurse caught the virus and landed in a hospital intensive-care unit for 10 days, he said. Hes home recovering.

The Post and Couriers reporting also showed how some of the states hardest-hit facilities also have some of the states poorest records of care.

The Hanahan nursing home carries the federal governments lowest rating after a $234,000 fine from authorities in 2018. The penalty came after inspectors said some attendants had been rough with residents and because the facility was regularly short-staffed, the newspaper found.

Inspectors also flagged the facilitys practices for controlling infectious diseases, though the violations were relatively minor.

A representative for the facility said caring for patients is their primary concern and that theyve redoubled their efforts in recent weeks.

Either way, theres no way of knowing how a 94-year-old mother of seven caught the virus at Heartland in early April. She became infected even though she is paralyzed and cannot move from her bed, her family told The Post and Courier. She has since been placed in hospice care and doctors have given her a life expectancy of four months.

A lag in testing at the facility presented other issues.

Heartland didnt begin testing until early April, a representative for the facility said. That was around the time Vikki ODriscoll, a 62-year-old former bus driver became infected. As far as her family can tell, no one at the facility knew she had the virus until it had already killed her.

The most recent victims listed Tuesday include three Horry County residents and two people apiece from Clarendon, Greenville and Richland counties. Berkeley, Charleston, Darlington, Lancaster, Lee and Sumter counties each lost one resident.

So far, the state has tested 53,133 people. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control expects to log over 9,000 cases by mid-May.

DHEC distributed rapid testing devices from the Federal Emergency Management Agency among 15 facilities last week and sent them additional supplies Tuesday.

The recipients include medical centers throughout the state as well as the S.C. Department of Corrections and the Charleston County jail.

At the county jail, nine current detainees and two detention staff have tested positive, Capt. Roger Antonio said, as well as two inmates who have since been released. As of Tuesday, 825 inmates were housed at the jail.

This specialized technology will help us increase testing for those who are most susceptible to this disease and who live in areas of our state where access to COVID-19 testing isnt easily accessible, DHEC Director of Public Health Dr. Joan Duwve said. Weve prioritized their distribution to the places where we hope they can have the biggest and best impact.

The Palmetto Poison Center, run by the University of South Carolina, has seen an increase in calls about possible poisonings from disinfectants. More people are leaving cleaners like hand sanitizer and bleach around the house, making it more likely that children could accidentally ingest them, said Jill Michaels, the center's director.

They've also started receiving more questions about whether cleaners can cure COVID-19, Michaels said, a hypothetical treatment not supported by medical experts. She recommends that anyone using such cleaners read their labels and use them appropriately. Keep them out of reach of children, and keep them in their original containers so they're not confused for something else.

The Palmetto Poison Center can be reached at 1-800-222-1222 during an emergency.

Fleming Smith, Seanna Adcox, Avery G. Wilks, Stephen Hobbs and Thad Moore contributed to this report.
Eritrea Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 39, No deaths reported in country as on 28-Apr-2020

In Eritrea total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 39, there is no death so far due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Eritrea:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 23-Apr-2020 39 0 0 0 2. 24-Apr-2020 39 0 0 0 3. 25-Apr-2020 39 0 0 0 4. 26-Apr-2020 39 0 0 0 5. 27-Apr-2020 39 0 0 0 6. 28-Apr-2020 39 0 0 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (124,032)

2. North America (61,643)

3. USA (56,803)

4. Italy (26,977)

5. Spain (23,521)

6. France (23,293)

7. UK (21,092)

8. Asia (17,600)

9. Belgium (7,207)

10. South America (6,793)

Total Deaths Worldwide (211,658)

Globally till now over 211,658 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). Authorities in the Eritrea and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 124,032 deaths and 1,301,766 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
: Territorial Health Minister



Malladi Krishna Rao on Wednesday staged a impromptu dharna here, demanding that 13 migrant workers from Yanam region stuck in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should be permitted to return home within 24 hours or he would quit from his post as Minister.

Sporting a black shirt and pants to mark his protest held on the Assembly premises, he alleged that Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi was standing in the way of the workers returning to Yanam.

The 13 residents, including a woman, were working in different places in Hyderabad in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh before getting stranded there in view of the shutdown.

They were migrant workers in these states and wanted to return to Yanam their native place during the ongoing COVID- 19lockdown.

When they reached the inter-state border between Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry in Andhra Pradesh, and Kakinada district they were denied permission to enter their native place and the border points were sealed.

Malladi Krishna Rao had taken the stand that if the workers were not permitted to get into Yanam in the next 24 hours, he would quit the post of minister.

He had also charged Bedi on Tuesday with standing in the way of the return of the workers.

Rao met the Assembly Speaker V P Sivakolundhu before launching his sudden protest.

The efforts of the Chief Minister V Narayansamy and the Speaker to dissuade Rao from going ahead with his protest did not bear fruit and Rao continued his dharna.

Sources said the meeting of the state-level disaster management committee had on Tuesday decided that the workers be permitted to return to Yanam and kept in home quarantine. But in spite of the efforts of the Chief Minister, the workers continued to remain outside the Yanam region and Rao wanted immediate permission to help them return home.

The Health Minister had also told the officials that he would ensure that the workers were kept in quarantine separately on various premises.

Finding that his plea for the permission to the workers did not cut any ice, he resorted to the dharna even as the Health Department was going ahead with its efforts in coordination with other departments to prevent spread of COVID-19 in the Union Territory.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When the coronavirus hit Italy earlier this year, people promised not to succumb to the threat. They chose Ce la faremo! (We will make it!) as their slogan  a sentiment that also has a strong resonance in the EBRDs southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region.

The economies of this region, which stretches from Morocco to Lebanon, have their share of the crisis. In addition to the loss of life, the economic damage is sizeable. Tourism revenue has dried up, most production has ground to a halt and trade has been badly affected.

Governments have responded swiftly and decisively. Emergency measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus, while massive state interventions aim to protect economies from collapse. Help has been promised to the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.

Across many sectors of the economy, solidarity has also been evident as companies have switched their production to support the health sector, for instance, by manufacturing masks, gowns and other protective equipment or by purchasing these items and donating them. A number of firms supported by the EBRD with finance or advisory services have joined the effort.

In Morocco, Lamatem, a key producer of disposable items made from non-woven medical textiles, has adopted a business continuity plan to maintain and increase production while respecting quality, health and safety standards. The company has stepped up production to support hospitals with gowns and established a new production line for masks.

Also in Morocco, Dolidol, a mattress factory, started producing facemasks at the beginning of April. The company now produces 2,000 masks a day, which are distributed free to local residents, social associations, company staff and business partners.

In Tunisia, Enova Robotics, a start-up benefiting from the EBRDs Advice for Small Business support, has developed robots that help the Ministry of the Interior to implement the lockdown in Tunis. The so-called P-Guard robot patrols the streets and asks curfew breakers to stay home. The company will launch a new robot called Veasense to provide telemedicine, telepresence and monitoring for people who are in self-isolation.

In Egypt, Youspital, a booking platform for discounted healthcare that targets underserved or uninsured citizens, has launched a free hotline for medical consultations on Covid-19, as well as home visits for laboratory tests that will help reduce the spread of the disease. Youspital joined the EBRD Star Venture programme in February 2020 and has been online for the past 10 months, with a presence in more than 1,400 locations across 25 of the 27 Egyptian governorates.

El Sewedy Electric, one of the largest cable and electrical product manufacturers in the Middle East and Africa, has donated medical supplies to the Egyptian Ministry of Health. The supplies include 1.5 million surgical masks, 100,000 medical N95 masks, 20,000 protective medical suits and 100,000 medical hand protectors. Since 2017, the company has benefited from EBRD loans providing working capital. El Sewedy Electric has also partnered with the Bank in projects to address skills mismatches through the firms Technical Academy.

Following the spread of the virus to Jordan, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) had to clean the city as a matter of urgency, including through the collection of solid waste, from pick up to drop off at the waste transfer station. The municipality also cleaned many buildings and areas where people infected with the virus live.

This work was performed with the help of a fleet of vehicles financed in 2018 by the EBRD and supported by a grant from the UKs Department for International Development. For instance, a vehicle used to sweep Ammans streets is now a sanitising sweeper that helps keep the city clean. This is a tough job: Amman has more than two million residents and covers some 1,680 square kilometres.

MedLabs, a leading network of private diagnostic medical laboratories in the region, has responded to a call from Jordans Ministry of Health to help plan mass tests while keeping people safely at home. With 44 branches covering all of Jordans governorates, MedLabs has mobilised medical technologists, a logistics team, cars and volunteers at an e-call centre. Teams in personal protective equipment and provided with testing kits have embarked on home testing to collect samples. Over a four-week period they have tested nearly 4,000 samples.

Meanwhile, small businesses in Lebanon have also been working hard to overcome the Covid-19 crisis. Kamkalima is an Arabic educational platform for learning and teaching in schools, providing classrooms with online tools, resources and support. Since the outbreak of the crisis, Kamkalima has provided free memberships until September 2020 to schools and students. To date, the platform has registered 10,000 new students from the Middle East and North Africa.

As the economic crisis brought Lebanon to a standstill, Blessing, a gift and catering company for special events, launched the Get a Blessing, Give a Blessing initiative in April, together with Beit al Baraka, a Lebanese NGO that supports retirees and families in need. For every gift that Blessing sells during the month of Ramadan, it is donating a food box to a family in need.

In the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian mattress manufacturer Zoom Bags has changed its production line to medical coveralls, which the health sector needs urgently. The coveralls use antibacterial, fire-resistant and waterproof components that were previously used to make childrens mattresses. The supplies are packaged individually in sanitised, antibacterial waterproof bags before distribution. Since March, the company has produced around 1,200 coveralls, with its 30 employees working hard in shifts to provide much-needed support.

Responding to the coronavirus crisis, the EBRD has rapidly stepped up support for its regions, launching a swift response and recovery programme to help the 38 emerging economies where it invests. The Bank now expects to dedicate the entirety of its activities to combating the economic impact of the crisis and stands ready to provide support worth 21 billion over the 2020-21 period.
The coronavirus pandemic could permanently change how many bankers make the daily trudge into tightly packed city centre offices, Barclays CEO Jes Staley said on Wednesday. The bank, which like companies worldwide has seen the majority of its staff work from home or backup sites, will not revert fully to its pre-January working habits, Staley said. "There will be a long-term adjustment in how we think about our location strategy...the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past," he told reporters after the bank reported a fall in first-quarter ...
J ennifer Saunders has denied penning a Facebook post which blames the NHS for the PPE shortage.

The Absolutely Fabulous star, 61, said she didn't have anything to do with the post after a fan asked her about it on Twitter.

Not me. Not by me, she told her 657,000 followers. The Official Jennifer Saunders Facebook page is not me. Please ignore.

The post was shared by a group titled Jennifer Saunders fans, and is not affiliated with the Official Jennifer Saunders Facebook page, which has been inactive since 2015.

The lengthy rant, which is signed by Saunders at the end, makes several crude comments and claims about the NHSs handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Describing those scrutinising the actions of the government and Prime Minister Boris Johnson as crayon-eaters, the post called NHS managers lazy-a*** and p***-poor.

As well as attacking privately-run care homes, which have reported a lack of PPE, the post ended: The government has made mistakes, but not as many as the media would have you believed.

Absolutely Fabulous: Evening Standard photo shoot with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley 1 /26 Absolutely Fabulous: Evening Standard photo shoot with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders rummage through the rails in true Patsy and Eddy style Daniel Hambury The comedy duo were overjoyed to see their takeover of the Liberty windows Daniel Hambury In our chat in Liberty's Heritage Suite the pair revealed what it was like to work with Kate Moss Daniel Hambury These women know how to strike a pose, citing Liberty as their favourite London store Daniel Hambury "I hope they know what they have let themselves in for though. Edina would pocket most of the accessories department if she could," said Saunders Daniel Hambury The iconic flower shop entrance had some special guests Daniel Hambury The flower power seems to have made an impact on Saunders Daniel Hambury Making a royal entrance on the Liberty balcony, with crowds of adoring fans cheering them on Daniel Hambury The takeover has life-size Patsy and Eddy dolls in the windows Daniel Hambury Eddy and Patsy find themselves in a media storm in the movie and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi...we may have found their hiding place Daniel Hambury Lumley and Saunders are keen to dabble in journalism and take the reins at the Evening Standard Daniel Hambury Look out for the Donald Trump in Patsy Stone scandal story... Daniel Hambury Champagne was flowing for the photo shoot, in true Ab Fab style Daniel Hambury The Evening Standard's Amira Hashish meets her idols for our behind the scenes interview Daniel Hambury A Kate Moss shrine in the Liberty window pays homage to the British supermodel A replica of the moment Moss falls into the Thames Inflatable speech bubbles capture our favourite quotes Learn the new wave of Ab Fab lingo Patsy and Eddy's motto is proudly presented Cheers sweetie darlings! Daniel Hambury

Instead of trying to pull this country together as it seeks to divide, we dont need this at this crucial time.

An investigation by BBCs Panorama found the government had failed to stockpile a suitable amount of PPE ahead of a pandemic.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has since said the government has distributed more than a billion items of PPE.

Johnson is also focusing his efforts on making sure the NHS is adequately stocked having returned to office since recovering from the deadly Covid-19 virus.
As Lagos, the epicentre of Covid-19 in Nigeria, braces up to resume economic activities in four days time after a month-long Covid-19 lockdown, the rate at which the virus spreads in the state has remained on the up.

No fewer than 80 new coronavirus infections were recorded Tuesday, bringing the states total to 844, more than 50 percent of 1532 confirmed infections in the country.

195 new cases of #COVID19 reported; 80  Lagos, 38  Kano, 15  Ogun, 15  Bauchi, 11  Borno, 10  Gombe, 9  Sokoto, 5  Edo, 5  Jigawa, 2  Zamfara, 1  Rivers, 1  Enugu, 1  Delta, 1  FCT, 1  Nasarawa, the NCDC stated in Tuesday update.

As at 11:50 pm 28th April- 1532 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria, the Centre stated adding that the total recoveries and fatalities in the country were 255 and 44 respectively.

Lagos has also discharged 138, the highest number of recovered patients in Nigeria.

In his last nationwide broadcast, President Muhammadu Buhari who quarantined the state and and two others (Ogun and Abuja) ordered gradual ease of the lockdown starting May 4.

The Nigeria Medical Association and other public analysts have warned Buhari tto extend the lockdown considering how the pandemic is spreading in communities.

But the Nigeria Governors Forum and opposition politicians clamoured for lifting of the restriction, citing the US and other countries preparing to do so.
(Newser)  Every single member of Utah's population of more than 3 million will have a mask as the state wages its battle against the coronavirus. Gov. Gary Herbert announced the "A Mask for Every Utahn" initiative Tuesday, KPCW reports. Federal funding provided through the CARES act will be used to purchase 2 million reusable face coverings, which will be provided free to residents of the state who apply for one. Officials urged residents who already own a mask not to apply for a free one. Masks will also be distributed via nonprofits, and grocery and convenience stores. Another benefit of the initiative: It will keep 200 Utahns employed, as 20 local companies are helping to produce the masks. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
Chinas trade with Iran has reached a stunning new low. Data released Thursday by the Chinese customs administration show that declared imports of Iranian oil in March amounted to just $115 million, down 89%, year on year. Bloomberg reports in its article Iran Can No Longer Rely On Trade With China that the last time the value of Irans declared monthly oil exports to China were this low was 20 years ago. The demand for Iranian oil re-exported via Malaysia has fallen precipitously, too.

This is not merely a blip. For more than a year now, China has been downgrading its trading relationship with Iran, as reflected both in the shrinking of bilateral trade as well as changes in policy at Bank of Kunlun, the financial institution at the heart of China-Iran trade. As with all developing economies, Irans prospects for economic growth depend on a functional trade relationship with China, so the downward trend is highly alarming for Tehran.

Even though non-oil exports to China remained stable in March at $384 million, Iran has run a trade deficit with China since September of last year, contributing significant pressure to the countrys balance of payments crisis.

While Chinas trade with most developing economies will likely recover as countries come out of their coronavirus-epidemic lockdowns and as global commodities prices recover, it is not clear that Irans trade with China will enjoy the same rebound. Beijing remains unwilling to defend its commercial ties to Iran in the face of U.S. sanctions.

China grew especially leery after Jan 10, when the Trump administration issued Executive Order 13902, which imposed sanctions on Irans construction, mining, manufacturing, and textile sectorsparts of the Iranian economy that had shown signs of resilience as maximum pressure sanctions campaign decimated oil exports and thrust the country into a two-year recession.

The new sanctions were, notably, issued less than a week before the Trump administration signed the first phase of its trade deal with China. They had an immediate impact: Bank of Kunlun changed its compliance policies, further limiting the scope of trade for which it would process payments.

The bank informed its Iranian clients that after April 9a date corresponding to the 90-day wind-down period provided by E.O. 13902it would no longer accept any business settlement in construction, mining, manufacturing, and textile industries, and would limit its services to settlements involving humanitarian supplies and non-sanctioned industries.

Denied services by the solitary bank that had been used by Chinese authorities to defy U.S. secondary sanctions for over a decade, Iranian executives have been forced to turn to what they call chamedooni (suitcase) trade, referring to payments made in cash and transported across borders in hand luggage.

By using front companies and payments routed through third countries or paid in cash, Iranian firms and their most loyal Chinese partners should be able to ensure that bilateral trade doesnt hit zero. But the inefficient and opaque methods now required to facilitate payments will put an inherent limit on how much trade can take place.

The further degradation in China-Iran trade is all the more notable given the recent gestures of political solidarity made by Iranian and Chinese officials. In February, Tehrans landmark Azadi Tower was lit up with a message of support for Wuhan. That same week, Iran announced its first deaths from the virus. The severity of the countrys outbreak has been linked to the decision by Iranian authorities to sustain flights to China even as the risk of importing an outbreak became clear.

As in other countries, China has sought to repair damage to its reputation caused by the coronavirus outbreak by providing aid to Iran. Western observers have tended to interpret these token gestures as evidence that China and Iran maintain a political alliance.

No such alliance exists. Despite its vast resources, China has done less than the European Union to defend its trade with Iran over the past year, despite Beijings stated support for the 2015 nuclear deal and its voiced opposition to U.S. secondary sanctions.

Commercial realities may mean the boom years are over for China-Iran trade. But it is political realities that could see the relationship go bust.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee spotlighted Yemen in its first virtual briefing, which the Middle East subcommittee held today.

During our subcommittees virtual event examining the crisis in Yemen, we heard first-hand accounts of the situation on the ground, Middle East panel Chairman Ted Deutch, D-Fla., said in a statement. Along with reduced US and international aid, the current conditions could exacerbate the spread of COVID-19 in Yemen and the region. The US must continue to help foster a political agreement to end the war, reduce human suffering and contain COVID-19 in Yemen.

Lawmakers heard from human rights advocates and scholars during the virtual briefing, but it was not open to the general public or reporters.

Why it matters: Democrats gained control of the Foreign Affairs Committee last year after retaking the House in November 2018. While President Donald Trump vetoed legislation intended to end US support for the Saudi coalition fighting the Houthi rebels last year, the fact that Democrats opted to hold their first remote briefing on Yemen in the midst of a global pandemic signals that Congress will continue pressure the Trump administration on the issue.

Whats next: Deutch joined Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and five other Democrats in warning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo against the Trump administrations decision to cut the lions share of US assistance to Yemen last month. While the Trump administration maintains that the $73 million cut was necessary because of the Houthis onerous aid restrictions, the United Nations has warned that the budget shortfall is likely to force the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF to end most of their health operations in Yemen despite the looming specter of COVID-19. The Trump administration has also vowed to provide more coronavirus aid to Yemen, but it remains unclear how the United States will administer that aid given its new policy of withholding assistance in Houthi-held territory and refusal to work with the WHO.

Know more: Yemen has only one officially recorded coronavirus case so far, but Nadia Al-Sakkaf reports that the Houthis are keeping a lid on others so as not to discourage potential fighters from joining the war.


CAIRO  The first confirmed expansion of the coronavirus in Yemen was reported on Wednesday, prompting renewed calls from aid groups and the United Nations for a humanitarian cease-fire to help combat the infection at a time when the country is mired in increased fighting, widespread hunger and a major cholera outbreak.

The authorities in Yemens port city of Aden announced a cluster of five cases, up from the previous tally of one, and immediately imposed a two-week lockdown including the closure of shops, mosques and markets selling khat, a mild stimulant used by many Yemenis.

Although the cluster was tiny in comparison with neighboring countries, it confirmed the worst fears of health workers who have warned for weeks that even a mild coronavirus outbreak could quickly overwhelm Yemens devastated health system.
Subir Roy

There is an element of the absurd in the central board of direct taxes issuing charge sheets to three senior Indian Revenue Service officials with around three decades of experience. Their transgression is the role they played in a report prepared by 50 junior officers of the department getting into the public domain. What makes things more serious is the three officials, two of whom are office bearers of the IRS Association, being relieved of their current responsibilities.

The report entitled FORCE, acronym standing for Fiscal Options & Response to the Covid19 Epidemic (the present dispensation loves acronyms), suggests hiking taxes to raise additional revenue needed by the government at the present juncture when social obligations have multiplied because of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

The specific proposals are to raise the income tax rate to 40 per cent for those earning over Rs one crore in a year, reintroducing wealth tax for those with net wealth of over Rs five crore, a one time 4 per cent COVID-19 relief cess on taxable income of over Rs 10 lakh and, very interestingly, a three year tax holiday for all businesses in the healthcare sector. The report estimated that the one time cess could mobilize over Rs 15,000 crore which could be spent on capital expenditure for relief works.

What has got the governments goat is that the report, instead of only being forwarded through official channels to superiors (then it would have likely got hardly any attention), was also sent to the officers association which made it public through social media. This naturally got widely circulated, created a commotion in the minds of the better heeled and forced the government to issue a denial in order to kill the idea.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The three senior officials particular transgression is that they were the force behind this ill-conceived idea and misguided the youngsters. This when they have three decades of experience and would know how to go about such an exercise.

It is difficult to believe that the senior officials did not know the consequences of a controversial idea seriously thought out getting leaked to the public domain. They also will be knowing that they have not in any way breached the official secrets act as the matter in question is not something concrete in government files but just an idea. At best it can be considered a discussion paper issued to elicit public response.

The report prepared by juniors can be likened to an assignment being given to trainees asking them to put down on paper what they would do in a situation like this. Their output would indicate how aware they are of the weapons available in the governments armory if it were to choose to quickly raise substantial revenue to face an unexpected crisis.

It is not clear why a proposal, prepared by 50 junior officers put in the public domain, can be treated as anything more than an airing of thoughts. The reason behind forwarding it to the superiors can be to tell them: see how bright todays youngsters are.

The episode reveals two clear positives among the realities prevailing within the tax administration. People both at the middle and the bottom have not lost the ability to think a little bit out of the box. There is also a sense of openness, of being willing to discuss publicly what affects the public deeply. If anything, the governments reaction shows that things at the top remain classically bureaucratic. People get uptight when there is a deviation from the rules.

It is also possible that the senior officials charged have a sense of humor. One fine morning when they had the report in their hands they could have thought it was a good idea to play a cat among the pigeons. A group of patriotic youngsters have suggested something which will upset the well-heeled. So lets forward it and also make it public, thus getting the top to come out on where they stand on the question of taxing the rich during a time of a national emergency.

It may also be that the seniors have acted a bit irresponsibly. They did not think out the full consequences of what they were doing. Now that it has created a stir maybe they are wondering if they should not have been more rule bound. For this they can be reprimanded. But to ask them to show cause and relieving them of their responsibilities seems to be going way overboard.

There is also some speculation that the whole idea was a trial balloon which went a bit awry. But this seems unlikely as then the senior officials would not be taken to task for doing what they were unofficially prompted to do.
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Theralase Technologies Inc. ("Theralase" or "Company") (TSXV:TLT) (OTCQB:TLTFF), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of light activated Photo Dynamic Compounds ("PDCs") and their associated drug formulations intended to safely and effectively destroy various cancers, releases the audited annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.Financial Highlights:Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 decreased $964,051 from $1,734,073 for the same period in 2018, a 44% decrease. The TLC-2000 represented 66% of sales in 2019 and 70% of sales in 2018.In Canada, revenue decreased 31% to $835,403 from $1,205,312. In the US, revenue decreased 68% to $96,574 from $304,785 and international revenue decreased 86% to $32,074 from $223,975. The decrease in total revenue in 2019 is due to the restructuring of the sales and marketing departments resulting in the resignation and/or termination of certain sales and marketing personnel.Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $903,296 which included a one-time provision for inventory of $277,896 resulting in an adjusted cost of sales of $625,400 (65% of revenue) with an adjusted gross margin of $338,651 (35% of revenue), compared to a cost of sales of $786,433 (45% of revenue) in 2018, resulting in a gross margin of $947,639 or 55% of revenue. The gross margin decrease, year over year, is attributed to decreased revenues and fixed production salaries for the TLC-1000 and TLC-2000 product lines.For the year ended December 31, 2019, selling expenses decreased to $716,343 (74% of revenues), from $871,405 (50% of revenues) in 2018, an 18% decrease. The decrease in selling expenses is primarily due to the restructuring of the Canadian and US sales and marketing departments, resulting in the resignation and/or termination of certain sales and marketing personnel.Administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 increased to $2,604,808 from $1,739,665 in 2018, representing a 50% increase.The increase in administrative expenses is attributed to increased spending on administrative salaries (70%), director and advisory fees (198%) and stock based compensation (137%).Net research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 increased to $4,159,724 from $1,703,803 in 2018, a 144% increase.Increases in research and development expenses are primarily due to:Increased expenses for enrolling and treating patients in the Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer ("NMIBC") Phase II study ("Study II").Development of the TLC-2000 laser system.Research and development expenses represented 56% of the Company's operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 and represent investment into the research and development of the Company's Photo Dynamic Therapy ("PDT") technology.The net loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $7,413,914 which included $677,224 of net non-cash expenses (i.e.: amortization, stock-based compensation expense and foreign exchange gain/loss). This compared to a net loss for the same period in 2018 of $3,356,877, which included $409,816 of net non-cash expenses. The PDT division represented $4,579,855 of this loss (62%) for the year ended December 31, 2019.The increase in net loss is primarily attributed to:Increased investment in research, development and clinical expense of Study II.Decreased revenues of the TLC-1000 and TLC-2000.Operational Highlights:Study II progress. Theralase is conducting a NMIBC Phase II clinical study with 4 Canadian study sites, specifically, University Health Network ("UHN"), London Health Science Centre ("LHSC"), McGill University Health Centre ("MUHC") and Nova Scotia Health Authority ("NSHA"). To date 8 patients have been treated at UHN and 4 patient treated at MUHC for a total of 12 patients.Clinical study sites status. Canadian clinical study sites are currently on hold for patient enrolment, treatment and follow-up due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Theralase will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, provincial and federal guidelines in order to manage its business in compliance with all health and safety best practices. No new patients will be enrolled or treated at any Canadian clinical study site, nor will any existing patient currently enrolled in the clinical study be treated a second time or be assessed by a Principal Investigator ("PI") for their follow up visits, until the clinical study sites re-commence operation. Theralase is in constant communication with all Canadian clinical study sites for any update on re-commencing patient enrollment and treatment activities.Onboarding additional study sites. The Company has approximately 15 additional clinical study sites located in Canada & US that are at various stages of the on-boarding process. Moreover, under the agreement with the urology Trial Management Organization ("TMO"), the Company will start enrolling and treating patients in the US at various clinical study sites, subject to successful approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") Investigational New Drug ("IND") submission and COVID-19 pandemic status. The Company plans to launch a total of approximately 20 study sites in Canada and US.FDA IND status. On November 25, 2019, Theralase received a letter from the FDA placing the IND on Full Clinical Hold pending resolution of specific deficiencies identified in the letter. Theralase has addressed these deficiencies and expects a response from the FDA on or about mid May 2020.Breakthrough Therapy Desgination. If the Company is able to show similar efficacy results observed in the Phase Ib NMIBC clinical study at an interim analysis when approximately 20 to 25 patients have been enrolled and treated, Theralase plans to submit the interim analysis to the FDA in support of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation ("BTD") as proposed by the FDA. As of April 27, 2020, 12 patients have been treated representing approximately 50% of the interim milestone to submit an analysis to the FDA in support of a BTD.Additional cancer indications. Theralase is conducting pre-clinic
Colorado Springs City Council deadlocked Monday over the appointment of Stephannie Fortune to fill Councilman Richard Skorman's seat on the board. Who among the 7 finalists should be appointed?

You voted:
(Newser)  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was met with outrage Tuesday in urging communities to abide by social distancing guidelines in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a series of tweets, de Blasio said he'd personally dispersed a crowd of hundreds gathered to mourn a Hasidic rabbi who died of COVID-19, per NBC New York. The funeral gathering in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn was "absolutely unacceptable," de Blasio wrote, warning "the Jewish community, and all communities" that large gatherings would result in "summons or even arrest." "What I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus," he added, per the New York Times, which reports police have broken up "several well-attended religious gatherings" in areas "with large Jewish populations."

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But Hasidic leaders are furious. "To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, it's stereotyping, and it's inviting anti-Semitism. I'm truly stunned," City Council member Chaim Deutsch says, per NBC. A spokesperson for the Orthodox community claimed police were involved in setting up barriers to accommodate the gathering, while the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council noted "a few hundred" of some 1.1 million Jewish people living in the city had attended. The group also shared photos of crowds gathered Tuesday on the Hudson River waterfront to watch a military flyover in honor of essential workers. De Blasio's press secretary responded to the criticism, saying it was the mayor's "responsibility to all New Yorkers to speak up." (Read more Bill de Blasio stories.)
Two of the men who received firearm injuries after the shooting in Gavar town yesterday are currently at Armenia Medical Center in Yerevan.

During a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am, the medical centers general director for surgeries informed that the men are in the reanimation unit and their condition is critical but stable.

Yesterday, young people of Gavar town and Noratus village were involved in a shooting in Gavar. As a result of the shootings, an investigator and resident of Noratus village received lethal firearm injuries. Another four citizens also received injuries. Two of them were transferred to a hospital in Yerevan, and the other two were transferred to a hospital in Gavar.

However, this was followed by a vendetta amid the presence of Chief of Police of Armenia Arman Sargsyan, and the police werent able to keep the situation under control. Persons with knives entered the hospital in Gavar, slit the throat of the two wounded persons at the hospital and beat one person. After that, they left the hospital, and the police werent able to prevent the crime and detain the criminals.

Preliminary investigation continues, and 15 people are detained under the case in regard to the shootings and the events that followed.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:51:14|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday launched a brand new COVID-19 hotline number in three different languages for migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia in Thailand.

The move came after 42 detained migrants were found infected with COVID-19 in Thailand's Southern Province of Songkhla a few days ago.

"From May 1 onward, 2.7 million migrant workers can access health guidelines in Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian by dialing the COVID-19 Migrant Hotline at 1422," Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director of the ministry's Disease Control Department, said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Also at the press briefing, World Health Organization (WHO) representative Dr. Daniel Kertesz commended Thailand for ensuring that no one in the country is left behind.

"Migrant workers were vulnerable to the disease because the nature of their works made it difficult to practice social distancing, therefore providing guidelines via hotline could improve effectiveness of disease control," said the WHO representative.

Last Saturday the Thai Immigration Bureau said it has detained 115 illegal migrant workers from Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Yemen, Cambodia and India.

Forty-two were tested positive for COVID-19 and have been sent to hospitals.

One patient was heavily pregnant. Enditem
A 33-year-old woman who worked with the New Jersey State Police is the fourth person to die in her family from the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

Latasha Andrews was a civilian security staff member guard with the State Police for the last 14 years. The governor spoke with her father in Florida and he told him that Andrews mother, grandfather and uncle died from the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Its unimaginable, Murphy said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Andrews grew up in East Orange and was described by those who knew her as a kind and beautiful soul, who was always the first to offer help to those in need, the governor said.

Latasha Andrews was a Civilian Security Staff Member Guard with @NJSP, a post she held for the past 14 years. She was a daughter, granddaughter, aunt, sister, cousin, and friend. Tasha was only 33 years old. Thank you for your service, Tasha. May God bless you and your family. pic.twitter.com/P1HsdXacBH  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 29, 2020

"Known by her family and friends for her eye for fashion and her passion for traveling, she was always ready to share an adventure with them," he added.

The governor did not specify when Andrews died. She is survived by her father, two brothers and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

Tasha, we thank you for your service, Murphy said. May God bless you and your family.

There were at least 116,264 cases of the coronavirus with 6,770 deaths as of Wednesday, state officials said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.
By Philip F. Hutcheson, Interim Executive Director, Alabama Public Television

Sixty-five years ago this month, Alabama Public Television became the nations first educational television network. Through the years we have faced many challenges and, on every occasion, we have responded by adapting and innovating to meet the needs of all Alabamians.

When schools closed last month, we immediately responded by changing our broadcast services to provide curriculum-related programming from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our statewide broadcast signal reaches more than 1.4 million Alabama households96 percent of Alabamas residents. Because of our unique ability to reach so many Alabamians, we have partnered with the Alabama State Department of Education to support educators and families as they embark on a new and unexpected journey to provide distance learning for students by supplying high-quality content accessible to nearly every household in Alabama.

We are streaming educational programming live on our website for the very first time to meet the needs of students who do not have access to a television. Families can now access Alabama Public Televisions instructional programs through their smart phones, tablets and computers. Early learning resources are also available 24/7 through PBS KIDS online, the PBS KIDS app and over the air.

To supplement the changes we have made to our broadcast schedule and to support the efforts of teachers and parents, we are excited to unveil the next phase of our COVID-19 response: our brand new website. In addition to a live stream of educational content, Learn at Home with Alabama Public Television includes an interactive broadcast schedule, allowing you to find programs by grade level and subject area. Our new website also includes a digital media library filled with Alabama state standards- aligned lessons, videos, activities and resources. The digital media library is fully customizable, allowing you to search for instructional materials by grade level, subject area and more. The media library is also fully integrated with Google Classroom and Remind, which are used to connect students and teachers while they are away from their classrooms.

Our new website can be found at aptv.org/education. There you will find a wealth of specialized digital resources, including curated content for early childhood, parents and adult learners, as well as professional development opportunities for educators, caregivers and parents. You can look to PBS Parents to find activities for kids, as well as tips for de-stressing your family and keeping a positive attitude. And next week we will begin offering webinars to parents to help them learn to use Alabama Public Televisions many resources. Registration can be found on the Learn at Home homepage.

The past few weeks have been undeniably challenging for parents and educators alike. Meeting the demands of sheltering in place while facilitating your childrens learning is overwhelming. But know that you are not alone. Alabama Public Television is working hard to help parents and children connect with resources to help you through these months of school closures.

Alabama Public Television remains committed to the educational mission for which we were created decades ago. Our efforts are directed toward helping Alabama reach true school equity statewide. Every student in our state deserves an equal opportunity in education, regardless of the wealth of the school district, and Alabama Public Television's goal is to take us there.

With our free accessibility and statewide reach, Alabama Public Television is uniquely positioned to serve all Alabamians in this time of need. We take great pride in our ability to rise to this challenge with a COVID-19 response that is the embodiment of our mission statement, Alabama Public Television is committed to enriching the lives of Alabama citizens.

We look forward to serving the people of Alabama no matter what the future holds.

About Alabama Public Television

Alabama Public Television is a center of discovery for people of all ages, motivating children to learn, empowering students and teachers to succeed, and providing a lifelong path to knowledge through our unique programs and services. APTs award-winning broadcast and digital productions share the news and celebrate the life and culture of Alabama with all its citizens.
Costco stores across the country will soon require shoppers to wear masks or face coverings, according to the warehouse chain.

The policy, which is part of the chains response to the coronavirus pandemic, requires most shoppers to wear a mask or face covering over their mouth and nose beginning Monday.

Children under two years old dont need to wear a mask. Neither do people who cant wear one because of medical conditions.

The use of a mask or face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing, Costco says. Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

The warehouse chain is the latest grocery retailer to implement such a policy.

New Seasons Market on Wednesday began requiring all customers to wear face coverings. The upscale chain will initially provide shoppers with free cloth face coverings at the door but will later require them to bring face coverings from home.

World Foods is also requiring shoppers to wear masks at its locations in the Pearl District and Southwest Portland. The store has a supply of disposable masks for customers who dont have their own.

Such policies are in line with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that face coverings be worn in public settings when social distancing cant easily be maintained.

Most Costco stores and gas stations will return to their normal hours Monday. Some stores will be open only for members 60 and older, as well as people who have disabilities, during certain times.

View Costcos COVID-19 policies on the chains website.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Jamie Goldberg contributed to this report.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
With Covid-19 cases in Odisha rising to 125 as three more people with travel history to neighbouring Bengal tested positive, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday sought help from the people in taking care of the 6 lakh plus migrant workers returning to the state.

On Wednesday, a 60-year-old man from Keonjhar, a 34-year-old man from Deogarh and an 18-year-old woman in Jharsuguda district had tested positive.

Odishas Covid-19 tally doubled from 61 to 125 in just 10 days. The state government has sealed the West Bengal border stopping road communication on 57 routes as 50 of the 125 positive cases had a Bengal connection.

With 6 lakh plus migrants registering themselves on the state Covid-19 portal for returning to Odisha after the lockdown ends on May 3, the chief minister in a video message this afternoon said there is no need to panic as Odisha can evade the danger by remaining careful.

Earlier, people with foreign travel history were the major challenge for us. Odisha was the first state to have started registration for foreign returnees as part of precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19. With cooperation of people, we controlled the situation. Later, people who had returned from Nizamuddin posed as a challenge for the state and we successfully tackled the situation. Now, West Bengal returnees have emerged as the third challenge as among them 50 people have tested positive so far, he said.

Patnaik said the coming days are significant for the state as fellow Odia citizens from most infected states of the country like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and West Bengal are due to return to Odisha.

They are our own. One remembers his or her mother and motherland during the time of crisis. They are our children, brothers and sisters. Taking care of them is our responsibility, Patnaik said.

Odisha has so far kept 1.72 lakh quarantine beds ready in 7125 temporary medical centres organized in about 7000 gram panchayats and 125 urban local bodies. However, officials concede that the number of quarantine beds are going to fall far short of the requirement and may lead to law and order problems if all the 6 lakh migrants converge in Odisha soon after the lockdown ends.

Keeping this in mind, Patnaik said people need to be alert, keep patience, and opt for registration of people returning from outside and support the state government in keeping them in quarantine. Through this they, our families, our villages and our society will stay healthy. A slight negligence can lead to a great danger. It is a matter of life and death as the problem may increase a 100 times due to carelessness of 10 per cent people, he said, adding that the situation in Odisha due to the Covid-19 outbreak is better than other states.

Patnaiks message came hours before a group of 400 migrant workers from Surat in 8 buses were due to arrive in Ganjam district this evening. The workers engaged in cloth embroidery factories boarded the buses on April 27 and 28 using their own resources even before the Odisha government arranged buses for their transportation.

The state government is planning to bring back Odia migrant workers stranded in Maharashtra and Gujarat in buses and keep them in quarantine in temporary medical centres for 14 days at least.

Meanwhile, the district collector of Ganjam on Wednesday appealed to the people of the district not to roam around temporary medical camps where returnees from other states are being quarantined warning them of stringent action.
Questions about the future ownership and use of Boy Scout Camp Stigwandish in Madison Township could be answered on May 30.

Thats when multiple parcels comprising the 90-year-old camp, located at 7497 Ross Road, will be offered for sale during an auction to be conducted by Kiko Realtors, Auctioneers and Advisors.

Lake Erie Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the owner of Camp Stigwandish, authorized Kiko to hold the auction, which will begin at noon. About two months ago, the council announced it would close Camp Stigwandish, based on a financial and operational assessment of its four properties in northern Ohio.

The auction could involve bids being made online and at the camp, depending upon state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions that are in place at the end of May.

If we do it outside, well give people plenty of space and do social distancing, or they can bid through an online auction simultaneously in the comfort of their own location, said Richard Kiko. Hes the CEO, broker and auctioneer of the company bearing his last name, which has offices in Canton and Dover.

However, if Ohios stay-at-home order in late May would prevent a certain number of people gathering for auctions, Kiko said the bidding could be done exclusively online.

In a recent interview, Kiko said his company has been working with a surveyor and Lake County on reconfiguring Camp Stigwandish into what would likely be three separate parcels to be auctioned. Once the camp property is divided into those sections, Kiko would provide information about the parcels to be sold in newspaper advertisements and on its website.

You can buy one, two or all three parcels, depending on what your appetite is, Kiko said.

He also noted that the event is an absolute auction, during which each section of Stigwandish will be sold the highest bidder. There will be no required minimum bids set for the parcels to be sold.

As of April 29, no advertisements for the Camp Stigwandish auction have been placed in The News-Herald. The event also did not appear in the Upcoming Auctions section of Kikos website.

Lake Erie Council of the Boy Scouts of America, in a message on its Facebook page posted in February and a related list of Frequently Asked Questions, explained some of the factors which influenced the decision to close Camp Stigwandish.

The council stated that an independent assessment of its four northern Ohio properties was performed in 2019. Those properties are Camp Stigwandish; Camp Beaumont in Morgan Township in Ashtabula County; Firelands Scout Reservation in Wakeman Village in Huron County; and the Lake Erie Council, Boy Scouts of America Unit Service Center in Cleveland.

This assessment was conducted to evaluate the strengths and weakness of all four properties, focusing on occupancy, usage, building conditions, programs, and financial sustainability, Lake Erie Council Scout Executive/CEO Marc Ryan stated in his Facebook message.

One of the conclusions reached by the assessment team is that two of the three camps  Stigwandish and Firelands  have operated at a deficit in recent years.

Combined losses for the camps ranged from a high of $235,000 in 2017, and then improved to a shortfall of $150,000 in 2019.

These operating losses do not include the significant capital investments made at all three camps since the Lake Erie Council came into existence (in January 2017), the council stated.

In addition, the assessment showed that although Firelands has been operating at a financial loss for several years, significant progress has been made at lowering the camps deficit.

The study also showed Stigwandish had the lowest camper-occupancy rate of all three camps for 2017, 2018 and the first half of 2019.

While Stigwandish is a beautiful property and holds a special place in the hearts of many who have camped there for years, it is no longer sustainable to operate and keep the camp, Ryan said.

Initially, the Lake Erie Council of Boy Scouts of America said all planned activities would go on and reservations at Camp Stigwandish would be honored until May 4. However, Ryan said in an April 27 email that all of the councils properties have been closed since Ohios first stay-at-home order was issued on March 23 in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Our ranger staff continues to maintain and keep our properties safe, Ryan said.

He also believes that the May 30 auction of Camp Stigwandish will yield successful results.

We are confident in Kiko, which is why we chose to work through them for the divestment of the camp, Ryan said.

The councils Executive Board of Directors has designated proceeds from the sale of Camp Stigwandish to go to program improvements including the remaining properties or other significant program ventures as approved by the board, he added.

Camp Stigwandish, a property consisting of more than 300 acres, provided Boy Scouts with amenities that included more than 20 campsites, a dining hall, three lakes, a trading post, training center and nature center, according to the Lake Erie Council Boy Scouts of America website.

Kiko described Camp Stigwandish as a beautiful piece of recreational ground and believes that the propertys acclaimed history and future potential will attract plenty of bidders at the auction.

Anyone with interest should be there because (Camp Stigwandish) will have a new owner when its done, he said.
By Trend

Azerbaijan hosted an online seminar with the participation of representatives of the countrys Ministry of Energy, Energy Regulatory Agency and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Trend reports referring to the ministry.

According to the ministry, discussions were held with the support of IFC in connection with the preparation of a Roadmap for the development of offshore wind energy in Azerbaijan.

As noted Zaur Mammadov, head of the Ministrys Office, the goal of preparing the roadmap is to identify potentially effective areas for wind energy, their economic viability, network connectivity, possible onshore and offshore environmental impact.

"The parties expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between IFC and the Ministry of Energy in securing a phased transition to market relations in the energy sector and the development of renewable energy. A presentation was made by the World Bank Group, representing the worlds wind energy markets, experience of its use, forecasts up to 2030 and support for the development of this sphere," the report said.

The process of developing the roadmap will cover geographical mapping, identifying zones, conducting analysis in economic, financial, environmental and social aspects, impact assessment, issuing permissions and approvals, creating the regulatory framework, the updating of the transmission system, the study of the supply chain.

The offshore wind energy use will help create new jobs, as well as further opportunities for the development of the country's economy. Its planned to start work on the project in June 2020, to complete the mission to Azerbaijan in December of the year and to finalize the roadmap in February of 2021.

"The roadmap, which will be prepared jointly with the International Finance Corporation, will contribute to expanding the use of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan and fulfilling obligations under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030," added the ministry.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Korian is fully mobilised to deal with a pandemic on an unprecedented scale

Regulatory News:

Sophie Boissard, Chief Executive Officer of Korian (Paris:KORI) and Chair of the Korian Foundation for Ageing Well: "We have been dealing with an unprecedented crisis for over two months now, due to the extremely rapid spread of the Covid-19 epidemic throughout Europe and around the world.

My thoughts, and those of the members of the General Management Committee and Board of Directors, are with the people who have been affected by the virus, most especially with those who have lost a loved one.

In the face of the danger, which poses a particularly serious threat for the elderly and fragile people we care for, the entire Korian network rallied to protect and attend to its residents, patients and their families. This commitment shone through the extraordinary dedication of all our teams across Europe, who have shown exceptional solidarity, energy and professionalism, and I commend them for that.

We will continue to work relentlessly to tackle the new healthcare challenges that this epidemic is facing us with, and we know we can count on the dedication of our teams to do so."

Drastic measures, starting at the end of February, to protect residents, patients and employees

Implementing the Vigilance Epidemie plan which involved strict barrier measures (washing, protective equipment, regulating then suspending visits), ahead of local health authorities' instructions to do so

Sourcing critical equipment, medicine and other supplies at a time when suppliers around the world were under intense pressure

Strengthening IT networks to provide more channels for communication between facilities and families, and for all the support function teams to work from home

Appointing a Covid committee, bringing together experts and other qualified individuals, and chaired by Dr Francoise Weber

Enlisting the network throughout Europe to push back against the pandemic

Bolstering the teams working alongside residents, patients and families at each site, and providing massive support (hiring some 3,700 people since 1March) to help out in the geographies that have been hit the hardest by the epidemic

Close cooperation between the Group's healthcare and medical welfare activities, in particular to set aside capacity to take in Covid-19 patients from hospitals in 50 Group facilities across Europe

Keeping residents, patients and their families in touch, with digital communication solutions at each site (a proprietary social network, videoconferencing, etc.)

Ongoing network adaptation to cope with Covid-19 over the long run

Protecting: continuing to apply the Vigilance Epidemie plan's barrier measures, even when there are no visible epidemic-related risks

Screening: screening campaigns in facilities, covering residents, patients and employees

Isolating: sectorising facilities or placing each newly identified case in home quarantine

Connecting: Introducing protocols enabling families and friends to resume visits safely

Solidarity with all stakeholders

Exceptional bonuses for employees involved in efforts to deal with the pandemic

A 1 million Covid-19 Solidarity fund to fuel research against Covid-19 and support caregivers and their families, principally funded by contributions from the Group's executives

Allocating 25% of the Chief Executive Officer's 2020 compensation and 25% of the that of the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors to the Covid Solidarity fund

Q1 2020 revenue of 941.6 million, up 8.0% year-on-year, representing organic growth, due to the limited effects of the Covid-19 crisis at end-March

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected different parts of the European network in different ways and in a gradual manner. The impact on business has been more significant in Italy, where the epidemic broke out earlier, and due to the limitations on healthcare activities

Diversification into medical and home care services continued, reinforcing the resilience of all the Group's activities

Withdrawal of the proposal to pay a dividend in respect of 2019 earnings

2020 guidance suspended due to the general situation and its impact on the Group's activities in its various geographies

Drastic measures to protect residents, patients and employees

The Group activated level 2 of the Vigilance Epidemies plan on 25 February in five of its six host countries. This involved stepping up the barrier measures already in place and limiting visits in healthcare and medical welfare facilities. That same day, it activated level 3 of the plan at its facilities in Italy and in the first French areas to be hit by the epidemic (Oise). At that point, visits were suspended and access to facilities was restricted to employees and healthcare professionals. Level 3 was later activated in all facilities across the network, starting on 6 March in France, when the government triggered the Plan Bleu, then in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain over the following days.

From 17 March 2020 onwards, as the pandemic was gathering pace and new clusters were appearing, strict lockdown protocols, in rooms or within small facilities, were implemented.

All these measures included specific training in methods to deal with the pandemic for employees working on site.

In addition to these protective measures, the Group made exceptional arrangements to:

Secure supplies of critical equipment, medicine and other purchases throughout Europe: to avoid any shortages, at a time when markets around the world were under intense pressure and some health authorities were requisitioning part of the available stocks, the Group pooled its management of individual protective equipment inventory across Europe. Thanks to the Group's network of procurement officers and the fast response on the part of our main suppliers, stocks of critical supplies to last at least 30 days were secured and have been constantly replenished since. This platform is also ensuring that facilities have the medical equipment (e.g. oxygen systems) and medicine they need to treat patients with Covid-19.

Ensure service continuity in facilities: the Korian Group's companies deployed considerable resources, coordinating at country level, to bolster the front-line teams dealing with the epidemic or replace employees on sick leave. They have hired about 3,700 people in total since 1 March.

Strengthening IT networks: with all the Group's support-function teams in every country working from home, there were no disruptions or interruptions in the services provided at facilities or for outside organisations.

Keeping residents, patients and families in touch, in spite of the lockdown, in particular with mobile videoconferencing capabilities on tablets at all facilities. Meanwhile, use of social networks such as Korian Generations in France, increased substantially (with 8,500 families active on them).

While 30 sites (accounting for 4% of the network), located in the epidemic's first clusters in France, Belgium and Italy, were sadly hit hard by the epidemic early on and for that reason reported a considerable number of fatalities, two-thirds of the facilities have had no identified cases of the disease to date. At 23 April 2020, 258 of the 803 medical welfare facilities in the network have reported cases of Covid-19 among residents, 3,677 of whom have tested positive.

During the various testing campaigns, taking into account the testing capacities in each country, 1,394 employees tested positive for Covid-19 (2.5% of the total) and 642 employees who had initially tested positive for Covid-19 are believed to have recovered.

The network's Europewide mobilisation against the pandemic

The first signs of the Covid-19 pandemic appeared the Group's host countries this February. The virus was new and unusually contagious, little was known about its propagation mechanisms, it threatened elderly and fragile people most especially, and there were no treatments to prevent or cure it. The Group struck back, ahead of local health authorities' instructions and recommendations, based on the best available knowledge about the epidemic's spread.

All the teams on the front line alongside patients and residents in nursing homes, clinics and at home persistently continued to provide care and treatment in spite of the health risks. They were backed up by the support functions, which secured supplies, made arrangements to replace staff on sick leave and reinforced the IT systems, which came under considerable strain when employees started working from home. These emergency arrangements were made while constantly liaising with the various employee representative bodies.

The upsurge in solidarity among the Group's various activities (Medical Welfare, Healthcare and Home Care) was also visible on a local level. The healthcare teams provided exemplary support for the medical welfare network, particularly in France, through mobile teams (home care, hygiene correspondents) or the telemedicine system, Omedys, a subsidiary acquired at end-2019. By the end of March, the Group had connected over one-third of its medical welfare facilities to this platform enabling remote consultations and conversations with experts, for local medical teams and for employees to discuss their own concerns. The goal is to extend this platform across the network.

At the request of local health authorities, the Group also set aside beds and other capacity at more than 50 facilities and clinics across Europe, to help Covid-19 patients fully recover once they were discharged from hospital. In France, we have taken in 750 Covid+ patients, mostly from intensive care units, so far.

Through an experimental platform, Inu Covid, we are also providing remote care for patients. This platform was developed by our subsidiary Move In Med, a digital technology specialist, and is being used pending resumption of day care and ambulatory activities in the healthcare network.

Ongoing network adaptation to cope with Covid-19 over the long run

As the coronavirus will likely continue to circulate for a lengthy period of time, as local health authorities are preparing to gradually ease the lockdown, and as no treatments to prevent or cure the disease will be available in the near future, the Group has mapped out an action plan to enable its medical welfare and healthcare facilities to continue to operate safely. This involves providing ensuring against the virus while resuming social activities and once again enabling close ties between residents and patients and their families and friends.

This action plan is based on the following measures:

Protecting: maintaining the Vigilance Epidemie plan's level 3 hygiene and protective measures at all sites, as a precaution and until further notice;

Screening: extensive campaigns on a regular basis, for employees, residents and patients, as tests become increasingly available;

Distancing: immediately isolating anyone who is identified as contagious;

Connecting: at the same time, in accordance with local guidelines, the Group is making arrangements for families and friends to start visiting facilities again, with measures to ensure safe and regulated access.

The Group continues and will continue to closely monitor medical knowledge about the way the virus spreads and to adapt prophylaxis accordingly, and findings relating to therapeutic options.

To this end, the Group's General Management has appointed a Covid committee, bringing together experts and other qualified individuals, and chaired by Dr Francoise Weber, to continue to adjust the medical and technical response to the challenges surrounding Covid-19.

The Group's Board of Directors and its Ethics, Quality and CSR Committee have also been watching the pandemic very closely since February.

To inform their work, the Board of Directors appointed an ad hoc committee on 2 April 2020 and tasked it with tracking all the pandemic's consequences on the Group. This committee has met five times so far.

Solidarity with all stakeholders

The Group is aware of the extraordinary dedication of the teams at its facilities, who are on the front line with their residents and patients, and of the unwavering involvement of its support function teams in efforts to cope with this unprecedented crisis. It plans to tighten its pact of trust with its employees, through its company project In Caring Hands.

Korian is already fully involved, alongside employee representative bodies across Europe, in professional development and training paths leading to formal qualification1 (its target for 2023 is 8% of its workforce on a training path leading to formal qualification). It intends to advance its social dialogue with its partners on this matter, especially with a view to stepping up support for teams with training in occupational health and safety, and has set up its Foundation in Germany to further its efforts on this front.

The Group is also planning to pay out exceptional bonuses to the employees at its facilities in Europe, and is discussing with all employee representative bodies with a view to paying bonuses before the summer.

Cuts in the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Board members in 2020

Beyond the unwavering efforts and commitment of Korian's teams, the Board of Directors decided at its meeting on 29 April 2020 to agree to the Chief Executive Officer's proposal involving a 25% reduction to her compensation in 2020. This reduction also applies to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the other Board members.

A 1 million Covid-19 Solidarity fund

As an extension of its societal initiatives for the elderly through its two foundations in France and Germany, Korian has set up a Covid-19 Solidarity fund and endowed it with 1 million to fuel research against the disease and support caregivers and their families. It is principally funded by the 25% cuts in the compensation that the Group's corporate officers were due to receive in 2020 and contributions from the General Management Committee's members.

1Training, recognition of work experience, certificate and degree training paths

Quarterly financial reporting

First-quarter 2020 revenue up 8%, including organic growth of 3.7%, with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis remaining limited up to the end of March

In millions First quarter % change % of total Revenue 2020 2019 Reported Organic France* 460.9 424.8 +8.5% +4.8% 49% Germany 245.2 233.6 +5.0% +3.8% 26% Benelux** 139.1 123.7 +12.5% +5.1% 15% Italy 96.4 89.5 +7.7% -4.0% 10% Total revenue 941.6 871.6 +8.0% +3.7% 100%

of which Spain: 8.6 million in Q1 2020 and 3.9 million in Q1 2019

** of which the Netherlands: 10.1 million in Q1 2020

In the first three months of 2020, Korian generated revenue of 941.6 million, up 8.0% year-on-year and representing organic growth2 of 3.7%. This increase only partially factors in the initial adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which occurred gradually and to varying extents in the Group's European markets.

As the virus spread and as the relevant authorities adopted measures in response, the Covid-19 effect started to affect the Group's various businesses in some regions of Italy in early March, and in other countries from mid-March.

As a result, the increase in revenue in the first few months of the year reflects the Group's ongoing diversification into medical activities, alternative and inclusive housing and home care, and its development of digitally delivered home assistance services. The 20 acquisitions Korian made in 2019, along with those integrated during the first quarter, also boosted growth.

In France3, revenue totalled 460.9 million, representing growth of 8.5% (versus 6.1% in the first quarter of 2019) and including organic growth of 4.8%, since the initial Covid-19 impact did not start to appear until mid-March.

In particular, these figures reflect good performance in the Petits-fils (home care) and Ages&Vie (shared residences for seniors) businesses.

The Healthcare division continued to benefit from the transformation of its network and its broader range of specialisms, including the integration of the six clinics forming part of Groupe 5 Sante from 1 February onwards.

Measures taken to address the Covid-19 crisis led to the suspension of outpatient (ambulatory care) services, which had until then been growing rapidly.

In Spain, revenue from which is included with that of the French business, first-quarter growth was driven mainly by the activities acquired from Grupo 5 in June 2019. However, as in the Group's other countries, nursing homes have not accepted any new residents since the start of the lockdown on 15 March and day care centres have been closed.

In Germany, revenue rose 5.0% to 245.2 million because of the contribution from acquisitions made in 2019 and the build-up of the home care business. Organic growth of 3.8% reflects the impact of changes in the care mix.

In Benelux4, revenue grew 12.5% to 139.1 million, driven by the April 2019 acquisition of Stepping Stones in the Netherlands, and by the two networks of residences, shared residences for seniors and specialist clinics that were added to the Dutch business in February 2020. The figures also reflect the build-up of the Belgian serviced residence business.

However, after lockdown measures were introduced in Belgium on 18 March 2020, all day care centres and cafes open to the public within Belgian facilities have had to close, and nursing homes in Flanders have not been authorised to accept any new residents.

In Italy, revenue rose 7.7% to 96.4 million, driven by 2019 acquisitions in the clinics and home care business. However, organic growth was significantly affected by lockdown measures introduced on 9 March 2020 in Lombardy, Veneto, and Tuscany, where the Group has operations. This led to the closure of all day care centres, ambulatory care services and home rehabilitation activities, and of most surgical activities. Nursing homes saw business levels similar to those of the first quarter of 2019, but were unable to welcome any new residents in March 2020.

2Organic revenue growth reflects: a) the year-on-year change in revenue from existing facilities; b) revenue generated in the current period by facilities established in the current or year-earlier period; c) the year-on-year change in revenue at redeveloped facilities or those where capacity has been increased in the current or year-earlier period; d) the year-on-year change in revenue at recently acquired facilities.

3Including revenue from the Spanish business, i.e. 8.6 million in the first quarter of 2020 and 3.9 million in the first quarter of 2019.

4Including 10.1 million of revenue from Dutch activities in the first quarter of 2020.

Strengthened financial position

On 3 March 2020, Korian announced that it had successfully placed bonds convertible into and/or exchangeable for new and/or existing shares (OCEANES), with a maturity of 2027 and a nominal amount of approximately 400 million. The net proceeds of the issue will be used by the Company to finance its general operational requirements and growth, including real-estate investments and acquisitions, and to refinance acquisitions carried out during the first quarter of 2020. The bonds were issued at par and their nominal value was 61.53 each, representing a conversion premium of 55% with respect to the Company's share price. From the issue date until the maturity date, the bonds will pay interest at a nominal rate of 0.875% per year, payable annually in arrears on 6 March of every year.

On 19 March 2020, Korian issued 49 million of German-law registered bonds (NSV Namensschuld-Verschreibung) bonds with a 15-year maturity. The bonds pay an annual coupon of 2.50%. Settlement of the bonds took place on 9 April 2020 and the proceeds will be used to cover the Group's general funding requirements.

In April 2020, Korian exercised the first one-year extension option on the 500 million RCF (revolving credit facility) tranche of the syndicated loan it renegotiated in May 2019. The RCF is now due to expire in 2025 and gives the Group greater visibility and financial flexibility due to the support of its banking partners.

Together, these transactions aim to strengthen the Group's financial position and increase its liquidity, so that it can finance its business over the long term and have readily available resources as it deals with the Covid-19 pandemic.

2019 dividend proposal withdrawn

Korian is fully committed to fighting the current pandemic, and wishes to use all of its resources for the benefit of all its stakeholders. As a result, as regards the draft resolutions submitted to the Annual General Meeting of 22 June 2020, the Board of Directors has decided to withdraw its proposal to pay a dividend of 0.66 per share, with the option to receive the payment in shares, as announced on 27 February 2020 at the time of the Group's 2019 earnings release.

2020 guidance suspended

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Group will remain fully focused on responding to the care and support needs of the elderly and vulnerable, both across its network of clinics and nursing homes and in their own homes.

While waiting for greater visibility on the public health and economic situation in its various geographies, Korian is temporarily suspending the 2020 guidance it issued on 27 February 2020, It will update the market when the outlook has become clearer.

Next event

22 June 2020 Annual General Meeting

Next publication

6 May 2020: Publication of the 2019 URD

30 July 2020: first-half 2020 revenue and earnings (after the market close)

About Korian

Korian is the leading European care and support services group for elderly and fragile people. www.korian.com

Korian has been listed on Euronext Paris Section A since November 2006 and is included in the following indices: SBF 120, CAC Health Care, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid Small and MSCI Global Small Cap

Euronext ticker: KORI ISIN: FR0010386334 Reuters: KORI.PA Bloomberg: KORI.FP

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005726/en/

Contacts:

INVESTOR RELATIONS

Sarah Mingham

VP Investor

Relations and Financing

sarah.mingham@korian.com

Tel: +33 (0)1 55 37 53 55

Carole Alexandre

Deputy Head of Investor Relations

carole.alexandre@korian.com

Tel: +33 (0)7 64 65 22 44

PRESS CONTACT

Marjorie Castoriadis

Head of Media Relations

marjorie.castoriadis@korian.fr

Tel: +33 (0)7 63 59 88 81
Philadelphia Police investigate the fatal shootings of two men in the 4700 block of North Third Street in Feltonville on Tuesday. Read more

As the spread of the coronavirus slows, gun violence in Philadelphia is showing no signs of letting up.

Two young Feltonville men gunned down in their neighborhood on Tuesday were the most recent victims, pushing the number of homicides in the city this year to 124, a 19% increase over the same period last year, according to data on the Police Departments website.

As of shortly before noon Wednesday, no arrest had been made in Tuesdays slayings, and the investigation by homicide detectives was continuing, police said.

Officers responding to a report of a person with a gun found the victims shortly before 6 p.m. in the 4700 block of North Third Street.

Joseph Humphrey, 20, of the 200 block of West Loudon Street, was found with a gunshot wound to the chest. Police took him to Temple University Hospital, where he died at 6:20 p.m. Kalil Stafford, 18, of the 200 block of West Roosevelt Boulevard, also had been shot in the chest and was taken to Temple, where he died shortly before 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, police also were looking for suspects in two stabbings and a shooting:

> A 39-year-old man was stabbed in the chest about 1:30 a.m., Wednesday, in the 2100 block of East Lippincott Street in Kensington.

> On Tuesday, a 39-year-old man was stabbed in the shoulder about 11:30 a.m. at 46th Street and Woodland Avenue in West Philadelphia.

>Also on Tuesday, a 36-year-old man was shot in the groin during an attempted robbery at 10:18 p.m. in the 2700 block of North Front Street in Kensington. Two men wearing masks were seen fleeing after the shooting, police said.

Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.
Packaged foods company Britannia Industries on Wednesday announced the launch of WhatsApp-based 'Store Locator' service for its customers to help them find its range of products in nearby stores during the lockdown.

Under the service, which has been launched across the country, a GPS-based chatbot publishes a list of stores near the consumer's current location that have been recently serviced by the company, said Britannia in a statement.

A consumer can interact with Store locator by sending a message 'BRIT'on WhatsApp and follow the instructions.

"The technology solution has been built to swiftly respond to the surge in consumer demand and the consumers' increasing need to find the range of Britannia products at close proximity to where they reside," the company said.

Commenting on the development, Britannia Industries Managing Director Varun Berry said the high degree of familiarity of WhatsApp among the Indian consumers has made it an ideal platform to reach a wide demographic of consumers.

"Given the ongoing lockdown, our teams are constantly innovating to ensure high accessibility to our products, across geographies and town classes. The WhatsApp Chatbot is one such timely solution built to help consumers discover our products in their neighborhood," said Berry.

During the Lockdown, several FMCG makers are trying to reach the customers and even to deliver the goods at their door step through app-based online aggregators.

Earlier this month, Britannia had announced to partner Dunzo, an online delivery platform, to deliver its range of essential products which includes biscuits and dairy whitener, among others to its consumers.

India is presently going through an extended lockdown till May 3 as the government tries to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic. The virus has so far taken 1,007 lives in the country and the number of cases climbed to 31,332, according to the latest data by the Union Health Ministry.

The government, earlier this month,had issued a notification allowing all standalone shops and those in residential areas that sell goods to reopen with restrictions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MIDDLETOWN  The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerces Strategic Planning Committee has been established to work on the recovery of the business community. The committee was created to explore the chambers future path and develop a blueprint for the next 20 years. Their primary responsibility is to continually evaluate the chambers strategic direction in order to ensure that the organization remains able to respond to the changing needs of its members and the Middlesex County community.

During meeting held on a weekly basis, the groups focus has turned to developing and implementing a reLAUNCH Resource Guide to assist the members with getting back on their feet. The mission of the reLAUNCH campaign is to serve as a catalyst to assist the Middlesex Chamber community with recovering and emerging from COVID-19 through innovation, communication and collaboration. Partnership with key stakeholders and business professionals will serve as a guide for this important business tool.

Teresa Opalacz, chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, said,The Chambers Strategic Planning Committee was structured years ago to think creatively and plan for our future. During these turbulent times, the committee works to provide leadership and support to the members as they ventured through the various options. We are now proactively moving towards the business recovery that we so need with caution and care. This next phase will provide tools to assist the members as they forge forward for their own vitality and recovery.

Release of the program will start at the beginning of May and will be evolving as times and restrictions are lifted. Go to www.middlesexchamber.com for more information.

Branford Festival wont be held this year

BRANFORD  The Branford Festival Corporate Board met April 17 to discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this years festival celebration. After careful deliberation and discussion, the board unanimously decided to suspend all Branford Festival activities for this year.

This decision was painful and not easy for all involved, as this was the first time in 36 years that a festival had to be cancelled. We are confident with our decision as it was necessary in keeping our community safe, members said in a statement. While we wont be coming together for our festival traditions of music, strawberry shortcake, pancake breakfasts, laughter, reunions with family and friends and the Fathers Day Road Race, we will continue with the planning in order to have the green alive in 2021. The Corporate Board along with the committee will continue working to bring the community back together for the 2021 Branford Festival. Just as you have supported the festival over the years, we ask that you continue to support each other during these trying times. The Corporate Board and Branford Festival Committee eagerly await the time when we can welcome you all back to the Branford Green to reunite us as a community to share good food, our headliner bands; Almost Queen and The 70s Rock & Roll Roadshow, childrens activities, the craft and business expo and more.

DEEP offers safe boating tips

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced this week that the state boat launches are open. DEEP wants to share best practices to keep boaters safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a fluid and evolving situation and as the weather warms and the demand for use at the boat launches increase, DEEP will continue to closely monitor these facilities to determine if the use of the launches can safely continue.

DEEP manages 117 boat launches across the state on coastal and inland waterbodies where users can launch with no fee. DEEP will continue to monitor the use of the launches and may adjust public access to these facilities, if necessary, in order to ensure the safety of the public and DEEP employees. This approach is consistent with practices already in place at other DEEP-managed outdoor recreational facilities such as State Parks.

Boating or paddling can provide a refreshing outdoor escape during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Peter Francis, DEEP Boating Division Director. We know our boating community is passionate about getting on the water and we want to ensure they can recreate safely.

The DEEP has developed a suite of common-sense practices and recommendations that can help improve boaters safety at state boat launches and on the water.

To use Connecticuts boat launches safely, DEEP offers the following guidance:

Parking in state boat launches is only for boating, fishing, or wildlife observation (where permitted). Other non-permitted activities could increase use, reduce safety, and jeopardize the availability of the facilities. Anyone not engaged in these activities should not be using boat launches and will be asked to leave by DEEP Environmental Conservation Police.

Gatherings of people at state boat launches must be limited to not more than 5 people per Governor Lamonts Executive Order number 7N.

Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on maintaining 6-foot social distancing from others must be followed at all times. When possible, leave an empty parking space between your vehicle and others in the lot.

Boaters should depart the ramp area as quickly as possible when launching or retrieving your boat.

Boat occupants should be limited to cohabitating family members only, and groups of no more than five.

Rather than traveling to some of Connecticuts more popular boat launches, discover new boating spots close to home. Consult the DEEP Boating website for alternate launching locations.

If a boat launch appears to be crowded, consider visiting a different boat launch, or returning at a different time or day.

Visit the DEEP Boating website for news and updates: www.portal.ct.gov/boating
WASHINGTON  Since most of the nation shut down six weeks ago to combat the coronavirus, the battle for control of the U.S. Senate has been frozen in place.

And as the nation slowly reopens, races in some states have been paused in ways that have helped Democratic challengers, allowing the frontrunners to build momentum by depriving their primary opponents of coverage. But in at least one state, the Republican incumbent may have been given a way to change the subject away from President Trump.

COVID-19 has really taken charge, and thats the subject everyone wants to talk about. Its kind of put campaigns on their heels in general, said Bobby Reynolds, a political consultant in Maine who has worked for Republicans and Democrats.

Reynolds worked for Republican Sen. Susan Collins from 2008 to 2014. Collins is one of four Republican incumbents whom Democrats hope to defeat in their quest to regain control of the Senate. Reynolds is now an adviser to a Democratic congressman from Maine, Jared Golden, whom he helped elect in 2018.

But Reynolds said he hopes Collins will be reelected and that if she is, it will be because the pandemic crisis changed the focus of the race away from her relationship with Trump and toward her work on bread-and-butter issues that have real-world impact.

Collins, seeking her seventh term in the Senate, has been an object of ridicule and outrage on the left for her propensity to publicly toy with the idea of crossing Trump on key votes, based on principle, only to dash hopes for it time and again. Democrats thought Collins would join them in voting against blowing up the judicial filibuster during the April 2017 vote on Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, but she did not.

Sen. Susan Collins is surrounded by reporters following a meeting of Senate Republicans on Sept. 26, 2018. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Then they hoped in October 2018 that she would vote against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh following allegations of sexual assault, but Collins once again voted for Trumps nominee. And only a few months ago, she voted against finding Trump guilty in the Senate impeachment trial.

Story continues

Anti-Collins donations have flooded to the frontrunner candidate in the Democratic primary to face the Republican: Sara Gideon, the current House speaker in the state Legislature. Gideon took in $7.1 million in donations during the first quarter of 2020, roughly three times the amount Collins received. And Gideon is close to matching Collins in the amount she has on hand, yet to spend, with $4.6 million to the Republicans $5.6 million.

Reynolds, the former Collins aide, said the senators work on the Paycheck Protection Program will be a centerpiece of her campaign for reelection. Collins was one of four senators credited with helping create the PPP, which is providing $669 billion in federally backed loans to businesses trying to stave off collapse because of the coronavirus shutdown.

Shes proven her mettle during this thing, Reynolds argued. She is an invaluable asset right now to Mainers.  My guess is Mainers are gonna see during this crisis that Susan Collins is a leader in their delegation and nationally.

When we get into October and everybodys up on TV  there will be all kinds of testimonials from small-business owners who will be lined up to talk about it, he said.

The two Republicans who are most widely considered to be in danger of losing their seats are in Colorado and Arizona. And the coronavirus crisis may have only increased the degree to which they are vulnerable.

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., is seeking his second term. Floyd Ciruli, a nonpartisan pollster in Colorado, said the 45-year-old Gardner is far and away the most talented Republican Ive seen in the state in some time.

Sen. Cory Gardner speaks as President Trump listens during a February 2020 rally in Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

In a nonpresidential year, Ciruli said, Gardner would beat former Gov. John Hickenlooper, the Democratic establishment pick to run against the senator.

But Gardners fundamental problem is his decision to run in virtual lockstep with Trump, Ciruli said: Hes separated himself in a few spots, but basically hes on the team.

And in Colorado, Trump is increasingly unpopular. He lost the state by 5 points to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and in 2018 Democrats took control of the state Legislature and swept races at the top of state government, in part because voters saw the election as a referendum on the president.

Trump went out of his way to be extremely visible as we approached the election, and Democrats simply crushed it, Ciruli said.

And the pandemic has given Trump a platform to dominate the news even more completely, giving briefings almost every night to remind his base voters what they like about him  and everyone else what they dont.

If anything, the coronavirus pause has helped Hickenlooper by freezing the primary and denying exposure to his main competitor for the Democratic nomination, the more liberal Andrew Romanoff.

In Arizona, the past six weeks have not been helpful to the Republican incumbent either. Like Gardner, Republican Sen. Martha McSally has not done a lot to separate herself from the president and may pay the price for it in November.

McSallys opponent, former astronaut Mark Kelly, raised a staggering sum in the first quarter: $11 million. McSallys haul would have been fantastic in a normal quarter. She brought in $6.4 million. But Kellys gusher of cash shows which way things are trending nationally and in the state.

Sen. Martha McSally at a rally for President Trump in Phoenix. (Rick Scuteri/AP)

I dont think shell catch up in fundraising, but she can wage a campaign to try to drive some differences between Kelly and herself and change the trajectory. Right now I think shes down a bit, said a Republican operative who works in Arizona politics, who asked not to be identified.

McSally was appointed to her seat to replace Sen. John Kyl, a Republican, following his retirement in late 2018. Prior to that, McSally ran in the 2018 election to fill an open Senate seat but was defeated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. McSally was badly hurt during that race, the Republican operative said, by attacks on her health care record, namely her support for rolling back coverage for those with preexisting conditions.

Arizona voters elected a Republican governor, Doug Ducey, in 2018, but rejected McSally. Ducey outperformed McSally by about 200,000 votes.

The race kind of freezes with her facing a pretty significant fundraising disadvantage  and no real way to change the narrative, the Arizona Republican operative said. Its early. Hopefully this lifts after Memorial Day and is somewhat back to normal.

That leaves North Carolina, which Trump won by almost 4 points in 2016. Its still a red state, and incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, is another skilled politician.

But in a state that Barack Obama narrowly won in 2008, only to lose in 2012, Republican consultant Dee Stewart said the Senate race is going to go back and forth.

Its going to be very competitive, he said.

Sen. Thom Tillis speaks to media on March 12. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

And as is happening in Maine, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina is winning the fundraising game. Cal Cunningham, an Army veteran and businessman, brought in $4.4 million in the first quarter to Tilliss $2.1 million.

The Q1 fundraising was a massive problem, said one national Republican operative.

Tillis has bobbed and weaved in recent weeks on major questions that will affect his reelection. On a matter that stokes populist outrage  the selling of stocks by his fellow Republican North Carolina senator, Richard Burr, days before the stock market tanked due to the coronavirus  Tillis has walked a fine line. He said Burr owes everybody an explanation but did not call on him to resign or step down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

And on the matter of reopening businesses, Tillis has resisted calls that have generally come from the right to do so sooner than later.

Republican consultant Stewart said this cautious approach is in character with how Tillis has traditionally navigated politics.

Hes cautious and he wants to take action thats going to work over the long term, Stewart said in an interview.

But its also a reflection of how the past six weeks have unsettled the political landscape and called into question everything that we thought we knew about how control of the Senate would be decided.

Cover thumbnail photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP

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Castro, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach

Jerry Cimino of the Beat Museum. | Photo: Romalyn Schmaltz/Hoodline

Despite a lack of visitors, San Francisco's larger museums are largely expected to survive the COVID-19 crisis. Some, like the Randall Museum, are city-owned; others, like SFMOMA, have sizable endowments.

But many of the city's smaller museums  from North Beach's Beat Museum to the Castro's GLBT History Museum  are caught in the middle. Without significant resources to draw on, they're heavily reliant on regular patronage to keep the lights on. And even after the shelter-in-place order lifts, tourism in San Francisco will likely be impacted for months by travel restrictions and the flagging economy.

Monetta White, executive director of SoMa's Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), described COVID-19 as a "real scare." She said she's had to cut staff by 40%, with the remainder working remotely, and is looking for other ways to slash expenses.

The Beat Museum's Jerry Cimino says he's been luckier  he only has a few people on payroll, whom he's still been paying while the museum is closed.

We're hoping, being small, we'll be able to make it all work, he said. But rent and utility bills are looming, "and you need an income stream to pay that."

Summerlea Kashar, executive director of the Cartoon Art Museum in Fisherman's Wharf, says she's also been able to retain her small staff for the time being. "Our plan is to keep staff on as long as possible, and maintain their healthcare coverage, she said.

But covering rent remains an open question.

"We have not had a conversation with our landlord  obviously, they are dealing with this too," she said. "We don't know the full ramifications or how we'll be able to come out of it in a way that is acceptable and manageable for both of us.

Cartoon Art Museum. | Photo: BSSP

Another frustrating aspect of the crisis is the unknowability of its timeline, said Mark Sawchuk, the communications director for the GLBT Historical Society, which runs the GLBT History Museum.

Story continues

Sawchuk says exhibitions planned for May (at City Hall) and June (at the museum itself) will likely be delayed. The question, he says, is until when.

"Planning is difficult when we don't know precisely when the shelter-in-place order will be relaxed, he said.

Selecting exhibitions, working with curators, and arranging the transport of materials are in flux not just for this year, but 2021 as well.

The Castro's GLBT History Museum. | Photo: David-Elijah Nahmod/Hoodline

Many museums are encouraging their patrons to shift to online resources. The GLBT History Museum and the Beat Museum are both offering exclusive online content for museum members.

There are so many stories about the Beat Generation we've heard in the last 17 years, and now, with an enhanced online presence, we're able to tell these stories by streaming taped interviews already in our archives," Cimino said.

There's even a new online exhibit from the GLBT Historical Society: "Fighting Back," which contextualizes COVID-19 through the lessons learned by the queer community in the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Purchasing merchandise is another way to keep the museums afloat. The Cartoon Art Museum offers catalogs from a number of its exhibitions (including the forthcoming "A Boy and His Tiger," a tribute to "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson). The Beat Museum sells books by leading authors of the era, which Cimino notes "are better than constantly watching the news."

There's even a chance to purchase art: to support MoAD, a number of artists of African descent are auctioning off their work online as a fundraiser. Hosted on digital sales platform Artsy, the auction runs through May 5.

And of course, there are crowdfunding campaigns. The Beat Museum and the Cartoon Art Museum both have them, and MoAD and the GLBT Historical Society also accept donations.

For those who don't have money to give, designating us or another nonprofit as a 'birthday' or other fundraiser on platforms like Facebook are a great way for us to get some additional support, the Cartoon Art Museum's Kashar said.

Despite the challenges, MoAD's White says she's appreciative of the support her museum has received from the community, the partners and artists.

"There is so much love," she said. "I am just so impressed with this team, with how they are pushing through this. It just confirms why I took this position."
MEMBERS of Limerick Comhairle na nOg have been nominated for a prestigious World Health Organisation award, writes David Hurley.

The nomination for the World No Tobacco Day Award follows their participation in the #NotAroundUs, a Smoke Free Limerick campaign.

Run in conjunction with Healthy Limerick, the #NotAroundUs campaign is an ongoing health initiative that aims to de-normalise smoking and vaping in public and create an environment where it is easier for those who smoke to quit by making public areas smoke-free zones.

Limerick Comhairle na nOg have been to the fore in developing and implementing the #NotAroundUs campaign and have led the charge amongst their peers to create a tobacco free generation, said John Real of Limerick Youth Service.

Ts a great honour to be nominated and the young people deserve a lot of credit for their time and effort in challenging the norms in terms of smoking in Limerick, added John who is Limerick Comhairle na nOg coordinator.

Aoife Ryan, a member of Limerick Comhairle na nOg who said she really enjoyed working on the campaign with Healthy Limerick as they valued and respected our opinions on this project.

Fellow Comhairli Zara Daly says shes delighted that Limerick Comhairle na nOg was nominated for the prestigious international accolade. It would be great for all of Limericks young people to win it, she said.

This years World No Tobacco Day will be marked on Sunday, May 31.

The World Health Organization will announce the various award winners on Wednesday, May 27, on its website www.who.int.

Facilitated by Limerick Youth Service, Limerick Comhairle na nOg is a youth council that advocates for and raises awareness of youth issues and rights.

It has over thirty members (aged14 and 18) and is one of thirty-one groups nationwide.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had issued at least 12 warnings to US President Donald Trump about the spread of the coronavirus in China and its implications for the US; warnings which Trump ignored and subsequently the pandemic gripped the US.

Current and former US intelligence officials told The Washington Post that Trump, in the month of January and February, had repeatedly ignored warnings conveyed in issues of the President's Daily Brief, a sensitive report that is produced before dawn each day and designed to call the president's attention to the most significant ...
Mumbai, April 29 : Radhika Madan, who played the role of Irrfan Khan's daughter in his last release "Angrezi Medium", remembers the actor as a "fighter".

"I don't know what to say. My heart aches when I write this. He was one the strongest people I knew, a fighter. And so are (Irrfan's wife) Sutapa ma'am, (his sons) Babil and Ayan," Radhika said.

"I am just grateful that our paths crossed in this lifetime. He is and will always be an inspiration to many. A legend. The man who changed the wave of the Indian film industry. May his soul rest in peace," she added in her statement.

Radhika was the last actress in Bollywood to share extensive screen space with the late talented actor in Homi Adajania's comedy, "Angrezi Medium". The film centred on a father-daughter story, narrating the desperate bid of a smalltown father to fulfil his daughter's dream of education in a top UK university against all odds, often leading to hilarious outcome.

Irrfan had been admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection and was in the intensive care unit (ICU), as reported by IANS in an earlier report on Tuesday.

The actor has been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a while back, and has been under medical attention for the same.

In his last days, Irrfan was mourning the loss of his mother. The actor's mother Saeeda Begum breathed her last on Saturday in Jaipur where she used to stay. However, owing to the ongoing lockdown, the actor could not physically attend his mother's last rites and reportedly paid his last respect through video conferencing.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Health-tech multinationals are arriving in Vietnam or expanding further to help solve remaining challenges, Le Toan

Just several days after launch this month, Bluezone, a tracing app developed by technology firm Bkav to help determine if a person has come into contact with a coronavirus patient, is receiving strong interest among locals.

Nguyen Phuong Nam, a 40-year-old white-collar worker said, This app is meaningful as it comes at the right time when the healthcare sector is fighting against COVID-19. Myself, my friends, and my relatives are eager to learn about this technology to protect ourselves.

Nam added that living in a digital age means healthcare should not be an exception. The sector needs to develop more technology services and software to increase its quality and healthcare access for all, he noted.

New starting milestone

Empty streets, no opened shops, and no gatherings  this has been the image of Hanoi during social distancing in the past few weeks. Instead, people increasingly were forced to use more online communication and information exchanges.

During the current pandemic, Vietnamese people are aware that there is not yet enough digitalised technologies, especially in terms of healthcare software for locals.

In the wake of this, tech giant Viettel this month has developed a remote medical examination and treatment platform which can provide services such as remote medical and surgery consultation, remote training, telemedicine consultation, and remote tech transfer among others.

The availability of Bluezone and the Viettel platform has marked a new milestone in digital transformation of the healthcare sector, with more mindsets being changed. Thousands of healthcare units and millions of locals will benefit from this evolution.

Telemedicine consultation is accompanied by simple medical devices such as thermometers, blood pressure meters, heart rate meters, diabetes meters, and COVID-19 tests that will be strongly developed in the near future. With technology advancements, these medical devices will become cheaper and so will facilitate healthcare development at home, said Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung.

Vietnam has the advantages such as powerful telecoms and IT groups, nationwide infrastructure, and resources which can develop platform infrastructure to speed up digital transformation in important sectors like education and healthcare, Hung elaborated. The country needs more platforms, and so we call on the business community to join the development.

Online hospitals and telemedicine, electronic medical records, and family healthcare have developed rapidly over the years. However, they are still in relatively early stages of development. The pandemic is accelerating this process.

Addressing the Bluezone app launch, the prime minister asked the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) and the Ministry of Health to develop technology platforms for healthcare such as those for telemedicine and smart health management, to build national databases for healthcare, and to complete a legal framework along with common and technical standards in order to encourage digital transformation in the sector.

More players in race

Vietnams current bed capacity is the second-best in Southeast Asia (22 beds per 10,000 people) and investment in healthcare is seeing double-digit growth on-year. However, there are still challenges that need to be overcome as the healthcare demand grows. With 4.5 doctors per 10,000 people and mainly located in the main cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, technology is one way to bridge this gap.

Multinational health-tech giants and health-tech startups are aware of this, and are expanding in the country to tap into its rising smartphone penetration rate at 84 per cent (one of the highest amongst Southeast Asian countries), and a young population with heightened technology adoption.

Hanoi French Hospital, one of the most famous foreign-invested health facilities in northern Vietnam, has just expanded its tele-medicine capability to help patient follow-up on convalesce after a procedure, or on a chronic condition.

Meanwhile, Hanoi Medical University Hospital is a successful example of the transformation into digital operations which helps ease overloads and increases efficiency.

On the business front, GE Healthcare is set on empowering healthcare delivery in Vietnam through innovation-led solutions.

Seeing the potential, healthcare-tech startups are also increasingly joining the race. Singapore-headquartered Doctor Anywhere, a regional tech-led health and wellness company, made its official entrance in the Vietnamese market in mid-2019, and is already developing strongly in the country.

Meanwhile, eDoctor is expanding with its digital platform, seeing demand for its online consultancy increasing by at least 200 per cent in the past few weeks, with the trend to continue to grow further.

As expected, the MIC and the Government Office are promptly finalising and submitting to the government a national digital transformation programme for issuance within this month, thus giving a big push in digital transformation in healthcare and across sectors, and new chances to tech firms in the time to come.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:46:30|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A key indicator for economic sentiment in both the euro area and the European Union (EU) plummeted in April, marking the strongest monthly decline on record, according to official data released on Wednesday.

The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in the euro area fell by 27.2 points from the previous month to 67.0 points in April, while the ESI for the EU sank 28.8 points to 65.8 points, the European Commission said in a statement.

The ESI reading has a long-term average of 100, and the current reading is very close to the lowest levels registered during the recession in March 2009, it said.

The collapse in the ESI in the euro area resulted from an exceptionally strong fall in confidence among consumers and in all the business sectors, and the crash was particularly marked in services and retail trade, said the statement.

Among the largest euro area economies, the Netherlands registered the steepest fall of 32.6 points in the ESI, followed by a fall of 26 points in Spain and 19.9 points in Germany.

However, the statement noted that no data could be collected in Italy due to strict lockdown measures and the response rate to the survey was lower than usual in many countries, which could lead to less accurate and comparable results across countries than usual.

Specifically, the euro area service sector saw an exceptional decrease of 32.7 points in the confidence index, driven by record-breaking deteriorations in expected demand, while the euro area manufacturing industry confidence fell by 19.2 points, resulting mainly from crashing production expectations, but remained above the record low of March 2009.

Consumer confidence was down by 11.1 points, reflecting the households' tumbling expectations concerning the general economic situation and also their own financial situation, the report said.

The Employment Expectations Indicator also nosedived to its lowest levels on record, with the April reading down by 30.1 points to 63.7 in the euro area and by 31.2 points to 63.3 in the EU. Enditem
U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions in the press briefing room with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force April 3, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

US intelligence officials warned President Donald Trump about the threat of the novel coronavirus in at least a dozen classified briefings in January and February, The Washington Post reported.

The President's Daily Brief, or PDB, tracked the spread of the virus around the globe for weeks early this year and made clear China was concealing the extent of the outbreak within its borders.

But Trump failed to register the threat.

The president is known to regularly skip reading through the PDB and doesn't pay much attention even when the information is conveyed to him in oral summaries.

The Post's is the latest in a series of media reports that show the extent to which officials sounded the alarm about an impending pandemic, which Trump largely ignored until US cases began surging in March.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

US intelligence officials warned President Donald Trump about the threat of the novel coronavirus in at least a dozen classified briefings in January and February, but he ignored the repeated warnings, The Washington Post reported.

Monday's development adds yet another layer to previous media reports that revealed the extent to which intelligence and administration officials sounded the alarm about an impending pandemic, which the president largely dismissed until US cases began surging in March.

According to The Post, the President's Daily Brief, or PDB, tracked the spread of the coronavirus around the world for weeks in January and February, and made clear that China was concealing the severity of the outbreak within its borders, where it first originated.

But despite the repeated warnings officials conveyed in the PDB, Trump "failed to register" the threat, The Post reported. The president is known to regularly skip reading through the PDB, and he reportedly doesn't have much patience even when the information is conveyed to him via oral summaries a few times per week.

Story continues

By the end of January and beginning of February, a majority of the intelligence contained in Trump's daily briefings was about the coronavirus, The Post reported last month. At the same time that he was getting those briefings, the president was publicly downplaying the risk of the virus.

"The system was blinking red," one US official with access to the intelligence told The Post. "Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were  they just couldn't get him to do anything about it."

Some of the warnings came even earlier. Days before Trump's inauguration, Obama administration officials briefed Trump officials on how to respond to a pandemic, Politico reported. The hypothetical scenario Obama officials presented to the incoming administration bore many similarities to the coronavirus outbreak.

When asked whether any information from the session made its way to the president-elect, a former senior Trump administration official wasn't sure but said hypotheticals like that were not "the kind of thing that really interested the president very much."

Politico also reported that the Trump administration declined to use a nearly 70-page pandemic playbook that the NSC's health unit put together under the Obama administration. The document instructed federal officials on how to prepare for many of the same obstacles the Trump administration is now facing, including medical equipment shortages and a lack of coordination.

Then, from January to August 2019, the HHS conducted a training simulation about a hypothetical pandemic, caused by a disease that bore striking parallels to the novel coronavirus.

In the simulation, federal agencies fought over who was in charge, state officials and hospitals couldn't figure out what and how much medical equipment was available, and there was no centralized coordination on state lockdowns and school closings.

The team conducting the simulation put together a draft report laying out the roadblocks they discovered in the exercises, but their warnings went unheeded, according to The New York Times.

The president spent the early weeks of the outbreak insisting there was nothing to worry about, and that warnings about a potential pandemic were a "hoax" meant to hurt his re-election bid and tank the stock market.

He appointed loyalists to head up the White House coronavirus task force and instructed some public health officials not to discuss any more matters related to the virus with the public without prior clearance. The president also has a powerful ally in the right-wing media, which has largely echoed his messaging from the start.

As the number of coronavirus cases in the US began ticking up and the death count increased, Trump acknowledged the problem but assured the public it would go away soon.

The president has also pushed unproven and dangerous theories for how to mitigate the crisis. At a coronavirus briefing last week, for instance, he suggested Americans may inject themselves with household disinfectants to treat the disease. He also floated the idea of using UV light as a treatment.

White House officials decided to significantly scale back the number of daily briefings after the episode, and Trump cut back on taking reporters' questions.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, a pandemic on Marh 11, and the US is the global epicenter of the outbreak. As of Monday, there are 985,374 confirmed cases of the virus in the country, and 55,906 people have died after testing positive.

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Hearing they were going to do another month is kind of a shock, she said. They say you need to bring back your employees. If we do that, we will be out of money in a few months. So, how do you use that 50 percent? Its confusing. We need to talk to someone.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has highlighted the low number of coronavirus infections in aged care to ramp up pressure on facilities to let family members visit, as the sector digs in on lockdowns providers say are necessary to keep residents safe.

Mr Morrison pointed to official data showing that less than 1 per cent of COVID-19 patients in Australia are in residential aged care  just 60 out of 6731 cases  as operators continue to demand a $1 billion-plus federal rescue package in exchange for any lifting of restrictions.

Less than 1 per cent of confirmed COVID-19 cases are in residential aged care, but they make up nearly a quarter of deaths. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"By and large, across the country, when you think of the number of people who are in aged care facilities, and the number of facilities that are affected .. well, I think the numbers speak for themselves," he said.

Peak aged care bodies took out a full-page advertisement in Thursday's Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, with an open letter demanding "a national approach for visits in aged care homes that respects the need for strong infection control, balanced with [residents'] needs ... for social and emotional supports."
[April 29, 2020] Nagarro's Connected Worker Solution Makes Distance Irrelevant

MUNICH, Germany, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nagarro, a global leader in software engineering and technology solutions, offers a Connected Worker solution designed to achieve workforce-driven business continuity while preparing for the new normal. Connecting workers with new tools and technologies have been a business objective for some time, and the current global situation is accelerating that trend. Companies may have fewer workers available, in the field or in the factory, to perform various tasks. This situation is likely to continue because mobility restrictions may continue to exist in the foreseeable future. Nagarro has implemented the Connected Worker solution for multiple clients across different industries. This solution consisting of devices, platforms, and accelerators has enabled Connected Workers performing tasks in repair and maintenance, inspection and quality, assembly, logistics, and training. Tasks such as upport from an expert, which earlier required an expert to travel, can be efficiently achieved by using Smart Glass or mobile.



Nagarro's accelerator-driven approach jumpstarts the solution delivery, and it is complemented by evaluation frameworks and solution customization necessary for the relevant business use case. Its broad partner network acts as the key pillar for supporting this state-of-the-art technology solution. "Of course, many companies had to make compromises in the first phase of the crisis! With our Connected Worker approach, we have a powerful solution in place to help businesses succeed and stay productive beyond the crisis. With our multi-industry experience, we help our clients from concept to roll out of their Connected Worker solution and integrating them with our client's business processes," explains Michel Dorochevsky, CTO, Nagarro in Germany.

Nagarro's Connected Worker solution leverages their agile delivery model while using various digital tools to collaborate with clients. The base solution can be incrementally enhanced with artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics techniques to create powerful insights for the workers and it can be integrated with various enterprise systems. Learn more about Nagarro's Connected Worker solution and offer About Nagarro Nagarro drives technology-led business breakthroughs for industry leaders and challengers. When our clients want to move fast and make things, they turn to us. Today, we are more than 6,500 experts across 21 countries. Together we form Nagarro, the global services division of Munich-based Allgeier SE. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nagarros-connected-worker-solution-makes-distance-irrelevant-301049168.html SOURCE Nagarro

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), together with the State Tourism Agency (STA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in cooperation with Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), has announced the launch of an innovative program called SAHMAN (Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms).

"SAHMAN," meaning "immaculateness" in Azerbaijani, is a nationwide campaign set to transform Azerbaijan's existing health, safety and hygiene standards. Supported by the UNWTO, it also reaffirms the country's commitment towards providing a world-class tourism destination for its citizens and future visitors alike in the post-pandemic world. ATB is finalising talks with international firm PwC to audit and certify these standards.

As part of the countrywide measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, SAHMAN will adopt a holistic approach to fuel innovation across the tourism industry, ensuring the involvement of all relevant public and private partners, and the safety of those working in the sector. It will culminate with the launch of Azerbaijan's Domestic Tourism Campaign this summer.

Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board commented, "The current global pandemic has brought to light the need to reassess and enhance our standards across the industry. The SAHMAN programme calls upon all stakeholders in Azerbaijan to adopt even better practices in their businesses in the interest of safeguarding public health and supporting the regrowth of the industry. With this long-term shift in behaviour, we aim to ensure that these higher standards will be upheld beyond the current crisis."

To launch the campaign, ATB and STA have partnered with the Azerbaijan Hotel Association (AHA), Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), regional municipalities and DMOs, with plans to also invite other government sectors to commit to maintaining top-quality standards across the country. The programme will focus on accommodation, F&B and touristic transportation providers - three key aspects of the tourism value chain.

Stakeholders will be expected to commit to sector-specific checklists introducing initiatives such as mandatory precautionary measures, safe distancing, disinfection, quarantine areas, cleaning methodology, and more. Participants will be supported and incentivised through three primary support programmes - Training, Amenities and Promotion - all of which will be financed by the STA. Implementation will be carried out in four phases, by: enrolling in the programme through www.sahman.az ; participating in online and onsite trainings and certification; labelling; and validation.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1161638/Azerbaijan_Tourism_Board.jpg
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More 'petrified' parents have come forward after their children were struck down with tell-tale signs of a mysterious coronavirus-linked inflammatory syndrome that has hospitalised at least 20 youngsters and left a dozen fighting for their lives.

An alert was issued by NHS bosses on Tuesday warning GPs there had been a surge in youngsters needing intensive care after falling seriously unwell with the illness which causes a fatal immune overreaction.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was 'very worried' by the mystery syndrome which experts think is caused by coronavirus infection. The illness appears to be similar to Kawasaki disease - which causes blood vessels to become inflamed, and toxic shock syndrome - an overreaction by the immune system which causes the body to attack its own organs.

Seven British families revealed their children were struck down with symptoms synonymous with the serious condition - some of whom were never tested for COVID-19, leaving them in the dark about whether their illness was linked to the virus.

Gemma Brown, from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, told MailOnline her two-year-old son Bertie was admitted to hospital last month on his second birthday when his temperature soared over 40C (104F) and his blotchy rash began to turn black.

Mrs Brown says she is certain her boy had the vicious virus but has no way of knowing because he was denied a test and diagnosed with the rare Kawasaki disease.

Melanie Cook, 38, from Gypsyville, Hull, revealed her one-year-old son George was infected with coronavirus when he was struck down with mystery symptoms in mid-March.

She said she was '110 per cent sure' her son's red eyes, violent vomiting and fatigue was COVID-19-related, but claims her son was diagnosed with conjunctivitis and denied a swab.

Parents Sabrina and Steve Legge, from Bath, Somerset, have been left petrified that sons Dylan, 16, and Colston, 14, have the inflammatory syndrome after suffering from sickness, blisters on their tongues, diarrhoea and stabbing chest pains last week. The family claim their GP has refused to test the teens for coronavirus.

Chloe Knight, 22, from Edinburgh, revealed her two-year-old son, Freddie Merrylees, was 'like a zombie' after suffering from Kawasaki disease in March.

Scans showed the boy's heart valves had become inflamed after he was taken to hospital with blotchy rashes, puffy red eyes and a loss of appetite. His mother says they were refused coronavirus tests.

A mother from Lancashire, who does not wish to be named, shared shocking images of her two-year-old daughter with blotchy purple rashes across her entire body. The parent said she was waiting on coronavirus test results with bated breath.

And Lewis Greig, 13, from Aberdeen, was finally diagnosed with the lethal virus after becoming so ill he needed to be hooked up to a ventilator. The teenager initially was struck down with inflammatory symptoms including bloodshot eyes and measles-like rashes.

A mother from Lancashire, who does not wish to be named, shared shocking images of her two-year-old daughter with blotchy purple rashes across her entire body

Bertie Brown was admitted to Worcestershire Royal hospital last month on his second birthday after developing a fever and rash across his body

Chloe Knight, 22, revealed her two-year-old son, Freddie Merrylees (pictured), became ill just before the lockdown and was 'like a zombie' due to Kawasaki disease. The youngster had a rash on his body, a high temperature, red eyes and struggled to eat and drink

Melanie Cook, 38, from Gypsyville, Hull, believes her one-year-old son George was struck down with the mystery disease in mid-March after suffering red, puffy eyes (shown), 'violent vomiting' and fatigue.

Lewis Greig, from Torry, Aberdeen, has been on a ventilator at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, after he suddenly became unwell last week with a high temperature (pictured: Lewis, left, and the rash which appeared on his hand, right)

Parents Sabrina and Steve Legge, from Bath, Somerset, have been left petrified that sons Colston (left), 14, and Dylan (right), 16,have the inflammatory syndrome after suffering from sickness, blisters on their tongues, diarrhoea and stabbing chest pains last week

The condition is a form of toxic shock syndrome which causes the body's immune system to attack its own organs

WHAT IS KAWASAKI DISEASE AND TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME? KAWASAKI DISEASE Kawasaki disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of the blood vessels and affects mostly children under five years old. The inflammation can weaken the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood. This can lead to aneurysms and heart attacks. The condition affects eight children out of every 100,000 and statistics show it is fatal in three per cent of cases that go untreated. WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT CAUSE? The symptoms of Kawasaki disease usually develop in three phases over a six-week period, according to advice on the NHS' website. The first signs are a fever and a rash in the first few weeks, followed by the eyes of children becoming red and swollen. It can also cause the lips to dry up and crack, a sore throat, swollen lymph glands and the tongue to become red, the NHS warns. The second phase of Kawasaki disease often causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, joint pain and jaundice. In the third phase, symptoms tend to disappear but children 'may still have a lack of energy and become easily tired during this time'. TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME Toxic shock syndrome is a highly dangerous bacterial infection - but it can be misdiagnosed because the symptoms are similar to other illnesses and because it is so rare. It occurs when usually harmless staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus bacteria, which live on the skin, invade the bloodstream and release dangerous toxins. TSS has a mortality rate of between five and 15 per cent. And reoccurs in 30-to-40 per cent of cases. Using tampons is a particular risk factor for TSS, according to the NHS. WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT CAUSE? a high temperature

flu-like symptoms

feeling and being sick

diarrhoea

a widespread sunburn-like rash

lips, tongue and the whites of the eyes turning a bright red

dizziness or fainting

difficulty breathing

confusion Advertisement

Lewis Greig was not thought to have the virus because he did not have the usual dry cough but he is now on an intensive care ward at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

Although Lewis has not been diagnosed with this toxic shock syndrome, medics have been warned to mindful of inflammatory symptoms such as his which could be linked to the coronavirus.

Lewis's mother Karen Simpson said the teenager had suffered from vomiting, rashes and red swollen eyes. He was rushed to hospital in Aberdeen before being transferred to an intensive care unit in Glasgow, where he tested positive for coronavirus.

Lewis is in a critical but stable condition and is showing signs of improvement, although his family must wear protective equipment while visiting.

Ms Simpson spoke about Lewis's ordeal to warn parents that children with COVID-19 can show different symptoms to adults.

Ms Simpson, who is currently staying in a Glasgow hotel to be close to her son, with Lewis's father Wayne, 47, said: 'It all started last Saturday when we discovered he had a temperature. It was really high - about 40.5 degrees.

'At first we didn't think it was anything too major. We assumed he had a bug and that it would pass.

'On the Sunday though, things weren't any better and Lewis started to get progressively worse as the week went on.

'He started being sick, had a sore head and was really tired. We'd already been on the phone to the COVID-19 hub on 111 and they said to make sure he was drinking - if they needed to admit him they would.

'By Thursday, he had developed a measles-like rash on his hands and his eyes went deep red and bloodshot.

'On Friday morning, he woke up in a bad way. We phoned the doctor, who had a quick look at him and they phoned the sick kids' hospital.

'We took him up straight away, and when we got there, he couldn't walk from the car into the building.'

Within hours of being taken to hospital, Lochside Academy pupil Lewis had been put on a ventilator to help him breathe.

And in the early hours of Saturday, he was transferred to Glasgow by ambulance.

Ms Simpson said: 'I have never seen anything like it before. It was so scary. The first few tests they did came back negative for COVID-19. But then they did another one and that came back positive on Sunday night.'

Ms Simpson now wants to make other parents aware of tell-tale signs which may show children are suffering from the virus.

She said: 'I want to help other parents understand how to spot it. They might show some really strange symptoms which aren't fitting with the normal coronavirus symptoms. Make sure you get them checked and keep pushing to have them tested.

'One of the doctors said to us children don't present with a dry cough like adults do. In children, there's an inflammatory reaction which makes it look like an autoimmune disease.'

Lewis, who is a brother to Nathan, Sam, Abby, Jorja and Eli, is now showing small signs of progress - and his family are determined to help him pull through.

Ms Simpson said: 'Lewis is now making small steady steps towards getting better, although he is still having to have quite a lot of medication and is still on a ventilator.

'He's able to move now and knows when we go into his room, although we can't have very much contact with him and need to wear PPE.

His temperature soared over 40C (104F) and the blotchy rash spread across his body and began to turn black. Doctors were initially baffled but a senior consultant eventually diagnosed the boy with the rare Kawasaki disease

His mother Gemma (pictured with Bertie and is older brother George, 14) believes his symptoms were a complication of the coronavirus. But Bertie (right) was not given a COVID-19 test, leaving both medics and his family in the dark about a possible link

'But he is showing some positive signs and he is definitely in the right place. He will get through this because he is a fighter.'

Gemma Brown, 38, told MailOnline that her son, Bertie, was admitted to Worcestershire Royal hospital last month on his second birthday, when his temperature soared over 40C (104F) and his blotchy rash began to turn black.

Doctors were initially baffled but a senior consultant eventually diagnosed the boy with the rare Kawasaki disease, a form of toxic shock syndrome which causes the body's immune system to attack its own organs.

But Bertie was not given a COVID-19 test, leaving both medics and his family in the dark about a possible link between Kawasaki disease and coronavirus.

'I don't know how the Government is going to prove there's a link if they're not testing patients,' the mother-of-two from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, said.

'I asked for him to be tested, as I had a gut feeling that there was a connection between covid and Kawasaki. Both attack your immune system and the whole family had been poorly with Covid symptoms before Bertie fell ill.

'I was adamant that there was a link and was begging for a test, but they just told me that there was no need to test the under-fives.'

The boy was given an immunoglobin transfusion and was in hospital for five days. 'It was horrific seeing him like that,' Mrs Brown said.

'He didn't have any respiratory problems but he was put in a ward on his own and he was easily the most poorly child in the hospital.

Melanie Cook, 38, of Gypsyville, Hull, believes her 21-month-old son George showed signs of the ailment in mid-March

George was diagnosed with conjunctivitis, cellulitis and scarlet fever during his five-week illness (in hospital, left), but having read about the new condition's associated symptoms, Mrs Cook is convinced her son had the mystery disease (right, his arm breaks out in a rash)

'His rash had started out being itchy, but it quickly put him in agony. His temperature was dangerously high and they were monitoring him round the clock.'

Bertie, who was born very prematurely weighing only 1.5lb, has always had a weak immune system, making him susceptible to viruses.

'Thank God he is OK now and has come home, though he's still on Aspirin to prevent his blood clotting,' his mother said.

'He's much better in himself. But the fact is that we just don't know what's been going on as he wasn't tested for coronavirus.'

Melanie Cook, 38, of Gypsyville, Hull, believes her 21-month-old son George showed signs of the ailment in mid-March.

George was diagnosed with conjunctivitis, cellulitis and scarlet fever during his five-week illness, but having read about the new condition's associated symptoms, Mrs Cook is convinced her son had the mystery disease.

She said: 'I'm not saying it's anyone's fault I just want to raise awareness about the symptoms and let people know that this is around because I 110% believe that George definitely had this.

'Now, seeing the cases of children having this and the symptoms they've had - they're giving this four week structure now saying about the red eyes, the sore throat, the rash and all these red patches and that's what he had.

'What I'm hearing them describe is exactly how it was happening.'

After an episode of 'violent vomiting', lethargy and redness around the eyes George was diagnosed on March 17 as having conjunctivitis by his GP and was given penicillin.

Parents Sabrina and Steve Legge, from Bath, Somerset, have been left petrified that sons Dylan (left), 16, and Colston (right), 14, have the inflammatory syndrome. The family claim their GP has refused to test the teens for coronavirus

Colstons tongue has developed blisters on either side after coming down with mysterious symptoms of the virus on Sunday

On Friday, March 20, Mrs Cook noticed red patches on her son's skin. She said: 'We were sat having tea, he had a jumper on and I took it off and he had these red patches on him just like the ones that we are now being told are symptoms but obviously at the time that wasn't linked to anything like that.

'All we knew as the symptoms of Covid were the cough and the temperature. So he had these red patches on the back of his legs and feet and hand and arms. My husband took him straight to the doctor's and came back with more antibiotics and said the doctor said he had cellulitis. We thought 'gosh he's just got over conjunctivitis and now this.'

By March 26, George had almost finished his course of antibiotics but was still ill. Mrs Cook said: 'He had developed a cough, the redness had turned into a rash and his breathing was bad.'

After another check-up George was diagnosed with scarlet fever. But things came to a head on the night of March 19.

Mrs Cook explained: 'He started vomiting, his temperature was really high, and his breathing was really bad. His rib cage was going in and out. He was asleep on me but he started convulsing and this really panicked me.

George was rushed in to hospital where medical staff stabilised his temperature before sending him home where he eventually recovered.

Mrs Cook said: 'We got put into a room and they gave him different shots to get his temperature down and checking his stats and everything like that.

'After four weeks I was at the end of my tether with it, pouring my heart out after all the things he'd been given and all these different shots.

'They told me they thought it was scarlet fever still because of his spots on his throat and the rashes. From the beginning of March it was maybe five weeks of him being ill until he finally got better.'

Although George has not been tested for Covid-19, Mrs Cook remains convinced that her son has suffered with the suspected coronavirus-related illness.

Sabrina and Steve Legge, from Bath, Somerset, have been left petrified for the health of sons Dylan, 16, and Colston, 14, who they believe have both shown symptoms of the inflammatory disease.

Mother Sabrina and stepdad Steve claim they initially raised concerns with their GP at Combe Down Surgery, last Friday after Dylan had been ill for 10 days, but were advised to call back on Monday if the symptoms persisted.

Chloe Knight, 22, from Edinburgh, said she and son Freddie were denied coronavirus tests despite the youngster showing signs of infection

Freddie's whole body became covered in scabs and rashes and scans revealed his heart valves were inflamed - all symptoms of the mysterious inflammatory disease linked to the virus

But following fresh warnings from Matt Hancock that the new strain could be fatal, Sabrina, 42, and Steve, 47, were left even more concerned when Colston, who has autism, fell ill with the same symptoms on Sunday.

And the pair were left furious after they claim they called their GP back on Monday with concerns about both sons to allegedly be told 'it doesn't matter what Matt Hancock says - we don't hand out tests willy-nilly'.

The terrified parents are now begging medics to test their sons before it is too late. Radiology assistant and mother-of-three Sabrina said: 'Dylan has been in so much pain he couldn't sleep, he's been in more pain than when he had appendicitis two years ago - I've never seen him like this.

'When you hear Matt Hancock saying about these new findings and you get straight onto the GP the next day only to be fobbed off, it's just really worrying.

'We called NHS 111 and they said they were 90 per cent sure it was this new inflammatory disease linked to Covid-19 as well, but the only thing they can do is refer us to our GP who would need to then refer the boys to be tested and treated.

'It really does scare you as a parent, you just worry what's going to happen to them.' The family have been self-isolating together at their home with Sabrina's three children, Chloe, 17, Dylan, and Colston and Steve's daughter, Jessica, nine, for the last six weeks.

After initially starting with vomiting and diarrhoea, Dylan's condition worsened to include constant stomach cramps and stabbing pains in chest that were so agonising he couldn't sleep or manage a meal.

Now Colston has started with the same sickness symptoms that his brother had, and the couple fear he will follow Dylan's pattern and develop agonising chest and stomach pains.

Property maintenance business owner, Steve, has branded the alleged decision by the GP to not test the boys for Covid-19 as 'disgusting' after already losing a loved-one to the pandemic.

He said: 'I'm absolutely furious and I think it's disgusting. I understand that the tests are very short but on one hand you have the Health Secretary telling people that children with these symptoms need to be referred as a matter of urgency, and then when we call the GP they refuse to see them or do anything.

'Dylan's had severe chest pains and stomach cramps, he's needed to go to the toilet every five minutes, he's been really ill.

'And now Colston is showing the same symptoms that Dylan had when this first started, he's got blisters on his tongue and bloodshot eyes and he's started vomiting.

'The GP basically told us that 'it doesn't matter what Matt Hancock says, we don't give tests out willy-nilly'.

'I've already lived through losing a loved one to Covid-19, we won't sit and watch it take one of our kids.'

A spokesperson for Combe Down Surgery said: 'While we are unable to comment on the healthcare of individual patients, we would like to reiterate the national guidance that any person with coronavirus-like symptoms should self-isolate for at least seven days, and to contact their GP should these symptoms persist for longer than a week.

'In most cases, children seem to be less susceptible to the effects of coronavirus than adults, however we would encourage any parent who has a child suffering from an urgent or pressing health concern, such as chest pain and a persistent high temperature, to seek help by calling NHS 111 or - in the most serious cases - 999.'

The UK's total number of coronavirus deaths and infections per day

The UK is still tracking on the same kind of course as outbreaks in France, Italy and Spain - although the figures are not exactly comparable

Chloe Knight, 22, has told of her terror when her two-year-old son, Freddie Merrylees, became ill just before the lockdown and was 'like a zombie' due to Kawasaki disease.

The youngster had a rash on his body, a high temperature, red eyes and struggled to eat and drink, after becoming ill on March 11.

Medics initially suspected it was scarlet fever, but it was eventually diagnosed as Kawasaki disease. Freddie was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, in Edinburgh, three times before doctors were satisfied his symptoms were consistent with the disease.

Mother-of-two Ms Knight took the sick child to a GP on March 12 when he had a rash, and was given penicillin and a diagnosis of suspected scarlet fever.

But he developed worrying symptoms such as puss around his mouth, and struggled to swallow, worrying part-time bank worker Chloe and partner Marcus Morwood, 23.

When Freddie went to stay with his dad, Robbie, 23, who is in the army - who also became alarmed at the symptoms which worsened.

On March 16 he was hospitalised and scans done by doctors in the hospital also revealed the valves leading to Freddie's heart had swollen up due to the inflammatory infection.

After five days, Freddie was allowed to leave hospital - but Chloe then developed what she feared to be coronavirus symptoms, including loss of taste and smell.

Ms Knight said: 'First of all a rash appeared on his chest and back, and the next day he was covered in a red rash. Doctors thought it was scarlet fever and I wasn't questioning that at all. He went to his dad that night and his dad said he really wasn't himself.

'On the Friday night his dad called me to say Freddie didn't want anyone looking at him or talking to him.The rash started to spread and looked like scabby sores.

'We took him to the Sick Kids Hospital and they thought it might be measles but he has had the MMR. On the Saturday his dad said he really wasn't with it, and on Sunday when he arrived home he didn't want to be touched or looked at or spoken to.

'I phoned NHS 24, and Freddie's nose started pouring blood. I was told to bring him to the Sick Kids Hospital, and we were told it could be a bad case of scarlet fever.

'I felt that something worse was wrong with him.'

Freddie was sent home with penicillin but refused to eat it when it was hidden in yoghurt.

On March 16, he appeared 'lifeless' and was lying on the couch staring into space. His worried mother took him back to the hospital, where the possibility of Kawasaki disease was mentioned.

Freddie was put in an isolated room as scarlet fever was still suspected amid fears of contagion. But he did not have peeling hands and feet, a common symptom.

On March 17, doctors detected a heart murmur - sparking renewed fears it could be Kawasaki diesease. The following day a heart scan was carried out, and on March 19 Freddie was moved onto a general ward.

On March 20, a heart scan was sent for analysis in Glasgow and revealed his heart valves were swollen.

The tot was given aspirin and omeprazole, which he was prescribed for six weeks, as well as penicillin for seven days. However there are no tests for Kawasaki disease and the diagnosis is based on symptoms.

Ms Knight said: 'If it's not treated properly and promptly it can cause heart disease. It is not contagious and when Freddie was ill we did separate them.

'They were treating him for Kawasaki but there are no tests. I wanted him to be tested for coronavirus, and I wanted to be tested for coronavirus, but they said they couldn't do that.

'I can't praise the NHS enough. Even now he's talking about wanting to go outside catching germs, so he can go to hospital.

'There needs to be more research into Kawasaki disease, it's extremely rare. He's on the mend now and back to his usual self.'

NHS doctors have been warned to look out for severe reactions in children - including symptoms like Freddie's.

An urgent alert issued by NHS England said there was a 'growing concern' a COVID-19-related inflammatory syndrome was emerging, a rare form of toxic shock which is said to be similar to Kawasaki disease.

Doctors were yesterday issued an alert about a sharp rise in the number of infants being admitted to intensive care across the UK with the 'inflammatory syndrome' over the past three weeks. Most of the children affected already have Kawasaki disease, NHS sources said.

Health chiefs today insisted they are 'unaware' of any deaths in British children from the inflammatory syndrome - despite Matt Hancock admitting that 'some' youngsters have mysteriously died with no underlying conditions.

Doctors were yesterday issued an alert about a sharp rise in the number of infants being admitted to intensive care across the UK with the Kawasaki-like disease.

Officials have refused to say how many British children have been affected by the illness but up to 20 have fallen critically unwell, according to reports. One child needed to be put on a form of life support after their heart and lungs began to fail. The majority of the patients are thought to be under the age of five.

The illness appears to be similar to Kawasaki disease - which causes blood vessels to become inflamed, and toxic shock syndrome - an overreaction by the immune system which causes the body to attack its own organs.

The Health Secretary was quizzed on LBC about the inflammatory syndrome and admitted he was 'very worried' by the mysterious complication. He was also asked about how many children had died from coronavirus.

Mr Hancock originally said all the deceased youngsters had 'significant underlying health conditions' but then backtracked immediately after host Nick Ferrari questioned him about the new inflammatory illness that had prompted the national alert. Mr Hancock then admitted 'some' children with no health woes had succumbed to COVID-19.

The Department of Health today insisted that Mr Hancock was not referring to children who have died from the inflammatory syndrome potentially linked to the disease - and was discussing COVID-19 deaths in general.

Officials have yet to offer any clarity on exactly what the symptoms are, despite pleas from paediatricians to paint a clearer picture so they can look out for them. Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome, combined, cause harmful internal swelling, fever and breathing problems - all hallmark signs of COVID-19.

Officials told the PA news agency fewer than 20 children in England have been admitted to hospital with the mysterious syndrome.

Doctors have compared it to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease which, combined, cause harmful internal swelling, fever and breathing problems - all signs of coronavirus.

But some of the children needing intensive care have tested negative for COVID-19, further complicating the diagnosis and raising questions that another pathogen could be behind the condition.

Officials have yet to offer any clarity on what the symptoms are, despite pleas from paediatricians to paint a clearer picture so they can look out for them.

It is not clear how many children have had the inflammatory syndrome, nor how many have died with it. It is also unclear how old the children have been.

However, most of the children affected by the inflammatory syndrome already have Kawasaki disease, an NHS source told The Guardian.

Kawasaki disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of the blood vessels and affects mostly children under five years old.

There are roughly eight cases for every 100,000 children in the UK and statistics show it is fatal in three per cent of cases that go untreated.

The new COVID-19-linked cases are occurring when someone with Kawasaki disease contracts the virus and it produces complications, the source told the newspaper.

Children are not thought to be badly affected by COVID-19 - very few youngsters have died around the world since the pandemic began in December.

Their apparent resilience to the disease has baffled doctors for weeks because they are often 'super-spreaders' of viral illnesses such as flu.

But children being seen with this syndrome often suffer from stomach pain, heart inflammation and 'gastrointestinal symptoms' - which could include vomiting and diarrhoea.

NHS medical director Professor Stephen today urged parents who are worried about a child who is sick and not recovering to seek medical help.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said yesterday is 'entirely plausible' this spike is linked to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Speaking at No 10's press briefing yesterday, he added: 'Because we know that in adults who of course have much more disease than children do, big problems are caused by an inflammatory process and this looks rather like an inflammatory process, a rather different one.

'Therefore, given that we have got a new presentation of this at a time with a new disease, the possibility - it is not a definite, we need to look for other causes as well - but the possibility that there is a link is certainly plausible.'
As a sign of respect for healthcare professionals, the Delhi Police on Wednesday undertook a parikarma' of the All-India Institute of Medical Science, officials said.

Police personnel from south Delhi rode 51 COVID patrol bikes on the occasion to thank the healthcare professionals for their selfless service.

"A parikrama of the AIIMS hospital was conducted as a mark of gratitude. This is in continuation to the ongoing visits to various hospitals and medical professionals by the staff of south district to thank them in this campaign to safeguard citizens of our country," said Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

Senior officers also met doctors, medical workers and the security staff at AIIMS, assuring of all help, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of drug manufacturer Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) were up by 10% at 2 p.m. Wednesday after the company announced it had signed an agreement with the Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine. The agreement includes joint investment in expanding the capacity of Catalent's Bloomington, Indiana manufacturing facility. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Catalent plans to hire 300 workers for the plant starting in July and be ready to support a 24/7 manufacturing schedule by January. The 875,000 square-foot Bloomington facility has expertise in drug substance development and manufacture, and the company said the scale-up would involve the use of high-speed machines for vial filling and carton loading.

Johnson & Johnson has said that its goal is to rapidly supply more than 1 billion doses of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine globally on a not-for-profit basis, but the company has yet to start human trials of its lead vaccine candidate. Phase 1 clinical studies are scheduled to start in September, but Johnson & Johnson said that it was planning to begin manufacture of the medicine "at risk" for emergency use, which should position it with a large supply pending the outcome of the studies.

Last week, Johnson & Johnson announced it had signed a manufacturing agreement with Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) worth $135 million for contract development and manufacturing services for the COVID-19 vaccine. Shares of Emergent were falling Wednesday on the Catalent news, but it's likely the two deals complement each other, with Emergent producing the drug substance itself in a facility that's partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services for that purpose.
The Worcester Walmart on Tobias Boland Way was shut down by the city and must be deep cleaned after 23 employees tested positive for coronavirus.

In a Facebook post Walmart said the store was being closed Thursday for a deep cleaning but did not mention the positive tests. The city issued a cease and desist order to the store and shut it down Wednesday evening.

In a statement released later Wednesday, the company said the store was closed Wednesday and for Thursday to allow extra time for a third-party specialist to further sanitize the store.

Today we had an issue with Walmart. It came to our attention that there was a cluster there, said Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., who noted that a total of 23 individuals of Walmart have tested positive, the majority of the group testing positive recently.

Two of the cases were identified in early April, city officials said.

The city health department conducted an inspection on April 28 that revealed staff and patrons did not have on proper personal protective equipment.

Given the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases traced to the premises, it is evident that community spread is occurring on the site, the city wrote in the cease and desist order.

The city said the location must be closed until it is cleaned, sanitized and inspected again.

Walmart said the closure will give associates additional time to restock shelves and prepare the store to once again serve the community during this unprecedented time.

The company was told that all coronavirus testing will be conducted at the direction of the city who will confirm the results and determine if an employee can return to work.

All patrons and employees must wear face masks and employees must also wear gloves, the city said.

By not complying with this order, you risk spreading the infection in the community, the city wrote in the order.

Dr. Michael Hirsh, the medical director of Worcesters public health department, said he thought shutting down Walmart was the safest option for the community.

I think were just trying not to be as reactive as we have been, trying to be proactive and I think thats why this shut-down was necessary, Hirsh said.

Hirsh added that the city will help organize testing for the Walmart employees.

Hirsh said the city will have a discussion regarding the citys other big box stores in the next few days.

The Worcester Walmart planned to reopen Friday, but the company said in a statement that, Were working with local officials to ensure we take all the necessary steps before reopening the store.

Other Walmarts in Massachusetts have been closed for deep cleanings.

Related Content:
Vice President Mike Pence, without a face mask, meets patient Dennis Nelson, right, who survived the coronavirus, during Mr Pences visit to the Mayo Clinic (Jim Mone/AP)

US vice president Mike Pence chose not to wear a face mask during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, an apparent violation of the world-renowned medical centres policy requiring them.

Video feeds show Mr Pence did not wear a mask when he met a Mayo employee who has recovered from Covid-19 and is now donating plasma, even though all other people in the room appeared to be wearing one.

He was also without a mask when he visited a lab where Mayo conducts coronavirus tests.

Mr Pence was the only participant not to wear a mask during a round-table discussion on Mayos coronavirus testing and research programmes. All other participants did, including Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn, Mayo officials, state governor Tim Walz and federal politician Jim Hagedorn.

Mayo tweeted that it had informed the vice president of its mask policy before his arrival, but the tweet was later removed.

Mayo officials did not directly respond to a request for comment on why it was removed, or at whose request. Mayo shared the masking policy with the VPs office, the health care system said in its response.

Mr Pence explained his decision by stressing he had been frequently tested for the virus.

Expand Close Vice President Mike Pence visits the molecular testing lab at Mayo Clinic (Jim Mone/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Vice President Mike Pence visits the molecular testing lab at Mayo Clinic (Jim Mone/AP)

As vice president of the United States Im tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus, Mr Pence said, adding that he is following Centres for Disease Control guidelines, which indicate that the mask is good for preventing the spread of the virus by those who have it.

And since I dont have the coronavirus, I thought itd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personnel, and look them in the eye and say Thank you.

Mr Pence is not the only White House official who has shown a reluctance for face masks.

When President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines recommending Americans wear face coverings in public, he immediately said he had no intention of following that advice himself, saying: Im choosing not to do it.

Expand Close President Donald Trump recently announced the recommendation from medical experts that people should wear face masks during the pandemic, then promptly said he would not follow that advice (Evan Vucci/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp President Donald Trump recently announced the recommendation from medical experts that people should wear face masks during the pandemic, then promptly said he would not follow that advice (Evan Vucci/AP)

Mr Pence also went without a mask a week earlier when he visited a GE Healthcare facility that makes ventilators.

Some at the event in Madison, Wisconsin, wore masks and others did not.

The White House said then that Mr Pence had tested negative for the coronavirus and suggested that under the guidelines developed by the coronavirus taskforce there was no need for him to wear a mask.
Police in Nakuru East have arrested the countys former deputy mayor, Joseph Munyiri, on allegations of assaulting his wife, Joyce Wangui.

The couple is said to have disagreed on Monday afternoon, April 27 after Munyiri, 36, allegedly went to his spouses electronics shop in Menengai Ward, Nakuru East and sold a 32-inch TV set to his friend at Sh2, 000 without his wifes knowledge or approval.

Ms Wangui, 36, is also said to have asked Munyiri why he hadnt registered the transaction in the sales record-keeping book.

Later in the evening, when the couple returned home, Munyiri allegedly pounced on Wangui with kicks and blows, causing her dental trauma and grievous bodily harm to the face and ears.

Wangui claimed her partner was angry because she challenged his authority as the head of the family in front of his friends.

He has anger problems. While beating me up yesterday (Monday, April 27), he threatened he would kill me. He even followed me to hospital as I went to seek treatment, said Wangui adding: He often brags that he is the man of the house, whose authority shouldnt be questioned by his wife. He often says he has a right to sell anything at my shop without seeking my consent.

Wangui told police that this wasnt the first time Munyiri had assaulted her. The two have been married for over 15 years, and have seven children together.

I urge the Government to ensure I get justice, cried Wangui.

Joseph Munyiri vied for Menengai Ward Jubilee Party ticket in the run-up to 2017 general election but lost. K24 report that since then, he has been selling second-hand clothes in Nakuru Town.
HADDAM  A driver involved in a fiery crash in Higganum Monday afternoon suffered minimal injuries, according to fire officials.

At 4:15 p.m., Haddam Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched to Killingworth Road for a report of a vehicle that hit a utility pole, causing the pole and some attached wires to snap.

The vehicle ignited and became engulfed in flames, officials said. The driver managed to self-extricate.

The driver was evaluated by medical personnel on scene but refused further medical treatment.

Once Eversource secured power in the area, firefighters extinguished the flames.

While crews worked to put out the fire, crews blocked off and rerouted traffic from Hidden Lake Road to Brault Hill Road. The road remained closed until crews restored power to the area.
Raymond Winston, of Chicago, was arrested 12:15 a.m. Tuesday in the first block of West 99th Street in the Fernwood neighborhood on the Far South Side, according to police and Cook County prosecutors. A Chicago police officer fired shots at Winston after he shouted obscenities at the officers, pulled out a gun and pointed it at them. He was not injured in the shooting.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 05:58:50|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- An explosive device tore through a vehicle in Syria's northern city of Afrin on Tuesday, after 40 died in the first explosion that rocked the city earlier in the day, a war monitor reported.

The second explosion occurred in the Mahmoudiyeh neighborhood in the city, leaving unknown losses, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier on Tuesday, 40 people, including 11 children and six pro-Turkey fighters, were killed when an explosive device ripped through an oil tanker in Afrin, according to the Observatory.

Turkey and allied Syrian rebels captured Afrin from the Kurdish-led militias in March of 2018.

Activists have, on more than one occasion, reported a state of rampant lawlessness in Turkey-controlled areas in northern Syria.

No party has claimed responsibility for the bombings yet. Enditem
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Three women ringleaders have been arrested after clashing with healthcare workers at a controversial anti-lockdown rally.

Lisa Marks Todd (55), Wendy Kath Macasieb (53) and Ashley Elaina Smith (33) were charged by cops with violating an executive order and resisting a public officer.

They arrests were made as hundreds of protesters attended the 'Reopen North Carolina' rally on Tuesday despite the group's leader testing positive for the coronavirus.

The group, which has been campaigning for government officials to reopen the state and relax coronavirus restrictions, were seen gathered outside the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh.

A fourth person, Jonathan Dane Warren II, was also arrested and accused of damaging a mechanical gate on state property.

A statement from Smith said the arrests were a 'bold move' and that ReOpen NC had worked peacefully with the Raleigh Police Department and Capitol Police prior to her arrest.

'Our protests will continue. Our civil disobedience will accelerate. Our faith in the police has diminished. We will open North Carolina.'

Lisa Todd, Ashley Smith, and Wendy Macasieb and were arrested by police at the rally. Smith's husband said he hoped his wife's arrest inspires people to step up and take that step into the unknown and be willing to stand up for your rights'

Lisa Todd (above) was arrested by officers wearing masks during the Reopen North Carolina rally on Tuesday

Authorities were seen arresting Wendy Macasieb during a Reopen NC rally in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday

Ashley Smith, an organizer of Reopen NC, is arrested outside the Executive Mansion

The three women (pictured above) were later released from jail before 6PM on Tuesday, local media reported

A police statement said: 'Officers asked members of the crowd of demonstrators to step away from the fence and sidewalk in order to provide a safe social distance for the officers' safety and the public and to protect the property from further damage.

Jonathan Dane Warren II (above) was arrested and accused of damaging a mechanical gate on state property

'Three persons who refused to comply were charged with resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer and violating an executive order.'

Smith's husband told local media WRAL News that his wife deliberately ignored police orders.

'She turned to me and said, 'Hey we're going to show what civil disobedience is all about,' Adam Smith said.

'I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to this movement. This could be that step like that shot heard round the world. This is going to be the step that's heard around North Carolina. I hope that it inspires people to step up and take that step into the unknown and be willing to stand up for your rights.'

The three women were released from jail before 6pm on Tuesday, according to WECTNews.

Smith herself called the arrests a 'shocker' and claims she suffered a wrist injury and that police 'took away' her glasses, abc11 reported.

She said: 'Not one Capitol Police Officer practiced social distancing during my entire ordeal. So much for following the law.'

The 'Reopen North Carolina' rally (pictured) went forward as planned on Tuesday despite the group's leader, Audrey Whitlock, testing positive for the coronavirus

Hundreds of protesters who have been campaigning for government officials to reopen the state and relax coronavirus restrictions were seen gathered outside the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh Tuesday afternoon

Counter-protesters also stood outside the North Carolina Legislative Building during the Reopen NC rally in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday

Many protesters at the rally waved American flags while others held signs that read: 'Set our people free.' Hardly any of were wearing masks or other protective gear as they clearly violated the social distancing order to remain six feet apart.

The demonstrators called on Gov Roy Cooper to ease the stay-at-home orders for the state where there are more than 9,100 confirmed cases and 306 deaths.

Across the street, frustrated healthcare workers wearing scrubs and masks held a counterprotest. Some carried signs reading 'Stay home for Me'. They were seen standing in a line that allowed them to comply with social distancing measures.

The ReOpen NC Twitter account has posted inflammatory suggestions that the healthcare workers were not staff at all.

The above Tweet was posted today (April 29) and said 'half of [the protester] do not even currently work in health care'

Another Tweet claimed that the nurses at the rally were 'big time political activitists'

Scroll down for video

People gathered near the North Carolina Legislative building in opposition to the current stay-at-home orders on Tuesday

Many waved American flags while others held signs that read: 'Set our people free'

Protestors gathered around the entrance of the North Carolina General Assembly building in the minutes before the House and the Senate were scheduled to begin their sessions on Tuesday

Protests led by a motorcycle participate in the rally

Some demonstrators called for the governor to ease restrictions so people can get 'back to work'

ReOpen NC, which was started by Audrey Whitlock, is promising to hold rallies in Raleigh every Tuesday until the governor's restrictions are lifted. His stay-at-home order has been extended until May 8.

Whitlock was unable to take part in the group's first two rallies in Raleigh because she was in quarantine. On Sunday, Whitlock took to social media to announce that it marked the last day of her quarantine and described herself as being 'asymptomatic'.

'I will take a stand every day until we are a free people again, to sound the alarm because someone has to do the right thing in the face of wrong,' Whitlock wrote.

In her post, she wrote about how the restrictions put in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic were violating her First Amendment rights as well as her 5th and 14th Amendment rights.

She said she was 'forced' to quarantine which violated her First Amendment rights.

'The reality is that modern society has not been able to eradicate contagious viruses. A typical public health quarantine would occur in a medical facility.

'I have been told not to participate in public or private accommodations as requested by the government, and therefore denied my 1st amendment right of freedom of religion,' Whitlock wrote.

She went on to say that: 'It has been insinuated by others that if I go out, I could be arrested for denying a quarantine order.'

Whitlock wrote that a 'typical public health quarantine would occur in a medical facility,'.

ReOpen NC, which was started by Audrey Whitlock, is promising to hold rallies in Raleigh every Tuesday until the governor's restrictions are lifted. His stay-at-home order has been extended until May 8

Around 1,000 people rallied in downtown Raleigh last Tuesday arguing the order violated their constitutional rights

Around 1,000 people rallied in downtown Raleigh arguing the order violated their constitutional rights.

Protesters across the country have flooded the streets to demand an end to their state's lockdown orders.

Alabama, Ohio, Missouri and Iowa are the latest states to commit to reopening their coronavirus-ravaged economies despite health experts warning that lifting restrictions too soon could result in a new surge of infections.

In total 14 states that are home to more than 95 million people have started reopening or announced plans to reopen.

Alabama will reopen on Thursday by allowing retail stores to commence business at a reduced 50 per cent capacity. Other business including theaters, night clubs, fitness centers, barber shops, hair and nail salons will remain closed.

Ohio will reopen from Friday with non-essential surgeries that don't require an overnight hospital stay. The state's manufacturing, distribution and construction sectors will start to reopen on May 4 and consumer retail and services will start up again on May 12.

Protesters across the country have flooded the streets to demand an end to their state's lockdown orders. A crowd of protestors gathered at Old Towne Orange in Orange County, California, on Monday to admonish the California's stay-at-home orders that were enforced because of the COVID-19 pandemic

Protesters wave flags outside of the Ohio State House in Columbus, Ohio, on April 18 to protest the stay home order that is in effect until May 1

All Missouri businesses and social events will be allowed to reopen from May 4 as long as residents and business owners continue to practice proper social distancing requirements.

In Iowa, restaurants can open at 50 per cent capacity but no more than six people at one table from May 1.

Malls, fitness centers, libraries and retail stores can also open at 50 per cent capacity. All other businesses remain closed through May 15.

Nine states currently have no stay-at-home orders for residents but some do have other social distancing restrictions.

Stay-at-home orders issued by governors across the US and subsequent decisions to slowly reopen state economies have turned into highly charged political issues in recent weeks as the shutdowns have hammered the nation's economy.

Minnesota, Mississippi, Colorado, Montana, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina - will, or have already, restarted their economies following weeks of mandatory lockdowns that have thrown millions of American workers out of their jobs.

Public health authorities have warned that increasing human interactions and economic activity may spark a new surge of infections just as social-distancing measures appear to be bringing coronavirus outbreaks under control.
Joe Biden won Ohio's presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus.

The primary was the first major test of statewide elections via mail amid an outbreak.

There were reports of confusion but no widespread disruption. It wasn't like Wisconsin earlier this month, when voters were forced to overlook social distancing guidelines to stand in line wearing masks to cast ballots.

"Within the context of the threat of the virus, it's a decision that we will have made the best of," Republican Ken Blackwell, a former Ohio elections chief who chairs the bipartisan International Foundation for Electoral Systems, said of mail-in balloting.

The only residents allowed to vote in person are those who are disabled, have no permanent residence, or who requested a ballot by mail but never received it. Ohio residents who qualify, fill out provisional ballot envelopes so they can cast their votes in person at the Franklin County Board of Elections headquarters

Ohio primary results Joe Biden 72.4%, 564,148 votes Bernie Sanders 1 16.5%, 128,652 votes Michael Bloomberg 0 3.4%, 26,349 votes Elizabeth Warren 0 3.4%, 26,341 votes Advertisement

Overall turnout was surprisingly strong, said Secretary of State Frank LaRose. While his office said about 1.5 million votes had been cast as of midday Saturday, down sharply from the 3.2 million cast in Ohio's 2016 presidential primary, he said some larger counties received tens of thousands of additional ballots Tuesday.

"It was better than OK. It was great," he said.

The primary, originally scheduled for March 17, was delayed just hours before polls were supposed to open. Citing a "health emergency," Republican Gov. Mike DeWine recommended that in-person balloting not be held until June 2. But amid legal challenges, officials moved balloting to this week while converting to a mail-in process since the state remains under a stay-at-home order.

Most Ohioans casting absentee ballots had to run at least three pieces of mail - an application, a blank ballot and a completed one - through the U.S. Postal Service. Only homeless and disabled people were initially encouraged to cast in-person ballots at county election board offices, though anyone not receiving ballots by mail in time to participate could also turn up in person.

Lynne Marshall, of Sylvania, opened her mailbox Tuesday and was disappointed to see that her ballot had not arrived. She then agonized over whether to cast a vote in person at the election board and put her health at risk or stay home and skip an election for the first time she can remember.

"What should I do?" she asked. "I'm just really disgusted with it all. Of course, I'll feel guilty if I don't vote."

LaRose said that after he raised concerns last week, the Postal Service relocated a sorting facility into Ohio, searched meticulously for all in-transit election mail and deployed top-level executives to sites to oversee the effort.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said it fielded calls and complaints. It called on Ohio to mail ballots directly to eligible voters in the future, as other states do, a proposal so far rejected by the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

With his last competitor, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, leaving the race weeks ago, Biden has emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and the Ohio results were never in doubt. Still, moving to a mail-in primary on the fly was watched around the country as states with upcoming elections grapple with how to fulfill one of the most basic functions of American democracy, voting, while battling the coronavirus's spread.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, center, overseeing the Election Night Reporting Center in Columbus, Ohio, watches early returns in the Ohio primary election from the Election Night

Some governors have suggested they would consider moving to an all-mail voting system for the November general election, something President Donald Trump has strongly opposed. Polling suggests that Democrats are now more in favor of their states conducting elections exclusively by mail than Republicans are - a partisan divide that has grown amid the coronavirus outbreak and may have been exacerbated by Trump's opposition.

Five states currently conduct all elections entirely by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah, but none had to adopt such practices amid a pandemic.

Maryland was also balancing balloting and voter safety on Tuesday for a special election to finish the term of the late Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings. Democrat Kweisi Mfume, a former NAACP leader, defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik, returning to the seat that he held before Cummings.

Most of the focus, though, was on Ohio, which also held congressional primaries. It's traditionally a battleground state that has shifted to more consistently Republican in recent cycles. Trump won it by a surprisingly high 8 percentage points in 2016, after Barack Obama, with Biden as his running mate, carried the state twice.

Jen Miller, the head of the League of Women Voters in Ohio, said it will be impossible to know how many people stayed home because they didn't get a ballot in time.

"We've had people waiting weeks and weeks," Miller said.

Meanwhile, Ohio's early voting began Feb. 19, meaning Sanders was in a position to still pick up some of its delegates -though he was held to just a handful in Ohio. The senator has reminded his supporters that his name will be on the ballot in all upcoming races and urged them to vote for him so he can amass delegates and better shape the Democratic Party platform at its national convention in Milwaukee in August.

But Sanders has endorsed Biden, and a group of his top advisers announced Tuesday that they were forming an outside political committee to promote the former vice president and progressive values. The efforts at unification of Democratic forces against Trump in November could defuse tensions heading into the party's convention.

Blackwell, the former Ohio election chief, said he didn't see Tuesday's results setting a precedent.

"My opinion going forward is that no serious thought should be given to converting to mail-in balloting for the November election," Blackwell said. "You lick an envelope and mail in a ballot, there's all kinds of evidence that would suggest that there would be ballots lost, and because you've taken out the bipartisan oversight at the basic community level, you lose a degree of almost guaranteed legitimacy."
In a case of alleged negligence, a Covid-19 patient at M R Bangur hospital, a designated Covid hospital in Kolkata, was told he had tested negative and discharged on April 26. Later that very night, the patient was told that there had been a mistake, that he had tested positive and readmitted to the hospital. He died on April 28 at the hospital.

The deceaseds son has alleged gross negligence, pointing out that after returning home and the assurance of having tested negative, his father had spent time with his granddaughters, one of whom is a seven-month-old baby.

Chief secretary Rajiva Sinha, director of health services Ajay Chakraborty and health secretary Vivek Kumar did not respond to questions sent by text messages and WhatsApp about the incident.

However, at the state secretariat, without mentioning Bangur hospital, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said on Wednesday that minor clerical mistakes do take place.

There could be some errors at the ground level. Those must be forgiven for the time being. This is not a deliberate mistake. This is a new task and a new initiative. Some minor mistakes may happen. She, however, did not mention the name of the hospital or patient.

...There can be a minor error in a notice, a printing mistake. Some are trying to malign the government with these. All that health workers need at this hour is some appreciation, she added.

The man was admitted to the hospital on April 22 as he was suffering from a dry cough.

On April 25, I received a call from the hospital at night, saying my father had tested negative and would be released. He was discharged on the morning of April 26 and the discharge certificate had Covid-19 negative written on it. However, that very night, hospital authorities telephoned me again, this time to say that there had been a mistake and he was actually positive. They asked me to take him back to the hospital, said the son of the deceased, a resident of Bechu Chatterjee Street in North Kolkata.

The man was readmitted to the hospital on April 27 and died on April 28.

Who is responsible for this mistake? They killed my father! Also, what if my children now test positive? My father spent time with them after coming back home. My mother is 63. They are all vulnerable, said the deceaseds son.

A senior doctor at the hospital said that the error was not due to defective kits, since those had been sent back. It could not be ascertained whether the hospital is using kits of Chinese origin.

It was a human error. The report came positive but got wrongly listed as negative, said the doctor, who did not want to be identified.

A senior health official, who did not want to be named, said that all members of the family would be tested for novel coronavirus infection.
India on Tuesday rejected its criticism by a US commission on religious freedom, terming its observations on the condition of minorities and religious freedom as "biased and tendentious".

In the 2020 edition of its annual report on International Religious Freedom, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) alleged that religious freedom in India witnessed a drastic downward turn.

It also alleged that the religious minorities were under increasing assault in India

"We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF annual report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

"It has not been able to carry its own commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly," he said, responding to a query on observations by the USCIRF.

The USCIRF asked the State Department to designate 14 nations, including India, as "countries of particular concern", alleging that religious minorities are under increasing assault in these nations.

These include nine countries that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2019 - Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - as well as five others - India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam, the USCIRF said.

In its report, the watchdog alleged that in 2019, the national government in India used its strengthened parliamentary majority to institute national-level policies violating religious freedom across the country, especially for Muslims.

"Most notably, it enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan already residing in India," it alleged.

Also read: Banks borrow only Rs 2,000 crore from RBI's Rs 50,000 crore liquidity facility for MFs on Day 1: Report
The notion that we are going to open up before the data and the science tell us that were ready is really foolish, and we would be putting lives at risk to do so, Lightfoot said. Im very mindful of whats happening in other states that havent taken the steps that we have taken here in Illinois. And what are we seeing? Were seeing a doubling of cases at an unbelievable rate, even six weeks into this crisis. So I feel very comfortable about the steps that have been taken here. As far as Chicago, were staying the course.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday mourned the demise of versatile actor Irrfan Khn and said that he will be long remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums.

The Prime Minister took to Twitter to express his profound grief over the sudden demise of the popular actor, who had been part of several notable films in Bollywood and Hollywood during his illustrious career.

Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace, the PM said in his tweet.

Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

Several top politicians, including Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, too condoled the death of actor Irrfan Khan.

"Irfan Khan was a versatile actor. Sorry to hear about his demise. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti," Javadekar tweeted.

"Deeply saddened to hear that after putting up a spirited fight against cancer, the young & versatile Irrfan Khan has passed away. After making his big screen debut in Salaam Bombay, the national award winner went on to regale his fans with several superlative performances. RIP," Puri tweeted.

53-year-old actor died at Mumbai`s Kokilaben Hospital today while battling a rare cancer.

He was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday for a colon infection. He was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018.

Expressing shock over the actor`s demise, Kejriwal said Khan was one of the most exceptional actors of our time.

"Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace," Kejriwal tweeted

"I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country`s most versatile actors, #IrrfanKhan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace," Ashok Gehlot tweeted.

Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Khan was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film and TV stage.

"I`m sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief," Gandhi tweeted.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said that the actor immortalized various roles in films and television serials with his passionate acting.

"Irrfan Khan was a talented actor who was sensitive to the concerns of society. Known for his versatility, Irrfan Khan immortalized various roles in films and television serials with his passionate acting. His demise is a loss to the world of Hindi Cinema," he tweeted.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also paid a heartfelt tribute to Irrfan Khan and said, "With the demise of actor Irrfan Khan, the Hindi film industry has lost a hardworking, versatile actor. Despite suffering from chronic cancer, Irfan accepted the fact positively and stood up enthusiastically while undergoing treatment," CMO Maharashtra tweeted.
G reece's tourism minister today told Britons he wants them to holiday in his country this summer as he declared they could be safer there than here.

Harry Theoharis said the countrys relative success controlling the impact of coronavirus made him confident it would be able to safely reopen its tourist market within weeks.

We do want people to come to Greece, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. You should feel safe, Greece is a safe country, and in many cases much safer Im sorry to say than your own country.

It is very likely that we will have some requirements before travelling. This will be done so that everyone has peace of mind  that they will not come in contact with, as much as humanly possible, other people infected withthe virus.

He was speaking ahead of a video summit of European Union tourism ministers today at which ways of reopening the continents holiday market were due to be discussed.

Mr Theoharis said Greece, which has recorded around 2,500 cases and 138 deaths, had shown leadership in dealing with Covid-19 and had a much, much flatter curve than any country in Europe, but added that reopening the tourism market was important for the whole continent.

The UK currently advises against all non-essential travel overseas.

Europe takes it's first steps out of Coronavirus lockdown 1 /25 Europe takes it's first steps out of Coronavirus lockdown People queue at a hardware store during a partial reopening after the Austrian government eased lockdown restrictions Reuters A worker checks the temperature of a customer at the entrance of a supermarket in Itay Reuters Customers hold flowers in front of a DIY store in Graz, Austria, after it re-opened on April 14, 2020, following a "shutdown" in a measure to limit the spread of the new coronavirus APA/AFP via Getty Images People wearing protective face masks and gloves walk in the streets as the Italian government allows the reopening of some shops while a nationwide lockdown continues following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Venice, Italy, Reuters People queue to enter a hardware store during a partial reopening after the Austrian government eased restrictions following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eisenstadt, Austria Reuters Camilla Cocchi wears a face mask and gloves as she sorts out clothing in her children's clothes shop after it was allowed to reopen following lockdown measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, in Rome AP A man wearing a face mask shops in a hardware store during a partial reopening after the Austrian government eased restrictions following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eisenstadt, Austria Reuters "Respect the 2 meters distance" banner is seen at a fish stand as the Italian government allows the reopening of some shops while a nationwide lockdown continues following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Venice, Italy, Reuters Customers wearing face masks push shopping carts in front of a DIY store in Vienna, Austria, after it re-opened on April 14, 2020, following a "shutdown" in a measure to limit the spread of the new coronavirus APA/AFP via Getty Images A worker checks the temperature of a customer at the entrance of a supermarket, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Turin, Italy Reuters Customers line up in front of a DIY store in Graz, Austria APA/AFP via Getty Images Gianfranco Mandas wears a face mask as he sorts out clothing in his children's clothes shop after it was allowed to opens following restriction measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, in Rome AP Customers wearing face masks push shopping carts in front of a DIY store in Vienna, Austria, after it re-opened on April 14, 2020, following a "shutdown" in a measure to limit the spread of the new coronavirus APA/AFP via Getty Images Customers queue at the Trastevere market, as new restrictions for open-air markets are implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Rome, Italy, Reuters Customers wearing face masks push shopping carts in front of a DIY store in Vienna, Austria, after it re-opened on April 14, 2020, following a "shutdown" in a measure to limit the spread of the new coronavirus APA/AFP via Getty Images A man wears a protective face mask and gloves at the newsstand as the Italian government allows the reopening of some shops while a nationwide lockdown continues following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Venice, Italy Reuters People wearing face masks work in a hardware store during a partial reopening after the Austrian government eased restrictions following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eisenstadt, Austria Reuters Customers queue at the Trastevere market, as new restrictions for open-air markets are implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Rome, Italy Reuters A general view of the parking area of a hardware store during the partial reopening of shops after the Austrian government loosens its lockdown restrictions during the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna Reuters

Meanwhile Polands prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced its hotels would begin reopening from next week, along with shopping centres. Its government is considering reopening pre-schools from next Wednesday. The country of 38 million has reported 12,415 cases and 606 deaths.

There was less encouraging news elsewhere in Europe. Germanys Ifo Institute, an economic advisory body, said that more than half of companies in the country believe they can survive for only six months or less. It described the figures as worrying and an indication of a wave of insolvencies to come.

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Italys credit rating was downgraded by Fitch to one notch above junk in the wake of the governments prediction of an eight per cent contraction in national GDP this year.

The negative forecasts follow a warning yesterday by Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that his nation is facing a recession of extraordinary scale because of the impact of the virus.
Mumbai, April 29 : Ace choreographer Ashley Lobo has urged dancers across the country to keep the passion alive during the coronavirus lockdown. He says it's important to acknowledge how dance can lift spirits during these tough times.

To mark International Dance Day, April 29, Lobo started a campaign through his Danceworx Academy with the message to 'Keep Dancing. Stay Positive'.

He said: "The world is dealing with something larger than life and it's important to acknowledge how dance can lift spirits during these tough times. The virtual space has served us well and is becoming more than just a solution to creatively connect with people across the globe." "I believe that despite celebrations for International Dance Day being confined to our homes, dance and video will combine to uplift humanity towards the hope that all will soon be well. The pandemic isn't an obstacle to celebrating this day," added Lobo, whose career spans 35 years of performing, choreographing, and teaching in India and overseas.

Given the nationwide lockdown, Lobo started TDX online in March to continue reaching out to his students across the country.

He believes dance is an important source of self-help and growth, and keeping his students positive right now is the key.

"Sometimes we need time to stop and re-evaluate all you are doing with an objective eye to re-prioritise your life. And despite things seeming like they're going downhill; we see the bright side to this, in that making the shift to the virtual world allows us to reach students from all over the country," he said.
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- District Cooling market worldwide is projected to grow by US$9 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 13.4%. Absorption Cooling, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 13.9%. 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$11.8 Billion by the year 2025, Absorption Cooling will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798395/?utm_source=PRN







- Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 14.4% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$354.8 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$431.5 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Absorption Cooling will reach a market size of US$837.4 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 13.2% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$1.6 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. 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,

ADC Energy Systems L.L.C.

Danfoss A/S - District Energy

DC Pro Engineering LLC

District Cooling Company

Emirates Central Cooling System Corporation (Empower)

Emirates District Cooling LLC (Emicool)

Fortum Corporation

Gas District Cooling (M) Sdn Bhd

Keppel DHCS Pte Ltd

Logstor A/S

Marafeq Qatar

Pal Technology

Qatar District Cooling Company (Qatar Cool)

Ramboll Group A/S

Shinryo Corporation

Siemens AG

SNC-Lavalin Group, Inc.

Stellar Energy

Tabreed, National Central Cooling Company PJSC

Veolia Environnement SA









Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798395/?utm_source=PRN



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW



District Energy: A Strategy to Address Climate Change

District Cooling Market: A Prelude

Absorption Cooling: A High Growth Segment

Commercial End-Use Segment Leads District Cooling Market

Global Competitor Market Shares

District Cooling Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide

(in %): 2019 & 2025





2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



Global Warming and Constantly Rising Temperatures Give Rise to

the Need for District Cooling Networks

Concerns over Global Warming Raise Significance of District

Cooling: Countries with Highest Ecological Footprint Per

Person (in gha/person)

Driven by Population Growth, Urbanization and Real-Estate and

Infrastructure Expansion, District Cooling Demand in Emerging

Economies Set for Rapid Growth

Global Population in Thousands by Region for the Years 1960,

1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040 and 2050

Global Urban Population in Thousands by Geographic Region for

the Years 2000, 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040 and 2050

Growing Urbanization Worldwide: Urban Population as a % of

Total Popular by Region

Infrastructure Spending and Projection Investment Requirements

in $ Trillion: Breakdown by Geographic Region for the Period

2000-2015 and 2017-2035

Rising Demand for Air Conditioning Shifts Focus onto District

Cooling Systems

Global Population Growth to Concentrate in Tropical Regions:

Projected Growth in Population (in Thousands) by Select

Countries for the Period 2019-2035

High Potential to Save Cooling Costs through Adoption of

District Cooling: Potential Savings in Energy Used and Cost

Using District Cooling for the Years 2020, 2025, 2030 and

2035

High Energy Efficiency Advantage of District Cooling Over

Conventional Cooling Augurs Well for the Market

Electricity Consumption in KW/TR for Various Cooling Technologies

Growing Demand for Sustainable and Energy Efficient Cooling

Technologies to Fuel Demand for District Cooling Systems

Rising Adoption of Sustainable Building Codes and Standards:

A Positive Growth Factor

Government Regulations and Policies Vital to Boost Potential of

District Cooling Market

Smart District Cooling Systems to Impact Development of Smart

Cities

Technology Advancements Translate into Significant Cost and

Operational Benefits for District Cooling Systems

Artificial Intelligence to Foster Growth of District Cooling

Market

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

District Cooling

District Cooling Technologies

Absorption-Based Cooling

Alternative Thermally Activated Cooling

Advantages and Disadvantages of District Cooling Systems





4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE



Table 1: District Cooling Global Market Estimates and Forecasts

in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 2: District Cooling Market Share Shift across Key

Geographies Worldwide: 2019 VS 2025

Table 3: Absorption Cooling (Production Technique) World Market

by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 4: Absorption Cooling (Production Technique) Market Share

Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 5: Other Production Techniques (Production Technique)

Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025

Table 6: Other Production Techniques (Production Technique)

Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2019 VS

2025

Table 7: Commercial (Application) Global Market Estimates &

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 8: Commercial (Application) Market Share Breakdown by

Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 9: Residential (Application) Demand Potential Worldwide

in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 10: Residential (Application) Share Breakdown Review by

Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 11: Institutional (Application) Worldwide Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 12: Institutional (Application) Distribution of Global

Sales by Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025





III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US District Cooling Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 13: United States District Cooling Market Estimates and

Projections in US$ Million by Production Technique: 2018 to

2025

Table 14: United States District Cooling Market Share Breakdown

by Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 15: United States District Cooling Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 16: District Cooling Market Share Breakdown in the United

States by Application: 2019 VS 2025

CANADA

Table 17: Canadian District Cooling Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Production Technique: 2018 to 2025

Table 18: District Cooling Market in Canada: Percentage Share

Breakdown of Sales by Production Technique for 2019 and 2025

Table 19: Canadian District Cooling Market Quantitative Demand

Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 20: Canadian District Cooling Market Share Analysis by

Application: 2019 VS 2025

JAPAN

District Cooling in Japan: An Overview

Market Analytics

Table 21: Japanese Market for District Cooling: Annual Sales

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Production

Technique for the Period 2018-2025

Table 22: Japanese District Cooling Market Share Analysis by

Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 23: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for District

Cooling in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 24: District Cooling Market Share Shift in Japan by

Application: 2019 VS 2025

CHINA

China Offers High Growth Potential for District Cooling Market

Market Analytics

Table 25: Chinese District Cooling Market Growth Prospects in

US$ Million by Production Technique for the Period 2018-2025

Table 26: Chinese District Cooling Market by Production

Technique: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2019 and 2025

Table 27: Chinese Demand for District Cooling in US$ Million by

Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 28: Chinese District Cooling Market Share Breakdown by

Application: 2019 VS 2025

EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European District Cooling Market: Competitor Market Share

Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025

European Market for District Cooling

Market Analytics

Table 29: European District Cooling Market Demand Scenario in

US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025

Table 30: European District Cooling Market Share Shift by

Region/Country: 2019 VS 2025

Table 31: European District Cooling Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Production Technique: 2018-2025

Table 32: European District Cooling Market Share Breakdown by

Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 33: European District Cooling Addressable Market

Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025

Table 34: European District Cooling Market Share Analysis by

Application: 2019 VS 2025

FRANCE

Table 35: District Cooling Market in France by Production

Technique: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 36: French District Cooling Market Share Analysis by

Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 37: District Cooling Quantitative Demand Analysis in

France in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025

Table 38: French District Cooling Market Share Analysis:

A 7-Year Perspective by Application for 2019 and 2025

GERMANY

Table 39: District Cooling Market in Germany: Recent Past,

Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Production

Technique for the Period 2018-2025

Table 40: German District Cooling Market Share Breakdown by

Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 41: District Cooling Market in Germany: Annual Sales

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 42: District Cooling Market Share Distribution in Germany

by Application: 2019 VS 2025

ITALY

Table 43: Italian District Cooling Market Growth Prospects in

US$ Million by Production Technique for the Period 2018-2025

Table 44: Italian District Cooling Market by Production

Technique: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2019 and 2025

Table 45: Italian Demand for District Cooling in US$ Million by

Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 46: Italian District Cooling Market Share Breakdown by

Application: 2019 VS 2025

UNITED KINGDOM

Table 47: United Kingdom Market for District Cooling: Annual

Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Production

Technique for the Period 2018-2025

Table 48: United Kingdom District Cooling Market Share Analysis

by Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 49: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

District Cooling in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 50: District Cooling Market Share Shift in the United

Kingdom by Application: 2019 VS 2025

REST OF EUROPE

Table 51: Rest of Europe District Cooling Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Production Technique: 2018-2025

Table 52: Rest of Europe District Cooling Market Share

Breakdown by Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 53: Rest of Europe District Cooling Addressable Market

Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025

Table 54: Rest of Europe District Cooling Market Share Analysis

by Application: 2019 VS 2025

ASIA-PACIFIC

India Begins to Implement District Cooling Initiatives

India: A Promising Market for District Cooling

Tremendous Potential in Store for District Cooling Systems

Market in India

Growing Demand for Air Conditioners in India Indicates Huge

Opportunity for District Cooling Market: Indian Air

Conditioner Sales in $ Billion for the Years 2017, 2019, 2021

and 2023

Singapore: Punggol Digital District to be Home to Singapore?s

First District Cooling System

Market Analytics

Table 55: District Cooling Market in Asia-Pacific by Production

Technique: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2018-2025

Table 56: Asia-Pacific District Cooling Market Share Analysis

by Production Technique: 2019 VS 2025

Table 57: District Cooling Quantitative Demand Analysis in

Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025

Table 58: Asia-Pacific District Cooling Market Share Analysis:

A 7-Year Perspective by Application for 2019 and 2025

REST OF WORLD

District Cooling Market in the Middle East Poised for Growth

SAUDI ARABIA

Strong Growth Ahead for District Cooling Market in Saudi Arabia

UAE

Growing Importance of District Cooling Systems for Industry

Operations in the UAE

Dubai to Regulate District Cooling Sector

QATAR

District Cooling Systems: A High Priority for Qatar

Qatar?s District Cooling Capacity in Million TR for the Years

2018, 2025 and 2030

District Cooling Projects Operational in Qatar: Installed

Cooling Capacity (TR) by District Cooling Project for 2016

Under-construction District Cooling Projects in Qatar: Expected

Cooling Capacity (TR) of Various Projects by 2022

Market Analytics

Table 59: Rest of World District Cooling Market Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Production Technique: 2018 to 2025

Table 60: District Cooling Market in Rest of World: Percentage

Share Breakdown of Sales by Production Technique for 2019 and

2025

Table 61: Rest of World District Cooling Market Quantitative

Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025

Table 62: Rest of World District Cooling Market Share Analysis

by Application: 2019 VS 2025





IV. COMPETITION



ADC ENERGY SYSTEMS L.L.C.

DC PRO ENGINEERING

DANFOSS A/S - DISTRICT ENERGY

DISTRICT COOLING COMPANY

EMIRATES CENTRAL COOLING SYSTEM CORPORATION (EMPOWER)

EMIRATES DISTRICT COOLING LLC (EMICOOL)

FORTUM CORPORATION

GAS DISTRICT COOLING (M) SDN BHD

KEPPEL DHCS PTE

LOGSTOR A/S

MARAFEQ QATAR

PAL TECHNOLOGY

QATAR DISTRICT COOLING COMPANY (QATAR COOL)

RAMBOLL GROUP A/S

SNC-LAVALIN GROUP

SHINRYO CORPORATION

SIEMENS AG

STELLAR ENERGY

TABREED, NATIONAL CENTRAL COOLING COMPANY PJSC

VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT SA

V. CURATED RESEARCH

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798395/?utm_source=PRN



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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has come under pressure from his cabinet ministers to begin lifting Covid-19 restrictions after the bank holiday weekend.

During a Cabinet meeting today several ministers insisted the Government should begin the process of easing restrictions to give the public hope after weeks of lockdown.

However, the Taoiseach and Health Minister Simon Harris did not give their colleagues any indication of their exit strategy ahead of the announcement due on Friday.

It was all very depressing and neither of them gave us much hope, one minister said.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe was among those saying the social distancing rules should be eased, especially for those over 70 who have been asked to cocoon.

A Government source said Mr Donohoe argued for some flexibility with the current measures, saying that ministers need to show the country some hope too - otherwise people will start losing faith.

He is also believed to have said a strong government is needed to make tough public health and economic decisions during the coronavirus emergency.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy were described by colleagues as being on the liberal side in relation to lifting restrictions.

Mr Creed argued that farmers can continue to be safe in carrying out their work as an essential service.

Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring insisted that businesses need to be given hope that they will soon be able to reopen. Mr Ring said a lot small businesses in rural Ireland will close permanently if they were not given a clear plan for how social distancing rules will be eased in the coming weeks.

Communications Minister Richard Bruton said the Covid crisis was now more than just a health issue and the economic side of the emergency also needed to be addressed.

Disability Minister Finian McGrath said a plan needed to be in place by Friday to give people an idea of the lockdown exit strategy.

Mr McGrath also said restrictions should be eased for older people and suggested some construction workers should be allowed to return to work.

However, Transport Minister Shane Ross strongly argued in favour of maintaining stringent public health restrictions. He is taking it very seriously, said a Cabinet source. Mr Ross appeared via videolink as he is cocooning at home.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan repeatedly urged caution at the Cabinet meeting and has told colleagues that if decisions were made today "there would be no lifting of any restrictions, according to a Cabinet source. Health Minister Simon Harris also argued a hardline on the restrictions.

Mr Varadkar did not offer his views but will to return to Cabinet on Friday with recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team on what approach to take after the current measures expire on May 5 and a plan on the phased lifting of the lockdown over several weeks and months.

Theres a very nuanced debate going on within the government - not just at Cabinet - as to how we approach the 5th, said a third Cabinet source after the meeting. The what, how and when, if it all.

Another minister said the Cabinet meeting set up as a debate so the Taoiseach wouldnt have to tells us what is really going to happen.

Harris was also not very forthcoming with information and I would not be expecting much change next week based that, the minister added.

There was also a debate on the public wearing face masks when leaving their home and ministers believed a decision may be announced shortly on the issue.
Hong Kong police recently arrested 15 pro-democracy advocates on charges for unlawful assembly. These activists were rounded up for participating in protests that took place between August and October last year.

The United States, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement, condemns the arrest of pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

Among those arrested was 81-year-old lawyer and Democratic Party founder Martin Lee. Fellow lawyer and former legislator Margaret Ng, media head Jimmy Lai, and former opposition legislators Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and Leung Kwok-hung were also rounded up, according to press reports. These arrests marked one of the biggest crackdowns on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong since the start of protests in June 2019.

The Hong Kong protests were triggered by plans to allow extradition of the citys citizens to mainland China. Critics feared such a move would risk exposing Hong Kong citizens to unfair trials and violent treatment. They also argued that the bill would give China greater influence over Hong Kong and that it could be used to target activists and journalists.

After weeks of protests by hundreds of thousands of people, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam said the bill would be suspended indefinitely. In September, the bill was withdrawn. But demonstrations continued along with demands including full democracy and an independent inquiry into police actions against the demonstrators.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr condemned the Chinese Communist Partys latest assault on the rule of law and the liberty of the people of Hong Kong. These arrests, he said, show how antithetical the values of the Chinese Communist Party are to those we share in Western liberal democracies. These actions -- along with its malign influence activity and industrial espionage here in the United States -- demonstrate once again that the Chinese Communist Party cannot be trusted."

Secretary of State Pompeo warned that Beijing and its representatives in Hong Kong continue to take actions inconsistent with commitments made under the Sino-British Joint Declaration that include transparency, the rule of law, and guarantees that Hong Kong will continue to enjoy a high degree of autonomy.
"Gone too soon" was the common feeling echoing across film industries, as actors, directors and co-stars mourned Irrfan Khan's untimely death from a rare form of cancer in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday.

Irrfan, one of India's finest and most versatile actors, was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018. He is survived by his wife Sutapa and his sons Babil and Ayaan.

Those who had worked with the actor, remembered his "warm smile" and "magical talent" in films as diverse as "Maqbool", "The Namesake", "Life of Pi", "Paan Singh Tomar", "Haasil" and others.

Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with Irrfan on Shoojit Sircar's 2015 film "Piku", said the of the actor's death was "most disturbing and sad".

"An incredible talent... a gracious colleague... a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema... left us too soon," he posted on Twitter.

Sircar was among the first to break the of Irrfan's death.

"My dear friend Irfaan, you fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again, he wrote.

Sharing a picture with Irrfan, Shah Rukh tweeted, "My friend...inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai...will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives... Love you."



Shah Rukh worked with Irrfan in "Billu".

Director Vishal Bhardwaj, who worked with the actor in three films including "Maqbool" and "Haider", said it felt like a part of him had died with Irrfan.

"I feared that he will be gone much before his time but didn't expect that it will be so devastating and ravaging to me personally. It feels as if I am torn into two parts. A part of me has died with him," Bhardwaj told PTI.

Both Salman and Aamir remembered Irrfan as a great actor who will live in people's hearts through his great body of work.

Hrithik Roshan said Irrfan was a "rare human" who showed what "being authentic truly meant.

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan said it was an absolute honour to have worked with him in "Angrezi Medium".

Irrfan's "Hindi Medium" co-star Saba Qamar said Irrfan's untimely death was "deeply disturbing".

Director Anurag Basu, who worked with Irrfan in their early TV days and collaborated on "Life... in a Metro", said they were to work together again on the film's sequel.

"I was hoping he will pull it off because I had pulled through it," Basu, a cancer survivor, told PTI.

"This is unfortunate. I have done some of my best work in television with Irrfan. People just know that we worked in Life In a Metro'. I couldn't meet him, I am feeling bad. It was a long battle and he fought it alone away from everyone," he said.

Dulquer Salmaan, who had made his Bollywood debut with "Karwaan" opposite Irrfan, remembered the actor's humility.

South superstar Mahesh Babu, who shared the screen space with Irrfan in his only Telugu film "Sainikudu", wrote, "Deeply saddened by the of #IrrfanKhan's untimely demise. A brilliant actor gone too soon."



Actor Mohanlal said he was saddened to hear about Irrfan's untimely death.

Music composer AR Rahman hailed Irrfan as "one of the greatest ambassadors of Indian cinema" and said the actor, who starred in "Slumdog Millionaire", has "gone too soon."



Veteran actor Dharmendra recalled his occasional meetings with "The Namesake" actor.

Director in charge of National School of Drama, Suresh Sharma, recalled how the actor went on to become a global star after graduating in 1987.

Director Mahesh Bhatt, who worked with Irrfan in "Rog", said they had met after his diagnosis.

"The warmth of your smile will forever linger my friend. Alvida dost," he wrote.

Priyanka Chopra, who worked with Irrfan in "Saat Khoon Maaf", said the actor paved the way forward for many like her.

"The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us."



Filmmaker Karan Johar said as an artiste, Irrfan raised the bar of Indian cinema and he will "terribly" miss him.

"Thank you for those indelible movie memories....thank you for raising the bar as an artist ...thank you for enriching our cinema," Johar tweeted.

Ajay Devgn, who shared the screen with Irrfan in 2008 ensemble comedy "Sunday", said Irrfan's untimely demise was heartbreaking and an irreparable loss to Indian cinema.

Nimrat Kaur, Irrfan's co-star in the internationally acclaimed "The Lunchbox", said she was "heartbroken".

Kamal Haasan said Irrfan's work left him in awe.

"Too soon to leave @irrfank Ji. Your work always left me in awe. You're one of the finest actors I know, I wish you stayed longer. You deserved more time.

Hollywood director Ava DuVernay said she was a "grateful fan of" Irrfan Khan.

"Gone too soon. When he is on screen, you can't take your eyes off of him. He lives on in his films," she tweeted.

Director Colin Trevorrow, who worked with Irrfan in Jurassic World", recalled his last conversation with the actor in an emotional tweet.

"A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember the wonderful aspects of our existence' in the darkest of days. Here he is, laughing, he wrote alongside Irrfan's picture from Angrezi Medium'.

British actor Riz Ahmed said Irrfan was an inspiration for artistes like him.

Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan. I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others, he wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It all started because a friend told me I have a flat butt.

The statement came in early-March before the advent of social distancing while we trekked through the Houston Arboretum. She said it like a person would say your shoes are green  no negativity attached, just the truth.

Flat is not a word in my bodys vocabulary; I have a muscular anatomy, and I refuse to let that go to waste because I have the privilege of a sit-down job.

A week after the arboretum incident, Harris County locked the city down to stop the spread of COVID-19. And I committed to do 4,550 squats in 30 days.

Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox

Its simple: On April 1, I did 50 squats while listening to my morning podcasts and tweeted a gif of Xena, Warrior Princess  the truest form of internet chest bumping. I planned to increase my squat sets by 10 each subsequent day, and rest on every seventh day.

Daily exercise challenges can be found in every crevice of the internet, and its easy to make them yourself or with a fitness trainer, like Shelby Saylor at the YMCA of Greater Houston. The key to starting your own challenge is to sign a contract between yourself and the last day.

Proper squat form It's important to not overdo any workout, but especially on a challenge that ends with 300 squats in one day. There are different forms of squats depending on what body part you want to target. Want tighter buns? Stand with legs slightly more than width-distance apart, and squeeze your glutes when you sit down into the squat and again, when you stand up. Want toned inner thighs? Do the squats with a narrower stance. Want muscular thighs in general? Do the standard squat with legs width-distance apart. Plus, when you're in the bottom of the squat, make sure your torso is not hunched out further than your knees. If your knees start hurting, take a rest. Source: Shelby Saylor, YMCA of Greater Houston See More Collapse

It doesnt have to be squats. You can craft a challenge with situps, pushups or jumping jacks  as long as you know your own abilities, have an attainable goal and know the proper form of each exercise. Try starting with a reasonable number. Like 20 or 50, and adding increments of five or 10 each day. The numbers at the end of the month should be challenging  but safe.

After completing my first round, I messaged Julie Takahashi, my friend and coworker who sits across from me when were not in a global pandemic. Shes the features digital manager at the Chronicle.

Me, Julie Garcia, at 11:04 a.m.: So I started a squat challenge. Already did 50 squats.

Julie Takahashi, at 11:05 a.m.: I want to do this.

The challenge is laid out on a calendar of April with squats allotted to each day. Once I sent it to her, she immediately looked at the last day  she wanted to know the total number of squats. It was like skipping to the last page of a book.

It was daunting, but also pretty exciting because during this whole quarantine time, I want to tackle new things, Takahashi said.

The Home Stretch: 5-minute workout with Chingo Bling

The Julies Workout Challenge was born.

Each work day in the month of April, we paused midday for a squat-break, set to a Julie-curated playlist workout/squatout on Spotify (or is it Squat-ify?). One day, she would choose a song, and the next I would pick one.

Some days were brutal, others were a breeze. But each day, we had each other to lean on through our perfectly-timed message bubbles of Go, Julie, go! and Ayeeeeeee after we had finished our session of sweating buckets.

Tackling 200-plus squats a day is not easy  period. But having her to do them with made it equal parts competition and companionship. It felt like we were working out together in the same room.

You and I were going to do this together and be able to hold each other accountable. Its what makes weekdays so much easier to accomplish, Takahashi said. What helps me get through the quarantine is staying on a bit of a schedule and having a purpose.

Shelby Saylor, association director of healthy living of YMCA of Greater Houston and a personal trainer, said exercise challenges are a good way to keep fit and part of a community while youre staying home.

Challenges typically starts on social media, like the #See20Do20 Instagram pushup challenge, or tagging friends in a workout selfie, which means its their turn to exercise, snap a picture and tag others, she said.

Its the social media fitness communitys way of saying Did you work out today?

One of my friends started tagging a group of four girls every day in her workout posts, and I started getting serious FOMO (fear of missing out), she said. It was their reminder to post their progress for the day, and they made it fun. Make a buddy, and do something you enjoy.

The team at the YMCA want people to take care of themselves during this time. The trainers conduct daily livestreamed workout classes on the Ys YouTube channel, where a whole universe of virtual content exists to help people to work out from home, Saylor added.

Quarantine Workouts: Stay at home, do these stretches.

The squat challenge was nearly finished by the time I interviewed Saylor on April 22; we were already up to 230 squats. I mentioned that my thighs felt like they were ready to hulk out of my jeans, but I didnt notice any other changes.

Its common for people to feel like theyre not seeing progress, Saylor said, because we have specific expectations of what we want to see. But accomplishment cannot be based only on the mirror.

Progress can be measured by how we feel in our clothes or how much faster we are able to run. If anything, the challenge is a guaranteed break in the middle of a stressful day to do squats, listen to music and sweat through a T-shirt with a good friend over the internet.

I can almost guarantee that if you took measurements at the beginning and did then now, you would see some changes, Saylor said. We see ourselves in the mirror every day, and were our biggest critic. Even though its a small daily challenge, theres going to be some change there over 30 days.

As our first fitness challenge winds down, I asked Takahashi what progress she has made. Her butt is more toned and shes able to do more squats without stopping for a break, she said.

Sweatin to the Livestream: Houston gyms, studios turn to digital exercise offerings

She has combined the squat challenge with a 30-day yoga challenge and plans to run a 5K in her neighborhood before the month is over. The squats have made her cross-training efforts easier, and shes ready to keep the momentum.

Were already figuring out our May fitness challenge, which will likely combine at least 150 squats per day with an abdominal exercise, like situps or crunches.

Plans are already underway to reopen parts of the Texas economy, including gyms by mid-May. But I have a feeling she and I will have reasons to start a new fitness challenge every month for the foreseeable future.

On a deeper level, were able to just make our friendship even greater through it because were getting to know each other, Takahashi told me. That helps with not having human interaction throughout all this. We would be doing the same thing in the newsroom.

Its free, its fun and were better friends now than we were at the start.

julie.garcia@chron.com

Twitter.com/reporterjulie
Blackadder star Tony Robinson has complained that older people have been incarcerated and forgotten during the coronavirus pandemic.

The actor and presenter, 73, said the Captain Tom Moores of this country are getting the worst deal.

He is supporting Age UKs Emergency Coronavirus Appeal, to raise 10m (11.4m) to help the charity meet demand for its services.

Robinson said the situation in care homes was absolutely shocking and that if there was a similar death rate in any any other part of the population this would be a huge national scandal.

Our Advice Line has seen a huge increase in calls amidst the pandemic, peaking at an 88% increase in demand.



We're aiming to raise 10 million so we can continue to provide vital information, advice and services for older during this difficult time: https://t.co/jY8LCU9thW  pic.twitter.com/9co3PAxXUF  Age UK (@age_uk) April 23, 2020

The star, known for his role as hapless Baldrick in Blackadder, told the PA news agency: I got a bit cross last week that everybody was getting so emotional and excited about Captain Tom Moore and yet ignoring the fact that its the Captain Tom Moores of this country who are getting the worst deal because of coronavirus.

The older people were the first people who were told they had to stay indoors, many of them are incredibly isolated and lonely.

A lot of them arent online and wouldnt know what to do with being online if they were, and are stuck at home, often without any support at all, he said. Its like weve forgotten all about them.

Sir Tony Robinson (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The former Time Team presenter said: Id like to see the same kind of focus that there is on children on older people.

He called for donations to Age UKs appeal, to help fund its helpline and friendship calls as well as helping its local network on the ground delivering frontline services such as food packages and prescriptions.

The star said: We talk about the Second World War. The Second World War veterans who are still alive, who prevented the Germans from invading Britain, are the ones who are now being incarcerated and theyre the ones who spent 60 years of their tax money paying for the NHS and theyre completely ignored.

Older people have been treated like third-class citizens by the Government, he said.

Coronavirus has really brought out the disparity that there is between the elderly and the rest of society. Its the kind of blindness that people used to have about women and womens pay, about slavery, about child labour.
A recent Israeli study points toward Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) as a potentially effective tool for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on-the-spot detection by using swabs or saliva  addressing the community need for simple surveillance. The research titled 'SARS-CoV-2 On-the-Spot Virus Detection Directly From Patients' is published on the preprint server medRxiv.

Since emerging in China in December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has progressed to a pandemic very swiftly. The virus is transmitted via direct or indirect contact, droplet spray in short-range, and airborne (aerosol) in the long-range. Due to such ease of spread, many countries worldwide are currently in a lockdown state.

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (blue) infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

Human to human transmission mainly occurs via saliva droplets; consequently, a higher viral load is found in the saliva when compared with standard swabs. This is why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved saliva as a possible sample for COVID-19 testing.

"We believe that a simple and easy detection method, preferably one that can be performed and interpreted on-the-spot, could relieve some of the current limitations and help execute an efficient and safe exit strategy from lockdowns", say the authors of this new study from Israel and Canada.

The limitations of current diagnostic approaches

Detection of viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in patients is a current gold standard to detect SARS-CoV-2, which is mostly performed at hospitals and public health institutes by professionals. Unlike antibody detection procedures, identifying viral RNA represents a direct measure to precisely appraise whether the person is contagious.

But amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is evident that the availability and performance yield of standard methods is limited both by accessibility and required resources. Furthermore, these methods necessitate RNA purification, followed by reverse transcription and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), which is both resource and time-consuming.

However, some alternative molecular methods can bridge these limitations. One of them is colorimetric Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) that allows a one-step reverse transcription, enables visualization by color change, and eliminates the need for sophisticated laboratory equipment.

This is why the researchers from the Rambam Health Care Campus (RHCC) were interested in interrogating the potential of RT-LAMP as a direct method to detect viral presence in suspected COVID-19 patients. Previous research has shown that RT-LAMP assays do not show cross-reactivity to other coronaviruses.

Rapid and straightforward way to detect RNA

This research has demonstrated that RT-LAMP is a rapid and straightforward method to detect purified RNA of SARS-CoV-2. By studying samples from COVID-19 positive and negative patients, the scientists adjusted RT-LAMP for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid directly from human patient swabs  without the need for additional RNA purification steps.

Applying the RT-LAMP protocol on saliva samples. RT-LAMP tests on saliva from 4 volunteers. Each tube represents one tested volunteer. Results of t=0 and t=35 are shown. Upper panel, RT-LAMP reaction using POP7 primers as a positive control. Middle panel, RT-LAMP reaction with no primers control. Lower panel, RT-LAMP reaction using SARSCoV-2 gene N primers. The same samples were analyzed by the conventional hospital RT-qPCR protocol. The RT-qPCR results and Ct values are shown under the relevant samples. b, Graphical illustration of the potential of RT-LAMP protocol to perform self-saliva testing.

For comparison purposes, the experiments were performed simultaneously with the standard RT-qPCR method at the RHCC hospital. Afterward, RT-qPCR cycle threshold values were compared to the RT-LAMP results of more than 180 different patients.

After calibration, it was shown that this type of direct RT-LAMP method usage could successfully detect patients with medium or high viral loads, with very few false-positive results. Moreover, the lack of RNA purification step is a significant move towards scaling-up, as only a constant heat source is needed (such as the thermal mug).

Self-collected saliva samples are also shown to be a valid specimen for this technique. The patients harboring SARS-CoV-2 were also positive in both RT-qPCR and RT-LAMP from saliva, while the suspected negative subject was confirmed negative by using saliva specimen.

Finally, the researchers have tested samples from patients infected with viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 (such as influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, herpes simplex virus, and enterovirus). It was shown that all RT-LAMP reactions in those patients were negative.

A real-world application

"Upon such further development, such SARS-CoV-2 detection method can be applied as a surveillance tool for sampling larger populations of the community", study authors highlight the importance of their findings. And indeed, its potential availability and low cost enable continuous monitoring of suspected individuals.

"With further development, this method can be applied to medical clinics, points of entry, nursing homes, workplaces, etc.", state the authors of the study. "Importantly, this method can be easily adjusted to other emerging pathogens as well", they conclude.

Their protocol takes about one hour from sampling to final detection, with the use of very few reagents; also, the procedure can potentially be self-performed or carried out by non-professionals. Such hallmarks may allow its swift implementation worldwide (including in rural regions) after additional studies confirm its potential.

Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  The Supreme Court released on Wednesday the much-awaited results of the 2019 Bar Examination, with a University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi graduate as the topnotcher.

Mae Diane Azores, a certified public accountant, got the highest overall rating of 91.049 percent. The top five passers were all women, according to a list released by the top court around noon.

READ: 2019 Bar topnotcher vows to help the 'vulnerable' as a new lawyer

Here is the full list of passers:

Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, the exams chairperson, said that 2,103 out of 7,685 examinees who took the 2019 Bar exams passed.

This translates to a passing rate of 27.36 percent, higher than last years 22.07 percent.

Perlas-Bernabe said in her message that the Supreme Court en banc lowered the passing mark from 75 percent to 74 percent.

In 2018 Bar exams, the passing rate was just 22.07 percent.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta told the Bar passers have earned the triumph of this moment of knowing that they can join the roll of attorneys despite unfamiliar and trying times, alluding to the six-week quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The release of the Bar results has become a major event for aspiring lawyers and their families and friends, as they gather outside the Supreme Courts headquarters in Manila to see their names printed on the published list of passers  or recently, flashed on LED screens set up on a makeshift stage for the day of reckoning. This year, results were released on the courts website because of the ban on mass gathering.

Hurdling the Bar has set the stage for all of you to accomplish exceptional things; it is my hope that years from now, after you have made your mark as lawyers, you will look back on this day not only with gratitude, but also with a renewed sense of commitment towards upholding truth, fairness, and justice within the legal profession, Peralta said in a statement. May you all always give your best to your country, to your fellow Filipinos, and to God.

For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr., also a lawyer, encouraged the Bar passers to consider joining government. This would be a great opportunity to give back to the community for earning the privilege to practice law in the country, he said.

There will be no Bar examinations for 2020, with the SC deciding to postpone the four-week exams usually held in November at the University of Santo Tomas campus in Manila due to the coronavirus crisis. The tests will push through sometime in 2021, with another testing center to be set up in Cebu City.
Ford Cancels Autonomous Vehicle Programs Until 2022; Lincoln Electric Vehicle Program Is Also Postponed! (Photo : James Lee on Unsplash) Ford Cancels Autonomous Vehicle Programs Until 2022; Lincoln Electric Vehicle Program Is Also Postponed!

Ford's Autonomous Vehicle Program will be postponed until 2022, including the company's Lincoln Electric Vehicle program with Rivian.

According to Techcrunch's latest report, Ford announced on Tuesday, April 28, that the company will be delaying its plans to launch an autonomous vehicle service since the company has to rethink its go-to-market strategy because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ford included the announcement in its quarterly earnings which was released on April 28 after the market closed.

According to the report, Ford is unlike other car companies that launched autonomous vehicle pilots in the United States. The two parallel tracks the automaker has been pursuing for years were supposed to be combined before the planned commercial launch which should be in 2021.

It was also stated that the company is honing in on what its autonomous-vehicle or AV business model might look like by conducting different tests while also focusing on the development of its autonomous vehicle technology.

In 2017, Ford invested $1 billion in a Pittsburgh-based company called Argo AI. They have been responsible for developing Ford's self-driving vehicle system, including the virtual driver system and high-definition maps specifically designed for Ford.

Ford cancels Autonomous Vehicle programs until 2022; Lincoln Electric Vehicle program is also postponed!

Ford announced on Tuesday, April 28, that the company needs to study the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer behavior.

The automaker has been conducting tests with its partners like Domino's, Postmates, Walmart, and some local businesses to improve its go-to-market strategy through pilot programs.

According to the report, consumer behavior was already affected by the pandemic caused by COVID-19. This was shown when Ford was forced to make online sales in China.

Jim Hacket, CEO of Ford, said that a third of sales in China are currently online. With the company's experience, Ford already anticipated that there will be a change of demand for its certain products.

With the autonomous vehicle service delay, Ford also cancelled its Lincoln Motor program; the luxury brand under Ford.

According to Techcrunch's other report, the automaker has shelved plans to develop an all-new electric vehicle based on Rivian's skateboard platform.

Ford and Rivian clarified that the postponement was a mutual decision to cope with the current status of the environment. However, the companies are still planning to co-develop an electric vehicle in the future.

Ford previously announced that Rivian and Lincoln's co-developed vehicle project will produce an all-electric vehicle that would likely be an SUV. Rivian's flexible skateboard platform would be used to build Lincoln's battery electric vehicle as stated by the companies several months ago.

"As we moved through the development cycle, and given the current environment, we determined that it would be better to focus our development efforts on Lincoln's own fully electric vehicle," said Ford.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Great Britain has not used coal for generating power for the longest uninterrupted period since the Wests Industrial Revolution.Yesterday morning, it broke the current record of not using coal for 18 days straight; no coal-fired power plants had any contribution to U.K.s electricity grid during this time. (Photo : Pixabay)

Great Britain has not used coal to generate power for the longest uninterrupted period since the West's Industrial Revolution. Yesterday morning, it broke the current record of not using coal for 18 days straight; no coal-fired power plants had any contribution to U.K.'s electricity grid during this time.

According to the National Grid, the energy system of Britain has not utilized coal for over 438 hours, which is the longest on record since 1882. It was also the U.K. that set the previous record, which it has currently broken. Its previous record was made on June 4, 2019.

The new record was made possible partially due to the sharp decrease in the demand for power during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Part of the achievement was also due to the more significant contribution of solar power sources.

Currently, coal is providing 0% of the power being used by Britain. This run has so far lasted for 18 days and 16 hours as of April 28, 2020, at 4:30 PM. Drax Electric Insights provide the data.

The U.K. has also set a new record for solar power last April 20, 2020, after its solar farms produced over 9.6 gigawatts for the very first time. The U.K. has been stepping up efforts to rapidly phase out coal, according to data from Drax Electric Insights.

A decrease in power demand

The lockdown also caused the demand for electricity in the U.K. to plummet drastically. The closing of shops, schools, restaurants, and factories caused this decrease.

Last Monday, according to data, the demand for power was forecast to decrease to almost one fifth lower than the usual demand level for April. The low overall demand means that energy from low-carbon sources has unusually been able to provide a more significant proportion of the energy supply.

The National Grid stated that it might have to turn off some power plants and wind farms this month to prevent the electricity grid from overloading.

This month's new record came after almost three years since the grid ran without using coal for the first time, for 24 hours. Ever since that time, the U.K. has shut down almost all of its coal plants, retaining only four. It is in preparation for the total government ban against coal in 2025.

Only 2.1% of the U.K.'s total power last year was derived from coal-fired power plants. It was a drastic decrease from almost 25% only four years before. Less dependence on coal and more use of renewable energy has contributed to the significant reduction of carbon emissions in the country's power sector.

The grid's average carbon intensity, or the emissions required for producing energy equivalent to a one-kilowatt hour, has gone down since 2012 by over 66%, decreasing CO2 from 507g to 161g. According to Drax Electric Insights data, the National Grid is becoming cleaner with each passing year.

The number of U.K.'s coal power plants is ever decreasing. The only remaining plants that are still operating include Nottinghamshire's Ratcliffe-on-Soar and West Burton A power stations, Northern Ireland's Kilroot facility, and Yorkshire's Drax site with two power generation units. The latter is being prepared to be converted into gas facilities.
Buymie uses an app to connect customers with hundreds of independent personal shoppers who can pick up and deliver goods directly from grocery shops. Stock image

BUYMIE, an Irish grocery delivery startup, has raised 2.2m in funding and signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Lidl Ireland.

The company, which was set up three years ago, uses an app to connect customers with hundreds of independent personal shoppers who can pick up and deliver goods directly from grocery shops.

The latest investment in the business comes at a time when increasing numbers of people are shopping online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the use of artificial intelligence technology, people who have downloaded the app can access multiple stores and receive short-notice delivery to their chosen destination in as little as an hour.

The business has already been partnering with Lidl since last year and it also works with Tesco.

Devan Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Buymie, said he was "thrilled" with the latest funding round and deal with Lidl.

"The timing couldn't be better given the current challenges faced by consumers in Ireland and worldwide with Covid-19," Mr Hughes said.

"I feel that it is down to emerging indigenous businesses like ours to play a key role in shaping the Irish economy to prepare it for the way the world will work and how people will shop post Covid," he added.

Buymie currently operates in Dublin as well as Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip, Bray and Greystones.

It charges customers a fee of between 13.75pc and 15.75pc, depending on the retailer a person is shopping with. A 3 supplement is also applied to all orders under 40.

Alan Stewart, head of ecommerce at Lidl Ireland, said the supermarket chain has seen the number of active customers using the Buymie service growing by as much as 39pc month on month.

Buymie's business model does not require vans and warehouses to increase its capacity, helping it to quickly increase in scale.

In recent weeks the company said it has seen a 300pc surge in downloads and many of its delivery slots are being booked six to seven days in advance as people have limited their movements due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company is increasing the number of delivery slots available due to the demand.

Buymie first received investment from Enterprise Ireland in 2016. Since then the company has gone on to raise more than 5m from investors.

This latest funding round was led by Act Venture Capital, with participation from Sure Valley Ventures and support from long-term existing investor, Haatch Ventures. Other participants include Buymie chairman Eamonn Quinn, BVP Investments, Enterprise Ireland and a collection of strategic angel investors through HBAN's Bloom Syndicate.
These funds will be redistributed to regions in a few days

Ministry of Health of Ukraine will allocate 89.3 million dollars for the co-financing of medical institutions in the regions. Healthcare Minister Maksym Stepanov told this during a briefing.

According to him, these funds will be redistributed to regions today-tomorrow.

"In order to resolve the situation of critical underfunding of medical institutions, which has been keenly felt since April 1, the Ministry of Health together with the Ministry of Finance worked on the issue of receiving the funds of the subsidy, provided for the regions for October-December, in the amount of 89.3 million dollars. These funds will be redistributed to the regions today-tomorrow," he said.

As we reported earlier, as of April 29, there are 9,866 cases of COVID-19 infection in Ukraine.

Overall, 1,103 patients have recovered, 250 lethal cases have been registered.

Most of the cases are observed in: Chernivtsi region  1,489 cases, Kyiv  1,341 cases, Ivano-Frankivsk region  821 cases and Ternopil region - 708 cases.
WASHINGTON  In April, the federal government sent $260 million to support Connecticut hospitals battered by coronavirus, and more federal dollars are expected to flow to hospitals in virus hot spots this week.

Armed with $175 billion to aid hospitals and health centers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has quickly distributed at least $50 billion of the funds in a process that hospitals and lawmakers have criticized as confusing and opaque.

Unable to get answers about whos getting the money and how its being distributed, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, who oversees the Departments budget, said Monday shes likely to call oversight hearings to question HHS officials about it.

Plunged in the red by coronavirus, hospitals in Connecticut said they are waiting for more federal aid to arrive, uncertain when it will come or how much. And even before the money heads out the door, hospitals said they think it wont be enough.

So far the help from the federal government has been very inadequate, said Kathleen Silard, CEO of Stamford Health, in an interview. We will weather the storm, but we need to get relief.

Stamford Health  which operates Stamford hospital and doctors offices  furloughed 375 employees on Tuesday, after forecasting $27 million in revenue losses for the month of April, following $10 million in revenue losses in March, Silard said. Meanwhile, the not-for-profit health organization saw operations costs increase by $11 million in March.

Day Kimball Healthcare in Putnam, Conn. was also forced to furlough employees in April.

I have hospitals telling me they are in serious danger of going bankrupt, DeLauro said.

Connecticut hospitals have predicted they will spend $250 million collectively in preparing for the coronavirus surge and caring for patients during the surge, said Mark Schaefer, vice president of System Innovation and Financing for the Connecticut Hospital Association, based on hospital reports to the association. Theyve had to buy expensive personal protective equipment, expand their hospital capacity, shift staffing and provide acute care to patients, driving up costs.

Meanwhile, elective procedures and office visits have been canceled, while emergency department visits are down. As a result, hospitals and health systems in Connecticut are projected to lose $1.5 billion this fiscal year alone, Schaefer said.

Thats a little more than 10 percent of their net patient revenue, Schaefer said. Its a big hit to their margins. These are major losses at the same time theyre incurring this sudden expense profile.

Recognizing the problem, Congress approved $100 billion in hospital relief in the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill signed into law March 27. That $100 billion is not yet fully spent, but Congress already followed up with another $75 billion in hospital aid last week.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was given broad leeway over how to distribute the money and for a government bureaucracy, it moved relatively quickly to hand out about $50 billion to hospitals and health centers in the month of April, Schaefer said.

For words have informed us here: fast, fair, simple and transparent, said Deputy HHS Secretary Eric Hargan in an interview Monday. A bunch of life lines have been given to the industry so far.

In the month of April, HHS paid a total $458 million to Connecticut hospital and health centers, Hargan said. Of those funds, $260 million went just to hospitals, according to the Connecticut Hospital Association. The most recent payments were paid to hospitals and health centers on Friday.

More than 4,254 Connecticut health providers have received HHS coronavirus-related payments so far, data from HHS shows.

These first payments were not based on hospitals coronavirus-related needs, however. HHS paid out the money to hospitals based on their share of total Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements in 2019  in other words, how much the government paid the hospitals for care of seniors on Medicare insurance. In this formula, childrens hospitals and health centers that dont care for seniors got nothing.

For a second round of payments, HHS revised the formula to account for this issue and adjusted the level of funding hospitals and health providers received.

Stamford Health received a $9.4 million in the first payment round and $4.3 million in the second, totaling $13.7 million to date, said Michael Veillette, chief financial officer of Stamford Health. Thats just over one-third of the health organizations lost revenue from April and March.

Throughout this process, hospitals and health centers have not known what formula would be used or how much money would be arriving in their accounts until the money came in.

They didnt reveal the detail of the formula until the money was out the door, said Schaefer of HHS. I remain concerned very much that speed may be at the expense of fairness.

For the new pot of $10 billion for coronavirus hot spots, HHS collected information from hospitals including their number of COVID-19 admissions from Jan. 1 to April 10, 2020 and their number of intensive care unit beds. But hospitals said they dont know how this information will be used to calculate what hospitals get.

The hot spot money is expected to flow this week, but on Monday, Hargan did not know when the money might arrive in hospital accounts or how many hospitals would receive the funds.

[We] are doing some calculations on that to get the money out, said Hargan. I think we still see that we are on target on for this week, a distribution this week of that $10 billion.

Schaefer said he worried that hospitals with later coronavirus surges  after April 10  would not get enough support from this tranche of funding. He said he hoped HHS would do another round of hot spot funding.

Another $10 billion of the funding will be paid out to rural hospitals and $400 million to tribal facilities in the coming weeks, Hargan said. HHS has also set aside billions in funding to reimburse hospitals for the care of uninsured COVID-19 patients.

Schaefer said these payments were unlikely to make hospitals whole for the amount they spent on care of coronavirus patients  who sometimes require expensive acute care, including specialized therapists, ventilators and medications  because Medicare reimbursements typically do not cover the real costs of care.

To date, Stamford Health has admitted 35 uninsured COVID-19 patients and treated 1,000 uninsured COVID-19 patients in outpatient settings, Veillette said. Coronavirus has also shifted the typical patient mix, so the hospital is seeing more insured patients and more patients on Medicare and Medicaid than is typical, Veillette said.

The federal funds hospitals receive must be spent on coronavirus-related costs or to make up for lost revenue connected to the pandemic. Some hospitals in areas without severe outbreaks or long-lasting stay-at-home orders may end up returning some of their funds, if they cannot meet these requirements, Schaefer said. That could make more even more funds available  eventually  for hospitals in need.

The federal government has also advanced Medicare funds to some hospitals to give them more liquidity during the crisis. The money has to be paid back by August. Stamford Health CEO Sillard said she hopes Congress may waive these payments to offer more support to hospitals.

In addition, HHS has not yet determined how it will distribute the $75 billion for hospitals that Congress appropriated last week, Hargan said. Conversations about how to direct the funds started over the weekend.

Were grateful to Congress for providing that additional funding to support American health care providers, said Hargan. Were going to work very closely with congressional leadership on a bipartisan basis as we have been talking with them before... as well as the medical and health care sector to see how we should be spending that money.

DeLauro blasted the department for not having a plan for the funds.

They need the money. They need it now, said DeLauro. Nobody understand why we didnt prioritize hot spot funding.

After speaking to HHS leaders by phone and sending the multiple letters, DeLauro said shes received unsatisfactory responses from the Department about how HHS is spending the hospital funding. She is considering calling hearings in her Appropriations subcommittee to get answers, she said.

It has been an extremely opaque process, said DeLauro. Ive walked away with serious concerns after every call... Where the hell is the money?

emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
Passengers travelling with P&O Cruises will be forced to pass 'rigorous' medical checks before being allowed to board ships once sailings resume, the company said.

The UK's biggest cruise line is developing plans to introduce a series of 'stringent measures' to ensure it obeys international health guidelines when it restarts operations once the coronavirus pandemic recedes.

Other changes being considered include reducing the capacity of ships, scrapping self-service buffets and implementing one-way systems on board.

Earlier this month, easyJet announced it expects to keep middle seats empty on its planes when it restarts flights to enable social distancing.

Passengers travelling with P&O Cruises will be forced to pass stringent medical checks before being allowed to board ships once sailings resume

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said the cruise line is working with authorities such as Public Health England to ensure sailings adhere to guidance 'without compromising enjoyment and experience'.

He continued: 'These new stringent measures which may, no doubt, encompass rigorous pre-embarkation screening, changes to the onboard experience for guests and also working with our shore experience operators and ports of call, will be in place as soon as we reintroduce our ships.

How coronavirus has affected airlines in the UK over the past month Flybe: Europe's largest regional airline collapsed on March 5 after months on the brink, triggering 2,400 job losses and left around 15,000 passengers stranded across the UK and Europe. Flybe's owners, a consortium including Virgin Atlantic, the Stobart Group and hedge fund firm Cyrus Capital, blamed coronavirus for hastening the ailing airline's collapse. Flybe operated up to 50 UK routes, accounting for 40 per cent of all domestic flights, and was used by 9.5million passengers a year. British Airways: The International Airlines Group, which also includes Iberia and Aer Lingus, said on March 16 that there would be a 75 per cent reduction in passenger capacity for two months, with boss Willie Walsh admitting there was 'no guarantee that many European airlines would survive'. easyJet: The airline with 9,000 UK-based staff including 4,000 cabin crew grounded its entire fleet of 344 planes on March 30. The Luton-based carrier said parking all of its planes 'removes significant cost' as the aviation industry struggles to cope with a collapse in demand. Loganair: The Scottish regional airline said on March 30 that it expects to ask the Government for a bailout to cope with the impact of the pandemic. Loganair will go to the government despite being told by Finance Minister Rishi Sunak last week that airlines should exhaust all other options for funding, before asking for help. Jet2: The budget holiday airline has suspended all of its flights departing from Britain until April 30. A number of Jet2 flights turned around mid-air last month while travelling to Spain when a lockdown was announced in the country. Virgin Atlantic: The airline said on March 16 that it would have reduced its lights by 80 per cent by March 26, and this will go up to 85 per cent by April. It has also urged the Government to offer carriers emergency credit facilities worth up to 7.5billion. Ryanair: More than 90 per cent of the Irish-based airline's planes are now grounded, with the rest of the aircraft providing repatriation and rescue flights. Advertisement

'We will then get used to them in the same way as we got used to airline hand luggage restrictions.

'They will become the new normal and they will give us reassurance and peace of mind.'

But today the firm revealed it may have to make 'changes' to the business in a bid to survive the pandemic.

A P&O spokesman said in a statement: 'The Covid-19 pandemic has not only affected the holidays of our guests but it has also impacted every part of our business; our future deployment; the guest experience; our supply chain and our people on ship and on shore.

'During our pause in operations we have tried to create as much certainty and stability as possible for our team members.

'Unfortunately though and like many businesses, as Covid-19 has continued to impact our way of life it will be necessary to make changes to our organisation to build a stable platform for the time we phase our ships back into service and for future growth.'

P&O Cruises confirmed last week that its sailings are suspended until at least the end of July.

All cruise ships operated by major companies have stopped commercial trips.

In recent weeks many were forced to cut their itineraries short and some were left in limbo when ports refused to let them dock over fears of increasing the spread of coronavirus.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said more than 19,000 British holidaymakers travelling on 59 liners around the world affected by the pandemic have been repatriated.

Yesterday, it was revealed the owner of P&O Ferries is pleading with the Government for a 150million bailout  as it prepares to hand shareholders nearly 270million.

Dubai-based DP World says P&O, which started running ferry services in the UK in the late 1960s, needs the emergency cash to avoid collapse.

Travel restrictions have resulted in a collapse in passengers on its routes, which include Dover to Calais, Hull to Rotterdam and Liverpool to Dublin.

P&O also transports 15 per cent of all goods in and out of the UK.

A number of ships have now been taken out of service and 1,400 P&O staff have been furloughed using a taxpayer-funded scheme.

But critics said the firm should instead stop 'wasting' money on investor payouts and slammed its millionaire bosses.

DP World boss Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who was paid 5.4million last year, has dismissed suggestions of scrapping the dividend and branded the UK government's response to the pandemic 'slow' after pleas for money received no immediate reply.

But Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, said: 'Mega-wealthy individuals and huge corporations don't seem to understand that we need the Government to protect jobs and incomes for millions of workers and provide resources for critical public services like the NHS, because they have no idea of the hardship that many people are going through.

'In some cases, public money will be required to support businesses. But it can't then be wasted on huge payouts for executives and investors and assurances to this effect should be required first.'

Will air travel get more expensive? According to analysis by US-based Dollar Flight Club, we can expect lower airfare prices in the short term, before prices rise dramatically by 2025. Through to 2021, the flight deals service found there would be a 35 per cent decrease in prices on average, as airlines desperately attempt to draw customers back in. But over the next four years, prices would then rise by over a quarter above pre-crisis levels as demand outstrips a significantly reduced supply. The data indicates more severe drops and subsequent price hikes than were experienced either during 9/11 or from the financial crash. 'Passengers in smaller or short-haul markets can expect significant cuts in scheduled air service as airlines downsize operations,' read the report. 'This will make it significantly more expensive and harder for these passengers to travel. In these markets, we can expect train and bus travel to see significant growth.' The club found that over the next year, customers could get a roundtrip from Los Angeles to London for $329, or a roundtrip from New York to Amsterdam for $278. Advertisement

DP World says P&O, which it bought last year for 322million and is based in Dover, will collapse without a 257million rescue package.

It wants 150million to be provided by the UK Government. This is despite DP World being more than 80 per cent-owned by the Dubai government, which will take a hefty portion of the company's planned 267million dividend today, and reported profits of more than 1billion last year.

In addition to P&O, DP World also owns the Southampton and London Gateway ports, and dozens of other global terminals.

Bin Sulayem said P&O played a 'vital role' in the UK economy and warned that thousands of jobs depended on it.

He told the BBC: 'The Government has been slow. We need to safeguard jobs. A lot of people's lives depends on this company.'

He rejected suggestions DP World should postpone its dividend because it had 'never taken a penny out'. 'Any profits we have made we have reinvested in new vessels,' he added.

'DP World owns many businesses. You cannot just take money out of them to put into a company in another place  it doesn't make sense.'

The controversy comes after other wealthy tycoons such as Sir Richard Branson were criticised for seeking government aid.

A government spokesman said: 'We recognise how challenging this period is for the transport sector and encourage all firms to make use of the further changes to business support, helping make funds easier to access.

'We're committed to working with industry leaders, to offer the support they need and help provide certainty for workers.

'We will continue to directly engage maritime companies and associations to tackle these challenges.'

The Great British Staycation is on hold 'for some time to come': Seaside towns and tourist hotspots face more misery after lockdown as public is told to stay away... and also avoid foreign holidays British holidaymakers hoping to visit UK tourism hotspots such as seaside towns were warned today they will be unable to do so 'for some time to come'. Many workers with pre-booked annual leave who had been hoping to travel abroad this spring or summer will now be turning their sights to a holiday in Britain. But Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told MPs that 'at the moment and for some time to come' people should not travel to visit popular resorts such as Cornwall. Residents of many beauty spots including Cornwall and Snowdonia have also made it clear that they do not want tourist visitors while coronavirus is still a danger - erecting home made signs urging non-locals to go home. Mr Gove also said that knowing that coronavirus spreads more easily inside than outside 'will be an important factor' when debating the end of lockdown measures. Tourism bosses have been working on proposals to allow some businesses and attractions to open, but concerns remain over how this will impact social distancing. Visit Britain has estimated the ongoing pandemic will cost the tourism industry around 15billion this year, with 22million fewer visitors to the UK. The Foreign Office imposed a ban on all but essential international travel on March 17 but this was latere extended indefinitely - with no signs yet of when it may be lifted. Mr Gove's comments came after Tory MP Steve Double, for St Austell and Newquay, said: 'Would the Secretary of State join me in thanking the Devon and Cornwall Police for their proactive approach in preventing people travelling to Cornwall for non-essential purposes including to visit their second homes and for a holiday? 'One of the biggest concerns of people in Cornwall is that as we start to ease the lockdown, we will start to see an influx of people coming to Cornwall and risk another wave. 'So can my right honourable friend assure me that as the Government considers lifting the restrictions, it will come with clear and enforceable travel restrictions to prevent this from happening?' Mr Gove replied: 'My honourable friend is right, Cornwall is beautiful, visiting it is a pleasure, but at the moment and for some time to come, don't.' Visit Britain has said options for restarting the tourism trade include restricting the number of people allowed through the door of theme parks, museums and gardens. Another possibility would be to allow visitors to buy time-restricted tickets, while council patrols could police beaches, piers and proms to prevent crowding. Campsites might open if they allow greater distances between pitches and, in theory, restaurants could set a greater gap between tables. Some hotels are large enough to apply social distancing rules, but this will be near impossible with smaller establishments such as B&Bs. Also today, Andrew Griffith, Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs, called for garden centres to be reopened in the first wave of changes to the restrictions. Mr Griffith warned that garden centres across the UK are 'economically wilting with every day of the peak growing season that they remain closed'. 'When the time is right, but I hope that will be soon, that the outdoor economy and garden centres, including those in West Sussex, are in the first wave of modifications as they're important to the emerging mental health crisis, as well as - if you'll let me put it this way - economically wilting with every day of the peak growing season that they remain closed,' he said. Mr Gove replied: 'He also makes a valid point about garden centres. One of the things we know about this disease is that it spreads more easily inside than outside and as the Government reflects on how to lift current restrictions, that will be an important factor.' Advertisement

British Airways will make up to 12,000 workers redundant as owners IAG say it will take airline years to recover from coronavirus crisis

By Luke May for MailOnline

Thousands of British Airways workers look set to lose their jobs as its owners IAG announced redundancies on Tuesday afternoon.

Airline companies have been struggling to run as the coronavirus lockdown grounds planes around the world. BA had already started struggling after it furloughed more than half of its 45,000 workers.

In a statement, IAG said: 'In light of the impact of Covid-19 on current operations and the expectation that the recovery of passenger demand to 2019 levels will take several years, British Airways is formally notifying its trade unions about a proposed restructuring and redundancy programme.

'The proposals remain subject to consultation but it is likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them.

'As previously announced, British Airways has availed itself of the UK's Covid-19 job retention scheme and furloughed 22,626 employees in April.'

British Airways' owners will make up to 12,000 staff redundant as airline company's struggle to cope with a drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic, it comes as the company's planes are grounded across the coutnry, including at Bournmeouth, above

Passenger numbers are expected to halve compared to 2019, with the likes of Flybe already going into administration before full lockdown measures were in place in Britain.

In a statement, BA chief executive Alex Cruz said the company is only running a 'handful' of flights from Heathrow each day.

'Our very limited flying schedule means that revenues are not coming into our business. We are taking every possible action to conserve cash, which will help us to weather the storm in the short-term,' he wrote.

Mr Cruz added the company was working with partners and supplies to re-negotiate contracts and and 'discuss repayment terms'.

British Airline Pilots' Association's response: BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton said: 'BA pilots and all staff are devastated by the announcement of up to 12,000 possible job losses in British Airways. 'This has come as a bolt out of the blue from an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID storm and declined any Government support. 'BALPA does not accept that a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one.' Advertisement

'All of these actions alone are not enough,' he told workers.

His letter continued: 'There is no Government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face.

'We do not know when countries will reopen their borders or when the lockdowns will lift, and so we have to reimagine and reshape our airline and create a new future for our people, our customers and the destinations we serve.

'We have informed the Government and the Trade Unions of our proposals to consult over a number of changes, including possible reductions in headcount.'

Furloughed cabin crew member Karen said she was 'heartbroken,' over the news on LBC on Tuesday evening.

She said: 'I'm cabin crew, I've been there thirty years and to hear from you that me and millions of my colleagues may be losing our jobs is just heartbreaking.'

General secretary of pilots' union Balpa, Brian Strutton, said the decision had come as a 'bolt out of the blue,' adding the union did not accept BA had a case for the proposed job losses.

News that thousands of people will lose their jobs comes weeks after the airline company's Spanish owners axed a controversial 300million payout to shareholders earlier this month.

Madrid-based International Airlines Group proposed a dividend of around 17p per share in February, when the ravages of the killer virus on society and the global economy were already apparent.

But chief financial officer Stephen Gunning said the cash would instead be used to keep the company going through the virus crisis.

One former manager in BA's finance team told MailOnline earlier in April: 'Don't blame the virus. This company has been mismanaged for years. IAG have simply sucked the life out of it'.

Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG, at British Airways' headquarters in Hammondsworth, was previously chief exec of BA and Aer Lingus

Alex Cruz, British Airways' CEO, told staff in a letter the airline company was taking 'every possible action to conserve cash'

Other airline companies have felt the strain of internationally travel all but grounding to a halt during the global pandemic.

Flybe went into administration in March, while Sir Richard Brnason is reportedly looking for an investor for Virgin Atlantic.

He failed to secure a government bailout with his 80 million private island as collateral, reports indicate.

The billionaire's pursuit of a 500million taxpayer intervention has effectively been shelved and the airline is concentrating on getting new backing from private investors, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

Around 50 possible backers are said to have inquired about the company - with suitors presented with options to inject debt, equity or convertible loans, which could potentially leave face of the brand Sir Richard with no residual stake.

'All options' were said to remain on the table after the investment bank hired by Virgin Atlantic, Houlihan Lokey, reportedly sounded out more than 100 possible financial institutions.

Potential investors are said to include Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek and Wall Street investor Cerberus Capital Management.

The head of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, brushed off forecasts of a sluggish recovery, saying he expected a swift traffic rebound fuelled by 'massive price-dumping' in a race to win back passengers.

Low cost airlines have been criticised for their 'tin-eared response' to the crisis by offering vouchers rather than refunds to customers on cancelled flights, in a desperate attempt to save cash.

Aviation consultant Andrew Charlton told the Guardian: 'You will never see a 747 flying again, and the only A380s will have Emirates painted on the side.'

Mr Charlton said: 'Yes, passengers will travel by banking their vouchers  But people being burnt by that now aren't going to book ahead in future  it's collapsing confidence in booking.'

Larger airlines have also announced measures to build confidence in customers fearful of infection from cramped cabin space, with Emirates trialling a rapid blood test, where the results are available in 10 minutes, on all passengers on one flight from Dubai to Tunisia this week.

Global traffic is now down 80 per cent year-on-year, quashing recent forecasts that the number of airline passengers would double within 20 years.

The International Air Transport Association has said passenger revenues will plunge by about 250billion or 55 per cent in 2020 due to the pandemic.

In late March, the IATA, which represents 290 carriers, forecast that half of the world's airlines would run out of cash within two to three months.

Is THIS what flying economy class will look like after the coronavirus crisis? Designs emerge of cabins where passengers are shielded by screens to help prevent further outbreaks

Italian-based design firm Aviointeriors has come up with two cabin concepts

The 'Janus' layout would see the middle seat on a row placed in a reverse position

Transparent 'hoods' are placed over each seat in the firm's 'Glassafe' cabin

By JENNIFER NEWTON FOR MAILONLINE

Welcome onboard the economy cabins of the near-future - where plane passengers are shielded from each other by plastic screens.

Designs have emerged for two post-coronavirus economy cabin concepts aimed at helping to prevent future pandemics.

The 'Janus' takes its inspiration from the ancient two-faced Roman god and has a reversed centre seat, while the 'Glassafe' concept sees each seat fitted with a 'hood'.

The Janus seat concept that has been designed by aircraft interior design firm Aviointeriors

The Janus concept would see the middle seat of a row placed in a reverse position, which Aviointeriors says will 'ensure maximum isolation between passengers'

The Janus takes its inspiration from the ancient two-faced Roman god

The designs are by Italian firm Aviointeriors, which has released renderings of both concepts.

Aviointeriors says the Janus seat will 'ensure the maximum isolation between passengers seated next to each other'.

While passengers seated on the side seats, aisle and fuselage, continue to face in the direction of travel, the passenger sitting in the centre is facing backwards.

Aviointeriors explained: 'Each passenger has their own space isolated from others, even from people who walk through the aisle.

'Each Janus seat is surrounded on three sides by a high shield that prevents the breath propagation to occupants of adjacent seats.

'It is made of easy cleaning and safe hygienic materials. The option is available with the shield in opaque material or with different degrees of transparency.'

Breathe easy: The Glassafe concept, which Aviointeriors describes as a 'kit-level solution'

Glassafe, meanwhile, is described as a 'kit-level solution' that can be installed on existing aircraft seats.

It would see screens installed around the top of the seats, which Aviointeriors says would make sitting in 'close proximity safer'.

It added: 'Glassafe is made of transparent material to make the entire cabin harmonious and aesthetically light, but perfectly fulfilling the objective of creating an isolated volume around the passenger.

'This is in order to avoid or minimize contacts and interactions via air between passenger and passenger, so as to reduce the probability of contamination by viruses or other.

Aviointeriors says: 'Glassafe is made of transparent material to make the entire cabin harmonious and aesthetically light'

An aerial view of the Glassafe concept. Aviointeriors says: 'We have worked and we will continue to develop products specifically designed to make the travels of the near-future post-virus ever safer'

'Glassafe is supplied in various executions with fixing systems to the seat that allow easy installation and removal.'

A spokesman for Aviointeriors says: 'All national authorities worldwide are trying to block this pandemic through a series of actions and recommendations and we want to contribute with our ideas and proposals in the interests of the whole community.

'With this objective in mind, we have studied new solutions that take into account social distancing among passengers sitting in economy class, where there is a condition of higher density, but with characteristics that remain applicable even in the lower density classes such as premium economy or business class.

'We have worked and we will continue to develop products specifically designed to make the travels of the near-future post-virus ever safer and in accordance with the new requirements for passengers who will have to share the spaces available for the duration of the transport.'
Tuesday evening, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order stipulating that meat processing plants continue operating, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge through facilities throughout the industry, sickening thousands of workers. The order classifies meatpacking plants as critical infrastructure under the Defense Production Act, the latter historically being utilized during wartime to mandate key US industries remain operational.

The order states, It is important that processors of beef, pork, and poultry (meat and poultry) in the food supply chain continue operating and fulfilling orders to ensure a continued supply of protein for Americans. However, outbreaks of COVID-19 among workers at some processing facilities have led to the reduction in some of those facilities production capacity. In addition, recent actions in some States have led to the complete closure of some large processing facilities.

Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency.

The order is squarely aimed not at securing the food supply chain or defending workers safety, but rather at shielding the profits of the giant food processing conglomerates and protecting them from the impact of lawsuits from sickened workers.

Following the temporary closure of meat processing facilities which have become epicenters of the pandemic, Trump cited the potential liability of the multibillion-dollar meat processing companieswhich crowd workers into degrading and hazardous conditionsas the motivating factor behind the order, stating in a press conference yesterday, Theyre having a liability thats really unfair to them, adding, And I fully understand it. Not their fault.

Tyson Foods stock price shot up over 5 percent by the end of the day in anticipation of the order.

Twenty-two US meat plants have been forced to temporarily or indefinitely close animal slaughter and processing operations since March due to large outbreaks among workers. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, 20 workers have died from COVID-19, and 6,500 workers have either contracted the virus, are showing symptoms or waiting for test results, or have stayed home following exposure.

COVID-19 hotspots have emerged at one plant after another, leading states such as Iowa to have a 75 percent increase in cases last week, the sharpest in the US. Other Great Plains states where official numbers of COVID-19 emerged slowly, including Nebraska and South Dakota, have also seen plants with hundreds of cases. Across the United States, the counties and communities where meat processing facilities are located have the resulting highest rate of infection to their corresponding populations.

Meanwhile, one Tyson executive, Steve Stouffer, complained earlier this month, Weve been tried and convicted already in certain spaces.

The Trump administration worked in close collaboration with Tyson Foods and other food companies in the conception and implementation of the executive order. On April 26, Tyson Foods, the largest beef exporter in the United States and second largest processor of pork, beef, and chicken globally, released full-page ads in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Authored by the companys chairman of the board, John H. Tyson, the ad seeks to blackmail workers into returning to their workplace death traps by claiming mass food shortages will results if they do not, stating the US and global food supply chain is vulnerable.

As pork, beef, and chicken plants are forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain. As a result, there will be a limited supply of products in our grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.

The ad continued, Tyson Foods has a responsibility to feed our nation and the world. The government bodies at the national, state, county, and city levels must unite in a comprehensive, productive, and thoughtful way to allow our team members to work in safety without fear. The private and public sectors must come together. As a country, this is our time to show the world what we can do when working together.

The underlying message of Tyson is this: Meat processing workers must face sickness and death at the slaughterhouses and processing facilities in order to continue generating profits for the industry executives and owners.

Trump and the meat processing executives were not alone in conspiring to force workers back into the plants. A day before signing the executive order, US Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley and Iowa state Governor Kim Reynolds urged Trump to reopen shuttered meatpacking facilities through the invocation of the Defense Protection Act.

The UFCW responded to the announcement of Trumps executive order with a predictably groveling statement. Making no pretense of opposing the order of workers back to work to epicenters of COVID-19, UFCW President Marc Perrone instead echoed the phony concern of the administration over food shortages while feigning concern for workers safety, stating, While we share the concern over the food supply, todays executive order to force meatpacking plants to stay open must put the safety of our countrys meatpacking workers first.

The UFCW has done less than nothing to ensure the safety of its million-plus members in the food processing industries and grocery stores. Quite the contrary, on Tuesday, it yet again revealed its real function as enforcers and labor police for the companies, working to shut down a wildcat walkout by 50 workers at a Smithfield Foods pork plant in Crete, Nebraska. The job action was provoked by management reversing itself and refusing to close the plant despite 48 cases of the virus being confirmed

According to the UFCW, temporary suspension of meat processing operations has resulted in the reduction of US reducing pork processing capacity by 25 percent and beef processing capacity by 10 percent.

The industry bosses and union officials cynically invoking the legitimate dangers of food shortages and crying crocodile tears over potential food waste and hardship for unsellable livestock coincide with the Trump Administrations intervention to force meatpacking workers back into the plants.

The responsibility for the potential disruptions to the food supply chain lie squarely at the feet of the giant food corporations, their assistants in the trade unions, and the companies political representatives in the big-business parties. The industrys irrational, brutal and reckless operation is entirely driven by profit considerations, not the needs of the workers who produce, process, and ship all food, or society more broadly.

Meat processing workers must oppose the coordinated efforts of industry executives and the Trump administration to force them to sacrifice themselves in order to further enrich a criminal oligarchy. This requires the organization of rank-and-file factory committees, independent of the pro-company unions, in order for workers to assert that their right to safe and humane working conditions take priority, not the profit interests of the corporations.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:29:15|Editor: huaxia

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PARIS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation rather than hasty denunciation is needed at the time of combating the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. technology magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates told French daily Le Figaro in an interview published Tuesday.

"The Chinese have made all the data accessible," Gates said, while praising the country for its contribution to the global research on the novel coronavirus as well as to avoiding a medical supplies market disruption.

China "is no longer a source of spread of the infection," and finger-pointing is not a constructive approach, he added.

"Our economy is at a standstill, the world is suffering -- the priority should be collaboration."

"We had no market disruption during this pandemic for medical ingredients! China is actually the most reliable supplier of these ingredients today compared to Western countries, which have not responded so quickly to the crisis," he said.

On April 14, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would halt funding of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Gates said cutting contributions to the WHO at this time is hard to understand, highlighting the strong bond between the United States and the global health body.

"If you look at the current composition of WHO, you will see that the percentage of people working in WHO who are, or have been, employed by the (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is very high. This is a good thing, because the CDC has historically been a very effective organization, which has played a major role in the eradication of smallpox, and in the effort against polio. I therefore do not understand why reducing the American contribution to WHO is relevant today, in the midst of a pandemic," he said.

"Time will come to assess all of our responses. I am sure that we will see that the WHO could have managed certain things differently. But the idea that it would have distorted reality for the benefit of a country is not correct," Gates said.

When asked about "the pitfalls of globalization and the risks of overdependence on China for certain strategic products such as medicines," Gates warned against "using the pandemic to promote xenophobic views."

"The idea that any small town is going to start making its cars! ... We need facts to have this discussion. Which products have disappeared globally because of the crisis? At the Gates Foundation, we are focused on the pandemic and collaboration, not on political rants," he added. Enditem
In this combination of file photos, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del., on March 12 and President Donald Trump speaks at the White House April 5. Read more

Even with traditional campaigning on hold, the presidential race is already rolling on Pennsylvanias airwaves, with allies of President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden spending millions of dollars.

Only not in Philadelphia.

Of the roughly $9 million of ads the candidates and their allies have run on Pennsylvania television and radio so far this year, just $141,000 has gone into the Philadelphia market, the fourth largest in the country. (Those figures dont count spending by Democrat Michael Bloomberg, who blanketed all of Pennsylvania, and other states, but dropped out of the race in early March.)

The heavyweights in both parties are focusing their resources elsewhere, according to data compiled by Advertising Analytics, a nonpartisan firm that tracks political ad spending.

The Democratic super PAC American Bridge has spent $4.2 million in the Pittsburgh, Erie, Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre, and Harrisburg media markets this year, but not a dollar in Philadelphia.

Priorities USA, which Biden has signaled will be the main super PAC supporting him, has spent $3.2 million on Pennsylvania radio and TV, none of it in the Philadelphia market.

And when Trumps main super PAC, America First Action, announced its first round of TV ads earlier this month, its blasts linking Biden to China were all targeted to markets outside Philadelphia.

Millions worth of ads are scheduled in Pennsylvania for the coming weeks, but nothing more has yet been booked in Philadelphia until the final weeks before Election Day, when Pennsylvania is likely to be one of a handful of states that decides the election.

The focus on other parts of the state means that neither party is, yet, using the traditional avenues to target the media market that accounts for more than 40% of the Pennsylvania vote  though that is likely to change in the coming months.

The strategy reflects a combination of factors, mostly the high cost of Philadelphia airtime, strategists in both parties said.

It costs more to run an ad in Philadelphia than it does in the rest of the state put together, said Democratic media strategist J.J. Balaban, based in Philadelphia. And campaigns that advertise in Philadelphia effectively pay for many viewers who live in New Jersey and Delaware, two states that are uncompetitive in presidential races. About one in three viewers in the Philly market live outside Pennsylvania, according to Advertising Analytics.

Campaigns are likely saving their big expenditures in Philly for a more critical phase of the race.

Youre not going to spend a lot of money in an expensive media market until you get closer to the election, said Joshua Novotney, a Republican lobbyist based in Philadelphia.

Said Balaban: Im confident that all voters in the Delaware Valley, by the time this election happens, will have seen so many ads in the presidential election they will be sick of them. It just hasnt started yet.

An American Bridge spokesperson said its focus is on reaching wavering Trump voters. That means largely targeting rural areas. Until the coronavirus crisis hit, they had run ads featuring Trump supporters who felt let down by the president.

Our paid media effort is focused on cutting into Trumps margin with white, rural, and small-town voters and that takes a scalpel approach, emailed Jeb Fain.

Democratic groups will need to reserve their resources to help Biden later, since Trump has far more campaign money, said Daniel F. McElhatton, a Democratic consultant from Philadelphia. Spending that money now versus in August or September ... just doesnt seem like the wisest of investments to me, McElhatton said.

At the Trump-allied America First, a spokesperson said, "This is only our first tranche of spending and additional decisions will be made at the end of May. She noted the group is hitting the same markets the two Democratic super PACs targeted first.

Priorities USA, while touting big spends in swing states, has also skipped big markets such as Miami and Jacksonville in Florida. A spokesperson pointed to comments the groups chairman made in January, when he told the New York Times that such markets become less efficient.

A Priorities USA spokesperson also said the group is reaching Philadelphia-area voters with digital ads.

Priorities USA, American Bridge, and the Biden campaign have combined to spend $4.3 million on digital ads in Pennsylvania according to the Democratic firm Bully Pulpit Interactive. The Trump campaign has spent $1.2 million on such ads, according to the data from Jan. 5 through April 18.

On Wednesday the Trump campaign launched its latest online ad, featuring select clips of Democratic governors praising Trump and the federal government for coronavirus aid.

Television is still widely seen as the most effective medium for moving voters.

But digital spots allow the groups to reach people in the Philadelphia area without paying for New Jersey and Delaware, and to tailor different messages for deep-blue Philadelphia and the more moderate suburbs, said Daniel Scarvalone, a senior director at Bully Pulpit.

Digital lets you be more thoughtful, Scarvalone said. You can run a message in urban Philadelphia urging folks to go to the polls. Then you can run a completely different message in suburban Philadelphia.
Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Bishop David Kodia has told the Kenyan taxman, KRA, not to expect any Pay As You Earn (PAYE) revenue from faith-based organisations.

The Bondo ACK Diocese Bishop said church employees have been forced to go on unpaid leave and there is no cash flow into church coffers as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Most of our people are out of jobs. As a church, we depend on our congregations for every single cent, including the money we remit to KRA. Let it be known that our clergy are at home observing the stay at home policy, he said.

Our Christians no longer meet even at the cell groups level. Theres a total breakdown of connectivity between Christians and their clergy, he added.

KRA should know that it will not get a single cent from most churches in form of PAYE for as long as the situation remains as it is.

According to the clergyman, the Diocese with 60 employees remits Sh200,000 every month to KRA as PAYE.

Prof Kodia also lauded the government for its efforts in combating the pandemic.

I wish to take this opportunity to applaud the governments efforts in controlling the spread of Covid-19. The measures so far taken have by and large reduced the level of exposure to a noticeable level and this is commendable, he said.

Bishop Kodia also applauded Kenyans and corporations have contributed towards the Covid-19 emergency fund.

Together we can make a meaningful change in our attitude as well as approach to the disease, he said.

The Bishop also called on the government to settle charges for the treatment of Covid-19 for all Kenyan patients.

There should be no more debate about this. Even the people who are sent to prisons are taken care of by the government that pays for their expenses, he said.
A mother and son were 'absolutely sickened' to discover two mother kangaroos shot dead next to a dirt road - with a helpless joey clinging to life.

Wildlife carer Kim Palmer, 41, and her 22-year-old son were collecting leaves to feed the 23 joeys they look after in Muttaburra, 1,224 km north west of Brisbane, on Monday morning when they found the two red kangaroo corpses.

Upon closer inspection, Ms Palmer was 'horrified' to discover a surviving male joey that had been mauled by crows inside its dead mother's pouch.

Wildlife carer Kim Palmer, 41, and her 22-year-old son discovered two dead mother kangaroos (one pictured) and a surviving male joey (pictured) that had been left to be eaten by crows

'What drew out attention was the crows dispersing as we drove past. We saw kangaroos on the side of the road and stopped,' Ms Palmer told Daily Mail Australia.

'Being on public land, no shooting should be taking place but both of them had headshots.'

The mother that was carrying the surviving joey also had its thigh and leg cut off, just inches away from the pouch that was carrying the baby kangaroo.

Ms Palmer said body parts are often hacked off kangaroos to be used as dog food.

Prior to Ms Palmer's arrival, a murder of crows had been eating the corpses as well as picking at the young joey's feet and tail, trying to pull him out from the pouch.

'The crows were biting at feet and tail and he has some nicks on nose and ear. The bacteria in their claws and beaks can make the wounds infected,' Ms Palmer said.

'I was shocked, disgusted, horrified and absolutely sickened. I'm still processing it, I've just been that busy notifying the relevant departments and we now have 24 joeys in our care.'

The mother that was carrying the surviving joey also had its thigh and leg cut off, just inches away from the pouch that was carrying the baby kangaroo

A video recorded by Ms Palmer's son shows her pulling out the joey from the pouch, right next to a gaping wound exposing the mother kangaroo's internal organs.

'I'm so sorry sweetheart, I'm so sorry darling,' Ms Palmer said in the video, trying to calm the baby marsupial down.

'This is the work of you shooters. Cuts the legs off and leaves the little babies in there. That ones lost part of his tail. A good chance that might need euthanising but we'll have a look at that later,' Ms Palmer's son said.

The joey survived and was treated by Ms Palmer at her wildlife sanctuary Western Queensland Wildlife Rehabilitation, which she has run for 25 years with her husband.

'He's (the joey is) doing quite well, drinking his bottle most of the time as well. He has injuries that need treating so we're seeing the vet tomorrow,' she said.

'He's on a strong corse of antibiotics. I've got him covered but I can't guarantee that he's going to be good.'

The joey (pictured) survived and was treated by Ms Palmer at her wildlife sanctuary Western Queensland Wildlife Rehabilitation, which she has run for 25 years with her husband

Four kangaroo s have been found dead in Ms Palmer's area this week.

Later on Monday, Ms Palmer's son found another red kangaroo that had been shot dead and left on the side of the road.

The mother kangaroo was also carrying a surviving joey, which had to be euthanised as it was not developed enough to be hand grazed by humans.

Then on Tuesday, another kangaroo that had been shot in the chest was found clinging to life near a river. It also had to be euthanised.

The joey after being rescued from its dead mother's pouch. Later in the day, Ms Palmer's son discovered another dead mother and surviving joey, but the baby had to be euthanised

Kangaroos are only permitted to be shot by people with a damage mitigation permit such as farmers or harvesters with permission to shoot them on a private property.

The kangaroo shooter's code of practice dictates that hunters must euthanise surviving joeys if they kill a female carrying one.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 'nothing much has changed' for wildlife carers like Ms Palmer, who is taking care of 24 kangaroos.

'What a horrific thing to see but I'm glad I did see it because we saved the joey. How many more are out there that we don't know about in the same situation?' she said.
On 8 May 1945, the world rejoiced as the Second World War came to an end after six years of fighting, hardship and loss.

People took to the streets to celebrate VE Day, otherwise known as Victory in Europe Day, commemorating the day on which the allied forces announced the surrender of Nazi Germany.

In London, thousands of revellers flooded Trafalgar Square and the Mall leading up to Buckingham Palace where the King and Queen greeted them from the balcony.

Unbeknownst to the majority of the public, 19-year-old Princess Elizabeth and 14-year-old Princess Margaret were hidden in plain sight among the crowds, letting their hair down as they joined in with the jubilant festivities.

This year, Friday 8 May will mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Queen Elizabeth II, who recently celebrated her 94th birthday, will make a special televised address to the nation, which will be broadcast on BBC One, aired on the radio and the royal familys official social media channels.

The address will be aired at 9pm, the same time the Queens father, King George VI, announced victory in Europe on the radio in 1945 following nearly six years of suffering and peril.

How did Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret celebrate VE Day in 1945?

On VE Day 75 years ago, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony on six occasions throughout the day alongside their parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

However, the teenagers wished to also celebrate outside the Palace gates, which they did after the younger of the two proposed the idea.

Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth, King George VI and Princess Margaret on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on VE Day, 8 May 1945 (Rex Features)

After dinner, the princesses left the Palace to partake in the celebrations, with the permission of the King and Queen.

They were joined by a group of Guards officers who were friends with the young royals.

While the monarch may have felt worried about his daughters becoming immersed in the crowds, in a diary entry written on the day he expressed care for their limited social lives, stating: Poor darlings, they have never had any fun yet.

The princesses made the most of their freedom, doing the hokey cokey, the Lambeth Walk and the conga with members of the public.

VE Day celebrations in the East End of London, 8 May 1945 (PA/PA Wire)

Did anyone take notice of the young princesses?

In 2006, Jean Woodroffe, who was one of Queen Elizabeth IIs first ladies in waiting, recalled no one appeared to take much notice of the royal sisters as they partook in the revelry of the day.

What was amusing is that we went into the Ritz hotel through one door and out of the other day, the other end, doing the conga, Ms Woodroffe told BBC Radio 4s Today Programme.

The extraordinary thing was that nobody seemed to take much notice. Then we stood outside Buckingham Palace with the crowd and we all shouted, We want the King with everybody else until the King and Queen came out onto the balcony.

Crowds gather in Londons Trafalgar Square to celebrate the end of the Second World War, 8 May 1945 (PA/PA Wire)

Princess Elizabeth wore her Auxiliary Transport Service uniform on VE Day, having joined the armed forces in February that year.

The monarch told the BBC in 1985 that she tried to avoid being spotted on the streets of the capital, stating: I pulled my uniform cap well down over my eyes.

I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, and all of us were swept along by tides of happiness and relief, the Queen said.

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In 2015, a dramatisation of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margarets VE Day celebrations was released in the form of a feature film titled A Royal Night Out.

Sarah Gadon, who portrayed the future Queen, said she liked the description of the tale as a Cinderella story in reverse.

It wasnt about putting on this dress and becoming a princess. It was becoming a part of the crowd and what that meant to somebody who wanted to feel normal for a night, the actor said.
Member of Parliament for Juaboso Constituency, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has chastised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation to rehash his 2016 campaign promise.



Government, will this year, begin the construction of 88 Hospitals in districts without such facilities, according to President Akufo-Addo.



Delivering his eighth televised address to the nation on the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the country on Sunday, April 26, 2020, the President said: "There are eighty-eight (88) districts in our country without district hospitals; we have six (6) new regions without regional hospitals; we do not have 5 infectious disease control centres dotted across the country, and we do not have enough testing and isolation centres for diseases like COVD-19. We must do something urgently about this. That is why Government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure, the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing eighty-eight (88) hospitals in the districts without hospitals."



But the Ranking Member on Health is doubtful of the president's words and commitment.



His lack of conviction is premised on the fact that the promise made by President Akufo-Addo is not something new as he (Akufo-Addo) identified this particular problem - inadequate healthcare infrastructure - in the party's 2016 manifesto.



To him, it is thus pretentious on the part of the President to make it seem like a new challenge, which has arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



What he said is not something new; it is a rehash of his campaign promise in their manifesto and the reason also is that before Nana Addo became President, he identified this problem in their manifesto and so he is not now realising this problem. He deliberately refused to address them because he has already said that every district without hospitals will have one and this is captured in their manifesto, he chastised.



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Hon. Mintah Akandoh, noted that per the President's last address to Ghanaians on COVID-19, he has opened the floodgates for the politicization of the fight against the pandemic, and entreated him to limit his address to only finding immediate solutions.



The President should know his status as a President when addressing the nation on the state of the COVID-19. We are obliged to listen to the President and help him fight the COVID-19, but the moment he switches into political promises then there will be issues because when it comes to political campaign promises, the President has a certain pedigree....



So, if the President comes to paint a picture as if he has now seen the need to build district hospitals due to the COVID-19, then it is not true, the President was not truthful to us because there was no COVID-19 in 2016. He should prove me wrong if he didnt promise this to Ghanaians in the party's manifesto, he chided.





Watch Video Below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Tara Reade, who worked for Joe Biden in the early 1990s, has alleged that the then-senator pushed her up against a wall and groped her very intimately. Initially, this allegation could be, and was, brushed off as less than credible. Reade has changed her story over time, and some of the details raised eyebrows of older women, who wondered how anyone working in an office back then could have gotten away without wearing pantyhose to work. So for a brief time it was viable to insist that the distinction was not the politics of the accused but the credibility of the accuser.
[April 29, 2020] TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. to Announce 2020 First Quarter Financial Results on Wednesday, May 6, 2020

TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. (NYSE: TPVG) (the "Company"), the leading financing provider to venture growth stage companies backed by a select group of venture capital firms in the technology, life sciences and other high growth industries, today announced it will release its financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2020 after market-close on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. James P. Labe, chief executive officer and chairman of the board, Sajal K. Srivastava, president and chief investment officer, and Christopher M. Mathieu, chief financial officer, will host a conference call that same day at 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time to discuss the Company's financial results. To listen to the call, investors and analysts should dial (844) 826-3038 (domestic) or +1 (412) 317-5184 (international) and ask to join the TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. call. Please dial in at least five minutes before the scheduled start time. A replay of the call will be available through June 6, 2020, by dialing (877) 344-7529 (domestic) or +1 (412) 317-0088 (international) and entering conference ID 10143648. The conference call also will be available via a liv audio webcast in the investor relations section of the Company's website, http://www.tpvg.com. An online archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's website for 30 days after the call.



ABOUT TRIPLEPOINT VENTURE GROWTH BDC CORP. The Company was formed to expand the venture growth stage business segment of TriplePoint Capital LLC, the leading global provider of financing across all stages of development to technology, life sciences and other high growth companies backed by a select group of venture capital firms. The Company's investment objective is to maximize its total return to stockholders primarily in the form of current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by lending primarily with warrants to venture growth stage companies. The Company is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements," which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and conditions may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in our filings with the SEC (News - Alert). The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005792/en/

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Police officers escorted a Lincoln Park man from Beaumont Hospital  Dearborn the evening of March 31 after he yelled at emergency room nurses, then caused a parking lot disturbance.

A Beaumont security official said the trouble began in the ER waiting area, where the man was being loud and disregarding directions from personnel. The man then left the ER and walked to the south parking lot, where security personnel saw him trying to get into parked vehicles. They then handcuffed and detained him until police officers arrived.

Beaumont security personnel said they wished to have the man banned from Beaumont property. The police officers took him to the area of Oakwood Boulevard and Outer Drive, where he was advised about the consequences of returning to Beaumont, and held until a friend arrived to drive him home.
Open source

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a growing public mistrust toward the Russian authorities. But at the same time, most Russians still believe state-promoted anti-Western conspiracy theories.

The situation around the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Russia is becoming increasingly tense. Russian officials now admit that existing tests were sometimes inaccurate, and the true number of patients may far exceed official numbers. So, in mid-April, doctors from the self-organized Clinical Committee for the Control of Coronavirus, in Moscow, proposed including hospitals for the treatment of coronavirus and pneumonia in a single system. According to them, at present, the vast majority of cases of pneumonia are caused by the new viruseven if existing tests give a false negative result.

In addition to the fear of the pandemic, Russians have already felt the effects of the (partially) associated economic downturn. Almost 50 percent of working Russians reported a significant drop in family income since the beginning of the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Against the background of the double-crisis, both the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin have observed a drop in their public support. In March, the Levada Center first began to note declines in the ratings accorded to three key state institutions: the president, the government and the prime minister. A later survey, from April, showed a decrease in the levels of public sympathy and positive attitude toward Vladimir Putin of four and three points, respectively, compared with October of last year. Sociologists warn that social unrest is possible as a result of ineffective government support for citizens.

A growing mistrust toward power is also reflected in the unwillingness of Russians to comply with the states quarantine mandates. Even the pro-Kremlin Nezigar Telegram channel concedes that the application of emergency measures does not enjoy the support of the population and has thoroughly eroded the ratings of state institutions. Similar data appears in materials published by MBK Media. Accordingly, people are annoyed by the governments restrictions and perceive these actions as pressure, an occasion for new repressions and an excuse for certain individuals to corruptly profit.

However, a drop in the level of trust in the authorities does not mean that a majority of Russians is ready to advocate for liberal transformations. Along with distrust toward the government, Russian citizens still broadly believe various anti-Western conspiracy theories. Moreover, the general bitterness from a new round of economic difficulties, combined with the fear of the spreading pandemic, greatly increase such susceptibility, compelling many Russians to look for simple explanations and external enemies to blame.

Regional correspondents of MBK Media, talking about the causes of the pandemic with ordinary people, note that most mentioned the conspiracy of the West, the uselessness of masks, fraud for the sake of raising prices, the benefits of ginger and Gods punishment. Conspiracy theories about a British or American origin of the virus as a biological weapon, broadcast even by state-run Russian media, likely prompted such ideas. Even more radical theories are spreading among the far-right audience in Russia, including that the World Government provoked a pandemic in order to eliminate the extra population, justify genocide, weaken the state and control a reduced populace.

Moreover, according to the Lev Gumilyov Center, xenophobic moods have now been growing in Russia for the second year in a row. Since 2017, adherence to ethnically motivated discrimination has risen from 54 to 71 percent, which is approaching the indicators of the pre-Crimean period of 20122013, and every second Russian now supports the slogan Russia for Russians. Amid the economic downturn and increased competition for jobs, combined with the fears of the foreign origin of the coronavirus, nativist animosity toward migrants is highly likely to grow. At the same time, the political sympathies of the Russian majority are increasingly shifting to the radical left, reinforcing nostalgia for the Soviet Union.

The coronavirus outbreak in Russia has also revealed other problems for the authorities, while increasing the populations own understanding of these issues. According to the observations of Alexander Nevzorov and other Russian journalists, a spontaneous awareness of the situation and dissatisfaction with the governments actions in all walks of life are growing. This awareness, paradoxically, does not contradict Russians belief in conspiracy theories or their view of Russia as a besieged fortress. Rather, these tropes harmoniously fit an increasingly widespread (even among more and more ordinary people) conviction that the Kremlin and especially Russian oligarchs (sometimes even Putin himself) are agents of the hostile West. As an alternative to the current authorities, these people dream of a real Stalin and a truly popular government, capable of both building social justice and finally protecting Russia from numerous enemies.

Until recently, the risk that the Russians who hold such views would take part in street protests was minimal. However, against the backdrop of new restrictions and rapidly deteriorating epidemiological and economic conditions, it is becoming increasingly possible. Meanwhile, the Russian special services (siloviki), which in recent decades had succeeded in largely neutralizing the liberal opposition, have no idea how to deal with the chaotic and uncontrolled movement of disparate but embittered individuals who hold divergent views but are united in their dissatisfaction with the government. As a result, after years of suppressing intellectual protest activity, the authorities may now encounter a much more dangerous phenomenon for thema meaningless and merciless Russian rebellion.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised doubts about speculation the coronavirus started in a Wuhan laboratory after Australian intelligence officials were unable to find any evidence to support the theory.

Intelligence agencies in the United States are investigating whether the virus started at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, near where the outbreak was first recorded, as part of a number of theories relayed to the Australian government under the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing arrangement.

Wuhan's Institute of Virology.

The intelligence has found no evidence that the Wuhan lab was the cause of the outbreak - only that it is one of a number of scenarios that cannot be ruled out.

The most likely cause of the virus is still the city's Huanan Seafood Market where environmental samples of the virus were found, Australian intelligence officials believe. Scientists studying the pathogen's genome have said it can only have evolved in nature and had long been warning that deforestation, urban sprawl and wet markets selling live wildlife such as that market in Wuhan were creating a "perfect storm" for another dangerous virus to jump from animals into humans.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits to a pursuit assault plane group under the Air and Anti-Aircraft Division in the western area

By Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean officials emphasise they have detected no unusual movements in North Korea and caution against reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be ill or is being isolated because of coronavirus concerns.

At a closed-door forum on Sunday, South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees North Korea engagement, said Seoul had the intelligence capabilities to say with confidence there were no indications of anything unusual.

Rumours and speculation over Kim Jong Un's health began after he did not appear in public at a key state holiday on April 15. He has since remained out of sight.

Experts have cautioned that Kim has disappeared from state media coverage before, and that gathering accurate information in North Korea is difficult.

South Korean media last week reported that Kim may have undergone cardiovascular surgery, or was in isolation to avoid exposure to the coronavirus.

Unification Minister Kim cast doubt on the report of surgery, arguing that the hospital mentioned did not have the capabilities for such an operation.

Still, Yoon Sang-hyun, chairman of the foreign and unification committee in South Korea's National Assembly, told a gathering of experts on Monday that Kim Jong Un's absence from the public eye suggests "he has not been working as normally".

"There has not been any report showing he's making policy decisions as usual since April 11, which leads us to assume that he is either sick or being isolated because of coronavirus concerns," Yoon said.

North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, but some international experts have cast doubt on that assertion.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed on Monday to step up cooperation to help North Korea prevent the spread of the coronavirus but made no mention of Kim's health or whereabouts.

"I will find a path for the most realistic and practical inter-Korean cooperation," Moon told a meeting with senior aides on the second anniversary of his first summit with Kim.

Story continues

"The COVID-19 crisis could mean a new opportunity for inter-Korean cooperation, and that's the most urgent and pressing task."

'ALIVE AND WELL'

North Korea's state media last reported on Kim's whereabouts when he presided over a meeting on April 11.

On Monday, it once again showed no new photos of Kim or reports on his whereabouts.

However, it did say he had sent a message of gratitude to workers building a tourist resort in Wonsan, an area where some South Korean media reports have said Kim may be staying.

Moon Chung-in, a top foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon, told U.S. news outlets that the South Korean government's position was "firm" - that "Kim Jong Un is alive and well."

"He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected," Moon said.

In Washington, a U.S. official appeared to back the South Korean government officials' assessment about Kim, as well as their admonition against speculation.

"That's good advice. The media should take what they're saying seriously," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An authoritative source familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting said it was entirely possible Kim had disappeared from public view to avoid exposure to COVID-19 and the sighting of his presidential train in Wonsan did suggest he may be there or have been there recently.

But the source said that since there was no authoritative backing for such a conclusion, U.S. agencies were also still considering the possibility Kim might be ill, even seriously.

38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, said on Saturday that satellite images from last week showed a special train that was probably Kim's at Wonsan, lending weight to those reports.

Kim Byung-kee, a former intelligence official and now a member of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee, urged caution on speculation and said there was little possibility that Kim was ill and predicted he would make a "surprise comeback soon."

A Unification Ministry spokeswoman said she had nothing to confirm when asked about reports that Kim was in Wonsan.

Last week, China dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation.

Reuters was unable to immediately determine what the trip by the Chinese team signalled in terms of Kim's health.

When asked about the Reuters report on the medical team, China's foreign ministry said it had no information to offer on Kim.

Kim, believed to be 36, vanished from state media for more than a month in 2014 and North Korean state TV later showed him walking with a limp.

(Reporting by Josh Smith, Sangmi Cha, and Hyonhee Shin, additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick Ansd Mark Hosenball in Washington; Writing by Josh Smith and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Michael Perry, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Howard Goller)
Orchard owner Kalim Saliba, 86, has died after he and his wife were assaulted during a home invasion in the early hours of Wednesday morning

An elderly orchard owner has died after he and his wife were bashed in a horrific home invasion.

Two burglars broke into a home in Cherrybrook in Sydney's north west just before 12.30am on Wednesday before demanding money from the couple and assaulting them.

Police arrived at the Tallowwood Avenue property to find the occupants, Kalim Saliba, 86, and his wife, 84, with serious head injuries.

Mr Saliba was taken to Westmead Hospital but died later on Wednesday morning.

His wife also suffered a fractured arm and is recovering in hospital.

A relative of the family said his death was 'tragic beyond words'.

The couple own the family-run Saliba Fruits apple orchard in the Blue Mountains town of Bilpin.

Naj Joukhdar, a family friend of the victims, reacts to the tragedy after speaking to the media

Ms Joukhdar broke down in tears outside the crime scene at a home on Tallowwood Avenue at Cherrybrook in Sydney on Wednesday

A police forensic worker is pictured at the scene of the home invasion. Mr Saliba has died in hospital

Mr Saliba was taken to Westmead Hospital (pictured) but later died after his life support machine was turned off

'He was a loving grandfather, a farmer for decades and to lose him like this is beyond comprehension,' the relative told 10Daily.

'He worked so hard all his life and was such a kind man that everyone respected and adored. We are very saddened by this news.'

Police believe the attack was targeted and the two men involved were armed, but have yet to establish a motive.

A neighbour on the quiet suburban street told The Daily Telegraph the death was a complete shock.

'This has never happened in this suburb in the 22 years Ive lived here,' they said.

Acting Superintendent Anthony Boyd told reporters it is believed the couple were awake and watching TV together when the burglars broke into their home.

A forensic crew member is pictured at the scene on Wednesday. Mr Saliba died in hospital after he suffered serious head injuries during the home invasion

Police search nearby bins as they establish a crime scene at the home on Tallowwood Avenue on Wednesday

A police officer takes photographs of the crime scene. Police believe the burglars threatened the couple before then assaulting them

He added early investigations indicated the husband was assaulted when he tried to defend his wife.

The wife alerted neighbours to the burglary, who then called the police.

'To attack defenseless elderly people in their own home is a cowardly, gutless act,' he said.

A police officer at the scene on Wednesday. Early investigations indicate the husband was assaulted when he tried to defend his wife, acting superintendent Anthony Boyd said

Police have been told the armed men, who had their faces concealed, threatened the couple before assaulting them.

It is not believed anything was taken from the home during the burglary.

Detectives have established a crime scene at the home and forensic crew were pictured at the home on Wednesday combing the scene for evidence.

An investigation into the incident is underway and police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
New Delhi, April 29 : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday asserted that India would emerge victorious in combating the deadly coronavirus through a graded, pre-emptive and pro-active approach.

He made the remarks in a video conference with Lions Club International members. as he thanked them for contributing Rs 9.1 crore in PM CARES fund and Rs 12.5 crore to various Chief Ministers Relief Funds.

He also appreciated their contribution in the form of providing meals to millions, and much needed medical equipment and protective gear.

Besides this, Health Ministry Secretary Preeti Sudan held a meeting with states and districts through video conference to discuss and deliberate on health infrastructure and Covid-19 management. She emphasised that non-COVID essential medical care should not be neglected.

It was reiterated that patients needing care like dialysis, cancer treatment, diabetics, pregnant women and those suffering from cardiac ailments must be given adequate care.

States were urged to ensure that the services in proximity of people are functional and remain uninfected.

On management of cases, ICMR Director General, Dr. Balram Bhargava, also emphasised on the importance of the meticulousness in collection of samples and filling up of the accompanying forms.

States were informed that the RT-PCR app has been made functional and needs to be put to use immediately.

Meanwhile, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 31,787 on Wednesday evening, with 1,813 cases and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry stated. This takes the total recovery rate to 24.5 per cent.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
UIA cancels today's Kyiv-London chartered flight over government ban

15:20, 29.04.20 4534

The flight was set to carry workers with long-term contracts.
Tributes for the star poured in from not just the industry but also the political world. Bachchan, who shared screen space with Irrfan in Piku, called him an incredible talent, a gracious colleague and a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema. Actor Radhika Madan, who most recently worked with him in the film Angrezi Medium, said she had no words to convey her loss.

I dont know what to say my heart aches when i write this. He was one the strongest people i knew, a fighter. And so are Sutapa maam ,Babil and Ayan. Im just grateful that our paths crossed in this lifetime. He is and will always be an inspiration to many. A legend. The man who changed the wave of the indian film industry.May his soul rest in peace.

Prime Minister Modi termed his death a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. Several chief ministers too condoled the demise.

The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Babil and Ahan.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 21:10:03

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: AGN) (FRANKFURT: AGW) (OTCQB: AGNPF) (the Company or Algernon) a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company, is pleased to announce that it has received a No Objection Letter from Health Canada to proceed with a NP-120 (Ifenprodil) COVID-19 Phase 2b/3 multinational clinical trial. The same study protocol is being prepared for submission to the U.S. FDA and Australian regulatory authorities.

The study is an adaptive pilot to pivotal trial design based on guidance documents from the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine if Ifenprodil can improve clinical symptoms of COVID-19 by reducing the number of COVID-19 diagnosed patients from progressing to mechanical ventilation with intubation and death. said Dr. Mark Williams, Algernons CSO.



The trial will begin as a Phase 2b study and after an interim analysis is performed on the first 100 patients, the data will determine the number of expected patients needed to reach statistical significance in a Phase 3 trial. With positive preliminary data, the clinical trial will move directly from a Phase 2b into a Phase 3.

We are very excited to have received clearance for our Phase 2b/3 study, said Christopher J. Moreau CEO of Algernon. We will begin to work immediately to get all aspects of the trial organized so that we can start as soon as possible including filing an IND for this same study with the U.S. FDA.

The Company cautions that while it is preparing to begin a Phase 2 clinical trial shortly in South Korea and Canada, it is not making any express or implied claims that NP-120 (Ifenprodil) is an effective treatment for acute lung injury (ALI), the COVID-19 virus, or any other medical condition at this time.



Phase 2b/3 Study Protocol Overview



The trial will begin as a Phase 2b study enrolling 100 patients with moderate/severe disease, which corresponds with a score of 4 or 5 on the WHO ordinal clinical scale. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to receive either standard of care (SOC) or SOC and Ifenprodil 20 mg (three times per day) for a two-week treatment period. An improvement in the ordinal clinical scale is the initial primary endpoint and a number of secondary endpoints including mortality, blood oxygen levels, time in the ICU and time to mechanical ventilation will be studied.

About NP-120 (Ifenprodil)

NP-120 (Ifenprodil) is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist specifically targeting the NMDA-type subunit 2B (Glu2NB). Ifenprodil prevents glutamate signalling. The NMDA receptor is found on many tissues including lung cells and T-cells, neutrophils.

The Company believes NP-120 can reduce the infiltration of neutrophils and T-cells into the lungs where they can release glutamate and cytokines respectively. The latter can result in the highly problematic cytokine storm that contributes to the loss of lung function and ultimately death as has been reported in COVID-19 infected patients.

About Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Algernon is a drug re-purposing company that investigates safe, already approved drugs for new disease applications, moving them efficiently and safely into new human trials, developing new formulations and seeking new regulatory approvals in global markets. Algernon specifically investigates compounds that have never been approved in the U.S. or Europe to avoid off label prescription writing.

Algernon has filed new intellectual property rights globally for NP-120 (Ifenprodil) for the treatment of respiratory diseases and is working to develop a proprietary injectable and slow release formulation.



CONTACT INFORMATION

Christopher J. Moreau

CEO

Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

604.398.4175 ext 701

info@algernonpharmaceuticals.com

investors@algernonpharmaceuticals.com

www.algernonpharmaceuticals.com .

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

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 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 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 Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) 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 as expressly required by applicable law.




Highlighting the government's effort in tackling the COVID-19 situation, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the entire north eastern region could very soon become coronavirus free.

He held interactions with former army generals and air marshals via video conference and received coronavirus- related inputs in the context of northeast region, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh from them.

"Singh updated the senior defence personnel that in the north eastern region, 5 out of 8 states have already become coronavirus-free while the other 3 states have not added any new positive case in the last few days, which means very soon the entire north eastern region could become COVID-19-free," a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry quoted him as saying.

Similarly, updating on Jammu and Kashmir, he said in the entire Jammu region only 15 coronavirus cases remained, while in Kashmir certain pockets like Bandipora, etc. were still a reason for concern but steadily coming out of it.

All the participants were unanimous in their opinion about the commendable manner in which the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi effectively led the war against COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

"They also appreciated that the entire northeast region was among the major big areas of India which had gradually come out of the coronavirus onslaught. Similarly, they also appreciated the effective administration under the present regime in Jammu and Kashmir which had helped in containing the enormity of the COVID-19 spread," it said.

About the lockdown, the general opinion was that relaxation should be gradual, the statement said.

"Similarly, for the north east, the general advice was that sealing of the borders with other countries like Bangladesh has been beneficial," it added.

"In both north east and Jammu and Kashmir the attitude of the common people was described as favourable. Similarly, views were also expressed about the option of online shopping and online classes," the statement said.

Singh, the minister of state for personnel, said most of the former generals and air marshals did not only have first-hand knowledge of the peculiar situation in the terrains of both Jammu and Kashmir and north eastern region, but as prominent members of civil society and eminent citizens after superannuation they also enjoyed distinguished role as opinion makers.

He said, their inputs and suggestions were not only valuable for improving efforts in the fight against coronavirus but could also give an insight into some of the aspects from their own perspective.

Prominent among those who interacted and offered their views during the video conference were General V P Malik, former chief of the Army Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, former chief of the Air Staff of Indian Air Force, Lt General Sharath Chand, former Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Deependra Singh Hooda, former GoC Northern Command, Lt General Ranbir Singh, former GoC Northern Command, Lt General Rakesh Sharma and Major General S K Sharma.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hillary Clinton, former United States, US, Democratic presidential candidate, has declared support for Joe Biden as the presidential c...





Hillary Clinton, former United States, US, Democratic presidential candidate, has declared support for Joe Biden as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.





Hillary made the declaration during a live event with Biden on Tuesday.





She stated that she was thrilled to be part of Bidens campaign





As we face Coronavirus, Joe has been a voice. I want to add my voice to the many, who have endorsed you to be our president,

I wish you were president right now. Think of what it would mean if we had a real president not just somebody who plays one on TV.





Its a real pleasure to be here with you and to be part of this very important discussion. And I am thrilled to be part of your campaign to not only endorse you, but to help highlight a lot of the issues that are at stake in this presidential election.





Recall that Bernie Sanders, Bidens main rival, endorsed him too.





Sanders decision means Biden will emerge as presidential candidate of the Democratic Party unopposed.




Barclays has lent more than 700m to small businesses under the coronavirus loans scheme (Matt Crossick/PA)

Profit at Barclays fell by more than 42% in the first three months of the year, as the bank took a major hit from the coronavirus crisis, it revealed on Wednesday.

Pre-tax profit dropped from around 1.5 billion to 913 million, bosses said.

It came as the company took a massive 2.1 billion impairment charge, most of it related to the impact of Covid-19.

The pre-tax profit was significantly below forecasts of 1.48 billion.

Q1 2020 RESULTS: Barclays Group CEO, Jes Staley on supporting our customers, clients and communities through the COVID-19 pandemic #BarclaysResults  Barclays Bank (@Barclays) April 29, 2020

Barclays boss Jes Staley said the bank had a good quarter until Covid-19 hit its business.

We have taken a 2.1 billion credit impairment charge, which reflects our initial estimates of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

Without this charge, pre-tax profit would have reached 3 billion, he added.

It was at home where Barclays was the worst hit.

Pre-tax profit dropped 66% to 220 million in the UK, compared with a 28% drop to 822 million internationally.

Governments around the world have been scrambling to shore up businesses, with many leaning on the banks to step in to give emergency loans.

In the UK, small businesses can apply to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) through their usual lenders.

Mr Staley said: We welcome the Government and Bank of Englands business support programmes and have introduced additional measures to back UK companies ourselves.

He added that Barclays has lent 737 million as part of the CBILS. It has also approved more than 238,000 mortgage and loan payment holidays, and six million customers are not paying charges on personal or business overdrafts.

We expect that all of these measures will help to limit the economic and social impact of the pandemic, the chief executive said.

But the roll-out has not been without problems.

Many business owners have complained about long waiting times as they scramble to get enough money to stop them collapsing.

One Birmingham-based restaurateur and pub owner told the PA news agency that Barclays basically told me there is nothing they can do for me and go elsewhere.

George Kafetzis has been forced to close his sites for 45 days, not including the week that the Government told diners not to eat out.
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday partially walked back earlier comments suggesting that in-person school graduation ceremonies could take place this year, saying that  at most  graduates can get their diploma only at events with a maximum of 10 people present.

DeWine, speaking during his daily briefing, admitted he caused some confusion around the state when he said Tuesday that schools can certainly do graduation if proper social-distancing precautions are taken to protect attendees against coronavirus.

The governor clarified that Ohio continues to ban any gatherings of more than 10 people, including in-person, mass graduation ceremonies.

DeWine said that at his request, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Health have issued new guidance to schools around the state about holding graduation events.

The guidance states that the most-preferred type of graduation event is a virtual ceremony conducted online, the governor said.

The states second preference is a drive-in ceremony in which students accept their diploma while inside their cars, the governor continued, while the third preference is to hold an in-person ceremony during which a maximum of 10 people can be in the room at any one time.

The guidance indicates that the state would allow  if only begrudgingly  a graduation plan devised by Perrysburg High School near Toledo in which seniors enter the auditorium one at a time with their immediate family members, walk the stage in cap and gown to receive their diploma in front of their family, and then have the student and their family leave together.

DeWine also said graduation parties of more than 10 people remain prohibited under a state health order.

Graduation parties can pose as much risk -- or more risk, frankly -- than a graduation, the governor said, adding later: While it's time to graduate, it's not the time to have a great graduation party. That will have to wait.

DeWine reiterated that, as a father of eight and grandfather of 24, he understands how hard it is for the Class of 2020 not to have traditional graduation festivities.

Its not how you envisioned it, not how your parents envisioned it, not how anyone envisioned it, he said. But I am confident that our schools will be resourceful and creative in how they can honor the class of 2020.

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Christina Hagan on track to challenge Rep. Tim Ryan: See who won Ohios congressional primaries

AP calls Ohio Democratic presidential primary for Joe Biden

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman decries unacceptable lack of coronavirus testing at Elkton federal prison
A 35-year-old woman in England has stockpiled masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPEs) during the coronavirus crisis. While there is nothing wrong it in, what makes Becca Browns move interesting is the fact that she has refused to donate any of these to healthcare workers in the UK, saying the government should have been more prepared.

Browns story has been reported in every major Brtish publication. She lives in Portsmouth, about 100 kilometres from London, and has amassed 2,500 worth of medical equipment.

Browns collection includes simple 500 surgical masks, military style face masks, shoe covers, face shields, surgical gloves and other medical items.

She is using some of these vital equipment to paint on, saying it makes the perfect canvas, according to British media.

In her defence, Brown says she has an elderly aunt to look after due to which she stockpiled these medical equipment to avoid unnecessary trips to shops, according to media reports.

The UK, meanwhile, came together on Tuesday for a minutes silence in the honour of hundreds of healthcare and other workers who have lost their lives on the frontline of the coronavirus fightback across the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who just recovered from a severe coronavirus attack, led the tributes with UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street for the National Health Service (NHS) and other key workers across care homes and public transport.

So far, 82 staff members of the UKs National Health Scheme (NHS) are known to have died after testing positive for the coronavirus, including many with their roots in India.

Nothing can make up for the tragic loss of a loved one during this pandemic. We owe a huge debt to those who die in service to our nation and are doing everything we can to protect them, said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The UK government has announced a new time-bound insurance scheme for the families of such public sector healthcare workers who lost their lives while on duty during the pandemic, worth 60,000 pounds.
It's no joke - Tupac Shakur lives in Kentucky and needs unemployment benefits to pay his bills.

The Lexington man's name was brought up by Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday night as he spoke about how the state is trying to process all unemployment claims filed in March amid the coronavirus pandemic by the end of April.

According to Beshear, a few 'bad apples' including a person who filed an unemployment claim under the name of rapper Tupac Shakur - who was killed in a 1996 shooting - are responsible for slowing down the state's unemployment processing.

According to Gov. Andy Beshear (pictured), a few 'bad apples', including a person who filed an unemployment claim under the name Tupac Shakur, are responsible for slowing down the state's unemployment processing

He blamed people who 'think they're funny' for making 'thousands of other people wait' for their unemployment payments.

But the Lexington Herald-Leader reports Tupac Malik Shakur, 46, who goes by Malik, lives in Lexington and worked as a cook before restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus shut down restaurants.

He filed for unemployment March 13 and has been waiting to receive his first check.

'I've been struggling for like the last month trying to figure out how to pay the bills,' Shakur said.

He told the newspaper he wondered why his benefits were being held up, but did not think the labor cabinet would declare his claim was a prank.

'I'm hurt, I'm really embarrassed and I'm shocked,' Shakur said.

Rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a 1996 shooting. Tupac Malik Shakur, 46, who goes by Malik, lives in Lexington

Beshear's office originally said the state could not verify the identity on the application but after getting information from the newspaper, the state is working to resolve the claim.

Beshear called Shakur personally on Tuesday to apologize and Shakur said he appreciated the gesture and forgave Beshear.

'I understand, he's dealing with a lot,' Shakur said. 'Mistakes happen.'
COVID-19 pandemic had negatively affected the U.S. economy as many people are getting unemployed and a lot of business closing.

Latino workers in the country in the U.S. are also losing their jobs are more businesses in the service sector are closing, such as shops and restaurants due to the widespread stay-at-home orders.

After losing their jobs, people are now finding it hard to find a source of income to pay for their daily needs and bills, such as rent. For those who are unable to pay for the rent for the following month, here are some tips:



Protect Yourself And Know Your Rights

This advice is not only applicable amid the current pandemic. Everyone should be prepared in case unforeseen events occur, such as the pandemic. It is important to know the rights of tenants.

One fast solution to determine tenant rights is to search for them on Google and look for an organization to network with.

Recently, a lot of governments had already issued eviction moratoriums.

It was reported that New York had postponed evictions for commercial and residential tenants who are affected by COVID-19 pandemic for 90 days. Also, Housing courts suspended their operations. It means that tenants cannot be taken to court for failure to pay rent for the duration of the country's COVID-19 crisis.



Communicate and Create a Payment Plan with Your Landlord

Landlords should know by now that a lot of people will be struggling to pay rent due to the COVID-19 crisis. Some had already waived rental payments for April. If your landlord had not implemented this scheme, you could communicate with them and request for the acceptance of a partial rental payment. Additionally, you and your landlord can talk about setting up a payment scheme for the month's rental fee.

If the landlord agrees for a rental payment plan, make sure that the terms of the agreement are correctly documented. These terms should include the amount of the modified rent, the duration of the payment plan, and the agreement to whether to pay back the deferred rental payments or not.

Check these out:



Look for Immigration Assistance and Be Updated

Last month, the federal government allowed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package that included direct payouts to millions of U.S. citizens, amounting to $1,200. However, the assistance was not able to reach millions in the country, including immigrants.

The government of California had made a stimulus package for every undocumented resident of the state, amounting to $500 each. Also, in the cities of Miami, Oakland, and Dallas, programs have been established to provide aid to those who were affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The programs aim to help them pay housing expenses.

Additionally, there are local food banks with whom you can ask for help. However, a lot of food banks in the country are under a lot of pressure brought by the pandemic. Additionally, you can ask help from mutual aid groups where strangers assist those who are in need.
Press release

Regulated information  Inside information

28 April 2020, 7:30 a.m. CEST





IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM  27 April 2020  MDxHealth SA (Euronext Brussels: MDXH) (the "Company" or "MDxHealth") a commercial-stage innovative molecular diagnostics company, today invites the holders of securities issued by the Company to its annual and extraordinary general shareholders' meetings that will be held on Thursday 28 May 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Belgian time.

The items on the agenda of the annual and extraordinary general shareholders' meetings include the proposed approval of a number of resolutions relating to the financial year ended on 31 December 2019, as well as the renewal of the authorisation to the board of directors to increase the share capital within the framework of the authorised capital and the adoption of an amended and restated version of the articles of associations in accordance with the provisions of the Belgian Companies and Associations Code and reflecting some technical changes.

Exceptionally, and in accordance with the Belgian Royal Decree no. 4 of 9 April 2020 on miscellaneous provisions relating to co-ownership and corporate and association law in the context of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of directors of the Company has decided to hold the annual and extraordinary general shareholders' meetings behind closed doors without the physical presence of the holders of securities of the Company and their representatives. As a result, the shareholders of the Company can exercise their voting rights only by voting by mail or by means of a written proxy to the chairman of the board of directors. Furthermore, holders of securities of the Company can only exercise their right to ask questions related to the items on the respective agendas of the annual and extraordinary general shareholders' meetings by means of written questions prior to the respective meetings. For more information, please see the convening notice.

Story continues

In order to participate to the annual and extraordinary general shareholders meetings of the Company, the holders of securities issued by the Company must comply with Article 7:134, 2, first indent of the Belgian Companies and Associations Code and the articles of association of the Company, and fulfill the formalities described in the convening notice. The convening notice, forms and other documents relating to the annual and extraordinary general shareholders meetings can be consulted on the Companys website.

As postal services may be disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as the deadline for the submission of voting by mail forms, proxies and written questions is a Sunday during which there is usually no ordinary postal service, the Company recommends the holders of its securities to use e-mail for all communication with the Company regarding the general shareholders' meetings. The Company's email address for such communication is: agsm@mdxhealth.com.

About MDxHealth

MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specific therapy. The Company's European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on social media at: twitter.com/mdxhealth, facebook.com/mdxhealth and linkedin.com/company/mdxhealth.

For more information: MDxHealth info@mdxhealth.com

Important information

The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx and SelectMDx are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA (the "Company" or "MDxHealth"). All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of MDxHealth and the market in which it operates. Such statements and estimates are based on assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict, may depend upon factors that are beyond the Company's control, and may turn out to be materially different. MDxHealth expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this release to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation.

This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of MDxHealth in any jurisdiction. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time (the "U.S. Securities Act"), and the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless these securities are registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act is available. The Company and its affiliates have not registered, and do not intend to register, any portion of the securities concerned in the United States, and do not intend to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

Attachment
[April 29, 2020] BioStem Technologies Announces Corporate Update on Company Direction

Pompano Beach, FL, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioStem Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: BSEM) ("BioStem" or the "Company") a leading life sciences company specializing in perinatal tissue-based allografts for use in regenerative therapies, today announced a corporate update on the Companys direction.

The Company announced that it embarked on a new initiative to define its two distinct business pillars, BioStem Technologies and BioStem Life Sciences. The new strategic focus of BioStem Technologies is to identify, develop and market the life changing regenerative biologics, formally spearheaded by BioStem Life Sciences. This includes an all new biologic therapeutic pipeline focused on Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and Osteoarthritis (OA). BioStem Technologies will also assume the sales and distribution of the RHEO, VENDAJE, VENDAJE AC, and VENDAJE OPTIC brands. BioStem Technologies also announced the addition of four new biologic therapeutics to its pipeline. Three of the new biologics are aimed at potentially treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), one of the leading life-threatening conditions caused by COVID-191, and the fourth is targeted at the potential treatment of Osteoarthritis. BSEM-001  Amniotic Fluid therapy being developed as a potential treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

 Amniotic Fluid therapy being developed as a potential treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) BSEM-002  Umbilical Cord Tissue Native MSCs therapy being developed as a potential treatment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

 Umbilical Cord Tissue Native MSCs therapy being developed as a potential treatment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) BSEM-003  Amnion Derived MSCs therapy being developed as a potential treatment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

 Amnion Derived MSCs therapy being developed as a potential treatment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) BSEM-004  Amniotic Fluid Matrix therapy being developed as a potential treatment for Osteoarthritis (OA) BioStem Life Sciences will transition to a GMP level, Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). In addition to development and manufacturing for BioStem Technologies, BioStem Life Sciences will support 3rd party cell and gene therapy developers with process development, analytical methods, GMP Manufacturing, aseptic fill and finish, and cell banking. BioStem Life Sciences is positioned to create bespoke support programs for developers who are looking for streamlined market entry. By leveraging their experience in the perinatal tissue allograft vertical, the company will help cell therapy innovators accelerate their time to market as well as realize cot savings.



Earlier this year the Company announced a new website for BioStem Life Sciences ( www.BioStemLifeSciences.com ), showcasing capabilities of the lab and announcing progress on transitioning to a (CDMO), and now is also proud to announce the launch of a new website for BioStem Technologies ( www.BioStemTechnologies.com ) as well. This new website aligns with the Companys new direction, wherein BioStem Technologies will develop its product pipeline, utilizing BioStem Life Sciences for research, development and manufacturing. The new website is also a hub of information for BioStems legacy products RHEO, VENDAJE, VENDAJE AC, and VENDAJE OPTIC. "My ultimate goal in life is to make it so the next generation grows up in a world where pulmonary fibrosis is managed just like the common cold, and the body's natural regenerative engine remains empowered throughout our lives," said Jason Matuszewski, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BioStem Technologies. "BioStem's new vision is a biotechnology company focused model, founded to harness perinatal tissue as a platform for discovery and therapeutics. This will ultimately lead to amplify the body's ability to fight disease, restore function and extend the healthy lifespan. It is my vision and passion that the cellular medicines we derive from placental tissue will lead to abundant and affordable treatments."

About BioStem Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: BSEM): BioStem Technologies, Inc. is a global life sciences corporation, providing innovative technologies with a concentration in Regenerative Medicine. The companys mission is to discover, develop and produce the most effective Regenerative Medicine products in the world. BioStem Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality brands that include RHEO, VENDAJE, VENDAJE AC and VENDAJE OPTIC. The company is comprised of a diverse group of scientists, physicians, and entrepreneurs who collaborate to create innovative products. These technologies improve the Quality of Life for our patients and, as a result, drive shareholder value. Forward-Looking Statements: Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "future," "plan" or "planned," "expects," believe" or "projected." These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. These risk factors include, among others, limited operating history, difficulty in developing, exploiting and protecting proprietary technologies, intense competition and additional risks factors as discussed in reports filed by the company with OTC Markets. BioStem Technologies, Inc.

Phone: 954-380-8342

Website: http://www.biostemtechnologies.com

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @Biostemtech

Facebook: BioStem Technologies Investor Relations:

Andrew Van Vurst

[email protected]

(954) 380-8342 1. Wu C, Chen X, Cai Y, et al. Risk Factors Associated With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Death in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA Intern Med. Published online March 13, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0994

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Paris discussed the implementation of photovoltaic stations construction project in Samarkand region with Senior Vice President of Total Eren Company  Fabienne Demol, Trend reports citing Uzbek media.

Demol confirmed Total Eren's readiness to invest 150 million euros in the construction of energy facility with a total capacity of 100 MW in Uzbekistan.

The company's partners in the project are the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan and the National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan. The company has already installed meteorological measuring devices to collect data on energy potential in Samarkand region. Completion of the work and launch of the project is scheduled for late 2021, the report says.

Total Eren will carry out design, financing, construction and operation of the power plant for the entire project period (25 years).

"Fabienne Demol also said that Total Eren has allocated charitable funds in the amount of $25,000 to support the fight against the spread of coronavirus in Uzbekistan, some of which will go to the account of the public Mercy and Health fund, the rest - in Samarkand region," the message said.

The first agreement on cooperation in the construction of photovoltaic stations with Total Eren was signed in October 2018 during the official visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to France.

Total Eren is a leading French-based IPP from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro), with more than 2,400 MW of gross capacity in operation or under construction on 5 continents.

The company aims to achieve a global net installed capacity of more than 3.7 GW by 2022, and is supported by strong strategic and financial shareholders, including Eren Groupe, Total S.A, Bpifrance, Tikehau, NextWorld Group and FFP.

In Central Asia, Total Eren started developing renewable energy projects in 2017.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
COVID-19: India set to send retired military doctors, nurses to UAE,Kuwait

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: India has in principle given approval to requests from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to send Indian doctors and paramedics. Kuwait and UAE had both sought medical assistance from India this month to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, it may be recalled that the Indian Air Force had flown a 15 member military rapid response team. Since they were impressed with the response of the rapid response team, another request was made.

Coronavirus cases in Pakistan rises to 14,885, death toll at 327

In principle, the government has decided to send retired military doctors, nurses and technicians to travel to Kuwait and UAE. The foreign ministry is now working out the modalities on sending the teams. India would also soon receive requests from other Gulf countries. Once the formal request is sent out, then a decision would be taken, a report in the Hindustan Times said.

The report said that the retired doctors, nurses and technicians who are ready to take up this assignment can opt to go to the Gulf countries. It was decided to send in the retired medical staff as India cannot spare serving government doctors at this time as India cannot comprise on the healthcare requirements of India.
Fitch Ratings has revised the outlooks on seven Ukrainian banks to stable from positive and affirmed their Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs), the agency said on its website.

"The affected banks are: Oschadbank, Ukreximbank, PrivatBank, Ukrgasbank, Credit Agricole Bank, ProCredit Bank, and Pravex-Bank," it said.

"Fitch has also revised the outlook on First Ukrainian International Bank's (FUIB) Long-Term IDR to negative from stable and affirmed the IDR at 'B'," the report says.

"The rating actions follow Fitch's revision of the outlook on Ukraine's sovereign rating to stable from positive in light of the anticipated adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitch expects the Ukrainian economy to contract by 6.5% GDP in 2020, compared with 3.2% growth in 2019, before recovering by 3.5% in 2021. The economic policy response, including increased social spending and the formation of a coronavirus fund (1.6% of GDP), could help to soften the economic shock. However, there are material downside risks to our baseline forecasts, given the uncertainty around the extent and duration of the coronavirus crisis," Fitch said.

"We have revised the sector outlook for Ukrainian banks to negative from stable as we expect that the economic downturn, weaker client activity, lower household incomes (due to higher unemployment and lower remittances) and exchange-rate pressures (the hryvnia has depreciated by 11% since the beginning of March, while Fitch forecasts depreciation of 25% for FY20) will increase performance pressures for banks. We expect that provision of additional liquidity to banks, as announced by the central bank, and temporary regulatory forbearance should help banks manage problem loans and solvency ratios in local accounts, reducing the risk of capital breaches. However, we believe that the risks to banks' credit profiles have significantly increased," Fitch expert stated.

"The stable outlooks on the IDRs of seven banks are in line with that on Ukraine's sovereign and capture the potential support from their respective state (Oschadbank, Ukreximbank, PrivatBank, Ukrgasbank) or foreign shareholders (Credit Agricole Bank, ProCredit Bank, and Pravex-Bank) and Fitch's perception of Ukraine's country risks. FUIB's IDR is driven by its standalone creditworthiness, as reflected by its 'b' Viability Rating, and the negative outlook reflects Fitch's expectation of the near-term pressures on the bank's financial profile due to the economic shock," according to the document.
Official White House Photo by Shealah CraigheadBy CONOR FINNEGAN and JORDYN PHELPS, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- The White House has ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to review intercepted communications and other data to see whether China and possibly the World Health Organization concealed information early on about the novel coronavirus, two administration officials told ABC News.



In a rare statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Thursday that the intelligence community is specifically investigating While the ODNI said it "concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified," the announcement that it's investigating a possible lab accident as the source of the pandemic is a boost for the unproven theory that President Donald Trump and many of his senior officials have pushed for weeks now, even as epidemiological experts say its likelihood is rare.



The investigation is also a sign of Trump's new hard line on China amid questions about his own response to the outbreak in the U.S. After initially praising Xi Jinping and his government's "transparency," the president has now even suggested his administration would seek compensation from Beijing.



Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again played the role of attack dog Wednesday, accusing China of spreading disinformation and covering up details of the outbreak and calling into question the safety of Chinese labs -- fueling the unproven theory that the first case of COVID-19 came from a lab.



Pompeo had labeled the pandemic the "Wuhan virus" in an effort to make clear where the outbreak began, according to a State Department official, as the arms of Chinese government propaganda cast doubt on whether it originated in Wuhan and even blamed the U.S. military for starting it. But after a March 27 call between Trump and Xi, that accusatory tone was softened, with Pompeo not even directly referring to China when calling for transparency or accusing governments of disinformation.



It's unclear what's behind the return to an aggressive tone in recent days. Critics of the Trump administration have accused the president of shifting blame to other targets, including the media, the Obama administration, Democratic lawmakers and the World Health Organization as the outbreak in the U.S. worsened.



The ODNI does not make public statements often. The role of the director, a cabinet-level position created after the Sept. 11 attacks to oversee the various U.S. intelligence agencies, has been vacant since Dan Coats left last August. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, Trump's nominee for the role -- who was put forward and withdrawn last summer and resubmitted in February -- awaits a hearing. In the meantime, it's been filled on an acting basis by Trump's ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, known for his sharp defense of the president.



Asked whether he agreed with the assessment that the virus is not man-made, Trump said Thursday he had not seen the report.



In his press conference Wednesday, Pompeo also demanded that the Chinese government provide access to its biomedical labs to international inspectors, including from the U.S.



"There are multiple labs that are continuing to conduct work on contagious pathogens inside of China today, and we don't know if they are operating at a level of security to prevent this from happening again," he said.



He didn't say whether the U.S. had submitted a formal request to China for such inspections, which would likely come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to China's CDC. The U.S. CDC has not responded to a request for comment.



Several of China's labs work with their counterparts in the U.S. and elsewhere, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which Pompeo has implied may have caused the outbreak by accidentally infecting personnel.



Several public health and epidemiological experts have told ABC News it is "vastly more likely" that the first infection -- what's called "zoonotic spillover" -- occurred in the wild, given the "huge barriers between people and viruses in the laboratory setting," according to Dr. Christine Johnson, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Predict project and a professor at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.



At the White House Monday, Trump said his administration was looking at ways of holding China financially responsible for the pandemic and the economic damage it has caused after countries closed borders, trade halted and governments implemented stay-at-home restrictions.



"We haven't determined the final amount yet. It's very substantial. If you take a look at the world -- I mean, this is worldwide damage. This is damage to the U.S., but this is damage to the world," he said.



The Chinese government has rejected the idea that it owes any money, including lawsuits by individual Americans and the states of Missouri and Mississippi -- and Trump didn't specify how he would force it to pay.



Ordering intelligence agencies to investigate could be the first step toward building some kind of case against Beijing -- a fierce form of retaliation that the president has so far saved for the World Health Organization. His administration halted further U.S. funds to the United Nations agency even though it has no authority to do the things Trump and Pompeo have said it failed to do.



"As the president has said, the United States is thoroughly investigating this matter. Understanding the origins of the virus is important to help the world respond to this pandemic, but also to inform rapid-response efforts to future infectious disease outbreaks," White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement Wednesday.



But critics point out the U.S. doesn't need an intelligence review of WHO to find out what it knew when. U.S. officials were part of the WHO expert team that traveled to China after Beijing finally gave WHO permission at the end of January, a State Department spokesperson told ABC News. There are also American officials who work at the organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the U.S. mission to the agency.



"We simply insist that they fulfill their missions, including demanding full transparency and information sharing and a willingness to speak the truth and hold member states accountable when they fail to comply," the spokesperson said of WHO, even though -- according to its bylaws -- the agency is severely limited in what it can say beyond what data it gets from a member state.



WHO's director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus again defended the organization on Wednesday, telling reporters, "From the beginning, WHO has acted quickly and decisively to respond and to warn the world."



Pompeo's attacks have earned him vitriol from Chinese state media. In an extraordinary op-ed on its evening newscast, which has over 100 million viewers a night, CCTV called the top U.S. diplomat "a public enemy of mankind" for spreading "political viruses," playing "tricks" and interfering "with international public health cooperation."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Bhopal: Claiming that a dozen survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy have succumbed to the coronavirus in the city, some organisations have blamed the state and central government for the tragedy.

Members of these oganisations said at least 12 of the 14 COVID-19 victims in Bhopal so far are survivors of the Union Carbide gas tragedy, adding that nothing was done by the authorities despite warnings and seeking advance arrangements for the victims amid the outbreak of COVID-19.

On March 21, organisations working among the survivors of the worlds worst industrial disaster had written to several state and central government officials and submitted data which shows that gas victims are five times more vulnerable to COVID-19 than the general population. They sought urgent intervention towards providing essential services of testing and critical care to the gas-affected population in view of the pandemic, a welfare worker said on Wednesday.

Rashida Bee of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karmchari Sangh said the 12 untimely deaths of the gas tragedy survivors was due to the criminal negligence of the governments at the state and Centre as due attention was not paid to their medical needs.

Volunteers said an analysis shows all of them were men who had survived the gas tragedy and needed chronic care for their lung, heart and kidney ailments, adding that 95% of them were above the age of 55 years.

Of the 12 deceased, four died outside the gates of the hospital, seven died within 24 hours of admission and only two got prolonged care, which is a clear indication that lack of prompt care was one of the reasons of their deaths, an activist said.

None of the deceaseds family members have been given any medical record or report of their samples testing positive for the virus. All them died in government hospitals which barely have the infrastructure to take care of so many critical cases, the volunteers alleged.

Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information & Action said an analysis of the deaths and concrete suggestions were provided to officials of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), state health commissioner and the collector of Bhopal to help them take corrective measures for future.

However, it looks like even this letter has met the same fate as the earlier one, Dhingra said.

The Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee took cognisance of the letter dated April 23 written by survivor organisations and asked ICMR, Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre (BMHRC) and National Institute for Research on Environmental Health (NIREH) and the Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation to ensure COVID-19 testing of all gas victims in view of their vulnerability.

It also asked the agencies to provide super-speciality treatment to the gas victims and directed NIREH to carry out COVID-19 testing as they have all the relevant infrastructure.

NIREH, which is mandated to carry out research on morbidities and long-term impact of exposure-related illnesses, has a list of those who are most vulnerable to the virus, i.e. persons above 60 years and with co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD, heart and kidney problems and cancer in the gas-exposed population. However, in the last one month, the institute has not taken any initiative in screening or testing of the gas victims.

This is simple dereliction of duty, said Nousheen Khan, a member of Children Against Dow-Carbide.

Earlier, the administration in Bhopal had taken over the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), a dedicated hospital for 1984 victims, for treatment of coronavirus, and it was only after the survivors moved the high court, that the hospital was de-notified and restored to its old status.

Besides 14 mortalities, Bhopal has so far seen 495 cases of coronavirus.
With mushrooming needs for basic services and revenue dried up by the COVID-19 pandemic, five mayors from across the country told U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., on Wednesday that their cities need federal dollars  and soon.

At stake, they told Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a former Springfield mayor, are basic services like police, fire, parks and recreation and sanitation.

In addition, said Mayor Bill Peduto of Pittsburgh, are the investments that have helped his city and others blossom into a new high-tech and healthcare driven economy .

"There will not be an economic recovery if our states and our cities are bankrupt," Peduto said.

Pittsburgh has seen economic collapse before and has learned the lesson that disinvestment and austerity stifle the kind of growth cities could experience in the coming years, he said.

"We didnt have a program, so it took 30 years for us to dig out of that hole," Peduto said. "We were bankrupt. We had state oversight. We pay the price in crumbling infrastructure and disinvestment ."

Earlier on Wednesday, the federal government announced that the U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that GDP will plunge this quarter at a 40% annual rate.

Neal spent an hour Wednesday meeting via the online program Zoom with Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley; Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Steve Benjamin; Santa Fe Mayor, New Mexico, Mayor Alan Webber, Arlington, Texas, Mayor Jeff Williams and Peduto in a video conference set up by the United States Conference of Mayors.

We are not talking about fancy things, Whaley said. We are talking about direct services to our residents.

The Conference of Mayors posted the video of the meeting on its Facebook page.

United States Conference of Mayors Discussion with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal United States Conference of Mayors Discussion with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal joins Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber, Arlington, TX Mayor Jeff Williams, and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto to discuss the constraints impacting city government budgets due to COVID-19. Posted by United States Conference of Mayors on Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Neal briefed the mayors on efforts to craft the next round of stimulus, one that he hopes will include another individual payment, help covering unemployment insurance costs and aid to cities, towns and states and county governments

"We are going to insist on our side that this package include direct assistance to all of you," Neal said, echoing sentiments he expressed Saturday at a press conference with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.

The first CARES Act, a coronavirus bailout bill, provided money only to cites of 500,000 or more residents and only for specific uses, not to make up for lost tax revenue in general

And some Republicans in Washington have decried aid to cites and states as a "blue state bailout".

The revenue loss is a direct result of coronavirus, "said Arlington, Texas, Mayor Jeff Williams. "This revenue loss is easy to document."

In Springfield, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Timothy J. Plante told councilors earlier this month that the citys financial outlook is very bleak." Hes been told to prepare for a 14% reduction in unrestricted general government aid from the state  a loss of $5.6 million.

Williams said that the issue is not "red" or "blue", that is a difference in philosophy between Republicans, like himself, and Democrats. It's the impact of the virus and the efforts to control that virus and the impact is felt across political divides.

Williams and Santa Fe Mayor Webber spoke about the devastating impact of lost tourism. Santa Fe depends on people drawn for its Southwestern and Native American art and culture.

But no fiestas and festivals and no lively street markets mean no spending and no spending means no sales tax. He's got a $46-million budget deficit to plug in two months before the fiscal year ends and then a difficult 2021 budget year to follow.

"We dont really know how far down this hole will be or do we know when the recovery might start," he said. "I want to be able to tell the people of Santa Fe that help is on the way."

Williams said he doesn't want to lay off employees at a time when everyone should be preserving jobs.

"It's very difficult to be talking about layoffs and furloughs at a time when we should be rewarding people," he said. "We dont want to be putting municipal employees on the street adding to that job loss."

Neal spoke about his desire, and his assurances from Trump administration Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, that an infrastructure plan for roads, bridges, rail, ports, airports and broadband internet will be part of a coronavirus recovery.

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Each fifth medic in Moscow who have been tested for coronavirus antibodies has immunity to the infection, chief of Russias sanitary watchdog Anna Popova said.

"As of today, we have tested more than 3,200 people with the use of the domestic testing system," she said at a government meeting on the coronavirus situation in Russia.

"And the first results have demonstrated that 20% of them have immunity. It is acquired immunity," TASS cited her as saying.

To date, a total of 93,558 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 8,456 patients having recovered from the virus. Russias latest data indicates 867 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 04:55:45|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the White House current coronavirus guidelines will be "fading out" as more states begin to reopen their economies despite coronavirus concern.

"They'll be fading out, because now the governors are doing it," Trump said during a White House meeting with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, according to a The Hill report.

Vice President Mike Pence said the guidelines are being incorporated by governors into their plans to reopen, and indicated they will phase out over time.

"Every state in America has embraced those guidelines at a minimum, or even done more, and now our focus is working with states," Pence said. "The current guidelines I think you can say are very much incorporated in the guidance that we're giving states to open up America again."

The current guidelines, including measures such as physical distancing, avoiding large gatherings and working from home, are set to expire Thursday.

Trump announced guidelines on April 16 that recommend a three-phase approach for states and counties to reopen their economies by May 1. Enditem
Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died on Wednesday after battling neuroendocrine tumour for two years. The actor was 53.

Film actors, directors and other celebrities mourned his death on social media and called it an unimaginable loss for the film industry. Among those who paid tributes were actors Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, politicians Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi and others.

Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Amitabh tweeted, Just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum Prayers and duas.

Also Watch | Actor Irrfan Khan passes away in Mumbai; tributes pour in from celebrities

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace.

T 3516 - .. just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. 

An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..

Prayers and duas   Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 29, 2020

Bahut guni abhineta Irrfan Khan ji ke nidhan ki khabar sunkar mujhe bahut dukh hua. Main unko vinamra shraddhanjali arpan karti hun.  Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) April 29, 2020

Sad to hear the news of #IrrfanKhan passing away. He was one of my favorites & Ive watched almost all his films, the last one being Angrezi Medium. Acting came so effortlessly to him, he was just terrific.

May his soul Rest In Peace. 

Condolences to his loved ones.  pic.twitter.com/gaLHCTSbUh  Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 29, 2020

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Congress leader Rahul Gandi wrote, Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief.

Karan Johar tweeted, Thank you for those indelible movie memories....thank you for raising the bar as an artist ...thank you for enriching our Cinema....we will miss you terribly Irrfan but will always always be immensely grateful for your presence in our lives.....our cinema....we salute you.

The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family. pic.twitter.com/vjhd5aoFhc  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) April 29, 2020

When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) April 29, 2020

When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) April 29, 2020

Actor Irrfan Khan Dies In Mumbai At 53. This is such a tragedy and heart. RIP Irfan sir. The industry has lost an exceptional artist and human. You will be so so missed . Spread the happiness in Heaven. https://t.co/smQygfHpMM  Ranganathan Madhavan (@ActorMadhavan) April 29, 2020

Thank you for those indelible movie memories....thank you for raising the bar as an artist ...thank you for enriching our Cinema....we will miss you terribly Irrfan but will always always be immensely grateful for your presence in our lives.....our cinema....we salute you  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) April 29, 2020

A fantastic costar, an actor par excellence ,and a beautiful human being , you are irreplaceable #irrfankhan. @irrfank We lost you too soon! Unbelievable. Om Shanti  pic.twitter.com/QdEBiSUegw  Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) April 29, 2020

Saddened to hear of the passing of Irrfan Khan. My heart goes out to the family, may you find strength in this time. Rest in peace  Kajol (@itsKajolD) April 29, 2020

Heartbroken to hear about Irrfans untimely demise. Its an irreparable loss for Indian cinema. Deepest condolences to his wife & sons. RIP Irrfan.  Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) April 29, 2020

Such terrible news...saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time   Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 29, 2020

This hurts so much because he was the nicest, coolest guy! Every interaction with him was so memorable. Love you Irrfan Sir. You were a real fighter!! Love and strength to the family, wrote Parineeti. Rest in peace @irrfank you have no idea what your kindness meant to me at a time I was at my least confident . My condolences to your family and loved ones, wrote Taapsee. His The Lunchbox co-star Nimrat Kaur wrote that she was heartbroken.

The Maqbool actor, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, lost his mother in Jaipur just four days ago. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Amid an abundance of uncertainty created by COVID-19, one thing is clear: Fall on Wisconsins college campuses will look different than it normally does.

There may be some things we simply cannot do in the fall, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said Monday to the University Committee, a small group of professors representing faculty members on campus. It is quite possible that 80,000 people cannot gather in Camp Randall.

Universities across the U.S. are planning for multiple fall semester scenarios, including one in which classes remain entirely online. Other ideas being floated across the country include restricting class sizes, reducing the number of students in dorms, offering some classes online and some in-person, delaying the start of the semester and phasing in students arrival to campus.

Few institutions have announced their plans for the fall. Beloit College is one of the first in the state to share its decision. To give students more flexibility in their schedules, the small liberal arts college will divide the semester into two halves so students can take two courses during each half instead of four over the entire semester.
Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

Duchess Meghan has hired David Sherborne, a lawyer who previously represented her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, for her ongoing British tabloid lawsuit.

Sherborne has represented a slew of high-profile celebrities including Elton John, the Beckhams, and Harry Styles.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is taking a page from Princess Diana as she currently undergoes her lawsuit against a British tabloid.

According to 5RB law firm's official website, the duchess has hired David Sherborne to represent her in her lawsuit against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday. Sherborne has not only previously represented Meghan's late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, but also high-profile British celebrities such as Elton John, David and Victoria Beckham, and Harry Styles.

"He is also acting for HRH The Duchess of Sussex in her misuse of private information, breach of data protection, and infringement of copyright action against Associated Newspapers," read a statement on Sherborne's official profile.

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday and its publisher for publishing excerpts from an obtained private letter she sent to her father in 2018, allegedly printed with the intention of manipulating the newspaper's readers. According to the duchess's lawyers, the act violates privacy, copyright, and data protection laws in the United Kingdom.

Earlier this month, in an open letter sent from the Sussexes' representatives, both Meghan and Prince Harry declared they would no longer engage with The Sun, Mirror, Daily Mail, and Express publications due to their reporting style toward the royal couple.

"This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It's not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting," said the couple in their letter. "Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can't be based on a lie."



Story continues

A source close to the Sussexes confirms to BAZAAR.com that should Meghan win the case, she will be donating damages from the lawsuit to an anti-bullying charity.

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Daysi is working in as a patient care technician in a New Jersey hospital while trying to finish her nursing degree, helping fight the coronavirus in a state with the second most cases in the country.

The Monmouth County resident, brought to the U.S. at age 9, is one of 16,480 so-called dreamers living in New Jersey. Almost one-third of them, 5,000, are working in health care or other essential industries, including grocery stores, according to Center for American Progress, a progressive research group.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez told Daysis story Tuesday as he and other Senate Democrats urged Congress to pass legislation allowing unauthorized immigrants brought here as children to remain the country they grew up in, and for President Donald Trump to allow them to continually work legally in the U.S.

She comes to work every day ready to save lives in so many ways, Menendez, D-N.J., said of Daysi, who asked the senator not to use her full name or hometown. Regardless of their place of birth, these individuals undoubtedly represent the best of America.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

These immigrants had been safe from deportation until Trump revoked their protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (better known as DACA). The U.S. Supreme Court is about to rule on whether they can stay or not.

Trump, elected on an anti-immigration platform, claimed that President Barack Obama had no power to allow the dreamers to remain in the U.S. once Congress refused to act.

The president also has sought to end temporary protected status for another 13,900 immigrants in New Jersey from El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras. Around 7,500 of those immigrants are working in health care-related fields and other essential businesses such as grocery store and warehouse employees.

We are living in the midst of an unprecedented national crisis, Menendez said. Our health care sector needs all hands on deck in order to save lives. That includes thousands of dreamers and TPS holders actively working on the front lines.

New Jersey had 113,856 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, second only to New York.

Deporting these health care workers would be a self-inflicted wound by the Trump administration, Menendez said.

All of these people are doing an incredible valiant work, Menendez said. These frontline workers from dreamers and TPS also are risking their lives every day. We have to respect their work by protecting them from deportation.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
The last isolated residents of the first cluster of deadly coronavirus in Louisiana are finally leaving their rooms for face-to-face reunions with loved ones from the outside, according to relatives of those inside the gated Lambeth House retirement complex in New Orleans.

The family meet-ups mark the latest move to loosen restrictions and forced isolation across the embattled Uptown complex, where COVID-19 has infected at least 53 of 260 residents and killed at least 18 of those who tested positive before or after death.

Still, residents who were hopeful for clear signs that the virus had vacated the building, and that they could soon return to a fuller slate of activities, were dealt a setback last week. Neighbors say an independent-living resident received a positive test result last Wednesday and is now under quarantine, although hes shown no symptoms.

Lambeth House officials did not respond to a request for an update on conditions inside the complex, which includes sections for independent living on eight upper floors, the St. Annas nursing care facility below that, and assisted-living and memory care units a floor down.

Neither did a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Health respond when asked whether Lambeth House had been cleared as a coronavirus cluster, meaning no new positive test results over a 28-day period.

The virus appears to have first ignited among residents living on the independent-living floors, then quickly spread through St. Annas, where the frailest of the home's residents live.

St. Annas is where the virus claimed Saints legend Tom Dempsey, the most famous name on a sad roster of Lambeth House residents to die in the outbreak, retired doctors, university professors and lawyers among them.

Lambeth House officials had indicated, several residents said, that the assisted-living halls had been spared the virus.

John Gathright said his 86-year-old mother, Barbra Gathright, a memory-care patient who lived on the second floor, came down with the virus and recovered.

Theyd communicated over Facetime during the lockdown, but John Gathright said he sat for the first time with his mother last week, at least 10 feet apart, for 30 minutes in a shaded area by the parking lot.

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Shes weakened from the virus. She looks tired, frustrated and agitated, he said, but she appears to be over the worst.

Gathright said he had to push Lambeth House to test his mother, adding that hes been agitating for testing of all Lambeth House residents. Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that his administration will begin pushing for such blanket testing in nursing homes as capacity rises.

The outbreak at Lambeth House, first identified in a sick resident on March 10, gave Louisiana its first horrifying glimpse of the pandemics brutal, ongoing sweep through elderly and closely housed populations.

Over the six weeks since then, COVID-19 has shown up in more than a third of the states 439 licensed nursing homes, along with 73 residential care facilities in the state. All told, those facilities account for a little over one in 10 positive cases of the disease reported in Louisiana thus far, but one in every three reported COVID-19 deaths, according to state data released Monday.

The actual death toll from nursing homes and senior complexes may be significantly greater. Studies elsewhere in the U.S. have found the new coronavirus rearing its head far earlier than previously suspected, and some nursing homes overrun with the virus did not test all residents who fell ill and died.

At Lambeth House, the independent-living residents who were first infected were isolated for two weeks, then allowed more freedom to move around the complex and mill about the parking lot, though they couldnt leave and family couldnt enter. Independent activities such as swimming, meanwhile, have slowly resumed in a modified fashion.

Lambeth House had arranged socially distant reunions of couples living sequestered during the outbreak. But about 20 assisted-living residents and more memory-care patients who were living on the second floor remained locked down.

Alfred Moran Jr. saw it as a positive sign for the retirement home that his 102-year-old mother and other assisted-living residents were allowed to visit family downstairs for the first time Monday.

Moran described his mother as frail, like anybody 102 would be, but communicative in nightly phone calls.

I really think, with these elderly people, this kind of solitary confinement is worse than anything, Moran said. Easter she spent sitting alone. This is going to be like the greatest day of her life.
(CNN)  The Anti-Defamation League and a New York City councilman are calling out Mayor Bill de Blasio after he condemned a large funeral gathering, saying he targeted the entire Jewish community when only one group of people broke the rules.

De Blasio said the gathering for a rabbi's funeral Tuesday in Williamsburg, New York, was "absolutely unacceptable," and noted it won't be tolerated.

"Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonight  a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic," de Blasio tweeted. "When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus."

"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed," de Blasio said in another tweet. "I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summon or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period."

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt responded to the mayor, accusing him of generalizing the entire Jewish community when only a small segment broke the rules.

"Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC. The few who don't social distance should be called out; but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous, especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever," Greenblatt tweeted.

New York City Councilman Kalman Yeger echoed similar concerns, saying it was unacceptable of the mayor to condemn an entire community after the Williamsburg funeral incident.

"Mr. Mayor, your words are unacceptable. To condemn our entire community over one group of people is something you would not do to any other ethnic group, and I know you long enough to know that you know this," Yeger, who is Jewish, tweeted.

Religious events and funerals remain a challenge, NYPD said

CNN has reached out to several Jewish organizations in Williamsburg to get more information about the funeral and for comment on de Blasio's remarks.

The New York Police Department had officers near the corner of Bedford Avenue and Rutledge Street, where the crowd gathered, Lieutenant John Grimpel confirmed to CNN. As of 11 p.m., the NYPD had no record of summonses or arrests from this incident.

Previously, the NYPD has said that some officers have encountered challenges at religious events and funerals, noting efforts "were geared toward maintaining the dignity of those events while insisting on dispersal of groups to ensure social distancing."

The mayor also tweeted about difficulties surrounding funerals.

"We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn," the mayor wrote. "But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning. We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance."

This story was first published on CNN.com "New York community leaders call out mayor after he condemned a large gathering and singled out the Jewish community"
Bacalar plane confirmed carrying cocaine bound for Cartel de Sinaloa

Escarcega, Campeche  The secretary of the navy says the nearly 600 kilo load of cocaine found in Campeche from a plane in Bacalar, Quintana Roo was discovered hidden under the semis metal roof.

The Secretary of the Navy reports the unit was tracked by the military and detained at the entrance to Escarcega where the drug was secured. However, they spent two hours searching the semi for the drugs and only made the discovery when they lifted the metal roof sheets, under which the cocaine bricks were stowed.

The unit was tracked after a plane managed an illegal landing in Salamanca, in the municipality of Bacalar. Although the plane load of drugs were gone, military personnel managed to seize motorcycles and make arrests.

They report that David Alvarez Cruz and Luis Francisco Flores Cahuich were detained when trying to flee on motorcycles when police moved in on the plane. The small aircraft was seized Friday by the Mexican Navy and National Guard on a clandestine runway. They say it was carrying approximately one ton of pure cocaine from Colombia, destined for the Cartel de Sinaloa. Cocaine residue was found inside the empty aircraft.

In their initial statement before the Federal Public Ministry, the two detainees said that the drug had been brought from Colombia and unloaded by people from Sinaloa.
By now, every segment of our economy and industrial sector has been touched by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. A recent supply management survey found that three out of every four U.S. businesses have experienced some form of disruption due to impacts from COVID-19.

In their 40th year, Rolyn has a nationwide, specially trained and equipped Team dedicated to preparedness and response to biohazard, bacterial and/or viral outbreak, and has been deemed a State and Federally designated provider of essential services for the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Rolyn has successfully decontaminated millions of square feet of schools, hospitals, hotels, commercial real estate, restaurants, and manufacturing centers nationally.

During these times, facilities reach out to Rolyn, with the same simple question that both employers and employees are asking: How do we get back to work safely? First and foremost, check with your state officials to determine when you can re-open your business and return to work. Once you have the approval to re-open, check with your landlord to see if your building is open for business and what proactive and reactive decontamination steps your landlord is taking - both to the common areas and your particular space.

Our experience in supporting our many clients with essential businesses that have remained open during this crisis, suggests that reopening businesses is not going to be straightforward. What these clients have seen are more astute employees that expect, and are looking for assurances that they are working in a safe environment, commented Mark Futrovsky, Rolyns President. For businesses that are going to reopen, this starts with decontaminating the business before your employees return to work in accordance with the latest CDC, EPA, and OSHA guidelines. This will send a message to your employees, tenants, customers, and stakeholders, of your commitment to their safety, health, and wellness.

In response to requests by many local and national clients to assist them in getting back to work safely, Rolyn has dedicated a portion of their website to: Getting back to work safely post COVID-19

Rolyns dedicated COVID-19 section located here: https://www.rolyn.us/backtobusiness, includes:

1. Rolyn Menu of COVID Services

2. Frequently Asked Questions

3. Comparisons of Rolyns services to general cleaning contractors

4. Links to latest CDC, OSHA, and EPA Guidance

About Rolyn:


Debenhams workers have warned of "jobs carnage" in the retail sector and have urged the government to step in to save their jobs.

They spoke out during a day of action today mounted as part of their ongoing campaign for a fair redundancy.

It included a second round of protests at 10 Debenhams stores facing full-time closure, and the country's first industrial relations virtual rally held online and attended by almost 400 people.

It comes ahead of a liquidation hearing tomorrow when the provisional liquidators of Debenhams Retail Ireland who were appointed just over two week ago are expected to be appointed full-time liquidators.

The liquidation process was triggered just before the Easter weekend when Debenhams Retail in the UK moved to appoint an administrator and indicated that it was withdrawing support from its loss-making Irish operation which manages 11 stores and directly employs almost 1,000 people. A further 500 people work in concessions within the stores.

It is understood that following an initial assessment of the Irish operation's books, there is around 4m in the kitty and debts of up to 20m.

The company's Irish bosses have told workers that the Irish stores are unlikely to reopen.

The workers have been told they will only receive their statutory entitlements and have received little or no detail in recent weeks about their employment status pending the liquidation hearing.

Dozens of the workers observed physical distancing during today's protests outside Debenhams stores in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Newbridge.

In Cork, gardai noted the names and address of the protestors but did not direct them to disperse.

During an online e-rally later, organised by Mandate and Uplift, the workers warned of potential "jobs carnage" in the retail sector if other companies close up during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shop stewards, Jane Crowe and Valerie Conlon, said the Debenhams closure in Ireland has put 2,000 jobs on the line.

"Thats thousands of people and families reliant on our wages. The government would be better off stepping in now, to invest to keep people employed, rather than having to pay for thousands more people going onto social welfare," they said.

We believe many of the stores are profitable, as well as the online business. The government is putting billions in to keep people employed because of Covid-19. There are also EU funds available to prevent redundancies.

"We are asking all our political representatives to ask the government to take a stake here and invest to keep the company trading.

Mandate General Secretary, John Douglas, said public support for the Debenhams workers has been phenomenal.

"Already 20,000 people have signed a petition in support of the workers," he said.

We believe the company sought to enter the liquidation process during the Covid-19 crisis because it prevented the workers from being able to negotiate effectively.

"They couldnt attend meetings or engage in normal industrial relations activities so we have to come up with new and innovative ways of making our voices heard.

Some 700 people worked in Debenhams' two Cork stores.

Lawrence Owens, the chief executive of the Cork Business Association (CBA), said all staff must be treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

He called on the British parent company to plough money into fair and decent redundancy payments for its Irish staff.

And he called on City Hall to do what it can to ensure a potential tenant is found quickly for the landmark building on St Patrick's St.
Spring ISD opened online registration this week for prekindergarten and kindergarten students for the 2020-21 school year, while it is still up in the air as to whether Texas students will be able to return to school in August.

Pre-K students must be four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2020 and meet requirements outlined by the Texas Education Agency for eligibility. Students who will be five years old by that day and are not enrolled in Spring ISD pre-K for the 2019-20 school year may also pre-register for kindergarten.

A Spring ISD news release stated this will be the first year full-day pre-K will be offered at every elementary school

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: University of St. Thomas to reopen, Houston's largest church resumes

We have been preparing for the move to full-day Pre-K classes across the district for several months, Spring ISD Chief of School Leadership and Student Support Services Lupita Hinojosa said. Although we always welcome and are eager to enroll students anytime, this preregistration will help us know how many students will be enrolled and enable us to better prepare and plan for the coming school year.

To register and to see more eligibility requirements and information, parents should visit www.springisd.org/prek. Anyone with questions can call district staff at 281-891-6337 for help in either English or Spanish.

COVID-19 CLOSURES: Spring ISD schools to remain closed through remainder of school year

Students are finishing out the semester from home in a virtual learning environment as Texas schools were ordered to remain closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spring ISD Director of Communications Karen Garrison said the district is proceeding with plans for the coming school year as though schools will be open.

We have also started having conversations about what school may look like next school year and the need for our community  like so many other communities  to adapt and adjust, Garrison said. Whatever is needed next school year to support our students, well make the necessary adjustments to ensure they have everything they need to learn and thrive.

CLASS OF 2020: Spring ISD planning for both virtual, in-person graduation ceremonies

The Empowered Learning At-Home platform the district has been using for students to continue learning at home also includes lessons for prekindergarten students, Garrison said.

The district is also offering the dual language program to pre-K and kindergarten students next year at Clark Primary School, the International School at Salyers Elementary and the School for International Studies at Bammel Middle School, which is being transformed into a prekindergarten through eighth-grade international school.

We are pleased to be offering additional opportunities and choices to our families this coming school year, and we invite parents and guardians of rising Pre-K and kindergarten students to take advantage of this opportunity to preregister, Hinojosa said.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - LEUCROTTA EXPLORATION INC. (TSXV: LXE) ("Leucrotta" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its financial and operating results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2019. All dollar figures are Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

F IN ANCIAL RESULTS Three Months Ended December 31 Year Ended December 31 ($000s, except per share amounts) 2019 2018 % Change 2019 2018 % Change Oil and natural gas sales 6,870 7,113 (3 ) 27,645 32,048 (14 ) Cash flow from operating activities 2,098 3,764 (44 ) 10,465 16,249 (36 ) Per share - basic and diluted 0.01 0.02 (50 ) 0.05 0.08 (38 ) Adjusted funds flow (1) 2,316 2,875 (19 ) 10,266 15,949 (36 ) Per share - basic and diluted 0.01 0.01 - 0.05 0.08 (38 ) Net loss 6,140 161 3,714 5,529 43 12,758 Per share - basic and diluted 0.03 - 100 0.03 - 100 Capital expenditures and acquisitions 4,160 10,665 (61 ) 14,997 36,680 (59 ) Proceeds on sale of equipment (2) - 2,729 (100 ) 4,767 2,729 75 Working capital 125 2,102 (94 ) Common shares outstanding (000s) Weighted average - basic and diluted 200,525 200,525 - 200,525 200,520 - End of period - basic 200,525 200,525 - End of period - fully diluted 226,646 227,082 -

(1) See "Non-GAAP Measures" section.

(2) The sale of equipment for proceeds of $4.8 million is exclusive of $2.7 million deposit received in Q4 2018.

OPERATING RESULTS (1) Three Months Ended December 31 Year Ended December 31 2019 2018 % Change 2019 2018 % Change Daily production Oil and NGLs (bbls/d) 765 850 (10) 820 954 (14) Natural gas (mcf/d) 12,392 14,115 (12) 13,347 15,574 (14) Oil equivalent (boe/d) 2,830 3,202 (12) 3,044 3,550 (14) Revenue Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) 51.26 44.78 14 51.80 59.46 (13) Natural gas ($/mcf) 2.86 2.78 3 2.49 2.00 25 Oil equivalent ($/boe) 26.39 24.14 9 24.88 24.74 1 Royalties Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) - (0.60) (100) - 1.45 (100) Natural gas ($/mcf) - - - - - - Oil equivalent ($/boe) - (0.16) (100) - 0.39 (100) Net operating expenses (2 Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) 8.43 5.95 42 8.34 6.67 25 Natural gas ($/mcf) 0.80 0.78 3 0.85 0.82 4 Oil equivalent ($/boe) 5.77 5.00 15 5.95 5.40 10 Net transportation and marketing expenses (2 Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) 1.35 1.17 15 1.34 1.54 (13) Natural gas ($/mcf) 1.46 0.82 78 1.11 0.52 113 Oil equivalent ($/boe) 6.74 3.92 72 5.25 2.69 95 Operating netback (2 Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) 41.48 38.26 8 42.12 49.80 (15) Natural gas ($/mcf) 0.60 1.18 (49) 0.53 0.66 (20) Oil equivalent ($/boe) 13.88 15.38 (10) 13.68 16.26 (16) Depletion and depreciation ($/boe) (9.65) (9.29) 4 (9.56) (9.38) 2 Asset impairment ($/boe) (22.41) - 100 (5.25) - 100 General and administrative expenses ($/boe) (4.76) (5.48) (13) (4.30) (4.05) 6 Share based compensation ($/boe) (0.20) (0.84) (76) (0.51) (2.81) (82) Gain on sale of assets ($/boe) - - - 1.30 - 100 Finance expense ($/boe) (0.47) (0.42) 12 (0.36) (0.26) 38 Finance income ($/boe) 0.04 0.10 (60) 0.03 0.21 (86) Net loss ($/boe) (23.57) (0.55) 4,185 (4.97) (0.03) 16,467

(1) See "Frequently Recurring Terms" section.

(2) See "Non-GAAP Measures" section.

Selected financial and operational information outlined in this news release should be read in conjunction with Leucrotta's audited financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the year ended December 31, 2019, which are available for review at www.sedar.com.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

In Q4 2019, Leucrotta's capital was spent predominantly on the upgrade of the recently acquired Two Rivers Facility and related infrastructure. All other capital was restricted pending completion and start-up of the facility in March 2020.

Production remained relatively stable at 2,830 boe/d for the quarter as wells continue to outperform expectations and resulted in positive reserve revisions. Production increased in late March 2020 with the start-up of the Two Rivers facility and is estimated to average approximately 3,000 boe/d for 2020.

Leucrotta maintained positive net working capital at end of Q4 2019 but is estimated to have approximately $5.0 million of debt at the end of Q1 2020. Capital spending will be limited on a go-forward basis until there is more clarity on commodity prices. Leucrotta will look to reduce debt through cash flow and sale of non-core properties and equipment.

We look forward to reporting on further business developments in the near future.

FREQUENTLY RECURRING TERMS

The Company uses the following frequently recurring industry terms in this news release: "bbls" refers to barrels, "mcf" refers to thousand cubic feet, and "boe" refers to barrel of oil equivalent. Disclosure provided herein in respect of a boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion rate of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent has been used for the calculation of boe amounts in this news release. This boe conversion rate is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

This news release refers to certain financial measures that are not determined in accordance with IFRS (or "GAAP"). This news release contains the terms "adjusted funds flow", "adjusted funds flow per share", "operating netback", "net operating expenses", and "net transportation and marketing expenses" which do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. The Company uses these measures to help evaluate its performance.

Management considers adjusted funds flow to be a key measure as it demonstrates the Company's ability to generate the cash necessary to fund future capital investments and abandonment obligations and to repay debt. Adjusted funds flow is a non-GAAP measure and has been defined by the Company as cash flow from operating activities excluding the change in non-cash working capital related to operating activities and expenditures on decommissioning obligations. The Company also presents adjusted funds flow per share whereby amounts per share are calculated using weighted average shares outstanding, consistent with the calculation of net loss per share. Adjusted funds flow is reconciled from cash flow from operating activities under the heading "Cash Flow from Operations and Adjusted Funds Flow" in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2019, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Management considers operating netback an important measure as it demonstrates its profitability relative to current commodity prices. Operating netback, which is calculated as average unit sales price less royalties, net operating expenses, and net transportation and marketing expenses, represents the cash margin for every barrel of oil equivalent sold. Operating netback per boe is reconciled to net loss per boe under the heading "Operating Netback".

Net operating expenses is calculated as operating expenses less processing revenues. Management uses net operating expenses to determine the current periods' cash cost of operating expenses less processing revenue and net operating expenses per boe is used to measure operating efficiency on a comparative basis. The measure approximates the Company's operating expenses relative to its produced volumes by excluding third party operating costs.

Net transportation and marketing expenses is calculated as transportation expenses less marketing revenues. Management uses net transportation and marketing expenses to determine the current periods' cash cost of transportation expenses less marketing revenue and net transportation and marketing expenses per boe is used to measure transportation efficiency on a comparative basis as well as the Company's ability to mitigate the cost of excess committed capacity.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intends", "forecast", "plans", "guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information.

More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company's risk management program, oil, NGLs, and natural gas production, capital programs, and debt. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including expectations and assumptions relating to prevailing commodity prices and exchange rates, applicable royalty rates and tax laws, future well production rates, the performance of existing wells, the success of drilling new wells, the availability of capital to undertake planned activities, and the availability and cost of labour and services.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in development, exploration and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production rates, costs, and expenses, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, marketing and transportation, environmental risks, competition, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and changes in tax, royalty, and environmental legislation. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this document are made as of the date hereof for the purpose of providing the readers with the Company's expectations for the coming year. The forward-looking statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Leucrotta is an oil and natural gas company, actively engaged in the acquisition, development, exploration, and production of oil and natural gas reserves in northeastern British Columbia, Canada.

Further Information

For additional information, please contact:

Mr. Robert J. Zakresky

President and Chief Executive Officer

(403) 705-4525

Mr. Nolan Chicoine

Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

(403) 705-4525

Leucrotta Exploration Inc.

Suite 700, 639 - 5th Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta T2P 0M9

Phone: (403) 705-4525

Fax: (403) 705-4526

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/55020
(Newser)  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has abruptly dropped plans for lawmakers to return next week, saying he and Nancy Pelosi decided to change course after speaking to the Capitol's attending physician. Hoyer said the physician warned it would be unsafe for House lawmakers to return as planned on May 4, partly because the number of coronavirus cases is still rising in the Washington, DC area, the Hill reports. "We had no choice," Pelosi told reporters Tuesday. "If the Capitol physician recommends that we not come back, then we have to take that guidance." She said the physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, had warned that bringing the 430 House lawmakers back too early could risk the lives of staffers and Capitol police officers.

story continues below

Hoyerwho faced a backlash from lawmakers when he announced the May 4 return date Mondaysaid House members could return for a session when the next coronavirus relief bill is ready in order to vote on both the bill and a plan to allow remote voting. Senate leaders say they are still planning to return on May 4, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office declined to comment on whether he had consulted with Monahan, Politico reports. House Republicans criticized Democrats' handling of the situation, with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise saying they should "get back to work." NPR reports that during an event Tuesday, Trump mocked Hoyer's decision, saying Democrats "don't want to come" and "they're enjoying their vacation." (Read more Congress stories.)
Malcolm Turnbull urged Australia not to anger China as diplomatic tensions over COVID-19

Ousted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged Australia not to anger China as diplomatic tensions between the once-friendly nations reach boiling point.

The Morrison government stood firm on its calls for an independent probe into the origins of COVID-19, sparking fury among Chinese diplomats who have threatened to cut economic ties with the country.

The situation flared on Wednesday when Victorian China Consul-General Zhou Long hijacked a government press conference alongside billionaire mining boss Andrew Forrest to discuss COVID-19.

The event was held to announce Mr Forrest's Minderoo Foundation had obtained 10 million virus testing kits from China to use in Australia.

Ministers were blindsided by Mr Zhou's surprise appearance.

Mr Zhou was not allowed to take questions, but took the opportunity to praise Beijing's handling of the pandemic.

Instead of backing his former colleagues, Mr Turnbull warned them business leaders would not support the government if it continued to challenge China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the G20 Summit in 2016

'An Australian prime minister who ends up in conflict with China cannot expect any support or solidarity from the Australian business community,' he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday night.

'Overwhelmingly, they're totally invested in the economic benefits of the relationship.'

Meanwhile, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said Mr Forrest had allowed the Chinese Communist party to 'ambush the press conference'.

'Now is not the time for games. Australia must come first,' Mr Hastie said. 'This guy drops out of the sky in his private jet and enables the Chinese Communist Party to ambush a commonwealth press conference. Yeah, we're not happy.'

Mr Zhou used the opportunity to credit the 'open, transparent and responsible' manner with which China had worked alongside the World Health Organisation.

Mr Zhou used the press opportunity to credit the 'open, transparent and responsible' manner with which China had worked alongside the World Health Organisation

Victoria and Tasmania Consul-General of China Long Zhou (centre) departs a press conference where he spoke of the relationship between China and Australia

China has repeatedly refused an international investigation into the outbreak, most recently describing the demands of Australia as 'political manoeuvring'.

Mr Forrest is understood to have invited the Chinese diplomat to speak.

He said earlier that Australia and China should 'simmer down a little,' according to news.com.au, but would not comment on whether Australia should continue its push for the probe.

'I don't ascribe to the view that China has behaved badly here. I am very grateful there are people in Beijing who love Australia.'

The deadly respiratory virus has infected more than three million people globally, including 6,746 Australians. So far, 212,000 people have died worldwide.

The nation's ambassador, Jingye Cheng, triggered a diplomatic firestorm by warning Scott Morrison's push for an inquiry would lead to a boycott of Australia.

He received a fiery dressing down from the Foreign Affairs Department on his 'threats of economic coercion', which the Chinese embassy then leaked.

China is accused by some of covering up the severity of the epidemic after it started in a live exotic animal market in Wuhan, costing the world vital weeks of preparation.

This photo taken on April 15, 2020 shows a worker wearing a face mask as he throws ice into a pool with fish at a shop at a market in Wuhan where the first reports of the virus emerged in December

On Tuesday, the editor of a Chinese state media publication has described Australia as 'gum stuck to the bottom of our shoe'.

Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-run Global Times, shared a post on Weibo saying ties between Australia and China would continue to deteriorate, as a bitter war of words threatened to escalate into a diplomatic disaster.

'After the epidemic, we need to have more risk awareness when doing business with Australia and also when we send our children to study there,' he wrote.

'Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off.'

He also admitted China would try 'economic coercion' to bring Australia to heel, making a thinly-veiled threat that 'time will prove it all'.

'Let me give a 'coercion' to Australia,' he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning.

Vendors wearing face masks as they offer prawns for sale at a market in Wuhan where reports of the virus first emerged in December

'As its attitude toward China becomes worse and worse, Chinese companies will definitely reduce economic cooperation with Australia.

'And the number of Chinese students and visitors going to Australia will also decrease. Time will prove it all.'

His comments echo those made by China's ambassador, Jingye Cheng, who last week threatened a mass boycott of Australian produce.

'Maybe also the ordinary people will say, ''why should we drink Australian wine or to eat Australian beef?'',' he told the Australian Financial Review.

Australia responded quickly, making it clear the ambassador's comments were out of line.

'The government has made our displeasure with those remarks known,' Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Tuesday.

China accounts for 26 per cent of Australia's total trade, worth around $235 billion in 2018/19, and is the biggest single market for Australian exports including coal, iron ore, wine, beef, tourism and tertiary education.

Australia has stood firm on its calls for an independent probe into the origins of COVID-19. Pictured: A wet market in Nanming, China

China provides 16 per cent of our tourists and 38 per cent of our international students who contribute tens of billions to the economy. Pictured: Tourists at the Sydney Opera House

Senator Birmingham said Australia was a 'crucial supplier' to China for imports and energy helped power much of China's manufacturing growth and construction.

'COVID-19 has seen hundreds of thousands of people die around the world, millions of people lose their jobs, billions of people face massive disruption to their lives,' he said.

'The least the world can expect is a transparent inquiry into the causes of COVID-19 so that we can understand how best to prevent a repeat episode any time in the future.'

Australia's export markets in 2019 1. China: $135 billion (33% of total Australian exports) 2. Japan: $36 billion (9%) 3. South Korea: $21 billion (5%) 4. United Kingdom: $16 billion (3.8%) 5. United States: $15 billion (3.7%) Source: Worldstopexports.com Advertisement

The extraordinary diplomatic standoff comes in the face of the largest economic shock Australia has seen since the peak of the Great Depression in 1931.

Businesses and jobs will be lost permanently as a result of the global pandemic.

Treasury predicts unemployment to peak at 10 per cent.

The jobless rate was higher during the economic devastation through the 1930s, but the numbers steadily rose over the course of years rather than months.

Treasury boss Steven Kennedy says the virus is having an unprecedented impact on economies worldwide.

'We have never seen an economic shock of this speed, magnitude and shape, reflecting that this is both a significant demand and supply shock,' he told a Senate committee in Canberra on Tuesday.

Dr Kennedy believes the crucial financial ties between China and Australia can help both countries recover from the economic crisis.

'There is great economic return to Australia in continuing to support Chinese development and growth through our trade relations,' he said.

Foreign investment rules have been temporarily tightened to give Treasurer Josh Frydenberg more oversight of overseas capital being tipped into Australia.
Help for Heroes adapts it services for veterans and offers support to frontline workers across the country

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 29th, 2020

A charity that provides support to service personnel and military veterans has adapted its services to continue providing assistance to those who need it during the coronavirus pandemic.

While the country continues to come to terms with life in lockdown, Help for Heroes has stressed that it is continuing to provide support to wounded veterans, serving personnel and their families experiencing a range of physical and mental health challenges across Wales and Hereford.

It has also extended its expertise to help frontline workers who may be struggling with their well-being at the present time.

Help for Heroes has highlighted the need to make sure long-term support is in place for the nations health workers fighting Coronavirus, because of similarities with the sort of issues faced by members of the Armed Forces on the battlefield.

The Charitys Community Recovery Manager, Shelley Elgin said: We understand some of what they are up against.

Help for Heroes has supported more than 25,000 ex-service personnel and families, many of whom have faced similar situations to those our NHS staff are facing around the country right now: challenging environments; working outside of normal areas of work; working with protective equipment; and putting themselves at risk.

Many have also been taken away from family, friends and colleagues for extended and uncertain periods of time.

Help for Heroes has been asked to contribute their expertise to a package of support being created for the Nightingale Hospitals staff and volunteers.

In addition, the charity has made these resources available on its website to support health workers around the UK in preparing for and dealing with traumatic experiences.

The materials are freely available for anyone to access whether they are working on the frontline delivering healthcare, or simply struggling with the changes to routine brought about by living under lockdown.

These resources were designed for, and co-produced with, wounded veterans, but the situations NHS staff are currently dealing with draw many parallels to those veterans will have faced on the battlefield and beyond.

Ms Elgin said: The challenges faced by those leaving the military due to illness or injury are often complex, and we believe that those who have already embarked on a recovery journey often have the best insight into what will help others.

It is a resource of tips and tools our recovery teams deliver to veterans who have experienced traumatic events or have been affected by working in high intensity situations. The guide is broken down into three parts; Body, Emotion and Mind and can be worked through in one go or one at a time.

We hope this is a useful resource for our NHS heroes, and for anyone else who may be feeling stressed or anxious during these difficult times.

Across Wales and Hereford Help for Heroes Community Recovery Team is currently delivering an adapted service to beneficiaries due to the social distancing measures in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Ms Elgin says, We plan to resume face to face service delivery across the region once it is deemed safe and appropriate to do so. In the meantime, our beneficiaries can expect the same exceptional level of welfare support and medical assistance they have come to know from our expert team.

North Wales keyworker Jiffy Myers joined Help for Heroes in October 2017, having served for 24 years in the Welsh Guards.

His usual role involves travelling across the region delivering face to face welfare support and advice to veterans and Armed Forces personnel who are leaving the military due to illness or injury ending their service.

This normally takes place at Help for Heroes Community Recovery hubs, in military and civilian venues, and in individuals homes. During the current crisis, Jiffy is providing support over the phone and video links to wounded veterans acrossthe region

For him, the essence of Community Recovery is, Providing local support in familiar surroundings to the individual concerned.

A career highlight was when an elderly veteran was struggling with mental health issues linked to his military service. Jiffy said: I made a referral for him to receive the therapy he needed to help with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder he was experiencing, and he was able to attend several courses at Help for Heroes Recovery Centres in Tedworth House and Phoenix House to help build his self-confidence and assist with his recovery.

For more information on the support Help for Heroes is offering the nations health workers, and to access The Field Guide to Self Care visit the Help for Heroes website. To access support from the Wales and Hereford Community Recovery team please contact: Wales.supporthub@helpforheroes.org.uk
Middle-aged father-of-five (or maybe six) has - yet another  baby: So will Boris Junior be a welcome small dose of good news for house-bound Brits?

Boris will no doubt be celebrating in Downing Street tonight with a fine champagne, but what about the rest of us? All babies are sweet and charming, but this little boy couldnt have arrived at a more difficult time.

Ordinary folk still cant get a coronavirus test (the government website crashed yet again today - its easier to get front row tickets for Elton John or Lady Gagas rescheduled tours than secure a test slot near your home) and most of us arent allowed back to work yet because were not considered essential.

Meanwhile, old people are dying alone and miserable in care homes. The healthy over-70s (of which I am one) are condemned to be incarcerated and jobless until we die of boredom, in order not to overburden our NHS. Front line staff are still dying because they cant get protective clothing and Matt Hancock continues to bluster about his 100,000 testing target..

Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds at the England v Wales rugby match at Twickenham on March 7, just before Mr Johnson contracted coronavirus

These are extremely challenging times - so how will the birth of this son impact on the Prime Ministers huge workload?

He is charged with finding a way out of the mess his minister and band of scientists seem to have got us into, with not even the first baby steps towards an exit strategy.

And hes already a man who has narrowly cheated death in recent weeks and who seemed weaker and somewhat subdued during his only public appearance since leaving hospital.

After two weeks recuperation at Chequers, Boris returned to Downing Street just this Monday (ordered by doctors to take things gently), only to have to skip his first Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament because of the birth.

Robot Raab was back at the wheel - the man who couldnt wait for Boris to bounce back, take charge and make some decisions about ending lockdown before the country goes bankrupt.

Now he has to worry about a new baby. Dare I suggest, this situation is far from ideal?

One question bothers me - why oh why, does Boris Johnson keep fathering children? At the age of 55 there are four grown up offspring from his second marriage to Marina Wheeler, and a daughter, Stephanie, the product of an affair in 2009 conducted while he was Mayor of London.

Boris Johnson with his partner Carrie Symonds leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London last month

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives back at 10 Downing Street today from hospital after the birth of his baby son

Court documents hint at another child, the identity of which has remained secret. According to another super-breeder, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Boris has joined the exclusive club whose members are fathers of six.

Fathering six children by multiple mothers sends out a message, and its not one I find particularly attractive or appealling.

Along with making macho talk about war and fighting coronavirus, fathering children isnt difficult. But why keep at it in your mid fifties?

Boris is a Marmite character, you either find him insufferably pompous, priveleged and shallow, or unbelievably charismatic and charming.

Fans say his energy and drive make up for a lack of grasp of detail, and claim he is the only person who can unite the British people with all their disparate cliques and classes. It certainly worked for former Labour voters in the North, seduced by his bullish posturing over Brexit.

Boris fans are prepared to overlook his adulterous nature, the fact he cheated on his second wife, the fact he conducted inappropriate relationships while Mayor of London. And Im not even mentioning the pole dancing tech lady with a handy flat in the East End, which he used to visit for lunchtime briefing sessions.

JANET STREET-PORTER: Boris will no doubt be celebrating in Downing Street tonight with a fine champagne, but what about the rest of us? All babies are sweet and charming, but this little boy couldnt have arrived at a more difficult time

To be blunt, Boris may be fertile, but has he got the focus, not to mention the energy, to come up with a plan to save the UK before dishy Rishi depletes the coffers with his well-meaning bail-out schemes?

The congratulations are cascading in from politicians on all sides. Boris is only the third PM in 150 years to have fathered a child while in office. Trump will be on Twitter any moment adding his incoherent good wishes. Kim Jong Un will probably rise from the dead to send greetings from his Royal Train at the Korean seaside. Macron and Merkel will be wishing the couple well. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been babbling about the incredible relief and joy the birth will bring.

All very predictable in the insincere scheming world of politics.

But lets talk about double standards, can you imagine a female Prime Minister giving birth to her 6th child by three different men (at least) whilst dealing with the worse crisis in half a century?

Obviously Boris didn't know that Covid was going to happen, but we know he decided to have a child with his fiancee whilst in the middle of tortuous (and still unresolved) Brexit negotiations, not to mention a divorce which dragged on for ages and was only finalised this February, when Carrie was already well advanced in her pregnancy.

Do Prime Ministers need to have kids to prove how normal they are? How they understand our humdrum lives and problems?

Maggie Thatchers son Mark caused her nothing but embarrassment, but she adored him, far more than she cared for her daughter Carol, who ended up appearing on Im a Celebrity and weeing by her bunk.

Poor Theresa May was forced to explain why she didnt have children, which must have been mortifying for this incredibly private woman.

Tony Blair feigned embarrassment when Cherie blurted out that Baby Leo was probably conceived during a weekend at Balmoral when she forgot to pack her contraceptive device. David Cameron was thrilled to welcome another child after the tragic death of his much-loved son Ivan.

Having a baby in office can give a male politician a bounce in the popularity polls- theres nothing like a wee baby in a shawl to make a middle aged Prime Minister look almost normal.

The sub-text is  Im a macho man who still has sex and can produce spawn.

Sleepless nights lie ahead for Mr Johnson, and you might wonder if his health up to the job? The job of dealing with coronavirus, that is.

Luckily for us, we already know (from his other children) that at least he doesnt do nappies.
michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

[music]

Today, Joe Biden is the first candidate in U.S. history to wage a presidential campaign in quarantine. Alex Burns on the strange new reality of the 2020 race. Its Thursday, April 30. Alex, the last time that we spoke with you, Joe Biden had just become the de facto Democratic nominee. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race, and the pandemic was just really beginning to wash over the United States. Now, of course, the coronavirus is very much here, so I wonder if you could describe the state of the Biden campaign.

alex burns

Well, the state of the Biden campaign is super weird, which is a technical term.

michael barbaro

Of course.

alex burns

You know, since the last time we spoke, Joe Biden has not held one public event in person as a candidate, and his campaign has been really restricted to the telephone and to Zoom and FaceTime, like so much of life for so many Americans. He is campaigning, he likes to say, from his basement, kind of as a joke, but its true that he has a video uplink in a refurbished rec room in his enormous house in Delaware. But he is basically unable to do almost any of the traditional activities of a presumptive candidate. There was no unity rally with his defeated primary opponents, and there are certainly no in-person fundraisers.

michael barbaro

So what does the virtual element of this campaign actually look like, the part where hes on Zoom in his basement with all those books behind him?

alex burns

Right. Its kind of a work in progress.

archived recording (joe biden) Look, folks, I want to say good evening, and thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

alex burns

So theyve tried a bunch of different formats.

archived recording Were going to take a question now from Maureen Jenkins. Maureen, you are unmuted. archived recording (joe biden) Maureen, are you there?

alex burns

They have done what they call virtual rope lines, where Biden gets on his video stream and talks to a succession of voters the way he would if he were greeting them at the end of an event.

archived recording Good evening, Mr. President, and that has such a nice ring to it.

alex burns

Except it didnt quite work that way, because on an actual rope line, you talk to a voter for, you know, maybe 10 or 15 seconds, a minute if its a really important conversation.

archived recording Do you support the Endangered Species Act?

alex burns

His first virtual rope line, I spoke to one of the voters who was on it. Voters said that it went for more than an hour, right?

michael barbaro

What?

alex burns

So this is not  yeah, exactly. These became very involved conversations.

archived recording And will you prohibit animals from being hunted and brought into this country for trophies? archived recording (joe biden) Yes and yes. archived recording Oh, I love you. archived recording (joe biden) But look, I want to say something beyond that. One of the things that I 

michael barbaro

Right. The whole point of a rope line, as Ive observed them, is that the minute you bump into someone you dont want to talk to, you literally just turn your head and you are done with them.

alex burns

Right.

michael barbaro

And here, it feels like you would be locked into a Zoom conversation with somebody and it would be hard to get out of it.

alex burns

Thats right.

archived recording (joe biden) Theres a lot more to say, but Ive already probably said too much to you. archived recording Thank you to everybody for joining. You know, we appreciate this, and we do apologize for the technical difficulties that we had.

alex burns

The campaign has tried other formats. Virtual town halls. He has held virtual endorsement events.

archived recording (joe biden) My friend, Senator Bernie Sanders. Bernie, welcome. archived recording (bernie sanders) Joe thank you very much for your remarks, and thank you for welcoming me to your livestream, here.

alex burns

There is definitely a stilted and sometimes artificial quality to these events.

archived recording (bernie sanders) Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse.

alex burns

Getting Bernie Sanderss endorsement, you ended up with these two guys pushing 80 on a livestream talking to each other, and there is something about it that  you know, it doesnt have the same kind of emotional kick that a unity rally would, for instance.

archived recording (joe biden) Im looking forward to working with you, pal. I really, genuinely mean it from the bottom my heart. Thank you for being such a gentleman. Thank you for being so generous, and I give you my word, Ill try my best not to let you all down. archived recording (bernie sanders) Thank you very much, Joe. archived recording (joe biden) Thanks, pal. archived recording (bernie sanders) Say hello to  archived recording (joe biden) I will. archived recording (bernie sanders) Jane and I say hello to Jill, as well. archived recording (joe biden) I will.

alex burns

He has started a podcast 

archived recording (joe biden) Well hey, folks, this is Joe Biden, and were listening to Heres the Deal, and Im sitting here in Wilmington, Delaware, in my basement. Im excited to bring you our next podcast episode.

alex burns

 where he does these, I think, rather charming interviews with other prominent Democrats 

archived recording (joe biden) On the show with me today is a great friend and a really incredible governor, Governor Jay Inslee. You know, the coronavirus 

alex burns

 where they talk in a fairly unstructured-seeming way about just sort of whats on their minds, what their lockdown experience has been.

archived recording (jay inslee) Mr. Vice President, you look like a million bucks. That basement or wherever you are is working pretty well. archived recording (joe biden) Well, I tell you what, Im living down here. I never thought itd turn into a quasi-studio.

alex burns

What sort of their big policy agendas are and their ideas are.

michael barbaro

Hmm.

archived recording (joe biden) What lessons can the American people learn from this pandemic to help ensure we move quickly to address climate change before its too late, or is there a connection? Are there lessons learned? archived recording (jay inslee) Oh yeah, big connection. You know, you could think of Covid-19 as a metaphor for the  its kind of a fast-acting climate change.

michael barbaro

Alex, do you have the sense that the virtual components of this campaign that have been cobbled together  the podcast, the town halls, the rope line  do you sense that any of these are really breaking through and that the voting public is actually consuming them?

alex burns

You know, I think they have done some things that have broken through.

archived recording As you know, the coronavirus has hit Milwaukee particularly hard. What specific steps would you take to address this crisis? archived recording (joe biden) Well, number one, you may recall 

alex burns

He has begun doing local TV hits in swing states, in markets like Milwaukee and Detroit and Pittsburgh.

michael barbaro

Interesting.

archived recording When you think of Pittsburgh, what do you think of? archived recording (joe biden) I spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh, too, as you probably know. As I said, theyre the people I grew up with. Theyre the middle class, working class folks who bust their neck, you know 

alex burns

And that is an important way to get in front of people, especially at a time when so many people are staying at home and watching television all day.

archived recording Good morning, everyone. Were coming on the air to bring you live coverage of todays White House briefing on the coronavirus pandemic. Here is the president. archived recording (donald trump) Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much.

michael barbaro

And in that sense, it feels like fundamentally not quite an even playing field when you think about his opponent, the incumbent president of the United States. Because incumbency has always carried massive advantages for publicity, right, and commanding the spotlight. But here, we have an incumbent in the middle of a national crisis with daily news briefings.

archived recording (donald trump) While we mourn the tragic loss of life, and you cant mourn it any stronger than were mourning it, the United States has produced dramatically better health outcomes than any other country with a possible exception of Germany, and I think were as good, or better.

michael barbaro

And on the other side is Joe Biden at home in isolation, trying to get on TV or do an online event.

alex burns

Right. You know, Donald Trump is also stuck at home doing video and television appearances from his residence, but his residence is the White House, and hes the incumbent president.

michael barbaro

Right.

alex burns

And that commands a different level of public attention. And this is something in the course of our reporting on, you know, Bidens life in lockdown, is that he has been frustrated with not so much the differential between the attention he gets and the attention Trump gets, but with the criticism he has gotten for being so much less visible than the president. Because I think the view among people close to Biden is, you just cant put yourself on an equal footing with the president in a national crisis when youre not allowed to leave your house.

michael barbaro

Right. And that frustration, I imagine, reflects a fear that this crisis is just going to make it much harder for Joe Biden to win.

alex burns

You know, Im not sure that thats exactly right.

michael barbaro

Hm.

alex burns

I think the view in the Biden camp, and I think increasingly the view as well among a lot of senior Republicans, is that the huge differential in media exposure in the presidents favor is maybe not working so much in the presidents favor.

archived recording (donald trump) So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous  whether its ultraviolet or just very powerful light  and I think you said that hasnt been checked, but youre going to test it.

alex burns

He is out there, yes, getting tons of eyeballs on him every single day, but his numbers have steadily fallen, not just overall in terms of where he is in the election, but in how the public feels about his handling of the crisis.

archived recording (donald trump) Right. And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that?

alex burns

A lot of people are looking at him very closely. They dont really seem to like what they see. On the other hand, people are paying far less attention to Joe Biden, but lets think back on the Joe Biden who we knew during the Democratic primaries, who was not exactly mister crisp, clean, and confident when it came to delivering a public message every single day out on the campaign trail.

archived recording (joe biden) Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids  wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids. [APPLAUSE] I really mean it, but think how we think about it.

michael barbaro

Right. There were a lot of gaffes. There were a lot of missteps, a lot of misspoken words and thoughts.

alex burns

Right. There were arguments with voters.

archived recording Youre selling access to the president just like he is. archived recording (joe biden) Youre a damn liar, man. Thats not true, and no one has ever said that, no one has proved that. archived recording The hell it aint. I see it on the 

alex burns

This is not a candidate with a really flawless performance as a public campaigner, so there is a trade-off here. And right now, I think on balance, it seems to be working for Biden to be this largely unseen figure who people basically have a favorable impression of. So to have him more offstage at a moment when the president is struggling at least creates the possibility that he continues to gain relative political strength mostly by default.

michael barbaro

So there is a version of this where Joe Biden meaningfully benefits from being the candidate of isolation.

alex burns

Yes, and that is the scenario that we are living in right now.

[music]

michael barbaro

Well be right back. So Alex, you have just described what the Biden candidacy looks like in isolation. I want to turn to the broader campaign. What does that start to look like under these very strange circumstances?

alex burns

You know, I dont think anybody knows the answer to that for sure, but I think that what we can say today, with half a year left in this campaign, is that it is going to be a shadow of the kind of presidential campaign that we are used to.

michael barbaro

Hm.

alex burns

We dont know whether either of these candidates will ever hold a conventional campaign rally again.

michael barbaro

Wow.

alex burns

We still dont know whether either party will hold any semblance of a national convention, and these are restrictions driven by a public health catastrophe with a very, very uncertain trajectory ahead of us.

michael barbaro

Its really hard to imagine presidential campaigns without conventions. Weve both attended these conventions, and they are these really important moments in a campaign, right? I mean, in many ways, a candidate is introduced to the country  their biography, their story. There are the slickly produced videos, family members come out. You know, elaborate tributes are made, and without those, kind of, when does the general election really even kick off?

alex burns

Well, thats the big question. I think right now, if one of the parties is going to forge ahead with a convention, it will clearly be the Republicans. The president has said to be very determined to hold a convention 

michael barbaro

Interesting.

alex burns

 in Charlotte, but he is a prisoner to circumstance and public health as much as anybody here. Biden has gone much further in suggesting that it may need to be some kind of virtual convention, and its hard to imagine a virtual convention getting the same kind of attention as the spectacle that you just described.

michael barbaro

Mm-hm.

alex burns

And if you are deprived of that opportunity, you know, not just to introduce yourself to the country, but to introduce yourself to the country with your running mate, and your ideas, and your general election slogan and message, it is a much, much bigger challenge of political stagecraft to make it really count the way I think both campaigns would really like it to this year.

michael barbaro

Well, so Im curious whether we end up having anything resembling a normal convention or not. How are you seeing the pandemic start to influence the kind of visions that both of these candidates are going to be running on in the next few months?

alex burns

I dont think that I can recall another presidential campaign where the two parties eventual nominees end up having to move so far away from the message that they set out to deliver at the beginning of the campaign.

michael barbaro

What do you mean?

alex burns

Look, President Trump came into this election season expecting to run on four more years of peace and prosperity, and a booming stock market, and economic growth. That is obviously not a viable message at this point. Joe Biden entered the presidential race with, essentially, a message of returning to normalcy, where, You all remember what the Obama years were like, and we can do, you know, more of that. That also seems like a pretty defunct message under current conditions.

michael barbaro

Right. Well, what is it starting to mean for those two kind of assumed visions for the campaign? I mean, what are you seeing Joe Biden do to pivot away from the, I want to return to normal because there kind of is no normal anymore, and what are you seeing from President Trump, who wanted to campaign on a record stock market and economic expansion?

alex burns

It is a huge question mark for both of them even at this point, and I think the eventual answers are going to be heavily driven by the external realities of the campaign. If President Trump winds up in a position next fall to make the case that, you know, you are seeing the green shoots of an economic recovery, then that will be his message. If he doesnt have that, I think its really hard to see what kind of positive, forward-looking message he can deliver. What we have seen from his campaign the last few weeks is a combination of attacking congressional Democrats 

archived recording (donald trump) They want to make Trump look as bad as they can, because they want to try and win an election that they shouldnt be allowed to win.

alex burns

 for being very liberal and not being cooperative enough with him, and attacking Joe Biden personally.

archived recording (donald trump) We have a sleepy guy in a basement of a house that the press is giving a free pass to who doesnt want to do debates because of Covid.

alex burns

And then, you have seen the president at a number of points revive the red meat issue of immigration as sort of a stimulus to his political base.

archived recording (donald trump) By pausing immigration, we will help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens. So important.

alex burns

I dont know that that adds up to a cohesive message about, Look at all the things I accomplished. Here are all the things I will accomplish for you with the second term. I think the closest we heard President Trump get to that kind of message was when he said, somewhat off the cuff, in one of his briefings a few weeks back that we built the greatest economy in the world.

archived recording (donald trump) Ill do it a second time.

alex burns

Well do it again.

archived recording (donald trump) So Im very proud of this country, I have to say. Im very proud to be your president, and Im very proud of this country. Thank you very much everybody. [APPLAUSE]

michael barbaro

OK. So thats Trump. What about Biden?

archived recording (joe biden) You and I, and anybody who gets re-elected or elected in November, is going to face a circumstance nationally and internationally that hasnt been seen for a long, long time.

alex burns

Biden has increasingly begun to talk about the next presidency not as a return to normalcy kind of event 

archived recording (joe biden) A whole range of things are going to be, I think, as difficult as they were when Franklin Roosevelt got elected.

alex burns

 but as really a national emergency presidency.

archived recording (joe biden) I think we have an opportunity to turn, generating a fundamentally green infrastructure, and turning it around in a way that can be the very thing that helps us get through this existential threat to our economy.

alex burns

He has talked about doing much more in terms of investing in economic stimulus, income support, business rescues, infrastructure spending. We just havent seen it all come together in some kind of big, Joe Bidens National Rescue Plan. This is what the Joe Biden version of a 21st century New Deal would look like. I cant tell you that, from my own reporting on the Biden campaign, they are moving in that direction. They are having those conversations, and I think it is generally the view, not just in the Biden camp, but among Democrats more broadly. That the party needs to offer something much bigger than the Joe Biden primary season agenda, an agenda that many Democrats found totally worthy based on the conditions they knew about in February, but that doesnt match the severity of the moment today.

archived recording (joe biden) I pray to God this is one of those moments where we move beyond where we were, not just back to where we were.

michael barbaro

Alex, I want to turn now to the state of the race, Trump versus Biden. What exactly are polls telling us at this point, with the enormous caveat that its six months before election day?

alex burns

Well, with that enormous caveat, the picture is quite clear at this point that Biden has an early upper hand over the president.

michael barbaro

Hm.

alex burns

In terms of the head-to-head between the two of them, Biden has an advantage of some size in basically everything that we consider this year a swing state.

michael barbaro

And when you mention swing states, which ones?

alex burns

Well, there are the big three from 2016, the historically Democratic Midwestern states that flipped to Trumps column and delivered him the presidency: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. As of today, Republicans feel very pessimistic about Michigan, somewhat less pessimistic but still pretty pessimistic about Pennsylvania, and they see Wisconsin as a real nail biter, a place where Biden probably has a sliver of an advantage, but you know, not a state that has swung back to the Democrats decisively by any means. The shortest path for any Democrat to 270 electoral college votes is winning those three states, and holding the rest of the states that Hillary Clinton won.

michael barbaro

So at this point, Biden has real electoral advantages, but Alex, doesnt a president in charge in the middle of a national crisis almost by definition benefit politically from the spotlight? From people rallying around the flag, even if he is seen to be screwing up?

alex burns

The short answer is yes, and we did see that initially with President Trump. Not in a really pronounced way, but at the end of March, the middle of March, he was a couple points higher in the polls than he had been previously.

michael barbaro

Mm-hm.

alex burns

There is a precedent for a president initially getting a political bounce in a national crisis, and then watching it fade rapidly and disastrously for his own re-election as it becomes clearly he has mismanaged the crisis. Thats Jimmy Carter. It all started with the Iranian hostage crisis, when Iran seized the American embassy, took American hostages. There was a rally around the flag effect for Jimmy Carter as he got kind of that aura of, not exactly a wartime president, but a crisis president. And as the crisis dragged on and on, and as the president seemed more and more impotent to resolve it, it really doomed him politically.

michael barbaro

Right. And Carter would go on to lose to Ronald Reagan, and he would become a one-term president because of that crisis.

alex burns

Thats right. And that was an election that was really just about one thing, and that was the countrys perception that the president was weak.

michael barbaro

Right.

alex burns

I think for those of us who are covering this election, we cant say today that that is how voters will make up their mind in November. Something could come up that changes the entire framing of the race for either candidate. Take the allegation of sexual assault by a former Biden aide, which he denies, but that could get traction. Progressives in the Democratic Party have already pushed him to address the allegation. He has so far been silent on the matter. But we do have to contemplate the possibility that this election is ultimately just about one thing, and thats the pandemic, and what voters think of the presidents role in marshaling a government response. And if the conditions that exist today exist in the fall, that is a very, very hard campaign for the president to win. And if those conditions change very substantially, then maybe Trump has a chance to run some version of the campaign he was hoping to run in the first place. But all of that is contingent not on the choices the candidates make and not on the tactics and strategy of the campaigns, but on this overwhelming external event that none of them is in a position to control.

[music]

michael barbaro

In other words, it becomes up to the virus.

alex burns

[LAUGHS] Thats a very dark way to put it, but I think thats basically true.

michael barbaro

Well, Alex, thank you very much.

alex burns

Thank you.

michael barbaro

The Times reports that President Trump has become increasingly frustrated with polling that shows him trailing behind Joe Biden in crucial swing states, and that last week, he berated his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, over the situation. During a phone call, the president insisted that the polling was incorrect, blamed Parscale for his poor standing, and threatened to sue Parscale. It was unclear if the threat was serious. Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. A large-scale clinical trial sponsored by the U.S. government has shown that treatment with an experimental antiviral drug, remdesivir, can speed recovery from the coronavirus.

archived recording The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery. This is really quite important for a number of reasons.

michael barbaro

The trial found that the recovery time for patients using the drug was 11 days, compared with 15 days for those who did not receive the drug.

archived recording Although a 31 percent improvement doesnt seem like a knockout, hundred percent, it is a very important proof of concept, because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.

michael barbaro

As a result, President Trump said that the drug is likely to receive emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration and become the first federally-approved treatment for Covid-19.

archived recording (donald trump) We want everything to be safe, but we do  we would like to see very quick approvals, especially with things that work.

michael barbaro
[April 29, 2020] Postmedia Provides Further Business Update Related to COVID-19

Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (the "Company") along with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Postmedia Network Inc. (together with the Company, "Postmedia") today announced material business developments related to the COVID-19 crisis. "In response to the economic impact throughout our industry in these unprecedented times, we have made the difficult decision to implement temporary salary reductions, temporary layoffs and some permanent closures." said Andrew MacLeod, President and Chief Executive Officer, Postmedia. "These are difficult but necessary decisions to make. These measures are all focused on putting our company in the best possible position to emerge from the current crisis and move ahead on our strategy." Proactive cost containment measures implemented by Postmedia this week include temporary layoffs affecting approximately 50 employees in Sales and Sales Operations teams, the closure of 15 community publications in Manitoba and Ontario resulting in approximately 30 permanent layoffs and temporary salary reductions from 5% - 30% for a range of employees with salaries over $60,000. These temporary measures will be re-evaluated in three months' time. Additional Information Additional information, including financial statements and management's discussion and analysis can be found on the Company's website at www.postmedia.com/investors/financial-reports or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. About Postmedia Network Canada Corp. Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (TSX:PNC (News - Alert).A, PNC.B) is the holding company that owns Postmedia Network Inc., a Canadan newsmedia company representing more than 140 brands across multiple print, online, and mobile platforms. Award-winning journalists and innovative product development teams bring engaging content to millions of people every week whenever and wherever they want it. This exceptional content, reach and scope offers advertisers and marketers compelling solutions to effectively reach target audiences. For more information, visit www.postmedia.com.



Forward-Looking Information This news release may include information that is "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company has tried, where possible, to identify such information and statements by using words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," "will," "could," "would," "should" and similar expressions and derivations thereof in connection with any discussion of future events, trends or prospects or future operating or financial performance. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business. By their nature, forward-looking information and statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: competition from digital and other forms of media; the effect of economic conditions on advertising revenue; the ability of the Company to build out its digital media and online businesses; the failure to maintain current print and online newspaper readership and circulation levels; the realization of anticipated cost savings; possible damage to the reputation of the Company's brands or trademarks; possible labour disruptions; possible environmental liabilities, litigation and pension plan obligations; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; the prices of newsprint and other commodities and the other risk factors included in the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained in our annual management's discussion and analysis for the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018. In addition, we are subject to the risk and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus including travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and social distancing that have caused disruption to businesses resulting in an economic slowdown. We are generally exempt from mandates requiring closures of non-essential businesses and therefore have been able to continue operations however, advertising revenues have declined as a result of the pandemic and related government measures. The outbreak of contagious illness such as this could impact our operations in a number of ways including quarantined employees, travel restrictions, temporary closure of our facilities, a decrease in demand for advertising, as well as interruptions to our supply chain, including temporary closure of supplier facilities. Although the Company bases such information and statements on assumptions believed to be reasonable when made, they are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which the Company operates, may differ materially from any such information and statements in this press release. Given these risks and uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of such information or statements. Other than as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically declines, any obligation to update such information or statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such information or statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005942/en/

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Though the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has created 70 temporary shelters in schools for the most congested high Covid-19 prone red containment zones of Bhavani peth, Dhole Patil road and Kasba-Vishrambaugwada, slum dwellers and others in small, congested tenements are unwilling to move there.

In some areas, even the residents living around these dedicated schools have opposed these shelter homes for shifting people from red zone areas.

Congress Avinash Bagwe from Bhavani peth area said,People are not ready to move for various reasons. There is no food facility and for every small thing they need to return home which would not be allowed by the police. People are saying that those who are Covid-19 positive and under quarantine are not getting good facilities. Then, why should we leave our homes? They are worried that their belongings and utensils might get stolen from their homes if they move out.

With the Covid-19 positive cases maximising in five wards in the city, namely- Kasba peth, Vishrambaugwada, Bhavani peth, Dhole Patil road and Shivajinagar- Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad had decided to convert 70 schools into the temporary shelters.

Even though the shifting to these centres was to be voluntary, some sections of the media and social media created panic by reporting that some 70,000 families from the crowed areas would be shifted to the temporary shelters.

Gaikwad said, We made the temporary arrangement of the shelter homes. In many homes people are living in small houses which is not more than 100 to 150 square feet. During the lockdown, it is not possible to stay in small homes where more positive cases are emerging. So, we appealed to the people to stay in temporary shelters and PMC would provide toilet and water facility. It is voluntary and not mandatory that each citizen gets shifted.

Dhole Patil road ward officer Dayanand Sonkamble said, We kept six schools ready and cleaned all the class rooms. We appeal to the people to come and stay here.

Congress corporator Arvind Shinde who is representing Dhole Patil road and Tadiwala slum areas said, It is wrong planning to make temporary shelters. People live in small groups at home, but the government machinery is asking them to come and stay inside these schools with 30-40 other people. Sending people there without any screening is wrong.

One of the ward officers on condition of anonymity said, We got many messages from the residents living around schools who were opposed to the shifting of the citizens from crowded areas to these schools as they are worried that it would spread the infection in their areas as well.

Another PMC officer on the condition of anonymity said that it is true that there is less response to the temporary shelters as people do not want to leave their homes. PMC is only providing a place to stay, for tea, snacks and food they have to again go home. It is not possible to create a food facility for such a large number of people at the schools every day, he added.

Avinash Bagwe who is an elected member of the PMC said, The schools are located at least a kilometre away from the homes of the residents, they have to walk back and forth for food, among other things. Hence, residents do not want to shift.

Pune Municipal Corporation issued a press statement and said that only 43 citizens on Tuesday night shifted from Sadashiv peth and Navi peth to the Dharmaveer Sambhaji School on Tuesday evening and stayed at night . This school is located near Navi peth.

Resident Dilip Patole living in Bhavani peth area said, Earlier, our impression was that the government would shift us forcefully. When we got more information, we came to know that the administration is only providing a place to stay and there is no food and bed arrangement. It means that we have two options- one to shift our utensils and cook there, which is not possible and second option is to go there and rest but come home for daily needs like tea, and food. Both the options are not practical and hence, we preferred to stay at our homes.
Clearance for goods on the Chinese border is now consistently on the rise again. Photo: Le Toan

After nearly four months of border closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the last few days tens of thousands of containers of cargo have been cleared to move between Vietnam and China, where many major industrial companies have resumed production.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, chairman of large textile and clothing firm Hung Yen Garment Corporation, said that as the virus has been brought under control in China, import and export activities are no longer restricted. Currently, 50-60 per cent of the corporations materials is imported from China. The eased trade will help us import materials more favourably, and this also provides opportunities for Vietnam to boost exports to China in the near future, Duong said.

Sharing the positive news about supply chains and raw materials, state-run giant Vinatex started to ramp up production in the second half of March and April to make up for lost time. As a result, garment enterprises expect to recover the 5.3 per cent decrease in export turnover from the first two months of the year, said a Vinatex representative.

Vietnams trade is largely dependent on China, which purchased 15.75 per cent of the formers total goods value last year, as well as being responsible for 29.7 per cent of Vietnams import value.

However, Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, pointed out that Vietnam-Chinese borders are suffering from lack of labour for loading and unloading goods, while trucks have to endure strict quarantine procedures. Still, the speed of clearance in recent days has improved compared to last month.

Major markets like South Korea and Japan have also seen improvements in the virus situation, with their economies mounting recoveries in March as a result. Over the first three months of this year, Vietnams exports to the Chinese market still rose 11.5 per cent on-year, while those to Japan climbed 3.5 per cent on-year.

According to the General Department of Customs, from the beginning of the year to mid-April, Vietnams export turnover hit $71.6 billion, of which foreign-invested enterprises held $47.9 billion. At the same time, the country recorded 12 export products with the export value of more than $1 billion.

The export turnover of goods to South Korea reached $1.76 billion in March, up 12.27 per cent on-month, bringing the total export turnover in the first quarter of 2020 from this market to $4.7 billion.

Moreover, Vietnams exports to Singapore are also climbing strongly. The latest figures from Enterprise Singapore show that Singapores imports from Vietnam in February rose 49 per cent on-month and 102.78 per cent on-year. Tran Thu Quynh, Vietnam Trade Counselor in Singapore, ascribed the situation to the city-state urgently trying to diversify its supply of raw materials in the context of interrupted supply from China. Singapore considers Vietnam a key market to help it offset the shortage of goods, especially agricultural products and seafood.

In March, this trade agency arranged more than 20 export orders from Vietnam, estimated at around 500 tonnes of goods.

Enterprises in Vietnam are also raising exports to India to reduce the risk of dependence on any single market.

Meanwhile, the International Labour Organization director in Vietnam, Chang-Hee Lee said that the Vietnamese economy is going to struggle in the next quarter due to a lack of tourists and a falling demand for Vietnamese goods in export markets, as most trade partner countries remain under lockdown.

The seriousness of the ongoing global crisis is that it impacts both supply and demand. Under widespread lockdown, supply is severely affected, as many factories operations are suspended, said Lee. Demand falls as consumers in the US and Europe are ordered to stay at home. A problem is that Vietnam relies heavily on global trade. Therefore, we can assume that the impacts of shrinking global trade would be felt much more strongly and deeply in Vietnam for both enterprises and workers.

Lee added that on the contrary, the outbreak has proven to be a major driver of economic growth for Vietnams development success story. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement will also offer a chance for faster recovery.

Nguyen Trung Anh, deputy general director of PAN Farm, said that this difficult period was a test of the market, and that enterprises should take several steps. They should improve capital management capacity, avoid relying too much on debt and especially capacity to manage risks of business interruption and emergencies, as well as review strategies to diversify the product market.

In the event that the virus can be contained in the second quarter of 2020, the countrys export turnover is projected to decrease by 20 per cent, while import turnover will likely decrease by 16 per cent.
The Aspen City Council on Tuesday approved a set of design guidelines for small cell wireless towers, encouraging the replacement of Aspens street lamps instead of building new vertical infrastructure. The new towers can be 25 feet tall; currently Aspens street lamps range between 14 and 19.5 feet tall.
PORTLAND, Maine, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Consolidated Communications, Holdings, Inc ., (CNSL), a leading broadband and business communications provider, announced the completion of a year-long project to expand and upgrade broadband to businesses and residents of Brooklin, Maine.



One year after the town voted to approve the innovative partnership, Consolidated announced completion of the expanded and upgraded network. The project included additional fiber capacity, upgrading existing equipment and building new remote terminal sites that expand broadband availability and provide faster internet service in the town. The project also paves the way for future technology implementations and upgrades.

When we began this build, we had no way of knowing that its completion would coincide with a global pandemic, said Rob Koester. At Consolidated, we understand just how crucial reliable high speed Internet is for businesses and residents, and were thrilled to offer more people in Brooklin the tools they need to stay connected.

The project resulted in faster, highly reliable, broadband connectivity, representing increased bandwidth speeds for many locations in Brooklin. It also allows people to work from home using a reliable connection that supports remote access and video conferencing; to create and upload high-bandwidth content and to take advantage of smart-home devices thus creating numerous, lasting economic development, e-commerce and quality-of-life benefits and opportunities for rural American communities like Brooklin.

Network construction was jointly funded by Consolidated and the town of Brooklin, and was completed on schedule. Consolidated crews placed approximately 22,600 feet of new fiber optic cable in the town, and installed battery back-up for four remote terminals bolstering network reliability.

From the beginning, residents and businesses in our town have expressed their enthusiastic support for broadband expansion, said Bill Cohen, chair of the Brooklin select board. Now more than ever, access to reliable high speed internet is absolutely essential  and through our partnership with Consolidated, we are pleased to be able to expand availability and upgrade speeds in Brooklin.

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Consolidated Communications is working diligently to bring better broadband Internet services to other unserved and underserved rural communities throughout Northern New England. In 2019 Chesterfield, N.H., residents voted to enter into a public-private partnership with Consolidated Communications to build a high-speed, fiber-to-the-premises Internet network directly to all homes and businesses. So far in 2020, Consolidated has entered into five additional public-private partnerships with Walpole, Dublin, Westmoreland, Rindge and Harrisville, N.H. Customers can read more about the companys progress in Northern New England by visiting its Progress webpage.

Additionally, consumers now have access to the latest, CCiTV, Consolidateds next-gen television solution offering everything from local channels, to news and sports, to movies and music  and gives customers the flexibility to watch on a TV, computer, tablet or smart phone. The companys MyCCIAccount.com center enables existing customers to place new orders and upgrade services online.

Brooklin residents and businesses can sign up for Consolidated Communications broadband services at consolidated.com or at 844.YOUR.CCI (1.844.968.7224).

About Consolidated Communications

Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc. (CNSL) is a leading broadband and business communications provider serving consumers, businesses, and wireless customers, and wireline carriers across rural and metro communities and in a 23-state service area. Leveraging an advanced fiber network spanning 37,500 fiber route miles, Consolidated Communications offers a wide range of communications solutions, including: high-speed Internet, data, phone, security, managed services, cloud services and wholesale, carrier solutions. From our first connection 125 years ago, Consolidated is dedicated to turning technology into solutions, connecting people and enriching how they work and live. Visit www.consolidated.com for more information.

Media Contact:

Nicole Elton, Consolidated Communications

916.836.7842, nicole.elton@consolidated.com
The Director of the Prostate Institute at NUI Galway and a consultant in the Galway Clinic, professor Frank Sullivan has warned that there could be 1,800 to 2,000 deaths in Ireland from cancer because patients cannot access care during the Covid-19 crisis.

I'm worried about the veritable tsunami of non-Covid chronic medical conditions that are sitting out there, he told RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke show.

Effectively there's very little biopsies, endoscopies, the tests we need to do that allow us to diagnose cancer early. There's no screening going on, we've already seen in Ireland the problems that arise when screening services get disrupted and we're certainly going to see problems that will arise when diagnostic services and early treatment services are interrupted.

Cancer is not stopping, the patients are out there, and without wishing to be alarmist, I'm worried for them. It seems we've chosen the pandemic to conduct a very large experiment on the Irish health care system, one that has bedevilled numerous governments and ministers for Health over the decades. We suddenly chose in the middle of a pandemic to try and tinker around with the system. I just don't understand it.

They seem to have chosen a highly restrictive path, which if we follow it, we are being asked to abandon patients. That's the problem.

Prof Sullivan said he found it very difficult to sign the contract drawn up by the HSE for private hospital consultants.

I find this very difficult, from an ethical perspective we have a duty of care to our patients and these patients have cancer and I'm concerned that at a time when we should be focused on getting back to doing the non-Covid work, we seem to be fiddling around with the health care system.

There's an article in The Guardian, quoting date from University College London which says that there's an estimate now that there will be an increase in the cancer death rate in the UK by up to 20 per cent, we've nearly 9,000 cancer deaths in Ireland, so if that plays out in Ireland due to lack of getting back to work here, then we could see another 1,800 to 2,000 deaths from cancers in Ireland. We could effectively give back the gains we've made with the national cancer control programme. It just makes no sense to me.

This contract offer has turned into, for me, he proverbial deal with the devil, I've been a senior cancer doctor since 1991, I spent 18 years in the US, and another 15 years back here, in both public and private settings, so for the first time in my entire career, I now have a waiting list.

I've never had a waiting list for cancer patients even when I served as chief of radiation oncology at GUH, in the public hospital, we manage to provide radiation oncology services with no waiting list.

When I moved to the Galway Clinic again no waiting list, but since this deal, I now have 56 patients on a waiting list that I can't see unless I sign a deal with the hospital to become a full time public physician. The problem there is, yes I can get access to those patients, but as it's currently structured I have to abandon the 3,500 patients that I've been looking after here for the last 15 years.

The deal is very, very restricting. Unfortunately I'm coming under increasing pressure to sign it and I feel I may have to sign it by the end of the day or tomorrow because after Sunday there will be no more coverage for me to do my work pro bono. Since this deal was signed on 31st March I, and many colleagues, have been offering services pro bono in the hospital, which we're happy to do, but we have to be covered by the State claims agency so that we can safely touch those patients in the hospital. So that permission will be drawn on Sunday, if I don't sign I can't look after these 60 patients who are waiting for cancer treatment, radiation treatment, waiting for biopsies etc.
Shelves of medication for sale at Walgreens.

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Famotidine, the active ingredient in Pepcid AC and other heartburn medicines, is being studied as a coronavirus treatment.

There's no word yet that it could be useful at all, but that isn't stopping people from stocking up.

At Walgreens, CVS, and on Amazon, most famotidine medicines were in low stock around the country.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The active ingredient in many heartburn medications is being studied as a coronavirus treatment, leading to shortages of popular heartburn brands at major US pharmacies.

Famotidine, an antacid and antihistamine found in the brand Pepcid AC and generic medications, is being used in a trial by researchers at Northwell Health in the New York City area, Dr. Kevin Tracey told Business Insider.

Even as Tracey urged people not to go out and hoard heartburn medicines, retailers like Amazon and Walgreens appeared to already be experiencing shortages.

On Amazon, Pepcid AC and all three generic options found through a search were unavailable or otherwise out of stock on Monday afternoon. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At CVS, the US's largest pharmacy chain, famotidine  either in Pepcid or generic form  was out of stock at most New York locations, according to its website. Searches in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and other cities produced similar results, with most locations out of stock. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Walgreens appeared to have experienced the same rush as CVS, with ZIP codes around the US showing out-of-stock notices at most locations searched by Business Insider, with a few stores showing limited stock. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It's still too early to tell if famotidine will be useful in any treatment for coronavirus patients, Tracey said. Even if some benefits are found, patients in the study are taking extremely high doses intravenously, far more than someone would ever take for heartburn.

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"You should not go to the drugstore and take a bunch of heartburn medicine," he told CNN.

Science Magazine reported Sunday that the researchers had fought to keep the study quiet, fearing a run on the medicines.

"If we talked about this to the wrong people or too soon, the drug supply would be gone," Tracey told the publication. There was already ample evidence to support his fears.

The situation surrounding the possible benefits  and subsequent shortages  of famotidine is not unlike what happened earlier this year with an antimalarial pill created in the 1940s that was hyped by influential leaders, including President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Two weeks after Business Insider covered their hopes that the drug, hydroxychloroquine, could be used to fight the coronavirus and the resulting shortages as Americans stocked up, the US Food and Drug Administration officially recognized the shortages.

There remains no peer-reviewed clinical data showing that these old generic drugs, which some people still take for Lupus and other conditions, work against COVID-19.

"The fear, the chaos, and the panic is a far greater threat to humanity than a virus, especially for a therapy that may or may not work," Michael Rea, the CEO of Rx Savings Solutions who was previously a pharmacist, told Business Insider of the explosive demand for drugs rumored to be a treatment.

Rea advises all healthcare workers to act professionally in these times, he said.

"Don't let fear dictate your decisions," Rea said. "Only use the drug, prescribe the drug, obtain the drug if you truly need it."

Andrew Dunn contributed to this story.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Chandigarh, March 27 (IANS) Five more tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab on Friday, taking the total number to 38 people which comprise 27 close-knit family members and friends of a 70-year-old man who died last week, health officials said. ( Image Source: IANS News

Chandigarh, April 29 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced extension of curfew in the state by two weeks after May 3, while unveiling steps for limited lifting of the lockdown restrictions from Thursday in the non-containment and non-red zones with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Based on the report of the expert committee set up to formulate the state's exit strategy, and the inputs received from various sections of society, the Chief Minister said it was necessary to continue with the lockdown restrictions for some more time.

The curfew or lockdown in the state will now remain in force in Punjab will May 17, though limited easing of restrictions will be in place from Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day.

The containment and red zones will, however, continue to remain under total and strict lockdown.

In an address to the people of the state, the Chief Minister said the situation will be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations will be announced thereafter if the pandemic remains in control.

As per the limited relief announced by the Chief Minister, certain shops will be allowed to remain open in certain areas by rotation, for four hours every morning, with 50 per cent staff strength.

The Deputy Commissioner (DCs) have been directed to work out the rotational schedule for the shops that are allowed to be opened in line with the Chief Minister's directives, which have come four days after the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs came into effect.

The curfew will remain in place after 11 a.m., as usual, said the Chief Minister, appealing to people to be back in their homes by that time, and continue to maintain social distancing.

All those stepping out during the relaxation period would have to wear masks and maintain a two metres distance from others, he said, adding the relief has been provided only for the convenience of the people and should not be used for interactions with friends, etc.

"If the situation improves after two weeks, we can take more steps," said Amarinder Singh.

The limited relaxations announced by the Chief Minister from Thursday include permission for opening of all registered shops, except those in multi-brand and single-brand malls, with 50 per cent strength of workers from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In urban areas, all stand-alone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are allowed to open during this period, as per the new directives, which make it clear, however, that establishments dealing in services like saloons, barber shops, etc., would continue to remain closed.

Further, e-commerce companies will continue to be permitted to deal in essential goods only during this period.

Expressing his government's keenness to open up the industry, the Chief Minister urged all those who could accommodate the workers or had workers staying in the vicinity to start opening up in order to help revive the state's battered economy.

Referring to the large number of Punjabis stranded in other states due to the lockdown, the Chief Minister said it was his government's duty to bring them back but they would have to be quarantined for 21 days.

The state had made arrangements for their quarantine in all district, he said, adding the problem had aggravated in Punjab due to the large number of NRIs who came home, followed by the attendees of the Nizamuddin event.

The state, he said, could not afford to let those coming from outside again let things spiral out of control. The quarantine for those coming home from other states was essential for the protection of the people, he said.

Earlier, the Chief Minister said the relief announced was for the benefit of the people who had been under severe curfew restrictions for the past 38 days.

Describing it as a difficult time for the people, who had sacrificed a lot for themselves, their families and the state at large, Amarinder Singh said it had been necessary to control the pandemic, which had so far infected 330 people in the state.

While various experts were coming out with different opinions, there seemed to be an indication that the coronavirus crisis could continue till July-August, or even September, said Amarinder Singh, terming it a long-drawn battle.

Pointing out that no country had escaped the coronavirus, he observed the disease had claimed lots of lives across the world, with nearly 50,000 people dying in the US, which had reported 10 lakh cases so far.

He cited the examples of the UK, Germany and Canada to underscore the need for continued caution.
Since mid-March, Asadul Alam Asif has watched nervously as Singapore reported more and more COVID-19 cases in migrant workers dormitories like the one where he lives.

The 28-year-old Bangladeshi technician counted himself lucky each day that nobody was infected in his housing block, where around 1,900 workers reside in cramped conditions that make social distancing impossible. To relieve congestion, Asifs company rehoused some people, which left half of the 16 bunk-beds in his small room empty.

But then, one day last week, seven people in Asifs dorm tested positive.

He received a text message instructing all residents on the fifth and sixth floorsincluding himnot to leave their rooms.

All of us slept very late that night, like 1 or 2 a.m., he told TIME by phone. We were all so worried.

Asif is one of the more than 200,000 foreign workers living in Singapores dormitories, where often 10 to 20 men are packed into a single room. Built to house the workers who power the construction, cleaning and other key industries, these utilitarian complexes on the city-states periphery have become hives of infection, revealing a blind spot in Singapores previously vaunted coronavirus response.

As of April 28, these dorms were home to 85% of Singapores 14,951 cases.

The dormitories were like a time bomb waiting to explode, Singapore lawyer Tommy Koh wrote in a widely circulated Facebook post earlier this month. The way Singapore treats its foreign workers is not First World but Third World.

As the coronavirus continues its insidious spread, Singapores outbreak suggests the danger of overlooking any population. Even when containment efforts appear to succeed in flattening the curve, keeping it that way remains a difficult, relentless endeavor.

If we forget marginalized communities, if we forget the poor, the homeless, the incarcerated we are going to continue to see outbreaks, says Gavin Yamey, Associate Director for Policy at the Duke Global Health Institute. This will continue to fuel our epidemic.

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A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample from a migrant worker testing for the COVID-19 novel coronavirus at a dormitory in Singapore on April 27, 2020. | Roslan RahmanAFP/Getty Images

Essential workers

The worlds estimated 164 million migrant laborers are particularly vulnerable both to the disease and to its economic fallout. Their risk of infection is compounded by factors like overcrowded living quarters, hazardous working conditions, low pay and often limited access to social protections.

Migrants are likely to be the hardest hit, says Cristina Rapone, a rural employment and migration specialist at the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

For undocumented workers, the threat of the virus is even higher. They might not seek healthcare because they may risk being deported, Rapone says.

Read more: Coronavirus May Disproportionately Hurt the PoorAnd Thats Bad for Everyone

In the Gulf, a wealthy region dependent upon blue collar labor from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, the virus has also ripped through migrant worker housing. Figures from Kuwait, the U.A.E. and Bahrain suggest the majority of cases have been among foreigners, many of whom live in unsanitary work camps, the Guardian reports.

Migrant workers with insecure, informal or seasonal jobs also tend to be among the first to be let go in a crisis. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hastily announced an impending nationwide lockdown in March, hundreds of thousands of internal migrant workers suddenly found themselves unemployed and homeless, forced to flee the cities en masse. The arduous journeys back to their villagessome reportedly walking as much as 500 mileswere made worse by the stigma of being seen as both patients and carriers of the virus.

Indian migrant workers walk along a highway on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India, on April 28, 2020. | Noah SeelamAFP/Getty Images

There is increasing risk that migrants returning to rural areas face discrimination and stigmatization, because they are said to be carrying or spreading the virus, says Rapone. FAO staff in Asia and Latin America have reported such cases, she adds.

Yet the spread of the coronavirus has also revealed just how much of the essential work depends on migrants, from the medical sector to deliveries to the global food supply.

In the U.S., about half of the farmworkers are undocumented immigrants, according to the Department of Agriculture. Classified as essential workers, they continue to toil in fields, orchards and packing plants across the nation, even as much of the economy is shut down. Limited access to healthcare, cramped living and working conditions, and even a reported lack of soap on some farms can put them at high risk of contracting the virus.

Globally, were very dependent on migrants to fill up jobs that are absolutely essential to sustain our economies, says Mohan Dutta, a professor who studies the intersection of poverty and health at Massey University in New Zealand. He adds that health authorities need to do more to protect them.

A hidden backbone

Singapores outbreak highlights what can happen if some of the lowest paid and most vulnerable people in society go unnoticed during the health crisis. After reporting single-digit daily caseloads in February, the island nation of 5.6 million now has the highest number of reported COVID-19 infections in Southeast Asia.

This month, cases began surging past 1,000 per day, and almost all the patients were migrant workers.

The government was really focused on fighting COVID-19 on two battlefronts: community transmission and imported cases, says Jeremy Lim, co-director of global health at the National University of Singapores Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. But it overlooked the vulnerabilities of this third front thats now glaringly obvious to everyone.

Singapores 1.4 million foreign workers make up about one-third of the countrys total workforce, according to government figures. Most of the low-wage workers are from India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and other countries.

Advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) calls them the hidden backbone of Singapore society.

Everything you see as development, [like] the building sector, the marine sectorall this depends very, very much on migrant workers, says Christine Pelly, an Executive Committee member of TWC2. Their contribution permeates throughout society in a very necessary and essential way.

Migrant workers, Dutta adds, are an invisible community in Singapore. Their dormitories are located on the outskirts of the city and on their rest days, they congregate in districts like Little India and Chinatown, where ethnic food shops and money remittances are located. Due to fear of losing their jobs, many do not complain about their living and working conditions.

Not only are they unseen, but their voices are also unheard, says Dutta.

A migrant worker has his temperature checked by a security guard before leaving a factory-converted dormitory in Singapore on April 17, 2020. | Ore HuiyingGetty Images

TWC2 says it has spent years trying to call the governments attention to the cramped and dirty dormitory conditions that now pose a grave public health threat. Government regulations stipulate that each occupant be allotted 4.5 square meters (about 48 square feet) of living space, meaning that rooms for 20 people can be as small as 960 square feet, while facilities like bathrooms, kitchens and common rooms are shared.

Some dorms now have hundreds of cases. One of them, the sprawling S11 complex, has over 2,200. Nizam, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi, moved out of S11 after his roommate tested positive earlier this month. He was transferred to a quarantine center.

One hundred and seventy people share [a] common washroom, kitchen and the room where we eat, the construction worker says. Everything is shared. Thats why the virus is spreading like that.

Besides the dormitories, rights groups have also sounded the alarm on the trucks that ferry migrants to and from work in the gleaming city center. Workers, usually about a dozen or more, are typically packed shoulder to shoulder in the open backs of lorries.

Pivoting strategies

Singapore is scrambling to neutralize the ballooning crisis by locking down the dorms and trying to space out residents.

This is Singapores largest humanitarian public health crisis ever. So the logistics of moving thousands of people, feeding and separating them is not at all straightforward, says Lim, who also volunteers to help migrant workers.

Around 10,000 workers have been moved out of their dormitories and into vacant housing blocks and military camps. Medical personnel have been stationed at dorms to carry out aggressive testing, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in an April 21 address.

Dormitory residents have been instructed to stop working. The government has said employers must continue to pay their migrant workers during that period, and that testing and treatment will be free.

While workers are being provided three meals a day and free wifi, they are completely dependent on handouts. Workers TIME spoke with say they have not been allowed to leave their dorms, not even to buy groceries or other necessities.

Their treatment also contrasts with the four and five-star hotels that the government has paid to house Singaporeans returning from overseas, fueling criticism of further inequities.

Read more: The Coronavirus Is Hitting Our Nations Prisons and Jails Hard. And Its Exposing a Crisis That Existed Long Before the Outbreak

A warning from Singapore

As migrant workers endure the brunt of Singapores outbreak, observers say the situation should serve as a reminder for other countries to pay attention to vulnerable residents, especially those for whom social distancing is a luxury.

They need to be spread out, but they also need to have access to basic infrastructures like ventilation, clean toilets, adequate supply of water, adequate cleaning supplies, says Dutta, the New Zealand professor.

Seeking to blunt the economic repercussions of the pandemic, many countries are now rushing to restart their economies. Several states in the U.S. have started reopening this week, while in Germany and France schools and businesses are making plans to resume.

But Dutta cautioned against loosening restrictions before ensuring vulnerable groups have access to basic sanitation and decent accommodation. Infections among marginalized communities, if not properly contained, could increase the risk for the entire population, he warns.

Inequalities are the breeding grounds for pandemics, he says. Countries absolutely have to learn [from Singapore] before its too late.

Please send tips, leads, and stories from the frontlines to virus@time.com.
Three members of Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson's family have received protective orders against a man charged with shooting at homes on their Louisiana estate.

Daniel King Jr., 38, was booked on a charge of aggravated assault by drive-by shooting after two homes were struck by gunfire on the West Monroe property belonging to Willie Robertson, star of the reality show about duck hunting that ran from 2012 to 2017.

King has since been ordered to stay at least 1000 feet away from Willie's 24-year-old son, John Luke Robertson, as well as John Luke's wife Mary Kate Robertson and their six-month-old son John Shepherd, The News-Star reported.

Latest: Three members of Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson's family have received protective orders against a man charged with shooting at homes on their Louisiana estate

The order was set to run through April 2022.

King was accused of pointing a handgun from the window of a Ford F-250 and firing shots toward the homes, the newspaper reported, citing an arrest warrant from the Ouachita Parish Sheriffs Office.

Nobody was hurt but one bullet went through the bedroom window of the home where John Luke Robertson lives with his family, authorities said.

Five people were inside the second home that was hit, the sheriff's office said.

Update: King has since been ordered to stay at least 1000 feet away from Willie's son, John Luke Robertson, as well as John Luke's wife Mary Kate Robertson and their six-month-old son John Shepherd, The News-Star reported. Latest: Three members of Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson's family have received protective orders against a man charged with shooting at homes on their Louisiana estate

Incident: Daniel King Jr., 38, was booked into jail on a charge of aggravated assault by drive-by shooting after two homes were struck by gunfire on the West Monroe property belonging to Willie Robertson, star of the reality show about duck hunting that ran from 2012 to 2017

King told deputies he fired the gun while trying to see if the safety was on, and also allegedly admitted to drinking vodka at the time, according to the documents. Deputies said a juvenile was also in the truck.

King remained in custody this week on a $150,000 bond, The News-Star said.

It was unclear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

King is ordered to keep at least 1,000 feet away from the reality star's family for two years.

Authorities also banned King - who's charged with felony assault by drive-by shooting in the Friday incident - from owning any firearms, and he must turn in his entire collection to the Ouachita Parish Sheriffs Office, according to TMZ.

King, whose bond was set at $150,000, also was charged with misdemeanor criminal neglect of family in the incident, in which a bullet landed in a room. Another residence was struck in the hail of bullets, witnesses told police

Following the incident, family members Korie and Sadie Robertson reassured their fans no one was harmed in the incident.

Update: Following the incident, family members Korie and Sadie Robertson reassured their fans no one was harmed in the incident

Korie, 46, who is married to Willie, 48, thanked fans for their prayers and said the family was 'safe and sound and feeling profoundly grateful for God's protection over us!

She added: 'Yes, the news reports are true, we had a drive-by shooting at our home on Friday, it was scary and dangerously close, but thanks to God no one was hurt AND today we got to participate in a drive-by birthday celebration!

'Crazy how life works! We honked our horns and made signs. We are alive and well, and not taking this day for granted!'
The king of the Konyak tribe sleeps in Myanmar, but eats in India -- his house, village and people divided by a mountain border which serves as a vulnerable lifeline now severed by a coronavirus lockdown.

The Konyak are just one of dozens of Naga tribes, a people yearning to reunite the 3 million living in India with their 400,000 estranged -- and much poorer -- cousins in Myanmar's isolated far north.

Many from Myanmar cross the border to attend school, sell vegetables or visit a hospital, as it is a days-long journeys by foot to the nearest town in Myanmar.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Tonyei Phawng claims to be the 12th generation of his family to rule the Konyak, whose feared tattooed warriors once brought home their enemies' heads as trophies. His son, the crown prince, will one day take over in a lineage many believe possess supernatural powers.

Dressed in civilian tracksuit and trainers in his village of Longwa, the 43-year-old king described to AFP in February how his Myanmar brothers were often stopped at the border and detained.

Days later, the border was shuttered, not at the whim of Indian soldiers, but due to the threat of COVID-19.

While the Indian government was providing some emergency rations, nothing had arrived from Myanmar authorities, Longwa-based tour guide Nahmai Konyak, 34, told AFP by phone.

Those living hand-to-mouth in Myanmar are finding it very difficult, he said. "We just can't help them."

Retreating British colonialists left behind the frontier after World War II, cleaving the Konyak tribe of 44 villages in two - alongside several other tribes. The Naga on both sides enjoy some degree of autonomy, but there is a huge disparity of development.
By Lucia Cheng

chengluc@grinnell.edu

Many students can recall the chaos during the week of March 10  the packing of boxes, the frantic goodbyes to friends, the rapid changes in policies as the College shut down campus due to COVID-19  but some students had the additional burden of increasingly overt discrimination against East Asians, adding yet another layer of uncertainty to an already uncertain future.

Some of my friends who are from China are from the same city as me, Nanjing, said Chinese Student Association President Zhenzhong [Jack] Xing 23. They told me that when they were sleeping in a room, they heard other people yelling Fuck Chinese next door and then going to a party.

The night before, March 11, someone had written FUCK WUHAN SAVE USA on a whiteboard in the residence halls outside a students room. Wuhan, a city in Central China, was the site of the first outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, which has now been detected in over 175 countries. In response, xenophobia and racism towards East Asian communities worldwide has spiked dramatically, fueled by such prominent individuals as U.S. President Donald Trump.

When Kat St. Martin-Norburg 23 woke up to the message on her whiteboard in the morning, at first it didnt register.

My first instinct wasnt naturally one of anger, said St. Martin-Norburg. My anger developed later. It was kind of like amusement  I was like, Huh, so there are some closeted racists living on my floor, and theyre so ignorant that they dont even know that Im not even from Wuhan.

Having been adopted and raised by a white family, she found this especially ironic.

It was only after St. Martin-Norburg posted about the writing in the Facebook group Grinnell Thumbs Down that she realized the deeper context behind the incident. She was surprised at what the act implied, that xenophobia could even occur at a place like Grinnell College, which has a reputation for social justice. Growing up, St. Martin-Norburg had already had to confront the assumptions people made about her race and culture, finding ways to talk about her identity to divulge just enough detail for others to understand that her story is separate from their expectations.

For me personally, it kind of hurts a little more because Ive spent my whole life here being told, Oh, you dont belong here, said St. Martin-Norburg, and trying to prove that I do.

Other East Asian students recalled an incident in which a person in a red truck with Trump banners yelled at a student just off campus and disputes over Facebook, including racist and xenophobic memes.

In response to the mounting number of incidents, the Chinese Student Association (CSA) and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Intercultural Affairs published written statements warning against bias-related incidents on March 12. No information has been provided as to further investigation of the incidents.

Some senior students said that its not the first time since things like that have happened on campus. It just got more severe and [pointed] outwards, said Xing.

The students interviewed by The S&B said that such incidents are indicative of longstanding issues of racism and xenophobia at Grinnell which COVID-19 has just made more overt.

They love to eat our food, they love to have all these cultural differences, they love our cultural accessories. They love to have these experiences that make [themselves] more interesting. But when it comes to like actual issues, they would still fall back on us being foreign and being xenophobic towards us, said Cat Ton 22.

That surface-level appreciation of diversity is not the same as explicit acknowledgement of different perspectives.

I get the impression that some people would think that Im biased, or to put it in more extreme terms, Ive been brainwashed by the education I received back home, said Yilan Dong 21. Ive been called out by a person who said I lack logical and critical thinking because my viewpoint is different from theirs.

International students of color must choose when to speak up, or when to let micro and macroaggressions go and have their experiences and identity discounted or marginalized.

Dong recalls how her economics professor attempted to reassure students about the impending virus as the crisis progressed. The focus of the class session was on reducing the stress of attendance. After a few questions, Dong recalled how a student raised their hand and instead brought the conversation to the negative externalities of the Chinese government, disregarding the feelings of those coming to terms with the gravity of COVID-19.

Its kind of inappropriate to bring up that subject when the professor is trying to reassure us of how he would be flexible, given the things that are happening, said Dong, Being a Chinese student in that class, knowing the situation all alone, worrying about family and friends, and hearing other students saying that basically this is the fault of our government  It made me uncomfortable.

Asian students would rather not be reduced to a mere bullet point in response to someone elses question. Because while others have the luxury of taking themselves out of the equation and moving on with their lives, for international students, the situation can get much more personal.

At first, Miho Tatsuki 20 did not believe such blatantly racist acts would occur towards her individually, at least not to the point of a physical standoff. Out of health precautions, she decided to wear a facemask to fly out of OHare International Airport. However, the mask was not enough of a deterrent to stop a person from walking up to her and coughing directly in her face.

In the span of those few minutes, xenophobia went from articles in the news to something that was directly threatening her.

I feel like its hard for people who didnt experience that to understand the impact it has. Its not just the fact that a person coughed at you. Its more like an accumulation of a lot of things that are happening around the xenophobic atmosphere in the states, said Tatsuki.

Even then, Tatsuki worried that she may have been overreacting, caring too much about a small thing, despite living through similar instances in her past.

Ive experienced overt racism in high school, going to school in the states, but I didnt expect to face that again. I think its very childish, said Tatsuki. To her, the disrespect she faced on both accounts seems to come from a place of ignorance.

On Grinnells campus, the students interviewed recalled a general apathy of domestic students to the challenges faced by international students in their everyday lives, as there are many experiences with which domestic students do not have to contend.

One example is getting student and work visas in order to attend Grinnell, a process during which individuals are viewed as intending immigrants until they can convince the consular officer otherwise.

A common liberal arts refrain is that your major does not heavily impact your future. But international students have to choose their major differently than domestic students. Their jobs must be related to their majors in order to obtain a sponsorship to stay in the U.S. The sponsorship process itself costs thousands of dollars, which means an international student must find a large company willing to pay that amount.

Not only do you have to prove to a company that you are competent, said Ton, You also have to prove to them that you are worth that money. Ton said that domestic students are often not aware of this reality. Once, she overheard someone at her table in the Dining Hall complaining about the invasiveness of UK immigration policy, which only consists of a single form, a complaint Ton characterized as just being oblivious and thinking that filling out this one form is very intrusive. In an ideal world, she wishes that domestic students would seek out what it means to live in other countries, leaving international students free from the burden of ignorance.

Theres a lot of work needs to be done, said Ton. But if international students dont do it, then whos going to?

Until then, students agreed, microaggressions and acts of bigotry will carry on perpetuating racism and xenophobia within the culture of the College.

Knowing that its just a fraction of a big issue, said Tatsuki, I feel really powerless.

Coming from Tatsuki, who is a fourth year, and hearing the same sentiment expressed by Xing, a first year, the resignation was almost palpable.

A lot of Vietnamese students told me that you should expect this kind of thing to happen, said Xing, So dont be surprised.
Welcome Home Funding, a joint venture between CMG Financial and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties, has hired John Dutra as the company's new president.

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This writer has organised several peace marches and from experience can say that it is difficult to walk more than 20-30 km per day for an ordinary person.

Workers have walked more than a thousand kilometers to reach state of Bihar from Delhi. These walks were eerie as all eating and even tea joints were closed en-route courtesy lockdown. Later the government took a decision to make buses available but a group of 14 'dholak', an Indian percussion instrument, makers, stuck in Agra found it difficult to pay Rs 800 per adult and Rs 500 per child that they were asked to pay to reach their homes in Barabanki and Fatehpur, and hence had no choice but to de-board the bus.

Rush to reach home made a mockery of the directive to maintain social distance as it was virtually impossible for people scrambling to get into buses to observe what appeared to be a luxury that only rich society could afford. In any case, the poor in India, most of whom would also belong to a lower caste, have always been subjected to 'social' distancing or untouchability by the upper caste elite who would never dine with them or even allow them to sit near them at the same level.

Waking up late, in an attempt to prevent mass migration, the government has now stopped people from moving, setting up relief and quarantine camps under strict police vigils. There is strict check at state and district borders.

Police put 15 men who had returned from outside in a quarantine camp established on April 4, 2020 in a public school in Village Chandpur Faridpur in Rampur Mathura Block of Sitapur District, which appears more as an exercise to complete the formality to please the demanding Chief Minister of UP, Yogi Adityanath.

Four of these 15 had returned to the village during March 23-28 with their families but their wives and children have been saved the inconvenience of quarantine and remaining returned during March 22-28 had been living with their families for at least 8 days before they were quarantined.

Only a mattress has been provided to them by the elected head of village in the name of support from the state. They have not even been given masks as a precautionary measure. Their families are supposed to arrange food for them. The concept of quarantine has gone for a toss here.

The government has declared that free food grains would be provided to people holding a particular category of card called 'antyodaya' under the Public Distribution System (PDS), which offers 35 kg of subsidised food grains every month even under normal conditions or people with job cards issued as part of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

However, because of widespread corruption in government system some of the deserving are left out of these schemes meant for the poor. Not being registered under any of the abovementioned schemes would make one ineligible to receive any free food grains. Twenty villagers from Chandpur Faridpur were found to be in such a situation.

What started out as people's curfew has now resembles police state with all human rights suspended,people at the mercy of government As many as 122 villagers from village Hardoiya Deviganj in Gosainganj Block of Lucknow District possessed the other category of card called 'Priority' under the PDS, using which they could procure 5 kg food grains per member of the family at the rate of Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg for rice, but they didn't have enough cash, when all means of income generation have dried up for the past two weeks, to buy grains at subsidised rates mentioned above.

Another 13 such card holders from Chandpur Faridpur found names of some of their family members struck off, reducing the quantity of grains entitled to them. The Fair Price Shop owner in Village Aseni of Barabanki district did not give up the habit of corruption even during coronavirus crisis and charged Rs 20 to Rs 100 to give grains to antyodaya card holders, which they were supposed to get free, and charged double the amount from Priority card holders, also cheating on the weight on food grains.

The lockdown because of coronavirus threat has hit the daily wage earners the hardest who were dependent on their daily incomes to feed their families. With only selling vegetables on carts being allowed, about 50% new people who were earlier engaged in some other occupation like operating battery rickshaws or other forms of daily wage earning have now entered this vocation. If they didn't make this adjustment their families would be doomed.

This man-made tragedy is further compounded by the insensitive administrations and governments. The most glaring example is from Bareilly, a city 300 km east of Delhi, where migrant workers returning home were given Sodium Hypochlorite disinfectant bath by local officials, which created health problems for some. An enquiry has been ordered by the District Magistrate in this incident.

In another untoward and unexpected incident when a Dalit social activist Abhishek gave a list of 41 names, 20 of them from Scheduled Caste and remaining belonging to Other Backward Classes, all poor, from his village Mataria in Unnao district to the Commissioner of Lucknow so that relief could be provided to them in time of lockdown crisis; the elected village head Jai Bind Yadav took it as an insult, for negligence of duty on his part, and verbally abused Abhishek.

When Abhishek escaped to Lucknow, Yadav caught hold of his uncle Santu and beat him up mercilessly. From trying to provide relief to hapless co-villagers now Abhishek's family is living in terror of the village head. With Commissioner's help a police case has been registered against Yadav under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The government is imitating decisions of the developed countries failing to realise that work from home, social (physical) distancing, wearing masks or using sanitisers every now and then is not possible for the vast majority of poor in India. Their lives will be devastated because of lockdown and government is not doing enough to alleviate the hardships faced by them.

From what started out as a 'people's curfew,' it has now started resembling a police state with all human rights suspended and people totally at the mercy of government. The government is unaccountable and people cannot dissent. There couldn't have been better situation for an autocratic Prime Minister of a right wing government. It appears that Narendra Modi is fighting a war against his own people and there will be casualties of various kinds at the end of it.

---

*Magsaysay Award winning social activist, vice president of Socialist Party (India) As many as 122 villagers from village Hardoiya Deviganj in Gosainganj Block of Lucknow District possessed the other category of card called 'Priority' under the PDS, using which they could procure 5 kg food grains per member of the family at the rate of Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg for rice, but they didn't have enough cash, when all means of income generation have dried up for the past two weeks, to buy grains at subsidised rates mentioned above.Another 13 such card holders from Chandpur Faridpur found names of some of their family members struck off, reducing the quantity of grains entitled to them. The Fair Price Shop owner in Village Aseni of Barabanki district did not give up the habit of corruption even during coronavirus crisis and charged Rs 20 to Rs 100 to give grains to antyodaya card holders, which they were supposed to get free, and charged double the amount from Priority card holders, also cheating on the weight on food grains.The lockdown because of coronavirus threat has hit the daily wage earners the hardest who were dependent on their daily incomes to feed their families. With only selling vegetables on carts being allowed, about 50% new people who were earlier engaged in some other occupation like operating battery rickshaws or other forms of daily wage earning have now entered this vocation. If they didn't make this adjustment their families would be doomed.This man-made tragedy is further compounded by the insensitive administrations and governments. The most glaring example is from Bareilly, a city 300 km east of Delhi, where migrant workers returning home were given Sodium Hypochlorite disinfectant bath by local officials, which created health problems for some. An enquiry has been ordered by the District Magistrate in this incident.In another untoward and unexpected incident when a Dalit social activist Abhishek gave a list of 41 names, 20 of them from Scheduled Caste and remaining belonging to Other Backward Classes, all poor, from his village Mataria in Unnao district to the Commissioner of Lucknow so that relief could be provided to them in time of lockdown crisis; the elected village head Jai Bind Yadav took it as an insult, for negligence of duty on his part, and verbally abused Abhishek.When Abhishek escaped to Lucknow, Yadav caught hold of his uncle Santu and beat him up mercilessly. From trying to provide relief to hapless co-villagers now Abhishek's family is living in terror of the village head. With Commissioner's help a police case has been registered against Yadav under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.The government is imitating decisions of the developed countries failing to realise that work from home, social (physical) distancing, wearing masks or using sanitisers every now and then is not possible for the vast majority of poor in India. Their lives will be devastated because of lockdown and government is not doing enough to alleviate the hardships faced by them.From what started out as a 'people's curfew,' it has now started resembling a police state with all human rights suspended and people totally at the mercy of government. The government is unaccountable and people cannot dissent. There couldn't have been better situation for an autocratic Prime Minister of a right wing government. It appears that Narendra Modi is fighting a war against his own people and there will be casualties of various kinds at the end of it.---

The Bhartiya Janata Party-led government in India has a penchant for doing things in a 'surgical strike' manner, a much publicised military operation they carried out against Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out demonetisation in November 2016 at a few hours notice leaving the common citizens stranded with Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes which had suddenly become illegal. Tourists were evacuated in Indian Air Force planes, the last one carrying just one passenger, from Jammu and Kashmir, before autonomy of the state was taken away on 5 August, 2019. Similarly, coronavirus lockdown was implemented without giving adequate time to citizens to be prepared to face it.Lakhs of daily wage or contract workers, who live in sub-human conditions, were stuck in their places of work with all transportation to their homes abruptly coming to stand still. Narendra Modi even invoked memories of how the country faced war situation in the past to deal with the current crisis.When this writer met a group of eleven workers walking in Lucknow, capital city of state of Uttar Pradesh, 500 kilometer east of Delhi, on the evening of 28 March, 2020, he was informed by them that they had been walking since 22 March, the day Narendra Modi had given a call for one day 'people's curfew,' implying they were walking almost 70 km per day, and they still had a good 150 km to go before they would reach their homes in Bahraich.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide Rs 1 lakh crore wage protection assistance to 6.3 crore Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to help them pay wages and salaries to 110 million people engaged in these MSMEs for the month of April.

And for non-MSMEs, he said the government should announce a Paycheque Protection Programme on the lines of the steps taken by the United States.

This is not a legislation but a financial assistance package, Chidambaram said, addressing the press through video-conferencing.

It is bewildering that there has been absolutely no financial package or assistance announced for businesses since the onset of Covid-19. The government may have the luxury of time but the MSMEs do not. They need to know right away whether they will be helped to stay afloat and thereby pay salaries and wages to those dependent on these businesses, he said.

Tomorrow is the last working day of the month. More than 12 crore people of India are waiting with bated breath. They want to know if they will be paid their salaries and wages for the month of April. There is palpable tension and rising uncertainty among the working people of India and their families, Chidambaram said.

According to the annual report of the MSME ministry, the senior Congress leader said 11 crore people are engaged in 6.3 crore MSMEs and most of them would not have worked a single day in the month of April because the entire country was in a lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

How will these people feed themselves and their families without an income? These 11 crore peoples livelihoods are in danger now because most of the employers are unable to pay wages and salaries. The businesses have had no sales this month and their payments to their vendors are also stuck, leaving the vendors also in distress, he said.

Large swathes of the private sector are faced with what economists call an extreme liquidity shock. Furthermore, these businesses are also unsure about their future. They do not know whether they can continue their businesses or will be forced to shut down permanently. The time to make bold decisions to save the MSMEs is now. If businesses do not see hope, they will decide to close, he added.

The government has to step in today to protect 110 million Indians and give hope to 6.3 crore MSMEs, Chidambaram said, adding the Congress has submitted a proposal with specific, well thought out and concrete suggestions to help them.

We urge the Prime Minister to look at that proposal and immediately announce Rs 1 lakh crore wage protection assistance to MSMEs to help them pay wages and salaries for the month of April, and also Rs 1 lakh crore credit guarantee fund for MSMEs that will help them to go to the banks and borrow money, he said.

Elaborating on the Paycheque Protection Programme, the former finance minister said according to the income-tax department, there are roughly 10 million people with a salary income of less than Rs 3,50,000 a year or Rs 30,000 a month.

Assuming an average salary of Rs 15,000 a month for these 1 crore people, the total cost comes to Rs 15,000 crore for the month of April. This is not a large sum to protect the livelihoods of 10 million people who have filed tax returns and paid taxes in the past, and can be easily found. The government must announce a Paycheque Protection Program right away to protect the salaries of these 1 crore employees.

The Congress also suggested waiver of employers contributions to the employees provident fund (EPF) and employees state insurance (ESI), on a temporary basis, for the next three months, he said, adding this will assist in reducing the payroll costs of employers and retaining the workforce.

Time is of the essence. In the absence of a clear signal of assistance from the government during these extremely difficult times, the private sector will be forced to resort to large scale retrenchments and layoffs which will devastate livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, Chidambaram said.

We urge the Prime Minister to step in urgently and announce an assistance package to protect the wages and salaries and pay cheques that are due in the next few days, he added.

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Los Angeles, California--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) ("Walt Disney" or "the Company") for violations of securities laws.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

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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.

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Not a mass movement, but one at a time



Mitcham Baptist Church in London is medium sized Baptist church with a balanced age profile across its fellowship  including a healthy number of young adults







Philip Lutterodt joined Mitcham Baptist Church as its minister in 2009, having previously pastored churches in Ghana and Switzerland. Throughout his ministries hes always had a passion for young adults, empowering them, and giving them opportunities to lead and grow. Luke 2:52, the only passage to mention Jesus years between 18 and 30, is a key scripture for him (And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man).



This is a crucial time in Jesus life, he says, Ive always had a desire to see a flourishing young adults ministry.



This has been the case at Mitcham. More than a decade ago the church Philip was called to operated in a very traditional way, with hymns and expository preaching. Philip took a survey among the congregation and learnt that the small number of young adults there wanted something more contemporary. They said the services were too formal, not challenging enough, and not really meeting their needs. Others wanted a mix of contemporary and the traditional.



Rather than rush to act on what he had heard, Philip spent time in prayer and fasting. He kept things as they were for one year. After this time he began to alternate between contemporary, chorus-based worship one week, and hymns the next. Similarly, he mixed up his preaching styles, offering narrative, story telling sermons for part of the year, alongside a more traditional, expository text-based approach. His mantra has always been Lets hasten slowly.



Some didnt agree with these changes and left, always with Philips blessing (I want people to worship where the Spirit leads them). However, over time a small number of young adults came back. They found it more relevant to their needs, and helped them to feel more at home.



And with every young adult that turned up, I was so excited.



Philip has always wanted the church to meet needs, be open to the Holy Spirit and not be dogmatic. Where possible this has meant giving young adults opportunities to lead, to mentor and be mentored.



When he arrived the church had a youth club, and this has been sustained. Hes always tried to encourage young adults to lead it. When theres less of an age gap, they can relate better. There is still a role for the older people in supporting it, but weve now got a very vibrant teen ministry, which is like a family. The conversations are like talking to an older brother or sister.



He wanted a fellowship for young adults, and was praying for God to raise up leaders. This happened following the marriage of a young couple. With Philips support, training and encouragement, they began a group that met in their home. This group began to gel and disciple each other. When this couple moved up north because of a change in job, Philip was able to identify another young couple with leadership qualities.



Its going very well. It meets once a month. The challenge is when they start to have children, they find it difficult to run.



But God has been good. The number of young adults keeps increasing. When they realise something good is happening at church, they invite their friends. Its one at a time, not a mass movement.



He began to sense the different age groups in the church need specific ministries.



One of the consequences of this focus is that Mitcham Baptist Church has a balanced mix of ages, with roughly even numbers of children and teens, young adults, middle adults (40s-70s), and senior adults (70+). There isnt the same sense of a missing generation.



Features of church life include having the different age groups regularly lead services, and times of prayer. Every month there will be a special service that focuses on each of the age groups, which enables the fellowship to know more about each other. Each month the church marks birthdays and anniversaries of both weddings and deaths.



Philip says its important there are lots of opportunities throughout the year for the whole church family to come together, and this happens through events like Christmas dinners and visits to the beach.



Hes found that music is another way for different groups to express themselves and serve the church. There are therefore three separate music groups, a teenage gospel band, a young adults gospel band, and middle/senior adult choir. He has resisted calls to amalgamate. People like to be with people they like to be with, says Philip, who is also a trained psychologist. Once they have a sense of belonging, they come, and stay. Mentoring has an important place in the life of the church: Philip encourages all young adults to mentor  to mentor university students and teenagers in the church.



He recognises challenges. House prices in London for one, alongside lots of other styles of churches, some with a particular focus on young adults. When people start to have children they find it more difficult to sustain the energy to fully participate in ways they previously did. Philip recognises too that its challenging to meet the needs of different ages.



Ultimately he wants to empower people to be the person God has called them to be, and aims to creates space in the life of the church to help enable this to happen.





Picture | Mitcham Baptist Church



This article appears in the Summer 2020 edition of Baptists Together magazine, which focuses on reaching and raising young adults.

Baptist Times, 29/04/2020
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is proposing the State Department remove Uzbekistan from its "worst of the worst" list of offenders of religious freedom, while reiterating that Russia should be put on that list.

The independent, bipartisan advisory body created by Congress to make recommendations about global religious freedom proposed in its annual report on April 28 that 14 countries be put on the "country of particular concern" list, a category reserved for those that carrying out "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" violations of religious freedom.

Alongside Sudan, the commission recommended Uzbekistan be removed as a country of particular concern, a move already taken by President Donald Trump's administration last year.

Uzbekistan has taken "significant steps" to improve religious freedom, warranting its removal from the list of worst offenders, the commission said.

As improvements it cited an end to long-standing raids on religious communities and restrictions on literature, as well as the government's announcement it would close the notorious Jasliq prison, which had held religious prisoners, including two who in the past had been boiled to death, the commission said.

Tashkent still remains on a special watch list, meaning there are still "severe" violations of religious freedom in the Central Asian country. Other countries on the USCIRF's special watch list include: Cuba, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Central African Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Turkey.



The State Department has already designated nine of 14 countries on the list of the worst countries regarding religious freedom: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

But it has so far not followed USCIRF recommendations to add five others -- India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam.

Russia 'Gets Worse'

The commission said Russia -- which remains on the State Department's special watch list -- saw a deterioration of religious freedom in 2019 with raids on Jehovah's Witnesses and the abuse of vague laws and counterextremism justifications to target religious minorities.

"The Russian government views independent religious activity as threatening social and political stability and its own control, while simultaneously cultivating relationships with the country's so-called 'traditional' religions," the report said.

In Russian-occupied Crimea, the commission said Crimean Tatars were harassed, arrested, and even tortured under the cover of alleged extremism charges leveled against secular human rights groups opposed to the Russian occupation.

Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine also restricted religious freedom, the commission said, following a similar pattern as in Russia, while also privileging the Russian Orthodox Church over the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

In the North Caucacus, meanwhile, security forces arrested and kidnapped people with alleged links to Islamist militant groups and harassed Muslim prayer groups.

'Very Negative Direction'

In another major recommendation to the State Department, the commission put India on its "worst of the worst" list of offenders of religious freedom.

India is "trending in a very negative direction," USCIRF Chairman Tony Perkins said at a press conference.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government implemented a series of discriminatory policies in 2019, including an amendment to the citizenship law that provides a path to Indian citizenship only for non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

When a national register is completed, millions of Muslims who have lived in the country for decades could face detention, deportation, and statelessness.

"The national and various state governments have tolerated widespread harassment and violence against religious minorities," USCIRF added.

Elsewhere in the word, China has rounded up 1.8 million Uyghur Muslims into concentration camps and women in Pakistan were forced to convert to Islam.

Secretive Turkmenistan was identified as one of the worst countries in the world for religious freedom, while the commission said Tajikistan's "already dismal record" deteriorated.

The USCIRF advises the president, Congress, and State Department on international religious-freedom issues. Its annual reports are different from the State Department's reports on international religious freedom.

The advisory body says its independence enables it to "unflinchingly criticize" both U.S. allies and adversaries.
Deputy Minister of Trade, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, has stated that the Akufo-Addo-led government will once again shock critics with the building of 88 health facilities.



Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the plausibility of the facilities the President promised last Sunday, Mr Ahenkorah who is also the MP for Tema West said those doubting the President are people who are just not observant.



How did President Akufo-Addo find money to fund the free electricity and water that he has given Ghanaians to help them cope with the coronavirus pandemic? How did he come by the money to deliver one village, one dam, one district, one factory?



The people who are doubting the President now are the same people who doubted him from opposition and all I can say is that, they have only set themselves up to be embarrassed again,

According to him, the Presidents critics would have done themselves a favour,if they had rather studied the President and discovered that he was the same man who was fighting Covid-19 with money that was not available from the beginning.



President Akufo-Addo is currently trending after he promised to build 88 new hospitals for the country to plug the non availability of hospitals in 88 districts of the country.



He also promised new hospitals for a number of Regions.



There are 88 districts in our country without district Hospitals.

We have six new regions without regional hospitals that is why Government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure.



We will this year, begin constructing 88 hospitals in the districts without hospitals. It will be 10 in Ashanti, nine in Volta, nine in Central, eight in the Eastern, seven in Greater Accra, seven in Upper East, five in Northern, five in Oti, five in Upper West, five in Bono, four in Western North, four in Western, three in Ahafo, tgree in Savannah, two in Bono East, and two in North East Region.



Each of them will be a quality, standard design 100-bed hospital with accommodation for Doctors, Nurses and other Health workers. The intention is to complete them within a year.



We are also putting in place plans to construct six new regional hospitals in the six new Regions. The rehabilitation of Afia Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi, the President said.



But immediately after the broadcast on Saturday, the Presidents critics mainly consisting of leading members of opposition parties, went to town on the President claiming it was not doable as the budget did not cater for the projects.



Mr Ahenkorah on the other hand said their thinking lacked foundation in reason. What they should ask is, how Akufo-Addo managed to get GHC63.74 billion to fund the financial sector clean-up. Where did we get money to do Free SHS, and the other programmes that the same people said the President could not deliver.



The way these programmes were funded is the same way these hospitals will also be funded.



He expressed disappointment that the good news that the President gave rather led to detraction when it ought to make Ghanaians happy and supportive.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Paul Hollywood Eats Japan

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Let's Fishing Enjoy is the incoherent slogan of a restaurant called Zauo in Tokyo, where diners scoop fat bream or flounder from a shallow pond beside their boat-shaped tables.

Paul was supposed to be the innocent abroad, out of his comfort zone, in Paul Hollywood Eats Japan

Minutes later they are tucking in to the freshest sashimi, or raw fish. Paul Hollywood Eats Japan (C4) saw the Bake Off judge try it  looking such a fish-out-of-water himself that he was lucky not to end up gutted on a plate.

Paul was supposed to be the innocent abroad, out of his comfort zone. But there's nothing innocent about the hair-gelled baker and he ended up looking simply uncomfortable.

Whether he was silently gritting his teeth in a karaoke booth or go-karting with a cross-dressing wrestler called Ladybeard, Paul never lost the uneasy air of a man who has travelled halfway round the world to make a show he doesn't understand. The concept of wry, self-deprecating humour is beyond him  he thinks 'wry' is a fancy name for brown bread.

Laughing at himself is alien to his nature, so he was constantly trying to turn the format into something he understood: a foodie travelogue.

Like those other over-inflated egos on sticks, Gordon Ramsay and Gregg Wallace, Paul loves to boast about his 'palate'. He honestly believes he has a superior ability to taste and swallow food, as if eating makes him an artist.

Taking a deep-fried, knotted eel spine between wobbly chopsticks at a tempura restaurant, he declared: 'It's like a Michelin-starred pork scratching.' The fluorescent orange contents of a Pancan or tinned bread tasted 'chemically', he said.

Viewers could guess that much by looking at our screens. There was no evidence of a mystically enhanced palate in those descriptions.

Unable to poke fun at himself, Paul has an instinct for mocking others. At a remarkable ramen bar called Nakiryu, where chef Kazumasa Saito spends 12 hours a day concocting noodle broths steeped in complex flavours that he sells for just seven quid a bowl, the lad with the Liverpool accent thought he'd have a laff.

Good health of the night: Historian Ruth Goodman visited a ruined abbey on Inside The Factory (BBC2) to discover how monks looking for the elixir of immortality invented something else by accident . . . boozy liqueurs. Well, that's their story. Advertisement

As he slurped his ramen, he produced a Pot Noodle and invited Chef Saito to sample it, pretending it was a British delicacy. The cook complied and remarked with grave politeness: 'I would not buy this for myself.' Paul snorted like a schoolboy who has tricked a teacher into treading in something unmentionable. Ever since Clive James discovered the Japanese gameshow Endurance  in which young men competed to see who could survive sadistic tortures the longest  British telly has delighted in marvelling at the weirdness of the Orient.

But if the best we've got to offer Japan is a boorish, self-important show-off, I'd say the joke is on us.

The prize for sending himself up in a good-natured way went to Ben Fogle, who took his black labrador, Storm, to a pets-and-owners yoga class, to try 'doga', in How To Keep Your Dog Happy At Home (ITV). All the other mutts were golden labradors and retrievers and they climbed all over Ben. By the end of the session, his sweatshirt was thick with moulted dog hairs. 'My wife will think I've been with a blonde!' he wailed.

We don't really need lessons in keeping our pooches happy in lockdown, because most of them are just thrilled to have us at home every day. But it's fun to meet the celebrities' best friends.

The double Olympic champion boxer Nicola Adams, one of Britain's greatest ever sportswomen, dotes on her tiny Pomeranian, Bailey, who is at her heels even in the gym. 'He might look cute and harmless,' she said, 'but he's got a good mean stare.'
Ever since our lives became largely confined to our homes and surrounding streets, many of us have seen a drop in our daily step count. And our smartwatches and phones are not-so-gently reminding us of that.

At the end of last month, data from Fitbit showed that step counts were falling by up to about a third in countries worst hit by the coronavirus at the time.

Georgina McInnes is working on improving her step count after seeing it fall during lockdown. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Sydney woman Georgina McInnes is among those seeing a drop in her activity. Before the pandemic she would clock a whopping number of steps  anywhere between 17,000 and 25,000 each day  largely due to her job as a tour guide on NSW's Lord Howe Island.

"I moved back to Sydney with my family and on average I started recording about 5000 steps per day. However if I missed my daily run or workout, I would only clock up to 1000 steps," she says, adding that finding motivation has been an issue. She has since started using online programs, managing to raise her Fitbit's step count to about 8000 a day.
The earliest mention I could find of false balance in news reporting appeared in a 1988 Boston Globe article, TV Manipulation in the 88 Campaign. Ed Siegel, then the Globes television critic, traced out the dishonestyand effectivenessof George H.W. Bushs presidential campaign, masterminded by Republican adviser Roger Ailes.

It is instructive that in a year that the news media has again been dogged with the tag of liberal bias,  Siegel wrote, some of its worst reportage occurs when it strives to be balanced.

ABCs Richard Threlkeld did a terrific job in pointing out that in a recent Bush ad on Dukakiss opposition to missile systems, the Bush campaign lied about virtually every claim. [Threlkeld] followed that with a report on a Dukakis ad on Social Security that slightly exaggerated Bushs stance. The probable result in many, if not most, minds was that they are both lying and are equally contemptible, even though Bushs sins were far more flagrant than Dukakiss.

In a vigilant attempt to achieve balance, in other words, ABC had created the false impression that both sides had lied equally.

Eight more years would pass before, in 1996, Ailes and Rupert Murdoch founded Fox News. But journalism has not even begun to resolve the problem of false equivalence in political coverage. Were still caught in the trap Ailes set.

READ: COVID-19 has changed how we report stories on the border.

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But it may be that weve been looking at the wrong problem all along. The urgent need for accurate, reliable news during the covid-19 crisis is revealing that from the start theres been an even deeper illusion media is obliged to preserve, even more than the illusion of objectivity. What broadcast media is really sellingliterally selling, to its advertisers and to its viewersis the illusion of stability and certainty in American life, as well as its own role as a wise, trustworthy leader within that system. Journalists are forced to protect the illusion of stability by normalizing the fraudulent tactics of Ailesism as just standard operating procedure on the other side. Pretending that the balance is real, that the emperor is clothed, means that everything is still basically okay in TV-land. You can keep right on buying the latest SUV, or refinancing your home.

Last Monday Rachel Maddow, MSNBCs most popular host and reckoned to be among its most liberal, described a shift among our friends and colleagues in the conservative media in comparison with their practices when her show debuted eleven years ago: They have become more and more their own thing.

They were once our legit professional rivals, Maddow said. They were people who were coming at the news from a very pronounced right-wing view, perhaps a very partisan, proRepublican Party view, but at least we were all doing the same kind of work, at least we were all covering the same stuff. But over this past decade or so, steadily, that has decreased, year after year, to the point where now, even in times this weird, conservative media is like Earth-Twothey are on a completely different planet, in terms of what the news is and what it means to cover it.

I disagree. Eleven years ago means 2009, the first year of the Obama presidency, a year in which Fox News host Bill OReilly was still campaigning fiercely against an abortion doctor, George Tiller, whom he dubbed Tiller the baby killer. Tiller was assassinated that year. Even then, conservative news was a stew of xenophobia, race-baiting, and misogyny. Maddows alleged contrast is false.

National news organizations like MSNBC cannot operate effectively outside the assumption of calm, professional equanimity. Their real stock-in-trade is the impression, the conviction, that they know what is going on in the world; that is the reason viewers tune in and the basis of every ad buy. Normality. Stability, a world that is comprehensible and comprehended.

ICYMI: Pandemic coverage and information gaps

That means, among other things, that what you said yesterday must remain true today. The all-important consistency of mass media is a serial test. Look how hard it was for Maddow to change course regarding her legit professional rivals in conservative media.

MSNBCs hosts shouldnt be waiting until the president instructs the public to inject bleach to tell their viewers that the news from Earth-Two is suspect at best, and always has been.

Its not possible to produce sober, dignified news coverage of a global crisis in which the federal government has utterly lost control. When the news itself is unstablewhen leaders and institutions are crashing and flailing all around usconventional media is with few exceptions incapable of providing an accurate picture of the facts. Faces remain composed; panelists pontificate. It is left to the viewer to go all Howard Beale, as I do regularly nowadays. I know Im not alone.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Maria Bustillos is the founding editor of Popula, an alternative news and culture magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harpers, and The Guardian.
As processing plants accept fewer chickens over a coronavirus-related, industry-wide slowdown, farmers in Pennsylvania have had to kill more than 200,000 birds this month.

Its a heartbreaking and tragic situation, said Christian Herr, executive vice president of the PennAG Industries Association, a trade group for the states agricultural industry.

But there was little choice in the matter, he said.

Disruptions at meat processing plants around the country have created a backlog, leaving farmers having too many chickens, and not enough production at processing plants, bringing the system nearly to a halt.

The good news, Herr said, is that the agriculture industry is adjusting, and he believes the euthanizing of chickens has come to an end in Pennsylvania.

On Sunday, Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc. released a statement saying about two million chickens would be killed on farms in Maryland and Delaware instead of being processed and delivered into the food-supply chain, CNN reported.

Officials said the number of chickens had outgrown the capacity of farmers to keep them.

The same thing was happening in Pennsylvania. Department of Agriculture press secretary Shannon Powers said on Monday, Some farms have made the difficult decision to euthanize birds when they did not have space to humanely continue housing birds that cannot be sent to processors."

The COVID-19 epidemic has severely disrupted the food supply chain and poultry processing has slowed due to drastic changes in supply and demand, she said. Some processors have temporarily and voluntarily closed their plants to protect their workers. Whether farms euthanize their flocks depends on their operations and the specifics of their contracts with the markets they supply.

It is a chain, and any break in the chain can affect the entire system.

Herr said that from mid-April until now, between 200,000 to 250,000 chickens have been euthanized in Pennsylvania.

It has to do with a very fragile and complex food system, Herr said. Those that are harvested today have more behind them that will be harvested tomorrow.

And when processing plants shut down, or employees stopped coming in or got sick, he said that clogged the ongoing process and brought the whole system from 60 to zero.

When youre running at 40 or 50 percent of capacity, you cant process as much, and it creates these situations where you have to put down birds, he said.

He knows of six processing plants in the state that were shut down for a time.

Processing plants have also been forced to change their packaging to meet the new consumer demands through the coronavirus, leading to a further slowdown. Before, they packaged about half of their product for bulk and half for individual sales. Now that restaurants are buying far less, processors have had to make the transition, and cannot take in the same number of animals.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding acknowledged last week that it this is a growing concern.

Hog farmers have experienced this slowdown, too, with Dennis Brubaker of Lancaster County saying his processors are taking 20 percent fewer animals than before.

But Herr said it has only been chickens that have been euthanized  no other animals at this point.

Processing plants have been bouncing back, though. They were down to about 40 percent of their original production rate at the worst point, but are now up to about 80 percent production.

Agriculture is a pretty amazing system when you get down to it, but its also a fragile system and a very highly scheduled system, he said. It doesnt stop on a dime.

Since news first broke of chickens being euthanized, readers reached out to PennLive to see if it was possible for farmers to give them the birds rather than kill them.

Herr said he appreciates the sentiment, but besides being logistically difficult, backyard farmers could create more of a risk.

Maintaining bio security is critically important, he said. Preventing the spread of disease among animals  and between flocks and herds  is an ongoing concern, even without the coronavirus. It becomes all the more difficult when there are more backyard farmers in many different locations.

And with processing plants increasing their operations again, there is no longer a need to euthanize, he said.

The important thing now is to make sure the food-supply chain remains safe, he said.

I feel good about where we are with our food supply, he said. Theres lots of food, but we have a complex, and at times, fragile delivery system. For centuries, agriculture has adjusted to make sure no one goes hungry.

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.
Then two weeks ago, in response to a separate union complaint, a judge in a Parisian suburb found Amazon still hadnt done enough to protect workplace safety and ordered the company to limit warehouse activity to certain essential items  food, and hygiene and medical products  until it developed improved health and safety measures with labor unions. Noncompliance would come with a stiff penalty: a 1 million euro (about $1.08 million) fine per day and per violation.

At first, Amazon screamed bloody murder. The ruling was too complex to obey, the company said, before filing an appeal and announcing it would suspend activity at all of its French warehouses until further notice. The head of Amazon in France embarked on a media blitz to defend company safety practices, saying that only a small number of salaried workers were actually participating in the strikes and suggesting that overzealous unions were harming consumers.

But behind the scenes, the company took a different tack, entering detailed discussions with employee representatives about how to improve safety  and in an appeal ruling last week, a judge acknowledged that the company had made changes at several of its warehouses. But she also ruled that Amazon still hadnt created a companywide evaluation method that could be applied to all of its sites. While she rejected the appeal, the judge also lowered the fine for noncompliance to 100,000 euros (around $108,000) per violation and expanded the range of items the company can distribute until it completes more in-depth safety talks  adding tech, home-office and pet products to the list.

Amazon maintains that the risks of breaking the orders limits on what it can sell are too high and has not yet said when it plans to reopen warehouses, but workers continue to receive full pay and the company says that it plans to follow the judges decision. (Julie Valette, an Amazon spokeswoman, told me that the company is going to comply with the court order to consult employee representatives, with talks set to begin in the coming days.)

In Amazons version of events, nit-picking labor activists conjured up a couple of misguided court rulings  a narrative that fits nicely with Anglo-American stereotypes about doing business in France. But more than anything, the episode shines a light on the benefits of aggressively confronting Amazon: It was only through worker-led protest and a tough-handed response from courts that the tech behemoth began adjusting its behavior to better meet worker needs. As warehouse employees saw firsthand, Amazon often made improvements after it was pressured to do so.
For almost 60 years, pints of Guinness were poured at the city's Celtic Club, in a heritage pub on the corner of Latrobe and Queen streets.

Australias oldest Irish club was a place Melbournes Celtic community could always call home  even in its later years as the buildings interior faded along with its ageing membership.

Former Celtic Club secretary Felicity Allen opposed the sale of the historic pub in a deal that has soured. Credit:Jason South

But the Irish beer that flowed at the corner pub from 1959 until its closure for redevelopment in 2017 will not flow there again.

A $25.6 million property deal the club cut with Malaysian developer Beulah to return once the premises was rebuilt has ended acrimoniously, with the Celtic Club's board deciding to find a new home.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Biocon and Pune-based Seagull Biosolutions developing vaccine for COVID-19

The novel measles virus vector platform vaccine to go into human trials in six months

Biocon working with 2-3 US companies to develop antibody injections or therapies

Antibody therapy trials will begin in July, can commercialise within 12 months

Biocon studying use of its two new generation drugs to treat inflammation and disorders in COVID-19 patients

Bangalore-based Biocon, one of the top bio-pharmaceutical companies in the world, is working on the next generation biotech cure for the COVID-19 pandemic. It is developing a novel customised non-replicating measles virus based vaccine, a latest antigen therapy that can be commercialised quickly. Biocon is also developing two new generation repurposed drugs for treatment and an antibody diagnostic kit.

Vaccine

"We are working with Pune-based biotech firm Seagull Biosolutions on a novel active virosome (non-replicating artificially created virus) vaccine project. We are helping them progress the development. It can reach human trials in another six months," Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman, Biocon told Business Today in an exclusive interview.

ALSO READ:If trials are successful, Serum Institute to sell coronavirus vaccines for Rs 1,000, says CEO Adar Poonawalla

When contacted, Dr Vishwas Joshi, Founder and Director, Seagull said the technology for producing this vaccine uses for the first time customised non-replicating measles virus vector platform. This is done by transplanting target antigens into measles virus to develop the vaccine, which can trigger antibodies to fight the coronavirus. Seagull, founded in 2011, was funded by Department of Biotechnology, ICICI and Gates Foundation. It had developed the technology five years ago and could demonstrate it in animal models for potential vaccines against chikungunya, ebola and dengue.

"We have been working with Biocon's R&D firm Syngene for one and a half years as a client for various projects and are now in discussions to tie-up and take the vaccine project forward. It will be ready in 60 days and animal studies will be done in the next 45 days to advance into human trials," says Dr Joshi.

Globally, over 80 vaccine projects are going on against corona, including eight in India. Shaw says it does not matter whether the technology is old or new, as the scientific community is looking to find a suitable, safe and faster vehicle to deliver the antigen into the human body to develop immunity against the virus. "The first smallpox vaccines were made by injecting small doses of mild cowpox viruses into healthy cows," she noted.

ALSO READ:Coronavirus India Live Updates: 1,813 cases, 71 deaths in 24 hrs; MHA to announce lockdown relaxation on May 4

Antibody therapy and repurposed drugs

The Biocon chairperson said Biocon is working with 2-3 American companies to develop antibody injections or therapies that can cure coronavirus. "Human trials may start by July. The Phase I and pivotal Phase II can be done much faster and it can be developed like a vaccine. The advantage is it can be commercialised in nine months to one year," she said.

Antibody treatment, a relatively new biotech innovation, is helpful for curing infected patients and can be used as a prophylactic for high risk people. Regeneron, AstraZeneca, Vir Biotechnology, Eli Lilly-AbCellera Biologics are some global companies trying antibody treatment for coronavirus, said sources.

Shaw said Biocon is trying two of its unique drugs/therapy as a treatment in COVID-19. One is 'CytoSorb', a novel blood purification therapy done through dialysis. The drug is indicated for Sepsis to reduce excessive levels of inflammation causing agents in the blood. By purifying the blood using this therapy, potentially deadly systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a major cause of death in many COVID-19 patients, can be reduced.

Another therapy that Biocon is attempting is reusing 'Itolizumab', the world's first novel anti-CD6 antibody developed by Biocon to treat psoriasis. The drug is also found effective in treatment of other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

ALSO READ:Post-COVID, 75% of 4.5 lakh TCS employees to permanently work from home by '25; from 20%

"Clinical trials among COVID-19 patients in Cuba, from where we originally licensed it for development in early 2000s, has shown excellent results to reduce inflammations in lungs and other organs. We will soon conduct trials in India and have got regulatory permissions," said Shaw.

She said scientists at Syngene has developed indigenous antibody testing kits to exactly detect whether suspected patients have antibodies in their blood and can quickly detect whether infected, recovering or fully cured. In the initial stage of the virus spread itself, Syngene had developed probes and primers that were not available in India for diagnosing the disease. "Some companies in India made enzymes, viral collection kits and RNA collection kits and it is a fully indigenously developed antibody testing kit," Shaw said.
Al Edwards, the former Democratic Houston legislator who introduced the bill that made Juneteenth a state holiday and lost re-election nearly three decades later after infamously trying to restrict cheerleaders dance routines, died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 83.

Toward the end of his political career, which began under Jimmy Carters presidency and ended during Barack Obamas first term, Edwards generated headlines for his colorful quotes, unorthodox bills and a series of contentious election battles against Houston Democrat Borris Miles, who is now a state senator.

His best-known legislative accomplishment, however, came during his freshman term, when he authored a bill commemorating June 19, 1865, the day slaves in Texas first learned they had been freed under the Emancipation Proclamation. The legislation created a state holiday to mark the end of slavery in the United States, and since has been replicated in most other states.

Edwards overcame strong opposition to the bill by cutting deals with some of its opponents, including one Republican who decided not to kill the legislation after Edwards helped him pass an anti-abortion measure. That same across-the-aisle work drew Edwards ample criticism throughout his career, perhaps most notably when he declined to join Democrats who traveled to Oklahoma in 2003 in a bid to block a Republican-led redistricting plan.

Gerry Birnberg, former chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party, once said that Edwards gave heartburn to Democrats for his votes and support of former Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick. In response to criticism from legislative colleagues, Edwards said in 2009, They were not on my side. I couldnt care less about what the House Democrats say about me.

Edwards represented House District 146 in south Houston from 1979 to 2007, and again from 2009 to 2011. The news of his death first was announced Wednesday by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who served in the Texas House with Edwards for two decades.

Turner, who served as speaker pro tem under Craddick after also staying out of the 2003 Oklahoma trip, said Edwards became like a brother to me during their time in the Legislature.

During nearly three decades in the Texas House, he served with distinction on several influential committees, the mayor said. I deeply loved him. And I will miss him greatly.

The sixth of 16 children, Edwards was born in Houston in 1937, attended Phillis Wheatley High School, and received a bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University. He marched and demonstrated during the civil rights movement alongside the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and served as Texas chairman of Jacksons presidential bids in 1984 and 1988. In between his time in the bienniel Legislature, Edwards worked as a real estate broker and ordained minister.

Aside from the Juneteenth bill, some of Edwards signature legislative proposals included a 1989 bill that would have punished drug dealers by chopping off their fingers, and a so-called booty bill in 2005 that would have barred school dance teams, including cheerleaders, from performing overtly sexually suggestive routines. The latter proposal made national news, generated a two-hour debate on the House floor, passed the lower chamber, then died when the Senate declined to take it up.

In the Democratic primary the following year, Miles defeated Edwards in a runoff. It was the first of four straight contests between the two; Edwards reclaimed his seat in 2008, then lost to Miles in 2010 and 2012, ending his political career.

Miles on Wednesday called Edwards a pillar in our community and a pioneer and civil rights leader.

I thank Al for all that he did for our community, Miles said in a statement. For without the drive of leaders in the face of evil, we would be nowhere. We must continue the fight of our forefathers and mothers to rise and lift each other up.

State Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat who represents Edwards former district, tweeted that Edwards served the Texas Legislature honorably, dedicating his life to public service.

Its an honor to stand in his shoes and continue the work, Thierry said.

In 2006, shortly after he had lost to Miles in the Democratic primary, Edwards said in an interview with the Chronicle that the Juneteenth holiday is especially important because we did it through a structured body like the Legislature.

The people across this state voted each one of us in office. And when we vote, we don't just vote for what we think personally. We vote based on what our constituents feel, Edwards said. It says, then, that the whole state of Texas has put their stamp of acceptance on this day as an official day of acknowledgment. I can't imagine too many things more important to the human race  not just blacks  than coming out of slavery into freedom.

Edwards is survived by eight children  Al II, Alana, Jason, Rosalind, Alicia, Marla, Sean and Lucean  ex-wife Lana Edwards, a longtime educator and former city council candidate, five brothers and two sisters.

Turner said Edwards family and friends are not making plans for a memorial service due to the coronavirus pandemic, though he suggested one may take place later.

Make no mistake, Al deserves a grand celebration for his lifetime of achievements, Turner said. "I look forward to honoring my friend and brother at the appropriate time."

Editors note: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of Edwards children.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
Va. church teams with oil company to give away 2,000 gallons of gas

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A Virginia church partnered with an oil company to give away around 2,000 gallons of gasoline to drivers to help relieve economic hardships created by government shutdowns in response to the coronavirus.

Light of Life Church, a congregation based in Manassas, partnered with Wine Energy to do the giveaway last Saturday, with over 150 drivers coming to a local gas station where the event was held.

Light of Life Pastor Tony Lewis told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that his congregation wanted to help those in need because of current events.

The reason we did it is because of all of the things that are going around in the country and in our city, especially with COVID-19 and a lot of people are desperate and resources are scarce, said Lewis.

So we thought it would be a great way to give back to the community, with being a blessing with 10 gallons worth of gas that they didnt have to pay for.

Lewis described the Saturday morning event as going very well and extremely well, noting that nobody ran out of gas while waiting in line.

In past years, the church has overseen similar charitable giveaways, including a free oil change event for women whose husbands were serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Our church is still functioning, he continued, noting that while Light of Life has suspended in-person worship, they continue to meet online for services, Bible studies, and times of prayer.

We hope people took away that the church is still active and still alive. There are churches in the community that are still doing things like this; certainly, were not the only ones.

Across the United States, many congregations and Christian nonprofits have looked to provide charity for those affected by the coronavirus shutdowns and stay-at-home orders.

During Easter weekend, for example, the New Jersey-based Liquid Church partnered with Convoy of Hope to give approximately 26,000 pounds of relief supplies for those in need.

These relief supplies, which were stored at Liquids Parsippany campus, included bleach, bottled water, food, hygiene kits, paper towels, and toilet paper.

As people who love Christ, its our joy to serve our neighbors across New Jersey in any way we can during this crisis. When it seems like everything is driving us to isolation, we still get to unite as the Church, said Brooke LeMunyon, spokeswoman for Liquid Church, in an earlier interview with CP.

While our weekly new normal is virtual community, we are also committed to loving and caring for the various needs of our church and neighbors during this time.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Camp Kesem, a summer camp dedicated to children who have had a parent impacted by cancer, is going virtual for the summer to protect their immunocompromised families from COVID-19.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

By Eldar Janashvili - Trend:

Azerbaijans Yelo Bank closed 8,504 loans worth 16.4 million manat ($9.6 million), Chairman of the bank's board Nikoloz Shurgaia told reporters at a briefing in Baku, Trend reports on April 29.

The loans were closed thanks to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs decree on additional measures to the resolve the issues related to the problem loans of individuals in the Azerbaijan Republic dated February 28, 2019, which was of great importance for freeing the financial sector from non-performing assets, ensuring liquidity and revitalizing the sector as a whole, the chairman added.

Some 2,898 loans worth 7.7 million manat ($4.5 million) were restructured upon the decree, Shurgaia said.Moreover, the compensations in the amount of 11.4 million manat ($6.7 million) were paid to 9,372 clients. The volume of written off interest amounted to 21.9 million manat ($12.9 million).

In accordance with the decree, some main credit debts of individuals in foreign currency with the main amount of up to $10,000 which was increased in manat as a result of devaluation were paid out through the state budget funds.

This reform, covering a total of more than 800,000 citizens, has pleased the population. As for the impact on the banking sector, the share of distressed assets in the total loan portfolio decreased by 2.6 percent and thereby led to its recovery.

(1 USD = 1.7 AZN on April 29)

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Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The export of defense products from Turkey to Kazakhstan dropped by 84.9 percent from January through March 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, making up $281,000, Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend on April 29.

The exports of defense products from Turkey to Kazakhstan also decreased by 82.5 percent in March 2020, compared to March 2019, standing at $149,000.

During 1Q2020, export of defense industry products from Turkey to world markets dropped by 21.5 percent compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $482.6 million.

Turkeys export of defense products to world markets made up 1.1 percent of the countrys total export carried out in 1Q2020.

Turkeys export of defense products to world markets amounted to $141.8 million in March 2020, which is 49.8 percent less compared to the same month of last year. Meanwhile, Turkeys export of defense products to world markets amounted to 1.1 percent of the countrys total export.

In the last 12 months (from March 2019 through March 2020), Turkeys export of defense products amounted to $2.6 billion.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar was on Wednesday appointed as the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), the governments headhunter for top level posts in public sector undertakings.

Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, retired as finance secretary in February this year. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved his appointment as the PESB chairperson for a period of three years, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

The PESB does top level recruitments in central public sector enterprises. Kumar will succeed Kapil Dev Tripathi, who has been recently appointed as the Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind.

Kumar has been credited with bringing in key reforms in banking and bureaucracy during his stints in the finance ministry and the Ministry of Personnel. He steered the banking and financial sector through the severest crisis. Kumar took over as the Secretary, Department of Financial Services in September 2017 when most of the public sector banks including the State Bank of India were in losses.

He was designated as the finance secretary in July 2019 by the government. Known for taking bold decisions, Kumar brought in fundamental changes in the banking sector and played a crucial role in merging 10 public sector banks into four, officials said.

He was also instrumental in brokering peace between the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that resulted in the smooth transfer of Rs 1.76 lakh crore of the central banks surplus to the exchequer last year, they said.

During his two-and-a-half year stint as Financial Services Secretary, several policy decisions were taken to promote responsive and responsible banking, the officials said. A massive Rs 3 lakh crore recapitalization of banks was undertaken during his tenure.

Before joining the finance ministry, Kumar was the Establishment Officer (EO) in the Personnel Ministry.

He played a key role in bringing in a 360 degree appraisal system for promotion and empanelment of senior bureaucrats during his stint in the Personnel Ministry.

Kumar was also instrumental in streamlining the promotion and appointment process done by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), they said. Incidentally, a compendium of guidelines pertaining to board-level appointments in the Central Public Sector Enterprises was issued by Kumar when he worked as the EO in 2017.

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A retired Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) official has denied his son access into their home in Ekiti State, over fears of contracting the dreaded coronavirus .

He rather insisted that a comprehensive test be carried out on the son, who just returned from Lagos, to ascertain his COVID-19 status. Lagos is currently the epicentre of the raging pandemic.

A video that circulated on the social media showed the retired official, Femi Adeoye, an indigene of Osi Ekiti, insisting that his son, Babafemi Adeoye, who left Lagos despite the lockdown measures, must be isolated by the government for 14 days.

Enraged father

In the video, the father, who was interacting with an unknown official, said he warned his son not to travel but he did not listen. He is my son, I sent him to the university but I am not comfortable with the test taken and I cant stand the risk of COVID-19.

Since the wake of coronavirus in Nigeria, majority of the citizens have been forced to stay at home in order to contain the spread.

The federal government, in its quest to contain the spread of the virus, announced a series of measures to restrict movement.

Currently, Nigeria is trying to reduce the rate of community-level transmission of the virus.

As at today, Nigeria has 1532 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 255 discharged and 44 deaths recorded.

Meanwhile, Mr Adeoye, in the video, said his son disobeyed him by travelling to Lagos despite his instructions.

Despite the fact that he is my son, I cannot risk COVID-19. I also gave him instruction not to travel but he did. Ive been here since yesterday morning to make complaints to the security (officials), he said.

Mr Adeoye said he had had reported the incidents to relevant authorities insisting that until the son is cleared by the state, I will not allow him into the house.

The fact that he came from Lagos, I dont want his case to be like that of the pregnant woman that threw Ekiti State into confusion two weeks ago, the angry man said. I am a disciplined person and that was why I started this process since yesterday. I dont want the issue to boomerang and many people will die like the case of Kano.

How I got into Ekiti- Distraught son

Meanwhile, the unnamed government official, while interacting with the son, asked why he came back despite his fathers warning. He also asked him how he got into Ekiti despite the numeorus checkpoints.

In his response, Mr Adeoye said he spent N12,000 from Lagos to get to Ekiti. The normal fare by road between the two states is less than N4000.

I had to find my way and use the small alternatives I have. About 12 passengers were on the bus. I paid in total (N)12,000 from Lagos to Ado-Ekiti. I will look for another alternative (place to stay) since Im an indigene of this town.

The elder Adeoye who maintained a safe physical distance from his son and the official in the video said there is no place for the son to self-isolate (quarantine) in his house. He then reversed his car and drove off.

An effort to speak with Mr Adeoye was unsuccessful as he did not pick his calls and also did not respond to the messages sent across to him.

State reacts

Meanwhile, the state government has reacted to the development.

Muyiwa Olumilua, Commissioner for Information, commended the elder Adeoye for his strict stance.

Mr Adeoye epitomises the Ekiti ethos of selflessness, which places greater premium on the collective good of the society above personal and emotional considerations. This is the core of the Values Orientation policy of the Fayemi-led Administration, the commisoner said in a statement late Wednesday.

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He also said the video was recorded about four days ago, by one of the security men attached to the Fajuyi Pavilion, where the Enforcement Taskforce uses as its base for coordination of daily operations.

The commissioner, however, said the security man who recorded the encounter is neither a health worker, nor qualified or authorised to determine the health status of the young man.

So, none of his actions or misstatements reflect the capacity or preparedness of the State Taskforce to combat the COVID-19 virus, Mr Olumilua added.

The official said the young man has been in the custody of the state for the past four days.

He has since been taken to one of the designated quarantine centres, where he would be for 14 days, in line with laid down procedure that dictates that anyone who sneaks into the State, would be quarantined for fourteen (14) days, at their own cost, he explained.
Queensland Health will not follow a suggestion by a Griffith University infectious diseases expert to try to research why school students are not catching the coronavirus.

Professor Nigel McMillan, the head of Griffith University's Infectious Diseases and Immunology program, on Tuesday suggested it made sense to try to learn why so few young people were not being impacted by COVID-19.

Professor Nigel McMillan believes there is merit in antibodies studies among students to try to understand why they appear not to catch COVID-19.

"The question we dont know is this: have kids been infected and are now immune or is it just that kids are not getting this disease?" Professor McMillan said.

"So you do antibody testing to find that out."
(CNN)  Boeing said it will slash staff and production after posting a massive first-quarter loss. Demand for air travel has evaporated during the coronavirus outbreak, and the aerospace company continues to reel from the 737 Max grounding.

The company announced it would cut 10% of its jobs, about 16,000 positions, through a combination of buyouts, natural attrition and involuntary layoffs. The cuts will be deepest in Boeing's commercial airplane unit about 15% of jobs. And Boeing said it would drastically scale back production of the two widebody passenger jets, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777.

The company lost $1.7 billion from its core operations, a bit worse than Wall Street had expected. Boeing was hit by both by the 737 Max crisis as well as airlines canceling and delaying orders for new planes because of of the pandemic. A shutdown of its factories due to health concerns cost the company $137 million.

Shares of Dow component Boeing moved 3.5% higher on the news.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Boeing will cut 16,000 jobs after posting a massive loss"
The streets of Brussels are mostly quiet as people stay home to guard against the new coronavirus. But one bus traveling through the Belgian capital can be heard loud and clear. It is bringing messages of love and hope to people across the city.

The bright red bus is called the Voices of Brussels. But some have named it the love bus.

Since the middle of April, the citys public bus company has been calling on people to send in voice messages. It also wants to know where they live. The special bus then travels to those street addresses before sunset to deliver the voice messages through a loudspeaker.

We miss you a lot. Big kisses, was recently heard coming from the Voices of Brussels as it rolled down one city street. We are sending you a big kiss, said another personal message as the bus continued through another neighborhood.

A few people hearing the messages from inside their homes looked surprised, while some quickly closed curtains over their windows. But most of the time, people reacted with big, happy smiles.

It gives me pleasure, Asuncion Mendez told The Associated Press. The bus brought the 82-year-old a message from her great-grandchildren. She said it brightened her day and helped ease her worries about the coronavirus.

Mendezs daughter, Carmen Diaz, watched and listened with her mother from an open window one floor above street level. It was a beautiful surprise. It warms the heart and makes people come together despite the lockdown, Diaz said.

Like many city bus systems, the one in Brussels has been criticized by some riders. They say the buses are too late, too full or sometimes both. But in the current times, it is hard to criticize a bus carrying messages of love.

In fact, a spokeswoman for the bus company said the Voices of Brussels program has been flooded with requests. More than 750 messages have included everything from the blowing of kisses to a request by a child for someone to become her godmother.

Lorena Sanchez, the daughter of Diaz and granddaughter of Mendez, says she thinks the bus is a great idea. It can really have an impact on a lot of people, especially the older ones who do not have access to technology, Sanchez said. It brings something very special.

The program is even leaving a smile on the face of the bus drivers, who are sometimes the target of abuse by riders. They are very happy that we thought of them, said driver Alex Vandecasteele. They are suddenly surprised, by people - their family or friends - who have thought of them.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

deliver  v. to take goods from one place to another

kiss  n. a touch of the lips as a sign of love or greeting

lockdown  n. completely closing down a place

impact  n. the strong effect or influence something has on a person or situation

access  n. to be able to find or get
James McPherson, the acting secretary of the Navy, announced Wednesday that he had asked Navy leaders to conduct a more thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

However, McPhersons apparent decision not to immediately reinstate the ships captain prompted the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee to warn Pentagon leaders not to develop a culture of sycophancy toward President Trump.

McPhersons announcement came more than two weeks after Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke concluded an initial investigation into the Theodore Roosevelt affair and passed it to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday. It has been widely reported that after reviewing Burkes findings, Gilday had recommended reinstating Capt. Brett Crozier, the Theodore Roosevelts commanding officer.

Crozier was fired by McPhersons predecessor as acting secretary, Thomas Modly, after an email Crozier sent up his chain of command expressing concern about how the Navy was handling the outbreak was made public. In a statement, McPherson said Wednesday he had received Gildays recommendations, but did not say what they consisted of.

Following our discussion, I have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review, McPherson said.

Therefore, I am directing Adm. Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation. This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events, actions and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Acting Secretary of the Navy James E. McPherson. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

McPhersons statement said nothing about the fate of Crozier, a fact that drew a swift rebuke from the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington.

I personally think Captain Crozier should be reinstated, Smith told reporters in a call Wednesday morning, noting that he had spoken with McPherson earlier that day. From everything thats come out and everything that Ive seen, there was no reason to relieve him of his command.

Story continues

Citing an interview Modly gave to the Washington Post in which the then acting secretary said he wanted to avoid the Navy getting crossways with the White House, Smith said he did not want to see the Defense Department become yet another part of the federal government that the Trump administration has browbeaten into the position where they view their job as solely consisting of making sure that theyre kissing up to the president.

Under the current administration, the drift towards you must be a sycophant in order to keep your job is very troubling, the congressman said. A way for the Pentagon to make a strong statement that thats not where theyre going is to give Captain Crozier his job back, he added.

While asserting that the question of whether to reinstate Crozier should have been clearly answered to this point, Smith stressed that he was not criticizing McPhersons order to further investigate the outbreak on the Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier.

Its perfectly legitimate to extend the investigation about everything that happened with the Roosevelt, Smith said. It was the first major outbreak within [the Department of Defense], a difficult situation, so what happened? How did the various people within the chain of command respond to it?

Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, then commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, addresses the crew during an all-hands call on the ships flight deck, November 2019. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh/U.S. Navy via AP)

Smith implied that Burke did not have the necessary time to answer all the questions surrounding the Navys decision-making process related to the Theodore Roosevelt. A forensic analysis of that is enormously important, and I completely agree that thats not something you can get done in a week or two weeks, he said.

McPhersons decision to extend the investigation is just the latest twist in a five-week-long saga that has been marked by a series of public relations black eyes for the Navy.

The Theodore Roosevelts problems began about two weeks after the carrier pulled away from Danang, Vietnam, on March 9 after a five-day port call. On March 24, the Navy announced that three sailors among the carriers roughly 4,865 crew members had tested positive for COVID-19. Within three days, that number had increased to 23 and the Navy had a full-blown crisis on its hands.

On March 27, the Theodore Roosevelt docked in Guam for what the Navy said was a previously scheduled port call, which was then extended so the crew could be quarantined and the rapidly growing number of sailors testing positive could be isolated and, if necessary, treated. The carrier was now sidelined, even though Navy leaders repeatedly said it could put to sea at short notice if required.

Concerned that the Navy was not moving his sailors off the carrier fast enough as the outbreak spiraled out of control, Crozier on March 29 sent an email with an attached memo up his chain of command outlining his fears and urging action. Because of the impossibility of following the social distancing guidelines of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the cramped confines of a warship, the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating, he wrote.

Crozier recommended moving all but about 10 percent of the crew offshore and into isolation on Guam for a 14-day period. Sailors do not need to die, he wrote. On March 31, his memo was published in the San Francisco Chronicle, adding a public relations crisis to the Navys problems.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, March 18. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas V. Huynh/U.S. Navy via AP)

The publication of Croziers memo put Navy leaders on the defensive. My number one priority is the health of the force, Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, said during an April 1 call with Pentagon reporters. Were taking this extremely seriously.

Aquilino was the senior officer to whom Croziers email had been addressed.

The following day, Modly and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday held a press conference in which they seemed to adopt different tones toward Crozier without ever mentioning him by name. Modly described himself as disappointed at Croziers suggestion that the Navy was on the verge of failing to take care of his sailors.

Gilday, however, noted that part of Croziers extraordinary responsibility as commanding officer was that he is held to account for the health and well-being of those 4,865 sailors on that ship. Therefore, Gilday said, if Crozier felt that the Navy wasnt acting at the speed of urgency, then absolutely we need to know about that and we need to adjust.

Navy leaders seemed initially hesitant to fire Crozier, but that changed quickly when Modly perceived frustration on the part of President Trump over the negative publicity being generated by the affair. According to the Washington Post, Modly told a colleague, Trump wants him [Crozier] fired.

On April 2, Modly and Gilday were back in the Pentagon Briefing Room to tell reporters in a hastily arranged press conference that Modly had fired Crozier for, essentially, sending the email to too many people. In his remarks, however, Modly significantly exaggerated the number of people that Crozier had copied the email to, saying that it had gone to 20 or 30 other people in addition to two senior admirals, when the actual number was 10.

Then-Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly and Navy Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, prepare to testify Capitol Hill, Dec. 3, 2019. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

All the recipients of Croziers note were active-duty Navy captains or flag officers, including his immediate boss, Rear Adm. Stuart Baker. Almost as an aside, during the press conference Modly mentioned that 114 sailors aboard the Theodore Roosevelt sailors had now tested positive. One of those sailors was Crozier.

Gilday told the reporters that he supported Modlys decision but made it clear that it was the acting secretarys decision, not his. I have been given every opportunity, every step of the way, to provide my advice to the secretary as he came to this decision, Gilday said.

A former Navy official said that Gilday looked ill at ease. The body language of Admiral Gilday at both of those press conferences was really telling, the former Navy official said. He didnt want to be there.

It was also at the April 2 press conference that Modly announced that Gilday had directed his vice chief of naval operations, Adm. Robert Burke, to conduct an investigation into the circumstances and the climate across the entire Pacific fleet to help determine what may have contributed to this breakdown in the chain of command.

But if Modly thought that by firing Crozier he was putting an end to an awkward series of events, he was mistaken. Hours after his announcement, videos emerged on social media of hundreds of sailors chanting Croziers name as the captain departed the ship in the middle of the night and climbed into a waiting car. In one video, a sailor can be heard saying, Thats how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had.

Modly then took the decision that would ultimately cost him his job. He decided to fly to Guam to address the Theodore Roosevelt crew himself. Making the trip required two executive jets and cost about $389,000, according to Defense One. But even though Modly failed to get a waiver ahead of the flight for using two air crews, that wasnt what ended his tenure as acting secretary. It was what he said once he got to Guam that did him in.

At about 1 p.m. local time on April 5, Modly came aboard the Theodore Roosevelt. But rather than gather the crew in the ships cavernous hangar and address them in person, the acting secretary chose to speak to them over the carriers public address system.

Former acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly. (Alex Brandon/AP)

During his 15-minute speech, Modly repeatedly criticized Crozier, at one point describing him as being either a criminal leaker of sensitive information or else too naive or too stupid to command the ship. The acting secretary also veered toward self-pity, complaining about attacks he said had been directed at him and his family after he fired Crozier.

As soon as he had finished talking, Modly left the ship and was soon on his way back to Washington.

As he flew home, recordings of Modlys speech were posted on social media  complete with some profane commentary from members of his audience  and picked up by news outlets. From there, his fate was essentially sealed. Congressional Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, seized on his disrespectful comments about Crozier and demanded his resignation. Their Republican counterparts, in contrast, were mostly silent.

Modly first issued a statement saying he stood by every word of his speech. Then, apparently realizing how much trouble he was in, he quickly backtracked and issued a profuse apology. It wasnt enough, and on April 7 he resigned.

By April 28, 970 Theodore Roosevelt sailors, about 20 percent of the crew, had tested positive for COVID-19. One had died of the disease and one remained hospitalized in Guam.

While those sailors should be at the forefront of the Navys collective thoughts, the service also needs to take stock of its missteps, said a former senior Navy official.

The PR blunders and the black eyes and the losing of face and the acting secretary being fired, none of this had to happen, he said. The Navy needs to study this for years.

_____

Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

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Three nurses at the Quironsalud Sagrado Corazon hospital hug after the last coronavirus patient is transferred out of the intensive care unit.

The number of daily coronavirus deaths registered in Spain was 325 on Wednesday, according to the latest figures provided by the Health Ministry. This is a slight rise from Tuesday, when the number of overnight fatalities was 301.

The total death toll since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 24,275, a daily rise of 1.36% of the total. According to the Health Ministry, the northwestern region of Galicia reported on Wednesday 128 coronavirus victims who had died on previous days. This figure was added to the total but not to the number of daily coronavirus deaths.

In the past 24 hours, 6,399 coronavirus patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital. This is the highest number recorded since the beginning of the crisis, and brings the total number of recoveries to 108,947.

Speaking at the governments daily press conference on Wednesday, Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, said the rise in the number of recoveries was very important. The evolution [of the outbreak] is very positive, in line with what we were expecting, he said.

Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts

On Wednesday, there were 2,144 new infections, compared to yesterdays figure of 1,308, which was the lowest number recorded, in both absolute and relative terms, since the declaration of the state of alarm on March 14.

The number of new infections only represents coronavirus cases that have been confirmed via PCR tests, which identify people with an active infection at the time of testing. Since Sunday, the government has only reported infections confirmed via this method, and not serological tests, which measure antibodies in the blood  i.e. detecting those who have had the coronavirus and recovered. Up until two weeks ago, new cases were only being measured with PCR tests. The total number of infections confirmed via PCR tests is 212,917.

The rate of transmission continues to be low, with the number of new cases representing 1.02% of the total (2,144 new infections out of 212,917 cases).

After reaching a peak of 950 fatalities on April 2, the number of daily coronavirus-related deaths began a slow descent. The fatality figures over the last week have remained stable with 331 on Monday, 288 on Sunday, 378 on Saturday and 367 on Friday.

Several regions in Spain reported fewer than two new coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and no new intensive care admissions, according to the latest figures. This list includes Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Extremadura and Murcia. Andalusia, in the south of Spain, the Canary Islands, and the exclave cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa have also reported a drop in transmission.

Opposition criticizes deescalation plan

The Spanish governments plan to deescalate the coronavirus confinement measures has been met with criticism from opposition parties. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced phases to relax the lockdown rules that would see restrictions eased over four stages, with no set dates, according to the situation in each province.

Popular Party leader Pablo Casado in Congress. J.J. Guillen

Following the announcement, the secretary general of the main opposition Popular Party (PP), Teodoro Garcia Egea, accused Sanchez of being directionless and spending more than an hour in declaring uncertainties. There is no plan, he wrote in a message on Twitter.

The leader of the PP, Pablo Casado, criticized Sanchez for not first informing him of the plan, while he spokesperson of the party, Cayetana Alvarez de Toledo, insisted Spaniards need specific dates.

There was also a backlash from nationalist parties. The premier of Catalonia, Quim Torra, called the plan a serious error and an attempt to centralize power away from the regions. This criticism was repeated by Iosu Erkoreka, of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), who said at the smallest opportunity, [the government] corners off the state structures and quickly assume the instruments of recentralization to respond to exceptional situations.

The heated debate continued on Wednesday during a question and answer session in Spains lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies. Opposition parties used the session to accuse the government of failing to manage the coronavirus crisis and address the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Concerns from hostelry sector

The hostelry sector has expressed concerns about the conditions of the governments deescalation plan. The plan will allow bars, restaurants and hotels to reopen in phases, but with certain restrictions to prevent a new spike in coronavirus cases.

A closed restaurant in Bilbao, in Spains Basque Country. Luis Tejido (EFE)

Under Phase 1, for instance, hotels will be allowed to reopen, but guests will not be allowed in common areas, such as breakfast or lunch buffets. Sidewalk cafes and restaurants will be able to open, but at 30% of their usual capacity.

According to Emilio Gallego, the secretary of the association Spain Hostelry, which represents more than 270,000 businesses in the sector, this will not be financially viable. Anyone who understands a little bit about the economy knows that fixed expenses represent 30% of revenue, he told EL PAIS. A business cant be opened in these conditions, and I believe most establishments will wait until the second phase.

Gallego also explained that it will be difficult for hotels to reopen given the financial strains on the sector. We dont have enough funding and we need microcredits backed by the state to start up again, he said. Our first reaction to these measures is concern and confusion.

With reporting from Natalia Junquera, Carlos E. Cue, Javier Salvatierra and Gorka R. Perez.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
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Last month, after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered most of the state's residents to stay home, I found myself under virtual house arrest with an uncomfortably large number of Gen Zers.

Somehow I had accumulated four of my children's friends over the preceding months. I suppose some parents more hard-nosed than I would have sent them packing, but I didn't have the heart  especially in the case of my daughter's college roommate, who couldn't get back to her family in Vietnam.

So, I had to convince six bored and frustrated 18- to 21-year-olds that, yes, they too could catch the coronavirus - that they needed to stop meeting their friends, wipe down everything they brought into the house and wash their hands more frequently than they had ever imagined.

The first two weeks were nerve-wracking. I cringed every time I heard the front door open or close, and when any of the kids returned home, I grilled them remorselessly.

The day after a house meeting in which I laid down the law, I found my son, Oliver, 21, inside his cramped music studio in the back of the house with a kid I'd never seen before. And that night, I saw one of our extra-familial housemates in a car parked out front, sharing a mind-altering substance with a young man who used to visit in the pre-pandemic era.

If I've been neurotically vigilant, it's because the stakes are high: I've got asthma and Oliver has rheumatoid arthritis, making us potentially more vulnerable to the ravages of the virus.

But even as I play the role of enforcer, I recognize that these kids are as anxious and worried as I am.

My daughter, Caroline, 18, is filled with sadness and despair, feelings she had largely overcome after going away to college last fall. She recently started doing telephone sessions with her old therapist. Oliver has begun therapy  remotely, for now - after dismissing it as pointless for the past several years.

A study released this month by Mental Health America, an advocacy and direct service organization in Alexandria, Virginia, shows that people under age 25 are the most severely affected by a rise in anxiety and depression linked to social isolation and the fear of contracting COVID-19.

That is not surprising, even though the virus has proved far deadlier for seniors. Mental health problems were already rising sharply among teens and young adults before the pandemic. Now their futures are on hold, they can't be with their friends, their college campuses are shuttered, their jobs are evaporating  and a scary virus makes some wonder if they even want those jobs.

Paul Gionfriddo, Mental Health America's CEO, says parents should be attentive even to subtle changes in their kids' behavior or routine. "Understand that the first symptoms are not usually external ones," Gionfriddo says. "Maybe their sleep patterns change, or they're eating less, or maybe they are distracted."

If your teens or young adults are in distress, they can screen themselves for anxiety or depression by visiting www.mhascreening.org. They will get a customized result along with resources that include reading material, videos and referrals to treatment or online communities.

The Child Mind Institute (www.childmind.org or 212-308-3118) offers a range of resources, including counseling sessions by phone. If your young person needs emotional support, or just to vent to an empathetic peer, they can call a "warmline." For a list of numbers by state, check www.warmline.org.

Caroline's case is probably typical of college kids. She moved back home from San Francisco last month after her university urged students to leave the dorms. Her stuff is stranded up there, and we have no idea when we'll be able to reclaim it. Meanwhile, she has been planning to share an off-campus apartment starting in August with four of her friends from the dorm. We can get attractive terms if we sign the lease by April 30 - but what if school doesn't reopen in the fall?

For Oliver, who's been living with me all along, the big challenges are a lack of autonomy, a need for money and cabin fever. Those stressors got the best of him recently, and he started doing sorties for a food delivery service. Of course, it makes me crazy with worry every time he goes out, and when he returns home I'm in his face: "Did you wear a mask and gloves? Did you keep your distance? Wash your hands!"

But what can I do, short of chaining him to the water heater? And if going out  and getting some cash in his pocket - makes him feel better, that can't be all bad (unless he catches the virus).

If your kid dares to work outside the house, and you dare let him, several industries are hiring  particularly grocery stores, pharmacies and home delivery and food services. Child care for parents who have to work is also in demand, so your fearless teen might want to ask around the neighborhood.

Volunteering - again, if they dare  is another good way for young people to feel independent and useful. In every community, there are vulnerable seniors who need somebody to shop for them or deliver meals to their homes. You can use www.nextdoor.com, a local networking app, to find out if any neighbors need help.

Food banks are in great need of volunteers right now. To find a food bank near you, go to www.feedingamerica.org. Blood donations are also needed. Older teens and young adults can arrange to donate by contacting the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org). For a list of creative ways to help, check out Youth Service America (www.ysa.org).

While the kids are inside the house, which in my case is still most of the time, put them to work. "Anxiety loves idle time, and when we don't have a lot to do, our brain starts thinking the worst thoughts," says Yesenia Marroquin, a psychologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

I've harnessed the able bodies of my young charges for household chores. A few weekends ago, I decreed a spring cleaning. They organized themselves with surprising alacrity to weed the backyard, sweep and mop the floors, clean the stove and haul out volumes of trash.

Considering the circumstances, the house is looking pretty darn good these days.

This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Money Mail today calls on the nation's supermarkets to do more to ensure the elderly and vulnerable can have food delivered to their homes.

We have now heard from hundreds of anxious readers who say they have been told to stay at home but cannot get an online supermarket delivery slot.

Around 300 of your letters and emails have been pulled together into a damning dossier which we will send to all major supermarkets and a parliamentary inquiry into food supply during the pandemic.

Money Mail has also today produced a 'shopping list' of demands we believe will help society's most needy secure deliveries.

Vital: We have now heard from hundreds of anxious readers who say they have been told to stay at home but cannot get an online supermarket delivery slot

Supermarkets have so far hired extra staff and are making hundreds of thousands of extra deliveries in the lockdown.

However, last week Money Mail revealed how severely ill patients and their families had been unable to have their food delivered to their homes  despite receiving letters from the NHS informing them to 'shield' themselves for 12 weeks.

Many were staying up into the early hours of the morning to try to secure a slot. Hundreds of elderly and vulnerable readers have flooded our inbox with similar tales.

A survey by charity Independent Age poll has this week found that 52 per cent of over-65s have struggled to get the food they needed.

Our shopping list Guaranteed delivery slots for those extremely vulnerable to the virus

Clear up confusion over priority slots, with better co-operation between supermarkets and health officials

More slots prioritised for the over-70s and those who shouldn't leave the house

Widespread alerts to ask fit and healthy shoppers to refrain from taking delivery slots if they can get to a supermarket

Restrictions on orders to prevent stockpiling of heavy items (such as alcohol) to ensure delivery vans can carry more essentials

Close to 40 per cent were unable to access supermarket delivery services.

The NHS has sent letters to 1.85million people considered extremely vulnerable to Covid-19. These letters provide instructions on how to access extra support  including supermarket deliveries  if needed.

The Government is also sharing its database of the most vulnerable people with the supermarkets. But a Money Mail investigation has found many of these are still unable to have food delivered.

Former pensions minister Baroness (Ros) Altmann says: 'It is important that supermarkets ensure even the small delivery orders are prioritised.'

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, says: 'We would urge supermarkets to extend priority slots to a wider group to ensure more people are able to get the support they need.'

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee of MPs has launched an inquiry into food supply in the pandemic.

Chairman Neil Parish says: 'It is vital that those who have been told to self-isolate can get the food they need.'

Cancer victim dies before she could book

Ann Punch was unable to get a supermarket delivery before she died of breast cancer, aged 67, this month.

The retired teacher did not receive the NHS letter that would have made her a priority and allowed her and husband John, 70, to have food delivered to them in Stonnall, Staffordshire.

John, a chartered surveyor, tried to register Ann as vulnerable with the Government  but had no response before she died on April 5.

The couple's daughter, a senior police officer, has now had to drop off essentials for him.

John says: 'The fact the system doesn't work is so frustrating. Ann was clearly vulnerable and there should have been a simple way of getting her registered and signing up for priority deliveries.'

Retired teacher Ann Punch was unable to get a supermarket delivery before she died of breast cancer, aged 67, this month

Don McKay, 73, who is having palliative chemotherapy for incurable pancreatic cancer, has had the letter from the NHS but couldn't book a delivery with Tesco.

He and wife Christie, 70, are relying on their children to deliver supplies. Their eldest daughter regularly stays up past midnight to try to place an online order. Don says: 'It's so frustrating.'

Cancer sufferer Beryl Payne, 73, was told to shield herself after finishing a course of chemotherapy last month. The widow registered for support on April 3 after struggling to get a delivery.

Yet her Ocado account says that she is not on its priority list. She says: 'I was even second-guessing myself and wondering if I really was vulnerable when the supermarkets didn't see me that way.'

Blind not on the vulnerable list

Deaf and blind Win Bouldin, 98, was not considered vulnerable enough to qualify for priority supermarket deliveries.

Denied: Deaf and blind Win Bouldin, 98, was a lance corporal in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II

Win, a lance corporal in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, lives with her daughter Pauline 74, and her partner Paul, 74, in Croydon, South London.

Pauline says: 'I really don't want to bring the virus back to my mother. I have looked after her for so long and I couldn't bear it if anything was to happen to her.'

Patricia Wilby is also having to send parcels of groceries to her blind son Mark McClenaghan 500 miles away because he was not considered vulnerable enough.

Mark, 48, from Glasgow, was able to travel to supermarkets before the coronavirus outbreak  but his lack of sight means he cannot practice social distancing.

Patricia, 67, says: 'People don't seem to understand that blind people can't go on as normal during these circumstances.'

Meanwhile, John Mapp's 82-year-old wife Irene has repeatedly stayed up until midnight to secure a delivery slot from Tesco to their home in Queniborough, Leicestershire.

John, 81, has chronic kidney failure but hasn't had a letter classing him as vulnerable.

Irene says: 'I was a bit disgusted when I was told there was nothing they could do because we didn't have a letter, it seemed harsh.'

'I feel like I just take booze to 30-year-olds' A Sainsbury's delivery driver has told Money Mail he is fed up with delivering crates full of alcohol to the fit and healthy when the vulnerable and elderly struggle to make orders. The man, who asked not to be named, says far too many adults under 50 were using online deliveries when they could go to a store. Sales of alcohol at supermarkets jumped by 31 per cent in March. He says: 'My colleagues and I feel we are an 'alcohol delivery service' for thirtysomethings. Supermarkets are not going to limit delivery sizes voluntarily as they are in business to make money.' He says supermarkets should limit the amount of alcohol customers can have delivered to avoid vans being overloaded. The driver, who is in the south of England, says around 30 per cent of his deliveries went to those in need. He adds: 'People who are elderly and vulnerable cannot get slots. There is something going wrong. 'It seems very selfish and thoughtless that if they are forced to go out to shop and catch this virus their lives could be on the line. If we are really all in this together, habits need to change. 'I am very disheartened by the selfishness of a minority, who prevent those really in need obtaining the deliveries they need.'

No slots for care home either

Care home owner Peter Sims looks after 18 residents aged 78 to 98. He relies on Tesco to bring food his wholesale provider doesn't stock.

But he has been unable to book any slots to the home, Hankham Lodge in Westham, East Sussex, since the lockdown began.

Instead, his staff are visiting an Asda during the carers' hour. Peter says: 'I've been contacting all the major supermarkets but all anyone has is nice words and no actions.'

Former mayor Colin Rigby, 78, and his wife Jean are relying on weekly food boxes from their local council because they cannot get a supermarket delivery slot.

Colin, once mayor of the Blackburn with Darwen borough council, was advised by the NHS to stay at home because he has had a heart bypass and suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

But despite being eligible for a priority supermarket delivery slot, the local councillors, who live in Edgworth, Lancashire, have been unable to find any availability.

Jean, 76, says: 'I'm lucky the council provides food boxes but I feel bad as you don't pay for them.'

Former mayor Colin Rigby, 78, and his wife Jean are relying on weekly food boxes from their local council because they cannot get a supermarket delivery slot

Supermarkets stepping up

Andrew Opie, from supermarket trade body the British Retail Consortium, says: 'There is not enough capacity to deliver to every vulnerable consumer. Community solutions are needed, with people shopping on behalf of vulnerable friends and neighbours.'

Tesco last week took close to 1million online orders  400,000 more than six weeks ago.

The supermarket has now put Win's daughter Pauline, Don McKay, and John Mapp on its list for priority deliveries.

A spokesman says: 'Ensuring we support our most vulnerable customers is our priority.'

Peter's care home has also been given priority online deliveries for items he can't get wholesale. Wait-rose says it will speak to Beryl and Colin to see how it could help.

Delivery misery: Letters Special I haven't been able to get a delivery slot since lockdown started. I emailed Waitrose to say I am 72 and have a bad foot and back. But Waitrose has told me I am not a vulnerable person. N. M., by email. My 80-year-old husband has Alzheimer's. Thanks to Money Mail, I called Tesco and tried the website. I was able to access a priority slot. Y. W., Cuddington, Bucks. My husband and I are in our 70s and we are struggling to get a delivery from Asda. While we have not received letters from the Government informing us we are vulnerable, we still rely on deliveries due to our age. G. M., Grantham, Lincs. A house on our street has received three supermarket deliveries in the past week. They go running each morning, so one could assume they are in good health. Meanwhile, I have been unable to get a slot for my husband, who has a weak immune system and cannot leave our home. P.P., Maidenhead, Berks. I am a leg amputee and I use elbow crutches to get around  which means I am unable to carry a basket or push a shopping trolley. But I've been told I do not qualify for a shopping priority delivery slot. J.S., Middlesbrough. I am on the Government's 'at risk' list, but every time I try to book a delivery from Asda there are none available. In my street I see supermarkets delivering to those who are young and fit enough to go shopping. V.L., email. I'm self-isolating with my husband, as I am 76 and he is 80. We have no relatives in our town. Last month I got a delivery from Morrisons but not one since. S.E., Clevedon, Somerset. I gave up trying to get online deliveries from the big supermarkets weeks ago. I phoned my local Co-op with my order; it was delivered within two days, by a local van. D.J., Kingswinford, West Midlands. I live on an island in the Inner Hebrides. I used to get a Tesco delivery from Oban, mainland Scotland. Now I struggle to get any shopping. C.D., Iona, Hebrides.

Sainsbury's has more than 725,000 slots for the elderly and vulnerable. It has also introduced volunteer shopping cards so others can shop on behalf of the most vulnerable.

Waitrose says it is delivering more than 100,000 orders a week and has committed to ensuring at least 25 per cent go to vulnerable customers.

Asda has increased its weekly deliveries from 450,000 to 700,000.

A government spokesman says: 'We understand how challenging this period is for everyone, especially the clinically vulnerable.

'We are also looking at ways to prioritise those who are at increased risk but are not on the clinically extremely vulnerable list.'

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29) - The Department of Budget and Management has assured the nation that the government can fund the COVID-19 social amelioration program.

Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado told CNN Philippines that all the funds necessary for the program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been released as early as April 24.

"It's really in the aspect of the distribution that were having some bottlenecks, otherwise, the funds are already in their hands," Avisado said.

The DSWD earlier said it will finish distributing cash aid to qualified recipients by the end of April.

However, a day before April 30, only 8.7 million beneficiaries out of the target 18 million low-income households have received cash assistance.

Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista earlier said government funds are running low as the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and other high risk areas has been extended until May 15.

READ: DSWD Sec. Rolando Bautista says he believes the funds for SAP are running low

But Avisado said the government is still able to provide the needed funds, as it explores all possible funding opportunities pursuant to the authority granted by Congress to the President under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law. This includes the discontinuance of appropriated programs, activities and projects.

"Thats reprogramming, reallocation and realignment of existing budgets and use of income from dividends remitted by government-owned and controlled corporations," Avisado said.

"We can say that up to this point in time, the government is still able to provide the needed funds for this current crisis," he added.

The Duterte administration is currently working within the fiscal year 2020 General Appropriations Act and the fiscal year 2019 continuing appropriations to fund the programs, projects and activities in response to the COVID-19 situation, Avisado said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved on Monday a fresh $200 million, about 10 billion, loan to assist the government's COVID-19 response. The new loan is an addition to the $1.5 billion, about 76 billion, loan it earlier approved.

READ: ADB approves new $200 million loan to support gov't cash aid during COVID-19 crisis

When asked how the government will use the additional funds, Avisado said it is still being discussed by the Economic Development Cluster (EDC).

The EDC, headed by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, consists of Cabinet secretaries and is tasked to ensure rapid, inclusive, and sustained economic growth.

"At the moment, were just using actually the current fiscal year budget and that of last year, because we still have enough funds to provide for their needs," Avisado said.

When asked if funds would permit that middle class households also receive cash assistance, Avisado clarified that they are included in the program.

"We went to the extent of not just funding the requirements to provide amelioration assistance, not only to the informal sector but to the formal sector as well, especially those who have been affected, the micro, small and medium enterprises," he said.

"The President has instructed that all those affected whether informal or formal should now receive corresponding assistance from the government," Avisado added.
Considering the rise in number of



COVID-19 cases in slum areas, the civic body in Gujarat's Surat city set up fever clinics at these localities to screen suspected patients, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Fever clinics with a doctor and health staff each, have been set up in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases in slum localities of Surat, Surat municipal commissioner B N Pani said.

The clinics will continue to cater to slum residents even after the present health crisis is resolved, he said.

People with COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough and breathlessness should approach the fever clinics immediately, Pani said.

"With most cases coming from slum areas, we have increased the number of (COVID-19 response) teams for these areas. We have also set up fever clinics in slum areas, which did not have such facilities previously," he said.

As many as 26 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Surat on Wednesday, taking the city's tally to 581 and death toll to 21, with two more fatalities, the official said.

At least 39 patients from the city have recovered from the deadly infection, Pani said.

Majority of the new cases were from Limbayat zone, which accounts for 229 patients, followed by central zone with 86 and Varachha A zone with 83 cases, he said.

"Most cases are coming from slum localities, with Limbayat reporting six new cases on Wednesday. Varachha A zone reported six new cases, taking the total number to 83 cases," he said.

In a video message, Pani also advised frontline workers, including policemen and health workers, to take special precautions against coronavirus.

Doctors and health staff should wear masks and gloves, irrespective of whether they were working on coronavirus patients or not, and should also keep their medical equipment disinfected, the senior official said.

He also directed policemen to wear masks and gloves and ensure their vehicles are disinfected once they return from red zones.

"Police vans and SMC vans that visit red zones should be disinfected regularly," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committe has established a steering committee on developing an innovative urban area in the eastern part of the city with a mission of calling for investment and attracting talents.

The innovative and interactive urban zone will encompass District 2, District 9, and Thu Duc District.

District 9 is home to the Saigon Hi-Tech Park, one of the leading of its kind in Vietnam, while Thu Duc District is where the citys university village is located.

The village houses the campuses of eight universities and colleges, with more than 1,300 PhD holders and over 69,000 students working and studying regularly there.

Meanwhile, a new financial center of Ho Chi Minh City has been on the blueprint in District 2, completing the innovative urban hub of the southern metropolis.

The three districts have a total population of about 1,169,000 people and a total area of 211.76 square kilometers, according to the latest statistics.

The newly established steering committee for the innovative urban area will be made up of 22 members, headed by the citys chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong.

These officials will be responsible for building a strategy to develop a knowledge-based economy, call for investments, and attract talents to live and work in the creative hub.

They are also asked to study policies and resources for implementing the new urban zones planning and development.

The steering committee must direct the administrations in the three aforementioned districts to beef up administrative reform, renovate state management, and build a mechanism for coordination.

In addition, they have to develop an innovative ecosystem, improve the competitiveness of this new urban zone, and aim for the establishment of an administrative body for the tri-district area.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities place emphasis on the need to develop a centralized urban database system covering data on land management, transportation, canals and structures, and to promote technological application in order to improve the management of resources.

The idea of an innovative urban area was first announced by Nguyen Thien Nhan, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, in early February 2018.

The hub is expected to play a core role in the citys strategy to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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Many governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are viewing the coronavirus pandemic as "a free pass to trample" on human rights, Amnesty International says, insisting that any strict measures to stop the spread of the virus must be "temporary, proportionate, and in line with human rights standards."

"As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds in the region, many governments seem more interested in cracking down on dissent than protecting public health," Heather McGill, Amnesty Internationals Central Asia researcher, said on April 29.

Authorities in Azerbaijan, Russia, and other countries in the region "routinely" resort to repressive measures to silence critical views, and "unsurprisingly" responded to the epidemic with disregard for basic human rights, Amnesty said.

The London-based watchdog cited cases in both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in which the authorities enforced quarantines on blocks of flats by welding shut the doors and thereby forcing residents to stay inside.

In Ukraine, the group said the military had closed off the only access to a village, leaving the 150 residents with "no access to the outside world, and no means of getting food, medical services, or any other assistance."

And in Russias North Caucasus region of Chechnya, video evidence suggests that police have physically assaulted people for not wearing face masks.

In Belarus, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, political leaders have "belittled" the seriousness of the outbreak and promoted cures "with no proven efficacy," which Amnesty International said constitute threats to people's right to health.

Regarding freedom of expression and access to information, the group said authorities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia had "all too often" used newly introduced emergency powers to harass journalists and others who have tried to share information.

The governments of Azerbaijan and Russia "have prosecuted social media users, journalists, and medical professionals for exposing flaws in their COVID-19 responses. Other countries, like Uzbekistan, have imposed ruinous fines for dissemination of 'fake news,' McGill said.

"The people of Eastern Europe and Central Asia deserve better during these tough and challenging times," McGill said. "Their governments must allocate all available resources to fulfill the right to health and put human rights at the center of their response to the virus."
We take a look back at Carrie Symonds' maternity fashion. (Getty Images)

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital on Wednesday morning.

A spokeswoman for the couple said both mother and baby are doing very well, adding: The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.

Symonds announced the pregnancy of her first child on her Instagram page on February 29, while Boris publicly confirmed the news of his sixth child on March 1.

The Instagram caption read: Many of you already know but for my friends that still don't, we got engaged at the end of last year... and we've got a baby hatching early summer.

Since becoming a public figure Symonds style has often been in the spotlight.

In July 2019, she wore an affordable 100 Ghost dress to make her Downing Street debut that sold out within hours.

Throughout her pregnancy, the 32-year-old has continued to champion high street brands in her maternity wardrobe.

From a statement Anthropologie dress to a 69 Marks and Spencer coat, heres a rundown of Symonds stylish maternity looks.

9 March: The rented coat

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds at the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey on March 9. (Getty Images)

Symonds last public appearance before the birth of her son was at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Londons Westminster Abbey.

The expectant mother wore a tonal blue ensemble, which featured a 475 blue coat by London-based brand Isabelle Fox.

Symonds, however, had rented the coat from My Wardrobe HQ, which only cost 14 a day.

The ensemble also featured a polka dot midi dress and matching navy accessories.

March 7: The statement midi dress

Tomorrow its #InternationalWomensDay.



We celebrated earlier this week by hosting a reception at Downing Street. pic.twitter.com/Ew2VrD6PjK  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 7, 2020

On March 7, the Downing Street Twitter page revealed images of a reception that had been held at the Prime Ministers residence ahead of International Womens Day.

Story continues

The event was the first time we caught a glimpse of Symonds oval-cut engagement ring. However, her ring wasnt the only statement as she wore a a striking high neck floral dress from Anthropologie.

7th March: The classic coat

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds watched the Six Nations international rugby union match between England and Wales on 7 March. (Getty Images)

Later that day the couple attended a rugby match together at Twickenham.

Symonds wore a vintage-inspired white shirt, which featured an oversized lace collar, and wrapped up in a camel coat that is thought to be from Marks and Spencer.

Dec 19th: The affordable ensemble

The couple entering Downing Street as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory on December 13, 2019. (Getty Images)

Following the Conservatives win on December 19th, Symonds and the prime minister were seen entering Number 10.

For the occasion Symonds championed high street brand Marks & Spencer. She paired a now sold out 69 Marks & Spencer herringbone coat with a pair of 45 black lace-up boots by the brand.

Adding a pop of colour, Symonds paired the outerwear with a 98 forest green skirt from Anthropologie.
RAYMOND  A former Waterloo man at the heart of an Arizona missing persons case has been detained in Black Hawk County, and authorities searched a home in rural Raymond on Tuesday afternoon.

Few details were available, but Arizona authorities have been looking for Mitchell Allen Mincks, 24, along with his girlfriend, Elissa Landry, 28, and her stepfather, 45-year-old David Batten, since last week.

The three were allegedly last seen April 19, and were reported missing April 21. Investigators searched Battens Chino Valley home the following day and found evidence of foul play, according to Chino Valley police.

At the time, the department said they believed the three may have been traveling in Landrys blue Subaru Forester and heading for Iowa.

Mincks, who is on supervised release for a federal weapons charge, was detained when officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office and the Waterloo Police Department raided a home on Doris Lane outside of Raymond on Tuesday afternoon.

Nicholas Bonifazi with the U.S. Marshals Service said Mincks was detained without incident on a warrant for a supervised release violation. The warrant was filed April 1 in U.S. District Court in Arizona, he said.

Landry and Batten are still missing.

We dont know where they are, Lt. Randy Chapman with the Chino Valley Police Department said Tuesday. He also said the Subaru hasnt been located.

Court records show Mincks was sentenced to just more than two years in prison for having a revolver after a Waterloo traffic stop in March 2017. Following prison, his supervised release was transferred to Arizona in October 2019.

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HOUSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Main Street Capital Corporation (NYSE: MAIN) ("Main Street") is pleased to announce that it will release its first quarter 2020 results on Thursday, May 7, 2020, after the financial markets close. In conjunction with the release, Main Street has scheduled a conference call, which will be broadcast live via phone and over the Internet, on Friday, May 8, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. Investors may participate either by phone or audio webcast.

By Phone: Dial 412-902-0030 at least 10 minutes before the call. A replay will be available through May 15, 2020 by dialing 201-612-7415 and using the access code 13701771#.



By Webcast: Connect to the webcast via the Investor Relations section of Main Street's website at www.mainstcapital.com. Please log in at least 10 minutes in advance to register and download any necessary software. A replay of the conference call will be available on Main Street's website shortly after the call and will be accessible for approximately 90 days.

ABOUT MAIN STREET CAPITAL CORPORATION

Main Street (www.mainstcapital.com) is a principal investment firm that primarily provides long-term debt and equity capital to lower middle market companies and debt capital to middle market companies. Main Street's portfolio investments are typically made to support management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, refinancings and acquisitions of companies that operate in diverse industry sectors. Main Street seeks to partner with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams and generally provides "one stop" financing alternatives within its lower middle market portfolio. Main Street's lower middle market companies generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million. Main Street's middle market debt investments are made in businesses that are generally larger in size than its lower middle market portfolio companies.

Contacts:

Main Street Capital Corporation

Dwayne L. Hyzak, CEO, [email protected]

Brent D. Smith, CFO, [email protected]

713-350-6000

Dennard Lascar Investor Relations

Ken Dennard | [email protected]

Zach Vaughan | [email protected]

713-529-6600

SOURCE Main Street Capital Corporation

Related Links

http://www.mainstcapital.com


29.04.2020 LISTEN

Do you believe what Napoleon Hill said that "more gold had been mined from the mind of men than the earth itself"? Yeah, it's true.

The leading companies and corporations of our time are all products of human potentials. Talking of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Alibaba, Tesla, Boeing, and what you can think of. It's the cheapest start-up we all could start.

Eight out of every ten persons wish they could start their own businesses, but very few are able to make this a reality all because generating a startup seems to be a blow. But the truth is deep inside of us is a flame that never stop burning called passion that needs just a single twitch to turn into profit but sometimes we turn deaf ears to this.

Brenda Ueland said it so well that "Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express". None was born empty as we use to think, we're all treasure carriers and we must dispose those treasures lest we'll live average lives, join the go to school get a good paying job, and die as ordinary people and we'll only be remembered by our tombstones.

It might surprise you, the sacred ground called cemetery contain dreams that never came to pass, books that were never written, songs that were never sung, ideas that were never thrutched to it demands , purpose that were not fulfilled, and also plans that never went beyond look.

As said, by legend called Dr. Myles Monroe, "the wealthiest spot on this planet, is not the oil fields of Iraq, or Saudi Arabia. Neither is it the gold and diamond mines of South Africa, the uranium mines of the Soviet Union, or the silver mines of Africa. Though it may surprise you that, the richest deposit just lie few meters away from your house. They rest in the local cemetery or graveyard." In respect to this, the inbuilt resources are more valuable and Important.

Potential, from other school of thought, means: an untapped strength. "Vocation", a Latin word which means, "calling". What you were called to do on this planet. It's quite unfortunate that, most of us may deposit it in the graveyard.

Potential, has nothing to do with what you have already accomplished, it's what's you're capable of doing instead.

Never settle on what you have accomplished, never stop searching deep inside of you your passion, and it might surprise you how you could influence your world.

What's not yet visible, and up to us is to put on the right lense and search for it. The wealth planted in you is unknown until you bring it up.

Potentials give birth to purpose, in other words, you need the Potentials to discover your purpose. The potentials fuel that purposes to see the light, goes in hand.

Imagine a world where people were born without potentials... Like how would earth be..?

I guess that'd be very scary and life would never be pleasant.

I always ask my self, what was I born to do....?, What do I possess....?, and what can I do to contribute positively to the world and humanity...? Help me get the possible answers to this.

Many look, but few see. It is up to you to grab the right lens in order to see further than your eyes can look. Seeing further, helps you to discover your hidden potentials.

There is a lot about this, on how one can find that potentials.

Remember, you don't need rocket science in this.

Thank you.

By: Joshua Owusu Asante

Adjei Boakye

Powered by:

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Captains Connekt

Email: [email protected]
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-30 06:25:28|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that China is actively cooperating with Syria to combat COVID-19, calling on other countries to do the same.

"China is actively cooperating with Syria to combat the virus. The first batch of medical supplies and assistance have arrived in Syria two weeks ago in Damascus," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria via video-teleconference.

The ambassador said that China pays close attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria, in particular the impact of COVID-19 on the economic and social development in Syria.

"We take note that the Syrian government takes a series of active measures in healthcare, education, transportation, food production, and many other aspects to prevent and contain the spread of the virus," said Zhang, adding that China appreciates these efforts.

Noting that conflicts for years have undermined Syria's capacity to cope with the pandemic, the envoy said that the international community must not stand by.

Talking about bilateral cooperation in the fight against the virus, Zhang said that last week, one renowned Chinese hospital held a video meeting with the Syrian Ministry of Health. Chinese medical experts shared their views with their Syrian colleagues on combatting the pandemic.

"We are willing to continue providing assistance within our capacities to Syria and call on other countries to do the same," said the ambassador.

"We encourage the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other international humanitarian agencies to make more efforts in supporting Syria to respond to the pandemic in various forms," said Zhang.

"The humanitarian issue in Syria is interlinked with political, economic and the security issues and must be managed in the integrated and impartial way," the envoy noted.

"The role of the Syrian government should be brought into full play," he stressed.

Zhang said that it should be acknowledged that the Syrian government has demonstrated the political will to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

"With regard to the issue of cross-border humanitarian assistance, full respect must be given to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We call for continued coordination and cooperation between OCHA and the Syrian Government to find a sustaining solution together," Zhang added.

With regard to the Board of Inquiry, China reserves its concern over the way it was founded, and also its working method, said the ambassador.

Zhang said that unilateral sanctions undermine Syria's capacity to combat COVID-19 and destroy the livelihoods of civilians. "There is no means to justify unilateral sanctions, and we are firmly against them."

"China reiterates its support for the appeals of the secretary-general and high commissioner for human rights to lift these sanctions," he said.

"We urge relevant parties, relevant countries to respect the legitimate rights and the lives of all people affected by the pandemic and immediately lift unilateral sanctions against the countries concerned," the envoy stressed. Enditem
A summary of the investigation posted on the diocese website said Kalin was a chain-smoker, drank almost nightly and regularly took late-night trips to out-of-town casinos to gamble. He invited students and seminarians to have a drink with him and to go with him to the casinos, but students interviewed said they were not treated badly if they declined.

He organized trips to Texas, Nevada and Iowa, which included late-night socializing and drinking, but there wasn't evidence that he pressured students to attend or participate in the socializing.

The investigation found the chancery leadership in the Diocese of Lincoln knew about the culture of alcohol and cigarette use at the Newman Center, but did not know of any sexual impropriety prior to 1998.

When then-Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz learned of a sexual issue involving a seminarian in the summer of 1998, he ordered that two people be with Kalin when assisting him. Months later, he forbid Kalin from being alone with any man under 40 except for priests, close relatives and medical personnel.

Lucas' letter notes that some people interviewed by the investigator had positive experiences and others did not, and thanked those interviewed for their courage and willingness to share their experiences.
The White House has unfollowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official account on Twitter. The official residence of the President of the United States of America has also unfollowed President Ram Nath Kovind, PMO India, US Embassy in New Delhi and the Indian embassy in the US on the social media platform.

A few weeks ago, media reports surfaced that White House had started following PM Modi, PMO India and President of India's Twitter accounts. PM Modi and President Kovind were the only world leaders who were followed by the White House on Twitter.

The reports had emerged after India agreed to supply hydroxychloroquine to the US. India cleared the export of 35.82 lakh tablets of hydroxychloroquine to the US along with nine metric tonnes of active pharmaceutical ingredient or API required in the manufacturing of the drug in the first week of April.

Subsequently, the White House started to follow 19 Twitter accounts, including PM Modi. Back then, the White House had 21.5 million followers. However, now it is following 13 accounts and has gained 0.5 million followers.

Also read: Failure to tame coronavirus at origin led to 184 countries 'going through hell': Donald Trump

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: Gujarat pharma companies ramp up Hydroxycloroquine production
An accused stalker who allegedly shouted death threats at BBC DJ Gilles Peterson has fired her lawyers and claimed she is being subjected to witness intimidation.

Prosecutors claimed Sarah Jayne Rook, 43, screamed death threats at the 55-year-old and his wife and attacked his car with a pole while posing as a charity worker.

Rook is charged with stalking Mr Peterson while subject to bail conditions, preventing her from contacting the Frenchman.

She is also accused of harassing the DJ's wife, Atsuko, 53, between 15 February and 16 March.

Sarah Jane Rook, 43, allegedly screamed You will die at Gilles Peterson, 55, as he left BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place in central London. She fired her lawyers last week after claiming she was subjected to 'witness intimidation'

During the month-long hate campaign, Rook is accused of shouting 'you will die' at Mr Peterson as he left BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London and two days later stood outside the record label owners north London home shouting c**t' and calling him a 'rapist'.

She also allegedly turned up at the Stoke Newington home Mr Peterson shared with his wife posing as a charity worker and attacked the music producers car with a pole.

It is claimed she also made racially aggravated threats to Mr Petersons wife, calling her a Hiroshima bitch and attending her workplace, as well as racially abusing a police officer who arrested her.

Callum Morgan, prosecuting, said Rook went to the radio DJs house on five occasions.

She appeared at Thames Magistrates Court today via video-link from HMP Bronzefield and spoke to confirm her name and date of birth.

Asked whether she was representing herself, Rook said: I am for the meantime.

Im in the process of trying to decipher who would be best to represent me due to what I perceive to be a campaign of witness intimidation against myself.

Theresa Gerald previously defended Rook but said the accused stalker informed her on Friday that she no longer wanted her representation.

Rook was temporarily muted in todays hearing after repeatedly asking District Judge Jane McIvor: Are you not willing to furnish me with your name?

She claimed she was being heavily intimidated and had links to Russia and said her family had been receiving death threats.

Rook said: Im just being subjected to heavy witness intimidation so Im fighting for my familys safety.

I am being heavily intimidated Ive worked with very high profile journalists who have links to Russians and Germans. My family are receiving death threats.

At an earlier hearing, Mr Morgan said: On 6 March she posed as a charity worker. On 7 March she climbed up some scaffolding at an address across the street.

On 16 March she goes to one of their other addresses shouting abuse. When she was arrested she was racist to the arresting police officer.

Peterson (above) and his wife were allegedly subject to harassment at their home and at work

Rook appeared before magistrates on 18 March and was given conditional bail but she then breached bail by being in an area she was not meant to be, said Mr Morgan.

On 21 March she attended his place of work and two days later the DJ alerted police after seeing Rook near his home.

She denies the offences, stating they are 'malicious allegations.

Mr Peterson, who was awarded an MBE in 2004, has founded labels called Acid Jazz and Talkin Loud and opened his current label Brownswood Recordings in 2006.

He is currently best known for his BBC Radio 6 weekend slots covering a wide range of genres, including soul, hip-hop, house, Afro, Latin and jazz,

Rook, of Surbiton, Surrey, denies stalking, harassment and two counts of racially aggravated harassment.

She has now indicated she will change her plea and asked the court: Can the prosecutor tell me what the sentencing guidelines are if I were to plead guilty because Im fighting for the safety of my family?

She was been remanded in custody ahead of a summary trial to be heard by magistrates on May 19.
We have our choice: to ignore what has happened and paper over yet another wound and continue on with the two Virginias, or to face our challenges head on, acknowledge our incredibly difficult history with race in this state, and vow to move forward together on our shared journey, he said. The speech brought the chamber to its feet.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

San Francisco, 29 April 2020: The Report Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Drug Class (MAPK Inhibitors, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, Autotaxin Inhibitors), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026

The global idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment market size is expected to reach a value of USD 5.2 billion by 2026, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to register a CAGR of 12.7% during the forecast period. Increasing R&D initiatives undertaken by companies and surge in cigarette smoking population are anticipated to boost the growth.

Rise in the initiatives undertaken by manufacturers to develop products with novel mechanisms is anticipated to fuel the IPF treatment market growth. For instance, FibroGen, Inc., is currently developing a drug, pamrevlumab - a monoclonal antibody that targets the connective tissue growth factor. The phase III trials of pamrevlumab are expected to be initiated in the first half of 2019. The drug has received fast track designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

An aging population can be expected to have far-reaching social, economic, and political implications on nearly all the sectors including the healthcare sector. An associated consequence of an increase in the geriatric population will be an increase in the incidences of various medical conditions requiring long-term care. Moreover, the growing geriatric population base in countries with large untapped opportunities such as China and Japan is anticipated to drive the market growth during the forecast period.

The dramatic increase in cigarette smoking population is one of the major drivers likely to have a positive impact on market growth. According to the U.S. FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018, more than 3.6 million high and middle school students were existing e-cigarette users. The number increased by 1.5 million since the last year. The uptake in the use of e-cigarette is expected to lead to the incidence of IPF.

Access Research Report of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis-ipf-treatment-market

Further key findings from the study suggest:

MAPK Inhibitors segment held the largest market share in 2018. Esbriet is the first drug approved for the treatment of IPF

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor is the second largest segment and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.0%

Autotaxin inhibitors (GLPG1690) is expected to post lucrative CAGR. GLPG1690 is currently in phase III trial and is expected to be commercialized in 2022

S. led in 2018 due to high market penetration and high awareness pertaining to IPF

IPF treatment market in Japan is estimated to decline over the forecast period owing to patent expiry of Esbriet in 2018

Some of the major players operating in the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis treatment market are F. Hoffman La-Roche Ltd; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH; Galapagos; FibroGen, Inc.; Prometic Life Sciences Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; MediciNova, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc.; Novartis AG; and Merck & Co.

Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/pharmaceuticals

Grand View Research has segmented the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis treatment market by drug class and region:

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Drug Class Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026)

MAPK Inhibitors Esbriet

Tyrosine Inhibitors Ofev

Autotaxin Inhibitors GLPG 1690



Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Treatment Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

MEA

Access Press Release of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis-ipf-treatment-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
In New Zealand, currently, more than 100,000 people are facing food shortages and are relying on food grants and parcels to feed their families every week. This is amid the Coronavirus crisis that has affected the entire world.

In these unprecedented times, the Sikh community has stepped up and fed over 15,000 families from Auckland right down to Queenstown over the past fortnight and continue to do so as hundreds of people line up daily for help. In fact, the line for food begins well before the stall for food parcel pickup even opens and extends till the end of the road and keeping on extending throughout the day.

 iStock

"People from any ethnicity and religion are welcome. We are all one and in this difficult time, we are all New Zealanders. We should all stand with the wider community," says Daljit Singh, from the Supreme Sikh Society.

 iStock

Unfortunately, each day the number of hungry families exceeds their worst predictions. "On the North Shore we expected only 350 yesterday and 750 turned out," Singh says. He adds that they're serving 12 tonnes of food a day to the community. That over and above the 70,000 food grants given each week by the Ministry of Social Development as compared to last year, when the Ministry was only handing out less than 15,000 a week around this time last year. With an increase like that, even smaller organisations are providing as much as they can in this time of grave need.



New Zealand Sikh community has really stepped up mid this crisis and we laud them for their help.
The apps popularity comes amid mounting concerns over privacy and data breaches coming from both the public and private sectors. But Sean Duca (pictured), vice president and regional chief security officer for Asia-Pacific & Japan at Palo Alto Networks, says people should feel a level of comfort over how the government developed the app.

The Government has undertaken a thorough review of the app through security agencies like the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Cyber CRC, as well as consulting with other agencies such as the Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights Commissioner, Duca said.

It is important to remember the overall goal when downloading the COVIDSafe application  the Government wants to prevent the next COVID-19 death and mitigate any second wave that might occur when social distancing measures are relaxed. This should give Australians a level of comfort.

While downloading the app is voluntary, Duca says smartphone users should still practice safe cyber security measures to ensure their data is private and protected if they do decide to use COVIDSafe.

 citizens should only download the application from official channels on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and ensure any additional information requests via phone or email are firmly authenticated before sharing any private information, he said.

Information required to set up the app is a phone number, name, age range and postcode. And this application certainly has better security than some other apps on the market  such as gaming apps that many Australians already have on their phone.

Additionally, Duca says the information collected and stored by the app is encrypted and can only be accessed by state and territory health departments.

The information is encrypted, and that encrypted identifier is stored securely on your phone. Not even the user can access it. The contact information stored in peoples mobiles is deleted on a 21-day rolling cycle. This period takes into account the COVID-19 incubation period and the time it takes to get tested, Duca continued.

The Government has indicated only state and territory health authorities can access the data.

The app works by relying on Bluetooth technology to track its users through their unique identifiers, a code assigned through the app, which will then trace other app users who they have been in close proximity with.

Using Bluetooth technology, the app exchanges unique identifiers with another user when they come within 1.5 metres of each other for 15 minutes or more, and then logs and encrypts this contact, Duca explained.

If a person with the app is tested positive to COVID-19, they would be asked to download the log and send it to a central server, where their local health authority could access and decrypt it. The Health Department would then call anyone who had been in contact with a COVID-19 case. This process will quicken the contact tracing process.

Once someone becomes infected, health departments access the apps data and contact the impacted individual or their caretakers for further information on who they have been in contact with.

 our understanding is that when someone is diagnosed with COVID-19, state and territory health officials will ask them or their parent/guardian who they have been in contact with. If they have the COVIDSafe app and provide their permission, the encrypted contact information from the app will be uploaded to a highly secure information storage system, Duca said.

State and territory health officials will then provide the exposed individuals information on the next steps including symptoms to look out for and where to get tested. The federal government has assured the public that health officials will not name the infected person throughout this process, outlined in its Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA).

For people who remain concerned over their privacy and data when using the COVIDSafe app, Duca says its important to remember the app is not a surveillance tool.

It is important to note that this is not intended to be a surveillance app and the data is only saved locally to the phone. When the app recognises another user, it notes the date, time, distance and duration of the contact and the other users reference code. The COVIDSafe app does not collect your location, Duca added.

The information is encrypted, and that encrypted identifier is stored securely on your phone. Not even you, as a user, can access it. The contact information stored in peoples mobiles is deleted on a 21-day rolling cycle.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Export of leather goods from Turkey to Kazakhstan increased by 12.09 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, exceeding $7.7 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend.

In March 2020, Turkeys export of leather goods to Kazakhstan dropped by 22.51 percent compared to March 2019 and amounted to $2 million.

In 1Q2020, export of leather goods from Turkey to world markets dropped by 5.4 percent compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $415.2 million.

Over the reporting period, Turkeys export of leather goods amounted to one percent of the countrys total export.

In March 2020, Turkey exported leather goods worth $130.2 million to world markets, which is 26 percent less compared to the same month of 2019. In this month, export of leather goods amounted to 1 percent of the country's total export.

From March 2019 through March 2020, Turkeys export of leather goods exceeded $1.6 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Jammu and Kashmir administration has brought back over 6,000 labourers and students of the Union Territory in the past four days who were stranded in various parts of the country amid the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

With this, a total of over 17,700 people hailing from the Union Territory have been brought back to Jammu and Kashmir during the lockdown period, they said.

"As many as 3,022 people of J-K have been evacuated from various states during the past 24 hours. With this, a total of 6,355 labourers and students have been brought here in the past four days," said Ajeet Sahu, Commissioner Secretary, Jal Shakti department, told PTI.

Sahu, who heads the management and regulation of the Inter-State border terminal for entry into Jammu and Kashmir, said a total of 17,770 have so far arrived in Jammu and Kashmir from other states during the lockdown.

Giving breakup, he said 1,977 labourers and passengers have been evacuated from Punjab, followed by 3,955 from Himachal Pradesh, 399 students from Kota and 24 people from Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The Jammu and Kashmir government had sealed the Inter-state border terminal on March 24, allowing only movement of people with passes and vehicles carrying essential supplies and patients.

On March 31, the Jammu and Kashmir administration set up a 24x7 control room at Lakhanpur inter-state border plaza in Kathua district for hassle-free movement of trucks carrying essential supplies to the union territory.

Of 17,770 persons, as many as 1,862 patients along with drivers and attendants arrived from outside J-K during the period, he said.

Besides these, 20 foreign returnees have also arrived in Jammu and Kashmir via Lakhanpur and were sent to quarantine, he said.

As many as 221 officers of the army and para-military forces also arrived via Lakhanpur followed by 77 people from essential services and 737, who had emergency passes, he said.

He said as many as 10,625 were sent to administrative quarantine in Kathua-Samba belts and out of them, 8813 were released from quarantine.

"Anyone wishing to enter Jammu and Kashmir including local students and those who have gone outside for work or holiday will have to undergo 14-day quarantine," District Development Commissioner Kathua Om Parkash Bhagat said.

He said there will be no compromise in enforcing the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The government has set up four big quarantine centres in Kathua and Samba districts for housing those coming from outside the Union Territory.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor G C Murmu had earlier said over 350 students and nearly 40,000 labourers are stranded outside the Union Territory due to the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

He had said all those returning to the Union Territory will be tested and home quarantined.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
People walk along the Alster lake in Hamburg, Germany amid the coronavirus pandemic. The park is divided into directional routes to comply with distance rules (Morris Mac Matzen/AFP via Getty Images)

The German government will continue to ban all travel to other countries until at least 14 June, according to German media.

Reuters and DPA reported that the current ban on foreign travel, which had been due to expire on 3 May, will stay in place until the middle of June, and potentially longer, as the country tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

School holidays normally start in July in Germany, although it varies by state. The Foreign Office has reportedly left the possibility open as to whether travel during the school holidays will be possible.

Germanys foreign travel ban has been in place since 17 March. It has said that it wants to properly coordinate the opening of internal EU borders with other member states when the time comes to open up again.

Germanys borders with Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic and France have been closed since mid-March to all but essential cargo traffic and commuters with a valid reason to cross for work.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, Germany currently has 159,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 6,314 deaths from COVID-19.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Germany's transmission rate ticks back up to 1.0 as lockdown eases

The country began easing its lockdown on commercial and social life last week, with smaller shops and car dealerships allowed to reopen. The decisions to open schools are taken on a state level, but many states are allowing students in certain school years to return to school from 4 May. Hairdressers, playgrounds and zoos are also re-opening, under new hygiene measures.

All 16 states have now made it compulsory to wear a face mask in shops and on public transport.

However, on Tuesday (28 April) Germanys Robert Koch Institute for disease control said the coronavirus transmission rate had risen again to 1.0 from 0.9, where it had been for several days.

The institute has repeatedly said that the rate needs to be pushed down to under 1.0 to dampen the spread of the virus and ensure that the countrys intensive care units are not overwhelmed.

Story continues

The R0, or basic reproduction number, is an important measure in monitoring the spread of the disease as it shows how many people are infected by one infected person.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned repeatedly that if people ignore social distancing rules or states loosen restrictions too soon, the country risks a second wave of coronavirus infections.

READ MORE: Ifo: German economy will shrink by 6.6% this year due to COVID-19

The economic ramifications of that on Europes largest economy would be significant. This week Germanys leading economic think-tank, the Ifo, predicted that the economy would contract by 6.6% this year  if there is no second wave of infections.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK
China has set a date for a major political gathering next month after delaying it for weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak in a sign of the countrys growing confidence the virus has largely been contained.

The annual meeting of its ceremonial parliament is set to open in Beijing on 22 May, the standing committee has decided, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The full session of the National Peoples Congress, usually held in March, would include thousands of officials.

It had been postponed for weeks due to Covid-19, which originated in China towards the end of last year in the central city of Wuhan.

Beijing could also start lifting restrictions aimed at preventing the virus' spread by the end of this week, according to reports.

The National Peoples Congress planned for next month traditionally brings delegates from across the country by plane and train to Beijing, where they first meet to hear a state of the country address from Li Keqiang, the premier, while seated shoulder-to-shoulder in the colossal auditorium at the Great Hall of the People.

It was not clear from the report whether officials would be meeting in person or virtually.

China recorded a jump in imported cases of coronavirus on Wednesday but no new deaths from the disease it causes.

Authorities have relaxed social distancing restrictions, but have maintained strict quarantine rules on those coming from abroad or other parts of the country to ward off a second wave of virus cases as summer approaches.

The city of Beijing reportedly plans on easing quarantine rules for some domestic travellers from low-risk areas in China as soon as Thursday.

People arriving from elsewhere in the country will no longer be required to be quarantined for two weeks unless they come from high-risk areas such as Heilongjiang in the north and some parts of Guangdong in the southeast, according to sources.

Currently, even Chinese citizens who reside in Beijing are not allowed to return home without first quarantining except under special circumstances, and those who refuse to do so or follow official rules to curb the outbreak can be punished.

Since the virus originated towards the end of last year, China has reported more than 82,800 confirmed coronavirus infections and around 4,600 deaths.

The UK, Spain, France, and Italy all have death tolls of more than 20,000 as of Wednesday, while 58,611 Covid-19 patients have died in the US to date, according to a Reuters global count.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
CRAWFORD COUNTY, MI -- Heather Willobee couldnt believe what was just outside, and headed for her home: a bear, and a large one at that.

It was following her 8-year-old dog Lucy, which had just survived an attack and had large claw marks all over her body.

Willobee knew something was wrong just after midnight on Sunday, April 19. She had let Lucy outside to do her business at their home near Grayling at Wilcox Bridge and Jones Lake. It took multiple times for Lucy to come back after calling for her.

I could hear something going on out there. I just have a little porch light and couldnt see," Willobee said. After I called for her a few times, I could hear her running towards me, but I could also hear something else was with her. It was big, whatever it was."

"Never did I expect to see a bear. Lucy jumped onto the porch, turned around and went into defense mode. The bear was halfway on the porch. I had no idea what I was going to do if this bear kept coming.

Willobee slammed the door after her dog finally came inside the house. Lucy then collapsed. Thats when Willobee noticed the injuries to her beloved pet.

I called 9-1-1 because I wasnt even sure who to call," Willobee said. "I then called a local vet who directed me to an emergency vet in Traverse City, about an hour and 15 minutes away.

Driving Lucy the long distance to the vet would be the easy part. The hard part was trying to get both herself and her dog inside the truck with the bear still hanging around.

I opened my door a little bit and looked around and didnt see anything," Willobee said. "I didnt want to assume it was gone. I hit the panic button on the truck to try and scare it away. I shined my flashlight everywhere, but I couldnt see on the other side of my truck.

Willobee still wasnt sure if the bear was around, but was determined to help Lucy. She put her into the truck, then went back to lock the house door. When she came back, thats when Willobee came face to face with the beast, only about 10 feet away.

I was staring intently at this bear and he was staring at me," Willobee said. I dont know if it was the adrenaline or the fear of losing my dog, but I knew I had to go. I slowly kept my sight on the bear as I backed myself into the drivers side of the truck. The bear kept watching me as I honked my horn and yelled at it as I drove away. It still didnt budge.

When she arrived at the vet, Willobee couldnt go in due to coronavirus precautions. When the vet came outside to get Lucy, thats when Willobee started to realize the extent of the injuries.

I had no idea how bad she really was," Willobee said. She had several claw marks and gouges in her. Her muscles on her shoulder appeared to tear away from her shoulder blade. Shes in a lot of pain on top and thats where most of her wounds are. I assume the bear pounced on her. Even with her jumping on the porch, I had no idea of her injuries. She was doing whatever she could to stand her ground and protect me.

Lucy is now healing at home after surgery, but may not fully recover from her wounds.

She does walk, but as far as running, its still iffy," Willobee said. "Shes a tough dog, though. She will need in-home physical therapy and hopefully shell recover. Shes my buddy. Shes just getting lots of love. Lots of hugs and kisses.

A family member set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for Lucys emergency surgery and the time Willobee has missed work to care for her.

Willobee says she has not seen the bear since the attack. She believes it was a male black bear weighing about 300 pounds.

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Driver cited for going 110 over the speed limit at 180 mph on a Michigan freeway

Michigan toddler spiked 107-degree fever with coronavirus, battle lasting forever'

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Federal Labor MP Mike Kelly broke down in tears as he resigned from politics today.

The former army colonel, 60, is stepping down due to health issues, prompting a by-election in his ultra-marginal seat of of Eden-Monaro in southern New South Wales.

Mr Kelly has been battling kidney failure which required emergency surgery in October and a further nine procedures.

He attributes his health struggles to severe dehydration suffered during military tours as a soldier and a lawyer in Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia and East Timor.

The father-of-one, whose wife Rachelle is also battling health issues, said the decision to stand down was 'gut-wrenching' and welled up as he thanked his family for supporting him.

The former army colonel, 60, has been battling kidney failure which saw him rushed to hospital for emergency surgery in October

Mr Kelly (pictured in October) has been battling kidney failure which required emergency surgery in October and a further nine procedures

'There's a lot of people out there in that defence family situation who will understand all of those sacrifices and all of that pain that they go through.

'And... a lot of tough times... through that. So thank you for your love and support,' he said.

Mr Kelly said he could not continue to be an MP because his surgeries would keep him from visiting his constituents.

'It breaks my heart to do this but it is necessary,' he said.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said: 'Mike Kelly is an extraordinary Australian, and he has brought a great deal of dignity, talent, capacity and commitment to this parliament.'

Mike Kelly (pictured during his time in army) left in the force in 2007 and became an MP

Mike Kelly's career Mr Kelly was born in Adelaide and studied law at Macquarie University before joining the Australian Army in 1987. He served in Somalia, East Timor, Bosnia and Iraq. Mr Kelly finished his military career in 2007 with the rank of colonel as Director of Army Legal Services. He was the MP for Eden-Monaro from 2007 to 2013 and again from 2016 to now. Advertisement

The by-election is expected to be a three-cornered contest, meaning the Liberals and the Nationals both put candidates up against Labor and preference each other.

Labor holds the seat by a 0.9 per cent margin so the Coalition will be hoping to snatch it as the Prime Minister's poll ratings soar on the back of Australia's success at handling COVID-19.

However, Eden-Monaro includes the bushfire-hit town of Cobargo, whose residents gave Mr Morrison a hostile reception in January.

History doesn't favour the Coalition because a federal government has not won a seat from the opposition in a by-election since 1920.

Bega mayor Kristy McBain is likely to run for Labor while NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is favourite for the Nationals. He has previously said he would like to lead the federal Nationals.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance and Liberal senator Jim Molan have been touted as possible Liberal Party candidates.

However, Mr Barilaro has said a three-cornered contest isn't in the Coalition's best interests.

Mr Barilaro says he wouldn't run against Mr Constance, and will speak with his family over the weekend about having a tilt at federal politics.

Jim Molan (pictured with his daughter Erin) is a possible Liberal Party candidate for the seat

'I can't rule it out, don't rule it in,' he told Sky News.

'Everybody's got to be honest with themselves and it will be something that I'll weigh up over the next few days.'

Mr Barilaro's state electorate covers the Queanbeyan area, where the majority of the Eden-Monaro population resides.

'If I do this, I do this knowing I could be out of politics,' he said.

Liberal senator Jim Molan says he's considering all options.

From 1972 to 2016 Eden-Monaro was considered a bellwether seat - going to the party that wins government.

Mr Kelly, first elected in 2007 only to lose in 2013, ended the bellwether status when he won the seat in 2016 in an election that Labor didn't win.

In the 2019 election, Labor won 39.2 per cent of first prefence votes and the Liberals won 37 per cent with the Greens on 8.8 per cent and the Nationals on 7 per cent.

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek has praised her long-serving colleague.

'He is a fantastic human being,' she told the ABC.
The U.N.s outgoing envoy monitoring human rights in Myanmar Wednesday called for an investigation into claims of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the government army as it carries on a brutal war against ethnic rebels in Rakhine and Chin States.

While the world is occupied with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Myanmar military continues to escalate its assault in Rakhine State, targeting the civilian population, said Yanghee Lee in a report published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Calls for a ceasefire, including by the Arakan Army, have gone unheeded. Instead, the Tatmadaw [Myanmars military] is inflicting immense suffering on the ethnic communities in Rakhine and Chin, said Lee, who will conclude her tenure as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

The Tatmadaw is systematically violating the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and human rights. Its conduct against the civilian population of Rakhine and Chin States may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, she said.

All parties to the conflict, including the Arakan Army, must also protect civilians, added Lee in a reference to the AA, a rebel group fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhines in Myanmars westernmost state.

Lee called for more accountability for the Tatmadaw, saying it continues to operate with impunity.

For decades, its tactics have intentionally maximized civilian suffering, she said.

The report cited examples of Tatmadaw attacks that killed and injured civilians including an April 13 artillery barrage that killed eight civilians, at least two of whom were children in Kyauk Seik village, Ponnagyun township.

Lee has not been allowed to visit Myanmar since late 2017, blocked by the government following an earlier round of mass army atrocities against the Rohingyas, a Muslim ethnic minority in Rakhine state.

Some 740,000 Rohingya are still living in Bangladesh more than two years after they driven out of Myanmar in what U.N. officials called an ethnic cleansing campaign.

Myanmar government and military personnel rejected Lees statement, with one official repeating the countrys stock response that claims of army brutality are one-sided.

The military is going about its duties, complying with the constitution, existing laws and international standards, Thein Tun Oo, the spokesperson of the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) told RFA Wednesday.

Such groundless accusations are undermining our national sovereignty, Thien Tun Oo added.

An official from the ruling National League for Democracy also protested Lees remarks.

First of all, the AA has been designated as a terrorist group, Monywa Aung Shin, secretary of the NLDs central information committee told RFA.

This was stated in an official announcement signed by President U Win Myint. There was also a statement signed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi honoring the servicemen fighting in Rakhine state. These statements have shown that the government has a very positive attitude to the military, said the secretary.

With regard to the armed conflicts in Rakhine State, there will be causalities on both sides. So I want to say these cannot be called human rights violations, the secretary added.

The military also downplayed the accusations.

I dont have anything to say. There are always statements and accusations like that, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of the military information committee told RFA.

The only thing I would like to point out is that the local civilians in Palatwa township, Chin State are now facing the food shortage and starvation, as they are surrounded by AA troops. How would the military and the government be able to ignore such a situation? he said. RFA could not verify the spokesmans claim.

Zaw Min Tun also denied accusations that the military is intentionally targeting civilians, saying the only target is the AA and its insurgent activities.

There is no reason to target civilians. But, as we have repeatedly stated, AA has been using the civilians and towns and villages as human shields, he said, repeating a frequent army assertion that has not been verified on past occasions.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha, who denied army allegations of abductions in the war zone, sad the group has announced a one-month ceasefire until April 30 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

We have stopped our offensives. But armed conflicts continue every day because Myanmars military wont stop their offensives against us, he said.

The fighting has continued only because Myanmars military is inhumane and doesnt have a humanitarian spirit.

Investigation into WHO death

Meanwhile, Myanmars President U Win Myint formed an inquiry commission to investigate an attack last week on a WHO vehicle in Rakhine states Minbya township, killing the driver.

The vehicle was attacked April 20, after it drove over a suspension bridge in Minbya, though it is unclear whether Myanmar soldiers or AA troops were behind the shooting. Both sides blamed the other for the ambush that killed local WHO employee Pyae Sone Win Maung and injured health department worker Aung Myo Oo.

U Saw, the chair of the Peoples Parliament for the Citizens Basic Rights, will serve as the commissions chairman, and Colonel Htein Lin, the co-chair of the presidents office will serve as its secretary. Myanmars government and military maintain that the AA is responsible for the attack.

It would be better if MPs of the concerning townships also take part in this investigation as a wider task force. It would also be terrible if this investigation is only to avoid international pressure, U Pe Thn, the member of parliament from nearby Myaybon township, told RFAs Myanmar Service.

It would be best if we were to have a committee with no fear of any pressures, focused on the truth, he added.

But an ethnic Rakhine leader told RFA the investigation would likely be biased.

This commission is different from what we demanded. We wanted an independent third party, U Zaw Zaw Htun, Secretary of the Rakhine Ethnic Committee told RFA.

But now, with army personnel and government staff taking part, can it be done with no bias? I wonder whether the investigation with real procedures is even possible, he said.

Political analyst U Maung Maung Soe told RFA that the report would merely confirm what the army has already said on the matter.

The more important thing is if the international community can accept the Armys statement and the facts, or not. I think [the investigation] is just the army paying lip service to international pressure, as both the U.N. and U.S. have called for independent inquires, he said.

It is not currently known if the government-formed commission plans to investigate the AA. RFA inquired with U Zaw Htay, the director general of the presidents office, but received no reply to the inquiry.

A statement from the AA said the investigation would not be credible because the committee was formed with ex-military personnel and like minded people, likening it to a card shark pretending to play a fair game.

But the armys information secretary Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told RFA that the military would fully cooperate with the committee and the government in every way necessary.

UK renews financial sanctions

The United Kingdom renewed financial sanctions on several of Myanmars military leaders through 2021.

The sanctions, put in place to prevent money laundering, were enacted by the E.U. in 2019 before Brexit. They were to cease to be relevant to the UK on December 31, 2020.

The official website of the British government says the sanctions are aimed at encouraging the Myanmar security forces to comply with international human rights law and to respect human rights.

The sanctions prohibit the selling arms, providing military training and conducting military-to-military cooperation.

They also include a travel ban and a freezing of assets for 14 military and police officers accused of committing the rights violations.

Reported by Waiyan Moe Myint, Aung Thane Kha and others for RFAs Myranmar Service. Translated by Maung Maung Nyo and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
The Accra Regional Police Command has issued a public alert, cautioning especially taxicab drivers, about the activities of carjackers in the metropolis.

The police said although the mode of operations may vary, a common trend is that one or two members of the syndicate hire the services of a taxicab to a particular destination.

Mid-way through the journey, other accomplices board the vehicle and then conspire to snatch the vehicle at gunpoint.

The alert follows the arrest of some five suspected carjackers in Accra.

Appropriate steps have been taken to prosecute the suspects, however, the Command cautions the general public to be informed of such criminal activities in order to prevent possible theft of their vehicles.

Beware if juicy offers, especially at night; reject services to outlandish areas, seek police assistance at snap checkpoints on the least suspicion. If possible, use automobile tracking devices, the alert signed by ASP Efia Tenge, the PRO of the Accra Regional Police Command said.

---classfmonline
The centerpiece event of the National Tractor Pullers Association circuit is the latest sporting event claimed by COVID-19

The NTPA announced Tuesday that the 45th annual Budweiser Dairyland NTPA Super Nationals scheduled for June 25-27 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus.

Its going to have a huge impact on the local economy, said Tomah Chamber/Convention & Visitors Bureau president/CEO Tina Thompson. It will impact hotels, campgrounds, restaurants ... people thought it might be the pinnacle event to lift our spirits through this difficult time.

The event is the largest on the NTPA calendar and normally draws 60,000-70,000 fans over five shows at Tomah Recreation Park. Its the only event on the NTPA circuit that features all classes of pulling.

The NTPA is disappointed that we will not be able to partner with the (Monroe County) Ag Society and our competitors to put on a show for the great fans of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest, NTPA general manager Gregg Randall said. But the safety of our spectators and participants is paramount.

NTPA officials cited Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers Safer at Home order, which was recently extended to May 26. The NTPA anticipates social distancing requirements will delay the reopening of large public spaces for social gatherings through the end of June.

We respect both the governors lawful order and Tomahs carefully considered response to it. Were already looking forward to our return to Recreation Park in 2021, Randall said.

The Ag Society acknowledged the cancellation will have an impact on the local economy and service organizations that rely on the pull as a major fundraiser.

The decision was not an easy one and goes much further than our nonprofit organization, an Ag Society press release said. The cancellation comes as a blow to not only our organization but, all the local organizations that help at our event, the city of Tomah and surrounding communities that are already feeling the COVID-19 impacts.

The cancellation will also have a direct impact on the city Convention & Visitors Bureau, which relies on room tax revenue to fund its operations.

CVB receives our income from hotel stays, and that is how our organization is funded, Thompson said. That revenue is already down to almost nothing.

Thompson said the tractor pull is also a chance for Tomah to promote itself.

It brings international attention to Tomah, she said. Every year, I talk to people from Germany the Netherlands who come to Tomah. They love our community.

An NTPA event in Hutchinson, Minnesota, set for June 19-20 was also cancelled, while a July 9-11 Grand National event in Rockwell, Iowa, and regional events in July 11 in River Falls and Bloomington remain on the schedule.

An Aug. 15 regional event in Norwalk also remains on the calendar.

The dates of the 2021 Tomah pull are set for June 24-26.

Tomah Journal editor Steve Rundio can be reached at steve.rundio@lee.net.

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Boris Johnson's is delaying his paternity leave as he scrambles to get a grip on the coronavirus crisis, it was revealed today.

The PM previously said he would 'almost certainly' take time off when fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth.

But Mr Johnson's official spokesman has made clear he will not go on leave until later in the year, with the country currently in the throes of the deadly disease outbreak.

Despite missing PMQs, he was already back at work in No10 this afternoon just hours after the baby was born.

There were concerns over a power vacuum when Mr Johnson was hospitalised, and then spent two weeks recuperating at Chequers.

He only returned to Downing Street on Monday, making a speech on the steps of No10 and taking charge of the daily 'War Cabinet' meetings.

In his absence there were signs of splits among senior ministers over how and when to ease the lockdown inflicting massive damage on the economy.

Downing Street has signalled that Boris Johnson (pictured with Carrie last month) will delay his paternity leave until later in the year, with the country in the throes of the coronavirus crisis

What are the parental leave rules? As an office-holder rather than an employee, the PM is not officially covered by the parental leave rules. However, many politicians have opted to follow the provision available for other workers. Parents can take one or two weeks after their partner has a baby. It must be taken all in one go. Alternatively parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave, and up to 37 weeks of pay, between them. Advertisement

'Hawks' such as Chancellor Rishi Sunak were believed to have been pushing for an earlier easing to avoid huge job losses, while 'doves' including Health Secretary Matt Hancock advocated a more cautious approach.

First Secretary Dominic Raab 'deputised' for Mr Johnson while he was off, but he was said to have acted as a facilitator of debate in Cabinet rather than forcing decisions.

Mr Raab stood in for Mr Johnson at PMQs this afternoon.

But Downing Street said Mr Johnson was already back at work.

'The PM was with Ms Symonds this morning for the birth of his son and is now back at work in Number 10,' a spokesman said.

'Later in the year he will take a short period of paternity leave.'

Tory former leader Iain Duncan Smith told Sky News Mr Johnson being off now would have left the country 'rudderless'.

'He has got huge decisions right now. He is the only one really who can make these decisions,' Mr Duncan Smith said.

'These are unprecedented times and not to be in Downing Street again would leave us somewhat rudderless.'

Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street when they moved in last year.

Rumours had been swirling all morning about Mr Johnson's absence from PMQs.

Downing Street had refused to say whether the premier would be in the Commons for the regular session, which would have been his first since recovering from illness.

It was not clear whether he was still not up to an hour of intensive grilling from MPs, but Ms Symonds' pregnancy was also the source of speculation.

First Secretary Dominic Raab 'deputised' for Mr Johnson while he was off, but he was said to have acted as a facilitator of debate in Cabinet rather than forcing decisions

There have been claims of Cabinet splits between 'hawks' such as Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured left in No10 yesterday) pushing for an earlier easing of lockdown, and 'doves' including Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured right in Downing Street today) advocating a more cautious approach

Mr Johnson previously said he would take paternity leave, but Downing Street sources have been making clear that will be put off while the country is in the grips of coronavirus turmoil.

It is understood the PM was by his 32-year-old fiancee's side throughout the birth, which took place at an NHS hospital in London.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who would have been up against the PM for the first time this afternoon, tweeted: 'Wonderful news. Many congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.'

The PM and Ms Symonds both suffered from coronavirus, and have spent some time recuperating at Chequers.

There were concerns about Ms Symonds as doctors were not sure if pregnancies might be at risk from the virus, but she is understood to have made a good recovery.

The happy news comes as something of a surprise, with Ms Symonds having been expected to give birth in the summer, although a due date was never confirmed by the couple.

A spokesman for the couple said today they were 'thrilled' to announce the birth which took place early this morning, adding: 'Both mother and baby are doing very well.'
A VOLUNTEER with the Covid Response team in Limerick believes that if everyone here wore masks, the spread of the disease could be greatly contained.

Mayuree Walshe, who has been living in Limerick for 23 years, decided to handmake masks and give 45 to the Community Response Team after returning from a holiday in February to her native Thailand where she believes the low level of outbreak there is down to everyone wearing masks.

With a population of almost 70 million and having detected its first outbreak in January, Thailand today has 3,000 Coronavirus cases and 52 deaths compared to Irelands almost 20,000 cases and 1,000 deaths. This is almost two months after the Thai health authorities encouraged people to make face masks at home.

The Limerick COVID-19 Community Response is a coordinated programme run under the national Community Call programme that sees members of the public who are isolating or vulnerable call a dedicated helpline  1800 832 005  for help with daily needs such as shopping, prescriptions, supplies and information.

Ms Walshe today handed over 45 personally made masks for the volunteers to protect them and the people they meet when handing over items on the doorstep.

And she believes that if a nationwide homemade mask programme is run, as in Thailand, it can stop the spread of the disease in its tracks just like she believes it has in her birth country.

Her effort has been praised by Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Councillor Michael Sheahan. We are getting so many gestures of support and thank-you from members of the public for the Limerick COVID-19 Community Response programme and this is an outstanding example. When someone takes time to make masks to protect people volunteering and those they are helping, it is not alone a health and safety contribution but, very importantly, it is a thank-you that means a lot to us. People are giving of their time freely to do this volunteer work and for Mayuree to go to these lengths really says what they are doing appreciated. We thank her deeply for this.

Mayuree said that the decision to make masks was instinctive after returning from Thailand. I couldnt believe how many people were wearing facemasks at home in February. There had been a shortage of manufactured masks and they are too expensive so people started making them at home.

So when I came back from holidays, I decided to make masks for some people here and then saw the Limerick volunteer group that was set up to help people who are isolated and I decided to make some for them. I used some leftover breathable cotton and polyester material that I had at home and an elastic band to tie them.

Ive always made things; curtains, costumes for the children, etc. So, I just looked up Youtube and there was a basic video there that I learned everything I need, she said.

She believes that wider prevalence of masks is inevitable here. More and more people are saying that it should happen, including experts. We have over 69 million people and 52 deaths. That says a lot and its because, I believe, of the number of people wearing masks. We used to see masks a lot in Thailand because of smoke and dust but everyone seems to have them now. People are making them at home.

I think the same should happen here. There are so many people out there who could make the masks.

But she has some advice, too: You wouldnt wear them all day; just when you go shopping or go out in public. Wash them then at night or when you get home and leave them out to dry. Dont put them in a dryer or the elastic bands will melt!
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President Donald Trump said there were "very good experts" who predicted the novel coronavirus "would never affect the United States."

Those people "got it wrong," Trump said.

It's unclear which experts he was referring to; dozens of public-health officials warned early on of a US outbreak that would severely disrupt daily life.

Intelligence officials and Obama administration aides also repeatedly sounded the alarm about an impending pandemic, but Trump didn't take action until weeks after the virus gained a foothold in the US.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday there were "very good experts" who predicted that the coronavirus outbreak "would never affect the United States."

He made the remark during a White House speech to small-business owners in response to CNN's Jim Acosta, who asked Trump about the number of confirmed cases in the US passing the 1 million mark. Acosta pointed to Trump's prediction in February that the number of US cases would go down to zero.

"How did we get from your prediction of zero to 1 million?" Acosta asked.

"Well, it will go down to zero ultimately," Trump said, adding that the US is "doing more testing than any other country in the world."

"So, we're going to show more cases because we're doing much, much more testing  double anybody else," he said. "And it will be  at the appropriate time, it will be down to zero like we said."

Acosta then pressed Trump on how multiple experts said at the time that the number of US cases would go up and there would be community spread of the disease without appropriate social-distancing measures.

Trump pushed back. "Experts  very good experts, very good people too  said this would never affect the United States, it wouldn't affect Europe, it wouldn't affect anything outside of China." he said. "So we were listening to experts, and we will always listen to experts, but the experts got it wrong. A lot of people got it wrong, and a lot of people had no idea it would be this serious."

Story continues

It's unclear which experts the president was referring to when he said they "got it wrong" by predicting the virus "would never affect" the US. Dozens of public-health officials warned of a US outbreak in February.

"Ultimately we expect we will see community spread in the United States," Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters during a conference call on February 25. "It's not a question of if this will happen but when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illnesses."

She added: "We are asking the American public to prepare for the expectation that this might be bad."

Alex Azar, the secretary of Health and Human Services, told a Senate subcommittee the same day that there would be additional cases of the coronavirus in the US, calling it an "unprecedented, potentially severe health challenge globally."

Their warnings contrasted sharply with what Trump said at the time. He tweeted on February 24 that the virus was "very much under control" and later insisted that "the whole situation will start working out."

On Tuesday, Trump pointed to his decision to ban certain types of travel from China on January 31, saying he made the move "well ahead of schedule."

"So I think we've done a great job, in the sense that we were early, I think, by banning China ... and banning people coming in who would have been very heavily infected," he said. "We probably saved hundreds of thousands of lives, so on that, I'm very proud."

In addition to public-health officials warning of a US outbreak, intelligence officials and Obama administration aides sounded the alarm about an impending pandemic long before the Trump administration took action.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that the president's daily brief warned about the novel coronavirus at least a dozen times in January and February.

But despite the repeated warnings officials issued in the daily brief, Trump "failed to register" the threat, The Post reported. The president is known to regularly skip reading through the brief, and he doesn't have much patience even when the information is given to him via oral summaries a few times per week, The Post said.

By the end of January and beginning of February, a majority of the intelligence contained in Trump's daily briefings was about the coronavirus, The Post reported last month. At the same time that he was getting those briefings, the president was publicly downplaying the risk of the virus.

Some of the warnings came even earlier. Days before Trump's inauguration, Obama administration officials briefed Trump officials on how to respond to a pandemic, Politico reported. The hypothetical scenario Obama officials presented to the incoming administration bore many similarities to the coronavirus outbreak.

Politico also reported that the Trump administration declined to use a nearly 70-page pandemic playbook that the National Security Council's health unit put together under the Obama administration. The document instructed federal officials on how to prepare for many of the same obstacles the Trump administration is now facing, including medical-equipment shortages and a lack of coordination.

Then, from January 2019 to August, the Department of Health and Human Services conducted a training simulation about a hypothetical pandemic caused by a disease that bore striking parallels to the novel coronavirus.

In the simulation, federal agencies fought over who was in charge, state officials and hospitals couldn't figure out which and how much medical equipment was available, and there was no centralized coordination on state lockdowns and school closings.

The team conducting the simulation put together a draft report laying out the roadblocks they discovered in the exercises, but their warnings went unheeded, according to The New York Times.

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The Global Politics of the climate emergency

Speech

The Global Politics of the climate emergency

Speech by Tanaiste and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Royal Irish Academy, April 2020

Check against delievery

Members of the Royal Irish Academy, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Its a pleasure, though to be honest also somewhat strange, to speak to you this morning. Over recent weeks I have got used to communicating across many different technology platforms. So often these days I participate in meetings by video conference. This morning Im delighted to give my first keynote speech on Microsoft Teams! And I hope the technology allows us to manage a good Q & A at the end, as I will be very interested in hearing from this audience today.

Greta Thunberg has challenged us. She said, I want you to act as if the house is on fire. Because it is.

When Greta spoke those words - in Davos in January last year - it was before the fires in Australia and Brazil, or the fires in Ukraine this month that remind us that, 34 years on, we still live with the environmental consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.

When Greta spoke those words last year, the world had yet to experience Covid-19, a terrible reminder of our global inter-connectedness and fragility. Those countries which climate change has made more vulnerable will be the worst affected by this crisis. And as we in Europe move to define our new normal after these horrible times, we have an opportunity to dampen the flames and rebuild the house.

Covid-19 makes the theme of this years conference, The Global Politics of the Climate Emergency, even more relevant. The tensions between national and international actions, which the Covid-19 response reveals, remind us of how difficult global challenges impact on the way in which the business of international relations is conducted.

Let me start by saying that I am an optimist  and as the American thinker, Alex Steffen, says, optimism is a political act. We can achieve the change we want.

We wont, of course, achieve global change on our own. Change requires friends and allies, a critical mass of countries to come together.

That is why I am a passionate advocate for multilateralism, and for Irelands leadership role within the international system. That is why Ireland is a candidate for membership of the UN Security Council. That is why I want to build on Irelands reputation for excellence in international development, addressing issues of global concern and global security in our wider neighbourhood. That vision drives the Governments Global Ireland strategy, which aims to double Irelands global influence by 2025.

To be optimistic is not to be naive. It is important that, in advocating change, we recognise the highly complex challenges which we will have to overcome. These include reorienting our economies, protecting the most vulnerable, and ensuring the transition is as fair as it can be. It means that we must be particularly sensitive to the needs of those of whom we will be asking the most  those whose current jobs will maybe disappear, or who will have to change practices deeply embedded in their culture. This will be hard, and our responses will require real political leadership and pragmatism.

Those of us in leadership positions must articulate a clear vision of the future  disruption today to mitigate climate change is an investment in a better future. Warren Buffett, hardly a utopian, argues for taking a long-term perspective on any investment. He says of a good investment our favourite holding period is forever. He also reminds us that someones sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. We must be climate mindful in our investments today if we are to ensure our long-term prosperity. And recognise too that if we dont move to actively manage our future, disruption will happen anyway  probably to our detriment.

Those were the insights which lay behind the achievement of the Paris Agreement in 2015. This set out a manifesto  countries came together in common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, and to support developing countries in doing so. The central aim of the Agreement is to restrict global temperature rise this century to less than 2 degrees centigrade.

As Greta Thunberg reminded us in her powerful speech to the United Nations last September, we are not making sufficient progress. She said the eyes of future generations were upon us. She spoke for those anxious about the future, genuinely struggling with the existential threat which climate change presents.

I hear those anxieties in the questions from my own children. Im sure all of you hear them too, at home, from your children, your grandchildren. We are responding.

Last year, the Government launched the National Climate Action Plan, based on a broad consultation around the country. This sets Ireland on a trajectory to meet our Paris Agreement targets, which feed into the EUs overall commitments. It also will ensure we can get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is a vision for a new Ireland, one which our grandchildren can proudly inhabit.

Change is never easy. That is why we ensured that the Plan has a strong built-in accountability mechanism. Commitments made are being monitored and met. This will inform the first review of the National Climate Action Plan later this year.

I recognise that these are early days on our journey. Ireland, like other countries, has ground to make up. We have missed our emissions targets in recent years. That is why the Government worked with the other parties in the Oireachtas to ensure cross-party consensus on the need for bold climate action, as expressed in the Oireachtas declaration of a Climate Emergency last year. [Of course, how we give expression to this is part of the discussions ongoing regarding the formation of the new Government.]

We are of course living through another emergency right now, as we collectively respond to Covid-19. In our response, we have been experimenting with different ways of living and working, of using technology. By travelling less we have given nature a chance.

As we move forward from this awful virus, there may perhaps be opportunities to learn from our experiences, ideas that can help us set our economy and society on a more sustainable pathway for the future.

There are those who say Ireland is small and it doesnt matter what we do  it wont make a difference anyway. I disagree.

It is essential that every country, no matter its size, plays its part in the global effort. Ireland is being affected by climate change already  some of the fierce storms we have experienced in recent winters are testament to that. We need others to act if we are to be protected. One of the best ways to influence others is when our actions at home are consistent with our advocacy abroad.

The response to climate change will change the global economy. We can be a leader, and use the knowledge gained to reposition our economy  through investment in technology and in our native genius.

Ireland is already the second highest wind energy producer in the EU, and we can grow this more as we look to offshore wind: the day is not far away when 100% of Irish electricity will be generated from renewables.

Strategic, coherent climate policy is strategic, coherent energy policy. In todays world, it is also coherent diplomacy.

Notwithstanding that the worlds attention  rightly  is focused on our response to COVID-19, intensive climate diplomacy continues right across the globe. This diplomacy is complicated and difficult.

There are some countries that do not accept the principles we collectively agreed in Paris.

There are those who reject the science which informs the positions of countries such as Ireland.

There are moral issues, such as how to move forward while not unduly damaging the legitimate aspirations of developing countries to grow their economies and deliver for their citizens.

There are the other day-to-day issues which crowd out political space and make the politics of change in each and every country difficult.

There is the need to navigate a multipolar world.

These challenges were present in Madrid last year, when Spain hosted COP25  the latest annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Change Convention. It is no secret that negotiations there were difficult, and consensus was not reached across a range of issues, including the role of market mechanisms in trading emissions. Many negotiators, particularly those from developing countries, left as negotiations went on and on.

This failure to reach agreement was disappointing, and highlighted the need for a step-change in ambition if we are to avoid the catastrophe of a planet that is 3 or 4 degrees hotter.

We have an opportunity now to think through next steps clearly, as COP26 will be delayed to allow the world respond to COVID-19. Let us not waste that opportunity.

A breathing space from the intensity of the multilateral process may provide climate experts and government officials with the opportunity to focus on ambitious national actions, and how to take those forward. Ireland stands ready, through our Irish Aid international development cooperation programme, to work with our partners, in particular the most vulnerable countries, in their endeavours.

We are working intensively to ensure the EU maintains its vital support for climate action in Least Developed Countries and Small Island States.

We continue to liaise closely with the Least Developed Countries on their aspirations for a climate resilient future, and how development cooperation can help them realise those aspirations. And we continue to advocate for those needs within the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

We have also ensured our investments are consistent with our work to influence the international system. Our international climate finance - 80 million in 2018 - is predominantly targeted at helping the poorest to adapt to climate impacts, in the sectors that most affect the poor - and in the poorest countries. Our commitment to reaching the furthest behind first drives this focus. And we have quickly responded to circumstances where the needs are acute. Last year, we committed to 10 million in funding to a solar project in Gaza, working closely alongside colleagues in France. We have established a 12 million trust fund in the Asian Development Bank to help build climate resilience in Small Island States in the region.

The breathing space I have referred to could allow for reflection on the implications of the COVID19 crisis. Arguably, the international collective action in response to COVID-19 might serve as a template for our future engagement on the climate emergency.

We are seeing the multilateral system respond to the virus by working across siloes, and with renewed flexibility and unity of purpose. A similar urgency is required in response to the climate emergency - building from this terrible reminder that none of us can go it alone. I am optimistic that, working together towards a shared goal, we can achieve great things.

And while COP25 in Madrid was fractious and difficult, I am confident that if we use the additional time wisely, COP26 in Glasgow could be important.

Why?

In part because the urgency of the need to respond to climate change has not gone away. It is ever more present. And the majority of the global community is alert to the emergency we face, and we are seeing unprecedented activism from civil society, and in particular young people.

Political leaders in many countries are hearing their constituents, current and future, demand action, and are responding with leadership.

Among those constituents are the inspirational young who show genuine concern for their futures, and are challenging us to make the right choices. In Ireland, we saw great leadership from our young people late last year during the Oireachtas youth takeover, which led to a number of recommendations for consideration by Government.

Increasingly, business is also vocal. Food production is intimately linked with climate. Business is looking at long term sustainability, not least as this is now increasingly linked to businesses ability to access capital.

We are learning new phrases, such as stranded assets, as investors reconsider whether holding certain shares long term is worth the risk. And we are seeing new businesses develop  for example, green bonds, where Dublin is becoming a European hub.

In the climate negotiations, we have also found inspiration and solace from the progressive leadership shown by the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. Ireland has explicitly taken a stand in solidarity with countries who have done the least to contribute to the problem of climate change, and yet face the harshest impacts, accelerated by limited institutional capacity and investment resources which constrain their efforts to push ahead with bold climate adaptation measures.

This support is at the heart of Irelands policy on international development, A Better World, which I launched last year and which pledges to double Irelands contribution to international climate action.

I am heartened that, despite the challenges they face, the least developed countries and the Small Island Developing States have become a highly progressive and effective voice in climate negotiations - pushing other less progressive groups to listen to the science, address their vested interests head-on and show global solidarity with the most vulnerable.

We have seen an inspirational response from the broader range of stakeholders. In the US, the We are still in movement has mobilised cities, state-level administrations, civil society and the private sector to implement ambitious climate action, which is making a significant dent in US emissions, in spite of the commitment by the US administration to withdraw from the Paris Agreement this coming November.

Mary Robinson, who is addressing the plenary at this conference, has been a highly effective champion of climate justice. This movement has grown in momentum over the years as a result of her leadership.

She has helped reframe the international discussion on climate. While initially scientists dominated the climate discourse, today the climate justice movement has put a human face on climate change.

We cannot ignore the women living in rural villages across Africa for whom climate change creates new and daily struggles.

We cannot ignore the communities in the Pacific whose homelands are likely to disappear under water.

We cannot ignore the indigenous peoples around the world who are watching as their precious ecosystems and heritage are eroded.

We cannot ignore them because of the work of the climate justice movement.

It reminds us that grassroots action can be extremely powerful.

It reminds us that giving voice to grassroots perspectives all over the world can change political dynamics.

And crucially, it reminds us that the climate change crisis will not be solved by 50% of humanity alone - we need to ensure all climate actions take into account the unique circumstances and perspectives of men and women, and harness the unique contributions women can make as agents of change and innovators.

It is a call to hope.

I am hopeful.

The climate challenge is one small countries can play a meaningful part in addressing.

One thing that tends to bind smaller countries together is a firm commitment to multilateralism. We understand inherently that global solidarity is a critical ingredient in addressing global challenges. This principle is at the heart of our Strategy for Engagement with Small Island Developing States. It is also central to the approach we will bring to our tenure on the UN Security Council.

This means working effectively with our friends, and engaging with those who take different positions in the climate negotiations processes. Our EU membership is a strength in this regard, where Ireland has a pragmatic, progressive voice.

The EUs Green New Deal is an important indicator of the high level of ambition across the bloc, and we all have a role to play in delivering this ambition on emissions. The EU has now committed to walking the walk as well as talking the talk and this is to be welcomed and embraced.

In this time of fractured global consensus, we and our EU colleagues are acutely aware that we have an important role to play in championing multilateralism, and bridging divides. Importantly, high-polluting countries need to be convinced, and incentivised, to consider different political choices about economic development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This once-in-a-generation battle against a warming planet can be won. Indeed, we dont have a choice  it must be won.

But to do so requires political leadership, citizen engagement, and a whole new mindset for long term investment.

It requires us to acknowledge that change is difficult, and must be just. That is true at home and internationally.

An international just transition requires the multilateral system to be as effective and relevant as it can be.

Ireland is committed to realising the goals of the Paris Agreement, championing progressive action, and ensuring the most vulnerable are at the heart of all our engagement.

I trust that you will have a stimulating discussion today, despite the logistical challenges that this current context poses. Of course, the nature of a climate emergency is such that we do not have the luxury of postponing these discussions. And indeed it may be that, as we respond to the climate challenge, we make ever greater use of technology to facilitate diplomacy, reducing our need to travel.

I want to thank the RIA Standing Committee on International Affairs for inviting me to address you, and to commend them for facilitating todays event in such an innovative way.

I hope you all continue to stay safe and well.

Thank you.

[ENDS]

| Next Item 
Like many musicians, Mark Nesmith of Barstool Ministry has had to make adjustments. Luckily, the Port Neches-Grove ISD music teacher is able to stay afloat financially.

Were OK, Nesmith said. Im pretty much at home. I do count myself among the fortunate ones who have a day job. I can hang in there. I have an awful lot of friends who have had their musical work totally dry up.

Nesmith himself has seen between 15-20 performances slip off the books.

Most places have stopped having music indefinitely, he said. Now we have to wait and hope for June to come around because we have gigs set up. A lot of bars and restaurants have had to do something to stay open. Well have to wait and see if they can reopen for musical acts.

He said hes aware of some local musicians turning to virtual tip jars and live streaming music to make ends meet. Its not a route hes had to take.

I have so much to do that Im not worried about where I am money-wise.

Nesmith, who plays guitar in Barstool Ministry, is joined by Erik Ellington on guitar, Paul Choate on bass and either Brad Burrows or Eric Curtis on drums. The band plays a mix of country, folk, blues, jazz and rock music.

For bandmate Curtis, the new coronavirus is just another in a string of painful experiences.

Barstool Ministry Where to find them: Facebook.com/barstoolministry See More Collapse

Eric had been working at TPC and got laid off after the explosion, Nesmith said. Then he was playing gigs around the area but now thats all dried up.

While the pandemic is unfolding on a global scale, Nesmith, who lives in Beaumont, is focused on his community.

I have noticed people trying to find some way to support businesses, he said. Individuals, friends and neighbors are all helping one another out. Its hard because bartenders, musicians and waitresses have been out of work for a month. Most people are in that boat.

We have learned that we can turn to everyday people to help out instead of simply waiting for a government stimulus check to arrive.

In addition to guitar, Nesmith plays drums and bass. Hes also been known to play with other Southeast Texas musicians outside his Barstool Ministry clan.

I love everything there is about making music, he said. Its my passion and it is what helps to keep me going.

Joe Rutland is a freelance writer who was raised in Beaumont and lives in El Paso.
OTTAWA - About 280 MPs took part Tuesday in Canada's first-ever virtual House of Commons and declared it a success despite numerous technical hiccups.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadian Members of Parliament are shown on a monitor during a virtual session of the House of Commons Tuesday April 28, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - About 280 MPs took part Tuesday in Canada's first-ever virtual House of Commons and declared it a success despite numerous technical hiccups.

Commons Speaker Anthony Rota wrapped up the historic three-hour meeting with thanks to the chamber's technical staff for ensuring it went "relatively well."

"We did have a few hitches but nobody's perfect," he said.

Technically, Tuesday's video conference was a meeting of a special COVID-19 committee. But all 338 MPs are members of the committee.

The House has been adjourned  except for three days to pass emergency financial aid bills  since mid-March as part of the effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The special committee was struck as a way to allow opposition MPs to continue holding the government to account during the pandemic, until virtual sittings of the Commons can be organized officially.

As part of an agreement between the government and opposition parties, a small group of MPs will also meet for an in-person Commons sitting once a week, starting Wednesday, when they are scheduled to deal with legislation authorizing emergency benefits for students.

After Tuesday's debut run of a virtual sitting, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner called for "a virtual round of applause" for the technical staff.

Her praise for the technicians came after fellow Conservative Alain Rayes complained that he'd been cut off from the proceedings for about 15 minutes when he lost his internet connection.

Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota speaks during a virtual session of Parliament Tuesday April 28, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

There had been concern that MPs in remote and rural areas might have trouble with internet connections but it turned out Rayes was in his Parliament Hill office when he was shut out.

For the most part, the glitches were momentary and quickly fixed, even though the Speaker's office said approximately 280 MPs, plus 20 Commons staff, were online at the same time.

MPs had to be repeatedly reminded to take themselves off mute when they began to speak. A few, including Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan, couldn't be understood as their audio cut in and out  a problem Rota said could be easily rectified if they all wore headsets with microphones close to their mouths.

The biggest problem appeared to be with the translation, a glitch that continually had MPs complaining they couldn't hear or that the translation was being played at the same volume as the actual speaker. Rota repeatedly reminded MPs that they needed to pick either the English or French channel to avoid that problem.

Most MPs appeared good-humoured about the problems. Health Minister Patty Hajdu laughed at herself when she was unable to initially figure out how to unmute her microphone.

Like many Canadians working from home, some MPs had to contend with noise from their own families.

"You might also hear my son. He doesn't sound very happy in the background," Green MP Jenica Atwin told the committee at one point.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet had to pause during his opening statement because something in his office was ringing. He assured people it was not a fire alarm as he tried to find the source of the noise. Unlike the real House of Commons, Rota did not chastise him for the interruption.

The virtual session also provided some visual distractions not normally seen in the Commons.

Industry Minister Navdeep Bains spoke from an office in which a large painting of blue, green, orange, pink and yellow turbans served as a colourful backdrop.

Rota did chastise MPs he caught taking photos of proceedings on their computer screens. Much like photos are not allowed to be taken during Commons sittings or committee meetings, he told them they are not to take photos of virtual proceedings either.

He said he knows it's a "historic" day but warned them not to post any photos they'd taken on social media.

The virtual COVID committee meetings allow for opening ministerial statements and responses from opposition parties, as well as the tabling of petitions.

Hajdu was the first member of cabinet to issue a statement, thanking front-line and essential workers for their service, and Canadians for doing their part to help flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada.

"We are seeing hopeful evidence that Canada's COVID-19 epidemic is slowing down," she said.

She said the length of time it is taking for the total number of confirmed cases to double, has gone from about three days in late March to more than 16 days now. However, Hajdu said the outbreaks in long-term care homes are responsible for more than three-quarters of all deaths in Canada.

"This is indeed a tragedy," she said.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

In the two-hour question and answer session that followed, each MP was allowed five minutes to question ministers. Some 20 MPs got a chance to pose questions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the gathering from his home office for the opening questions from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, the Bloc Quebecois's Christine Normandin and NDP MP Daniel Blaikie.

Scheer wanted to know why Health Canada hasn't fast-tracked approvals for dozens of new COVID-19 test kits to track the illness better; Trudeau said the governments wants to examine them with due care.

Normandin asked why the government hasn't cracked down harder on the use of foreign tax havens; Trudeau said it has cracked down.

Blaikie asked what the government is doing to help seniors and people with disabilities through the pandemic; Trudeau said he's been focused on helping first those whose expected incomes have evaporated but he knows more people need assistance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2020.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday condoled the death of actor Irrfan Khan, describing him as one of the country's most versatile actors.

The 54-year-old actor died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, losing his battle with a rare form of cancer.

In a tweet, Gehlot said, I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, Irrfan Khan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength".

May his soul rest in peace, he said.

The Maqbool actor, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, lost his mother in Jaipur just four days ago. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku has reacted to the largest opposition party questioning of Akufo-Addos 88 hospitals to be built in various districts saying the NDC struggles with self-complex problems.



According to him, the difference between us (NPP) and the NDC is that we dont give up easily but the NDC, on the other hand, doesn't have the tenacity to see their projects through to completion.



Some elements of the opposition NDC have questioned President Akufo-Addos big plan to secure 88 hospitals in various districts without health facilities and another six in the newly created Regions.



President Akufo-Addo, during his 8th address to the nation on measures taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus, said he has on his radar the construction of these facilities as the global plague has exposed the unequal distribution of health facilities in the country.



We must do something urgently about this. That is why Government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure, the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing eighty-eight (88) hospitals in the districts without hospitals.



It will mean ten (10) in Ashanti, nine (9) in Volta, nine (9) in Central, eight (8) in Eastern, seven (7) in Greater Accra, seven (7) in Upper East, five (5) in Northern, five (5) in Oti, five (5) in Upper West, five (5) in Bono, four (4) in Western North, four (4) in Western, three (3) in Ahafo, three (3) in Savannah, two (2) in Bono East, and two (2) in North East Regions, he added.



But NDC MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Casiel Ato Forson raised concerns over the President's plans wondering how the government intends to fund the project.



Reacting to the disbeliefs by the opponents, Sammi Awuku stated that the NPP are ''better managers of the economy'' and therefore he was not surprised at the doubts of the opposition party over the viable projects and programmes under the Akufo-Addo administration.



The NDC ridiculing the 88 new district hospitals and six regional hospitals does not come to me as a surprise at all because they give up easily- they gave up on galamsey. they gave up on free SHS when there were challenges, but we never gave up, we solved them. Again when you look at Dumsor, in 2015,2016 we were virtually in darkness, and they completely gave up in the fight against dumsor. When we took over the reins of power we made sure we fix Dumsor.



The NDC gave up on the economy, we never did and now we have a strong and resilient economy. That is why after coming out of the IMF conditionalities, we still received support from the IMF following the civid-19 crisis because they know were better managers of the economy and so getting their monies back wont be difficult'', he stressed on Kasapa Morning Show ''Anopa''.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Due to the OPEC+ production cut deal, Russias oil production could decline by 15 percent annually in 2020, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told news agency Interfax in an interview published on Wednesday.

This year, Russias production of crude oil and condensate could be between 480 million tons and 500 million tons  or between 9.6 million bpd and 10 million bpd, in case of 100-percent compliance with the new OPEC+ agreement, Novak told Interfax.

As per Reuters estimates, a drop in 2020 production would be the first decline in Russias oil output since 2008.

Crude oil and condensate production in Russia hit a record high for the post-Soviet era in 2019, despite Moscows pivotal role in the OPEC+ cuts. Russia pumped 11.25 million bpd of crude oil and condensate in 2019up from 11.16 million bpd in 2018, which was the previous production record in Russias post-Soviet era.

The new 2019 record oil production showed that one of the key parties to the OPEC+ deal, and certainly the key party in the non-OPEC camp of producers in the agreement, failed to comply with its share of the cuts for most of 2019. Related: Trump Could Use Nuclear Option To Make Saudi Arabia Pay For Oil War

Referring to the new OPEC+ deal in which Russia pledged to cut its production to 8.5 million bpd in May and June from a February 2020 baseline, Novak said that all companies would comply with the deal and Russia would have a 100-percent compliance record.

This has rarely been achieved by Russia in the previous OPEC+ pacts over the past three and a half years.

Russia will have to slash its production by around 2 million bpd, or by 19 percent, from February 2020, Novak told Interfax, adding that all companies in Russiaincluding projects under production-sharing agreements with international oil majorswill be reducing production. Every company has to contribute to the cuts so that the market can start balancing and exit the crisis mode, Novak told Interfax.

Earlier this week, Novak said that even though the new OPEC+ deal is set to come into force this week, oil prices will not rise much in the near future because of high global inventories.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
BUSINESS Minister Heather Humphreys has said companies should be planning for how they can reopen as the Government finalises plans for gradually lifting the Covid-19 lockdown.

Ms Humphreys said businesses should start thinking about how they can reopen while adhering to public health guidelines and new norms like social distancing and regular hand washing.

"I'm saying to businesses that they should start thinking now about how they can reopen by implementing public health guidelines," Ms Humphreys said at Government Buildings on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, junior minister John Halligan has said there is a case for discussing whether restrictions could be lifted on a regional basis. The former Independent TD pointed out that half of all Covid-19 cases are in Dublin while in his home county of Waterford there are around 160 cases, with only seven people hospitalised in University Hospital Waterford and two in intensive care.

I think it's something that may have to be looked at if this was to go on for longer than expected, but again, I am not asking politicians to make that decision, he said, adding it should be done in consultation with medical experts.

Read More

Ms Humphreys said the Government would be guided by medical advice and that a decision will be taken on Friday as to what happens after the current restrictions expire next Tuesday, May 5.

She said her department was working with the Health and Safety Authority, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and the HSE on guidance and protocols for how people can return safely to work. She said the Government was also looking at how people can continue to work at home.

"What I would say to companies is be ready, be prepared and we want to work with you. We cannot go back until such time as we get the medical advice, and we want to make sure that our priority has always been and will continue to be public health," the Fine Gael Minister said.

"I do understand that there are many companies that are out there that are very anxious to get back to work and we certainly will be making a further decision on Friday. In the meantime, we have a plan, it will be finalised, as the Taoiseach has said, in the coming day and there will be an announcement this Friday.

Both ministers were speaking at the announcement of 5m in funding for 26 research and innovation projects which will aid the national effort to combat the virus.

One project in UCD is getting 540k to create a "secure and reliable" supply of chemical reagents used in Covid-19 testing to the Ireland East Hospital Group that will enable 14k tests to be carried out in the east and over time they develop the capacity to "enable" 15k tests per day, Ms Humphreys said.

She said she was working with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on a further package of supports for businesses who have been forced to reduce or close down their operations during the pandemic emergency.

Mr Halligan also suggested that the current Government should be allowed to remain in office for another couple of months and see where we are as removing ministers like Ms Humphreys, Tanaiste Simon Coveney and Health Minister Simon Harris would be a retrograde step.

Speaking in relation to efforts by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to form a government with the Green Party, Mr Halligan said the green agenda may have to be pushed aside for the next few years in order to protect and create jobs post Covid-19.

We may have to push some of that aside for the next couple of years, and I think the people of Ireland will respect that and accept that. Our job now will be to protect the jobs we have, create new jobs and protect those that have lost their jobs and if there's a huge cost to what the Greens are looking for, well, if I was in government, I wouldnt accept it, but I'm not and I understand that the government has to be formed.
eye-on-india Business Insight | Should RBI print more money to fund stimulus? Watch this episode of Business Insight understand the concepts of various monetary tools like monetised fiscal, 'helicopter money' drop and quantitative easing
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) helps to save more lives and treat more patients, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday.

It enables a more effective response against the COVID-19 and is conducive to pooling global strength, Wang, also a state councilor, made the remarks when addressing the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Extraordinary Conference on COVID-19 via video link.

Wang stressed that the BRICS countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, must support UN bodies in playing their due roles in fighting COVID-19.

The WHO is a central force in coordinating the global response, and is indispensable for helping developing countries, especially our African brothers and sisters, in fighting the disease, said the foreign minister.

"At a crucial moment in humanity's joint fight against the virus, any attempt to undercut the WHO's authority and obstruct its role will be most ill-timed and will find no support in the international community," he said.

Wang said on top of paying its assessed contributions to the WHO on time and in full, China has recently donated a total of 50 million U.S. dollars to the WHO.

China will also provide financial support to the UN's Global Humanitarian Response plan, and do everything within its capacity to lessen the debt burden on African countries and assist them in boosting anti-epidemic capacity, he said.

"In view of the weaknesses and inadequacies exposed during the crisis, we also need to enhance global public health governance, make it a higher priority on the international agenda, and work together to build a community of health for all," he said.
Richard Yu (Yu Chengdong), head of Huawei's consumer business, speaks during the presentation of a Kirin 990 5G chip set at the international electronics and innovation fair IFA in Berlin on September 6, 2019.

Huawei's semiconductor design unit overtook Qualcomm as China's number one chip supplier for the first time as the coronavirus impact on the country's smartphone market hit the U.S. giant.

The unit, known as HiSilicon, shipped 22.21 million smartphone processors in the first quarter of 2020, roughly in line with the number shipped in the same period last year, according to a new report by China-based CINNO Research. Huawei's HiSilicon managed to increase its market share to 43.9%, from 24.3% in the first quarter of 2019.

CINNO Research, which tracks the country's semiconductor market, did not disclose shipment figures for Qualcomm or other vendors, but said the U.S. firm's market share fell to 32.8% in the March quarter, from 48.1% in the same period last year.

HiSilicon designs chips under the Kirin brand which go into Huawei's smartphones. The semiconductors are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

The growth of HiSilicon in China mirrors the fact that Huawei has been increasingly focused on its domestic market since it was put on a U.S. blacklist last year known as the Entity List. That restricted its access to American technology including Google's Android operating system. While that isn't a big deal in China, where Google services such as Gmail are banned, it has had a big impact on its international consumers who rely on using those apps.
MISSISSAUGA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Armada Data Corporation (TSXV:ARD) reports its interim financial results for the quarter ended February 29, 2020 have now been filed on SEDAR and are available to view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the company's web site www.armadadata.com.

Selected Quarterly Information

Fiscal Year 2020 2020 2020 2019 2019 2019 2019 2018 2018 Quarter Feb-29 Nov-30 Aug-31 May-31 Feb-28 Nov-30 Aug-31 May-31 Feb-28 Ended 2020 2019 2019 2019 2019 2018 2018 2018 2018 Total Revenue 922,113 974,475 775,200 713,646 718,174 704,521 748,287 684,745 738,576 Comprehensive Income(loss) before taxes 56,904 81,648 97,865 (85,663 ) 1,617 (30,407 ) 91,679 (35,922 ) 51,455 Comprehensive Income(loss) per share $ 0.00 $ 0.01 $ 0.01 $ (0.01 ) $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.01 $ 0.00 $ 0.00

Operations

The Company's total revenue increased 28% in the three months ended February 29, 2020 to $922,113 from $718,174 in the same period a year earlier. Comprehensive income increased to $56,904 in this quarter, from $1,617 at February 28, 2019.

The Insurance Services division experienced a 14% increase in revenue, from $416,835 in the three months ended February 28, 2019 to $473,925 in 2020.

The CarCostCanada division (combining the former Retail, Dealer and Advertising divisions) revenue was up by 55% for the period ended February 29, 2020, to $376,769 from $243,101 during the period ended February 28, 2019.

The Information Technology division revenue increased by 23% to $71,419 in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 ended February 29, 2020, from $58,238 in the same quarter in fiscal 2019. IT continues to offer technical support and web site hosting to hundreds of customers, and is developing new customer relationships on a regular basis, as well as offering new services for sale.

Expenses in this third quarter of fiscal 2020 before amortization, interest and stock-based compensation, increased to $825,311, compared to $693,915, a 19% increase over the same period last year.

Accounts receivable increased 19% to $648,420 as at February 29, 2020, compared to $543,776 as at February 28, 2019. Related party accounts receivable increased from $5,579 to $12,835.

Accounts payable increased 43%, to $382,332 as at February 29, 2020 from $266,556 a year earlier. There was $8,442 in Related parties accounts payable as at February 29, 2020 and $2,881 as at February 28, 2019.

The Company's deficit decreased to $(734,435) as at February 29, 2020, compared to $(870,511) as at February 28, 2019. Earnings per share at February 29, 2020 are $0.00, versus $0.00 at February 28, 2019.

Segmented Quarterly Information

Revenues earned by divisions are as follows:

3 months ended 3 months ended February 29, 2020 February 28, 2019 Insurance Services $ 473,925 $ 416,835 CarCost Canada 376,769 243,101 Information Technology 71,419 58,238 Total revenue - Armada Data Corp $ 922,113 $ 718,174

Outlook

The Company's outlook is to continue to increase sales, update and improve our data services products and deliver significantly better results to our shareholders by way of the following:

Develop a new, targeted CarCostCanada digital, video and traditional marketing campaign to enhance product and brand awareness to more Canadian new car buyers. Forge new CarCostCanada marketing partnerships that focus specifically on Canadian new car buyers and convert these buyers to CarCostCanada members. Continue to build out the CarCostCanada new car dealership network and strive to monetize over 80% of our members and introduce additional product offerings to our member-base. Maintain and improve our relationships with some of the largest insurance companies in Canada and partner with some of these organizations to produce new products and services for their client base. Sign on one or two additional Canadian insurance companies to become Armada Insurance Services clients. Introduce a new CarCostCanada Member Services product that caters specifically to our insurance company clients.

COVID-19 emerged in December 2019 and subsequently spread worldwide, leading to the World Health Organization's declaration of a COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. To date, Canadian federal and provincial governments and businesses have mandated various measures, including: travel restrictions, restrictions on public gatherings, stay-at-home orders and advisories, and the quarantine of people who may have been exposed to the virus.

The Company's operation continue, but in response to the guidance from government, and in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, effective March 18, 2020, staff moved to a work from home model with very limited office presence.

While revenues in the period subsequent to February 29, 2020 have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, the Company's financial position and working capital remain strong. The Company will be applying for the Federal payroll subsidy and job-sharing benefits to manage operating costs. The Company continues to monitor developments, including government regulations and recommendations, to assess future actions.

About Armada Data Corp.

Armada Data is a Canadian publicly traded Information & Marketing Services Company providing accurate and real-time data to institutional and retail customers, through developing, owning and operating automotive pricing-related web sites and providing information technology and marketing services to its clients.

Armada Data shares are listed on the TSX Venture exchange under the trading Symbol ARD. Armada currently has a total of 17,670,265 shares outstanding.

Additional information relating to Armada Data Corporation is filed on SEDAR, and can be viewed at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Armada Data Corporation

Mr. R. James Matthews, President & CEO

Email: investors@armadadata.com or investors@armadadatacorp.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: Armada Data Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587630/Armada-Releases-Q3-2020-Results
T he Nightingale field hospital should take coronavirus patients from other London hospitals to enable them to become Covid-free and restart normal treatment, its chief executive has suggested.

Professor Charles Knight said the Nightingale could be used as a bridge to enable cancer care and non-emergency surgery to resume, while being retained as an insurance policy against a second spike in Covid cases.

It was set up when London feared it would need 7,500 intensive care beds, almost 10 times more than normal capacity. But by last weekend the Nightingale, converted from the ExCeL conference centre with a potential capacity of 4,000 beds, had treated only 51 patients.

Professor Knight said the capitals intensive care units were still full with about 800 Covid-19 patients, but there was an increasing need for London and the rest of the UK to get back to some degree of normality.

The NHS is due to publish new infection control rules to ensure that patients requiring non-Covid care do not contract the virus while in hospital. St Bartholomews hospital has been able to perform 100 urgent heart operations on non-Covid patients.

Professor Knight told the Royal Society of Medicine: The Nightingale can be used to decant Covid-positive patients out of hospitals to allow some of them to be essentially Covid-free.

He added: Its quite clear that the health service, regardless of the Nightingales, needs to radically reorganise itself in order to provide some Covid-free hospitals where patients can have the confidence they can get in and be treated and leave without contracting the disease.

Special look inside the NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures 1 /20 Special look inside the NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle Portrait of Matthew Trainer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ventilator that will helps save lives at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The map of the identical layout of each ICU station on the wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle Portrait of Dr Alan McGlennan, Medical Director of the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ventilator that will helps save lives at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ventilator that will helps save lives at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle The ventilator that will helps save lives at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre, Matt Writtle The ICU wards at the newly created Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre Matt Writtle

He said the Nightingale was commissioned on March 23 when predictions of Londons need for intensive care beds soared to 7,500, at a time it had just 799. But more beds were quickly added in hospitals, enabling them to cope with the peak of 1,050 Covid patients, plus 250 with other conditions.

The Nightingale opened on April 3 and received its first patient on April 7. Professor Knight said: When we first came here, and we looked at these vast halls and we saw the beginnings of the bed bays being rolled out, it was a profoundly moving and awe-inspiring and horrific moment.

If you imagine all those beds being full of patients, it was like the apocalypse. The sense of scale was unimaginable. It is absolutely wonderful that hasnt happened.

We were set up for this immense surge. That has not played out. That is amazingly good news.

He said it was not possible for the Nightingale to take coronavirus patients direct from care homes. He said it only accepted patients already admitted to a conventional hospital, and who were already on a ventilator.

We dont, at the minute, take patients that are conscious, other than those recovering from intensive care, he said. At least 13 patients at the Nightingale have died.

TODO: define component type apester

Professor Richard Schilling, deputy clinical director at the Nightingale, has pleaded with Londoners to continue to obey the lockdown. He told Mayor Sadiq Khan: There is absolutely no way, that if I didnt have to, I would come to work in a Covid environment. I know that I have a significant chance of catching it and dying as a result.

So if you dont have to come to work, why would you take the risk of exposing yourself to death or exposing your friends or your family to death? So, please stay at home London. It is making a difference.

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Professor Schilling, a cardiologist at Barts Health, described his work at the Nightingale as the project of my life and said the weekly public applause for the NHS helped boost morale.

He told the Mayor in a video interview broadcast on social media: Last week I had a patient die. I had a nurse send a message out to the family, saying please tell the family I was holding their hand at the end. I told them that they were loved and they were not alone.

And then I cycled home and there were people out on the streets, and that really made a big difference.
LANSING, MI -- Michigan residents in need of legal advice surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for a free legal consultation through the State Bar of Michigan.

Known as the COVID-19 Rapid Response Helpline, the service is free and open to anyone in Michigan regardless of income. Those who call the hotline will receive a 25-minute consultation with a lawyer who practices in Michigan. Lawyers who have agreed to be part of the service will contact clients within four hours of the call being received.

Referrals received after 3:00 p.m. will be responded to by 10:00 a.m. the following day, according to a press release from the SBM. Lawyers are available to assist Michiganders with questions in several areas including:

Estate/Disability Planning

Guardianship

Custody and Parenting Time Issues

Garnishment Defense and Other Consumer Matters

Labor and Employment

Unemployment

Once the consultation begins the attorney will listen to the details of your case, provide their view of what is going on and offer possible options for the client, according to SBM spokesperson Elizabeth Couch. If the client and attorney agree that the case should move forward and there are options there, the two sides can come to an agreement on a rate to retain the lawyer for their case.

Although the program is in the early stages, so far there has been a good response, Couch said. Approximately two-thirds of the calls revolve around unemployment or labor issues. However, the program has also connected people who need advice with matters like child custody and visitation rights during the pandemic.

The SBM is also offering another free service to first responders and front line workers who may need to consider estate planning such as drafting a will, medical powers of attorney and financial powers of attorney.

The service is available to workers in medical facilities who are directly involved with the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients, ambulance crews, the cleaning crews that support their efforts, and police and EMTs, according to SBMs website.

Anyone who needs help with legal matters related to COVID-19 should call 1-800-968-0738 or fill out the form at michbar.org/rapidresponse.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

Tuesday, April 28: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Whitmer extends order loosening scope of practice laws for health care workers

Michigan businesses urged to apply quickly as new round of Paycheck Protection Program begins

One million people in Michigan have received unemployment benefits since mid-March

Daily life grinds to a halt with empty streets, a rising death toll as coronavirus lays siege to Detroit
Assam government would pay its



employees full salary of April on May eight, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.

He said the state government has initiated a slew of austerity measures to tide over the present economic crisis arising due to the lockdown.

It is not only Assam but the entire country which is facing the crisis and many states have taken measures to defer partial payment of salaries but "we have decided to pay full salaries in May", the minister said at a press conference here.

Assam has faced an 80 per cent drop in revenue collection in April this year with only Rs 193 crore collected as against Rs 932.56 crore in the same month in 2019, he said.

"The Cabinet has, therefore, decided to promote fiscal discipline without restricting the operational efficiency of the government and it will come into effect immediately", he said.

The measures will be reviewed as the situation develops and steps will be taken accordingly, Sarma said.

The Governor, Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers have already decided to donate 30 per cent of their salaries to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, he said.

Remunerations of Chairman and Vice Chairman of all PSUs, Corporations and Boards will be reduced by 25 per cent from May one.

Release of MLA Area Development Fund will remain suspended in the first four months of the current financial year or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the minister said.

Regarding administrative approval, no new development schemes can be initiated without the concurrence of the Finance department except for all central sector schemes.

Establishment expenditure has been limited to only ten per cent, instead of the 20 per cent sanctioned in the budget, in the first quarter of the financial year, he said.

All expenses related to industrial exemptions, subsidies and incentives of various sectors have been suspended till further orders and there will be no reimbursement of GST to industries in the first quarter of the current financial year.

Purchase of vehicles is banned, except in case of ambulances and vehicles required for police duty and these can be bought only with the approval of the chief minister, the minister said.

Organising conferences, seminars, workshops, fairs and functions is totally banned in the first quarter of the financial year and if required, will be held by video conferencing.

Executive class travel will not be allowed except in the case of Governor, Chief Minister, Chief Justice and judges of the Guwahati High Court and the Chief Secretary.

General Administration department will use discretion in declaration of visiting dignitaries as state guests, he said.

Officers will not be allowed to attend any foreign training course, workshop or seminar outside the country for which the expenditure has to be borne by the state government, Sarma added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said based on the data accumulated on St. Maarten there is nothing that shows the Heineken Regatta and SXM Festival contributed to the spread of COVID-19. Jacobs said the first 6 confirmed cases are from persons that returned home from areas that had the COVID-19 virus.

SMN News asked the Prime Minister if St. Maarten used all its local resources to flatten the curve and to also get the cooperation of the population, she said that that several persons were called in after they made their thoughts and opinions known. Asked if a former local epidemiologist was consulted since this person is very vocal on Facebook. Jacobs said that there is no known local former epidemiologist on St. Maarten she said since COVID-19 a lot of self-made specialists manifested and most of all she said persons that are mostly negative and are creating more chaos she prefers not to accommodate such persons.

With regards to the supermarket where one of the employees died due to COVID-19, asked if an investigation was conducted and what is the outcome, Jacobs said that in all cases where persons have tested positive or even died from COVID-19, CPS did all the tracing back with every contact these persons might have had including at the workplace.

Jacobs said of the 10 persons that died it is mostly among foreign nationals that were not living in the best of conditions, she said these people also do not eat healthy enough. Some of the cases also relate to undocumented persons that did not make the necessary contacts with CPS or consulted any medical facility in its early stages for treatment. One of the people she said did not die from COVID-19 but because that person tested positive for COVID-19 they were added to the list, while the other two persons had underlying conditions, she said at least one of the deceased returned home and had contracted COVOD-19 overseas. This person she said was recovering well but he ventured outside to do some work and got wet from rainfall, he got a relapse and subsequently passed away.

Jacobs made clear that St. Maarten is very transparent with its information regarding COVID-19 and the results of its tests. She said it was expected that St. Maarten numbers would have been high due to the number of people living on the island and its persons.

Jacobs said that the moment and the current trend based on data the curve on COVID-19 is beginning to flatten. At the moment there are 75 positive cases identified with 13 deaths, one of that died in Guadeloupe, she said because that person resided on St. Maarten he was added to the list.
The judges, officials and staff of the Delhi High Court and all the district courts here have Rs 1.92 crore to the relief fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

According to information received from the High Court Registrar General's office, "All the judges, officers, officials of this court and all the judicial officers, officers and officials of Delhi District Court have together contributed Rs 1,92,97,900 to PM CARES fund".

The donated amount also includes contributions from some former judges of the Delhi High Court, the RG's office said.

Till March 31, all the 34 judges of the Delhi High Court had together contributed Rs 10 lakh to the relief fund.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
No wonder media hacks hate Morrissey. His superb new album I Am Not a Dog on a Chain has been trounced for challenging the pre-programmed, go-along-to-get-along practices of mainstream media and its followers. The title track gets wonderfully witty: Thanks all the same / I use my own brain / I do not read newspapers / They are troublemakers. This tune, sung with wry gentleness, endorses the two most controversial concepts of the millennium: Fake News and Enemy of the People.

Morrisseys skepticism of media maintains the bravery that once made British pop exciting, and Morrissey achieves greatness when the new release opens up punks political rebellion to reveal personal urgency in new melodious styles  thinking for himself, singing to all, speaking to you.

Although I Am Not a Dog on a Chain was recorded last year, it shows prophetic insight; its 2020 release is serendipitous for the current plague. You hear in it a perfect retort to COVID-19 compliance and the mindless trust of those who forfeit liberty in favor of obeying commands by the media and political class.

Morrissey, as defiant as Kanye West, examines the self-protective impulses that characterize human weakness (Jim Jim Falls compares moral indecision to artistic suicide). Then he elucidates the faith and courage required in times of deep, existential  even metaphysical  stress (Love Is on Its Way Out).

As pop stars grow into maturity (Morrissey will be 61 next month), few maintain ingenuity while risking popularity. This albums varied and inventive production continue the innovations of 2018s Low in High School. Its relevance comes from applying new perspectives to societys current bewilderment, as in What Kind of People Live in These Houses, which observes unquestioned political legacies: They vote the way they vote / They dont know how to change / Because their parents did the same. Morrissey gets at the crux of political custom and its modern repetition. They look at television / Thinking its their window to the world. He sings it twice, then comes the emotional punch: Thats got to hurt.

Story continues

Compassion is Morrisseys greatest gift, and it shows on the albums two major tracks. The first, Bobby, Dont You Think They Know, addresses the ongoing drug epidemic as a false response to modern terror and anxiety. Duetting with R & B veteran Thelma Houston, Morrissey powerfully expresses the inner strength of morally based empathy, underscored by Houstons soulful wailing  a different register from the white indie pop hes known for but that confirms a universal awareness. You aint foolin nobody! Houston exhorts, talking tough about the delusions of a loved one in pain. This disturbing and magnificent track ranks with Merry Claytons vocals on Gimme Shelter, Dusty Springfield on What Have I Done to Deserve This? and Tammy Wynette on Justified and Ancient. Its a wake-up call to licentious pop that encourages reckless self-justification.

The second-most compassionate track, Once I Saw the River Clean, is a remembrance of Morrisseys childhood and his family history that also recognizes his fate, and ours: Distant future wait for me. . . . Time will come but it hasnt yet / Someones out to get me. Overall, the album encapsulates the fine points of mortal consciousness  every song offering specific instances of memory and contemplation, the most profound human faculties.

Following the reevaluated folk songs of last years California Son album, Morrissey can fluently connect politics to everyday awareness. That wisdom backs up the independence declared on I Am Not a Dog on a Chain. Hes a hard thinker with no time to suffer fools who dont risk, who arent true to themselves  in art, politics, or life. Its a philosophy derived from his favorite play, A Taste of Honey: You decide for yourself if youre crazy.

The album splits between individuated tracks on the first half and a second half that moves between several intense personal confessions (such as the exquisite Darling, I Hug a Pillow) that deserve more detailed examination than can be done here. (In short, one masterpiece after another.) But a most representative track is The Truth About Ruth which has been misunderstood as a song about transsexual rights when it is nothing so inane. (Just as 2018s Israel was a distinctly personal, romantic pledge, not mere nationalism.) Here is where Morrissey exposes figments of the political imagination  the fallacies that keep us apart. The lyric You know who you are, but you have no idea exposes the political certainty that anyone (male, female, black, white, religious, atheist) can casually buy into.

This album is based in earned wisdom, and every track  creatively exploring dance pop, baroque art pop, and folk confession  confirms the process of tough, unconventional thinking and self-examination. Morrissey understands the snotty, cowardly nature of media braggarts as well as those who envy the commanding heights. In The Secret of Music, a trance-like exploration matches emotional uncertainty to artistic means. At precisely the moment that conventional pop media has betrayed the public, scaring it to death, Morrissey refines his purpose. Or, as the audacious rapper DJ Kool once said, Let me clear my throat. Morrisseys most heartrending, scratchy vocal comes next on My Hurling Days Are Done.

After the far-left press has gotten its revenge, persecuting Morrissey as a far-right traitor to pop liberalism (they prefer the anti-monarchist stance of his early records with The Smiths), this album should win its proper historical position. I Am Not a Dog on a Chain movingly ranks alongside Daniel Defoes classic 1722 work of moral and literary imagination, A Journal of the Plague Year. There wont likely be a more relevant album of spiritual resolve this decade.

More from National Review
A chartered flight on Monday arrived in Cardiff from Cambodia carrying 200,000 protective gowns to replenish supplies for heath workers in Wales.

It is the first of two such flights due to arrive this week.

The second is due from Hangzhou in China later in the week.

A total of 660,000 fluid-resistant gowns will arrive at Cardiff Airport.
Mary Kepler and her husband, Wilford, died hours apart after a lifetime together.

The pair was in a Wisconsin hospital after contracting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, according to CNN affiliate WTMJ.

Family members are unsure how the two were infected, the affiliate reported.

But because they both had the disease, they were able to stay together in their last momentssomething most COVID-19 patients cant do with their loved ones.

Family members across the nation have had to say their final goodbyes over FaceTime or in texts read as overwhelmed medical institutions have restricted visitors to help slow the CCP viruss spread.

But the couple, who had been together for 73 years, had beds next to each other and got to say I love you to each other one last time before they died on April 25, their granddaughter Natalie Lameka told the affiliate.

They had been holding hands and that was just heartbreaking to hear but also heartwarming to hear, Lameka said. And we were just so thankful they were together and were aware they were together, she added.

The two were like the familys glue that holds us together, their granddaughter said, and while losing them hurts, knowing they never had to part makes the pain a little easier.

It was definitely hard, she told the news station. But it was bittersweet.

Mary Kepler died six hours after her husband, the affiliate reported.

The CNN Wire and NTD staff contributed to this report.
OTTAWA  Winnipeg MPs offered the nation a look into their homes Tuesday, as a virtual parliamentary sitting overcame technical glitches and curious background objects.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/4/2020 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Winnipeg MPs offered the nation a look into their homes Tuesday, as a virtual parliamentary sitting overcame technical glitches and curious background objects.

"Please unclick your mute," House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota told a minister Tuesday, at the start of a quasi-official question period conducted over the Zoom video-conferencing program.

The three-hour session featured dozens of questions, a few answers and a glance into the homes of scores of MPs.

Conservative MP Marty Morantz had the misfortune of oiling a squeaky wheel on his chair right before the video call, in the hopes of avoiding any interruptions.

The open can of WD-40 on his desk instead drew the eye of Parliament Hill reporters, who made note of it on Twitter. The west Winnipeg-area MP took it in stride Tuesday, but was more interested in asking about wage subsidies for hospitality-industry workers.

NDP MP Daniel Blaikie questioned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about student subsidies while seated in front of a white sheet with no visible background objects.

Winnipeg NDP MP Leah Gazan asks a question during a virtual parliamentary sitting on Tuesday. (House of Commons screenshot)

Some Hill denizens said that created a ghastly look, but the Elmwood-Transcona MP said he was mimicking the curtains that are the backdrop for most of the Commons.

"Just trying to offer a sense of normalcy," he tweeted, linking to a video in which he built a wooden frame to hang a sheet and hide his home-office renovations.

His NDP colleague Leah Gazan grilled a federal minister on supports for homeless Winnipeggers, but before that her sneeze accidentally pulled the video-chats focus away from a Green MP's question for a split second.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Similarly, the video call jumped from Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux as he tabled a petition supporting pharmacare, when another Green MP answered his phone, although it didn't appear to distract the MP for Winnipeg North.

The Tuesday session, which included most of Canadas 338 members of Parliament, was part of a compromise that saw parties agree to a physical sitting in the Commons each Wednesday, and two virtual sessions for MPs to question the government.

Despite a Monday dry run, MPs grappled Tuesday with the same issues millions of Canadians face on video calls with colleagues and family. Rota, at one point, paused to instruct MPs on how to position their headsets.

The virtual sessions are sittings of a special committee, and lack some of the rules and privileges as sittings of the Commons. Most notably, they cannot include MP votes on legislation.

Some MPs were cut off Tuesday because of network disruptions and crashing computers, though because this wasnt an official sitting, the issues did not violate their legal right to partake in proceedings and votes.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
WASHINGTON  At a March visit with doctors and researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health agency at the heart of the fight against the coronavirus, President Donald Trump spoke words of praise for the scientific acumen in the building  particularly his own.

Every one of these doctors said, How do you know so much about this? Maybe I have a natural ability, Trump said.

It was a striking boast, even amid a grave health crisis in which Trump has repeatedly contradicted medical experts in favor of his own judgment. But a disregard for scientific advice has been a defining characteristic of Trumps administration.

As the nation confronts one of its worst public health disasters in generations, a moment that demands a leader willing to marshal the full might of the American scientific establishment, the White House is occupied by a president whose administration, critics say, has diminished the conclusions of scientists in formulating policy, who harbors a suspicion of expert knowledge and who often puts his political instincts ahead of facts.

Donald Trump is the most anti-science and anti-environment president weve ever had, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University.

The presidents actions, he said, have eroded one of the United States most enviable assets: the governments deep scientific expertise, built over decades.

Its extraordinarily crazy and reckless, he said.

Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that Trumps handling of the coronavirus outbreak has put the full power of the federal government to work to slow the spread, save lives, and place this great country on a data-driven path to opening up again.

Well before winning the presidency, Trump had publicly questioned science by expressing skepticism about vaccines and suggesting that climate change was a hoax fabricated by China.

Once in office, Trumps administration quickly began work on one of its most far-reaching policies  the systematic downplaying or ignoring of science in order to weaken environmental health and climate change regulations. Automakers, farmers and others had sought regulatory relief, saying that more flexible rules would still ensure progress on environmental protection while avoiding bureaucratic mandates. However, in carrying out the rollbacks, the administration has marginalized key scientists, disbanded expert advisory boards and suppressed or altered findings that make clear the dangers of pollution and global warming.

More recently, as the coronavirus outbreak engulfed the nation, Trump has repeatedly clashed with his own public health experts.

He was slow to react to early internal warnings to take the outbreak more seriously and has promoted the use of various drugs to fight the virus even as scientists have said there is no proof they would be effective. On Thursday, he suggested that injecting disinfectants might help defeat COVID-19, drawing global condemnation and ridicule.

And last week Trump publicly downplayed a warning by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administrations most visible medical expert, that the United States still lacked adequate capacity to test for the coronavirus.

I dont agree with him on that, no, Trump said. I think were doing a great job on testing.

The president also suggested that the virus might be gone by the fall, a line that was immediately countered by Fauci, who said: We will have coronavirus in the fall. I am convinced of that.

Historians and foreign policy experts said the administrations disregard for scientific expertise  combined with the nations broader retreat from international trade agreements and cross-border defense alliances like NATO  was diminishing the nations status on the world stage.

Americas friends feel like they dont even recognize us, said Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research organization.

Other critics noted that Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, a 2015 pact among nations to combat climate change, has left the world adrift on one of the biggest challenges to face humanity. And now, amid a global pandemic, Trump has said he will halt funding for the World Health Organization.

Part of what elevated America after World War II, Schake said, was that we represented modernity in all its advantages, whether by creating a polio vaccine or landing a man on the moon.

It will be a real struggle to restore the admiration for the United States that is such an important part of our power in the world, she said.

The administration faces vast challenges in navigating the outbreak. Shutdowns nationwide have pushed 26 million people into unemployment. But health experts have converged on a broad agreement that sending people back to work too soon, before measures like a robust testing system are in place, risks causing a surge of new infections, deepening the crisis.

In many cases, the administrations guidance broadly follows that scientific understanding. But experts have also warned that Trumps frequent calls to quickly reopen the economy threaten to muddle a vital public health message at a precarious time.

Its precisely because were in this uncertain and perilous moment that its all the more important to rely on the best scientific advice, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University.

Deere, the White House spokesman, said any suggestion that Trump had not consulted and relied on health experts and scientific advisers is just false. On Friday, Trump announced a phased approach to reopening the economy that the administration said was based on the advice of public health experts.

Past administrations have, to varying degrees, disregarded scientific findings that conflicted with political or policy priorities. For example, the Reagan administration was criticized by health experts for being slow to respond to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. And in 2011, President Barack Obamas top health official overruled Food and Drug Administration scientists who had found that over-the-counter emergency contraceptives were safe for minors.

But the Trump administrations attacks on science and expertise have been far more broad.

Scientists tell them inconvenient things, said Jerry Taylor, president of the Niskanen Center, a centrist research organization, and a former climate change denialist who now advocates the acceptance of climate science. Whether were talking about the EPA or were talking about climate change broadly speaking, or were talking about the coronavirus, his administration is constantly engaged in magical thinking.

Critics of the administrations actions both on environmental matters and on the virus say that federal policy has been shaped to favor short-term economic gain at the expense of public health.

With much of the nation sheltering at home  bringing commerce to a halt, sending unemployment skyrocketing and causing turmoil in the financial markets  the motivations to restart the economy are powerful. But Taylor of the Niskanen Center said that some conservatives were incorrectly diagnosing the stay-at-home orders as the main driver of the nations woes rather than the virus itself.

Taylor likened it to the argument that government action to fight climate change would be too costly in various ways  an argument that overlooks the significant costs of inaction.

If we leave the underlying problem unattended, he said, the economic cost will be far greater.

The pandemic hasnt slowed the administrations environmental rollbacks.

Over the past month, the EPA has issued several deregulatory policies, including on mercury pollution and automobile emissions, overruling advice from the agencys own independent advisory board that such findings lacked scientific rigor. The EPA also refused to tighten air quality standards, despite preliminary research suggesting that long-term exposure to dirty air could exacerbate the risk of death from the coronavirus.

The administration has maintained that it can safeguard health and the environment while loosening restrictions on industry. Andrea Woods, a spokeswoman for the EPA, said, We have never ignored the science in making the very tough policy decisions required of the agency.

The parallels between the administrations environmental rollbacks and its coronavirus response are not exact. When it comes to the coronavirus outbreak, there is still an important counterweight to many of Trumps impulses, most notably Fauci. Asked last week if he thought experts at the National Institutes of Health were unable to speak their minds or oppose Trump, Fauci was unequivocal.

Absolutely no, he said.

That contrasts with the administrations approach on issues like climate change, where officials who have spoken out have been sidelined.

In July, Rod Schoonover, a State Department intelligence analyst, resigned in protest after the White House blocked his discussion of climate science in congressional testimony. The administration has also promoted climate denialists work and allowed them to put misrepresentations of scientific facts into federal documents.

Still, there have been some prominent staff shake-ups at health agencies.

Before the pandemic began, the CDC had reduced its staff in Beijing from about 47 to 14 under the Trump administration, a move that critics have said may have complicated its ability to confront the outbreak earlier. An agency spokesman said it had been done to focus more on technical collaboration with China, which requires fewer people.

In February, Nancy Messonnier, a top CDC official, was removed from overseeing the agencys coronavirus response. Messonnier had warned that Americans needed to prepare for a significant disruption at a time when Trump was insisting that the virus was very well under control in our country.

Last week, Rick Bright was dismissed as the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the agency involved in work on coronavirus treatments. Bright said he had been removed after urging caution in expanding access to hydroxychloroquine, the controversial treatment embraced by Trump. He also said the administration had put politics and cronyism ahead of science.

Trump has said he never heard of Bright. Deere, the White House spokesman, accused critics of waging a campaign to criticize this president for discussing anything that might provide hope to the American people.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic have fallen hard on Marylands horse industry, which pumped $1.3 billion to the states economy in 2018 and created 21,000 jobs, according to the American Horse Council. Less than half of that  $500 million  came from horse racing, where cancellations and postponements have affected everything from the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico to daily races at Laurel Park.
They are a crucial lifeline for communities in the bush, giving locals regular access to medical specialists and ensuring links to businesses in Sydney.

Yet airports in regional and rural NSW are facing a sharp drop in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, placing councils which own them under significant financial pressure.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at Dubbo Airport about 18 months ago. Credit:AAP

"Financially, we have been smashed. It just continues to hemorrhage income each and every day," Dubbo mayor Ben Shields said.

The council-owned airport, which played host to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 18 months ago, derives the vast majority of its income from landing fees. They have virtually dried up since restrictions were imposed last month, and airlines began drastically cutting back.
Arvind Subramanian

India should plan for a negative growth and spend an additional Rs 10 lakh crore to combat the "economic deluge" caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Indias former chief economic adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian has said.

We save for a rainy day, and when a rainy day comes, you have to spend. This is not a rainy day, this is a deluge, its like the Hindu pralay. This is pralay in terms of economic things What is all this kind of, you know, prudence for? (It) is not to actually save for a rainy day, but to spend for a rainy day, he told the Indian Express. He was speaking at the Express Adda, which was held online due to the viral outbreak.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) growth forecast of 1.9 percent was mystifying as India was already struggling, he said.

With the lockdown and fiscal response being below even 1 percent of GDP, I cannot see how even allowing for the fact that India is a more dynamic economy, how Indias growth rate cannot decline by the orders of magnitude that the IMF is projecting for the advanced countries. I think the IMF forecasts for India are absolutely mystifying and bizarre... We should plan for negative, maybe substantially negative, growth rates in this financial year, the newspaper quoted Subramanian as saying.

India should spend at least five percent of GDP, or Rs 10 lakh crore, financed responsibly through monetisation and only as a one-off measure to find resources for the duration of the crisis, he said.

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

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The crisis provides an opportunity for countries to emerge stronger by being decisive or this can even aggravate pre-existing vulnerabilities.

The post-coronavirus world would see less dependence on China, which would mean de-globalisation, he said. How we regulate foreign direct investment (FDI) will be conservative. Secondly, the surveillance state  in dealing with a pandemic would be effective. And this whole move towards populism and illiberalism, I think that, again, is an open question.

Speaking about the Reserve Bank of Indias measures to infuse liquidity, the former CEA said it had not translated into credit due to 4Cs  Courts, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

There is no doubt in my mind that the risk of lending should be borne by the government in this situation. This could be via a credit guarantee scheme, or a separate government fund, like, in the United States, Subramanian, who is a Visiting faculty at Harvard Kennedy School, said.

The 15th Finance Commission should reconsider the needs of states, he said. The quickest ways of getting money to the states would be to increase the deficit financing by the RBI, Subramanian said.
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macys eldest daughter has been admitted into Carnegie Mellon Universitys drama program.

Sophia Macy, 19, shared the news in her Instagram bio, which reads, CMU Drama 24.

A spokesperson for the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based school, told TODAY Parents in a statement, We dont comment on any individual students admission to the university, but all students admitted to Carnegie Mellons School of Drama meet the highest standards.

A source close to the family told TODAY, "Felicity is so proud and grateful that Sophia has kept her chin up over the last year. It was a painful, challenging time and she pulled through it with strength and grace."

FIJI Water At The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for FIJI Water)

Carnegie Mellon's statement notes that "In-person audition monologues, resume of training and experience, as well as a review of academic and standardized testing histories are all considered in the selective admission process." The program has an acceptance rate of less than 5%.

Sophia, who graduated from Los Angeles High School of the Arts in 2019, had a college offer rescinded after news broke of her mothers involvement in a massive college admissions scandal.

Huffman admitted that she paid at least $15,000 for a proctor to alter answers on Sophias SAT to boost her score, and served 11 days in a California prison for the scheme in Oct. 2019.

The Emmy winner's husband, who stars in the Showtime series "Shameless," was not charged.

Huffman has maintained that Sophia knew absolutely nothing about her actions.

In her apology to the court, Huffman wrote, When my daughter looked at me and asked with tears streaming down her face, Why didnt you believe in me? Why didnt you think I could do it on my own? I had no adequate answer for her. I could only say, I am sorry.

Sophias 17-year-old sister, Georgia Macy, will be attending Vassar College in the fall according to her Instagram bio.
When the novel caronavirus pandemic forced school closures and threatened distribution of nearly 1,400 pairs of glasses to students in Pasadena ISD, school nurses there mobilized to sort the spectacles and get them into the hands of the kids who needed them.

April Weisedel, the districts chief nursing officer, said that for years the district has partnered with the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services agency as part of See2Succeed, a program to provide children with free eye exams and glasses. However, when the pandemic hit, Harris County officials werent able to distribute the glasses as they normally do.

This was unacceptable for Weisedel and her team of 72 registered nurses and two licensed vocational nurses.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: University of St. Thomas to reopen, Houston's largest church resumes

We gave our nurses two days and they got in there, sorted the glasses and set up (a process) for delivery, she said. We got them to our kids.

This is one example of what the districts school nurses have been doing to support students homebound because of the pandemic.

Carla Reyes, nurse at Burnett Elementary School in the South Belt area, has been creating videos  both in English and Spanish  for her parents and students, with tips on how to properly wash their hands, the importance of exercise and staying hydrated. Shes posted these videos to the schools Facebook page.

Each student contacted by nurse

School nurses in Pasadena ISD have been calling each of the districts 53,000 students to assess health needs and to provide care, in whatever form that might take, as much as they can.

GET TESTED: Walgreens to open rapid testing sites in Houston, Pasadena

We created a grid and gave nurses tasks by week, Weisedel said. We identified health alerts, asked them if they had access to medical care or medication, and if they didnt have medication then they could come up to the school and get what we have.

Janet Hatch, a nurse who works at Beverly Hills Intermediate School in South Belt, said Pasadena Health Center brought a mobile medical van to her campus and offered care for parents and students who were there picking up school meals.

This is another way to serve people who dont have access to medical care, she said, noting that some peoples doctors offices are closed while others dont have a primary care physician. The van was very helpful for serving people and getting them treated for anything from colds to vaccines.

Nurse Kathy Ashworth, who works at the Kirk Lewis Career & Technology High School in Pasadena, said the pandemic has really forced her and colleagues to adjust how they care for their patients.

Nurse: Pandemic may prove as traumatic as Harvey

In our campus clinics, its really easy to identify students who are having trouble because youre face-to-face, she said. But even though theyre home, our job hasnt changed, we just have to go looking. When we call, we ask them not only what they need but what barriers they have to getting it. (During the campus closures), our nursing leadership team has continued to meet every week to talk about what kids need and who can handle it.

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Now as they look forward to next school year, the team of nurses said their job duties will likely shift somewhat again. In addition to looking after the physical health issues of their students, district nurses will be tasked with more emotional and social issues afflicting kids as a result of pandemic and subsequent quarantine. Ashworth said she thinks this situation will end up being as traumatizing for kids as Hurricane Harvey.

The medical stuff we can handle, but its the social-emotional part of things that will show up in ways that we cant even imagine right now, she said.

Reyes agreed.

Our kids are going to need support next year because of the trauma of this, she said, explaining many of her elementary students are confused about COVID-19 and associate the disease with death.

The nurses said the toll of parents losing jobs, coupled with that some high school students working in essential roles such as at grocery stores have wound up as the sole breadwinners in their families, presents challenges to kids mental health.

Joy and relief on their faces

Hatch said that in her interactions with students at the mobile medical van, she could already see how important it was for them to talk with someone outside of their families who cares for their well-being.

When Im in contact with these kids, you can see the relief and joy on their faces and the benefit they get out of that contact with someone from their school, she said.

Weisedel said she and her team of nurses know the challenges that lay ahead when kids return to school.

All of us have gone through trauma-informed care training, she said. School nurses are jacks of all trades. No matter what comes through that clinic door, nurses are going to handle it. If a child needs food, medicine or just a hug, we will meet those needs.
By PTI

CHENNAI: The spread of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu is "largely under control" due to the implementation of various government guidelines, but the contagion is "easily" spreading in this city due to its large population, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Wednesday.

Palaniswami, who indicated resuming manufacturing in the Green Zones, also rued people not strictly following social distancing norms and urged the respective district administrations to ensure this principle is adhered to.

Addressing a review meeting on Coronavirus with District Collectors, he also patted the officials for leading the fight against the pandemic and said government's measures in stemming its spread has largely borne fruit due to their efforts.

"Barring Chennai, the spread is largely under control in other districts," he said and credited the collectors for strictly enforcing various guidelines in the fight against the deadly virus.

"Chennai is a big city. More people reside here. Further, many visit the city. Moreover, there are narrow streets where a large population lives and due to this, the virus easily spreads from one person to another. This is the reason for the increased spread of the disease here," he said.



CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES

As on Tuesday, the state capital has the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases in the state, 673 out of the 2,058.

Incidentally, of the 121 fresh cases reported on Tuesday, the city had 103 infections.

Palaniswami said that irrespective of an area being a city or rural one, the pandemic can be controlled if the government guidelines were strictly implemented and lauded the Collectors for doing so with the aim of controlling the spread.

The district heads were diligently implementing the government's various measures, including the availability of essential commodities, even as the coordinated work of various departments like Health, Police and Revenue, among others, had helped prevent the spread, he said.

However, social distancing was not being strictly followed by the people, especially in ration shops and vegetable markets and the officials should ensure it was duly followed, he said.

Compared to the struggles of many developed nations and superpowers, the state was ensuring better delivery of public services, including on the food front, he said.



ALSO READ: Puducherry Health Minister on dharna in Assembly lobby protesting denial of entry to 13 migrants

The flagship Amma Canteens, which are providing free meals to the needy and poor, was proof of this, even as migrant workers living here, among others, were being taken good care of.

The police should ensure nobody enters or exits a containment zone, he added.

On resuming or starting businesses, Palaniswami said the government would advise Collectors accordingly on allowing such activities in the respective green zones.

Those industries that could be given the green signal include cement, sugar, sago, steel and medical equipment, as allowed by the Centre, the Chief Minister added.

Proper cleaning and maintenance of public toilets, strict implementation of all ongoing lockdown norms and keeping an eye on border districts were the other points stressed by Palaniswami as part of the virus control plan.

Efforts should be to turn the Red zones in the state to Orange, while the latter should become Green and normalcy across the state should be ensured gradually, the Chief Minister told the officials.

According to the government's virus hotspot categorisation, Red Zone denotes over 15 cases or those with a doubling time of less than four days while the Orange means districts with less than 15 infections.

Green Zones are those with no new cases in the last 28 days.

As of April 28, Krishnagiri district is the only Green Zone in Tamil Nadu, of the total 37 districts in the state.

As many as seven are categorised as Orange, while the rest, including Chennai, are listed as Red Zone.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday named a family friend to head the federal police.

The governments official gazette confirmed the appointment of new federal police chief Alexandre Ramagem, 48, who took charge of the presidents security after Bolsonaro was stabbed on the campaign trail in 2018.

Ramagem, who joined the federal police in 2005, has run the Brazilian Intelligence Agency since July.

Bolsonaro said he would allow the federal police under the command of its new chief to have full autonomy from the government.

The appointment comes days after Bolsonaros justice minister Sergio Moro quit and accused the president of meddling in law enforcement for political motives.

On Friday, Moro alleged in a stunning televised address that Bolsonaro had repeatedly said he wanted a personal contact in the top police job from whom he could get information, intelligence reports.

The controversy over the appointment and allegations from Moro of improper interference in the police force triggered talk of impeachment and a criminal investigation approved by the Supreme Court.

Brazils Supreme Court had on Monday given the green light for the top public prosecutor to investigate Bolsonaro over the allegations of interfering in law enforcement. Justice Celso de Mello gave the federal police 60 days to carry out the investigation requested by Brazils chief public prosecutor Augusto Aras.

Based on the results of the police investigation, the public prosecutor will decide whether to press charges against the president. An indictment would have to be approved by the lower house.

Earlier on Tuesday, the opposition Democratic Labor Party asked the Supreme Court to block Ramagems nomination, alleging an abuse of power.

The affair has sparked talk in Congress of impeachment, just four years after such proceedings toppled former President Dilma Rousseff.

Moro said he had never seen political interference of the kind sought by Bolsonaro over Brazils federal police, even under previous governments whose officials and allies were convicted of participating in sweeping corruption schemes.

A New Years party photo on social media of Ramagem grinning beside the presidents son Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro city councilman, circulated widely on Tuesday, emphasizing the close ties between the family and the new top cop.

Newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that Carlos Bolsonaro is the subject of a Supreme Court probe looking at his role in disseminating fake news. His brother, lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, was accused in a congressional investigation of participating in a fake news scheme.

Their eldest brother, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is also being investigated by state prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro over alleged money laundering and misuse of public funds.

All three have denied any wrongdoing. They and the president have decried the probes as politically motivated attacks.

Over the weekend, Bolsonaro took to Facebook to defend Ramagem, after word of his nomination leaked to the press.

So what? I knew Ramagem before he knew my children. Should he be vetoed for that reason? Whose friend should I pick? the president said in a post.

By Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu
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The Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists today published its annual report, Hands off Press Freedom.

The report, which analyzes media freedom violations reported to the platform in 2019, shows a growing pattern of intimidation to silence journalists in Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a fresh assault on media freedom in the region, the platform said today.

CPJ is a partner to the platform, which is made up of 14 leading international journalist and media organizations as well as freedom of expression advocacy groups.

The report can be read here.
Calls have been made for government to provide a roadmap for economic recovery as the focus of the Covid-19 pandemic shifts to relaxing restrictions and rebooting the economy.

IBEC has sought a roadmap to guide the reopening of businesses and the economy.

Chief Executive of the business and employer representative body, Danny McCoy, said the economic impact of Covid-19 was huge and efforts must begin to return to a new normal.

Companies need guidance on how they can reopen and share public spaces as it was now becoming clear that Covid-19 would be with us for months, he said.

We have to be conscious of losing our livelihoods as well as lives. And I think there needs to be a parallel to the public health dimension, Mr McCoy told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

Welfare supports rolled out during the pandemic were not sustainable over a long period of time, he said, adding that joined-up thinking and an all-island approach was needed.

IBEC and the Confederation of British Industry has written to the Taoiseach and UK Prime Minister on the need to co-ordinate the business response across the Common Travel Area.

We very quickly need to realise that weve got an economic crisis that looks like its going to last a lot longer than any one of us would have hoped or expected, Mr McCoy said.

Meanwhile infectious disease specialist Professor Sam McConkey said there was scope to ease some restrictions to allow people spend more time outdoors while keeping their distance.

Going back to do those things that we all love and enjoy, whether its work or play, or other aspects of our life outside, while a couple of metres from others, is a very low risk activity, he said.

Professor McConkey said it was not a matter of pitting health against the economy and that unless we can get back to work we wont be able to fund basic services and supports.

The government, he said, will face tough decisions about how to pay for the pandemic and support businesses - "some of the hardest decisions we will make in Ireland in a hundred years.
New physiotherapy guidelines are targeting COVID-19 patient recovery for respiratory management, exercise and mobilisation in acute hospital wards and Intensive Care Units.

The new guidelines published in Australian Journal of Physiotherapy aim to prevent complications of the respiratory system and muscle deconditioning, speed up recovery from mechanical ventilation, and improve long-term physical function and recovery.

It also provides physiotherapists with workforce planning and preparation in a pandemic, PPE (personal protective equipment) requirements and how to safely deliver treatments, how to determine who physiotherapists should treat, and how to protect health care workers and resources.

Physiotherapists are an essential professional group who will be required to limit the severity of ICU-acquired weakness in patients and provide longer term rehabilitation and interventions to survivors of COVID-19 to allow them to function upon returning home and regain their life roles, the researchers say.

The clinical practice guidelines were developed by a group of international experts in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy. The authors have extensive clinical experience in ICUs and on the wards, as well as academic physiotherapists who have experience in a range of research methods including clinical practice guidelines.

The physiotherapy guidelines were prepared with reference to existing medical guidelines, relevant literature and a process to determine consensus agreement within the expert group.

The guide has been endorsed by professional associations across the world, is being translated into several languages and is already having a large international impact on physiotherapy practice and workforce issues in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flinders University Caring Futures Institute researcher Dr Claire Baldwin, a co-author of the clinical practice guide, says there is an urgent need globally for clinical guidance for acute care physiotherapists.

"For physiotherapists, these guidelines are just as much about who not to treat (where treatment benefits may be minimal, but health care worker risks are high), just as it is about where there is an indication for physiotherapy," she says.

"Patients with pre-existing health conditions who contract COVID-19 and those who require treatment in an ICU will especially need our help."

Dr Baldwin says key points of difference in these guidelines compared to medical guidelines relate to the specific respiratory care that physiotherapists can provide.

"The common presentation of COVID-19 does not appear to be characterised by a cough with phlegm. However, some people may develop phlegm that they are unable to clear from their lungs, or, have added challenges because they have difficulty with coughing up phlegm even under normal circumstances. This is where respiratory physiotherapy treatments may be needed."

"Because cough generates aerosols, it is important that respiratory physiotherapy techniques are recognised as an aerosol generating exposure and physiotherapists can be protected with the correct PPE," she says.

"Physiotherapy input to the prevention and treatment of ICU acquired weakness is vitally important, but COVID-19 brings unique challenges and some adaptations to the way that care is delivered."

Dr Baldwin drew on experience in ICU physiotherapy, mechanical ventilation, respiratory management, physical function, outcome measurement and long-term outcomes after critical illness, all of which are relevant to hospitalised COVID-19 cases.

Her research is usually centred on helping hospital patients with illness including respiratory issues to "get moving"

###

'Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting: clinical practice recommendations' has been published in the Australian Journal of Physiotherapy (Elsevier).
The boss of Barclays has said having thousands of workers in one building 'may be a thing of the past' as he signalled a shift in the way the banking industry operates.

In a sign that the lender may give up most of its towering Canary Wharf HQ, chief executive Jes Staley said the coronavirus would have a lasting impact on where staff work.

Around 70,000 of the 80,000 employees are working from home with just a handful of the 7,000 who usually work in Canary Wharf, London, coming in to the office.

Barclays boss Jes Staley (pictured with wife Debora) said the coronavirus would have a lasting impact on where staff work

Others are in branches, operating with social distancing measures, while a few are going in to call centres.

Staley said: 'You're going to find we use much more significantly our branches as alternate sites for investment bankers and call centre workers and people in the corporate bank. Putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past.

'We will find ways to operate with more distancing.'

The bank yesterday published its first-quarter results, and will set aside 2.1billion to prepare for loans expected to turn sour.

Barclays' loan loss provisions were well above the 923million forecast.

Along with Standard Chartered, which set aside 771million in a 1,000 per cent increase on the year before, and HSBC and Santander UK which announced results this week, UK banks have earmarked 5.4billion to cover loans expected to go unpaid.

Barclays' profits were down 42 per cent to 605million, though revenue held strong.

There was no update on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation into Staley and his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Staley avoided questions about whether Barclays was one of the banks called out by the FCA for unfairly squeezing desperate businesses for more cash during the coronavirus slump.

It has lent 737million to smaller businesses under the Government's aid scheme.

At Standard Chartered, profits fell 12 per cent to 968million.
Houston pipeline and export terminal operator Enterprise Products Partners raised its profit by nearly 8 percent during a first quarter in which other companies in the energy sector have posted multibillion dollar losses.

It made $1.4 billion compared with $1.3 billion during the first quarter of 2019. Revenue, however, decreased by nearly 12 percent to $7.5 billion from $8.5 billion during the same period a year earlier.

Although outperforming industry peers, the company is bracing for the worst as shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic continue to reduce demand for the company's products overseas. Considered to be the largest single exporter of crude oil, ethane, propane and butane in the United States, Enterprise said it will cut $1.1 billion in spending.

The speed and intensity of this economic sudden stop for developed countries has been breathtaking," co-CEO Jim Teague said. "We expect natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil production to decline more rapidly than in previous supply-shock cycles. We have not yet seen a material change to volumes across our system; however, we will not be immune."

Capital Expenditures: Enterprise seeks to cut budget as oil war continues

Enterprise started the year on a strong financial position, which Teague described as the strongest in the company's 52-year history. But he said things began to change in early March, as shutdown orders related to the coronavirus caused a drop in crude oil and refined products exports.

Enterprise, Teague said, continues to see good demand for propane, butane and from petrochemical customers but restarting the global economy is considered to be the key to increasing demand and prices in other areas. In the meantime, Teague said the company has storage tanks and underground salt dome caverns that will allow customers to store their products until prices rise.

Enterprise has successfully endured through challenging economic cycles before," Teague said. "We entered into this cycle in a position of strength. With the ongoing dedication of our employees and our premier midstream energy system, we believe Enterprise will effectively manage through this period, capture opportunities and emerge stronger than ever.

Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox
(Natural News) The two doctors video that has been widely cited across independent and conservative media turns out to be yet another example of mathematical illiteracy parading as authoritative medicine.

The two doctors featured in the video, Drs. Dan Erickson and Artin Massih, co-owners of Accelerated Urgent Care in Bakersfield, California, put on a clinic of mathematical and statistical illiteracy in their now-banned video, essentially claiming no lockdowns were ever necessary and that the coronavirus isnt really very dangerous at all.

To arrive at that absurd conclusion, they of course cite horribly bad math the kind of math that would earn you an F in Statistics 101. From their video, heres what they say:

So if you look at Californiathese numbers are from yesterdaywe have 33,865 COVID cases, out of a total of 280,900 total tested. Thats 12% of Californians were positive for COVID. So we dont, the initialas you guys know, the initial models were woefully inaccurate. They predicted millions of cases of deathnot of prevalence or incidencebut death. That is not materializing. What is materializing is, in the state of California is 12% positives. You have a 0.03 chance of dying from COVID in the state of California. Does that necessitate sheltering in place? Does that necessitate shutting down medical systems? Does that necessitate people being out of work?

The problem with that explanation? The sample of people who are being tested are, of course, the people most likely to have symptoms or who believe they have been exposed. Its not a random sample of the population at large. (Again, this is Statistics 101.)

Accordingly, you cant extrapolate the positive test ratio among symptomatic or high-risk people to the population at large. Yet this is how they arrive at the wrong conclusion that, You have a 0.03 chance of dying from COVID in the state of California.

Thats like saying if you test 1,000 drug addicts who share needles for HIV and find HIV at 10% in that high-risk population, then the entire state of California must have a 10% HIV infection rate. Thats absurd.

Once again, Chris Martenson at PeakProsperity.com breaks it down and exposes the mathematical illiteracy of the two doctors, reminding us why its rather scary that these two guys are practicing medicine at all.

This is called Statistics 101, explains Chris Martenson. In fact, this is the first day of Statistics 101, where they talk to you about sampling and they put that out of the way so you can move past the sampling and get to the math. You cant use samples that come out of testing in hospitals as something that you extend across the entire population. Its so inappropriate

Thus, the two doctors video is a fairy tale.

Why do so many people find bad math arguments so convincing when theyre actually total nonsense?

Its not merely disturbing that these doctors dont understand basic mathematics and statistical sampling fundamentals; its even more disturbing that so many people found their bad arguments convincing. Thats because nothing has caused more people to lose their minds and abandon all rational thought than the coronavirus.

Because many people want the pandemic to be no big deal, they immediately latch onto arguments that hold no water, almost always in an effort to satisfy an emotional need of comfort. People dont want to live in a world where a deadly bioweapon is highly contagious and actually kills 10% of those who become symptomatic  with a death risk thats 56 to 100 times higher than the regular flu  so they desperately cling to bad reasoning and incorrect math as long as it makes them feel better.

This is how we get people making insanely flawed statements like, Sweden has reached herd immunity. No it hasnt. Not even close. Or, The Stanford study proved almost everybody is already infected. No it didnt, not even close. The Stanford study allowed people to self-select for inclusion in the study, offering free testing to participants. Thus, it essentially recruited high-risk people who thought they were already infected.

Its astonishing how people who want the coronavirus to be no big deal are happy to cite bad science thats worse than climate change science in order to push their own absurd beliefs. Its also bizarre how so few people in the independent media are able to see the problems with bad math and bad statistics.

The truth is that the coronavirus is 56 to 100 times more deadly than the flu, when comparing apples to apples:

Stay informed. Read Pandemic.news for accurate analysis of the coronavirus pandemic, or BadDoctors.news for more stories on bad doctors.
Governor Greg Abbott states churches are essential, but at the same time, he's recommending they follow CDC guidelines. Many faith leaders are looking forward to the upcoming announcement on Monday. As North Texas churches are cautious about holding in-person services, COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted. Meanwhile, North Texas churches are continuing to hold in person services despite coronavirus concerns.

Open Door Church Executive Pastor Jerry Sellers strongly believes the church will reopen and be normalized soon. Open Door Church hosted a service in the parking lot of Texas Health Huguley Hospital in Burleson to gathered Christians for a time to encounter God.

As Janelle Kary and her family are ready for normalization, other church leaders in North Texas are waiting to hear what Gov. Abbott has to say on Monday.

"We've been obviously quarantined a bit longer than most people because the baby was sick right before quarantine happened, so we had to stay in," she said.

"We don't need a building to worship, but I really believe that's fixing to come back," Open Door Church Executive Pastor Jerry Sellers said.

"We'll certainly look at what the governor says, we'll continue to monitor what the CDC says and we'll be interested in what the county says, as well, but in the end, we're going to do what's safest for our members and our community," he said.

Some of the largest churches across the Metroplex and the Diocese of Dallas are saying it is not yet time to cancel their services. Last week, more than a dozen faith leaders, collectively, sent a letter to the governor, expressing concern that any gathering in a house of worship would only increase the risk of infection spread.
Documentary series Maralinga Tjarutja will screen on ABC in late May.

The special on the Indigenous community which has endured British Nuclear Testing in South Australia in the 1950s comes ahead of a drama series on the subject, Operation Buffalo.

Jeremy LeBois, the Chair of the Maralinga Tjarutja Trust says This documentary is important to the Maralinga people because it gives us a voice to tell the real story of what really happened to the people who walked, lived and hunted on this land for thousands of years,

Writer and director, Larissa Behrendt says This is an extraordinary story and it is a privilege to bring it to the screen. The red earthed country that stretches under blue skies provides a cinematic backdrop to the story of a community that has rebuilt itself to be vibrant, strong and proud of its culture. It is a story that deserves to be told through the voices and art of the people who lived it.

When the atomic dust settles, culture remains

Maralinga Tjarutja shines a spotlight on the people who have lived on their lands for over 60,000 years. While its a story of deep tragedy, it also celebrates their incredible resilience.

Many Australians would be unaware that the Maralinga Tjarutja land in regional South Australia was the location for the British Nuclear Test Program between 1953 and 1963. The Maralinga Tjarutja people have fought for the clean-up of contamination, for compensation and in 2009, for the handback of the Maralinga Village and test sites. They have gone on to rebuild traditional communities into vibrant, creative cultural communities that will ensure Maralinga Tjarutja custodianship of their lands into the future.

Maralinga Tjarutja celebrates the people, their tenacious spirit and cultural strength through which they fight to retain their country.

Production Credits: Maralinga Tjarutja is a Blackfella Films production for the ABC. Principal production investment from the ABC in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from South Australian Film Corporation.

Director Larissa Behrendt. Producer Darren Dale. Writer Larissa Behrendt. Executive Producer Kelrick Martin

Sunday 24 May at 7.40pm on ABC.




The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sent a strong warning to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai against his purported plans to remove 25% from the salaries of civil servants earning above 67,000.

The union also asked El-Rufai to return the deducted amount to those already affected or face action from the Union.

The Kaduna State Government had earlier announced a deduction of 25 percent from salaries of civil servants receiving above N67,000.

NLC Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Suleiman, said the government should stop the 25% deduction and refund the affected workers.

He said this while addressing newsmen in the state on Wednesday.

Suleiman said: Sequel to the deductions of 25% on the salary of all civil servants in Kaduna state, effective from April, 2020, labour in Kaduna State unequivocally rejects this deduction. This is because the Union was not consulted on the issue nor consented to the deduction.

Article 8 of the International Labour Organization Protection of Wages Convention, 1949, (No.95) provides that deduction from wages shall be permitted only under conditions and to the extent prescribed by the National Laws or regulations or fixed by collective agreement or arbitration award.

Labour in Kaduna State is not against the provision of palliatives to the poor to cushion the COVID19 lockdown from the salaries of civil servants in Kaduna State but wish to state that, it ought to be carried along, and such deductions or contributions should be made voluntary not compulsory.

Naija news also understand that governor Nasir El-rufai has agreed to relax the lockdown order and extension of curfew he gave yesterday after noon

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Myanmar medical workers guide patients to a hospital in Yangon, the country's commercial capital and largest city.

Front line medical workers in Myanmars fight against the coronavirus pandemic are being shunned by neighbors and landlords who fear infection from them, they told RFA Tuesday as experts warned that discrimination would reduce the number of people willing to help with the crisis.

A volunteer driver from in the Sagaing region capital who had driven a COVID-19 patient to the hospital was assigned to quarantine himself in a house for two weeks, but had to move after neighbors opposed his stay.

They said they are afraid of getting infected, but they dont usually wear a face mask when they go out. And they rejected us for handling the suspect patients although we were in complete PPE suit, said Hein Zaw Htet, a driver for emergency volunteer group in Sagaing town told RFAs Myanmar Service.

Only half of the people in town have good health knowledge, he said.

I feel sad as our work is not appreciated. We risked our lives to protect the town from infection, added the volunteer driver.

The volunteers and health care workers said they have been watched closely in their neighborhoods.

I feel dejected but I am more worried that this discrimination will hinder the health care work, said Aye Mi San, a nurse from Hlaing Thar Yar hospital in Yangon.

If the public wont cooperate, it will be a disaster, she said. Being overcautious will lead to the discrimination. We have to work hard to fix these wrong perceptions.

This is not acceptable

RFA has learned also that nurses who stay at hostels in Yangon, the commercial capital and largest city, are losing their lodging as fearful hostel owners have suspended their rental agreements.

Being vigilant is good, but they are going to extremes, said Ba Tint, a volunteer from an emergency humanitarian group in Sagaing.

This is not acceptable. They should show solidarity with the front-line workers during this pandemic.

Dr, Win Lwin Thein, vice chairman of Myanmar Medical Association, told RFA such discrimination could cause medical workers and volunteers to walk away.

It will have consequences. These front-line workers will abandon their positions. Humanitarian workers will also stop their work. 

RFA sought comment from the Ministry of Health and Sport but no spokesperson was available.

Following the launch on Monday of a national volunteer steering committee chaired by the State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto leader faced calls to address a shortfall of medical equipment and staff.

In this period of coronavirus epidemic, Myanmar was not ready for fighting against it, and also centralism, as well as shortages of medical equipment and skilled staff are the causes of difficulties in concurring the disease, Dr. Myint Myint Sein, an anesthesiologist in Pyi hospital, told Aung San Suu Kyi in a teleconference.

She was a coronavirus patient after she was infected with COVID-19 from a patient in a hospital had no proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff.

While the patients condition was very serious, there was a long discussion of how to treat it, and the instructions from the center were not clear. During treatment, I was infected due to shortage of well-trained manpower and medical equipment, said the doctor, who has since recovered.

Internet shutdown causes harm

Aung San Suu Kyi replied that: While there are so many needs in the health sector, the government has been trying to raise public health standards.

Coronavirus happened suddenly and we are trying to combat it with the resources we have. We are trying to use resources where COVID-19 patients are found. We have to look the costs, too. she said.

Myanmar, whose fight against the coronavirus is complicated by armed conflicts across the country, has allotted 2.4 billion Kyats for corona prevention in internal refugee camps in Rakhine, Shan, Kachin, Karen and Chin states, Win Myat Aye, the Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, told RFA.

Securing the water supply is most important. The IDPs need to wash their hands and take care of their personal hygiene, the minister said, referring to internally displaced persons.

The funding allotted for IDP camps will be used to set up hand washing stations and distribute the soap, hand sanitizers and facemasks.

Last month, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the government to take immediate measures to reduce the risk of an outbreak of the contagious pathogen, officially called COVID-19, among the estimated 350,000 displaced civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine, Kachin, Shan, Chin, and Kayin states.

Overcrowding, restrictions on humanitarian aid, limits on the movements of displaced persons, and a government-mandated internet service shutdown in parts of Rakhine and neighboring Chin state mean that people in these regions are particularly vulnerable to a virus outbreak, HRWs statement said.

Myanmar civil society groups have repeatedly appealed to the government to lift the internet ban in ten townships in Rakhine and Chin State, zones under armed conflict between the government military and the ethnic-Rakhine Arakan Army.

The government hasnt respond, but Win Myat Aye said the government will broadcast coronavirus prevention information on loud speakers or through text messages through telecom service providers.

Khin Maung Latt, MP for Rathedaung Township in Rakhine state, said these methods are not as effective as the internet.

These are very obsolete methods. They can simply lift the internet ban and allow everyone in the region to access important information through internet. It is the most effective way, he said.

Some areas in the region are not accessible even for the local civilians, let alone for the government staff who will come to provide humanitarian aid.

Reported by Waiyan Moe Myint, Wai Mar Tun, and Zarni Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Maung Maung Nyo and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
A day after 19 people died of



COVID-19 in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city, the civic body here on Wednesday said it was important for patients to get admitted to hospitals as soon as they experience symptoms.

With 2,543 coronavirus cases and 128 deaths, Ahmedabad has six wards in the red zone and 42 in orange zone.

"It is unfortunate that the city reported 19 deaths in a day. If a person experiences any symptoms of COVID-19, he or she should immediately rush to a civic hospital. It is important to seek timely treatment, if lives are to be saved," municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra said on Wednesday.

The senior civic official had earlier said the high COVID-19 mortality rate in Ahmedabad was due to late admission of patients at hospitals.

At five per cent, Ahmedabad's COVID-19 mortality rate is higher than the country's, which is three per cent.

Of 181 coronavirus deaths in Gujarat, Ahmedabad alone has recorded 70 per cent, while of 3,774 cases in the state, the city accounts for 67 per cent.

Meanwhile, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the city, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will cancel licences of shops whose owners and employees are found without masks from May 1.

Fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 will be imposed on owners or employees of establishments who are found without masks, while employees of super markets who flout the rule will be fined Rs 50,000, Nehra said.

Licences of vendors and shops will be suspended for three months if they continue to violate the rule, he said.

Nehra termed vegetable vendors, shop owners, employees of petrol pumps and medical stores as "super spreaders", as they come in contact with several people and can infect thousands if they have COVID-19.

"We have identified 7,793 people who fall in the category of super spreaders in 48 wards of the city. We have tested 2,098 persons, of which 115 have contracted the deadly infection," he said, adding that the drive to identify super spreaders will continue.

The civic body will distribute masks and sanitisers to vendors and shop owners who supply essential items, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PASADENA, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CIT and its Pasadena-based banking subsidiary today announced a $3 million investment in support of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of San Diego (LISC)'s Neighborhood Catalyst Fund. CIT's investment is expected to help create 1,350 affordable housing units for low-to-moderate income residents of San Diego County.

"Building stronger, more equitable communities across San Diego is our priority, especially during this unprecedented time when many local residents need our support," said Steve Solk, president of Consumer Banking for CIT. "Through this effort, we're empowering local residents to achieve economic prosperity and a better quality of life."

"LISC is grateful for CIT's partnership as we work to drive transformative change across the region and serve neighborhoods of opportunity," said Ricardo Flores, executive director for LISC San Diego. "This investment enables us to support and revitalize communities, broaden access to resources and improve the quality of life for thousands across Southern California."

CIT's support of the Neighborhood Catalyst Fund will result in multiple multi-family rental housing and mixed-use projects across San Diego County over the next decade Currently, the LISC San Diego Neighborhood Catalyst Fund has closed on its first loan of $5.5 million for a new 114-unit affordable housing project in City Heights, San Diego that is expected to open by 2023.

CIT actively supports and invests in affordable housing, economic development, neighborhood stabilization and core community services across its OneWest Bank and CIT Bank (formerly Mutual of Omaha Bank) branch banking footprint. Since 2016, CIT has invested more than $5 billion to advance affordable housing, economic development, education and access to credit for small businesses in Southern California.

About CIT

CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, community association banking, middle market banking, equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and capital markets and asset management. CIT's consumer banking segment includes a national direct bank and regional branch network. Discover more at cit.com/about.

MEDIA RELATIONS:

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SOURCE CIT Group Inc.

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For sixth class pupils, lockdown means that the usual rites of passage at the end of primary school are lost and new ways of marking what is a major milestone in the lives of children must be found.

Last September, Aine Byrne was full of enthusiasm for the year ahead. Sixth class pupils at Fr Cullen Memorial NS, Tinryland, Co Carlow, are assigned 'buddies' in the junior end of the school to look out for in the yard and, for Aine (12), this was going to be one of the pinnacles of the school experience. But the lockdown has disrupted that.

Now, with the year running out and uncertainty about a return before the end of June, Aine and her peers around the country may not get to finish primary in the usual way.

Her mother Jane is not overly concerned about Aine missing out from an educational point of view - she has been keeping up with her schoolwork - but she is sorry that she may not be back with the same group of friends in sixth class again.

Her daughter is fretting that the last day she spent in school before the lockdown will be her last day in primary.

The class was also planning an end-of-year dance in which Aine had a solo part. But events such as this, that she and her friends were excited about, cannot now take place.

Jane remembers her own last day of primary school when they climbed out the windows. "It was the most rebellious thing we ever did. I keep saying to Aine that she is living through history, but she won't necessarily look back on this with the same eyes as we adults do. She's been really building up to this year in school. These are small things to adults but they're colossal in her world," she says.

Sixth-class pupils are uppermost on the minds of school leaders too. In a survey last month by Dr Jolanta Burke and Dr Majella Dempsey, of Maynooth University, more than half of 2,808 principals who responded referred to sixth-class pupils missing out on the important social aspects of class trips, end-of-year celebrations, sport, school competitions and other events that mark the transition from primary to secondary school.

Many talked about how the pupils themselves were very sad and concerned that they would not get to be together in class again.

Parents are talking to one another about how best to mark the end of primary school for their children.

At her home in Dublin, Deirdre O'Rourke Sullivan is planning to make a DVD as a souvenir for all the girls in her daughter Cara's class at St Pius Girls NS, Templeogue.

She has put out a call to parents for photos taken at various school events and birthday parties over the years.

Another parent is ordering souvenir sweatshirts that are usually given out on the day of 'graduation'.

"Even things like preparing to go into secondary school and talking about that and organising their books - they're missing out on all that.

"From an education point of view they're all in the same boat going into first year and they'll adapt. But they're going from being the eldest to being the babies again. It's a huge transition," she says.

Mum to Lee (11) and Dean (8), Sharyn Hagan, from Naas, Co Kildare, says her elder son is missing the contact with his friends at Killashee Multi-Denominational NS. She says the responsibilities that sixth-class pupils are given go a long way to preparing them to step up to second level.

"These responsibilities were giving them a sense of maturity. Lee was coming home from school saying 'we were in charge today'," she says.

Because Lee is younger than a lot of fellow pupils she is worried about the loss of preparation for second level, in his case, into a very big school.

"If the children don't go back before September, he'll go straight into secondary school. At least if you have your graduation you have mentally left primary school," she says.

Aine Lynch, CEO of the National Parents Council Primary and Early Years, says there are concrete things parents can do. While there will be limitations, she believes parents' associations and principals can come up with solutions. "Schools are very creative places. There are opportunities to have things happen that wouldn't happen in other years. It's important that parents' associations attempt to mark it," she says.

"It doesn't have to be a one-off event - it could be a number of events online. The activities for sixth class should be different from what's being done for the rest of the school. I think it's important, rather than postponing it, to work together to find activities for sixth class that allows them a recognition."

There is, according to Ms Lynch, also a place for the pupils themselves to be involved. "Quite often it's the children who come up with the most important ideas. It should be a partnership between the schools, the parents and the children to come up with the ideas," she adds.

"As much as we're not going to have the normal rite of passage this year we could create something very memorable for these children, something that would have it's own specialness because of what's happening.

"These children could get an opportunity that other children won't have because of the circumstances we are in."
By Trend

Turkmenistan has expressed desire to strengthen cooperation with the UN, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Representatives of the government of Turkmenistan and the UN Development Program (UNDP) held a round table meeting at the UN in Ashgabat on April 28, 2020.

One of the main topics of discussion was Country Programme of Cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UNDP for 2021-2025. Priorities for further cooperation in rule of law and economic diversification, as well as the quality of statistical data areas were also discussed.

The parties also pointed to the progress made by Turkmenistan over the past few years, as well as the role of UNDP in promoting sustainable development. The UNDP representatives expressed their gratitude to Turkmenistan for preparing documents for further cooperation.

The sides expressed hope that this meeting will give a positive impetus to the development of a multilateral partnership between Turkmenistan and the UNDP.

Earlier, State customs service of Turkmenistan and the UN development Program (UNDP) signed a Memorandum of understanding on cooperation in promoting innovation and modernizing customs procedures. The purpose of signing this document was to ensure interaction between the parties in areas of mutual interest within the framework of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Potential China Xinhua Education Group Limited (HKG:2779) shareholders may wish to note that the Founder & Chairman, Junbao Wu, recently bought HK$2.1m worth of stock, paying HK$2.13 for each share. However, it only increased shareholding by a small percentage, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

Check out our latest analysis for China Xinhua Education Group

China Xinhua Education Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Junbao Wu was the biggest purchase of China Xinhua Education Group shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is HK$2.48. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for China Xinhua Education Group share holders is that an insider was buying at near the current price. Junbao Wu was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.

Junbao Wu purchased 2.43m shares over the year. The average price per share was HK$2.17. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

SEHK:2779 Recent Insider Trading April 29th 2020

China Xinhua Education Group is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does China Xinhua Education Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that China Xinhua Education Group insiders own 72% of the company, worth about HK$2.9b. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

Story continues

So What Does This Data Suggest About China Xinhua Education Group Insiders?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest China Xinhua Education Group insiders are well aligned, and quite possibly think the share price is too low. One for the watchlist, at least! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for China Xinhua Education Group you should know about.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  The Klamath Falls community is mourning a Sky Lakes nurse and firefighter's wife who recently passed away due to a brain aneurysm, Klamath County Fire District 1 posted on Wednesday.

"It is with saddened hearts that we share the passing of one of our Fire District family members," the agency said. "Erika Cox, wife to Firefighter Zack Cox passed away at Saint Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon due to a brain aneurysm."

According to KCFD1, Cox chose to be an organ donor, and her husband told the fire district that she is currently the "only donor on the entire west coast," possibly the only available heart donor in the country.

"Zack and family are donating everything that they can and she will be helping no less than 5 other people," KCFD1 said. "What a gift they have chosen."

Cox reportedly worked as a nurse at Sky Lakes Medical Center. In honor of her and her family, KCFD1 said, both Sky Lakes and Saint Charles Medical Center in Bend planned to host an honor walk outside.

"She is a true hero," KCFD1 said. "Please keep Zack and his family in your thoughts and prayers."
Google Meet is now free for everyone. As part of the video conferencing land rush begun by Zoom, Google has moved Google Meet out of its paid, premium tier, and made it available to both consumers and professionals alike.

In the same way that rival Facebook Messenger Rooms requires you to belong to Facebook to launch a new Room, Google Meet does require users to have a Google account, such as a Gmail email address. The free tier also limits users to just 60 minutes, though the company said it wont enforce it until after September 30.

There is a bit of a catch, though: Google isnt giving the ability to create meetings to everyone right away. Its important that everyone that uses Meet has a secure and reliable experience from the start, so beginning next week, well be gradually expanding its availability to more and more people over the following weeks, according to a blog post by Javier Soltero, the Google vice president in charge of G Suite, and by extension, Meet. In other words, Google will be asking users to sign up, and then be notified that the service is online.

As of June 17, Google has now added Meet capabilities to meet.google.com. Google has also added Meet to the Web version of Gmail, as well as the Android and iOS apps, too.

A more secure Zoom?

In the meantime, Googles touting the security of its Google Meet platform, the wedge that rivals are attempting to hammer between Zoom and its startling expansion to over 300 million users. Ericsson, Daimler, and some schools have banned Zoom, Reuters reported, citing security concerns. Google Meet is now hosting 100 million participants daily, according to Soltero.

Soltero wrote that Google Meets insistence on using a Google account makes it more secure. Links to join participants to meetings are complex, meaning theyre harder to guess and bomb with unwanted participants. Meet data is encrypted by default. Organizers also have strong controls that allows them to mute, eject, or deny entry to certain participants.

Users will be able to go to meet.google.com (or use Google Calendar) to set up a meeting, or download the iOS or Android app. Just a week ago, Google added a 16-person gallery view, aping Zooms own layout that allows you to see all of the calls callers at once.

Google will maintain Google Meets paid tier, and G Suite customers who are paying for G Suite and by extension, Meet, will receive added perks: free access to advanced features like live-streaming to up to 100,000 customers, additional Meet licenses, and free G Suite Essentials. The latter is a new, paid service for accessing more advanced features such as as dial-in phone numbers and meeting recording, Google said. It will require a consultation with a Google sales person to enable, the company said.

This story was updated on June 17 to note that Google Meet is now integrated into the Web version of Gmail, as well as the iOS and Android version, too.
The coronavirus Oxford vaccine that was tested on monkeys showed the best prospects and might be mass-produced soon.

On Tuesday, the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest maker of vaccines confirmed that plans to create 60 million doses of a possible vaccine that is under study by the University of Oxford in Britain.

The vaccine candidate, called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19", needs to be verified if it will work on humans, after getting the result from animal studies, said the Serum Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said.

Animal studies using rhesus macaque monkeys were inoculated with the sample in the National Institutes of Health's Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana recently, reported the New York Times.

Vincent Munster noted that the primates were exposed to the coronavirus in a large dose, all the six primates were alive after 28 days when the test was done.

Poonawalla told Reuters in a phone interview, he said," They are a bunch of very qualified, great scientists. That's why we said we will go with this and that's why we are confident,"

One of the advantages of their company is they are not accountable to public investors or bankers, I can risk and sideline any of the other commercial products and projects that I had planned in my existing facility.

He expects the trials to adjourn in September, that would yield desired results. Oxford scientists confirmed the objective of the tests if the vaccine worked, with a good immune response without any negative effects like remdesivir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine. The mentioned repurposed drug has negative side effects.

All over the world, the race for a vaunted coronavirus cure will give the edge to the country which gets it first. China and other nations are rushing cures, which India sees as crucial to its national interest. There are 100 potential cures in many stages of development, by their biotech's and scientist exploring repurposed drugs or antibody-based vaccines.

Also read: Drug Companies Will Decide Who Lives or Dies Unless Access to Drug Patents Are Removed



As shown by press releases and reports, not all have been successful, usually, anecdotal evidence that was all to go to, despite many showing side effects and some causing serious complications. Some are in preliminary tests in human trials, known as phase one clinical trials.

The firm 'Serum' is owned by the billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, who has plans to create and perfect a vaccine that will cure the coronavirus, once and for all. Manufacturing the cure will be at the western city of Pune, that will mass-produce a planned 400 million doses in 2021, should the vaccine clear all obstacles.

He added, "A majority of the vaccine, at least initially, would have to go to our countrymen before it goes abroad." Poonawalla said that Serum will let the Indian government decide who gets it first, also at how many doses and what time frame.

If the vaccine does prove successful the Indian government can leverage the cure to its national and humanitarian interest, choosing those who will get the cure first.

Serum sees a price of 1,000 rupees (USD 14.70) per dose, but it was stressed that the giveaway price should be given without charge to people, Poonawalla added. He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office is "very closely" involved in the vaccine production, with some help from the government in its production.

But, Poonawalla mentioned that the government was willing to help fund the vaccine too, and share risk. The serum has joined several biotechs as well. With high hopes, the coronavirus Oxford vaccine used in monkeys will prove successful.

Related article: Wuhan Lab Scientists Reportedly Created Coronavirus to Be Lethal to Humans, Russian Scientist Says

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(Newser)  President Trump's associate Roger Stone used hundreds of fake Facebook accounts to push stories related to Russia and WikiLeaks around the 2016 election, while keeping in contact with Julian Assange, according to former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators. One of dozens of search warrants unsealed Tuesday indicates Stone crafted the accounts to appear real and used them to push a narrative of the Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee that would help then-candidate Trump. Messages and ads from the accounts denied that Russians were behind the hack. Others referred to Stone denying claims of Russian collusion, per CNN. Warrants also claim Stone communicated with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign and in 2017. He wrote to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in private messages on Twitter.

story continues below

"It doesn't matter where you get information only that it is accurate and authentic," Stone wrote on June 4, 2017. "If the US government moves on you I will bring down the entire house of cards." Assange replied that "those obsessed with taking down Trump" were "trying to squeeze us into a deal," per the Hill. "I am doing everything possible to address the issues at the highest level of Government," Stone responded. "Must be circumspect in this forum as experience demonstrates it is monitored." He moved his home computer data to a private server in spring 2018, fearing he was being hacked or tracked by government officials, according to another warrant. In a Tuesday statement, Stone said the documents "prove no crime" and "there is, to this day, no evidence that I had or knew about the source or content of the Wikileaks disclosures prior to their public release." (Stone has yet to serve time in prison amid talk of a presidential pardon.)
What happened

Like a globe-spanning seesaw, oil prices went up today, and oil tanker stocks went down. The moves are basically the opposite of what we saw on Monday. As of 11:20 a.m. EDT, shares of Frontline Ltd. (NYSE:FRO) are down 9.5%, Tsakos Energy Navigation (NYSE:TNP) is down 15.1%, and Nordic American Tankers (NYSE:NAT) has dropped 15.9%.

So what's going on with the oil market this time?

So what

According to the oil price trackers at OilPrice.com, barrels of West Texas Intermediate Crude oil due for June delivery cost $16.30 a barrel -- that's 32% more today than they cost yesterday. Brent crude, the international benchmark, is up 11.6% at $22.84 a barrel.

Those higher prices, indicative of greater demand for oil, mean that some of the tankers anchored in the Singapore Strait (remember them?) could soon depart to offload their cargoes to willing buyers, freeing up additional tanker capacity for future storage. Higher prices also reduce the incentive to store oil while waiting for oil prices to rise, which could cause more traditional storage sites to lower the levels of oil currently lapping brims in their tanks -- and reduce the need for oil traders to charter expensive tankers in which to store their crude.

Long story short, the more crude oil prices recover, the worse news it is for oil shipping stocks.

Now what

And yet, even recognizing all of this, isn't it possible that investors are overreacting just a wee bit in all their selling of oil tanker stocks today?

After all, Nordic American Tankers CEO Herbjorn Hansson just finished telling investors that he's making "tons of money" chartering boats to oil traders. If this is true for one company offering essentially a commodity service (oil storage), then it seems logical it would hold true for Frontline and Tsakos as well.

Nordic American is making so much money, in fact, that Hansson expects to pay off the company's whole $400 million debt load with the cash flowing in. That's not a boast I'd expect the CEO to make if the trend in higher charter rates was something that could be upset by a one-day wobble in oil prices.

To the contrary, comments from The Wall Street Journal (today), to the effect that "the world is awash with too much oil" and that "coronavirus lockdowns on driving, flying and industrial activity have all but eliminated the need for the stuff" suggest that even if stock prices of oil shipping companies are down today, the problem of where to store "too much oil" has not been solved -- and these stock prices will go right back up again in relatively short order.
He was left partially paralyzed after being dragged off stage by a tiger during his famous Las Vegas act.

And on Tuesday, it was revealed that Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy, has tested positive for COVID-19.

A spokesperson for the showman, 75, confirmed the diagnosis to ABC News and added that Horn 'is currently responding well to treatment.'

Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy, has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday. Horn (pictured in 2012) is said to be 'responding well' to treatment

The statement continued: 'Most importantly, Siegfried & Roy send positive wishes to everyone impacted by the pandemic. We will have no further comment on Roys recovery at this time and ask everyone to respect his right to privacy.'

Horn was severely injured in 2003 when a white Bengal tiger Mantecore bit into his neck during a stage act at the Mirage on the Vegas Strip.

He also suffered a stroke during the incident and was left with limited mobility and impaired speech.

The tiger attack brought an end to Siegfried and Roy's legendary show that featured white tigers and magical illusions.

German-born Siegfried and Roy with their white tigers and magical illusions were one of Vegas's most celebrated attractions, becoming headliners at the Mirage from 1990 to 2003

Horn, pictured performing in 1996, was severely injured in 2003 when white Bengal tiger Mantecore bit into his neck and dragged him off stage during a show at the Mirage

The showman was left partially paralyzed and with impaired speech following the incident in which he also suffered a stroke. He's seen at the hospital after the attack on October 4, 2003

Horn, now 75, and Siegfried, now 80, continue to reside in Las Vegas. They are pictured at a charity gala in June 2015

The two - born in Germany as Siegfried Fischbacher and Uwe Ludwig Horn - made their first appearance in Las Vegas in 1967 and played at several different casinos, ultimately becoming the headlining act at the Mirage Resort and Casino in 1990.

In 2009, the duo returned to the stage one last time for a show benefiting the Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

It was recorded for broadcast on ABC's 20/20.

They are currently working on a biopic which is slated to be released in the form of a multi-part docuseries in 2021.
The central government has extended relaxed connectivity norms for 'work from home', applicable to the Information technology sector and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies till July 31 in the wake of coronavirus crisis.

Earlier the Centre had relaxed terms and conditions for VPN till April 30. However, after a discussion with IT Ministers this relaxation has now been extended till July 31.The announcement was made by Union Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad in a video conference with various state officials. Prasad also told the state ministers that work from home should become the new norm.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: COVID-19 cases surge to 33,050; Maharashtra tops the tally with 9,915 cases

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan CN made an appeal to Prasad to allow software professionals from IT industry to work from home till 2021. To which Prasad said, "Currently, we will allow professionals to work from home until July 31, and depending on the situation thereafter, the government will take a suitable decision."

Industry body Nasscom said the decision would help IT and BPO firms to chalk out their strategy of bringing back workforce to offices in a gradual and phased manner.

Prasad also assured that steps would be taken to strengthen the Bharatnet BBNL to provide better internet facilities. "Not just the IT sector, all States should give importance to develop startups and research. The focus will be on providing effective E-governance and E passes," Prasad added. Prasad also said that a national strategy committee would be set up to frame guidelines and solutions to fight the pandemic crisis.

The meeting was attended by chief ministers of Haryana and Sikkim, deputy chief ministers of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, who are also in charge of the IT department in their respective states.

The minister noted that three schemes -- Production Linked Incentive 2.0, Electronics Manufacturing Clusters, and Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) -- have been notified by the Centre in order to attract investments in the electronics manufacturing sector.

About 90 per cent of IT employees and 70-80 per cent of BPO and small and medium businesses in the sector are estimated to be working from home and only those performing critical functions are going to offices.

Also read: BT BUZZ: Don't be naive! Reliance Jio-Facebook deal is a partnership of unequals
Speedy Gonzales, a Georgia man named after the famous fast-running cartoon rodent, has been arrested for mail fraud, according to a recently published article.

Seemingly living up to his name, the 35-year-old suspect had been on a run for a few months until he was captured during a traffic stop Saturday in Gwinnett County, authorities said.

The lead detective assigned to this case said that Speedy Gonzalez has been spotted in Sevierville and Knoxville, TN. https://t.co/6d9Ut2w67i April 16, 2020



Gwinnett County police said in a statement that authorities began their chase after one of his victims from Suwanee complained of stolen checks from his mailbox in January.





"After checks were stolen from the mailbox at a Suwanee home, the victim found more than $3,000 in forgeries. "In late January, a man reported that he had some checks stolen from his mailbox on Lake Haven Way on January 21. The checks were supposed to be picked up by the USPS and mailed to their intended recipients. "The following day, January 22, an unknown suspect visited the Home Depot on Stone Mountain Highway and made a purchase of over $3,000. Following the purchase, the suspect(s), returned the purchased items for cash. "The lead detective assigned to the case is hoping someone in the community recognizes the suspect and calls in with tips. "If anyone has any information to share in this case, please contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case." "According to the USPS, to protect against identity theft, they suggest placing outgoing mail in a USPS collection box or hand-delivering it at your local POST Office. Update #1, 03/06/2020, 2:00pm:"The lead detective has received a preliminary identification for the suspect. Once the suspect has been charged, he will be identified. Update #2, 03/10/2020, 1:30pm: "Speedy Gonzalez (age 35, Buford) has been charged with 1 count of Forgery, 2 counts of Identity Fraud, and 3 counts of Theft by Deception. His current whereabouts are unknown. We urge Speedy to turn himself in to the Gwinnett County Jail. "Tipsters with information about his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477. Update #3, 04/27/2020:"Speedy Gonzalez has been captured. He was arrested during a traffic stop on Saturday, April 25, and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. According to the arrest report, Speedy also has outstanding warrants through the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office."



Check these out!



CCTV cameras have also captured the movement of the suspect.

Officials said it was Gonzalez who swiped the checks, then proceeded to a Home Depot to buy more than $3,000 worth of merchandise with the stolen funds then returned the items in exchange for cash.

Police have already identified Gonzalez a suspect in March, but he managed to escape from their watch for another month.

Investigators claim he even appeared in Tennessee before he was caught last weekend.

Gonzalez has been charged with forgery, identity theft, and theft by deception, aside from his outstanding warrants in another Georgia county and in Alabama on similar counts.

Gwinnett Police Department did not disclose if Gonzales has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

In 2019, Georgia has lost more than $32,200,000 due to fraud.
A toddler's cheek has been torn open 'like a can opener' by the family's pet Jack Russell in a sudden unprovoked attack.

Two-year-old Leo Hamilton was sitting on the floor next to his father's six-year-old dog, Biggy, at his grandmother Susan Hamilton's Port Levy home, 44km southeast of Christchurch in New Zealand, when he was mauled 'out of the blue' around 8pm Tuesday.

'Just out of nowhere the dog just lunged at his face and ripped open his whole cheek like a can opener,' Susan told Stuff.

'It peeled him from his [right] eye to his lip, it looked like it [the dog] had slipped a butchers knife down his cheek. It was terrible.'

A pet jack russell has terrier has ripped a two-year-old boy's cheek open 'from his eye to his lip' in an unprovoked attack (stock)

A rescue helicopter was sent to the house and flew Leo to Christchurch Hospital about 9pm to undergo surgery.

Susan said the cut down Leo's face was about 3cm deep and around 10cm long.

He is expected to return home on Wednesday evening.

The grandmother said Biggy, who had been 'a good dog' up until the attack, had been taken away to be put down.

Susan said she would never allow a dog in her house with a child again.

'I just can't believe it. You can be right there but you can't take it all away and what happens in a second can [affect him] the rest of his life,' she said.

A Christchurch City Council spokesman said the incident had been reported its animal management team was investigating.

In February, five-year-old Victorian boy Caolan Hayden suffered puncture wounds and torn muscles around his neck, head, legs, and shoulders after being mauled by his neighbour's dog, a bull mastiff cross blue heeler.

Last month, a 91-year-old woman was mauled to death in Jervis Bay after three rampaging dogs escaped from a property and attacked a group of walkers along a beach.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:36:34|Editor: huaxia

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HEFEI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO Inc. said it plans to establish its China headquarters in Hefei, capital of eastern China's Anhui province.

Its China headquarters will be an integrated base for headquarters management, R&D, sales services and supply chain manufacturing, NIO said.

NIO will inject its core businesses in China including vehicle R&D, supply chain and manufacturing, sales and service and energy services, as well as related assets into NIO (Anhui) Holdings Co., Ltd., the legal subject of NIO China.

NIO will also invest 4.26 billion yuan (about 602 million U.S. dollars) in NIO China and own 75.9 percent of the shares in the new company, while its strategic investor will hold the remaining shares, according to an investment agreement signed Wednesday.

Founded in November 2014, NIO completed its initial public offering on the NYSE in September 2018. Its global headquarters is in Shanghai. Enditem
Ireland has asked the European Commission to suspend a law requiring airlines to refund customers for cancelled flights.

It is one of 12 countries which signed a letter petitioning the Commission to, instead, allow airlines to give time-limited vouchers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter states such a solution would be "acceptable for consumers" provided it included "a clear right of reimbursement" at the end of the validity period of the voucher.

The move would be designed to prevent mass bankruptcies in European airlines and to encourage people to fly again.

The letter is also signed by Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal and the Netherlands, and says airlines are facing "a serious cash flow challenge" due to mass cancellations.

It says the original law, which guarantees customers a refund or re-routing at their earliest convenience, was conceived at a time when "the current global crisis... could not have been foreseen".

It calls on the European Commission "as a matter of urgency" to temporarily suspend the refund guarantee across the European Union and provide time-limited vouchers.

"The goal shared by the European Union and its Member States must now be to preserve the structure of the European air traffic market beyond the current crisis, while considering the interests and necessary protection of passengers," they said.

The prospect of this was mooted by the Department of Transport a month ago. A Department spokesperson said Minister Shane Ross "is considering the credit note as an option in his determination to strike a fair balance between protecting jobs and consumers".

It is likely to cause further frustration among people who are waiting on refunds for cancelled flights from airlines.

This week, Ryanair once again caused frustration among customers seeking refunds for flights cancelled due to the pandemic.

It has now emailed customers telling them they have been issued a voucher which "can be used for your future travel plans" within 12 months, but adds if the voucher is not used, people "will receive a full cash refund".

Despite actually guaranteeing a refund, the airline has still been accused of causing further confusion for customers.

Dermott Jewell, policy and council advisor with the Consumers' Association of Ireland, said Ryanair is "just tinkering around the edge of what are straightforward provisions for consumers under EU law".

"Of course we should consider how those who have chosen to accept a voucher will see benefit in this as it gives further value to that voucher and closure to the issue under those circumstances," he said.

However, there is a clear benefit to the airline in fixing a point of delay in refund as that seeks to allow them to make accounting provisions that suit the business.

"By doing so, it ignores the reality that, with so many unknowns in terms of employment, borrowing and debt, an open option to surrender the voucher at any time to realise real cash value - when cash is needed - would best suit the needs of the consumer and be a fair solution for all."
OAKLAND, Calif., April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In November of 2016, Plaintiff Jason Ryan Kelly suffered a burst fracture to his L1 vertebrae as a result of a motor vehicle collision that occurred on I-880 in Fremont, California. According to the police report, the collision was caused when Johnson Lam lost control of a Chevy Express Van and swerved across four lanes of freeway traffic, smashing Mr. Kelly's vehicle into the concrete center median and totaling both vehicles. Mr. Kelly was rushed by ambulance to the hospital where he underwent a painful lumbar fusion surgery and spent eight days in recovery before being discharged with two metal rods and five screws in his spine.

Mr. Kelly worked with two different law firms before seeking help from Harris Personal Injury Lawyers. Although Johnson Lam was uninsured at the time of the incident, Harris Personal Injury Lawyers discovered that, at the time of the collision, Mr. Lam was driving a van filled with OnTrac packages en route to make his daily deliveries when he crashed into Mr. Kelly's vehicle. OnTrac is a large regional package delivery company that utilizes independent contractors like Mr. Lam to deliver packages to OnTrac's customers. During litigation Harris Personal Injury Lawyers discovered that Johnson Lam had no prior professional driving experience, no valid registration or automobile insurance for the vehicle, was hired without any background checks, drug testing, or vehicle inspection, and was driving an overloaded delivery vehicle with inadequate tires. OnTrac denied any liability, claiming that Mr. Lam was an independent contractor and not an employee.

Mr. Kelly asserted a vicarious liability theory against OnTrac on the basis that Johnson Lam was in the course and scope of his employment and/or agency with OnTrac at the time of the collision. After a long battle involving twenty depositions and numerous hard-fought legal motions over the span of more than two years of litigation, Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. won a $2,000,000.00 settlement for Mr. Kelly on the morning of trial. Harris Personal Injury Lawyers also made sure that Mr. Kelly's insurance company, State Farm, honored their pre-litigation promise to pay Mr. Kelly's entire $50,000.00 uninsured motorist (UM) policy limits, which State Farm later claimed no longer applied due to third party coverage being discovered.

Jason Kelly is represented by attorneys Daniel Hoer and Ranger Wiens of Harris Personal Injury lawyers, Inc. in Oakland, California.

Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. represents the rights of individuals and their family members in connection with car accidents, dog bites, motorcycle accidents and other incidents caused by the negligence of others.

Superior Court of The State of California - Alameda

SOURCE Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc.
Afghan officials say hundreds of foreign combatants are fighting alongside Taliban militants in a strategic northern province, a move that if proven true would violate the terms of the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement.

Zakaria Sawda, the governor of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, said around 400 foreign militants, mostly from neighboring Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, had joined the Taliban and were fighting Afghan security forces in the province.

Sawda told RFE/RL that the Taliban and foreign fighters were attempting to create a large terrorist "hub" in Badakhshan, adding that it was a "serious concern."

Sawda's claims could not be independently verified. But if confirmed, the Taliban's actions would constitute a violation of the agreement the militant group signed with Washington in February.

Under that deal, the Taliban committed to severing ties with terrorist groups and preventing terrorists from using territory under its control to launch attacks against the United States and its allies, including the Afghan government.

In exchange for the Taliban's counterterrorism guarantees, the United States agreed to withdraw all of its around 12,000 troops from Afghanistan by July 2021.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, which controls and contests large parts of Badakhshan, a remote, mountainous province bordering Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan.

Sawda said some 30 foreign fighters entered Badakhshan on April 14, although he did not specify how the militants had come and from where.

He said the foreign combatants were fighting Afghan forces in the districts of Warduj, Jurm, and Yamgan -- Taliban strongholds in the province.

Sawda said the foreign fighters also included combatants from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang and Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya.

Bashir Ahmad Samim, the head of the provincial council in Badakhshan, said foreign fighters in the province had also joined Islamic State (IS) militants.

"Foreign terrorists are conducting the war" in several districts, Samim said.

Taliban and IS militants have clashed in various parts of Afghanistan, although the two Sunni extremist groups have also fought together on occasion.

Foreign militants have been present in Afghanistan for years. Many are believed to have arrived after fleeing a Pakistani military offensive in 2014 in that country's restive tribal areas, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other regional militant groups.

The foreign fighters sought sanctuary in Afghanistan amid a drawdown of international forces at the end of 2014.

In northern Afghanistan, some of the foreign fighters have joined the Taliban and other militant groups. They include the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, some of whose fighters have claimed allegiance to the IS group.
Windscribe is a well-priced VPN service with a healthy number of countries, and a good privacy policy. Power users will also enjoy the extra features, including network level tracker and content blocking, and Netflix access for numerous countries.

Windscribe Pro is a good VPN for securing a connection over open Wi-Fi, but what really sets this service apart are the extra features. It also has good speeds, and a very good price.

For well over a year, the company has been working on a new app design, dubbed Windscribe 2.0. The refresh has already rolled out on mobile, but has yet to hit the desktop of either operating system. Well update this review once the app changes, but theres so much to offer with this service we got tired of waiting and decided to plunge ahead.

Note: This review is part of our best VPNs roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.

Security, software, and servers

IDG WIndscribe for Mac

Windscribe is based in Richmond Hill, Ontario and was founded by Yegor Sak and Alex Paguis. The service offers 59 different country connections (plus a Fake Antartica connection) with more than 600 servers. By default, Windscribe uses the IKEv2 protocol, with OpenVPN options as fallback. Data encryption is AES-256 with SHA-512 for data authentication, and the handshake is handled by a 4096-bit RSA key.

The companys privacy policy is fairly straightforward. Windscribe stores the total amount of data transferred through a VPN account every 30 dayseach account has a bandwidth reset date in the My Account section. Windscribe also retains the timestamp of an accounts last activity on the VPN network, and it tracks the number of connections that a single account is using at the same time.

The company says it does not retain your IP address, the sites you visit, or a record of all your VPN sessions. When a connection is active the Windscribe server keeps a few items in memory including your username, time of connection, and the amount of data transferred.

Sign-ups for Windscribe require a username and password. The company doesnt require an email address, but adding one helps in the case of password recoveryusing a good password manager is one way around that. Windscribes privacy policy is not quite as good as Mullvads, which supplies a random code for logging in (and thats it). Still, Windscribe is a good choice for privacy based on what we know.

Windscribe is a simple little box displaying a large power button, the current IP address, and the country connection choice. Click the latter and the window extends with a list of all 59 countries where Windscribe has servers available.

IDG Windscribe for Mac with a live connection.

Click on the desired country and Windscribe will either connect automatically or display a secondary drop-down with all possible regional connections. Selecting U.S. East, for example, will show various choices in Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, and so on.

When Windscribe is active it automatically enables its internet kill switch, dubbed the Firewall, to prevent online activities from being exposed on an open network.

All pretty standard stuff in a package that looks nice and is very easy to use.

Windscribe also works with Netflix. Originally, the company did this via dedicated servers labeled Windflix for the U.S., Canada, Japan, and the UK. Now, however, Windscribe supports Netflix in 27 different countries including the U.S., Canada, and the UK. Windscribe also supports more than 48 streaming services in various countries around the world such as BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, SkyGo, and others.

Now, lets get to those useful extra features. Windscribe includes a set it and forget it blocker that works at the DNS and IP level, making it possible to set these options once and apply it to all your devices. Windscribe calls it the Remote Omnidirectional Badware Eliminating Robotic Tool, or R.O.B.E.R.T. for short.

By default it blocks malware, ads, and trackers when connected to the VPN, but it can also block social media sites and trackers, porn, gambling, fake news and clickbait, other VPNs, and cryptominers.

These features are adjustable from the account page on Windscribes website; the blocking preferences reach out to all devices where Windscribe is installed. The only exception being the Windscribe browser extensions, which use a blocking mechanism thats independent of the Windscribe apps, for now.

IDG Windscribes basic settings for R.O.B.E.R.T.

Overall, R.O.B.E.R.T. worked really well. It had no trouble blocking sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as most porn sites on page one of Google results. Digging into pages 8-12 of Google, there were one or two porn sites that got past the blockers, but overall it was surprisingly good. Just remember this feature only works when youre connected to the VPN.

Next, theres the browser extension, which has a ton of extras. Originally, the Windscribe browser extension was just like most other VPNs, a way to connect to a proxy that only affects your browser. It does that, but it also has a secure link generator, a fancy URL-shortening service that we explained in PCWorlds Windscribe review.

In addition, the extension has tracker blockers, and the ability to block requests for website notifications. There are also spoofers for syncing a systems GPS location and timestamp to that of the connected server. Finally, the extension supports double-hop VPN connections in conjunction with Windscribe for Mac.

Performance

IDG Windscribes Firefox add-on on Mac.

Windscribe has pretty good speeds. In our tests over three different days, Windscribe retained about 25 percent of the base speeds. That puts it in the middle of the pack, with especially solid performance for U.S., UK, and German connections. Australia was mostly weak, while speeds in Japan would vary between average to incredible.

Overall, Winsdscribes speeds should be acceptable for most uses including gaming.
A Melbourne man who did odd jobs for his elderly neighbour and told police he stumbled on the "vulnerable" widow's bloodied body is to stand trial for her murder.

Stuart Anderson, 39, was charged in December with murdering 77-year-old Vicki Ramadan, eight months after claiming he found her body in the hallway of her home in Marlborough Way, Sydenham on April 6, 2019.

Vicki Ramadan was found dead in her Sydenham home. Credit:

He initially told police that he often did odd jobs for Ms Ramadan and had gone to talk to her about repairing a fence when he stumbled upon her body in a pool of her own blood.

He also claimed her back gate was wide open and rear door broken.
Description

GIS  29 April, 2020 : Government will gradually relax lockdown rules in the wake of falling Covid-19 cases and reassures the population that the situation regarding the evolution of Covid-19 in Mauritius is under control.





The spokesperson of the National Communication Committee on the Covid-19, Dr Zouberr Joomaye, made this statement during the daily press briefing this evening at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. He appealed to citizens to act in a responsible manner and to trust the system put in place regarding the testing of suspected Covid-19 cases including frontliners.

Moreover, with regard to the Covid-19 testing, Dr Joomaye reiterated that both the PCR tests and the rapid antigen tests are being carried out within the established norms and standards under the set protocol. As at date, 15 893 PCR tests have been carried out including 615 tests conducted within the last 24 hours. As for the rapid antigen tests, 14 305 frontliners have been screened so far, he added.

Regarding the anti-influenza exercise for the winter season 2020, which has resumed today, he stated that some 6 119 persons have already been vaccinated.





Covid-19 statistics:





Positive Covid-19 cases stand at 332

Thirteen active cases in Mauritius

Number of successfully treated patients stand at 306

Ten Covid-19 related deaths have been registered

Twenty-nine passengers are under quarantine

#ResOuLakaz #BeSafeMoris
Libreville, Gabon (PANA) - The Gabon government, much against expectation, Tuesday decreed a partial easing of lock-down of the population while asking for restriction measures and the compulsory wearing of masks in the streets, markets and big stores
Portland said it will take a closer look at giving people walking or riding bikes ways to easily maintain healthy social distancing, either by installing temporary barriers on some streets to slow down traffic, restricting vehicle access to others or creating pop-up" bike and pedestrian areas in parts of town.

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees the transportation bureau, made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

City officials said they could start making some of those changes such as installing barriers or restricting vehicle access on so-called neighborhood greenways, as soon as next week. Other changes are likely weeks away.

The proposed changes come as the city has seen a dramatic decrease in vehicle traffic, up to 50% in some areas, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and dramatic social distancing guidelines.

While traffic is down, speeding remains an issue, and safety for people walking and biking has been a concern for transit advocates for years. Last year, Portland saw its deadliest year for traffic fatalities since 1997. Traffic deaths as of April 17 declined from 15 last year to 12 this year. But the city saw 28 days come and go with no fatalities, from March 17 to April 14, the longest such stretch since a 35-day period in late 2018.

Portland officials watched in recent weeks as denser cities including Seattle, Denver, New York City and others rolled out detailed plans to give pedestrians and cyclists more real estate on city roads to maintain social distancing.

Now, the city transportation bureau said, its ready to dig in, though it doesnt have many specifics on what that means just yet.

Certainly, there are people who wish we had gone much faster, said John Brady, a transportation spokesman, but we wanted to do it right and with some intention.

In typical Portland fashion, that means the city will consult with its various citizen committees  the bicycle and pedestrian committees in this case  before proposing specific areas to target. The city said in a statement it would host a series of digital meetings with community, business, and neighborhood groups to collect input on how our streets can best serve all Portlanders both during and after this public health crisis.

Brady said that the changes the city settles on will benefit the public during the ongoing stay-home orders and after theyre lifted.

Were going to need more space once the stay at home order is lifted, he said, citing an expected uptick in traffic, commercial activity and other business life. How long that lasts, when that happens, we dont know all that stuff.

According to a news release, the initial focus will be on addressing the 100 miles of neighborhood greenways, streets already designed, ideally, to be safe, accessible streets for people to walk and bike. Many of those streets have become particularly busy with bike and pedestrian traffic, particularly on sunny days, during the more than a month-long stay-home order in effect from Gov. Kate Browns office.

Brady stressed that the city program wont mean all 100 miles will have some sort of barrier or treatment.

In a statement, Eudaly said her bureau was carefully considering how transportation behavior has changed and how it needs to change, not just as we recover from this crisis, but to support a sustainable future.

Shes calling the new program Slow Streets Safe Streets and said it would provide the space Portlanders need to move around our city safely and improve how we share our right of way."

In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive on April 7, Eudaly said she and the city transportation bureau made a judgment call early on not to close down streets. She said at the time that it may seem like an obvious solution to crowding for pedestrian, but she was worried it would lead to overcrowding in some areas. She was also focused on ways to make any changes equitable.

There are obvious areas that would make the most sense or might be easier to shut down to through traffic, she said in the April 7 interview, but those wont benefit the vast majority of people.

Brady said its not immediately known what that would mean for individual neighborhood greenways  like North Willamette Boulevard, Northeast Going Street or Southeast Salmon Street. Some greenways already have traffic diverters in place. He said the city may look to install temporary barriers on those streets to further slowdown drivers and make them pay attention.

Other roads may be ripe for so-called Better Naito treatment, a nod to the downtown arterial where bikes and pedestrians are physically separated by plastic wands. Brady said vehicle lanes could be converted to those purposes, but he said there were no immediately specifics. Parking spaces could be removed in other areas to give space for people waiting in line for takeout orders.

When asked what the need was, in terms of streets that could use additional right of way converted to non-motor traffic, Brady said, thats hard to say at this point.

The initiative calls for expanded pedestrian zones along streets that are narrow or have missing sidewalks. The plan, which did not include specific streets or neighborhoods, also calls for addressing safety concerns at intersections "with high foot traffic."

Other proposals include creating dedicated loading zones for pickup and delivery in business districts to help customers maintain social distancing.

Its not clear if all the projects will be here to stay once the city returns to some degree of normalcy.

When we reach the point that we can re-open, we want to make sure our transportation system is ready, Chris Warner, the citys transportation director, said in a statement. Portlanders have made great use of their neighborhood streets to walk, bike , and roll during the pandemic. Weve designed the Slow Streets Safe Streets initiative to make sure they can continue to do this safely as we get back closer to normal.

Jillian Detweiler, executive director of the nonprofit transit advocacy group The Street Trust, said the proposals are very much needed and she hopes the first round of many.

She said shes heard of many parts of town where theres not enough space for people to safely walk around -- and for different reasons. Northwest Portland is tough due to the density and small sidewalks. East Portland is a challenge because of the lack of sidewalks in some areas and huge multi-lane roads carving through neighborhoods.

We need to continue to rebuild the transportation network in Portland to always put walking biking and transit first, she said, while adding, that reconstruction will be important once the city returns to some semblance of its former self.

When people start traveling around the city again, its important that there are safe ways to do that without cars, she said.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Kim Jong Un warns of 'possible food shortages', longer COVID lockdown in North Korea

Kim Jong Un's sister says US 'seeks to comfort itself'

North Korea seeks to restore hotline with the South

N.Korea calls for unity on anniversary of Kim Jong Il's death

Who is the potential successor to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Apr 29: Seoul repeatedly has denied that its supreme leader Kim Jong Un's health was in dire peril after his heart surgery.

Speculation surrounding Kim Jong's health first began after he was absent from the April 15th celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, whose birthday is thought to be the country's most important holiday.

His death would likely create instability in the country because there is no clear plan of his succession.

South Korea maintains Kim Jong Un health rumours are untrue

Observers are looking at Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un as a potential front-runner to take over the family.

Here are some key points about Kim Yo Jong:

Kim Yo Jong was born in Pyongyang, the North Korea capital, and later went to the Liebefeld-Steinholzli public school in Bern, Switzerland, for several years - the same school attended by her brother

Born in Pyongyang, the North Korea capital, Kim Yo Jong went to the Liebefeld-Steinholzli public school in Bern, Switzerland, the same school attended by her brother.

Kim Yo Jong rumoured to be 36 years old, approximately four years younger than her brother and reportedly is the youngest child of former leader Kim Jong Il.

Kim Yo Jong's first public appearance was at her father's funeral in 2011. Since then, she is working quietly in the background of Kim Jong Un's regime. She accompanied Kim Jong Un in 2018 as he met South Korean leader Moon Jae-in during the historic summit between the two nations.

Kim Yo Jong would be the first woman to rule over North Korea, the country which has built up its nuclear stronghold despite the rest of the country living in poverty.

Kim Yo Jong's reputation has suggested that she would rule much in the vein of her brother.

US officials placed her on a blacklist in 2017 for human-rights abuses.

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Story first published: Wednesday, April 29, 2020, 11:54 [IST]
Gold is performing wonderfully as a safe-haven asset. While stocks continue to look uncertain, it has reached $1,700 per ounce. Many analysts now believe its destined for new U.S. dollar highs. Franco Nevada (TSX:FNV)(NYSE:FNV) offers one interesting way to take advantage of this situation and perhaps hedge your TFSA with gold.

As a royalty and streaming company, Franco Nevada provides gold miners with capital to develop new projects. In return, they receive either a royalty (a percentage of the revenues) or a streaming deal (the right to buy the mined gold at a favourable price).

You can think of it as having a big, fat call option on gold. When prices rise, their margins can rapidly grow.

A Goldilocks business model?

Heres whats most astonishing about Franco Nevada.

It has a market capitalization of $33.5 billion, yet only has 38 full-time employees. That is almost a billion dollars of market cap per employee!

It is hard to imagine how any other business model could be this efficient. Even Amazon has significantly less market cap per employee.

Or compare it to any large gold miner.

On a big mine, you might expect to see the monstrous $5.5 million Caterpillar 797 truck. Each tire for this vehicle costs $42,500!

Franco Nevada deals with none of these logistical headaches. It simply assesses the opportunity and decides whether or not to invest.

Physical gold is only getting harder to find

Due to the coronavirus, a number of miners are temporarily closed.

Many of the major mines are closed also.

Its causing the premiums on physical gold to explode. Meanwhile, miners are having to cover their unavoidable overheads while revenues are slashed. Of course, this poses some risk for Franco Nevada, but I believe those risks are outweighed by the rewards.

For starters, Franco Nevada (as reported in November 2019) has 374 well-diversified assets, most of which are in safe jurisdictions across Canada, the U.S., and Latin America.

Whats more, youd expect Franco Nevada to benefit from higher prices once the mines are back online.

Story continues

How risky is Franco Nevada?

I think a sensible answer is, riskier than bullion, but less risky than miners.

If youre looking to hedge your TFSA, you might take a closer look at Franco Nevada.

Its debts are miniscule, with a debt/equity ratio of 0.02. It also has $172.5 million of free cash flow.

In terms of its track record, Franco Nevada is a marvel. Since its inception in 2008, it has produced a better-than-average 16% annual return. Canadian IPO investors are now realizing a 9.3% dividend yield. Remember, thats including the vicious gold bear market, which began in 2011.

Unfortunately, this track record has not been overlooked by the markets. Shares are by no means cheap, and youll pay a premium for the relative safety.

I would also expect more upside from miners like Barrick Gold  if you can stomach the risk.

On balance, if I had no gold bullion, I would probably consider putting 3-5% of my TFSA into Franco Nevada.

The post Gold Alert: Is Franco Nevada (TSX:FNV) a Goldilocks Stock to Buy and Hold? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fools board of directors. Fool contributorAlex Busson owns shares of Barrick Gold. David Gardner owns shares of Amazon. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and recommends the following options: short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon and long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
The lock-down was of course necessary, but it should have been done earlier and with better planning.





by K P Fabian





The deadly contagion Covid-19 came to the world in 2020. Unfortunately, our world lacks leaders with 20-20 vision. The humans caught the disease from bats. The human beings should have left the bats alone in their caves. But, the reckless urge to dominate mother nature is regrettably too strong.





It all started in Wuhan, China. The mayor there abused his authority and prevented the media from carrying the news of instances of pneumonia of unknown origin in December 2019. He punished a young doctor who raised the alarm. The mayor wanted to go ahead with his plans for a huge dinner for 40,000 families on 18th January. That day the virus went viral.













President Xi Jinping was slow to act. On 31st December 2019, China informed the World Health Organization of cases of pneumonia, specifying that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.





The W.H.O. moved at a snails pace. It declared a pandemic only on March 12 2020, after 20,000 had tested positive and 1000 died.





Among the world leaders President Trump tops the list of those who acted irresponsibly. He initially dismissed it as a flue, an instance of a dangerous unscientific temper. President Bolsonaro of Brazil still goes around shaking hands. He has dismissed his health minister who took responsible action to stop the contagion.





Prime Minister Johnson of the U.K. too was dismissive in the beginning till he got it. He has come back from hospital, but not yet back in office.





Italy was the worst affected in Europe. Spain, France, and the U.K. are following closely.





India declared a nation-wide lock-down on 24th March. This was too late. The first infection detected was in Kerala on 30th January, of a student who had returned from Wuhan. The same day the W.H.O. had declared a Public Health Emergency of Global Concern. By 25th January, the alert Minister of Health Smt. K.K. Shailaja had set up a high-level committee of 18. However, there was no conversation between Kerala and the Government of India that stopped air travel to and from China only on 5th March.





The lock-down was of course necessary, but it should have been done earlier and with better planning. Indias economy has suffered, not to mention the suffering of the people. All economic activities compatible with social distancing should have continued.




The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders has expressed disappointment over the shutdown of GC-Net and West Blue platforms at the ports on Tuesday, 28 April for almost 48 hours.

This is in respect of the overwriting of the GC-NET and West Blue system by the UNI-PASS system.

According to them, the new Customs Integrated System, UNIPASS, failed to operationalise at the Tema Ports on Tuesday as scheduled.

This, to some extent, has brought operations to a near-halt.

The Chairman of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders at the Tema Port, Mr Asiamah, said: Yesterday, there was an issue with the system that we use at the port to work  the GC-Net and West Blue system was shut down because of the earlier instruction given to them by the government. Because of that, work couldnt go on.

In fact, we were told yesterday that there were meetings going on to sort out the problem. Since yesterday, our technical team and management team are on the ground monitoring events.

Explaining further, he said that all stakeholders including importers and the government will lose heavily because of the challenges being experienced at the ports.

Of course, all the people in the chain of our business will be affected including government itself; the revenue collection, since yesterday, will be affected.

The issue about the UNI-PASS system has sparked controversy with importers, exporters, GIFF and civil society group IMANI Africa expressing worry about the system.

They want the two systems (UNI-PASS and GCNet/West Blue) to operate hand in hand till the end of the year to ensure the smooth operations of the payment system.

The Ghana Revenue Authority, in a statement, assured importers of the restoration of the GC-Net system today, Wednesday, 29 April 2020.

It added that the discussions are almost concluded and management is hopeful that the GC-Net GCMS system will be operational by today 29 April 2020.

Some angry freight forwarders who got stranded at the Tema Port on Wednesday described the situation as "shambolic" and a "waste".

---classfmonline
Using advanced techniques, scientists have detected organic compounds containing nitrogen in Martian meteorites which were ejected from Mars' surface ~ 15 million years ago, proving that evidence for early life can be preserved and detected today

A research team including research scientist Atsuko Kobayashi from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan and research scientist Mizuho Koike from the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, have found nitrogen-bearing organic material in carbonate minerals in a Martian meteorite. This organic material has most likely been preserved for 4 billion years since Mars' Noachian age. Because carbonate minerals typically precipitate from the groundwater, this finding suggests a wet and organic-rich early Mars, which could have been habitable and favourable for life to start.

For decades, scientists have tried to understand whether there are organic compounds on Mars and if so, what their source is. Although recent studies from rover-based Mars exploration have detected strong evidence for Martian organics, little is known about where they came from, how old they are, how widely distributed and preserved they may be, or what their possible relationship with biochemical activity could be.

Martian meteorites are pieces of Mars' surface that were themselves blasted into space by meteor impacts, and which ultimately landed on Earth. They provide important insights into Martian history. One meteorite in particular, named Allan Hills (ALH) 84001, named for the region in Antarctica it was found in 1984, is especially important. It contains orange-coloured carbonate minerals, which precipitated from salty liquid water on Mars' near-surface 4 billion years ago. As these minerals record Mars' early aqueous environment, many studies have tried to understand their unique chemistry and whether they might provide evidence for ancient life on Mars. However, previous analyses suffered from contamination with terrestrial material from Antarctic snow and ice, making it difficult to say how much of the organic material in the meteorite were truly Martian. In addition to carbon, nitrogen (N) is an essential element for terrestrial life and a useful tracer for planetary system evolution. However, due to previous technical limitations, nitrogen had not yet been measured in ALH84001.

This new research conducted by the joint ELSI-JAXA team used state-of-the-art analytical techniques to study the nitrogen content of the ALH84001 carbonates, and the team is now confident they have found the first solid evidence for 4-billion-year-old Martian organics containing nitrogen.

Terrestrial contamination is a serious problem for studies of extraterrestrial materials. To avoid such contamination, the team developed new techniques to prepare the samples with. For example, they used silver tape in an ELSI clean lab to pluck off the tiny carbonate grains, which are about the width of a human hair, from the host meteorite. The team then prepared these grains further to remove possible surface contaminants with a scanning electron microscope-focused ion beam instrument at JAXA. They also used a technique called Nitrogen K-edge micro X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (-XANES) spectroscopy, which allowed them to detect nitrogen present in very small amounts and to determine what chemical form that nitrogen was in. Control samples from nearby igneous minerals gave no detectable nitrogen, showing the organic molecules were only in the carbonate.

After the careful contamination checks, the team determined the detected organics were most likely truly Martian. They also determined the contribution of nitrogen in the form of nitrate, one of the strong oxidants on current Mars, was insignificant, suggesting the early Mars probably did not contain strong oxidants, and as scientists have suspected, it was less-oxidizing than it is today.

Mars' present surface is too harsh for most organics to survive. However, scientists predict that organic compounds could be preserved in near-surface settings for billions of years. This seems to be the case for the nitrogen-bearing organic compounds the team found in the ALH84001 carbonates, which appear to have been trapped in the minerals 4 billion years ago and preserved for long periods before finally being delivered to Earth.

The team agrees that there are many important open questions, such as where did these nitrogen-containing organics come from? Kobayashi explains, 'There are two main possibilities: either they came from outside Mars, or they formed on Mars. Early in the Solar System's history, Mars was likely showered with significant amounts of organic matter, for example from carbon-rich meteorites, comets and dust particles. Some of them may have dissolved in the brine and been trapped inside the carbonates.' The research team lead, Koike adds that alternatively, chemical reactions on early Mars may have produced the N-bearing organics on-site. Either way, they say, these findings show there was organic nitrogen on Mars before it became the red planet we know today; early Mars may have been more 'Earth-like', less oxidising, wetter, and organic-rich. Perhaps it was 'blue.'

###

Reference

Mizuho Koike1, Ryoichi Nakada2, Iori Kajitani1,3, Tomohiro Usui1,4, Yusuke Tamenori5, Haruna Sugahara1, and Atsuko Kobayashi4,6* In-situ preservation of nitrogen-bearing organics in Noachian Martian carbonates, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15931-4

Affiliations

1. Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.

2. Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). 200 Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan.

3. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo. 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.

4. Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology. 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.

5. Spectroscopy and Imaging Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute. 1-1-1 Koto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan

6. Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A.

More information

Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) stands at the forefront of research and higher education as the leading university for science and technology in Japan. Tokyo Tech researchers excel in fields ranging from materials science to biology, computer science, and physics. Founded in 1881, Tokyo Tech hosts over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students per year, who develop into scientific leaders and some of the most sought-after engineers in industry. Embodying the Japanese philosophy of "monotsukuri," meaning "technical ingenuity and innovation," the Tokyo Tech community strives to contribute to society through high-impact research.

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is one of Japan's ambitious World Premiere International research centers, whose aim is to achieve progress in broadly inter-disciplinary scientific areas by inspiring the world's greatest minds to come to Japan and collaborate on the most challenging scientific problems. ELSI's primary aim is to address the origin and co-evolution of the Earth and life.

The World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) was launched in 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to help build globally visible research centers in Japan. These institutes promote high research standards and outstanding research environments that attract frontline researchers from around the world. These centers are highly autonomous, allowing them to revolutionize conventional modes of research operation and administration in Japan.
Designed specifically for retail and e-commerce, the framework assesses readiness and response capabilities for a rapidly changing, volatile market; delivers next steps and resources for business survival

ATLANTA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Exponea, the global market-leading Customer Data and Experience Platform (CDXP), launched its "New Normal" framework in response to COVID-19. The framework includes a comprehensive self-assessment exercise, placement on the New Normal Ecommerce Quadrant, and a tailored step-by-step guide to improving a company's position based on results.

Volatility in customer behavior patterns has drastically increased since the global shelter-in-place mandate, making an already challenging landscape even more unpredictable. In order for businesses everywhere to sustain and grow during this time -- particularly those being forced into digital transformation out of necessity -- Exponea advocates for maturity improvement in two primary areas:

Understanding customers: a continuously updated view of how customer behaviors are changing moment to moment

a continuously updated view of how customer behaviors are changing moment to moment Understanding capabilities: implementing the digital capabilities needed to execute on understanding; specifically those related to omnichannel communication and quick response times

The New Normal assessment aims to gauge a company's standing in these two areas and deliver the next steps needed to immediately begin improving their odds of survival.

"Retailers are going to feel the effects of shelter-in-place for a long time, whether or not the mandate is lifted," said Peter Irikovsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Exponea. "Just in the last few weeks, our users have seen an influx of customers, fewer touchpoints to purchase, traditional channels outperforming 'smart' or AI-powered channels, wildly different email behaviors, and so on. Their success in the face of all this has been the ability to repeatedly pivot in an instant. We released this framework because we believe it delivers a powerful, yet simple directive for surviving and thriving in the 'new normal,' and we want every retailer to be able to take advantage of these insights and launch their digital transformation with the right steps."

One such example of Exponea's ability to enable quick pivoting is OluKai, a footwear company with a rich history in Hawaii. In response to COVID-19, they wanted to create supportive messaging that still fit within their brand values, rather than simply address the pandemic. The team initiated a brainstorming session and came up with the idea for a new campaign on Thursday, March 12th. The campaign went live on Friday, March 13th and managed to surpass their average campaign performance .

"OluKai is committed to doing what it takes to overcome COVID-19," said Steven Johnson, Director of eCommerce. "As health and safety are paramount in every aspect of our business, we're currently working from home (in sandals) and offering unlimited paid sick leave. Instead of leading with that, our goal with this campaign and everything else we do is to keep sharing our aloha with you, no matter where you are. Exponea allows us to communicate more personally, directly with our consumers in record time. This campaign would have been much more challenging to execute before integrating Exponea into our team."

Developed based on the exhaustive research of their own clients, Exponea's self-assessment places subjects in a New Normal Ecommerce Quadrant:

Traditionalist : Companies new to online experiences; likely forced to change by shelter-in-place or started just shortly before. Business survival is at risk.

: Companies new to online experiences; likely forced to change by shelter-in-place or started just shortly before. New Normal Theorist : Companies with good insights into their customers, but are lacking the ability to execute quickly on all channels. Performance is at risk.

: Companies with good insights into their customers, but are lacking the ability to execute quickly on all channels. New Normal Experimentalist : Companies with advanced omni-channel execution capabilities, but lacking insight into their customers' changing behaviors. Loyalty is at risk.

: Companies with advanced omni-channel execution capabilities, but lacking insight into their customers' changing behaviors. New Normal Leader: Companies that are prepared for the new normal. They can benefit from ideas for advanced use cases, but they have the foundation needed to succeed in this new environment.

The assessment is free, and participants are sent resources based on their results that are designed to help quickly identify and prioritize their next steps. Early results include those of an unnamed client in the fashion e-commerce industry, which revealed vastly different shopping times and entry points, as well as an unexpected spike in Outlook 2016 usage.

Exponea's "New Normal" launch follows its announcement of free access to the Web-layers Starter product during the month of April. Designed for crisis communications, the tool streamlines communications between companies and their customers by using HTML/CSS/Javascript to deliver information, unlike typical pop-up banners which are often stopped by ad blockers.

"We want retailers and ecommerce businesses to know that it's more than possible to generate revenue and transform your brand and that we're here to help that effort in any way we can," said Amanda Elam, Exponea's Chief Marketing Officer. "These are uncertain times, but as marketers, we cannot accept uncertainty in our technology, our data, or our ability to execute. Exponea is dedicated to providing real value that marketers can count on, both now and in the future."

For more information on the "New Normal" framework, take the assessment yourself or visit Exponea's blog for more in-depth coverage.

About Exponea

Exponea is the world's leading Customer Data and Experience Platform (CDXP). Built from the ground up for retail and e-commerce, Exponea collects and unifies data from all customer touchpoints to give businesses the insights and action opportunities they need to execute campaigns that deliver real results. We pride ourselves on empowering marketers to be more relevant, efficient, and crazy-fast. Companies we've partnered with on this mission include Desigual, Missguided, the Arcadia Group, OluKai, and Altar'd State.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1080342/Exponea_Logo.jpg
Authorities are currently searching for a missing Fort Hood soldier who has not been seen since Wednesday. 20-year-old Vanessa Guillen was last seen in her barracks' parking lot at the Fort Hood Army post on April 22, at around 1 p.m.

Based on a news release posted by Fort Hood via Twitter, a reward amounting to $15,000 is being offered by the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) to anyone with information leading to the whereabouts of Guillen.



Personal Items Found and Her Last Whereabouts

According to the report, keys to the missing soldier's car and room were found in the armory where it was earlier working in the day, together with her wallet and identification card. Relatively, a wide-ranging search has been initiated for the soldier who has been missing for a couple of days now.

More so, a private first class, Guillen was last seen, as indicated in the release, wearing a black T-shirt. The officials of Fort Hood, as well as the US Army CID special agents, have asked the public for help in searching for Guillen.

Additionally, a be on the lookout, or BOLO, notice was issued to the law enforcement in the said area. According to the release, a wide-ranging search is ongoing and is led by the members of the military, the military police, and the civilians.

Guillen stands at 5-feet-2-inches and weighs 126 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. In connection to this, officials have also asked anyone who has any information about the whereabouts of Guillen to call the special agents of the Army CID or the military police.



Other Indications Identifying the Missing Soldier

In a flyer posted on a Facebook page created intended for the finding of the missing soldier, Guillen was said to be in black Nike sneakers and light purple leggings, too, when she was last seen. In addition, she has tattoos on her left arm and shoulder.

The missing soldier's sister, Mayra explained to the Austin American-Statesman, she was an award that something was not right when her sister had not contacted any of them by 9 p.m. on Wednesday and started to contact her sergeant.

In addition, Mayra said, that she traveled from her Houston home to Killen search for her sister there. Killen is the city where the base is situated.

Mayra Guillen also said she traveled from her home in Houston to search for her sister in Killeen, the city where the base is located.



Longing for Her Sister

Mayra said, via an Austin newspaper, that her sister is "such a positive and hardworking girl." She added, Vanessa wanted to enter the military to experience a better opportunity. And right now, she said she feels "completely lost," and she doesn't know what to do.

Incidentally, the Fort Food Military Police released on Friday, an alert for the soldier. Additionally, a notice to the law enforcement in the nearby central Texas communities was also issued. And, as earlier mentioned, the public was encouraged to contact the officials for any information that would help locate the missing soldier.

Specifically, the military police encouraged everyone to call the military police at or the Army investigators 254-495-7767. People who opt to stay anonymous are to be honored to the degree which the law allows, and the information will be guaranteed to be held strictly confidential.



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After being blacklisted in the United States, Huawei's domestic smartphone sales in China had been a bulwark for the company. As the pandemic epicenter currently recovering from the outbreak, the company's domestic phone businesses now face increasing challenges.

Following the deceleration of COVID-19 local infections, the smartphone giant and telecom equipment company had largely resumed their smartphone production by the end of March.

But despite the company's progress, Forbes said that they are now facing problems on the demand as the Chinese economy slowly pulls back on purchases, selling phones now is a daunting task.

Research and advisory firm Gartner's senior director analyst, CK Lu shared that consumption is being continuously affected.

He also added that in this environment, it would be considered a really good result if a company can maintain the same level of shipments as last year.

According to a transcript of billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, Huawei sells an average of 450,000 phones domestically on a daily basis, while international market sales are declining specifically due to the US blacklisting the company.

The Shenzhen-based company is launching new devices more frequently adding offers for aggressive discounts on some entry-level models to fend off rising competition, as major phone brands from Apple and Xiaomi now focusing more on China as their market based on an analyst.

Read also: Why You Should Get Google Home | 10 Useful Features for Quarantine



The introduction in April of several new models to its Nova and Honor lines, which analysts shared that both hit the market earlier than expected and it also launched an online event in March for the company's flagship P40 series, upcoming phones with enhanced lenses and bigger camera sensors only proves Huawei's aggression on sales.

Senior analyst at research firm Strategy Analytics, Wu Yiwen said that the company (Huawei) has accelerated the new product cycle.

Analyst at market research firm Canalys, Jia Mo, shared that the company's rich pipeline of phones could still help to grab local market share on top of the record 38.5% gathered last year. But the China market itself could contract from 2019's 371 million devices shipped to anywhere between 326 million and 284 million this year. Considering the possibility that Huawei's market share extends up to a conservative 40%, the company could ship 113.6 million units in China by the year ends, a decrease from 142 million in 2019, based estimates using Canalys data.

After the Trump administration put Huawei on the so-called entity list, which curbs the export of American technology on the grounds of national security issues, the company's devices have been deprived of crucial Google services, such as Maps, Gmail, and even Youtube.

But despite the blacklisting and deprivation, Huawei adapted to the situation and launched its own software services, however, they have not gained much attention abroad as Google already cemented its name in the international market.

But in China, the lack of Google products is not a problem as Beijing has long blocked a large number of Western platforms and promoted local alternatives, patronizing the Chinese technology and putting the profit to local investors rather than foreigners.

Related article: China Attempts to Steal Coronavirus Research Through Heightened Cyber-Attacks, US Says

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As India and the world battle the Covid-19 crisis, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is gearing up to launch a series of video dialogues with public intellectuals, starting with economist and former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan, taking stock of the situation and what lies ahead.

The dialogue with Rajan, which is over an hour long, includes a detailed discussion on the state of the economy and how to revive it in the midst of the coronavirus disease pandemic. The discussion was in English via videoconferencing, Congress functionaries said.

Congress social media head Rohan Gupta told Hindustan Times that the video will be launched tomorrow. The discussion is about the fallout of the coronavirus crisis and how it will impact the economy. They also discuss how to convert it into an opportunity, Gupta added.

It is the first in a series of videos dialogues that Gandhi will be conducting with intellectuals, including public health specialists and activists working at the grassroots level across the world, a Congress functionary said, requesting anonymity.

The dialogue is pre-recorded and will be disseminated by the Congress on social media over the next couple of days.

This is different, said a second Congress functionary. He (Gandhi) is not talking about the BJP {Bharatiya Janata Party} at all. The entire conversation revolves around the state of the economy.

Gandhi and Rajan discuss solutions that may be viable in the post-Covid world, the second functionary added, with the primary issue being the economy of the country.

States are facing huge losses, said the first functionary. The issue of loss of revenue, GST payments not coming in, all play a part in the discussion.

A slew of changes in the party has recently been interpreted by many Congress leaders as a sign of Gandhis possible return to the post of party president. Most recently, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi constituted an 11-member consultative group under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs leadership to discuss matters related to the Covid-19 pandemic and to formulate the partys views on them.

The group also includes Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Singh Surjewala, KC Venugopal, P Chidambaram, Manish Tewari, Jairam Ramesh, Praveen Chakravarty, Gaurav Vallabh, Supriya Shrinate and Rohan Gupta. This is the first time Rahul Gandhi has become a member of a party panel since he stepped down as the Congress chief last year. The group has been holding extensive meetings and offering suggestions to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on how to address the Covid-19 crisis.
I certainly dont have any nostalgia for Irish history, I can tell you that, she said in a 2014 interview with Nashville Review. Nobody would who came out of that island.

The same was true of the Irish literary canon as it was defined in her youth.

Im afraid I was one of the critics of the canon, she said. I think everybody knows that the canon in 1950 was exclusive of some of the very important voices. I dont know who could possibly be nostalgic about the canon 75 years ago, certainly not if you were a woman or a minority.

Eavan Frances Boland was born on Sept. 24, 1944, in Dublin. Her father, Frederick, was a diplomat, and her mother, Frances Kelly, was a painter. Because of her fathers diplomatic postings, the family lived in London and New York before returning to Dublin, where Ms. Boland attended Trinity College, receiving a bachelors degree there in 1966. Her first poetry collection, New Territory, was published the next year.

Ms. Boland, who married the novelist Kevin Casey in 1969, acknowledged that it took some time for her to find her poetic voice and to make that voice heard.

The subjects of the Irish poem back then were often landscapes or historical events or political memory, she told the arts and culture magazine Believer in 2014. I was a woman in a house in the suburbs, married with two small children. It was a life lived by many women around me, but it was still not named in Irish poetry.

Ive often said, she added, that when I was young it was easier to have a political murder in a poem than a baby.

She was a lecturer at Trinity while also being a mother.

I used to work out of notebooks, and I learned when I had young children that you can always do something, she told Stanford Magazine in 2002. If you cant do a poem, you can do a line. And if you cant do a line, you can do an image  and that pathway that leads you along, in fragments, becomes astonishingly valuable.
BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland reported 21 new imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Tuesday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 1,660, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.

Of the total imported cases, 1,107 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 553 were being treated in hospitals with 22 in severe conditions, the commission said.

No deaths had been reported from the imported cases.
Former British spy Christopher Steele recently testified that he was contacted by Clinton-ally Strobe Talbott in Summer 2016 regarding his investigation into presidential candidate Donald Trump, after Talbott learned of the investigation from Obama administration officials.

I remember taking a phone call from [Talbott], your Lordship, earlier in the summer, in which he said that he was aware that I had  he spoke in fairly cryptic terms, but he was aware that we had material of relevance to the U.S. election, Steele testified as part of a defamation lawsuit against him in the U.K., according to transcript of the deposition obtained by the Daily Caller.

Talbott, the current president of the Brookings Institution, indicated that he was told of Steeles work by either former national security adviser Susan Rice or former State Department official Victoria Nuland.

Although he didnt state it explicitly, one or either or both of them had briefed him on the work we had been doing, Steele said. Rice spokeswoman Erin Pelton told the Daily Caller that it is utterly and completely false that Rice spoke with Steele. Both Rice and Nuland declined to comment.

Steele went on to provide Talbott with a copy of the dossier in November 2016. And Talbott, who was tapped in 2011 by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to chair the State Departments Foreign Affairs Advisory Board, disseminated the dossier to his Brookings colleague, Fiona Hill in January 2017 while she was serving in the Trump administration.

Talbotts brother-in-law, Cody Shearer, also disseminated his own dossier in 2016 claiming that the Kremlin had video of Trump engaged in sexual behavior in Moscow  a charge that later ended up in Steeles dossier.

Steele also admitted in March that his claim of secret communications between a Russian bank and the Trump presidential campaign was based on a tip from lawyer Michael Sussman, whose firm Perkins Coie represented the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign.

Story continues

Steele further said that his records on all conversations with the primary sub-source of the Steele Dossier, which was used by the FBI as the basis for an investigation of alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives, were deleted in 2017. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) has since asked the Justice Department to release all documents that question the accuracy and reliability of Steeles sources.

More from National Review
The state on Wednesday recorded 597 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to 9,915, even as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) projected that cases in Maharashtras five districts Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban, Pune, Palghar and Thane  could collectively cross 37,000 by May 15.

Of the new infections, Mumbai recorded 475 of them, taking its tally to 6,644. The state recorded its highest single-day toll with 32 deaths, including 26 in Mumbai, taking the total fatalities to 432. The state also recorded its highest number of recoveries in a day with 205 discharged on Wednesday, the health department said.

The rising number of cases would strain the healthcare infrastructure, including ventilators, beds with oxygen, and ICU beds in the state. The Centre has also projected that Mumbai could fall short of isolation beds with oxygen supply, while Pune and Mumbai could fall short of ventilators by May 11.

Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) that includes Palghar and Thane districts, and Pune have the maximum number of cases in Maharashtra. Thane and Palghar districts have 757 and 294 cases respectively.

Pune district, meanwhile, has recorded 1,192 coronavirus cases.

According to the projection of the ministry, Covid-19 cases in Mumbai (city and suburban districts) will reach 28,859 by May 15, while Pune, Thane and Palghar will touch 3,949, 4,181 and 295, respectively.

The doubling rate for Mumbais projection, taken as the input value for the mathematical model, was 7.7 days. While for Pune, it was 9.7 days, for Thane it was 7.4 days and for Palghar, it was 20 days.

Mumbai, which has the highest number of Covid-19 patients, could fall short of isolation beds with oxygen supply by May 11, the projection said. With the spike in cases, Mumbai would be short of 421 ventilators and Pune will be short of 40 ventilators by May 11. Besides, Mumbai will be short of 20,462 isolation beds with oxygen.

The state health department, however, dismissed the projection and said that multiple mathematical models have given various projections and said that it is basing its plans on a realistic assessment.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said that the state may plan to shift asymptomatic patients in Mumbai into home quarantine as per the revised guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It is being said that beds arent available in Mumbai; there have been such complaints. As per the new guidelines of the ICMR, asymptomatic patients can be kept in home quarantine. In Mumbai, 83% of patients are asymptomatic; it may be possible to shift some of them who are not that severe into home quarantine. That way, beds would be made available.

He added that the doubling rate in Mumbai has improved from seven days to 10 days now. The doubling rate in Mumbai has gone to 10 days, which is better than Indias doubling rate that stands at 9 days now. The mortality rate has also reduced. Everybody is focused on Mumbai, he said.

Tope said that institutional quarantine is being ramped up in Mumbai. He assured that the state health department and the civic body is prepared for any level of spike. We have taken the decision to use big grounds to set up beds for institutional quarantine. Oxygen line will be kept beside the beds. No matter how big the spike in Mumbai, we are preparing accordinglyAs we say, hope for the best and prepare the worst, he said.

There are many projection models and no model is perfect. We are making sufficient arrangements based on our analytical assessment. We have adequate infrastructure available with us in various districts to deal with the cases. We are planning on a realistic level. We are seeing the growth rate of the cases in Mumbai and Pune and planning in accordance, said Anup Kumar Yadav, commissioner (family welfare) and director, National Health Mission, Maharashtra.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday said stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students will be allowed to move with conditions during lockdown. The Maharashtra government is preparing guidelines to transport the stranded migrants and other people in the state.

Nodal authorities will be appointed to register the stranded persons. Since the transfer of people will be done by road, the state transport department has kept around 10,000 ST buses ready for the transfer, an official said. Around 20 to 22 people can be seated in one bus, keeping social distancing norms in mind. Around 1.5 lakh people can be transported through the ST buses. The state is also in talks with private bus operators to provide buses.

Meanwhile, Tope took stock of the measures taken in Malegaon in Nashik district as the cases in the area have soared in the past few days, making it another hotspot in the state. According to Tope, the 171 Covid-19 patients in Malegaon are asymptomatic and none of them are critical. The situation is Malegaon is in control. The spread is in a cluster. We have appointed 100 people, including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff for the city. The close contacts will be given hydroxychloroquine as per the guidelines of the ICMR, Tope said. The state home department deployed the State Reserve Police Force in Satranjipur of Nagpur city, which alone has recorded 84 Covid-19 cases.

Maharashtra so far has tested 1,37,159 samples, of which 1,26,376 were negative.
By Jessica Calefati, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Elpidio Espinal Rondon started feeling achy and feverish early this month, but he continued working his graveyard shift at the Bell & Evans poultry-processing plant, where he trims fat off chicken breasts as they rumble down a conveyor belt.

He had no idea that fellow plant worker Arismendi Beras-Mendoza was also ill. His Dominican soul brother, who loved dominoes and was friendly with everyone as he plucked stray bits of raw meat off the factory floor, never complained about any COVID-19 symptoms.

It was only after Beras-Mendozas sudden death from the coronavirus on April 14 that Espinal Rondon called out sick and got tested. He was positive.

He and his late friend were among a group of workers who traveled to and from work in a van driven by a colleague. Crammed together for the 30-mile drive between their homes in Reading and the plant in Fredericksburg, Lebanon County, none of the workers could keep their distance from one another en route to jobs they couldnt afford to give up.

Now, one of their group is dead and the rest are sick  eight virus victims in all.

You cant imagine how difficult it has been, said Espinal Rondon, 53, who said he hasnt been paid since he called out sick. Ive been drinking my own tears suffering this virus alone.

Family-owned Bell & Evans, which specializes in organic, antibiotic-free chicken thats sold at Whole Foods, is the latest poultry processing company to be swept up in the pandemic. And while the company with 1,800 employees continues to operate, more than a dozen meat-processing plants nationwide, including four in Pennsylvania, have had to close temporarily for deep cleaning because so many employees contracted the virus.

Fearful of meat shortages, President Donald Trump on Tuesday used the Defense Production Act to order meat-processing plants to stay open, a move to limit possible liability for companies whose workers get sick on the job. He took the step days after the chairman of the mammoth meat producer Tyson Foods declared that the food supply chain is breaking.

Officials from Bell & Evans did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment for this story.

Jonn Hollenbach, the chief deputy coroner for Berks County, confirmed that the deaths of Beras-Mendoza and the 88-year-old husband of another worker were due to COVID-19.

The companys stricken workers also underscore the diseases spread deeper into rural Pennsylvania and the challenge of controlling the virus in industries where employees toil in close quarters and many low-income workers ride to work together in vans. Berks Countys known coronavirus case count exploded from 369 to 2,600 over the last three weeks, growing faster than any county in the state with at least 100 cases.

Bell & Evans workers who spoke to The Inquirer say theyre scared and want more information on the number of COVID-19 cases at the plant. They believe the company should do more to protect them. The plant is located in Lebanon County, which has a relatively low infection rate. But many of the companys Latino immigrant workers commute from homes in Reading in Berks County, which has seen a spike in new cases over the last three weeks. Infection rates are based on where people live, not where they work.

Some of the workers belong to Make the Road PA, one of the largest Latinx organizations in Pennsylvania with more than 10,000 members. The group has been advocating on behalf of the Bell & Evans workers since the outbreak began.

Three workers interviewed by The Inquirer said that the company was slow to provide them with face masks or start taking temperatures and that while theyve been asked to keep a safe distance from one another, its nearly impossible on a production line. The workers, who arent unionized, also criticized the company for refusing to close the plant for cleaning after Beras-Mendozas death at age 67 more than two weeks ago.

A shopper surveys the overflowing selection of packaged meat in a grocery early Monday, April 27, 2020, in southeast Denver. With closures in meat processing plants across the country because of the spread of the new coronavirus among workers, food analysts are forecasting shortages of beef, pork and poultry on the shelves of the country's supermarkets in the days ahead. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) APAP

Bell & Evans problems arent unique. Coronavirus outbreaks halted production at the Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Hazleton, which closed temporarily earlier this month after 130 workers tested positive, and the JBS Beef slaughterhouse in Souderton, where the union steward contracted the virus and died.

Even if food-processing companies disinfect their plants and keep workers a safe distance from one another, employees could still be bringing the coronavirus into their facilities through their mode of transportation to work.

Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat recently restricted ride-sharing, saying more than four non-family members cannot drive together. Wendell Young IV, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, a union representing 35,000 workers at four Pennsylvania meat plants, has also expressed concern about the peril his members face by riding to work together.

You can enforce all these issues in the workplace, but if how you get to work is not safe, this could be a hazard, said State Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Hazleton). How can you have social distancing when you have 15 people in a van?

Nate Wardle, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, would not say whether the state is aware of the Bell & Evans outbreak or has offered any help to contain it. He added that the state has expedited testing for all food-processing plant employees. Neither Lebanon nor Berks Counties has a health department of its own.

A longtime employee of the plant said she first noticed someone sick on the job about a month ago. She wears earbuds to muffle the sound of the 160,000-square-foot factorys whirring machinery, but she could still hear a woman who arranges pieces of meat on plastic packaging plates loudly coughing.

At first, she thought the hacking was just brought on by an asthma attack, but then the woman started vomiting on the job, and the worker, who asked not to be named because she fears retaliation, knew it was something more serious.

Some sick workers left and came back healthy. Others who came back are still sick, the worker said. People are quitting. People are scared. Were scared of dying.

After Beras-Mendozas death, supervisors gathered workers in small groups to notify them and announce new safety protocols like staggered breaks and more frequent hand-washing. But the employee, who has worked at Bell & Evans happily for 15 years, said she wont feel safe until the plant undergoes a deep cleaning.

She cited one fellow employee who has diabetes, one of the conditions that make people more susceptible to a deadly bout of the virus. She knows of two workers on the day shift who are hospitalized now.

If we get sick, they should pay us. Thats the least they can do, said the worker, who shared that her pay has increased to $15 an hour since the start of the pandemic.

Workers say many of their sick colleagues labor in Plant 1, where Bell & Evans slaughters chickens using a technique called slow induction anesthesia. The massive facility on U.S. Route 22 has two connected plants.

First the chickens are slowly made unconscious with gas, then theyre hung on a moving line where blades cut their neck. Company president Scott Sechler has compared the process to a human getting anesthesia before surgery and never waking up. He previously told The Inquirer that the process is more humane and leads to a better-quality meat.

In Plant 1, workers select birds to sell whole, and carve and trim ones that are sold for their breasts and thighs.

Rafael Ferreirass stepmother works in Plant 1, where she carves chicken legs.

When he first learned about the coronavirus, Ferreiras, 57, made his 88-year-old father with high blood pressure promise not to leave his home in Reading, one of the nations poorest cities of its size. (Ferreiras and his father share the same name.) And for six weeks, things were fine. But Ferreiras hadnt considered the danger of his stepmother continuing to report to work at Bell & Evans.

She kept working even after she started feeling sick because she was afraid she would lose her job if she called out, said Ferreiras. And on several occasions, she made the 30-mile commute to and from work in the same van as Espinal Rondon and Beras-Mendoza.

When his father started struggling to breathe, Ferreiras stepmother urged her husband to go to the hospital, but the stubborn old man with a bald head and a sweet smile who had worked as a carpenter in the Dominican Republic refused. Ferreiras eventually called an ambulance. His father lived only three days after being admitted to Reading Hospital.

We feel so bad that we lost him. We thought he was safe over there. We just found out he wasnt, said Ferrerias, who works in construction.

Ferrerias doesnt blame his stepmother for getting sick at work. He blames Bell & Evans for not doing enough to keep workers safe.

Another Bell & Evans employee who lives in Reading and rode in the van with workers who contracted the virus said he started noticing cold symptoms the week before Easter. He asked not to be identified because he feared retaliation from his employer.

He didnt see a doctor right away and instead tried the home remedies that have always soothed him  aspirin, orange juice, salt-water gargles, and lemony steam.

When the worker learned that Beras-Mendoza had fallen ill, he called to suggest his friend try some of the remedies he had seen cure the sick many times since his childhood. But he never heard back. Beras-Mendoza died on April 14, the day before new rules were enacted statewide to protect essential workers just like him.

The home remedies made the other worker feel better, but they were no protection. Almost two weeks ago, he tested positive himself and has been staying away from the plant since then.

Despite the tragedy that's enveloped his colleagues, he's eager to go back to work as long as it's safe.

I am no one of importance, he said. But they need to take precautions so we dont continue to get sick.
Passengers face new restrictions as JetBlue becomes the first major US airline to require face masks for travellers.

Passengers arriving at airports in the United States from international destinations may soon be required to undergo temperature and virus checks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Were looking at doing it on the international flights coming out of areas that are heavily infected, US President Donald Trump said following a meeting at the White House on Tuesday. We will be looking into that in the very near future.

Trump said it has not been determined yet whether the federal government or the airlines would conduct the testing. Maybe its a combination of both, he said.

Earlier this year, passengers from China were screened at US airports after landing in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Only a handful of passengers were quarantined.

When asked about airport screening during an earnings call with analysts and reporters on Wednesday, Gary Kelly, chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines, said: We are talking with the administration and members of US Congress about what the protocols should be.

He added that an industry trade group was leading the effort to advocate for some kind of health screening at the security checkpoint  some kind of screening makes sense, and I think to get people flying again, they need to be comfortable, and I think thats one way to provide additional comfort.

With no end in sight for the travel bans that have brought flying to a near halt, airlines across the world are facing deep uncertainty and heavy future losses, and no visibility on how and when operations can restart.

A common set of rules is needed to help facilitate the restart of global air travel, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said, adding that new measures must still allow airline operations to be economically viable.

IATAs Director General Alexandre de Juniac said that he was working with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations aviation agency, to develop new safety rules that will enable travel once coronavirus restrictions ease.

A single system, that is absolutely key for the restart of our industry so it is something we are working on, he told an online news conference.

He said that the sooner the new measures were decided upon, the better, as they were key to allowing the recovery to start.

Travellers wearing face masks in Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain [File: Nacho Doce / Reuters]

The new policy follows guidelines by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that stipulate all individuals should wear a face covering in public.

Starting May 4, all JetBlue customers will be required to wear face coverings over their noses and mouths throughout their journeys, including during check-in, boarding, while in flight and deplaning, the carrier said in a statement.

JetBlue started mandating face masks for flight attendants as well as other crew members including airport workers on April 17.

American Airlines Group Inc on Monday mandated that its flight attendants wear masks starting May 1, and announced enhanced cleaning procedures.

Customer and staff areas including tray tables, seatbelt buckles, jump seats and crew rest seats would be cleaned using a disinfectant approved by the Environmental Protection Agency starting this week, the company said.

Customers will be provided sanitising wipes or gels and face masks starting early May, the company added.

Last week, United Airlines mandated that its flight attendants wear a face covering or a mask while on duty. It was one of the first major US carriers to make such a requirement.
The United States is considering coronavirus scanning of air travellers from countries hit hard by the virus to stop its spread in the country, President Donald Trump has said.

Trump told reporters that this could be done in coordination with either the airlines or government. We're working with the airlines. Maybe it's a combination of both, he said.

We're looking at doing it on the international flights coming out of areas that are heavily infected, he said.

But, I think that we're going to look at it from the standpoint--I was discussing that with the Governor of Florida, with Ron (DeSantis), a little while ago. So, we're going to be looking at that coming in from other countries, frankly, but South America seems to be one that's talked about because they have so much business going into Florida, he said.

Earlier in the day, DeSantis told reporters at the White House that Brazil and some of those places which have a lot of interaction with Miami are going to probably see the epidemic increase there is their season changes.

So one of the things I have mentioned to the President is you have this Abbott labs test if you have some of these international flights maybe some of these airliners should be on them to check before they are getting on and coming to this country so that we are able to keep it, the governor said.

I mean you have seen what happened with the China flight restrictions. That kept a lot of people from ceding the West Coast more and so if we are in a situation you could potentially have from what's coming in I think we're technologically more advanced where there should be something like that. So I've been advocating for that. I've talked with some other governors about it but for Florida clearly that is going to be an issue, the Florida governor said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PriorityQ by Picis "The benefit to healthcare providers is PriorityQ goes beyond a patient prioritization score. The real value of the solution is that it uses the score in conjunction with the hospitals particular parameters to generate a forward looking schedule." -Marcus Perez, EVP

Picis announces the release of PriorityQ, a web-based solution designed to assist healthcare providers in managing surgical backlogs and waitlists through proactive prioritization planning.

As a result of the current global pandemic, clinicians have been forced to suspend non-urgent, elective procedures to protect resources to combat the surge of life-threatening COVID-19 cases.

Marcus Perez, Executive Vice President of Picis states, As existing surgical backlogs continue to grow exponentially and facilities begin to resume elective surgeries, a daily process of meeting as a committee to manually review a triage list of patients is simply not scalable or efficient when so many patients are in need of care.

As experts in surgical scheduling, Picis introduces PriorityQ to help administrators coordinate the surgical schedule based on aggregated data. Incorporating hospital thresholds, patient severity level, OR time and resources, PriorityQ collects multiple data points to determine a patient score and delivers a priority of surgical procedures over the coming weeks and/or months. For organizations that already have a prioritization scoring system, PriorityQ will import this information and include it in the factored results. This information empowers administrators with the ability to plan how to manage the queue, separate surgeries by service, while producing financials to show potential revenue generated based on the suggested schedule.

The benefit to healthcare providers is PriorityQ goes beyond a patient prioritization score. The real value of the solution is that it uses the score in conjunction with the hospitals particular parameters to generate a forward looking schedule. Simply put, its load planning. The key is providing each facility the flexibility to modify the schedule once scores are delivered and the ability to plan in advance how to manage the queue. said Perez.

PriorityQ will be ready for implementation the week of May 4, 2020. To learn more, visit our website http://www.picis.com.

ABOUT PICIS:

Picis Clinical Solutions (Picis) is a global provider of clinical information solutions that automate the entire perioperative experience with one contiguous patient record, from preop to intraop and anesthesia through PACU. Picis continues to focus and specialize the integrated suite of solutions in life-critical areas of the hospital where the patients are the most vulnerable, the care process is the most complex, and an increasing majority of hospital costs and potential revenue are concentrated. The software enables rapid, sustained delivery of clinical documentation, and financial and operational results. From department performance to patient case costing, hospitals benefit from the ability to interact with the data needed to help clinicians improve patient care, engagement and hospital revenue goals. Picis Clinical Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of N. Harris Computer Corporation, is headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts with licensed systems for use at more than 400 hospitals worldwide.
Illegal migrants from North Korea hiding in northeastern China fear immediate and violent reprisals if they are repatriated, according to missionaries working with the community.



Despite ever-tightening border controls in recent years, an unknown number of North Koreans still manage to live, study, and work on the Chinese side of the border, mostly in Liaoning province.



Pastors and missionaries offering outreach services to the migrants say they run an enormous risk living in China, because repatriation could result in immediate torture and death at the hands of guards on the other side of the bridge.



Authorities on both sides have stepped up physical barriers and electronic monitoring of the border area in recent years, while the ruling Chinese Communist Party relies on an army of citizens with red armbands to keep tabs on illegal immigrants and report them to the authorities.



A missionary who identified himself as Paul Zhang said repatriated migrants are regarded as disloyal to the North Korean regime.



"Anyone who leaves the country by stealth is considered a traitor," Zhang told RFA.

Zhang said there are tales of the brutality affecting the Chinese border guards, some of whom are believed to have resigned in protest over the issue.



Escape more difficult now



Escaping capture in China is also much harder than it used to be for North Korean illegal immigrants, Zhang said.



"There are people wearing red armbands everywhere in the villages near the border," he said. "There is nowhere left to hide, because there are surveillance cameras and red armbands in every village in China, and they know when someone enters the village."



"All of the refugees who arrived in China during the last year or so have been sent back by the Chinese authorities," Zhang said. "



A Christian surnamed Li who is linked to a church in the border city of Dandong said Zhang's account is consistent with what he has heard from North Koreans.



"My friends there say that any [North Koreans] who are caught are repatriated," Li said. "They have the hook in their collarbone before they've even crossed the bridge."



"Being caught is a death sentence for them ... that's the situation right now," he said.



Zhang said there is a North Korean child in a Dandong church who was adopted after both parents were caught by the authorities.



"When I visited Dandong Church, there were children there left behind [by migrants]," he said. "Some of them had seen their fathers beaten to death in front of them while they were crossing the border."



"They escaped with their mothers but then their mothers were ... discovered by the Chinese police and sent back, so the church adopted them," he said.



Fearful obedience



The New York-based group Human Rights Watch said in a January 2020 report: "The North Korean government uses prison camps, torture, forced labor, and threats of execution and arbitrary punishment to maintain fearful obedience among the population, while restricting North Koreans from travel out of the country and communication with the outside world."



The government tries to prevent North Koreans from leaving without permission by jamming Chinese mobile phone services at the border, targeting for arrest those communicating with people outside the country or trying to leave, and publicizing punishments of people caught escaping, the report said.



It said those caught trying to cross the border, or forcibly returned by China, face interrogation, torture, and imprisonment in forced labor camps.



Zhang said there is a hidden network of missionaries who lend aid to North Koreans in China, but they are sworn to secrecy so as to protect the refugees they are helping.



"This means that if you're not a part of this operation ... you can't know the inside story," he said. "We only find things out when they have already happened, but we basically have no way of knowing what will happen."



Many of the organizations offering shelter to North Koreans in China are churches founded or funded in South Korea and the United States. Defectors who escape are mostly sent to South Korea.



"They have caught South Koreans before," Zhang said. "Some were sentenced in China and some were sent to North Korea. If they are Americans, they are sentenced in China."



"Anyone sent to North Korea will get a harsher punishment, and sometimes get used to make political deals with South Korea and the U.S., to [release them] in exchange for something."



A Chinese lawyer surnamed Li said the risks of any work involving North Koreans are extremely high.



"Without a high level of security, it is very easy to get arrested," he said. "Once you are caught, you can be punished for espionage."



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Gracita R. Arrindell states: education remains a key factor in the development of our nation.

St. Maarten has been under government-mandated lockdown since early March. It is clear that being confined for long periods of time can bring tension among citizens resulting in dangerous behavior.

When government decisions are made based on plans that are carefully thought out and evaluated regularly on its merits, social escalation, can be prevented, or mitigated.

This virus is clearly a game-changer for everyone. Short and long term planning is a precondition for the success full reopening in phases of our community, per district, per type of business etcetera. We need each other more than ever before going forward. The government must have the foresight and the tools to get the job done unbiased. Decisions can no longer be made on an ad-hoc basis.

On the other hand, our people must be willing to have the discipline to adapt to a different way of doing business, said Arrindell.

Gracita continued and states; take the reopening of our schools for example. What steps are taken and in which time frame to ensure the safe return of our students to their respective establishment of learning.

This disclosure must be done in a timely and transparent manner.

It has been too quiet for comfort as far as it concerns being updated of safety measures taken before the school gates are allowed to re-open. Safety measures must take place now, while the schoolyards are still empty, said Gracita.

Post COVID-19 era compels to continuously update and decide what policies work best in keeping our students safe and healthy. Solid plans based on reliable data, in order to execute policies with a budget carefully, worked out and discussed with stakeholders in the field, prior to the schools reopening.

Preventing the spread remains a priority.

St. Maarten is a small population, with a relatively large student population.

Approximately thirty(30) schools and over eight thousand students, some located in densely populated neighborhoods.

This includes public- as well as private schools that are subsidized by the government. This list is further divided into primary, secondary, vocational, and special education institutions. In this equation, we support the call to establish a separate learning institution for our autistic students.

Arrindell continues; best practices must be part of the new curriculum when the new school year starts.

Plans should include the following;

a COVID-19 district to -district mobilization plan to deep- clean all schools. Including placing of sanitizing stations at entry, sanitizing/ safety protocols in each classroom and around the school premises.

student social distancing

ensure that the social divide does not translate to the digital divide for our students.

We, support the call of many parents, to establish a school for autistic students. This is not a luxury issue.

Its a void in our educational system. St. Maarten has hundreds of kids at several degrees of autism. Where to house these students?

Reportedly, the government is currently in the process to purchase the BTP building in Philipsburg for close to five million US dollars. Surely it merits the effort to negotiate and purchase the empty building in Cay-Hill re: Justice Park to establish the abovementioned school. The location can also be considered to house the Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts.

Gracita concludes: Its critically important that our citizens hold government, including Parliament accountable for its actions. Responsible preparation towards re-opening of our schools, in particular, should be executed in a manner that is structured that gives peace of mind to all involved.
"We too must be simple, concrete: concreteness leads you to humility, because humility is concrete. 'We are all sinners' is an abstract thing. No: 'I am a sinner for this, this and this', and this leads me to the shame of looking at Jesus: 'Forgive me'. The true attitude of the sinner".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Let us pray for Europe. This was Pope Francis prayer this morning introducing Mass at Casa Santa Marta, on the day on which the Church celebrates Saint Catherine of Siena, patron saint of Italy and Europe.

Let us pray for Europe, for the unity of Europe, for the unity of the European Union, so that everyone together might move forward as brothers and sisters, said the Pope.

In his homily, Pope Francis noted that the First Reading (1 Jn 1:52:2) contains contrasts between light and darkness, falsehood and truth, and sin and innocence. As Christians, however, we are called to concreteness, since we cannot be in union with Jesus and walk in darkness. We cannot be in a grey area between the two.

The danger with the grey area, the Pope explained, is that the grey makes you think that you are walking in the light because you are not in the darkness, and this soothes you. The grey area, in this sense, is treacherous.

Citing the First Reading, Pope Francis said: If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves.

However, the Pope noted that we tend to admit that we are sinners as if it were a social truth. But, he said, we do not express the concreteness that should accompany the admission of our sinfulness. The truth is always concrete as opposed to lies that are like air. Being concrete involves saying I did this or, I thought this way, and not trying to coat our words during Confession.

The Holy Father remarked that little children have the gift of being concrete. It is for this reason that Jesus blessed the Father for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little ones.

During Confession, explained the Pope, the simplicity of children makes them say things as they are. He went on to give the example of a child who confessed in detail how he had been rude to his aunt who refused his request to go out to play instead of doing his homework.

The Pope gave another example of a letter he received on Tuesday from a child named Andrea from Caravaggio. Andrea reproved the Pope for asking that the faithful gathered at Mass exchange a sign of peace, despite the concerns about spreading the coronavirus.

Concreteness brings us to humility because humility is concrete, said Pope Francis.

To say that all of us are sinners is abstract. When we admit that we are sinners, we should be able to give the reason for our admission. In that way, we feel the reality of our sins and we come to Jesus for forgiveness. This is the true attitude of a sinner.

Pope Francis explained that the spiritual life is not complicated but we make it so by our variegations. He notes that the devil wants us to be tepid and to live in the grey area that is neither good or bad, white or black.

We therefore need concreteness so as not to become liars. Just like Peter after the miraculous catch of fish, concreteness should move us to recognize our sin and say go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man!

Concluding his homily, the Pope prayed that we might receive the grace to know who we are before God. Let us ask the Lord for the grace of simplicity that He might give us the grace that He gives to the simple and to children who say what they feel, even if it is wrong.
New Delhi, April 29 : Terming attempts by the Opposition of raising the issue of banks writing off debt of wilful defaulters as "misleading" Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Modi government was in fact cleaning up the financial system and going after wilful defaulters while remaining committed to ending corruption and cronyism.

"Congress and Rahul Gandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the Congress shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," Sitharaman tweeted late on Tuesday.

In a series of tweets on the issue, the Finance Minister also accused the Congress of misleading people in a brazen manner which is typical of the party while resorting to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context.

"Today's attempt of @INCIndia leaders is to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans & write-offs. Between 2009-10 & 2013-14, Scheduled Commercial Banks had written off Rs 1,45,226.00 crores. Wished Shri.@RahulGandhi consulted Dr. Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about," the Finance Minister said.

Giving details of how banks treat defaults, Sitharaman said that provisions are made for NPAs as per the four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the RBI. Upon full provisioning being done banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower. "No loan is waived off," she tweeted.

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's 'Phone banking'," her tweet added.

She also cited what earlier RBI governor had said Raghuram Rajan: "A large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008...Too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans...Public sector bankers continued financing promoters even while private sector banks were getting out. RBI could have raised more flags about the quality of lending..." From 2015, PSBs were asked by GoI to check all NPAs above Rs 50 crore for wilful default.

Citing the Nirav Modi case, Sitharaman tweeted that immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore attached/seized. (Attachment Rs 1,898 crore and Seizure Rs 489.75 crore). "This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK." In the case of Mehul Choksi, Attachments of Rs 1,936.95 crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore has been done besides Seizure of Rs 597.75 crore. "Red Notice issued. Extradition Request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as Fugitive Offender is in progress," the tweet said.

"Vijay Mallya Case : Total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1693 crore. Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, UK High Court, has also ruled for extradition," the Minister cited in her tweet.

Sithraman said that it is the Narendra Modi government which is pursuing these wilful defaulters with 9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now. Total value of attachment & seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya is Rs 18,332.7 crore.

She said that bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding & amount technically/ prudentially written off, pertaining to top fifty wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to Lok Sabha against starred question of RahulGandhi on 16.3.2020.

Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of "Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided, she tweeted.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
BOSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Campaign workers for Sen. Ed Markey's re-election campaign in Massachusetts unanimously agreed to a contract with Teamsters Local 122 on Saturday, becoming the latest group of political workers to gain representation with the union  and the first in Massachusetts to be represented by any union.

As part of the agreement covering 27 staffers  which includes regional organizing directors, field organizers, communication assistants, digital media producers and finance assistants  health care benefits, the cost of which was fully covered for employees, will now also be 100 percent covered for employee families, up from 33 percent previously. In addition, the campaign created a paid time off scheduling procedure which gives workers substantial time off each week.

"Political campaign workers deserve a voice on the job as much as anyone," said Local 122 Secretary-Treasurer and Teamsters International Vice President John Murphy. "These workers, who face the prospect of long, pressure-filled hours, need a strong partner like the Teamsters that will fight for their rights."

"The Markey for Senate campaign is worker-powered, and our campaign's values are union values. This agreement reflects our continued commitment to live those values every day," said Ed Markey. "My father was a labor leader where he worked, and I grew up listening to him talk at the kitchen table about the importance of his union membership. I am proud that our campaign is the first unionized state-based campaign in Massachusetts' history."

Jaymie Cobb, a Markey regional organizing director and a member of the bargaining committee, said campaign workers began talks with Local 122 in December, and by January 80 percent of the new unit had signed union cards.

"I am so proud to be a part of this organizing effort and glad to be a member of the Teamsters. Senator Markey has always been a champion for unions," she said. "He knows that union rights have shaped our country and made it what it is today. I am grateful to the Teamsters Local 122 for not only their support of our campaign during this process, but for the work they do each and every day advocating for workers' rights."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

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Schools across England will be reopened in a phased manner to ensure pupils and teachers are kept safe from coronavirus, the education secretary has confirmed.

Gavin Williamson said there was no date yet for lifting school closures, which have been in place since the UK entered lockdown last month. The only exception has been for children of key workers.

Amid growing pressure on the government to begin easing restrictions, Mr Williamson said he expected pupils to return to school in stages

We want to make sure that schools are given proper notice but we do not have a date as to when schools are going to be opening, Mr Williamson told the Education Select Committee.

When asked whether schools would open in stages, he said: This is obviously something that we are giving a great deal of thought to and giving a lot of consideration.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I commissioned Sage [the governments scientific advisers] to set up a subgroup to look at the particular issues of opening schools, making sure that when schools are open it's done in the best possible way with the best scientific and medical advice.

We expect Sage to be reporting back. The information we get from Sage along with Public Health England will be the key part of what informs us on how best we open schools.

But I do expect schools to be opened in a phased manner.

Mr Williamson said the ministers recognise that the idea of schools all returning on day one with the full complement of pupils is not practical.

He also ruled out running schools during the summer to help disadvantaged pupils, following a recent suggestion from childrens commissioner Anne Longfield to help disadvantaged children catch up.

Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Show all 30 1 /30 Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute's silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Shoppers observe a minute's silence in Tescos in Shoreham Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Firefighters outside Godstone fire station PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Salford Royal Hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Salford Royal Hospital PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute's silence at University College Hospital in London AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A school children's poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute's silence Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A man holds a placard that reads "People's health before profit" outside St Thomas hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute's silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus University College Hospital, London Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute's silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus London An NHS worker observes a minute's silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London AFP via Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Belfast, Northern Ireland NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Plymouth NHS workers hold a minute's silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute's silence Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Mater Infirmorum Hospital People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Waterloo Station, London AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew's House in Edinburgh to observe a minute's silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus London Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy's Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Royal Derby Hospital PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Leicester, NHS workers during a minute's silence outside Glenfield Hospital Getty

The first batch of laptops to help poorer teenagers study at home will not arrive until the end of May, Mr Williamson also told the committee.

He said: This week well be writing to all local authorities and multi-academy trusts to give them a clear indication as to what the allocations that theyll be receiving.

We expect the first laptops to be arriving at the end of May, with the majority delivered through June.

The government is facing pressure to set out plans on how the lockdown will begin to be eased, as the deadline for the three-weekly review of restrictions approaches.

Mr Williamson faced anger from Labour committee member Ian Mearns over the food voucher scheme operated by the private company Edenred for children who would normally get free school meals.

Mr Mearns said headteachers were forced to spend "an inordinate amount of time" outside working hours trying to ensure their pupils' claims were properly processed.

"I've been collecting horror stories about the Edenred system from headteachers an how inaccessible the system is to them and the fact that it is taking hours and hours," he told the education secretary. "Headteachers have told me that Edenred themselves have stated that the number of youngsters they were expecting to cater for was orginially 100 per cent underestimated by the Department for Education.

"Headteachers have told me that if they had to put on a bar graph their interaction with the Edenred system, it would go from at the low end 'deep frustration' and at the high end 'please kill me now' because it is taking so long.

"As a result of this, many youngsters who should be getting support are still struggling to get that support and we have a situation where school meal services provided by local authorities have jumped back into the void to provide hundreds of meals for for youngsters in a packed lunch format."

Mr Williamson responded: "I readily acknowledge that the level of demand for this has been exceptionally high and we have had some big challenges in terms of being able to provide schools with the level of service we would really want them to see.

"But both form the department's point of view and with Edenred, we have done everything we can do to support them to get these vouchers out as rapidly as possible. In the first few weeks we saw a slow turnaround in terms of people getting the vouchers out. That's decreased substantially. We still have some challenges in terms of schools being ale to access it rapidly and being able to place these orders. We are doing a lot of work with Edenred to speed that up."
Danish political drama Borgen is getting a surprise fourth season through Netflix.

The series ran from 2010 starring Sidse Babett Knudsen and Birgitte Hjort Srensen, written by Adam Price, drawing devoted Scandi-noir audiences (in Australia on SBS) and awards including BAFTA, Peabody and Golden Nymph Awards.

Netflix and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, have announced a fourth season for 2022, premiering first on DR locally before Netflix around the world. The deal includes the first three seasons available on Netflix globally later this year.

Creator Adam Price returns along with and lead actresses Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg and Birgitte Hjort Srensen as Katrine Fnsmark.

In the new Borgen we will again follow Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen), her staff and the media tasked with covering her, this time in her role as Foreign Minister. The show will also follow Katrine Fnsmarks (Birgitte Hjort Srensen) journey. After being Birgittes head of press for a while, in the new season she is back in journalism where she has landed a job as news director for a large, nationwide television station.

Christian Rank  Drama Director DR: Borgen is a unique Danish story about the political and personal drama that unfolds among the people in charge of leading our country. We are very excited that we in partnership with Netflix are able to bring Borgen and its characters back to life. We look forward to revisiting the universe and the characters to tell a current and highly topical story about a hot political topic with international implications.

Lina Brouneus, Director co-production & acquisition at Netflix: Ten years ago Borgen helped redefine the global television landscape, showing that great stories can come from anywhere and be loved everywhere. We are immensely proud to partner with DR and the whole creative team to bring this worldwide phenomenon back and to give Borgens legion of fans the chance to be gripped once again.
An Ibadan-based-Islamic cleric, Taofeeq Akewugbagold, on Wednesday appealed to the abductors of his twins to release the two children.

Mr Akewugbagold made this appeal while speaking with PREMIUM TIMES in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the kidnapping of the twins, a male and a female, at gunpoint at Abatakan area of Ojoo, Ibadan, last Saturday.

Police spokesperson in the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, confirmed the abduction.

Mr Fadeyi in a reply to an SMS sent to him by Premium Times said, Yes, there was an abduction of Akewugbagold twins last night.

Efforts intensified, arrests were made and (they are) currently assisting the police in investigations.

Mr Akewugbagold in a telephone conversation with Premium Times said though the family had been contacted by the abductors, they were yet to demand any ransom.

He said about four suspects had been arrested but explained that those arrested are his workers whom the police suspect of involvement.

We have been contacted. They have contacted us. We pray that God touches their minds.

What we want is the release of the two children by the abductors. We dont want to involve the police. I will not like to speak on the ransom.

Yes, police arrested some people, but they are my workers. They are not the abductors. But, we did not suspect anybody.
FRANKFURT, Germany, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln International, a global investment banking advisory firm, has announced that Christian Schwarzmueller joins as a Managing Director in Frankfurt to lead the firm's DACH region chemicals team. Christian is the second German Managing Director announcement over the last week, representing continued strengthening of the firm's presence in the region as well as its industry expertise.

Christian will leverage his expertise to expand and deepen Lincoln International's relationships with chemicals corporates in the DACH region and beyond. In addition to strengthening Lincoln's chemicals business, Christian will also deliver on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal sourcing and transaction execution for the broader industrials sector.

"We are pleased to integrate Christian's expertise into the Lincoln International platform and anticipate quick momentum as he collaborates closely with Dr. Thomas Schneider, our other DACH region chemicals expert," stated Michael Drill, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lincoln International AG. "His experience and guidance will be important as he will work with chemicals clients and support them during important strategic projects to better position them for the future," continued Friedrich Bieselt, Managing Director and Board Member of Lincoln International AG.

Christian brings more than 10 years of M&A and capital market experience to the Lincoln team. Before joining Lincoln International, Christian worked in the German branch of Barclays as part of its M&A and coverage team where he was the relationship manager for some of Germany's leading chemicals corporates. Prior to that, he worked in the Frankfurt office of Lazard focusing on M&A and restructuring services across multiple sectors. In his career he advised on more than 40 M&A and capital markets transactions, with the latest larger mandate being the disposal of Evonik's Methacrylates business to financial sponsor Advent for Euro 3 billion in 2019.

"I am pleased to join the Lincoln International platform and leverage my chemicals and M&A background to complement the global industrials team with my client network and to provide flexible and independent advice," stated Christian.

About Lincoln International

We are trusted investment banking advisors to business owners and senior executives of leading private equity firms and public and privately held companies around the world. Our advisory services include mergers and acquisitions and capital markets advisory for the mid-market. We also provide valuations and fairness opinions and joint ventures advisory services. As one tightly integrated team of more than 600 professionals across 16 countries, we offer an unobstructed perspective, backed by superb execution and a deep commitment to client success. With extensive industry knowledge and relationships, timely market intelligence and strategic insights, we forge deep, productive client relationships that endure for decades. Connect with us to learn more at www.lincolninternational.com.

SOURCE Lincoln International LLC

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In the coronavirus infection, the world has suffered extensively from both life and property. Now these countries and states will take a long time to recover from this loss. There is also a great danger of snatching employment of people working abroad. Now those states are seen more worried whose people are going to work in lakhs from here and now their jobs have been lost due to Corona crisis. In such a situation, there is no other option than to return to their state.

Rahul Gandhi spoke about bank defaulters

Lakhs of people from some states of India have gone to work in Dubai, Kuwait and Gulf countries. This has been going on for many decades. Millions of people from India went to work in these countries and have become permanent residents there. There is a big crisis on those who have gone recently. Coronavirus has had a very large impact on functioning in all countries. Factories and all other businesses are closed. Millions of people are locked in their homes. The BBC website has also published news related to this on its site.

8000 farmers get relief money in account from Government

Kerala is a state whose millions of people work abroad, most of them have gone to work in Middle East countries. Due to the devastation caused by the coronavirus epidemic, there has been a big fall in the money coming from outside the state because the people of Kerala working abroad have faced a massive livelihood crisis. These pictures which came on the loss of livelihood, present a very sad picture of Kerala.

Tight lockdown ends today in this state
UL Hospitals Group has introduced a skin temperature monitoring system at University Hospital Limerick in an intensification of efforts to minimise the risk of Covid-19 infection among patients and staff at the region's main acute hospital.

The system has been generously donated to the hospital by Adare Manor and the McManus family. One detection point is already operational just beyond the hospitals entrance lobby, and this will soon be complemented by further detection units in areas of high footfall.

Dr Sarah O'Connell, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Clinical Lead for COVID-19 at UL Hospitals Group, said: This is an additional measure we have taken to try to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 at UHL, and we would like to thank all those involved in the introduction of this project.

The skin temperature monitoring system is a safe, non-invasive thermal imaging process that has been calibrated to detect temperatures greater than 37.5 degrees Celsius.

High temperature may be a sign of fever, which is a common symptom of Covid-19, and the system will help identify anyone with an elevated temperature  and possibly infected with Covid-19  and prevent transmission of the infection within the hospital.

The system encompasses a temperature detection unit, a calibration unit, and a laptop that displays the image of the people passing through the detection point.

Any visitor with a temperature detected in excess of 37.5 degrees Celsius will not be permitted on the hospital site. They will be provided with an information leaflet and advised to seek guidance from their GP.

Members of the public attending a hospital appointment at UHL who are detected with a high temperature, will have their temperature rechecked manually. Patients whose temperature remains elevated will be asked to wait until clinicians assess the risk to the patient of not attending the scheduled appointment.

Any member of staff detected with a high temperature will be required to return home and contact their line manager after a manual temperature is taken.

Thermal imaging is a safe and non-invasive process, which involves no radiation. The system has been installed at UHL to reinforce a number of measures introduced to ensure a safe working and clinical environment for all patients and staff.

UL Hospitals Group would like to take this opportunity to thank the public of the Mid-West for their cooperation with the various measures introduced at UHL to minimise the risk of Covid-19 infection.




CNH Industrial has published the companion guide to its 2019 Sustainability Report. Now in its fourth edition, A Sustainable Year, 2019, shines a spotlight on initiatives from around the world which illustrate in an informal, yet informative style, some of the Company's major sustainability achievements and its on-going commitment to a better future. Find out more at: cnhindustrial.com/2019-a-sustainable-year

London, April 29, 2020

CNH Industrialon April 16, 2020, provides a guide to the Company's major social, economic and environmental activities as well as its strategic sustainability targets.

A Sustainable Year begins with a brief overview of CNH Industrial's purpose and a concise explanation of the Company's strategic sustainability targets which support six of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There follows a collection of remarkable stories describing sustainability projects and initiatives from around the world and across all business segments and global functions told through engaging and thought provoking interviews, technical reports and images demonstrating a Company-wide culture of embedded sustainability.

The main part of the publication is divided into four sections, each focusing on the Company's core sustainability priorities: Carbon Footprint, Occupational Safety, Life-Cycle Thinking and People Engagement. Key projects within these sections include the partnership with Nikola Motor Corporation to deploy zero-emissions hydrogen electric heavy trucks and the advancement of Industry 4.0 which uses robots to mitigate risks of injuries to employees while creating efficiencies. In South America initiatives which reduced waste at facilities to almost zero and help to grow healthy food in the process, as well as the Company's commitment to furthering inclusion in the workplace are two additional stand out projects.

Learn more on these and other projects, meet the people involved and read their stories at cnhindustrial.com/2019-a-sustainable-year

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What can stop the spread of the novel coronavirus? A new study published in the preprint journal medRxiv in April 2020 debunks the idea that warmer and more humid conditions can hinder the pandemic from spreading with ease.

Study: The dynamics of Covid-19: weather, demographics and infection timeline. Image Credit: DigitalMammoth

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken over public attention for months now, with its propensity to cause severe and often fatal pneumonic illness in the elderly, immunocompromised, and those with underlying medical conditions. The first cases occurred in China during December 2019, spreading rapidly after that to affect over 210 countries the world over.

While initially all cases in the southern hemisphere could be traced to people who had recently returned from China or other Asian countries, in every country thereafter, the picture has been of local community spread and rapid increase in the number of cases. In particular, once there are 100 cases, the graph becomes exponential over the next ten days. The only difference is in the rate of growth.

Brazil is one such country where the first case was identified on February 26, 2020, a traveler who had returned from northern Italy. By March 6, the spread was recognized to be through the community rather than from outside, and exponential increases were noted in the number of cases throughout March.

The fact noted by the investigators was that from the start of the outbreak until the end of March, Brazil experienced warm and humid weather. This suggests that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 will not be deterred by such conditions, unlike many other viruses.

How was the study done?

The current study is aimed at uncovering the effect of three different types of variables on the early growth of the outbreak, namely, the weather, including the temperature and absolute humidity, the population density, and the COVID-19 timeline. The researchers looked at cases in 50 states of the USA and another 110 countries with adequate records of these variables up to April 10.

They examined the case growth rate in terms of the exponential coefficient, beginning from the day of the 100th case in each country, concerning these variables.

Heat and humidity

The results from the U.S. states show that the pandemic cannot be expected to slow down under conditions of heat and humidity within the ranges experienced in February and March 2020. The temperatures ranged from -2.4 to 24C and 2.3 to 15 g/m3 across the range of affected countries.

When only the weather variables are considered, it seems that warmer and more humid countries experience a lower rate of spread. This vanishes, however, with the addition of the timeline variable.

They comment: In fact, the opposite is true: the higher the temperature and the absolute humidity, the faster the COVID-19 has expanded in the U.S. states, in the early stages of the outbreak.

How does population density affect spread?

The second revelation is that the population density is the most significant predictor of the rapid early spread of the virus. A sparse population reduces the rates of contact, both from outside and within communities, slowing the rate of spread. Since such states would report their first case late in the outbreak, they would typically be already practicing social distancing at that point, further restricting viral transmission.

With every ten days of delay in the date of reporting the 100th case, the coefficient of expansion is reduced by 0.053 points and 0.045 points for the U.S. states and the countries, respectively. This shows the importance of social distancing, which creates an artificial sparseness of population, in reducing this coefficient. This, in turn, prevents an explosion of cases within a brief period, as happened in New York.

When the population density is doubled, the coefficient of expansion will go up by 0.011 points, and the 100th case will occur about two days earlier in this case.

What is the effect of the time to the first 100 cases?

And finally, the faster the country or state reaches the first 100 states, the higher is the speed of the outbreaks spread. This variable is the only significant one for the countries in the study. It explains about a third of the variability of the rate of growth in the countries.

The reason to select this variable is that by this point, community spread is expected to be underway, accounting for the exponential rate of growth. The first 100 cases usually occur within one or a few communities, which points to the presence of local transmission.

Putting all the variables together, only the population density and timeline are significant statistically, accounting for over half of the differences between the growth rate in various U.S. states.

What are the implications?

The weather does not seem to play a role in determining the rate of the early spread of COVID-19. Instead, population density is key, both because of the characteristics of such communities that promote a more significant number of contacts, and the constant presence of travelers from outside.

For the U.S. states and countries, however, the delay to the 100th case is the most crucial variable in determining the rate of growth of the outbreak. This may be because people and governments alike take the pandemic seriously at this stage and begin to take protective measures.

This is the most likely explanation because there is no sign that the virus is becoming less potent as of now. It is time to stop hoping that high temperature and humidity will help stop the virus because even hot, humid countries with low apparent rates of transmission are often those with low and unreliable reporting rates or those with the unavailability of testing.

The message the researchers want to pass on is that social distancing is the only strategy that seems to be working to reduce the scope of the outbreak in all countries and states where they are in place.

Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Is President Donald Trump guilty of a crime because he has his name on the coronavirus relief checks?

While some might excuse that as an example of Trump's narcissism, a letter from three prominent lawyers, who represent disparate points on the political spectrum, says it is more serious than that.

The administration's action, they argue, warrants the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the improper use of government employees and property to promote the president's reelection campaign. That would be a criminal violation of the Hatch Act.

Checks to individuals and organizations from the $2 trillion relief effort are meant to combat the calamitous economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic. It is the first time a president's name is on an IRS disbursement check, The Washington Post's Lisa Rein reported.

"President Trump is actively seeking re-election. The signature of President Trump on United States Treasury checks is superfluous to their value, legality, or authenticity. The signature serves no official government purpose," reads the letter to Attorney General William Barr. "It does serve Mr. Trump's 2020 re-election campaign by making it appear that he is responsible for a monetary windfall to tens of millions of voters."

The letter was signed by Ralph Nader, a progressive icon; Louis Fisher, a constitutional scholar who served both parties for four decades with the Library of Congress and who now is with the College of William & Mary; and Bruce Fein, an attorney who worked in Ronald Reagan's Justice Department and for congressional Republicans. The Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

After Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNN it was his idea to put Trump's name on the checks, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, asked in a letter to Mnuchin whether "the decision to gratuitously affix the president's name . . . provides any benefit to Americans struggling to pay rent or buy food."

Politico reported that the ranking Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, plans to introduce the No PR Act, short for No Politics in Pandemic Recovery Act, to prohibit using tax money for any publicity or promotional activity that includes the names or pictures of the president or vice president.

"President Trump unfortunately appears to see the pandemic as just another opportunity to promote his own political interests," Schumer said in a statement. "The No PR Act puts an end to the president's exploitation of taxpayer money for promotional material that only benefits his re-election campaign."

Nader, Fisher and Fein requested a special counsel to investigate Trump's name on the checks because it would be a conflict for Barr's staff to investigate his boss.

Trump should be investigated, their letter said, "for allegedly commanding a federal employee to engage in political activity, the unprecedented, gratuitous placement of Mr. Trump's signature on the memo line of tens of millions of United States Treasury checks disbursed to eligible citizens under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES)."

Trump's name, not his signature, is printed on the lower left side of the checks. Be it his printed name or his distinctive scrawl is of no matter, the three said in separate interviews. The impact is the same.

Directing a "Treasury employee to place [Trump's name] on CARES checks for the purpose of affecting the 2020 presidential election," Fein said, is a violation of federal law that prohibits the "use of official authority or influence for the purpose . . . of affecting the result of an election."

Rein reported that "Trump had privately suggested to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, that he allow the president to formally sign the checks. . . . But the president is not an authorized signer for legal disbursements by the U.S. Treasury." Furthermore, to ensure against partisan use of government funds, it is standard practice for civil servants to sign Treasury checks.

Trump's printed name or his signature "on the CARES checks in the middle of his 2020 presidential campaign," the lawyers wrote, "is a prominent symbol that benefits his re-election by making it appear that he has alleviated the financial plight of tens of millions of voters."

There have been no prosecutions, however, under "this section of this little-known part of the criminal code," said Nick Schwellenbach, an Obama administration staffer with the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates civil Hatch Act violations.

"But just because it hasn't been previously enforced doesn't mean it should not be when the facts warrant it. There's enough smoke to warrant an investigation, such as the reportedly unprecedented nature of having a president's signature on Treasury checks. And it is an election year."
The first cases of COVID-19 aboard the embattled USS Kidd emerged more than a month after the ships last port visit, Navy officials have said, raising questions as to how the virus spreads and whether it can exist undetected for longer than previously thought.

USS Kidd, the second active US warship to suffer a coronavirus outbreak, docked in San Diego on Tuesday, after 64 of its sailors tested positive for the virus, with more than half the crew now screened.

Of the casualties, two sailors have been medically evacuated to the US and another 15 have been transferred to the USS Makin Island to be closely monitored.

According to a status update sent by the Navy to Congress, the first sailor to exhibit signs of the virus came on April 22  35 days after the ships last port visit in Hawaii, USNI News reported.

While its widely believed coronavirus symptoms typically take no more than 14 days to appear, the period between USS Kidds last docking and the date of the first sign of symptoms being observed has perplexed Navy officials.

USS Kidd, the second active US warship to suffer a coronavirus outbreak, docked in San Diego on Tuesday, after 64 of its sailors tested positive for the virus, with more than half the crew now screened

Sources told USNI News that USS Kidd strictly implemented all CDC guidelines and Navy recommendations to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 and, aside from accepting at-sea deliveries of provisions, the crew had no interactions off the ship after leaving Hawaii.

USS Kidd had been involved in a counter-narcotics operation in the Eastern Pacific on April 22 when the first sailor was reported to be exhibiting influenza-like symptoms.

The following day, an Abbott testing machine was brought aboard the ship by a team of eight doctors who then began screening the crew.

Within the days that followed cases of COVID-19 began multiplying rapidly on-board, forcing the ship to head to port in San Diego and evacuate its most afflicted sailors.

Experts from the Navy Bureau of Medicine and the CDC are now working to answer some of the looming questions raised by the outbreak aboard the USS Kidd, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which was the first deployed US warship to suffer an coronavirus outbreak.

Among the most pressing of those questions is whether COVID-19 can actually stay dormant for longer than previously thought, how and where the crew may have contracted the virus, and how long can it exist undetected on a ship.

The NBM and CDC have announced plans to conduct a voluntary serology study of the USS Kidd crew in the hope of learning more about the workings of the virus and how it spread. The same test is currently underway on the USS Theodore Roosevelt as well.

The results of this outbreak investigation will inform medical professionals to support better public health decisions for the ship. It will also advise the broader COVID-19, surveillance and mitigation strategies for the [Theodore Roosevelt], the fleet and our nation,' Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham said last week.

He continued: 'And because were doing this outbreak investigation with the CDC, the information gained will add to the growing body of public health knowledge about this virus so that we can better understand it and fight it.'

The USS Kidd strictly implemented all CDC guidelines and Navy recommendations to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 and, aside from accepting at-sea deliveries of provisions (shown above), the crew had no interactions off the ship after leaving Hawaii

USS Kidd had been involved in a counter-narcotics operation in the Eastern Pacific on April 22 when the first sailor was reported to be exhibiting influenza-like symptoms. The following day, an Abbott testing machine was brought aboard the ship by a team of eight doctors who then began screening the crew

On the USS Roosevelt, 955 members of crew have been diagnosed with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, with all 4,983 sailors onboard having now been tested for the disease

The Navy said that 63 percent of the Kidd's crew of more than 300 had been tested as of Tuesday. Sailors being removed from the Kidd at San Diego will be isolated with twice-daily medical screenings.

The majority of crew members testing negative for the virus will enter quarantine on shore for a period of observation and will be monitored for symptoms.

A small group of those, however, will remain on the ship to carry out essential duties and conduct a deep room-by-room cleaning, in a process expected to take up to two weeks.

With the Roosevelt and Kidd both in port, the Navy said no deployed ships currently have known coronavirus cases aboard. Thirteen ships that previously had one or more active cases while in port have zero cases now, the Navy said.

On the USS Roosevelt, 955 members of crew have been diagnosed with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, with all 4,983 sailors onboard having now been tested for the disease.

Of the total cases, one sailor is currently hospitalized, 14 have recovered and one has died. Meanwhile, more than 4,200 Roosevelt crew members have been moved ashore into Guam and are going through quarantine.

USS Theodore Roosevelt made headlines last month when a letter written by its now ex-captain Brett Crozier leaked to the press, in which he urged senior military officials to take action to safeguard sailors aboard the vessel.

With the Roosevelt (pictures of testing shown above) and Kidd both in port, the Navy said no deployed ships currently have known coronavirus cases aboard. Thirteen ships that previously had one or more active cases while in port have zero cases now, the Navy said.

Hundreds of sailors are expected to reboard the USS Roosevelt (above) over the next several days, after spending about a month in gyms, hotels and other facilities while the ship was cleaned, officials said Tuesday night

Hundreds of sailors are expected to reboard the USS Roosevelt over the next several days, after spending about a month in gyms, hotels and other facilities while the ship was cleaned, officials said Tuesday night.

The sailors were expected to begin moving back during the late evening and overnight Eastern time, which would be Wednesday in Guam.

Crew on the Roosevelt have been cleaning the ship, space by space, and then cordoning off clear areas. The bulk of the ship has been cleared and is ready for sailors to return.

The sailors will go back to the ship in waves, moving to clean sections and taking over running the ship. Essential personnel will be among the first to return, including sailors who work with the nuclear reactor and those who stand watch.

The sailors who have remained on the Roosevelt to keep it secure and monitor its nuclear reactor will now go ashore for quarantine.

More than 4,000 of the roughly 4,800 crew members had been taken off the ship.

As of Tuesday, 29 crew members have recovered from coronavirus. Sailors must have two successive negative tests before they are considered virus-free. Only then can they return to the ship.
A primary school principal who threatened to expel a five-year-old boy because of his long hair will have to let him attend classes for the time being.

Cyrus Taniela was given an ultimatum by the Australian Christian College Moreton, near Brisbane, to either cut his hair or leave the school in February.

But his mother Wendy, who is of Cook Island descent, went to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) over the matter, arguing that they were growing Cyrus' hair for a traditional hair-cutting ceremony when he turns seven.

On Wednesday, the tribunal agreed to hear the matter on June 22, during which time a court order allowing Cyrus to attend school normally will remain in place.

Cyrus Taniela (pictured), five, is waiting for the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal to decide if he can stay at the Australian Christian College Moreton in June. The college previously gave his family an ultimatum to either cut his hair or be expelled in February

The June date was chosen as it is one month before the second semester begins in July, allowing the Taniela family time to find Cryus another school if he is expelled.

Ms Taniela has also lodged a complaint to the Human Rights Commission but it could not be resolved, meaning that everything comes down QCAT decision in June.

Cyrus currently wears his hair tied back in a bun when he attends preparatory school at Australian Christian College Moreton.

The Taniela family have planned a traditional Cook Island hair-cutting ceremony on the boy's seventh birthday for years, intending to invite 100 family members.

They are also practicing Christians and send Cyrus' older sister to the Christian College.

Cyrus attends the Christian college with his older sister (right). A court order allowing Cyrus to attend school with longer hair will remain in place until the QCAT decision in June

Ms Taniela told Redcliffe & Bayside Herald in February that the school said her son is required to 'conform to the policy' to remain a student.

'He has to meet all the requirements in length and style if he is to remain a student at the college and he has to meet this by Friday (tomorrow) or he will be unenrolled,' she said.

In Cook Island culture, cutting a boy's hair for the first time is a rite of passage, although there is no set age for the ceremony.

Ms Taniela said she doesn't understand why the college won't make an exception for their cultural tradition.

She explained the school's letter said policies are displayed on their website but Ms Taniela suggested their were loopholes.

'The school policy doesn't mention length or style. It just says it has to be above the collar and neat and tidy. Cyrus' hair is neat and tidy,' she said.

Ms Taniela said the ordeal was not 'fair' and added her son has already made friends and met his teachers at the school.

Australian Christian College Moreton said principal Gary Underwood (pictured) has spent time in the Cook Islands and 'is an enthusiastic supporter of Islander people and their customs.'

Australian Christian College Moreton said principal Gary Underwood has spent time in the Cook Islands and 'is an enthusiastic supporter of Islander people and their customs.'

In a statement on its Facebook page, the school also said: 'Respecting the College's policies, procedures and guidelines allows the College to be consistent across its many cultural groups.'

Mr Underwood said all students have to follow school policy, which requires that all boys' hair is neat, tidy and not hanging over their faces.

'Extreme styles' such as ponytails and buns, like Cyrus wears, are not permitted.
President Donald Trump Wednesday termed the World Health Organization "literally a pipe organ for China" and said the United States will soon come out with its recommendations on the global body, followed by one on Beijing.

"They misled us," he said of the WHO on the coronavirus outbreak.

"We will have a recommendation pretty soon but we are not happy with the World Health Organization," Trump told reporters at his Oval Office of the White House.

Trump has launched an investigation into the WHO's role in the spread of coronavirus and have accused it of siding with China during the pandemic. Pending an investigation, the President has stopped US aid to the WHO.

The investigation would look into the role of China and as to how coronavirus spread from its Wuhan city.

"On world health with China to follow," Trump said when asked to clarity about his comment on recommendation. "On the World Health Organization or a recommendation on China or what do you mean?" he was asked.

"What are you hoping to learn about China and the World Health Organization with this investigation you have commissioned with the intelligence agencies?" he was asked.

"It is coming in and I am getting pieces already and we are not happy about it and we are by far the largest contributor to WHO,...and they misled us. I don't know. They must have known more than they knew because they came after what other people knew that weren't even involved," Trump said.

"We knew things that they didn't know and either they didn't know it or they didn't tell us or you know right now they are literally a pipe organ for China. That is the way I view it, he said.

Trump said, while the US on an average has given the WHO a financial aid between USD400 and USD500 million, and China is giving USD38 million. "And yet, they seem to work for China and they should have been in there early, they should have known what was going on and they should have been able to stop it, he said.

Responding to a question, the President said that there are lots of different people whom the US can give this money to.

"We can give this money to lots of different incredible groups. There are a lot of groups out there. It doesn't have to go to the WHO. We can give it to groups that are very worthy and get much more bang for your buck, but we're going to make a decision in the not-too-distant future," Trump said.

"You talk about stopping the spread or stopping the embers that could have been stopped there. And then why did China allow planes to fly out but not into China," he said.

"They allow planes to come out and planes are coming out of Wuhan and they're coming out -- they are going all over the world. They are going to Italy very, very big time to Italy but they are going all over the world but they are not going into China," he said.

As such Trump said his Administration is "coming up with a very distinct recommendation". There is nothing positive about what happened in China having to do with this subject, he said reiterating that China could have stopped the virus at the source.

"They didn't have to let airplanes fly out and loads of people come out and we are lucky," he said.

Trump had banned flights from China in the last week of January.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has acknowledged that James Oyugi Onyango, who succumbed to Covid-19 two weeks ago, was buried in an undignified manner.

In his submission to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee, Kagwe expressed regret over the manner in which Oyugi was buried saying it was not in line with guidelines from the Health Ministry.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health expressed the sincere regret of the Ministry regarding the way the burial of the late James Oyugi Onyango was carried out. He conceded that this was not in line with the Guidelines issued by the Ministry, which promote a dignified burial process, respect for the deceased and respect for the rights of the family, said Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja on Tuesday.

On the question why the protocols laid out by the Ministry were not followed in undertaking the burial, the Cabinet Secretary restated that the burial was not conducted in line with the guidelines and protocols developed by the Ministry, Sakaja further submitted.

In response to Mutahis submission, the Senate has recommended that the Health CS contacts Oyugis family to make a private apology.

 having acknowledged that the burial of Mr. James Owino Onyango was not carried out in line with the guidelines and protocols issued by the Ministry, and noting the distress the matter has caused not just to Mr. Onyangos immediate family but also to the community in Siaya and beyond, the Cabinet Secretary should get in touch with and offer a private apology to the family of the late Mr. Mr. James Owino Onyango, said Sakaja.

The committee also wants the Health Ministry to roll out a robust program to train and create awareness among health workers in all Counties, on the guidelines and protocols for handling and burial of a Coronavirus victim.

This is to ensure that an incident such as Oyugis does not happen again, and also to address the stigma associated with coming into contact with or having a family member die from Coronavirus.
[April 29, 2020] International New Economic Research Institute (INERI) launched the "China Blockchain City Index" and "China Mutual Aid City Index"

HONG KONG, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- International New Economic Research Institute (INERI) and EAS Global Mutual Aid Platform (EAS) today jointly launched the "China Blockchain City Index" and "China Mutual Aid City Index". Shenzhen ranked first in the Blockchain City Index, and Shanghai ranked first in the Mutual Aid City Index. This is the first time that a global research institute has ever published China Mutual Aid City Index, which has attracted great attention from industry experts and government agencies. INERI acquired statistics from CEIC Data which provides the most expansive and accurate data insights into both developed and developing economies around the world. With a team of expert analysts, doctors and professors. INERI complied the latest "China Blockchain City Index" which ranks China's 100 largest cities according to their economic development level, registered population and financial infrastructure for digital economy. The pilot cities of DCEP, China's national digital currency, namely Shenzhen, Chengdu and Suzhou ranks 1st, 12th and 17th respectively. Xiong'an City is not included in the list. One of the important application scenarios of blockchain technology is mutual aid industry. Based on the registered population, government expenditure on social welfare, employment, health care and family planning, the number of citizens with internet access, "China Mutual Aid City Index" scores China's first 100 cities with internet access rating and social welfare rating per capita. Shanghai rans first, Shenzhen ranks second and Beijing ranks third on the Index.



Mr. Rao Fu Tony, executive director of INERI, and senior consultant of EAS blockchain platform, said: "After months of research, we found that the rankings of 'China Blockchain City Index' and 'China Mutual Aid City Index' coordinate with each other. For example, Beijing and Shenzhen both rank top 3 in the two indexes. The two cities not only have achieved a high level of blockchain technology development, they are also ahead of other cities in areas of social welfare development. Blockchain will revolutionize mutual aid industry. If mutual aid system is widely promoted in these cities, these top cities will have a first-mover advantage." There are many reasons why some cities are behind in the ranking. Blockchain is a new technology, which provides the possibility for cities to come from behind and take the lead. Under the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is believed that EAS Platform which is built on blockchain can contribute to the improvement of mutual aid level among citizens and promote the real daily application of blockchain.

Mutual aid is a protection system that collects medical expenses for the recipients after its member is dragonized with certain kind of critical illness based on the collective contract. The popularity of mutual aid can reflect a city's economic development level. Xiang Hu Bao, a mutual aid platform launched by Alibaba and Shuidichou.com, China's current largest free platform which raises money for patients in need, are typical internet mutual aid platforms based on the traditional Internet infrastructure. With the development of blockchain technology, a new kind of mutual aid system based on distributed ledger technology will be the future. The two lists have been distributed to well-known economists, securities analysts, fund managers and professional researchers, and are expected to provide important reference value for national government agencies to lay out the blue map for the blockchain industry and mutual aid development. In the future, INERI will continue update the list to the public. To view the full report, please visit www.ineri.net or www.eashealth.com. About International New Economic Research Institute (INERI)

www.ineri.net Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hong Kong, the International New Economic Research Institute (INERI) is committed to providing the government regulatory authorities and traditional industry companies with insights of new financial economy and blockchain development. The company has rich connections with fund managers and the media, and provides capital, industry research insights, blockchain solutions, and consulting services to clients. About EAS Global Mutual Aid Platform

www.eashealth.com EAS is a global mutual aid platform built on blockchain and AI. It combines the technology and insights of blockchain, insurance expertise, and artificial intelligence (natural language processing, image recognition, speech recognition), and solves key problems in traditional internet mutual aid systems. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200429/2789619-1-a

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200429/2789619-1-b SOURCE Hong Kong International New Economic Research Institute

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People from senior care centers continue to account for the bulk of all coronavirus deaths in Oregon as the numbers continue to rise.

As of Tuesday, at least 57 people from nursing and assisted living homes had died, out of 99 total coronavirus deaths in the state, according to Oregon Health Authority data.

This is an increase from from 43 senior care home deaths reported one week ago.

Most if not all the deaths are believed to be among residents. State officials wont say if a health care worker or nursing home employee has died.

In the week that passed, five facilities reported their first COVID-19 death.

The climbing numbers shows that while Oregonians may have flattened the curve of infections overall, the epidemic continues to hit elderly communities hard.

About 400 people across more than two dozen senior care centers have fallen ill with the disease  about one in six of all cases, state figures show. Twenty homes have had at least one death, and six have had more than one.

On April 21, the state reported about 300 cases associated with more than 20 senior centers. Fifteen of the homes had at least one death, and five had more than one.

With 21 deaths, the largest portion of fatalities are connected to Healthcare at Foster Creek, a Southeast Portland nursing home that, with 101 total cases, has had the largest known coronavirus outbreak in the state. When the outbreak began, the home had about 96 residents. The state has not said how many of the sick people are residents and how many are employees

One in five Oregon coronavirus deaths are associated with that nursing home. Most if not all of the deaths are known to be residents.

Long-term Care Ombudsman Fred Steele said state officials told him that all but about 20 Foster Creek residents have been evacuated from the facility to specialized nursing homes serving as recovery centers or to hospitals.

A Department of Human Services spokeswoman said that some residents were moved out of the nursing home because of their medical needs or to isolate residents with the coronavirus in hospitals or the recovery centers.

The home has had more than twice as many cases as the nursing home with the second-largest outbreak  Laurelhurst Village, another Southeast Portland nursing home, which has 48 cases and four deaths.

Oregon is paying two nursing homes up to about $13.5 million to care for recovering coronavirus patients coming directly from other nursing homes or from hospitals.

One of those homes, Laurelhurst Village, is caring for 33 people with the coronavirus, the Department of Human Services said Tuesday. The other, Pacific Health and Rehabilitation, is caring for 15.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

fzarkhin@oregonian.com

desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Azelio has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chilean company Industria Mecanica VOGT (VOGT) to assess energy storage projects for the mining industry in Latin America.

The MoU frameworks a collaboration over a 10 MW capacity of Azelios energy storage from 2021 until 2024. The parties expect to trigger further projects after this initial agreement.

Azelios long-duration energy storage system coupled to solar PV will be used to supply VOGTs pumping systems for the mining industry with renewable electricity around the clock. The first projects are aiming for 50 kW in Q1, 2021 and 100 kW in Q3, 2021, followed by an additional 2 MW in 2022, 3 MW in 2023, and 5 MW in 2024.

VOGT is a leading regional supplier of pumping systems for the mining industry, with clients including some of the biggest metallic and non-metallic mining companies operating in Latin America. The pumping systems require electricity 24/7, currently provided by diesel generators in off-grid locations.

With this MoU, VOGT seeks to complement its offer to supply the pumping systems with reliable and clean electricity. Aside from reducing the environmental impact, Azelios technology will also significantly lower the electricity cost, linked to expensive diesel. Furthermore, VOGT is interested in becoming Azelios local partner in the Chilean market to co-develop projects and perform operations and maintenance related to Azelios technology.

Joining hands with an established company like VOGT and to introduce our technology to the mining industry is a very positive step for Azelio. We look forward to demonstrating the commercial and environmental values of Azelios long-duration energy storage, says Jonas Eklind CEO of Azelio.

We are excited to initiate this collaboration with Azelio and jointly develop its energy storage offer in the region. It is an opportunity for us to improve the value to our clients with a cleaner and cheaper electricity supply for our pumping systems, says Alberto Campos, General Manager of VOGT.  TradeArabia News Service
Ordering food online for home delivery is a lifeline for many during the coronavirus pandemic. But people who rely on public food assistance, such as CalFresh, the states version of food stamps, and WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for low-income women, infants and children, have been required to personally shop at stores with their benefit cards, thus increasing their risks of contagion.

For CalFresh, that changed starting Tuesday, when California said recipients could order online for deliveries from Walmart and Amazon. The state had asked the federal government to expedite online purchasing so vulnerable people reliant on CalFresh  seniors, people with disabilities and others  could use delivery to avoid in-person interactions at stores. Scott Murray, a spokesman for the California Department of Social Services, said the state is working to bring other retailers on board as quickly as possible.

It certainly makes it easier for us to do our part to keep ourselves and the community safe by remaining isolated, said Richard Steenson, 56, a CalFresh recipient who is homeless and currently in isolation at a South of Market hotel because he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Its good that our resources can now be used for our benefit and to stimulate the economy, rather than languishing.

But its still a mixed bag for him, Steenson noted. Soon hell be moved to a homeless shelter at either Moscone West or the Multi-Service Center South. Delivery fees, which are not covered by CalFresh, are waived for orders over $35, but thats a lot to spend in one chunk when you dont have a fridge, he said via email. Great for families but not tight-budgeted singles like me.

Meanwhile, the 1 million California residents who use WIC do not have the option of home delivery, even though they are lower-income people who often do not have cars but do have infants and small children, making it extra challenging to get to the store.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

Online ordering would definitely help, especially now with the COVID-19 crisis, said Kenya Pierce of Richmond, whose three children are 1, 7 and 12. I really try to avoid going into stores and even taking my children out.

Pierce, who works as a community services coordinator for a domestic violence program, buys online from Safeway and Target. During the pandemic crisis, she sometimes forgoes using her WIC benefits because shes reluctant to visit stores in person. But the $70 a month in benefits, which pays for milk, fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, peanut butter, beans and canned salmon, is definitely helpful for her familys budget, she said. Her wife is home on disability leave from a warehouse job.

WIC benefits do not roll over from month to month, so unused benefits are forfeited.

Multiple states have requested waivers for online WIC ordering and delivery, said Melissa Cannon, senior advocate at California Food Policy Advocates, in an email. Her group and other advocates put out a statement this week highlighting why its crucial to allow online ordering and delivery for WIC.

Now Playing: Volunteers and staff with the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank work to organize and distribute food boxes in a drive-thru setting at their location in San Rafael, Calif. Saturday, April 11, 2020. Video: Jessica Christian

WIC benefits are structured so recipients get a list of foods that they can choose from at participating stores, Cannon said. The lists are based on the age of a child and whether the mother is pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding. Monthly benefits average out to about $44 per person in California.

The massive job losses engendered by shelter-in-place orders have plunged hundreds of thousands of Californians into desperate circumstances where food assistance is suddenly vital, as evidenced by huge lines at food banks.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

In a moment of such crisis, with all of us focused on keeping our families safe  and fed  we need to make it as easy as possible for people to access nutritional food, said Hilary Dockray, senior policy analyst with Alluma, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides technology and policy support for agencies that manage benefits programs, in the advocates statement. WIC participants ... should have the same opportunity to purchase food online as everyone else in our state. ... These families face other challenges in accessing support, but this is one barrier thats easily removed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees WIC, said it does not have any pilots planned or occurring for online purchases. WIC covers only certain approved food, and by law all the purchases must occur in the presence of a cashier, it said. However, if stores offer online ordering only for WIC-approved items, participants could order online and then pick up and pay in person using their WIC card, it said.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

But Cannon said large grocery stores are reluctant to allow curbside pickup for WIC recipients because of the concern about someone ordering and not paying.

The California Department of Public Health, which administers WIC for the state, did not reply to an email requesting comment.

We applaud the new availability of online shopping for (CalFresh) customers, but why would we not extend the same service to the women, infants, and children who rely on WIC? said Jared Call, senior advocate at California Food Policy Advocates, in the statement. Grocery delivery helps families avoid in-person interaction at stores and adhere to stay-at-home orders.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Two major car manufacturers have announced that they will be getting their respective production lines rolling again in the coming days with one already back up and running.

Ford and Porsche announced a timeline to reopen and each will have new measures in place to deal with Covid-19 in the workplaces.

Seat has already reopened its Martorell, Barcelona and Componentes plants is Spain. The return to activity will take place gradually to apply the necessary health and safety measures. This decision also aims to contribute to reactivating employment at SEAT and supplier companies to limit the economic impact of the health crisis.

As part of the reopening process, SEAT announced it will carry out PCR tests on its 15,000 Spanish employees to ensure their health and safety and avoid COVID-19 infections. PCR diagnostic tests are the most reliable to identify whether the person screened has contracted the COVID-19 virus.

Ford has announced that manufacturing will resume on May 4 in a phased approach at Saarlouis Vehicle Assembly Operations and Cologne Assembly Operations and Engine Plant in Germany; Valencia Vehicle Assembly Operations in Spain; and Craiova Vehicle Assembly Operations and Engine Plant in Romania.

Production will restart at Valencia Engine Plant in Spain on May 18, while the resumption date for Fords Dagenham and Bridgend Engine Plants in the United Kingdom will be confirmed at a later date.

We need to prepare for a new environment once we are past the initial peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Europe, with the key priority in our return to work plan being the implementation of Fords global standards on social distancing and strengthened health and safety protocols in the workplace. Our employees need to know that we are taking the appropriate steps to safeguard their well-being at work, said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe.

Production will start at a low level, prioritizing sold customer vehicle orders from dealers, and will gradually be ramped-up over the next few months before full production is resumed. The production plans take into account supplier readiness, national movement restrictions and, Ford dealer sales sites reopening in key markets, as well as customer demand.

Maintaining the health of our workforce is the top priority when restarting production and returning to work at our plants, said Martin Hennig, chairman, Ford European Works Council. Our union leaders across Europe have agreed on far-reaching measures for the best possible protection for our employees, which go beyond the nationally prescribed measures and apply to all our plants in Europe.

As from next Monday (4 May), Porsche is restarting production on a site-and task-specific basis. All the required measures have been taken in advance to guarantee the maximum possible safety for employees and so that production can be increased in stages up to full capacity. As production is ramped up at the main factory in Zuffenhausen and at the site in Leipzig, all employees will now resume work step by step. The adapted processes in production, logistics and procurement have been agreed with the Works Council and the Health Management department. The requirements of the respective authorities will also be observed.

The restart is an important signal  for our employees as well as for our customers. We have monitored and analysed the situation very carefully right from the start and flexibly adapted processes. Now is the right time to look forward with optimism and to resume work  subject to special precautions, says Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG.
The founder of Irish charity Chernobyl Children International, Adi Roche, says the coronavirus has invaded an orphanage they are supporting in Belarus, which is home to vulnerable children.

By Lydia OKane

An orphanage in Belarus is battling an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus.

The Vesnova orphanage is home to over 170 vulnerable children and young adults with severe disabilities, genetic disorders and weakened immune systems. Around 13 children were diagnosed with the virus last week but cases since then have trebled.

The orphanage is supported by Irish charity, Chernobyl Children International.

Its founder and Voluntary CEO, Adi Roche, said the news has been shattering.

Aiding the most vulnerable

Im still stunned by a phone call I got last Wednesday from some staff members in a childrens institution which we founded over twenty years ago which is full of children affected by Chernobyl.  We got the phone call begging for help

She told Vatican News that there are no painkillers, cough bottles or sanitizers, and the childrens institution is in the middle of nowhere.

The Vesnova orphanage is just one of the institutions in Belarus where the charity is working to support children. The aim is to help them regain their right to a family life and to end the institutionalisation of children, in conjunction with authorities in Belarus.

The CEO said that the state has now responded to the outbreak, and has sent 20 experts who are now helping the institution. The charity itself is also sending aid including PPE equipment.

Amid this dramatic situation, the Irish charity is joining with other disability organisations in Belarus to call for proper social distancing measures to be put in place at these institutions in order to halt the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

They are also proposing that children who are mobile be transferred to summer camps where social distancing will be easier to maintain.

We cannot abandon the children, Ms Roche said. Were here for the long haul Weve been involved with the children of Chernobyl and the children of Belarus and Ukraine since 1986 and no matter how bad the rest of the world is at the moment we are not going to turn our backs (on them).

Listen to the interview

Remembering Chernobyl

The outbreak of the coronavirus came just days before the 34th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster which was observed on the 26th April as United Nations Chernobyl Remembrance Day.

The nature of the virus and the nature of radioactivity are actually really, really very similar. Its this invisible enemy that recognizes no boundariesand it goes on doing its damage. The only difference I hope and pray is that once we get the antidote to the virus that will be the end, whereas unfortunately, the consequences of Chernobyl go on into infinity, Ms Roche said.

The effects of forest fires

Another situation which has also impacted the lives of children in the region are the recent forest fires which began following an unusually dry weather spell on April 3rd.

At one stage the blaze was just one kilometre away from the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Ms Roche said that, as a result of these fires, eight villages in Ukraine were burned to the ground in radiation zones.

These people are now homeless, and there are six to seven hundred children who are without a roof over their heads. They have been left standing in the clothes they were wearing at the time of the fires.

Before we even got the Covid bad news wed been spending time raising funds and getting clothes, shoes and basic medicines together, the Voluntary CEO said, We need to move those children but we cant because of the pandemic. Covid-19 means that these children have to stay where they are with their families. In a sense, were fighting on two fronts with both the virus and the effects of the recent forest fires, she said.
BIOTECON Diagnostics has developed and launched its own microproof SARS-CoV-2 Screening/Identification Kits, which are available immediately for purchase and can be distributed globally.

In light of the pandemic outbreak reaching all corners of the earth, with millions of people infected and many fatalities, diagnostic testing has offered some respite in the midst of such unprecedented challenges. Germany alone carries out hundreds of thousands of PCR tests a week in the fight against the COVID-19 infectious disease. This trend of carrying out large-scale testing has proven effective in stemming the spread of the coronavirus in many of the hardest-hit countries.

I am extremely proud of our team of scientific researchers and experts, who in a short space of time have managed to develop, manufacture and market such high-quality real-time PCR tests for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2. It is the latest addition to a whole coronavirus product portfolio we have aimed at expanding the availability of diagnostic testing and supporting the massively impacted healthcare systems." Dr. Kornelia Berghof-Jager, CEO of BIOTECON Diagnostics

"Our customers have depended on our fast and reliable real-time PCR technology for over twenty years. During times such as these, the kits from our German production facilities in collaboration with advanced automation solutions for all throughputs, such as the RoboPrep 32 and the KingFisherTM Flex, provide some of the best diagnostic tools available on the market to support the analysis of COVID-19," commented Dr. Kornelia Berghof-Jager.
Migrant workers engaged in construction activities at the Indian Institute of Hyderabad went on a rampage on Wednesday demanding their pending salaries and permission to travel to their home states.

About 2,400 workers from various states like Odisha, Bihar are engaged by two reputed infrastructure firms in the Phase-II building works at IIT Hyderabad, located near Kandi village, about 60 KMs from Hyderabad, in Sanga Reddy district.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

According to the district police officials, the agitated workers came out of their sheds, set up behind the IIT-H, in hundreds by Wednesday noon. Some were wielding sticks and raising slogans, and the workers pelted stones at a police jeep injuring three policemen initially sent there.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Some executives of the construction firm were also reportedly attacked by the furious workers earlier, alleging non-payment of their March salaries. Additional police forces were rushed to the site and the situation was brought under control.

A few representatives of the workers were later taken to meet the district authorities, who convened a meeting between them and the construction firm executives.

The firms have reportedly agreed to pay the workers wages without delay. A decision on when to resume the construction work, which was halted due to the lockdown, would be announced thereafter.
Ambassador to Australia Ngo Huong Nam called on Vietnamese students in Australia to stay united and support those affected by COVID-19 during a video meeting on April 28.

Ambassador to Australia Ngo Huong Nam

The meeting was held between the ambassador and representatives of Vietnamese students associations of various states and regions across Australia. It was also attended by Vietnamese Consul General to Western Australia Bui Quoc Thanh and President of the Vietnam Business Association in Australia lawyer Tran Ba Phuc.

During the event, the representatives talked about difficulties Vietnamese students are facing because of the pandemic and reported on their wishes and inquiries.

Ambassador Nam said the government and embassy of Vietnam have always cared for the Vietnamese people and students living in Australia, especially those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The government has repeatedly requested Australian authorities to support Vietnamese citizens during this challenging time during phone talks with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Ministry leaders, he said.

Nam, together with other ambassadors of ASEAN member states, sent letters to governments of Australian states and regions as well as local universities to ask for their assistance for students from Southeast Asia on April 1.

He noted that the Vietnamese embassy has established a hotline for Vietnamese nationals to seek help and source information, and released announcements relating to COVID-19 on its official website and Facebook fanpage.

No Vietnamese nationals in Australia have been infected with the coronavirus so far, the diplomat said.

He advised Vietnamese students and alumni to stay in Australia, except for those in especially difficult circumstances. The embassy will stay side by side with the students and is willing to help them ask their universities for tuition fee reductions./.VNA

Students to compete in online run in May An online running race for Vietnamese students in high schools, vocational schools, colleges and universities across the country and those studying abroad will take place from May 3-25 as part of activities to prevent the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
A commander of the logistics readiness squadron at Osan Air Base, South Korea, has been removed from his post due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead.

Lt. Col. Michael Kearney, commander of the 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron, was removed from his post by Col. John Gonzales, 51st Fighter Wing commander, on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson from the 51st Fighter Wing.

The decision was made due to loss of confidence in Kearneys ability to effectively lead the squadron, the spokesperson said in an email.

Kearney has been reassigned to 7th Air Force, where he will work under the A4 logistics, engineering, and force protection directorate. Maj. Hans Hobbs, 51st LRS director of operations, has assumed temporary command of the squadron until the new commander arrives, the spokesperson said.

Related: F.E. Warren Security Forces Commander Relieved Following Investigation

The spokesperson did not provide additional details on whether an investigation precipitated Kearneys removal.

According to the 51st LRS Facebook group, Kearney has been at the squadron at least since 2017.

The 51st LRS contributes to the wings operations through planning and direction for the distribution of equipment.

Last year, airmen from the squadron helped prepare for President Donald Trumps visit to the region for the second U.S. and Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, according to a release.

The airmen assisted in securing diplomatic clearances for the cargo in addition to coordinating plans between Osan, Kunsan, Suwon and Kadena Air Bases in the theater, the release said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Read More: Navy Orders Deeper Investigation Into Crozier Firing
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his American counterpart Donald Trump, in which he expressed hope that the US Congress would better understand the strategic importance of their relationship, given solidarity during the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported.

Erdogan's letter arrived Tuesday along with medical equipment that Turkey sent to the US to help contain the outbreak of COVID-19. The administration of the Turkish president published a letter on Wednesday.

The US Congress threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey in connection with the purchase of S-400 air defense systems from Russia, but because of the pandemic, Ankara postponed its commissioning.

I hope that in the upcoming period, with the spirit of solidarity we have displayed during the pandemic, Congress and the U.S. media will better understand the strategic importance of our relations, the Turkish president said in the letter.
She worked in the emergency department and had been on the front lines for weeks, handling the onslaught of cases, her father said. New York City has been the US' pandemic epicenter, recording nearly 300,000 cases and more than 22,000 deaths as of Tuesday morning.

Breen contracted Covid-19 and took a week and a half off to recover, but when she went back to work, she couldn't last through a 12-hour shift, her father said. Still, she felt like she had to get back in there to help her colleagues.

Then, a doctor friend visited Breen at home and told her she should go home to Virginia, where most of her family is based, Philip Breen said. Some friends and relatives helped get her to Charlottesville.

She was hospitalized and treated for exhaustion

Lorna Breen soon was admitted to the hospital at the University of Virginia for exhaustion, her father said, adding that her mother is a doctor in the ward where she was treated.




Coronavirus

A nurse and her mother have tested positive for coronavirus in Imokun, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigerian Tribune has reported.

The nurse it was gathered, who works at a private hospital and her mother tested positive on Sunday after exhibiting symptoms of the virus.

The source said both mother and daughter were not residents in the town, noting that they came to inspect an apartment she intended to hire for her mother in Imokun, Epe town.

Before the reported cases, Epe Local Government was one of the three Local government areas in the state that have not recorded any coronavirus case.

With the new reported cases, a team from the Lagos State Task Force on COVID-19 visited the palace of the Oloja of Epe, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, on Sunday in Papa, Epe to confirm the report after which workers at the palace took them to Imokun.

The team went to the building in Imokun for contact tracing and they subjected all residents in the building to COVID-19 test.

They all tested negative but the nurse and her mother were positive. So they took both of them from Imokun to Lagos for further treatment. They have been at the Lagos isolation centre since Sunday, the source said.

Confirming the cases on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Secretary to Epe Local Government Area, Tunde Subair, said: COVID-19 is real and community/person-person transmission is ongoing.

Lets keep to the rules and directives given out by the government- social distancing, staying home, cough/respiratory etiquette, use of face masks when outside the household. Epe Local Government now has two confirmed cases of COVID-19.
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04/29/2020

Photo (c) kieferpix - Getty Images The nationwide pale that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to our lives is new to most of us -- at least anyone born and raised in the U.S. since World War II -- and its taken some getting used to.

Studies have shown that stress and anxiety are running counter to relaxation and gratitude. People are calming their nerves by meditating, by exercising, and by trying to soothe their inner chef to keep from going out and publically poking this bear of a virus.

And, then, some are turning to beer, wine, or distilled spirits to try to calm their nerves. When ConsumerAffairs went in search of statistics on just how much alcoholic beverage consumption was going on during the pandemic, what we found was staggering.

Alcohol trends during coronavirus crisis

Here are some of the eye-openers we came across:

Liquor stores are considered "essential businesses." Thats because there are 15 million people in the U.S. who have "alcohol use disorder (AUD) -- and its considered a public health crisis. If liquor stores were closed, it could inadvertently contribute to overwhelming hospitals where space is better suited for the surging number of COVID-19 patients. Because so few people have access to medications for AUD, access to alcohol becomes a matter of life or death, Scientific American wrote as it laid out the answer.

People are drinking "on the job." About 36 percent of men and 26 percent of women working from home said they drink during work hours, according to Healthline.

Consumers are spending more and buying larger containers of alcoholic beverages. Eater's report says some consumers are spending as much as 50 percent more per purchase for wine and spirits. Theyre also stocking up with jumbo-size packages like three-liter boxed wine (up 53 percent) and 24-packs of beer.

Liquor delivery is through the roof. With people cocooning at home, Liquor Barn reports that its delivery sales are up 600 percent.

E-commerce alcohol sales continue to gain momentum. Drizly -- the Amazon for liquor -- reports that during the week of April 20, its sales were up 473 percent over what it would have expected to see during this time in a "normal" situation. And while the price of buying alcohol online is usually higher, it doesn't seem to bother consumers. Nielsen told ConsumerAffairs that on-premise measurements suggest that nearly 75 percent of the liquor buyers are ok with paying more for a delivered spirit than they would in a retail store.

Weekly liquor store revenue is up by more than 100 percent in several states. Compared to a year ago, sales are up 143 percent in Alabama, 160 percent in Ohio, and 176 percent in Idaho, according to Domo's COVID-19 tracker.

Categorically, wine has the most substantial growth rate. Nielsen says spirits comes in second in that category, followed by beer/flavored malt beverages/cider. A Seriously Smoked study based on geotagged Twitter data shows that vodka dominates the Northeast U.S. while whiskey is the absolute favorite in most of the rest of the country.

Booze + boredom = tipping point

Sure, one could point the finger at state and local governments for qualifying liquor stores as "essential businesses," but people don't drink just because there's a liquor store open down the street. Unfortunately, getting tipsy has led to a tipping point for some, throwing them into the gone-too-far column.

ConsumerAffairs reached out to an addiction expert to find the reasons behind this and what people can do if they think they've gone too far.

Dr. Lantie Jorandby, Chief Medical Officer at Lakeview Health, an addiction treatment center, told ConsumerAffairs that the new mix of shutdowns, layoffs, and fear and anxieties arising due to COVID-19 is what gets people to their tipping point.

"The length of the shutdown I think is a big factor," Jorandby said, "but that gets exacerbated when adding in the uncertainty of when we are going to be out of quarantine, the financial problems most people are facing and the fear of getting sick, and the compounds increase."

Working at home also has a profound downside in Jorandby's opinion. The snag is that people think they can get away with more when they work from home  whether it be video chats in their PJs, watching some TV while working, or, yes, even drinking while they work.

Jorandby passes along a word of warning to anyone who's feeling a bit more stressed out thanks to the shutdown.

"People may feel it's ok to reward themselves with a drink to calm their nerves or relax after a challenging day, (but) ultimately, alcohol will make things harder  causing poor sleep, poor decision making, bad eating habits and even worsening mood and anxiety levels," she said.

Drinking alcohol doesnt protect against COVID-19

Jorandby told ConsumerAffairs that she was surprised to find that some people think that consuming alcohol will somehow protect them from the virus. She pointed out that the only type of alcohol that has any place in the fight against coronavirus is the type found in antibacterial gels -- and those shouldn't be consumed orally either, as the Food and Drug Administration warns.

"Drinking alcohol actually has an opposite effect on your health. Alcohol weakens the immune system, disrupts sleep and alters behaviors  all of this only makes someone more susceptible to getting sick," he said.

Gone too far?

If someone feels they're nearing the borderline of going too far with their drinking, the pandemic provides a sort of life-forming moment because we have more time to focus and form good habits such as exercise.

In addition, Dr. Jorandby suggests starting out with baby steps like reaching out to someone you trust who has your best interests at heart, like a family member or friend. "Share with them what's going on and ask for help," she advocates.

"Someone may be in need of inpatient treatment to safely detox off alcohol or other drugs. It is always better to detox in a medical setting, especially now with the pandemic. There are still residential programs that can admit and treat people. Also, there are plenty of telehealth options now to talk with doctors and therapists who can get you help."

If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, ConsumerAffairs has prepared a guide on drug and alcohol treatment centers, as well as inpatient and outpatient programs. You can find the guide here.
Billionaire Elon Musk has slammed coronavirus lockdown measures by tweeting 'Free America Now' as he joined protesters from across the country in demanding restrictions be lifted.

The Tesla founder fired off a series of tweets late on Tuesday protesting against the current lockdown restrictions and applauded some states, like Texas, which are now restarting their economies.

Musk's Twitter outburst came just as he was on the cusp of getting a $750 million payout from a bonus scheme that is linked to the electric car-maker's share price.

'FREE AMERICA NOW,' the 48-year-old tweeted.

Alongside a link to a Wall Street Journal op-ed about whether lockdowns are saving lives, Musk tweeted: 'Give people their freedom back!'

Billionaire Elon Musk has slammed coronavirus lockdown measures by tweeting 'Free America Now' as he joined protesters from across the country in demanding restrictions be lifted

The Tesla founder fired off a series of tweets late on Tuesday protesting against the current lockdown restrictions and applauded some states, like Texas, who are now restarting their economies

He also tweeted a link to a story about Texas lifting some restrictions this week, saying: 'Bravo Texas'.

Musk later clarified, in response to a tweet from one of his followers, that he believed states should be reopening slowly.

'Yes, reopen with care & appropriate protection, but don't everyone under de facto house arrest,' he tweeted.

Musk had earlier hit out at Silicon Valley, saying it had become 'Sanctimonious Valley' and 'too much the moral arbiter of the world'.

Stay-at-home orders issued by governors across the US and subsequent decisions to slowly reopen state economies have turned into highly charged political issues in recent weeks as the shutdowns have hammered the nation's economy.

People in various states across the country have been protesting against lockdown restrictions.

Musk, early on in the outbreak in March, said the panic surrounding coronavirus was 'dumb'.

'My frank opinion is that the harm from the coronavirus panic far exceeds that of the virus itself,' he wrote in a letter to employees in mid-March.

He told employees that they could work from home if they felt more comfortable but that he would continue going to work.

'I'd like to be super clear that if you feel the slightest bit ill or even uncomfortable, please do not feel obligated to come to work,' Musk said.

'I will personally be at work, but that's just me. Totally ok if you want to stay home for any reason.'

Musk also tweeted a link to a local news story about Texas lifting some restrictions this week, saying: 'Bravo Texas'

Alongside a link to a Wall Street Journal op-ed about whether lockdowns are saving lives, Musk tweeted: 'Give people their freedom back!'

Musk had earlier hit out at Silicon Valley, saying it had become 'Sanctimonious Valley' and 'too much the moral arbiter of the world'

Meanwhile, shares of Tesla surged 10 percent at the beginning of the week ahead of the release of the company's quarterly earning report on Wednesday.

A stock slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic led to Tesla having to close its factory near San Francisco at the end of March and furlough workers.

The company originally said it would resume operations on May 4, but Bay Area health officials on Monday extended shelter-in-place orders to the end of May.

This week's stock rally put Tesla's market capitalization at $145 billion. Importantly for Musk, its stock market value reached a six-month average of $96 billion.

Hitting a six-month average of $100 billion would trigger the vesting of the first of 12 tranches of options granted to Musk to buy Tesla stock as part of his two-year-old pay package.

Each tranche gives Musk the option to buy 1.69 million Tesla shares at $350.02 each. Taking Monday's Tesla closing stock price of $798.75 as an example, Musk could sell those shares for a profit of $758 million.

Musk does not receive a salary or cash bonus - only options that vest based on Tesla's market cap and milestones for revenue and profit growth.

Protesters gathered Tuesday near the North Carolina Legislative Building to protest the current stay-at-home orders issued by Gov. Roy Cooper

Stay-at-home orders issued by governors across the US and subsequent decisions to slowly reopen state economies have turned into highly charged political issues in recent weeks. Pictured are protesters in Denver, Colorado on Sunday

People in various states across the country have been protesting against lockdown restrictions. A rally in San Diego, California drew dozens of protesters on Sunday

Protesters from a grassroots organization called REOPEN NC gathered in Raleigh on Tuesday to pressure North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to reopen the state

Musk has already hit a growth target necessary for the first options to vest.

A full payoff for Musk, who is also the majority owner and CEO of the SpaceX rocket maker, would surpass anything previously granted to U.S. executives.

When Tesla unveiled Musk's package in 2018, it said he could theoretically reap as much as $55.8 billion if no new shares were issued.

However, Tesla has since issued shares to compensate employees, and last year it sold $2.7 billion in shares and convertible bonds.

Many institutional analysts expect Tesla to have a compound annual growth rate of around 20%.

Analysts on average expect March quarter revenue to jump 30% to $5.9 billion, according to Refinitiv, down from an initial February estimate of $6.7 billion.

Tesla in early April reported strong vehicle deliveries in the first three months of 2020 - a time when other U.S. carmakers grappled with a slump in sales as virus woes and lockdown restrictions began taking hold.

The company in mid-February raised $2 billion in a stock offering, and investors on Wednesday will probe whether that covers the company's cash burn at a time when Tesla ramps up production of its new Model Y sport utility vehicle.
Rajasthans Covid-19 cases which have breached the 2000-mark is not a cause of concern since the state government is working round-the-clock to ensure not a single positive case remains undetected, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Rajasthan stands at 2,364 with 51 deaths, according to Union Health Ministry data.

There is no need to worry if the total number of Covid-19 cases rise. The state wants that nobody with the disease should go unnoticed, Gehlot told news agency PTI.

The chief minister also informed about the various measures taken by the state government to control the spread of the disease, mitigate the problems of those severely affected by the nationwide lockdown and the huge impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Rajasthans economy as well as on tourism.

The states revenue is dwindling in the wake of the nationwide lockdown and the Centre is yet to act on Rajasthans demand to release outstanding GST arrears, Gehlot said.

The veteran Congress leader also asked for special trains to take migrant workers stranded at different places in the country to their homes.

I urged the Centre to put in place necessary mechanisms to take the migrant workers home. The Centre should run special trains to transport them to their native places.

On the state being lauded for effectively controlling the disease in Bhilwara, Gehlot said the containment model was successful in the textile town as it is not densely populated and the administration had acted swiftly.

He said the containment strategy in other regions of the state, where a large number of Covid-19 cases have been reported, is taking time due to the dense population.

Bhilwara became a coronavirus hotspot after three doctors and nine nursing staff of a private hospital tested positive.

We introduced strict containment strategies in hotspot areas. The Bhilwara model was adopted in Jaipur, Kota and other hotspot areas of the state. It becomes more difficult to control the spread of a disease in densely populated areas, he said.

Gehlot cited the example of Jaipurs Parkota area (Ramganj locality) where the population is higher than Bhilwara. In this region, many families reside in one house. So we divided the region into 30 clusters and conducted testing a reason why there are more number of cases there, the CM explained.

The three-time chief minister and senior Congress leader also urged the Centre to provide quality rapid testing kits and other essential equipment. Many states, he said, are battling the problem of not having enough safety paraphernalia.

We had got rapid testing kits from the ICMR, but stopped using them after they turned out to be faulty. The state has increased the number of PCR tests, he said.

The chief minister also said that Rajasthan had received praise for its containment strategy in the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers via video conferencing held on Monday.
A 13-year-old boy who shot and killed a stranger in a Seattle suburb last week told police he was depressed and 'just felt like doing it'.

Hassan Ali Hassan, 35, was shot in a random attack as he walked along South 152nd Street in Burien on April 21 and died in hospital Thursday.

Police arrested a 13-year-old teen in Renton in connection with the murder on Friday and he told them if he didn't kill someone, he would have killed himself.

The teen has not yet been charged as prosecutors review the case and whether he should be tried as an adult.

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Police were called to South 152nd Street in the Seattle suburb of Burien on April 21 after a 35-year-old was shot at random in the head by a 13-year-old boy. The man died on Thursday

According to a probable cause statement, the King County Sheriff's Office say the boy told them that he was depressed and shot the Hassan Ali Hassan because he 'just felt like doing it'

King County Sheriff's Office say that CCTV has tracked the teen to the site of the shooting and that a friend has told police that he appeared at his home after the incident with a gun.

'He admitted to shooting the victim because he was depressed and felt like if he didn't kill someone he would kill himself and because he "just felt like doing it",' court documents state.

The boy's ex-girlfriend's mother told police that he had left her house, where he had been staying, at 9am that morning and had not been seen after that.

She had discovered her 9 mm handgun was missing.

According the a probable cause statement filed by the sheriff's office, the teen followed his victim for a block as he walked west along South 152nd Street at around 9pm that night.

He is then said to have pulled a gun from his pocket and shot the man in the back of the head as they stood directly opposite the Highline Performing Arts Center.

People living in the area called 911 and Hassan was found lying on the ground unconscious. A 9 mm shell casing was found 20 feet from where he lay.

He died two days later in Harbourview Medical Center in Seattle.

'It doesn't appear, from what the detectives have learned from their investigation, that the suspect knew the victim at all. That makes it more tragic than it already was and is,' Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott told Q13 Fox.

Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott said the boy appears to have taken a handgun from his ex-girlfriend's mother's house, where he had been staying, the morning of April 21

'It's really sad when you think about it. Just the entire picture,' he added.

'Somebody's life was taken, a 35-year-old-male, and just the fact that the suspect is 13 years old, it is very tragic.'

The probable cause statement adds that the teen ran east from the site of the shooting through apartment complexes until he reached a friend's home.

CCTV from the Burien Transit Center also shows the teen traveling most of the way from the shooting scene to the apartment.

The statement said the teen showed his friend the gun through the window and he asked to be let in. Sirens were heard as the friend spoke to his family, and when he returned to the window, the friend said the suspected killer was gone.

The teen was arrested Friday after detectives spotted him walking down the street and on Saturday, a judge found probable cause to hold the boy in the King County Youth Services Center on investigation of homicide, according to the Seattle Times.

Casey McNerthney, a spokesman for Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, told the Times that the case is still under investigation as prosecutors decide whether they wish to ask a judge for a decline hearing.

The hearing would ask a judge to decide whether the teen should be tried as a juvenile or if the case should be transferred to an adult court.

Criminal charges against the teen are expected to be filed on Wednesday once a decision on the decline hearing is reached.

Kevin Schilling, Burien City Council member, warned of the increase of anxiety that has come with the coronavirus outbreak.

'Certainly there's been an increase in social isolation and mental concerns with our COVID lockdown,' he told FOX.
The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the 2019 presidential candidate for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, and his campaign manager, Bukola Saraki, to pay N5 million as damages to a Lagos-based trader for unauthorised use of her picture.

Amudat Adeleke, the Lagos-based trader, filed a lawsuit against Messrs Abubakar and Saraki for using her photograph without her consent which has caused her damage, The Punch newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Mrs Adelekes photograph was used on campaign billboards in 2019 soliciting votes for the PDP presidential candidate.

In her suit against Messrs Abubakar and Saraki, Mrs Adeleke prayed the court to award N45 million as damages, owing to the facts that the defendants infringed on her fundamental human rights and brought her great embarrassment, the report highlighted.

The plaintiff established to the court that her picture was taken during a 2018 campaign held at Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island Lagos, where Mr Saraki was present, soliciting votes for Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi for the presidency.

The trader said during the campaign, she and other traders were engaged and photographs were taken, only for her to see her picture used in billboards, without her consent.

Mrs Adeleke said the campaign billboards were seen in places like Ilupeju, Costain, Onikan, Apongbon, Airport Road, Yaba, Ikorodu and other areas of Lagos, as well as Abuja and some other states of Nigeria.

All my friends who saw the campaign billboard said it portrayed me as a woman stricken with poverty, who had lost all hope and was prepared to commit suicide, she told the court.

Ruling in her favour on Tuesday, Ayokunle Faji, the judge, awarded N5m against the defendants.
Ukraine is completing the process of preparation of the medical system for the coronavirus pandemic peak and is ready for the next step - stabilization of the economic situation.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this during a meeting of the Economic Development Council of Ukraine on Tuesday, April 28, the Government portal reported.

The next coronavirus outbreak peak, if it occurs, will be met by a well-prepared medical system. The market is saturated with personal protective equipment, hospitals are geared up, people demonstrate discipline to comply with sanitary standards. The Government is now focusing on supporting small and medium-sized businesses and stabilizing the economic situation, the prime minister said.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Secretary of the Council Yaroslav Zhalilo, Director of Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of NAS of Ukraine Ella Libanova, Senior Fellow at the US Atlantic Council Anders Aslund, Advisor to the President of Ukraine Oleh Ustenko, Managing Partner at the Capital Times Eric Nyman, Professor at Columbia University Willem Buiter, and Professor of Economics, Finance and Risk Management at Kyiv Mohyla Business School Yevhen Pentsak.

The participants discussed the five stages of quarantine exit presented by the Government. In particular, they emphasized that one of the main factors of economic recovery should be an increase in PCR testing - up to 10,000 a day.

Next week, the Government plans to approve a decree on the procedure for the introduction of the first stages of quarantine exit, Shmyhal announced.

So far we are heading towards the peak, which is forecast by the National Academy of Sciences between May 3 and May 8. However, the Government has a plan of easing restrictions. We will approve how exactly the first measures will be implemented so that both business and citizens can prepare for that in advance, he said.

Heads of Parliamentary Committees were also present at the meeting, in particular, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development Dmytro Natalukha, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee Yurii Aristov, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko.

PM Schmyhal stressed the importance of cooperation between the Government and Parliament in developing initiatives to support entrepreneurs.

ish
DENVER, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Financial Literacy Month, Economic Literacy Colorado has partnered with Bellco Credit Union to create an activity book for elementary students so they can further the conversation about financial literacy with their parents and family members.

National Financial Literacy Month is recognized in April to focus on the importance of financial literacy and to teach Americans and children how to establish and maintain healthy budgets. Aligning to the missions of Economic Literacy Colorado and Bellco Credit Union, April was selected for the activity book launch.

"Economic Literacy Colorado is grateful for Bellco Credit Union's partnership and contribution to financial educational tools for students," said Debbie Pierce, president and CEO of Economic Literacy Colorado. "We created this activity book so children could enjoy learning about money at home with the help of a parent or family member. Equipping young people with knowledge to make informed decisions is essential and prepares them to handle financial and economic challenges in their future."

The booklet, titled "FUNancial $marts," is available online, and it will also be distributed through Bellco Credit Union locations and though its community partners in the near future. The book's collaborative lessons of counting money, budgeting, and creating a business are intended to encourage Colorado youth to go down the right path to making educated financial choices. To access the booklet, please visit: https://www.bellco.org/funancialsmarts.

"Bellco is committed to improving the quality of life for our members and community by helping them to secure their financial future. Providing children with financial skills at a young age empowers them to become financially strong in the future," said Jody Soper, vice president of marketing for Bellco Credit Union. "We're proud of the work we've done together with Economic Literacy Colorado on this book, and we hope it helps spur a lifetime of good financial decisions."

To further support teachers and families who are seeking financial literacy tools, Economic Literacy Colorado has compiled a wide variety of resources on their website.

Educators who are teaching remotely will find resources that include webinars, lessons, articles, and recommendations for online engagement systems and presentation tools. For kindergarten to 12th grade students and their parents, Economic Literacy Colorado offers age-appropriate financial literacy program resources to support at-home learning about personal financial responsibility.

About Economic Literacy Colorado

Economic Literacy Colorado is the only Colorado nonprofit dedicated to economic and personal financial professional development for kindergarten-12th grade teachers. Its goal is for every Colorado student to be financially and economically capable of making informed decisions to set them up for success. Because Colorado students are not required to learn these fundamental life-skills, Economic Literacy Colorado works diligently to educate, engage and incentivize educators to make financial education a priority in their school or district, leveling the playing field for all Colorado students.

For more information about Economic Literacy Colorado, please visit https://econlitco.org/.

About Bellco Credit Union

Bellco is one of Colorado's largest financial institutions, with $5 billion in assets and 25 branches in Colorado. Founded in 1936, Bellco offers a full range of financial products and services including mortgages, auto loans and checking accounts. Today, Bellco has more than 341,000 members who benefit from the advantages of a credit union, including lower interest rates on loans, higher yields on savings, and access to thousands of ATMs nationwide. Connect with Bellco on Facebook and Twitter. Bellco is Federally Insured by NCUA and is an Equal Housing Opportunity Lender.

Contact:

Hannah Hock

720.545.7475

[email protected]

SOURCE Bellco Credit Union

Related Links

https://www.bellco.org


WhatsApp, which began testing its mobile payments feature in India two years ago, could offer at least one more financial service to people in its biggest market.

In a filing with the local regulator in India, the Facebook -owned messaging platform has listed credit as one of the areas it will pursue in the country. The Facebook-owned service declared with the local regulator earlier this month providing credit or loans as one of the "main objects to be pursued by it in the country." No other financial service is listed in the filing.

At an event in Bangalore late last year, Abhijit Bose, WhatsApps head in India, said he believed that the mobile payments market in India, which has attracted dozens of local and international firms in recent years, is still at a very early stage in the country and may eventually see firms move beyond just offering a way for people to send money to one another.

WhatsApp has yet to receive approval from New Delhi for a nationwide rollout of Pay in India. Local media reports claimed earlier this year that WhatsApp had started to expand Pay's reach in the country in various phases.

Ajit Mohan, a Facebook VP and India head, told TechCrunch in an interview last week that only 1 million WhatsApp users in India, same as before, have access to its mobile payment service.

Dozens of payment services in India have expanded to credit, or online lending, in recent quarters as they search for a business model in the country. A number of firms, including Paytm, India's most-valued startup, and MobiKwik today offer small ticket credit to millions of users in India.

Tens of millions of users have started to digitally transact money in India in recent years. But the local payments body has removed most of the fees they could levy on banks and merchants to make money. The move has resulted in firms exploring other financial services, such as credit and insurance and target merchants to make money.

This year, Paytm has expanded to serve merchants, launching new gadgets such as a stand that displays QR check-out codes that comes with a calculator and a battery pack, a portable speaker that provides voice confirmations of transactions and a point-of-sale machine with built-in scanner and printer.

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The Alibaba and SoftBank-backed company is offering these gadgets as part of a subscription service that helps it establish a steady flow of revenue. Paytm's Money arm, which offers lending, insurance and investing services, has amassed more than 3 million users.

On Wednesday, Amazon unveiled and began rolling out Amazon Pay Later, a service for "tens of thousands" of eligible customers that would allow them to access instant credit of up to 20,000 Indian rupee ($264) to buy a range of products spanning multiple categories including daily essentials, electronics and clothing. Customers can also use this credit to complete their bill payments on Amazon, the e-commerce giant said.

Those accessing Amazon Pay Later service can repay the amount in the subsequent month to Amazon at no additional fee. They can also repay the amount at "nominal interest rates" in up to 12 months.

Amazon Pay Later is a unique service that will help customers expand their access to credit and experience the most convenient option of making payments. In current times Amazon Pay later empowers our customers to better manage their monthly spends," said Mahendra Nerurkar, chief executive of Amazon Pay India, in a statement.

Flipkarts PhonePe, another major player in Indias payments market, today serves more than 175 million users and over 8 million merchants. Its app serves as a platform for other businesses to reach users. The company is currently not taking a cut for the real estate on its app.

WhatsApp's expansion in mobile payments in India, estimated to grow to $1 trillion by 2023 (according to Credit Suisse), could create new challenges for the aforementioned players.

Facebook, which like other American tech giants counts India as one of its biggest markets but makes considerably less revenue in the world's second largest market, "reaffirmed" its commitment to India this month.

The social giant invested $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms this month to acquire a 9.99% stake in the Indian telecom giant. Over the weekend, JioMart, an e-commerce venture run by Jio's parent firm, began testing an ordering system on WhatsApp, teasing the first peek at the collaboration between Facebook and Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio Platforms.

Online lending could help WhatsApp, which does not charge users any fee or monetizes through ads, explore a way to make money.

WhatsApp has not responded to a request for comment.

[Story and headline updated at 12:09PM IST to add details about Amazon Pay Later rollout in India.]
At least 4,000 fishermen from



Andhra Pradesh, who were stranded in Gujarat amid the COVID-19 lockdown, were sent back home in 60-odd private buses from Veraval in Gir-Somnath district, an official said on Wednesday.

The state government has also arranged for buses to ferry migrant workers of neighbouring states who were stranded in different parts Gujarat, he said.

Following talks with the Andhra Pradesh government, the state government hired around 60 private buses to ferry 4,000 Andhra fishermen to Visakhapatnam from Veraval, said Manish Bharadwaj, secretary of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department.

"These buses started their journey from Veraval on Monday evening and the last bus set off on Wednesday morning. The fishermen will reach Visakhapatnam after two days on the road," he said.

Migrant fishermen from Andhra Pradeshwork for boat owners in Gujarat and spend around 10 months in the state, the official said.

"Earlier, we had allowed fishermen from Maharashtra and Daman to return by sea. However, it would take five days to reach Visakhapatnam by sea and we would have also needed large trawlers. Which is why we decided to hire buses and transport them by road," Bhardwaj said.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has so far ferried 4,500 stranded migrants in buses to Rajasthan, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, additional chief secretary (labour and employment) Vipul Mitra said.

Far away states including Uttar Pradesh will have to send their own buses to take back migrant workers, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 16:24:23|Editor: huaxia

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A tourist takes photos at the Longmen Grottoes scenic area during a night tour in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, April 28, 2020. The Longmen Grottoes scenic area has introduced night tour programs since April 10 to meet tourist needs. Tourists can join organized night tours via online booking to visit some of the finest Chinese Buddhist art here. (Xinhua/Li Jia'nan)
The southern Swedish city of Lund says it is spreading stinking chicken manure on the grounds of a central park to discourage a public celebration there on Thursday.

It's traditionally a big festive day among Swedish students and youth.

Gustav Lindblad from Lund's environmental committee tells Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan that we get the opportunity of fertilizing the lawns in the park and, at the same time, it will stink and it may not be so nice to sit and drink beer in the park.

The city says up 30,000 people from different parts of Sweden -- mostly students from Lund University -- have in previous years gathered to the Stadspark to celebrate Valborg, a spontaneous fest that marks the arrival of spring for Swedes.

Sweden has maintained relatively relaxed approach to public restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. But the government is strongly urging citizens to practice proper social distancing.

Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has confirmed 19,621 coronavirus cases and 2,355 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:50:44|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh blamed on Wednesday the government for failing to implement necessary reforms to save the country's economy, MTV local TV channel reported.

"We did not cost the government any penny. On the contrary, we have financed the government over the past years upon its request and according to the Lebanese law," Salameh said in televised speech.

"But the government failed to implement necessary reforms to save the country's economy and curb its public debt," Salameh added, in response to accusations blaming him for the loss of depositors' money caused by monetary policies adopted by Banque Du Liban, the central bank.

Lebanese Prime minister Hassan Diab accused earlier this month the central bank's governor of adopting a "mysterious" approach in dealing with the U.S. dollar crisis in the country.

Salameh gave an overview of the central bank's figures in his speech, saying that the accusations against him have been planned.

"Some parties hold me accountable for funding the government while this was my duty as per the Lebanese law. Otherwise, the government would not have been able to pay for electricity, salaries and other services," he said.

He added that the central bank is not responsible to supervise how this money is spend by the cabinet.

Salameh also assured that depositors' money at Lebanese banks is safe and he won't allow any bank to go bankrupt, adding that the central bank's gross foreign currency reserves stand at 22.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Lebanon has been going through a very tough economic and financial situation, prompting the cabinet to default on its debt which increased fears among depositors who are incapable of withdrawing their dollars from banks. Enditem
Citing a growing need for cloud-based tools that can accommodate remote work, OpenGov today unveiled the third software suite in its enterprise resource planning kit, this one focused on accounting for local government. With the launch of OpenGov Financials, the company says it has built afull-cloud ERP for the public sector, giving state and local governments a way to handle most ERP-related functions through cloud-hosted software-as-a-service instead of in person or through on-premises software.Starting today, according to a news release , the full OpenGov ERP Cloud includes three integrated suites: the new OpenGov Financials, plus the previously released Budgeting & Planning as well as Permitting, Licensing & Code Enforcement. OpenGov Financials gives governments an online platform to report, forecast and budget, automating various aspects of those jobs and eliminating the need for physical documents such as timecards, cash receipts and invoices. The underlying platform for the three software suites, OpenGov Reporting & Transparency, includes a set of reporting and analytics tools and dashboards that can interface with third-party software and comes with all of OpenGovs products. blog post today by OpenGov Chief Product Officer Ammiel Kamon said the new Financials suite rounds out a software package the company has been building toward for three years, after the success of its budgeting software. When working in tandem with Budgeting & Planning, which helps governments design budgets and do capital and workforce planning; and the Permitting, Licensing & Code Enforcement suite, which automates those tasks with an online portal; Kamon said Financials was the missing piece that would enable governments to do most of their administrative tasks entirely in the cloud.Government work requires a high frequency of cross-departmental communications, he wrote. How about having multiple departments and government agencies collaborating together on large vertical construction projects, while centrally providing all the requisite permit collaboration with developers to drive economic development in a community?In a public statement, company CEO Zac Bookman stressed the need for an end-to-end ERP suite built specifically with government needs in mind, given what is likely to be a new reality of working remotely.In light of the current crisis, its clear now more than ever that these old systems present a growing liability for cities and counties across the country, he said in a statement. Aside from forcing staff to miss their kids practices and family dinners, they are cumbersome, open to security risks like ransomware attacks, and not available online. To effectively respond to a rapidly changing world, government leaders need flexible, modern technology that can enable remote work with high security, that breaks down silos and encourages collaborative data sharing, and that continuously improves based on their feedback.The companys news release said nearly 100 governments are already using OpenGov Financials via an early-access program, and feedback has been very positive, including the example of Curry County, Ore.With one of the lowest tax rates in the state, we simply dont have the money for additional staff and we cant afford to make mistakes, said Julie Schmelzer, Curry Countys director of operations, in a statement. OpenGov will offer more transparency to the public and allow us to become more efficient while minimizing chances for human error. Internally, we will now know where each department is in their budget with the click of a mouse, and that information can easily be shared with the public.The OpenGov ERP Cloud represents years of investment and expansion for OpenGov, which was founded in 2012 with a focus on financial planning and transparency. The company has raised $140 million from investors since then, announced three acquisitions in the past four years and made four high-level leadership appointments in 2019. The companys news release said it counts more than 1,000 government customers.
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
Michigan will begin providing grants to child care providers who agree to reduce their weekly rates by at least 10 percent during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the program Wednesday afternoon, April 29, as an effort to make child care more affordable for families who have members working essential jobs during the state of emergency.

Home-based providers can receive grants starting at $1,500 and child care centers are eligible for grants of $3,000 or more, based on the size of the provider, whether they are open and serving essential workers, and their quality rating.

Child care providers have been critical partners in helping our state respond to COVID19, and we are extremely grateful for their service, Whitmer said in a prepared statement. Every child care provider and early educator is important in giving parents some peace of mind while they are delivering essential services to our state at this challenging time.

The Child Care Relief Fund includes $100 million from the federal CARES Act and $30 million from the states child care fund.

Its meant to ensure child care providers currently serving essential workers remain open and that costs associated with providing care during the pandemic are not passed on to essential workers.

Licensed child care centers, family group homes, tribal child care providers, provisional disaster relief child care centers and subsidized license exempt providers are all eligible. The relief fund provides direct, non-competitive grants to child care providers, according to a state press release.

To receive a grant from the state, care providers must commit to reducing their weekly rates for families by at least 10 percent. They must provide care for children of essential workers regardless of where their parents or caregivers work, and they must agree not to charge a fee to hold a childs spot in a program while receiving grant funds.

Interested eligible child care providers can apply online at Michigan.gov/childcare. Funds will be administered by the Michigan Department of Educations Office of Child Development and Care.

Earlier this month, Gov. Whitmer signed an executive order expanding the capacity of the states child care services through May 13. The order allows school districts and hospitals to operate disaster relief child care centers for parents who are in the essential workforce during the state of emergency.

Executive Order 2020-51 provides temporary and limited relief from certain regulatory restrictions regarding child care services and facilitates certain property for child care services.

Whitmer closed Michigans schools March 16 to reduce the spread of COVID-19. By April 2, the governor extended the closure through the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year as the states number of coronavirus cases surged to more than 9,300 confirmed cases and 337 deaths.

As of Tuesday, April 28, Michigan had 39,262 confirmed cases and 3,567 deaths associated with the virus.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

More from MLive:

Protest over Michigans state of emergency to go on, despite Facebook removing 2 events

The coronavirus was tailor made to devastate densely populated black Michigan communities

Michigan Senate to Whitmer: Allow elective medical procedures, construction to resume

New Kent County coronavirus cases shoot up 205 for single-day high
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Big meatpacking companies that have struggled to keep plants running during the coronavirus crisis said Wednesday that they welcomed President Donald Trumps executive order requiring them to stay open, but unions, some employees and Democrats questioned whether workers could be kept safe.

Trump used the Defense Production Act to classify meat processors as critical infrastructure to prevent supermarket shelves from running out of chicken, pork and other meat. Meatpacking plants across the country have closed as COVID-19 infections spread rapidly between workers, who often stand shoulder to shoulder on production lines.

Trump, who consulted with industry leaders before issuing the order, said it would relieve "bottlenecks" that the largest companies faced after workers fell ill and some died.

They are so thrilled, Trump said Wednesday after getting off a call with meatpacking executives. "Theyre so happy. Theyre all gung-ho, and we solved their problems."

The executive order was widely seen as giving processors protection from liability for workers who become sick on the job. It came soon after a lawsuit accused Smithfield Foods of not doing enough to protect employees at its plant in Milan, Missouri. A federal judge in that case ordered Smithfield to follow federal recommendations.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union said it would appeal to governors for help, asking them to enforce rules that workers be kept 6 feet apart and that employees be provided with N95 masks and access to virus testing.

Does it make sense to have meat in the markets if it takes the blood of the people who are dying to make it every day? asked Menbere Tsegay, a worker at the Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota, where more than 800 workers have confirmed cases of COVID-19. Two people have died, and the plant has been shut down since mid-April.

The threat of the virus has caused workers like Tsegay, a 35-year-old single mother of four children, to weigh whether to risk their health by working. Tsegay said she's not willing to do that.

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Id rather starve and wait this out than go back to work, she said.

Companies have already sought changes to reduce risks by providing personal protective equipment, installing plexiglass shields between workers and reducing congestion by staggering shift start times, among other reforms.

The union said plexiglass barriers should not be used as a substitute for putting workers at a safe distance from one another. Union officials also want to slow down meat processing, including getting rid of waivers that allow plants to operate at faster speeds.

Smithfield Foods, which is working on a plan to reopen the Sioux Falls plant, said in a statement welcoming Trump's order that it should make for easier access to protective equipment and testing for employees.

Faced with thinning workforces as workers become infected or stay home in fear, meatpacking companies have also put millions of dollars towards boosting pay and giving workers bonuses to encourage healthy workers to stay on the job.

But Jim Roth, director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, said meatpacking plants will likely continue to have problems finding enough workers operate at full capacity.

Theres a shortage of workers to begin with, and then with the illnesses and the need to self-quarantine for 14 days after exposure, Im not clear where the workers come from to keep the plants open, Roth said.

Trump's order called on the Department of Agriculture to ensure that plants stay open. The USDA said in a statement Wednesday that a team including the Department of Labor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would review companies' mitigation plans "and work in consultation with the state and local authorities to resume and/or ensure continuity of operations at these critical facilities.

Twenty meatpacking workers have died nationwide, and another 5,000 have been infected by the virus or shown symptoms of COVID-19, according to the union, which represents roughly 80% of beef and pork workers and 33% of poultry workers nationwide.

Trump promised Wednesday that a report on protecting workers would be coming soon.

Federal agencies have already issued recommendations for operating plants that largely track with steps many companies say they have already taken.

Wendell Young, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the union, described Trump's order as an attempt to appeal to voters rather than to ensure protections.

Marshall Tanick, an employment lawyer in Minneapolis, said the order does not necessarily immunize" meatpackers from lawsuits.

Legislation to give employers immunity in these situations has been proposed, but its "very unlikely that anything like that will be enacted soon at the federal level, Tanick said. He said such measures might be easier to achieve at the state level, because its less burdensome. Without specific legislation immunizing employers, they act at their own risk.

In Worthington, Minnesota, where a JBS pork plant closed last week because of the virus, U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that they hope the plant can reopen soon  but only if workers are protected.

"No executive order is going to get those hogs processed if the people who know how to do it are sick, or do not feel like they can be there, Walz said.

Marisol Avelar, who works at the Worthington plant, said she dreads the call from management telling her to come back. But she said her three children depend on her, and she has no other job prospects in town.

At the moment they tell me Im going to work, Im going to need the money, she said.

___

Associated Press writers Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; and Darlene Superville and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington also contributed to this report.
One of the left's standard attacks on the president is that he doesn't listen to the science! Sadly, he did listen to the so-called experts who predicted wildly hyperbolic death and destruction, and he agreed to the economic shutdown.

"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." Niels Bohr

The president surely realizes by now that he should have operated on his gut instincts, which rarely fail him. Dr. Fauci, for example, sees no patients. He looks at computer models, all of which were wrong. Dr. Birx probably has more hands-on experience, but she too recommended closing up the nation. They were wrong.

Governor Cuomo was wrong when he whined that he needed 40,000 ventilators and thousands more hospital beds. Trump provided everything he demanded, but none of it was needed. Cuomo has no common sense and sent COVID-positive patients into nursing homes rather than the Navy hospital ship or either of the two other Army-engineered field hospitals. This one order caused the deaths of fragile elderly people. Cuomo's handling of the crisis in his city has been disastrous on every front. His state was the least prepared for such an event after bragging that New York was ready. It was not.

At every press briefing on the pandemic, the scientists to whom Trump has been listening have presented their data upon which the president has relied. But the numbers extrapolated from their models were all wrong. And now this mass hysteria that has brought the American economy to a full stop is devastating millions and millions of Americans.

Our Democrat politicians and the members of the media who show up at those briefings uninformed, aiming only to entrap the president, haven't missed a paycheck or lost a dime. The millions of small businesses that have been shut down, many of them permanently, do not seem to enter their minds.

They have embraced this virus as though they've won the lottery; it's another crisis they mean to exploit in every way possible. Their essential talking point? Blame Trump and claim he is ignoring science. That they think they are convincing anyone with half a brain would be amusing if it were not so deadly serious. Oh, they are convincing the uninformed, the headline-readers, but our media are well and deservedly loathed by all thinking persons.

So invested in concealing the actual science, YouTube took down a fascinating press conference held by two doctors in California about what they are seeing in their E.R.s. Their science was declared "misinformation" by the powers that be at Google/YouTube, and they removed it because it deviated from the official talking points of the WHO. You can still see it here. Google/YouTube pretends that what the WHO says is legitimate when we and they surely know it is not; it is China that controls that institution.

We are perilously close to losing the rights guaranteed by our First Amendment: speech, religion, and assembly. Zuckerberg is upfront about wanting the government's approval of censorship of anything with which it disagrees  which means anything remotely conservative. The Atlantic magazine has virtually become a voice of China's Communist Party, as has Bill Gates. It was his Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) that provided the models on which Drs. Fauci and Birx advised the shutdown of the country. So much for science. Pelosi throws the word around with abandon as if her party's assertions that Trump has ignored it will stick.

But all those Americans who have been watching the briefings know that the opposite is true; it is the science that has been faulty.

"Do you know what we call opinion in the absence of evidence? We call it prejudice." Michael Crichton

It's time for all the governors who care about their citizens to put an end to the lockdown. The longer it stays in place, the more permanent damage is done. It will turn out to be the biggest national mistake in U.S. history, thanks to "the science." President Trump needs to go back to trusting his own good instincts, for they are more dependable than the faulty science that has undergirded this fiasco. The fatalities are not very different from the seasonal flu last year or the year before.

"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." Christopher Hitchens

Trump banned flights from China after only one death here and was eviscerated for it. But that single act probably saved thousands of Americans from becoming ill with the virus. The shelter-in-place orders were very likely ordered in error, not just because of inflated computer models, but for the science of immunity. It may be setting up all those who sheltered to be vulnerable once released from their house arrest. Immunity always is derived from exposure, from letting our immune systems prepare for the inevitable attacks from countless viruses that surround us. The doctors from California were stating what George Carlin had to say in his 2009 comedy act on germs.

No doubt most of us have learned by now that doctors around the country are being pressured by their hospitals to classify any death throughout this event as a Covid death, no matter how many or how serious their underlying conditions may have been and, in some cases, even if they have not been tested for the virus. Not very scientific to pad the number of deaths; suddenly few are dying of heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia, stroke, etc. Many of those who have passed away during this pandemic will most likely be counted as a Covid death. That is due to politics  more deaths for which to blame Trump  and financial; hospitals receive more money for every Covid death.

This will all soon be over, but the lockdown should never have been put in place and should be over today. Those most vulnerable to the illness should remain quarantined but they need not be isolated from their families if basic precautions are observed.

This has all been a very unscientific scam, an avenue for the left to institutionalize their socialist agenda, to destroy the ability of millions of Americans to support themselves and their families. Make them dependent on the government. Control what they can say publicly and online. This is all the stuff of fascism, not science.

President Trump rose to this occasion, confronted the ludicrous CDC and FDA regulations that initially prevented unapproved labs from distributing tests. The bitter media tried their best to undermine the use of hydroxychloroquine simply because Trump mentioned it as a possible cure; it is one of several. The same media trashed every study that proved it is very viable cure. It is the media and the Democrats who reject or ignore any "science" that conflicts with their political agenda.

Graphic credit: USAF.
From shirtless soldiers to teens sun-tanning on their parents driveways, Indonesians are soaking up rays like never before in the hope that plentiful sunshine will ward off coronavirus.

The rush to take up a practice usually associated with Bali-bound foreigners has been driven by unfounded claims on social media that sunlight -- and the vitamin D it supplies -- can slow or kill the virus.

That hope got a boost last week when a senior US official said new research showed sunlight quickly destroys the virus. The study has yet to be evaluated independently, but US President Donald Trump spoke about it enthusiastically during a press conference.

I always avoided the sun before because I didnt want to get tanned, said Theresia Rikke Astria, a 27-year-old housewife in Indonesias cultural capital Yogyakarta.

But Im hoping this will strengthen my immune system, she added.

Medics have their doubts, but say a 15-minute burst of morning sunshine can be good for you.

Exposing the body to direct sunlight is good to get vitamin D, not to directly prevent the disease, said Dr. Dirga Sakti Rambe at Jakartas OMNI Pulomas Hospital.

Vitamin D, which comes from fish, eggs, milk and sunlight exposure, is important in maintaining a healthy immune system, he said, but added: Sunbathing does not kill the virus that causes COVID-19.

Whatever the science, one thing is for sure: there is no shortage of sunshine in the tropical 5,000-kilometre- (3,100-mile-) long Southeast Asian archipelago.

The rush outdoors has led to an Indonesian government warning about the dangers of skin cancer, and calls for novice sun-seekers to slap on protection.

It was a rare caution in a place where sunbathing is not practised widely and beauty product commercials extol the virtues of fair skin.

Across Asia, pale skin has long been associated with a higher social class and skin-lightening products are big sellers.

Muslim majority Indonesias relatively conservative dress codes -- especially for women -- mean skimpy swimwear isnt a feature of the new craze.

- Asian skin tone -

But the pandemic has made a convert of Rio Zikrizal, even if he struggles with the idea of soaking his shirtless torso in the sun.

In normal times Id be reluctant to sunbathe, the Jakarta resident said.

Ive got an Asian skin tone which gets dark easily so I often use products to make my skin lighter.

Nabillah Ayu, who lives on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, starts her newly adopted sunbathing routine around 10 am -- when she used to be in the office -- in the hopes of avoiding the deadly respiratory disease.

Sunlight cant directly kill coronavirus, but it can boost the immune system and stop you from getting it, the 22-year-old said.

Bare-chested suntan sessions have been incorporated into morning exercise routines for some military and police units.

And in major cities, residents are flocking from neighbourhoods crammed with narrow, dark alleyways to open areas -- including commuter train tracks -- where they can catch some unobstructed rays.

It is a motley mix of women in head-covering hijabs with rolled up sleeves and pants, shirtless male teens and wrinkly pensioners all clamouring for a bit of sunshine as the odd train zips by.

Ive just started sunbathing regularly since the pandemic hit, Alfian, who goes by one name, told AFP near train tracks in Tangerang on the edge of Jakarta.

Afterwards I take a shower and my body feels fitter.

Pensioner Wadianto Wadito, who suffers from heart disease and diabetes, figures he can use all the help he can get.

Im already taking a lot of medicines anyway, so now Im sunbathing to get all my vitamins without taking more pills, the 65-year-old said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. )

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Photo credit: Alexander Koerner - Getty Images

From Car and Driver

The exact way forward is not yet clear, but Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Tesla have all announced or are rumored to be restarting production this week or next.



VW has made the most explicit plans, with production restarted in Germany today, April 27, and scheduled for the company's Tennessee plant on May 3. The company has come up with a 100-point plan to do this safely and has shared that document with its suppliers.

The UAW president says any rushed restart will be "calamitous for all of us."

UPDATE, 5/1/20: BMW will restart its massive Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant on Monday, May 4, with reduced worker capacity, Automotive News reports. The plant builds SUVs including the X5. Mercedes-Benz has already reopened its Vance, Alabama, facility earlier this week with one shift.



UPDATE, 4/29/20: Porsche has announced it's reopening its Zuffenhausen and Leipzig production facilities starting Monday, May 4. The company says it has taken measures to ensure "the maximum possible safety for employees" and will ramp up production on a gradual basis.



UPDATE, 4/28/20: Bloomberg is now reporting that Tesla has decided against calling workers back before the stay-at-home order is lifted, and will instead bring them back the day after the order ends. Thats still currently scheduled for May 3, but local politicians say its likely to be extended.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the Detroit automakers are now expecting to reopen their production plants on May 18, part of a discussion with the UAW and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Those discussions include ways to protect employee health and ways to inform suppliers how to implement safety protocols. Michigan's stay-at-home order currently ends May 15.

FCA sent C/D an update saying that, as it looks to restart North American production, it is sharing best practices that have "enabled the restart of operations at our plants in China and this week, with the support of the unions, at our Italian plants." These new rules were created to align with CDC and WHO recommendations, FCA said, and they fit the pattern VW is following, which means increased social distancing, monitoring employee temperatures, and installing more cleaning stations in the factories.



Story continues

The COVID-19 situation has created a bit of a patchwork quilt of state-based regulations for automakers with plants in the U.S. to navigate as discussions about restarting production become more and more real.

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S. has not yet peaked, but some states, notably Georgia, have announced that some local businesses can reopen. There are also storiessome based on announcements, some on anonymous reportsthat many automakers are looking to reopen their plants in the near future.

In the middle of March, right around the time of the first lockdown orders in the U.S., the UAW and the Big Three announced the formation of a COVID-19/Coronavirus Task Force that would "implement enhanced protections for manufacturing and warehouse employees at all three companies."

UAW President Rory Gamble is a member of this task force, along with GM chairman and CEO Mary Barra, Ford executive chairman Bill Ford, Ford president and CEO Jim Hackett, and FCA CEO Michael Manley. On Friday, Gamble wrote a letter to UAW members that was critical of reopening any plant too soon. "If we restart too early, it will be calamitous for all of us," he wrote. "I feel the scientific data is not conclusive at this point and it is too risky for our members, their families and our communities to support a quick return to work in early May." The UAW told Car and Driver today this is the union's current stance.

Automakers, though, are starting to itch at the plant closures. In early April, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said it hoped to slowly restart U.S. and Canadian production May 4, and a company spokesperson said today that this remains the company's goal. The plan includes "new procedures to certify the daily wellness of our workforce while also redesigning work stations to maintain proper social distancing and expanding the already extensive cleaning protocols at all locations."

GM has not yet announced a restart date, and a spokesperson told C/D that the company is conducting "significant planning" to make restarting safe. "We are in regular contact with federal, state, and local authorities, our suppliers, the UAW, and our manufacturing team," the spokesperson said. "When people do return to work, whether for planning or for regular production, we will use screening, cleaning, and social distancing strategies designed using the best medical and scientific data available, including guidance from the CDC."

Ford did not respond to C/D's request for comment, but the automaker told the Detroit Free Press over the weekend that a small number of workers would be asked to come back to work today. A spokesperson told the newspaper that a "small number of hourly and salaried workers" would be asked to come in to prepare for the eventual restart. When that might happen, Ford isnt saying, but the preparations involve adding extra safety protocols.

Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images

There were also reports over the weekend that Tesla will call employees back to work at its Fremont, California, plant this week. CNBC reports that the company sent workers an email saying production would restart on April 29, despite a local stay-at-home order that is in effect until at least May 3. Tesla did not reply to C/D's request for more information on this plan.

With the number of COVID-19 cases officially dropping in China and South Korea, auto plants there have restarted in recent weeks. When auto plants do reopen in the U.S., they might take some lessons from those facilities as well as what VW is doing in Europe.

Photo credit: Alexander Koerner - Getty Images

The German automaker restarted production at its Wolfsburg, Germany, location today and plans to do the same at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant on May 3. In Wolfsburg, the production lines are moving slower than usual, starting at just 10 or 15 percent of total capacity, and the plan is to increase the production rate to around 40 percent next week. One factor in the slow restart is that VW came up with a 100-point plan to try to protect employee health. The reduced output rate allows employees to take time to clean their tools, for example. Employees now also need to keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters (about five feet) apartnew distance markers have been installed throughout the plant to establish the measurement. When keeping separate is not possible, mouth and nose protection equipment is required to be worn. Employees are also being asked to put on their work outfits at home instead of in the plant locker rooms, and they are supposed to check their temperature before they leave for work. VW is also installing mobile plexiglass partitions and "several hundred" extra hand washing stations throughout the plant.

A similar 90-point plan and slow restart will go into effect in Chattanooga next week, VW said. Six-foot distance barricades, providing extra personal protective equipment, and increased disinfection frequency of all contact surfaces are all on the list there. VW has also shared its 100-point plan with its suppliers.

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DUP Westminster leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has expressed concern around the number of people dying during the Covid-19 pandemic because they are reluctant to seek medical help.

He appealed to the UK Government to do more to support those with non-coronavirus related problems in hospitals.

Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions Sir Jeffrey cited Wednesday mornings front page story in the Belfast Telegraph on concerns over the true extent on deaths indirectly caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

New figures revealed almost 180 additional non-Covid deaths were recorded over a three-week period in April.

Read More

Sir Jeffrey asked his question remotely via video link from his home due to the current social distancing restrictions in place.

He also passed on congratulations from himself and his party to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds on the birth of their son.

He asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, once again standing in for Mr Johnson, what steps the Government intends to take to ensure more people are able to attend hospitals for treatment, including cancer patients.

Mr Raab paid tribute to the work of Sir Jeffrey and the Northern Ireland Executive at this difficult time.

He said Sir Jeffrey was right to raise the challenge the NHS is facing around non-Covid-19 patients.

The Foreign Secretary said the Government had all the measures in place not just to deal with coronavirus, but to deal with other non-Covid priorities whether they are urgent or whether they are in relation to other forms of treatment.

Mr Raab said he was willing to work with Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis to make sure in relation to any particular challenges faced in Northern Ireland that we can deal with them and address them.

Its absolutely crucial as we go through this crisis that the NHS capacity is protected and thats one of the reasons that we introduced the social distancing measures and why they have been so effective, he said.
B eano, the world's longest-running weekly comic, is on the hunt for Britains funniest family.

In partnership with comedian Romesh Ranganathan as well as childrens mental health charity YoungMinds the comic is looking for homemade funny videos.

The competition will be open from today, April 29, to May 24 when a team of judges will decide the shortlist before asking the British public to vote on their favourite video.

The winning family will be turned into a one-off strip in the comic as well as receive an official Beanos Funniest Family trophy, a years Beano subscription for the family, and a Nintendo Switch.

Families can enter a video of up to 15 seconds under four categories: funniest family joke; funniest family prank; funniest family face and funniest family song and dance.

Ranganathan, comedian and Beano Head Judge, says: I know families can be hilarious so being asked to be Head Judge to help Beano find Britains Funniest Family is a dream job. At the moment I think we could all do with a smile and I cant wait to watch all the dances, faces, jokes and pranks that UK families come up with.

Beano

The initiative was developed to encourage families to spend time doing positive activities to help reassure children and reduce their anxiety levels during lockdown. Beano will also offer a special comic subscription deal to every family who enters.

Mike Stirling, Editorial Director of Beano Studios, says: At Beano weve been making kids big and small giggle for 80 years and the comic has always been there during difficult times to help raise a smile when needed. As families stay home together we know theres comedy gold happening from dad jokes and pranks, to funny faces and dances and we want to find and crown the funniest family out there.
Lucknow, April 29 : After downplaying incidents of indiscipline for almost a year now, the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has decided to crack the whip on leaders who violate the discipline code.

The party, till now, has served showcause notices to three MLAs -- Rakesh Rathore (Sitapur), Suresh Tiwari (Deoria) and Shyam Prakash (Hardoi). The party has also removed two leaders from their posts on similar issues.

Talking to IANS, UP BJP General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that every party worker is expected to maintain dignity, particularly the elected representatives.

"The BJP is the largest political force and we have a responsibility too. If any worker or leader has a grievance, there is an appropriate forum on which he can raise the issue. These three legislators expressed their views which went viral in the media. All three of them spoke on coronavirus, which was inappropriate since the entire country is fighting against the pandemic," he said.

Pathak said that the three legislators have been given an opportunity to explain their conduct and action.

Rakesh Rathore was served a notice after an audio clip went viral on social media in which he could be heard mocking the government's steps to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Suresh Tiwari was served a notice after he reportedly asked people not to buy vegetables from Muslims since they were "corona carriers".

Shyam Prakash got a notice after he alleged corruption in purchase of medical equipment in his constituency.

Asked about taking action against MLAs like Surendra Singh (Ballia), who had made a series of controversial remarks, Pathak said, "They have been summoned by the party leadership and asked to refrain from making such comments. Since this is the lockdown period, the party cannot call the legislators, and hence, notices have been issued to them." Pathak made it clear that the BJP leadership was firm on maintaining discipline in the ranks and all party workers should conform to the rules.

The UP BJP has also taken action against a BJP Yuva Morcha leader in Varanasi, whose relative was allegedly involved in liquor smuggling. The leader, Sanjay Gupta, was the district president of the youth wing and has been removed from his post.

Earlier this month, the district president of the Mahila Morcha in Balrampur, Manju Tiwari, was also removed from her post after her video, in which she could be seen firing in the air in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to light 'diyas', went viral on social media.

Tiwari had said that seeing the city illuminated, she slipped into a celebratory mood and even apologised for her conduct later.
Airbus, the European aircraft giant, could not make planes fast enough earlier in the year. But the coronavirus pandemic has forced it to face a devastating fact: Some airlines that put in orders do not want its planes now.

The aerospace company said on Wednesday that 60 of its aircraft could not be delivered in the first quarter, partly because the airlines that ordered them want to put off paying for them.

With the majority of the worlds commercial aircraft sitting on runways and not earning money, airlines do not need new planes.

We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known,  Guillaume Faury, the companys chief executive, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Technavio has been monitoring the IT market in Saudi Arabia and it is poised to grow by USD 5.85 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 9% 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. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200428005823/en/

Technavio has announced its latest arabia research report titled IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Accenture, Ejada, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle are some of the major market participants. The launch of NTP will offer immense growth opportunities. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Launch of NTP has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023: Segmentation

IT Market in Saudi Arabia is segmented as below:

End-user Government Telecommunications BFSI Oil gas Others

Component Hardware Services Software



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30123

IT Market in Saudi Arabia 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 IT market in Saudi Arabia report covers the following areas:

IT Market in Saudi Arabia Size

IT Market in Saudi Arabia Trends

IT Market in Saudi Arabia Industry Analysis

This study identifies increasing demand for e-governance as one of the prime reasons driving the IT market growth in Saudi Arabia during the next few years.

IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the IT market in Saudi Arabia, including some of the vendors such as Accenture, Ejada, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the IT market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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IT Market in Saudi Arabia 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist IT market growth in Saudi Arabia during the next five years

Estimation of the IT market size and its contribution to the parent market in Saudi Arabia

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the IT market in Saudi Arabia

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of it market vendors

Table Of Contents:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER

Market segmentation by end-user

Comparison by end-user

Government Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Telecommunications Market size and forecast 2018-2023

BFSI Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Oil Gas Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by end-user

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY COMPONENT

Market segmentation by component

Comparison by component

Hardware Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Services Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Software Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by component

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Accenture

Ejada

IBM

Microsoft

Oracle

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

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.

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ATR Crimean Tatar television channel may stop broadcasting before May 18 due to lack of funding, Deputy Director General of the ATR channel Ayder Muzhdabaev told Ukrayinska Pravda.

He said that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky promised to settle the issue of financing the channel on February 26.

"There were meetings in the government and the process seemed to have budged. We thought that the financing would be opened and we could pay all the debts. However, then the difficulties started, the Culture Ministry forced to rewrite all the documents. Tomorrow is the fourth meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, during which the funding of the channel cannot be launched," Muzhdabaev said.

The television channel has been operating for several months at the expense of its own earnings and donations from residents of the occupied peninsula of Crimea, just over 10% of the employees remained in the staff.

"We do not make our own product. We work only informing people on the peninsula about the coronavirus [COVID-19]," Muzhdabaev said.

He said that if funding is not open, the channel will be forced to stop operation early May.

"Now there is a danger that ATR will not be able to broadcast on the Crimean Tatar Deportation Memorial Day," he said.
Last weekend, as most parts of the world enforced extreme social distancing measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, a crowd of thousands gathered in the Dominican city of Puerto Plata to listen to a popular pilgrim prophesize that God will rid the country and the whole world of this pandemic.

In flagrant breach of the social distancing measures imposed by the Dominican Government, a crowd of thousands of people accompanied pilgrim Mildomio Adames to a local square where the self-proclaimed holy man revealed that he had had a divine revelation. Adames told the excited crowd that he had to dump a large wooden crucifix into the sea to make God end the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Monday, they will already be able to tell that the world that the Dominican Republic and many countries in the world will not have the disease because God has already cleaned us, Adames could be heard saying in one of the videos published on his official YouTube account.

According to Monsignor Julio Cesar Corniel Amaro, the Bishop of Puerto Plata, before gathering in the open to hear the pilgrims revelation, the mob stormed the Cathedral of San Felipe Apostol.

When the pilgrims arrived at the cathedral, which was closed at the time, they forcibly opened a door and entered the premises, where they remained for around 10 minutes and then left after a message from the leader of the group, Amaro said in a statement.

The gathering sent shock waves across the whole of the Dominican Republic, withe many public figures and politicians denouncing the event, and one senator going as far as calling it a terrorist attack that undermines the safety of the entire country.

Mildomio Adames, who calls himself The Pilgrim, brushed off accusations, saying that he did not expect to see such a large number of people gathered to greet him. That didnt stop him from preaching to them though, telling them to repent for their sins and seek God.

Adames claims he began the pilgrimage from his home province of San Cristobal to invoke God, asking the Almighty to have mercy on humanity in the face of the current coronavirus pandemic. He has been saying that he had prophesized that this pandemic was coming since last year, as Jesus Christ had sent him several signs.



Unfortunately, in a country where many people have lost faith in corrupt politicians and authorities, twisted religious messages like The Pilgrims become much awaited answers to serious social and financial problems. Sadly, this sort of fanaticism only makes things worse.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:45:01|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Wednesday spoke over the phone with Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Wei said the two countries should step up communication and properly handle differences as the international community joins hands in fighting the epidemic, saying the Chinese military is willing to work with the Vietnamese side on fighting COVID-19 and strengthening border control to jointly curb the spread of the epidemic.

Ngo said Vietnam speaks highly of China's achievements in fighting the epidemic and is willing to exchange experiences with China on epidemic control, expand cooperation and safeguard the security and stability of the land border areas and the South China Sea. Enditem
As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to rage in the U.S., Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the most aggressive critic of China in the Trump administration, is racking his brains for ways to attack China and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Since last March, Pompeo has added the COVID-19 pandemic as a new card to his library of materials with which to attack China. He has frequently accused China of covering up facts about the virus and a lack of transparency on related data, and even boasted that China will pay a price for what it did.

Politicians like Pompeo have only prejudice, hatred, and private interests in their minds.

On April 22, Pompeo launched fresh attacks on the WHO at a U.S. State Department press briefing, revealing his despicable nature once again by accusing the WHO of not making a legal determination on China, which he alleged to have breached the International Health Regulations by failing to report the COVID-19 outbreak in a timely manner.

Pompeo said that China still has not shared the virus sample from inside of China with the outside world, ordered a halt to testing of new samples, and destroyed existing samples.

Are these accusations against China true?

In fact, even vaccine development institutes in the U.S. have openly said that they have received COVID-19 samples from China and conducted comparisons and carried out research based on them.

Furthermore, nucleic acid tests for the novel coronavirus are carried out every day in China.

The WHO has repeated on many occasions that China immediately reported the pneumonia of unknown cause to it after the outbreak of the disease and has maintained close communication with WHO experts and related organizations.

The international organization has also thanked China for sharing the relevant data with it in a timely manner so that other countries have been able to get first-hand data since the beginning of their epidemic prevention and control efforts.

At the critical moment when people in China and the U.S. are in the middle of a deadly fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Pompeo, as the top U.S. diplomat, is sparing no effort to stigmatize China with fabricated stories, hearsay, and conjecture.

People with insight into the U.S. can no longer stand such acts from Pompeo. The finance and economics channel NBC cited remarks from China expert Jessica Chen Weiss at Cornell University, who pointed out that Pompeos blind attacks on China would only infuriate the country and sabotage the worlds hopes of fighting the pandemic in solidarity.

Actually, since he was made Secretary of State, Pompeo has opposed and stirred up trouble for China on every matter related to the country.

His political role as a right-wing Republican, inherent superiority complex as an American elite, combined with his political ambitions have formed Pompeos anti-China political gene.

Pompeos routine tactic of attacking China show the typical hegemonic thinking of right-wing American politicians, whose political ideas can be summarized as follows:

First, the U.S. is always right. It always grasps the truth, and can distort and alter facts.

Second, the U.S. is the worlds leader and can force international organizations and international law to submit to the cognition and understanding of the U.S.

Third, the U.S. can say one thing and do another and can withdraw from international organizations and agreements, but other countries MUST obey international rules, as the U.S. overrides all international organizations and sovereignties in the world.

Given this context, it is not so surprising that Pompeo sees the WHO, the worlds most authoritative and widely representative public health mechanism, as an organ of the U.S. that ought to follow its standards.

Pompeo has made people wonder if he believes he can make America great again just by bullying and talking nonsense.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he'll resume flying around the country from next week and looks forward to holding "wild" campaign rallies as soon as he can.

Trump told reporters in the White House that he is "going to Arizona next week and we look forward to that." This will be his first cross-country trip since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the United States.

He added that he will visit Ohio, one of the key swing states in the November presidential election, "very soon." The Arizona trip is focused on the economic recovery effort and is not a campaign rally, "because it's too soon" for crowded events in stadiums, Trump explained.

But the Republican -- facing a tight re-election battle against Democratic challenger Joe Biden and burdened by dire approval ratings -- made clear he wants to get back to his once frequent rallies as soon as possible.

"Hopefully in the not too distant future we'll have some massive rallies and people will be sitting next to each other," he said.

"I can't imagine a rally where you have every fourth seat full.... That wouldn't look too good," he added.

"I hope that we're going to be able to do some good old-fashioned 25,000 person rallies where everyone's going wild because they love our country."



At a meeting with industry leaders, Trump sounded an upbeat message, insisting that the US economy will quickly bounce back from the staggering costs of the shutdown required to stop the spreading novel coronavirus.

Despite some experts' warnings that widespread social distancing will have to remain in effect until a vaccine is made, Trump predicted that the danger would fade by itself and said that the United States was equipped to extinguish any "embers." "We're looking for vaccines, we're looking for therapeutics also," he said. "I'm not relying on that (vaccines), I hope that's going to happen." "I want to get back (to a full economy) with or without (a vaccine), but obviously we have to wait till it's gone. It will be gone," he said.

Asked how the virus would be eradicated without a vaccine, which is not expected to be available soon, Trump responded: "It's going to go. It's going to leave, it's going to be gone, it's going to be eradicated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NGT issues instructions on its functioning from May 4

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday issued instructions regarding its functioning from May 4, when the Covid-19 lockdown is slated to be relaxed, stating that the Chairperson, Members and officers (Deputy Registrars and above) will attend the Office with 100 per cent attendance.

As for the remaining staff, up to 33 per cent of the strength will physically attend the office as separately notified from time to time, the NGT said.

According to the office order issued by the NGT, the section heads/incharge of all sections shall prepare rosters of staff required to attend office physically by rotation and the staff members not required to present physically at the office.

Graded lockdown to replace national lockdown post May 3

However, they shall always remain available on phone and electronic means of communication and shall attend office physically as and when required, it said.

"Considering the health and safety of lawyers / public / litigants / staff, till the situation of Corona improves, judicial work will be conducted by the Benches of NGT only by Video Conferencing, without physical presence/appearance of parties or their counsel in the NGT complex," the circular said.

It said that only online filing (e-filing) of cases will be allowed and no physical filing is permitted.

It further said: "The parties/lawyers may request for listing or adjournment of their cases or make urgent mentioning, by sending an email in advance to "mailto:judicialngt@nic.in"judicialngt@nic.in. All communication with NGT qua listing of cases, filing of documents/reports, filing of written submissions / synopsis / audio of oral submissions (if any) etc. shall be done only through this email ID."

The decision has been taken in light of order issued by of the government on the subject of functioning of Government establishments during lockdown period on account of pandemic Covid-19, requiring 100 per cent attendance of the officers of level of Deputy Secretary and above and up to 33 per cent attendance of remaining staff.

The office order further said that the lawyers and litigants desirous of participating personally in video conferencing hearings are required to send request at the above email ID in advance, giving their names, case title, case number, date of hearing, e-mail IDs and mobile numbers.

Lockdown post May 3: 11 states want it extended

"For VC hearings, NGT shall be using 'Vidyo' App whereby users can join Vidyo room from their mobile phones/laptops/desktops having adequate internet facility. Vidyo App can be downloaded from link given in website "http://ecourtvc.nic.in/"ecourtvc.nic.in as well as Google Play Store (for android) and Apple Store (for iOS). If request for personal hearing through VC is permitted by the Bench, the time and link with one-time password for VC hearing shall be shared with the parties by the Office," the communication said.

Entry to NGT complex shall be restricted only to its staff and all the safety and precautionary guidelines issued by the government shall be scrupulously followed by all concerned, the office order said.

"Staff shall maintain social distancing norms and protocols, shall wear face masks throughout, shall pass through thermal scanner at entry gate and shall sanitise/wash hands at appropriate intervals. There shall be no crowding at any place/branch in NGT complex and seating of staff shall be arranged accordingly," it said.

The office order said, "The NGT complex, including surfaces of furniture and frequently touched objects, shall be sanitised with disinfectants on daily basis. This shall be subject to further modification if and when further instructions are received from the government.
I received reports of a wedding that happened in our community yesterday, which required the police to come and disperse the crowd. I am absolutely horrified. Social distancing is not a suggestion. It is the law and it saves lives, Silverstein said. We are at a critical juncture in the coronavirus outbreak, where we have a chance to flatten the curve and stop the spread of this horrible disease. Selfish gatherings of people, whether in celebration or in prayer, not only give our community a bad name, but they send our neighbors and loved ones to the hospital or morgue.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28)  A coronavirus-hit cruise ship previously docked in Australia is heading to the Philippines, along with a hundred Filipino crew members.

Commodore Armand Balilo, spokesman of the Philippine Coast Guard, confirmed to CNN Philippines on Tuesday that the Ruby Princess will be allowed to "dock or anchor" in the country.

Balilo said those on board will be tested for COVID-19. Those diagnosed with the virus will be brought to the hospital for treatment while those who test negative will be placed under the mandatory 14-day quarantine, he said.

Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Ed Menez said the Philippine Ports Authority, Bureau of Quarantine, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will be "in charge" once the ship arrives at Manila North Harbor.

Authorities have yet to disclose other details.

Australian media earlier reported that the ship, linked to 21 coronavirus deaths and some 600 infections, sailed out of the Oceania country on April 24. It was quarantined at Port Kembla, south of Sydney, since April 6.

Some 360 Filipino crew members were earlier evacuated, boarding a special chartered Cebu Pacific flight from Sydney back to the Philippines, the DFA said last week. Over 100 Filipinos remained on board to operate the vessel.

Metro Manila and several provinces in the country are under enhanced community quarantine, restricting people's movement, but overseas Filipino workers are allowed to return as long as they undergo a 14-day quarantine before going back to their homes.

COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr., in an online briefing, said 16,000 OFWs are now in quarantine facilities while the government is expecting 150,000 inbound Filipinos.

Nationwide, the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 7,958 on Tuesday, with 530 deaths and 975 recoveries.

RELATED: 209 more Filipinos abroad have COVID-19, largest single-day jump in past month

CNN Philippines' Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.
For our complete coronavirus coverage, visit the coronavirus page.

Midland County recorded its fifth coronavirus-related death Wednesday, according to the daily afternoon state report. The county also added three new cases, bringing the case total to 59.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially deadly for our elderly population, particularly those with other health conditions," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Public Health director/health officer. "To date, that is consistent to what we are experiencing in Midland County, as all five of our deaths have been elderly individuals with underlying health concerns which contributed to their susceptibility.

The state also is reporting no COVID-19 positive residents at four of Midland County's long-term care facilities, Brittany Manor, Medilodge of Midland, Midland King's Daughters Home and Stratford Pines as of April 28. Gladwin Nursing & Rehab Community and Gladwin Pines Nursing Homes also are reporting no COVID-19 positive residents.

MidMichigan Health  which covers a 23-county region and has medical centers at seven sites, including Midland  was listed as having 21 COVID-19 patients on the state page, defined by the state as confirmed positive patients, including those in ICU and patients who are currently pending and under investigation. The health system reported three COVID-19 patients in ICU and 34% bed occupancy, the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by any patient regardless of COVID-19 status. This data, according to the website, reflects the status in health systems and hospitals 48 hours prior to the time that it was posted to the state page, which was April 27.

Gladwin County recorded four new cases and Bay County seven, bringing their totals to 16 cases and one death and 142 cases and four deaths, respectively. Isabella County added one case, bringing its count to 60 cases and seven deaths. Saginaw County added 23 cases and four deaths, bringing its total to 632 cases and 56 deaths.

The state added 1,137 new cases and 103 deaths. Overall, Michigan is at 40,399 cases and 3,670 deaths.

The average death age is 74.7, according to the state website, mich.gov, with the deceased ranging in age from 5 to 107. The state lists 40% of the deceased as 80-plus and 28% age 70-79. State statistics show 54% of coronavirus deaths are male and 46% are female.

The state lists the total recovered at 8,3424 cases, as of April 24, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to March 25, 2020, according to the state website, mich.gov. The numbers will be updated every Saturday.

The state lists the majority of races in positive cases as 32% Black/African American; 32% Caucasian and 22% unknown, and the top three races in deaths as 40% Black/African American; 45% Caucasian and 9% unknown.

The total positive cases are 45% men, 54% women and 1% unknown.

Midland County Department of Public Health continues to encourage residents to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

 Continue to practice social distancing as recommended by federal, state and local officials.

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

 Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

 Disinfect commonly touched surfaces.

 Stay home when you are sick.

 Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

We cannot stress enough how important it is for our community to be diligent in their community mitigation efforts," Yanoski said. "We know that COVID-19 is in our community, and our residents can make a huge impact on slowing the spread of disease by following the recommended precautions."

If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. If he/she isn't available, call MidMichigan Urgent Care in Midland at 989- 633-1350 or MidMichigan Medical Center's Emergency Department in Midland at 989-839-3100.

MidMichigan Health has a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. The hotline can be reached toll-free at 800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also has a hotline number for Michigan residents for questions about COVID-19. The number is 1-888-535-6136 and is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also e-mail COVID19@michigan.gov. E-mails will be answered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

If you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and feel you need to talk to someone, reach out to Community Mental Health for Central Michigan by calling 800-317-0708.
A group of about 200 people who were caught attempting to smuggle around 20,000 packs of cigarettes from Cambodia into Vietnam on Tuesday violently resisted arrest, leaving four border guards and one police officer injured.

The border defense command in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the unit was working with the provincial police to investigate the incident.

At 2:00 am on Tuesday, a group of Vietnamese border defense officers, police officers, and militiamen were patrolling along the Vietnam-Cambodia border in Kien Giang to prevent people from entering the country, as part of the measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

They were also teaming up to combat rampant smuggling activities along the coastal area in My Duc Ward of Ha Tien City in Kien Giang.

At that time, the officers found a group of around 200 people carrying about 20,000 packs of cigarettes from Cambodia into mainland Vietnam, each pack containing 20 cigarettes.

Upon spotting the on-duty officials, ring members rushed to head back to Cambodia.

As a result, the officers were only able to capture two smugglers and confiscate 2,500 packs of cigarettes.

Other members of the group resisted arrest, threw stones at the officers, and attacked them with knives and sticks to rescue their fellows.

The ring even mobilized around 100 more members to assault the officials in an attempt to reclaim the seized goods.

One border guard was injured on his head while three others sustained minor injuries after the 20-minute clash. One police officer suffered a broken arm.

Due to the impacts of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the price of smuggled cigarettes has recently shot up by nearly two times.

This has caused smugglers to become more aggressive and willing to put up a fight when caught.

About one week ago, one local P.E. teacher was found carrying 13,000 packs of cigarettes on a small boat from Cambodia to Giong Rieng, a rural district in Kien Giang.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A statewide order eliminating bail for all but the most serious charges during the coronavirus pandemic was not binding on a countys judges, who can still require defendants to post bail or hold them without bail at a prosecutors request, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The ruling by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego allows Superior Court judges in San Diego County to decide whether to set bail in individual cases despite the April 7 order by the state Judicial Council that reduced bail to zero for nearly all misdemeanor charges as well as most nonviolent felonies.

The order, recommended by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, took effect April 13 and was intended to reduce overcrowding in county jails that makes inmates and staff more vulnerable to the coronavirus. The order, criticized by a number of local sheriffs and prosecutors, is due to expire 90 days after the end of the state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The Judicial Councils order did not suspend a judges inherent authority to decide whether a defendant should remain in custody or post bail as security for release, Justice Patricia Guerrero said in the 3-0 ruling, the first by an appeals court on the issue.

She said the order enacted an emergency bail schedule mandating zero bail for most crimes  but bail schedules, adopted by each county under longstanding practice, have never prohibited judges from making their own decisions in individual cases.

So far, Guerrero said, San Diego County has released dozens of defendants without bail since April 13 but has granted prosecutors requests to hold, for further review, 100 to 200 defendants who otherwise would have been eligible for release without bail.

Before the Judicial Councils order took effect, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan sent a letter to the council that described the zero-bail mandate as binding on all courts. Stephan later disavowed the letter, saying she had written it before receiving additional information about the issue, and the court said it was not binding on her office.

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.

Although the ruling directly affects only prosecutions in San Diego County, if it withstands appeal it will authorize judges in all other counties to make similar decisions on bail. The county public defenders office said it would appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

The ruling ignores the danger to those who are eligible for release under the Judicial Councils Emergency Rule 4 but remain in custody  in direct conflict with the rules stated purpose and language, said Deputy Public Defender Whitney Antrim.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
California Governor Gavin Newsom has cautioned residents that, despite summer-like temperatures in the state, the coronavirus is not through and stay-at-home orders are still in place. He made the remarks after tens of thousands of people flocked to beaches in the state over the weekend.

"This virus doesn't take the weekends off," he said Monday at his daily press briefing. "This virus doesn't go home because it's a beautiful sunny day around our coasts."

Newsom began his briefing by thanking Californians for the state's success at slowing the rate of infection, then chastising those who have disobeyed stay-at-home orders amid the warm weather.

"I just want to begin by extending gratitude to 40 million Californians that over the course of the last number of weeks have not only bent the curve but stabilized it. We have made real progress in this state over the course of the last number of weeks," Newsom said. "And that's why I want to just confront the topic that is top of mind: Those are the images we saw over the weekend, the images down in Orange County and Ventura County on our beaches."

CBS Los Angeles reported that lifeguards in Huntington and Newport Beach, both in Orange County, said more than 50,000 people arrived on their beaches Friday, and more were expected on Saturday when temperatures surpassed 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Those images are an example of what not to see, people, what not to do, if we're going to make the meaningful progress that we've made in the last few weeks extend into the next number of weeks," Newsom said Monday. He said the state is "just a few weeks away  not months away  from making measurable and meaningful changes" to its stay-at-home order issued back in March.

"That is a very optimistic point to emphasize. However, that's driven by data, it's driven by behavior, and as we change our behavior, we can impact the science, the health, and the data," he said.

Story continues

Orange County Beaches In Southern California Remain Open During Coronavirus Lockdown

People are seen gathering on the beach north of Newport Beach Pier on April 25, 2020, in Newport Beach, California. Getty

Newsom stressed that until a vaccine is distributed, the virus is still a threat. "Until then, we have to manage it, we have to manage risks, we have to manage and augment our behavior," he said. That's why I cannot impress upon you more  to those California's watching  that we can't see the images like we saw, particularly on Saturday in Newport Beach and elsewhere."

Newport Beach city officials are holding a special meeting Tuesday to consider shutting down its beaches for the next three weekends, CBS Los Angeles reports. A Change.org petition demanding the Orange County Board of Supervisors close down its beaches had more than 3,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

Newsom acknowledged the local efforts, but noted the state government will also make use of "more aggressive enforcement of the stay-at-home order... that we expect to be followed all across the state of California."

Beaches outside of Orange County largely abided by the state's orders, according to the governor. "The overwhelming majority of our coastline was appropriately advanced," he said. "Unfortunately there were those exceptions... and we have to confront that."

CBS Los Angeles reports that lifeguards across Orange County vigilantly reminded beachgoers to maintain six feet of distance, but some citations were issued to people who refused to move. Police in Huntington Beach, also in Orange County, tweeted Sunday that "despite what's being reported, the majority of our beach goers are complying to social distancing."

Meanwhile, in Northern California, six Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley have extended their stay-at-home order through May. CBS San Francisco reports that Bay Area law enforcement agencies are emphasizing voluntary compliance to social distancing guidelines, and have issued only a handful of citations each.

"We went from being the epicenter of the entire United States, to having one of the swiftest responses," said Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez. "I think the next phase is, how do we keep it together enough, so we can all go back to work, we can all go back to our families and we can all re-connect again."

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The world recently got a glance into the Duke of Cambridges home life during these stressful and unusual times, and many people cannot believe what they learned. Prince William is often seen on social media and photographed with his wife, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, who are popular and well-liked, have become a staple of the royal familys image. Recently, 38-year-old Prince William recently shared some surprising insight about his life during the ongoing global pandemic.

Find out television shows Prince William has been watching, and what the Duke of Cambridge had to say about the popular Netflix show Tiger King.

What is Tiger King?

Tiger King has been taking the nation by storm. Social media has been blowing up with reviews, recommendations, and comments about the Netflix show that has been gaining so much attention.

Tiger King tells the story of Joe Maldonado-Passage and the eccentric characters he encounters while doing business in the exotic animal field. The mini-series has a surprising amount of crime and drama packed into intriguing narratives.

Fans and viewers cannot stop talking about the hit-show. Even the memes that resulted from Tiger King have received a tremendous amount of praise. It seems like everyone is a fan of Tiger King, but that doesnt seem to be the case for the Duke of Cambridge.

What did Prince William have to say about the popular show Tiger King?

Prince William recently participated in a skit to kick-off a BBC charity event, and the audience had no idea how much they were going to learn about Duke of Cambridges television preferences. No one was surprised to see the Duke of Cambridge contribute to such an honorable event.

Stephen Fry completed the skit with Prince William as they provided the viewers with some much-needed comic relief and levity. Fry has been called a comedic genius, and the skit seemed to go over very well.

However, within no time, the pair were discussing what they have been watching while quarantined. When Fry suggested Tiger King, Prince William quickly joked: Yes, I tend to avoid shows about royalty.

The viewers and fans were shocked to learn the crowd-pleasing show wasnt Prince Williams cup of tea, so to speak. Though it seems like Prince William has been sitting out of the world-wide trend of binge-watching Tiger King, the Duke of Cambridge did share what television shows he does actually enjoy watching.

What shows did Prince William admit to watching during his skit with Stephen Fry?

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

If Prince William is not watching Tiger King, then what is it that the Duke of Cambridge has been watching? During Prince Williams skit with the popular comedian Fry he did express his love for one particular show.

Some fans were surprised to hear Prince William admit to missing one EastEnders. EastEnders is a very popular British Soap Opera. Similarly to many shows and productions, the show was temporarily suspended in light of COVID-19. The hiatus seems to be causing the Duke of Cambridge serious distress.

During the skit for The Big Night In Prince William stated: Its hell without EastEnders. Prince Williams love for the British Soap Opera and his lack of interest in Tiger King truly shocked the viewers.

Fans are wondering if the Duke of Cambridge will change his mind and give Tiger King a chance. Hopefully, Prince William will continue to keep the world updated on his opinions when it comes to TV.
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. The extraordinary session convened by the government continues in the Parliament of Armenia on April 29.

The agenda includes the package of bills on making changes and amendments to the Law on the 2020 State Budget of Armenia, the Law on the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency, as well as the Law on Normative Legal Acts.

The lawmakers will also debate the package of bills on making amendments and changes to the Labor Code and the related bills.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Union Human Resource Development Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal on Wednesday called out students to talk about their queries regarding the impact of Covid-19 on their education and other issues. The minister said that he will be hosting another webinar soon to address the concerns of students.

Minister Pokhriyal urged students to ask him questions related to their education on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

Students, I will be going live soon to interact with you, answer your queries related to #COVID19's impact on your education, and much more.

You can share your questions with me using #EducationMinisterGoesLive



Stay tuned for more details! pic.twitter.com/VhnlZawU9T  Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) April 28, 2020

The education minister asked students to send their questions in the comment section of his tweet using #EducationMinisterGoesLive.

Earlier, on April 27, the HRD Minister hosted a webinar to address concerns of parents whose wards education has been affected due to the ongoing lockdown.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 01:15:04|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that it is dangerous to take the unilateral path in tackling the climate crisis, noting that isolation is "a trap."

"Like the coronavirus, greenhouse gases respect no boundaries. Isolation is a trap. No country can succeed alone," the UN chief told the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in his video message.

The Petersberg Climate Dialogue opened Monday in Berlin with an appeal to place climate protection at the center of economic recovery. The dialogue, which Germany has organized every spring since the failure of the Copenhagen Summit in 2009, is the first major international climate meeting of the year.

"COVID-19 has put the lives of billions of people around the globe in turmoil, inflicting grave suffering and destabilizing the global economy," said the secretary-general. "It has exposed the fragility of our societies and economies to shocks, and it has laid bare deep inequalities that threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals."

"The only answer is brave, visionary and collaborative leadership," Guterres said. "The same leadership is needed to address the looming existential threat of climate disruption."

Noting that last year was the second-hottest year on record, part of the hottest decade in recorded history, he said that "delayed climate action will cost us vastly more each year in terms of lost lives and livelihoods, crippled businesses and damaged economies."

"The highest cost is the cost of doing nothing," said the UN chief.

"We must urgently put in place measures to strengthen resilience and cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees," he said.

Guterres called on the international community to strengthen political will in climate action and called for "more ambition on mitigation, adaptation and financing."

"As we plan our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, we have a profound opportunity to steer our world on a more sustainable and inclusive path -- a path that tackles climate change, protects the environment, reverses biodiversity loss and ensures the long-term health and security of humankind," he said.

Among the six climate-related actions to shape the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that Guterres has proposed, efforts must be made to "deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green and just transition."

The UN chief once again called for ending subsidies for fossil fuel, noting that "carbon must have a price and polluters must pay for their pollution."

"To resolve both emergencies, we must work together as an international community," Guterres said.

Noting that "we have a rare and short window of opportunity to rebuild our world for the better," the secretary-general called on the international community to use the pandemic recovery to provide a foundation for a safe, healthy, inclusive and more resilient world for all people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 01:32:35|Editor: huaxia

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"Isolation is a trap. No country can succeed alone," said the UN chief.



UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that it is dangerous to take the unilateral path in tackling the climate crisis, noting that isolation is "a trap."

"Like the coronavirus, greenhouse gases respect no boundaries. Isolation is a trap. No country can succeed alone," the UN chief told the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in his video message.

The Petersberg Climate Dialogue opened Monday in Berlin with an appeal to place climate protection at the center of economic recovery. The dialogue, which Germany has organized every spring since the failure of the Copenhagen Summit in 2009, is the first major international climate meeting of the year.

"COVID-19 has put the lives of billions of people around the globe in turmoil, inflicting grave suffering and destabilizing the global economy," said the secretary-general. "It has exposed the fragility of our societies and economies to shocks, and it has laid bare deep inequalities that threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals."

"The only answer is brave, visionary and collaborative leadership," Guterres said. "The same leadership is needed to address the looming existential threat of climate disruption."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (1st L) speaks during a youth dialogue at the opening of the UN Climate Action Summit at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

Noting that last year was the second-hottest year on record, part of the hottest decade in recorded history, he said that "delayed climate action will cost us vastly more each year in terms of lost lives and livelihoods, crippled businesses and damaged economies."

"The highest cost is the cost of doing nothing," said the UN chief.

"We must urgently put in place measures to strengthen resilience and cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees," he said.

Guterres called on the international community to strengthen political will in climate action and called for "more ambition on mitigation, adaptation and financing."

"As we plan our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, we have a profound opportunity to steer our world on a more sustainable and inclusive path -- a path that tackles climate change, protects the environment, reverses biodiversity loss and ensures the long-term health and security of humankind," he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses a ceremony to mark World Peace Day, observed every year on Sept. 21, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2019. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday highlighted the negative impact of climate change on world peace. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

Among the six climate-related actions to shape the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that Guterres has proposed, efforts must be made to "deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green and just transition."

The UN chief once again called for ending subsidies for fossil fuel, noting that "carbon must have a price and polluters must pay for their pollution."

"To resolve both emergencies, we must work together as an international community," Guterres said.

Noting that "we have a rare and short window of opportunity to rebuild our world for the better," the secretary-general called on the international community to use the pandemic recovery to provide a foundation for a safe, healthy, inclusive and more resilient world for all people. 
The presidency on Wednesday said verbal autopsies were ongoing to ascertain the cause of the increased deaths in Kano State.

Dozens of people died within a few days in Kano amid suspicion that they died from coronavirus.

However, the victims were not tested for the virus before their deaths and before they were promptly buried according to Islamic rites.

In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days, Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buharis spokesperson, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

Verbal autopsy, according to the Centre for Global Health Research, is a method of gathering information about symptoms and circumstances of an individuals death to determine the cause of death. It involves gathering health information and description of events prior to death from interviews with persons(s) familiar with the deceased. The information gathered are then analyzed.

Mr Shehu advised Nigerians to be prepared to accept whatever was scientifically shown to be the cause of the deaths.

While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria, there are others who say it is COVID-19.

We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy, he said.

Kano has the third-highest coronavirus case in Nigeria, behind Lagos and Abuja. Testing was suspended in the state last week due to the nonavailability of testing materials and the fact that some of the health personnel tested positive for the virus. The unexplained deaths occurred during the suspension of testing in the city.

Read Mr Shehus full statement below.

COVID-19: STATEMENT ON EVENTS IN KANO

Nigeria is only weeks into our fight against the invisible COVID-19 that, earlier this year, was unknown to almost every nation in the world.

Only earlier this month Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHOs Health Emergencies Programme, made clear that We are at the beginning in Africa.

There is much that remains unknown about this virus. What we do know is that global infections rates continue to rise each day  even when in some nations affected some time before Nigeria, the daily rate of infection is now slowing.

We know too that there is a global shortage of personal protective equipment, virus testing kits and other medical devices required to fight this pandemic.

And we also know that in each and every country there are some cities and regions more severely affected than others.

In Nigeria, there are currently verbal autopsies underway in Kano State to identify the precise cause of the sudden and rapid increase in mortality in recent days.

While some may wish to believe that there are other causes at play here like hypertension, diabetes, meningitis, and acute malaria, there are others who say it is COVID-19.

We should be prepared to accept the medical and scientific result of the autopsies and work together to confront the common enemy.

What we know all over the world is that communities with similar socioeconomic dynamics like Kano have found as very helpful, the sort of lockdown measures now imposed, with markets and other public places of worship shuttered more strictly.

The President and his government are with the people of Kano State and will not let them down.

If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement together.

There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office  or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired. This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens.

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The Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association on April 28 presented 10,000 medical face masks to help people in Azerbaijan fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman of the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association Nghiem Vu Khai (third from left) symbolically handed over the gift to the Azerbaijan Ambassador (Photo: VNA)

At the handover ceremony at the Azerbaijan Embassy in Hanoi, Chairman of the friendship association Nghiem Vu Khai said the gift comes from the heart of former Vietnamese students in Azerbaijan, who want to share the difficulties with the Azerbaijan people.

He added that the association on April 26 collected 25 million VND (more than 1,000 USD) to help three Azerbaijan citizens who lost their jobs in Vietnams Phu Quoc island under the impact of the COVID-19.

Azerbaijan Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov thanked the Vietnamese people in general and the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Friendship Association in particular for the meaningful present. He expressed his belief that the two countries will overcome difficulties and reap success in the fight against the epidemic./. VNA
More than a month after the Brandon University Students Union held its annual elections, the results have yet to be fully ratified and a dispute has arisen between candidates and the organization.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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More than a month after the Brandon University Students Union held its annual elections, the results have yet to be fully ratified and a dispute has arisen between candidates and the organization.

In a post made to BUSUs Facebook page on Monday and sent out to students via email, outgoing vice-president internal Whitney Hodgins wrote that the internal Elections and Referenda Disciplinary Interpretation and Enforcement Board, more commonly known as the ERDIE board, had ratified the winners for all winners of the Feb. 28 election except in the categories of president and vice-president internal.

The post went on to say that all candidates for those positions had been disqualified. Hodgins placed second in the presidential race, behind incumbent Olusola Akintola. Akintolas wife Abosede, also known as Janet, won the election for the position of vice-president internal.

When reached for comment on Monday evening, Akintola told the Sun that he was not previously aware of the Facebook post. However, he confirmed that there were issues with the election and that he and his wife have enlisted legal counsel in a dispute with the students union.

A letter was sent from the Akintolas lawyer to BUSUs lawyer dated April 20. A copy of the letter was provided to the Sun.

It says that on March 16, Olusola was summoned to an emergency ERDIE meeting to take place the following day about the election. Olusola told the Sun that he appeared at the meeting but did not participate because he believed members of that board had conflicts of interest against him.

On March 18, the ERDIE board posted a letter to both the BUSU Facebook page and website asking that students who experienced "any form of intimidation, threat, or undue influence" to come forward. Students who were coerced into voting, surveilled while voting or who witnessed any irregular activities while voting were also asked to come forward.

Speaking to the Sun via email on Tuesday, Hodgins said that the first she heard of any problems with the election was when this Facebook post was made by the ERDIE board. Furthermore, she said that she and her fellow candidates should have been notified of these concerns sooner, in accordance with the unions bylaws.

The letter from the Akintolas lawyer then said at a meeting on April 16, the ERDIE board said there were three allegations made against Olusola and his campaign manager and they recommended that the general student union council not ratify the results of the elections for president and vice-president.

When asked what the complaints were about, Olusola said he did not know.

It concludes by saying that the ERDIE board made their decision to nullify the election results for the president and vice-president internal without allowing Olusola to defend himself and that legal action will proceed if his and Janets election victories were not ratified within a week of the letters date, which was Monday.

"I found out we were essentially all disqualified in the presidential and vice-president internal categories because of supposedly someone breaching election bylaws, but no names were mentioned," Hodgins said about the April 16 meeting. She also said she posted publicly about what happened for transparencys sake so that the student body would know about the situation.

In the comments to Hodgins Facebook post, outgoing student union vice-president external and ERDIE board member April Li said the disciplinary board had not disqualified any candidates but simply presented the findings of its investigations and then the general council had made the decision to not ratify the two excluded positions.

Lis post said the minutes to that meeting will be made public. However, BUSU has not uploaded the minutes to any board meeting to its website since November 2018.

Requests to speak with ERDIE board chair Natashalee Thompson and April Li were not returned by press time. A post made to the BUSU Facebook group on Tuesday afternoon said that a special board meeting has been called for Thursday at 5 p.m., though it does not specifically say it is related to the election.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
The impact of contact tracing to rapidly isolate people might be infected with COVID-19 depends on identifying asymptomatic cases.

Extensive contact tracing, isolating cases, and testing may reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, and favour control of the COVID-19 outbreak, suggests a study carried out in China.

However, the researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology at Shenzhen, China, caution that the impact of contact tracing to rapidly isolate people who could be infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) depends on identifying asymptomatic cases.

Published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, the study of 391 cases and 1,286 of their close contacts found that contact tracing reduced the length of time people were infectious in the community over 4 weeks in Shenzhen, China.

According to results from In Shenzhen, authorities identified whom to isolate based on their contact with confirmed cases, as well as isolating people who already had symptoms, the researchers said.

The new study found that contact tracing increased the speed at which new cases were confirmed by two days  an average of 5.5 days initially, reduced to 3.2 with contact tracing.

It also reduced the amount of time it took to isolate infected people by 2 days  from an average of 4.6 days down to 2.7.

There were only three deaths in the study group during the study period, the researchers said.

"The experience of COVID-19 in the city of Shenzhen may demonstrate the huge scale of testing and contact tracing that's needed to reduce the virus spreading," said Ting Ma from the Harbin Institute of Technology at Shenzhen "Some of the strict control measures enforced here, such as isolating people outside their homes, might be unlikely to be replicated elsewhere, but we urge governments to consider our findings in the global response to COVID-19," said Ma.

To achieve similar results, the researchers noted that other countries might be able to combine near-universal testing and intensive contact tracing with social distancing and partial lockdowns.

"Although no lockdown measures were introduced in Shenzhen until the end of our study period, Wuhan's lockdown could have significantly restricted the spread of coronavirus to Shenzhen," Ma said.

For the current study, the researchers analysed data from 391 people diagnosed with COVID-19 after they showed symptoms, and 1,286 of their close contacts.

The contacts were tested irrespective of whether they had symptoms in order to identify infected people who were asymptomatic.

The data gave insights into the type of contact most likely to lead to transmission.

Close contacts were defined as people who shared a household with infected patients up to 2 days before they started showing symptoms, or interacted with them socially by travelling or eating together.

For people who were isolated because they showed symptoms of COVID-19, it took an average of 4.6 days for them to be isolated following the first signs of infection. Contact tracing reduced this to an average of 2.7 days, the researchers found.

For people diagnosed with COVID-19 after being contact traced and tested (87 people), a fifth (17 out of 87 people) had not yet developed any symptoms, and 30 per cent (25 out of 87) did not have a fever, they said.

The length of time for which a person remains infectious is not yet known, but reducing the amount of time that infected people interacted with others appears to have helped reduce the virus spreading, the researchers said.

The researchers highlight several limitations to their study, including that it is impossible to trace every potential contact an individual has.

Contact tracing therefore focuses on close contacts who are most likely to be infected.

They note that some infected travellers to Shenzhen could have been missed if they were only tested due to symptoms such as a fever.

Their contacts might also have been missed if they were asymptomatic, because the PCR test is not sensitive enough to pick up every case, according to the researchers.
Australia has a special place in the TV chef Rick Steins heart, which is why he just cant wait to get back there.

Once free from lockdown, Rick plans to set out with his wife Sas for the ultimate road trip

Here, he shares his plans for what he's going to do once he's allowed to travel again:

'Im going to back the old grey Jag out of the garage in Sydney, and my wife, Sas and I are going to drive to Mollymook down the Princes Highway. Because its been so long, every step of the journey will be like a new morning.

'Well go past Kingsford Smith [Sydney] Airport, where the planes will be coming in again, trundling over the underpass as we drive beneath them. The car is about 20 years old. I suppose we should change it, but its got a 3.8 engine, smells of old leather, and I love the V8 burble as we amble through Brighton-Le-Sands, with all the Greek restaurants on one side, and a flat view over Botany Bay on the other.

Brilliant blues and calming scenes at Kiama Harbour

'Ill have to remember to slow down from 100kph [62mph] to 60kph [37mph] going through Heathcote  you think youre already on the freeway, well out of Sydney, but there it is. Theres a fish restaurant in the next place, Waterfall, called Legendary Fish & Chips. I always mean to check out the legend, but I only see it on the way back from Mollymook.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director at Tourism Australia 'If someone had predicted just months ago that we would find ourselves in our current circumstances, we likely would not have believed them. Though travel may be on pause for now, this can still be a time to look to the future and plan for the day that we will explore the world again, with a renewed sense of appreciation. Our thanks go to the team at the Daily Mail who have created this supplement so that you can explore Australia from the safety of home, at least for today. If youve visited us before, the stories within will hopefully trigger fond memories that youll want to retrace, and if youre yet to visit us, I hope they will entice you to do so. The UK and Australia undoubtedly share a special bond of mateship that has endured many challenging periods in history, as it will this one that we face now. We stand with you, and we look forward to welcoming you to Australia and making your visit special, one day soon enough. Until the day that we can say Gday again.' Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director, Tourism Australia

'Then theres the very steep road down the Illawarra Escarpment into Wollongong. Every time I go down it, I wonder how many trucks have brake failure and run up an escape route filled with deep sand on the side.

'Next is Kiama. I was looking to open a fish and chip place here years ago; its such a lovely town, right on the ocean beach. Now comes the best bit: Kiama to Mollymook  maybe Ill turn off the new highway into Berry for a chicken and avocado sandwich, and a Bundaberg ginger beer.

'Its no distance to Nowra and the Shoalhaven River. There are some oysters at the mouth of the river, a place called Greenwell Point; I was very interested in taking over a fish restaurant there, too, once upon a time.

'After Nowra, the terrain changes from open dairy land to eucalyptus forests, and you pass through places with fabulous names such as Wandandian, Jerrawangala and Yatte Yattah. Then you reach the high street of Milton, with its immaculate courthouse and assortment of little one-man-band shops selling not your normal high street stuff, but clothes and homewares made in Australia. There are also some tiny family-owned restaurants, like Pilgrims and Small Town.

'Then its into Mollymook, past rolling green pastures and corrugated-iron roofs straight into Bannisters hotel, where I run the restaurant, into the Pool Bar for an early evening glass of local Coolangatta Estate Semillon and a heap of Illawarra prawns and mayo. Oh, to sit by that clear, slightly weird, triangular-shaped infinity pool with the restless blue Pacific ocean through the trees. To me its an atmosphere of comfort and innocence, to be truly back in rural Australia again.

Sensational seafood and views at Bannisters hotel, where Rick runs the restaurant

'I first came to Australia in the mid-1960s, and its been my second home ever since. Some of its been a struggle  Vegemite was a long one, and Jatz biscuits, but I was always a pushover for the Aussies... the weather, the sea, the fish, rural New South Wales and those friendly little country towns such as Tumut or Trangie, the emptiness of a pub on a rural road at lunchtime in summer when the heat going in is crushing but the ice-cold beer or lemon squash in frosted glasses provides one of lifes great mysteries: how could be this be so good?

'When I first visited Australia, I travelled through most of the country  I even ventured into the centre and worked on the Adelaide to Alice Springs railway line, the Ghan. My job was helping to maintain the track, and the name of my occupation  a good one for a pub quiz  was a fettler. It was the four months out there at a place called Deepwell that sealed my love for Australia.

'Every night, there were totally clear night skies with so many stars it was like the black sky was lit with silver  I remember that so well, and the smell of red dirt and the giant rocky outcrops like Uluru, changing colour from orange to red to purple as the day progressed. The sight of the spinifex [grassy plants] rolling through the flats, landing a breeze, and the distant wail of the train arriving from Alice Springs.

'One day I mean to go back there, to Ooraminna, which was the next track maintenance camp down the line back in those days. Theres a station homestead near there now, luxury accommodation. It will seem a bit odd remembering the tough simplicity of times past, but entirely pleasurable, I think.'
Agency watchdogs told Congress that the $2.2 trillion in spending to speed recovery and heal economic damage caused by the pandemic would be subject to quick oversight.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a readout of a meeting with agency Inspectors General, and reported that audits of key programs would be forthcoming.

The Small Business Administration IG said that it would review the Paycheck Protection Program, a measure aimed at providing financial relief for small businesses. Since its April 3 rollout, however, small business owners have said that the website to apply for such loans regularly crashed, leaving them at a disadvantage for accessing those needed funds.

At issue with the Paycheck Protection Program, which sets aside hundreds of billions in forgivable small business loans for businesses who maintain payroll without laying off workers, is the demand it places on SBA's loan processing system E-Trans.

"Unprecedented demand is slowing E-Tran response times," a SBA spokesperson told FCW in an emailed statement. "Currently, there are double the number of users accessing the system compared to any day during the initial round of PPP."

Banking trade associations jumped into the fray earlier in the week to complain about the frequent crashes and according to the IG briefing, the outages "created a built-in advantage for larger businesses that had preexisting relationships with banks participating in the program who could better navigate the SBA's system."

"The challenges facing the SBA in the most recent implementation of this program are very frustrating for small business owners and community banks," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee, told FCW in an email. "This was meant to be a simple, efficient and expedited process. I have communicated these concerns with SBA but we must also recognize that these challenges are a direct result of the federal government's reluctance to make strategic investments in modernizing federal IT."

SBA announced April 29 plans to set aside system time for smaller banks. From 4 p.m. to midnight April 29, SBA will only accept loans from institutions with assets below $1 billion.

"In addition to ensuring access for the smallest lenders, we expect that providing this reserved processing time today will enhance the SBA's loan system performance all users who submit loans outside of this time frame," SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a joint statement.

In addition to SBA, the Oversight Committee heard from IGs from the Treasury and Justice Departments.

Acting Treasury IG Richard Delmar said that the office was looking into auditing "air carrier certifications that document employee wages, salaries, and benefits," as well as the Department's implementation of a program that allocated funds to allow air carriers to keep workers on payroll.

The Justice IG Office told lawmakers that it would examine the Bureau of Prison's efforts to mitigate coronavirus outbreaks in federal correctional facilities, through the use of tactics such as home confinement for certain prisoners.

"[On April 24], reports emerged alleging 'shifting, contradictory guidelines' from BOP that affected the early release of 200 inmates to home confinement," the Oversight Democrats wrote.

In March, the American Federation of Government Employees sued the BOP for hazard pay, alleging that it had failed to protect its correctional officers from exposure to the virus when transporting inmates who tested positive for COVID-19.

Separately, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee announced that it had appointed Robert Westbrooks as Executive Director, slightly easing concerns over who would lead oversight efforts after President Trump removed Acting DoD IG Glenn Fine, who had served as the Chairman of the PRAC.

"Mr. Westbrooks appears to have the right background and a good reputation, and I am hopeful he will be the independent watchdog the moment calls for," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement in response to news of Westbrook's appointment.

In early April, Oversight Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation that would allow any senior official in an agency IG office to serve as Executive Director to oversee the PRAC, with stipulations that they could only be removed for good cause.

The IGs also told Committee members that they would begin issuing "flash reports" to address and highlight problems with the coronavirus response efforts as they arose, in order to provide transparency and keep stakeholders abreast of events as they unfolded.

Justice IG Michael Horowitz added that the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, of which he is chairman, would work with members of Congress to ensure that any future legislation would protect the officials' independence and ensure their ability to do their jobs free of partisan pressure.
Biden can practice what he preaches about bipartisanship by associating himself with Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cottons measured but insistent support for an investigation into the possible role of a Wuhan, China, research laboratory in the coronavirus outbreak. And with former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haleys call to require U.S. universities to disclose Chinas funding of their professors and research. Cotton questions the visas for people from China to pursue postgraduate studies here in advanced science and technology fields: If Chinese students want to study Shakespeare and the Federalist Papers, thats what they need to learn from America. They dont need to learn quantum computing and artificial intelligence from America.
Jared Kushner has played a major role in the Trump administration's coronavirus response.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Jared Kushner made a forceful case for the administration's coronavirus response in a Fox News appearance on Wednesday morning, calling it "a great success story."

"I always find that we see the leading indicators, and often the media sees the lagging indicators," Kushner said. "But ... I'm very confident that we have all the testing we need to start opening the country [under the administration's guidelines]."

"I think you'll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that by July the country's really rocking again," Kushner said, despite medical experts' repeated warnings of returning to "normal" before testing, tracing, and ultimately a vaccine are widely available.

He also decried "the eternal lockdown crowd" making "jokes on late-night television" about the administration, reiterating that his focus is getting Americans back to work.

Kushner's public appearances have been sparse through most of Trump's first term, but he's taken a leading role in the coronavirus response, the latest addition to his vast policy portfolio.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jared Kushner took a bullish stance on the coronavirus during a Fox News appearance on Wednesday morning.

The White House senior adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law said the goal was to have much of the US "back to normal" by June and for the nation to be "really rocking again" by July.

He described the country as being "on the other side of the medical aspect of this," despite cases mounting in rural states.

"The federal government rose to the challenge and this is a great success story," Kushner said on "Fox & Friends."

Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) April 29, 2020

"I think you'll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that by July the country's really rocking again," Kushner added.

Story continues

Kushner argued that media coverage has mostly been focusing on the more negative "lagging indicators," pointing to what he described as the administration building a head of steam into reopening the economy by ramping up testing.

"I always find that we see the leading indicators and often the media sees the lagging indicators," Kushner said. "But ... I'm very confident that we have all the testing we need to start opening the country [under the administration's guidelines]."

In a similar manner to his boss and father-in-law, Kushner painted a rosy picture of the US's widely criticized testing rollout, which was rocky early on as the nation's cases skyrocketed to about a third of the global total.

Although the US now leads the world in total tests administered and recently surpassed South Korea in tests per capita, experts say far more are needed to open up the US economy in any meaningful way.

"Somebody asked me why [testing] took so long," Kushner said. "I actually said, you should look at how did we do this so quickly.

"The eternal-lockdown crowd can make jokes on late-night television, but the reality is that the data is on our side."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Earlier this month, a 9-year-old white terrier named Sampa lost her owner due to coronavirus. She was one of two cats and four dogs, Dakin Humane Society has taken in due to COVID-19, through its Safety Plan for Animals (SPAN) Program.

Sampa has been through a lot since Dakin staff recovered her from a home in Shutesbury with assistance from local law enforcement, the humane society wrote on Instagram. She was the first animal in Dakins care whose family was directly impacted by COVID-19.

But this past weekend, Sampa was able to go home with her new family.

Sampa is doing great, said Amy Howard, Sampas new owner. She is eating well and loves her new toys and taking longs walks. We went on a 2.5 mile walk yesterday.

SPANs role in the coronavirus pandemic is new but the program has been around for several years. It was originally available to provide temporary shelter for pets belonging to people who were experiencing different crises, including fleeing an abusive household, losing a home due to a fire, or facing an unexpected stay in a hospital or nursing facility due to a medical problem, the organization said.

Sampas previous owner was rushed to the hospital due to his condition.

By the time he arrived at the hospital, he was too ill and unable to speak for 3 days, Dakin Humane Society posted on Facebook. When he did, his first words were to inform hospital staff that he was worried about his dog, Sampa.

Dakin was able to work with local law enforcement and the family to bring Sampa to safety. But it serves as a cautionary tale during the pandemic.

Some of the things that maybe we dont think about is having some kind of plan or emergency plan in place for animals, said Dakin Humane Societys executive director Carmine DiCenso. The reality is, if you were to all of a sudden have to leave your home, have you designated a friend, family member or neighbor that has the keys to your home and can go in and feed your animals?

He said it only takes an afternoon to make these plans, post the instructions on your fridge and email them to friends and family.

I dont think many people are prepared for that, he said. Its really easy to do."

Its also important to make sure your animal has proper identification, he said.

Because of the current situation if emergency workers have to come into your home to rush you to the hospital, he said, its very easy for door to be left open, or in the confusion have an animal get loose."

Due to the current economy and the number of job losses, Dakin Humane Society is also helping owners with pet food when needed.

It received a donation of 43,000 pounds of Eukanuba dry dog food and a limited supply of Royal Canin canned Persian Loaf cat food earlier this month.

Job loss is probably one of the bigger situations, said DiCenso. People are finding it challenging to have the money for food or other kind of resources for their animals.

More than 650,000 people in Massachusetts have filed unemployment claims over the past five weeks in Massachusetts.

While some of those people have had to make tough decisions to surrender their pets, Dakin is doing everything it can to make sure that doesnt happen.

Animals are very important in peoples lives, and vice versa, DiCenso said If they can stay together, I think its better for both.

Related Content:
President Moon Jae-in greets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of their summit in Chengdu, China, Dec. 24, 2019. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae



By Do Je-hae



Korea's model responses to the COVID-19 have resulted in rising calls from many countries for help with crucial tools such as test kits and masks. The crisis has given Korea a chance to extend its cooperation with other countries not only in relation to the pandemic but also in other fields in the future.



With Japan, however, the cooperative mood is going backward. The relations between the two countries, which soured over historical and trade-related disputes, are becoming even worse as Japan continues downplaying Korea's quarantine models and Korea in return opposes humanitarian aid to Japan.



According to a recent Asahi Shimbun report, the Japanese health authority hinted that they will first test the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for detecting COVID-19 infections before using possible supplies from Korea. This is seen to reflect a mistrust in the accuracy of Korean test kits, which have been praised worldwide for their efficiency.



Following the report, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said during a briefing on April 27 that the two countries had not discussed cooperation on COVID-19.



Korea is not showing the level of enthusiasm for offering support to Japan as has it has done with other countries.



"Our government is receiving requests from many countries for exports and humanitarian aid regarding our quarantine products. For this, we have created a taskforce team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the overseas expansion of goods related to COVID-19," Yoon Tae-ho, head of the quarantine team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, during a briefing, Tuesday.



"But we are not considering support for Japan at this time," he said, adding Korea decides on support by comprehensively considering various factors such as the level of stock of test kits or other quarantine items in the countries that seek help.



The ministry also said that it had no plans to send masks to Japan. This came in response to a local media report that the Korean government could consider delivering masks to Japan via the Korean-Japanese community.



Yet some Koreans continue to display negative sentiment toward supporting Japan. Close to 10 petitions have been posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website claiming it was inappropriate to consider providing masks to Japan, gaining tens of thousands of signatures.



"First, Japan is a country that can solve its mask shortage problem by expanding mask production facilities or increasing imports from China," one petitioner wrote. "Japan has ridiculed Korea's COVID-19 response until recently. If Korea has enough masks, it needs to provide them to other countries with the exception of Japan."



Such responses came as Japan had previously dismissed the efficacy of Korea's COVID-19 response. Now reporting a large number of confirmed cases, Japan has adopted many of Korea's response models, including drive-thru testing.



Japan also tightened entry restrictions for travelers from Korea in early March at the height of infections here. In response, Korea also toughened entry rules on travelers entering the country  temporarily suspending visa waivers for Japanese citizens and strengthening the screening process for new visa issuance. On Monday, Japan announced an extension of its entry ban on travelers from Korea and other countries until the end of May.



The delay of the Tokyo Olympics due to the international spread of COVID-19 is also seen as a major hindrance to improving Korea-Japan relations.



Before the pandemic, the Tokyo Summer Olympics Games had been eyed as an occasion for high-level exchanges between the two countries. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Korea to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. During a New Year's press conference, President Moon Jae-in said that a high-level delegation could be sent to the Olympics.



Since the outbreak of the virus, Moon has spoken to 30 heads of states on the phone regarding COVID-19 responses, starting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 2, according to the presidential office. U.S. President Donald Trump has called twice asking for Korea to export test kits. But Moon and Abe have not spoken on the phone yet.



Bilateral relations have been strained since October 2018, when Korea's Supreme Court ruled in favor of surviving Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. Since then, the two countries have additionally clashed on trade and security issues.


Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby is giving back to the Houston community by partnering with UnitedHealthcare to donate $20,000 in support of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston.

I know a lot of people are missing checks and not everyone is able to eat, said Roby, So I just want to do what I can.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: University of St. Thomas to reopen, Houston's largest church resumes

UHCs $10,000 donation was matched by Roby through the Dream Builders Program, a non-profit organization that works with pro athletes across the country to help financially, physically and mentally challenged kids receive the help they need.

The donation will help ensure Boys and Girls Club members and their families have access to the necessary resources that keep them healthy and engaged.

We are making a donation that will help people get access to nutritious foods, said UnitedHealthcare CEO Dave Milich. Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston is an organization that weve supported through Dream Builders for quite a few years. Its bringing together parties that are really helping folks get the food they need and in particular, healthy food.

MORE FROM RYAN NICKERSON: New Orleans Saints punter and Main Squeeze Juice try to squeeze out COVID-19 in Houston area

Many kids depend on school meals to keep them fed and with schools not in session, they are in danger of going hungry. The Boys and Girls Club distributes meals to families in need through approved locations in order to ensure children get the food they need. According to Milich, the funds will help expand the clubs resources and allow them to continue serving more than 25,000 kids, teens, families, and staff.

Milich believes that partnering with professional athletes like Roby can help their donation impact the kids they help as much as possible as kids tend to look up to professional athletes.

Our goal is to try and bring attention to parts of our community that are in need and theres no better way to do that than attach yourself with a professional athlete, especially when it comes to kids, said Milich.

MORNING REPORT: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox

For Roby, he wants to give back to Houston any way he can.

Not everybody is as fortunate as me so I just want to do what I can to give back to the community of Houston, said Roby. Anybody who is in a position to help, they should.

ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com
Estonia Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 1,647, Total Deaths reaches to 50 on 28-Apr-2020

In Estonia total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 1,647, while 50 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Estonia:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 23-Apr-2020 1,592 33 45 1 2. 24-Apr-2020 1,605 13 46 1 3. 25-Apr-2020 1,635 30 46 0 4. 26-Apr-2020 1,643 8 49 3 5. 27-Apr-2020 1,647 4 50 1 6. 28-Apr-2020 1,647 0 50 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (124,032)

2. North America (61,643)

3. USA (56,803)

4. Italy (26,977)

5. Spain (23,521)

6. France (23,293)

7. UK (21,092)

8. Asia (17,600)

9. Belgium (7,207)

10. South America (6,793)

Total Deaths Worldwide (211,658)

Globally till now over 211,658 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Estonia and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 124,032 deaths and 1,301,766 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
McDONALD'S is testing safety and supply policies at a single UK restaurant in hopes of reopening here once it's "absolutely confident".

"Restarting our business is not an easy task even in a limited capacity," said Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald's in Ireland and the UK.

He vowed to reopen "responsibly - when the time is right".

McDonald's has more than 100 outlets across Ireland and 1,200 in Britain - all closed since March 23.

Mr Pomroy said the move at one UK site would test "what our reopening might look like" and "social distancing measures for our crew". That site is off-limits to the public.

He said McDonald's branches here will reopen "when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone's well-being".

McDonald's annually buys 40,000 tonnes of beef from 18,000 Irish farms to meet a fifth of its beef needs across Europe.
The plunge in first-quarter US GDP will likely pale in comparison to second quarter damage from coronavirus lockdowns.

We knew the United States economy had likely taken a significant hit in the first three months of this year as coronavirus lockdowns started sweeping the nation in March. On Wednesday, government data showed just how bad the blow was.

US economic growth as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 4.8 percent on an annualised basis in the first quarter of this year, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said on Wednesday. That is the sharpest decline since the height of the Great Recession, and marks an abrupt end to the longest economic expansion in the nations history.

The reading effectively confirms that the economy has entered a sharp recession.

The decline in first-quarter GDP was, in part, due to the response to the spread of COVID-19, as governments issued stay-at-home orders in March. This led to rapid changes in demand, as businesses and schools switched to remote work or canceled operations, and consumers canceled, restricted, or redirected their spending, the BEA said in its release.

Most of the major components that drive US economic activity contracted in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of the countrys economic growth, showed its steepest drop since 1980.

Imports nosedived 15.3 percent  reflecting the falloff in demand domestically, while exports fell 8.7 percent as global demand also dried up in the wake of coronavirus containment measures.

Business investment fell 8.6 percent  the sharpest quarterly fall since the Great Recession.

As bad as the first quarter was, economists are expecting much worse for the current quarter.

While the 4.8% annualized plunge in real GDP is the sharpest contraction since 2008, it will pale in comparison with the near-40% plunge in Q2, US economists at Oxford Economics wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.

Capital Economics chief US economist Paul Ashworth has a similarly dire outlook, writing in a note on Wednesday: Even with some states now tentatively re-opening, we anticipate a 40% annualised decline in second-quarter GDP.

The news could heap even more pressure on state and local governments to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions to get the economy back up and running again.

The number could also provide fodder for critics of President Donald Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

In January, Trump positioned his stewardship of the economy as a cornerstone of his re-election campaign, often boasting that he has created the greatest economy in the history of the country.

But report after report confirms that coronavirus lockdowns are wreaking tornado-like destruction on the economy and the financial lives of US citizens.

Some 26.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the five weeks ending April 18, with applications appearing to peak in late March.

But a survey released on Tuesday by the progressive think tank The Economic Policy Institute showed that millions of Americans who have lost their jobs during the pandemic have been unable to file for unemployment benefits as the systems around the US buckle under the sheer volume of new claims.

The wave of sudden joblessness and social distancing conspired to push retail sales off a cliff in March, plunging a record 8.7 percent. That is momentous because it indicates that the engine of the US economy  consumer spending  has taken a huge body blow.

And it could get worse. The Conference Boards Consumer Confidence Index dropped significantly in April from Marchs downwardly revised reading. And though the boards Expectations Index  a gauge of how consumers feel about the short-term outlook for income, business and labour market conditions  registered a healthy improvement in April from the previous month  when it comes to personal fortunes, the reading indicated that consumers could be reluctant to reopen their wallets as the economy kicks back to life.

Consumers were less optimistic about their financial prospects and this could have repercussions for spending as the recovery takes hold,said Lynn Franco, the Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board.

Manufacturing, a sector of the economy Trump has promised to revitalise, has also been slammed by lockdown measures with factory output in March falling to its lowest level since 1946.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced an extension in curfew to two more weeks beyond the national lockdown till May 3 to fight against coronavirus pandemic. The curfew will be lifted for four hours each day so that people can step out of their homes and shops can be opened, Captain Amarinder Singh also said. The curfew will now remain in state till May 17. "Though the curfew has been extended by two more weeks, there will be relaxation from 7 am to 11 am every day. During this time, people can come out of their houses. Shops will also be allowed to open," Chief Minister Singh said in a video address to the state's people. India has been under a lockdown since March 25. The lockdown is supposed to end on May 3.

The Chief Minister also said that the situation would be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations announced if the situation remained in control. However, the containment and red zones will continue to remain under total and strict lockdown.

Meanwhile, the total count of confirmed coronavirus cases breached the 31,000-mark to stand at 31,332 including 22,629 active cases, 7,695 cured or discharged, 1 migrated and 1,007 deaths, according to the latest update by the Union Health Ministry.

The country registered 1,897 cases, 73 deaths in 24 hours, steepest rise in deaths in India in one day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is expected to address the nation at the end of this week is likely to extend the lockdown beyond May 3.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Punjab extends lockdown by 2 weeks; country's death toll-1,007; cases-31,332

Also read: Actor Irrfan Khan dies at 54
Virgin Australia's administrators are not expected to reveal details of the 10 potential suitors for the collapsed airline at Thursday's meeting of creditors, as a challenge from a rival insolvency group on behalf of employees or bondholders looks increasingly unlikely.

Virgin's directors appointed administrators from Deloitte to the group early last week after it failed to pull off a restructure. Virgin, like airlines around the world, has shut down the vast majority of air travel as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Virgin Australia has 7 billion problems but the replacement of Deloitte as its administrators is not one. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Administrators will outline the administration process to Virgin's creditors at the first meeting of creditors on Thursday morning. Virgin owes its creditors nearly $7 billion. Those creditors include workers, aircraft finance houses, banks, bondholders, ticket holders and the trust running the Velocity frequent flier points program.

Deloitte said on Wednesday it would not be releasing any details of any approaches by specific interested parties at the meeting. So far a range of groups have emerged as potential buyers of Virgin, including local private equity outfit BGH (with support from AustralianSuper), Canadian asset manager Brookfield, American airline investor Indigo Partners, American distressed debt specialists Oaktree as well as other groups.
The Andhra Pradesh education minister said the exams would be conducted adhering to all the safety guidelines such as social distancing.

Andhra Pradesh education minister Adimulapu Suresh has said the Class 10 board exams in the state will be held two weeks after the coronavirus lockdown is lifted, according to several media reports.

The minister said the schedule for the Class 10 examinations would be released soon, according to a report in The Hindu .

The announcement by Suresh came after Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank held a meeting with state education ministers through video conferencing.

According to a report in the Deccan Herald, the Andhra Pradesh Secondary School Certificate board exams were slated to be conducted from 31 March to 8 April. The exams were deferred in view of the rising cases of coronavirus and the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the infection.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus outbreak

The state education minister said the exams would be conducted adhering to all the safety guidelines such as social distancing.

Pokhriyal had asked education ministers of states to make use of digital education, online classes to help students continue learning during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked the education department to prepare the time-table for SSC exams.

According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Andhra Pradesh has over 1330 cases of COVID-19. The deadly virus has claimed the lives of over 30 people in the state. Across India, coronavirus has infected close to 32,000 people and killed over 1,000.
By Paul Sandle and Josephine Mason LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways plans to cut more than a quarter of its jobs due to the coronavirus crisis, parent company IAG said on Tuesday, forecasting that passenger numbers will take years to recover. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, reported a first-quarter operating loss before exceptional items of 535 million euros ($580 million), swinging from a profit of 135 million euros a year ago.

By Paul Sandle and Josephine Mason

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways plans to cut more than a quarter of its jobs due to the coronavirus crisis, parent company IAG said on Tuesday, forecasting that passenger numbers will take years to recover.

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, reported a first-quarter operating loss before exceptional items of 535 million euros ($580 million), swinging from a profit of 135 million euros a year ago.

Revenue dropped 13% to 4.6 billion euros. IAG said it expected significantly worse losses in the second quarter, reflecting the full extent of travel lockdowns during the pandemic.

In a statement, it said the sweeping restructuring at BA will probably "affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them." Union leaders criticized the plans and said the airline should have worked to secure more government aid to avoid cutting jobs.

BA has 45,000 employees, including 16,500 cabin crew and 3,900 pilots, according to its website.

Chief Executive Officer Alex Cruz told staff that BA was doing everything possible to conserve cash, including renegotiating contracts and looking at options for its fleet, but it would not be enough.

"In the last few weeks, the outlook for the aviation industry has worsened further and we must take action now," he said in a letter to staff seen by Reuters.

"There is no government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face."

The pilots union BALPA said staff were devastated.

"This has come as a bolt out of the blue from an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID storm and declined any government support," BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said.

"BALPA does not accept that a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one."

Unite the Union, which also represents BA workers, said it was a "heartless decision and entirely at odds with the course of action followed by our European competitors as they seek a way through the coronavirus crisis".

Earlier this month, BA used Britain's COVID-19 jobs retention scheme to furlough 22,626 employees. Under the scheme, the government takes on part of the cost of retaining staff who remain on the payroll while being sent home during the crisis.

FACING THE CRISIS

Echoing comments from rivals such as Lufthansa , IAG said it would take several years for passenger demand to return to 2019 levels.

Governments in Europe and the United States are providing payroll support to airlines while the industry battles its biggest ever crisis.

Estimated global airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic have climbed to $314 billion, the International Air Transport Association said on April 14. More than half the world's airplanes are in storage.

The French and Dutch governments have agreed an aid package for Air France-KLM worth up to 11 billion euros.

Lufthansa, Europe's biggest carrier by revenue, is in talks with the German government about a 9 billion euro rescue plan, according to sources.

Cruz, however, said Ba had overcome many crises in its 100 year history. " We must overcome this crisis ourselves, too," he said.

IAG said its second-quarter operating loss would be significantly worse than the first quarter loss due to the decline in passenger capacity and traffic, despite some relief from government job retention and wage support schemes. It did not give 2020 profit guidance.

It said it had taken an exceptional charge of 1.3 billion euros at the end of the quarter on over-hedging on fuel and foreign currency for the rest of the year.

Last month, the crisis prompted IAG boss Willie Walsh, a dealmaker who made his name standing up to unions and cutting costs, to put off plans to retire.

Highlighting the speed of the damage as governments imposed lockdowns to contain the pandemic, IAG said all the decline in operating profit in the first quarter came in March.

(Reporting by Josephine Mason and Paul Sandle; Editing by Keith Weir)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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As I said in a recent sermon, Americans need to realize that although we are in the same storm, we are in different boats. We need a lot more grace, understanding, and wisdom rather than fueling fear and anxiety. Some are unemployed, while others are doing fine financially. Some are enjoying a much-needed break, and others need to get going again (especially those with kids). Some are stressed to the max, especially those in the medical field, as they deal with the realities of the pandemic, while others feel misled by misinformation (and there is a lot of that).

The elderly and those with compromised immune systems or pre-existing conditions view this differently than young adults who feel cooped up in their homes. Large food chains remain open while churches stay closed. There seems to be no true end in sight. It's very evident that fear is affecting many people. I will briefly touch on three important topics below:

A Reality Check

Im not dismissing COVID-19, but our response to it could prove to be far more deadly and destructive than the virus itself. My first point is that we all need a lot more grace, love, and understanding. We need to be slow to speak and quick to listen so that when we do move forward, we respond in wisdom rather than react in frustration. Second, we need a reality check. For example, in early April, Dr. Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said they are counting victims of the pandemic as anyone who dies while testing positive for the virus, even if something else caused their death. The CDC has confirmed this as well. This is an incredible and significant statement that clearly points to ulterior motives.

Add this to the fact that countless Americans have already been exposed and now have the antibodies (just how God designed us, by the way), and we soon realize that we have now reached the overreaction stage of the pandemic. We must reopen America while at the same time honoring certain protocols. A recent article noted that Sweden has left its schools, gyms, cafes, bars and restaurants open throughout the spread of the pandemic. Instead, the government has urged citizens to act responsibly and follow social distancing guidelines.

Another reality check is needed in the media. I've tuned out many in the mainstream media. No matter what our president says, they will twist it. No matter what he does, they will condemn it. No matter how he acts, they will mock it. Can you imagine a segment of the nation that is against you no matter what you say or do? It's unbelievable. Not too many people could take that amount of emotional and mental abuse. This is an unprecedented time in our nation's history. There is an agenda. How much longer do we allow their agenda to influence us?

Our heart is for peace and compliance and in having a good reputation (Proverbs 22:1). We are called to be as gentle as doves but also as wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16). Many are starting to feel that these policies are actually damaging our health and the health of our children, as illustrated in this powerful video from two ER physicians.

Keeping Churches Closed

As Ive noted before, the Titanic has been struck. Do we lower the rafts or sit on the deck? The stimulus package is just that  a short-term stimulant. If people are not allowed to go back to work, it will only prolong the inevitable. Yes, we may need to isolate a few hot spots, but the vast majority of America needs to get back to work, and our churches need to be the voice of truth pointing people back to God. As one person said, If gyms can be open with monitoring, then churches should also be opened with guidelines. Our spiritual and emotional well being is just as, if not more important, than our physical well being.

How can we justify allowing hundreds of people to shop in big box stores but keeping churches closed? There are three primary reasons: 1) Churches are viewed as non-essential 2) Fear is controlling decisions 3) This is clearly a spiritual battle: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).

Im all for being careful. If someone we know has the flu or COVID-19, we will take reasonable precautions, but there is a huge difference between wisdom and fear. Fear keeps us bound to worry and anxiety, whereas wisdom allows us to experience the joy of the Lord and live our lives. Many people dont know God and fear death; therefore, decisions are based on self-preservation. It's evident that panic is controlling most of our elected officials as well as our citizens. One thing is absolutely certain: This pandemic is thoroughly revealing who and what we trust in. We must repent of our sin and turn to God. For those interested, this message speaks volumes to our national need for repentance.

Listen to the advice of godly counsel as much as to citizens; to spiritual leaders as much as to business leaders. We cannot, and should not remain silent and passive forever. I have seen vacuum repair stores and donut shops open while churches remain closed, as if a clean house and a full belly are more essential than a human soul. This cant continue. I know that some in our own congregation have gone back to destructive addictions and marriages are on the verge of divorce, and I dont believe our church is the only one seeing this trend. Streaming services, video conferences, and social media are not going to solve those issues. We need to be together. Gods house needs to be a place of wholeness and restoration. Churches must not be handcuffed for much longer.

God Has the Final Say

As a final thought, who can stop God almighty? No one! Not Washington DC, not Democrats, not Republicans. You can close churches, shut-down the Internet, and pass laws, but you cant silence the voice of God.

I didnt think the Safer-at-Home policy was a First Amendment issue, at least not initially, because the order appeared to be short-term and very specific. But as time goes on, its becoming increasingly clear that churches are purposely on the back burner.

We should submit to authority, but at what point does submission become opposition to Gods commands to pray for the sick, come together in united worship, read His Word, and help others? Most churches have been very compliant and eager to submit to the governing authorities, but we cannot remain hand-cuffed. When the disciples had their hands tied and were commanded to refrain from doing what God called them to do, they said, We must obey God rather than any human authority (Acts 5:29 NLT). We are not there yet, but please dont force our hand.
A Labour former shadow minister sparked uproar today when she branded the birth of Boris Johnson's new son 'yet another excuse' to avoid scrutiny from MPs.

Ruth Cadbury, 60, tweeted minutes after the birth of the Prime Minister's first child with fiancee Carrie Symonds was revealed this morning.

Mr Johnson attended the birth of his son early this morning, meaning Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stood in for the PM at Prime Minister's Questions.

The change prompted the Brentford and Isleworth MP to tweet: 'It appears Boris Johnson has just found yet another excuse to miss PMQs.'

But after being branded heartless the MP, once shadow housing minister under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, deleted the tweet and replaced it with one saying: 'So Boris Johnson has a good excuse to miss PMQs today - congratulations!'

It came as former Labour spin chief Alastair Campbell said that the birth at a London hospital this morning was no reason for Mr Johnson to miss PMQs.

Ruth Cadbury tweeted minutes after the birth of the Prime Minister's first child with fiancee Carrie Symonds was revealed this morning

Ms Cadbury changed her tweets in quick succession this morning

Mr Johnson was to have been by his 32-year-old fiancee's side throughout the labour in the early hours of this morning and thanked 'the fantastic NHS maternity team' who brought their son into the world.

The safe arrival of their child, Carrie's first and officially Boris's sixth, has come as a shock because Miss Symonds was expected to give birth in the early summer, although a due date was never confirmed.

Mr Johnson said in early March that he would likely take his two-week paternity leave when their child was born.

Downing Street said today he would take some time off later in the year as he scrambles to get a grip on the coronavirus crisis.

There are also concerns that key decisions over the lockdown and how to ease Britain out of it will be delayed because of the Prime Minister's new baby.

Mr Campbell, who was Labour's chief spin doctor during Tony Blair's term as prime minister, hit out at the PM's decision to miss PMQs.

A new born baby may be a better excuse than most for missing PMQs (though he should still be doing it),' the former journalist wrote.

'I suspect we are going to see an awful lot of excuses in future. Boris Johnson has a habit of avoiding proper scrutiny.'

Prime Ministers of all parties are known to put a lot of effort into their PMQs performances, often spending the morning before the noon performance in preparation for it.

Mr Campbell (above right), who was Labour's chief spin doctor during Tony Blair's term as prime minister, hit out (top) at Boris Johnson's decision to miss PMQs

Announcing the birth of their son, who has not been named yet, Mr Johnson's spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.'

No 10 has not revealed the hospital the baby was born in - although St Thomas', where Mr Johnson was in ICU just over a fortnight ago, is the closest to Downing Street. It was previously reported that Carrie had wanted a home birth but these have largely been suspended by the NHS because of coronavirus.

The couple got engaged while holidaying on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique over the new year and announced they would marry and were having a baby on February 29, days after the PM's divorce from Marina Wheeler was confirmed.
A supercell thunderstorm pelted a city center in Argentina a few years ago with hailstones so large scientists suggested a new category to describe them -- gargantuan hail.

Researchers investigating the 2018 storm found one hailstone likely measured between 7.4 and 9.3 inches across, potentially setting a new world record. The current record belongs to a hailstone that measured 8 inches across, or about the size of a volleyball, that fell near Vivian, South Dakota.

"It's incredible," said Matthew Kumjian, associate professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmosphere Science at Penn State. "This is the extreme upper end of what you'd expect from hail."

The scientists proposed hail larger than 6 inches should be classified as gargantuan, and said more awareness of these events, while rare, could help piece together a better understanding of the dangerous storms.

"Anything larger than about a quarter in size can start putting dents into your car," Kumjian said. "In some rare cases, 6-inch hail has actually gone through roofs and multiple floors in houses. We'd like to help mitigate the impacts on life and property, to help anticipate these kinds of events."

The storm in heavily populated Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina, offered scientists a rare opportunity to study a well-documented case of gargantuan hail. As the storm unfolded, residents took to social media, posting pictures and videos.

Researchers followed up on the accounts a year later, interviewing witnesses, visiting sites where damage occurred, collecting photogrammetric data and analyzing radar observations. Using photogrammetry -- taking measurements from photographs -- and video evidence, the scientists estimated one hailstone may have set a world record.

The scientists reported their findings in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

"Such a well-observed case is an important step forward in understanding environments and storms that produce gargantuan hail, and ultimately how to anticipate and detect such extreme events," Kumjian said.

Hail typically occurs during severe storms, which produce strong, sustained updrafts. The winds hold hailstones aloft long enough to grow in sub-zero temperatures high in the atmosphere. But predicting hail size remains challenging, the scientists said.

Rachel Gutierrez, a graduate student at Penn State and co-author of the paper, found a connection between a storm updraft's rotational velocity, or how fast it is spinning, and larger hail size, but much remains unknown about the relationship.

She said the data, especially from a storm outside the United States, is invaluable.

"There typically isn't a lot of data from storms outside the U.S.," Gutierrez said. "Having this shows us these crazy, high-impact events can happen all over the world."

Gargantuan hail events may be more common than once believed, but researchers need volunteers willing to report hail and provide accurate measurements, either by including a common item for scale, or a ruler, Gutierrez said.

###

Kevin Bowley, assistant teaching professor, also contributed from Penn State.

Other researchers on the project were Joshua Soderholm, then a Humboldt Fellow at the University of Bonn, Germany, and now a research scientist with the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia; Stephen Nesbitt, professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Lorena Medina Luna, education and outreach specialist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; James Marquis, scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; and Paolo Salio, professor, Paula Maldonado, doctoral student, and Milagros Alvarez Imaz, student, at the Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmosfera in Argentina.

The National Science Foundation and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety partly funded this research.
A federal appellate court on Tuesday overturned a jurys award of $64 million against Firemans Fund Insurance Co. for allegedly breaching the terms of a reinsurance agreement.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals found that Firemans Fund was not liable for claims made by Utica Mutual Insurance Co. under the terms of seven reinsurance contracts that backed up coverage for a New York manufacturing company that sued for asbestos injuries.

The appellate panel found that the reinsurance certificates provided to Utica by Firemans were not triggered by the aggregate amount that Utica paid to settle multiple claims; the coverage kicked in only if the payment to settle a single occurrence, or accident, exceeded the thresholds stated in schedules included in each policy.

Given the unambiguous language in the umbrella policies, Firemans Fund had no obligation to pay for bodily injury claims that did not exceed bodily injury limits identified in the Schedules, the court said.

The dispute between the insurers took root more than a half a century ago. From 1966 to 1972, Firemans Fund agreed to reinsure umbrella policies that Utica had issued to Goulds Pumps, a Seneca, Falls, N.Y. manufacturing company founded in 1848. Those policies contained schedules that stated an aggregate limit for property damage, but listed only per-occurrence limits for bodily injury claims.

Utica and its policyholder, Goulds Pumps, defended thousands of claims alleging bodily injury caused by asbestos from the companys products, starting in the 1980s. By 2007, Utica contended that it had paid all that was owed under its insurance contracts with Goulds. The pump manufacturer disagreed and both sides asked federal courts in New York and California for declaratory judgments.

The courts never ruled. The two sides reached a settlement in 2007, agreeing that Utica had paid all that was owed under its primary policies, but $325 million was still available under the umbrella policies that Utica had reinsured with Firemans.

The district court judges signed off on the settlement. Utica then asked Firemans Fund for $35 million in reimbursement, which amounted to $5 million a year, for seven years. The insurer contended that Firemans covered the top half of the policy limit for each umbrella policy issued to Goulds during those seven years, which would allow it to recoup amounts paid over $5 million up to the $10 million total limit on each policy.

Firemans Fund refused. Utica Mutual sued.

A jury for the U.S. District Court in Syracuse, N.Y. ruled that Firemans Fund had breached its reinsurance agreement and awarded Utica the $35 million plus $29 million in pre-judgment interest.

Utica argued that Firemans Fund was obligated to honor its settlement with Goulds because its reinsurance contract contained a follow-the-settlements clause that required it to accept Uticas interpretation of the umbrella policies. The 2nd Circuit disagreed, saying the New York Court of Appeals has held that follow-the-settlement clauses cannot be used to overturn the language of reinsurance policies.

The court said the limits on the umbrella policies were clearly stated. The schedule for the 1966-67 umbrella policy, for example lists a $100,000 per person limit and a $300,000 per accident limit for bodily injury claims and a $50,000 per accident limit and a $100,000 aggregate limit for property damage claims.

The court rejected Uticas argument that the aggregate limits did not have to be stated because Firemans Funds liability to pay when claims cost exceeded more than $5 million during a policy period was implied by the reinsurance certificate. Other portions of the policy would make no sense if that interpretation were accepted, the panel said.

Indeed, the Schedules would serve very little purpose since, under Uticas approach, one could read into the Schedules limits not otherwise stated, even if doing so would directly contradict language in the umbrella policies, the court said.
PARIS (Reuters) - Renault <RENA.PA> is considering cutting the number of sub-contractors it uses to develop car models in its engineering division potentially saving the carmaker between 100 million to 200 million euros, two sources close to the company said.

Renault was already struggling before the coronavirus crisis hit sales and brought production to a halt. In February, the group reported its first loss in 10 years on faltering demand and lower income from its Japanese alliance partner Nissan <7201.T>.

It is due to outline some 2 billion euros ($2.17 billion) in cost cuts from mid-May, alongside a joint strategy update with Nissan on how to reboot their partnership, as the company struggles with shrinking margins.

Renault declined to comment.

The carmaker, which is 15% owned by the French state, has been put under more pressure by the pandemic, and the government said last week it was working on a 5 billion euro aid package for Renault.

This would involve state-guaranteed loans to help the company shore up its liquidity in the wake of similar deals for the likes of Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA>.

Renault's interim Chief Executive Clotilde Delbos is overseeing the first wave of cost cuts at Renault before former Volkswagen executive Luca de Meo joins as CEO in July. Delbos has said the government aid would not impinge on her "no taboo" pledge to find savings, including by shutting plants or cutting jobs.

Renault's engineering business, led by former PSA <PEUP.PA> executive Gilles Le Borgne since January, is expected to be central to the cost cutting plan.

The number of sub-contractors that work with Renault in the department could be cut to four or five from around 15 now, the sources said.

"There would only be a handful of big sub-contractors left to share some 80% of (Renault's) needs, but who would be in a position to make broader, more competitive offers," one of the sources said.

Auto companies often outsource some of their development needs to engineering and services firms such as Altran <ALTT.F>, Segula, Expleo <EXPL.NS>, Alten <LTEN.PA> or Akka <AKA.F>.

As part of cost-cutting, Renault has already ditched its main passenger car joint venture in China, and has also made real estate disposals. ($1 = 0.9218 euros)

(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, Writing by Sarah White. Editing by Jane Merriman)
As Ive noted before, the politicians and experts telling us to shut up, sit down and stay in our homes under virtual house arrest themselves all have jobs to go to and paychecks to collect. They are essential, we are told, as opposed to you and me and most of America, who are not. Leading the pack is Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, of which it is now being said -- if you can fake it there, you can fake it anywhere. Cuomo has been faking it as a truthful and competent leader of his state.

At a recent press conference, Cuomo showed the elitism and arrogance of so many politicians and their media mouthpieces as they are unmasked by a crisis they have no intention if wasting. Liberals have always dreamed of controlling every aspect of our lives and the Wuhan virus crisis has given them a dream opportunity to do just that.

Cuomo was quizzed by a reporter about the huddled masses who are yearning to breathe free and when the lockdown rules would at least be loosened so the common folk could begin to put their lives together. Cuomo was not amused:

The governor was asked at a press conference Wednesday to respond to the out-of-work quarantine protesters who say the states economic lockdown cannot continue as-is because their cash savings are running out. After a lengthy back-and-forth with a reporter, Cuomo eventually said that if the demonstrators are so desperate for work, they should take a job as an essential worker.

To their families who love them and depend on them all workers are essential, Gov. Cuomo. The reporter tried to make that point and noted the protestors complaint that the effects of the lockdown might be worse than the virus it is supposed to contain:

There are protesters outside right now, honking their horns and raising signs, the reporter said, These are regular people who are not getting a paycheck. Some of them are not getting their unemployment paycheck. And theyre saying that they dont have time to wait for all of this [coronavirus] testing and they need to get back to work in order to feed their families. She added, Their savings [are] running out; they dont have another week. Theyre not getting answers. So, their point is: the cure cant be worse than the illness itself. The illness is death, said the governor. What is worse than death?.... What if the economy failing equals death? the reporter persisted. Because mental illness that the people stuck at home   No, it doesn't, Cuomo interrupted. "It doesnt equal death. Economic hardship. Yes. Very bad. Not death. Emotional stress from being locked in a house. Very bad. Not death. Domestic violence on the increase. Very bad. Not death.

Increasing levels of stress, depression, anxiety, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, and domestic violence do not bother Cuomo, who warned of a ventilator crisis that did not happen and a shortage of hospital beds that did not happen. He once said he would leave it up to President Trump to decide who would get ventilators and who would die

There are long-term health consequences of a lockdown that Cuomo does not care about. People will die of the effects of the lockdown long after it and Cuomos insufferable press conferences are over.

Cuomo, like so many others in the elite, ignore the health care costs of crushed lives and dreams, the human costs of lost jobs and careers, of nest eggs broken on the ground, of people who used to provide for their families fighting in stores over rolls of toilet paper. We are being guided by the best infectious disease experts in the world, we are told, experts so smart they didnt anticipate or consider the lives lost from depression, suicide, drug and alcohol addiction and despair in a land where abortion is considered an essential procedure but heart stint and CT scans not so much.

Also ignored by Cuomo and others is the human cost of the lockdown forcing hospitals to not schedule allegedly nonessential procedures:

Critical health care for millions of Americans is being ignored and people are dying to accommodate potential COVID-19 patients and for fear of spreading the disease. Most states and many hospitals abruptly stopped nonessential procedures and surgery. That prevented diagnoses of life-threatening diseases, like cancer screening, biopsies of tumors now undiscovered and potentially deadly brain aneurysms. Treatments, including emergency care, for the most serious illnesses were also missed. Cancer patients deferred chemotherapy. An estimated 80 percent of brain surgery cases were skipped. Acute stroke and heart attack patients missed their only chances for treatment, some dying and many now facing permanent disability.

Cuomos callous words are particularly bitter to the families of the nursing home residents his administration sentenced to death by requiring those with COVID-19 not be denied admission to them. Cuomo said he didnt know, but its the job of this know-it-all to know. Maybe, like a New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said of the Bill of Rights, such knowledge is above his pay grade. Arguably, that fiasco makes Gov. Cuomo New Yorks latest and greatest serial killer:

New Yorks health commissioner on Monday defended a directive that requires nursing homes to readmit residents whove tested positive for the coronavirus -- as Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed he didnt know the policy was in place. Cuomo was asked about the states policy on admitting or readmitting to nursing homes people whod tested positive for COVID-19. Thats a good question, I dont know, the governor said. Cuomos startling admission came days after the state revealed last week that at least 3,316 people in nursing homes and adult care facilities had died of coronavirus at their residences or in hospitals across the state.

Cuomo, the great health care expert and governor extraordinaire, didnt know. But it is his job to see to the well-being of his people first -- particularly the most vulnerable. He didnt. Few people know, and Cuomo doesnt tell them, that a quarter of New York deaths have occurred in nursing homes he wasnt paying attention to. If he had been he would have been aware of the death sentence his administration gave many vulnerable seniors:

look at the now-infamous March 25 directive from the New York State Department of Health that orders those homes and rehabilitation centers to admit and readmit patients sick with the coronavirus. The devil comes in the first sentence of the fifth paragraph: No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.  The disease has claimed more than 3,500 souls in nursing and rehab centers, or nearly 25 percent of the total known deaths in the state. There is no way to know exactly how many died as a result of the state order, but the number is certainly not zero. The cause and effect relationship is obvious.

Not only are a significant number of New Yorks dead neglected seniors, but also consider that New York, and neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut, constitute the major part of nationwide deaths and infections:

Compared as a separate country, the New York area would rank, by far, as No. 1 for deaths per capita. The New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area accounts for approximately 60 percent of all US deaths.

So why should the entire country be treated, and locked down, as if it were New York? Before the Wuhan virus spread, New York was a basket case. Subtract out the New York nursing homes and New York itself and see how the curve flattens out nationally. To flatten the curve, we didnt have to flatten the economy, just quarantine New York and Andrew Cuomo.

Daniel John Sobieski is a former editorial writer for Investors Business Daily and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
Four persons, including the 39-year-old police radio operator from the Bambooflat area, recovered from COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said on Wednesday.

They tested negative twice, following which they were declared cured, a senior official said.

The police radio operator and his three family members have been shifted from the GB Pant Hospital to a government guest house where a quarantine facility has been set up, he said



With the recoveries, the number of active cases in the Union Territory dropped to 18, he added.

Chief Secretary Chetan Sanghi said there will be no let-up in vigil and caution.

"Long and tough road ahead," he said in a tweet.

The Union Territory, home to several vulnerable tribes, has reported 33 cases. Eleven of them -- 10 with links to the Tablighi Jamat event in Delhi and a student who travelled with them in a flight from Kolkata to Port Blair -- were declared cured weeks back.

The police radio operator tested positive for the COVID-19 on April 17 and 21 persons who came in contact with him got infected. They were either his family members or neighbours or acquaintances.

Those declared cured will have to remain in institutional quarantine for 28 days and will be discharged after that, Avijit Roy, the nodal officer for COVID-19 in the UT, told PTI.

A total of 3,246 samples have so far been sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre here for testing, and of them, reports of 169 are awaited, according to the latest health bulletin issued by the administration.

Teams have been set up to conduct door-to-door surveillance in the containment zones -- Atlanta Point, Dignabad, Round Basti, Sisti Nagar, Mohanpura, Biggiline, Bambooflat and Shorepoint, among others. So far, they have reached 1,39,370 people, officials said.

Additional restrictions have been imposed in both containment and non-containment zones in South Andaman, from where these 22 cases were reported, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, they said.

The administration is keeping a close watch on the potential suspected cases in the Islands and the Health Department has kept ready 159 isolation beds in GB Pant Hospital, INHS Dhanvantri Hospital, Pillar Hospital and other medical facilities, officials said.

Besides, quarantine facilities have also been created in government guest houses and private hotels for asymptomatic suspicious cases, they said.

Officials said total 930 persons are currently in institutional quarantine facilities in the Islands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China is pushing back against the growing chorus of voices around the world calling for the country to pay compensation for the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan

China is pushing back against the growing chorus of voices around the world calling for the country to pay compensation for the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Politicians in the United States are lying through their teeth, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Geng Shuang, said at a news briefing on Tuesday.

The spokesmans comments came one day after President Donald Trump suggested that the United States would seek substantial compensation for Beijings handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Richard McGregor, a China analyst with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said the dispute reflects Chinas refusal to accept criticism at a time when its rival, the United States, seems weak and continues to struggle with the virus, political division and mass unemployment.

Beijing is mounting an all-hands-on-deck, no-holds-barred, global diplomatic effort to stem any move anywhere to censure it over its handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, McGregor said.

He stressed that the Chinese government sees this as a pivotal moment to make a generational advance in their global position at the expense of Washington.

At a news briefing on Monday, Trump put forth the idea that China could have prevented the coronavirus from spreading beyond its borders. We believe it could have been stopped at the source, he said, without offering an explanation of the steps the country could have taken.

He added that the administration was conducting serious investigations into the origins of the pandemic and that there are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable, referring to China. We are not happy with China.

The Chinese government fired right back.

We advise American politicians to reflect on their own problems and try their best to control the epidemic as soon as possible, instead of continuing to play tricks to deflect blame, Geng said Tuesday.

China is also defending itself in Australia. Chinas ambassador to Australia warned Monday that the governments call for an independent international inquiry into the origins of the pandemic could lead to a Chinese consumer boycott of Australian products and services.

Maybe the ordinary people will say, Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?  the ambassador, Cheng Jingye, said in an interview published in The Australian Financial Review.

In response, the Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, dismissed Chinas attempt at economic coercion.

For a country that relies heavily on China  a third of its exports go there  the conflict could carry serious consequences. It reflects a sharp acceleration in tensions, which were simmering before the pandemic over the Chinese governments attempts to influence Australian politics through donations and pressure.

The current war of words appears to have begun 17 April, when Australias minister for home affairs, Peter Dutton, demanded greater transparency from China on the origins of the coronavirus.

The Chinese Embassy accused him of parroting American propaganda, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison  who has worked hard to stay close to Trump  continued to press for more accountability in line with White House demands.

Morrison spoke to Trump on 21 April, and announced a day later that he supported an overhaul of the World Health Organisation, including the recruitment of investigators akin to weapons inspectors to determine the source of major disease outbreaks.

In the United States, the state of Missouri filed a lawsuit alleging that Chinese officials were to blame for the pandemic. Geng, the foreign ministry spokesman, called the suit very absurd and said it has no factual and legal basis at all.

In France earlier this month, the Chinese ambassador was summoned by the foreign ministry to discuss an article posted on the embassys website that claimed Western countries were letting older people die in nursing homes. That had led French lawmakers to complain Beijing was spreading misinformation.

That same week, Britains foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said, There absolutely needs to be a very, very deep dive after-the-event review of the lessons, including on the outbreak of the virus.

The Chinese diplomats and government-approved voices who are speaking out with boldness may simply be falling in line with the more aggressive efforts by President Xi Jinping to rewrite Chinas history with the virus, emphasising its successful containment, according to McGregor.

But they are showing no signs of backing down. Even as editorials in the Australian media argued that China has shown its true colours, as an unreliable, authoritarian partner, on Tuesday night, Chinas response intensified.

Australia is always messing around, Hu Xijin, the editor of Global Times, a nationalist tabloid controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, wrote in a social media post. I feel it is a bit like chewing gum stuck to the soles of Chinas shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to scrape it off.

Damien Cave and Amy Qin c.2020 The New York Times Company
Lori Vallow's sister suffered an untimely death 22 years ago. Very few details are known about her death and the cause is unclear

'Cult mom' Lori Vallow's sister died an untimely death 22 years ago, it has been revealed.

It is the fifth untimely death among family members associated with Lori and adds yet another layer of mystery to the saga that began with the disappearance of her children JJ and Tylee nearly eight months ago

Lori's older sister Stacey Lynne Cox Cope died aged 31 in 1998.

Very few details are known about her death and the cause is unclear.

Lori is being investigated in connection with at least four deaths - including her and Stacey's brother Alex Cox.

Court TV correspondent Ashleigh Banfield tracked down Stacey's gravestone in San Antonio, Texas, this week and found that it was covered in mud and appeared to have been neglected for years.

Stacey's daughter, Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski, became one of the key figures in the missing children's case earlier this year following allegations that she joined a dangerous Doomsday cult with her aunt Lori.

Melani's estranged husband, Brandon Boudreaux, has accused her of attempting to kill him in a drive-by shooting last fall and claims that she knows where the missing children are but won't cooperate with authorities.

Melani has denied those allegations - including in a recent Facebook post where she briefly mentioned the mother she lost when she was just nine years old.

Scroll down for video

Five people with links to Lori Vallow have suffered untimely deaths (top in court on March 6). Those deaths are: Lori's brother Alex Cox (left), her new husband Chad Daybell's previous wife Tammy Daybell (second left), her fourth husband Charles Vallow (center), her third husband Joseph Ryan (second right) and her sister Stacey Cox Cope (right). It's not clear what the cause of Cope's death was

Court TV correspondent Ashleigh Banfield (right) tracked down Stacey's gravestone (left) in San Antonio, Texas, this week and found that it was covered in mud and appeared to have been neglected for years

Stacey's daughter, Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski, became one of the key figures in the missing children's case earlier this year after her estranged husband Brandon Boudreaux (pictured together) claimed that she joined a dangerous Doomsday cult with her aunt Lori

In the post marking her 31st birthday last Friday, Melani wrote: 'This last year, my world has been turned upside down as my family and friends turned their backs on me when things in the media got confusing.

'I have been falsely accused of many things, wrongfully judged, betrayed by those who I thought loved and supported me, and wrongfully gone to Utah county jail for a few hours.

'Worst of all, my 4 beautiful children have unjustly been kept from me since October, I hold no faults as fears and doubts have been spread by those trying to hurt me.

'While I was also unjustly taken away from my mother at age 6 and told all manner of lies about her, I stand here today grateful knowing that no one and no lie can take me away from the bond of my mother who has laid to rest since I was 9.'

Later in the post Melani vaguely mentioned her father.

'This took me a while to learn to forgive my own father, but I have nothing but love and gratitude in my heart for this day and for the many who have betrayed me even though restitution has not been made,' she wrote.

It's been speculated that Melani was accusing her children's father, Brandon, of 'unjustly' taking them from her in the same way that her father 'unjustly' took her from her mother.

Brandon and Melani have been embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their four young kids since the mother suddenly filed for divorce over the summer. In February court filings, Brandon accused Melani of attempting to kill him in a drive-by shooting last fall

Brandon also claimed that Melani knows where Lori's missing children JJ and Tylee (pictured) are but won't cooperate with authorities

Melani has denied having any involvement in the disappearance of her aunt's kids - including in a recent Facebook post (pictured) where she briefly mentioned the mother she lost when she was just nine years old

Brandon and Melani have been embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their four young kids - Braxton, Brighton, Blake and Brees - since the mother suddenly filed for divorce last summer.

In a court filing brought to light in February, Brandon says: 'Melani is involved in a cult where numerous members, adults and children alike have been being killed off like flies.'

He further alleges that his ex-wife knows where JJ and Tylee are but is refusing to cooperate with the investigation.

'Melani's knowledge of the whereabouts of her aunt's two missing children and her unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement is daunting,' the filing obtained by FOX10 states.

It also claims that Melani's current husband Ian Pawlowski, whom she married on November 30, had told law enforcement that she 'says sometimes children are full of light and then just like that they go dark'.

In a statement through her lawyer, Melani denied any knowledge of where the missing Idaho children are and said she has 'cooperated with law enforcement, including meeting for hours with the FBI on three separate days'.

'Sadly, and irresponsibly, much of the media has quoted Brandon Boudreaux's biased, vindictive, and fake accusations as truth and fact when they are his resentful, vengeful, and dishonest efforts to get full custody of Melani's children,' wrote the attorney.

Pawlowski is seen in court in Mesa, Arizona, in late February during a hearing regarding her custody battle with her ex-husband Brandon Boudreaux

Earlier this month Melani was named as a potential witness in her aunt's upcoming trial on charges of child neglect and desertion in the disappearance of her son Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, and daughter Tylee Ryan, 17, who were last seen in Rexburg, Idaho, in September.

Authorities began searching for the children in late November after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to JJ, who is autistic, in months.

When officers first went to Lori's home in Idaho on November 26, she told them that JJ was visiting relatives in Arizona - which investigators say was a lie.

Officers returned the following day and found that Lori and the man she married weeks earlier, Chad Daybell, had fled from the home.

Authorities say the couple have repeatedly lied about where JJ and Tylee are and refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Lori and Chad were named persons of interest in the children's disappearance after investigators said they believe the mother knows where her children are or what happened to them.

Lori married Chad Daybell on a Kauai beach on November 5 - weeks after her kids disappeared and days after Chad's previous wife Tammy died

Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time JJ was seen at his school in Idaho October 19: Chad Daybell's wife Tammy dies at their Idaho home October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone November 5: Lori and Chad marry November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives. 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 Idaho 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: Police issue a press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance is linked to Tammy's death 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 kids 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 January 30 Lori misses court deadline to produce the children to authorities February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai Advertisement

The case captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police are also investigating three mysterious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as family members' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult.

The first death is that of Lori's estranged husband 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 JJ at the mother's home in Chandler.

Lori's brother intervened and fatally shot Charles.

Police initially determined that he acted in self defense - but the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for JJ and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho, where Chad lived, with their mother in August.

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.

An obituary stated that Tammy passed away in her sleep and her cause of death was ruled as natural after Chad reportedly declined an autopsy.

Investigators reopened the case after learning that JJ and Tylee were missing, as their mother had married Chad just two weeks after Tammy died. They believe the two cases could be linked.

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.

Police tracked Lori and Chad down in Princeville, Hawaii, in late January and served the mother with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho by January 30.

Lori failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest and extradition to Idaho, where she is currently being held at Madison County Jail in lieu of $1million bond.

The mother has continued to maintain her innocence as the search for her children stretches into its ninth month.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned on Tuesday a terrorist bomb attack that killed at least 40 people in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin.

The United States condemns the act of terror carried out today in Afrin, Syria, claiming the lives of dozens of people shopping in the central market as they prepared to break the Ramadan fast, Pompeo said in a statement. "Initial reports indicate many victims were civilians, including children. Such cowardly acts of evil are unacceptable from any side in this conflict.

Pompeo reiterated UN calls to implement a country-wide cease-fire throughout the war-torn country.

Why it matters: Turkish forces and their Arab rebel allies from the Free Syrian Army have controlled Afrin since 2018 after ousting the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) from the area. Turkey immediately blamed the attack on the YPG, which has yet to comment. The United States has not attributed blame for the attack.

Whats next: As tensions continue between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds, Ankara is also operating in Idlib province  the last rebel bastion  to conduct joint patrols with Russia, which backs Damascus in the conflict. While the patrols have tamped down conflict between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the Turkish-backed rebels, activists have also accused Turkey of shooting dead protesters demonstrating against the patrols. Turkey hopes to open the M4 highway in the province by ousting al-Qaeda-linked groups from the area.

Know more: Be sure to read Amberin Zamans story detailing Turkish abuses against dead Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is linked to the YPG in Syria.
City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Ahsan Younas Tuesday visited Quarantine center established at THQ Kahuta and checked quarantine facilities there

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Apr, 2020 ) :City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Ahsan Younas Tuesday visited Quarantine center established at THQ Kahuta and checked quarantine facilities there.

According to a spokesman, the CPO lauded the role of security personnel who were performing their duties effectively at this critical time.

He also directed the officials to use face mask and other equipment. He appealed to the public to fully cooperate with the administration for the implementation of government directions as there was no other way out to stop coronavirus spread. The CPO said "We should not be panic. We must get united and join hands with the government to root the virus out from our country." The implementation over the precautionary measures was very important and decisive in this regard, the CPO added.
Joe Biden secured an unsurprising victory in Ohios primary on Tuesday, in a significant first major test of statewide elections via mail amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

The majority use of a mail-in ballot system came as a result of Covid-19 regulations, with voters advised not to attend polling stations in person due to the statewide stay-at-home order to stem the spread of the virus.

Overall turnout was surprisingly strong, according to Ohios secretary of state, Frank LaRose, and while the system was reported to have caused some confusion among residents it wasnt said to have created significant disruption.

It was better than OK. It was great, Mr LaRose said.

Around 1.5 million votes were cast in the election by midday on Saturday, according to Mr LaRoses office, fewer than half of the total number cast in 2016s primary.

However, the secretary insisted that tens of thousands of ballots were received on Tuesday.

Donald Trump has publicly heavily opposed the widespread use of mail-in ballots, having claimed that if elections were to go ahead with measures to make absentee voting more accessible that youd never have a Republican elected in this country again.

The things they had in there were crazy. They had things, levels of voting that if youd ever agreed to it, youd never have a Republican elected in this country again, said Mr Trump said in response to the $4bn Democrats had attempted to include in a coronavirus relief bill to safeguard Novembers presidential election.

Mr Trump and other Republicans have expressed fear that the use of all absentee ballots would lead to widespread voter fraud.

Wisconsin primary Show all 13 1 /13 Wisconsin primary Wisconsin primary Steve Merriweather waits to vote inside Riverside University High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Aaron Lipski, the assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, stands in a tyvec suit as he monitors health an safety at a polling station inside Hamilton High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters practise social distancing in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Rachel Messenger wears a sign reading 'Thank you for risking your life to vote' outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters in masks wait to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A line of voters outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters filling out their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary People wearing protective masks wait to vote in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A City of Milwaukee Election Commission worker takes a break during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary City of Milwaukee Election Commission workers process absentee ballots during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary Voters waiting to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA Wisconsin primary A line of people wait in their cars for their turn to vote at Riverside High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA

The president even previously accused some who cast ballots in US elections by mail of cheating, despite having applied for one himself to participate in the Florida primary.

Democrats have argued that forcing residents to choose between voting and endangering their health by leaving the house amidst the pandemic is an act of voter suppression.

[Mr Trump] is apparently willing to expose voters to the deadly Covid-19 for purely partisan political advantage, said Zoe Logfren, a Democratic representative who spearheaded the campaign to include provisions in the relief bill.

Wisconsin voters were faced with such a decision when the primary election went ahead as planned at the beginning of this month.

After a drawn-out conflict over whether the voting would be delayed, the states conservative top court ruled in-person voting would go ahead as planned.

Images from polling day showed voters forced to wait together in lines spanning several blocks to attend polling booths in person, despite a statewide stay-at-home order remaining firmly in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which had claimed at least 92 lives in the state at the time.

Officials in Milwaukee have now reportedly been able to trace seven positive coronavirus cases back to in-person voting during the Wisconsin primary, while officials said they were aware of 40 cases in people who had either worked at the polls or voted in-person, The Hill reported.

In a similar bid as Wisconsin, the Ohio the primary was originally recommended to be delayed until June, however, after facing legal pressure was forced to implement a largely absentee mail-in process.

The new structure involved most of the electorate casting absentee ballots by submitting three different pieces of documentation by mail.

Only homeless and disabled residents were initially encouraged to attend a polling station to cast a ballot in person, however anyone without a mail ballot was permitted to attend a polling station.

In a poll cast by The Wall Street Journal and NBC, 67 per-cent of Americans agreed that in the current circumstances of the pandemic, they would support changing the law so that mail-in voting was available to all Americans

Some states already cast their vote entirely by mail including Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon and Utah, however, their decisions to do so remain independent from the coronavirus outbreak.

Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio election chief, said he didnt see Tuesdays results setting a precedent.

My opinion going forward is that no serious thought should be given to converting to mail-in balloting for the November election, Mr Blackwell said.

You lick an envelope and mail in a ballot, theres all kinds of evidence that would suggest that there would be ballots lost, and because youve taken out the bipartisan oversight at the basic community level, you lose a degree of almost guaranteed legitimacy.

Last week the House passed the relief bill with $400 mil in provisions the possible eventuality that the 2020 presidential election may take during the coronavirus pandemic.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - Beleave Inc. (CSE: BE) (OTC: BLEVF) ("Beleave" or the "Company"), a licensed producer of cannabis and cannabis-derived products, today announced the refiling of amended and restated unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements (the "Q3 2020 FS") and management's discussion and analysis thereof ("Q3 2020 MD&A", together with the Q3 2020 FS, the "Amended Statements"). The revisions to the Amended Statements have been made at the request of OSC staff in connection with a continuous disclosure review.

The Audit Committee of the Company, in consultation with management of the Company, has determined that the Company's previously filed Q3 2020 FS and Q3 2020 MD&A, as filed on March 02, 2020 and April 20, 2020, needed to be restated to correct for content and disclosure deficiencies. The Amended Statements replace and supersede the previously filed Q3 2020 FS and Q3 2020 MD&A and are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Amended Statements were refiled to address comments received from OSC staff and in order to improve the Company's disclosure and to clarify and provide additional disclosure regarding:

The Company's working capital requirements and as a going concern;

Key drivers of changes in key financial metrics related to the Company's performance for the period

The status of the required approvals from Health Canada;

The status of the Company's London and Hamilton facilities;

The Company's partnerships and joint ventures;

The Company's lease and debt obligations;

The risks and uncertainties related to the Company;

The Company's quarter-to-date results;

Additional discussion on variations between quarters;

The identification of related parties in the related party transactions;

Adjustments made to the financial statements as at December 31, 2019 to correct, among others, the following material values assigned to: Reduce inventories by $267,279 to include period recognition, reclassification of packaging costs previously assigned to sales and marketing and other consumables previously not included; Reduce the fair value of biological assets by $41,390; Include impairment to property, plant and equipment of $1,531,407 relating to prior periods not previously included; Reclassify $2,455,016 from current and long-term liabilities to borrowings; Include $106,626 of depreciation in right-of-use assets previously omitted in the statement of cash flows; Include a fair value adjustment of $361,482 on the sale of inventories as non-cash adjustments in the statement of cash flows; Adjust trade and other payments by a net amount of ($474,241) in the statement of cash flows; and Reclassify $250,000 of changes in other current liabilities from operating activities to investing activities and reclassify $500,000 of changes in other current liabilities from operating activities to financing activities (proceeds from borrowings) in the statement of cash flows.



Details of the changes are fully described in Note 24 to the restated Q3 2020 FS, as filed on SEDAR on April 29, 2020.

Subsequent to the quarter end, the Company issued common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") in respect of the following:

4,122,321 Common Shares were issued in connection with a private placement that closed in August 2019;

9,342,561 Common Shares were issued in connection with a private placement that closed in February 2020;

18,750,000 Common Shares were issued to directors & officers of the Company for compensation owing for service on the board of directors of the Company under the terms of employment contracts; and

3,460,207 Common Shares were issued in connection with the settlement of debt to Havecon (see "Statement on Litigation" below).

Statement on Litigation

In March 2018, Beleave engaged Havecon Horticultural Projects (together with its affiliates, "Havecon") to construct a greenhouse as part of the Company's approximately $9 million Hamilton Phase 2 expansion project. The expansion plan included an additional 5,700 sq. ft. of indoor grow space, 55,000 sq. ft. of greenhouse space, and 29,500 sq. ft. allocated or offices, secure storage, and processing. Approximately 70% percent of the expansion (approximately $6M) has been completed and the Company anticipates it will require an additional $2.5M to complete the structural build and $1.5M for security and further redesign to complete the warehouse and processing. In January 2020, a lawsuit was filed by Havecon in respect of labour and material costs for the construction of the site expansion.

The Company has reached an agreement on a payment schedule that allows for deferral of payment and the settlement of a portion of the debt through the issuance of shares. To date, the Company has issued Common Shares valued at $100,000 as partial satisfaction of the debt owed to Havecon. The developer, Havecon Projects B.V., an affiliate of Havecon, continues to complete construction in phases as capital becomes available through two possible asset sales. Havecon and the Company continue open dialogue and are committed to finishing the expansion project. In conjunction with the payment agreement established in January 2020, the Company anticipates completion before the end of 2020. This timeline is contingent on the closing of the pending asset sales, and so may be accelerated or delayed based on the timing of the sales. The Company will provide an update when one is available.

On March 13, 2020, J. Lohr Winery Corporation filed a trademark infringement claim in Federal Court against Seven Oaks, Beleave Kannabis Corp. and Beleave for its use of the Seven Oaks brand name. In light of the rules that prevent an alcohol company from branding any cannabis products, the Company does not believe the infringement holds merit and plans to dispute the claim.

About Beleave Inc.

Beleave is an ISO certified, Canadian cannabis company headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area that cultivates high-quality cannabis flower, oil and extracts for medical and recreational markets. Beleave is fully licenced to cultivate and sell medical and recreational cannabis and is leading the way through research partnerships with universities to develop pharma-grade extracts and derivatives.

Beleave is developing new product lines, including cannabis-infused products, oils, vape pens, and other novel cannabis delivery methods for 2020. Beleave has developed a network of medical cannabis clinics in Ontario and Quebec under the Medi-Green banner.

Investor Relations Contact:

Bill Panagiotakoplous

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Phone: +1 (905) 979-4835

Email: bill@beleave.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). The use of any of the words "plan", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur are intended to identify forward-looking information. These statements are only predictions. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, by its very nature it involves inherent risks and uncertainties. This information speaks only as of the date of this news release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55106
As a girl growing up on the south side of Chicago, Dee-Dee Wheeler would play basketball outside during the winter until her hands froze.
CALGARY - Cenovus Energy Inc. reported a $1.8-billion loss in its first quarter as oil prices fell due to a drop in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 29/4/2020 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cenovus Energy logo at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Wednesday, April 25, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY - Cenovus Energy Inc. reported a $1.8-billion loss in its first quarter as oil prices fell due to a drop in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The oilsands producer says the loss amounted to $1.46 per diluted share for the quarter compared with a profit of $110 million or nine cents per diluted share in the first quarter of 2019.

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On an operating basis, Cenovus says it lost nearly $1.2 billion or 97 cents per diluted share in the quarter compared with an operating profit of $69 million or six cents per share a year ago.

Cenovus has moved to protect itself from the downturn by slashing capital spending, suspending its dividend and rolling back salaries.

The company says it is managing its production levels as market conditions change to optimize the value it receives for its products.

Cenovus says its oilsands production has been reduced by approximately 60,000 barrels per day, but that it has the flexibility to ramp up production when market conditions improve.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CVE)
German prosecutors have charged a far-right extremist with the killing of a regional politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party and in a near-fatal attack on an Iraqi asylum-seeker a few years before.

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Stephan Ernst, who has previous convictions for a string violent anti-migrant crimes, is accused of murder, attempted murder, serious bodily harm and firearms offenses.

A second man, identified only as Markus H, was charged with accessory to murder and breaking firearms laws for allegedly helping Ernst improve his marksmanship while suspecting that he was considering a politically motivated attack, the prosecutors said.

Walter Luebcke, who led the regional administration in Germany's the central region of Kassel, was shot on his porch on June 1, 2019, and died later that night. Prosecutors said in a statement that Ernst and Markus H had visited an October 2015 town hall event where Luebcke defended the German government's decision to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country.

Angered by sexual assaults in Cologne months later and an Islamist truck attack in Nice, France, in July 2016, Ernst allegedly decided to kill Luebcke to send a publicly noticeable signal against the current state order, which he rejected, according to prosecutors.

Around the same time, Ernst allegedly attacked the Iraqi asylum-seeker from behind with a knife, injuring the victim's spine and severing two nerves.

Prosecutors said the attack was rooted in Ernst's right-wing extremist hatred of refugees. After his arrest in June, authorities said they found numerous illegal firearms that Ernst had stored in various locations, including three revolvers, two pistols, two rifles and a submachine gun, as well as 1,400 bullets.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Footage has emerged of a two-time killer allegedly stabbing another inmate before calmly dropping his weapon and surrendering to prison officers as the victim writhes in a pool of blood.

Vester Fernando kidnapped, raped and murdered a nurse in rural New South Wales with his cousin Brendan Fernando in 1994 and five years later stabbed Brendan to death in jail.

The 50-year-old, who is already serving life without the possibility of parole, is now accused of stabbing a 26-year-old inmate in the neck, chest and back at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre near Kempsey on April 8.

Footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the frenzied stabbing under a common area stairway, as other inmates do nothing to interfere and the wounded prisoner bleeds out on the floor.

Vester Fernando (pictured) kidnapped, raped and murdered nurse Sandra Hoare at Walgett in NSW's north west with his cousin Brendan Fernando in 1994. Five years later Vester stabbed Brendan to death in jail

Sandra Hoare, 21, had finished a night shift working alone in the geriatric ward of Walgett Hospital when she was abducted and killed by Vester and Brendan Fernando on December 9, 1994. Ms Hoare is pictured

The vision allegedly captures Fernando slowly walk away from the victim after allegedly trying to kill him, tracking blood on his shoes.

Fernando appears to slide a weapon towards approaching prison officers, before he calmly raises his hands in the air and lies down in surrender.

More than a dozen officers swarm the common area as other inmates nonchalantly walk by the crime scene, some barely looking twice as the victim stops moving.

Most of the officers move to surround Fernando, while two go to the aid of the injured inmate with a towel.

Emergency services were called to the prison about 3.15pm and the stabbed inmate was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

Footage allegedly shows double killer Vester Allan Fernando stabbing another inmate at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre near Kempsey in New South Wales

The vision allegedly shows Fernando walk away from the stabbed prisoner as he writhes on the ground. Fernando then appears to slide a weapon across the floor to approaching officers

Footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the stabbing unfold under a stairway, as other inmates mill around and the wounded prisoner bleeds out on the floor

Fernando has been charged with attempted murder, while 28-year-old inmate Atin Munro has been charged with aid and abet attempted murder.

Vester Allan Fernando, who has bulked up during his decades in custody, is one of the state's most notorious and difficult inmates who was convicted in 2005 of assaulting a prison officer.

He has been moved to the Supermax facility at Goulburn where he has previously been incarcerated, while Munro remains in segregation in the jail where the stabbing occurred.

Vester and his cousin Brendan kidnapped, raped and murdered 21-year-old nurse Sandra Hoare after she finished a night shift working alone in the geriatric ward of Walgett Base Hospital on December 9, 1994.

The NSW Supreme Court would hear the cousins forced Ms Hoare to endure more than an hour of fear and extreme trauma.

Brendan Fernando (pictured) was killed in prison by his cousin Vester. The pair had raped and murdered nurse Sandra Hoare. Vester blamed Brendan for his conviction and life sentence

The vision allegedly captures Fernando walk away from the victim, tracking what appears to be blood on his shoes

After the attack Fernando calmly raises his hands in the air as prison officers approach him then lies on the floor

The cousins abducted Ms Hoare from the hospital in the state's north west and took her to a nearby oval where Brendan held the nurse down while Vester raped her.

They then forced Ms Hoare to walk 400m to a paddock where they murdered her with a machete. Ms Hoare's body was found with her head almost severed and her underwear missing.

Vester was 27 and Brendan 26 when they were sentenced to life in prison in 1997.

Vester Allan Fernando (pictured) is one of the state's most notorious and difficult inmates.

The older cousin had denied having anything to do with Ms Hoare's murder and blamed Brendan for his conviction and life term.

The cousins were initially kept in separate prisons but later reunited. In September 1999 Vester murdered Brendan in Lithgow jail.

He used the blade from a pair of scissors to stab Brendan in the face and chest, piercing his heart, during a music lesson in the prison' auditorium.

In 2001 Vester was jailed for a further 30 years over Brendan's murder with a minimum term of 22 years.

Justice Rod Howie said sentencing Vester for the murder of Brendan was 'academic' considering he was never to be released for murdering Ms Hoare.

Fernando and Munro were refused bail to appear at Port Macquarie Local Court via audio-visual link on April 9.

Daily Mail Australia understands the wounded inmate, who had only recently come into custody and did not have a lengthy criminal history, was back in prison and recovering well.

The Mid North Coast Correctional Centre is a maximum, medium and minimum security centre for men and women at Aldavilla, 455km north of Sydney and 14km west of Kempsey.
The Patna High Court on Tuesday directed the Bihar government and the Centre to make all arrangements for the students stranded in Kota (Rajasthan) and elsewhere in the country.

The court said it would not be appropriate for it to pass an order on merit of the case without giving the opportunity to the Union of India to file counter affidavit and while a writ of similar nature is pending before the Supreme Court.

Hearing a bunch of four public interest litigations (PILs) through video conferencing, the bench of Justice Hemant Kumar Srivastava and Justice Rajendra Kumar Mishra fixed May 5 as the next date for hearing.

On May 4, a writ petition filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan is to come up for another hearing before the apex court and the Centre has to file its response.

Additional Solicitor General SD Sanjay, appearing for the Union of India, sought a weeks time from the court, saying the Centre was in the process of preparing a detailed protocol for interstate movement of the migrants back to their native places in accordance with the SC order. Once that is ready, it will be filed in the Patna HC, he said.

Bhushan had filed the PIL urging the apex court for direction to the Centre to allow migrants to return to their home towns and villages after undergoing test for Covid-19 and provide them facilities for safe return.

The apex court has sought Centres response on that.

Advocate General Lalit Kishor, appearing for the Bihar government, reiterated states stand made in its earlier reply to the registrar general of the Patna HC. The state government had stated that though it was sensitive to the plight of students stranded outside, bringing them back in the midst of lockdown was not desirable, as it would tantamount to violation of the guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs and subject them as well as others to undue risk.

Four PILs, including one by advocate Ajay Thakur whose representation to the chief justice had evoked response from the government, have been filed in Patna HC in connection with the issue of Bihar migrant labourers and students stranded in different parts of the country.

Thakur said that he apprised the court of the problems being faced by the students stranded in Kota and other parts of the country for over a month and how other states were making arrangements to bring back their students and migrants.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton have won the hearts of the British public during the coronavirus pandemic. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridges down-to-earth approach to the crisis and willingness to continue work has given them a major boost in popularity. While the Cambridges are certainly on their way up, one royal expert believes they need to be careful about overshadowing a more reserved Prince Charles.

Prince William and Kate Middleton with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis | Comic Relief/BBC Children in Need/Comic Relief via Getty Images

Prince William and Kate Middleton enjoy their time in the limelight

Most senior members of the royal family, like Prince Charles, have been more reserved during the coronavirus pandemic. They have kept up a few televised appearances but have largely remained out of the spotlight.

On the other hand, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, have been among the most visible royals over the past month. The two have shared a slew of photos on social media that highlight their work behind the scenes and have been fulfilling some of their royal duties via video conference.

Their latest public appearance was a special TV slot in support of the National Health Service. The couple took part in a huge show of support for the NHS alongside their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

While William and Kate have been active on the public side of things, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes they should proceed with caution.

This is why Prince Charles is more reserved

In an interview with Express, Fitzwilliams acknowledged how much work Prince William and Kate Middleton have done over the past few weeks. This includes their support of frontline workers and raising awareness for mental health issues.

He then noted how people pay attention to whatever Kate wears, and that fashion sense is starting to filter down to her children. Kate being such a strong photographer has also added a personal touch to their frequent posts.

Charles, however, has been much more reserved, and Fitzwilliams says his approach to the crisis befits his station. Not only has Charles tone been more conventional, than Prince William, but his own battle with the coronavirus in March brought him even closer to the British people.

Charles and Camilla have also been adept in adapting though more formally, Fitzwilliams shared. His virtual addresses have been conventional as expected. The fact he was afflicted by coronavirus, though fortunately, the symptoms were mild, was a leveler in that it showed the nation was suffering and fighting it together, a fact reinforced when Prime Minister Boris Johnson fell ill.

Although Charles has been more reserved than the Cambridges, his recent post on social media was targeted at a much wider audience.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles strike a pose

In honor of the 15th anniversary, Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles posed alongside their dogs for an adorable photo. As Fitzwilliams explained, the photo was meant to appeal to the larger British public by showing the couples love for animals.

Charles and Camillas pose with their two dogs to mark their 15th wedding anniversary was particularly enchanting and had obvious appeal to our love of animals, he stated.

Fitzwilliams added that Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have been perfectly complimenting Queen Elizabeths approach to the crisis, including her inspiring speech last month.

They are also carefully balancing their posts with Prince William and Kate, who tend to be more relaxed when discussing the current crisis. For example, they recently talked about how the pandemic has affected their lives in the country.

On the heels of the interview, Charles wrote about how he and Camilla are coping with the crisis and shared an adorable photo of him and Prince Louis. As far as Fitzwilliams is concerned, this is skillful teamwork on full display.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are careful not to overshadow Prince Charles

When it comes to overshadowing Charles, William and Kate have been very careful about not stealing the limelight. Instead of competing with each other for attention, Charles and the Cambridges have been working together, and their activity on social media has been very complimentary.

For a comparison, Fitzwilliams mentioned how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not seem to care whenever their events clashed with other members of the royal family. And now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are out of the monarchy, scheduling posts is no longer the concern it used to be.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have not commented on the reports surrounding their reaction to the crisis. The couple is currently living at their country estate, Anmer Hall, with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Louis.
Nearly 30 Woodburn residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since April 24, showing the virus continues to spread in one of the most vulnerable populations of Marion County.

Over half of Marion County residents who got a positive test back between April 25 and April 27 live in Woodburn, according to a Salem Reporter analysis of Marion County data. Woodburn makes up less than 10% of the countys population.

Katrina Rothenberger, administrator of the county Health Department said last week that an increase over the previous weekend in people testing positive for COVID-19 was concentrated in the Woodburn and Gervais areas in north Marion County.

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That trend is continuing, the latest numbers show, and the health department still hasnt identified a cluster or common factor to explain the increase in those newly testing positive, spokeswoman Jenna Wyatt said.

We do find the trend concerning, and are doing all we can to target our outreach and communication efforts to areas where we are seeing an increase in cases. We are also investigating ways to increase testing in these areas. We want to see a downward trend in cases in all of our communities, Wyatt said in an email.

Marion County has 12 workers investigating cases to trace contacts of those known to be infected and is working to hire 12 more, Wyatt said.

Marion County has consistently had the highest rate of people with COVID-19 in Oregon. Statewide, about 5% of Oregonians tested for COVID-19 since late February have tested positive. In Marion County, its 11% since testing began.

Across Oregon, Latinos have disproportionately tested positive for COVID-19, making up 27% of cases but just 13% of the states population. Woodburns population is about half Latino, nearly double the county average.

The county collects employer information from people testing positive, but wont release information about how many are farmworkers.

Woodburn is the center of the regions farmworker population, and has a lower household income than Marion County as a whole, according to Census data.

That combination means many people are working essential jobs in agriculture where social distancing is difficult or impossible and often cant afford to miss work unless theyre seriously ill, said Enrique Ruiz, field and data manager for PCUN, Oregons farmworker union.

A lot of the restaurants and farms are not providing protective gear for the workers and its putting them in a dangerous spot, he said.

Health care providers said those who come in for testing often wait until they get a positive result back before isolating at home.

A lot of it is they cant afford to miss work, said Lori Kelley, senior director of quality at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, which operates the Salud Medical Center in Woodburn.

If a person needs their paycheck and they arent able to work remotely, it could be very challenging to take two extra days to self-isolate, she said.

The Farm Workers Clinic is headquartered in Yakima, Washington, and operates clinics across Oregon and Washington. Kelley said in general, theyve seen higher rates of people test positive for COVID-19 in agricultural areas where jobs cant be done remotely and distancing at work is difficult.

Data for the rest of Marion County shows comparably few new cases.

From April 25 to 27, about 14 residents in the five ZIP codes that make up Salem tested positive for COVID-19. That area has six times Woodburns population.

Marion County last week began releasing the rate of infection in each county ZIP code, but not the actual number of people testing positive. Salem Reporter used Census population figures to calculate an approximate number of residents in each ZIP code who have tested positive for the virus.

A state report released Tuesday showed few of the new cases of COVID-19 occurring in nursing homes. They had been a source of high counts of infections, including at The Oaks at Sherwood Park in Keizer and Marian Estates in Sublimity.

This article was originally published by the Salem Reporter, one of more than a dozen news organizations throughout the state sharing their coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving health issue.

This post has been updated to reflect the following correction: The senior director of quality at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic is Lori Kelley. She was incorrectly identified in an earlier version of this story.
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a press release signed by the National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, on behalf of all members of our party, has condoled with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State over the death of his mother, Hajiya Fatimah Umar Badami, after a protracted illness.

The party said the death of Hajiya Badami at this time, is saddening and a painful loss not only to the governor and his immediate family but also to the people of Adamawa state, the nation and the PDP as a family.

The party while pouring tributes to Late Hajiya Badami, said she was a devout Muslim, a very kind, humble and generous soul, who devoted her life towards the service of the Almighty Allah and the good of humanity to the very end, despite her protracted health challenges.

The party mourns her demise as indeed more painful now that Hajiya Badami has left the stage at a time her prayers, wise counsel and motherly blessing for Governor Fintiri, the people of Adamawa state and the nation are needed the most. Claiming, however in all, we surrender to the will of the Almighty Allah from whom we draw strength at this time of grief.

The party gave its condolences to Governor Fintiri, his family as well as the government and people of Adamawa state and prays that the Almighty Allah grant us the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
There's no need to throw away a perfectly good television just because it's lacking the latest smart TV bells and whistles.

Australians are spoilt for choice when it comes to streaming video to keep us entertained during the lockdown; the bigger challenge can be getting all that great content onto the big screen.

The NVIDIA Shield TV is a small cylinder full of smarts.

Unfortunately, once your Smart TV is two or three years old, it might stop receiving updates for new services. Of course no-one wants to replace their telly as often as they replace their smartphone.

These days most improvements in new TVs are in smart features; the actual picture quality doesn't tend to change from year to year. This is where a new media player or set-top box can make more sense.
A transgender man in Britain lost an appeal on Wednesday to be registered as his sons father, rather than mother, on the childs birth certificate. He now wants to take his case to the Supreme Court.

The man, Freddy McConnell, a freelance writer based in Kent, England, gave birth to a son in 2018, the year after obtaining a gender recognition certificate confirming him as male. But when he sought to register the birth, the register office told him that he had to be recorded as his sons mother.

Mr. McConnell went to court seeking a reversal of that decision and asking to be registered as the childs father or parent. He argued that his registration as mother of the child was a breach of both his and his sons rights, and that this was a matter of domestic law.

But Sir Andrew McFarlane, the judge in the case, dismissed Mr. McConnells application for judicial review in September last year, and defined the status of being a mother as one no longer necessarily connected to a persons gender.
It is just five months since Chinas Wuhan was found to be the epicentre of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has spread across the globe. Amidst dissatisfaction and suspicion among world leaders on the way China dealt with the virus, businesses across the globe could be looking at India as an alternative to buy finished goods.

Indian companies are now seeing interest from across the globe in purchasing goods. These include products like electronic goods, pharmaceutical products, consumer products, home furnishing and automobiles.

This would mean that China, which was known as the world's factory, could be replaced by nations like India.

Also Read: Live updates on the Coronavirus outbreak in India

Experts said that if the infrastructure bottleneck and slow approval process is dealt with efficiency, India could replace China over the next one to three years.

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

Data from the World Bank showed that in 2018, India had a total goods export of USD 322.29 billion. In comparison, China had a total export of USD 2.49 trillion. Among finished goods, China is considered the world leader in export of smartphones.

Where has the shift begun?

But has the process begun? Yes it has seen progress.

Take Welspun India for example. The textile major had begun getting increased queries and orders from overseas clients for its newly launched floorings business.

"We have started deliverying export orders, and will see more arrangements with clients by the end of March," Welspun India Director & CFO Altaf Jiwani, had told Moneycontrol in an earlier interaction just before the end of FY20.

The company opened a facility in Telangana, in 2019. The unit, which was initially focusing on the domestic markets, makes flooring solutions that include broadloom carpets, carpet tiles, click & lock tiles, and artificial grass.

Has the shift already been done?

When it comes to Welspun India, enquiries from overseas clients had started coming in late last year itself, when these products were part of the $200 billion lists of the first US sanction against Chinese exports.

The floorings market in the US is worth $3.2 billion, and 80 percent of it was supplied by China.

Apart from the US, another big market for Welspun India is the Middle-East region. Welpsun India, which is also the largest home textiles exporter from the country, had also got higher interest for its towels, rugs and bed sheets.

A similar trend is being seen in businesses are wall clocks and home accessories like lamps, boom speakers and decorative fans.

The chief executive of a large fan maker in India said that the company has received requests from markets like Canada, Spain, Brazil and South Africa which were being traditionally catered to by Chinese imports.

Even though we are charging a 8-10 premium on the decorative fans and lighting, clients are ready to pay. This is a good sign and a possible indication of how India could gain in exports from these segments, he added.

What about other industries?

The worlds largest clock manufacturer Ajanta-Orpat Group is now getting global requests seeking to buy their products.

In an interaction with Moneycontrol, Nevil Patel, MD, Ajanta-Orpat Group said that the company has now started receiving enquiries from other countries as they are reluctant to buy from China. Ajanta-Orpat exports to 45 countries.

"While we are not being able to service these requests currently, I am sure there is going to be a separate market that opens up for India for countries that are going against buying from China. This depends on when things get to normal. But there will be an export benefit for India," said Patel.

Though there is a rise in interest, industry executives also said that some bit of convincing could be required, for both global partners and vendors in India to follow suit.

Companies in Europe would need some convincing, maybe with government representative and industry support that India is a good alternative to China. A few global players have some quality concerns as far as goods from India are concerned so that needs to be resolved. And, the government also needs to work swiftly to provide relevant permissions so that goods delivery is on time, said the managing director of an electronics goods firm.

What about traditional sectors?

As far as traditional sectors like automobiles and pharmaceuticals are concerned, some movement could happen though it will take time.

When asked whether companies and industries will move away from China, Ander Arenaza Alvarez, CEO, Mahindra CIE Automotive said, Yes, we have seen some movement from in some divisions. For example, in the magnet division, we clearly see this trend. However, I think it is too early to say that in for the rest of the divisions. But you are right that probably this movement from China to India could happen because, in my opinion, the logistic chain, the supply chain in our industry will be reviewed deeply in the next times."

He added that there is an opportunity there that some of the Chinese production can move to India. However, he did not give any indication of the company doing it.

A similar trend could be seen in the pharmaceutical sector where India could see some benefit. However, industry experts pointed that there wouldnt be an overnight shift.

Experts said that the reliance on Chinese raw materials for pharmaceutical industry isn't going to end soon. India itself imports about $4.5 billion worth of intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). It makes them formulations/finished dosages, consumes domestically and exports it to other countries. This equates to about 70-80 percent of our requirement. India exported about $20 billion worth of pharmaceutical products.

China is critical in the drug supply chain. For drugs based on fermentation like penicillins, immunosuppresants, certain vitamins, hormones, there is a heavy reliance on China.

"For low volume and high value products - it's feasible to make it locally, and companies are doing it. But for high volume low value products, it's going to take time, as Chinese materials are still compelling on price front," said a top executive of pharmaceutical company who didn't want to be named.

(With inputs from Swaraj Baggonkar, Viswanath Pilla and Prince Mathews Thomas)

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
Cloud native Access Gateway Function proves viability of path for converged broadband access to the 5G core, simplifying broadband service delivery and creating new options for converged services

LOS ALTOS, Calif., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloud native communications leader Metaswitch today announced that its Access Gateway Function (AGF) solution has been successfully tested by Vodafone for the industry's first implementation of the 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) AGF standard. The AGF in Metaswitch's 5G Fusion Core solution, which is aligned with Broadband Forum and 3GPP specifications, was tested in Vodafone Group labs in the U.K.



"We have been very active in supporting the Wireless Wireline Convergence activity in the Broadband Forum," said Gavin Young, Head of Fixed Access Centre of Excellence at Vodafone Group, "and we are proud to be hosting the world's first operator test of this technology. Working with Metaswitch, we have been able to prove that the technology works in practice, and we have been very impressed both by the performance of the AGF in Metaswitch's 5G Fusion Core solution and its cloud native architecture. This trial more than justifies our faith in the value and the practicality of broadband convergence."

The Metaswitch AGF is part of its 5G Fusion Core solution (https://www.metaswitch.com/solutions/mobile-solutions/5g-core) and is a true cloud native solution in which all functional elements, including the User Plane Function (UPF) and Access Gateway Function (AGF), are deployed in containers and orchestrated by Kubernetes to ensure strong performance and network deployment flexibility for service providers.

5G Wireless Wireline Convergence offers a path to a fully converged broadband access network that serves both wireline and mobile subscribers from a single technology stack. This facilitates the use of common credentials, authentication and a unified approach to applying network policy. When fully implemented, WWC seamlessly integrates fixed and wireless services, simplifying service provider offerings, reducing the overall complexity of subscriber and service management and promoting always-on services through converged connectivity.

Vodafone 5G Access Gateway Function Evaluation Milestones

The Metaswitch Fusion Core 5G WWC solution includes an Access Gateway Function built to align with the new Broadband Forum TR-456 specification, in addition to other 5G packet core functions including the industry's highest-performance software UPF. The Fusion Core UPF and AGF are both powered by Metaswitch's Composable Network Application Processor (CNAP) software packet processing technology, which in recent tests conducted with Intel (https://builders.intel.com/docs/networkbuilders/lighting-up-the-5g-core-with-a-high-speed-user-plane-on-intel-architecture.pdf) demonstrated 500 Gbps UPF throughput on a single two-socket industry-standard server.

The trial system was deployed in Vodafone Labs entirely remotely, taking advantage of the automation capabilities of Kubernetes and Helm, and has successfully demonstrated the attachment of standard fixed network residential gateways (FN-RG) to the 5G packet core, with mapping between wireline broadband and 5G authentication, authorization and session establishment procedures performed in the AGF.

"WWC is emerging as one of the most critical use cases for the Metaswitch 5G packet core and is an area in which we are poised to provide unique value to the global carrier industry," said Martin Taylor, Metaswitch CTO. "This industry-first evaluation test builds on a great deal of interest from converged network operators and is clearly demonstrating Fusion Core's ability to deliver extraordinary levels of performance and efficiency from both AGF and UPF to make it cost effective."

For more information on the Fusion Core WWC solution, visit https://www.metaswitch.com/vodafone-5g-wwc-agf-test (https://www.metaswitch.com/vodafone-5g-wwc-agf-test).

About Metaswitch

Metaswitch is the world's leading cloud native communications software company. The company is constructively disrupting the way that service providers innovate, build and operate communication services. By working with Metaswitch, visionary service providers are realizing the economic, operational and technology benefits of becoming cloud-based and software-centric. Metaswitch's award-winning solutions are powering more than 1,000 service providers in today's global, ultra-competitive and rapidly changing communications marketplace. For more information, please visit www.metaswitch.com (http://www.metaswitch.com/) .

Copyright 2020 Metaswitch Networks. "Metaswitch" and "Metaswitch Networks" are registered trademarks. Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
The district magistrate of Patna has asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to check whether government norms on coronavirus disease (Covid-19) were violated after five employees of an outsourced firm, tasked with housekeeping work at the civil aerodrome, recently tested positive for Sars-CoV-2.

Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi shot off a letter on Tuesday to the director of the Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport, advising him to ask the firm why it did not heed the government directives on Covid-19.

I have written to the airport director to ask the firm why action should not be taken against it for violation of government guidelines on Covid-19, the bureaucrat said.

Employees of the outsourced firm were neither maintaining social distancing nor were they using gloves or masks, which the Centre mandated as precautionary measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, revealed a preliminary inquiry by the Patna district administration, he added.

Ravi said CCTV footage showed the firms staff used to huddle while eating and neither wore gloves and masks at work nor maintain sanitisation norms.

We havent received any letter so far, Patna airport director BCH Negi said in a text message after he did not respond to this reporters phone call.

Precautionary measures were in place right from the beginning, said Negi in his text response.

The AAI has outsourced sanitation work of its terminal building to the Nimbus Harbor Facilities Management Private Limited, a firm registered in Haryana.

The AAI has to pay the firm nearly Rs 2.90 crore for the three-year period of its contractual agreement, said an airport source.

All 50-55 sanitary workers of the firm have been sent on 14-day home quarantine. The cleaning work at the airport was now being done by the Patna Municipal Corporation, the source added.

A sanitary worker at the airport had initially tested positive for Covid-19 on April 25. Four others tested positive on April 27 after authorities zeroed in on them while tracing the contacts of the first employee.

The employee lives in Patnas Khajpura locality, which has been sealed after it was declared a containment zone.

Patna has 39 of Bihars 378 cases of the coronavirus disease and two deaths have been reported in the state capital so far.

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LOS ANGELES Gay production company Masqulin is today debuting the finale of its first feature-length movie, Whats Gotten Into Him? Starring Pierce Paris, one of the gay adult industrys top-selling performers, as well as top porn star Drew Dixon, the provocative finish to the film was co-directed by Paris and newcomer Ben Rush, and was written by Rush.

According to a plot synopsis of the finale provided by the company, Drew Dixons therapy session with Dr. Pierce Paris has, until now, yielded only some wild, sexually charged conversation between the client and his wise counselor. And while the good doctor has opened Drews mind to many erotic possibilities, there are some very sensitive areas that have yet to be touched. Tentative at first about crossing an extremely forbidden line, the two men engage in a physical exploration that will stretch Drews mind and, ultimately, his tight hole. The doctor is in, no matter how hard he has to push to get there!

Fans have been so supportive of Whats Gotten Into Him?, said Paris, and Im excited for them to see how the story ends. Lets just say that it finishes with a very big bang.

Co-directing this movie with Pierce, who had to wear many hats during the production, was a seamless experience, added Rush. Pierce and Drew are a dream pairing, and their outstanding performances take the finale of Whats Gotten Into Him? to the edge.

The full feature also stars Dante Colle, Clark Davis, Michael DelRay, Dillon Diaz and Colby Tucker.

Paris and Rushs second feature for Masqulin, Social Pressure, is also available now in its entirety at Masqulin.com. The contemporary story about social media culture stars Calvin Banks and Paul Canon.

Masqulin can be found on Twitter @masqulinxxx and Instagram @masqulinofficial.

Pierce Paris can be found on Twitter @PierceParisXXX and Instagram @pierceparisofficial.

Ben Rush can be found on Twitter @BenRushMovies and Instagram @thebenrushmovies.

Drew Dixon can be found on Twitter @drewdixonxxx and Instagram @drewdixon.official.
L.A. City Mayor Announces, Life Saving Deal

Los Angeles First Responders Secure Supply of N95 Masks. Twenty-Four Million Masks Will be Available

Tuesday April 28. The Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti reported the latest updates surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. The elected official shared yesterday, the L.A. economy in its entirety will not open on May 15. The ideal vision for recovery is to open L.A. in sanctions and manage the spurts of COVID-19 outbreaks, as they begin to allow small to medium gatherings. A partnership with Honeywell will supply first responders and emergency sanctions with over 24-million masks, Eric Garcetti described this as a lifesaving deal.

The Mayor is crafting the best practices to ensure the most efficient outcome, with the guidance of the California State Governor. Human lives are at stake, no amount of money or stability can restore a lost life. Eric Garcetti eluded to creating a task force to prioritize the needs for underserved communities. This level of focus is very valuable within the African American community, where there is a higher COVID-19 related death rate than any other ethnicity.

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The Los Angeles City Mayor shared the latest update behind the COVID-19 outbreak in L.A. The elected Official shared as of April 28. there were 59 additional deaths. That accounts for a 6% increase since the report on April 27. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 1,000. The average death rate in a week has been 49 fatal cases per day. There were 597 new cases reported, bringing the total of positive COVID-19 reports to 20,976. There is a daily average of 854 new cases. Within the city of L.A. the new report reflects 9,697 COVID-19 cases. In America there are over one million diagnosed positive cases.

Eric Garcetti provided snap shots of the action plan restoring the Los Angeles economy. The California State Governor Gavin Newsom reported that California businesses could reopen within the upcoming weeks. With that in mind, Mayor Garcetti shared the disciplines necessary for the city of L.A. to be in alignment with the states ruling. Businesses that will resume operation is based off the level of risk each brick-and-mortar has in spreading the virus. Out of the four stages enlisted by the California state governor, reopening low-risk businesses will be part of the second stage.

Testing and elderly meal prep remains to be a significant factor for the Los Angeles City Mayor. Eric Garcetti went through the process of the mobile drive thru testing sites. The testing protocol includes, coughing, swabbing the inside of the cheek and roof of the mouth, finally it goes into a vile and will be sent out for results. Mayor Garcetti showed much concern about the need to support all the elderly and their accessibility to food. Mentioned in the prior briefing on April 27. Mayor Garcetti shared a partnership between L.A. and Serving Our Community, that feeds the citys elderly. Serving Our Community is an institution launched by Hospitality and Training. This initiative converts industrial sized kitchens and laid-off hospitality employees into fully staffed facilities that deliver food and provide cleaning services.

Eric Garcetti addressed price gauging that is happening within Los Angeles. Price gauging is the act of taking essential equipment in high demand and setting the price point way beyond the original cost of goods due to the insufficient supply. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a deal with Honeywell that will produce a quantity of 24 million masks, they will be manufactured in the U.S. Masks will go to first responders. The first delivery of 100,000 will be available in May, by July there will be a supply of 500,000 masks available. Later down the line towards November, there will be the accessibility to two million N95 masks every month. Eric Garcetti stated, We need to protect those, who are protecting us.
An aspiring Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the Asante Akyem South Constituency, Mr Eric Amofa, has challenged the claims by his critics that he is too young to become an MP.

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) scheduled April 25, 2020 to elect its Parliamentary Candidates in the various Constituencies across the country, but due to the ban on social gatherings, the Executives of the party have postponed the exercise for a new date yet to be known.

Mr Eric Amofa said in one  on  one interview with Local Chairman on Okwawu fms Ghana Te Sen morning show today April 28, 2020, that there have been calls from his opponent's camp that indicating that he is young and has more years ahead to contest for the seat and therefore should rescind his decision for now.

Mr Amofa replied his opponents that becoming an MP has nothing to do with age but the competency and the capability of that person to turns around for good.

He lamented the poor rate of development of the area urging the delegates to give him the mandate to unite the party and lobby for massive developmental projects for the area.
Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 (12:21 pm) - Score 3,381

Full fibre builder Cityfibre has today announced that theyve finally started their 25m project to build a new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband ISP network in the South Yorkshire town of Doncaster, which will aim to reach almost every home and business (usually 85%+). But competition will be fierce.

At present Cityfibre already operates a Dark Fibre network in Doncaster (originally acquired from KCOM in 2015), which is used to serve local business and public sector sites. But since 2018 the town has also been on the operators future 4bn roll-out plan for FTTH technology and work on that has finally begun.

Construction work is said to have officially commenced in the town centre and Hyde Park area, with Hexthorpe & Balby North set to follow. Meanwhile the local street works are being run by Heneghans, but sadly Cityfibre hasnt said precisely how many premises will be covered or when the build is due to complete.

The operator added that Doncaster Council and local communities have been fully consulted to manage disruption and ensure a fast and successful roll-out. On top of that local residents will be kept informed through digital advertisements and mailings ahead of works commencing in their streets, which will respect the current social distancing guidelines.

Natalie Ward, CityFibres City Manager for Doncaster, said: For people across Doncaster, their digital future is just around the corner. Work is now underway and that is something to be celebrated. Full fibre broadband will help households and businesses access all they need at lightning speed, but the benefits are far deeper than that  from enabling smart home technologies to giving people the freedom to work from home with ease. The investment also comes at a critical time for Doncasters forward-thinking business community. Next generation full fibre connectivity can drive innovation and productivity, ultimately giving businesses the platform they need to realise their growth ambitions. And it wont just improve business locally  it will also help businesses take their products or services to an international audience.

As usual all of this forms part of the operators huge investment project, which aims to cover around 1 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2021 and then 8 million in the future (expected to be largely completed by the end of 2025). At present some 62 UK cities and towns have been identified for their roll-out plan (here) and we expect this to hit 100+ in the future, once the FibreNation plan has been fully integrated.

However a closer look at Doncaster reveals a difficult climate for Cityfibres plan. Much of the southern side of the town is already covered by Openreachs (BT) rival FTTP network and theyre actively expanding into new areas, such as along the western quarter. Meanwhile Virgin Medias gigabit capable network currently covers most of the town and theyre currently building more on the north east side, as well as in some southern areas.

Suffice to say the Cityfibre, Openreach and Virgin Media will be looking at a three way clash in some parts of the town, although competitive models suggests that this should be sustainable. Otherwise Cityfibres new network isnt live yet but it will eventually be sold to local homes via Vodafone UKs comparatively cheap Gigafast Broadband packages (set to be joined by TalkTalk in the future).
We knew that it was coming  we had to. This morning, I read in my county's e-newsletter that the county's health department was shutting down the Smithfield Foods processing plant in my town as a precaution. This shutdown has now put 325 people out of work indefinitely, with the reporting of one person who may have contracted COVID-19 in the plant. This is in addition to the processing plant in Monmouth, IL also shutting down.

Smithfield said in a statement on Friday that it will indefinitely close its plant in Monmouth, IL, after "a small portion" of the 1,700 employees there tested positive for COVID-19. The Monmouth plant processes about 3%t of the U.S. supply of fresh pork, and also produces bacon, according to media reports. Smithfield plants also have been closed in Sioux Falls, SD, where 5% of American pork is processed, as well as in Wisconsin and Missouri.

This is the latest salvo in a potential food shortage crisis in the offing, while the mainstream media (MSM), which remain focused on Trump and his disinfectant gaffe, have paid little attention. But then, given how the MSM have scared a significant portion of the nation's population with their reporting, we may all be better off if they ignore this oncoming debacle.

Tyson Foods, the largest meat processor in the country, has already shuttered 13 plants nationwide in an attempt to contain the corona virus spread as the company works to implement mitigation standards. John Tyson, president of Tyson Foods, said in an interview this past Sunday that the "nation's food supply chain was breaking."

John Tyson said 'millions of pounds of meat' will fail to reach stores and there will be a 'limited supply of our products available in grocery stores' until they are able to reopen facilities currently closed.

It comes after it was announced two million chickens will be killed in Delaware and Maryland because of lack of employees at processing plants.

Tyson Foods announced last week that it was shuttering two pork processing plants, including its largest in the United States, to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

With the restaurant industry shuttered except for those who are capable of carryout and delivery and schools closed (thus no lunch programs), the decline in demand for food supplies is causing the nation's farmers to plow under fields and destroy crops, with unprecedented food waste, at the same time as demand at food banks soars.

Lettuce producer Mark Borba, in Huron, Calif., said he has had to plow under 230 of 680 acres of recently harvested lettuce since the pandemic swept the country a month ago. He said demand fell off so sharply from restaurants, schools and other large customers that his crews had to unpack 9,000 cartons of lettuce from a warehouse where they had awaited shipment and dump them back in the fields to be plowed under.

In a concentrated effort to help America's agriculture industry, President Trump recently announced his administration's $19-billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program  $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers and $3 billion for bulk purchases of food to be distributed through food banks. Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue said he is hoping the checks can be distributed by end of May.

While private industry is stepping up efforts to provide assistance through monetary donations to hunger relief campaigns, for the rest of us, whether working or not, the inevitable food price rise will provide sticker shock for all and food shortages in some areas, as we deal with the doomsday news report of the week.

Nine states are now easing their lockdown requirements, and people are getting back to work in certain business sectors that can limit the amount of human contact and where social distancing can be maintained. Some might call this lifting of restrictions "in the nick o'time," yet not soon enough for the majority of our population.

With that said and the looming potential for additional pain in the coming months, we'll conclude with this question concerning whether the economic and social damage of this virus was based on man-made created mass hysteria based on faulty data and socialized groupthink. In this brief video, published three days ago and already with close to five million views, two emergency physicians who have been testing and collecting data on their patients provide their perspectives that, in so many words, says the government has got it all wrong, and there's something more sinister going on here, as in "control." Calling Governor Whitmer...

Update: YouTube has removed the video mentioned in the last paragraph. Fox News's Ingraham Angle presents YouTubes reasoning for doing so. Shall we call this censorship? Mind control?
In an effort to support the medical services they provide for low-income community members, TOMAGWA Healthcare Ministries hosted a virtual benefit concert that Houston residents could enjoy at home while honoring front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alexis Kulik, public information officer for TOMAGWA, said the concert was an idea from Tiffany Baumann Nelson, a singer-songwriter who has collaborated with TOMAGWA on initiatives in the past.

We were really looking for something we could do around the quarantine and it was very community focused for us, Kulik said. She quickly offered the virtual benefit concert. Its great, anyone can jump in on it.

The 3,000 Lives Virtual Benefit Concert, named after the more than 3,000 clients TOMAGWA cares for, streamed at 7 p.m., May 1 on the TOMAGWA Facebook page. The concert featured local musicians, as well as songs and messages of gratitude submitted by community members honoring front-line workers.

Its completely community based; some community leaders, local singers, musicians, Kulik said. We wanted to get some messages out and we really want everyone to tune in to see everyone whos coming out.

Nelson hosted the event, which included individual and group musical performances, as well as guest appearance by local celebrities including Palmer Jones, Miss Tomball 2020.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: LSC-Tomball opening Health Science Building for TOMAGWA

All proceeds are going to help TOMAGWA Healthcare Ministries in their effort to provide low-cost health care to residents in need in northwest Harris County, southwest Montgomery County and southeast Waller County. Donors were invited to fill out a form on the TOMAGWA website or text TOMAGWA to 707070.

TOMAGWA was forced to stop all onsite patient care as of March 16. On April 3, Lone Star College-Tomball allowed TOMAGWA patients to be served on their campus.

Kulik said TOMAGWA is in need of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as donations in general.

We have a supply list (on our website) that always helps us as well, she said. PPE is becoming really critical because so many of our patients are chronic patients who are very at risk for COVID. Those things would help us be able to do house visits.

For more information or to watch a replay of the virtual concert, visit www.facebook.com/TOMAGWAHealthCareMinistries/ .

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Opposition trade spokeswoman Madeleine King has targeted high-profile Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, labelling him a political ideologue who is hijacking the debate about Australia's relationship with China.

But Mr Hastie responded saying she was muddled and asleep at the wheel when it came to Beijing.

Canning MP Andrew Hastie and shadow trade spokeswoman Madeleine King have swapped barbs over Australia's relationship with China. Credit:File

Last week Mr Hastie, who is the chairman of Parliament's intelligence and security committee, called for "push back" against the activities of China in Australia as the coronavirus pandemic exposed the economic costs of "relying too heavily on an authoritarian regime".

Ms King said the economic relationship with China benefited people in both nations.
The syndicate said Galal was appearing as a presenter on MBC Masr without being a syndicate member or having a license to practice the profession

Egypts Media Syndicate issued a decision banning controversial prank show host and actor Ramez Galal from appearing on any media outlet broadcasted inside the country until the regularisation of his legal status.

According to a statement on Wednesday, Media Syndicate head Tarek Seda said Galal was making appearances as a presenter on MBC Masr without being a syndicate member or having a license to practice the profession.

Seda said Galal has carried out a number of violations on his Ramadan prank show Ramez Is Officially Crazy, and referred to an earlier condemnation of the show by Egypts top mental health hospital over what it described as the negative impact the show could have on peoples mental health.

It is not yet clear if the syndicates decision will be implemented.

Ramez Is Officially Crazy tricks Egyptian and Arab celebrities into attending what they think will be a talk show in Dubai, only to find themselves strapped into a moving chair and ordered by Galal to repeat phrases glorifying him or demeaning themselves.

If they refuse, they are threatened with electric shocks or a live snake.

Since it started airing with the beginning of Ramadan, the show has triggered widespread criticism, with legal complaints calling for its suspension due to its "sadistic" and "inappropriate" content.

Despite the criticism, MBC network said it will not be suspending the prank show by Galal.

MBC spokesman Mazen Hayek said on Tuesday that the show has garnered 120 million views on YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat in the first two days of Ramadan, in addition to its high TV viewership.

If you dont like it, we respect your opinion; dont watch, but you cant deprive millions of people from watching it because others like it, the spokesman of the private TV satellite said in response to the wave of disapproval.

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Jaipur, April 29 : Bharatpur Superintendent of Police Haider Ali Zaidi was a childhood friend of Bollywood star Irrfan Khan, whose death on Wednesday stunned him. Zaidi studied with him in school and college and was his neighbour once.

"I saw him struggling in his tough days -- he would travel hungry in local trains in Mumbai and at times would sleep without having food," recalls Zaidi.

Irrfan's mother, too, had passed away last Saturday.

"She wanted Irrfan to leave the film industry and become a school teacher in Jaipur for easier life and spend the rest of his life in their ancestors' haveli," says Zaidi.

"Despite touching new heights, Irrfan remained grounded... we'd often talk to each other," said Zaidi, adding "while Khan pursued MA in Urdu, Zaidi did his masters in economics." Zaidi said that Irrfan had a helping nature. The police officer recalled how he saved his life once when he touched a live electric wire by mistake while returning from school. "Khan immediately pushed me away to save my life," Zaidi said.

"It seemed he would call me today and we would again share our memories", said Zaidi, barely holding his tears.

"I could not even attend his last journey," he said.

Irrfan Khan passed away on Wednesday due to colon-infection at the age of 54. His death sent shockwaves across the film world.
Many investors define successful investing as beating the market average over the long term. But in any portfolio, there are likely to be some stocks that fall short of that benchmark. We regret to report that long term Vestate Group Holdings Limited (HKG:1386) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 41% in three years, versus a market decline of about 1.6%.

View our latest analysis for Vestate Group Holdings

Vestate Group Holdings isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth.

In the last three years Vestate Group Holdings saw its revenue shrink by 60% per year. That's definitely a weaker result than most pre-profit companies report. With revenue in decline, the share price decline of 16% per year is hardly undeserved. The key question now is whether the company has the capacity to fund itself to profitability, without more cash. Of course, it is possible for businesses to bounce back from a revenue drop - but we'd want to see that before getting interested.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

SEHK:1386 Income Statement April 28th 2020

If you are thinking of buying or selling Vestate Group Holdings stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Vestate Group Holdings shareholders are down 20% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 14%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 1.7% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with Vestate Group Holdings (at least 2 which are potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Story continues

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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.
One of the greatest concerns currently facing doctors and scientists is how COVID-19 affects certain members of the population, especially pregnant women and their unborn children.

Though research is ongoing, early indications suggest unborn babies cannot pick up the virus in the womb; however, pregnancy may compound a womans reaction to respiratory infections caused by COVID-19 including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

Doctors recommend pregnant women take extra precautions to protect themselves and their unborn children.

Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19

Coronaviruses are a group of ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses that cause disease in humans and animals. Coronavirus is so-named because under a microscope it appears to have corona, or crown-like, spikes covering its surface.

These are common viruses that cause mild upper-respiratory tract (throat, sinus, or nose) infections, and the majority are not dangerous. Many different types of coronaviruses exist, and most people contract a related infection at some point in their lives, usually as children.

In 2019, a novel (or new) coronavirus was pinpointed in Wuhan China and cases quickly spread across the globe to the U.S. In February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) dubbed this novel coronavirus COVID-19 (CO represents corona, VI stands for virus, and D for disease).

The COVID-19 global pandemic continues to escalate, spreading the contagion at an alarming rate.

How COVID-19 Spreads

Researchers now know that COVID-19 spreads from person to person much like a cold virus. Spreading happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks and virus-filled droplets are released into the air. These droplets can then be inhaled by people within six feet of each other.

Recent studies have shown COVID-19 could be spread by people who have displayed no symptoms and symptoms can appear within 14 days of exposure. This is why social distancing of at least six feet is important, especially for pregnant women.

COVID-19 Symptoms

Anyone exhibiting coronavirus symptoms including respiratory difficulty should call their doctor or healthcare provider and explain their symptoms over the phone. If symptoms are mild enough, home rest and self-quarantine may be recommended. Patients with severe shortness of breath should call 911 immediately. Infrequently, COVID-19 can cause serious respiratory issues, kidney failure, or death.

Other COVID-19 symptoms may include:



Coughing

Diarrhea

Fever

Headache

Loss of smell or taste

Muscle aches

Shortness of breath

Sore throat

Tiredness

Runny nose

Vomiting

Pregnant Moms Advised to Take Precautions Against COVID-19

Health organizations have yet to discover symptoms or risks specific to COVID-19 among pregnant women. Despite this, it may be too soon for doctors and researchers to say definitively COVID-19 does not affect pregnant women more than the general public.

A womans body chemistry, hormones, and her immune system go through changes during pregnancy. As a consequence, pregnant women may experience notably adverse reactions to respiratory viruses and other illnesses related to COVID-19.

Maternal fever in the first trimester of pregnancy has been shown to heighten birth-defect risks. Therefore, pregnant mothers should follow general safety precautions for lowering their risk for fever-causing illnesses. These precautions include:

Social distancing

Handwashing

Minimal in-person interactions

Wearing gloves and masks in public

Staying home as much as possible

Avoiding those who are sick or have been exposed to the virus

Cleaning and disinfecting often-touched surfaces

Avoiding crowds

Staying in contact with healthcare providers

COVID-19 Infections Not Likely Transferred in the Womb

Few babies have tested positive for COVID-19 immediately after birth; however, researchers are still unclear whether these newborns picked up the virus vertically.

Vertical transmissions typically occur through the placenta, the organ that maintains the fetus through the umbilical cord and the way in which unborn babies receive nutrients. The virus has yet to be discovered in breastmilk, cord blood, amniotic fluid, or other maternal fluids, but maternal-fetal transmission cannot be eliminated.

Certain viral infections can be passed to an unborn baby during pregnancy including HIV and forms of streptococcus, herpes, and hepatitis. However, during the coronavirus outbreak of 2002-04 known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), pregnant women were tested and no vertical transmissions from mother to baby were found. SARS shares nearly 80% of its genetic make-up with COVID-19.

In a cohort study discussed in JAMA Pediatrics, babies born to 33 mothers with COVID-19 were tested and early-onset infection was found in three of the babies two days after birth. Though some experts believe the infections likely happened post-birth, the studys scientists stress that transmission within the uterus should not be ruled out.

C-Section Versus Vaginal Births

Even though some viral infections can be passed from mother to baby during vaginal delivery, not all of them do. The influenza virus, for example, is not passed to babies this way. On the other hand, C-sections (caesarian sections) are a safer choice for mothers with herpes or HIV, since these infections can spread through the blood and other bodily fluids.

Currently, doctors are not endorsing one method of delivery over another for mothers diagnosed with COVID-19. The WHO maintains that C-sections should only be performed when medically warranted.

A womans preference along with obstetric indications should continue to govern when to employ one mode of delivery over another. One consideration pointed out by doctors, however, is that COVID-19 exposure increases as a mother spend time in the hospital recovering from her C-section procedure.

Regardless, hospital administrators state that extra precautions are being taken to ensure operating rooms are environmentally sterile and operating room staff is virus-free.

About Birth Injury Lawyers Group

Birth Injury Lawyers Group was founded in 2003 by Robert Goldwater to furnish useful information to the families of children injured at birth.
Bangkok Airways restarts Samui flights

BANGKOK: Bangkok Airways will resume domestic flight operations from May 15 starting with a twice-daily service between Bangkok and Samui to serve mainly travellers who remain stranded on Samui and neighbouring islands.

COVID-19Coronavirustourismtransport

By TTR Weekly

Wednesday 29 April 2020, 10:19AM

Bangkok Airways will restart flights between Bangkok and Samui on May 15. Photo: via TTR Weekly

Tourists stranded on Samui need to transfer to Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi airport to connect with repatriation flights organised by various governments, reports TTR Weekly.

Flight procedures on the Samui run will strictly comply with safety measures and social distancing guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.

Health and safety measures that the CAAT set out for all airlines offering domestic services include seat distancing onboard, a ban on inflight food and beverage service.

All crew members will wear masks, protective eye gear and gloves when on duty. Passengers must wear protective masks in the airport, during boarding and on the flight. Other measures include health screening and body temperature scans for both airport staff, crew and passengers.

Samui Airport will be open from 8am to 7pm daily from May 15. The airlines two airports in Sukhothai and Trat remain closed.

Other domestic routes should reopen in early June, while the management says it will resume international flights from Oct 25. However, the actual routes and frequencies will depend on how Europes outbound travel market recovers. Europe is the main source of passengers during the winter timetable Oct 25 to Mar 31.
A Perth mother accused of trying to murder her baby boy by pouring bleach into his formula will stand trial.

Brooke Evelyn Lucas allegedly tried to poison her 13-month-old son William, who was born with congenital defect, Pierre Robin sequence, in December 2018.

She faced Stirling Magistrates Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.

Lucas, who spent time at a secure psychiatric facility after her arrest, is currently on bail and is scheduled to face the WA Supreme Court on June 15.

She was arrested last year and charged with intending to kill or endanger her son.

Brooke Evelyn Lucas will stand trial after allegedly trynig to poison her 13-month-old son William in December 2018.

The Perth mum is accused of attempted murder after allegedly pour bleach down her little boy's feeding tube

Lucas, who spent time at a secure psychiatric facility after her arrest, is currently on bail




This release should be read with the Company's Financial Statements and Management Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A"), available at www.tasekomines.com and filed on www.sedar.com. Except where otherwise noted, all currency amounts are stated in Canadian dollars. Taseko's 75% owned Gibraltar Mine is located north of the City of Williams Lake in south-central British Columbia. Production volumes stated in this release are on a 100% basis unless otherwise indicated.

VANCOUVER, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO; NYSE American: TGB; LSE: TKO) ("Taseko" or the "Company") reports the results for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

First quarter Cash flows from operations was $17.7 million and adjusted EBITDA was $5.3 million. The Company reported Earnings from mining operations before depletion and amortization of $5.9 million and an Adjusted net loss* of ($21.6) million, or ($0.09) loss per share. Earnings were impacted by downward provisional price adjustments of $13.6 million due to the decline in copper price in March as a result of COVID-19.

Russell Hallbauer, CEO and Director of Taseko, commented, "Although our financial results were impacted by the falling copper price, the operating performance at Gibraltar was in line with our expectations. The mine produced 32.4 million pounds of copper at Total operating costs* of US$1.82 per pound of copper. To-date, there has not been any impact on Gibraltar operations as a result of COVID-19. The health and safety of our employees remain the top priority for the Company during these very challenging times and we are pleased to report that there have been no cases of COVID-19 at Gibraltar or any of our other locations. We will remain vigilant and continue with the extra measures that are in place to mitigate the risk of an outbreak, which are being supported by the efforts of our employees."

Mr. Hallbauer continued, "Operating a large, open pit mine such as Gibraltar requires the attention of senior management, planning and adaptability. The long-term plan we have in place at Gibraltar, provides Taseko with the ability to respond to circumstances like we are experiencing today. In March, we announced a number of measures being implemented at Gibraltar in response to the lower copper price environment. These included both cost reduction initiatives as well as spending deferrals. Most of these savings only began to be realized in April, so we expect the impact to be reflected starting in the second quarter. Additionally, higher grade ore anticipated to be mined over the next quarters will further lower our cash costs compared to the first quarter. Strong production has continued in April with higher throughput, recoveries and molybdenum production. The Gibraltar Mine is also benefiting from falling input costs, including diesel fuel which is currently 35% lower than 2019 average prices, and a weaker Canadian dollar as 80% of Gibraltar's costs are denominated in Canadian dollars. The new operating plan and other identified cost savings are expected to reduce total site spending (including capitalized stripping) by at least US$0.40 per pound for the coming quarters. These measures provide Taseko with healthy working capital for the foreseeable future.

We will continue to monitor market conditions and adjust operating plans as required to respond to changes in copper price movements in the future. Production guidance for 2020 remains unchanged at 130 million pounds (+/-5%), although we now expect production to be at the higher end of that range based on the revised plan."

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

Stuart McDonald, President of Taseko, commented, "While we remain focussed on managing spending and maintaining a strong cash position, we are still running the business for the long-term and planning for near-term growth from our Florence Copper Project. The test facility wellfield and SX/EW plant operated as planned in the quarter. We have now been producing cathode at Florence for over a year and this operating experience will be very valuable when we ramp up to commercial scale and produce on a steady-state basis. Permitting is progressing with the Arizona State regulators moving expeditiously. We expect the draft Aquifer Protection Permit for the commercial scale facility will be issued in the coming weeks, with public hearings following shortly thereafter."

"With cash flow from Gibraltar and near-term growth at Florence, our Company remains in a strong position. We ended the first quarter with approximately $50 million of cash and subsequent to quarter-end, our working capital position was further strengthened as we completed a transaction with Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd ("Osisko"). Taseko has received $8.5 million to amend the existing silver stream agreement with Osisko by eliminating the delivery price of US$2.75 per ounce of silver. The original silver stream agreement was put in place in early 2017 and we are happy to develop our relationship with a supportive partner like Osisko," added Mr. McDonald.

"We still believe the medium- to long-term fundamentals remain strong for copper and appear to even be improving as more mines are shutting down, and current shutdowns being extended, due to COVID-19. With the incentive price to build new capacity still in excess of $3.00 per pound, projects are being delayed which will only exacerbate the supply deficit in the coming years. Taseko, on the other hand, is not delaying the development of Florence Copper and still believe it could be permitted and financed by the end of 2020, moving into construction at that time," concluded Mr. Hallbauer.

First Quarter Review

The Gibraltar Mine (100% basis) produced 32.4 million pounds of copper in the first quarter. Copper recoveries were 83.4% and copper head grades were 0.259%

Site operating costs, net of by-product credits* was US$1.53 per pound produced, and total operating costs (C1)* was US$1.82 per pound produced;

per pound produced, and total operating costs (C1)* was per pound produced; Cash flow from operations was $17.7 million and the Company had an ending cash balance at March 31, 2020 of $50.2 million , similar to the end of 2019;

and the Company had an ending cash balance at of , similar to the end of 2019; Revenue and earnings were negatively impacted by downward provisional price adjustments of $13.6 million due to the decline in copper price in March as a result of COVID-19;

due to the decline in copper price in March as a result of COVID-19; Earnings from mining operations before depletion and amortization* was $5.9 million , and Adjusted EBITDA* was $5.3 million ;

, and Adjusted EBITDA* was ; Net loss (GAAP) for the first quarter was $49.0 million ( $0.20 per share) after depletion and amortization of $27.1 million and an unrealized foreign exchange loss of $29.7 million . Adjusted net loss* was $21.6 million ( $0.09 per share);

( per share) after depletion and amortization of and an unrealized foreign exchange loss of . Adjusted net loss* was ( per share); The Company realized $2.9 million in proceeds from its copper puts in the quarter, and its outstanding copper puts for April had a fair value of $3.8 million at March 31, 2020 ; and

in proceeds from its copper puts in the quarter, and its outstanding copper puts for April had a fair value of at ; and On April 24, 2020 , Taseko concluded an amendment to its silver stream with Osisko Gold Royalties and received $8.5 million in exchange for reducing the delivery price of silver from US$2.75 per ounce to nil, which further improved its liquidity.

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

HIGHLIGHTS

Operating Data (Gibraltar - 100% basis) Three months ended March 31,

2020 2019 Change Tons mined (millions) 28.5 23.3 5.2 Tons milled (millions) 7.5 6.8 0.7 Production (million pounds Cu) 32.4 24.9 7.5 Sales (million pounds Cu) 31.1 23.3 7.8



Financial Data Three months ended March 31, (Cdn$ in thousands, except for per share amounts) 2020 2019 Change Revenues 62,084 70,274 (8,190) Earnings from mining operations before depletion and

amortization* 5,923 15,729 (9,806) Adjusted EBITDA* 5,346 10,245 (4,899) Cash flows provided by operations 17,671 7,191 10,480 Adjusted net loss* (21,647) (14,419) (7,228) Per share - basic ("adjusted EPS")* (0.09) (0.06) (0.03) Net loss (GAAP) (48,950) (7,931) (41,019) Per share - basic ("EPS") (0.20) (0.03) (0.17)

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

REVIEW OF OPERATIONS

Gibraltar Mine (75% Owned)

Operating data (100% basis)

Q1

2020 Q4

2019 Q3

2019 Q2

2019 Q1

2019 Tons mined (millions)

28.5 25.8 24.7 26.6 23.3 Tons milled (millions)

7.5 7.8 7.5 7.7 6.8 Strip ratio

2.7 2.1 3.0 2.3 3.2 Site operating cost per ton milled (CAD$)*

$9.52 $10.46 $10.83 $11.51 $10.88 Copper concentrate











Head grade (%)

0.259 0.253 0.249 0.256 0.216 Copper recovery (%)

83.4 84.5 87.7 87.7 84.6 Production (million pounds Cu)

32.4 33.4 33.0 34.7 24.9 Sales (million pounds Cu)

31.1 33.3 33.5 32.3 23.3 Inventory (million pounds Cu)

6.4 5.0 5.0 5.5 3.1 Molybdenum concentrate











Production (thousand pounds Mo)

412 728 620 653 738 Sales (thousand pounds Mo)

403 791 518 708 770 Per unit data (US$ per pound produced)*











Site operating costs*

$1.64 $1.85 $1.88 $1.92 $2.23 By-product credits*

(0.11) (0.16) (0.16) (0.21) (0.32) Site operating costs, net of by-product credits*

$1.53 $1.69 $1.72 $1.71 $1.91 Off-property costs

0.29 0.32 0.33 0.30 0.30 Total operating costs (C1)*

$1.82 $2.01 $2.05 $2.01 $2.21

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

OPERATIONS ANALYSIS

First quarter results

Copper production in the first quarter was 32.4 million pounds and copper grade for the quarter averaged 0.259%, both in line with the life of mine average. Copper recovery in the mill was 83.4% during the quarter which was lower than previous quarters due to the higher iron content in the ore.

A total of 28.5 million tons were mined during the period, an increase of 2.7 million tons over the previous quarter. The strip ratio for the first quarter was 2.7 to 1 as waste stripping to further open up the Pollyanna pit was increased during the quarter in accordance with the long-term mine plan.

Capitalized stripping costs totaled $13.9 million (75% basis) compared to $8.0 million in Q1 2019. The capitalized stripping costs are attributable to the above-mentioned advancement into the Pollyanna pit. Total site spending (including capitalized stripping costs) was lower than the previous quarter, despite increased mined tons, due to a decline in fuel prices and other costs in the month of March. Shorter haul distances in the Pollyanna pit also contributed to lower spending.

Molybdenum production was 412 thousand pounds in the first quarter, a decrease from prior quarters due to lower molybdenum grade, which also reduced recovery. Molybdenum prices averaged US$9.63 per pound over the first quarter compared to US$9.67 per pound in the prior quarter and US$11.78 per pound in Q1 2019. By-product credits per pound of copper produced* was US$0.11 in the first quarter, compared to US$0.16 in the prior quarter.

Off-property costs per pound produced* were US$0.29 for the first quarter of 2020 and consist of concentrate treatment, refining and transportation costs. These costs are in line with recent quarters relative to pounds of copper sold.

GIBRALTAR OUTLOOK

To-date, there have been no interruptions to the Company's operations, logistics and supply chains as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. There have also been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any of Taseko's operations or offices in Canada and the US.

However, the COVID-19 situation has had a significant impact on the global economy which has led to lower commodity prices. In light of the lower copper price environment, management has reviewed a number of mine plan options for Gibraltar and commencing in April implemented a revised mining plan for 2020 that will reduce spending in the near term while still maintaining long-term mine plan requirements and flexibility, and without negatively impacting 2020 copper production. Discretionary capital spending has been eliminated and major maintenance and equipment rebuilds have been deferred where possible. The operation is also benefiting from falling input costs, including diesel fuel which is currently 35% lower than 2019 average prices, and a weaker Canadian dollar (relative to the US dollar) as 80% of Gibraltar's costs are denominated in Canadian dollars. The new operating plan and other identified cost savings are expected to reduce total site spending (including capitalized stripping) by at least US$0.40 per pound for the coming quarters

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

Operating a large, open pit mine such as Gibraltar requires adaptability and management will continue to monitor market conditions and adjust operating plans as required to respond to changes in copper price movements in the future. Production guidance for 2020 remains unchanged at 130 million pounds (+/-5%), although management expects production to be at the higher end of that range based on its revised plan.

The Company is continuing to work with suppliers to identify further cost saving and deferral opportunities and is also pursuing the BC Hydro power cost deferral program and other government initiatives.

The medium to long-term fundamentals for copper remain strong despite recent volatility caused by global economic events arising from the coronavirus pandemic, most industry analysts are projecting supply constraints after an economic recovery which should bring higher incentive copper prices in the coming years.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS

Taseko's strategy has been to grow the Company from the operating cash flow and credit quality of the Gibraltar Mine to assemble and develop a pipeline of complimentary projects. We continue to believe this will generate long-term returns for shareholders. Our development projects are focused primarily on copper and are located in stable mining jurisdictions in British Columbia and Arizona. Our current focus is on the near term development of the Florence Copper Project.

Florence Copper Project

The Production Test Facility ("PTF") operated as planned during the first quarter of 2020. Steady state operation was achieved in 2019 and the focus turned to testing different wellfield operating strategies, including adjusting pumping rates, solution strength, flow direction, and the use of packers in recovery and injection wells to isolate different zones of the ore body. The Florence Copper technical team is using physical and operating control mechanisms to adjust solution chemistry and flow rates and is successfully achieving targeted copper concentration in solution. The PTF wellfield is performing to its design and the SX-EW plant continues to produce copper cathode.

The main focus of the PTF phase is to demonstrate to regulators and key stakeholders that hydraulic control of underground leach solutions can be maintained and provide valuable data to validate the Company's leach model as well as optimize well design and performance and hydraulic control parameters. Successful operation of the in-situ leaching process will allow permits to be amended for the full-scale commercial operation, which is expected to produce 85 million pounds of copper cathode annually for 20 years.

Two permits are required to commence construction of the commercial scale wellfield at Florence Copper. These are the Aquifer Protection Permit ("APP") from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality ("ADEQ") and the Underground Injection Control ("UIC") Permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"). The Company submitted the applications for both permits in mid-2019 and is in active dialogue with the regulators and targeting to have permitting for the commercial facility completed in 2020.

During the first quarter, the Company continued to advance discussions with interested parties regarding the potential sale of a minority interest in the Florence project, and the proceeds of any such sale could fund a significant portion of the capital required to develop the commercial operation. Discussions with potential lenders and other finance providers will re-commence near the end of the second quarter. The Company continues to target having a committed financing package in place prior to receipt of the APP and UIC permits.

Total net expenditures at the Florence Project for the three months ended March 31, 2020 were $4.8 million including operation of the PTF and other project development costs.

Yellowhead Copper Project

In January 2020, the Company announced the results of its technical studies on Yellowhead Mining Inc. ("Yellowhead") which resulted in a 22% increase in recoverable copper reserves and significantly improved project economics. The Company filed a new NI 43-101 technical report ("Technical Report on the Mineral Reserve Update at the Yellowhead Copper Project" dated January 16, 2020) (the "Technical Report") on Sedar. Yellowhead holds a 100% interest in a copper-gold-silver development project located in south-central British Columbia.

The updated Technical Report outlines a new development plan for the project, which includes an 817 million tonne reserve and a 25-year mine life with a pre-tax NPV of $1.3 billion at an 8% discount rate using a US$3.10 per pound copper price. This represents a $500 million increase over the 2014 Feasibility Study completed by the previous owner. Capital costs of the project are estimated at $1.3 billion over a 2-year construction period. Over the first 5 years of operation, the copper equivalent grade will average 0.35% producing an average of 200 million pounds of copper per year at an average C1 cost, net of by-product credit, of US$1.67 per pound of copper. The Yellowhead Copper Project contains valuable precious metal by-products with 440,000 ounces of gold and 19 million ounces of silver with a life of mine value of over $1 billion at current prices.

The Company is focusing its current efforts on advancing environmental assessment and some additional engineering work in conjunction with ongoing engagement with local communities including First Nations. A focus group has been formed between the Company and high-level regulators in the appropriate Provincial Ministries in order to expedite the advancement of environmental assessment and permitting of the project. Management also commenced joint venture partnering discussions in the first quarter with a number of strategic industry groups that are interested in potentially investing in the Yellowhead project in combination with acquiring the significant copper offtake rights.

New Prosperity Gold- Copper Project

On December 5, 2019, the Company announced that the Tsilhqot'in Nation as represented by Tsilhqot'in National Government and Taseko have entered into a dialogue, facilitated by the Province of British Columbia, to try to obtain a long-term solution to the conflict regarding Taseko's proposed gold-copper mine currently known as New Prosperity, acknowledging Taseko's commercial interests and the opposition of the Tsilhqot'in Nation to the Project. While the details of this process are confidential, in order to facilitate a dialogue, the parties have agreed to a standstill on certain outstanding litigation and regulatory matters which relate to Taseko's tenures and the area in the vicinity of Teztan Biny (Fish Lake).

Aley Niobium Project

Environmental monitoring and product marketing initiatives on the Aley Niobium project continue. The pilot plant program commenced in the second quarter of 2019 has successfully completed the niobium flotation process portion of the test, raising confidence in the design and providing feed to begin the converter portion of the process. Completion of the converter portion of the pilot plant will provide additional process data to support the design of the commercial process facilities and provide final product samples for marketing purposes.

The Company will host a telephone conference call and live webcast on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Pacific) to discuss these results. After opening remarks by management, there will be a question and answer session open to analysts and investors. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (888) 390-0546 in Canada and the United States, or (416) 764-8688 internationally. The conference call will be archived for later playback until May 14, 2020 and can be accessed by dialing (888) 390-0541 in Canada and the United States, or (416) 764-8677 internationally and using the passcode 247553 #.

Russell Hallbauer

CEO and Director

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information in this news release.

NON-GAAP PERFORMANCE MEASURES

This document includes certain non-GAAP performance measures that do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. These measures may differ from those used by, and may not be comparable to such measures as reported by, other issuers. The Company believes that these measures are commonly used by certain investors, in conjunction with conventional IFRS measures, to enhance their understanding of the Company's performance. These measures have been derived from the Company's financial statements and applied on a consistent basis. The following tables below provide a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measure.

Total operating costs and site operating costs, net of by-product credits

Total costs of sales include all costs absorbed into inventory, as well as transportation costs and insurance recoverable. Site operating costs are calculated by removing net changes in inventory, depletion and amortization, insurance recoverable, and transportation costs from cost of sales. Site operating costs, net of by-product credits is calculated by subtracting by-product credits from the site operating costs. Site operating costs, net of by-product credits per pound are calculated by dividing the aggregate of the applicable costs by copper pounds produced. Total operating costs per pound is the sum of site operating costs, net of by-product credits and off-property costs divided by the copper pounds produced. By-product credits are calculated based on actual sales of molybdenum (net of treatment costs) and silver during the period divided by the total pounds of copper produced during the period. These measures are calculated on a consistent basis for the periods presented.



Three months ended March 31, (Cdn$ in thousands, unless otherwise indicated)  75% basis 2020 2019 Cost of sales 83,309 74,729 Less:



Depletion and amortization (27,148) (20,184) Net change in inventories of finished goods 1,302 4,046 Net change in inventories of ore stockpiles 603 127 Transportation costs (4,519) (3,288) Site operating costs 53,547 55,430 Less by-product credits:



Molybdenum, net of treatment costs (3,231) (7,819) Silver, excluding amortization of deferred revenue (354) (186) Site operating costs, net of by-product credits 49,962 47,425 Total copper produced (thousand pounds) 24,318 18,641 Total costs per pound produced 2.05 2.54 Average exchange rate for the period (CAD/USD) 1.34 1.33 Site operating costs, net of by-product credits (US$ per pound) 1.53 1.91 Site operating costs, net of by-product credits 49,962 47,425 Add off-property costs:



Treatment and refining costs 4,956 4,266 Transportation costs 4,519 3,288 Total operating costs 59,437 54,979 Total operating costs (C1) (US$ per pound) 1.82 2.21

Adjusted net income (loss)

Adjusted net income (loss) remove the effect of the following transactions from net income as reported under IFRS:

Unrealized foreign currency gains/losses; and

Unrealized gain/loss on copper put and fuel call options.

Management believes these transactions do not reflect the underlying operating performance of our core mining business and are not necessarily indicative of future operating results. Furthermore, unrealized gains/losses on derivative instruments, changes in the fair value of financial instruments, and unrealized foreign currency gains/losses are not necessarily reflective of the underlying operating results for the reporting periods presented.



Three months ended March 31, ($ in thousands, except per share amounts) 2020 2019 Net loss (48,950) (7,931) Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss 29,747 (6,689) Unrealized (gain) loss on copper put and fuel call options (3,348) 276 Estimated tax effect of adjustments 904 (75) Adjusted net loss (21,647) (14,419) Adjusted EPS (0.09) (0.06)

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is presented as a supplemental measure of the Company's performance and ability to service debt. Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in the industry, many of which present Adjusted EBITDA when reporting their results. Issuers of "high yield" securities also present Adjusted EBITDA because investors, analysts and rating agencies consider it useful in measuring the ability of those issuers to meet debt service obligations.

Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest, income taxes, and depreciation and also eliminates the impact of a number of items that are not considered indicative of ongoing operating performance. Certain items of expense are added and certain items of income are deducted from net income that are not likely to recur or are not indicative of the Company's underlying operating results for the reporting periods presented or for future operating performance and consist of:

Unrealized foreign exchange gains/losses;

Unrealized gain/loss on copper put and fuel call options; and

Amortization of share-based compensation expense.



Three months ended March 31, ($ in thousands) 2020 2019 Net loss (48,950) (7,931) Add:



Depletion and amortization 27,148 20,184 Finance expense 10,771 9,742 Finance income (150) (308) Income tax recovery (10,118) (6,816) Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss 29,747 (6,689) Unrealized (gain) loss on copper put and fuel call options (3,348) 276 Amortization of share-based compensation expense 246 1,787 Adjusted EBITDA 5,346 10,245

Earnings from mining operations before depletion and amortization

Earnings from mining operations before depletion and amortization is earnings from mining operations with depletion and amortization added back. The Company discloses this measure, which has been derived from our financial statements and applied on a consistent basis, to provide assistance in understanding the results of the Company's operations and financial position and it is meant to provide further information about the financial results to investors.



Three months ended March 31, (Cdn$ in thousands) 2020 2019 Loss from mining operations (21,225) (4,455) Add:



Depletion and amortization 27,148 20,184 Earnings from mining operations before depletion and

amortization 5,923 15,729





Site operating costs per ton milled





Three months ended March 31, (Cdn$ in thousands, except per ton milled amounts) 2020 2019 Site operating costs (included in cost of sales) 53,547 55,430





Tons milled (thousands) (75% basis) 5,622 5,096 Site operating costs per ton milled $9.52 $10.88

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This document contains "forward-looking statements" that were based on Taseko's expectations, estimates and projections as of the dates as of which those statements were made. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "outlook", "anticipate", "project", "target", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "should" and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These include but are not limited to:

uncertainties and costs related to the Company's exploration and development activities, such as those associated with continuity of mineralization or determining whether mineral resources or reserves exist on a property;

uncertainties related to the accuracy of our estimates of mineral reserves, mineral resources, production rates and timing of production, future production and future cash and total costs of production and milling;

uncertainties related to feasibility studies that provide estimates of expected or anticipated costs, expenditures and economic returns from a mining project;

uncertainties related to our ability to complete the mill upgrade on time estimated and at the scheduled cost;

uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary licenses permits for development projects and project delays due to third party opposition;

uncertainties related to unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings;

changes in, and the effects of, the laws, regulations and government policies affecting our exploration and development activities and mining operations, particularly laws, regulations and policies;

changes in general economic conditions, the financial markets and in the demand and market price for copper, gold and other minerals and commodities, such as diesel fuel, steel, concrete, electricity and other forms of energy, mining equipment, and fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly with respect to the value of the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar, and the continued availability of capital and financing;

the effects of forward selling instruments to protect against fluctuations in copper prices and exchange rate movements and the risks of counterparty defaults, and mark to market risk;

the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover mining risks;

the risk of loss of key employees; the risk of changes in accounting policies and methods we use to report our financial condition, including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates;

environmental issues and liabilities associated with mining including processing and stock piling ore; and

labour strikes, work stoppages, or other interruptions to, or difficulties in, the employment of labour in markets in which we operate mines, or environmental hazards, industrial accidents or other events or occurrences, including third party interference that interrupt the production of minerals in our mines.

For further information on Taseko, investors should review the Company's annual Form 40-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission www.sec.gov and home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com .

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This discussion includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this discussion, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities, and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although we believe the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, 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. All of the forward-looking statements made in this MD&A are qualified by these cautionary statements. 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 to the extent required by applicable law. Further information concerning risks and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements and our business may be found in our most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities.

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Linkedin Rachel Savage (Reuters) London, United Kingdom  Wed, April 29, 2020 22:01 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd512f97 2 People Tiger-King,zoo,united-states,Netflix,gender-pronoun,LGBTQ,LGBT,Kelci-Saffery Free

After finding fame as the mauled zoo keeper in the hit Netflix documentary Tiger King, Kelci "Saff" Saffery has also found himself in another spotlight - a row over gender pronouns.

Saffery appears in the series as the victim of a tiger attack at Joe Exotic's zoo in Oklahoma who opts for amputation rather than two years of reconstructive surgery after the accident, and is back at work days after leaving hospital.

Throughout the series the good-natured keeper is referred to as "she" despite identifying as male since childhood.

Saffery, 34, said he didn't mind being called "she" in the series but the anger this misuse of pronouns had provoked online towards had been an eye-opener for him.

"I don't think they intended to be cruel in any way, but dismissive or not, it still made a very, very loud statement about the way they feel about the (LGBT+) community," Saffery told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"Personally it doesn't bother me ... (but) these titles and these pronouns, they matter just as much as calling someone by the wrong name. It's something that you shouldn't dismiss."

Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.

Netflix recently collaborated with LGBT+ advocacy group GLAAD on the #FirstTimeISawMe campaign to raise transgender visibility in the media. GLAAD found 38 transgender characters on television in 2019 which was up from 26 a year earlier.

But the misgendering of Saffery was a sore point for many.

"They practically erased Saff as a trans man," said a blog by LGBT+ business network MyGWork, while news site LGBTQ Nation said Saffery was shown "as a lesbian without any context".

Saffery said, however, he did not identify as transgender as he had not had any gender reassignment surgery or taken cross-sex hormones, but he lived as a man and used the pronoun he.

"My children call me dad, they do not call me mom," said Saffery, who has three children, aged from nearly one to 11, with his longterm female partner.

"I can't remember a time when I knew (anything) different ... I just think it was obvious, what I wanted, the way I wanted to live and my family immediately supported that," he added in a phone interview from his new California home.

Read also: 'Tiger King': True-crime tale of 'Joe Exotic' grips shut-in nation

Murder, mystery and mayhem

About 64 million households watched Tiger King in the four weeks after its March 20 premiere, according to a projection in an April 21 Netflix letter to shareholders, making it the smash viewing hit of the global coronavirus lockdown.

The documentary sparked a list of controversies as it followed the life of the now-imprisoned Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic, a gay, polygamous exotic animal owner, along with past and present employees.

The seven-part series - which was even raised at a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump - also focused on Joe Exotic's feuds with other big cat zoo owners in the United States, including his arch rival Carole Baskin.

But it was the keeper at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park who won many viewers' sympathy, when his arm was mauled after he put it into a tiger's cage and for his good nature.

Saffery blamed himself for the accident in 2013 and was back at work a week later with his arm amputated below the elbow, a decision he insists was his and not due to pressure from Exotic.

"I had done that same routine with that same tiger 100 times before and I broke protocol. I broke routine, I got complacent, and my mistake led to that tiger being a tiger," he said.

Saffery said he had wanted to work with tigers since he was a child but still had no "clear answer" on whether tigers and other big cats should be kept in captivity.

He joined Exotic's zoo in 2010 after finding it via a Google search when he left the US army, having served for six years as a female soldier in missile defense system and bomb disposal units, including twice overseas in Iraq and then Afghanistan.

However Saffery left the zoo industry in 2018 after becoming disillusioned with those in charge, and was working in a warehouse before the series aired and the coronavirus pandemic.

"Guys that I looked up to in this industry ... you see them destroying each other," he said.

While in lockdown, Saffery has been relishing spending more time with his children and making money from his new-found fame by sending video messages to 250 plus paying fans online.

"I'm thoroughly enjoying every second of it," Saffery said. "It's a nice second chance and I won't take it for granted."
Death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,008 and the number of cases climbed to 31,787 in the country on Wednesday, registering a record jump of 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry.

IMAGE: Artist Baldev Singh dressed as 'Yamraj', the Hindu god of death, during an awareness drive stressing the importance of lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic, in New Delhi. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo

There has been a spike of 1,813 cases since Tuesday evening.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stand at 22,982, while 7,796 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

"Thus, around 24.52 per cent of the patients have recovered so far," a Health Ministry official said.

The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals.

A total of 71 deaths were reported since Tuesday evening of which 31 fatalities were from Maharashtra, 19 from Gujarat, six from Madhya Pradesh, five each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

IMAGE: Police personnel punish offenders for flouting the lockdown imposed in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in Bhopal. Photograph: PTI Photo

Of the 1,008 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 400 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 181, Madhya Pradesh at 119, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 51, Uttar Pradesh at 36 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

The ministry in its updated chart said that 'repeat case from Betul district (was) removed' from Madhya Pradesh.

The death toll reached 26 in Telengana, 25 in Tamil Nadu, 22 in West Bengal. While Karantaka reported 20 deaths, Punjab has registered 19 so far.

The disease has claimed eight lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to the ministry data.

According to the Health Ministry data updated in the evening, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 9,318, followed by Gujarat at 3,774, Delhi at 3,314, Madhya Pradesh at 2,561,

IMAGE: Needy and poor people maintaining social distancing guidelines consume food served by volunteers, during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in Patna. Photograph: PTI Photo

Rajasthan at 2,364, Uttar Pradesh at 2,115 and Tamil Nadu at 2,058.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 1,332 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,012 in Telangana.

The number of cases has risen to 725 in West Bengal, 565 in Jammu and Kashmir, 532 in Karnataka, 486 in Kerala, 383 in Bihar and 322 in Punjab.

Haryana has reported 310 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 119 cases. A total 105 people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 54 in Uttarakhand.

Chandigarh has reported 56 cases, Himachal Pradesh has 40 while Assam and Chhattisgarh have registered 38 infections each so far.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 33 COVID-19 cases while Ladakh has reported 22 infections so far. Meghalaya has reported 12 cases, Puducherry has eight cases while Goa has seven COVID-19 cases. Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said on its website adding, "78 cases are being assigned to states for contact tracing."

States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.
300 people from Italy, Armenia and Sweden have arrived in Ukraine via evacuation flights, the State Border Guard Service reports.

All the passengers went through a temperature screening, everyone felt good.

"Almost all passengers installed the mobile application Diya and will be self-contained at home. During the border control, the staff of Border Guard Service checked the entry of information into the Diya app. One of the passengers did not install it. However, he will be under observation in Kyiv," the message reads.

As we reported earlier, according to Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine will not send its citizens to work abroad during the coronavirus pandemic.

There is a request from the international partners but the government of Ukraine is guided by, first of all, security reasons and health of our citizens. In terms of the pandemic, any travel is the exposure to infection, especially, when it is a plane journey, he said.

However, it was noted that the Ukrainian government was ready to work constructively and it was ready to reconsider the ban for leaving the country.
President Trump again tied state aid to ridding the country of so-called 'sanctuary cities,' where local jurisdictions don't play ball with federal immigration enforcement.

'I don't see helping cities and states if they're going to be sanctuary because all sanctuary means to me is that it's protecting a lot of criminals - and others, many people, but there are criminals,' Trump sad Wednesday afternoon at a roundtable event with American business leaders.

Democrats and Republicans are currently warring over whether to give more funding to states that have been impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

President Trump again linked giving cash-strapped states federal funds to deal with the coronavirus crisis to them ending their so-called 'sanctuary city' status

Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions that don't play ball with federal immigration enforcers like officers of ICE

Since Monday, Trump, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have expressed resistance, saying some are simply badly run.

Trump took a swipe at Illinois by name, which has a Democratic governor.

But since then, both Trump and McConnell have floated ways they could get on board giving states more money in the next coronavirus relief package passed on Capitol Hill.

Trump's furthers his hardline immigraton policy - as he's long criticized sanctuary cities, that include liberal bastions like New York, Washington, D.C. and the entire state of California.

'We shouldn't have to pay anhything anyway because all they do is make it very hard for law enforcment,' Trump said Wednesday. 'Law enforcement hates sanctuary cities,' the president added.

Trump first floated the idea of tying state aid to sanctuary city status in a meeting with Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday.

'We'd have to talk about things like sanctuary cities, as an example, I think sanctuary cities is something that has to be brought up where people who are criminals are protected, they are protected from prosecution,' Trump said then.

President Trump said Tuesday he'd be open to giving cash strapped states federal funds if they fell in line with his policy agenda. Trump specifically mentioned sanctuary city status, where federal immigration laws are ignored, as something he'd like to see the money tied to

President Trump (right) made the comments seated alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (left) in the Oval Office on Tuesday

He took a swipe at Illinois, another state controlled by a Democratic governor.

'Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help? I am open to discussing anything, but just asking?' Trump wrote on Twitter.

He continued to complain about the states during Tuesday's meeting with DeSantis.

'I think there's a big difference with a state that lost money because of Covid and a state that's been run very badly for 25 years,' Trump said.

But the president also uttered a realization - that federal funding could be used as a carrot to get Democratic states to do his bidding.

Bodies are moved to refrigerator truck morgues in New York. The president has suggested that some blue states that were hurt by the coronavirus are simply badly run

Nurses and healthcare workers mourn their colleagues in New York City that were killed by COVID-19

'And you know, wed have to talk about things like payroll tax cuts,' the president said.

As far as getting rid of sanctuary cities, Trump said, 'I think that has to be done. I think it's one of the problems that the states have. I don't even think they know they have a problem, but they have a big problem with the sanctuary situation.'

Mayors and governors have been facing financial crisis as U.S. coronavirus cases topped 960,000 and led to nearly 55,000 deaths.

Social distancing and stay-at-home orders to curb the virus have also triggered a surge in unemployment, curtailed consumer spending and depressed local tax revenue.

Congress has allocated $150 billion for state and local governments, but governors requested another $500 billion and cities and counties want $250 billion to cover the costs of responding to the outbreak and replace lost revenue.

Trump seemed to originally be following the lead of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who said last week on a conservative talk radio show that he 'would certainly be in favor' of letting states enter bankruptcy.'

McConnell massaged that message on Monday.

'I wasnt saying they had to take bankruptcy. I think its just an option to be looked at, that unfortunately states dont have that option now, cities do. I wasnt necessarily recommending it, but I was pointing out that they have their own fiscal problems that predate the coronavirus, and I was not interested in borrowing money from future generations to fix age-old problems that states have that they created themselves wholly unrelated to this,' McConnell clarified on Guy Benson's radio show.

Other Republicans, including Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who chairs the National Governors Association (NGA), and some Republican senators, support funding for state and local governments.

Democratic governors, including NGA Vice Chairman and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, blasted McConnell's original comments, saying their states pay far more in federal taxes than they take in and allowing bankruptcy would upend financial markets.
The proliferation of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically changed our societal habits in a very short period of time. Ideas that two months seemed incomprehensible, such as shutting down nonessential businesses throughout much of the country, are now a reality, and more than 26 million people who had jobs as recently as five weeks ago now sit unemployed. It's a truly unprecedented event.

But unprecedented events often yield unparalleled action. That's why, on March 27, Congress passed and President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law. The $2.2 trillion CARES Act is the largest stimulus bill ever passed by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and it's a direct response to the historic labor market and economic disruption caused by the coronavirus.

Up to 175 million Americans may get an Economic Impact Payment

The CARES Act had a number of goals when passed. It was to:

Provide roughly $500 billion in loans to distressed industries.

Offer around $350 billion in small business loans (which was exhausted in two weeks).

Use $260 billion to bolster the unemployment benefits program.

Set aside $100 billion for hospitals battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the most eye-catching component of the CARES Act was the approximately $300 billion earmarked for direct payments to working Americans and seniors receiving Social Security. These payouts, officially known as Economic Impact Payments, have begun making their way to households via direct deposit, and will continue to do so via paper check for another roughly 20 weeks. The maximum any single taxpayer can receive is $1,200, with married couples filing jointly eligible for a payout of up to $2,400. Qualifying children ages 16 and under can also add $500 (per child) to a household's Economic Impact Payment.

In total, 175 million combined working Americans and Social Security beneficiaries are expected to receive an Economic Impact Payment. But at the time same, tens of millions of people will receive absolutely nothing. The three eligibility factors for stimulus checks -- adjusted gross income (AGI), filing status, and citizenship -- are the near-universal determining factors for folks as to whether or not they'll receive a payout.

In order to receive the maximum stimulus check, single, married filing jointly, and head-of-household filers needed to have respective AGI's below $75,000, $150,000 and $112,500 in their most recent tax filing (either 2018 or 2019). At the other end of the spectrum, single, married, and head-of-household filers with AGI's above $99,000, $198,000, and $136,500, respectively, won't receive an Economic Impact Payment since they earned too much. Taxpayers who fall in between these two AGI boundaries will see $5 in payout removed for every $100 in AGI above the lower bound.

Other exclusion include dependents aged 17 and older (yes, this includes senior citizens who are claimed as dependents), as well as non-citizens without a Social Security number who have no legal pathway to citizenship. People in arrears on child support can also see their stimulus money seized by the Treasury Department.

Stimulus money will go the furthest in these 10 states

But it's not just how much stimulus money your household is going to receive that matters -- it's how far this payout will go. And depending on where you live, Economic Impact Payments can go a lot further in some states than others.

Recently, home-sales insight website Ownerly.com analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data to determine what the average family in each state would receive in stimulus money, as well as utilized monthly expense data from Zillow (median rental prices) and Doxo.com (monthly bill payment data) to determine which states would allow stimulus payouts to stretch the furthest. Based on Ownerly's findings, families in the following 10 states should be able to get the most out of their Economic Impact Payments (dollar figure represents a state's average monthly rent plus bills cost):

South Dakota: $1,384 Arkansas: $1,398 Oklahoma: $1,437 West Virginia: $1,483 Iowa: $1,484 Mississippi: $1,491 Missouri: $1,493 Kentucky: $1,517 Kansas: $1,523 Nebraska: $1,529

There are both positive and negative takeaways from these findings.

In the positive column, the average married couple receiving $2,400 (i.e., with less than $150,000 in AGI) should have anywhere from 1.5 months to 1.7 months of their expenses covered by their stimulus check in these 10 states. In Mississippi, the state with the highest average stimulus check per family ($2,659), the typical family should receive enough money to cover almost 1.8 months of expenses.

On the downside, single filers without any qualifying children who receive a $1,200 payout can't even cover their expenses for one month in the states with the cheapest cost-of-living.

The same could be said for all stimulus recipients in states like California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts, where the combined monthly cost of rent and bills ranges between $2,800 in Massachusetts and $3,116 in California. The average family in these states would struggle to cover one month of expenses, even with an extra $500 per qualifying child.

Although stimulus money is being divvied out based on your income, filing status, and citizenship, where you live will play a big role in determining how long your Economic Impact Payments lasts.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at this hour. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Irrfan Khan buried in presence of friends and family, Tigmanshu Dhulia says I am sad how small his funeral will be

Irrfan Khan was buried in the presence of wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Aayan and Babil at 3 pm on Wednesday. The actor passed away after a long and spirited battle against neuroendocrine tumours. The funeral was small due to the restrictions in place due to coronavirus pandemic. Read more.

In Wayanad, pay Rs 5000 as fine for not wearing masks

Those living in Keralas Wayanad will now have to pay a heavy price for not wearing a mask while venturing out of their homes amid the Covid-19 lockdown. Violators will be fined Rs 5000 for not wearing a protective mask, news agency ANI reported. Read more.

India green-lights UAE, Kuwait request for ex-military doctors, nurses

The government has given an in-principle approval to requests from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to send Indian doctors and paramedics to help the two Gulf countries fight the Covid-19 pandemic, a top government official told Hindustan Times on Wednesday. Read more.

Loss to the world of cinema, theatre: PM Modi mourns Irrfan Khans death

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the death of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who died in a Mumbai hospital earlier in the day, saying he will be remembered for his versatile performances. Read more.

Suicide bomber kills 3, injures 15 in Afghanistans capital Kabul: Report

A suicide bomber on Wednesday targeted a base belonging to Afghan special forces on the southern outskirts of the capital, Kabul, killing at least three civilians and wounding 15, officials said. Read more.

Googles new website aims to help you avoid Covid-19 related online scams

Google has launched a dedicated portal that aims to help users stay safer online. The new portal focuses on the Covid-19 related online scams. Read more.

In hindsight: Covid profited from our mistakes

As we enter what might (or might not) be the final week of the nationwide lockdown, I thought back to the weeks since Corona took over our lives. My own view is that, compared to many Western countries, we havent done too badly. Read more.

HRD Minister to answer students queries regarding impact of Covid-19 on their education

Union Human Resource Development Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal on Wednesday called out students to talk about their queries regarding the impact of Covid-19 on their education and other issues. Read more.

BJPS take tuition jibe at Rahul Gandhi; Congress says fugitives protected

The row over RBI writing off loans of top 50 defaulters revealed in a recent RTI query has escalated. After Rahul Gandhi said that the government had tried to conceal the facts when he raised the issue in Parliament, BJP has now hit back. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that Rahul Gandhi does not understand the difference between write off and waive off. Watch here.
So how did the idea of the noncompliant boomer come about?

The evolution of this myth from online anecdote to mainstream news is a tale of how misinformation can proliferate today, even in the absence of intent to deceive. There is no reason to think that this particular distortion sprang from a deliberate attempt to slander boomers. More likely, it arose from a combination of selection bias  boomers are less publicly vocal on social media, so we dont get to hear them complain about having to nag their children to stay indoors  and our obsession with interpreting social trends through generational stereotypes.

Once the conceit of the brazen boomer was floated online, it was all too easy for media outlets to shoehorn that narrative into pre-existing analytical templates. A piece in Vogue attributed the stubborn self-assuredness of the baby-boom generation to a false sense of invincibility that comes with being in power for so long. An ABC News article suggested that boomers, having experienced more of lifes ups and downs, were taking the outbreak in stride, while socially conscious millennials were responding gravely to the warnings.

Stereotypes have also been deployed to explain why Gen Xers are treating the coronavirus crisis with the gravity it deserves. After all, isnt this the latchkey generation that learned to be cautious from Nancy Reagans Just Say No campaign, the stranger danger kidnapping panic and the AIDS epidemic? A CNBC article offered the psychological reasons Gen X may be taking Covid-19 more seriously than boomers and millennials. An NBC News article suggested: Gen X was made for this. Boomers and Gen Z, not so much.

This sort of generational profiling is itself a form of misinformation. Aside from the fact that generational boundaries are imprecise, claims about systematic differences among generations are rarely of any empirical worth.

Theres this idea that generations exist as unique groups of people who are different from others because they experienced particular things at a particular point in time, but theres no evidence for that, David Costanza, a professor of organizational psychology at George Washington University, told me. Generational stereotypes are no more accurate than saying women cant be good leaders because they are not aggressive.
Mitt Romney has slammed Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic mocking him as 'not the smartest guy in the room' and saying his initial response was not a 'great moment in American leadership'.

The Republican Senator laid into the president while speaking live on the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service at the McCourt School of Public Policy on Tuesday evening.

As well as blasting Trump's leadership style, Romney also criticized his move to stop funding to the World Health Organization and said a more centralized approach from the federal government would have been 'more effective' in tackling the pandemic.

Romney channeled former Treasury secretary Bob Gates to mock Trump's intelligence.

Mitt Romney has slammed Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic mocking him as 'not the smartest guy in the room' and saying his initial response was not a 'great moment in American leadership'

'The key in leadership is recognizing when you're not the smartest guy in the room.

'In a setting like this I think it's important for the people at the top to recognize that there are always people out there with more information,' he said.

'You want to bring them in and divide responsibility and have them manage... with that we're not where we ought to be.'

Romney said he has taken this approach several times in his own career to bring together different stakeholders into taskforces and trust them to do a better job.

The former governor of Massachusetts did not hold back when asked about America's leadership style during the pandemic.

He made a series of digs where he did not name President Trump directly but said the initial response to the crisis 'will not stand out as being a great moment of American leadership.'

'The first phase which was getting ready to respond clearly we were not in a position of extraordinary strength,' he said.

'We did not have the testing as fast as we could have or should have. We did not have the personal protective equipment we would have hoped to have. I think part of that is just the recognition that in many cases American companies - multinational companies - are producing these products elsewhere, typically in China.

'They had the crisis first, so they got the PPE - we did not.'

Romney continued: 'That's just in terms of crisis management - the willingness of the federal government to step in and coordinate everything from PPE to testing to repair of our hospital systems and so forth - none of those things really stood out as being great moments in american leadership.'

Other nations usually look to the US as a leader in moments in history, he pointed out, adding that the rest of the world was 'surprised' by America's actions.

'I think the world was a bit surprised by that as they think of us as the nation that first went to the moon and accomplished extraordinary things in the new economy,' he said.

Trump at the White House Tuesday. Romney also criticized Trump's decision to pull funding out of the WHO

'And yet when it came to PPE and to testing and the speed of our response it looks slow relative to things like South Korea, Singapore, China, Germany and even Sweden - so that phase is not one that will not stand out as being a great moment of American leadership.'

A 'more centralized, coordinated effort' across the US to ensure tests and medical supplies got to the areas that needed them most would have been more effective than Trump encouraging every state to take a separate approach the pandemic, Romney continued.

'It's hard to say to all 50 governors: 'You all do your own thing',' he said, adding that the state governors have done a 'good job' but the 'federal coordination has been less than my personal style'.

Romney added that the US 'didn't do a good job getting out of the blocks' but insisted he was 'not blaming this administration'.

The US should have seen the crisis coming for a long time, he said, calling it a 'black elephant' not a 'black swan'.

The 2012 presidential candidate also had some choice words around Trump's decision to pull funding out of the WHO.

The WHO is 'not doing a great job' but it is in the interest of Americans for the US to stay involved in the institution to steer it in a better direction, he said.

Romney and Trump back in 2016. Romney's comments are likely to reignite his long-running feud with Trump, after the pair's relationship turned sour several years back. The Senator was the only Republican to vote to impeach Trump for abuse of power during his trial in February

'It's in America's interests - in America's selfish interests to be involved in writing the rules of the world,' said Romney.

'No I think the WHO are not doing a great job... but we should be more involved there not less.

'We should be trying to get the institution to do a better job and make the world a better place.'

The 2012 presidential candidate offered a way for America to get back on track in its response to the pandemic.

'As we get to the next phase - the recovery - then I think we have the potential to stand out in a positive way in the recovery area and I am talking in regards of treatments, of vaccines,' he said.

'That kind of research work is going on around the world - we may or may not be first but certainly there is a lot going on here that is not going on other places so we may well be able to lead in that area.'

Romney went on to say that in the 'post-COVID' world when the economy will need to be rebuilt, nations will look to the US.

'We will certainly be looked to by the world to try to get the economy going... we'll be a key leader in that regard,' he said.

'I think the US and China will be two nations that will stick out as technology will be more crucial.'

'So the first phase we didn't look really strong and that's kind of an understatement,' Romney continued.

'But after this is over what we will have been able to do in our technology base will maintain our reputation as a leader - if not the leader - of the world.'

Romney's comments are likely to reignite his long-running feud with Trump, after the pair's relationship turned sour several years back.

The Senator was the only Republican to vote to impeach Trump for abuse of power during his trial in February.

The two were once allies, with Trump endorsing Romney in his 2012 presidential campaign and appearing alongside him during the race for the White House.

But when Romney failed to be elected, Trump changed tact saying Romney had 'never connected with the people' and later saying he shouldn't run again.

During Trump's own White House race, Romney retaliated criticizing his campaign triggering a Twitter spat between them.

But when Trump was elected, the president said he was considering Romney for secretary of state before backtracking.
A medical staff takes samples of people in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City to test for the novel coronavirus. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Two recovered Covid-19 patients relapsed on Wednesday but no new infections were reported for a fifth day in a row.

"Patient 130", a 30-year old Saigon man, reportedly recovered on March 30. He was kept at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi for observation.

He tested positive again on April 4, 19, 25, and 26. The Ministry of Health has described it as a "complicated" case.

"Patient 50", a 50-year old man from Hanoi, was severely ill but recovered on April 14. He was also kept at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases for doctors to observe.

On April 21, after five negative tests, he tested positive again. Further tests on April 24 and 27 also came up positive.

The two cases bring the number of relapses to 11.

The ministry said on Tuesday that tests of samples taken from five relapsed patients showed the virus was "inactive" in their bodies, which theoretically means the chances of them spreading the infection to others are "very low."

The ministry said the countrys tally has stayed at 270 since last Friday. Wednesday also marked the 13th day without community transmission.

Of the 270 patients recorded so far, 219 have been discharged and 51 are being treated. Of the latter, 14 have tested negative at least once.

Some 42,000 people are in quarantine, 323 in hospitals, 6,600 at quarantine facilities and the rest at home.

The pandemic has spread to 210 countries and territories, and more than 217,700 people have died.
Just five weeks after he took power of Germany in 1933, Adolf Hitler established the first of his concentration camps where prisoners were starved, beaten, forced to work and murdered. Some were used as human guinea pigs for medical experiments.

That camp was Dachau about 10 miles northwest of Munich.

Over the years Dachau housed political prisoners then grew to include Jehovahs Witnesses, Gypsies, homosexuals, and repeat criminals. Beginning in 1938, Jews began to comprise a major portion of camp internees, according to history.com.

Seventy-five years ago today  April 29, 1945  the U.S. Seventh Armys 45th Infantry Division liberated Dachau. Soldiers were so distraught by what they saw that they killed any Nazi guards that remained there.

The Associated Press wrote in The Patriot on May 1, 1945, The infamous concentration camp at Dachau northwest of Munich was overrun by the United States Seventh Army, which mowed down resisting Nazi guards with tommyguns and freed 32,000 political prisoners.

Three prisoners, two of them wearing striped prison garb, after they were freed from the Dachau concentration camp in Germany on April 30, 1945. They were liberated with 32,000 other prisoners by the Seventh Army troops. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS

At the time, Americans had a tendency not to believe the atrocities that were inflicted upon prisoners by the Nazis.

After a group of newspaper editors and publishers visited several of the German camps, a group of 12 members of Congress  six senators and six representatives  visited the camps.

The Associated Press reported on May 15, 1945, when those men told Congress what they saw.

In shocked silence, Congress heard from its own eyewitnesses today the gruesome story of Germanys torture camps where thousands of slaves lived like cattle and died like beasts.

The report of six Senators and six Representatives who visited three notorious concentration camps was read simultaneously in the two chambers by Senator Barkley, D., Ky., and Rep. Thomason, D. Texas.

It was a bitter denunciation of the German government  an indictment on the high charge of mass murder. It did not spare the German public.

Senator Barkley did not spare the German Army either. He said it was inconceivable that the general staff would not have known about the savage practices of the SS and Gestapo.

The 12 legislators visited Buchenwald, Nordenhausen and Dachau, the most notorious camps for political prisoners. They saw the dead, they saw the dying. Barkley said some helpless captives died while the American investigators were there.

Dachau was overrun so fast by the American troops, the report said, that none of the evidence of the atrocities could be destroyed. This was largely true of Buchenwald, too. At Nordenhausen United States forces had had three weeks to put things in shape but the story was the same, traced back through witnesses.

It was a story of planned starvation, of use of German criminals to destroy the mentality of all those who opposed the master race, of huge ovens for cremating victims and of torture devices.

Barkley said the magnitude of the horror cold be understood only by the stench of the places, and smell of death.

The report said everywhere there was evidence that the German civilian was fat and well clothed.

The 12 concluded that the contrast pointed to a calculated and diabolical program of planned torture and extermination on the part of those who were in control of the German government.

Though most of the victims of the Dachau concentration were not buried at all, the guards apparently found some use for these coffins at Dachau, Germany on May 3, 1945, which still had fresh bloodstains on them when the liberating American troops arrived. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS

According to history.com, "At Dachau, Nazi scientists tested the effects of freezing and changes to atmospheric pressure on inmates, infected them with malaria and tuberculosis and treated them with experimental drugs, and forced them to test methods of making seawater potable and of halting excessive bleeding. Hundreds of prisoners died or were crippled as a result of these experiments.

As Allied forces advanced in the spring of 1945, the Germans began transferring prisoners to Dachau where conditions deteriorated and typhus ran rampant.

On April 27, 1945, approximately 7,000 prisoners, mostly Jews, were forced to begin a death march from Dachau to Tegernsee, far to the south. The next day, many of the SS guards abandoned the camp.  As they neared the camp, the Americans found more than 30 railroad cars filled with bodies in various states of decomposition.

Inside the camp there were more bodies and 30,000 survivors, most severely emaciated. Some of the American troops who liberated Dachau were so appalled by conditions at the camp that they machine-gunned at least two groups of captured German guards.

Hundreds of Nazi officials faced trial on war crimes charges later in the year. Many were convicted and received the death sentence - by hanging.

Thirty two German prisoners, ex-warden at the Dachau concentration camp listen to the indictments being read at Dachau prison on Nov. 9, 1945. They are charged with the mass murder of prisoners housed in the camp during the war. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Nine, Foxtel and the NRL have agreed to a reduced 20 round season with a Grand Final to be played on October 25  three weeks later than originally scheduled.

The NRL plans to resume on May 28 with a full fixture to be determined in the coming weeks, including for the State of Origin.

It follows protracted negotiations and the exit of NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.

ARL Commission chairman Peter Vlandys said, This is a great outcome for our players, fans, partners and stakeholders and Im extremely appreciative for the cooperation and support from Hugh Marks and Patrick Delany.

Both have always acted in good-spirit and have demonstrated how partners work together.

Training will recommence for all clubs on May 4 and stringent biosecurity measures, known as Project Apollo Protocols, will be introduced for players, club officials and staff. These protocols will be more strict than the current public health guidelines and players will face sanctions if they breach the protocols.

The New Zealand Warriors are expected to arrive in Australia on Sunday and it is anticipated they will serve 14-days quarantine in Tamworth. The NRL is continuing to work with federal and state governments on player travel and border permissions.

Mr Vlandys said it was clearly safer to play now than what it was when the competition proceeded in Round 2.

Its safer now to play then it was in Round 2 when we were playing. The daily infection rate in NSW was 25.79% when the last game was played. It has been now less than 1% in NSW for the last 18 days and is continuing to drop. There has also been a significant improvement in the recovery rate, being 75% in NSW and 83% in Australia.

Our players will be safer under our protocols than they would be as regular members of the community.

Source: Wide World of Sports, FOX Sports
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29

Trend:

The information disseminated in the Armenian media that the Azerbaijani side allegedly violated the ceasefire regime by using mortars is false, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense told Trend on April 29.

Contrary to the Armenian sides statement, this afternoon the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the ceasefire regime, opened fire on the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces, the ministry said.

"By using 82-mm mortars, the Azerbaijani armed forces repelled the Armenian armed forces attack," the ministry 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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 06:26:30|Editor: huaxia

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DUBLIN, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Tuesday that the new coronavirus levels in the country are not low enough to allow any easing of restrictions on May 5, the date when the current lockdown measures in Ireland are supposed to end.

Varadkar made the remarks while chairing a cabinet meeting to review the pandemic situation in the country, according to local media reports.

To date, Ireland has a total of 19,877 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,159 deaths, after reporting 229 cases and 59 deaths on a daily basis, according to the Irish Department of Health.

Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department, said at a Tuesday press briefing that medical experts are not yet in a position to recommend the government to ease the restrictions.

On March 27, the Irish government announced a stay-at-home order, banning people from leaving their homes except in some special circumstances such as buying food or medicine or for some essential work. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-28 21:52:46|Editor: huaxia

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A customer wearing a protective mask shops in a supermarket in Cologne, Germany, April 28, 2020. Germany reported on Tuesday 1,144 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its total tally to 156,337, according to the federal disease control agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI). (Photo by Ulrich Hufnagel/Xinhua)

BERLIN, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Germany reported on Tuesday 1,144 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its total tally to 156,337, according to the federal disease control agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

"It is a success that we have all achieved here," said RKI President Lothar Wieler. "We have succeeded comparatively in getting through this epidemic in Germany."

At the height of pandemic in Germany, more than 6,000 new infections had been recorded by the RKI on a single day.

"We want to defend this success," stressed Wieler and appealed to German citizens to observe the rules, such as contact restrictions, the minimum distance of 1.5 meters as well as face masks on public transport and when shopping.

RKI added that the death toll from the novel coronavirus in Germany rose by 163 to 5,913, resulting in a case fatality rate of 3.8 percent. The estimated number of recoveries increased by around 2,900 within one day to 117,400 on Tuesday.

German hospitals continued to have sufficient capacity so that "no bottlenecks" were expected at current rates, according to Wieler.

The reproduction rate of COVID-19 in Germany, however, had risen slightly and was currently at 0.96, meaning that around one infected person infects another person on average, according to RKI. Last week, the reproduction rate in Germany had been at 0.9.

RKI and Chancellor Angela Merkel have repeatedly warned that the reproduction rate of the coronavirus in Germany had to be permanently below one in order to contain the epidemic. Enditem
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(Kitco News) - Commerzbank looks for gold to remain underpinned by efforts of central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, to expand liquidity, said Commerzbank. While easing slightly so far this week, the metal remains above the $1,700-an-ounce level that it reclaimed this spring for the first time in seven years. Besides monitoring economic data, the markets immediate focus is the outcome of a two-day Fed meeting that winds up Wednesday. We do not expect any new decisions to be taken at the meeting given that the Fed in March and April already set in motion far-reaching measures to combat the crisis caused by the [COVID-19] lockdown, said analyst Carsten Fritsch. As a result, the Feds balance sheet already soared by a good $2 trillion to $6.4 trillion in the space of five weeks. The ongoing bond purchases and various credit facilities could even see the balance sheet rise to $10 trillion in the next few months, which would equate to nearly half of U.S. GDP [gross domestic product]. This unprecedented expansion of liquidity should continue to boost gold, as gold cannot be reproduced at will in the same way.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM) (NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its previously announced over-night marketed public offering (the "Offering") of common shares of the Company (the "Offered Shares"), it has entered into an underwriting agreement with a syndicate of underwriters led by Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation ("CFCC"), as sole bookrunner, and including BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC and TD Securities Inc. (collectively with CFCC, the "Underwriters") to sell 12,500,000 Offered Shares at a price to the public of $0.70 per Offered Share (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of $8.75 million. The Company has granted to the Underwriters an option (the "Over-Allotment Option"), exercisable in whole or in part, in the sole discretion of the Underwriters, for a period of 30 days from and including the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 1,875,000 Offered Shares at the Offering Price. If the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in full, the total gross proceeds to the Company will be approximately $10.1 million.

The Company will pay the Underwriters a cash commission equal to 5.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering, including proceeds received from the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, at the closing of the Offering.

The Offered Shares are being offered by way of a short form prospectus in all provinces in Canada, except Quebec, and will be offered in the United States pursuant to a prospectus filed as part of a registration statement under the Canada/U.S. multi-jurisdictional disclosure system. A registration statement on Form F-10 relating to the Offered Shares has been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. The Offered Shares may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted in the United States prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective.

The Offering is expected to close on or about May 12, 2020 and will be subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") and the NYSE American stock exchange. Anticipated uses of the proceeds of the Offering are (i) operational expenditures, including engineering, environmental, permitting and evaluation expenses associated with the Pebble Project, (ii) enhanced outreach and engagement with political and regulatory offices in the Alaska state and U.S. federal government, Alaska Native partners and broader regional and state-wide stakeholder groups, and (iii) for general corporate purposes.

In addition to the Offering, Northern Dynasty is proposing to undertake a non-brokered private placement of common shares of the Company at the same price as the common shares are sold in the Offering, for gross proceeds to the Company of up to $7.0 million (the "Concurrent Private Placement"). No commission or finder's fee will be payable to the Underwriters in connection with the Concurrent Private Placement. Common shares issued pursuant to the Concurrent Private Placement will be subject to applicable resale restrictions, including a four month hold period under Canadian securities legislation. Closing of the Concurrent Private Placement is subject to the approval of the TSX and the NYSE American stock exchange. Closing of Offering is not conditional upon the closing of the Concurrent Private Placement and closing of the Concurrent Private Placement is not conditional on the closing of the Offering.

The preliminary short form prospectus is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The registration statement on Form F-10, including the U.S. form of the preliminary short form prospectus, is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, a written prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained upon request by contacting the Company or Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation in Canada, attention: Equity Capital Markets, 181 University Avenue, Suite 1500, Toronto, ON, M5H 3M7, email: ecmcanada@cantor.com ; Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. in the United States, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 499 Park Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10022 or by email at prospectus@cantor.com.

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 Offered Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction. The Offered Shares have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority, nor has any such authority passed upon by the accuracy or adequacy of the prospectus or the registration statement.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned, Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, the Pebble Partnership, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.

Ronald W. Thiessen

President & CEO

US Media Contact:

Dan Gagnier

Gagnier Communications

(646) 569-5897

Forward Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively referred to as "forward-looking information"). The use of any of the words "expect", "plan", "update" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. These statements include expectations about the likelihood of completion of the Offering or the Concurrent Private Placement, the amount of funds to be raised, the use of proceeds of the Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement, the anticipated closing of the Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement, the finalization of the Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ("USACE"), the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations and the timing of finalization of the EIS by the USACE, the ability of the Company to proceed with permit applications for the development of the Pebble Project, and the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary federal and state permits for the development of the Pebble Project. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to future events and third party discretion such as regulatory personnel. For more information on the Company, and the risks and uncertainties connected with its business, Investors should review the Company's home jurisdiction filings at www.sedar.com and its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

SOURCE: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587563/Northern-Dynasty-Announces-875-Milion-Offering
A medical team from Taipei Hospital held a video conference Tuesday with public health officials and other medical professionals in Russia to provide information about Taiwan's response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The six-member team, led by the hospital's deputy superintendent Kuo Hsien-Hua, spoke with 20 medical professionals from the Ulyanovsk City health authority, five regional hospitals, two medical universities, and two government disease prevention units in Russia, according to a press release from Taipei Hospital.

In Taiwan, Kuo's team included pediatrician and consultant Daniel Lu and Lin Wu-Pu, head of the public hospital's department of infectious disease, the release said.

After the virtual meeting, Mikhail Dudikov, a specialist from the Ulyanovsk Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, said Russia had gained a better understanding of Taiwan's disease response and prevention measures, methods of treating the COVID-19 coronavirus, and protection of medical personnel, according to Taipei Hospital.

The Russian medical experts also learned more about Taiwan's dissemination of information to the public on relevant issues such as preventative actions and effective sanitization and disinfection methods, Dudikov said, according to the hospital.

It said the meeting was arranged with the assistance of Taiwan's representative to Russia Keng Chung-Yung () and the Ulyanovsk Regional Clinical Center for Specialized Types of Medical Care.

During the virtual meeting, Keng also served as an interpreter, helping to present the content in Chinese, English, and Russian, the hospital said.

In 2019, Taipei Hospital and the Ulyanovsk clinical center signed a memorandum of understanding and began professional exchanges.

First Published by China News Agency (CAN), and Republished by Africans United for Taiwan (AUT).

The Africans United for Taiwan (AUT) holds the belief that the African government should as a matter of urgency have a second look at their relationship with Taiwan. China cannot continue to hold the African continent at ransom, by running propaganda against the Asian nation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an emotional toll on many of us. Many are shaken up by the news and our anxiety about the future. Some of us may have already been laid off or arent sure if well be employed next week. There are others who have family members or friends who are battling the virus or may have even lost loved ones. To say we are living in fearful times is an understatement.

With all the troubles in the world today, its hard to not be overcome with fear. Many have lost sight of hope. The same went for many well-known biblical characters. Even many great figures in the Bible struggled with fear. Even Sarah and Abraham, two of the most important figures in the Old Testament who trusted God through a lifetime of struggles and trials had trouble believing one promise God made to them. They even laughed at the thought. Yet, God followed through with His promise, and their trust in God grew. He followed through, even in their doubt. This is why its so important to choose faith, not fear, even in the midst of a crisis as big as the one were currently facing.

Many Christians profess to trust Gods will for their lives but when it comes down to letting go and letting God, they cant. We know that God has a special plan and purpose for our lives, most of us dont have trouble believing this. Yet, the fear develops when we realize that His will may not be the will we have for ourselves. When were afraid of His plan, we begin to doubt His will for our lives. We then must ask ourselves, how do we let go of that fear and begin to trust Gods plan when the future of so uncertain?

Attempting to avoid fear robs you of a deep experience of faith. If we want to choose faith over fear, its important that we are confident in God and His Word. If we really want to hear God and begin to trust His will for our lives, we must get involved with Scripture and hear what Gods Word is telling us. During the Coronavirus outbreak, many people are turning to Gods Word for guidance and comfort in these tumultuous times. The Bible can help us make sense of the confusion we see around us with people in fear of the Coronavirus. One great verse to turn to in these fearful times is Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Gods Word provides transformative wisdom, and when we study the Bible and grow closer to the Word, we begin to understand where God is, especially for us. The more confident we are in Gods promises, the closer we get to transformation and renewal. When we begin to see where God is, not where the World is, we can really move towards letting go of doubt and fear and holding on to hope.

While we cant physically hear God, its important that we remain confident that God hears us and confident in Gods promises offered through Scripture. This is the place where you will really begin to hear His voice. The more time we spend with Scripture, the more we can hear and know what Gods will is for us. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you especially when making decisions in the coming days. When you read the Bible and hear God speaking through the Word, you begin to see situations differently and your circumstances in a whole new light. We cant do this without letting go and trusting God. You then can make decisions based not off a mindset of fear, but where you are being led by God.

Its easy to trust God when things are going according to our plan for ourselves, but when the plan begins to deviate from what we think should be happening in our lives, its easy for us to fall off course. In these moments, we allow fear and doubt to triumph over God. We put up a shield so that we dont get hurt, but we are only casting out God and hurting ourselves. Proverbs 3:5 which tells us to Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding is a great reminder to let go of self, the thoughts in our head that allow us to believe our plan is greater than Gods. These are the thoughts that sabotage us and will only lead us astray. We should trust God, even when we dont understand whats coming next.

While God calls us every single day to not be afraid, to simply trust Him in everything can be difficult especially when you dont know what will happen tomorrow. The Christian life is a constant battle between fear and trust. Worrying can be harmful not only to our emotional health, but also to our physical health. Excessive worrying can lead to depression and can even cause us to become physically ill. When we worry, we get so lost in what might happen that we lose sight of our peace and happiness, and can no longer find our inner calm. Yet, we have hope in God. When circumstances show up that have the ability to break us down, we can trust in Gods promises.

Always remember that you are bigger than any fear youre facing related to the COVID-19 pandemic. God is control and we can lean on Gods Word. Immerse yourself in it. While fear may continue to show up for you, when you acknowledge and truly believe that God is in control, we can rise above all battles we face. Fear can feel like its paralyzing you, but fear only has the power to control as much as you allow it to. Trust that you can challenge any fear with Gods help. When we do, we come out victorious.

It is difficult to walk with God when we are uncertain. Yet, faith can move us past a place of fear. Faith is moving away from Gods wont to God will. Even if youre struggling with doubt, know that Gods plan for our future and the future of those around us is bigger than us.
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Scientists have developed a low-cost swab test that can diagnose COVID-19 infection in about 45 minutes, an advance that may help public health officials scrambling to cope with testing backlogs as the number of cases continues to climb.

The test named the "SARS-CoV-2 DETECTR" is easy to implement and to interpret, and requires no specialised equipment, said researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the US.

This quality is likely to make the test, described in a paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, more widely available than the current crop of COVID-19 test kits, they said.

Though the new test has yet to receive formal approval for clinical use from the US Food and Drug Administration, the researchers are clinically validating the test in an effort to fast-track the approval process.

"The introduction and availability of CRISPR technology will accelerate deployment of the next generation of tests to diagnose COVID-19 infection," said Charles Chiu, a professor at UCSF, and co-lead developer of the new test.

The new SARS-CoV-2 DETECTR assay is among the first to use CRISPR gene-targeting technology to test for the presence of the novel coronavirus, the researchers said.

Since CRISPR can be modified to target any genetic sequence, the developers "programmed" the test to home in on two target regions in the genome of the novel coronavirus.

One of these sequences is common to all "SARS-like" coronaviruses, while the other is unique to SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, according to the researchers.

Testing for the presence of both sequences ensures that the new DETECTR tool can distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 and closely related viruses, they said.

Much like the diagnostic kits currently in use, the new test can detect the novel coronavirus in samples obtained from respiratory swabs, the researchers said.

While the widely used tests based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques take about four hours to produce a result from a respiratory sample, the new DETECTR test takes only 45 minutes, rapidly accelerating the pace of diagnosis, they said.

Researchers noted that another key advantage of the new DETECTR test is that it can be performed in virtually any lab, using off-the-shelf reagents and common equipment.

This stands in stark contrast to PCR-based tests, which require expensive, specialized equipment, limiting those tests to well-equipped diagnostic labs, they said.

The new DETECTR test, researchers said, is easy to interpret: much like a store-bought pregnancy test, dark lines that appear on test strips indicate the presence of viral genes.

They said it is very sensitive and can detect the presence of as few as 10 coronaviruses in a microlitre of fluid taken from a patient -- a volume many hundreds of times smaller than an average drop of water.

Though slightly less sensitive than existing PCR-based tests, which can detect as few as 3.2 copies of the virus per microlitre, the difference is unlikely to have a noticeable impact in diagnosis, as infected patients typically have much higher viral loads, the researchers said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Egypts manpower ministry said on Wednesday it was following up on the murder of an Egyptian worker who had been stabbed to death a few days ago in Kuwait.

The body of the victim, a guard of an under-construction building, was found in the city of Dasma. He was stabbed several times, the ministry said.

Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al Rai had reported earlier that the victim's body was found on Friday, the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, and was sent for forensic examination.

A contractor in charge of the building has been arrested as Kuwaiti investigators are probing the incident, the ministry said.

The manpower ministry added that it was taking necessary procedures to repatriate the victim's body.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on Egyptian expatriates in the Gulf country over the past few years.

Last year, a Kuwaiti criminal court sentenced a Kuwaiti national to 17 years in prison for assaulting an Egyptian national in 2017.

More than 230,000 Egyptians work in Kuwait, according to data published by Egypts official statistics agency in August 2019.

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Australia's Victoria state on Wednesday announced a 45 million dollars relief package for international students facing economic hardships due to the coronavirus related restrictions, a move which would benefit thousands of students including Indians.

Over 40,000 overseas students including those from India are expected to receive a relief payment of up to 1,100 Australian dollars (USD 716) as part of a state emergency support package.

State premier Daniel Andrews, while making the announcement, said that international students are a vital part of our system, our economy and our community. They give so much to Victoria not just through the fees they pay, but also through the economic activity they generate for our businesses, and the contribution they make to our vibrant, inclusive society.

Andrews said that the pandemic has hit the international students with casual job losses in retail and hospitality. Many have also fallen through the cracks of federal government programs unable to access the support they need to support themselves.

To ensure Victoria's international students can buy the basics and get through to the other side of the crisis, the state government will establish a 45 million dollars International Student Emergency Relief Fund, he said.

The international generated 12.6 billion dollars revenue for the state last financial year and also supported around 79,000 local jobs, with most students coming from China, India, Nepal, Malaysia and Vietnam, he noted.

The fund will provide a one-off payment to students in need while expanding emergency provisions for those experiencing exceptional circumstances.

Another state of Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on Tuesday announced a new 450,000 dollars package to support vulnerable people living in ACT on temporary visas and international students who have lost their income due to the pandemic.

ACT Multicultural Affairs and Tertiary Minister Chris Steel said there were thousands of international students in Canberra, and while some of those students were well supported by their families at home, others were experiencing hardships with work drying up in areas like the hospitality industry.

"We are committed to ensuring Canberra remains a study destination of choice by supporting our international students living in Canberra who play such an important part in our cultural and economic life of our city," he said.

Meanwhile, four deaths at Sydney's Newmarch House nursing home on Tuesday and a death of an 80-year-old woman in Victoria took the national death toll to 90.

The number of positive cases in the country stood at 6,746 while the state of South Australia (SA) recorded no new cases in seven days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 29, 2020] BCS Tactical Operations Center (TOC) Exemplifies Company's Approach to Business Continuity

BCS, the nation's only independent, single-source data center operations provider, reports increased demand for its Tactical Operations Center (TOC) from data center owners seeking to maintain business continuity by mitigating risks related to remote visibility of their critical facility operations due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and workplace isolation. The BCS TOC provides 7x24x365 eyes-on-glass remote, cloud-based visibility into critical facilities and physical operations at client sites. Higher demand for the BCS TOC follows a recent report from Uptime Institute, "COVID-19: Minimizing Critical Facility Risk," that warns data center owners of the unprecedented challenges placed on executing contingency and business continuity plans. The report details operational risks associated with COVID-19 and points to the benefits associated with remote monitoring, management and reporting. "Data center owners are seeking ways to get ahead of future events rather than react to them," said BCS CEO Danny Crocker. "They view remote monitoring and management as a way to bridge physical gaps, minimize risk and strengthen resiliency. Our Tactical Operations Center fills all those needs - either as a complement to our other solutions or as a stand-alone offering." The BCS Tactical Operations Center (TOC) is a centralized client-facing, command, control, communications and remote operations center. It provides data center owners with critical facility support, physical security oversight, plus tactical incident management and reprting.



The BCS TOC utilizes the BCS CriticalWorks computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and business intelligence capabilities. CriticalWorks is the foundational toolset that allows TOC analysts to identify an anomaly and provision the appropriate resources to operate and protect critical environments. The BCS TOC aligns with other BCS best-in-class practices and procedures to deliver continuous uptime and meet client service level agreements. BCS provides data center facility management, IT services and physical security using a single, fully integrated, self-performance model. BCS employees perform a minimum of 80% of all site services.

Earlier this year BCS announced a long-term lease for office space in Addison, Texas, to serve as a new corporate headquarters and the location of BCS's primary TOC environment. BCS has the capability to stand up smaller cloud-based TOC instances around the country if the primary environment becomes unreachable. In addition, BCS's Texarkana, Texas, office will serve as the disaster recovery environment, hosting the process, people and technology should the primary environment become unrecoverable. BCS currently employs 130 data center operations engineers, IT service operations technicians, security officers and service-delivery subject matter experts with plans to increase to more than 200 employees by year's end. In March 2020 BCS announced signing a master service agreement with California-based Landmark Dividend LLC to operate and manage Landmark-owned critical infrastructure worldwide. About BCS BCS is an enterprise-level, critical facilities operations company focusing exclusively on data centers. The BCS solutions portfolio includes facility management, IT services, physical security and a range of value-added professional services through one fully integrated self-performance model. BCS utilizes advanced technology and centralized services, including BCS CriticalWorks and the BCS Tactical Operations Center, to achieve increased performance, efficiency and scale. BCS serves the needs of Fortune 500 companies coast-to-coast with 28 data centers, 6.8 million total square feet (1.8 million in raised floor), and 150 MW of data center critical power under contract. For more information visit bcsfmsolutions.com or follow BCS on LinkedIn (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005711/en/

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On Monday, 10,000 workers at 40 Illinois nursing homes, the majority in the Chicago area, voted to strike May 8, one week after the current collective bargaining agreement with the nursing home companies and the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois-Indiana (SEIU HCII) union officially ends.

The workers are demanding personal protective equipment (PPE), safety protocols, hazard pay, an increase in base pay, paid time off for COVID-related illness, increased staffing, health insurance and transparency about COVID-19 cases in the nursing homes, where in Illinois 35 percent of the states nearly 2,000 deaths have occurred.

Nursing home workers, nurses and nursing assistants risk their lives each day while working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have been fired for requesting adequate PPE in facilities with confirmed cases. In a livestreamed video on the SEIU Healthcare IL & IN Facebook page, one worker recounted that she was fired for demanding PPE, more staff, and transparent communication from the Alden Wentworth nursing home in Chicago, part of the Chicago-area Alden Network of for-profit long-term care facilities where patients and workers have died from COVID-19.

How hard is it for the governor to get us a proper mask? Can you imagine telling a child that her mother is dead from something that was completely preventable? she asked.

The parasitic for-profit nursing home industry brings in billions of dollars for private equity firms, real estate trusts and Wall Street investors. Before the pandemic broke out, the value of the US long-term care market was projected to reach $737.1 billion by 2026 with a compounded annual growth rate of over 7 percent.

A registered nurse who has worked at nursing homes throughout the Chicago area spoke to the World Socialist Web Site in support of the nursing home workers strike vote, describing the deplorable conditions and lack of resources that underlay the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Im in agreement with them going on strike. Its about time they stand up for themselves. I have been in contact with old co-workers, and can only imagine the conditions now that COVID-19 is here. If they were lacking the supplies before, imagine what it is like now. One of my old workplaces was a 146-bed facility, and on the night shift there were two nurses and two assistants (CNAs) for one eight-hour shift.

People are scared to go to work because of COVID-19. Its not worth losing their lives for $9 to $10 per hour. Thats why there is a short supply of CNAs and nurses. At one facility I heard all the CNAs except one quit after they heard about COVID-19.

These conditions are dangerous for patients and staff. We need to get proper rest so we can care for the patients. The workers are paid very low wages, there are not enough staff, and [the nursing homes] ask you to work 16 hours every day, to the point that you cant say no. Instead of hiring more staff, they give out overtime.

At that facility, they had no proper PPE, no masks, and were told they could not wear a mask because of dignity. As soon as there were confirmed COVID-19 cases they got masks, but they had to wear the same one all week. We are taught in nursing school that we are supposed to discard the mask between rooms.

The CNAs have been paid low wages as long as I can remember, and they are owed higher. I was in CNA school in 1998, and I was paid $4.25 per hour. Since then the pay rates have not been brought up that much. After paying car insurance, bus fare, and health insurance, that paycheck is gone.

The assistants do the heavy lifting. They see patients, bathe them, dress them, they are their companions. As nurses we are the eyes and ears of the doctors, but the CNAs are the nurses eyes.

The strike vote by nursing home staff is part of a wave of international working class resistance. Boiling anger is developing among frontline and essential workers who are laboring without adequate PPE, as well as workers in non-essential industries who are beginning to be forced back into crowded and unsanitary conditions while the pandemic rages on. On virtually every continent, health care workers, call center workers, autoworkers, Amazon workers, grocery workers and many others have walked out or refused to go to work in opposition to the demands of finance capital and the capitalist states.

It is critical now more than ever that nurses, CNAs and other workers at nursing homes take the fight into their own hands, independent of the unions such as SEIU, which over decades has sabotaged one struggle after another. Rank-and-file safety committees must be formed to demand adequate protective equipment and staffing levels, substantial wage increases and hazard pay, and a massive infusion of resources, not into the bank accounts of the nursing home companies and investors, but toward meeting the needs of the elderly and the workers who care for them.

The SEIU, with locals across North America, is run like a corporation that contracts underpaid workers to giant health care and service corporations. Its net assets totaled $375,382,025 in 2019. In comparison to the extremely low wages of the workers who pay dues to the union, SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry was compensated a total of $289,994 in 2019, placing her well within the top 5 percent of society by income.

Workers denounced the SEIU on Facebook following the strike announcement. One worker wrote: I'm in this union too as a caregiver [and get] no HAZARD PAY! This union is so RECKLESS!...Bet the union office people are getting PAID pretty comfortable either way!

In 2017, after 19 months of working without a contract, Illinois nursing home workers were betrayed by the SEIU, which pushed through a concessions agreement, blocking a strike against the nursing home companies. The agreement continued the regime of poverty wages, with a pitiful $3 per hour raise over three years for the majority of workers, whose wages had been frozen in several previous years at an average of $11 per hour. In January of this year, the SEIU also worked with Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker to push through a poverty wage contract for 30,000 home health care assistants and child care workers in Illinois.

They should have gone on strike four years ago in the last contract, the nurse continued. Back then, the SEIU settled for a $1 per hour raise [each year], and I saw the hurt in the CNAs eyes when they found outthey thought, you settled for that?

This is the problem[the SEIU] settle for the bare minimum. The way that its going, we are not going to have any CNAs in the future because no one will want to do all of that work for the pay. More patients will die, will be neglected and abused, and all of this is totally preventable.

For-profit nursing homes are atrocious for what they are doing. The nursing homes are the hardest hit with the virus because staff members working multiple jobs in different facilities that are not the cleanestthis spreads the virus and is why you are seeing widespread outbreaks. Staff cant wash their hands, they cant clean the rooms, they cant practice social distancing.

Ive seen residents not being offered water with their meals because the CNAs dont have time. They are not able to get the showers they need. Its a shame that this is happening in America, but its actually happening all over the world.

What type of care would you want for your family members? You would want the best. But because they are not paying the CNAs good wage, and not giving them PPE, who is it hurting the most? The patients.

In response to the news that US billionaires increased their wealth by $280 billion since March, while medical workers were left to risk their lives for minimum wages, the nurse responded, This money should be put into giving the nursing homes what they need. That money is being thrown away to things that dont matter, the livelihoods of people are what matter right now. These corporations need to go away.

I would tell [the workers] to hold the line. Do not cross it, do not break it, because now is the time. Something has to change and this pandemic is showing us that something is wrong in our society.
Im going to replicate the process as much as possible, said Blatt, although the only people who will see her Monday are a son whos in charge of the dog, a daughter who will intercept anyone who approaches the house, a colleague at the table and Blatts husband, David, acting as timekeeper.
Poor resident tries to return B1k gift left in food-relief parcel

PHUKET: A local resident in Cherng Talay suffering from the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions tried to return a B1,000 banknote tucked into a food-relief parcel in a true act of honesty, only to find out that the money was placed inside the parcel intentionally.

COVID-19Coronaviruseconomicscharity

By Chutharat Plerin

Wednesday 29 April 2020, 11:55AM

The parcel was one of thousands handed out by a small campaign aimed at helping local people left without income by the COVID crisis.

The campaign is privately sponsored by Aiyarin and Jakob Pedersen, with the support of Tony, Sophie, Panida, Henrik, plus Chernglay Kitchen, Supalai, Andaman Island Group and Ask Ava, Mr Pedersen told Khao Phuket.

We are mainly a group of close friends from the neighbourhood. We will give away 5.000 boxes of free food between April 12-30. We have given away close to 4.000 boxes already, he added.

We might continue afterwards if there is a need. We are working with the local government to coordinate it all and also provide lunch to local temples and volunteers, Jakob explained.

Our goal is to give meals especially to those affected by job loss during these times. We start daily at 10am at Chernglay Kitchen on Soi Pasak.

We all meet each morning to cook and pack the food before people arrive. The local community has also started sponsoring rice, eggs and ingredients to help us out, which is really nice, he explained.

As for the B1,000 gift tucked into one of the food parcels, Jakob explained, We added a B1,000 note in one of the food boxes to a lucky person. The day after a poor neighbour came by to ask if one of us accidentally dropped a note in the box since they found it.

We were shocked by the honesty, especially in these hard times, so we have since that day kept adding B1,000 to a box, but now with a written note, he said.

We heard a Burmese worker got one as well, he had been depressed after losing his work and saw this as a blessing to keep up the hope. Small stories like that really keeps us going, Jakob added.

Jakob invited any people wanting to support the small campaign to contact him through his Facebook page.
That sign language interpreter whose job its been to signal important information to the deaf at the governor's daily COVID-19 briefings? Yep, he's an Illini.
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New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has come under attack for singling out the Jewish community for breaking social distancing - when he travels 11 miles from his home to go for a walk in Prospect Park.

The lawmaker said Tuesday he has instructed police to arrest mourners at funerals and anyone gathering in large groups in a new 'zero tolerance' approach to stop the spread of coronavirus.

But just a few days earlier the mayor and his wife Chirlane McCray were heckled by locals as they walked through Prospect Park in Brooklyn, despite living 11 miles away in Manhattan.

Others noted the crowds that gathered earlier Tuesday to watch a flyover by the Navys Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds to honor health-care workers but were not similarly treated by officials.

De Blasio had traveled to personally shut down a Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg after images surfaced on social media of massive crowds gathered for a rabbi who died from coronavirus.

The mayor's actions have sparked a furious backlash online. Many Twitter users shared pictures from the Holocaust and likened de Blasio's words and actions to the Nazis.

But de Blasio continued to defend his actions in his daily briefing Wednesday, telling reporters he had 'no regrets about calling out this danger'. He said: 'I spoke last night out of passion. I could not believe my eyes, it was deeply, deeply, distressing.

'People lives were in danger right before my eyes. It was tough love. It has not happened other places, lets be honest. No it is not like people gathering in the park.' But he added: 'I won't tolerate antisemitism.'

Hundreds of people gathered in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for a massive funeral Tuesday evening

Brooklyn, NY: The funeral was held for Rabbi Chaim Mertz who died from coronavirus

New Yorker Darren Goldner took video of the moment he scolded the Mayor saying: 'Seriously, you guys have a park. You live in park. You dont need to non-essentially travel to Brooklyn. This is selfish behavior'

Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York: Others noted the crowds that gathered earlier Tuesday to watch a flyover by the Navys Blue Angels and the Air Forces Thunderbirds to honor health-care workers but were not similarly treated by officials

NYC: 'Only bigots have a problem when a few 100 Hasidim do what thousands of people in the same city have done the same day (not social distance).' the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council tweeted

Domino Park, Brooklyn, NYC: Pilots from the US Navy joined forces with the Air Force for a dazzling display over New York City

Community leaders from the across the city were quick to rebuke his actions. The Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted: 'Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC.

'The few who don't social distance should be called out  but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever.'

Councilman Kalman Yeger added: 'Mr. Mayor, your words are unacceptable. To condemn our entire community over one group of people is something you would not do to any other ethnic group, and I know you long enough to know that you know this.'

'Only bigots have a problem when a few 100 Hasidim do what thousands of people in the same city have done the same day (not social distance).' the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council tweeted.

De Blasio doubled down on his comments, calling the gathering 'unacceptable'.

'We are talking about thousands of people together. We have to understand what it means to hold a large gathering. Some will be sick, some will spread, people as a result will die', he said.

The mayor said the gathering of mourners Tuesday was 'by far the largest' he had seen since social distancing rules were introduced.

NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said: 'This large gathering is putting members of my department at risk and is going to be met with very stern consequences. There are to be no gatherings in NYC such as what we saw last night.'

He noted that NYPD funerals for officers who have died as a result of the virus have not been carried out in the same manner as norm. Shea confirmed 12 summons were issued for social distancing and refusal to disperse.

But Ed Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, later tweeted: 'Mayor DeBlasio, YOU cannot instruct the NYPD to violate peoples rights! If you wanted to save lives YOU should of closed schools, NOT sold ventilators and NOT tell people to go out to dinner.

'This event was a funeral this community will NOT leave bodies in their homes for you.'

Mullins later called the mayor an 'idiot' in an interview.

De Blasio is pictured traveling to shut down a Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg

De Blasio, pictured Tuesday had traveled to personally shut down a Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg after images surfaced on social media of massive crowds gathered for a rabbi who died from coronavirus

De Blasio doubled down on his comments on Wednesday, calling the gathering 'unacceptable'

Mayor Bill De Blasio and his wife Charlene McCray pose with Kings County Hospital staffers during a 7pm salute in honor to healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic on April 24 Brooklyn, New York

Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration teams participate in flyover over the Empire State building

Brooklyn Heights Promenade: A formation of US Navy Blue Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds honor first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic by flying over New York

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio showed up at the Orthodox Jewish funeral and threatened mourners with arrest for ignoring social distancing rules

Shocking photos revealed hundreds of people gathered in the streets to pay their respects to Rabbi Chaim Mertz

De Blasio was filmed strolling with his wife - both in masks - through the historic park on Saturday afternoon.

New Yorker Darren Goldner took video of the moment he scolded the Mayor for forcing an entourage of four SUV security vehicles to drive his family to the park for a nonessential recreational walk in a completely different borough.

'Seriously, you guys have a park. You live in park. You don't need to non-essentially travel to Brooklyn. Come on you won't even open roads for people of all backgrounds. I'm not going to give it a break. This is selfish behavior,' Goldner said.

De Blasio slammed the Jewish community in a Twitter rant Tuesday night after he had broken up the gathering with the NYPD

By Tuesday de Blasio was slamming Jewish mourners who gathered together, calling their actions 'absolutely unacceptable'.

He had decided he would personally go to the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz after photos revealed hundreds of people had gathered in the streets to pay their respects.

'Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,' he wrote.

The mourners were seen crammed in together much closer than the six feet recommended under social distancing guidelines and many people were not wearing face masks.

The mass gathering is also a violation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive order banning non-essential gatherings.

'When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.'

The mayor went on to send a stark warning to the community that the police will issue summons and even arrest people flouting social distancing guidelines.

'My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,' he wrote on Twitter.

Crowds watch the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration teams participating in a midday flyover of New York. They were not threatened with arrest by Bill de Blasio - unlike the mourners in Williamsburg

Critics have pointed out de Blasio did not react to the huge crowds out to watch the flyover on Tuesday in New York City

Many people were not wearing face masks at the funeral Tuesday night in Brooklyn

The mass gathering is also a violation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive order banning non-essential gatherings

Scenes like this can set the process of reopening back weeks. Worse off, it risks more funerals. @NYPDnews is gonna have to camp out of every corner as long as people refuse to listen... pic.twitter.com/09kAk8pY64  Menashe Shapiro (@menasheshapiro) April 29, 2020

'I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.'

De Blasio's response faced a backlash from some members of the Jewish community who said he was 'singling out' the group.

'This has to be a joke. Did the Mayor of NYC really just single out one specific ethnic community (a community that has been the target of increasing hate crimes in HIS city) as being noncompliant??' wrote Chaim Deutsch, a City Council member who represents a large Orthodox Jewish population, in a Twitter post.

'Dangerous choice of words, Mayor  accusing the entire Jewish community of the misbehavior of a minority. Would you dare to say this about any other group in this city?', The Life editor Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt wrote.

Lis Smith, who works for former Democratic presidential candidate PeteButtigieg, said: '11 mile chauffeured drive to Prospect Park for me... What in the actual f*ck is this though?'

She added: 'NYC has been a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution and death for decades and more. How on earth does the mayor of NYC single them out for persecution in the middle of a pandemic? Words do not exist to describe the criminal incompetence at City Hall.'

Former NYPD officer John Cardillo said: 'This is where @NYPDShea needs to step up and open his mouth. @NYPDnews is not the Gestapo. This is beyond insanity. PC Shea need to very loudly, very clearly, and very harshly condemn @BilldeBlasio's order to target and round up Jews.'

Republican senator Ted Cruz asked: 'Would DeBlasio have sent this identical tweet with the word 'Jewish' replaced by any other religious minority? If not, why not? Laws should be enforced neutrally w/o targeting religious faith.'

But de Blasios press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, said: 'The mayor has been one of the staunchest supporters of the Jewish community since his earliest days in public service. There were thousands of people gathered today, putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. It is his responsibility to all New Yorkers to speak up.'

Executive editor of The Washington Examiner Seth Mandel wrote: 'You lowlife cretinous bobblehead. There's only one community you would address this way. And it's the one that just went through a pogrom on your watch, as you let it happen.'

De Blasio slammed the mourners on Twitter calling their actions 'absolutely unacceptable'

The mayor went on to send a stark warning to the community that the police will issue summons and even arrest people flouting social distancing guidelines

'My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,' de Blasio wrote on Twitter

Young children were also seen gathered at the funeral - some of them wearing masks

Critics of his walk in the park noted that De Blasio lives in the Gracie Mansion, the designated residence of New York mayors, on the Upper East Side inside Carl Schurz Park.

When confronted during his stroll de Blasio was seen waving his hand dismissively towards the camera as he walked away from his angry constituent saying, 'Come on guys, give it a break'.

'This is so terribly selfish. You call yourself a progressive but you chauffeur yourself to Brooklyn you force people to drive you. This is ridiculous. This is the epitome of nonessential travel,' eyewitness Goldner continued.

De Blasio lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn, near Prospect Park, before moving to the Gracie Mansion in July 2014.

'Has he been to a park lately? (What am I saying - of course he has!)', Councilman Deutsch wrote.

An NYPD officer wearing a mask arrives to try to disperse the crowds Tuesday

A spokesperson for the NYPD said officers did not ticket or arrest anybody at Tuesday's funeral

The NYPD has been called to break up several funerals and gatherings across the city amid the pandemic.

A spokesperson for the NYPD told the New York Post officers did not ticket or arrest anybody at Tuesday's funeral.

This comes the same day that Cuomo revealed his 12-step plan to reopening the state and told New Yorkers it would take a 'miracle' for New York City to reach the requirements needed to be able to relax lockdown in the next few weeks.

Cuomo's lockdown officially ends on May 15 but he said on Monday he would extend it for some regions of the state where the data suggests there is still a problem.

In upstate New York, the infection rate is believed to be as low as three percent whereas in New York City, it is nearly 25 percent, according to an antibody study the state is carrying out.

The first step of the plan is to ensure that the region being reopened has seen declining coronavirus cases for 14 days.

New York City is a long way from that benchmark and it continues to make up the vast majority of all COVID-19 deaths and cases in the state.
By Alex Lawler

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. buyers of Saudi Arabian crude oil cancelled at least seven April-loading tankers after a jump in freight costs, two industry sources said, likely to result in lower-than-expected shipments from the world's top exporter.

The move shows how some buyers are not rushing to take extra oil despite a slide in prices this month to below $16 a barrel, the lowest this century, as demand has collapsed following government measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

In March, Saudi Arabia had cut its official selling prices for April crude and vowed to boost exports after a supply cut deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and rivals like Russia collapsed.

But tanker rates soared and Saudi Arabia told buyers it would cut compensation payments for freight costs because of extraordinary conditions in the freight market.

Freight costs jumped globally because more ships were needed to deliver oil after Saudi Arabia and other Middle East producers ramped up output after the talks to extend the OPEC-led production cut deal broke down at the start of March.

This killed the economics of importing the extra barrels, one source said.

"U.S. refiners gave back at least seven VLCCs because the freight protection was lifted," one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "If they had got the freight protection, they would have taken these barrels."

Saudi state oil company Aramco declined to comment.

Even after the cancellations, the volume of April-loading Saudi crude heading to the United States is still set to increase, the source said. Saudi exports to all destinations are expected to rise this month.

The changes in supply terms were seen as likely to lead to cancellations of April cargoes by buyers across the world as they were not expecting to bear transport costs in full.

Iraq, OPEC's second biggest producer, also informed customers it was unable to compensate for the jump in freight costs.

OPEC and other producers this month reached another supply cut deal to try to prop up oil prices that takes effect from May 1.

(Additional reporting by Jonanthan Saul and Rania El Gamal; editing by Jane Merriman and Barbara Lewis)
KALAMAZOO, MI -- The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education will meet virtually on Thursday.

The board meeting will be livestreamed on Public Media Network beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 30, according the meeting agenda.

School and government boards across the state are meeting virtually under the executive order of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer mandating that non-essential work is done from home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer most recently extended the stay-at-home order through May 15.

At Thursdays meeting, the board plans to review the districts Continuity of Learning Plan and consider suspending any board policy that conflicts with the emergency plan, such as previously established graduation requirements.

The remote learning plan outlines the schools plan to continue teaching for the remainder of the school while schools are closed because of the coronavirus emergency. The process to create that plan began after the governor announced that all K-12 schools would remain closed through the rest of the school year to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The remote learning plan was announced by the district in a news release Tuesday, April 14. It directs teachers to reach out to their students using a variety of remote measures like email, video calls or text messages. Teachers were expected to fully implement remote learning with students beginning Monday, April 27, the district said.

Also on the agenda is a resolution in support of the countywide enhancement millage for the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency. The proposal to renew the 3-mill tax will be decided by voters in the Tuesday, May 5, election. The board previously voiced support for this millage. The resolution being considered by the board Thursday also states KPS would support placing the proposal on the August ballot should it fail on Tuesday.

The school board will also consider the districts request to spend about $1.2 million to replace 4,000 computers, the purchase of books for the summer literacy program, and the sale of the districts radio station WKDS 89.9 FM to Western Michigan Universitys radio station WMUK 102.1 FM.

As required by law, the board will provide a time for the public to speak to the board, and plans to used a phone-in system for those who wish to speak. Those interested in participating in the meeting should fill out an online form before the meeting begins, and then will be provided with instructions on how to participate, the district said.

The boards last meeting scheduled for earlier in April was canceled because there wasnt any urgent business to attend to, the board said previously.

Also on MLive:

Portage schools drop plans to seek $155M bond in August after surveying residents

Its new: Uncertainty abounds as Kalamazoo County preps for May election during pandemic

Coronavirus cases jump to 327 in Kalamazoo County
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Womens groups and prominent feminist figures have remained almost universally silent over a former staffers accusation of sexual misconduct against former Vice President Joe Bidenincluding those individuals and groups who came to express regret for how the Democratic Party handled similar accusations made against President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

The collective non-response from mostly Democrat-aligned groups comes as potential female running mates struggle themselves in responding to the Biden allegation, which has the potential to upend his campaign against President Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women in alleged incidents spanning decades. And it echoes the division among progressives when the #MeToo movement revived scrutiny of Clintons own alleged sexual misconduct.

The Daily Beast contacted 10 top national pro-women organizations for this story, including Emilys List, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the National Organization for Women. Most organizations did not respond to a detailed request for comment about the allegation by Tara Reade, a former staff assistant in Bidens Senate office who has accused the former vice president of forcibly penetrating her with his fingers in the early 1990s. Others replied and did not provide a statement.

One prominent womens political group cited a scheduling conflict and asked to be kept in mind for other opportunities! When pressed if the following day would work better, an associate said it would not, citing another scheduling conflict.

The near-total lack of acknowledgement from nearly a dozen leading pro-women organizations comes as new corroboration has emerged with respect to the allegation, which the Biden campaign has categorically denied. Neither the Biden campaign nor Reade responded to requests from The Daily Beast for comment Tuesday.

It also is taking place as prominent elected women in the Democratic Party rally to Bidens side. On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton became the latest to offer her endorsement of Bidens candidacya symbolic passing of the torch from one presidential candidate to another, but a moment that also served as a reminder of moments in recent party history when accusers were almost uniformly dismissed.

Story continues

In 2017, attorney Patricia Ireland, who served as president of the National Organization for Women for the entirety of the Clinton administration, told The Washington Post that she wished she had done more to be supportive of Paula Jones, the former Arkansas state employee who alleges that Bill Clinton sexually harassed her during his time as governor.

For Paula Jones, there were nice distinctions that people made: She didnt work for him, he didnt have the power to hire or fire her, Ireland said at the time. But that ignores the reality that he was a very powerful man.

During the same period, feminist icon Gloria Steinem told The Guardian that she regretted some parts of her aggressive defense of Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, including a New York Times op-ed in which she dismissed accusations of sexual misconduct against the president. Even if the allegations are true, Steinem wrote in the 1998 op-ed, the president is not guilty of sexual harassment. He is accused of having made a gross, dumb and reckless pass. President Clinton took no for an answer.

Steinem told the Guardian that I wouldnt write the same thing now because theres probably more known about other women now. Im not sure What you write in one decade you dont necessarily write in the next.

But neither Ireland nor Steinem responded to a request for comment about Reades accusations against Biden. Bill Clinton has long denied Jones claims, settling a lawsuit she filed in 1998 for $850,000 with no apology or admission of wrongdoing.

Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Reade accused Hillary Clinton of enabling a sexual predator.

Hillary Clinton has a history of enabling powerful men to cover up their sexual predatory behaviors and their inappropriate sexual misconduct, Reade said in response to Clintons endorsement. We dont need that for this country. We dont need that for our new generation coming up that wants institutional rape culture to change.

Reade first accused Biden of digitally penetrating her in a podcast interview with journalist Katie Halper in March. Two other people, including Reades brother and a friend who has remained anonymous, told various outlets that Reade had told them about certain aspects of the alleged assault and her subsequent dismissal from Bidens office over the years.

On Monday, Business Insider quoted a former neighbor of Reades recounting that the ex-staffer had disclosed details of the alleged assault when she lived next door to her in the mid-1990s. This happened, and I know it did because I remember talking about it, Lynda LaCasse, Reades former neighbor, told the outlet.

On April 24, Reade told The Intercept that her mother called into Larry Kings cable-news program to discuss problems her daughter experienced with a prominent lawmaker in 1993. In the episode, a caller from San Luis Obispo, Californiawhere property records indicate Reades mother lived at the timeasked the host what a staffer might do besides go to the press in Washington.

My daughter has just left there after working for a prominent senator and could not get through with her problems at all, the caller said. The only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.

Reade said on Twitter that it was her mothers voice. This is my mom. I miss her so much and her brave support of me.

Bidens defenders have argued that Reades story has changed over timeshe previously had said only that she felt Biden had inappropriately touched her and made her feel uncomfortable. But sexual-assault victims advocates have noted that its common for victims to hold back on details as they recount their traumatic experiences.

Various aides to Biden have said they have no recollection of any assault incident happening. And Bidens deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement this month that this absolutely did not happen, and that Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women. Bedingfield added: He firmly believes that women have a right to be heardand heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue.

Over the past several days, the Biden campaign has signaled that it is paying additional attention to issues that disproportionately affect women. On Monday, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), one of the contenders thought to be on Bidens shortlist of potential running mates, was a guest on a virtual town hall with black leaders on coronavirus impact on women of color. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), another possible running mate and former Biden rival, was also featured in a virtual forum addressing similar womens focused issues late last week.

On Tuesday, in introducing Clinton during a virtual town hall, Biden declared she is the woman who should be president of the United States right now.

I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you, Clinton said during the event to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on women. This is a moment where we need a leader, a president, like Joe Biden. Biden, she said, has been preparing for this moment his entire life. The former vice president reciprocated by saying it was a wonderful personal endorsement.

On Monday, in offering her own backing, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi called him a partner for progress in the White House.

Four years ago, womens groups threw their weight behind Clintons historic campaign as the Democratic Partys first female nominee. But they remained largely out of the primary in 2020, when an unprecedented number of women campaigned with that similar goal in mind. Still, some groups havent been shy about criticizing parts of Bidens past record relating to women.

In the early stages of Bidens campaign, Planned Parenthood Action Fund took issue with a position he previously held around support for the Hyde Amendment, a provision that sought to restrict the use of federal money for abortion. In June 2019, the groups executive director specifically called out Biden by name, reminding him that the Democratic Party platform is crystal-clear around repealing Hyde. Biden later denounced his support of the amendment.

Now, as Biden faces a sexual-assault allegation as the presumptive nominee, his past record and prominent female defenders are facing a new round of scrutiny. In particular, the decision to select a female running mate delighted many party activists and womens rights advocates when Biden announced it in March, but is taking on a new form as the Reade allegation receives additional corroboration.

Already, potential nominees are having to answer questions about the allegation. The Daily Beast recently contacted the most prominent figures thought to be considered as possible contenders about Reades claim, including Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.

Among the seven Democratic womens offices reached, only Abrams commented, telling The Daily Beast that women have the right to be heard and adding, in part, that nothing in the Times review suggests anything other than what I already knew: That Joe Biden is a man of highest integrity who will make all women proud as our next president.

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President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Americans should realize that this waterway is called neither New York nor Washington but the Persian Gulf, adding the Persian Gulf is named after the Iranian nation, reports IRNA.

All the country's waterways in the north namely the Caspian Sea, are significant for Iranians; he said, adding that since the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea are connected to the international waters, they are of prime importance.

The Persian Gulf has been considered as one of the world's largest energy hubs, he said, noting it is an extremely vital and sensitive region.

The Persian Gulf belongs to Pthe Iranian nation and has always been and will always be the Persian Gulf, he underscored.

He further noted that all Iranians who reside in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf have always stood well against strangers and they are still standing well today.
Forty states in this country receive more money from the federal government than their residents pay out in federal taxes. Lets think of those as Taker States.

The other 10 states pay more to the federal government than they receive. Well call them Donor States.

Eight of those 10 Donor States, including the top six donors, voted Democratic in the 2016 presidential election.

This is relevant only because U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell recently badmouthed the idea of the federal government helping pull states out of the fiscal gutter that the COVID-19 pandemic (and the accompanying economic shutdown) has caused.

In a radio interview last week, the Kentucky Republican said he preferred to see states declare bankruptcy than have Congress appropriate budget-stabilization funds for them. His office followed up with a statement decrying what it referred to as a blue state bailout.

The statement was absurd on its face. This isnt a blue-state issue. The shutting down of businesses and the collapse of consumer demand in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak has decimated the revenue bases for states across the country and across the political spectrum.

In Texas, a red state which has also seen the bottom fall out of its petroleum industry, the revenue problem is particularly acute. Were facing massive cuts in basic state services next year unless the federal government comes through.

McConnell knows all that. On April 11, the National Governors Association (whose chairman, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, happens to be a Republican) released a statement urging the federal government to allocate $500 billion to meet the states budgetary shortfalls that have resulted from the unprecedented public health crisis.

McConnell, however, with the full public backing of President Donald Trump, has decided to frame the issue as a case of mismanaged Democratic-run states trying to shake down Congress to cover for their own fiscal negligence.

This crisis is not the result of blue-state profligate spending, and only a cynical partisan would claim otherwise.

Among other things, McConnells ploy  and Trumps Twitter ditto  offered an illustration of how much damage the Electoral College system continues to inflict on our politics.

If we had a one-person, one-vote national system for electing presidents, McConnell would have to worry about alienating voters in Democratic states, the same way that Gov. Greg Abbott has to worry about alienating voters in the blue counties of Texas.

Abbott lost Bexar County to Lupe Valdez in 2018, but he still captured more than 251,000 votes here. He doesnt want to go out of his way to antagonize those voters, because they all count on the state vote total.

By contrast, the voters of New York and New Jersey  our two biggest Donor States, and the two states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases  are politically irrelevant to Trump (and, by extension, McConnell).

In 2016, Trump received more than 22 million votes in the states carried by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. For all he cares, however, he might as well have gotten zero votes in those states, because thats how many electoral votes he received.

In a popular-vote system  the kind that we use for every type of election in this country, from school boards all the way up to the U.S. Senate  those 22 million voters would have to be nurtured by Trump.

Each New York or Massachusetts vote would mean just as much to Trump as a Kentucky or Alabama vote. He would hurt himself by depriving crucial funding to any of those blue states.

Were constantly told that if we abandoned the electoral-vote system, small states would get ignored by candidates. Of course, under the current system, both large and small states already are ignored, unless they are among the dozen or so whose electoral votes are up for grabs.

Three of our four biggest states (California, Texas and New York) get no interest or attention from presidential nominees. How is that a healthy system?

The other argument that tends to drive the pro-Electoral College side is that weve always done it this way, so we shouldnt change now. Truthfully, we havent been all that consistent in the way weve elected presidents.

Early on, state legislatures (not voters) decided which candidate would get a states electoral votes. Also, the winner-take-all nature of electoral-vote allocation was purely a creation of the states, not the U.S. Constitution.

Were in the deepest national crisis weve faced since the Great Depression. People across the country are hurting, through no fault of their own.

All of our states will need additional help from the federal government to get through this.

It shouldnt matter whether their electoral votes land in the blue or red column.

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
The number of Covid-19 patients reached 366 in Bihar on Wednesday, after 20 more people tested positive for the disease in the state. Two people have died of the disease in the state so far, according to Union health ministry.

With Araria, Sitamarhi and Sheikhpura reporting their first cases, 28 of states 38 districts are now affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Giving details about the number of cases, Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar said that six people - all men in the age range between 18 and 70 years - tested positive for coronavirus infection in Gopalganj district.

In addition, Kaimur reported four cases, including that of a four-year-old boy from Chainpur village which has become a hotspot. The remaining patients, including a woman aged 19 years, are from the district headquarters of Bhabhua.

Munger has the highest number of Covid-19 cases - 92 - followed by Patna (39), Nalanda (35), Rohtas (31) and Siwan (30).

Some villages in Buxar district are also Covid-19 hotspot; a 17-year-old boy tested Covid-19 positive in Naya Bhojpur village on Tuesday.

Till Tuesday evening, 19,851 samples have been tested at six approved laboratories in the state four at the state capital and one each at Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga.

Meanwhile, Bihars deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told the Centre that 38 lakh people in the state have so far downloaded the Aarogya Setu app on their phones. The highest number of downloads - 5.62 lakh - are from Patna followed by 1.81 lakh in the Muzaffarpur district, he said.
Turkey has seen a decline this week in the number of daily deaths and rates of infection since it started to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic last month.

On Tuesday The Associated Press gained access to one of Istanbul's most renowned hospitals which is also reporting a decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients being treated there.

Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, was described by the health minister as the epicentre of infections in the country.

Istanbul University Cerrahpasa president, Prof. Dr Nuri Aydin, says there are about 120 patients currently being treated at his facility for coronavirus infection, a drop from last week's 230.

The government has refrained from imposing a total lockdown, fearing its negative impact on the already fragile economy.

It has opted for piecemeal measures instead, including weekend curfews and banning people above the age of 65 and below the age of 20 from leaving their homes.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced 92 deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest since April 11.

The total death toll now stands at 2,992, with 114,653 confirmed infections.

Aydin credits Turkey's course of treatment and implementation of isolation measures for the country's ability to avoid a wider crisis.

The hospital has seven floors dedicated to treating people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

On the fourth floor, Dondu Korkmaz is recuperating.

She is a nurse who just a month ago was treating patients in this very ward when she herself got infected.

Korkmaz is among the 70 medical staff who have been diagnosed with the disease so far, according to the facility's president.

About 25 of them have returned to work.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

The vast majority of people recover.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accompanied by State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus speaks at the State Department in Washington on April 29, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo Repeats Calls for China to Allow US Access to Virology Labs

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed calls for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to provide the United States with access to its virology labsspecifically the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Look, we still havent gained accessthe world hasnt gained access to the WIV, the virology institute there, Pompeo told reporters during an April 29 briefing at the State Department. We dont know precisely where this virus originated from.

Pompeo said he laid out his concerns in the context of nuclear assurance, pointing out how countries permit each other to visit one another and conduct checks on security levels and technological capabilities, in order to prevent an accidental nuclear release.

We need the same kinds of processes for biosystems and bio-laboratories as well, he said.

The CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, first emerged from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Beijing has a continuing obligation to share any information on the CCP virus, Pompeo said, noting that its not the first time that weve had a virus come out of China.

There are multiple labs that are continuing to conduct work, we think  on contagious pathogens inside of China today, he said. We dont know if they are operating at a level of security to prevent this from happening again.

Officials and leaders around the world are increasingly calling on China to be more transparent about the origins of the virus, and about how the regime dealt with the outbreak. Some countries such as Australia have called for an independent review of Beijings response.

During an April 27 coronavirus task force briefing, Trump said U.S. officials are conducting very serious investigations into China, adding that they are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldnt have spread all over the world.

Internal government documents obtained by The Epoch Times have highlighted how China purposely underreported cases of the CCP virus and censored discussions of the outbreak, exacerbating the spread of the disease.

During a Fox and Friends interview the same day, Pompeo expanded on his virology lab comments, again citing the crucial need to get data and information about the pathogens origin.

In spite of our best efforts to get experts on the ground, they [Chinese officials] continue to try and hide and obfuscate, he told the network. Thats wrong. It continues to pose a threat to the world, and we all need to get to the bottom of what actually happened here.

The world needs to know that were not going to see a repeat of this in the days and weeks and months ahead, he added.

Weeks ago, Pompeo made similar comments about Chinas stonewalling over access to the lab, telling Fox Business in an April 17 interview, Its not political. This is about science and epidemiology.

Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers suggested that U.S. hospitals and research labs are being targeted by Chinese cyber activity over vaccine developments. In an April 23 speech, Demers said that there is nothing more valuable today than biomedical research relating to vaccines or treatments for coronavirus.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Snow likely. Low around -7C. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snowfall around one inch..

Tonight

Snow likely. Low around -12C. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snowfall around one inch.
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.
We all know how busy and competitive the business industry can be, meaning as an employee you must do everything within your power (and more) to stand out. If you are ready to work harder than you ever have before, and believe you have what it takes to climb that corporate ladder, read on to find out how you can fast-track your way to the top.

Set Out a Clear Plan

Whilst it may be obvious what you want, having a clear plan set out will inform you of where you are and where you want to be. Not only can this motivate you to work harder, it also guarantees you don't go off track and lose your passion when the going gets tough.

Any smart businessperson has a long-term and short-term career plan. Your goals are a great thing to bring up during annual appraisals, as this sets out clear ambitions to your boss. Those who have career plans get further.

Planning your career path is the first step on your journey. Be clear and concise with your goals. Whilst being adventurous may get you further, be sure not to set goals that are unattainable.

Understand Your Company Values

Truly understanding a company's values means that you will work towards and share a common goal. From the moment you step foot in a company, you should not only understand their values but envision them as your own and aim to work towards them.

Not only this, but you must align your goals alongside your boss's goals. That way, you can assist them in achieving their personal and professional goals, getting you noticed sooner. If you work towards projects you know are important to your boss, they are more likely to come to you with more responsibility, meaning quicker opportunities for advancement.

Company values give you something to work from when setting your own goals. Helping others achieve their goals can bring you closer to achieving your own.

Develop Your Interpersonal Skills

If you really want to go far in business, there are certain interpersonal skills you must ascertain. Below are some of the most important and how you can begin to work on them:

Teamwork - Take every opportunity to work with others and to help them. Ask for other opinions and be sure to take them on board. A good leader knows they are nothing without their team.

Confidence - This is something that comes with time and a positive mindset. You have to be confident in your work to be able to inspire others to feel the same and to follow you.

Communication - There are plenty of online and evening classes out there for business people looking to improve their communication skills to become an effective leader. Communication comes in many forms, and you must show professionalism in the way you speak, how you compose yourself, and how you write emails.

Adaptability - With technology being at the forefront of many companies, those who work in business must be adaptable and feel positive about change. Instead of complaining when changes are made, be one of the first people to follow the change.

Whilst knowledge of the business industry can get you so far, excellent communication, adaptability, teamwork skills and confidence are what will get you into the big leagues.

Work Harder

Be sure to go above and beyond what your company and your manager expects of you. This means putting in extra work, finishing deadlines earlier than expected and working overtime. Be that person that offers to take over work if a colleague is off sick. The only way to fast-track your business career is to get noticed, and hard workers get noticed.

Volunteer first for any high-visibility projects. Be that person who is one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. This grind will be worth it when your name is constantly coming up on your manager's radar.

The biggest names in business didn't get where they are by sitting back and letting others do the work. Applying yourself in every way possible will get you noticed and will earn you those all-important promotions.

Get the Right Education

Education is important within business, and employers will scrutinise each employee's credentials. That being said, attending course after course may not be the ideal way to prove your knowledge and skills. Choosing the right education will get you noticed by the right people and will teach you valuable lessons.

The most sought-after business degree out there is an MBA (Master's in Business Administration). Even if you didn't study for an undergraduate degree in a business subject, you can still choose to study for a masters, as long as you have the relevant professional experience. Check this website out for more information and to find out how you can fast-track your education to land your dream role.

Educate yourself with a master's degree to gain respected knowledge and understanding of the business world and learn what it takes to become a leader in business.

Network Yourself

Networking is an ongoing part of any career and sometimes in business, it is who you know rather than what you know. Use any resources you can to gain leverage within the business community. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Make social media accounts, such as LinkedIn and Twitter (be sure to follow important businesspeople and interact in Twitter streams)

Don't bring up jobs when meeting new people

Ask for advice and listen

Attend conferences and events

Talk to those standing alone

Meet new people through friends and colleagues (this means saying yes to that lunch outing; you never know who you may meet and how they may help your career)

Networking shouldn't stop just because you have a job. You never know when an amazing opportunity can arise through networking.

Record Your Ongoing Successes

Having a quantifiable way of showing others what you have achieved can get you noticed. Many companies like to see measurable results, and whilst gaining a degree or taking on extra courses is excellent, showing this off is just as important.

Be sure to take your file with you during annual appraisals to show what you have achieved in a year. Those who have the initiative to take this proof and explain the importance of each course in improving their work are the ones who will gain promotions and raises.

Show off your successes and keep an accurate, professional file of your achievements. This can come in handy during appraisals and job interviews.

Help Others

Being known as the person around the office that helps others is a sure-fire way to get people to trust you and make long-lasting professional relationships. Always be willing to help others and look for signs that people need that extra hand. If you notice a colleague is constantly staying back late, ask them if they could use some help with an important deadline or some guidance on their work.

It may be that this is all they needed to get finished and go home on time. This ensures they sing your praises to colleagues and management and helping others can provide you with the opportunity to refine those leadership and teamworking skills.

Making and maintaining professional relationships at work is an essential part of business. Not only will colleagues lean on you for support, but you never know when you may need a favour from them.

Think Business Outside of Work

Great businesspeople have a thorough knowledge of the industry and take every opportunity to learn. This means reading, studying and breathing business. You can do this by:

Following companies and influential business figures on social media

Reading business magazines

Attending conferences and important events

Reading management books

The internet and books are both great tools for gaining insight into how others work and applying this to your own job role.

Be Thankful

Sometimes the way to get noticed isn't just hard work. Many interns simply forget to show their appreciation to those who have trained them or given them guidance that has helped them throughout their career. You remember those who appreciate you or say something good about you months or even years after the event.

So, it doesn't come as a surprise that your colleagues and managers are more likely to remember those who are thankful. This could be as simple as sending a thank-you email to a manager who gave you some great feedback or advice on completing a task.

Simply being appreciative and thankful for opportunities and guidance can be enough to get your name in the minds of those who matter.

Fast-tracking your business career starts with a vision and comes true with dedication, hard work, and understanding of the company. Always be willing to go that extra mile for your manager and colleagues, and be thankful for anyone that helps you to achieve success at work. Spend some time outside of work learning more about business and gaining insights from great business leaders, and you will get far in your business career.
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijan's Naval Forces have completed the tactical exercises held to ensure the security of the energy infrastructure in the operational zone of the Caspian Sea, the Minister of Defense reported in its official website on April 29.

The exercises by the Naval Forces that started on April 27, also focused on planning and conducting combat operations in cooperation with ship tactical groups, as well as improving the skills of commanders, headquarters, and military personnel, the ministry said.

Involving more than 20 ships and boats, 2 helicopters, including up to 700 servicemen, the exercises have been divided into three stages.

The first stage of the exercises, according to the signal, included measures that were taken to alert the formations and military units, to bring the forces and means struggling underwater sabotage into the state of combat readiness.

At the second stage, naval forces conducted actions to deploy underwater anti-sabotage forces in the areas of responsibility were worked out, underwater anti-sabotage defense missions were fulfilled, as well as operations to protect oil, and gas infrastructures. At the third stage, after carrying out combat firing, the ships returned to the points of permanent deployment.

It should be noted that the exercises were held in accordance with the combat training plan for 2020 approved by the Minister of Defense.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. said he will not condone a Chinese vessel's pointing of a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship in the West Philippine Sea.

On his Twitter page Tuesday night, Locsin responded with strong words to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana's statement that the incident was merely a test and China wanted to see how the Filipinos would react.

"Well we passed the test; I slapped them back. Don't even dream of pointing anything at my country. Wanna point then fire away. Let's see where that takes us," Locsin said in a tweet.

"[N]ever ever point anything at my country unless you're looking for a fight. I know my soldiers," he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs last week filed a diplomatic protest over the aiming of weapons at BRP Conrado Yap, a former Pohang-class corvette received by the Philippines from South Korea last year. It is considered as the country's "most powerful" ship yet.

It's not clear if there has been any response from the Chinese government, but it has so far made no public statement on the issue.

Lorenzana said China received the diplomatic protest on April 22. He said the Chinese may have no intention to fire its weapons, adding it is similar to previous maritime incidents when it would challenge vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

Locsin, however, said, "as the country's chief diplomat I don't do mind-reading; I just interpret actions & respond accordingly. I won't tolerate anyone pointing at me or my countrymen unless they're admirers; then I expect the pointing to be accompanied by a shower of petals."

While it has not released a statement on the Philippines' diplomatic action, the Chinese Embassy in Manila on April 24 released a music video with the song "Iisang Dagat," meant to pay tribute to frontliners in the battle against the coronavirus disease in the Philippines and in China.

It drew outrage online as Filipinos took it as a Chinese propaganda to assert ownership of the West Philippine Sea  areas Manila claims and occupies in the disputed South China Sea. China insists on owning the global waterway and rejects the Philippines' 2016 arbitration win that invalidated its sweeping claim.

The two countries remain friends, its leaders say, as they agreed to set aside the arbitral ruling for joint oil and gas exploration.
In Washington, nothing is permanent -- except sometimes, when things that were established to be temporary live on.

So it is, at least occasionally, with laws passed by Congress. What was said to be a part-time fix for one thing or another proves to be both successful and popular, and gets renewed, repeatedly. In other instances, an executive order from the White House, also intended to address a particular problem at a specific moment, takes on a life of its own.

Sometimes, though, the very notion of temporariness is a shield, a way to get something out of the gate without creating too much of an uproar. This is exactly what occurred with a recent move by the White House to put a temporary hold on the receipt of green cards.

The decision, a product of top White House adviser Stephen Miller, the architect of much of President Donald Trumps anti-immigration policy, bans for 60 days the issuance of green cards, which allow non-citizens to live and work in the United States. The ostensible reason? The coronavirus pandemic.

Except that Miller, in a conversation with supporters of the president, admitted the truth:

"The first and most important thing is to turn off the faucet of new immigrant labor -- mission accomplished -- with signing that executive order," Miller told supporters in a conference call on Thursday. The recording of the call was first reported by The Washington Post.

The plan, simply stated: Start with the new executive order, and go from there, looking to end immigration as we've known it.

This is both bad public policy and bad economics.

America is a land of immigrants. That fact has always been our strength. Each new generation, each new ethnic group, has faced its own difficulties -- and then become a part of the mainstream. The Irish. The Italians. The Greeks. All were once seen by some as outsiders, before becoming as American as was George Washington.

Trump, prodded by Miller, wants those coming here from south of our nation's border with Mexico to be seen as, well, as unAmerican.

It won't work. Because real Americans -- both those whose families have been here from 1620 and those who arrived yesterday -- know better. They know that America is a nation of immigrants who believe in a shared set of ideals.

Trump and Miller will never learn that lesson.
(Photo : Robert Anasch on Unsplash) Uber's CTO Steps Down As The Company Plans 20% Layoffs: 5,400 Employees Might Lose Their Jobs! (Photo : Pixabay) Uber's CTO Steps Down As The Company Plans 20% Layoffs: 5,400 Employees Might Lose Their Jobs!

Uber's CTO, Thuan Pham, will be stepping down from his position because of the company's plan to layoff 20% of its workers.

According to The Verge's report, Pham will be stepping down as stated by the raid-hailing company in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, April 28. He Pham joined the company in 2013, making him the longest-serving top executive of Uber.

The Information was the first to report the departure of Uber's CTO. They also said that the executives at Uber are actively planning cost-cutting measures that could involve layoffs of up to 20% of the company's employees to cope with a sharp decline in business because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the report clarified that the layoffs have not yet been finalized and could be announced in stages over the following weeks.

According to The Information, if the company finalizes its planned layoffs, more than 5,400 out of 27,000 employees of Uber will lose their jobs.

Uber's CTO steps down as the company plans 20% layoffs: 5,400 employees might lose their jobs!

According to The Verge, one of the spokespeople of Uber refused to comment on the prospect of layoffs.

"As you would expect, the company is looking at every possible scenario to ensure we get to the other side of this crisis in a stronger position than ever," said the spokesperson in the report.

Because of the pandemic caused by the viral coronavirus, Uber's ride-hailing business has significantly suffered.

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said in a call with the investors that the company's gross bookings in most major cities were down by almost 70%.

On the other hand, the previous report of The Information stated that Uber's overall business was down to 80% year-on-year. While the company profited from its food delivery division, "Uber eats," it wasn't enough to make up for the losses in its core ride-hailing product.

The Verge clarified that this is not the company's first time to do mass layoffs. Last year, 2019, nearly 1,000 employees were laid off by Uber in its product, engineering, and marketing department to shore up spending and address some of its massive deficits.

In the past months, Uber shares have fallen more than 50% because of investor concerns regarding the impact of the pandemic on the company's bookings and a broader market decline.

The resignation of Uber's CTO will be the end of an era for Uber. Pham was the last holdover from the days when the former CEO Travis Kalanick was in charge. Many of the scandals faced by the company forced most of its top leaders to step down, including Kalanick.

"While the work is never done, I feel comfortable hanging up my hat at a time when the Uber Engineering team is at peak productivity, we have built robust system scale and stability, and are well prepared to face the future," said Pham in a statement.

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As some states move to reopen after weeks of shutdowns, infectious disease experts say the prevention of future coronavirus outbreaks will depend on scaling up testing and identifying asymptomatic carriers.

Now, eight Labrador retrievers - and their powerful noses - have been enlisted to help. The dogs are the first trainees in a University of Pennsylvania research project to determine whether canines can detect an odor associated with the virus that causes covid-19. If so, they might eventually be used in a sort of "canine surveillance" corps, the university said - offering a noninvasive, four-legged method to screen people in airports, businesses or hospitals.

It would not be surprising if the dogs prove adept at detecting SARS-CoV-2. In addition to drugs, explosives and contraband food items, dogs are able to sniff out malaria, cancers and even a bacterium ravaging Florida's citrus groves. And research has found that viruses have specific odors, said Cynthia M. Otto, director of the Working Dog Center at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine.

"We don't know that this will be the odor of the virus, per se, or the response to the virus, or a combination," said Otto, who is leading the project. "But the dogs don't care what the odor is. ... What they learn is that there's something different about this sample than there is about that sample."

A similar effort is underway at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where researchers previously demonstrated that dogs could identify malaria infections in humans. In a statement, James Logan, head of the school's disease control department, called canines a "new diagnostic tool [that] could revolutionize our response to covid-19."

[Find out first: Get breaking news sent directly to your inbox, plus Chron.com's top morning and afternoon headlines]

On Tuesday, Logan said his research team expects to begin collecting covid-19 samples "within a matter of weeks" and working with the charity Medical Detection Dogs to train canines soon after. The goal is to initially deploy six dogs to airports in the United Kingdom, he said.

"Each individual dog can screen up to 250 people per hour," Logan said in an email. "We are simultaneously working on a model to scale it up so it can be deployed in other countries at ports of entry, including airports."

The Working Dog Center typically trains dogs, which live with foster families, at its facility in Philadelphia, but the pandemic is forcing it to adjust. To minimize social contact, the project is instead working with Labs at a K-9 training firm in Maryland, Tactical Directional Canine, Otto said.

Miss M., Poncho and six other chocolate, yellow and black Labs began the first stage of training - learning to identify an odor for a food reward - this month, she said. Next, the dogs will train using urine and saliva samples collected from patients who tested positive and negative at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The following step is trickier, Otto said: learning to detect the virus in a human.

"That's going to be the next proof of concept: Can we train them to identify it when a person has it and that person's moving? Or even standing still?" Otto said.

Exactly how covid-19 detection dogs might be put to use in the United States would depend on demands, Otto said, though no one's talking about stationing a dog in every hospital or testing site.

If the need is lots of tests, then Penn chemists and physicists might be able to use what they learn from the dogs to create an electronic "nose," or sensor. The goal of the Working Dog Center's research on ovarian cancer-detection dogs, for example, is to produce "an electronic test where thousands and thousands of samples could be screened in a short period," Otto said.

Other settings, such as fields where the center has trained dogs to detect the eggs of invasive spotted lantern flies, call for actual canines that can quickly roam and sniff, she said.

"The exciting area is the sort of convergence with what dogs are currently doing with TSA and screening for explosives," she said. "If we can do a similar approach for screening humans, then there will be a large interest" in using dogs to help flag people for testing, she added.

One potential complication: Explosives detection dogs are already in short supply.

"We don't have enough detection dogs. And if now, all of a sudden, everyone wants a covid detection dog? It's going to be challenge to figure out where are the priorities," Otto said. "But there's a lot of opportunity."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 07:54:09|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who leads White House's coronavirus task force, on Tuesday visited the Mayo Clinic without a mask, though the medical facility requires all visitors to wear masks to avoid the spread of coronavirus, local media reported.

Online video showed Pence was surrounded by about 10 people, including a patient, who unlike him all were wearing masks.

"As vice president of the United States, I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus," Pence said.

The Mayo Clinic, which is located in Rochester, Minnesota, is requiring all patients, visitors and staff to wear a face covering or mask to slow the spread of COVID-19, according to a CNBC report.

President Donald Trump has said he will not wear a mask.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 1.01 million as of Tuesday evening, with more than 58,000 deaths, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. Enditem
YEREVAN.  Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: It seems that something is wrong at the [National Assembly (NA)] committee of inquiry [into the April 2016 war] (). Did we notice correctly? We asked the member of the NA committee of inquiry.

"There is such a thing, probably due to [ex-President] Serzh Sargsyan coming to the committee. Their hope was that he would not come, and "a wide field of activity would be opened for them," as they say, "the situation has changed."

Will you call NK [Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)] President Bako Sahakyan next? "It has not been decided yet." Will Bako Sahakyan come? We asked our Karabakh source. "I don't think there's any point in inviting him." Serzh Sargsyan is invited, he can also be invited. "Serzh Sargsyan was the Commander-in-Chief [at the time], he was officially in charge."
Gurugram, April 29 : Three more coronavirus positive cases were reported from Gurugram district on Wednesday, all of them female health workers, an official said.

Confirming the new cases, Covid-19 team member Dr Ram Prakash Jha said that two of the health staff was from the Gurugram Civil Hospital in Sector 10, the third was from Medanta Hospital. Earlier too, such cases among healthcare workers in Gurugram have been reported.

"Following their test reports, they have been put in quarantine wards of private and government hospitals apart from their families," he said.

The two Civil Hospital staff live in Sector 10 while the Medanta Hospital staff lives in adjoining Islampur village. These areas have also been declared as containment zones.

Gurugram has so far reported 54 positive cases, of which 38 have been cured and discharged. Gurugram has 26 containment zones.

In another development, the Gurugram district administration has imposed more restrictions on movement between Delhi and Gurugram. Delhi Police personnel are already banned from entry into Haryana following direction of Home Minister Anil Vij.

Gurugram District Magistrate Amit Khatri said: "We have not sealed the border for essential services. Thorough checking of persons coming from Delhi is done. Any person from Gurugram working in Delhi should stay there. Similar is the case with employees working in Gurugram. The idea is to prevent cross-border travel to minimise chances of spread of coronavirus."


By Park Si-soo







South Korea's top 500 companies let go more than 10,000 employees between February and March in a preemptive measure to deal with the looming specter of recession driven by the protracted coronavirus pandemic, data showed on Wednesday.







Workers in the retail, distribution and food/beverage industries have borne the brunt of the downsizing, accounting for 40 percent of those laid off.





CEO Score, a business consultancy, published the figures based on the state pension subscription data of 500 top companies. In Korea,

with more than one Korean employee are obliged to have their employees subscribed to the pension.







According to the consultancy, as of March 31, the number of subscribers working at the top 500 companies was 1,644,868, down 10,844 from the end of January.









1. CJ CGV (movie theater franchise): 2,331 laid off



2. CJ Foodville (restaurant franchise): 1,629



3. Starbucks Coffee Korea: 859



4. Lotte Shopping: 827



5. Doosan Heavy Industries: 678



6. Daiso (daily necessities store franchise): 620



7. Korea Expressway Corporation: 573



8. GS Retail: 527



9. Korean Air: 470



10. Corning Incorporated: 339


Bhubaneswar, April 29 : Indian Super League (ISL) side Odisha FC on Wednesday announced that Odia youngster Shubham Sarangi will continue being a part of the team till 2023.

The 19-year-old defender has signed the extension of his contract with the Bhubaneswar-based ISL club on Wednesday.

Speaking on the development, Club President Rohan Sharma said, "Shubham came to this club when he was 17. We loved his talent so he was the first boy we sent to Aspire Academy. He showed maturity in believing in us and waiting on the bench for a chance to shine. This year he showed what a great talent he is. But this is just his first step. I can't wait for him to grow and develop into the man and player I know he can be. I hope he inspires the kids of Odisha that with hard work and patience you can reach your dreams." Expressing his delight, Shubham said, "I am very happy that I will be continuing to play for Odisha FC for three more years. I have enjoyed a lot while playing in front of the home crowd at the Kalinga Stadium and will look forward to the same in my upcoming days with OFC.

"I am extremely thankful to the club management for their continuous support and would want to make the club and the state proud with a good show on the ground." Odisha FC finished sixth in the 10-team ISL points table last season, missing out on a playoffs berth. ATK emerged champions.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said of the total active COVID-19 cases in the country, only 0.33 per cent patients are on ventilators, 1.5 per cent are on oxygen support and 2.34 per cent are in ICU.

Active COVID-19 patients are those who have been diagnosed with the disease and are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals or are lodged in quarantine facilities.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,008 and the number of cases climbed to 31,787 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stand at 22,982 in the country, according to the data updated on Wednesday evening.

Oxygen therapy is given to supplement the oxygen deficiency usually through masks or nasal prongs while ventilator is a mechanical respiratory device which does the work of the lungs when the body is unable to do the required breathing.

Vardhan, who interacted with the Lions Club International members across the country through video conference, said the doubling rate of coronavirus cases is 11.3 days in the country for the last three days.

The Union minister said the mortality rate in COVID-19 patients in India is three per cent as compared to seven per cent globally and around 86 per cent of the fatalities have been reported among those with co-morbiditie like diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney and heart related issues.

"Only 0.33 per cent patients are on ventilators, 1.5 per cent patients are on oxygen support and 2.34 per cent patients are in ICU, which reflects the quality of care being provided across the country," Vardhan said.

In case of any further eventuality, the country is well equipped with isolation beds, ventilators, personal protection equipment and masks among others, he said.

Vardhan also informed that 288 government laboratories are working along with 97 private laboratory chains with around 16,000 sample collection centres and testing around 60,000 tests per day.

The government is working to increase the testing capacity to one lakh tests per day within the next few days, he added.

Since the development of a vaccine is going to take a longer time, lockdown and social distancing are serving as effective 'social vaccine', Vardhan said.

"The Ministry of Science and Technology, under my charge, has also been working on innovations and have been funding certain projects which are going to make the testing procedure quite fast," he said.

Maintaining a continuous situation awareness, pre-emptive and proactive approach, graded response as per continuously evolving scenario, inter-sectoral coordination at all levels and creating a people's movement to combat this disease has been India's approach in combating COVID-19, the minister highlighted.

Commenting on the country's strength in tackling the disease, he said, "India has successfully tackled public health emergencies of international concern and pandemics in the past as well.

"Our nation has the requisite national core capacities stipulated in the International Health Regulations to manage public health emergencies."



The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), which is a nation-wide surveillance system for epidemic prone diseases, has been activated towards COVID response, and is being further strengthened with substantive digital inputs," Vardhan said, he said.

"I value Lions Club members having made appreciable contribution in our fight against COVID-19, especially through PM-CARES contribution, equipments, sanitizers food, PPE kits and N95 masks for hospitals," Vardhan said.

Vardhan expressed his gratitude to the Lions Club members for contributing an amount of Rs 9.1 Crores in the PM CARES fund and of Rs 12.5 Crores to the various Chief Ministers Relief Funds.

Meanwhile, Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan chaired a meeting through video conference with representatives from states and districts to discuss on health infrastructure and other aspects related to COVID-19 management on Wednesday.

The functioning of GIS Dashboard, COVID-19 portal and dedicated RT-PCR referral App was discussed during the meeting.

She urged states to promote the Arogya Setu App which is a self assessment tool helpful in the prevention efforts of the government.

She emphasised that non-COVID essential medical care should not be neglected.

It was reiterated during the meeting that patients needing care like dialysis, cancer treatment, diabetics, pregnant women and those suffering from cardiac ailments must be given adequate care.

Speaking on management of COVID-19 cases, Dr Balram Bhargava, Secretary (DHR) and DG, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) emphasized on the importance of the meticulousness in collection of samples and filling up of the accompanying forms.

States were informed that the RT-PCR app has been made functional and needs to be put to use immediately.

It's an App used for collection centres to fill data at the point of sample collection, to ensure real time data to cut time delay and avoid duplication in efforts of filling in same data at multiple points.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High around 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 40F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
The Union Government, earlier this month, citing the lack of availability of enough ventilators had asked automobile manufacturers to extend support in manufacturing more ventilators. In light of the same, Maruti Suzuki has manufactured more than 1,500 units of the ventilator in around 20 days. However, in these dire times, the units have been dispatched as the company is waiting for the Governments order.

Maruti Suzuki Chairman, R C Bhargava in an interview with Car and Bike said," The Govt. made a request to us that there was a critical shortage of Ventilators. HLL Lifecare (govt. enterprise) has carried out an inspection of ventilators that have been manufactured, unfortunately, they haven't been able to send us a report yet. We are still waiting for orders from them to know where these ventilators can be dispatched."

In April, the company announced a partnership with AgVa Healthcare, an existing approved manufacturer of ventilators. MSIL would work with AgVa Healthcare to rapidly scale up production of ventilators. AgVa Healthcare would be responsible for the technology, performance and related matters for all the ventilators produced and sold by them.

MSIL would use its suppliers to produce the required volume of components and use its experience and knowledge to upgrade systems for the production and quality control of the higher volumes. Any other assistance required would also be provided. MSIL would also help, to the required extent to arrange financing, and obtain all permissions and approvals required to enable the higher production. MSIL would provide these services free of cost to AgVa Healthcare.

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Editors Note: Welcome to Inside Out, our weekly roundup of stories about Staten Islanders of all ages who are making waves, being seen, supporting our community and just making our borough a special place to live. Have a story for Inside Out? Email Carol Ann Benanti at benanti@siadvance.com

In todays unsettling times, as we reflect on the world around us and brace for the future, the sun shines a little brighter, our love runs a little deeper and birthday celebrations have become all the more meaningful.

Consider Josephine DiDio, the 99-year old much-admired, much-loved family matriarch who made her debut into the world on April 26, 1921.

Josephine DiDio, sitting, center, and her family, celebrate her birthday two years ago (Courtesy/Michael Crecco)Staten Island Advance

Family members would have loved to host Josephines 99th birthday dinner last Sunday, laugh about good times past, chat about her loving advice, marvel over her incredible cooking and the steadfast traditions shes instilled over the years, and even recall a few of lifes sad moments.

Soon we will be able to throw her a big party and give her lots of hugs and kisses, but for now we had a birthday parade, honked horns, yelled from our car windows we love you and had a family virtual birthday party and watched as she blew out her candles, said Josephines grandson, Michael Crecco.

Josephine Didio and her husband, Paul, at a family wedding. (Courtesy/Michael Crecco)Staten Island Advance

Josephines family gathered in front of her daughter, Paula Sicas Annadale home, Michael pointed out. They even had Stefanie from Sweetest Smiles Photography and deejay Alex from E-Squared Productions on hand.

Josephine Didio celebrated her 99th birthday with a drive-by birthday party. (Stefanie/Sweetest Smiles Photography)Staten Island Advance

A LITTLE ABOUT THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

The former Josephine Vaiano was born in Brooklyn. She lived with her parents, three sisters and a brother and when she was a teen became a seamstress, receiving on the job training.

Josephine Didio celebrates her 99th birthday with a drive-by parade. (Courtesy/ Stefanie/Sweetest Smiles Photography)Staten Island Advance

On June 1, 1947 she married Paul DiDio. The couple raised five children, Maria, Salvatore, Louisa, Paula and Linda, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn until they relocated to their New Springville on Nov. 21, 1964, the day the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened.

The new home soon became the happening place for her siblings, their families and her children to gather for great times on weekends, holidays, birthdays, Saturday night card games, barbecues, sleep overs and just plain old fashioned family fun.

Josephine with her son, Salvatore. She was feted by her family during a drive-by parade. (Courtesy/ Stefanie/Sweetest Smiles Photography)Staten Island Advance

HER TALENTS

A full-time homemaker throughout her marriage, Josephines hobbies included sewing, crocheting, dancing and bowling.

An expert with crochet needles, she handcrafted bridal attendant dolls for her childrens weddings  something that was all the rage during decades past.

The DiDio home was always the centerpiece for family get-togethers that sometimes included up to 50 people. And each Sunday the dinner table brimmed with eight pounds of pasta and was piled high with more than 50 meatballs and pounds of sausage, all created by the cooking guru herself.

As Josephines children married, she welcomed their spouses and the traditions continued on Toddy Avenue in New Springville, the birthday girls former residence.

In fact, one of Josephines favorite quotes is Family comes first," and its all about family. And since shes renowned for her meatballs that she always kept hot in a warm oven, in case family members were wondering, each Sunday she greeted them with, The meatballs are in the oven.

Josephinie Didio' grandchildren and great-grandchildren wish her a happy drive-by birthday. (Courtesy/ Stefanie/Sweetest Smiles Photography)Staten Island Advance

Grandma is known for her macaroni and meatballs. Each week her loving hands would fry over 100 meatballs. As the grandchildren started being born, it was in that home that we would all meet each week and become the tight knit family that we are, continued Michael.

He said they vacationed together to the Jersey Shore, Disney World, and Ocean City, Md., sailed on cruises, and vacationed for more than 25 years to Aruba with 25 family members traveling together.

When our grandpa died in 2016 our grandma was heartbroken, as was the whole family. While her daughters stepped up to be her companions and caregivers, the whole family realized the importance of visiting grandma more often. Now with COVID-19, our visits are daily virtual check-ins," said Michael.

Nowadays the super nonagenarian lives with her daughter, Paula, and son-in-law, Mike, in Annadale, but that doesnt stop weekly visits from family, Sunday dinners and holidays spent together.

And now, says Michael, 19 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren add to the fun of the family.

He explains his grandmother can be wrapped up in one word. And that word is Love.

Happy 99th birthday grandma. We love you!" adds Michael.
The Delhi Police has booked former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act near Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year, said his lawyer.

Imam has been booked under Section 13 (unlawful activities) of the Act in the case, said his counsel advocate Mishika Singh.

The police had earlier charged Imam with sedition, alleging his speech promoted enmity between people that led to riots.

"He was arrested in two cases of violence at Jamia on December 13 and 15, 2019, for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech on December 13 and based on evidences collected, Indian Penal Code sections 124 A and 153 A were also invoked," said Anil Mittal, Additional PRO, Delhi Police.

In its supplementary charge sheet, the police had said serious riots had broken out in consequence of the protest march organised by Jamia students against the amended citizenship law on December 15 last year.

The mob indulged in large-scale rioting, stone-pelting and arson, and in the process destroyed several public and private properties while a number of police personnel and people were injured in the riots, the agency said in its final report filed before the chief metropolitan magistrate court.

The cases were registered at New Friends Colony and Jamia Nagar Police Stations. In the New Friends Colony case, Imam was arrested for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech delivered on December 13, 2019.

"During investigation, on the basis of evidence collected, sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A IPC (promoting enmity between classes) were invoked in the case," a police officer said.

Imam was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28.

He was involved in organising protests at Shaheen Bagh but came into limelight after a video showed him making controversial comments before a gathering at Aligarh Muslim University, following which he was booked under sedition charges.

The Delhi Police had also booked him for an 'inflammatory' speech delivered on the Jamia campus.

Another case was filed against Imam in Assam under the stringent anti-terror law for his remark that Assam could be 'severed from India, even if for a few months' as a result of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Police in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh had also lodged first information reports against the JNU scholar over his speech in which he threatened to "cut off" Assam and the rest of the northeast from the country.
BOSTON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thought Industries , the world's leading B2B customer training platform provider, today announces the results of their 2020 State of Customer Training Report survey. Working with Claire Schooley, the former lead learning analyst at Forrester, the team surveyed over 150 participants spanning a variety of industries during Q1 2020 to gauge the perception of customer training in the workplace. The most significant survey findings revealed product adoption is seen as the top benefit of customer training, while usability is believed to be the most important aspect of a customer training platform. The report also indicated one of the biggest challenges is customer engagement and adoption, with customer retention and moving in-person training online becoming top priorities amid the current global pandemic.

The survey findings come at a critical time of growth for the customer training industry, which is no longer seen as an afterthought tagged onto a company's new service or product. While many other surveys examine employee training, the second annual State of Customer Training Report is the first of its kind to take an in-depth look at how companies are navigating the digital training options available for external training.

Other key findings include:

96% of respondents believe customer training is important to their organization

COVID-19 has led to a major shift in the market, with 59% of respondents indicating retaining customers and moving from in-person to online training or virtual instructor-led training (vILT) are top priorities in light of the pandemic

85% said they have an LMS for employee training, yet just over half (57%) have one for customer training

75% have increased their customer training in the past five years, yet only 14% believe a majority of their customers are adequately trained

37% revealed their most deficient area is onboarding training, followed by 32% who indicated they could benefit from increasing customer training in the areas of ongoing engagement and retention

Almost half (43%) noted they are struggling to measure the impact of customer training

"As businesses rapidly shift to online learning to fill the void of in-person training and events, they're at the crossroads of speed and quality," said Barry Kelly, CEO, Thought Industries. "Our report shows that product adoption and learner engagement have become critical components of retaining customers and enhancing brand loyalty, while customer training has become an integral driver to business success at scale."

Looking to the future, respondents noted a few goals for customer training in 2020 and beyond. Almost half (49%) want to expand their content library beyond feature functionality; 47% want to build out their training beyond the onboarding path; 43% want to incorporate online training within their product or platform; 39% want to get a better grasp on measuring their ROI.

Download the full 2020 State of Customer Training Report .

About Thought Industries

Thought Industries powers the business of learning by providing the world's leading B2B customer training platform. The company was founded in 2014 around the core belief that online learning experiences should be modern, intuitive, engaging, and scalable. Today, our growing team builds and maintains the only learning solution with completely native tools and integrations that drive higher engagement, learner proficiency, and retention rates for our customers. Headquartered in Boston, Thought Industries has offices across North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.thoughtindustries.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

SOURCE Thought Industries

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No Time To Die (Credit: MGM)

Danny Boyle exited the Bond movie that eventually became No Time To Die back in August of 2018, after running into creative differences with producers over the film's plot.

Boyle was replaced with Beasts of No Nation and True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, but by the sounds of it, Fukunaga's original idea was also pretty out there.

And it involved the final act of Spectre, the preceding Bond movie, having all taken place inside James Bond's head.

Read more: No Time To Die wont be re-edited before release

Speaking to Interview, Fukunaga has shared his early concept, which it appears didn't really stick.

I swear to god, I had an idea that this movie could all be taking place inside the villain's lair from the last film, the director said.

There's this scene where a needle goes into James Bond's head, which is supposed to make him forget everything, and then he miraculously escapes by a watch bomb.

Cary Fukunaga, Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas (Credit: AP Photo/Leo Hudson)

And then he and Lea blow up the place, and go on to save the day. I was like, 'What if everything up until the end of act two is all inside his head?'

The aforementioned villain, Christoph Waltz's Ernst Stavo Blofeld, does indeed appear in No Time To Die, but it would seem that Bond and Lea Seydoux did end up escaping after all, and it wasn't all a figment of Bond's imagination.

Read more: Bond star Honor Blackman dies at 94

The movie instead finds Bond out of active service and retired in Jamaica, but hauled back into espionage thanks to Jeffrey Wright's Felix Leiter, who asks him to help find a missing scientist.

The 25th movie in the series, it was among the first high profile Hollywood films to postpone its scheduled April release due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Starring Seydoux, Waltz and Daniel Craig alongside Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Ralph Fiennes, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas and Rami Malek is the villain Safin, it lands on 12 November.
Unfair commercial terms of tech platforms such as Google and Facebook have resulted in these giants cornering 85 % of digital advertising while Indian media companies, whose journalists continue to report fearlessly even in the most challenging circumstances (during the current pandemic), are at the receiving end, the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has told the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry.

The body and a grouping of radio operators have separately written to the government highlighting the financial crisis their members are facing and sought a support package.

In a letter to I&B secretary Amit Khare, INS president Shailesh Gupta has sought the creation of a level playing field for the Indian media organizations vis-a-vis foreign platforms operating beyond the law. If corrective action is not taken, there could be closure of many regional or even national titles, he added.

In his letter, Gupta said the operational costs of Indian media organizations were increasing year on year.

More than 85% of the digital advertising of Rs. 15,000 crore last year went to these tech giants, leaving almost nothing for Indian media companies. Indian media companies have been raising this unfortunate situation for years. There is also no transparency regarding advertising rates and the commission from these companies, Gupta said.

The letter reflects growing concern in many parts of the world around how these platforms operate.

Last week, after the tech platforms and media companies could not arrive at an agreement on the payment to news media companies from advertising placed around content generated by them but used on these platforms, the Australian government asked the countrys competition watchdog to come up with a solution to how this can be done. In France, the competition watchdog has asked Google to hold talks with news media to arrive at a similar arrangement.

In his letter, Gupta mentioned that the Indian media is going through troubled times because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown.

As an essential service, we continue to work overtime during this lockdown to bring the latest news and information pertaining to the pandemic. We are also battling the fake news virus that is prevalent on social media, Gupta said. His reference is to unsubstantiated and sometimes inflammatory content that sometimes finds its way onto such platforms , which do not have the same responsibility or liability as media firms for the content they showcase.

Indian media companies report and produce the news and these tech giants walk away with all the revenue, the INS letter said.

Google and Facebook were not immediately available for comments.

Guptas letter listed several issues which the INS has been raising: tax status of tech platforms, jurisdiction of Indian laws over them, fake news, search results hurting quality journalism and lack of copyright recognition for use of content.

Meanwhile, the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating the need for support. The body previously wrote to I&B minister Prakash Javadekar seeking waiver of a year on all licence fee and government charges; the restoration of government advertising on radio; clearance of past government dues; and the deferment of advance payments for 2020-21.

AROI said that the I&B ministry had responded to the request with a three-month extension of license fee payments without interest. While this will reduce the pressures on the industry to some extent, the support is much less than what was requested, it said in its letter.

The radio operators body appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider its demand for a support package for the industry that directly and indirectly employs over 20,000 people. It has requested the Prime Ministers Office to consider the four points it made in its original letter to the I&B minister.

Being a free to air medium, radio again becomes critical for reaching out to the masses regarding government and policy announcements, AROI said adding that the prime minister himself had effectively used the medium.

Looking at the current situation, Government support is critical to help radio companies survive the on-going emergency in the short term, till the economy stabilises itself, AROI said.
The Alabama Senates General Fund committee today approved a budget smaller than the one proposed by Gov. Kay Ivey before the coronavirus pandemic but larger than this years budget.

Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, chairman of the committee, said the General Fund is healthy and projections indicate the slowdown caused by the pandemic will reduce growth in tax revenues but not force overall cuts.

Were not searching between the sofa cushions any more for dollars, Albritton said. "We have a strong flow of revenue."

For example, Albritton said tax revenue from internet shopping, a key source of dollars for the General Fund, is projected to remain strong in spite of the COVID-19 guidelines that are crippling many businesses.

The budget approved by the committee today calls for spending $2.4 billion from the General Fund, $167 million more than this year. Thats about $170 million less than what Ivey proposed before the pandemic struck and forced business cutbacks that have taken jobs from more than 300,000 Alabamians.

Todays committee approval puts the budget in position for a vote in the Senate when the Legislature returns next week. The budget is for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

Albritton said most agencies would receive about the same amount as this year. Three agencies would receive increases requested in the governors budget.

The largest increase from the General Fund would go to Medicaid, which provides some levels of service to almost a million Alabamians. Medicaid would receive $94 million more than this year, a total of $820 million. Public Health would receive a $35 million increase, to $106 million. Mental Health would receive a $26 million increase, to $154 million.

The governor requested a $42 million increase for the Alabama Department of Corrections, up to $563 million. The state prison system is under pressure from the Department of Justice and a federal judge to hire more correctional officers and make other improvements to address what the DOJ says are unconstitutional conditions because of violence, overcrowding and understaffing. The budget approved by the committee would give the ADOC a smaller increase, to $544 million. Albritton said the ADOC still has about $18 million for hiring officers that it has not spent from previous budgets.

The governor requested $48 million for the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, essentially the same at this year. The committee cut that to $27 million. Albritton said Pardons and Paroles has not spent about $25 million it received a few years ago to hire more parole and probation officers.

Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, opposed the budget and said lawmakers should pass a more conservative spending plan because of the uncertainty over how quickly the economy can recover. Chambliss said lawmakers need to keep reserves that could be used to help prevent budget cuts and possible state employee layoffs if the recovery is slower than expected.

Its like a big ship, Chambliss said. If we use that small rudder now, its not a big deal down the road. But if we wait and then weve got to turn on a dime, we cant do that.

In 2011, the Legislature passed a rolling reserve law that caps spending in the education budget. That has built a nest egg of about $800 million in two funds that could act as a cushion against education budget cuts. Chambliss has sponsored bills to set up a similar plan for the General Fund but they have not passed.

After the recession of 2007 to 2009, lawmakers relied on federal funds, the BP oil spill settlement, other one-time sources of money, and raising the cigarette tax to prop up the General Fund. Chambliss said the state needs to respond better to the current slowdown and be prepared when the next one comes.

Legislators did make some long-term changes that are helping now, like moving revenue from the internet sales taxes and other growing sources of tax dollars to the General Fund.

And despite not having a rolling reserve law in the General Fund, the Legislature has kept spending levels below the revenue and started this year with a balance of about $272 million in the General Fund.

We have been conservative, Chambliss said. We have been carrying over money. And we need to continue to do that. We actually need to double down on that and do it even more so right now, because of what might occur.

Albritton said a 2% pay raise Ivey proposed for state employees before the pandemic is not under consideration now.

Ivey also proposed a 3% pay raise for education employees. Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, chairman of the education budget committee, said today he does not expect that to pass because of concerns about revenues.

The Education Trust Fund figures to take a bigger hit than the General Fund with the economic slowdown. Its biggest sources of funding are state income taxes and sales taxes.

But Orr said the ETF is in a strong position to absorb the declines in revenue, with about an $800 million cushion in place before having to resort to two separate funds specifically set up to prevent budget cuts.

The legislative session must end by May 18 because the state constitution limits sessions to 105 days. Orr said its important to pass the education budget to help school systems plan for the next academic year. He said lawmakers could return and make adjustments in a special session if the pandemic causes changes in revenue that make that necessary.

The urgency primarily is K-12, Orr said. "They are looking for a budget. They need a budget to plan their school years. Thats the main impetus for us to go ahead and get a budget that we think best reflects where we are fiscally at the time."

Before the pandemic, Ivey proposed a budget that would have spent $7.5 billion from the Education Trust Fund, a $400 million increase over this year and the largest budget ever. The states economy was strong then, with a record number of Alabamians working and unemployment at an all-time low of 2.7%.

Orr said he is working with the House education budget chairman, Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, on a scaled-back version. He said it would probably be an increase over this years budget but substantially less than the $400 million increase Ivey originally sought.

Albritton, like Orr, said its important to go ahead and pass the budget even though there are uncertainties about revenues because of the pandemic.

We are late in the year for getting budgets passed than we normally would be anyway, Albritton said. We have the means, we have enough data to do it. So, lets get it done.

I do not understand the aspect of waiting for more data because you can gather data for a long time. This way we have a budget established. We know where were going and we can always and adjust when and if we need to.

Go here for a spreadsheet on the General Fund budget.

Related: Hole in Alabama tax revenues has no clear bottom.
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According to a new report published by Polaris Market Research, the worldwide agriculture drones market is anticipated to reach around USD 8,019.8 million by 2026. In 2017, the field mapping segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market in 2017.

There has been an increasing adoption of agricultural drones across the world owing to growing agricultural industry, and high-demand for high quality food crops. The growing use of drones for crop health monitoring, weed detection, variable rate application, crop scouting, and livestock management supports the agriculture drones market growth. The growing population and increasing automation of farm operations further supports agriculture drones market growth. The global agricultural drones market is driven by the increasing need to improve the quality of crops produced, maximize crop production, and enhance productivity. Other factors driving the growth of this market include growth in the global agricultural industry, reducing availability of labors, and increasing labor costs. However, safety, security, and privacy concerns restrict the growth of the agricultural drones market. Growing demand from emerging economies, and technological advancements are factors expected to provide numerous growth opportunities in the coming years.

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According to the United States Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) utilizes drones with camera and sensor payloads to develop digital orthophotographs. These images are available to the government agencies and general public for estimation of land usage, crop plantings and yields, and others. In March 2016, Agribotix LLC partnered with Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to introduce agriculture drone and data analytics for crop health management and improvement of agriculture production.

North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017. The increasing population, and growing demand for high quality crops drives the growth of this market. Growing cost of labor and increasing automation in agricultural practices further support global agriculture drones market growth. Increasing investments and subsidies in the agriculture sector by governments are expected to boost the adoption of drones for increased productivity in farms.

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The different components used in agriculture drones include hardware, software, and services. In 2017, the hardware segment accounted for the largest share in the global market. The hardware used in agricultural drones include technologically advanced cameras, navigation systems, frames, controllers, propulsion systems, and others. The hardware components are required for capturing information and monitoring of fields and crops.

The well-known companies profiled in the report include Trimble Navigation Limited, DJI Technology Co., Ltd, Parrot SA, Drone Deploy, Agribotix LLC, Honeycomb Corporation, Aerovironment, Inc., Eagle UAV Services LLC, 3D Robotics Inc., AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc., Autocopter Corp, and Ursula Agriculture. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

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Spreading disinformation about China is as dangerous as the virus itself; solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, said Chen Wen, Minister and First Staff Member of the Chinese Embassy in the UK.

Chen Wen, Minister and First Staff Member of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, receives an interview with BBC Radio 4s World at One program on April 24. (Photo/ chinese-embassy.org.uk)

In an interview with BBC Radio 4s World at One program on April 24, Chen defended Chinas response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, calling for an end to critics finger pointing at Beijing and blaming China for everything, hoping for a deeper and wider Sino-UK cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.

Disinformation is a political virus

Just as dangerous as the virus itself, on the alleged spreading of disinformation about the origins of the virus Chen said that is not only wrong but insulting to call COVID-19 a Chinese virus, which seems to be driven by deep-seated bias against China.

The WHOs rules, she said, have been very clear that people cannot link any specific virus with any specific country, region, animal or institution.

All of the origins of the virus should be left to scientists and medical experts to find out. I think this kind of disinformation is very dangerous, I think in a sense it is like a political virus, Chen said.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in China, Chen said, China has adopted the most comprehensive, thorough and rigorous efforts in an open, transparent and responsible way.

Ever since Jan. 3, China began sending information about the coronavirus to WHO and all other countries, sharing the full genetic sequence globally on Jan. 11. So far, China has provided more than 150 countries and international organizations with much needed medical supplies, she noted, These swift efforts should be recognized and appreciated, not put down using dirty words.

The ambassador also addressed the calls for an international inquiry into Chinas handling of the coronavirus outbreak, saying it would be politically motivated and would not do anybody any good.

The independent inquiry is politically motivated. When we are fighting the virus at the moment, when we are concentrating all our efforts on fighting against the virus, why talk about investigating into this? This is clearly a politically motivated initiative, she said.

Prospect of bilateral relationship in 5G

As for the Sino-UK relationship in the fight against the virus, Chen said Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reached a consensus on a joint fight against the virus after having two conversations over the short span of one month.

Expressing gratitude to Her Majesty The Queen, the Prime Minister and British people for their support and assistance, such as the two shipments of medical supplies sent to China, Chen said China is now trying its best to help the UK fight the epidemic, as Chinas Shandong Joint Team brought ventilators, PPE and other medical supplies to the UK a couple of weeks ago.

When asked about the bilateral relationship in the post-virus era, Chen firmly believes that the cooperation and understanding between the two sides will appear deeper and wider, including the 5G cooperation.

Prime Minister Johnson made a very ambitious plan about achieving full coverage of 5G by the year 2025. I believe Huawei, a reputable company which has been operating in the UK for 17 years, will help the UK achieve that goal, said Chen.

The UK government made the right decision, which is a clear demonstration of open and independent decision-making, Chen added.
State officials said that the novel coronavirus claimed the lives of 329 more New Jerseyans on Wednesday, and the death tolls now stands at 6,770.

In total, the state now has 116,264 confirmed cases, including 2,481 more announced during a Wednesday news conference.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Wednesdays new figures came as Gov. Phil Murphy announced that state parks, as well as golf courses, would reopen Saturday morning. Murphy also announced that gig workers and independent contractors would start receiving unemployment benefits.

Is the above map not displaying? Click here.

Since a peak on April 15, the number of people hospitalized has declined. As of Wednesday, nearly 2,000 fewer people were admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 compared with two weeks ago.

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The coronavirus remains concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, while the southern part of the state has seen a far lower concentration. However, Murphy warned on Wednesday that the virus is making its way south in the state.

We need to see COVID defeated not just in some places in our state but in every place, he said.

Passaic County has the highest concentration, with 2,418 cases per 100,000 as of Tuesday.

Salem County has seen the fewest positive tests, with 227 cases per 100,000 people.

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Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

J. Dale Shoemaker can be reached at jshoemaker@njadvancemedia.com.
JOS, Nigeria, April 29, 2020 (Morning Star News)  Muslim Fulani herdsmen in northwest Nigeria killed 12 Christians and kidnapped a couple from their church wedding ceremony in attacks this month, sources said.

In Tegina Kabata village in Niger states Shiroro County, herdsmen attacked a church site where a wedding was taking place on April 12, abducting the couple and some church members, area resident Danjuma Iliya told Morning Star News.

As the pastor was officiating during the wedding solemnization, the herdsmen stormed the church and took away everyone who was unable to escape from the church building, including the bride and groom, Iliya said. In that village, five Christians were killed in the series of attacks carried out by the herdsmen.

Two other Christians were killed by herdsmen in Niger states Gidigori village, Kusherki District, in Rafi County, on April 20, area resident James Ayuba said. They were two of seven Christians killed in three herdsmen attacks over five days in Rafi County, he said.

Others were injured in herdsmen attacks in the countys Madaka and Sabon Gari villages on April 20-21, he said.

Church Elder Abducted

Also in Niger state, five missionaries kidnapped on March 2 were released on April 22, sources said. In a short statement on April 22 that gave no details, leaders of Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) expressed joy that their missionaries had just been released.

Please rejoice with us as the remaining five of our missionaries kidnapped in Kamuku Field, Niger state 52 days ago are now safely back to freedom, the statement read.

The missionaries were abducted when armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen on March 2 raided a school in Maruba, Shiroro County, run by CAPRO.

The announcement came the same day that a church elder in north-central Nigerias Kaduna state had been kidnapped. Armed Fulani herdsmen abducted Emmanuel Iliya Agiya, elder and treasurer of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Atang village, Jemaa County on April 22, area resident Aku Joshua Shai told Morning Star News by phone.

After shooting into the air to send villagers scampering into the bushes, the herdsmen broke into Iliyas house that night and took him away at gunpoint, he said.

The armed herdsmen first tried to forcefully gain entry into the house of the brother of the victim but were unsuccessful, Shai said. They then proceeded to the next house, the victims house, dragged him out, and then took him away at gunpoint.

Iliya is son of community leader Chief Iliya Agiya, Shai added.

Christian Killed

Also in Kaduna states Jemaa County, armed Fulani herdsmen on April 14 attacked Zakkan village, killing one Christian and wounding two others, Shai said.

Abel Danjuma, 40, was killed, and his two brothers, 45-year-old Henry Tuta, 50-year-old Chairman Tuta were injured. Henry Tuta was treated and discharged from Kafanchan General Hospital, while Chairman Tutas serious injuries required that he be transferred to Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Shai said.

The three victims are members of the Catholic Church at Zakkan village, he said. The herdsmen, too, blocked the Abuja-Jos route at Zakkan village and kidnapped two young girls who were traveling from Abuja to Taraba state. The girls were later rescued and set free by Christians from Zakkan village who went in pursuit of the herdsmen and rescued the girls.

On Jan. 30 Christian Solidarity International (CSI) issued a genocide warning for Nigeria, calling on the Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council to take action. CSI issued the call in response to a rising tide of violence directed against Nigerian Christians and others classified as infidels by Islamist militants in the countrys north and middle belt regions.

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: Pixabay
CHANTILLY, Va., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Perspecta Inc. (NYSE: PRSP), a leading U.S. government services provider, announced today that Invictus JV, LLC, a joint venture of Perspecta subsidiary Knight Point Systems, LLC, was awarded a prime position on the Small Business Enterprise Applications Solutions (SBEAS) program from the United States Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC). The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, multiple-award program has a total value of $13.4 billion, which includes a five-year base plus five one-year options.

Invictus JV, a joint venture comprised of Knight Point Systems and Oasys International Corporation, is a qualified service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that launched in June 2017. The joint venture represents a qualified small business, eligible based on criteria for mentor-protege relationships as set forth by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The organization provides systems engineering and integration services, cloud computing, cybersecurity, infrastructure/data center services, program management and service desk support to customers across defense, intelligence and federal agencies. Knight Point Systems became a subsidiary of Perspecta on August 1, 2019.

The purpose of the SBEAS program is to provide Air Force organizations and other supporting government agencies with a platform to procure a comprehensive suite of IT systems and software development in a variety of environments and infrastructures. This work will include technology upgrades, cybersecurity, commercial off-the-shelf product management, training, documentation, information display and business analysis services. Specifically, Invictus JV, will compete for task orders to provide systems engineering, system architecture and design, cloud migration and advisory services, cybersecurity and risk management and agile software development services.

"The complementary capabilities of Knight Point Systems and Oasys International Corporation were brought together to provide the deepest breadth of capability possible to the Air Force," said Mac Curtis, president and CEO of Perspecta. "We are excited about the work ahead and look forward to providing game-changing IT services and solutions to, and building a strong partnership with, our Air Force customer."

"We are honored to be chosen to provide next-generation cyber, digital services and technology transformation solutions for the Air Force enterprise," said Tony Johnson, CEO of Oasys International Corporation. "As Invictus, we look forward to putting our combined proven best practices and innovation to the test to address the Air Force's technology challenges."

About Perspecta Inc.

At Perspecta (NYSE: PRSP), we question, we seek and we solve. Perspecta brings a diverse set of capabilities to our U.S. government customers in defense, intelligence, civilian, health care and state and local markets. Our 270+ issued, licensed and pending patents are more than just pieces of paper, they tell the story of our innovation. With offerings in mission services, digital transformation and enterprise operations, our team of 14,000 engineers, analysts, investigators and architects work tirelessly to not only execute the mission, but build and support the backbone that enables it. Perspecta was formed to take on big challenges. We are an engine for growth and success and we enable our customers to build a better nation. For more information about Perspecta, visit perspecta.com.

About Oasys International Corporation

At Oasys, we are solutions driven and pragmatic. We listen to and collaborate with our customers to solve their toughest challenges with elegant yet efficient solutions. Established by successful technologists and entrepreneurs, our goal is to provide objective and flexible solutions for our customers' toughest challenges in a rapidly changing technical and budgetary environment with one simple principle in mind: Deliver responsive, efficient solutions and services--one customer, one person, one deliverable at a time. See more at https://oasysic.com/.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Perspecta and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Perspecta undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Perspecta believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve a variety of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Perspecta Inc.

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Union Governments decision to bring the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) under the Ministry of Jal Shakthi has led to a political storm in Tamil Nadu.

Opposition parties upped their ante against the Narendra Modi-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government, accusing it of "tilting towards Karnataka and decried the move as one aimed at diluting the powers of the independent body formed after the 2018 Supreme Court judgement.

Farmers association also took objection to the unilateral move by the Centre to bring the CWMA under the Ministry of Jal Shakthi saying it was aimed at helping Karnataka which was opposing such a body for sharing of Cauvery water from the beginning. However, the Tamil Nadu government said in a statement on Wednesday night it was just an administrative move and will have no effect of farmers welfare.

The CWMA was formed in June 2018 after the Supreme Court in its February 16, 2018 order asked the Centre to frame a Cauvery Management Scheme for release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

DMK President M K Stalin accused the Tamil Nadu government of being a mute spectator to the activities of the Centre that is attempting to snatch the autonomy of the CWMA. The Chief Minister (Edappadi K Palaniswami) should convene a cabinet meeting immediately and pass a resolution against the Centres notification bringing the CWMA under the Ministry of Jal Shakthi, Stalin said in a statement here.

He also added that the DMK will lead a massive protest by rallying political parties and farmers association if the Centre does not withdraw the notification dated April 20, 2020. Stalin also pointed out that the AIADMK government did not exert enough pressure on the Centre for not appointing a full-time chairman for the CWMA since it came into existence two years ago.

AMMK chief T T V Dhinakaran also spoke on similar lines, asking the ruling AIADMK and Opposition DMK, who have more than 50 MPs in both houses of Parliament, to exert pressure on the Centre against the move.

Bringing the CWMA under a ministry is tantamount to taking the problem to the place where it began. The Centre should take back the decision, Dhinakaran said in a statement.

P R Pandian, President of Tamil Nadu All Farmers Organisations Committee, said the Centres decision was shocking and seems aimed at helping the Karnataka Government.

The Centre did not appoint a full-time chairman for the CWMA since its existence and due to the retirement of Water Resources Secretary Masood Hussain, the authority did not function for long. And now to bring the CWMA under the Ministry of Jal Shakthi is nothing but taking away the rights of farmers in Tamil Nadu, he said in a statement.

As per the notification issued by President of India, as per the Government of India (allocation of business) 1961, all river boards including Cauvery, Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board brought under the Department of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Officials clarified that the notification has no impact on the independent nature of the functioning of the Authority.
By Tom Westbrook and Tom Daly

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, April 29 (Reuters) - China's Zijin Mining has warned Papua New Guinea that its failure to renew the lease of a gold mine it jointly owns with Barrick Gold Corp there could damage bilateral relations.

Papua New Guinea on Friday said it would not renew a 20-year mining lease at its Porgera gold mine, citing environmental damage and social unrest even as gold prices have soared to more than seven-year highs.

Barrick (Niugini) Limited (BNL), the local venture in which both miners have a 47.5% stake, suspended operations on Saturday, saying the government had not given it formal notification that it would not renew the lease, or any details of a planned transition. Zijin, which is a state-controlled company, said that Papua New Guinea needed to conduct negotiations to extend the mining lease in good faith, and that a failure to resolve the issue could impair relations between the two countries.

"As a Chinese enterprise, Zijin would like to contribute to the existing good economic, trade, cultural and inter-governmental relations between China and PNG," Chen Jinghe, chairman of Zijin's board said in a letter addressed to Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape.

"However, if Zijin's investment in Porgera mine is not properly protected by the PNG government, I am afraid there will be significant negative impact on the bilateral relations between China and PNG," he said in the letter, dated Monday, seen by Reuters. Chen's office confirmed the letter had been sent.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement to Reuters that the legitimate interests of Chinese firms had to be effectively protected.

It added that Papua New Guinea was a good friend of China's in the Pacific Ocean and that the two countries had maintained good ties.

China's embassy in Port Moresby did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The office of Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister did not respond to a request for comment.

China has steadily increased its influence and spending in the Pacific in recent years, and is Papua New Guinea's biggest creditor, budget figures show. The BNL joint venture had run into opposition from local landowners and residents. Critics say the Porgera mine has polluted the water and created other environmental and social problems, with minimal economic benefits for locals.

Marape warned Barrick in a social media post on Monday that the government would take control of the mine if it closed during the transition period. Both miners have said they would pursue all legal means to protect their interests and recover damages.

Zijin also said that it understood the need for greater benefits distribution among governments, landowners and stakeholders.

But if the special mining lease extension is not granted, the mine will be forced to close, the company said.

That would also result in "the removal of the installations and facilities in the mine...(which) would render the mines operation impossible for years," the company added.

(Reporting by Tom Westbrook in Singapore. Additional reporting by Tom Daly in Beijing. Writing by Melanie Burton. Editing by Gerry Doyle and Hugh Lawson)

+613 9286 1421; Reuters Messaging: melanie.burton.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
An 11-year-old girl is accused of stealing a car in Dorchester, but was not charged. Instead she was released to the custody of the state Department of Children and Families.

Boston police said the theft of the car was on April 22 around 8:30 p.m. in the area of 1007 Blue Hill Ave. in Dorchester. Police released information about the theft Wednesday to warn people about leaving cars unattended and running.

Police officers called to the area spoke to a woman who said she left the car with her son and nephew inside.

According to police, officers spoke to one of men who said a female wearing a blue medical face mask approached the vehicle and had demanded they roll down the window.

The victim stated when he complied, the female ordered the two male victims out of the vehicle, entered the drivers seat and drove off, police said.

Officers in the area were able to find the car on the front of 1575 Blue Hill Ave.

Police saw the young girl inside the car and took her into custody.

Further investigation revealed the female suspect to be 11-years-old and due to her age, officers were unable to charge the suspect with a crime, police said. The suspect was released to the care of the Department of Children and Families.
Police arrived at an apartment in The Bronx earlier this month to interview an alleged victim of domestic violence, only to discover the badly decomposed body of the male suspect's other girlfriend.

The death of Dominique Ben-David, 21, has been ruled a homicide, but so far her boyfriend, Anthony Portis, 30, has not formally been named a suspect in her killing.

The incident began unfolding on April 10, when Portis was arrested on charges of harassment, aggravated harassment and assault with intent to cause physical injury stemming from an alleged attack on his estranged girlfriend in early March.

Dominique Ben-David, 21 (left), was found dead inside an apartment in The Bronx a day after her boyfriend, Anthony Portis (right), was arrested for beating up his estranged girlfriend

Ben-David's body was found in an advanced state of decomposition inside the apartment in this building on East 187th Street in The Bronx on April 11

The unnamed 25-year-old woman was said to have suffered facial injuries, including a broken nose, after allegedly being punched, kicked and bitten by Portis inside the apartment in The Bronx that she shared with him, their young child and Ben-David, reported New York Daily News.

According to neighbors, the unusual living arrangement between the man and two women lasted about six months. They recalled hearing screaming and the sounds of shattering dishes and crashing furniture coming from the unit.

A day after Portis' arrest, police arrived at the residence in the 600 block of East 187th Street with the intent to interview the alleged victim of the domestic assault.

Instead, they found the rotting body of Ben-David inside. Due to the advanced stage of decomposition, the medical examiner has been unable to determine the cause of death.

Neighbors told homicide detectives that Portis' estranged girlfriend had moved out of the apartment and into a shelter with their child to get away from him.

A couple of weeks after the domestic violence incident, neighbors noticed foul odor wafting from Portis' apartment, which all at once fell silent, with no one entering or exiting the unit.

Portis has not been named a suspect in Ben-David's death, which was ruled a homicide last week

Prophetic: In December, Ben-David, posting under a different user name on Facebook, shared this chilling message about her relationship

Social media posts on Ben-David's Facebook page, where she used a different name, suggest that the young woman had been in a toxic relationship with Portis, whom she identified as her husband.

In a chillingly prescient status update dated December 12, 2019, Ben-David wrote: 'Waiting for hopeful signs.. Idk how s*** is gonna fix itself. I want it to. This past ride was crazy. I still want him. Still want to feel him under my skin...I long for this danger wildman and this love will definitely be the death of me...I can't stop going back for more.'

Portis' Facebook page displays a cover photo bearing an equally prophetic message: 'You all realize I am going to snap one day...right?'

According to neighbors, Portis shared an apartment with Ben-David, his estranged girlfriend and their young child for six months

Portis and Ben-David were arrest in February 2019, accused of burglarizing her mother's home and robbing her of cash and jewelry

In February 2019, both Portis and Ben-David were arrested on counts of burglary and robbery targeting the woman's own mother.

During the April 25, 2018, incident, the couple allegedly entered Shana Ben-David's apartment in Queens, threatened the woman and got away with jewelry and $200 in cash.

Dominique allegedly told her mother her boyfriend had a gun and threatened to strike her.

Portis was ultimately convicted of the robbery. He is currently in jail awaiting sentencing in that case, which has been set for May 21.

Meanwhile, a friend of Ben-David's has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her mother pay for funeral expenses, which described the 21-year-old woman as a beautiful, kind soul' and an 'angel.'
By Luiza Ilie

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's Orthodox Church said on Wednesday a series of outdoor posters depicting nurses and doctors on the frontlines of the new coronavirus outbreak as saints were blasphemous and an insult to Christian iconography.

The city hall of capital Bucharest said it would ask advertising firms to remove the posters, part of a wider European campaign that depicts nurses and doctors in a style that mixes comic book elements with religious art.

The posters, created by Romanian illustrator Wanda Hutira and part of a "Thank you doctors" campaign by ad agency McCann Worldgroup, were generally well-received, but they also drew divisive comments on social media.

"It is a campaign to promote a dystopian vision over the situation induced by the pandemic," the Church's spokesman Vasile Banescu told Reuters. He said the posters were "a visual mistreatment of Christian iconography."

"It is not just a blasphemous act but also an insult to the very honourable profession of doctors who, like all of us, do not think they are saints or improvised saviours and do not demand a public cult."

Bucharest city hall said in a statement it would ask outdoor advertising firms to remove the posters "which could be replaced with images that bring homage to hero doctors without hurting the faith of passersby."

The outdoor displays do not require city hall approval.

"(The posters) were a daring artistic choice but one which is in no way following a political, religious or any other kind of purpose," McCann Romania said in a statement. "It is a gesture of gratitude for doctors."

Romanians across the country have organised donation drives to provide hospitals with protective gear. Elsewhere in Europe, Italians and Britons have sung or applauded hard-pressed medical staff from windows and balconies.

Romania, which declared a state of emergency on March 16 and enforced a nationwide lockdown one week later, has reported 11,978 cases of the coronavirus and 681 deaths.

The majority of Romanians in the European Union's socially conservative eastern state of 20 million are Christian Orthodox and the Church has considerable influence.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
NEWTOWN, PA  Kathy Buczek has been a fixture in the Newtown community for decades. Now, as owner of The Temperance House, she is using her connections and relationships to give back during a time when many are struggling.

Buczek, who bought The Temperance House in 2015, has spent the past five years transforming the longtime Newtown Borough restaurant and inn into her vision. But in mid-March, when the coronavirus hit, Buczek shifted her focus to two things: safety and giving.

Lauren Abbott, the manager of The Temperance House who has a close relationship with Buczek, said the establishment is busy these days providing thousands of free meals to essential workers and first responders.

"Our first priority is following CDC guidelines. Our second is that everybody on the front lines is being taken care of right now,"Abbott said.

To make that happen, Abbott and Buczek have launched several new programs.

First, they're giving free curbside pickup meals to all first responders. Any police officer, firefighter, paramedic, nurse, doctor or any other first responder can call in an order and get it for free at curbside pickup.





The program is made possible through donations from friends and partnering businesses, Abbott explained. "Responders just call us up and order and they come pick up curbside," she said. The only requirement is that the first responder takes a picture with a member of The Temperance House staff so they can share the photographs with the donors and partners.

Buczek is "the type of woman who just wants to help everybody," Abbott explained. When they decided to feed the first responders for free, they had a big banner made announcing the program and put it up at the State Street restaurant.

From there, it started to take off. Calls for wings, burgers, and other favorites would come in and the response would be: "come on over, we'll take care of you," Abbott said.



To support the free meals program, The Temperance House launched a raffle. Tickets are $10 and the winner gets a prize basket that includes a hotel stay at The Temperance House, a cooler, craft beers, t-shirts, and more.



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But they didn't stop there.



The restaurant is also donating meals to staff at local hospitals. They've donated hundreds of meals to Jefferson Hospital, St. Mary Medical Center, Capital Health and more.

"To date we have given out over 1,000 meals to individual and teams of first responders," Abbott said.

That includes 600 meals to Jefferson Hospital, 300 meals to St. Mary, 60 meals to the Newtown Township Police Department, and 40 meals to the Newtown Fire Association, she said. Plus, dozens of individual first responders who've picked up curbside.



And, since early April, they've been collecting donations for local food local pantries. So far, more than 1,000 pounds of food has been donated at two drop off locations at the restaurant. Non perishable food donations are contact free, Abbott explained. "Drop and go we will sanitize any and everything before donating."



The Temperance House staff remains humble in their cause. "We are not doing this for notoriety, we are doing this to help people," Abbott said.



At the same time, the restaurant  like so many other businesses during the coronavirus crisis  is using creativity to stay afloat. They're offering takeout, specials, growler fills, and free delivery within a two-mile radius. They're preparing family meal deals, and some of them  Easter hams, for example were recently delivered by the business owner and her husband, clad in a bunny costume.

RELATED: What's Open, Closed In Newtown During Coronavirus Shutdowns



For Mothers Day, they're planning specials for takeout and curbside delivery. And they're even providing live music through Facebook streams. During the performances, raffle tickets that support the free meals are buy one, get one free.

They're doing it all with just a handful of staff: three kitchen workers, two in the front of the house, and a housekeeper.

Nonetheless, "we're okay," Abbott said. "Is it getting to be a little scary? Absolutely. We are every day just rolling with the punches and trying to create new ways to draw attention to our building."

Business comes in waves, she said. When the coronavirus first disrupted their regular way of business, "all of our regulars came in and supported us." And that, she said, was the initial motivation behind their gesture to support others on the front lines.

Here's more information on an upcoming Facebook Live performance at The Temperance House:

Tomorrow night Cara Cartney will be playing at the temp. Dont worry she is going to be in a room that is closed off and...

Posted by The" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://www.facebook.com/TheTe... Temperance House on Tuesday, April 28, 2020









This article originally appeared on the Newtown Patch
[April 28, 2020] Digital insurance business, EasyCompare, highlights challenges faced by car owners when buying car insurance in humorous new video campaign

BANGKOK, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital insurance comparison and broker service provider EasyCompare has launched a digital campaign that highlights how Thai vehicle owners feel about buying car insurance. Developed in partnership with creative agency, The Chosen One, this new campaign explores two distinct problems that customers face when buying their car insurance  first, the confusion brought on by an overwhelming number of market choices and second, the relentless and great lengths that persistent insurance agents will go to just to close a sale. Geoffrey Dickman, Head of Marketing for EasyCompare, shared: "The inspiration for this campaign was anchored in what we have learned from our customers and the decision-making process that led them to purchase their insurance through EasyCompare. It's a given they expect great pricing; however, it's our focus on quality advice and service that speaks to customers. We help guide them to their buying decision quicker and with clarity." He added: "While leaning into the Thai love of music videos, EasyCompare shows how we help people get past the perceived confusion around buying car insurance. And in a category known for intrusive calling habits, we show that is EasyCompare is different. By building trust and understanding our customers' needs, we don't need to call them incessantly. Instead, we help Thai vehicle owners get a great deal on insurance quickly so that they can get back to their daily lives." p>Kampanat Akkasintawangkul, Managing Director of The Chosen One, went on to add: "EasyCompare came to us to convey their unique proposition to the Thai market, but how do we start the conversation around a topic that may not be well perceived by Thais or people in general? EasyCompare made it easy with their habit of listening to what their customers had to say. We gathered those insights to create a digitally-led direct response campaign which is a healthy balance between Thai humor and the challenges of buying car insurance in Thailand . "



"Diving into 'cultures' and 'real conversations' sounds straightforward, but you have to live and breathe it to come up with creatives that work for different brands. EasyCompare is passionate about insurance, so you don't have to be. An approachable company that is customer-centric and straight forward  strong values we share as their partners." Alisa Apaivongse, the Head of EasyCompare, said: "Since our launch in May 2017, we have developed a reputation for service over sales. Our team is committed to the highest quality of service, so our customers feel they're making a smarter choice when purchasing their car insurance."

"Customers have consistently given our team high service ratings, as recorded by Feefo, a review and customer insights technology company. Since we started tracking customer sentiment 18 months ago, our customers have awarded us 4.7 stars out of a possible 5-star rating. Such feedback shows our team consistently provides simple, quality advice on which policy is best for our customers, and that the service is delivered with a high level of care and efficiency." The campaign uses a mix of digital video channels, display and search elements to drive Thai car owners to easycompare.co.th and their expert team of Car Insurance Specialists. Click to view our videos. About EasyCompare EasyCompare is an online insurance comparison service and licensed non-life insurance broker, whose aim is to make it easier for people to access quality car insurance at great prices. With our team of experts who put the needs of our customers first, we alleviate the stress associated with buying insurance products as we simplify financial decisions to help people purchase with confidence. We call that Choosing Smarter. EasyCompare was built as a digital start-up in Thailand and is part of a privately owned global group of companies, whose principal businesses are engaged in insurance underwriting, direct insurance distribution, brokering and related services, online comparison and property development. The Group, which provides insurance solutions for millions of policyholders worldwide also owns and manages the award-winning ComparetheMarket brand in the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as Hippo in South Africa and Koalay in Turkey. In Thailand, we now have more than 80 people (and growing) working out of Silom in Bangkok. Please visit: www.easycompare.co.th Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200428/2788309-1 SOURCE EasyCompare

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Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson are among thousands of new parents around the country who have brought a baby into an uncertain world, as lockdown continues in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Both contracted and subsequently recovered from Covid-19 shortly before the birth of their son on Wednesday, meaning they cannot pass on the virus, and they will soon return to Downing Street to continue lockdown.

It is a tricky time for many new parents, as hospitals which would normally be a place of comfort and safety are now places to avoid in order to keep themselves and their babies clear of the coronavirus.

New parents must consider the risks and take precautions, but there is plenty of clear recommendations out there in order to keep families healthy.

Here we collate the key information and advice from the NHS, the World Health Organisation and the Lullaby Trust:

Can newborn babies catch coronavirus?

Recommended Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds congratulated on birth of baby boy

Yes, it is possible for babies to contract the coronavirus, although evidence so far indicates they are far less likely to suffer significant symptoms than adults. Many babies will not show any signs of illness and will recover fully. Some may develop an unstable temperature and/or cough.

If your baby has a cough or fever, you should call NHS 111. The Baby Check app also has 19 simple checks parents can do if their baby is showing signs of illness, and it will output a score that indicates the babys state of health (note: it does not diagnose Covid-19). If still in doubt, call 111.

Should new mothers self-isolate after giving birth?

Yes. The NHS advises leaving hospital as soon as it is safe to do so, and following government guidelines to self-isolate.

Advice for new parents is not to leave the home, other than to exercise once a day while maintaining social distance of two metres (three steps) from others. No visitors should be in the home and ideally food, medicine and any other essentials should be ordered online or dropped off at home by someone else. These items should be left outside.

World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months Show all 5 1 /5 World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months The world's smallest baby has left hospital five months after her birth AFP/Getty World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months Baby Saybie weighed just 245g, when she was born AFP/Getty World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months Saybie was born after just 23 weeks of gestation AFP/Getty World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months Doctors told her father that he would have just one hour with his child before she died, the hour became two, then a day, a week, now months AFP/Getty World's smallest baby leaves hospital at five months Saybie was born in December 2018 at the Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns in San Diego, California AFP/Getty

How do I help prevent my baby catching coronavirus?

The NHS recommends a number of steps to minimise the risk of your baby contracting Covid-19:

Hand washing before touching the baby, breast pumps or bottles

Hand washing after nappy changes and contact with other members of the family

Avoiding coughing or sneezing on the baby whilst feeding

Following pump cleaning recommendations after each use

If you feel unwell, ask someone who is well to feed your baby with expressed milk

If using a bottle follow sterilisation guide-lines fully

Can I hold my baby if I have Covid-19?

Yes. The WHO stresses: Close contact and early, exclusive breastfeeding helps a baby to thrive. It says new mothers should be supported to breastfeed safely with good respiratory hygiene. Skin-to-skin contact is encouraged, as is sharing a room with the baby. Wash hands after touching your baby and keep all surfaces clean.

Can I breastfeed if I have Covid-19?

Yes. It is fine to breastfeed with coronavirus, according to the WHO. Mothers should:

Practice respiratory hygiene during feeding, wearing a mask where available

Wash hands before and after touching the baby

Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces they have touched.

If you are too unwell to breastfeed, the WHO recommends finding someone to support to either express, practise relactation or use donor human milk, depending on preference. 

Should I bedshare with my baby if Im ill?

The Lullaby Trust advises that your baby sleeps in a separate space, such as a cot or Moses basket, in the same room as you.
Zyxel Communications announced its partnership with B4RN, a non-profit fibre optic broadband network, to fully equip 21 rural UK primary schools with high speed internet access.

B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) and Zyxel's partnership will provide the 21 primary schools in Lancashire, South Cumbria and Yorkshire Dales with 10GB FTTP broadband service at no cost through one of Zyxel's newest flagship WiFi6 products AX7501

The partnership will allow each rural school to adopt modern curriculum and the latest in education technology. Zyxel's AX7501 will also help students and teachers complete work online, attend virtual educational events and shift towards cloud-based education software and technology.

"Prior to being connected with B4RN's network, these rural schools did not have access to the same level of wireless connectivity as their urban counterparts," said Barry Forde, CEO of B4RN. "Nobody knows what the future of education will hold, but with this router, we can now increase each schools' broadband service from 1 gigabyte per second to 10 and help them compete with some of the best-connected educational institutions."

"We are always looking for ways to give back and be of service to our community, especially when fostering equality of education for future generations," said Karsten Gewecke, Senior VP, Head of EMEA Regional BU at Zyxel Communications. "Reliable, high-speed internet is critical to connecting students with the tools and resources they need to prepare for their future. We are proud to partner with B4RN to help make a positive difference."

AX7501 supports the latest WiFi 6 (11ax) wireless standard and is equipped with one 10 GbE LAN, four GbE LAN, two VoIP ports, one USB 3.0 port and 4x4 dual band WiFi 6 (11ax) WLAN.

About Zyxel Communications

Zyxel delivers technological innovations and has connected the world to the Internet for more than 30 years. Whether it's a matter of establishing access through fixed or mobile broadband solutions, at Zyxel we offer a comprehensive and flexible portfolio of products that's right for Service Providers and their subscribers.

About B4RN

Broadband 4 the Rural North (B4RN) is a community-owned, rural, gigabit Fibre To The Home project. B4RN is the only ISP of its kind in the UK offering gigabit broadband, meaning consumers will have the opportunity to work, live and play faster and more efficiently than most places in the world.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005049/en/

Contacts:

For Zyxel Communications:

Birgitte Dolevert Larsen

Marketing Manager, EMEA

Zyxel Communications

Tel: +45 2085 9223

E-mail: birgitte.larsen@zyxel.eu
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Keras Resources Plc (LON:KRS).

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.

See our latest analysis for Keras Resources

Keras Resources Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Founder Russell Lamming made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK160k worth of shares at a price of UK0.0034 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than UK0.0014 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

Keras Resources insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

AIM:KRS Recent Insider Trading April 29th 2020

Keras Resources is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Story continues

Does Keras Resources Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 29% of Keras Resources shares, worth about UK1.1m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Do The Keras Resources Insider Transactions Indicate?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Keras Resources insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Keras Resources (including 1 which is potentially serious).

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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.
Sri Lanka, a major tourist attraction in the Asia-Pacific registered a major decline in the number of people visiting the nation due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to international media reports, the country witnessed over 70 per cent decline as compared to the same period last year. Currently, the country is under curfew which was reimposed after a number of coronavirus infections surged in the nation.

The Sri Lankan government, in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus infection, stopped all passenger flights and ships entering the nation on March 18. Till then, 71,370 tourists had already visited the island nation, Sri Lankan media reported quoting Sir Lanka Tourist Development Authoritys Tourist Arrival reports, for March 2020. However, in comparison, the country had received 2,44,328 tourists in 2019.

Read: Coronavirus: Sri Lanka Asks Kuwait To Extend Workers' Stay

Read: Sri Lanka Reimposes Curfew After Coronavirus Cases Spike, Nationwide Toll At 420

The Monthly data also revealed that Indian nationals made up the majority of the tourists, followed by Russians, British, Germans and French. Tourists from Asia Pacific.accounted for 34 per cent of the total tourist footfall followed by North and South America at 4.6 per cent, Middle Est art 0.9 per cent and Africa at 0.5 per cent. Meanwhile, Europe made up 60 per cent of the visit.

Tourists from Kazakhstan increased

The report states that there was a dramatic decline in tourists from all these regions, Surprisingly, tourist arrival from Kazakhstan recorded an increase of 79.7 per cent. Meanwhile, despite the pandemic, China still made up to the top ten nations for tourist arrivals. In addition, tourist arrivals from the Middle East reportedly fell by 85.7 per cent, from the Americas by 83.4 per cent, Africa recorded a decline of 77.9 per cent, international media reported. The Asia-Pacific region registered a fall of 75.4 per cent and Europe a fall of 64.3 per cent, international media reported.

Read: Sri Lanka Approves Currency Swap Proposal Worth $400 Mn With RBI Amid Pandemic

Read: Sachin Tendulkar Slams 137 Vs Sri Lanka In WC 1996 Batting 'left-handed'; Watch Video

(Image credits: Twitter/ imWazNotWas)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ripped into Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday, accusing him of 'political rhetoric and personal vitriol' in resisting federal bailout funds for states who have been hit hard by the coronavirus.

He charged McConnell with being 'blatantly political' in the threat, complaining the Kentucky Republican didn't want to help Democratic states.

At his daily press conference in Albany, Cuomo included a slide show with information on how much New York sends to the federal government every year.

'New York state bails them out every year. You're not bailing us out. We bail them out every year,' he said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ripped into Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, accusing him of 'political rhetoric and personal vitriol' in resisting federal bailout funds for states who have been hit hard by the coronavirus

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell now says he's open to states and cities getting funding in the next bailout package but he had a caveat, wanting protection for businesses from lawsuits from employees or customers who get the virus and claim business was source

He also lumped Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, who's also spoken out against bailouts for states, in with his McConnell critique. Cuomo pointed out that Florida receives $30 billion more than it gives to the federal government on annual basis, while Kentucky nets $37 billion more.

New York puts in $29 billion more than it gets back, he noted.

'Senator Mitch McConnell, you are bailing out New York? When every year you take out more from the kitty, the federal pot, $37 billion more than you put in? Who is bailing out whom? Senator Scott, youre going to bail us out? You take out $30 billion more every year than you pay in. How dare they! How dare they when those are the facts! How long are you going to play the American people and assume theyre stupid?,' Cuomo said.

He dared McConnell to pass a law that would allow states to declare bankruptcy.

'States have never gone bankrupt. States cant go bankrupt. There are serious constitutional questions about whether or not a state can declare bankruptcy, and youd need a federal law that would allow the states to declare bankruptcy,' Cuomo said.

He then challenged McConnell that 'if it wasnt just political rhetoric and personal vitriol, then pass a law that allows states to declare bankruptcy. He would have to do that, and I dare him to do that.'

Cuomo and other governors have requested federal funds to help them meet shortfalls in their state budget caused by businesses closing due to the coronavirus.

Gov. Cuomo also criticized Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott for opposing state funds

McConnell originally indicated he opposed such a move - and kept it out of the fourth bailout package the President Donald Trump signed into law last week.

But, on Monday, McConnell changed his tune - after enduring heavy criticism from Democratic and Republican governors alike - and predicted states and cities would get funding in a fifth bailout package that currently being negotiated.

On Wednesday, however, McConnell added a caveat, telling Fox News that there also needs to protection for business from getting sued.

'Were open to discussing more money for state and local government,' he said.

But he argued there needs to be protection for 'business people who are going to begin to reopen from the avalanche of lawsuits that is waiting to greet them, which will only further make it difficult for us to get our economy back up and running.'

'Just as soon as the pandemic recedes, the lawyers will come in, and this is the important part of getting our country back to business,' he added.

Business are arguing it will be hard for them to reopen if lawmakers don't put temporary limits on legal liability in areas such as worker privacy, employment discrimination and product manufacturing.

In particular they want protection from lawsuits by employees or customers who contract the coronavirus and claim the business was the source of the infection.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called the issue a non-starter, saying Democrats would fight to protect workers.

Labor unions claim such legal protections will mean companies won't take the necessary measures to protect employees from contracting the virus.

McConnell caused an uproar among Democrats and some Republicans when he told a conservative talk radio last week he 'would certainly be in favor' of letting states enter bankruptcy amid budget shortfalls caused by the pandemic.

But McConnell changed his tune in a radio interview on Monday with Guy Benson, saying he was not recommending bankruptcies.

'I wasnt saying they had to take bankruptcy. I think its just an option to be looked at, that unfortunately states dont have that option now, cities do. I wasnt necessarily recommending it, but I was pointing out that they have their own fiscal problems that predate the coronavirus, and I was not interested in borrowing money from future generations to fix age-old problems that states have that they created themselves wholly unrelated to this,' he said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday abandoned his call to let states go bankrupt and predicted they would get additional funding in the next coronavirus relief package passed by Congress

Senator McConnell faced bipartisan criticism from governors for saying last week that states could go bankrupt as they faced budget short falls with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo calling it 'one of the really dumb ideas of all time'

McConnell then pointed ahead to the negotiations on the fifth coronavirus package, saying money for state and local governments would likely be in it.

'There probably will be another state and local funding bill, but we need to make sure that we achieve something that will go beyond simply sending out money,' McConnell noted.

Democrats pushed for such funding in the fourth bill that Trump signed into law on Friday. But they lost out and have vowed to see money in the next round.

Cuomo, who is one of the governors pushing for more federal funding for states, last week called McConnell's comments 'one of the really dumb ideas of all time.'

And, on Monday, Cuomo praised the Democratic governor of Kentucky for standing up to McConnell.

'Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stood up, said to his senior senator in the state, Mitch McConnell, that Mitch McConnell was wrong on saying that he wouldn't provide funding to state and local governments, and wrong in saying states should go bankrupt,' Cuomo said in his daily press briefing in New York.

'It's hard for a governor, especially Andy, who is a relatively new governor, to stand up to a senior official and speak truth to power,' Cuomo said. 'It takes guts, it takes courage. And you don't get that from a typical politician. So it warms my heart to see an elected official who is not a typical politician. Thank you, governor.'

Even some Republican governors criticized McConnell.

Gov. Cuomo praised Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for standing up to Mitch McConnell on the issue

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who chairs the National Governors Association, said McConnell would regret his bankruptcy words

Republican Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, who chairs the National Governors Association (NGA), said McConnell would regret his bankruptcy words.

'Mitch McConnell, I think, probably regrets saying that,' Hogan told Politico last week. 'If he doesn't regret it yet, I think he will regret it.'

'The last thing we need in the middle of an economic crisis is to have states filing bankruptcy all across America and not able to provide services to people who desperately need them,' he said.

Last week, McConnell raised his opposition to moving forward on a fifth coronavirus bill too soon, claiming he would rather wait to discuss the potential of a fifth bill, known as 'phase four,' until the Senate reconvenes on May 4.

'We're not ready to just send a blank check down to states and local governments to spend any way they choose to,' McConnell told conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt last Wednesday.

'My guess is their first choice would be for the federal government to borrow money from future generations to send it down to them now so they don't have to do that,' McConnell lamented of the states. 'That's not something I'm going to be in favor of.'

He also said he would give states the ability to file for bankruptcy rather than ask for more federal money to provide relief for programs struggling in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

Beshear told CNN on Saturday that he 'strongly' disagreed with McConnell's comments 'as does every other governor in the country, regardless of party.'

'I hope those comments were off the cuff,' Beshear added. 'I hope they were in reference to something else because bankruptcy for a state would be disastrous.'

Congress allocated $150 billion for state and local governments hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, but governors requested another $500 billion and cities and counties want $250 billion to replace lost revenue and combat the virus.

Additionally, President Trump on Monday blasted bailouts being sought by state and local governments who have seen their finances wrecked by the coronavirus.

The move came days after he signaled openness to the idea  a top priority for congressional Democrats and a subject of negotiations on the last bailout package.

He sprinkled in partisan attacks on Democrats running areas among the hardest hit by the virus, although many Trump supporters also live in cash-strapped states whose medical infrastructure and budgets are under pressure.

President Donald Trump attacked the idea of bailing out 'poorly run' states, as state and city governments urge Washington to send billions their way to help them maintain services

Trump said he was 'open to discussing' and cast the push for bailouts in partisan terms

'Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help? I am open to discussing anything, but just asking?' Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump appeared to be falling in line with McConnell's previous stance. It's unclear where the president stands now.

The coronavirus is also taking a toll on red states, with Republicans in control of 27 state governor's mansions, with Democrats holding 23. Many states rely on sales taxes for much of their revenue, and have been hammered by stay-home orders.

Complicating the issue for the president is his need to get the economy moving before the November elections. If states have huge budget holes, they will slash funding or be forced to raise taxes during a downturn.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate Leader Charles Schumer have called for an 'immediate infusion of funds' to state and local governments in the next bailout package.

Cuomo said he spoke to President Trump Monday morning and did not raise the issue of a state bailout.

He said tallying out who owes what was 'repugnant to this time and I don't think it's constructive and I don't think it's healthy.'

But he pointed out New York is the nation's No. 1 donor state, giving more than any other compared to what it gets in federal aid.

'Nobody would be bailing out new York State. New York State has been bailing them out every year for decades,' he said.

Asked if New York has enough money as time goes on to meet unemployment claims due to the pandemic, Cuomo replied: 'No. That's why the federal government has to provide funding, because we don't have the money.'

'Police, fire teachers and hospital workers,' Cuomo said, pointing to jobs funded by states. 'How can you exclude them when you're talking about priorities?' he asked.




New Delhi, April 29 : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it clear that it will conduct the board examination for Class 10 and 12 after the lockdown period is over.

The CBSE tweeted on Wednesday: "Recently there has been a lot of speculation regarding CBSE Class 10th board exams. It is reiterated that the board's decision to hold the exams for 29 subjects of Class 10 and 12 stands the same as mentioned in the circular dated April 1, 2020." The board also tagged Union Human Resources Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishak and a news agecy in the tweet.

The examinations will be held for 29 subjects.

Meanwhile, talking about the board examinations, Nishank said: "Out of the 83 exams of CBSE for Class 10 and 12, 29 will be held. The marks of the remaining optional exams will be based on internal assessment. The exams for 29 papers will be conducted after the situation becomes normal. The students should continue with their studies." The HRD Ministry has also refuted rumours about the cancellation of the board examinations. The ministry said that as soon as the situation becomes normal, the board examinations of Class 10 and 12 will be conducted.

Nishank said: "The students of Class 10 and 12 will be promoted only after the board examinations. There is no plan to promote them without examination." On Tuesday, Nishank held an important meeting with the education ministers and education secretaries of all the states. Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia, who attended the meeting, had asked to release the results of the students only on the basis of internal examination by not having the remaining board exams of Class 10 and 12.

Sisodia had said: "For the next year, the entire syllabus should be reduced by at least 30 per cent and the entrance examinations for JEE, NEET and other higher educational institutions should also be taken on the basis of reduced syllabus." "It will not be possible to conduct the remaining exams of the CBSE's Class 10 and 12. Therefore, children should be promoted on the basis of internal examination as the children of Class 9 and 11 have passed," he suggested.

However, both the Union Human Resource Development Ministry and the CBSE rejected this suggestion of the Delhi government. The CBSE said that there are no plans to admit students to the next class without taking board exams.
The coronavirus-delayed album by Haim sisters Danielle, left, Alana and Este will be released June 26. (Reto Schmid / Columbia Records)

The sisters of L.A.s Haim had just gotten serious about promoting their new record when the world shut down.

On a trip to New York in March following their appearance at Floridas Okeechobee festival, the sisters performed the slinky-fuzzy The Steps on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; the next night, the group kicked off what was to have been a tour of Jewish delis not unlike Canters, where Danielle, Este and Alana Haim  then playing classic rock and soul covers with their parents in a family band called Rockinhaim  performed their first real gig in 2000.

Then everything just came to a complete stop, Danielle, 31, recalled this week. It was so shocking.

Having just announced that the album, Women in Music Pt. III, would come out April 24, the sisters decided to push its release to later in the year  one of numerous high-profile projects (along with records by Lady Gaga and the Dixie Chicks) delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now the band has a new new plan: On Wednesday, Haim revealed that Women in Music Pt. III  its third LP overall and the follow-up to 2017s Something to Tell You  will arrive June 26, well before the return of business as usual but just in time for the warm weather that Haims shimmering pop-rock has always embodied.

It feels like weve gotten into a little bit of the new normal with the quarantine, Danielle said in a joint call with Este, 34, and Alana, 28, each checking in from her respective home. And we really want it to be out for the summer.

Along with Wednesdays announcement came a single, I Know Alone  in which Danielle sings, Been a couple days since Ive been out, over a skittering electronic groove  as well as a music video featuring some socially distanced choreography.

I Know Alone feels like a shelter-in-place anthem.

Alana: Its so crazy  we wrote it a year ago about coming home from tour, and now it has this completely different meaning. And when this quarantine is over, itll take on another meaning.

Story continues

Do you think of it as a happy song or a sad song? The words are heavy, but the beat is light on its feet.

Danielle: Thats a classic thing that weve always responded to in music. A lot of Abba songs do that: [sings] One of us is crying

Alana: Everyone loves an emotional bop.

The dancing has a similar quality.

Alana: I think it has an eerie tone to it. We choreographed it with Francis, from Francis and the Lights, over Zoom, which was funny. Some of the moves are like the feeling of what its like to go through quarantine  theres a dance move of swiping through your phone and putting your head on your fist and looking off into the distance.

Este: The sad scroll is a mood.

Alana: We obviously had crazier ambitions for the music video  way bigger, with more people. But I think what we came out with was actually better than what we were originally envisioning. It was also fun to be creative in such a weird time.

Danielle: Leading up to the quarantine, the days were packed. We were working on the album up till the second we had to turn it in. And when we came back from doing "Fallon," we were like, What can we do?

Alana: We were craving a homework assignment, and so we had this thing that we needed to do. It was kind of cool waking up in the morning and having this set call: OK, were gonna have dance practice at 3 oclock every day. It took us out of our rut and gave us a sense of energy and brightness.

Whats been the routine at home?

Alana: Its the most boring routine of all time. Wake up, make coffee, maybe Ill do a puzzle, maybe Ill try to attempt to do an online workout but probably give up halfway through because Im insanely out of shape.

Este: I actually really like being alone. But there have been weird  like, I bought a back scratcher because I dont have Danielle or Alana to scratch my back.

Alana: Este, you went full Cast Away.

Este: I did paint faces to represent Danielle and Alana on an exercise ball that I had in my house. So they were keeping me company. But I think after a while I just kind of fell into it. The feeling of missing people never really went away, but Im so used to going into survival mode because Im a Type 1 diabetic  it didnt really feel any different than when my blood sugars low and I cant find OJ. You just have to figure it out.

What have you been eating?

Este: I lived on rice and beans for a good three weeks. Jars and jars and jars of rice and beans. I think the most adventurous thing Ive done is making Nice Cream, which is just literally blending up a bunch of frozen stuff and then eating it.

And your approach to staying sane?

Este: I just think its important to try and take it day by day. If you wanna cry, you cry. If you wanna scream at the top of your lungs in your apartment, you scream at the top of your lungs in your apartment. Thats kind of how Ive been operating. And I watched a bunch of the Criterion Collection.

That high-brow binge.

Este: Seven Samurai  so good.

Danielle, I appreciated the Los Angeles Times blanket you were wearing on Instagram recently.

Danielle: Represent.

Didnt look particularly warm, though.

Danielle: Oh, it wasnt for warmth  it was to cover my bits.

How are your parents faring?

Alana: Having to teach them how to FaceTime has taken me a good half the quarantine. They literally dont know how to do anything on the internet. I mean, the amount of having to deal with, The Netflix isnt opening! But theyre doing great. I just wish they were a little more technically inclined because thats how we need to communicate right now, and theyre having trouble. Its given me 14 gray hairs, but were getting through it.

This weekend felt like the arrival of summer in L.A. What did that make you miss?

Este: Dodger games.

Danielle: The beach.

Alana: See, we dont have pools.

Este: If any of our friends are reading this right now, you better believe Ill be hitting you up to use your pool when this is all over with.

Alana: Weve decided when this is over that No isnt going to be in our vocabulary.

Este: You wanna go to Zebulon at 1 in the morning on a Tuesday? Sure, Ill see you there!

Alana: Im gonna have Yeah, Ill do that s embroidered on every T-shirt I own.
Hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses in Portugal have been invited to apply for a 'Clean & Safe' stamp showing they adhere to hygiene protocols aimed at controlling Covid-19 "and other possible infections".

The stamps of approval are free, optional and valid for one year.

To display them, businesses must implement "an internal protocol" recommended by the country's General Directorate of Health, Turismo de Portugal says.

The protocols range from staff training measures to cleaning and disinfection regimes, social distancing between staff and having a place where people displaying possible symptoms of Covid-19 can isolate.

"Random audits" will ensure protocols are being adhered to.

Before Covid-19, Irish visitors made over 350,000 trips to the Algarve alone every year - many to holiday homes or on return visits.

The 'Clean & Safe' stamps, designed to safeguard health and reinforce confidence among such visitors, come as governments around the world look to develop rules and roadmaps for tourism recovery.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced similar plans to introduce a safety and health certification to boost visitor confidence and tool up its industry, for example.

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The Canary Islands has said the right health protocols could see local tourism resume this summer, while Spain's tourism ministry says it is preparing "technical specifications for hygiene and health safety" for transport, accommodation, bars and restaurants, beaches, nightlife and nature parks.

Spain expects domestic tourism to resume first, its Secretary of State for tourism has said, "for reasons of proximity, trust and ease of access, while international tourism will take a little longer".

Re-opening tourism will involve huge practical challenges - from social distancing in hotels, restaurants and kitchens to tourist transport, border health checks and the management of visitors at attractions.

EU tourism ministers agreed this week that collaborative measures and co-ordinated policy actions will be critical in safely rebooting the industry, and that unilateral action or a race to re-open could pose virus risks.

Bailouts, business supports, health rules, transport corridors and consumer rights are all up for discussion in the development of potential relief packages and exit strategies.

Meanwhile, the Irish Government has yet to publish a broad tourism recovery plan, sector-specific supports or health protocols, despite urgent pleas from the industry.

Every days delay in implementing measures results in greater risks to our tourism and hospitality industry, Irelands largest indigenous employer, says Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF).

Minister Shane Ross this week revealed that he plans to establish a tourism recovery taskforce "which will come up with a recovery plan to help the Irish tourism sector", but has not shared a timeline or further details.

Following the video conference meeting of EU ministers this week, he urged the EU "to introduce new, tourism-specific funding supports for member states and pressed for maximum flexibility in State Aids rules to enable provision of timely and appropriate supports for the sector," the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport said.

NB: Failte Ireland has an online Covid-19 Business Supports Hub.

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New York: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio oversaw the dispersal of a large, tightly packed Hasidic Jewish funeral and lashed out at the mourners who had gathered in defiance of social distancing rules intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed," de Blasio tweeted on Tuesday after police dispersed the funeral in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Credit:Bloomberg

In another tweet, de Blasio said: "Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite [sic]: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic."

He said he went there to ensure that the crowd was broken up and added: "What I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus."
When the coronavirus threat grew earlier this year, Brian Stokle almost abandoned plans to debut his idea for a new San Francisco flag. With fear rising in the community, and lives at stake, who would have the time for such an esoteric and frivolous diversion?

But the bird on the logo kept staring back at him, suggesting the opposite may be true.

I thought, Wait a second. This might actually be the perfect time, Stokle said. Maybe this could be a rallying cry for, Hey, were going to make it through this. Were going to be resilient, and the city will persevere, like the phoenix rising from the ashes.

Stokles symbolism-rich phoenix flag is now waving in more than a dozen San Francisco neighborhoods, after his first order of 31 banners arrived last week. With no marketing beyond his Twitter account and blog, he has orders for 42 more. And what started as a fun project for the 49-year-old Mission District resident is starting to feel like a movement.

The history of the San Francisco city flag is filled with rich symbolism and scorching ridicule. The city in 1900 adopted a basic phoenix logo, symbolizing its recovery from multiple fires and earthquakes in the 19th century. The phoenix flag was waving above City Hall when the 1906 earthquake and fire decimated the city once again.

But a disastrous 1930 redesign, some say, drained the personality from the flag, leaving what flag aficionados consider a cluttered mess. Negative attention surfaced over the years, then was amplified a hundredfold by 99% Invisible podcaster Roman Mars, who called the San Francisco banner sadly lacking, making it the what-not-to-do centerpiece of a 2015 TED talk on flag design that has 4.5 million views.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

That current San Francisco city flag has many problems, said Ted Kaye, secretary of the flag-centric North American Vexillological Association. The brown and black phoenix is too complicated, the gold border is too small and the flag is filled with lettering  the bane of flag connoisseurs.

If I were improving the San Francisco flag, the first thing I would do is take off the words San Francisco, Kaye said, during a phone call from his Portland home. Because if you have to write the name of your place on your flag, then your symbolism has failed.

Stokle said he was guided by Kayes booklet Good Flag, Bad Flag, which lists five principles of good flag design, including meaningful symbolism and a composition so simple that a child can draw it from memory.

Stokles earliest designs, incorporating rolling hills, fog and bridge symbolism, received a tepid response on social media and his Urban Life Signs blog.

I kept doing designs, Stokle said. Some of them were hideous and some of them were all right. But it never went to, Wow thats really good. I can put that on my wall. 

He was convinced by Twitter personality Burrito Justice to include the phoenix. Unable to draw one he liked, Stokle remembered an essay by history lover John Lumea about the 1900 flag. Stokle traced that old design, adding small tweaks to the eyes and head to make it less fierce and mean.

Stokle removed all the writing, shaded the top half gray to elicit fog, and the bottom half gold to represent the economic booms and busts of the region. The phoenix itself is crimson, Stokle said, to symbolize our passionate hearts, and also the struggles and lost lives weve had over the years and decades.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Seeing that hed get a discount with 12, Stokle asked if anyone else wanted a flag. He ended up with 25 people ordering 31 flags. Those flags were shared on social media, leading to more orders. Now Stokle is selling them for $98 on a website, www.sffoggoldflag.com.

His flags are currently flying or adorning windows in districts including the Mission, Noe Valley, Nob Hill, the Bayview, Excelsior and Outer Richmond.

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.

Sarah Rogers was in the first round of flag sales, buying one for her Bernal Heights home. She watched Stokles flag drive start as a quirky project, and become something San Franciscans can potentially rally around as they shelter in place.

Im not surprised to hear that hes getting more and more interest in the flags, said Rogers, who plans to install a pole for the flag. It seems like a moment where people are looking for something to be proud of.

Kaye said Stokles flag is certainly an improvement over the current city flag. Kaye likes the historic touches and the simplifications, while recommending an even more uncomplicated and stylized main logo.

Interestingly, the city with the best phoenix on its flag is the city of Phoenix, Kaye said.

Stokle is open to the criticism, and the possibility that his banner will never become a permanent San Francisco flag. But he said he hopes the interest is a clear sign to city leaders that a new flag would be a strong symbol of strength and rebirth, at a time when the city needs it again  and with so much hard work to come, a logo to rally around would be anything but frivolous.

I think we just need a better flag for the city that we can all be proud of and would fly more often than we currently do, Stokle said, whether its my design or not.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub
New York, US (PANA) - Sudans efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, are delaying the deployment of fresh United Nations police units in Abyei and the border regions between Sudan and South Sudan, the UNs peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Tuesday Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, updating the Council on the work of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), said at the local level, the security situation remains volatile
Germanys coronavirus infection rate has risen following the easing of its lockdown, raising concerns that most social distancing restrictions will have to remain in place to control the outbreak.

The number of people infected with Covid-19 by each carrier had risen from about 0.7 to 0.96 since the country began lifting restrictions on 20 April, said Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute.

Although that number means the epidemic is still under control, it gives the German government little leeway to remove more restrictions as the figure, which is also known as the reproduction number, must remain at or below 1.0 to contain the virus.

Mr Wieler urged the public to continue to abide by social distancing rules, including wearing masks while on public transportation or shopping.

We want to continue to defend this success, and we can do it if we follow certain rules, he said at a news conference on Tuesday.

We do not want the health system to be overwhelmed, and we do not want many people to die from Covid-19.

Germany allowed small businesses to open earlier this month and the countrys 16 states have introduced varying rules on wearing face masks in public, with the use of cloth masks now mandatory on public transport and, in most regions, in shops.

The country has been viewed as one of Europes most successful in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to widespread testing, and has recorded a significantly lower death toll than other countries such as Italy, Spain and the UK.

Health officials reported 1,304 new cases in Germany on Wednesday  an increase on the past two days.

However, Professor Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, suggested it was too early to say if there had been a major increase in cases following the relaxation of restrictions.

Despite suggestions that cases of Covid-19 have started to increase again in Germany following relaxation of its lockdown measures, this does not appear to be the case, Professor Hunter said, arguing that the rise in cases earlier this week was almost certainly due to testing levels dropping over the weekend.

Rather than look at individual days and make inaccurate conclusions, it is always better to look at the smoothed data.

He said the underlying trend of cases in Germany was still coming down on Wednesday.

Angela Merkel, Germanys chancellor, has urged caution in the easing of the countrys lockdown amid concerns about a second wave of infections.

Even if we assume that one person infects 1.1 others, we would reach the limits of what our health system and intensive care beds can manage in October, Ms Merkel said earlier this month.

If we assume a rate of 1.2... we would reach the health systems limit in July. And with a rate of 1.3  it doesnt sound like much  we would get there in June already.
A huge emergency service response was underway last night after a block of flats caught fire in north London.

Ten fire engines and 70 firefighters were sent to the scene of the blaze in Wood Green as video showed flames ripping through the building.

The fire was located within a four storey building of maisonettes and all of the second and third floor were alight alongside part of the roof.

Around 20 people were evacuated by fire crews, three of which were treated by London Ambulance Service at the scene.

Around ten fire engines and 70 firefighters were at the scene of the blaze in Wood Green as video shows flames ripping through the building

One resident tweeted the following image from the scene with the caption: 'Heroes, thank you for your brave service'

One horrified resident said on Twitter: 'If you have relatives living in the block of flats between Acacia Road and Winkfield Road in WoodGreen, please reach out to them. Fire spreading rapidly.'

Another said: 'Crazy fire outside the back of my house in Wood Green. Thank God everyone is safe and everyone evacuated.'

London Fire Brigade was called to the scene at around 10pm. The fire was under control by midnight.

Fire crews from Tottenham, Hornsey, Edmonton, Holloway, Stoke Newington and Southgate fire stations were at the scene.

The Fire Brigades Union tweeted: 'Hoping everyone is safe in the fire at Wood Green tonight. Solidarity to the brilliant firefighters on the scene responding.'

An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway.

The fire was located within a four storey building of maisonettes and all of the second and third floor are alight alongside part of the roof (left and right)

Firefighters were tackling a fire within a four storey building of maisonettes, all of the second and third floor were alight alongside part of the roof
A British tourist has been arrested after allegedly throwing his Thai wife off a balcony after he grew aggravated due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Dave Mitchell, 46, was detained yesterday after his partner, Sukanda, 56, plunged from the seventh floor of the apartment block in Rayong, eastern Thailand.

Paramedics arrived and treated the injured woman at the scene. She reportedly told police that her English husband had thrown her over the balcony while they were arguing.

Dave Mitchell, 46, was pictured sitting on the white balcony with his hands clasped together while appearing to pray

Paramedics arrived and treated the injured woman at the scene. She reportedly told police that her English husband had thrown her over the balcony while they were arguing

Paramedics pictured treating Sukanda after she plunged from the balcony. The distressed woman was still conscious and was rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Sukanda only fell between one and two levels, luckily landing on a protruding roof from a building opposite, which saved her life.

The distressed woman was still conscious and rushed to hospital on a stretched to be treated for her injuries.

Officers then spent more than two hours trying to talk round the bare-chested and heavily-tattooed Brit, who had barricaded himself inside the apartment overlooking the sea.

Mitchell was pictured sitting on the white balcony with his hands clasped together while appearing to pray.

Neighbours eventually helped police to force their way into the room and the man was arrested.

Police said that the injured wife is being kept in hospital after suffering a fractured hip and dislocated arm in the fall.

The Brit told officers that he was stressed because flights back to the UK have been cancelled and he was unable to return due to COVID-19.

Mitchell pictured on the balcony after allegedly throwing his wife off. Police said that the injured wife is being kept in hospital after suffering a fractured hip and dislocated arm in the fall

He was allegedly agitated at having to stay in the apartment all the time - complying with Thailand's strict travel ban, 10pm curfew and closure of bars - so started arguing with Sukanda.

Police Major Narongsak Trairat, Deputy Governor of the Ban Chang district police station, said officers were now waiting to interview the wife.

He said: 'The emergency call was made at approximately 2:30pm reporting that a foreigner was quarreling with his Thai wife.

'They said that the wife fell down from the condo on the seventh floor and was badly injured, while the foreigner was on the balcony and suffering with insanity.'

The police chief said that they found neighbours in the apartment block to communicate with the Brit and after two hours he started to relax.

Mitchell pictured on the balcony following in the incident. Neighbours eventually helped police to force their way into the room and the man was arrested

Police Major Narongsak added: 'The English man said that he started arguing with his wife because he was stressed that he was locked down and could not go back to the country because of the pandemic.

'Police officers detained the suspect at the Ban Chang police station and waited for him to calm himself before investigating and collecting evidence for further proceedings.'

Incoming passenger flights were banned this month and the ban has been extended until the end of May. Several flights have been available sporadically for stranded Brits to return home, but once they leave they are not able to get back into Thailand indefinitely.


Compelling PFS for Kachi

Brisbane, April 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium explorer and developer Lake Resources NL ( ASX:LKE ) ( FRA:LK1 ) ( OTCMKTS:LLKKF ) has completed a compelling and robust Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) into the technical and economic viability of Lake's Kachi Lithium Brine Project in Catamarca, Argentina. The study demonstrates the project's potential to deliver high purity product required by battery makers, based on a sustainable and scalable process (refer project details in Tables 1, 2 and 3*).The study focused on the engineering and costing of preferred process design options supported by direct lithium extraction test work by Lilac Solutions, with Hatch appointed to provide engineering and design services.Lake's Managing Director Steve Promnitz said: "This is a major milestone for Lake that allows us to ramp up project development initiatives. The PFS highlights the cost competitive nature and scale of the flagship Kachi Project using direct extraction, but has the benefit of producing high purity product capable of attracting premium pricing, while being a leader in sustainable lithium desired by Tier-1 electric vehicle makers. The PFS together with samples from the pilot plant will help advance discussions with off-takers and financiers."Lilac Solution's CEO Dave Snydacker said: "Kachi is a globally important lithium project with its large brine resource and environmentally-friendly process. With this PFS, we have demonstrated a non-utilities OPEX of US$2,500 per tonne of lithium carbonate. The remaining 40% of OPEX is primarily due to energy from natural gas at US$21/mmBTU. Given the excellent solar resource on site, we have a great opportunity to incorporate solar PV and reduce OPEX. Looking at the capital cost structure, we see that 51% of CAPEX is related to site works and contingency, so opportunities exist for cost reduction in upcoming engineering studies. The Lilac team is excited to continue working closely with Lake to progress the development of Kachi."Financing discussions are underway. The potential for premium pricing for a preferred high purity product assist this process. The results and the data of the PFS provide a solid basis for these discussions as well as for a definitive feasibility study (DFS).Financially Robust ProjectThe key conclusions of the PFS of the Kachi Lithium Brine Project's commercial viability are presented in Table 1*. The unlevered project delivers an attractive prospective financial performance, with conservative long term future price assumptions of US$11,000/t for battery grade lithium carbonate, with a pre-tax NPV8 of US$1050 million and an 25% IRR and post-tax NPV8 of US$748 million and an 22% IRR based on an annual production target of 25,500 tpa LCE which is supported by the Indicated Mineral Resource for an initial 25 years. The annual EBITDA for the project is US$155 million, with life of project EBITDA of US$3,890 million.Operating and capital costs are presented on Tables 2 and 3*. These are in October 2019 United States dollars, and estimated to an accuracy of about minus 20% to plus 30%. Australian dollars are for comparison only. Capital costs exclude owner's costs whereas operating costs exclude corporate overheads, taxes and royalties. All costs associated with the direct extraction process were provided by Lilac Solutions, with the remainder based on engineering designs supported by OEM quotation, industry enquiries and supplier databases.Project Location and Mineral ResourceThe Kachi Lithium Brine project is based on the Salar de Carachi Pampa, which is part of the endorheic Carachi Pampa basin, located in La Puna region of north-western Argentina. More specifically, it approximately 50 km south of the town of Antofagasta de la Sierra, in the Province of Catamarca and 100km south of the lithium brine operation at Hombre Muerto, owned by Livent (previously FMC).The explored area of the salar was 175 km2, hosted in a 700 to 880 metre deep fault-bounded north-west orientated depression filled with brine saturated sands, interbedded with silt and clay, capped by a salt crust and small lake. It is partially obscured by a basalt shield volcano and associated debris fan.Lake Resources controls 100% of the project, which comprises 70,000 hectares of mineral concessions over the salar through its wholly owned Argentine subsidiary Morena del Valle Minerals S.A. Previously untested, Lake drilled 3150 metres in 15 holes into the salar, down to 400 metres depth, resulting in a maiden JORC resource reported to the ASX on 27 November 2018 of:- 1.0 million tonnes LCE at 290 mg/L lithium (Indicated), and- 3.4 million tonnes LCE at 210 mg/L lithium (Inferred).This resource remains open at depth and laterally, and further drilling is expected to expand and upgrade it. It has low impurities as indicated by a Mg/Li ratio of 3.8 to 4.6, and an average drainable porosity at 8%. The 25,500 tpa LCE production target for the PFS was based on the full utilization (100%) of the JORC Indicated Resource. No Inferred Resource was used in the study.Plant Design and Extraction MethodThe plant design targets production of 25,500 tpa of battery grade lithium carbonate through the treatment of brine with direct lithium extraction technology based on ion exchange (IX) with the concept shown in Figure 1*. The process involves the annual treatment of about 23 million cubic metres of brine at 250 g/L lithium, with an overall plant recovery of 83.2%. The eluate from the process is further concentrated and purified and fed into a conventional lithium carbonate plant. No solvent extraction plant is required to remove boron. While the study was based on 24,000 mg/L feedstock to the lithium carbonate plant (LCP), subsequent development by Lilac has shown that concentration to 60,000 mg/L lithium feedstock is possible for shipping of the lithium concentrate off site. No evaporation ponds are used. The lithium-depleted brine is free of any contaminants and can be reinjected underground to support the salar's water balance and protect the environment.The purified lithium concentrate was reacted with sodium carbonate to produce lithium carbonate. The plant layout is shown on Figure 2*. Extraction test work has demonstrated that a 99.9% lithium carbonate product with low impurities (battery grade) can be produced by the Lilac process (Table 4*) within several hours of extraction as opposed to 18 to 24 months for conventional evaporative concentration processes.Next StepsWith this PFS, a robust engineering and cost case has been demonstrated. Further engineering studies will be focused on reducing operating and capital costs for the project. The operating cost can be reduced by partially replacing gas with a solar PV and storage system for 8-12 hours per day. The capital cost can be reduced by optimizing the plant layout to minimize earth works, concrete, and steel and by completing a pilot project to reduce contingency.The next steps involve delivering product samples from the pilot plant modules to potential off-takers and further engineering work to reduce up-front capital and on-going operating costs. Further resource development would extend project life. Studies will be initiated to consider staged development commencing indicatively at 10,000 tpa LCE.The PFS provides a solid basis for a definitive feasibility study and Lake is confident of progressing the project further based on these latest results.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Lake Resources NL

Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising clean, direct extraction technology for the development of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project, as well as three other lithium brine projects in Argentina. The projects are in a prime location within the Lithium Triangle, where 40% of the world's lithium is produced at the lowest cost.



This method will enable Lake Resources to be an efficient, responsibly-sourced, environmentally friendly and cost competitive supplier of high-purity lithium, which is readily scalable, and in demand from Tier 1 electric vehicle makers and battery makers.
DALLAS, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) (the "Company") today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of two series of senior notes (collectively, the "Notes"), with expected maturities in 2023 and 2025.

The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under its Amended and Restated 364-Day Credit Agreement.

BofA Securities, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley are acting as joint lead book-running managers for the offering. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. A shelf registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and has become effective. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and an accompanying base prospectus. The preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from (1) BofA Securities, Inc., NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, or via email: [email protected], (2) BNP Paribas Securities Corp., 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, or by telephone: 1-800-854-5674 or by email: [email protected], (3) Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone: 1-800-831-9146 or by email: [email protected], (4) J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or via telephone: 1-866-803-9204, and (5) Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration and qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.

About Southwest Airlines Co.

In its 49th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 60,000 Employees to a Customer base topping 130 million passengers in 2019. Southwest became the nation's largest domestic air carrier in 2003 and maintains that ranking based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Specific forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements related to the proposed terms of the offering described herein, the completion, timing, and size of the proposed offering, and the anticipated use of proceeds from the offering. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by them. Factors include, among others, (i) the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the duration, spread, severity, and any recurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the duration and scope of related government orders and restrictions, and the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall demand for air travel and the Company's access to capital; (ii) the impact of fears or actual outbreaks of infectious disease, economic conditions, governmental actions, extreme or severe weather and natural disasters, fears of terrorism or war, actions of competitors, fuel prices, consumer perception, and other factors beyond the Company's control, on consumer behavior and the Company's results of operations and business decisions, plans, strategies, and results; (iii) the impact of fuel price changes, fuel price volatility, volatility of commodities used by the Company for hedging jet fuel, and any changes to the Company's fuel hedging strategies and positions on the Company's business plans and results of operations; and (iv) other factors, as described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the detailed factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, as supplemented in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2020. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements, which represent the Company's views only as of the date this report is filed. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange rules, we expressly disclaim any obligation to disseminate, after the date of this press release, any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.

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http://www.southwest.com


The company that owns 14 assisted living homes in Connecticut where 56 residents have died from the coronavirus says it has been taking aggressive measures to help stop the spread of the illness.

In a sweeping statement released Wednesday to Hearst Connecticut Media, a spokeswoman for Benchmark Senior Living said the company first began taking steps to prepare for the virus in February before there were any confirmed cases.

We understand that our commitment to transparency might result in Benchmark Senior Living being publicly highlighted as an example of the serious impact the pandemic is having on all senior living communities, but this will not stop us from providing the latest information to our residents and their family members as well as our employees, the company said in the statement.

The statement was in response to a series of questions posed by Hearst Connecticut Media after obtaining Benchmarks data that showed 56 residents died at 14 assisted living homes after contracting COVID-19.

In the statement, which was provided by a spokeswoman from Burson Cohn & Wolfe, a public relations firm handling media inquiries for Benchmark, the company said it wants to increase the availability of COVID-19 testing for workers and residents.

The statement said the company has taken aggressive, proactive steps to stop the virus from spreading. In March, homes began reducing group activities or trips that would take residents outside as well as visits from vendors, while also beginning to conduct deep cleaning of communities with electrostatic sprayers and ordering supplies of additional personal protective equipment, the company said.

The company said it has obtained personal protective equipment  referring to the masks and gowns worn by medical personnel treating sick patients  from a variety of sources, including state and local governments and the National Guard.

As the crisis has unfolded at senior care facilities around the state, some health care workers at nursing homes not owned by Benchmark have complained about inadequate supplies of PPE. Those shortages have led the governors office to order onsite inspections at nursing homes, which will include staff from the National Guard and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The added danger from the virus has led Benchmark to increase pay for workers at facilities where there have been outbreaks, including Ridgefield Crossings, the statement said.

According to the data the company released this week, the Ridgefield facility has been the hardest hit by the pandemic with at least 48 residents testing positive for COVID-19, including 22 who have died. Eighteen employees have also fallen ill.

Like many nursing and assisted living homes, Benchmark said employees, residents, and anyone else coming in are screened daily for possible symptoms, including temperature checks.

The company also temporarily relocated some of the residents of Ridgefield Crossings who tested negative to a hotel.

While the state has announced plans to designate some nursing homes as COVID-19-only facilities to move patients who test positive there, Benchmark said it has not received any indication from the state that any residents will be moved to COVID-19-only nursing homes.

The company said it also recently hired an epidemiologist who previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data released by Benchmark comes as Gov. Ned Lamonts office plans to release information on deaths and cases at assisted living facilities throughout the state. The governors office has recently started to release weekly data on nursing homes and Thursday will be the first time the information will also include assisted living facilities.
Actor Rishi Kapoor has been hospitalised due to ill health. His brother and veteran actor Randhir Kapoor confirmed the news.

He is in the hospital. He is suffering from cancer and he has some breathing problem, so he has been admitted to the hospital. He is stable now, Randhir told PTI and dismissed reports that he is on ventilator. Rishi was admitted to Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday. He is 67 years old.

Rishi was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and spent more than a year in New York, where he received his treatment. His wife and actor Neetu Singh was with him throughout. In February, Kapoor was hospitalised twice due to his health issues.He was first admitted to a hospital in Delhi where he was attending a family function. At the time, Kapoor had said that he was suffering from an infection. After his return to Mumbai, he was again admitted to a hospital with viral fever. He was discharged soon after.

Speaking with Times Now in an interview, Neetu had said about his fight against cancer, My first reaction was, obviously very bad, I was devastated, my kids were devastated. We didnt know what to do. But then we thought to ourselves that this is it, we have to deal with it. Where he (Rishi) is concerned, he was in denial. For 4-5 months, he was not himself. I think when you start accepting that this is your issue, then you are stronger. I feel he is much stronger for the past, maybe 5-6 months.

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Rishi had said, The thing is, people think and we dramatise in films, that cancer is a dreaded disease. Yes, it is. But today, it is all treatable, if diagnosed at an early stage, it can be dealt with. Cancer is curable and also, you have to have family support. Filmon me humne background music daal, dool ke itna kharab kiya hai naam cancer ka (We have given a bad name to cancer with all the background music that we used in films)! Today it its treatable, people are dealing with all kinds of cancer just have to be positive.

Rishi is among the most respected actors in the country and was last seen in Emraan Hashmis The Body, which released in December. He will next be seen in the Hindi adaptation of The Intern with Deepika Padukone.

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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Istanbul, Turkey  Wed, April 29, 2020 16:05 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4fed35 2 World Turkey,Erdogan,US,Donald-Trump,military-spending,Russia Free

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a letter to President Donald Trump he hoped the US Congress would better understand the strategic importance of their relations, given solidarity and supplies shared during the coronavirus pandemic.

Erdogan's letter arrived on Tuesday with a delivery of Turkish medical gear, including protective suits and masks, to help the NATO ally contain its COVID-19 outbreak. The Palace's office in Ankara released the letter on Wednesday.

The US Congress has threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of S-400 defense systems from Russia, but the pandemic has delayed the plan to activate the systems as Ankara focuses on battling the disease at home.

"I hope that in the upcoming period, with the spirit of solidarity we have displayed during the pandemic, Congress and the US media will better understand the strategic importance of our relations," the Turkish president said in the letter.

He said he hoped that they acted "in a way that our common fight against our common problems necessitates."

Turkish-US relations have also been soured in recent years by disagreements over Syria, notably US support for a Kurdish militia there, and the US conviction of a Turkish bank executive.

Earlier this month, Turkish officials said Turkey has held talks with the United States about possibly securing a swap line from the US Federal Reserve and has discussed other funding options to mitigate the pandemic's economic fallout.

The Fed has ramped up swaps lines - in which it accepts other currencies in exchange for dollars - to central banks in several countries to backstop financial markets amid the crisis, but Turkey has not been among the recipients.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Aflac Incorporated (AFL) said, due to the uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has decided to withdraw adjusted earnings guidance for 2020. 'Sales production in both Japan and the U.S. did begin to fall off in March, and the decline accelerated in the month of April, impacted by a reduction in face-to-face activity. While our respective sales platforms and distribution partners are working to adapt to the new environment, we believe these trends point to depressed sales at least until we see COVID-19 restrictions subside,' said CEO Daniel Amos. The board of directors declared the second quarter dividend of $0.28 per share, payable on June 1, 2020 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 20, 2020. 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.
While the U.S. beef and pork supply chain has been harder hit than poultry in the coronavirus crisis, some North American producers are scaling back on boneless chicken in an effort to streamline production lines.

In recent weeks, 18 beef and pork processing plants in the U.S. have announced closures due to suspected or confirmed coronavirus outbreaks -- while no chicken plant has fully shut down.

Poultry plants are generally smaller and more automated than beef and pork factories, making them more resistant to outbreaks -- but labor shortages have forced some producers to euthanize chickens by the millions and switch production lines away from more labor-intensive products, including boneless chicken.

Quebec-based Goodfood Market Corp., which delivers meals on a subscription basis, will be substituting bone-in products for its regular boneless chicken, as the poultry industry shifts away from de-boning to ramp up production, according to Bloomberg.

A security guard controls traffic into the Perdue chicken processing plant in Accomac, Virginia, USA on Tuesday. The industry is facing labor shortages in the pandemic

Workers process chickens at the Lincoln Premium Poultry plant, Costco Wholesale's dedicated poultry supplier, in Fremont, Nebraska in a file photo

Is meat from affected factories safe to eat? Experts agree that there is little to no risk of contracting coronavirus from food, even from meat packing plants affected by worker outbreaks. Coronavirus is transmitted mostly through close contact with contagious individuals. 'Currently there is no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 associated with food,' the USDA said in a statement. The FDA says: 'We want to reassure consumers that there is currently no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.' As well, coronavirus is known to be quickly killed at temperatures above 135 degrees. Cooking meat according to instructions should kill any harmful pathogens present. Advertisement

'Poultry suppliers are still facing labor shortages and many of them are operating with less than 50% of their regular workforce,' Goodfood Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Ferrari wrote in an email to customers.

'[T]he poultry industry as a whole is shifting away from de-boning chicken legs to increase their production capacity,' he said.

Tyson Foods and Perdue Foods, two of the largest U.S. poultry producers, did not immediately respond to inquiries from DailyMail.com on Wednesday regarding their boneless chicken production lines.

In Delaware and Maryland, farmers were forced to euthanize more than two million chickens this month after many of its workers were sidelined by illness or quarantine, according to industry officials.

The Delmarva Poultry Industry said that every poultry plant on the Delmarva Peninsula has struggled with a reduced worker attendance.

Farmers have also been forced to euthanize pigs across the country. Cows can continue to graze, but many pigs are fattened indoors on a tight schedule and, if they become too fat, they lose their value and can be injured.

At least 18 plants across the United States have been temporarily closed in the last two months, cutting pork processing capacity by as much as 20 percent and beef processing capacity by 10 percent, the Farm Bureau industry group said.

Amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, a worker wears a mask and face shield as she cuts up chicken for sale in the meat product section of a grocery store in Dallas on Wednesday

'In some cases, the closures were due to outbreaks among workers at the plants. In other cases it is a struggle to keep workers, who are afraid of getting sick, coming into the plant,' it said.

To address the potential food supply crisis, President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order banning states from ordering meat packing plants to close due to outbreaks, and giving oversight in the matter exclusively to the federal government.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set up a special unit to support farmers who need to process animals, including helping breeders to slaughter them themselves.

'The president's executive order will help avert hardship for agricultural producers and keep safe, affordable food on the tables of American families,' said Julie Anna Potts, president of the Meat Institute, which represents meat packers and processors.

Smithfield Foods pork plant, the world's biggest pork processor, sits closed indefinitely due to a rash of coronavirus cases among employees in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

However, labor leaders have been vocal in protesting the executive order, saying it may force them to return to work under unsafe conditions.

'All I know is, this is crazy to me, because I can't see all these people going back into work,' Donald who works at Tyson's Waterloo, Iowa facility said to CNN. 'I don't think people are going to go back in there.'

The shuttered Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where some 3,700 people usually slaughter, butcher and process thousands of pigs every day, 'is very old,' Kooper Caraway, local leader of the AFL-CIO union, told AFP.

'The hallways are very narrow, the locker rooms are small, the lunch rooms are small,' he said.

'Not only are workers working shoulder to shoulders on the assembly line, but they are... changing clothes and eating shoulder to shoulder.

'The plant instituted all the changes that workers requested but by then several dozens workers had already tested positive and the plant was already a hot spot.'

The United Food and Commercial Workers union says 20 meat industry employees have died and at least 6,500 have been affected.

'For the sake of all our families, we must prioritize the safety and security of these workers,' said union president Marc Perrone, calling for authorities to closely monitor prevention measures taken by companies.
[April 29, 2020] Up to 250,000 protective masks to be freely distributed to correctional officers and incarcerated individuals in states hardest hit by COVID-19

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. and SEATTLE and DALLAS and RESTON, Va., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GUARDIAN RFID, AWS, Securus Technologies, and GTL today announce a collaborative effort to help support the Warrior Foundation's initiative to purchase and distribute up to 250,000 free N95, KN95, surgical, and 3-ply disposable masks to combat the spread of COVID-19 in U.S. correctional facilities. Protective masks will be made available to U.S. jails and prisons most impacted by COVID-19, with emphasis on N95 and KN95 masks being distributed to correctional officers, medical staff, civilian workers, and those incarcerated individuals positively diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. Surgical or disposable 3-ply masks will be distributed to non-infected incarcerated individuals as availability allows. "AWS, Securus, GTL, and GUARDIAN RFID share a deep commitment to improving the safety of the Thin Gray Line," said Ken Dalley, President, Chief Warrior, GUARDIAN RFID. "Together, we're hopeful we can do our part to reduce the infection and transmission of COVID-19 in our jails and prisons, and protect millions of Americans from this pandemic." "First and foremost, the number one priority for the corrections industry is to keep facility staff, incarcerated individuals and the community safe, which is why we are supporting the Warrior Foundation's initiative to distribute much-needed medical masks as an added effort to the assistance our organization is providing during this wide-spread health crisis," said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "This is just one example of like-minded companies working together to help those in need; we're proud to be a part of it." GUARDIAN RFID is leading the distribution effort. Masks will begin shipping to correctional facilities the week of May 4th. Facilities needing masks are encouraged to go to WarriorFoundation.us to submit their request. Deborah Ross, CEO of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care says, "It's vital that corrections facilities, staff and inmates follow the CDC guidelines for personal protective equipment. NCCHC's latest study shows that one third of reporting jails, prisons and juvenile facilities do not have adequate PPE. It's vital for the lives and health of the staff and inmates, their families, and their communities." All organizations interested in donating masks or making financal contributions to support the Warrior Foundation's disaster relief efforts should visit WarriorFoundation.us.



About Warrior Foundation The Warrior Foundation is a wholly separate 501(c)(3) organized under the United States federal tax code whose mission is to provide philanthropic support for members of the Thin Gray Line through disaster relief efforts. For more information, please visit WarriorFoundation.us .

About GUARDIAN RFID GUARDIAN RFID is a technology company whose mission is to deliver sustained operational dominance, enable decisive action, and support the care, custody and control mission-set of America's Warriors. Our work never ends in our pursuit of protecting every member of the Thin Gray Line by managing every inmate in the United States. Learn more about GUARDIAN RFID at guardianrfid.com or connect with us across our social media channels: YouTube , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter . About Securus Technologies Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, an Aventiv Technologies company, serving more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,200,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Securus Technologies is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, inmate self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. Securus Technologies connecting what matters. For more information, please visit SecurusTechnologies.com . About GTL GTL leads the fields of corrections technology, education, and intelligence, as well as government payment services, with visionary solutions that integrate seamlessly to deliver security, financial value, and operational efficiencies while aiding inmate rehabilitation. As a trusted industry leader, GTL provides services to over 1.6 million inmates in more than 2,300 correctional facilities in the United States and Canada, including 29 U.S. departments of corrections, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons. GTL is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more about GTL, please visit www.gtl.net or social media sites on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , and YouTube . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/up-to-250-000-protective-masks-to-be-freely-distributed-to-correctional-officers-and-incarcerated-individuals-in-states-hardest-hit-by-covid-19--301049315.html SOURCE GUARDIAN RFID

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Granby,, N.Y.  A 37-year-old Phoenix man has been arrested and accused of breaking into a home and threatening two people with a pellet gun, according to New York State Police.

Franklin D. Hill has been charged with second-degree burglary and two counts of menacing, police said.

At 8:20 p.m. on Friday, police responded to a reported burglary at 24 W. Eleventh Street, apartment D7, in Granby, according to police.

Hill forced his way into the apartment through a locked back door and into an upstairs bedroom, police said. He threatened a man and woman with the pellet gun before running out the back door as troopers arrived, according to police.

Hill was then arrested, police said.

He is being held at the Oswego County Jail while awaiting arraignment, according to police.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
The reemergence of Bluetongue in Europe may have been caused by 'human activities' such as storing frozen bull semen samples, according to new research.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is transmitted by midge bites and affects cattle, goats, sheep and other camelids such as llamas.

It does not affect people or food safety, but outbreaks of the virus can result in restrictions on livestock movement and trade.

The virus can also reduce milk yield and cause infertility, and in the most severe cases is fatal for infected livestock.

New research by University of Glasgow, published in the journal PLOS Biology, shows that the recent re-emergence of BTV in France could have been caused by 'human activities'.

Scientists compared genomes of the virus before and after it re-emerged in France in 2015. BTV first arrived in Europe in 2006 from unknown sources.

It was controlled through mass vaccination by 2010, and no cases were reported until it re-emerged in 2015, the study highlights.

The authors' genome analyses revealed that during both the 2006 and 2015 outbreaks, BTV accumulated novel mutations in a manner expected for a rapidly evolving virus.

During the period in between the two outbreaks, however, the researchers noted a curious lack of mutations, indicating that the virus was likely not circulating during this period.

The genetic similarity between the original and re-emergent viruses suggests that the 2015 outbreak was caused by infectious material that somehow arose from the first outbreak.

A plausible scenario, the researchers argued, is that the virus resurfaced after being stored in frozen bull semen samples.

And since artificial insemination and embryo transfer are widely used in the livestock industry, this transmission mechanism should be evaluated by future work, they said.

Professor Massimo Palmarini, one of the senior authors of the study, explained: "In order to survive, to be transmitted and to find new hosts, viruses need to replicate.

"New mutations are an inevitable consequence of this, so viruses can't remain 'frozen in time'.

"While there is still lots for us to learn about virus biology, the most plausible explanation for our findings is that exposure to infectious material, stored from the earlier outbreak, caused the most recent emergence of this virus in Europe."
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
The coronavirus pandemic has been more deadly for Americans than the Vietnam War with deaths from the virus in the past three months now higher than the U.S. death toll in the two-decade-long combat.

Coronavirus deaths in the United States reached to 59,061 on Tuesday night, according to Reuters, meaning more Americans have died of coronavirus since the start of the year than casualties suffered by the U.S. in Vietnam between 1955 and 1975.

There were 58,220 American deaths in Vietnam, according to NPR.

There have been 17.6 American deaths per 100,000 inhabitants because of the outbreak while even in the deadliest year of the Vietnam War there was only half this, with 8.5 American deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 1968.

The grim new milestone comes as Johns Hopkins University confirms that the United States has reached over one million infections.

The high number of U.S. casualties during the Vietnam War caused massive protests across the country calling for an end to American involvement.

The coronavirus pandemic in the United States has also sparked protests to open the country back up and for social distancing guidelines to be lifted.

In April, the national daily death toll reached over 2,000 on ten days.

In contrast, the most deadly day in Vietnam was on January 31, 1968, when 246 U.S. personnel were killed during the Tet offensive.

1968 proved to be the most deadly year for the U.S. in Vietnam with 16,899 deaths, yet there have been more American coronavirus deaths than this in the past ten days.

Deaths in the U.S. are reaching closer to the 2017-2018 flu season, the deadliest in a decade, when 61,000 influenza-related deaths were reported by the Center for Disease Controls and Prevention over the course of about eight months.

Even if coronavirus deaths in the United States werent to reach this figure  which at the current rate of daily deaths seems unlikely - the time frame would still make it more deadly than that flu season.

During both the Vietnam War and the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. presidents have grappled with an increase in media attention in covering a national crisis.

For the first time, TV news reports brought the horrors of the Vietnam War into the living rooms of everyday Americans, sparking anger and calls for an end to the war.

The coronavirus pandemic has also resulted in televised updates but now on a daily basis as President Donald Trump makes lengthy televised press briefings.

As critics of President Lyndon Johnson appeared in 1966 to call out a credibility gap' with the U.S. government, Trump has also faced harsh criticism for his approach to the crisis, especially for a suggestion that disinfectant could be injected into a person as a cure last week.

On Monday, Trump was asked if a president, when losing as many Americans as died during the Vietnam war, deserves to be reelected.

'We're probably heading to 60,000, 70,000 [dead],' Trump said. 'It's far too many. One person is too many for this.'

Then he touted his coronavirus response.

'I think we've made a lot of really good decisions,' he said.

'I will say this - one person is too many,' Trump concluded, ending his press conference.

Vietnam has yet to report a single COVID-19 death and as of Tuesday, it had 270 confirmed cases.

The United States on the other hand equates to almost a third of coronavirus cases across the world as Johns Hopkins confirmed Tuesday that the country has reached over one million infections.

Soldiers firing on enemy troops in south Vietnam in 1968 during the Tet Offensive. The most deadly day for U.S. came during the offensive with 246 killed, yet in comparison, in the past month, U.S. daily deaths have reached over 2,000 on ten separate occasions

This number includes only known cases.

Official figures may be much higher as a result of undiscovered or untested cases in people who show few or no symptoms at all.

The lack of wide-scale national testing has also prevented even those showing symptoms to receive a test to confirm their case, keeping numbers lower than they could potentially be.

Some disease researchers have estimated that the true number of infections may be about ten times the known number, according to the New York Times.

Preliminary antibody testing  a blood test which identifies whether a person had the virus but has now recovered  has supported this view.

Even as it stands roughly one in every 330 people in the United States has now tested positive for the virus.

On Tuesday, President Trump was questioned about his remarks in February that the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. would be close to zero' to which he responded: 'It will go down to zero, ultimately'.

While some early coronavirus hotspots are now showing signs that the outbreak has been contained, rural America is showing alarming growth in rates of cases, as is Los Angeles County and Chicago.

There were more than 1,300 new cases in Cook County, Illinois, on Monday along with nearly 1,000 in Los Angeles County.

The US death toll reached more than 58,000 Tuesday while the number of infections increased to more than 1,026,000.

However, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak could reach 74,000 by August, according to a leading predictive model - as health experts warn fatalities will increase if states reopen too early.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model, often cited by White House officials, raised its COVID-19 death toll projections on Monday.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model projects 74,073 Americans will die from the coronavirus by August 4

The predicted peak day for daily COVID-19 deaths in the US appeared to be on April 15 when 2,698 deaths were recorded

The model now projects 74,073 Americans will die from the coronavirus by August 4, which is up from nearly 67,000 a week ago and 60,000 predicted two weeks ago.

The latest figure is down from about a month ago when the model projected around 90,000 deaths related to coronavirus in the US.

This model, along with several others cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, predict that reopening states too soon and relaxing social distancing measures will result in even more deaths.

The model's increased projection is, in part, due to many states experiencing flatter and longer peaks. Daily deaths are not falling very quickly after the peak, which leads to longer tails for epidemic curves in many states, researchers say.

Less abrupt peaks and slower declines in daily deaths after the peak could result in many states having a higher death toll, according to the model.

The model indicates that seven states  Hawaii, Mississippi, Texas, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, and North Dakota  may be experiencing their peaks now or could be in the coming weeks.

These forecasts cited by the CDC track the number of COVID-19 death since February and show the estimated deaths across the US in the next four four weeks. All of the models assume that existing social distancing measures will continue, while the Columbia University (CU) models makes various assumptions on the effectiveness of current social distancing interventions

This MOBS model by the Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological + Socio-technical Systems predicts that there could be nearly 34,000 unmitigated deaths by May 18. If mitigation measures are in place, the deaths could reach just over 600 by that same date

Other models, including the IHME, that are developed independently but cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offer similar predictions for soaring death tolls depending on how much social distancing and contact reduction is practiced.

All national-level forecasts indicate that deaths are likely to continue rising over the next four weeks, according to the CDC.

The forecasts cited by the CDC track the number of COVID-19 deaths since February and show the estimated deaths across the US in the next month.

All of the models assume that existing social distancing measures will continue, while the Columbia University models makes various assumptions on the effectiveness of current social distancing interventions.

The CDC says that the models - like IHME - that incorporate strong social distancing measures suggest that new deaths will continue to occur but will slow substantially over the next four weeks, while models that don't incorporate such strong contact reductions - like the Columbia University ones - will see deaths rise more quickly.

A MOBS model by Northwestern's Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological + Socio-technical Systems predicts that there could be nearly 34,000 unmitigated deaths by May 18. If mitigation measures are in place, the deaths could reach just over 600 by that same date.

Meanwhile, a COVID-19 simulator tool developed by Massachusetts General Hospital and Georgia Tech University predicts that current restrictions being implemented in various states could see the US death toll reach about 86,000 fatalities by August 30.
"Will the real Eamon Ryan please stand up? Is it the aforementioned answer or the one about which the minister is now fantasising? The minister is desperate I despair of the minister" - during a debate on energy policy when Mr Ryan was Communications Minister and Mr Varadkar a Fine Gael TD, October 12, 2010.

"We have any number of economic strategies. I encourage Deputy Eamon Ryan to read them" - after the Green Party leader asked for the Government's economic strategy, October 18, 2017.

"Sometimes when I hear the deputy preaching from his perch on the edge of the chamber, I almost forget the fact that he was not just elected to the Dail in 2016. He was, of course, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources for four and a half years. He had responsibility for this area for four and a half years when he served in office with Fianna Fail during that disastrous government which led the country to bankruptcy, never mind individual enterprises" - responding to questions from Mr Ryan on the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica controversy and media funding, April 17, 2018.

"Obviously, in his mind it is OK to cast aspersions, but it is totally indefensible or unacceptable for me to dare to respond or cast them back. That is the double standards one so often gets from the Green Party. It does not just disagree with you; it is also better than you. That is fundamental to its attitude to others and politics" - during the same Dail debate, April 17, 2018.

"The deputy is a very excitable gentleman, is he not?" - on the Green Party leader's criticism of the number of roads projects in Project Ireland 2040, September 26, 2018.

Ryan on Varadkar

"He believes markets know best and that government should have a minimal role in shaping our future. He is inspired by the American dream of individual attainment. He represents those who get up early in the morning and [he] openly questions the motives of those on social welfare.

"He is bringing us back to the old way where short-term economic interests define what we say and do. He is young and quick and good with words - but I for one don't buy this vision of our future" - in a speech to the Green Party national convention, March 24, 2018.

"I think Leo... he's very far to the right, that's his instinct, that's where he comes from I also think he hasn't got a green bone in his body... when he doesn't know the answer he goes on the personal attack" - during an interview on Independent.ie's The Floating Voter podcast, July 5, 2018.

"The Government's development plan sucks when it comes to climate action and it will not do the job" - speaking to the Taoiseach during a Dail debate on the national development plan, September 26, 2018.

"We can't get Fine Gael out quickly enough" - responding to an Environmental Protection Agency report showing Ireland had missed its EU emissions reduction targets, October 29, 2019.

"Fine Gael is still caught in a 1980s, yellow-braces, Gordon Gekko, greed is good, market-knows-best view of the world and it's not working in housing" - speaking about the Taoiseach and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy's response to the housing crisis in an interview with the 'Irish Daily Mirror', September 15, 2019.
Cowlitz County commissioners Tuesday asked health officials whether they can expand COVID-19 testing to develop a baseline of infections in the community.

The answer was short: Not now. But there may be an alternative.

A top county health official also told the commissioners that the disease outbreak would likely have been far worse had the state not ordered social distancing measures and that he still is very concerned because a lot of people are dying every day across the world and the country.

Elaine Placido, community services director and a member of the countys COVID-19 Incident Command Team, said the state declined the countys request for test kits for doing random testing.

Dr. Steven Krager, county deputy health officer, said the countys testing capacity isnt a set number and can fluctuate. The state distributes some tests to the county, and the hospital and clinics can also purchase test kits, he said.

Overall, testing capacity has increased locally, but global demand means supplies dry up rather quickly, Krager said.

The health department is working to increase supplies so all patients with symptoms can be tested as quickly as possible, Krager said. The state is very close to sending out a large shipment of tests, he said.

The state allocates tests to a county based on its size, how many cases it has, how many cases are at long-term care facilities and for any outbreaks, Krager said.

Krager said the outbreak of cases at the Foster Farms chicken processing plant are taking up the bulk of the countys testing capacity.

So far nine Foster Farms employees have tested positive, and he said he hopes to get results for 121 more by Wednesday. An additional 77 workers were tested last week, so nearly 200 plant workers have been tested so far, about a third of the work force.

As of Tuesday, 993 people in Cowlitz County have tested negative for the virus, while 39 have tested positive, a number that did not change Tuesday. No deaths have been reported among Cowlitz residents.

Krager said its possible the infected chicken plant workers could have contracted the virus from outside the plant. However, most of those cases likely are linked to the facility, where sick workers were working close enough to infect others. He said some of the infected workers had carpooled to work together.

The health department is working on case investigations and reaching out to close contacts of each case, Krager said.

Commissioner Arne Mortensen asked about doing random testing in the community, but Krager said doing so would likely find few active infections. He wants to save testing supplies for those at higher risk.

But Krager said health officials hope in the future to use antibody tests to screen a random sample of the county to see how many residents have been infected.

Although he thinks antibody testing would be useful, Krager said at this point theres not enough data to support using it widely. He said its unknown if the presence of antibodies means the person is immune, and if so how long that immunity may last.

Commissioner Dennis Weber asked Krager why the homeless encampment in Longview doesnt seem to be hit hard by the virus and if testing encampment residents would be beneficial.

Its been a concern for us from the beginning, and I continue to be concerned, Krager said. It could be a matter of, for whatever reason, the homeless population is not being exposed. Its possible, given the significant amount of mild infections, they may have had infections but have not sought care or gotten tested.

Krager said it would be beneficial to test the camp and said he could discuss the possibility with health department staff and community partners.

Mortensen asked Krager to compare the coronavirus with influenza. Krager said although its difficult to make a comparison between the two, COVID-19 is clearly more deadly.

Weve had 57,000 deaths across the country in six weeks, he said. In a bad flu season, a six- to seven-month period, we could have 60,000 deaths, and that would be a significant season.

It is hard to compare because the situations are different, Krager added. We dont make these societal changes for the average flu season. Its hard to say what it would have looked like if we had not done stay-at-home orders. I think it would have been a lot worse.

Mortensen said he wanted a baseline of virus infections because the decisions were making are hugely expensive and the results are uncertain.

We in charge of policy have to balance both sides, the cost of doing something and not doing something, Mortensen said. I dont know what it may have been like if we hadnt done this. ... You can be afraid of things and spend a fortune to avoid that, but it doesnt make sense from a policy side.

Krager said its about balancing risk and benefit, and that he is very worried about economic cost of the outbreak and what it will mean for peoples health.

I wish I could give you an answer that for sure this would have happened if we didnt take social distancing measures, he said. To me it seems pretty clear things would have been significantly worse. ... I was very concerned and Im still very concerned. A lot of people are dying every day across the world and the country. Its hard to compare that to the costs of what were doing.

Across the state, the peak has dropped off, Krager said, although at a slower rate than health officials would like to see.

Dave LaFave, Cowlitz COVID-19 Incident Managment Team commander, said the situation has stabilized enough that they are working to decrease management and have the health department and other systems stand alone by May 21. The team would still monitor the situation and be ready to adapt if cases increase, he said.

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The future of higher education is currently being discussed by all colleges and universities as they discuss protocols and plans for re-opening amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Right now, all classes at our local colleges and universities are being held online and that is the plan for all summer courses at Rogue Community College (RCC), Southern Oregon University (SOU) and Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT).

When NewsWatch 12 spoke with each school about their plans for the fall, they each had one common statement; decisions will be guided by Governor Browns instruction.

We are going to plan for there to be in-person classes in the fall, said Dr. Nagi Naganathan, the President of Oregon Institute of Technology, but given the reality of what were facing were going to have plans B and C, creating a combination of remote learning online classes as well as sone hybrid offerings where appropriate.

Southern Oregon University says their goal is to offer in-person classes by early September.

"The virus sets the timeline, said Neil Woolf, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at SOU, We want to get ready and be available to offer in-person by early September.

RCC says no definitive decisions have been made at this time but they have the goal of holding classes on campus and in-person for the fall term.

Of course, conditions could change so we have to be flexible, said Grant Walker, Director of Marketing for RCC.

SOU says they have been in contact with other universities along the west coast to work together to form a collaborate approach to re-opening that will work through different phases.

"All of those phases are dependent upon continuing improvement of coronavirus, said Janet Fratella, Vice President for Development at SOU, We have to maintain a 14-day period where there's no lapses etc. before we can move to the next phase and if something happens then you move back.

Fratella and Woolf are also charring an SOU specific re-opening committee to decide what changes will be in effect once classes resume.

We havent made those determinations like if people wear masks but that will also be in connection with the guidance, we receive from health authorities, said Woolf.

Right now, all admission events for incoming freshmen and transfer students are happening online.

Our admissions team have has really turned on a dime, said Fratella, from everything that they would normally do in-person to an online experience.

RCC is encouraging students to take advantage of online courses and degree programs, especially if students are concerned about returning to school following the pandemic.

"Getting your associate degree online could be a huge way to get your life on track and get your career going and then if, down the road, you decide you want to get into university that's a great option and you've already got your associate," said Walker.

Walker says going virtual has opened a door for some students that they otherwise wouldnt have considered.

A lot of people are discovering what an exciting thing it is to learn and study online. People are finding out they can do things I didn't know they could do before," said Walker.

RCC has also set up a student life Facebook page for incoming students to connect, ask questions and host virtual get-togethers.
More broadly, the International Monetary Fund forecasts the global economy to contract by 3% this year and the International Labor Organization estimates that 6.7% of worldwide working hours will be eliminated in Q2 2020, which is equivalent to 195 million workers.

The litigation arising out of business interruption losses stemming from government shutdowns has already underscored that some believe the insurance industry isnt doing enough to support businesses and make good on BI policies, with the question of whether the virus has caused the direct physical loss or damage required to trigger business interruption cover up for debate. Theres also a question of whether the insurance industry has failed to provide enough products to protect businesses from significant losses during times of crisis, like the one were currently living through.

Whatever way these lawsuits pan out, the current pandemic is unprecedented in its scope and the insurance industry doesnt bear sole responsibility for covering losses, especially as a sector that must remain profitable itself. Looking back on the SARS outbreak in 2003, even then standard policy wordings only covered physical damage caused by named perils, undercutting business interruption claims related to the virus and demonstrating to businesses that they couldnt necessarily call on this coverage to protect against losses from similar events in the future. Where businesses and individuals have been able to get some relief has been from governments, who also have a role to play in providing financial support and have done so in many countries through massive stimulus packages.

Read more: Coronavirus-linked business interruption losses could hit $383 billion a month

What has become evident however is that whether were talking about governments, the insurance industry or businesses themselves, the level of preparedness for this event was far too low, despite warnings from experts that such an event would surely occur in the near-term and risk managers regularly highlighting their concerns around a significant business interruption event impacting their business operations somewhere down the road.

Unfortunately, that means that for many businesses, this global health crisis has served as a lesson for next time, rather than a first test of thought-out business continuity plans that can be implemented during a pandemic. It also underscores the need for the insurance industry to provide clear and thorough education on what policies cover versus what they dont, since battles over BI underscore in heavy, black ink that there wasnt enough information provided on coverage and exclusions. This is where making policy language easier to understand becomes important, as does the ongoing work of agents and brokers to explain policies to the end insured during the insurance-buying process.

Moving forward, the insurance industry can also extend their risk management expertise to the business community and provide comprehensive services around how businesses can survive this type of crisis and expand their continuity planning to not only include natural disasters or cyberattacks, but also a global event that severely complicates their ability to operate.

Guided by a worst-case scenario, both the insurance industry and its clientele should be better prepared for such an event in the future. Next time, there wont be any excuses for miscommunications and misunderstandings around policy language, or a lack of preparation.
A one-year bailout loan Egypt may receive from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will not lead to a rise in the prices of commodities and services, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Egypt said it had asked the IMF for financial assistance to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus.

Madbouly said the IMF loan would be a proactive step against potential repercussions on Egypts economy and to protect foreign currency reserves and preserve the gains achieved by economic reforms in recent years.

The new loan programme will not have any negative effects on the lives of citizens, whether in terms of raising prices of commodities, services or otherwise, Madbouly told a cabinet meeting via video conference on Wednesday.

The potential loan is linked to structural reforms only, he stressed.

Many Egyptians are still struggling due to the austerity measures adopted under the economic reform programme tied to a three-year $12 billion loan deal signed with the IMF in November 2016. As part of the reform programme, the government floated the currency, slashed energy subsidies, and introduced a value-added tax.

Egypt is requesting the new loan under the IMF's Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) and a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), a statement by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

During Wednesday's meeting, Madbouly said a coronavirus crisis management committee has prepared a set of precautionary measures against the virus as government bodies begin to gradually resume their services which were previously suspended to curb the spread of the virus.

He said a number of services which were launched online as part of the measures to control infections will continue to be provided online only even after the crisis subsides to reduce crowding at government offices.

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Prison staff are using preventive strikes against inmates where they punch them without provocation because they may pose a future threat, a Council of Europe investigation has claimed.

The councils committee for the prevention of torture (CPT) said it had uncovered a new and deeply concerning practice of unjustified violence against prisoners at two of the three mens jails it visited in 2019 - Wormwood Scrubs and Liverpool.

Of utmost concern was the evolution of an informal practice of preventive strikes (that is preventively punching compliant prisoners whom staff perceived might, at some point in the future, become a threat), said its report, published on Thursday.

The CPT recommends the UK authorities explicitly prohibit the reprehensible practice of preventive strikes by prison officers on inmates and, more generally, undertake a proper investigation into all allegations of ill-treatment.

It investigated at least three incidents of preventive strikes. In one the unnamed prisoner claimed he had been told he would get a beating by prison officers before being punched in the face and kicked in the ribs the following morning at 7.45am.

In another, a prison officer walking an inmate to his cell struck him on the back of the head unprovoked and slammed his head down on the floor of the landing, an incident partially recorded on CCTV seen by the CPT team.

The CPT urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to ensure prison staff understood why ill-treatment was unlawful and would result in severe disciplinary sanctions or criminal prosecution.

The MoJ said any provocation or unlawful force against a prisoner was unacceptable. Every use of physical force was reviewed and it would not hesitate to instigate disciplinary proceedings for any inappropriate use and would refer cases to police.

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The damning report also claims the prison system is in deep crisis with adult male jails fundamentally unsafefor both prisoners and staff.

It said the jails and two young offender institutions it visited were "violent, unsafe and overcrowded with many inmates segregated or isolated for long periods.

Levels of inter-prisoner violence, prisoner-on-staff assaults and staff-on-prisoner violence had reached record highs in the local male adult prisons visited and the CPT found that none of the establishments could be considered safe.

It also warned the alarmingly high levels of drug use in prisons were of deep concern with drug-taking omnipresent in the three jails, which also included Doncaster.

It called for an overhaul of sentencing, including a ban on jail terms under six months, new smaller community-facing prisons to replace the Victorian-built local jails and improved staffing.

An MoJ spokesman said: This government has made its commitment to safe, secure and decent prisons very clear.

Thats why we are creating 10,000 new places and investing in new security measures to tackle the drugs and contraband that undermine safety.

Our hard-working staff receive world-class training and are held to high professional standards of behaviour, including the need to justify any use of physical force.
Author Reno Omokri has reacted to the curfew order by president Buhari, from next week.

Recall a few days ago, the president ordered the partial lifting of the lockdown in some states in the country, adding that there will be a curfew from 8pm to 6pm.

Read Also: Relaxing Lockdown By 4th May My Not Work Out: Toyin Abraham

Reacting to this, Omokri stated that there will be more deaths due to road accidents as people will be rushing to get home.

Mark my words, by asking Lagosians to close from work by 6 and be home by 8PM, General

s action will cause unimaginable traffic accidents amongst Lagosians rushing to beat the curfew. More people will die from these car accidents than from #CoronaVirus.
UPDATE: Irrfan Khan passed away on Wednesday, April 29, in Mumbai. Irrfan's family has issued an official statement on his death: "I trust, I have surrendered"; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, "As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it".

Earlier report based on PR statement:

On Tuesday, it was reported that Irrfan Khan has been admitted to Kokilaben Ambani hospital in Mumbai, after a sudden deterioration in his health. While the news left fans in shock, there were a few rumours doing the rounds on the internet that the actor is on a ventilator, fighting for his life.

It turns out these rumours were false. Irrfan's spokesperson issued a statement slamming reports suggesting that the actor's health condition is quite serious.

'Irrfan Khan Is Still Fighting The Battle' The statement read, "It's really disappointing to know that there are extreme assumptions being made about Irrfan's health. While we are truly appreciative that people are concerned, it's disheartening to see some sources spread extreme rumours and creating panic. Irrfan is a strong person and is still fighting the battle. We really request you to not fall for rumours and not partake in these conversations which are fictional. We have always actively clarified and shared updates on his health and we will continue doing so." Irrfan Has Been Hospitalized For Colon Infection Earlier, Irrfan's team confirmed that the Angrezi Medium star was admitted in the ICU for a colon infection. They issued an official statement which read, "Yes it is true that Irrfan khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctor's observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of all his well wishers, he will recover soon." Irrfan Khan's Battle With Cancer Irrfan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour two years ago, and since then, he has been receiving medical treatment for the same. Speaking about work, the actor was last seen in Homi Adajania's Angrezi Medium. Irrfan Khan's Personal Loss Recently, the actor lost his mother, Saeeda Begum. However, the actor could not physically attend his mother's last rites in Jaipur, because of the nationwide lockdown. Reportedly, he paid his last respect through video conferencing.

Irrfan Khan Admitted To Hospital Due To Colon Infection; Kept In ICU
HARRISBURG  The Harrisburg City Council decided not to defy Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizkers stay-at-home order by allowing retailers, hair and nail salons to open May 1 as Mayor John McPeek originally proposed. Instead, McPeek and council members opted for a softer approach. They are encouraging area government and business leaders to write letters to the governor asking that he begin to take steps to further loosen restrictions in areas with relatively few COVID-19 cases.

During a special meeting Tuesday morning broadcast via Zoom, the council heard from several Harrisburg business owners who believe they should be able to begin accepting clients again, with restrictions. But McPeek said the potential consequences are too risky for the city to endorse a policy in opposition to the states. Some of the business owners also said that, while they want to open, it would not be worth it for barbers, cosmetologists and aestheticians to risk their state licensure.

But they do hope to send a message to the governor.

Katrina Cerutti, the sole proprietor of Curleq Salon on East Logan Street, and a cosmetology instructor at Rend Lake College, said she has not had an income since March 21, when the original stay-at-home order went into effect. Cerutti said people in her business know how to properly sanitize, and could agree to only have one customer in their shops at a time. Why in the world can I see three of my clients in Kroger while Im shopping, yet I cannot see one client at a time that I personally know, she said.

Stephanie Church, who also owns a hair salon, said that it seems to her that the governor is deciding policy for the whole state mostly based on whats happening in Chicago with COVID-19. Theres a point where he cannot govern us down here the same way he is governing up there, she said.

In a statement read on his behalf, Sonny Wynn, owner of Fancy Nails Salon in Harrisburg, said the stay-at-home order has been financially devastating. Jerry Hunt said he was asked to read Wynns statement because of a language barrier. In the statement, Wynn said his business has taken numerous steps to keep customers safe in anticipation of reopening, including placing clear plastic barriers between manicure and pedicure stations. Wynn said his business is a critical service to the community, and would help provide some sense of normalcy during uncertain times. It relaxes them and boosts their self-esteem and boosts our economy, he said.

Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg, and Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, both spoke at the meeting in favor of a regionalized approach and said they continue to push the governor to move in that direction.

When we say a regional approach, what were saying is certain areas that are less affected should have fewer restrictions, Windhorst said. Were not saying there should be a complete and immediate reopening of those areas. Its a careful, common-sense approach. I believe we can do this in our areas. That said, Fowler, the former mayor of Harrisburg, cautioned the city against passing a policy that would violate the stay-at-home order, because of potential consequences to business owners.

Cerutti, the hair salon owner, said she appreciated the lawsuit brought by Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, who sued Prtizker in his home county, and suggested that the city of Harrisburg consider something similar.

In his lawsuit, Bailey argued that the governors authority to issue a stay-at-home order under the Emergency Management Act expired after 30 days, and that subsequent extensions of the order violated Illinois citizens civil rights. On Monday, Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney issued a temporary injunction allowing Bailey to disregard the order. The order applied exclusively to Bailey, but could have far reaching consequences if others follow suit. The state is appealing the decision.

During his televised news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker called the lawsuit a cheap political stunt. But he added that as absurd as he believes the lawsuit is, he is taking it seriously because of the risk it poses with the court setting a dangerous precedent.

Pritzker said he understands the economic sacrifices that people are making across the state. He said he is making decisions with the order based on guidance from scientists and health experts to keep people safe across the state.

For two months, not a second has gone by where the economic impact on our working families and our small businesses hasnt been an important and paramount consideration of my decision making, he said.

During Tuesdays news conference, Pritzker noted that while case numbers are fewer in downstate Illinois compared to Chicago and Cook County, some Southern Illinois counties have some of the highest death rates when examined on a per-capita basis.

The danger has not passed yet, no matter whether you live in Little Egypt, or in Freeport, or in Quincy or in Chicago, he said.

One person at the City Council meeting spoke in favor of the stay-at-home order, and urged the city not to defy it. Im not a Prtizker fan, but I can say that I am doing my best to follow the rules, said Christie Bailey, with Little Angels Learning Center, which continues to provide daycare services for essential employees. I just want to be safe, she added.

Pritzker said he believes that responsible people understand the tradeoffs and the consequences of reopening too early.

Harrisburg Unit 3 Superintendent Mike Gouch said he believes there are also serious consequences to taking too long to begin reopening some businesses in parts of Southern Illinois. He said the school district started off serving 5,000 meals a week, and is now serving 13,000 meals weekly because of increased need.

Weve got people that are going hungry. Weve got people that are going homeless, he said. Gauch said that he understands the very, very difficult position the governor is in, but said he feels a regionalized approach is necessary to mitigate far-reaching, long-term economic consequences for the region and its families.

Empty classrooms, churches, bars and stores: Southern Illinois COVID-19 impact, in photos

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YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament adopted today the package of bills on making changes and amendments to the Law on the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency according to which it is proposed to clarify the role, status of the Commandant and his Office, as well as the nature of acts adopted by the Commandant.

87 MPs voted in favor of the package, 16 voted against and 16 abstained.

The package defined that in case of a decision to declare a state of emergency the prime minister or the deputy PM can act as a Commandant. It also defined that the Commandant, while fulfilling his powers, can adopt acts, as an act adopted respectively by the PM or the deputy PM, including also sub-legislative normative acts. The package also set an opportunity to restrict the persons right to personal freedom during the state of emergency declared over the epidemic with the goal to prevent it.

According to the package of bills, the Commandants Office is created by the decision of the government.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan




Whirlpool has added 21 washing machines to its recall list because of fears they could start a fire.

The American home appliance company confirmed that some of its Hotpoint and Indesit models needed to be recalled.

There is a concern that on a warm wash when the heating element in the affected machines is activated a component in the door locking mechanism can overheat which in some cases can cause a fire.

Vice President of Whirlpool Jeff Noel said: 'I want to apologise sincerely for the worry and inconvenience I know this will cause, especially during these difficult times.

Whirlpool confirmed that 21 of its Hotpoint and Indesit models needed to be recalled because they contained a faulty heating element

'I'd also like to reassure you that we are working as quickly as we can to provide solutions to affected customers as soon as possible.

'Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers, and working quickly to remove the affected appliances from customers' homes is our number one priority.'

The company has warned customers to unplug their machines if they believe they own one of the faulty models.

Anyone who needs to continue using theirs is advised to only use a cold cycle at temperatures 20 degrees Celsius.

Which models have been added to the list? The full list of 21 washing machines Whirlpool have added to their recall list is: WMAQB 641P UK

WMAQB 721P UK

WMAQB 741G UK

WMAQB 741P UK

WMAQF 621P UK.L

WMAQF 641G UK

WMAQF 641P UK

WMAQF 721P UK

WMAQG 641G UK

WMAQG 641P UK

WMAQG 721P UK

WMAQG 721P UK.M

WMAQG 741P UK.M

WMAQL 621P UK

WMAQL 641P UK

WMAQL 721A UK

WMAQL 721P UK

WMAQL 721P UK.M

WMAQL 741G UK

WMAQL 741P UK

WMSAQG 621G UK Advertisement

The BBC reported that Chief Executive of the charity Electrical Safety First Lesley Rudd said: 'It is alarming that five months into this recall we are only now hearing of these extra models which pose a risk to owners. This new discovery throws into question the robustness of the original investigation.'

In January it was confirmed by Whirlpool that 20 per cent of all Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines sold since 2014 were faulty and needed to be recalled.

Initially 519,000 machines needed to be repaired or replaced.

The company said that their engineers follow Government social distancing guidelines when sent out to repair or replace machines.

Whirlpool are contacting customers affected by the faulty component and has urged anyone concerned they own one of the faulty washing machines to use their Check My Model function on their website.

They can also contact the customer service team on 0800 316 1442.

Slots for engineers to repair or replace machines are available straight away.

Customers who believe they own one of the faulty models have been told to unplug their machines or run them on cold cycles of no higher than 20 degrees Celsius. Pictured: A handout photo issued by Whirlpool before its initial recall list was announced in January

At the end of January, 5,000 washing machines were also added to Whirlpool's recall list.

Speaking at the time, Emma Drackford, Director of Communications at Electrical Safety First, said: 'We urge all consumers to now check their machines again following the inclusion of additional model numbers as part of this recall.

'The success of any recall is partly linked to the willingness of consumers to engage with it and although Whirlpool suggest they have identified 30 percent (now 40 per cent) of the estimated affected models, it is imperative that they continue to publicise this recall to reach as many consumers as possible.

'Faulty appliances can have devastating consequences and the priority should be the identification of these potentially dangerous machines as well as their removal from people's homes.

'We continue to call for the Government to create a centralised recall database to contribute to the improvement of the recall process in this country overall.'
The global tally of confirmed coronavirus infections stands at 3,084,762, and the death toll is 212,522. More than 900,000 people have now recovered worldwide. The US remains the most affected country in the world, with no improvement in sight.

It also has the highest death toll globally, nearly twice as much as the next worst-hit country, Spain. In India, the tally is very close to breaching the 30,000 mark, with more than 900 deaths. In a piece of positive news, however, fresh daily coronavirus cases have been receding for a few days now. But it may be too early to declare the worst ...
There's a strong business case for hiring a veteran. The soft skills -- skills like interacting with customers, leading teams and being a quality member of a team -- vets bring to the civilian workforce can be adapted for the needs of a business and, when utilized properly, can present a huge return on investment for the time and effort.

If your business is in need of these soft skills, you can go to Dr. Arthur Langer, a Columbia University professor and CEO of the New York City-based nonprofit Workforce Opportunity Services. He and his organization will train veterans to fill any role a business wants -- in any industry.

A recent study from Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families showed 10 qualities veterans bring to their civilian jobs after leaving the military. Veterans are entrepreneurial, trustworthy, resilient and committed team-builders who are able to handle a variety of tasks and are comfortable in uncertain environments. They leverage their experiences across different cultures and are at home in diverse settings.

Most importantly to Dr. Langer, they also bring a strong technical understanding to an organization, even if that company's work doesn't necessarily match their specific field of training.

"Every veteran has a skill," he said. "And those skills can be very precise. Everyone in the military is trained and capable of doing something."

Veterans have special issues associated with their service, things like PTSD-related issues, physical issues associated with their service, but acknowledging those issues and working with them is well worth the time and effort, according to Langer, who has researched the subject extensively.

Langer founded Workforce Opportunity Services as a nonprofit after conducting a study on post-9/11 veterans without college degrees. His work found that veterans could be trained and given jobs, but that companies had a difficult time taking advantage of their full talents.

"We found companies didn't really know how to hire non-officer veterans and weren't willing to take the risk of it not working out," he said. "But the talent was there; they just needed a surrogate to help reduce those risk factors."

His plan was simple: He would enlist companies and organizations that needed people to jointly develop a training program to prepare veterans for full employment in the areas they needed -- while reducing the risks for all sides involved.

"While they're training, we're the employer," Langer said. "We do the background checks; we provide the services. If it doesn't work out, it's on us."

Dr. Arthur Langer based the program on his own research.

That risk mitigation is very attractive to companies looking for talent. Prudential Financial was Workforce Opportunity Services first client in 2003. Now, WOS can boast companies like GE, Hewlett-Packard, J. Crew and even HBO, among many others. Vets are being trained for these jobs at schools like Columbia, Georgia Tech and Penn State.

Since getting Prudential on board, WOS has grown to more than 65 different locations across America. It has helped thousands of veterans find their own opportunities, from mechanical jobs to Java developers. Over the past 18 years, the companies that invested in veterans have seen a 90% retention rate: veterans are loyal to the people who take a chance on them.

"Most companies are lean and mean and don't understand how to do this," Langer said. "This is about a complete changing of behavioral factors and also helping organizations to understand that it's not just training somebody and throwing them in."

This is the world where Langer and Workforce Opportunity Services operate. WOS is in hospitals, schools and elsewhere, talking to veterans about their needs, and making sure those needs are met so they can use the skills they picked up in the military in much-needed civilian tech jobs.

"Veterans have a great technical base of skills, which fits very nicely into a [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM] career," Langer said. "They also know that failure can be a difficult thing. They respect deadlines. They respect details. And many STEM careers are competitive and lack trained people. Veterans bring real ability to these careers."

Most importantly, the ability to build and lead teams is a very attractive and missing skill in today's individualistic organizations, according to Langer. All of these soft skills give investing in someone like that a tremendous return, one he sees every day.

"When we recruit a veteran, we already have the job waiting for them," Langer said. "You can go into a training program with your GI Bill, but that doesn't mean you have a job. That's the most significant part of this."

Announcing a dedication to hiring veterans is a nice thing, Langer said. But Langer believes the issue of veteran unemployment will always be present until there's a systemic solution to training and hiring underserved veterans.

This is the system used by Workforce Opportunity Services. Any business anywhere can use its service -- and it works.

A group of veterans and military spouses train at Prudential Financial.

"If you want to hire veterans, whether it's one or 20,000, you want to call us," he continued. "We've created a demand. People want more. It's a commitment, it's a pipeline, it's a system that works."

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs?

Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox.
The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!



Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Agoura Hills, California

At Visual Concepts, we believe great games are made by diverse and empowered teams with a shared passion for play. As one of the worlds top game development studios, we have shipped over 100 multi-sku titles to critical acclaim and commercial success. Our teams are independent and entrepreneurial. Our studios in Agoura Hills, Novato, Orange County, Budapest, Shanghai, and Seoul are committed to artistry and technical innovation, offering top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry.

What We Need:

Do you prize efficiency, productivity, and the satisfaction that comes from helping a team do their best work? Do you have organizational ability combined with a passion for solving technical, artistic and design challenges? Are you a collaborative leader and great communicator who thrives on delivering results? If so, wow, do we want to talk to you!

Our Agoura Hills studio is looking for a Producer to work with our team to help organize, focus, prioritize and track a host of new features and best-in-class visuals that were creating for the WWE 2K franchise. In the role of Producer, youll drive initiatives to improve our gameplay, visuals, technology, and game features to help make the next iteration of WWE 2K the best ever.

What You Will Do:

Work with a team of artists, engineers and designers to prioritize, plan and deliver amazing new features to our players

Work across partner teams to share vision, resolve dependencies, and ensure on-time delivery of feature inputs and requirements

Decompose long term efforts into incremental steps, planning and communicating road maps and risks to all stakeholders

Drive alignment, resolve ambiguity, and clarify technical and design strategy to maximize your impact

Collaborate with team members across the US and Canada to ensure the impact and quality of your features

Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit:

Four or more years of game production experience

One or more shipped games with significant scope of ownership

Experience setting clear goals, planning and delivering features with cross functional teams and multiple competing requirements

Outstanding project management capabilities, documentation, tracking and transparency

Attention to detail and completeness, ability to see around corners, anticipate issues

Familiarity with development tooling, Perforce, build systems, integrated test

Organized, excellent communication skills, passion for games, collaborative demeanor

Preferred Qualifications:

Background in Character or Character Tech Art

Project management training in Scrum or other agile framework

Experience in Jira or other project management software

Interested? Apply now.

About the Gamasutra Job Board

Whether you're just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what's out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.



Gamasutra's Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.



Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.
The Navy was just beginning to find its balance when acting secretary Thomas Modly sacked Capt. Brett Crozier, the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after Crozier pleaded for help protecting his crew from covid-19 in an email that went public. Modly ignored Navy commanders request for a preliminary inquiry, fired Crozier and then flew to Guam to suggest to the Roosevelts crew that their captain had either let the memo go public on purpose or had been naive or stupid. In the ensuing uproar, Modly resigned.
Arrivals go through health declaration procedure at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 13, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ba Do.

Two special flights will depart from Hanoi on Thursday and Friday next week, carrying Canadians stranded due to the new coronavirus back home.

The first flight, Vietnam Airlines VN008, would leave Hanoi at 3 a.m. on Thursday and land in Toronto at 7:50 a.m., said the Consulate General of Canada to Vietnam on Tuesday. Tickets, which cost $1,400, are non-refundable. Children under 12 only have to pay $1,050.

The second flight is expected to leave Hanoi at 8:30 a.m. on Friday next week, and would land in Vancouver. No further details have been announced.

Canada has recorded over 50,000 Covid-19 cases, of which nearly 2,900 have died.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has reported 270 Covid-19 cases, of which 49 are active, and no deaths. The latest two cases were recorded on April 24, and there has been no community transmission since April 16.

Vietnam suspended international flights on March 25 to contain the spread of Covid-19, leaving thousands of foreigners stranded.

Previously, several flights have repatriated hundreds of citizens from Europe and Southeast Asia.

Vietnam Airlines is also set to operate two direct flights in May to repatriate U.S. citizens.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 210 countries and territories, claiming more than 218,000 lives.
D ominic Raab has paid tribute to the frontline health and care workers who have given their lives to fighting coronavirus, as he confirmed more than 108 such deaths so far.

Deputising for Boris Johnson at Prime Ministers Questions, the Foreign Secretary said 108 NHS and social care workers are known to have died after contracting Covid-19.

Addressing the House of Commons on Wednesday, he told MPs: The whole House will also want to join me in paying tribute to the 85 NHS workers and the 23 social care workers who have very sadly died from coronavirus.

My very deepest sympathies are with their family and friends at what is an incredibly difficult time, and well continue to do whatever it takes to support them.

However, the true death toll among frontline workers is believed to be considerably higher than official estimates suggest.

Healthcare publication Nursing Notes, which has been tracking health and social care fatalities across the country, sets the number at 148 "at least" as of 9am on Wednesday.

Currently, the Government's daily coronavirus figures focus on hospital deaths, however, yesterday Matt Hancock announced plans to expand this to give a more accurate view of the full impact of the outbreak.

Speaking at the Number 10 press briefing on Tuesday, the Health Secretary said that in an effort to bring as much transparency as possible to the death figures, from tomorrow we will be publishing not just the number of deaths in hospital each day, but the number of deaths in care homes and the community too.

Today Mr Raab, who has returned to the despatch box while the PM welcomes his new son with partner Carrie Symonds, acknowledged that the spread of Covid-19 in care homes is a challenge that we must grip.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer grilled the minister on why deaths in homes continue to rise.

In response, Mr Raab said: I will not shy away from saying in front of the right honourable gentleman (Sir Keir) that this is a challenge.

But it is a challenge that we must grip and can grip to make sure we can get the numbers down in care homes as we have seen in hospitals and as weve seen in the country at large.

Sir Keir went on to describe the number of virus-linked deaths in the UK as truly dreadful.

He said: Six weeks ago on March 17 the Governments chief scientific adviser (Sir Patrick Vallance) indicated the Government hoped to keep the overall number of deaths from coronavirus to below 20,000.

He said that would be good by which in fairness to him he meant successful in the circumstances. But were clearly way above that number and were only partway through this crisis and were possibly on track to have one of the worst death rates in Europe.

On Monday, the Prime Minister said in his short speech that many were looking at our apparent success in the UK. But does the First Secretary agree with me that far from success these latest figures are truly dreadful?

Responding, Mr Raab said: This is an unprecedented pandemic, a global pandemic, and I think in fairness we shouldnt criticise either the CMO (chief medical officer) or the deputy CMO for trying to give some forecast in response to the questions that many in this chamber and many in the media are calling for.

The number of virus-related deaths in the UK is now just below 25,000, according to figures from the Office for National (ONS) statistics and other regional records.

So far 24,899 deaths which mention Covid-19 on the death certificate have been registered across the country, including suspected cases.

ONS figures released on Tuesday showed around three in 10 of all Covid-19 deaths are now occurring in care homes.

And while there is currently an 11-day time lag on reporting this data, Mr Hancock said the public will receive up-to-date figures on a daily basis from Wednesday onwards.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 28, 2020) - Philippine Metals Inc. (TSXV: PHI) ("PMI" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following corporate update.

The Company has been advised by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") that it does not currently meet the Continued Listing Requirements for a Tier 2 mining Issuer in accordance with Exchange Policy 2.5, Section 2.1. Therefore, the Exchange may place the Company on notice to transfer to NEX in the future, if the Company continues to not meet Tier 2 Continued Listing Requirements.

In the interim, the Company is taking several steps to meet Tier 2 Continued Listing Requirements. Firstly, in an effort to secure value for its Philippine-based precious metals projects, which are currently facing various legal challenges, the Company is seeking to sell its Philippine subsidiary in exchange for a royalty interest in the underlying projects. This would allow a new owner to advance the projects at no cost to PMI, while at the same time providing PMI with exposure to the underlying projects via a royalty interest. No agreement has been reached in connection with a possible sale, but the Company is in talks with several potential purchasers.

Secondly, the Company is actively pursuing new business opportunities to grow its asset base. This may include the acquisition of new mining properties, or possibly assets in a new industry. The Company's management and board have a broad range of expertise in finance, mergers and acquisitions, mining and other industries, and is confident that one or more new business opportunities can be secured.

On another note, the Company will be holding is Annual General Meeting on June 3, 2020 in Vancouver, BC.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements 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 transactions, concurrent financings or any contemplated change to the Company, 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 are 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. As a result, the Company cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and 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 only update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Craig T. Lindsay"

Chief Executive Officer

For additional information, please contact:

Craig Lindsay

Tel: (604) 218-0550

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as 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 sell any 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 "US Securities Act") or any State securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to US Persons unless registered under the US Securities Act and applicable State securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55073
Toronto city councillors are poised, while steering Canadas biggest city from their home computers, to extend Mayor John Torys emergency powers to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

The Star spoke to 11 of the 25 councillors about the Thursday meeting that will happen via video conference. They spoke about priorities emerging from a soon-to-expire 30-day emergency period in which Tory has effectively replaced them and helped introduce major restrictions on civil liberties.

None said they plan to vote against Torys bid to retain powers to act unilaterally on pandemic issues until Torontos outbreak is terminated  but some want to question him before pledging support.

Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam plans to endorse Torys extension upon the condition that there is greater consultation and transparency.

Under Torys rule, she said, the city has in some cases been too heavy-handed. She cited a centralized snitch line for Torontonians to report neighbours breaking physical distancing rules and aggressive enforcement and excessive fines against families out for fresh air and exercise in public spaces.

Coun. Jim Karygiannis said council needs to debate the mayors emergency powers to see if theyre working or not, expressing concern at political and city staff making judgments that normally rest with councillors.

Some of them do not have experience in dealing with an emergency like this, Karygiannis said. At the end of the day, they are not going to be the ones responding to constituents at doorsteps saying You did that or You didnt do this.

Most councillors surveyed, however, expressed no reservations about leaving the mayor in charge of Torontos response to COVID-19.

The number one role of government is to protect its citizens, said Coun. James Pasternak, the infrastructure and environment chair. And that we must do, despite the unease of using emergency powers.

However, Tory must listen to them about the plans for a staged lifting of restrictions and reopening of businesses and city services, several said. Coun. Gord Perks said city manager Chris Murray assured him council will get details on Thursday about how the city intends to deal with city finances ravaged by the shutdown.

Through the crisis, councillors have received weekly online video conference updates from Murray and Dr. Eileen de Villa, the citys public health chief. But they were only able to submit questions in writing, said Coun. Paul Ainslie, the government management chair, adding hes looking forward to questioning them in real time.

The city clerks office is running the meeting using Cisco WebEx software similar to Zoom. Councillors will appear on screen, or their initials if they dont initiate video. They will speak one after the other, guided by clerks.

Clerks staff got a trial run last week with a CreateTO meeting. There were some glitches, including an echo from board members using both phone and computer audio connections. One speaker was so garbled he had to disconnect and then reconnect. Votes were done by voice, one at a time, as they will be at city council.

Torontonians will be able to watch, as usual, on councils YouTube channel.

There may be a few comical moments from councillors like myself, who arent technologically proficient, but barring the odd glitch it should work out fine, at council, predicted Coun. Mike Colle.

He is among representatives pushing for a resumption, as soon as possible, of meetings of councils major committees to deal with pressing issues on housing, licensing, economic development and more.

Members of the public must be able to give deputations to those committees, however, and its not clear how that would work  online or by phone, for example  when councillors are at home and not all residents have access to technology.

Earlier this week Tory announced the cancellation of committee meetings until at least the end of May. Coun. John Filion said they must resume by June at the latest.

The benevolent one-man rule has served us well up till now, he said, but that shouldnt go on for too long. Most issues benefit from a variety of voices weighing in on them.

While the COVID-19 crisis will dominate the meeting that starts at 10 a.m., some other issues made it onto the unusual agenda.

They include a proposal to build modular housing for homeless people, authorization to spray part of Etobicoke to control gypsy moths, and permission to build four new kilometres of bike lanes and make improvements on other lanes totalling five kilometres.
In a bid to stop people from taking morning walks, police in western suburbs have started serving notices to chairmen/secretaries of housing societies asking them to restrict residents from taking morning walks or walking their dogs outside. To date, around 245 people have been booked for going for morning walks at Juhu beach.

Abhishek Trimukhe, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), zone 9 (Bandra West to Jogeshwari West), said, We are serving notices to housing societies and first information reports (FIR) will be registered against repeat offenders.

Shriram Koregaonkar, senior inspector, Santacruz police station, said, We have served notices to 433 people and 245 offences have been registered against those caught walking at Juhu.

3 pose as BMC officials to enter bldg, booked

Kalachowki police arrested three men on Monday evening for entering a quarantined building by impersonating health officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Locals alerted the police as the trio had no identity cards.

Around 6 pm the trio identified as Aniket Chougle, 25; Deepak Wagh, 24, and Ashok Chavhan, 22, entered Vikrant Sadan society in Chinchpokli and started checking peoples temperature with a thermal scanner. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC.

45 booked on Monday for not wearing mask

MMumbai Police lodged 94 FIRs on Monday, 45 of which were for not wearing masks and another 43 for gathering in one place. A total of 64 FIRs were from the central and western regions which have a maximum number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai. In all, 143 people were booked and 74 arrested on Monday.

81,035 FIRs in state for lockdown violations

Till Monday morning, a total of 81,035 FIRs have been registered by the Maharashtra Police for lockdown violations.

A total of 618 people have been booked for violating quarantine orders; 535 have been arrested for assaulting/obstructing policemen and 49,113 vehicles have been seized.

(Inputs from Faisal Tandel)
If she needs Wi-Fi, she moves instead to the apartments bathroom, sitting either on the ledge of the bathtub or on the stool her children use to brush their teeth.

Ive been doing this for a few weeks now, so Im always prepared and I carry snacks, she said. I have a mug of coffee, a bottle of water and lots of nuts and dried fruit in my backpack, whether Im going to the car or the shower. And I tell my kids goodbye, mommy is going to work, and my husband distracts them until I get set up.

Shower-stall offices and basement bunkers are a safeguard around personal space in this unprecedented time, said Dr. John Grohol, the founder of Psych Central, a mental health social network. They may seem extreme, but they also serve as a stand-in for aspects of our pre-Covid life.

When we go to work or school, it creates a boundary in relationships, he said. When youre thrown together in quarantine, you dont have that boundary anymore.

Previously forgotten corners and crannies of our homes are also getting new use, not just as home offices but also as refuges for me time and personal space.

Roy Movshovitz, 35, an operations manager for Google, had only recently started taking advantage of the gym at the tech giants Mountain View, Calif. headquarters when coronavirus took hold. Now quarantined at home in Belmont, Calif. with his wife, Tiffanie Wen, and their 2-year-old daughter, he didnt want to lose his fitness momentum.

So he set up a mini gym in what he calls an unused crawl space alongside some of the basement mechanicals, ordering a mat, barbells and gym bench online and replicating the moves his personal trainer taught him. The space is sloped with an uneven ceiling, and Mr. Movshovitz, who stands 6 feet tall, has to slouch in all but one corner. Ms. Wen has also made use of the space, heading in there on her own schedule to explore a newfound hobby for painting.
Drama indie Sister is backing new dedicated podcast studio, Campside.

The studio, created by long-form journalists Josh Dean (The Clearing), Vanessa Grigoriadis (Tabloid: The Making Of Ivanka Trump), Matthew Shaer (Over My Dead Body), and screenwriter/producer Adam Hoff,, will be dedicated to premium narrative non-fiction storytelling.

Campside has received a significant start-up investment from Sister which was founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider. The two companies have already identified three projects to develop for television as part of a first-look agreement.

Grigoriadis said: We believe in story first and to that end, we wanted to make Campside a company built around storytellers. At a time when the audio medium is exploding with potential  ever-growing audiences hungry for more, significant investment into new and exciting platforms  we want to empower the journalists who create and labor over amazing stories. This is our goal not just because it is fair and just, but because it is how you create hits.

Stacey Snider, Global Chief Executive of Sister, said: The minute the Campside team walked into the room, Liz, Jane and I were blown away by their ideas, their integrity and their passion for great stories. This is a team of incredible writers whose mission, like ours, is to support fellow creatives in their pursuit of excellence and self determination. We are excited to work with Campside to grow their network, identifying outlets for their stories and nurturing a new generation of talent.

The new network already has 11 original non-fiction podcasts in production or development spanning the true crime, scandal, and adventure. Hoff, who has optioned or adapted over a dozen nonfiction stories for film and television, commented: Every time I open our company Slack feed, Josh, Matt, and Vanessa have 10 new amazing ideas: their own ideas, or ideas from journalist friends. Shaer adds that the podcast format is an ideal fit for many of these projects: So many of them are perfect for audio, where the story can reach a level of intimacy that is harder to achieve in print.

Campside has also signed with UTAs Emerging Platforms division, who helped negotiate the deal with Sister alongside Morris Yorn and Blakemore Fallon.

We are extremely proud to be on this journey with Campside and unveil this esteemed group whose passion lies in extraordinary journalism, says UTAs Oren Rosenbaum. This collaboration represents more than a coming-together of brilliant creatives, but a pivot in how stories are told and consumed. Their trajectory is singular and inspiring and we couldnt be more grateful to Sister for sharing our dedication to this team and for helping pave the way for new and exciting opportunities.

Campsides first show will be a 10-part series on the outrageous Hollywood Con Queen scam, hosted by Dean and co-developed with Grigoriadis. Other year one shows include Masked, an investigation into a botched murder case in Seattle (co-reported by Shaer and fellow magazine journalist and Over my Dead Body alum Eric Benson) and the first of the three projects being developed by Sister; The Lost, hosted by Italian journalist Matteo Fagotto, a riveting exploration of a mother and daughter finding each other decades after the latter was stolen from the former by the Spanish government in a national black market adoption scandal; and Hooked, the story of a serial bank robbery spree set against the backdrop of Americas opioid crisis. Created and hosted by Dean, Hooked is already in development for TV by John Ridley for ABC Studios.

In addition, Campside will be producing shows in new genres like adventure, as well as other global narrative shows, including projects in Japan, Brazil, and India. Every story has to clear a very rigorous internal process. Our entire mission is big, ambitious stories, built around ground-breaking reporting, Dean says. We have no B-sides.

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A former haulage manager who began a secret double life as an online predator has escaped jail after he blamed his perverted offending on him feeling 'lost' due to losing his job.

Married father of two Peter Seymour, 63, logged onto internet chatroom and apps such as Kik to trawl for under age girls then sent them explicit messages and tried to meet them for sex.

The NHS transport specialist was arrested following a police sting operation when he sent squalid sexual requests to a girl called 'Mary' whom he believed he was aged 13 - not realising she was in fact an undercover detective.

Peter Seymour, 63, was arrested after arranging to meet 'Mary' who he believed to be 13, in a police sting operation. He had sent three under age girls explicit messages on chat rooms

During the operation Seymour arranged to meet 'Mary' outside a McDonald's in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, after she finished school only to be arrested by police who were waiting for him.

A search of his mobile phone revealed he had been communicating with three girls as young as 11 - telling one he wanted to 'rape her every night'.

His messages to one girl, who said she was 11, started on July 3, 2019 and contact with another girl began on November 23, 2019.

At Manchester Crown Court Seymour, who has been in custody since his arrest last November, faced jail after he admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, attempting to get a child to watch sexual activity and attempted sexual communications with a child.

But he was ordered to complete a three year community order after saying he had turned to paedophilia after being laid off from his job as a depot manager with a transport company.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and complete a treatment programme.

He agreed to meet her outside a McDonald's in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, after giving her his mobile number. Seymour was arrested by police after he arrived in a white Audi (file image)

The inquiry began in November last year after Seymour from Salford, began used Kik to began communications with 'Mary' and during the conversations, he sent various picture and videos of himself in a state of arousal.

He arranged to meet her at a McDonalds at around 2pm on November 25 and gave her his mobile number, asking her if she was 'serious about playing'. He was arrested on arrival and a house search was conducted.

David Toal, prosecuting, said: 'The officer said she was 13 and the messages quickly became sexual.

'She asked him whether they should carry on talking on Google Hangouts but he said it was 'not safe' because police would get his email address and details but added that with Kik it was 'anonymous'. This message suggests knowledge and experience in chat rooms.'

The court heard Seymour had no previous convictions.

Seymour was given a three year community order, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and complete a treatment order at Manchester Crown Court

Defence barrister Virginia Hayton said: 'Initially his family and friends were so shocked and devastated by his behaviour that they walked away and did not wish for him to return to their lives.

But over the passage of time, and maybe due to the current crisis, his wife hopes he will return home. She hopes that through dialogue and help he can get through this in the longer-term.'

Sentencing Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said she was freeing Seymour on account of the fact he had already been on remand for five months.

She told him: 'You were willing to arrange to meet children following grooming and there can be absolutely no doubt that this offence crosses the custody threshold.

'But you have been in custody and the sentence I would have passed would have been short and your issues would not have been addressed. I must provide a sentence that will provide maximum safeguarding.

'You should be thankful your wife and children are willing to trust you. Do not breach their trust by not engaging.'
Viral Video: People forced to quarantine in metal boxes as China enforces zero Covid policy

India Covid cases up by massive 2,47,417 infections, positivity rate at 13 per cent

COVID-19: Medicines should be given rationally says Centre

Lata Mangeshkar health update: Veteran singer still in ICU, but there has been a slight improvement

Maharashtra likely to see rise in COVID-19 hospitalisations by Jan-end or early Feb

15 places including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad identified as high coronavirus case load places

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has identified 15 places including Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad as "high case load" and said India's success in battling Covid-19 is dependent on them.

Out of these 15, seven districts show particularly high case volumes, like Hyderabad (Telangana), Pune (Maharashtra), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Delhi.

Coronavirus positive cases in India nears 30,000; death toll at 937

Other high case load places that are "critical" in the battle against Covid-19 include- Vadodara (Gujarat), Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Thane (Maharashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Surat (Gujarat).

"These 15 districts are critical in our battle against #Covid_19 Of them 7 show particularly high case volumes. India's success in battling COVID-19 is dependent on them. We must aggressively monitor, contain, test, treat in these districts! We must win here," Kant said in a tweet.

India has been under lockdown since March 25 to combat the spread of coronavirus, which has infected more than 29,000 people in the country. More than 900 people have died due to the deadly virus.

The government had on March 29 constituted 11 empowered groups to suggest measures to ramp up healthcare, put the economy back on track and reduce the misery of people as quickly as possible post the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Kant, heads the Empowered Group (EG 6) on coordinating with private sector NGOs and international organisations.
Aid agencies are urging Jacinda Ardern's government to turn its mind to helping some of the world's poorest nations fight COVID-19 following the elimination of community transmission in New Zealand.

A coalition of 14 New Zealand-based aid agencies, including global heavyweights Oxfam and World Vision, have petitioned Ms Ardern and Foreign Minister Winston Peters to join an urgent humanitarian effort.

Ian McInnes, Council for International Development chair and chief executive of signatories Tearfund, says New Zealand is enjoying a moment of global strength and should use it.

Aid agencies are urging Jacinda Ardern's government to turn its mind to helping some of the world's poorest nations fight COVID-19 following the elimination of community transmission in New Zealand

'Right now, we think New Zealand has a outsized voice,' he told AAP.

'We've been incredibly diligent and our team of five million has cracked our cases here in New Zealand.

'We don't like to boast in New Zealand. But if we lead out on this and we say we believe others should follow, we feel that carries weight at this time.'

The humanitarian appeal has been launched after a United Nations University study projected recessions in developing countries would sink hundreds of millions below the poverty line.

A low end scenario of a five per cent contraction would see 130 million more in poverty.

A worse-case contraction could see 420 to 580 million more impoverished.

New Zealand has only seen 19 deaths from coronavirus so far

'That's six to eight per cent of the global population and we think that sets global development back a decade,' Mr McInnes said.

'Petty traders on the side of roads in India are being harassed and sent home because it's lockdown. These are the people that sell food to the poor.

'Anyone who lives hand to mouth, day labourers, if they can't work, they can't eat.'

The United Nations has asked richer nations to contribute $US2 billion ($A3 billion) to an immediate humanitarian relief fund, with New Zealand asked to give $NZ25 million ($A23.4 million).

Mr Peters said he was yet to consider the aid request, but New Zealand had earmarked $NZ50 million ($A46.8 million) towards COVID-19 readiness and response in the Pacific.

'Including $10 million right now to get the utilities, masks, things they need, including looking at medical utilities and people to go to (Pacific) countries,' Mr Peters said.

'We have done an enormous amount to be a responsible citizen.'

Ms Ardern spoke to the Queen about New Zealand's coronavirus situation earlier this week

Mr McInnes said that wasn't enough.

'He's directing existing aid. We would say you shouldn't,' he said.

There are fears New Zealand's foreign aid budget could be raided as it looks to balance the books after spending more than $NZ22 billion ($A20.6 billion) in recession-fighting stimulus.

New Zealand contributes 0.28 per cent of its gross national income towards foreign aid, with a goal to reach 0.7 per cent.

Asked last week, Ms Ardern wouldn't be drawn on aid funding in next month's budget.

'What I would say is that New Zealand has always been mindful of our responsibility to particularly our Pacific Island neighbours, in times of hardship and in good times, and it's no different for us now,' she said.
Right to access the internet is not a fundamental right and the degree of access for exercising free speech or for carrying on any trade or business can be curtailed, the administration of Jammu and Kashmir said in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The submission by the newly created Union territory came in an affidavit it filed in a case seeking restoration of 4G mobile internet services in Jammu & Kashmir.

High-speed Internet as been suspended even after the easing of restrictions, including a communication blockades, imposed after erstwhile state was divested of its special status with the revocation of Article 370 of the constitution in August last year. Simultaneously in August, the Centre pushed through provisions reorganising the state into two UTs -- J&K and Ladakh --- with effect from October 31. .

Protection of the sovereignty and integrity of India and ensuring security of the country are sound grounds to reduce the speed of the internet, the affidavit said.

The right to access the internet is not a fundamental right and thus the type and breadth of access for exercising the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) and/or to carry on any trade or business under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India (CoI) through the medium of internet can be curtailed, it stated.

The centres affidavit was in response to a plea by a not-for-profit organisation, Foundation for Media Professionals, which said the lack of high-speed mobile internet was causing difficulties during the Covid-19 outbreak with patients, doctors, and the public in general remaining in the dark about the latest information, guidelines, advisories and restrictions related to the pandemic.

The petitioner challenged the order issued by the J&K administration on March 26 restricting the internet speed in mobile data to 2G and prayed that 4G internet services be restored in the Union territory.

Various public health practitioners, medical professionals, and doctors have repeatedly expressed their concern about wasting precious time trying to download the latest studies, protocols, manuals and advisories on treatment and management of Covid-19 . In some cases, doctors are not able to access these resources at all, due to the internet speed being too slow to download heavy files, the petition stated.

The J&K administration claimed that the submission was misconceived because most of the information relating to Covid-19 can be accessed through fixed line high-speed internet which is available in the Union territory without any speed restrictions.

The information regarding Covid-19 is also available on various social media platforms which can be easily accessed on low speed 2G internet. Various Government websites like website of WHO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, etc. associated with timely information flow in the form of awareness/advisories/orders can also be easily accessed at Low Speed internet, the affidavit said.

The Supreme Court in a judgment passed on January 10, had held that access to information and the freedom of trade and commerce via the internet are fundamental rights under the Constitution of India. It had, therefore, ordered the central government and J&K administration to periodically review the orders restricting Internet services in J&K

J&K, in its affidavit, told the court that after the January 10 judgment by the apex court, various orders were passed by the administration gradually lifting restrictions in J&K. Mobile phone services - initially post-paid and thereafter pre-paid  were restored and restrictions on internet access were progressively lifted.

The affidavit said a decision as to whether controlled access to the internet is still warranted depends on an assessment of the ground situation.

..post August 2019 constitutional developments, Pakistan handlers, either directly or indirectly, have increased activity on Social media intending to and aiming at disturbance of peace in the region , inciting violence and abetting terror activities, the document claimed.

Increase in internet speed, the centre submitted, will lead to swift uploading and posting of provocative videos and other heavy data files.

High speed internet services (4G) decrease the time of circulation of various photographs, videos, propaganda audios and hence enable the associated content to go viral, with the reaction time of law enforcement agencies to such situations decreasing, the affidavit said.
After death of actor Irrfan Khan, Doordarshaan announced the rerun of the actors first TV serial, Shrikant. Directed by Pravin Nischol, the series also featured Farooq Shaikh and . It was based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyays book.

DD said in the tweet, Watch your favourite #IrrfanKhan in Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyays #Shrikant, this afternoon at 3:30 pm on @DDNational.

Irrfan shone bright in a cinematic universe - from Hindi films to Hollywood and one he made his very own with powerhouse performances in films as diverse as The Namesake and Maqbool. Understated and self-effacing, Irrfan was the man with a difference in the tinsel world of showbiz, transitioning from TV soaps to the big screen and then from Indian films to world cinema with so little fanfare and so smoothly that no one really noticed  an actor was born.

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Irrfan was rushed to a Mumbai hospital on Tuesday for colon infection and died Wednesday. In a statement confirming his death, Irrfans family said, I trust, I have surrendered,. These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Security agencies have warned Army troops and paramilitary forces against a malicious Pakistan-propped mobile app that masquerades as the anti-COVID-19 'Aarogya Setu' app to steal sensitive data, officials said on Wednesday.

An advisory issued said the fake app can be received by a user as a WhatsApp forward or through SMS, a phishing e-mail or other links and via Internet-based social media.

The advisory has recommended to the personnel that they should only download the 'Aarogya Setu' app from authorised links from the 'mygov.in' website.

"The fake app during installation asks the user to permit use of internet and installation of additional application packages.

"Thereafter, it installs malicious links like face.apk, imo.apk, normal.apk, trueC.apk, snap.apk and viber.apk," the advisory, accesed by PTI, said.

These viruses then look into a user's smartphone and enable a hacker to track and monitor the content and activity of the phone. The data extracted from the user is saved at the command and control server of the app that is reported to be located in the Netherlands, a senior official said.

The troops have been asked to exercise caution while opening suspicious links over social media platforms and e-mail over their phones and apply up-to-date security patches and anti-virus guard, he said.

The Aarogya Setu application developed by the government helps people assess themselves on the risk of their catching the coronavirus infection.

The app detects other devices having the same facility in its GPS or bluetooth range and captures information regarding COVID-19 positive or linked cases.

The central government on Wednesday also made it mandatory for government officials to download and use the app in their personal phones.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW HAVEN  The Board of Education has crafted an email address for the public to share feedback on the search for a new superintendent of schools.

The email address was officially launched this week when the board voted to approve itself as a personnel search committee for the position.

The public can send feedback to superintendentsearch@nhboe.net. Board of Education President Yesenia Rivera said information will be shared only with members of the school board. The deadline for sharing feedback is noon, May 11, she said.

Board members have said interim Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey is being strongly considered for the role, but they will seek feedback from the public on two options: hiring Tracey, or launching a comprehensive search process.

The last time the school board launched a search process for a superintendent, it had voted ahead of time that the interim would not be eligible for the role. The board hired a search firm, which held multiple in-person sessions for the public to share feedback on what qualities they wanted to see in the next superintendent.

Schools are closed until at least May 20 by an order from Gov. Ned Lamont because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, making physical meetings unlikely.

Tracey has served in her role since Nov. 1, 2019, and preparing for and executing the districts response to the pandemic has been the highlight of her tenure.

Under her, the district arranged for the daily disbursement of meals from schools  which was later reduced to three days a week to reduce potential exposure  as well as the rollout of virtual distance learning in a district where many students lack internet access on a suitable device for completing work. Currently, the district lacks one-to-one devices for about 5,000 students. Now, Tracey and her team are determining what the districts grading policy should be for the current marking period.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
The law on lustration entered into force on October 16, 2014.

Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov (Servant of the People faction) has stated his negative attitude to lustration.

In an interview with RBC Ukraine, Razumkov claimed some "effective" officials were subject to it.

"My attitude towards lustration is quite peculiar: I don't support it. I'll explain why. Lustration covers plenty of people who were effective and who were not objectively stained by scandals," Parliament Speaker said.

Razumkov added that it was not up to him to judge whether these people had a corruption trace behind them, because "law enforcement agencies should be doing this."

"For example, I had people I knew who did not give the impression of malicious corrupt officials of a cosmic scale," the MP added. "If you are a professional, someone with a good reputation who has not acquired mansions during your time in office, if you performed a certain function in a particular position that, among others, fell under lustration, and because of this you were fired, then I don't understand why you need to be disposed of in this way if you can be of service to this country," Razumkov explained.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on July 5, 2019, Razumkov voiced an opposite opinion on lustration: "Attempts by former officials of the 'Yanukovych period' to return to high offices as a result of the possible annulment by court of the law on lustration could destabilize the political situation in Ukraine." At the time, Razumkov was a leader of the pro-presidential Servant of the People Party.

UNIAN memo. European Court of Human Rights on October 17, 2019, published on its website the text of the decision in the case of "Polyakh and Others v. Ukraine" (concerning the dismissal of five civil servants), according to which the lustration of civil servants in Ukraine violated their rights.

The ECHR ruled that with respect to the three applicants, Article 6 1 (right to a fair trial) of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was violated due to the lengthy court proceedings in Ukrainian courts and article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the same Convention in respect of all five applicants.

At the same time, the Court "did not doubt that in the period when former President Viktor Yanukovych was in power the Ukrainian civil service and democratic governance had indeed faced considerable challenges which justified a need for reform."

Read alsoUkraine's Constitutional Court to continue considering complaint against lustration law

However, the Court found in particular that the GCA was of very broad application and had led to the dismissal of the applicants simply for having worked in the civil service for more than a year while Mr Yanukovych was in power or for having been a Communist Party official before 1991.

The law therefore had no regard to the applicants' individual roles or whether they had been associated with any of the undemocratic acts which had taken place under the former president. In that context, Ukraine's Government Cleansing Act differed from more narrowly targeted lustration programs put in place in other Central and Eastern European States.

According to the court, Ukraine must pay each applicant EUR 5,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage. In addition, the court ruled that the first applicant should receive EUR 1,500 and the rest should receive EUR 300 each in respect of costs and expenses.

The lustration law came into force on October 16, 2014. It applies to persons who served as top officials for at least one year, from February 25, 2010, to February 22, 2014, and government officials who held positions from November 21, 2013, to February 22, 2014, without resigning from their posts. These persons shall not be able to work in government agencies for the next 10 years, the law says. The Constitutional Court considered the case on constitutionality of a number of provisions of lustration law according to the motions of the Supreme Court of Ukraine and a group of 47 lawmakers. Two motions of the Supreme Court and one motion of 47 lawmakers were combined into one constitutional proceeding.
Four surgery wards and four other wards at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in eastern Montreal have been hit by outbreaks of COVID-19, overwhelming its facilities and prompting doctors to cancel all surgeries requiring hospitalization.

In total, eight out of the hospital's main 12 wards are dealing with outbreaks.

The hospital is one of Montreal's dedicated centres for COVID-19 patients.

Aside from the Jewish General, the city appears to have chosen smaller hospitals for the role, but doctors said their facilities are overburdened and they are having trouble containing the virus.

It had to stop accepting patients for a period of 24 hours.

"The hospital is completely full," said Dr. Bernard Mathieu, an emergency room physician at the hospital and president of the association representing emergency room doctors in Quebec.

"In the context of COVID-19  when you have an emergency room that's overflowing, it's really difficult. And we already had a shortage of personnel, so we're having trouble maintaining course."

Surgeries requiring overnight hospital stays have also been cancelled at the hospital's sister facility, Santa Cabrini.

The hospital's emergency room occupancy stands at 113 per cent, and doctors say the intensive care unit is at capacity with patients afflicted by the coronavirus.

Another doctor told CBC News at least 30 staff are infected on a single floor.

'Worrying' situation

A spokesperson for the local health board, the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal, called the situation "worrying," but said officials are making adjustments as needed to control the outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health had demanded that seniors in hospital no longer be transferred to long-term care homes (CHSLDs), because the homes themselves are overrun by outbreaks and beset by serious staff shortages.

But Mathieu said that decision led to some homes refusing to take back residents who had only been in the emergency room for short periods, for treatement unrelated to COVID-19.

Story continues

"Those situations were a bit exaggerated, but I think they're starting to understand that we don't have a lot of resources," Mathieu said of the homes.

In an email to employees on Tuesday, the head of the health board, Sylvain Lemieux, acknowledged a "worrying situation" and a "bottleneck" in emergencies, but promised things would get better.

Cancer and hemodialysis patients have so far been spared by the outbreak at the hospital.

Frederic Lacelle/Radio-Canada

Last week, an outbreak at another of the city's COVID-19-dedicated hospitals, Sacre-Coeur, swept through oncology units, infecting at least 120 patients in all. At least two died due to complications from the virus.

Orthopedic and geriartric patients there had to be transferred to Jean-Talon Hospital and the CIUSSS transformed another nearby facility, Fleury Hospital, into a COVID-19 centre to relieve some of the pressure on Sacre-Coeur.

The long-term care wing at Jeffery Hale Hospital in Quebec has also been dealing with an outbreak declared at the end of March. It has already claimed the lives of 27 patients, and public health officials say they're not sure why the virus continues to spread.

Hospital not fit for treating coronavirus, union says

During the province's daily briefing Tuesday, Premier Francois Legault repeated several times that the situation in hospitals is under control.

Denis Cloutier, a spokesperson for the union representing nurses at the health board, questioned why Montreal's superhospitals, the Centre hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal (CHUM) and McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), weren't part of those designated to treat COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic.

The MUHC has been since early April.

He said Maisonneuve-Rosemont doesn't have the right infrastructure to properly prevent spread of the infection.

"There are a lot less negative pressure rooms. The wards are too close to each other and the way rooms are laid out  there are still several rooms with more than one patient in them," Cloutier said.

A spokesperson for the CHUM, Lucie Dufresne, explained that the health centre is "a specialized and ultra-specialized care establishment and that it has regional and provincial mandates that it must continue to fulfil, even in the context of COVID-19."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 14:42:04|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic are delaying the deployment of new United Nations (UN) police units in Abyei and the border regions between Sudan and South Sudan, UN peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.

While updating the Council on the work of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the security situation remains volatile at the local level, citing the rising tensions between the pastoral Ngok Dinka and nomadic Misseriya communities, as well growing criminality and the presence of armed elements, including some that have exchanged gunfire with UNISFA troops.

Abyei is a border town in the Abyei Area that is disputed by Sudan and South Sudan.

Lacroix said that although the relations between Sudan and South Sudan have improved, progress will unlikely be made in determining the final status of the disputed territory that is administered in effect as part of both states, as the African Union Commission and the African Union's High-Level Implementation Panel are stretched dealing with other priorities.

As a result, Lacroix said, the deployment of three formed police units (FPUs) is facing "serious delays" due to travel restrictions the Sudanese government put into place to combat the novel coronavirus.

"The process for the deployment of the first identified FPU from Ethiopia was well advanced by early March with the completion of the pre-deployment visit to the Mission area," he told Council members during a video-teleconference.

"However, all further steps had to be suspended in view of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak," he said, adding that while no cases of the virus have been recorded among UNISFA personnel, medical teams are visiting all team sites and sectors to verify the mission's state of preparedness.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday reported a total of 275 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 deaths in Sudan, and six confirmed cases with no deaths in South Sudan.

Established by the Council through Resolution 1990 (2011), UNISFA is mandated to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence and to protect the area from incursions by unauthorized elements and ensure security.

Lacroix said the months ahead will no doubt pose new and unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but UNISFA will keep engaging with Khartoum and Juba to facilitate the implementation of both previous agreements and the mission's mandate. Enditem
Then-Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn testifies before a full committee hearing on "Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States" at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on March 12, 2013. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Special Prosecutor Hands Sealed Documents to Flynn Defense Team

Commentary

When retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn stood before Judge Rudolph Contreras in a Washington courtroom on Dec. 1, 2017, and pleaded guilty to making a false statement to two FBI agents during an interview at the White House in January of that year, nobody could have predicted the yearslong absurdity that was to unfold.

It looked as if the case against President Donald Trumps former national security adviser was over before it ever really started. The Department of Justice (DOJ) never unsealed an actual indictment in the case, and prosecutors never had to enter any evidence in a courtroom.

There were rumors in the news media in early November 2017, such as this one on Nov. 5 from NBC News, that special counsel Robert Mueller had enough evidence to bring big charges against Flynn.

When Flynn suddenly appeared in court and pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, without any press conference by prosecutors announcing the unsealing of an indictment, it caught reporters by surprise.

That wasnt the only unusual development in this case. There have been many others. Here are just a few:

Contrerass Abrupt Exit

The original judge who accepted Flynns guilty plea was suddenly recused or replaced involuntarily; reports arent clear on what happened. Contreras was quickly replaced by Judge Emmet Sullivan.

Sullivans Immediate Brady Order

Sullivans very first action upon assuming control of the Flynn case was to issue whats known as a Brady disclosure order to the governments prosecutors. This order was issued in February 2018, more than two years ago.

Sullivans issuing of such an order has been a trademark of his handling of cases like this since he presided over the utter fiasco that was the case of former Sen. Ted Stevens, in which federal prosecutors were caught withholding evidence and knowingly allowing false testimony in the courtroom.

The Missing FBI Agent

FBI special agent Joseph Pientka has been playing the role of the DOJs Invisible Man for more than 2 1/2 years. While every single other member of the FBI involved in both the FISA court abuse and the Flynn case shenanigans became public figures long ago, Pientka glaringly stands out by his continued absence.

While James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and James Baker are among FBI people who have testified before Congress, Pientka has not. Not only has Pientka never testified, but its a Herculean task to even track down a photo of him.

Strzok, who was one of the FBI agents at the Jan. 24, 2017, White House interview of Flynn, which served as the basis for the false statement charge against Flynn, has been a very public figure since December 2017. Strzok was brought out for a very combative televised hearing in front of Congress before he was fired from the FBI.

The other agent directly involved in this case (Pientka) continues to be, for all intents and purposes, a literal ghost.

And now, the newest incredible development.

Flynn Defense Team Given Sealed Documents

In January, Attorney General William Barr appointed Jeffrey Jensen, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, as a special prosecutor and sent him to the U.S. attorneys office in Washington for a thorough review of the Flynn case.

Barr revealed in mid-February that Jensen was inside the U.S. attorneys office doing his review of the Flynn case; now, two months later, Jensen has surfaced to hand a stack of sealed documents to lawyer Sidney Powell, who is leading Flynns defense team. Powell is now furiously at work attempting to get the documents unsealed by the court.

It has been reported that these documents contain exculpatory evidence that was being deliberately withheld by both the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane team and the Mueller special counsels office.

What makes this curious is that since Sullivan filed that Brady order, lead government prosecutor Brandon Van Grack and his team have repeatedly insisted there was nothing else they were required to turn over to the defense.

And after Flynn fired his previous team of lawyers and hired Powell, Van Grack launched into another round of stridently insisting that the state wasnt withholding any exculpatory evidence.

Only once has Van Grack deviated from these denials. In a filing made a few weeks ago, he argued that since Flynn had immediately agreed to a deal and pleaded guilty, even before an indictment was unsealed in the case, he wasnt entitled to any exculpatory evidence the government might have in its possession.

There may be quite a firestorm if its determined that a team of DOJ prosecutors has been caught defying an explicit Brady order from a federal judge for more than two years. And if so, they did that to the same judge who caught corrupt prosecutors in Stevenss case in the act.

Upon learning what the governments prosecutors had been suppressing in the Stevens case, Sullivan quickly appointed a special counsel to investigate. The resulting final report was so damning, the prosecutors involved tried to unsuccessfully block its public release.

Sullivan ruled against them.

Is history about to repeat itself?

Brian Cates is a writer based in South Texas and author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion  But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Twitter @drawandstrike.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
In the wake of rising coronavirus cases, authorities in Faridabad on Wednesday ordered restrictions over movement of government employees and regular people from other districts or states.

According to an order issued by Faridabad's Deputy Commissioner Yash Pal, those government employees and regular people who commute daily from other districts or states, their movement has been stopped with effect from 12 pm on April 29.

"Doctors, paramedics, bank employees and police are allowed to enter the district only till 12 pm of April 29 with their valid identity cards after which no relaxation for movement will be given," the order said.

Those working in neighbouring places like Delhi that includes doctors, paramedics, bank employees and police personnel will have to make arrangements to stay at their workplace, it said, adding the directions will remain applicable till May 3.

However, ambulances, vehicles transporting essential supplies and those involved in banking and gas services will be allowed to enter the district.

The movement passes issued by the Centre under special circumstances will be recognised and such pass holders will be allowed to enter Faridabad, which abuts Delhi.

Faridabad district has reported 46 coronavirus cases and is closely behind other worst-hit districts Gurgaon (51) and Nuh (57).

Earlier, Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij had said that the state's borders with Delhi were sealed with essential services allowed but stricter restrictions imposed on those coming in from the national capital.

Vij had said that many of the coronavirus cases in NCR districts, including Sonipat, Gurgaon and Faridabad, have been found to have contracted infection from the national capital.

He said that daily movement of the employees working in Delhi to their residences in Haryana increases the risk of spreading COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China is badly bungling its diplomatic response to its responsibility for unleashing COVID-19 on the world, and the consequences for its ambition to become the world's hegemon will be profound. As you may have seen, when Australia announced that it would investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, China threatened a boycott. The leftist Guardian summarizes the contretemps:

Australia has been described as "gum stuck to the bottom of China's shoe," by a Chinese state media editor as Beijing criticised calls for an inquiry into the coronavirus origin as "political manoeuvring," further straining ties. Australia has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Beijing as it calls for an investigation into the origins and spread of the virus, which emerged in China late last year and has now killed more than 200,000 people around the world. Late on Monday, Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-run Global Times wrote on Weibo that ties between Australia and its largest trading partner, China, were likely to deteriorate as much as relations between Beijing and Washington had. Criticising Australia for joining the US in its attacks on China, Hu wrote: "After the epidemic, we need to have more risk awareness when doing business with Australia and also when we send our children to study there." "Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off," Hu said. Hu's comments echo that of China's ambassador to Australia, Jingye Cheng, who told Australian media at the weekend that pushing for an inquiry could result in a boycott of the country's goods. "Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'," Cheng told the Australian Financial Review.

Even ostensible friends of China in Australia were appalled, as the U.K. Daily Mail reported:

The head of the Australia-China relations committee has stood down amid growing political strain between the two nations. Warwick Smith has resigned as chairman of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, which replaced the Australia-China Council, as government officials clash over China's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The former MP resigned from his role in March where his advisory board was tasked with strengthening ties between the two countries through education, governments, business and cultural and community groups.

Australia's prime minister was not cowed, either:

The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has defied China and defended the "entirely reasonable and sensible" call for an investigation into the origins of coronavirus, as the international political fallout over the pandemic deepened.

The entire world has suffered grievous injury at the hands of China's evident negligence in allowing the virus to proliferate and its utter venality in buying up protective gear all over the world, reselling some at enormous profit when the rest of the world had caught up to the realization of the severity of the outbreak. The only foreign actors who would defend China are its bought and paid for toadies in NGOs and foreign lands. And as the World Health Organization is discovering, there may be a steep price to toadyism when the dust settles.

While the autocratic characteristics of a ruling communist party are to blame mostly for this pig-headedness, China is also handicapped by its own history. There is no model in Chinese history for relations among nation-states of equal standing as sovereign actors. For millennia, China's foreign relations were built on the ideology of tribute, in which China was supreme and other nations were allowed to trade with it by offering tribute to the Chinese emperor, who graciously would reciprocate by offering goods back to those who understood their place in the hierarchy below China. The approach to the emperor by foreign envoys required a ke-tou (kowtow), kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground.



Kyrgyz deliver a white horse as a tribute to the Qianlong Emperor of China (1757), soon after the Qing conquest of Xinjiang. Soon, intensive trade started in Kulja and Chuguchak, Kyrgyz horses, sheep, and goats being traded for Chinese silk and cotton fabrics. (Public domain via Wikipedia.)

When this model started to crumble with the two Opium Wars and the onerous conditions imposed on China, it was not replaced by anything resembling relations among comparably sovereign nations. Western nations demanded and got extraterritoriality, making their citizens not subject to Chinese law and courts, in effect teaching the Chinese that they were as high-handed as China had been in its glory days but less civilized about it. They also extracted penalties from China that impoverished its government and contributed to a devolution into poverty and chaos.

While China is skillful in cultivating stooges and infiltrating its agents into foreign countries in critical spots, when it comes to state-to-state relations, it has no clue how to treat other nations in ways that will lead to accomplishment of its goals. It knows only how to bully. "Political power grows out the barrel of a gun" was one of Chairman Mao's favorite aphorisms, after all.

China has already alienated all of its Asian neighbors, with the possible exception of North Korea, which is fully dependent on it. Mutually suspicious, if not antagonistic, nations from Indonesia to Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan are all aghast at China's dredging of artificial islands and subsequent construction of military bases and lodging of sovereignty claims. They are united in opposition.

Now China is in the process of expanding its isolation to a global scale. Its trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative is being understood as a method of gaining control over nations foolish enough to enter into contracts with it.

The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party may believe that its huge population and undeniable scientific and technological progress entitle it to world dominance. But they will find that without real allies, they will not be able to operate as a successful hegemon. China still needs critical resources, starting with oil and gas. China's population will begin declining in about a decade, the fruit of its foolish one-child policy, and its age structure will skew toward the elderly, not the ideal war-fighting demographic.
A owner of a posh hotel in Hubballi violated all the social distancing norms and seal-down rules on Tuesday by taking out a parade of a person, who is said to have 'recovered' from COVID-19 in a highly sensitive zone of Old Hubballi.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

An FIR against Metropolis Hotel owner, Ashraf Ali, who had organised the parade has been filed at Kamaripet Police Station in Hubballi late in the night.

A video of the parade where tens of people are seen clapping and raising slogans to welcome a COVID-19 recovered patient has now gone viral on social media. While it is claimed that the person in the video is P-194, a 27-year-old businessman from Mulla Oni who recovered from the COVID-19 and was discharged from Karnataka Institute of Medical Science, Hubbali on April 24, the district administration refuted claims and said that P-194 is still in the government facility and has not been let out.

Of the seven family members of the P-194 who are infected by the virus, six are still recovering at KIMS, the District COVID-19 centre. Eight of the nine COVID-19 cases in Dharwad district have been reported from Old Hubballi, and the parade on Tuesday was taken out in the same area.

Speaking to DH, Ali conceded that what he had done was a mistake. I only wanted to help the youth go back to his home, he said and added that he took P-194 from his hotel, where he was staying in quarantine, to his home to ensure that it is sanitised before other family members could return. While walking to home, the residents of the area started cheering and clapping for P-194,  he said.

Ali also claimed that he had urged people not to gather but they did not oblige.

While Ali said he accompanied P-194 to his house, speaking to DH, Deputy Commissioner Deepa Cholan claimed that the person in the video is not P-194. P-194 is very much in our custody and is kept in the government quarantine facility. Strict action would be taken against Ashraf Ali for violating the seal-down norms, she said.

It can be noted here that Ashraf Ali had volunteered to give all the rooms in the hotel to the district administration to convert it into the government quarantine facility.
A fire at a construction site in South Korea killed at least 38 people and injured another 10 on Wednesday, fire authorities said. Yonhap



President Moon convenes emergency meeting



By Do Je-hae/Reuters



A fire at a construction site in South Korea killed at least 38 people and injured another 10 on Wednesday, fire authorities said.

The fire broke out when workers were building a warehouse in the city of Icheon, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Seoul, they said.



They said "rapid combustion" occurred while workers were working on an underground level of the warehouse, adding that they are investigating the cause of the blaze.

A total of 410 people including 335 firefighters, were mobilised to respond to the accident.

President Moon Jae-in asked related ministries to do their utmost efforts for the search and rescue operation by mobilising all available resources, presidential blue house spokesman Kang Min-seok said.



Moon convened an emergeny meeting with his key aides, including Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, and Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, at 8:30 p.m. In particular, Moon instructed relevant authorities to contact the family members of the foreign workers that have been killed or injured in the fire and extend full assistance to them should they wish to visit Korea.

The fire was extinguished five hours after it occurred at 1:32 p.m.





A total of 410 people including 335 firefighters, were mobilised to respond to the accident. Yonhap




Two people including a Haryana Police constable were arrested for smuggling liquor into Uttar Pradesh amid the ongoing lockdown, an officer said on Wednesday.

Alcoholic beverages manufactured in Haryana were being allegedly home-delivered by the duo in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district.

Constable Amardeep and his associate -- Ashish Kumar were arrested on Tuesday evening during a routine vehicle checking drive in Shamli, a police officer said.

"Five cartons containing Haryana-made liquor bottles were seized from their car," the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Its clear even without the benefit of hindsight that management at the upscale La Vida Llena retirement community in Albuquerque was slow to respond to the coronavirus outbreak that has now claimed the lives of 16 residents in its health care unit.

Its less clear how aggressively state regulators moved to make sure lockdown rules were followed.

As reported in The Sunday Journal by Jessica Dyer, La Vida Llena was slow to close its exercise room, group dining room and salon  despite complaints from concerned employees. Some alleged management  which disputed the claim  discouraged staff from wearing masks because it would frighten residents. And there were concerns about the number of people with access through various doors.

As of Sunday, 33 La Vida Lllena staff people had tested positive. So had 28 residents of its health care unit. Unfortunately the high fatality rate, 57%, isnt unusual given the age and medical frailty of those in the health care unit. In fact, roughly one in six COVID-19 deaths nationally has been in these kinds of facilities where residents often have one or more serious underlying medical conditions.

And La Vida Llena isnt alone in New Mexico. Life Care Center in Farmington has reported nine deaths.

But it does appear La Vida Llena was creative in finding ways to skirt state orders. It delayed closing its group dining facility because it didnt meet the definition of restaurant. The state ordered the closing of gyms March 19 but La Vida Llena kept its fitness center open  with restrictions  until March 30.

We are  aware that gyms have been closed citywide. We have made a decision to leave our Fitness Centers open with some requests and limitations, Executive Director Linda Givens wrote March 23, telling residents to wipe down equipment before and after use and that only two to four people could exercise at the same time.

The plaintiffs bar is no doubt crafting wrongful death lawsuits as you read this.

Its important to note that all of the La Vida Llena deaths were in the health care unit. There have been no deaths in the other units at La Vida Llena, including independent and assisted living.

Attorney General Hector Balderas is investigating  as he should  and faults La Vida Llena on several fronts. One wonders if this crisis could have been prevented or mitigated had LVL chosen a divergent, more cautious course of action, he wrote in a letter to state Secretary of Health Kathy Kunkel.

Givens says the Balderas information is incomplete and based on a limited number of interviews.

He should keep digging. And while hes at it, he should look into what role the state Agency on Aging and Long Term Services did  or didnt  play.

The Cabinet-level agency with 123 social workers (currently telecommuting) looks into reports of abuse and neglect at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It has an ombudsman office that is charged with providing a voice for vulnerable adults who might otherwise go unheard.

Through regular visits to nursing homes and assisted living facilities we help residents by advocating for their rights, investigating complaints and helping resolve concerns and making sure they receive quality care.

Did the agency issue clear directives to nursing homes and assisted living facilities ASAP when it came to the governors health and closure orders? This shouldnt have caught anyone by surprise. By the time the pandemic and subsequent restrictions unfolded here, we all knew about the death toll in a nursing facility in Washington state. That should have been a wake-up call for all facility administrators and regulators alike.

The public, residents of La Vida Llena and the families of the deceased all deserve an answer into what happened here and why.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
A father enjoys the sunshine with his son in Rome, Italy, on April 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

-- Italy's coronavirus cases top 200,000, death toll at 27,359;

-- Germany reports over 156,000 confirmed cases, death toll at 5,913;

-- Greek PM outlines post-lockdown plan starting May 4;

-- Austria set to ease COVID-19 restrictions in May;

-- Coronavirus tracking app being developed in Latvia.

BRUSSELS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.

ROME -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 27,359 lives in locked-down Italy, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries to 201,505 as of Tuesday, according to the latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department.

The death toll on Tuesday was 382, bringing the total to 27,359 fatalities since the pandemic first broke out in the northern Lombardy region.

The department reported 2,091 new infections and 2,317 more recoveries compared to Monday, bringing the nationwide totals to 105,205 and 68,941, respectively.

A passenger wearing a face mask presses the door opening button of a subway train with his elbow in Berlin, capital of Germany, April 27, 2020. (Photo by Binh Truong/Xinhua)

BERLIN -- Germany reported on Tuesday 1,144 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its total tally to 156,337, according to the federal disease control agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

"It is a success that we have all achieved here," said RKI President Lothar Wieler. "We have succeeded comparatively in getting through this epidemic in Germany."

At the height of pandemic in Germany, more than 6,000 new infections had been recorded by the RKI on a single day.

A man wearing a face mask walks on a street in London, Britain on April 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON -- The coronavirus-related deaths occured in England up to April 17 was around 36.4 percent higher than previously announced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) due to different counting criteria, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Tuesday.

Figures showed that the death toll reported to the DHSC by April 17 was 13,917 for England, which is 5,068 fewer than the 18,201 death registrations involving COVID-19 reported by the ONS for the same period.

"Both data sources have some delay from date of death to reporting," said the ONS, adding that "the ONS and DHSC COVID-19 death numbers have different criteria."

A medical worker is seen at Evaggelismos General Hospital in Athens, Greece, on April 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS -- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined on Tuesday the government's plan for gradual transition to normalcy after the lifting on May 4 of the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 23.

During a televised address to the nation, he congratulated Greek people for the successful collective response to the challenge of the novel coronavirus so far.

"We implemented unprecedented measures to curb its spread. You showed unprecedented responsibility and solidarity," he said.

A drone with a loudspeaker warning people to stay at home is seen flying during an awareness-raising operation to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in Oeiras, Portugal on April 26, 2020. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)

LISBON -- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Tuesday that he will not ask for the extension of the State of Emergency by the end of its third phase which concludes on May 2.

The statement came after the president's meeting with public health specialists on Tuesday.

"It is hoped that it will not be necessary in the future to resort to the state of emergency again," said the president at the end of the meeting held at National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed).

People walk past reopened shops at Graben street in Vienna, Austria, on April 14, 2020. Some shops and businesses in Austria began to reopen from Tuesday. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

VIENNA -- Austria has decided to progressively lift its lockdown on May 1, almost seven weeks after the restrictions were put in place to deal with the coronavirus crisis, the health minister said on Tuesday.

The strict lockdown will be lifted at midnight April 30, Rudolf Anschober said at a press conference held here on Tuesday. It will be replaced by new rules: going out is generally allowed again, but it is still important to keep a minimum distance of one meter from each other, he said.

A staff member distributes free food to a child from low-income household in Ogre, Latvia, April 20, 2020. Latvia has prolonged the state of emergency till May 12. (Photo by Janis/Xinhua)

RIGA -- A group of Latvian IT and telecommunication companies have joined forces to develop a mobile application for tracking contacts of people infected with the novel coronavirus, local media reported Tuesday.

Developers of the app hope that initially it will be used by some 400,000 of Latvia's 1.9 million residents, thus helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the population.

The app, which uses Bluetooth to detect the presence of an infected person and runs on iOS and Android devices, will be available for free downloading in mid-May, the developers said at a news conference.
Two more persons tested positive



for COVID-19 on Wednesday in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases in the state to 107, Health officials said.

A patient from Ranchis hotspot Hindpiri tested positive for COVID-19 while another tested positive for the virus in Jamtara district, the officials said.

The Hindpiri locality, which is being manned by the CRPF personnel to prevent the spread of the virus in other areas of the state capital, has so far recorded 78 cases, including 66 active and 10 discharged, according to COVID-19 bulletin issued on Wednesday.

One person from Hindpiri had died of the infection while another of the same area died after testing negative due to Comorbid or other reason since the outbreak, it said. Another person died of COVID-19 in Bokaro on April 8.

The first COVID-19 case in the state was reported from Hindpiri locality on March 31 when a 22-year-old Malaysian woman, who had been to Tablighi Jamaat, tested positive. The woman has since been discharged after she recovered from the dreaded disease.

Jamtara Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganesh Kumar said that the samples of a 32-year-old man tested positive.

The DC said that the man was recently driving from Asansol to Bihars Banka when the officials intercepted him in Jamtara and sent him to a quarantine facility.

His samples were sent to MGM Hospital, Jamshedpur and it tested positive, the senior government official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has described President Akufo-Addos commitment to investing in the health sector as abysmal.

This is despite the Presidents decision to construct 94 hospitals across the country amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana.

Mr. Kwakye on Eyewitness News said the intended construction has been met with intense scepticism due to the Presidents failure to operationalize health projects undertaken by the previous government.

The real reason we are having this discussion is that the Akufo-Addo government can easily be unwilling to either operationalize or complete projects that he inherited. The fact remains that President Akufo-Addo has not shown enough commitment to investing capital in the health sector and even when they are presented with an opportunity to open up completed projects, they have failed and left Ghanaians in dire need.

You will notice there is a lot of scepticism and that scepticism stems from the Presidents own abysmal record in completion of hospitals, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu argued.

To buttress his point, the former Deputy Minister said the President is now proposing the building of 88 hospitals of which work has not begun, after being in power for almost four years.

Ministers explanation for stalled projects untenable

Mr. Kwakye also dismissed the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu's explanations for some stalled health projects started under the Mahama administration.

Mr. Manu at a press briefing on April 28, 2020, explained that some projects were abandoned even before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government assumed office due to former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper's refusal to renew Letters of Credit for contractors to access funds to continue with the projects.

As early as first quarter 2017, I wrote a letter to the Finance Minister to actually renew the expired Letter of Credit (LC) to enable the contractor to have access to funding to work on the project. The previous government for some reason refused to renew the LC to enable the contractor access funding as far back as July 2016 so the projects were abandoned before we assumed office. The only one out of the four that has been completed and in use is at Dodowa. Others are at various stages of completion, the Minister explained.

Mr. Ofosu Kwakye however, rubbished this claim, saying these projects had stalled because the government launched an unnecessary budget into the award of some government contracts.

The Minister said work has stalled on the remainder because the Letters of Credit were not renewed in July 2016. I can tell you that is not the reason why the hospital has stalled. The real reason that project has stalled is that they launched a very unnecessary budget into the award of government contract which took almost two years, the former Deputy Minister said.

---citinewsroom
40 YEARS AGO

MRA sponsors contest

The Manistee Recreation Association is sponsoring a logo design contest. Manistee County youth in grades 5 through 12 are eligible to submit a design and possibly win one of three contest prizes. In sponsoring the design contest, the MRA desires to obtain a logo which will be readily identifiable to Manistee County residents. As such, the designs submitted should be kept as simple as possible, be representative of the MRA, and incorporate the words, Manistee Recreation Association. First prize is a $25 gift certificate donated by the Army Surplus Store in Manistee, second prize is a $15 gift certificate donated by the Hobby Toy Shop, third prize is a record album donated by Records and Stuff.

Sams Bar is victorious

The Ladies Pool season has ended for the year and the Grand Champs of the tourney title for the first division are the ladies of Sams Bar. They are: Bobby Wooden, Lois Anderson, Jean Christensen and Joyce Gerlach. The gals are now looking forward to their banquet this Saturday at Stronach Hall.

60 YEARS AGO

Gas company changes hands

Official transfer of the gas distribution system of the Manistee Gas Co. to ownership by the Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. was effected yesterday at ceremonies during a luncheon at The Pines attended by city and county officials, civic leaders and officials of Michigan Consolidated. Signing closing papers yesterday for the Michigan Gas Co. were Mr. and Mrs. Ray Weidenfeller and completing the transaction for MCGC was Karl Seavitt, assistant secretary of the firm.

80 YEARS AGO

Big demand for big shoe

The mammoth shoe constructed by the NYA workshop and used at the recent county 4-H Club Achievement Day program is in much demand, County Agricultural Agent, Wayne Crampton reported today. In the dress revue of the Achievement Day, the shoe was used as an entrance for the contestants as they made their appearances on the stage. The shoe was shipped to Traverse City last week to be used in the Grand Traverse County Achievement Day dress revue. When the shoe is returned to Manistee, it will be loaned to Onekama High School for a play next week.

Rain lowers fire hazard

Steady, warm rain last night brought much closer to Manistee today and lowered the fire hazard in the Manistee ranger district after it had reached an alarming reading of six over the weekend. Lawns throughout the city were rapidly turning green today and trees were beginning to bud. The first dandelion was also reported near the post office building.

Compiled by Mark Fedder at the Manistee County Historical Museum
The World Food Programme has said that over the past 12 months, the price of basic food items in Syria has increased by 107% in 1 year writes Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Food prices in war-torn Syria have doubled in the past year to record levels, 14 times the average before the nine-year-old conflict, the World Food Programme said on Monday.

Over the past 12 months, the price of WFPs reference food basket has on average increased by 107 percent across Syria, the UN agency said.

This is 14 times the pre-crisis average and the highest ever recorded, WFP spokeswoman Jessica Lawson told AFP.

Syrias conflict has devastated the countrys economy since it started in 2011, and plunged 80 percent of its people into poverty, according to the UN.

Last week, millions of Muslims across Syria started celebrating the fasting month of Ramadan, many displaced from their homes and the large majority under lockdown to stem the novel coronavirus pandemic.

WFP said food prices had increased by 152 percent in the Assad regime-controlled province of Suweida, followed by 133 percent in the central regions of Hama and Homs, also under the control of the regime.

The price of basic food items in Syria has increased by 107% in 1 year.

Families say they are eating smaller portions, borrowing money & eating fewer meals to survive. #COVID19 is putting more pressure on families to meet their basic needs.

They need our help more than ever.

The Syrian capital followed, with prices jumping by 124 percent in just 12 months.

In Damascus, an AFP reporter said that over the past month a kilogramme of tomatoes had doubled in price from 500 to 1,000 Syrian pounds.

A bunch of mint or parsley was going for triple the price three months ago, he said.

Syrians in regime-held areas have over the past year had to contend with price hikes, a fuel crisis and a plummeting Syrian pound on the black market.

The regime blames Western sanctions for the economic crisis, but analysts also say regime corruption has played a major role.

Severe capital controls in neighbouring Lebanon have also contributed by hampering the influx of dollars to regime-held areas of Syria.

In February, the regime launched a smart card system to allow families to access a limited amount of sugar, rice and tea at a discount.

The Assad has officially announced 43 cases of the Covid-19 illness, including three deaths. The UN has announced one fatality in the northeast of the country.

The conflict has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions from their homes ever since it started in 2011 with the brutal suppression of protests by the Assad regime.

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.
Press Release

28 April 2020

KANSAS CITY, MO - MMGY Travel Intelligence, in partnership with Destinations International Foundation, has released the findings from the fourth wave of a series of bi-weekly tracking surveys of North American destination professionals. The survey, which assesses how organizations in this sector are impacted by and reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed that over the last two weeks respondents' outlook on their local tourism economies has started to improve.

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The percentage of destination professionals who expect their local economy to worsen fell sharply from 72 percent in Wave III of the survey to 41 percent in Wave IV, indicating expectations are starting to stabilize. A small, but growing percentage of respondents (14 percent) even expect their local tourism economy to show improvement in the next 30 days. This is up from just two percent of respondents in Wave III.

"Many organizations are now starting to proactively plan their shift from informational communications campaigns to promotional ones in the next 60 days," said Chris Davidson, Executive Vice President, Insights & Strategy at MMGY Global. "But, there won't be one moment where it all turns back on for everyone. Cities, even within the same state, maybe on totally different time tables and with different restrictions and protocols."

Destination organizations continue to focus their current marketing activities towards prospective travelers via informational emails and social media, and through public relations efforts. When organizations make the shift from informational campaigns to promotional ones, email campaigns will likely be at the forefront of communications. Seventy-three percent of respondents indicated they expect to employ this channel within the next two months, up from 62 percent in Wave III.

Crisis communications remain an important effort for most in the sector, as 76 percent of respondents report currently investing in this area. This is projected to decline rapidly in the next 60 days, with the percentage of destination organizations expecting to utilize crisis communications messaging two months from now falling to 46 percent.

"We believe this data represents the differing positions destinations find themselves in at this stage of the crisis and the uncertainty of how the coronavirus will affect destinations in the future. The responses also show the importance of crisis communications and having a strategy that supports various challenging events," said Chief Advocacy Officer for Destinations International, Jack Johnson.

This survey was conducted among employees of destination organizations representing U.S. cities, regions and states. Wave III of the survey was conducted March 30 - April 6, 2020 and Wave IV was conducted April 17-23, 2020. This study does not include U.S. consumers. The full report is available online on MMGY Intelligence's website here.

About MMGY Travel Intelligence

MMGY Travel Intelligence is MMGY Global's industry research and insights brand, offering proprietary data and research including DK Shifflet, the Portrait of American Travelers and travelhorizonsTM designed to power travel industry decision-makers through consumer insights, travel performance data, and audience modeling and segmentation. To learn more about the extensive collection of research, analytics and strategy services, visit mmgyintel.com or email us at [email protected].

About Destinations International

Destinations International is the world's largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. Destinations International is about serving destination marketing professionals first and foremost. Together with almost 6,000 members and partners from nearly 600 destinations in approximately 13 countries, Destinations International represents a powerful forward-thinking, collaborative association; exchanging bold ideas, connecting innovative people and elevating tourism to its highest potential. For more information, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.

About the Destinations International Foundation

The Destinations International Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering destination marketers globally by providing education, research, advocacy and leadership development. The Foundation is classified as a charitable organization, under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and all donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible. For more information visit www.destinationsinternational.org.
STEPHANIE Pemberton has a missionto nurture the next generation of the middle class.

And not just in T&T. But in the Caribbean.

The way to do that, she reasons, is through the development of entrepreneurs.

So she established an entrepreneurship development company, Planting Seeds, which focuses on growing/promoting small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).
OTTAWA  A search-and-rescue mission was underway Wednesday night for a Canadian military helicopter believed to have crashed into the sea off the Greek coast with one person reportedly dead.

The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed that rescue operations were underway for one of its aircraft that had been operating from a Canadian warship.

There is a developing situation regarding one of our helicopters  Contact was lost with the aircraft as it was participating in allied exercises off the coast of Greece, the military said in a statement to the Star.

Search-and-rescue efforts are currently underway, the military said, adding that no further information could be provided.

The Associated Press cited reports by Greek state TV that the helicopter had crashed into the sea between Greece and Italy, killing at least one person. ERT said debris from the crash and one body were found late Wednesday, with five others aboard the aircraft missing, according to the AP report.

The Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton deployed to the region in January, together with a relatively new CH-148 Cyclone helicopter from 12 Wing Shearwater.

The helicopters, manufactured by Sikorsky, have replaced the aging Sea King helicopters. The Cyclone was declared operational in July, 2018 after a period of testing and troubleshooting. The helicopter had its first deployment that year on board HMCS Ville de Quebec on the very same NATO operation.

The Cyclone normally operates with a crew of four  two pilots, one tactical operator and one sensor operator.

The frigate is on a six-month deployed with a standing NATO maritime task group as part of Operation Reassurance, meant to deter Russian aggression following its invasion of Crimea.

A spokesperson for the NATO mission confirmed there had been an incident involving a helicopter from a ship under NATO command.

There is currently a search-and-rescue operation being conducted and national notifications taking place, Col. Juanita Chang, chief of public affairs for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

Chang said she was unable to provide additional information citing the need to respect national notification procedures and family members.

The Royal Canadian Air Force has 18 Cyclones in its fleet and is due to get 28 in all. The maritime helicopters are meant to deploy on board frigates, providing surveillance, transport and search-and-rescue.

The twin-engine helicopters have a sophisticated array of electronics on board to assist the pilots, allowing day and night operations in most weather conditions, according to the air force.

This new fleet of aircraft is at the forefront of modern technology and one of the most capable maritime helicopters in the world, the air force states on is website.
Equity Residential EQR is slated to report first-quarter 2020 results on May 5, after market close. The companys quarterly performance is likely to reflect growth in both revenues and funds from operations (FFO) per share.



In the last reported quarter, this Chicago, IL-based residential real estate investment trust (REIT) posted a positive surprise of 2.25% in terms of FFO per share. Results reflected improved same-store net operating income (NOI) and growth in average rental rate.



The company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average positive surprise being 2.02%. The graph below depicts this surprise history:

Equity Residential Price and EPS Surprise



Equity Residential Price and EPS Surprise

Equity Residential price-eps-surprise | Equity Residential Quote

Lets see how things are shaping up for Equity Residential prior to this announcement.



Factors at Play



Equity Residential is likely to have benefited from its initiatives to reposition the companys portfolio in high barrier-to-entry/core markets. Moreover, though the coronavirus pandemic jeopardized the second half of the first quarter, the beginning of the period commenced on a positive note with a resilient economy and decent job-market strength. Therefore, the impact of the pandemic is likely to be more pronounced on real estate fundamentals in the second quarter than in the first.



In fact, per a report from real estate technology and analytics firm RealPage, Inc. (RP), the U.S. apartment rental markets performance in February was steady with national apartment occupancy in the month remaining at 95.5%, matching that of January and up 30 basis points (bps) from the year-ago tally. Rent growth of 2.9% also matched the three-year average.



The company is anticipated to have witnessed healthy demand for its properties amid a solid job market and household formation. It is also likely to have gained from high home-ownership costs in several markets, which hinder transition from renter to homeowner.



Usually, demand for apartments slows down during the colder months as renters usually prefer less to move in winters. Nevertheless, Equity Residential noted that its same-store portfolio remains well occupied at 96.5% as of Mar 24, 2020. The company is also seeing indications of increased retention.



Further, the company announced that it has collected about 93% of its April cash rents through Apr 7, and is having talks with the remainder of the residents on payment options.



However, due to the several restrictions imposed by the government, the company has been witnessing reduced foot traffic and applications. The company has also been witnessing high new supply across a number of its markets. This elevated supply level will likely keep straining lease rates, occupancy as well as retention, and impede revenue growth.



For the first quarter, Equity Residential projects normalized FFO per share at 84-88 cents.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is currently pegged at 87 cents, indicating a 6.1% year-over-year improvement, backed by solid revenues. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys quarterly revenues is pinned at $683.7 million, suggesting 3.2% growth year on year.



However, Equity Residentials activities during the January-March period were inadequate to gain analyst confidence. Consequently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarters FFO per share remained unchanged over the past 30 days.



Here is what our quantitative model predicts:



Our proven model predicts a beat in terms of FFO per share for Equity Residential this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of a beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.



Equity Residential currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3 and has an Earnings ESP of +1.26%.



Other Stocks That Warrant a Look



Here are a few other stocks in the REIT sector that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to report a positive surprise this quarter:



SBA Communications Corporation SBAC, set to report quarterly numbers on May 5, has an Earnings ESP of +0.67% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3 currently. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



CoreSite Realty Corporation COR, slated to release first-quarter earnings on Apr 30, has an Earnings ESP of +3.19% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.



Americold Realty Trust COLD, expected to release earnings results around May 7, has an Earnings ESP of +9.74% and currently holds a Zacks Rank #3.



Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO)  a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Datakwip, a McLean, Maryland-based, provider of a cloud energy analytics platform for smart buildings, received an equity investment from GreenGen Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Green Generation.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

Other investors in the company include TEDCO, the University of Marylands Momentum Fund, and the Chesapeake Bay Seed Fund.

Founded in 2016 by CEO Cory Perdue, Datakwip provides a software platform that automatically detects opportunities to save energy in buildings. Its proprietary software and intellectual property allows buildings and other physical assets to connect to existing infrastructure without any new hardware installations or upgrades in order to enable real-time communication and optimize facility management. It is currently already installed in over 30 properties and has an innovative portfolio of products with five pending patent applications for novel innovations within the built environment.

GreenGen will work with the company as a preferred supplier and will be taking an advisory board position with it.

FinSMEs

29/04/2020
At the video conference of the Foreign Ministers of BRICS, a bloc of five leading nations, on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the pharma assistance being provided by India to nearly 85 countries on a grant basis to support their response against the Coronavirus pandemic.

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Ministers of Foreign Affairs video conference was convened by the current BRICS chair, Russia to discuss COVID-19 crisis, its impact and BRICS response. The BRICS Foreign Ministers also discussed the activities to be undertaken under Russian BRICS Chairmanship in 2020.

'India instituted measures to check Coronavirus'

"EAM highlighted the initiatives and various decisive steps taken early by India in the wake of the pandemic including through Aarogya Setu Citizen App and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package. He highlighted that much before the outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO, India instituted measures to check Corona Virus," Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

"He apprised the BRICS Foreign Ministers about the initiative to coordinate efforts to contain COVID-19 in South Asia, and creation of COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund by the SAARC countries. India is providing pharma assistance to nearly 85 nations, including many countries in Africa, on a grant basis, to support their response to the pandemic. This has been widely welcomed," it added.

'Need to support businesses'

S Jaishankar emphasised that the pandemic is not only posing a great risk to the health and well-being of humanity but is also severely impacting the global economy and output by disruption of global trade and supply chains. "Economic activity across sectors has been negatively impacted leading to loss of jobs and livelihoods. He emphasised that we need to provide support to businesses, especially MSMEs, to tide over the crisis and ensure livelihoods are not lost," the MEA said in a release.

The New Development Bank of the BRICS grouping will set aside USD 15 billion to help its members tide over the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced after a meeting of the five-nation bloc.

"We decided to allocate up to USD 15 billion...We believe that it should become a very good reinforcement for our countries'' economies when they're coming out of the crisis and resume economic operations," Sergey Lavrov said after the meeting.

READ | Maharashtra govt yet to act on panels recommendations on decongesting jails amid COVID-19

READ | Uddhav cabinet to discuss CM's MLC nomination as deadline nears; mulling EC & SC options

The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) represents over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world population and has a combined GDP of USD 16.6 trillion. A virtual meeting of BRICS Health Officials is envisaged on COVID-19 pandemic on May, 7 to take the discussion forward in a focussed and purposeful manner.

READ | Kumaraswamy picks up on scamsters' Rs 68,000 loan write-offs; puts into Covid context

READ | BJP chief Nadda pulls up party's UP top brass for MLA's communal 'vegetable buying' remark

(With agency inputs)
TANZANIA, Tanzania - The U.N. Security Council took no action after discussing the humanitarian situation in Venezuela behind closed doors on Tuesday but its European Union members said the coronavirus pandemic risks having a devastating human impact in a country grappling with an already grave economic, social and humanitarian situation.

A statement by France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia and former council member Poland reiterated EU concerns about the sharply deteriorating crisis in Venezuela and its destabilizing effects across the region, including its severe humanitarian consequences.

The members said the European Union is the largest donor to Venezuelas humanitarian crisis, providing more than half of all funding, and they called for stepped up efforts to respond to the countrys underfunded humanitarian emergency.

The EU members backed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call to work closely with the U.N. system to enable the provision of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations, the Red Cross movement and by national and international non-governmental organizations.

The EU members of the Security Council call for the depoliticization of humanitarian assistance and for safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout the country, the statement said.

They reiterated that EU sanctions are targeted at individuals in Venezuela responsible for human rights violations and were explicitly designed not to affect the population.

Therefore, the sanctions do not impede humanitarian or medical assistance in any way, the statement said.

Diplomats said the Security Council couldnt agree on a press statement because Russia wanted a reference to the negative impact of sanctions included.

Germanys deputy U.N. ambassador Juergen Schulz stressed to the council that EU sanctions imposed against Venezuela, do not apply to humanitarian assistance and humanitarian activities, including medical assistance, and in no way stand in the way of or impede the global fight against COVID-19, according to the text of his remarks released by Germanys U.N. Mission.

Venezuelas humanitarian crisis was dire before the outbreak of COVID-19, Schulz said, pointing to the more than 5 million Venezuelans that have left the country, often in search of medicine and basic health services.

Even basic measures preventing the spread of the pandemic, such as hand-washing and social distancing, will be very difficult to implement in a country where only 18 per cent of people have access to clean water, supplies are expensive, fuel shortages are causing growing complications for the production and delivery of food, and especially people in the informal sector are hardly able to make a living, Schulz said.
Scammers are using the coronavirus crisis to con unsuspecting UK customers with fake emails and text messages. (Getty)

Supermarket shoppers have been warned by the police not to be tempted into coronavirus-related scams offering free vouchers.

Fake websites have been set up to steal personal and financial information from unsuspecting UK customers.

In one scam people have received a hoax email claiming to be from Tesco (TSCO.L) saying the supermarket is offering vouchers during the coronavirus pandemic. A link in the email takes customers to a bogus phishing website which then steals login details and sensitive data.

The email, which contains several typos, encourages people to act quickly by claiming the offer expires at the end of April 2020.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: How to spot a work-from-home scam

Since COVID-19 hit the UK, more than 2m ($2.5m) has been lost to coronavirus-related cons, affecting 1,072 victims, according to the national police unit, Action Fraud.

Kirsty Jackson of Nottingham Police, who were the first to spot the scam, said: Criminals will use every opportunity they can to defraud innocent people. They will continue to exploit every angle of this national crisis and we want people to be prepared.

Another shopping scam, currently doing the rounds on WhatsApp, promises a 250 shopping voucher for Morrisons (MRW.L) supermarket.

Once on the website people are asked a series of questions and told to share the message to be in with the chance of winning an iPhone 11. It also asks for a 1 admin fee and bank or credit card details.

The scam message reads: Morrisons is giving away free groceries worth 250 to support the nation during Corona pandemic. Hurry up! Collect your FREE voucher.

Nottingham Police said genuine websites should always start with https' because this signals the site is secure.

READ MORE: Campaign launched to tackle online coronavirus scammers

They also warn the public not to click on any unknown links in emails or messages and to make sure antivirus software is up to date.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK


Appendix 4C - Quarterly

Sydney, April 29, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Regeneus Ltd ( ASX:RGS ), a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company, today released its quarterly cashflow report and review of operational activities for the period ending 31 March 2020 (the quarter).Highlights:- MOU agreement signed with Japanese multinational manufacturer Kyocera Corporation for exclusive negotiation rights for Progenza in Japan- Milestone payment of A$1.6M received from Kyocera- New key patent for Progenza to be granted by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office- $4M loan facility from Directors to support Licence and commercialisation negotiations for Progenza- Cash balance of $1.4M as at 31 March 2020Operational highlightsDuring the quarter, the Company made significant progress on its commercialisation strategy for its lead stem cell platform technology Progenza for Osteoarthritis (Progenza OA) in Japan by signing a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kyocera Corporation. As part of the MOU, Regeneus received JPY100M (A$1.6M) upfront milestone payment from Kyocera.Kyocera is a diversified multinational manufacturer; their life sciences business operates as one of the major producers of medical and dental products in Japan, including artificial joints for the knees and hips.Under the MOU, Kyocera will conduct due diligence on Progenza OA. Upon completion of this, Regeneus will receive formal notification from Kyocera and Kyocera will have exclusive negotiation rights for Progenza OA in Japan until the end of July.During the quarter, the Company also strengthened its intellectual property (IP) portfolio, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issuing a notice of allowance for a new key patent for Progenza in the U.S.The new patent to be granted covers the treatment of inflammatory conditions with the combination of stem cells and secretions. This includes inflammatory conditions caused by arthritis, heart disease, autoimmune conditions, respiratory diseases, asthma, Crohn's disease and other gastrointestinal diseases.Financial UpdateIn February, the Board of Directors put in place a $4 million loan facility to support the Company's funding runway to commercial licensing negotiations, CEO and Executive Director Leo Lee and Paddington St Finance Pty Ltd, a company associated with Independent Chairman Barry Sechos, have both provided facilities of $2 million.The Company believes these funding arrangements provided by related parties on 'arm's length terms' demonstrate the Directors' commitment to Regeneus and confidence in the management team's ability to conclude commercial licensing arrangements for its lead platform technology in Japan.Regeneus' cash balance as of 31 March was $1.4 million. Receipts for the quarter totalled $1.6 million, representing the milestone payment from Kyocera. Net operating cash outflows for the quarter was $1.1 million, mainly related to operational costs, IP filing and R&D-related expenditure and expenditure associated with securing the Kyocera arrangements.Regeneus continued its cost containment initiatives over the quarter. It is anticipated that the cash at end of March of $1.4 million and the undrawn facilities of $2.9 million will provide adequate cash to fund operations until Kyocera arrangements are finalised.OutlookRegeneus CEO and Executive Director Leo Lee said the Company has made positive progress towards its revised strategic direction this quarter."The MOU with Kyocera Corporation was a critical milestone in our commercialisation pathway for Progenza OA in Japan. We look forward to the completion of Kyocera's due diligence on Progenza OA and updating the market on this front," said Mr Lee.To view the quarterly report, please visit:About Regeneus Ltd

Regeneus Ltd (ASX:RGS) is a Sydney-based clinical-stage regenerative medicine company using stem cell technologies to develop a portfolio of novel cell-based therapies. The regenerative therapies seek to address unmet medical needs in human health markets, focusing on neuropathic pain, including osteoarthritis and various skin conditions, with its platform technologies Progenza(TM) and Sygenus. Visit www.regeneus.com.au for more information.
This article, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Comcast extend vow to not cut off service amid COVID-19 crisis, originally appeared on CNET.com.

The nation's largest wireless and broadband companies are extending their promise to not disconnect service through June 30, in an effort to help customers through the COVID-19 crisis. In March, these service providers voluntarily signed on to the Federal Communications Commission's Keep Americans Connected pledge.

Wireless providers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, along with the nation's largest cable provider, Comcast, have each extended for another seven weeks their commitment to not charge late fees or disconnect service of customers who can't pay their bills. Comcast has also said it'll extend its free offer of the Internet Essentials program for low-income individuals through the end of June. And the cable giant said it will suspend requirements that prevent eligible customers from taking advantage of the service if they have an outstanding balance with the company.

The promise to extend the pledge comes as states debate whether to start opening up for business or whether to extend stay-at-home orders, which require many to work from their residence. Several governors have also closed schools for the remainder of the school year. As a result, Americans nationwide will continue to rely on their broadband and wireless services to stay connected to schools, workplaces and medical professionals.

More than 700 broadband and wireless companies have signed on to the pledge, according to the FCC. As part of the pledge, wireless and cable broadband providers have opened up their public Wi-Fi hotspots for free, promised not to terminate service if subscribers can't pay and waived overage and late fees.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon each said they won't terminate service or charge late fees for residential or small-business customers so long as customers notify the companies about their inability to pay due to the coronavirus crisis.

The pledge and its extension also applies to home broadband and TV services from AT&T and Verizon.

Though the companies' executives, like Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, say they're committed to helping alleviate the effects customers may experience from the economic hardships of the virus, their commitments are having a financial impact.

Verizon said on its earnings conference call last week that "bad debt" expenses increased by $228 million as a result of customers who are unable to pay their bills. The company said it expects this number to increase in the second quarter.
"You get the best of both worlds," a prepubescent Miley Cyrus once sang of her double life. Model Ciarda Hall, who prefers to go by her first name only these days, can relate. She's mastered the duality of a big city modeling career  walking for shows like Yeezy, Savage x Fenty, Alyx and Kim Shui  with a more small-town existence in upstate New York. She reconnected with childhood friends there after a few years of early career chaos.

"I was partying all the time, never answering my mom's calls, surrounded by a bunch of people who valued Instagram numbers over real love," she recalls. That return to her roots re-centered Ciarda and gave her a renewed sense of purpose  one less focused on an arbitrary algorithm. These days she's also set her sights on Hollywood, although that doesn't mean she's done with fashion. Just look at models like Cara Delevingne, Elizabeth Hurley and Brooke Shields, all of whom have proven that a model's success is not contained to the runway alone.

This new perspective is useful during a pandemic  she's excited to continue her career, but in due time. "I am way more worried about how we as humans will survive this rather than how fashion will," she says. Below, meet model Ciarda, photographed on her family farm in Fishkill, New York.

Clothing: Thom Browne, Bracelets: David Yurman

You grew up farming on your grandparents' farm in Ireland, where your mom is from. What was that like? Getting to fly to Ireland all the time from when I was only one year old to my near 20s was incredible. Missing school for a bit and coming back with printed-out photos of me on the farm to show my class was a highlight of my childhood. My grandparents' farm was... iconic. It was a tiny house in a very small town called Kilmacthomas, surrounded by endless acres of fields belonging to them. It was like something out of an old film. My grandad only had sheep on the farm during my time there, and not many either, so that group of sheep were free to roam every field on the farm. Wouldn't see them for days sometimes. I would often go off into the back fields to find them and herd them for my grandad so he could make sure they weren't sick or hurt.

You began pursuing modeling at 15. What first captured your attention about modeling and what steps did you take to pursue it? Me and my friend would always watch the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and swore we were going to do it one day. That's all we knew about modeling. We wanted to be in that show. So first things first... how the hell do we become very tall and very skinny very quick? [Laughs]

Related | Naomi Campbell Interviews Trailblazing Model Aaron Philip

Then your mother started taking you into the city to meet with some agencies. Yes, and I was turned away as soon as I walked into each office. Oh my God that fucked me up. I would look things up like "how to grow 5 inches" or "if I stretch my legs a lot will they be longer eventually?" I definitely gave up for a bit but over time built confidence to try again, but with no agency. Well who would have thought years later I'd be walking in the most inclusive lingerie fashion show ever, next to some former VS supermodels even. A show that helped cancel VS shows forever. Never give up.

When we were talking earlier, you mentioned how early on you became lost in "this whole world," and how the friendships you were making modeling weren't the same as your friendships back home. What wasn't clicking for you? This really upsets me, but I feel like I neglected my family and childhood friends for a while. I stayed in NYC and was partying all the time, never answering my mom's calls, surrounded by a bunch of people who valued Instagram numbers over real love. I was also in a really dark relationship for a while and became quite depressed. I was just done with everyone.

"I am way more worried about how we as humans will survive this rather than how fashion will."

You ended up going home to upstate New York and reconnecting with your childhood best friends. How did that experience, returning to your roots, affect you? After not being in contact for some time you'd think our first time hanging out again would be kind of weird. Nope. We picked up just where we left off. We were kids again. It felt really amazing to have people back in my life who I know have always and will always love me for me no matter what. This encouraged me to tap into other parts of my childhood to find more happiness. I wanted to get back on a farm. If this isn't Hannah Montana: The Movie in real life I don't know what is. After not being in contact for some time you'd think our first time hanging out again would be kind of weird. Nope. We picked up just where we left off. We were kids again. It felt really amazing to have people back in my life who I know have always and will always love me for me no matter what. This encouraged me to tap into other parts of my childhood to find more happiness. I wanted to get back on a farm. If this isn't Hannah Montana: The Movie in real life I don't know what is.

And now you want to pursue acting. Has that always been a passion? And are there other models-turned-actors whose careers you might be looking at as some sort of blueprint? Yep. Low-key always have wanted to. I love fashion and modeling but there's something about embodying other characters that I find really fun and interesting. I had a show on YouTube when I was 11 with like one subscriber [laughs]. It was a series about these two characters me and my friend Sam created, and it was all improv. For 11-year-olds it was actually really good. Now being older, I would love to play roles in really good films and at the same time get to shoot amazing high fashion editorial work. So there's nobody in particular that I'd like to compare my career to. I mean, everyone has their own path, and I'm excited for mine. Yep. Low-key always have wanted to. I love fashion and modeling but there's something about embodying other characters that I find really fun and interesting. I had a show on YouTube when I was 11 with like one subscriber [laughs]. It was a series about these two characters me and my friend Sam created, and it was all improv. For 11-year-olds it was actually really good. Now being older, I would love to play roles in really good films and at the same time get to shoot amazing high fashion editorial work. So there's nobody in particular that I'd like to compare my career to. I mean, everyone has their own path, and I'm excited for mine.

Obviously COVID-19 has greatly affected the fashion community and the world at large. In what ways would you like to see the industry move forward given everything that is going on? There are so many predictions about what could happen next in fashion. Will there be no more Fashion Week? Will it all become digital? Who knows. For now though, I'm enjoying the self isolation at home shoots I've been seeing. But I must say I am way more worried about how we as humans will survive this rather than how fashion will.

Who are your heroes? My mom.

Who are your favorite folks to follow on social media? I love a meme page.

What have you been doing in quarantine to find joy? Honestly just relaxing, listening to music, and thinking to myself a lot. I've built a photo studio in my room somehow. So whenever I randomly get an idea I roll out of bed, play some music, and do a little photo shoot of myself. I've also built a fort in my room. The spiral is getting deep.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 29

By Afag Rza - Trend:

A unique system on conducting tests for coronavirus has been created in Azerbaijan, Minister of Health Ogtay Shiraliyev said in an interview to the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (AzTV), Trend reports.

The minister noted that the fight against the pandemic is being carried out orderly and decisively.

The introduction of a quarantine regime was announced timely. However, it also creates serious problems for the economy of countries. At the meeting held on April 28, I once again noted that President Ilham Aliyev unequivocally stated that the most important thing for us is the people's health, and the next is the epidemiological situation. Our epidemiologists can conduct tests to detect the virus, Shiraliyev added.

Other hospitals will open soon. Our regional hospitals also comply with modern standards. As a result, when an infected person is detected in the regions, there is no need to deliver him to Baku, since all necessary measures are being taken on the spot. This is important to prevent the spread of the epidemic throughout the country, said the minister.

Shiraliyev added that the mechanism of protection from the virus is different in each country.

As known, the health situation has caused problems in many countries. States faced such serious problems as a large number of patients, lack of places for their accommodation, lack of beds, transportation of patients to other countries and others. This has become a big problem in many countries. One reason for this was that preventive measures in these countries were not taken in time. We can say that we did not encounter these problems, and the number of infections was many times lower than in other countries, the minister emphasized.

Each country has its own characteristics. The disease spreads differently in various countries, and the mechanism of protection against the virus is also different in every country. I think that our country was able to cope with these problems in a timely and flexible manner, and now we all see the results, he stressed.

He also emphasized that 5,000 tests are conducted in the country every day.

Even after the disease is detected, tests are carried out two more times to make an accurate diagnosis. All ongoing work on fighting COVID-19 pandemic is aimed at improving the situation, Shiraliyev said.
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu on the national day, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

The letter says:

I warmly congratulate you and the good people of Israel on the national day of the country  the Independence Day. We highly value the positive development dynamics of the Armenian-Israeli relations and constantly highlight the importance of further deepening and giving a new qualitative level to the partnership with Israel in different areas.

The beginning of the year was marked with the opening of the Embassy of Armenia in Tel Aviv which once again shows that our government is ready to make joint efforts to develop and strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation for the welfare of our countries and peoples. I am confident that the tangible results of the activity of the Embassy will be visible in the nearest future and will contribute to the further strengthening of the friendship between our countries.

I once again congratulate you on the national day, wishing you good health and success, and stability and prosperity to the good people of Israel.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Did you know Irrfan Khan rejected to work with Hollywood legends Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway among others. Why? Because he didn't feel "the character offered to me gave me much scope".

This itself proves he was here to do good work. "I want to entertain people, but with some substance," he had once said and that's what he did.

Twiiter

His mother never wanted him to become an actor. She even urged him to come back to Jaipur and become a teacher.

Twitter

Not only did Irrfan Khan made a mark in Bollywood, he was indeed a much celebrated Indian actor in the west too. In 2015, he became a part of Hollywood movie Jurassic World. Remembering Irrfan Khan, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow shared a beautiful last exchange he had with him.



Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember the wonderful aspects of our existence in the darkest of days. Here he is, laughing. pic.twitter.com/8eAsSOO9Ie  Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) April 29, 2020





Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, known for movies like Selma, and 13th also paid tribute to the star.



A grateful fan of #IrrfanKhan here. Gone too soon. When he is on screen, you cant take your eyes off of him. He lives on in his films. pic.twitter.com/aA9RAjsxSl  Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 29, 2020

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse director Peter Ramsey said he was "devastated" over the tragic loss.

Im stunned. What a magnificent actor he was. RIP #IrrfanKhan https://t.co/5RyqKtToZM  Peter Ramsey (@pramsey342) April 29, 2020

Irrfan brilliant performances in films such as Life Of Pi, The Namesake, Jurassic World, and Inferno among others. The politicians including Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his death.

Irrfan Khans demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

London-based director Asif Kapadia gave him the lead in The Warrior (2001) also mourned the loss.







Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and Arvind Kejriwal among others also mourned the actor's demise.

I am saddened and shocked to know about the untimely demise of one of our country's most versatile actors, #IrrfanKhan. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace.  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 29, 2020

Saddened beyond measure by the passing of a human being I had never met, but who gladdened my heart and the hearts of millions with his incandescent talent. RIP @irrfank, gone when he had so much more to give https://t.co/4qscNrSfQv  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 29, 2020

         ,    .        ,              .  CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) April 29, 2020

Im sorry to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. A versatile & talented actor, he was a popular Indian brand ambassador on the global film & tv stage. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans at this time of grief.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2020

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Deeply saddened to hear that after putting up a spirited fight against cancer, the young & versatile Irrfan Khan has passed away.



After making his big screen debut in Salaam Bombay, the national award winner went on to regale his fans with several superlative performances. RIP. pic.twitter.com/18utYj6jrY  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 29, 2020

Saddened to hear about the demise of actor #IrfanKhan. He fought a long and very brave battle. Enjoyed watching his films, especially 'Hindi Medium'. My condolences to his family & loved ones.  Priti Gandhi -   (@MrsGandhi) April 29, 2020

I am so sad to hear about the tragic demise of #IrrfanKhan One of the most versatile actors of our times. This hurts even more because I reached out to him and his wife about his rare cancer that my brother was also diagnosed with. They were exceptionally kind and helpful. RIP  Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) April 29, 2020

India's cinematic landscape won't be the same again. It's a colossal loss. Rest in Peace #IrrfanKhan. Saying that you will be missed is a terrible understatement! pic.twitter.com/IjZS7gX6yd  Dr. Sunil Deshmukh (@SunilPDeshmukh) April 29, 2020

Memories remain of our last meeting, #IrrfanKhan Bhai, in front of the London hospital where we stood and chatted...with a promise to meet soon!! Generations will admire your work...#ripirfankhan  pic.twitter.com/NoMNOs3x38  Pratyush Kanth (@PratyushKanth) April 29, 2020





Bollywood stars including Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan also posted heartfelt condolences.

Very sad to hear about our dear colleague Irrfan. How tragic and sad. Such a wonderful talent. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Thank you Irrfan for all the joy you have brought to our lives through your work.

You will be fondly remembered.

Love.

a.  Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) April 29, 2020

My friend...inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai...will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives.

   ,        ,      Love u pic.twitter.com/yOVoCete4A  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 29, 2020

Irrfan was battling cancer from last couple of years.






James Jim T. Igou, was a lifelong resident of Chattanooga and Signal Mountain. A member of a Hamilton County pioneer family passed away on Sunday, April 26, 2020. He had been a resident of Alexian Village since 2005.

Mr. Igou retired from the U. S. Postal Service as director of Employee and Labor Relations with 40 years of service. He also retired from Senior Neighbors of Chattanooga, serving as director of the Senior Aides Program, National Council of Senior Citizens with 11 years of service. He was a member of the Chattanooga Federal Employees Credit Union where he served as President of the Board of Directors for many years. He was a volunteer with Memorial Hospital for many years. Mr. Igou attended Chattanooga schools graduating from City High School in 1943 and the University of Chattanooga in 1951. He attended the American University in Biarritz France while in the military. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and is a member of Sons of Confederate Veterans.



He served 2  years with the U. S. Army in Europe during World War II. He was with the 69th Infantry Division, the first division to cross Germany and meet with the Russian Army.



He was a member of the First Baptist Church for many years and a former chairman of the Deacon Council, and the Seekers Sunday School Class. He is presently a member of the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church and the Becking Sunday School Class.



He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Flora Igou; wives, Louise Geer Igou, and Vivian Young Igou.



Jim is survived by his son, Stephen T. Igou (Kathy); daughters, Cille M. Eaton, and Bonnie E. McGee (Grant); five grandchildren, Casey Vinson (Bill) of Memphis, Elizabeth Igou (Roland Millsaps) of Chattanooga, Celia Oberhelman, (Rob) of Savannah, Ga., Paul Eaton of Dothan, Al., and Taylor Anne Eaton of Birmingham, Al.; great-granddaughter, Freya Oberhelman.



There will be no visitation at this time. Burial for Jim will be private at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.



In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church, 612 James Blvd., Signal Mountain, Tn. 37377.



Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, Tn. 37343.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com.


Tampa, FL, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), the American Association of Physician Specialists, the American Academy of Disaster Medicine (AAODM), the American Board of Disaster Medicine (ABODM) along with the High Alert Institute call for an Essential Workers Bill of Rights.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented pressures to bear upon the essential emergency support functions of our country  revealing serious gaps that need to be addressed, stated Jeffery Morris JD, Executive Director, ABPS. These essential emergency support functions facilitate the activities of our daily lives even under stay-at-home orders and quarantines. It is imperative to the care of our citizens that all Essential Workers, First Responders, Healthcare Workers and their Families be protected and supported at work and at home.

All of the above organizations came together to help draft and define a much-needed Essential Workers Bill of Rights. All are in full support of the inclusion of: Emergency Management Professionals; First Responders including 911 Operators; Dispatchers; Firefighters; Law Enforcement; Nurses, Therapists, Physicians, Dental Professionals, Allied Providers and Healthcare Workers across a broad spectrum of professions.

The same considerations that are enumerated in the Essential Workers Bill of Rights should be given to the broader spectrum of essential workers, inclusive of those in food services, farming, sanitation, transportation, trucking, utilities and communications.

The ABPS, AAPS, ABODM, AAODM and the High Alert Institute firmly believe that the early learnings of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown those working in emergency management the numerous cracks within our healthcare system. These will need to be addressed and resolved over the next few years. The most important being the need to properly protect the safety, security, dignity and autonomy of our countrys essential workers.

Click here to view the Essential Workers Bill of Rights Position Statement.

ABOUT ABPS:

Established in 1952, the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) is the official certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists Inc. (AAPS) a 501(c)6 organization headquartered in Tampa, FL. The ABPS certifies qualified physicians, both allopathic and osteopathic, in 20 specialties. ABPS sets rigorous standards of physician board certification and recertification, validating physicians skills, knowledge and commitment. To learn more about ABPS Member Boards visit www.abpsus.org

ABOUT HIGH ALERT INSTITUTE:

Established in the wake of 9/11, the High Alert Institute, Inc. became a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charitable research organization in 2011. Headquartered in Lake Wales, Florida, the High Alert Institute is dedicated to educating disaster healthcare and emergency management professionals through research and education across the disaster lifecycle. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the High Alert Institute, Inc. undertook a review of over 87,000 COVID-19 related articles from the peer reviewed scientific literature towards identifying a benchmark against which to compare antiviral treatments to combat the coronavirus.
Travel firm TripAdvisor Inc is laying off a quarter of its workforce globally as the travel sector takes a severe beating amid the lockdown restrictions worldwide. The travel firm is also closing offices in San Francisco and Boston in order to cut down on costs.

The Massachusetts-based company is slashing around 600 positions in the US. Another 300 positions globally will also be eliminated, said Chief Executive Officer Steve Kaufer in a statement on Tuesday. Most of the remaining employees will be asked to take a salary cut of 20 per cent as work will also be reduced to four days in a week starting June 1.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: No lockdown extension in Chennai; states mull exit plan; COVID-19 deaths-1,007

"These are the most difficult cost-saving decisions I have ever had to make. This is a tough day on many levels, and this pandemic has been nothing short of surreal," said Kaufer in an email, according to a report in Bloomberg.

Kaufer had earlier said that he would forego his salary for 2020 and predicted that the full extent of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be felt. Nevertheless, he said that he was confident that the travel industry will recover.

Also read: Coronavirus: Airlines, travel agents fight over lockdown ticket refunds intensifies

The impact on travel industry has been felt severely as many countries have placed lockdowns and restricted inbound and outbound flights. These restrictions have put an end to all business and vacation trips. Not only TripAdvisor, Expedia Group, Airbnb and Booking Holdings Inc have also been impacted.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the travel and tourism industry could see as many as 100 million job losses.

Closer home, travel experts feel that the economic loss to the travel and tourism sector is of grave concern but even a bigger worry is how long it will take for the sector to recover. "Fear and apprehension would be there in the minds of travellers till the time a long-term solution of Coronavirus comes. We see the sector taking a longer time than expected to recover," Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director of travel technology and hospitality company Bird Group said.

Also read: Coronavirus corrodes luxury industry; losses to mount over $1 billion

Also read: Lockdown 2.0 bleeds travel, aviation; manufacturing, agriculture plan hesitant comebacks
A deal to sell the former Lone Star Brewery complex to a local developer fell through, likely sending the star-crossed property into the hands of one of its lenders, barring any unforeseen twists.

At a Tuesday court hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta denied Lone Star Brewery Development Inc.s proposal to sell the roughly 32-acre property to an affiliate of GrayStreet Partners for $17.25 million because of the parties inability to meet a Friday deadline.

The sale has to close by then, and bankrupt Lone Star has to pay more than $12 million owed to BridgeInvest, a Miami lender. Otherwise, the court is scheduled to hold a hearing Monday to approve a sale to BridgeInvest.

Despite the events in court, Lone Star bankruptcy lawyer Thomas Rice said after the hearing that the parties still were trying to finalize a deal. Whether they can pull it off remains to be seen.

Thats the $17.25 million question, Rice, an attorney at Pulman, Cappuccio & Pullen LLP, said in an email.

Meeting Fridays deadline became an impossibility because of issues that recently arose with getting a title insurance policy, he said in court.

Chicago Title would not issue the policy until 14 days after an order approving the sale was entered, Rice later said.

BridgeInvest refused to budge on the deadline, with attorney Aaron Power of Porter Hedges LLP noting in court that Friday was specified in several orders and only could be changed with the lenders consent.

Though Gargotta acknowledged the title issues obviously put the debtor in a bind, he said during the hearing he could not green-light the deal because of the deadline.

The court orders in place, while one may argue they are harsh under the circumstances and may result in a windfall to (BridgeInvest)  that was what was negotiated, he said.

Gargotta also noted that bidding procedures were not adhered to, based on witnesses testimony Tuesday.

Lone Star filed for bankruptcy protection in January, halting a foreclosure auction of the complex. It reported $30 cash on hand and debts of roughly $27 million, including $14 million owed to Princeton Capital Corp. and $12 million to BridgeInvest.

Lone Star sought to sell the property for at least $13.5 million and hired JLL, a commercial real estate firm, to market the site. It received offers ranging between $6 million and $20 million, court documents state.

GrayStreet Acquisitions LLC offered $19.1 million if the sale closed within 45 days and lowered its bid to $17.25 million after being asked to close by Friday, Rice said in an email.

Quadrant Investment Properties LLC, a Dallas firm that was among the final bidders, offered $16 million, he said.

Despite an April 6 deadline to submit bids, Moses Siller, a JLL executive vice president managing the transaction, testified he told prospective buyers to put in their offers by April 2.

He also said he did not initially provide potential buyers with information about the Friday deadline and bid procedures, and did not conduct an auction as outlined in court-approved procedures.

When Siller contacted Quadrant about raising its offer, executives said they were frustrated with the failure to follow the procedures, Ray Battaglia, an attorney for Quadrant, said in court.

Siller said Quadrant indicated in an email it would not be moving forward.

Rice declined to comment on Sillers testimony but said GrayStreet and Quadrant were fully aware of the May 1 closing date, yet neither of them had the intention to close without a Title Policy being issued, which is the fly in the ointment.

If the property is sold to BridgeInvest next week, their claim will be satisfied. They also will be able to recover another $4 million to $5 million, Rice said in court. Lone Star presented a slew of buyers to them, he said.

Assuming BridgeInvest takes control, there likely wont be any remaining assets to pay other creditors, Rice said in an email.

The brewery closed in 1996, and the Lone Star brand is owned by Pabst. Over the years, developers have tried and failed to remake the dilapidated complex, but their efforts have fizzled due to costs, bankruptcies and environmental issues.

The most recent attempt, a $300 million plan to turn it into shops, offices, apartments, a hotel and a park, collapsed in 2017.

National retail developer CBL Properties ended its involvement in the project after discovering that its partner, Mark Smith of San Marcos-based Aqualand Development, had a history of legal and financial problems. CBL received an anonymous letter claiming Smith, Aqualands president, filed nuisance lawsuits against former business partners.

Houston-based Parkview Capital Credit took control of Lone Star Brewery Development Inc., the entity Aqualand used to buy the brewery site, in 2017.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 10:51:47|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 15 hostages held by pirates in Nigeria's delta region were rescued by troops operating in the oil-producing state of Bayelsa, said a military spokesman.

The rescue operation took place on Thursday, John Enenche said in a statement sent to Xinhua in Abuja late Tuesday.

The hostages were held in five speed boats owned by the pirates and were freed by the troops who were on routine patrol at the Nembe Owelesu area of Bayelsa, Enenche said.

The pirates who abandoned the hostages had fled into the creeks upon sighting the troops, according to the spokesman.

During the operation, some illegal refineries operated by oil rebels were uncovered, he said, adding arms and stolen crude oil were also seized by the troops. Enditem
[April 28, 2020] Overbit adds USD Tether deposits to reach a wider net of traders

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Overbit.com , a leading bitcoin margin exchange, has enabled deposits in USD Tether. The leveraged trading platform, that allows its users to trade cryptos, forex, and commodities using bitcoin without taking delivery of the assets, will be amplifying its offer to appeal to a wider net of traders. Adding deposits in Tether, the company believes this will help it to establish a leadership position in the space. The importance of stablecoins for traders As the first stablecoin, Tether (USDT) is the most popular in the cryptocurrency industry and is listed on most major spot exchanges. It has the largest market capitalisation of all stablecoins, currently at around $6.3bn, making it the fourth-largest cryptocurrency as well. One Tether is pegged on a one-to-one basis to the US dollar and fully secured by the monetary reserve of the Tether platform. Adding a stablecoin deposits option will give Overbit users who exclusively trade in bitcoin the ability to reduce their risk, particularly in times of high volatility, and hold their assets in Tether. As the most established and widely-used stablecoin, the bitcoin margin trading platform aims to satisfy the requests of its current traders as well as appeal to more spot traders. Overbit beliees that with this new feature, spot traders will have another platform to migrate to margin trading for their Tether deposits where they can take advantage of leverage up to 100X.



CEO and founder Chieh Liu commented, "Adding Tether deposits is a smart move for Overbit and will give traders the chance to counter market volatility. We believe that we will appeal to more professional and advanced traders who prefer to store their assets in USDT. More spot traders will also be drawn to our high-leverage platform and use their BTC to speculate on traditional markets such as forex and commodities." Overbit research shows advanced traders prefer to hold assets in USDT

Overbit surveyed a total of 2500+ traders from 90 different countries. According to its findings, advanced and professional traders prefer to hold more of their assets in Tether (USDT). As such, Tether (USDT) is the third most popular crypto asset for advanced traders and professional traders after Bitcoin and ETH. Liu said, "Adding tether deposits is a significant move for Overbit. Our system will now allow users to deposit tether and buy and sell margin contracts on bitcoin, other cryptos, forex, and commodities. This gives traders different markets to turn their hands to, especially during the uncertain economic climate generated by the COVID-19 pandemic." In addition to the launch of USDT deposits, Overbit has recently revamped its platform to offer additional features for traders. These include cross and isolated margin functions allowing traders to better manage their risk, as well as the choice of whether to trade using fees or spread. About Overbit Overbit is a Bitcoin margin trading platform, headquartered in Seychelles. Overbit offers a range of markets within crypto, forex and commodities  with leverage of up to 100X for crypto and 500X for forex. Risk Warning: Margin trading carries a high level of risk to your capital and you should only trade with money you can afford to lose. Margin trading may not be suitable for all traders, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved, and seek independent advice if necessary. Disclaimer: The content on Overbit's website, blog, social media or any other platform is not intended to target any specific country or territory and its residents. Please check the applicable regulations of your country or territory before accessing Overbit's platform. For further details please visit:

https://www.overbit.com/en/ Press contact:

Junice Liew

[email protected] SOURCE Overbit

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Miffed by Kerala High Court order that stayed the state governments decision to deduct six-day salary of all its employees in the next five months as a temporary measure, the State Cabinet on Wednesday decided to float a new Ordinance - which will enable it to defer payment of salary up to 25 per cent, said a State Minister.

Soon after the weekly cabinet meeting, State Finance Minister Thomas Issac told the media that the government has decided to come out with Disaster and Public Emergency Special Provisions Act which will give it the power to defer payment of salaries, up to 25 per cent of all state government employees.

This is not against yesterdays high court order, instead we have abided by it. We are not going to go in appeal against stay order. The State government is using the provisions in the Act. The provision in the Act is clear as it says this can be done when a health emergency or a disaster strikes. The Centre has declared the pandemic as a health emergency, said Issac.

Some people like leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala is yet to gauge the situation what the state is presently undergoing. Anyone is free to go in appeal against the new Ordinance. The salary of April month will be paid in May after completing the procedures, added Issac and said they will stick to defer six days salary, that they originally proposed.

Incidentally, it was the various Congress-led staff unions that had approached the court over the arbitrary manner in which employees had been forcibly directed to contribute to the CM Covid Relief Fund.

The court on Tuesday pointed out that salary is an employees right and they have no clue of how the government will use this donated money.

However, the court said that the state government could go in for an appeal, if it wished.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Issac had first demanded a contribution of one months salary each from all state government officials towards the Relief Fund, but the move was shot down by the opposition parties.

Feeling snubbed, the Vijayan government then went ahead and announced that they have no other way but to defer six-day salary for the next five months. It too came under heavy criticism from the opposition staff unions which approached the court.

Now all eyes are on the Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on what position he will be taking with regard to the new Ordinance and if he decides to seek additional information or goes in for legal advice, there is likelihood that the payment of salaries for April, might get delayed.

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One Nation supporters have refused to download the coronavirus app after Pauline Hanson said she would not.

The senator posted on her Facebook page that she fears the government will use the app for 'other purposes' than tracing the contacts of people with coronavirus.

'I won't be putting it on my phone. Like many Australians, I don't trust Government,' she wrote.

Her post received thousands of comments from supporters declaring they too would not download the app - despite the government's pleas.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she will not be downloading the coronavirus app

One Nation supporters have refused to download the coronavirus app after Pauline Hanson said she would not

'Go Pauline I am not downloading it have concerns about privacy,' wrote one.

'I refuse to download the App and I'm a healthcare worker,' added another.

Today Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 'please, please download the app' as he urged Australians to sign up.

Mr Morrison has said restrictions can be relaxed more safely if more people download the app.

Two million people had signed up in the 24 hours after the app was unveiled on Sunday.

The app does not track people's locations and only asks for their postcode.

The federal government has assured Australians that it will have no access to their data via the app. Only state health officials can access data if the user consents.

COVIDSafe data is meant to be deleted after 21 days and destroyed once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Police will have no access to the app, the government has said. Pictured: Police at the Gold Coast

Australians who sign on to the app receive a screen message promising their privacy will be protected.

'Other agencies, including law enforcement, will not be able to access the information unless investigating misuse of the information itself,' it says.

'These provisions will be enshrined in legislation when parliament returns in May.'

The Australian Council for Civil Liberties favours the app, provided police are barred from accessing the data, as the government has promised.

The app is not compulsory but the government wants people to use it

'Manual contact tracing is far too slow and far too resource intensive,' its president Terry O'Gorman told Daily Mail Australia.

'It does have the potential to aid significantly in controlling this pandemic - we support it but only with significant privacy protections.'

Independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said she was worried the app was open to cyber-attack, with the government already showing a poor record when it came to protecting Australians' data.

Most crossbenchers had settled on the app while others had concerns, Senator Lambie told the ABC on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a northern Sydney business group has had to withdraw its advice to local traders to ban people who didn't have the app.

The government has said it would be illegal for businesses to screen customers for the app.

Ku-ring-gai Chamber of Commerce president Peter Vickers said it shouldn't be illegal if Australia wanted to avoid a deadly New York City-style outbreak.

'If you don't want the app on your phone, by all means stay at home,' he said.
She's been under quarantine with her husband Kanye West and their four children North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.

And on Wednesday, Kim Kardashian shared a throwback image of herself from a SKIMS photo shoot.

The 39-year-old entrepreneur sported in a black bodysuit in the image, which she captioned: 'Pre quarantine snatch #help.'

Wow: Kim Kardashian shared a throwback image of herself from a SKIMS photo shoot on Wednesday morning

Kim showcased her ample cleavage, her tiny midsection and her signature curvy hips in the sultry image.

She wore her sleek, dark brunette tresses loose and center parted with smokey eye makeup and pink lipstick.

The post comes after it's been reported that her and husband Kanye are finding the enforced time at home together hard.

'Kanye is really getting on Kim's nerves,' according to Us Weekly's source, adding that they 'have been arguing a lot during the quarantine.'

Latest: The post comes after it's been reported that her and husband Kanye are finding the enforced time at home together hard

While the rapper is busy 'creating,' the mogul is being left to take charge of their four kids: North, six, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, who turns one in May.

Kim is said to feel that 'all of the parenting duties are falling on her.'

The family, who have nannies, maids and personal chefs; it is not known if they've had to reduce their staff due to California' Stay At Home order to flatten the COVID-19 curve.

Beauty: The post comes after it's been reported that her and husband Kanye are finding the enforced time at home together hard

Family: She's been under quarantine with her husband Kanye West and their four children North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm; pictured in February at Stormi's second birthday party

On Tuesday, Kim shared a sweet snapshot of her cuddling up to Saint in a two snaps while sporting leopard print pajamas.

She sported a touch of makeup, which included cat eye makeup, taupe eye shadow and nude lipstick.

Kim captioned the adorable images with: 'Most days we don't get out of our pajamas.'

On Sunday, Kim shared a stunning snap as she posed with daughter North in matching Kanye sweatshirts.

She had captioned it with: 'What's your favorite thing about quarantine? Let me know... Mine is hanging with my babies 247.'

So cute: On Sunday, Kim shared a stunning snap as she posed with daughter North in matching Kanye sweatshirts
At the century-old Pasteur Institute of Iran, the frontline of the country's fight against the coronavirus outbreak, officials say 15,000 coronavirus tests are being carried out daily.

A rare media tour was granted on Wednesday to the key organisation fighting infectious diseases within Iran, which was founded in the 1920s and is situated just a few blocks away from the home of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader and presidential palace.

The Pasteur Institute is the leader of the country's 120 laboratories tasked with diagnosing COVID-19 in samples taken from patients across the country and that have confirmed 93,657 cases since the beginning of outbreak.

Director of the Institute, Alireza Biglari said 15,000 tests are taking place everyday at Pasteur alone - a figure that could be tripled in just a few days.

All this despite the sanctions that have severed Iran's access to high throughput instruments that can test on some 10,000 samples a day, according to Biglari.

Iran currently possesses a nationwide network of small instruments capable of carrying out real-time PCR tests on limited numbers of samples.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are a molecular scientific method for early diagnosis of the COVID-19 disease that can deliver results in less than 15 minutes.

On April 11, Iran announced mass production of testing kits domestically.

But at the beginning of outbreak things were very different, Biglari said, denying claims by Western officials that Iran is not subject to medicine and health sanctions.

"An example of sanctions is when you do not have access to diagnostic testing kits and the sources through which you can gain supplies of them become more and more limited to just a few countries," he told reporters.

"When it is impossible for you to normally send and transfer the money that you want to pay for purchasing the testing kits, it means that you are under sanctions," Biglari added.

He described the coronavirus as a humanitarian crisis and criticised the United States for not lifting the sanctions at these extraordinary times.

Biglari praised China, one of Iran's strategic allies, for not abandoning them in the early days of the pandemic.

"In the first few days of the outbreak we had absolutely no testing kits. One of the countries that assisted us very much by giving us kits was China. Both the Chinese Red Cross and Chinese government generously provided kits for us during the early days of outbreak." He emphasised.

Iran is battling the most severe coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East with 5,957 deaths reported by the Health Ministry until April 29.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and lead to death.
Nine passengers from Kano, who were intercepted in Keffi on Tuesday, have been turned back, Abdulrahman Sani-Maigoro, the Chairman, Keffi Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, has said.

Mr Sani-Maigoro justified the action of the council as part of the measures adopted by the state government to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The council chairman made this disclosure on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Keffi, Keffi Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Sani-Maigoro also said the council also intercepted six vehicles with passengers from Kano and Lagos and returned them to their various destinations respectively.

He urged the public to disregard report circulating in one of the national dailies and social media that traders, selling fabrics were still moving their goods in the night from Kano to Keffi.

The report, which was sponsored by some people, who did not wish this local government and the state well is not only false but unfounded, he said.

He called on the sponsors of the reports to join hands with him in order to take the council area to greater heights and to contain the spread of the virus in the country.

I have done my best and will continue to do my best as I have a COVID-19 task force committee on ground monitoring all roads and places bordering Keffi in order to contain the pandemic.

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I have set up the committee to work both day and night in order to ensure that people adhere strictly to government directives against COVID-19.

This was evident in the interception of nine passengers in Sharon bus from Kano on Tuesday in addition to the arrest of violators of government order and they were returned to Kano, he said.

Mr Sani-Maigoro urged residents of the area to continue to observe total compliance with the directives given by government and experts to fight COVID-19 in the country.

According to him, Gov. Abdullahi Sule, has taken certain measures towards curtailing the spread of COVID-19, which have been enforced in Keffi.

He reiterated the measures to include the stay at home directive, ban on social gatherings, closure of worship centres, ban on motorcycles, tricycles.

The council chairman added that arrangement had been concluded for the evacuation of almajiris to their states of origin, as part of government measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19. (NAN)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned employers against stoppage and reduction of workers salary in the country due to COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement Tuesday, the president of the labour union, Ayuba Wabba, said workers salaries are core elements of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements. He said stopping it is illegal and will be resisted by workers.

He said the labour union has directed workers in the country to resist any form of salary deduction or stoppage by any employer as a result of coronavirus.

Labour is not a commodity to be taken, trampled, and tossed aside. Workers create wealth and demand a decent fraction of the reward of their efforts, said Mr Wabba, who is also the President of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

He urged employers of labour to show solidarity with the sacrifice of workers and people by ensuring wage protection, income support and social inclusion at these trying times.

This is not the time to stop or deduct from workers salaries. Such an action would be both illogical and illegal as workers salaries are core elements of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements. We have asked our affiliates and state councils to resist any salary deduction on the account of COVID-19, he said.

Speaking on the International Workers Memorial Workers Day, the NLC president said: It is a day to remember workers who had lost some limb, suffered an injury and other forms of severe loss while at their workplaces.

The theme of this years commemoration is Stop the Pandemic at Work. This is significant coming at the epoch of the global fight against the novel coronavirus disease otherwise known as Covid-19, he said.

He said the contribution of frontline workers, especially healthcare workers, has become the only buffer between deaths in thousands and deaths in millions.

On a day like this, we salute the uncommon love, faith, courage, and sacrifice by frontline workers who have given more than what the call of duty demands to give hope to humanity.

Coronavirus

Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the federal government and many state governments have ordered lockdown to check the spread of the disease.

In applicable cases, workers now work from home. However, many businesses have also slashed workers salaries or furloughed staff due to dwindling income amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, Nigeria has 1532 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Of these, 255 have been discharged and 44 deaths have been recorded.
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In the last month, we have seen surgeons and shrinks alike leave the comfort of their suburban perches in order to fight on the front lines of the coronavirus war in America. While it should be inspiring to watch retired physicians return to the field to engage in the battle of their lifetimes, we should be wincingthe odds of suffering severe complications from COVID-19 are demonstrably greater amongst the older and more seasoned, those most likely to have picked up a comorbidity or two along the way. The moment has never been more ripe for younger and less attached doctors to heed the call of serving in what might be the defining pandemic of their careers.

Im here to say, Ive done it. As a physician anesthesiologist who has previously been on assignment for Doctors Without Borders in a resource-depleted region fraught with conflict, Id like to say theres little I havent seen. But now, after four weeks of staffing COVID intensive care units and emergency response teams throughout New York City, I struggle to distinguish between the exhaustion of a distant war-zone and the fatigue I see in state-of-the-art medical facilities. In some ways, my past experience treating war-wounded Syrian refugees mentally prepared me for my most recent journey where I dropped the comforts of life in California, booked a one-way ticket to the Big Apple, and secured emergency credentialing at multiple hospitals in the global epicenter of the virus outbreak. But in other ways, the campaign against COVID-19 is its own brand of horror, and I find myself worn down overseeing emergency intubations and debating the ethics of ventilator distribution, whether or not to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and how to help patients die with dignity when they are nearing end-of-life.

That said, I am invigorated because I know I am the right person for what this evolving pandemic demands. My training is fresh, and at 33 years of age, I stand in favorable odds if (or when) I contract the virus myself. But, as I administer care shoulder to shoulder with veteran doctors in their 60s and 70s who are at tremendous risk, I wonder, what will encourage more young colleagues to temporarily uproot and migrate to outbreak hubs as needed?

Although I have placed patients in their 20s on life-support, the risk increases with age and less robust physiology. Imagine our health care workforce dwindling further; with a national shortage of physicians already plaguing the system, this unprecedented pandemic will only exacerbate medical needs. Also, global trends have revealed that as the curve flattens in one region, a peak is rearing to spike somewhere else. Young physicians should prepare to mobilize as the need arises.

In the age of COVID, the doctrine of utilitarianism can help guide our decisions, indicating we are virtuous when our actions benefit the majority. By keeping our older physician workforce healthy, we indirectly care for the masses, albeit in a less hands-on capacity. For instance, patient access to telehealth services was recently expanded, allowing remote medical care and eliminating packed clinic settings. The battlefield where direct patient care is needed, however, remains open for young and newly-minted doctors.

Protective equipment remains scarce, but if we are inadequately armored on a collision course, should it not be the individuals who can better tolerate the insults of the virusi.e., the young? National debate rages about how to equitably distribute scarce resources such as ventilators and dialysis machines, but the physician workforce is arguably the most vital resource requiring immediate redistribution. After all, what good is a ventilator without an expert to judiciously implement it?

By mobilizing to the frontlines, younger doctors are not abandoning their health systems back home, many of which have been shuttered for noncritical business. The nationwide postponement of elective surgeries now leaves many physicians with time at their disposal, perfect for providing service in surge cities. Relocating does not mean the conversation on the home front comes to a halt: we can be a resource to help keep the health care engine running by briefing colleagues back home regarding COVID preparedness.

I urge fellow young doctors to recall the day we received our white coats and held our stethoscopes, signifying adherence to our Hippocratic Oath commonly known for the precept first do no harm. During these unprecedented times, we cannot sit idle while health systems exceed capacity, while our colleagues become sick and unable to treat, and while COVID-19 continues to ravage communities. Young physicians in this pandemic are vital, and we belong on the battlefront.

Ajit Rai is an anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician and can be reached at his self-titled site, Ajit Rai MD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Most of Tennessees restaurants were given the green light to allow dine-in service once again Monday as part of Gov. Bill Lees directive to begin reopening the states economy that had been largely closed due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The reopening plan comes just a day after the state reported its biggest one-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases.

Lee, a Republican, announced last week that he would not extend the states mandatory safer-at-home order when it expires April 30. Instead, he said 89 out of Tennessees 95 counties could slowly reopen with restaurants continuing dine-in service on Monday and retail stores being allowed in-person shopping on Wednesday.

Lee also released social distancing guidelines that urge businesses to provide protective equipment and keep capacity at 50%. Those guidelines will not be enforced by the state, but Lee said he expects businesses and customers to help ensure the recommendations are implemented.

The governors office said over the weekend that the remaining six counties  which include the higher-population areas of Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga  had the sole authority on what and when to reopen.

That announcement wasnt what Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke expected to hear. He said he was under the impression that he would have decision-making authority for his city, not the county.

I understood that we were going to have local control. We dont, Berke, whose city is part of Hamilton County, told reporters Monday. Hamilton County plans to open on Lees schedule.

Berke added that his biggest problem is that he feels people are confused and downplayed any potential power struggle between him and the governor.

Lee declined to specifically address why Berke was caught off guard when pressed by reporters on Monday. Lee said he regularly talks to all mayors.

Meanwhile, in Knoxville, local leaders said most businesses in Knox County would reopen starting May 1 as part of a phase-in plan released on Monday. This includes not only restaurants and retail stores but also theaters, gyms, churches, salons and barbershops as long as they maintain social distancing guidelines.

The mayors of Memphis and Shelby County have both issued stay-at-home orders currently scheduled to end this week in the county and next week in the city.

The city and county may extend their orders with revisions, as long as case and hospitalization data allows for the planned gradual reopening, but officials wouldnt commit to time frame Monday.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, plus the mayors of seven other suburban municipalities in the county, said during a news conference Monday that they are working together to form a plan for a gradual reopening.

We all anticipate that well try as best we can to accommodate all the various perspectives around this county and together decide on what to do going forward, Harris said.

Strickland said one reason the city issues its own order is to allow code officers or police to enforce rules in his orders for businesses and large gatherings of people.

Strickland issued rules Monday that would be applied during a gradual re-opening, including allowing elective surgeries at hospitals, requiring restaurants and nonessential businesses like clothing stores to operate at only 50 percent capacity and require employees of those businesses to wear masks.

In Nashville, officials say the city could start reopening at the beginning of May if certain benchmarks are met, including 14 days of an acceptably stable or sustained declining trend of new cases.

The reopening plan comes as Tennessee reported its biggest one-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, there were at least 9,667 confirmed cases as of Sunday. The 478 new cases represents a 5.2% jump from Saturdays total. It was the highest number of new virus cases recorded in one day in the state as testing efforts increase.

By Monday, case numbers jumped another 251, to a total of 9,918.

Separately, case numbers in an eastern Tennessee prison also continue to spike. The Department of Correction reported that 576 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, which houses 3,100 inmates.

Eighty percent of those inmates are asymptomatic, an agency spokeswoman said Monday. Three remain hospitalized.

The Tennessee Department of Childrens Services said 22 youths and seven staff members at a juvenile treatment facility in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett has have tested positive for COVID-19.

Another 91 inmates have tested positive at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, which is privately run by CoreCivic. None of the inmates tested had symptoms at the time, CoreCivic said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and be life-threatening.

___

Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Tennessee
A statue is seen at the Jeju International Airport wearing a mask. With the eased social distancing campaign, tourism is slowly picking up in Korea. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



President Moon Jae-in vowed strong measures to overcome the unemployment crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, during a meeting with people from the hotel industry, Wednesday.



Moon's meeting with hotel executives and employees reflects the government's particular concerns about the travel industry, one of the sectors that has been hit hardest by the pandemic. Recent data from the Korea Hotel Association showed that the hotel and resort businesses have lost an estimated 580 billion won in expected revenue as of March.



Against this backdrop, the meeting was arranged to raise the concerns of the tourism sector amid the drastic reduction in the number of travelers as well as cuts in jobs and new hires, according to Cheong Wa Dae.



"My heart is saddened when thinking about the travel industry, which started off the year with hopes of attracting 20 million tourists," Moon said in the meeting at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul in the Gwangjin District of Seoul, according to press pool reports.



"Due to the social distancing campaign and a sharp drop in the number of foreign tourists, people's use of hotels has dropped significantly and sales have been falling sharply. The tourism, lodging and food industries are also experiencing an unemployment shock, with a noticeable decrease in the number of newly-hired people and more employees taking leaves of absence."



Moon said that the government will provide financial aid to the travel and hotel industries to facilitate their resurgence. "A job crisis is looming, but the government will be with you with the determination to protect every single job. The government has designated the tourism and accommodation industry, which is on the verge of restructuring, as a sector for special aid, and is covering up to 90 percent of business suspension allowances."





President Moon Jae-in speaks at a meeting with hotel industry insiders at a hotel in Seoul on April 29. Yonhap
LEWISTON, ID - While parks are seeing big increases in visitors this spring, a large majority are not paying the $5 entrance fee, according to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Those with the Idaho Park Passport have paid in advance, but an estimated three out of four, non-Passport visitors are paying nothing to get in.

State officials say the $5 fee helps support the parks, especially in times of financial upheaval. In order to keep staff and visitors safe, many parks have closed fee kiosk booths, but the entrance fee still applies. An honor-system relies on visitors without Passports to pay their fee at the tube near the entrance.

Idaho State Parks are 90 percent self-sufficient, meaning that only 10 percent of funding comes from Idaho taxpayers. Between campground closures and switching to a new registration system, the departments reliance on entrance fees has grown at a time that less people are contributing.

"We cannot maintain the parks efficiently throughout the year with nearly 75 percent of daily visitors avoiding entrance fees. We ask that all park visitors come prepared with $5 cash to place in the fee-tube upon entering any Idaho State Park," says an Idaho Parks and Recreation statement.
BEIJING, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Tree Holdings Limited ("Danke" or the "Company") (NYSE: DNK), one of the largest co-living platforms in China with the fastest growth, today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The annual report can be accessed on Danke's investor relations website at ir.danke.com and on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to Investor Relations Department, Phoenix Tree Holdings Limited, Room 212, Chao Yang Shou Fu, 8 Chao Yang Men Nei Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, People's Republic of China.

ABOUT DANKE

Danke, one of the largest co-living platforms in China with the fastest growth, is redefining the residential rental market through technology and aims to help people live better. Empowered by data, technology, and a large-scale apartment network, Danke's vibrant and expanding ecosystem connects and benefits property owners, residents, and third-party service providers, and delivers quality and best-in-class services through an innovative "new rental" business model featuring centralization, standardization, and a seamless online experience. Danke was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. For more information, please visit ir.danke.com.

CONTACTS

Investor Relations Contact

Danke IR

Email: [email protected]

Bill Zima

ICR, Inc.

Phone: +1 203-682-8200

Media Relations Contact

Danke PR

Email: [email protected]



Edmond Lococo

ICR, Inc.

Phone: +86 (10) 6583-7510

SOURCE Phoenix Tree Holdings Limited

Related Links

http://ir.danke.com


On Thursday 9 March, Chancellor Rishi Sunak wrote to the Treasury Committee announcing that people who are non-resident in the UK and working in healthcare, engineering or R&D will be able to come to the UK to work on the Covid-19 effort without seeing a change in their tax status.

Helen Jones, partner in private client services at BDO, answers a selection of the key questions currently being asked.

Non-residents in the UK and working in healthcare, engineering or R&D will be able to come to the UK to work on the Covid-19 effort without seeing a change in their tax status

Is it right to tweak the law like this when practitioners are always calling for simplicity and certainty?

In ordinary circumstances, we do call for tax simplification to help individuals and businesses navigate their financial affairs more easily, but currently we are living in extraordinary times and so anything that can help people get through Covid-19 is welcome.

Would you expect the time limit to be extended, if required?

The duration of this measure is being kept under review. With all Covid-19 matters, the expectation is that HMRC will be regularly reviewing matters and making amendments as required, a move which we welcome.

Is it the first time that the government had done something like this with non-res rules for a specific sector/purpose?

The government does consider exceptional circumstances on an ongoing basis. For example, certain rules have been relaxed for those who have been unable to leave the UK or those who have had to return through Covid-19.

Previously, when the UK hosts major sporting events, the rules have been relaxed in order to allow sportspeople to compete in the UK without encountering tax issues.

Would those impacted usually pay UK income tax on their UK earnings?

Helen Jones is a partner at accountancy and business advisory firm BDO

The key is to ensure that peoples worldwide income is not taxed as a consequence of specific work completed in the UK towards the Covid-19 effort.

The exact impact on individuals differs depending on specific details such as their employment status and domicile, but in the short, if this measure was not in place, some could be unexpectedly taxed on their worldwide income for the whole of the tax year, not just UK earnings.

Doctors are a key consideration, but this also impacts other sectors, for example, Formula One engineers who have been working on ventilators. This change appears to be looking to ensure fairness for those impacted.

After how many days work in the UK, would such non-UK income normally become taxable?

The number of days before non-UK income would normally become taxable depends on the individuals circumstances, however it could be as few as 46 days. The OECD has made recommendations regarding where people should be taxed when displaced by reason of Covid-19, but at this stage this has not been legislated.

Could people be taxed in the UK some of the year, and not for the rest, or is it all or nothing?

There are many factors to consider in respect of an individuals circumstances, but often the self-employed will either be taxed in full in the UK, or not at all.

The result often depends on how the tax rules are applied in an individuals home country and the application of any double tax treaty between the two countries.

If you are concerned about your affairs, you should consider seeking independent professional advice. You can also contact HMRC on: 0300 200 3300.

Helen Jones is a partner at accountancy and business advisory firm BDO
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's demand to include a 'liability shield' in legislation for businesses so they can't be sued for coronavirus infections as they reopen is a non-starter with Democrats.

'Well, Leader Schumer and I ... said that at the time of this coronavirus challenge, espeically now, we have every reason to protect our workers and our patients in all of this, so we would not be inclined to be supporting any immunity from liability,' Pelosi said at a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday.

McConnell said on Fox News Channel Tuesday that the Republicans were 'open' to considering another bill. 'But my red line in going forward on this bill is, we need to provide protection, litigation protection, for those who've been on the front line - hospitals, doctors, nurses.'

NOPE: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer 'would not be inclined' to support a 'liability shield,' which would protect businesses from being sued by employees or patrons for coronavirus infections, in the next CARES bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his 'red line' for the next bill is that it would need to include a 'liability shield' for businesses to protect them against lawsuits against any coronavirus infections they might cause

'And imagine you're a businessman thinking about reopening and you have heard that the trial lawyers all over the country are sharpening their pencils, getting ready to sue you, claiming that you didn't engage in proper distancing or other issues related to health and safety,' McConnell said.

The top Senate Republican reiterated that point Wednesday on the Brian Kilmeade Show.

List of US meat packing plants shuttered due to coronavirus Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Closed indefinitely on April 15 after outbreak infected 800 workers Cudahy, Wisconsin: Closed for two weeks on April 17 Martin City, Missouri: Closed indefinitely on April 17 Monmouth, Illinois: Closed indefinitely on April 24 Tyson Foods Columbus Junction, Iowa: Closed for two weeks on April 6 Logansport, Indiana: Closed temporarily on April 22 Waterloo, Iowa: Closed indefinitely on April 22 Pasco, Washington: Closed temporarily on April 23 Hormel Foods Rochelle, Illinois: Closed for two weeks on April 20 Alma, Kansas: Closed for two weeks on April 20 JBS USA Souderton, Pennsylvania: Closed from April 10-April 20 Greeley, Colorado: Closed from April 13-April 24 Worthington, Minnesota: Closed indefinitely on April 20 Cargill Hazleton, Pennsylvania: Closed indefinitely on April 7 National Beef Packing Tama, Iowa: Closed April 6-April 20 Advertisement

'If theres a lawyer out on the sidewalk looking at every move you make as to whether or not you somehow have been irresponsible in this phase one and two that we move into as we re-open America, thats not the way to get the country going again,' McConnell said.

And so McConnell said businesses would need legal protection.

'We're going to insist upon this reform, which is not related to money, as a condition for going forward,' the Kentucky Republican said.

The move comes as meat producers shut down processing plants because of outbreaks of the virus.

Donald Trump has signed a Defense Production Act to keep them open, which prevents workers from suing their employers for exposure to coronavirus.

But big business groups say they need protection from lawsuits from employees who contract the virus after returning to work.

McConnell's backing for such a shield sets up a partisan clash.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told PBS NewsHour Tuesday that he had not seen McConnell's proposal, but was wary that it would favor bosses over workers.

'But I will tell you, if it's going to help big CEOs, and not help the workers or hurt the workers, that's not going to happen,' the New York Democrat said.

Democrats' top priority for the next bill is to provide more financial help to cash-strapped states. The CARES Act, passed by Congress last month, included $150 billion to go toward state and local governments. Governors have requested $500 billion more.

McConnell, who had floated bankruptcy as a viable option, said he was open to giving that assistance.

'It is important, however, to understand that many states have systemic, longstanding challenges, many of them their pension funds, many of them from overspending,' he said on Fox. 'So, what we're saying here is, we're not interested in rescuing badly run states from the mistakes they have made completely unrelated to the coronavirus.'

Schumer also laid into McConnell's negotiating tactics.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer bashed McConnell's negotiating technique in an interview with PBS NewsHour on Tuesday saying the Republican leader shouldn't 'keep drawing these lines in the sand'

'Why does McConnell have to keep drawing these lines in the sand that he later retreats from? One day it's bankruptcy. One day, he's not going to do anything but PPP?' Schumer asked. 'Why doesn't he sit down and work with us, because people are hurting? He's always drawing these ideological, politically driven lines in the sand. He almost inevitably has to back off from them. It makes no sense.'

President Trump, too, has been hesitant to give money to states - and called out blue states like Illinois by name, saying they've been mismanaged.

But he opened the door to negotiations too, by pressuring so-called 'sanctuary cities' out of existence, which is in line with his hardline immigration policies.

During his Tuesday meeting with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the president floated this new tactic.

'We'd have to talk about things like sanctuary cities, as an example, I think sanctuary cities is something that has to be brought up where people who are criminals are protected, they are protected from prosecution,' Trump said.



Trump uses Defense Production Act to force meat processing plants to stay open amid coronavirus shutdowns - but union blasts president for jeopardizing the health of workers

President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply.

The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers' health.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nation's largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

'Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency,' the order states.

Senior citizens shop for meat in the butcher department of a supermarket in New York on Tuesday. Smithfield Foods' CEO Kenneth Sullivan previously announced that the nation's meat supply is 'perilously close' to a shortage

Industry leaders have warned that consumers could see meat shortages in a matter of days after Tyson Foods (pictured) suspended operations at its pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa after a slew of infections. Workers wear protective masks and stand between plastic dividers at the company's Camilla, Georgia poultry processing plant

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, said Tuesday that 20 food-processing and meatpacking union workers in the U.S. have died of the virus. An estimated 6,500 are sick or have been exposed while working near someone who tested positive, the union says.

As a result, industry leaders have warned that consumers could see meat shortages in a matter of days. Tyson Foods Inc., one of the worlds largest food companies, ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times and other newspapers Sunday warning, 'The food supply chain is breaking.'

'As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain,' it read.

Tyson suspended operations at its pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa after a slew of infections, and Smithfield Foods halted production at its plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after an outbreak infected 853 workers there.

The 15 largest pork-packing plants account for 60% of all pork processed in the U.S., and the country has already seen a 25% reduction in pork slaughter capacity, according to UFCW.

A senior White House official said the administration was trying to prevent a situation in which a 'vast majority' of the nation's meat processing plants might have temporarily closed operations, reducing the availability of meat in supermarkets by as much as 80%.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before its release, said the White House was also working with the Labor Department to provide enhanced safety guidance for meatpacking workers. That will include trying to minimize the risk to workers who may be prone to serious complications from the virus, including strongly recommending those over the age of 65 and with preexisting conditions stay home.
Two pet cats in New York state tested positive for the coronavirus; they were first confirmed cases in pets in the United States. Now, Duke University is looking at a possible case in a pet dog. It's a trend that may have pet owners concerned.

But Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC official who works on human-animal health connections, told the Associated Press that there's "no need for pet owners to panic, or rush to test their animals." Coronavirus testing for pets isnt recommended unless the animal has been exposed to COVID-19 and has symptoms, Dr. Jane Rooney of the USDA also told the Associated Press.
TORRINGTON - Twenty years ago, Lee Ann Womack sang, If you have the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.

The Nutmeg Ballet is still dancing - from a distance.

Even before all Connecticut schools were ordered to close in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Nutmeg Conservatory made the tough decision to send all its resident and daytime students home. But that didnt mean they were not students. That didnt mean they were not dancers.

The Nutmeg Conservatory is both a dance school and a private academy. The Conservatory Academic Program (CAP) partners with The Keystone School and Laurel Springs School, both of which provide accredited online curricula for high school and middle school students. Normally, Nutmeg students access these curricula via computers at the Conservatory in Torrington. Now they simply access them from home. Theres actually very little change in that regard, said Donna Mattiello, Academic Director, who fortunately can supervise the students from afar.

But what about the dancing?

The most challenging transition has been taking our ballet classes online, said Victoria Mazzarelli, Artistic Director. With week four of online dance classes behind us, it has gone amazingly well. Its not the same as when were in our beautiful studios, but we have many things to focus on that work very well via Zoom.

Cassie Sprance teaches the younger students at Torrington School of Ballet (TSOB) in a similar way.

Our students have ballet technique every day. Were really trying to keep the kids motivated and upbeat, which is not always easy - and thats okay!  Mazzarelli said, We have now included Pilates, Yoga and Modern classes.

Mazzarelli created a Zoom studio in the top-floor Premiere Studio at the Conservatory, complete with ballet barre, a chair, a yoga mat and a sound system. We also have three classes a week open to our adult students and parents of our Nutmeg students. A few of Nutmegs graduates have also joined the open classes. I love including our Nutmeg extended family! she said.

The students, of course, access the lessons from their computers, tablets or smart phones from their homes all around the country simultaneously. About 30-40 students join in the Zoom classes every day.

The graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020 in May will also be done via Zoom, she said. The live graduation performances at the Warner have been canceled, but graduation will proceed and diplomas will be given.

Were doing the best we can, Mazzarelli said. The parents do appreciate that were staying connected. Thats what its all about. Were all in it doing the same thing.

She added, Im incredibly proud of our students. Together we are working through this situation the best we can. Smiling, laughing, and sometimes tearful that we cant be together but we are also learning how strong and determined we are!

Sharon Dante, Nutmegs Founder, said, We are dancing, because we are the Nutmeg Ballet. And, we hope to be back in the live studio action as soon as Governor Lamont gives the word! Many challenges lie ahead for all of us, but in the meantime we are all survivors.
Southwest CEO Believes First Week of April Was the Bottom

As it burns $900 million in net cash per month, Southwest Airlines is evaluating ideas to bolster public confidence in air travel, so more people will book and fly. Those ideas include requiring masks for passengers and flight attendants, distributing hand sanitizer and wipes, and booking flights to two-thirds capacity to promote distancing, executives said Tuesday on their first-quarter earnings call.

The changes, many of which may be announced soon, come as Southwest wrestles with some of the worst business conditions in its history. Southwest reported a net loss of $94 million for the first quarter, its first quarterly loss since 2011.

This current quarter likely will be much worse, as Southwests business did not decline until March, the quarters final month, when Americans moved, en masse, to cancel flights amid the coronavirus pandemic. For the past month, executives said Tuesday, load factors have been in the single digits, even though the airline has moved briskly to cancel flights, sometimes within a few days of departure.

At this point, it is very, very tough to predict exactly how and when well see trends turn around, Southwest President Tom Nealon said.

Get the Latest on Coronavirus and the Travel Industry on Skifts Liveblog

But with some U.S. states starting to open up, including Texas, where Southwest is based, the airline wants to push travel as much as is prudent, so it can pay its bills. CEO Gary Kelly said hes optimistic the timing is right, with the worst possibly behind the airline.

It does feel like we bottomed out the first week of April, he said. Weve seen very gradual improvement in weeks two and three. I would hope that that would continue.

Before the pandemic, Southwest had strong advanced summer bookings, and the airline is hopeful it can retain some of that business, Kelly said. If that doesnt occur  if more people cancel than the airline expects  Southwest may need to take drastic action, Kelly said.

Story continues

The net cash burn without working capital changes in April is $900 million, Kelly said. We just we cant continue on at that pace. So we would attack that with additional cost reductions and certainly cuts to the schedule.

Consumer Confidence

Like many of its competitors, Southwest is scrambling to persuade customers it is safe to fly  no small feat considering many doctors say the Coronavirus may spread fastest in tight indoor spaces.

Southwest is now cleaning its airplanes more thoroughly and more often with hospital grade disinfectant. But executives said they know they must do more to persuade travelers not to cancel their summer vacations, which is why they are considering ideas such as handing out masks and sanitizer. (Several other U.S. carriers already have announced or implemented similar steps for flight crews and passengers.)

Here in Texas, Governor Abbott announced yesterday that the state is opening back up for business and they do informal polls, and it shows three-quarters of the people think its too soon, Kelly said. We know that we have work to do to convince customers that are willing and able to travel that it is safe to come to the airport, and its safe to get on to the airplane.

Still, there are no perfect solutions. For example, Southwest may sell two-thirds of seats to permit distancing, but the airline does not assign seats, and does not plan to block physical seats, Kelly said. Passengers still will be able to sit wherever they want, with the airline expecting most will leave middle seats open.

One reporter pointed out that Southwests plan isnt true social distancing, because passengers, even in the best of scenarios, will be closer than six feet apart. But Kelly suggested this is the best it can can do under the circumstances.

Weve got to have some balance between social distancing and just the affordability for people to fly, right? Kelly said.

The masks, distancing and cleaning regimens could be around for awhile, Kelly said, but the CEO said old norms could return in a few years.

Im not willing to accept that the flight experience is forevermore changed, he said.

Long Recovery

While it wants to persuade customers to travel this summer, Southwest is not expecting a quick recovery. The airline, which has parked hundreds of airplanes temporarily, may even emerge from the crisis smaller.

Theres every reason to have hope and confidence that we can get through this, Kelly said. Realistically, we just cant expect that things are going to be back to normal in six or 12 months. I dont believe that for a minute.

The pandemic is a big enough problem, but Kelly said the airline closely watching the U.S. economic downturn. Southwest generally is not considered a business airline, but business travel accounts for roughly one-third of the airlines traffic during normal conditions, Kelly said. And those passengers may not return for awhile.

Weve seen the same pattern in the previous three recessions that I experienced, where business travel is cut very sharply, and businesses can be very disciplined and they can issue orders like, Thou shall not travel, Kelly said.

Still, Kelly said he expects business travel will return. He said hes been using video conferencing, and finds it no substitute for face-to-face interaction.

I know a lot of people are using Zoom and theres predictions it will forevermore change meetings, and I just dont believe that, he said. I think its just one more tool that people have. And if youre like me, Im sick of these Zoom calls.

Subscribe to Skift newsletters for essential news about the business of travel.
VICKSBURG, Miss.  Barges hit a 90-year-old railroad bridge over the Mississippi River, and some broke away and drifted back into a parallel newer bridge under which they had just passed on Monday.

The old U.S. 80 railroad bridge was closed after the barges being pushed by the Captain Buck Lay hit three of its piers, Vicksburg Bridge Commission Superintendent Herman Smith told The Vicksburg Post. The commission supervises the U.S. 80 bridge.

The Interstate 20 bridge just downriver remained open, television stations reported.

Video shows the 28 barge tow breaking apart and drifting into the Interstate 20 bridge, the newspaper reported.

Smith said the boat was operated by American Commercial Barge Lines of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and was pushing a tow seven barges long and four across. All 28 barges stayed afloat, Smith said.

The I-20 bridge and the U.S. 80 bridge each was hit once earlier this month, the newspaper reported.

The light mast of the Crimson Duke hit the underside of the I-20 bridge on April 14; state police closed the westbound lane until engineers had inspected it.

The Blake Benton, pushing a 25-barge tow, hit a pier of the U.S. 80 bridge on April 11.

The U.S. 80 bridge was built in 1930. It was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic in 1998, except for events including some road and bicycle races on the former traffic lanes, but the Kansas City Southern Railroad still uses the rails on one side.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In a heart-warming incident, a five-year-old girl from Delhi has raised a sum of Rs 1 lakh by selling her self-illustrated books. She did the work in order to feed the migrant labourers who are currently staying at a government school right opposite to her house.

The condition of the migrant labourers affected Aranya Dutt Bedi and she wanted to give them the entire money in her piggy bank. She was soon made to realise that the amount wont be sufficient and thats when she took to selling self-illustrated books.

As of now, she has completed 10 books and is working on more as she wants to continue it till the time she is able to provide food to every migrant labour staying in the school.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Ananya said, I saw from the balcony that there are so many persons who do not have food to eat and they are called poor. So many people were lined up in long queues only to eat food. I wrote this book because I wanted to sell it online and give the money to arrange food for these people.

Aid agencies such as UNICEF and Akshaya Patra have extended their support to the five-year-old for the noble cause.

Ananyas books do not have a fixed price. Interested buyers are urged to donate any amount that is possible for them to purchase the book. The money that is generated from the sales goes directly to these organisations to provide essentials and food to the poor.
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Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 13:27 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4f2803 1 Business AKR-Corporindo,oil-companies,financial-performance,profit,revenue,oil-price,COVID-19 Free

Publicly listed fuel distributor and logistics company PT AKR Corporindo recorded a net profit jump in the first quarter as it prepared for business disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The company pocketed Rp 277.77 billion (US$18.03 million) in net profit, up 13 percent year-on-year (yoy), in the first three months of this year as it recorded a significant increase in revenue during the period.

We maintained growth momentum in the first quarter of 2020, thanks to contribution from the trading and distribution segments, as well as the sale of land in our industrial estate, AKR president director Haryanto Adikoesoemo said in a statement on Tuesday.

Stocks of AKR, traded on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) under the code "AKRA", fell 1.32 percent at 10:36 a.m. Jakarta time to Rp 2,240 versus a 0.24 percent increase recorded by main gauge the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI).

Throughout January to March, AKRs revenue jumped by almost 26 percent annually to Rp 6.35 trillion as revenue from the fuel distribution business increased by 37 percent yoy to Rp 4.85 trillion, mostly supported by distribution for industrial clients.

The company also attributed the growth in revenue to rising logistics revenue that was up by 30 percent yoy to Rp 214 billion. In the meantime, the company also pocketed Rp 140 billion from its industrial estate in Gresik, East Java.

The increase in revenue from multiple segments was able to offset the companys declining chemical sales that dropped by 13 percent yoy to Rp 1.04 trillion due to a lower average selling price, despite increasing sales volume of 8 percent.

Going forward, the company is bracing for challenges amid the COVID-19 outbreak by implementing a robust business continuity plan for its logistics and supply chain segment, said Haryanto.

We are taking necessary steps considering the slowing gross domestic product [GDP] growth environment and global oil market, he said.

The government expects Indonesias economic growth to reach 2.3 percent this year under the baseline scenario and contract 0.4 percent under the worst case scenario as the outbreak disrupts business activity and hits consumer demand.

Global oil price, meanwhile, has plummeted and touched the negative territory for the first time in history earlier this month amid rising production and plunging demand.

AKR also closely assessed the slowdown in demand, price volatility and potential supply chain disruption in running its business.

These measures will guide the company in doing business until the economy recovers, he said.
A Constitutional Council spokesperson said the body did not consider whether an acting head of state can declare a state of emergency based on the draft law, adding that there was no request to clarify this discrepancy.

A host of ruling party officials have rushed to claim that the acting head of state can in fact enact a state of emergency using the new law, even though Hun Sen a few weeks ago said he was of the view only the King can declare an emergency, asking the Constitutional Council to provide a clarification.



The draft law was passed by the Constitutional Council on Monday without any changes. The council said the law was in line with Article 22 of the Constitution that enables the King to declare a state of emergency, after reaching consensus with the Prime Minister and Presidents of the Senate and National Assembly.

Taing Ratana, secretary-general at the Constitutional Council of Cambodia, said the King, National Assembly or Senate had not made any requests for clarifications, such as whether the acting head of state can declare an emergency. So, no deliberation was conducted on that topic, he said.



So, the Constitutional Council was asked to check [its constitutionality], not for interpretation, he said.



The lack of clarity over this key facet of the law was critical because the King and Queen Mother are in China for medical checks. As is routine, the King does assign the Senate President as acting head of state to perform routine duties, including promulgating laws, though it was unclear if this extended to powers to declare an emergency.



The law has received widespread backlash for its potential to severely curtail fundamental freedoms and rights, such as freedoms of movement, free expressions, association, and assembly.



Ruling party lawmaker Chheang Vun said it was clear that the King delegates his authority to the acting head of state, allowing the latter to declare an emergency.



"When the King is busy, we have appointed an acting head of state, and the acting head of state will do everything on behalf of the King, he said.



Chheang Vun is referring to constitutionally-granted powers that allow the King to assign an acting head of state when he is seriously ill.



Senate spokesperson Mam Bunneang also pointed to this article of the constitution and said the delegation of power to the acting head of state encompassed the right to declare an emergency.



In the constitution and the law, they cannot wait for only the King, either because he is sick or he is visiting overseas. So, [the King] will grant a letter of authorization to the acting head of state, said Mam Bunneang, who is also a Cambodian Peoples Party senator.

As per the promulgation process, the draft law was sent back to the National Assembly, whose spokesperson Leng Penglong said it had then been forwarded to the Council of Ministers, which would ask the acting head of state, Senate President Say Chhum, to promulgate it.
For many years, the only modern novel translated from Arabic published in the prestigious Penguin Classics series of international literary works in English translation was Season of Migration to the North by the Sudanese writer Tayeb Salih.



Today, however, a new title has joined the list with a revised English translation by US academic William Hutchins of Egyptian writer Tawfik Al-Hakims 1933 novel Return of the Spirit, a reworking of a translation first published in a more limited series. Its appearance in the Penguin Classics means that Al-Hakims novel, undoubtedly a classic of Egypts modern literature, can now be enjoyed by a far wider English-language audience.



In his introduction to the new edition, Hutchins says that Return of the Spirit is at once a portrait of an Egyptian as a young artist and therefore an apprenticeship novel; the narrative of a failed romance that transforms everything; a political novel that celebrates the 1919 Revolution in Egypt and calls for national solidarity; a work of Arab Muslim literature; and a novel that presents its blended family as a model for Egyptian society and its characters as symbols for tendencies and ideas.



Another way of putting this would be to say that the novel is a gloriously mixed bag, with several different novels fighting to get out. First, there is the story of the protagonist, Muhsin, a young man living with his extended family in Cairo and occasionally returning to the countryside while exploring what life and the future have to offer. This novel, an often highly comic one of growing up and early love, is the story of an aspiring writer and is based on Al-Hakims own experience living with his family in Cairo in the years immediately before and after Egypts 1919 Revolution.



Then there is the political novel that Hutchins refers to, perhaps most in evidence when Muhsin visits his family in the Delta town of Damanhur in part two of Return of the Spirit. In addition to reflections on the differences between town and country life and the underdeveloped condition of local villages, this novel introduces characters who explicitly discuss political ideas and tendencies.



There are the characters on the train that Muhsin encounters between Cairo and Damanhur, for example, who discuss the differences between Egypt and Europe. One comments on how those present have made room for a new passenger. If this had happened in Europe, not one of the passengers would have moved, even if he was acquainted with the newcomer and his friend. No one [in Europe] will decrease his own comfort for the sake of another, no matter who he is, he says to general agreement. These discussions may reflect Al-Hakims own thoughts, since the relationship between Egypt and Europe, perhaps more broadly Europe and the Arab world, he returned to in a subsequent novel called Bird from the East.



There are also the foreign characters Muhsin encounters while in the Delta, with these being national stereotypes as well as vehicles for the expression of ideas. A French archaeologist lectures Muhsin on the achievements of European culture while also holding out the hope of a cultural renaissance in Egypt. The farmers of the Delta, for example, though presently uneducated, have a force within them theyre not conscious of. This is an ancient people. If you take one of the peasants and remove his heart, youll find in it the residue of ten thousand years of experiential knowledge, one layer on top of the other, though hes not conscious of it, he says.



Dont disdain those people who are poor today. The force lies buried in them. They lack only one thing a man from among them who will manifest all their emotions and beliefs and be for them a symbol of the ultimate. When that occurs, dont be surprised if these people, who stand together as one and relish sacrifice, bring forth another miracle besides the Pyramids.



A British irrigation inspector, more pragmatic, is inclined to dismiss the Frenchmans ideas. You Frenchmen think nothing of sacrificing facts to eloquence, he says. However, the Frenchmans point is born out in the final sections of the novel, which record the atmosphere in Cairo during the 1919 Revolution in Egypt, a national revolt against British colonial rule and the protectorate imposed on Egypt.



The Revolution both vindicates the French archaeologists predictions and serves as a powerful expression of national feeling and solidarity. A person looking at Cairo and its streets during that time would have seen in the midst of the demonstrations and chants Egyptian flags that showed the crescent moon [of Islam] cradling the cross. Egypt had perceived in a single moment that the crescent and the cross were the two arms of a single body with one heart: Egypt!







RETURN TO THE SPIRIT: Al-Hakim wrote Return of the Spirit while he was living in Paris in 1927, having been sent there by his family ostensibly to study law, but in fact spending as much time as possible absorbing the French and European cultural scene, particularly its theatre.



His return to Egypt some years later marked the beginning of an extraordinarily productive period for this still young author  he was born in 1898 in Alexandria  with Return of the Spirit, a first novel, being consigned to a drawer until 1933 when it was first published in Cairo. Meanwhile, Al-Hakim was spending his time writing theatre plays, while at the same time also experimenting with essays and memoirs.

People of the Cave, one of his best-known plays from the 70 or so he wrote during an exceptionally long writing career stretching into the 1980s, appeared in the same year as Return of the Spirit. There was also a novel-memoir reminiscent in its sometimes biting humour to parts of the earlier novel, though this time drawing not on Al-Hakims student days in Cairo but on his early career as a lawyer in the Delta. This work, Diary of a Country Prosecutor, was translated into English as long ago as 1947, indicating a strange time-lapse between its publication in English and the much later appearance of other works from the same decade in translation.Perhaps the mixed character of Return of the Spirit  part novel of apprenticeship, part political novel, part memoir, and part manifesto piece for future novels  should also be seen as part of this extraordinarily productive period. Al-Hakim had decided while in Paris that he could never follow his father in a legal career, at least not with any enthusiasm, and he had decided that he wanted to become a writer.But what sort of writer should he be? As he explains in The Prison of Life, a later memoir, some of his contemporaries had been tempted by journalism, then flourishing in Egypt and offering the prospect of a respectable career if not one that was as secure as the law. Others were experimenting with writing works of prose fiction, sometimes by Egyptianising, or half translating and half adapting, works in European languages. Still others were writing short stories, or autobiographies, biographies, and memoirs. There was a range of possibilities, perhaps explaining why Al-Hakim felt happy to try most of them, sometimes in hybrid works that are part fiction, part memoir, part political tract, and part adaptation from a range of models.But what he really wanted to be, he explains in The Prison of Life, was a dramatist. However, here too there was uncertainty. Part of him seemed to be drawn towards material exploring societal themes in a trend towards realist drama. But another part was drawn to exploring abstract issues that touched only tangentially on immediate societal issues and were less likely to find popular audiences.People of the Cave, a reworking of the Quranic and Christian story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, was like that, as were Al-Hakims plays from the 1960s that have reminded some of the theatre of the absurd of the time in Europe. Plays like The Sultans Dilemma, The Tree Climber, and the Fate of a Cockroach used absurd situations to ask questions about the foundations of political authority, the character of belief systems, and the extent and limits of human striving.He writes in The Prison of Life that the problem was how to find an audience for what he wanted to write, perhaps by smuggling questions of law and justice into a murder mystery/comic memoir in the manner of Diary of a Country Prosecutor or by blending his gift for comic dialogue, written in the vernacular, with politics and essayistic speculation in the manner of Return of the Spirit. He was torn, he says, between a desire for popularity and one for solitude, for reaching a wider audience and for retreating into an ivory tower of philosophical and aesthetic investigation.The Sultans Dilemma asks to what extent power should be subject to law. The dilemma in The Prison of Life is between imprisonment and freedom, rather like in the People of the Cave. The prison that I live in, made of wall-like inherited traits was something imposed by early life and upbringing, Al-Hakim says in his memoir. My freedom is my thinking. I am a prisoner in what I have inherited, free in what I have acquired. The intellectual and cultural edifice I have erected for myself is my own, he writes.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Japanese prefecture initially looked to have contained the outbreak, but a fresh wave of new cases has seen a state of emergency implemented again - B434/B434

A northern region of Japan is experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections - and deaths - that experts say could have been avoided if the state of emergency had not been lifted too early.

The island of Hokkaido had been held up as a model of how to control the spread of the virus, but it has now become a case study for the impact the disease can have if a lockdown is relaxed too soon.

And experts say they hope that other cities and nations that are toying with the idea of lifting restrictions on travel, work and schools can learn from Hokkaidos experience.

Naomichi Suzuki, the prefectural governor, on February 29 declared a state of emergency in response to a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, all of which could be traced back to the Sapporo Snow Festival at the beginning of the month. The annual event attracted more than 2 million people to the city, with local health authorities treating a Chinese tourist from Wuhan who had contracted the illness before arriving in Hokkaido.

Despite the state of emergency, 118 people were being treated for the virus by March 12, making Hokkaido the worst-hit of all Japans 47 prefectures.

In tandem with the state of emergency - under which schools were closed, large-scale gatherings were cancelled and people were officially encouraged to stay at home - the local government introduced aggressive measures to trace and isolate anyone who had been in contact with victims. The approach appeared to have been effective and, just a week later, the number of new cases had fallen to one or two a day.

Assuming that they had weathered the storm - and keen to get the local economy operating again - local authorities lifted the state of emergency on March 19, with schools and businesses reopening.

With hindsight, experts agree, it was too early and, just 26 days later and after 135 new infections were reported in the space of a week, the lockdown was reimposed on Hokkaidos 5.3 million residents.

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At the time, we didnt have enough information and we did not have an adequate understanding of this disease, said Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor of infection control at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido.

And, given the information that was available - that new cases were down to one or two a day - it could be argued that the governor made the right decision in lifting the state of emergency, she told The Telegraph.

We know that was the wrong move now, but then it seemed the best thing to do.

The lessons that other authorities will have to learn if they want to protect their residents are clear, Professor Tsukamoto said.

These lockdowns and states of emergency will have to be lifted eventually, but the lesson is to wait as long as possible, to get accurate data on infection numbers and to be very, very cautious when the rules are relaxed, she said.

And the authorities have to be ready to move quickly and put the restrictions back in place at the first sign of another surge, she said.

The Japanese government is planning to extend the state of emergency over the new coronavirus pandemic by about one month for the entire country, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

The state of emergency is currently scheduled to end on May 6.

Thirty-eight new cases were reported across Hokkaido on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 688, the fifth-highest in Japan. The illness also claimed one more life, raising the death toll to 27.

In a nation of 127 million people, there have been 13,576 cases and 376 deaths to date, although the Japanese government has been criticised for limiting the number of tests that are conducted on suspected coronavirus patients and the true figure is likely to be significantly higher.
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In a Global South and Global North collaboration, scientists at the WRIM at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa; the University of Namibia with the Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services; the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of Texas, Southwestern conducted this first ever randomized controlled trial of its kind."The reduction in cases was achieved using existing tools, namely anti-malarial drugs and insecticides, but deploying these in a 'smart' way, i.e., in close proximity of newly reported cases," says Professor Immo Kleinschmidt, one of the Principal Investigators in the project, Honorary Professor in the Wits School of Pathology and Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Infectious Disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine."Our results are derived from a community randomised controlled clinical trial. This means that the effects of the interventions are compared between groups that are similar in all respects apart from the intervention they are receiving. The findings are therefore very unlikely to be due to chance, and the conclusions are more robust than they would have been from an observational study."Co-authors Lizette Koekemoer, WRIM Research Professor and an honorary member in the Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases at the National Institute for Communicable diseases, and Erica Erlank, WRIM Associate Researcher, provided training and support in entomology [the study of insects] during the trial.In this study, researchers conducted a trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of two interventions: (i) reactive focal mass drug administration (rfMDA) and (ii) reactive focal vector control (RAVC), and their combination.This trial is unique because it is the first randomized controlled trial of rfMDA and/or RAVC. Study communities were randomly assigned to receive either rfMDA, or RAVC, or the combination, or neither of these two interventions (the latter being the control group).The study took place in the Zambezi Region, northern Namibia, and targeted people that were at the highest risk of malaria infection based on their proximity within 500 meters of malaria index cases that emerged during the transmission season.In one arm of the trial, these neighbours of any new malaria case were offered a standard dose of the anti-malarial drug Coartem, without first testing whether these neighbours carried the parasite that causes malaria. This drug clear them of parasites even if the level of parasites they carried were below the density that can be detected by the standard rapid diagnostic test. The drug would also provide a short period of protection against new infections.In another arm of the trial, neighbours of index cases had the interior walls of their houses sprayed with a highly effective insecticide, Pirimiphos-methyl, irrespective of whether or not their houses had previously been treated in the annual spray carried out routinely in such areas.In the randomized trial, communities received either the drug, the house spray, the drug and the house spray, or neither of these interventions.Both the drug and the house-spraying interventions were shown to be safe and highly effective, either on their own or when administered together. Both the drugs and the house-spraying approaches significantly reduced malaria transmission in this low endemic setting.Mass drug administration (MDA) is the administration of antimalarial drugs to target the parasite reservoir in humans, without necessarily testing if those people carry the parasite that causes malaria.The World Health Organization recommends MDA for the elimination of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite. However, the effort and cost required to implement MDA on a large scale can be challenging.The Namibian study reduced the 'mass' in MDA by targeting just the small ring of people around recent index cases - the people at the highest risk of malaria - and thus implemented an existing intervention more efficiently and economically.Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets have since 2000 significantly reduced malaria cases and deaths in target populations in sub-Saharan Africa. These interventions are normally administered in a 'blanket' style before the malaria season (October to May).The Namibian study targeted a highly effective but expensive insecticide, pirimiphos-methyl, at the small ring of houses around recent index cases. The cost of the insecticide makes it more difficult to use in blanket spraying, but suitable in focal spraying as smaller quantities will be used. The cost of the insecticide is thus offset by its focal use of targeting only high risk populations."We found that reactive focal mass drug administration and reactive focal vector control, when implemented alone and in combination, significantly reduced malaria transmission among targeted populations in the Zambezi region of Namibia," says Koekemoer. "Furthermore, the two interventions, when used in combination, had an additive effect - reducing rates of new malaria cases by 75%".Although malaria still causes an estimated 230 million cases and over 400 000 deaths each year, dramatic success in fighting the disease over the last two decades has inspired many countries to commit to eliminating transmission altogether.To date, the World Health Organization has certified 38 countries and territories malaria-free. In southern Africa, eight countries - including South Africa and Namibia - have made the elimination of malaria a policy goal.In recent years, however, progress towards eliminating transmission has slowed in many regions including Africa, highlighting the need for new approaches. Where malaria cases have been reduced to low levels, transmission still occurs due a reservoir of chronic, low density infections in people without symptoms. This means that these infections are largely undetectable through standard surveillance approaches.Because the mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite are still present, these infections may seed further infections in their immediate neighborhood, potentially leading to outbreaks of malaria cases. To prevent such outbreaks from leading to wider epidemics, effective focal responses that target high-risk populations, such as those assessed in the Namibian study, need to be mobilized.While additional studies will help determine the optimal scenarios in which these approaches could be implemented, the Namibian study suggests that reactive focal mass drug administration and reactive focal vector control can be applied in other countries that (i) have Plasmodium falciparum parasite-carrying mosquitos (ii) are close to eliminating transmission and (iii) have good case reporting systems."These approaches can only be used if index cases are promptly and reliably reported and becauseSouth Africa has a responsive and reliable malaria case reporting system, the country is well placed to take advantage of these interventions," says Koekemoer.The Namibian study shows how tailoring and targeting existing interventions can help improve their effectiveness and contribute to the elimination of malaria transmission permanently.Source: Eurekalert
NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Liberty Institutes President, CEO, and Chief Counsel Kelly Shackelford condemned remarks made by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios statement targeting the Jewish community in New York. The following statement may be attributed to Shackelford:



Mayor de Blasios statement targeting the Jewish community is outrageous, vile, and dangerous. His words condemning an entire religious community during a time of extreme stress and tension invites division and hostility, not unity. We strongly condemn Mayor de Blasio for his harmful words. First Liberty Institute will represent, for free, any member of the NYPD who is punished by the Mayors office for refusing to follow Mayor de Blasios unlawful and immoral order.

First Liberty Institute represents several New York area Orthodox Jewish residents in lawsuits involving religious discrimination.
T he Governments testing tsar has said he is "confident" that the 100,000 daily target for coronavirus tests will be met on Thursday.

Professor John Newton, coordinator of the Government's national testing effort, said the number would align the UK with countries like Germany, who introduced widespread testing from the early states of its outbreak.

His comments came as tests ran out in just over an hour on Wednesday morning after the Government expanded eligibility to over 65s and care home residents.

Health experts and MPs have repeatedly expressed doubt over the ambitious target but the ministers continue to commit to their goal.

On Wednesday, Prof Newton said: We are pretty confident we will hit that target. It puts us really right up there with countries like Germany, so we need that now but we need that for the future as well.

There would be a lag due to receiving the data but by the end of the week we will know whether we have reached that target.

Professor John Newton during a media briefing in Downing Street / PA

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: There are three reasons for having testing: track and trace for contacts, infection control for hospitals and care homes, and then for the surveillance studies which are so important to understand how the infection is spread in the community.

We are able to support all of those now with the testing capability we have.

AFP via Getty Images

Slots for millions more people, including those over 65 and those who live with them, were available to book on the Government website from 8am on Wednesday, after Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a ramping up of testing on Tuesday.

Tests at regional drive-through centres ran out in Wales almost immediately but were still available in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland as of 9.15am.

Coronavirus testing expanded to all care home residents

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary George Eustice tried to suggest that people would not show up when asked if he could guarantee that 100,000 people would be tested on Thursday.

Speaking to Kay Burley on Sky, Mr Eustice said that he could not "frogmarch" Brits to get tested, before she shot him down.

George Eustice: The capacity is there to test 100,000 people

He then said "the capacity is there" for 100,000 people to be tested.

Prof Newton later stressed those newly eligible for coronavirus tests should only apply for a test if they have symptoms.

Speaking to LBC the following day, Prof Newton said: "This is for people who are unwell with coronavirus symptoms, and their households... it's not a screen."

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

He added there are a "number of ways" people can access the test, including over 40 drive-in centres, and a limited number of postage tests sent directly to homes.

"If you have symptoms, go on to gov.uk and there's a special link that tells you how to log on and get a test," he said.

He also said the Government is optimistic that effective coronavirus antibody tests will be available by the end of May or early June.

As millions more tests are being rolled out for those with Covid-19 symptoms, Prof Newton said antibody tests  which detect whether a person has had coronavirus  are also in the pipeline.

Speaking on the BBC, he said: There has been a lot of work in antibody testing. We are optimistic that we will have a good antibody test when we need it.

Not many people would test positive for an antibody test right now.
Breen, who is based on Long Island, said she helped eight women deliver in the first three months of this year. But in April, she has had more than 25 inquiries, she said, nearly all of them women who had initially planned hospital deliveries with doctors.
New Delhi: Reality television star Ashley Ross, best-known for her role as Ms Minnie in Little Women: Atlanta, died on Monday from injuries following a car crash. She was 34. Ross reportedly met with an accident in Atlanta on Sunday night. She was being treated at a hospital in Atlanta but she succumbed to her injuries on Monday, nearly 24 hours after the accident.

It is with profound sadness that we confirm on behalf of the family of Ashley Ross aka Ms Minnie of Little Women: Atlanta has succumbed to injuries from a tragic hit and run car accident today at the age of 34. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time, Ross team posted on her official Instagram account.

Her show 2016 show Little Women: Atlanta is a spinoff to Little Women. Ross co-star from the show Tonya Renee Banks also mourned her death on Instagram and wrote, Ms Minnie you will be missed RIH girlie. My condolences to her friends and family.

Meanwhile, Little Womens official Twitter account wrote in a post, Lifetime and the Little Women family are deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of the sudden passing of Ashley Ross, our beloved Ms. Minnie. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends, Ms. Minnie was an amazing talent and a special part of Little Women Atl.

She will be dearly missed.  Little Women (@LittleWomenTV) April 28, 2020

Ashley Ross is reportedly survived by her mother, grandmother and other family members.
New Delhi, April 29 : Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said about 200 health workers in Delhi have tested positive for coronavirus.

"Over 200 health workers have tested (COVID) positive. This is confirmed that the cases are very few from the COVID dedicated hospitals," Jain told the media here.

So far, Delhi has reported 3,314 coronavirus cases.

Jain said the COVID patients are not showing any symptoms and can be treated from home.

"Those who are asymptomatic or having mild symptoms can stay at home and there is no need for them to come to the hospital," Jain said.

He added that they should stay in a separate room in their house.

"Also, we have directed the hospitals to not push for COVID tests of general patients without any symptoms," Jain said.

On Centre's remarks on the plasma therapy, Jain said it is on an experimental stage and those not having the approval should not start it even though it has shown positive results.

"We have permission from the Centre. It is being done by the experts, not everyone can do it." On the spike in the number of containment zones in the city, he said it is because of the strict policy of the government.

"About 90 per cent zones have not reported any new cases in the last few days. Earlier, the doubling of cases took place in 4-5 days, now this rate is 13 days," Jain added.

So far, 100 containment zones have been formed in the city.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A 23-year-old man is lucky to be alive after he was attacked by a crocodile while fishing in waist-deep water.

The man was in the Glyde River, 580km east of Darwin, at 5pm on Tuesday when the 1.8-metre crocodile attacked him.

The crocodile bit into the man's upper leg, leaving him with deep lacerations.

The man was fishing in the Glyde River, 580km east of Darwin, at 5pm on Tuesday when the 1.8-metre crocodile attacked him (stock)

The victim was forced to cling onto a nearby mangrove shrub to stop himself being dragged underwater, before the crocodile gave up and swam away.

HOW TO STAY SAFE Never swim where crocodiles may live - even if there is no signage

Obey all warning signs

Always keep a look out

Stay away from crocodile tracks

Never provoke or interfere with a crocodile

Never feed crocodiles

Do not interfere with crocodile traps Source: NT Government

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NT Police Watch Commander Siiri Tennosaar told the ABC the man is extremely lucky to have survived the attack.

'He was grabbed from behind by a 1.8-metre [crocodile] and the man held onto some mangroves and the crocodile for some reason released him and swam away,' she said.

'So other than suffering some pretty deep lacerations to his upper thigh, he managed to get away with no life-threatening injuries.

'He should go straight to get a lotto ticket.'

The man is being treated at a local clinic in Ramingining and is being transported to Gove District Hospital later on Wednesday with minor injuries.
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Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 30 2020

The government has high hopes that local arms manufacturers can step up their production capacity to facilitate its efforts to modernize Indonesias primary weapons defense systems amid delayed plans to acquire foreign arms as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Entering the third and final phase of its long-term modernization program this year, the Defense Ministry has moved to leverage the role of domestic players in developing the national defense industry, amid the continued shortfall in overseas defense spending.

Procurement for our weapons defense system will focus on developing the local industry by way of transfers of technology with principal [manufacturers], Deputy Defense Minister Wahyu Sakti Trenggono told The Jakarta Post recently.

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday touted the "amazing" numbers of emergency small business loans being issued  even as anxious lenders warned that the administration was leaving scores of their customers in limbo.

At an event in the East Room of the White House, Trump praised the success of the Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to head off massive layoffs during the pandemic. Congress created the program to channel aid to struggling small businesses through government-backed loans that can be forgiven if employers maintain their payrolls.

The administration relaunched the effort Monday with $320 billion in new funding that Congress approved last week after an initial $350 billion was exhausted April 16. The Small Business Administration, which is running the program, said that as of 1 p.m. Tuesday more than 475,000 new loans had been approved for more than $52 billion  about 16 percent of the new funds that Congress approved last week. The SBA said 5,100 lenders handled the loans.

"We're processing loans at a pace never achieved before," Trump said.

That is true for a program that has been up and running for less than a month, but the president's optimism belied growing angst among large banks that submitted tens of thousands of applications. They say they've received no word from the government about whether the loans will be approved.

At the heart of their concerns is a decision by the SBA to let big banks with thousands of applications submit them in single, consolidated batches rather than inputting them to the SBA's systems loan-by-loan.

The SBA announced the policy Sunday as it prepared for a deluge of hundreds of thousands of applications, which threatened to overwhelm its already unstable systems with unprecedented demand. Banks went along with the policy, despite earlier preparations they had made to enter loans into the SBA's system.

Representatives of the nation's largest banks said Tuesday that they had no idea how the agency was processing the batch filings, raising questions about a huge number of applications.

Story continues

There is just acute anxiety and anger because banks are doing everything they can to serve these small business customers, said Greg Baer, who represents large lenders as president and CEO of the Bank Policy Institute. "But the vast majority of their loans just arent getting through the system, and no one can or will explain why.

Bank of America said in an internal company memo obtained by POLITICO that from Sunday through early Monday it had sent 184,000 applications to the SBA and was waiting for the agency to process the loans. The bank as of Tuesday afternoon believed it had just 1,000 loans approved so far, according to a source familiar with the matter. JPMorgan Chase submitted a similar number of applications as Bank of America, another source said. Wells Fargo said it submitted more than 100,000 applications on Monday.

"What we're seeing is it's all or nothing in the batching system," Consumer Bankers Association President and CEO Richard Hunt said in an interview.

The SBA did not respond to requests for comment.

Some of the banks left in the dark were beginning to try to input the applications manually, which proved to be its own challenge for lenders of all sizes.

The SBA's systems have suffered glitches and crashes throughout the existence of the program, which imposed an unprecedented level of loan applications on the agency. The SBA this week said it was "pacing" incoming loan applications as it tried to manage the load. It told lenders it was capping loan originations to no more than $60 billion per bank and would limit incoming loans to 350 per bank per hour  a limit that banks say is all but unachievable amid the slowdown in the SBA's system.

On Tuesday, the SBA told banks that they could no longer use automated bots to input loan applications, in another mitigation effort to take stress off its systems.

The uncertainty came as many of the same big banks face growing scrutiny from Washington about whether they gave priority to large customers over smaller businesses during the initial wave of Paycheck Protection Program applications.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday announced that any loans above $2 million would be subject to extra scrutiny before they are forgiven. He said borrowers would be subject to criminal liability if they misrepresented their financial need. The administration is discouraging large, publicly traded companies from seeking the money after loan approvals for Shake Shake, Ruth's Hospitality Group and other major corporations sparked a public outcry.

Congress tried to tackle concerns about inequality in the program by setting aside $60 billion of loan money for small lenders to distribute. On Tuesday, the SBA said that those lenders  banks with less than $50 billion in assets  had about $39.6 billion in loans approved in the latest round of PPP funding, or about 75 percent of the total dollar amount of loans approved so far.

Bank representatives said they were in the dark about SBA's thinking behind the system for large lenders. Regardless of the intent, one source at a bank who declined to be identified said it appeared to be putting big lenders at the back of the line.

"That's clearly what's happened," the person said. "They're in the hundreds of loans processed, which is crazy, because they have tens of thousands of loans."


Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 29, 2020) - VPN Technologies Inc. (CSE: VPN) (OTCQB: SRBBF) (FSE: 6GQ1) ("VPN Tech" or "the Company") announces that the Company has cancelled its current financing plans in favor of implementing a more aggressive growth strategy.

President & CEO, Paul Dickson, announced a radical shift in corporate development strategy today resulting in the cancellation of the Company's current financing. Mr. Dickson said, "the current economic environment has changed greatly in these past several weeks. While the new financial realities may disadvantage some businesses, VPN is uniquely positioned to continue to thrive in this global economy."

Dickson also stated that, "the Board of Directors agrees that the time for expansion through asset acquisition is upon us and we need to act swiftly to monetize our current business and identify future acquisitions. By cancelling the Company's current financing, VPN is positioned to develop a much more aggressive and assertive development strategy. We expect a near term return to the capital markets with a program dedicated to strong growth fundamentals which rewards our clients, investor base and financial partners."

About VPN Technologies Inc.

VPNTech is a publicly traded company with a focus on rapid growth within the cyber security sector. The Company already owns BladeVPN and GamerVPN and now seeks to scale up operations to meet the massive online demand created by the current world health pandemic.

To learn more about VPN Technologies, please visit www.vpntech.ca.

On Behalf of the Board,

Paul Dickson

President & CEO

Contact:

hello@vpntech.ca

Forward-Looking Information:

This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business and trading in the common stock of VPN Technologies Inc. The forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the company's management. Although the company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55080
Can someones human right to privacy be overruled by journalists right to reveal information of public importance?

The United Kingdom is no stranger to high-profile lawsuits launched by celebrities  including members of the royal family  seeking to protect their privacy through the courts.

Whereas lawsuits of this kind often take the form of defamation cases, the one recently launched by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex  known before her wedding to Britains Prince Harry as Meghan Markle  against tabloid newspaper the Mail on Sunday, is unusual. It is a case not relying on defamation but only on privacy: she claims her right to privacy has been violated by DMG Media, formerly known as Associated Newspapers, the parent company of the Mail on Sunday and other tabloid newspapers.

The case is being heard via videolink.

The Duchess of Sussex is suing the tabloid over the publication of a personal letter she wrote to her father nearly two years ago.

Whether or not private information can lawfully be published is a matter of balancing privacy and expression rights on the facts of each case, Hugh Tomlinson, a barrister who previously represented Prince Charles in a privacy case, told Al Jazeera.

If Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, succeed in their case, it could have significant consequences for media freedom in the UK, including inhibiting the freedom of the press to report on public figures, analysts suggest.

Private letter

Markles case centres on a personal letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018, after he declined to attend her wedding because of illness. In her letter, the duchess said she was upset her father had contacted the press and had not returned her calls.

In February 2019, the Mail on Sunday published excerpts of her letter.





In October, she sued the newspaper for misuse of private information as well as breaches of copyright and the infringement of her privacy. She is seeking compensation under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Markle says the Mail on Sunday had dishonestly cut out some words and sentences from the letter in order to paint a misleading picture of the relationship between father and daughter. She claims the tabloid had intentionally distorted or manipulated part of the letter. She further accuses the newspaper of malicious intent.

The royal couple sees the case as a way of fighting back against wider coverage they consider to be unfair. But Tomlinson explains that malicious intent has little relevance in deciding whether or not her right to privacy has been infringed upon. However, if the paper is found to have been malicious, it could influence the amount of damages  should damages ultimately be awarded.

The Campbell case

The barrister representing the duchess, David Sherborne, referred in court to the most important legal precedent in privacy law: supermodel Naomi Campbells 2004 case against the Daily Mirror, in which she sued the Mirror for publishing a photograph of her attending a Narcotics Anonymous clinic in February 2001.

Campbells lawyers relied on the tort of breach of confidence. She won her case after the court ruled she was entitled to invasion of privacy damages from the newspaper.

In the case, Lady Hale referred to a new tort of privacy, inspired by the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ruled that the need for treatment of drug addicts was more important than the right of the public to know about it. The judgment emphasised that the state had a positive obligation to protect the right to privacy. This meant that courts must go beyond mere non-interference in the right to privacy and to create concrete mechanisms to protect privacy.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband, Prince Harry, have accused tabloid newspapers of having an agenda against them [File photo/Henry Nicholls/Reuters]

According to Colm OCinneide, professor of law at University College London, another way in which the state could give effect to this obligation is to enact legislation to protect privacy. The UK Parliament has, however, not enacted privacy legislation. One reason for this could be because of fears of the reaction of the press, said OCinneide.

It is clear that Meghan and Harry are at war with the media. They have decided that the media has crossed a line, said OCinneide.

Balancing rights

The European Convention on Human Rights was incorporated into UK law by the Human Rights Act of 1998.

Article Eight of the UK legislation states that everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life, their home and their correspondence.

But the Human Rights Act, in Article Ten, also protects freedom of expression: This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.

There is also broad agreement as to what the new right of informational privacy, or the expanded action for breach of confidence, should protect; namely, the disclosure of information where the person publishing the information knows or ought to know that there is a reasonable expectation that the information in question will be kept confidential, wrote Lady Hale in the judgment in the Naomi Campbell case.

Reporting must reveal something of 'legitimate' public importance, rather than dispense gossip or trivia, no matter how much readers lap this up Geoffrey Robertson QC, human rights barrister

Courts in the UK first have to ask whether a plaintiff has a reasonable expectation of privacy. If this is the case, the courts will engage in a balancing inquiry  balancing the right to freedom of expression against the right to privacy. This enquiry is guided by the application of certain criteria contained in case law  most importantly the European Court of Human Rights case of Von Hannover v Germany, which involved a privacy suit brought by Princess Caroline of Monaco.

As part of the balancing exercise, UK courts will rely heavily on the test of proportionality. Courts will have to ask whether the invasion of privacy is proportional to the purpose of the invasion.





Newspapers, such as the Mail on Sunday in the present case, often rely on the defence that it is in the public interest to report on a given matter. But not everything that interests the public is in the public interest, the von Hannover case found.

Information that is in the public interest is such that publication would be beneficial for the good of the public, not its titillation. It would include information necessary to prevent crime or to protect national security, for example.

According to Geoffrey Robertson, human rights barrister and expert in media law: Reporting must reveal something of legitimate public importance, rather than dispense gossip or trivia, no matter how much readers lap this up.

Wider impact

The current hearings are just the first step in a process that will lead to a full trial later in the year. It is expected that the trial might well open up discussions on issues of the financing of the royals.

Ultimately, however, the case could affect the extent to which newspapers are free to report on the lives of celebrities.

According to Robertson, the case may go all the way to the Supreme Court. That courts final decision would be very influential, and if it decides against the Mail, that might deter free speech about celebrities  although that kind of speech is not always in the public interest.

Another barrister specialising in media law, Heather Rogers, predicts a victory for the Sussexes would mean more privacy and less openness.

Journalist Oliver Duff explains the importance of the case: Where the royals tread, far less salubrious characters will follow, as they seek to hide wrongdoing and corruption.

Whether the personalities involved are salubrious or not, the outcome of the royals case will guide the press on where to draw the line between the public and the private.
A walkway at a Chinese company in Hai Phong in northern Vietnam wears the form of the illegal nine-dash line as seen on Google Maps.

Hai Phong authorities have ordered a Chinese company to demolish a walkway resembling the infamous nine-dash line marking Chinas fraudulent East Sea claims.

The structure was discovered while local authorities were inspecting an illegally constructed building in the An Duong Industrial Park, said Pham Van Moi, head of Hai Phong economic zone's management committee.

Moi said that the paved walkway, which surrounds an artificial lake, was located on a land lot meant to grow greenery in front of the Chinese-owned Tham Viet Company's executive building.

When seen from above, the walkway was found to resemble the nine-dash line, used by China to represent its illegal claims in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, violating Vietnam's sovereignty.

He said Hai Phong authorities have ordered Tham Viet Company to swiftly demolish the walkway, level the ground and restore it to its original state as park land.

"If the company does not do, the city will enforce it," Moi said.

The Tham Viet Company has also been ordered to dismantle a 400-square-meter (480-square-yard) building it built illegally on a land lot meant for greenery at the edge of the An Duong Industrial Park, according to Le Anh Quan, Party secretary and chairman of An Duong District.

This building was the original object of the authorities' inspection and had been used to house the company's Chinese workers for the past few months.

On Tuesday evening, vice chairman of An Duong District Le Van Cuong confirmed that Tham Viet Company had finished dumping land to fill the artificial lake and was in the process of dismantling the illegally constructed building, with work expected to be completed Wednesday.

The Chinese company was first discovered to have built dozens of houses for its Chinese workers on land meant for green spaces last September. Local authorities had demanded then that the illegal structures are dismantled, but the company had only complied partially.

The An Duong Industrial Park in the namesake district was founded in 2008 with a total area of about 800 hectares (2,000 acres). It was developed by the Tham Viet Company with an investment of $175 million.
There is little respite for the nurses working with coronavirus patients at N.Y.U. Langone Health.

Inside the recently opened Kimmel Pavilion in Manhattan, hundreds of patients rest in rooms designed to minimize infection. When the nurses do take a break, a soundtrack of wailing sirens reminds them what lies ahead on their return.

On March 10, N.Y.U.s medical center had just two coronavirus patients. Today, patients are spread over every floor of both Kimmel and nearby Tisch Hospital, said Robert Magyar, a hospital spokesman. The medical staff is weary, but many said they were relieved to have the supplies and protective gear that are in short supply at so many other institutions.

There are days where you feel great and ready to conquer the world, and there are days where you break down and feel really vulnerable, said Gabrielle Barshay, a senior staff nurse at Kimmel whose floor was the first to accept coronavirus patients. Its just difficult seeing these patients. A lot of them are alone, and they dont have their families. Sometimes its a lot of burden on one nurse.

For now, this tight-knit group of mostly 20-something nurses has each other, sharing the emotional burden of working, hoping and waiting.
In the most heart-breaking update, exceptional actor Irrfan Khan passed away after battling cancer today. The whole country is mourning for a powerhouse talent that went away too soon.

TOI

Irrfan Khan's sons, Ayan Khan and Babil Khan along with mother Sutupa Khan were spotted at the hospital Irrfan Khan passed away in.

Viral Bhayani

Viral Bhayani

It is now being reported that Irrfan Khan's funeral has taken place. The actors representatives released a statement that read:

Irrfan was buried at the Versova Karastan in Mumbai at 3 pm this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. In presence were his family, close relatives, and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. We pray for his peace and we hope hes in a better place today. He was strong in his fight, and we all have to be strong too in this loss.

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia was also seen at the hospital in a mask. He said, I knew him and became friends since National School of Drama (NSD) days, was two years senior to me (1986). This has happened at such a time of coronavirus to such a big actor. I am sad how small his janaza (funeral) will be, else it would have been a hujoom (mammoth turnout)I am feeling so sad and living in Mumbai I cant be a part of it.

Viral Bhayani

Viral Bhayani

Among those from the industry who managed to attend Irrfan Khan's funeral were Vishal Bharadwaj, Mika, and filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia.

Here's to one of our best actors, you might have gone but an artist like you can never be erased because you will live in our hearts. Rest in peace, Irrfan Khan.




[April 29, 2020] 5N Plus to Release First Quarter Fiscal 2020 Results on May 5, 2020 and to Hold Its Virtual Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on May 20, 2020

MONTREAL, April 29, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - 5N Plus Inc. (TSX: VNP) will release its first quarter results after market hours on May 5, 2020. 5N Plus will host a conference call on May 6, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) to discuss the results. 5N Plus also announced that it will hold its annual meeting in a virtual only format, which will be conducted via a live webcast. Q1 2020 Results

To join the conference toll free, please dial 1-888-231-8191, or 647-427-7450 in Toronto, or 514-807-9895 in Montreal. The conference access code is 9796664. To access via webcast please visit the "Investors Center" section of www.5nplus.com . Pre-registration will be available. Please note that this confeence call will be accompanied by an online presentation available to download on our website and that a playback will be available two hours after the event at 514-807-9274 or 1-855-859-2056, until May 13, 2020.



Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Recognizing the widespread cancellation of public events for the protection of individuals and public safety in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 5N Plus will hold its annual general meeting in a virtual only format, which will be conducted via live webcast at http://web.lumiagm.com/287802746 on May 20, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). About 5N Plus Inc.

5N Plus is a leading global producer of engineered materials and specialty chemicals with integrated recycling and refining assets to manage the sustainability of its business model. The Company is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and operates R&D, manufacturing and commercial centers in several locations in Europe, the Americas and Asia. 5N Plus deploys a range of proprietary and proven technologies to produce products which are used as enabling precursors by its customers in a number of advanced electronics, opto-electronics, pharmaceutical, health, renewable energy and industrial applications. Many of the materials produced by 5N Plus are critical for the functionality and performance of the products and systems produced by its customers, many of whom are leaders within their industry.

SOURCE 5N Plus Inc.

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Migrant workers, tourists, students and other people stranded in different parts of the country due to the ongoing lockdown were on Wednesday allowed to move to their respective destinations with certain conditions, giving a big relief to the distressed people.

IMAGE: Migrant workers from Akola district of Maharashtra walk along Mumbai-Nashik highway to reach their native places, in Thane, on Wednesday. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

The Union home ministry also said it has reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the country and found that tremendous gains were achieved during the lockdown and new guidelines will be issued soon, giving considerable relaxations to many districts from May 4.

In an order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said on Wednesday that buses shall be used for transport of such groups of stranded people and these vehicles will be sanitised and will have to follow safe social distancing norms in seating.

The order, however, did not specify whether a person or a family can travel in a private vehicle, and if allowed, under what conditions.

'Due to lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move,' he said in an order issued to all states and union territories.

Listing the conditions, the ministry said all states and union territories should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons.

The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded persons within their states and union territories, it said.

In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one state and union territory and another state and union territory, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road.

The moving persons would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed, according to the home ministry.

The states and union territories falling on the bus transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving states and union territories, it said.

On arrival at their destination, they would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping them in institutional quarantine, the order said.

They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups, it said.

All those people who avail the opportunity will be encouraged to use 'Aarogya Setu' app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked.

The home secretary issued the order in his capacity as the chairperson of the National Executive Committee under the Disaster Management Act.

The home ministry also said the guidelines of the ministry of health and family welfare on home quarantine should be followed by the authorities concerned.

Separately, the Ministry announced that the new guidelines to fight COVID-19 will be issued effective May 4, which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts and the details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come.

'MHA held a comprehensive review meeting on the #lockdown situation today. There've been tremendous gains & improvement in the situation due to lockdown till now.

'To ensure that these gains are not squandered away, the lockdown guidelines should be strictly observed till 3rd May,' the home ministry spokesperson tweeted.

The decision of the central government to allow movement of migrant workers, tourists, students and other stranded people will be a big relief to several lakh people who are stranded in different parts of the country.

Several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, have brought back thousands of their students and tourists stuck in different parts of the country by bus.

However, most of the migrant workers, tourists and other people continue to stuck in their places of work or shelter homes.

While Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Assam, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh brought back their stranded students fron Kota in Rajasthan, Punjab has brought back stranded pilgrims from Maharashtra, besides students from Kota.

A group of around 360 stranded people of Rajasthan is also being brought back from Assam. While transporting these students, pilgrims and other people, the states have used buses and other vehicles.

There have been at least three protests by migrant workers in Surat in Gujarat in recent weeks as they have been demanding passage to their home states.

A few hundred people had also gathered about a fortnight ago in Bandra in Mumbai after being influenced by rumours that trains would ply to North India.

However, the Bihar government has been seeking the strict implementation of the lockdown, saying that people should remain wherever they are during the entire period of the lockdown.

While announcing the lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said people should remain wherever they are.

In the beginning of the first phase of the lockdown, thousands of the migrant workers had started moving by foot from cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to their respective places, creating a humanitarian crisis.

This led to the home ministry directing the state governments not to allow the migrants to move, arrange shelter homes for them and provide them food.

The government has already allowed industrial activities in rural areas with conditions.

Similarly, apart from the shops for the essential commodities, standalone business establishments of non-essential goods were also allowed to open during the lockdown.
For most of April, Delta Air Lines Inc has flown just one passenger per day to and from Worcester, Massachusetts, and the company has asked the U.S. Transportation Department to allow it to suspend flights there and to eight other airports.

Separately, JetBlue Airways Corp. asked to let it halt flights to 16 airports, including major hubs in Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas, warning that continuing to fly to the locations will "significantly harm" the company's liquidity.

The requests, filed with the Transportation Department and posted Tuesday, illustrate the dramatic decline in demand as travelers comply with stay-at-home instructions during the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, 110,913 people went through U.S. airport security screening, just 5% of the 2.1 million on the equivalent day last year, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

The number of passengers has been hovering at about that level for the past two weeks. More than 90 million fewer people have gone through airport screening since March 16 compared to those who flew in the same period a year ago.

The Trump administration's $50 billion in government loans and payroll grants to top carriers came with a requirement that they continue to provide minimum levels of service to locations they were flying to as of March 1, unless they receive approval from Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

In its filing, JetBlue said was seeking exemptions to that rule "so that it can continue to proactively respond to the near-zero demand for air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting national economic crisis." Other cities in its request include Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Houston.

It its request, Delta said its goal was to minimize the number of employees who could be potentially exposed to the virus by suspending service at nine airports within an hour's drive of another terminal where the carrier was still flying.

Flint, Michigan, for example, is a roughly hour-long drive from Detroit Metro Airport, one of the carrier's largest hubs. From April 1 through April 22, daily passengers each way at the airports in Delta's request ranged from 14 to as few as one.

"We continue to work with the U.S. Department of Transportation for flexibility to adjust our schedules as demand warrants, while remaining in compliance with the Cares Act, which requires carriers to maintain a minimum level of service," JetBlue said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Two MBBS fourth-year students from Kasturba Medical College (KMC)-Mangaluru, who are stranded in Malaysia, have appealed to government to help them return to India via a video.

Mahima Gupta and Naveen Mallya had enrolled for a month-long surgery elective course as a part of their course at the International Medical University, in Malaysia.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

They landed in Malaysia on March 12 and had booked tickets to return on April 9. However, Malaysia announced the lockdown on March 17 and they had to abandon their plans on returning to India.

In the video, Mallya said, It is more than a month since the announcement of the lockdown. We are finding it difficult here mentally and financially. It is a burden to pay the rent as well. When government is planning to get back stranded Indians in foreign countries, I appeal to them on helping us to return. There are many Kannadigas stranded in Malayasia.
No infectious disease since HIV/AIDS in the 1980s has captured the worlds attention in the way COVID-19 has. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is still with us nearly 40 years later. Effective treatment has made HIV/AIDS a manageable medical condition rather than the almost certain death sentence it was in the beginning, but a vaccine still eludes us. More than 32 million people have died of HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the pandemic, including about 700,000 Americans. Children were almost an afterthought in the early days of HIV/AIDS. Many children died, and even more suffered emotionally in response to the deaths of caregivers and relatives.

So far, it appears that children are being spared the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic from a physical health perspective, but there is no doubt that there will be lifelong mental health consequences. Proactive measures implemented now, including raising awareness regarding childrens trauma and grief-related responses to the pandemic, can mitigate these potentially debilitating outcomes.

Research tells us that youth who have experienced prior traumas and losses  nearly half of U.S. children  are at significantly higher risk of developing mental health problems in the face of current adversity. As a recent Houston Chronicle article points out, this has important implications for Houstons youth, many of whom have already been exposed to traumatic events such as Hurricane Harvey, school shootings or domestic violence prior to the pandemic. We know that many of societys greatest problems are a result of unresolved childhood trauma or loss, speaking to the need for early identification and intervention.

Bereavement, or the death of a loved one, is the most common form of trauma worldwide. Within Texas alone, approximately 6 percent of children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 18, and unfortunately, this number is likely to grow as a result of COVID-19. Bereavement is also the most distressing form of trauma in the general population. Our recent research shows that bereavement is the strongest predictor of poor school outcomes among adolescents, above and beyond the effects of any other trauma including physical abuse, sexual abuse or witnessing domestic violence.

Youth in underserved communities, who are often faced with poverty, chronic traumas and losses, are at particularly high risk for both post-traumatic stress and debilitating grief reactions in the context of COVID-19. Children who have been exposed to prior traumas are wired to quickly respond to danger and are more likely to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress than are youth who do not have a trauma history. For example, a child who was terrified while being trapped at home during Hurricane Harvey may experience similar, or even stronger, physiological reactions (heart palpitations, trembling) while being confined to their home during the pandemic, particularly in the context of insufficient food or parents employment loss.

Similarly, children who have experienced prior losses, such as being separated from a caregiver or the death of a loved one, are likely to have more intense grief reactions in response to a current loss or even hearing about the growing number of COVID-19 deaths.

We have learned a great deal through the HIV/AIDS pandemic about losses that cannot be socially sanctioned or publicly mourned. These types of losses, often referred to as disenfranchised grief, can lead to more complicated grief reactions and functional impairment in children. Given that both social support and the ability to say goodbye to dying loved ones are two of the most powerful protective factors, it is critical to recognize the ways in which necessary social distancing can potentially exacerbate childrens mental health problems.

While early and accurate identification of mental health problems is key to early intervention, identifying children with post-traumatic stress or maladaptive grief is challenging in that these symptoms can mimic other mental health issues. For example, hypervigilance (being on edge or jumpy), a primary symptom of post-traumatic stress, can closely resemble hyperactivity, one of the signature behaviors associated with ADHD. Similarly, both post-traumatic stress and grief in young children can manifest as aggressive or oppositional behavior, often resulting in these children being mislabeled as behavior problems.

What can we do as a community to buffer these potential mental health ramifications of the pandemic? As we enter into a new normal, it will be more important than ever for schools, hospitals and pediatric offices to become both trauma-informed and grief-informed. Teachers will need to know what signs and symptoms to look for in their students and better understand the impact of trauma and loss on school behavior. Pediatricians will need to accurately identify physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress or grief and make mental health referrals when necessary. We also need to recognize that children are like sponges, soaking in the stress, anxiety or grief that they observe and experience in their daily social environments. Consequently, caregivers, teachers and health providers must ensure that they themselves are obtaining the support and self-care that they need to be fully present and effective in helping children. Shedding light on these issues, through training and education, will enable the early identification of at-risk youth, prevent future mental health problems and ensure the health and well-being of Houstons children long after the pandemic has passed.

Kaplow is a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Kline is a physician, board certified in Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases.
PRAGUE -- A Prague district mayor says he is under police protection after authorities informed him that he and two other Prague officials, including the city's mayor, were the targets of a Russian agent sent to the Czech capital to "liquidate" them.

Ondrej Kolar's comments on April 28 came after Respekt, a Czech investigative weekly, published a report quoting unnamed security sources as saying that a suspected Russian intelligence officer had traveled recently to Prague with a suitcase containing the deadly toxin ricin as part of an alleged poisoning plot.

In his first public comments on the case, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the Czech Republic was a "sovereign state" that would not tolerate "any world power" trying to interfere in its internal affairs.

"It's not acceptable -- if it's true -- for a foreign state to take action against our citizens here," Babis said in Prague on April 28.

The three alleged targets have all taken or supported actions that have angered the Kremlin, including the renaming of the square in front of the Russian Embassy after a slain former Kremlin critic and the removal of a statue of a Soviet-era general. As possible payback, Moscow is suspected of having a role in a recent wave of cyberattacks in the Czech Republic.

Moscow, suspected in the 2018 poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a nerve agent, has dismissed the alleged poisoning plot against the three Czechs as part of a "disinformation campaign" aimed at discrediting Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry pushed back on April 29, threatening "serious consequences" to Czech-Russian relations for what it described as "provocation bordering on the sick ravings" by some in the Czech Republic.

"We assume that Prague should fully realize how serious the consequences of such methods and manipulations could be," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Kolar, who has said he is in hiding, told Prima TV on April 28 that he was restricted from disclosing details about the case, which also involves Zdenek Hrib, the mayor of Prague, and Pavel Novotny, another Prague district mayor.

"I can really only tell you that I have police protection. It was ordered on the basis of certain facts and those facts are that there is a Russian here who was given an assignment to liquidate me. Not only me, but Mr. Hrib and Mr. Novotny."

All three have now confirmed they have been given around-the-clock police protection.

Speaking to RFE/RL on April 29, Hrib said the police protection started around Easter and he was unsure how long it would last. "Unfortunately, I cannot elaborate on how this [protection] is being carried out, nor on the reasons for which it was deployed," he said.

In its April 26 report, Respekt quoted security sources as saying a suspected Russian intelligence agent carrying a suitcase of ricin flew into Prague on a diplomatic passport some 3 1/2 weeks ago. He was allegedly taken away in a Russian vehicle to the Russian Embassy compound, a suspected hive of Russian intelligence activity located in the district of which Kolar is mayor.

Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek is reported to have warned Aleksandr Zmeyevsky, Russia's ambassador in the Czech Republic, of repercussions if anything happens to the three Czech officials.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 27 that the Respekt report "looked like a canard."

The Russian Embassy in Prague the same day rejected the report as "outrageous and false slander" that was part of "ongoing, unsubstantiated attacks on Russia and its embassy in Prague."

Kolar was criticized by the Kremlin after his district on April 3 removed the statue of Marshal Ivan Konev, who led the Red Army forces during World War II that drove Nazi troops from most of Czechoslovakia. Moscow called the controversial statue's removal an insult and an attempt to rewrite history.

Relations between Prague and Moscow also soured over a Czech decision to rename the square where the Russian Embassy is located, a decision backed by Hrib.

Two months ago, Prague officials dedicated the leafy square in front of the embassy complex to former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was fatally shot in February 2015 just meters away from the Kremlin walls.

In an interview with Ekho Moskvy earlier this week, Hrib said, "It is very important for me to stand by my beliefs, even if it means risking my life."

Novotny irritated the Kremlin after proposing to erect a monument to a controversial World War II military division called the Vlasov Army made up of Soviet defectors that fought alongside the Nazis but turned against them in the final days of the war and helped liberate Prague.

Novotny told RFE/RL on April 28 that he was under police protection but also said he was under restrictions when speaking about the case.

Asked whether he found the ricin poisoning plot credible, Novotny didn't hesitate.

"Are [the Russians] capable of something like that?" he asked. "Definitely."
S hoppers will have to get used to supermarket-style queuing and till screens as well as innovations such as video-conferencing advice from assistants when high-street stores start to reopen after the end of the lockdown.

Retailers that have been shut for more than five weeks are making detailed preparations to allow customers back through the door in an era of compulsory social distancing.

Larger stores are expected to use security staff to marshal queues during busy periods, while the sight of assistants in face masks and gloves is likely to become the norm.

Many are likely to introduce one-way systems inside their stores and allocate separate exits and entrances to help maintain two-metre distancing between customers. Surfaces such as payment terminals and handrails will be regularly wiped and disinfected.

Ranges are likely to be reduced so that aisles can be widened to allow shoppers to browse with a safe level of separation.

Paul Martin, head of retail at consultancy KPMG, said changing rooms are also likely to be a problem. He said: How do you operate them? Do you only open every other room? And how do you collect and recycle all the clothes out of the changing room area? Do you disinfect the clothes every time?

Stores facing the toughest challenge are likely to be smaller outlets where customers normally expect a high level of personal service, such as jewellers, shoe shops and tailors.

One leading lingerie retailer said: What can we do? I cant measure bras from six feet away

Jos Skeates, co-founder of the Clerkenwell jeweller EC One, said: As a salesperson part of the skill is reading peoples reaction as you talk to them. How can I do that if half their face is covered with a mask?

Also from a security point of view its going to be a nightmare. Are they friend or foe? He said he expected to do far more home visits.

Richard Lim, chief executive of the Retail Economics Consultancy, said older shopping centres with narrow walkways and escalators would struggle to reopen safely. He added: The whole experience of shopping is going to be changed. Prior to the crisis, experiential retail was the buzzword, it was all about entertaining customers and providing escapism. But it will be turned on its head. Creating an environment where customers feel safe will be critical.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said he was worried about queue fatigue setting in. He said: Of course Ill join a food queue because its a necessity, but for an item of clothing or a piece of jewellery will you really want to wait in a long queue?

He said already struggling high streets were likely to look even more down-at-heel, with 20 per cent of his members saying they would probably not reopen.

TODO: define component type apester

Ewan Venters, chief executive of Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly, said he had learned much from the experience of the companys outlet in Hong Kong.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

He told the Standard: Weve been fortunate that over the last 13 weeks of the pandemic we have not had to shut our store or restaurant in Hong Kong.

However, there, the use of masks is prevalent, the smell of disinfectant almost expected, and temperature-checking on entry to the shop for all people common practice.

Demonstrating a clean and safe environment is vital to give customers confidence, and good confidence will aid economic recovery.
- The pastor of a Redeemed Christian Church of God in Texas, Pastor Tunde Badru and his wife shared how they tried to conceive for 23 years

- Pastor Tunde and his wife Pastor Sade finally welcomed their first child after two decades of waiting

- The couple's story is inspiring as they had eight failed IVFs and fibroid operations before finally conceiving

The pastor of the King's Palace Parish, a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Katy, Texas, Tunde Badru and his wife have shared what they went through before welcoming their first child.

Tunde and wife were finally blessed with a baby after 23 years of waiting.

READ ALSO: Nadia Mukami succumbs to pressure, quits social media after being bullied by female fan

Pastor Tunde and Pastor Sade Badru were blessed with a baby after 23 years of trying. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: 11 inspiring photos of former Machachari actor Bryan Kabugi which show his mind-blowing growth, transformation

The couple, who shared their story in an interview published on Kemi Filani News, said they performed eight IVFs which turned out unsuccessful.

"All of the times, everything looked very well. Each time they did the transfer, they told us 'wow! This is very clean, embryo. It is grade A, everything is fine.' Then we waited 14 days, and sometimes before the 14th day, Awwh weve seen the period." Pastot Tunde revealed.

The man of God said he had medical challenges on sperm count while his wife also had medical challenges on her fibroid.

Pastor Tunde's wife identified as Pastor Sade said she went through several fibroid operations.

READ ALSO: Man busted by police in Spain for taking pet fish for walk during lockdown

The couple had tried many procedures to aid in getting a baby all in vain. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Wataalamu wanasema kuna hatari kubwa katika kulala sana, jihadhari hasa kipindi hiki cha coronavirus

''That I had to go through 3 fibroid operations. The fourth one, that was about 2 or 3 years ago, I told the doctor whatever is gonna be, is gonna be; I am never going to go under any surgical operation. If God is going to do it, let Him do it." the wife said.

After 23 years of trying to conceive and believing in God, the couple finally conceived and welcomed their first child, a son named Isaac.

The news impressed many people who took to different social media platforms to congratulate them.

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.

Mulamwah and his girlfriend speak out for the first time after he quit comedy | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
He specified that today the Cabinet of Ministers will make a decision on the opening and permission of work of food and agricultural markets

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal stated that the government has already provided the plan of emerging from quarantine and it prepares the next mitigations of the restrictions. Thus, Shmygal commented on todays protest of businessmen who demand to terminate quarantine on May 1 as 112 Ukraine TV channel reported.

I ask the political forces, different groups of influence not to manipulate these things, do not urge Ukrainians to some protests, gatherings. We will get another stage of the growth of the incidence. The lockdown will be mitigated definitely but only if the number of infected people does not grow. It is important, Shmygal stated.

He specified that today the Cabinet of Ministers will make a decision on the opening and permission of work of food and agricultural markets.

Today, we understand, analyzed and held hard work with markets and during todays session of the government, we will make a decision on the opening and permission of work of food and agricultural markets but with particular conditions. The next Wednesday we will also make a number of decisions, which will mitigate particular quarantine measures starting from May 11, and it is spelled out, calculated and we communicate and announce it, Shmygal said.

As we reported, the Cabinet of Ministers published a plan for releasing Ukraine from the lockdown, which the government previously extended until May 11. The plan consists of five stages.
Colombia's last active rebel group said Monday it will resume its guerrilla war on May 1, ending a one-month unilateral ceasefire over the coronavirus pandemic.

The ELN said in a statement it was resuming military operations because of a lack of response to its March 30 ceasefire announcement by the conservative government of President Ivan Duque.

It accuses Bogota of "lacking the will" to resume stalled peace negotiations in Havana, Cuba and is demanding safe passage for its negotiating team to allow them return to Colombia.

"It is clear that we are facing a bellicose government, deaf to the calls of Pope Francis and the Secretary General of the United Nations, and blind to the humanitarian tragedy being suffered by the Colombian people," the organization said, referring to recent appeals by the UN chief and the pope for an immediate ceasefire in global conflict.

So far, 244 people have died from COVID-19 among a total of 5,400 cases in Colombia.

UN special envoy Carlos Ruiz Massieu said there had been "significant respect" for the ELN truce, and urged it to "extend the ceasefire".

The ELN, which is said to operate in about 10 percent of the country, has some 2,300 combatants and an extensive network of supporters in urban centers.

It is the last formal guerrilla group left in the country after the government reached a peace agreement with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in 2016.

Peace negotiations began with the ELN the following year, first in the Ecuadoran capital Quito, and later in Havana.

But Duque, a conservative who succeeded Juan Manuel Santos -- who delivered the FARC peace deal and opened discussions with the ELN -- ended the talks after a January 2019 car bomb attack on a Bogota police academy that killed 21 recruits.

Duque has said he would only reopen talks if the ELN releases all its hostages and ceases its "criminal activity."
The coronavirus pandemic could lead to almost 18,000 more deaths from cancer in England over the next year.

There could also be a 20 per cent spike in fatalities of newly-diagnosed cancer patients, according to research by University College London (UCL) and DATA-CAN, the Health Data Research Hub for Cancer.

The figures stem from real-time hospital data for urgent cancer referrals and chemotherapy attendances, which have experienced a 76 per cent and 60 per cent fall respectively.

While Englands top cancer doctor has urged people to not hesitate in seeking help or being checked.

The advice from Professor Peter Johnson, the NHS clinical director for cancer, comes after worrying research showed nearly half of the public have concerns about seeking help.

Moreover, the poll by Portland revealed one in 10 people would not contact their GP even if they discovered a lump or a new mole that remained for a week or more.

After analysing data from 3.5 million patients, experts predicted before the Covid-19 crisis that approximately 31,354 newly-diagnosed cancer patients would die within a year in England.

But the pathogen could lead to at least 6,270 extra deaths in newly-diagnosed cancer patients  a rise of more than 20 per cent.

While the figure jumps further to 17,915 excess deaths if all people currently living with cancer are included.

There have been 21,678 fatalities from the virus at the time of writing, including more than 100 NHS staff and care home workers.

The main reasons for the increased likelihood that the public would ignore symptoms stems from a fear of contracting the virus itself by leaving quarantine.

There is also the selfless feeling from some that notifying their GP would further burden the NHS during this unprecedented time, though this has been rebuffed by Professor Johnson, who insists the opposite may be true if the public fail to seek help.

NHS staff have made huge efforts to deal with coronavirus but they are also working hard to ensure that patients can safely access essential services such as cancer checks and urgent surgery, said Professor Johnson.

From online consultations to the roll-out of cancer treatment hubs, we are doing all we can to make sure patients receive the life-saving care that they need.

Staff observe a minutes silence for key workers who have died during the pandemic (Getty)

The wishes of patients and their families will always come first, and we have to make sure that people feel safe coming to hospitals, but my message is clear: people should seek help as they always would.

We know that finding cancer early gives us the best chance to cure it, and ignoring potential problems can have serious consequences now or in the future.

The public can now seek online consultations to allay fears of coming into contact with others, while Covid-free cancer hubs are already set up at 19 locations around the country.

And Professor Mark Lawler, scientific lead at DATA-CAN, emphasised the potential for the situation to escalate without educating the public about the consequences the crisis could have on those affected by cancer.

He said: We believe countries need to rapidly understand how the emergency is affecting cancer outcomes, otherwise we risk adding cancer and other underlying health conditions to the escalating death toll of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recommended The virus is a chance for the NHS to change for good

Charities, too, have also urged the public to be vigilant should concerns arise after a public information campaign was launched last week to encourage people to contact their GP or 111 if they have urgent care needs and to attend hospital if they are told they should.

Natalie Haskell, chief executive of breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!, said: We know despite coronavirus, breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the UK and many people will be worrying about changes to their breasts during this period.

Breast cancer is very treatable if found early and we urge people to listen to the NHS and continue to seek out their GP as normal if they are concerned about symptoms.

While Anna Jewell, chairwoman of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, added: People diagnosed with these cancers already have heartbreakingly poor survival rates but treatment can add precious months or years to their life expectancies.

We want to emphasise the message that the NHS is open and there for people with concerning new symptoms not linked to Covid-19.

Lynda Thomas, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, described the findings as extremely worrying, adding: This research shows the possible extent of the direct and collateral damage caused by coronavirus on the health of our nation and to the lives of people living with conditions like cancer. Its extremely worrying that we are likely to see an increase in deaths of people newly diagnosed with cancer. Macmillan cannot urge people strongly enough to contact their GP if they are concerned about the signs of the disease, so there is no delay to their diagnosis and treatment.

Thats why we are calling on all governments to stop cancer becoming the forgotten C and urgently ensure cancer services are getting everything they need to recover and catch up as quickly as possible from the disruption of the pandemic. This means having the right staff, protective equipment and testing to deliver safe care.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter on Wednesday and expressed condolences on the demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan.

Kejriwal described Khan as one of the most exceptional actors of our time and said that he is shocked by the sad news.

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2020

Shocked to hear of the demise of Irrfan Khan, one of the most exceptional actors of our time. May his work always be remembered and his soul rest in peace, Kejriwal tweeted out.

Khan, 53, breathed his last on Wednesday at Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. The actor was being treated for colon infection at the hospital. Khans spokesperson released a statement on his admission to the hospital on Tuesday.

Yes, it is true that Irrfan Khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctors observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of his well wishers, he will recover soon, the statement read.

Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare form of cancer, in the year 2018. He left for London for the treatment and returned last year to shoot for Homi Adajanias Angrezi Medium which released last month. The actor returned to London and came back last year in September after his treatment.

The actor lost his mother, Saeeda Begum, on Saturday in Jaipur.

I trust, I have surrendered, these were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it, read the statement released on the actors demise.
NASA announced it has mobilized some of its greatest minds to apply research and ingenuity to fight the coronavirus..

The American space agency showcased a range of devices to President Donald Trump, including a pressure helmet and surface decontamination system, along with a ventilator.

The technologies stem from NASAs crowdsourcing platform, called NASA@Work, which solicited ideas from employees and had them vote on the submissions to help combat the outbreak.

The new developments are a result of the organizations engineers being forced to work from home due to the pandemic that is sweeping the globe.

Scroll down for video

NASA showcased a range of devices to President Donald Trump including a pressure helmet (right) and surface decontamination system (middle), along with a ventilator (left)

In March, NASA closed its offices after employees at six different facilities contracted the coronavirus.

However, over the past month, staff has been using their brainpower and abilities to help the US government stop the spread of the virus and treat patients.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Trump during a meeting at the White House: The questions is what do you do with rocket scientists when they stay at home? What they do is they build amazing things.

Bridenstine note that NASAs workforce will put all their efforts into developing the three technologies, including the NASA VITAL ventilator created at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Aerospace Valley Positive Pressure Helmet developed by a regional consortium with NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center, and a surface decontamination system called AMBUStat produced by industry with technology developed at NASAs Glenn Research Center.

The Aerospace Valley Positive Pressure Helmet, the device was successfully tested by doctors at Antelope Valley Hospital

NASA unveiled the ventilator last week, which was designed and developed in just 37 days and can be mass produced and tailored to each patients needs.

JPL Director Michael Watkins said: We specialize in spacecraft, not medical-device manufacturing  but excellent engineering, rigorous testing and rapid prototyping are some of our specialties.

When people at JPL realized they might have what it takes to support the medical community and the broader community, they felt it was their duty to share their ingenuity, expertise and drive.'

NASA engineers are presently seeking fast-track approval for VITAL's use on the coronavirus frontline from the US Food and Drug Administration.

As with conventional ventilators, VITAL devices would require patients to be sedated and to have an oxygen tube inserted into their airway to allow them to breathe.

The new device would not replace current hospital ventilators  which are built to last years and are able to handle a far wider range of medical issues, in contrast to the COVID-19 tailored VITAL, which has a use life of around threefour months.

NASA engineers have designed a mass-producible ventilator for COVID-19 patients in just 37 days  one with only a seventh of the parts of a conventional ventilator. Pictured, the 'Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally' (VITAL) device passed a critical test at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York on April 21

The engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California developed the VITAL pictured, to free up traditional ventilators for the patients with the worst symptoms

One of the task forces first efforts was to build an oxygen helmet to treat COVID-19 patients exhibiting minor symptoms and minimize the need for those patients to use ventilators. The device functions like a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to force oxygen into a patients low-functioning lungs.

Called the Aerospace Valley Positive Pressure Helmet, the device was successfully tested by doctors at Antelope Valley Hospital.

The Spaceship Company began producing 500 this week and a request was submitted April 22 to the FDA for an emergency use authorization.

The decontamination system, called AMBUStat, is being used in police cars and other areas killing airborne and surface particles of viruses. Now NASA is conducting additional research to continue to maximize the effectiveness of this device on COVID-19.

The technologies stem from NASAs crowdsourcing platform, NASA@Work, which asked employees to submit ideas to help fight the coronavirus, which began earlier this month.

More than 200 ideas were sent in and then over 4,000 employees voted for the best technologies to be developed.

Cathy Mangum, NASAs deputy associate administrator, said: NASAs workforce is all about solving problems.

We have extremely intelligent engineers and passionate people who really wanted to help, and it was truly coming up as almost a rise out of the workforce of, Hey, how can we help.
CELAYA, Mexico, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrias Bachoco S.A.B. de C.V. ("Bachoco" or "the Company") (NYSE: IBA; BMV: Bachoco) today filed its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The 2019 Form 20-F can be downloaded from the SEC website at www.sec.gov and can also be found on Bachoco's website at https://corporativo.bachoco.com.mx/inversionistas/

The Company's Mexican shareholders and the holders of its ADRs can also request hard copies of the Form 20-F, free of charge, by contacting us at the following address:

INDUSTRIAS BACHOCO,

Attention: Maria G. Jaquez, IR

Avenida Tecnologico 401

Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. 38010

T. +52 (461) 618 3555

[email protected]

DISCLAIMER

The document contains certain information that could be considered forward looking statements concerning anticipated future events and performance of the Company. The statements reflect management's current beliefs based on information currently available and are not guarantees of future performance and are based on our estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described in our Annual Information Form, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this document. Those risks and uncertainties include risks associated with ownership in the poultry industry, competition for investments within the poultry industry, shareholder liability, governmental regulation, and environmental matters. As a result, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, Industrias Bachoco, S.A.B. de C.V., undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE Industrias Bachoco, S.A.B. de C.V.

Related Links

http://www.bachoco.com.mx


The federal government has dispatched 110 trucks of foodstuff as palliatives to the Kano State Government for distribution to the vulnerable in the state.

The minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Farouq, in a statement, on Tuesday, said the trucks would be distributed across five locations in the state.

She explained that the consignment comprises of millet, sorghum and maize, which were released from silos holding the countrys strategic food reserves located across the country.

The ministry had delivered ten trailer-loads of parboiled rice to the state government about two weeks ago. The grains in 100 trailers (are) now on their way to Kano, the minister said.

She added that, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will deliver 100 trucks of grains to five locations in Kano State for distribution to poor and vulnerable households on the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari.

One of the humanitarian interventions provided by the Federal Government is the delivery of food items as palliatives to the poor and vulnerable in all states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to ease the lockdown situation, she added.

In his remarks, according to the release, the Director General, NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja, assured the minster that the agency will work closely with state governments to ensure the effective distribution of the palliatives.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday ordered a 14-day lockdown of Kano to curtail the spike of coronavirus in state.

As of 11:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Kano ranked third on the list of states hit by coronavirus with 115 cases.
NORFOLK, Va., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) today reported first-quarter financial results of net income equal to $381 million, diluted earnings per share of $1.47, and an operating ratio of 78.4%. These results include a $385 million non-cash locomotive rationalization charge related to the ongoing disposition and marketing of excess locomotives not required for future operations due to the successful introduction of Precision Scheduled Railroading. Excluding the effects of the asset rationalization charge, adjusted first-quarter net income was $669 million, adjusted diluted earnings per share were $2.58, and the adjusted operating ratio improved by 230 basis points compared with first-quarter 2019 to 63.7%.

"During the first quarter, Norfolk Southern's determination to transform our operations once again produced all-time best service delivery levels accompanied by productivity improvements, despite volumes being impacted by weak energy prices and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic," said James A. Squires, Norfolk Southern chairman, president and CEO. "While it is unclear how long economic activity will remain suppressed, we are dedicated to serving our customers and keeping our employees healthy and safe while navigating the downturn so that we can emerge strong and resilient for our shareholders. I am extremely proud of the commitment and strength the Norfolk Southern team has displayed by keeping our nation's freight moving during this challenging start to 2020 while also enhancing our financial position."

First-quarter summary

Railway operating revenues of $2.6 billion decreased 8% compared with first-quarter 2019, driven by an 11% decline in total volume.

Railway operating expenses were $2.1 billion , including a $385 million non-cash locomotive rationalization charge related to locomotives marketed for sale and/or disposed of as a result of productivity gains achieved through the successful introduction of Precision Scheduled Railroading.

, including a non-cash locomotive rationalization charge related to locomotives marketed for sale and/or disposed of as a result of productivity gains achieved through the successful introduction of Precision Scheduled Railroading. Excluding the locomotive rationalization charge, adjusted operating expenses declined $202 million , or 11%, driven by lower compensation and benefits, fuel, purchased services, and materials.

Income from railway operations was $568 million and the operating ratio was 78.4%.

and the operating ratio was 78.4%. Adjusted income from railway operations of $953 million declined by 1%, while the adjusted operating ratio improved to 63.7% versus the first-quarter record of 66.0% set in 2019.

Guidance update

Second-quarter volumes have continued to decline across all of Norfolk Southern's commodity segments, down 30% quarter-to-date, setting up for a very soft revenue outlook. With uncertainty on both the cadence of reopening the U.S. economy and the slope of recovery, we withdraw the previously-issued outlook for flat full year revenue.

As a result of the current volume environment, we also withdraw core operating ratio guidance for 2020.

"While the COVID-19 pandemic will effect business volumes for the year, the PSR implementation that our team is executing upon will generate significant operating expense savings in 2020," said Chief Financial Officer Mark R. George . "In this challenging environment our team is doubling down on examination of our structural cost opportunities to ensure that we remain positioned to drive enhanced profitability for the long term."

About Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern is a major transporter of industrial products, including chemicals, agriculture, and metals and construction materials. In addition, the railroad operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a principal carrier of coal, automobiles, and automotive parts.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This news release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures is provided in the table below, entitled "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that may be identified by the use of words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "consider," "project," and similar references to the future. Forward-looking statements reflect our good-faith evaluation of information currently available. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and our actual results may differ materially from those projected. Please refer to our annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC for a full discussion of those risks and uncertainties we view as most important. Additional risks include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on us, our customers, our supply chain and our operations. Forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as, a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at or by which any such performance or results will be achieved. As a result, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Information included within this press release includes non-GAAP financial measures, as defined by SEC Regulation G. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, the financial measures reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

GAAP financial results are adjusted to exclude the effects of a non-cash charge in the first quarter of 2020 related to the disposal of approximately 300 locomotives and the designation of an additional 400 locomotives as held for sale. The introduction of precision scheduled railroading in 2019 continues to provide significant benefits to the network operations and has resulted in excess capacity resulting in the sidelining of these locomotives.

The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally and believes this information provides useful supplemental information to investors to facilitate making period-to-period comparisons by excluding the locomotive disposal charge. While the Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating the Company's business, this information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, these non-GAAP financial measures may not be the same as similar measures presented by other companies.

($ in millions except per share amounts)

First





Quarter 2020







Railway operating expenses $ 2,057 Effect of locomotive charge

(385) Adjusted railway operating expenses $ 1,672







Income from railway operations $ 568 Effect of locomotive charge

385 Adjusted income from railway operations $ 953







Operating ratio (%)

78.4 Effect of locomotive charge (%)

(14.7) Adjusted operating ratio (%)

63.7







Net income $ 381 Effect of locomotive charge

288 Adjusted net income $ 669







Diluted earnings per share $ 1.47 Effect of locomotive charge

1.11 Adjusted diluted earnings per share $ 2.58

Norfolk Southern Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)



First Quarter

2020

2019

(in millions, except per share amounts)







Railway operating revenues





Merchandise $ 1,672



$ 1,686

Intermodal 655



719

Coal 298



435

Total railway operating revenues 2,625



2,840









Railway operating expenses





Compensation and benefits 622



727

Purchased services and rents 403



424

Fuel 189



250

Depreciation 292



283

Materials and other 166



190

Loss on asset disposal 385





Total railway operating expenses 2,057



1,874









Income from railway operations 568



966









Other income  net 22



44

Interest expense on debt 154



149









Income before income taxes 436



861









Income taxes





Current 44



127

Deferred 11



57

Total income taxes 55



184









Net income $ 381



$ 677









Earnings per share  diluted $ 1.47



$ 2.51









Weighted average shares outstanding  diluted 258.7



269.4



See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

Norfolk Southern Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)



March 31,

December 31,

2020

2019

($ in millions) Assets





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 608



$ 580

Accounts receivable  net 889



920

Materials and supplies 265



244

Other current assets 240



337

Total current assets 2,002



2,081









Investments 3,470



3,428

Properties less accumulated depreciation of $11,794





and $11,982, respectively 31,179



31,614

Other assets 787



800









Total assets $ 37,438



$ 37,923









Liabilities and stockholders' equity





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable $ 1,284



$ 1,428

Income and other taxes 200



229

Other current liabilities 352



327

Current maturities of long-term debt 400



316

Total current liabilities 2,236



2,300









Long-term debt 11,807



11,880

Other liabilities 1,683



1,744

Deferred income taxes 6,828



6,815









Total liabilities 22,554



22,739









Stockholders' equity:





Common stock $1.00 per share par value, 1,350,000,000 shares





authorized; outstanding 256,179,130 and 257,904,956 shares,





respectively, net of treasury shares 258



259

Additional paid-in capital 2,205



2,209

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (481)



(491)

Retained income 12,902



13,207









Total stockholders' equity 14,884



15,184









Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 37,438



$ 37,923



See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

Norfolk Southern Corporation and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)



First Three Months

2020

2019

($ in millions) Cash flows from operating activities





Net income $ 381



$ 677

Reconciliation of net income to net cash provided by operating

activities:





Depreciation 292



283

Deferred income taxes 11



57

Gains and losses on properties (8)



(18)

Loss on asset disposal 385





Changes in assets and liabilities affecting operations:





Accounts receivable 32



(39)

Materials and supplies (21)



(21)

Other current assets (33)



12

Current liabilities other than debt (40)



(27)

Other  net (44)



(43)









Net cash provided by operating activities 955



881









Cash flows from investing activities





Property additions (366)



(467)

Property sales and other transactions 158



152

Investment purchases 



(2)

Investment sales and other transactions (25)



(33)









Net cash used in investing activities (233)



(350)









Cash flows from financing activities





Dividends (242)



(230)

Common stock transactions 14



2

Purchase and retirement of common stock (466)



(500)

Proceeds from borrowings 



250









Net cash used in financing activities (694)



(478)









Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 28



53









Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash





At beginning of year 580



446









At end of period $ 608



$ 499









Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information





Cash paid during the period for:





Interest (net of amounts capitalized) $ 121



$ 112

Income taxes (net of refunds) 16



9



See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:

1. Loss on Asset Disposal

In the first quarter of 2020, we committed to a plan to dispose of certain locomotives deemed excess and no longer needed for railroad operations. Specifically, during the first quarter of 2020, the Company recorded a charge related to the loss on the sale of approximately 300 locomotives disposed of in the first quarter, and a write-down of approximately 400 additional locomotives that we are actively marketing to sell. Accordingly, a $385 million loss was recorded to adjust their carrying amount to their estimated fair value. The loss on asset disposal reduced "Earnings per share  diluted" by $1.11.

2. Stock Repurchase Program

We repurchased and retired 2.6 million and 2.9 million shares of common stock under our stock repurchase program during the first three months of 2020 and 2019, respectively, at a cost of $466 million and $500 million, respectively.

3. Restricted Cash

The "Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash" line item on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows includes restricted cash of $88 million in 2019, reflecting deposits held by a third-party bond agent as collateral for certain debt obligations which matured on October 1, 2019.

SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation

Related Links

http://www.nscorp.com


During a question-and-answer session today in the Congress of Deputies, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez found scant support from other parties, although the level of aggression displayed by opposition groups was not as high as during previous sessions that dealt with the coronavirus crisis.

The debate on Wednesday in the lower house of parliament served to increase doubts as to whether deputies will support the governments request for another extension to the state of alarm, which was first implemented on March 14 in a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus and must be renewed every two weeks in Congress.

The leader of the main opposition Popular Party repeatedly accused Sanchez of lying during the coronavirus crisis

Last Wednesday, the executive managed to secure approval for a third extension of the state of alarm  which gives the government extra powers to deal with the epidemic  with votes against from far-right Vox, Together for Catalonia and Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), and the abstention of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC).

Sanchez heads up a coalition government, made up of his Socialist Party (PSOE) and junior partner, left-wing Unidas Podemos. The government lacks a working majority in Congress and as such must rely on the support of other parties in order to pass legislation.

The leader of the main opposition Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado, today repeatedly accused Sanchez of lying during the coronavirus crisis, and warned that his group may abstain at the upcoming vote. Center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens), meanwhile, also criticized the government in Congress today, and left its support up in the air. Gabriel Rufian, from ERC, explained that his party was closer to voting no. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) announced last week that if the government did not agree the next steps it would be taking with the regions, it would withdraw its support.

The tone of the criticism of the government has varied, from the heightened criticism of Vox and the PP to the more measured tone of other parties. But the common denominator of all the censure has related to the lack of dialogue on the part of the government before making major announcements, such as the deescalation plan Sanchez unveiled on Tuesday.

This crisis will not serve as an excuse to abandon the environmental transition, nor to scale back the welfare system Pedro Sanchez

Dont count on us if things carry on like this, Casado told Sanchez today in Congress. The prime minister admitted that the economic situation in Spain is very serious after more than six weeks of lockdown, but did not respond to the question as to whether the country will need a bailout.

This crisis will not serve as an excuse to abandon the environmental transition, nor to scale back the welfare system or to continue to make employment more precarious, said Sanchez in response to the accusations by the opposition that he had lied about his management of the crisis.

During the session in Congress today, deputies voiced their criticism of the plan for a transition to a new normality presented on Tuesday. The issues expressed were not so much about the content, which few mentioned, but rather for the lack of detail on certain aspects. The PP and Ciudadanos also bemoaned the fact that the government had not consulted with the opposition before putting their plans into place.

All of the government ministers who spoke in Congress today  in particular Unidas Podemos leader and Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias  refused to be drawn on the accusations. Instead, they reached out to the other political groups with offers to work together in the parliamentary commission that has been agreed on, and is aimed at social and economic reconstruction.

High-ranking deputies from PP and Vox also warned the government that they would be filing lawsuits against the government for criminal offenses related to their management of the coronavirus crisis, which has claimed 24,275 lives in Spain, according to the most recent data from the Health Ministry.

After the conclusion of todays question-and-answer session concludes, two royal decrees were due to be voted on: one includes urgent measures to protect the victims of gender violence, while the second extends the deadline for filing value added tax returns by small- and medium-sized firms and the self-employed to May 20, as well as the payment of company and income taxes in installments.

English version by Simon Hunter.
All Costco shoppers will be required to wear masks in all its stores starting next week, the chain announced Wednesday.

Shoppers will be mandated to wear protective masks or face coverings starting Monday, May 4 in the latest effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

'To protect our members and employees, effective May 4, all Costco members and guests must wear a mask or face covering that covers the mouth and nose at all times while at Costco,' the store announced in a policy update on its website.

The new rule does not apply to children under the age of two or individuals who have a medical condition that prevents them from being able to wear masks.

All Costco shoppers will be required to wear masks in stores starting next week, the chain announced Wednesday. Customers wearing masks pictured exiting a Costco store in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday

'The use of a mask or face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing. Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises,' the company added.

At first the company announced Tuesday that masks would be mandatory for stores in cities or areas where face masks are required but updated it to include all their stores on Wednesday.

The Wednesday announcement also expanded shopping hours for customers 60 years and older from three days a week to five days a week, Monday through Friday between 9am and 10 am.

Customers wait in line in front of a sign recommending social distancing to enter the Industry City Costco store on Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York

Many shoppers have already started to wear face masks and protective gloves when shopping such as these customers at a Costco store in Arlington, Virginia on April 16

Americans lined up to buy goods at supermarkets like Costco Wholesale and Walmart as fears over COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey on April 18

Costco will also restore its regular warehouse shopping hours after it had reduced hours to slow the spread of the virus and protect workers months ago.

The change in rules comes as states across the country start to reopen and lift lockdown orders.

Throughout the pandemic Costco has seen long lines inundate its stores despite lockdown orders as people scramble to stock up on items like toilet paper and hand santizer.

The store still has limits in place to prevent hoarders to wiping out supplies of sought-after items like toiletries and disinfectant.

There's also a no-return policy applied to toilet paper, bottled water, sanitizing wipes, rice and disinfecting spray.

While its not required to wear face covering while out in public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in April the public do so as a safety measure.
A huge groundswell of support for the British dairy sector has seen more than 2,230 letters written to nearly 400 MPs as part of a campaign calling for urgent help to save it.

The almost complete closure of food service and hospitality outlets as a result of the Covid-19 crisis has meant the loss of market for around eight million litres of milk per week.

Already, a quarter of all dairy farmers in England and Wales have been hit financially as a result, according to the NFU.

MPs are now being asked to call on government to intervene and address the unfolding crisis and protect dairy farming businesses from lasting damage.

NFU dairy board chairman Michael Oakes said the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 'totally unprecedented and extremely fast-moving situation'.

"Im speaking to dairy farmers every day whove hit rock bottom, many significantly impacted by the huge disturbances in the market and now facing deferred payments, uncollected milk and changes to contracts," he said.

Its not just cash flow thats affected. We have also seen a raft of price cuts to dairy farmers on the back of the market disturbances."

Some farmgate prices are now estimated to be in the region of 17-22ppl, something which Mr Oakes called 'clearly unsustainable'.

Defra and government have to grasp the seriousness of the situation," he said, encouraging dairy farmers and the public to write and engage with their local MPs.

Unprecedented times mean we need unprecedented measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the iconic British dairy sector - the backbone of rural life.

"Hardworking dairy farmers and cows producing nutritious, delicious products for the nation, need our help now," Mr Oakes said.

NFU and dairy industry proposals to government include a targeted grant scheme for affected farmers that is similar to the Retail and Hospitality Grant Scheme.

Industry has called on government to engage with the EU Commission to introduce market support measures, such as Private Storage Aid.

A novel cow furloughing scheme run by government to help reduce production on a voluntary basis could also be introduced, farmers have also suggested.

It comes as government officials are reportedly considering a hardship fund for dairy farmers severely affected by the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

The fund could take the form of a targeted time-limited payment for impacted farming businesses, a report by BBC News said on Wednesday (28 April).
Protesters call for officials to release people from jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers in response to the coronavirus, as they demonstrate outside City Hall on March 30. Read more

Long before the coronavirus pandemic, Rashena Carter knew how infection can spread through an institution: Her son, Jewel Scott, had contracted tuberculosis as a teenager while at a Philadelphia youth detention center and, after he was released, spread it to his siblings.

Now, Scott, 20, is at risk again  locked up in a Philadelphia jail since Jan. 3 on a drug-dealing charge and, Carter worries, medically vulnerable to COVID-19 due to his asthma and the lasting damage of TB.

Theyre saying theyre social distancing, but theyre not  because theyre adding more people to his cell, Carter said. It was two, now its four.

Scotts bail was set at just $3,000 unsecured, meaning he could be released without paying anything. But because he was on probation for a previous drug conviction, his arrest represented a possible violation and triggered a detainer  a hold that will keep him incarcerated until a judge decides to release him.

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

Six weeks after Philadelphia and neighboring counties joined a nationwide movement to reduce jail populations ahead of inevitable institutional coronavirus outbreaks, Scott is one of many who remain behind bars not because theyve been found to pose a public safety threat, but because of the complexities of their legal-system entanglements.

Philadelphia has reduced its jail population by about 23% since February, a sluggish process that has drawn criticism from defense lawyers and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. One by one, judges have reviewed cases, lifting detainers, reducing bail, and approving parole  what Krasner called the low-hanging fruit.

 READ MORE: Montgomery Countys jail tested every inmate for COVID-19  and found 30 times more cases than previously known

In Pittsburgh, by contrast, the jail population is down 31%, which Krasner attributed in large part to the countys more proactive probation department: They collected 250 detainers they thought should be lifted and they went to the judiciary with them, with agreement from both sides.

In Philadelphia, the probation departments phone line indicates that the office is closed until June 1, and offers no mechanism for probationers to check in remotely. Lawyers said calls to the department have gone unanswered. The unit that processes electronic monitoring, used to release people to house arrest, is not operating, lawyers said, eliminating what some see as a key avenue to safely reducing the jail numbers.

 READ MORE: Philly jail workers want judges to release more inmates because of coronavirus

A court spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the probation department is functioning and why electronic monitoring is not available.

In Philadelphias patchwork response, nonprofit bail funds have filled the gaps, posting bail for more than 200 people  and even finding housing for some who were cleared for release if they enrolled in tele-treatment. Reuben Jones, a bail fund organizer, said his nonprofit, Frontline Dads, spent $5,000 to secure apartments for nine people, and was working to add five more beds.

But the bail funds could not help the more than 1,300 people being held on detainers for non-criminal violations, like failing to report or using drugs, or for violations that involved criminal charges of misdemeanors or drug dealing.

Some have bail as low as $300. But if those detainers dont get lifted, those people will sit there indefinitely, Jones said.

 READ MORE: Probation detainers can keep people locked up indefinitely -- even when they haven't committed a crime.

One of those defendants with $300 bail, in a transcript of a phone call provided by his lawyers, described making do with scant cleaning supplies  wiping down the phones with a dirty washcloth hed been using for two months, splitting up bars of soap to share with cellmates.

More than 190 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Philadelphia jails, however the city said it does not have the resources to conduct widespread testing.

In Montgomery County, which began universal testing of prisoners last week, initial results indicated 18% were positive.

In Delaware County, which reduced its jail roster by about 25%, officials told reporters they expect 40% to 70% of inmates to contract the coronavirus.

Despite the health risks, people in Delaware County continue to be held on detainers for crimes like shoplifting, or for violations including failing drug tests or failing to pay restitution, a lawyer familiar with the situation said.

Rasheed Muhammad, who was on parole when he was arrested in 2018, got his bail reduced in March. But a detainer is keeping him incarcerated through the pandemic.

Muhammad, who was convicted of manslaughter as a teen in 2004, said he has tried to turn his life around. He was driving an informal taxi service, he said, when he agreed to drive two people to the bank. Waiting in the car, Muhammad said, he wasnt aware that they were cashing bad checks.

All three were arrested, but only Muhammad refused to plead guilty and is still in jail, charged with the checks, drugs, and an illegal gun that was in the car.

I feel bad for him, because he had nothing to do with it, said his codefendant Henry Clark, 74, who pleaded guilty and was released on parole.

Now, Muhammad is on 22 and two, meaning two hours out of cell per day. Hes seen people react wildly  literally climbing the walls to avoid going back in their cell, throwing urine at correctional officers.

He can understand their desperation. He believes he has already had the coronavirus: A few weeks ago, he felt feverish, with a cough, weakness, and diarrhea. Then, for several days, he lost his sense of smell and taste. He said he received Tylenol a few times, but his temperature was checked only once. He never took a coronavirus test.

Whatever made him sick swept through his cell block, he said. No one over here that I know of has been tested, regardless of whether they were sick or not.
President Uhuru Kenyattas passionate bid to have Kenyans take charge of their own security through the nyumba kumi (10 households) initiative has had its fair share of hits, misses and lessons.

While the security strategy, borrowed from Tanzanias ujamaa policy to promote community policing at the household level and ensure safe neighbourhoods, has proved valuable to Kenyas war on terrorism.

READ ALSO: Nairobi criminals narrate how they charms to evade arrests, police bullets

President Uhuru wearing a face mask during a state of the nation address on coronavirus in Kenya. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Uhuru fires ex-Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo as KNH board chairperson

We are nowhere near to realising its full potential when it comes to curbing ordinary crime.

The failure has been attributed to Kenyas capitalistic and individualistic approach as opposed to Tanzanias socialistic approach.

Many analysts have opined that it borders on mission impossible to facilitate information-sharing and promote confidence between police and the people in Kenya.

READ ALSO: Can't pay, won't pay: Parents take Brookhouse School to court for demanding full fees

Police continued to rely on Nyumba kumi and members of the public to arrest individuals flouting social distancing. Photo: TUKO.co.ke.

Source: Original

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Watu 5 wapona huku 10 zaidi wakiambukizwa coronavirus Kenya

Others have termed the plan as noble but untenable, arguing that it is impractical for the ever-busy urban dwellers to know their neighbours well enough to police them.

But it seems the coronavirus pandemic is here to debunk some of these myths, if not redefine how we do things.

Ever since the first COVID-19 case was recorded in the country, nyumba kumi has been evident all over the place.

Cautious citizens have showcased rare alertness and cooperation, readily reporting suspicious activities in their neighborhoods to authorities.

This is one of the main reasons why a raft of measures introduced by the government, not least the containment measures for the hot spot counties of Nairobi, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi and lately Mandera, appear to be working in changing the trajectory of the virus spread.

In Nairobi and other urban settings, members of the public have alerted the police when their neighbours hold house parties, chamas, weddings and other social events that violate the directive on social gathering.

Many culprits have subsequently ended up in diverse quarantine centres.

But it is in rural Kenya where nyumba kumi has been exceptionally successful.

To avert the transmission of COVID-19, civilians have been keenly monitoring visitors travelling from other regions, particularly the high-risk counties where multiple coronavirus cases have been recorded.

Any strange or returning persons are instantly reported to village elders, assistant chiefs and forced to go into quarantine as nyumba kumi proves to be a potent weapon in sealing illegal border crossings and complementing police work.

The best possible example of this efficacy was recorded in Kisii this week after two cousins managed to escape from Nairobi and covered the over 315 km journey to Nyanza on a motorbike.

While they managed to dodge police roadblocks and patrols along the way, it was a different story upon arrival in the village where villagers reported the unwelcome visitors to authorities, who put the duo and all those they had come into contact with on 14-day quarantine.

A Nakuru man who somehow travelled into the country from South Africa also suffered similar fate.

In counties such as Taita Taveta, nyumba kumi networks have become the local enforcers of the governments guidelines, even organising how people in quarantine would get food and other requirements.

The village folk have fared amazingly well in the face of a virus that will greatly depend on cooperative neighbours to eradicate.

They have proved wrong the naysayers who held that nyumba kumi, an initiative that enhances personal and family safety, cant fit well in an open society like ours.

The success of nyumba kumi amid the coronavirus health crisis proves that it can equally work to curb crime and boost security countrywide.

Given the effectiveness of the governments COVID-19 messaging, it is now clear that the most important step in having communities take charge of their security is to make them appreciate the fact that anything dangerous that goes unreported poses direct danger to them, their families and neighbourhoods.

We should learn from past mistakes and recent success and give nyumba kumi another go.

The writer is Milan Kiplagat, a regular commentator on social, economic and political affairs.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are his and do not necessarily represent the position of TUKO Media Ltd in any way.

We welcome writers, bloggers, photographers and all sorts of noise makers to become a part of our Blog network Send your opinion, story or both to news@tuko.co.ke.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans come through for elderly couple kicked out by landlady over rent arrears | Tuko TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
By Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Daniel Simmons-Ritchie of Spotlight PA

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania officials on Friday will unveil the states goals for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, standards the Wolf administration has so far shied away from specifying despite insisting that a robust system is key to its plan to reopen the state.

Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the testing benchmark will be aspirational, and stressed that it will be one of many factors in deciding which counties or regions can safely begin to relax restrictions on May 8.

There will be a number of statistical and public health measures that well be looking at, Levine said Tuesday, adding that the administration will also announce by Friday which areas of the state will be the first to reopen.

As states increasingly seek to end stay-at-home orders and resume economic activity in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts say that vastly expanded testing and rigorous tracing of how people became infected is needed in order to prevent future outbreaks.

After announcing its plan to begin reopening Pennsylvania starting May 8, the Wolf administration said counties or regions must have adequate testing for new coronavirus cases in place. However, it stopped short of specifying what it defines as adequate.

State officials have also appeared to struggle to formulate a plan to hire more contact tracers  people who connect the dots between someone with the virus and who else they might have infected  saying as recently as last week they were still considering their options.

Krys Johnson, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Temple University, said she welcomed the news that the Wolf administration would be setting benchmarks.

"We need testing, Johnson said. We have needed testing for a long time. So if this is what makes testing happen I'm 100% behind it."

Based on a recent Harvard estimate, Johnson said Pennsylvania would probably need to conduct about 19,000 tests per day. By contrast, over the past week, Pennsylvania has averaged about 5,500 per day  less than a third of Harvards benchmark.

We are woefully behind, Johnson said.

The reluctance among Pennsylvania officials to detail testing goals underscores how difficult it has been for states to lay out a clear plan to gradually and safely resume economic activity.

The difficulty has been exacerbated by testing shortages, a lack of coordination at the federal level, and widely divergent proposals among think tanks and public health experts over how much testing the nation should be doing.

The American Enterprise Institute, for instance, has proposed that the nation should be conducting roughly 400,000 tests per day. Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard have released at least two different proposals, one of which calls for conducting as many as 20 million tests each day by late July.

Don Burke, an epidemiologist and former dean of the University of Pittsburghs Graduate School of Public Health, said the challenge for public health officials in setting benchmarks is that its still not well understood what percentage of the population shows no symptoms when theyre infected with the coronavirus.

In order to know how widely the population should be tested, thats a key piece of information.

We are just beginning to get a clear view of the magnitude of the spread, Burke said.

Under Wolfs three-tiered system for reopening Pennsylvania, counties or regions with few cases can begin moving out of the red phase on May 8. Levine said officials on Friday will announce the first areas that will be allowed to enter the yellow zone.

In that phase, many businesses would be allowed to call back employees to work, as long as they provide masks and ensure social distancing. But gyms, theaters, and schools would remain closed, and large gatherings would still be prohibited.

If cases remain low in those areas, they could then enter the green zone, which could still require certain safeguards, such as wearing masks in public.

But in all those stages, one thing remains constant: adequate testing and contact tracing.

At the moment, local health departments and the states public health nurses  whose ranks have been decimated by years of budget cuts  are tasked with the work-intensive job of figuring out how a person might have been infected, and who else they might have contacted.

Levine said earlier this week that the state is developing "a robust method on contact tracing," which she will circulate by Friday.

She only provided a broad outline of the plan, which she said will be led by public health nurses and also include county and municipal health departments, private health systems, and new hires and volunteers. She did not provide numbers on staffing levels.

Johnson, of Temple University, previously told Spotlight PA the state needs at least 2,000 contact tracers. The state health department, responsible for 60% of the states population, employs just 131, though it has enlisted an additional 16 employees to assist with tracing.

New York recently announced that it will hire 1,000 to do this vital work, while Louisiana, Texas, and Kentucky are undertaking similar efforts.

100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate.
In recent days, multiple aircraft belonging to Irans Mahan Air have transferred unknown support to the Maduro regime.

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called on countries to deny overflight rights to Mahan Air, an Iranian airline under US sanctions, which he said recently delivered cargoes of unknown support to the Venezuelan government.

The US maintains punishing sanctions on Iran aimed at containing its regional power in the Middle East, and has hit Venezuela with similarly tough measures in an effort to force socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Speaking at a State Department news conference, Pompeo said aircraft of privately owned Mahan Air, Irans largest airline, in recent days delivered supplies to Maduros government.

Over the last few days, multiple aircraft belonging to Mahan Air have transferred unknown support to the Maduro regime, Pompeo said. This is the same terrorist airline that Iran used to move weapons and fighters around the Middle East.

The flights must stop, Pompeo continued, adding that countries should deny Mahan Air overflight rights just as many have already denied landing rights to this sanctioned airline.

The Trump administration has waged a campaign of sanctions and diplomatic measures against Venezuela in an effort to oust Maduro, whose 2018 re-election was considered a sham by most Western countries.

The US and dozens of other governments recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president in January of last year. But Maduro  who derides Guaido as a US puppet  remains in power, backed by Venezuelas military as well as Russia, China and Cuba. Some US officials have said this has been a growing source of frustration for President Donald Trump.

Last week, a Venezuelan official said the country received materials via Iranian aircraft to help it start the Cardon Refinerys catalytic cracking unit, which is necessary to produce gasoline.

Planes flying from Tehran landed at the Las Piedras airport in western Venezuela, where Cardon is located, on April 21 and 22, according to data on flight-tracking service Flightradar24 that was reviewed by Reuters. The planes were operated by Mahan Air.





Both oil-producing countries are OPEC members.

Washington in December and January sanctioned Mahan Air for alleged roles in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and transporting arms and fighters to Syria as part of Irans backing of Damascus in that countrys civil war.

Those sanctions expanded on 2011 sanctions imposed on Mahan Air over its support for Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has made arrangements of free cab service for people who need to travel to Delhi for special medications like dialysis or cancer treatment amid the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, according to officials.

The administration has tied up with cab aggregator Uber for the "non-emergency" service which could be availed through the helpline number -- 18004192211, the officials said.

Those wanting to avail the service will require to produce documents like prescription and proof of treatment and have been suggested to apply for the service a day in advance to avoid the hassle, senior officials said.

The development comes amid reports of some patients facing difficulties in obtaining a special pass to cross the Noida-Delhi border, which was sealed on April 21 in a bid to check the spread of coronavirus.

"For patients who need special treatment like dialysis, cancer treatment etc in Delhi/Noida/GBN, we have started an admin-Uber transport service free of charge. Pls call: 18004192211, opt1 They will verify the medical docs online and send the transport Pls book one day in advance (sic)," District Magistrate Suhas L Y tweeted on Monday.

According to district officials, this service is only for "non-emergency" cases, while for the emergencies, the residents can avail ambulances like usual.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration had banned the movement of people between Noida and Delhi, except for media, doctors working in Noida or Greater Noida, those involved in COVID-19-related services and goods transportation, from the night of April 21.

The decision was taken on the basis of a report by the health department here, which stated that several people who tested positive for coronavirus had links to Delhi, an official order stated.

"It is clear from the report of the Health Department that there is a possibility of infection from people travelling between Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar. Hence, in the larger public interest, movement between Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar is being completely banned until further orders," DM Suhas had said in an order.

Gautam Buddh Nagar in western UP is one of the worst-hit districts in the state and has so far recorded 129 positive cases of coronavirus, even as 71 patients have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, according to official figures.
Below please find a summary and link(s) of new coronavirus-related content published today in Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries below are not intended to substitute for the full article as a source of information. A collection of coronavirus-related content is free to the public at http://go.annals.org/coronavirus.

1. Health Insurance Status and Risk Factors for Poor Outcomes With COVID-19 Among U.S. Health Care Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study

In this brief research report published in Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the City University of New York at Hunter College use survey data to assess the number of U.S. health care workers providing direct patient care who have risk factors for a poor outcome if they develop COVID-19 or who lack health insurance or sick leave. Read the full text: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-1874.

Media contacts: A PDF for this article is not yet available. Please click the link to read full text. The lead author David U. Himmelstein, MD, can be reached through Claure Fauke at clare@pnhp.org.

2. This Time Must Be Different: Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

African Americans and Latinos are overrepresented among cases of and deaths from COVID-19 nationally and in many of the U.S. regions hardest hit by the pandemic. An editorialist from the University of California, San Francisco discusses lessons that we should have learned from prior experiences and strategies to reduce observed disparities. Read the full text: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-2247.

Media contacts: A PDF for this article is not yet available. Please click the link to read full text. The lead author Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, can be reached directly at Kirsten.Bibbins-Domingo@ucsf.edu.

###
India protests as US Commission on International Religious Freedom puts it on countries of particular concern list.

A US government panel has called for India to be put on a religious freedom blacklist over a drastic downturn under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a sharp rebuttal from New Delhi.

In an annual report published on Tuesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said India should join the ranks of countries of particular concern that would be subject to sanctions if they do not improve their records.

In 2019, religious freedom conditions in India experienced a drastic turn downward, with religious minorities under increasing assault, the report said.

The bipartisan panel recommends but does not set policy, and there is virtually no chance the State Department will follow its lead on India, an increasingly close US ally.

But the lower ranking for the ally amounts to a stark show of disapproval of Indias divisive new citizenship law, which the United Nations has called fundamentally discriminatory.

Trump declined to criticise the law during his February visit to India, where his meeting with Modi was punctuated by the worst violence in decades in New Delhi, in which 53 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

Allowed violence against minorities

The commission, by contrast, is empowered as an independent arbiter to look only at nations religious freedom records, apart from their relationship with the US, Vice-Chair at USCIRF Nadine Maenza said.

Beyond the citizenship law, Maenza said in an interview, India has a broader move toward clamping down on religious minorities thats really troublesome.

It called on the US to impose punitive measures, including visa bans on Indian officials believed responsible and grant funding to civil society groups that monitor hate speech.

The commission said Modis Hindu nationalist government, which won a convincing election victory last year, allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity, and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence.

It pointed to comments by Home Minister Amit Shah, who notoriously referred to mostly Muslim migrants as termites, and to a citizenship law that has triggered nationwide protests.

It also highlighted the revocation of the autonomy of Kashmir, which was Indias only Muslim-majority state, and allegations that Delhi police turned a blind eye to mobs who attacked Muslim neighbourhoods in February this year.

The Indian government, which has long been irritated by the commissions comments, quickly rejected the report.

Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels, Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.

We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly, he said in a statement.





The State Department designates nine countries of particular concern on religious freedom  China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The commission asked that all nine countries remain on the list. In addition to India, it sought the inclusion of four more  Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam.

Pakistan, Indias historic rival, was added by the State Department in 2018 after years of appeals by the commission.

In its latest report, the commission said Pakistan continued to trend negatively, voicing alarm at forced conversions of Hindus and other minorities, the abuse of blasphemy prosecutions and a ban on the Ahmadi sect calling itself Muslim.

Citizenship law tipping point

Indias citizenship law fast-tracks naturalisation for minorities from neighbouring countries  but not if they are Muslim.

Modis government says it is not aimed at Muslims but rather providing refuge to persecuted people and should be commended.

But critics consider it a watershed move by Modi to define the worlds largest democracy as a Hindu nation and chip away at independent Indias founding principle of secularism.

Tony Perkins, the commissions chair, called the law a tipping point and voiced concern about a registry in the northeastern state of Assam, under which 1.9 million people failed to produce documentation to prove that they were Indian citizens before 1971, when mostly Muslim migrants flowed in during Bangladeshs bloody war of independence.

The intentions of the national leaders are to bring this about throughout the entire country, Perkins told an online news conference.

You could potentially have 100 million people, mostly Muslims, left stateless because of their religion. That would be, obviously, an international issue, said Perkins, a conservative Christian activist known for his opposition to gay rights who is close to President Donald Trumps administration.

Trump has hailed Modi and himself called for a ban on all Muslim immigration to the US when he campaigned for president.

But for the first time in years, India has been facing substantial criticism in the US Congress.
China on Tuesday condemned trespassing by a United States warship in China's territorial waters and urged Washington to cease military operations detrimental to regional security, peace and stability.

Senior Colonel Li Huamin, spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said that the destroyer USS Barry illegally entered China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on Tuesday without permission from the Chinese government.

The PLA Southern Theater Command deployed air and naval forces to monitor the ship and verify its identity and warned it to leave, Li said.

A similar illegal incursion happened last month, when the USS McCampbell sailed into waters off the Xisha Islands on March 10, and the act was labeled by Beijing as hegemonic behavior.

The provocative practice of the US violated international law and infringed on China's sovereignty and security interests, Li said, adding that it increased security risks in the region and was prone to cause unexpected incidents.

Such moves are incompatible with the international fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and go against the willingness of regional countries to jointly maintain the peace and stability of the South China Sea, he said.

The PLA Southern Theater Command will resolutely fulfill its mission to safeguard national sovereignty and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, he added.

Li urged the US to focus more on curbing the novel coronavirus at the domestic level, and to do more to promote international anti-epidemic work.

Also on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry urged US politicians to find ways to control the pandemic as soon as possible instead of shifting blame after US President Donald Trump said that he may seek damages from China over the coronavirus outbreak.

Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that some US politicians repeatedly distort the facts, attempting to deflect attention from their insufficient response to the virus at home.

"Attempts to shift the blame to China will not wipe out China's efforts in combating the virus," Geng said. Such attempts are not conducive to pandemic prevention work in the US, he said, asking certain US politicians to reflect on their nation's own problems.
Jammu-resident Vijay Baru, who is a trader of woollen clothes, came to Nainital in March in connection with his business but got stranded there after a lockdown was imposed nationwide to contain coronavirus.

"I have been virtually imprisoned in Nainital since last month. I am eager to return to Jammu but despite all my efforts I am not being able to do that," said Baru.

He is not alone as more than twenty-four people from Jammu and Kashmir are stranded in the lake city since the lockdown. His plight is shared by a number of people including Liaquat Hussain and Ashiq Hussain from Kupwara in Kashmir, Ankush Kotwal from Kishtwar and Rakesh Kumar from Jammu who are also confined in Nainital and restless to go back home.

Liaquat Hussain requested the state government of the state to facilitate the return of those stranded in Uttarakhand.

About 1,700 people from other states, including 700-800 tourists, are stranded at different places in Uttarakhand due to the lockdown, with many of them are staying in different resorts of Haridwar and Rishikesh, officials said.

Uttarakhand DG (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar said so far 700 foreign tourists have been sent back to their respective countries through their embassies but nearly as many are still there.

Apart from them, 30,000 to 40,000 labourers from different states are also stranded in Uttarakhand and eager to go back to their states, he said.

However, with the partial resumption of industrial activities in the state, the number of labourers wanting to return home may change, Kumar said.

Triloki Kumar Kar, a resident of Singroli district in Madhya Pradesh who retired this month is also confined in Badrish colony of Dehradun where he had come to see his daughter but could not go back due to the lockdown.

"I wanted to spend my day of retirement with my colleagues but the lockdown confined me here and I could not fulfil my wish," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A protest calling for Michigan legislators to end the states emergency declaration related to COVID-19 has now had two Facebook event pages removed from the social media platform.

Organizers of the American Patriot Rally on Capitol Lawn said their rally will go on as planned at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 30, despite the deletion of a second Facebook event page Tuesday evening, April 28.

Facebook does not allow content that defies governments guidance on social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson for the company said Tuesday after the groups first event was removed. If such content is reviewed and found to be in violation of Facebooks policy, it is removed.

A spokesperson for the company said Facebook will remove content that advocates for in-person gatherings that defy health guidance, as well as claims that discourage treatment or taking appropriate precautions.

Neither of the first two event pages promoting Thursdays downtown Lansing protest recommended social distancing or the use of personal protective equipment like masks.

Related: Facebook deletes event for stay-at-home protest in Michigan

A third Facebook event page -- APR -- has been created for the protest.

It initially asked participants to respect physical distancing norms and wear PPE (personal protective equipment) accordingly," but that line has since been removed. Jason Howland, one of the organizers, said putting the line in the event description was an effort to keep the event from being deleted, not an instruction to participants to practice social distancing or wearing masks.

We thought the message was too mixed and decided to risk Facebook taking it down, Howland said.

Public health officials have said social distancing, which includes keeping six feet of separation from other people outside your home and avoiding groups and crowded places, is key to preventing the spread of COVID19. The respiratory virus has infected at least 39,262 people in Michigan, of which 3,567 have died.

The protests newest event page calls for participants to park close and walk to the capitol building, where speakers will address the crowd beginning at 9 a.m.

The message is this: Were asking Republicans in the Senate to vote not to extend the state of emergency order, Howland said.

Michigans state of emergency declaration gives Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her administration additional executive authority to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Whitmers stay-home order went into effect March 24 to slow the spread of COVID-19. It was extended April 9 and April 24 and is now active through May 15.

The governor has said she is seeking a 28-day extension of the state of emergency. However, House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said Whitmer shouldnt expect a stamp of approval from the legislature without negotiating with lawmakers on terms first.

It is a possibility that the state of emergency isnt extended and then what that would require...is a partnership between the legislature and the executive moving forward, where we get back to the business of passing bills and having them signed, Chatfield said.

Both the House and Senate scheduled additional in-person session days this week leading up to the April 30 deadline.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

Read more on MLive:

Wednesday, April 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigan car insurance rates could decline by at least 16.5 percent

Daily life grinds to a halt with empty streets, a rising death toll as coronavirus lays siege to Detroit
Dan Settle sits outside Chris' Barber Shop as he waits his turn for a haircut in Lilburn, Georgia, on April 24, 2020. (Chappell/AFP via Getty Images)

Businesses in Some States Start to Reopen, Facing New Realities

As Oklahoma, Alaska, Georgia, and South Carolina started reopening their economies last week amid the CCP virus pandemic, small businesses are limping back, braving new financial realities while protective measures like social distancing continue to be followed.

Bills Music Shop and Pickin Parlor, a family business in West Columbia, reopened last week after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster slowly reopened the state amid the pandemic. While the income is almost negligible and the family is trying to apply for loans to pay for the utilities of the store, its large group events are still not possible because of social distancing measures.

We are reopened but still doing less. We are not fully back to what we do. Its nearly impossible to earn anything, said Willie Wells, 69, the owner of the parlor with the longest standing history in South Carolina for presenting bluegrass performances.

Just 10 minutes before talking to The Epoch Times on the phone, Wells had called the office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a loan. Im not able to apply right now. They asked me to keep checking and try again in the next couple of days, said Wells, adding that his banker has also been not much help.

Small business owner Willie Wells (L) talks with Master guitar-maker Larry Threet at Bills Pickin Parlor in West Columbia, South Carolina, on April 23, 2020. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Just like Bills Music Shop and Pickin Parlor, a few flea markets also reopened in the state with adequate protective measures instead of crowded aisles and vendors crammed next to one another.

The Barnyard Flea Market in Lexington rented every other table to make sure vendors are well over 6 feet apart, owner Christina Hunter said.

The flea markets compared their business to Walmart or Home Depotbig box stores allowed to stay open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were taking all the precautions we can, said Hunter. If we see any problems, were going to take care of them as quick as possible. Hunter said closing for four weekends hurt her, but her vendors lost even more money.

Georgia

In Georgia, four customers clutching masks were waiting outside David Huynhs nail salon as he opened his business for the first time in four weeks on Friday.

Huynh had 60 clients booked for appointments, and police officer Alina Davis was among them. Yes, I am ready to get my nails fixed, said Davis.

But in metro Atlanta, the Three-13 Salon, Spa & Boutique opened to a line of masked customers who had their temperatures checked before entering. Waiting customers were carefully distanced, their spacing marked by blue tape, and chairs were placed at staggered intervals outside.

Managing partner Lester Crowell said there was some nervousness and anxiety among salon employees. But you know, we all want to come back to work, he said.

At the reopened Bodyplex Fitness Adventure in Grayson, a dozen people in masks, as required by the gym, worked out on two floors, spraying down machines and weights with a sanitizer bottle staff handed each person. The gym had a fraction of its usual number of customers and provided ample space for people to work out apart, yet some talked and stood close to one another anyway.

A sign on the window of Southern Star Tattoo informs customers that tattoos are by appointment only in Little Five Points in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 23, 2020. (Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images)

The social distancing I think is probably the biggest challenge, co-owner Mike Martino said. I guess when people feel like they have masks, theyre somewhat protected, but were still encouraging people to try to stay 6 feet apart whenever possible.

Although many businesses never closed, Gov. Brian Kemp has said it was imperative to begin easing his states economic suffering by allowing others to resume work. The Georgia Department of Labor said 1.1 million workersabout one-fifth of the states workforcehad filed for unemployment since the crisis started.

In New York a Few Defy Order

In New York state, the countrys epicenter of the CCP virus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined a phased-out plan on Sunday to reopen the state starting with construction and manufacturing from May 15.

The administration said the reopening measures will be first implemented in the north of the state and not in New York City which is the worst hit by the pandemic. However, a few small-time businesses and selected eateries have defied the order and reopened.

Fuelea Pacheco, 45, the owner of a Mexican ethnic store that sells handmade leather products in Elmhurst, reopened after a month of closure on April 15.

We were desperate at home, thinking what to do, wondering what was going to happen. So we came to the store to do some cleanup, and some customers started coming to send some money to Mexico, and we decided to remain open, Pacheco told The Epoch Times while wearing a mask.

Pachecos family in the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca manufacture leather boots, hats, belts, backpacks, purses, and footwear that she and her husband sell in New York. The couple was earning $2,000-$3,000 every week selling these products and was also earning $200 every day through a money transfer business.

Because of the lockdown, her store is earning just $100 a day from money transfers, which is deemed an essential business, but she has $6,000 rent for the store to be paid and theres also rent to pay for the familys home.

My family in Mexico depend on us.  We cant buy them the products, we cant send them money. The situation is also very critical in Mexico, said Pacheco.

M.D. Amin, 30, opened his mobile phone and computer repairing store at Jackson Heights, defying the administration order because it was difficult to feed his family, in New York on April 25, 2020. (Venus Upadhayaya/The Epoch Times)

A few miles away at 74 Broadway, Jackson Heights, a few small stores were opened near the subway station on Saturday. M.D. Amin, 30, the owner of a small mobile and computer repair shop, decided to defy the administrations order and reopen after his family had no money to buy food.

I cant even buy the basic things. I need the cash. I have no unemployment, no income. I applied for a COVID-19 loan but got no reply, Amin told The Epoch Times, adding that after paying all his utility bills he didnt even have $20 to buy a pack of rice.

Since I opened my shop, I can at least get $20, $30, $40, $50 every day, said Amin. At least I can buy rice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

The Washington State Department of Commerce is providing $9 million to help low-income households impacted by the novel coronavirus outbreak pay their rent and energy bills.

The department announced Tuesday residents who make at or below 125% of the federal poverty level and are part of the federal Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can apply for the crisis benefits of up to $1,000 in rental assistance and up to $500 in energy assistance.

The funds are expected to serve about 5,000 households.

Imagine not having enough funds to pay rent, the heat bill, and put food on the table. Thousands of families in Washington face this predicament, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this crisis in our state," Commerce Director Lisa Brown said in a statement.

We are working with our partners to disperse this funding as quickly as possible."

People eligible for the funds can apply through their local community action agency. Funds will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis, according to the department, as long as Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order is in place.

The announcement comes as thousands of people across the state have lost their jobs and are now faced with having to pay rent and other bills without a steady income.

Gov. Jay Inslee put into place an eviction moratorium until the beginning of June so people who couldn't pay their rent wouldn't be forced out of their homes. But people can still accrue debt and will be expected to pay the rent that is owed once the moratorium is lifted.

State and local officials have been working to provide rental assistance, but programs have been overwhelmed trying to keep up with the number of people who are in need of help. United Way of King County's rental assistance program got thousands more applications than it had the funds to serve within the first few days after it launched.

Seattle City Council last month passed a resolution calling for state and federal officials to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the pandemic. A similar proposal in King County Council was not approved.

Over the past few weeks, groups of people in Seattle and King County have been advocating a rent strike come May 1.

Inslee has said social distancing measures have been working to slow the spread of the virus, but it is unlikely people will be able to resume the lives they had before the outbreak anytime soon.

RELATED:
A Ghanaian student at Wuhan University, Elder Charles Ampofo has given a clue of how the daily rooting of citizens before the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan has changed to.

According to the Ghanaian China-based student, the only avenue that gives them the advantage to step out is a mandatory medical report clearing them of the virus as part of measures to stop a recurrence.

On Accra-based Asempa Fm's popular Ekosii sen program with host Osei Bonsu as monitored by A2zgh.com, Elder Charles revealed that he has not been able to go out since the 76 days lockdown was lifted.

According to him, authorities of Wuhan University can only give students on the campus clearance to step outside the campus.

The school allows only 30 people to go out at a time. You cant go out with a medical report clearing you of the virus. Its not easy, he said.

In his narration, he posited that in spite of the official lifting of the ban on Wuhan residents, it's now cumbersome to travel to any other city in China.

Meanwhile, Ghana has once again recorded new deaths as a result of the deadly Coronavirus.

The number of new deaths recorded is 5 which has taken the death toll in Ghana to 16.

As we speak, the number of cases in Ghana is 1671 with the Greater Accra region being the epicenter with 1433 cases.
IRVINE, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- We are in a time of evolution, and with it, new industry leaders are emerging in a variety of sectors including private equity. Bootstrap Ventures is led by Principal and Founder Dennis Rogers who has a dynamic background in finance, investments and business development. He has been raising funds in both the public and private sectors for over 10 years and has expansive knowledge in Water Rights, which Bootstrap Ventures specializes in. Partner and CO-Founder Hunter Ross Fedden spent several years working with one of the country's top real estate firms prior to launching Bootstrap Ventures. During his previous tenure he served in a number of capacities including development, sales, investing and capital raises  all of which prepared him for this opportunity with Bootstrap Ventures. To date, the company has successfully completed over twenty Water Rights deals, providing investors with returns that ranged from 12-25%. Bootstrap Ventures has a keen understanding of the ever-evolving needs of investors in these uncertain and unprecedented times. These turbulent conditions may result in investors needing access to their capital unexpectedly, making the unique deal structures within the Water Rights space highly attractive. Unlike most private equity firms who offer mainly long term investments, Water Rights deals through Bootstrap Ventures offer significant returns with capital holds of only 120 days on average. Learn more about Bootstrap Ventures HERE.

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Bootstrap Ventures is a boutique, private equity firm with office locations in Irvine, California and Dallas, Texas. As a firm, Bootstrap Ventures is diversified in virtually all industries, however they specialize in energy and mineral rights. Their philosophy surrounds investing in hard assets that are known to withstand the test of time, providing investors with secure returns. They have created an investing niche in the underexposed area of Water Rights and are passionate about seeing this vertical thrive. Founder Dennis Rogers and investment advisor Hunter Ross Fedden have become thought leaders in the modern age of investing and are committed to upholding the gold standard of excellence in all of their endeavors.

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A director of a Veteran Affairs hospital has come under fire after he ignored social distancing and safety protocols to hold a 'coronavirus dance party' with a large gathering of staff at an Oregon medical facility.

Footage of the party obtained by Oregon Live shows director Keith Allen and at least 16 other hospital personnel dancing together in close proximity in the administrative offices of the Roseburg VA Health Care facility.

In a blatant disregard of social distancing guidelines, Allen, with a boom-box over his shoulder, is seen leading the awkward procession of 16 employees down a hallway, walking past clinical staff wearing scrubs on the way.

The uncoordinated cohort then walk through to a small office, gather in a cluster and dad dance side-by-side uncomfortably to Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' in a cringe-worthy three minute throwdown.

None of the participants seen in the video were wearing face masks or gloves.

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Footage of the party shows director Keith Allen (seen right) and at least 16 other hospital personnel dancing together in close proximity in the administrative officers of the Roseburg medical center

In the video, Allen, carrying a boom box over his shoulder, is seen carelessly leading a procession of 16 employees down a hallway  walking past clinical staff wearing hospital scrubs - and into a small office space where the cohort continue to dance within a matter of inches from one another

Titled directors update, the video was first posted to the VA regional intranet, which outraged a number of VA employees and later shocked a number of Oregons congressional delegation when the clip was leaked.

Only after some three minutes is one member of staff heard calling out, there are too many people in the room, finally bringing the cringe-worthy gathering to a close.

The Roseburg facility has already had at least five confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one staff member who had to be put on a ventilator in a Portland hospital. The facility also looks after dozens of vulnerable and elderly veterans, many of whom have pre-existing health conditions.

Nationwide, at least 20 VA employees have died, 14 of whom were in non-clinical roles, and 2000 have tested positive for the highly infectious disease.

Its just disgusting in my opinion, a VA staffer who requested anonymity told Oregon Live. If it werent for the COVID-19 virus we would probably be laughing at this. But this is not okay. We have one of our own in the hospital fighting for his life.

US Representative Peter DeFazio called Allens totally inappropriate, particularly considering the vulnerable contingent the facility cares for.

Despite the outrage, the hospital dismissed any concerns posed by their impromptu dance off, saying all members of staff taking part did so voluntarily and said the facility was not required to follow state protocols, where protective equipment is concerned.

The Roseburg VA Heath Care facility has already had at least five confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one staff member who had to be put on a ventilator in a Portland hospital. The facility also looks after dozens of vulnerable and elderly veterans, many of whom have pre-existing health conditions

Allen is seen dancing side-by-side with staffers at the Roseburg facility during the party

Only after some three minutes is one member of staff heard calling out, there are too many people in the room, finally bringing the gathering to a close.

Instead, spokesperson Tim Parish said the hospital has a number of safeguards in place to protect staff, in accordance with guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Such measures were said to include comprehensive COVID-19 screening process for staff, visitors, patients, and contractors.

This video was made in an administrative, non-clinical area where PPE (personal protective equipment) is not required, he told The Oregonian. All staff who participated were volunteers and had been properly screened, per CDC and VA guidelines.

VA realizes the importance of social distancing during this national emergency and will reiterate that to all employees involved.

Director Keith Allen (above) sent a private email to community leaders Monday: I would like to begin with an apology if this video offended anyone, it was not a dance party. It was meant to bring a small amount of stress relief and happiness to the Staff at the Roseburg VA Pathology and Laboratory Department.'

Parish declined to elaborate of what the facilitys screening protocol involves, though medical authorities have repeatedly stated that many infected with COVID-19 can be asymptomatic, showing no warning signs of the disease.

Furthermore, under CDC guidelines  of which the VA facility professes to follow  its recommended that the best way to reduce the spread of coronavirus is limiting face-to-face contact with others, standing at least six feet apart and avoiding large gatherings.

The CDC also outlined specific guidelines for hospitals, and said and measures taken must also comply with state and federal regulations.

In response, DeFazio said he understands the need to boost morale among employees, particularly during such unprecedented times, but said there are many better ways to achieve that while still following safety protocols.

DeFazio said he expects Allen and his staff to set a good example for veterans and other front-line workers, demanding stronger leadership from him moving forward.

Allen sent a private email to community leaders Monday that was leaked to The News-Review in Roseburg.

I would like to begin with an apology if this video offended anyone, it was not a dance party. It was meant to bring a small amount of stress relief and happiness to the Staff at the Roseburg VA Pathology and Laboratory Department, Allen wrote.

Nationwide, at least 20 VA employees have died, 14 of whom were in non-clinical roles, and 2000 have tested positive for the highly infectious disease.

Allen said the group was dancing in support of lab staff, who he called unsung heroes, during National Laboratory Technician Week.

At no time have I forgotten any of the staff or Veterans that have become infected by this virus, Allen continued. I hold each and every one of them in my thoughts and prayers.

This isnt the first time Allen was seen ignoring social distancing or safety protocols.

In a video posted to the hospitals Facebook page on April 22, Allen is seen surrounded by staff, thanking members of the community for sponsoring a staff pizza party.

Again, none of those in the video were wearing protective equipment or physically distancing from one another.

Allen said in future he will work with staff to find safer ways to stay connected.


As doctors know too well, the disease COVID-19 can be deadly for two groups of people: those with some pre-existing health conditions and older adults, or the elderly.

Places that care for older adults are being severely tested in the current health crisis. Nursing homes are working hard to protect their residents from the new coronavirus. And they are helping these individuals deal with the issue of loneliness and possibly dying alone.

Last month in Belgium, the government ordered businesses to close and people to stay at home to limit the spread of the virus. During the first weeks of the stay-at-home order, many nursing home residents were separated from their loved ones.

Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes wanted to do something to deal with the problem. She announced that her government decided to let one person  in good health  visit each resident.

Wilmes told parliament that, People can die of loneliness, and that a long period of isolation has consequences.

The prime minister was criticized for her decision. The Associated Press (AP) reports that people feared visitors to nursing homes would endanger lives and overburden the staff.

Belgium is not alone in facing the issue of whether to ease safety rules at a time when health care workers are fighting to save coronavirus patients.

Italy, Spain, Britain and France are four countries hard hit by the virus. All have banned nursing home visits to protect their sick and elderly residents.

However, some countries are rethinking that ban.

France is trying to find a middle ground. Recently, President Emmanuel Macron ordered an exception to one of the worlds strongest lockdowns. It permits family members to visit loved ones at the end of their lives.

On April 20, France began allowing two family members to visit any loved one in a nursing home. But there are conditions, the AP notes. Visitors must wear a face mask and sit at least one meter away from nursing home residents. Also, they cannot put their arms around or hold residents during their 30-minute visit.

In Berlin, Germany, nursing home patients are permitted one visitor for up to one hour a day. Also, there are no restrictions on visits for those nearing the end of life.

The AP reports that South Africa has begun to take precautionary measures at nursing homes. However, in most of Africa, concerns about aging populations have not been as much of an issue as they are in Europe. The AP notes that Africa is the worlds youngest continent (with a median age of just 19.7 years) while Europe is the oldest.

In the United States, federal government guidelines call for halting all nursing home visits except during end-of-life and unusual situations. They note that visitors should come with personal protective equipment, or PPE.

Some people in the nursing home industry warn that loneliness can be deadly.

Marc Bourquin is with the Hospital Federation of France, an organization that oversees public nursing homes. He noted the need for all elderly residents to have visitors. This is especially important, he adds, if the stay-at-home orders last for months.

He warned that the risk of virus will not disappear as long as there is no vaccine. We cannot condemn these people to never see their loved ones again.

However, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Ursula warns that isolation restrictions in nursing homes might last through 2020.

Without a vaccine, she said, contact with the elderly must be restricted as much as possible.

She told the AP that this is difficult and that loneliness weighs heavy. But its about survival.

Recently, Pope Francis called on the world to pray for those who are isolated in care homes for the elderly. They are afraid, afraid of dying alone.

Im Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo adapted this story from two reports from the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

elderly  n. / adj. old or rather old : past middle age

nursing home  n. a place where people who are old or who are unable to take care of themselves can live and be taken care of

isolated  adj. separate from others

consequence  n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

overburden  v. to give (someone or something) too much work, worry, etc. : to burden (someone or something) too much

staff  n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

precautionary  adj. to take care of something in advance

median  mathematics : the middle value in a series of values arranged from smallest to largest
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Tunisian ministry of defence Tuesday strongly denied what it described as partisan rumours by several non-official websites about the use of its land by foreign powers as bases for military operations
Home is where the heart is, in life and in death, too.

The 23-year-old Raphael AVL Malchhanhima was a distraught man when his friend Vivian Lalremsanga died of suspected heart attack on April 23 in Chennai.

The lockdown had shuttered the city and cluttered his mind.

The post-mortem was conducted and the local authorities suggested that Lalremsangas last rites be performed in Chennai, over 3,000 km away from home, as transporting his body was out of the question.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Youve just shown what every Mizo heartbeat means when it comes to the term Tlawmngaihna, Chief Minister Zoramthanga tweeted.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

You've just shown what every Mizo heartbeat means when it comes to the term "Tlawmngaihna"!@CMOTamilNadu@NDTVTamilCinema#selflessheroes #tlawmngaihna pic.twitter.com/TVwnAQWoTj  Zoramthanga (@ZoramthangaCM) April 28, 2020

Lalremsanga had recently completed a course in hotel management and was waiting to collect the certificate, and hoping to start a career in an induustry which held great promise before the coronavirus sank it into an unfathomable abyss.

But fate willed otherwise and his body was found outside his rented apartment.

Despite the authorities in Chennai suggesting that Lalremsanga be buried at a cemetery there, Malchhanhima could not bring bring himself to accept the idea of leaving his 28- year-old friend miles and miles away from home.

It was then that Tlawmngaina, the Mizo code of ethics, which espouses the moral of self-sacrifice for the common good, showed him the way. He had made up his mind. His friends lifeless body will not remain in the bowel of earth in faraway land.

The Mizoram government and the Chennai Mizo Welfare Association stepped in.

The body was at the mortuary of a hospital and we were thinking of ways to transport it to Mizoram amid the lockdown. Two ambulance drivers saw our plight and came forward to help us, saying they had earlier been to Assam as lorry drivers, Chennai Mizo Welfare Association secretary Michael Lalrinkima told PTI.

The drivers, however, insisted that somebody from Mizoram accompany them. Malchhanhima volunteered.

And then began Lalremsangas journey homeward, embalmed and enshrouded, in an ambulance with his caring friend and the two good samaritans--Chinnathanbi and Jeyanthiran--through deserted highways and bleak landscapes on April 25.

The thought of my friend being buried far away from his home troubled me. My father, a preacher, also encouraged me to accompany the mortal remains of my friend withstanding the difficulties of the journey, Malchhanhima, a native of the remote Hmawngbu village in south Mizorams Lawngtlai district, told PTI.

He said they were stopped by police at several places and would travel long hours at a stretch without food as most highway eateries were shut. When they would find one, they were asked to wait outside and collect the packaged food which they ate inside the ambulance.

Before reaching Mizoram on Tuesday, after a four-day back-breaking and emotionally draining journey, they were screened at Vairengte check-gate on the states border with Assam.

Once in, the pervasive sombreness of the occasion lifted momentarily, when people greeted and thanked them for bringing back Lalremsanga home, among his own people, before he joined the invisibles.

Malchhanhima has been put under quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, while his friend Lalremsanga rests in everlasting peace at a cemetery near his home in Aizawls Model Veng.

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BEIRUT - Clashes between anti-government protesters and soldiers were reported until late last night in several Lebanese cities where demonstrations have resumed over the past few days against the rising cost of life, corruption and the banking system. Demonstrators blame banks and politicians for the grave economic crisis in the country.



The violence began on Tuesday afternoon in Tripoli, in northern Lebanon, and were reported later in the evening in Sidon, in the south, in Beirut and in Bekaa Valley.



Demonstrators, mainly youths armed with sticks and stones, stormed several banks and attempted to break into the headquarters of the central bank in Beirut and the local offices of the national credit institute in Sidon. In Bekaa, protests were reported in the town of Barr Elias, along the Beirut-Damascus road. Similar incidents were recorded in downtown Beirut and in other areas of the capital.
Rebecca E. Rollins/Partners in Health , CC BY-SA

The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. You can find all of the stories here.

Since the beginning of the profession, nurses have played pivotal roles during outbreaks of disease, delivering care throughout even the bleakest of public health emergencies.

Heres my story: In 2014, the world was slowly recognizing that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was monumental in scale and getting worse. More than 30,000 were infected, and 11,000 would die. Transmitted from person to person, the disease was mostly in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. As local health care systems struggled to respond to the large cases of infected patients, nurses from around the world came to help; I was among them. I am an associate professor of nursing at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing and a board certified psychiatry and mental health advance nurse practitioner.

When our team arrived in Sierra Leone in December, 2014, there were 450 cases being recorded weekly. The health care infrastructure had been devastated by a decade of civil war, and it lacked trained health care workers, medical supplies and hospital beds for the surging Ebola cases.

I was drawn to serve in Sierra Leone at the height of the epidemic because of the duty to care that we nurses believe is part of our profession. I felt a calling even though I had no idea what I could offer. But I would do whatever was asked of me.

Rebecca E. Rollins/Partners in Health , CC BY-SA

Protective equipment that felt like body armor

I remember vividly the first day I donned my personal protective equipment (PPE)  hooded Tyvek bodysuit, N-95 face mask, boot, theater cap, three pairs of gloves, face shield and apron  to enter the Ebola isolation unit at Port Loko Hospital early Christmas Day 2014, only to encounter a young patient who had died overnight, lying on the cold concrete floor. The cacophony of emotions I felt  panic, fear and dread were palpable. I thought to myself, God, I am no hero. Please get me out of here.

Story continues

As my initial fears subsided, I put my clinical skills to work. For two months, our team worked round the clock providing palliative care and psychosocial support to patients with dwindling clinical resources, constantly evolving treatment protocols, in a frighteningly dire work environment. In that sense, Ebola was also a disease of the caregiver. As health care workers, we knew we were more likely to be infected with Ebola than adults in the general population. There was no vaccine.

A constant existential feeling of unsafety and heightened sense of doom enveloped the Ebola hospital. Yet each day, we went through the meticulous process of donning and doffing PPE to assess confirmed Ebola patients, perform physical exams, provide medication, keep them hydrated and cajole them to eat. We would repeat this process three to four times each 12 hours shift.

Performing these tasks required careful deliberation. PPE are difficult to walk and to bend in. With daily temperature in the region reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit, we were instantly drenched with our sweat. Our goggles fogged up, hampering visibility; double gloving interfered with our dexterity, and our hoods made use of stethoscope impossible. Patient assessment was sub-par and care was limited. Our patients could not see our faces, limiting ability to show empathy and establish human connections. We were terrified about safety, about getting infected. But no one saw our fear; it was our job to conceal it.

And on we worked. It was only years later that I realized the toll that the Ebola epidemic had taken on me. At the peak of the epidemic, we had an average census of 70 confirmed cases daily. Ebola was ruthless on children. For every 10 infected kids under 12 months of age, nine died. For every 10 kids under five years, seven were likely to die.

A look back, in wonder

In retrospect, I wondered: Was I truly prepared for the mental pressure and anguish health care workers faced in an epidemic? While cognizant of the duty to care, was I oblivious to the duty to self-care?

Nurses have an ethical obligation to care for themselves. If nurses dont take care of themselves, how will they be able to care for others? I did not ask the crucial question before heading to Sierra Leone: Did I have the appropriate nursing preparedness required in a disease epidemic?

I did not ask this question because I did not anticipate how the media hysteria over Ebola would affect my mental well-being. I did not anticipate the stigma, simmering anger and deep sense of betrayal surrounding monitoring and quarantining of returning volunteer health care workers from West Africa. I did not anticipate the psychological trauma, confusion, anger and sadness I would experience during state-mandated isolation.

As hospitals across the U.S. have ramped up diagnostic and treatment capacity for the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative that our society also focuses on nurses preparedness. During disease outbreaks, nurses levels of preparedness and experience help them decide adroitly how much care they can provide to patients while also taking care of themselves. Nursing preparedness is a set of skills, abilities and knowledge that enables nurses to respond and prepare for varying public health emergency roles.

Preparedness training is supposedly integrated into nursing curriculum with a focus on principles of disaster management. However, studies have shown that nurses remain inadequately prepared to respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Lack of a formal institutional preparedness plan may result in delays in initiation of treatment by nurses.

The misdiagnosis of the first Ebola patient in a hospital in Dallas, Texas in 2014, combined with two nurses contracting the disease while caring for the patient, is a classic example of lack of institutional preparedness in responding to a novel disease.

Education and training are critical to preparedness during disease outbreaks. Evidencebased recommendations to enhance nurses preparedness include opportunities to engage in emergency preparedness planning, mock drills and actual events when possible to increase competence in disaster management, confidence in abilities, and familiarity with disaster preparedness protocols.

Given the increase in prevalence in recent years of natural and human-induced emergency events, it is imperative that nurses understand their roles in the planning, mitigation, response and management aspects of disease outbreaks at the community, national and global levels. Studies have shown that nurses feel ill-prepared to respond effectively to disease epidemic and disaster situations.

Institutional support

During an epidemic, nurses are likely to acquire new roles and perform unaccustomed tasks, often extending themselves beyond their expertise, scope and comfort level. Nurses could encounter unanticipated challenges like a shortage of needed resources, such as personal protective equipment, infection control material resource and inadequate facilities that could adversely hamper the quality of health care service delivery.

This was our reality fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone. To prevent the same thing happening here, local hospitals and health care centers should include nurses in resource triaging to ensure accurate identification of front-line priorities in maintaining core nursing services.

Nurse should not work in uncertain, unsafe and morally distressing conditions with limited resources. The adverse consequences on nurses short- and long-term mental health could be significant. Establishing a supportive atmosphere at the front-line is of paramount importance. Specific interventions to promote psychological well-being should be implemented as part of ongoing support from health care institutions.

Nurses more than any other health care workers, constitute the major taskforce in responding to the disease outbreaks. For their sake and society, they need institutional support to ensure that they are trained, well prepare and ready to step into an epidemic response role.

[Get our best science, health and technology stories. Sign up for The Conversations science newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Cheedy Jaja, University of South Carolina.

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Cheedy Jaja does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Prosecutors to check legality of construction onsite Sevastopol war monument

 Virtual-sevastopol.ru

17:13 29/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 29 (RAPSI)  Prosecutors in Sevastopol will check information on the private house building on the territory where a war monument is located, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office reports Wednesday.

If violations of law are found, extensive prosecutors respons measures will be taken, the statement reads.

According to the Prosecutor Generals Office, illegal construction can result in destruction and loss of an object eternalizing the memory of Sevastopol defenders and seriously hurt the regions historical and cultural legacy.

The 365th air defence battery is a monument dedicated to the heroic defense of Sevastopol during the Great Patriotic War. It was built in the 30s years of the last century, had a developed infrastructure and included a hospital, depots and concrete crossings. During the war, it was the shortest way to the city and the fleet arms depot.
A retired air force vice-marshal will be installed as the nation's first freight controller as the Morrison government bids to ensure food and critical medical supplies keep moving.

Former air vice-marshal Margaret Staib will take on the role, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, as the government grapples with low numbers of commercial flights that have traditionally brought in much of that cargo.

Australia's first freight controller will make sure the movement of critical medical supplies continues during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:Kate Geraghty

"The COVID-19 crisis has reduced airfreight capacity and disrupted supply chains around the world," Mr McCormack said. "More than 80 per cent of airfreight is usually transported in passenger aircraft and given the drastic reduction in those flights, we are acting to safeguard our airfreight capacity."

There were just two commercial flights into Sydney Airport on Tuesday, from Singapore and Doha.
Hitting out at the Congress party, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues.

She was responding to the opposition's allegations of loan waivers worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs of top 50 wilful defaulters during the first half of the financial year ended March 2020.

The Finance Minister, through a series of tweets posted late night on Tuesday, said that the Congress has attempted to mislead people, and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi should introspect why his party fails to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system.

"Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner. Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised.

"@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," she said.

Highlighting that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, Wished Gandhi consulted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about.

She also referred to media reports quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan as having said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008 and "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's phone banking'," she added.

In another tweet she said, "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided."



Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on March 16, 2020.

However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters, but the Finance Minister did not answer his question.

"Now the RBI has given the names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJP's ''friends'' in the list of bank frauds. That is why this truth was held back from Parliament," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019.

Sitharaman said this is an attempt of Congress leaders to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Airbus is being hit by 'the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known', its chief executive warned as the company revealed it lost 419 million in the first three months of the year.

The European manufacturing giant put thousands of workers on furlough and sought billions in loans to survive the coronavirus crisis - which has seen large parts of the continent's economy locked down to halt the spread.

Revenues were down 15% compared with the same period in 2019, while commercial aircraft deliveries were down from 162 to 122.

Demand for flights has collapsed due to fears over the killer virus, with airlines grounding the majority of their fleets and deferring the delivery of new planes.

Shares in Airbus and Boeing have dropped some 60% this year as customer airlines collapse or seek billions of dollars in government bailouts as the industry facing its toughest challenge yet.

Even after virus-related travel restrictions eventually ease, Chief Executive Guillaume Faury acknowledged it will take a long time to persuade wary customers to get back on planes.

Mr Faury said: 'We saw a solid start to the year both commercially and industrially but we are quickly seeing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic coming through in the numbers.

Airbus is being hit by 'the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known', its chief executive warned (file photo)

'We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known.

'We're implementing a number of measures to ensure the future of Airbus.

'We need to work as an industry to restore passenger confidence in air travel as we learn to co-exist with this pandemic.

'We're focused on the resilience of our company to ensure business continuity.'

Airbus previously announced a plan to cut aircraft production rates by around a third.

Earlier this week it confirmed that more than 3,000 staff working at its site in Broughton, North Wales, will be furloughed.

Analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics shows that, as the number of hospital deaths being reported has declined (blue bar), the number of fatalities being recorded outside of hospitals - mainly in care homes - has risen (red bar). The data used has been backdated and counted by actual date of death, making it appear more stable than the erratic numbers announced each day by the Department of Health, which are counted by the date they are registered

EasyJet has agreed with Airbus to defer the delivery of 24 new aircraft.

The revelation comes as:

Health Secretary Matt Hancock pledged that from today Department of Health daily updates will include people who died in places other than hospitals

Schools across England will reopen in 'phases' that could mean either older or younger pupils are first back after lockdown

Coronavirus tests run out just 80 minutes after ministers open screening to all over 65s and key workers - but government co-ordinator says only people with symptoms should apply

A study shows men who catch coronavirus are more than twice as likely to die from the disease as women

On Tuesday, British Airways-owner IAG revealed plans to make up to 12,000 workers at the airline redundant, equivalent to more than a quarter of staff.

The firm said expects it will be 'several years' until demand for air travel returns to 2019 levels.

Airbus was unable to deliver 60 planned planes in the quarter because of virus-related problems, and said the second quarter looks similarly rough.

Customers are asking for delays, which Mr Faury called 'the biggest issue we are managing at the moment.'

Shares in Airbus and Boeing have dropped some 60% this year as customer airlines collapse or seek billions of dollars in government bailouts (file photo)

Airbus executives expressed hope today that deliveries could start picking up in the second half of the year, but they refused to issue long-term guidance given that the virus is still spreading, and that governments are reluctant to relax international travel restrictions.

U.S. rival Boeing is facing similar woes. Boeings CEO said Monday that it will take years for the aircraft-building business to return to levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic.

Airbus has slashed production by a third since the virus hit, and Mr Faury said Airbus will study 'resizing' the company after the crisis ebbs - a worrying prospect on a continent where Airbus has factories in four countries and is one of the region's industrial leaders.

Already 3,000 Airbus workers in France are on temporary unemployment and the number is expected to grow. In addition, 3,200 workers in the U.K. are on furlough and negotiations are under way to put thousands of German workers on short work plans.

A recent letter by Mr Faury warning workers that the company is 'bleeding cash' was a shock to many. But Frederic Romain of French union CFTC said 'the situation requires transparency. It allows workers to open their eyes' to whats ahead.

'Fears? We have a lot of them. For the moment we dont have a clear vision of what awaits us,' Mr Romain said.
To help sift and synthesize massive amounts of network, video and sensor data it collects, the Defense Department is racing to test and adopt artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions and uncovering new challenges to using the technology in modern warfare.

The broader shift from manual and human-based decision-making to automated, machine-led analysis presents new challenges. For example, analysts are used to discussing their conclusions in terms of confidence levels, something that can be more difficult for algorithms to communicate. The more complex the algorithm and data sources it draws from, the trickier it can be to unlock the black box behind its decisions.

"When data is fused from multiple or dozens of sources and completely automated, how does the user experience change? How do they experience confidence and how do they learn to trust machine-based confidence?" Terry Busch, a division chief at the Defense Intelligence Agency, asked during an Apr. 27 virtual event hosted by Government Executive Media.

The Pentagon has experimented with new visualization capabilities to track and present the different sources and algorithms that were used to arrive at a particular conclusion. DOD officials have also pitted man against machine, asking dueling groups of human and AI analysts to identify the location of an object -- like a ship -- and then steadily peeling away the sources of information those groups relied on to see how it impacts their findings and the confidence in those assertions. Such experiments can help determine the risk versus reward of deploying automated analysis in different mission areas.

Like other organizations that leverage such algorithms, the military has learned that many of its AI programs perform better when they're narrowly scoped to a specific function and worse when those capabilities are scaled up to serve more general purposes.

Nand Mulchandani, CTO for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center at DOD, said the paradox of most AI solutions in government is that they require very specific goals and capabilities in order to receive funding and approval, but that hyper-specificity usually ends up being the main obstacle to more general applications later on. It's one of the reasons DOD created JAIC in the first place, Mulchandani said, likening his role to that of a venture capitalist on the hunt for the next killer app.

"Any of the actions or things we build at the JAIC we try to build them with leverage in mind," Mulchandani said at the same event. "How do we actually take a pattern we're finding out there, build a product to satisfy that and package it in a way that can be adopted very quickly and widely?"

Scalability is an enduring problem for many AI products that are designed for one purpose and then later expanded to others. Despite a growing number of promising use cases, the U.S. government still is far from achieving desired end state for the technology. The Trump administration's latest budget calls for increasing JAIC's funding from $242 million to $290 million and requests a similar $50 million bump for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's research and development efforts around AI.

Ramping up the technology while finding the appropriate balance in human/machine decision-making will require additional advances in ethics, testing and evaluation, training, education, products and user interface, Mulchandani said.

"Dealing with AI is a completely different beast in terms of even decision support, let alone automation and other things that come later," he said. "Even in those situations if you give somebody a 59% probability of something happening  instead of a green or red light, that alone is a huge, huge issue in terms of adoption and being able to understand it."

A longer version of this article was first posted to FCW, a sibling site to GCN.
The owner of the Clayton and Maldron hotel chains is hopeful of gradually reopening some of its properties, on a phased basis, later this year.

However, the Dalata Hotel Group has already factored in the probability of it generating virtually no further revenue for the rest of the year and sees it being at least three years before its business returns to the levels seen in 2019.

Speaking after the groups agm  which was conducted remotely, with shareholders only allowed listen in by phone  chief executive Pat McCann said he sees next year as being one of rebuilding operations before some sense of normality returns in 2022. Even then, he said Dalata is unlikely to reach 2019 revenue levels  of around 430m  until after that.

While speculation is rising that the Governments phased plan to reopen the economy could see scope for domestic travel and holidays by the late summer, Mr McCann said Dalata can only plan for any reopening based on what restrictions are lifted.

Once travel restrictions get lifted that marks the trigger point for us, he said.

Dalata is unlikely to open all of its closed hotels at one time and even then, certain elements of each hotel  particularly bars and gyms  will likely remain closed for longer.

The group is likely to only reach 25%-30% occupancy rates initially, Mr McCann said. However, he said the business still has thousands of bookings in its system which have not been cancelled. He said he expects a strong rebound from domestic holidaymakers and corporate travel when restrictions on those areas of the market are eventually lifted.

Dalata has closed 29 of its 44 hotels across Ireland and the UK. The 15 that remain open are housing HSE and NHS frontline staff as well as homeless people and asylum seekers.

A total of 3,500 staff have been laid off  either temporarily or permanently  and the situation will be reviewed when the Governments Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme runs its course at the end of June.

Dalata said Covid-19 has had a very significant impact on its business, with first quarter earnings down around 26% to 17.7m. Mr McCann said the company remains in a strong financial position  with sufficient cash for a very long time  and remains in pretty good shape overall.

However, he said when the crisis clears Dalata will be seeking a number of initiatives from Government, including a cut in Vat for the hospitality sector. He said the tourism sector led Irelands recovery from the financial crisis and can do so from this crisis. Mr McCann also said the current crisis could present takeover opportunities for Dalata in the UK and mainland Europe.

Meanwhile, Cushman & Wakefield  which owns the commercial property arm of Sherry FitzGerald  has said that hotel development in Ireland will decline this year, due to the virus impact. Mr McCann said the Covid crisis could set back the development of new hotels in Ireland for up to five years.
New Delhi, April 29 : Global ratings agency Fitch Ratings has said that India's official support measures for mutual funds may struggle to be effective, as undercapitalised banks are unlikely to be tempted to extend liquidity to the sector without capital relief on the facilities.

Lately, regulators globally have implemented support facilities providing liquidity to the financial markets during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, the Reserve Bank of India announced a Rs 50,000 crore 'Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds'. This will provide 90-day repo funding to banks, to extend liquidity to - or purchase commercial paper and debt securities from - local mutual funds.

The move had come after the suspension of redemptions in six Franklin Templeton bond funds, with combined assets under management (AUM) of approximately $4.1 billion equivalent, on April 23, 2020, and outflows from other funds in March 2020.

"The success of the SLF-MF will hang on the banks' appetite to take up the risks involved, against the system-wide backdrop of low capital headroom and a likely increase in fresh non-performing loans," Fitch Ratings said in a note.

"The facility's structure places the onus on the banks to absorb the associated credit and capital risk, which may hinder their willingness to participate ." As per the commentary, if the SLF-MF does not achieve its aims of supporting liquidity or restoring market confidence, Fitch believes more fund gatings could occur.

"Indian open-end mutual funds saw aggregate outflows of almost 20 per cent in March. Within this, overnight funds, the most conservative variant in India, saw assets jump by almost 50 per cent, whereas most other fund types saw outflows," the note said.

Furthermore, Fitch said that it believes funds classified as "Credit Risk Funds" are most at risk if redemptions continue, particularly where funds have exposure to less liquid securities, such as unlisted securities, and have demonstrably higher risk appetite through exposure to defaulted entities such as IL&FS, Religare Finvest, or Dewan Housing.

"The size of the SLF-MF appears broadly commensurate with the scale of the funds most at risk," the note said.

"Funding conditions for Indian non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) remain challenging. If the RBI's support measure fails to restore market confidence, leading to intensified redemption pressures for other funds, this could further narrow funding options for the sector. That said, NBFIs' dependence on mutual fund borrowing has fallen amid the tighter debt market conditions of the past two years."
City of Midland housing technician Bill Brown and Midland High School skilled trades teacher Kevin Dodick have had a great 14-year partnership that has blessed both students and new homeowners alike.

Now, with both men's jobs having been altered due to the coronavirus pandemic, they recently teamed up on a different endeavor  one that will benefit thousands of health care workers.

Brown and Dodick, who every year oversee the construction of new houses by Dodick's building trades classes, volunteered their time and labor to round the corners of 3,500 polycarbonate face shields last week at the MHS wood shop.

Using a computer numeric control (CNC) machine acquired less than a year ago by Midland Public Schools, the two were able to complete the work over a three-day period.

The face shields were then delivered to Thingsmiths, an Ann Arbor-based 3D printing company owned by Brown's son-in-law, Midland High School graduate Owen Tien.

Thingsmiths manufactures the headbands that hold the face shields in place, then distributes the face shields to University of Michigan Hospital and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, and other hospitals as far away as California.

Thingsmiths was initially asked to produce 12,000 face shields due to a greatly increased demand for them because of the pandemic.

That's where the CNC machine came in  a $30,000 device acquired by Midland Public Schools through a grant via the Midland County Educational Service Agency.

The CNC machine is able to radius, or make round corners on, the 9 1/2-inch by 9 1/2-inch face shields, which is difficult and time-intensive to do by hand.

"We were having to hand-router them at our print lab and it was very time-consuming," explained Emily Tien, Brown's daughter and Midland High School graduate.

So her parents, Bill and Renee Brown, answered her call for assistance. They worked in their home shop in Midland and radiused 3,500 face shields. But it was not easy  it took three 12-hour days to complete the task.

"It was extremely physically taxing on my hand and my back," Bill Brown said.

So he in turn called on a friend for help, and Dodick didn't hesitate to say yes.

"When (the pandemic) kept escalating, you sit at home and wonder what you're going to do," Dodick said. "I do my own construction business, but that got halted (by an executive order) as well.

"When Bill approached me, I thought, there's no reason why we couldn't do it once we were granted access (to the school by the administration). Why not help out the cause?" Dodick continued.

Through a process of trial and error, the CNC machine was eventually able to produce 100 face shields in about 10 minutes, Dodick said. Then, he and Brown  while staying at least six feet apart  would prepare the next batch of face shields for the next cycle.

The work entailed six to seven hours each day, but most of the first day was spent in programming the machine and then adjusting it to make it more efficient.

"It's not real labor-intensive for us, besides screwing the shields down to our jig," Dodick said. "The machine runs, and then we unscrew everything and start all over again."

"It was way faster ... than doing it at home," said Brown, who also drilled holes in the face shields for the headbands to be attached. "It took us a few tries to get everything set up right, but in the end, Kevin did a great job. It's been kind of an exhausting few days, but very enjoyable."

Midland High School Principal Tracy Speaker-Gerstheimer said she is very proud of Dodick for his work with Brown to create the face shields.

"What a wonderful example of what Chemic Pride is all about," Speaker-Gerstheimer said. "(Dodick) is very interested in having his work impact the community. He's very much a community-focused (person)."

For her part, Emily Tien said the help from everyone in Midland has been invaluable in making sure the face shields were ready as soon as they were needed.

"Thanks to Midland High and my dad and everybody who helped us do it," she said. "It wouldn't have happened as fast (without their help). That was really crucial in our ability to get (the face shields) out to healthcare workers and get them out fast."

And it looks as if Dodick and Brown might be radiusing at least 1,500 more face shields with the CNC machine some time this week.

Emily Tien was planning to bring at least that many face shields to Midland on Wednesday, Brown said.

Prior to the statewide mandated closure of school buildings on March 16, the CNC machine was used by students every day of the week, said Dodick, who teaches wood working, hobby art welding, and building trades.

"When class was in session, that machine was running every day with a student's project on it," he said.

And the students themselves might have the opportunity to use the CNC machine on face shields in the future, Dodick noted.

"If that need (for face shields) continues, I would explain (the procedure) to (the students)," he said. "That's a great real-life situation to be able to put them through. It could lead to face shields coming to this community, like to dentists' offices."
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- Q doctor is helping healthcare providers dealing with the pressures of Covid-19 to improve patient outcomes, including at London's Covid-19 Isolation Centre at Heathrow

- Q doctor's solutions will support NHS England's target of 30% reduction in face to face outpatient appointments

LONDON, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Q doctor , a technology provider that removes barriers for patients to access medical advice and treatment, has enabled 300 clinicians to provide remote patient care using its virtual workplace system, by scaling the capacity of its Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) connection with Cloud Gateway .

Q doctor provides a virtual workspace and online video consultations solution, Q health, which gives consultants, GPs, nurses and many other medical professionals the ability to provide care, wherever the doctor or patient is based. NHS Digital and NHS England have granted approval for Q doctor to be included in an emergency Coronavirus framework, meaning Q health is now centrally funded for NHS organisations that need it.

With the rapid spread of Covid-19 dramatically mounting pressure on the already stretched primary and urgent care services of the NHS, Q doctor's existing HSCN connection, which provides clinicians with access to clinical systems essential for patient care, had quickly become saturated. Q doctor needed a fast solution to continue to support vital patient services, remotely. At the same time, many clinicians were being asked to stay home or self-isolate following government distancing rules, but lacked the physical hardware needed to log into clinical systems securely, access patient records and were not able to treat patients.

A new solution

Q doctor asked Cloud Gateway, a hybrid cloud and multicloud connectivity provider, to advise on the complete end-to-end connectivity solution to connect the software to the HSCN.

Working with the Q doctor engineering team, Cloud Gateway understood the time-sensitive nature of the project, so set up a working proof of concept within ten minutes, using cloud-native connectivity platform, PRISM. With this, a new PRISM tenant with HSCN connectivity was set up and onboarded within just one week from Cloud Gateway's first engagement with Q doctor. This allowed the company to seamlessly connect to the HSCN, providing clinicians with the ability to access, manage, transfer and share patient data.

Within two days of this deployment, Q doctor has enabled more than 300 clinicians to provide remote patient care, and will now see exponential adoption by up to tens of thousands of clinicians who are working remotely, vastly improving patient outcomes during the Covid-19 crisis.

Dr. Chris Whittle, Founder & CEO, Q doctor, said: "Our NHS is under considerable pressure and we need to draw support from every corner of the sector. Q doctor has fast-tracked our HSCN connected Virtual PCs, meaning clinicians working remotely can use their own computer to securely access their clinical system via the HSCN network without any additional hardware, augmenting capacity for healthcare providers dealing with the pressures of Covid-19, including in London's Covid-19 Isolation Centre at Heathrow.

"To enable our remote working service, alongside video consultations, we needed to upgrade our HSCN connection capacity. However, our incumbent provider couldn't increase fast enough to meet Covid-19 demand. The Cloud Gateway team understood the need for a fast response in the current situation, and went above and beyond expectations to fast track onboarding. We are incredibly proud to provide clinicians' the ability to provide remote care during these unprecedented times. This is a key step to improving patient outcomes and reducing the need for face to face outpatient appointments now and in the future."

Justin Day, CEO & co-founder of Cloud Gateway said: "Future-proofed secure cloud connectivity, deployed at speed, has always been at the centre of Cloud Gateway's mission, but knowing that we are enhancing patient care during these challenging times, this is more important than ever to support healthcare organisations. The opportunity to stand with healthcare technology providers such as Q doctor, and continue to eliminate unnecessarily long tech deployment lead times as an obstacle to patient care, has given us an even greater sense of purpose."
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Linkedin Yunindita Prasidya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 19:45 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd50fbc5 1 Business jamu,protective-gears,medicine,business,COVID-19,coronavirus,production Free

Companies producing highly sought-after items such as medicine, herbal drinks and protective gear are struggling to keep up with a surge in demand as production and distribution costs rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, industry groups have warned.

On Monday, Indonesian Pharmaceutical Association (GP Farmasi), Jamu and Traditional Medicines Manufacturers Association (GP Jamu) and Indonesian Textile Association (API) expressed their concerns about the disruption in a meeting with lawmakers.

Production costs have risen and logistics have been disrupted for pharmaceutical companies and jamu (traditional herbal medicine) producers. Textile manufacturers are struggling to adapt production lines to meet a surge in demand for protective gear. The problems have caused companies to limit operations and lay off workers to survive the pandemic.

Many airlines are grounded or are not allowed to fly, hence, [our] members fight over flights or vessels. [This leads to] airlines and shipping companies increasing their prices, GP Farmasi chairperson Tirto Kusnadi told a virtual hearing with House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing trade, industry and state-owned enterprises.

The price of medicine in the market will rise because the price of raw materials that we import and the cost of transportation have soared, Tirto said. Raw material and distribution costs have so far increased threefold and fivefold, respectively, he added.

Read also: Medicine prices could soar 60% on raw material disruption

The government has pledged to provide additional support for businesses importing medical equipment and medicine needed to handle the pandemic by eliminating import duties. That, and Presidential Instruction No. 6/2016 on the acceleration of pharmaceutical industry development and healthcare tools and equipment have yet to result in any significant change, according to GP Farmasi.

Furthermore, GP Farmasi executive director Dorodjatun Sanusi said that the rising demand and the depreciating rupiah against the United States dollar had also added to the cost calculations.

Dorodjatun warned about the potential problems if pharmaceutical product prices remained at the current level.

[We] may be able to produce and distribute, but [we] will not be able to buy any more materials, Dorodjatun said as quoted by Tempo.

Logistics issues have also affected the operation of member companies of GP Jamu.

Read also: 'Jamu' groups oppose House's decision to import ingredients for 'COVID-19 cure'

The businesses have experienced difficulty in shipping products outside of Java, especially to Kalimantan and the eastern part of Indonesia.

It has been almost a month and products have yet to arrive, GP Jamu chairperson Dwi Ranny Pertiwi Zarman said during the hearing.

Jamu companies have also struggled financially. Some 30 percent of companies have laid off workers, Dwi explained.

Fortunately for members of GP Jamu, most of the ingredients for their products are locally sourced, easing the process of obtaining the raw materials for production.

Ninety-nine percent of jamu ingredients are locally sourced, not imported. The procurement of raw materials is not an issue, GP Jamu vice chairperson Thomas Hartono said.

He added that the association planned on keeping the prices of their products at an affordable level to help in the fight against COVID-19.

Global research firm Mintel notes that that consumers in Indonesia are stocking up on jamu, in pursuit of immunity boosts during the pandemic, despite the lack of clinical tests proving its effectiveness against the pneumonia-like disease.

Read also: Market reports paint a bright, post-pandemic future for Indonesian jamu

Meanwhile, the ongoing disruption caused by the epidemic has not deterred the Indonesian Textile Association (API), alongside the Indonesian Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers Association (Apsify), from helping the government in producing personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers in Indonesia but businesses are still suffering.

API chairperson Jemmy Kartiwa Sastraatmaja said that as of the second week of April, production volume had plunged by 85 percent and factory utilization was down 90 percent. As many as 80 percent of the workers in the textile industry have also been laid off.
The Detroit Red Wings have signed Swedish forward Mathias Brome to a one-year entry-level contract.

Brome, 25, is an undrafted left wing who played for Orebro HK in the Swedish League this past season, collecting 17 goals and 26 assists in 52 games, leading the club in scoring, finishing sixth in the league.

Various scouting reports indicate he is a two-way forward with tremendous speed and a good skill level.

The 6-foot, 183-pound left shooter played the previous two seasons with Mora IK in Swedens top league, picking up 24 goals and 56 points in 104 games combined.

Brome chose the Red Wings over the Vancouver Canucks. The Washington Capitals were also in the mix.

The NHL announced earlier in the day it had extended its affiliation with a number of European hockey federations, enabling teams to sign players.
China's ambassador to Australia has brazenly denied that 'wet markets' even exist in the country as the Communist nation continues to reject the globally accepted view that Wuhan was the source of the outbreak.

Tensions between Australia and China have boiled over after Cheng Jingye threatened that Chinese consumers could boycott Australian produce and stop student and tourist visits down under.

That threat came after Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for a global inquiry into the origins of the virus, which has been linked to a wet market selling illegal wildlife in the city of Wuhan.

But the Chinese envoy to Canberra rejected the notion that live animal or 'wet markets' exist in China whatsoever, according to previously unreported remarks from a newspaper interview.

China's ambassador to Australia, Jingye Cheng, poses with a baby crocodile during a photo opportunity with Northern Territory politician Eve Lawler in 2018

A Chinese wet market: Shoppers wear protective face masks at a chicken stall in Shanghai earlier in the outbreak

'There is no such thing, to the best of my knowledge, no such wildlife wet market in China,' Mr Cheng told the Australian Financial Review - according to an embassy transcript published online.

'As a matter of fact, the so-called wet market is a foreign notion for us.

'In China, what we actually have is what is called farmers' markets or seafood markets which you also have here in this country.

'In those farmers' market or seafood markets, they sell meat, fish, vegetables, seafood or some other fresh produces and a few of them also sell live poultry.

'But generally speaking, these kinds of markets  farmers' markets or seafood markets - do not only exist in China but also exist in some South East Asian countries and even in a lot of developing countries.

'They are part and parcel of people's daily life.'

'Wet market' is a term for farmers' markets which sell meat and fish. They are a popular alternative to buying food from supermarkets in China and south-east Asia.

But the problem is some also sell exotic, live, wild animals. The Wuhan market - which has been linked to one of the first known clusters of cases - reportedly sold wolf cubs, turtles, and snakes.

Daily life is slowly returning to normal in parts of China following the COVID-19 outbraek, Above, a man walks through a wet market in Guangzhou on April 20

Simmering tensions: China and Australia have engaged in a diplomatic tit-for-tat in recent days, with Australia pushing for a global inquiry and China threatening economic payback. Ambassador Cheng Jingye on left and Foreign Minister Marise Payne on right

AMBASSADOR'S ECONOMIC THREAT TO AUSTRALIA In the same interview with the Australian Financial Review, Ambassador Cheng slammed Australia's push for a global inquiry as 'political' and warned Chinese consumers could boycott the country. Answering a question about whether China could boycott Australian iron ore or gas, Mr Cheng instead focused on China's contribution to Australia's agriculture, tourism and education sectors. Mr Cheng said: 'I think if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think why we should go to such a country while it's not so friendly to China. 'The tourists may have second thoughts. Maybe the parents of the students would also think whether this place, which they find is not so friendly, even hostile, is the best place to send their kids to. 'So it's up to the public, the people to decide. And also, maybe the ordinary people will think why they should drink Australian wine or eat Australian beef.' Advertisement

In his remarks, Mr Cheng stressed China has banned illegal trading of wildlife and asserted that mainland farmers' markets did not sell wild animals.

'Of course China's laws and regulations have banned any illegal hunting, trading, transportation or consumption of wildlife,' he claimed.

'And in China, the farmers' markets or those markets which sell live poultry are not places for selling any wildlife or wild animals.

'Selling those kinds of wild animals in those markets are prohibited by law.

'If there are any violations they will be cracked down and will be punished once they are detected by the authorities.'

Echoing Chinese propaganda, Mr Cheng also claimed the fact the epidemic first broke out in China 'does not mean the source of the virus is in China.'

The Australian government has recently called for the closure of wet markets which sell illegal wildlife.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud last week told a G20 meeting that wildlife markets posed a risk to human health.

'We must learn from COVID-19 on how we better manage and mitigate both human and animal biosecurity risks and to ignore wildlife wet markets in that assessment would be wrong,' Minister Littleproud said.

'There are risks with wildlife wet markets and they could be as big a risk to our agricultural industries as they can be to public health so we have to understand them better.

Senator Payne has called for a global organisation, such as the G20, to head up an investigation into China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and the origins of the illness.

Since the epidemic began, more than 3 million people worldwide have tested positive to COVID-19, of which Australia has reported 6,738 cases and 88 deaths.
Initially lauded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is now facing criticism. (Associated Press)

Advocates for seniors and people with disabilities blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration last week for advising hospitals to prioritize younger people with greater life expectancy for care during the coronavirus outbreak, saying the state's medical shortage guidelines were discriminatory and crafted without their input.

"The disability, aging and older-adults community had reached out a number of times to the state of California sharing our concerns ahead of time and offering to meet," said Claudia Center, legal director for the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. "We got no response."

Then, as quietly as the guidelines were initially posted online, the document was removed and replaced with another version stating California's commitment to prohibiting discrimination and promising that the administration would revise what had been previously labeled as the final recommendations "to ensure that they reflect our values as a state."

Initially applauded for his approach early in the coronavirus crisis, Newsom was the first governor to impose a statewide stay-at-home order, a move that health experts have credited with slowing the spread of the coronavirus and helping California record far fewer deaths than hot spots such as New York. He's also become a fixture on cable TV, touting how California bent the curve. But Newsom's recent waffling on the life-and-death decision and other actions have renewed critiques of the impatient, and at times chaotic, governing style that dogged Newsom in his first year in office.

Though state lawmakers and advocates for businesses, nonprofits, seniors, healthcare and other groups waited their turn for aid or hesitated to speak out during the first few weeks of the unprecedented crisis as the governor grappled with immediate needs to slow the spread of the virus, that patience is running out. Legislators and advocacy groups want more input, while others criticize the governor's decisions or say he needs to do more to help their communities.

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"Were just not getting answers to what we need, but I also think that were seeing some missteps," said Jan Masaoka, chief executive of the California Assn. of Nonprofits.

Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom, defended the governor for keeping Californians safe in a pandemic.

"Gov. Newsom has moved swiftly to protect human life, and he has taken aggressive and urgent actions to help Californians get through these challenging times," Click said. "Because of those efforts and the actions of millions of Californians who are staying home, California has both flattened the curve and helped millions of its most vulnerable residents as they tackle the unprecedented challenges of this crisis."

Newsom took office with flush cash reserves and the wind at his back, allowing him to work with the Democratic Legislature to cap rent increases for the first time, expand Medi-Cal to young immigrants living in California without legal status, expand preschool and make strides on other progressive causes.

The outbreak has quickly thwarted any hopes that a rosy economy would continue to buoy his first term. Now the list of problems for the Democratic governor to solve is growing by the day as a record number of Californians seek unemployment benefits, revenue is sliding and officials peg an at least $7-billion price tag on state efforts to fight the virus through June, a projection that will grow should the state remain in the throes of the pandemic into the fall.

"With a situation like this, there's so many crosswinds. He's got people begging him to reopen. He's got other people begging him to do things on the health front, on the economic front," said Steve Maviglio, a Democratic strategist and former press secretary for Gov. Gray Davis. "There's so many constituencies that it's really difficult to keep all of them happy."

As the economy plunges, companies are looking to Newsom  who has often reminded the public of his small-business background  to allow businesses to operate normally again and help them get back on their feet. But the governor angered many in the business community when his administration floated potential changes to workers' compensation that could allow employees to qualify for financial support even if they didn't contract COVID-19 on the job, a shift estimated to cost up to $33.6 billion annually.

Meanwhile, several local officials across California are demanding that Newsom ease his stay-at-home order  or at least provide more details on his plan to return to normalcy.

When Newsom announced a 100-member task force of business executives, heads of labor unions and former government leaders tapped to develop a plan to jump-start the economy, some questioned what it might accomplish. The group of power players, led by former presidential candidate and major Democratic donor Tom Steyer, is meeting twice a month, which some say isn't frequently enough to devise strategies to provide immediate help to struggling companies and workers.

"We're coming to a point where people's fear for feeding their families supersedes the fear of the virus," said Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable. "He's working hard and his actions have unquestionably protected the public health. But we have to have a more urgent discussion about the economy."

Lapsley said the governor has not responded to multiple coalition letters highlighting problems that businesses anticipate as they attempt to recover.

In addition, lawmakers are upset over a lack of transparency from the governor and his refusal to release details on a nearly $1-billion deal to buy masks from Chinese electric automaker BYD. Others have lamented Newsom's frequent use of his executive authority since the Legislature left the state Capitol last month.

"The problem that my members have is the lack of lead time," Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said of Newsom's executive action announcements. "They feel like they are being told just before the public is told, but without enough time to provide any meaningful feedback."

When asked about the secrecy around the contract, Newsom brushed off the concerns and repeated a familiar defense: He should be judged by outcomes, not the means to those ends.

"Some are consumed by process, personality, intrigue, who's up, who's down?" the governor said. "We are for actually solving a major, major problem."

Newsom has revealed new policy initiatives at almost all of his daily news conferences, keeping a quick pace that has led to premature introductions of some of his plans.

The governor declared on April 22 that surgeries in California would resume, a move largely perceived as the first sign of a return to normalcy in the state, where nearly 40 million people have been ordered to remain at home for more than a month.

We are in a position today to begin to pull back and lean in by beginning to schedule surgeries, once again, throughout not only our hospital system, but our broader healthcare delivery system, Newsom said, noting that efforts to flatten the curve enabled the state to "move more formally with our partners at a local level and throughout the healthcare delivery system to once again schedule surgeries."

But at the time of his announcement and for several days after, the state had not set any guidelines or policies advising hospitals to resume services. In response to a request the day after the announcement for details on which services would resume and which procedures had been previously allowed, California Health and Human Services spokeswoman Kate Folmar said state officials were talking to "a stakeholder work-group and will be producing more specific guidance on this."

California Hospital Assn. President Carmela Coyle said in a email to some in her group that the administration wasn't moving to immediately restart surgeries, and she acknowledged frustrations among hospitals over Newsom's "mixed message."

On Monday, the state released formal guidelines that described which services should be prioritized and resumed as soon as practicable," and the preparations hospitals should make before doing so.

"These guidelines were developed rapidly following the governors announcement last week that hospitals would be restarting many health care services," Coyle said in another email to members after the guidelines were released.

Days after announcing that surgeries would resume, Newsom boasted that 26,000 Californians had heeded a call he issued for volunteers to work at food banks, make phone calls to seniors and provide help to nonprofits under a new service initiative called "Californians For All" led by the state's Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and the governor's wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

"I just want to thank all of those that have done so and extend a heartfelt expression of appreciation to help others," Newsom said on Friday.

But Masaoka of CalNonprofits said her association suggested a better way to roll out the initiative and the advice was ignored.

"The fact is that we in the nonprofit community know how to recruit volunteers, so why not ask us? Why not use the mechanisms that are in place to already do that?" said Masaoka of CalNonprofits. "They were in a hurry to do something, and it doesnt seem that they gave it the thought that a project like that needs."

CalVolunteers approached her organization, which represents nearly 10,000 charitable groups in California, and asked if they would team up on the campaign, she said. The association agreed to help and suggested the administration also work with VolunteerMatch, an Oakland organization that many of California's nonprofits use to recruit volunteers by posting detailed listings for the roles that they need to fill, Masaoka said.

"They didnt get back to either one of us, and days later they announced it," Masaoka said. "Our feeling is that yes, not all nonprofits need volunteers, but many nonprofits do need volunteers, but giving names and emails in an undifferentiated way ...isnt the way to do it."

A week after introducing the initiative, the state changed course and is now working with VolunteerMatch.

At the same time, Masaoka said the administration hasn't helped nonprofits with more pressing concerns.

CalNonprofits has asked Newsom to direct state agencies and contractors to continue to pay nonprofits even if the COVID-19 crisis prevents them from reaching certain benchmarks in their contracts for government funds. The restrictions, for example, may prevent childcare facilities from serving as many children as usual, or healthcare clinics from providing a set number of tests given that regular care is limited. Without such assurances, which San Francisco and the federal government have addressed, she said, nonprofits could have to shut their doors.

More than 1,000 nonprofits signed a letter to Newsom and legislative leaders on March 21 asking for help, and 30 Assembly members followed with their own letter on March 31.

"Nonprofits are actually on the front line during the pandemic and we seem to be at the back of the line in terms of any policy support in Sacramento," Masaoka said.

Newsom also frustrated some nurse practitioners after he touted an executive order at a March 30 press conference that he said would help the state utilize our existing resources in a more resourceful way through scope of practice reforms.

The announcement drew immediate attention to a long-simmering debate in the Legislature, where nurse practitioners have for years battled with the powerful physicians' lobby for changes that would allow them to work without a doctors supervision.

"I want to thank all representatives for putting aside, again, those differences and meeting this moment head-on to provide the flexibility that is required," Newsom said. "An executive order that went out ... will provide flexibility through June 30. This is temporary flexibility on staffing ratios, on scope of practice for nurse practitioners, EMTs and others."

But it was unclear precisely what the order would do, and it did not take effect immediately. The order ultimately allowed the Department of Consumer Affairs and licensing boards to lead decision-making on scope of practice. Two weeks later, action was taken to increase the number of nurse practitioners a doctor can oversee  without the scope of practice changes advocates had expected.

Center, the legal director of the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, said she is awaiting new guidelines and appreciates that the state is now accepting input from advocacy groups, but she noted that the early directives on rationing care won't be easily forgotten.

The 38-page document by the California Department of Public Health, which is now being revised, prescribed a method to prioritize patients if an outbreak overwhelms hospitals, preserving intensive care beds and ventilators for people with the greatest likelihood of surviving with treatment over those with serious chronic conditions that limit their life expectancy. If necessary, younger people and workers who are vital to the acute care response would receive care before others, the document said.

"It, as a document, communicates what the medical establishment and state government think about disabled people and older adults," Center said. "We know what this means, and we remember, and its hurtful."

Staff writers Melody Gutierrez and John Myers contributed to this report.
Shopping for auto insurance probably isnt on your pandemic to do list. Most car owners never do it even in normal times. But if youre stuck at home with extra time, spending a few hours collecting rates from insurers will likely pay off.

Most consumers stay with the same company year after year, often concluding that steep discounts they get for their loyalty or not having any speeding tickets or accidents means they wont find better pricing elsewhere. Thats usually untrue. Although you might be getting a price break from your current company, many competitors will offer low prices to lure you away.

Nonprofit consumer group Delaware Valley Consumers Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org compared prices charged by the regions largest auto insurers and found that most area drivers could save $500 or more a year by making a better choice. Many could save $1,000 or more. For the next month, Checkbook is offering free access to its ratings of auto insurance companies to Inquirer readers at Checkbook.org/Inquirer/auto-insurance.

Here are the types of savings Checkbook found:

Checkbooks illustrative couple with two cars living in Montgomery County with clean driving records could pay $1,067 a year with GEICO, $1,123 with USAA, or $1,144 with Progressive, compared with more than $2,000 a year with Allstate and State Farm, and more than $3,300 a year with Donegal and Penn National.

If that couple live in Burlington County, they could pay $1,294 a year with Esurance, $1,307 with Palisades, or $1,334 with GEICO, compared with $3,162 with AAA and $4,300 with Farmers.

If they moved to Philadelphia and added a teenage son to their policy, they could pay $3,618 a year with Progressive, $4,142 with GEICO, $4,324 with AAA, or $4,522 with Liberty, compared with more than $8,400 a year with Electric and State Auto.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the largest U.S. insurers are giving auto policyholders some relief because changes in driving habits have led to fewer accidents and claims, saving the insurance industry tens of billions of dollars. Some companies are giving customers bigger breaks than others. But a 25 percent discount off a few months premiums isnt terribly generous if that company charges twice as much as its competitors. Dont let news of one insurers pandemic refund stop you from shopping other companies, which may have lower rates.

You dont have to wait until your current policy term expires to take advantage of the savings from an insurance swap. When you switch to a lower-priced company, your old insurance company will refund the unused share of your premium.

You also dont have to forsake service for a better rate. Besides comparing prices offered by local insurers, Checkbook asked insurance customers and auto body shops to rate insurers for their claim-handling service. Checkbooks ratings reveal that some highly rated companies offer low rates.

You might think that if youve been driving for many years without an accident and with few speeding tickets that insurers will offer you their best rates. Thats not necessarily the case. Insurers increasingly are offering their best rates only to customers who meet criteria that have nothing to do with their driving history. Most companies offer their lowest rates only to customers with excellent credit scores and who are college graduates and homeowners. And companies are increasingly using secretive methods to calculate rates. With most companies, your credit score and other information may matter more than your driving record.

Research by Checkbook and other organizations has found that drivers with fair or poor credit scores can pay twice as much as similar drivers with excellent credit scores. Thats a similar penalty for having a recent at-fault accident or several speeding tickets in the last year.

You want to buy enough coverage to protect yourself, but not so much that youre wasting money. Avoid common car-insurance mistakes by doing the following:

 Make sure you maintain the highest deductible amount with which youre comfortable.

 Be vigilant that your coverage doesnt lapse.

 Consider dropping collision and comprehensive coverage when your cars value drops below $3,000 or so.

 When shopping for coverage, find out how much more it will cost to raise limits beyond standard coverages. It is usually inexpensive to increase limits for liability coverage above standard amounts.

 Carefully consider the extras. Some optional coverage, such as for rental car reimbursement coverage, isnt worth much, but companies charge a lot for it.

 For repairs, insist on using an auto body shop you trust  as long as it charges reasonable rates. At Checkbook.org, youll also find ratings of area auto body shops for quality and price.

_______________________

Delaware Valley Consumers Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers that it evaluates. Access Checkbooks ratings of car insurance companies free of charge until June 5 at Checkbook.org/Inquirer/auto-insurance.
Covid-19 gave Donald Trump an approval bump as the public rallied around the flag. But that bump is now over. And its evaporation demonstrates one of the great truths of Trump's presidency: people don't like him. He has always been very unpopular, and looks likely to remain so through November 2020.

Trump's popularity hit its highest point since the very beginning of his presidency in early April, according to 538's poll tracker. That was when the health and economic effects of the virus were becoming painfully clear, and people wanted to express unity against the threat. Trump's approval hit 45.8 per cent at that time, and his disapproval dropped below 50, to 49.9 per cent.

Those are good numbers for Trump. But they're anemic compared to other rally around the flag effects historically. George W. Bush, for example, hit 90 per cent approval following 9/11; Jimmy Carter got up to 58 per cent at the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis.

Trump is also doing poorly compared to other leaders during the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey has gotten a major bump, going from 41 per cent approval to 71 per cent; Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has a lower but still impressive approval of 57 per cent. Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany's leader, went from 35 per cent approval to 65 per cent during the pandemic, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy went from 39 per cent approval in February to 54 per cent by the end of March.

Trump's numbers, meanwhile, have already fallen back to where they were before the crisis began. His approval on April 27 was 43.3 per cent and his disapproval was 52.6 per cent  just about the same as March 22, when his bump started.

Why has Trump's rally been small and short? It may be in part because his public statements about the pandemic have been so confused and unhelpful. Trump rarely expresses sympathy for those who have lost loved ones in the pandemic, instead using his frequent press conferences to boast about himself or yell at reporters. His public health advice is transparently ignorant, terrible and dangerous; he essentially recommended that people inject bleach to fight the virus last week. He has done his best to run through people's goodwill as quickly as possible.

But thats also a story which is true of Trump generally, much as his detractors may deny it. His post-inauguration honeymoon bump dissipated almost instantly, and he's spent the bulk of his presidency between 38 and 43 per cent approval  dismal numbers, especially considering that till now there's been no recession during his tenure. He's generally been dead last in approval compared to all other presidents at comparable points in their terms.

Trump has stubbornly lousy approval ratings for all the reasons that you'd think he'd have stubbornly lousy approval ratings. He's bad at his job, and continually says or does incendiary and horrible things designed to alienate large portions of the electorate. He vacillated when asked to unequivocally condemn fascists after they rallied in Charlottesville in 2017. He urged China to interfere in the 2020 US election on national television. He separated children from their families and put them in cages as part of his immigration policy. He and the Republican Party have continually tried to strip Americans of their healthcare.

After each outrage, pundits on right, left and center claim that Trump is unharmed, and that he can get away with anything. And to some degree it's true; Trump is still in office. He was not removed from office despite being impeached on clear evidence of obstruction of justice and election tampering.

But in other respects, it's not true at all. Trump's party has done very poorly in elections since his ascension to power. The Republicans lost the House in a landslide in 2018. They even, incredibly, lost an Alabama Senate seat in a 2017 special election. They lost a governor's race in Kansas. They've been routed in Virginia. It's true that the party with the presidency tends to do poorly in downballot races, but even so, voters  especially suburban voters  are fleeing Trump and his allies with impressive velocity.

Trump is doing poorly in the run-up to November as well. Biden's been 6 to 10 points ahead in national polling and the swing state polls dont look great for the president, either.

Despite this, Trump could still win a second term. Republicans continue to support him, and the election is still a ways away: polls could change.

But no matter what happens, it's important to remember that people really dislike Donald J Trump. A majority of Americans have disapproved of his performance on virtually every day of his presidency. Even in a national crisis, when people did their level best to like him more, they soon found they couldn't.

Trump supporters try to convince themselves and others that they are an irresistible majority, and that nothing Trump does is wrong or unpopular. But the truth is that Trump opponents are in the majority. Trump is unpopular, and so is the cruelty, racism, callousness, and authoritarianism that have defined his presidency. That doesn't ensure victory in November. But we shouldn't forget it, either.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- How does a hospital prepare to begin taking patients and perform surgeries again, some on high-risk individuals, after treating mostly COVID-19 related patients for weeks?

On March 15, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order to postpone all elective surgeries in New York City hospitals. The following week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo did the same for elective procedures across the state.

One month later on April 21, Cuomo said hospitals could begin performing elective surgeries as long as they were not at-risk for a coronavirus surge. The requirements are: if the hospital capacity is over 25% for the county and if there have been fewer than 10 new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the last 10 days.

As part of a wide-ranging interview on the facilitys next-stage coronavirus plan, Dr. Brahim Ardolic, executive director of Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), said its something hes been thinking about since the beginning -- how do you make patients feel comfortable coming to the hospital again?

The second thing on his mind is what he says will be the second public health crisis; the patients whove been at home and in-need of medical care but havent come to the hospital.

People seem to think that elective surgeries are face lifts and joint replacements; theyre also cancer patients waiting for mastectomies and patients who need heart valve replacements, Ardolic said.

Currently, there are no surgeries scheduled at the hospital but Ardolic said he hopes theyll meet the criteria soon.

In the meantime, hes already started making changes to the hospital for when those surgeries are scheduled.

PRE-ADMISSION TESTING MOVED TO A SEPARATE BUILDING

Pre-Admission Surgical Testing (PAST) has always been located just past the hospitals main lobby. Ardolic has no idea why it wound up in the main lobby, a not-so-ideal location for it, but thats where its always been.

And hes always wanted to change it  so he did.

We did it on the fly, Ardolic told the Advance.

An outpatient center on the other side of the hospitals Ocean Breeze campus proved to be the perfection location for PAST testing; one of the main reasons is that the building has its own entrance and is separate from where the COVID-19 patients have been treated.

Can you design a space and protocols where you can reduce the risk [of contracting coronavirus] to zero? No. Nothing that I design will make it zero. But how small of a risk or how close to zero as possible can we get? he said.

And I think there are ways.

PEOPLE WILL BE TESTED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR COVID

One of the benefits of having multiple entrances to SIUH is the ability to designate them for different things, Ardolic said.

Phase two of his plan would be to designate of those entrances as COVID Contained entrance.

With the wheels already in motion, he said he hopes to ramp up his plan during the middle of May  hopefully when they can begin scheduling surgeries again.

Patients will have to get used to the idea of being screened for COVID multiple times, he said, to build a body of evidence that a patient is coronavirus-free and can safely have whatever procedure brought them to the hospital.

Typically, PAST is done approximately two weeks prior to surgery. Patients will be tested for COVID then and then again the day of their scheduled surgery at a minimum.

Im thinking that this overall situation was horrible but at the end of the day it will force us all to be better and to do better, he said.
Since the emergence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China in December 2019, health experts have cautioned that the disease is particularly serious in high-risk populations, including older adults, those with underlying diseases, and those who are immunocompromised. Now, doctors in the United Kingdom warn of a rare and severe inflammatory disease in children with COVID-19.

In recent weeks, a small number of children have been admitted to pediatric intensive care units for a severe immune reaction. Doctors from the Pediatric Intensive Care Society have cautioned about a rare inflammatory disease seen in children in North London and other parts of the United Kingdom. The team released an urgent alert due to the rise in cases of children with issues consistent with severe COVID-19.

Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 - This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like. Image captured and colorized at NIAID's Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana. Credit: NIAID

What is a multi-system inflammatory state?

A multi-system inflammatory state is a severe immune response that can impact the body in many ways, mainly by making the blood vessels leaky. As a result, the child suffers from low blood pressure, and a build-up of fluid in the lungs and other organs. The condition is life-threatening, with patients requiring intensive care to support the lungs, heart, and other organs, such as the kidneys.

The Pediatric Intensive Care Society UK (PICS) announced the urgent alert from the National Health Service England due to cases of children presenting with overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease with blood parameters. Some of these children tested positive for COVID-19.

Toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening disease that is caused by the presence of toxins from bacteria or pathogens. Meanwhile, Kawasaki disease is a childhood condition that causes inflammation in the walls of the blood vessels, which can damage the heart if it is left untreated.

Italy and Spain have also reported similar cases, while doctors at Stanford University recently reported the case of a 6-month-old infant who was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and COVID-19.

Is it related to COVID-19?

Doctors are not sure if these cases are tied to COVID-19. Though some of the patients tested positive for the coronavirus, others had no COVID-19. It may be a rare coronavirus-related inflammatory syndrome, or another pathogen can cause it.

The NHS issued the warning for general practitioners to be aware of the spiking cases so they can assess and manage children appropriately.

If you are a healthcare professional and see children presenting with a picture of toxic shock or atypical Kawasaki Disease then please discuss this case early with a pediatric infectious disease or pediatric critical care teams via your usual pathways (often pediatric retrieval services), the warning states.

What are the manifestations?

The most common signs and symptoms are seen in these children included fever, skin rashes, and severe abdominal pain, along with markers of severe inflammation in the blood. Some of the children required treatment for heart inflammation. However, the inflammatory syndrome appears to be rare, with just a dozen children in the country.

The report also included blood parameters consistent with severe COVID-19. The children with the rare inflammatory disease exhibited high C-reactive protein (CRP), a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and high ferritin, which are all blood markers for inflammation.

In adults with COVID-19, some experience a cytokine storm syndrome or hyper inflammation, as well as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS).

Some of the children also manifested cardiac inflammation, which is known as myocarditis. The coronary arteries of some children appeared like those seen in Kawasaki Disease.

PICS will continue to work with PICAnet and other national organizations to collect accurate data relating to critically ill children presenting to hospital with suspected COVID-19 disease, the warning added.

The doctors also urged parents not to panic, saying that toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease are very rare conditions. Parents should observe their children for signs of the conditions, which include fever, a skin rash that does not change when pressed, and breathing problems. Children manifesting these symptoms should immediately seek medical attention.

Kawasaki disease is often seen in Asian countries, as its name originated in Japan. Also called Kawasaki syndrome, is a febrile illness of unknown cause. It usually affects children younger than five years old. It was first described in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967. The first case of the disease outside of Japan was reported in Hawaii in 1976.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 29, 2020 | BENTON, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 29, 2020 | 01:34 PM | BENTON, KY

Marshall County Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Foust says a decision to offer a plea agreement to Marshall County High School shooter Gabriel Parker was at least partially influenced by the coronavirus pandemic.



Parker was 15 when he fired a handgun into a crowd of students before classes started at Marshall County High School on Jan. 23, 2018, killing Bailey Holt and Preston Cope and injuring several others. Parker, who was charged as an adult, pleaded guilty in a teleconference hearing Tuesday to two counts of murder and 14 counts of assault.



Foust told the Greg Dunker Show Wednesday morning the commonwealth was preparing to take the case to trial, but the coronavirus pandemic presented many unforeseen obstacles which made it much more difficult to proceed.



"We were getting ready for trial. We were, I would say, about 75 to 80 percent ready to go. Then things started going south in terms of the pandemic," Foust said. "It began to impair our ability to get our witnesses prepared for trial. It impeded our ability to get subpoenas and orders for the doctors from Vanderbilt to attend and testify at the trial. And then the uncertainty of even being able to call a jury panel, much less seat one. It became clear to everyone that we were looking at a delay in the trial of a minimum of six months, possibly another year."



Foust said most of the affected families, including the Holts and the Copes, supported the plea deal. He said he hopes the agreement, which will mean a life sentence for Parker with parole eligibility after 20 years, brings some form of closure to all of the families affected by the tragedy.



"From a professional standpoint I was comfortable with what the end result was going to be, particularly in light of the fact that the two families who lost their children were on board, and were ready for closure. While certainly there is a part of me that wanted to try the case, the certainty of knowing that this case won't be tied up in appeals for years, that's comforting." He said.



Foust said Parker got the maximum sentence on the assault counts, and there are no guarantees he would have received a harsher sentence at trial on the murder charges. He said after reviewing the agreement most parties involved in the case came to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do.



"Most of [the victims' families] were fine with it. I think there were a couple who were upset. We got a maximum sentence on their cases, and that was all we could do," He said. When it came to the murder cases, the Holts and the copes were on board with this. The only thing that was given was that the parole eligibility is 20 years. There were no guarantees at trial that we would have got life without possibility of parole for 25 years."



Although Foust says this is by no means a happy ending for all who have been affected by this event, he added that he hopes the victims' friends and families will be able to take some comfort in being able to close this painful chapter of their lives.



"Yesterday was a bittersweet day," He said. "There are no winners, so to speak, in this matter. But for us to win, we want to put our victims first and foremost. We want them to be the headline, and frankly let Mr. Parker become a footnote."
A website giving NHS workers free access to over 85,000 downloadable games has gone live.

Games For Carers, created by Keymailer with help from Ukie and the UK gaming industry, launched today (29 April). The aim of the site is to provide NHS workers with a means to relieve stress amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

To access the free games, donated by games businesses, NHS workers must visit the site and enter their official email address. Companies such as EA, Konami, Xbox and Sega are involved in the initiative.

Our amazing NHS staff are working hard on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus, and it is brilliant to see the UKs video games industry uniting to say thank you through this campaign, said creative industries minister Caroline Dinenage. We have worked closely with games companies to help keep people safe and I am delighted the sector is continuing to support the NHS in such an innovative way.

Some visitors reported technical difficulties shortly after the site launched at 9am GMT, however, leading Keymailer to write on Twitter: Dear NHS people, lots of you have told us already that we missed some of your email domains  so sorry!

Weve paused the giveaway so we can get all the email domains into the system, and when we start it in a few minutes, youll all have an equal chance to get a game.

Shortly after that announcement, Keymailer provided another update, writing: The NHS giveaway is back online ... Sorry for the delay, and well be monitoring for any other issues to try to make sure all 85,000 games go to good homes!

Keymailer is a site that connects influencers with game developers and publishers.
West University Place Police report that three suspects have been arrested in connection with burglaries of motor vehicles in the city.

While the suspects were arrested and charged, they were released after the Harris County Jail refused to accept them, according to the West U Police Department.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Office space: How to keep Texas workers safe as they return

Officers were dispatched on Tuesday, April 28, to the 4200 block of Tennyson Street. A resident called the department to report three suspects involved in the alleged burglaries.

After their arrest, the three suspects were each charged with two counts of burglary of motor vehicles through the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

The Harris County Sheriffs Office Joint Processing Center was also contacted and West U officers were advised that the Sheriffs Office would not accept the suspects due to the suspects having no prior arrests for BMV, according to a news release.

MORE FROM ROY KENT: Memorial Villages in west Harris County report relatively few COVID-19 cases

Since the Sheriffs Office refused the accept the suspects, West U police officers released the suspects from the scene.

Harris County Jail has reportedly limited the number of new inmates it accepts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Monday, April 27, the jails population included more than 7,400 detainees. Of that number, 302 have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 2,700 others are in observational quarantine, according to the Sheriffs Office. There have been 180 Harris County Sheriffs Office employees at the jail who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

No deaths have been reported and there has been one inmate hospitalized. Among jail staff, 47 members have reportedly recovered from COVID-19 and returned to work.

We are screening all new inmates in the booking process at the JPC, which counts with a full clinic, the Sheriffs Office reported. The jail has COVID-19 test kits to screen inmates in-house. We have also set aside four quarantine tanks.

rkent@hcnonline.com
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Linkedin Tauvik M. Soeherman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 30 2020

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has delayed the deliberation of the job creation omnibus bill just a week before labor groups were gearing up to mark the International Labor Day in a nationwide rally on Thursday to protest the draft law.

Labor unions view the bill as a regulatory framework that facilitates easy hiring and firing. They have argued that it provides a red carpet to massive investment at the expense of workers protection. This absence of protection for workers rights is evident in the lax minimum wage mechanism and the increased flexibility for termination and outsourcing. The labor unions have also claimed that, as key stakeholders in the bill, they had been left behind in the drafting process.

The unions welcomed the postponement of the House of Representatives' deliberation of the bill, but employers regretted the decision. They said that the debate was even more pressing in anticipation of mass layoffs as an adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Samsung Electronics on Wednesday said it expected its profit to decline in the current quarter due to a coronavirus-related slump in sales of smartphones and TVs, even as its chip business would remain solid. The company said its operating profit rose 3 per cent in the January-March period, in line with an earlier estimate, as work-from-home orders boosted demand for server and computer chips. The South Korean conglomerate joined other tech giants in warning of uncertainty over how long the coronavirus would continue to hurt the industry. "In the second half, uncertainties ...
The Navy will conduct a wider investigation of circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, a move that effectively delays a decision on whether to reinstate the ships captain, who was fired after pleading for more urgent protection of his crew.

The investigation was announced Wednesday by James E. McPherson, the acting Navy secretary, who said in a brief written statement that an initial inquiry was insufficient.

I have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review," he said.

The broader probe is to examine communication and leadership actions in the Navy chain of command in the Pacific, to include events before the initial virus outbreak in late March, officials said.

The decision comes several days after McPherson and Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, met with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the Navy's recommendation that Capt. Brett Crozier be restored to command of the ship.

I am directing Adm. Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation, McPherson said. This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events, actions, and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.

The wider investigation is intended to last no longer than 30 days, according to one defense official who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity to provide details before McPherson issued his statement.

The new review by Gilday probably will examine how the outbreak began and how it was handled, and address Croziers concerns that his leadership was not acting fact enough to protect the crew from the spreading virus. Those leaders would include Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, commander of the carrier strike group, who was aboard the Roosevelt with Crozier; the 7th Fleet commander, Vice Adm. William R. Merz; the Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. John C. Aquilino; and the most senior admiral in the Pacific, Adm. Phil Davidson, head of Indo-Pacific Command.

More than 900 sailors from the Roosevelt have contracted the coronavirus; one has died. The outbreak is the most severe in the U.S. military, which is seeking to balance a need to protect troops while also maintaining U.S. defenses. In recent days a second ship, the USS Kidd, reported a coronavirus outbreak at sea. It pulled into port at San Diego on Tuesday with at least 64 sailors infected.

After weeks in quarantine or isolation on the island of Guam, hundreds of members of the Roosevelt crew are beginning to move back onto the ship in a transition that will take several days. According to the Navys 7th Fleet, the more than 4,000 sailors who have tested negative will return to the ship in waves. The roughly 700 sailors who have been running the ship while it has been in port will move ashore and into quarantine.

In the weeks since the ship arrived in Guam in late March, sailors have been systematically cleaning areas and then closing them off.

The stay-behind crew successfully built a bubble around the ship, that can now be turned over to the clean crew, Cmdr. Zach Harry, chief engineer aboard the Roosevelt, said in a statement. The crew will now create a boundary to keep the coronavirus out.

The Roosevelts crisis has captured the attention of the nation and posed tough challenges for a Navy roiled by the controversy. The decision to relieved Crozier of command on April 2 was made by Thomas Modly, who was the acting Navy secretary. Shortly afterward he flew aboard the carrier and delivered a profanity-laced speech criticizing both the crew and Crozier. Within days, Modly resigned.

The Navy inquiry on which it based its recommendation to restore Crozier to command was headed by the vice chief of naval operations, Adm. Robert Burke, and has not been made public. Esper had been expected to decide whether to endorse the recommendation and the report after he met last Friday with Gilday and McPherson.

President Donald Trump, who previously has intervened in Navy matters, has made no public comments on the Roosevelt issue since Gildays recommendation to reinstate Crozier became know last week.

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A worker at a small coffee shop chain that hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities became the 'star' of the show at Tuesday's White House business event when he said his colleagues are 'not broken' and neither is America.

Michael Heup, an employee at North Carolina-based business Bitty & Beau's, took to the stage in the East Room for the event about the Paycheck Protection Program used to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

Donald Trump also welcomed his daughter Ivanka Trump and several small business owners to the stage as he sought to distance himself from a series of blunders over recent weeks and lavish praise on the government's controversial small business bailout scheme.

Heup gave the rousing speech after founder and CEO of Bitty & Beau's Amy Wright told how the bailout had enabled the company to keep its 120-strong workforce with developmental and intellectual disabilities on the payroll.

Michael Heup, an employee at North Carolina-based business Bitty & Beau's, took to the stage in the East Room for the event about the Paycheck Protection Program

'I love my job and I'm excited about going back to work,' said Heup.

'At Bitty & Beau's, we like to use the phrase called 'not broken.' That means me and all my amazing coworkers are not broken and we have lots to offer.

'I know the great country of the United States isn't broken either.'

Heup went on to thank the president and Ivanka for inviting him to the event.

'You guys are our family,' he added, before giving them a heartfelt thumbs-up.

Trump led a round of applause for the coffee shop worker, saying he had 'stolen the show' and telling him he would 'vote' for him.

'I think we found a couple of stars in this room today... This guy right here is the biggest star in the room,' Trump said.

'We'll all agree... I vote for you, okay. What a great job you've done. And I really appreciate it, I appreciate you being here. Couldn't have done better.'

Heup said: 'At Bitty & Beau's, we like to use the phrase called 'not broken'... I know the great country of the United States isn't broken either'

'You guys are our family,' Heup added, before giving Ivanka and President Trump a heartfelt thumbs-up

Heup responded by inviting the president and his staff members to come to the store in Annapolis, Maryland.

Trump said: 'Be careful that could happen.... We'll have to do that.'

The video of Heup's moment on stage had been retweeted 1,100 times just hours after the event.

Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted the footage on his own account with the caption: 'THANK YOU MICHAEL!'

Bitty & Beau's Wright praised the PPP saying the scheme had meant the coffee chain could bring all 120 of its employees back onto the payroll Tuesday and have them working from home.

Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted the footage on his own account with the caption: 'THANK YOU MICHAEL!'

'Bitty & Beau's coffee is more than a coffee shop, it's a human rights movement,' said Wright.

'We employ 120 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and for most of them it's their first paying job which made the decision to close all five of our shops especially difficult.

'But thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program and the incredible team, all 120 employees are back on the payroll today and working from home writing handwritten notes that we include with each online order we ship. As a recipient of the PPP loan, we will continue to take up the charge and help everyone, especially people with disabilities, pursue the American Dream.'

Heup with customers at the Bitty & Beau's store in Annapolis where he works

Heup in a photo posted by Special Olympics Maryland in June 2011

The event provided a strong opportunity for the president to claw back some faith in his handling of the pandemic, by showing the controversial PPP has helped some small businesses.

It comes as small businesses rushed to access the new installment of money and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the federal government will audit loans to check if big businesses have accessed them unfairly.

The small business bailout has been plagued with controversy after it emerged that several large businesses used loopholes in the scheme to drain the funds before businesses it was intended for could get a dime.

Trump led a round of applause for the coffee shop worker, saying he had 'stolen the show' and telling him he would 'vote' for him

Bitty & Beau's Wright praised the PPP saying the scheme had meant the coffee chain could bring all 120 of its employees back onto the payroll Tuesday

The event provided a strong opportunity for the president to claw back some faith in his handling of the pandemic, by showing the controversial PPP has helped small businesses

Donald Trump welcomed his daughter Ivanka Trump and several small business owners to the event

The PPP was created by Congress and designed to loan money to small businesses with 500 employees or less to help them survive the economic downturn during the coronavirus crisis, ensuring they can still pay their employees and bills, and avoid mass layoffs.

Companies that use the money to avoid layoffs will not have to pay the money back.

However, several large, publicly-traded companies were exposed for pocketing millions in funds, making multiple claims via different subsidiaries and leaving the government announcing that the pot of $349 billion had been bled dry in just two weeks.

Due to legal loopholes, some large public companies with thousands of employees and easy access to credit were able to claim relief dollars through the scheme.

At least 75 companies that received the aid were publicly traded, according to the Associated Press, some with market values well over $100 million.

Last week, luxury hotel group Ashford Inc - that owns Marriott Beverly Hills and the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta and is run by a major Donald Trump donor - was named as the biggest beneficiary of the coronavirus loan program receiving a staggering $59million intended for small firms, while its boss pocketed millions in dividends during the pandemic.

Boss Monty Bennett is a major Trump donor, giving money to his race for the White House back in 2016 and donating $150,000 in the last six months for his reelection campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Steve Mnuchin at the event Tuesday: Mnuchin also announced Tuesday the government will audit all loans over $2 million, following the uproar over publicly traded companies that got multi-million loans

A number of firms pledged to return the loans gained through the program following a public backlash.

The Los Angeles Lakers said it would return its $4.6 million loan so that companies 'most in need' could access funding.

Mnuchin announced Tuesday the government will audit all loans over $2 million, following the uproar over publicly traded companies that got multi-million loans.

'This was a program designed for small businesses. It was not a program that was designed for public companies if they had liquidity,' Mnuchin told CNBC Tuesday.

'I want to be very clear it's the borrowers who have criminal liability if they made this certification and it's not true.

'For any loan over $2 million, the SBA will be doing a full review of that loan before there is loan forgiveness, so we will make sure that what was the intent for taxpayers if fulfilled here.'

Last week, Trump signed into law an additional $310 billion in funding for the program for small businesses that missed out first time round.

The government started pushing out the second round of loans Monday and small businesses rushed to apply, with the website crashing under the demand.

The 12 public companies that already returned PPP loans Shake Shack Loan amount: $10million Market cap: $1.866billion Wave Life Sciences Ltd Loan amount: $7,234,890 Market cap: $279.44million Ruth's Hospitality Group Inc Loan amount: $20million Market cap: $245.66million BioLife Solutions Inc Loan amount: $2,175,320 Market cap: $223.13million OptiNose Inc Loan amount: $4.4million Market cap: $183.62million IDT Corporation Loan amount: $10million Market cap: $145.98million Aquestive Therapeutics Loan amount: $4.83million Market cap: $119.2million Kura Sushi USA Inc Loan amount: $5,983,290 Market cap: $88.58million Potbelly Corporation Loan amount: $10million Market cap: $71.5million J. Alexander's Holdings Inc Loan amount: $15.1million Market cap: $63.35million BK Technologies Corporation Loan amount: $2,196,335 Market cap: unavailable Ballantyne Strong Inc Loan cap: $3,173,000 Market cap: unavailable Source: FactSquared data as of 12pm on April 27 Advertisement
DigDeep and Nestle Waters partner to distribute 248,000 gallons of emergency water across the Navajo Nation in coordinated COVID-19 response. Over 30% of residents of the Navajo Nation dont have running water in their homes, making them more susceptible to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Over 30% of residents of the Navajo Nation dont have running water in their homes, making them more susceptible to the rapid spread of COVID-19. The Navajo Nation -- which spans the corners of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah -- now has the third-highest infection rate in the country, trailing only New York and New Jersey.

DigDeep, a human rights nonprofit that installs clean, running water inside these homes through its Indigenous-led Navajo Water Project, has partnered with Nestle Waters to distribute a donation of 248,000 gallons (939,000 liters, totaling over 2 million pounds) of Arrowhead Brand 100% Mountain Spring Water to these residents in a coordinated, emergency response.

This emergency water supply is being distributed through a network of volunteers from nonprofits, mutual aid groups, health clinics and Navajo government agencies. They are driving the last mile to elders, people infected and under quarantine, and others without personal transportation. There is also an option for no-contact pickup by car. The first Nestle Waters donation of 124,000 gallons, distributed the week of April 20th, provided clean drinking water to an estimated 30,000 people. A second donation of an additional 124,000 gallons is underway.

We know that the best way to prevent the spread of this virus is by washing our hands and sheltering in place. These are some of the hardest things to do on the Navajo Nation right now. If you do not have running water in your home, you have to leave to buy bottled water and travel to different grocery stores where you may be exposed. A lot of times when residents arrive, there isnt any water left, says Emma Robbins, Dine (Navajo) activist and Director of DigDeeps Navajo Water Project. Because Nestle Waters responded so quickly and generously, our partners and staff have been able to safely distribute thousands of gallons of water to people who need it most.

Historic inequities have compounded the spread of COVID-19 across the Navajo Nation, including a lack of basic infrastructure and adequate healthcare facilities. There are only 46 ICU beds for a population of approximately 173,000. With only thirteen grocery stores on the reservation, many must travel for 30+ miles to buy bottled water, only to find store shelves empty. Those who cannot afford to travel that distance have to fill up containers at public spigots, or even from surface water or livestock windmills.

Having enough water not only to help your family stay hydrated, but also to wash your hands, is something most Americans take for granted. This is particularly critical during a national health emergency, said Tara Carraro, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Nestle Waters North America. Nestle Waters has a long history of donating bottled water to those impacted by emergencies and disasters. When DigDeep reached out to explain the need within the Navajo Nation, we were honored to provide the first of two emergency deliveries of Arrowhead Brand 100% Mountain Spring Water, our regional spring water in the west.

As a frontline service provider through the Navajo Water Project, DigDeep had already installed running water in nearly 300 homes prior to the pandemic. The organization is now focused on continuing uninterrupted water deliveries to those families, and expanding delivery of clean water to homes in areas not yet served.

While DigDeeps Navajo Water Project generally focuses on long-term sustainable solutions, with the added support of Nestle Waters and a grassroots network of Indigenous partners, DigDeep has been able to quickly ramp-up humanitarian response to communities hardest impacted by this public health crisis.

ABOUT DIGDEEP: DigDeep is a human rights nonprofit working to ensure that every American has access to clean, running water. DigDeep is the winner of the 2018 US Water Prize for its Navajo Water Project, which has installed water systems inside the homes of hundreds of indigenous families across New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Since COVID-19 emerged in March, over 1800 donors have come together in support of the Navajo Water Project, funding installs for 32 more families (and counting). For more information, please visit digdeep.org or navajowaterproject.org, and follow on Twitter (@DigDeepH2O), Facebook and Instagram (@DigDeepWater).

Press Contact for DigDeep:

Alyssa Musket

alyssa@upcausepr.com

ABOUT NESTLE WATERS: Nestle Waters North America offers an unrivaled portfolio of bottled water brands for healthy hydration, including Arrowhead Brand 100% Mountain Spring Water, Nestle Pure Life , Perrier and S. Pellegrino. Arrowhead Brand 100% Mountain Spring Water, its regional spring water in the west, was named for a mountain with a natural mark of an arrowhead, located near the first source of the brands spring water. The company also owns and operates ReadyRefreshSM by Nestle , a customizable water and beverage delivery service. Just Click and QuenchSM.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut with approximately 7,000 associates in the United States, Nestle Waters manages natural resources for long-term sustainability, and conserves more than 18,000 acres of natural watershed area. It currently sources water for its six regional spring water brands from 38 active springs throughout the United States. The company is also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where it operates in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.nestle-watersna.com/en and follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @NestleWatersNA.

Press Contact for Nestle Waters:

Adam Gaber

Adam.gaber@waters.nestle.com
With the Jharkhand government yet to decide on giving parole to jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday expressed concern over reports of doctors attending his father being quarantined after coming in contact with Covid-19 patients.

The RJD supremo has been admitted in the private ward of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) which has been designated as a coronavirus hospital.

On April 13, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had said that the state government was seeking legal advice to release the incarcerated RJD chief on parole amid growing cases of infection at the isolation ward of RIMS. Prasad has been under treatment for multiple chronic ailments in the paying ward of the RIMS.

I am worried because at the age of 72 years and suffering from chronic ailments like kidney, heart and diabetes, the RJD chief and my father needs more protective measures amid the pandemic, Tejashwi said in a moving appeal, apparently seeking early release of his father on parole. Only those who have families can feel what I am enduring, he said.

The RJD is part of the Hemant Soren-led coalition government in Jharkhand.

Lalu Prasad is in jail since December 2017 and serving 14 years in prison in connection with fodder scam cases.
He welcomed his first son with Lucy Mecklenburgh last month.

And Ryan Thomas was keen to show off his adorable newborn as he appeared via video link on Wednesday's episode of This Morning.

The Coronation Street star, 35, looked every inch the proud father as he held up Roman for the camera, but needed a bit of help from Lucy when he forgot how old the tot was.

Sweet: Ryan Thomas was keen to show off his adorable newborn as he appeared via video link on Wednesday's episode of This Morning

Chatting with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Ryan was asked what life was like with a newborn.

He quipped: 'If he starts screaming in the background you'll just have to deal with that!

'The toughest thing of all is my brothers haven't even met my son yet and I can't wait...' as Lucy passed Roman into shot.

Oops: The Coronation Street star, 35, looked every inch the proud father as he held up Roman for the camera in an interview with his twin brothers Ryan and Scott

Proud parents: Ryan needed a bit of help from Lucy Mecklenburgh when he forgot how old the tot was. The couple welcomed baby Roman Ravello on March 12

As Holly cooed and asked how old he is now, Ryan looked flustered before Lucy chipped in off-camera by shouting 'eight weeks!'

Ryan continued: 'We'll be doing the Simba moment when he introduce him to the family.'

Lucy and Ryan revealed they had welcomed baby Roman Ravello in an Instagram post on March 12.

Sweet: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield asked Ryan what life was like with a newborn. He quipped: 'If he starts screaming in the background you'll have to deal with that!'

Emotional: Ryan confessed, 'The toughest thing of all is my brothers haven't even met my son yet and I can't wait...' as Lucy passed Roman into shot

The fitness guru announced her pregnancy in August, after fiance Ryan proposed during a trip to Italy's Amalfi Coast in June.

The couple met on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in early 2017.

They brushed off split rumours in December 2018 after Lucy was pictured looking cosy with a man in a Dubai nightclub, believed to be her friend and business associate Adam Rossiter.

Ryan is already dad to Scarlett, 11, with his ex Tina O'Brien.

Oops: As Holly cooed and asked how old he is now, Ryan looked flustered before Lucy chipped in off-camera by shouting 'eight weeks!'

Ryan continued: 'We'll be doing the Simba moment when he introduce him to the family'

Ryan appeared on This Morning alongside his twin brothers Adam and Scott, both 31, to discuss their new show, Absolutely India: Mancs in Mumbai.

The show follows the brothers as they travel around India with their father to learn about their family history.

Scott - who starred on Love Island - said: 'I've always been in the shadows I just wanted my moment!

'Honestly we've been approached a few times to do a show, we wanted to do something with a bit of substance rather than at home with the Thomas'.

One to watch: Ryan appeared on This Morning alongside his twin brothers Adam and Scott, both 31, to discuss their new show, Absolutely India: Mancs in Mumbai

Ryan added: 'Everyone asked us did we get on on this trip, and for once this were wasn't any arguments.

'When you go away with someone for so long there's always a disagreement. It was such a family bonding time, we didn't have time to argue.'

Yet Adam was quick to chip in: We've not stopped arguing since though!'
Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on April 29 while battling a rare form of cancer. He was 54. Here we take a look at some of his rare and unseen pictures...Check out this rare portfolio shoot of actor Irrfan. (Image: Instagram)
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 30-year-old woman serving a 26-month sentence for maintaining a drug-affiliated business died of COVID-19 on Tuesday several weeks after giving birth to her child while she was on a ventilator, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said.

The death of Andrea Circle Bear, the first female federal inmate to succumb to the respiratory disease, and the circumstances surrounding it will likely fuel more anger among criminal justice reform advocates and families of incarcerated relatives who have criticized the Justice Department for a confusing rollout of rules to release non-violent offenders into home confinement.

Attorney General William Barr in late March ordered the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to begin working to release non-violent federal inmates into home confinement if they met certain criteria, and later expanded the pool of people who could qualify after declaring the BOP was facing emergency conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since then, the families of inmates have complained as the rules shifted several times over who could qualify to be released home. In some cases, inmates were moved into a 14-day quarantine required prior to release, only to discover later they were no longer eligible and transferred back to their cells.

At least 30 federal inmates have died since March of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and 1,313 inmates have tested positive, according to the BOP.

Circle Bear was transported from a jail in South Dakota on March 20 to Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, and quarantined on arrival. She was taken to a hospital on March 28 amid concerns about her pregnancy, and released back to prison the same day. By March 31, she had developed a fever and a cough and returned to the hospital for treatment.

She was placed on a ventilator, and gave birth to her son the next day by cesarean section. She tested positive for COVID-19 on April 4 and died on Tuesday.

Story continues

A BOP spokesman had no immediate comment on whether she qualified for home confinement or how many other inmates are pregnant.

A Justice Department representative told Reuters earlier this month that the BOP had discretion to let inmates serve their terms at home and was reviewing more eligible inmates each day. More than 1,700 have been placed in home confinement to date.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Peter Cooney)
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Federal prosecutors in San Francisco announced Tuesday that a Michigan man has been charged with wire fraud for using the internet to sell allegedly non-existent N95 masks for coronavirus protection.

A criminal complaint was filed in federal court in San Francisco on Friday against Rodney Stevenson II, 24, and was unsealed on Tuesday following his arrest at his home in Muskegon, Michigan.

The complaint alleges Stevenson fraudulently sold masks that were never delivered to three Bay Area victims from San Jose, Palo Alto and Santa Cruz, plus a fourth victim from Staten Island, New York, in March and early April.

The buyers, who included one non-medical hospital employee, allegedly each paid Stevenson amounts ranging from $120 to $450 for orders of between four and 15 masks they intended to use for themselves and family members.

Three buyers received nothing and the fourth victim from Staten Island received an envelope containing cheaply made fabric masks rather than protective N95 masks, the complaint alleges.

If convicted of the wire fraud charge, Stevenson could face up to 30 years in prison.

Stevenson had an initial appearance before a federal magistrate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday, and was released on bond. His next scheduled appearance is a preliminary hearing in that court on May 18, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons.

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.
Sundar Pichai says Google employees wont return to working from office at least till June 1

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 29: Google employees won't return to working from offices at least till June 1. CEO, Sundar Pichai said in an email that even after Google offices reopen for employees, the company will follow a careful approach for the transition.

The email was first reported by Business Insider. The email said that the work from home states will continue to remain at least until June 1. Google headquarters in California said that it would extend the stay at home order till the end of May.

Coronavirus crisis: Is home isolation a good idea?

We do not have a specific date for return. However, everyone who is in a recommended or mandatory work-from-home status should assume that will continue until at least June 1, 2020. (If you work in APAC and have been told you can work from the office, please continue to follow your site-specific guidance.)

Once we begin to return, our teams will continue to monitor local conditions and adjust accordingly. In all cases, we will listen to the best advice of health agencies, the medical community and our Global and Regional Incident Response Teams, who are constantly evaluating data to help us make the right decisions for each site, Pichai said in the mail.
The Cross River State government has said it would quarantine for 14 days the staff of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) expected in the state to begin the collection of samples.

Betta Edu, the commissioner for Health and chairman of the state COVID-19 taskforce team, said this on Wednesday in Calabar.

She said the state was more interested in the prevention of the virus than its management.

As a state, we have shut down borders and all land entrances to prevent the spread of the virus. It is not compulsory that all states will be affected, she said.

The state government is going all it can to ensure that it remains COVID-19 free. The no mask no movement policy has helped a lot in achieving the fight against the pandemic.

Cross River is among the three states in the country yet to record a case of coronavirus, as of April 28. The other two are Kogi and Yobe states.

The commissioner warned those trespassing through various routes into the state to desist from the act, adding that the virus does not move, people move the virus.

She said they were interested in testing any suspected case of COVID-19 that meets the NCDC requirements.

She further said that health surveillance staff at the border areas have been advised to focus more on persons with symptoms.

We dont need a ventilator at this moment, what we want is test kit to help get more samples for laboratory analysis.

She appealed to the Federal Government to assist it with funds and test kits in containing the Coronavirus spread.

She also appealed to the federal government to set up a vaccine producing factory in the state.

READ ALSO:

Ms Edu said the NCDC had sent only 50 test kits which were not enough for the state with over 4.5million population.

According to her, with the release of funds and more test kits, samples will be taken across the state to Irrua in Benin for laboratory testing.

She called on the federal government to send more security personnel to police the borders against Cameroonian coming into the state.

(NAN)
Peter Hains editorial piece in The Roanoke Times on April 8 ("Puzzled by Biden"), was an unfortunate example of some Republicans constant refrain and attacks on perceived threats from opposing political party positions.

In typical sophomoric and schoolyard fashion, he attacked Joe Biden: for the length of service as a public servant, his physical and mental health, the class standing in college and law school and his surviving sons personal and professional life. He shamelessly regurgitated conspiracy theories previously debunked but given new life through Russian social media about Bidens role in Ukraines corruption reform.

During this Holy Week, it is a sad commentary that Mr. Hain, a retired career federal civil servant, would see fit to ignore and support one of the most dangerous and corrupt administrations in the history of the United States. How can one ignore the acts or retribution and criticism of the national intelligence service by Trump that culminated this week in the firing of two Inspector Generals?

I recognize some differentiate between political and objective truths and label them alternative realities, but it would be refreshing to see some intelligent discourse of the true political issues of concern facing this nation today.

JOHN W. SMITH

BOONES MILL
Singapore's contact tracing app, TraceTogether, which is being used as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus in the city-state.

Apple and Google released a beta version of their coronavirus tracing software on Wednesday.

This software will power apps that do "digital contact tracing" or, as Apple and Google call it, "exposure notification." These apps will provide notifications to users that they may have been exposed to someone infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus, without collecting or sharing data about their identities.

Apple and Google are not building the apps. Rather, they're building technology into their market-leading smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android, to enable apps to use Bluetooth signals to determine their distance from other phones. If a person tests positive with Covid-19, they can use the apps to send notifications to other phones that have come within a certain distance, telling the owners of those phones to get tested.

Millions of people around the world are expected to download these apps to fight the spread of the coronavirus over the coming months.

Apple and Google's application programming interfaces, or APIs, are included in the beta version of Xcode 11.5, a program which is used to develop apps for Apple computers. In addition, a beta version of Apple's smartphone operating system, iOS 13.5, which was released on Tuesday for software developers, includes the code needed for those phones to run apps using the Apple-Google APIs.

For Android phones, a new beta update to Google Play Services and Android Developer Studio will also support apps using the Google-Apple system.

Apple and Google will release sample code on Friday to help developers working with public health authorities to build the final apps, company representatives said. The official release is expected in May.

In the Google-Apple system, tracing the coronavirus is done through scrambled codes that are stored on a user's physical phone, as opposed to a system that uses a centralized server that collects and matches IDs. The companies and privacy advocates favor this approach to prevent the possibility that coronavirus-tracing apps could form the cornerstone of new surveillance systems.

Now it's up to governments around the world to decide whether they'll choose the Apple and Google approach or create their own apps using their own technology to empower their public health departments with additional data. But apps that don't use the Apple-Google technology could run into limitations, including restrictions on Apple iPhones that prevent Bluetooth apps from running in the background, meaning that users would have to keep them on their phone screens at all times for the contact tracing to work.

Germany over the weekend said that its national app would use the Apple and Google protocol. The U.K.'s National Health Service said that its app would be ready for a trial in three weeks, and it does not use the Apple-Google approach. Australia also has eschewed the Apple-Google APIs for an app based on Singapore's app, COVIDsafe. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted on Monday that COVIDsafe has already garnered 2 million downloads.

The two tech giants first announced that they teamed up in March to build APIs directly into iOS and Android to slow the spread of coronavirus. The contact tracing partnership between Apple and Google was driven by a few employees at first and has developed at a speed highly unusual for Apple, CNBC previously reported.
Amazon.com Inc may have violated safety measures and labor practices amid the coronavirus pandemic as it fired a warehouse protest leader last month, New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess office wrote in a letter to the company last week.

Amazons health and safety measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are so inadequate that they may violate several provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Jamess office wrote in the letter, whose content was shared by a source familiar with the letter on Monday.

Amazon terminated Christian Smalls, a critic of the companys warehouse conditions in the pandemic, on grounds that he put others at risk by violating his paid quarantine when he joined a demonstration at Amazons Staten Island, New York, fulfillment center.

The letter, sent to the company on April 22, adds that preliminary findings raise serious concern that Amazon may have discharged (Smalls) in order to silence his complaints and send a threatening message to other employees that they should also keep quiet about any health and safety concerns.

In response, Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said the e-commerce company did not terminate Smalls employment for organizing a 15-person protest but because he put the health and safety of others at risk, adding that he also received numerous warnings for violating social distancing guidelines.

He was also found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14-days. Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite further putting the teams at risk, Lighty said.

The letter, first reported by NPR, also called on the e-commerce giant to close some warehouses for adequate sanitization and disinfection.

We encourage anyone interested in the facts to compare our overall pay and benefits, as well as our speed in managing this crisis, to other retailers and major employers across the country, Amazons Lighty said.

The worlds largest online retailer has been facing intense scrutiny by lawmakers and unions over whether it is doing enough to protect staff from the novel coronavirus.

In March, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he ordered the citys human rights commission to open an investigation into the dismissal of Smalls.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Topics COVID-19 New York Amazon
Italian President Sergio Mattarella has praised the measures and achievements of Georgia in the fight against the pandemic, Agenda.ge reports.

After exchanging information on the situation in Georgia and Italy, President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili and Matarella noted that the pandemic should not hinder close cooperation between Georgia and Italy.

Zurabishvili mentioned that it is important to strengthen cooperation in the creation of a vaccine against the virus in order to ensure universal access to it.

President Zurabishvili mentioned in her Twitter post that this crisis demands international solidarity:
The Food and Drug Administration is moving to quickly authorize the use of Gileads experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir as an emergency treatment for coronavirus, following news that a preliminary trial of the drug showed positive results.

A senior official in the Trump administration told the New York Times that the authorization could be announced as early as Wednesday, the same day that news of the hospital trial, conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), was released.

NIAID, which is run by Dr. Anthony Fauci, found that of 397 patients with severe cases of Covid-19, 62 percent of those treated with remdesivir early on were discharged from the hospital, compared to 49 percent of patients who began treatment late in the onset of the virus.

Gilead Sciences called the data from the trial positive. While Remdesivir was developed to fight Ebola, it has never been approved as a treatment for any disease.

We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that NIAID will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing, the company said in a statement, adding that remdesivir has not yet been demonstrated to be safe or effective for the treatment of Covid-19.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, both Fauci and Trump expressed optimism at the findings, after results from a trial in China dampened expectations last week.

Although a 31 percent improvement doesnt seem like a knockout 100 percent, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus, Fauci said. This is very optimistic.

Certainly its a positive, its a very positive event, Trump added.

More from National Review
A short time ago, our Accelerator Lab portfolio of experiments was rolling with our efforts on young people and waste issues. Yet the lockdown due to the rise of coronavirus COVID-19 in Ecuador has obliged us to redirect our efforts.

The health emergency is felt throughout the world, but what are some of the particularities of this crisis for us? Ecuador faces many challenges; there are just 1.4 hospital beds for every 1,000 people.

The lockdown is an effective measure to prevent the virus from spreading but there are those who cannot afford to stay home, because they depend on their daily livelihoods for their familys survival. These are a few of the pressing conditions that made us speed up our search for answers, so we began by mapping citizen initiatives to bring in more connectivity and collaboration, despite social distancing.

Peer sharing

International and national solutions multiplied quickly. We organized them by categories as a joint effort with the Accelerator Lab network. It became a peer sharing and consultation platform where we could pick up ideas and adapt them to meet our needs.

In times of hoarding and shortage of products such as facemasks and disinfectants, homemade formulas and DIY patterns for facemasks were shared. We started talking with NGOs and civil society organizations involved in food donations to collectively map out locations of vulnerable families, such as waste pickers, pregnant women and mothers with infants under one year old, and families in rural communities.

We were approached by citizens who wanted to help, send a food basket, or donate but they didnt know how or where. It quickly became clear that while big donations were reaching institutional collection centres, distribution to vulnerable families was a big challenge. We needed a way to organically match citizen needs to those who could help.

Citizens collaborate

We came across an NGO called Fundacion San Francisco Global, who had recently been named as the Presidents Office civil society counterpart to institute the first public innovation lab in the country as part of Ecuadors first Open Government Action Plan. Fundacion San Francisco Global had focused their efforts on adapting open sourced crowdsourcing where citizens could share their needs and find collaborators. In the twinkling of an eye, we partnered with them and began to co-design and imagine the functionalities of this collaborative citizen platform in the course of a weekend.

We jointly named the platform Colaboratorio Ciudadano (Citizen Collaboratory), based on the principles of solidarity, grassroots organizing and crowdsourcing. It hopes to bring together many initiatives that need to be articulated in a single platform. In a moment of confinement, this tool has the purpose of reaching out to the community outside our households perimeter.

The Citizen Collaboratory will include a map where citizens can crowdsource their needs and their geographic locations in real time such that other users can join and collaborate in different ways; donating food supplies, helping out their elderly neighbour with their groceries, swap goods or services or even share ideas on innovative solutions to the health crisis.

Collective intelligence

The Collaboratory will register the locations of small businesses, agro-producers and entrepreneurs so that citizens can shop locally. Users will be able to donate to a pool fund so that food donations can be acquired through local producers. Citizens will be able to rate initiatives as a communal prioritizing mechanism to indicate which needs require urgent action. Collective intelligence at its finest!

The platform will be open to the public through a transparency section so that all citizens can keep track of whats happening. In times like this where misinformation and so called fake news are aplenty, the Collaboratory will have an informational section with up-to-date official data.

Within UNDP, the Collaboratory initiative doesnt stand on its own, as we are joining efforts with our country offices Inclusive Economic Development and Risk Management Area, where a partnership with the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries is looking at digital transformation strategies to help small businesses adapt to the current crisis. We hope to publish the first prototypes of this partnership on the platform to attract further support from citizens and partners.

Stay tuned for the launch of the Citizen Collaboratory! We are seeking more partners to strengthen our work and platform, please do contact gabriela.ayala@undp.org or paulina.jimenez@undp.org if you have some ideas to share with us!
Iran reopened for business despite its persistent coronavirus outbreak as there was no end in sight to the crisis, its president said Wednesday, as 80 new deaths were announced. "Due to uncertainty about when this virus will end, we are preparing for work, activity and science," said President Hassan Rouhani. "We have to follow all the medical instructions, but work and production are as essential as these precautions," he told a televised cabinet meeting. His remarks came as the health ministry announced that 80 new deaths from the novel coronavirus had taken the country's overall toll to 5,957. Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said another 1,073 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours. All but 20,000 of the 93,657 people who contracted the illness since mid-February have been discharged from hospital, he told a televised news conference. Iran has struggled to contain the coronavirus outbreak since reporting its first cases -- two deaths in the Shiite holy city of Qom -- on February 19. The actual numbers of those killed and sickened by the virus are widely thought to be much higher than the Iranian government's official tolls. Despite still battling the virus, the government has allowed many businesses to reopen since April 11 after shutting most down in mid-March to stem the spread of the disease.
She's a timeless Hollywood beauty, as is her daughter and granddaughter  with whom she recently graced a magazine cover.

Goldie Hawn was seen going for a bike ride in Brentwood, California on Tuesday, smiling contentedly as she made her way.

The Oscar winner, 74, wore a helmet but no face mask for the excursion, outfitted in a black tank top and bright geometric-patterned leggings.

Septuagenarian cyclist: Goldie Hawn was seen going for a bike ride in Brentwood on Tuesday, smiling contentedly as she made her way

Hawn also wore a black jacket tied around her waist, and a heavy-looking gold pendant round her neck.

The Overboard star sported sunshades and fingerless biker gloves.

Goldie and her daughter, actress Kate Hudson, recently graced the cover of People's Beautiful issue, along with Hudson's little girl Rani Rose.

Kate, whose biological father is musician Bill Hudson, is famously close with her mother, and their love for one another is evident in the sweet trigenerational picture.

On the go: The Oscar winner, 74, wore a helmet but no face mask for the excursion, outfitted in a black tank top and bright geometric-patterned leggings

Truly beautiful: Goldie and her daughter, actress Kate Hudson, recently graced the cover of People's Beautiful issue, along with Hudson's little girl Rani Rose

The photo also marks the first time the magazine has featured three generations on the cover of its Beautiful Issue.

In the timeless image, all three women are clothed in radiant white garments, with Goldie in a lace, frilly off-the-shoulder number.

Mom Goldie  who is also mother to Kate's brother Oliver, as well as son Wyatt with her longtime partner Kurt Russell  made her love for her daughter known once again last week on Instagram with a heartfelt birthday message in which she told Kate 'I love you deeply'.

Friends as well as family: Kate, whose biological father is musician Bill Hudson, is famously close with her mother

'Proud': Mom Goldie made her love for her daughter known once again last week on Instagram with a heartfelt birthday message in which she told Kate 'I love you deeply'

Hawn won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 1969 for one of her first-ever roles in a film called Cactus Flower, which was later remade into a 2011 Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler movie called Just Go With It.

After that early accolade, Goldie remained a busy and enterprising film actress throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s, but her appearances on the silver screen have dwindled since.

However, she is gearing up to team once again with her inimitable First Wives Club costars Bette Midler and Diane Keaton for a new movie, the Christmas-themed Family Jewels, about three women who must contend with their children  and each other  when their ex-husband unexpectedly drops dead right before the holidays.
[April 29, 2020] Facedrive Launches 'Foods' Delivery Platform for Safe Community Cohesion in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Facedrive Inc. ("Facedrive") (TSXV: FD), the first Canadian peer-to-peer, eco-friendly and socially responsible ride-sharing network, is pleased to announce the launch of Facedrive Foods, an initiative to connect residents and local restaurant businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005235/en/ Facedrive Foods will first launch pilot programs in the Greater Toronto Area, and London, Ontario, in the coming weeks, with subsequent expansion into other regions in which Facedrive is operational in the future. Facedrive pursues a "people and planet first" business model, and Facedrive Foods adheres to these principles by offering eco-friendly deliveries, with each delivery contributing a portion of the fee towards local tree-planting initiatives to help reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Facedrive partners with municipal authorities and local 'green' organizations to ensure compliance with the region's forestation plans, promote adoption of best practices of tree-planting, and to achieve the best possible survival rates for each tree planting campaign. Menu options available for delivery through the Facedrive Foods platform will generally be comprised of healthy, nutritious and sustainably sourced meal options offered by like-minded restaurant businesses with consumers' wellness in mind. With a large portion of Facedrive's user base consisting of high school, college and university students, Facedrive believes it has a responsibility to adopt a scrupulous approach towards selecting vendors and menu options. At this time of global pandemic and containment efforts, it is more important than ever to ensure community well-being. Facedrive ensures the highest level of safety for its customers, with drivers undergoing comprehensive training in COVID-19 safety protocols. In addition, all deliveries are contactless by default, as a protection measure for Facedrive's customers and driers.



"As part of Facedrive's ongoing commitment to help the environment and its people, we are excited to announce the launch of Facedrive Foods," said Chief Operations Officer, Suman (News - Alert) Pushparajah. "During these unprecedented times, we want to support our local businesses and, as such, we will be waiving all fees for restaurants during our initial pilot program". "While social distancing has proven to be one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of this outbreak, we want to ensure that people in our community at least have access to good, healthy food that can be safely delivered right to their doorstep," added Pushparajah.

About Facedrive Facedrive is a "people-and-planet first" ride-sharing platform, and the first to offer green transportation solutions in this space. Facedrive is committed to doing business fairly, equitably and sustainably, with a firm dedication not only to seamless customer service that offsets CO 2 by planting thousands of trees and gives riders a choice between EVs, hybrids and conventional vehicles, but also to its drivers. Facedrive is a community platform designed to become the #1 recognized eco-friendly and socially responsible TaaS platform in any market that it enters. Facedrive is changing the ride-sharing narrative for the better, for everyone. For more about Facedrive, visit www.facedrive.com. Facedrive Inc.

100 Consilium Pl, Unit 400, Scarborough, ON (News - Alert), Canada M1H 3E3

www.facedrive.com Forward-Looking Information Certain information in this press release contains forward-looking information. This information is based on management's reasonable assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to us and are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors. Information regarding our expectations of future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities or the markets in which we operate is forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances. Many factors could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. See "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's Filing Statement dated August 28, 2019 for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Readers are urged to consider the uncertainties, risks and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking information and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. We have no intention and undertake no 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 securities law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005235/en/

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Quarterly Report

Melbourne, April 29, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - iSignthis Ltd ( ASX:ISX ) ( FRA:TA8 ) is pleased to announce its 4th consecutive positive quarterly operating cash flow contained in the Appendix 4C and our quarterly business activity report.Financial Analysis 1Q20- 1Q20 is the Company's 4th quarter of positive operating cash flows, +$1.78m for the quarter.- Cash balance at end of quarter was $17.5m in consolidated Group Cash, broadly flat from $17.7m as at 31 December 2019.- 1Q20 receipts from customers were down 33% from 4Q19 to $10.5m due to the impacts from COVID-19, combined with seasonality in some merchants' volumes and other issues mentioned below.- Client funds held are now over $100m, up from $96m as at 31 December to $101m as at 31 March 2020.- The Company made a $4.2m investment in NSX Limited during the quarter for a 12.96% stake, per our announcement dated 20/2/2020.- In the Quarter the Company completed the acquisition of UAB Baltic Banking Service for a total cost of EUR75k cash and 1,394,533 ordinary ISX shares.- Administration and corporate costs were up circa $430k in the quarter, due mainly to the ASX related legal proceedings.- Cash flows in the quarter also include a $3.2m cash contribution from the joint venture partner, as previously announced.Business Activities 1Q20- Probanx executed a A$4.5m agreement to develop a Delivery versus Payment (DvP) Platform for the NSXA, to be delivered over 24 months (excluding any COVID Delays).- Probanx mobilised key personnel to meet its obligations under the ClearPay JV agreement.- Integrated UAB Baltic Banking Service team under "Probanx" banner.- UAB Baltic Banking Service's SEPA Core and SEPA Instant services now integrated with Probanx COREPlus system. Available as a service by ISXPay under our Bank Institution Code (BIC) of ISEMCY22XXX.- SEPA Instant also now available as a SaaS module to Probanx COREPlus third party financial institution customers.- Injunctive relief was sought against the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), with the Federal Court hearing the matter on the 16th April 2020. Judgment is scheduled for 30th April 2020.- Enquiries for Probanx CORE banking and network products increased, with several (individually non-material) agreements executed with EU regulated entities.- Flykk(R) app approved by Apple Inc, with release to worldwide app store expected during May/June 2020. Refer to www.flykk.it for details.- Focus on enhancing AML compliance, including:o Partnership agreement executed with Lexis Nexis, allowing the incorporation of Lexis Nexis data into our systems for resale to third parties consuming our Paydentity service or Probanx solutions.o Paydentity(TM) cascade extended to include BankID from Norway and Sweden, with Finland under integration, to complement the previously integrated 3rd party instant electronic verification sources, further expanding our 'instant' KYC(C) capability. The Company's patented Payment Instrument Verification (PIV) processes continue to be utilised where instant electronic verification methods are not available, reducing KYC(C) from a manual process that takes days, to a process that is online and takes minutes. PIV relies upon verification of bank accounts and regulated cards.- Integration completed to two key gaming platforms, extending our platform integrations beyond the exchange and trading platforms integrated during 2018.- Due to the COVID-19 lock down requirements of Federal and State governments in Australia, and Governments of Cyprus, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, ISX, similar to other companies, implemented work from home and other operational strategies, as part of its Pandemic Policy and Business Continuity Plans, to mitigate the effects on staff and operations of the spread of the virus in the wider community.- COVID-19 impacted March revenues indirectly, with almost 3 weeks of processing time being lost. The Company failed to process transactions across a number of card schemes as a consequence of either the scheme itself being technically or commercially un-responsive, arrangements with the schemes being subject to further commercial or due diligence requirements, or the Company itself changing its systems without taking into consideration the impact on the scheme. By way of example, our PCI DSS certification, despite having been successfully audited and submitted to the relevant scheme on time, was not updated by one of the card schemes, leading to suspension of some processing services.- Processing to merchants across the Visa network was also suspended for parts of March pending response to Visa re queries on ASX "investigation", concerns re "derogatory media" and the focus on high risk merchants. The Company is providing Visa with information regarding the ASX "investigation" and other matters. Visa has notified that their response times on this matter have been impacted by COVID-19.- Other COVID-19 impacted matters include:o Our Tier 1 Australian processing rollout being delayed and will not meet the May 2020 anticipated timetable, due to unavailability of test slots from the major card schemes. This is as yet to be rescheduled but is anticipated to be later in the year.o SWIFT rollout has also been deferred, until such time as test slots will become available. The Company does not at this stage have visibility on expected dates.o ASIC has advised that as a direct consequence of COVID-19, consideration of our application under Corporations Regulation 7.2.16 is taking longer than anticipated to assess.To view the full quarterly report, please visit:About iSignthis Ltd

iSignthis Ltd (ASX:ISX) (FRA:TA8) is a hybrid monetary financial institution and also a RegTech leader in remote identity verification, payment authentication with deposit taking, transactional banking and payment processing capability. iSignthis provides an end-to-end on-boarding service for merchants, with a unified payment, electronic money and identity service via our Paydentity(TM) and ISXPay(R) solutions.

By converging payments and identity, iSignthis delivers regulatory compliance to an enhanced customer due diligence standard, offering global reach to any of the world's 4.2Bn 'bank verified' card or account holders, that can be remotely on-boarded to meet the Customer Due Diligence requirements of AML regulated merchants in as little as 3 to 5 minutes. Paydentity(TM) has now onboarded and verified more than 1.5m persons to an AML KYC standard.

iSignthis Paydentity(TM) service is the trusted back office solution for regulated entities, allowing merchants to stay ahead of the regulatory curve, and focus on growing their core business. iSignthis' subsidiary, iSignthis eMoney Ltd, trades as ISXPay(R), and is an EEA authorised eMoney Monetary Financial Institution, offering card acquiring in the EEA, and Australia.

ISXPay(R) is a principal member of Mastercard Inc, Diners, Discover, (China) Union Pay International and JCB International, an American Express aggregator, and provides merchants with access to payments via alternative methods including SEPA, Poli Payments, Sofort, PRZ24 and others.

Probanx Solutions Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of iSignthis Ltd, provides API based access to CORE Banking solutions, SEPA Core, SEPA Instant and SEPA business scheme, for neobanks, banks, credit unions and emoney institutions, and provides a bridge to the Eurosystem's Central Bank of Lithuania's CENTROLink service.
The eldest son of 'cult mom' Lori Vallow has issued yet another plea for his mother to reveal where her two missing children are as she remains jailed on charges for their disappearance.

Colby Ryan has repeatedly called for his mother to cooperate with police searching for his siblings, seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, in the months since they went missing last September.

Ryan spoke about his own experience with the complicated case during an interview with NBC Dateline airing on Friday.

In a brief preview for the episode, Ryan said: 'It hurts so much - and on top of that we have a million questions. You can't call your own mom, can't go to her house and see your siblings - you're just out in the cold.'

He also described attending the January 30 court hearing in Madison County, Idaho, where Lori had been ordered to produce the children after police tracked her down in Hawaii.

Lori never turned up at the hearing, prompting her arrest three weeks later.

'We were so confused, like how do you not produce the kids?' Ryan said. 'That's the whole reason you're in jail right now.'

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Colby Ryan (left) once again pleaded with his mother Lori Vallow (right) to reveal the truth about her missing children during an interview with NBC's Dateline airing on Friday

Ryan also described attending the January 30 court hearing in Madison County, Idaho, where Lori failed to produce her children, prompting her arrest weeks later. The son told Dateline: 'We were so confused, like how do you not produce the kids? That's the whole reason you're in jail right now.' Ryan is pictured outside the Madison County Court with his wife

Authorities began searching for JJ and Tylee in late November after Lori and her new husband Chad Daybell fled their home in Idaho when police started to ask questions about where the children were.

When officers first went to Lori's home in Idaho on November 26, she told them that JJ was visiting relatives in Arizona - which investigators say was a lie.

Officers returned the following day and found that Lori and Chad had fled from the home.

The couple were named persons of interest in the children's disappearance in mid-December.

Rexburg police have accused Lori of repeatedly lying about where JJ and Tylee are and refusing to cooperate with investigators conducting a multi-state search.

They've said they 'strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger' and that Lori knows what happened to the kids.

Authorities tracked Lori and Chad down in the Kauai town of Princeville on January 25 and served the mother with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho within five days.

After she failed to do so, Lori was arrested on charges of child abandonment and desertion on February 20.

She was later extradited back to Idaho, where she remains behind bars at Madison County Jail in lieu of $1million bond.

Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 17, were last seen in Idaho in September in Rexburg, Idaho, and authorities are still searching for them

Lori married Chad Daybell on a Kauai beach on November 5 - weeks after her kids disappeared and days after Chad's previous wife Tammy died

The case captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police are also investigating four mysterious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as family members' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult.

Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time JJ was seen at his school in Idaho October 19: Chad Daybell's wife Tammy dies at their Idaho home October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone November 5: Lori and Chad marry November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives. 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 Idaho 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: Police issue a press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance is linked to Tammy's death 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 kids 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 January 30 Lori misses court deadline to produce the children to authorities February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai Advertisement

The first death is that of Lori's third husband Joseph Ryan, who died of an apparent heart attack in 2018.

Last month reports emerged that the FBI was looking into Ryan's death aged 59 as part of the search for Tylee, his daughter, and JJ.

The second death was that of Lori's fourth husband Charles Vallow, who was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona on July 11.

Charles and Lori had gotten into an argument when the father came to pick up JJ at the mother's home in Chandler.

Lori's brother intervened and fatally shot Charles.

Police initially determined that he acted in self defense - but the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for JJ and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho, where Chad lived, with their mother in August.

The third mysterious death was Tammy Daybell - Chad's previous wife - who was found dead at the couple's home in Salem, Idaho, on October 19.

An obituary stated that Tammy passed away in her sleep and her cause of death was ruled as natural after Chad reportedly declined an autopsy.

Investigators reopened the case after learning that JJ and Tylee were missing, as their mother had married Chad just two weeks after Tammy died. They believe the two cases could be linked.

Tammy's body was exhumed on December 11 and the autopsy results have not yet been released.

The Idaho Attorney General's Office recently took over the investigation into Tammy's death, which names Lori and Chad as suspects.

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.

An additional untimely death close to Lori was unearthed this week: her older sister Stacey Lynne Cox Cope.

Stacey died aged 31 in 1998. The cause is unclear and there is no suggestion Lori was involved in her death.

Four people with links to Lori Vallow have suffered untimely deaths(top in court on March 6). Those deaths are: Lori's brother Alex Cox (left), her new husband Chad Daybell's previous wife Tammy Daybell (second left), her fourth husband Charles Vallow (center), her third husband Joseph Ryan (second right). Her sister Stacey Cox Cope (right) died in 1998. It's not clear what the cause of Cope's death was

Stacey's daughter, Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski, has emerged as one of the key figures in the case surrounding Lori, following reports that she joined her aunt's doomsday cult.

Melani's estranged husband, Brandon Boudreaux, accused her of attempting to kill him in a drive-by shooting last fall and claims that she knows where the missing children are but won't cooperate with authorities.

Melani has denied those claims, including in an interview with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison airing on Friday.

'Melani essentially appeared to want to present that all is fine,' Morrison told the East Idaho News of the interview. 'She acted like: "I don't know of any problems whatsoever. We were all just doing our own thing and anything that seemed suspicious was merely a coincidence."

'She's a sweet, very attractive young woman who looks at you with big eyes and says it's absolutely the truth. The viewers can look at it and see what they think.'

Morrison seeks to explain how Melani fits into the doomsday cult allegations surrounding Chad and Lori.

Previous reports claimed that Melani thought Brandon had been possessed by a demon, and that Lori and Chad had told her they thought JJ and Tylee were 'zombies'.

'There are all these people who surround Chad and Lori who appear to be part of this group,' Morrison said.

'When you hear people talk seriously about evil spirits inhabiting their spouses or members of their family, or people becoming zombies and needing to be eliminated, you're getting into some serious stuff.

'And those are the kinds of materials we have found ourselves dealing with over this period of time.'
Since restrictions were imposed to contain the COVID-19, acts of violence against Palestinians have increased, 23 in the first weeks of April, with axes, electroshock weapons, stones and assault dogs. Homes have been targeted, cars torched, and olive trees uprooted. For a Palestinian Catholic official, Israel, through its army, backs such actions, which are part of a political agenda aiming for expropriation.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews)  Since the start of the novel coronavirus crisis, Israeli settlers have multiplied their attacks against Palestinians in various parts of the West Bank, in many cases with the complicity of Israeli political and military authorities.

The acts of violence have increased despite closures, social distancing and travel restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic. During the first three weeks of April), BTselem documented 23 settler attacks against Palestinians. In all of March, 23 incidents were recorded, 11 after strict travel and social gathering restrictions were imposed in mid-month.

During the incidents, settlers have physically assaulted Palestinians with clubs, axes, electroshock weapons, stones and assault dogs, in some cases causing severe injury. Settlers have also targeted homes, torched cars, vandalised and uprooted olive trees and other crops, as well as stolen livestock.

The violence has occurred across the West Bank, from the Havat Ma'on outpost in the hills south of Hebron to the area around the Shilo settlement, including the villages of al-Mughayir, Turmusaya, Qaryut and Qusrah. Palestinian shepherds have also targeted in the Jordan valley, near the settlements of Rimonim and Kochav Hashahar.

The tragedy is that the Israeli state, represented by the army, endorses such actions, said Prof Bernard Sabella, Fatah's representative for Jerusalem and executive secretary of the Palestinian Refugee Service of the Middle East Council of Churches. At best, "the military does nothing" to stem the violence, but, in some cases, they even connive with the settlers.

During the coronavirus outbreak, Palestinians and Israelis hoped for a "better political response; in reality, what we see is settlers increasing their attacks against property, individuals, assets and activities.

Olive groves, both old and new, have been targeted. Settlers have uprooted them. The aim is to dispossess Palestinian farmers and steal their land. B-Tselem's report is true. It paints a terrible picture but there are more by other NGOs.

One incident stands out. On 16 April, a group of settlers attacked two brothers, Issa and Musa Qatash, from the al-Jalazun refugee camp, and beat them so badly that they required medical attention with one brother suffering a fractured leg, all this under the watchful eyes of Israeli soldiers who did nothing to stop the assault.

For Prof Bernard Sabella, "We are faced with a political agenda in which settlers want to seize land through attacks, intimidation, and violence, with the backing of one Israeli political faction (the radical right) in view of future annexation.

Israels current political situation underscores this picture as it moves towards a government of national emergency that favours annexation. Settlers systematic attacks against the Palestinians are part of a shared strategy whose goal is to seize Palestinian assets.

In some cases, Israels military provides cover for the attacks. The fact that such incidents have increased during a world pandemic adds another layer of brutality to Israel's policy.

"Yesterday, Sabella explained, the Israeli government decided not to transfer hundreds of million dollars of taxes (collected in the West Bank) to the Palestinian Authority under the pretext of terrorism. It wants to use the funds to compensate the victims of violence".

The situation is complicated. It is not clear how it will be possible to find a way out because we cannot see any wise leaders in Israel. Other players, including Europe, do nothing concrete other than repeat the same thing.
- Equity Group Foundation, with support from Equity Bank, Mastercard Foundation, and the family of James Mwangi committed KSh 1.1 billion to support COVID-19 response in Kenya

- The commitment included KSh 300 million contribution from Equity Bank, KSh 500 million from the Mastercard Foundation and KSh 300 million contribution from Mwangi's family

- The funds would go towards the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline medical personnel dealing with COVID-19 patients in public hospitals in Kenya

- Equity Bank PLC Rwanda family also contributed over 22,000 testing kits worth over KSh 112 million to the government of Rwanda in support of efforts to combat the pandemic in the country

Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi's family has donated KSh 300 million to the COVID-19 emergency kitty.

The contribution was part of the KSh 1.1 billion donated by Equity group foundation which contributed KSh 300 million and Mastercard Foundation which donated KSh 500 million.

READ ALSO: Can't pay, won't pay: Parents take Brookhouse School to court for demanding full fees

Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi. Photo: Equity Bank.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: CAS Mwangangi confirms 10 new cases of COVID-19 as 5 more recover

Speaking while announcing the initiative, Mwangi said the funds would be used to purchase personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline medical staff dealing with COVID-19 patients in public hospitals in Kenya.

"It started when my attention was drawn to a group of students and doctors who were raising funds for PPEs for young post graduate students especially in Kenyatta National and Referral Hospital (KNH).

When I shared the need with my family, a robust discussion revealed the urgency to holistically address the issue as it was not prudent to provide the PPEs to students without also focusing on the plight of the doctors, nurses, clinical officers, and medical staff," he said.

Mwangi said Equity foundation would work in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to combat coronavirus in Kenya.

"This will ensure a coordinated effort on the national priorities of combating the pandemic, reap the benefits of economies of scale, maximise resource allocation and avoid duplication of efforts in the provision of PPEs,"

"We recognise that none of us can be safe as long as one of us is unsafe. We will endeavor to continue with our engagement and mobilisation of our partners to extend our partnership towards procurement of diagnostic kits. We believe that there is a chance for every Kenyan to get the support they require to overcome the COVID-19 infection," he added.

Equity Bank PLC Rwanda family also contributed over 22,000 testing kits worth over KSh 112 million to the government of Rwanda in support of efforts to combat the pandemic in the country.

The bank's board chairperson Evelyln Rutagwenda said the amount was made of a contribution of KSh 56 million from the bank and another KSh 56 million from James Mwangi's family.

Other individuals and corporates who had donated to the emergency board were Devki Steal Mills chairman Narendra Raval, Safaricom and Co-operative Bank.

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.

How kenyan workers at JKIA were fired and forced to spend the night in the cold | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
In this file photo from 2015 actor Irfan Khan speaks at a promotional event for a sustainable living project in Bangalore. The Life of Pi actor has been struggling with a neuroendocrine tumour). (AFP)RAN

Mumbai: Rubbishing reports that actor Irrfan Khan had passed away, a spokesman for the Bolywood star issued a statement early Wednesday morning stating that the fight was very much on.

The actor is undergoing treatment for a colon infection in a Mumbai hospital. The spokesman said reports of Irrfan Khan's death are "fictional" and , "extreme assumptions"

The 53-year-old actor "is still fighting for his life."

"It's really disappointing to know that there are extreme assumptions being made about Irrfan's health. While we are truly appreciative that people are concerned, it's disheartening to see some sources spread extreme rumours and creating panic.

"Irrfan is a strong person and is still fighting the battle. We really request you to not fall for rumours and not partake in these conversations which are fictional," the statement issued on behalf of Irrfan read.

"We have always actively clarified and shared updates on his health and we will continue doing so," he further said.

In an earlier statement issued on Tuesday evening, the spokesperson had said the actor was admitted to the intensive care unit of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

"Yes, it is true that Irrfan Khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctor's observation," that statement had said.

"His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of his well wishers, he will recover soon," the statement added.

The Piku actor lost his 95-year-old mother Saeeda Begum in Jaipur just three days ago and could not attend the funeral because of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

In early 2018, Irrfan revealed his neuroendocrine tumour diagnosis. The actor stayed away from the public eye as he underwent treatment in the UK. After his return in 2019, he shot for Angrezi Medium, a sequel to his 2017 hit Hindi Medium.

However, his health condition prevented him from promoting the movie, which hit the theatres in March just before the lockdown began on March 25.
EDWARDSVILLE  Little gestures mean a lot, especially during a pandemic, as the emergency room staff at Christian Hospital in St. Louis County discovered recently.

Heidi Janson and her daughter Ally, 15, who live in Edwardsville, recently spent two days baking, frosting and delivering sugar cookies that spelled HERO plus a heart. The cookies  decorated in red and blue frosting  were packaged in transparent plastic bags tied at the top.

Ally had just made some cookies with one of her grandmothers, Heidi explained, adding her daughter came home with a cookie-making kit.

A family friend, Greg Kotty Kottwitz, is the emergency room manager at the hospital and he told Heidi his employees had plenty of donated meals to satisfy them but what they lacked were snacks.

We put the two [Allys recent baking experience and Gregs suggestion] together and thought it would be fun to make some cookies.

Heidi said they spent the first day baking 240, or 20 dozen cookies. On the following day, the pair frosted, packaged and delivered the treats to the hospital in North St. Louis County, mindful of the social distancing requirements.

I think about how happy the nurses were going to be when they got these, Ally said.

More Information LOOKING FOR HEROES Do you know someone who's been a community hero during the coronavirus pandemic? The Intelligencer wants to shine a light on everyday people doing great things during this crisis. If you know someone, send a note and photo to theintelligencer.news@edwpub.net to say who they are and what they have been doing. See More Collapse

She and I spent time together and we had a few laughs, Heidi said. It was fun to do.

The ER staff all signed thank you notes for the cookies but in these uncertain times, they did not mail it to the Jansons; the group snapped photos and emailed them to Heidi instead.

Its the least that we could do to put a smile on somebodys face, Heidi said.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at (618) 659-5735
Military members and veterans can get up to four free months of Apple Music through the Apple Music military discount -- but...
NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League

April 29, 2020



NEW YORK, April 29, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on recent statements by left-wing Catholics:

For some reason, left-wing Catholics think they own Catholicism. As a result, when they perceive that the hierarchy is not heeding their call, they get more than worriedthey get delirious.

The latest event to galvanize the Catholic left has been a conference call that many bishops had with President Trump on April 24. As I pointed out yesterday, they are livid with Cardinal Timothy Dolan for speaking kindly about the president. One of the sources I cited was National Catholic Reporter journalist Michael Sean Winters. Now he has been joined by columnist Jamie Manson and an editorial penned by outgoing editor Tom Roberts.

Manson says Dolan was "seduced by power and celebrity" and Roberts says the bishops were "masterfully manipulated." By contrast, Manson and Roberts really think they are independent thinkers. More important is why they are angry. What angers them are the Church's teachings on marriage, the family, and sexuality.

Manson is a gay activist. "Dolan and his church have won the right to deny loving same-sex couples the chance to adopt children," as well as the right to advise women "about the option of abortion." Similarly, Roberts rails against the "unholy alliance" between the bishops and Trump, noting that it "may get the bishops the abortion ban they so covet, but it will not end the debate."

There it is. Gay marriage and abortion rights are what the National Catholic Reporter prizes. The only thing Catholic about it is its hijacked name.

The same mentality was recently on display when left-wing Catholics wrote a scathing letter to Father Tom Flowers, pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Lewes, Delaware. The occasion for this lengthy missive, which was signed by ten persons, was the pastor's suspected orthodoxy. Yup, he is one of those conservative Catholics.

The letter is a textbook case of what ails left-wing Catholics. It also showcases their delirium. A small sample suffices to make this point.

In their world, there are good guys and bad guys: the good guys are Democrats and the bad guys are Republicans. In childlike fashion they roll out their vision.

They start by stating what they call a "FACT" about Catholicism."Catholicism says Democrats are moral. Catholicism says Republicans are immoral." Then there is this gem: "Keep in mind: Republican government officials show their immorality constantly."

It must be nice to live in a world where Alice in Wonderland is real.

These Catholic malcontents are not satisfied to make their point and disagree. This explains why they call Father Flowers "a child," branding him "ignorant" and a "coward." After maligning him, it was so sweet of them to end by saying, "Signed this day in the spirit of Our Lord."

The Catholic left does not own Catholicism. Quite the opposite. The fundamental reason why they are always angry is because, deep down, they know they don't. The Catechism and the teachings of the Magisterium are the real FACTS, and they are not in accord with the agenda of left-wing Catholics.
An egret searches for breakfast on a foggy morning at Bolinas Lagoon Nature Preserve. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

No one in the reclusive seaside town of Bolinas tested positive for the coronavirus during an unusual privately funded project, Marin County health officials said Wednesday.

Several hours after that announcement, however, officials from UC San Francisco Medical Center disputed that the testing results were final. "No conclusions can be drawn about actual rates of COVID-19 infection in the community until analysis of all samples is complete," a UCSF spokesman said.

A group of volunteers raised private money to have the entire town, including people who work in Bolinas but live outside the community, tested last week. More than 1,800 Bolinas residents and area first responders were swabbed for the virus over four days. UCSF Medical Center is processing the samples.

The tests were performed inside tents in the parking lot of a neighborhood park. Community organizers attributed the lack of positive results to the Bay Area's shelter-in-place orders issued several weeks ago.

On Monday, a sign hangs outside of Bolinas, warning visitors away from the Northern California coastal community. (Maura Dolan / Los Angeles Times)

It took about a month to organize the tests. Volunteers went to a dozen small stores in Marin County, gathering protective suits from hardware stores, gloves from restaurant suppliers, and masks from friends who had ordered them from China.

"We tested pretty much the entire population of Bolinas with [genetic] PCR and antibody tests for about $360,000," said Jyri Engestrom, 42, a venture capitalist who has a home in Bolinas, population 1,680, and who helped organize the project. That $360,000 figure, he said, is close to what it costs to treat a single ICU patient.

Results for the antibody tests are expected next month.

Bolinas residents partnered with UC San Francisco infectious disease researchers to provide the tests to the remote town and a portion of San Francisco's dense Mission District, which had a large outbreak of the disease.

The study of the highly disparate places will provide data about community spread of COVID-19, a UCSF news release said.

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All our public health decisions, including when it will be possible to relax regional and statewide shelter-in-place orders, are driven by rough assumptions about how this virus behaves based on very limited data, said Dr. Bryan Greenhouse, an associate professor of medicine at UCSF.

Studying in detail how the virus has spread in these two distinctive communities will give us crucial data points that we can extrapolate to better predict how to control the virus in similar communities nationwide.

Bolinas organizers said the town had a large population of older residents, who are at high risk.

It was not immediately clear why Marin County announced testing results that were later deemed preliminary by UCSF.
Rep. Justin Amash, the Republican-turned-independent from Michigan, announced Tuesday night that he would explore running for president as a Libertarian, injecting new volatility into a presidential campaign already unsettled by the coronavirus.

Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together, Amash wrote on Twitter. Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.

He posted a link to a new website, Amash for America, that included a quotation suggesting he was poised to run: Lets do this.

A 40-year-old conservative, Amash left the GOP last year because of his unease with how the party had rallied to President Donald Trump. But it is unclear how his candidacy could affect the race and specifically whether he would help or hinder Trumps re-election.

Amash may aid the president by winning right-of-centre voters who dont like the president and would have reluctantly supported former vice-president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. But he also could siphon critical votes away from the president by giving small-government conservatives a political home.

What is certain, though, is that his presence on the ballot in key states could play a pivotal role in November: Trump won the presidency four years ago thanks in part to the votes captured by third-party candidates.

The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in 35 states to date, but the virus outbreak has made it all but impossible to continue the signature-gathering some states require for ballot access. Whether the party gets on the ballot in the remaining states may be determined in the courts. And those decisions could prove significant because for now Libertarians do not have a line in such competitive states as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Nicholas Sarwark, the national chairman of the Libertarian Party, said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening that he had spoken with Amash earlier in the day and welcomed him to the race. Sarwark said he was neutral in the nomination contest but added of Amash, Im happy that he decided to seek the nomination.

Sarwark said Amash, a five-term congressman, would most likely be a formidable candidate to be the partys standard-bearer. He noted that if Amash changed his affiliation in Congress  from independent to Libertarian  he would be the first member of the House formally aligned with the party. That could give Amash special credibility, Sarwark said.

At the same time, the chairman cautioned that some in the Libertarian Party felt singed by several other candidates joining the partys ranks in recent years seemingly for the purpose of appropriating its ballot line. They include former Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, a former Republican who was the Libertarian presidential nominee in 2008, and former Gov. Bill Weld of Massachusetts, a Republican who briefly became a Libertarian in 2016 to run as the partys vice-presidential candidate.

Those are the two big countervailing forces, Sarwark said, referring to Amashs political stature and the late hour of his party switch.

Libertarians were expected to decide on a nominee at a convention next month in Austin, Texas, but the plans for that gathering are uncertain because of the pandemic. Sarwark said there would be a conversation among Libertarian Party leaders Saturday about whether to postpone the convention until the summer, shift to a virtual convention or pursue another option.

Just as fluid is how Amash would shape the race between Trump and Biden. As the Libertarian Party nominee in 2016, former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico won 3.3 per cent nationwide and thousands of critical votes in battleground states. But that was when many right-leaning voters were skeptical Trump could win and viewed Johnson as a place-holder for them to not vote for Trump or Hillary Clinton.

Still, while there may be less of a market for third-party candidates in 2020, Democrats eager to defeat Trump dont want to take any chances  especially with a candidate like Amash who voted to impeach the president.

I have admired the courage you have shown in standing up to Donald Trump, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night to Amash. But your presidential candidacy only increases the possibility that he wins reelection, an outcome that would be catastrophic. For the good of the country, I urge you to reconsider.

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Like U.S. states planning to ease restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, nations around the world are taking different steps to try to return to normal.

As of Wednesday, more than 3.1 million people had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and more than 224,000 have died from it. While those totals continue to grow, governments around the globe are optimistic that lockdowns that have brought economic activity to a near halt may soon be relaxed.

Heres a quick look at where some large nations stand in the fight against the virus.

China

The country where the pandemic originated, China has also been the first to lift a two-month lockdown in parts of the country, including the city of Wuhan, where the first cases were detected. As of Wednesday, Chinese officials had reported 83,940 cases of COVID-19 and 4,637 deaths. Concluding that the virus cannot be eradicated, the government has put in place a series of new rules at reopened schools and businesses, including cellphone tracing apps and mandatory face masks. Foreigners are banned from entering the country.

Italy

As of May 4, Italian citizens will again be allowed to visit their relatives in small groups. While many businesses, including bookstores and dry cleaners, have already reopened, school will not resume until September. More than 203,500 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Italy, which has reported more than 27,600 deaths.

Health workers hold a minute of silence in Madrid, April 20. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain

For the first time in six weeks, the Spanish government allowed children last Sunday to play outside. Nearly 300,000 nonessential workers returned to their jobs in mid-April in and around Madrid. But because the rate of new reported cases has not declined quickly enough, lawmakers have extended a state of emergency until May 9. Spain is second only to the U.S. in number of reported cases (236,900). More than 24,000 people have died of COVID-19 there.

Sweden

Following a different approach to the pandemic from its European neighbors, Sweden has not enacted a lockdown of its population to combat the coronavirus. Its government has banned gatherings of more than 50 people, canceled all sporting events and shuttered museums. The attempt at allowing the virus to circulate in order to bolster herd immunity has so far resulted in just over 20,000 confirmed cases of the virus and nearly 2,500 deaths, which is more than double the deaths reported in Denmark (443), Norway (207), and Finland (206) combined.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia

After initially sending a planeload of supplies to the U.S. to help treat COVID-19, Vladimir Putins government now finds itself struggling to keep up with new cases in its own nation. With the total of confirmed cases nearing 100,000, Putin on Tuesday extended lockdown measures through May 11. So far, at least 972 people have died of COVID-19 in Russia.

Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has continually discounted the threat from the coronavirus, which he likened to a little flu that he said shouldnt keep people from avoiding the workplace like cowards. While Brazil has not put a national lockdown in place, local governors have put restrictions in place, and Bolosonaro has, like President Trump, given his support to citizens protesting them. As the southern hemisphere moves through autumn, the virus is expected to continue its spread in Latin Americas most populous nation. So far, more than 74,000 Brazilians have tested positive for COVID-19, which has killed at least 5,158.

India

In a bid to keep his countrys health care system from being inundated with patients infected by the coronavirus, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide three-week lockdown on March 24. That has since been extended until May 3. For states with remaining hot spots, the restrictions will extend even further, Modi said this week. India is still working out how it will go about lifting the lockdown. More than 31,700 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the worlds second most populous country. Just over 1,000 deaths have been reported from the virus.

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Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

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The daughter of a Pennsylvania nursing home resident has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a supposed failure by the state Department of Health to inspect such homes has exposed some residents to unauthorized biomedical experimentation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Such research violates state, federal and international law, including the Nuremburg Code that was passed in reaction to Nazi Germanys gruesome medical experiments on concentration camp inmates, Jodi Gill contends in the U.S. Western District Court complaint she seeks to have certified as a class-action suit.

Gill claims she was contacted on April 10 for consent to have her 81-year-old father, a resident of the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver, undergo an experimental drug study she was told was to find out whether the drug combination of hydroxychloroquine and zinc would prevent infection with COVID-19.

Gill claims she was coerced into giving that consent. She says she subsequently discovered that no appropriate medical agency had authorized the study in which Brighton officials wanted her father and other residents to participate.

That irregularity would have been discovered had the Health Department not ceased inspections of nursing facilities, she contends. These individuals represent the most fragile in our society and deserve protection, not exploitation, her suit states.

Our investigation shows that the Department of Health is not performing legally mandated inspections, including an inspection in relation to a complaint made by Ms. Gill, said attorney Bob Daley of Robert Peirce and Associates, one of the law firms representing Gill. We are filing this suit to get a court ordered injunction requiring the state to conduct these mandatory inspections.

Gill is asking the court to order the Department of Health to immediately conduct inspections of long-term care facilities to determine the adequacy of infection control procedures in light of the current public health emergency.

She also seeks orders requiring the state to report all COVID-19 cases by facility  something it isnt doing now  and to intervene to prevent any biomedical testing on residents that has not been properly sanctioned.

When asked about Gills suit, Maggi Mumma, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said Wednesday that the agency doesnt comment on pending litigation.

MORE: Mapping 7,698 resident cases in Pa. nursing and personal care homes: April 29 county-by-county details

Spotlight PA has reported that federal regulators have halted regular inspections of nursing homes and the state has said it would only investigate complaints that indicate patients are in immediate jeopardy.

More than half of the COVID-19 deaths reported in Pennsylvania have involved residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Last week, AARP called on the state government to identify the facilities that have logged coronavirus cases.

Nursing homes throughout the state are in virtual lockdown because of COVID-19 with family members in most cases barred from visiting residents.
Tracking the aggregated movements of people using their mobile phone data may help predict the geographical and temporal spread of COVID-19 infections up to two weeks ahead of time, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Nature, analysed the distribution of population outflows from Wuhan, China, during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020.

According to the scientists, including Nicholas Christakis, from Yale University in the US, large-scale population movements can contribute to localised outbreaks of a disease becoming widespread epidemics.

In the study, they assessed anonymised mobile phone data from a major national carrier in China to analyse the movements of more than 11 million people who spent at least 2 hours in Wuhan between 1 and 24 January 2020, when the quarantine was imposed.

The researchers linked the data to COVID-19 infection rates until 19 February from 296 prefectures in 31 provinces and regions throughout China.

According to the study, quarantine restrictions were highly effective at substantially reducing movement, with population outflows dropping by 52 per cent from 22 January to 23 January, and by a further 94 per cent on 24 January.

They also showed that the distribution of population outflows could accurately predict the frequency and geographical locations of COVID-19 infections in China up to two weeks in advance.

The model could also identify potential high-transmission-risk cities at an early stage of the outbreak, the scientists said, adding that it could be used to assess COVID-19 community transmission risk over time in different locations in the future.

Using the method, the researchers said policymakers in other countries which have mobile phone data available could make rapid and accurate risk assessments, and plan the allocation of limited resources during outbreaks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Irrfan Khan, as much at home in the Hollywood extravaganza Jurassic World as in the introspective The Lunchbox, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. The actor also worked with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt on a couple of films. The Footpath director posted a heartfelt note about his last meeting with the actor post his diagnosis of endocrine tumour.

Sharing a throwback picture with Irrfan on Twitter, he recalled their last rendezvous and wrote, Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi...Remember singing this song holding his hand when I met him after he was diagnosed. He smiled .The warmth of your smile will forever linger my friend. Alvida dost.

Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi...Remember singing this song holding his hand when I met him after he was diagnosed. He smiled .The warmth of your smile will forever linger my friend. Alvida dost  pic.twitter.com/camRkKqimC  Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) April 29, 2020

Also read: Irrfan Khan left us too soon: Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar lead Bollywood in mourning loss of actor

Also read: RIP Irrfan Khan: Leonardo DiCaprio to Steven Spielberg, Hollywood legends the actor turned down to work in India

The slow number Maine Dil Se Kaha is from Irrfans 2005 film Rog, in which he played the lead protagonist -- law abiding Inspector Uday Singh Rathod who was in-charge of investigating a murder mystery. The film was written by Mahesh and had Ilene Hamann, a model from South Africa as the female lead.

Also read: Irrfan Khan lives through his work, here are 8 of his most memorable films including his last

Also read: RIP Irrfan Khan: Before films, did you know he gave up a career in cricket because he couldnt afford a Rs 200 ticket?

Irrfan Khan broke the news of his diagnosis with a heartbreaking note in March, 2018. He wrote, Sometimes you wake up with a jolt with life shaking you up. The last fifteen days, my life has been a suspense story. Little had I known that my search for rare stories would make me find a rare disease. I have never given up and have always fought for my choices and always will. My family and friends are with me and we are working it out the best way possible. Requesting his fans to not speculate, he had ended the note saying, Till then, wish the best for me.

Also read: Irrfan Khan found beauty even in pain: Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, Ava DuVernay lead Hollywood in paying tribute

Also read: Irrfan Khan, the commoner Khan who became a star

Apart from Rog, Irrfan featured in three more films including Kasoor, Gunaah and Footpath, all of which were written by Mahesh. He featured as a public prosecutor Nitin Mehta in Kasoor that marked the Bollywood debut of Lisa Ray. The actor played the role of a police Inspector Digvijay Pandey in the 2002 film Gunaah, which had Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea in lead roles. This was followed by Vikram Bhatt directed Footpath (2003) which had Irrfan in the role of Sheikh.

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The Union home ministrys order on Wednesday allowing migrant workers, tourists, students and other people stranded amid the lockdown in different parts of the country to return to their respective destinations with certain conditions has cleared the decks for return of migrants from Bihar in other states.

Bihars Additional Solicitor General SD Sanjay said the Union home ministrys order would now be submitted in the Patna High Court which is scheduled to hear on May 5 a bunch of four public interest litigations (PILs) seeking direction to the Bihar government for the evacuation of stranded students.

The Centres order gives hope to students as well as migrants to return home from states where they have been stranded since the lockdown began.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the decision of the Centre with regard to stranded migrant population, including students, was a welcome step and in keeping with states request. The Centre has taken a positive decision on our request. This will help a great deal in bringing back the interested migrant population stranded in different states. Following the Centres guidelines is in the interest of everyone. Bihar government has always followed the directions issued under the Disaster Management Act, he said.

Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for accepting the states request to have a standard protocol for stranded migrants.

The matter was also raised by chief minister Nitish Kumar during PMs video conferencing with CMs. The CM wanted go-ahead from the Centre. Now, the order will help Bihar bring back students and other stranded anywhere, he added.

LJP MP Chirag Paswan was quick to thank home minister Amit Shah for relaxing norms to ensure return of migrants, while RJD claimed that its relentless demand for return of migrants had borne fruits. Leader of Opposition Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav said that now the migrants should be brought back at the earliest.

Nitish Kumar had so far refused to evacuate students from Kota. He had said that the state was strictly adhering to the central guidelines on the lockdown, and it will not be possible to evacuate anybody until the Centre amended or issued fresh directive in this regard.

The MHA order says that in case of inter-state movement, the sending and receiving states may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road.

The moving persons would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed. Sanitized buses with social distancing among passengers shall be used for transport of group of persons, says the order from home secretary Ajay Bhalla.

The states/UTs on the transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving state and on arrival such passengers would again be assessed by the local health authorities and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires them to keep them in institutional quarantine.

They will be kept under watch required to undergo periodic health checkup. They may be encouraged to install Araogya Setu App for regular tracking, says the order.

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The signing was virtually hosted and witnessed by VIOD directors and members connected from different locations in Vietnam.

The fruitful collaboration and technical support from IFC and other stakeholders have been very effective to help position VIOD as a leading corporate governance practitioner and promoter in the market, said Ha Thu Thanh, VIOD Boards Chairperson. This cooperation agreement is a further step forward in supporting VIOD to strengthen its capacity to respond to the market needs, especially during the most challenging times as the current COVID-19.

On April 5, 2020, VIOD celebrated its second anniversary, marking its endless efforts to become a professional and pioneering organization in advancing corporate governance standards in Vietnam and supporting the professional development of board directors.

Past crisis experiences have proven that good corporate governance is a key driver in helping economies and companies recover, said Kyle Kelhofer, IFC Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. In partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Government of Japan, IFCs continued support to VIOD will expand the joint efforts to promote good corporate governance practices by local companies toward sustainable development and positive contribution to the Vietnams economy.

With IFCs support, a webinar on how corporate governance can help companies overcome crisis was also held on the same day for VIODs facilitators, directors and goodwill network members. About 50 attendees were presented with Vietnams economic and business sector reactions to COVID-19 outbreak and possible upcoming trends by Dr. Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Head of Research of Dragon Capital.

While the crisis is currently causing negative impacts on the whole economy, it also is an occasion for companies to assess how good corporate governance can help them weather the crisis successfully, drawing on the experiences including Thailands financial crisis experience more than two decades ago. At the event, Dr. Bandid Nijathaworn, Chairman of Foundation for Public Policy and Good Governance and Former President & CEO of the Institute of Directors of Thailand discussed measures that can better ensure companies resilience and enable a dynamic recovery from the crisis.

Crisis provides an opportunity to reassess or strengthen what we have to achieve a better future outcome, said Dr. Bandid Nijathaworn. Companies that can rise to the challenges in this crisis will be those that are financially sound, resilient, and gain the trust of the public.

With IFCs support, this webinar is the first among a series to be organized over the next three months to help VIOD member companies stand firm and quickly recover from the COVID-19 crisis.



Van Anh
The Aarogya Setu app for feature phones is in development and will run on JioPhone

The Government of India had earlier released the Aarogya Setu app for contact tracing of people who may have been infected with COVID-19, however, the app is currently available only for smartphones. The IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has now announced that a version of the app is also being developed for feature phones.

The Aargoya Setup app was released on Android and iOS in order to alert a user if he/she has come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The only problem with this approach was that it relied on the user owning a smartphone for the app to work. However, given the massive rural population in India, and the fact that we still have a major chunk of the population using feature phones, the lack of an app for them was a major hole in the strategy of combating the Coronavirus.

According to Business Standard, the Minister had tweeted that, "Every state highly appreciated the #AarogyaSetu app and shared their thoughts on it. I have assured them that a similar solution for feature phones is being developed and will be launched very soon," which confirms that a feature phone version of the app is in development. The publication further reports that the app will work on JioPhone, which itself runs on KaiOS.

Contact tracing is one essential method of curtailing the spread of Coronavirus. People may not even know theyve been exposed to someone who has been tested positive for the COVID-19 infection. Apple and Google too came together for their own API for contact tracing, one that has stirred up plenty of controversy and concern. However, Germany recently announced that they will be using the tech giants API instead of developing their own app.

When the Aarogya Setup app had initially launched, there was some scepticism around the kind of information the app would collect from users devices. The government at the time had stated that the app would share the data only with the government, and would not make any users name or phone number available to third parties. The app, since its launch, has not sen any major privacy related controversy either.
While President Donald Trump's impeachment gripped the country in late 2019 and early 2020, the long-term consequences of his trial and acquittal for American democracy remain yet unclear. What's clear already, however, is that both the public's and political experts' perceptions of the health of US democracy clearly declined during this period.

Those are the findings of an academic watchdog group that conducted its latest survey between March 12 and April 15.

Since February 2017, Bright Line Watch, a nonpartisan group of political scientists, has been surveying the American public as well as colleagues in academia in an effort to gauge the relative well-being of the nation's democracy. The group, which includes University of Rochester political science professor Gretchen Helmke, has been monitoring US democratic practices and potential threats.

The Bright Line Watch surveys consist of a two-part list of more than 25 statements of democratic principles that contribute to the overall stability and performance of American democracy. The first part asks citizens and experts to rate these democratic principles on how vital they are for democracy. The second part asks both citizens and experts how the US is performing on each of these principles.

Among the experts, the latest survey recorded 63.4 on a 0-100 scale of US democratic performance-- the worst overall rating since Bright Line Watch started asking these questions in 2017.

During the last year, the experts' ratings dropped on 15 of the 27 surveyed democratic principles, while none showed improvement. The biggest declines in performance relate to accountability, institutional checks and balances, and the rights and protections of individuals.

Ratings among the public show a similar decline, dropping from 54.3 in March 2019 to 49.3 a year later. Both expert and public evaluations mark substantial declines from a peak after the 2018 elections, which the team attributes to "an apparent increase in legal and political checks on President Trump following the 2018 midterm election, including investigations into the administration and the President's associates by law enforcement officials and Congress."

Meanwhile, the recent declines continue the trend already observed in the group's October 2019 survey. That drop came after the whistleblower report on Trump's Ukraine phone call.

Worth noting is that the decrease in public ratings is driven by Americans who disapprove of the president. For this group, assessments of democracy declined between March and October 2019 and remained low in the most recent survey. By contrast, ratings were stable among Trump approvers, the team writes in its latest survey.

Key findings of Bright Line Watch's March/April 2020 survey

The survey found that experts:

rated American democracy as performing sharply worse in March 2020 than in March 2019, the group's last survey before the impeachment process began

gave a lower rating to performance on democratic principles mainly related to impeachment

compared to a year ago, were more skeptical that investigations of public officials were free of political interference

do not regard the impeachment as having constrained President Trump. On the contrary, they identify many actions he and his allies took during the impeachment process as abnormal, and indicate that the process as a whole will embolden Trump substantially, an effect that may also extend to future presidents.

The survey of the general public showed that:

Americans remain divided in their evaluation of the performance of US democracy

the views of those who approve of President Trump have remained stable over the past year

those who disapprove of the president perceive a decline in democratic performance

the gap between the two groups is widest on principles of citizen equality and on checks on executive authority.

"We cannot establish any firm causal connections between real-world events and expert responses," says Helmke. "But the fact that the biggest declines correspond to measures related to accountability and checks and balances means our latest results are certainly consistent with the concern that the impeachment and acquittal of President Trump has had negative consequences for the experts' perceptions of the health of American democracy."

The scientists found strong consensus among the expert sample that the results of the impeachment and subsequent acquittal would embolden President Trump (79 percent) and that the effect would similarly embolden future presidents (59 percent).

"In our system, checks and balances function mainly as deterrents," Helmke says. "If politicians no longer believe that they will be sanctioned for pushing--let alone breaking--the law, then future transgressions become that much more likely."

However, the Bright Line Watch team cautions that the survey was conducted under the long shadow of the novel coronavirus. While the results are largely consistent with past surveys, it is too early to tell how the pandemic might have influenced survey responses.

###

What is Bright Line Watch?

One of the greatest threats to democracy is the idea that it is unassailable. That's the tagline of the nonpartisan Bright Line Watch initiative originally founded by University of Rochester's Gretchen Helmke and three other political scientists--Brendan Nyhan and John Carey of Dartmouth College, and Susan Stokes of the University of Chicago--that gauges the health of US democracy at regular intervals.
After two passengers on their luxury cruise tested positive for Covid-19 in March, Emilio and Barbara Hernandez were so frantic to get off the ship, they wrote a note to the captain.

The Costa Luminosa sailed on with them still onboard, and they ended up with the virus. Now recovering, the Hernandezes and 98 fellow passengers have sued Costa Cruise Lines Inc., a brand owned by Carnival Corp., alleging the firm endangered passengers lives through negligence and bad decision-making.

A Costa spokeswoman said the company stepped up its sanitation of ships and then took action, including quarantining passengers, after it learned of the positive test results.

The Hernandezes and their fellow plaintiffs are seeking class-action status. They may have rough sailing ahead.

The tickets that cruise passengers buy resemble legal contracts, and they generally contain language barring customers from filing class-action suits  lawsuits that allow one or more plaintiffs to act on behalf of a larger group. Thats just one of several built-in legal protections in cruise tickets meant to safeguard companies against a rash of litigation thats already arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

These claims are enormous  nothing the industrys seen before with so many passengers fallen sick and bringing suit, said Martin Davies, director of the Tulane Maritime Law Center at Tulane University Law School. Any judgments would be paid out of an insurance pool that the cruise lines have formed, Davies said.

Currently, no cruise company faces more claims related to the virus than Carnival, the industrys largest operator. At least 22 lawsuits have been filed against Carnival-owned companies, seeking millions of dollars in damages. The company said it doesnt comment on active litigation.

By comparison, Celebrity Cruises, owned by the second-largest company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., faces just one U.S. lawsuit so far: a proposed class-action filed by crew members who allege Celebrity failed to protect them from the virus. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the third largest, faces a shareholder lawsuit that alleges the company failed to disclose adverse facts that affected it due to Covid-19. Lawyers say passenger suits against other cruise companies are probably coming.

Some of the virus-related claims, including the Hernandezes case, seek class-action status and involve multiple plaintiffs, totaling almost 200 so far.

But suits seeking class-action certifications face an uphill battle, Davies said, because of language contained in the passengers tickets. Provided thats what the contract says, generally the courts will find that enforceable.

Range of Protections

Its not uncommon for big businesses of all sorts to insist on class-action waivers in their contracts, but cruise operators have a range of other legal protections as well. Some of them stem from byzantine maritime laws that date to the 19th Century, when policy makers wanted to encourage investment in the shipping industry.

If you print out one of these tickets, its like 20 pages of gobbledygook, said John Hickey, a maritime lawyer. Hickey, who spent almost two decades defending cruise operators in court, now represents plaintiffs against them. Most people have no idea the limitations theyre presented with.

For example, judgments for deaths that occur far from U.S. ports are limited by the Death on the High Seas Act, enacted in 1920. Most ticket contracts limit any legal actions to select federal courts, predominantly in Florida or Los Angeles, no matter where the customers live. And most of them require passengers to notify a cruise operator within six months that they intend to sue.

In general, cruise industry representatives say its unfair to single out cruise operators, who they say implemented more aggressive screening and prevention measures related to Covid-19 than other travel sectors did.

Cruise lines took immediate and aggressive action based on the information that was available when it was available every step of the way, said Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Association. Importantly, all decisions were based upon the expertise and guidance of prevailing health authorities.

The Hernandezes tickets for the Costa Luminosa contained a patently unfair prohibition on class actions, said their lawyer, Michael Winkleman of Florida. He acknowledged significant hurdles for their lawsuit, which alleges that the bar on class actions should be voided because Costa Cruise Lines acted intentionally by exposing passengers to a highly contagious virus for which theres no vaccine.

If the case isnt certified as a class action, Winkleman said, he intends to file cases for the plaintiffs individually or in smaller groups. Class-action lawsuits, which can result in larger judgments or settlements, can help to move cases more swiftly for plaintiffs. Most plaintiffs law firms that pursue them do so on a no win, no fee basis, banking on bigger payouts, said Davies, the maritime-law professor.

Suits Allegations

The ship never should have sailed, Emilio Hernandez, 51, said in an interview. They put profit over the safety of passengers and crew.

He and his wife almost canceled their March 5 sailing on the Costa Luminosa to Antigua and Europe, but Costa assured them precautions would be taken, he said. Their lawsuit alleges that the operator proceeded with the trip despite knowing that at least one passenger from the ships previous voyage, who disembarked Feb. 29, had coronavirus symptoms.

That passenger left for a medical emergency that was not even connected to any flu-like symptoms, said Rossella Carrara, a spokeswoman for the cruise operators Italian parent company, Costa Crociere Group, which is also owned by Carnival.

Sanitation procedures on the ship were stepped up ahead of the Hernandezes cruise, Carrara said, and a quarantine of all passengers and other measures, such as daily temperature checks, were adopted after the company learned of positive test results.

Costa has said previously that the company passed information to Costa Luminosa passengers as soon as it received it and that it suspended new cruises on March 13, the day it learned that a passenger on its cruise had tested positive.

Many of the coronavirus lawsuits filed thus far argue that the companies should have known how infectious the pathogen was after an outbreak in late February on the Diamond Princess, which is operated by Carnivals Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. What began as fewer than a dozen infections quickly spread to more than 700 passengers and eventually killed at least 13 despite a quarantine of the vessel off Yokohama, Japan.

Lawsuits filed by passengers of another Princess vessel, the Grand Princess, allege that the cruise line knew some people aboard had Covid-19 symptoms when the ship docked and boarded new passengers in San Francisco on Feb. 21 for a cruise to Hawaii. The two symptomatic passengers disembarked that day; one tested positive shortly afterward and died, prompting California officials to refuse to let the ship dock.

The Grand Princess suits, filed by lawyer Debi Chalik, claim that the cruise operator alerted passengers of the ships previous cruise about potential Covid-19 exposure in a Feb. 25 email, but didnt warn passengers on its Hawaii cruise. Chaliks office said its representing dozens of plaintiffs.

A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said the companys response to the Covid-19 outbreak has focused on the well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters dictated to us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness. She said the company doesnt comment on pending litigation.

On March 4, Carnivals Chief Medical Officer, Grant Tarling, notified passengers and crew on the Grand Princess that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was investigating a cluster of coronavirus cases connected to the previous voyage, according to the Princess website. It warned the 60 or so guests who also had sailed on that trip that they may have been exposed. It was then  two weeks after the voyage began  that testing started, the suits allege.

When the ship was finally permitted to dock, 21 people tested positive. All American travelers were quarantined on U.S. military bases.

Carnivals President and Chief Executive Officer, Arnold Donald, told Bloomberg Businessweek in an April 16 article that his companys response was reasonable under the circumstances. This is a generational global event  its unprecedented, he said.

Inspections Questioned

Before the new coronavirus, the cruise industry had generally avoided large-scale litigation over infectious disease outbreaks at sea. Since 2006, thered been fewer than 10 lawsuits filed over norovirus, the notorious gastrointestinal ailment that for years has ruined some passengers experiences.

Yet many of the Covid-19 lawsuits raise questions about the inspections that U.S. officials instituted in response to norovirus outbreaks. Plaintiffs in the Grand Princess suits claim the cruise operator didnt adequately sanitize the vessel between voyages. And Winkleman, the Hernandezes lawyer, said he plans to focus part of his cases on Carnivals record of ship inspections and history of outbreaks at sea.

The Costa Luminosa and the Grand Princess both have unremarkable inspection records. Ships need an 86 or higher to pass under the CDCs Vessel Sanitation Program. The Costa Luminosa was last inspected on Jan. 5 and received a 94. The Grand Princess passed its last inspection in June with a 93.

The program subjects ships that dock at U.S. ports to surprise inspections twice a year. Since 2016, ships owned by Carnival fail about 3% of their inspections. Norwegian Cruise Line has the worst failure rate at 4% and Royal Caribbeans rate is about 1%.

Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell noted that the company makes up about half the industry, and said its ships typically perform extremely well during inspections. He said Carnival-owned ships have received the highest number of perfect scores as well.

For now, with cruises canceled and the industry in a kind of suspended animation, the lawsuits and their claims represent a potential challenge that cruise operators havent seen before, said Ross Klein, an associate dean at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada who has studied the cruise industry for more than two decades. There are still a lot of ifs about the success of the legal claims, he said, but the risk for the companies is there.

The industry hasnt had any calamitous losses  nothing that would be potentially as large as this if the cases proceed in court, Klein said.

With assistance from Christopher Palmeri, Jonathan Levin and Kevin Varley.

Photograph: The Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland on March 10, 2020. Many passengers were diagnosed with coronavirus. Photo credit: David Morris, Bloomberg.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits COVID-19 USA
Could Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BHLB) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations.

In this case, Berkshire Hills Bancorp likely looks attractive to investors, given its 5.6% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. The company also bought back stock during the year, equivalent to approximately 6.1% of the company's market capitalisation at the time. Remember though, given the recent drop in its share price, Berkshire Hills Bancorp's yield will look higher, even though the market may now be expecting a decline in its long-term prospects. Before you buy any stock for its dividend however, you should always remember Warren Buffett's two rules: 1) Don't lose money, and 2) Remember rule #1. We'll run through some checks below to help with this.

Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis

NYSE:BHLB Historical Dividend Yield April 29th 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. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. Berkshire Hills Bancorp paid out 45% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. This is a middling range that strikes a nice balance between paying dividends to shareholders, and retaining enough earnings to invest in future growth. Plus, there is room to increase the payout ratio over time.

Consider getting our latest analysis on Berkshire Hills Bancorp's financial position here.

Dividend Volatility

From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Berkshire Hills Bancorp's dividend 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 US$0.64 in 2010, compared to US$0.96 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 4.1% per year over this time.

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Slow and steady dividend growth might not sound that exciting, but dividends have been stable for ten years, which we think is seriously impressive.

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. Berkshire Hills Bancorp has grown its earnings per share at 8.4% per annum over the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing at a credible rate. What's more, the payout ratio is reasonable and provides some protection to the dividend, or even the potential to increase it.

Conclusion

To summarise, shareholders should always check that Berkshire Hills Bancorp'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 Berkshire Hills Bancorp has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. Next, growing earnings per share and steady dividend payments is a great combination. Berkshire Hills Bancorp fits all of our criteria, and we think there are a lot of positives to it from a dividend perspective.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Berkshire Hills Bancorp (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing.

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.
Scott Morrison has been accused of 'devaluing' teachers for telling them to go back to work - despite Australia's top health adviser declaring it is safe to reopen schools.

Melbourne high school teacher Karla Owen took a swipe at the prime minister four days after he urged states to immediately reopen schools on advice from Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy.

'Why is Mr Morrison putting teachers - one of the country's most important resources - in harm's way? Why are we so expendable?' Ms Owen said on Monday night's Q+A program on the ABC.

Her embittered remarks are despite mounting evidence to back the medical advice that children are less prone to catching and spreading COVID-19.

New South Wales Health conducted a large study, including testing children with no virus symptoms and found no evidence they were transmitting the disease.

But Ms Owen said the prime minister's remarks were a 'slap in the face' to all teachers.

Melbourne high school teacher Karla Owen took a swipe at Mr Morrison on Monday night's Q+A program, saying he had 'berated and devalued' educators

Ms Owen's comments come four days after Mr Morrison (left) criticised teachers' unions for protesting the return to classrooms. Right: Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan

'Mr Morrison came out last week and essentially berated and devalued teachers,' she continued.

'Parliament originally stated they would sit in August but it's been brought forward to mid-May.

'Part of the reason for this was due to issues surrounding social distancing, but ScoMo [Mr Morrison] has said all along schools are a safe place to be.

'What makes parliamentarians more important than me? They can social distance more easily than I can, and they probably will, but in schools this is certainly not the case.'

Ms Owen's questions were directed at Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan, who jumped to Mr Morrison's defence.

Return to schools state-by-state Victoria and Tasmania: Parents continue to be encouraged to keep their children at home if possible. New South Wales: Students will have a slow return to classrooms from May 11 Western Australia: WA has made a 'soft start' to schooling with year 11 and 12 students strongly encouraged to attend in person. South Australia: The school term resumed as normal on Tuesday but the premier estimated just under two-thirds of students attended. Advertisement

'All state and territory governments have been very conscious about the health and welfare of teachers and principals and teachers' aides right across this nation,' Mr Tehan said.

'What we've done consistently right throughout this pandemic is taken the advice of the medical expert panel.

'And that advice has been consistent right throughout this pandemic - that it's been safe for students to go to school and, with the right protocols in place, it's safe for teachers to go to school and teach students.

'That's why it has been the consistent approach taken throughout this pandemic.'

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth, who also appeared on the Q+A panel, said studies showed it was safe to keep schools open.

'We need to take a step back to the principle, which is that schools are safe places because children don't tend to get the disease as severely, they don't tend to transmit the disease as much as adults, and for whatever reason COVID-19 appears to be a disease where we need to be most worried about adults in the workplace, rather than children,' he said.

Ms Owen's remarks come four days after Mr Morrison criticised teachers' unions for protesting the return to classrooms.

The prime minister's insistence that classrooms are safe has drawn mixed reactions, with some unions threatening to stand firm against returning to normal operations.

In some states, teachers' unions have continued to urge families not to send children to school.

'I mean, we've got people who are going to work in supermarkets every day,' Mr Morrison told Sky News.

'We've got people who are doing jobs all over the community, driving buses, and they're doing great work and they're turning up to work to do those things.'

Mr Morrison said the risk for teachers was 'not in the classroom; their risk is in the staffroom'.

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said NSW Health has done a large study including testing children with no virus symptoms and found no evidence they were transmitting the disease.

'This is quite different from influenza, where we know they are sometimes super-spreaders and can spread the virus,' he told reporters last Friday.

'Most children who have contracted the virus in Australia have contracted it in the family home ... not contracted it in the school environment.'

Parents in Victoria continue to be encouraged to keep their children at home if possible.

The Tasmanian government is doing the same.

'We run the schools in Tasmania and I'll make decisions that are in the best interests of our teachers, our parents and our students,' Premier Peter Gutwein said when asked if he would heed the Federal Government's advice.

NSW students will have a slow return to classrooms from May 11 while WA has made a 'soft start' to schooling with year 11 and 12 students strongly encouraged to attend in person.

In South Australia, the school term resumed as normal on Tuesday but the premier estimated just under two-thirds of students attended.
By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Nine lobbying groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have urged India to delay a new digital tax that will hit firms such as Facebook and Google as they are battling the fallout of the coronavirus, a letter seen by Reuters showed.

From April 1 India imposed a new 2% tax on foreign billings, or transactions where companies take payment abroad for digital services provided in India. The tax also applies to foreign e-commerce transactions on sites such as Amazon.com.

The tax, inserted into budget amendments passed in March, caught the industry off guard as it was not part of the main proposals India's finance ministry had presented in parliament a month earlier.

The nine groups, from the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, wrote a joint letter to India's finance minister on Wednesday, urging that the tax be delayed by nine months and for an industry-wide consultation before implementation.

"The timeframe within which this expansive new measure was approved and entered into force allowed for neither the dialogue nor the significant structural changes that would be necessary (for companies to comply)," said the letter.

"India is a critical market in which many of our members are deeply invested," it added.

Other than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, signatories also included the Washington-based Information Technology Industry Council, the Asia Internet Coalition and DigitalEurope.

The government's new tax is seen to be aimed at taxing foreign companies which have a significant local client base in India but were billing them through their offshore units, effectively escaping the country's tax system.

The tax also applies to advertising revenue earned from companies overseas if those advertisements eventually target customers in India.

Google is particularly concerned that it would not be able to swiftly identify countries where such advertising arrangements were in place, Reuters has reported.

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The tax further risks souring India's trade relations with countries such as the United States that had already been concerned with New Delhi's stricter rules for sectors such as e-commerce.

"The new levy came out of nowhere ... It will disrupt India's trade relations perhaps in ways the drafters of the levy did not anticipate," said Roger Murry of the Alliance for Fair Trade with India, a group of U.S. trade associations.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Jan Harvey)
One of the stars of Netflixs hit series, Tiger King, has said that he hopes being misgendered on the programme will raise awareness for the importance of pronouns in the LGBT+ community.

Kelci Saff Saffery, 34, identifies as male but was repeatedly referred to as she on the programme.

I dont think they intended to be cruel in any way, but dismissive or not, it still made a very, very loud statement about the way they feel about the (LGBT+) community, Saffery told Reuters.

Saffery added that he wasnt particularly bothered about being misgendered, but that doesnt mean its something to be overlooked.

These titles and these pronouns, they matter just as much as calling someone by the wrong name, he continued.

Its something that you shouldnt dismiss.

The former zookeeper, who has three children, added that he has always used male pronouns.

My children call me dad, they do not call me mum, he said.

I cant remember a time when I knew [anything] different.

 Tiger King, Murder, Mayhem and Madness, Official Trailer

Saffery, who was born female, recalled the moment he told his family that he wanted to identify as male.

I just think it was obvious, what I wanted, the way I wanted to live and my family immediately supported that, he said.

In the follow-up show to Tiger King, The Tiger King and I, host Joel McHale asked Saffery about being frequently misgendered.

I dont think it bothered me as much as it bothered everyone else. It didnt really pay it any mind, he said.

In the seven-part programme, which was watched by 64m households, Safferys arm is mauled by a tiger.

Speaking about the incident on The Tiger King and I, Saffery explained how he was able to return to work as a zookeeper within a week.

I never stopped trusting the tiger, he told McHale.
SV Krishna Chaitanya By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Great Bombay Circus, which organises shows across the country, is stranded in Mannargudi in Thiruvarur district since March due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

A total of 134 artists, including nine Ethiopian and 19 Nepalese, along with their performing animals are running out of options to sustain themselves in the absence of any income.

The circus manager PV Jayaprakasan told The New Indian Express, "We were holding shows in Chennai till February 17 and then moved to Mannargudi for a month-long performance on February 22. We were conducting shows till March 17 before being shut down by the administration due to the coronavirus spread. Since then, we are stranded here."

Of the 134, 27 are women who are accommodated in rental homes. Most of the men are fending for themselves in tents on the circus site. "We have camels, horses, ostriches, dogs and parrots to take care of. The artists' salaries, food, shelter and maintenance expenses per day comes to Rs 90,000. As of now, local authorities and a few donors are supplying essential items like rice, dal, vegetables etc to cook," Jayaprakasan said.

On the COVID-19 scare, he said all the artists were medically screened in Chennai and there were no symptoms so far, adding that financial concerns were more pressing. Since circus shows are unlikely to start anytime soon under the current pandemic conditions, the artists are asking for monetary help from the Tamil Nadu government.

Munna Bhai, a senior performing circus artist from Solapur in Maharashtra, said, "We are really worried as we don't know how long we have to stay here. Currently, the rations are being supplied by donors, but for other expenses like rent, food for animals, medicines etc, we need money."
Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) on Tuesday beat analysts' estimate for quarterly revenue as its Google unit posted double-digit advertising growth despite the economic slowdown from the novel coronavirus. Shares of Alphabet rose 4% to $1,282 following the after-hours release of financial results. Alphabet shares were down about 8% this year at Tuesday's close.

A booming economy and rising internet usage have driven Google to record revenues in the last few years. But the virus has split those two trends, with consumer spending now plunging and reliance on internet services surging. Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat told analysts on Tuesday that while users were searching more, they were looking up less commercial topics and advertisers were cutting spending. "As of today, we anticipate the second quarter will be a difficult one for our advertising business," Porat said. Porat said search ad revenue had declined by a "mid-teens percentage" by the end of March compared with a year earlier.

Alphabet's overall revenue in the first quarter was $41.2 billion, up 13% compared with the same period last year. The average estimate among financial analysts tracked by Refinitiv was $40.29 billion, up 10.87%, expecting the slowest growth since 11.1% in the second quarter of 2015. While Google tools including Duo video chatting and YouTube have become essential to many users this year, the company largely does not charge for them and instead generates revenue selling ad tools as well as links, banners and commercials on its services and those of partners.

But more than 26 million people have filed for unemployment during the last month in United States, Google's largest market for ad sales, erasing all of the country's job gains in the last decade. Google's ads business generated about 83% of Alphabet's revenue last year. It tends to flow with the broader economy, which explains Alphabet's slower revenue growth in the first quarter. Google ad sales were $33.8 billion, up about 10% from last year's first quarter. "YouTube provided an upside surprise, with growth actually accelerating despite the impact on ad budgets from the lockdowns," said James Cordwell, analyst at Atlantic Equities.

Also read: Coronavirus effect: Google ad sales steady; Alphabet leads tech share rally

About 5.5% of Alphabet's revenue last year came from cloud services for which Google charges businesses, schools and governments. This year, the company has extended various free offers to aid customers affected by the pandemic. The cloud business generated $2.8 billion in revenue, up 52% from a year ago. Alphabet's total costs and expenses rose about 12% from a year ago to $33.2 billion.

With usage of Google's services up but sales down, the company in the current quarter has introduced what analysts have called "austerity" measures. It has pared hiring, internship programs, marketing, office expansions and other spending plans. Google just three months ago had said it would accelerate overall spending to add more staff for its cloud business and other areas where it is challenging to unseat dominant competitors.

The company does not forecast revenue or profit. But the current quarter and remainder of 2020 could be bleak, according to some outside forecasts by ad agencies and other industry consultants. Two expected boosts to revenue - the U.S. presidential election and the Olympics - will offer smaller bumps because of the virus as campaigning grows more muted and the Tokyo games get pushed to next year. Some have estimated ad sales declines of up to 20% in the coming quarters.

Investors have become accustomed to unpredictability from Alphabet, though, even before the virus appeared. People have been interacting more with phones and smart speakers, which has forced Google to experiment with new ways to display ads, some of which advertisers have not valued as highly as legacy formats. Currency fluctuations and a greater push by advertisers to avoid offensive content have hurt Google, too.

Alphabet's first-quarter profit was $6.8 billion, or $9.87 per share, compared with the analysts' average estimate of $7.21 billion, or $10.40 per share. Its profit figures can be difficult to compare because they include gains and losses accumulated only on paper from its investments in startups and other outside businesses.

Also read: Google parent Alphabet Inc paid Sundar Pichai $281 million in compensation in 2019
Calls are up 1,000 per cent year over year at the Toronto Seniors Helpline (TSH), a free Toronto-wide hotline that provides seniors and their caregivers with mental health, financial and other supports.

The hotline, which can be accessed by calling 416-217-2077, has been running in overdrive for the last two weeks since the City announced its membership in its mental health support strategy for residents during the COVID-19 crisis.

Over the Easter long weekend, TSH received close to 500 calls. There were just two staff members on duty that weekend to deal with all of those requests for assistance.

For context, last year on Good Friday, 20 calls came in to the hotline.

This year on Good Friday, we had 270 calls. It was overwhelming, said Rochelle McAlister, WoodGreens senior manager of seniors mental health and addictions, and community care.

The east-end social service agency operates the Toronto Seniors Helpline in partnership with the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), LOFT Community Services, Reconnect Community Health Services, South Riverdale Community Health Centre and Haven Toronto.

WoodGreen has since brought on five additional staff members from the Toronto Central LHIN to help manage the massive influx of calls.

McAlister said callers are mostly concerned about money, how they can access government benefits, how they can get their taxes done, how they can access food, evictions and what they should do if they feel sick or even suspect they may have coronavirus.

Seniors are also feeling isolated. Theyre just feeling lonely and want someone to talk to, she said, adding it seems COVID-19 is intensifying everything.

To respond to this need, about two weeks ago WoodGreen started up a "friendly calls" program manned by staff members and volunteers. Theyre also working on creating activity kits and setting up virtual group bingo sessions.

Ashnoor Rahim, the vice-president of WoodGreens Community Care Unit, said the agency is paying close attention to both the immediate and longer-term needs that are coming to light through the seniors helpline and responding accordingly.

In the short term, theyre working to ensure trusted partners like the Red Cross, Second Harvest, City of Toronto and Michael Garron Hospital can be relied upon to assist seniors who reach out for help.

Rahim also said the high level of calls has prompted WoodGreen to advocate for a provincial or even a national hotline for seniors, who make up the largest population in Canada.

Launched in 2016, the Toronto Seniors Helpline is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and statutory holidays. The service can also help seniors is crisis by connecting them to the Crisis Outreach Service for Seniors (COSS), another WoodGreen-run initiative that provides on-call mobile crisis intervention and outreach service for older adults (65+ years) living with dementia, addictions or mental illness in need of temporary, short-term support to live independently in the community. Unlike many similar organizations, the COSS team is continuing to provide face-to-face visits to seniors in crisis during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  As the novel coronavirus remains in our community, the world is in constant pursuit of what to do next. To those who took on the responsibility of creating solutions, the biggest threat is inaction  along with the daily rise of cases and lack of a steady recovery plan for the country.

However, the question of privilege and access still looms over those unable to step out of safety and help monetarily: Who can afford to help? Who can risk going out? What if I cant really donate money? Do I have to? How can I help if all I can do is stay home?

These valid questions have called for several communities to circumvent barriers and create platforms that remain sustainable and workable for those who can only help from home, proving that concrete action can come from creative hacking, social solidarity, and some Internet connection.

Poster from BANTAY BAYAN

For citizens wanting to ensure fair governance: Volunteer at Bantay Bayan

When President Rodrigo Duterte announced the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, citizens rallied online for the government to focus on responding to the pandemic through medical solutions instead of a military approach.

To heed this call for transparency and efficient governance, members of GoodGov PH, the youth-led movement, created Bantay Bayan, a citizen-watchdog and legal assistance program that monitors responses and actions of all local government units in the Philippines through volunteer reports.

Our members were worried that the crisis might be used as an excuse for government officials to commit corrupt practices, human rights violations, or political maneuvering, says Dexter Yang, executive director of GoodGov PH. We saw the need for citizens to be more vigilant about their governments actions or inactions.

Volunteers who sign up for the program are tasked to share their reports via an exclusive Facebook group for the volunteers and survey forms. Data gathered will be presented visually in a map that will be launched soon, together with the platforms website.

Volunteers may also submit any legal concerns in their communities and forward them to the Bantay Bayan Help Desk, where volunteer lawyers and law students can provide legal assistance.

As of writing, Bantay Bayan has over 900 volunteers nationwide. Anyone with an Internet connection and mobile or computer device can sign up to volunteer, as Bantay Bayan urges citizens to report LGU responses they see on social media. The core team also welcomes graphic designers and individuals with legal or government background to help with the concerns of the volunteers.

Sign up as a volunteer for Bantay Bayan here.

Illustration by ADVOCATES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PEOPLE

For multilinguals looking to help: Translate infographics with AGHAM

Well before the pandemic hit the country, daily media coverage and reports from health organizations about the virus have been rampant, but with most updates about COVID-19 written in English, it is questionable if the massive reach is effective in itself.

To make knowledge on COVID-19 accessible for every Filipino, Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM), a nonprofit organization composed of patriotic science and technology advocates, is calling for volunteers capable of translating their printable infographic posters into various Filipino languages.

We were able to talk to some barangay officials who expressed their dismay at the lack of assistance from the national government, notably on the technical information about the virus, says Jonallin Yang, educator chairperson of AGHAM.

Created with the independent bookstore Kwago, the output contains general facts and common myths about the virus, and is meant to reach areas frequented by underprivileged communities, such as barangay health centers, wet markets, and sari-sari stores.

By translating the COVID-19 info-posters in different Philippine languages, we also hope to promote the importance of language in making science truly work for the people, especially during this time of public health crisis, says Kim Cantillas, member of AGHAM.

As of writing, their posters have been disseminated in more than five provinces and translated into more than ten Filipino languages including Ilokano, Hiligaynon, and Kapampangan.

Sign up as volunteer translator for AGHAM here.

Poster from PROTECT OUR JOURNALISTS

For supporters of our frontliners of information: Join Protect Our Journalists

On the ground, journalists stand side by side with health workers to keep the public informed. Writer Czyka Tumaliuan, together with photojournalist Jes Aznar, and industrial engineer Mark Tumaliuan, initiated a project that aims to reduce the risk of infection for the frontliners of information, as Czyka would call them. With Protect Our Journalists, the goal is to build customized safety kits and continue donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to far-flung areas in the country where journalists are.

As a practitioner himself, Aznar shares that the custom in the newsroom is to avoid hospitals and enclosed spaces where theres high potential for exposure, even with a full set of PPE.

For me, a PPE is by no means a license to go out and be as close to possible exposure, Aznar says. Despite this, he continues to cover and puts himself under a self-imposed quarantine after every assignment. He is currently on his second quarantine.

For frontliners like Aznar, the need for safety equipment is alarming. Currently, Mark has created a system where individuals can volunteer their skills in accounting, designing, and transportation management.

Together with Kwago and Pushpin Visuals, the project also aims to create booklets about best practices for media safety and instructions for safe PPE use.

We need more community journalists reporting about the situation of people during the lockdown for accurate and hyper-localized information for the public, says Czyka when asked about the difficulty in risking their lives for the project. With the prevalence of pandemic myths and false information online, journalism today saves lives Its a social responsibility to serve [the public].

Sign up as a volunteer for #ProtectOurJournalists by joining this group. Volunteer roles can be seen here.

Screenshot from COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS UNION

For the more technically inclined: Fact-check with CPU

Computer Professionals Union (CPU), a non-profit organization that advocates for freedom of information, started wondering how information technology and computer professionals can help with the ongoing health crisis in the country.

While [the government is] coming out with their own statements regarding the implementation of their policies, we wanted to see the ground truth from citizens who are experiencing the effects of these policies, says Mark Joseph Yanto, secretary general of CPU.

Thus, they came up with COVID19PH Report, another platform where citizens can track and report implementation of promised LGU and national policies and programs such as social amelioration funds, health and food provisions, and public transportation.

Volunteers who can verify, collate, and preprocess data are needed for the program. Those more technically inclined may work on programming, mapping, and website development. CPU aims to plot findings geographically and monitor trends or commonalities across the country.

Sign up as a volunteer for COVID19PH Report by sending an email at secretariat@cp-union.com.

Illustrations by BRYAN MONTALLANA/MARIA MEDIARITO

For artists hoping to help frontliners: Make #ArtForMedPH

Artists arent frontliners, but we can support frontliners easily, says Maria Mediarito, an illustrator who participated in the online fundraising campaign #ArtForMedPH initiated by local artists.

Similar to commissioning art, the goal is for the artist to profit from art requests, but this time the money goes straight to hospitals, health centers, or donation drives dedicated to medical frontliners. The proof of donation serves as payment for the artists, with them essentially creating the work for free and on a trust-basis. Volunteer artists like Mediarito have base rates for specific kinds of works while others accept any amount of donation for a basic portrait.

In these trying times, I see #ArtForMedPH as an opportunity to help rather than an additional work. If these donations can save lives of COVID-19 [patients] and front liners, back pains are just small wounds to endure, says Bryan Montallana, who also contributed to the campaign.

As of writing, Mediarito has raised over 15,000 which went directly to Tondo Medical Center (her choice of beneficiary), and Montallana raised over 29,000 which went to local hospitals and organizations.

When asked why she decided to participate, Mediarito credits her self-imposed duty: If you know you can do something to help, you have the responsibility of acknowledging that. Its up to you whether or not you want to participate, Id never look down on an artist who didnt want to join  weve all got our own schedules and lives to live. However, we should always be aware of our individual agency.

Join the #ArtForMedPH movement by adding your own donation links and mechanics here, or by using the hashtag with a public account.
Hinting at the void created by Irrfan Khans demise, actor Deepika Padukone on Wednesday shared a blank post on Wednesday. She took to Instagram to condole his death but only shared a blank black post and captioned it with an emoji of a broken heart and added hashtag of Irrfan Khans name.

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Irrfan and Deepika shared screen space in Shoojit Sircars Piku and their chemistry was appreciated by audiences and critics. Besides the two actors, the film also featured Amitabh Bachchan.

Katrina Kaif, who worked with the actor in New York, also took to Instagram to post a picture of the departed actor and recalled the time she spent with him during the shoot of the film. RIP... an irreplaceable loss ... a true genius ..... will be greatly missed .... can never forget our laughs during New York, she wrote in the caption.

The two actors worked together in 2009s thriller flick New York. The blockbuster hit was based on the terrorist attack on World Trade Center which took place in September 2011. The film also featured actors John Abraham and Niel Nitin Mukesh.

Irrfan passed away at Mumbais Kokilaben Hospital on Wednesday while battling rare cancer. He was 53.

Irrfan was last seen on screen in Angrezi Medium. He was not a part of the films promotions owing to his ill health. He was regarded as a fine actor by fans and critics alike with critically acclaimed films like The Lunchbox, Life of Pi, and Paan Singh Tomar to his credit.
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden arrives with his wife Jill at his South Carolina primary night rally in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., February 29, 2020.

Jim Urquhart/Reuters

Prominent Democratic women are standing by former Vice President Joe Biden amid former aide Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation against him.

Business Insider published interviews with two of Reade's friends, who say Reade confided in them about her claims in the 1990s.

"I stand by Vice President Biden," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday. "He's devoted his life to supporting women and he has vehemently denied this allegation."

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who is publicly lobbying to become Biden's vice-presidential running mate, insisted on Tuesday that Biden "will make women proud as the next President of the United States."

The Biden campaign has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Prominent Democratic women are standing by former Vice President Joe Biden in the wake of former aide Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation against him.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a champion of women's rights on Capitol Hill and a leading supporter of the #MeToo movement, defended Biden during a Tuesday conference call.

"I stand by Vice President Biden," Gillibrand said. "He's devoted his life to supporting women and he has vehemently denied this allegation."

Notably, Gillibrand was the first Senate Democrat to call on former Democratic Sen. Al Franken, of Minnesota, to resign after seven women accused him of inappropriate touching.

Biden has vowed to select a woman as his vice-presidential running mate, and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has publicly lobbied to be Biden's pick. On Tuesday, she said Reade's claims wouldn't stand in the way of that.

"I believe women deserve to be heard, and I believe that has happened here," Abrams told HuffPost on Tuesday. "The allegations have been heard and looked into, and for too many women, often, that is not the case. The New York Times conducted a thorough investigation, and nothing in The Times review or any other later reports suggests anything other than what I already know about Joe Biden: That he will make women proud as the next President of the United States."

Story continues

Last month, former Biden aide Tara Reade alleged that the then-senator put his hands up her skirt and digitally penetrated her without consent in a Senate hallway in 1993. The Biden campaign denied the accusations and most prominent Democrats and Biden supporters, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, remained silent on the issue.

Business Insider published a report on Monday that included an interview with a former neighbor of Reade's, Lynda LaCasse, who says Reade told her the details of Biden's alleged assault in 1995 or 1996. A former California state senate colleague of Reade's told Business Insider that Reade told her in the mid-1990s that she was sexually harassed by Biden and later fired from his office.

And last week, The Intercept reported about a recording that Reade alleges is her mother, calling in to "Larry King Live" in 1993 to ask how her daughter should handle her issues with "a prominent senator." In the recording, the woman doesn't mention harassment or retaliation or specify who the "prominent senator" is.

Biden's campaign has repeatedly denied Reade's allegations. And former aides who worked in Biden's Senate office alongside Reade have said they have no recollection of her complaints.

"Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims," the campaign said in a recent statement. "We encourage them to do so because these accusations are false."

On Tuesday, Reade accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of "enabling a sexual predator" by endorsing Biden for president. Reade initially praised Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for saying her allegations were "legitimate to talk about" earlier this month, but Reade later accused the progressive of bowing to political pressure by remaining supportive of Biden's candidacy.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose name has also been batted around as a potential running mate pick, said she supports vetting Reade's allegations.

"I think that it is important that these allegations are vetted, from the media to beyond. And I think that it is something that no one takes lightly," Whitmer said earlier this month.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary and endorsed Biden last month, similarly said in mid-April that "all women in these cases have the right to be heard and have their claims thoroughly reviewed."

Reade initially came forward last year with the allegations that Biden touched her neck and shoulders and asked her to serve drinks at work events because he liked her legs. She said she was treated like an ornamental lamp and then pushed out of her job after complaining about Biden's conduct.

"It's pretty. Set it over there," she said. "Then when it's too bright, you throw it away."

Biden has also been accused by several other women of inappropriate touching, but none of these allegations included sexual assault.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The number of coronavirus cases in the national capital rose to 3,439 on Wednesday, with two deaths being reported, according to the Delhi government.

According to data shared by the Delhi government, 125 fresh cases were reported on Wednesday.

The number of fatalities in Delhi due to the deadly virus has now gone up to 56.

A total of 1,092 patients have recovered while there are 2,291 active cases in the city, according to the data.

Delhi has 102 containment zones and from these areas 6,972 samples have been sent for testing. Till now, 346 samples have tested positive.

Out of 3,020 samples processed during the last 24 hours, 125 samples tested positive, the government said.

A first-year postgraduate student of the Kasturba Hospital tested positive for coronavirus, senior officials said on Wednesday.

An intern of the Lady Hardinge Medical College, who was working in Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, also tested positive for the deadly virus on Wednesday.

The government issued an order to MD, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, for providing additional manpower (sanitation staff and nursing orderly) to COVID-19 care centre at Mandoli Jail.

An order has been issued to all COVID-19 testing labs and hospitals regarding providing complete details of all the positive patients and those undergoing repeat test, the government said.

Till Tuesday, the number of cases in the national capital stood at 3,314.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When coronavirus first arrived in Britain three months ago, unnerving pictures showed paramedics dressed in hazmat suits visiting the homes of suspected cases.

The sight of medical personnel on streets clad head to toe in protective gear was a terrifying novelty, symbolising the deadly new threat facing the country.

But few people anticipated that such protective equipment  or rather the lack of it  would itself go on to become a defining controversy of the pandemic.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) consists of gowns, coveralls, masks, visors and gloves. Some variation of it must be worn by anyone who comes into contact with an infected patient to protect their own lives and to prevent them from passing the deadly disease on to others.

Pictured: Paramedics and staff at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital wear PPE as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus

But ever since hospitals started to fill up with coronavirus patients in March, supplies of vital PPE have been running critically low in hospitals and care homes across the country.

Doctors say they feel like 'lambs to the slaughter' as they have no choice but to treat patients without adequate protection, with shortages blamed for contributing to the deaths of NHS workers.

So far, at least 134 staff working in health and social care have died from coronavirus and several grieving families have blamed the loss of their loved one on a lack of PPE.

Replenishing PPE stocks has become one of the Government's biggest challenges and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he is 'moving heaven and earth' to meet the huge challenge.

The NHS is getting through hundreds of thousands of PPE items daily, including around 150,000 fluid-repellent gowns.

Under current guidelines, anyone who comes within two metres of a suspected coronavirus patient should wear some form protection, including care home staff, ambulance workers, nurses and GPs.

Pictured: The Daily Mail's consignment of PPE medical equipment is pictured in Shanghai as it is loaded aboard a Mail chartered plane

The Daily Mail's consignment of PPE has been praised by Matt Hancock (left) and NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens (right)

This includes protective surgical masks, such as the type flown in last night by the Daily Mail.

Doctors and nurses working in high-risk areas such as intensive care, who may be exposed to airborne droplets, must wear the highest level of protection.

Praise for Mail airlift from NHS boss and health secretary Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care secretary 'This delivery is a boost to the national effort, and I thank everyone involved for their fantastic work in pushing through the complex challenges of securing PPE amid global shortages, in aid of our heroic frontline workers. I'm delighted that today's arrival of equipment will be immediately making its way to the NHS front line enabling staff to provide world-class medical care to patients.' Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive 'On behalf of the NHS, our great thanks go to everyone involved in this for helping to provide us and our nurses, doctors and other staff with this extra kit. 'Since the NHS was founded more than 70 years ago, our staff and patients have been helped and supported by volunteers, philanthropists and many others  this Mail Force campaign sits firmly in that important tradition.' Advertisement

There are no national statistics for the amount of PPE used by the NHS every day but the Government says it has distributed 14million items a day on average.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust released figures last week showing it uses 72,000 items a day.

Shortages of full-length waterproof gowns have been particularly acute in recent weeks. This prompted Public Health England to revise down standards, allowing doctors and nurses to treat coronavirus patients wearing only plastic aprons for protection.

Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: 'Coveralls are just as good as gowns at protecting doctors from the virus.'

But he also warned that the 'desperate shortages' mean one in four doctors have had to reuse PPE items, which should be disposed of after each use.

Ministers have so far laid the blame on international shortages.However, questions remain about why the UK appears to have fared worse than other countries.

The Government has come under fire for lack of preparation and, on Monday, a probe revealed that officials failed to buy enough gowns when setting up an emergency stockpile in 2009. A contingency planning exercise in 2016 highlighted the lack of stocks.

The Government has also been criticised for making false promises, including the shipment of 400,000 gowns from Turkey which then faced numerous delays.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister's spokesman said securing more PPE is at the top of his agenda. He added: 'We have been working to secure gowns and other PPE from across the globe, and domestically, for a number of months.'

Q&A

Why do we need PPE?

Coronavirus is spread through tiny droplets released when somebody coughs or exhales.

Anyone who is in close contact with a coronavirus patient needs to ensure there is a barrier between them, the patient and any infected surfaces.

The virus enters the body through the eyes, nose and mouth, so it is particularly vital to cover these areas.

Who has to wear it?

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, should be worn by anyone who comes within two metres of a suspected coronavirus patient.

This includes doctors, nurses, paramedics, care home workers and GP receptionists  but the level of PPE required depends on where they work.

In high-risk areas such as intensive care, staff need tight-fitting FFP3 respirator masks  which guard against water droplets that could contain the virus  as well as full-length body protection.

In lower-risk settings, such as GP surgeries, guidelines state that a basic mask, disposable plastic apron and gloves are sufficient.

How much do we need?

Last week a single hospital trust's figures revealed it was using 72,000 items a day.

The Government says it has already delivered one billion pieces of PPE to the NHS  but as most of this is single-use, stocks must be replenished on a rolling basis.

Why is there a shortage?

Supplies are stretched across the world due to unprecedented demand  and a Daily Mail investigation found new businesses masquerading as healthcare suppliers are inflating prices by up to 1,000 per cent.

The Government is sourcing most supplies from abroad, with the majority of manufacturers based in China, but some British firms claim their offers of help were ignored.
When a natural disaster like an earthquake strikes, a community can literally be shaken to its core. One way to assess how well and how quickly that community recovers is to measure how, and how quickly, its hospitals and wider healthcare systems can become fully functional again and take care of its patients. Predicting the trajectory of that recovery is no easy task.

That's because the resilience measures of a healthcare system are dizzyingly complex. They span everything from the availability of hospital staff, to the protection of critical equipment, to the state of the roads for ambulances to travel on, to the efficiency by which hospitals can transfer critically ill patients to different hospitals.

Hussam Mahmoud, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University, and his students spend a lot of time thinking about how to define and describe "community resilience." Mahmoud and graduate student Emad Hassan have created a modeling tool that could help city planners and emergency managers understand the full functionality and recovery of a healthcare system, in the wake of a natural disaster.

"We set out to develop models allowing us to understand, what is the demand on a hospital healthcare facility after an event like an earthquake," Mahmoud said. "When we started looking into this, we were shocked to learn that there are no models currently that allow you to understand, what is the demand on the hospital, how is the hospital being impacted by the natural disaster, how is that going to impact demand and capacity, and how will that change over time?"

Their model, described in a forthcoming issue of the journal Reliability Engineering and System Safety, has wider implications for use in other disasters, including pandemics, like the one the world is experiencing now with COVID-19.

Healthcare as a complex network

In their paper, Mahmoud and Hassan seek to understand healthcare systems as complex networks that can be visualized as nodes of different functionalities. These include number of staffed beds, hospital staff availability, housing functionality, patient waiting time for treatment, and even things like the probability of patient X going to healthcare facility Y. The availability of water, power, transportation and telecommunication also support hospital operation and factor into the model. And the researchers define healthcare not just by physical metrics, but also by quality metrics, like the level of customer satisfaction - measured by things like patient wait time.

To develop and test their framework, the researchers applied it to a virtual community called Centerville, which was developed as a research tool by researchers at the CSU Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience, a National Institute of Standards and Technology Center of Excellence of which Mahmoud and Hassan are contributing members. The researchers applied an earthquake scenario to Centerville - an imagined mid-sized U.S. community of 50,000 residents with commercial and industrial zones, schools, fire stations and hospitals - to see how it would fare. Using the virtual environment helped them highlight the capabilities of their model and the impact of decisions made as the community recovered.

Pandemic applications

The purpose of Mahmoud and Hassan's work is to define the parameters needed to be measured by communities to assess how prepared they are for natural disasters. In the wake of COVID-19, Mahmoud said, they have begun using their model to theorize and predict how hospital networks can better manage pandemics by identifying gaps in resources and potential bottlenecks according to different worst-case scenarios. They are now working with the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health to further refine the model and apply it to pandemic planning.

###

Link to paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S095183201930924X?via%3Dihub

Read more about first author Emad Hassan's work in community resilience: https://engr.source.colostate.edu/ph-d-students-research-will-help-hospitals-and-schools-recover-in-crises-improve-communities-social-stability/
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Phillip Morovia has earned more than $55,000 this year as a nurse caring for Ohios prison population.

More than a third of that income has come from overtime pay while working at the Franklin Medical Center in Columbus  the prison systems healthcare facility, records show.

For Morovia and hundreds of other state prison employees, overtime has become increasingly common because of the novel coronavirus. Extra pay has jumped 13% over the same period last year, as the large-scale outbreak has forced prison staff to work longer, more taxing shifts.

The union for correctional officers says the amount of overtime will continue to climb as many guards work 16 hours a day to handle shifts for their ill colleagues.

Two staff members  Marion corrections officer John Dawson and Pickaway nurse Tina Reeves  and 17 inmates have died from the virus through April 27. Nearly 400 staff and 4,000 inmates have tested positive.

Because of that, some guards have made more in overtime this year than they have made in base pay, state payroll records show.

Nurses at the prison systems health center, the Franklin Medical Center, also have earned tens of thousands of dollars each in extra pay.

Through last week, the state paid $22.9 million in overtime. Thats compared to $20.3 million through the same time period last year, according to state payroll records.

Overtime has increased, and it will continue to increase, said Christopher Mabe, the president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, earlier in April.

Mabe since has been quarantined, as his wife, a corrections officer at the Lorain Correctional Institution, has tested positive.

The union has long held that the prison system is understaffed. The union says its 6,655 officers need at least 400 additional officers at Ohios 25 state-run prisons.

Several correctional officers across the state have topped more than $43,000 in individual earnings this year, with more than half of it from overtime, according to state records.

Likewise, Morovia and several nurses working at the Franklin Medical Center have made nearly $60,000 in individual earnings this year, with about a third to one-half of it in overtime.

Attempts to reach Morovia were unsuccessful.

A spokeswoman for the state prison system did not return messages seeking comment.

For weeks, prisoner advocates have urged Gov. Mike DeWine to release inmates to help curb the virus spread. The state has more than 48,000 inmates in buildings designed to house about 39,000.

Earlier this month, the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee, a legislative watchdog for the prison system, recommended the release of more than 100 inmates who were nonviolent and were within three months of the end of their sentences, according to published reports.

Researchers and prisoner advocates say more needs to be done.

Consider Marion, where 1,992 inmates have tested positive in a prison of about 2,525 inmates through April 27, according to the prison system. Thats about four of every five inmates.

Through that time, more than 100 of the 284 correctional officers at the facility have tested positive for the virus, the guards union said.

To make up for that, it is common for officers to work back-to-back, 16-hour shifts, said Sally Meckling, a spokeswoman for the union.

At Pickaway, 11 inmates have died, and 81 staff members and 1,525 inmates have tested positive through April 27. The prison houses about 2,000 inmates. Thats about three of every four inmates who have tested positive, prison records show.

About 40 members of the Ohio National Guard have been brought in to help with security at Marion and Pickaway. The union said the prison system has brought back recent retirees to work as officers, as well.

It is a horrible situation to be in, said Marc Howard, a government and law professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and the director of the Prisons and Justice Initiative.

It is a lot to ask people on the outside to go in and work. They are going into one of the biggest hotspots in the country.

Grassroots advocates for inmates also have urged DeWine to release thousands of inmates next month, a move that they say will reduce the outbreak of the virus in prisons.

To continue to flatten the curve, Mike DeWine must directly and quickly release several thousand people who are the lowest public-safety risk and the highest risk of infection, Molly Shack, the director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, said in a statement. The agency seeks to improve Ohios justice system.
The Serum Institute of India said on Tuesday it plans this year to produce up to 60 million doses of a potential vaccine against the new coronavirus that is under clinical trial in Britain.

Serum, the worlds largest maker of vaccines by volume, is mass-producing the vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford, which started testing it on humans last week, and is a leader in the global race to develop an antidote to the novel coronavirus.

Some 3.05 million people have been reported to be infected globally and 211,376 have died from Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, according to a Reuters tally.

While the Oxford vaccine, called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19", is yet to be proven to work against Covid-19, Serum decided to start manufacturing it as it had shown success in animal trials and had progressed to tests on humans, Serum Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said.

They are a bunch of very qualified, great scientists (at Oxford)...Thats why we said we will go with this and thats why we are confident, Poonawalla told Reuters in a phone interview.

Being a private limited company, not accountable to public investors or bankers, I can take a little risk and sideline some of the other commercial products and projects that I had planned in my existing facility, Poonawalla said.

As many as 100 potential Covid-19 candidate vaccines are now under development by biotech and research teams around the world, and at least five of these are in preliminary testing in people in what are known as Phase 1 clinical trials.

Poonawalla said he hoped trials of the Oxford vaccine, due to finish in about September, would be successful. Oxford scientists said last week the main focus of initial tests was to ascertain not only whether the vaccine worked but that it induced good immune responses and no unacceptable side effects.

Serum, owned by the Indian billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, plans to make the vaccine at its two manufacturing plants in the western city of Pune, aiming to produce up to 400 million doses next year if all goes well, Poonawalla said.

VACCINE FREE OF CHARGE FOR PEOPLE

A majority of the vaccine, at least initially, would have to go to our countrymen before it goes abroad, he said, adding that Serum would leave it to the Indian government to decide which countries would get how much of the vaccine and when.

Serum envisages a price of 1,000 rupees per vaccine but governments would give it to people without charge, he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modis office was very closely involved in the vaccine production and the company is hoping the government will help foot the cost of making it.

Over roughly the next five months, Serum will spend some 300 million to 400 million rupees on making around 3-5 million doses per month, he said. (The government) are very happy to share some risk and fund something with us, but we havent really pencilled anything down yet, Poonawalla said.

Serum has also partnered with the U.S. biotech firm Codagenix and Austria's Themis on two other COVID-19 vaccine candidates and plans to announce a fourth alliance in a couple of weeks, he said.

Serums board last week also agreed to invest roughly 6 billion rupees on making a new manufacturing unit to solely produce coronavirus vaccines, Poonawalla said.
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

Top White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci reported that results from a trial of Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug developed by the Bay Area's Gilead Sciences that could help treat coronavirus patients, yielded "quite good news."

According to White House pool report, Fauci told reporters Wednesday that a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases trial of the drug that used a control group found a clear cut positive effect in diminishing time to recover.

A previous trial from the University of Chicago also had encouraging results, but there was no control group in that trial.

Fauci stated that researchers were primarily looking to evaluate if the drug increased rate of recovery, and found that patients who received the drug recovered in 11 days, and patients that did not receive the drug recovered in 15 days. That 31 percent improvement was deemed "very important" by Fauci.

In addition, the group that received Remdesivir saw a mortality rate of eight percent, compared to a mortality rate of 11 percent in the control group. Fauci stated the difference was not statistically significant, but was still encouraged by the rate of recovery numbers.

According to Fauci, the trial of over 1,000 people was the first truly high-powered randomized placebo-controlled trial," and shows a drug can block this virus."

Gilead also released preliminary results of a separate trial that found that over half of 397 patients with "severe" COVID-19 cases that received Remdesivir were discharged from hospitals. This trial did not have a control group, however.

Last week, the WHO released, then retracted results from Remdesivir trials in China that found the drug had "no benefit" for coronavirus patients. Fauci stated Wednesday the WHO report is "not an adequate study," citing the fact that the trials were halted early due to a lack of volunteers.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

Eric Ting is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting
The family members of Sameer Bagwan (30) erupted in joy at Punes Aundh Civil Hospital last week when they tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) negative after the mandatory 14-day incubation period.

Soon, Sameers wife Samina (26), his two daughters aged eight and one, and his brother Jameer, were shifted to another ward in the hospital, as the authorities waited for the result of the second confirmation report.

The hospital authorities gave a warm send-off to them on April 24 after their second report, too, came negative.

A pleasant surprise was awaiting the Bagwans, who come from a family of vegetable and fruit-sellers, when they reached their home at Samarth Nagar in western Maharashtras Baramati taluka in Pune district later that day.

Our neighbours overwhelmed us with love and affection. Firecrackers were burst and some of our neighbours even showered flower petals on the ambulance that had brought us from Pune, said Jameer.

The Bagwans tryst with Covid-19 started in early April when Sameers father Majjid (60) complained of high fever and cough. Initially, he was taken to the Baramati Government Hospital for a check-up, where he was diagnosed with symptoms of pneumonia. The doctors advised his family to shift him to a hospital in Pune.

On April 5, Majjid tested Covid-19 positive at Punes Sassoon General Hospital, and authorities immediately instructed the entire family to get tested and go into isolation.

All of us underwent the tests. On April 7, were told that my wife Samina, our daughters, and my brother Jameer had tested Covid-19 positive. The rest, including myself, my 10-year-old son and my mother, had tested negative and so were discharged, said Sameer.

On April 9, Majjid died at Punes Sassoon Hospital. However, his immediate family members couldnt attend his burial service, as they were still quarantined in the hospital.

I didnt tell my family members that my father is no more till theyre discharged from the hospital. They only came to know about the tragic news after they reached home, Sameer added.

Jameer said that he was most worried about his young nieces condition. However, he was all praise for the hospital staff. They treated us well, and weve nothing to complain about, he said.

Samina agreed with Jameer. Usually, wed get up around 6 in the morning, and then say our prayers. Wed be served tea at 8 am and milk for the baby. Breakfast would comprise eggs, shegdana ladoos, milk, poha or idli. Similarly, the lunch and dinner were both nutritious and tasty, she said.

The doctors would come two to three times a day for a check-up, while the nurses were always around. The nurses were very friendly and kept us in high spirits. They gave us plenty of moral support to fight the disease. A nurse would come almost every hour to enquire if the baby needs anything, she added.

The Bagwans have been advised compulsory home quarantine for another 14 days, as they look forward to a post-Covid-19 life. This Covid-19 experience has taught us a lesson of a lifetime: If youre are mentally strong, you can win any battle in life, said Jameer.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Clouds and a few breaks of sun; the mildest day of the forecast. .

Tonight

Mostly cloudy and not that cold.
A COVID-19 emergency relief fund assisted 21 Easton small-business owners, Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said Tuesday.

The Greater Easton Development Partnership and Easton Area Industrial Land Development nonprofit organizations in partnership with the city distributed over $177,000 in loans through the effort, the GEDP said in a news release.

More than 30 businesses throughout Easton applied for help through this program, and the loans have ranged from $5,000 to $10,000, the release states. More applications are expected over the next few weeks, so the effort to secure additional funding is ongoing. A second round for applications will be announced in the coming weeks, organizers said.

The loans averaged around $8,100 per recipient, Panto said during the final scheduled virtual town hall Tuesday afternoon from City Hall.

Small businesses are the backbone of Eastons robust economy and the city is proud to be a partner in the support of small businesses, Panto says in the GEDP release.

Initial contributors to the Support Easton Small Business Emergency Relief Fund included Peoples Security Bank & Trust, Wells Fargo, Univest Bank and Trust Co., Post Road Management, BSI Corporate Benefits, Lafayette College, Merchants Bank, Fidelity Bank and Valor Insurance, according to the GEDP. Since the initial launch, new community partners have committed, including M&T Bank and Kressler, Wolff & Miller Insurance.

We are grateful to the community partners who are joining us in this effort to sustain and support our Easton businesses, Jared Mast, executive director of GEDP, says in the release. Easton is a supportive, collaborative community and were trying to do everything we can to help local businesses survive this crisis.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce has also stepped up to assist businesses impacted by the coronavirus, which has infected a confirmed 43,264 people in Pennsylvania and led to at least 1,716 deaths statewide.

Laurie Nelson, chamber vice president for Easton and Phillipsburg area initiatives, said during Eastons virtual town hall Tuesday the chambers COVID-19 Relief Fund has awarded $300,000 in grants ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 to help small businesses with rent, payroll and other operating expenses.

The chambers business assistance during the coronavirus pandemic also includes a gift card promotion week May 3-9 and #OpenWeStandLV campaign on billboards and social media.

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An engaged couple forced apart by the coronavirus lockdown are still managing to have romantic dates just six feet away from each other - despite being separated by the US-Canadian border.

Savannah Koop 25, lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada, around 29 miles away from her 26-year-old fiance Ryan Hamilton who lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Lockdown border closures enforced on March 18 to slow the spread of coronavirus pandemic mean the pair are not allowed to step over into the other's country.

Unable to bear being apart, the couple have romantic dates from their respective countries across the parallel roads that run along the border.

Striking photos show the couple gazing at each other while either side of the border. Savannah Koop stands on the side of the Canadian border (right), as she looks on at her fiance Ryan Hamilton (left), on the side of the American border

The couple have become a regular fixture along the stretch of road, with Koop saying some drivers 'are quite familiar with' with the pair and wave as they drive past

Koop told Buzzfeed: 'It's basically just a ditch in between  there's areas where it's like a land bridge in between.

'Obviously there's a lot of trust there that Americans and Canadians are going to respect the border line,'

A video posted on Kopp's TikTok captures her sitting on a lawn chair and Hamilton on a blanket, separated only by the grassy verge.

They can be seen enjoying snacks and coffee - often having to shout over the sound of traffic to hear each other.

Canada and the US have the longest undefended border in the world, and there is one road on either side but no walls or fences between the engaged couple.

It means they can maintain six feet apart amid social distancing recommendations.

Savannah Koop (left) posted a video on TikTok of a romantic date with her fiance Ryan Hamilton, pictured above sitting on a blanket

The couple have become a regular fixture along the stretch of road. Koop says some drivers 'are quite familiar with' us and wave as they drive by.

Only essential cross-border trips can be made, such as for medical professionals or to collect prescriptions.

'We've tried to make it fun and exciting, but it's a weird thing to work around,' said Hamilton.

Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada is around 29 miles away from Bellingham, Washington in the US

Kopp's TikTok video shows just a grassy verge separating the two countries

The pair met via a dating app last July before Hamilton popped the question on March 1

Koop said that being able to hold her fiance's hand again would make her 'so happy'

'To be able to hold Ryan's hand again would make me so happy,' Kopp said.

'We know so many people are in more dire situations, so we're so grateful we live in an area where we can see each other in real life. But it's hard because it's a bit of a tease, and you still have to say goodbye.

The pair met via a dating app last July before Hamilton popped the question on March 1.

They were hoping for a quick and simple wedding on May 8 and had even begun planning a dream trip across Europe for their honeymoon, but had to postpone the big day because of lockdown.

'It kind of, it seemed like the perfect storm  we just didn't really understand how much of a storm it would end up being.' Hamilton said.
MBABANE  While some are losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its jobs galore in the health sector.



Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi announced that in the next few days, the ministry would be hiring about 293 health workers.

The majority of these will be nurses, as government intends to hire 90 of them.

The minister said the hiring of the health workers had been approved by Cabinet yesterday during its meeting.



Hiring



The minister said they would be hiring about 54 more orderlies who would be cleaning the hospitals and clinics and 50 nursing assistants. She said there was a great need for more health workers at this time and stated that about five doctors and 30 paramedics would be hired.



She said they would also hire a further 10 laboratory technologists to speed up the work in the laboratories.

Others, who would be hired, are ME Specialists who will track all the work the health workers have done.
29th April 2020: The Irish manufacturer Combilift, best known for its range of space-saving forklifts and other handling solutions, has drawn on its expertise in engineering and software design to develop the Combi-Ventilate, a splitter device which turns one ventilator into multiple ventilation stations.

A world-leading Irish forklift company has turned its talents to producing a device that allows one ventilator be used for more than one patient, to help in the battle again Covid -19.

The Combi-Ventilate has been designed by a team of mechatronic and software engineers at Combilift, Co Monaghan in the past five weeks.

The unit is currently undergoing laboratory tests with Ger Curley, Professor of Anaesthesia & Critical Care at Royal College of Surgeons in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.

Ventilators are generally designed to work with one patient and even where they can work with two, a complication with Covid-19 is that that patients have injured lungs and need different levels of breathing support.

The Combi-Ventilate is an splitter attachment that can be added to any brand of ventilator. It costs a fraction of a standard ventilator and can be installed very easily into an ICU unit environment.

The device automatically adjustable flow control valves that allow the health service professional control the volume to each patient electronically without having to make manual adjustments.

It uses standard pipes and fittings for easy assembly and its individual patient filters prevent cross contamination.

As the coronavirus started spreading through the world ventilator shortages emerged as a major problem, although it has not become an issue in Ireland.

Combilift Martin McVicar, CEO said certain countries and cities were struggling to get enough ventilators and many governments and health authorities were encouraging manufacturers to come up with a solution, as did the HSE in Ireland.

He said Combilift had undertaken it as a non-profit endeavour in order to address the lack or shortage of ventilators around the world.

Mr McVicar said while medical devices were not their core business, he hoped it would open up more opportunities for Combilift in that area in future.

The Combi-Ventilate is the second Irish innovation around increasing the capacity of single ventilators since the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

Earlier this month, a team of doctors and engineers from NUI Galway in collaboration with the medtech industry unveiled an adjustable ventilation system to treat two patients from one ventilator.

Meanwhile, Government agencies have awarded funding 26 ground-breaking research and innovation projects in higher education aimed at tackling challenges presented by Covid-19.

The funding has been provided by the Health Research Board/Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland/Enterprise Ireland/IDA .

The new 5m investment will support work not only in health, but across a spread of disciplines where experts are exploring the fall-out from the crisis and seeking solutions to underpin national recovery.

The higher education sector has already responded vigorously to the Covid challenge, but the additional research investment will fund new projects.

Projects benefiting from the investment include the development of equipment to make it easier and safer for patients with Covid-19 to breathe at NUI Galway and screening for antiviral compounds at University College Dublin.

The University of Limerick is investigating psychological responses to Covid-19 in healthcare workers, while a team at Dublin City University will study the effect of social restrictions on individuals with autism and a project at University College Cork is assessing the impact on wellbeing.

Meanwhile, Maynooth University is pursing the development of data platforms for emergency response management, while Trinity College Dublin has received funding for research into the use of digital technologies to enhance management of vulnerable groups.
Atlanta, GA, April 29, 2020  Breckenridge Insurance Services is pleased to welcome Michael Silvestri, Tracey Burmingham, AAI and Vance Root as vice presidents/brokers to the company as part of its expansion plans nationally. All three brokers have 15 years or more of insurance industry experience and demonstrated success in their respective areas of expertise.

Silvestri is a professional lines broker with 21 years of underwriting experience. He was last an underwriter for RPS/The Plus Companies in Charlotte. Silvestri previously spent ten years at Crum & Forster in Morristown, New Jersey where he was a professional lines underwriter and program manager for lawyers, accountants and abstract/title agents. He started his career at State Farm in auto underwriting and handling Katrina claims. He is based in South Carolina and can be reached at 201.841.9373 or msilvestri@breckis.com.

Burmingham joins Breckenridge having most recently worked as a commercial underwriter at XS Brokers and All Risks, Ltd. in the Tampa, Florida area. She handles diverse risk types including large coastal property portfolios, hard-to-place general liability, inland marine and more. Burmingham started her career as an all commercial lines account manager and agent for Cambridge Property and Casualty. She is based in Florida and can be reached at 727.465.3320 or tburmingham@breckis.com

Root was last in business development at OSC, a division of Breckenridge, working with select financial institutions and agents on lender-placed and REI insurance. He additionally cultivated niche occupational accident insurance solutions for real estate agents while there. As part of the brokerage team, he will continue expand on this program and agent relationships. Over his 25-year career, Root held senior marketing, sales and claims leadership positions at OccuSystems, Inc., Cambridge Integrated Services Group, U.S. Risk and Avizent. Located in Dallas, he can be reached at 214.284.9611 or vroot@breckis.com

Were fortunate to be in a position to bring on skilled brokers such as Michael, Tracey and Vance at this time stated Trevor Pierce, president of Breckenridge Insurance Services. We know businesses face new risk management and growth challenges ahead and our goal is to help creatively solve these problems with our retail agent partners to get our communities safely up and running again, he added.

About Breckenridge Insurance Services:

BRECKENRIDGE INSURANCE SERVICES is a national wholesale insurance brokerage/MGA delivering top-rated, competitive commercial coverage solutions. With more than three decades of providing responsive counsel and risk management insights, Breckenridge has become a recognized leader and trusted partner to valued agents and coveted carrier partners internationally. With significant in-house contract binding authority and expert, award-winning brokers spanning nearly all property and casualty, workers compensation and professional liability risks, we offer collaborative, comprehensive solutions. As part of Breckenridge Insurance Group, the team has access to additional resources and expertise to help clients go further. For more information, please visit WWW.BRECKIS.COM.

About Breckenridge Insurance Group:

BRECKENRIDGE INSURANCE GROUP, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is an international specialty wholesale insurance broker, program manager, managing general agent (MGA) and insurance services provider. The company offers access to diverse range of commercial insurance and financial services products to businesses and professional services firms in a variety of industries. The company serves independent insurance agents, brokers, and financial institutions nationally by way of Blue River Underwriters, OSC, Breckenridge Insurance Services brokerage and contract binding group and Southeastern Underwriters, Inc. For more information, please visit WWW.BRECKGRP.COM or call 855.728.8822. CA Insurance License #0G13592+

Michael Silvestri Tracey Burmingham Vance Root

Media Contact:

Caren Henry

chenry@breckgrp.com

267.961.8252

Topics Agencies Underwriting Insurance Wholesale
- Sierra Leone's minister for innovation and technology was feeding his daughter when he was expected to attend a zoom meeting

- He then carried her on his back for the rest of the call as he did his presentation

- Bored from the meeting's monotony, the 10-month-old baby girl eventually fell asleep

- Other leaders shared photos of them working from home while attending to their children

Over the last decade, many full-time employees have made the bold decision to resign from their jobs and pursue a home-based business.

The primary motivator for people making this decision is the need for independence, as well as a desire to choose their own hours, and to have more time for their families.

READ ALSO: Nairobi woman narrates how Ghanaian lover conned, left her homeless

Sierra Leone's minister for technology for innovation and technology was feeding his daughter when he was expected to attend a zoom meeting. Photo: David Moinina.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Death of a hero: Top ER doctor who treated coronavirus patients dies

However, the ongoing global pandemic created a greater influx of people working from home as one of the World Health Organisation approved measures of curbing the spread of COVID-19.

Sierra Leone's Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) for the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation David Moinina Sengeh created a perfect image of what it is like to work from home.

READ ALSO: Thika couple appeals for financial help to treat 11-month-old daughter admitted with pneumonia at Kijabe Hospital

After feeding the little girl, he then carried her on his back for the rest of the call as he did his presentation. Photo: David Moinina.

Source: Twitter

There are some challenges that everyone working from home must overcome in order for them to be successful and for Sengeh, his challenge is his daughter.

Taking to Twitter to narrate how he had to deal with his 10-month-old daughter while attending a zoom meeting, the CIO left many tweeps inspired while others could not help but adore his girl.

"Working from home? How did you join your last zoom call? As minister, I started my last call feeding my 10-month-old, then carried her on my back for the rest of the call," he tweeted .

READ ALSO: Malindi woman ordered to return KSh 150,000 paid as her dowry after court nullified marriage

Strapped on his back, the little girl posed with a cheeky smile as though she understood what she had put her father into.

She, however, fell asleep after she got bored with the presentations that were going on in the meeting and we can only hope her father was able to finish the meeting uninterrupted.

"The presentations helped her sleep. I invite you to share with the world how you worked from home as a leader," he added.

READ ALSO: Machakos: 3 women team up to feed police officers manning roadblock

Several other leaders also shared photos of themselves nursing and attending to their children while working from home to encourage each other.

"I work from home in the laundry room while holding Google meetings with my students, while also navigating remote learning with my six-year-old son,' wrote Jason Matthew.

"Got into my cassava farm this morning and prepared a place for pumpkin which will be planted in two days time. Rightnow I am in the office as a medical personnel," said Irene

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Gunman from Suwedia have opened fire on the Fifth Corp in eastern Daraa, resulting in a number of injuries and one fatality writes the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Local militants from Suweida governorate launched an attack Monday on the Russian-backed Fifth Corps in rural eastern Daraa, with reports that one person had been killed and people from both sides were injured.

As a result of the clashes, one militant from Suweida was killed and 10 were wounded from both sides.

The clashes coincided with the arrival of a Russian military police convoy to the city of Busra al-Sham to break up the fighting.

Similar clashes between local Suweida militants and the Fifth Corps in Daraa occured at the end of March, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
A meeting of the national cabinet, composed of the federal government and state and territory leaders, last Friday intensified a campaign to bully educators to return to face-to-face teaching in overcrowded schools, despite the health dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Reversing previous government policy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared it was not appropriate or required for teachers and pupils to follow social distancing guidelines. These state that individuals must stay 1.5 metres from one another and there must be at least four square metres per person during indoor gatherings.

Morrisons assertion, for which there is no reliable evidence, has been endorsed by state and territory premiers and chief ministers across the country, Labor and Liberal-National alike. All view the full reopening of the schools as the necessary precondition for herding workers back into workplaces, to ensure the resumed flow of corporate profits.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporations Q&A program on Monday night showcased the cynical tactics being used in this campaign. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan, the countrys deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth and New South Wales (NSW) education department chief Mark Scott insisted that fears over safety in the schools were irrational.

They repeated government talking points about the impact of lockdown measures on childrens education, in a bid to emotionally blackmail teachers. The speakers pointed to the difficulties impoverished children have engaging in online learning, without mentioning that the pro-business policies of all governments have created the social crisis in working class areas.

Coatsworth claimed that research showed there was little risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools. When a questioner noted that one of the largest clusters in New Zealand had been at Aucklands Marist College, where as many as 90 students and teachers were infected, the medical official professed ignorance.

In other words, the evidence is selected and tailored to justify a predetermined political agenda. This was underscored by Coatsworth and Tehans promotion of a NSW Health study, recently presented to the federal government.

Conducted under the auspices of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, the study purportedly investigated 18 cases of COVID-19 found across 15 NSW schools between mid-March and early-April.

Aside from the fact that it has not been peer reviewed, the report is based on a highly dubious methodology. It claims that the 18 cases did not result in substantial transmission.

For much of the period covered by the study, however, NSW schools had either partially or completely halted face-to-face teaching. Many parents had removed their children from schools even before the NSW governments tardy announcement in late March that only the children of essential workers, and those regarded as vulnerable, should be in physical attendance.

Writing in the Australian, Peter Van Onsolen estimates that somewhere between a third and a quarter of all students werent attending the schools under investigation. In other words, the research proves that coronavirus outbreaks are unlikely when many students are not at school!

To the extent that students and teachers were physically present, they were instructed to practise social distancing. The research, however, is being used to justify the abolition of all social distancing requirements.

The authorities are playing Russian Roulette with the health and lives of students and teachers, many of whom are in age groups most susceptible to falling gravely ill after a COVID-19 infection.

There is no evidence that children and young people are not at risk from the virus. A day after the Q&A episode, Britains National Health Service issued a warning that a new condition in children could be related to COVID-19. It came after at least eight children were hospitalised with severe inflammations. Some tested positive for the coronavirus.

Despite this, governments are seeking to steamroll all opposition. This morning, federal minister Tehan announced that independent and Catholic schools will be eligible for an additional $3.3 billion of government funding. In an act of economic blackmail, the package is tied to the schools meeting a strict timeline of being completely open for face-to-face teaching by the end of May or early June.

After widespread concern among teachers and parents, a number of private schools closed prior to any government directives, and some have threatened to remain shut for the foreseeable future. Because of the vast inequities in the school system and extensive government funding to private schools, they are far better equipped to provide online teaching than their public counterparts.

The transparent purpose of Tehans announcement is to ensure all the parents of private school students are able to return to work, in line with the premature reopening of large sections of retail, industry and business.

State and territory governments are already forcing teachers back into classrooms with the crucial assistance of the trade unions.

Last week, Northern Territory schools went back, with Labor Party Chief Minister Michael Gunner insisting that school attendance is compulsory for almost all students.

The move has provoked substantial opposition. More than 50 percent of 1,000 territory teachers recently surveyed said they had no faith in the territory government to consider their health, and over 60 percent said they felt unsafe.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) merely complained that the government had not consulted it.

In Queensland, schools reopened last week, with most students and teachers working from home and on-site teaching available for children of essential workers. On the first day back, 1.8 million students attempted to log onto the Department of Educations online learning portal, causing it to crash within the first half hour.

The state Labor government has begun lifting lockdown measures and said it will reassess school arrangements on May 15. Government ministers have hinted that they will seek to soon enforce face-to-face teaching via a staged resumption.

Western Australian schools returned this week, with Labor Premier Mark McGowan touting a soft opening involving in-person attendance by year 11 and 12 pupils. He reiterated the federal governments lies, declaring that the risk of transmission in schools is very low.

WA educators are faced with a mounting workload. In addition to the demands of face-to-face teaching and preparing online learning, teachers are expected to provide materials for students who cannot access the internet.

Fearing teacher walkouts, the State School Teachers Union of Western Australia (SSTUWA) bought a full-page advertisement in the West Australian newspaper, appealing to parents to keep their students at home. The SSTUWA, like its counterparts across the country, has sought to stymie any unified struggle by teachers against the governments measures.

Last week, the Liberal government in South Australia revised its stance on the COVID-19 threat. Just days before the end of the holiday break, Education Minister Rick Persse issued a letter stating that schools and pre-schools were low-risk environments.

These assurances provoked widespread anger. In early April, an AEU survey of 1,400 teachers revealed the appalling conditions in the states schools. Seventy-one percent reported that students were not social distancing, 53 percent said their schools daily cleaning regime was insufficient and 46 percent did not have access to sanitising products.

Tasmanian schools returned this week, with the state government encouraging students to learn from home, but with schools open for the children of essential workers. Schools in the North West Region will be shut until at least May 4 due to a major COVID-19 outbreak.

The Australian Capital Territory government opened schools, with most teaching taking place via remote learning.

New South Wales schools resumed today after two pupil-free days. NSW has the highest number of deaths and positive cases of COVID-19. The Liberal-National government is proposing a staggered return throughout term 2, to be completed by the start of term 3. On May 11, all students will be required to attend school one day a week.

A Department of Education statement on April 21 demonstrates that the NSW government is anticipating coronavirus outbreaks. It asserts that the staged resumption will allow for the rapid identification of new spikes in transmission if they occur.

Like all the unions, the NSW Teachers Federation has fully cooperated with the governments, offering advice for what its president, Angelo Gavrielatos, described several weeks ago as an orderly transition to the re-opening of schools.

Gavrielatos and the state government had a minor falling out, after the government rejected his proposal for classroom teaching to be initially limited to year 12 and kindergarten students. The Teachers Federations sole concern is containing the opposition of teachers.

Victoria, the second largest populous state, was the first to re-open on April 14, after the term break. For now, the majority of teachers and students have been encouraged to work from home. On site learning is available for students of essential workers and students described as vulnerable. Only a small minority of students have returned to schools, with small numbers of volunteer staff on site.

The AEUs Victorian branch has endorsed the state Labor governments totally inadequate measures for on-site learning. A recent union up-date, titled Your union is working for you during the COVID-19 pandemic, praised the work of teachers on-site and sought to justify the increasing workload.

Premier Daniel Andrewss government plans to end its state of emergency on May 11, paving the way for an expansion of classroom teaching.

Since the pandemic erupted, the Committee for Public Education (CFPE) has fought to mobilise teachers, parents and students against the stepped-up attacks on educators. It has called for the formation of Action Committees at all schools, to coordinate an industrial and political struggle against the premature re-openings and in defence of the health, safety and social rights of all teachers.

We encourage educators to contact the CFPE by email at cfpe.aus@gmail.com or on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation/. The CFPE Twitter account is https://twitter.com/CFPE_Australia.
GUANGZHOU, China, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CNFinance Holdings Limited (NYSE: CNF) ("CNFinance" or the "Company"), a leading home equity loan service provider in China, today announced that it will hold its annual general meeting of shareholders (the "AGM") at 44/F, Tower G, No. 16 Zhujiang Dong Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510620, People's Republic of China on May 29, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.  11:00 a.m. (Beijing Time). No proposal will be submitted for shareholder approval at the AGM. Instead, the annual general meeting will serve as an open forum for shareholders and beneficial owners of the Company's American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") to discuss Company affairs with management.

The board of directors of the Company has fixed the close of business on April 29, 2020 as the record date (the "Record Date") for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of the AGM or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Holders of record of the Company's ordinary shares at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to attend the AGM and any adjournment or postponement thereof in person. Beneficial owners of the Company's ADSs are also welcome to attend the AGM in person.

About CNFinance Holdings Limited

CNFinance Holdings Limited (NYSE: CNF) ("CNFinance" or the "Company) is a leading home equity loan service provider in China. CNFinance facilitates loans by connecting micro- and small-enterprise ("MSE") owners with its funding partners. The Company's primary target borrower segment is MSE owners who own real properties in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in China. The loans CNFinance facilitates are primarily funded through a trust lending model with its trust company partners who are well-established with sufficient funding sources and have licenses to engage in lending business nationwide. The Company's risk mitigation mechanism is embedded in the design of its loan products, supported by an integrated online and offline process focusing on risks of both borrowers and collateral and further enhanced by effective post-loan management procedures.

SOURCE CNFinance Holdings Limited

Related Links

www.cashchina.cn


N ext chief executive Lord Wolfson today threw his weight behind growing calls for a tapering of the governments furlough scheme to avoid businesses going bust.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reportedly told Boris Johnson he hopes to prioritise keeping workers in the hardest hits parts of the economy in their current jobs.

The job retention scheme, whereby the taxpayer pays 80% of furloughed staffs wages up to 2,500, has already been extended by a month to the end of June. There are fears companies in the hardest hit areas of the economy  including retail, events and restaurants  would have to lay off swathes of staff as trading is unlikely to return swiftly.

Wolfson said: Government has done a very good job of supporting industry through this. People underestimate the power of the furlough scheme of the crisis it has averted

The idea of sector by sector furlough is extremely sensible. Some operations practically cannot open in any form if social distancing.

Dixons Carphone chief Alex Baldock echoed the view: We would like to see a tapering of the scheme rather than a cliff edge end to it. The British Retail Consortium is discussing that exact idea with government right now.

Wolfson also called for clarity on the exact rules of returning furloughed staff to work, including if they decline to return, or an operation such as a warehouse, is not running at full capacity.

The company has also surveyed staff to see how many are caring for children and vulnerable people. We will try and accommodate the hours that people can do and give people shifts they can do around childcare, the Tory peer said.

Nearly a quarter  24%  of its 8,794 staff are unable to work due to childcare or because they are vulnerable or are living with vulnerable people, but it hopes to get back to around 70% of its normal workforce capacity within the next two weeks.

It initially furloughed 88% of staff through the government scheme, though this figure has now reduced to 84% after opening the internet operation.

Next today said that full-price sales had slumped faster and steeper than expected, down 38% in the three months to April 25 and laid out scenarios for a sustained sales plunge. The retailer cut its dividend, worth 220 million and it can comfortably operate on current cash reserves.

Wolfson said, when given the green light from government, it would open its 200-300 larger, out-of-town stores first as they were simpler to ensure social distancing.

Changing rooms will not be open at first, and the firm plans to monitor consumer behaviour to see how to adjust measures.
A Helena woman who pleaded guilty to delivering children to a convicted rapist was sentenced to 100 years in the Montana Women's Prison Tuesday afternoon in Lewis and Clark County District Court.

Kimberly Elvera Feigert, 32, was also labeled a tier one sex offender.

District Court Judge Kathy Seeley restricted Feigert from being eligible for parole for the first 25 years of her sentence.

Deputy County Attorney Melissa Broch and probation and parole officer Lloyd Dopp, who conducted the presentence investigation report and testified during Tuesday's hearing, portrayed Feigert as someone who needs the highly structured environment of prison to completely benefit from the treatment programs she is required to take.

Per Seeley's sentence, Feigert must complete the first two phases of the state's three-phase sex offender treatment program prior to being released.

Dopp also stated during his testimony that he believes Feigert has not fully taken responsibility for her actions. Despite a large amount of correspondence between Feigert and the child rapist in which the two planned their crimes, Dopp said she still claims to not remember taking part in them.

Dopp also said Feigert continues to claim that she was being controlled through the use of drugs.

Feigert was arrested in January 2017 after allegedly bringing a young girl to the Helena building where convicted rapist Andrew Douglas Paige was receiving sex offender treatment, knowing he would rape the girl in a bathroom. The allegations came to light after investigators found photos of the child in the bathroom on Paige's phone, court documents state.

Court documents state Paige and Feigert talked about the alleged molestation in recorded phone calls he made from jail, and she said the girl "would not tell." Feigert was later accused of taking and distributing sexual photographs of a girl under age 10.

Feigert read a prepared statement during her sentencing hearing expressing remorse for her actions and claiming a resolve to take the court-prescribed treatment seriously.

"I'm sorry I lost my way," she said, sobbing. "I ask for the chance to turn my words into actions."

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The coronavirus outbreak is likely to negatively impact half of the passenger vehicle (PV) sales in FY21. The Reserve Bank of India's support measures for mutual funds may struggle to be effective, as low-capitalised banks are unlikely to extend liquidity to the sector without capital relief on the facilities. The fate of investors of the six closed debt funds and other fund of funds (FoF) investors will depend upon how quickly the Franklin Templeton fund house can sell all its securities. Read for more top stories from the world of business and economy:

1. Hotels to incur Rs 90,000 crore revenue loss in 2020

The fall was less steep compared to key Asian markets, which fell 65.4 per cent in China, 64.7 per cent in Malaysia, 62.6 per cent in Thailand and 53.6 per cent in Singapore, during the same period.

2. Coronavirus lockdown to hit 50% of passenger vehicles sales

According to an analysis, top 100 districts account for 62 per cent of passenger vehicle sales in volume terms, with 41 per cent coming from the top 40 districts alone.

3. Power discoms to record Rs 20,000 crore loss in FY21, says ICRA

The average thermal PLF (plant load factor), which determines the capacity utilisation for power companies is expected to fall from 56 per cent in fiscal 2020 to 54 per cent in 2020-21 against an earlier projection of 60 per cent.

4. RBI's Rs 50,000 crore liquidity boost for MF may struggle to be effective

Fitch feared that if the liquidity facility does not achieve its aims of supporting liquidity or restoring market confidence, more debt schemes will be forced to suspend redemptions.

5. BT Insight: Where 6 Franklin Templeton funds got stuck; recovery tougher

Franklin Templeton investors can hope to get better realisation of their locked investment if the market sentiment improves.
There will be Purple Hearts awarded to troops injured during the Jan. 8 Iranian missile barrage on the al-Asad airbase in Iraq, a defense official told Military Times.

In the weeks following the attack, 110 troops were eventually diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injuries in Tehrans attack targeting the airbase  where roughly 1,000 U.S. troops are stationed. The barrage was in response to a U.S. airstrike that killed Irans Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.

CNNs Barbara Starr first reported that the Purple Hearts would be awarded, saying that dozens of troops are expected to receive them.

Its unclear at the moment how many troops will receive the Purple Hearts. The defense official told Military Times that the medal award packets are still going through the approval process.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the award submissions are under review.

The Purple Heart submissions remain under review and are being processed in accordance with Defense Department and military service regulations," Jessica Maxwell, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told Military Times in an email. Upon completion, service members entitled to receive the Purple Heart will be notified by their leadership.

In 2011, the Pentagon streamlined its policy regarding criteria for the Purple Heart to allow service members with mild TBI to be eligible for the award even if they did not lose consciousness in the attack or were not immediately treated on scene by a medical officer.

Nearly 60 service members could be eligible for the the Purple Heart following Iran ballistic missile attack

The Army says the Purple Heart can be awarded for mild TBI or concussive severe enough to cause either loss of consciousness or restriction from full duty due to persistent signs, symptoms, or clinical finding, or impaired brain functions for a period greater than 48 hours from the time of the concussive incident.

The Army further clarifies that examples of medical treatment for a concussion that meets the standard for the Purple Heart includes, referral to neurologist or neuropsychologist, physical or occupational therapy, or restriction from duty for a period greater than 48 hours.

Story continues

Combat theater and unit command policies mandating rest periods or down time following incidents do not constitute qualifying treatment for concussion injuries. To qualify as medical treatment, this rest period must have been directed by a medical officer or medical professional for the individual after diagnosis of an injury as indicated, the Armys Purple Heart policy states.

The Air Force also includes a 48 hour loss of work requirement for airmen diagnosed with TBI or a concussion, according to the Air Force awards manual.

When considering award of the Purple Heart for a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion that did not result in the loss of consciousness, ensure the diagnosed mild traumatic brain injury resulted in a disposition of not fit for full duty by a medical officer for a period of greater than 48 hours based on persistent signs, symptoms, or findings of functional impairment resulting from the concussive event, the Air Force awards manual detailed.

Sailors and Marines may be awarded the Purple Heart for certain mild traumatic brain injuries that were caused by enemy action Jim Nierle, president, Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals, said in a 2011 news release.

If they suffered a loss of consciousness, or had to be given the disposition of not fit for full duty by a medical officer for a period greater than 48 hours after a concussive event, they may qualify for the Purple Heart," Nierle explained in the release.

The Purple Heart is also awarded to sailors and Marines who lose consciousness as a result of a mild TBI or concussion.

According to CNN, three defense officials described the situation as extremely sensitive because of the attention the issue received after President Donald Trump downplayed the significance of the injuries. With the Purple Hearts pending, the awards are getting internal attention from senior Pentagon personnel, according to the defense officials. It is not clear how much the Defense Department will publicize the awards when they are made, officials said.

When the first reports about the injuries emerged, Trump said he didnt consider potential brain injuries to be as serious as physical combat wounds.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper initially said that more than 10 ballistic missiles hit al-Asad during the strike, damaging tentage, a parking lot and other equipment. He characterized the aftermath as nothing major at the time.

Even so, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, predicted that Irans intent was to kill Americans on Jan. 8, and later disclosed Irans missiles were lethal 1,000- to 2,000-pound munitions.

These things have bursting radiuses of 50 to 100 feet, and thats just the shrapnel in the actual blast. These are very, very significant, serious weapons, Milley said Jan 30.

And you know, if youre within a certain range of that thing, theres no helmet or anything else thats going to save you, Milley added.
British climate activists Rosie Watson and Mike Elm were on an international bicycle and running tour to promote their green campaign when they got stuck in Kosovo because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Watson, 25, from Loweswater in northwestern England, and Elm, 32, from Edinburgh, Scotland, have been stranded in Prizren, a town in Kosovo, 85 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the capital, Pristina.

Since mid-March, Kosovo has been in a lockdown with all of its land and air border crossings shut. The virus has killed at least 22 people in the Balkan nation, which has more than 790 confirmed cases.

The couple decided against getting on an evacuation flight organized by the British government, saying they are against plane travel and they want to continue their journey once it's possible to do so. Their trip is low-budget and they have had free accommodation since the start.

They are enjoying the historic, cobblestone streets of Prizren, a town along the Bistrica River and the Sharri Mountains that was founded in the second century AD and has a medieval castle. They have also been sampling fli, a local butter pie, and been reassured by a traditional welcome from residents.

In Prizren, they have focused on writing about their trip. Watson has a blog as does Elm.

Watson started her The New Story Run in August last year from the United Kingdom, planning a two-year tour on foot to Mongolia to tell stories of people finding a better and more equal and healthy way of living for us and the planets and tackling the climate crisis.

After running 3,570 kilometers (2,220 miles), or 17 kilometers (around 10 miles) per day, she has a lot to write about.

Inspired by her efforts, Elm joined her in November aiming to cycle a total of 12,000 kilometers (7,450 miles), or 50 kilometers (30 miles) a day. Before getting stuck, they took different routes, but they met up time and again along the way.

Elm met people in Prizren trying to improve this beautiful city by bringing more trees and green space.

Previously, he was in Zlarin, which aims at becoming Croatia's first single-use plastic free island. In neighboring Albania, Watson met with a community battling against hydroelectric operations that he says are endangering nearby Valbona National Park.

A better world for our children needs a better world for us right now, Elm said.

The pandemic will urge people to see some of the benefits of having less cars in the city and the cleaner air, the nicer sound, the quieter environment, he added.

When borders reopen, their plan is to continue their journey through Bulgaria, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and finally Mongolia.

This virus has shown that we, and governments, have the ability to transform society and whole countries very fast something which we need to do to avoid the impacts of the climate crisis, Watson said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
County Louth had the fifth-highest number of allegations of complaint made against gardai in the country last year, according to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission report.

The figures covered 2019 exclusively and Louth had 118 complaints in total.

The GSOC report shows that the allegations include those that have been admitted and those on which admissibility decisions had yet to be made by 31 December 2019. Excluded are 126 allegations for which garda divisions had not yet been established by the end of the year.

According to the report, the most common circumstances which gave rise to complaints in 2019 were: the conduct of investigations by gardai, conduct of gardai when effecting an arrest, road policing incidents, customer service by gardai and conduct of gardai when searching property and/or person.

There was one case referral in Louth where the Garda Commissioner saw fit to refer to the Ombudsman Commission a matter that appeared to indicate that the conduct of a member of the Garda Siochana may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person.

The greatest number of allegations in the country were recorded against gardai in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR).

Louth was behind Dublin, Cork City, Kerry and Limerick.
The Supreme Court Wednesday granted partial relief to Vodafone Idea Ltd by asking the Income Tax department to refund Rs 733 crore to the telecom firm within four weeks, for assessment year 2014-15.

Vodafone Idea, formerly known as Vodafone Mobile Services Ltd, had however sought Rs 4,759.07 crore in tax refund from for AYs - 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.

The top court did not order I-T refund pertaining to AYs other than 2014-15.

Insofar as AY 2014-15 is concerned, final assessment order passed under Section 143(3) of the (Income Tax) Act indicates that the appellant (telecom firm) is entitled to refund of Rs 733 Crores; while for AY 2015-16 there is a demand of Rs.582 Crores, a bench comprising Justices U U Lalit and Vineet Saran said in the judgement.

The top court also noted that the Income Tax department would be entitled to invoke requisite power under Section 245 of the Act to set off the amount of refund payable in respect of AY 2014-15 against tax remaining payable.

Since the requisite action is not even initiated, we say nothing in that respect. In the premises, we direct that the amount of Rs.733 Crores shall be refunded to the appellant (telecom firm) within four weeks from today subject to any proceedings that the Revenue may deem appropriate to initiate in accordance with law, the top court said.

The bench also directed the Tax department to conclude as early as possible the proceedings relating to the demand of refund of the telecom firm and the scrutiny of income by the IT department with respect to assessment years 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Except for the directions as indicated, we see no merit in any of the contentions advanced by the appellant (Vodafone). This appeal is, therefore, dismissed without any order as to costs, the judgement said.

The telecom company had earlier moved the Delhi High Court alleging that there was complete inaction on part of I-T department in processing its ITRs and in issuing appropriate refund to it.

The firm had sought a direction to the government department to process and grant refunds for the AYs 2014-15 to 2017-18, along with interest under Section 244A of the Act.

The Delhi High Court on December 14, 2018 dismissed the petition and against that decision an appeal was filed in the apex court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DUBLIN, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ResearchAndMarkets.com published a new article on the food and beverage industry, "Crackers Experience Sales Growth as Consumers Opt for Long Shelf-Life Goods During Coronavirus Lockdown"

As more countries enter lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19, consumers are looking to stock up on foods that are good-value, long-lasting and filling to keep them going while they work and learn from home. Some consumers are also concerned about access to fresh baked goods like breads and pastries.



These factors have led to increased demand for packaged crackers which have a long-shelf life. In the US, crackers saw a 10% increase in sales in March with popular brands like Ritz and Goldfish crackers in extremely high demand. Sales of Goldfish crackers increased by 22.7% while several retailers ran out of Ritz cracker products due to the increased demand.



To see the full article and a list of related reports on the market, visit "Crackers Experience Sales Growth as Consumers Opt for Long Shelf-Life Goods During Coronavirus Lockdown"

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It would be hard to consider the proposal to distribute funds to all citizens of Armenia justified. This is what Minister of Finance of Armenia Atom Janjughazyan said during a discussion on the bill on making amendments and supplements to the Law on the 2020 State Budget in the second reading in parliament today, responding to the statement by leader of the Bright Armenia Party and head of the homonymous parliamentary faction Edmon Marukyan.

Bright Armenia Party had particularly recommended that the authorities provide gratuitous assistance to the population in the amount of 5-10% of the GDP. According to the finance minister, its not clear why the assistance should be provided and to people who have lost their jobs and those who are still employed and are receiving high salaries. The minister added that financial assistance needs to be provided to people who have lost their jobs or to companies that are trying to maintain their jobs.

As far as the unused funds of the treasury are concerned, the minister stated that the amount is not fully available for making immediate expenditures and that a part of the funds is the remainder of the loan programs for infrastructure projects.
The Centre on Wednesday gave clear indications that the ongoing nationwide lockdown will be extended beyond May 3 but with "considerable relaxations" to people and services in "many districts". The Ministry of Home Affairs, however, said there was a need to maintain a strict lockdown till May 3 so that the gains are not squandered away.

The nationwide lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 in a bid to combat the coronavirus threat. It was further extended till May 3. In a series of tweets, the Union Home Ministry said it has ...
Odisha government on



Wednesday claimed that the state has the lowest rate of COVID-19 positivity in the country as it has registered only 0.4 per cent per 100 corona tests.

This was stated by National Health Mission, Odisha director Shalini Pandit in the media briefing here.

"We have only 0.4 per cent COVID-19 positivity against Indias average of 4.3 per cent," she said.

Further elaborating the fact, Pandit said while the rate of positivity in Delhi was highest at 8.4 followed by Maharastra at 7 per cent, Odishas positivity rate is only 0.4 per cent.

She explained that the rate of positivity has declined in the state with increase in the number of corona tests. While the state was conducting only 1,500 tests two weeks ago, it has increased to 15,000 a week by end of fourth week, she said.

Pandit also claimed that Odisha undertakes more corona tests than the national average. While the national average is 452 tests per 10 lakh population, it is 662 in Odisha.

In the absence of vaccine or proper medicine to treat to COVID-19 cases, Pandit said testing is the prime measure which helps to reduce the number of mortality as well as contain spread of the highly infectious disease.

The state government has now increased the number of corona tests and around 2000 tests are being conducted every day. As the states positivity rate is 0.4 per cent, one should not wonder if 8 to 10 new positive cases are detected every day.

"We usually get one positive case in every 250 corona tests," Pandit said, adding that the state government conducts tests keeping on vulnerability category like returnees from abroad and within the country, people having come in contact with earlier detected positive cases, people showing symptoms and health workers coming in contact with the affected persons.

"Earlier only symptomatic cases were tested, but now samples of all returnees, possible contacts and those in the risk category are being collected," she said.

Pandit said that identification of more positive cases would mean that right samples are being picked for tests.

"This will help check further spread of the virus," she said.

Pandit further said that asymptomatic cases in the state are as high as 82 per cent and these people can spread the infection unknowingly.

She said the people should not violate guidelines after lifting of the lockdown period. "Once the lockdown is lifted, people will have more responsibility while going out. They must maintain social distancing, frequent hand wash, use of mask and other requirements to contain the spread of the disease," she said.

Pandit said one-third of COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital after cure.

Of the 83 active cases presently in COVID Hospitals, Pandit said only six persons need medical attention because of their cough and cold. None of them require ventilator now, she said.

However, she said the government keeps them in hospital in order to protect them as well as to contain spread of the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Navy captain who commanded the school that develops aviation technical training has been removed from his job.

Capt. Nate Schneider, the commanding officer of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training in Pensacola, Florida was relieved of command on Tuesday, the Navy announced. The relief was carried out by Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, the head of Naval Education and Training Command.

Cozad lost confidence in Schneider's ability to lead, Cmdr. James Stockman, a spokesman for Naval Education and Training Command, said.

"Naval Education Training Command conducted an investigation, which was completed a couple weeks ago," Stockman said. "Based on the findings, Adm. Cozad relieved Capt. Schneider."

Stockman declined to provide additional details about the relief, the nature of the investigation or its findings.

Reached by email, Schneider said commanding the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training was an honor and privilege. I am departing a superb organization, Schneider said. I wish CAPT Hepstall all the best going forward. The Navy gets it right most of the time and I respect our Leadership and the tough decisions they must make. Today and forward, will be my mantra!

The Center that Schneider led is responsible for the training and education of enlisted sailors, Marines and officers who work in aviation maintenance. Schneider assumed command in November 2018.

Related: Carrier Commanding Officer Fired Over Plea for Resources That Went Public

Capt. Bryant Hepstall, the Center's executive officer, has replaced Schneider, Stockman said. Schneider is being reassigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola's headquarters, he added.

A prior-enlisted sailor, Schneider joined the Navy in 1981 as a signalman seaman recruit, according to his official bio. He later graduated from Old Dominion University and was commissioned through the Enlisted Commissioning Program. He was designated an aerospace engineering duty officer (maintenance).

Schneider went on to deploy nine times, including on the aircraft carriers Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan. He previously served as the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training's executive officer before assuming command in 2018.

Schneider's awards include the Legion of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, among others. In 2004, Schneider received the Captain Virgil Lemmon Award for Naval Aviation Maintenance Excellence.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Read More: Navy Expands Sea Duty Pay As Deployed Ships Battle Virus Outbreaks
A month after much of the Bay Areas construction industry shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a new shelter-in-place order announced Wednesday will allow job sites to reopen with stringent safety and physical distancing requirements.

Under the new order, which goes into effect Monday, all construction will be allowed to resume as long as workers keep their distance and wear protective gear. The order will jump start hundreds of commercial and residential projects throughout the Bay Area, from single-family home renovations to office buildings to apartment towers.

Not only does this mean opportunities for people who are working in this industry to go back to work, it provides opportunity to continue what we know is important construction work, said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. Housing production is something that is necessary.

The previous order in March shut down construction of hotels, commercial buildings, and residential buildings with less than 10% affordable units. It allowed projects that provide services to vulnerable populations as well as those that are required to maintain safety, sanitation, and habitability of residences and commercial buildings.

The order exempted health care projects related to fighting the pandemic. It applied to six Bay Area counties  Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Marin.

The new order, which is consistent with the rules Gov. Gavin Newsom put in place on March 20, was applauded by developers who said that a prolonged stop-work order could have exacerbated the Bay Areas housing crisis and forced thousands of skilled trade workers to leave the region.

Developer Eric Tao of L37 Partners, which had to shut down a 242-unit condo and 232-room hotel project at 950 Market St., said the fact that the shutdown wont extend into a second month means most workers will be in a position to return to the job site.

There is a big sigh of relief among a lot of us in the housing development industry, he said. Another month would have meant a lot of furloughs and a lot of people out of work. The impact would have been exponential.

The March order forced construction giant Build Group to shut down 60 out of 90 projects, including a $250 million campus for Intuitive Surgical in Sunnyvale, a housing and hotel project in Oakland, headquarters for Heritage Bank of Commerce in San Jose, and jobs for Amazon and Facebook. The San Francisco-based general contractor laid off about 15% of its 425 salaried employees, according to CEO Ross Edwards.

The people who were laid off  probably we can get them back, said Edwards. If it had gone on much longer a lot of these guys would have packed up their cars and driven away.

He said the industry, which already has daily safety meetings on large projects, would be quick to adapt to the new safety rules.

The work we do is dangerous, he said. Ive got people in harms way every day on high-rise buildings, working with power tools. We are set up with intense safety training. We believe we can get workers in proper (personal protection equipment) and educate them on how to work safely.

While the March 31 order was billed as an important step in stopping the spread of coronavirus on busy job sites, some construction industry leaders called it inconsistent and confusing. Work at public schools was allowed to go forward, while private schools were not. In San Francisco, where most neighborhoods have affordable housing requirements, many projects were able to continue. In contrast, most projects were forced to stop in Oakland, where developers pay a fee rather than include affordable units onsite. Some neighbors complained about what they believed was illegal construction.

And some complained that the previous order punished developers who had chosen to donate land for affordable housing to the city, rather than put the units onsite. This meant that housing projects at both 950 Market St. and 50 Jones St. had to stop because both developers bought land and gave it to the city for affordable housing.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Breed said that the coronavirus pandemic has underscored the areas housing challenges.

Housing shortages lead to higher costs, which leads to more homeless people, said Breed. We see this playing out all over the city.

For Mike Ghielmetti, president of the Signature Development Group in Oakland, said the new relaxed order will allow the reopening of Oakland housing projects in Brooklyn Basin and along the Broadway-Valdez corridor.

Im quite pleased, and there will be thousands of construction workers who will be quite pleased as well, said Ghielmetti. We feel construction is a necessary service for the Bay Area, given the housing crisis.

On Wednesday, as word spread of the relaxed rules, Ghielmetti heard from a number of the contractors and subcontractors working on Signature projects. All said they are ready to get back to work.

We will be up and running on Monday, Ghielmetti said.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
Crude oil futures gained to Rs 1,107 per barrel on April 29 as participants increased their long positions. Oil prices jumped as the increase in US crude stockpiles was less than expected and due to easing of coronavirus restrictions in some countries.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has been under pressure in the last two days on liquidation of current month positions by US State Oil Fund, one of the largest oil exchange traded funds (ETFs). The fund has rolled over contracts of several months due to highly volatile market conditions.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that US crude inventories rose 10 million barrels for the week ended April 24.

WTI Crude oil is leading the gains in commodities market today with price up more than 14.50 percent. The gains in crude oil was mainly supported by the bullish API weekly report that noted a smaller than expected rise in US crude oil stocks and an unexpected decline in gasoline stocks, said Ravindra Rao, VP- Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities.

EIA report will be released today which is expected to show a smaller build up in line with the API data. Today's gains may get trimmed only if the EIA shows a buildup more than API report or the forecast, said Rao.

In the futures market, crude oil for May delivery touched an intraday high of Rs 1,125 and an intraday low of Rs 1,030 per barrel on MCX. So far in the current series, black gold has touched a low of Rs 796 and a high of Rs 3,905.

Crude oil delivery for May gained Rs 102, or 10.15 percent, to Rs 1,107 per barrel at 15:20 hours IST. The same for June delivery jumped Rs 40, or 2.8 percent, to Rs 1,468 per barrel with a business volume of 1,578 lots.

The value of May and June contracts traded so far is Rs 1,246.13 crore and Rs 86.25 crore, respectively.

"We expect prices to trade positive on expectations of demand recovery with some countries easing lockdown measures. MCX Crude oil May futures has support at Rs 950 with resistance at Rs 1,300," said Tapan Patel- Senior Analyst (Commodities), HDFC Securities.

West Texas Intermediate crude gained 14.51 percent to $14.13 per barrel, while Brent crude, the London-based international benchmark, gained 2.81 percent to $23.38 per barrel.
A U.S. guided missile cruiser sailed Wednesday through the Spratly Islands, the U.S. Navys second freedom of navigation operation in two days amid heightened tension in the South China Sea.

The innocent passage maneuver by the USS Bunker Hill followed a separate operation by the destroyer USS Barry on Tuesday near the Paracel Islands, which lie further north, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.

Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight and the right of innocent passage of all ships, spokesperson Cmdr. Reann Mommsen said.

It was the latest in a series of challenges by Washington to what it calls unlawful claims in the South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over most of the area, despite competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Chinas military claimed its navy and air forces on Tuesday had expelled the USS Barry from the area. The Peoples Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, responsible for Chinas military presence in the South China Sea, accused the US ship of trespassing into Chinese territorial waters.

The U.S. Navy disputed Chinas account of what happened. USNI News, a publication associated with the U.S. Naval Institute, cited a U.S. Navy official as saying that the USS Barry left the area peaceably after completing its freedom of navigation operation, and that no nearby ships or aircraft acted in an unprofessional way.

China has been accused of a spate of bullying behavior in the South China Sea this month, including involvement in the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel, and then sending a survey ship and China Coast Guard escorts into Malaysian and Vietnamese waters to pressure Malaysia out of energy exploration within its exclusive economic zone. That has prompted diplomatic protests from other claimants and shows of force by the U.S. Another American warship, the USS Gabrielle Giffords, sailed near the site of this survey Tuesday, and U.S. warships participated in a joint exercise with the Royal Australian Navy in the same area on April 18.

Vessel-tracking software shows the Chinese survey vessel was continuing its operations off Malaysia on Wednesday, alongside a small fleet of China Coast Guard vessels and Peoples Armed Forces Maritime Militia. The survey has moved to an area jointly claimed by both Vietnam and Malaysia. Ships from Vietnams Fisheries Resources Surveillance agency moved close to the area Tuesday and appeared to be watching the situation unfold.

Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst for the U.S.-funded RAND Corporation think tank, said the U.S. Navys recent activity in the South China Sea is tied to Chinas perceived opportunism in the region while other claimants are distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. clearly believes the coronavirus offers Beijing the ability to distract while consolidating gains in the South China Sea. Hence, we have witnessed a recent uptick in U.S. naval activity in the form of FONOPs in the region  two in just this week, Grossman said, using the abbreviation for freedom of navigation operations.

As is typically the case after such maneuvers, the U.S. 7th Fleet said that the FONOPS were not aimed at any one nation. Spokesperson Mommsen said Wednesdays operation, upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

China has been demonstrating its military might in various ways of late. The Liaoning aircraft carrier and five other warships sailed this week through the Miyako Strait into the East China Sea, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry statement Tuesday identifying the vessels.

The Philippines recently protested over Chinas navy reportedly training a radar gun  used for target acquisition  on the Philippine Navy ship BRP Conrado Yap while it traversed the South China Sea. The Philippine defense secretary this week downplayed the incident that took place in February, although its foreign ministry recently submitted a diplomatic protest to China over the incident.
The Kaduna Police Command said it has arrested 986 social distancing and lockdown violators across the state.

The command said 48 suspects among those arrested were religious leaders and beer parlour operators in the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Umar Musa Muri, who disclosed at a press briefing on Wednesday, said those arrested have been charged to court for prosecution.

He said the arrests were part of the effort of the state government to enforce the lockdown and social distancing across the state since March 26.

Its worthy to note that the command, in its bid to enforce the social distancing and lockdown orders imposed by Kaduna by the State government since 26 March, 2020, with a view to curbing the spread of COVID 19 pandemic in the state and environs, has arrested 986 violators across the State.

Among which, 48 suspects who are mostly religious leaders and beer parlour operators, have been charged to court for prosecution,  he said.

The commissioner also explained that the command has arrested 91 suspects for various crimes which include banditry, Armed robbers, kidnapping, culpable homicide, rape, shop breaking, theft and other crimes.

He said so many weapons have been recovered from the suspects while others were neutralised during various operations carried out by the command.
Global warming is increasing the risk of catastrophic glacier detachments, geologists have warned.

Meltwater generated by warmer summers is posing a new threat that we are only just beginning to understand, according to researchers who investigated what unleashed a torrent of ice and rock that slid for seven miles through a valley in Alaska.

The 500-metre-long slab of the Flat Creek glacier broke off suddenly in August 2013 and cascaded down a rugged mountain valley in the remote Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

A similar event was documented at the same location two years later by National Park Service geologist Michael Loso, who recruited researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder to investigate.

We were aware of glacier detachments that had happened in Tibet, Russia, and Argentina, but started out thinking we were investigating a regular landslide, said Mylene Jacquemart, a PhD student. Then we noticed that the entire glacier was missing.

Glacier collapse shows climate impact Show all 20 1 /20 Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier near Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux works with student Febin Magar to assemble a radar dome while working in a science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Airplane Mechanic, David Fuller, left, works with a local worker to move a Nasa Gulfstream III during a pre-flight inspection before a flight to support the Oceans Melting Greenland research mission Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Earth Science Flight Programs Director at Nasa, Eric Ianson, looks out at the Greenland ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacial ice is seen from the window during the Nasa flight Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland's science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A large crevasse forms near the calving front of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux uses a drill to install antennas for scientific instruments that will be left on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event at the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Radar Engineer, Ron Muellerschoen, monitors data collection inside a NASA Gulfstream III flying above Greenland to measure loss to the country's ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact GPS tracking equipment is left on top of the Helheim glacier REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Sunshine lights up the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A glacial terminus above the east coast of Greenland REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Student Febin Magar watches as leftover wood burns in a research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland repairs a broken GPS module at his research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters

No one was hurt in either of the ice surges in Alaska, but similar glacier detachments in less remote areas in the last two decades have been deadly.

Some 140 people were killed when masses of ice broke loose from the Kolka glacier and buried an entire village in Russias North Ossetia region in 2002.

In July 2016, a wall of ice and rocks from the Aru glacier gushed down a narrow valley in Tibet, killing nine herders and hundreds of sheep and yaks  and baffling scientists who were unsure what had caused the surge.

A study published by the Colorado Boulder researchers in the journal Geology found both Alaskan detachments occurred at the height of the summer melt seasons and suggests these highly destructive events could occur more frequently in a warming world.

The team began a research project to investigate what had happened at Flat Creek after preliminary research by Mr Loso ruled out a seismic trigger.

They used a variety of tools, including satellite imagery, field measurements, digital elevation models, and meltwater modelling, to piece together what happened.

This project was a real sleuthing challenge, said Ms Jacquemart. And the pieces finally fell into place when we discovered the bulge on the Flat Creek glacier.

Ten-year-old, high-resolution satellite images showed that an unusual, 70-metre-high ice bulge existed on the glaciers tongue prior to the first detachment in 2013.

Our data indicate that the lowermost part of the glacier tongue was very thin, stagnant, and firmly frozen to the glacier bed, Ms Jacquemart said.

We believe this frozen tongue did two things: it blocked ice flowing down from higher on the glacier, forcing it to bulge; and it slowed meltwater drainage, allowing the water to pool under the glacier.

The resulting increase in water pressure under the glacier eventually caused the tongue to suddenly detach, resulting in two mass flows so large that they each buried about three square kilometres of 400-year-old forest.

The similarity of the glacier detachments in Alaska and Tibet suggest they shared a common cause, according to the researchers.

Other detachments elsewhere in the world have also been recently discovered, suggesting that large-scale glacier detachments may be exacerbated by global warming, said Ms Jacquemart.

She added: We conclude that the meltwater produced by increasingly warmer summers has the potential to create unexpected consequences in the form of hazards that we didnt previously know about and that we are only just beginning to understand.

Glaciers are known to be shrinking as a result of their ice melting at a faster pace, but Ms Jacquemart said: The new insights were gaining from places like Flat Creek show that we also need to consider new processes we werent previously aware of.

Ultimately, she added, scientists will need to develop a better understanding of these new processes and potentially reevaluate hazard assessments in mountain communities.

The risk is not confined to the immediate vicinity of the glacier, given how far mass flows produced by detachment can travel.

Emergency planners may also need to consider knock-on impacts such as the temporary damming of a river by ice and rocks and subsequent release of water.

Suddenly, a remote event can have far-reaching impacts downstream, said Ms Jacquemart.
The RBZs Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is understood to be looking into the details of how the institutions licences were issued from February last year, when the government liberalised the exchange rate, to date after a whistleblower alerted them to possible corruption by responsible officials resulting in some doggy companies being licences.
UPDATE: Both people have been found safe and sound according to Sheriff Maciol.

ROME, N.Y. -- According to Sheriff Robert Maciol there is a Police presence in the area of West Thomas Street in the outer district of Rome.

Deputies are on scene and being assisted by the Rome Fire Department, New York State Police, and the NYS DEC, in regards to two parties who are currently lost in a wooded area off of West Thomas Street.

At this time the public is asked to avoid the area and more details may be released later.

NEWSChannel 2 has a crew on the way to the scene and will have an update as soon as it becomes available.
Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here!

(Kitco News) - New Gold Inc. (TSX: NGD, NYSE American: NGD) reported a loss during the first quarter, which was impacted by a temporary closure of the Rainy River Mine due to government rules to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced Wednesday.

The adjusted loss was put at $18 million, or 3 cents per share per share. In the sane period of 2019, New Golds adjusted loss was $2 million, or 0 cents per share.



The net loss for the quarter was $28 million, or 4 cents per share, compared to a loss of $13 million, or 2 cents, in the same quarter of 2019.

Revenues were $142.3 million, a decrease from $167.9 million in the prior-year quarter, which the company blamed on a decrease in gold and copper sales volumes, which in turn were impacted by the 12-day suspension at the Rainy River Mine. Also, copper prices were lower, although gold prices were higher. Further, sales volumes in the prior-year period were 10% higher than production primarily due to the timing of shipment and sales, the company said.

Gold-equivalent production was 103,435 ounces in the first quarter, compared to 123,263 in the same period a year ago. Gold output fell to 66,790 ounces from 79,398, and copper output slipped to 18.5 million pounds from 19.5 million. The company also mines some silver.

Rainy River, located near the U.S. border, was shut down from March 20 to April 2 to allow the local workforce to self-isolate for 14 days due to travel outside of Canada, the company said. Operations resumed on April 3, with a gradual ramp-up. New Gold said the mine is currently averaging 100,000 metric tons of ore a day, which is 70% of productivity prior to the shutdown.

We are encouraged by the financial results for the quarter as they were impacted by the two-week suspension at Rainy River in the latter part of March, and the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols put in place at both operations, Renaud Adams, chief executive officer. Following the close of a strategic $300 million partnership with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, the company now has a strong liquidity position of $600 million, which is more than adequate to fund our business during this COVID-19 period.

The average realized gold price rose to $1,458 from $1,301 an ounce, while the average copper price fell to $2.56 a pound from $2.79.

All-in sustaining costs per gold-equivalent ounce rose to $1,446 from $1,083. Some of the increase was due to lower gold-equivalent ounces, the company explained.

New Gold earlier this month withdrew its 2020 guidance due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following his catechesis at the General Audience, Pope Francis noted that today the Church celebrates the feast of St Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church and co-patron of Italy and of Europe. As he had done earlier at the daily Mass, he prayed to St Catherine for protection during the pandemic, and for the unity of Europe.

By Vatican News

In his greetings in various languages at the end of the General Audience, Pope Francis recalled once again  as he had done earlier at his daily Mass  that Wednesday is the feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church and one of the patrons of Italy and of Europe.

Saint Catherine, protector of Italy and of Europe

The Holy Father noted that, although Catherine was unable to read or write, this courageous young woman did not hesitate to appeal to civil and religious leaders. She called them to action and at times even rebuked them. Pope Francis mentioned in particular her work to bring peace to Italy, and to call for the Popes return to Rome from Avignon.



May her example help everyone understand how to be united, with Christian consistency, an intense love for the Church with an effective solicitude for the civil community, especially in this time of trial, the Pope said. I ask St Catherine to protect Italy during this pandemic, and to protect Europe, because she is the Patroness of Europe; to protect the whole of Europe so that it may remain united.

Saint Joseph, patron of workers

Pope Francis also noted the upcoming feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, which occurs on Friday, 1 May.

Through his intercession, the Pope said, I entrust to the mercy of God all those who have been struck by unemployment because of the current pandemic.

The Holy Father prayed, May the Lord be the Providence of all those in need, and encourage us to help them.

Mary and the prayer of the Rosary

With his thoughts fixed on the pain and suffering caused by the pandemic, Pope Francis then turned his attention to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Pope once again encouraged everyone to pray the Rosary, especially during the month of May  the subject of Letter the Holy Father had addressed to all the faithful just a few days earlier.

In his greetings to the faithful who speak Polish, the Holy Father said that now, when so many people are called to remain in their homes, it is a good opportunity to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary, and the tradition of Marian devotions.

He called on the faithful, whether as a family or individually, to fix your gaze in every moment on the Face of Christ, and on the heart of Mary.

Pope Francis then prayed, May her maternal intercession help you to face this time of particular trial.
(Newser)  Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that may be linked to the new coronavirus. Earlier this week, Britains Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with "a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care" across the country. The group said there is "growing concern that either a COVID-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible, the AP reports. "We already know that a very small number of children can become severely ill with COVID-19 but this is very rare," said Dr. Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

story continues below

Viner said the syndrome was likely caused by an overreaction of the body's immune system and noted similar symptoms had been seen in some adults infected with the coronavirus. The cases were also reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder. Only some of the children tested positive for COVID-19, so scientists are unsure if these rare symptoms are caused by the coronavirus or by something else. Health officials estimate there have been about 10-20 such cases in Britain. Spains Association of Pediatrics recently made a similar warning, telling doctors that in recent weeks, there has been a number of children suffering from "an unusual picture of abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms" that could lead within hours to shock, low blood pressure, and heart problems."

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
An unofficial White House gift shop is selling $100 coronavirus commemorative coins for collectors looking to remember the pandemic that has so far killed more than 60,000 Americans and infected over a million.

Collectors can look back on this stain on human history by becoming the proud owners of a limited first edition coin from The White House Gift Shop - a controversial business that used to be affiliated with the Secret Service.

Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders took to social media to slam the White House over the creation of the coins, as the nation's healthcare workers continue to be faced with shortages in supplies of much-needed personal protective equipment.

'If the White House Gift Shop is going to produce $100 COVID-19 coins, Trump can sure as hell utilize the Defense Production Act to manufacture the gloves, gowns, and masks our medical workers desperately need,' Sanders said in a Twitter rant Wednesday.

Collectors can look back on this stain on human history by becoming the proud owners of a limited first edition coin (above) from The White House Gift Shop

The store website states that 100 percent of the profits from the limited edition coins will be donated to 'Five Major COVID-19 Research Hospitals'. It is not clear which hospitals this refers to.

The eleventh coin in the unofficial store's 'historic moments' collection features a virus molecule on one side and the White House press briefing stage on the other.

One side of the coin has 'World vs Virus. Everyday Citizens Did Their Part' inscribed on the outer edge, followed by 'Together We Fought the Unseen Enemy. Everyday Heroes Suited Up' around the image of a virus molecule over the world map in the center.

The second side - the 'COVID-19 Task Force' - features the names of the key White House coronavirus task force figures President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Michael R. Pence, Secretary S. Mnuchin, Dr. Jerome Adams, Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci around the presidential podium.

Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders took to social media Wednesday to slam the White House over the creation of the coins

One side of the coin has 'World vs Virus. Everyday Citizens Did Their Part' inscribed on the outer edge, followed by 'Together We Fought the Unseen Enemy. Everyday Heroes Suited Up' around the image of a virus molecule over the world map in the center

Shoppers looking to take home a piece of history will be set back a staggering $100 for one of the 1,000 coins created in the special design.

However, the website suggests this is a bargain as the coins are reduced from their regular price of $125 - which is perhaps surprising given they must have been newly created once the pandemic began savaging America.

Alongside the coin itself, buyers will also find themselves the proud owners of a certificate of authenticity and a custom White House black velvet coin case.

Other coins in the collection include a coin commemorating Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a coin entitled 'Genius Makes Its Own Rules' featuring Trump's face and Trump's visit to France on the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice

The commemorative coin joins the 10 other collectors' pieces created by the store to mark what it classes key moments in history.

Other coins in the collection include a coin commemorating Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a coin entitled 'Genius Makes Its Own Rules' featuring Trump's face and Trump's visit to France on the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice.

The shop is now privately-run by self-confessed Trump supporter Anthony Giannini but was originally established by then-President Truman and members of the US Secret Service in 1946.

The website says it was granted trademark registration protections by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

As of Wednesday night, 61,568 Americans have been killed by coronavirus and there have been 1,065,245 confirmed cases.
CASTELVECCHIO PASCOLI, Italy, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two innovative bio-pharma companies specialized in plasma-derived therapeutics - Kedrion Biopharma of Italy and Kamada Ltd. of Israel - have announced that they are joining forces for the development, manufacturing and clinical distribution of a plasma-derived Anti-SARS-CoV-2 product.

The two companies, each known for its cutting-edge biopharma technology capabilities, hope to obtain approval for the clinical treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients. The initial primary focus of the collaboration will be in Italy, Israel and the U.S. with plans to subsequently expand development and distribution efforts to additional markets.

Under the newly announced agreement Kedrion will provide plasma collected at its KEDPLASMA centers from donors in both Europe and the U.S. who have recovered from the virus.

KEDPLASMA USA, with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has already begun collecting COVID-19 convalescent plasma in three collection centers, two in the Atlanta, Georgia metroplex and one in Mobile, Alabama.

Under the terms of the agreement, Kamada is responsible for product development, manufacturing, clinical development (with Kedrion's support) and regulatory submissions.

Kedrion is responsible for collection and supply of plasma from convalescent COVID-19 patients and future distribution of the therapeutic product in the U.S., Europe, Australia and South Korea. Kamada will distribute in all other territories, while marketing rights for the product in China will be shared by both companies.

Paolo Marcucci, Chairman and CEO of Kedrion, said: "Our top priority is getting this therapy to patients as quickly as possible, while of course demonstrating adequate safety and efficacy."

"We are excited to once again collaborate with Kamada, our partner for KEDRAB [Rabies Immune Globulin (Human)]. Based on our collective expertise in plasma-derived protein therapeutics, Kedrion and Kamada are uniquely positioned to develop, manufacture and supply, in a relatively short period of time, this Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin treatment," Marcucci explained.

The Kedrion CEO said the company is already in contact with the Italian health authorities while Kamada is in touch with the Israeli authorities. The companies are also planning to contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency in order to seek an accelerated regulatory path.

Amir London, CEO of Kamada Ltd. said: "Our successful collaboration with Kedrion around our joint KEDRAB program is indicative of the unique capabilities of both companies, and we look forward to another successful partnership leveraging our strong working relationship and the core strengths of both companies."

Both Kamada and Kedrion pride themselves on being cautious and transparent, so they were careful to note that while they have high hopes for the new product "there can be no assurance that the planned development and manufacturing of an Anti-SARs-COV-2 product will be available in a timely manner and result in a safe, effective and approvable therapy for COVID-19."

Kedrion is the world's fifth biggest plasma company and is described by analysts as being both nimble and agile, meaning that its efforts to create an effective therapy for COVID-19 patients may move quite rapidly. The new partnership between the Italian and Israeli biotech companies could therefore become one of the first that is able to make this product available to patients in need.

Alessandro Gringeri, Chief Medical and R&D Officer of Kedrion Biopharma, explained that "in layman's terms what we will do is to first collect plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, which include antibodies to the novel Coronavirus. We will then develop a pharmaceutical product which contains a defined dosage of these antibodies that can be administrated through either intravenous or intramuscular means, to patients who are suffering from COVID-19. We hope that the product may also be used in future as pre-emptive treatment for health care workers, to provide temporary passive immunization."

SOURCE Kedrion Biopharma
The U.S. Air Force's elite flying squad, the Thunderbirds, and the Navy's Blue Angels, flew over New York and New Jersey to thank first responders, military personnel and essential workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
VANCOUVERA newly-minted international consortium of lawyers created to fight for the rights of Chinas minority Uighur population says Canada risks its reputation as a human rights champion if it allows telecommunications giant Huawei into the countrys 5G system.

Michael Polak, a British human rights lawyer and chair of Lawyers for Uyghur Rights, (which uses a variant spelling of the word) said a report by an Australian think tank in March detailing human rights abuses of Uighurs and Huaweis involvement in monitoring them raises an ethical question for Ottawa.

For them to say we will do business with that company would really change the perspective on where Canada lies on human rights Polak said, adding his organization would consider legal action against Canada if it approved the companys application.

The Liberal government has been considering a long-awaited decision about whether Huawei, a Chinese company, will be allowed to participate in Canadas next-generation wireless network. Experts have raised security concerns due to the companys close relationship with the Chinese government, as have some of Canadas allies like the United States.

The report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), titled Uyghurs for sale said Huawei is responsible for mass surveillance of Uighurs and products made from forced labour are in the companys supply chain, as well as those of many western companies.

Alykhan Velshi, vice-president of corporate affairs at Huawei, said he wasnt aware of any efforts from Lawyers for Uyghur Rights in Canada to stop Huawei from helping to develop the countrys 5G network. Velshi did not address questions about the ASPI report and said the company is dedicated to the security of its technologies.

We are unfamiliar with this groups representations on 5G approval in Canada, Velshi said in an email.

Lawyers for Uyghur Rights, launched last week, aims to build a collection of legal experts around the world to fight for the rights of Uighurs in China.

The ethnic minority lives in the far western Xinjiang autonomous region where China is holding at least one million Uighurs in internment camps, according to numerous media reports based on leaked Chinese government documents in publications such as the New York Times.

The ASPI report said evidence showed that between 2017 and 2019 at least 80,000 Uighurs were taken from Xinjiang and placed in factories across China.

China has denied the allegations. On March 4, its ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, called reports of the camps fake news at a defence conference in Ottawa. Cong claimed the camps were vocational training centres, according to media reports.

On Tuesday Polak and his organization requested that the British government reverse a decision by its National Security Council in January approving Huaweis participation in 5G in the U.K.

The statement was made on behalf of two Uighur activists in the U.K., Rahima Mahmut and Enver Tohti Bughda.

The activists are requesting that the Government undertakes to reconsider the decision on the basis that it was made in breach of the U.K.s international obligations and commitments made regarding business and human rights, reads the statement.

They will argue that the decision should be reconsidered as there is evidence of the use of forced labour and slavery in Huaweis supply chain.

Given the information in the ASPI report, Polak said, the U.K. would be breaking laws it is bound by to prevent products made from slave labour from entering the country.

Earlier this year, 36 Tory MPs in the U.K. launched a failed bid to block Huawei from operating there by amending a telecommunications infrastructure bill before Parliament.

A separate telecoms security bill is due to be debated this year and Polak hopes that next time, U.K. MPs will successfully stop Huaweis participation in 5G in that country by amending the bill.

He said his group is preparing take the government to court over the decision and is currently fundraising for the case. One potential for legal action, Polak said, would be via European Union procurement laws prohibiting slave labour still in effect in the U.K. until the end of the year.

Polak said Lawyers for Uyghur Rights is also prepared to take the Canadian government to court under any applicable laws in Canada should it approve Huaweis participation in the countrys 5G network.

Meanwhile Mehmet Tohti, a Canadian representative and co-founder of the World Uighur Congress, said it should be an easy decision for Canada to reject Huaweis 5G participation. Tohti said hed like to see it go further and prevent Huawei from operating in Canada altogether.

I dont want Chinese digital companies operating in Canada, Tohti said, adding it would be a green light for the Chinese Communist Party to mine information on Canadians. We cannot hand over our personal information to China.

Tohti has in the past praised the United States for preparing legislation aimed at combating the use of forced labour by Uighurs.

Canadas relations with China have also grown strained after the December 2018 arrest of Huaweis CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of U.S. authorities. She is wanted in the U.S. on fraud allegations and is fighting extradition.

Two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested in China shortly after Mengs arrest and remain in custody in secret locations in what many observers say was outright retaliation by Beijing for Mengs arrest.

With files from The Associated Press

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Men and women are at equal risk of contracting the novel coronavirus but men are more likely to suffer severe effects of the virus and die, according to a study which suggests that older male patients with COVID-19 may need additional supportive care.

Track live updates on coronavirus here

While the elderly and those with certain pre-existing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure were reported in earlier research to be at greater risk of death due to COVID-19, the new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, examined gender differences in patients infected with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

In the study, scientists, including Jin-Kui Yang from the Beijing Tongren Hospital in China, assessed trends among COVID-19 patients who died.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases

"Early in January we noticed that the number of men dying from COVID-19 appeared to be higher than the number of women," said Yang.

"This raised a question: are men more susceptible to getting or dying from COVID-19? We found that no-one had measured gender differences in COVID-19 patients, and so began investigating," he added.

According to the researchers, it is still not completely understood why some people are more severely affected by the virus than others.

But based on their observations, they said that additional care may be required for older men or those with underlying conditions. Yang and his team analysed several patient datasets to see if there were differences in how men and women respond to COVID-19.

This included data on 43 patients who the doctors had treated themselves, and a publicly available dataset on 1056 COVID-19 patients.

Since the virus responsible for COVID-19 is similar to the virus behind the 2003 SARS outbreak, and attaches to the same protein, called ACE2, on the cells it attacks, the doctors also analyzed a dataset of 524 SARS patients from 2003.

Among the COVID-19 patients, the scientists noted in the study that older people and those with specific underlying conditions tended to have more severe disease and were more likely to die.

They said the age and numbers of infected men and women were similar, but men tended to have more severe disease. Analysing the largest COVID-19 dataset, the scientists also found that over 70 per cent of the patients who died were men, meaning that men may have almost 2.5 times the death rate of women.

They said being male could be a significant risk-factor for worse disease severity, regardless of age.

In the SARS dataset from 2003, the researchers found a similar trend of significantly higher mortality rate amongst males compared with females.

Yang and his team explained that the levels of ACE2, the protein involved in the viral attack in both SARS and COVID-19, tends to be present in higher levels in men, and also patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, all of whom have worse outcomes in COVID-19.

However, the scientists said further research is needed to determine why men with COVID-19 fare worse than women.

Citing the limitations of the study, the researchers said it had a small sample size, and larger studies are needed to confirm the results.

But they added that the current research is the first preliminary indication that male gender could be a significant risk factor for COVID-19 severity and death.

"We recommend that additional supportive care and prompt access to the intensive care unit may be necessary for older male patients," Yang said.
STAMFORD  In the battle of people vs. COVID-19, the virus has a secret weapon.

It can infect someone who shows no symptoms of sickness, then spread from that unknowing person to others.

For that reason, Mayor David Martin, like a number of his counterparts nationwide, has begun testing first responders who feel fine  no cough, no fever, no shortness of breath, no sign of coronavirus infection.

Initial results of the effort, which began about two weeks ago, are in.

The focus group is roughly 600 police officers, firefighters, ambulance medical workers, 911 dispatchers and city health department nurses.

So far about 500 first responders have been tested, said Laura Burwick, the mayors assistant for special projects, and the city has logged 462 results.

They show that about 4 percent of asymptomatic first responders in fact have the virus, Burwick said.

The mayors goal is to test as many as possible to find out who is positive so we can pull them out of the workforce, Burwick said. One person in the 911 dispatch center, for example, who doesnt know they have the virus can take down an entire shift. That would not be good for the public safety.

The city is concerned about 911 dispatchers because they come into contact with police and fire officials, and about health department nurses because they work at the citys COVID-19 test site at Westhill High School.

Contact control

Burwick said the numbers to date are not broken down by type of first responder, but those directly exposed to COVID patients are more likely to be infected, she said.

So far, the Stamford Fire Department has fared well, Chief Trevor Roach said. Its especially so since Stamford, with 2,339 COVID-19 cases and 125 deaths as of Wednesday, has the largest numbers of any municipality in Connecticut.

Weve tested 200 so far and 6 percent were positive, Roach said. No one has had to be hospitalized. Everyone recovered at home.

The numbers are a good surprise, the chief said.

We work hard to make sure exposure is low and that people get treated as soon as we recognize they need it, he said. Everyone wears surgical masks at all times, and we are cleaning the firehouses like crazy. Weve changed the response protocol to make sure we expose a fewer number of people to anyone who is COVID positive.

Limiting exposure starts with 911 dispatchers, who ask questions to determine whether a caller has tested positive for the virus or lives with others who are positive, and the nature of their symptoms.

If the person is having huge trouble breathing, we send the fire department with EMS, Roach said. If its a COVID call but the person is not in severe distress, we send only an ambulance to transport the person to the hospital.

Most of the firefighters who tested positive have been cleared to return to work; staffing has not been affected, the chief said.

1st on scene

Thats critical in Stamford, where the fire department often gets to medical calls first.

All firefights are (emergency medical technicians) so if we get there and the person is in respiratory distress, we administer oxygen or CPR, Roach said. We can get there quicker than EMS because we have more people, and we are strategically placed in the city. We can respond to anything within four minutes. EMS can get there in seven minutes. The extra minutes matter.

Stamford EMS Assistant Chief Edward Browne said he hasnt had a chance yet to calculate the percentage of paramedics who tested positive, but he wouldnt be surprised if it were up around 10 percent or 12 percent.

Were more exposed day to day. Were treating people close up and doing medical procedures close up, Browne said. Weve been wearing protective gear for weeks. We have masks on all the time. We put masks on patients to protect us. Were being very careful.

Staffing levels are OK for now, Browne said.

Were monitoring it closely, he said. Calls have leveled off  were not running as crazy as we were a few weeks ago. But its still steady.

Virus on calls

For the Stamford Police Department, the statewide distancing orders enacted to stem the spread of coronavirus have resulted in fewer calls, Chief Tim Shaw said.

In two categories, however, call volume has increased. One is for police help with mental-health issues; the other falls under dead on arrival.

The DOAs are mostly older people who die in their homes, Shaw said. It follows a national trend, though it is not clear whether the people are victims of COVID-19 or victims of medical problems for which they did not seek help for fear of contracting the virus in a doctors office or hospital.

So far about half the citys police officers have been tested and 3 percent were positive, Shaw said.

Most of the cases result from calls where an officer came in close contact with someone who has the virus, or we find out later that they had it, Shaw said. Other than that, were trying to keep people away from each other. They share cars, but were wearing masks around the building and theres no more line-up, so we dont have 30 people in a room.

Shifts are adequately staffed, Shaw said.

Were in decent position as of right now, he said. Im hoping we can maintain it.

Need for tests

Burwick said asymptomatic first responders who test positive are quarantined, and those who test negative are retested two weeks later, even if they still have no symptoms. The city is administering the program but the nasal-swab tests, for the most part, are paid for by the first responders health-insurance providers, Burwick said.

Martin said last week the administration has expanded the program to 1,400 workers at the citys five nursing homes and five assisted-living facilities.

The nationwide problem of obtaining tests poses limits, Burwick said.

We are looking everywhere we can to get more, she said. We dont have enough to test every person in Stamford. If we did, we would. For now, we are focusing on those places where we see a lot of virus.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296.
The conditions could be caused by an overreaction of the bodys immune system and are similar to those form toxic shock.

Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus.

Earlier this week, Britains Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care across the country. The group said there was growing concern that either a COVID-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.

We already know that a very small number of children can become severely ill with COVID-19 but this is very rare, said Dr Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He said the syndrome was likely caused by an overreaction of the bodys immune system and noted similar symptoms had been seen in some adults infected with the coronavirus.

The cases were also reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder. Only some of the children tested positive for COVID-19, so scientists are unsure if these rare symptoms are caused by the new coronavirus or by something else. Health officials estimate there have been about 10-20 such cases in Britain and NHS England said it is urgently investigating the reports.

Viner said that although doctors were considering other potential causes for the syndrome, including other viruses or new medications, the working hypothesis is that its COVID-related.

Spains Association of Pediatrics recently made a similar warning, telling doctors that in recent weeks, there had been a number of school-age children suffering from an unusual picture of abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms that could lead within hours to shock, low blood pressure and heart problems.

It is a priority to recognize these (symptoms) to urgently refer these patients to a hospital, the pediatric association said.

In Italy, Dr Angelo Ravelli of Gaslini Hospital and a member of the Italian Paediatricians Society, sent a note to 10,000 colleagues raising his concerns. He and his team reported an unusual increase in the number of patients with Kawasaki disease in regions of Italy hit hard by the pandemic, noting some children had COVID-19 or had contacts with confirmed virus cases.

These children do not respond to traditional treatment, he said, adding that some were given a high dose of steroids. Those who developed toxic shock syndrome needed help breathing and were admitted to intensive care units, Ravelli said.

Kawasaki symptoms include a high temperature that lasts for 5 days or more, a rash and swollen glands in the neck, according to Britains National Health Service.

Dr James Gill, an honorary clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School, said while the reports were concerning there was still no solid evidence that the rare syndrome was caused by COVID-19.

Regardless of the source, multi-system inflammatory diseases are exceptionally serious for children and already stretched intensive care teams, so keeping an extra eye out for new symptoms arising in the patients we see is always a good thing, he said.

Some possible cases have also been reported in France and Belgium.

Dr Sonja Rasmussen, a University of Florida paediatrics professor, noted one similar case in the United States involving a 6-month old girl in California who was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and then COVID-19. That report, from Stanford University, doesnt clarify whether both illnesses happened coincidentally or if COVID-19 might have somehow caused Kawasaki disease, said Rasmussen, who co-authored a recent JAMA Pediatrics article about COVID-19 and children.

Well need more information published in the peer-reviewed literature to better understand this association. However, Kawasaki disease is a relatively rare condition, so seeing these cases makes us concerned that Kawasaki disease could be a rare complication of COVID-19, she said. We need to remain vigilant when we see children with findings that arent typical for COVID-19.

To date, children have been among the least affected group by the coronavirus. Data from more than 75,000 cases in China showed they comprised 2.4 percent of all cases and mostly suffered only mild symptoms.

The World Health Organization said it was attempting to gather more information on any new, coronavirus-related syndrome in children from its global network of doctors but had not received any official reports about it.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

The European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan is pleased to announce the 4th IMAGINE Euro Festival in Baku.

This year, in the middle of the global pandemic situation, the festival brings hope and creativity into people's homes with messages of tolerance, solidarity, diversity and multiculturalism.

The format of this years festival is adapted to the situation: all events will be online, from all over the world, films, music, photos, masterclasses, debates, travel experiences will be delivered at your home. Stay home, keep safe and join the European Union Delegation and the Embassies of EU Member States to have a unique experience on May 7.

Since its first edition back in 2017, IMAGINE festival has developed as a platform of interaction and exchanges between Europe, Azerbaijan and beyond. The festival features fascinating musical performances, theater plays, film screenings, master classes, debates and discussions with internationally acclaimed film directors, photographers, painters, scholars and musicians.
BENZIE COUNTY  Despite some operations being halted, Michigan's fish hatcheries are still moving ahead with fish stocking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ed Eisch, statewide fish production manager, said hatcheries are considered "essential."

"We're continuing to work," he said. "We're caring for millions of live animals and have been identified as essential. We have a greater focus on social distancing and hygiene as it relates to potential disease transmission, but that's in our wheelhouse. We're already focused on bio-security for fish health, now it is humam health too."

Spring is fish stocking season, and Eisch said stocking operations have been consolidated.

"Stocking fish has presented a unique challenge; we need to get in vehicles and go to different parts of the state to deliver fish," he said. "The fish are at peak biomass and ready to go. We've got $10 million invested in the product we produce. Hatchery managers had to come up with a way we can get fish delivered and protect the investment and keep the staff healthy. We worked with the cohorts in the field, the folks responsible for managing fisheries. We came up with a way to consolidate plans. Instead of going to a river with eight or 10 stops, we're consolidating to maybe three. We're reducing the number of trips and the exposure the staff has to different areas."

The stocking process is also happening faster, with more fish being stocked earlier, in the case that state orders become more restrictive.

"This is a fluid situation, we want to put out as many fish as possible in case we can't move them anymore, or if a staff member tests positive and everybody at the facility has to self quarantine for 14 days. We don't have the numbers out, but we've been successful in getting fish out there," said Eisch.

All of the state's six hatcheries have been successfully stocking. The Thompson State Fish Hatchery in Manistique and the Marquette State Fish Hatchery in Marquette got steelhead planted weeks ahead of schedule. The Platte River State Fish Hatchery in Beulah releases coho salmon directly into the river, so there was no need to transport them.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing orders have had an effect on several state fish hatcheries' other operations.

"The real big impact is we've canceled all of our spring egg take operations for steelhead, walleye and muskellunge for many health and safety reasons," Eisch said. "There is no way it could have happened in a way to allow staff to maintain appropriate social distancing. It was a difficult decision to make, but it had to be made."

The muskellunge take is usually performed on the Detroit River; steelhead and walley egg takes were scheduled for various places around the state, including the Little Manistee River Weir in Manistee and at the Platte River hatchery.

Eisch said no spring egg take would have the most impact on Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan and the Thompson hatchery because those hatcheries reared those fish.

"That means for a period of time, there will be no fish on hand at all at those two hatcheries," he said. "This provides us with kind of a unique opportunity and will allow us to do different maintenance we normally wouldn't do, like deep disinfect of rearing units."

Eisch said without fish to rear and stock, anglers will feel an impact, but fishing opportunities are still there.

"There will be a few missing year classes, but that's happened before, there's a lot of natural reproduction for those three species," he said. "All three are repeat spawners; they don't spawn and then die. In the future there will be a missing class of stocked fish, but there will still be fish from previous years. This isn't a death knell for fishing just a one-year blip. It won't have any sort of massive impact."

Eisch also said some areas may see more fish in the immediate future because of the cancellation of the egg takes.

The stay at home orders have also caused marking and tagging programs to cease. Some fish tagging and clipping programs had begun, but the order came just as a company out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, was coming over to help with a mobile tagging station, and they returned to their home office.

"It will have a significant impact," Eisch said. "We had just started marking rainbow trout at Harrietta State Fish Hatchery and got so far as clipped but not tagged. We work in cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, so they sent out people to mark and tag fish out of Green Bay to help. Just about the time they were coming to help mark rainbows, they were called back to the home office."

Esich said clipping and tagging fish helps the Department of Natural Resources track fish, identifying them as hatchery fish when caught.

"We get a lot of information," he said. "It tells us where the fish were first stocked and tracks their movements. It tells us if they return to the places they were stocked."
Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said that the new guidelines issued to fight COVID-19 will come into effect from 4 May, 'which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts. Details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come.'

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The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India inched towards 30,000, with 1,594 new infections reported on Tuesday. The total deaths due to COVID-19 rose to 937 on Tuesday, with 50 new patients succumbing to the virus in 24 hours. Additionally, more than 7,000 have recovered.

The official said so far 60 people have tested positive for the virus, of which 31 have recovered. At present, 29 are under treatment, he said.

The bank employee himself gave his blood sample for testing as he was feeling unwell. The bank has been sanitised as closed. Its 15 employees have been quarantined. Their family members will also be quarantined.

An employee of a nationalised bank and a doctor have tested positive for coronavirus, an official said here on Tuesday. Chief Medical Officer Dr NK Gupta said both have been shifted to a Sahibabad hospital.

Fifteen members of the crime branch team, who came in touch with the constable, have been advised home quarantine. So far, 1,078 COVID-19 patients have recovered and there are 2,182 active cases in Delhi. The number of containment zones in the city reached 100.

Among the 3,314 cases includes a Delhi Police constable attached to the crime branch. The constable had visited the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in Nizamuddin, which had last month become the epicentre of the COVID-19 spread.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi rose to 3,314 on Tuesday, even as 201 coronavirus patients recovered from the disease, the highest so far in a day with no fatalities, authorities said. No death was reported for the third consecutive day in the National Capital.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Anish Gupta said action would be taken if any person flouts the lockdown guidelines.

Ray held a meeting with the CRPF and district officials on Tuesday, a day after the Jharkhand government decided to deploy personnel from the central para-military force amid rising coronavirus cases, mostly in that locality.

The administration would provide ambulance in case of any emergency medical requirement, he said.

CRPF jawans are being posted in three shifts at Ranchi's Covid-19 hotspot Hindpiri locality to ensure that people strictly follow lockdown rules, an official said on Tuesday. Residents of Hindpiri are not allowed to enter or leave the area, Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray said.

On 18 March, the court had told the commission to conduct the elections to the corporations within six weeks.

The bench of Chief Justice Inderjeet Mahanty and Justice S K Sharma, which heard the plea, extended the deadline for conducting the elections to three corporations till 31 August.

The commission argued that it was not possible to hold the polls amid the ongoing lockdown imposed to combat the coronavirus threat.

The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday extended the deadline for conducting elections to Jaipur, Kota and Jodhpur municipal corporations till 31 August. A plea was moved before the court by the state election commission seeking an extension of the deadline for elections to the three corporations.

Passenger demand will take "several years" to return to 2019 levels, it added.

The firm said it was still deliberating its options but that it was "likely that they will affect most of British Airways' employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000".

British Airways is set to slash up to 12,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan as the carrier grapples with the fallout of the novel coronavirus pandemic, its parent company IAG said Tuesday.

The US on Tuesday became the first country in the world to have more than one million cases of coronavirus. It accounts for nearly one-third of the 3.1 million cases globally. With nearly 59,000 deaths, the US also accounts for one-fourth of the over 213,000 global fatalities.

"We continue to pray for the victims as well as for those Americans who are grieving their lost ones and their loved ones. There's never been anything like this. We suffer from one heart but we will prevail. We are coming back, and we're coming back strong," US President Donald Trump said at the White House during his remarks on the Paycheck Protection Program.

The number of people infected by the coronavirus in the United States crossed one million and the fatalities jumped to nearly 59,000, but several states initiated the process to reopen their economies amidst signs of decline in both new cases and deaths.

Sixty-eight veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Tuesday, and it's not known whether another person who died had COVID-19. Another 82 residents and 81 employees have tested positive.

"It's horrific," said Edward Lapointe, whose father-in-law lives at the home and had a mild case of the virus. "These guys never had a chance."

While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers' Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care and the state's top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action.

Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest outbreak at a long-term care facility in the US.

LNJP authorities refuted the allegations, saying, this patient "required psychotherapy and counselling that was arranged for him. He is currently being attended to by specialists in the field". There was no problem of food or water in that particular ward or any other ward of the hospital, a senior official of the hospital said.

In the video, he alleges that he was kept on a bed in a ward that had "dead bodies next to his bed" and that he was not getting good on time.

The video circulating on WhatsApp and other networking platforms show a man, wearing a mask, who apparently shot the video inside the ward of LNJP Hospital where he is admitted.

A video has surfaced on social media in which a coronavirus patient has alleged that he was kept on a bed "next to dead bodies" at a hospital in Delhi, a charge refuted by authorities at the facility.

He also said that vehicles engaged in the movement of essential goods and banking services are exempted and the order to remain in effect till 3 May 2020.

Travel of government employees and common people from neighbouring states and districts to Faridabad is now prohibited under the new guidelines issued by the government. "Doctors, paramedical staff, police & bank employees to be permitted on producing their identity cards, only till 12 pm on Wednesday", Yash Pal, Deputy Commissioner, Faridabad told ANI.

"Of the two new COVID-19 cases, one is a nurse in General Surgery Ward and the other is an attendant of a patient admitted in Urology department," said Thapliyal.

Two more people have tested positive of coronavirus in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital, said Harish Thapliyal, AIIMS spokesperson on Tuesday.

"We are taking strong action against everyone involved in the incident at Tikiapara, Howrah, today. The perpetrators will be identified and brought to justice. No transgression of the law anywhere will be tolerated," West Bengal Police tweeted.

The crowd which had gathered in the market defying the lockdown, pelted stones at police officials following which heavy police force and RAF have been deployed in the area. State police said that it is taking strong action against the people involved in the incident.

Two police personnel were injured after they were attacked by a mob when they tried to disperse a crowd in a marketplace in Tikiapara of Howrah on Tuesday.

Leaders of the US, the UK, and Germany believe that the deaths and the destruction of the global economy could have been avoided, had China shared the information about the virus in its early phases.

Trump has been publicly blaming China for the global spread of the "invisible enemy" and launched an investigation against it. He has also indicated that the US may be looking at "a lot more money" in damages from China than the USD 140 billion being sought by Germany from Beijing for the pandemic.

US President Donald Trump doubled down on China for failing to tame the coronavirus at its very origin, saying it has led to 184 countries "going through hell", as several American lawmakers demanded steps to reduce dependence on Beijing for manufacturing and minerals.

73 deaths and 1,897 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the sharpest ever increase in COVID-19 deaths in India.

Among the team that was manhandled was ASHA worker Anita. "We had gone for the COVID-19 survey. We had collected the data of all families. When we went to the last house, they told us to strike off all names. One woman took our register and started doing that. She also tore pages off the register. We received some injuries," she told ANI.

A medical team which went to Makhanpur village in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district on Tuesday was misbehaved with and manhandled while carrying out a COVID-19 survey. An FIR was registered and one person was arrested, while the search to nab those absconding continues.

HDFC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying nearly 5 percent, followed by Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, M&M, Reliance Industries and NTPC.

After hitting a high of 32,431.20, the 30-share index was trading 285.83 points or 0.89 percent higher at 32,400.35. Similarly, the NSE Nifty advanced 78.95 points, or 0.84 per cent, to 9,459.85.

Equity benchmark Sensex surged over 300 points in opening trade on Wednesday led by buying in index-heavyweights HDFC twins and positive cues from Asian peers.

With this, Maharashtra COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases-9,318, deaths-400, discharged-1,388, active cases-7,530 and people tested so far-1,29,931. Mumbai city reported an increase of 393 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking its tally to 6,169. The state capital has reported deaths of 244 patients so far.

Maharashtra reported 729 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the state's tally to 9,318, a health official said. The state also reported 31 more deaths due to the disease, raising the toll to 400, he said.

Under the model, the state screened its entire population for influenza-like symptoms. People who did not improve after initial medication were put through a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, the report suggests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked states to consider the Himachal Pradesh model to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country, according to a report by The Economic Times.

Earlier, the Academy required that a film be shown in a commercial motion picture theatre in Los Angeles County for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily.

The organisers of the annual awards made the announcement on Tuesday, adding that the COVID-19 outbreak had forced the Academy to make the "temporary exception" due to the shutdown of theatres.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will allow only films streamed online for the forthcoming Oscars in the wake of the industry-wide shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 75.94, then gained ground and touched 75.84, registering a rise of 34 paise over its previous close. On Tuesday, the rupee had settled at 76.18 against the US dollar.

Forex traders said a positive start of domestic stocks supported the local unit. Besides, market sentiments improved as more countries are announcing the gradual lifting of lockdowns that have been imposed to contain coronavirus infection.

The rupee appreciated 34 paise to 75.84 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday tracking positive opening of domestic equities and weakness in the American dollar.

"Azadpur Mandi is being properly disinfected. All the shops nearby, where COVID-19 positive cases were reported, have been sealed. All the precautionary measures are being taken," said Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain.

About 11 traders associated with Delhi's Azadpur vegetable market have tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, reports ANI. "We are tracing the contacts of the cases. They are not directly connected to the mandi," clarified District Magistrate (North) Deepak Shinde.

The agencies estimate that the number of women unable to access family planning or facing unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence and other harmful practices, could "skyrocket" by millions due to the crisis.

Ongoing lockdowns and major disruptions to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic could leave 47 million women in low and middle-income countries unable to use modern contraceptives, leading to seven million unintended pregnancies in the coming months, according to data released by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners, reports PTI.

The Indian Navy is readying its Landing Platform Dock warship INS Jalashwa and two Magar class amphibious warships for evacuating Indian citizens from Gulf countries, if required, government sources told ANI.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 3,425 people have recovered from the contagion while 129 were still in critical condition.

Pakistan's coronavirus cases have climbed to 14,885 while the death toll from the pandemic has reached 327 with 26 more fatalities, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

According to the latest data provided by the department of health and family welfare in Andhra Pradesh, the state recorded 73 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of cases to 1,332. An 11-month old baby among 73 new coronavirus cases reported in the state, PTI reports.

400 persons have been cured of the disease in the state while 31 have succumbed to it.

20 more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh. "20 out of 725 samples have tested positive for coronavirus. 4 are from Lucknow, 9 are from Agra and 7 are from Firozabad," King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow said in a release on Wednesday.

Amid a lot of speculation regarding 10th CBSE Board exams, the board on Wednesday reiterated that the boards decision to take board exams for 29 subjects of Class 10 and 12, stands the same as mentioned in circular dated 1 April 2020.

It provides a process of high importance for strategic planning and mobilising medical needs during a pandemic, they said.

This new data discovery tool will allow researchers to quickly and easily classify a deadly virus like SARS-CoV-2 in just minutes, according to the researchers, including Gurjit Randhawa from Western University in Canada.

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify an underlying genomic signature for 29 different DNA sequences of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, providing an important tool for vaccine and drug developers.

The fresh case was reported from Bhubaneswar after a gap of 14 days. The previous case was reported on 14 April. The total number of persons infected with the deadly virus in the city is 47. Of them, 20 are undergoing treatment, and 26 have recovered. A person died on 6 April.

The man, a resident of the Madhusudan Nagar area of the city, got infected after coming in contact with a relative who tested positive some days back, the Information and Public Relation department said.

A 77-year-old man from Bhubaneswar tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 119, officials said.

Provisions for punishment for those attacking frontline COVID-19 workers like medical and sanitation workers, and police personnel will also be there in the ordinance, they said.

The state government is mulling over bringing an ordinance called the 'Uttar Pradesh Epidemic Disease Control Ordinance, 2020', they said. It will also have provisions for strict punishment against those running away from quarantine centres, besides for people caught violating lockdown orders, the government sources said.

The Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating to bring an ordinance with provisions for stringent punishment against those flouting lockdown orders and misbehaving with frontline COVID-19 workers, sources said.

He was then taken to the Aberdeen police station where he spent the night in a lockup, it said.

Zubair Ahmed, the editor of 'Light of Andaman, a popular weekly newspaper which is now published online, was summoned to the Bambooflat police station in South Andaman district on 27 April for questioning over his tweet and then arrested, police said on Tuesday.

The charges under which Zubair Ahmed has been booked include one about circulating "rumour".

A well-known journalist was arrested in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over a tweet where he questioned the rationale of the authorities allegedly asking people to be home-quarantined after they had spoken to COVID-19 patients by phone, police said on Wednesday.

A number of students from Maharashtra have been staying at Kota to take coaching classes for the preparation of various competitive entrance examinations after Class 12.

"The buses will leave from Kota on Thursday morning," the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) official said, adding that only 20 students will be allowed in each bus and the vehicles will halt at two to three places for food breaks.

At least 70 state transport buses left from Maharashtra on Wednesday morning to bring back students stranded at Kota in Rajasthan due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, an official said. The vehicles left from Maharashtra's Dhule district around 10.30 am and will reach Rajasthan by Wednesday night, he said.

In Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, on 30 April, shops will open from 6 am to 5 pm for essential items, vegetables, and fruits. From 1 May the shops will open from 6 am to 1 pm. People are advised not to rush to shops to buy essential items, Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palaniswami.

Karnataka health department said on Wednesday that 9 new COVID-19 cases have been reported from 28 April 5 pm to 29 April 12 pm. The total number of COVID-19 cases rise to 532 in the state including 20 deaths and 215 discharges.

The shutdown in the corporation limits of Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, scheduled to end by Wednesday night, will revert to the pre-April 26 conditions, an official release here said.

Amidst rising Covid-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on April 24 announced a complete shutdown from Sunday (April 26) in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for four days, disallowing grocery shops as well and fully curtailing movement of the public.

It also announced a relaxation in the business hours of shops selling essential items including vegetables for April 30, saying they can function from 6 AM to 5 PM.

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said the four-day total shutdown in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore Corporation limits ending by today will not be extended.

India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. All commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this period.

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, With the addition of Kuala Lumpur to our international cargo network, SpiceJet is now operating regularly to over fifteen international destinations carrying essential and medical supplies."

The flight departed from Hyderabad to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at 11 pm on Tuesday, the budget carrier stated in a press release.

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, SpiceJet said on Wednesday that it operated its maiden freighter flight to Kuala Lumpur carrying around eight tonnes of critical medical supplies.

Members of the survey squads moving in the coronavirus containment zones and medical workers at hospitals in areas whereCOVID-19 cases are found will also be given the medicine.

State health secretary Pradeep Vyas in a recent circular said the medicine will be given to doctors, nurses and medical staff involved in the treatment of COVID-19 patients and suspects, as well as contacts of those testing positive for the disease.

Health workers involved in the treatment of coronavirus patients will be given hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets as a preventive medication, the Maharashtra government has said and issued guidelines on the use of the drug.

The patient was brought to the district hospital on Saturday and was later placed under quarantine at a super speciality hospital, the CMO said

A 35-year-old man suffering from coronavirus died at a hospital here, the first death due to the virus in the district, officials said on Wednesday. The man was also suffering from cardiac problems, asthma and diabetes, Chief Medical Officer, Vineet Kumar Shukla, said.

The police were strictly implementing the lockdown across the state, including the beach belt of Calangute, deputy superintendent of police (Porvorim) Edwin Colaco said.

As many as 1,058 persons were arrested and 588 FIRs were lodged by the Goa police for violation of the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said on Wednesday. With 101 offences and 172 arrests, the Calangute police station in North Goa registered the highest number of cases till Tuesday, a release here stated.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Haryana stand at 308, including 224 discharges and three deaths. There are 81 active cases in the state, said Haryana Health Department on Wednesday.

They will be tested soon, they added. The duration of quarantine will depend on test reports.

The Kasturba Hospital is a North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run hospital. Seven doctors and four nurses are primary contacts. They came in touch with her and have been kept in-home quarantine, for now, the officials said.

Her test was conducted at the LNJP Hospital and her report came on Wednesday night. The student's condition is stable and she is in-home quarantine, they said.

A first-year postgraduate student of the Kasturba Hospital here has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, senior officials said on Wednesday.

"Time is of the essence. In the absence of a clear signal of assistance from the government during these extremely difficult times, the private sector will be forced to resort to large scale retrenchments and layoffs, which will devastate livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people," he said.

The former finance minister asked the government to prepare an exit strategy in view of the lockdown and look into the issue of migrants stranded in different places due to it.

He also called upon the government to announce a financial package for the MSME sector, as proposed by his party, and provide financial assistance to states to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday urged the government to announce a scheme to protect the salaries and wages of 12 crore people as employers are facing a financial crunch in the wake of the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

It said that the total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 15,641.

Out of the 690 fresh cases, six are Singapore citizens or permanent residents while the rest of them are foreigners with work permits residing in dormitories, it said. We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the press release that will be issued tonight, the ministry said.

Singapore on Wednesday reported 690 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients, a vast majority of whom are foreigners, to 15,641, the health ministry said.

The high court had last year appointed a retired district judge as the nodal officer who was permitted to act to the limited extent of making payment of essential service charges related to the CWGV.

The Delhi High Court has asked a nodal officer to keep a check on violation of lockdown guidelines and social distancing norms by the residents of Commonwealth Games Village (CWGV) near Akshardham Temple and report it to the authorities concerned, PTI reports.

Three new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Odisha on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 122. All three tested positive after returning from West Bengal and are asymptomatic said state health department.

His samples were taken on 23 April for testing, but the test could not be conducted. Another sample was taken for testing on Tuesday and its report is awaited, SDM Tundla, KP Singh Tomer said. The body has been sent to the district hospital for postmortem, he added.

The victim, a resident of Railway Colony Tundla, was sent into quarantine on April 20 after his senior tested positive for coronavirus, the officer said.

The employee was under quarantine at FH Medical College and Hospital, Tundla. His body was found hanging in the medical college, Gyanendra Kumar, SHO, Tundla said.

A 55-year-old railway employee, who was under quarantine at a medical college here, allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday, police said.

They visited the stated between second and third week of April.

Teams comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), AIIMS and ICMR among others visited states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu which have high case load districts.

Six high-level multi-disciplinary teams were constituted by the Union Health Ministry to assist and review state health departments for proper implementation of cluster containment plans for large outbreaks and check hospital preparedness for COVID-19.

Central teams, which were tasked to check preparedness of districts with a high load of coronavirus cases, found that infection prevention control practices were not properly followed in several hospitals raising concerns over the safety of healthcare workers, official sources said.

With 94 new coronavirus positive cases in the last 24 hours, the number of COVID-19 patients in Indore district has mounted to 1,466, officials said on Wednesday.

Though the steady rise in cases has raised questions over the enforcement of preventive measures as well as the very nature of the viral spread, government data also suggested a drop in the COVID-19 mortality rate in the district over the last 20 days.

A large number of new COVID-19 cases are coming to the fore in Madhya Pradesh's worst-hit Indore despite the curfew being in place in urban areas of the district for more than a month now.

All the police personnel of the Ramgarh police station were sent into quarantine soon after the youth had tested positive, Deputy SP (City) Prabal Pratap Singh said.

The samples of 27 police personnel of the Ramgarh police station were later sent for testing and in the report received Wednesday, four of them have been tested positive, he said.

Four policemen including a Senior Sub Inspector posted at Ramgarh police station in Firozabad tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. On 14 April, Ramgarh police had taken a youth into custody for flouting the lockdown and he later tested positive for the coronavirus disease, chief medical officer Dr SK Dikshit said.

"During this time people can come out of their houses and shops will be opening. Also, we have decided to extend the curfew in the state by two more weeks," he added.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said that the coronavirus lockdown in the state "will be lifted from 7 am to 11 am every day".

They have all tested negative. Eight positive cases will need to be tested again after 24 hours as per protocol to completely declare them as recovered, he added.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said that 16 family members of the index coronavirus patient were tested again, including eight who were positive.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) was set up on March 28 to raise money for combating the coronavirus outbreak and to provide relief to the affected.

The development finance institution's 3,554 employees have contributed the amount from their salary, a statement said.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on Wednesday said its employees have pledged Rs 9.85 crore towards the PM-CARES Fund to help the government fight COVID-19 pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered that the capacity of L1 (basic), L2 (those with oxygen facility), L3 (those with ventilators) dedicated COVID-19 hospitals be expanded and arrangement be made for 52,000 more beds.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said, "There are 2,115 positive cases in the state right now. Out of these, 477 have been discharged after making complete recovery. 36 people have died due to COVID-19. There are 1,602 active cases in the state."

Reports said that the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to allow the operations of brick klins and gave permission for contruction material shops to open. "The State Home department writes to district magistrates, to allow such operations in non-hotspot rural areas," News18 reported.

"It will take three days for them to reach here," she added.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that around 2,500 to 3,000 students from Rajasthan's Kota will board buses on Wednesday evening.

India Today reported that 10 people were arrested in Howrah in connection with an attack on a police party that was enforcing the lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus at Tikiapara in West Bengal's Howrah district, a 'red zone', on Tuesday.

BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday wrote to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, slamming the state government for "mismanaging fight against coronavirus". "Stop suppressing data, test more, end appeasement politics and save West Bengal," he wrote on Twitter.

A 70-year-old man, who was admitted to the IGGMCH (Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital) in Nagpur on 21 April after testing positive for coronavirus, passed away on Wednesday, said Dr Ajay Keoliya, Dean, IGGMCH.

"Although the global mortality rate is around 7 percent, India is having a mortality rate of around 3 percent and around 86 percent of fatality of persons with co-morbidity," he said.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that for the last three days, the doubling rate is 11.3 days in the country.

"We have taken certain decisions that will be implemented from Monday if everything is alright. There will be relaxations in green zone & orange zone where standalone shops of essential items will remain open. There will be no relaxation for containment areas, " said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday.

Congress leader P Chidambaram welcomed the Centre's decision to allow inter-state movement of migrant workers and students after testing them by bus.

Additionally, three new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Mahim and no new cases have been reported in Dadar.

The BMC said that 14 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Mumbai's Dharavi on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the area to 344.

Reports said that the Kerala government has been made mandatory masks mandatory from Thursday tomorrow in public places and offices. Those who violate the rule will be fined Rs 200 and for a repeated offence, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed.

The statement said that all three have returned from Kolkata, they are asymptomatic and were in quarantine. Contact tracing and follow-up action is being done. Total positive cases rise to 125 in the state.

The Odisha government said that three new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in the state's Balasore district.

The Haryana health department said that number of active cases of COVID-19 rose to 83 in the state on Wednesday. 225 patients have been cured/discharged while three others succumbed to the infection so far.

The BMC said that an inspector of the municipal corporation's assessment department, Madhukar Haryan passed away on Wednesday. He had tested positive for coronavirus.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said that the new guidelines issued to fight COVID-19 will come into effect from 4 May, "which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts. Details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come."

Reports said that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Delhi government is in touch with other states on the MHA's order about the movement of migrant workers and that "the government will come with a proper plan in the next one-two days".

"It shall be mandatory to wear face mask/face covering at all public places from 1 May," said District Magistrate, Srinagar.

Karnataka deputy chief minister Dr Ashwathnarayan CN said, "After being informed that I might have come in contact with a COVID-19 affected person, I have been in Home Quarantine. I have tested negative, but will continue to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions"

The Mumbai Police said on Wednesday, "Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what weve been meaning to tell you all along -     , ! (Don't worry, friend!).

No deaths reported in the last 24 hours in Telangana. 7 new #COVID19 positive cases reported in the state today, taking the total number of active cases to 582: State Health Department

The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday said that no COVID-19 positive case has been reported in the state in the last 7 days. The total number of active cases stands at 10. One person has succumbed to the infection till date.

The UK government said that the toll from coronavirus rose by 4,419 to 26,097, as care home deaths were included, AFP reported.

Karnataka deputy chief minister Dr Ashwathnarayan CN said, "After being informed that I might have come in contact with a COVID-19 affected person, I have been in Home Quarantine. I have tested negative, but will continue to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions"

Karnataka medical education minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday said, "On knowing that a TV journalist whom I have interacted tested positive for COVID-19, I got checked and tested negative. However, as abundant precaution, I have decided to be in home quarantine for the next seven days and carry out my duties from home."

Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what weve been meaning to tell you all along -     , ! #AamhiDutyVarAahot #MumbaiPoliceOnDuty #MumbaiFirst #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/tNJWg7Ljsv

The Mumbai Police said on Wednesday, "Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what weve been meaning to tell you all along -     , ! (Don't worry, friend!).

Tripura minister Ratan Lal Nath said that an ambulance driver from Tamil Nadu who came to Tripura along with five passengers has tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The Delhi government said that two deaths and 125 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the National Capital on Wednesday. The total positive cases stand at 3,439.

A 28-year-old woman who was tested positive of #coronavirus in Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH), Nagpur has given birth to a baby girl on Wednesday. The baby's COVID-19 test will be conducted after three days, said Dr Sagar Pandey, Deputy Superintendent, IGGMCH Nagpur.

"We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the press release that will be issued tonight," the ministry said.

Out of the 690 fresh cases, six are Singapore citizens or permanent residents while the rest of them are foreigners with work permits residing in dormitories, it said.

Singapore on Wednesday reported 690 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients, a vast majority of whom are foreigners, to 15,641, the health ministry said.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said that the new guidelines issued to fight COVID-19 will come into effect from 4 May, "which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts. Details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come."

The Centre allowed stranded migrant workers, students, tourists, etc to travel back home, with some conditions.

The MHA on Wednesday said that migrants, students, tourists travelling from one state to another will be screened and only those who are asymptomatic will be allowed to proceed.

On arrival to the destination, each traveller should be quarantined by local health authorities.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued directions allowing the movement of migrant workers, tourists, students who are stranded at various places.

"The movement would happen only in groups and those travelling will be screened before movement. The movement will require mutual agreement between the sending and receiving states," The Indian Express reported.

Reports said that the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to allow the operations of brick klins and gave permission for contruction material shops to open. "The State Home department writes to district magistrates, to allow such operations in non-hotspot rural areas," News18 reported.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said that the coronavirus lockdown in the state "will be lifted from 7 am to 11 am every day".

"During this time people can come out of their houses and shops will be opening. Also, we have decided to extend the curfew in the state by two more weeks," he added.

A large number of new COVID-19 cases are coming to the fore in Madhya Pradesh's worst-hit Indore despite the curfew being in place in urban areas of the district for more than a month now. Though the steady rise in cases has raised questions over the enforcement of preventive measures as well as the very nature of the viral spread, government data also suggested a drop in the COVID-19 mortality rate in the district over the last 20 days.

The government on Wednesday has mandated all Central government officers and staff to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones "immediately".The staff has been advised to leave for office only when the app shows 'safe' or 'low risk' status,

A first-year postgraduate student of the Kasturba Hospital here has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, senior officials said on Wednesday. Her test was conducted at the LNJP Hospital and her report came on Wednesday night. The student's condition is stable and she is in-home quarantine, they said.

A 35-year-old man suffering from coronavirus died at a hospital here, the first death due to the virus in the district, officials said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Announcing a cabinet decision, Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac told reporters that as per the ordinance, the Kerala government has been empowered to defer 25 percent of the salary of its employees in the event of a disaster.

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said the four-day total shutdown in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore Corporation limits ending by today will not be extended.

Karnataka health department said on Wednesday that 9 new COVID-19 cases have been reported from 28 April 5 pm to 29 April 12 pm. The total number of COVID-19 cases rise to 532 in the state including 20 deaths and 215 discharges.

According to the latest data provided by the department of health and family welfare in Andhra Pradesh, the state recorded 73 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of cases to 1,332. An 11-month old baby among 73 new coronavirus cases reported in the state, PTI reports.

Some sections of the sprawling APMC market in Vashi in neighbouring Navi Mumbai will remain shut for 14 days after two COVID-19 cases were detected there on Tuesday. Meanwhile, about 11 traders associated with Delhi's Azadpur vegetable market have tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.

Maharashtra reported 729 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the state's tally to 9,318, a health official said. The state also reported 31 more deaths due to the disease, raising the toll to 400, he said. Meanwhile, road accidents in Gujarat came down by 71 percent during the lockdown as compared to normal days, according to an analysis by an emergency services agency quoted by PTI.

A medical team which went to Makhanpur village in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district on Tuesday was misbehaved with and manhandled while carrying out a COVID-19 survey. Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 31,332.

Travel of government employees and common people from neighbouring states and districts to Faridabad is now prohibited under the new guidelines issued by the government. 'Doctors, paramedical staff, police & bank employees to be permitted on producing their identity cards, only till 12 pm on Wednesday', Yash Pal, Deputy Commissioner, Faridabad told ANI.

CRPF jawans are being posted in three shifts at Ranchi's COVID-19 hotspot Hindpiri locality to ensure that people strictly follow lockdown rules, an official said on Tuesday. Residents of Hindpiri are not allowed to enter or leave the area, Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray said.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India inched towards 30,000, with 1,594 new infections reported on Tuesday. The total deaths due to COVID-19 rose to 937 on Tuesday, with 50 new patients succumbing to the virus in 24 hours. Additionally, more than 7,000 have recovered.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra and Gujarat, among others states, reported more fatalities, but the Union health ministry said that there wasn't enough evidence to use plasma therapy as a treatment for coronavirus.

Addressing the daily press conference, Health Ministry joint secretary Lav Aggarwal also cautioned that there could be "life-threatening complications" if guidelines were not followed in administering the plasma therapy, in which blood plasma is transfused from a recovered COVID-19 patient to a critically-ill person.

The therapy, which is currently in trial stage, works on a principle that immunity can be transferred from a healthy person to a sick patient using antibodies in convalescent plasma.

Aggarwal said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched a national-level study to check efficacy of the plasma therapy, but till this study is completed and a robust scientific proof is available, this therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose.

Recovery rate on the rise, says health ministry

While according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website, COVID-19 cases had risen to 29,974, latest figures announced by various states and union territories indicated that the figure had climbed to 30,255 cases, PTI reported. The PTI tally also reported that the toll stood at 947 while the MOHFW has reported 937 deaths.

The health ministry figures suggest that an average of about one in 25 have tested positive so far. Among those having tested positive, one in 30 has died on an average, while the ratio of those having recovered is approximately one in four.

Aggarwal added that the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients has as such improved to 23.3 percent of total cases. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 22,010, while 7,026 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

Harsh Vardhan says India to be able to produce RT-PCR kits from May

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while addressing the media on Tuesday said, "No fresh case has been reported in 80 districts for last seven days. In 47 districts, no case has been reported in the last 14 days, while 39 districts have not reported a case for the last 21 days. 17 districts have not reported a case for the last 28 days."

He also said, "For the last 14 days, our doubling rate is 8.7, while for the last 7 days, it is 10.2 days. In the last 3 days, it is 10.9 days roughly."

The minister added that India will be able to produce RT-PCR and antibody test kits by May. "All processes are in advanced stage and production will start after getting approval from ICMR. It will help us in meeting our target of 1 lakh tests per day by 31 May," he added.

In Delhi, 4.11 percent of health workers, including 13 paramedics, 26 nurses, 24 field workers, 33 doctors, are affected by COVID-19, Vardhan added.

"This is worrying and there are currently about 100 hotspots in Delhi. This number should go down," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

"According to experts, we need to increase the periphery of sealed areas in Delhi to fight COVID-19 better," he added while reviewing meeting on the coronavirus situation in Delhi.

Maharashtra cases cross 8,500; Gujarat, Delhi top 3,000 infections

Maharashtra has reported the maximum cases at over 8,500 and at least 369 deaths. Meanwhile, Gujarat has over 3,700 cases, while Delhi also has more than 3,100 confirmed cases.

On Tuesday, Mumbai Police asked personnel who are above 55 years of age and having some pre-existing ailment to go on leave, in a bid to protect them from the coronavirus infection. The move comes after COVID-19 claimed lives of three Mumbai Police personnel in the last three days.

During an analysis, it came to light that the three deceased and the other police personnel currently undergoing treatment for coronavirus disease were above the age of 50, a senior Mumbai Police official said on Tuesday.

"In view of this, we have decided to protect our policemen and officers - who are above 55 years of age and having some pre-existing ailment  and asked them to take leave," he said.

"Because of their age, these police personnel are at a higher risk. Therefore, we are allowing them to take leave during these days," the official said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh each have reported more than 2,000 cases.

A 55-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel succumbed to the coronavirus infection on Tuesday in Delhi's Safdarjung hospital. This is the first COVID-19 death reported in paramilitary forces that function under the MHA.

In Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed all district magistrates to implement a "micro-containment zone strategy" in their respective areas to arrest the spread of COVID-19, an official said. Under this plan, small clusters reporting cases of the dreaded virus will be identified and declared containment zones instead of big ones.

At present, the authorities block the entry and exit points of an area where COVID-19 cases emerge and people are not allowed to step out of their houses. Essential items are delivered at the doorstep.

The National Capital also saw the NITI Aayog building getting sealed for 48 hours, after a director-level officer tested positive.

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the state as people have a casual attitude to norms like social distancing and do not understand the gravity of the contagion.

The state reported 121 more people testing positive on Tuesday, taking the state's tally to 2,058, while a 68-year old man died of coronavirus in Chennai. The new positive cases included two police personnel and a flower vendor in Chennai.

In Assam, where fewer new cases have emerged in the last few days, two people tested positive, taking the total infections to 37. Some of the northeastern states have not reported a single case for quite some time.

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked officials to increase testing capacity while also seeking preparation of work plans to restart industrial units after the end of the lockdown on 3 May, and for giving employment to migrant labourers.

He also said emphasis should be on social distancing and continued patrolling by the police.

In Surat, Gujarat, hundreds of migrant workers came out on roads and vandalised the office of an under-construction building and some vehicles while demanding that they be sent back to their native places.

West Bengal saw attacks on some policemen trying to enforce lockdown in 'red zone' Howarah district. The state reported 28 new cases, taking its total to 663, while the number of fatalities rose to 22 with two new deaths.

MHA, MoHFW issue guidelines for home isolation

The MHA and health ministry issued guidelines regarding health facilities in the country, and the treatment of non-coronavirus-infected patients requiring facilities like dialysis, etc.

The MHA asked all states and Union Territories to ensure that health facilities, especially in the private sector, remain functional and those needing critical healthcare such as dialysis, blood transfusion and chemotherapy are not denied such services amid the ongoing lockdown.

This followed reports that many hospitals in the private sector were hesitating in providing critical services to their regular patients either on account of fear of contracting COVID-19 or because they are keeping their hospitals or clinics closed.

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has issued guidelines for home isolation of people who either have very mild COVID-19 symptoms or are in the pre-symptomatic phase. Such patients with requisite self-isolation facility at their residence will now have the option for home isolation.

Clarity on COVID-19 lockdown likely in coming days

In the coming days, some clarity is expected to emerge about the ongoing lockdown in India. A nationwide lockdown has been imposed till 3 May by the Centre to check the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed more than two lakh lives worldwide and infected over 30 lakh since it first emerged in China last December.

Several countries have implemented lockdown and other containment measures, though some of them including New Zealand, France and Switzerland have begun relaxing those curbs.

The question of when to reopen schools loomed large as European countries and US states drew up plans to restart their battered economies.

Despite alarm among some teachers, parents and mayors, France detailed plans on Tuesday to start opening schools on 11 May, with limits on class size and rules requiring face masks.

Hard-hit Italy intends to keep schools closed until September. And in the US, where President Donald Trump said states should seriously consider resuming classes before the end of the academic year, dozens have said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or the fall.

Elsewhere around the world, the virus appeared all but vanquished in New Zealand. Australia opened the beach in Sydney.

Brazil, however, was emerging as a new hot spot for infections. And new doubts were raised over whether Japan will be able to host the already postponed Summer Olympics next year without the development of a vaccine.

With inputs from agencies
By Mata Press Service

At his multi-million dollar-state of the art lab just outside of Vancouver, Dr. Ma Yuan-Chan and his team of researchers spend endless hours working to deliver the promise of ancient remedies using the precision of modern technology.

Here, Dr. Ma, a globally renowned professor of pharmaceutical sciences, has led his team to establish the profiles for a large variety of North American and Chinese herbs to determine their identity, potency, and efficacy.

They include Ginkgo biloba, Ginseng, Rhodiola, Echinacea, and Golden Seal; commonly found in the makeup of top-selling herbal medicines, which are inevitable in most of our medicine cabinets.

The analytical methodologies developed at Dr. Mas lab have become the international benchmarks to determine the quality of raw materials and finished natural health products in Canada, the United States and China. They are listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia  the leading authoritative guides for herbal drug ingredients and formulas.

Now, amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ma and his team have turned their attention to a combination of herbs in a formula called Shuanghuanglian or SHL, used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat cold, flu and respiratory ailments.

It is by no means a cure or vaccine for the COVID-19 virus, said Dr. Ma, who has published over 100 peer-reviewed research papers used by universities, regulatory bodies and drug companies in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Our observation and that of the international herbal medicine community is SHL targets viral replication and boosts immune response on the viruses causing colds, cough, sore throat and fever.

It is a product that has been widely used since the sixties as an antiviral and antimicrobial Chinese medicine, said Dr. Ma, whose scientifically produced SHL formula is licensed by Health Canada, to relieve symptoms of the common cold, including fever, coughing and sore throat.

So what exactly is Shuanghuanglian aka SHL?

According to Health Canada, which has licensed the SHL produced by Dr. Mas Labs, the herbal formula is a combination of extracts from the honeysuckle flower, the root of the Chinese skullcap, and Forsythia, a genus of flowering plants in the olive family.

It is approved for use in Canada to help relieve symptoms of the common cold including fever, coughing and sore throat  also signs of the onset of COVID-19. Health Canada does not recommend the use of SHL by pregnant women or new mothers who are breastfeeding.

This month, The Chinese government acknowledged the important role Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has played in treating COVID-19 patients and has added treatment of the virus to the specifications of three traditional medicines.

Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said the three Chinese patent medicines

Jinhua Qinggan Granule, Lianhua Qingwen Capsule and Xuebijing Injection

have proven to be clinically effective in treating COVID-19.

The key herbs in these traditional medicines are also part of the SHL formula, which is now being studied in China for approval to be used by COVID 19 patients.

Unfortunately, SHL got some bad press in February after some Chinese media misreported that it is effective in inhibiting the novel coronavirus, said Dr. Ma. This triggered an online shopping frenzy.

The Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica Chinese Academy of Science clarified by stating: Modern medical research believes ShuangHuangLian oral liquid is effective in fighting viruses, curbing bacteria and boosting the immune system.

Presently, ShuangHuangLian oral liquid is undergoing clinical research at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Wuhan Tongji Hospital.

Whether SHL can be added to the arsenal to combat COVID 19 remains to be seen.

But it continues to be a go-to herbal remedy for the 400 million patients who are treated with traditional Chinese medicine in China every year.

It is estimated the total TCM market within China will rise to $107 billion by 2025; TCM has also spread beyond traditional Chinese communities, with the global TCM market valued at $121 billion USD.

As scientists, pharma giants and government health agencies race to develop vaccines or treatments for COVID-19, there is increasing scrutiny into the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in eradicating the disease and other ailments caused by a broad spectrum of the virus, including coronaviruses.

Figures from the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine showed a total of 74,187 confirmed COVID-19 patients, which account for 91.5 percent of the total infections on the Chinese mainland, had been administered TCM as part of their treatment. Over 90 percent had shown improvement by the end of March.

According to Yu Yanhong, secretary of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, speaking at a March 23 press conference in Wuhan, traditional remedies have alleviated symptoms, reduced the severity of the virus, improved recovery rates and reduced mortality rate, NBC reported.

In a review recently published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences, by researchers at the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, and the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, China, scientists report that in addition to conventional supportive care, greater than 85% of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in China are receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment.

The use of Chinese medicine has been supported by the Chinese national medical authorities during other recent pandemics, including the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009 and H7N9 in 2013, according to the South China Morning Post.

Traditional Chinese medicine has proved effective in shortening the recovery time of patients with mild symptoms, and a mixture of tai chi, acupuncture and massage can help with their mental health, according to Zhang Boli, a Chinese medicine expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

China is also working with the World Health Organisation to share information on the use of TCM in epidemic prevention and control. It has shared its experiences and donated TCM products to Japan, South Korea, Italy, Iran, Singapore, Cambodia and France to help in their fight against COVID-19.

China has also developed a Chinese-English bilingual online platform  the Beijing Remote Health Service Platform

to share with the world its experiences of fighting the disease using TCM.

With the increase scrutiny on herbal medicine efficacy in the fight against the current pandemic, there is also increased skepticism by the western medical establishment and pharma giants about the use of TCM.

Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM is a system of medicine that has evolved over 3,000 years and is rooted in maintaining the harmonious flow of energy in the human body.

Ironically, the harmony principle is the very essence of the discord between TCM adherents and skeptics.

Traditional Chinese medicine doctors look at the balance of body, mind, and spirit to determine how to restore qi (energy flows), the yin-yang (opposing forces in the body) balance, and good health, states the Health Ministry of British Columbia, the first Canadian province to regulate TCM and Acupuncture as a medical health professional.

Because of its fundamental philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine differs from Western medical practice in diagnosis and treatment methods and is difficult to apply Western scientific standards to it.

Last May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) provoked controversy among Western medical experts by endorsing TCM in a chapter of its influential guide of recommended health practice, the International Classification of Diseases.

Global extension of traditional Chinese medicine with multiple western medicine based disciplines will benefit people all over the world, WHO said.

Among the most vocal critics of the WHO declaration was Dan Larhammar, a molecular cell biologist and president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

He said the lack of detail about the remedies contributes to doubts over their efficacy, stressing the need for more scientific rigour in studies about TCM.

Qiu Haibo, vice-president of Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University, explained that Western medicine, mostly chemical drugs, were designed to hit a single target, while TCM drugs work like a team and act on multiple targets.

In the case of Covid-19, the virus can cause inflammation and immune disorder, leading to impaired organ function, including the lungs and heart.

Western medicine focuses on one area while TCM can treat various problems,  he said.

Liu Qingquan, president of Beijing Hospital of TCM, said the treatment for infectious diseases mainly focuses on three methods  clearing heat, eliminating dampness, and detoxification.

TCM is able to quickly mobilize the bodys defence system to evict invading enemies and prevent viruses from causing significant damage to the body.

Eliminating dampness boosts immunity to fight the virus while clearing heat can change the internal environment of the body so that the virus cannot escape or hide,  he said.

Dr. Ma, in Vancouver, believes much of the debate about TCM revolves around the purity, potency and consistency of the product from batch-to-batch, not so much about whether the actual plant ingredients have healing attributes.

We have spent years to develop reliable analytical methods to better identify the quality of raw materials and finished products, said Dr. Ma

Many products on the market have been found to be counterfeits, tainted with marker compounds or even misidentified as the wrong species. The goal of our research is to rid the market of these adulterated products by putting developmental efforts into creating an authoritative database that benchmarks the identification of these compounds.

Health Canada has a similar view with that of Dr. Ma, who has 40 years of natural health experience, including standards collaborations with the Natural Health Products program at the National Research Council of Canada.

Health Canada is currently consulting on a potential new set of regulations for the labelling of "self-care" products, including cosmetics, natural health products and over-the-counter drugs.

It wants to make the rules more consistent for everything from vitamins to traditional Chinese medicine to non-prescription drugs like Aspirin and Tylenol. The proposed changes would mean herbal remedies claiming to relieve cold symptoms would require the same level of scientific evidence as an over-the-counter drug.

For Dr. Ma, this is a good thing because his SHL formula, which treats a broad spectrum of the virus, including coronaviruses, is already where Health Canada wants to go.

Wesley Richards who operates Canadian Western Herbs Corporation, which sells Dr. Mas SHL formula and other health products via canadianherbs.ca said natural health products generate more than $12 billion in revenue annually in Canada, and exports are valued at $1.5 to $2 billion.

But you cant put a price on safety, efficacy and consistencywe need good qualitative and quantitative data to ensure the consumer is getting what they are paying for, said Richards.

There are some out there claiming all kinds of cures and treatments especially now with COVID 19if you are unsure check for the Health Canada NPN number to see if the labelling is accurate.

As for our SHL formulaits like having vitamin C in your cabinetonly better.

Robert Pierce, president of the Vancouver-based Prairie Naturals, said Dr. Ma has perfected the dosage, potency and consistency of the SHL formula through years of scientific analyses.

A 30 year veteran of the natural health products industry, Pierce is now distributing the SHL formula through 2,500 outlets across the country.

Its a proven formula and Dr. Mas science has only made it better, said Pierce.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches the capacity of hospitals around the world and as health agencies find ways to flatten the curve of infections, over 115 medical trials have been registered in China, several blending TCM with western medicine and therapies.

The central quest here is to see if the country where the COVID-19 virus originated might also be the birthplace of solutions to stop the pandemic

In British Columbia, the Home of Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Society, HCTCMS, a non-profit organization established by a group of traditional Chinese medicine doctors and acupuncturists, believes TCM can help in the fight against COVID-19.

The society is petitioning the B.C. government to expand the role of TCM and Acupuncture professionals to support the fight against COVID-19.

Chinese herbal formulas, acupunctures, or other forms, the medical expert teams in China had demonstrated TCM and Acupuncture to relieve and to mitigate the symptoms caused by COVID-19; thereby, preventing the disease from mild stage to progress further into severe/critical stage.

Due to the shortage of test kits, personal protective equipment, ventilators, hospital beds, and hospital staff, not every presumptive case can be treated in the hospital.

By approving TCM and Acupuncture to intervene, this infectious disease when it is at the mild stage will reduce the number of hospital visits to prevent overloading of the B.C. health care system, states the petition.
JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News)  Muslim Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday and Thursday (April 22-23) killed two people, kidnapped another and burned down a church building that included the pastors home in attacks on predominantly Christian areas in north-central Nigeria, sources said.

Two people were also wounded in the attacks in southern Kaduna state that burned 25 houses, said Luka Binniyat, spokesman for the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), an umbrella body uniting predominantly Christian ethnic groups in the region.

This and many other savageries on our communities in recent times affirm the fear that, for our vulnerable communities, the danger posed to our existence and well-being by the coronavirus pandemic is less grim than the perennial murderous acts of armed herdsmen, Binniyat said in a press statement.

Fulani herdsmen attacks on Wednesday (April 22) in Atang village, near Gidan Waya in Godogodo chiefdom of Jemaa County, began with gunshots at about 10 p.m., he said.

After the pandemonium, it was discovered that the invaders had kidnapped Mr. Emmanuel Iliya Atang, son of the chief of Godogodo chiefdom, Binniyat said. Emmanuel, 47, is married with two children.

The abductors have asked for 30 million naira (US$76,565) in ransom, he said.

On Thursday (April 23), armed herdsmen attacked Kujeni village in Kajuru County, killing Geoffrey Zakka, 25, he said.

One woman and a child were injured, and more than 25 houses burnt down, Binniyat said. The ECWA [Evangelical Church Winning All] church in the town and its pastorium were also razed down completely.

On the same day in Kajuru Countys Makyali village, herdsmen killed 42-year-old Thomas Micah on his farm, he said. Micah is survived by his wife and seven children.

Prior herdsmen attacks occurred on April 19 in Awake village, Kachia County, where Fulani terrorists killed Lami Adamu and her child and injured one other person, he said. On the night of April 16 in Ungwan Maigero, Kachia County, Fulani herdsmen killed two people, he said.

Another unidentified person and a Nigerian army soldier were killed on Friday (April 24) in predominantly Christian Akwunakwo village, near Gwagwada in Chikun County, he said.

In Mararanban Afogo village, herdsmen on March 22 opened fire on ethnic Adara hunters and killed Michael Yahaya, he added. The Fulanis attacked Bakira-Maro village on March 25 at 11 p.m., killing 12-year-old Beniah Daniel, 43-year-old father of three Ishaku Apiletuwe and Rita Atiteh, 33. Severely wounded were Helen Jonathan, 22, and Ashuli Jacob, Binniyat said.

Four persons from Tantatu village near Kajuru town, who were on a fishing expedition at a remote river, were attacked by armed Fulani and are still missing, he said.

In addition, herdsmen have kidnapped five people from Farin Gada village, Chikun County, most recently a woman, her three children and a neighbor, he said.

Attacks in Benue State

In Benue state, Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacks last week left one Christian dead, three kidnapped and eight others injured, sources said.

In Guma County, herdsmen attacked Tse Vanbe village the afternoon of April 20, area resident Stephen Aandoka said.

A Christian farmer, Titus Nyitar, was shot to death, and his head was cut off, Aandoka told Morning Star News by text message. The farmer was working on his farm when he was killed by the herdsmen.

They proceeded to the village to burn down houses and kidnapped three villagers, he said.

Villagers who survived the attacks are now taking refuge in the town of Daudu, Aandoka said.

Jonah Tyoyuha, another resident of the area, said herdsmen also attacked Chongu Gugor, Tse Gishe and Mande Gem villages in Guma County on April 20.

The Fulani cattlemen attacked Chongu Gugor village around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, destroying houses and shooting villagers, Tyoyuha said. At Tse Gishe village, the Fulani herdsmen shot at villagers and injured many of them, destroying their houses too.

Eight villagers were wounded in shootings at Mande Gem village, he said.

A woman and her baby were kidnapped there, but they were later rescued by security personnel, Tyoyuha said. Those injured in the attacks are now being treated at two hospitals in Daudu and Gbajimba towns.

Paul Hemba, special adviser to the Benue government on security matters, confirmed the attacks.

It is true that attacks were carried out by Fulani herdsmen on some communities in Benue state, he told Morning Star News. We are making efforts to assist those that have been displaced from these communities.

On Jan. 30 Christian Solidarity International (CSI) issued a genocide warning for Nigeria, calling on the Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council to take action. CSI issued the call in response to a rising tide of violence directed against Nigerian Christians and others classified as infidels by Islamist militants in the countrys north and middle belt regions.

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 Religion News Service. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Pontuse
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday spoke to chief ministers of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi and asked them to organise the return of migrant labourers from Jammu and Kashmir working in their states back to their homes.

Taking up the cause of thousands of Jammu & Kashmir migrant labourers stuck outside the state in the wake of a nationwide lockdown affected to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said these labourers migrate every winter for work in neighbouring states.

In a normal course of events they would have gone back to J&K towards the beginning of April. However, a national lockdown has forced them to stay back in their respective areas within Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, Azad said.

As there is no commercial activity, it has not only affected their earnings but also put mental and financial pressure on them, the former J&K chief minister said.

Highlighting the need for permitting these labourers to return to J&K, Azad requested these chief ministers that the labourers be allowed to go back to their homes.

All the chief ministers have shown their willingness in this regard, he said.

Azad also spoke with Lt governor of J&K G C Murmu and state chief secretary in this regard, and requested them to make necessary arrangements for getting back these labourers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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TORONTO, ON, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Snipp Interactive Inc. ("Snipp" or the "Company") (TSXV:SPN)(OTC PINK:SNIPF), a global provider of digital marketing promotions, rebates and loyalty solutions, announces its financial results for Q4 2019 and the year ended December 31, 2019 ("Fiscal 2019"). All results are reported under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and in US dollars. A copy of the complete audited financial statements and management's discussion and analysis are available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com) Q4 2019 and Fiscal 2019 Highlights(Refer to Non-GAAP Measures, Gross Margin, EBITDA and Bookings Backlog discussion below)Revenue for Q4 2019 decreased by 59% compared to Q4 2018. Revenue for Q4 2019 was $1,349,685 compared to $3,315,196 for Q4 2018.Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 decreased by 29% compared to the year ended December 31, 2018. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $8,643,755 compared to revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 of $12,151,286.The Company has provided a detailed revenue analysis in its management's discussion and analysis available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com) , describing the reasons behind the significant decreases in revenue for Q4 2019 and Fiscal 2019,Gross margin in Q4 2019 was 60% compared to 69% in Q4 2018.Gross margin in Fiscal 2019 was 73% compared to 65% in Fiscal 2018.EBITDA in Q4 2019 decreased by 1179% compared to Q4 2018, an EBITDA deterioration of $1,108,682. Q4 2019 EBITDA loss was $1,014,667 vs Q4 2018 positive EBITDA of $94,015.EBITDA in Fiscal 2019 decreased by 54% compared to Fiscal 2018, an EBITDA deterioration of $432,131. Fiscal 2019 EBITDA loss was $1,229,756 vs Fiscal 2018 EBITDA loss of $797,625.Net loss in Q4 2019 was $5,011,293 compared to net loss in Q4 2018 of $503,508.Net loss in Fiscal 2019 was $7,021,772 compared to net loss in Fiscal 2018 of $3,096,169.The net loss in both Q4 2019 and Fiscal 2019 were significantly impacted by an impairment charge of $3,420,858.Bookings Backlog (programs that have been sold, but whose revenues have not yet been recognized) stood at $4.5MM at December 31, 2019, a decrease of 44% compared to December 31, 2018 of $8.0MM.The Company continued to focus on cost improvements from its integration efforts, resulting in the following Q4 2019 cost savings compared to Q4 2018:Salaries and compensation expenses decreased by approximately US $286k or 17%;General and administrative expenses decreased by approximately US $47k or 20%;Marketing and investor relations decreased by approximately US $112k or 63%;Travel decreased by approximately US $5k or 20%;The following are cost savings recognized in the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018:Salaries and compensation expenses decreased by approximately US $1,120k or 16%;General and administrative expenses decreased by approximately US $140k or 15%;Marketing and investor relations decreased by approximately US $41k or 14%;Travel decreased by approximately US $19k or 17%;"2019 was a tale of two cities. The first half ended on a positive note with positive EBITDA across both Q1 and Q2 but the second half reversed this trend as the investments we made in selling longer term recurring contracts to new and existing clients necessitated putting short term deals on the back burner. Shorter term deals represent 50% of our book so any slow down in this type of deal flow will impact our revenue adversely. As previously explained we are in the throes of transitioning our revenue from shorter term (four to twelve weeks), low margin (50-60%) to longer term (twelve months to evergreen), higher margin deals (70-8-0%). This enables us to not only have greater future visibility and stickiness with our clientele but also support this same revenue with a lower cost base. This transition is well under way and we continue to grow our long term recurring revenue. It will however impact our future quarters negatively and this will unfortunately be amplified over the next few quarters given the impact of the pandemic on retail and on some of our clients businesses.Non-GAAP MeasuresSnipp uses certain performance measures throughout this document that are not recognizable under Canadian generally accepted accounting principles or IFRS ("GAAP"). These performance measures include Gross Margin and EBITDA. Management believes that these measures provide supplemental financial information that is useful in the evaluation of the Company's operations.Investors should be cautioned, however, that these measures should not be construed as alternatives to measures determined in accordance with GAAP and IFRS as an indicator of Snipp's performance. The Company's method of calculating these measures may differ from that of other organizations, and accordingly, these may not be comparable.EBITDASnipp defines earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") as revenue minus operating expenses excluding non-cash operating expenses of stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization (interest and taxes are not included in the Company's operating expenses).Gross MarginSnipp defines Gross Margin as revenue less campaign infrastructure. The Company's calculation of Gross Margin is not a financial measure that is recognized under GAAP. Investors should be cautioned that the Company's defined Gross Margin should not be construed as an alternative measure to other measures determined in accordance with GAAP.Bookings BacklogSnipp defines Bookings Backlog as future revenue from existing customer contracts to be recognized in future quarters. Bookings get translated into revenues based on IFRS principles and the Bookings Backlog reflects how revenues in future quarters are steadily being booked today.The Following are calculations of EBITDA:
Agra first in UP, 11th in India with 413 Covid cases. Image Source: IANS News

Agra, April 29 : Taj city now enjoys the dubious distinction of topping the UP chart and standing at eleventh place in India. The number of Covid-19 cases here went up to 413 on Wednesday, according to the health ministry data.

The alarm bells are continuously ringing and there is little likelihood of any relaxation in lockdown conditions from May 3.

Police officials said 3125 cases had been registered and 469 people have been arrested for violating the lockdown.

So far more than 6000 samples have been taken. The death toll stands at 11. The number of hotspots has come down to 30 after the limits were extended to one kilometre from 800 metres. For faster collection of samples in hotspots, four mobile vans have been put on the job.

Meanwhile, conditions at the quarantine centres and isolation wards have improved after all round criticism and tweets by Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Vadra, both quoting the letter of the mayor appealing to save Agra from turning into another Wuhan.

The infection in the last fortnight has spread from milk and vegetable vendors. Two private hospitals were found guilty of callous neglect, and at least four doctors indirectly contributed to the spread of the Coronavirus.

The Agra Cantonment Board has issued identity numbers and black jerseys to all the vegetable vendors.

Senior health department officials indicated that patients found symptomatic may be asked to stay at home in strict isolation. They would be able to seek telemedicine consultations with doctors.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh



Koshyari on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of well- known actor Irrfan Khan, saying he immortalised various roles with his passionate acting.

Khan's demise is a loss to the world of Hindi cinema, the governor said in his condolence message.

"Irrfan Khan was a talented actor who was sensitive to the concerns of society. Known for his versatility, Irrfan Khan immortalised various roles in films and television serials with his passionate acting," he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also condoled Khan's death, saying he was a hard-working and multifaceted artist whose journey from the Indian cinema to Hollywood was a inspiration to budding actors.

"He has been snatched away despite putting up a valiant fight against the rare form of cancer," he said, adding that Khan accepted the reality of his diagnosis and faced the treatment bravely.

"He was not only a hardworking and multifaceted artist, but also a fine personality," Thackeray said.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the actors death has come as a big shock to the Indian film industry.

Khan was a powerful actor, sensible person and a fighter, he said.

He was definitely a great actor. Various roles he played (in films) are testimony of how versatile an actor he was. He had shown the fighting spirit in him by defeating a disease like cancer. But the sudden of his demise has given immense pain to innumerable film lovers like me. My heartfelt condolences, Pawar said in a statement.

Khan, 54, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, a statement from his family said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leading banks are being investigated by the City watchdog amid concerns that they have been exploiting firms desperate for a loan to weather the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a letter to bank chief executives, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reveals explosive allegations that companies seeking a lifeline have been pressured into paying lenders to help on emergency fundraisings with investors.

It said that in some cases, the banks were providing these extra services in 'name only', and were doing little or nothing in return for this money.

In a letter to bank chief execs, the FCA reveals allegations that firms seeking a lifeline from have been pressured into paying fees to help on emergency fundraisings with investors

The watchdog said it had heard 'credible reports of a small number of banks failing to treat their corporate clients fairly when negotiating new or existing debt facilities as clients navigate current exceptional circumstances'.

Last night, one senior Tory MP slammed the alleged attempts by banks to ramp up their fees  known in the industry as 'fee gouging'.

Kevin Hollinrake, who is the chairman of the House of Commons Fair Business Banking committee, said: 'If this is true  this is absolutely outrageous. These are lifeline loans and there should be no strings attached.

'It appears some banks have been lining their own pockets and exploiting the situation for their own benefit.

'This has echoes of what happened in the financial crisis. If there is evidence of wrongdoing, then the FCA must use its powers to hold senior managers to account.'

The behaviour, if proved, breaches FCA market abuse rules which ban banks from exploiting their position as a lender to muscle in on equity fundraising and bag a slice of the fees.

Cruise operator Carnival, estate agent Foxtons, retailers WH Smith, DFS and Asos, and exhibition organiser Informa are among dozens of firms to have launched equity fundraisings recently. This involves a company issuing new shares which are sold to investors to raise cash.

Banks and advisers who help do this normally earn very lucrative fees. Describing the 'unprecedented' and 'profound effects' the coronavirus crisis is having on firms' cash flow, the FCA said: 'We are concerned that tying clients to take additional services, or demanding fees for services not provided is not in the best interests of those clients, distorts competition, undermines market confidence and calls into question firms' and individuals' integrity.

'This conduct is also likely to increase overall transaction costs for corporates trying to raise money.'

The letter, sent by two FCA senior officials  Jonathan Davidson and Megan Butler  also warned: 'If we find further evidence to support these concerns, we will not hesitate to take action, as this conduct has no place in well-functioning markets.'

The names of the banks involved in the alleged wrongdoing were not identified. But according to Sky News, independent investment bank Numis Securities is one of several companies to have alerted the regulator on behalf of companies issuing new shares and big institutional investors.

It has raised concerns over inflated multi-million-pound fees taken by banks, and the fact that in many cases these banks have little experience in equity fundraising.

As much as 40 per cent of the fee pool paid to a quarter of banks on a 64million share placing by furniture retailer DFS, was allocated to Barclays and BNP Paribas  both of which lend to the firm.

One of the biggest institutional investors told Sky News that both banks had been 'invisible' on the equity raise.

Concerns have also been flagged about retail bank Santander's role as a joint book-runner on the WH Smith and Informa equity fundraisings.

Santander said: 'We are entirely committed to treating our customers fairly and complying with the expectations of regulators.'

BNP Paribas declined to comment. A source close to the French bank said it was 'fully involved in advising on structuring and executing the equity offering' for DFS. Barclays declined to comment.
The Tripura government has



launched an initiative to create jobs under MGNREGA for 6,979 families practicing shifting cultivation in the state, a senior minister said on Wednesday.

Apart from jobs, the families will also be provided with seeds for cultivation under the 'Jhum Sahayata Prakalpa', state Education Minister and Cabinet spokesperson, Ratan Lal Nath told reporters here.

The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the council of ministers on Tuesday, he said.

"We have decided to provide wage employment of six man-days per month under MGNREGA to 6,979 'Jhumiya' families and provide them with seeds for planting, tending and harvesting the next crop under the 'Jhum Sahayata Prakalpa'," he said.

Every family practicing 'Jhum' cultivation in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be provided with 2,150 kg of seeds, Nath said, adding that an expenditure of Rs 4.5 lakh will be incurred in the scheme.

He said the state government has already provided Rs 1,000 each to the families practicing shifting cultivation, from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

An amount of Rs 500 each was also provided to 92,899 MGNREGA job cardholders in the state, Nath said.

The TTAADC area constitutes two-thirds of the state's territory and is home to tribals, who constitute a third of the state's population.

The state Cabinet also made use of masks mandatory at government offices and public places.

"...Anyone found violating the rule will be fined Rs 100 for first offence & Rs 200 for subsequent offence. I urge everyone to wear a mask and be safe," Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dalata Hotel Group PLC, the largest hotel operator in Ireland, announced on Wednesday that it has laid off 3,500 employees due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The news was announced by the group's CEO Pat McCann at an annual general meeting conducted over a conference call, according to the Irish national radio and television broadcaster RTE.

McCann told shareholders at the meeting that those who have remained working in the group have seen significant cuts in their salaries.

In a statement issued ahead of Wednesday's meeting, Dalata said that the current crisis has had a very significant impact on its business.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Dalata's revenue per available room fell by nearly 25 percent at its Dublin hotels, 14 percent at its hotels in other parts of Ireland, and nearly 19 percent at its UK hotels, said the statement.

Last week, Dalata reportedly clinched a 65-million-euro (about 70 million U.S. dollars) deal on the sale and leaseback of Clayton Hotel Charlemont in Dublin to Deka Immobilien, a Belgium-based real estate company.

The company said that the deal will strengthen its cash resources and help it survive the current crisis.

Headquartered in Dublin, Dalata operates over 40 hotels both in Ireland and Britain, according to its website.
New Delhi, April 29 : It was Delhi's National School of Drama (NSD) that helped late veteran actor Irrfan Khan to find a footing in Indian cinema. In 1986, director Mira Nair had paid visit to NSD to look for actors to cast in her film "Salaam Bombay". She picked the 20-year-old Irrfan for a small role.

Apart from letting Irrfan to explore the world of acting, his alma mater also played a crucial roles in his love story with his wife Sutapa Sikdar. Sutapa, who is a writer, was Irrfan's collegemate. The two fell in love during their college days and later tied the knot in 1995.

As Irrfan left for his heavenly abode on Wednesday, his alma Mater NSD paid tribute to him.

On the behalf of NSD family, Director-In-Charge Suresh Sharma tweeted: "The news of the demise of noted actor (alumnus NSD) Mr. Irrfan Khan is highly shocking. The NSD family pays a heartfelt tribute. Irrfan Bhai had contributed a lot to theatre. God bless the departed soul." Irrfan was only 54. Earlier this week, he was hospitalised after being diagnosed with colon infection. He even battled neuroendocrine tumour for several months and returned to Mumbai a few months ago after being treated in London.

While remembering the versatile actor, a glance through his Twitter feed provided us with one of his precious pictures from his NSD days.

In 2016, Irrfan had posted a black and white picture in which he is having a fun conversation with his friends from NSD.

"Woh Bhi Kya Din the NSD ke," Irrfan had captioned the image that shows him sporting eyeglasses.

Before learning acting at NSD, Irrfan had pursued MA degree from one of the colleges in his home town Jaipur.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
So, you pull up to the Metallica show and double check to make sure you have everything you need. Cash? Check. Change of clothes for when you stumble back to the car exhausted and sweaty? Check. Earplugs? . Where are the damn earplugs?

Oh man. You forgot the ear plugs.

Anyone got an extra pair of ear plugs? Youre boned. What to do? Youre gonna need your ears for the next few days for your summer camp gig. Those kids are loud enough without tinnitus.





You consider, for a split second, ditching your ticket and calling a cab. But cmon. Screw your hearing, this is 1991, youre in Muskegon, Michigan, and The Black Album just came out. Youre gonna miss the show? No way, man.

Ah, but its not 1991, youre (probably) not in Muskegon, Michigan, and youre staying home because theres a deadly virus going around the world. The good news is you can still catch the show.

Watch it at the top, from the comfort of your cozy nest. More good news? You dont need those earplugs anymore. Turn it way down low and let Enter Sandman lull you to sleep.

When you wake up, travel back to last June, to the lovely Slane Castle, to see Metallica play Meath, Ireland, just above. Dime the volume knob until your neighbors complain. Put on your headphones and blast it till your ears bleed and you pass out. Theres more where that came from.

Metallica may be staying home due to the coronavirus but that doesnt mean they arent here to rock your face off, Billboard reported last month. The band, who announced on Monday (March 23) that they have been forced to postpone a scheduled South American spring tour. Just launched a new weekly concert series called Metallica Mondays.

This announcement being several weeks ago, there are now several concerts posted on the bands YouTube channelsix at this moment, including a 2009 gig in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of many places where Metallicas loud, fast (till The Black Album), death-obsessed thrash metal traveled and transformed into even louder, faster, more death-obsessed metal subgenres.

Maybe you were at one of these shows? If so, relive the glory. If youve never seen the band live, know that this is but a pale imitation, as are all filmed concerts, whether you stream them on your smartphone or your 85 TV. But if you want to know what it was like for that kid in Muskegon who forgot his ear plugs, try that headphone trick. Then head over to Metallicas YouTube channel on Monday for the next show.

Related Content:

Metallicas Enter Sandman Sung in the Style of David Bowie

Metallicas Bassist Robert Trujillo Plays Metallica Songs Flamenco-Style, Joined by Rodrigo y Gabriela

Pink Floyd Streaming Free Classic Concert Films, Starting with 1994s Pulse, the First Live Performance of Dark Side of the Moon in Full

Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday granted five marla land on lease basis each to the 132 families who were rendered homeless by a landslide in 2014 in Saddal village of Udhampur district, an official spokesman said.

In order to provide relief to the landslide victims of Saddal village, the Administrative Council headed by Lt Governor G C Murmu on Wednesday accorded sanction to the grant of five marla land on lease basis each to the 132 families affected due to the natural calamity in 2014, he said.

As per the decision, 71 families would be provided land in Mansar village and 61 affected families in Debriah village in the district for their rehabilitation, the spokesman said.

A massive landslide struck Saddal village in September 2014, rendering 134 families homeless.

The Administrative Council also accorded sanction to the transfer of Shamilat (Kahcharai) land measuring 60 kanals (three hectares) situated in Chandhara village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir to the School Education Department for establishing a Kendriya Vidyalaya, the spokesman said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RECORDATI SHAREHOLDERS APPROVE THE 2019 ACCOUNTS. DIVIDEND  1.00 PER SHARE (+8.7% vs 2018).

Shareholders approve the 2019 results: consolidated revenues  1,481.8 million (+9.6% vs 2018), EBITDA (1)  544.0 million (+9.0%),operating income  465,3 million (+5.2%), net income  368,9 million (+18.1%), includes an extraordinary tax benefit of  27.0 million from the so-called "patent box" agreed with the Italian tax authorities in December 2019. Excluding this benefit net income would have been  341.9 million, +9.4%.

 544.0 million (+9.0%),operating income  465,3 million (+5.2%), net income  368,9 million (+18.1%), includes an extraordinary tax benefit of  27.0 million from the so-called "patent box" agreed with the Italian tax authorities in December 2019. Excluding this benefit net income would have been  341.9 million, +9.4%. Dividend for 2019  1.00 per share (+8.7% vs 2018),of which  0.48 already paid in November 2018.

Number of Board members increased from eleven to twelve. New members appointed: Francesco Balestrieri, Giorgio De Palma, Guido Guidi and Piergiorgio Peluso (independent).

Alfredo Altavilla appointed non executive Chairman of the Board of Directors; Guido Guidi appointed Vice Chairman; Michaela Castelli appointed lead independent director.

Statutory Auditors appointed for the 2020-2022 three-year period.

EY S.p.A. appointed external auditors for the 2020-2028 nine-year period.

Remuneration policy approved and favourable note taken of the 2019 remuneration.

Authorization to buy-back and dispose of Recordati shares renewed.

First quarter 2020 consolidated revenues  429.3 million (+12.1% vs the first quarter of 2019) which include estimated  20 million of stock purchases by wholesalers and pharmacies to face the Covid-19 emergency and are expected to lead to de-stocking in the second quarter.

Milan, 29 April 2020 - Today the Annual Meeting of Recordati S.p.A. Shareholders was held.

Recordati S.p.A.'s Annual Shareholders' Meeting approved the company's 2019 financial accounts, which were prepared according to IFRS. In addition, the Group's consolidated statements, which were also prepared according to IFRS, and the consolidated non financial information disclosure pursuant to Legislative Decree n. 254 dated 30 December 2016, were presented. The tables attached contain a summary of the 2019 financial statements which were commented in the press release issued on 18 March 2020. In 2019 consolidated revenues were  1,481.8 million (+9.6%), EBITDA(1) was  544.0 million (+9.0%), operating income was  465,3 million (+5.2%), net income was  368,9 million (+18.1%) and includes an extraordinary tax benefit of  27.0 million from the so-called "patent box" agreed with the Italian tax authorities in December 2019. Excluding this benefit net income would have been  341.9 million, +9.4%. International sales account for 81.0% of total sales.

As proposed by the Board of Directors, the shareholders approved a dividend of  0.52 per share, in full balance of the interim 2019 dividend of  0.48, to be paid to all shares outstanding at ex-dividend date, excluding those in treasury stock, as from 20 May 2020 (record date 19 May 2020), with ex-dividend on 18 May 2020 (against presentation of coupon no. 25). The full 2019 dividend is therefore of  1.00 per share ( 0.92 per share in 2018).

(1) Net income before net interest, provision for taxes, depreciation, amortization and write down of both property, plant and equipment and intangible assets.

Further shareholder resolutions

Integration of the Board of Directors

The Recordati S.p.A. Shareholders' meeting approved the increase of the number of Board members from eleven to twelve and, following the effective resignations of Flemming rnskov, Sren Vestergaard-Poulsen and Francisco Javier de Jaime Guijarro presented on 18 March 2020, upon proposal by the majority shareholder FIMEI S.p.A., appointed Francesco Balestrieri, Giorgio De Palma, Guido Guidi and Piergiorgio Peluso as new members of the Board of Directors, who will remain in office until the expiry of the mandate of the current Board, that is until the Shareholders' meeting that will approve the financial accounts for the year ended 21 December 2021.

Among the new Board members, Piergiorgio Peluso qualified himself as independent pursuant to legislative decree 58/1998 (Consolidated Law on Finance) and the Borsa Italiana Spa Code of Corporate Governance, adopted by the Company.

The biographies of the Directors are available on the Company's website www.recordati.com under the section relative to today's Assembly (Investors section).

The new Directors declared that they do not own any Recordati shares.

The Shareholders' meeting also approved the proposal made by the majority shareholder FIMEI S.p.A. to attribute to each of the newly appointed Directors, excluding Giorgio De Palma who declared he did not wish to receive any compensation, an annual gross compensation in the amount of  60,000 (in line with that attributed to the Board members by the 5 February 2019 Assembly) irrespective of further compensation established by the Board of Directors, after having heard the opinion of the Board of Statutory Auditors, for Directors with particular assignments (including assignments to committees established within the Board of Directors) pursuant to art. 2389, comma 3, of the Civil Code.

Finally, the Shareholders' meeting approved the proposal by the Board of Directors to authorize the exemption of the Board members from the non-compete obligations pursuant to art. 2390 of the Civil Code with reference to offices held in other companies and disclosed as of today.



Appointment of the Statutory Auditors and appointment of the external auditors for the years 2020-2028

The Shareholders' meeting appointed the Board of Statutory Auditors for the period 2020-2022 (that is, until the Shareholders' Meeting that will approve the financial statements as at 31 December 2022). The members elected were Livia Amidani Aliberti (Auditor), Ezio Simonelli (Auditor), Patrizia Paleologo Oriundi (Deputy Auditor), chosen from the slate presented by the majority shareholder FIMEI S.p.A.; Antonio Santi (Chairman) and Andrea Balelli (Deputy Auditor), chosen from the slate presented by other shareholders - a group of asset management companies and other institutional investors - that hold 0.795% of the Company's share capital. The Shareholders' meeting also approved the compensation of the Board of Statutory Auditors.

The professional profiles of the members of the new Board of Statutory Auditors can be found on the Company's website www.recordati.com in the section related to today's Assembly (within the Investors section).

Furthermore, the Shareholders' meeting appointed EY S.p.A. as external auditors for the years 2020-2028.

Remuneration policy and report on compensation for the year 2019

The Shareholders' Meeting also expressed a favourable vote on the remuneration policies for the year 2020, in accordance with article 123ter of Legislative Decree No. 58/98 and favourable note was taken of the compensation report related to the execution during 2019 of the remuneration policy approved by the Shareholders' meeting of 11 April 2019, both part of the Remuneration Report which can be found on the company's website under Shareholders Meetings in the Investors section as well as under Remuneration Reports in the Corporate Governance section.

Authorization to buy-back and dispose of Recordati shares

The Shareholders' Meeting authorized the buyback and disposal of Recordati shares until the Annual Shareholders' Meeting which will approve the 2019 financial statements. The objective of the proposal is, as in previous years, to grant the Board the possibility of:

(i) fulfilling the obligations arising from the stock option plans already adopted by the Company and other stock option plans which might be approved in future;

(ii) carrying out industrial initiatives, since the authorization to purchase treasury stock will allow transactions such as the sale, contribution and exchange of treasury stock in order to acquire stakes in companies and/or to reach agreements with strategic partners within the Group's expansion objectives;

(iii) supporting the Recordati shares' liquidity, in order to promote the regular course of the shares' negotiations and avoid price fluctuations inconsistent with the market trend.

The company would be allowed to purchase up to 5,000,000 shares, keeping in mind however, that the nominal value of treasury stock held by the Company must never exceed one fifth of the share capital, taking into account shares which could be held by subsidiaries, for a maximum cash outlay of  200,000,000. The purchase price must be at least equal to the shares' nominal value ( 0.125) and must not exceed the average official Stock Exchange price recorded over the 5 trading days prior to the transaction, plus 5%. Possible purchases may be made by appointing specialized intermediaries and must be made in compliance with applicable legislation and can be done in line with the market practice approved by Consob according to art. 13 Reg. EU 596/2014 where applicable. At 28 April 2020 the company has 4,167,302 shares in Treasury stock which amounts to 1.993% of the current share capital.

Board of Directors meeting following the Shareholders' Meeting

Following the Shareholders' meeting the new Board of Directors met and appointed Alfredo Altavilla, non executive Chairman, Guido Guidi, Vice Chairman and Michaela Castelli Lead Independent Director.

Among the three new members who did not declare to be in possession of the independence requirements, the Board of Directors qualified Giorgio De Palma as executive Director as per the current Code of Corporate Governance, as he holds a management position in CVC Capital Partners which also concerns Recordati.

Based on the declaration presented by the newly appointed Director Piergiorgio Peluso and on information available to the Company, the Board of Directors ascertained the existence of the requirements for independence according to both the legislative decree 58/1998 and the Code of Corporate Governance for listed companies adopted by Borsa Italiana.

Based on the declarations presented by the Auditors and on information available to the Company, the Board of Directors, furthermore, proceeded to ascertain the existence of the requirements for independence according to legislative decree 58/1998 and to the prescriptions of the Code of Corporate Governance regarding the Board of Statutory Auditors, and confirmed such qualification for all the members of the Board of Statutory Auditors, sharing the result of the verification of the effective existence of such requirements undertaken by the Board of Statutory Auditors following its appointment.

The Board of Directors then noted the resignation of Jo Le Couilliard as member of the Audit, Risk and Sustainability Committee and appointed Piergiorgio Peluso in substitution. The members of the Audit, Risk and Sustainability Committee are therefore the independent non executive Directors Michaela Castelli, Chairman, Silvia Candini and Piergiorgio Peluso. The composition of the Remuneration Committee (Jo Le Couilliard, Chairman, Silvia Candini and Michaela Castelli) remains unchanged.

Finally, the Board of Directors, following the proposal made by the Audit, Risk and Sustainability Committee, confirmed the "Organismo di Vigilanza" (Compliance Body pursuant to legislative decree 231/2001) reconfirming its existing composition (Silvano Corbella, Chairman and Andrea Scafidi, external components and Giovanni Minora, manager of Audit & Compliance at Recordati, internal component).

First quarter 2020

Group sales in the first quarter 2020 are  429.2 million, an increase of 12.1% over those in the first quarter of the preceding year. This result includes an estimate of around  20 million of stock purchases by wholesalers and pharmacies to face the Covid-19 emergency which are expected to lead to de-stocking in the second quarter.

Recordati, established in 1926, is an international pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), with a total staff of more than 4,300, dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Recordati has operations throughout the whole of Europe, including Russia, Turkey, North Africa, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, some South American countries, Japan and Australia. An efficient field force of medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas including a specialized business dedicated to treatments for rare diseases. Recordati is a partner of choice for new product licenses for its territories. Recordati is committed to the research and development of new specialties with a focus on treatments for rare diseases. Consolidated revenue for 2019 was  1,481.8 million, operating income was  465.3 million and net income was  368.9 million.

For further information:

Recordati website: www.recordati.com

Investor Relations Media Relations

Marianne Tatschke Studio Noris Morano

(39)0248787393 (39)0276004736, (39)0276004745

e-mail: investorelations@recordati.it e-mail: norismorano@studionorismorano.com



Statements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Company's control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the company's activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance.

RECORDATI GROUP

Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

(thousands of )

INCOME STATEMENT 2019 2018* Change % REVENUE 1,481,848 1,352,235 9.6 Cost of sales (436,901) (395,569) 10.4 GROSS PROFIT 1,044,947 956,666 9.2 Selling expenses (372,803) (333,497) 11.8 Research and development expenses (129,681) (109,693) 18.2 General & administrative expenses (72,783) (67,722) 7.5 Other income (expenses), net (4,414) (3,535) 24.9 OPERATING INCOME 465,266 442,219 5.2 Financial income (expenses), net (21,122) (24,284) (13.0) PRE-TAX INCOME 444,144 417,935 6.3 Provision for income taxes** (75,278) (105,513) (28.7) NET INCOME 368,866 312,422 18.1 Attributable to: Equity holders of the parent 368,825 312,376 18.1 Minority interests 41 46 (10.9)

* The Group has initially applied IFRS 16 at 1 January 2019, using the modified retrospective approach. Under this approach, comparative information is not restated and the possible cumulative effect of initially applying IFRS 16, not significant for the Group, is recognised in retained earnings at the date of initial application.

**Provision for income taxes in 2019 includes a non-recurring tax benefit provided by the so-called "patent box":  27.0 million relative to previous years and  8.3 million related to 2019.

EARNINGS PER SHARE 2019 2018 Change % Basic  1.800  1.529 17.7 Diluted  1.764  1.494 18.1

Earnings per share (EPS) are based on average shares outstanding during each year, 204,959,193 in 2019 and 204,379,165 in 2018, net of average treasury stock which amounted to 4,165,963 shares in 2019 and 4,745,991 shares in 2018.

Diluted earnings per share is calculated taking into account stock options granted to company personnel.

COMPOSITION OF REVENUE 2019 2018 Change % Total revenue 1,481,848 1,352,235 9.6 Italy 287,289 273,197 5.2 International 1,194,559 1,079,038 10.7







RECORDATI GROUP

Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

(thousands of )

ASSETS 31.12.2019 31.12.2018* Property, plant and equipment 133,342 103,582 Intangible assets 1,161,760 672,106 ** Goodwill 577,973 577,786 ** Equity investments 38,566 20,773 Non-current receivables 16,426 5,860 Deferred tax assets 71,513 81,227 ** TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 1,999,580 1,461,334 Inventories 226,885 206,084 Trade receivables 296,961 245,742 Other receivables 79,949 38,462 Other current assets 7,683 5,193 Fair value of hedging derivatives (cash flow hedge) 9,949 6,414 Short-term financial investments, cash and cash equivalents 187,923 198,036 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 809,350 699,931 TOTAL ASSETS 2,808,930 2,161,265

*The Group has initially applied IFRS 16 at 1 January 2019, using the modified retrospective approach. Under this approach, comparative information is not restated and the possible cumulative effect of initially applying IFRS 16, not significant for the Group, is recognised in retained earnings at the date of initial application.

** Restated amounts following the change in the allocation of the price paid for the acquisition of Tonipharm S.a.s.

RECORDATI GROUP

Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

(thousands of )

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 31.12.2019 31.12.2018* Share capital 26,141 26,141 Capital in excess of par value 83,719 83,719 Treasury stock (93,480) (145,608) Hedging reserve (5,357) (8,399) Translation reserve (146,866) (154,146) Other reserves 64,651 43,081 Retained earnings 999,708 897,990 Net income for the period 368,825 312,376 Interim dividend (98,764) (91,761) Equity attributable to the holders of the Parent 1,198,577 963,393 Non-controlling interests 234 193 TOTAL EQUITY 1,198,811 963,586 Loans due after one year 937,344 640,647 Employees' termination pay 20,557 19,547 Deferred tax liabilities 43,172 43,486 ** Other non-current liabilities 22,292 3,257 TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,023,365 706,937 Trade payables 175,481 165,020 Other payables 185,706 85,534 Tax liabilities 21,094 42,149 Other current liabilities 12,543 19,359 Provisions 17,933 21,446 Fair value of hedging derivatives (cash flow hedge) 10,788 9,746 Loans due within one year 149,817 130,583 Bank overdrafts and short-term loans 13,392 16,905 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 586,754 490,742 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 2,808,930 2,161,265

*The Group has initially applied IFRS 16 at 1 January 2019, using the modified retrospective approach. Under this approach, comparative information is not restated and the possible cumulative effect of initially applying IFRS 16, not significant for the Group, is recognised in retained earnings at the date of initial application.

** Restated amounts following the change in the allocation of the price paid for the acquisition of Tonipharm S.a.s.

RECORDATI S.P.A.

Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

(thousands of )

2019 2018 Change % Revenue 446,883 450,741 (0.9) Operating income 132,065 152,175 (13.2) Pre-tax income 240,781 263,896 (8.8) Net income 241,092 217,330 10.9

31.12.2019 31.12.2018 Non-current assets 1,597,320 1,253,889 Current assets 391,986 310,340 TOTAL ASSETS 1,989,306 1,564,229 Shareholders' equity 435,426 336,058 Non-current liabilities 991,794 707,431 Current liabilities 562,086 520,740 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 1,989,306 1,564,229

DECLARATION BY THE MANAGER RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPARING THE COMPANY'S FINANCIAL REPORTS

The manager responsible for preparing the company's financial reports Luigi La Corte declares, pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 154-bis of the Consolidated Law on Finance, that the accounting information contained in this press release corresponds to the document results, books and accounting records.

Attachment
A man in Senegal's coastal capital Dakar lifts a sack of rice onto a donkey cart, ready to take home much-needed essentials as coronavirus cases increase across the country.

He is an early beneficiary of one of West Africa's biggest aid programmes for softening the impact of coronavirus restrictions.

Senegal has shut its borders, banned travel between cities and imposed a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew in a bid to curb the contagion, also mandating mask-wearing in government and commercial sites.

But 40 percent of the country's roughly 16 million people live in poverty, often working in precarious informal jobs, and the restrictions have hit them hard.

Government-chartered lorries have been hauling supplies to the working-class Dakar suburb of Guinaw-Rails, where the first families received the aid on Tuesday.

Individual aid packages are lined up in the backyard of a cultural centre, each containing 100 kilos (220 pounds) of rice and 10 kilos of soap, as well as sugar, cooking oil and pasta.

Some 60 people were at the pickup point on Tuesday out of about 3,200 people covered under the scheme in Guinaw-Rails, which lies beside a disused railway track some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the centre.

An official from the community development ministry on the scene said that the aid was being carefully handed out to 30 households each time in order to maintain social distancing.

"Each household will be summoned at a specific time," he said.

The government has mobilised 888 lorries to transport provisions to all corners of the country, in a scheme worth 69 million CFA francs ($114 million, 105 million euros).

Set to benefit are one million households, comprising a projected eight to 10 million people in total.

Alongside the government handout, private companies, religious groups and local authorities are also making donations to struggling Senegalese.

'No salary'

Ami Sakho, a 37-year-old fishmonger who has not worked since the beginning of the outbreak, was among the first people to receive her package on Tuesday.

"I can no longer leave (the house) because of this disease," she said, noting that she had eight children and a jobless polygamous husband.

Sakho added she was pleased the "aid is going to the people in need", although many in the country have feared the resources would be siphoned off.

Diarra Ndiaye, a school teacher of about 40, had also come to collect her provisions.

"This aid will relieve us. My husband is a carpenter but now, he stops work earlier," she said, referring to the curfew.

"We have no salary. I have six children with my husband, who has two wives," she added.

Before the aid handout, reports of suspected corruption linked to the scheme were widespread on social media.

But at a brief ceremony on Tuesday, Senegal's Community Development Minister Mansour Faye dismissed the allegations, saying that the donations would proceed "by the book," and that he had received no complaints so far.

"This is a very large operation, of great complexity," he said, while urging people to maintain social-distancing measures.

- Spreading disease -

Senegal has recorded 823 coronavirus cases to date, with 9 fatalities -- a low number relative to the outbreaks in Europe and the United States.

But authorities are increasingly concerned about an uptick in cases of community transmission, or cases which cannot be traced to known infections.

The scale of the government aid is exceptional in West Africa, one of the poorest regions in the world. By Seyllou (AFP)

Such cases are an indicator that the outbreak may be bigger than detected.

Authorities detected one community-transmission case this week, who, alone, managed to infect 25 people, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry has previously warned that market traders -- some of whom have defied travel restrictions -- are particularly exposed to the virus.

Their people-oriented profession means they are also primed to spread the disease if they have it.

Despite increasing cases and government health messaging, violations of anti-virus measures remain common in Dakar.

At the start of Ramadan, for example, many of the faithful crowded in markets or in front of bakeries to break their fast, often without wearing the compulsory face mask.
Soon after reports of Irrfan Khans hospitalisation on Tuesday, rumours started doing the rounds in a section of the media claiming that the actor had died. An official statement had to be issued on behalf of the actor at around 1am on Wednesday to quash all such extreme rumours.

Its really disappointing to know that there are extreme assumptions being made about Irrfans health. While we are truly appreciative that people are concerned, its disheartening to see some sources spread extreme rumours and creating panic. Irrfan is a strong person and is still fighting the battle. We really request you to not fall for rumours and not partake in these conversations which are fictional. We have always actively clarified and shared updates on his health and we will continue doing so, said the statement, issued on behalf of Irrfan by his spokesperson.

Also read: Step inside Taapsee Pannus house in Mumbai, actor recalls how she made it home. Watch video

The 53-year-old actor had been admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with colon infection and was in the intensive care unit (ICU), as reported by IANS in an earlier report on Tuesday.

Yes it is true that Irrfan khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctors observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of all his well wishers, he will recover soon, read the statement issued on behalf of Irrfan by his spokesperson.

The actor has been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour two years ago, and has been under medical attention for the same.

Irrfan is currently mourning the loss of his mother. The actors mother Saeeda Begum breathed her last on Saturday in Jaipur where she used to live. However, owing to the ongoing lockdown, the actor could not physically attend his mothers last rites and reportedly paid his last respect through video conferencing.

On the work front, Irrfan Khan was last seen in Angrezi Medium. It ran in theatres for just a day before theatres all over India were shut down due to coronavirus outbreak.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Irrfan Khan was one of the most prominent actors of Bollywood. He was known for his iconic movies and dialogues in those movies. The actor breathed his last today, on April 29, 2020, in Mumbai, at the age of 53. As the country mourns the loss of the great actor, here are a few dialogues from his movie Maqbool, that will make you watch the film again.

Tagged as one of the best 10 films of Bollywood, Irrfan Khan played the lead role in the film Maqbool. The film was loosely based on Shakespeare's novel Macbeth. He is seen as an underworld don in the film, who wants to take over the throne of his boss Pankaj Kapur. However, when he takes over the throne, his life is ruined as the murders of a few members of Abbajis family haunt him.

Best dialogues of Irrfan Khan from the movie Maqbool

Guddu Mauritius Jaega

In the movie Maqbool, in one of the scenes, the entire family is seen looking at the model of their new house. When Pankaj Kapur asks Irrfan Khan to visit Mauritius for work purposes. However, the actor demands Guddu, a character to go in place of him. This is scene is when the first plot of the movie is depicted as everyone else comes to know about Irrfan Khans intentions of taking over the throne.

Also Read: 'Immensely Sad', Says BJP Leader Pankaja Munde On Irrfan Khan's Demise

Also Read: Hrithik Roshan Condoles Irrfan Khan's Death, Says 'I Will Miss You'

Bhaiyo Ke Beechme Koi Aega Nahi

Irrfan Khan murders his boss in order to take over his place and become the king of the underworld. When he visits his bosses home, the member of the house tries and attack Irrfan Khan. When one of the members comes to know that Irrfan Khan has killed their boss, he follows him to talk to him in private. And before he leaves, he asks the others not to follow him.

Ya toh Goli Maar Ya Gale ake Mil

In the same scene, Irrfan Khan confronts Piyush Mishra and asks him if he thinks he killed Pankaj Kapur. When Piyush Mishra remains silent, Irrfan Khan hands over a gun to Piyush Mishra and asks him to either kill him or be friends with him, testing their friendship.

Dariya Ghusa hai Mere Gharme

Actor Irrfan Khan and Tabu are seen as lovers in the film Maqbool. Towards the end of the movie, Tabu delivers Irrfan Khans baby and when he comes to know that his other family members are killed, Irrfan Khan abducts an unconscious Tabu and takes her home. One of his best dialogues from the movie is delivered during this scene.

Also Read: Irrfan Khan's Dialogues From 'Piku' That Made Fans Fall In Love With His 'lovable Self'

Also Read: 'Indescribably Saddened': Anil Kapoor Cherishes 'remarkable Actor' Irrfan Khan's Memories

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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 17:24:33|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Navy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that regional states should join hands to ensure regional security.

"We believe that regional countries can extend the hand of friendship to ensure regional security and evict outsiders from the region through strong convergence," Ali Reza Tangsiri was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Last week, the IRGC called for full withdrawal of all U.S. forces from the West Asia after naval disputes erupted between both sides in the Gulf. Enditem
PHOENIX  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday extended his stay-at-home order through May 15 but said he will allow some nonessential retail businesses to reopen with health precautions.

The Republican governor said there are signs the spread of the new virus has slowed in the state, but theres no clear indication that deaths and new cases are trending down. He cant more fully reopen the state until that becomes clear, Ducey said.

Hes allowing retail businesses to open next Monday with curbside and delivery service or with appointments, and they can completely reopen by the end of next week if they take steps to allow social distancing. Hes said restaurants will not be allowed to reopen their dining rooms before May 12, but he hasnt decided when hell lift the restrictions now in place.

The governor praised the public and business community for adhering to his stay-home and closure orders, saying they saved lives.

Weve worked together, weve united together. Were going to continue to take that approach, Ducey said. Your actions are working. Everyone is doing their part. Its not that I feel that  I see it.

Ducey closed schools on March 15, bars and restaurants on March 19 and issued the stay-at-home order on March 30. That order allowed people to carry out essential tasks such as working, exercising, going to the doctor, grocery store or pharmacy. It otherwise required people to stay at home and barred nonessential businesses from operating as usual.

He has been under pressure to reopen the state economy from business groups and people who opposed the shutdown order. Some businesses announced Wednesday that they would reopen Friday even if Ducey extended his order, but the governor had a warning for them  they could be jailed or lose their liquor licenses.

I feel your frustration, and I have a sense of urgency to reopen, he said. It would be irresponsible for me to make decisions to reopen  and have to ask people to do this again.

And as a former small-business owner, Ducey said he felt the pain and frustration that owners of closed businesses and laid-off workers are feeling. But he said the state cant risk moving too quickly, allowing the virus to spread and overwhelm the health care system. Allowing businesses to open before people feel safe patronizing them would not be helpful, he added.

I know its been a long 30 days for all of us, most of all for small business owners, Ducey said. Its 15 more days. Im asking for some patience.

The governor also was getting pressure to keep things closed, notably from the mayors of Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson, to protect public health.

Weve seen other communities who have reopened too soon and paid the price in both public health and with a second economic shut down, the mayors said in a statement Wednesday. We do not want that to happen in Arizona.

Duceys decision came as number of Arizona deaths linked to the coronavirus outbreak surpassed 300. The state Department of Health Services reported at least 304 deaths, an increase of 11 from the previous day, and at least 7,202 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 254 from Tuesday.

Deaths have been steadily increasing since Ducey issued his stay-at-home order late last month. He had said he would make any decision on reopening based on the advice of public health professionals.

The governor said Wednesday the data didnt provide a clear enough answer for him to do anything other than to ease his order. The state has seen lower numbers of suspected cases in hospital emergency rooms, but it hasnt experienced a downward trajectory of cases over two weeks or a drop in the percentage of positive tests.

Those are key metrics the Trump administration has set for states to decide whether to start easing restrictions designed to stop the spread of the virus. Ducey said he didnt want to open too early and see new cases force him to reimpose restrictions.

The state tracks confirmed cases. But a lack of testing and the fact that many people have few or no symptoms means the number of cases could be much higher. The state plans a testing blitz over the next three Saturdays where it seeks to test as many as 20,000 people each day.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.

___

Christie reported from Glendale. Associated Press reporter Paul Davenport contributed.
Priti Patel today signalled a fresh crackdown on illegal migrants crossing the English Channel as she also vowed to tackle 'vexatious' asylum claims.

The Home Secretary conceded that there are currently higher numbers of people trying to cross the stretch of water.

But she said she is working to agree a scheme with Paris which would allow Britain to return illegal migrants to France after they have come ashore in the UK or if they are picked up while at sea.

She also vowed to focus Home Office efforts on combatting 'vexatious methods' and 'vexatious claims' around illegal immigration and asylum.

Priti Patel today told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the Home Office is trying to combat 'vexatious' asylum claims

A Dungeness lifeboat is pictured on April 25 after picking up an inflatable dinghy which is thought to have been used to carry migrants across the English Channel

Appearing in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee today, Ms Patel was asked by Tory MP Tim Loughton why there had been an apparent 'spike' in people trying to cross the Channel.

He asked if it was because France had eased off surveillance and patrols because of the coronavirus crisis.

Ms Patel said that was not the case but conceded it is a 'very, very difficult area' at the moment as she said illegal migrants were also trying to cross to the UK from Belgium.

'We have seen greater dispersal across the French coast and we are seeing this now across the Belgian coast.

'What has happened in France, all credit to the French actually who like we are, despite lockdown and despite all the pressures with coronavirus, are deploying all sorts of activity and resources basically in trying to deter.

'So there is now 24/7 coverage on the beaches of northern France. We are using drones, we are using more detections, we are using ANPR.

'The fact of the matter is, not withstanding these French patrols, these extra patrols on French beaches and using specialist vehicles for detection, too many are getting through.'

Ms Patel said that while there are currently more people trying to make the journey there were also 'extraordinary numbers' in terms of ongoing investigations and convictions.

Asked by Mr Loughton if the UK is trying to strike an agreement with France which would allow for the return of illegal migrants, Ms Patel said: 'There is a lot of work taking place. We have put forward some measures.

'We are doing this directly through our embassy in Paris as well but I am doing it directly with my counterpart in France around returns and returns at sea which is exactly the point you are making and referring to.

'We are also going to go further than that as well, very much looking at, and this is a UK policy area not just with the Home Office but the Ministry of Justice, but looking at some of the vexatious methods that are being used.

'The vexatious claims around illegal immigration and asylum claims that come forward with many of these illegal migrant activities too.'
Democrat Kweisi Mfume won a special congressional election in Maryland on Tuesday and will replace the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) for the rest of his term in the states 7th district.

Cummings, who chaired the House Oversight Committee, died at 68 in October 2019. His office told news outlets that he died due to complications concerning longstanding health challenges. Following Cummingss death, over 30 peopleincluding some two dozen Democratsannounced bids for the seat he had held since 1996.

Mfume defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik to win the seat, with The Associated Press calling the race after 8 p.m. local time. The 71-year-old Democrat had earlier held the seat for five terms from 1987 to 1996, before he left Congress and chaired the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) civil rights group, from 1996 until 2004. The NAACP is based in Baltimore.

Mfume will now serve out the remainder of Cummingss term, which ends in January. He may run again in the states June 2 primary in hopes of winning reelection in November to serve a full term. The primary was originally scheduled for April but was postponed by Gov. Larry Hogan due to the CCP virus.

All voters in the 7th Congressional District were strongly urged to vote by mail due to the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. The Maryland Board of Elections had authorized mail-in ballots and sent out ballots weeks in advance. Three in-person polling stations were still opened on Tuesday for those who were unable to cast a mail ballot, such as those without mailing addresses or voters who require special assistance.

Mfume told supporters after winning the election that many people are struggling at this hour to fight off the terrible disease of the coronavirus.

To them, to their families and to the families of so many others who have lost lives prematurely to this disease, I want all of you to know that from day one, all of my attention, all of my energy and all of my focus in the United States Congress will be on using science, data and common sense to help get our nation through this dark hour in our history, Mfume said.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 4-1 in Marylands 7th district, which covers parts of Baltimore and central Maryland. The diverse district includes areas of Baltimore that struggle with poverty and violent crime, and more affluent areas and such landmarks as Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Mfume late Tuesday also spoke about addressing issues such as poor urban areas that have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, a lack of transportation, and the need to modernize school buildings.

I promise you that as your congressman, I will use every ability that I have to bring about that change, Mfume said.

The former NAACP chair also supports more robust gun-control measures, including reauthorizing a federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2005. Baltimore had 348 homicides last yearthe fifth straight year topping 300making it the citys most violent year ever per capita.

Klacik, a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee, had campaigned on economic development and helping struggling parts of Baltimore via a federal opportunity zones program.

After she was defeated, Klacik wrote on Twitter: That one time when hard work didnt pay off. Perhaps one day, District 7 will want a change. Proud of my team & the work we put in.

From The Epoch Times

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 14:26 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4f7bca 1 Business bank-indonesia,liquidity,financial-system,banks,rupiah,bond-market,COVID-19,coronavirus Free

Bank Indonesia (BI) has injected Rp 503.8 trillion (US$32.7 billion) into banks and the debt market to stabilize the rupiah and help support the governments financing needs to combat the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said that banks would be obliged to buy government bonds after the central bank freed up Rp 102 trillion in liquidity. Starting May 1, the reserve requirement ratio will be lowered by 200 basis points (bps) for commercial banks and 50 bps for sharia banks.

BIs policy to revoke banks obligation to fulfil the Intermediary Macroprudential Ratio (RIM) would add another Rp 15.8 trillion of liquidity, said Perry.

Fiscal policy will be crucial in channeling these funds into the real economy sector, Perry told an online media briefing on Wednesday. These quantitative easing measures taken by the central bank will fuel economic activities.

This is in addition to the Rp 386 trillion worth of liquidity freed by the central bank since the beginning of the year to support the countrys crashing currency and boost banks liquidity, Perry said.

The central bank has bought Rp 166.2 trillion worth of government bonds in the secondary market as investors dumped Indonesian assets over fears about COVID-19, resulting in a slump in the value of the rupiah, which depreciated as much as 18.5 percent in early March.

BIs repurchase agreements (repos) with banks through government bonds as underlying assets has provided the financial system with Rp 137.1 trillion, while BIs decision to lower the reserve requirement ratio since the beginning of the year has provided banks with Rp 53 trillion. Furthermore, BIs monetary operations in the form of foreign exchange swaps has provided Rp 29.7 trillion, according to Perry.

The rupiah has started to gain against the greenback over the last few weeks, strengthening to Rp 15,394 per US dollar as per 11 a.m. on Wednesday from this years low of 16,625 per US dollar, according to Bloomberg data.

The volatility of the rupiah is due to technical factors affected by the ongoing conditions, Perry said, citing the countrys large-scale social restrictions and economic growth projections and other issues as negative news. However, there are also positive factors such as successful bond sales by the government and the strengthening futures market in the US.

The central bank regards the current rupiah level as fundamentally undervalued and projects the countrys currency to reach Rp 15,000 per US dollar by the end of the year.
Filmmaker Anurag Basu, who directed Irrfan Khan in his 2007 movie "Life In A... Metro", said he was hopeful the actor will come out of the cancer battle.

Irrfan died on Wednesday, losing a two-year battle with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare form of cancer that targets various organs of the body. He was 54.

Basu, who has himself battled cancer, said he hoped that Irrfan would also win his fight with the disease like he did. In 2004, the director was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, a type of blood cancer.

"I was hoping he would pull it off. I was hopeful because I had pulled through it. He was responding well to the treatment so we thought... This is very unfortunate. I couldn't meet him. I am feeling very very bad for it as I will never get to see him.

"But I did meet Sutapa (Irrfan's wife) while the treatment was going on. It was a long, long fight. He fought this battle alone away from everyone," the filmmaker told PTI.

Basu said when Irrfan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, his wife Sutapa was shaken and had made several queries to ascertain how he got cured.

"After he was diagnosed, Sutapa had called me as she wanted to know the details because I had gone through the same. I didn't meet him in person after that. But I was in touch with him over phone when he was in London. When he came here sadly I couldn't meet him in person, he said.

The filmmaker, who has worked with Irrfan on 2007 movie Life in a... Metro, believes there will never be an actor like him.

"I have done some of my best work in television with Irrfan. People just know that we have worked in Life In a Metro' but we have worked together a lot on television. Irrfan is a unique actor.

"He has created a space for himself on his own here and in Hollywood. Nobody can take that space from him. There is no the other actor like Irrfan Khan and there will be no one like him. He was unique."



Basu also revealed that he had discussed the story idea about Life in a Metro sequel with Irrfan, which the actor had liked.

"I was supposed to start a film with him. We were talking about 'Metro' sequel. We were waiting for Irrfan and didn't start that film. We had discussed the idea back then and he loved the character and he wanted to do that again. This was one month before he was diagnosed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Associated Press

Amazon has spent years honing the business of packing, shipping and delivering millions of products to doorsteps around the world.

Now it has a captive audience.

With much of the globe in various stages of a lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, the world's largest online retailer has become a lifeline to many shoppers. But it is also grappling with delivery delays and mounting complaints from workers who worry about contagion while on the job.

The company's website hit 2.54 billion visitors for the entire month of March, according to online research company Comscore. That marks a 65% jump from the same period last year. Amazon will report quarterly earnings on Thursday, providing a first glimpse into its financial performance during the pandemic.

Discounters like Walmart and Dollar General that sell essential products have seen their shares soar 8% and 15% respectively. But Amazon has been a standout, with its stock up 22% so far this year. That's in contrast to the S&P, which has slid 11%. Amazon is also hiring 175,000 more workers at a time when many businesses have cut back and are seeking federal aid in the US.

ALSO READ | 17 districts in India with no fresh COVID-19 cases in 28 days, but is it really an achievement?

At the same time, Amazon's vast empire is showing cracks.

Deliveries that used to take just hours to arrive can instead take weeks or even months. High demand items like toilet paper and paper towels are frustratingly out of stock.

Probably the biggest issue facing the $1.1 trillion company is persistent complaints by warehouse workers of grueling hours of backbreaking work with little protection against catching the coronavirus. A growing number of infections has increased pressure on the company to take steps that could further slow down operations, including shutting down some of its warehouses and easing productivity quotas.

"Amazon has gone from a nice-to-have to a necessity," said Jon Reily of Isobar, a global digital agency. "It's becoming a public utility like the electric company or the water company. But they're putting pressure on workers. And workers are scared."

The most dramatic fallout came in France when a court ordered Amazon last week to stop delivering non-essential products for a month while it works out better worker safety measures. An appeals court upheld the ruling, although it expanded the number of products the company is allowed sell. Amazon responded by closing all its French warehouses, saying it is too complicated to separate out its activities.

Small groups of workers have staged walkouts at Amazon warehouses in New York, Chicago and Detroit, demanding that the facilities be closed for deep cleaning after workers there tested positive for the virus. Kentucky's governor ordered a warehouse in Shepherdsville closed for several days last month after workers there got infected.

ALSO READ | Amazon India strengthens partnership with Railways for faster deliveries amid lockdown

Amazon has refused to say how many workers have fallen ill.

It says it has stepped up protection measures, ramping up cleaning, implementing temperature checks, racing to distribute masks, staggering shifts and spreading out tables in break rooms. It is also allowing any worker who feels unsafe to stay home without pay through April, while offering a $2 hourly pay bump for those who stay on the job.

Amazon also says it's developing an internal lab that could potentially provide coronavirus tests for all employees, even those without symptoms.

It's unclear how many of Amazon's workers are staying home without pay or how many have been put into isolation because of contact with infected workers. But employees at some warehouses say absences are common.

Guiselle Diaz, 23, said she has not reported to her job at the Staten Island warehouse for weeks because she worries her asthma makes her vulnerable and she fears passing the virus to her 81-year-old grandmother, who lives with her.

"A lot of people are afraid, and a lot of people have conditions that stop them from going," Diaz said.

Amazon's competitors have faced similar challenges with delays, product scarcity and worker discontent.

Walmart faced calls to step up safety measures after two workers from the same store contracted the virus and died. Some workers at grocery delivery services Instacart and Shipt, which is owned by Target, have walked off their jobs to demand greater safeguards against the virus.

Many shoppers have been forgiving of Amazon, in large part because there are few better alternatives for getting essentials online.

"That's the only place you can shop for most everything you need," said Marlina Fol, a caregiver in Manhattan, who said she was able to buy masks and hand sanitizer from Amazon in early March but now struggles to get a window for grocery delivery from Whole Foods, which Amazon acquired two years ago.

Amazon accounts for about 40% of online sales in the U.S., according to eMarketer, an online research firm. It has developed fierce loyalty among its more than 110 million U.S. Prime members, who pay $129 a year to get practically anything shipped to them in up to two days. That accounts for half of American households. Many experts believes Amazon is only picking up more subscribers during the pandemic and expect its dominance to grow further.

The company is also providing essential cash flow to third-party sellers who've seen their physical stores closed because of lockdowns. Aaron Krahling, whose vitamin store in Waldorf, Maryland, has been shuttered since mid-March, has been able to pay the rent for his business and other bills because of income he's received from selling home accessories on Amazon.

"Everything would have come down to a screeching halt," Krahling said. "It's helped me cover all overhead without freaking out."

Craig Johnson, president of retail consultancy Consumer Growth Partners, says Amazon has a "high class problem" considering how many other stores have gone dark.

"Given all that is going on, they have done remarkably well," Johnson said. "Yes, there are glitches. But there are glitches all over. We have never been through this."


Smokers could be living on the edge of contracting COVID-19 infection, according to a study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur, exploring the neuroinvasive nature of the deadly coronavirus.

The study also rings warning bells for asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 with anosmia (loss of smell) and ageusia (loss of taste) to self-quarantine themselves as soon as they feel these symptoms and consult specialists before they turn into carriers.

According to the study titled "Neurological insights of COVID-19 pandemic" published in renowned international journal published by American Chemical Society (ACS), loss of smell and taste of infected patients makes their entire Central Nervous System (CNS) and the underlying structures in the brain more prone to viral infection with devastating effects.

The study led by Surajit Ghosh, professor at IIT Jodhpur, has pointed out that coronavirus is known to interact with a specific human receptor known as hACE2 (Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2) which also happens to be the entry point of the virus and has an almost ubiquitous presence in most human organs ranging from lung to nasal mucosa. The brain is also known to express this receptor.

"The likeliness of COVID-19 patients to contract neurological infections can be exacerbated by secondary factors like smoking. According to a pilot study, smoking can enhance the chances of contracting COVID-19 based neuroinfections due to the functional interactions between human receptor and nicotinic receptor," Ghosh said.

"The same study reports that due to the coexpression of human receptor and nicotinic receptor in many cells, there exists a functional link between them. So, when smokers smoke, it augments the expression of the hACE2 due to the nicotine stimulation," he added.

The team has suggested brain autopsies of COVID-19 infected patients and analysis of their cerebrospinal fluid.

"While performing autopsies on brains of COVID-19 patients, it would be wise to conduct smoker versus nonsmoker based analysis as this will help to shed light on smoking being an additional risk factor in COVID-19 patients along with age and already existing ailments," the study said.

The researchers have attributed the loss of smell or taste to the fact that nose and mouth both are very important entry points of the virus, which then may be slowly making its way to the olfactory bulb using the neurons of the olfactory mucosa.

"The olfactory bulb located in the forebrain is the structure that is chiefly responsible for the sense of smell. This explains the loss of smell associated with many asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 and also may be exposing the CNS to viral infection," Ghosh said.

"A recently conducted study on brain scans (CT and MRI) of a patient infected by COVID-19 virus that shows a rare encephalopathy called ANE, which leads to brain dysfunction with seizures and mental disorientation. It indicates that in the presence of human ACE2 receptors in nervous system, the brain may be infected by the virus through olfactory bulbs and also through other peripheral nerve terminals or simply blood circulation and may breach the blood-brain barrier to innervate and attack the system.

"The virus may also completely destroy the medulla oblongata of the hindbrain, which regulates breathing, heart, and blood vessel function, he added.

Around the world, confirmed infections of coronavirus stood at more than 3.1 million - including 1 million in the US - and the confirmed global death toll topped 217,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, April 29 : The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country climbed to 31,332 on Wednesday morning, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total cases, 22,629 are active, 7,695 people have recovered, and 1007 people have succumbed to the disease.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with the total number of cases rising to 9,318, with 400 deaths and 1,388 people recovering from the deadly virus.

Gujarat was the next which has reported 3,744 cases so far followed by Delhi which has reported 3,314 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

The other states which have seen sharp rise in cases are Madhya Pradesh (2,387), Rajasthan (2,364), Tamil Nadu (2,058) and Uttar Pradesh (2,053).

Andhra Pradesh has reported 1259 cases so far out of which 258 have recovered and 31 people have died in the state.

Bihar has seen a spike in cases with number rising to 366 out of which 64 have recovered and discharged and two people have died in the state.

After a day of respite, the Union Territory of Chandigarh reported rise in cases. The tally has gone up to 56 in the UT.

In Delhi, the number of infected cases has risen to 3314 out of which 1078 have recovered and 54 people have died.

Gujarat is another state which has seen continuous rise in cases. The tally has gone up to 3744 out of which 434 have recovered, according to the health ministry data.

Haryana has reported 310 cases so far, out of which 209 have been discharged and 3 people have died.

The tally in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 565 till Wednesday morning, out of which 176 have been discharged and eight deaths have been reported so far.

Karnataka's tally has gone up to 523 out of which 207 have recovered and 20 people have died in the state. Kerala has reported 485 cases so far while 219 have been discharged and 4 people have died in the state due to coronavirus.

Madhya Pradesh continues to report more infected cases. The tally has risen to 2387 while 377 have been discharged and the death toll stands at 120 in the state.

The number of infected people in Tamil Nadu has gone up to 2058 out of which 1168 have been discharged upon recovery while 25 people have died in the state.

In Uttar Pradesh, the number of cases has gone up to 2053 out of which 462 have been cured and 34 people have died.

West Bengal has reported 725 cases so far out of which 119 have been discharged and 22 people have died in the state., according to health ministrty data.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
A Civil Society Organization, Act for Positive Transformation Initiative (ACTI) has alleged that the Interim Management Committee (IMC)...





A Civil Society Organization, Act for Positive Transformation Initiative (ACTI) has alleged that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has awarded a contract of N4,861,354,250.00 for COVID-19 test kits without due process.





In a statement by the organizations head, Directorate of Research, and Programmes, Mr Kolawole Johnson on Wednesday in Abuja, they said the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC returned the agency to its era of looting, which in turn prompted President Buhari to order a forensic audit of their activities a few months ago.





The organization specifically accused the Director of Project of the NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojugboh of lying on national television when he feigned ignorance of such contracts, even the evidence abounds.





The CSO wrote:

President Muhammadu Buhari, out of concern for the people of the Niger Delta region, appointed an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to clean the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), conduct forensic audit and make it more responsive to the people.





Sunday, 26th of April, 2020, Nigerians watched a member of the Interim Management Committee, the Director of Project, Dr Cairo Ojugboh, on Channels Television struggling hard to defend grisly allegations of corruption steamrolled on the Commission.





Our organization, Act for Positive Transformation Initiative has fact-checked many of his claims and found them to be, at best, dishonourable mendacities and concealed lies.





First, Dr Cairo claimed the contract has not been awarded for any intervention on COVID-19. This is falsehood. Contracts were indeed awarded on the 6th of April, 2020.





Also, Cairo claimed he is not familiar with a company called Osmoserve. He lied. Osmoserve got the largest share of the self-serving COVID-19 intervention contract amounting to N4,861,354,250.00 and received mobilization more than one week before the TV program.





The CSO insisted that Osmoserve was one of a self-serving company that was party to previous phoney contracts, wondering how such a discredited enterprise was being patronized this time.





Sadly, Osmoserve Global Ltd should be under a stern flashlight of the forensic probe, having benefitted more than any other company in recent years in numerous emergency projects that brought the commission to its knees, yet the Interim Management made the same company its looting agent.





After Osmoserves fraudulent contract award, official documents show that about four other companies were awarded COVID-19 related contracts and payments approved the same date except for a company that objected to unofficial terms advanced by the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.





The companies are AHR Global Standard Services Ltd (Batch no: 13662 & Vat no: 13664), awarded emergency procurement of social relief packs.





Julius Dinga Nigeria Ltd (Batch no: 13656 & Vat no: 13658), awarded a contract for emergency consultancy for the provision of publicity on the prevention of the spread of coronavirus across the nine Niger Delta states. Tables and Buildings Nigeria Ltd (Batch no: 13659 & Vat no: 13660).





For Osmoserve Global Ltd, an award was given for emergency supply and delivery of medical equipment and consumables to the NDDC warehouse.





In the characteristic style of the present IMC, supply details and specifications are always not indicated in the award letter to frustrate the performance audit process.





The letter of contract award claimed the medical equipment was meant for testing, treatment and care of COVID-19 cases.





Transaction was initiated by Mr Effiong Henry, approved the same date by the Executive Director, Finance & Administration, Ibanga Basset Etang and got the final payment approval of the Acting MD, Prof Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, within half an hour, precisely on the 15th of April, 2020.





The sum of Seven Hundred and Twenty-Nine Million, Two Hundred and Three Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Naira, Fifty Kobo (729,203,137.50) was treated for payment.





For verification, the details of the transaction from the TSA account are as follow: Batch no: 13593, Vat no: 13595 and Withholding Tax no: 13594. This can be verified by anyone.





We hope the anti-corruption agencies will commence action immediately; we have made the job much easier by providing far-reaching details.





Of note is the open confession of Dr Cairo that Presidential approval for the COVID-19 intervention projects would be communicated officially to the commission on Monday, 27th, April 2020.





The implication is simple: the fraudulent management acted illegally in flagrant defiance to the Fiscal Responsibility Act, since contracts were awarded and money paid without lawful approval.





This further exposes the level of desperation to loot the commission as the purported request for approval was sent to the President in retrospect.





For every payment made, we have it on good authority that a topmost kingpin collects kickbacks ranging from 30 to 45 percent, depending on the status of the contract.





For the past six months, it has been widely alleged that the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godwill Akpabio, has been using the forensic audit as a smokescreen to mop up the account of the agency.





Nigerians should also note, the commission has squandered over Forty- Nine Billion naira ( $49B) in illegal payments in the last two months, most of which are in defiance to the Public Procurement Act yet Dr Cairo claimed the present Interim Management Committee is yet to award any contract.





Today, dead fishes litter the Niger Delta coastline due to toxic releases of oil processing companies. The avenue for subsisting income for indigents has been wiped off which may lead to severe widespread hunger in the land.





Shall we close our eyes to this mad fleece while people die in suffering?





While the public space is awash with several allegations of corruption against the management, the All Progressive Congress, through its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, rose in cover for the Commission.





Whereas it irresponsibly shows the Party is not on the same page with Mr President on his anti-corruption war, it will, nonetheless, be criminal to find it as an active group player in the ongoing looting of the NDDC.





They called on anti-graft agencies to wade into the activities of NDDC before things got out of hands.





We call on the anti-corruption agencies to rise to the occasion to save whatever is left in the account of the commission.





This serves as an SOS call to the National Assembly to act in the interest of the people. The time is now. The commission, as presently constituted, is like a rotten mackerel by moonlight, it shines and stinks.





We call on The Ministry of Finance, CBN and the Accountant General Office to make public all NDDC transactions from the TSA account in the last two months.





When our correspondent called on the Spokesperson of the NDDC, Mr. Isene Ibanga, he neither picked his calls nor responded to text messages.








ETFs have found themselves at the epicenter of the crude oil collapse.

One exchange-traded fund in particular  the United States Oil Fund  has been under extensive pressure in the wake of last week's collapse oil price futures.

The unprecedented move into negative territory forced the USO to restructure several times by dumping shorter-term futures contracts to avoid imploding on its many retail investors. It has also made the fund a target of short sellers betting against its survival.

All this has made some in the industry question whether more education or warning should be required from companies offering ETF products that trade futures contracts.

The key is transparency, said Jason Bloom, who oversees the Invesco Oil Fund (DBO), USO's top rival fund.

While both USO and DBO have fallen precipitously this year, DBO has held up relative to its peer, with a 51% loss versus USO's 83% decline.

"USO and DBO are similar in that they're both ETFs and they both hold WTI futures contracts, but that's about where it ends," Bloom said Monday on CNBC's "ETF Edge."

"DBO since its inception over 10 years ago has always used an optimization process in selecting which futures contract to own," said Bloom, Invesco's director of global macro ETF strategy. "Occasionally, they own the front part of the curve, which USO used to own exclusively until the several changes recently."

That "optimization process" involves a cost-effectiveness calculation on DBO's part. Before its futures contracts roll over, the fund determines which futures contract has the best "cost of carry," Bloom said.

"In some cases, it's actually positive income if the futures markets are backward-dated," which happens when the current price rises above the price of longer-dated futures, he said.

Right now, the opposite is happening with oil prices  they're in contango, which means longer-dated futures prices are higher than the spot price of crude.

"Contango means that there's a negative cost, there's a cost burden on the investor, to hold that futures exposure over time," Bloom said. "DBO seeks to minimize that cost in a contango market. We currently hold the March 2021 futures contract, which is pretty far out the curve, and it hasn't really been subject to some of these issues we've seen in the front of the curve."

Here's where the transparency comes in. DBO shareholders know that the ETF will hold that March 2021 contract until about three weeks before it expires, then make that optimization calculation and roll it over, Bloom said.

"So, you have a great deal of transparency as to what your exposure's going to be in DBO, and then you can do the math," he said. "If you buy DBO today and that futures contract is $29 a barrel, you know that if you're above $29 a barrel minus management fees, you have a chance to profit from that. So, it just depends on your expectations and your time frame."

"We think it's the best balance between predictability, transparency and having some sort of dynamic optimization," Bloom said of DBO.

Tom Lydon, CEO of ETF Trends and ETF Database, agreed that investors need to be aware of what they own when they buy shares of commodity ETFs.

"I think a lot of investors were thinking that in buying USO, they may be able to profit from future oil prices when people start driving cars and flying in planes again, but what in fact they bought were people not filling up their tank and a bunch of tankers full of oil sitting off the coast," he said in the same "ETF Edge" interview. "And it didn't translate to them. So, ... you've got to look under the hood."

Todd Rosenbluth, senior director of ETF and mutual fund research at CFRA, echoed that point in the same interview.

"These kinds of products that use futures are more dangerous for investors," Rosenbluth said. "It makes it harder for them to understand what they're actually owning."

Rosenbluth pointed out that although USO is slightly cheaper to own than DBO, with an expense ratio of 73 basis points versus DBO's 78, its underperformance has been notable. Over the past three years, USO has fallen 79% versus DBO's 39% decline.

"So, you really need to understand what's inside the portfolio, how these are different and then determine if these are even appropriate for you and your clients," Rosenbluth said.

USO, the market's largest oil ETF by net assets, fell nearly 3% in Tuesday's session. DBO ended the day slightly lower.

Disclosure: Invesco is the sponsor of CNBC's "ETF Edge."

Disclaimer
By Briana Bierschbach and Jeremy Olson | Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

MINNEAPOLIS  Vice President Mike Pence returned to Minnesota on Tuesday to highlight the Mayo Clinics coronavirus research and testing efforts, calling them a whole of Minnesota approach.

But even as he praised Mayos efforts to combat COVID-19, Pence ignored the clinics request that all visitors don face masks to prevent transmission, including Gov. Tim Walz and others on the tour. In the face of growing commentary on television and social media as the tour was underway, Mayo officials responded with a tweet:

Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today. The tweet was later deleted without explanation.

Pence told reporters afterward that the precaution wasnt needed.

As vice president of the United States Im tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus, he said, noting that federal guidelines indicate that the mask is good for preventing the spread of the virus by those who have it. And since I dont have the coronavirus, I thought itd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible health care personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you.

Pences visit followed Walzs announced moon shot plan to partner with Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota to ramp up virus testing in the state. Mayos national reference laboratory has already conducted 150,000 molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19 nationwide.

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party governor greeted Pence after Air Force Two landed at the Rochester airport shortly before noon. They were joined by the governors daughter, Hope Linn, and U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, a Republican who represents southern Minnesota.

At the first stop inside Mayo Clinic, Pence talked to Dr. Michael Joyner, who was with Dennis Nelson, a clinic employee who said he had recovered from a mild case of COVID-19 and decided to donate plasma for therapy treatment to help other patients with the virus. Pence thanked the employee and elbow bumped him on his way out.

Dr. Matthew J. Binnicker walked Pence through the Mayo Clinic lab and gave a brief overview of how the clinic developed its diagnostic testing and their partnership with the University of Minnesota to ramp up to testing anyone who needs one soon.

The president and I often talk about a whole of America approach, this is a whole of Minnesota approach, Pence said after being briefed. Pence said they are very excited about the prospect of antibody testing, which tells doctors if a patient already had the virus and has since recovered.

Pence, leading the Trump administrations Coronavirus Task Force, cited Minnesotas breakthrough at a White House briefing last week as an example of state-level progress on testing. The visit followed his trip in March to the 3M Innovation Center in Maplewood, where he described an all hands on deck effort to combat the spread of coronavirus.

State health officials Tuesday acknowledged some start-up delays in the rapid expansion of COVID-19 testing and that it was unclear whether they would meet Walzs goal of conducting 5,000 molecular diagnostic tests per day starting May 4  when Minnesotas statewide stay-at-home order is slated to end.

State health commissioner Jan Malcolm said she believes the state is on track within a month to conduct 20,000 diagnostic tests a day, though, as part of a $36 million partnership with Mayo and the University of Minnesota.

Even then, Malcolm said the state would need to be strategic with its testing capacity  and that while the goal is testing for anybody with COVID-19-like symptoms, that tests must be available for long-term care residents who are particularly vulnerable, and to respond to hot spots such as the outbreaks in meatpacking plants that happened quickly and at a scale that we didnt anticipate.

Its not so much about a specific number but learning what we need to test smartly, Malcolm said.

Of the 301 COVID-19 deaths reported in Minnesota as of Tuesday, 233 involved long-term care residents. The state also reported 365 newly lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, a single-day record that was partly due to increased testing statewide but also due to a focus on meatpacking workers. The JBS pork plant in Worthington remained shut down Tuesday after an outbreak that has now contributed to 477 lab-confirmed cases in Nobles County alone.

Pences two visits to Minnesota during the coronavirus pandemic have put a national focus on the states leading-edge medical and biotechnology sectors even as the governor navigates Trumps fraught relationship with other state governors.

Although President Donald Trump encouraged a recent anti-lockdown protest in Minnesota, he has refrained from attacking Walz directly and has praised the states public health efforts. We are working closely on getting him all he needs, and fast, Trump tweeted earlier this month. Good things happening!

While the visit was intended to reinforce the administrations commitment to fighting the coronavirus, Minnesota Democrats criticized Trump and Pence for what they see as a broadly insufficient federal response to the pandemic, forcing Minnesota to compete against other states and countries for needed medical supplies.

DFL state Rep. Tina Liebling, whose district includes the Mayo Clinic campus, said Tuesday that the insufficient federal response is the chief reason for the need to move slowly in lifting stay-at-home orders in Minnesota and elsewhere.

What we need is a massive, unified production of personal protective equipment, Liebling said. That would go a long way to opening the economy. President Trump has said, Liberate Minnesota. We say liberate testing, liberate planning and coordination, liberate personal protective equipment.

The campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden put out a statement characterizing the tour as an attempt to paper over the Trump Administrations delayed, insufficient response to this pandemic by passing the buck to governors and posing for photos at the finish line.

Pence, for his part, sought to minimize the politics of the pandemic. We will get through this, we will get through this together, he said before a roundtable discussion with Mayo staff broke up.

State health officials Tuesday also discussed a developing strategy to use thousands of blood serum tests to identify antibodies in patients who have recovered from COVID-19, and to define just how widely the coronavirus has spread in Minnesota.

While there is hope that the presence of antibodies provides at least temporary immunity from reinfection, Dr. Ruth Lynfield, state epidemiologist, said there is no proof yet and that recovered patients will still need to take precautions.

It may not be the case that it will have lifelong immunity but I am hopeful that there will be immunity for a period of time, she said. But this is something that we really have to be very careful about.



(Staff writer Patrick Condon contributed to this report.)
T he commander of a Royal Navy nuclear submarine has lost his job after allowing his crew to have a barbecue during the coronavirus lockdown.

The party, which took place at the Davenport dockyard in Plymouth, is said said to be one a of a number of incidents in which the Commander John Lewis' judgement came into question undermining trust and credibility.

He was relieved of his command of the HMS Trenchant following a Royal Navy investigation.

A 30-second clip shared on social media shows two sailors standing behind a makeshift DJ booth covered with a sheet with HMS Trenchant Prison Party written on it.

They are playing dance music while some of the crew stand watching and others sit at wooden benches on the quayside.

The party took place earlier this month while the rest of the UK was in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale tweeted: "Commander Lewis has been relieved of command of HMS Trenchant and will be assigned other duties."

One month since UK lockdown - In pictures 1 /14 One month since UK lockdown - In pictures The M5 motorway, looking south towards Devon PA A nearly-deserted Reuters Square in Canary Wharf PA A popular riverside walk alongside the Thames near London's Tower Bridge is almost empty PA The concourse of London's Waterloo station is almost devoid of travellers PA Empty streets and pavements surround Little Ben, a cast iron miniature clock tower, situated at the intersection of Vauxhall Bridge Road and Victoria Street PA Horse Guards Parade in London is empty as tourists stay away PA Liverpool waterfront is practically deserted PA Empty streets in Newcastle upon Tyne PA An empty shopping arcade at Windsor Station PA King's Parade, with King's College (left) and the Senate House (distance) in Cambridge PA A view of a near-deserted Waterlooville town centre in Hampshire PA

He added: "BBC has been told that it was not just senior officers ashore who advised against the BBQ but some of the officers in his own crew.

"Source told BBC he wanted to be one of the lads - but his judgement was wrong a number of times."

The senior broadcaster said the techno party was "the last straw" as other issues had surfaced from the Royal Navy's investigation.

Britons urged to stay at home on fifth lockdown weeken

A Royal Navy spokesman told the Evening Standard: We can confirm that the Commanding Officer of HMS Trenchant has been removed from Command.

"While we are aware of the media interest in this issue, we are bound by employer confidentiality not to comment any further at this time.

The Royal Navy stressed that Commander Lewis was not relieved of his position because of Covid-19, but that the party was ill-advised during the lockdown.

Mr Lewis will remain in the Royal Navy but will be reassigned another role. A new commander for the HMS Trenchant will be appointed in due course.

The Royal Navy added that it takes the safety and welfare of its crews as one of its highest priorities, alongside keeping our nation defended.
PRESS RELEASE FOR EUROPEAN MEDICAL AND TRADE MEDIA ONLY

BIAL announced today that the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ONGENTYS (opicapone) as an add-on treatment to levodopa/carbidopa in patients with Parkinson's disease experiencing "off" episodes.

"We are very pleased to achieve this major regulatory milestone for opicapone, which offers patients living with Parkinson's disease an effective, once-daily adjunctive treatment option to the gold standard levodopa/dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors preparations. This approval is a landmark in BIAL's ongoing commitment to the quality of life of Parkinson's patients and their caregivers. We look forward to working with our partner in the U.S., Neurocrine Biosciences, to make this therapy available to patients." said Antonio Portela, CEO of BIAL.

In February 2017, BIAL and Neurocrine Biosciences entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of opicapone in the U.S. and Canada. The commercial launch of opicapone in the U.S. is expected to occur later in 2020.

The FDA approval of opicapone is supported by data from 38 clinical studies, including two multinational Phase III clinical studies (BIPARK-1 and BIPARK-2). In BIPARK-1, a randomized, double-blind placebo- and active-controlled study, approximately 600 patients with Parkinson's disease and end-of-dose motor fluctuations received once-daily doses of opicapone (5 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg), placebo or 200 mg of the COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) inhibitor entacapone for 14 to 15 weeks as adjunct to levodopa therapy. In BIPARK-2, which followed a similar study design, approximately 400 patients received once-daily doses of opicapone (25 mg or 50 mg) or placebo.

The primary endpoint for both studies was the change from baseline in absolute time in the OFF state, as assessed by patient diaries. The initial study period in each BIPARK was followed by a one year open-label phase during which all eligible patients received treatment with opicapone. Treatment with opicapone 50 mg was found to be superior to placebo in both studies. The beneficial effects of opicapone 50 mg at reducing the time in the OFF state were accompanied by a corresponding increase in time in the ON state without troublesome dyskinesia. Results from both open-label phases indicated a maintenance of effect for patients previously treated with opicapone 50 mg. Overall, opicapone was found to be generally well tolerated. Primary outcomes from the BIPARK-1 study are published in Lancet Neurology1, with the outcomes from the open-label extension phase published in Neurology2. Primary outcomes from the BIPARK-2 study and the open-label extension are published in JAMA Neurology3

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative, chronic and progressive disease. The clinical manifestations usually start after the age of 50 years (average age for diagnosis is approximately 60 years) and the prevalence is estimated at 300 per 100,000 inhabitants, increasing to 1/100 over the age of 55-60 years.

In the U.S. each year, an estimated 50,000 people are diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disorder and about one million Americans have the condition4. The European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) estimates that 1.2 million people have Parkinson's disease in the European Union5

About Opicapone 6

Opicapone is a once-daily, peripherally-acting, third-generation, highly-selective COMT inhibitor.

Opicapone works by decreasing peripheral levodopa's conversion rate into 3-O-methyldopa, thereby prolonging the duration of levodopa's effect in reducing the OFF-time period of Parkinson's and extending the ON-time period.

In June 2016, the European Commission authorized Ongentys(opicapone) as an adjunct therapy to preparations of levodopa/DOPA decarboxylase inhibitors (DDCIs) in adult patients with Parkinson's disease and end-of-dose motor fluctuations who cannot be stabilized on those combinations. In Europe opicapone is currently marketed in Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and Italy.

About BIAL

Founded in 1924, BIAL's mission is to research, develop and provide therapeutic solutions within the area of health. In the last decades, BIAL has focused strategically on quality, innovation and internationalisation. BIAL is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation, investing more than 20% of its annual turnover into research and development within neurosciences and the cardiovascular system. The company expects to introduce new drugs on the market in the coming years, strengthening its international presence based on proprietary drugs and achieving its goal of supplying innovative products to patients worldwide.

For more information on BIAL: www.bial.com

References

1. Ferreira J., et al. Lancet Neurol. 2016 Feb;15(2):154-165

2. Ferreira J., et al. Neurology. 2018 May 22;90(21):e1849-e185

3. Lees A., et al. JAMA Neurol. 2017 Feb 1;74(2):197-206

4. Parkinson's News Today. Available at https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/parkinsons-disease-statistics/. Accessed April 2020

5. ICM Institute. Neurogenerative Diseases. Available at https://icm-institute.org/en/key-figures/. Accessed March 2020

6. Ongentys EU SMPC. Last updated 22/04/2020.

ON/APR20/G/301

Date of preparation: April 2020

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005070/en/

Contacts:

BIAL

Susana Vasconcelos

T. +351 229866100

E. susana.vasconcelos@bial.com

Makara

Grainne Maguire

T. +44 (0) 7799 380801

E. Grainne@makarahealth.com
Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan on Wednesday asked the Bihar government to make quick arrangements to bring home students and migrant workers stranded in different parts of the country amid the lockdown, and said there is no "excuse" now for not doing so.

In comments that also appeared to be critical of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for so far declining to make arrangements for the return of students and labourers citing lockdown provisions, Paswan hoped that "at least now" Kumar will take measures to help people.

The LJP leader's comments came after the Union Home Ministry in fresh guidelines said workers, tourists, students and other people, who are stranded in different parts of the country, would be allowed to move to their respective destinations with certain conditions.

"I hope that the spirit of lockdown now allows Nitish Kumar to make arrangements for the return of people of the state who are stranded in different places," Paswan said.

His comments were in a reference to Kumar's remark earlier that any movement of people will be in violation of the lockdown spirit, as he appealed to stranded migrants and students to stay wherever they are.

Paswan said he had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and briefed him on the poor conditions of the state's students and labourers in different parts of the country.

Paswan said in his telephonic conversation with students, they often wondered as to why the Bihar government was not making arrangements for their return when UP and Madhya Pradesh governments had done so.

He hailed the revised guidelines of the Home Ministry, and said his party always wanted the Bihar government to take measures to bring the state's people back but in vain.

The Bihar government had so far helped poor migrants from the state by crediting Rs 1,000 in their bank accounts. There have been protest by migrants in different places, including Mumbai and Surat, demanding that arrangements be made for their return home.

Paswan's comments underline the dim view even the allies of the JD(U) president have taken of his handling of the matter.

Both the JD(U) and the LJP are part of the BJP-led NDA alliance.

Union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Choubey also welcomed the Home Ministry guidelines and said it will pave the way for migrant workers' return to their home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SANTA FE  An advisory commission to the governor on economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is not subject to the states Open Meetings Act and its deliberations will be closed to the public, a spokesman under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said.

Taxation and Revenue Department spokesman Charlie Moore said summaries will be provided of work by the so-called economic recovery council, which includes leaders from a range of businesses from a rural general store in Clayton to the San Francisco-based renewable energy developer Pattern Energy and New York-based mass media conglomerate NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast.

We do not at this point plan on opening the groups discussions to the public, Moore said in an email Monday. The Recovery Council is an advisory group only and for that reason not subject to Open Meetings Act requirements.

Lujan Grisham said last week that she will consult with a council of business leaders as the administration develops a phased plan for possibly relaxing restrictions on nonessential businesses and social distancing directives. Meeting calendars and agendas were not available.

A bipartisan council of mayors also is being assembled to provide advice through the governors chief of staff, John Bingaman. It was unclear which mayors may participate.

Lujan Grisham has indicated that New Mexico will extend its public health order through May 15 in efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, amid a surge in infections in the northwestern part of the state, including vast areas of the Navajo Nation. She has vowed to sanction businesses that flout restrictions on nonessential business.

The first-term Democratic governor has created advisory groups to advance a long list of policy initiatives, with mixed outcomes, since taking office in January 2019.

An advisory group developed recommendations on pension reforms that formed the basis of a solvency overhaul enacted this year. Reform recommendations from an advisory task force on legalizing recreational marijuana languished during the legislative session that concluded in February.
Syrian air defenses failed to stop the sophisticated Delilah missiles fired by Israeli warplanes, that killed at least three people writes Al-Masdar.

The Israeli Air Force carried out an attack on the southern suburbs of Damascus this past weekend, resulting in a confrontation with the Syrian military in the capital city.

According to a military source in Damascus, the Israeli Air Force fired at least eight missiles towards Damascus from Lebanese airspace, with at least three of the projectiles hitting the southern suburb of Sayyeda Zaynab.

As a result of this attack, the Syrian government reported three civilian deaths and the hospitalization of four others.

During the attack, however, it appears that the Israeli Air Force was able to evade the Syrian militarys preliminary radars, as their missiles were designed to suppress enemy defenses.

In an article released on Monday, the Russian publication Avia.Pro reported that the Israeli Air Force used their Delilah missiles, which are designed to suppress enemy radar and defense systems.

Israels unexpected attack on the Syrian capital this morning ended mainly in their favor, as they were able to successfully hit targets in the northwestern part of Damascus, Avia.Pro said. But, this is not about ordinary missiles, but about Delilah cruise missiles designed to suppress enemy radar and air defenses.

In the presented video frames, you can see that anti-aircraft guided missiles produced by Syrian air defense systems are by no means moving along a straight path, which indicates a powerful jamming, Avia.Pro said.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have now carried out at least two attacks against the Syrian military this month, with a third targeting a vehicle carrying Hezbollah personnel along the Lebanese border.

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.
CUPERTINO (dpa-AFX) - Tech giant Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) web mapping service Apple Maps now shows COVID-19 testing sites for all 50 states in the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple Maps users can search for COVID-19 testing locations or view them on the map directly. The update provides testing locations including hospitals, clinics, urgent care facilities, general practitioners, pharmacies and more, as well as dedicated COVID-19 testing sites, where tests are available. Apple Maps will be able to show information like the place name, the associated healthcare provider, contact phone number and website. It will also provided information about the type of testing location-- laboratory, hospital, etcetera, and the nature of the site, like drive-through, parking lot, or building. Apple had last week launched a web portal to allow hospitals and healthcare providers submit their information to be shown on Apple Maps. Google had started listing COVID-19 test centers in search results starting April 17th. 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 United States has now recorded over one million confirmed cases of Covid-19, representing a third of the world's cases. It also reached another grim milestone of over 58,000 deaths, a larger loss of life than recorded by the US military during the Vietnam War.

The death toll from Covid-19 went up to 58,351 in the United States on Tuesday, 2,207 of those deaths in 24 hours, by far the highest number of fatalities in the world.

The overall number of confirmed cases on Tuesday rose to over one million (1,011,877) according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

It also says some 5,6 million tests have now been carried out.

Speaking confidently to the press on Monday, President Donald Trump said the US had done twice as many tests as the rest of the world.

"The number of new cases in New York, New Orleans, Detroit, Boston and Houston are all down and there are very few areas where new infections have been reported," he said.

New York worst hit state

New York is to date America's worst-hit state, with more than 17,300 Covid-19 deaths out of almost 292,000 confirmed infections.

Until now, testing for the virus has been available only for patients in hospitals or suffering extreme symptoms.

As of Tuesday, however, ordinary citizens who had not necessarily experienced symptoms, will now be able to get tested at one of New York branches of a medical chain called CityMD.

There is not enough scientific data as yet to confirm whether those who have been exposed have developed an immunity to the virus.

Blood tests carried out on a target group of 7,000 people showed that one out of four New York residents had contracted the virus, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo, suggesting that the true numbers of infections in the city is at least 12 times higher.

Phased reopening for business

Access to wide-scale testing will be an important factor in how state authorities handle the easing of lockdown measures.

Story continues

In the hardest-hit states of New York and New Jersey, part of a metropolitan region of about 32 million people, governors signaled that even limited restarting of business activities was at least weeks away.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said would allow manufacturing and construction to restart in some of the state's least-affected areas after 15 May 15 as part of a phased reopening.

But by the same token, he was preparing to lengthen confinement measures for badly-hit areas.

Economy suffering

Elsewhere in the country, governors in a number of other states have begun this week to lift lockdown restrictions, against warnings from public health experts, as US jobless figures hit record highs.

At a White House press briefing Monday, President Donald Trump encouraged governors to ease the restrictions as quickly as possible -- but safely, he added. We want everyone to be safe. And I think youre seeing that. Youre seeing a lot of governors get out and they want to open it up. 

Republican governors in Georgia and Oklahoma allowed salons, spas and barbershops to reopen at the weekend, while Alaska opened the way for restaurants to resume dine-in service and retail shops and other businesses to open their doors, all with limitations. Some Alaska municipalities chose to maintain stricter rules.

Other states from Montana to Mississippi and South Carolina were also set to reopen some workplaces deemed to be nonessential.

World death toll over 200,000

Experts have warned of a second wave of contagion if restrictions are lifted too hastily, and the World Health Organization has said reinfection may be possible even among recovered patients.

The new coronavirus has killed at least 214,451 people since the outbreak first emerged in China in December, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, President Trump has increasingly sought to blame China, but China pushed back fiercely on Tuesday, accusing US politicians of "barefaced lies."

"They have only one objective: shirk their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and control measures," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters.

Beijing and Washington have clashed repeatedly over the outbreak.
Ayya Lmhammad

Azerbaijan has repatriated 149 citizens from the UAE with special charters, local media reported on April 28, with reference to the Azerbaijani Embassy in the UAE.

"On 28 April FlyDubai Airlines opened a charter flight from Dubai to deliver to Baku 149 out of 317 Azerbaijani citizens who have been registered," according to the embassys press service.

The government covered ticket fees for 15 out of the total number of evacuated people.

Moreover, 75 Azerbaijani citizens were accommodated at the Hampton by Hilton Hotel in Dubai at the expense of state funds with the support of the Consulate General in Dubai since March 22.

Before boarding the plane, the citizens at the airport underwent express testing for COVID-19 coronavirus.

Earlier, Azerbaijan airlifted 550 citizens from Russia.

On April 8, Presidential Aide Hikmat Hajiyev said that Azerbaijans has airlifted 15,000 citizens from coronavirus-hit countries via special charter flights.

___

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
In shocking news, actor Irrfan Khan has passed away at the age of 54. He was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Tuesday. Expressing condolences, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar tweeted: "My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute."

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Lockdown 2.0 to end in 4 days, PM Modi address likely this week; cases-31,332

My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute. a Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020

Irrfan Khan needed immediate medical attention after his health deteriorated on Tuesday. AajTak had reported that the 53-year-old actor was in ICU and his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons were with him.

Here's the official statement on Irrfan Khan's death: "'I trust, I have surrendered'"; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, "As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it."

Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour some time back, and his health has been fragile since. As a result, he was kept under medical supervision. The actor lost his mother on Saturday but couldn't travel to Jaipur, where his mother stayed owing to the nationwide lockdown.

The actor was last seen in Angrezi Medium, which hit theatres right before cinema halls were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even though the film marked Khan's return to Bollywood after the illness, the actor couldn't attend the film promotions event as he kept ill. Instead, his voice note was played to address the crowd in such events. He talked about "unwanted guests" in his body due to which he was unable to meet his fans and audience.

Also read: Breaking News Live April 29: Actor Irrfan Khan dies at 53
Victoria Fuller, who came in third on Peter Weber's season of ABC's hit dating show, tagged the farmer-turned-reality star's hometown of Arlington, Iowa in her latest post.

'Farm life,' she captioned the snap of herself in a skin-tight cooper dress, which bared her toned legs on a black ottoman in Chris Soules' living room.

The bombshell, who is currently earning a Master's in Economics, posed with her legs pointed in the air, while putting on her best duck face and letting her dark tresses down.

New flame: Victoria Fuller, who came in third on Peter Weber's season of ABC's hit dating show, tagged the farmer-turned-reality star's hometown of Arlington, Iowa in her latest post

The sultry snap comes two weeks after romance rumors sparked between the pair, according to Reality Steve.

'One of the more random Bachelor "couples" that i can't say I ever would've guessed. I don't know how long this has been going on or how serious it is, but I can confirm that Victoria Fuller is currently together in Iowa for the week with Chris Soules. Discuss.,' Reality Steve tweeted on April 15.

While the pair have yet to confirm their budding romance, they reportedly connected over Instagram after Peter Webers season of The Bachelor.

'Farm life,' she captioned the snap of herself in a skin-tight cooper dress, which bared her toned legs on a black ottoman in Chris Soules' living room

'Chris slid into Victorias DMs,' an insider told Us Weekly. 'He apparently DMs a lot of people.'

Earlier this month, eagle-eyed fans pointed out his couch and pillows matched the ones in her Instagram selfies.

Before heading to Iowa, Victoria took to her Instagram to share a snap of herself in a bra and sweat bottoms; she captioned the image: 'Day 87 of quarantine. I now live in these sweat pants. Tried to organize my closet. Failed. Thought with all this extra time I would finish my book or take up dusting. I have not. Turns out I am just lazy.'

'Day 87 of quarantine. I now live in these sweat pants. Tried to organize my closet. Failed. Thought with all this extra time I would finish my book or take up dusting. I have not. Turns out I am just lazy' she captioned her last snap before heading to Iowa

Last fall, Chris agreed to accept a two-year suspended prison sentence and two years probation for his role in a April 2017 fatal crash in Iowa.

In 2019, Chris pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of a personal injury accident that left 66-year-old Kenneth 'Kenny' Mosher, of Aurora, dead after Soules's truck rear-ended Mosher's tractor.

Chris, who sustained a concussion, called 911, identified himself, waited for paramedics and even administered CPR himself, but he left the scene in a separate vehicle before police arrived and headed to his Arlington, Iowa home - which is against the law in the state, We Are Iowa reported.

He was originally charged with leaving the scene of a deadly accident, which carries a five-year maximum prison sentence, reported the Des Moines Register.
SRINAGAR, India - Ramadan in India, which began April 25 in the country, has been marred by the rising Islamophobia following accusations that a surge in infections was tied to a three-day meeting in March in New Delhi of an Islamic missionary group, the Tablighi Jamaat.

Some leaders of Indias ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party labeled the meeting as corona terrorism. As a result, many Muslims have faced renewed stigma, threats and the boycotting of vendors who venture into Hindu-dominated neighbourhoods.

The lockdown in India, the worlds most draconian, has multiplied their troubles.

A group of more than two dozen Indian Muslim scholars have appealed to their communities to strictly follow the lockdown and pray at home. They also asked Muslims to refrain from organizing large parties held for breaking the fast and taraweeh, the extended evening prayers traditionally held in mosques.

Families should use this unprecedented situation for spiritual guidance and purification, they said, while asking local volunteers and elders to look after the needy and destitute.

Indias 200 million Muslims, 14% of the population, are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation, but they are also the poorest.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A businessman is lobbying to add 40 cents per litre to the price of milk at supermarkets to help struggling farmers rake in more cash.

John Dahlsen, the former Woolworths chairman, has appealed to Agriculture Minister David Littleproud with a proposal to support the dairy industry after it has been crippled by drought conditions and high costs.

In a letter obtained by the ABC, Mr Dahlsen proposed raising the prices of milk bottles saying an increase as small as 20 cents 'would merely make a farm break even'.

Mr Dahlsen, however, is pushing for a 40 cent increase, which he said would give an extra 13.3 cents per litre for farmers.

A Victorian businessman has proposed adding 40 cents per litre to the price of milk at supermarkets to help support dairy farmers. Pictured: Fridges stocked with milk at a Coles supermarket in Sydney

Dairy farmers have been struggling to stay afloat due to ongoing drought conditions and high costs. Pictured: Mark Watts prepares dairy cows to be returned to a holding area after being milked at a drought-affected farm near Tamworth, New South Wales

Part of the proposal suggests the money be collected by an 'independent entity' which would be passed back to the farmers.

The dairy industry in Australia was deregulated in 2000.

'Given that there is no government involvement and that it is between private parties, albeit with the intervention of a government agency, its objective is not or will not have the effect of subsidising and distorting the export market,' Mr Dahlsen wrote.

'Also it will not damage the dairy market in overseas countries.'

The proposal follows last year's calls for consumers to pay at least $1.50 a litre for milk to keep the industry sustainable.

Fourth-generation Queensland dairy farmer Joe Bradley had issued a plea saying paying less than $1.50 a litre for milk, or $9 per block of cheese - had the industry at risk of collapse.

Last year, Australian supermarkets including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi increased their milk prices by 10 cents a litre, much to the delight of farmers, but the initial benefits have been short lived.

Drought conditions in Central Australia are straining farmers, with the growing cost of feed and maintenance causing many to walk off their land.

At its peak, Australia produced 12 billion litres of milk per year, and that figure has dropped 30 per cent to 8 billion litres.
The West Bengal Imams'



Association has urged members of the Muslim community, who usually make donations during the month of Ramadan, to deposit the amount at their local mosques for distribution among the needy during the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.

Chairman of the association, Mohammed Yahia, told PTI on Wednesday that it has already sent letters to over 26,000 mosques under its fold in this regard.

"Those who usually give money for Iftar and Zakat, may please channelise the cash to your mosque committees this time. They will collect the amount and distribute among the poor Muslims and non-Muslims. We will put up the names of respective donors on a board," the association said in the letter.

Mosques in different districts have started the process, Yahia said.

The Ketuapul Jama Masjid in Howrah said it has begun distributing cash and food packets among the poor in the neighbourhood.

"We have come to the aid of around 250 people of whom one-fourth are Muslims," an official of the mosque committee said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OFAt least 38 people were killed Wednesday when one of South Koreas worst fires in years broke out at a construction site near the capital, officials said.

They said the death toll could rise because more people could be trapped inside the warehouse that was under construction in Icheon, just south of Seoul.

The blaze erupted early in the afternoon and hundreds of firefighters took several hours to put it out. Images from the scene showed several firetrucks and more than a dozen ambulances surrounding the badly damaged structure, which was completely blackened and writhed on one side. Rescue workers in white protective suits were seen carrying out victims in body bags.

Eight construction workers were being treated for serious injuries at nearby hospitals, while two others were slightly hurt. Officials said about 30 workers managed to escape but at least one was unaccounted for.

Officials were investigating the cause of the fire, which was possibly triggered by an explosion while workers were working on an underground level at the site.

There was no clothing left (on the workers) at all, said Seo Seung-hyun, head of the Icheon fire department. We presume that an ignition of oil mist caused an explosion and that the sudden combustion gave the workers no chance to escape.

Seo said victims who died on other floors likely inhaled toxic gas. He said more than 400 firefighters and rescue workers and about 120 vehicles were deployed to the scene.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for officials to mobilize all available resources in the search and rescue operation, while Prime Minster Chung Sye-kyun, the countrys No. 2 official, visited the site to inspect the efforts.

South Korea, one of Asias richest economies, has struggled for decades to improve safety standards and change widespread attitudes that treat safety as subservient to economic progress and convenience.

Icheon was the site of another massive fire in 2008 when 40 workers died at a refrigerated warehouse.

Forty-six people died in 2018 when a fire ripped through a small hospital with no sprinkler systems in the southern city of Miryang.
By Associated Press

MOSCOW: The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday rejected US arguments for fielding low-yield nuclear warheads, warning that an attempt to use such weapons against Russia would trigger an all-out nuclear retaliation.

The US State Department argued in a paper released last week that fitting the low-yield nuclear warheads to submarine-launched ballistic missiles would help counter potential new threats from Russia and China.

It charged that Moscow in particular was pondering the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons as a way of coercion in a limited conflict - an assertion that Russia has repeatedly denied. The State Department noted that the new supplemental warhead "reduces the risk of nuclear war by reinforcing extended deterrence and assurance".

The Russian Foreign Ministry sees it otherwise. The ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, commented on the State Department's paper at a briefing on Wednesday, emphasizing that the US shouldn't view its new low-yield warheads as a flexible tool that could help avert an all-out nuclear conflict with Russia.

"Any attack involving a US submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), regardless of its weapon specifications, would be perceived as a nuclear aggression. Those who like to theorize about the flexibility of American nuclear potential must understand that in line with the Russian military doctrine such actions are seen as warranting retaliatory use of nuclear weapons by Russia," Zakharova said.

ALSO READ| Don't want our technology in wrong hands: US tightens exports restrictions to China, Russia, Venezuela

Zakharova cast the US deployment of low-yield warheads as a destabilizing move that would result in "lowering the nuclear threshold".

US-Russian differences on nuclear arms issues come as relations between Moscow and Washington are at post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis and the accusations of Russian meddling in the US 2016 presidential election.

Last year, both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The only US-Russian nuclear arms control agreement still standing is the New START treaty, which was signed in 2010 by US President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The pact limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify the compliance. Russia has offered to extend the New START that expires in February 2021, while the Trump administration has pushed for a new arms control pact that would also include China.

Moscow has described that idea as unfeasible, pointing at Beijing's refusal to negotiate any deal that would reduce its much smaller nuclear arsenal.

In a statement on Wednesday marking the 10th anniversary of signing the New START, the Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the treaty as an instrument that helps ensure predictability in the nuclear sphere and reaffirmed Moscow's offer to extend it without any preconditions.
Scott Morrison is leading calls for an international inquiry into coronavirus to deflect attention from his handling of the pandemic and the bushfire crisis, Chinese state media has claimed.

A comment article in the People's Daily, which parrots the views of the Chinese government, said Mr Morrison is targeting China to score political points with the Australian public.

The article claimed Australians believe the government showed a 'lack of leadership' while combating the outbreak and said the economic impact of lockdowns have 'increased the dissatisfaction of the Australian people'.

Scott Morrison (pictured in Hawaii during the bushfires) is leading calls for an international inquiry into coronavirus to deflect attention from his handling of the pandemic and the bushfire crisis, Chinese state media has claimed

It then claimed: 'Australia's wildfires have been burning for months and burning people's support for the Morrison government.'

The Prime Minister has decided to pick a flight with China as 'outlet' to divert the anger of the domestic people,' the article said.

In fact,support for the government has soared on the back of Australia's successful response to the virus which new saw daily cases drop to just 12 on Tuesday.

A poll by Roy Morgan on April 28 put the Coalition three per cent ahead of Labor on a two-party preferred basis.

The article also claimed Mr Morrison was using the pandemic 'to take the lead to gain eyeballs on the international stage.'

The Australian government was the first to publicly call for an inquiry into how the virus started while allies including France and Britain said now is not the time.

The Prime Minister has decided to pick a flight with China as 'outlet' to divert the anger of the domestic people,' the article said. Pictured: Chinese president Xi Jinping on 22 April

In a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Morrison said he stood by his calls for an inquiry.

'It would seem entirely reasonable and sensible that the world would want to have an independent assessment of how this all occurred,' he said.

The article also claimed that some Australian politicians are 'obsessed' with the United States.

Beijing accuses the Australian government of 'sucking up' to the US after President Trump launched a 'full investigation' into the origins of the virus and cut funding to the WHO after it praised China's handling of the outbreak.

The article claimed some Australian politicians have 'deep-rooted ideological prejudice' against China and are insecure about China's economic development.

They want to 'please the United States' and aspire to be a 'bully' in the Oceania region, the article said.

The Prime Minister's office declined to comment on the article.

On Sunday Chinese Ambassador to Australia Jingye Cheng (pictured) warned Chinese consumers may stop buying Australian products in revenge

It comes after a Chinese media boss called Australia a 'piece of gum' on the bottom of China's shoe.

Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-run Global Times, on Tuesday shared a post on Weibo saying ties between Australia and China would continue to deteriorate.

'After the epidemic, we need to have more risk awareness when doing business with Australia and also when we send our children to study there,' he wrote.

'Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off.'

On Sunday the Chinese Ambassador to Australia Jingye Chen warned of a consumer backlash, saying Chinese people may stop buying Aussie wine and beef if Mr Morrison continues to push for an inquiry.

Marise Payne responded accusing China of 'economic coercion'.

DFAT Secretary Frances Adamson called the ambassador to diffuse tensions - but the Chinese embassy published their conversation in a breach of diplomatic protocol.

On Wednesday morning, an embassy spokesman accused the Australian side of leaking contents of the call to the media first, prompting it to respond by publishing the conversation in full to 'set the record straight'.

'The Embassy of China doesn't play petty tricks, this is not our tradition. But if others do, we have to reciprocate,' the spokesman said.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

All the main hierarchical structures of the Russian Orthodox Church are grappling with corona" problems: Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, many other large cities, the main monasteries, seminaries and theological academies. Priests who disobey the measures decided by the Church risk suspension or reduction to a lay state. A novice from Saint Sergius, who found himself positive for the virus, set himself on fire. President Vladimir Putin's confidence level drops to 28.3%.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Cases of infection and deaths among high-ranking members of the Orthodox Church due to coronavirus are growing. This is why Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) has decided to call all the faithful, even with rather threatening tones, to assume their responsibilities.

The patriarchal committee issued a statement on the measures to be implemented in the coronavirus crisis. It calls on everyone to observe these measures "decided in the Church with the blessing of the Patriarch from the moment the threat of the epidemic appeared." In reality, everyone in the country criticizes patriarchy for its delays in reacting to the crisis.

The statement continues Kirill has initiated procedures to "ascertain the responsibilities of priests" who have disobeyed the prescriptions. This procedure can go as far as suspension or reduction to the lay state. In any case, "faithful" priests are recommended to ensure pastoral assistance in homes, with all necessary precautions.

Meanwhile, the tragic death of Russian priests continues: Archdeacon Damaskin (Leontevv see photo 2), the first soloist of the choir of the Sretensky monastery in Moscow, has also died of coronavirus. A novice from the Lavra di St. Sergius monastery, Dmitry Pelinenko, killed himself by setting himself on fire after receiving the diagnosis of coronavirus infection and after escaping from the window of the hospital where he was hospitalized. The head of the secretariat of the patriarchate of Moscow and vicar of the patriarch, the bishop of Pavlovo Foma (Mosolov - see photo 1), was in turn hospitalized on April 27 for coronavirus. He had just been appointed new parish priest of the Epiphany patriarchal cathedral in Elokhovo, replacing Father Aleksandr Agejkin, who also died of the infection. The patriarchate, however, has denied the news, even if the cathedral remains closed for the faithful.

Other striking cases occur in the Urals: the Chelyabinsk metropolitan Grigorij (Petrov) contracted the virus along with a dozen priests, all serving in the local cathedral of San Simeone, where they had concelebrated the Easter vigil with the metropolitan. Also several relatives of the priests were hospitalized with Covid-19 symptoms of a more or less serious nature. After hospitalization, the metropolitan decided to close the churches starting today 29 April.

All of the main hierarchical structures of the Russian Orthodox Church are grappling with the problems of the "corona", as it is simply called in Russia: the patriarchal administration, the cathedrals of Moscow, Kiev, Minsk and many other major cities, the major monasteries, seminaries and theological academies. News of the death of the bishop of Zheleznogorsk Venjamin (Korolev - see photo 3), which took place on Sunday 26 April, was also released. In short, the leadership of the patriarchal Church, together with the monks, have suffered the consequences of the pandemic, much more than the married priests in the parishes.

The inadequate responses to the coronavirus, on the other hand, do not only concern the Orthodox Church. According to Vitsom polls, President Vladimir Putin's level of confidence has never been lower, standing at 28.3% of the population. In the last twenty-four hours, the number of coronavirus infected people has reached 6411 cases in 83 of the 89 regions of the Russian Federation, with 72 deaths for a total of almost 900 in the last month.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 08:08:59|Editor: huaxia

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A formation of the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels fly over New York City, the United States, on April 28, 2020. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels honored frontline COVID-19 responders and essential workers with formation flights over New York City, Newark, Trenton and Philadelphia on Tuesday. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

NEW YORK, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Jets from the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds roared over New York City on Tuesday in a tribute to the frontline workers having been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left 1 million confirmed cases across the country.

The demonstration lasted about 40 minutes as an airborne display of respect and salute for the first responders and health care workers. The jet teams took to the skies above Manhattan, Long Island and New Jersey.

"The jets first zoomed over the George Washington Bridge around noon, then veered west over Newark, before flying east over Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. After that, they buzzed out over the Long Island Sound, looping around Westchester County before heading south toward Pennsylvania for the next leg of the tour," the New York Post reported.

Dubbed "Operation American Strong," the 12-jet precision-flying crew will put on shows all the way to Texas, said the Air Force Magazine.

The Thunderbirds squadron was established in 1953, and the Blue Angels in 1946, in the wake of World War II. Enditem
Democrats looking to capture the 34th District state Senate seat long held by Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, will have a choice of at least two candidates likely to face off in a late-summer primary, currently scheduled for Aug. 11.

Wallingford resident Aili McKeen, who won a Democratic primary against East Havener Josh Balter in 2018 and then took 41.5 percent of the vote against the powerful Fasano in her first run for public office in November 2018, and former East Haven Mayor April Capone, who now lives in North Haven, both have filed paperwork to run.

McKeen has formally announced her candidacy and is planning a virtual campaign kickoff Tuesday, May 5, at www.facebook.com/AiliMcKeenCT. Capone is scheduled to announce her candidacy in a Facebook Live session at 11 a.m. Wednesday on her campaign Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aprilforct.

Fasano announced April 1 that he will not seek another term.

North Haven Republican Paul Cicarella Jr. announced earlier this month that he will seek the seat.

McKeen, a member of the Wallingford Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission, said she decided to try again soon after her strong showing against Fasano in 2018.

Weve always looked at this as a two-cycle race, she said in a written release. Ive got the team, name recognition, and will to win. More than anything, I think this comes down to character and persistence.

I learned a lot during the 2018 race, and Im eager to jump back on the horse and ride it to the finish line, McKeen said. Im not someone who only decides to throw her hat in the ring when things look easy. Youll always be able to count on me when the going gets tough.

Capone in 2007 was the first woman ever elected mayor of East Haven. She served two terms from 2007 to 2011 before being defeated by former Mayor Joe Maturo Jr. After leaving office in 2011, she took a job as as manager of intergovernmental affairs for the state Office of Policy & Management during Gov. Dannel Malloys administration.

A kidney donor herself, Capone since 2016 has managed Yale New Haven Healths Center for Living Organ Donors.

I think, with all thats going on with COVID, we need experienced leaders  and I have led through crisis, including the housing and economic crash and Tropical Storm Irene, Capone said.

She recalled how after Irene when the Federal Emergency Management Agency initially said it planned to set up a FEMA office in Meriden, I just pushed back on that and said, I realized that you want to open an office quickly  but its got to be here.

She said she has been active in government and politics in the district, which includes East Haven, North Haven, Wallingford and Durham, for close to 20 years.

Ive been active and engaged and involved for a long time, Capone said. ...My life is very different than it was when I ran 13 years ago ... but I thought, This is the moment. This is the time to get involved.

Asked why voters should vote for her and not McKeen, Capone said, I have the experience. Ive not only served at the municipal levels. I was part of state service.

As OPMs manager of intergovernmental affairs, Capone said she served as a liason to all 169 Connecticut cities and towns. Mainly, I helped mayors and first selectmen cut through the red tape when dealing with state government, she said..

Capone said the major issues she sees coming up at this point mostly involve recoving from the coronavirus.

Now we know how important health care really is ... and protecting the health and well-being of first responders who go through this trauma, Capone said.

The health of the economy also will be a major issue.

Also, you have a whole body of work up at the state capital that just got put on hold this year... So those are the things that will have to be looked at, she said. And I think there will be a trememdous body of work that well have to do to make sure that we recover from this ... including long-term recovery.

McKeen is running on a platform of protecting health care, rebuilding the middle class, eliminating the gender wage gap and growing a greener economy, she said in the release.

Now is not the time for business as usual and people who want to pad their political resume, McKeen said. The coronavirus pandemic will fundamentally impact our state. The safety net will be stretched to its breaking point. Unemployment will remain high until the end of the year. And we will have a massive budget shortfall.

At the same time, we need to invest in job growth, apprenticeship programs, and technical schools, while also lowering the costs of college for all who want to attend, she said. I will continue the fight for universal healthcare and lead the fight for womens equality. I will also work my tail off to protect the coverage of all pre-existing conditions.

We need bold leadership right now - not business as usual, McKeen said.

Asked why voters should choose her over Capone, McKeen said, I'm not a career politician. I haven't held any elected or appointed paid positions before. Yes, April has a resume full of positions. But I've been an advocate for as long as she's been a politician.

It's a different way to campaign this year because of coronavirus, and I've already put the work in, she said.

One person who appears to be in McKeens corner is state Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford.

I respect the persistence of Wallingfords Aili McKeen, who is making another run for the 34th State Senate race, Mushinsky said. It takes guts to run for the 34th, as Aili did, when there was a powerful incumbent in the seat.

And until Sen. Fasanos recent announcement of retirement, Aili expected to face a powerful incumbent again, yet she took up the challenge, Mushinsky said. This is a gutsy woman!

In an advance copy of her formal campaign announcement, Capone said, I was born and raised in the 34th senate district. Im excited for the opportunity to serve the public again in a new capacity. As the only candidate in this race who has held elected office, combined with extensive municipal government, state government, and private sector experience, I am prepared on day one to begin working for the people of this district to deliver real results.

Capone said the three top priorities for her campaign are to seek absentee ballots and applications with post-paid envelopes for all voters tovote during the pandemic, sharing her experience from the healthcare industry to work toward a more equitable healthcare system and emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic economically healthy as well as physically healthy.

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed that we must reform our absentee ballot and early voting approaches to our elections, she said. People should never be forced to choose between their health and their democracy. Having more robust mail-in voting ensures more people participating safely in our elections process.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
Published: 29 April 2020

Accrued pension liabilities stood at EUR 660 billion at the end of 2017

The accrued pension liabilities of Finlands statutory earnings-related pension scheme stood at EUR 660.3 billion at the end of 2017 with a real discount rate assumption of three per cent, or 292 per cent relative to gross domestic product. The pension liabilities of the earnings-related pension scheme of private branches were EUR 443.3 billion and those of public branches were EUR 217.0 billion. From 2016, pension liabilities grew by EUR 16.1 billion. Of the growth, EUR 12.1 billion came from private and EUR 4.0 billion from public branches.

Accrued pension entitlements at different discount rates at the end of 2016, EUR million

Supplementary pension table complements financial accounts

Pension liabilities refer to the amount of money that would be enough to cover the pensions accrued by that moment discounted to present value. The amount of pension liabilities in the earnings-related pension scheme is critical to the discount rate used in the calculations: with a real discount rate of two per cent the pension liabilities were EUR 780.6 billion or 346 per cent relative to gross domestic product and with a four per cent real discount rate they were EUR 567.9 billion or 251 per cent relative to gross domestic product. Finland's earnings-related pension scheme is partially funded. According to the financial accounts, the amount of earnings-related pension assets was EUR 206.7 billion at the end of 2017. The funding ratio, i.e. the ratio of pension assets and pension entitlements was 31 per cent. More about the topic in Statistics Finlands Tieto&trendit blog (in Finnish).

In the revision of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010), the statistics on pension liabilities were expanded with a supplementary pension table outside the core accounts that contains data on all pension liabilities included in social insurance. Data for 2015 were released concerning all EU countries on Eurostats pages . In Finlands case, new statistical data were the above-mentioned pension liabilities of the statutory earnings-related pension scheme that are not included in the financial accounts but that are included in the supplementary pension table. Data on the pension entitlements of the earnings-related pension scheme have been released in the Finnish Centre for Pensions reports Statutory pensions in Finland  Long-term projections .

In addition to the statutory earnings-related pension scheme, the pension table includes data on the pension liabilities of employment-related supplementary pension schemes that are already included in the pension liabilities of insurance corporations and voluntary pension funds in the financial accounts. The amount of pension entitlements of voluntary supplementary pension schemes describes the technical provisions. At the end of 2017 it stood at EUR 9.3 billion or four per cent relative to gross domestic product.

The supplementary pension table describes the pensions classified as social insurance. The Social Insurance Institutions national and guarantee pensions are classified as social assistance in national accounts and are thus not included in the supplementary pension table. The key difference between social insurance and social welfare is that in case of social welfare, pensions are paid to the pension recipients regardless of whether they participate in the system by paying pension contributions or not.

When calculating the accrued pension entitlements of the statutory earnings-related pension scheme the basis is a fictive situation where the insured are paid all pensions accrued by the moment examined but no new pension is accrued. The amount of pension liabilities does not describe the sustainability of the pension system. The concept depicts future pension expenditure, i.e. pensions paid to pension recipients whose amount is affected, in addition to earned income and the rate of accrual, by life expectancies and other assumptions in the calculation model. Incomes of the earnings-related pension scheme, i.e. pension contributions and the profits from the earnings-related pension assets are not included in the calculation.

In calculations stretching long into the future, background assumptions, like the discount rate and population and economic development, are of high significance for the results. The sensitivity of the results to the discount rate assumption is emphasised by releasing the results with the three real rates mentioned above.

Private and public branches

Finlands statutory earnings-related pension scheme in practice covers all work in both private and public branches. The earnings-related pension scheme is formed of several pension acts that together cover the various sectors of the economy. The pension liabilities based on the following pension acts are included in private branches: Employees Pensions Act (TyEL), Seamen's Pensions Act (MEL), Self-Employed Persons' Pensions Act (YEL), Farmers' Pensions Act (MYEL), supplementary pension provision under the Employees' Pensions Act (TEL-L, abolished at the end of 2016) and the pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The pension liabilities based on the following pension acts and rules are included in public branches: Act on public branches pensions (JuEL, excl. church pensions), pension rules of the employees and officials of the Bank of Finland and the Provincial Government of Aland. At the beginning of 2017, the following acts were combined with the act on public branches pensions: Central Government's Pensions Act (VaEL), Local Government's Pensions Act (KuEL), Evangelical Lutheran Church's Pensions Act (KiEL) and the pension rules for the Social Insurance Institution's employees. Pension liabilities based on VEKL (act on the compensation of pensions from central government funds for periods of caring for a child aged under three and during studies) are included in both private and public branches.

The supplementary pension table covers all supplementary pensions managed by voluntary pension funds and foundations, as well as group pension insurance offered by insurance corporations because they are considered to belong to social insurance. In the supplementary pension tables, individual pension insurance taken out by enterprises or private persons is excluded from the definition of social insurance.

Accrual calculations of the pension entitlements in the earnings-related pension scheme

The amount of pension liabilities is calculated with a long-term planning model in the Finnish Centre for Pensions. Information on the calculation model and the pension liability calculations released by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, i.e. accrued pension entitlements can be found in the Finnish Centre for Pensions reports Statutory pensions - long-term calculations , especially in Appendices 3 and 8. The latest report is Statutory pensions  long-term calculations 2019 . The difference compared to the calculation of the Finnish Centre for Pensions report is that the supplementary pension tables use the background assumptions agreed on in the European Unions AWG ( Ageing Working Group ) and recommended by Eurostat in order to improve the international comparability of the calculations.

The long-term planning model of the Finnish Centre for Pensions describes how the pension scheme works and its current regulations in detail. Future development of pensions is in the model calculated pension act specifically using age and sex-specific data on insured persons and the population of Finland.

When calculating pension liabilities, all pension entitlements accumulated by the time of examination and pensions under payment are considered. Future index increases and the effect of the life expectancy coefficient have also been considered in the amount of pension liabilities. Pension parts that are accrued based on future work or social security benefit periods are not included in accrued pension entitlements. The future part of disability pensions that will start later are not included in accrued pension entitlements.

Source: Financial accounts, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Anna Mustonen 029 551 3651, Heidi Lauttamaki 029 551 3029, rahoitus.tilinpito@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jan Nokkala

Publication in pdf-format (246.4 kB)

Updated 29.4.2020

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Financial accounts [e-publication].

ISSN=1458-8145. Complementary data to pension entitlements 2017. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 13.1.2022].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/rtp/2017/13/rtp_2017_13_2020-04-29_tie_001_en.html
New Delhi, April 30 : Despite difficult circumstances, harvesting of rabi crops and sowing of summer crops are going on uninterrupted as the government has given highest priority to the agriculture sector even during the lockdown, said Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Agriculture Minister informed that harvesting of pulses and oilseed crops of this rabi season is already complete and wheat harvesting has also reached to 88 percent of total area under wheat crop this year across the country. He hoped the remaining area of wheat crop would be harvested in a week.

He said that though wheat procurement commenced late but it has gathered pace as a total 117 lakh tonnes of wheat has been procured so far. Procurement of paddy grown this rabi season reached to 18 lakh tonnes while five lakh tonnes of pulses have been procured so far, said the Minister.

The Agriculture Minister was glad to mention the figures of summer crop sowing as the area under summer crop has reached 57.07 lakh hectares, 38 per cent higher than the acreage in the corresponding period last year.

Tomar said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given primacy to the progress of 'Gaon, Garib, Kisan' (Villages, Poor and Farmers).

He said no previous Government has paid as much attention to Agriculture & Farmers Welfare as this Government.

Highlighting the farmer centric schemes of the central government, the Agriculture Minister said around 9.39 crore farmer families have got the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) as a sum of Rs 71,000 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries since inception of the scheme.

Tomar said the PM-KISAN scheme has benefited farmers immensely even during this COVID season as the Government has transferred Rs 17,986 crore to farmers since March 24, 2020.

Installment due for the period of April 1 to July 31, 2020 has been paid to 8.13 crore beneficiaries within the first fortnight of April itself.

Speaking on the occasion, Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog said the Agriculture sector will be the mainstay of India's economy and the Government aims to keep the GDP growth buoyant during the current fiscal despite the lockdown bringing almost 60 per cent industrial activity to a standstill.

With higher prices of crops assured, this will encourage farmers and contribute to Agriculture growth estimated at 3 per cent of long term average, he said.

He also informed that fertilizer offtake of 13.5 lakh metric tonnes this month upto April 28 is 5 per cent more than 12.86 lakh tonnes in April last year while Krishi Vigyan Kendras have sold 20 percent more seeds in the four months this year as compared to the same period last year.
G reat British Menu is nearing the end of its nationwide search for banquet-worthy chefs  but not before the Welsh show them what they're made of.

In the penultimate regional heat of the BBC competition, four chefs hailing from Wales will head into the kitchen, cooking their socks off for the chance to cook at the prestigious Great British Menu banquet.

A record is set to be broken this week, as the show welcomes its youngest ever contestant, and Londoners can also expect to see a couple of familiar faces from their foodie world.

From a chef serving Thai food with a British twist, to a Michelin-starred fluent Welsh-speaker, these are the chefs battling it out on Great British Menu this week.

Georgia Sommerin

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Georgia Sommerin?

Thought you recognised the name? You probably did. Welsh foodies can already probably guess that Georgia Sommerin is the daughter of celebrated chef James Sommerin. Having worked in the kitchen at his eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant from the tender age of just 13, the 20-year-old Sommerin is entering Great British Menu as its youngest ever contestant. She currently holds the position of senior sous chef at the restaurant.

Where is Restaurant James Sommerin?

Restaurant James Sommerin can be found in the southern Welsh town of Penarth. It is located on the seafront esplanade (CF64 3AU), and boasts panoramic views of the Severn Estuary.

What kind of food does Restaurant James Sommerin serve?

Modern British in essence, Restaurant James Sommerin specifically aims to celebrate Wales through its use of local Welsh produce. Dishes include Welsh lamb, served with coconut, butternut squash, cumin and mint. There is even a dish on the menu dedicated to Jamess own time on Great British Menu, having reached the final in 2009  the Pea GBM is served with parmesan, serrano ham and sage.

Tom Phillips

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Tom Phillips?

Newport-born Tom Phillips is head chef at Restaurant Story, the highly acclaimed London restaurant run by chef Tom Sellers. Phillips looked set for Michelin-starred stardom from the start, getting his very first job at The Ritz. He then went on to work under Thomas Keller at New Yorks Per Se, then at three-starred Epicure in Paris, before heading back to the UK to work at Simon Rogans LEnclume in the Lake District. Recently, Philips has also been part of the UK team for the 2019 Bocuse DOr competition.

Where is Restaurant Story?

Michelin-starred Restaurant Story is located near London Bridge on Tooley Street, SE1 2JX.

If you think youve seen it elsewhere, Sellers recently relocated the restaurant to Carbis Bay in Cornwall for the summer of last year, calling the pop-up Story by the Sea.

What kind of food does Restaurant Story serve?

This years Great British Menu banquet is themed around childrens literature, and Phillips is hoping to explore the topic through the lens of having grown up with dyslexia. His current role, after all, shows he has no problem telling a story. Restaurant Story is based around just that premise, with a narrative-style, ever-changing tasting menu that features famous dishes such as a beef fat dripping candle that melts for dipping into with sourdough, and Storeos, a cheese-filled take on the American cookie.

John Chantarasak

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is John Chatarasak?

Wye Valley-bred John Chantarasak is the head chef and co-founder of roving food concept AngloThai. Chantarasak is half Thai, and helped set up acclaimed east London Thai restaurant Som Saa. Prior to that, he did his training at the Cordon Bleu school in Bangkok, and worked under David Thompson at Nahm, which at the time held the accolade of Best restaurant in Asia according to the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants awards.

Where is AngloThai?

AngloThai is yet to find a permanent home, but John Chantarasak and his wife Desiree have run a series of popular residencies across London. These include collaborations with the likes of Kricket and Carcass Cartel, and a six-week residency at Robin Gills Counter Culture in Clapham last year.

What kind of food does AngloThai serve?

As you can probably guess from the name, AngloThai is a mixture of Chantarasaks British and Thai heritage. The menu aims to channel Thai flavours by using largely British ingredients. Dishes on the menus have included root vegetable som tam with salted duck egg and cobnuts, as well as Brixham crab with wild ramson broken rice.

Chantarasak has also recently launched Take-Out-Thai, a delivery-only concept in partnership with takeaway entrepreneurs Taster. Dishes include a spicy glass noodles dish of laab woonsen isaan and a wok-fried pad krapao made with minced beef or tofu and topped with a crispy egg.

Hywel Griffith

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Hywel Griffith?

North Wales-born Hywel Griffith is the chef-owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Beach House at Oxwich. Having trained in Bangor, Griffiths previous roles include stints at the Lanesborough Hotel in London and The Chester Grosvenor. He then became sous chef at Ynishir Hall  the restaurant earned its Michelin star during his time there  before becoming head chef at Paul Heathcotes Longridge restaurant.

Where is Beach House?

Beach House is located in the town of Oxwich, on the Gower Peninsula near Swansea. The seafront restaurant can be found on Oxwich Beach itself (SA3 1LS).

What kind of food does Beach House serve?
YEREVAN, 29 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 29 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.11 drams to 479.52 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.17 drams to 520.57 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 6.51 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.64 drams to 595.47 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 366.82 drams to 26078.5 drams. Silver price down by 0.98 drams to 233.49 drams. Platinum price up by 166.89 drams to 11948.12 drams.
At Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, emergency calls were a soundtrack of suffering for physician Haydee Brown.

They came over the loudspeakers several times an hour to summon help for severely ill Covid-19 patients, some of whom she might have admitted hours earlier. Each one tore at her. Then, two weeks ago, her own brother-in-law became one of the more than 17,500 people to die from the disease in New York City. Brown helped her sister arrange a memorial service and navigate backed-up funeral homes and crematoriums -- all while grieving herself.

Sitting at home and thinking about it is intolerable for anyone, Brown said. Were in such a state. Were like, alive-dead.

Officials are frantic to keep health-care workers on the right side of that divide. On Sunday, the director of emergency medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital died by suicide after treating virus patients and falling ill herself. She and Brown belong to a legion of health-care workers trying to save people in a pandemic unprecedented in our lifetimes -- and the consequences for those workers may be unprecedented as well.

With no proven cures, they witness patients die at rates rarely seen in civilian medicine. They deliver the news to grieving families who are not permitted inside for fear of spreading the virus. They watch colleagues succumb to the illness, and wonder if they might be next.

Theres going to be people that this really leaves a scar on in some way, said Jonathan Ripp, chief wellness officer at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, which is setting up a center to screen, treat, and study health workers own mental trauma.

The pandemic descended on a workforce that already had been stressed for years. Long hours, emotional exhaustion and paperwork burdens contributed to burnout that studies suggest affects more than half of physicians and a third of nurses. Doctors attempt suicide at more than double the rate of the general population, according to one review of the research.This weekend, Lorna M. Breen of NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital was among them. The doctor died in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was with relatives, said her father, Philip Breen, himself a physician.

Im a trauma surgeon. I have had people die with my hands inside them, he said Tuesday. I can assure you, you dont go through that type of thing unscathed and unharmed.

Lorna Breen, 49, fell ill with Covid-19 a few weeks ago but stayed home for a little over a week before going back to the hospital, her father said. She was later hospitalized with severe depression and left the hospital to stay with a sister in Charlottesville.

Philip Breen said his daughter had never had mental-health problems, but struggled with the sheer volume of severely ill patients for whom she and her colleagues cared. They couldnt even get people out of the ambulance, and bodybags lined the halls, he said.

She was a hero in every sense of the word, he said. She loved New York and she loved her work and it killed her.

Hospitals are trying all manner of things to keep the healers healthy. In addition to setting up crisis lines and offering practical help with childcare and other necessities, the Mount Sinai health system created respite stations with snacks and information about mental-health support. A therapy dog, Moby, is particularly popular.

At Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, officials brought in chaplains, social workers, and psychiatry staff. Alan Tony Amberg, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, was reassigned from treating patients to supporting colleagues with emotional crisis first aid.

Amberg goes floor to floor to remind nurses to breathe, stretch and eat. Some of these patients, when they crash, they crash hard, and it is very hard for these nurses to watch, he said.The sessions are rejuvenating, said Karena Brown, a nurse manager on a Covid-19 surge floor. As nurses, we are go-go-go. We forget to go to the bathroom. This is to remind us: You are a person, she said. You have needs, too.

Even as new cases ebb in some areas, the work inside many hospitals remains grim.

With visitors barred to avoid spreading the virus, doctors and nurses become intermediaries between dying patients and their families.

Relaying the news, and knowing that patients are going to die by themselves is by far the hardest part, said Damian Carabello, an emergency doctor at a hospital in Tampa, Florida. But it really is part of our jobs. No matter how bad things get, you just keep moving on and take care of the next patient.

Julie Bevers, a trauma and crisis chaplain, traveled from her home in Sacramento, California, to New York City to counsel health-care workers. She said the deaths inflict a spiritual toll.

How do you prepare for that? Bevers said. When you arrive on shift, youre going to be assigned eight patients, and when you leave in the morning, all eight are no longer with us.

Many health-care workers feel helpless as their efforts fail.

Thats why we all chose this profession, said Arghavan Salles, a surgeon and scholar in residence at the Stanford School of Medicine who traveled to volunteer at a New York City hospital using vacation days. If you have someone who is sick and no matter what you do, they dont get better, they get worse -- you feel like a failure.

Jessi Gold, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, helped set up programs for employees of its health system: a hotline, groups for mindfulness and anxiety on Zoom, and clinic appointments. The demand has been less than she expected, which makes her worry about a future crash.

Mental health, in all honesty, tends to be something people recognize in a crisis, or often a little bit late, Gold said. And as a result we get really depressed people, or people who almost need to be hospitalized, or are really sick.

Brown, the doctor at Lincoln Hospital, has found purpose in work, but the coronavirus is present even when she returns home to her Harlem apartment. Her fiancee, a firefighter, has been working 24-hour shifts for weeks. Her 9-year-old sons father, meanwhile, is an emergency medical technician, so my son is surrounded by Covid, she said. Her son recently said he didnt want to go outside because he was afraid of the virus.

At the hospital, emergency calls still ring out, but the facility now plays applause over the loudspeakers when patients get off ventilators or are discharged.

You feel like youre winning part of a war, Brown said. And that its not futile.

Longer battles may lie ahead.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. )

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A few days ago, the Madras Medical College Men's PG Hostel was completely sealed off and declared a containment centre after two PG students tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. All the students underwent the test after a hostel staff member tested positive despite not leaving the campus and not coming in contact with the virus. However, students were in distress over not knowing the status of their tests.



The students have also complained that a few of them were initially declared positive but then were told that they werent. As they remain locked inside, they are worried that they dont know which students do in fact have the virus and how they can stay safe. What is scaring them more is that several are allegedly showing symptoms but they can't be sure if it is COVID. A doctor at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital told us that the nodal officers who have the responsibility of giving away the reports have a huge backlog of tests and simply have no time to ensure everyone gets their reports back. The students who didnt get their reports are supposed to assume that they have been tested negative. But even doctors who have been tested had to wait 24-48 hours to get their results, he said.



An undergraduate student on the condition of anonymity revealed to us that the situation in the UG hostels is quite bad too. The students here were also tested but nobody was given their reports, despite allegedly requesting for them several times. Initially, they were told that all the tests had come out negative but then that changed, soon after. We were initially told orally that we had tested negative, later somebody from the administration called and told us that they had not said that all the tests were negative. And that there were four cases that were biased, meaning they were neither positive nor negative, he told us. The tragedy now is that several students are apparently showing symptoms but have no way to isolate themselves. A lot of us have cough, cold, sore throats, fever but we dont know if it is COVID-19 or just the regular cold. We eat together, live together, use the same restroom. We do everything together, so even if one of us has it, we dont know who they are and how they can isolate that person. We dont have separate rooms either, he narrated.

MMC





When we reached out to MMC Dean Dr R Jayanthi, she told us that everyone had been given the test and they were all negative for the virus, "If a student is positive obviously, we'll immediately shift them and follow protocol. It's obvious that we would take immediate action but all the students have tested negative. If they've tested negative then there's no need to hand them the report. We are not going to get anything by withholding the information," she said. She also added that there was a foolproof method of how the entire process is conducted, "As soon as someone tests positive we enter their detail into a portal and the information immediately goes to New Delhi. So I we can't revert any results or withhold any information." However, she also went to add that the administration is looking into ways to send bulk SMSs so people can get their reports. "Because of the curve, we can't do much but all these accusations are baseless allegations," she said.



But the students have a different story to tell. We have been persistently asking the administration to hand over our reports. The PG students are also demanding the same. We want to know who has it and who hasnt. If the reports are negative we would be relieved. As a patient, we do have the right to ask the results of the tests. The PG students got a PDF of the report but thats not the same as a regular report, he said. The students are disturbed and worried about how things are unfolding, Maybe because a lot of doctors are testing positive, they have a shortage and are telling us we are negative. We dont know. All PG students are already doctors, but we are still just students. So if we test positive, then Im guessing the administration might face a lot of heat, he added.



Since the doctors are on lockdown, extra burden has fallen on the female doctors and day scholars, We also suspect that maybe one of the doctors could be a day scholar which is why they are not revealing the results. Because they can lockdown a hostel but cant do the same for the day scholar, he said.





Another reason that the administration is giving for not giving back the reports is that there is a confusion with regard to the names and addresses of the persons who were tested, They can give that excuse to regular patients but they have all our details recorded. A staff nurse was also tested positive but she only knew the results two days later and again the excuse was that there was a confusion with her name and address. But that doesnt make sense because she works there. They cant give the same excuse to us as well. The students are also being told that they are only hearing rumours, But no rumour can be completely baseless, we feel there must be some basis to this.



The fundamental rules of self quarantine and isolation don't apply to medical students. "Some of us were told we should self isolate but we were told that seven days of quarantine was enough. But I was asked to go back within six days, he added.



The doctor we spoke to feels that many students and some doctors too are being unnecessarily exposed to the virus when there is no need. Some PG students are still required to attend classes, so they have to go to the hospital. Its completely unnecessary. The classes can easily be conducted online, they have TVs in the hostel, they can broadcast there as well. Because the hospital itself is like a hotspot now, so anyone entering takes a risk of contracting the virus. So why should we hold classes during this time? he asks.



However, these are not the only issues that are stressing out the students, a doctor at RGGGH says lack of PPEs, lack of awareness on how to use them, bad segregation plans between positive and negative patients are all reasons that are contributing to the students feeling on edge. As soon as a doctor, health worker, ward boy or anybody else enters the hospital, they immediately have to leave their bags and clothes outside and change into other clothes. They need to wear each part of the equipment one by one and somebody has to be there to watch and ensure they have worn the equipment well. The wards also need to have ventilation and air condition to ensure doctors would be completely safe. But none of that is taking place here. But even the PPEs are not of good quality and sanitation workers and ward boys dont even know how to wear them, he said.





In some cases, patients who dont have COVID-19 but have symptoms end up in COVID-19 wards, putting them at unnecessary risk of catching the virus. In one case a patient was in a COVID-19 ward and then rushed out after his reports came but theres a good chance that he got it. Sometimes, the whole room might be filled with negative patients but have symptoms but one person waiting for their report could end up infecting all of them. We need a better system to separate the two, he adds. For those who come with a confirmed report there is protocol in place but for those who come to get tested, there is no proper protocol, the doctor said.



The doctor also feels that the administration at the hospital should coordinate with other departments and ensure safer spaces for those with COVID-19 and without the virus as well. We need to have an external committee headed by a retired judge or IAS officer to ensure that all the procedures are followed and the administration is kept under check. Otherwise the whole treatment gets politicised and people will take the fall. We need to have better quality of service and safer spaces for doctors. We dont even have access to food here, only doctor on COVID duty are given food, so where will the rest of us go? They at least need to have a canteen with subsidised rates. None of these issues are being addressed, he pointed out.



He also stressed upon the fact that most cases continue to be asymptomatic which means greater measures should be taken to ensure that there is no unnecessary contact between the patients. We need to have someone from outside, someone even above the government officials who can ensure that everyone is doing their work well and all measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our patients, both those who have the virus and others who have other problems that can also be fatal.
Ex-presidents office announces withdrawal of appeal from constitutional court against his prosecution for corruption.

Jacob Zuma, South Africas former president, has abandoned a legal bid to halt a corruption trial on charges related to a 1990s arms deal, according to his office.

A statement released by his foundation on Wednesday said the Constitutional Court had accepted the previous day his withdrawal of the application for leave to appeal against prosecution.

This indeed paves the way for him to prepare for the trial and demonstrate that he has never benefited from any arms deal corruption or tried to evade the trial, it said.

He hopes that his innocence will indeed be demonstrated for all to see.

Zuma is alleged to have taken bribes of four million rand ($220,000) related to a 1999 $3.4bn arms deal with French aerospace and defence giant Thales when he was deputy president. He rejects the allegations as a politically motivated witch hunt.

The Supreme Court last month dismissed his application for a permanent stay of prosecution against him. He then approached the Constitutional Court in another appeal bid.

Zuma is scheduled to appear in court to answer the corruption charges on May 6. But it is unclear if the hearing will proceed as the country is under a lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In all, he faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment.

I hope that our citizens will finally get some certainty and closure as to the real beneficiaries of the arms deal if any corruption in that regard did occur, Zuma, who was in office between 2009 and 2018, is quoted as saying in the statement.
DETROIT  U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, a Trump critic from West Michigan, is weighing a third-party bid for the White House that he said hes confident he could win.

Theres an urgency. There is a need right now, more than ever, for someone with common sense to stand up to these two parties and to present a strong alternative, Amash said in an interview.

The Republican-turned-independent congressman announced late Tuesday he has formed an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Partys nomination for president.

He joined the Libertarian Party 10 days ago on his 40th birthday, and now Amash is eyeing the Libertarians nominating convention a month away in Austin.

I think my greatest strength as an elected official has been my ability to stand up for whats right under tremendous pressure  tremendous pressure from my party, tremendous pressure from the media, tremendous pressure from talking heads on Twitter and Facebook, Amash said,

And thats what we need right now in Washington. We need someone who can stand up for whats right, do the right thing regardless of how one party feels about it.

Amash, who represents the Grand Rapids area, has seen his national profile rise during the last year after he became the only Republican member of Congress to support President Donald Trumps impeachment.

He helped found the conservative House Freedom Caucus, but believes the GOP under Trump has abandoned many of its core principles. He left the GOP on July 4.

Amash said Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are two of the weakest presidential candidates in the countrys history, saying Bidens bid looks like a vanity project, and that Trump is misguided and isnt well in many ways.

I dont think you should run for office just for fun, Amash said. I dont think you should do it just to send a message. I think you have to do it with the idea of winning, and you should only do it if you can win. And Im looking at this race, and Im confident I can win this race.

Michigan law bars a federal candidate from filing to run for more than one office in the same election. Amash said his House campaign has been idle since mid-February.

Im committed to running for one seat, and Ive decided to run for president. And thats what Ill be dedicating my time to, he said.

Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, said Amash, as a certified dues-paying member of the party, is eligible for the nomination.

Its by no means a done deal. He has to fight for it like anyone else would. We welcome him to the race, but our party prides itself in being different from the other two, Sarwark said.

Political analysts say a Libertarian bid by Amash could thwart Trumps plans to repeat his 2016 win Michigan  or he could hurt Biden by drawing votes in upper Midwest battleground states.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson won 3.6% of the vote in Michigan in 2016, when Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 10,704 votes. But in his home state of New Mexico, Johnson won over 9% of the vote that year.

Adrian Hemond, CEO of the Grassroots Midwest consulting group in Lansing, said Amash could hurt Trump in Michigan and maybe around the margins in competitive states outside Michigan.

But Hemond doesnt expect Amash to garner a significant number of votes, given his low name identification and the odds stacked against third-party candidates in national elections.

A certain amount of this is ego driven because hes clearly not going to win, Hemond said of Amash. But the president only won Michigan by 10,000 votes, so it doesnt take all that many to have an impact on the election.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, it also would be difficult for Amash to build name ID, Hemond said. Its hard and expensive to cut through the noise right now, he said.

By Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News (TNS)

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NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to move as many as 1,000 homeless New Yorkers every week from homeless shelters into hotels across the city during the coronavirus crisis so they can safely socially distance during the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, the mayor said he planned to move 6,000 homeless individuals from shelters to hotels by April 20, a goal he told reporters during a press conference Tuesday the city had recently achieved.

De Blasio said he would move 1,000 more homeless New Yorkers into hotels this week and was prepared to move 1,000 more going forward as the need indicates, because we want to make sure people are safe.

This week we will move an additional 1,000 homeless individuals from congregate shelters to hotel facilities, the priority will be on those larger congregate shelters to hotel facilities, the priority will be on folks in those larger congregate shelters that are having more trouble with social distancing, he told reporters during a press conference Tuesday.

Theres going to be a constant effort to evaluate all shelters and wherever theres social distancing problems, continue to take people out of the shelters into hotels, he continued.

The city has so far selected two hotels on Staten Island to house health care workers who want to quarantine from their families after being exposed to the virus and for additional hospital capacity if needed.

The city is using the Holiday Inn in Travis for more hospital capacity for the boroughs two private hospitals during the pandemic.

It is also using the Ramada Hotel in Mid-Island to house health care workers.

City Hall could not immediately say how many health care workers were currently being housed at the Ramada Hotel.

And so far, the city said no patients have been moved to the Holiday Inn but would continue to retain the hotel to use if needed.

City Hall said it is not disclosing the locations of hotels the Department of Homeless Services is using to quarantine homeless New Yorkers but said there are currently no homeless individuals being housed in hotels on Staten Island.

The city also said it had not chosen any additional hotels on Staten Island from the Holiday Inn and the Ramada Hotel to house the homeless during the pandemic.

Earlier this month, the mayor also announced that the city was readying 11,000 hotel rooms to use for quarantine and isolation space for New Yorkers showing symptoms of the virus or have tested positive who live in a home where they cannot safely socially distance.

The mayor said Tuesday that starting this week the city would test homeless New Yorkers at its Department of Homeless Services sites.

He said any homeless individual who tests positive would be isolated.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

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One Ukrainian serviceman killed amid 17 enemy attacks in Donbas in past 24 hours  JFO HQ

Illegal armed groups violated the ceasefire regime in Donbas 17 times during the past 24 hours, one Ukrainian serviceman was killed, the press service of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters has said.

"Russia-led armed groups attacked the JFO's positions 17 times in past 24 hours. As a result of shelling attacks on April 28, Ukraine lost one of its defenders," it said on Facebook on Wednesday morning.

According to the statement, the enemy used proscribed 152mm and 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82 mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms on April 28.

The enemy attacked Ukraine's positions near Kamianka, Opytne, Pavlopil, Starohnativka, Krymske, Donetske, Sentianivka, Slovyanoserbsk, Khutir Vilny, Popasna, Orikhove. Novotoshkivske, Novoluhanske, and Zaitseve.

Illegal armed groups also used heavy machine guns and smalls arms to mount shelling attacks on disengagement section No. 3 Bohdanivka-Petrivske twice.

According to the Ukrainian intelligence data, Ukrainian servicemen wounded at least two members of illegal armed groups on April 28.
Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S.

While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers' Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care and the state's top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action.

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It's horrific, said Edward Lapointe, whose father-in-law lives at the home and had a mild case of the virus. These guys never had a chance."

Sixty-eight veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Tuesday, and it's not known whether another person who died had COVID-19. Another 82 residents and 81 employees have tested positive.

The home's superintendent, who's been placed on administrative leave, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were unaware of the scope of the problem there.

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The superintendent, Bennett Walsh, said earlier this month state officials knew that the home was in crisis mode when it came to staffing shortages and were notified early and often about the contagion at the facility.

Staffing problems that plagued the home for years contributed to the virus spreading like wildfire, said Joan Miller, a nurse at the home.

Because staffing was so tight, workers from one unit were constantly moving to other units to help out  and bringing their germs with them, she said. At one point, a unit was shut down because there wasn't enough staff to operate it, and those veterans were moved into close quarters in other parts of the building, she said.

Veterans were on top of each other, she said. We didnt know who was positive and who was negative and then they grouped people together and that really exacerbated it even more, said Miller, who spoke through a mask during a break from her job at the facility.

Thats when it really blew up," she said.

The situation is now somewhat contained" because there are so few veterans living there, Miller said. There were nearly 230 residents living at the home in late March and only about 100 remained on Monday, The Boston Globe reported.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

Beth Lapointe said her father's roommate tested positive for the virus in March  and later died  but her father was initially denied a test because he didn't show any symptoms. As the virus spread, family members were kept in the dark about what was going on inside, she said.

Every day I would ask different people, Whats going on in there?' And I would never get information, she said.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's administration has hired an outside attorney to conduct an investigation into the deaths. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is also investigating to determine what went wrong at this facility and determine if legal action is warranted."

And the U.S. attorney's office in Massachusetts and Department of Justices Civil Rights Division are looking into whether the home violated residents' rights by failing to provide them proper medical care.

The death toll at the home appears to be the largest at a long-term care facility in the United States, experts said.

Its also symbolic of how unprepared many nursing facilities have been, said Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.

Geriatricians and experts in long-term care medicine were sounding alarms at the beginning of March and weve essentially been ignored by everyone. Federal, state, local government and the nursing home industry," he said.

There is currently no official count of nursing home deaths across the country. The federal government has only recently required the nations more than 15,000 nursing homes to start reporting numbers of confirmed and presumed deaths and infections, but it is not yet clear when that count will be published.

In the meantime, The Associated Press has been compiling its own tally from state health departments and media reports, finding at least 13,762 deaths from outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country.

But that is also likely an undercount because only about half the states are currently reporting nursing home deaths and not all count those who died without ever being tested for COVID-19.

___

Associated Press reporter Jim Mustian contributed to this report.
Photo: Jordin Althaus/NBC

Parks and Recreation showrunner Mike Schur says he felt like crying a little bit when he e-mailed Amy Poehler and the shows other nine lead actors three weeks ago about participating in a charity reunion episode of the NBC comedy, and they all responded within 45 minutes that they were interested.

Universal Television president Pearlena Igbokwe had approached Schur about doing a table read of a favorite Parks episode, but as he considered which episode to choose, he thought it would be a waste to gather the shows superstar cast to go over previously trod ground. Schur says he and Poehler agreed against a Parks reunion long ago, but the pandemic provided the most compelling reason to do so. The episode will air Thursday night on NBC after the Paley Centers salute to the series.

Leslie Knope is eternally optimistic and believes in the power of community to hold people together, Schur said during a conference call with press on Tuesday. She believed that incremental moments of connection and togetherness were crucial and vital to the social fabric, and she believed that government could be a force for good and could really help people in small but meaningful ways. What youre seeing on a national scale and local scale is governments are where were all turning [to]. We need information. We need help. We need assistance  The government in these moments of crisis becomes the place where people have to turn.

Schur teamed up with six of the original Parks writers to turn the script around in three days. Their biggest challenge was remembering where they left each character and how they would fit into a story set in 2020. The series finale, which aired in 2015, covered the lives of the characters from 2017 to 2065, and almost none of them were in Pawnee when the story ended, except for Jerry (Jim OHeir), who was left as mayor. Ben (Adam Scott) and Leslie (Poehler) are in D.C., where he is a congressman and shes working for the Department of the Interior. Ann and Chris (Rob Lowe) are in Michigan, where he works in the University of Michigan admissions department.

Any fan who cares about canon should consider this canon, Schur said. It did present a weird situation because ordinarily you could just make everything up and start from scratch. But we had already said what had happened to everyone in years past this, so we had to go back and retrofit everything and make sure it makes sense.

In the new story, none of the characters has suffered or is suffering from COVID-19, but Ann (Rashida Jones), who has returned to nursing, will address why shes not on the front lines. Since the actors are all quarantined in their homes across the country and even in London (Aziz Ansari is there), the writers also had to find creative ways to explain why some of the married couples are not seen in the same rooms. In addition to the entire main cast, half a dozen special guest stars will pop up in the episode. In fact, the first person on camera will be one of them.

Its not about the disease; its about people coping with it, trying to navigate their daily lives, Schur said. Leslie Knope was a person who believed in friendship. She was a very loyal person. She was a very friendly person. She put all of her eggs in the basket of the power of friendship, and so its really just about her connecting with people and holding the group of characters together through a time when theyre unable to even leave their home.

But as tricky as working out the story was, logistics became the biggest challenge. Production delivered or shipped every actor a small rig with a tripod, an iPhone, a small light, and a microphone so they could be their own camera crews. The slow and laborious process took four days, Schur said. Director Morgan Sackett, executive producer Dean Holland, script supervisor Valeria Collins, and Schur watched on Zoom as the actors recorded on their iPhones. The actors would send a screenshot to show what their framing was and we would be able to listen and watch from a weird, oblique angle as they recorded themselves, Schur said. Then the graphics and effects team from The Good Place worked on the episode to make it not look like everyone was just sitting alone in their houses.

Although Schur praised the Parks team for working on the special, especially because it is raising money for Feeding Americas COVID-19 Response Fund, he was quick to note that it should not be a model for Hollywood returning to work when the quarantine ends.

TV is a team sport, from the very beginning to the very end, he said. Its about groups of people functioning in holistic ways with each other, and collaborating and being in the same room at the same time. I dont think theres any way that this is a sustainable method for making television. I dont want to downplay it. It was fun to have the crew back together. I took a bunch of screen grabs when we did a table read because it was the first time that this group of people has been together for a while, even if its only virtually. It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, but I dont think its any kind of model for what were doing going forward.
University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management and Wellington Septic are hosting a webinar on creating a more sustainable local economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring speakers from New Mexicos community of socially minded companies.

The webinar, an initiative of the NM for Good Program titled Pivot and Restart for a Thriving Local Economy, will feature speakers from the states network of B corps, companies that have been certified to meet standards for social and environmental performance. It will focus on how to reset the economic systems that have been decimated by the pandemic in a way that makes them more equitable and conducive to long-term growth.

Speakers include Dawn Boulware, CEO of Taos Ski Valley, and Drew Tulchin, vice president of business development for Electric Playhouse.

The webinar will run from 2-3:30 p.m. Friday. Those interested may RSVP at www.mgt.unm.edu/nmbcorps/webinar.asp.
A 36-year-old man was arrested in in the Bronx, New York Wednesday after a six-month long murder investigation that began in Boston, police said.

Richard Lugo was arrested by U.S. Marshals in New York in connection with a murder from October in Boston.

On Halloween 2019, Boston Police responded to a call for a person shot in the area of 581 American Legion Highway in Roslindale.

After arriving, officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. Both men were transported to an area hospital where one later died.

The victim was identified as Pasqual Casiano, 44, of Jamaica Plain. The second males injuries were considered non-life threatening.

At the time of Lugos arrest, he was wanted on an outstanding warrant sought out of Suffolk Superior Court on charges of murder, assault with intent to murder, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and larceny of motor vehicle.

Lugo was expected to be arraigned Wednesday as a fugitive from justice, police said. He will remain in custody in New York pending his rendition back to Boston at a later date.
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Amid the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the city, Mumbaiites have something to cheer about. A data by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday has revealed that the doubling rate of the coronavirus outbreak in the city has increased to 10 days from the 8.3 days recorded last week.

The doubling rate is the amount of time or the number of days required for the coronavirus cases to double.

The citys Covid-19 fatality rate too has decreased to 3.9% on April 26 from the earlier 6.3% recorded on April 11. This means that there are now four deaths recorded for every 100 cases, as opposed to the earlier six deaths for the same number of cases.

The corporation has claimed that the fatality rate in the city has now inched closer to the national average of 3.1% and is better than that of the state, which is at 4.3%.

However, there are nine wards in the city that have shown a faster the doubling rate.

These wards are R Central ward (Borivli), R North ward (Dahisar), F South ward (Parel), M East ward (Mankhurd), T ward (Mulund), C ward (Kalbadevi and Marine Lines), H East ward (Bandra and Khar), D ward (Malabar Hill and Walkeshwar) and M West ward (Chembur and Tilak Nagar).

Despite the decrease in the doubling time, majority of these wards until Wednesday have reported fewer cases as compared to the remaining 15 wards in the city.

The civic body also said that 26 coronavirus deaths were reported in the city on Wednesday, even as 475 new cases were confirmed. Mumbai now has 6,644 confirmed cases of coronavirus, while the death toll has escalated to 270.

Of the 26 deaths reported on Wednesday, 16 patients had co-morbidities. Thirteen patients who died were above 60 years , while 12 were between 40 and 60 years, and one was an 80-year-old. According to BMC, 193 patients have been recovered and discharged on Wednesday. Of these 475, 170 had been tested in private labs.

The G North ward, which is among the worst-hit in the city, reported new cases on Wednesday. With 14 cases registered on Wednesday, Dharavi now has 344 coronavirus patients, while the death toll in the area is now at 18. Mahim reported three new cases, taking the total number of cases in the area to 33. Dadar did not report any new case on Wednesday.

Mayor visits Covid-19 hospitals

Meanwhile, mayor Kishori Pednekar on Wednesday visited Cooper and Seven Hills Hospitals, where coronavirus patients are being treated, to review the work carried out by civic officials.

BMC official dies of coronavirus

An an inspector from BMCs assessment department, Madhukar Hariyan, who was working at a coronavirus hotspot in Dharavi died on Wednesday.

The BMC posted a tweet on its official Twitter handle, Our very own, Shri Madhukar Hariyan (Inspector, Assessment Dept, BMC) passed away today. He had devoted himself in the service of Mumbaikars & the needy. May his soul rest in peace. Our thoughts & prayers are with the Hariyan family. He had tested Covid-19 positive.

Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of G North ward, took to social media on Wednesday night to convey his condolences. Now how to motivate the team @mybmcWardGN for #MissionDharavi? RIP #CoronaWarrior Madhur Hariyan. Sacrifice will not be forgotten. We pledge to work further,  his tweet read.

According to a senior civic official, Hariyan was among the officials deployed in Dharavi to distribute food packets to residents at containment zones.

The official said, He developed symptoms on April 23 but never got admitted to any hospital and did not even complain about the symptoms. He kept taking medicines from a local practitioner. On Wednesday, he died on the way while he was being taken to the Kasturba hospital.

3 more BEST employees test positive

Meanwhile, three more Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus drivers and one conductor were tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in the undertaking to 17.

The BEST administration on Wednesday had issued a set of directives to around 750 of its staffers who are above 55 years and suffer from comorbidities such as high blood pressure and diabetes and asked them not to resume duty.
HUDSON VALLEY, NY  Some counties and hospitals without significant risk of a new coronavirus surge in the near term can resume elective outpatient treatments, provided they meet certain criteria. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday at a news conference that hospitals will be able to resume performing elective outpatient treatments April 28 if the hospital capacity is over 25 percent for the county and if there have been fewer than 10 new hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in the county over the past 10 days.

Cuomo said he will sign an executive order to that effect Wednesday.

Follow all the coronavirus updates in New York. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

While Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties are among those eligible for elective surgeries, only Putnam County currently meets the criteria.

(Gov. Andrew Cuomo livestream screen grab)

Restrictions on elective surgery will also remain in place for Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties.

The governor said if a hospital is located in a county eligible to resume elective outpatient treatments, but that hospital has a capacity under 25 percent or has had more than 10 new hospitalizations in the past 10 days, that hospital is not eligible to resume elective surgeries.

Further, if a county or hospital that has resumed elective surgery experiences a decrease in hospital capacity below the 25 percent threshold or an increase of 10 or more new hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, elective surgeries must cease.

Patients must test negative for the new coronavirus prior to any elective outpatient treatment.

The State Department of Health will issue guidance on resuming elective surgeries.

John Nelson, spokesman for Nuvance Health, which operates Vassar Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck and Putnam Hospital in Carmel, as well as four hospitals in Connecticut, said they would continue working closely with the state and local health departments "as we re-evaluate our operations and plans for delivering care in a post-pandemic world."

Story continues

While he wasn't able to provide the number of occupied beds, because it varies multiple times in a day, Nelson said, "One of the benefits of being part of a seven-hospital system is we are able to work together when it comes to needs for capacity, supplies, etc."

The state announced Wednesday there were 4,585 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the state total to 299,691. There were new cases in 46 counties.

Here are the county-by-county breakdowns for the Hudson Valley as reported Wednesday:

COUNTY TOTAL POSITIVES NEW POSITIVES Columbia 165 11 Dutchess 2,881 64 Orange 8,488 114 Putnam 946 14 Rockland 11,586 133 Sullivan 811 42 Ulster 1,252 22 Westchester 28,626 381





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This article originally appeared on the Southeast-Brewster Patch
A government officer, a



journalist, the son of a police constable and the wife of a fireman were arrested over the past few days in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for alleged communal posts on social media amid the coronavirus outbreak, police said on Wednesday.

These people were arrested for trying to "communalise" the situation when the civil administration and police are working round-the-clock in the fight against the pandemic, Director General of Police Dependra Pathak told PTI.

Md Yunus, an extension officer in the South Andaman Deputy Commissioner's office, was arrested on April 25 for a tweet that had the potential of spreading tension between communities, the state police said in a statement.

He was charged under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), besides Section 51 (punishment for obstruction) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The son of a constable was also arrested on Friday for insinuating that COVID-19 was being spread by a particular community. He was booked under section 505 (1) of the IPC that deals with publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report, the police statement said.

A fireman's wife, identified as Mehrose, was arrested for posting a "communally instigating" message in a WhatsApp group. She was charged under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 188 and 505 of the IPC, besides 51B of the Disaster Management Act.

Journalist Zubair Ahmed was arrested on Monday over a tweet where he questioned the rationale of the authorities allegedly asking people to be home-quarantined after they had spoken to COVID-19 patients by phone, the statement said.

All were later enlarged on bail.

Ahmed, the editor of now-defunct 'Light of Andaman', a weekly newspaper, was summoned to the Bambooflat police station in South Andaman district on April 27 for questioning and arrested. He was taken to the Aberdeen police station where he spent the night in a lockup.

"Can someone explain why families are placed under home quarantine for speaking over phone with Covid patients?" he tweeted on Monday, tagging the local administration.

In another tweet a day earlier, he said: "Request #Covid19 quarantined persons not to call any acquaintance over phone. People are being traced and quarantined on the basis of phone calls."



He was charged under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 505 (1) that relates to publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report.

Besides, sections 51 and 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, were also slapped. While Section 51 deals with punishment for obstruction, Section 54 pertains to punishment for false warning.

He was produced before a court on Tuesday afternoon which granted him bail.

DGP Pathak claimed Ahmed was arrested not only for his tweet but also for contacting people of the Bambooflat area, a COVID-19 hotspot, and asking them not to cooperate with police.

"The administration devised several strategies to locate those who came in contact with COVID-19 patients. One of those was finding out mobile tower locations. We located the mobile towers and traced the contacts," he said.

"In a way, I will say the administration overreacted, and rightly so, to identify the people who came in contact with the COVID-19 patients and contain the spread of the virus in the area," the officer said.

Pathak alleged Ahmed spread "mischevious and malicious" information to hamper the administration's efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

"He was asking people not to meet officials or they will be taken to quarantine. Quarantining is not a punishment. His messages were supposed to defeat the efforts of the administration. He is not a journalist. He is a social media activist and blogger," the officer said.

"No one can say that we have targeted Ahmed. We have taken action against government employees and their relatives. If someone spreads any wrong information amid this crisis, we will take strong action," he asserted.

Besides, the editor of the Andaman Express newspaper K Ganesan was also issued a show-cause notice by the administration for "mixing" some tweets of the chief secretary with other content in a report which, officials claimed, sent out a "wrong message" amid the crisis.

"The action was taken against me because I spoke out against the arrest of Ahmed," Ganesan, also the president of the Andaman and Nicobar Media Federation, told PTI.

The editor of 'The Daily Telegrams', the administration's mouthpiece, was also suspended for "serious lapses" a few days back, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gov. Mark Gordon announced Wednesday that Wyoming residents would be allowed to camp at state parks again starting May 15.

State parks have been open for day-use activities, but not overnight visits, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. When the restriction is lifted, only Wyoming residents will be allowed to camp in state parks here.

We will have some new operational procedures in place for our state parks, and I ask for Wyoming citizens patience in dealing with these new procedures, Gordon said. They are designed to make it easier for you. 

The governor didnt offer details about the new procedures, save that one of the changes involved a reservation system. Gordon said State Parks Director Darin Westby would participate in Thursdays COVID-19 press briefing and would go over the new procedures.

Gordon also announced he would be extending the 14-day quarantine requirement for out-of-state visitors to May 8. He also asked that potential visitors to Wyoming delay their vacation plans for the time being.

As municipalities around the state with limited caseloads begin to grow anxious to reopen businesses, Gordon urged Wyomingites to be vigilant of the risks associated with coronavirus. He also noted that out-of-state visitors have been coming to Wyoming. February visitation at state campgrounds was as high as a typical June, primarily driven by patrons from as far away as New York and South Carolina.

And so weve been very cautious about opening our campgrounds, Gordon said.

While a number of restrictions will remain in place for the time being  including limits on gatherings of 10 or more people  Gordon reiterated an announcement made Tuesday that counties and municipalities can apply for variances either more or less restrictive than those enacted by the state with the approval of both the county and state health officer, adding that any opening plans must be carried out carefully and thoughtfully.

Testing has confirmed more than 400 cases of coronavirus in Wyoming. Health officials have also reported about 140 probable cases  patients who have not been tested but are both showing symptoms of COVID-19 and were in close contact with a confirmed case.

Seven people have died after contracting the virus, including four Fremont County residents whose deaths were announced last Tuesday. Three were from the same immediate family.

To limit the virus spread, Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist have ordered the closure of schools and many businesses where people congregate, including bars, gym and hair salons. Restaurant dining rooms are also closed, but takeout and delivery are still permitted.

The orders  and the economic hardship theyve caused  have prompted some protests, though not on the scale seen in other states. Gordon has said the reopening of Wyoming will be driven by data, not dates.

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On April 13, Dr Nagendra Sharma, a senior neurosurgeon in Jodhpur made a call to Priti Chandra, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) West, to appreciate the work her team was doing to feed the elderly people and poor in the city. Sharma asked Chandra how he could help, and during the conversation, an idea emerged.

On March 25, the union ministry of health and family welfare came up with guidelines on telemedicine, where earlier, there was no appropriate framework for registered medical professionals. With this hurdle out of the way, Chandra and Sharma decided to create a team of medical professionals who would help Jodhpur residents address their medical needs over the telephone during the lockdown. With the healthcare infrastructures entire focus on Covid-19  the city has 401 cases, while the state has 23393 as of April 29 afternoon  peoples other medical needs have struggled to get addressed.

The 65-year-old doctor who has been working as consultant for many private hospitals across western districts of Rajasthan since 1984 teamed up with six senior doctors to offer medical consultation. Chandra said that the police department bought Sim cards for the doctors to use. Furthermore, the Jodhpur city police popularised the initiative by sharing the numbers and the details of the doctors through social media and announcements made while patrolling. The very next day itself, the doctors began to receive hundreds of calls, said Sharma.

We are glad to collaborate with the Jodhpur city police to bring medical consultations for free to the people of Jodhpur. This will save the trouble of physical travel for regular OPD visits, especially for the senior citizens and social distancing is also maintained, Sharma said. The police have tied up with at least 30 chemists in order to get medicines home delivered in containment zones.

The doctors  a general surgeon, two physicians, an anaesthesiologist, a pulmonologist, and a gynaecologist  offer consultation free of cost, and attend at least 1000 calls a day between them. At least 12 more doctors have signed up this week, Sharma said.

Dr Indu Bhardwaj, the gynecologist who is part of this team said that she receives around 100 calls a day. Mostly, pregnant women have been calling me to enquire about the probable effects of Covid-19 on their babies. Other complaints relate to high blood pressure, extra blood loss during menstruation, and the precautions they could take (against the virus), she said. If the complaint is serious, I recommend them to a nearby hospital.

Most patients complain about blood pressure, anxiety, body pain and sleeplessness and we recommend medications on the basis of our observations. Many also share their reports over email too, Sharma said.

He starts receiving calls at 9am and recommends medicines only to those who dont require emergency treatment. He takes video calls, and audio calls over Whatsapp. Comparatively, he said, the work was lighter than attending to patients in person. Most of the calls he receives are not serious. They are more psychological, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 22:49:03|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Wednesday tightened its grip over the state institutions in the country's southern port city of Aden days after a self-rule declaration.

An economic team of the STC began holding meetings with state institutions officials and discussed developing the basic services particularly the electricity and water supply in Aden.

According to an official of the Aden-based STC, "one of our priorities is improving the people's livelihoods in various aspects and reducing their long-suffering as the result of repeated power outages and lack of water."

He said on condition of anonymity that "the urgent procedures and measures that were discussed by the economic team included restoring the electrical system to its full generating capacity."

Other meetings were held with leaders of the exchange companies and banks to discuss the financial situation and deterioration of the local currency, according to the official.

On April 26, the STC declared a state of emergency and said that it would begin self-governing the country's southern port city of Aden and other key neighboring southern provinces under its control.

In a statement, the STC assigned its own economic, legal, military, and security committees to manage the state institutions based in all the country's southern provinces.

It also stated that "the decision to control and self-govern the country's southern provinces came in light of the failure, mismanagement and rampant corruption practiced by the Yemeni government, which practiced the policy of subjugation and starvation of the people."

On Tuesday, local media outlets reported that President of the STC Aidarous Zubaidi discussed in a phone call with the Russian President's Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov the situation in southern Yemen after the self-rule declaration.

During the phone call, Zubaidi presented the latest developments on the military, political and humanitarian developments in southern Yemen, including the reasons for the self-rule declaration.

Zubaidi insisted during his conversation that the measures taken by local authorities aim to solve the problems of the people caused by the recent unprecedented floods and the threat of COVID-19 in the region.

Yemen's government based in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh issued an immediate response to the STC's announcement, saying that it would have catastrophic consequences for the power-sharing deal signed in last November.

The country's Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hadhrami said in a statement posted on Twitter that the STC's announcement is "a resumption of its armed insurgency ... and an announcement of its rejection and complete withdrawal from the Riyadh Agreement."

"The so-called transitional council will bear alone the dangerous and catastrophic consequences for such an announcement," the Yemeni minister said.

On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition demanded an end to any escalation between the Yemeni parties, a day after the STC announced a state of emergency in Aden and other southern provinces.

The anti-Houthi Arab coalition also vowed to undertake practical and systematic steps to ensure the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Riyadh Agreement was signed in November last year between the elected Yemeni government and the STC, ending months of stand-off between the two sides in Aden.

The main points of the deal include the unification of all military forces under the ministries of interior and defense, and the formation of an efficient government made up equally between the north and south of Yemen. Enditem
In a bid to ensure food



security and employment generation, the Kerala government on Wednesday announced a Rs 3,000-crore package for revival of the agriculture sector in the pandemic-hit state.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after the daily COVID-19 evaluation meet that the state government plans to spend Rs 3,000 crore in the next one year to boost food production and revive agriculture.

"Out of this, Rs. 1,500 crore will be raised from the plan allocation of local self-government institutions and various departments and the remaining Rs 1,500 crore will be provided as loans from NABARD and the Co-operative sector," he said.

The Chief Minister said the agriculture department has come up with a massive programme to use the fallow land for farming from next month.

He said the project would be implemented in all local self-government bodies by using the wasteland in their areas.

"The aim of the Agriculture Department is to revitalise agriculture, increase the revenue of farmers, attract youth to farming, and also as a rehabilitation project for expatriates who have lost their jobs," he said.

The Agriculture Department has prepared a draft plan and once it was finalised, its implementation would begin soon.

The Chief Minister said the plan also envisages increasing livestock, milk and egg production, and aquaculture development and all local bodies would make necessary changes to the annual plan before May 15 for the implementation.

If the owner of the land wants to cultivate the land, the government will support the owner. Otherwise, self-help groups or Kudumbasree or Panchayat-led committee can use the land for cultivation. Various departments like Animal Husbandry, Irrigation, Cooperation, Fisheries, Industries, SC & ST Welfare will be involved in this project to be coordinated by the Agriculture Department, the Chief Minister added.

According to yhe Agriculture Department, there are 1.09 lakh hectares of wasteland in the state and it is estimated that 1.4 lakh hectares can be used for inter-cropping.

The state government expects that as farming spreads and production increases, new agricultural markets would be opened in villages and towns and would also explore digital marketing systems.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If It Bleeds

By Stephen King

Scribner. 436 pp. $30

Reviewed by Bill Sheehan

Stephen Kings affinity for the novella form goes back to the early stages of his long, prolific career. In 1982, King published Different Seasons, a quartet of long stories that contained some of his finest work, and eventually led to some memorable film adaptations, among them The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me. Since then, at roughly 10-year intervals, King has produced three similar volumes that have allowed him to play with a wide variety of themes, scenes, and settings. The latest of these, If It Bleeds, contains four new, exceptionally compelling novellas that reaffirm his mastery of the form.

King, of course, has made good use of virtually every mode of storytelling: short stories, screenplays, novels, multivolume epics, and what he referred to as his novel for television, the miniseries Storm of the Century. But the mid-length narrative suits his talents particularly well, permitting a degree of expansiveness while maintaining a controlled, disciplined approach to the material at hand. The results are stories that cover a surprising amount of emotional territory but can still be read in a sitting.

"Mr. Harrigan's Phone," for example, is yet another reflection of King's sometimes baleful fascination with technology and its effects on our lives. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Craig, the adolescent narrator, and John Harrigan, retired billionaire and borderline Luddite. As their uneven relationship develops, Craig gifts the older man a cellphone. The gift is designed to facilitate "normal" communications, but  this is, after all, a Stephen King story  those communications darken and change, connecting the world of rural Maine to the unknown world beyond. At its deepest level, "Mr. Harrigan's Phone" is about the lasting connections we sometimes make despite seemingly insurmountable differences.

The Life of Chuck gets my vote as the collections most original story. It opens on the image of billboards bearing the portrait of a middle-aged accountant named Charles Krantz. Each billboard bears the words: 39 GREAT YEARS! THANKS, CHUCK! Who is Chuck? And what is the story behind those billboards? In time, we learn a good deal about this character as the story, constructed in three acts, moves backward in time to Chucks early life. The result is a slightly surreal, wholly engaging narrative about dance, music, mortality, and acceptance, and about the bedrock notion that all of us, like Chuck, contain multitudes.

Rat returns to one of Kings recurring subjects: the problematic nature of the writing life. His protagonist, Drew Larson, is a struggling writer who has produced a half-dozen short stories, and has tried and failed three times to finish a novel, each failure bringing with it a greater degree of psychological damage. Rat recounts Drews final desperate attempt to bring a novel to completion. Isolated in a cabin deep in the woods of northern Maine, he learns once again that art is a double-edged sword, one that can lead to exhilaration, despair and  in extreme moments  madness. An unpredictable, often hallucinatory narrative, this is one of Kings definitive explorations of the dark side of the creative impulse.

The centerpiece of this volume is the title story. By far the longest story in the book, If It Bleeds is a fully developed short novel with multiple ties to Kings recent fiction. The protagonist  and true hero  is Holly Gibney, the damaged, savant-like young woman who first appeared in 2014s Mr. Mercedes, and who played a pivotal role in Kings 2018 novel The Outsider, which became an HBO miniseries this year, with Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) as Holly. If It Bleeds is, in fact, a direct sequel to The Outsider, though it contains enough relevant detail to stand on its own.

As in The Outsider, when Holly and a police detective tracked down an ancient vampiric creature, If It Bleeds finds her battling a similarly daunting monster. This time, though, she must do so on her own. Watching her overcome obstacles, among them her own fear, her troubled past, and the disbelief of others, is one of the central pleasures of this book.

Holly is that rarest of creations: a wholly admirable person. King's affection for her is evident on every page and adds a measure of emotional weight to the narrative. Holly has now appeared in five of King's novels, and I fully expect to see her again. Her latest appearance adds a welcome grace note to a collection filled with startling, sometimes unsettling pleasures. In "If It Bleeds," King continues to draw from a rich and varied reservoir of stories. At its best, his work remains deeply empathetic and compulsively readable. May the reservoir never run dry.

From the Washington Post.
A University of Verona and Stanford School of Medicine study has found a statistical correlation between highly-polluted areas and Covid-19 infections in Italy, which is among the worst-hit countries by the pandemic. The study, which is yet to be published, has concluded that cities and provinces, where coarse particulate matter (PM 10) exceeded standards for over hundred days a year, were found to be associated with a three-fold higher risk of the disease.

The analysis is limited to Italy and does not mention how air pollution and testing positive for Covid-19 are linked. Air pollution in Indian cities is among the worst in the world; capital New Delhi regularly tops the listing of cities with the worst air. Such studies may give researchers and governments an idea about what to look for, but independent scientists underlined that their conclusions cannot be generalised.

This is the second study from Italy, which has linked air pollution with Covid-19. Air pollution is likely to be a major risk factor for the lethality of Covid 19, scientists from Italy had concluded in a paper that probed whether atmospheric pollution can be considered a co-factor in the extremely high level of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, lethality in Northern Italy. The paper was published in Elseviers journal of Environmental Pollution on April 4.

Prolonged exposure to air pollution leads to a chronic inflammatory response even among the young and healthy, which makes people living in polluted areas more susceptible to developing complications. The lethality was 12% in Italys Lombardy and Emilia Romagna compared to 4.5% in the rest of the country, the study found.

In the latest study, scientists collected air pollution data in Italy from 2019 and the number of Covid-19 cases per province till April 5. The extent of pollution within each specific Italian province was expressed in terms of days per year during which PM 10 or Ozone exceeded their safe levels.

Since several lines of evidence also attest that Lombardy region has an extraordinarily high level of environmental pollution, we aimed to explore the potential epidemiological association between the number of cases of Covid-19 and environmental pollution in Italythe association remained statistically significant even when the number of days above pollutant limits was correlated with the number of Covid-19 cases per 1000 inhabitants, said the latest paper published in Medrxiv, a pre-print server for health sciences on April 27.

Kalpana Balakrishnan, the director of ICMR Centre for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Sri Ramachandra Institute for Higher Education and Research, cautioned against merely looking for a correlation without adjusting for anything, saying it is not helpful. The paper does not provide a basis for their analysis, said Balakrishnan. I note that this paper is not yet peer-reviewed, and is only available as a preprint.

People with underlying respiratory conditions are more vulnerable to Covid-19 and people in areas with higher air pollution areas are more likely to be affected.

Pallavi Pant, a staff scientist at Bostons Health Effects Institute, said during the earlier severe acute respiratory syndrome episode in the early 2000s, studies had pointed towards such a relationship. Ideally, we would like to see multiple studies showing these results for the scientific process to work.

Pant has been compiling peer-reviewed and pre-print studies on the link between air pollution and Covid-19. Among the peer-reviewed studies, one in Germany based on spatial analysis of nitrogen dioxide pollution on a regional scale and combined with the number of death cases taken from 66 administrative regions in Italy, Spain, France and Germany, also found a relationship between pollution and Covid-19.
CBC Intentionally Excludes Crucial Facts About Epoch Times and Our Coverage of Beijings Coverup of Virus Outbreak

This is our first public statement on CBCs coverage of The Epoch Times special edition. To read our second statement, please click here.

The Epoch Times recently published a special edition on how Beijings coverup of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan led to the global pandemic with the front-page headline How the Chinese Communist Party Endangered the World. Its an eight-page collection of Epoch Times articles distributed to select areas in Canada, as we believe it contains important information for Canadians to have.

On April 29, CBC published an article devoted to this special edition that is deliberately misleading and intentionally excludes crucial information we provided to CBC prior to the publication of its article. The sole purpose seems to be to discredit The Epoch Times and our reporting on the coronavirus.

A copy of our email to the CBC reporter prior to publication is included at the end of this article.

I am heartened to see that most of the comments on the CBC article are critical of it. At the end of this article we include some of the comments.

The headline CBC gave the article seems to speak for all Canadians, saying Racist and inflammatory: Canadians upset by Epoch Times claim China behind virus, made it as a bioweapon.

How does CBC know how the majority of Canadians feel about our coverage?

The front page of The Epoch Times special edition that was distributed on April 13, 2020.

The article quotes an individual who feels that our coverage of the Chinese Communist Party (CCPs) responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic is racist and inflammatory. Is that one individuals opinion the source of a headline speaking for all Canadians?

The headline focuses on a small part of our eight-page special edition, a commentary article that discusses the history of top CCP officials talking about developing bioweapons. But this opinion article did not state that the Wuhan lab was developing bioweapons, contrary to the claim in the headline.

CBC purposefully omitted that our media organization was founded by Chinese immigrants, which was stated in the email to the reporter. We are the media telling people that this pandemic is not the fault of the Chinese people, but is the fault of the Communist Party. The Chinese people have been victimized by the CCPs handling of this pandemic. By discussing the CCPs role, we are truly standing up for the Chinese people.

Making the truth about the CCPs role clear will also help eliminate racial tension.

CCP propaganda is the origin of the identification of the CCP and China, and the CCP works continuously to emphasize this, not only in its own state-controlled media, but in media around the world.

By merging the two very different entities together to stir up the idea that when someone is talking about the CCP, its the same as talking about China, this conflation is used to evoke the Chinese peoples patriotism and elicit Westerners concerns over racism, leading people from both groups to defend the CCP. In this way, peoples worthy motives are used to enmesh them in the CCPs ill behaviour. If people read our paper, they will understand these issues better.

There is no balance in the CBC article. The reporter purposefully chose a few voices that have one-sided opinions and used them to attempt to discredit us. The article includes no comments from any individuals who might disagree with CBCs criticism.

In fact, we received a great deal of feedback via phone or email regarding this special edition and are aware that many Canadians are highly appreciative of our work. Sometimes people call our office and are very critical, but when we talk to them we often find that they didnt take time to read our content, but just glanced at the cover and jumped to a conclusion. When we explain our content and ask them to read it, they often change their attitude and opinion.

The CBC article also tries to discredit our reporting on China. In fact, China is the most difficult subject for media to cover due to the Beijing regimes lack of transparency. However, we have more connections inside China than others and have reported vital information ahead of many other media.

We began to report on the Wuhan virus on Dec. 31 and reported on the coverup of the real numbers in early February. If more people had been reading The Epoch Times, our country could have been prepared. In our opinion, there is not enough truthful reporting about China and the nature of its ruling communist regime.

The CBC article also uses the persecution against Falun Gong in China to unfairly frame us as an agenda-driven media and then goes on to misrepresent that persecution.

It is grossly irresponsible reporting to say Its followers say the Chinese government persecutes them and oppresses their religious rights, as though the evidence for the persecution of Falun Gong depends only on what its adherents say. From the most basic research, CBC should know, for example, that both the American Congress and European Parliament have passed resolutions urging the CCP to stop the persecution campaign and have raised concerns about or explicitly condemned the forced organ harvesting that has targeted Falun Gong practitioners.

Regarding the persecution, one CBC source says there could be certain exaggerations, blatantly downplaying a severe persecution campaign that has resulted in untold suffering and death.

The article also has simple factual errors. For instance, the first sentence describes us as a free newspaper typically found in street boxes. The Epoch Times in Canada stopped distribution through street boxes last July and is only available via paid subscriptions and home delivery.

This article asserts that the Shen Yun Performing Arts company is part of Epoch Media Group. It is not.

We understand that different readers may have different opinions, and that readers have the right to choose whatever media they want to read. But having multiple voices gives people greater choice, and makes for a healthier society. This CBC report is meant to shut down our voice. Instead of debating on specifics and pointing out concrete reporting errors, it quotes a few critical voices in an attempt to discredit us.

We have received numerous awards for our reporting, including from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New York Press Association.

We also received a national award for our SARS coverage in Canada, after being among the first media to break the SARS story in 2003, three weeks before the Chinese regime admitted there was an epidemic.

Cindy Gu is the publisher of the Canadian editions of The Epoch Times.

******

The Special Edition can be downloaded here.

Email Sent to CBC Reporter Prior to Publication

The email includes a message to the CBC reporter, information worth noting and information about the Special Edition.

Hi Katie,

Thank you for the inquiry.

1) The Epoch Times was founded by Chinese immigrants in North America who fled communist persecution in their home country. All of our editors and reporters in China were arrested, with some enduring long prison sentences and brutal torture. We have connections in China with people who provide exclusive information that we report on. For instance, here and here are two recent articles about the virus outbreak based on internal government documents leaked to The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times has broken many important stories related to China over the last two decades.

2) We started to report on the worrisome situation of the virus on Dec. 31, 2019. In early February we reported that the real number of deaths and infections inside China was at least 10 to 20 times the Chinese governments official numbers, way ahead of other media. If more people had read our reports, the world would have been better prepared. Timely information can save lives.

3) The Epoch Times has recently been sampling copies of a special edition on Beijings coverup that led to a global pandemic in select areas because we consider that information to be important to Canadians. We regard this sampling as an act of good citizenship.

Sampling refers to distributing copies of a newspaper to specific neighbourhoods. This is a standard way of raising brand awareness and recruiting new subscribers.

4) Some people may have erroneously conflated criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with criticism of the Chinese people. The Chinese Communist Party does not represent the Chinese people or China. Understanding the difference is vital and will eliminate racial tension, as people come to understand that the criticism of the handling of the virus is of the CCP, not the Chinese people.

The current confrontation is between the CCP and the people of the world, both in and outside of China. Both the Chinese people and Canadians are victims of the CCPs coverup.

We are not alone in pointing out the distinction between the CCP and China. Consider these recent headlines: Washington Post: Dont blame China for the coronavirus  blame the Chinese Communist Party; Globe and Mail: The coronavirus exposes the lie at the heart of Communist China; National Post: Beijings communist regime is the biggest China virus threatening our survival.

5) Regarding the Wuhan lab, it is a small part of our reporting on the coronavirus. China silenced early whistleblowers, destroyed samples, and falsified data. We simply asked questions like many others. In the past, CCP top military officials openly talked about the development of bioweapons. Whether the virus is engineered or not, has neither been proven nor disproven at this point.

In our documentary we only raise questions, it never ruled out a natural origin and it does not assert that the virus was engineered. The documentary is fastidious in not giving any definitive conclusions regarding the origin. It presents the facts that were known and the opinions of experts.

6) While most newspapers have been experiencing a decline in circulation, The Epoch Times has been growing in recent years, against the trend.



Worth noting:

The Epoch Times was among the first to report on the SARS outbreak in 2003, three weeks before the Chinese regime publicly admitted there was an outbreak. Our early coverage of the SARS outbreak earned our Chinese edition a national award from the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada.

According to a recent study by the University of Southampton, if non-pharmaceutical interventionssuch as early detection, isolation of cases, travel restrictions and cordon sanitaire  could have been conducted one week, two weeks, or three weeks earlier, cases could have been reduced by 66 percent, 86 percent and 95 percent, respectivelysignificantly limiting the geographical spread of the disease.

Dr. Shawn Whatley, past president of the Ontario Medical Association, said I first learned about the damage by the new, aggressive Wuhan virus from The Epoch Times. Kudos to ET for doing what we pay the departments of health billions of dollars to do.

-

About the Special Edition:

Our Special Edition features some of our coverage of the virus that has engulfed the globe, causing a serious threat to peoples health and way of life. There have been multiple reports and studies, and even remarks by governments, noting that had the Chinese communist regime been forthright about the outbreak and the risks sooner, many lives could have been saved and the damage to economies would have been minimal.

The Special Edition delves into topics such as how the Chinese Communist Partys coverup led to a pandemic, how the regime persecuted medical professionals in China who tried to get information out about the outbreak, how it is still hiding the true scale of the pandemic and the number of deaths in China, and how it has launched a global disinformation campaign to lay the blame for the pandemic elsewhere.

Regards,

Cindy Gu

Publisher, The Epoch Times Canada

******

Selection of Readers Comments on CBCs Article

Brad Mercier

17 minutes ago

Im heartened to see most comments are critical of this CBC article and the way it defends the legitimate criticism CCP. Disinformation and controlling the narrative is common with our national broadcaster and this is another example.

John Burnaby

22 minutes ago

Many media organizations, including the CBC, just dont get it. The CCP is an evil organization. They are seeking whats best for themselves at the expense of everything and everyone else. Canada needs to look at them not as friends, but as adversaries  along the lines of Russia, North Korea, etc

Mark Williamson

23 minutes ago

This article is quickly being buried and rightfully so. Please do not use the term  Canadians  when you are only talking about a handful of people that share your view

Sandra Rivera

1 hour ago

CBC needs to be investigated for writing such a blatantly pro Communist Party of China propaganda piece. Misinformation and misleading statements

Mary Lucas

4 minutes ago

I find Epoch to be one of the more objective, reliable sources of news. They dont like the Chinese Communist Party, and they make that clear. By contrast, I find a lot of disinformation from Canadian main stream sources. I am also appalled that the CBC seems to think that postal workers should have to agree with the content if their deliveries. This article seems to be intended as a smear piece against Epoch Times.

Sandra Rivera

14 minutes ago

I typed in CBC and got this article. I thought at first this was the China Broadcasting Corporation website.

Fred Thiolla

24 minutes ago

Headline from the Epoch Times is: How the Chinese Communist Party endangered the world

Now tell me how ANYONE could interpret that as stirring hate or being r*cist? Absolutely ridiculous attempt to defend the CCP. The article should be criticized for pushing untrue claims not for questioning Beijing

Elias Eliot

1 hour ago

The tittle claiming Canadians upset is extremely misleading. Perhaps some Canadian would be more appropriate. But the integrity of journalist has been in decline for too long now and sadly things just keep getting worst.

Mike Smith

48 minutes ago

Thank you Epoch Times for at least opening up the discussion and our right to question

Charels Latner

28 minutes ago

The truth will not be suppressed , Thank-you Epoch..

And yes, thank-you CBC for enlightening Canadians about this great publication.

Odd, but still,

Thanks.

Greg Dear

1 hour ago

Basically, this article is trying to convince us that criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the same as criticism of the Chinese people and even the same as racism against Chinese people. Suppose we believe it. The questions are

Is Criticism of the Iranian government is racism against Iranian people?

Is Criticism of the North Korean government is racism against Korean people? etc., etc.

Mike Smith

18 minutes ago

Democracy is built on the right to question and the freedom to have different opinions even if you dont agree with them. We should never fear or worse try and squash anybodys opinions. If they are completely false we have to have faith the truth will prevail and it will but it only happens when we are willing to explore all the possibilities.

Instant claims of rac is cowardly defence.

Brian Robertson

34 minutes ago

The charge of racism has been so overused and abused as to render the term meaningless.

And the charge of being inflammatory?

Dont make me laugh.

******

To subscribe to The Epoch Times, please visit ReadEpoch.ca

The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 in North America by Chinese immigrants and has been on the forefront of uncensored China news, breaking some of the most important China stories over the past two decades. It was among the first to report on the SARS outbreak in 2003 and won a national award in Canada for this coverage.

Since its launch, the independent news outlet has been the target of multiple attacks and interference from the Chinese communist regime. Last year, its printing press at its Hong Kong office was set on fire by masked intruders during the height of protests in that city. The Epoch Times believes that the Chinese Communist Party was behind the attack in an effort to silence the outlet.

The Epoch Times print newspaper is available via subscription across Canada and the United States. Its online version comes in English, French, Chinese, and more than 20 other languages.
Udita Jhunjhunwala

Few Indian actors straddled Bollywood and Hollywood with the grace and impact of Irrfan Khan. A graduate of the National School of Drama, Irrfan, who dropped his last name and was referred to simply by his first name with an extra r, began his acting career with television roles, getting his first movie break in Mira Nairs Salaam Bombay in 1988.

The story of his disappointment on learning that his partas a letter writerhad been cut, to just a cameo, is well documented. His unconventional looks, which didnt fit into the mould of a Bollywood romantic hero, made it difficult for him to land lead roles in an industry where biceps carried more weight than acting chops. But Irrfan broke the trend. His bulging eyes conveyed so much. With his lean frame, dialogue delivery punctuated by slow deliberations and long pauses, here was an actor that believed less is more.

Just as he was on the verge of giving up his movie dreams, British director Asif Kapadia cast him as a soldier in The Warrior (2001). Smaller roles followed before the actor, whom the San Francisco Chronicle described as a rugged man with sad eyes, got his big break with Tigmanshu Dhulias Haasil in 2004. Dhulia was among his closest collaborators, along wth Mira Nair and Vishal Bhardwaj.

Often cast as the villain or a policeman, Irrfan is best remembered for playing Maqbool in Vishal Bhardwajs adaptation of Macbeth, the police inspector in Slumdog Millionaire, the titular role in Paan Singh Tomar, Saajan Fernandes in The Lunchbox, Roohdaar in Haider and Rana in Piku. He was a part of forgettable films too, such as Supari, Footpath, Aan: Men At Work and Rog.

Rarely the romantic hero, he turned up the charm when he wooed Deepika Padukone in Piku and subtly conveyed Saajan Fernandes loneliness and hope of love in The Lunchbox.

Where many Indian actors found themselves struggling to get a foothold in Hollywood, the multi-faceted Irrfan chalked up an enviable list of credits including working with acclaimed international filmmakers such as Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Wes Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited) and Ron Howard (Inferno).

Towering in frame and in his accomplishments, Irrfan wore his achievements with an air of sangfroid, one that added to his allure. Deeply respected as an artist and highly awarded, he made acting look easy. Even when he played roles with a lighter touch, as in Piku or Hindi Medium, he did so with a straight face, sometimes conveying impatience, sometimes a touch of mischief, but always delivering impeccable timing. As Piku director Shoojit Sircar once said, Irrfan won't do rehearsals but he puts the things in his head. The script is in his blood and veins.

Director Nikkhil Advani, who worked with him in D-Day agreed. He kept you on your toes. He never gave the same take twice, except for pivotal lines. He was a classic actor who didnt need lines. He conveyed so much with his silences, with his eyes, with just a small gesture like a nod or a wave.

In over 30 years, his repertoire covered themes from student politics to Shakespeare, the immigrant story to constipation, gangsters to dinosaurs. Recognition for his craft came with a National Film Award for Paan Singh Tomar in which he played the complex role of a national-level athlete who becomes a dacoit. But greater recognition was the fact that he was just as much sought by foreign filmmakers as Indian, that he was the first name that cropped up when directors looked for mature actors who could play nuanced characters and draw in an audience as well.

Its the reason why younger actors likes Dulquer Salmaan, who acted with him in Karwaan, observed him as a student while peers like Shah Rukh Khan would call him the greatest actor of our time.

Homi Adajania, who directed Angrezi Medium, which was to be Irrfans last feature film, recalled how the actor was philosophical after being diagnosed with cancer. Irrfan told me, I would not change this experience because in 40 lifetimes, I would not have understood what life is about. I used to think my identity was Irrfan Khan, the actor. Now I am Irrfan, the human being, who is enjoying the miracle of being alive, Adajania said during the films promotions in March.

The actor was able to combine experience with talent and an understanding of the character, lifting the words off the page and imbuing them with little, natural attributes. All the while looking at life with a hint of amusement.

On Irrfans passing at the age of 54, the words from Life of Pi, when the adult Pi recounts how Richard Parker left him, resonate deeply: I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go. But what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.

Udita Jhunjhunwala is a freelance writer and film critic.
This is an opinion column.

It is hard, in the present, to see how this moment may last, how any among us might hold up to history.

I cannot say.

Many remarkable and frightening things are happening. Not for the first time.

A little more than 100 years ago the world grappled with an influenza pandemic that came in waves, killing many millions across the world and hundreds of thousands in the U.S. But that wasnt all. The First World War raged, soldiers prepared and fought and millions  100,000-plus from the U.S.  died.

Pandemic. World War. Earthquakes and tornadoes and disasters seemed to hit everywhere.

But somehow life went on. As it does.

Alice Lorena Bates  she went by Lorena  was a 17-year-old student studying the classics at Womens College of Alabama, now Huntingdon College, in Montgomery. She and other students were sequestered in 1918, social distancing, as it wed call it now, to avoid spreading that terrifying flu.

In November 1918 the world seemed to be steadying. Students expected the quarantine to be lifted at any moment, and on Nov. 12 they woke to news that The Great War was over.

Lorena relayed the event to her mother, a Methodist preachers wife in Centreville, in a letter from school.

When they heard it (the news) lots of the girls put on bathrobes, got a drum and went marching around singing and yelling, she wrote. I didnt join them until I dressed, which was about 7:45. We marched around and finally into the dining room where we sang and yelled some more before we ate breakfast.

Celebrations erupted in Montgomery. Planes flew overhead and students hoped to go into the city  the college was considered distant then -- to take part. But there were reports of more influenza across the state.

We were going to town in the morning but the state health officer phoned Dr. S. not to bring us, but he was so anxious for us to go he went to town and got some trucks to carry us, she wrote.

They carried us to town and rode us around for two hours or more. We were not allowed to get out of the trucks - there were 35 or 40 girls on ours - but we could see everybody and everything going on.

Airplanes  aeroplanes, as she called them  passed overhead and dropped flowers from the sky.

The people of Montgomery sent the flowers out to Taylor Field, and when the aviators dropped them, stacked them around the flagpole and columns of the capitol. They certainly were beautiful.

The letter, passed to me Lorenas granddaughter, Deanne Charlton, described a city in euphoria, a world ready for healing. The end of war, human contact, the promise of better things to come.

The capital grounds were covered with people and the streets were jammed, she wrote. Almost every car we passed had old tin cans, buckets, or pans tied on behind and rattling merrily.

Many people had on red-white-and-blue hats, and I never saw the like of flags, bells, horns -- anything to make racket in my life. We saw other trucks full of people celebrating -- they were always making racket. We couldnt get out and buy anything to make racket so we had to make it with our throat - singing and yelling.

Charlton is struck by the parallels.

Most people, then and now, abide by the rules while chafing at the lack of broader human contact, she said.

Perhaps keeping the students on the trucks  Lorena later described them as buses -- was akin to the reopening in phases we aim for today, Charlton said. We try to take part, and to stay safely apart. But Charlton worries that now, as then, the joys of reopening could lead to more ills.

Thats what happened in 1918. According to the CDC, the end of WWI itself caused a resurgence in influenza because of Armistice Day celebrations and the soldiers return home. A third wave of flu hit that winter and in the spring of 1919, and killed many more people before finally easing in the summer.

The people carried on, and survived, and thrived. Though many mourned.

It is hard, in any moment, to see how we hold up to history, how we balance the joys of freedom with safety and respect for ourselves and others.

Let us remember, and hope we are remembered well.

John Archibald, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is a columnist for AL.com. His column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register, Birmingham Magazine and AL.com. Write him at jarchibald@al.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 06:23:59|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS/BERLIN, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Despite the fact that the European Region on WHO dashboard has accounted for more than half of the over 200,000 global COVID-19 deaths, many European countries are forced to fight a two-front battle to save both life and livelihood amid deepening economic woes.

FROM "STAY HOME" TO "STAY SAFE"

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined on Tuesday the government's plan for gradual transition to normalcy after lifting the nationwide lockdown on May 4.

During a televised address to the nation, he told citizens the country's new motto after May 4 would be "stay safe" rather than "We stay home" during the lockdown.

"We are coming back, but we remain cautious. Above all we remain safe," the PM said.

The motto change in Greece partially reflects the strategy adjustment across Europe, as in the coming May, a wide exit from lockdown is expected on the continent, with Austria on May 1, Portugal on May 2, Spain and Italy beginning on May 4, and France from May 11.

Italy started with the manufacturing, construction, and wholesale sectors, which will be followed by retailers, museums, galleries, and libraries on May 18, and bars, restaurants, hairdressers and beauty salons on June 1.

France's relaxation comes after the lockdown brought the country's economic activities to a standstill in six weeks.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday when presenting the "deconfinement" plan to the national assembly that "the prolonged large-scale stop of our economy, the lasting disturbance in the education of a great number of children and teenagers, the interruption of public and private investments, the closure of borders, the extreme restriction of movements... will give the country not only the painful inconvenience of confinement, but, in reality and for the worse, the risk of collapse."

"It is time to tell the French how our life can resume," he added.

ECONOMIC WOES

The battle to save lives from virus is costing many people's livelihood. Economic output in Germany, a major economic engine in Europe, collapsed by 16 percent during the coronavirus shutdowns, according to a company survey published by the ifo Institute on Tuesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Germany was likely to have fallen by 1.9 percent in the first quarter before collapsing by 12.2 percent in the second quarter, according to ifo.

In 2020, economic output adjusted for calendar effects in Germany was expected to shrink by 6.6 percent, according to the survey of around 8,800 German companies. "We will not return to pre-coronavirus conditions until the end of 2021," said Timo Wollmershaeuser, head of forecasts at ifo.

While limiting people at home, the lockdown is starving enterprises. More than 2.2 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany recorded sales losses in March due to the coronavirus crisis, according to a company survey published by the German development bank KfW on Tuesday.

According to the survey on about 3,400 companies, SMEs in Germany lost around 75 billion euros (81 billion U.S. dollars) or 2 percent of their annual turnover in March. More than half of all German companies had recorded sales losses and German SMEs had lost an average of 53 percent of anticipated turnover in March.

Along with the business slump comes the devastation in labor market. The labor market barometer of the German Institute for Employment Research (IAB) dropped by 6.8 points in April compared to the previous month, and for the next three months it fell to 93.5 points, the lowest value in its history, the IAB announced on Tuesday.

"The decline is unprecedented," said the IAB, the research institute of Germany's Federal Employment Agency.

The devastating consequences are being felt across Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic has idled nearly a quarter of the Romanian labor force in the private sector, the data released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection on Monday revealed.

Riksbank, the Swedish central bank, on Tuesday projected that the country's GDP will shrink by up to 9.7 percent this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the economic woes across the continent, Europeans are carefully walking out of home and back to work. "Recover daily life without risking the health of the people," the words from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez represent the strategy in Europe's two-front war. Enditem
Eight-year-old Arabella Hanisch Jasiak was bushwalking in the Blue Mountains with her parents when she stumbled upon an orchid last seen more than 140 years ago.

Her parents Ben Jasiak and Sabine Hanisch, who have authored books on the orchids of the Blue Mountains, knew immediately their daughter had made a rare find.

Arabella Hanisch Jasiak, 8, has rediscovered an orchid, Corunastylis reflexa, that has not been seen for 145 years. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Research scientist Mark Clements was able to confirm the orchid was the Corunastylis reflexa, last seen 145 years ago.

He (Mark Clements) is the king of Australian orchids so it was really exciting for Bella to help reinstate the species, Ms Hanisch told the Herald.
By Kurtis Lee, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

U.S. coronavirus-related deaths reached a somber milestone Tuesday, surpassing the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War.

More than 58,300 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That compares with the National Archives figure of 58,220 deaths from the Vietnam War, which lasted more than a decade.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 1 million in the U.S. on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins.

The novel coronavirus has laid siege to health care systems and battered economies around the world since health officials first identified it in December in Wuhan, China.

As President Donald Trump on Tuesday applauded states that had reopened during the pandemic, several governors warned that caution was needed before allowing people to crowd shops and restaurants.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said officials would be measuring certain critical data points as the state reopens businesses in the weeks ahead. Among those points, Cuomo said, is whether hospital emergency rooms begin to exceed 70% capacity.

Dont overwhelm the hospital system, Cuomo, a Democrat, said during a news conference Tuesday. If you ever hit 70%, you can expect the number to go up for the next two weeks as people who just got infected actually get ill and some of them come into the hospital.

New York has remained a hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with 292,000 cases and nearly 17,300 deaths. Its stay-at-home requirement is set to expire May 15, but the order could be extended. Still, the number of deaths in New York has declined in recent days. The Comfort, a U.S. Navy hospital ship that has been docked in New York Harbor since last month and has treated virus patients, is set to depart Thursday.

On Tuesday, Trump used social media to laud Greg Abbott, Texas Republican governor, who has announced that his state will ease stay-at-home restrictions later this week. Trump, who has said the reopening of states is up to governors, also acknowledged moves in various parts of the country to ease restrictions.

Many States moving to SAFELY & QUICKLY reopen! he tweeted Tuesday.

A day earlier, several states  Colorado, Montana, Tennessee  lifted stay-at-home requirements. States from the heartland to the Deep South are expected to ease restrictions in the days ahead.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, met with Trump in the White House on Tuesday and said his state had done a better job of combating coronavirus than others. In recent weeks, DeSantis was castigated by critics for a delayed response in issuing a stay-at-home order. The state has seen 32,000 infections and almost 1,200 deaths.

You go from D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, you name it. Florida has done better, said DeSantis as he sat next to Trump.

But some governors are urging patience.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday his states stay-at-home advisory would not be lifted May 4 but instead was extended until May 18.

I know pushing these dates back a couple of weeks is probably not what many people want to hear, Baker, a Republican, said, noting that the safety of his residents was his main priority.

In Louisiana, which has seen high rates of infections and deaths among black communities from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, Gov. John Bel Edwards extended the states order until May 15. He said the state had not flattened its coronavirus infection curve enough to reopen. Louisiana has seen 27,000 infections and more than 1,600 deaths.

I would much rather have come out today and said we looked at the criteria, we met it all, were going to go to phase one, said Edwards, a Democrat. Thats just not where we are. The one thing I refuse to do is fudge that. Im not going to pretend were better off than we are.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Cuomo on reopening after coronavirus: Keep hospital beds free, transmission rate low

Coronavirus economy: New Yorkers going weeks with no job, no call from unemployment

NY State Fair wont happen unless whole state can reopen: Breaks my heart, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
(Oslo, Norway, 29 April 2020) StrongPoint ASA (StrongPoint, OSE: STRONG) reported revenues of NOK 279.8 million in the first quarter of 2020, down from NOK 288.2 million in the same quarter in 2019. The companys EBITDA in the period came in at NOK 16.5 million (27.7), impacted amongst others by a negative currency effect of NOK 4 million. StrongPoint experiences short-term effects from the COVID-19-situation but reiterates the 2025 ambition of NOK 2.5 billion in revenues and EBITDA margins of 13-15%.



In the last few weeks, our main focus has been upholding the highest level of safety for our employees, customers and business partners as part of the joint pan-national efforts to protect vulnerable groups. I would like to express my gratitude to the entire StrongPoint team and to our partners for their dedication and hard work to rapidly adapt to a new reality, to mitigate the effects of this pandemic and to help others where we can contribute. Despite the COVID-19 situation, StrongPoint delivered growth in two of three business areas in the first quarter and I am proud of what we have achieved during these difficult times, says Jacob Tveraabak, Chief Executive Officer of StrongPoint.

StrongPoint reported revenues of NOK 279.8 million (288.2) in the first quarter of 2020 and an EBITDA of 16.5 million (27.7), were the segment Retail Technology delivered a growth of four per cent. A negative currency effect of NOK 4 million impacted the EBITDA result in the period. Reported operating profit was NOK 4.5 million, down from NOK 14.1 million in the corresponding quarter in 2019, while the cash flow from operating activities ended at NOK -4.9 million (10.7). The company had a cash balance of NOK 54 million at the end of the quarter and flexible credit facilities to cover short-term changes in working capital. StrongPoint provided a COVID-19 business update 23 March 2020, outlining the operational and financial effects from the current situation.

Story continues

We delivered solid financial performance in the first quarter despite the negative COVID-19 effects at the end of the period and have a solid financial position. StrongPoint plays a vital role in providing safe and efficient solutions for the grocery retailers, and my colleagues have gone the extra mile to safeguard uninterrupted supply and services for our customers in this situation. StrongPoint as a company has also been affected by travel restrictions and social distancing measures in various markets. As an example, the normal service program for non-grocery stores in Spain is not possible to maintain in a lockdown situation. We have implemented short-term measures to mitigate these effects while maintaining the momentum when resuming to a more normalized situation, Tveraabak continues.

In a strategy update session in the first quarter of 2020, StrongPoint outlined the strategy and ambitions for the company towards 2025. As a foundation for creating shareholder value, the growth strategy is based on profitable and organic growth, cost control and a solid balance sheet, targeting revenues of NOK 2.5 billion and EBITDA margins of 13-15% in 2025.

The COVID-19 situation has also emphasized the many advantages of StrongPoints solutions and we are experiencing an increased interest from major retailers for our entire e-commerce solutions offering, including our picking solution, Pick & Collect, as well as our Click & Collect locker solutions. As deliveries of our lockers from China commences, we expect the roll-out of such locker modules to increase in the months and years to come. The next months will be challenging, but with our strong market position, the order intake in the last few weeks, and the increased interest in our e-commerce solutions provides room for optimism and we reiterate our long-term ambitions, Tveraabak concludes.

StrongPoint ASA will present the financial results for the first quarter 2020 at 08:15 CET Wednesday 29 April 2020. The presentation will be streamed live and can be followed at the company website.

EBITDA and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and reconciled to the IFRS financial statements on page 21 in the attached quarterly report.

For additional information please contact:

Jacob Tveraabak

CEO, StrongPoint ASA

Phone +47 90 82 13 70

Hilde Horn Gilen

CFO, StrongPoint ASA

Phone +47 920 60 158

About StrongPoint | www.strongpoint.com

StrongPoint is driving productivity for European retailers by providing innovative, integrated technology solutions for multi-channel retailing based on long-standing relationships with customers and partners. StrongPoint is also a leader in IBNS solutions for Cash-In-Transit (Cash Security), and Labels for customers in Norway and Sweden. StrongPoint offers best-in-class service and consultancy expertise through its team of 520 employees in Norway, Sweden, the Baltics, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Russia. StrongPoint is headquartered in Rlingen, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (STRONG.OL).





This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

Attachments
L ondon boroughs with the highest number of coronavirus care home deaths have appealed for better testing and restrictions on the transfer of elderly residents across the capital.

They are concerned that infected residents may still be discharged from hospital to care homes, despite a Government pledge to test them before leaving hospital.

They have also claimed that some care homes were admitting new patients to generate income, with infection control only a secondary concern.

Councils have no power to stop care homes accepting new residents and say there is no way to ensure that care homes that have had an outbreak are following infection control rules to prevent new arrivals catching coronavirus.

It came as the Government expanded testing to all care home staff and residents, regardless of whether they display symptoms.

The Care Quality Commission yesterday revealed there had been 447 Covid-19 deaths in London care homes in the fortnight to April 2, including 40 in Enfield and 31 in Ealing.

Matt Hancock challenged on care home deaths

Borough leaders believe the death toll of infected residents is far higher.

Ealing council leader Julian Bell, in a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, said the borough was a net importer of care home residents, which means our social care teams will have no prior relationship with these residents and are not party to these transfers.

He added: We are concerned that the system pressures and financial drivers which are leading to care homes admitting new residents are outweighing the need to manage cross infection effectively.

We would therefore request that Public Health England and CQC use their existing powers to provide a clear directive to providers to not admit new placements where there are outbreaks in a home.

The Government said more than 25,000 care staff had been tested.
[April 29, 2020] Two Michelin Star Chef Joins Forces With TWISPER to Support the Restaurant and Hotel Industry to Restart Their Activities

GENEVA, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TWISPER, the social travel app revolutionizing the online recommendations industry, has launched a global campaign, in collaboration with renowned 2-star Michelin Swiss chef Philippe Chevrier, to help hospitality and gastronomy businesses worldwide that are currently facing the COVID-19 crisis. True to its core values of positivity, fairness & solidarity, the Swiss company has launched an unprecedented campaign worth nearly 4 million euros via TWISPER Business, its platform for business owners, to help them overcome these challenging times through positive digital word of mouth. TWISPER offers 10 000 Pro subscriptions with 1-year free access to all its premium features, which include a zero-commission booking button added to the business profile on TWISPER, an all-in-one business listing manager that automatically updates business details across more than 20 platforms, and a customer messaging feature to improve client engagement. Businesses that are interested can simply use the promo code "POSITIVE" upon signing up on TWISPER Business. "Unlike major online recommendation platforms making huge profits by selling user data and creating lots of fake or bad reviews, our unique digital word-of-mouth latform helps businesses attract new clients through TWISPER's community of users and their friends", says Antonio Canton, CEO of TWISPER. "Today businesses can take back control of their online image and get ready for a strong comeback."



TWISPER ambassadors working in the gastronomy sector are also bringing positivity to their communities, as they themselves endure hardships during this shutdown. Philippe Chevrier is providing 1000 premium burgers to Geneva's intensive care hospital workers at Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve (HUG). The personnel can use a special voucher to get their free meal at the distinguished Chez Philippe grill house in Geneva. Also, Cocktail Genius and owner of Bar Am Wasser in Zurich, Dirk Hany has started an entertaining Youtube channel on how to make amazing cocktails at home. TWISPER Business video (link)

ABOUT TWISPER TWISPER connects people with friends they trust and businesses they love to bring back fairness, authenticity and positivity in the world of online recommendations. A Swiss start-up founded in 2018, TWISPER is used in more than 90 countries and in 6 languages, and employs more than 50 employees in Geneva and Lisbon. As an ad-free platform that protects and does not sell user data, TWISPER Business empowers hospitality and gastronomy businesses to take back control of their online image and benefit from digital word of mouth. For more information visit www.twisper.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160990/TWISPER_campaign.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160991/TWISPER_Business_platform.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160992/TWISPER_Logo.jpg MEDIA CONTACT

Gisela Pesarrodona, PR Manager

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29) - Close to 600 Filipino seafarers from overseas are back in their home provinces after completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The shipping and logistics company 2GO Group Inc., on Wednesday said a total of 309 passengers sailed home for Cebu, Dumaguete, Ozamiz, Iligan, and Zamboanga onboard 2GOs M/V St. Michael the Archangel while 280 passengers returned home to Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Bacolod onboard M/V St. Leo the Great.

The seafarers departed for their home provinces on April 26 and 27, in line with the governments Balik-Probinsya Program.

"It is our privilege to be able to reunite our modern-day heroes with their families and loved ones by bringing them home," Dan Fernan, 2GO's head of shipping, said in a statement.

"With regards to the coordination with the LGUs, MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority) is the one coordinating with them directly about the seafarers going home," he added.

The company is working in close coordination with MARINA, the Philippine Coast Guard, as well as the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Sub-Task Group on Repatriation of Overseas Filipino Workers chaired by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and co-chaired by the Overseas Workers Welfare Association, to ensure the safety and well-being of the Filipino seafarers.

According to Fernan, at least 250 more are expected to travel back to their home provinces on April 30.

The DOTr earlier said it partnered with 2GO to convert two of its vessels into quarantine facilities for returning overseas workers and seafarers.

The "quarantine ships" can house 1,500 patients. The DOTr noted the move will help ease the burden of hospitals that are now operating at full capacity, due to the disease outbreak.

READ: 2GO vessels to be converted into COVID-19 quarantine ships for returning seafarers, OFWs

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) continues to bring home overseas Filipinos amid the global crisis.

On Wednesday, the DFA announced that 515 overseas Filipino from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia arrived in Manila.

The OFWs were subjected to rapid testing for COVID-19 upon arrival, and have been brought to designated facilities where they will undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine, the DFA said.
In a sign that the wave of coronavirus patients continues to ebb, Tulane Health System is reopening the emergency room at Tulane Lakeside Hospital next week after closing it more than a month ago.

The closure on March 20 allowed the hospital system to shift resources and staff to its downtown location after a surge in coronavirus cases increased demand.

As elective procedures return to Louisiana hospitals, here's what patients can expect In what will be a carefully monitored return to a new normal, health care facilities in Louisiana resumed some non-emergency medical procedure

With that patient volume stabilizing, were able to move that staff back to Tulane Lakeside and reopen our emergency department there, said Dr. Robert Lynch, Tulane Health System CEO, in an emailed statement.

The emergency department will reopen on May 4 at 8 a.m.

Emergency room services were not as in-demand while coronavirus cases surged in New Orleans and residents stayed home and off the roads, lowering the number of accidents that would require emergency care.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

However, recent data show that some people may have been afraid to seek necessary emergency medical attention due to fears of being infected.

The Louisiana Emergency Response Network, a state agency tasked with care coordination for time-sensitive or sudden illnesses like heart attacks, found there has been over a 26% drop in calls for patients with serious cardiac symptoms in April of this year compared to the same time last year.

+5 How many health care workers are infected with coronavirus in Louisiana? No one can say for sure Health care workers have been lauded as heroes in Louisiana and across the U.S. since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

A survey of nine major hospitals across the U.S. found that the number of severe heart attacks treated by providers has dropped by almost 40%.

If you or a loved one are experiencing emergency symptoms of any kind, it is both safe and necessary to seek medical attention right away, Lynch said.

Tulane will be providing masks to all patients and visitors and will be rapid-testing patients before non-emergency surgeries, which hospitals resumed this week.
Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM is geared up to release first-quarter 2020 results on May 1, before the opening bell. Since the upstream business contributes mostly to its earnings, the company is likely have borne the brunt of weak commodity prices in the March quarter.

Upstream Business

ExxonMobils upstream businesses fall under core operations. This segment reflects the companys activities related to exploring, and developing oil and natural gas resources.

From upstream operations, within and outside the United Sates, the firm reported earnings of $14.4 billion in 2019. The profit represents 83.2% of total earnings from its three segments during the said period.

Upstream Performance in Q4

Non-U.S. Operation: During fourth-quarter 2019, ExxonMobil reported earnings of $6.1 billion from upstream activities outside the United States. This marked an improvement from the year-earlier profit of $3.1 billion, thanks to higher realizations of liquid prices.

U.S Operation: From domestic operations, ExxonMobil reported profits of $68 million compared with the year-ago quarters $265 million. Lower gas prices hurt domestic operations.

Q1 Oil Price

Weak global energy demand owing to the coronavirus outbreak mostly led oil prices to trade in the bearish territory, especially in the last two months of the March quarter. The last month saw the lowest price in first-quarter 2020 since OPEC and Russia failed to agree on how much oil production to cut amid the pandemic. Thus, weak crude prices are likely to have hurt ExxonMobils upstream operations in the first quarter, in both the international and domestic markets.

Forecast for Q1 Oil & Gas Production

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter production is pegged at 3,949 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBoE/D), suggesting a decline from the year-ago quarters 3,981 MBoE/D.

Production of Crude & Natural Gas Liquids: The consensus estimate for overall crude oil and liquids production is pegged at 2,415 thousand barrels per day (MBbl/D), indicating an improvement from 2,327 MBbl/D in the year-ago quarter, which can be partly attributed to Shale output.

Story continues

Natural Gas Production: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for overall natural gas production available for sale is pegged at 9,206 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcf/d), implying a decline from 9,924 Mcf/d in first-quarter 2019.

Upstream Profit to Deteriorate in Q1

Prices and production of commodities are the two key parameters that determine the fate of upstream operations. With oil equivalent production likely to have deteriorated and oil pricing scenario bleak, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys earnings from upstream businesses are likely to have declined.

Non-U.S. Operation: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings after taxes from non-U.S. upstream operations is $1.1 billion, pointing to a decline from $2.8 billion reported in the year-ago quarter.

U.S. Operation: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for after-tax loss from upstream operations in the domestic region is pegged at $461 million, against a profit of $96 million in the year-ago quarter.

Earnings & Revenue Projections

The weak upstream business is likely to have hurt the companys results in the March quarter of 2020. Notably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings of 4 cents per share suggests a decline of 92.7% year over year. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales of $53.8 billion indicates a 15.4% year-over-year decrease.

Exxon Mobil Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Exxon Mobil Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Exxon Mobil Corporation price-eps-surprise | Exxon Mobil Corporation Quote

Upcoming Releases of Other Energy Players

Other big integrated energy players like TOTAL S.A. TOT, Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A and Chevron CVX are set to report first-quarter earnings on May 5, Apr 30 and May 1, respectively.

You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds have welcomed a new baby boy. Boris recently recovered from Coronavi...





Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds have welcomed a new baby boy.





Boris recently recovered from Coronavirus.





BBC quoted their spokeswoman as saying that the mother and baby are, doing very well.





Johnson was present throughout the birth, in a London hospital.

The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team, the spokeswoman added.





Johnson, 55, and Symonds, 32, announced in March that they were expecting a baby.





They are the first unmarried couple to move into Downing Street together.





The baby is Symonds first child, while Mr Johnson is known to have fathered five.





Johnsons father, Stanley Johnson, told PA news agency he was absolutely delighted.





Labour leader, Keir Starmer, called the birth wonderful news.





The arrival is the third baby born to a serving Prime Minister in recent history, as PM, Tony Blairs wife, Cherie gave birth to their son, Leo in May 2000.





While in office, David Cameron and wife, Samantha also welcomed a daughter.
She's one of the more visible celebrities making their appreciation for those fighting the coronavirus known.

Sarah Silverman once again emerged from her New York City apartment on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. cheer honoring frontline healthcare workers that resounds throughout the city on a nightly basis

The 49-year-old comedian had some help from her assistant Annie Segal, and the two funny ladies banged on pots and pans for extra noise.

For a good cause: Sarah Silverman, 49, capped off her third week straight of saluting frontline healthcare workers in New York City on Tuesday

Sarah has mostly stuck with comfortable casual clothes while loudly showing her gratitude, and Tuesday was no different.

She wore a white graphic tank top under a thick pair of weathered and paint-splotched overalls, and she added a mustard yellow cardigan for some extra warmth.

The I Love You, America star wore her long raven locks over her shoulders and covered her head with a black ski cap.

Her friend Annie rocked a more reserved look with a black polo shirt and brown pants.

Comfy casual: Sarah has mostly stuck with comfortable casual clothes while loudly showing her gratitude, and Tuesday was no different

Toasty: She wore a white graphic tank top under a pair of weathered and paint-splotched overalls, and she added a mustard yellow cardigan for some extra warmth

Covered up: The I Love You, America star wore her long raven locks over her shoulders and covered her head with a black ski cap

Double trouble: The Wreck-It Ralph voice actress had some help from her assistant Annie Segal, and the two funny ladies banged on pots and pans for extra noise

The duo emerge every evening at 7 p.m. to hoot and holler and bang on pans to show their appreciation for those taking care of people sickened by the coronavirus.

The show of gratitude began back in January in Wuhan, China, where the first outbreak of the virus was seen, according to the New York Times.

Even people living in residential areas that aren't close to a hospital have been participating in the daily celebration.

'It makes us feel connected and that we aren't alone,' Sarah has explained previously about the added benefit of the recent salute.

The nightly cheer was supplemented earlier on Tuesday by fly-overs from the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, though the sight of the jets brought out large crowds of people throughout New York City, Long Island and New Jersey who failed to social distance, according to the New York Post.

Some NYC residents complained on social media that the money and resources used for the fly-overs would have been better spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and nurses who are desperately short on masks and gloves.

Giving thanks: Even people living in residential areas that aren't close to a hospital have been participating in the daily celebration. 'It makes us feel connected and that we aren't alone,' Sarah has explained previously about the added benefit of the recent salute

Like clockwork: Sarah and Annie emerge every evening at 7 p.m. to hoot and holler and bang on pans to show their appreciation for those taking care of people sickened by the coronavirus

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah was looking forward to her critically acclaimed memoir Bedwetter being turned into an off-Broadway musical.

However, rehearsal have been put on hold until it's safe for people to once again congregate in large numbers.

The virus has similarly put Broadway and the rest of New York City's theater scene on hold, with venues across the city being shuttered.

She'll also appear in the upcoming romantic comedy Marry Me, which stars Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.

The film went into post-production in late November 2019, though as the COVID-19 crisis rages on, there's no telling when it will premiere.

Delayed: Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah was looking forward to her memoir Bedwetter being turned into an off-Broadway musical, though it has since been put on hold

Star studded: She'll also appear in the upcoming romantic comedy Marry Me, which stars Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson

While quarantining, Sarah and her assistant have fostered a cute elderly Chihuahua.

The Jesus Is Magic star introduced the appropriately named Mrs. Peeps in a cute video of her hiding under a blanket.

'@arseeg and I are fostering her here in nyc and we love her so much it hurts. She is 12, loves to nap, cuddle, get belly rubs, and burrow into your sweatshirt. She is always smiling at you, like a Nana so grateful for your visit. She needs the perfect forever home. Contact @fosterdogs and then rip her out of my cold dead hands,' she wrote.

Another video shows Mrs. Peeps unusual habit of sliding under Sarah's legs to relax, while flopping her tongue out adorably.

Sweet: While quarantining, Sarah and her assistant have fostered a cute elderly Chihuahua named Mrs. Peeps
AG Barr Pushes Back on Violations of Civil Liberties

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Liberty Counsel

April 28, 2020



WASHINGTON, April 28, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Attorney General William Barr has issued a statement directing "prosecutors to prioritize cases against those seeking to illicitly profit from the pandemic," including where government officials have violated the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individuals and imposed special restrictions and discriminatory treatment on religious activity and churches.

Attorney General Barr stated in his "Balancing Public Safety with the Preservation of Civil Rights" memorandum, "As the Department of Justice explained recently in guidance to states and localities taking steps to battle the pandemic, even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. The legal restrictions on state and local authority are not limited to discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must therefore be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved, at the same time that the public is protected" (emphasis added).





In his previous statement on April 14, Attorney General William Barr emphasized that "the government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity" according to federal law. The Department of Justice also filed a Statement of Interest in support of Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Mississippi. Local officers came to the parking lot of Temple Baptist Church during an outdoor worship service and issued $500 fines to everyone sitting in their cars while permitting other citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open.

Barr stated, "As we explain in the Statement of Interest, where a state has not acted evenhandedly, it must have a compelling reason to impose restrictions on places of worship and must ensure that those restrictions are narrowly tailored to advance its compelling interest...The United States Department of Justice will continue to ensure that religious freedom remains protected if any state or local government, in their response to COVID-19, singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions."

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "I am pleased to see Attorney General William Barr taking appropriate action against those government officials who have violated peoples' constitutional rights and discriminated against religious activity and churches. The Constitution does not have a pause button and does not go into hibernation during a time of crisis."

Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



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Everything is bigger in Texas, including the tax refunds. Residents in Midland, Texas, received the most money back from Uncle Sam when they filed their 2018 tax returns: an average refund check of $3,800, according to MagnifyMoney.com. The personal finance site analyzed 2018 tax filing data from the IRS, focusing on 157 metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Houston and McAllen, Texas, both round out the top three cities with the heftiest refunds from Uncle Sam, with taxpayers getting back an average of $3,735 and $3,604, respectively, MagnifyMoney found. "It would seem to be the case that they are overpaying on federal income taxes," said Chris Horymski, senior research analyst at MagnifyMoney.

Taxes in Texas

The Lone Star State is one of seven that don't levy taxes on income. The others are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. New Hampshire and Tennessee won't tax your paycheck, but they will tax your investment income. Texas makes up for its zero-income tax by applying levies elsewhere. For instance, the combined state and average local sales tax rate is 8.19%, ranking the Lone Star state 12th in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. Further, homeowners residing there pay a mean effective property tax rate of 1.67%  sixth in the nation, the Tax Foundation found.

Review your withholding

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New York, NY, April 28, 2020--The military's elite flight demonstration squadrons, the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds, gave a salute to health care workers and others on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus. A total of 12 fighter jets, six of the Air Force's F-16C/D Fighting Falcons and half a dozen F-18 C/D Hornets streaked over New York City, Newark, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island before heading to Trenton, N.J., and Philadelphia. Photo by K.C. Wilsey/FEMA

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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor was admitted to Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Girgaon, Mumbai on Wednesday morning.

His family took him to the hospital after he complained about difficulty in breathing .

His brother and actor Randhir Kapoor said he was better now. I hope he gets well soon. We are praying for the best. He has been hospitalised this morning by his family due to a little breathing problem. I have not had the chance to see him because the hospital is not allowing anyone inside. Only his wife and son are there with him, he said.

The actor underwent treatment in New York, United States after being diagnosed with cancer in 2018. During his stay there, an array of Bollywood actors namely Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, among others, visited him.

After a bone marrow treatment and spending about a year in New York, he returned to India in September 2019. The veteran actor was last seen in The Body (2019).
(Natural News) President Vladimir Putin has extended Russias non-working month through May 11, as the countrys total caseload surpasses Chinas.

We have been able to slow down the epidemic, Putin warned in a video conference with regional governors on Tuesday. The peak has not yet been reached. We are facing the most intense stage of the fight against the epidemic.

Russia has a total of 93,558 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 867 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The worlds largest country by landmass has been on lockdown since late March, which was first announced as a week-long break to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Putin then extended it until April 30, as the number of cases soared in the country.

However, health officials are increasingly concerned that people will flout lockdown measures during this time, especially since the beginning of May in Russia is marked by long public holidays for Labor Day and Victory Day.

Rospotrebnadzor Head Anna Popova stressed that the swingeing measures helped the country avoid a surge in cases and that it will continue to do so, provided that people do not give up during the holidays.

That is the biggest risk today, she said in an interview on state television.

In his fifth public statement on the outbreak, Putin asked Russians to be vigilant, saying that the peak of the epidemic in Russia, as well as the rest of the world, has not yet been reached.

The deadly threat of the virus remains, it could affect everyone. In that regard, we all need to be concentrated, disciplined and mobilized, he added.

Listen to Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he discusses how economies cant simply bounce back after the coronavirus pandemic:

Muscovites feeling the effects of isolation

The capital city of Moscow and its surrounding areas remain to be the epicenter of the outbreak, with nearly 60,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. The city, one of the most isolated areas in the country because of lockdown measures in place, will also be one of the last cities to ease restrictions, with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin planning to lift restrictions on May 13.

While strict restrictions are in place  with residents allowed to go outside only for essential shopping, medical emergencies, walk pets and take out the trash, lockdown fatigue  improving weather and long holiday weekends indicate the people are looking to spend more time outdoors.

Last weekend, orders for barbecue and grilling products increased by half compared to previous weeks, according to data from online marketplace Beru. In addition, more Muscovites are flouting stay-at-home orders, with location data from internet company Yandex NV showing an increase in people going outside.

In response, Popova urged Russians to stay at home during the holidays as the country continues to grapple with the contagion.

We owe it to ourselves and our loved ones, she said.

Preparing for life after lockdown

In addition, Putin has ordered the government to prepare a plan for gradually lifting the restrictions, as well as a plan to stimulate the economy afterward. Experts predict the countrys economy will slow down this year, with forecasts projecting a 5-percent dip. (Related: Urgent notes  China poised to attack America during peak financial / social chaos, prepare for global warfare and economic decimation.)

We must ensure that the wave of the epidemic finally subsides, which will enable us to carefully remove the restrictions step by step and return to the normal rhythm of life, Putin added.

Learn more about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

TheMoscowTimes.com

Coronavirus.JHU.edu

Reuters.com

StopKoronavirus.rf (in Russian)

Bloomberg.com
The University of Central Florida is one of two universities selected to study the social and economic impacts of Florida's red tide events during 2017-19 that killed fish, stunk up the coastlines and sent tourists packing.

Notwithstanding today's global pandemic, large chunk of Florida's economy depends on its beaches and waterways. The red tide events, which release toxins killing fish and chasing tourists and residents from the stench, had a negative impact on humans and marine life, and crippled some local economies. The governor at the time declared a state of emergency.

The impact on business and the economy is why the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) and NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) have funded two new studies worth $556,000 to determine the extent of the impact, look for best practices and provide communities a framework to help guide future mitigation efforts.

Assistant Professor Sergio Alvarez, from UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management, will lead the study that looks at the economic impacts of these bloom events across 80 different sectors. He will use data analysis, social media and his team's expertise in tourism to bring clarity to the murky picture.

"We know that harmful algal blooms drive people away from the waterfront," Alvarez says. "With this project, we will identify how Florida's red tide has been impacting the state's economy in terms of reduced sales from different economic sectors. But we are also testing the idea that information from social media could be more of a driver in these impacts than so-called objective measures, like water sampling data."

Social media is one of the areas Alvarez's team will be exploring in depth because it impacts behavior quickly.

"When everyday people make the small-scale and large-scale decisions that ultimately impact Florida's economy, they're not necessarily checking biophysical monitoring or formal economic metrics," says Heather O'Leary from the University of South Florida, who is a co-investigator on the grant. "They're more likely making those decisions by checking with friends and colleagues on social media. By keeping one eye on social media and the other on economic metrics, we're able to get a better sense of how these interact to make [blooms] worse, or to lessen their impact."

One of the distinguishing features of the study is the investigators attempt to identity how messengers -- official organizations, news outlets, private citizens -- can impact consumer behavior.

Another item under analysis, are objective measures of the bloom events such as water sampling better at explaining changes in consumer behavior than subjective measures such as social media posts?

What the group learns will be of interest throughout Florida, as the blooms from 2017-19 impacted communities from the panhandle to Miami and Key West to Jacksonville.

UCF will receive $277,122 for the two-year project.

Alvarez has a Bachelor of Arts in environmental sciences, and a master's degree and doctorate in food and resource economics from the University of Florida. Between 2013 and 2018, Alvarez served as the chief economist at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, where he gained practical experience in state government and policy analysis. He has published articles on a range of topics including the economics of marine resources, the costs and management of biological invasions, and the value of ecosystem services such as clean water and outdoor recreation. Alvarez joined UCF in 2018 and is an affiliated member of the UCF National Center for Integrated Coastal Research.

The University of Central Florida is a public research university located in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1963 to fuel the region's talent pipeline and support the growing U.S. space program, UCF has been making an impact on the state, the nation -- and outer space -- ever since. UCF is an academic, partnership and research leader in numerous fields, such as optics and lasers, modeling and simulation, engineering and computer science, business, public administration, education, hospitality management, healthcare and video game design. The university is also a top supplier of graduates to the aerospace and defense industries. Ranked among the nation's top 20 most innovative universities by U.S. News & World Report, UCF is also recognized as a best-value university by Kiplinger and one of the nation's most affordable colleges by Forbes.

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Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehinare, on April 23, said more than 40 health workers had tested positive for coronavirus. The figure represented roughly 4.6 per cent of the countrys then 873 confirmed cases.

The minister, who stated this during the daily press briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, added that apart from the over 40 health workers, there are others who have been quarantined in the last 2 weeks due to exposure and have not been able to contribute to efforts of the health sector.

The statistics may have risen since the ministers update. But the government has not given updates on the status of the quarantined health workers.

Findings by PREMIUM TIMES have also revealed that not less than three fatalities have been recorded among the health workers. This represents 8.6 per cent of the total number of 35 deaths so far recorded in Nigeria.

The statistics of the fatalities include the duo of Aliyu Yakubu, who died at the Nigeria Air Force Reference Hospital, Daura, Katsina State, and Emeka Chugbo, a popular obstetrics and gynaecology consultant, who died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, after both were confirmed victims of the deadly virus.

Also, the medical director of San Dominique Hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Dominic Essien, reportedly presented symptoms of the disease before he was confirmed dead. The result of his COVID-19 test is yet to be out for official confirmation.

In the same vein, the Borno State index case, who has since died, was a member of an international humanitarian organisation- Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders.

The deceased, who was identified as Babangida Buba, was a nurse with the organisation. He died at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where seven of the health workers who attended to him have also been confirmed positive of the virus.

Ehinare Osagie

Highly conservative

But concerned health workers unions have described the governments statistics as highly conservative, suggesting that more cases among them have been confirmed, and that many more are currently under observation.

They also claimed that there are conflicting figures of deaths recorded among the health workers, and that the situation has impacted badly on the morale of their members.

The leaderships of the various health workers unions, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) have expressed fear that more of their members are still very prone to contracting the virus.

They blamed the development on poor logistics and lack of protective tools across various public and private hospitals.

Why Nigerian health workers are at higher risk

Investigations by PREMIUM TIMES have revealed that most of the casualties recorded among the health workers were not those working at the isolation or testing centres, otherwise regarded as the frontlines, but at various hospitals where workers are forced to use improvised personal protective equipment (PPEs), due to their unavailability.

Lagos State, which accounts for 844 of Nigerias 1,532, that is, 55 per cent of confirmed cases, as of Wednesday morning, has not done well in its treatment of the health care workers who operate outside the isolation centres.

For instance, three nurses and a doctor from Alimosho general hospital, Igando, who are currently receiving treatment at the infectious disease hospital (IDH), Yaba, and Onikan isolation centre, contracted the virus through a patient who visited their hospital.

This newspaper can also confirm that many health workers from the general hospitals in Odan, Lagos Island, Ikorodu, and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, and LUTH are already quarantined, and are awaiting the results of their tests.

The health workers experienced exposure to confirmed COVID-19 cases, who failed to either reveal their underlying health status or their travel history.

There are many others from private hospitals across the federation, who have also either been quarantined or receiving treatment at isolation centres.

Findings have shown that governments at both federal and state levels have concentrated surveillance and management efforts against the disease at only the isolation and testing centres, leaving other healthcare facilities and their workforce out of their calculations.

Across these healthcare facilities- primary, secondary and tertiary, personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, infrared thermometers, coverall, hand sanitisers, and gloves are scarce commodities, and are rationed among staff.

The scarcity of PPE has forced health workers in some public hospitals visited by our reporter recently to use improvised protective tools, especially sanitisers.

We combine making sanitisers with the volume of work we face in the wards, said the NANNM chairman at Lagos Island maternity, Amusan Ayobami. At the general hospitals located in Ifako Ijaiye, Orile Agege, and Gbagada, our reporter found out that only critical health workers, such as nurses and doctors, are entitled to 100 millimetres of sanitisers each, and for a period of two weeks.

The state government had confirmed the development to our reporter, blaming it on greedy marketers who were alleged to be making brisk business from the unfortunate situation by hoarding and inflating prices.

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The permanent secretary at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Olusegun Ogboye, told PREMIUM TIMES all efforts are being made to address the logistic challenge.

Mr Ogboyes counterpart at the Lagos State Health Service Commission (LSHSC), Benjamin Eniayewun, said the governor has consistently expressed his commitment to improve on the working conditions across all the health facilities.

Mr Eniayewun said, The governor specifically told us at a meeting recently that he would rather waste money than risk the lives of health workers.

However, further findings have shown that many weeks after Mr Eniayewuns pledge, nothing significant has changed.

In Kwara, nurses staged a protest to express their dissatisfaction with the unavailability of PPE in the state. They accused the government of subjecting them to hardship especially without proper welfare packages including transportation to and from work in spite of the lockdown.

The story is the same in Plateau State, where a similar protest was held by health workers over poor working conditions.

Angry unions

The various health workers unions have accused the government of focusing attention on frontline workers and that those saddled with the responsibility of manning the various public health facilities are ignored.

Strangely, PREMIUM TIMES recently reported how those on the frontline also have a bouquet of complaints.

Speaking on the situation, the president of the resident doctors union, Roland Aigbovo, alleged that the governments segregation of health workers, especially in the distribution of PPEs and welfare packages, has stirred the crisis.

He said; There is discrimination among health workers who are exposed to COVID-19 at the isolation centres and those who inadvertently treat positive cases at various hospitals.

Also speaking, NANNM national president, Adeniji AbdulRafiu, said members of his association which takes the larger percentage of health workforce, have been subjected to grave hardship in their efforts to provide care.

There is lockdown in many of the states, and there are hardly any arrangements for health workers to get to work. The rosters have been altered due to the number of nurses already drafted to Isolation centres, yet there is no encouragement, whatsoever, Mr Adeniji said.

Consequences

PREMIUM TIMES findings have revealed that the increasing figure of casualties among the health workers may have dire consequences.

Infographics showing the increase of casualties among health workers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic

Apart from panic referrals and rejection of patients across major public hospitals, the existing poor ratio of available health workers to the national population may further plunge steeply.

Shortly before the lockdown was declared, an official of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), identified simply as Kola, was one of tens of in-patients who were ejected out of National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos.

I was on admission at the hospital and was billed to undergo surgery the same week we were asked to leave. Since then I have been going through pain at home, Mr Kola said.

In a similar development, on April 5, a Tuberculosis patient, who asked not to be named, was rejected by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. It was the third public hospital in Lagos where he was rejected on that day.

The patient was finally taken to Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo, where he was admitted only after interventions from influential people in the state.

If the duo of Messrs Kola and Azeez are lucky to be alive, it is not so for Riliwan Salami, who died on April 7, following his rejection at two hospitals.

Declining staff strength

While attention seems to have been shifted completely to the fight against the coronavirus disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has hinted that the number of deaths caused by malaria in sub-Saharan Africa could double to 769,000, in 2020.

According to the global body, Nigeria accounted for 25 per cent of malaria fatalities across the world in 2018. It then urged the government to heighten the response rate towards reversing the trend. However, the fight against the new pandemic may have truncated whatever plan that might have been put in place.

This is even as patients of other health challenges are now being rejected across major hospitals, especially in Lagos. The excuses offered to patients by the public hospitals are either poor staff strength or fear of contracting the dangerous virus by the health officials.

PREMIUM TIMES had in 2019 exclusively reported that only one medical doctor is available to cater for every 4,845 Nigerians.

The report, which was based on the official data made available to this newspaper by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), showed that as of December 2017, Nigeria had 42,845 registered doctors, dentists and alternative medicine practitioners working in the country. Of these numbers, 39,912 are medical doctors.

The figure was compared to the countrys 2016 estimated population of 193.4 million by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics.

By interpretation, Nigerias ratio of doctors to population is about eight times below the WHOs recommendation of one doctor to 600 patients.

However, the report added that the data provided did not include the huge number of health workers who have relocated abroad in search of greener pasture since 2017, as Nigeria has, in the last couple of years, witnessed mass exodus of healthcare workers abroad.

Speaking on the number of available pharmacists in the country, the Registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Mohammed Elijah, had reportedly told Vanguard Newspapers that though the WHOs recommendation specified one pharmacist per 2000 population, in Nigeria we have approximately one pharmacist per 12,000 population.

Nurses constitute the larger percentage of the healthcare workforce globally. The situation is not different in Nigeria. However, according to the immediate past health minister, Isaac Adewole, Nigerian hospitals are gravely short-staffed by the available nurses.

In his presentation as a guest at the 2017 annual nurses week in Abuja, Mr Adewole said Nigeria had 240,000 nurses and midwives to her population

He said then that if something urgent was not done, by 2030 the country would need additional 471,353 nurses and midwives, because by expectations, only 333,494 nurses and midwives will be available by 2030.

While there is no one size fits all as recommendation in terms of nurses per population ratio, the standard recommendation varies based on units, especially critical care units such as intensive care units, where the ratio is suggested to be 1:1 for the sickest patients or 1:2 or 1:3 for patients who are acutely ill but stable.

On general care units, the nurse to patient ratio is set higher, for example, 1:5 or 1:8 depending on the type of unit and the needs of the patient(s).

However, based on the statistics, the national president of NANNM said a single Nigerian nurse averagely takes care of more than 40 patients per shift, while one nurse is available to more than 100 Nigerians.

Meanwhile, rather than assuaging the tensed workers, efforts by the government seem to be aggravating the challenges.

On Friday, the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced a life insurance package for a total of 5,000 health workers. Questions have continued to trail the development with concerned officials asking the process to be used in choosing the beneficiaries.

In a similar development, the Lagos State government announced an increase of hazard allowance to the states health workers from N5,000 to N20,000 only for the month of April.

While some of the health workers who spoke with our reporter condemned the alleged restriction of payment to April alone, they also alleged that instead of N20,000 promised, only N13,000 was paid to them.

However, PREMIUM TIMES learnt that two days after the workers took their complaints to the social media, the balance of N7,000 was paid.
Legislature starts work on Covid relief bills

RALEIGH  Lawmakers converged on the legislative complex to begin work on coronavirus relief bills as a few hundred people gathered in downtown Raleigh to protest shutdown orders from Gov. Roy Cooper.

The House convened at noon, streaming live from the chamber. Only a handful of members took seats on the floor as rules were changed to allow social distancing and remote participation. The Senate also opened but took up no business Tuesday.



At 5 p.m., 46 senators filed Senate Bill 704, the Covid-19 Recovery Act. The legislation calls for $1.24 billion from money provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or Cares, Act. The number is roughly $500 million less than the Houses proposal.



A Senate committee will consider the measure Wednesday morning.



Things were more raucous outside the Legislative Building. Some members of ReopenNC, a private Facebook group with 70,000 followers, filled the sidewalks to demand Cooper lift a statewide stay-at-home order. If Cooper failed to act, the group urged members to reopen their businesses and attend worship services May 1.



Four members of the group, including co-founder Ashley Smith and her husband, Adam, were arrested when they defied police orders and stepped on the sidewalk in front of the Executive Mansion.



Cooper didnt mention the protesters at an afternoon news conference. But he did say he would be open to allowing the Charlotte Motor Speedway to host the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend if COVID-19 conditions continued improving. The speedway wouldnt allow any fans, only drivers, crews, and media.





House Finance Committee





Members of the House Finance Committee unanimously approved two bills to help cash-strapped North Carolinians. House Bill 1039, COVID-19 Response Act: Economic Support, waives interest on individual and corporate income tax, as well as franchise taxes. The bill brings North Carolina in line with federal tax filing deadlines, which in March were pushed from April 15 to July 15.



H.B. 1039 firms up North Carolinas flexibility to send unemployment benefits to people who lost their jobs to the pandemic, as laid out in several of Coopers executive orders and in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Security Act.



A second piece of legislation, House Bill 1034, Small Business Emergency Loans, pays $75 million in federal money to small businesses adversely affected by COVID-19. The money would be doled out via the Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonprofit created by the General Assembly in 1999 to administer grants to rural and poor communities.



The finance committee unanimously passed H.B. 1034. Both H.B. 1039 and H.B. 1034 are headed to the House Rules Committee.



House Health Care Committee





Later in the day, House lawmakers approved House Bill 1037, Health Care Working Group Policy Recommendations, in a 29-10 vote. The legislation stockpiles personal protective equipment and testing supplies. It allows more health care workers to give vaccines, diagnostics, and antibody tests. The most controversial part of the bill grants health care providers protection from liability lawsuits during the pandemic.



The bill temporarily expands Medicaid to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment for uninsured residents with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level.



The bill requires insurers and health plans to cover telehealth services, and to reimburse telehealth providers at the same rate as in-person visits. It also brings parity to telephone visits to help seniors and rural residents receive virtual care.



The bill effectively suspends physician supervision during the pandemic. It bans regulatory boards from enforcing the mandate that nurse practitioners must pay for a physician supervisor. Other providers get loosened regulations, inspections, and reporting requirements, as well as more time to connect to the states health information exchange network.



The bill requests a pandemic health care workforce study to investigate the ability of the health care system to treat patients during the pandemic. The purpose of the study is to analyze support for health care workers and assess the costs of canceling non-essential services.



Representatives expect to pass another coronavirus response bill from the same committee in May. House Bill 1037 is a phase one bill thats up for discussion in the House Rules Committee Wednesday, said Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forysth.



House K-12 Education Committee



The House Committee on Education K-12 unanimously approved an education omnibus bill to provide relief for the states K-12 public schools and higher education institutions as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.



Efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 significantly disrupted the 2019-20 school year. Schools have closed for in-person instruction for most of 2020 and will remain closed for the rest of the school year. Remote learning has replaced the brick-and-mortar classroom  at least for the time being.



House Bill 1035, Education Omnibus/COVID-19, includes a variety of waivers for state tests, teacher licensure, K-3 class size reductions, and education program requirements, as well as calendar flexibility to start the school year as early as Aug. 17.



The measures are temporary and apply only to the 2020-21 school year.



H.B 1035 is a bipartisan effort from the House Select Committee on COVID-19 education working group. The working group met several times in virtual meetings before the short session.



This was a culmination of a lot of work and collaboration to assure we address all the issues immediately in front of us, said Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union, a co-chair of the education working group.



Tackling the COVID-19 issue felt like standing in front of a forest fire armed with only a squirt gun, Horn said.



More work will be done to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the subsequent school closures, Horn said.



Tuesday's session was short. Lawmakers approved the legislation without debate.






A mother accused of murdering her three young children at their home in Dublin is fit to plead and face trial, a court heard today.

The bodies of Deirdre Morley's sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7), and her daughter Carla (3) McGinley were discovered in their home at Parsons Court in Newcastle, just before 8pm on January 24 last.

Ms Morley, 43, was remanded in custody by Dublin District Court on January 29, with an order that she would receive a psychiatric assessment while in prison.

She was charged with three counts of murder.

Ms Morley, a nurse at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin, in Dublin, was too unwell to be brought to court for subsequent hearings, one week later, on March 4 and again on April 1 last.

The district court had heard she was in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH).

The case had been adjourned until today.

Her solicitor Jonathan Dunphy said his client could not attend court. She is acutely unwell and would benefit from continued treatment, he said.

Mr Dunphy told Judge Grainne Malone there was a doctors report stating, she was fit to face trial, my client has been deemed fit to plead and the matter will go through the normal procedure.

He understood the Garda case file will be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions in the next seven to 10 days for directions to be obtained.

Judge Malone noted she was fit to give instructions and to instruct her solicitor to consent to seek a four-week adjournment. But out of caution, she granted a two-week adjournment and was further remanded in custody in her absence.

The district court cannot grant bail in a murder case.

Ms Morley was found by a taxi driver near her house shortly before the childrens bodies were discovered. She was treated for days at Tallaght University Hospital before she was charged.

The childrens 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.

A note had been left to urge whoever came through the door of the family home not to proceed any further but to call gardai instead.

She made no reply in response to each of the charges and was handed a copy of charge, Detective Sergeant Dara Kenny had said at Ms Morleys first hearing on January 29 last. That was five days after the death of her children.

Close to 1,000 people were at the Church of the Holy Family in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, on January 31 for the funeral service of Conor, Darragh and Carla.

Their father Andrew McGinley delivered a eulogy to a packed church filled with friends and supporters of the McGinley and Morley families.

Last month, Mr McGinley appealed to the people of Ireland to help him through his personal struggle during the Covid-19 crisis. He has received more than 1,000 letters and postcards.
The breathtaking slowdown in global aviation is taking a huge toll on Boeing, which said on Wednesday that it would slash about 16,000 jobs after reporting that revenue tumbled by 26 percent in the first three months of the year.

The global pandemic has changed the way we live and work, said Boeings chief executive, David L. Calhoun, in a note to staff. It is changing our industry. We are facing utterly unexpected challenges.

Airlines around the world are trying to stay alive, with losses expected to total more than $300 billion by years end, according to an industry trade group. As a result, many carriers are delaying purchases, deliveries and maintenance.

Boeing said it was slowing aircraft production, including for the troubled 737 Max, the 787, the 777 and the 777x. The company is also exploring ways to raise more capital, either from the federal government or from financial markets. The job cuts, about 10 percent of Boeings staff, will be even steeper for those employed in the divisions most exposed to the downturn, the commercial airplanes and services businesses. Staff cuts in those units will be about 15 percent.
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 16:02 623 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4fed09 1 Business Indonesia,jamu,HerbalMedicine,COVID-19,demand,Sido-Muncul,Mintel,LIPI Free

As the COVID-19 pandemic changes the global business landscape, jamu (herbal medicine) producers are playing a growing role in the Indonesian economy.

National jamu sales in 2019 generated Rp 21.5 trillion (US$1.38 billion) in revenue, up 13.1 percent from Rp 19 trillion in 2018, according to the Indonesian Jamu and Traditional Medicine Producers Group (GP-Jamu).

While this years figure remains indeterminable due to the outbreak's impacts on logistics and consumer buying power, the available figures and reports indicate a promising future for the herbal medicine market.

Even amid the economic downturn due to the government's COVID-19 emergency measures, the first quarter of 2020 saw the jamu and herbal supplements segment contribute more than 68 percent of its Rp 730.72 billion sales revenue, a year-on-year (yoy) increase of 2.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's herbal medicine giant Sido Muncul saw its profit jump 10.85 percent yoy to Rp 231.53 billion in January-March.

I think demand has increased because people want to stay healthy during the pandemic, and the profit surge is quite large, Sido Muncul director Irwan Hidayat, whose family owns majority shares in the company, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Irwan also estimated a 30 percent surge in demand this year, with customers flocking to buy jamu containing plants from the curcuma genus, such as turmeric and ginger. With this promising outlook, he estimated a 10 percent increase in both sales and profit by the end of the year.

His statement is reflected in the findings of How COVID-19 is impacting food and drink markets in Southeast Asia, a recent report from global market research firm Mintel. The study has found that many consumers are turning into traditional remedies to boost their immune system amid the pandemic.

According to the report, many Indonesians are stocking up on jamu as well as the herbs and spices used to make jamu, which has caused the prices of herbs like red ginger and temulawak (Javanese ginger) to increase.

Sido Muncul CFO Leonard said that the company was still of the view that its herbal medicines line would remain the main contributor to sales this year, despite its assumption of a decline in overall sales as a result of potential decline in consumer buying power due to the outbreak.

We will still try to maintain the availability of our health products that can help boost consumers immune system to meet demand in the Indonesian market, he said.

Indonesia has over three-quarters of the more than 40,000 medicinal plants in the world according to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), and is an untapped source of the global market for herbal medicines.

Read also: Jamu-groups-oppose-House-decision-to-import-ingredients-for-COVID-19-cure

In 2018, the country had 1,247 jamu producers, of which 129 were large manufacturers using modern technology. The remaining 1,118 producers were micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the majority of which used traditional jamu production methods.

The segment employed up to 15 million workers, comprising 3 million workers in the jamu and traditional medicine segment, and the remaining 12 million workers employed in related sectors and markets that used jamu products, such as the food and beverage and cosmetics industries, as well as the spa services and aromatherapy markets.

Market observer Charles Saerang said that jamu producing SMEs were benefiting the most during the public health crisis.

I believe there has been a huge impact on the [jamu] SMEs. Right now, young people who are concerned about their health due to COVID-19 are realizing the benefits of lemongrass, curcuma, turmeric, [and this has] greatly impacted the SMEs, he said.

Charles added that jamu producing SMEs were ahead in innovating jamu, as they were more flexible in terms of product modification compared to bigger, established companies. He was also confident that the jamu market would continue to develop over the long term.

Jamu culture can transform and penetrate the pharmaceutical [industry], and through restaurants to become part of the food and beverages industry, he said.

Jony Yuwono, the 36-year-old owner of Acaraki Jamu in Jakarta, said that the specialty cafe saw a 20 percent surge in sales at the beginning of the outbreak, serving over 100 cups of jamu per day. However, he had to temporarily close both Acaraki cafes in Kemang and Kota Tua to comply with the government's social distancing policy, so the company was now entirely dependent on takeaways and online orders.

The jamu cafe, which also sells packages of ground turmeric and other herbal ingredients, serves its customers unique products that are blended and brewed using coffee-making equipment like the Hario V60 coffee maker, French presses and AeroPress.

I think the future of jamu in Indonesia after the pandemic will be even brighter than before, as people have become more aware of their health because of it, said Jony, who hoped that the jamu consumption trend would emerge as the new normal after the crisis.

Business research and consultancy Inventure Indonesia even dubbed jamu as the new espresso in its report on shifts in consumer behavior as an impact of COVID-19, with managing partner Yuswohady predicting that the jamu consumption trend would shift from mere functional food to lifestyle.

Yunindita Prasidya contributed to this story.
KABUL: A suicide bomber on Wednesday targeted a base belonging to Afghan special forces on the southern outskirts of the capital, Kabul, killing at least three civilians and wounding 15, officials said.

The government blamed the Taliban for the attack, which took place a day after the country's defense minister and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan visited the facility.

The bombing happened outside the base for army commandos as civilian contractors working in the facility waited outside to get into the base, said a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media about the attack.

Tareq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the site of the bombing was in the Chahar Asyab district and blamed the Taliban for the attack, calling it a crime against humanity.

``The target was likely the base itself, but the bomber failed to reach his target and instead killed innocent civilians," Arian said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and its surroundings and have repeatedly struck military and civilian targets.

On Tuesday, the Afghan defense minister, Gen. Assadullah Khalid, and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Scott Miller, visited the base, known as Army Commando Corps, praising achievements of the Afghan commandos and their dedication in defending the country.

Also Wednesday, a sticky bomb attached to vehicle detonated elsewhere in Kabul, wounding three civilians, according to Firdaus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. No one claimed responsibility for that attack.

The Taliban have continued to attack security outposts, even as the U.S. and NATO proceed with a full troop withdrawal that is set to be completed next year under a deal signed at the end of February between the U.S. peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban.

On Sunday, Khalilzad called on the country's feuding political leaders to set their differences aside to combat the coronavirus pandemic and advance the stalled peace agreement signed with the Taliban.

He said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who each declared himself the victor in September's election, should ``put the interest of the country ahead of their own'' during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

He urged the government and the Taliban to carry out a prisoner exchange that was part of the U.S.-Taliban agreement. The agreement had called for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government personnel held by the insurgents.

To date, Ghani has released 550 detainees based on age, vulnerability to the virus and time served behind bars. The Taliban have not said if those released are among the prisoners referred to in the agreement. For their part, the Taliban have freed 60 prisoners.
Prince Harry follows in the footsteps of his wife, Meghan Markle, in revealing his first non-royal role.

The Duke of Sussex is helping "Thomas & Friends" mark their 75th anniversary in the most special way, and that is by making an on-camera introduction on their newest episode, "Thomas & Friends: The Royal Engine."

In the 35-year-old's introduction, Prince Harry is seen sitting in an armchair, reading from a book about the train's adventures.

He introduced the episode saying, "It all began when a young boy lay ill in bed. His loving father entertained him with stories of a special railway on the magical island of Sodor."

Prince Harry continued, "Those stories would go on to become the tales of the most iconic tank engine the world has ever known, Thomas the Tank Engine... 'Thomas & Friends' is celebrating 75 years of friendship and teamwork."

In a statement, the Duke of Sussex said he has "fond memories of growing up with 'Thomas and Friends' and being transported to new places through his adventures."

The father-of-one added that the animated train had been a "comforting, familiar face to so many families over the last 75 years - entertaining, educating, and inspiring children on important issues through exciting stories and characters."

The recorded clip, however, was recorded in January, just before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit the royal family. He did it in exchange for a charity donation.

The newest episode will feature Prince Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his dad, Prince Charles, as a young boy, and they are animated characters.

The TV special will see Thomas travel to London for the first time to take Sir Topham Hatt to receive an honor for distinguished service to the railway at Buckingham Palace.

As it is Thomas' first time visiting London, he gets lost along the tracks and finds himself in all sorts of messy predicaments. However, this doesn't stop him from eventually finding his way.

The 22-minute special episode will also feature a new character, the Duchess of Loughborough, which is voiced by actress Rosamund Pike.

She said, "It is an absolute honor to have the chance to appear in the show. I take it as a big responsibility to play Duchess."

It is seen in previous reports how Prince Harry is attached to the engine, back in September 1987 during his first day of nursery school, where he was seen carrying a "Thomas the Tank Engine" bag.

The story was created 75 years ago by a British clergyman, Reverend William Awdry, as a storybook for his young son during a bout of the measles. It was then called "The Railway Series."

However, the brave blue tank engine doesn't appear in the debut story.

In 1946, Awdry got his own illustrated book called "Thomas the Tank Engine" and swiftly took over from Edward, Henry, and Gordon as everyone's favorite.

By the 1980s, the train stories were turned into a stop-motion animation series, and then in 2009, it was moved to CGI.

Since then, the story grew to become the massive children's franchise we all know and love today and is watched by families in more than 230 countries and territories around the world.

The special episode will be available in Netflix on May 1.

READ MORE: Baby Archie's First Birthday: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Planning This MAJOR Surprise
US President Donald Trumps executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to force employees at meatpacking plants back to work marks a new stage in his administrations confrontation with the working class.

Trump has refused to compel companies to produce emergency protective equipment and testing supplies despite widespread shortages of both. But when it comes to forcing workers to toil in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, Trump is mobilizing all the powers at his disposal.

The White House is seeking to set a precedent for enforcing a return to work while absolving corporations of any legal responsibility. The order will indemnify Tyson Foods and other meatpacking companies from lawsuits from employees who say they have been forced to work in unsafe conditions.

Employees and family members protest outside a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D. The plant has had an outbreak of coronavirus cases according to Gov. Kristi Noem. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves File, April 9, 2020)

At least 20 meat and food processing workers have died from COVID-19, and 5,000 have been infected or quarantined. On Tuesday, several dozen workers walked off the job at the Smithfield Foods pork plant in Crete, Nebraska after the company reversed course and announced it would not close for cleaning, even though 48 workers at the facility tested positive.

From Kathleen, Georgia to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, meat processing workers have protested and walked off the job to demand proper protection and sanitation. These highly exploited workforces are disproportionately composed of immigrants from Latin America and east Africa.

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to rage, infecting over three million people and claiming the lives of at least 216,000 globally, working-class opposition to the back-to-work effort being pursued by ruling elites, largely ignored by the media, is erupting all over the world.

The United States remains the epicenter of the pandemic, with more than one million cases and nearly 60,000 confirmed deaths. The worlds richest country, with less than five percent of the global population, now accounts for one third of all cases.

A recent series of polls shows that, despite the medias promotion of small right-wing back to work protests, Americans overwhelmingly support stay-at-home orders and other social distancing measures. Last week, a Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 76 percent of respondents supported continuing restrictive measures for as long as necessary to curb the pandemic, even if it harmed the economy.

Garment workers in Selma, Alabama walked off the job Thursday, shutting down their plant after several workers at the facility contracted COVID-19. One worker summed up the general sentiment: They dont care about us. They just want us to work.

On Sunday, 8,500 miles away, garment workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh took to the streets to demand two months back wages as they face starvation without any income. The global center of garment production had been shut down since March as workers refused to work in unsafe conditions.

Bangladesh continues to see a rise in the number of daily confirmed cases, and there are no indications that the pandemic is on the wane. Nonetheless, factory owners began reopening their plants this weekend, with most refusing to implement any safety measures, such as providing hand sanitizer or keeping workers apart at their workstations.

Bangladeshi garment workers block a road demanding their unpaid wages during a protest in which hundreds participated in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Wildcat strikes by autoworkers in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario shut down the auto industry in March, even as the United Auto Workers was negotiating with the companies to find ways to keep the factories running during the pandemic. Joint union-company plans to reopen the plants by the beginning of May have been pushed back two weeks as workers resist returning.

Just across the US border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, thousands of maquiladora workers who build auto parts and consumer electronic components have gone on strike and protested to demand the closure of their plants with full pay. As of last week, thirteen maquiladora workers had died in the city, accounting for nearly half of all confirmed coronavirus fatalities.

The coronavirus is now spreading rapidly in Latin America. In late March, thousands of call center workers staged wildcat strikes throughout Brazil over unsafe conditions, declaring, We will not die in our cubicles! The strikes, which followed calls by Italian workers for a mass strike against one of the same major transnational companies operating in Brazil, was denounced by the union that purports to represent the call center workforce.

Workers employed by food delivery App companies struck in several cities in Brazil as well as in Ecuador, Argentina and Chile beginning on April 17, demanding safer working conditions and increased pay. The actions followed a similar strike in Spain.

Nurses quit en masse Monday to protest the lack of protective personal equipment and low wages at the Kommunarka hospital in Moscow, one of the main facilities for treating coronavirus patients in the city. While nonessential businesses were closed at the end of March and confirmed cases in Russia have been surging by the thousands every day, plans are already being drawn up by government ministers for a return to work.

So far, every measure taken by world governments under the guise of combatting the pandemic has been dictated by the interests of the ruling elite. Trillions of dollars have been transferred from the working class to the banks and corporations, fueling the massive rise of stock markets. After enriching itself, the ruling class is demanding that workers get back on the job to create the surplus value and profits necessary to underwrite these subsidies for the rich.

Workers demanding safe working conditions and the closure of nonessential industries cannot rely on the unions, which throughout the crisis have worked for the companies in an effort to keep as many workers on the job as possible and to stamp out signs of opposition.

To fight for their interests, workers must form independent rank-and-file safety committees in every workplace, independent of the unions, to organize and coordinate action with their brothers and sisters in every industry around the world to demand a scientifically and medically guided response to the pandemic.

These committees must raise the demand that there be no return to work at nonessential industries. Those workers engaged in work essential to the functioning of society must be guaranteed every protection. Full income must be guaranteed for all those workers who are laid off or furloughed for the duration of the pandemic. Workers must establish control over health and safety at their workplaces, in consultation with medical professionals, to ensure safe conditions.

Above all, this requires taking up the fight for international socialism, uniting all workers internationally across industrial, linguistic and national lines, a political perspective that is diametrically opposed to the capitalist ruling elite.
After two passengers on their luxury cruise tested positive for covid-19 in March, Emilio and Barbara Hernandez were so frantic to get off the ship, they wrote a note to the captain.

The Costa Luminosa sailed on with them still onboard, and they ended up with the virus. Now recovering, the Hernandezes and 98 fellow passengers have sued Costa Cruise Lines Inc., a brand owned by Carnival Corp., alleging the firm endangered passengers' lives through negligence and bad decision-making.

A Costa spokeswoman said the company stepped up its sanitation of ships and then took action, including quarantining passengers, after it learned of the positive test results.

The Hernandezes and their fellow plaintiffs are seeking class-action status. They may have rough sailing ahead.

The tickets that cruise passengers buy resemble legal contracts, and they generally contain language barring customers from filing class-action suits - lawsuits that allow one or more plaintiffs to act on behalf of a larger group. That's just one of several built-in legal protections in cruise tickets meant to safeguard companies against a rash of litigation that's already arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

"These claims are enormous - nothing the industry's seen before with so many passengers fallen sick and bringing suit," said Martin Davies, director of the Tulane Maritime Law Center at Tulane University Law School. Any judgments would be paid out of an insurance pool that the cruise lines have formed, Davies said.

Currently, no cruise company faces more claims related to the virus than Carnival, the industry's largest operator. At least 22 lawsuits have been filed against Carnival-owned companies, seeking millions of dollars in damages. The company said it doesn't comment on active litigation.

By comparison, Celebrity Cruises, owned by the second-largest company, Royal Caribbean Cruises, faces just one U.S. lawsuit so far: a proposed class-action filed by crew members who allege Celebrity failed to protect them from the virus. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the third largest, faces a shareholder lawsuit that alleges the company failed to disclose adverse facts that affected it due to Covid-19. Lawyers say passenger suits against other cruise companies are probably coming.

Some of the virus-related claims, including the Hernandezes' case, seek class-action status and involve multiple plaintiffs, totaling almost 200 so far.

But suits seeking class-action certifications face an "uphill battle," Davies said, because of language contained in the passengers' tickets. "Provided that's what the contract says, generally the courts will find that enforceable."

It's not uncommon for big businesses of all sorts to insist on class-action waivers in their contracts, but cruise operators have a range of other legal protections as well. Some of them stem from byzantine maritime laws that date to the 19th Century, when policy makers wanted to encourage investment in the shipping industry.

"If you print out one of these tickets, it's like 20 pages of gobbledygook," said John Hickey, a maritime lawyer. Hickey, who spent almost two decades defending cruise operators in court, now represents plaintiffs against them. "Most people have no idea the limitations they're presented with."

For example, judgments for deaths that occur far from U.S. ports are limited by the Death on the High Seas Act, enacted in 1920. Most ticket contracts limit any legal actions to select federal courts, predominantly in Florida or Los Angeles, no matter where the customers live. And most of them require passengers to notify a cruise operator within six months that they intend to sue.

In general, cruise industry representatives say it's unfair to single out cruise operators, who they say implemented more aggressive screening and prevention measures related to Covid-19 than other travel sectors did.

Cruise lines "took immediate and aggressive action based on the information that was available when it was available every step of the way," said Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Association. "Importantly, all decisions were based upon the expertise and guidance of prevailing health authorities."

The Hernandezes' tickets for the Costa Luminosa contained a "patently unfair" prohibition on class actions, said their lawyer, Michael Winkleman of Florida. He acknowledged "significant hurdles" for their lawsuit, which alleges that the bar on class actions should be voided because Costa Cruise Lines acted "intentionally by exposing passengers to a highly contagious virus" for which there's no vaccine.

If the case isn't certified as a class action, Winkleman said, he intends to file cases for the plaintiffs individually or in smaller groups. Class-action lawsuits, which can result in larger judgments or settlements, can help to move cases more swiftly for plaintiffs. Most plaintiffs' law firms that pursue them do so on a "no win, no fee" basis, banking on bigger payouts, said Davies, the maritime-law professor.

"The ship never should have sailed," Emilio Hernandez, 51, said in an interview. "They put profit over the safety of passengers and crew."

He and his wife almost canceled their March 5 sailing on the Costa Luminosa to Antigua and Europe, but Costa assured them precautions would be taken, he said. Their lawsuit alleges that the operator proceeded with the trip despite knowing that at least one passenger from the ship's previous voyage, who disembarked Feb. 29, had coronavirus symptoms.

That passenger left for a medical emergency that was "not even connected to any flu-like symptoms," said Rossella Carrara, a spokeswoman for the cruise operator's Italian parent company, Costa Crociere Group, which is also owned by Carnival.

Sanitation procedures on the ship were stepped up ahead of the Hernandezes' cruise, Carrara said, and a quarantine of all passengers and other measures, such as daily temperature checks, were adopted after the company learned of positive test results.

Costa has said previously that the company passed information to Costa Luminosa passengers as soon as it received it and that it suspended new cruises on March 13, the day it learned that a passenger on its cruise had tested positive.

Many of the coronavirus lawsuits filed thus far argue that the companies should have known how infectious the pathogen was after an outbreak in late February on the Diamond Princess, which is operated by Carnival's Princess Cruise Lines. What began as fewer than a dozen infections quickly spread to more than 700 passengers and eventually killed at least 13 despite a quarantine of the vessel off Yokohama, Japan.

Lawsuits filed by passengers of another Princess vessel, the Grand Princess, allege that the cruise line knew some people aboard had Covid-19 symptoms when the ship docked and boarded new passengers in San Francisco on Feb. 21 for a cruise to Hawaii. The two symptomatic passengers disembarked that day; one tested positive shortly afterward and died, prompting California officials to refuse to let the ship dock.

The Grand Princess suits, filed by lawyer Debi Chalik, claim that the cruise operator alerted passengers of the ship's previous cruise about potential Covid-19 exposure in a Feb. 25 email, but didn't warn passengers on its Hawaii cruise. Chalik's office said it's representing dozens of plaintiffs.

A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said the company's response to the Covid-19 outbreak "has focused on the well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters dictated to us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness." She said the company doesn't comment on pending litigation.

On March 4, Carnival's Chief Medical Officer, Grant Tarling, notified passengers and crew on the Grand Princess that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was investigating a cluster of coronavirus cases connected to the previous voyage, according to the Princess website. It warned the 60 or so guests who also had sailed on that trip that they "may have been exposed." It was then - two weeks after the voyage began - that testing started, the suits allege.

When the ship was finally permitted to dock, 21 people tested positive. All American travelers were quarantined on U.S. military bases.Carnival's President and Chief Executive Officer, Arnold Donald, told Bloomberg Businessweek in an April 16 article that his company's response was reasonable under the circumstances. "This is a generational global event - it's unprecedented," he said.

Before the new coronavirus, the cruise industry had generally avoided large-scale litigation over infectious disease outbreaks at sea. Since 2006, there'd been fewer than 10 lawsuits filed over norovirus, the notorious gastrointestinal ailment that for years has ruined some passengers' experiences.

Yet many of the covid-19 lawsuits raise questions about the inspections that U.S. officials instituted in response to norovirus outbreaks. Plaintiffs in the Grand Princess suits claim the cruise operator didn't adequately sanitize the vessel between voyages. And Winkleman, the Hernandezes' lawyer, said he plans to focus part of his cases on Carnival's record of ship inspections and history of outbreaks at sea.

The Costa Luminosa and the Grand Princess both have unremarkable inspection records. Ships need an 86 or higher to pass under the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program. The Costa Luminosa was last inspected on Jan. 5 and received a 94. The Grand Princess passed its last inspection in June with a 93.

The program subjects ships that dock at U.S. ports to surprise inspections twice a year. Since 2016, ships owned by Carnival fail about 3% of their inspections. Norwegian Cruise Line has the worst failure rate at 4% and Royal Caribbean's rate is about 1%.

Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell noted that the company makes up about half the industry, and said its ships "typically perform extremely well" during inspections. He said Carnival-owned ships have received the highest number of perfect scores as well.

For now, with cruises canceled and the industry in a kind of suspended animation, the lawsuits and their claims represent a potential challenge that cruise operators haven't seen before, said Ross Klein, an associate dean at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada who has studied the cruise industry for more than two decades. "There are still a lot of ifs" about the success of the legal claims, he said, but the risk for the companies is there.

"The industry hasn't had any calamitous losses - nothing that would be potentially as large as this if the cases proceed in court," Klein said.
California Students, Educators Share Distance Learning Experiences

As the world has shifted from outings to innings, schools and families have found themselves navigating the new environment of distance learning.

Amid the hardships and changes, people have found silver linings and worked together to adapt. The Epoch Times contacted people involved with education in California, who shared their experiences with using distance learning for ongoing education during the pandemic.

As educators, it is important we provide support to all technology users in order to not further the opportunity gaps that exists in education, stated Chris Funk, superintendent of East Side Union High School District, in a San Jose Spotlight article.

Learn4Life Superintendent Dr. Caprice Young interacts with her students. (Ann Abajian, Learn4Life)

Adapting to Online Learning

On March 13, Learn4Life Schools had one weekend to find out which of their students had access to technology before they had to go fully remote by March 16.

The thoughts that we might lose touch with our kids was really kind of horrifying to our team, Caprice Young, Ed.D., superintendent at Learn4Life, told The Epoch Times.

Staff delivered packets in hard copy to students until their computers arrived, which took about two weeks.

Young believes that, for students, access to a caring adult who can talk them through their fears is a big thing.

Its a very scary time for everybodyadults and youth alike, she said.

Young said they also checked if students had access to food, because most of the students only eat when they come to school.

We have quite a large number of students that are working in grocery stores  because their parents have lost their jobs. So theyre doing less [schoolwork], she said.

Teachers have had to be flexible 24 hours a day, helping students to focus on academics but at the same time being understanding about the increased stresses in their lives, Young said.

Students can have a job during the day and then connect with a teacher for tutoring by telephone in the evening.

Some of our kids, especially with autism and Aspergers, [are] thriving in the online environment, Young said. I dont think I can get them to come back to school, she joked.

Im really hoping that it becomes much more personalized, because what we have found is that the more that we can tailor the learning to the individual student, the more theyre learning. I think thats something that we should keep. I never want to go back, she said.

Young said that 20 percent of their teachers would not have guessed that the students would do as well as they have.

When were finished with this, I want to build that bettermore personalization and trusting our teachers more to do the right thing for students, Young said. Weve given teachers more freedom to experiment in ways that would support the kids more effectively. And weve seen them making tremendous discoveries in very positive ways.

UC Irvine student Johanna Refuerzo and her mother at the universitys campus. (Johanna Refuerzo)

A University Students Experience

Johanna Refuerzo, a student at UC Irvine, said there were rumors about her university closing down for a while.

My initial reaction was confusion, she told The Epoch Times via email.

She went from studying for finals one day to calling her mom and saying she had to move back home. All of her finals had been canceled.

Refuerzo felt that being home during the epidemic was the safest and most comfortable situation to be in.

A part of me was still sad that I had to leave my first year of university, she said.

Refuerzo said her motivation to do well in school has diminished with the pass/no pass grading option, as she feels the pressure has become just get the minimum to pass.

Watching lectures through a screen isnt nearly as engaging as being in real-life classrooms, she said.

She believes this experience will teach her to be more careful in general and gain a good understanding of her personal habits.

Ive been cooking a lot more, which helps keep my own mind a little bit more sane during this quarantine, said Refuerzo.

Challenges With Distance Learning

For Anne Trans school, there was a cut-off date, so assignments after March 13 were optional and would not negatively impact student grades.

Tran is a science teacher in California. With distance learning, theres difficulty in finding alternatives for lab experiments.

Each school day has two class periods with roughly one and a half hours per period. There was about 90 percent online attendance for her class during the first session, but by the second session there was about 75 percent attendance, she told The Epoch Times.

Even when utilizing multiple tools such as Peardeck, Quizlet, and Jamboard, Tran said nothing can replace face-to-face experiences.

One of the biggest challenges was not being able [to] engage them in hands-on science experiments, Tran said.

A scientist holds a Petri dish at University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. (Photo by Drew Hays on Unsplash)

She said that seeing their faces and joking with them are the little things that she misses.

Some companies have provided free wireless internet, and students can contact them and get it hooked up.

Steven La, a high school teacher in California, believes that distance learning is the best option in light of the circumstances.

But of course having a physical classroom is preferred, La told The Epoch Times via Instagram.

Along with putting assignments online, La has adapted by communicating with students via email or having them ask questions on Google Classroom or School Loop. He said most teachers use Zoom, but that is a learning process itself.

One challenge is Zoom-bombing where savvy students are causing unwanted disruptions or hijacking the class sessions, he said.

Supporting Each Other

Tran said the biggest concern is educational equity and to not judge students unfairly, as teachers have various skill levels.

Some teachers are fantastic with face-to-face interaction, but could use additional support when it comes to technology, she said.

Many of the teacher leaders took the responsibility to lead professional development, including Google Classroom and Zoom engagement, playing an integral role in implementation.

Its challenging for the student as well, because they are deprived of opportunities that they may never get back, Tran said. They may be missing out on prom and graduation on top of many other things.

Tran said there are other challenges at home that we are unaware of.

If we can just be kind to one another and be supportive of each other  then I think we can overcome this, she said.

Kudos to Faculty and Families

Evergreen School District officially started distance learning on April 20, just when they were coming back from spring break.

Dan Deguara, assistant superintendent of the district, told The Epoch Times that they ordered additional Chromebooks for students.

He said the ratio is roughly one device for every two students, and they havent run out of devices yet.

I think [with] the digital challenge its providing, we know that its not good for students to necessarily be online for six hours a day, and its difficult for teachers to be online six hours a day too, he said.

Deguara gives his kudos to teachers and families.

Theres also that social-emotional connection that our teachers have with their students on a daily basis that theyre not as easily able to facilitate in the digital world, he said.

Teachers have dismantled carts in classrooms for kids to have devices at home.

With the postponement of school dances, science camp, and promotion ceremonies, Deguara said that principals are thinking outside the box.

I think well see some creative solutions as time goes on, he said. Those things are near and dear to students, family, and staff.

High school student Rosanna Bongato (middle row, 2nd L) poses with friends. (Rosanna Bongato)

Talking With Others Relieved My Stress

Rosanna Bongato, a student at Fremont High School, told The Epoch Times via email that she initially was excited to not have to go to school.

As soon as my classmates heard the news, they made plans to go out with friends, she said.

Bongato said she knows that distance learning is essential but believes the lack of physical contact can take a toll on someones mental health.

Most of the teens I know are struggling to keep their head straight. School kept us in check and with different people, she said.

She said that she would not take her school for granted, and she realizes that it kept her busy.

I would say the social aspect of education gave me happiness. Talking with others relieved my stress, she said.
A lockdown means everyone is supposed to stay indoors and not come in contact with anyone who doesn't live in the same house. However, not everyone is following the rules and this led to a landlord in in Bengaluru to shut the door on his tenants who stepped out to meet their relatives amid lockdown.

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According to Times of India, the tenants, a young couple were frequently visiting their relatives while the lockdown is going on which scared their landlord.

ET (IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY)

He reportedly locked the door and told the couple to present a COVID-19 negative certificate if they wanted to step into their rented house in Brindavana Layout near Bagalagunte, off Tumakuru Road.

The report further adds that the couple spent the entire night in the cab that the husband, Ranga drives. However, the next day, the couple approached a local activist named Jayaraj Naidu and also informed the police and complained about the incident.

Bangalore Mirror (IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY)

Apparently, due to the police and activist's involvement in the matter, a compromise was made.

TOI quotes Ranga as saying, We were staying at Shivannas house for six months. We had given him Rs 25,000 as advance and were paying Rs 3,500 as rent. We requested him to return the advance saying we would vacate the house within a few hours on Saturday morning."

However, the landlord, who lives in the same building as his tenants was in the fear that his family might get infected and other tenants might also be at risk due to the couple roaming around the city. He asked the couple to present a medical certificate or move out.

Medical

The report also said that the couple took back their advance from the landlord and shifted to another rental house in the same area.
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Faridabad: The borders of Haryana's Faridabad district bordering Delhi were sealed on Tuesday to prevent transmission of the corona virus. No one will get entry from Faridabad to Delhi or from Delhi to Faridabad after crossing the border.

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The Faridabad border has been sealed till May 3. It may be recalled that the district deputy commissioner of Faridabad had officially ordered the sealing of the border on Tuesday.

This order has come into force from April 28. The order also asked Faridabad to seal the border with other districts and states.

PhotoDoctors, paramedical staff, bank employees and police personnel will be able to enter by showing their identity cards till 12 noon on April 29, after which no one will be allowed to enter Faridabad.
USAAs profit surged to a record $4 billion last year on a sharp drop in catastrophe-related insurance claims and the sale of its asset-management business.

The San Antonio insurance and financial services company reported today that its net income climbed $1.7 billion, or 75 percent, on a record $35.6 billion in revenue in 2019. It earned $2.3 billion on $31.4 billion in revenue in 2018.

Boosting last years bottom line was just $1 billion in catastrophe claims  about half of what USAA experienced in each of the previous three years when it was inundated with claims for hurricanes, hailstorms, wildfires and earthquakes.

On ExpressNews.com: USAA reverses course on seizing federal stimulus checks

The company also benefited from the July sale of USAA Asset Management Co. to Victory Capital Holdings Inc., which produced an $800 million pre-tax gain. Victory acquired 47 mutual funds, six exchange-traded funds and a college savings plan.

USAA remains financially strong, reporting a record net worth of $35.3 billion last year, up from 2018s $31.2 billion. Net worth is the difference between assets and liabilities.

Despite the upheaval and change around us (caused by the coronavirus pandemic), USAA is financially strong and prepared to take care of military families today and for generations to come, USAA Chairman Tom Fargo said in a statement accompanying the 2019 financial results.

The company returned $2.4 billion in distributions, dividends, bank rebates and rewards to members last year. That was up from from $1.8 billion in 2018.

USAA serves more than 13 million customers, comprised of members of the military, veterans and their families. It ended 2018 with about 12.8 million members.

The sale of the assets of USAA Investment Management Co. to Charles Schwab Co. for $1.8 billion is still on track to close in the middle of this year. As a result, the deal had minimal impact on USAAs 2019 results. The transaction includes brokerage and managed portfolio accounts.

On ExpressNews.com: USAAs annual employee bonus dips to 14.5% in 2019

Even though 2019 marked a banner year for USAA, its employees saw their annual bonus dip. As previously reported, employees received a 14.5 percent bonus, the smallest since they received a 13.5 percent bonus in 2008.

Eligible workers receive the annual bonus as a percentage of their base salary. USAA has about 35,000 workers, including 19,000 locally, making it one of San Antonios largest employers.

USAA didnt address why the bonus declined during a period when it performed so well.

USAAs Board considers several factors when determining the incentive including financial performance, mission fulfillment and compliance, spokesman Matthew Hartwig said in an email.

The incentive is just one part of USAAs benefits package, which is in the 90th percentile of all companies, he added. The benefits package includes expanded parental leave, retirement contributions, tuition reimbursement and flexible work options.

On ExpressNews.com: USAA returning $520M to members due to COVID-19

Driving the nearly $4.3 billion rise in USAAs revenue last year was a $1.5 billion increase in investment revenue. The 67 percent increase primary was the result of unrealized gains from a stronger equity market.

Not all of the news was positive.

Non-catastrophe losses climbed 6 percent last year on rising numbers of homeowner claims and increasing costs for auto parts and repairs. USAA paid on a total of $15 billion in catastrophe and non-catastrophe claims to members last year.

Earlier this month, USAA joined other insurers in announcing it would give a credit to auto insurance customers because they are driving less during the pandemic. USAA customers will receive a 20 percent credit on two months of premiums, which amounts to a $520 million benefit.

The company also reported increases in operating expenses, primarily associated with compliance and risk management. USAA Federal Savings Banks operations came under scrutiny from bank regulators last year. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a cease-and-desist order against the bank for engaging in unsafe and unsound practices.

Separately, last year, the bank was ordered to pay a $3.5 million civil penalty and $12 million in restitution by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to settle charges that the bank violated banking laws.

USAA, the bank and the USAA Foundation Inc. donated $44 million to support charitable causes last year. About 60 percent went to military-focused causes. USAA employees and retirees volunteered more than 577,000 hours to various causes.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. To read more from Patrick, become a subscriber. pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD
Hong Kong billionaire Charles Brown sees masks as key to reopening European economy

In response to the impact of COVID-19 on European communities, Lake House Group Chairman Charles Brown has donated and coordinated delivery of 2.5 million masks to three European nations in order to stem the spread of the virus. He said "Masks are a low-cost, effective intervention for stopping the spread of the virus and getting people back to work safely."

A Hong Kong native with European roots, Brown has donated one million masks each to the Kingdom of Spain and the Federal Republic of Germany, with an additional 500,000 masks designated for Region Sud in France. "The masks landed in Spain and Germany on 15 and 19 April, respectively, and the masks bound for southern France are currently in transit," reported Torsten Hartmann, Managing Director for Europe in Lake House's London office.

While traveling in Europe prior to widespread lockdowns, Brown noted with concern that few European citizens wore masks in public. Regarding Hong Kong's low number of confirmed cases since the outbreak began there on 23 January, Brown stated "The 2003 SARS epidemic taught Hong Kongers to be vigilant about wearing masks, and that experience shows."

The donation efforts have been spearheaded by Brian Lu, Venture Partner at the Japanese venture capital firm Infinity Ventures, in which Charles Brown is a Limited Partner. The firm's portfolio company, Hong Kong-based logistics startup Buyandship, has worked to ensure the masks are delivered with as little burden as possible on the governments receiving the donations.

According to Lu, "We've seen how tough it's been for governments to obtain masks from trusted sources and get them delivered efficiently, so we're proud to be able to help these countries get masks into people's hands as quickly as possible."

"Giving money is an easy thing if you have it, but a more effective thing is to deliver the goods to the point where they are needed, and that's what we're trying to achieve here," added Lake House's Charles Brown. "I hope our efforts are able to spark other private donors to use their resources and connections to make similar efforts," he said.

About Lake House Group

Established in 1995, Lake House Group is a private investment company founded by Hong Kong native Charles Brown, who is also Chairman Emeritus and Founding Board Member of the United Nations Peace Development Foundation in China. Lake House is led by CEO David Timblick, and invests in businesses across the globe at every stage. With offices in Hong Kong and London, the firm is involved in projects and investments in excess of US$15 billion across 15 countries.

About Infinity Ventures

Infinity Ventures is a venture capital firm, focused on early stage Internet companies, founded in Japan in 2008, with offices in Tokyo, Taipei, and Beijing. The firm manages $255M USD, and has invested in 91 startups and produced 9 IPOs. Since its founding, Infinity Ventures has grown alongside its portfolio companies to build category-leading innovators and unicorns including Groupon, Farfetch, freee, Yeahka, WealthNavi, and 17 Media.

About Buyandship

Buyandship is a cross-border e-commerce logistics company established in 2014. The company provides a one-stop transit service for goods bought in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, and China. Buyandship currently maintains warehouses in multiple countries, with daily scheduled flights to Hong Kong and other markets in Asia.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200428006110/en/

Contacts:

Holly Harrington, Infinity Ventures

holly@infinityventures.com

+886936845447
Ai-Ling Lee was nominated for both sound editing and mixing Oscars for "La La Land." A new Academy rule change consolidates the two categories into one for the 2021 awards: Achievement in Sound. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

They've long talked about it but now they've done it. The motion picture academy's board of governors have consolidated the sound editing and sound mixing categories into one award: Achievement in Sound.

A random sampling of sound professionals who spoke to The Times on Tuesday didn't seem fazed by the change.

"As the winner of what appears to be the last Oscar for sound editing on 'Ford v Ferrari,' I can honestly say that that honor was diminished when the mixers for the show were overlooked," said 2020 winner Don Sylvester. "The sound designers, editors and mixers all worked as a team, and I defy anyone who didnt work on the film to tell me what part of the sound they liked better: the editing or the mixing. Nobody can tell the difference. So the academy did the right thing."

Michael Minkler, a three-time Oscar winner who, along with his son, Christian, was nominated for their work as re-recording mixers on "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood," said, "The subject of combining the award has been discussed for 20 years, both inside the academy sound branch and outside. I've also been involved on those sound branch committees debating the issue. I will go on the record as saying that it is the right decision at the right time."

His son agrees. "As I do admire, appreciate and respect the creative differences of both disciplines, it is apparent to me that the line has been blurred between the two. I do agree with the consolidation of the awards. The collaboration between sound editor and sound mixer has never been more cohesive," added Christian P. Minkler.

At its most elemental, the sound editor collects the film's sounds, including dialogue and effects, while the mixer determines how the audience hears those sounds.

The proposal was set forth by the Sound Award Subcommittee of the Sound Branch Executive Committee of the academy in December after considering the idea for several years. In a Dec. 4., 2019, email to branch membership, governors Kevin Collier, Teri Dorman and Scott Millan made the case for consolidation by pointing out how frequently the two awards went to the same film (eight times in the 13 years the two categories existed). The email also pointed out that every one of those years, at least one film had been nominated in both categories, and in six of the 13 years, the same person had been nominated in both.

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The email also argued that, as technology has advanced, the overlap between the disciplines has grown considerably: The lines that separated our responsibilities to the overall soundtrack of a motion picture are blurring.

Three-time nominee Steve Boeddecker ("Black Panther") said, "The two categories have become blurred and I do believe that consolidating them into one will, hopefully, settle this. I would, however, like to see more members of the team be able to be recognized in this one category."

Leslie Shatz ("12 Years a Slave"; Oscar nominee for "The Mummy") said he was more concerned with where sound is placed in the credits than the department receiving two Oscars. "Not sure why sound should get two Academy Awards. If you look at the nominations most of the time it's the same person or people doing both jobs. Postproduction is now so dependent on computers and software that the division between all the various crafts is becoming more and more blurred. I'm embarrassed when the sound awards come on and there are two. I think that the regular moviegoer must be confused about why."

Skip Lievsay, an eight-time Oscar nominee and a winner for his sound mixing on "Gravity," said, "Im in favor of the move. ... Above all, it looks like our branch has taken the initiative to consolidate our awards in hopes of making the sound awards easier for the public to understand and possibly make the awards show more enjoyable for all concerned. There are many technical concerns that can now be addressed by the nomination process. This will make the sound awards considerably more fair to sound editors and re-recording mixers."
Many Tablighi Jamaat members say they have been quarantined for a month inside centres with poor conditions.

Izhar Ahmad has completed almost a month under quarantine, double the period he was supposed to be in the government isolation ward in the Indian capital, New Delhi, but he wonders why has he still not been allowed to go home.

It has been almost a month and three coronavirus tests done on me which came out negative, but I am still here in this centre, not allowed to meet my family or friends, Ahmad, 40, told Al Jazeera from the quarantine centre in Delhis Wazirabad area.

Ahmad is among thousands of members of a Muslim missionary organisation, Tablighi Jamaat, who were quarantined across the country, after a Jamaat event in Delhi they attended in early March was linked to coronavirus infections.

Hostile media campaign

Since then Jamaat members have been subjected to a hostile media campaign with Hindu far-right groups accusing the Muslim community of spreading the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide.

#CoronaJihad trended on Twitter, with many ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders calling the religious gathering corona terrorism  a term many said hinted at the Islamophobia of the governing party.

Ahmad, 40, who was picked up by police on April 1 from Shastri Park in eastern Delhi, said four to six people were being housed together in makeshift rooms with a lack of fans, making conditions stuffy and humid.

He also expressed frustration over the lack of food for suhoor (the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan) and iftar (Muslims break their fast at sunset with a meal called iftar), making it difficult to observe the fast during the holy month.

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They dont provide food at the time of suhoor and when its time to break our fast, we are given dates and two bananas, he told Al Jazeera.

We want to go home, there is no reason for them to keep us here, especially when I have been tested negative three times.

Ibrahim Sultan, who is at the same camp, said he had twice tested negative. They have taken another test and I am awaiting results, he said.

I want to go back to my family if I dont have corona, we are just waiting here in these poor conditions and its getting difficult for us in the time of Ramadan.

Highlighitng the poor conditions at the quarantine centres, Delhi Minorities Commissions chairman Zafarul Islam Khan on Tuesday demanded the release of Muslims who were kept at the quarantine centres beyond 14 days.





In a letter to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Khan also claimed that facilities for food and medicines at the camps were poor and needed attention.

Earlier this month, two people associated with Tablighi Jamaat died at the Wazirabad quarantine centre, according to local media reports. They were suffering from diabetes and were allegedly not provided with food on time.

It has been 28 days that these people are still in quarantine centres, they are not giving any reason on why they are not being released, Khan told Al Jazeera, adding that Jain has replied to none of his letters.

After our intervention, some fans were provided in the camps and sufficient food.

Al Jazeera tried to contact Health Minister Jain and several other leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs in Delhi, but could not reach them. One AAP leader, who wished to remain anonymous, dubbed the accusation of poor conditions in quarantine centres as a lie.

Jamaat members donate plasma

Despite enduring a vilification campaign, more than 200 Jamaat members who have recovered from COVID-19 have volunteered to donate plasma for the treatment of other patients.

This came after Jamaat head Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi, who is facing criminal charges for organising the March gathering in Delhi, released a statement on Tuesday, requesting Jamaat members donate their blood plasma.

The plasma can only be collected from people who have tested positive and later recovered. Some doctors say people who have recovered from the virus may develop antibodies in their blood, called convalescent plasma, that could be used to fight the disease, although some scientists refute this.

Jamaat has now been hailed by some media as super savers, weeks after being called super spreaders.

I donated plasma today [Wednesday] as I want to help find a cure for this unforgiving virus and help people who are suffering from it, Abdul Manan told Al Jazeera.

If this is the way to help our country in fighting the virus, I am happy to do it several more times if required.
New Delhi, April 29 : "It is like we were going to a battlefield. I feel like someone from the armed forces. I want to do something for my country," said 27-year-old Senior Resident Dr Ajay Mohan from Department of Surgery, who is currently posted in D6 Covid ICU ward of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi. He told IANS what it is like being posted in the highest contagious disease COVID-19 ICU ward.

Doctors are at the forefront of the war against the novel coronavirus. When people across the world are scared to come near a corona patient due to its high level of infectivity, these duty-bound warriors enter the ICU, knowing well hostile environment. Their objective: Do everything to make the patients fit and fine.

Speaking to IANS, Dr Mohan said: "In February when I came to know that my name is listed in the institute circular of doctors posted for Covid duty, it filled me wih pride and excitement -- I was to be a frontline warrior." He said he and his colleagues were in a unique situation. "Very few researches were available then and we did not know much about our safety during our work while treating this particular disease," said At least six Covid patients and suspects are admitted in the ICU during his 6-hour daily shift. The hours increase the stress levels as many patients come in a critical condition.

Talking about his state of mind while donning the complete PPE kit, Dr Mohan said: "It takes around 20 minutes to wear the complete PPE kit. We had workshops on PPE kits in our college." "We have to wear the kit for the entire 6-hour duty. We have to wear it before entering the ICU. Once we are inside the ICU, we are contaminated so we can not exit before our duty ends. During those 6 hours, we can't eat or drink or even use the washroom. It feels very hot after wearing the PPE and once after doffing, our whole body is full of sweat. Also it hurts a lot. The shield which we wear, loses visibility due to sweat and moisture in three to four hours, but we have to keep it on".

He said doffing the PPE is even more time-consuming as there are high chances of contracting infection from the aerosols while taking off the PPE kit. "Doffing takes more than 30 minutes" he said.

Dr Mohan said back in his hometown in Kerala, initially he did not disclose to his parents that he was posted in the COVID ICU. "I never shared with my parents that I'm posted in covid ICU for the initial one week as I knew they would get tense." His brother was posted in a hospital in Wuhan city of China and had seen the devastating conditions there due to COVID-19.

"My brother is also a doctor who volunteered to work in a Wuhan hospital during the pandemic in December and January. He was brought back by the Indian government in February after his duty was over. He had experienced a lot. Even he was scared to know that I was posted for covid duty," said Dr Mohan.

"I get calls thrice a day from my anxious mother," he said.

"Major depressing factor about this situation is that I can't meet my friends inside my campus during these days as I am expected to maintain strict quarantine measures post duty too. But I follow it as last thing I would want is to spread infection to my loved ones," said the doctor.

Talking about health workers getting infected from the coronavirus, Doctor Mohan said: "It is very scary, but most of us are ready to go ahead with our duty as our country needs us".

Echoeing similar sentiments, another doctor, Dr. Sayan Nath who is also currently posted in COVID ICU ward at AIIMS trauma centre, told IANS that this is not the first time that doctors are facing a highly infectious virus.

"There have been many incidents when doctors have contracted diseases like Tubour Celosis from the patients...it's just that we have never spoken about these issues before. This is a professional hazard," said Dr Nath, also a Senior Resident from Department of Anaesthesiology and critical care in AIIMS Delhi.

He said doctors were initially very scared of going to the COVID wards, "but this is part and parcel of our profession, so we have to do it anyway".

"The knowledge about the coronavirus is so dynamic that there is a lot of information and misinformations about the disease. The area where I am working is a very high-risk area because there is maximum amount of viral load. But most of us are doing our jobs with lots of dedication." Doctor Nath said that earlier he was not much worried about the possibility of virus contraction, but ever since he read reports of even young people getting the infection, he is now worried about his safety.

"Initially there were reports that young people are in the low-risk category as far as COVID-19 is concerned. But then I read that even young people died from the disease. I was scared," he said.

The doctor said he feels nervous while donning the PPE kit. "But the moment I enter the ICU, my entire focus shifts to work and serving the patients. I become so absorbed in the work that I forget all my nervousness and other anxieties," said Dr Nath.

About COVID fatality in his ward, he said "Every death feels like a failure for me, but in the medical profession, doctors have to adapt to these situations because if they don't do so, they will not be able to do justice to the next patient they are treating." (Sfoorti Mishra can be contacted on sfoorti.m@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Reserve Bank of India's liquidity support for mutual funds may struggle to be effective, as its success will hang on banks' appetite to take up the risks involved, amid low capital headroom and a likely increase in fresh non-performing loans, according to Fitch

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India's liquidity support measures for mutual funds may struggle to be effective, as its success will hang on banks'' appetite to take up the risks involved, amid low capital headroom and a likely increase in fresh non-performing loans, according to Fitch.

The RBI's Rs 50,000 crore Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds (SLF-MF) will provide 90-day repo funding to banks, to extend liquidity to - or purchase commercial paper and debt securities from - local mutual funds.

The size of the SLF-MF appears broadly commensurate with the scale of the funds most at risk, Fitch notes.

"The official support measures announced for mutual funds in India may struggle to be effective, as undercapitalised banks are unlikely to be tempted to extend liquidity to the sector without capital relief on the facilities," Fitch Ratings said in a statement.

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The facility's structure places the onus on banks to absorb the associated credit and capital risk, which may hinder their willingness to participate, it added.

The move by the banking regulator followed the suspension of redemptions in six Franklin Templeton bond funds, with combined assets under management (AUM) of approximately $4.1 billion equivalent, on 23 April, 2020, and outflows from other funds in March 2020.

Fitch further said that "the success of the SLF-MF will hang on banks' appetite to take up the risks involved, against the system-wide backdrop of low capital headroom and a likely increase in fresh non-performing loans.".

Indian open-end mutual funds saw aggregate outflows of almost 20 percent in March. Within this, overnight funds, the most conservative variant in India, saw assets jump by almost 50 percent, whereas most other fund types saw outflows.

"Fitch believes funds classified as "Credit Risk Funds" are most at risk if redemptions continue (their AUM declined by 10 percent in March), particularly where funds have exposure to less liquid securities, such as unlisted securities, and/or have demonstrably higher risk appetite through exposure to defaulted entities such as IL&FS, Religare Finvest, and/or Dewan Housing," it said.

Fitch said Mutual funds form a conduit between retail and institutional investors and financial markets. Most mutual funds assume liquidity risk, through offering investors the ability to redeem daily, while investing only a limited portion of their portfolios only in risk-free assets or cash.

This liquidity mismatch is most acute in mutual funds investing in illiquid assets such as property. An interruption of, or reduction in, funding provided by mutual funds to major entities or sectors, due to outflows or redemption suspensions, can have material credit implications for entities more reliant on wholesale funding.
The first case of the coronavirus on the a US warship was only discovered a month after it left its last port visit in Hawaii, it emerged today.

The mystery on the USS Kidd ship raises questions about how long the virus can spread silently among a population before it its presence is known.

On April 22, a sailor reported symptoms of COVID-19, more than 30 days after the Navy destroyer had last docked.

A total of 64 sailors had tested positive for the deadly virus as of Tuesday, April 28, after officials tested two-thirds of people on board.

One virologist said the virus may have gone unnoticed for weeks because infected people can spread it without showing any symptoms - and many people never develop the tell-tale signs of the infection.

They may have unknowingly transmitted the virus to others on the ship for weeks before someone finally became ill with the characteristic symptoms.

Or, it's possible that in the days and weeks prior other sailors had signs of the virus but did not report them, either because they were mild or atypical.

The ship pulled into San Diego on Tuesday to disembark the 300-strong crew, isolate and test everyone as well as treat those who are sick.

The Kidd is the second Navy ship to have an outbreak of the disease while at sea, the other being the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier with more than 900 cases of COVID-19.

The first case of the coronavirus on the US warship the USS Kidd was only discovered a month after it left its last port visit in Hawaii, raising questions about how long the virus can silently spread before being noticed. The ship docked in San Diego (pictured) yesterday

A total of 64 sailors had tested positive for the virus as of Tuesday April 28 after officials tested two thirds of people on board. They are pictured on board wearing face masks

The US Kidd had been off the Pacific coast of Central American doing counter-narcotics operations.

News agency Reuters first reported the outbreak and quoted US officials as saying more than a dozen sailors had tested positive for the virus.

Now, a status update provided to Congress reveals that the first sailor showed 'influenza-like' symptoms on April 22, USNI News reports.

The ship had not had any interactions ashore for 30 days, when it had left Hawaii, it is understood.

On April 23, an eight-person medical team brought an Abbott machine with a COVID-19 testing ability aboard to start screening the crew.

From there, the outbreak spread rapidly among the crew. The Navy said that 63 per cent of the Kidd's crew of more than 300 had been tested as of Tuesday.

One sailor was medically evacuated to the US on April 22 after experiencing shortness of breath. Fifteen were transferred to another ship with a medical facility for closer observation of symptoms.

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology, University of Warwick, told MailOnline he 'doesn't understand' why it took so long for someone to develop symptoms on board.

USS Kidd in the Pacific Ocean. On April 28, the Navy said the number of sailors aboard the ship confirmed to be infected with the COVID-19 was 64

First of all, it is unlikely anyone caught the virus from a surface weeks after it was left there by an infected person who sneezed, for example.

'It looks like the virus can be transmitted by shedding on to some surfaces,' Professor Young said. 'But it doesnt stay viable for more three days and even then it has to be a very high dose.'

Professor Young said there is no evidence to support that the first sailor diagnosed with the virus had carried the virus for a month, and it is more likely he was just the first of many to report symptoms.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON AND 'ATYPICAL' SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? The NHS website states that the symptoms of COVID-19 are: A high temperature

A new, continuous cough The World Health Organisation says other indicators include fatigue, aches and pains, a blocked nose, sore throat and diarrhoea. As the coronavirus infects millions globally, anecdotal and scientific studies have spotted some other 'atypical' symptoms: Headaches and dizziness A study in China found that 13 per cent of 214 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 had headaches, and 17 per cent reported dizziness. Overall more than a third reported neurological symptoms. The team explained the symptoms may be due to the way in which the virus attaches to cells in the body - through ACE2 receptors found in human organs and tissues within the nervous system. Loss of taste and smell Data gathered by ENT UK, which represents ear, nose and throat specialists, suggests an inability to smell  and often taste  may be the very first symptom and can start within hours. Those with the symptom are thought to be mostly healthy young adults whose immune systems react sufficiently to the virus to contain it within the nose, preventing it spreading to the lungs, where it can cause potentially fatal pneumonia. Testicular pain In February, scientists in China claimed the virus could attack the male reproductive organs - but there is not enough robust research to prove it. The virus binds to the ACE2 receptors on cells which are found in abundance in the testes, and could lead to 'tissue damage', the team speculated in their paper, which has not been peer-reviewed. A 42-year-old man from America tested positive for the coronavirus after going to hospital with testicular pain, even though there were no signs of abnormalities. Skin changes A study of 88 coronavirus patients at Alessandro Manzoni Hospital in Lecco, northern Italy, found one in five complained of skin manifestations. They had not taken any medications or drugs in the preceding 15 days, which could have caused a skin reaction. 'Numerous cases' of chickenpox-like marks on the feet have been reported in Spain, Italy and France, mostly in children. The phenomenon is not well researched. But one theory is that skin eruptions are caused by the closure of tiny blood vessels, which might be induced by the nervous system in response to the virus. Advertisement

'It's hard to imagine there weren't more people with symptoms,' Professor Young told MailOnline.

'Until we see data on blood samples and swabs from the crew, I suspect there will be people who have had symptoms and not reported them.'

The new coronavirus typically causes a fever and persistent cough in the first stages. It may develop into shortness of breath before becoming serious.

But evidence is emerging that infected people suffer an array of symptoms, including stomach problems, lack of taste, dizziness and headaches, which may go unnoticed.

Professor Young pointed towards studies which have shown a large amount of virus transmission occurs among people who don't show symptoms at all.

It's not clear how many people don't carry symptoms because widespread screening has not been conducted. However there are some clues emerging.

For example, among passengers and crew on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, 46.5 per cent of positive cases were asymptomatic at the time of testing.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by asymptomatic individuals has been clearly documented, a review of literature in the British Medical Journal says.

Mathematical models suggest that 40-80 per cent of transmission events occur from people who are either haven't shown symptoms yet, or don't show symptoms at all.

One study from China, published on April 15, found around 44 per cent of COVID-19 cases may spread before symptoms appear, during the 'pre-symptomatic' period.

The scientists analysed 77 pairs of people in China to calculate at which point one person had infected the other.

Contagiousness starts 2.3 days before symptoms begin and peaks 0.7 days before symptoms start, according to the estimates published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Another study from US health officials published five days ago revealed half of people who tested positive for COVID-19 had no symptoms at the time.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Emergency Response team took swabs from residents in a nursing home in Washington State after the first case was reported. They did it twice, a week apart.

Among 76 residents, 48 (63 per cent) tested positive, half of which had no signs of the virus when they were tested, according to the findings in the New England Medical Journal (NEMJ),

It is notable that 17 of 24 swabs from presymptomatic persons showed detectable levels of the virus up to six days before the development of symptoms.

Commenting on the study, Professor Young said: 'What they demonstrate is that people can spread the virus before they have symptoms themselves. The residents still shed the virus.'

Around four days later, 24 developed symptoms. In the real world, this might be too late to stop them spreading the virus if a person is most infectious before symptoms appear.

Asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been described as 'the Achilles heel' of the COVID-19 pandemic by academics at the University of California.

In a recent editorial in the NEMJ they described how measures to control the outbreak rely on testing people who already have symptoms.

The Kidd is the second Navy ship to have an outbreak of the disease while at sea, the other being the USS Theodore Roosevelt (pictured), an aircraft carrier with more than 900 cases of COVID-19

Pictured: US Navy Hospitalmen assigned to Naval Hospital Guam, take a nasal sample from a sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt

Sailors on the US Kidd and Roosevelt will voluntarily give blood samples to be analysed by scientists who are studying the spread of the virus on the ships. Pictured, Rear Adm. Stu Baker, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, giving blood for a serology study

But studies, such as that by the CDC in a nursing home, 'strongly demonstrate that our current approaches are inadequate' and testing should be expanded to look for asymptomatic cases.

Despite it being unlikely the first diagnosed sailor carried the virus for weeks, Professor Young admitted scientists don't understand everything about the longevity of the virus.

There is some evidence people shed the virus for an abnormal amount of time. Previous research shows that viral shedding lasts 20 days on average, with the longest case reported at 37 days.

One medical paper published in March claimed to have discovered a new mutated sub-type of the coronavirus which has a prolonged ability to infect others.

Experts found an unusual case of a middle-aged man with COVID-19 disease who was infectious for 49 days - a record length of time never reported before.

'What is disturbing, especially as a viral specialist, is we just don't understand the dynamics of the virus and the immune response to it,' Professor Young said.

Officials say those aboard the Kidd are wearing N95 masks, the most robust medical type to prevent disease spread, and other personal protective equipment.

MAN SHEDS VIRUS FOR 49 DAYS, CHINESE STUDY CLAIMS Chinese researchers claimed in March they may have discovered a new mutated sub-type of the novel coronavirus which has a prolonged ability to infect others. Experts found an unusual case of a middle-aged man with COVID-19 disease who was infectious for 49 days - a record length of time never reported before. However, the man's symptoms were mild and the researchers said he appeared to have formed a 'dynamic balance' with the virus. The 'chronic' case indicates a strain which can spread among people for weeks, even if the host doesn't show many symptoms. The study was published on March 27 on medRxiv, a preprint site for scientific medical papers. It means it hasn't been scrutinised by other scientists yet. The Chinese man, who has not been named, visited a hospital in Wuhan to have SARS-CoV-2 tests on February 8, 2020. He stated that he had suffered an intermittent fever for around one week, but had no other common symptoms, such as a cough. COVID-19 testing collected with swabs to the throat tested positive on days 17, 22, 26, 30, 34, 39, 43 and 49. It came back as negative on day 47, which may have been a fluke. This suggests that the patient was 'shedding' the virus for 49 days, a scientific term describing how a person excretes the disease in their breathe or through sneeze and cough droplets. The longer the duration of shedding, the more severe the outcomes tend to be, Dr Li Tan and colleagues said. 'Interestingly, contrary to the conclusions above, we here reported one of the non-severe cases has the longest duration of viral shedding,' the team said. It appears harder to shake off, too. The man needed to be injected with the blood of a COVID-19 survivor in order to recover. Advertisement

After the Navy moved swiftly to dock the Kidd, sailors being removed at San Diego will be isolated with twice-daily medical screenings, US Surface Forces Pacific said in a statement.

Crew members who have tested negative will enter quarantine for a period of observation to see if they develop symptoms later on.

Also, a small contingent of sailors who tested negative will remain on the ship for essential services and deep cleaning.

The cleaning is expected to take two weeks and will be four days longer than the minimum requirement made by the CDC.

It may never be known how the virus spread on the ship - and the same is feared for USS Theodore Roosevelt, the first Navy vessel at sea to report a COVID-19 outbreak.

The nuclear-powered carrier first reported three sailors had the coronavirus on March 24 and docked in Guam on March 27.

The situation spiralled until 585 crew members had tested positive on April 12. One of them, Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr, died the next day.

In addition to the isolation and cleaning measures, the Navy Bureau of Medicine and the CDC will undertake an antibody study to learn more about the spread of the virus.

Sailors will voluntarily give blood samples to be analysed by scientists looking for antibodies, which reveal if someone has already fought the killer infection.

A similar study is underway on the Roosevelt, which has been at the center of a controversy due to the handling of the outbreak.

The captain, Brett Crozier, felt compelled to write to several other commanders pleading for more urgent Navy action to protect his crew of nearly 5,000.

Crozier was then relieved of command for what the Navy's top civilian official at the time, Thomas Modly, called poor judgment.

Modly resigned several days later, and the Navy is now seeking higher-level approval to reverse his move and restore Crozier to command.
FRANKFORT  Michigan's stay at home executive order hadn't been issued yet when Heather and Adreon Kiplinger decided they wanted to help the community by offering free fresh baked bread during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We started it on March 21 with the idea of offering fresh homemade bread," Heather said. "We didn't want it to be day old, we wanted it to be fresh. It is intended for anybody in the community that needs help feeding themselves or their family."

The bread bank runs on the honor system; it is intended for people in need. They can come in and pick up the bread from a rack just inside the front door at Crescent Bakery, no questions asked.

People who know people who need food can also pick bread up and deliver it where needed.

"If somebody knows a family down the street low on food, they can take it to them," Heather said. "The bread is available through business hours throughout the day or until the bread runs out."

The bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Bread for the Bread Bank is baked fresh daily. Heather said about three dozen loaves are baked every day, in several varieties. There is white bread available every day, and the bakery alternates between rustic white and sourdough as a second choice.

"So far we haven't run out," Heather said. "Anything left at the end of the day goes into our freezer and donated to another food bank. I just dropped off a whole freezer full to Benzie Area Christian Neighbors."

She said they have done this with extra bread for years, and also work with Benzie Food Partners and Fresh Wind Christian Community.

Heather said the Bread Bank is a way to give back to a community that helped them out in times of trouble.

"Our son, Lucas, died in October (of 2019) and the community came together to support us," she said. "We wanted to share and give back. When COVID-19 hit and businesses and schools started closing and people were losing their jobs, we wanted to reach out."

Heather said they originally reached out to the local school districts to see if they needed help feeding children, but were told things were covered on the food front. So they decided to come up with the Bread Bank.

"We make good bread, and it can directly make a positive impact on the community," she said. "We're getting lots of support for this. Several businesses and individuals have given us donations to alleviate the financial burden of this, which is appreciated. The community response has been really positive."

The Crescent Bakery is still open for online ordering and curbside pick-up from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Ordering can be done at crescentbakery.com.
New Delhi, April 29 : Former finance minister P. Chidambaram has asked the government why the loans of fugitives like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have been written off.

Chidambaram was commenting in a press conference on ongoing controversy where the Congress has alleged that the government had written off loans of 50 wilful defaulters including Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya.

The former union minister replied to the allegation by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the majority of the loans were given during the UPA government and Modi government is trying to recover that amount.

"Technical loan write off route should not be applied to fugitives," said Chidambaram.

He said in his view technical write-off should not have been done in such cases and asked who is applying these rules.

The war of words between the Congress and the government intensified after the Congress alleged that the government is writing off loans while Information Minister Prakash Javadekar said writing off is not waiving off and asked Rahul Gandhi to take tution from P. Chidambaram.

The Congress on Tuesday slammed the government for writing off loans of top fifty wilful defaulters to the tune of Rs 68,607 crore, saying the government and the Finance Minister should come clean on it. The Congress charged the BJP with helping the defaulters.

"Till April 24, Rs 68,607 crore have been written off by the government. The Prime Minister cannot evade this question by keeping silent," said Congress Chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

The Congress said Rahul Gandhi had asked this question in Parliament, but the government did not respond. "But now an RTI has revealed the magnitude of the waiver," he said.
The higher you fly, the harder you fall. Though in the case of Air Canada (TSX:AC), its not hubris that brought it down from its position as a high-flying growth stock, its the global pandemic. Air Canada has fallen, and its not the only one.

Airlines across the globe have been shutting down operations, but its still not enough to survive with no operational income coming in and long-term and short-term debts eating into their reserve funds and assets.

Virgin Australia, the countrys second-largest airline, has already filed for bankruptcy. Its one of the first major airliners to do so, and according to an estimate, most major airlines may go bankrupt by the end of May, if air travel continues to suffer like this.

The question is, will Air Canada be one of those? Three reasons why Canadas premier airline may go bankrupt are:

A falling sector

No matter how good a company is, its nearly impossible to break away from the gravity of its whole falling sector. When Air Canada restructured, it emerged as an efficient and fast-growing company. Its stock was among the best growth stocks for the past five years, trading on the TSX.

The airline sector is falling. Currently, the reason is COVID-19 spread, and the fear it has instilled in people. But when that is over, an economic crisis and possibly a recession is waiting in the wings.

During a recession, one of the first things that companies cut costs on is travel. People postpone vacations, and only travel when absolutely necessary.

So for the airline sector, the pandemic to recession shift will not be a healthy change. So if normal operations are the only lifeline for Air Canada, against drowning in bankruptcy, its a very thin one.

Thin bailout prospects

A government bailout is perhaps Air Canadas best shot against bankruptcy, but how and when the bailout would come, is yet to be seen. While many agree that a federal bailout will prevent the stock from hitting $0, the terms of the deal might not be so favourable for the company, or for other investors. A bailout could come with severe dilution.

Story continues

While people hoped Warren Buffett, who is famous for buying businesses when they are caught in the rut, might bail the airline out, his recent sell-off of U.S. airlines have put these hopes on hold.

Without a timely bailout, Air Canada can go bankrupt.

Limited freight operation

While air travel is on ice, freight transportation is still busy as ever. Cargo airlines havent suffered alongside the airline sector. In fact, many airlines are trying to temporarily convert their passenger planes into cargo planes to stay afloat. Air Canada itself turned three of its Boeing 777-300ER into cargo jets by removing the passenger seats from the cabins.

This lack of a sizeable freight operation, while not solely primary factor, can be one of the reasons why Air Canada might head for bankruptcy. If it had a decent cargo operation, it would have helped Air Canada stay afloat and keep generating at least enough income to stay ahead of its debt.

Foolish takeaway

Many are starting to wonder whether Air Canada really is too big to fail. The optimism that the Canadian government will not let its flagship airline go into bankruptcy is evaporating.

Its still soon to say with any certainty that Air Canada will go to bankruptcy. But the chances that it can go to bankruptcy are increasing faster than ever.

The post Air Canada (TSX:AC): 3 Reasons It Will Go Bankrupt appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Adam Othman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
Tom Hanks has shared photos of himself donating plasma on Twitter.

The 63-year-old actor performed the good deed last week after he and wife Rita Wilson recovered from COVID-19 and were deemed to be carrying antibodies that could be beneficial to researchers looking to beat the virus.

Hanks shared a photo of a huge bag containing a pale yellow liquid, along with the caption, 'Here's last week's bag of plasma. Such a bag!'

Good deed indeed: Tom Hanks has shared photos of himself donating plasma on Twitter

He continued the caption, 'After the paperwork, its as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx'.

The couple's blood will be used by medical researchers who are developing a vaccine for coronavirus after they won their battle with the illness.

The beloved actor joked about the creation of a 'Hank-ccine' while appearing on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! earlier this month.

The married couple were among the first high-profile individuals to contract COVID-19 - which infects the respiratory system and can be fatal - and they fell ill whilst in Australia where Tom Hanks was making his new movie, Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.

'Hank-ccine': Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's blood will be used by medical researchers who are developing a vaccine for coronavirus after they won their battle with the illness. The couple are seen in January 2020 above

Yowzer: Hanks shared a photo of a huge bag containing a pale yellow liquid, along with the caption, 'Here's last week's bag of plasma. Such a bag!'

Ouch! He continued the caption, 'After the paperwork, its as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx'

After going public with their diagnosis and keeping fans updated on their condition whilst in isolation Down Under, they made a full recovery and were allowed to return to their home in Los Angeles.

Upon arriving back in the US, Tom and Rita enrolled in a medical study to determine if their antibodies would be useful for scientists working on developing a vaccine.

Now the Saving Private Ryan star has revealed that they have been approved to donate blood because they do 'carry the antibodies'.

Tom hopes if his and his wife's blood proves to be useful in the fight against coronavirus and has joked he's responsible for the creation of a 'Hank-ccine'.

Under the weather down under: The married couple were among the first high-profile individuals to contract COVID-19 and they fell ill whilst in Australia where Tom Hanks was making his new movie, Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis Presley biopic

Antibodies: Upon arriving back in the US, Tom, 63, and Rita, 63, enrolled in a medical study to determine if their antibodies would be useful for scientists working on developing a vaccine

On the public radio game show he said: 'We just found out that we do carry the antibodies.

WHAT ARE THE CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS? The virus, called COVID-19, is transmitted from person to person via droplets when an infected person breathes out, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread via contaminated surfaces such as door handles or railings. Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Mild cases can cause cold-like symptoms including a sore throat, headache, fever, cough or trouble breathing. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory illness, kidney failure and death. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Advertisement

'We have not only been approached; we have said, do you want our blood? Can we give plasma? And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine.'

The Forrest Gump actor previously revealed that his producer-and-actress wife Rita suffered much worse coronavirus symptoms than he did and he was concerned for her health.

He said: 'Rita went through a tougher time than I did. She had a much-higher fever and she had some other symptoms.

'She lost her sense of taste and smell. She got absolutely no joy from food for a better part of three weeks. She was so nauseous, she had to crawl on the floor from the bed to the facilities. It lasted a while.'

Now that Tom and Rita are back on their feet, their using their energy to advocate for mail-in voting.

'We as Americans and as voters should be able to request the options that work for us,' Wilson said. 'We don't want to have to risk our health or our vote. So to make that easy, mail-in ballot, absentee ballot, I think that's a really great compromise.'

The Oscar-winning actor then thanked essential workers during the current public health crisis.

The virtual parties began in late March and often include celebrity endorsement. On Monday night, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson took part in the livestream broadcast

'We can wash our hands, we can responsibly social distance, we can wear the masks,' Hanks said. 'We can do these things. Some of it is literally the least we can do. But the most we can do is give some props and some credit to all those people who are out there: first responders, delivery people, shelve stockers, food folks. Everybody that's working on food banks all around the country in order to keep us all moving.'

'In November, we need to have every voice heard,' Wilson said. 'It's important.'

'As Michelle [Obama] once said, democracy moved forward, man. It's always on the march,' Hanks added. 'And that means we gotta join the parade.'
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, has said the bags of rice distributed to states were tested by the National Agency for Food Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC).

However, NAFDAC has dismissed the ministers claim, saying it was never invited to inspect the rice sent to Oyo, especially those that were reportedly contaminated.

The federal government had ordered the Nigeria Customs Service to donate 1,800 bags of rice each to Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states, and 800 bags to Ondo State as parts of efforts to cushion the effects of coronavirus on residents of the four states.

However, three days after taking delivery of the rice, Oyo State Government, through the special adviser to the governor, Debo Akande, at a press conference rejected the rice, saying they were not fit for human consumption.

Ms Farouq while reacting to this claim said the rice was handed over by the Nigerian Customs Service having being assessed by NAFDAC.

As you may recall, we mentioned here that we distributed the rice relief to the states. The rice was handed over to us by the Nigerian Customs Service and it was assessed by NAFDAC, who issued a clearance before the goods were released for onward distribution to the states.

So, as far as we are concerned, the rice was certified fit for human consumption, she said.

The Nigeria Customs Services Oyo/ Osun Area Command, also told PREMIUM TIMES that Oyo State government was not fair to the service.

The public relations officer of the command, Abdullah Lagos, said the command suspected foul play.

We gave 1,800 to Oyo, 1,800 to Osun, 800 to Ondo and 1,800 to Ekiti. We did not choose for them. Why is it that it is only Oyo State that is rejecting the rice, he said.

Contrary to the claim of the Customs chief, however, Ondo State also complained that some of the rice it got was unfit for consumption.

Counter claim

However, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye said her agency was not invited to test the rice distributed to Oyo State as claimed by the minister.

Mrs Adeyeye who spoke on Channels TV on Tuesday said the agency was only invited to take samples of rice from Idi-Iroko, Ikeja, and Ogun state but was not asked to test and certify the ones in Ibadan from where other South-west states got their allocations.

We got an invitation to sample rice from Idi-Iroko from Ogun and Ikeja Customs. Our staff went to Idi-Iroko and Ogun to sample the rice and they also went to Ikeja to sample rice, some of the samples are still in our lab in Oshodi. We tested the samples and they passed.

The one for Oyo State, I cannot say anything because NAFDAC was not called by the Ibadan Command or the South-west command of customs to come and check samples in Ibadan.

So, I cannot say anything about the Ibadan Command rice that went to Oyo and possibly to Osun State, Mrs Adeyeye said.

Minister insists rice was inspected

Mrs Farouq while speaking at the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday said members of her ministry got a certificate issued by NAFDAC.

We still stand by what we said because this was what was conveyed to us by Customs and we have a certificate to that effect.

The certificate indicated that the rice given to us is fit for human consumption and that was before I even flagged-off the distribution in Lagos state. We will make that certificate available later today,  she noted.

She, however, said both agencies of government (customs, NAFDAC) would sort out the obvious communication gap.

Let me also remind us that NAFDAC, Customs, and the ministry respect each others mandate while carrying out our respective responsibilities.

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So Nigerian Customs Service and NAFDAC, I am sure will sort the communication gap and we will report back to this platform once that is done, she said.
UNHCR Malaysia News  UNHCR Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, 28 April 2020  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency denies the false text message that has been circulating in Malaysia in recent days, alleging that the agency provides daily cash assistance to all refugees in Malaysia.

The agency also denies that refugees benefit from Government assistance such as public welfare and health subsidies.

UNHCRs approach all over the world is to ensure refugees are able to be self-reliant, and not rely on handouts. We work with partners including NGOs and the private sector to help refugees be better able to take care of their families through income-generating projects, and build their capacity through vocational trainings, whenever possible.

UNHCR, private sector, NGOs, and civil society also continue to advocate with the Government for access to legal work for refugees. This would allow those recognized as refugees the opportunity to work lawfully and would provide a source of willing labour to support the Malaysian economy. Access to legal work would also transform the quality and protection of refugees lives in terms of enhancing self-reliance.

Greater self-reliance among refugee communities would lead to better health and education. At the same time, it would provide a stronger basis for refugees to contemplate their future options, including returning to their home countries with transferrable skills to start their new lives when that is possible.

For highly vulnerable refugees, UNHCR provides time-limited financial. Highly vulnerable refugees can include refugees with life-threatening illnesses who are unable to support their families, single women head of households with no income, the elderly with no family, refugees with disabilities, and others.

Assessment is made on a case by case basis by trained social workers in order to determine if a person requires financial assistance, medical assistance, or other kinds of support.

Regrettably, due to very limited budget allocations, such support can only be given to very few families.
LANSING, MI -- The number of new COVID-19 cases in the state spiked north Tuesday as Michigan continue to closely monitor the spread of the virus. In particular Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said restrictions on certain businesses will only be lifted once data on the spread reaches a certain level. Once cases are within that range, Whitmer says she would begin to reopen certain portions of the economy.

On the flip side, state senators say elective medical and dental procedures must be allowed once again, along with construction work if legislatures are to consider an extension of the state-of-emergency order. Even with those considerations, the Speaker of the House isnt so sure the extension will be granted.

Below is a look at the most recent developments related to the crisis.

Michigan closing in on 40K COVID-19 cases as count spikes Tuesday

If Michigan were a country, it would rank 14th in the world for most coronavirus cases and 12th in the world for most COVID-19 deaths, per numbers from Johns Hopkins University, NPR and the New York Times. That news comes as Michigan health officials revealed 1,052 new confirmed cases and 160 new deaths in the state Tuesday.

Michigan has now reported 39,262 confirmed cases and 3,567 deaths thanks to the COVID-19 virus. Its worth noting that only 120 of the new deaths actually occurred in the last 24 hours. The other 40 were attributed to residents who tested positive for the virus died, but wasnt already on the list of coronavirus deaths.

Michigan reports the number of daily tests it does two days after theyre done. The most recent data available is from Sunday, April 26, when 5,330 tests were done  a few thousand tests fewer than days prior. Of Sundays tests, 10.5 percent came back positive, the lowest rate since March 16.

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Michigan House Speaker not sold on extending state of emergency

On the heels of Gov. Whitmer announcing she would seek an extension of the state of emergency, House Speaker Lee Chatfield says hes not sure the extension is necessary. In an interview with MLive, Chatfield said he was pleased some of the restrictions eased in the stay-at-home order, but further action needed to be negotiated in order for the state-of-emergency to be extended.

It is a possibility that the state of emergency isnt extended and then what that would require...is a partnership between the legislature and the executive moving forward, where we get back to the business of passing bills and having them signed, he said.

Senate to Whitmer: Allow elective medical procedures, construction to resume

One of the key issues for state senators considering an extension on the state-of-emergency order is lifting restrictions preventing certain businesses from operating. The Senate adopted two resolutions Tuesday, 111 and 112, that ask Whitmer to return the decision on whether to provide elective procedures and surgeries to health care providers and bring the states stay-at-home order in line with the latest federal guidelines defining essential critical infrastructure workers.

If approved, the resolutions would ease up on bans against elective medical and dental procedures and allow additional businesses to open in the states ongoing COVID-19 stay-at-home order.

Coronavirus was tailor made to destroy dense black communities

State Rep. Tyrone Carter says a lack of access to quality, affordable health care in the black community is one of many reasons the coronavirus has killed a disproportionately high number of black people in Michigan and Detroit. Carter, a survivor of the COVID-19 virus is one of many state leaders looking at how the virus has impacted the black community and how the current system helped create the issues.

Thirty-two percent of all confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan involved black patients, yet they make up about 13.6 percent of the states 10 million people. More than 40 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the state are African Americans.

Hiram E. Jackson, the publisher of the Detroit-based Michigan Chronicle, a publication focused on black issues, said this crisis was tailor made for devastation in the black community as we are structured now.

Facebook deletes event page for rally planned in Lansing

A protest scheduled at Michigan Capitol Thursday that was planned and shared on Facebook was deleted by the social media giant according to spokespeople with Facebook.

The event titled Rally on the State Capitol Lawn" was created earlier this month to organize the protest, which is slated for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Lansing. However, the protests event page was taken down by Facebooks staff, according to a company spokesperson who said events that defy governments guidance on social distancing arent allowed on the platform.

In states like Michigan where social distancing is required for protests during the COVID-19 crisis, Facebook requires protests organized on its site to make clear calls for social distancing or the event page will be deactivated.

Universities bleeding money during coronavirus pandemic

With college campuses shuttered across the state the financial pinch is starting to be felt by universities all over Michigan. Wage reductions, furloughs, hiring freezes and other options are being considered as universities remain uncertain about what the future holds.

Officials dont know if distance learning will continue into the fall, whether students will postpone going to college if the public health threat doesnt subside or if a drastic drop in tax collections might mean a loss in much-needed state funding. Read more about the issue and how universities are trying to address the problem.

Detroit auto plants could remain closed for two more weeks

Negotiations are ongoing, but it appears autoworkers with Detroits big three wont be returning to work for another couple weeks. Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler are working out a deal with United Auto Workers to get plants back open in the near future.

The companies have pledged to monitor workers temperatures, redesign work stations and stagger shifts to minimize contact with others, require masks, gloves and other protection equipment, and frequently sanitize factories in an effort to keep workers safe, according to AP.

Silly walks help community come together during pandemic

Residents in an Ypsilanti neighborhood are inviting the rest of the city in engaging in Monty Python style silly walks." The residents of Normal Park have been spending their evenings making silly walks on the streets as they look for new ways to get exercise.

Its good to have a little change, Cami Fussey, Ypsilanti Ministry of Silly Walks organizer, said. Its good to have things where you stop thinking about the world for a minute and you just have fun with whats right in front of you.

Pug tests positive for COVID-19, first known dog case in U.S.

A pug living with three humans in North Carolina has become the first dog known to have contracted the COVID-19 virus in the U.S. The dog and all three humans have the virus but the pug is now recovering.

While it appears that animals can contract the novel coronavirus from humans, there is no evidence to suggest the virus can pass from animal to humans, authorities have said. Pet owners diagnosed with the virus should avoid contact with their animals as much as possible.

DNR to resume issuing burn permits

One month after suspending open burning across the state in response to COVID-19 concerns, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will begin issuing burn permits again, starting Tuesday. The burn ban originally started as a way to allow first-responders to be available for emergencies related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, officials say the states firefighters are in a better place to respond to potential burn issues and with the weather changing, local fire danger warnings are more effective.

Michigan spends $3.1M in liquor buyback program

A state program that allowed liquor licensees in Michigan to sell unused liquor to the state appears to have been successful. The state reports spending at least $3.1 million on the program with more applications being processed. The deadline to file for the program was last Friday.

The program gave licensees the option to sell liquor purchased prior to March 16 to the state. The licensee would then not have to buy the liquor back until 90 days after the state of emergency order is lifted. The state will not take possession of the liquor.

Holland asks visitors to stay away after coronavirus cancels Tulip Time

Its that time of the year when Holland becomes one of the most visited cities in the state as the famed tulips have bloomed. However, officials are asking people around the state to refrain from visiting this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Our first responsibility is to keep our residents safe and asking visitors to stay home this year is the right but very difficult thing to do, Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks said.

We look forward to welcoming visitors back to Holland soon and certainly to enjoy the tulips of 2021.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus
New Delhi, April 29 : To stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, inter-state borders connecting Delhi to the neighbouring states have been sealed, which is now causing problems in the movement of workers engaged on essential services.

When IANS visited the border on Wednesday, layers of barricading and security checks were being carried out and each vehicle crossing the borders was being checked thoroughly.

As strict protocols are being followed to allow entry and exit through the Delhi-Faridabad Border, many people are sent back from the border.

Speaking to IANS, Khushboo who works at Hind Labs in Delhi's R.K. Puram area, said, "We are carrying our ID cards, yet they are not allowing us to go. If this remains the case, how would we help the public at large?" Arun, who works with Apollo Pharmacy and is engaged in supply of medicines, said he is in medical line, but is not being allowed to go to his home in Faridabad. "Our passes are not being considered. We are repeatedly told that we don't have permission. We are not being allowed to go to our homes," he said.

Another person engaged in essential services of dairy products, Narendra, said, "I am not being allowed to go to Faridabad, where I have my cattle." Neighbouring Haryana sealed it borders recently and imposed strict restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles to and from the borders.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 31,787 on Wednesday evening, with 1,813 cases and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry stated. This takes the total recovery rate to 24.5 per cent.

"We sealed the interstate borders in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. We are allowing the essential services so that normal public does not face any inconvenience," Faridabad ACP Dhaarna Yadav told IANS.

She said tucks carrying essential services are being allowed and the locals have been advised to get their treatment done in nearby hospitals.

"There are many people who are roaming without any urgent reason. People should not come out of their home without any reason", she said.

"I understand that a small section of population is being inconvenienced, but we have to understand that these are challenging times for the nation. All of us should adapt ourselves to the new circumstances. There is no need to panic."
At least seven people have died and more than two dozen have been infected with the coronavirus at one long-term care facility in Vancouver, according to a report from KGW.

The first case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, was confirmed in a staff member at the Highgate Senior Living facility on April 5, Clark County Public Health director Alan Melnick told KGW.

As of Wednesday, seven have died and at least 18 residents and eight staff members have contracted the illness, Melnick said. The facility is home to about 60 residents and represents one of the biggest clusters of coronavirus cases in southwest Washington.

Assisted living facilities like this are more like home environments where people spend time in close contact with one another, Melnick said.

Oregon long-term facilities have seen their own troubling outbreaks. The Lebanon Veterans Home has seen at least 38 confirmed cases and seven deaths. Healthcare at Foster Creek in Southeast Portland has seen more than 100 cases and 21 deaths.

As of Tuesday, at least 57 people from nursing and assisted living homes had died, out of 99 total coronavirus deaths in the state, according to Oregon Health Authority data.

In Clark County, Amelia Adkins, a spokeswoman for the Highgate facility, said all residents have been tested, no new residents have been admitted and visitors have been banned. Still, the outbreak has taken a toll on both residents and staff she said.

Our hearts go out to all that are affected, even those who tested negative. Its been a really hard time, Adkins told KGW.

-- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 22:45:05

The financial and operational information contained in this press release is based on unaudited consolidated condensed interim financial statements presented in U.S. dollars and prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board and adopted by the European Union, or IFRS. Additionally, this press release includes non-IFRS alternative performance measures i.e., EBITDA, Net cash / debt and Free Cash Flow. See exhibit I for more details on these alternative performance measures.



LUXEMBOURG, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tenaris S.A. (NYSE and Mexico: TS and MTA Italy: TEN) (Tenaris) today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 in comparison with its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Summary of 2020 First Quarter Results

(Comparison with fourth and first quarter of 2019)

1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 Net sales ($ million) 1,762 1,741 1 % 1,872 (6 %) Operating (loss) income ($ million) (510 ) 152 (436 %) 259 (297 %) Net (loss) income ($ million) (666 ) 148 (548 %) 243 (374 %) Shareholders net (loss) income ($ million) (660 ) 152 (535 %) 243 (372 %) (Loss) earnings per ADS ($) (1.12 ) 0.26 (535 %) 0.41 (372 %) (Loss) earnings per share ($) (0.56 ) 0.13 (535 %) 0.21 (372 %) EBITDA* ($ million) 280 290 (4 %) 390 (28 %) EBITDA margin (% of net sales) 15.9 % 16.7 % 20.9 %

*EBITDA is defined as operating (loss) income plus depreciation, amortization and impairment charges / (reversals). EBITDA includes severance charges of $23 million in Q1 2020. If these charges were not included EBITDA would have been $303 million (17.2%).

These first quarter results include the consolidation of IPSCO which we acquired on January 2, 2020. Our sales in the first quarter remained in line with those of the previous quarter even after the integration of IPSCO, reflecting a low sales backlog at the completion of the acquisition and continuing declines in key markets in North and South America during the period as well as ongoing destocking actions at Aramco. Our EBITDA declined 4% sequentially to $280 million affected by losses at IPSCO and severance charges amounting to $23 million, primarily in North America.

Our operating income includes impairment charges of $622 million on the carrying value of goodwill and other assets in the United States, mainly related to the former IPSCO business and our welded pipe operations. These impairment charges reflect the severe change in business conditions we are experiencing with the collapse in oil demand and prices, and their impact on drilling activity and the demand for steel pipe products, resulting from the ongoing measures taken around the world to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on economic activity. Our net income for the quarter was further affected by: i) the impact of currency devaluations on income tax and foreign exchange results and ii) a lower contribution from our equity investments.

During the quarter, we reduced our working capital by $317 million, reflecting reductions in receivables and inventories. With operating cash flow of $516 million and capital expenditures of $68 million, our free cash flow amounted to $448 million (25% of revenues). After paying $1.1 billion for the acquisition of IPSCO in January 2020, at March 31, 2020 our positive net cash position amounted to $271 million.

Market Background and Outlook

The rapid decline in economic activity and unprecedented collapse in global oil demand as a result of the measures taken to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has resulted in an equally unprecedented collapse in oil prices, due to the imbalance between production, storage capacity and demand. At this moment, it is not possible to determine how long it will take for economic activity and oil and gas demand to recover and for supply and demand to rebalance. In this environment, investments in exploration and production of oil and gas are being severely curtailed and are not expected to recover in the short term.

We are taking action to preserve adequate levels of operation while protecting the health and safety of our employees, fulfill our commitments to customers, strengthen the medical response capability in the local communities where we have our operations and ensure the financial stability of the company.

To mitigate the impact of expected lower sales, we are working on a worldwide rightsizing program and cost containment plan aimed at preserving financial resources and liquidity and maintaining the continuity of our operations. The actions include:

adjusting the level of our operations and workforce around the world, including the temporary closure of facilities and production lines in the USA; downsizing our fixed cost structure, including pay reductions for the board and senior management with aggregated cost savings of approximately $220 million by year end; reducing capital expenditures and R&D expenses by approximately $150 million compared to 2019; proposing to limit the payment of the dividend in respect of the 2019 fiscal year to the $153 million payment already made as an interim dividend during November; reducing working capital in accordance with activity levels.

For the second quarter of 2020, we are expecting a substantial reduction in sales and margins, particularly in the Americas, though sales in the rest of the world may remain more stable. In this highly uncertain environment, sales could be around 35% lower than the first quarter and our EBITDA margin, excluding restructuring charges, could fall to a high single digit. We do, however, expect to reduce working capital further and continue to generate positive free cash flow.

Annual Dividend Proposal

The board of directors proposes, for the approval of the annual general shareholders meeting to be held on June 2, 2020, to limit the dividend in respect of the 2019 fiscal year to the $153 million payment already made as an interim dividend in November 2019.

Analysis of 2020 First Quarter Results Tubes Sales volume (thousand metric tons) 1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 Seamless 665 641 4 % 640 4 % Welded 170 164 4 % 184 (8 %) Total 835 805 4 % 824 1 %





Tubes 1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 (Net sales - $ million) North America 878 779 13 % 893 (2 %) South America 224 265 (15 %) 330 (32 %) Europe 134 153 (13 %) 158 (15 %) Middle East & Africa 331 352 (6 %) 301 10 % Asia Pacific 90 82 10 % 81 11 % Total net sales ($ million) 1,657 1,631 2 % 1,763 (6 %) Operating (loss) income ($ million) (478 ) 138 (446 %) 238 (301 %) Operating margin (% of sales) -28.8 % 8.5 % 13.5 %

Net sales of tubular products and services increased 2% sequentially but declined 6% year on year. Sequentially a 4% increase in volumes was partially offset by a 2% decrease in average selling price. In North America sales increased 13% sequentially, reflecting the increase from the integration of IPSCO and the Canadian seasonal effect. In South America sales declined 15% sequentially, reflecting declining sales in Argentina and Colombia but a good quarter for sales of large diameter casing for offshore drilling in Brazil. In Europe sales decreased 13% due to declining level of sales in line pipe for downstream projects and OCTG in the North Sea as COVID-19 restrictions start to become effective. In the Middle East and Africa sales decreased 6% sequentially, reflecting lower sales in Saudi Arabia due to ongoing destocking by Aramco partially compensated by deliveries of offshore line pipe to a project in West Africa. In Asia Pacific sales increased 10% thanks to an increase in sales in Australia and China.

Operating result from tubular products and services amounted to a loss of $478 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to gains of $138 million in the previous quarter and $238 million in the first quarter of 2019. In this quarter, we recorded an impairment of $582 million on our Tubes segment, affecting our welded pipe assets in the U.S. and the newly acquired IPSCO business. Additionally, during the quarter we had severance charges of $23 million.

Others 1Q 2020 4Q 2019 1Q 2019 Net sales ($ million) 105 109 (4 %) 109 (4 %) Operating (loss) income ($ million) (32 ) 14 (329 %) 21 (252 %) Operating margin (% of sales) -30.2 % 12.6 % 19.1 %

Net sales of other products and services decreased 4% sequentially and year on year. The sequential decrease in sales is mainly related to lower sales of coiled tubing partially offset by improvement in other businesses. During the quarter Others segment operating income was affected by impairment charges of $40 million related to the sucker rods and coiled tubing businesses in the United States.

Selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A, amounted to $357 million, or 20.3% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2020, compared to $349 million, 20.0% in the previous quarter and $345 million, 18.5% in the first quarter of 2019. Sequentially, our amortization of intangibles increased by $20 million: $8 million due to the integration of IPSCO and $12 million due to a one-off charge as IPSCOs software was fully amortized. Additionally, our selling expenses increased $11 million and we had leaving indemnities related to administrative workers of $10 million, partially offset by a decline in services and fees of $10 million (consultancy and legal fees in the previous quarter related to acquisition of IPSCO) and $13 million lower taxes.

Other operating results included an impairment of $622 million on our U.S. businesses, mainly our welded pipe assets and the newly acquired IPSCO business.

Financial results amounted to a loss of $22 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to a loss of $7 million in the previous quarter and a gain of $24 million in the first quarter of 2019. The loss of the quarter corresponds mainly to an FX loss, net of derivatives results of $18 million from a 29% Brazilian Real devaluation on intercompany debt denominated in U.S. dollars at our Brazilian subsidiary which functional currency is the Brazilian Real. This result is to a large extent offset by changes to our currency translation reserve.

Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies generated a gain of $2 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to a gain of $13 million in the previous quarter and a gain of $29 million in the first quarter of 2019. This quarters results reflect a gain from our investment in Techgen, partially offset by a loss in Ternium (NYSE:TX).

Income tax charge amounted to $136 million in the first quarter of 2020, compared to $10 million in the previous quarter and $70 million in the first quarter of 2019. During this quarter we recorded deferred tax charges of $111 million related to the devaluation of several currencies against the U.S. dollar, mainly the effect of the 25% devaluation of the Mexican Peso on the tax base used to calculate deferred taxes at our Mexican subsidiaries which have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency.

Cash Flow and Liquidity

Net cash provided by operations during the first quarter of 2020 was $516 million, compared with $264 million in the previous quarter and $548 million in the first quarter of 2019. Working capital decreased by $317 million, reflecting, in part, the reduction in activity and expected demand.

Capital expenditures amounted to $68 million for the first quarter of 2020, compared to $80 million in the previous quarter and $86 million in the first quarter of 2019.

Free cash flow of the quarter amounted to $448 million (25% of revenues), compared to $184 million in the previous quarter and $462 million in the first quarter of 2019.

After paying $1.1 billion for the acquisition of IPSCO in January 2020, at March 31, 2020 our positive net cash position amounted to $271 million.

Conference call

Tenaris will hold a conference call to discuss the above reported results, on April 30, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). Following a brief summary, the conference call will be opened to questions. To access the conference call dial in +1 866 789 1656 within North America or +1 630 489.1502 Internationally. The access number is 7090759. Please dial in 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. The conference call will be also available by webcast at ir.tenaris.com/events-and-presentations.

A replay of the conference call will be available on our webpage http://ir.tenaris.com/ or by phone from 1.00 pm ET on April 30, through 1.00 pm on May 8, 2020. To access the replay by phone, please dial +1855 859 2056 or +1 404 537 3406 and enter passcode 7090759 when prompted.

Some of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements. These risks include but are not limited to risks arising from uncertainties as to future oil and gas prices and their impact on investment programs by oil and gas companies.

Consolidated Condensed Interim Income Statement (all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars) Three-month period ended March 31, 2020 2019 Continuing operations Unaudited Net sales 1,762,311 1,871,759 Cost of sales (1,293,665 ) (1,271,799 ) Gross profit 468,646 599,960 Selling, general and administrative expenses (357,045 ) (345,366 ) Impairment charge (622,402 ) - Other operating income (expense), net 1,256 4,422 Operating (loss) income (509,545 ) 259,016 Finance Income 1,877 10,461 Finance Cost (8,442 ) (6,982 ) Other financial results (15,742 ) 20,915 (Loss) income before equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies and income tax (531,852 ) 283,410 Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies 1,889 29,135 (Loss) income before income tax (529,963 ) 312,545 Income tax (135,769 ) (69,956 ) (Loss) income for the period (665,732 ) 242,589 Attributable to: Owners of the parent (660,068 ) 242,879 Non-controlling interests (5,664 ) (290 ) (665,732 ) 242,589




JACKSON, MI  Karson, Landon and Mason Schroeder used their Christmas money to buy a 3D printer more than a year ago.

Their plan was to start a business, KLS Custom 3D Printing, as a hobby. They partnered with Jackson-area schools to make key chains and bookmarks but their focus shifted three weeks ago.

The 15-year-old Jackson triplets, who attend Northwest High School, are now using their 3D printer to make 25 to 30 face mask adapters daily to help essential workers they have never met all across the country during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Weve got a ton of orders in Jackson and we also got some from the Detroit area because theyre really in need right now, Karson said.

The adapters have gone to nurses, doctors, corrections officers, truck drivers, medical staff, mental health workers, office secretaries, dental staff, infectious disease staff, and any essential workers that need them, Landon said.

Face mask straps are hooked onto the adapter, which is placed at the back of the head. By moving the straps off the ears, this relieves the tension for workers who are wearing masks for hours at a time.

The Schroeders read there was a need for the adapters on 3D printing websites, found a template and have printed approximately 500 adapters to date. A small portion of the adapters also were made by Northwest Elementary fifth-grader Bailey Krutsch.

(Customers) have given us really good feedback, like how much better it feels because it helps to loosen the tension, Landon said. They said it feels so much better, so much more comfortable and that they would love to order more if we get a chance once we finish some of them up.

Each adapter costs no more than 10 cents to make and the triplets have donated each one theyve made, shipping included. Through word of mouth and social media, the brothers have received orders from Ohio, Alabama, Arizona, Iowa and Massachusetts.

It's so cool to know that you're helping people that you've never even seen before that live like 400 miles away from you, Karson said.

The boys also have received around $250 in donations, which has been put toward covering the cost of shipping, their largest expense. Due to mail systems being overwhelmed, they are now shipping all products via priority mail to ensure faster delivery, Landon said.

KLS Custom 3D Printing will continue taking and donating orders for the foreseeable future, the boys said. To place an order for face mask adapters, fill out this form.

I'm definitely super proud of them, Erica Schroeder, the triplets mother, said. They came up with these ideas on their own and just kind of brought this to my husband and me. I'm just really excited to see the things that they can do. I'm amazed at the progress and stuff that they're coming up with.

Any questions can be directed to kls.3dprinting@gmail.com.

We just want to help every single person we can, Karson said.
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As many as 268 passengers, who had been stranded in India after a nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) were rescued by a Qatar Airways special flight on Wednesday.

The flight departed for London from Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International airport, Amritsar, on Wednesday morning.

Amritsar airports director Manoj Chansoria said, The Amritsar to London flight carrying 268 passengers, including Indians, took off at 2.53 am.

The passengers reportedly included 222 British citizens and 44 Indians.

The UKs foreign and commonwealth Office (FCO) had on Friday announced that 14 charter flights from India, which included eight from Amritsar, five from Ahmedabad and one from Delhi, would repatriate British residents stranded in India.

The FCO had said 3,600 more stranded travellers will be able to return from India in charters scheduled between April 28 and May 4.

On Tuesday, two charter flights had ferried 550-odd passengers from Amritsar airport.

So far, 11 flights have evacuated thousands of passengers, most of whome were stuck in Punjab, from Amritsar airport to London. Five more flights will depart for London in the next few a days.

Sources said the waiting list of passengers from Punjab was still high and more flights are expected to be announced from Amritsar to London.
Washington: President Donald Trump is still all-in on getting re-elected, but he's also set to take the first steps to formally prepare someone else to take over if he loses on November 3.

Trump is standing up a council under the first deployment of the Presidential Transition Act by an incumbent running for another term after Congress moved in 2015 to better ensure continuity of government when one president hands off to another.

US President Donald Trump listens during a meeting about the coronavirus in the White House, Credit:AP

Making sure presidential candidates are ready to take charge of the federal government became a priority after the September 11 attacks, but the effort takes on new urgency because of the coronavirus pandemic and associated economic turmoil.

"The relevance of transition planning has intensified since it could be the first election since 1932 where we had more than 20 per cent unemployment, more than twice as high as the unemployment rate in 2008," said David Marchick, director of the Centre for Presidential Transition at the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.
Photo: Bernt Rostad/Flickr

Here's what you need to know about what's happening in Chicago. Police release video from Red Line station shooting Read the full story on Chicago Tribune. Fat Rice reopens as Super Fat Rice Mart with meal kits Read the full story on Chicago Tribune. JetBlue seeks to temporarily suspend Chicago flights as demand plummets Read the full story on Chicago Tribune. 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.

New video from a police-involved shooting that wounded a man at a Red Line subway station earlier this year was released on Tuesday.

The acclaimed restaurant in Logan Square, which was inspired by the cuisine of Macau, opened in 2012.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) is to write to the Garda Commissioner after verbal abuse was allegedly directed towards a member.

The association said it happened at a Covid-19 checkpoint in Dublin yesterday.

The AGSI strongly condemned what it describes as the "abuse and vitriol" faced by one of its members at the checkpoint.

It said a video posted on social media, which has had over 122,000 views, shows an officer being subjected to "abuse and threats".

The association's General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham described it as totally unacceptable, saying it crossed the line of acceptable questioning of gardai's role in the public health crisis.

"Threats such as this is coming to an end very soon and you will be reminded who is in charge and who are your masters and abuse such as you are a disgrace to this country is despicable behaviour towards frontline members playing a crucial public health role  members who are putting their own lives at risk," Ms Cunningham said.

She said she will be writing to Commissioner Harris to express the group's deep concern on the matter.
Airbus spent a record 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion) of cash in the first quarter as Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury warned of the "gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known."

While almost half of the cash hit came from a bribery settlement, the abrupt drop in deliveries seen in March will worsen this quarter, eating further into reserves. By June, Airbus will have a better view of how far it needs to scale back to get through the coronavirus pandemic, Faury said Wednesday on a conference call.

Airbus is battling to adapt to collapsing demand as the pandemic wipes out new aircraft sales and threatens existing orders as airlines run short of money. Faury said the company is aiming to survive without state support but that its customers and supplier base need as much help as they can get.

"The crisis is really unprecedented," he said on a call. "It's hitting all regions of the globe and all industries at the same time so the role of governments is obviously key. One of the major risks for us is suppliers going bust."

Customer British Airways said Tuesday it will cut as many as 12,000 jobs, or close to 30% of its staff, to survive a downturn in travel that could last for years. Deutsche Lufthansa is locked in talks with the German government over a multibillion-euro bailout and could seek court protection if it can't reach a deal.

Shares of Airbus rose as much as 3.9%, and were up 1.3% as of 11:03 a.m. in Paris. The stock has declined almost 60% this year, as has that of Boeing Co., which is due to report earnings later Wednesday.

Airbus had been threatening to leave the U.S. company in its wake before the Covid-19 crisis struck, with its rival hobbled by the grounding of the 737 Max model following two fatal crashes. The European company's A320-family had already been outselling the Max, while adding range to target sales that would previously have gone to wide-body aircraft.

With demand in the doldrums and customers fighting for survival, the opportunity to press home Airbus's advantage may have receded for now, Faury said. Over the longer term, he's more optimistic, citing the smaller A220 narrow-body, which he said was well positioned for routes with thin demand.

"Our product range is the right one," he said. "We think we're doing the right things to go through the crisis and not jeopardize our main goal to compete again."

Faury said measures taken by Airbus so far, which include cutting annual production by slightly over one-third and temporarily laying off more than 6,000 workers, may be just the start, and it will review the situation in June when there may be more visibility into the direction the crisis is headed.

Airbus is looking to furlough staff in Germany, and will put more French workers on leave.

"The resizing of the company will be made not only looking at the minus 35% adaptation we've done recently but also the likely scenario moving forward," Faury said.

Agency Partners analyst Sash Tusa said the cash outflow was worse than the 6.3 billion euros he'd predicted and leaves Airbus with just 3.6 billion euros in net cash.

The Toulouse, France-based manufacturer has reduced anticipated capital spending this year by about 700 million euros, it said in a statement Wednesday. Airbus had already extended credit lines and clamped down on expenses to give it access to 30 billion euros.

While Airbus delivered 122 aircraft in the first quarter, the full impact of the coronavirus wasn't initially felt, Faury said. Some 60 planes couldn't be handed over because of the outbreak. Deliveries in the second quarter "will be very low," he said, before rising in the third quarter.

The company plans to ship about 600 jets this year based on its reduced build rates, down from a record 863 in 2019, though the tally may be cut further Airbus reassesses around June.

Suppliers will feel a squeeze in the second quarter when cash payments drop, and will then need support, Faury said, especially since many that serve Boeing as well are already under pressure from the idling of the Max.

First-quarter adjusted earnings before interest and tax fell 49% to 281 million euros and Airbus swung to a net loss. Faury said the company is still assessing the implications of Covid-19 and can't yet provide a financial outlook for the full year.

The bribery case that drained 3.6 billion euros in cash in the first quarter settled claims over the improper use of middlemen and other allegations that had dogged Airbus for years. As such it had been greeted as a largely positive development when announced in January.
Starting Friday, travelers from New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana no longer have to self-quarantine in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded that regulation.

In an executive order that goes into effect Friday, Abbott said that like Texas, Louisiana has similarly slowed the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing practices and he will no longer require travelers to fill out forms with the Texas Department of Public Service and self-quarantine for 14 days. DPS had required even road travelers to fill out papers at the Texas-Louisiana border to comply with Abbotts previous order.
If North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un were to suddenly die, there are two options possible: either the transfer of power to another member of the Kim family (and/or a trusted member of the regime) goes favorably or it does not.

The former choice is more likely since it is in the interest of North Korea's ruling elite to maintain the Kim regime in its place, as they have spent the previous three-quarters of a century underscoring the Kim family at the center of the nation's mythology.

Out of the fog of questions shrouding Kim Jong Un's health, one name keeps cropping up as analysts and policymakers tackle who else could spearhead the secluded nuclear-armed nation: Kim Yo Jong.

She is Kim Jong Un's younger sister and many observers said she is the most likely choice.

North Korea is indeed the most secretive country in the world where events are played out like a deadly chess game. With recent reports that dictator Kim Jong Un is gravely ill, in a vegetative state, or dead, intelligence services across the globe are direly trying to uncover answers.

The leader of the secluded country has not been witnessed in public for more than two weeks, not being present in commemorations for a key political anniversary, as reports that he underwent a cardiovascular surgery have spiraled into speculation that he could be incapacitated or dead.

He has not missed the commemoration of his grandfather's birthday, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, since assuming his reign in 2011 after his father had a heart attack and died.

Also Read: Kim Jong Un in 'Vegetative State': Sister to Replace North Korean Leader If Death Rumors are True

Seoul and Washington have downplayed such reports, but there has been no tangible proof of life in Pyongyang's state media beyond reports of messages sent under his name.

Meanwhile, there is a possibility that the dictator's powerful uncle could be next in line as the ruthless regime might not accept a woman as a leader.

Kim Pyong Il, previous leader Kim Jong Il's half brother, has recently returned to the secretive state upon working overseas for 30 years as a diplomat.

Rumor has it that Kim Jong Un is a father of small children who would take his place as the country's leader someday.

It is much more likely, in the meantime, that the right to govern falls to Kim Yo-jong who has been soaring in political prominence (and visibility) recently.

Unconfirmed reports of the North Korean leader's alleged disappearance came amid recent missiles launches and the country's constant claims that they have no COVID-19 cases -- an assertion that international health experts are wary in believing.

According to former Foreign Office envoy Matthew Henderson, if the revered ruler was indeed on life support, the circumstances would prove "delicate" for remaining people in charge of the rogue state.

"Any individual who flicks the switch on his life support machine is signing their own death warrant," Henderson said.

Related Article: Kim Jong-Un Still Alive: Exclusive Family Train Spotted in Leader's Station

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An Iranian rocket carrying a satellite is launched from Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran's Semnan province, some 145 miles southeast of Iran's capital, Tehran, on Feb. 9, 2020. (IRIB via AP)

Tumbling Webcam: Head of Space Force Mocks Irans Reconnaissance Satellite

The head of the newly-minted U.S. Space Force has mocked Irans claim to have launched a reconnaissance satellite, calling it a tumbling webcam in space in a message on Twitter underscored with the hashtag space is hard.

Following several failed launches of what it said were civilian-use satellites in recent months, Irans Revolutionary Guards claimed on April 21 to have successfully launched a military reconnaissance satellite called NOUR.

The Pentagon did not clarify at the time whether the launch was fully successful, other than to say that a missile had gone a very long way.

Prominent tracking systems are now showing a new satellite they have identified as NOUR.

A few days later Gen. Jay Raymond of the U.S. Space Force gave some more insight in a short message posted to social media.

U.S. Space Command continues to track two objects associated with space launch from Iran characterizing NOUR 01 (#SATCAT 45529) as 3U Cubesat, wrote Raymond in the April 25 post.

According to NASA, Cubesat is a class of modular research nanosatellites, with standard four-inch cube units. With three of these units, the Iranian satellite would be 1 foot long, weighing around 9 pounds.

Iran states it has imaging capabilities, wrote the commander. Actually, its a tumbling webcam in space; unlikely providing intel, adding the hashtag spaceishard.

@US_SpaceCom continues to track 2 objects @PeteAFBs @18SPCS associated w/#space launch from Iran, characterizing NOUR 01(#SATCAT 45529) as 3U Cubesat. Iran states it has imaging capabilitiesactually, its a tumbling webcam in space; unlikely providing intel. #spaceishard  Gen. Jay Raymond (@SpaceForceCSO) April 25, 2020

At first blush, the Raymonds lighthearted mockery might appear to be out of step with the State Departments heavy-duty warnings about the launch.

However, it is not the satellite in space that concerns U.S. officials, but the missile technology used to get it there.

That technology could potentially be converted for use in long-range ballistic missiles.

The United States takes the position that such satellite launches are in defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution that restricts Irans development of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said in a statement that the satellite launch showcases a potential path to an intercontinental ballistic missile and highlights the weaknesses of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, a 2015 agreement signed between Iran and six world powers.

Previous attempts to launch satellites into space were carried out in the name of the Iranian space agency. The launch of the military satellite, however, was explicitly carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the United States designates as a terrorist organization.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during the daily briefing on the CCP virus in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on April 8, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

This point was picked up by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shortly after the launch. The Iranians have consistently said that these missile programs were disconnected from their military, that these were purely commercial enterprises. I think todays launch proves what weve been saying all along here in the United States, he told reporters on April 22. The IRGC, a designated terrorist organization, launched a missile today.

I think every nation has an obligation to go to the United Nations and evaluate whether this missile launch was consistent with that Security Council resolution. I dont think it remotely is, he said.
Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air announced on April 25 that it will resume flights from London to Tel Aviv as soon as May 1 after being grounded by the novel coronavirus crisis. Already on April 22, Israeli news outlets reported that the US airline Delta plans to resume flights from New York to Israel in early May. According to these reports, the US Federal Aviation Administration assured Delta that Israels Ben-Gurion Airport was safe and that its aircraft will be thoroughly disinfected before takeoff. Flights from JFK to Ben Gurion are already available for booking on the companys website.

British Airways also plans to resume flights to Israel in May. The company was hoping to relaunch flights on May 2, but strict health regulations forced the company to push the resumption of flights back two weeks. Booking is now available on the companys site for flights beginning May 16.

Other airlines are planning to resume flights to Israel in June. Air India wants to reopen flights from New Delhi, and Alitalia hopes to resume flights from Rome.

Still, it is not at all clear whether flights to Tel Aviv will indeed happen so soon. Clearly, the airlines are keen on resuming them after canceling all flights to Israel in mid-March. But several issues stand in the way.

First, there is the issue of passengers. Israel has banned the entry of foreign nationals until at least May 16, which means that only Israelis or permanent residents are allowed to enter the country. Israelis returning to their homeland are currently obliged to enter a 14-day quarantine, which obviously does not incite passengers to book flights for short trips. And in any case, can the airlines operate flights only for Israeli citizens? Would they eat the cost of half-empty airplanes? Israelis living abroad would surely be interested in coming home to see their families and friends after the coronavirus crisis. But its another story for local Israelis to fly abroad. The Schengen space is currently closed to all non-Europeans and is expected to stay that way for several more weeks.

And what about the crew? Will non-Israeli crews be allowed to land at Ben Gurion? Will they have to stay at the airport and leave on the same flight? Such a solution could perhaps be envisioned for short flights from Europe, but probably not for longer flights.

Some experts claim that the airlines prefer to operate flights rather than see their airplanes stuck at the airports, as keeping airplanes on the ground also has a high cost. And then there is the price of petrol, which has gone down drastically in recent days and is certainly another motivation for the airlines to get their airplanes in the air. Even more so, the airlines are keenly aware of Israelis passion for flying, anytime and anywhere.
James St., 1500 block, 1:30 a.m. April 20. A man pushed his way into the home of an acquaintance and assaulted him. The altercation continued outside of the residence. Witnesses intervened and separated the men. The man actively resisted arrest and refused to follow commands. He then pushed and scratched officers and bit one of them. The 37-year-old Laurel man was arrested and charged with four counts of assault and battery on law enforcement, three counts of aggravated malicious wounding, malicious wounding, burglary, destruction of property and obstruction of justice.
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said that return of Azerbaijans occupied territories have always been part of Nagorno-Karabakh peace negotiations with Armenia.

Mammadyarov made the remarks in a presser on April 28, while commenting on his Armenian counterparts recent statement that Yerevan will not liberate occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh and that it is not involved in the phased resolution of the conflict.

The details of the negotiations are not revealed. However, to this date, the general format of the negotiations have been stated by the co-chairs as well as the leaders of the co-chairing countries on many occasions. All these [meetings and statements] reflect the elements of a step-by-step settlement of the conflict, meaning that the gradual elimination of the consequences of the conflict, the initial liberation of the occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh, the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from these territories, the opening of communications between Azerbaijan and Armenia, ensuring conditions for the two communities of the Karabakh region to cohabitate for some time, and consideration of the status of the region within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in the next stages are envisaged", the minister noted.

He further said that Armenia that claims that these elements have not been discussed and that there is no document on the table, had better prepare its population for peace just like it has agreed in front of the international community, instead of deceiving its people.

Commenting on the April 21 meeting with his Armenian counterpart, the minister said: "The only difference between the April 21 meeting and the previous talks on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the remote organization of the meeting. The meeting continued in the same format and on the same agenda. The Azerbaijani side supports the substantive and result-oriented negotiations on the settlement of the conflict, and we have always stated that as long as the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the conflict is considered, we will use it".

"According to the logic of the Armenian side, the ministers of the two countries and the co-chairs representing the three permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as the ministers of the co-chairing countries participating in this process have nothing to do and come to the meetings for tea, he went on saying.

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted that prior to the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his position on a step-by-step solution to the conflict, which has been a topic of discussion for many years and is clearly stated in the statements of the co-chairs.

"In response, the Armenian Foreign Minister said that the return of lands was not considered, as well as touched upon issues related to security and the principle of self-determination of peoples. It is known that this statement was made to reassure the local community. Otherwise, Mnatsakanyan would not have continued the talks in a video conference a few hours after the statement", Mammadyarov said.

Furthermore, the minister said that Azerbaijan has shown that it is united in words and actions, has not changed its position  which is to restore the rights of the IDPs and to liberate its internationally recognized regions. By comparison, the occupying country has been making completely unjustified statement aiming to deceive the international community.

"The truth is unchangeable. Talking pretentiously about the security while not complying by any law or norms of the international community and violating peoples fundamental rights is against international law and the fundamental rights of the people", the minister said.

Commenting on Armenian counterparts security concerns over the return of territories, Mammadyarov said that it is impossible to talk about security and human rights without eliminating the factor of occupation and restoring the fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands of people.

If we want peace, security, normal neighborly relations and, finally, progress, the grave consequences of the conflict I have mentioned must be eliminated and states must respect each other's territorial integrity within their internationally recognized borders. There is no other formula for peace", the minister concluded.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The GH COVID-19 Tracker app is now available for iOS users on the App Store .

The app developed by iQuent Technologies LLC was launched by the Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on April 13, 2020, but it was not readily available for download on the two major app stores; the Google Playstore and the Apple App Store.

However, the Android application package (APK) was available for free download on android devices at www.ghcovid19.com and reportedly racked-up 16,000 downloads in less than 24 hours.

A message on that website also advises users who downloaded an earlier version of the app to uninstall the app and install a new version.

The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful in a Facebook post on April 22 said the app had been approved for download on both the App Store and Playstore.

However, Graphic Online checks on the Playstore revealed that the app is not yet on the Google platform.

What is the GH COVID-19 Tracker app?

The COVID-19 Tracker App, through the common platform of mobile networks, is able to trace contacts of persons infected by the virus, show where they have been in recent time, through various telephone-related data, and link such people to health professionals for urgent action to be taken.

The app, through same telephone-related data, is also able to report contacts which are, or have recently been to COVID-19 hit countries, as well as track whether individuals required to self-quarantine, are indeed doing so.

---graphic.com.gh
Srinagar, Apr 29 (UNI) Two militants were killed in an encounter which ensued after Security Forces launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in south Kashmir district of Shopian, a Defence ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.



With this, 17 militants have been killed in seven operations during the last 10 days in Kashmir valley.



Colonel Rajesh Kalia told UNI that following specific information about presence of militants, a joint CASO was launched by Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K police, Army and CRPF at Melhora in Shopian on Tuesday evening.



However, when the Security Forces were moving towards a particular area, militants hiding there, fired at them with automatic weapons.



He said the security forces retaliated ensuing in an encounter, adding one militant was killed in the exchange of fire.

'One more militant was killed in the overnight gunfight,' he added.

Additional security forces were rushed last night to the area to foil any attempts by militants to escape,

sources said.



'The operation was still going on when the reports last came in,' they added.

UNI ABS JTS 1010
U.S. Army modernization officials have figured out how to use the service's new experimental combat goggles to scan soldiers for fever during coronavirus screenings.

The Army is in the middle of testing prototypes of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), a sophisticated set of googles based on Microsoft's HoloLens technology, that are designed to give soldiers a heads-up display. This display can project their weapon sight reticle and other tactical information into their field of view.

Restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 prompted the Army to push back the next "soldier touch point" for the system, moving it from summer into fall.

Related: Army Modernization Programs Will Be Fielded on Time Despite COVID-19 Delays: General

At the same time, it dawned on IVAS program officials that the digital thermal sensors in IVAS could be adapted to detect a fever, according to an Army Futures Command news release.

"A week ago, we were talking about the potential impacts of the pandemic on the IVAS program; today we're talking about the potential impacts of IVAS on the pandemic," Brig. Gen. Dave Hodne, the director of the Army Future Command's Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team and Infantry Commandant at Fort Benning, Georgia, said in a statement.

Now, soldiers are using the IVAS prototypes to take the temperatures of hundreds of soldiers each day as they prepare for training at Benning, an installation that hosts thousands of soldiers going through courses such as infantry one-station unit training and Ranger School.

"That's the genius of this system; we can use this technology today to fight the virus, even as we shape it into the combat system our soldiers need tomorrow," Brig. Gen Tony Potts, who commands Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, said in a statement.

Tom Bowman, the director of IVAS Science & Technology Special Project Office with the C5ISR's Night Vision Laboratory at Belvoir, came up with the idea of tweaking the IVAS software to detect a fever.

Bowman and his team of experts trained soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment to use the goggles to take troops' temperatures. The IVAS prototypes currently being used are not the ruggedized versions soldiers will test this fall, so they can only be used for fever-screening indoors.

Each day, hundreds of soldiers have filed through a processing center where they paused for five seconds so a soldier wearing IVAS goggles could detect their forehead and inner-eye temperatures.

The soldier's temperature registered in the operator's see-through, heads-up display, "a method that proves more economical and sanitary than the use of traditional thermometers," according to the release.

The process takes about 30 minutes to clear roughly 300 soldiers, according to the release, which added that anyone who registered a fever was moved to an onsite medical station for evaluation.

"We've always planned for an agile software system and a digital platform that can be upgraded and adapted to use against emerging threats in the future," Bowman said in the release. "No one anticipated the next threat to emerge would be a virus, but that's the enemy we face today."

Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Read More: Army's Future Tactical Glasses Will Help Soldiers Tell Friend from Foe
A casual glance through the history books reveals April 29 to be a significant date in times past  even more so now for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds following the birth of their son in hospital on Wednesday.

Here are some of the events to have taken place on this date in previous years:

The feast day of St Catherine of Siena

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Catherine Benincasa was born to a prosperous family of 25 children in Italy in March 1347. At the age of six, she saw a vision of Christ, seated in glory with the apostles Peter, Paul and John, and a year later made a secret vow to give her life to God.

She rejected suggestions of marriage, took up a life of prayer and volunteered to nurse the sick in Sienas hospitals, helping fight the ravages of the plague. She died on this date in 1380 at the age of 33 shortly after a paralytic stroke, and was canonised by Pope Pius II in 1461.

1376

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The office of speaker was first held by Sir Peter de la Mare, knight for Herefordshire, in 1376s Good Parliament, so-called because the Commons refused to grant the Crown any new taxes until its grievances had been addressed.

In the dispute with Edward III, Sir Peter acted as spokesman for the Commons and their collective strength prevailed, but as soon as Parliament was dissolved, Sir Peter was thrown into prison and his successor Sir Thomas Hungerford presided over the Bad Parliament, which reversed most of the gains of the previous year.

1916

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Irish rebels laid down their weapons in Dublin, effectively bringing to an end the Easter Rising against British rule.

The Easter Rising was a military failure for the revolutionaries, who included poets, journalists and teachers, but it sparked a chain of events that ultimately led to the partition of Ireland and the creation of an independent Republic as well as Northern Ireland.

1945

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Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and his long-time paramour Eva Braun wed on April 29 1945 in the Fuhrers Berlin bunker as the Russians closed in, with the Third Reich teetering on the brink of collapse. They died by suicide the following day.

1958

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The musical My Fair Lady opened for its first night in London following a stint on Broadway, with Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins, and Julie Andrews playing Eliza Doolittle.

It was met with acclaim from punters and critics, although one review at the time noted the play contained Americanised flourishes from its time in New York and had not been re-Anglicised for its London audience.

1980

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Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the master of screen suspense, died on this day in 1980, aged 80. The London-born director began his career in advertising and entered the film industry in 1920.

A famous example of his alleged insensitivity towards his big name stars involved Tippi Hedren in The Birds (1963) when, legend has it, she did not know so many real birds would be used and was traumatised for months afterwards by the terrifying scene. He was also the architect of the revered bathroom scene in Psycho (1960).

1986

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The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, was laid to rest alongside her husband, King Edward VIII, at Frogmore in Windsor. The duke died in Paris in 1972.

The couple had met in 1931 although their relationship drew outrage within royal circles due to the American socialite being married at the time, leading to a constitutional crisis and the kings eventual abdication in 1936.

2011

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Prince William and Kate Middleton began their life together as a married couple after a glittering wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey. They sealed their love with not one but two kisses on Buckingham Palaces famous balcony.

The couple, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have had three children: George, Charlotte and Louis.
Sydney, April 29 : The relationship between Australia and China is at a low point following Beijing's threat to boycott the Oceanian country's exports and tourism for having proposed an inquiry into the origin of COVID-19.

Last week, the Liberal-National Coalition pushed for a transparent investigation into the origin of the novel coronavirus, which according to experts originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Efe news reported.

"Australia will continue to of course pursue what is a very reasonable and sensible course of action. This is a virus that has taken more than 200,000 lives across the world, it has shut down the global economy - the implications and impacts of this is extraordinary," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday.

"Now, it would seem entirely reasonable and sensible that the world would want to have an independent assessment of how this all occurred, so we can learn the lessons and prevent it from happening again." The proposal, which also seeks to delve into the handling and exchange of information over COVID-19, angered Beijing, which considers the proposed investigation to be politically motivated and serving a section of United States politics.

Australia, a close ally of Washington, proposed the inquiry soon after US President Donald Trump threatened China with consequences if it was proven that it had been deliberately responsible for causing the pandemic.

Bilateral relations between Australia and China worsened after Beijing's ambassador to Canberra, Cheng Jingye, spoke of a possible boycott of Australian products such as meat and wine as well as services.

In addition, the threat of a boycott comes as several attacks on people of Chinese or Asian origin in Australia have been reported.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg responded to the Chinese ambassador on Wednesday, telling local broadcaster Sky News that his country "won't bow to economic coercion, we will continue to talk up in Australia's national interest and we won't trade off health outcomes for economic outcomes." China is Australia's main trading partner, the bilateral exchange of which stood at AU$235 billion (US $153.5 billion) in the financial year 2018-19, representing a 20.5 percent rise year-on-year.

However, the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated due to matters such as the militarization of the Asian giant and the approval in Australia of laws against foreign interference and espionage after uncovering Chinese donations to political parties and cyber attacks on state agencies and universities.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
More and more automakers are joining the cause to help our nation's frontliners. Honda is the latest to join the growing number of car companies reaching out to hospitals to help them in mobility.

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) has provided assistance to five hospitals in Region 4A. These hospitals and medical centers include the New Sinai MDI Hospital in Tagapo, Santa Rosa, Laguna; The Medical City South Luzon in Santa Rosa, Laguna; Unihealth-Southwoods Hospital and Medical Center in Binan, Laguna; Westlake Medical Center in San Pedro, Laguna; and, the Carmona Hospital and Medical Center in Carmona, Cavite.

Among these five hospitals and medical centers, HCPI has lent out a total of 15 units from sedans and hatchbacks, to MPVs and crossovers. The cars they lent out include the City, Brio, Jazz, Mobilio, BR-V, HR-V, and CR-V. Not only that, Honda has provided each of the cars with fuel cards for free gasoline or diesel, which should be a big help for our frontliners.
Ellie Lester had a big party planned for her milestone birthday recently. A hall in Helotes was rented, and plenty of friends and family were expected to come.

Then, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic forced everything to be canceled, and her family was left wondering how to mark the occasion.

We decided to do a drive-by celebration, said daughter-in-law Norma Wing. And since her birthday is during Fiesta, we hired a mariachi band to serenade her from a safe distance.

Like most mariachis, the band that played, Mariachi Azul de San Antonio, has been making do with last-minute birthday serenades and other small, private gigs, trying to survive until the pandemic passes and theyre again able to perform in public.

But that may take longer than they think. Unlike most live music, where players onstage are physically separated from the audience in their seats, mariachis usually perform in close proximity to their listeners, especially in restaurants, at parties and during special events where the traditional Mexican music is often heard.

Mariachi is music that needs to be up close and personal, said Juan B. Ortiz, founder of Campanas de America and an instructor at Palo Alto College.

But now that social distancing has become norm, restaurant patrons may not want musicians hovering over their fajita platter, singing and breathing oh-so-close, however lovely the song theyre playing.

So the question becomes, What is the future for mariachis once the stay-at-home edicts are lifted?

Gov. Greg Abbotts decision to allow Texas restaurants to reopen, albeit at only 25% capacity, takes effect on Friday. With musicians likely to be counted against that limit, most restaurant owners may prefer to fill those spaces with diners, not mariachis, observers say.

Restaurant owners will have bigger issues to deal with, said Rene Benevidez a guitarron player and business operations director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. Mariachis will not be the No. 1 issue they need to address.

On ExpressNews.com: Beal: Soundtrack for days of COVID-19

David Cortez, a partner of La Familia Cortez, said he is still unsure when mariachis will return to the five restaurants the company operates, including downtown landmarks Mi Tierra and La Margarita.

Thats in part because he doesnt know when the restaurants themselves will reopen.

Twenty-five percent (capacity) might not be enough for us to make money, Cortez said We may wait until we can go to 50 percent. But we do want to eventually bring back the mariachi players because they are so much a part of the atmosphere of our restaurants.

Even when mariachi players are allowed back in, the distancing strategies that have become second nature to most of us may not be practical. While it is possible  but not preferable  to sing through a mask, say musicians, its not realistic to expect a trumpet and other brass players to be masked.

They may have to find new ways.

Maybe well have to stay in the corner of the restaurant and play, said Fernando Mallen of Mariachi Azul. Maybe well have to play more instrumental pieces, like Las Trompetas del Diablo, or a more classical piece like Bodas de Luis Alonso

In fact, in other areas, such as Los Angeles and much of Mexico, mariachi bands usually stay in one area of a restaurant, rather than strolling around, said Gumecindo Gino Rivera, traditional music director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and founder of Mariachi Azteca de America.

Its more of a mini concert in those areas, he said. Id argue that shows more respect for the genre.

Some musicians have tried to eke out a living with occasional gigs performing serenatas, or serenades, popular for birthdays, during courtships and for other celebrations, especially Mothers Day.

For a lot of mariachi players, Mothers Day is the busiest weekend of the year, said Cynthia Munoz, producer of the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza. Theyll be playing morning to night, Friday through Sunday, outside someones mothers home.

Its not just restaurant patrons who may balk at having musicians strolling through the dining room. Players themselves, many of whom are older, will need to feel comfortable, too.

Were not shaking hands, hugging or even patting backs like we used to, even among ourselves, Benevidez said.

When Mallens group has a gig, they dont carpool together and they stay away from one another and those listening.

We even did a funeral, but we stayed very far away, and no one but the family was able to get out of their cars, he said.

Like musicians everywhere, most mariachi players have been sticking close to home during the pandemic, all their concerts, and most restaurant, birthday and corporate events, canceled as gatherings of more than 10 have been discouraged by local stay-at-home orders.

These include a scheduled Steeven Sandoval Cinco de Mayo concert at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre and a Mariachi Extravaganza Summer Camp originally scheduled for June at The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

But mariachis, especially tech-savvy student groups, have found ways to showcase their talents.

A Facebook performance by the Roma High School mariachi program went viral, garnering more than 21,000 Likes and more than 2,600 comments. Watch it at Facebook: @romaisdmariachiprogram.

Closer to home, the Fox Tech ALA Cast Varsity Mariachi posted a virtual performance of El Gallo. You can find it on YouTube.

Munoz estimates there are at least 5,000 mariachi musicians in the San Antonio area, with 300 to 500 of them professionals. Many of the rest are students learning and playing in school programs, including those in the San Antonio, Southwest, South San Antonio and Northside districts.

On ExpressNews.com: A guide to San Antonio musicians livestreaming concerts on Facebook and Instagram

In addition to the Palo Alto program, there also are college-level programs at San Antonio College, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas A&M San Antonio.

Mallen said hes hoping that, as the economy opens, hell be able to return to his regular Friday restaurant gig at Casa Guadalajara on Perrin Beitel Road and Loop 410.

I heard theyre reopening, but that doesnt mean well be able to come back right away, he said. Maybe by mid-May.

That cant come too soon, he said. This is normally the busiest time of the year for his group, when they field as many as 15 calls a day.

Now were getting maybe five, he said. And most are for last-minute gigs.

Some fear the collapse of mariachi gigs might force some players to quit the business entirely.

During his 35 years as a mariachi, Jimmy Holtuin also has earned money buying and selling instruments on the side. So when he had the opportunity to purchase the inventory of a San Antonio music store whose owner was getting too old to continue, he jumped at the chance.

Its always been a dream of mine to own a retail store, he said. When the ban on events with more than 10 people came down, we lost two months worth of gigs in two days, he said. Im hoping to retire to that when this is all over.

Despite the troubles, the lost gigs, the time spent hunkered down at home, almost to the person, the players themselves remain optimistic.

It might get rougher before it gets better, Benavidez said. But the tradition of mariachi goes back more than 100 years. I have no doubt it will eventually bounce back stronger than ever.

rmarini@express-news.net
Vingroup's two VSmart ventilator models are 70 per cent locally produced

A little more than three weeks after announcing plans to produce ventilators to support coronavirus patients, on April 28, the Vingroup conglomerate has completed the development of two invasive ventilator models (VFS-410 and VFS-510) and is ready for market launch. Both equipments reach international quality standards and feature high localisation rates.

VSmart VFS-410 is upgraded from the original version VFS-310 developed by Vingroup engineers based on the concept of MIT University, while VSmart VFS-510 is an upgraded model of a ventilator by global leader Medtronic (US).

VSmart VFS-410 is an invasive ventilator that offers the same functions and quality as the most popular equipment on the market. Based on an elemental invasive ventilator concept by a research team at MIT University, VFS-410 has developed its turbine, and sensors to monitor and issue warnings on oxygen concentration, pressure, and breathing rate. The equipment adjusts itself to suit these parameters.

Most operating parts, boards, mechanical components, as well as the software and the design of VSmart VFS-410 come from Vingroup's factories, with supervision by the Ministry of Health, international experts, and Vinmec's doctors.

VSmart VFS-510 is developed on the basis of the PB560 model of Medtronic, which is used popularly in Vietnam for its compact design, versatility, and six modes that make it suitable for both adults and children, as well as both invasive and noninvasive use.

70 per cent of the ventilators, including major and complex components like blowers, PCBA boards, power supply, keyboard, screen, battery, and case are manufactured by Vingroup or local businesses. Medtronic also supported Vingroup in updating the ventilator software to make VFS-510 similar to the PB560.

Markus Leitner, engineering systems director at VinFast LLC, expressed great pride that VinSmart and VinFast have managed to successfully research and manufacture ventilators in only three weeks. He also lauded Vingroup's conducive approach to innovation, which creates favourable conditions and motivation for engineers to accomplish the most challenging missions.

Reaching international standards and multiple functions, VFS-410 and VFS-510 not only meet the demands of COVID-19 treatment, but can also be used for ICU treatment at any hospital or health facility in the long term.

The two models are currently being tested by leading experts and hospitals in Vietnam, as well as the health council to confirm their quality before launching on the market. The first batch of these ventilators will be released on May 15, 2020.
Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO Jon Platt stated, "I've worked closely with Mike previously, and I couldn't be happier to reunite with him as we expand Sony/ATV's presence into Atlanta. Mike is a veteran A&R executive with a strong track record, and his expertise and leadership will be integral to our success."

Mike Jackson said, "I am honored to work with Jon and the Sony/ATV team, and I'm looking forward to adding value and keeping up with the already winning momentum here."

As Vice President, Creative, Mike has already signed hit songwriters to deals with Sony/ATV Bighead and Priority Beats. Bighead is a producer and DJ best known for his work with Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, Lil Pump, Lil Tracy, Lil Peep and SmokePurpp, among others. "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump is his biggest produced hit, which earned #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Mike has also signed Priority Beats, which are an Atlanta based production team who has worked with Lil Baby on his current album and upcoming releases for Stunna 4 Vegas, Lil Tecca, Polo G, Jacquees, Bryson Tiller and City Girls.

Throughout his career, Mike has signed and collaborated with major songwriters and producers including Steve Franks, who has produced and written for Social House, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez; Jean Marie, producer of the hit "Power Glide" by Rae Sremmurd; and Chrystal Johnson, who has penned songs for Beyonce and Rihanna. Prior to Sony/ATV, Mike most recently worked for BeatRoot Music as its Senior Executive Business Development Consultant. Before his time at BeatRoot Music, he held the position of Head of Music, Director of A&R at Blackground/Interscope and BlackFountain Publishing, where they earned the coveted ASCAP "Song of the Year" award. Previously, he worked at EMI Music Publishing from 2006 to 2010.

http://sonyatv.com

SOURCE Sony/ATV Music Publishing

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is publicly arguing that the United States is still a participant in the Iran nuclear deal despite President Donald Trumps stated withdrawal from the accord in 2018.

Trump and his aides have repeatedly characterized the reimposition of bruising US sanctions on Iran as a withdrawal from the accord. But by asserting that the United States is still a party to the accord, the Trump administration hopes to use the UN Security Council resolution that formalized the 2015 deal to snap back multilateral sanctions against Iran.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 is unambiguous where the United States is a participant, Pompeo said at a press conference Wednesday. Its just there in the language. Theres nothing magic about this.

Pompeo added that the rights that accrue to participants in the UN Security Council resolution are fully available to all those participants, indicating that the United States may seek to use the resolution to force other countries to reinstate sanctions against Iran.

The resolution does indeed list the United States as a deal participant. However, it also states that the United States will refrain from re-introducing or re-imposing the sanctions  that it has ceased applying under this [accord] without prejudice to the dispute resolution process.

Trump did just that when he reinstated unilateral US sanctions in 2018 after signing an executive order titled "Ceasing US participation in the JCPOA  the formal acronym for the deal. Since the US withdrawal, Iran has tripled its stockpile of low-enriched uranium past the limits laid out in the accord.

With neither country in compliance, it remains unclear whether the United States can trigger the dispute resolution process laid out in the resolution. If a participant triggers the dispute resolution mechanism, the parties have one month to reach an agreement. Should they fail to do so, the United States can use its veto at the UN Security Council to force so-called snapback sanctions to go back into effect.

The State Department first sent Congress a legal opinion in December arguing that it may still have the legal authority needed to force the UN to reinstate snapback sanctions, adding to Trumps already formidable Iran sanctions regime.

Theres no supreme court of the United Nations you can go to and get an answer to this question, said Jarrett Blanc, who oversaw the deals implementation under President Barack Obama. Snapback was an innovation. It was a novel procedure created to solve a particular problem in the JCPOA negotiations. I dont actually know what would happen if the United States tried to use it.

He added that such a move would be a US power play.

Generally speaking, when the US does a power play at the United Nations, it gets what it wants, said Blanc. But I wouldnt count on that in this case, given the specific details of this case and how badly isolated the US has made itself over the last three years.

As of right now, the Trump administration maintains that it would only resort to snapback sanctions as an option if other countries on the Security Council refuse to extend the conventional arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire in October. The arms embargo, which bars Iran from buying combat aircraft, tanks and artillery, is the deals first sunset provision.

Well work with the UN Security Council to extend that prohibition on those arms sales, Pompeo told reporters. And then in the event we cant get anyone else to act, the United States is evaluating every possibility about how we might do that.

Its unlikely that the Trump administration will persuade China and Russia, both of which wield security council vetoes, to extend the arms embargo. Iran has said that both countries have expressed interest in selling it fighter jets once the arms embargo expires.

Its pretty clear that the administration is using it as a pretext to dissolve the JCPOA and snap back previous UN Sanctions, said Mary Kaszynski, the deputy director of policy at the Ploughshares Fund, which supports the deal. It would be ideal to extend the arms embargo. Its also nearly impossible to do so because the Russians and Chinese are just not going to get on board with that.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which opposes the deal, has also lent a hand, mustering significant Democratic support for the Trump administrations bid to extend the arms embargo. AIPAC and the numerous Democrats who support extending the embargo have not weighed in on the Trump administrations plan to threaten snapback sanctions as leverage.

The Trump administration initially showed no interest in using the snapback mechanism when it first withdrew from the deal.

Blanc suspects that the new interest in snapback sanctions is meant to complicate efforts to reenter the nuclear deal should former Vice President Joe Biden win the US election in November. Bidens chief foreign policy adviser, Tony Blinken, dismissed potential snapback sanctions over the arms embargo as sheer hypocrisy Tuesday.

If Joe Biden is elected president, in January he has got a whole variety of options to potentially revive the JCPOA, said Blanc. And that becomes more difficult if [UN Security Council Resolution 2231] is basically wiped clean. Because right now, if snapback sanctions come back into force and up the ante, you have to bring in the Russians and Chinese, who have vetoes on the Security Council.
Uzbekistan Airways announced the cancellation of regular international flights until June 30, 2020, Trend reports citing Uzbek media.

"Return of air tickets for canceled flights of Uzbekistan Airways is carried out at the places of their purchase," the message said.

In addition, the Uzbekistan's Special Republican Commission for the preparation of a program of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country will make a decision on the organization of charter flights for the transfer of fellow citizens from abroad.

All airports in Uzbekistan have suspended their work, and air services was stopped from March 30.

The final decision on the opening of airports and the resumption of air service will also be taken by the Special Commission.

Earlier, within measures taken by the Government of Uzbekistan to support the economy and population of the country in the conditions of coronavirus pandemic, Uzbekistan Airways was exempted from property and land taxes. The social tax rate for the company has been reduced to one percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 19:33:53|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Nepal is increasingly getting essential medical supplies from China through the land route after the Nepali government decided to reopen Tatopani-Zhangmu border point in late March, a senior Nepali official at Tatopani Customs Office said.

This international border point along with Rasuwagadhi-Kerung (Geelong) border point had remained closed since late January after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. On March 25, the Nepali government had decided to reopen both border points for importing essential goods including medical goods and food items from China.

But only Tatopani-Zhangmu border point reopened at the moment.

"Since the first consignment of medical supply arrived on April 8 after the reopening of the border point, the number of shipments through the border point has been increasing gradually," Lal Bahadur Khatri, chief customs officer at Tatopani Customs told Xinhua on Tuesday. "Two or three containers carrying medical supplies are arriving at the border point every day in the recent days."

According to Khatri, Nepal has been receiving only medical supplies through the border point so far. He said, the reopening of the border point has given a cheaper option for suppliers to deliver goods through land route compared to the chartered flights.

The Nepali government has given first priority to the medical supplies as the country is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic which has so far infected 58 people in the Himalayan country, according to Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population.

According to the data provided by the Tatopani Customs Office, over 15 containers carrying medical goods have already entered Nepal through border points.

On April 22, Nepal had received the medical supplies donated by China's Tibet Autonomous Region through the Tatopani-Zhangmu border point. Enditem
The meeting involves bringing delegates from across the country by plane and train to Beijing.

BEIJING: China has decided to hold the annual meeting of its ceremonial parliament late next month after postponing it for weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday said the National People's Congress would open in Beijing on May 22, according to a decision made by its standing committee, which handles most legislative affairs outside the annual two-week session of the full body.

The convening of the full session, which would encompass about 3,000 members, indicates China's growing confidence that it has largely overcome the pandemic that was first detected in China late last year.

The meeting involves bringing delegates from across the country by plane and train to Beijing, where they first meet to hear a state of the country address from Premier Li Keqiang, seated shoulder-to-shoulder in the colossal auditorium at the Great Hall of the People.

It wasn't clear from the report whether delegates would be meeting in person or virtually and there was no word on any meeting of the congress' advisory body that meets around the same time.

China on Wednesday reported a jump in imported cases of coronavirus, but no new deaths from the disease it causes.

Out of 22 new cases, 21 were brought from abroad and one was a result of local transmission in the southern industrial province of Guangdong, the National Health Commission said. China, where the pandemic began, has registered 4,633 deaths from the virus among 82,858 cases.

Authorities have relaxed social distancing restrictions, but have maintained strict quarantine rules on those coming from abroad or other parts of the country to ward off a second wave of virus cases as summer approaches.
As the coronavirus pandemic brings European aviation almost to a standstill, the latest message from Ryanair to passengers whose flight have been cancelled is causing consternation.

Looks like Ryanair are changing the goal posts again, said passenger Lisa Shakeshaft. I wonder if theyre trying to put off a cash refund for a year?

Danielle Koop tweeted: Ryanair are you honestly taking the mick? I dont want my money in a year, I want it now. You are not a savings account dont act like one. You are effectively holding my money hostage.

The law says that when an airline cancels a flight, it must refund the ticket price within a week. But with millions of flights grounded because of the Covid-19, airlines have struggled to meet their obligations under European air passengers rights rules.

Initially Ryanair  Europes biggest budget airline  told passengers whose flights were cancelled: You can choose between a full refund of the cost of your ticket, or the option of re-routing.

Ryanair promised passengers they would get their money back within 20 working days. Ten days later, the Irish carrier said: Please rest assured your refund request is currently in the queue and will be processed.

After a further 10 days, Ryanair said: Customers who choose not to accept a free move or voucher will receive their refund in due course, once this crisis has passed. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be working hard to process refund requests as quickly as we can.

But the Irish carrier has now added to the confusion. Thousands of passengers who are owed money have received an email that appears to say they must accept a voucher.

The email sent out to passengers reads: Please note that this voucher is valid for 12 months, and can be used for your future travel plans, please note that if you do not use the voucher before the expiry date you will receive a full cash refund.

How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Show all 6 1 /6 How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Milan, Italy REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities North Jakarta, Indonesia REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Jakarta, Indonesia REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Venice, Italy REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities New Delhi, India REUTERS How coronavirus lockdowns changed the world's most polluted cities Islamabad, Pakistan REUTERS

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Ryanair has cancelled more than 300,000 flights, affecting more than 40 million journeys.

The Independent understands that the confusion has arisen because the latest email is a reminder of the supposed virtues of a voucher rather than rescinding the right to a refund.

An airline spokesperson said: The process time for cash refunds is taking longer due to the fact we are having to process 10,000 times the usual volume of cancellations and have fewer staff available due to social distancing measures.

Ryanair is offering vouchers and free moves as these are automated and would give customers an alternative.

 Coronavirus: Beaches packed with thousands of people due to Californian heat wave

Customers who choose a voucher but don't redeem it within 12 months may still apply for and obtain a refund after this 12 month period. This also includes partial redemption, as the portion of the unused voucher will be refunded.

Customers who choose not to accept a free move or voucher will be refunded in due course, once this unprecedented crisis is over.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we thank our customers for bearing with us.
Rapper DMX hosts a Bible study on Instagram, thousands tune in

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Rapper DMX led thousands of his followers in a Bible study over the weekend in hopes to calm down the anxiety brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Instagram live video reached 14,000 viewers while live and then thousands more after as Earl Simmons, better known by his stage name DMX, recited scriptures from the book of Ecclesiastes while holding a cigarette.

A time for embracing, and a time to avoid embracing, he said in his iconic raspy voice talking about social distancing. A time for embraces and time for avoiding embraces. What! Come on.

The New York native, who admittedly has lost people to COVID-19, told his audience to keep the faith and believe in the will of God.

At the end of the day, at the beginning of the day, its going to be Gods will, DMX continued. If you try to understand why He does, what He does, youre just going to end up with a headache. Just do the right thing.

He encouraged the thousands watching live to get their lives right with God and follow Jesus.

The mainstream rapper has never shied away from sharing his Christian faith and his recent Bible sent his fans into a holy frenzy. Many of them thanked him for leading people to Christ;, others asked for more Bible studies.

The hip hop artist, whose lyrics are sometimes vulgar, has recorded several songs talking about his Christianity, including Lord Give Me a Sign and Damien.

DMX has openly said in the past that he wants to become a pastor. In a video posted on Facebook in 2016, he stated that his dream of becoming a minister is slowly becoming a reality. The video showed the emcee behind a pulpit preaching about the miracle that is birthed from tragedy.

"If I wasn't a threat to the devil he wouldn't waste his time. If I wasn't special to God, how would I know what He's willing to do for me? We know what He's able to do. The word says, 'All things are possible through Christ who strengthens,' Amen!" DMX exclaimed. "So we know what He's able to do. How can you know what He's willing to do until you've been placed in a situation where you need Him to do it for you? If you haven't been somewhere where you need God to get you out of the situation, you wouldn't know what He's willing to do for you. We know what He's able to do but we won't know what He's willing to do until we're there."

The hip-hop recording artist has had many public mishaps, from a drug overdose to various arrests, and in his sermonette he said tragedy is in fact what has brought him closer to God.

"So now I embrace difficult situations. I praise God for difficult situations because through these situations I see what He's willing to do for me. On a daily basis, if it gets rough I praise God; it goes wrong, I praise God; it goes left, I praise God. I praise God because there's nothing that He can't get me through. So I thank Him for every opportunity that is presented for me to see what He's willing to do for me," DMX concluded.
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Linkedin Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 12:06 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4eaa83 3 Opinion #COVID19,#coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus Free

Boy, am I glad I am way past my childbearing years! Imagine being pregnant, especially for the first time, and having a baby during this unprecedented global pandemic. Not only do you have fears of being infected, you would also be worried sick that your unborn baby could be, too.

An expectant mother needs to have regular prenatal visits. How do you do that with the social distancing regulation in place? Well actually, there is such a thing as teleconsultation, to replace inperson visits, but they are still relatively few in Indonesia.

What about contraception that needs replenishing every one to three months? Or emergency contraception (the morning-after pill). That certainly is something that cant be done virtually. Virtual sex, anyone?

Pregnancy was one of the topics discussed at the second International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) webinar on women and COVID-19 held on Friday, presented by Zumrotin K. Susilo from the Women Health Foundation, the first speaker.

The second speaker was Nani Zulminarni, founder and director of the Women-Headed Household Empowerment Foundation (PEKKA). She spoke about the fate of PEKKA members, many of who are women daily workers unable to earn an income due to social distancing: farmers and farm laborers (37 percent), market vendors (15 percent), handicraft and food producers (9 percent), services (9 percent), factory workers (6 percent), teachers (2 percent), office workers (1 percent), fisherwomen (1 percent), civil servants, police, military, retirees (1 percent) and the unemployed (19 percent).

Only about 4 percent earned Rp 2 million (US$129.10) per month, over 10 percent earned between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million, over 45 percent earned less than Rp 500,000 and 19 percent had no income at all. Many were already in a cycle of poverty but without any external assistance, the COVID-19 literally puts them in a dead end.

And with women-headed households making up 17 to 25 percent of households in Indonesia, we are talking big numbers here.

Nur Iman Boni Subono, the third speaker, on the editorial board of Jurnal Perempuan (Indonesian Feminist Journal) since its inception in 1995, drew attention to those at the front line of the battle against the coronavirus: nurses. First of all, the ratio of medical workers (including nurses) to the general population is 1:100,000. So pandemic or not, dont get sick, OK? Especially if you are poor.

As of 2019, nurses in Indonesia number 345,508, with almost half in Java and the rest spread out thinly in other areas.

Even in normal times, nurses are vulnerable to workplace violence, but in the current pandemic atmosphere of fear, frustration and stress, they become punching bags in all areas of their lives. In the workplace, they are treated harshly, threatened, even raped. On the way to work, they face bullying, sexual harassment and worse.

What a relief to come home, no? No. Especially if the husband cant go to work because of largescale social restrictions (PSBB), feeling emasculated because he has to stay at home while his wife, a nurse, has to go out to go to work. Guess what happens? Domestic violence, which is on the rise generally anyway.

With traditional gender roles still in place, women still have to do the bulk of housework and to deal with restless kids who suddenly have to be schooled at home  if the nurses can go home, that is.

With the overload of patients, COVID -19 and otherwise, sometimes they have to stay for weeks at their workplace.

Imagine the extreme stress and fear of getting infected and dying, which does happen, especially since they are not always provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). No hazmat suit? Hey, no problem, plastic raincoats will do!

As Clare Wright wrote in The Guardian (April 27): A pandemic isnt a war, but our healthcare workers are heroes.

However, instead of being treated as such, Boni found in his research that nurses are stigmatized and treated like pariahs when they return to their communities who fear being infected.

And obviously, their children suffer. I saw a heartbreaking photo in Bonis presentation of a little boy with a distraught look on his face holding a sign that read: My mother is a nurse. She distances herself from me so that she can help you.

What nurses in Indonesia experience also happens to nurses in many other countries. And while what they experience may be extreme, nurses  as caregivers  actually epitomize the life of many women worldwide, even in this day and age.

But wait, good news!

All six countries with the best response to COVID-19 have one thing in common: Women leaders.

This is the title of one of several articles I read with the same observation. These countries are New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Belgium and Taiwan.

On the other hand, COVID-19 Could Set Women Back Decades on Gender Equality is the title of another article that typifies many others with similar messages.

Why the gap? Its only six countries out of 195 in the world! And anyway, simply having a woman leader is not enough; a feminist or gender perspective has to be included in every national and international policy.

In a misogynistic world, thats an uphill battle, but in combating COVID-19, the six women leaders have proven that they can do better than their testosterone-laden counterparts, so perhaps they can do better in other areas as well!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Saturday, 2 May will be a paid holiday for public and private sector employees to mark Egypt's Labour Day, the cabinet said in a statement.

Egypt celebrates Labour Day on 1 May and the day is normally a public holiday. This year, however, the Labour Day falls on Friday, the first day of the weekend.



According to the cabinet decree, issued on Wednesday, Saturday will be a paid holiday instead of Friday for employees of ministries, government offices and public institutions as well all public and private sector workers.

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Members of a volunteer group of sewists at Passavant Area Hospital are being recognized as healthcare heroes by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association.

The Passavant Sewing Ladies is one of the few volunteer sewing groups that continue to operate in a hospital setting. For decades, the group has created pillowcases and blankets for pediatric patients, hosted scrub alteration clinics and other efforts. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group is helping provide homemade cloth masks to non-clinical hospital employees and visitors.
A pregnant mother has recalled being 'absolutely petrified' she would die, after beating coronavirus, and being told she's expecting healthy twin boys.

Danielle Martin, 32, Belfast, was rushed to hospital with coronavirus earlier this month, after she fell ill with what she thought was a chest infection, and spent ten days in a coma in intensive care while nine-weeks pregnant.

She appeared on Good Morning Britain today where she explained that it's terrifying to think she 'may not be sitting here today', and told of the moment she was given the news of twins alone without her partner Bryan Green, 32.

Pregnant Danielle Martin (pictured) , 32, Belfast, was rushed to hospital with coronavirus and spent ten days in an induced coma before being told she was expecting twins

She fell ill with what she thought was a chest infection while nine-weeks pregnant and said her oxygen levels fell dangerously low before her admission to hospital

I was absolutely petrified, said Danielle, 'The thought it could have been a lot worse, that I might not have been sitting here today and the boys would have been lost - it's petrifying, I try not to think about it.

She added: 'I was in complete shock, I just couldnt believe it. My partner didnt know and I had no way of contacting him to tell him.'

The mum is now home with her sons Jaiden, nine, Parker, three and Joshua, two and is thrilled that her children will have two new brothers.

Speaking of being reunited with her children, she said: 'There were lots of tears on my behalf.

She recalled being 'absolutely petrified' she would 'lose' her children after dying from coronavirus Pictured, Danielle's sonogram

The mum is now home with her partner Bryan and sons Jaiden, nine, Parker, three and Joshua, two (pictured) and is thrilled that her children will have two new brothers

'It's absolutely amazing, I love kids, so an extra two are amazing, a nice busy household. '

Danielle initially had a sore throat which worsened, but she never thought it would be coronavirus until she began to feel as though she was 'suffocating' on March 30.

'At first, I just had a sore throat which led to a bad chest and I thought it must be a chest infections but I could barely breathe after six days.

'It felt like I was suffocating so Bryan decided to call an ambulance who came within five minutes and took me away - I was terrified.

She was rushed into hospital and was diagnosed with pneumonia but tests revealed it was coronavirus on April 1.

She explained that it's terrifying to think she 'may not be sitting here today' and told of the moment she was given the news of twins while alone

'I felt bad leaving my boys but I knew it was for the best' , she told, 'they did scans and diagnosed me with severe pneumonia.

'I was put on a ventilator which helped and I was managing - I was struggling to breath and talk - it was terrifying.' f

Danielle says she feels 'incredibly lucky' to have survived corona virus but warns others to stay at home as it 'could happen to anyone.'

She adds: 'I woke up feeling very confused and agitated from the coma but once I had came round, I was extremely grateful.

'I am recovering with plenty of rest and hoping my friends and family are doing the same.'
Labour is certain to be found guilty of institutional racism by the equalities watchdog, an MP close to Jeremy Corbyn has admitted.

Dawn Butler said there was no doubt the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will find that her party discriminated against Jews.

She told an online meeting of Momentum activists: We may as well just accept that point now.

The MP, who stood unsuccessfully as Labour deputy leader, also claimed she has suffered anti-black hostility from party staffers. The EHRC launched a formal inquiry into Labours anti-Semitism problem last year after the Jewish Labour Movement and others complained that the party was not doing enough to discipline members guilty of anti-Jewish hatred.

Dawn Butler said there was no doubt the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will find that her party discriminated against Jews

The watchdog is due to report later this year.

Momentum, the Left-wing group that propped up Mr Corbyn when he was leader, held the online meeting on how to build an anti-racist party on Sunday. It was publicised by MPs including Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary. Almost 450 people listened in to the open meeting, and some of the contents have been disclosed to the Daily Mail.

It occurred weeks after the publication of a leaked internal document that was compiled by those close to Mr Corbyn in an attempt to show he was not guilty of failing to deal with anti-Semitism.

The dossier included claims that black Labour MPs, including Miss Abbott and Miss Butler, had faced abuse from party staff.

Miss Butler was shadow equalities secretary under Mr Corbyn. Her admission comes two years after she accused Theresa Mays Government of institutional racism over the Windrush scandal

Miss Butler was shadow equalities secretary under Mr Corbyn. Her admission comes two years after she accused Theresa Mays Government of institutional racism over the Windrush scandal.

Miss Butler told the Momentum meeting via video conferencing app Zoom: You know, racism, institutional racism has existed  and no matter who was in charge  and the party will be found to be institutionally racist, so we may as well just accept that point now.

What we have to do is live with it and say, How do we make sure that it changes?  and that change has to be sustainable, and not just in the short term.

Miss Butler said she was not sure why Labour staff members with racist views had not been suspended.
BAY CITY, MI - A Flint-area man has died after the boat he was fishing in capsized on Saginaw Bay amid a late-night storm.

At 11:38 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, police and rescue personnel responded to a report of three fishermen in the bay near the mouth of the Saginaw River in Bay Countys Hampton Township. They later determined a 12-foot boat had contained three Flint-area men.

The waves kicked up as the storm came through and the boat got swamped, said Bay County Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham, adding the three men had not fished in the area before.

The boat capsized and one of the three men who had been aboard, age 35, swam to shore for help, the sheriff said.

Bay City Public Safety personnel deployed two boats from Smith Park and the U.S. Coast Guard launched a boat from its station in Essexville. Rescue personnel eventually found a 30-year-old man in the water and brought him to shore.

Responders then found the third man floating near Channel Island and brought him to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources boat launch. Though CPR was administered, the man was pronounced deceased at 12:35 a.m., Cunningham said.

The deceased has been identified as 56-year-old Thomas R. Klatt. He is the father of the 35-year-old fisherman who swam to shore, the sheriff said.

The two survivors were taken to an area hospital and have been released, the sheriff said.

The Hampton Township and Essexville public safety departments and Michigan State Police troopers also assisted sheriffs deputies, Bay City public safety officers, and Coast Guard personnel.

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The federal government has released another $144 million for New Jersey hospitals, but the formula used to disburse the money again did not take into account the states hardest hit by the coronavirus.

New Jersey, with 11 percent of coronavirus cases to date, received just 2 percent of the $9 billion awarded through last Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That was less than the 3 percent the state received from the first allocation of $30 billion, when hospitals and other health care facilities in New Jersey received $919 million.

The latest formula was based on 2018 patient revenues. The first allocation was based on payments for traditional Medicare received in 2019.

This new distribution is another round based on the funding formula that failed to reflect the intense level of COVID-19 activity for New Jersey, said Neil Eicher, vice president of government relations and policy for the New Jersey Hospital Association.

The feds used a flat, across-the-board formula that treated each state exactly the same and, as a result, New Jerseys amount of funding per COVID case ranked among the lowest in the nation. While we appreciate the funding, that approach wont be sufficient to help New Jerseys health care facilities rebound from COVID-19.

HHS has said another $10 billion will go to hospitals based on a states share of coronavirus cases, though those funds have not been released yet.

Still, Eicher said even that allocation pales in comparison to the total costs and loss of revenue our health care providers have absorbed treating the most vulnerable in this country.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Under the most recent formula, the three biggest recipients of the latest allocations were California, Texas and Ohio.

They had 86,615 coronavirus cases combined through Monday, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering data. New Jersey alone had 111,118 cases, which rose to 113,856 on Tuesday.

Im working with an administration that is not friendly to New York and New Jersey, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care. "I dont expect anything from these guys.

Of course Im disappointed, but Im not surprised, said Pallone, D-6th Dist.

The allocations were part of the $100 billion for hospitals and other health care facilities included in the $2 trillion stimulus law. The most recent law earmarked another $75 billion for hospitals.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
The first death from coronavirus in Ireland was announced by the authorities on March 12. The funeral director phoned the mortuary in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Athy, Co Kildare.

Cyril Gantley and Susan Moran, embalmers and business partners, had not expected to be the first embalmers in the country to deal with a Covid-19 fatality - but they were prepared.

They travelled to Naas General Hospital the following morning, donned in full personal protective equipment to collect the deceased's remains, an older woman who left behind a loving family.

The ritual they followed, Cyril says, went against everything they had trained for as embalmers.

Expand Close Susan Moran and Cyril Gantley of Mortuary Services Ireland in Athy, County Kildare who have being working on Covid cases. Picture By David Conachy. 23/4/2019 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Susan Moran and Cyril Gantley of Mortuary Services Ireland in Athy, County Kildare who have being working on Covid cases. Picture By David Conachy. 23/4/2019

"Normally we will embalm the deceased, get them prepared and ready for their families. There will often be a big family wake," said Cyril. On this occasion, the deceased was sealed in a sterile plastic body bag before being placed in the coffin. Covid-19 does not allow for a last touch or lingering goodbye.

"We brought the coffin out and we placed it into the hearse," said Susan. As with all Covid-19 deaths that have followed since, the deceased went straight to burial or cremation. Susan would like people to know, however, that "their loved ones are respected, and they are taken care of.

"Doctors care for the living, we care for the deceased," she said. "That is the hardest part, not being able to prepare the deceased people so that their family can see them."

Cyril Gantley and Susan Moran are working through one of the most difficult and busiest periods in the history of their business, Mortuary Science Ireland.

The death toll from Covid-19 has gone from that first fatality on March 12 to more than 1,000 this weekend.

Since that first case, they have probably cared for more than two dozen people whose deaths were linked to the virus. "We have not stopped," said Cyril.

As embalmers, they deal directly with the dead and rarely engage with the families of the deceased people they care for.

In the past, funeral directors would sometimes relay messages of appreciation from families for how their loved ones had been looked after, but now there is little or no engagement.

"When we go into nursing homes, hospitals and even to a private house, we have to wear full personal protective equipment. This is something we would never have dreamed of doing a couple of months ago," said Cyril.

Their traditional role includes physically tending to deceased people, restoring their appearance and making them presentable to their families. This is done over several hours in the mortuary, before the deceased's remains are returned to their families.

However, that role has changed for those who have died of Covid-19, to collecting the deceased, ensuring their remains are properly bagged and sealed and placed in a coffin prior to burial or cremation.

They are mindful that families cannot say goodbye to loved ones. "You try to be as respectful as you can. You try to say goodbye to them on behalf of the family," said Cyril. Funeral directors will sometimes pass them notes, photographs or other mementos from families to be placed in the coffins with the deceased.

Cyril managed funeral homes for several years and became interested in the clinical side of the business. "I just took to it, and loved it, and I've loved it ever since," he said.

Susan said she nurtured her ambition to work with the dead from the age of 17. "The human body just fascinates me, how it works, how it didn't work, what happened when people passed away," she said. She ditched a regular job to study mortuary science in Ireland and the UK, where she met Cyril.

Their job satisfaction is in making a meaningful contribution to one of life's profound moments - a family's goodbye to a loved one.

Cyril gives the example of a family who are resigned, for whatever reason, to their loved one being in a closed coffin. "If we can send that person back to their family, so that they can keep the coffin open, the rewards in that itself are just brilliant because, you know, you've just given somebody the chance to say goodbye properly to their loved one."

Susan likes to pay special attention to the deceased, particularly if they are women. On this occasion, her interaction was restricted. They have women who help.

"I remember we got a call from a family in a nursing home, an older woman and her family were still with her," she said. "She was so delighted to see these ladies coming to pick up her mother. She said: 'I can go home now happy and content that two ladies are going to take care of her'."

Respect for the dead is the cornerstone of their work. "We have certain rules that we hold to in the mortuary and they are all around respecting the deceased," said Cyril.

"When you're in the room with the deceased, the deceased is at all times your responsibility. If you walk out of the room, the deceased has to be covered, and has to be covered with a white sheet."

The deceased will always be covered with a modesty cloth.

Music, if it is played, is unintrusive. "If you are working on a cranial reconstruction case, you could be working eight or nine hours on just one person. Sometimes a bit of music in the background helps keep your head straight," said Cyril.

"I would like people to know that their loved ones are taken care of. They are respected and they are taken care of," said Susan.

The human impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is most bluntly evident in mortuaries and funeral homes. A pathology briefing to coroners on the pandemic last month indicated the scale of deaths that experts were expecting.

It outlined the work of a Covid-19 co-ordination group mandated by the Taoiseach, saying: "It is understood by all parties that there will be a massive increase in the number of deaths. It is understood that present customs and practice in relation to funerals will be altered and present post-mortem practices will be temporarily changed. It is understood that there will be delays in bodies waiting for swab results. In addition to the present mortuary spaces, there will be refrigerated units throughout the country and two large mortuary facilities created."

It later emerged that temporary morgue facilities were erected at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin and in the grounds of Cork University Hospital and at a barracks in Limerick, which thus far have thankfully not had to be requisitioned into use.

Cyril and Susan do not seem fazed by the scale of death they are now dealing with, nor do they express concerns for their own safety.

"We deal with infections all the time in non-Covid times. We have always got a ready stock of personal protective equipment and we check it four or five times a year. Infection is something that we always have to prepare for," said Cyril.

"What is hard is that you cannot send deceased people home to their families. It's tough that families can't say goodbye to them."
The Bollywood star found fame in Hollywood in films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Life Of Pi and Jurassic World.

He died on Wednesday after he was admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection, his spokesman said.

Chopra, who starred with Khan in comedy 7 Khoon Maaf (Seven Sins Forgiven), wrote on Twitter: The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.

You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family.

Shetty tweeted: Im numb today I havent been able to accept the loss of a brilliant co-actor & a fabulous person that @irrfank was!

Weve lost a gem today but his legacy will live on through the phenomenal body of work that he has left behind. Rest in peace, Irrfan!

Jurassic World director Colin Trevvorow tweeted: Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain.

In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember the wonderful aspects of our existence in the darkest of days.

Bollywood superstar Sonam Kapoor also paid tribute, sharing a photo of them together on Instagram and writing: Rest in peace @irrfank you have no idea what your kindness meant to me at a time I was at my least confident . My condolences to your family and loved ones.

Actor and musician Riz Ahmed described him as a "hero and and inspiration" in an Instagram tribute, writing: "Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan.

"I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others. His work was consistently transcendent, he was a guiding light for so many of us.

Slumdog Millionaire star Irrfan Khan dies at 53

"If you have not seen his work watch The Lunchbox, or The Warrior. A true artist, his work uniquely spanned Bollywood and Hollywood and was acclaimed in both. His words in a recent letter to a newspaper about his illness are a reminder of his beautiful mind and of lifes fragility. His work will live on."

Akshay Kumar wrote: Such terrible newssaddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time.

Amitabh Bachchan wrote: ..just getting news of the passing of Irrfan Khan this is a most disturbing and sad news An incredible talent.. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..
Im struck by the lack of detail on how the extra burden of the global COVID-19 pandemic will be addressed in the mayors CPS budget, Sharkey said in a statement.  CPS says its providing $13 million in additional funding to increase nurse, social worker and case manager staffing levels to an all-time high. To be clear, that high remains incredibly deficient without a nurse and a social worker in every school the minute our schools reopen.
U.K. premier Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a son on Wednesday morning.

The Prime Minister and Ms. Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning, a spokesperson for the couple said in an emailed statement. Both mother and baby are doing very well.

Johnson, 55, announced in February that he would marry Symonds, 32, and that they were expecting a baby in early summer.

Johnson was released from a hospital about two weeks ago after coming down with the coronavirus. He spent three nights in an ICU.

He and Symonds were the first unmarried couple officially to live together in Downing Street when he became prime minister in July. Johnson has been married twice before.

Previous prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair have also celebrated the birth of babies during their time in Number 10.

By Alex Morales, Bloomberg News (TNS)
The Galaxy BudsX could be Samsungs next pair of truly wireless earbuds. The South Korean company has just applied for a trademark for the moniker Samsung BudsX with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) and the UK IPO.

The application itself doesnt reveal much, apart from the fact that these are a pair of wireless earbuds. The accompanying description further suggests that these earbuds will focus heavily on health and fitness-tracking features.

Wireless headsets/earsets incorporating software for providing a fitness guide; Wireless headsets/earsets incorporating software for measuring distance, speed, time, changes in heart rate, activity level, calories burned, the description reads.

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Its unclear if the Galaxy BudsX will be the successor to the Galaxy Buds+ or Samsung is planning to launch a separate fitness-focused earbuds lineup. Either way, we might see a new pair of Samsung wireless earbuds launch alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series.

Samsung applies for a trademark for Galaxy BudsX

Samsung is likely to launch a new pair of truly wireless earbuds as the Galaxy Buds+ follow-up alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series later this year. We already know the company is working on one with the codename Bean, which refers to its kidney-shape design.

Now, Samsung applying for a trademark for BudsX suggests that those Bean earbuds would actually launch as Galaxy BudsX.

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They reportedly carry the model number SM-R180, which is in line with the model number of the Galaxy Buds (SM-R170) and the Galaxy Buds+ (SM-R175). These buds are rumored to feature active noise cancellation (ANC) and cost less than $150.

However, nothing is set in stone yet. Samsungs recent trademark application doesnt even mention the Galaxy brand. It simply says Samsung BudsX, although its very much normal for a trademark. The Bean trademark also didnt feature the Galaxy brand.

The naming, in addition to the possibility of several fitness-tracking features, suggests that the new buds are a kind of successor to the Gear IconX from 2016. The Gear IconX were Samsungs fitness earbuds and came with 4GB of internal storage.

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But the company has now dropped the Gear brand from its wearables in favor of the Galaxy name.

So whatever it names its upcoming earbuds, theyll certainly carry the Galaxy branding. Perhaps, the Galaxy BudsX will offer the best of both the Galaxy Buds+ and the Gear IconX in one package.

This is all speculation, of course. Things might get clearer as we approach closer to Samsungs next Galaxy Unpacked event, where well likely see the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2 break cover.
Guest Column Corporate Responsibility Is an Integral Part of Korean Investment in Myanmar

South Korea's Posco International Company donated 100 COVID-19 diagnostic kits with capacity for 10,000 tests to Myanmars Ministry of Health and Sports on April 18, 2020. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This is the mantra widely shared by Korean entrepreneurs investing in Myanmar. This rule of thumb also strikes a chord with the tenets of the New Southern Policy, the Korean governments flagship diplomatic initiative, which seeks to elevate the partnership with the ASEAN region to a whole new level. During the two summit meetings between President Moon Jae-in and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in September and November 2019, the two leaders agreed that Korean investors and Myanmar workers in Korea are good-will ambassadors. In truth, they are the bridge builders who bring the two countries closer together.

Paradoxically, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has opened a new chapter for Korea-Myanmar cooperation, as the two countries mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations. At the ASEAN Plus Three special summit conference on COVID-19 on April 14, the leaders renewed their commitment to enhancing investment in human development. In fact, Korea and Myanmar see eye-to-eye that the smartest investment is to empower people, particularly in the health and education sector. The Myanmar government recognizes the important role that health-sector cooperation plays in promoting unity and peace. Establishing a universal health coverage system that is accessible to all and is all-inclusive was a part of the 14-point Union Accord from the 3rd Panglong Union Peace Conference.

While the government and people of Myanmar are mobilizing all their resources in the fight against COVID-19, Korean entrepreneurs are rolling up their sleeves to stand by their friends and partners. A number of Korean investors have made valuable contributions in providing medical supplies such as test kits and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Korea proves the time-honored proverb; A friend in need is a friend indeed. This is the comment from a netizen in reply to a recent hand-over ceremony of Koreas test kits. It is encouraging to see how deeply such donations resonate with the Myanmar people. It is more encouraging to see that a growing number of Korean enterprises are making CSR (corporate social responsibility) an integral part of their investment in Myanmar. This has become the hallmark of Korean investment. In turn, this makes Korea and Myanmar natural partners in forging a win-win cooperation.

When I was working at the UN back in 2010, the organization commemorated the 10th anniversary of the UN Global Compact. The Global Compact was embarked upon to encourage investors and businessmen to live up to sustainable growth that will bring both profits and social advancement simultaneously. At the Global Compact Leaders Summit in 2010, participants and stakeholders reaffirmed that businesses must move away from their devotion to short-term profit; the private sector must go further in embracing long-term value creation, and ethical culture must be embedded into business practices. As 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of UN Global Compact, corporate responsibility has become the byword for companies across the world. It is heartening that Myanmar, according to the UN Global Compact official website, is the country with the biggest number of subscribed companies to the Compact in the ASEAN region.

Korean companies will continue to make responsible and smart investments. In doing so, they will serve as a catalyst in bringing our two countries closer than ever before.

Lee Sang-hwa is the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Myanmar.

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A woman wept as she was jailed for seven and a half years after being caught hiding a loaded sawn-off shotgun and 16,000 worth of cocaine in her loft for a drugs gang.

Amanda Morrison, 45, was pressured by gangsters to hide the shortened BSA Snipe single barrelled gun in her loft after she got caught up in a drugs racket.

She was ordered to store the gun as well as 14 rounds of ammunition after the hoodlums befriended her through her partner and gave her crack cocaine.

Police raided her flat in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, following a tip off that drugs were being stored and distributed from the property.

Amanda Morrison, 45, was pressured by gangsters to hide the shortened BSA Snipe single barrelled gun in her loft after she got caught up in a drugs racket

Morrison confessed to detectives that the gun had been in her attic for a year and officers discovered it wrapped heavily in plastic.

Cocaine worth 16,000 and with a purity of 78 per cent was also seized in the bust along with weighing scales and an addicts's 'debtors list'.

She was arrested alongside two men. Charges were dropped against one and the other suspect was ordered to face trial on other matters.

Morrison, who is originally from Scoutstoun, Glasgow, initially pleaded to be spared a mandatory minimum five-year jail term imposed for firearms offences.

She pleaded 'exceptional circumstances' but her DNA was found on the trigger of the gun and the cartridge cases.

She claimed the gun belonged to one of the arrested men.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Morrison, who had no previous convictions, broke down in tears as she was given five and a half years jail for possessing a prohibited weapon.

She was given a further two years for possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply to run consecutively. She pleaded guilty to both offences.

Sentencing Judge Tina Landale said: 'You have endured a difficult life which has been dominated by very serious abuse by men and the effect of that abuse likely made you far less able to resist pressure by those who brought these items into your home.

'You were used by them - no doubt you were an easy target for them.

'But you were the custodian of a lethal, modified and fearsome weapon with ammunition.

'The gun had been in your possession in your loft for a considerable period of time although I take into account the full admissions you have made which some may describe as "brave" and the fact the gun was not for your own use.

Cocaine worth 16,000 and with a purity of 78 per cent was also seized in the bust along with weighing scales and an addicts's 'debtors list'

'You were holding the gun for another person and it is clear that it had no lawful purpose whatsoever and is capable of inflicting death to more than one person.

'You played an important and significant role in the drugs trade of cocaine and although the profit was not for you, you were keeping those drugs at home for others who would profit out of this miserable trade - a trade you will be well aware of because you are a victim of it.'

The court heard the 8am raid took place on May 1 last year when officers executed a drugs warrant.

Robert Elias prosecuting said: 'Morrison said there was a shotgun in her attic, a search took place and a heavily wrapped up package was discovered which contained a gun with 14 shotgun cartridges.

'Serial numbers on the gun had been partially removed and it was a fearsome weapon which had been shortened to make it even more deadly if used indoors.

'At the flat Morrison told officers: "Its been up there for a year and Im going to get battered for saying that - but I dont know anything more about it." However subsequent analysis of the gun found a DNA profile from Morrison on the trigger and on the cartridge cases.'

Snap bags containing 200 grams of cocaine which was waiting to be cut ahead of being sold were seized along with mobile phones, three sets of electronic scales and a debtors list.

Morrison later made no comment in interview.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Morrison, who had no previous convictions, broke down in tears as she was given seven and a half years jail

In mitigation defence counsel Miss Katherine Pierpoint said: 'She has never been before the court before and is of previous good character. Miss Morrison through an ex-partner became friends with a number of men who clearly were not friends of hers. She began to use drugs and found herself in debt to these men and as a result of that, pressure was put on her to store drugs at her address.

'She was involved on occasion in in bagging up the drugs but her benefit was not cash but drugs for herself. She was extremely open about how long this had been going on. She didnt try and make things up and suggest these items were in the property for a short length of time.

'This is somebody who because of her drug use has been used by others and very sadly those who are involved in serious crime have access to firearms and that is how this gun was put in her loft.

'Like many women in her situation she has been used by others, mainly men over the entirety of her life. She had a difficult upbringing and was involved in a number of violent relationships.

'She is not somebody who is linked to serious and organised crime. Others took advantage of the fact she has her own addiction and problems. She wants to return to her native Scotland where she will be able to live with her mother and never come before these courts again. She has shown a level of insight and remorse for what she has got herself involved in.'
Hours before Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced the states new safer at home order Tuesday morning, easing some of the restrictions that had been in place since April 3, mayors from 10 of the states largest cities tried in vain to convince her to allow barbershops and beauty shops to reopen.

For barbershop owners in Mobile, whose businesses have been shuttered for nearly 40 days, the new order added further anger and uncertainty as owners now face at least another two weeks without business.

This is an atrocity and it feels almost intended, said Joel Edwards, co-owner of Mikes Barbershop in West Mobile.

Edwards gained prominence last week after defying local and state orders to reopen his barbershop. He was issued a cease and desist letter and a $500 fine. The next day he opened again, saying he was prepared to be arrested. A loyal client paid his fine.

In comments to AL.com last week, Edwards said he had worked his entire life and that he was running out of money fast. Im part of the majority who [are] about to lose their livelihood."

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and his fellow mayors pleas followed days of negotiations with the governors office and more than a week of planning with barbers and cosmetology professionals around the state, according to Stimpson. The discussions would have helped put in place a series of new hygiene protocols designed to ensure the safety of customers.

The governors newest order, which reopens the beaches and allows retailers to open with some restrictions, will expire May 15.

Despite saying she desperately wanted to visit her own hair stylist and beautician, the governor decided not to act on the advice of the 10 mayors.

We do respect her decision and we will enforce her decision, said Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson in a televised press conference Tuesday afternoon. I know, even though she made a comment about her hair and her beautician, and she said it in jest, [she] is serious about grasping the challenge that exists among those workers and she will probably address that as soon as she can.

Dr. Burt Eichold, Mobile County Health Officer, also said he respected the governors order but added that it was a little bit more restrictive than we would have liked to have seen.

Stimpson said in his speech that he expects an interim order that will allow barbershops and cosmetology salons to reopen before the May 15 order expires.

Bridgette Jerkins, owner of Royal Barbers in downtown Mobile, said that two more weeks without income may be too late for many small businesses.

Two more weeks will see some of these businesses disappear, she said. I cant see how opening retail is better when barbershops are much cleaner and have fewer people coming in and out. We can easily do social distancing and take the necessary precautions.

Im pretty furious, she added. Ive been here for 22 plus years and this is my livelihood and my life. I cant just go out and get another job. I wont defy the order because I dont want a padlock on my door for the next two months and I cant afford a $500 fine. I have some wonderful clients and theyve taken care of my rent for May, but I have been denied unemployment, and even though I did get some money for business expenses, thats not going to take care of food, mortgages, gas or a car note.

Across the country, barbershops and cosmetology salons are facing a tough time. In New York, the center of the outbreak in the United States, there is no prospect of them reopening soon as new infections and deaths continue to be seen on a daily basis. But in more conservative states, restrictions have either been lifted or may about to be.

In Georgia for example, most businesses, including barbershops and cosmetology salons, were given permission to reopen Friday. Medical professionals and scientists have said the easing of those restrictions may be premature and could see to a fresh outbreak in late summer. Even President Donald Trump said it was too soon for Georgia to open barbershops and tattoo parlors, but that such decisions would be made by the governors.

Damon Dorsey, president and CEO of the American Barber Association, said that while he does believe barbershops can and should reopen, he does respect decisions made by state governors.

Every state is different and we do trust that the governors are taking the right precautions based on the best advice, he said But the safest and best place to get your hair cut is in a barbershop. Not in your home, not in a yard. And if a barber visited your home it would be unethical and dangerous.

He added: We are in favor of safety first, and we are in favor of barbershops opening safely. After that, a person can choose to go in or not. Thats up to them. Theres no reason why barbershops cant take appointments over the phone and people turn up for their time and leave immediately. They could limit it to one or two people. This shouldnt be an issue.

A representative from the Alabama state-run Cosmetology and Barbering Board told AL.com that while the it was not making media statements, it said that some of its members had been denied state unemployment because they were self-employed. The board urged business owners to apply for the $600 federal unemployment.

Owners of barbershops and cosmetology salons can apply for financial aid by looking at the states website.
Community, Charity & Cause

By Ls Cohen Published: April 29 2020

Northwell was asked by community leaders to manage an outpatient care facility in Lawrence.

Shor Yoshuv Rabbinical College in Lawrence has been transformed to offer clinical support for southwest Nassau County and southeast Queens. Photo: Northwell Health.

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, communities all across Long Island have come together to help - whether its food drives, artists spreading messages of hope, or the mobilization of doctors and nurses to treat affected patients directly, the need was quickly assessed and many responded to the call. In Nassau County, the community recognized this need and organized to raise donations and outfit the grounds of a vacant college to provide extra space for care in the event it was needed.

Because of this action, the Shor Yoshuv Rabbinical College in Lawrence has been transformed into a healthcare facility offering clinical support for southwest Nassau County and southeast Queens. The community asked Northwell Health to participate and the medical organization answered their call.

We are pleased to have been invited to partner with the community to fulfill the medical needs of the region as the nature and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, said Michael Goldberg, executive director of Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, in a statement.

While the original intent to use the space as an overflow for Covid-19 patients anticipated was not needed, this temporary outpatient care facility meant to serve ambulatory, low-acuity and recovering patients in the region.

According to a statement released by Northwell Health, which announced the opening of the facility last week, the site will initially serve as an assessment center for those in the community with symptoms consistent with Covid-19. If needed, the facility is prepared to transition at a future date into a 24/7 operation to provide observation and respite care as a bridge to home for recovering patients upon discharge from their hospital stay. The site will be staffed by Northwell Health physicians and clinical volunteers recruited by Hatzolah Air, a nonprofit emergency response service.

The site will be managed by Northwell.

This temporary clinical facility, run in concert with Hatzolah Air, is a unique way to provide routine care to local residents, avoiding the need for hospital emergency care, added Goldberg.

Rabbi Boruch Bender, founder of Achiezer, the organization that acted to bring about the creation of the facility, knows that the facility will serve a very useful purpose for the community.

Were thankful that the worst did not come to pass and that the facility we developed can be used to heal those most impacted by this pandemic, he said.
Australia Post is looking for 600 casual employees to help keep up with the parcel delivery demand as more people turn to online shopping during the coronavirus crisis.

The company said around two million parcels had gone out per day since the Easter weekend, a 90 per cent increase compared to this time last year.

The mail service is now re-purposing and opening 15 new processing facilities and hiring 600 new casual staff members to cope with demand.

Australia Post is looking for 600 casual employees to help keep up with the continued parcel delivery demand across the country

Australia Post Acting Group Chief Operating Officer, Rod Barnes, said normal operations have been impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

'We are experiencing significant delivery delays due to limited flights, hygiene and social distancing requirements in our network to preserve the community's safety, and an increase in parcel volumes as more people shop online,' Mr Barnes said.

'For the last four weeks, we have been operating our processing and delivery services seven days a week, with our dedicated staff working on rotation over the 24-hour period, each day.'

He said the new facilities will help keep up with demand - and it was proven over the weekend when three million packages were processed.

'To assist in getting these parcels to customers' doors, we have refocused 700 of our people, a mix of posties and drivers from our StarTrack business, to provide additional van deliveries across the country,' Mr Barnes said.

Eight additional freighter flights a now run a day, bringing the total to 17, to improve Express Post.

Australia Post Acting Group Chief Operating Officer, Rod Barnes, said normal operations have been impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic

However there is still reduced access to passenger flights which means delivery speeds still aren't at the same level as pre-pandemic.

Mr Barnes said he appreciates delays to deliveries can be frustrating.

'Our people continue to work tirelessly under difficult circumstances, so we're asking everyone to be kind and treat our dedicated people with the courtesy and respect they deserve  whether it be in a call centre, Post Office or dropping your delivery off. Aggressive and abusive behaviour towards our people will not be tolerated,' Mr Barnes said.

The mail service also announced letter drops will be moved to every second day rather than every day to free up postal workers to make parcel deliveries.
The Saket District Court Bar Association has suggested giving priority to cases in which the accused are in judicial custody and adjourning for three months those criminal matters where they are on bail, after the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus is withdrawn.

The suggestions were given by the bar association in a letter written to District Judge Poonam A Bamba in compliance with the directions of the Delhi High Court.

The Delhi High Court has constituted a committee, headed by Justice Hima Kohli, to create a 'graded action plan' for dealing with the challenges to be faced by it and the trial courts after the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus is withdrawn.

It had asked the district judges here to take inputs from the respective bar associations and send the suggestions to the committee.

In the letter, advocate Karnail Singh, President of the Saket Bar Association, suggested giving priority to those civil cases in which some urgent application is pending or evidence is to be recorded.

Advocate Dhir Singh Kasana, secretary of the bar association, said in the letter that abundant precautions should be taken in the current health crisis so that work gets started without affecting the safety of each other.

The association has suggested asking DCP Traffic to not refer traffic challan cases for sometime as it will reduce the crowd.

Presiding Officers should have liberal approach in granting bails keeping in view the pandemic situation and a request be made to the Delhi High Court to extend till mid-July the interim orders of cases which will expire after May 3, the letter suggested.

Maintain social distancing norms as has been widely already published. Wear masks and gloves. Sanitizers tunnel/chamber be installed at any convenient place. Keep sanitizers everywhere in the entry point with guards, then at the main entry gate, in toilets and even in courtrooms, it said.

The association further suggested that litigants be permitted through passes in order to have restricted entry in the court premises and only the lawyer and the litigant whose case is being heard be permitted inside the courtroom.

It suggested restricting the entry of the interns completely till situation normalises.

Adjourn the criminal matters in which the accused is on bail preferably after three to four months. Give priority in those cases only in which the accused is in judicial custody. Give priority to those civil cases in which some urgent application is pending or evidence is to be recorded. The court should entertain the mentioning in those cases where both the parties are seeking adjournments and give a date so that there is no crowd in the court, it suggested.

On social distancing norms, it said: Make circles from the main entry of litigants till gate number 3 so that the litigants are in queue. Sitting in canteens of lawyer block be stopped; only take away be permitted. Lawyers/members be requested by us (executives of Saket Bar) not to call any litigants in which there is no urgency. The norms of social distancing wearing of masks be maintained in lawyers block as well and sanitizers be kept on all entry and exit gates.

Following the lockdown, the functioning of the high court and trial courts have been suspended till May 3 and matters of extreme urgency or urgent nature are being heard through video conferencing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) Despite beating COVID-19, the worst is not yet over for coronavirus survivors. Some, particularly those who had to grapple with severe symptoms, now find themselves facing yet another hurdle as the disease has left them with lung damage and breathing issues that can last for months.

Christina Hill is one such former patient whos now dealing with the lasting effects of COVID-19. Hill shared her story with CBS 2 Morning Insider hoping to warn others about how bad the disease, and its after-effects, can get.

I would never wish this on anyone, Hill said of her experience. Due to the damage to her lungs, Hill needs to undergo oxygen therapy for the next few weeks just to help her breathe.

Im just happy that Im here. So, hopefully, with the oxygen, Ill get stronger and Ill go back to normal, she stated.

Normal was the last thing that Hill was feeling when she was admitted at the Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Illinois earlier this month. Back then, she was experiencing chills, body aches, a nasty cough and a fever that had already lasted for days.

Eventually, after five days in the hospital, Hills fever broke. But that was just the beginning of her struggles, as her doctors told her that she could experience shortness of breath for months. (Related: Coronavirus survivors face a long road ahead as they struggle with long-term damage.)

After-effects can last for months

According to doctors, COVID-19 can cause a severe form of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Its when this happens that patients get scars in their lungs that remain even after they heal.

You can even see scarring in the lungs (in some cases), and that scarring can even be permanent, and this is the most severe cases, said Dr. Jason Rho, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.

A coronavirus causing scarring in the lungs isnt new. Respiratory illnesses caused by coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have also been found to cause lung scarring.

However, initial lung images from SARS and MERS patients show that these typically only cause damage to one lung. In contrast, a study conducted by researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology found that COVID-19 is more likely to infect and cause damage to both lungs.

More importantly, the CT scans of COVID-19 patients involved with the study showed that the majority of them have lung lesions which are likely to form scars.

Some scars do not disappear

While some COVID-19 survivors will see the scarring in their lungs gradually disappear, others may not be so lucky. In some patients, lung abnormalities will harden into layers of scar tissue and cause pulmonary fibrosis. This lung disease causes the walls of the air sacs to become thicker and stiffer, making it harder for them to get oxygen. People with pulmonary fibrosis suffer from shortness of breath, which limits their ability to be physically active.

According to Dr. Qi Xiaolong from the First Hospital of Lanzhou University in China, patients who are most vulnerable to pulmonary fibrosis include older adults whove had severe bouts of COVID-19 pneumonia, patients with cancer, diabetes and other serious diseases, and those with lung conditions caused by pollution or smoking.

Ironically, it may be a hyperactive immune system thats causing the scarring. A sudden deluge of molecules called inflammatory cytokines causes the inflammation that damages lung tissue and fills the air sacs with pus. In the most severe cases, the thickened scar tissue that results from this inflammation forms honeycomb-shaped clusters. This phenomenon was first observed in SARS and MERS survivors.

Some of the scarring, however, may not be caused by the bodys immune response. Again, based on previous experiences with MERS survivors, some experts are beginning to suspect that the ventilators used to help patients breathe may also cause scarring.

Oxygen is being infused with positive pressure, and when the lungs get inflated beyond their limits, it causes trauma, explained Karuna Das, a radiologist from the United Arab Emirates University.

If that is the case, then it paints a grim picture for patients whove had to use ventilators for COVID-19. In a 2017 study by Das and colleagues that appeared in the Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging, they noted that MERS patients who had suffered lung damage still had not recovered after seven months.

Sources include:

Chicago.CBSLocal.com

ScienceNews.org

IJRI.org
Jill Gascoine has died aged 83 following a ten-year battle with Alzheimer's disease as her family say they are 'relieved she is not suffering anymore.'

The British actress, best known for her TV role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in 1980s TV series The Gentle Touch, and spin-off C.A.T.S. Eyes and The Onedin Line, was married to fellow TV star, Alfred Molina, 66.

Her son Adam confirmed her death, writing on Facebook on Wednesday morning: 'She suffered from Alzheimers for 10 years, so today was a thankful release.

Sad news: The Gentle Touch actress Jill Gascoine has died aged 83 after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease (pictured in 1996)

Acclaimed: Jill was perhaps best known for her role as DI Maggie Forbes in The Gentle Touch, a drama which ran on ITV from 1980-1984

'The family is all well, and relieved that shes not suffering any more.

'Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will not be a memorial for Jill - who lived in a care home in Los Angeles in the later stages of her life - "for a good while", but the family are planning services in the US and UK.'

Adam added: 'There will not be a memorial for a good while due to the current climate. The family will reach out once details have been arranged.

'We are relieved she is not suffering anymore': Jill's son Adam shared this moving post on Facebook on Wednesday as he paid tribite to his mother

Beautiful moment: In 2018, Adam shared this picture on Facebook and wrote: 'This is from last year. She's changed a lot since then but I got a kiss from her today, so it was a great visit'

'We will likely hold 2 services - one in London for the UK friends and family, and one in Los Angeles for the US side.

'She was a wonderful human and a spirit of truth and absolute, unconditional love. There was no other.

'I am happy shes moved on. Please raise a glass. Be kind and love deeply (sic)"'

Her love: Jill was married to fellow actor Alfred Molina (pictured), who was 16 years her junior

Love: The couple were pictured together at the Tony Awards in New York in 2004

Her stepdaughter Rachel Molina, Alfred's daughter from a previous relationship with ex, Sue, also paid tribute to Jill.

She wrote on Instagram: 'We lost someone very special in our family in the early hours of this morning. My beautiful step mum Jill.

'She passed away peacefully after living with Alzheimer's for 10yrs. Before this she was the most wonderful actress and dancer.

'Her death is not a surprise, and as her son Adam says it's a thankful release from what is a brutal disease.

'I love this photo of her with her sons Adam and Sean ... She was always so beautiful inside and out, and the best step mum I could have asked for (sic)'

Beautiful words: Jill's stepdaughter, Rachel Molina, shared this post on Wednesday - her father was Alfred, from a previous relationship

Jill and Alfred married in 1986 and he was 16 years her junior. He adopted her sons, Adam and Sean, from her first marriage to Dundee hotelier Bill Keith.

In the the 1990s, Jill and Alfred moved to Los Angeles. She recovered from a battle with kidney cancer in 1997 after it was detected in its early stages.

In 2009, she was due to join EastEnders as Glenda Mitchell - the mother of Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell - but later withdrew from the role and it was re-cast, with Glynis Barber taking on the part.

Speaking about the role, Jill previously said: 'Having spent the last 15 years working in America ... I felt on arrival I lacked the right experience to film such a big continuing drama.

Looking back: A still from spin-off show C.A.T.S. Eyes in which Jill starred alongside Leslie Ash, (left) and Tracy Louise Ward, (right) - pictured in 1986

'I have tremendous respect for EastEnders and the cast so I don't want to let the show or my fellow cast members down.

In the later stages of her career she became a novelist and published three books. It was widely reported that she suffered from depression for most of her life.

In 2016, husband Alfred, who played Doctor Octopus in Spiderman 2, confirmed his wife was 'in a very advanced stage' of Alzheimer's disease.
Venezuela Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 329, Total Deaths reaches to 10 on 29-Apr-2020

In Venezuela total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 329, while 10 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Andhra Pradesh (India), 29-April-2020: An 11-baby among 73 new cases in Andhra Pradesh. In past 24 hours 73 new cases of Covid-19 reported from Andhra Pradesh raising the total Covid-19 patient count to 1,332 in the state.

France, 29-April-2020: Total fatalities due to Covid-19 infection surpasses 23,000 mark in France.

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Venezuela:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 24-Apr-2020 318 20 10 0 2. 25-Apr-2020 323 5 10 0 3. 26-Apr-2020 325 2 10 0 4. 27-Apr-2020 329 4 10 0 5. 28-Apr-2020 329 0 10 0 6. 29-Apr-2020 329 0 10 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (126,569)

2. North America (64,412)

3. USA (59,266)

4. Italy (27,359)

5. Spain (23,822)

6. France (23,660)

7. UK (21,678)

8. Asia (17,966)

9. South America (7,590)

10. Belgium (7,331)

Total Deaths Worldwide (218,187)

Globally till now over 218,187 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Venezuela and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 126,569 deaths and 1,329,524 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
You are here: China

China's youth organizations awarded May Fourth Medals to 94 individuals and 34 groups Tuesday for their great contributions to the country.

The medals, which are awarded annually, are the top honor for young Chinese. The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the All-China Youth Federation released the list of winners.

Medical teams assisting Hubei Province to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic are among the groups awarded.

Covering a wide range of sectors, the individual winners include firefighters, military personnel, scholars, teachers, engineers, workers and medical staff.

Among the list, 34 were honored posthumously, including those who sacrificed their lives in the fight against COVID-19.
While the Oxford vaccine, called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19", is yet to be proven to work against COVID-19, Serum decided to start manufacturing it as it had shown success in animal trials and had progressed to tests on humans, Serum Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said. AP-Yonhap



The Serum Institute of India said on Tuesday it plans this year to produce up to 60 million doses of a potential vaccine against the new coronavirus that is under clinical trial in Britain.



Serum, the world's largest maker of vaccines by volume, is mass-producing the vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford, which started testing it on humans last week, and is a leader in the global race to develop an antidote to the novel coronavirus.



Some 3.05 million people have been reported to be infected globally and 211,376 have died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, according to a Reuters tally.



While the Oxford vaccine, called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19", is yet to be proven to work against COVID-19, Serum decided to start manufacturing it as it had shown success in animal trials and had progressed to tests on humans, Serum Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said.



"They are a bunch of very qualified, great scientists (at Oxford)...That's why we said we will go with this and that's why we are confident," Poonawalla told Reuters in a phone interview.



"Being a private limited company, not accountable to public investors or bankers, I can take a little risk and sideline some of the other commercial products and projects that I had planned in my existing facility," Poonawalla said.



As many as 100 potential COVID-19 candidate vaccines are now under development by biotech and research teams around the world, and at least five of these are in preliminary testing in people in what are known as Phase 1 clinical trials.



Poonawalla said he hoped trials of the Oxford vaccine, due to finish in about September, would be successful. Oxford scientists said last week the main focus of initial tests was to ascertain not only whether the vaccine worked but that it induced good immune responses and no unacceptable side effects.



Serum, owned by the Indian billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, plans to make the vaccine at its two manufacturing plants in the western city of Pune, aiming to produce up to 400 million doses next year if all goes well, Poonawalla said.



VACCINE FREE OF CHARGE FOR PEOPLE



"A majority of the vaccine, at least initially, would have to go to our countrymen before it goes abroad," he said, adding that Serum would leave it to the Indian government to decide which countries would get how much of the vaccine and when.



Serum envisages a price of 1,000 rupees per vaccine but governments would give it to people without charge, he said.



He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office was "very closely" involved in the vaccine production and the company is hoping the government will help foot the cost of making it.



Over roughly the next five months, Serum will spend some 300 million to 400 million rupees on making around 3-5 million doses per month, he said. "(The government) are very happy to share some risk and fund something with us, but we haven't really pencilled anything down yet," Poonawalla said.



Serum has also partnered with the U.S. biotech firm Codagenix and Austria's Themis on two other COVID-19 vaccine candidates and plans to announce a fourth alliance in a couple of weeks, he said.



Serum's board last week also agreed to invest roughly 6 billion rupees on making a new manufacturing unit to solely produce coronavirus vaccines, Poonawalla said. (Reuters)


As the coronavirus pandemic rages in the South China Sea, several capable U.S. Warships challenge PLA as the tension escalates with Asian countries.

American warships are steaming to the SCS, confirmed military analysts as the activities of the PLA are building up to standoff between America and China during a time when the U.S. is fighting a pandemic back home.

Once again, the American war machine is called into action as Asia is reeling from the virus and China's audacious activities.

The American ships are the Bunker Hill, a guided-missile cruiser, and USS America an amphibious assault ship that boasts multiple mission profiles that are headlong into the fray to support the Malaysian Navy and to project American power.

One cause of the instability is a Chinese ship that is shadowing a Malaysian drilling civilian expedition. Soon after Australian warships were headlong as well, according to defence experts.

Even with the problems caused by the coronavirus in the mainland, China has persisted in grabbing areas of the SCS, seeking to claim sea lanes by using the PLA as to coerce and intimidate less developed navies.

According to Peter Jennings, the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He said,"It's a quite deliberate Chinese strategy to try to maximize what they perceive as being a moment of distraction and the reduced capability of the United States to pressure neighbors."

Chinese activities

The PLA (People's Liberation Army), Coast Guard, maritime militias have been harassing regional maritime enforcement agencies and fishermen. In waters that are not legally theirs, they have projected hostile intent, even aiming guns at PH vessel in peacetime.

Earlier, a Chinese patrol ship denied attempting to hurt the occupants of a Vietnamese vessel, even stopping rescuer to get them out of the water.

Also read: U.S. Navy Live-Fire Missiles in Philippine Sea

Claiming parcels of seas that is not theirs, China made constructs on artificial reefs that are owned by the Philippines and another Asian country. These installations had runways and missile launchers on these artificial islands.

Alexander Vuving said,"It seems that even as China was fighting a disease outbreak, it was also thinking in terms of its long-term strategic goals" These actions are aggressive without regard for the rule of law.

The State Department reminded China to focus on the outbreak, not snatch territory to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea. American military official gave messages that increase activity in the SCS is not acceptable.

Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the United States Indo-Pacific Command said the balance of power is important. She added,"The U.S. supports the efforts of our allies and partners to determine their own economic interests."

Beijing is reversing the narrative and saying it is that the U.S. is the problem, but many illegal structures are of Chinese origin. The presence of America and Bunker Hill to support allies is an unwanted development.

To counter Beijing, America has been the de facto global cop and is aiming keep the peace, contrary to the PLA.

So far, the PLA has not been afflicted with coronavirus, while other armed forces have this is suspicions not to say the least.

Related topic: America Gears Up US Space Force With New Weapons to Win Battle for Space Supremacy

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sheng Siong Groups net profit grew 49.9% yoy to S$29.0 million for 1Q2020

Revenue improved by 30.7% to S$328.7 million mainly because of elevated demand arising from COVID-19

Gross profit margin increased to 27.0% in 1Q2020 from 26.1% in 1Q2019

Remains committed to expand our retail network in Singapore

Sheng Siong Group Ltd. (Sheng Siong, together with its subsidiaries, the Group), one of the largest supermarket chains in Singapore, reported a 49.9% year-on-year (yoy) increase in net profit to S$29.0 million for the 3 months ended 31 March 2020 (1Q2020), mainly due to increase in gross profit arising from the growth in revenue, better gross margin, higher other income and a less than proportional increase in operating expenses relative to the increase in revenue.

sheng siong

Revenue grew by 30.7% in 1Q2020 of which 19.7 percentage points was contributed by comparable same store sales, 9.0 percentage points by new stores and 2.0 percentage points by the stores in China. The Group started off the quarter with better Chinese New Year sales compared to 1Q2019 mainly due to recovering consumers sentiments and the low base effect in 2019. When the government raised COVID-19s DORSCON from Yellow to Orange on 7 February 2020 shortly after Chinese New Year, the first round of elevated demand was triggered. Since then demand has been elevated as more people are eating at home and probably, loading up their pantry as well.

Gross margin improved slightly from 26.1% in 1Q2019 to 27.0% in 1Q2020, with the gains coming mainly from increased sales of housebrands which command a higher gross margin and slightly lower input prices across a majority of other categories of offerings. The biggest gain came from non-fresh products as sourcing was diversified to cope with the sudden surge in demand. The ratio of fresh to non-fresh remained quite the same in 1Q2020 compared with 1Q2019. There was no major disruption in the supply chain in 1Q2020. In hindsight, the Groups move to increase stockholding since the end of 4Q2019 has prevented serious stock out situations, although certain heavily demanded items were depleted immediately after the first round of elevated demand.

Story continues

First Sheng Siong Store opened by the Lim brothers with seed capital from their father, located at BLK 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 (Image: Sheng Siong)

Administrative expenses increased by S$11.9 million in 1Q2020 compared with 1Q2019 mainly due to; higher staff costs as working hours were increased because of the higher volume, additional headcount was hired to operate the new stores and higher provision was made for bonuses because of the better financial performance, and increase in depreciation which was partially offset by decrease in rental.

Cash generated from operating activities amounted to S$71.5 million in 1Q2020, mainly because of the higher volume of business.

Cash used for capital expenditures in 1Q2020 amounted to S$7.2 million consisting mainly of the warehouse extension amounting to S$3.2 million, fitting out stores and maintenance CAPEX for the supermarket operations totalling S$2.5 million, maintenance CAPEX relating to the central distribution centre of S$1.3 million and S$0.2 million incurred by the supermarkets in China.

The Groups balance sheet remained healthy with cash of S$133.7 million as at 31 March 2020.

Looking forward

Subsequent to 1Q2020, the Group has secured two new HDB stores which were tendered in January 2020. These are at Block 872C Tampines Street 86 (8,490 square feet) and Block 455 Sengkang West Avenue (9,040 square feet). In addition, the Group also won a tender for a 4,610 square feet shop in the Potong Pasir Community Club, 6 Potong Pasir Ave 2. Once the Circuit Breaker is lifted, the Group will proceed to execute the leases, take vacant possession and fit out the stores. To summarize, to-date, the Group would have opened a total of 5 stores in 2020, bringing our total store count to 64 and retail area to approximately 575,160 square feet.

Competition for Sheng Siong is expected to remain keen among the brick-and-mortar supermarkets and online players.

Some international food companies are warning of future disruptions to the supply chain and increase in prices because of the worldwide lockdown resulting from COVID-19 outbreak.

It is uncertain how long the world or Singapores economy would take to normalise post COVID-19. When that happens, the Group expects revenue to taper off from the current elevated levels as buffer stocks kept by households are consumed. In the meanwhile, the Group will continue to hold a higher than normal level of inventory to hedge against potential disruption in the supply chain.

Staff costs and other operating expenses relating to COVID-19 will increase but will be defrayed by the grants from the Government.

With its strong Q1 results in the bag, Sheng Siong said that staff, excluding directors, will be rewarded with an additional month of salary for working hard during the period of elevated demand in Q1.

On the future plans of the Group, Mr Lim Hock Chee, the Groups Chief Executive Officer, said, We have successfully secured two new HDB stores at Block 872C Tampines Street 86 and Block 455 Sengkang West Avenue as well as a store in Potong Pasir Community Club, 6 Potong Pasir Ave 2.

Moving ahead, we remain committed to our strategy of opening supermarkets in areas where our potential customers reside but we have no presence. We will continue with our efforts to nurture the growth of the new stores and build on the momentum of improving comparable same store sales in Singapore and China, while focusing on improving gross margin and cost efficiency by changing the sales mix with a higher proportion of fresh produce and deriving more efficiency gains in the supply chain. 

The post Sheng Siong staff to get extra month of salary as it records astounding Q1 profit appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources.
K im Jong-un may simply be shielding himself from coronavirus, US and South Korean sources have said, amid ongoing speculation as to the North Korean leaders health.

Questions erupted over Kims whereabouts after he failed to attend public celebrations to mark the birthday of his late grandfather and the countrys founder, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.

Rumours swiftly emerged that the 36-year-old dictator was recovering from heart surgery, with US media suggesting he was in grave danger.

However, a top South Korean minister said Kims absence was not particularly unusual given the Covid-19 pandemic.

He had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sungs birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns, Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with the North, told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday.

I dont think thats particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation, the minister said  although North Korea has reported no cases of the disease so far.

Kim Yeon-chul also noted that there had been at least two instances since mid-January when Kim Jong Un had not been seen in public for nearly 20 days.

He described reports that Kim had undergone a heart procedure, and that a Chinese medical team had travelled to North Korea, as fake news.

Satellite photos locate Kim Jong Uns train as health rumours persist

Meanwhile a US intelligence source offered an explanation as to why Kims official train was spotted in Wonsan, on the country's east coast, rather in the capital Pyongyang where the leader is normally based.

They said credible reports to the US government suggested Kim had been staying at his presidential retreat in the area to avoid catching the virus.

The source said US officials were now largely dismissing the theory that Kim had contracted some kind of serious illness.

A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washingtons view was largely in line with the South Korean ministers assessment.

Trump wishes Kim Jong Un well amid health rumours

A day later, the president was quizzed on these comments and whether he thought Kim was still in control of North Korea.

He replied: I dont want to comment on it. I just wish him well.

Mr Trump has met Kim three times in an attempt to persuade him to give up a nuclear weapons programme that threatens the US as well as its Asian neighbours.

While talks have stalled, Mr Trump has continued to refer to the dictator as a friend.
New Delhi: Actor Irrfan Khan is a strong person and is still fighting the battle, his official spokesperson said late on Tuesday night after rumours about his health started doing the rounds on social media. Irrfan was admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben Hospital due to colon infection in the afternoon. He is currently in the ICU. However, hours after he was rushed to the hospital, rumours of his sudden death emerged online. Soon, his team released a statement which said that it's disappointing to see some source creating assumptions about his health and creating panic.

Its really disappointing to know that there are extreme assumptions being made about Irrfans health. While we are truly appreciative that people are concerned, its disheartening to see some sources spread extreme rumours and creating panic. Irrfan is a strong person and is still fighting the battle. We really request you to not fall for rumours and not partake in these conversations which are fictional. We have always actively clarified and shared updates on his health and we will continue doing so, his spokesperson said in a statement.

The 53-year-old actor was in 2018 diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour. He was treated for the tumour in London.

After Irrfan was taken to the hospital on Tuesday, his spokesperson shared his health via a statement.

Yes, it is true that Irrfan khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctors observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of all his well-wishers, he will recover soon, the statement read.

Over the weekend, Irrfans mother Saeda Begum died in Jaipur at the age of 95. He couldnt attend her last rites due to the nationwide lockdown.

On the work front, Irrfan was last seen in the March release Angrezi Medium.
A grandfather who molested his five-year-old grandson will not go to prison because there are fears he could get the coronavirus.

The 76-year-old man, who is known only as RC to protect the victim, was sentenced in the New South Wales District Court in July last year.

He was convicted of twice digitally penetrating his grandson's bottom the day before his sixth birthday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The 76-year-old man was convicted in the New South Wales District Court (pictured) in July last year

The Court of Criminal Appeal did not sentence RC to prison despite finding a community corrections order was insufficient.

The former public servant, who also trained as a priest for five years, was sentenced to an 18-month community order for sexual intercourse with a child under ten.

But this week the Court of Criminal Appeal found the sentence to be 'manifestly inadequate' as the maximum sentence for sexual intercourse with a child under ten years is life behind bars.

'It is so far below the range of sentences that could be justly imposed for an offence of this nature that it could tend to undermine public confidence in the proper administration of criminal justice in the sentencing of offenders for the commission of serious sexual assaults upon very young children,' Justice Helen Wilson said.

Justice Wilson said the only time full-time imprisonment would not be imposed is because of 'extraordinary and unusual circumstances'.

'There were no extraordinary or unusual circumstances in the respondent's case,' she said.

A grandfather who raped his five-year-old grandson will not go to prison because there are fears he could get the coronavirus (Stock image)

Justice Wilson said the appropriate sentence for the 76-year-old would be three years in jail with a non-parole period of one year.

But as RC suffers with bronchiectasis, systemic hypertension and kidney disease he is 'at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19' according to an affidavit from his doctor.

RC told the court if he were to be imprisoned he could face a 'very poor outcome including the possibility of death' if infected with the coronavirus.

Due to fears of contracting coronavirus RC was let off a custodial sentence despite the Court of Criminal appeal agreeing it was more appropriate than the sentence he was given last year.

'The purpose of such appeals would not be advanced in any meaningful way by sending this 76-year- old man with respiratory problems and other health issues to jail for a minimum period of 12 months during the currency of the COVID-19 pandemic,' Justice Peter Hamill said.
Recent events have reminded investors that not even an iconic name such as Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) is immune from adverse affects related to the coronavirus. Yes, the company beat revenue and earnings estimates in its most recent report. However, investors still sold off the stock as the events that the company depends on for roughly half of its sales did not take place.

But looking more closely at the numbers, the COVID-19 pandemic may look more like an excuse to sell than a real reason to sell. Even when the company emerges from the pandemic, the company's increasingly burdensome dividend and diminishing growth prospects may have more of an effect on Coca-Cola than any viral outbreak.

Coca-Cola offers generous dividends amid a decline

For those bullish on Coca-Cola stock, some might wonder if recent events may have created a possible buying opportunity. With economic shutdowns brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Coca-Cola stock fell along with other consumer brands. At the time of this writing, the stock has dropped by almost 25% from its 52-week high.

Despite its status as a consumer staples stock, Coca-Cola has faced a great deal of uncertainty of late. Consumers tend to buy soft drinks when they eat out, see movies, or attend other in-person gatherings. With few of those events taking place, people have fewer reasons to drink Coca-Cola products, thus sparking concern.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway continues to believe in the company. Its 400 million shares constitute a 9.3% share of stock outstanding. Buffett purchased these shares for just under $1.3 billion back in 1988. Today, this investment is worth about $18.15 billion. With $1.64 per share in annual dividends, it also earns $656 million in annual payouts, more than 50% Berkshire's initial cost basis.

This payout could also serve new investors well. At the current stock price, the dividend yields around 3.6%. This comes in well above the S&P 500 average of 2.1%. But with a payout ratio climbing to about 87.5% of free cash flow, the dividend claims the overwhelming majority of company profits.

However, investors should remember that the company increased its streak of annual dividend increases to 58 years with January's dividend hike. The company holds a legal right to pay whatever dividend it wants. Still, arguably nothing could do more damage to confidence in Coca-Cola stock than ending the streak in payout hikes. Moreover, such an event would probably cause Coca-Cola stock to fall, as Dividend Aristocrat funds and other income-oriented investors would likely sell.

Why new investors may want to still stay away

Furthermore, even if Coca-Cola can maintain the streak, it may offer little more than dividend income to new investors. Coca-Cola stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 22.6. This is slightly higher than the S&P 500 average P/E ratio of about 20.3.

However, earnings growth significantly lags the S&P 500. For Coca-Cola, analysts forecast that profits will only grow by an average of 1.86% per year for the next five years. The S&P currently sees increases in profits averaging 5.35%.

The problem with Coca-Cola is that it has long been a victim of its success. Since one can find Coca-Cola in over 200 of the world's countries, its signature product has no significant additional growth markets. Thus, it must depend on its ownership of Minute Maid and its other non-cola products to any increase its profits.

However, earnings growth has long remained in the low single-digits. Rivals such as Pepsico are expected to see earnings increases of 5.37% per year over the next five years. At around 22.9, Pepsico's forward P/E is only slightly higher than that of Coca-Cola. Though the dividend yield of about 2.9% comes in slightly lower than Coca-Cola's, the 47-year streak of payout hikes leaves its dividend under the same kind of pressure for annual increases.

Conversely, Keurig Dr Pepper faces no such dividend streak and may offer a more appealing proposition. Analysts predict 11.16% average annual earnings growth for the same five-year period. Moreover, new buyers will only have to pay just over 19 times forward earnings for this rate. These growth prospects will probably persuade some investors to overlook the more modest dividend yield of approximately 2.3%.

Coca-Cola continues to hold its status as a long-standing Dividend Aristocrat. Those who bought Coca-Cola stock in the 20th century, like Warren Buffett, should stay with this company, if only for the dividend. However, this stock leaves new investors with little opportunity and a payout that remains difficult for the company to maintain. Hence, new investors looking for a position in this sector will likely see higher returns in a different beverage company.
Mary Loftis is warning the public about the increase in coronavirus-related fraud.

Loftis is a University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension associate.

Shes also a Nebraska State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counselor.

SHIP let us know of a potential fraud this week, Loftis told the Tribune. A Medicare beneficiary received an unsolicited call from someone selling insurance.

The caller said Medicare isnt able to call beneficiaries directly so its contracted with outside parties to see if people have all the coverage they need during the pandemic.

This is not true, Loftis said. Dont fall for it.

Loftis said scammers use public health emergencies as opportunities for new fraud schemes.

Because older adults are at greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, they may target older populations.

At this time, theres no FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19.

While there may be treatments for symptoms, there is no cure.

However, scammers often use fear-based tactics to convince people that a vaccine or cure is now being offered.

Its also important to remember that while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials may contact you if they believe you may have been exposed to the virus, they wont need to ask you for insurance or financial information, Loftis said.

Nebraska SHIP recommends that Medicare beneficiaries:

Contact their own doctor if they are experiencing potential symptoms of COVID-19.

Do not give out a Medicare number, Social Security number, or personal information in response to unsolicited calls, texts, emails, home visits, or booths at health fairs and other public venues.

If your personal information is compromised, it may be used in other fraud schemes as well.

Be suspicious of anyone going door to door to offer free coronavirus or COVID-19 testing, supplies or treatments.

Carefully review any Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB), looking for errors or claims for products or services that werent received.

Follow the instructions of state or local government for other actions to be should be taking in response to COVID-19.

Contact your local Nebraska SHIP for help. Nebraska SHIP helps Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse.

The Nebraska SHIP, a division of the Nebraska Department of Insurance, provides unbiased Medicare education and counseling, and helps combat Medicare fraud and abuse.

Those with questions, concerns or complaints about potential Medicare fraud and abuse, should contact their Nebraska SHIP office at 1-800-234-7119.

As we all know, there are always people out there looking for an easy way to make your money theirs, Loftis said. Dont fall for anyone who calls or even stops at your door offering something in exchange for money or your Medicare or other insurance card information. If they arent stealing from you  they are stealing from Medicare and thats your money too!

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The Beninese journalist, Ignace Sossou was sentenced last December to 18 months in prison on a cyber-harassment charge following a complaint by the public prosecutor. The journalist was accused of harassment by the public prosecutor after posting on tweeter.

His appeal trial was scheduled for Tuesday 28 April, but as soon as it opened, the hearing was postponed.

The day before his arrest, the journalist had posted on social networks comments attributed to public prosecutor Mario Metonou, who was speaking at a forum organized in Cotonou by Canal France International (CFI)  the French media cooperation operator for African countries  to discuss fake news. The comments relayed seemed rather critical of the Beninese governments attitude towards freedom of expression.

He accuses the journalist of having taken his comments out of context and urges him, with the support of CFI teams, to suppress these publications that his eyes cannot see. Ignace Sossou refused.
Scotland Yard detectives have launched an appeal for witnesses after an Indian-origin man was found dead following an assault in an alleyway in west London.

Baljit Singh, 37, who lived in the Hayes area of London, was pronounced dead at the scene after the Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service were called to Station Road on Saturday night.

Singh was formally identified by police on Wednesday after his next of kin were informed.

A forensic post-mortem examination held at Fulham Mortuary in London on Monday gave the cause of his death as compression to the neck. Officers from the Met Police's Specialist Crime Command (Homicide) are investigating the case.

Mr Singh was subjected to a vicious assault; the severity of which has caused him to lose his life. My officers are working through hours of CCTV footage and speaking with people in the area to establish what has happened and identify those responsible, said Detective Chief Inspector Helen Rance, who is leading the Met Police investigation.

I would like to appeal directly to anyone who was in the vicinity of Station Road, Hayes, from around 2200hrs onwards on Saturday night who may have seen the victim in company with two individuals. Alternatively, if anyone is aware of the victim's movements earlier that day we would be keen to hear from them, Rance said.

The Met's Homicide team wants to trace two people Singh was in the company of just prior to his death. It is believed a disagreement may have taken place during which the victim was assaulted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While the Peoples Republic of China has become the universal thug for its coronavirus cover-up, one would think, after certain countries threatened lawsuits against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or under the pressure under the soft law by the international community, that the Xi Jinping regime would have learned a lesson. It seems, however, that the CCP is only exercising more muscle than anticipated.

Last weekend, the Hong Kong police arrested 15 more veterans of the uphill battle to preserve the freedoms that make the city autonomous. Those detained included the revered legal luminaries Margaret Ng, 72 years old, the crusading publisher Jimmy Lai, who is 71 and Martin Lee, 81 -- Lee is a Hong Kong politician and the founding chairman of the United Democrats of Hong Kong and its successor, the Democratic Party, Hong Kongs flagship pro-democracy party.

Hong Kong is a special autonomous administrative region of China, located to the east of the Pearl River (Xu Jiang) estuary on the south coast of China. It consists of Hong Kong Island, originally ceded by China to Great Britain in 1842, the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters (Ngong Shuen) Island (now joined to the mainland), ceded in 1860, and the New Territories. The Chinese-British joint declaration, known as one country, two systems, signed on December 19, 1984, paved the way for the entire territory to be returned to China, which occurred on July 1, 1997. It was ensured that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy until at least 2046.

What makes these arrests disturbing, apart that in nearly forty years of advocating for democracy in Hong Kong Martin Lee had never been arrested, is that notwithstanding Hong Kongs autonomy to govern itself, Beijings Communist officials are clearly calling the citys political shots. It is thus a sign during this pandemic-afflicted period, and of the determination of the CCP to exploit them. In other words, this is nothing more than Xis new effort and his puppet administration in Hong Kong to crush the pro-democracy movement, using the novel COVID-19 outbreak as a cover.

The spread of the virus already put a halt to months of mass popular demonstrations that authorities had been unable to quell, even with mass police repression and more than 7,000 arrests.

The protests were initially focused on a bill that that would have made it easier to extradite people to China from the semi-autonomous city. But the authorities harsh policing of the protests, coupled with a refusal of Hong Kongs leader to completely withdraw the bill, compelled protesters to return to the streets time and again. After six months of protests, Hong Kongs pro-democracy opposition won a stunning landslide victory in weekend local elections in a clear rebuke to city leader Carrie Lam (Beijings puppet leader) over her handling of violent protests that have divided the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

The Hong Kong protests had served as a reminder of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy manifestations thirty years ago when a million Chinese students had both captivated and given the entire world the impression that communism in China was about to fall. Many of us vividly remember our tv screens, while U.S. and the rest of the free world sat and watched in silence, the scene of an unarmed man standing in front of a column of tanks -- the image of his defiance became a symbol of protest against the corrupt around the world -- halting their passage from the Square a day after the bloody crackdown of June 4; hundreds, if not thousands, were killed by the Chinese military, and many thousands of others were imprisoned.

Yet thirty years later not only has this event been practically erased from the memories of the Chinese people, Chinas economy has catapulted up the world rankings, while political and religious repression in the country is harsher than many who watched those events would have anticipated. Fortunately, for the Hong Kong protesters, the United States came to the aid of democracy.

The inspiration for this was President Donald Trumps signing into law the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which provides for regular reports monitoring the status of the rights and freedoms that China under treaty promised to Hong Kong, and penalties if these are found to be violated. Congress had also passed a bipartisan bill -- it passed in the House with a 417-1 margin and unanimously in the Senate -- suspending supplies to the Chinese police in Hong Kong with rubber bullets, tear gas and other anti-protest gear. The citizens of Hong Kong subsequently thanked America by singing The Star Spangled Banner.

Preoccupation with the pandemic did not prevent international reaction to the crackdown: Both the Trump administration and Britain issued critical statements, as did a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, pointing out that the CCP was blatantly disregarding the one country, two systems. Beijing swiftly rejected the criticism, but it may just have a more difficult time avoiding the repercussions that likely would come from Hong Kongs foreign investors or its already aroused citizens -- even if the latter must wait until the epidemic passes.

Let us pray and support the pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong, and for that matter, the rest of the world where rogue regimes continue to carry out their slaughters of people who want to live in freedom. President Ronald Reagan once said: America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere. This is why it is imperative that the U.S., as it did against the Axis Powers or the Soviet Union, notwithstanding its imperfections, continue to take up the cause of liberty in the world. If America does not do it, who will?
ANZ Bank chief executive Shayne Elliott has defended suspending dividends while the coronavirus crisis is at a peak, saying it is in shareholders' interests to wait until the pandemic's grim economic toll is clearer.

As the lender became the first big four bank to delay a decision on dividends for this half, Mr Elliott on Thursday warned of years of economic pain ahead, predicting higher unemployment would linger for up to five years.

ANZ chief executive, Shayne Elliott, defended the dividend suspension as in the interests of shareholders. Credit:Nine

Amid a fierce debate about whether banks should be returning capital to shareholders during the pandemic, with pressure for big cuts from regulators, ANZ said it would update the market on any dividend in August. It came as profits tumbled 60 per cent to $1.4 billion in the March half.

Mr Elliott said in the "heat of the moment" when the outlook was so uncertain, the board was reluctant to pay out more than $1 billion of its capital as dividends. He said deferring the decision made more sense than trying to regain the capital later through a dilutive equity raising.
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San Antonio police are searching for those involved in a shoot-out during an Uber ride Tuesday night.

A 29-year-old Uber driver told police she picked up two males in their late teens near MLK Drive and Walters Street just before 11 p.m. As she drive onto Interstate 10, someone from a light colored, mid-sized vehicle began shooting at her car, police said.
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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29, 2020 09:20 624 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd4da529 1 Business seeds,safety-net,cash-aid,fertilizer,subsidy,farmers,COVID-19,coronavirus,Airlangga-Hartarto,Agriculture-Ministry,Jokowi Free

The government plans to provide cash and production subsidies for 2.4 million poor farmers to help them maintain their harvest and survive the COVID-19 crisis.

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Tuesday that the aid comprised of Rp 300,000 (US$19.45) a month in cash assistance and production subsidies such as fertilizer and seeds worth another Rp 300,000.

We hope we can provide it for a three-month period, Airlangga told an online briefing, without providing further details. The Agriculture Ministry will lay out the details later.

The plan emerged as the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) recently warned against the disruption in the food supply chain on top of the likelihood of a prolonged dry season until June in Southeast Asia, which might have adverse effects on agricultural output.

Read also: Rice stock in check despite lower production, higher demand: Ministry

President Joko Jokowi Widodo wants to aid farmers to keep them harvesting and thereby prevent the countrys staple food stocks from depleting further. National stocks for commodities such as onion, rice, corn, cayenne pepper, eggs, chili, sugar and garlic are low in several provinces across the country, government data show.

Make sure farmers keep producing while complying with the health protocols and the economic stimulus to reach farmers related to our rice production, Jokowi told an online briefing on Tuesday.

Rice farmers were projected to produce 5.6 million tons of rice at the peak of the harvest season this month, said the President, twice the countrys monthly consumption.

With travel and social restrictions in place to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, food supply chains are somewhat disrupted, causing delays in deliveries. The fast-spreading coronavirus has infected more than 9,500 people in Indonesia and 3 million people worldwide, hurting domestic distribution and shipments of imported products.

Make sure the distribution is going smoothly so that provinces facing staple food deficits can source the supplies from provinces with a surplus, said Jokowi. The transportation of goods between provinces and islands should be free of any disruption.

Read also: Government disburses $4.5m in village funds as cash aid for poor families

Travel and social restrictions had hit farmers hard, because they kept them from finding alternative sources of income outside the harvest season, said Institute for Development of Economics and Finance researcher Bustanul Arifin. Therefore, they needed the assistance to survive.

I think they need more cash assistance in this pandemic, Bustanul told The Jakarta Post via text message on Tuesday. Some farmers probably have received seeds and fertilizer.

The government has allocated Rp 110 trillion for social safety nets out of its Rp 405.1 trillion extra COVID-19 spending. That budget includes cash aid for citizens within and outside of the Family Hope Program (PKH) as well as conditional cash transfers for staple foods within and outside of the Staple Food Card Program, on top of cash transfers for villages and villagers.
We are thrilled to partner with the board at Onyx to help elevate the resident experience and meet their operational needs, said Heather Peters, business development director at FirstService Residential.

FirstService Residential, Californias leading community management company, was awarded the management contract for Onyx Owners Association in San Jose, California. FirstService Residential began management of the 390-unit condominium community on March 1, 2020.

Built in 2015, the 3-story Onyx complex features 7 different floor plans, ranging from penthouse suites to condominiums, which all feature stainless steel appliances. Residents have full access to an on-site fitness center and recreation room.

We are thrilled to partner with the board at Onyx to help elevate the resident experience and meet their operational needs, said Heather Peters, business development director at FirstService Residential. With a shared commitment to enhance the community and plan for the future, we look forward to a wonderful partnership in the years ahead.

The community is centrally located in Silicon Valley, with mountain views and access to grocery stores, shops and restaurants. Additionally, residents are located close to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is North Americas property management leader, partnering with 8,000 communities across the U.S. and Canada, including low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives; single-family communities; master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities; and mixed-use and rental properties. HOAs, community associations, condos and strata corporations rely on their extensive experience, resources and local expertise to maximize property values and enhance their residents lifestyles. Dedicated to making a difference, every day, FirstService Residential goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation (FSV), a North American leader in the property services sector.

For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com/california.
One of the villages in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation was blocked for five days

Open source

Non-governmental organization Amnesty International notes the violation of the human rights during the imposing of quarantine restriction in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, particularly, in Ukraine as the organization reported.

In this difficult time for all countries, the governments try to stop the spread of the virus, implementing different restrictions. While, some restrictions might be justified and necessary, others violate our human rights, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine Oksana Pokalchuk stated.

On April 18, the Ukrainian military blocked the road through the bridge to Staromariivka village, which is situated in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation in the territory controlled by Ukraine. It was the only way to leave the village.

Thus, until April 24, 150 local citizens had no access to groceries, medical services and other services. The bridge was opened only after the intervention of humanitarian organizations.

In Ukraine, the control over the observation of quarantine measures influenced the duties and priorities of the patrol police of Ukraine, which usually is the first unit in the chain of reaction on the domestic violence cases, the organization added.

As we reported, the Cabinet of Ministers published a plan for releasing Ukraine from the lockdown, which the government previously extended until May 11. The plan consists of five stages.
(Newser)  "FREE AMERICA NOW." If you're at all confused by what Elon Musk meant with that early Wednesday morning tweet, have no fear: It was one of a number of tweets he posted in response to the lockdownwhich he's no fan of. "Give people their freedom back!" he wrote in another, along with a link to a Wall Street Journal op-ed (one not penned by a medical professional) that asserts the data shows lockdowns didn't save many lives in most places. In the third, he called out Texas with a "bravo!" and shared an article about a good portion of the state opening on Friday. The Hill reports that while he allowed in a subsequent tweet that states should "reopen with care & appropriate protection," he also said our leaders shouldn't have "everyone under de facto house arrest."

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It's not a new tune for Musk, who in March called the coronavirus panic "dumb." At the Drive, Patrick George notes the timing of the tweets: ahead of Tesla's Wednesday afternoon Q1 earnings call. George allows that his reaction might be an overly cynical one, "but I see the tweets and the missives ... being less about his staunch belief in American freedom and more about capitalizing on the hard-fought momentum (and market capitalization) Tesla started with in 2020." Musk "wants his employees back at work building the Model Y, especially, because it's Tesla's most important car yet," George writes, and one that comes at "a pivotal moment for Teslaone where it was riding high on valuation before the crisis and on the eve of releasing what's likely to be its best-selling car to date." (Read more Elon Musk stories.)
Kolkata, April 29 : From Hindu mythological character Lord Krishna, to a proposal to portray the lead in the upcoming Hindi movie Udham Singh, film makers from Bengal had considered Irrfan Khan for a number of meaty roles which failed to materialise due to his sickness or other unforeseen developments.

Doffing their hats to the genius who passed away at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday morning, the auteurs are now left ruing the missed chances to realise their dream of working with him.

Celebrated director Aparna Sen, who described Khan as an actor of rare talent in the world of films, said she had sent two proposals to him to play vital characters in her movies.

"I wanted so much to work with him. We had held discussions twice. I wanted to cast him in the role of Krishna. But due to various reasons the film did not materialise," said Sen, winner of 18 international and national film awards.

Sen said some time back she had also contacted him to play a part in a freshly conceived movie project.

"But he sent a communication that he was in no position to do the film as he would have to undergo a brain surgery," said a crestfallen Sen, known for churning out much-acclaimed movies like 36 Chowringhee Lane, Paroma, Sati, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer and The Japanese Wife.

Sen recalled the out-of-the-world silent reactions Khan gave in "Lunch Box".

"I am remembering his face, his acting in Maqbool, It's a huge loss".

Another venerated director Gautam Ghose lamented that he had offered to cast Khan in the main role in a movie based on a story by the late writer-painter Kamal Kumar Majumdar.

"The film never took place, as the producer passed away. He was so happy after I chose him. But my dream to work with him remained unrealised," said Ghose, who described Khan as a "great actor" and a "sensitive person".

Ghose said Khan had created a new acting genre which brought him laurels not only in India, but also internationally.

Shoojit Sircar, who had directed Khan in the 2015 Hindi comedy drama "Piku", initially roped in Khan for the title role in his upcoming biopic Udham Singh. But he had to opt for Vicky Kaushal due to Khan's indisposition.

On Wednesday, Sircar paid a glowing tribute to Khan.

"My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute," he posted on Twitter.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The baby Carrie Symonds gave birth to today is her first child, but for fiance Boris Johnson the experience of parenthood is one that will feel very familiar.

The Prime Minister now has at least six children, yet has not officially confirmed the exact number after leading a tangled love life that has seen him married twice.

Both marriages ended after he had affairs. It seems extraordinary that the number of children a Prime Minister has is not public record, yet that is the situation.

Mr Johnson and Marina Wheeler, who split in 2018, have four children together: Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20.

He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Stephanie is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair.

Mr Johnson met his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen while they were students at Oxford and they wed in 1987 but they were divorced in 1993.

In 2004 it emerged that Johnson was reportedly having an affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt who had fallen pregnant and had an abortion.

He was sacked from the Tory frontbench over the affair. In 2006 the News of the World reported Mr Johnson had had an affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley.

In September 2018, news about his relationship with former Tory communications chief Carrie Symonds came to light - and they later moved in together.

Here are the details on all five of Mr Johnson's known children before today:

LARA LETTICE JOHNSON, 26 (born in 1993 to Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler)

Lara Lettice Johnson with Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler in North London in May 2012

Lara was the first child born to Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler, in 1993.

Just five weeks after her parents' wedding day, Lara - who is only five years younger than Carrie Symonds - was born.

She attended Bedales School - which costs 33,000-a-year - in Hampshire and went on to read Latin at St Andrews University.

Lara allegedly branded her father a 'selfish b******' after his split with her mother.

She has previously been pictured in public with her parents, including when she casted a vote with them at a polling station in Islington, North London, during the London mayoral elections of May 2012.

The Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler, pictured after he won his Uxbridge seat in May 2015

MILO ARTHUR JOHNSON, 24 (born in 1995 to Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler)

Milo Arthur Johnson, 24, was educated at the 27,000-a-year Westminster School

Born in 1995, Milo was Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler's first son.

The 24-year-old was educated at the 27,000-a-year Westminster School and is said to be a keen sportsman.

A 2011 issue of his school magazine described him as 'delight to watch' and said he was 'without doubt the player of the season' for his football skills.

Milo studied at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, graduating from there in 2014, and can speak Arabic, Russian and French.

He also worked as an intern in Dubai at men's magazine Esquire Middle East.

After Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler separated in 2018, the politician and Milo were photographed bringing tea for the Press outside his house in Oxfordshire.

Cassia Peaches Johnson, 22 (born in 1997 to Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler)

Cassia Peaches Johnson, 22

Cassia, thought to have followed in her father's footsteps to be a writer, is the youngest daughter of Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler.

She was born in 1997 and went to Highgate School - which costs 18,000 per year.

During Cassia's time at the private school she was a student editor of their alumni magazine Cholmeleian.

THEODORE APOLLO JOHNSON 20 (born in 1999 to Boris and Marina Wheeler)

Theodore Apollo Johnson, 20

Born in 1999, Theodore is Mr Johnson and his ex-wife Marina Wheeler's youngest child.

He attended school in London before going to Cambridge University, unlike his father who attended Oxford.

He is listed on LinkedIn as 'Theodore Johnson-Wheeler' in a profile which states he started at Cambridge in 2017.

Theodore has also been labelled previously as something of a doppleganger for Mr Johnson, with the same distinctive hair colour and style.

STEPHANIE MACINTYRE, 11 (born in 2009 to Boris Johnson and Helen Macintyre)

Helen Macintyre (pictured), the mother of Boris Johnson's fifth child Stephanie

He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre.

Stephanie is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair.

The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009 - but also mentioned the possibility of a second baby.

The three appeal court judges said: 'It was not material to the judge's conclusion whether contraceptive precautions were taken.

'What was material was that the father's infidelities resulted in the conception of children on two occasions.

'The judge was entitled to hold that this was of itself reckless behaviour, regardless of whether any contraceptive precautions were taken. '
(Bloomberg) -- Nvidia Corp. won approval for its Mellanox Technologies Ltd. deal from China and other regulators in the face of fierce opposition from competitors, Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said.

Rivals that also tried to buy the Israeli chipmaker hated the transaction, Nvidias founder added in an interview after the deal closed on Monday. He didnt mention specific companies, but Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and a growing number of startups are pursuing similar opportunities.

The $7 billion acquisition took longer than expected because of an extended technical review and the collection of industry feedback, particularly in a market as large and complex as China, Huang explained. As the worlds second-largest economy and the biggest market for semiconductors, China gets a say on industry deals.

Some of those opposed to Nvidias purchase, including other bidders, wanted explicit assurances that access to Mellanoxs data center network chip technology would remain open, Huang said.

I was more than happy to do it, he added, noting that it makes sense for Mellanox to allow open access because that will encourage customers to keep using the technology.

The deal prompted other companies to complain that Mellanox might develop new technology that works better or exclusively with Nvidia chips. To address that, the Santa Clara, California-based company pledged to make sure that data travels between other companies chips and Mellanox components at roughly the same speed as Nvidias processors.

Mellanox must also provide samples of new products to rivals within 90 days of making them available to Nvidia. Samples are a key part of the industrys development process because they help companies ensure their gear works properly.

The acquisition is Nvidias largest ever deal and should help the company expand its thriving data center chip business. When it was first unveiled in early 2019, some investors and analysts were concerned that the transaction would be blocked due to the U.S.-China trade dispute. China is trying to build its own semiconductor industry, so chip deals have been especially vulnerable. This makes Nvidias success with Mellanox particularly important and may presage more consolidation in the $400 billion industry.Huang said the company convinced Chinese regulators by stressing openness and willingness to work with others in the industry. That attitude plays well in China, he said. The conditions Nvidia agreed to should give Chinese chipmakers a chance to make sure their products work well with Mellanoxs technology. No country waits around to be conquered, Huang added.

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The CEO built a multibillion-dollar business by persuading owners of data centers that Nvidias graphics chips can process large amounts of information needed for artificial intelligence work, such as image recognition.

Mellanox chips speed up the flow of information across computer servers and between components. Thats well suited to large AI datasets that need to be split up and processed by multiple computers in parallel. Simply building faster components and better stand-alone machines isnt good enough, according to Huang. Mellanoxs gear will help data centers behave like giant computers by quickly assigning the right resources depending on the type of work, he said.

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India has been placed at 53rd position among 117 nations in terms of budget transparency and accountability, according to the Open Budget Survey released on Wednesday.

The survey, conducted by International Budget Partnership (IBP), has provided India's Union Budget process a transparency score of 49 out of 100, which is higher than the global average of 45.

New Zealand tops the chart with a score 87.

Some of the other large developing countries, with the exception of China, have got much higher transparency scores compared to India.

South Africa (87), Mexico (82) and Brazil (81) are among the top six countries providing extensive information to public for scrutiny.

"If one compares India's performance in this global biennial survey, there is stagnation over the last few years. In the survey for 2019, India ranks 53rd among the 117 countries covered, said a press release on the survey.

India performs well in publishing timely and relevant information in the audit reports and in-year reports and has scored well and above many other countries, it added.

However, the survey observed that absence of a published Pre-Budget Statement and not bringing out a Mid-Year Review in 2018-19 pulled down the transparency score for the Union Budget of India.

Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), which contributed research inputs towards developing an assessment of budget transparency for the efforts by the Union Government, noted that IBP draws attention to the importance of enhancing budget transparency and strengthening accountability for government budgets.

The survey, covering 117 countries, rates the level of budget transparency across countries on a scale of 0-100, based on several normative, internationally comparable indicators.

It evaluates for each country, the availability of eight key budget documents of the Central or Federal Government, and assesses whether these are made public, in a timely manner, and provide comprehensive information.

Providing adequate space for public participation for priority setting in its budgets is also flagged by the OBS (Open Budget Survey) as an area of improvement required for India.

The survey report argues that the Union Government should also publish a Pre-Budget Statement, which can be scrutinised by the legislators and the public at large before the annual budget is presented.

The CBGA said budget transparency is always an important parameter of fiscal governance.

"But it assumes greater significance during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic as a sizable chunk of public expenditure is likely to get financed by higher magnitudes of government borrowing not just in the current fiscal but in the subsequent couple of years too," it said.

In order to ensure that the hard earned public resources are used judiciously and accountably, a high degree of transparency needs to be maintained with government finances, it said.

A recent study by the CBGA had highlighted the major obstructions in budget transparency at the district level and suggested a number of reforms.

Creating an integrated budget and expenditure information architecture at every district headquarter and enabling the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee to use this information to enforce accountability of the executive for budget implementation, will substantially improve budget transparency and accountability at the district level in the country.

The Open Budget Survey is part of the International Budget Partnership's Open Budget Initiative, a global research and advocacy program to promote public access to budget information and the adoption of accountable budget systems.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Photo: Getty

Cigarette breaks at work are becoming a thing of the past, with far fewer people now smoking in the UK than a decade ago. Around 5.9 million people are now smokers, down from 7.7 million in 2011, according to NHS England.

Many employers are encouraging their staff to take up healthy habits, such as quitting smoking, eating well and exercising regularly. After all, a healthier and happier workforce is far more beneficial to a business.

But some firms are going a step further to try and encourage workers to quit  by giving non-smokers extra holiday. Earlier this year, KCJ Training and Employment Solutions in Swindon announced it would be introducing the scheme to compensate staff who do not smoke, rather than penalise those who do.

Despite being a smoker himself, manager director Don Bryden was behind the idea.

It's been taken on and embraced within the company by both smokers and non-smokers, he told the BBC in an interview.

I'm not discriminating against anyone. What I'm saying is if you take a smoke break, fine, take a smoke break. I'm not saying stop that.

READ MORE: Why do meetings drain you of energy?

But if you say it's three 10-minute smoke breaks a day that equates to 16 and a quarter days a year based on an eight-hour working day, he added. Let's cut it by a third and say you only take one 10-minute smoking break a day, that adds up to just over five days.

And the UK company isnt the only firm to introduce such measures to give staff an incentive to quit. In 2017, the Japanese marketing firm Piala Inc granted non-smoking employees an extra six days of paid holidays a year, after they complained that they were working more than staff who took time off for cigarette breaks.

Resentment grew among workers because those who took cigarette breaks had to travel down from the 29th floor of their building to go outside  which took longer than a few minutes.

At face value, it appears to make sense that non-smokers should be allocated time off to compensate for the time taken for cigarette breaks by those who do smoke. A 2014 study from the British Heart Foundation reported that smoking breaks cost British business 8.4billion a year as the average working smoker takes up to four 10 minute cigarette breaks a day.

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But are these schemes actually going to encourage people to break unhealthy habits  or just cause division in the workplace?

Non-smokers are allowed a 20 minute break themselves if they work for six hours or more each day. If smokers want to use that time to smoke, they can, but that doesn't stop non-smokers from being entitled to taking that same 20 minutes of time off.

READ MORE: Does workplace 'wellness' really help employee mental health?

All employees need regular breaks at work, thats a given. Its not good for our emotional or physical health to be chained to the desk for hours on end  taking ten minutes away from the desk every so often and ensuring that significant time is dedicated to having lunch will make everyone more productive and energised, says Jonathan Richards, CEO and co-founder of Breathe HR.

The key thing here is flexibility. Its important to remember that people work in different ways. Some may like to work intensely for short bursts of time, taking regular breaks while others may prefer to take a longer break at lunch time, he adds. Ideally, we need to accommodate these differences to ensure people can take time out in the way that best suits them.

This is relevant when addressing cigarette breaks in the workplace, Richards adds. How we choose to spend our time during breaks is of personal preference, and if you are in the habit of smoking then this time should be used for that, he says. All employees are allocated the same break allowance and how they use it is up to them, so I dont see why extra breaks should be given to facilitate the needs of smokers.

However, its important that everyone is treated fairly and given the same benefits  and its very much down to personal responsibility to use them sensibly. Instead, it may be better to encourage people to take the same amount of breaks but let them decide how to use them, to avoid causing a rift between employees.

READ MORE: Should we all be doing walking meetings?

As employers we have a duty of care to ensure we offer support where needed and we should be able to trust that staff are working the way thats most productive for them  this includes managing break times effectively, Richards adds.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-29 14:03:04

The deal has successfully obtained all regulatory approvals from required authorities.

Santander acquires a c.50.1% stake in Ebury after an investment of c.350 million (approximately EUR 400 million) and will support its expansion plans in Latin America and Asia of the payment and currency platform for SMEs

Santander Strengthens Its International Trade Operations for SMEs With the Completion of the Investment in Ebury

Ebury

Alex Child-Villiers

ebury@templebaradvisory.com

+44 (0)20 7975 1415

Banco Santander

comunicacion@gruposantander.com

+34 91 2895211

Banco Santander announced today the completion of its purchase of a c.50.1% stake in Ebury, one of the best international payment, FX and international cash management platforms for SMEs, after obtaining all regulatory approvals from the required authorities. This transaction was announced in November 2019 and is part of the bank's digital strategy, providing SMEs with the necessary tools for their international expansion through global trade finance services.

Ebury already has operations in 17 countries and 140 currencies, and has increased its revenues by an average of 50% per year over the past three years. With the support of an international group such as Santander, the company will be able to expand its business to other markets in Latin America and Asia. Ebury maintains its headquarters in the United Kingdom, from where it operates a unique global distribution platform supported by a data-based business model that offers high-quality products and customer experience.

Santander invested c.350 million (around EUR 400 million) in the deal. Of this amount, 70 million was used to bolster the company's resources to underpin its international expansion. The agreement provides Ebury with access to Santander's international network. The bank already supports more than four million SMEs worldwide, of which over 200,000 operate internationally. The bank can also offer support to Ebury's existing customer base, which includes SMEs and companies, and agreements with financial and other industry partners.

Sergio Rial, Chairman of Santander Brazil and Chairman of Ebury, said: "The investment in Ebury is a significant strategic milestone for the bank, allowing us to boost our capabilities in an exciting market with high growth potential. This new acquisition will provide us with the capabilities to further increase the Global Trade Services business with a new world-class platform with which we expect a significant return on investment in the coming years.

Juan Lobato and Salvador Garcia, co-founders of Ebury, explained: "In just over ten years, Ebury has grown from a small fintech company to a business with over 1,000 employees. Now, thanks to the support of Santander, we will be able to expand the business even more internationally and enter new markets".

Through its Global Trade Services business, Santander supports access to international markets for small and medium-sized companies through trade finance, supply chain, payments and foreign exchange, with fast and efficient services. With a revenue pool around $200 billion, the goal of the bank's global platform is to lead international trade for SMEs in Europe and Latin America, and it intends to expand to 20 markets in the medium term.

Ebury serves more than 43,000 active companies and operates in more than 140 currencies, according to closing data for 2019. Eburys revenues grew over 60%% during the last reported period and is expecting to deliver growth of 60% for current fiscal year ending in April 2020.

Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in Europe and the Americas, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Its purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising over 120 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2025, as well as financially empowering more than 10 million people over the same period. At the end of 2019, Banco Santander had EUR 1.05 trillion in total funds, 145 million customers, of which 21.6 million are loyal and 37 million are digital (52% of active customers), 12,000 branches and 200,000 employees. Banco Santander made underlying profit of EUR 8,252 million in 2019, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005
Barely a few weeks since opening its Spain office, Panattoni has acquired land in Torija near Madrid. The construction of Panattoni Park Madrid East, with more than 28,400 sqm of space, will start in the first half of 2020.

The site is just at 30 minutes drive from Madrid, right next to the A2 mot...

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Ali, of Lambeth, was jailed for 14 years today after a trial at Croydon Crown Court

Yusuf Ali, pictured, 20, was jailed for 14 years today after stabbing two men and pushing an 18-year-old girl from a fourth-floor balcony when she rejected his advances at a 'pre-trial party'

A robber who stabbed two men and pushed a girl, 18, over a fourth floor balcony and 50 feet to the ground after she rejected him at a 'pre-trial party' was jailed for 14 years today.

Yusuf Ali, 20, armed himself with a blade from the kitchen after a rival group of men turned up and a fight broke out at a flat he was renting in a luxury Empire Square block in Southwark, south London.

Ali was on bail ahead of his trial for raiding a mobile phone shop in May 2018 on Holloway Road, north London when 30,469 worth of smart phones were taken.

On 3 August 2019 he rented flat 50 at the block, twelve days before his trial at Blackfriars Crown Court was due to start.

Guests started arriving shortly after midnight and he began harassing his victim at the event, pulling her wig off and putting her hands through the rips in her jeans.

After the fight broke out, Ali stabbed two men then pushed the screaming teenager from the balcony.

She suffered fractures to her neck, back and pelvis and was confined to a wheelchair for several weeks, but has since made a 'miraculous recovery.'

Ali walked past her as she lay on ground, covering his face with his t-shirt in an effort to escape but he was arrested at the scene.

Judge Nicholas Ainley told Ali: 'This was going to be a pre-trial party and some girls came along after midnight.

'You did not know the victim and she did not know you. There was some sort of argument between you when you snatched off the wig she was wearing. You had obviously been drinking.

'A group of young men arrived and these were young men who were obviously in a different group to yourself. The atmosphere very quickly turned violent.

'You then got a knife, from it would appear, the kitchen.

'There was a chase down the corridor outside the flat. She ran off. Some these young men had run off. You managed to get hold of a couple of them at the end of the corridor and you stabbed them.

Police at the scene on Empire Square block on Long Lane in Southwark, east London, where a fight broke out on 3 August 2019 after Ali rented out flat 50 at the apartment block

'She had run away. She had run round the corridor where these two men were stabbed. She was hoping to go down the lift. What you did was run up to her, and as I have said, she was small and slight, she had no weapon and she was no threat to you.

'You caught up with her and you threw her over the balcony. She dropped down a light well and 50 feet to the ground.

'I formed the view in this case it was a miracle she survived at all, still more miraculous she has made the recovery she has.'

In a pre-sentence report a probation officer stated: 'His behaviour on that night is indicative of a violent rampage in which he was determined to inflict harm on others around him.'

Where the Empire Square East block is located, near Borough tube station. Ali rented flat 50 at the block, twelve days before his trial at Blackfriars Crown Court was due to start

Snapchat footage obtained by police revealed Ali harassing the victim as she arrived at the party by placing his hands onto her thigh through the rip in her jeans with his other hand around her throat saying: 'This is what I do in the bedroom'.

But the court heard Ali maintains his innocence.

Ali, from Lambeth, was convicted of grievous bodily harm, affray and possession of an offensive weapon following a trial at Croydon Crown Court.

He was jailed for ten years for grievous bodily harm and given a four year consecutive sentence for the robbery. A concurrent sentence of two years was passed for the affray and no separate penalty for the possession of an offensive weapon.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch shined a rare light on the cases of numerous individuals who have allegedly been forcibly disappeared by the Turkish government since the July 2016 coup. In a report released today, HRW called on the Turkish authorities to carry out an effective investigation into credible testimony from a man in pretrial detention that state agents forcibly disappeared him for nine months and tortured him.

The man, Gokhan Turkmen, is among at least two dozen people who have reportedly been abducted by government agents, tortured and held incommunicado for months. Another of them, Yusuf Tunc Bilge, disappeared eight months ago and has yet to be located.

Many of the victims were previously employed by now shuttered educational facilities run by the Fethullah Gulen movement. Gulen is the Pennsylvania-based Sunni cleric the government accuses of masterminding the failed attempt to bloodily overthrow his former ally, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has been pressing for his extradition from the United States, one of several issues that have poisoned relations between the NATO allies in recent years. Gulen denies the claims.

Enforced disappearances are an egregious crime, and their persistent occurrence in Turkey will only end if the authorities effectively investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice, said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The government continues to pursue suspected Gulenists within Turkey and in foreign countries. Operatives of Turkeys national intelligence agency, MIT, have staged multiple renditions in places like Kosovo, kidnapping Turkish citizens accused of links with Gulen in broad daylight with the full complicity of host governments.

Others, like Moldova and Guinea, have shuttered Gulen-linked schools and extradited teachers who have then gone straight to prison in Turkey.

Turkeys national security state has pulled out its whole bag of tactics and deployed them against Gulenists as well as against others, just as they have in the past, and that includes kidnappings, torture and secret renditions, said Nate Schenkkan, director for special research at Freedom House. Of course its been horrible for decades, the way in which the Turkish state has acted with impunity in so many cases against dissident political movements, against Kurds and other ethnic minorities with total disregard for due process, and now you see that widening to an even larger group, Schenkkan told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview.

Turkmens case fits the pattern of disappearances reported since the 2017, several of which have been documented by Human Rights Watch and the Ankara Bar Association. Turkmen disappeared in the southern province of Antalya on Feb. 7, 2019. His family repeatedly sought information as to his whereabouts from the Turkish authorities but were denied an answer.

Turkmens wife Zehra told HRW that she and her husband have been threatened and targeted for speaking publicly about his case and for filing complaints about his enforced disappearance with the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights.

Heavily armed policemen first came looking for Turkmen at his Ankara home in August 2016. Like many others, Turkmen had fled the capital after being purged from his job at the Ministry of Agriculture, where he worked on EU-funded projects. He went into hiding in the southern province of Antalya, where his parents live. After he vanished in February 2019, Zehra did not hear from him until he finally surfaced in police custody in November, 30 kilos lighter and prematurely aged. He has been held in pretrial solitary detention ever since in Ankaras Sincan F-Type prison, facing charges of espionage and membership of what the government calls the Fethullahist Terror Organization or FETO.

Tens of thousands of civil servants were summarily dismissed over their alleged links to the alleged group. Many were jailed along with thousands of others associated with schools, media organizations and businesses that allegedly operated under the FETO umbrella. Being married to a teacher working in a Gulen-affiliated school or holding a bank account in a Gulen-affiliated bank was touted as proof of culpability.

Zehra, a physics teacher at a Gulen-linked prep school, was arrested in February 2017 and jailed for nine months on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.

At his first court hearing on Feb. 10, Turkmen described his abduction by three men who identified themselves as police and were wearing police vests. In his testimony, which was obtained by Al-Monitor, Turkmen said he was held in a dark cell for 271 days. He was blindfolded and handcuffed, his feet shackled, and was forced to sign a 50-page document he was told to memorize and recite in court.

His lawyers say Turkmen was visited at least six times by men who identified themselves as MIT operatives and threatened him and his family. In March, the MIT agents allegedly demanded that he retract his testimony in court. The pressure and threats are ongoing, according to sources familiar with the case who declined to be identified by name.

Summeye Yilmaz had a similar experience. She was fired from her job at Ankaras Hacettepe University following the abortive coup. Her husband Mustafa, a physiotherapist, was abducted outside their Ankara home on Feb. 19, 2019. She told Al-Monitor she filed a report on his disappearance. They repeatedly told me to withdraw my petition and to say he had just abandoned our home, she said in a telephone interview. He resurfaced 245 days later at the Ankara security directorates counter-terrorism department. He had lost 25 kilos and told his wife he had been in hiding all that time.

Yilmaz said she believed was coerced into saying so. I dont believe it. I want the truth, she said. Her husband had already been arrested once in October 2018 over his suspected connections to Gulen. He was sentenced to six years and three months before being released pending appeal in January 2019, only to disappear 45 days later. Yilmaz said her husbands account with the Gulen-affiliated Asya Bank was used as evidence against him when he was first arrested.

Coverage of such cases is scant in the mostly pro-government Turkish news media and there is little sympathy for the thousands of suspected Gulenists swept up in the governments campaign of revenge.

Howard Eissenstat, an associate professor at St. Lawrence University and senior non-resident fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy, explained this lack of interest: For many progressives in Turkey, the Gulen Movement is fundamentally to blame for the current sad state of Turkeys human rights environment. Eissentstat continued in emailed comments to Al-Monitor, The role of members of the movement in the use of political trials and breakdown of rule of law before 2013 remains a point of bitterness. The failure of the movement to do any serious accounting of its role then or in the attempted coup is significant. Of course, most of those targeted now by the state had no role whatsoever in any of that.
Milwaukee, WI, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WEYCO Group, Inc. (WEYS), a global marketer of footwear, plans to announce first quarter 2020 financial results after the close on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Additionally, Thomas W. Florsheim, Jr., Chairman and CEO, will host a conference call on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the financial results in more detail.

To participate in the call, you will first need to pre-register online. Pre-registration takes only a few minutes and you may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time. This quarter, we are advising all participants to dial in to the call 15-20 minutes prior to the call start time to avoid potentially long participant hold times. To pre-register, please go to: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/6377585 . The pre-registration process will provide the conference call phone number and a passcode required to enter the call.



A replay will be available for one year beginning about two hours after the completion of the call at the following webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/ak4gued5 . Alternatively, the conference call will be available by visiting the investor relations section of Weyco Groups website at www.weycogroup.com.



Weyco Group, Inc. designs and markets quality and innovative footwear principally for men, but also for women and children, under a portfolio of well-recognized brand names including: Florsheim, Nunn Bush, Stacy Adams, BOGS, and Rafters. The Companys products can be found in leading footwear, department, and specialty stores, as well as on e-commerce websites worldwide. Weyco Group also operates Florsheim concept stores in the United States and Australia, as well as in a variety of international markets.

Investor Relations Contact

John Wittkowske (414) 908-1880

Investor.Relations@WeycoGroup.com


KAMPALA  The State Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness has refuted claims circulating online that Mr Richard Masereje was involved in Covid-19 food procurement.

Mr Richard Masereje is an Advocate and Chartered Valuation Surveyor and a managing Partner at Masereje & Co Advocates.

Mr Musa Ecweru said that he only remembers that in 2013, in 2013 Mr Masereje was contracted by OPM as Consultant Transaction Advisor for a specific land transaction which was successfully concluded.

As for the food transaction, we never contracted him and if anybody wants to find out, he should get in touch with the Criminal investigators who are dealing with the case. As for me I dont know anything concerning Mr Richard Masereje, said Mr Ecweru 28 April on phone.

He explained that any information circulating on-line concerning the same should be treated as false as long as it lack the evidence from the CID department.

On April 19, an online report by TrumpetNews maliciously linked Mr Masereje to the Covid 19 food procurement, purportedly arising out of an investigation, in a widely circulated article titled Richard Masereje the man at the centre of the Covid-19 food scandal.

Mr Masereje has distanced himself from this and says he is not an employee of OPM in any way and threatened to drug TrumpetNews to court should they fail to apologise for the defamation the article has caused on his reputation.

I have not at all in any way been involved in the Covid-19 Food procurement by OPM, I was contracted for only one specific land transaction that successfully closed in 2013 and that was it, nobody has come back to me again, said Mr Masereje.

He described those spreading rumours and allegations that he was involved in COVID 19 food transaction as a bunch of incompetent politicians who are tired, self-deceiving, paranoid and frequently ineffectual who are scared about their voters.

This incompetence is known by their voters and they are going to take strong action against them during voting time,  he added.

Bulambuli Land Acquisition:

He explained further that in 2013, he was contracted by OPM as Consultant Transaction Advisor for a specific transaction which was successfully concluded and closed.

The government took possession of the land and has since constructed the houses for resettlement, which were commissioned by non other than the President.

The Covid 19 food scandal

This come barely two weeks after Court 15 April remanded four top officials in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), who were charged with fraudulent practices in connection with the procurement of relief food being supplied to people affected by Covid-19 lockdown.

The officials, including Permanent Secretary Christine Guwatudde, Mr Joel Wanjala (Under Secretary and accounting officer), Mr Martin Owor, (commissioner disaster preparedness, and head of the Covid-19 taskforce), and Fred Lutimba (assistant commissioner in charge of procurement), were arraigned before Buganda Road Magistrates Court after spending five days in police custody.

The four denied charges of colluding to commit a fraudulent practice in regard to inflating prices for Covid-19 food stuff under the Public Procurement and Disposal Assets Act and were remanded to Kitalya Government Prison until May 4.

Related
New Delhi: Indian cinema's one of the greatest actors and an incredible performer Irrfan Khan breathed his last on Wednesday morning, April 29, 2020. He was 53. The actor was rushed to Kokilaben hospital due to colon infection a day before. The actor par excellence battled a rare form of cancer - Neuroendocrine Tumour for two long years and had shared the news of his illness first on social media.

Throughout his illustrious showbiz career, the master craftsman was applauded for several of his notable works and praised for many.

Irrfan studied at the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in 1984. He graduated from the drama school in 1987 with a Bachelor's degree in hand. Incidentally, he met his wife Sutapa Sikdar, who was a fellow student in NSD and the two finally got married.



On his untimely and sudden demise, NSD Director Suresh Sharma said that during his course, Irrfan acted in a number of stage plays. He acted in Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni's 'The Fan', Maxim Gorky's 'The Lower Depths' amongst various others. Today, we have lost an iconic actor from our NSD family. We extend our condolences to the family.

Irrfan was honoured with several awards and accolades for his performances on-screen. He has been awarded the most prestigious National Film Award, Filmfare amongst many others. In 2011, Irrfan was given the Padma Shri, country's fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts.

The bundle of impeccable talent featured in a number of path-breaking movies. He worked in as many as 50 Hindi films and made a mark in the West. Irrfan was honoured with several awards and accolades for his performances on-screen. He has been awarded the most prestigious National Film Award, Filmfare amongst many others. In 2011, Irrfan was given the Padma Shri, country's fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts.

In Hollywood, he did movies such as 'The Warrior', 'The Namesake', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'New York, I Love You', 'The Amazing Spider-Man', 'Life of Pi', 'Jurassic World' and 'Inferno' to name a few.
Outdoor activity may well be limited for the foreseeable future, But Sarah Hyland made good use of what little remains at her disposal on Tuesday.

The Modern Family star is adhering to strict social distancing guidelines in the fight against coronavirus COVID-19 by staying at home with her fiance, Wells Adams.

But with temperatures soaring across Los Angeles, Sarah, 29, enjoyed some fresh air in the southern Californian city before returning to their shared property.

Looking good: Sarah Hyland showed off her toned physique as she returned home following a brief outdoor appearance in Los Angeles on Tuesday

The actress showed off her toned physique in a canary yellow crop-top and cropped denim shorts as she climbed from her car after taking her dogs for a walk at a nearby park.

Revealing a golden tan, Sarah caught the eye as she and Wells retrieved their two large pets from the back seats.

On another glorious day in Los Angeles, the actress stayed hydrated by carrying a large bottle of mineral water as they made their way back into the house.

In good company: The actress was joined by fiance, Wells Adams and their two dogs as they returned home after visiting a nearby park

Sarah and Wells have been keeping themselves occupied during the ongoing pandemic, and recently transformed into Tiger King stars Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin.

In pictures shared with Instagram followers the Modern Family actress was unrecognisable as she dressed up as former GW Exotic Animal Park owner Joe 'Exotic' Maldonado-Passage.

Sarah is being extra vigilant as a consequence of the current health crisis because she's at a higher risk due to her kidney dysplasia and endometriosis.

Old times: Sarah is best known for her long-running role in hit US comedy Modern Family

In 2017, she underwent a second kidney transplant after her first one failed.

'I am obviously immunocompromised with my transplant history and am on immunosuppressants, so everything in this house is sanitized,' Hyland said during a recent appearance on Brad Goreski's podcast.

The couple started dating in November 2017, and announced their engagement in July 2019.

Funny: Sarah and Wells have been keeping themselves occupied during the ongoing pandemic, and recently transformed into Tiger King stars Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin




Andy Beshear, the governer of Kentucky, apologized yesterday to Tupac Shakur, a resident of the state he had falsely suggested was a "bad apple" benefits claimant. Beshear assumed Shakur's name was a fabrication borrowed from the long-dead East Harlem rapper, and shamed him at a press conference where he complained about people exploiting the system. But Shakur is in fact a real person from Lexington, and he still hasn't gotten his unemployment check.

Tupac Malik Shakur, 46, goes by Malik. He lives in Lexington and worked as a cook at Alfalfa's and Lynagh's in Lexington before they closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

On March 13, the first day he could, he applied for unemployment insurance. On March 17, he got his monetary determination letter. He has been waiting on his unemployment money ever since.

"I've been struggling for like the last month trying to figure out how to pay the bills," Shakur said.
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The global automotive brake system market is anticipated to witnessing a substantial growth due to fresh prospects of the automotive industry in emerging along with developing economies and increased safety concerns by the government. It was stated in the report that the overall growth of the market is expected to reach a market value of above US$ 25 Billion through 2022, exhibiting a strong 5.7% of CAGR throughout 2017-2022.

Request For Report sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3550

In modern cars mostly two kinds of brakes are used which are drum brakes and disc brakes. Every new car has disc brakes on the front wheels, whereas the rear wheels may possibly use whichever drum or disc brakes. Of these, the disc brakes category has a comparatively bigger share in the overall market during 2017 and will account for a market evaluation of US$14 Billion for the duration of the forecast 2017 to 2022. On the other hand, the expansion rate for the drum brakes segment will be on the climb in the approaching years.

In terms of the sales channel, the worldwide market is categorized into aftermarket and OEM. The OEM category reflects a revenue share of about fourth-fifth and will foresee a remarkable 5.5% CAGR for the duration of the assessment, 2017-2022. The aftermarket category is relatively a lot smaller and consists the share of residual revenue in the worldwide market for the duration of the assessment. By, vehicle type, the worldwide market is categorized into premium passenger cars, heavy commercial vehicles, light commercial vehicles, luxury passenger cars, compact passenger cars, and mid-sized passenger cars. Of these, the compact cars will have the benefit of being trouble-free to maneuver together with being undemanding on the wallet at the fuel pump. Therefore, it isnt astounding to acknowledge that compact cars will expand market share for the duration of the assessment. The mid-size car category abides by compact cars on the basis of popularity, however, are yet probable to lose market share. The advanced technologies used in the modern cars are electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and traction control system (TCS).

Request For Report Discounts @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/3550

Europe to foresee a lucrative market with the highest contribution and the companies in the market are proposed to centralize their efforts on this region with lucrative prospects for a good ROI. With the market in Europe, the companies are trying to center on APEJ or North America, since both the regions will have worldwide market evaluations valuing billions of dollars for the duration of the assessment.

The foremost market players active in the worldwide market are Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Wabco Holdings, Inc., ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Aisin Seiki Co, Ltd., Knorr-Bremse AG, Akebono Brake Industry Co. Ltd., TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., Halla Mando Corp., Brembo S.P.A. and others.

Request For Report Analysis @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/automotive-brake-system-market
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause exports to stagnate. Coffee growers in the Central Highlands are experiencing many hardships.

The coffee price has dropped dramatically. On March 28, it fell from the VND30,000 per kilogram threshold to around VND29,700-29,800 per kilogram, lower than the production cost of VND32,000-33,000 per kilogram.





As the price decreases, farmers have restricted sales, resulting in short supply for export.



The General Department of Customs (GDC) reported that Vietnam exported 154,396 tons, worth $260.975 million in March and 473,785 tons in the first three months of the year, worth $801.62million, a decrease of 53.4 percent in quantity and 9.42 percent in value compared with the same period last year.



Coffee price falls to 15-year low



The coffee price increased for three consecutive trading sessions early last week and stayed at VND30,000 per kilogram. But it later fell from the threshold. The opening price on March 28 decreased by VND1,000 per kilogram to VND29,700-29,800 per kilogram because of the London Robusta coffee price drop.



Robusta coffee prices were VND30,600 per kilogram in Bao Loc and VND29,500 in Di Linh district in Lam Dong province. In Dak Lak province, the prices were between VND29,700 and VND30,000 per kilogram. In HCM City, R1 was priced at VND31,300 per kilogram.



Covid-19 is raging in Europe and US, while restaurants and hotels in Italy, Spain, France and the UK have closed. They are all the key export markets for Vietnams farm produce, including coffee.



Do Ha Nam, deputy chair of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa) and chair of Intimex Group, confirmed that all the export shipments to Europe have been cancelled, forcing the prices down.



Vietnam is controlling the epidemic very well but exports won't resume if the COVID-19 exists in export markets.



Rice remains the only farm produce item which still can prosper in the context of epidemic, Nam commented.

As the coffee price has fallen to the 15-year low, farmers have choppef down coffee plants and are growing other crops instead.

As the coffee price has fallen to the 15-year low, farmers have choppef down coffee plants and are growing other crops instead.

Preparing for post-Covid-19



Analysts believe that though the exports have decreased, the risk for farm produce is still lower than other production fields. The demand would soar again once the epidemic is contained.



Therefore, according to Nam, exporters need to prepare well for the post-Covid-19 period. By that time, the demand will soar again and the prices will bounce back, he said.



However, the problem now is that enterprises lack money to store goods while waiting for prices to increase again. Meanwhile, they need money to cover expenses to maintain operation and pay bank debts.

Mai Lan

Coffee price crisis hits Vietnamese export value Vietnam's coffee industry had suffered from falling export prices, according to the Vietnam Coffee and Cacao Association.
Justin Amash quit the GOP in July 2019, disenchanted with a political system he said was in a partisan death spiral.

Michigan Congressman Justin Amash, a former Republican and one of President Donald Trumps most ardent critics from the right side of the political spectrum, said on Tuesday that he is launching an exploratory committee and would likely seek the 2020 Libertarian Partys presidential nomination.

The Republican-turned-independent said on Twitter that the US was ready for new leadership and posted a link to a new campaign website.

Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people, Amash said. Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together.

Were ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together. Im excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.  Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 29, 2020

Fellow Trump critics on the right criticised the decision, insisting that any third-party bid for the US presidency from the right would only increase the odds of Trump being re-elected in November. Writing in the Washington Post, former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh, who himself mounted a brief challenge to Trump in the Republican primary, called Amashs decision disappointing.

The pettiness and corrosion of both parties in Congress are no joke, but they are not the immediate threat to the viability of our government, Walsh wrote. That threat is Trump. And thats why Amash running for president on the Libertarian Party ticket is such a terrible idea.

Trump, however, said he welcomed the challenge.

No, I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat. He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway. I like him even more than Jill Stein! https://t.co/V8kutnfvIj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2020

In an appearance on MSNBC on Wednesday, Amash brushed aside his fellow conservatives concerns.

There are millions of Americans who arent represented by either Donald Trump or Joe Biden, who arent represented by the Republicans or the Democrats, he said. And those millions of Americans deserve a choice on the ballot. And its pretty silly to say, well, we shouldnt allow another candidate to be on the ballot.

Amash is seeking re-election to his Michigan congressional seat as an independent, but faces a slate of Republican challengers eager to see him removed, among them Peter Meijer, a military veteran and the grandson of Fred Meijer, whose grocery store chain is a Michigan institution.

Amash was the first Republican in Congress to say Trump deserved impeachment. He quit the Republican Party in July 2019, saying he had become disenchanted with a political system that is trapped in a partisan death spiral.

The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions, he wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece published at the time.

Instead of acting as an independent branch of government and serving as a check on the executive branch, congressional leaders of both parties expect the House and Senate to act in obedience or opposition to the president and their colleagues on a partisan basis, Amash wrote.





A member of Congress since 2011, Amash, 40, spoke out about Special Counsel Robert Muellers report on Russian activities during the 2016 presidential election. He said Muellers report showed Trump had obstructed justice, bucking his party and joining Democrats in castigating the president for his actions.

President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct, he said at the time.

Following the comments, Trump referred to Amash as a lightweight and a total loser.

Amash was the sole Republican to co-sponsor a resolution in the US House of Representatives to reject the emergency Trump declared at the US-Mexico border to build a wall there.
Irish television's most iconic redhead returns to screens this Saturday morning - and they want to hear from children, big kids, and families that are staying inside over the weekend.

Children's television legend Bosco, who's been leading a busy life since departing RTE's afternoon kids' schedules at the height of their fame, is back on Virgin Media One's IrelandAM show this Saturday morning, and is taking questions from boys and girls around the country to answer on the breakfast-television staple.
(Newser)  Joe Biden easily trumped Bernie Sanders in Tuesday's presidential primary in Ohio, conducted almost entirely by mail, reports the Hill. The former vice president nabbed 72.4% of 860,347 votes cast, according to unofficial results, compared to 16.6% support for Sanders, who ended his campaign three weeks ago. Sanders has opted to remain on primary ballots in the hope of nabbing more delegates to influence the Democratic party platform. He "could snag a few" of the 136 up for grabs in Ohio, per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

story continues below

The primary had been scheduled for March 17 but was delayed over concerns about the novel coronavirus. Residents were then given until April 28 to mail in votes, though some in-person voting was granted to people with disabilities or without permanent mailing addresses, per CBS News. Trump, who won Ohio in 2016, received 682,843 votes on the Republican side, according to the unofficial tally. Some absentee and provisional ballots are still to be counted. A total of 1,975,806 vote-by-mail ballots were requested. (New York has canceled its primary.)
The head of the Australia-China relations committee has stood down amid growing political strain between the two nations.

Warwick Smith has resigned as chairman of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, which replaced the Australia-China Council, as government officials clash over China's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The former MP resigned from his role in March where his advisory board was tasked with strengthening ties between the two countries through education, governments, business and cultural and community groups.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne thanked Mr Smith for his services, including as head of the Australia-China Business Council and chair of the Business Council of Australia's China Leadership Group.

Former MP Warwick Smith has resigned as chairman of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations

The National Foundation for Australia-China Relations have been given $44million over the past five years to increase relations, with Ms Payne intending to continue to grow the relationship.

'I also look forward to engaging with the advisory board on the development and growth of the foundation in the national interest,' she told The Australian. 'Working with the board, the government will develop the new foundation to support Australia's practical co-operation and engagement with China.'

Mr Smith's resignation comes as Scott Morrison declared the government won't give in to coercion as the Chinese embassy doubled down on its claims Australia's call for an investigation into the coronavirus is politically motivated.

Australia has held firm on calls for a global review into the origins of the virus despite China's threats to boycott Australian education, tourism and agriculture in retaliation.

Scott Morrison has been firm in his quest for a thorough review into the origins and spread of COVID-19 out of China

'The government has made our displeasure with those remarks known,' Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said in Adelaide on Tuesday.

The World Health Assembly were set to meet in Switzerland next month and are now expected to hold a video meeting, with Australian Department of Health secretary Caroline Edwards set to push for a review into the COVID-19 pandemic.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy on Tuesday detailed department of foreign affairs and trade head Frances Adamson's phone call to ambassador Cheng Jingye over his threats.

Ms Adamson told Mr Cheng the proposal didn't have a political motive and didn't target China.

'Ambassador Cheng elaborated clearly China's relevant position, stressing that no matter what excuses the Australian side has made, the fact cannot be buried that the proposal is a political manoeuvre,' the spokesperson said.

Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye has claimed Australian calls for an inquiry into the coronavirus in China are politically motivated

'Just as a western saying goes: Cry up wine and sell vinegar.'

The saying is a reference to offering up a good product but substituting it with a sham.

The ambassador also told Ms Adamson Australia must 'put aside ideological bias, stop political games and do more things to promote the bilateral relations,' the embassy said.

Senator Birmingham said a boycott from China would be inappropriate.

'We won't be changing our public policy position on such a serious public health matter in the face of any threats of coercion from any other nation,' he said.

He points out the virus has led to hundreds of thousands of people dying, millions losing jobs, and billions facing massive disruption to their lives.

'The least the world can expect is a transparent inquiry into the causes of COVID-19 so that we can understand how best to prevent a repeat episode any time in the future,' he said.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Australia will not give in to coercion and that a boycott from China to Australia would be unwarranted

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the international impact of the coronavirus requires that a thorough investigation is conducted into the disease for all nations.

'We want a clear, independent, fearless global review of the origins, the actions, and the global path forward, in relation to this and all future pandemics,' he said.

'The reason we want a review is to make sure we understand exactly how this disease arose.'

Political tensions aside, Australian exports to China rose by 26 per cent to total $153billion last year, leaving Australia more fiscally reliant on China than ever.

Mr Cheng said on Monday Australia's support for the inquiry could result in Chinese tourists having second thoughts about visiting.

'Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'' he told The Australian Financial Review.
Popular Nigerian music producer, Samklef has cautioned parents who curse their kids.

According to the legendary music producer, placing curses on kids has a way of affecting them in the future especially when the person placing the curse is the parents.

Read Also: Samklef Calls Out Simi, Yemi Alade, Says Little Fame Made Them Arrogant

Speaking via his official Twitter handle on Wednesday, 29th April, he concluded by saying there is power in the tongue.

See what he wrote below: Cursing ur kids. Ode Oshi, oloriburuku etc. there is power in the tongue especially when you are the parent.
MEDIA COURTHOUSE  A Havertown man has been charged with more than 100 felony criminal counts for the possession and dissemination of child pornography, according to a release from Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.

The defendant is charged with the possession of more than 2,900 images and 450 videos of children being sexually abused and assaulted by animals and men, including infants and toddlers being raped by adult men. said Stollsteimer. Its important for parents to know that child predators and pornographers live in every community  this one lives in my neighborhood in Havertown. But they should also know that the men and women of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division are working tirelessly to protect our community.

Daryll Damon Claxton, 44, of the 2000 Bellemeade Avenue, was arraigned Tuesday on three counts of dissemination and attempted dissemination of child pornography; 50 counts of possessing child pornography; and 53 counts of criminal use of a communication facility, according to the release.

His arrest capped an investigation led by Criminal Investion Division Detective Sgt. Ken Bellis and Detective Ed Pisani, members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Stollsteimer also expressed gratitude to the Haverford Police Department for their assistance in the case.

Magisterial District Court Judge Eliza C. Lacianca approved a search warrant for Claxtons home address March 5, where investigators seized more than 40 electronic devices for inspection, according to the release, including desktop and laptop computers, external hard drives, flash drives, and micro SD cards.

A forensic examination of the devices allegedly revealed the offensive material, as well as evidence that Claxton used a variety of techniques to conceal his activities, including multiple layers of encryption.

Claxton was remanded to the county prison in Concord after failing to post $250,000 cash bail, according to the release. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 14 before Lacianca. Stollsteimer is personally prosecuting the case.
Hartpury Agri-Tech Talk Week (11-17 May) will provide the agriculture community with a platform to share their views, discuss the latest Government support packages and find out how the high-tech facility can help their businesses.

The event is part of a programme of initiatives by Hartpury aimed at supporting the farming sector, now and in the future, through access to the very latest technology and innovation.

Hartpury Agri-Tech Manager Ben Thompson said: We understand that agriculture and farming is a 24/7 industry and now busier than ever as a result of COVID-19.

These unprecedented times have highlighted its importance and how it must be supported to ensure sustainable food production for a growing global population.

Whether youre a farmer, student, business or member of the public, were looking forward to hearing from you during Hartpury Agri-Tech Talk Week.

Hartpury Agri-Tech Talk Week follows Chancellor Rishi Sunaks recent announcement that UK businesses driving innovation and development will be helped through the pandemic with a 1.25 billion support package.
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Zinc8 Energy Solutions Inc. (CSE:ZAIR) (the "Company") announces that due to circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Columbia Securities Commission and other members of the Canadian Securities Administrators granted issuers in the Canadian securities industry up to an additional 45 days to complete year-end statutory filings.Due to delays associated with COVID-19, the Company does not believe that it will be able to file its December 31, 2019 audited annual financial statements by its usual 120-day deadline of April 29, 2020 and will be relying on the extension. Management anticipates the Company will file its annual financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis on or before June 13, 2020.As required by the conditions of the extension, the Company's management and other insiders will be subject to a trading black-out that reflects the principles in Section 9 of National Policy 11-207 until its financial statements are filed.All material business developments since the filing of the Company's interim financial statements and associated management's discussion and analysis, for the interim period ending September 30, 2019, have been disclosed by the Company by way of news release. Please view the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com for further information.About Zinc8 Energy SolutionsZinc8 has assembled an experienced team to execute the development and commercialization of a dependable low-cost zinc-air battery. This mass storage system offers both environmental and efficiency benefits. Zinc8 strives to meet the growing need for secure and reliable power.To watch a short video outlining Zinc8's technology, please visit:More about the Zinc8 Energy Storage System (ESS)The Zinc8 ESS is a modular Energy Storage System designed to deliver power in the range 20kW - 50MW with capacity of 8 hours of storage duration or higher. With the advantage of rechargeable zinc-air flow battery technology, the system can be configured to support a wide range of long-duration applications for microgrids and utilities. Since the energy storage capacity of the system is determined only by the size of the zinc storage tank, a very cost-effective and scalable solution now exists as an alternative to the fixed power/energy ratio of the lithium ion battery.TechnologyThe Zinc8 ESS is based upon unique patented zinc-air battery technology. Energy is stored in the form of zinc particles, similar in size to grains of sand. When the system is delivering power, the zinc particles are combined with oxygen drawn from the surrounding air. When the system is recharging, zinc particles are regenerated, and oxygen is returned to the surrounding air.ApplicationsThe flexibility of the Zinc8 ESS enables it to service a wide range of applications. Typical examples include:Smoothing energy derived from renewable sources such as wind and solarCommercial/Industrial backup replacing diesel generatorsIndustrial and grid scale, on-demand power for peak shaving and standby reservesGrid-scale services such as alleviating grid congestion, deferring transmission/distribution upgrades, energy trading and arbitrage, and increasing renewable energy penetration.ArchitectureThe Zinc8 ESS is designed according to a modular architecture that enables a wide variety of system configurations to be created from a small number of common subsystems. Each subsystem implements a single element of the technology:The Zinc Regeneration Subsystem (ZRS) provides the recharging functionThe Fuel Storage Subsystem (FSS) provides the energy storage functionThe Power Generation Subsystem (PGS) provides the discharging functionContact InformationPatrick ButlerCorporate DevelopmentTelephone: 1.604.681.1568patrick@ zinc8energy.com Web: investors@ zinc8energy.com SOURCE: Zinc8 Energy Solutions Inc.
The Karnataka government on



Wednesday decided to conduct COVID-19 testing for frontline government employees besides bracing for the return of those from the state stranded abroad, as 12 new cases including one death were reported, taking the death toll to 21.

The government is also making arrangements to bring back those from the state, including migrant workers stranded in Gujarat by buses.

A plan of action is also getting ready on the procedures to be followed when the centre brings back Indians, including 10,823 from the state, stranded abroad.

"Already media persons and frontline police personnel are undergoing COVID-19 tests, today's new circular is for frontline government employees," Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters.

Stating that officers and staff of other departments, who have been working hand-in-hand with the health department might be at a risk of exposure to coronavirus infection, he said it has been decided to go for one time linear screening of all those frontline officers and workers of Benagaluru city to begin with.

In Bengaluru, the tests will be conducted at the KCG Hospital.

A 73-year-old man from Tumakuru became the 21st COVID-19 related fatality, taking the the death toll to 21 in Karnataka, where 12 new positive cases were confirmed on Wednesday.

With this, the total number of infections in the state have gone up to 535.

The elderly patient had complaints of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and past history of COPD (a respiratory disease), Asthma and Diabetes, the health department said, adding that he was admitted on April 25 and died at a designated hospital in Tumakuru.

According to the health department's bulletin, as of 5:00 PM on April 29, cumulatively 535 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state and it includes 21 deaths and 216 discharges.

It said, out of 297 active cases, 290 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while seven are in ICU.

"In last five days number of positive cases is 60, number of discharges is 64, so since last 5 days rate of growth is 1.25 per cent in the state," Kumar said.

Nine patients, who have recovered, have been discharged on Wednesday.Out of them eight are from Mysuru and one from Belagavi.

Among the 12 new cases, including the dead, who have reported positive, five are children (below the age of 18).

This includes four girls in the age group of 4-17 years, while one is a 12 year-old-boy.

While, 10 cases are contacts of patients already tested positive, one each are with history of Influenza Like Illness(ILI) and SARI.

Eight out of total twelve cases are from Kalaburagai, and one each are from Hukkeri in Belagavi district, Davangere, Tumakuru and Nanjanaguru (Mysuru).

Contact tracing has been initiated and is in progress for all the cases, the department said.

From across the state most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru urban with 131 cases, followed by Mysuru 88 and Belagavi 53.

Out of a total of 216 patients discharged so far the maximum of 58 is from Bengaluru, 56 from Mysuru, eleven from Chikkaballapura.

Among the dead five each are from Bengaluru urban and Kalaburagi, two each from Chikkaballapura, Dakshina Kannada, Tumakuru and Vijayapura, and one each from Belagavi, Bagalkote and Gadag.

A total of 55,404 samples were tested, out of which 4,892 were tested on Wednesday alone.

So far 53,241 samples have reported as negative, 4,733 alone today.

Responding to a question about bringing back the migrant workers among others who are stranded in other states, the minister said, as on today arrangements are being made to bring back those stranded in Gujarat by buses.

"Planning is underway for other states too as to how to bring them back," he added.

A plan of action is also getting ready to bring back Indians, including 10,823 from Karnataka, stranded abroad.

"Government of India has taken decision to allow Indian citizens to come back to India from abroad.

As far as the information we have from Karnataka total 10,823 people are stranded abroad-- tourists and visitors 4,408, students 3,074, migrants and professionals 2,784, ship crew 557," he said.

Stating that 6,100 people will be returning early from abroad, Kumar said preparations have been done in the state with regard to screening, quarantine and treating them by categorising them on the basis of their health.

"The approximate break up given to us include- 328 passengers from Canada, 927 from USA, 2,575 from UAE, 414 from Qatar and 927 from Saudi Arabia," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 16:08:56|Editor: huaxia

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GUANGZHOU, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Students in China are now keeping a close eye on the foreseeable new semester as COVID-19 ebbs as they have been stuck at home during the longest winter holiday ever.

Said Ahmed Bahwal from Somalia, a doctoral student at Guangzhou's prestigious Sun Yat-sen University, said he cannot wait to go back to his research lab to catch up on his suspended programs.

The epidemic has disrupted the student's busy schedule to conduct scientific experiments in his lab. "I always feel fulfilled to have my day tightly scheduled, so that I won't be under excessive stress preparing my doctoral thesis," he said.

This year marks Said's seventh year in China and it was back in 2011 that he first set his foot on China after accepted as a postgraduate student in the northeastern city of Jiamusi. The cold but snowy winter was something fresh for the man from a tropical country.

Said returned to his hometown after graduation in 2015, but decided to pursue his doctoral degree back in China after two years of work, and this time he chose the southern city of Guangzhou to get a glimpse of a more modern and vibrant China.

Whether in Guangzhou or Jiamusi, he is welcomed by locals with their enthusiasm and friendship. "China is a vast country with a long history, which has really impressed me during my study in the two different cities that are over 3,000 kilometers away from each other," he said.

Said majors in biochemistry and molecular biology, and intensive lab research has become an inevitable part of his student life. In the past three years, he has spent every winter and summer holidays in the lab because "it's never easy to gain a doctoral degree."

His research plan during this vacation was spoiled by the epidemic and he has been advised to stay on campus to avoid crowd gathering after the virus was reported in Guangzhou.

Since then, students have been updated with the latest situation of the epidemic and knowledge on how to protect themselves in instant messaging groups set up by different departments.

Said has witnessed the city's efficient measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus and quick response to ensure food and necessity supplies, as well as people's cooperation since late January.

Said received a free nucleic acid test earlier. He told Xinhua that it is reassuring that Guangzhou offers wide coverage of free tests. "The measure not only ensures personal safety but also guarantees the well-being of the city."

China has reached out to the countries in need with donated medical supplies, said the doctoral student. He also expressed his gratitude for China's efforts to help Somalia.

During the time trapped indoor in the past few months, Said said that he has finished reading hundreds of literature, but "what I'm looking forward to most is being back in the classroom and the lab." Enditem
New Delhi, April 29 : He says that being an outsider gives him a unique perspective. That he can look at things not only objectively but also with a certain degree of empathy. "And then you are able to observe the contrasts and contradictions without being judgemental," says playwright Atamjit Singh, recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi awards, whose latest Punjabi play 'Balde Rahan Chiragh Hamesha on Kashmir has now been translated into Hindi and Urdu.

The Mohali-based playwright, who had written a play, 'Tasveer Da Teeja Pasa', on the politics of terrorism, centred around incidents in Punjab and Kashmir; says that situation in the Valley pushed him to devote his latest work around it.

"Kashmir, being very close geographically and emotionally, has always fascinated me. And ever since reading up on saints like Lalleshwari and Noor-ud-Din , who are also known as Lall Ma and Nund Rishi, I felt a peculiar attraction towards that land. Many people are unaware that Nund, a Muslim saint, was actually breastfed by the Hindu saint Lalleshwari." The plot of the play is based on true incidents that took place in a district in Kashmir managed by his writer friend Khalid Hussain, who was a Deputy Commissioner there. Centering around a Hindu boy raised by a Muslim family which never stopped him from practicing his Hindu faith, the script brings forth the protagonist's dilemma when the graveyard where his Muslim father's remains are buried is destroyed by a brick klin owner.

Like in his other works, this play too has several historical contexts. However, Singh stresses that no playwright uses history just to retell the past chronicles ("history books do that better"). Emphasizing that for him history is a root in the soil, and if one follows the roots in the true spirit, there is seldom a fear of going wrong, he adds, "If used imaginatively, history becomes the strength of the plot that can be used to say what the writer wants to. And that is what I have done in 'Balde Rahan Chiragh Hamesha'. For me, the most interesting chapter of the land is on Rinchan, who was the first non-Hindu ruler of Kashmir. Buddhist by his faith, Rinchan decided to come to the fold of the religion of general public, which was Hinduism at that point of time. But the clergy didn't allow him to do so, thus paving way for him to embrace Islam. However, the play largely concentrates on the post-independence era including the early nineties when the exodus of Pandits took place. But I must add, a play is never restricted to the history that it refers to, it is and should always be contemporary." Stressing that he would be elated if the work was staged in any or all the languages of J&K including Dogri, Gojri, Urdu and Pahari, Singh adds, "During the reading session held in Jammu recently, the two Kashmiri scholars in attendance felt that it was important that a work talking about the Valley be made accessible in their language." Believing that theatre, or for that matter any other art, cannot be used as 'antibiotics', he stresses that a writer's role is not to treat problems, but identify them. "This play delves into the centuries old history of co-existence followed by the cracks created by politicians. The irony of the situation is that the Kashmir problem actually is not the creation of Kashmiris. Obviously, a work of art that wishes to genuinely touch the hearts and minds of people cannot offer lip-sympathies, but it can for sure be a part of the healing process." Known for undertaking long and exhaustive research before writing his scripts, the playwright went to Chicago, known for its libraries for the same. "While writing an earlier play on World War 1, translated in English as 'Come Back from the War', I found the Chicago Library system extremely useful. For this play, I needed to read up on the politics of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), and was unable to find enough material here. "Look at the irony, I had to travel to Canada and America to find material on an Indian subject. This says so much about our own libraries." Believing that finding the real problem is in itself a part of the solution, he is now all set to write a new play on centered around Diwan Singh Kalepani, a doctor and Punjabi poet, who did monumental work in Andaman and Nicobar Islands before he was hanged by Japanese in early forties for opposing the idea of using a Gurudwara as a brothel for Japanese soldiers.

"I wanted to visit the islands for my research, but will need to postpone due to the current COVID-19 crisis. And yes, for a long time, I have been wanting to write on Sir Ganga Ram whose contribution, in terms of innumerable monumental buildings and institutions that he raised in the city of Lahore in undivided India, has not suitably been recognised by Indians till date. Ironically, he is a better-known person in Pakistan today. But I don't see an immediate chance to visit Pakistan now considering the strained relations between the two countries." (Sukant Deepak can be reached at sukant.d@ians.in)
-- Two Category III CPT codes approved to report trabeculostomy ab interno by laser with or without the use of an ophthalmic endoscope--

The trabeculostomy procedure restores the "natural flow" of aqueous fluid using the company's non-thermal, precise excimer laser system, ExTra ELT

ELT Sight, Inc. today announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) approved two new Category III Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes to report ELT Sight's ExTra Excimer Laser Trabeculostomy (ELT) procedure. The two new codes, to be used for reporting trabeculostomy ab interno by laser with or without the use of an ophthalmic endoscope, are effective January 1, 2021.

The company's ExTra ELT device is a specialized excimer laser system used for microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) to lower eye pressure in patients with glaucoma. The product has already received a CE mark in Europe, where ELT has been the subject of numerous scientific publications. Review of published clinical studies using a new technology is a critical factor in the approval process of a CPT application. Preparations are underway to begin clinical trials of the device in the United States and to expand its international use.

The CPT system is a set of standardized codes to communicate nationwide medical procedures and services across health care systems and professionals, including health insurance companies, physicians, hospital facilities and laboratories. The issuance of a Category III code, a temporary code to describe emerging technologies, services and procedures, is an essential step toward a future permanent Category I code, used for widespread reimbursement of procedures performed in medical practices.

Kevin J. Corcoran, COE, CPC, CPMA, FNAO, President of Corcoran Consulting Group, assisted the company with the preparation of the CPT Code Change Application and also answered questions from the AMA's CPT Panel during the February 2020 meeting which led to the approval of the two new CPT codes.

"A lot of effort is required for any CPT Code Change Application, and its success is largely dependent on the thoroughness of the preparation and fastidious presentation of the supporting information for the new procedure," said Mr. Corcoran. Before submission, the application was vetted with the American Academy of Ophthalmology and gained their support.

"Multiple clinical studies across Europe have demonstrated that ExTra ELT has a strong efficacy and safety profile, with significant advantages over other forms of microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS)," said Elliot Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of ELT Sight. "Obtaining two CPT codes from AMA is an important milestone for ELT Sight and a critical step in positioning the company to become a leader in the surgical treatment of glaucoma."

About ELT Sight

ELT Sight, Inc., based in Los Angeles and Munich, Germany, is focused on effective, safe and longer-term microinvasive glaucoma surgery with its ExTra excimer laser trabeculostomy (ELT) device. Sustained intraocular pressure reduction and decreased medication use have been shown across multiple European studies. The product received a CE Mark in 2014. ELT Sight plans to begin clinical studies of ExTra ELT in the United States in 2020. ELT Sight was spun-out of MLase AG, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of innovative laser systems. For more information, please visit https://www.eltsight.com and follow ELT Sight on Twitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200429005249/en/

Contacts:

Michelle Linn

Bioscribe, Inc.

774-696-3803

michelle@bioscribe.com
With April marking autism awareness month, Falke South Africa has released a limited edition sock in support of Autism Western Cape.

Falke has created 500 pairs of socks in association with non-profit organisation Autism Western Cape, with 30% of sales being donated for every pair of socks sold.Autism Western Cape strives to create a society that accepts, and is inclusive of, individuals diagnosed with autism.Falke describes the limited edition socks in support of autism awareness month as versatile, light and breathable for all sporting activities.They offer a sensitive cuff for comfort, seamless toe, and arch support to prevent the sock from sliding down and creating friction that leads to blisters.All proceeds from the sale of the socks will be used to educate and empower individuals diagnosed with autism, their families and society.The Falke sock in support of autism month is available from Wednesday, 29 April, in sizes 4-7 and 8-12 with a retail price of R120.They're available for purchase from www.falke.co.za
Most NI businesses could run out of cash in six months or less as three-fifths suffer a significant fall in income as a result of Covid-19 and lockdown, a survey has found.

The survey carried out last week by the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry and business advisors BDO also found that 85% of firms have furloughed some or all their staff to date.

And the majority reported that they had found the furlough scheme run by HMRC - which refunds companies the cost of 85% of employee salaries up until the end of June - straightforward to use.

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Most businesses have less than six months cash reserves left - with two out of five saying they had one month or less of cash left in the coffers.

And 25% had applied for the governments business interruption loan scheme. However, only one in 10 have received funds from the loan scheme - with some saying they will have to scale back operations as a result.

And of those who have not applied for the loans scheme, 25% said it was because they did not want to take on more debt.

.

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Ann McGregor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: It is evident that many business owners are facing an acute cash flow crisis, as well as fears about the long-term impact of the lockdown.

"We welcome how the UK government has listened to the concerns of business to date and is taking steps to get cash to the front line where it is needed. However a lot of the support has increased business debt and this will hinder recovery unless there are more grant based systems.

The Job Retention Scheme (furlough) has been extremely helpful for businesses. HMRCs capacity to deal with the demand from business for the Job Retention Scheme has also been encouraging so far  and their staff who have been working under immense pressure to get it up and running deserve our recognition and thanks.

Whilst this furlough scheme cannot be indefinite, it will need to run beyond June 30 in some form to help businesses transition toward a new normal as the lockdown is eased.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 21:22:18|Editor: huaxia

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- The last nine poverty-stricken county-level regions in east China's Anhui Province have been removed from the country's list of impoverished counties.



- This marks that all county-level regions in the Yangtze River Delta, consisting of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, have been officially lifted out of poverty for the first time in history.

HEFEI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Sitting in front of his smartphone, Zhang Chuanfeng touts dried sweet potatoes to viewers on China's popular video-sharing app Douyin, also known as TikTok.

"These are made from sweet potatoes I grew myself. They are sweet and have an excellent texture," said Zhang while livestreaming in Tangjiahui Township of Jinzhai County in east China's Anhui Province. Tucked away in the boundless Dabie Mountains, the township used to have the biggest poor population in the county.

Aerial photo taken on April 16, 2020 shows residential buildings in Dawan Village of Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Jinzhai County is among the last nine county-level regions in Anhui that have been removed from the country's list of impoverished counties, according to an announcement issued by the provincial government Wednesday. They are also the last group of county-level regions that bid farewell to poverty in the Yangtze River Delta.

E-COMMERCE

Zhang might seem like a typical e-commerce businessman reaping success in China's booming livestreaming industry. But his road to success has been a lot bumpier: he suffers from dwarfism.

A little more than 1.4 meters tall, Zhang has a babyface, making him "look like a junior school student," he said. But the man, 38, is the father of a nine-year-old boy.

For Zhang, life was tough before 2014. "Nobody wanted me because of my 'disabilities' when I went out to look for jobs," he said. "I was turned down again and again."

Zhang was put on the government's poverty list in 2014 as China implemented targeted poverty-relief measures. With the help of local officials, he got a bank loan of 10,000 yuan (about 1,400 U.S. dollars) and bought 22 lambs. He tended the animals whole-heartedly and seized every opportunity to learn how to raise them more professionally.

Zhang Chuanfeng feeds his lambs in Zhufan Village of Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui Province, April 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Within a year, the number of his lambs expanded to hundreds. In 2016, Zhang's earnings exceeded 100,000 yuan, more than enough for him to cast off poverty.

Riding on this success, Zhang began to seek new opportunities. He rented a shop and started selling products online to embrace an e-commerce strategy the local government introduced in 2017.

More than 100 online shops, including Zhang's, in the county have helped more than 7,000 poverty-stricken households sell about 73 million yuan worth of local specialties since 2018. Zhang alone earned 500,000 yuan from a sales revenue of 5 million yuan last year.

A villager arranges local specialties for sale at Dawan Village of Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui Province, April 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

WICKERWORK SUCCESS

About 100 km north of Jinzhai lies Funan, a place that used to be vulnerable to constant floods.

Zhang Chaoling, who lives by the Huaihe River in Funan County, had to flee her hometown at a young age due to floods, but has flourished on a willow plantation along the river later.

"The land is largely covered by silt following continual flooding in the past. It is an ideal place to plant willows and make wickerwork," Zhang said.

Zhang left her hometown for Guangzhou in 1993 and found a job in a garment factory. A few years later, she founded a trading company with her husband in Guangzhou, selling wickerwork products from her hometown to other countries.

Zhang returned to her hometown and set up a wickerwork production base in 2011. Funan is famous for its delicate wickerwork. Skilled craftsmen traditionally use local willow as a raw material to weave products such as baskets, furniture and home decorations.

A villager arranges wickerwork products in Funan County, east China's Anhui Province, April 15, 2020. (Photo by Zhou Mu/Xinhua)

"The flood is well controlled now. I remember the last huge flood came in 2007," Zhang said.

Taking advantage of the fertile land along the Huaihe River, she plants over 130 hectares of willow trees and employs hundreds of locals mostly in their 50s and 60s.

"I can process 100 to 150 kg of willow twigs per day, from which I make around 80 yuan," said Geng Shifen, who peels willow twigs with a clamp next to the plantation.

A total of 130,000 people are engaged in the wickerwork industry in Funan, creating an output of nearly 9 billion yuan in 2019, and helping 15,000 locals shake off poverty, local statistics showed.

POVERTY REDUCTION FEAT

The Anhui provincial government Wednesday announced that its last nine county-level regions including Jinzhai and Funan are removed from the country's list of impoverished counties.

This marks that all 31 impoverished county-level regions in Anhui have shaken off poverty, echoing China's efforts to eradicate absolute poverty by the end of 2020.

With the announcement, all county-level regions in the Yangtze River Delta have been officially lifted out of poverty for the first time in history.

A bus runs on a rural road in Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui Province, April 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Covering a 358,000-square-km expanse, the Yangtze River Delta, consisting of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, is one of the most populated and economically dynamic areas in China, contributing one-fourth of the country's GDP.

Anhui had a population of 63.65 million as of 2019, official data showed. The poor population in the province had decreased from 4.84 million in 2014 to 87,000 in 2019, and the poverty headcount ratio had been reduced from 9.1 percent to 0.16 percent during the period, according to the provincial poverty relief office.

A county can be removed from the list if its impoverished population drops to less than 2 percent, according to a national mechanism established in April 2016 to eliminate poverty in affected regions. The ratio can be loosened to 3 percent in the western region.

By the end of 2019, 5.51 million people in China were still living in poverty.

"We will continue our work to prevent people from returning to poverty, and help the remaining poor population shake off poverty by all means," said Jiang Hong, director of the Anhui provincial poverty relief office.

(Reporting by Chen Xianfa, Wang Shengzhi, Yang Yuhua, Chen Shangying, Liu Fangqiang and Li Baojie; video reporters: Tang Yang, Jin Jian and Dai Wei; video editor: Luo Hui)
MANILA, Philippines  There is no stopping the city government of Manila from imposing a 48-hour hard lockdown over Tondo district.

Such measure is to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the number of confirmed cases in the area has reached 100 with 22 deaths and 222 suspected cases.

One, its definite. Two, its going to happen within the week and most likely over the weekend and plans were submitted to me already by the Manila Police District on how to cordon the entire District 1 of Manila, Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said.

Tondo follows Sampaloc among areas with the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases.

Sampaloc already has 129 confirmed cases and the first to be placed under hard lockdown.

Domagoso said the city council is finalizing the executive order for the measure which he expects to sign on Thursday (April 30).

The mayor will make an announcement on the final schedule of the hard lockdown and its corresponding procedure tomorrow.

The city mayor assures that before the hard lockdown, the local government will provide the residents with relief goods enough for their 48-hour consumption.

He asks residents to purchase everything they need before the lockdown takes effect though night markets in the Recto-Tondo Area will be given exemptions.

Likewise, operations at Tondo ports will remain operational and workers therein will be allowed to work.

During the lockdown, members of the Manila Health Department will conduct COVID-19 rapid mass testings in designated schools and holding areas for lockdown violators will be assigned.

Hoping that people will cooperate and this also pave the way the same thing that we did in Sampaloc to conduct massive testing to particular individuals or group of individuals in a particular geography, Mayor Domagoso said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Isko hinted that several other areas may be placed under hard lockdown before the end of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) given the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

These areas include Malate, Santa Cruz and San Andres. MNP (with reports from Dante Amento)

The post Tondo district faces 48-hour hard lockdown appeared first on UNTV News.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 19th Apr, 2020) The United Arab Emirates has sent a plane carrying 18 metric tons of medical and food aid to Mauritania as a gesture of solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shipment, which contained testing kits, medical devices, and food supplies, will assist approximately 10,000 healthcare workers in Mauritania as they work to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Commenting on the delivery, Hamad Ghanim Hamad Al Mehairi, UAE Ambassador to Mauritania, said, "While the world faces extraordinary challenges, such hardship provides an opportunity to embrace unity and cooperation as never seen before."

"This aid approach by the UAE, which prioritises critical assistance to those exhibiting pressing need, aims to ensure that no one is left behind," Al Mehairi added.

UAE aid to Mauritania comes within the framework of the countrys ongoing efforts to assist other nations in their counter-COVID-19 campaigns.

On 15th April, Director-General of the World Health Organisation Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised such efforts, noting, "I would like to thank the African Union, the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia, the Jack Ma Foundation, and all our partners for their solidarity with African countries at this critical moment in history."

To date, the UAE has sent more than 239 metric tons of aid to over 22 countries, benefiting approximately 240,000 medical professionals in the process.
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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 29 2020

Key business groups have expressed opposition to the decision to delay deliberation of the labor provisions in the omnibus bill on job creation, saying it will create an unfavorable environment for investment amid the increasing risk of a recession.

The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) issued on Monday a public statement, claiming that without the labor provisions, the bill would reduce the opportunity to attract labor-intensive investment as well as weaken job creation efforts, undermine the dispute mechanism in labor-intensive companies and lead to a lack of flexibility with regard to nonpermanent workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge spike in the number of layoffs and furloughs, and these are expected to continue to rise until the end of 2020. This situation should push us even more to deliberate the bill, including the labor elements, intensively given that after the pandemic there will be a need for massive job creation for the laid-off workers, Apindos statement reads.

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- Mocha Uson justified her action in gathering the OFWs at a beach resort in Batangas

- The OWWA Deputy Administrator said that the OFWs who gathered at the resort were reminded to follow IATF guidelines

- Uson said that aside from bringing hygiene kits, they also brought important messages for the OFW

- She said that they reminded them also of the rules and regulations that they need to follow during the ECQ

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Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Margaux "Mocha" Uson justified the gathering of OFWs who were quarantined in Matabungkay Beach in Batangas.

In a Facebook post, Uson stated that they gave the OFWs hygiene kits to complete their 14-day quarantine.

KAMI learned that Uson said that they also brought a very important message for them. They reminded the OFWs fo the rules and regulations that they need to follow during the ECQ such as social distancing and prohibition in going out of their homes.

She said that news of OFWs staying at the shores reached them, highlighting the need to remind them that staying at the shore is not in accordance with quarantine protocols.

Uson also mentioned that they were there to check how the OFWs are doing.

Below is the full statement of Uson regarding the Matabungkay gathering.

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In a previous report by KAMI, the government faced problems when they imposed the initial community quarantine, which was elevated into enhanced community quarantine. It also suspended transportation causing massive problems with commuters.

The coronavirus outbreak started out in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Scientists believed that the virus came from an animal at one of Wuhan's wet markets. At present, the Philippines is under a state of calamity while the entire Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine.

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A young boy made a difference by being very generous to others. He is Jhon Rellores. You will find how truly inspiring the story is through the video that we created just for you. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

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By PTI

WASHINGTON: The US on Wednesday placed India on the 'Priority Watch List' for lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its Intellectual Property framework on the "long-standing" and "new challenges" that have negatively affected American right holders over the past year.

The US placed 10 countries, including some of its major trading partners like India and China, on the list, alleging that enforcement of the intellectual properties have deteriorated or remained at inadequate levels and the Americans who rely on their protection have difficulty with fair and equitable market access.

The countries placed on the list by the Trump administration on Intellectual Property (IP) related issues are Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Venezuela. Kuwait has been removed from the last year's list that included 11 countries. And in 2019, the US had removed Canada and Thailand from the list.

"The Trump administration is committed to holding intellectual property rights violators accountable and to ensuring that American innovators and creators have a full and fair opportunity to use and profit from their work," said US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer after the release of annual Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of trading partners' protection of IP rights.

ALSO READ| COVID-19: US praises India for lifting export restrictions on critical medical supplies

Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam have been placed on the Watch List.

In its report, the USTR said that India had been placed on the 'Priority Watch List' for lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its IP framework on the "long-standing" and "new challenges" that have negatively affected US right holders over the past year.

Long-standing IP challenges facing US businesses in India include those which make it difficult for innovators to receive, maintain, and enforce patents in India, particularly for pharmaceuticals; ineffectual enforcement activities, copyright policies that fail to incentivise the creation and commercialisation of content, and an outdated and insufficient trade secrets legal framework, it said.

India also further restricted the transparency of information provided on state-issued pharmaceutical manufacturing licenses, continues to apply restrictive patentability criteria to reject pharmaceutical patents, it said.

And, it still has not established an effective system for protecting against the unfair commercial use, as well as the unauthorised disclosure, of undisclosed test or other data generated to obtain marketing approval for pharmaceuticals and certain agricultural chemical products, the USTR claimed.

It said China's continued placement on the Priority Watch List reflected US' concerns with Beijing's system of pressuring and coercing technology transfer.

ALSO READ| US religious freedom body pushes India for 'countries of particular concern' tag; MEA rejects report

And the continued need for fundamental structural changes to strengthen IP protection and enforcement, including as to trade secret theft, obstacles to protecting trademarks, online piracy and counterfeiting, the high-volume manufacturing and export of counterfeit goods, and impediments to pharmaceutical innovation, it said.

In its report, the USTR said that over the past year, India has been inconsistent in its progress on IP protection and enforcement. The report said that while India's enforcement of IP in the online sphere has gradually improved, a lack of concrete benefits for innovators and creators persists, which continues to undermine their efforts.

It said that India remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP. Patent issues continue to be of particular concern in India as longstanding issues remain for innovative industries, it said.

The USTR said that the potential threat of compulsory licenses and patent revocations, and the narrow patentability criteria under the India Patents Act, burden companies across different sectors. "Moreover, patent applicants continue to confront costly and time-consuming pre and post-grant oppositions, long waiting periods to receive patent approval, and excessive reporting requirements," it added.

The USTR said that in the pharmaceutical sector, Section 3(d) of the India Patents Act remained problematic. One implication of its restriction on patent-eligible subject matter is the failure to incentivise innovation that would lead to the development of improvements with benefits for Indian patients.

India still lacks an effective system for notifying interested parties of marketing approvals for follow-on pharmaceuticals, which would allow for the early resolution of potential patent disputes, it said.

ALSO READ| An unfollow message?: White House handle distances itself from PM Modi on Twitter

Despite India's justifications of limiting IP protections as a way to promote access to technologies, India maintains extremely high customs duties directed to IP-intensive products such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, information and communications technology products, solar energy equipment, and capital goods, it said.

Noting that the levels of trademark counterfeiting continue to remain problematic, the USTR said the US brand owners continue to report excessive delays in obtaining trademarks and a lack of quality in examination. "The United States intends to continue to engage with India on IP matters, including through the US-India Trade Policy Forum's Intellectual Property Working Group," the report said.
Kanesha Baynard, a productivity strategist in the Bay Area, canceled a biennial mother/daughter trip to Paris just as COVID-19 hit in March. To deal with the disappointment, she got proactive. I bought some novels that take place in cities and countries I want to visit in the near future, she says. Im keeping a shelter-in-place travel journal where I can keep track of the things I learn from the novels. Its been new and fun to do travel research by reading fiction.
Karan Omidvari came to the emergency room at Hackensack University Medical Center with a fever, fatigue and shortness of breath.

Three weeks later, hospital staff gathered to applaud him as the 1,000th coronavirus patient to be discharged at HUMC.

But hell be back, eventually.

Omidvari, who was discharged Tuesday, is a pulmonologist who works in intensive care at HUMC, screening patients for COVID-19.

He was at home in Manhattan earlier this month when he used a pulse oximeter and found his oxygen level was low. Other hospitals are nearby, including facilities where he used to work, but he decided to make the trip to HUMC, where the states first COVID-19 patient was admitted March 4.

I actually drove in from Manhattan to Hackensack, he tells NJ Advance Media. Omidvari, 58, preferred to seek treatment at the Bergen County hospital, he says, because it feels like home.

I knew they would take care of me, and thats not just because Im one of them," Omidvari says.

.@HackensackUMC discharged its 1,000th coronavirus patient, marking a significant milestone in @HMHNewJerseys mission to deliver lifesaving #COVID19 treatment. Physicians, staff & administrators joined patient, Karan Omidvari, M.D. at an event today to celebrate his recovery. pic.twitter.com/KWPlaSeJr1  Hackensack Meridian (@HMHNewJersey) April 28, 2020

Though he was more than familiar with COVID-19 symptoms, his were still daunting.

I was quite freaked out at the beginning," he says.

During the course of his hospital stay, Omidvari had to be intubated three times. He even self-extubated once.

I learned so much physiology from myself, he says of his time suffering from the coronavirus disease. You can feel the oxygen not being enough in your lungs. Its very, very peculiar. Its not just your oxygen in your arteries. Your oxygen in your tissue is so deprived.

Omidvari participated in clinical trials  the hospital is involved with trials of medications including the antiviral drug remdesivir and the immunosuppressive drug tocilizumab  but it was a plasma donation he received from another doctor that seemed to have helped.

Through convalescent plasma therapy, patients are exposed to COVID-19 antibodies from those who have recovered. A doctor let Omidvari know that he was making his own antibodies.

Hopefully thats what did the trick," he says.

The doctors wife, Sandy, and sons, Michael, 16, and Tyler, 12, were in Hackensack on Tuesday to celebrate the hospitals 1,000th discharge. The number, of course, concerned his children much less than seeing him in better health.

They are finally relieved that dads not going to die," Omidvari says.

The emergency room at Hackensack University Medical Center. The hospital admitted the first New Jersey COVID-19 patient in March. Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Hospital doctors and nurses clapped as their colleague was wheeled out.

I think it was special for him, and it was equally as special for our team," Mark Sparta, president of Hackensack University Medical Center, tells NJ Advance Media. To be able to send off one of their colleagues after all the challenges theyve been through for the last six or seven weeks was really gratifying for them, probably somewhat therapeutic. It really serves as an inspiration for the staff, all the team members to carry on.

As of Tuesday, New Jersey reported that since the start of the pandemic, there have been 113,856 cases of coronavirus and 6,442 deaths.

While many discharged patients amount to success stories, Sparta says Omidvaris feted exit from the hospital was a way of marking what can hopefully be a turning tide.

I think that was symbolic and really the start of healing for them, he says of hospital staff. Weve seen our numbers begin to trend down over the past two-and-a-half weeks. Any time that we can take time to celebrate is a good time."

Omidvari may be over the hard part, but he still needs to recover. He gets winded just walking from the bed to a chair. He sustained nerve damage on his face from intubation.

Still, Omidvari wants to continue the fight.

Hopefully it wont take that long because Id like to come back and help other people," he says.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com.
New Delhi, April 29 : For the safety of all government officials, Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on Wednesday issued an order for all Central government employees to "immediately" download Aarogya Setu App on their mobile phones.

Issued to all Ministries, departments of Central government, Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat and others, the order mentions that effective use of Aarogya Setu App aimed to break the chain of transmission of novel coronavirus or COVID-19.

In the order, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said: "All the officers, staff (including outsourced staff) working in Central government should download 'Aarogya Setu' App on their mobile phones, immediately".

Before starting for office, the order mentions, all the Central government staff must review their status on 'Aarogya Setu' and commute only when the app shows 'safe' or 'low risk' status.

The officers and staff are advised that in case the App shows a message that he or she has a 'moderate' or 'high risk' calculated on the basis of Bluetooth proximity ("recent contact with infected person"), he or she should not come to office and self-isolate for 14 days or till the status becomes 'safe' or 'low risk'.

Joint Secretary (Administration) should ensure that above directions are strictly followed in the respective Ministry and department, the order said.

Ministries and departments may issue similar instructions to all autonomous or statutory bodies, Public Sector Units (PSUs) attached to them, the order advised.

Aarogya Setu is a COVID-19 tracking mobile application developed by the National Informatics Centre that comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, government of India.

The App is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of the Central government, particularly the department of health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of COVID-19.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Srinagar/New Delhi: Keen to show that it is acting on terror groups, Pakistan has done what it has been doing in the past, changing names of terror groups and this time to save itself from the axe of the anti-terror financing group, Financial Action Task Force (FATF). It has emerged that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has been renamed as another terror group, The Resistance Front (TRF).

Intelligence inputs confirmed, in a bid to save itself from FATF rap, Pakistan changed LeT's name to TRF. This comes as Islamabad tries to convince the FATF that it is working on the deadline to fulfill its commitments. The FATF has postponed the deadline for Pakistan among other countries by four months.

The group has been involved in a number of attacks in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. While LeT has been listed by the United Nations (UN) and has been banned globally, the group formed under the new name has no such ban.

"These terrorists are being pushed into Kashmir by the Pakistan Army. When infiltration efforts get countered by the strong counter-infiltration grid of the Indian Army, Pakistan Army resorts to the ceasefire violation. Experiencing these tricks in the past, the Indian Army constructed Anti-Infiltration Obstacle Systems and enhanced its surveillance capabilities, thereby negating the effect of firing in successfully aiding infiltration," said Army sources.

In March, Jammu and Kashmir Police DG confirmed the existence of the group. He had said, "This TRF as the local front of LeT was launched by Pakistan immediately after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and were not armed. They were involved in grenade attacks and OGW actions only. This is the first-ever TRF module of LeT identified and busted by police which was going to be armed very soon."

Amid the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis the FATF, in a release, said, "The gravity of the COVID-19 situation globally and the consequent COVID-19 related measures that countries have adopted, such as confinement and travel restrictions, are making it impossible for assessed jurisdictions and assessors alike to conduct on-site visits and in-person meetings. FATF has decided on a general pause in the review process for the list of high-risk jurisdictions subject to a call for action and jurisdictions subject to increased monitoring, by granting jurisdictions an additional four months for deadlines. Thus, the FATF is not reviewing them in June."

While FATF has postponed the review of Pakistan's remaining action plan items in view of COVID-19 to September 2020, Islamabad is not off the hook. They still need to take action on the remaining action plan items by September. Pakistans 27 point Action Plan deadline had already expired in September 2019.

In February, Islamabad got period till June to act to either --get removed from greylist or get blacklisted. Being on FATFs grey list has caused a loss of $10 billion to Islamabad and if Islamabad fails to take any concrete action on terror, it might be put on the blacklist.
The Syrian government announced that businesses were allowed to reopen today in an easing of the coronavirus lockdown in the country.

Businesses and markets can now operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. One journalist in the capital, Damascus, said that most businesses opened their doors today, but that civilian traffic was less than usual.

The majority of places were open, but movement was light in most, Ibrahim Joudeh told Al-Monitor.

Damascus closed businesses and instituted a curfew last month to curb the spread of the virus. People were only allowed to buy necessities during set hours and travel was restricted between provinces. The government also stopped its mandatory conscription of males into the army, according to Reuters.

The Syrian government enforced the curfew in the areas under its control, but much of the countrys north is ruled by Turkey, rebel groups and Kurdish forces.

The economy suffered from price increases and shortages, as well as job losses, during the lockdown. Syria has 43 confirmed coronavirus cases. Years of war have left the health care system weakened, Reuters reported.

Joudeh said that people are less afraid of the coronavirus now than they were at first and are following health precautions.

Fear of the coronavirus among people has lessened, he said. Theres been adherence to coronavirus procedures. Masks and gloves were put on.

Images from SANA showed people shopping and walking around in Damascus old city today. Many in the pictures wore surgical masks.

The 9-year-old civil war continues to rage in the country. Israel bombed Iran-backed forces outside Damascus on Monday. On Tuesday, a truck bomb exploded in Turkish-controlled Afrin, leading to dozens of deaths.
Pope Francis urges prudence and obedience to pandemic protocols after bishops complain

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Two days after bishops in Italys Roman Catholic Church complained that government officials did not include the resumption of in-person masses as part of a reopening plan for the country starting May 4, Pope Francis on Tuesday urged prudence and obedience to prevent the coronavirus from surging in the country again.

Speaking to the faithful during the celebration mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Tuesday, Pope Francis encouraged adherence to the pandemic protocols.

At this time, when indications have been given to exit out of quarantine, we pray the Lord will grant to His people, all of us, the grace of prudence and obedience to these indications, so that the pandemic does not return, he said, according to Vatican News.

There have been at least 201,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy, the Italian Department of Civil Protection reports, and as of Wednesday morning, 27,359 people had died. Italy, which was once the center of the coronavirus pandemic before being overtaken by the United States, instituted strict protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, including the shuttering of churches and businesses for gatherings in March.

On Monday, Italys Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced plans to ease some of those restrictions imposed seven weeks ago, the BBC reported. While the easing of the restrictions will allow people to start visiting their relatives in small numbers as well as allow the reopening of places like parks and factories, a ban on in-person church services was kept in place, angering the bishops.

In a letter to Giuseppe, a group representing Roman Catholic bishops in Italy warned they could "not accept seeing the exercise of freedom of religion being compromised."

It should be clear to all that the commitment to serving the poor, [which is] so significant in this emergency, stems from a faith that must be nourished at its source, especially the sacramental life, the bishops wrote.

The bishops argued that the government should have distinguished between its duty to provide health guidance and the churchs right to organize the life of the Christian community, respecting the measures but in full autonomy, The New York Times reports.

Contes office noted that they were working on protocols to allow the resumption of liturgical services as soon as possible but in conditions of maximum security.

Italian bishops have been in negotiation with the government about a reopening of public services and noted that despite the tough" tone of their recent statement those talks have continued.

I think in any relationship, if it's true, there will be moments in which you can and must raise your voice, as long as this doesn't become the norm," the undersecretary of the bishops conference, the Rev. Ivan Maffeis, told the TV2000 broadcaster.
Income from gas transit fell by almost US$78 million last year.

National joint-stock company Naftogaz of Ukraine received UAH 2.1 billion, or US$77.6 million, less from transit shipments of Russian Gazprom's gas via Ukrainian territory to European countries in 2019 against 2018.

This is reported in the 2019 consolidated financial statements by the Naftogaz Group.

Read alsoNaftogaz boosts net profit by 5.5 times in 2019

According to the report, transit payments transferred by Gazprom in 2019 totaled UAH 70.21 billion (US$2.59 billion), whereas the Russian company paid Ukraine UAH 72.34 billion (US$2.67 billion) for its gas transit in 2018.

Naftogaz says that "Gazprom was the only external customer with concentration of revenue exceeding 10% of total revenues during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018."

In 2019, Naftogaz revenue from transportation, oil refining and fuel sales decreased by 7.7%, to UAH 11.95 billion (US$441.8 million) from UAH 12.95 billion (US$478.7 million).

As UNIAN reported earlier, Naftogaz in 2019 posted UAH 63.3 billion, or US$2.34 billion, in net profit. It was 5.5 times more than in 2018, as UAH 55.7 billion, or US$2.06 billion, came from the Gas Transit Arbitration against Russia's Gazprom last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 17:16:05|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Laos reported no new COVID-19 infected case on Wednesday, and one more patient has recovered.

The total number of COVID-19 case in Laos remained at 19 and the last patient in Luang Prabang province is returning home after twice testing negative for the virus, Lao Deputy Minister of Health Phouthone Meaungpak told a press conference in Vientiane.

The last patient in Luang Prabang is a 42-year-old man, who was confirmed as the country's fourth case of COVID-19 and treated in a provincial hospital since March 26.

As of Wednesday, Laos tested 1,917 suspected cases with 19 cases tested positive, and eight patients have recovered, including five cases in Lao capital Vientiane and three cases in Luang Prabang province.

Another 11 infections are treated in designated hospital -- Mittaphab Hospital (Hospital 150) in Vientiane.

Laos detected its first two COVID-19 confirmed cases on March 24. Enditem
Researchers from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and the University of Cologne in Germany published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that explains which factors influence media coverage of CSI events.

The study forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing is titled "When Does Corporate Social Irresponsibility Become News? Evidence from More than 1,000 Brand Transgressions Across Five Countries" and is authored by Samuel Stabler and Marc Fischer.

Consumers beware! Media outlets do not report corporate misconduct, such as environmental offences, corruption, or violations of societal standards around human rights or employee working conditions, consistently and independently. Instead, media are often influenced by their own interests, including advertising revenues paid by offending companies.

Cases of corporate misconduct, often called Corporate Social Irresponsibility or CSI, are usually newsworthy events with high news value for the media. This study examined media coverage of 1,054 CSI events in 77 leading media outlets from five countries (USA, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, and France). Results show that media reporting is not impartial. Overall, the online and offline newspapers and magazines studied most frequently report on the ethical misconduct of popular companies with well-known brands as well as misconduct by foreign companies, which are reported 39% and 80% more frequently, respectively. Also, liberal media report more frequently on CSI than conservative media.

Importantly, if these media have close advertising partnerships with a company, media report significantly less often on its CSI events. In fact, the probability of reporting falls by 45% to a level as low as 9.5%.

Unfortunately, the media seem to be unaware of this distortion. Interviews with editors of leading media in Germany uncovered the view that neither advertising revenues nor the political orientation of the newspaper influenced reporting. Our large-scale study shows the opposite.

As might be expected, these reporting patterns have important economic consequences for companies. According to the study, the average financial loss on the U.S. stock exchange due to a CSI event amounts to $321 million if four or more U.S. media report on the event.

When coverage is not based on the newsworthiness of the event, but on the popularity of the brand and whether it involves a foreign company, these economic consequences are unfairly distributed. Worse yet, if news media do not cover CSI events for their advertising partners, media coverage is compromised by a conflict of interest. Stabler remarked, "The media fulfill an important role in democratic societies in that they contribute to the formation of public opinions. Consumers have the right to be informed about potential firm misbehavior in a transparent and balanced manner. Our study shows that media coverage varies significantly when it comes to reporting about a CSI event."

The media ideally fulfill an important role in democratic societies in that they contribute to the formation of public opinions. Consumers have the right to be informed about potential firm misbehavior in a transparent and balanced manner. Fischer added, "Our results call into question the self-proclaimed independence of the media. Among other things, it was astonishing how much more frequently the misconduct of foreign companies is reported, while in comparison, domestic companies are less frequently the subject of CSI reporting. The media exert a great deal of pressure and demand compliance with the highest ethical standards and social norms from public figures and companies. Our research on CSI reporting shows that media companies themselves do not always adhere to the high ethical standards they demand of others."

###

Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022242920911907

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.

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Harrison Ford ran into trouble again while flying his plane, this time after mishearing instructions just after landing at a California airport.

The Star Wars actor was told to hold short of the runway at Hawthorne Airport in California last Friday because another aircraft was practicing touch-and-go landings there, but he still crossed and taxied to the other end, much to the alarm of the tower operator.

After landing in the airport, audio obtained by TMZ revealed the tower operator told the 77-year-old star: 'Can you hold short on runway. Traffic on the runway.'

Trouble on the ground: Harrison Ford ran into trouble after mishearing instructions when landing his plane. The Star Wars actor was told to hold short of the runway at Hawthorne Airport in California last Friday. Seen in February

A mistake: Another aircraft was practicing touch-and-go landings there, but he still crossed and taxied to the other end, much to the alarm of the tower operator. Ford is seen here in 2010

However, Ford accelerated onto the runway and began crossing, with the operator angrily saying the veteran pilot had ignored his instructions.

Ford profusely apologized and said he thought he was told he had been cleared to cross the runway.

There was no danger of the aircraft crashing because the other plane was 3,600 feet away from Ford's when it hit the runway and was up in the air again long before reaching the area where the actor was.

However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking into the incident.

A spokesperson for the actor said: 'Mr. Ford crossed the airport's only runway in his aircraft after he misheard a radio instruction from ATC.

'He immediately acknowledged the mistake and apologized to ATC for the error. The purpose of the flight was to maintain currency and proficiency of the aircraft.'

The Blade Runner actor was getting his pilot's license updated so he could take part in more relief efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Star Wars actor was told to hold short of the runway at Hawthorne Airport in California

The incident comes five years after Ford broke his pelvis and ankle when his World-War II-era ST3KR aircraft suffered engine failure and made an emergency landing on a Santa Monica golf course in March 2015.

After plunging 3,000ft and hitting a tree on the way down, Ford was rushed from the scene bleeding heavily from a head wound.

But Ford was praised for keeping his cool and managing to glide his airplane into the crash landing.

Moments before the crash, in audio of his conversation with air traffic control, an unemotional Ford was heard asking for an emergency landing because his engine had failed. Ford later insisted his brush with death wouldn't keep him away from the cockpit.

He said: 'It was one time - and I didn't crash, the plane crashed. I didn't get right out of it, but I'm fine now, it took a while.'

Asked if it had put him off flying, he added: 'No, it's a big part of who I am.'

The crash: Five years ago, Harrison broke his pelvis and ankle when his aircraft suffered engine failure and made an emergency landing in March 2015, but he later insisted it wouldn't put him off flying

In February 2017, Ford mistakenly landed on the taxiway at John Wayne Airport, narrowly missing a Boeing 737 full of passengers.

Ford had been instructed to land on runway 20-L at the airport in Orange County, California.

But the then-74-year-old mistakenly aimed for a taxiway, just passing over an American Airlines 737 loaded with more than 100 passengers and a six-person crew.

'Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?' he asked Air Control.

When told he was on a taxiway, Ford immediately acknowledged his error, saying on the radio, 'I'm the schmuck.'

The Federal Aviation Administration said that controllers had given Ford clear instructions to land on the runway, as landing on a taxiway is a safety violation. They say the actor read the instructions back yet still somehow ended up aiming for the taxiway.

In the February 2017 incident, Ford mistakenly landed on the taxiway at John Wayne Airport, narrowly passing over an American Airlines 737 loaded with more than 100 passengers

According to an Aviation Magazine article published in 2010, Ford's fascination with planes dates back to the 1960s, when he took some flying lessons in Wisconsin.

Ford rediscovered his passion for aviation three decades later, when he was in his early 50s. He has held a pilot's certificate for more than 20 years and has logged thousands of hours in the air.

In 1999, Ford crash-landed a Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter in a dry riverbed in suburban Los Angeles.

And in 2000 wind sheer forced him to perform an emergency landing in a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft at Nebraska's Lincoln Municipal Airport.

The plane clipped the runway and its wing tips were damaged, but Ford and his passenger were uninjured.

Meanwhile, he is ready to put his Indiana Jones hat back on.

The veteran actor leaked new details about the forthcoming fifth sequel while sitting down with Ellen DeGeneres in February.

Ford revealed that the movie is definitely in the works.

After Ellen asked about the movie, the Star Wars actor replied with a tricky double negative.

He will be filming another Indiana Jones movie soon

'I can deny that it's NOT happening,' he smiled, letting several seconds pass before audiences finally caught on and erupted into applause.

Harrison also revealed that the saga will begin filming again this summer, but those plans must have changed now that COVID-19 has slowed Hollywood.

Ford said he was still 'excited to play Indie, 39 years after originally playing the adventurous archaeologist.

'It's gonna be fun,' he told Ellen 'I am excited. They're great fun to make.'

Indiana Jones won over audiences with 1981's Raiders Of The Lost Ark - largely considered one of the best films in the action-adventure genre.

It was followed up by the equally beloved prequel Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom in 1984, and then later the sequel Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade in 1989.

Indie got the reboot treatment once more in 2008 with Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, which was slammed by fans and critics.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 23:47:28|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Russia's oil output will decline by some 10 percent year-on-year in 2020, as a result of an output cut deal by global producers, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Wednesday.

"In May, the production will be approximately down 19 percent from February 2020," Novak said during a video conference with President Vladimir Putin.

"Taking into account the production in the first four months and a gradual decrease, the output is projected to drop by about 10 percent this year compared with last year," he said.

Crude oil output in Russia in 2019 was 560.2 million tons or an equivalent of 11.25 million barrels per day (bpd), a rise of 0.8 percent from 2018.

Earlier this month, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some other major producers, including Russia, reached an agreement to reduce output to cushion the decline in demand and the price collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the OPEC+ deal, its participants agreed to cut 9.7 million bpd from May to June, 7.7 million in the next six months, and 5.8 million from January 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022.

Novak said the imbalance on the global oil market is expected to improve, starting from the second half of this year, thanks to the deal. Enditem
TDT | Manama

His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa has directed to form a team from the Royal Guard to train in the Himalayas Mountains in Nepal and deliver relief aid to the Sherpa community there to help them overcome the current difficult situation caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

His Majesty the Kings Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs representative, National Security Advisor, and Royal Guard Commander said that the Royal Guard is keen to ensure the best training opportunities for its affiliates in various countries, as well as deliver food supplies to the Himalaya people.

HH Shaikh Nasser pointed out that the expedition is being held in coordination with the Republic of Nepal and the Seven Summits Treks company, one of the leading climbing-expedition operators in the region.

HH Shaikh Nasser indicated that the Royal Guard team will undergo strenuous training to enhance their physical fitness, as the ultimate goal is to reach the summit of Mt Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at 8,848m or 29,029.30ft above sea level.

The Royal Guard expedition program includes two additional climbs to the Lobuche East mountain (6,119m above sea level) and Mount Manaslu (8,156m above sea level) over the next eight months to gain experience and be well-prepared for the final climb of Mount Everest in May of next year.

The Royal Guard teams plans, however, have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team has been in daily communication with Seven Summits Treks so that they are kept well updated about the situation in Nepal.

Although Nepal has had a few COVID-19 cases, it was obliged to impose a lockdown, suspending commercial flights to the country until further notice. Given the fact that the Nepalese economy is reliant on its tourism/ climbing income, the lockdown and halting of flights due to the pandemic meant that the country and its people have had to endure a very tough time.

Taking the local situation into consideration, HH Shaikh Nasser and Seven Summit Treks are looking to donate food supplies to the staffers who find themselves isolated up on the Himalayan mountain range, with little access to basic supplies.

The rice and other food supplies will support the staff members and their families from the Sherpas to help them overcome this very difficult period. Commenting on this initiative, Nepali Ambassador to Bahrain Padam Sundas said: It is an immense pleasure to learn that, under the patronage of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Royal Guard team is donating edibles to the Sherpas through Seven Summit Treks.

I believe this humanitarian gesture of friendship and kindness bestowed upon the ones in need during such difficult and unprecedented times will be long cherished by the beneficiaries.

Mingma Sherpa and Chhang Dawa Sherpa from Seven Summits Treks commented: Our team in Seven Summits Treks is one family. After receiving news of a kind gesture from HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa to donate the food supplies from the Royal Guard team to the Sherpas, we consider Bahrainis as our brothers. We at Seven Summits Treks thank HH Shaikh Nasser and look forward to seeing the Royal Guard Team very soon.
A Midland manufacturer hopes to take its ozone technology that destroys bacteria one step further by being able to destroy viruses.

Shelley Chaulk, Frankes director of Water Systems Commercial Business for North America, told MidlandToday that the company hopes to have test results back by the end of the week to begin pushing its ozone technology as a higher level of sanitation against types of coronavirus.

We got into the lab two and a half weeks ago and we were hoping to have the initial results by Friday, she said. They said they have to do another sampling, so its inconclusive. They cant test against COVID-19 because its not legal to test on a live virus. They have other strains of coronavirus that are similar in molecular structure which theyre testing against.

Chaulk said the local facility located off Highway 12 has been operating with reduced hours on four-day weeks, but has not had any layoffs.

Weve been working through this painstakingly for the last four weeks, she said. Weve decided we can go on with reduction in hours and pay, so that we all suffer a little but protect anybody from getting laid off.

Ozone technology, meanwhile, has been studied over the years and been shown to be more effective in eliminating bacteria than simple handwashing, according to Chaulk.

What weve found in these studies is that the effects of washing your hands with ozonated water eliminates more germs than combining it with soap, she said. Were looking at handwashing behaviours to determine why exactly is that.

She said the Ozo-flo technology can be used anywhere, but it is specifically useful for health-care settings and is already being employed in Canadian hospitals, such as at the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, which has medi-flo sinks installed in the ER.

We take a germ count reading on the drain and their rating had gone down from 10,000 to between 28 and 45, Chaulk noted. That just outperformed anything we had anticipated.

Franke came up with the Medi-flo basin idea back in 2006 after a bacterial outbreak affected two major Toronto hospitals, she said.

The forensic team traced it back to the hand hygiene sink and the way it was designed, Chaulk said. The faucets in health-care facilities have a lot of splashback on the health-care workers. (This discovery) forced the government to change the building code as it pertained to hand-wash stations, among other things. We took that information and studied the science of splashing and created this splash-free handwashing environment.

Chaulk said there was still the problem of biofilm, which is described as a thin, slimy film of bacteria that adheres to a surface such as sinks and nearby surfaces receiving the backsplash.

She said the ozone technology kills germs, not only on hands but also on the sink.

Chaulk said the purpose of having the technology tested against viruses, including a coronavirus, is to help create a more sterile environment in health care.

We cant cure the virus, but we can claim that the sink will not be a source of spread, she added.
World stock markets rallied Tuesday on moves to ease coronavirus lockdown measures, though US oil prices struggled to keep above $10 per barrel.

Equities rebounded as several nations began to ease lockdowns, with some light at the end of the tunnel after weeks of volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unveiling a scaling down of restrictions from May 11, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe notably said Tuesday that shops could reopen on that date although people who can work from home should continue to do so.

Philippe warned that "it is a fine line that must be followed. A little too much carelessness, and the epidemic restarts. A little too much caution, and the entire country sinks."

New York's West Texas Intermediate oil tanked more than 21 percent to $10.07 after a major US exchange-traded fund started selling its short-term contracts of the commodity -- albeit swiftly recovering past $12.

- Topsy-turvy -

"There is a growing sense of optimism the lockdowns have helped contain Covid-19," said David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK, saying dealers saw this a reason to be "bullish."

Chris Beauchamp, analyst at trading firm IG, said that in extraordinary times "the focus is on the slow but steady move out of tight lockdown policies across the globe."

Joshua Mahony, senior market analyst at IG, said government support would help to mitigate global economic weakness but noted the latest US consumer confidence figures had shown the largest monthly decline on record.

Overall, equities have been buoyed in recent days by news that some of the worst-hit countries are finally seeing infection and death rates slow to levels not seen for a month.

At the same time, profit-taking and concern that some containment measures could be lifted too soon -- leading to a possible second wave of infections -- are tempering any surge across markets.

Those concerns were highlighted by data out of Germany on Tuesday showing a slight pick-up in transmission just as the country was beginning to open up.

Story continues

- Crude woes -

WTI crude for June delivery suffered an initial double-digit percentage drop, having already plunged 25 percent Monday, amid storage concerns and as COVID-19 strangled demand.

Pessimism was part driven by the United States Oil Fund -- a massive, oil-backed exchange-traded fund (ETF) -- saying it would sell all its holdings in the contract for June delivery.

By investing in longer-dated contacts, the fund's move put pressure on the June contract, analysts said.

The move highlighted continued concerns that storage is filling up and that when futures contracts do expire, buyers may find there is little space to put the oil they have purchased.

"Oil is back in focus, with the June WTI contract plunging again as the largest US oil ETF plans to offload all of its holdings of the contract in the coming days and instead buy up longer dated contracts," OANDA analyst Craig Erlam told AFP.

Demand for the commodity has collapsed owing to lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed worldwide to fight the virus.

WTI tanked below zero for the first time last week, hitting a low of minus $40.32 per barrel on April 20 as investors paid buyers to offload it before the expiry of the May contract.

- Key figures around 1600 GMT -

New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 24,159.34

London - FTSE 100: UP 1.9 percent at 5,958.50 points (close)

Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 1.3 percent at 10,795.63 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 4,569.79 (close)

Milan - FTSE MIB: UP 3.0 percent at 17,677.15 (close)

Madrid - IBEX 35: UP 1.6 percent at 6,836.40 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.6 percent at 2,928.89

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 19,771.19 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 1.2 percent at 24,575.96 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 2,810.02 (close)

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 5.9 percent at $12.02 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.3 percent at $20.25 per barrel

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0843 from $1.0829 at 2100 GMT

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 106.85 yen from 107.25

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2438 from $1.2431

Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.17 pence from 87.12 pence

burs-rfj/cdw
Thirty-three people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24-hours in West Bengal, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 696, a top official said on Wednesday.

Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said 33 people have tested positive and the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state was 550.

No death due to the contagion has been reported and the toll remained at 22, he said, adding that five persons have been discharged in the last 24-hours as they have recovered from COVID-19.

Around 88 per cent of the total number of COVID-19 patients in West Bengal are from the metropolis and two of its adjoining districts of Howrah and North 24 Parganas, the chief secretary said.

He said of the total COVID-19 patients, 64 per cent were male and the rest 36 per cent were female.

"After analysing, we have found that of the total coronavirus positive cases reported in West Bengal, 88 per cent cases have been reported from Kolkata, Howrah and North 24 Parganas. The rest 12 per cent of the cases have been reported from other parts of the state," Sinha said.

In more than 50 per cent of the cases, the people belong to the age group of 45-years and above, he said.

West Bengal has 87 COVID-19 beds per million whereas the national average is 85, Sinha claimed, adding that "we are better than the national average".

West Bengal has a total of 8,000 beds at 66 hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients.

"Of this, 10 per cent is earmarked for the ICU. But only four per cent of the patients treated so far, required ventilation support. Ninety-six per cent of the patients did not require any advance intervention of treatment," he said.

Around 87 per cent of the beds at hospitals treating coronavirus patients are vacant, he said urging people to avail the services at the government-run hospitals if the need arises.

"We have enough beds in our hospitals and in case you need any help or support from the government then please avail the services and infrastructure the government has created," he added.

In the last 24 hours, the chief secretary said 1,397 samples were tested while a total of 14,620 samples have been examined so far for the contagion.

"This is the maximum number of samples tested so far in West Bengal and we hope to improve this. We have a total capacity of 1,405 sample testing per day in our laboratories," he said, adding that 86 per cent of the total tests were conducted in state-run facilities while the rest in private hospitals.

The state so far has reported a total of 696 COVID-19 cases, while the Union Health Ministry has put the figure at at 725.

The state government has constituted an audit committee of doctors which ascertains whether a patient of COVID-19 has died because of the disease or of a pre-existing ailment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kanpur : , April 29 (IANS) A team of medical and police personnel was attacked by a group of unruly persons on Wednesday evening when it went to quarantine a family of coronavirus positive person in Bajaria area of Kanpur.

Four persons were arrested, who would be booked under the stringent NSA, police said.

After the group threw stones at the police and medical personnel in Bajaria area, a corona hotspot in the city, additional forces were rushed to control the situation.

According to Sisamau Circle officer Tripurari Pandey a corona positive case was reported in Jugiana locality in Bajaria. After the report came in, a Health Department team escorted by police went to pick up nine members of his family for quarantine late Wednesday afternoon when it came under attack.

Police somehow evacuated the medical team but the mob then pelted policemen with stones.

DIG Kanpur Anant Dev said that four persons had been arrested and a search was on for the remaining accused -- all youths.

He said that the accused would be booked under the National Security Act.
Priti Patel has said life in Britain will not go back to how it was before the coronavirus outbreak, even after the current lockdown ends.

The home secretary said that while the government has not yet finalised plans of how restrictions will be lifted, there would be new norms.

Ms Patel told the Home Affairs Committee that social distancing would be expected in every single work area and on public transport.

The fact is we will not go back to how we were in early March  there will be new norms that will inevitably come off the way in which social distancing is dominating our lives and has affected society, she added.

We would expect social distancing in every single work area, whether its an office or a construction site, and on public transport going forward.

The home secretary said she was not at liberty to detail the potential scenarios being considered by the government, after MPs suggested that restrictions could be lifted by area, by work sector or by individual risk profiles.

The fact testing is dramatically upscaling will have an impact in terms of giving greater public confidence to people to eventually go back to work, but even before that theres a job to do securing workplaces, Ms Patel added.

To move into a new normal we as a society will have to operationalise new ways of working. They have to be tested, employers have to embrace those, and guidance will have to come from government.

It has set out five tests for lifting the current lockdown, including protecting NHS capacity, a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate, a decrease in the coronavirus infection rate, and sufficient testing and PPE capacity.

Social distancing would be expected in every single work area (Getty)

The final test, which has not yet been met, is that the government must be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelm the NHS.

Police leaders have raised concerns with the government that a sudden lifting of restrictions could cause public disorder and a potential crime wave if people are allowed to pile into pubs and bars.

Matthew Rycroft, the new Home Office permanent secretary, said the concerns had been made clear and were being taken forward in government-wide discussions over potential scenarios.

A senior officer previously told The Independent the UK must prepare for a more volatile and agitated society after lockdown.

With the restrictions extended until at least 7 May, there are concerns about the effect of unemployment, mental health issues, abuse inside homes and a general need for release.

If there are challenges economically, there is sometimes a rise in crime and disorder, Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths warned.

Ms Patel paid tribute to the efforts of police officers during the outbreak, which she said had prompted evolution by criminals.

Drug dealers are changing their model every single day, she added. Theyre buying taxis, theyre using different modes of transport.

But the home secretary said lockdown had made the environment challenging for criminals and that extraordinary quantities of drugs have been seized.

Ms Patel was appointed as home secretary by Boris Johnson in July, but had only appeared before the Home Affairs Committee once before Wednesday.

A row between Ms Cooper and the home secretary became public earlier this month, over claims Ms Patel had refused to give evidence to MPs on coronavirus.

Ms Patel accused Ms Cooper of taking an adversarial approach by demanding that she appeared rather than officials, but the chair called her attendance essential for accountability.

Ms Patel said she was committed to ensuring the Home Office is better open to scrutiny and transparency.

The home secretary faced personal scrutiny over bullying allegations following the resignation of former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam, who quit his post in February while alleging that he had been the victim of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign.

A Cabinet Office investigation was launched over whether Ms Patel had breached the ministerial code, and Sir Philip has lodged an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal.
(Newser)  Environmentalists in Spain hoped wildlife would benefit from the beach in Zahara de los Atunes being closed for six weeks. Then authorities sprayed it with bleach. Officials in the Andalusia fishing village have apologized for the spraying, which they said was done to protect children from the coronavirus, the Guardian reports. Spain is gradually lifting one of Europe's strictest lockdowns and children are now being allowed outside for one hour a day. The town used tractors to spray diluted bleach along the beach. Environmentalists worry that the tractors crushed the eggs of birds that rely on the beach as a nesting area. The bleach may also have killed invertebrates vital to the food chain.

story continues below

"Its totally absurd," says Maria Dolores Iglesias Benitez, head of a local conservation group. "The beach is a living ecosystem. And when you spray it down with bleach, you're killing everything you come across." Local officials say they now realize the spraying was a mistake, "but it was done with the best of intentions." The New York Post reports that Greenpeace Spain said spraying bleach on beaches "is not one of President Trump's ideas. It is happening in Zahara de los Atunes." (Read more Spain stories.)
One person was burnt alive while two sustained injuries after at least seven houses and a temple were after a fire broke out in Shishtwari village, Pekha Gram Panchayat, Chirgaon, in Shimla around 3am on Wednesday.

The victim has been identified as Vikas Dhontu, 38, while those injured are Sukhchan, 80, and Surender , 49.

Two fire tenders from Rohru and Jubbal were rushed to the spot to douse the flames said superintendent of police (SP) Shimla Omapati Jamwal. A 300-year-old temple dedicated to a local deity was gutted and 14 families were affected.

The injured were rushed to Government Hospital, Rohru, where they are undergoing treatment.The cause of fire and loss suffered are yet to be ascertained, he said.

This is the third time that an intense fire has broken out in Chirgaon area causing losses worth crores. Earlier, an 80-year-old woman was burnt alive and more than a dozen houses were gutted on Sunday in Dungiyani village. A similar fire mishap took place in Chirgaon market earlier this month.

Deputy commissioner Amit Kashyap reached the spot and ration and other relief material was distributed among those affected.

He said that this was the third incident in three days and he appealed all people to take all precautions and ensure heaters and the gas was switched off and the wiring was had not worn out . A firetender will be placed at Chirgaon immediately, he said.
Since we've learned more about the virus, it's becoming clear that, because the virus isn't as deadly as the models claim, a complete economic shutdown is not going to save lives. Armed with that information, the logical thing to do is to reopen the economy as quickly as possible. The rising number of people protesting, committing civil disobedience, and taking advantage of any exceptions to lockdown (just look at these surfers), shows that Americans are ready and, indeed, desperate to get back to normal.

Democrats, however, are loath to do so. I posited on Tuesday that, with their draconian lockdown orders, all of which are predicated on successfully erasing the virus with a vaccination (reminder: there's still no AIDS vaccination), the Democrats' real goal is to tank the economy so Trump cannot get re-elected.

I'm even more concerned about a political motive behind the shutdowns now that hardcore Democrat activists are alleging that lifting lockdowns is racist. Bringing out the "racism" big gun ignores the fact that poverty, not to mention a complete collapse of the American economy and food supply chains, will kill more blacks than the virus ever could. The following are just some examples of the effort to block re-opening America by claiming racism.

Brittney Cooper is a professor at Rutgers who specializes in race and feminism. Here's a sample of her resume:

She is author of Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women (University of Illinois Press, May 2017) and Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower (St. Martin's, February 2018). In particular, this work interrogates the manner in which public Black women have theorized racial identity and gender politics, and the methods they used to operationalize those theories for the uplift of Black communities.

I have no idea what that means.

On Tuesday, Cooper published a Twitter thread stating in unequivocal terms that racist whites are trying to reopen the country to commit genocide against black people:

Not only do white conservatives not care about Black life, but my most cynical negative read of the white supremacists among them is that they welcome this massive winnowing of Black folks in order to slow demographic shifts and shore up political power.  Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) April 28, 2020

They are literally willing to die from this clusterfucked COVID response rather than admit that absolutely anybody other than him would have been a better president. And when whiteness has a death wish, we are all in for a serious problem.  Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) April 28, 2020

I am saying some obvious things this morning because as a country we are too good at skipping over the audience and we might as well say this to people as often as we can. Fuck each and every Trump supporter. You all absolutely did this. You are to blame.  Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) April 28, 2020

Black Lives Matter. Black Lives with hypertension, diabetes, and asthma matter. Fat Black Lives matter. All Black Lives matter.  Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) April 28, 2020

In Hollywood, Tim Robbins, a white guy who is worth $60 million, none of which appears to have gone to poor blacks recently, also claimed a genocidal motive behind lifting the shutdown (and revealed he believes that all blacks work to serve whites, just as they did in slave days):

"My heart hurts. This is an outrage. But hey, reopen the economy because I need poor people to cut my hair, cut my nails, watch my kids and make my lattes," Tim Robbins said in the now-deleted tweet, for which a screenshot has been provided below. "We have become a death cult run by sociopaths [and] fueled by racist self-interested citizens with no sense of shared responsibility."

Vox published a lengthy article entitled "The whiteness of anti-lockdown protests: How ignorance, privilege, and anti-black racism is driving white protesters to risk their lives." It reads as you would expect:

But what has been most glaringly obvious about these protests isn't the far-right theatrics. It's that almost everyone marching to end stay-at-home orders is white. And if they do return to "regular life" and refuse to distance themselves, their overt disregard will impact the population most vulnerable to the virus  black people.

At Yahoo, we learn that the masks that allow people to escape lockdown are racist, too:

The coronavirus pandemic has created life-and-death dilemmas for people all over the globe  and a particularly devastating one for black men living in America: Wear a mask for protection against COVID-19? Or go without one, simply to lower the risk of being perceived as a criminal? [snip] "The criminalization of blackness has spread during this pandemic," Ashton Woods, co-founder and lead organizer of Black Lives Matter Houston, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. "It's disheartening that CDC and our leaders told us that we didn't need to wear masks in public, only to reverse course without providing masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to the general population. Now we have to wear whatever is available to us as the data continues to show that black people are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus."

In Congress, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) claimed during a Biden campaign livestream that Trump's whole management of the Wuhan virus is racist:

"Black people have always been aware of systemic and institutional racism. COVID-19 just proved to the rest of the country that it exists," U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) said.

What you see above comes from a narrow class of blacks and whites: academics, journalists, and celebrities. On the ground, real people, the ones whose livelihoods are affected by the lockdown, have a different outlook. Taurean Overall, who owns three successful barbershops in Atlanta, was delighted to see the lockdown end:

For the last two months  I speak for myself  I had no income for the last two months. I own three barbershops, I also cut hair myself, and us being out of work is no money coming in at all. In the last few months, I have spent over $20,000 in rent, in mortgages, you know, stuff like that. I applied for the SBAs, applied for the unemployment. I haven't even received the stimulus." "So my question to people out there: what should we do? Should we just sit back and wait for the government to bail us out, or take advantage of the opportunity we have them be as safe as possible and still, you know, make as much money as we can and play it safe?"

If the academics and politicians are worried about the well-being of blacks in America, they'll do them a greater service by enabling them to earn a living than by demanding that America's economy collapse.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 29)  The Department of Health on Wednesday said that it may not achieve its target testing capacity of 8,000 per day by the end of April, but it is still exhausting all its resources to reach the number.

"Ang ating average ay umaabot tayo sa less than 5,000. Kahapon po, we had 4,900. Mukhang hindi po tayo aabot du'n sa 8,000 for April 30, though sinusubukan ho natin, dahil ngayon po, dumating na 'yung [test kit] cartridges natin," Health Spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a televised briefing.

[Translation: Our current average testing capacity is less than 5,000. Yesterday, we had 4,900. It looks like we will not be able to reach the 8,000 target for April 30, though we are still trying, since our test kit cartridges have already arrived.]

The DOH said it encountered problems in services in the past week, like the week-long stoppage of operations of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

"But anyway po, ito pong ating goal ay atin pong pilit na aabutin these coming days po; at all the resources have been pouring in coming from the private side and coming from the government," Vergeire said.

[Translation: But anyway, we will try our best to reach our goal in these coming days, as the resources are being provided by both the private sector and the government.]

The DOH added that it is preparing for other diseases that may arise in the rainy season to avoid further complications amid the pandemic.

"Nandiyan na po 'yung sinasabing dengue season; 'yung madalas na trangkaso; at iba pang sakit. Atin pong pinaghahandaan ito para hindi na po maipatong pa sa pandemya o sitwasyong meron tayo ngayon. Pinapaaalalahanan din po natin ang ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na ang ating mga nanay, ukol sa mga sakit na maaaring mangyari ngayong rainy season," Vergeire said.

[Translation: There will be dengue, flu, and other illnesses. We are preparing for this, so our current situation will not worsen. We are also reminding the public, especially our mothers, to be ready for these diseases that we may have this rainy season.]

There is still no evidence that the weather affects the spread of COVID-19, the Health spokesperson maintained.

Special team eyed for COVID-19 testing

In the same briefing, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said they are targeting the creation of a special team to increase the country's coronavirus testing capacity.

The DTI said it is working with private companies for the matter.

"By the way, ito pong mga private sector, sila ho 'yung nagsasabi na on their own, they will do 100 percent testing; kasi sila po ay merong capacity na magpa-test using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction). 'Yung iba po ay nag-iinvest din sa testing laboratories," Lopez said.

[Translation: By the way, some companies from the private sector are claiming that they will do 100 percent testing on their own, as they have capacity to test using the PCR; while other firms are investing on testing laboratories.]

"'Yun po ang kailangan natin  ang mapadami natin ang kapasidad  para mas marami pa tayong Pilipino na ma-test," he added.

[Translation: That's what we need  to increase our capacity  to test more Filipinos.]

On the other hand, the DTI noted that testing is not a general requirement for employees returning to work in areas under general community quarantine.

"It will be required doon lamang sa may symptoms, at 'yung may mga karamdaman; pero as a general requirement, hindi po ito required," Lopez said.

[Translation: It will be required only for those who are experiencing symptoms, or who already have illnesses; but generally, it is not required.]

"At 'yung mga kumpanya po, kanya-kanya po kung gusto nilang i-require ang pag-test muna ng lahat bago pumasok, o ibibigay 'yung test kapag may karamdaman na," he added.

[Translation: Also, it's the discretion of the companies  if they will require testing for their employees before they report back to work, or they will only do it when their workers are already experiencing symptoms.]

The DTI said it will release a draft of the protocol on minimum health standards, which it prepared with the Department of Labor and Employment, by Wednesday or Thursday. It added that both agencies have recommended PCR testing for suspect and probable COVID-19 cases.

"As you all know, our PCR testing is being expanded. May target na 20,000 per day ang tests by May 15, at 30,000 per day na tests by May 30. Pero kung tatanungin niyo kung required, hindi po siya required. 'Yan po ay i-lilimit muna sa may karamdaman," the Trade chief stated.

[Translation: As you all know, our PCR testing is being expanded. We have a target of 20,000 tests per day by May 15, and 30,000 per day tests by May 30. But again, such testing is not required. It is limited to possible patients.]

At present, the Philippines has 7,958 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 975 recoveries and 530 deaths.
Chandigarh, April 29 : Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday said one section of the 658-km Delhi-Katra expressway would pass through Amritsar after being split into two at Kartarpur even as the other section would go through Gurdaspur to Katra.

She said she has been informed by the Amritsar Vikas Manch and other social organisations that the expressway was not going to pass through Amritsar and had herself got alarmed.

"I took up the matter with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and he informed me that there was no cause of worry for people of Amritsar and that the expressway would not only pass through the holy city but also the Raja Sansi International Airport," she said in a statement here.

She said the expressway would split into two from Kartarpur.

One section going to Amritsar would use the existing highway for 50 km which would be developed as an access controlled expressway with service roads on both sides even as a new 30 km stretch would be constructed to take the expressway to the Raja Sansi airport.

She said the second section would be a new 65-km stretch which would take the expressway from Kartarpur to Gurdaspur and from there it would join National Highway 44 for the next 180 km stretch to Katra.

Harsimrat said as per the information sent to her, the expressway took off from Jassur Kheri in Haryana and passed through Ghana-Kalayat in Haryana to enter Punjab near Patran.

She said from there the expressway would pass through Bhawanigarh and Nakodar to Kartarpur and then be bifurcated in two -- with one section passing through Amritsar and the other through Gurdaspur.

The Union minister said the total length of the expressway would be 658 km and it would be constructed at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore.

She said the first phase of the project was proposed to be awarded in this fiscal.
Andreas Thamm, previously Managing Director at Edge Technologies, will be the new Germany head of UBM Development and will succeed Dr. Bertold Wild (65), who is scheduled to retire this summer. Thamm will take over his new position as of 1 August 2020. The Management Board of UBM Germany was

Photos: UBM Development



[]
The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19 has led one team of researchers to find an improbable ally for their work: a llama named Winter. The team -- from The University of Texas at Austin, the National Institutes of Health and Ghent University in Belgium -- reports their findings about a potential avenue for a coronavirus treatment involving llamas on May 5 in the journal Cell. The paper is currently available online as a "pre-proof," meaning it is peer-reviewed but undergoing final formatting.

The researchers linked two copies of a special kind of antibody produced by llamas to create a new antibody that binds tightly to a key protein on the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This protein, called the spike protein, allows the virus to break into host cells. Initial tests indicate that the antibody blocks viruses that display this spike protein from infecting cells in culture.

"This is one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2," said Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT Austin and co-senior author, referring to the virus that causes COVID-19.

The team is now preparing to conduct preclinical studies in animals such as hamsters or nonhuman primates, with the hopes of next testing in humans. The goal is to develop a treatment that would help people soon after infection with the virus.

"Vaccines have to be given a month or two before infection to provide protection," McLellan said. "With antibody therapies, you're directly giving somebody the protective antibodies and so, immediately after treatment, they should be protected. The antibodies could also be used to treat somebody who is already sick to lessen the severity of the disease."

This would be especially helpful for vulnerable groups such as elderly people, who mount a modest response to vaccines, which means that their protection may be incomplete. Health care workers and other people at increased risk of exposure to the virus can also benefit from immediate protection.

When llamas' immune systems detect foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses, these animals (and other camelids such as alpacas) produce two types of antibodies: one that is similar to human antibodies and another that's only about a quarter of the size. These smaller ones, called single-domain antibodies or nanobodies, can be nebulized and used in an inhaler.

"That makes them potentially really interesting as a drug for a respiratory pathogen because you're delivering it right to the site of infection," said Daniel Wrapp, a graduate student in McLellan's lab and co-first author of the paper.

Meet Winter

Winter, the llama, is 4 years old and still living on a farm in the Belgian countryside along with approximately 130 other llamas and alpacas. Her part in the experiment happened in 2016 when she was about 9 months old and the researchers were studying two earlier coronaviruses: SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. In a process similar to humans getting shots to immunize them against a virus, she was injected with stabilized spike proteins from those viruses over the course of about six weeks.

Next, researchers collected a blood sample and isolated antibodies that bound to each version of the spike protein. One showed real promise in stopping a virus that displays spike proteins from SARS-CoV-1 from infecting cells in culture.

"That was exciting to me because I'd been working on this for years," Wrapp said. "But there wasn't a big need for a coronavirus treatment then. This was just basic research. Now, this can potentially have some translational implications, too."

The team engineered the new antibody that shows promise for treating the current SARS-CoV-2 by linking two copies of the llama antibody that worked against the earlier SARS virus. They demonstrated that the new antibody neutralizes viruses displaying spike proteins from SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures. The scientists were able to complete this research and publish it in a top journal in a matter of weeks thanks to the years of work they'd already done on related coronaviruses.

McLellan also led the team that first mapped the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, a critical step toward a vaccine. (Wrapp also co-authored that paper along with other authors on the current Cell paper, including UT Austin's Nianshuang Wang, and Kizzmekia S. Corbett and Barney Graham of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' Vaccine Research Center.) Besides Wrapp, the paper's other co-first author is Dorien De Vlieger, a postdoctoral scientist at Ghent University's Vlaams Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), and the other senior authors besides McLellan are Bert Schepens and Xavier Saelens, both at VIB.

This work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.), VIB, The Research Foundation-Flanders (Belgium), Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Belgium) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany).

Backstory

The first antibodies the team identified in the initial SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV tests included one called VHH-72, which bound tightly to spike proteins on SARS-CoV-1. In so doing, it prevented a pseudotyped virus -- a virus that can't make people sick and has been genetically engineered to display copies of the SARS-CoV-1 spike protein on its surface -- from infecting cells.

When SARS-CoV-2 emerged and triggered the COVID-19 pandemic, the team wondered whether the antibody they discovered for SARS-CoV-1 would also be effective against its viral cousin. They discovered that it did bind to SARS-CoV-2's spike protein too, albeit weakly. The engineering they did to make it bind more effectively involved linking two copies of VHH-72, which they then showed neutralizes a pseudotyped virus sporting spike proteins from SARS-CoV-2. This is the first known antibody that neutralizes both SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.

Four years ago, De Vlieger was developing antivirals against influenza A when Bert Schepens and Xavier Saelens asked whether she would be interested in helping to isolate antibodies against coronaviruses from llamas.

"I thought this would be a small side project," she said. "Now the scientific impact of this project became bigger than I could ever expect. It's amazing how unpredictable viruses can be."

###

The paper's other authors are Gretel M. Torres, Wander Van Breedam, Kenny Roose, Loes van Schie, Markus Hoffmann, Stefan Po?hlmann, Barney S. Graham and Nico Callewaert.

The finalized paper will appear here on May 5: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)30494-3

High-resolution images, including Winter the llama, are available for download here: https://utexas.box.com/s/7cbj78qd6yg1r9kb9xg0gzljpyjhykvd
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said he has raised the issue of the return of Jammu and Kashmir students stranded in Bangladesh with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Lt Governor G C Murmu.

Azad, who is the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, also said he took up the issue of stranded people especially students, small traders and labourers from Jammu and Kashmir in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab with Murmu and the chief ministers of these states who agreed to create a mechanism to facilitate their early return.

"Azad took up the issue of students, undergoing studies in Bangladesh, with Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar and requested him to arrange for their return as they have completed the quarantine period," a statement issued by his party here said.

It said Jaishankar expressed the willingness of his ministry to bring the stranded students back to the union territory.

The Congress leader also took up the matter with J&K Lt governor who also expressed his willingness to allow the students to be returned from Bangladesh, the statement said.

The party said Azad also took up the issue of stranded J-K residents especially students, small traders and labourers in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab with Murmu and the chief ministers of these states.

"They (CMs) agreed to create a mechanism and facilitate the early return of these people to Jammu and Kashmir," the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the entire world and India too is not spared by the deadly virus, but amid this challenging time, there is an opportunity as China is likely to lose the status of a global manufacturing hub in the post-COVID-19 era, according to experts.

They believe that the Indian economy may become the new manufacturing hub as several international companies, currently based in China, may exit from there. Countries like Japan, America, and South Korea, which have so far been dependent on China, are eyeing India to shift their base.

Around one thousand international firms currently working in China are planning to make India their new destination. Similarly, about 300 companies have also made preparations to set up their units in India, and have already started their negotiations with the Indian government.

These companies are in different sectors like Mobile Phones, Electronics, Medical Devices, Textiles, and Synthetic Fabrics. The list includes the names of many big companies that wish to shift their business from China.

1. Wistron Corporation, a subsidiary of well-known iPhone manufacturer Apple Inc

2. Pegatron, a Taiwanese company involved in assembling of iPhones

3. Two South Korean Iron and Steel companies - Hyundai Steel and POSCO

4. America's Electronics and Technology firm, Teledyne

5. The US pharmaceutical company, Johnson and Johnson

Not only this, but many South Korea companies are also showing their eagerness to shift to India. Japan has already announced a mega package of two billion dollars (about Rs 15,000 crore) for its companies, willing to shift their plants and factories outside China.

India is attracting international attention because of certain concessions it has already announced for the corporate sector.

In September 2019, the Indian government reduced the rate of corporate tax from 30 per cent to about 25 per cent, while the same has been reduced to 15 per cent for those companies that want to set up new factories. Notably, India's corporate tax rate is the lowest in Southeast Asia.

Apart from India, international firms are also looking at countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia as an alternative. This is the reason that the Indian government is expected to accelerate Make In India policy after the end of lockdown.

Organizations associated with the industrial sectors have been asked to contact big companies in the US and the UK, willing to shift their manufacturing units outside China. Negotiations have already started with about a hundred such firms.

China may receive a major jolt if international companies decide to shift their manufacturing units to countries like India after the coronavirus crisis.
On April 25, CNN broadcast one of the very best pieces of climate journalism ever run by a mainstream US news organization. In The Road to Change: Americas Climate Crisis, Bill Weir, the networks chief climate correspondent, leads viewers on a briskly paced, beautifully shot, scientifically robust road trip into the nations rapidly unfolding climate future. At a time when network television as a whole continues to underplay the climate story, The Road to Change establishes a standard of excellence that newsrooms of all typesTV, radio, digital or printcan learn from and emulate.

Demolishing the stereotype of climate stories as earnest, predictable turn-offs, The Road to Change spotlights the human side of the climate crisis without preaching or pulling its punches. In the course of 90 minutes, we meet one compelling character after another: members of Americas first underwater homeowners association, in inexorably submerging Miami, comforting one another about dwindling property values; weather-battered Iowa farmers whose Christian faith compels them to climate activism despite snickers from their conservative neighbors; a victim of Californias record Paradise fire who, surrounded by houses reduced to ashes, says hes yet to see any substantial proof of a changing climate; young Sunrise Movement activists forcing the Green New Deal into the national political conversation; and a scattering of big-name scientists and politicians. Jovial yet deeply informed, Weir treats his subjects with absolute respect, gaining their trust and ours. By telling the story through the experiences of these flesh-and-blood human beings, the documentary makes the urgency of the climate crisis, as well as its solutions, vivid and immediate to anyone with an open mind.

FROM OUR CURRENT ISSUE: The ubiquitous, imperfect signifier of climate change

In a brave departure from most recent climate journalism, The Road to Change does not labor to draw connections to the coronavirus, implicitly insisting that the climate crisis is plenty serious enough to merit attention on its own. In an interview for this article, Weir made the point explicitly: This pandemic is just a dress rehearsal for what were going to go through the next 50 years with climate change.

The pandemic may account for the documentarys one shortcoming: CNN aired it at 10pm Eastern on a Saturday night, a time slot when viewership is usually below average. The program was watched in real time by 1.036 million viewers in the United States, a CNN spokesperson said. It was also simulcast on CNN International; viewership figures for the global audience were unavailable at press time. The Road to Change remains available on demand via cable and satellite systems, the CNNgo platform, and CNN mobile apps.

When there are huge stories like this pandemic unfolding hour by hour, [CNN] errs on the side of the audience wanting to know whats happening right now with [that huge story], explained Weir, who nevertheless stressed that CNNs top management championed his project from the start. They came to me and asked me to do it, he said of Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN; Michael Bass, executive vice president of programming; and Jim Murphy, head of the documentary unit. Weir had already distinguished himself with shorter climate reports, including a searing examination last May of climate justiceactually, the lack thereofin pollution-clogged neighborhoods near oil refineries in Port Arthur, Texas.

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Perhaps most instructive is how this documentary handles the science, seamlessly weaving it through the human stories that drive the narrative. Weir calls science my map to the climate future, and his command of that map is broad and up to date yet lightly worn. When a scientist sharing a skiff with him in Miami Bay says sea levels there could rise three to six feet by 2100, Weir points out that some of your colleagues predict as much as 15 feet  which means Miamis gone. The scientist concurs that if we remain on this trajectory, theres a real possibility [of that] happening. Astute analogies and smart graphics are also employed to render complex science accessible. Since 1961, Earth has lost the equivalent of a block of ice the size of the United States 16 feet thick, Weir declares as an imaginary block of ice is superimposed over a map of the US.

Nor does The Road to Change shrink from acknowledging that the human story of climate change boasts its share of human villains. Most mainstream news coverage omits one of the most important facts behind our dilemma: the giant oil and gas companies whose products have overheated the planet have known for decades they were leading civilization to disaster but chose to lie about that to keep profits booming. Internal Exxon documents show they knew in 82, but what did they do? Weir asks. The screen fills with oil derricks furiously pumping up and down as Weir answers his own question: Drill, baby, drill. And spin, baby, spin.

We are all products of the stories we hear, Weir says at one point. Humans have never inhabited a planet as hot as todays, he notes, and the physical momentum of climate change means that our journey into change has only just begun. To help us understand and navigate that journey as best we can, we need more stories like this one. With any luck, CNN will show it againin prime time.

ICYMI: The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists may be the only outlet whose approach to climate change is explicitly existential

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mark Hertsgaard is the co-founder and executive director of Covering Climate Now and the environment correspondent for The Nation.
(Photo : Marra Sherrier) A building of the US Postal Office along a busy street.

As the saying goes, no one can escape the long arm of the law for long, and indeed, it is true as a mail fraud suspect who bears the name of the Looney Tunes character, Speedy Gonzalez was arrested by authorities in Georgia, according to a report on NBC News.

Police officers told NBC News that the 35-year-old Buford man was caught at a traffic stop in Gwinnett County. The man whose legal name is Speedy Gonzalez is now under the custody of authorities. Authorities said that Speedy Gonzalez is facing mail fraud charges and have been hiding and running from law enforcers for several months before his arrest.

Checks Went Missing

In a statement, Gwinnett County police said that law enforcer started looking for Speedy Gonzalez after a report about missing checks reach them. The police added that last January, a resident living in Lake Haven Way complained that multiple checks were looted from his mailbox. According to the victim, he was expecting that the checks will be picked up by the USPS. And send it to its intended recipients. The victim narrated that after the checks went missing, he found out that there was $3,000 in forgeries.

Authorities conducted an investigation, which led to the identification of the perpetrator. Authorities got an initial identification for the suspect and named Speedy Gonzalez as a possible suspect for the stolen check. Investigations showed that he was the one who swiped the checks. Based on the investigation, Speedy Gonzalez visited the Home Depot on Stone Mountain Highway and bought over $3,000 worth of items. Later, the suspect returned the purchased items to get the cash.

Jail time for Speedy Gonzalez

Officials told the report that last month, police pinpointed that Speedy Gonzalez stole the checks. However, he lived up to his name and evaded arrested for another month. Investigators said in the report that before his arrest, Speedy Gonzalez had been spotted in Sevierville and Knoxville, Tennessee. Unlike the Looney Tunes character, the arms of law finally caught up Speedy Gonzalez on Saturday as authorities arrested him in Gwinnett County, ending months of hunting him down.

As opposed to the traits of the Looney Tunes character, Speedy Gonzalez was put behind bars and has been charged with multiple offenses, which include forgery, identity theft, and theft by deception.

According to the report, it was not the first time that the suspect committed mail fraud. He also has outstanding warrants in another Georgia county and Alabama on similar counts. However, it still unsure if Speedy Gonzalez already has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.

According to the USPS, to protect against identity theft, they suggest placing outgoing mail in a USPS collection box or hand-delivering it at your local POST Office.

Protection Against Mail Theft

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) offers some tips on how to get protected from mail theft. According to USPIS, deposit mail in U.S. Postal Service collection boxes or give it directly to the mail carrier. USPIS is urging people to refrain from sending cash or sensitive information through the mail and do not leave their mails in the mailbox overnight or on weekends.

USPIS added that they must shred unwanted documents that contain personal information before throwing them out. And warned people not to give personal information over the phone or the Internet abruptly.

Also Read: LeBron James To Star In 'Space Jam' Sequel

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday, April 29, said that the Telangana state is becoming rice bowl of the country due to the record level paddy being cultivated in the state following improvement in the irrigation facilities. CM said a comprehensive strategy is being worked out to get reasonable support price for the agriculture produce, as there is an increase in the yield and acreage.

The CM instructed the officials concerned to construct and additional 40 Lakh tonnes capacity godowns and 2500 Farmer daises. He also wanted finalization of policy for Rythu Bandhu Samithis to play an active role. The CM wanted farmers to purchase the fertilisers for the month of June as the stock of fertilisers are available now. The CM warned that the government would take stern action against those selling the spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

The CM held a high-level meeting here on Tuesday at Pragathi Bhavan on procurement of agriculture produce of the Rabi, availability of fertilisers, construction of Godowns, Farmers Daises, getting supportive price for the produce, extension of the civil supplies services, activating the Rythu Bandhu Samithis and other issues. Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar, Governments Chief Advisor Sri Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal secretary Narsing Rao, Principal Secretary to Agriculture Janardhan Reddy, Rythu Bandhu Samithi States president Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman Mareddy Srinivas Reddy, CMO Secretary Ms Smita Sabharwal and others participated.

Farmers situation improved in Telangana

The life of Telangana is associated with agriculture. There are 60-65 Lakh farmers in the State. There are so many others lives are dependent on agriculture sector. Since farmers were in the unorganised sector and due to negligence and failure of the past government to work with commitment, farmers have suffered a lot in the past. Agriculture went into a crisis. After the Telangana state was formed and TRS came to power, due to many farmer welfare and agriculture development measures taken by the government, the situation changed for the better. There is still a lot to be done for the agriculture development and for welfare of farmers, the CM said.

Comprehensive policy for better supportive price from crops

As the government has taken on top priority construction of irrigation projects, in the days to come, about 1300 TMC of Godavari and Krishna waters would be utilised. Availability of water for irrigation improved due to tanks revival works done under Mission Kakatiya, 24-hour- free power supply. Under projects, tanks and borewells, there is a possibility of having two crops in 1.45 Crore acres and three crops in 10 Lakh acres. Then the Telangana State will become Rice Bowl of India. The yield will be doubled in the years to come. It is our bounden duty to finalise a strategy to get the support price. Agriculture department, Civil Supplies department and Rythu Bandhu Samithies should grow

Food Processing through Civil Supplies

 Since the farmers are in distress due to the existing Corona virus situation prevailing, the state government now is buying each and every morsel produced by farmers and this is done in anywhere in the country. Farmers should get their support price in future too. The Civil Supplies Department should expand its services so that farmers would get their support price, people would get their rice and pulses at reasonable rates. The Civil Supplies department should buy paddy, Grams, Pulses and mill them into rice, pulses through the food processing units and supply to the people. This would help farmers get their proper support price for their produce and people get their quality essential commodities at cheap rates. The Civil Supplies department should prepare action plan in this direction and implement it, the CM said.

The practice of every farmers going for the same crop should be done away with. Farmers should go in for crops, which have demand in the markets. The agriculture department should suggest which crop should be grown in which area. Farmers should go in for crops as suggested by the Agriculture department. The government should procure the yield. Crops should be cultivated in a regulatory manner. Procurement should also be done in a regulatory manner. We are ready bring in legislations if need be in this regard. Agriculture department should identify crops which are in demand in market and which are in need for people. They should also identify which soil is best suited for which crop. They should provide guidance to farmers. Record who is cultivating which crop. the CM explained.

As there is increase in crops cultivation, there is more demand for fertilisers and pesticides and seeds. Based on this, the government is keeping the stocks of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides ready. This monsoon season, there is a need for 22.30 lakh tonnes fertilisers. Arrangements are being made to keep the fertilisers available for farmers. Fertilisers required for June are ready. Hence farmers should purchase them in the month of May. Farmers should not crowd the fertilisers shops but purchase them in a proper manner. AEOs should coordinate the farmers, the Cm suggested.

Additionally 40 Lakh tonnes capacity Godowns

Due to the efforts by the TRS government in the past five years, Godowns with a capacity of 22.5 Lakh tonnes are available in the State. Now we need to construct an additional 40 Lakh Tonnes capacity Godowns. Ensure that in rural areas there is one Godown per Assembly segment. Based on availability of government lands, construct godowns at mandal centres. Since old mandals have godowns, ensure that the Godowns are constructed in the newly formed mandals. Agriculture produce, fertilisers, PDS rice have to be stored in the godowns. Hence finish the construction of Godowns in seven to eight months, the CM instructed.

2500 Farmers daises

Construct farmers Daises all over the State immediately to help farmers interact with one another. We have created one Cluster per every 5000 acres. We have appointed one Agriculture Extension officer at every Cluster. For farmers to assembly and discuss per cluster construct 2500 daises, the CM said.

Rythu Bandhu Samithis to play an active role

The government has formed Rythu Bandhu Samithies with a greater conviction to make the farmers a united force. These Samithies, which are created to be helpful to farmers, should play an active role. Prepare an action plan on what Rythu Bandhu Samithies should do? How they should become helpful to farmers, the CM instructed the officials.

Dont produce seeds through agents help

Farmers in places like Gadwal or developing the seeds. But they are doing this through agents but not through the companies. These are causing problems to farmers. Hence farmers who are developing seeds should do so in direct contact with the companies, the Cm suggested.

The government is acting sternly as far as spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. We are registering cases under PD Act against those indulging in spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides sale. The Intelligence department had already identified such culprits and kept a tab on them. We are taking severe measures so that there will not be any spurious seeds, fertilisers or pesticides in the State. In case if anyone indulging in the crime we will severely punish them, the CM warned.

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It took Emily Everetts restaurant, Quaintrelle, several years to find its place within the vibrant dining scene on North Mississippi Avenue, but customers finally began to flock to the upscale bistro over the last year.

The restaurant was enjoying its busiest month ever when Oregon Gov. Kate Brown banned on-premises dining at restaurants and bars across the state on March 17 in an effort to stem the tide of COVID-19.

Everett and her business partners quickly pivoted to a takeout-only model, but that didnt stop their sales from plummeting by 90% over the last month. With the loss of income, theyve struggled to keep up with expenses. They are barely managing to pay their employees, let alone make rent.

Its not like were making poor business decisions that are resulting in us not being able to pay our rent, said Everett, one of Quaintrelles co-owners. Its a mandate from the government that is causing us to not be able to pay our rent. Were just trying to keep the lights on and its costing us money, through no fault of our own.

Quaintrelle is one of 10 small businesses on North Mississippi that have come together to request rent relief from their common landlord as they struggle to stay afloat during the COVID-19 crisis. The other nine businesses are UCHU Sushi, No Bones Beach Club, Mee Sen Thai Eatery, 45 North Wine Bar, PDXchange, The Herb Shoppe, Gumbo Gifts and Gallery, Mississippi Nails and Spa and Truva.

None of the 10 businesses paid rent in April. They wont have the funds available to pay when their May rent comes due Friday either.

The crisis threatens to wipe out an entire cluster of distinctly Portland businesses in one of the citys most popular shopping districts. Its a microcosm of what small businesses all over Oregon are facing as they weather their second month of shutdown with no clear timetable for recovery.

Brown issued an executive order on April 1 prohibiting landlords from evicting commercial tenants for 90 days, taking some immediate pressure off businesses. But many small business owners, like the group on North Mississippi, are worried that they could owe three months of back rent once the moratorium ends. Those expenses could put them out of business permanently.

Restaurants specifically run on such small margins, said MacKenzie DeVito, Founder of No Bones Beach Club on North Mississippi. The amount of money that my rent is, it could potentially bankrupt me and lots of other small businesses if were required to pay out this money.

The Portland City Council sent a letter to state and federal lawmakers on April 1 calling on them to forgive all rent and mortgage payments for renters and businesses whose income or expenses have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

A spokesman for Browns office said that the governor is aware that further executive or legislative action may be necessary to address issues facing small businesses, but Brown has not indicated what options she will consider.

Federal legislation is providing some financial relief to Oregonians and businesses, and we are analyzing the impacts of those federal packages as we weigh what further actions can be taken at the state and federal level to help Oregonian families and businesses, said Charles Boyle, Browns press secretary. As with many of the governors coronavirus-related executive orders, when the moratoriums on residential and commercial evictions eventually expire or are lifted, we recognize that there will be significant issues to be resolved for Oregonians.

Some Oregon small businesses have reached new payment agreements with their landlords over the last month as theyve strived to navigate the crisis, but many others have not.

The 10 businesses on North Mississippi received a letter from their property management company, Cushman & Wakefield, asking them to provide two years of financials, proof they were denied a business interruption insurance claim and proof that they did not qualify for federal or state loan programs before their request for rent relief would be considered. The Cushman & Wakefield representative that sent the letter did not respond to a request for comment from The Oregonian/OregonLive.

We understand and appreciate the difficulties the current economic environment presents, the letter said. It presents difficulties for you as a tenant but it also presents difficulties for the Landlord. Financial obligations to banks, the revenue agency, insurers, employees and other stakeholders and the Landlords obligation to maintaining the properties stay unchanged.

The businesses say it has been burdensome to put together the paperwork requested by their landlord and they are worried that they wont meet their landlords criteria for rent relief, even if they are able to submit the appropriate documents. For example, all 10 businesses nominally qualify for federal and state loan programs, but they havent actually received payments.

Amanda Furbee, owner of The Herb Shoppe, a herbal medicine shop on North Mississippi, said her bank initially informed her that she had been approved for a loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which provides small businesses with forgivable loans if they meet certain criteria, but she was later told the program had run out of money.

Congress approved an additional $310 billion in funding for the program last week and Furbee hopes she will see a share of that. But even if she receives the loan, she said her first priority will be to pay her employees before trying to pay other expenses.

Im trying to figure out when and if Im going to get these funds, Furbee said. Ive had to be up front with my employees and tell them, I dont know when Im going to get payroll to you. Ill get it to you as soon as possible. Weve been able to pay some, but Im still behind on payroll. Thats never happened before, as long as Ive been part of this business.

Even if the state begins to lift restrictions in the coming months, businesses worry that they will be unable to earn the same revenue that they did before the crisis.

DeVito expects that restaurants will be asked to limit capacity even after they are allowed to reopen, which she said would make it nearly impossible to turn a profit. Furbee is considering moving her business into a cheaper warehouse space if the majority of her revenue continues to come through online sales after restrictions are lifted.

Wei-En Tan, the owner of 45 North Wine Bar, left a corporate job to fulfill her dream of opening a wine bar. She had hoped to bring together wines from Oregon and France, a nod to her childhood in Bordeaux. Her establishment was just a month old when the shutdown order hit in March and Tan said she already may have to give up on her dream.

Its just pure economics if it doesnt look like the bar is able to generate enough revenue given the rent-to-revenue ratio, Tan said. Were not closed yet, but Im a pretty practical person, so Im not going to get into huge debt to shore up something thats not economically feasible.

Over the last three and a half years, Everett has watched hundreds of people pack North Mississippi on popular days to visit the bars, restaurants and retail shops that line the street. The culture and community within the neighborhood is part of what attracted her business to North Portland.

But she is worried that many of the businesses that make up the backbone of North Mississippi wont be able to survive the fallout from the COVID-19 crisis without government intervention.

I dont want to have to shut down and I dont want any of my neighbors to have to shut down, Everett said. These small businesses are what make the community tick and they make Mississippi Avenue a really cool and fun place to be. But I have a feeling were going to lose a lot of businesses, not just where my fellow tenants are, but all the way up and down the street because they cant financially carry these months.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
The police in Niger State have apprehended a 36 year-old-woman for allegedly stabbing her mother-in-law to death in the Mashegu Local Government Area of the state following a misunderstanding.

The suspect, Fatima Sani, of Gobirawa village, was arrested by a team of policemen attached to the Mashegu Division while trying to escape.

It was learnt that the suspect and her husband, Sani Umaru, had a misunderstanding on April 23, 2020, which led to a divorce.

Punch Metro gathered that the suspect alleged that her mother-in-law, Aishatu Umaru, 70, of Tozon Daji village in Mashegu, told her son to end the marriage.



It was learnt that Fatima had irreconcilable differences with the deceased ever since she got married to Sani and that made her trace her mother-in-law to her village and stab her to death.

The suspect told punch correspondent in Minna that Aishatu never liked her and she instigated her son to divorce her.

Fatima stated, Since I came into that family, I have not known anything called peace; every day is punctuated with my mother-in-laws trouble. There is nothing I did that pleased her and I decided to stab her to death so that everything would be over.

I know I have done something that even Allah will not forgive me, but let the law take its cause. Since she did not want me to have peace in my matrimonial home, Allah will not set her free.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, on Tuesday confirmed the incident, adding that the case was under investigation and the suspect would soon be charged..

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
WILLIAMSPORT  A Penn State student has expanded her allegations that the university failed to adequately address her train rape claim and that she was treated differently in classes because she is African American.

Kayla Williams, from Allegheny County, on Monday in an amended complaint filed in U.S. Middle District, provided more details on the allegations she made in the original one in February.

Since then Williams has been suspended for the spring and summer semesters because a Title IX panel found she harassed a former roommate and assaulted a ride-share driver.

The panel made its decision without requiring the accusers to attend a hearing, Williams points out.

Penn State does not comment on ongoing litigation and cannot for privacy reasons provide information on student disciplinary actions, spokesperson Lisa M. Powers said Tuesday.

The university had asked Judge Matthew W. Brann to dismiss the initial complaint calling it rambling, conclusory and legally deficient.

Williams continues to take issue with the investigation into her claim she was raped while intoxicated by two male students in an apartment on Jan. 15, 2017.

Her suit claims police after speaking with one of the alleged rapists concluded everything was consensual.

She was taken to a hospital where she was given a rape kit and her blood alcohol content was .192 or nearly three times the legal amount to drive.

Frustrated by what she perceived as Penn States inaction investigating the rape in April 2018 she used Twitter to accuse the university of hiding how bad rape is on campus.

A Title IX decision panel could not determine if the encounter was consensual but suggested the alleged rapist might be charged with a Code of Conduct violation.

Williams accuses the Office of Student Conduct of not following up on that recommendation. The second male left school and was not subjected to discipline.

Her restated allegations against Brendan Prawdzik, an English professor, include the accusation he tried to talk her out of writing about racism when she selected that topic last August for a semester research assignment.

The court complaint alleges he told her minorities are partly at fault for the systematic racism they experience. He did not meet with other students to ask them to change their topics, Williams claims.

In part due to her rape experience, she said she used Penn States mental health treatment services for emotional distress, depression and anxiety. That caused her to miss classes.

Her suit claims when Prawdzik in front of the class asked for her health records she requested a private meeting to provide him data on her absences.

Williams claims Prawdzik stormed out of the room; she followed him into the hall where he told her she was a disruption, kicked her out of class and threatened to call the police if she did not leave.

Among the relief that Williams seeks in her suit is the removal from her transcript of the F that Prawdzik gave her for the class.

Williams also restates her claim she was treated differently this January in a grading disparity of a psychology quiz but the amended complaint does not name the instructor as a defendant as did the original one.

The amended complaint goes into detail on how Williams claims she was treated unfairly by a Title IX panel after accused of harassing a former roommate and assaulting a ride-share driver.

She cites the inability to speak to her adviser during the Feb. 21 hearing and to question her accusers because they were not present.

Williams appealed the panels decision to suspend her, claiming the evidence did not support that action.

She claims she was not permitted to have a recording of the panels hearing to prepare her appeal and March 19 was notified of her suspension by Yvonne Gaudelius, senior associate dean for undergraduate education.

The amended civil rights complaint seeks unspecified damages from the university; Prawdzik; Gaudelius; Karen Feldman, senior director of the Office of Student Conduct; and Lauren Langford, assistant director in that office.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has expressed concern over possible appointment of former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili as deputy prime minister of Ukraine.

"As the head of state, I am well aware that it is unacceptable in international relations to interfere with internal affairs and personnel policy of another country. However, it is also unacceptable and completely incomprehensible that a person, whose criminal activities are reflected not only in the verdicts of Georgian courts, but also in the relevant ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, was chosen to be appointed for a public position," the president said in a statement on her official website.

As reported, Saakashvili said in social media that he had received a proposition to become Ukraine's deputy prime minister for reforms.
The Delhi High Court Wednesday provided police protection to a runaway couple, who got married against the wishes of their families and feared for their lives.

The woman, who filed the petition, told the high court that she got married to the man on March 12 this year in Delhi and both are residents of Haryana and their family members are searching them and they apprehend that they will be harmed.

Justice Yogesh Khanna, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, asked the woman to give necessary details of her residence and that of their parents to the police.

The prosecutor told the court that the woman and her husband are not the permanent residents of Delhi as she has come here at the house of her spouse's relative.

The prosecutor also said the couple has not provided the details of their respective parents to the police officials.

The court said if the couple is residing in Delhi, they shall give their address details to the police official who is directed to provide police assistance to them whenever required.

Further in case the petitioner (woman) and her husband are residing in jurisdiction of some other police station, . (police official) shall inform the concerned SHO about this order so that the mobile number of the police officials of concerned police be given to the petitioner and her husband, so that they both can contact and seek assistance as and when required, the court said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

#COVID19

At reader request, Ive added this daily chart:

The data is the John Hopkins CSSE data. Here is the site. I have changed to a logarithmic scale for US States and territories.

New Yorks geometric growth down to 1.0 from 1.01. Yay!

* * *

See Vice, How to Read the Coronavirus Graphs:

Quantities that grow exponentially, when depicted on a linear scale, look like curves that bend sharply upward, with the curve getting constantly steeper. On a log scale, exponentially growing values can be depicted with straight diagonal lines. Thats the beauty of plotting things on log scales. Plots are meant to make things easy to understand, and we humans are much more adept at understanding linear, straight-line behavior. Log plots enable us to grasp exponential behavior by transferring the complexity of constantly steepening curves into the simplicity of an exponentially increasing scale. On a log scale, we want to constantly be making the line more and more horizontal. The general concept of flattening is still a good one, but its never going to curve down. And so what we should be looking, and hoping for is a trend toward horizontal.

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

They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord

* * *

2020

Biden (D)(1): The Biden campaign has signed up possibly the most disgusting email fundraiser ever, the National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC). I know, because I subscribe to them, which I recommend. Theyre really entertaining! Heres their latest: NTDCs mailer consultant is Mothership Strategies, and as you can see, they have a very distinctive style. From WaPo: But its lightning-quick rise also has sparked consternation in Democratic circles, where Mothership is sometimes derided as the M-word because of its aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics, such as claiming in fundraising appeals that President Trump is preparing to fire the special counsel. Some critics call its approach unethical, saying the company profits off stoking fear of Trump and making the sort of exaggerated claims they associate with the president. (You can see how Mothership was positioned to profit from, e.g., RussiaGate.) The Founders, as one might expect, worked for the DCCC. Public records show that in the second half of 2017, all three men purchased homes worth more than $1 million each in snazzy Washington neighborhoods not far from Motherships offices. Lovely people. As you can see, BIdens mailers are an online update of the direct mail physical mailed designed to prey on elders  Biden voters skew old  by extracting multiple donations; Richard Vigurie would recognize this mail right away, especially the multiple appeals. Biden (D)(2): Why Have Womens Groups Gone Dead Silent on Biden Sex-Assault Accusation? [The Daily Beast]. The Daily Beast contacted 10 top national pro-women organizations for this story, including Emilys List, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the National Organization for Women. Most organizations did not respond to a detailed request for comment about the allegation by Tara Reade, a former staff assistant in Bidens Senate office who has accused the former vice president of forcibly penetrating her with his fingers in the early 1990s. Others replied and did not provide a statement. One prominent womens political group cited a scheduling conflict and asked to be kept in mind for other opportunities! When pressed if the following day would work better, an associate said it would not, citing another scheduling conflict. The near-total lack of acknowledgement from nearly a dozen leading pro-women organizations comes as new corroboration has emerged with respect to the allegation, which the Biden campaign has categorically denied. Neither the Biden campaign nor Reade responded to requests from The Daily Beast for comment Tuesday. It also is taking place as prominent elected women in the Democratic Party rally to Bidens side.  Natalie Shure comments: [R]emember all the performative outrage over Sanders saying the political arm of Planned Parenthood was part of the establishment? Euthanize the NGOs, say I. (This also shows that these supposedly independent organizations are in reality part of the Democrat Party.) Biden (D)(3): Democrats Will Have To Answer Questions About Tara Reade. The Biden Campaign Is Advising Them To Say Her Story Did Not Happen.' [Buzzfeed]. The Biden campaign circulated talking points among top Democratic supporters shortly after the New York Times published a story earlier this month about the allegation by Tara Reade, a former staff assistant in Bidens Senate office who says he assaulted her in 1993.. Bidens campaigns talking points say the Times story served as proof that Reades allegation did not happen  but the story did not conclude this, nor did it conclude that an assault definitively did happen.  Oddly, the name Anita Dunn, top Biden advisor and Harvey Weinstein defender, does not appear. Biden (D)(4): Stacey Abrams on sexual assault allegation against former VP: I believe Joe Biden' [CNN].  One has to admire Abrams tenacity and focus. Biden (D)(5): Former Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton Endorses Joe Biden [NPR]. Clinton: Just think of what a difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science, put facts over fiction, but brought us together, showed the kind of compassion and caring that we need from our president, and which Joe Biden has been exemplifying throughout his entire life. Sanders (D)(1): Sanders advisors form super PAC to back Biden and push him left [Los Angeles Times]. Announced Tuesday, the political action committee called A Future to Believe In [seems familiar] will be headed by Sanders longtime senior strategist Jeff Weaver and include the senators top aide on Latino outreach, Chuck Rocha. Also helping lead it is Tim Tagaris, a veteran of Sanders presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020 who was instrumental in building his formidable fundraising operation by bringing in small but consistent donors nationwide.  I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. And Im not the only one: Nothing like draining the social capital out of a senior citizen who has spent the past 40 years fighting to end poverty with a political sleight of hand just to collect a few six figure checks to keep the hustle moving. Charming. https://t.co/hnvYHDlVNf  Fred (@WaywardWinifred) April 28, 2020 Note the source. Sanders (D)(2): Sanders helld an online Thank you meeting with supporters yesterday at IIRC 8:00PM. No media coverage, but screen shots are leaking out: pic.twitter.com/EPKgY5k5td  Biden's Hairy Leg  (@BernieWon2016) April 29, 2020 Good news, that. If anybody attended virtually, Im sure readers would like to hear about it. Sanders (D)(3): I havent had a chance to look at this, but: NEW: Bernie has launched a website with a list of organizations and key races for supporters to get involved in post campaign. It includes many orgs and reps who endorsed him. Link: https://t.co/PNVo7DrR3b pic.twitter.com/5WFfV253Zn  Jack Califano (@jackcalifano) April 29, 2020 Bernie should be funding strikers. At this historical ocnjuncture, as one might say. That said, DSA is said to be listed, so interesting. Yang (D)(1): Andrew Yang Sues Over New Yorks Cancellation of Democratic Primary [Newsweek (urblintz)]. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, argues that Yang should be kept on the ballot as he has met all the requirements and did not ask to be removed. Yang and seven other New Yorkers who filed to serve the former candidate as delegates to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) are the plaintiffs of the suit, as well as Jonathan Herzog, a longshot contender running against Democratic New York Congressman Jerry Nadler. Yangs removal denies voters due process and denies voters the right to vote, and therefore must be invalidated removing the authority for the Defendant to take the actions complained of herein,; they wrote in the suit.  As I understand it, there is no Constitutional right to vote. Nor do Democrat voters have any right to due process. I mean, obviously. But good for Yang anyhow. * * *

Our Famously Free Press

POLITICOs reporting on President Trump and the Bank of China [Editors Note, Politico]. POLITICO published an article Friday morning on President Donald Trumps business dealings with China. (Trump owes tens of millions to the Bank of China  and the loan is due soon. On Friday evening, POLITICO received a statement from a representative for Bank of China USA, which had not been contacted beforehand, that the bank had sold off, or securitized, its debt shortly after the 2012 deal. A spokeswoman said the bank has no current financial interest in any Trump Organization properties. We updated the body of the article to take account of the banks statement. The original headline was changed to Trump owed tens of millions to the Bank of China.'  Oh. How a Digital Ad Strategy That Helped Trump Is Being Used Against Him [New York Times].  A beat sweetener on Acronym which oddly, or not, fails to mention Acronyms stellar success in denying Sanders a bounce from victory in Iowa, thereby giving Buttigieg millions of dollars in earned media.

Realignment and Legitimacy

The Coronavirus Is Showing Members of the Professional Class That the Government Doesnt Work for Them Either [Slate (Chris)]. [G]overnment programs in the United Stateseven those supported by the purportedly pro-government partyare not designed to solve problems. Rather, they are designed to solve a given problem only to a degreeand that degree cant require an amount of spending that would necessitate financial sacrifice on the part of high-income taxpayers. This is not a leftist conspiracy theory, but the overt position of the partys leaders, who believe they will not be able to achieve crucial voting margins in upscale suburbs if they authorize too much taxation and spending.  Remember Pelosis Get our moneys worth comment on UBI? I dont know whats come over Slate; this is a good article.

Stats Watch

At reader request, I added some business stats back in. Please give Econintersect click-throughs; theyre a good, old-school blog that covers more than stats. If anybody knows of other aggregators, please contact me at the email address below.

Home Sales: March 2020 Pending Home Sales Crash Due To Coronavirus [Econintersect]. The year-over-year growth is in NEGATIVE territory. I believe the housing industry will reset due to the coronavirus  and I suspect housing will slump until a permanent fix for the pandemic is realized.

Honey for the Bears: Advance Estimate 1Q2020 GDP Quarter-over-Quarter Growth Now In Contraction Due To The Coronavirus [Econintersect]. The coronavirus lockdown is the reason for the decline  and pushed GDP into contraction. No doubt the U.S. economy is in a recession. I am not a fan of quarter-over-quarter exaggerated method of measuring GDP  but my year-over-year preferred method showed a significant decline from last quarter.

Honey for the Bears: April 2020 Chemical Activity Barometer Again Declines And Consistent With A Recession [Econintersect]. The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) fell 5.5 percent in April on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a downwardly revised 2.9 percent decline in March. On a year-over-year (Y/Y) basis, the barometer fell 7.3 percent in April.

* * *

Real Estate: Icahns Beautiful Trade Pays Off Early With Malls Shut [Bloomberg]. With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing stores to remain closed, some of them arent paying landlord Wilmorite, a family-owned real estate developer. Wilmorite, in turn, missed about $820,000 of mortgage payments due in April, filings show. While similar stories are unfolding across the U.S., what makes Eastviews stand out is its role in one of Wall Streets most closely watched trades, with billions of dollars on the line. The $210 million loan is one of the largest in deals referenced by the CMBX 6, a derivatives index that investors use to bet on the future of brick-and-mortar retail in the country. With businesses shuttered from Maui to Maine, the CMBX has cratered. We have billions and billions of dollars on the short side of this, Icahn said last week in an interview with Bloomberg Television. It really is a beautiful trade on a risk-reward basis.'

Manufacturing: Boeing to cut staff, plane output after big Q1 loss [Agence France Presse]. [CEO David] Calhoun said the belt-tightening was needed to maintain adequate liquidity at a time its revenues are depressed, adding that the company is exploring potential government funding options in the wake of COVID-19. Boeing has previously called for $60 billion in government support for the US aerospace industry. Federal relief legislation includes $17 billion aimed at Boeing. Calhoun has previously balked at the idea of the US taking a stake in Boeing. The loss reflected abnormal production costs connected to the temporary suspension of Puget Sound manufacturing operations due to COVID-19 and due to the suspension of production of the 737 MAX, which remains grounded following two deadly crashes. We have done a tremendous job of increasing our production rates and services offerings in recent years, Calhoun said. But the sharp reduction in our demand for our products and services over the next several years simply wont support the higher levels of output.'  Hopefully there will be money for the 737 MAX payouts..

Mr. Market: Gilead Virus-Drug Trial Signals Hope, and Fauci Sees Good News' [Bloomberg]. Gilead Sciences Inc. said early results from a U.S.-government-run study showed its experimental drug to treat coronavirus helped patients recover more quickly than standard care, suggesting it could become the first effective treatment for an illness that has turned modern life inside-out. The company issued a news release early Wednesday commenting on the study from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases without providing details of the results. Anthony Fauci, the head of NIAID and the governments top infectious-disease specialist, said at a White House meeting with President Donald Trump and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards that the trial showed a significant positive effect on the virus and that the results were quite good news. Fauci called the study the first truly high-powered randomized placebo-controlled trial of remdesivir.

Mr. Market: S&P 500 clears 2,900 hurdle as drug maker Gilead says trial for coronavirus treatment has met initial goal [MarketWatch]. Stocks traded sharply higher Wednesday as reports that a drug manufacturers clinical trial for a treatment to help patients recover more quickly from the COVID-19 disease helped to offset news of a plunge in U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product. The news helped to outweigh the bearish impact of a sharp slump in U.S. economic growth in the first quarter, gross domestic product shrinking by 4.8% on an annualized basis.  Seems a little detached from the real economy?

Fodder for the Bulls:

One way Morgan Stanley is tracking the industrial recovery in China is by measuring how fast air quality turns to crap again pic.twitter.com/Ld2H6tR5gZ  Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) April 29, 2020

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 45 Neutral (previous close: 42 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 40 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Apr 29 at 12:44pm. Holy cow! Back to neutral?

The Biosphere

Deadly virus turns honey bees into Trojan horses [Science]. Social distancing is nothing new to honey bees. When a colony is infected with the deadly Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), bees are less likely to touch or feed their sick nest mates, according to a new study. But the virus appears to have an alarming counterattack: When sick bees try to enter a new colony, they do a better job of getting past the guards than uninfected bees Honey bees are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases: They live in crowded conditions, and they touch each other all the time. Moreover, their immune systems are weak compared with other insects. They depend instead on hygienic behaviors, such as grooming or removing sick larvae. When Dolezal and colleagues took IAPV-infected bees and placed them outside another colony, the guards let about 30% of them enter, compared with about 15% of healthy foreign bees that were allowed in. The researchers arent sure why IAPV is so successful at deceiving the guards The sick bees were also more submissive when challenged by guards and more likely to offer them food, and those behaviors may also help them spread the disease. 

Health Care

This is astonishing:

This is stunning: Nearly half of the Q1 decline in GDP can be attributed to healthcare, which is presumably delaying of elective procedures. It's a strange reality that in the midst of a pandemic, we have a healthcare-led recession. pic.twitter.com/G3IezQkEzX  Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) April 29, 2020

Half of GDP decline from the cessation of elective procedures? Can that be true? What does it say about our economy if it is true?

Class Warfare

Hero propaganda is global:

Chinese delivery men, high-speed train mechanician, hydrologists You may not see them in everyday life, but they are here. These "invisible" workers are true guardians of ordinary people, especially amid the coronavirus outbreak pic.twitter.com/bJ4uhm0pWs  China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 29, 2020

Coronavirus Is Creating a New Class Divide That Threatens Us All [Robert Reich, Newsweek]. The pandemic is putting Americas deepening class divide into stark relief. Four classes are emerging. The Remotes These are professional, managerial and technical workersan estimated 35 percent of the workforcewho are putting in long hours at their laptops. The Essentials Theyre about 30 percent of workers, including nurses, home care and child care workers, farm workers, food processors, truck drivers, warehouse and transit workers, drug store employees, sanitation workers, police officers, fire fighters and the military. The Unpaid Theyre an even larger group than the unemployedwhose ranks could soon reach 25 percent, the same as in the Great Depression. Some of the unpaid are furloughed or have used up their paid leave. The Forgotten This group includes everyone for whom social distancing is nearly impossible because theyre packed tightly into places most Americans dont seeprisons, jails for undocumented immigrants, camps for migrant farmworkers, Native American reservations, homeless shelters and nursing homes.  Trivially, the Forgotten are the other classes at different lge stages; once a warehouse worker, now a nursing home patient or prisoner. Less trivially, from a high level, there are two classes: Those who sell their labor power to survive*, and those who dont. Even less trivially, and amazingly, or not, Reich completely erases a fifth class: The capitalists, who buy labor power, also know as the 1%, the rich, etc. Come on, man.

The Corporate Right Is Giving Us Two Choices: Go Back to Work, or Starve [Jonathan Schwartz, The Intercept]. There are two paths forward during this pandemic. The U.S. could rationally follow the science about the novel coronavirus, as complicated and incomplete as it is. This would necessitate putting much of the economy in hibernation until we have the capacity to immediately find anyone with Covid-19 and provide them with a safe place to stay in quarantine, while doing our best to keep everyone who has to work safe. For regular people to survive, we would need government action along the lines of that proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.: guaranteeing no one goes hungry, direct emergency cash payments to everyone, Medicare covering all health costs. Alternately, we can follow the hearts desire of the corporate right, and shove everyone back to work as soon as possible. The problem for the corporate right is that the force-everyone-to-risk-death concept is unpopular.  Nonsense (albeit in good faith). Wage workers must sell their labor power to acquire the means of subsistence and reproduce their labor power (by, e.g., eating). The go back to work or starve is the choice built into wage labor. The issue is not the corporate right, but capital as such. What the corporate right is doing is removing the ameliorations. Although I am sure Schwartz would agree this is the problem:

What are you going to do about it? Same with Cuomo throwing Sanders off the ballot in New York, if it comes to that.

News of the Wired

Bad WiFi is slowing you down. Fix yours without spending a dime [WaPo].  Pretty good, but it does show how ridiculously complex home internet still is. Its a lot like setting up a model train layout, except not fun.

Sword-wielding scientists show how ancient fighting techniques spread across Bronze Age Europe [Science]. Bronze swords have been found by the thousands in graves, rivers, and bogs all across Europe. But because the alloy is so softand easy to mangle compared with later iron weaponshistorians have long wondered whether these swords were battlefield tools or mere status symbols. Now, a team of archaeologists has staged modern fights with bronze swords to measure the resulting microscopic dings and dents. Sword-on-sword contact was a big part of Bronze Age fighting, they found, done with specific, artful moves that spread from region to region over time. Unlike axes, spears, or arrows, swords are the first objects invented purely to kill someone, says University of Gottingen archaeologist Raphael Hermann, who led the new study.  While a graduate student at Newcastle University, he recruited members of a local club devoted to recreating and teaching medieval European combat styles, and asked them to duel with the replicas, using motions found in combat manuals written in the Middle Ages. After recording the combat sequences using high-speed cameras, the researchers noted the type and location of dents and notches left after each clash. The team assigned characteristic wear patterns to specific sword moves and combinations. If the motions left the same distinctive marks found on Bronze Age swords, Hermann says, it was highly likely that Bronze Age warriors had also used those moves.  I wonder if anybody has compared the moves to those described in The Odyssey.

Letter to the Editor: Why These Agents Argue Books Arent Essential [Publishers Weekly]. A book is a product, not a personand in a moment when publishing is laying off workers who were already significantly underpaid and overworked, the expression, even coming from an industry periodical, feels almost callous: the product is considered essential, but the people who make it are not. The natural endpoint of an industry treating the sale of its product as essential but its workers as expendable is already visible: we need only to look at the horrors occurring in Amazon warehouses and fulfillment centers. In this light, how can we even consider a book to be truly essential in the context of a pandemic response? Information, expression of free speech, and art are all essential to a society, certainly, but publishing as an industry is not equivalent to those concepts; its just one means of packaging and selling them. People are reading a lot under quarantine, which does present an opportunity for the industry, but we must keep that opportunity in context. This industry has the chance to honor the ideological merits of the books were making by responding radically, compassionately, and creatively to the difficulties our human workers are experiencing. For instance, we should be protecting our warehouse workers by pushing electronic and audio formats in order to lessen the strain on filling physical orders, and reduce the consumer expectation of lightning-fast shipping times. We can help our indie bookstores do business safely by making them less reliant on their physical presences through something as simple as changing a promotional link from Amazon to Bookshop or LibroFM.

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HH writes: Pineapple guava in flower, Pflugerville, TX just northeast of Austin city limits. Encouraging news from Texas, but backlight is challenging!

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will not allow Iran to buy or sell conventional arms after a UN embargo expires in October, in a move that could prompt Tehran to pull out the 2015 nuclear deal and a major nonproliferation treaty.

"Were not going to let that happen," Pompeo told reporters at a news briefing on April 29 when asked about the expiration of the arms embargo.

"We will work with the UN Security Council to extend that prohibition on those arms sales and then in the event we can't get anyone else to act, the United States is evaluating every possibility about how we might do that," he said.

The ban on selling conventional weapons to Iran ends on October 23 under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

The United States withdrew from the nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, raising tensions across the Middle East and sending the Iranian economy into a tailspin.

China and Russia, both signatories to the nuclear deal believed to be eager to sell arms to Iran, are likely to exercise their veto at the Security Council to oppose extending the UN arms embargo.

To circumvent China and Russia's veto power, Pompeo said the United States was prepared to argue that it is still a participant in the nuclear accord because it was listed as one under the UN resolution.

That claim comes even as President Donald Trump clearly stated in May 2018 he was terminating the United States participation in the JCPOA.

Parties to the nuclear deal can implement a so-called "snapback" mechanism to reimpose sanctions or extend the arms embargo by declaring Iran to be in violation.

"The UN Security Council Resolution 2231 is very clear: We dont have to declare ourselves a participant," Pompeo told reporters. "It's unambiguous and the rights that accrue to participants in the UN Security Council resolution are fully available to all those participants."

European diplomats have questioned whether Washington can trigger the sanctions snapback because it exited the deal.

Pompeo said that the United States was also urging action from Britain, France, and Germany, the so-called E3 who remain participants to the JCPOA and have tried to save it.

Europe, while sharing U.S. concerns over Iran's activities in the Middle East and its missile program, already has separate arms restrictions and believes the nuclear issue is more important.

'Maximum Pressure' Vs. 'Maximum Resistance'

There are also questions of whether the existing UN arms embargo is effective as Iran continues to supply regional allies and proxies.

Ali Vaez, the Iran Project director at the International Crisis Group, told RFE/RL that an extension was also unlikely to stop China or Russia from selling arms to Iran.

"The removal of the arms embargo is one of the few remaining benefits of the JCPOA for Iran. Depriving Tehran from having access to the arms market will compel Iran to double down on its support for proxies and its ballistic missiles program," he said.



In response to the United States' "maximum pressure" campaign, Iran has ratcheted up regional tensions and breached parts of the nuclear deal it says can be quickly reversed if the other parties comply with their obligations.

A so-called "strategic patience" doctrine designed to bide time in hopes Trump is a one-term president has shifted to one of "maximum resistance."

Having gained little economic benefit under the nuclear deal, Iranian officials have said they may completely withdraw from the JCPOA and international Non-Proliferation Treaty if the arms embargo is extended.

"This is not a bluff. It allows Tehran to gain immediate leverage and it creates an international nonproliferation crisis that could backfire on Trump during his re-election campaign" ahead of the November election, Vaez said.
In the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are racing to maintain quality care for patients with severe disease while facing a shortage of resources and limited understanding of the novel coronavirus.

One physician on the front lines--Dr. Ariel Jaitovich, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Albany Medical Center in New York--sought out a collaboration with investigators at the Morgridge Institute for Research and the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) to better understand the molecular profile of COVID-19 and provide insights that may improve treatment.

It's a new disease. Two months ago, we knew nothing about it. What we are trying to do now is do systematic work to better understand what this disease is about." Dr. Ariel Jaitovich, pulmonary and critical care physician, Albany Medical Center in New York

By analyzing approximately 150 patient COVID-19 samples from the Albany Medical Center, the collaborative research team is hoping to better understand what factors influence whether a patient will suffer from complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

One example is the immunological concept of a cytokine storm--where the inflammatory response of the immune system goes into over-drive--as a possible trigger for ARDS.

"There's no clear understanding of whether these people who do really bad are the ones who have a toxic level of inflammation...if this cytokine storm is necessarily associated with worse outcomes in COVID patients," Jaitovich says.

Jaitovich reached out to Morgridge investigator, SMPH professor, and mass spectrometry expert Josh Coon to help because, he says, "Josh runs one of the most sophisticated and advanced labs to investigate proteins."

Coon leads the Laboratory for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry at UW-Madison and he had been looking for a way to leverage his lab's technology to help with the pandemic. The lab's efforts will be managed by LBMS associate director Katie Overmyer and assistant staff scientist Evgenia Shishkova.

"It's what we do. We take a problem, we apply our technologies. We help our collaborators solve this problem," says Overmyer.

The research team is using an approach called mass spectrometry to measure lipids, proteins and other small molecules called metabolites in samples from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. They will be compared to control samples from hospitalized patients who tested negative for COVID-19.

The technology allows scientists to identify different compounds and better understand their properties. Coon says it may help them identify molecular signals that might distinguish a mild case from a severe case.

Much of the previous research on coronaviruses and influenza has typically focused on proteomics (proteins), lipidomics (lipids), and metabolomics (metabolites) separately, Overmyer notes. "This multi-omic approach is fairly new and not well adopted yet," she says. "I think that's going to be the really powerful tool here, to be able to link those and maybe make better inferences about what's going on than a single [approach] would allow."

In addition to the cytokine storm process, Coon says there are other potential indicators of disease severity that involve blood clotting factors in the vessels of the lung. The research team hopes that studying the different proteins, metabolites, and lipids involved in these unique disease mechanisms can reveal more about what is happening in patients with COVID-19.

"Can we stratify those patients based on those molecular measurements and help predict what an outcome might be? I think those are the overall goals: to really try to understand what's happening at a molecular level," Coon says.

While the Coon laboratory works on characterizing the molecular signatures, Jaitovich's team will also work to identify the genetic influences on the disease. To analyze this data, which involves RNA sequencing, Jaitovich is collaborating with Morgridge bioinformatics experts Ron Stewart and Scott Swanson.

"We should be able to get an idea about what genes or gene sets are involved in things like inflammation, and how that might differ between COVID-19 and other ARDS cases," says Stewart, principal investigator and associate director of bioinformatics at Morgridge.

Swanson will lead the analysis to determine if there are unique gene expression profiles that might differ between the mild and severe cases. "I can look at those genes, and we have all kinds of databases available to us that tell us about which genes are related to different physiological characteristics," he says. "We're following the footsteps of established techniques that have produced results in this specific domain of ARDS, if not necessarily for coronaviruses. So, I'm optimistic that something intelligible and meaningful will come out of even just that first pass of analysis."

By combining the mass spectrometry data with the RNA sequencing data, Jaitovich says that the ultimate outcome of this project is to identify potential targets to help treat the disease.

"This is extremely important for many reasons, because you can, for example, intervene early with people who are more likely to do worse over time based on these early identified markers," he says. "You can better allocate resources in a moment in which there is a shortage of resources to deal with this pandemic."

The team is working to analyze patient samples as soon as they arrive.

"Certainly, as long as we've been in business...there's never been a pandemic like this with such urgency to really come up with a scientific solution," says Coon.

"It is difficult, because we deal with real-world problems of patients who are suffering from it or losing loved ones. You know, a lot of anxiety," says Jaitovich. "On the other hand, there is a lot of support, including healthcare workers, patients and families. There is massive support by the institution's leadership...they are all committed to working together toward the common goal: alleviating people's suffering."
A Hong Kong protest in September 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

The novel coronavirus ground the world to a halt, and restive Hong Kong was no exception. Protests dwindled, social distancing took hold, and the city's tear-gassed streets and incendiary politics seemed to fade from the world's attention.

In mainland China, all energy turned to the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began. Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses rushed to stem a flood of infections. They were followed by legions of propaganda workers dispatched to silence questions about why the virus spread was so bad, and to replace grief with praise for the government's success.

But Hong Kong never faded from Beijing's larger designs. At the height of China's COVID-19 crisis, while central authorities fired party bosses in Wuhan and Hubei province, they also installed new representatives in Hong Kong, bringing in Communist Party hard-liners known for crackdowns on corruption and religion to oversee the former British colony.

Now that China's virus crisis has calmed  and the rest of the world is distracted by the pandemic  Beijing's newcomers in Hong Kong are trying to stop the likely return of last year's protests, which evolved from resistance to an extradition bill to a citywide anti-government movement.

They've taken an aggressive approach, calling for a national security law to stifle dissent, criticizing opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong's parliament and claiming for the first time that they have "supervisory power" over the region's legal and political systems. When 15 prominent pro-democracy figures were arrested in a single day, legal and political entities spoke with one voice, accusing the activists of promoting separatism with help from the United States.

Tensions are rising: Last weekend, police clashed with several hundred protesters who had gathered in a mall to sing revolutionary anthems and demand amnesty for the recently arrested activists. Police have refused to grant permission for a protest on May 1, citing coronavirus concerns. Authorities have delayed decisions on an annual vigil June 4 to mark the Tiananmen Square massacre and planned marches later in June and July.

Story continues

The city seems poised for another explosive summer. But this time, mainland authorities are getting more directly involved.

The Hong Kong Liaison Office and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Beijing's two representatives in the city, caused an uproar when they claimed this month that a law barring central government departments from interference in Hong Kongs internal affairs does not apply to them.

The two offices have "supervisory power," they said, over how Hong Kong implements the Basic Law, its quasi-constitution, and the "one country, two systems" agreement that Beijing will leave most of Hong Kong's internal affairs alone until 2047, when Hong Kongs semiautonomous status ends.

The "supervisory power" move was a radical departure from how law has long been interpreted in Hong Kong.

Its basically a declaration on the part of Beijing that Basic Law doesnt constrain their power at all," said Angeline Chan, convener of the Progressive Lawyers Group.

Hong Kong legal experts say Beijings representatives are claiming an authority not found in any legal text.

Where do you get this supervisory power?" asked Johannes Chan, former dean of the faculty of law at the University of Hong Kong. "It gives rise to a vague and undefined notion of power, and it completely destroys [Hong Kong's] high degree of autonomy.

From Beijing's perspective, the answer is simple: The power comes from the Communist Party.

"Rule of law absolutely does not mean weak leadership, but strengthened party leadership, improvement of party capacity to rule through law, and strengthening of the party's governing role," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a 2018 speech, as quoted in the party journal Qiushi. Law should be used to turn party ideas into "national will," Xi said, and should avoid Western ideas such as constitutionalism, balance of powers or judicial independence.

Those three ideals are pillars of Hong Kong's legal system, supposedly protected by "one country, two systems"  until now.

Beijing and Hong Kong's relationship is laid out in the Basic Law, which allows Beijing to give final interpretations on what the law means and to appoint Hong Kong's top officials, said Johannes Chan.

The sudden assertion of "supervisory power" sidesteps the law altogether, he said, and could allow meddling in matters including parliamentary sessions and upcoming elections.

That becomes rule of man rather than rule of law," he said. "Its even worse than rule by law. Now, its simply: The law means what the politicians want it to mean.

The Liaison Office and HKMAO have long been involved in Hong Kongs internal affairs, but usually through indirect channels, said John Burns, former dean of the faculty of social sciences at the University of Hong Kong.

Beijing is "pulling back the curtain a little bit, and saying: 'We have the authority and power to direct things in Hong Kong,' Burns said. It is a calculated shift after Hong Kongs government failed to contain mass protests last year, timed for a moment when countries battling the coronavirus are unlikely to pay attention.

But without addressing core problems  police brutality, lack of government accountability and unequal political representation that favors Hong Kong's pro-Beijing corporations over its citizens  this approach is likely to further incite protesters.

Theres a certain point at which the legal system cant bear the load anymore, and a fundamental trust in the system breaks, said Antony Dapiran, a Hong Kong-based lawyer and author of a book about last years protests.

That loss of faith in the system drove many of last years protesters. Asserting party "supervision" is likely to spark more unrest. It may also threaten financial interests vital to both Hong Kong and the mainland, as foreign banks and companies depend on Hong Kongs rule of law to guarantee their business safety.

For lawyers like Angeline Chan, who is assisting some of the more than 7,000 arrested protesters  while only 21 police officers have been reprimanded, and none arrested  the law is worth defending, even as its foundations are being undermined. She has seen 13-year-old girls arrested on their way to school, first aid volunteers arrested while helping injured protesters.

Theyre facing the legal process. Theyre facing trials and jails. They need representation, she said.

Hong Kongs protesters hold no illusions about Beijing, Chan added. They know they are facing a major international power that shows no signs of change. Yet lawyers, doctors, social workers, teachers, teenagers, parents and civil servants protested in the millions.

If we dont, then thats conceding ground willingly," she said. Things are not as they should be. But within the system, weve still got to protect what weve got left.

For the record:

8:20 AM, Apr. 29, 2020: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of police officers reprimanded. It is 21, not one.


Columbus, Ohio

Joe Biden won Ohio's presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus.

The primary was the first major test of statewide elections via mail amid an outbreak. And the results were mixed.

There were reports of confusion but no widespread disruption. It wasn't like Wisconsin earlier this month, when voters were forced to overlook social distancing guidelines to stand in line wearing masks to cast a ballot.

Overall turnout appeared to be off. The secretary of state's office said about 1.5 million votes had been cast as of midday Saturday, down sharply from the 3.2 million cast in Ohio's 2016 presidential primary.

"Within the context of the threat of the virus, it's a decision that we will have made the best of," Republican Ken Blackwell, a former Ohio elections chief who chairs the bipartisan International Foundation for Electoral Systems, said of mail-in balloting.

The primary, originally scheduled for March 17, was delayed hours before polls were supposed to open. Citing a "health emergency," Republican Gov. Mike DeWine recommended in-person balloting not be held until June 2. Amid legal challenges, officials moved balloting to this week while converting to a mail-in process since the state remains under a stay-at-home order.

Most Ohioans casting absentee ballots had to run at least three pieces of mail  an application, a blank ballot and a completed one  through the U.S. Postal Service. Only homeless and disabled people were initially encouraged to cast in-person ballots at county election board offices, though anyone not receiving ballots by mail in time to participate could also turn up in person.

Lynne Marshall, of Sylvania, near the Ohio-Michigan border, opened her mailbox Tuesday and was disappointed to see that her ballot had not arrived after waiting months and making countless calls to the state and local election offices. She then agonized over whether to cast a vote in person at the election board and put her health at risk or stay home and skip an election for the first time that she can remember.

"What should I do?" she asked. "I'm just really disgusted with it all. Of course, I'll feel guilty if I don't vote."
Much like the rest of the country, schools in Dalton and Whitfield County were caught off guard when they had to shut down in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the future remains an unknown, the superintendents of both school systems say theyll be taking steps this summer to be better prepared, should a second wave of the coronavirus ever force students to stay home again.

If something happens again and we did have to close, wed be a little better prepared next time than we are this time, Dalton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Scott said Tuesday afternoon during the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners County Connect live stream program on the internet.

The city school system is planning on providing professional training during the summer break for their teachers on how to use digital learning tools most productively, he said. We pray that a [second wave of the virus] doesnt happen, but we want to make sure we work and prepare our teachers professionally so that they can be able to conduct instruction if we have to, he said.

Dr. Scott was joined on the program by Whitfield County Schools Superintendent Dr. Judy Gilreath, who said they will also be checking into ways to better serve their students, many of whom dont have access to the internet.

Ive heard about putting hot spots on school buses and parking them certain places, she said. I think those are the type of things were going to have to investigate. Who thought we would ever be in this situation? So we were not as prepared as we hope to be next time we face it.

Commission Chairman Lynn Laughter, who has hosted the twice-weekly County Connect programs for the past several months, noted that no one ever expected the pandemic. This was an unprecedented event, and one of those events like 9/11 that well be talking about probably for decades to come, she said.

During a call-in session, one viewer asked about the possibility of providing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to protect students and staff this fall, but both Scott and Gilreath say thats not likely to happen because of the sheer numbers and expense involved.

I mean, youd be looking at over 12,000 students and 1,800 employees in the county schools alone, Dr. Gilreath said. If you did that every day, that would be impossible for us to do, and Tim would be in a similar situation.

Thats correct, Dr. Scott said.

Both systems outsource their custodians and say they will be having the buildings deep-cleaned as much as possible.

We will have the buildings clean and ready to go before the children come, Dr. Scott said. We actually called our janitorial service that we use, and we have been able to make sure we get things clean.

That process actually started even before classes ended this school year, he said, with custodians at the schools wiping down water fountains, door knobs, and everything they could between every single class. So we will do some extra things like that to try to ensure safety, Dr. Scott said, but as far as giving out the personal protection, we would probably not be able to support that. Of course, they can bring their own and provide their own, but were going to do everything we can to take precautions to make sure our young people and our staff are safe.

Despite the surprise nature of the current pandemic, both school leaders praised the effort currently being given by teachers, students, and parents alike.

I just appreciate the support that the community has given, Dr. Gilreath said. Weve had a couple of organizations step up and help even with our food services.

She said the county schools have served nearly 200,000 meals to children since March 17, with between 20 to 25 school buses delivering the food three times a week at sites in eight neighborhoods. Likewise, the city schools are averaging the delivery of about 34,000 meals each week.

Its an expensive, but necessary, program, Dr. Gilreath said. We go in the hole when we do this because we do not have the sales portion of the meal, she said, but weve had a couple of organizations step up and help us.

With National Teacher Appreciation Week coming up May 3-9, Dr. Gilreath and Dr. Scott say they appreciate the effort of their educators, especially during this tumultuous time.

Our teachers have been absolutely wonderful, Dr. Gilreath said. This is a completely new way for most of them to teach. Theyre trying to contact kids when they can get in touch with them. Teaching is not something you just work eight hours a day and its over. It worries you. They cant see their kids and see that theyre well. Theyre kind of like the second mama and daddy to them.

Dr. Scott likewise gave a big thank you to all of our teachers and our principals and their staffs and the work theyve done in both school systems.

Like Judy said, theyre not just putting in an eight-hour day, he said. Theyre calling kids, theyre driving by. Weve had teachers that went to their schools and packed up their students things in a little grocery sack and put their name on it and drove around and sat it on their porches so they do it because they love children. Again, I take my hat off to all our teachers and say thank you for what you do because they do a great job.

Laughter extended thanks to the two superintendents for providing the guidance that our teachers and staff need during this very difficult time.

She drew laughs when she pointed out one good thing has come out of the at-home teaching. Ive heard lots of parents say, I will never fuss again about what teachers make, Ms. Laughter said. Theyre having to home school, and they think teachers could be making a million dollars a year and it wouldnt be enough!

The hardest child to teach is your own, Dr. Gilreath said. My children would say, Mom, thats not right, thats not the way the teacher does that, she said, so I can imagine what parents are going through now. But we appreciate their help because we couldnt have done it without parents stepping up.

Dr. Scott said 90 percent of Daltons students have access to wi-fi and they also have enough computers to go around for second through 12th graders.

The county, meanwhile, needs about 2,100 more devices (Chromebooks) at a cost of $250 each, or a total of approximately $520,000. We had purchased quite a few before all of this hit, Dr. Gilreath said, but we were also trying to replace a lot of our interactive boards that were at the end of their life. We were putting money into technology, but this just hit too quick, too soon before we could get everything in place.

Ms. Laughter suggested that some of the generous residents in Dalton and Whitfield County might be willing to step up and provide funds to help purchase new Chromebooks. We have a very philanthropic community, and Im just sure there are people out there who would love to help with that kind of thing for both of you, she said.

While older students have been relying on on-line learning, younger students in kindergarten and first grade are relying more on paper lessons known as Choice Boards, where teachers write down a list of activities that students can choose from that will help them reach standards that need to be taught.

So even if they dont have a device Ms. Laughter asked.

Yes, they get work, Dr. Gilreath said.

Most of ours have the devices, Dr. Scott said, but the younger ones we try to get lessons the best way we can, whether its through a bus [with the delivery of a meal] or you can actually post things at school and they can drive by and take a picture of it with their phone and then they can look at it at home. The biggest thing is just the teacher trying to connect with them and work with them as we move forward to make sure theres an understanding.

Ms. Laughter said shes sure the students miss their connection with their teachers, pointing out that her own second-grade granddaughter recently reached out to her teacher and said, I want to talk to you.

It just makes her feel better to be talking to her teacher, Ms. Laughter said.

They do their best to talk to all their students, Dr. Gilreath said. Teachers miss their kids as much as the kids miss their teachers.

That sentiment likely goes double for the seniors of 2020, who have seen special occasions like the prom, honors night, and graduation be delayed.

Both school systems are still trying to decide what to do about these events. Weve talked about graduation, Scott said. We really dont know there. We are surveying and talking with students  do we have graduation without parents and all there, just do a virtual ceremony much like the Air Force Academy, or do we try to wait and hope we can have something in the summer? Just unknowns right now, so thats the biggest frustration is not having a concrete direction to go for us.

Both systems do know they will be closing the school year for students on May 15, a week early.

One viewer asked if the 2020-21 school year would start in August or be delayed till September, would there be a digital learning start, how will the beginning of the new school year look.

I wish I knew, Dr. Gilreath said.

We dont know, Dr. Scott agreed. Thats just it. We just have to wait and see, and were planning for all of those scenarios and just see where we end up.

In other words, in the midst of a topsy-turvy 2020, just stay tuned for further details.

If you have other questions for the school superintendents, you can e-mail Dr. Gilreath at judy.gilreath@wcsga.net or Scott at tim.scott@dalton.k12.ga.us.

Likewise, questions for the county commissioners can be sent by e-mail to Ms. Laughter at llaughter@whitfieldcountyga. com , Harold Brooker at hbrooker@whitfieldcountyga.com , Roger Crossen at rcrossen@whitfieldcountyga.com , Greg Jones at gjones@whitfieldcountyga.com, or Barry Robbins at brobbins@whitfieldcountyga.com . You can also call the county offices at 706-275-7500.

Ms. Laughter pointed out that county administrative buildings re-opened to the public on Monday, with social distancing and other safety measures in practice.

Speaking for Claude Craig, Whitfield County Emergency Management director, who could not be at the meeting today, Ms. Laughter said since last Friday, the number of positive cases in Whitfield County has risen by 13 to 73 while the number of deaths remained at four. In Georgia, another 119 deaths have been reported since Friday, with 2,060 new positive cases and 456 new hospitalizations.

Ms. Laughter also reminded residents that drive-through testing for COVID-19 is available at the Whitfield County Health Department Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. They will test you if your temperature is 100.2 and up and you have other symptoms, Ms. Laughter said. We encourage you if you feel like you have the virus to go get tested because we really need to know how many people have the virus and we want you to be safe and healthy. But you have to call the health department at 888-881-1474 to make an appointment first.
Two years after he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, popular actor Irrfan Khan breathed his last on April 29. He was admitted to Kokilabhen Ambani Hospital in Mumbai following a colon infection. He was 53.



Instagram/Irrfan Khan

The actor quoted Rainer Maria Rilke in one of his social media posts which also happened to be his last Instagram update, along with a picture of his silhouette back in 2018.

God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me.

Flare up like a flame and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.

Dont let yourself lose me. Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.

Irrfan had been diagnosed in March 2018 with a neuroendocrine tumour, and had spent several months being treated in the United Kingdom.







He had returned to India in 2020, and was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai for a colon infection earlier this week. He is survived by his wife, television writer and producer Sutapa Sikdar, and sons Babil and Ayan. His mother, Saeeda Begum, had died in Jaipur on April 25 at the age of 86.

According to a note shared by his publicist on behalf of the family, Its saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace.

In March 2018, Irrfan made his medical condition public with a bolt-from-the-blue tweet. Two productions that had been previously filmed followed the announcement, Blackmail and Karwaan.





He kept a low social media profile during his treatment, his health improved in 2019 and he prepared to shoot for Angrezi Medium, the sequel to his 2017 hit Hindi Medium. It was the last Bollywood release before India went into a lockdown in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mother-of-three Sarah (pictured) has been single for five years

SARAH, 37

My Dating Past

I married my holiday romance, a man I met on my gap year in my 20s. Though we split five years ago, were still good friends and share parenting responsibilities. Im in lockdown in Thailand with my boys. We were due to be heading back to the UK after a visit, but will have to wait until the current crisis ends.

Pre-date nerves?

It was weird not knowing anything about him, as Im used to getting to know someone before a date. I wasnt nervous, though. I tried to make it feel like a real date, and even spritzed myself with my favourite perfume and wore a little black off-the-shoulder dress.

First impressions?

Vital statistics Single for five years with sons aged nine, 11 and 13 Current role Operations manger for an events company Would like to meet Someone quick-witted and spontaneous. I like the entrepreneurial spirit as I am self-employed. I'm much more into personalities than I am looks. Advertisement

Andy looked like a nice guy, and hes definitely handsome, but I was taken aback by how formal he looked. I was hanging out on my balcony with a G&T while he had set the table properly with a bunch of flowers. He wore a smart shirt and jacket. I felt a bit like I was having a job interview.

Easy to talk to?

Andy is a great storyteller. The conversation meandered in lots of directions. I introduced him to a rapper whose music I discovered recently; we even had a little dance. I also found out his dad was responsible for putting the band Steps together and his step-mum choreographed the bands first dance, so I was hoping hed give me a demonstration of their 5,6,7,8!

His dad formed the band Steps, so we had a little dance

Any embarrassing moments?

No, I dont think so.

Did sparks fly?

I wouldnt say there was a huge amount of flirting, but its difficult on screen. Andy was maybe a little formal because he didnt know what I was like.

Would you like to meet him in person?

Sarah's verdict: 8/10 Liked? His love of his family Regrets? Not forcing him to do the 5,6,7,8 routine! See him again? Yes Advertisement

IT would be great to meet for a drink when Im back in London. He has suggested a second virtual date, but Id rather meet in person.

What do you think he thought of you?

From the lovely messages he sent after our date, with some charming compliments, it sounds like he had fun and I hope he enjoyed my company. He said I had a good attitude to life.

Would you like to take him home to your family?

I think theyd be pleasantly surprised if I turned up with such a well-dressed, good-looking guy, as I tend to go for more alternative characters.

Andy, 36, (pictured) has been single for two years

ANDY, 36

My dating past

My last relationship lasted eight years. We were engaged and living together, but Ive been single since we broke up two years ago. Id been engaged once before, and had another long-term relationship, too. Im beginning to feel like the groomsman and never the groom!

Pre-date nerves?

I was a little nervous, but excited. Id normally make an effort on a first date so I wore smart jeans, a freshly ironed white shirt and a jacket. I even set the table and bought a rainbow bunch of tulips.

First impressions

Vital statistics Single for two years, no children Current role Customer service for a gas company Would like to meet Someone kind and compassionate who enjoys cuddling up on the sofa with a good movie after a long day. I suppose I'm just an old-school romantic. Advertisement

Sarah looked stunning. She has an air of Scarlett Johansson about her. She was sitting on her balcony and I could hear tropical insect sounds in the background. I felt a bit wistful I wasnt there.

Easy to talk to?

The conversation was free-flowing  we talked for six hours. There were serious moments, as well as plenty of laughs and banter.

We both have the same travel bucket list, with destinations such as Machu Picchu in Peru. We also discovered we are both big planners; we even compared the contents of our first-aid kits as we both like to be prepared for anything. And we played guessing games  such as the size of the Thai and UK populations  and she beat me on both.

Sarah made me relax and I felt I could be myself. I can talk a lot, but she can hold her own.

She has an air of Scarlett Johansson about her

Embarrassing moments?

Not really, apart from my dancing, perhaps.

Did sparks fly?

I think we were flirting . . . I certainly was.

Would you like to meet her in person?

Andy's verdict: 10/10 Liked? Everything Regrets? None See her again? Yes Advertisement

Absolutely. When she gets back to the UK and social distancing is relaxed, it would be great to have dinner and go for a proper dance.

What do you think she thought of you?

I hope she liked me. At the end of the call we said wed do it again, so Im definitely hoping a second date is on the cards. Given the current situation, it might have to be on screen.

Would you like to take her home to your family?

Shed get on with them. Family is important to both of us.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD speaking to media as he visited the COVID-19 Community Assessment Hub in DCU Collins Avenue. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA Wire

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has faced calls to lift social-distancing restrictions from Opposition leaders as the country prepares for the next phase of the lockdown.

During a teleconference call, Mr Varadkar was urged to ease rules around funerals and allow some construction workers to get back to work.

He was also asked to lift the restrictions in counties where Covid-19 infection and death rates are low.

There were also calls to ease cocooning regulations for people over 70.

Political leaders attending the meeting said Mr Varadkar kept his cards close to his chest and did not give details of the lockdown measures he is expected to announce before the bank holiday weekend.

Read More

Ahead of the meeting, the Taoiseach said he believed there were still too many deaths and new cases of the virus to consider lifting most of the restrictions.

Maybe it will change significantly by Friday but as things stand I dont think were there yet, he added.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) meets tomorrow to decide whether the roadmap for lifting restrictions should begin after the weekend or in two weeks time.

During the teleconference with the Taoiseach, party leaders and Independent TDs said the public needed to be given a "chink of light" after six weeks of lockdown.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the Government should examine whether measures around funerals could be addressed to allow more people to attend ceremonies.

Labour leader Alan Kelly also suggested some restrictions should be lifted.

Aontu leader Peadar Toibin called for small-scale construction workers such as painters and landscapers to be allowed to return to work.

Independent TD Denis Naughten also said construction work should return and also called for restrictions to be lifted in counties where there are a low numbers of cases.

In a statement released after the meeting, Mr Naughten said: It makes no sense that parts of the country with low rates of Covid-19 infection should remain in lockdown to the same extent as areas where there is a significant problem.

He said areas where restrictions are lifted could become a test bed for the future relaxation of measures in cities.

He raised the proposal directly with Mr Varadkar and chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan. Sources at the meeting said Mr Varadkar and Dr Holohan seemed to be open to the proposal.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said restrictions should only be eased if they are to be lifted for good.

She said there was no point in lifting them if they were going to be brought back in a week or two, a source said.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin raised concerns about social-distancing measures being used in meat-processing factories.

Independent TD Mattie McGrath highlighted the issue of members of the Travelling community coming to Ireland for funerals and congregating in large numbers.
China is second; India, third; and Saudi Arabia fifth. In 2019 US.917 trillion were spent on weapons. The US and China are in an arms race whilst India is caught between China and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia spent more than Israel. Spending is also up in Russia, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  China, India and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that spend the most on weapons in the world, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reports in its latest Fact Sheet.

China is the world's second largest military spender, followed by India. For the first time, the two Asian nations are in the top three. Saudi Arabia ranks fifth, after Russia, in a list dominated by the United States.

Global military expenditure reached US.917 trillion in 2019, a 3.6 per cent increase in real terms. Spending in Asia (Mideast not included) and Oceania (US8) represents 27 per cent of the total.

The US spent US1 billion on its military, up by 5.3 per cent over 2018, and is now in an open arms race with China, the other great world power.

China is estimated to have spent US1 billion to boost its armed forces, up by 5.1 per cent, but many observers think that the real figure is much higher. Together the US and China represent 52 per cent of global spending.

India increased its spending even more (6.8 per cent) to US.1 billion. It continues to have border issues with Pakistan and is facing greater Chinese assertiveness in the Indian Ocean.

Despite its stagnant economy, Russia increased military spending by 4.5 per cent, to US.1 60 billion. Its soured relationship with the US and NATO is the main factor driving Russian rearmament.

Saudi Arabia is by far the largest spender in the Middle East, with an estimated US.1 billion, far more than Israel (US.5 billion). Despite its ongoing involvement in Yemen, where the Saudis support government forces against pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, this represents an unexpected 16 per cent drop. Still military spending represents a big chunk of GDP remains (8 per cent), higher than all the major powers.

Japan and South Korea rank 9th and 10th respectively with Tokyos spending unchanged at US.6 billion whilst Seouls is up by 7.5 per cent to US.9 billion.

Military spending in Southeast Asia rose by 4.2 per cent to US.5 billion, largely due to fears of Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. Disagreements with China are also at the basis of Taiwans rearmament: US.4 billion (+ 1.1 per cent over 2018).
Its time for Justin Trudeaus haters to give him some credit.

Ever since the news first emerged nearly three months ago of COVID-19, Trudeau has come under constant attack from vocal critics, especially those on social media and Conservative politicians for his handling of the health crisis.

In their view, Trudeau has done nothing right. To them, he didnt act fast enough; he didnt do enough when he did act; he didnt speak forcefully enough; he didnt question the World Health Organization enough; he didnt question his own public health experts enough; he didnt co-operate with provincial premiers enough.

Suddenly, everybodys an expert on how best to tackle an epidemic, eh?

If you listen to Andrew Scheer, the lame duck Tory leader, Trudeau is to blame for almost everything bad thats happened because of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down our economy. But whos ultimately to blame? Scheer said earlier this week on Twitter. Its not the market or Canadians. The reality is Justin Trudeaus Liberals have been slow to react during this crisis and their failures have cost Canadians.

Actually, the reality is that Trudeau is performing exceedingly well.

Hes been reassuring and calm in the midst of the global crisis. And he has overseen the coordination of a massive federal relief effect in which assistance programs were developed in extremely fast fashion and billions of dollars in aid were sent out the door quickly to millions of affected Canadians.

I made a similar assessment of Ontario Premier Doug Ford in mid-March. Although Ive been one of his harshest critics, I wrote that Ford was decisive, compassionate and looked to be in charge in how he has handling his governments response to the coronavirus crisis.

Now many Ontarians have a revised opinion of Ford, albeit not all of them.

In Trudeaus case, many Conservatives and right-of-centre voters, especially those in parts of Western Canada, just can't stand him. Part of that is the leftover animosity toward his father, the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, whom they hated for a slew of reasons, including his intelligence, arrogance, ideology, flashy lifestyle and more.

The Conservatives under Stephen Harper exploited this lingering anti-Trudeau sentiment by demonizing Justin Trudeau  Trudeaus carbon tax, Trudeau the drama teacher, Trudeau the trust-fund baby. These personalized attacks were a Republican Party tactic that Stephen Harper imported from the U.S.

At the same time, many newspaper columnists and commentators on radio and television relentlessly and shamelessly attacked Trudeau, furthering cementing the image of a callow, self-absorbed leader.

Trudeaus own weaknesses  black face, procrastinating before turfing Jody Wilson-Raybould from cabinet, travelling to his cottage during the pandemic when ordinary citizens couldnt  have not helped his image.

Still, Trudeaus grasp of policy has always been solid. More crucially, he has come through on COVID-19.

Hes had the genius and confidence to let Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, take charge of this file. He stood by Tam when her critics, notably Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, trotted out racist code language suggesting she was favouring China over Canadas own infectious disease experts.

Hes held daily briefing and has encouraged his top ministers, notably deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and Public Services Minister Anita Anand, to take leading roles in co-ordinating the federal response.

Hes overseen the development of the federal package of support for workers, families and businesses that may well top $250 billion. Theres also aid for students, farmers, charitable organizations, northern communities and more. In March, he committed Ottawa to spending $2 billion to buy personal protection equipment. Experts now estimate the federal deficit this year could hit $200 billion.

Unprecedented, for sure. Canada has seen nothing like it since the end of the Second World War  and it has been put together in amazingly short time.

Recent polls suggest more than 70 per cent of Canadians like how Trudeau has been handling the crisis. Those numbers wont likely remain that high, but for now theyre a sign most Canadians have confidence in the prime minister  despite all the Trudeau-bashing by the haters.

Bob Hepburn is a Star politics columnist and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: is a Star politics columnist and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @BobHepburn

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Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, known internationally for roles in Slumdog Millionaire and Jurassic World, has passed on.

He died at the age of 53.

Khan died in a hospital in the western city of Mumbai, his agency said.

In 2018, the actor posted on Twitter to say that he was diagnosed with an endocrine tumour, a rare illness affecting cells that release hormones into the bloodstream.

He later underwent treatment in a London hospital.

Two months after he went public with his diagnosis, he wrote an open letter about his experience with the cancer treatment, reflecting on the intensity of his pain and the uncertainty of life.

It drew a massive outpouring of support from his fans around the world.

Bollywood stars and politicians have rushed to pay tribute to him on social media.

An incredible talent a gracious colleague a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema left us too soon creating a huge vacuum, superstar actor Amitabh Bachchan who worked with him in Piku tweeted.

In 2013, Khan won Indias National Film Award for his leading role in Paan Singh Tomar, a biopic about a top athlete who becomes a bandit.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding that the next piece of coronavirus assistance legislation Congress passes includes a 'liability shield' - so businesses can't be sued for COVID-19 infections among workers which could get them sued.

McConnell said on Fox News Channel Tuesday that the Republicans were 'open' to considering another bill. 'But my red line in going forward on this bill is, we need to provide protection, litigation protection, for those who've been on the front line - hospitals, doctors, nurses.'

'And imagine you're a businessman thinking about reopening and you have heard that the trial lawyers all over the country are sharpening their pencils, getting ready to sue you, claiming that you didn't engage in proper distancing or other issues related to health and safety,' McConnell said.

The top Senate Republican reiterated that point Wednesday on the Brian Kilmeade Show.

'If theres a lawyer out on the sidewalk looking at every move you make as to whether or not you somehow have been irresponsible in this phase one and two that we move into as we re-open America, thats not the way to get the country going again,' McConnell said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his 'red line' for the next bill is that it would need to include a 'liability shield' for businesses to protect them against lawsuits against any coronavirus infections they might cause

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer bashed McConnell's negotiating technique in an interview with PBS NewsHour on Tuesday saying the Republican leader shouldn't 'keep drawing these lines in the sand'

List of US meat packing plants shuttered due to coronavirus Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Closed indefinitely on April 15 after outbreak infected 800 workers Cudahy, Wisconsin: Closed for two weeks on April 17 Martin City, Missouri: Closed indefinitely on April 17 Monmouth, Illinois: Closed indefinitely on April 24 Tyson Foods Columbus Junction, Iowa: Closed for two weeks on April 6 Logansport, Indiana: Closed temporarily on April 22 Waterloo, Iowa: Closed indefinitely on April 22 Pasco, Washington: Closed temporarily on April 23 Hormel Foods Rochelle, Illinois: Closed for two weeks on April 20 Alma, Kansas: Closed for two weeks on April 20 JBS USA Souderton, Pennsylvania: Closed from April 10-April 20 Greeley, Colorado: Closed from April 13-April 24 Worthington, Minnesota: Closed indefinitely on April 20 Cargill Hazleton, Pennsylvania: Closed indefinitely on April 7 National Beef Packing Tama, Iowa: Closed April 6-April 20 Advertisement

And so McConnell said businesses would need legal protection.

'We're going to insist upon this reform, which is not related to money, as a condition for going forward,' the Kentucky Republican said.

The move comes as meat producers shut down processing plants because of outbreaks of the virus.

Donald Trump has signed a Defense Production Act to keep them open, which prevents workers from suing their employers for exposure to coronavirus.

But big business groups say they need protection from lawsuits from employees who contract the virus after returning to work.

McConnell's backing for such a shield sets up a partisan clash.

He then said Republicans' must-have is a liability shield.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told PBS NewsHour Tuesday that he had not seen McConnell's proposal, but was wary that it would favor bosses over workers.

'But I will tell you, if it's going to help big CEOs, and not help the workers or hurt the workers, that's not going to happen,' the New York Democrat said.

Democrats' top priority for the next bill is to provide more financial help to cash-strapped states. The CARES Act, passed by Congress last month, included $150 billion to go toward state and local governments. Governors have requested $500 billion more.

McConnell, who had floated bankruptcy as a viable option, said he was open to giving that assistance.

'It is important, however, to understand that many states have systemic, longstanding challenges, many of them their pension funds, many of them from overspending,' he said on Fox. 'So, what we're saying here is, we're not interested in rescuing badly run states from the mistakes they have made completely unrelated to the coronavirus.'

Schumer also laid into McConnell's negotiating tactics.

'Why does McConnell have to keep drawing these lines in the sand that he later retreats from? One day it's bankruptcy. One day, he's not going to do anything but PPP?' Schumer asked. 'Why doesn't he sit down and work with us, because people are hurting? He's always drawing these ideological, politically driven lines in the sand. He almost inevitably has to back off from them. It makes no sense.'

President Trump, too, has been hesitant to give money to states - and called out blue states like Illinois by name, saying they've been mismanaged.

But he opened the door to negotiations too, by pressuring so-called 'sanctuary cities' out of existence, which is in line with his hardline immigration policies.

During his Tuesday meeting with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the president floated this new tactic.

'We'd have to talk about things like sanctuary cities, as an example, I think sanctuary cities is something that has to be brought up where people who are criminals are protected, they are protected from prosecution,' Trump said.



Trump uses Defense Production Act to force meat processing plants to stay open amid coronavirus shutdowns - but union blasts president for jeopardizing the health of workers

President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply.

The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers' health.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nation's largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

'Such closures threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency,' the order states.

Senior citizens shop for meat in the butcher department of a supermarket in New York on Tuesday. Smithfield Foods' CEO Kenneth Sullivan previously announced that the nation's meat supply is 'perilously close' to a shortage

Industry leaders have warned that consumers could see meat shortages in a matter of days after Tyson Foods (pictured) suspended operations at its pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa after a slew of infections. Workers wear protective masks and stand between plastic dividers at the company's Camilla, Georgia poultry processing plant

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, said Tuesday that 20 food-processing and meatpacking union workers in the U.S. have died of the virus. An estimated 6,500 are sick or have been exposed while working near someone who tested positive, the union says.

As a result, industry leaders have warned that consumers could see meat shortages in a matter of days. Tyson Foods Inc., one of the worlds largest food companies, ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times and other newspapers Sunday warning, 'The food supply chain is breaking.'

'As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain,' it read.

Tyson suspended operations at its pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa after a slew of infections, and Smithfield Foods halted production at its plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after an outbreak infected 853 workers there.

The 15 largest pork-packing plants account for 60% of all pork processed in the U.S., and the country has already seen a 25% reduction in pork slaughter capacity, according to UFCW.

A senior White House official said the administration was trying to prevent a situation in which a 'vast majority' of the nation's meat processing plants might have temporarily closed operations, reducing the availability of meat in supermarkets by as much as 80%.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before its release, said the White House was also working with the Labor Department to provide enhanced safety guidance for meatpacking workers. That will include trying to minimize the risk to workers who may be prone to serious complications from the virus, including strongly recommending those over the age of 65 and with preexisting conditions stay home.
Care home staff are working between healthy residents and people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19, a whistleblower has revealed. (Peter Byrne/PA)

Care home staff are working between healthy residents and people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19, a whistleblower has revealed.

A care home manager has warned that the lives of thousands of residents across Northern Ireland are being put at risk due to the way the pandemic is being handled by officials.

His comments were on Wednesday night described as "seriously concerning" by Alliance Party health spokeswoman Paula Bradshaw.

He has raised serious concerns over the practice of admitting people infected with Covid-19 to care homes, explaining that many facilities are unable to care for them in a safe way.

And he has also criticised the current testing regime, which sees people tested for Covid-19 48 hours before they are admitted to a care home.

"There's quite a bit of concern in care homes about what is going on," he said.

Once it is in a home, it isn't easy to keep it contained - I'm aware of homes where it's got in and swept through the home like wildfire Whistleblower

"If someone is tested in hospital 48 hours before being moved to a care home, that's a 48-hour window for them to become infected. Even if a person has the virus, they're going ahead and discharging the person into the home anyway.

"Once it is in a home, it isn't easy to keep it contained - I'm aware of homes where it's got in and swept through the home like wildfire. It's very hard, given staff numbers and financially, to be able to have staff dedicated to working solely with residents who've been diagnosed and not working with the other residents. That's especially the case if you maybe only have one resident with the virus.

"I know there are some homes that have units where they're able to keep residents with Covid-19 separate, but that isn't always the case.

"Of course, staff are wearing PPE but they're taking it off and then going in to see another resident without the virus."It's hard to say exactly how things are going to develop, but I think this is going to get an awful lot worse in terms of spread."

Official figures have suggested that the number of Covid-19 cases in care homes is beginning to soar. The virus was known to be present in 69 care homes on Tuesday - up by 245% in less than three weeks.

While the whistleblower does not think the new testing protocol goes far enough, he hit out at the previous policy that saw people admitted into care homes without being tested first.

"It seems to me that they were in such a blind panic to get people out of hospital that they didn't think about the impact on care homes," he said.

It is essential that health bosses provide more support to care homes, particularly in relation to staffing levels, he added.

Staff shortages were a recognised issue in the care home sector prior to the pandemic, and the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated the problem, with many homes increasingly reliant on agency staff to provide safe care.

Care homes have contracts to provide a service and they're doing the best they can, but they simply don't have the capability to respond in the way that is required during a pandemic Whistleblower

"This has problems because they're moving from home to home," he said.

"We can take their temperature, but we know people can have the virus and not have any symptoms.

"Care homes have contracts to provide a service and they're doing the best they can, but they simply don't have the capability to respond in the way that is required during a pandemic.

"At the moment, we're expecting them to be hospitals, which they aren't.

"They don't have the support of the medical teams that are in hospitals, the whole situation is ridiculous.

"We're hearing that our hospitals aren't at capacity, so why aren't we moving staff out of the hospitals to help in care homes?

"I'd like to see care home staff get a lot more support and recognition, they're putting their health at risk, they worry they could bring the virus home to their families, but most are on little more than minimum wage.

"It's especially hard for them when they care for someone for years and build up a relationship and then that person passes away.

"We have seen from other countries that older people are more at risk and we knew that if coronavirus gets into a care home, there would be serious issues."
(CNN)  The Pentagon has officially released three short videos showing "unidentified aerial phenomena" that had previously been released by a private company.

The videos show what appear to be unidentified flying objects rapidly moving while recorded by infrared cameras. Two of the videos contain service members reacting in awe at how quickly the objects are moving. One voice speculates that it could be a drone.

The Navy previously acknowledged the veracity of the videos in September of last year. They are officially releasing them now, "in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos," according to Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough.

"After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems," said Gough in a statement, "and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena."

The Navy now has formal guidelines for how its pilots can report when they believe they have seen possible UFO's.

The Navy videos were first released between December 2017 and March 2018 by To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences, a company co-founded by former Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge that says it studies information about unidentified aerial phenomena.

In 2017, one of the pilots who saw one of the unidentified objects in 2004 told CNN that it moved in ways he couldn't explain.

"As I got close to it ... it rapidly accelerated to the south, and disappeared in less than two seconds," said retired US Navy pilot David Fravor. "This was extremely abrupt, like a ping pong ball, bouncing off a wall. It would hit and go the other way."

The Pentagon has previously studied recordings of aerial encounters with unknown objects as part of a since-shuttered classified program that was launched at the behest of former Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. The program was launched in 2007 and ended in 2012, according to the Pentagon, because they assessed that there were higher priorities that needed funding.

Nevertheless, Luis Elizondo, the former head of the classified program, told CNN in 2017 that he personally believes "there is very compelling evidence that we may not be alone."

"These aircraft -- we'll call them aircraft -- are displaying characteristics that are not currently within the US inventory nor in any foreign inventory that we are aware of," Elizondo said of objects they researched. He says he resigned from the Defense Department in 2017 in protest over the secrecy surrounding the program and the internal opposition to funding it.

Reid tweeted Monday that he was "glad" the Pentagon officially released the videos, but that "it only scratches the surface of research and materials available. The U.S. needs to take a serious, scientific look at this and any potential national security implications."

And some members of Congress are still interested in the issue, with senators receiving a classified briefing from Navy officials on unidentified aircraft last summer.

"If pilots at Oceana or elsewhere are reporting flight hazards that interfere with training or put them at risk, then Senator Warner wants answers. It doesn't matter if it's weather balloons, little green men, or something else entirely  we can't ask our pilots to put their lives at risk unnecessarily," Rachel Cohen, spokeswoman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, told CNN at the time.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Pentagon officially releases UFO videos."
Developers may struggle to find enough land to offset the biodiversity impacts of future development, according to a University of Queensland study.

UQ's Dr Laura Sonter said the challenges were evident worldwide and could significantly limit the ability to achieve global conservation goals.

"Most countries now have offsetting policies requiring developers to revegetate or protect areas of habitat and ecosystems, to compensate for biodiversity losses caused by their projects," Dr Sonter said.

"When these activities create as much biodiversity as that lost to development, the offsets are said to achieve no net loss of biodiversity.

"The problem is that in many cases, there simply is not enough land to completely offset the huge biodiversity losses expected from expected future development.

"For example, in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, twice the amount of land that is currently available for revegetation would be required to compensate for losses from proposed developments, in order to achieve no net loss of biodiversity - and we found similar results in Mozambique and Brazil.

"For places like these, it is inevitable that development will result in an overall loss of biodiversity, because land availability constraints make no net biodiversity loss impossible to achieve."

Dr Sonter said, as offsetting policies become stricter, some policies require more conservation for every unit of biodiversity lost, meaning that even more land is required.

"Other policies limit conservation activities to already rare habitats to prevent extinctions, so they rapidly run out of land for offsetting," she said.

Professor Martine Maron said the findings have implications for reconciling development with crucial global biodiversity conservation goals.

"If offsetting policies are strictly enforced and countries run out of land for these activities, any new proposed development projects will not be permitted, potentially slowing global biodiversity losses," Professor Maron said.

"The more likely scenario is that if land availability becomes a constraint, then offsetting requirements will be relaxed, enabling development with less compensation, and biodiversity losses will soar.

"This detracts from broad conservation goals, and particularly, a move towards 'global no net loss of ecosystems', which nations of the world are looking to commit to under the Convention on Biological Diversity."

Dr Sonter said there are two ways forward but avoiding biodiversity losses is key.

"The consequences of offset failure for rare species and habitats that have limited opportunities for offsetting are disproportionally large, and include near-certain extinction.

"However, since development is essential in many instances, we recommend governments explicitly account for land availability constraints in their offset policies and making decisions about projects.

"A key step forward in addressing these challenges is designing offset policies so that they are directly linked to national biodiversity goals."

###

The study is published in Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15861-1).
Assisted Living Concepts LLC, doing business as Enlivant, a national owner and operator of senior living facilities, has settled a federal disability discrimination lawsuit related to a facility in Dallas, Texas.

The company will pay a former chef $66,000 and is making significant changes to its human resources programs to enhance compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These terms are part of a settlement of a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the EEOC, Meeka Henderson worked as a chef at the North Brook Place facility in Dallas, which was owned and operated by Assisted Living Concepts / Enlivant. After beginning a medical leave of absence, and just one day prior to a scheduled surgery, Henderson was told that if she did not return to work without restrictions by a certain date, she would be terminated. The EEOC said that when Henderson couldnt return to work without restrictions on the required date, Enlivant fired her.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which protects employees from discrimination based on their disabilities and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees disabilities. The EEOC sued in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Civil Action No. 3:19-cv-2304-L) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to the monetary relief to be paid to Henderson under the two-year consent decree, signed by U.S. District Court Judge Sam A. Lindsay, the assisted living provider has also agreed to training of human resources directors and managers and will disseminate policies that specifically address the ADA accommodation issues. Online training for employees will also be planned.

Subsequent to the filing of the EEOC charge by Henderson, Enlivant sold the business operation at North Brook in McKinney, Texas, and no longer employs the individuals the EEOC identified as responsible for the discriminatory decisions.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Texas USA
The Bluffton High School wrestling team lost a dual match to visiting Bath 39-18 Tuesday night, January 11.

Four Pirate matmen recorded individual wins. Bluffton's Thayne Kleman (113 lbs.) and Kaden Basil (190) were victorious via second-period pins. Pirates Isaiah Mikesell (138) and Jett Blackburn (175) each won by decision.

The Pirate grapplers are back in action January 21-22 at the 43rd annual Van Buren Invitational.

Allen East, Arcadia, VB, Carey and Columbus Grove are among the teams scheduled to compete.
Rates of childhood poverty in Midland County have seen slight increases in the past year, while education and health rates have shown improvement.

On Wednesday, the Michigan League for Public Policys Kids Count in Michigan Project released its 2020 Kids Count online data profiles. The data examines childhood well-being at the state and county level, and measures 16 "well-being indicators" in four categories  economic security, education, family and community, and health and safety.

Kids across the state are full of promise and potential, and policymakers need to listen to the data and make sound policy decisions to make sure they all thrive, Kelsey Perdue, Kids Count in Michigan Project Director, stated in a news release. The policy and funding needs of Michigan kids will be more important than ever in the months ahead as the Legislature may have to make substantial cuts to the state budget while also helping distribute more than $3 billion in federal COVID relief for the state.

Complete data sets, including information from a nationwide and local levels, are available on the Kids Count Data Center website at www.datacenter.kidscount.org.

Richard Dolinski, Midland's Legacy Center founder, said Midland County should be proud of its success at promoting growth in the fields of education and childhood health, with Midland County being "significantly ahead" of the state averages in several categories. At the same time, Dolinski said the community needs to continue fighting to reduce poverty rates, which the most recent data from Kids Count measures as worse than the previous years.

"The community needs to see this (data)," Dolinski said. "They need a pat on the back for all of the wonderful things that the community does support, and makes this a good place for kids to grow up. They need to also be aware of some of the things that still need a lot of effort."

The number of children in Midland County receiving free or reduced-price lunch rose from 4,667 in 2018 to 4,691  or from 38.7% to 39.1%

Several other categories relating to childhood poverty rates also saw increases, including the number of households in poverty; the amount of children ages 0-4 receiving help from the federally-funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; and number of children ages 0-17 in poverty.

While poverty remains a "concerning" problem in Midland County, Dolinski said education rates are a "bright spot."

Compared to a statewide average of 81.4%, about 86.4% of Midland County high school students are set to graduate on time.

Despite some troubling areas, Dolinski said in general, Midland County compares favorably to statewide averages.

"Most of that happens because we're a community that has significant collaboration among agencies and entities," Dolinski said. "We have a very good base of agencies and organizations that understand the issues and work very hard to help kids."

Working together with Midland Kids First, The Legacy Center previously developed a template for local schools to follow in assisting students in poverty conditions, titled the Midland County Model for Youth Success (MYS). The template consists of four key elements to promote for youth success: the child's basic needs and safety, physical health, social/emotional/spiritual health, and education.

Using the MYS, The Legacy Center and Kids First have organized several initiatives to improve the lives and in-school performance of Midland children.
POINTE BLANCHE:--- On Tuesday morning, two cruise ships came in for fuel bunkering, namely Crown Princess and Island Princess of Princess Cruises. Port St. Maarten continues to cater to the cruise industry during the global COVID-19 pandemic by providing essential services such as fuel and food provisioning.

Also, in port on Tuesday are Star Pride, Wind Star and Wind Surf of Windstar Cruise Line, which came into port over the weekend. The aforementioned are in port to shift crew members as well as food and consumer product supplies between the three vessels.

Port St. Maarten Management continues to maintain a constructive working relationship with cruise partners and stakeholders during this unprecedented time and continues to assist the cruise industry with essential services when requested.

All cruise vessels have to adhere to stringent public health measures as well as to the rules and regulations related to the national State of Emergency. Port St. Maarten has a Sterile Port Protocol in place since mid-March with respect to COVID-19 ensuring safety and security. No crew disembarkation or embarkation is allowed.

Crown Princess and Island Princess vessels belong to Princess Cruises. The line is a global cruise and tour company taking more than one million passengers each year to more than 300 worldwide destinations on six continents. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in California, USA. Its parent company is Carnival Corporation & plc.

Princess Cruises has extended a temporary pause of global operations through June 30 due to the global COVID-19 outbreak. The cruise line initially announced a voluntary pause for 60-days impacting voyages that departed from March 12.

Princess Cruises operates a fleet of 17 modern ships, with one on order that travels to destinations around the globe including Alaska, Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, South Pacific, Hawaii, Tahiti/French Polynesia, Asia, Africa, India, Canada/New England and world cruises.

The Crown Princess made its inaugural cruise in June 2006 and was christened by Martha Stewart. The vessel was refurbished in April 2018. Island Princess made its inaugural cruise in July 2003 and was christened by Jamie Sale and David Pelletier (Olympic Gold Medalists) and was refurbished in December 2017.
MiKayla Cain is a Girl Scout in Mobile, but she thinks well beyond her hometown and state.

She had heard about girls her age in Honduras who cant afford decent clothing, and she decided to do something about it.

She sewed dresses by hand out of pillowcases and sent them to girls in impoverished Honduran villages. But she does more than that. She makes sure that every dress she makes and sends has been blessed and prayed over.

For her project, called Sew for Honduras, Mikayla was awarded the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve  The Gold Award. The Gold Award recognizes scouts in grades 9-12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects, according to the Girl Scouts.

Only five Girl Scouts in the southern Alabama region earned a Gold Award last year, and only 6% of Girl Scouts nationwide have earned one.

The beauty is, the dresses dont just fill the need for clothing. If a Honduran family doesnt have to scrounge for money for clothes, it allows them to spend what money they do have on food and hygiene and other basic needs.

The main thing I love about my project is that the dresses dont just affect the girls that receive them, MiKayla said. Every person that encounters these dresses all have a special touch in this project, from the first cut to packing them in boxes to delivering them.

Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama CEO Karlyn Edmonds said earning the Gold Award is  truly a remarkable achievement that exemplifies leadership in all its forms.

Mikayla saw a need and took action, Edmonds said. Her extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership are making the world a better place.

Shelly Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud
Property sales in 2020 will be 50% lower than 2019, according to Zoopla predictions. (Getty)

Property sales have dropped dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic with 373,000 transactions on hold until lockdown ends, new analysis of the property market suggests.

The frozen deals are worth 82bn ($102bn), according to estimates by property experts Zoopla.

This leaves estate agents with a 1bn gap in fee income.

Agreed sales were running at a tenth of the normal level for this time of year, usually a busy period for the housing and mortgage markets, and are instead at levels seen around the quiet Christmas period, Zoopla said.

Property sales in 2020 will be 50% lower than 2019, according to Zoopla predictions.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: London rents drop as UK tenants secure discounts to stay put

Government guidance says homebuyers should delay moving where possible and amicably agree alternative dates to move. If this is unavoidable due to contractual reasons, social distancing rules must be followed. People can continue to move into empty properties.

Demand from house-hunters plummeted by 70% in March with the fall in demand bottoming out in early April and has since seen a slow improvement, Zoopla said.

Estate agents are offering virtual viewings of homes online and Zoopla said internet browsing rates had slightly recovered in recent weeks.

There is a two speed housing market at present. Parts of the market are at a virtual standstill as a result of the physical restrictions that have stopped new supply coming to the market and the viewing of homes for sale, said Richard Donnell, director of research & insight at Zoopla.

However, the online browsing of homes for sale and buyers expressing interest in property have been rising off a low base over the last two to three weeks.

Demand for housing is still 60% lower than at the start of March, but northern cities have seen a rebound in demand during the past fortnight.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK house prices knocked off all-time high

Sellers are also maintaining their listings rather than withdrawing from the market meaning there will be plenty of properties for sale once lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Demand is rising but there is a long way to go until we see a return to typical levels of market activity, Donnell said. .
Pro Masters Virtual are online events designed to give our readers larger perspectives on important events and subjects that have a bearing on their lives and consequently their investments through insightful conversations with leaders and experts. Understanding the Franklin Templeton mess and the road ahead for investors is one such event.

In the third edition of MC Pro Masters Virtual, we are joined by Shrikant Bhagavat, Managing Director of Hexagon Capital Advisors to discuss and dissect the Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund mess and how investors should approach their debt funds during this time of great uncertainty.

- Was the Franklin Templeton mess a ticking time bomb in the first place?- How could regulators have averted this event?

- How should investors evaluate debt mutual fund investments?

Click Here to register for this event.

Pro Masters Virtual is free to attend for MC Pro subscribers. If you arent one, click here to take advantage of the limited period discount offer (available on Android & Desktop).

Srikanth is Managing Director and Principal Advisor of Hexagon Capital Advisors Pvt, a company he founded in 1997 in Bengaluru. Hexagon is a specialised wealth management and financial planning company working with high net worth families from differing backgrounds such as scientists, authors, IT professionals, CXOs and even venture capitalists.He has worked in the areas of contract management, corporate finance, investment banking and real estate development. He has served on the jury for Wealth Forums Best Financial Plan competition in 2017. Srikanth had started exiting from Franklin Templetons debt schemes, on behalf of his clients, way back in late 2018, depending on exit loads and taxation, and completed the exit in February, irrespective of any consideration.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tours an emergency field hospital being prepared at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, N.J., on April 2, 2020. (Michael Mancuso/Getty Images)

COVID-19 and Democracy

Commentary

Our national response to COVID-19 has revealed, once again, how little our Establishment, including its henchmen in the media, want the people to rule.

As we witness the self-inflicted and catastrophic demise of our economy, some have dared to protest the closure of their businesses and the shuttering of their places of worship. These right-wing extremists, we are told, are threatening the lives and well-being of our health care workers, elderly, and ultimately, the entire U.S. population.

We are told that the experts, once again, must decide for us when and if it is safe to return to business as usual. A cadre of carefully vetted scientific, medical, and other technical specialists are stepping in to do the jobs of our state governors and political leadership.

No matter that the governor of New Jersey swore an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, he recently told Tucker Carlson that considerations about the peoples constitutional rights is above my pay grade. He defers to the experts, he says. What, then, is the purpose of Gov. Phil Murphy, who swore to protect his citizens rights?

Time and again, governors are citing the opinion of medical experts in their political decision-making regarding COVID-19. That raises some important questions about the role of our political class and the place of our Constitution, which seems to be about as essential as churches these days.

Our democracy seems to be veering ever closer to the administrative state that former President Woodrow Wilson envisioned a century ago. Having taken the United States to war to make the world safe for democracy, Wilson believed that the Great War was actual Armageddon and that to the victor would go the soul of the world.

With the stakes so high in Wilsons mind, he couldnt allow any dissent from the cause. The Committee on Public Information (CPI) served as a vast propaganda machine tasked with educating the public and aggressively stamping out opinions unfavorable to the war.

Wilsons attorney general summed up the climate in 1917: May God have mercy on [the dissenters], for they need expect none from an outraged people and avenging government.

The CPI encouraged citizens to denounce one another and authorized the postmaster general to censor mail between private citizens.

Facebook and other social media platforms have assumed the role of Wilsons postmaster general and removed content that threatens the war effort against COVID-19.

During such an emergency, constitutional rights must give way to expert opinion, and specifically the expert opinion curated by our mainstream and social-media elite. Other experts, who dissent from the views put forth in the major outlets, are quickly discredited with dehumanizing labels: right-wing extremist, pandemic-skeptic, data-skeptic, and the well-worn conspiracy theorist.

Any information with conclusions or implications contrary to the prevailing COVID-19 narrative is ignored or censured by the mainstream media.

The stakes would seem to be as high as if we were in an actual war. In a sense, we are. Its a war between two worldviews: one that upholds the bodily health of those currently living as the ultimate good and another that upholds some non-material good as the final end.

The former is, in the philosophical sense, materialist and holds a progressive view of history, believing that science and technology are bringing us closer to a more humane world with less disease and fewer social and economic ills. The latter worldview is more pessimistic and believes that there is no end-of-history, so to speak, in politics or medicine, and that we must, for the most part, work around social and political givens, including disease.

No one person is entirely given to one viewpoint, but its safe to say that most people fall generally into one of the two camps, evidenced by the fierce divide in our country. This divide isnt simply about what the best protocol is for responding to the new coronavirus, but is about something much deeper, namely ones worldview.

The divide generally reflects the political division in our country. Those on the left tend to favor continued shelter-in-place orders; those on the right would like for restrictions to be lifted.

It seems to come down to a fundamental difference in imagination. One imagination fears for its life, the other for its loss of liberty; both fears may be real. The troubling thing right now is that only one of those fears is being given credence, while the other is dismissed as dangerous, extreme, and irrational.

However, for us to fear merely for loss of life or limb is to open a dangerous door to government overreach and control by so-called experts.

The ghost of Thomas Hobbes is whispering now. He insisted that the social contract stood on a foundation of fear among citizens, fear of one another and, above all, fear of a violent death. Hobbess solution? The Leviathan state.

A fearful people who value their lives over all else are incapable of liberty and self-government. We look on our scientific and technical overlords as gods, for, in the words of Dostoevskys Grand Inquisitor, they will bear the freedom that we have found so burdensome: Make us your slaves, but feed us.

In other words, take away our rights, but keep us healthy.

Emily Finley holds a Ph.D. in Politics from The Catholic University of America and is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. She is the managing editor of Humanitas, a journal of politics and culture, published by The Center for the Study of Statesmanship.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
On Monday, Washington lawyer Lisa S. Blatt will pull out her favorite suit, put on her lucky, understated jewelry and stride to the lectern to address the justices of the United States Supreme Court.

In her dining room. On the telephone.

"I'm going to replicate the process as much as possible," said Blatt, though the only people who will see her Monday are a son who's in charge of the dog, a daughter who will intercept anyone who approaches the house, a colleague at the table and Blatt's husband David, acting as timekeeper.

It is unclear exactly where the nine justices will be - other than apart - as they begin two weeks of oral arguments unlike any in the court's 230-year history.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced changes at the Supreme Court that decades of nagging from the legal academy and threats from congressional critics failed to achieve.

Not only will the arguments be conducted by telephone - a Zoom meeting might be a bridge too far for the videophobic justices - the world for the first time will be able to listen in live, as the cases are argued.

Anyone who finds that less than remarkable in the 21st century has likely never noticed that bronze tortoises are an architectural feature at the Supreme Court, where counsellors still receive a commemorative quill pen.

The justices are making adjustments for the arguments, including asking questions one-by-one by seniority rather than the usual free-for-all, and the lawyers are as well.

At the Justice Department, whose attorneys will take part in nine of the 10 scheduled arguments, the pleas will be made to a speakerphone in the solicitor general's conference room. They will still be wearing morning coats, the formal, traditional dress for government lawyers who argue before the court.

Lawyers on the West Coast, including one making his first Supreme Court argument, will rise before dawn to await the justices' call.

Blatt will be arguing her 40th Supreme Court case, more than any other woman, and was selected by the court for the first argument in its experiment. "What could I say?" she recalled. " 'Of course. Happy to. Honored to.' "

Like most repeat Supreme Court practitioners, her preparation is intense, with moot courts in which lawyers try to ask the toughest questions, and rounds of brainstorming sessions with colleagues at the Washington firm of Williams & Connolly, where she and David are partners.

But if she is reverent about the court, she is equally irreverent about everything else, and mentions another part of her personal argument regimen.

"I did the root touch-up and straightened my hair, at home," she said in a telephone interview. "The only thing I did not do is get my Botox replenished. It's just not possible, so I'm doing my argument in wrinkles."

Blatt, who will be representing Booking.com in an otherwise nondescript trademark dispute, says she is fiercely competitive, and has a won-loss record of 36-2-1. (The justices decide one of her cases last term.)

She is not a student of the philosophy that oral arguments are a conversation between the justices and the advocates.

"An 'argument' is just that: It involves combative communication and intense verbal jousting," she wrote in a recent law review article. "You either win or lose. Or, as I like to frame every case I argue, someone is going to die, and I don't want it to be me."

In her last outing at the court in January, Blatt felt her male opponent had been condescending and unnecessarily denigrating of the legal case she had just presented.

When Chief Justice John Roberts told her she had five minutes for rebuttal, Blatt replied, "You may want to cut me off."

She added: "I don't know what to say. I didn't go to a fancy law school, but I'm very confident in my representation of the case law." Blatt, who received her law degree summa cum laude from the University of Texas, won the case in a 9-to-0 vote.

Blatt's adversary in the upcoming case, Justice Department lawyer Erica Ross, declined to be interviewed, as is customary for government lawyers.

Their trademark argument might not set ratings records for C-Span, which plans to broadcast the court's proceedings. But on May 12, the court is scheduled to take up President Donald Trump's efforts to shield his financial records from congressional committees and a New York prosecutor.

While many lawyers see an argument at the Supreme Court as a career pinnacle, its impact on the outcome of the case is not particularly prized, at least by the justices.

They have said in the past that arguments are important, but likely change the outcome in a few cases each term. Justice Stephen Breyer, for instance, has said he has opposed televising the arguments because he thinks it would give the public a distorted view of their relevance.

More important is what comes before the argument, he said: the facts of the case, the lower court's decision, the court's precedents, the briefs filed by opposing counsel arguing the law and from amicus groups alerting the justices to the consequences of their decisions.

There is no requirement for oral arguments, and the court decides a few cases each term on the briefs alone. It routinely decides emergency requests without arguments, such as its recent intervention into absentee voting in Wisconsin's primary.

But arguments are the only time the justices discuss cases in public before deciding them. And they acknowledge that they give them a chance to challenge the parties' legal arguments and test the consequences of writing an opinion a certain way.

Oral arguments are especially dear to some members of the court. Roberts was a widely lauded Supreme Court advocate before he became a judge. Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her mark arguing gender discrimination cases before the then-all-male court. Elena Kagan was President Barack Obama's solicitor general, representing the administration at the court.

Stanford law professor Jeffrey Fisher said oral arguments are an advocate's last chance. "I see it as your opportunity to try to get through to them if you haven't gotten through to them already," he said.

But he said arguing by telephone will be difficult. "I cannot imagine giving argument without seeing their faces, without seeing their expressions and all the rest," he said. "I just think that's going to make the argument so much harder."

Fisher said he already faced that choice once. The night before an argument, he broke his glasses and had no way to get them repaired before heading to the court.

He had to decide whether to wear a spare pair of contact lenses, which would correct his nearsightedness and allow him to see the justices, or go without, which would allow him to see his notes. He wore the contacts.

Fisher on May 11 is scheduled to represent two teachers in a case about whether the First Amendment protects religious schools against anti-discrimination laws. He expects to leave his Menlo Park, California, home before 6 a.m.

"My plan is to go sit in a conference room, lock the door and spread my stuff out," he said.

Coincidentally, his opponent in the case is Eric Rassback, another Bay Area lawyer who is vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

Rassback said he will put on a suit and drive to a law firm conference room to deliver what will be his first argument before the Supreme Court.

Does he fill a little cheated to be missing out on the grandeur of the Supreme Court courtroom?

"No!' he said brightly. "I get to be a footnote in history."
COLOGNE (dpa-AFX) - Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLAKF, DLAKY) said that SWISS and Edelweiss, the two Swiss airlines of the Lufthansa Group, will receive guarantees from the Swiss Bund for 85% of the loans totaling 1.5 billion Swiss francs or about 1.4 billion euros. It is subject to the approval of the Swiss parliament. The Swiss Federal Council decided on a comprehensive support package for Swiss aviation companies. As per the decision, the Federal Council will propose to the Swiss parliament to guarantee loans to Swiss airlines. A consortium of Swiss banks will grant the loans at market conditions for a term of up to five years. The Swiss Bund guarantees 85% of the loans and they are secured by SWISS and Edelweiss shares held by Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Lufthansa noted that the funds may only be used at SWISS and Edelweiss. No intra-group dividend payments must be made for the period during which the credit facility is drawn down. Meanwhile, Deutsche Lufthansa said it is continuing to negotiate intensively with the governments in Germany, Austria and Belgium in order to secure the Group's solvency for the long term. 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.
Logging has been temporarily halted in 26 unburnt areas of Victorian native forest after environmentalists argued in court there was a risk of serious and irreversible damage to threatened species after last summer's bushfires.

In the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday, Justice Kate McMillan granted an injunction to stop logging in 13 unburnt forest areas until the concerns could be aired in a court case against the state's logging agency, VicForests.

These include areas in the Kalatha Valley of the Giants near Toolangi, Mount Bride near Warburton and Mount Baw Baw. While the injunction is temporary, the case is likely to take months, if not years, to be decided.

Mountain Ash in the Toolangi State Forest. Credit:Brent Lukey

In January the volunteer group Wildlife of the Central Highlands (Wotch), with the support of community legal centre Environmental Justice Australia, argued logging should be banned in a number of unburnt areas to protect habitat for endangered species after the catastrophic bushfires.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-29 20:22:24|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran has issued a licence for a foreign-registered cryptocurrency company to mine digital coins and offer trading and custody services in the country, Press TV reported on Wednesday.

The charter was issued by Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade to iMine company, which is registered in Turkey.

Under the permission, the iMine will be allowed to operate with a computing power of 96,000 terahash per second at a bitcoin mining farm in the central city of Semnan, Press TV said.

Hashrate is a measure of the power of computers hooked up to the bitcoin network that dictates their ability to produce new coins.

According to the report, in the bitcoin mining farm set up by iMiner with 7.3 million U.S. dollars of investment, 6,000 machines will be producing cryptocurrencies.

After the United States re-imposed its sanctions on Iran's financial and energy sectors two years ago, Iran has been ramping up its use of cryptocurrencies to get around the embargoes. Enditem
Wahlburgers restaurant corporation, along with Crescent Capital, donated more than 300 lunches to Worcester area firefighters, police and EMS personnel Wednesday afternoon at the Worcester Fire Headquarters.

The Boston-area based restaurant chain, owned by Mark, Donnie and Chef Paul Wahlberg, parked its food truck at the Worcester Fire Headquarters on Grove Street where it prepared and distributed lunches to the first responders.

Bob Wahlberg and Rep. Joe Kennedy III were both on site distributing lunches.

The group will be visiting UMass Memorial Medical Center, where it will donate 150 meals to frontline workers in the COVID-19 testing lab and Saint Vincent Hospital, where it will donate 150 meals to health care staff.

Not being able to be fully operational these past several weeks has been heartbreaking for our entire organization. But that hasnt stopped our commitment to supporting the communities we serve however we can, said Mark Wahlberg in a press release. Partnering with Crescent Capital will allow us to give back the best way we know how, by providing warm meals to the heroes battling this virus each and every day.

The meal donation to first responders and frontline workers is part of the restaurant brands #WhateverYouNeed campaign, which was launched in Boston last week. According to the press release, Wahlburgers will continue to roll out the campaign across the country in the coming weeks.

Our frontline and essential workers need all the help they can get right now, Congressman Joe Kennedy III commented in the press release. From hazard pay to proper protective gear, they must remain a top priority as they fight this pandemic up close and keep our economy running while we shelter safely at home. Today, I am glad to join Wahlburgers and Crescent Capital to provide these heroes with a hot meal in thanks for their efforts. To the couriers and postal workers making the stops so others can stay home; to our firefighters and police officers taking the emergency calls from those in need; and to those saving our loved ones in hospital wards across the state: thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The Wahlburgers food truck visited the Worcester Common last fall, which is when Chef Paul Wahlberg told MassLive he is considering opening a Wahlburgers location in Worcester.

The Wahlberg family had an unscripted television show Wahlburgers on A&E that followed the brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul for 10 seasons as they expanded the restaurant chain across America. The famous family has strong ties to Massachusetts as they grew up in Dorchester.

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The U.S. Department of Defense is considering awarding Purple Hearts to U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) during the Iranian missile attack of January 8 on bases in Iraq hosting American troops.

CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr on Tuesday reported that the awards were in the final stages of review. The number of service members considered for the award out of the 110 has not been disclosed.

The Purple Heart submissions remain under review and are being processed in accordance with Defense Department and military service regulations," Defense Department spokesperson Jessical Maxwell told CNN. "Upon completion, service members entitled to receive the Purple Heart will be notified by their leadership," she said.

In 2011 the Department of Defense (DoD) adopted a policy of awarding Purple Hearts -- an award for those seriously wounded or killed in combat -- for service members suffering from traumatic brain injuries which are severe enough to require treatment.

As no casualties for Iran's missile attacks on Al-Assad and Erbil air bases were initially reported, the attacks were seen as symbolic rather than punitive.The Pentagon and Trump downplayed the reports of brain injuries sustained by service members in the Iranian missile attack but later the Pentagon admitted that some 34 service members had sustained "mild concussions". According to the Department of Defense, the number gradually rose in the weeks after the attack to 110.

The United States targeted and killed Iran's Qods (Quds) Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad Airport on January 3. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described the missile attack in retaliation for Soleimani's killing as "a slap in the face of the United States" and Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif called it a "proportionate act of self-defense".

In the wake of the attack on Iraqi bases and expecting a retaliatory American attack, Iran's Revolutionary Guard on January 8 dawned a Ukrainian airliner over the capital Tehran by firing missiles. The attack which the Iranian authorities claimed was due to "human error" killed all 176 crew members and passengers on board.
Death toll likely to rise as more people believed to be trapped inside fire-stricken warehouse.

A fire at a construction site in South Korea has killed at least 38 people and injured another 10, fire authorities have said.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday at a site where workers were building a warehouse about 80km (50 miles) southeast of the capital, Seoul.

The death toll could rise because more people were believed to be trapped inside the warehouse, according to the authorities.

They said rapid combustion occurred while workers were working on an underground level of the warehouse.

Firefighters battle a fire at a construction site in Icheon, south of Seoul [Yonhap/EPA]

Images from the scene showed several firetrucks and more than a dozen ambulances surrounding the badly damaged structure, which was completely blackened and writhed on one side.

Rescue workers in white protective suits were seen carrying out victims in body bags.

Eight construction workers were being treated for serious injuries at nearby hospitals, while two others were slightly hurt.

Officials said about 30 workers managed to escape but at least four were unaccounted for or out of contact.

Officials were investigating the cause of the fire, which was possibly triggered by an explosion while workers were working on an underground level at the site.

There was no clothing left [on the workers] at all, said Seo Seung-hyun, head of the Icheon fire department. We presume that an ignition of oil mist caused an explosion and the sudden combustion gave the workers no chance to escape.

Seo said victims who died on other floors likely inhaled toxic gas.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked related ministries to do their utmost efforts in the search-and-rescue operation by mobilising all available resources, presidential blue house spokesman Kang Min-seok said.

South Korea, one of Asias richest economies, has struggled for decades to improve safety standards and change widespread attitudes that treat safety as subservient to economic progress and convenience.

Icheon was the site of another enormous fire in 2008 when 40 workers died at a refrigerated warehouse.

Forty-six people died in 2018 when a fire ripped through a small hospital with no sprinkler systems in the southern city of Miryang.
YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on April 29, as of 09:00, the roads are mainly passable in Armenia.

The ministry told Armenpress that the roads leading to the Amberd Fortress and Lake Kari will still remain closed.

The Georgian side reported that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open only for trucks.

Drivers are urged to use winter tires.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought response of the Centre and AAP government on a plea alleging that a kidney patient in need of dialysis died due to denial of treatment at RML hospital here as its doctors were dealing with COVID-19 cases.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government and disaster management authorities seeking their stands on the petition by a society which seeks that all medical facilities be made available to non-COVID patients.

The court also directed RML hospital to immediately hand over the woman's body to her family, as the hospital was waiting for her COVID-19 test result to do so.

The woman patient had died outside the emergency ward of RML Hospital on April 26 as she was not provided medical facility by the hospital, the petition by Nayee Soch Society has alleged.

The society, in its plea, has also claimed there are not sufficient ambulances available in the national capital for non-COVID patients.

Delhi government additional standing counsel Naushad Ahmed Khan said the court has orally directed the authorities to mention in their affidavit details of the number of ambulances and hospitals available in the city for non-COVID patients.

The court, which heard the matter via video conferencing, listed the petition for further hearing on May 6.

The petition has alleged that the woman, mother of four children, was denied dialysis at some hospitals in the city and thereafter, had to wait for around eight hours for an ambulance to take her to RML hospital.

On reaching RML hospital on April 25, the doctors did not admit her saying they do not have dialysis facility and also pressed the patient's family to get her tested for COVID-19, the plea has claimed.

Her husband kept waiting outside RML for her treatment and she died there on April 26, the petition has also alleged.

The petition has also sought directions to the authorities to ensure that ambulances are available for non-COVID patients and no such person is denied treatment on the ground of lack of personnel or infrastructure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Since Southern California has been one of the states areas hardest hit by COVID-19, I was both shocked and disappointed to see a photo accompanying the news story, Stay-at-home orders to extend through May (Page 1, April 28), that showed people flocking to sites like Huntington Beach in Orange County and others in Ventura County (without social distancing) during a heat wave there last weekend.

Did those beach-goers believe President Trumps ridiculous speculation that blasting ultraviolet light into your body could combat the coronavirus? As for me, Id rather stay pale and well than get a tan and risk my health, at least until hearing from medical experts that its safe to return to large social gatherings.

Julissa Mendoza, San Jose

The bays barrier

Regarding L.A.s disproportionate COVID-19 toll (April 27): I read the item about why Los Angeles County has such a high infection rate of the coronavirus compared to that of the San Francisco Bay Area. As a biologist, it seems fairly obvious. When two groups of an organism are separated by a physical barrier, those organisms tend to interact much less than if the physical barrier were not to be present and may result in speciation.

The San Francisco Bay acts as such a barrier, reducing the proximity and interaction between communities on either side of the bay, whereas the Los Angeles Basin has no such barrier and therefore abutting communities are in constant contact with one another. This would result in easier and more rapid transmission of the virus throughout Southern California.

Matthew Kaser, Castro Valley

Empathetic leader

Concerning Pelosi endorses Biden as Dems solidify support (April 28): Not only do I wholeheartedly agree with House Speaker Nancy Pelosis assessment of presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as a leader with the humility to seek expertise and science, he is also unlike the incumbent commander in chief. Biden is someone who is truthful, empathetic and respectful of our three coequal branches of government.

Although election day is over six months away, Im eagerly awaiting my opportunity to vote for a new president after three-plus exhausting years with the current one.

Erica Pappalardo, Burlingame

Respect the natural law

As our economy and political landscape operate in disarray, perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a sincere wake-up call. It is time we must return to respecting the natural law. Any person with religious appreciations can recognize the abandonment of traditional values that pervades throughout todays post-modern culture.

Church attendance has declined, childbirth out of wedlock has increased and substance abuse has skyrocketed. Todays citizenry has taken matters into its own hands, liberating itself from thousands of years of tradition, assuming that it is enlightened enough to define the meaning and bounds of a good life.

This post-modern notion is extremely appealing to many, as it enables each individual to live licentiously, pursuing whatever sensual pleasure one so desires. Although the relativist view on human nature is tempting, its praise does not justify its legitimacy. This is becoming more apparent each day. Suicide rates suffer all-time highs, nearly half of Americans report that they sometimes or always feel alone, and one in five feel as though they rarely or never feel close to anyone. If you look around, it is clear that the post-modern ideology has failed miserably. We cannot escape the objective truths of the natural law.

Will Bednarz, Larkspur

Keep the poetry coming

I have enjoyed all the poetry so much that has been published in The San Francisco Chronicle over the past month. I hope that this feature can continue to be part of the daily paper. During this difficult time, it has become very apparent that poetry is healing, for both the reader and writer. Poetry need not be relegated to a single month in April; we can all benefit from a daily dose of verse.

Helen Ogden, Pacific Grove (Monterey County)

A price on carbon

Regarding A glimpse at a greener future (Editorial, April 26): As the editorial on Californias green future says, a pandemic-induced economic collapse isnt the ideal way to reduce pollution.

How can California extend the good environmental side effects of this otherwise horrible pandemic? The most powerful thing is for Californias Congressional representatives to support a national, socially-just, carbon fee paid by fossil fuel companies. Some 20 of them already have, including Reps. Barbara Lee, Anna Eshoo and Jackie Speier. Oil prices are near historic lows. Even with a carbon fee, gas prices would remain far below what they were just three months ago.

This would motivate all businesses to reduce their carbon consumption to avoid the cost. If 100% of the revenue collected from the fossil fuel companies were rebated to every taxpayer in equal shares, it would be a modest start to a universal basic income for all low-carbon users. Thats about 70% of us. Only high-carbon consumers overwhelmingly, the wealthy, would be net payers.

Ray Welch, San Rafael

Dont weaken the lungs

Thank you for Smoking adds to virus risk (April 26). Unless you are among the thousands of people (like me) who suffer from chronic asthma, bronchitis or emphysema, youve probably never experienced a life-threatening situation where youre struggling to breathe.

So please, dont put yourself in that danger by weakening your lungs and immune system through vaping or smoking, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. And if youre already addicted to tobacco, marijuana or vaping liquids, please seek assistance so you can stop. Call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) and talk with counselors who are specifically trained to help smokers quit. Its important to stay as healthy as you can, both during and after this health crisis.
Banks on April 28 borrowed only Rs 2,000 crore under the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) special liquidity window for mutual funds (MF). The Rs 50,000 crore facility, open until May 11, is aimed at easing the liquidity pressure on funds.

Under the facility, banks can submit bids to avail funding from Monday through Friday, but the response so far has been poor, Marzban Irani, CIO-Fixed Income, LIC MF told the Hindu BusinessLine.

The reason why banks are cautious in availing this facility is that they prefer 'AAA'-rated debt instruments or at best 'AA'-rated instruments of microfinance institutions (MFIs), housing finance companies (HFCs) and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). But there is not much interest in instruments with lower ratings.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

Many fund houses have already offloaded high rated papers to ease pressure at the onset of the coronavirus and the ongoing economic slowdown. Banks prefer to stay away from credit-risk in case the papers have been downgraded.

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

To avail the Rs 50,000 crore liquidity window till May 11, set up for the mutual fund (MF) sector by the RBI, funds will be allowed to borrow against investment-grade credit risk schemes.

Industry officials, however, are concerned this may not be enough as banks may be unwilling to accept the majority of the low-rated securities as collateral.

RBIs liquidity window came after Franklin Templeton had closed six funds citing financial crunch due to the COVID-19 situation.

I dont see banks taking lower-rated corporate debt as collateral, which has been lacking in liquidity. If we see heavy redemption in schemes which carry large exposure to lower-rated corporate debt, liquidity will remain a problem, Arvind Chari, head of fixed income, Quantum Advisors, told ET.
A suit challenging the directives of the President over the Emergency Instrument (EI 63), which seek to violate the rights of mobile users, has been adjourned to May 20, by an Accra High Court on Tuesday.



This is the second time that the suit has suffered an adjournment.



The adjournment was to enable applicant and his lawyer Justice Srem Sai to put their house in order.

Mr Justice Stephen Oppong drew the applicants lawyers attention to the fact that on the substantive matter, he noticed that what was attached to interlocutory injunction was rather an affidavit in support of the originating summons, instead of affidavit in support of the motion for the interlocutory injunction.



According to the applicants lawyer, that was an oversight which needed to be sorted, hence the adjournment.



Earlier on the Justice Oppong also informed the applicant and his lawyer that before he became a judge, he had worked with Minkah-Premo and Co which represented one of the defendants (that is the National Communication Authority) in the matter.



According to the court, it wanted to ascertain from the applicant if he had an objection to him hearing the matter.



Justice Sai said they would not object to the judge sitting over the matter because the trial judge was a man of integrity and he would do justice to the matter.

He said the issue before the court was of public interest and the trial judge has nothing to gain personally.



Mr Francis Kwarteng Arthur is challenging the law the emergency Communication Instrument, 2020, which violates mobile users rights to privacy.



The emergency legislation seeks to give legal backing to number of measures adopted by government to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.



It directs mobile network operators to provide data on all call numbers, mobile merchant codes and uncashed subscriber mobile money transfer data.

Source: GNA









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The Wiesenthal Center and dozens of other customers say there was no such exclusion in the policies they purchased. The center said it is still calculating losses from the cancellation of major fundraisers and other events over the past six weeks, including one scheduled for Wednesday commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.
Doctors and researchers are concerned about the increase in blood clotting among COVID-19 patients. Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, a hematologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City wrote in an email to CNN that the number of clotting problems on COVID-19 patients in the ICU is unprecedented. It appears to be widespread in severe coronavirus patients.

Blood clotting is another dangerous complication of COVID-19 that has been a rising concern in frontline reports from the United States, Europe, and China. In Washington, Broadway and TV actor Nick Cordero's doctors have no choice but to amputate his right leg after spending nearly three weeks in the intensive care unit being treated for COVID-19. His blood flow has been obstructed by a clot.

Shari Brosnahan, a critical care doctor at NYU Langone said that 40-year-olds patients in the ICU have clots in their fingers that look like they will lose a finger because of the virus. One of her patients is suffering from a lack of blood flow to both feet and both hands that an amputation is necessary or the blood vessels may get so damaged that the limbs might drop off by themselves.

These so-called "thrombotic events" are backed up with research from the Netherlands who recently published their paper in the journal Thrombosis Research and found that 31% of 184 patients suffered from thrombotic complications are remarkably high.

Blood clots can cause amputation on limbs and also lethal pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and strokes once it reaches the lungs, heart and the brain.

Why does blood clotting happens?

An international team of experts led by Dr. Behnood Bikdeli from the New York-Presbyterian Hospital studied the issue of blood clotting among COVID-19 patients and published their findings in the journal of The American College of Cardiology.

Bikdeli said that their findings showed that the risks among COVID-19 patients were so great that they "may need to receive blood thinners, preventively, prophylactically, even before imaging tests are ordered."

The reasons why blood clotting occurs are not fully understood, but Bikdeli offered several possible explanations.

Patients with severe cases of COVID-19 are more likely to experience blood clotting when they have underlying medical conditions such as heart or lung disease. Another explanation, is that patients in the intensive care units are likelier to develop a clot because they are staying still for long periods.

Some research is also indicating that "cytokine storm"-an abnormal immune reaction- are linked to higher rates of clotting as it is widely associated with COVID-19.

But there could also be something in the virus itself causing the clotting. A paper in The Lancet journal last week showed that the virus can infect the endothelium cells of blood vessels that could interfere with the clotting process.

Read Also: DIY Masks: Scientists Found the Best Materials to Use

Too many micro clots

Although Heparin is effective in some patients, some clots are too small that they do not work for all patients, according to Brosnahan. Autopsies have shown that there are hundreds of micro clots in some people's lungs.

Military veterans hospital intensive care doctor, Cecilia Mirant-Borde said that micro clots help explain why ventilators work poorly for patients with low blood oxygen. It is the micro clotting that is blocking the circulation which leads the blood leaving the lungs with lesser oxygen than it should get.

Researchers are learning more every day since the pandemic began five months ago in Wuhan, China. Brosnahan said that it is possible that the cause of the damages are all the same thing, and that there will be the same solution for it.

Read Also: Coronavirus Can Live for 20 Days in The Eye, Longer Than in the Nose: Research
C amden Town Brewery is giving away a free pack of beer to every NHS worker.

The north London favourite has rebranded its popular Camden Hells lager as Camden Heroes in honour of NHS staff on the front line of the coronavirus crisis, and is offering each of them a six-pack on the house.

To claim theirs, NHS workers should sign-up to the brewerys online shop using their NHS email address, add the sixpack to the shopping trolley and enter the promotional code HEROESFORHEROES at checkout. The beer will then be free.

The redesigned Camden Heroes lager cans are available for the general public to purchase on the shop from today, and all proceeds from every can sold will be donated to charities supporting healthcare workers during this time.

The brewery has also announced that it will be donating 20,000 cans of beer to staff working at NHS hospitals as a thank you for their work, offering them a drink to enjoy after they clock off.

We had so many people contacting us from hospitals asking for beers to replace their weekly pub team visits. We were more than happy to help but wanted to do more, said Camden Town Brewery founder Jasper Cuppaidge.

We created Camden Heroes Lager to say a massive thank you to the amazing healthcare workers and show our support the best way we know how  brewing beer. We are so grateful to all the incredible frontline workers risking their lives during this global crisis.

Earlier this week, Camden Town Brewery also auctioned off a freshly poured draught pint of beer  which was delivered to one beer fan for 800  with all proceeds going to charity Hospitality Action.

Camden Town Brewery joins fellow breweries and delivery companies offering donations and discounts to NHS workers, with the likes of Gipsy Hill and Brewgooder also offering customers the chance to purchase pay-it-forward pints for healthcare staff.
LAS VEGAS  Nevadas unemployment office has been ordered by the states highest court to release records of audits used to determine that sex workers in legal brothels are employees rather than independent contractors.

An attorney representing the operator of the Love Ranch in Lyon County, Nev., is fighting the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitations claim that courtesans at the brothel are employees and that it must pay unemployment insurance and provide them with other benefits.

Love Ranchs operator, Sierra National Corp., also faces a claim by the unemployment department that it owes a substantial tax liability to the states unemployment fund for previous years. The brothel, among others in the state, was once led by the late Dennis Hof.

Love Ranchs four-year-old dispute with the unemployment department hinges on the theory that the state agency was well aware of the Love Ranch's classification of the courtesans as independent contractors because they rent space.

In a ruling made by Nevada justices several weeks ago, the court upheld a decision in favor of Love Ranchs operator, which requested access to the unemployment departments audit of Love Ranch and other licensed brothels in the state.

Love Ranch, through attorney Anthony Hall, also sought all communication between unemployment department staff in its petition.

But Hall was rebuffed with his request after the departments chief lawyer called the requested information confidential and proprietary and that Love Ranchs motivations were to simply to delay and frustrate the case going forward and the administrative law judges ability to declare those workers employees.

Justices, in a unanimous ruling, agreed with Love Ranch and Hall over its petition for the disclosure of records.

Of paramount importance in any public records case is the policy underlying the Nevada Public Records Act, Nevada justices wrote in their 6-0 decision. "The purpose of the [act] is to further the democratic ideal of an accountable government by ensuring that public records are broadly accessible, which promote[s] government transparency and accountability.

Because the request here expressly excluded any records that would reveal a person's or employing units identity and the district court did not compel disclosure of any records beyond those requested, we affirm the district court's order granting the petition for a writ of mandamus.

With the records now ordered to be handed over to Love Ranch, Hall can build his case that the brothels courtesans were independent contractors in previous years and that its operator is not liable for back unemployment taxes.

Hall noted to the Nevada justices, and they took judicial notice, that the unemployment departments own board of review issued an order in December 2016 indicating its view that Love Ranch's tenants are independent contractors, not employees.

The Love Ranch avers that despite conducting audits of the Love Ranch and affiliated brothels over the years, [the department] did not object to the classification of the tenants as independent contractors, nor did it assert that contributions should be made into the state unemployment fund based upon the tenants' earnings, court records said.

Nevadas brothel industry is big business in the Silver State. It serves about 400,000 clients, generating about $35 million and $50 million, according to a 2012 study.

Since mid-March, all brothels in the state have been closed due to the pandemic. Tomorrow, Gov. Steve Sisolak will announce a Roadmap to Recovery plan for Nevada, perhaps hinting when the states legal brothels can reopen.

Pictured: Catrina Costa outside the Love Ranch in Lyon County, Nev. (Wikimedia Commons)
<! Ogun Majek >

Nollywood actor, Gbolagade Akinpelu popularly known as Ogun Majek has cried out to the public for financial assistance over his sickness.

Ogun Majeks appeal and call for financial assistance over his current poor state of health was contained in a message issued by one of his sons, Akinpelu Akeem Abidemi.

Abidemi said that the children of Gbolagade Akinpelu(Ogun Majek) used the medium to appeal to all indigenes of Ibadanland, Oyo State and Nigeria to rise financially for the treatment of their father who had been battling with unknown sickness for some years.

He stressed that financial assistance becomes important and necessary, so as to ensure the treatment of the ailing Yoruba movie actor who had been living in severe pains for a long time.

Abidemi lamented that they have spent and sold all resources at their disposal but all to no avail, stressing that they are crying for help, in order not to loose the ailing film actor to cold hand of death.

He said that their father needed help for quick recovery, considering his current deterioration of health and disfiguration of physical outlook.

Abidemi enjoined people across religious beliefs to pray for his father and equally pray for intending donors that their pockets will never dry.

This is coming after Yoruba actress, Foluke Daramola Salako via her Instagram page solicited support for him and she got some donations through her foundation.

She further revealed that the ailing actor was receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital as she shares details of donors.
TORRINGTON  Board of Education members met Tuesday to discuss making cuts to its proposed 2020-21 budget, after being told by the Board of Finance that it wanted low or no increases for the coming year.

The Board of Educations proposed 2020-21 operating budget totals $78,300,892, an increase of $3,636,914, or 4.8 percent, over current spending. According to Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski, 94 percent of the budget is contractual obligations: salary, benefits, tuition and transportation.

Possible cuts were discussed Tuesday that would reduce the budget increase to 2.5 percent. The proposed savings were based on recently updated insurance rates and claims, and the ability to move new staffing positions into the Alliance budget for next year, Lubomski said.

The 30 lowest-performing school districts in the state are classified as Alliance Districts by the state and receive additional funding. Torrington was named such a district as part of the state budget in 2017. Each district is required to submit a plan to improve district achievement, developed with the aid of a state representative, and the plan is monitored on a yearly basis.

The move of staff positions from the general budget to Alliance funding will be determined by the approval of the governors budget and the original allocations to Alliance districts, she said. In addition, the Connecticut Department of Education will have to approve of the Alliance plan and use of these funds.

In this latest proposal, there would not be any classroom teacher reductions at the elementary level, Lubomski said.

The 2020-21 proposed capital budget, including technology improvements, totals $1,515,200. Capital spending is separate from the operational budget. The 2020-21 capital budget was presented in December.

Board Chairwoman Fiona Cappabianca reminded other members that Alliance funding is used in many portions of the budget.

The unfortunate part (is that) a lot of the things were (proposing in the budget are) not funded locally, she said. A lot of people want us to get away from Alliance status, but when that funding goes away, well lose all that money.

The great thing about Alliance funding is it gives us a chance to try things, see what works and what doesnt, and helps us see what our priorities are, she said.

School board members also discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the school system in the coming year.

Cappabianca noted the pandemic revealed the districts unpreparedness for distance learning. We have to level the playing field for our students, and the pandemic has shown how unlevel we are, she said. It was much easier for other districts (to continue schooling students during the pandemic) than for us.

Cappabianca said the board should highlight the positive aspects of being an Alliance District. We got laptops because we are an Alliance District, she said. If our test scores were higher, even with our financial need, we wouldnt have (received laptops). We can be thankful for that, to some degree.

I dont know what wed do if we didnt have that funding, she said. We also dont know how much money were getting yet.

The board also brainstormed on how to show the finance board how important their spending proposals are.

Can we summarize the wins that were seeing? asked member Nikki Fappiano. Because were seeing a lot, and its because of the funding for the resources that were using. Thats something we could bring to the Board of Finance.

Gary Eucalitto agreed. We got a lot of pushback from the Board of Finance, he said Its important (to show) that weve reinvested in the students.

The school board also talked about the municipal budget, which wont be presented to the public until next month. Torrington is taking advantage of Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order allowing cities and towns to forego the public hearing process of budget approval so that it can set its tax rate. Residents are asked to submit written comments by email or by mail, which will be considered in the approval process.

School board members also discussed having a chance to review the citys budget earlier. Cappabianca said the school district shares monthly financial reports and keeps track of its finances closely.

I dont see monthly reports between the Board of Finance and the City Council, like whats left at the end of a month, whats in the rainy day fund, things like that, she said. If theres money (on the municipal side), we need to be able to look at the whole picture. Im not sure whos responsible for providing that information, so the school board can look at it, review it, and know what kind of fiancial health were in.

The 2020-21 school budget is available for public review online at torringtonct.org. The public can send comments electronically to city_clerk@torringtonct.org or by mail to the City Clerk's Office, 140 Main St., Torrington, CT 06790.

Comments will be taken in advance of a joint meeting May 5 with the Board of Finance and the Board of Education, and before the May 19 Board of Finance meeting. All comments will be shared with the mayor and Board of Finance for their consideration prior to budget adoption and setting the tax rate. The public is asked to submit comments by the above methods.

Residents can review the proposed school budget online at www.torrington.org/b_o_e_proposed_2020-2021_budget .

There will be a joint meeting of the Board of Finance and the Board of Education at 6 p.m. May 5. For information on how to join the meeting remotely, visit www.torringtonct.org/board-finance.
Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives have decided that they will not return to work next week as planned due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Democratic leaders said on Tuesday (April 28).

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told the media that the decision to not return to House of Representatives was taken by him and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after discussing the situation with the official House physician, as well as House members.

"The numbers (of coronavirus cases) in the District of Columbia are still going up. The House physician`s view was that there was a risk to members that was one he would not recommend taking," Hoyer told reporters.

Interestingly, the Republican-run Senate is scheduled to return to session next week and US President Donald Trump, a Republican, on Tuesday slammed the Democrat-led House of "enjoying their vacation".

"They`re enjoying their vacation. You look at Nancy Pelosi eating ice cream on late-night television," he told reporters at the White House.

It may be recalled that during a recent interview to MSNBC Pelosi had shown off a home freezer full of ice cream. "This president has presided over the worst disaster in our country`s history, an assault on the lives and the livelihoods of the American people, and he did so by neglect of information, also denial and delay in accepting the facts," Pelosi told MSNBC.

"I have ice cream in my freezer; I guess that`s better than having Lysol in somebody`s lungs," she added, referring to Trump's suggestion that doctors should try putting disinfectants to treat coronavirus patients.

The coronavirus that has been spread over 185 countries has now infected more than 30.7 lakh people with taking around 2.13 lakh lives across the world. As of 10:15 PM IST, close to 30,75,000 people have contracted COVID-19 while 2,13,200 people have succumbed to the fatal virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Ireland is a small European island and a small political and economic unit, even more so by its division into the North and Republic. As a result, it must especially define itself in how it interacts with the outside world, in terms of trade, diplomacy and organisations like the European Union and United Nations.

This is the scope of a very interesting and ambitious study by historian Owen McGee. He focuses on how Ireland has performed within international organisations and treaties and the growth of our foreign service. This is actually quite small, he believes, given the country's ambitions: many embassies double up in responsibilities abroad. Having said that, he charts the growth of Irish diplomacy, from just six consulates in the 1920s to over 60 embassies by the 2010s.

McGee also shows the emergence of modern Ireland as actually highly international and globalist through inward investment. Indeed, the economic aspect almost drives everything and our low tax model is a legacy of the more commercially-minded Sean Lemass rather than Eamon de Valera before him. However, politically, de Valera was a keen participant for the new Irish State in the international arena and took some strong stands at the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations. The last Secretary General of this important and often underrated body was Sean Lester, an Irishman.

To add to the book's ambition, McGee looks at the foreign interactions of Ireland even in the pre-Independence period, when a credible international profile was crucial to enhancing sovereignty. In this sense, the country was drawing on strong historical and even ancient traditions given our links in terms of Christianity, philosophy and monasticism.

This overseas tradition was renewed with the growth of Irish missions overseas, especially in the developing world, a contribution that really deserves more thorough and sympathetic examination at this stage.

Not least, this gave Ireland a differential in terms of image and culture. Otherwise, we were overwhelmingly attached to the UK. McGee makes the important point that the Irish State has remained very connected to the United Kingdom, right down to the recent times. This has been especially the case in terms of trade and finance.

Brexit will be a major test of that dependence, and of our ability to operate without the UK in the EU. Interestingly, the State creator's anticipated this dependence and even De Valera floated ideas close to what became the British Commonwealth. Fine Gael ministers like Kevin O'Higgins then helped shape this Commonwealth, only for Ireland to be taken out of it, perhaps rashly, in 1949.

It is, of course, through the EU that Ireland has truly come of age internationally, although as McGee points out, it has been often an ambiguous and confused relationship - at least until recently.

This ambiguity is partly because of our ongoing policy of military neutrality, although as he puts it: "Since the days of Lemass, the Irish Government had attempted to convince the international community that Ireland was entirely committed to Europe and was certainly not a non-aligned country."

This useful ambiguity continues to be the case, as I saw at the United Nations General Assembly when we were still playing the "plucky little post colonial" card while also being part of the big Western Europe gang of the EU, which was then comprised of the affluent Twelve (or Les Douze).

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To balance this move into a more Western space, Ireland has continued to initiate progressive policies on nuclear disarmament and has been an active UN peacekeeper. We are currently seeking another term on the UN Security Council, for example, something of which the public may be unaware, given current distractions.

McGee devotes much space to the Northern Ireland peace process going right back, and correctly sees that the internationalisation of the issue as an Irish diplomatic achievement, not least the involvement of the Americans, from Ted Kennedy right down to Bill Clinton and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

The British had always wanted to keep the issue domestic, and its own affair. The European Union went along with that for years, not wishing to upset the UK, and I would disagree with the author about the EU's historic influence on Northern Ireland. Brussels threw money at it but little else.

That is until now, and Brexit, and the stance of the EU in drawing a red line over the North (and a seamless border) and using it as a stick to beat the departing British with. Who could have seen that one coming!

This is a fascinating and stimulating book and the author has drawn together many different elements impressively. He has certainly taken some thoughtful angles and it will be a valuable resource as we face into an uncertain international future.
We are now at the inflection point in the Wu Flu phenomenon, where some fearless prognosticators are prophesying that the economy will never come back and others are prophesying that the economy will come back in a flash.

I dare say that the prophecies have a lot to do with whether the prophet in question leads a religious cult prophesying that Donald Trump will lose the November election or not. You tell me.

Then there are other questions. Was it really such a good idea to shut the world economy down on the basis of computer models that turned out to be wildly inaccurate? Was it such a good idea to close all the schools and thereby prevent young people from K thru grad-school from getting herd immunity?

Was it a good idea for President Trump to have daily Wu Flu news conferences so that any slips could be spun up into yet another bombshell-and-walls-closing-in moment?

Was it anything other than rampant sexism to respond to the epidemic with a girl-centric shelter in place policy rather than a guy-centric march towards the sound of the guns policy?

Should the temporary relaxation of food regulations allowing food trucks in trucking rest stops be expanded? Or is Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) right to say that "The FDA must not scale back essential food-safety inspections and must maintain food-production requirements and guarantee the safety of our food supply in these trying times.

Chuck Old Chap -- I have a question. Given the immediate publicity on any glitch in the food safety matrix in the good old USA, and the instinct of all American women to pounce on any safety issue on anything, and the ability of Democrat-voting lawyers to sue for billions: Are You Kidding Me?

Down the road, would it be a good idea to transform the economy based on some high-horsepower computer models predicting a climate uptick of a degree or two per century? Or should we sow the arctic with carbon black, given that the Sun may be entering another grand solar minimum? You tell me.

Is it a good thing to have significant monitoring and speech control on the Internet compatible with a societys norms and values, or should Commoner Americans utterly reject anything that Tthe Atlantic writers propose as being utterly incompatible with their norms and values unless proved otherwise in a double-blind test?

Are we really saving lives by closing down construction jobs, which are almost all outside and conducted by young men and middle-aged men? Are we really saving lives by turning the health care system into a ghost system that is doing nothing except preparing to be overwhelmed by Chinese Flu cases long after it is evident the health care system isnt going to be overwhelmed by Chinese Flu cases?

How many more $500 billion stimulus packages per month should Congress enact? And how much of that money should go for ruling-class pet projects and ruling-class Little Darlings?

Heres something to get your teeth into. My usgovernmentspending.com says that federal debt has gone up a mere $1.3 trillion since the beginning of March. Thats up about 5 percent. Want to know what has gone up more? The Federal Reserves total assets. Down in the very deepest caves of the governments money printing operation the Dwarves have increased basic money by $2.4 trillion since the end of February. Thats up 58 percent! Godfrey Daniels! Mother of Pearl!

What does that mean? You tell me.

Theres the old joke attributed to Keynesian economist Paul Samuelson, that the stock market has predicted nine of the past five recessions. But then, the stock market usually starts up months before the economy bottoms out of a recession. Has it also predicted nine of the last five recoveries? For instance, the S&P 500 peaked at 3,386 on February 19, bottomed out (so far) at 2,237 on March 23, and ended last week on April 24 at 2,836. So what is the stock market telling us? Whatabout oil? The networks were agog about negative prices in the oil futures market last week and oil tankers idling off the coast of California, but Exxon Mobil stock has recovered 40% since March 23 and Chevron is up 60%. I wonder what dear old John D. Rockefeller would have thought about those fragments of Standard Oil that the gubmint knew a century ago had to be broken up? You tell me.

But at least we have one thing to be thankful for in these trying times: That Joe Biden, way back in 1993, seems to have fearlessly brought sex into the digital age. I wonder what would have happened if John D. Rockefeller had digitally penetrated Ida Tarbell back in the day.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.
Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) enhances its corporate image by responding positively to the clarion call for donations from COVID-19 Trust Fund to support the fight against coronavirus pandemic in Ghana.

GNASSM in the true spirit of corporate social responsibility donated an amount of One Hundred & Sixteen Thousand, Six Hundred & Ninety-one Ghana Cedis (GHS 116, 691.00) altogether, to complement the efforts of government combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

To itemize the donations, GNASSM presented a dummy cheque of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 50,000) to the COVID-19 Trust Fund, and alongside the dummy cheque, food items worth Nine Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 9,000) were presented to the Osu Children's Home, whilst six (6) selected Media Groups on COVID-19 frontline were also presented with Medical PPEs worth Nine Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 9,000) to support balanced-educative reportage endeavours.

The Food items to the Osu Children's Home includes:

1. Rice - - Fifty (50) bags

2. Sardines - - - Ten (10) boxes

3. Frytol Oil - - - Ten (10) boxes

4. Bottled Water - - - Fifty (50) packs

The PPEs to the Selected Media includes:

1. Face Masks - Ten (10) boxes

2. Sanitation Wipes - Sixty (60) pieces

3. Tissue Rolls - Thirty (30) bundles

4. Liquid Soap - Fifty (50) boxes

5. Hand Sanitizers - - Fifty (50) packs

The Six (6) selected Media Groups are:

1. Ghana Television (GTV) 2. OMNI Media

3. Multimedia Group 4. Media General

5. Despite Media Group 6. EIB Network

On GNASSM Regional Basis:

The Dunkwa District of GNASSM donated Medical PPEs worth Forty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 40,000) to the Dunkwa Government Hospital, whilst the Ashanti Chapter of GNASSM also donated Food items and Toiletries worth Six Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 6,000) to the Central Destitute Infirmary at Ashanti Bekwai.

On the side-lines, a media consultant Kweku Temeng, also donated Ten (10) branded Gold Miners face masks to the GNASSM members presenting the COVID-19 donations, namely:

1. Collins Osei Kusi (President) 6. Victoria Adobea Guerrieri (Women in Mining)

2. Godwin Amarh (Gen. Secretary) 7. Gloria Adomako (Admn/Sec.)

3. Alhaji Baba Ahmed (Nat. Organizer) 8. Emmanuel Dzeble (Admn/Head)

4. Frank Osei aka. Denero (ETMT/Ashanti Chair) 9. Michael Adu Gyamfi (Ash/Sec.)

5. Sampson Wiredu aka. TLG (Nat Head of Finance) 10. Nii Adjetey-Kofi Mensah (Seciat)

(Source: Nii Adjetey-Kofi Mensah; GNASSM Secretariat: Monday, July 27, 2020)
International Airlines Group (IAG) SA will slash the work force at its flagship British Airways by almost 30% in a painful restructuring aimed at shrinking the airline group for a downturn that could last for years.

IAG shares fell as much as 6% Wednesday, after the airline group said that as many as 12,000 jobs will be lost at the U.K.s former state-owned airline.

A 1.3 billion-euro ($1.4 billion) charge from fuel and currency hedges added to the groups first-quarter operating loss, according to a statement late Tuesday. With its planes on the ground, IAG said operating results are likely to be significantly worse in the current period because the virus has pushed down demand.

The harsh steps are likely to be repeated by other airlines in days and weeks to come, after flight restrictions aimed at fighting the coronavirus threw the industry into its steepest downturn ever. Carriers are in desperate need of cash, with peers such as Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG chasing multibillion-euro bailouts. IAG has so far avoided tapping government-supported fundraising plans.

In the last few weeks, the outlook for the aviation industry has worsened further and we must take action now, British Airways Chief Executive Officer Alex Cruz said in a letter to employees. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face.

Planemaker Airbus SE said Wednesday it burned through 8 billion euros in cash in the first quarter, and said it would have a better grasp on the the scale of the crisis by June. Boeing Co. will report results later Wednesday.

British Airways now leads a stable that includes Spanish flag carrier Iberia, Irelands Aer Lingus and discount brands Vueling and Level. Like other European carriers, the company was hit with a double-whammy from fuel-hedging contracts that failed to protect the company against a sudden drop in oil prices.

European airlines typically hedge most of their fuel costs to protect against a sudden jump in one of their biggest expenses. But because of the way some of the contracts are structured, the unexpected drop has forced many of them to hand cash over to banks even as many ask governments for multibillion euro taxpayer bailouts.

Lufthansa and Ryanair Holdings Plc have already said theyve lost money on hedging contracts, with more revelations expected with quarterly results.

IAG doesnt expect passenger demand to recover to 2019 levels for several years. The company said its operating loss before exceptional items was 535 million euros in the period ended March 31.

Now its fleet is almost fully grounded, sapping revenue further. With cash and undrawn credit lines totaling 9.5 billion euros, the carrier is undertaking painful cuts to stretch its resources during the downturn. The carriers market value has plunged by about two-thirds this year, to 4 billion pounds ($5 billion).

The job cuts are also a blow for the U.K. government, which is paying part of the wages of furloughed workers in the hope of preventing a sharp spike in unemployment as the country remains in lockdown. Britains economy will contract by 7.6% this year, the biggest annual fall since 1921, according to Dan Hanson of Bloomberg Economics.

Labor Resistance

BA, which has already placed 22,626 workers on the furlough plan, will now start discussions with labor groups on permanent reductions. Pilots represented by Balpa said they were surprised by the move, especially since IAG said it was wealthy enough to weather the storm.

Balpa does not accept that a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one, General Secretary Brian Strutton said in a statement.

The job cuts followed an announcement by SAS AB, Scandinavias biggest network airline, on Tuesday that it would eliminate as many as 5,000 jobs.

The Tuesday announcement left some questions unanswered, said Daniel Roeska, an analyst with Sanford C Bernstein -- including the status of IAGs planned takeover of Spains Air Europa.

On balance, this should not come as a surprise but we would have preferred more color on what cost flexibility and cash burn the company expects during the shutdown in the upcoming weeks, Roeska said in a note.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.

(This story has been published from a wire agency without modifications to the text)

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But output is likely to worsen as China resumes production, while chipmaker Samsung warned of lower profits.

South Koreas March factory output jumped by the most in 11 years as demand for display panels and cars received an unexpected boost from lengthy shutdowns in competing Chinese factories amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Industrial output surged by a seasonally adjusted 4.6 percent in March from a month earlier, government data showed on Wednesday, marking the biggest expansion since a 7.3 percent jump in February 2009 and handily beating a 1.3 percent fall expected in a Reuters news agency survey.

Production of electronic components including display panels soared by 12.7 percent while automotive output surged by 45.1 percent, as virus-related production disruptions in China benefitted Korean manufacturers. The launch of new car models also helped.

Output of electronic components were seen weakening before March but demand surged in March on production disruptions at Chinese companies, a Statistics Korea official said.

The boost is likely to be short-lived, however, as factories in China gradually restarted operations, he added.

Despite the surprise output surge, the prospect of a recession is growing in Asias fourth-largest economy.

The coronavirus pandemic pushed South Koreas economy into its biggest contraction since 2008 in the first quarter, as self-isolation measures hit consumption and global trade slumped.

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said growth readings for the economy are likely to worsen in the second quarter with the deepening effect from the pandemic.

On a year-on-year basis, the factory output jumped by 7.1 percent, compared with a 11.3-percent rise in February.

One of South Koreas largest conglomerates is already feeling the pinch. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Wednesday it expected its profit to decline in the current quarter, as strength in the chip business would be offset by a sales slump in smartphones and TVs.

Samsung said its first-quarter operating profit rose by 3 percent in the January-March period, in line with an earlier estimate, as the stay-at-home trend due to the COVID-19 pandemic cushioned the virus blow.

The tech conglomerates chip business is benefitting from demand for servers and computers as stay-at-home orders force millions of people around the world to convert their homes into offices.

But sales of TVs and smartphones have slowed as recession-wary consumers postpone purchases of non-essential consumer electronics, a trend seen across the global tech industry.

Sales and profits of set products business, including smartphones and TVs, are expected to decline significantly as COVID-19 affects demand and leads to store and plant closures globally, Samsung said in a statement.

The worlds top maker of memory chips and smartphones reported an operating profit of 6.4 trillion Korean won ($5.2bn), compared with 6.2 trillion won ($5.09bn) a year ago and its earlier estimate of 6.4 trillion won ($5.26bn).

It said net profit fell by 3 percent to 4.9 trillion won ($4.02bn), while revenue climbed by 5.6 percent to 55.3 trillion won ($45.41bn).

Samsung Electronics shares fell by 0.8 percent in a flat wider market in morning trade on Wednesday. The shares are down by 10 percent so far this year, in line with the wider market.
Geography

Race and Ethnicity Data

Naming Nursing Homes With COVID-19 Cases

With the coronavirus pandemic, timing is everything. When should states shut down? When should they reopen? Which hospitals need the most supplies right now? Across the United States, those decisions largely hinge on good, accurate public health data.And yet, how much information is shared with the public varies widely among the states.As part of a collaborative effort, Stateline and Spotlight PA surveyed six states across the U.S.  Colorado South Carolina , and Washington  to determine what information they have made accessible to the public via their websites.All six are regularly releasing data on cases by age, sex and county. But beyond those basic numbers, the patchwork of available information shows the differing ability of health officials to accurately collect and report data, as well as how much they think the public needs to know.The demand from the public has largely centered around where positive cases and deaths are located. While most states made county-level information available soon after they began reporting cases, some have hesitated to localize data further because of privacy concerns.In recent weeks, policymakers and advocates have pressed officials to begin reporting more demographic data about both positive cases and those who have been tested. In particular, racial data has proved critical, as early numbers indicated communities of color were being disproportionately harmed. Calls for more transparency have revealed systemic failures by some states to collect that information when tests are administered.Whats clearer from the available data: seniors are dying at higher rates than adults and children. Long-term care facilities across the U.S. have proven to be tinderboxes for outbreaks, though a lack of federal data has obscured the extent of the situation. At the same time, some states are resisting calls to make facility-specific information available to the public.Information about cases by ZIP code or census tract are critical to properly target limited resources, experts say. But not every state is offering this level of detail.Shiriki Kumanyika, emeritus professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and chairwoman of the Council on Black Health at Drexel, said county-level figures can be problematic, especially in counties that are primarily rural but also have an urban area.Kumanyika said that without granular geographic information, it would totally dilute the sense of whats going on.In Georgia, the Department of Public Health has posted maps showing cumulative and active cases by block groups, which are subdivisions of a census tract. Weekly maps showed the spread and intensity of the disease over time.Positive COVID-19 cases in Maryland are broken down by ZIP code and county. Data on COVID-19 deaths is available at the county level.Under pressure from experts and the press, Pennsylvania officials on April 20 began including ZIP code-level data on coronavirus tests, both those that come back positive and negative. State officials still provide deaths only by county.Some counties and municipalities in Pennsylvania with their own health departments are empowered to and have shared more granular data. For example, Philadelphias Department of Health had been providing ZIP code data for about a month before state officials made the change.In Washington state, where the first coronavirus cases were confirmed, officials categorize cases and deaths by county. In response to a public records request asking for ZIP code data, the health department said only that [t]he data on our website lists the data by county.However, King County, which has been the epicenter of the state's outbreak, created a data dashboard that includes ZIP code information. The county's site features a map with ZIP code boundaries that includes the number of positive results per 100,000 residents.Colorado, too, has seen similar divisions. While the states website shows only county-level information for cases and deaths, certain counties have released information by ZIP code.In South Carolina, members of the public asked the state to report cases by ZIP codes , but officials initially resisted.The desire for some to obtain details about where infected people are located has become a disturbing distraction because it suggests that there are still people who dont understand the potential threat for everyone and that any one of us can be exposed at any one time, Linda Bell, the state epidemiologist, said during a March 31 news conference But on April 3, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster ordered the health department to provide the information, as it was in the publics interest.Data on the race and ethnicity of people infected and killed by COVID-19 is crucial to understanding how different communities are affected.Were not wanting data for the sake of data, said Sharelle Barber, an assistant research professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Were wanting data so we can mitigate this disproportionate impact in certain communities and come up with short and long-term policy solutions to save lives.All six states are now releasing racial data for reported cases. But some have struggled to collect a complete picture from labs, physicians and hospitals.Our ability to report data on race and ethnicity really depends on that data being reported to the state, Colorado State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy recently told reporters. Our strategy going forward is to get that data from the beginning.Pennsylvania has experienced similar issues, according to Health Secretary Rachel Levine. As of April 23, 70% of reported cases did not have race or ethnicity data. Just over 50% of death data was similarly lacking information on race.This data has been very difficult for us to collect, Levine said in mid-April, because of issues with what information physicians and labs are sending the state.Similar problems have occurred in Maryland, according to Josh Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. There, he said, some commercial testing facilities were not noting race or ethnicity when recording test results.Still, as of April 23, the state lacked race data for just 21% of reported COVID-19 cases.South Carolina, too, appears to have been successful in collecting this information. In its most recent report, only 9 out of 148 deaths, or 6%, did not report race. The percentage of positive cases that lacked race data was the same.In an email responding to Statelines questions about how the state was able to achieve such a high level of compliance, the South Carolina State Emergency Response Team said, We ask individuals to self-report their race and ethnicity.In Washington, 37% of cases were listed as unknown, and the state lacked racial data on 10% of deaths, as of April 23.Of the groups susceptible to serious complications of COVID-19, perhaps none are quite as vulnerable as seniors who live in long-term care facilities. As visitation and inspections have in many cases been suspended, family members have struggled for information.Three of the six states surveyed by Stateline and Spotlight PA are providing the names of nursing homes that have cases of COVID-19, part of a growing transparency trend.Since April 3, Georgia has provided daily information specific to long-term care facilities. The list includes the name, address and county of each facility as well as the number of residents in each, the number of COVID-positive residents and staff and the number of resident deaths.Colorado officials began naming nursing homes with two or more cases of COVID-19 and publishing a tally of total cases and deaths at those facilities in early April.Last week, South Carolina began reporting the number of COVID-19 cases in individual nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. Previously, the state had reported an aggregate number of positive cases in nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and other community residential facilities.Despite being the site of the countrys first nursing home outbreak, Washington has not provided such information. Maryland and Pennsylvania also do not provide facility-specific information  and dont plan to do it.The Maryland Department of Health said in an email the disclosure of this information serves no public health purpose and could lead to the identification of specific persons who have tested positive for the disease.Pennsylvania has cited a decades-old law to hold back the names of nursing homes with COVID-19 cases, though it recently began releasing the number of resident and staff infections and deaths at long-term care facilities by county.Stateline staff writers Alex Brown, Michael Ollove and Sophie Quinton contributed to this report. This story includes previous reporting published by the Philadelphia Inquirer and Spotlight PA.
World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley says developed nations should not overlook another key danger facing the planet in the age of coronavirus: the possible breakdown of the global food delivery system.

The former South Carolina governor says closed seaports and borders, grounded airplanes and vulnerable nations trying to kickstart their own economies all factor into potentially disrupting the delivery of life-saving food.

If the pandemic causes the food chain breaks down  either in availability or the means to deliver it  the door opens for mass famine and terror groups like ISIS to move in, he said of problems that were hard enough to stave off before the coronavirus.

"We cannot pit COVID versus starvation," Beasley told The Post and Courier on Wednesday.

"We've got to work these two issues together strategically. We've got to keep the economies rolling. We've got to keep the supply chain moving the best we possible can."

The number of people "marching toward starvation" on the planet is 135 million daily, he said, but that figure could increase by 130 million more per day because of COVID-19 if the disease were to continue to go unchecked.

Beasley's comments come as he recently recovered from his own bout with the novel coronavirus while quarantined at his home in Darlington County.

Beasley was appointed head of the WFP, which is run by the United Nations, in 2017 on the recommendation of former Gov. Nikki Haley, who was then President Donald Trumps U.N. ambassador. He served as South Carolina's governor from 1995-99.

Africa would be particularly vulnerable, he said, pointing to what could happen if young people and children who receive school meals suddenly go hungry and riots ensue.

The offshoot could be mass migrations or threats to secure nations, he said.

Beasley said several things need to happen to keep the delivery system working:

End wars in places such as Yemen, Syria and South Sudan.

Send nations' committed money now so that food and commodities can be put in strategic locations.

Improve the logistics hubs so that cargo has freer movement around the planet.

He noted that while the U.S. had a run on toilet paper when the pandemic broke, families in challenged nations didn't think of that first.

"They are worried about feeding their children for the next couple of days," he said.
The annual meetings bring more than 5,000 delegates from all over the country to Beijing and to the main event: a huge NPC meeting in the majestic Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square. There, the delegates listen as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang review the past year and lay out the governments targets for the year ahead.
Irrfan Khan died on Wednesday leaving his millions of friends and fans in shock and tears. But his remarkable work in the film industry will live on for ages. The actor delivered several critically-acclaimed performances in films as diverse as Haider and Angrezi Medium, The Luchbox and Piku.

Here are some of his best films which brought out the best in him:

Angrezi Medium (2020)

The actor couldnt participate in the promotions of his last film Angrezi Medium due to ill health but his work was enough to do the talking. The actor returned to play a doted father eager to fulfil the dreams of his daughter in what was to be his last film. The film released on Disney + Hotstar last month.

Also read: Irrfan Khan left us too soon: Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar lead Bollywood in mourning loss of actor

Hindi Medium (2017)

Irrfan will forever be remembered as the middle-class man from Hindi Medium who would go to any length to get his daughter an admission in a decent school in Delhi. The film resonated with a very wide audience, making the film an instant hit.

Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan in Piku.

Piku (2015)

Piku will always remain one of the most memorable films of Irrfans career. Shoojit Sircar turned Irrfan into an impatient yet resourceful businessman Rana Chaudhary in the light-hearted drama, also featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.

Also Watch | Actor Irrfan Khan passes away in Mumbai; tributes pour in from celebrities

Haider (2014)

Haider, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, saw Irrfan playing a crucial part of the films narrative. The actor essayed the role of Roohdaar, who reminded Shahid Kapoors titular character to avenge the death of his father. Despite Shahid, Tabu and Shraddha Kapoor in the star cast, Irrfan got some of the best lines in the film.

Irrfan Khan in a still from The Lunchbox

The Luchbox (2013)

Irrfan stole the spotlight in The Luchbox, a charming film about a lunch box mix-up that ignited an unlikely friendship. The film told the story of how lonely people can be in a teeming metropolis. The film was showered with awards and acclaim including a BAFTA Award nomination.

Also read: RIP Irrfan Khan: Leonardo DiCaprio to Steven Spielberg, Hollywood legends the actor turned down to work in India

Also read: Irrfan Khan, actor extraordinaire and Indias face in the West, dies at 53

Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

Irrfan won his first National Award for best actor for playing a dacoit in Paan Singh Tomar, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. Irrfan successfully showed the journey of a dedicated and passionate athlete to an angry man who feels betrayed by the system as well as society.

Irrfan Khan and Tabu in a still from Maqbool.

Maqbool (2003)

It was no regular phenomenon to see an actor winning hearts with the portrayal of a devilish character but Irrfan made the audience fall in love with him in Maqbool. He played the titular role of Miyan Maqbool, styled on Shakespeares Macbeth. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, Maqbool is an adaptation of Shakespeares Macbeth. The film had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and it was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2004.

Haasil (2003)

Haasil, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia remains a top favourite among Irrfan fans. The actor played a student leader who grew up from a friend, philosopher, and guide to a murderer, abductor, and a ticking time bomb-- with great conviction.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
China's obsession with monitoring its citizens with surveillance cameras has reached a new high as cameras are installed at the front door or in the home itself.

Returning from a trip to southern China, Ian Lahiffe went back to discover a surveillance camera that was getting mounted right outside his apartment when he was starting two-week home isolation that was mandatory and enforced by Beijing officials. This was a means to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

He noted that the camera was pointed at him and gave the message like a big brother is watching. The camera pointing at him was a stern reminder to him.

The camera was there, getting mounted to know what he was doing, but he thought the reason might be more ominous than imagined. As the Beijing government made it clear that what anyone does is the business of the government.

Lahiffe added that is an unwanted intrusion of privacy on the government's part, he also said,"It just seems to be a massive data grab. And I don't know how much of it is legal."

As far as the installation of the cameras is concerned with all of them affixed just outside the front door of those under quarantine, there is no official notification to them. It has been reported in some cities in mainland China since February according to three people who were monitored. It was not just an intrusion of privacy, but also what was posted on social media and government statements. This has been the experience of these individuals who feel less than ecstatic about that.

Right now, China has no law to control how much use of surveillance cameras should be done. China has invested a lot in these social controls as part of public life. Overall the government monitors everyone, wherever they go, and all the activities citizens go about their days.

Also read: China's Secrecy Under Strain, Reeling From Continuous Spread of Coronavirus

A total of 20 million cameras are installed in China as of 2017, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Though it might be higher than thought. A report from IHS Markit Technology, now a part of Informa Tech, points out that, China had 349 million surveillance cameras installed as of 2018, nearly five times the number of cameras in the United States which makes it one of the most monitor countries in the world.

A UK-based technology research firm Comparitech said, "China also has eight of the world's 10 most surveilled cities based on the number of cameras per 1,000 people."

It is unavoidable with China as it places surveillance cameras to keep watch and remind that a bigger eye is watching.

The coronavirus pandemic enabled surveillance cameras to intrude with the privacy of many people, to public areas, and at their front doors as well. But some are unlucky enough to have cameras inside domiciles, as the ultimate expression of social control.

As of this writing, CNN asked a comment about this development from China's National Health Commission. Although the Ministry of Public Security snubbed CNN's faxed requests for an answer.

In these cities with these cameras deployed, there is nothing to do but comply, and invasion of privacy is the least of the worries.

Related article: Chinese Warship Readied Guns at PH Navy Vessel in Philippine Seas

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Ivory Coast Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 1,183, Total Deaths reaches to 14 on 29-Apr-2020

In Ivory Coast total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 1,183, while 14 people died due to the growing infection in the country.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world:

Andhra Pradesh (India), 29-April-2020: An 11-baby among 73 new cases in Andhra Pradesh. In past 24 hours 73 new cases of Covid-19 reported from Andhra Pradesh raising the total Covid-19 patient count to 1,332 in the state.

France, 29-April-2020: Total fatalities due to Covid-19 infection surpasses 23,000 mark in France.

Gujarat (India), 28-April-2020: Gujarat reported 226 new cases of Covid-19 infection raising total count to 3,774 in the state. Over 181 people died so far with Covid-19 infection in Gujarat.

India, 28-April-2020: Total confirmed cases in India have risen to 29,435 while Covid-19 outbreak is spread in 185 counties of the world. India is under nationwide lockdown and today is the 35th day of the lockdown.

India, 28-April-2020: One new case of Covid-19 is reported from Bihar raising total cases to 360 in the state.

India, 28-April-2020: Delhi confirmed cases crosses 3,000 mark with 2,177 active cases in the city. Delhi Government in its bulletin on Monday revealed that the total confirmed cases in the state rises to 3,108, while there are 21,132 active cases of Covid-19 in India.

World, 28-April-2020: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-General said "The pandemic is far from over." Which means the Covid-19 infection will stay for the longer period of time in the world.

Nigeria, 27-April-2020: In Nigeria the lockdown has been extended in three major states Abuja, Lagos and Ogun. Now the lockdown will be imposed till May 4. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari announced the extension of lockdown today.

India, 27-April-2020: The Tamil Nadu government announced on April 27 to return 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after their test asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid antibody kits developed by two Chinese companies. These COVID-19 rapid antibody kits were imported earlier for the testing of suspected patients. But now India will not use these kits because it is not giving satisfactory results, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Worldwide, 28-April-2020: Global Coronavirus cases rises more than 3,000,000, while 209,799 deaths reported so far. Nearly one third cases of Covid-19 is reported from United States. In United States over 972,969 confirmed cases have been reported so far. Spain is the second most affected country in the world with a total of 229,422 cases and 23,521 deaths as per the data of Johns Hopkins.

France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far.

Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Ivory Coast:

Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 24-Apr-2020 1,077 73 14 0 2. 25-Apr-2020 1,077 0 14 0 3. 26-Apr-2020 1,150 73 14 0 4. 27-Apr-2020 1,164 14 14 0 5. 28-Apr-2020 1,183 19 14 0 6. 29-Apr-2020 1,183 0 14 0

TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:



1. Europe (126,569)

2. North America (64,412)

3. USA (59,266)

4. Italy (27,359)

5. Spain (23,822)

6. France (23,660)

7. UK (21,678)

8. Asia (17,966)

9. South America (7,590)

10. Belgium (7,331)

Total Deaths Worldwide (218,187)

Globally till now over 218,187 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Ivory Coast and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 126,569 deaths and 1,329,524 confirmed cases.

Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world
The Union Health Ministry on April 29 said that the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,008 and the number of cases climbed to 31,787 in the country, registering a record jump of 71 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in India stands at 22,982, while 7,796 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

Follow our LIVE Updates here.

A total of 71 deaths have been reported since April 28 evening of which, 31 fatalities were from Maharashtra, 19 from Gujarat, six from Madhya Pradesh, five each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Here are all the latest updates:

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

>> Union Home Ministry issued an order allowing movement of migrant workers, tourists, students, pilgrims and others stranded following the nationwide lockdown.

>> Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir helped improve symptoms in COVID-19 patients who were given the drug early than among those who were treated later, the company said.

>> Punjab decided to extend the curfew in the state by two more weeks, Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh said.

Read Also: Home ministry to announce new guidelines on May 4 with considerable relaxations

>> All central government employees were asked today to immediately download the 'Aarogya Setu' mobile application and to come to office when the application shows "safe" status for commuting, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

>> Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said that with intensive coronavirus containment efforts and results showing on ground, one may hope for normal Parliament schedule.

>> The first plasma therapy trial, used for treating a COVID-19 patient, has been successful in Maharashtra, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said.

>> In a fortnight, number of COVID-19 hotspot districts in India decreases to 129 from 170.

>> SpiceJet told its pilots that they will not be paid salaries for April and May, and said those who have been operating cargo flights will get paid for "block hours flown".

>> COVID-19 cases in US crossed one million-mark as death toll spikes to over 58,300, exceeding American fatalities in Vietnam War.

>> Failure to stop coronavirus at source led to 184 countries 'going through hell', US President Donald Trump said.
Mr. Trump and other Republicans have also sought to blame the coronavirus outbreak on the W.H.O., which Mr. Cuomo singled out by name, too. The W.H.O., which first identified the virus as a pneumonia of unknown cause on Jan. 5, did not return requests for comments on the governors remarks.

Mr. Cuomo has largely been praised for the magnanimous tone he has usually tried to strike in his daily briefings, often saying it is not the time for recrimination or politics, a topic he mused about earlier this month while quoting the Bible and Abraham Lincoln.

This is no time and no place for division, Mr. Cuomo said on April 18. We have our hands full as it is.

Mr. Cuomos handling of the crisis in New York, where more than 17,500 people have died, has resulted in a spike in his popularity, but more critical evaluations of the states overall response have increasingly emerged with the mounting death toll, particularly in comparison with other states and cities that have had less serious outcomes thus far.

The governor has argued that the state was quick to respond to the outbreak, noting it shut down nonessential businesses and ordered residents to stay at home as of the evening of March 22. That was three days after a stay-at-home order went into effect in California, a state with more than twice the population of New York but about a tenth of the confirmed deaths, and about a sixth of the cases.

The governor had previously wondered aloud about responsibility for detecting the virus, saying in mid-March that we knew this was happening in China back in November and noting how air travel could spread the disease.

The states first guidance on the outbreak came on Jan. 17, when the states Health Department issued a one-page sheet for health care providers, along with information from the C.D.C.
[April 29, 2020] Broco Rankin Web Store Now Open for Online Ordering of Key Products At shopbroco-rankin.com

ONTARIO, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Broco Rankin is pleased to announce the opening of its new web store, shopbroco-rankin.com, for online ordering of key popular Broco Rankin products. The new store initially offers more than 50 products from the Broco Underwater, Tactical, Industrial and Rankin Hardfacing lines of business, as well as Accessories. Shopbroco-rankin.com offers retail purchase for the first time of Broco Military, Tactical and Fire forced entry products, including torch kits, saw sets, Jimmy pry bars, Ultimate Breaching Tools (UBT), Enforcer door rams, bulletproof backpacks and new Tactical Breaching Gloves. Broco Underwater features cutting torches and exothermic cutting rods, and underwater welding stingers and electrodes. On SALE NOW!

Broco Tactical Breaching Gloves

9" Cutoff Saw Kit

Mini Breaching Saw Set





Jimmy Tactical Pry Bar Available Broco Industrial products include the A-20 Torch Kit featuring the world renowned Broco Exothermic Cutting Torch and Broco Prime-Cut exothermic cutting rods. Rankin Hardfacing offers Ranite hardfacing electrodes, Ranomatic hardfacing wires, the Rankin Manual Vibratory Carbide Feeder and bulk tungsten carbide in multiple sizes.

"We are excited to open this new web store for online ordering of our best-selling Broco Rankin products," said Richard Ferry, president of Broco Rankin. "This is a first for us. We have had many requests for retail sales over the years and are now taking our first steps beyond the traditional distributor network to reach more potential customers and end-users." The new web store will feature sales with special pricing throughout the year. All sales are limited to the United States only at this time. For a complete list of Broco Rankin products, please visit www.broco-rankin.com. Customers can still call Broco Rankin Customer Relations at 800.845.7259 for questions, product availability and distributor and bulk purchase pricing. "The company will continue to support its worldwide distribution network and the web store is viewed as a channel of convenience for those buyers not able to purchase directly from an authorized dealer. We also plan to include additional products in the store in the future. This is an exciting time for us," concluded Ferry. For more information about the Broco Rankin web store, and any Broco Rankin products, please call 909.483.3222, 800.845.7259, visit www.broco-rankin.com, or contact Margaret McCallister at [email protected]. The Broco Rankin family of companies is based in Ontario, California. Broco, Inc. engineers and manufactures Military, Tactical and Fire forced entry and rescue and repair products, underwater cutting and welding equipment, and industrial exothermic cutting and welding products. Rankin Hardfacing, PMA Protective Metal Alloys, and Chamberlain Security are part of Rankin Industries, Inc. which designs and manufactures buildup, hardfacing and specialty nickel alloy products. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/broco-rankin-web-store-now-open-for-online-ordering-of-key-products-at-shopbroco-rankincom-301049161.html SOURCE Broco Rankin

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